South Africa: Modise talks of "intermediary force" to deal with riots

Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise says she has told a sitting of the National Assembly that there is a need to consider deploying a special intermediary force that will be trained and equipped to deal with domestic violence and unrest situations.

Modise said this when the National Assembly considered reports of the joint standing committee on oversight visits to review military deployments as part of Operation Prosper in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng on Tuesday.

She said this after various MPs pointed to the fact that the Defence Force is trained to deal with combat operations abroad, and not to do police work.

We are asking that we also take time to re-look at the structures. At some point we wanted to suggest to this Parliament that you actually need an intermediary force, a force that is between the soldiers and the police, a force that is just right to deploy in these situations that we have just experienced and it would not be a unique force. France has a force like that.

So I want to say that hopefully, the deployment of the soldiers helped. Hopefully, we will be able to gather enough to prevent, she said.

Modise said this after the SA National Defence Force deployed 25 000 boots on the ground in some parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal to support police following incidents of violence and looting six weeks ago.

What we do need to do, is to accept that over the years, especially in Defence, because that is the environment I know better than the police, we have not invested enough in capacity in the defence force and that those decreases have rendered us to where we are today, where we are caught off guard.

I am not excusing the fact that defence intelligence could have played a role, honourable [Bheki] Cele, to advise. I am in no way saying the Ministers knew or did not know. I was not there.

Modise said the security cluster must always be on top of its game.

But what I do know is that the security cluster must always be on top of their game to make sure that we do not get these stones that are coming into the cluster that we do what we need to do, not to deploy the police and the soldiers but to protect [the] lives and property of South Africans.

So on that note, we can promise that we can try and do our best.

We in Defence will make sure that we give that support. We in Defence will make sure that we re-look at our capacity.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-08-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Government calls for joint action to curb GBV, femicide

Government has strongly condemned gender-based violence and femicide following the brutal killing of three women in the Eastern Cape, North West and the Western Cape, as well as other incidents not featured in the media.

In a harrowing incident, the mutilated body of 23-year-old Nosicelo Mtebeni was discovered in a suitcase in East London last week.

Her boyfriend, Alutha Pasile, was subsequently arrested and  according to the National Prosecuting Authority  confessed to her murder.

In the two other cases, 29-year-old Palesa Maruping was found hanging from the ceiling of a house in Khuma Location near Stilfontein in the North West, while Pheliswa Sawutana, 32, was allegedly strangled to death with shoelaces in Kosovo informal settlement in Cape Town.

In a statement, government said the fight against gender-based violence and femicide remains an ongoing one.

These heinous crimes against women sadly happened during Womens Month, when we should be celebrating womens contribution in society and reflecting on some of the challenges they continue to face.

These brutal acts of violence against women are a stark reminder that the ongoing fight against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) is nowhere near the end. The recent Crime Statistics released by the South African Police Service confirm the extent of the challenge we continue to face in securing the safety of women in the country, government said.

Government Communication and Information System Director-General, Phumla Williams, bemoaned the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide  especially during Womens Month.

This has been a dark and brutal Womens Month, marred by brutal violence against women. Whilst we continue our efforts to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, GBVF is rearing its abominable head as the second pandemic that is destroying the fabric of our society.

Whilst the call for justice to be served for these women is key, we also call on responsible men to lead the fight against GBVF in our communities, Williams said.

Government interventions

Government has allocated at least R21 billion in support of the fight against gender-based violence and femicide to drive the implementation of the National Strategic Plan (NSP), which seeks to put an end to the scourge.

Since the launch of the NSP last year, 32 regional courts have been designated as Sexual Offences Courts in various parts of the country and about 3 500 investigating officers received specialised training on Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual crimes.

Twelve public buildings have since been renovated and repurposed to be used as shelters and police stations have been capacitated with sexual assault evidence kits, government said.

Currently, there is legislation before Parliament which will see the tightening of cases related to domestic violence issues, such as denying offenders bail and sentencing them to long prison terms.

Government also called on South Africans to contribute positively in the fight against GBVF.

As peace-loving and law-abiding South Africans, we must all  individually and collectively  contribute to the safety and well-being of women in our country. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa affirms the right to life and safety for all people.

It is our innate responsibility to support and help create a non-violent environment for all women. We need to prevent and stop the violation of womens rights. Law-enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system alone cannot stop these senseless murders, governemnt said.

It reiterated the call for the respect of womens rights, and their autonomy and agency.

Let us all create the change we want to see, and men have the duty to lead the fight by respecting and accepting decisions made by women, irrespective of tradition, culture and institutional settings.

The power is in our hands to empower women. Government departments continue to ensure financial inclusion of women through their procurement plans, government said.

To obtain assistance and counselling on GBVF matters, call the GBV Command Centre on 0800 428 428 (0800 GBV GBV). Callers can also request a social worker from the Command Centre to contact them by dialling *120*7867# (free) from any cell phone.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-08-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Dlamini Zuma to sign African Charter on local governance, development

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, will on Wednesday sign the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Decentralisation, Local Governance and Local Development.

On behalf of government, the Minister will sign the Charter following the Presidential Minute and the Instrument of Full Powers authorising the Minister of CoGTA with Full Powers to sign, subject to ratification of the Charter.

The Charter is a framework within which the countries are to develop their own regulatory framework based on decentralisation principles.

Article 15 of the Charter prescribes that local government or local authorities integrate gender, youth and disability issues in the overall process of formulating policy, planning for development and providing services, as well as in implementing, monitoring and evaluating development programs and projects.

It also prescribes that local governments/authorities shall promote and ensure the equal and effective participation of women, youth and people with disabilities in public life, leadership and management positions on all matters relating to local governance and local development.

Beyond this, it recommends that councils promote and increase participation of women, youth and people with disabilities in all matters relating to local governance and local development.

The signing ceremony is scheduled to take place at The Pearls Hotel in Umhlanga in Durban at 3pm.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Spotlight on customary law, social justice

Constitutional and legislative development is critical to the ongoing evolution of customary laws in the country, says Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola.

The Minister said although the courts have made decisions that have impacted the way customary laws are interpreted, the State itself should do more to develop laws to guide the way forward.

[We] can still do more in evolving customary law, particularly for us not to wait for the courts to give some kind of directive and interpretation. There are still challenges in society that relate to some [customary] practises, which I believe that through legislation, we can be able to intervene.

It also speaks to the role that we have in terms of constitutional development as the State that should not only be left to the ConCourt. The State should continue to develop the Constitution to respond to the changing situations in society and to comply with the Bill of Rights, Lamola said.

The Minister was speaking during a virtual conference on Customary Law and Social Justice hosted by Stellenbosch University on Wednesday.

One way in which customary law has an influence on the evolution of law is through the land ownership question.

In relation particularly to the land question and customary law, we see an important transformation in our law, which we must sustain; which in effect, is moved away from State ownership to recognising communal ownership in terms of customary law. The transformation project therefore requires a fundamental reassessment. These exercises demand the attention and participation of us all.

Lamola said although customary law is continuously evolving, it has also been historically misrepresented.

The distortion of customary law did not arise only from the imposition of statutory customary law under colonialism and apartheid. It also arose from the failure to recognise the nature of customary law and its dynamism in the face of changing circumstances.

[Now] the courts are obliged by section 211(3) of the Constitution to apply customary law when it is applicable, subject to the Constitution and any legislation that deals with customary law. In doing so, the courts must have regard to the spirit, purport and objects of the Bill of Rights, he said.

Lamola reiterated that the Constitution remains the supreme law of the country.

Customary law can exist within the prescripts of the Constitution. The Constitution (Section 211) says that customary law is protected, but the rules of customary law must be in line with the principles in the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights protects the right to culture and also protects the right to equality, non-discrimination, and the right to dignity, he said.

However, the Minister acknowledged that womens rights have often been trampled upon in the name of customary law.

As South Africans, we know very well the crimes committed against women and vulnerable groups in our societies. Some of these violations were perpetrated, motivated by some of customary practices. It is still concerning that in some areas in our country, females, particularly children, are still abducted in the name of ukuthwala. Women are still suppressed and forced into marriages in the name of ukungena.

[We] need to educate society, help the law makers and the courts with our well researched papers to promote social justice by shaping our country with the laws that are in line with the supreme law of the land, Lamola said.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Expropriation Bill public hearings resume in Free State

The Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure will from Thursday resume a four-day public hearing programme on the Expropriation Bill in the Free State.

The committee had earlier this year suspended the public participation process due to concerns relating to the high infection rates of COVID-19 in the province.

Following consultation with various stakeholders, including the provincial Department of Health, we felt that it was reasonably safe to resume the hearings in the Free State, where the rates of infection are currently low.

However, we remain cognisant of the challenges posed by COVID-19 and we will strive to ensure adherence to COVID-19 regulations and non-pharmaceutical interventions, said committee chairperson Nolitha Ntobongwana.

The first hearings will be held at Samson Sifuthi Hall in N Section, Botshabelo, at 10am.

The purpose of the Expropriation Bill is to repeal the existing Expropriation Act of 1975 to provide a common framework, in line with the Constitution; guide the processes and procedures for the expropriation of property by organs of State; and to provide for certain instances where expropriation with no compensation may be appropriate in the public interest.

In line with Parliaments strategic objective of enhancing access to the work of Parliament, legislative process and improving public participation in general, the committee resolved to visit all provinces to garner public views on the proposed legislation.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Sexual, reproductive health rights in the spotlight

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu will this afternoon address a panel discussion on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights at Wits University in Johannesburg.

The event forms part of the Womens Month programme held under the theme, The Year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke: Realising Womens Rights.

The panel discussion will unfold as part of governments National Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Framework Strategy, which seeks to pay more attention on issues of gender, adolescence, sexuality and reproductive health rights, contraception, sexual orientation, sexuality and teenage pregnancy through a multi-sectoral approach.

Organised by Inkundla Yamakhosikazi, which is a Wits Student Representative Council (SRC), the panel discussion will deliberate on the rights of female students, their hardships, access to dignity packs and the second pandemic of Gender Based Violence and Femicide which has claimed many womens lives in the country.

Zulu will be joined by Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights activist and United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng.

To further the dialogue on sexual and reproductive health rights, young female students will be part of the panel to share with the Minister some pertinent issues affecting them as women, as well as their overall experience at higher institutions of learning.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Female sex workers exposed to high levels of violence, study finds

A recent study by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU) shows that female sex workers are exposed to extremely high levels of violence.

According to the SAMRC, the study aimed at investigating and describing the prevalence and patterns of exposure of female sex workers (FSWs) to violence in the hands of intimate partners and other men, such as clients, police and others.

This national study of female sex workers linked to sex worker programmes, using interviews conducted with 3 005 FSWs from across all South African provinces and also sought to describe the factors associated with having been raped in the past year.

One of the key findings of the study is that FSWs are exposed to extremely high levels of violence, the SAMRC reported on Tuesday.

In the previous year, almost three-quarters (71%) had been exposed to physical violence and more than half (58%) had been raped.

The study also found that sex workers were extremely vulnerable to rape by clients, men they encounter in the community, as well as from their intimate partners.

However, a particularly concerning finding was that one in seven women had been raped by a policeman, the study highlighted.

The latest nationwide study was conducted in 2019 and completed before sex workers lives were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to investigators, this is the first time evidence has been available from a national sample of FSWs, and it has illuminated the health and complex life experiences of these vulnerable women.

The study also followed a 2016 pilot conducted in Soweto, Johannesburg, amongst FSWs, which found that these workers were extremely susceptible to violence, mental health problems, and signs of HIV drug resistance.

Within the overarching context in which these workers are discriminated against as poor, uneducated women and as members of a profession that is criminalised, the research showed that women were much more vulnerable to rape by male non-partners if they worked on the streets, sold sex more frequently across the months, and had begun selling sex in their childhood.

Investigators also found that they were also more likely exposed to abuse if they were homeless or felt they needed to use drugs or alcohol to cope with sex work.

Sex workers who had been raped were much more likely to experience depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Principal Investigator who has been working with FSWs for two decades, Dr Jenny Coetzee, explained that this study has put numbers to the very alarming levels of violence that she has been aware that sex workers experience.

It is vital that sex worker programmes are properly resourced so that they can help protect sex workers from violence, said Coetzee, adding that there is a need for bold and innovative violence prevention projects to reduce the rates of violence seen across South Africa.

She also highlighted that with the economic downturn due to COVID-19, the country is likely to see an increase in the number of people engaging in survival-type sex work, as well as the perpetration of violence against women.

There has been a lot of research showing what needs to be done to help sex workers. Now we need committed resources to protect this vulnerable group of women.

Co-author of the study, Professor Rachel Jewkes, described these findings as clearly showing that FSWs experience levels of violence that are even higher than the very high levels found in informal settlements and are likely the most vulnerable women to rape and physical violence in the country.

It is essential that we leave no one behind in preventing gender-based violence, and female sex workers must be protected, said Jewkes.

She said that the SAMRC, through its Gender and Health Research Unit (GHRU), continues to reiterate its vital contribution to improving the health status and quality of life of women in South Africa.

According to Jewkes, this is done through conducting high-quality scientific research and leading dialogue on violence against women and how the country can fight against the scourge of gender-based violence more effectively.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Work continues to streamline Home Affairs

Work continues to build an all-inclusive, caring and compassionate Department of Home Affairs, says Minister Aaron Motsoaledi.

Speaking during a debate on oversight visits to Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, Motsoaledi said the unrest seen in July in the two provinces shook the foundations of a cherished democracy.

This period of unrest, unfortunate as it was, helped the Department of Home Affairs to sharpen its focus on the identified priorities. Home Affairs employees ensured that services were delivered in an all-inclusive, caring and compassionate manner, Motsoaledi said on Tuesday.

While the damage did not impact very heavily on the department compared to others, five Home Affairs offices were damaged, of which three are in KwaZulu-Natal and two in Gauteng.

The offices in Eshowe, Impendle and Vulamehlo near Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal were damaged while Gautengs Bara Mall and Mamelodi offices were affected.

The Bara Mall office suffered extensive damages and vandals stole everything, even sinks which were used for hand washing after taking peoples fingerprints. There was no major impact in the Mamelodi office in that only one window was broken and nothing else was tampered with.

The Minister on 15 July instructed the department to use alternative sites to ensure that they are able to assist grieving families and undertakers to register deaths as some offices were inaccessible due to the unrests.

The Bara Mall, which was extensively damaged, was used before the unrest mostly to register deaths. We chose it because it has ample parking space and implementing social distancing was very easy. Before COVID-19, it was registering 120 deaths a day and this figure is between 200 and 300 during COVID-19. When it was vandalised, a lot of people were going to be in dire straits.

We utilised the nearest office at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, which is just one kilometre away from Bara Mall.

The Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital office is the biggest office that registers births because we started registering births in hospitals. We redirected the people of Soweto to the office in the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital office to register deaths. So, their lives were not too badly disrupted.

Meanwhile, the Eshowe office was vandalised on the night of 13 July and services were delivered at the Eshowe Hospital from 16 July 2021. Limited services returned to the office from 22 July using equipment borrowed from nearby Home Affairs offices.

The department currently has 412 offices nationwide of which 229 are leased from various landlords.

This means that we have significant dependencies on landlords and when their offices get damaged, we become victims. We have adopted multiple strategies to reduce these dependencies and to this end, we have approached the Investment Infrastructure Office in the Presidency, which is led by Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa, to put up 15 purpose built offices for us. The offices that we rent are not purpose built, said the Minister.

He told Members of Parliament in the National Assembly that the department has a purpose-built office in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape in which in prides itself on. Meanwhile, construction of similar offices is at advanced stages in Mokopane and Thohoyandou in Limpopo and in Taung in the North West.

In the short term, the department has seen the need to increase its mobile units.

We already have 100 of them. We have decided that during this financial year, we must buy 10 more which are equipped with V-SAT (satellite) so that they can be useable in the deep rural areas of the country where there is no network of any of the mobile network operators, said the Minister.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Free State, Northern Cape urged to enhance water delivery

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has implored the Free State and Northern Cape provincial governments, and water entities, to step up and enhance the delivery of water and decent sanitation.

"We cannot fail in carrying out our mandate to the people. We need to constantly remember that we are in service of the people, Mchunu said.

Mchunu made the call during his visit to the two provinces to understand the service delivery needs relating to water and sanitation needs.

The three-day visit, which started on Tuesday, is aimed at assessing the state of water projects undertaken by the department in the provinces of Free State and Northern Cape.

Mchunu said one of the reasons for the visits, is to understand the challenges faced by the department in carrying out its mandate.

We need to clean our house and get rid of all the clutter so that we fully appreciate what we are dealing with and get to work. In order to fully comprehend the challenges that we face as a department, we will be embarking on a number of provincial visits, engaging with our provincial offices and other relevant stakeholders," Mchunu said.

Engaging with senior officials of the Free State and Northern Cape provinces on Tuesday at a meeting held in Free State, the Minister emphasised that the work they do, which is ensuring the provision of water and sanitation to the residents of the province, is key in carrying out the realisation of these fundamental rights.

Deputy Ministers Dikeledi Magadzi and David Mahlobo are accompanying the Minister on the visits.

"We are here to execute some of the Constitutional mandate, honour the Constitution and its prescripts on issues of water and sanitation. It is for this reason that we have to deliver on our mandate for the integrity of all of us. Lip service will not happen on my watch," Mchunu said.

Meeting with the Sedibeng Water Board and Bloem Water Board, as well as municipality representatives on Wednesday, Mchunu asked officials to inform him of challenges, in order for him to get an honest understanding of water and sanitation challenges in the provinces.

You know what the challenges are, now let's talk solutions," the Minister said.

Mchunu met with the water boards, where he received the presentations on the status of water security in the provinces, with more focus on finance, governance and service delivery.

The Ministry will also meet with the Premiers from Free State Sisi Ntombela and Northern Cape Dr Zamani Saul.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Bringing vaccines closer to the people

In an effort to expand the COVID-19 vaccination drive and reach as many eligible persons as possible, the Gauteng Provincial Government and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) will open a vaccination site at the SABCs Auckland Park Campus.

The pop-up vaccination site, which will be unveiled on Thursday morning, will offer both walk-ins and drive through services. This initiative comes as the vaccination for people aged between 18 and 34 opened last Friday.

The Auckland Park campus is a convenient location for most students enrolled in various higher education institutions within the vicinity. The vaccination site will also accommodate SABC staff members, service providers including security and cleaning personnel as well as the public, a joint statement by the Gauteng Provincial Government and the SABC said on Wednesday.

The pop-up site will operate from Thursday to Saturday 26-28 August from 8am until 4pm at the Radio Park open parking through entrance 4.

Gauteng Provincial Government acting Director-General Thabo Masebe said the provincial government has sought to forge relations across sectors to ensure that the vaccination programme reaches every corner of the province.

Part of our strategy to ramp up the vaccination drive is to work closely with all institutions that are able to help government expand its reach. The SABC as a public broadcaster though its multiple platforms offers an opportunity to ensure that we empower communities with messages that help them to appreciate the importance of vaccines and that through vaccination, we are able to minimize severe illness and hospitilisation, Masebe said.

SABC Group Chief Executive Officer Madoda Mxakwe said the public broadcaster has committed its resources to ensure that South Africans have one more added facility.

This is one of the great partnerships we have entered into with the Gauteng Provincial Government as we have a collective responsibility to fight COVID-19. It is our wish that through this partnership this service will be extended to other SABC offices, Mxakwe said.

All persons who are 18 years and older have been encouraged to visit the SABC pop-up site or their nearest vaccination site to get vaccinated. The vaccination teams will assist with registering people on the spot.

As of 24 August, the Gauteng province has administered over 2.8 million vaccines with over 1.195 million people now fully vaccinated. SAnews.gov.za

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Hong Kong: Special hospital visits expanded

The Hospital Authority today announced that the special visiting arrangement will cover all acute hospitals from August 31, with the inclusion of eight more hospitals.

As with the arrangement implemented in acute and specialist hospitals earlier, visitors are required to have completed a two-dose COVID-19 vaccination for more than 14 days.

Considering that acute hospital patients usually have a shorter length of stay, the authority explained that the arrangement is only applicable to patients admitted for more than one week. One to two visits will be arranged for a family member in a designated time slot each week.

Family members are not required to contact the wards for booking as ward staff will call them to schedule the visits in the next few days.

Visitors can scan the Hospital Visit QR code found on the authoritys webpage and the "HA Go" mobile app to fill in the health declaration form within 24 hours before the visit and show the QR code to ward staff.

The authority hopes the community can understand and comply with the visiting arrangements under the current epidemic situation, noting that its hospitals will continue to facilitate compassionate and video visiting as far as practicable.

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Hong Kong: Govt extends fee waivers

The Government announced today that it will extend government fee and rental waivers and concessions as well as the application period of the Special 100% Guarantee Product under the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan noted that although the Hong Kong economy has gradually regained momentum since early this year, the epidemic is still affecting the business environment of different sectors and the Government considered that it is necessary to sustain the support for them.

We therefore decide to extend various measures and guarantee products for assisting businesses and relevant sectors, thereby reducing their costs and cash flow pressure, he said.

The majority of the waivers and concessions of government fees and charges will be extended for one year from October 1, while the remaining ones will progressively take effect on a later date upon the expiry of the respective existing measures.

The Government will publish in the gazette the required subsidiary legislation on August 27 and submit the related subsidiary legislation to the Legislative Council in September for negative vetting.

The estimated revenue forgone to the Government arising from the extension of these waivers and concessions amounts to $2.036 billion.

The proposed extension of fee waiver by the Construction Industry Council in respect of the registration of construction workers will also be implemented in this legislative exercise and the estimated revenue forgone is about $10 million.

The current arrangement of granting 75% rental or fee concessions applicable to eligible tenants of government properties and eligible short-term tenancies and waivers under the Lands Department was scheduled to expire on October 1.

The concessions will be extended by another six months to March 31, 2022, and the resulting estimated revenue forgone to the Government amounts to $1.376 billion.

During the period, tenants who have to close their properties at the request of the Government will continue to receive a full rental waiver for the duration of the closure.

The Government will also extend the application period of the Special 100% Guarantee Product under the guarantee scheme by six months to June 30, 2022.

It will seek the approval of LegCo's Finance Committee to provide an additional $35 billion of financial commitment, thereby increasing the Government's total commitment under the guarantee scheme to $218 billion.

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by Vladimir Rozanskij

Many young Afghans, including girls, used to attend Nur Sultan universities thanks to a cooperation agreement. Now they are unable to return to Kazakhstan to resume their courses and are worried about their future.

Nur Sultan (AsiaNews) - Many Afghan students studying at universities in Kazakhstan are stuck in their homeland, where they had returned for the summer, and now they cannot return to Kazakhstan to continue their studies. As Radio Azattyk reports, the students are very worried about their future.

The 20-year-old student J. (the name is not revealed for security reasons) has to start the fourth year of the Kazakh-Turkish International University "Ahmed Jesevi" in the city of Turkistan. Since 2020 the students have been in an online regime due to the pandemic, and many like J. had returned home, but the new school year is supposed to start in attendance, and J. is not at all certain that she will be able to get a visa to Kazakhstan.

J. maintains that "Afghanistan today is dangerous for women in general, and much more so for those who study. Since August 15th we see very few women on the streets, we don't believe in the promises of the Taliban, who could easily give me in marriage to someone against my will. We want to be free, like all the young people in the world, but our dreams are breaking: we risk losing our history and our future, our whole world is disappearing... I received an education, I evolved, how can I close myself up in my house now?", J. repeats in perfect Kazakh idiom.

Zabihullah, a fifth-year student at the same university as J., is also stuck at home without a visa to return to study. As he explained, Kazakhstan did not issue him the needed visa and the Kazakh embassy in Kabul will not receive students. "I approached the university on behalf of 30 other students, asking to talk to the ministry in case there is no answer for us on the visa. If we stay in Afghanistan, all our efforts and commitments will end in nothing," the student explains in good Russian.

According to data from Kazakhstan's Ministry of Education and Science, there are currently more than 100 Afghan students studying in the country, thanks to a cooperation agreement with Afghanistan. A few years ago Kazakhstan allocated 50 million dollars for hosting Afghan students in its universities; according to the agreement, after the conclusion of the free period of courses students must return to work in their own country.

The ministry assures that scholarships and enrollments will be preserved and that visas will be renewed as soon as possible, as also confirmed by a representative of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry, Ajbek Smadjarov. It has not been specified when the paperwork will be completed, given the extreme uncertainty of the situation.

Thousands of people are trying to cross the Afghan borders to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, on foot or by any other means, including "illegal planes". Several of them are precisely trying to reach Kazakhstan, considered the safest of the Central Asian countries for Afghan refugees.

The Consul General of Turkmenistan in Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif met on August 20 with local Taliban leaders to try to regulate the flow of people to their country, as communicated by the Turkmen Foreign Ministry. The meeting was reportedly held "in a friendly atmosphere."
The US leader is in Southeast Asia to counter Chinas influence and revive US global leadership. In the vaccine war, the US will provide an additional million doses of vaccine to Vietnam within 24 hours. The regions countries prefer a policy of balance between the two powers.

Hanoi (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Following the Afghan debacle, which has left a raw wound and a point of friction with its Western allies, the United States is trying to revive its global leadership.

To this end, US Vice-President Kamala Harris travelled to Southeast Asia, starting in Singapore. This will be followed by a visit to Vietnam, a challenge in itself. The ultimate goal is to get the regions countries to stand up to China.

However, both Singapore and Vietnam have close economic ties to China. Only the Philippines seems to be drawing closer to the United States after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte agreed to a military deal with Washington.

Vice President Harriss mission in the South China Sea region suggests that the Biden administration is following in the footsteps of Barack Obama, who had made the area one of the strategic points of US foreign policy.

However, the conflicting interests of the Trump administration, the trade war with China, and the COVID-19 pandemic with the consequent "vaccine war" have changed the situation.

In Singapore, the US vice president reiterated Americas role as a "global leader", overshadowed by recent events in Afghanistan, and confirmed its "enduring commitments" in Asia to a "free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Without mentioning China, Harris accused Beijing of coercion and intimidation in the Asia-Pacific region, with conflicting territorial claims between the regions countries. Washington, she said, stands with our allies and partners in the face of these threats".

Chinas reply was immediate, with official state media strongly criticising the US vice president's remarks in Singapore.

According to the China Daily, they reveal the hypocritical attitude of the US which tries to "intimidate" the regions countries "to join Washington in its scheme to contain China.

It seems that the United States only commitment to Southeast Asia is its dedicated efforts to drive a wedge between the Southeast Asian nations and China, it added.

For the current US administration, the rivalry with China remains "the greatest geopolitical test" of the century and Southeast Asia is of strategic importance, so much so that it has already been visited by several high-profile US diplomats in recent weeks.

After Singapore, the US vice president headed to Hanoi where she arrived today, albeit with some problems.

Her arrival was delayed by "an anomalous health accident" involving some officials at the US embassy in Vietnam who were affected  at least this is the suspicion  by the so-called Havana syndrome, a condition that includes dizziness, nausea, migraines and memory lapses.

For US intelligence, the syndrome might be linked to high-frequency electromagnetic waves deliberately generated by Russia.

In Hanoi, the US leader will conduct a series of meetings with government officials, as well as attend the opening ceremony of the regional office of the US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.

In the Vietnamese capital, she will also participate in a virtual meeting of the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on countering the novel coronavirus.

As part of the vaccine war with China, Harris promised Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh that the US would provide an additional million doses of the anti-COVID-19 vaccine within 24 hours, for a grand total to six million.

She also reassured Vietnamese President Ngyuen Xuan Phuc that the US would provide assistance in defending the seas from external threats (read China).

In covering the Harris visit, Chinese media have slammed her attempt to boost US-Vietnamese ties, highlighting instead Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhs statement before Harriss arrival that Vietnam would never join an alliance promoted by the US against China.




NEWS PROVIDED BY

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights

Aug. 25, 2021



NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on President Biden's Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein:

Personnel is policy. The people a president appoints to any job reveal his priorities. Even ambassadors, who are usually just major campaign donors, can tell a lot about what a president wants to accomplish. From President Biden's appointment of Scott Miller to serve as the United States Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein, we can see once again that Biden has clearly prioritized LGBT issues over Christians.

Scott Miller comes into his ambassadorship after serving as the co-chairman of the Gill Foundation, one of the largest militant and anti-Christian LGBT organizations in the country. The Foundation has long worked to trample the rights of anyone who morally objects to same-sex marriage. Miller, along with his "husband" Tim Gill, the founder and co-chair of the foundation, have not sought to find a compromise in which homosexuals and people of faith can coexist; rather, they have treated the relationship as a zero-sum game.

According to John Lomperis, the United Methodist Director at the Institute on Religion and Democracy, the Gill Foundation "has shown an extremist hostility to basic freedom-of-conscience protections for those who do not morally approve of same-sex unions."

When open hostility will not suffice, the Gill Foundation works to subvert religious organizations from within. Frequently, the foundation partners with Jon Stryker and his Arcus Foundation. Together, they have backed efforts within Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim groups that reject their religions teachings on homosexual acts and relationships.

In 2012, the Gill Foundation made a $100,000 general support grant to the Catholics United Education Fund. Catholics United used this money to promote same-sex marriage while attacking groups that promoted traditional values. In 2012, the group sent letters to pastors in Florida putting them on notice that they were watching for illegal political activity from the pulpit in an attempt to silence priests from speaking out against issues that directly concerned the Church in that election cycle. In 2013, Catholics United sparred with the Knights of Columbus claiming that the Knights were promoting a "far-right political agenda" hostile to "marriage equality."

In short, Miller is a radical. The organization he co-chairs actively works to undermine religious liberty and subvert the Catholic Church and other faiths. Now, he will play an important part in shaping America's foreign policy, and based on his history, we can say with the highest degree of confidence that he will not champion the cause of religious liberty. Indeed, he will likely undermine it.

Contact White House press secretary Jen Psaki: jennifer.r.psaki@who.eop.gov
Chinese premier stresses full revitalization of northeast China

Xinhua) 07:48, August 25, 2021

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, presides over a meeting of the leading group on revitalizing northeast China and other old industrial bases under the State Council in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 23, 2021. Li also heads the leading group. Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and deputy head of the leading group, attended the meeting. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday underscored efforts to accelerate reform and opening-up, safeguard and improve people's livelihoods, and further promote the full revitalization of the northeast.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks while presiding over a meeting of the leading group on revitalizing northeast China and other old industrial bases under the State Council. Li also heads the leading group.

Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and deputy head of the leading group, attended the meeting.

The meeting discussed and adopted the implementation plan for the full revitalization of the northeast during the 14th Five-year plan period (2021-2025), the plan for high-quality development of the Liaoning coastal economic belt, and the management measures for transfer payment funds for revitalizing the northeast.

While progress has been made on economic and social development in northeast China in recent years, revitalization of the region is still at a critical stage, said Li.

Efforts should be made to give full play to the initiative and creativity of the region, continue increasing fiscal support from the central government, and strengthen financial services to push for greater progress in revitalizing the region at a new level, said Li.

Stressing that greater efforts should be made in deepening reform, Li underlined improving the business environment, stimulating the vitality of market entities, deepening the reforms of state capital and state-owned enterprises, promoting sustained and sound development of the private sector, and attracting more enterprises and talents to the region.

He said the region should seize the opportunities brought about by the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, accelerate the pace of opening-up and enhance competitiveness in international economic and trade cooperation.

The optimization and upgrading of the industrial structure in northeast China should be accelerated, said Li.

He added that efforts should be dedicated to improving people's livelihoods, calling for greater emphasis on promoting employment, strengthening public services such as education, medicare, elderly care and childcare, and pushing forward the renovation of old residential communities.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China urges U.S. to return to science-based COVID-19 origins tracing

Xinhua) 07:52, August 25, 2021

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Tuesday opposed COVID-19 origins tracing by U.S. intelligence agencies, urging the U.S. to return to the course of scientific origins tracing as soon as possible.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a press briefing when asked to comment on a report on the COVID-19 origins tracing being compiled by U.S. intelligence agencies.

"As is widely known, the origins tracing needs science, not intelligence. It is anti-scientific for intelligence agencies to engage in virus origins tracing," Wang said.

Noting the notorious record of U.S. intelligence agencies, Wang said the so-called report cannot be truth-based. "It's just a planted report with conclusions preset and then 'evidence' pieced together. It is not credible at all."

The purpose of origins tracing is to safeguard the lives and health of people of all countries, not to shift responsibility, suppress opponents, and serve one's selfish interests, Wang said, stressing solidarity in origins tracing studies.

He said since the outbreak of COVID-19, the U.S. has politicized anti-epidemic efforts, which has led to the country having the largest number of infections and deaths and made U.S. people pay a heavy price.

Now, for ulterior political purposes, the U.S. has used intelligence agencies to conduct the so-called investigation on the COVID-19 origins tracing, undermining international cooperation. Such move has been widely opposed and questioned by the international community, said Wang.

He urged the U.S. to proceed from the interests of life and health of its own people and people globally, stop political manipulation, and return to the course of scientific origins tracing as soon as possible.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese market set to prosper with broader global reach

Xinhua) 08:07, August 25, 2021

File photo shows a view of the city of Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese market has been well positioned to soar, with new trends shaping its landscape, and the government delivering greater openness and extending efforts to promote free trade.

The vision set out by commerce officials at a press conference Monday testifies to the country's confidence in growing its consumer market, which is second only to the United States in terms of size, and enhancing its strength as the world's top trading nation.

"A historic transformation has been accomplished," said Commerce Minister Wang Wentao as he reviewed the country's achievements in terms of business and trade along the journey of building a well-off society.

Describing China's market as "unique" and "boasting the advantage of a super-large market," with a middle class of more than 400 million people, making up about 29 percent of its total population, Wang said China has been continuously expanding domestic demand as a strategic basis to foster a strong domestic market.

EVOLVING LANDSCAPE

Compared to 2012, when the country first announced its goal of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, China's sales of consumer goods jumped from 20.6 trillion yuan (about 3.18 trillion U.S. dollars) to 39.2 trillion yuan last year, posting an annual average growth of 8.4 percent.

But the country's evolving business landscape cannot be explained simply in terms of increased market size. Prominent structural changes have also taken place, reflecting the stronger consumer preference for better services and trading up.

Traditionally, a quarter of the country's annual retail sales came from household appliances, furniture, automobiles and catering consumption. Last year, services consumption, though worst hit by COVID-19, contributed 50.1 percent to the country's consumption, as new business scenarios such as contactless sales and smart shops continued to emerge.

Other new consumption trends include the growing appetite of young consumers for time-honored local brands keen on innovation, the rising potential from rural areas, and the increased consumer passion for digital, cultural, tourism and health products and services.

Geographically, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing are striving to stand out as international consumption centers, exploring ways of elevating people's livelihoods by better meeting people's increasingly diverse consumer demands. The potential in the central and western regions is to be unleashed as the country makes efforts to promote coordinated development across the whole country.

GREATER OPENNESS

Foreign companies are also expected to expand their presence in the marketplace, as the country has slashed the number of sectors that are off-limits to foreign investors from 93 to 33, while foreign ownership limits on the financial and automobile sectors have been loosened.

Hailing foreign firms as "the significant participant in, witness of and contributor to China's building of a well-off society," Wang acknowledged their role as "special and important."

So far, they have generated one-tenth of urban employment, one-sixth of tax revenue and two-fifths of imports and exports.

Despite the challenges from COVID-19, 56 percent of American firms, 73 percent of European firms and 89 percent of Japanese companies made a profit in China last year. The inflow of foreign investment into China rose 4.5 percent, compared to a 40-percent decline worldwide.

Looking forward, Wang said that opening-up is about reform, and that the emphasis of opening-up will be more on making institutional arrangements.

Regarding the development of the country's free trade zones, he said, "We have reached a consensus and identified goals, and we will promote opening-up in line with higher-level international economic and trade rules."

Stress tests with some high-level economic and trade rules will be conducted if the situations are mature, he said, adding that the negative list for foreign investment in pilot free trade zones will be further reduced.

FREE TRADE

Wang said that, as a key part of the Ministry of Commerce's work is to facilitate mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries, the ministry will support foreign investment and foreign trade as its primary tasks, actively advance the joint building of the Belt and Road projects, promote the integration of domestic and foreign trade, and enhance bilateral and multilateral trade cooperation.

Vice Minister Wang Shouwen said the country is seeking to sign more free-trade agreements and upgrade existing free-trade deals with Singapore and the Republic of Korea (ROK), respectively.

Talks over new agreements with the Gulf Cooperation Council, Israel and Norway will be accelerated, as will those concerning the China-Japan-ROK free-trade agreement, he said.

So far, China has inked 19 free-trade agreements involving 26 countries and regions. Worldwide, more than 350 international free-trade agreements have been reached, according to the World Trade Organization.

The vice minister said free-trade agreements have brought closer ties between China and its trade partners. For instance, China's trade with ASEAN skyrocketed from 78 billion U.S. dollars in 2003 to 685.1 billion U.S. dollars last year.

Amid the disruptions of COVID-19, China's trade with free-trade-agreement partners rose by 3.2 percent in 2020, in comparison with 0.8 percent increase with non-free-trade-agreement partners.

As for the Belt and Road cooperation, vice minister Qian Keming said that China has extended its global reach, signing more than 200 cooperation documents with 172 countries and international organizations. Over 90 bilateral cooperation mechanisms have been established to facilitate trade, investment and e-commerce.

From 2013 to 2020, China's cargo trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative totaled 9.2 trillion U.S. dollars.

"These efforts have brought new development opportunities and broader markets to all countries, and at the same time enabled them to share the dividends of our reform and development," Wang Wentao said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
How did Biden's intelligence team concoct the 90-day report on coronavirus origins?

Global Times) 08:13, August 25, 2021

Lacking solid evidence and making do with circumstantial evidence, US desperately wants to frame China: sources

Cartoon produced by Xinhua shows US President Joe Biden turning to the intelligence community for a COVID-19 virus origins story. Photo: Xinhua

In May, US President Joe Biden announced a jaw-dropping decision, demanding US intelligence officers to look into the origins of the coronavirus, and he gave the task a deadline  90 days. The White House announced on Monday that the review of this report is expected to be completed by its Tuesday deadline. As the report is due to come into public light in a "few days," the Global Times dug deep into how the US intelligence department attempted to solve a puzzle in three months that has baffled the world's scientists over the past year and a half.

Even at the final stage, Biden's intelligence officials have little solid evidence in their hands to support the "lab leak" theory, a hypothesis even US scientific institutions and allies find far-fetched, but the US teams still made do with second-hand, unreliable evidence to compile a report that tries to smear China as culprit for the virus origins, sources close to the matter told the Global Times.

In order to churn out a report that makes China look bad, the US also sought to clamp down on scientists and the WHO, rope in its allies, and coerce China's neighbors to join in its smear campaign against China, according to sources. The US' true purpose is not about unearthing the origins of this mysterious virus. Instead, it intends to exhaust China's diplomatic resources, strengthen the US leverage on thwarting China's development and offset China's rising international influence.

A dead end

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday that it will take a "few days" to put together an unclassified version of the review for the public.

Sources close to the matter told the Global Times previously that US intelligence agencies cannot produce any concrete proof or scientific evidence to support the "lab leak" theory. The sources noted that the so-called evidence, which has been fabricated so far, is mostly circumstantial and completely unreliable.

Moreover, the US' research institutions and its allies also believe that the virus was almost certainly not created artificially, and that it will be highly unlikely for them to draw definitive conclusions within 90 days which can verify the "lab leak" theory, according to the sources.

An expert close to the WHO-led origins-tracing work told the Global Times on Tuesday that there will be nothing major about the new evidence pointing to the lab leak theory, and it would be similar studies as Jesse Bloom, a researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, has done in analyzing genetic sequences. And the expert also doubted that the so-called report would change the story, as it may include both natural origin and lab origins as possible hypothesis with "usual criticism of China."

CNN reported in early August that investigators both inside and outside the government have long sought genetic data from 22,000 virus samples that were being studied at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

It also reported that it is unclear exactly how or when US intelligence agencies gained access to genetic data they were working on.

The Global Times found that an online open source intelligence group, named DRASTIC, has been sourcing sequencing data trying to gain insights into the WIV. When researchers publish sequences, they typically post the raw data from which those sequences are assembled to a public database.

The Economist reported last week that Gilles Demaneuf, a data scientist working with DRASTIC, said he has a hunch the American intelligence community's 90-day study is using the same angle by analyzing the raw data from such a public database.

Although the authenticity of data shared on those public platforms can be guaranteed, there is still huge space yet for US intelligence officials to manipulate that data for their own purposes, Yang Zhanqiu, a virologist at Wuhan University, told the Global Times.

The Chinese virologist also said that data about the WIV will offer a way forward only in the case if the virus indeed leaked from the lab, so if the US sticks to that data, it is yet more proof that the so-called 90-day investigation is a presupposed farce to throw mud at the WIV and China.

Sources also told the Global Times over the weekend that due to the lack of concrete evidence to frame China, the US government instigated certain domestic media outlets to hype up the conspiracy that Chinese wet markets are where the virus came from, and pinned the theory as a back-up plan for Washington's China smear campaign.

The Global Times reporter noticed that Bloomberg on August 17 published an article named "Delayed Wuhan Report Adds Crucial Detail to Covid Origin Puzzle" to hype up the connection between Huanan seafood market in Wuhan and the coronavirus origins.

Three days before Biden launched his 90-day task, Michael R. Gordon, a national security correspondent for the Wall Street Journal wrote an article Intelligence on Sick Staff at Wuhan Lab Fuels Debate on Covid-19 Origin, claiming three researchers from WIV got sick with "symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illness" in November 2019 and tried to target the WIV as the virus origins suspect.

Interestingly, the same Gordon also wrote an article for the New York Times in 2002 when he was serving as correspondent for that newspaper, and one year before the US launched war against Iraq, framing Iraq attempting to acquire nuclear weapons. Later the evidence that the US presented for starting the Iraq war was teased as "washing powder."

In response to Biden's upcoming release of the report, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that "the US intelligence has a notorious record, their so-called origins-tracing report isn't based on facts and evidence but only draws up a conclusion with made-up 'evidence' to frame China."

Sources told the Global Times previously that US intelligence officials were also trying to find some witnesses or insiders during the initial stage of the outbreak in Wuhan, the city that first reported the virus in China, prying into "lockdown measures" and "restricted areas," with people who work in the medical system, biological research institutions or those who live in Wuhan being their targets.

The officials were also collecting evidence to prove loopholes in China's anti-epidemic work, eyeing detailed information about COVID-19 patients, the lives of residents under lockdown, the timing of diagnosis, and patients' movements before infection, the source said.

Despite the report not coming out yet, some Chinese and foreign experts said it is highly possible the Biden administration would only provide an "inconclusive" answer. As Yang said the probe should be a technical issue that requires genetic analysis of the virus. Scientists in Asia, the US and Europe should analyze the genetic profile of the virus that has emerged in the region and then discuss the information together to confirm the next steps of the investigation. "Having an intelligence team to look for virus origins is ridiculous enough, and it's unsurprising that Biden would end up with no definitive answer, but if Biden seeks another investigation, it will downgrade his administration's credibility and make it a laughing stock," said Yang.

"If former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had actual intelligence that would convince people, he would have released it," a foreign expert close to the WHO-China joint team told the Global Times, noting that Biden has to address it because the Republicans are aggressive, pushing him to go down this path.

Diplomatic front

With little progress on the actual report itself, the US also resorted to pressuring other countries, the WHO and international scientists to turn them against China on the probe of coronavirus origins.

According to the source, the next step for the US government is to continue pressuring the WHO and Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to make sure they would tilt toward the US.

Yet China's refusal to participate in the US-led second stage of the WHO virus origins tracing work, and the joint statement China made with some developing countries that was sent to the WHO have seriously impeded the US' plan to promote its "virus origins investigation" that targets China.

In desperation, the US government has to seek support from the international community by perpetuating lies like "China refuses to join the virus origins investigation.

Moreover, the US government will arrange the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and presidential science advisor to collude with government-affiliated science advisers from the EU, Australia and Japan to issue a statement on the second phase of the investigation to urge the Chinese government to reflect on its decision of rejection, expressing their disappointment regarding China and requiring the nation to "shoulder responsibility" and "take action," according to the sources.

Moreover, sources told the Global Times that the US is roping in China's neighbors with COVID-19 vaccines, access to participate in international affairs and other means, for the US to access their official data, information regarding early COVID-19 cases and pulling them into the "China smear campaign."

The US tends to prioritize China's neighboring countries as a major target of their coronavirus origins probe, and divert international attention from European countries, as well as Latin America countries.

Some European countries, such as Italy and Spain, already found traces of coronavirus earlier than when the alleged "initial" outbreak occurred in Wuhan, so did the US, said Yang, noting that Washington fears that targeting European countries, or Latin American countries, who are geographically closer to the US, may invite more suspicion upon itself.

Facing the US' "political war on coronavirus origins," which is designed to turn the international community against China, Yang Xiyu, a former Chinese diplomat and senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies told the Global Times that China can also play the "science card and cooperation card" to cope with it.

China's responsibility highlighted by proposing scientific ways of finding the coronavirus origins, and cooperation regarding COVID-19 vaccines, can also offset the US' darkness, selfishness and incapability.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Frigate Anqing fires rocket-propelled depth charges in maritime training

China Military Online) 08:18, August 25, 2021

A ship-borne helicopter attached to a destroyer flotilla with the navy under the PLA Northern Theater Command practices lifting off and landing on the flight deck of the guided-missile frigate Anqing during a maritime training exercise in late July, 2021. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Ma Yubin)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
We Are China

China launches new communication technology experiment satellite

Xinhua) 08:24, August 25, 2021

A new communication technology experiment satellite is launched at 11:41 p.m. (Beijing Time) by a Long March-3B carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 24, 2021. China successfully launched a new communication technology experiment satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province Tuesday. (Photo by Guo Wenbin/Xinhua)

XICHANG, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- China successfully launched a new communication technology experiment satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province Tuesday.

The satellite was launched at 11:41 p.m. (Beijing Time) by a Long March-3B carrier rocket and entered the planned orbit successfully.

This launch marked the 386th mission for the Long March series carrier rockets.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China to boost security, anti-terror cooperation with Pakistan

Xinhua) 08:54, August 25, 2021

Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi makes a virtual conversation with Moeed Yusuf, special assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning, in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi on Tuesday said China is willing to keep close communication and coordination with Pakistan to boost anti-terror cooperation and enhance bilateral security cooperation mechanism to maintain security and stability of the two countries and the region.

Zhao made the remarks during a virtual conversation with Moeed Yusuf, special assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning, adding that China and Pakistan enjoy a rock-firm friendship.

Zhao hoped the Pakistani side to find out the truth of the Dasu attack, thoroughly investigate and punish the perpetrators and bring the absconding criminal suspects to justice, adding that Pakistan should reinforce security troops and measures to crack down terrorist forces in accordance with the law so as to ensure the security of Chinese nationals and programs in Pakistan.

Yusuf, on his part, said that Pakistan will resort all strengths and means to apprehend the perpetrator and punish the terrorist forces without leniency.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
14th Five-Year Plan shows central govt's staunch support for Hong Kong: Carrie Lam

Xinhua) 09:00, August 25, 2021

Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam meets the press in Hong Kong, south China, Aug. 24, 2021. (Xinhua)

HONG KONG, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that the contents relating to Hong Kong in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) are important and encouraging, which demonstrate the central government's staunch support for the HKSAR.

Lam said at a regular press conference that the 14th Five-Year Plan has made clear the support for Hong Kong in enhancing its status as an international financial, transportation, trade center and aviation hub, as well as in strengthening its roles as a global offshore Renminbi business hub, an international asset management center and a risk management center.

The Plan also supports Hong Kong in developing into an international innovation and technology hub, a center for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region, and a regional intellectual property trading center. It also supports Hong Kong in promoting its service industries for high-end and high value-added development and also a hub for arts and cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world.

Lam's remarks came a day after a central government delegation began its special tour here to help various sectors in Hong Kong to better understand the national 14th Five-Year Plan and grasp the fresh opportunities from the national development scheme.

Lam said that the HKSAR government has arranged key officials to meet with the national delegation to introduce the HKSAR government's work in three areas: finance, aviation, innovation and technology. At the same time, she has submitted strategic documents to the central government on six major policy areas.

Lam stressed that the efforts to enable Hong Kong people to better grasp the opportunities to integrate into the overall development of the country and make good use of the support provided by the national plan will be very positive for Hong Kong's economic development and improvement of people's livelihood.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Tulsa race massacre reveals hypocrisy of American human rights

09:09, August 25, 2021 By Liu Weidong ( People's Daily

A horrendous race massacre took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma a hundred years ago, in which thousands of white racists shot at black men, set fires and even dropped firebombs from airplanes. The massacre took hundreds of lives and wiped out neighborhoods.

However, the U.S. government, media and social groups have long stayed silent on this event. They not only refuse to bring the rioters to justice, but also oppressed those who revealed the truth, trying to erase it from history.

The U.S. has long proclaimed itself a "human rights defender," and takes pride in its system of separation of powers. However, these so-called "advantages" corrected no mistake in the Tulsa race massacre and the following course of history. They even made worse mistakes and covered the truth, and completely destroyed the dream of the black community in Tulsa to seek equity and justice. Till today, there are still secrets untold about the Tulsa race massacre.

Searching for the truths about the massacre would help us better understand what really happened then, and further reveal the disgraceful role played by the U.S. government and the hypocrisy of American human rights.

The white supremacists had their way in the massacre because they were large in number, well equipped, and cruel, and the local black people lacked precaution and weapons despite their wealth. However, there were two more important reasons. First, the local government apparently played favorites with the whites. Police officials and the National Guards not only turned a blind eye to the violent crimes committed by the whites, but also arrested black resisters. Second, the federal government also shut its eyes to what was happening.

Why has the U.S. government always been guarding the secrets about the massacre? Even the U.S. Congress, which says it places huge importance on human rights issues and frequently accuses other countries of human rights problems, is silent on the matter.

Americans' values are closely associated with their religious belief. Many Americans think they are the "chosen ones" living in "the city upon a hill," and represent the world's most advanced system and civilization. Therefore, there's no chance for their country to make a mistake. Besides, many white people live with a deep-rooted ethnocentrism. They believe it's justifiable to destroy a black community that is wealthier than a white one, and don't consider it a crime. In addition, the white people made up the majority of the voters back then, so to condemn the white supremacists meant political risk. That's why the U.S. politicians acted as if they knew nothing about the crimes committed by the whites.

It's not weird that the massacre has rarely been taken by political parties as a bargaining chip. Whether a U.S. political party says it represents an interest group depends on how much it can get from the group. The black community had little political influence then and therefore was "useless" for both the Democrats and the Republicans. On top of that, the two political parties shared similar political positions on the racial problem. Besides, the racial problem was not a key matter on the political agenda of the U.S. as the massacre took place just after the World War I when the U.S. needed to carve out spheres of influence in the world and recover domestic economy.

Even the U.S. media, which has always boasted its "objectivity and impartiality," failed to play its role as a monitor. Media organizations have their own "political correctness," as media practitioners are mostly white people holding mainstream values. At that time, it was generally believed that African Americans shouldn't enjoy the same rights and interests with the white people, and didn't deserve to be wealthier than the latter. Therefore, the U.S. media turned a blind eye to the massacre. In addition, the massacre was said to be a riot by the local government, so the media didn't reveal the motivations of the white racists. On the contrary, it claimed that it was the provocation of the black people that triggered a fight-back from the white community, and finally "justice prevailed over the evil." What's worse, Tulsa is located in a remote area, and the massacre was not widely reported due to the limited say of the local black community in the media circle.

Why didn't the black community fight back in an organized order? On one hand, the U.S. governments at all levels were always oppressing the black people. On the other hand, the morale of many black people had been destroyed in times and times of failures of their resisting struggles against the white people in history. The racial segregation also hindered solidarity of the black community.

Unfortunately, the discrimination against African Americans is still haunting the country 100 years after the massacre. Though such discrimination is prohibited by laws, it still exists in the U.S. society. Many black people have become top businessmen and politicians, but they are just the elite blacks gaining a foothold in a white-dominated society, which doesn't narrow the gap between races. Both the Democrats and the Republicans say they care about African Americans, but what they really aim at is the votes from the black community, rather than the latter's political and economic status. Besides, African Americans are still facing obvious discrimination in U.S. policies, especially on judicial level.

What has been said above exactly explains why U.S. governments and society chose to stay silent on the Tulsa race massacre and even covered up facts. It is closely related to the White House's double standard in the sphere of human rights, the two political parties' short-sighted pursuit of political interests, as well as the deep-rooted discrimination of the mainstream society against ethnic minorities.

The Tulsa race massacre is a deep scar that will never be erased from the American history. It is reeling off the hypocrisy of the American human rights.

(Liu Weidong is a researcher with the Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Foreign military forces must be held accountable for violations of human rights in Afghanistan: diplomat

Xinhua) 09:14, August 25, 2021

Afghans enter Kabul airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Rahmatullah Alizadah)

The top priority at this moment is to restore peace, stability and order in Afghanistan at an early date, Chen Xu, ambassador of China to UN at Geneva said, expressing hope that the Afghan Taliban will curb all kinds of terrorist and criminal acts, ensure a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan, and enable the war-torn Afghan people to leave war and turmoil and rebuild their homeland as soon as possible.

GENEVA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Tuesday highlighted that military forces of the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia must be held accountable for their violations of human rights in Afghanistan, and the related UN resolution must cover this issue.

Speaking at the Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council on Afghanistan Tuesday morning, Chen Xu, Ambassador of China to UN at Geneva, stressed that power politics and military means lead nowhere, but only undermine regional security and stability and violate the human rights of local people.

"It must be pointed out that the United States and a few other countries, under the pretext of democracy and human rights, conducted military interventions in sovereign states, imposed their own models on countries with different history, culture, and national conditions," Chen said.

File photo shows U.S. soldiers stand near the U.S. bombing area in Achin district of Nangarhar province, east of Afghanistan, April 15, 2017. (Xinhua\Rahman Safi)

"Such acts have seriously undermined the sovereignty and territorial integrity of those countries and brought severe disasters to their people. This indeed is a profound lesson," he added.

The Chinese diplomat told the Council that China stands ready to continue to develop good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation with Afghanistan and play a constructive role in Afghanistan's peace and reconstruction.

"The situation in Afghanistan has undergone major changes. We respect the will and choice of the Afghan people," Chen said.

An Afghan boy sells water at a graveyard where a number of war victims have been buried in Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 16, 2021. Since entering Afghanistan in October 2001, the U.S. troops have caused more than 30,000 civilian deaths, injured more than 60,000 and made about 11 million people become refugees. (Photo by Rahmatullah Alizadah/Xinhua)

The top priority at this moment is to restore peace, stability and order in Afghanistan at an early date, Chen said, noting that the safety and interests of Afghan civilians and foreign nationals must be guaranteed.

"China encourages and hopes that the Afghan Taliban will follow through its positive statements, unite with all parties and ethnic groups in Afghanistan, establish an open and inclusive political framework that fits its national conditions and wins public support through dialogue and consultation with the least delay, and adopt moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies," he said.

He also expressed hope that the Afghan Taliban will curb all kinds of terrorist and criminal acts, ensure a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan, and enable the war-torn Afghan people to leave war and turmoil and rebuild their homeland as soon as possible.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Hainan charts plans to further attract businesses

China Daily) 09:14, August 25, 2021

Shoppers browse cosmetics at a duty-free store in Haikou, Hainan province, in April. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Hainan Free Trade Port will grant market access to firms based on a prior commitment, according to the local provincial authorities. The move is set to reduce business barriers and further boost market vitality.

A newly drafted regulation on the administration of the Hainan FTP market access based on commitment said that, apart from areas relating to national security, social stability, ecological and environmental security and major public interests where the State implements access management, licenses and approvals will be canceled for business areas related to health, life and property safety and meet the basic needs of economic and social management-fields that practice mandatory standard management.

Commercial entities can begin investing and launching business activities after promising to meet relevant requirements and submitting relevant materials for filing, according to the regulation, which is currently soliciting public opinions. A supervisory system will be established to supervise and prevent possible risks from businesses that base their market entry on commitments.

Market access of foreign investment can also be referred to the new rule.

Local officials said granting market access based on commitment was an important measure to facilitate free investment put forward by the overall plan for the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port, released by the central authorities on June 1, 2020. According to the master plan, China will build the entire Hainan Island-about 32 times the size of Hong Kong-into a globally influential and high-level free trade port by the middle of the century.

"The market economy is a kind of trust economy. The goodwill assumption that commitment means access will greatly stimulate market vitality," said Kuang Xianming, director of the economic research center at the Haikou-based China Institute for Reform and Development, a leading think tank on the nation's reform and opening-up.

Kuang said the new regulation is an important institutional innovation to improve the business environment, but effectively supervising market entities to avoid relevant risks will be a new issue of concern and a test of the government's abilities.

China has rolled out a slew of measures to facilitate the free flow of key production factors and further relax market access in the past three years in the Hainan FTP, showing the country's drive to further open up to the outside world.

Fueled by preferential government policies, the actual use of foreign investment in Hainan totaled about $3 billion last year, doubling from $1.5 billion in 2019.From January to June, 979 foreign funded companies were established in Hainan, an increase of about 385 percent over a year earlier. The actual use of foreign investment during the period surged by 623.6 percent year-on-year to reach $950 million, according to the provincial department of commerce.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Shame and disgrace of untrustworthy U.S. intelligence arms

Xinhua) 09:18, August 25, 2021

-- The U.S. intelligence community consists of 18 civilian and military organizations within the federal executive departments, including the leading Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). With an annual budget of more than 80 billion U.S. dollars, their jobs include so-called "intelligence activities necessary for the conduct of foreign relations and the protection of the national security of the United States."

-- The intelligence services are tasked with delivering sound information and educated analysis to U.S. policymakers but they are also needed politically, especially when Washington is determined to carry out interventions. History has shown U.S. intelligence agencies fanned the flame in the country's politically charged drives to initiate wars.

-- Public opinion manipulation -- During the Cold War, the CIA enlisted more than 400 American journalists in a 25-year span in a bid to manipulate the public opinion by spreading propaganda, wrote Carl Bernstein, a renowned U.S. investigative reporter, in a cover story for U.S. magazine Rolling Stone in 1977.

-- Washington's use of the controversial intelligence arms for COVID-19 origins tracing has come under question, as there is a strong consensus that the matter should be left to scientists with qualifications and expertise in certain fields, which the U.S. intelligence community clearly lacks.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- "I was the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) director. We lied, we cheated, we stole," then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said when addressing Texas A&M University in April 2019. "We had entire training courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment."

Pompeo's "confession" is only a glimpse of the gigantic U.S. intelligence system's ingloriousness, from the production of unsubstantiated intelligence that gave Washington pretexts to invade others to the engagement of assassinations, abuse of prisoners, wiretapping, and public opinion manipulation, among other things.

Photo taken on April 13, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Photo by Shen Ting/Xinhua)

The shameful and deplorable record, while having long since shattered the credibility of the intelligence community, has also laid bare its nature of serving at the pleasure of U.S. decision-makers, regardless of truth, facts, and human conscience, as Washington plays power politics and seeks to preserve a hegemonic position in the world.

POLITICAL INSTRUMENT

The U.S. intelligence community consists of 18 civilian and military organizations within the federal executive departments, including the leading Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). With an annual budget of more than 80 billion U.S. dollars, their jobs include so-called "intelligence activities necessary for the conduct of foreign relations and the protection of the national security of the United States."

The intelligence services are tasked with delivering sound information and educated analysis to U.S. policymakers but they are also needed politically, especially when Washington is determined to carry out interventions. History has shown U.S. intelligence agencies fanned the flame in the country's politically charged drives to initiate wars.

Robert Hanyok, a former historian with the National Security Agency (NSA), wrote in an internal publication that was declassified in 2005 that the military intelligence agency's officers "deliberately skewed" the evidence passed on to Washington to falsely suggest that Vietnamese ships had attacked American destroyers on Aug. 4, 1964, in the "Gulf of Tonkin" incident that led to the United States engaging more directly in the Vietnam War.

Based on the assertion that such an attack had occurred, then U.S. President Lyndon Johnson ordered airstrikes on the Southeast Asian country and Congress passed a broad resolution authorizing military action, according to an article published by The New York Times in 2005.

In addition, Philip Liechty, a former CIA officer, revealed to The Washington Post in 1982 that the Johnson administration and the spy agency fabricated "evidence" in 1965 to help prove that the war in Vietnam was being fueled by outside arms and to set the stage for U.S. involvement.

The United States also notoriously used what it called "facts and conclusions based on solid evidence" that Iraq is making weapons of mass destruction to invade the Western Asian country 18 years ago as part of the West's counterterrorism campaign. However, no such weapons had ever been found. Yet years of war left hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead and a broken country, along with more than 4,400 casualties among U.S. troops.

Colin Powell, who presented as secretary of state the U.S. case against Iraq to the United Nations Security Council in early 2003, acknowledged several years later that the invasion was "badly flawed." "If we had known the intelligence was wrong, we would not have gone into Iraq," Powell told NBC News during an interview in 2015. "But the intelligence community, all 16 agencies, assured us that it was right."

"This was, in short, a war the White House wanted" and that the U.S. intelligence community was "under intense pressure to justify the war," wrote New York Times opinion columnist Paul Krugman in 2015. "Whatever the precise motives, the result was a very dark chapter in American history. Once again: We were lied into war."

UNBOUNDED TACTICS

U.S. intelligence agencies have gone to great lengths to fulfill purposes with no regard to laws and ethics by deploying unbounded tactics.

Prisoner abuse -- The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee released in 2014 an explosive report on the CIA's detention and interrogation program, detailing its personnel's use of "enhanced interrogation techniques," including waterboarding, stress positions, sleep deprivation, and noise exposure, on select detainees captured after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 that led to the "War on Terror," and how the spy agency tried to cover it up and obstruct oversight.

Then chair of the panel, Senator Dianne Feinstein from California, called the CIA's actions "a stain" on the country's history. "This program was morally, legally, and administrative misguided," she said on the Senate floor in 2014. "The CIA program was far more brutal than people were led to believe."

Wiretapping -- A European media investigation released in May this year revealed the NSA had collaborated with Denmark's secret service to spy on high-ranking officials from Germany, Sweden, Norway, and France.

The report once again put under the spotlight spying activities of the United States, years after intelligence contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked highly classified information from the NSA, exposing the agency's surveillance programs both at home and abroad, including PRISM, under which agents can access users' data stored in major social media and tech companies.

Assassination -- The CIA had attempted to assassinate several foreign leaders and aided assassination plots in some countries, a report by the U.S. Senate in 1975 found.

Following the release of the report, then U.S. President Gerald Ford signed an executive order in 1976 banning the federal government from engaging or conspiring in "political assassination." And yet Washington "never totally abandoned the strategy, simply changing the terminology from assassination to targeted killings, from aerial bombing of presidents to drone attacks on alleged terrorist leaders," said a 2017 article in The Guardian.

Public opinion manipulation -- During the Cold War, the CIA enlisted more than 400 American journalists in a 25-year span in a bid to manipulate the public opinion by spreading propaganda, wrote Carl Bernstein, a renowned U.S. investigative reporter, in a cover story for U.S. magazine Rolling Stone in 1977.

"The tactic was straightforward: false news reports or propaganda would be provided by CIA writers to both knowing and unknowing reporters who would simply repeat the falsehoods over and over again," according to political blogger Lauren Von Bernuth in a 2018 post on the CIA project known as Operation Mockingbird, adding that its primary function "was to cover up covert and often illegal foreign operations."

TRUST CRISIS

The White House has been roundly criticized after a chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan earlier this month, as many pointed fingers at the intelligence community over the debacle. Richard Haass, president of U.S. think tank Council on Foreign Relations, tweeted that he thinks "this looks to be both a major intelligence &policy failure with tragic consequences."

Photo taken on July 2, 2021 shows the Bagram Airfield after all U.S. and NATO forces evacuated in Parwan province, eastern Afghanistan. (Photo by Sayed Mominzadah/Xinhua)

This is not the first time U.S. intelligence agencies have been mired in a political firestorm. When Donald Trump was in office, the relationship between the White House and the intelligence community had been tense because of their disagreements over a number of national security matters.

Trump was particularly unpleasant with a 2017 DNI report concluding that Russia interfered with the 2016 U.S. presidential election in favor of his victory, arguing that there was a "deep state" within the federal government seeking to undermine the legitimacy of his election. Critics responded by raising concerns that the rhetoric was mounting political pressure on the intelligence community while eroding its independence and public image. Russia has denied the allegations of election interference.

In April 2020, Trump fired Michael Atkinson, inspector general of the U.S. intelligence community, who first notified Congress of a whistleblower complaint over the White House's interaction with Ukraine that ultimately led to the president's impeachment by the House of Representatives earlier that year. The Republican moved to install loyalists to the DNI in the final year of his presidency, triggering criticism that intelligence agencies would be further politicized.

In an article published in U.S. magazine Foreign Affairs late 2020 when she was still president and CEO of U.S. think tank Wilson Center, Jane Harman wrote that Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump early this year, is inheriting "a broken intelligence community."

"U.S. spy agencies are mired in the worst crisis of trust and accountability the nation has seen since the Iraq war," Harman pointed out, stressing that the intelligence process has been politicized "in ways large and small, undermining the integrity of national security decision-making and the public's faith in it."

Biden asked in May the U.S. intelligence community to redouble their efforts to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and come up with a report in 90 days. Intelligence officials have reportedly drafted a classified report that is in the preliminary review process.

Washington's use of the controversial intelligence arms for COVID-19 origins tracing has come under question, as there is a strong consensus that the matter should be left to scientists with qualifications and expertise in certain fields, which the U.S. intelligence community clearly lacks.

Refrigerated trailers are seen at a temporary morgue in Brooklyn, New York, the United States, June 15, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

"We don't need an intelligence report, we need an outbreak investigation -- and that's a very different skill set, and a very different approach," Peter Hotez, co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children's Hospital and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told Rolling Stone in June this year.

His remarks were echoed by Matthew Kavanagh, director of the Global Health Policy &Politics Initiative at Georgetown University, who said that if the aim of Biden's report was to find a scientific explanation of the origins of COVID-19, he would have tasked the health agencies with it, instead of the U.S. intelligence community.

"This tells us that this is a political and an intelligence story: not a story mostly about science," Kavanagh continued. "And so we should understand the picture in that sense, and not be naive about it. We're in a place where politics is driving people's scientific understanding in a dangerous way."

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Commentary: People's active participation helps contain COVID-19 epidemic in China

Xinhua) 09:26, August 25, 2021

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- China reported no new cases of locally-transmitted COVID-19 for Sunday and only one such case for Monday, marking a milestone in controlling the recent Delta variant infections.

In contrast to sustained and escalating outbreaks in some other countries, China's accomplishment in quickly containing the COVID-19 epidemic could not have come about without the confidence, cooperation, and contribution of the Chinese people.

The Chinese public have always been complying with the government's regulations and following its guidance to curb the spread of the virus, and their active reaction to the latest outbreak of the Delta variant reflects their confidence in and support for the country's anti-virus policies and strategies.

In regions where COVID-19 cases had emerged, people complied with the governments' regulations. They actively underwent several rounds of nucleic acid tests and followed social distancing measures, as demanded by the local governments.

After China initiated regular epidemic prevention and control, the effectiveness of the measures is highly dependent on the Chinese people's broad participation rather than just the work of a few government departments.

There are several reasons behind the Chinese people's willingness to actively cooperate with the government initiatives.

First, China's strategies intended to prevent COVID-19 resurgence are clear and specific enough for people to easily understand and to win their wholehearted support. The strategies included reducing infections to the utmost, treating as many COVID-19 patients as possible, and stopping virus transmission at the earliest possible time.

Second, Chinese people have a positive attitude toward the country's ability to deal with the pandemic and the measures their government has taken.

Chinese people's experience during the past few decades has convinced them that when calamities like earthquakes, floods and epidemics happen, they can always rely on their government.

Therefore, even when faced with the more contagious Delta variant, Chinese people are not unduly worried about or scared of the virus. They believe that the outbreak is controllable as long as everyone follows anti-epidemic measures.

Third, the Chinese people's right to information has been ensured as the government promptly publicizes information about the pandemic.

The use of big data, artificial intelligence, and other technologies in epidemiological investigations helps the public get access to the latest development of the pandemic as well as the best ways to stay away from the disease.

Last but not least, China's grassroots society has robust social management and public service systems. People know that they can live normal lives despite the implementation of preventative regulations because community workers are always there to help.

Moreover, a full-fledged e-commerce and more efficient logistics network are particularly helpful to ensure that people's daily life is not upended during a lockdown.

Today, Chinese people are striking a dynamic balance between coping with the pandemic and maintaining economic and social order. The experience they have gained over the past one and a half year will help them better deal with the Delta variant, and hopefully shed a light for other countries' fight against the disease.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Tourism boosts rural vitalization in Tibet

Xinhua) 09:30, August 25, 2021

Black-necked cranes are seen in Nyingchi, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 26, 2021. (Photo by Zhang Ning/Xinhua)

LHASA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Summer is hot in most parts of China but Nagqu, a city with an average altitude of more than 4,500 meters in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, sees the temperature cool down to as low as three degrees Celsius.

The chilly climate has made a local hot spring a popular destination for many, including Karma Dorje, a Nagqu native who paints Thangka in the regional capital of Lhasa.

"Bathing in the hot water improves blood circulation. The pimples on my face have gone," said the 26-year-old, who comes to the hot spring every three days whenever he returns home.

By utilizing natural and cultural resources, many areas in Tibet have developed rural tourism, bringing tourists as well as additional income to farmers and herders, which helps boost rural vitalization.

With the water temperature around 60 degrees Celsius, the geothermal hot spring in Tonglung Village, Nagqu's Nyainrong County, is one of the highest in altitude in the world.

The village has established a cooperative for the hot spring operation, receiving some 10,000 tourists from the city and nearby counties every year, according to Chophe, head of the village. The cooperative granted 12,000 yuan (about 1,850 U.S. dollars) per household to 75 households of the village last year as a dividend.

A total of 35 villagers, including formerly impoverished ones, work in the cooperative.

"With my job at my doorstep, I can finally take care of my ailing mother at home," said Chimed Wangmo, 20, who used to work in Nagqu City. By working as a cashier and cleaner in the cooperative, she earns 2,500 yuan a month now.

In Tashi Chodan, a community known for Tibetan opera in the city of Shannan, a troupe of more than 30 performers act for tour groups from across the country every day.

Tibetan opera combines talking, singing, acting, dancing, and literature and has a history of over 600 years. It is regarded as a "living fossil" of Tibetan culture and was included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.

An actor performs Tibetan Opera in Doilungdeqen District of Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Chogo)

"At the peak season, we have six to seven performances a day. The monthly income can be more than 2,000 yuan for performing alone," said 38-year-old Purbu Kelsang, a local farmer.

To accommodate the tour groups, 58 households of the village are engaged in homestay businesses.

Local villager, Dawa, 63, no longer has to toil at construction sites in cities. With his homestay of eight beds, he earns more than 30,000 yuan a year. He provides buttered tea free of charge and plays flute for his guests which is welcomed by them.

"They like my home a lot. Some of them called when they returned home, promising that they will come every year," he said, adding that his tourists are from provinces like Anhui, Hubei and Hunan.

In 2020, the per capita net income of the community reached 24,000 yuan, up 13.1 percent compared with the previous year.

Wang Huadong, executive vice mayor of Shannan, said the city government has planned to help introduce a third-party company to help the community develop rural tourism more professionally.

"The third-party company may be responsible for leasing nearby farmland from villagers, and turn the barley plots into galsang flower fields to attract more tourists," he said.

In Tibet, rural tourism had created, directly or indirectly, 86,000 jobs for local farmers and herdsmen, resulting in an increment in annual per capita income of 4,300 yuan by 2020.

Optimistic about the prospect of tourism, Tonglung Village is expanding the hot spring cooperative, with three more pools being built. The village has planned to make the resort a comprehensive venue that covers tourism, recreation and accommodation to generate more income for villagers.

Nyima Degyi, deputy head of Nyainrong County, said a national highway section passing by the county is under construction.

"The section linking Zadoi County, Qinghai Province, and Nagqu, will definitely bring more tourists here," she said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China to send sixth medical team to Angola

Xinhua) 09:36, August 25, 2021

LUANDA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- China is negotiating with Angola on sending the sixth medical team to the African country under a cooperation and development support program, Chinese Ambassador to Angola Gong Tao said here Monday.

"China has already sent five medical teams to Angola, and the fifth team, with a dozen doctors, is currently working at the Luanda General Hospital since September 2019," said the diplomat at a press conference.

Chinese medical services are expected to benefit 110,000 Angolans in two years, Gong said.

China has donated Sinopharm vaccines and supported the construction of testing laboratories to assist Angola's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

In addition, Chinese companies and community in Angola donated biosafety materials and other equipment totaling 200 million kwanzas (about 310,000 U.S. dollars).

"China and Angola are good brothers and good partners," said the diplomat, adding that China constantly offers help to African countries.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Nigeria approves emergency use of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine

Xinhua) 09:37, August 25, 2021

LAGOS, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian authorities have approved the emergency use of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine amid efforts to battle the third wave of infections in the country, an official said on Tuesday.

Faisal Shuaib, head of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, said the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has certified the Chinese vaccine for emergency use after carrying out the final assessment of the vaccine.

"NAFDAC has approved Sinopharm vaccine, the approval was done three days ago; and yes, Sinopharm vaccine has also received WHO certification," Shuaib told a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.

"So, it is a potential vaccine that we could use," he added.

Last week, the West African country started the second phase of its COVID-19 vaccination program.

It has been grappling with rising confirmed cases since late June, with an ambitious goal of vaccinating at least 40 percent of its population by the end of this year, and 70 percent by the end of 2022.

Nigeria reported 565 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total caseload to 187,588, while a total of 2,276 people have died from the virus, according to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Yunnan snub-nosed monkey born in SW China nature reserve

People's Daily Online) 10:01, August 25, 2021

Photo shows a newborn Yunnan snub-nosed monkey and its mother in Xiangguqing at the Baima Snow Mountain National Nature Reserve in Deqin county, southwest Chinas Yunnan province. (Photo/Lai Jiandong)

A Yunnan snub-nosed monkey was born in Xiangguqing at the Baima Snow Mountain National Nature Reserve in Deqin county, southwest Chinas Yunnan province, on Aug. 20, which brings the total number of monkeys in a troupe named Erji to seven.

The infant is the 12th to be born in Xiangguqing, a habitat for several monkey groups, since Jan. 1 this year. The birth this year in August represent the latest birth ever recorded in a given year for the monkey, which can be attributed to a sufficient food supply and adequate nutrition for the monkey troupes, demonstrating the positive impacts of conservation efforts, according to the nature reserve.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Type 055 large destroyer enters Sea of Japan, 'sends warning to militarists'

Global Times) 10:34, August 25, 2021

Voyage 'sends warning to militarists' following Yasukuni Shrine visits

Photo taken on Jan. 12, 2020 shows the ceremony of the commissioning of the Nanchang, China's first Type 055 guided-missile destroyer, in the port city of Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. The commission of Nanchang marks the Navy's leap from the third generation to the fourth generation of destroyers, according to a statement from the Navy. (Photo by Li Tang/Xinhua)

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly dispatched a powerful naval flotilla led by a Type 055 large destroyer to the Sea of Japan for the second time this year on Sunday, a move Chinese military experts said on Tuesday will send a warning to Japanese right-wing forces and militarists. The move came after some Japanese senior politicians recently honored World War II war criminals at the Yasukuni Shrine and the country released a defense paper that provoked China on questions involving the island of Taiwan and the Diaoyu Islands.

With more Type 055 large destroyers entering service with the PLA Navy, similar voyages are expected to become frequent, analysts said.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force spotted a PLA Navy flotilla consisting of three warships, namely the Type 055 guided missile destroyer Nanchang, the Type 052D guided missile destroyer Guiyang and a Type 903A comprehensive supply ship with the hull number of 903, which passed through the Tsushima Strait and sailed toward the Sea of Japan on Sunday, Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff said in a press release on Monday.

China had yet to announce related information as of press time.

This was the second time a Type 055 large destroyer entered the Sea of Japan. The first time was in March, when the Nanchang took a similar route together with the Type 052D guided missile destroyer Chengdu and the Type 054A guided missile frigate Daqing, according to the Japanese defense authority. The Chinese warships entered the Sea of Japan on March 18 and left on March 25, marking an eight-day exercise in the region.

With outstanding performance and combat capabilities, the 10,000 ton-class Type 055 large destroyer can frequently conduct maritime missions, leading other warships in a flotilla, Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

By holding exercises in the Sea of Japan, the warships will boost their joint combat capabilities in the far sea, Wei said.

A Type 054A frigate accompanied the Nanchang in its first voyage in the region, and this time it was replaced by a Type 903A comprehensive supply ship. This means the PLA Navy could be experimenting with different combinations and tactics, and with the supply ship, the group could operate for an extended period, another Chinese military expert told the Global Times on Tuesday, requesting anonymity.

The Type 055 large destroyer can also play vital roles in an aircraft carrier task group, the expert noted.

A second voyage to the Sea of Japan could also be an indication that similar training activities could become routine, the expert said, noting that the PLA Navy has commissioned its second and third Type 055s, the Lhasa and the Dalian, this year, with more to come.

The PLA naval flotilla's latest Sea of Japan voyage comes shortly after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga sent an offering to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Class-A convicted war criminals in World War II, on August 15, the 76th anniversary of Japan's surrender. Some Japanese senior politicians recently also visited the shrine, and Japan's latest defense white paper for the first time mentioned the stability of the island of Taiwan and again hyped the situation of the Diaoyu Islands.

Wei said that many Japanese politicians still do not have a clear understanding on the history of World War II, and the Chinese military's display of its capabilities could serve as a warning and deter the Japanese right-wing forces and militarists.

With advanced weapons and equipment like the Type 055 large destroyer, the PLA is fully capable of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, no matter if it comes to the island of Taiwan or the Diaoyu Islands, or if foreign forces interfere, analysts said.

With a displacement of more than 12,000 tons, the Type 055 is a guided missile destroyer about 180 meters long and 22 meters wide. It has 112 vertical launch missile cells capable of launching a combination of surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, land-attack missiles and anti-submarine missiles. The warship is also endowed with the capability to gain strong situational awareness, media reports said previously, leading analysts to say that the Type 055 is one of the world's most powerful warships, if not the most powerful.

A total of eight Type 055s have reportedly been built, with three known to have entered service. As the first entry to the Type 055-class, the Nanchang entered service in January, 2020, the second ship Lhasa in early 2021, and the third ship Dalian on April 23, 2021.

The Nanchang and the Lhasa are in service with the PLA Northern Theater Command Navy, and the Dalian is commissioned into the PLA Southern Theater Command Navy, openly available information showed.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
More PLA-donated vaccines arrive in Laos

Xinhua) 11:16, August 25, 2021

VIENTIANE, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The second batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to the Lao People's Army, carried by PLA Air Force's Y-20 transport aircraft, has arrived at Wattay International Airport in Lao capital Vientiane.

Defense attache of the Chinese embassy in Laos Li Bing and Deputy Minister of National Defense Vongkham Phommakone attended the handover ceremony held on the arrival of the vaccines on Monday.

The Lao deputy defense minister spoke highly of the Chinese army's assistance and expressed sincere gratitude. He said that various anti-epidemic materials such as COVID-19 vaccines, medical masks and virus testing reagents, as well as military medical experts from the Chinese army, have played an important role in preventing and controlling the spread of the epidemic in Laos.

The continuous care and valuable support to the Lao People's Army from the Chinese side fully demonstrate the brotherhood of the two countries and two armies which share the common ideology and belief, and the spirits of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and the unbreakable community with a shared future, which is of strategic importance for deepening the friendly Laos-China cooperation, said the Lao officer.

Li Bing said, when addressing the ceremony, that since the outbreak of the epidemic in Laos, the Chinese army has been providing various anti-epidemic supplies, and has sent military medical experts to Laos to help fight the epidemic.

The PLA has faithfully practiced the initiative of building a global community of health for all, and actively participated in international cooperation against the epidemic, and will continue to work hand in hand with the Lao People's Army to fight the epidemic, said Li.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China launches new round of environmental inspections

Xinhua) 14:56, August 25, 2021

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- China's central authorities have organized a new round of environmental inspections in provincial regions and centrally-administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs), said the Ministry of Ecology and Environment Wednesday.

Seven teams will be dispatched to the five provinces of Jilin, Shandong, Hubei, Guangdong and Sichuan, as well as two central SOEs -- China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co., Ltd. and China National Gold Group Co., Ltd. -- for a one-month inspection, according to the ministry.

Inspectors will focus on issues such as the implementation of arrangements for carbon emission goals, restrictions on high energy-consuming and high emission projects, as well as the handling of major ecological and environmental damage, pollution and risks at local levels, said the ministry.

China launched a series of central environmental inspections in 2016 after decades of growth had caused problems such as smog and contaminated soil.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Commissioner's office of Chinese foreign ministry reiterates China's position on COVID-19 origin tracing

Xinhua) 15:25, August 25, 2021

HONG KONG, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The office of the commissioner of the Chinese foreign ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday reiterated what China supports and opposes about COVID-19 origin tracing.

The spokesperson of the office said as many parts of the world are facing a new wave of COVID-19, the international community needs more than ever to fight the pandemic together.

However, the United States and a few other countries have kept using the origin tracing of COVID-19 to confuse right and wrong and continually played up the "lab leak theory" to stigmatize and bully China, and thus China reiterates its position on COVID-19 origin tracing, according to the spokesperson.

China supports science-based origin study and opposes politicization of origin tracing by citing so-called "intelligence", the spokesperson said, stressing that origin tracing is a matter of science. It should be and can only be left to scientists to identify, through scientific research, the virus' source and transmission routes to humans.

"No country has the right to put its own political interests above people's lives, nor should a matter of science be politicized," the spokesperson said.

China supports the World Health Organization (WHO)-China joint study report and opposes reinventing the wheel in disregard of the World Health Assembly resolution, the spokesperson said, adding that China invited WHO experts to the country twice for origin-tracing research.

In March this year, the WHO officially released the Joint Report by the WHO-China joint study team, which provides the most authoritative, professional and science-based conclusions on origin tracing.

"The report must be respected and implemented by all parties, including the WHO. The future work of global origin tracing should and must proceed from that basis, instead of starting anew," the spokesperson said.

China supports global fight against COVID-19 and opposes politicizing the pandemic by using the virus for stigmatization and using origin tracing as a tool, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson pointed out that since the onset of COVID-19, acting on the vision of a global community of health for all, China has shared response experience with the international community in a timely manner, provided anti-COVID assistance to the world to the best of its ability, and taken the lead in conducting the largest scale global vaccine cooperation, thus making an outstanding contribution to global public health security.

The spokesperson added that the virus knows no borders and does not distinguish between races. China, like other countries, is a victim of the pandemic, and we all hope to find out the origin of the virus and cut off its transmission as early as possible.

"Going forward, China will continue to work with other parties to carry out science-based global origin tracing, and contribute China's part to humanity's final victory over COVID-19," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson stressed that weaponizing origin tracing to bash China betrays the spirit of science, undermines global solidarity against the virus, and outrages the conscience of mankind.

Even today, the United States holds on to its hegemonic logic of "dominating the world for its own interests," which runs counter to the historical trend, the spokesperson said, adding that after all, hegemony and power politics cannot stop the virus, and solidarity and cooperation is the only way out.

"As more and more people become aware of the real motive of the United States, the international community will stand up against its hypocrisy, and its political manipulation is doomed to fail," said the spokesperson.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Philippine exports to China increase "significantly" during Duterte's administration: senior official

Xinhua) 15:26, August 25, 2021

MANILA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Philippine exports to China have "increased significantly" during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, the Department of Trade and Industry said late Tuesday, attributing the result to Duterte's independent foreign policy stance.

During a meeting at the presidential palace, Philippine Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Philippine exports to China reached 9.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2019, witnessing an increase of 59 percent in four years.

"From January to June 2021, our export to China reached 5.5 billion U.S. dollars or an increase of 34 percent compared to the same period in 2020," he added.

"China has widely accepted our export products, making it easy for our products to enter the Chinese market," Lopez said.

Meanwhile, Chinese investments kept pouring into the Philippines during the Duterte administration, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, adding the Philippines gained from Duterte's independent foreign policy stance.

After Duterte assumed the presidency in 2016, he announced that his administration would pursue an independent foreign policy.

Lopez also said the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by 15 participating countries in November last year was "another good thing" during the Duterte administration.

"The RCEP is a historic free trade agreement," Lopez said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese ambassador demands investigation into U.S. labs for COVID-19 origins tracing

Xinhua) 16:22, August 25, 2021

GENEVA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese diplomat said on Tuesday that the labs of Fort Detrick and University of North Carolina in the United States should be subject to "transparent investigation with full access" for the origins tracing of COVID-19.

Ambassador Chen Xu, permanent representative of China to the United Nations (UN) Office at Geneva, said in his letter to World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that the hypothesis of introduction of SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID-19 -- into human population was caused by lab leak in the Wuhan Institute of Virology is "extremely unlikely."

This is the definite conclusion made in the WHO-convened Global Study of Origins of SARS-CoV-2: China Part, Joint WHO-China Study Team Report, he said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
File photo shows a view of the city of Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) The Chinese market has been well positioned to soar, with new trends shaping its landscape, and the government delivering greater openness and extending efforts to promote free trade. The vision set out by commerce officials at a press conference Monday testifies to the country's confidence in growing its consumer market, which is second only to the United States in terms of size, and enhancing its strength as the world's top trading nation. "A historic transformation has been accomplished," said Commerce Minister Wang Wentao as he reviewed the country's achievements in terms of business and trade along the journey of building a well-off society. Describing China's market as "unique" and "boasting the advantage of a super-large market," with a middle class of more than 400 million people, making up about 29 percent of its total population, Wang said China has been continuously expanding domestic demand as a strategic basis to foster a strong domestic market. EVOLVING LANDSCAPE Compared to 2012, when the country first announced its goal of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, China's sales of consumer goods jumped from 20.6 trillion yuan (about 3.18 trillion U.S. dollars) to 39.2 trillion yuan last year, posting an annual average growth of 8.4 percent. But the country's evolving business landscape cannot be explained simply in terms of increased market size. Prominent structural changes have also taken place, reflecting the stronger consumer preference for better services and trading up. Traditionally, a quarter of the country's annual retail sales came from household appliances, furniture, automobiles and catering consumption. Last year, services consumption, though worst hit by COVID-19, contributed 50.1 percent to the country's consumption, as new business scenarios such as contactless sales and smart shops continued to emerge. Other new consumption trends include the growing appetite of young consumers for time-honored local brands keen on innovation, the rising potential from rural areas, and the increased consumer passion for digital, cultural, tourism and health products and services. Geographically, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing are striving to stand out as international consumption centers, exploring ways of elevating people's livelihoods by better meeting people's increasingly diverse consumer demands. The potential in the central and western regions is to be unleashed as the country makes efforts to promote coordinated development across the whole country. GREATER OPENNESS Foreign companies are also expected to expand their presence in the marketplace, as the country has slashed the number of sectors that are off-limits to foreign investors from 93 to 33, while foreign ownership limits on the financial and automobile sectors have been loosened. Hailing foreign firms as "the significant participant in, witness of and contributor to China's building of a well-off society," Wang acknowledged their role as "special and important." So far, they have generated one-tenth of urban employment, one-sixth of tax revenue and two-fifths of imports and exports. Despite the challenges from COVID-19, 56 percent of American firms, 73 percent of European firms and 89 percent of Japanese companies made a profit in China last year. The inflow of foreign investment into China rose 4.5 percent, compared to a 40-percent decline worldwide. Looking forward, Wang said that opening-up is about reform, and that the emphasis of opening-up will be more on making institutional arrangements. Regarding the development of the country's free trade zones, he said, "We have reached a consensus and identified goals, and we will promote opening-up in line with higher-level international economic and trade rules." Stress tests with some high-level economic and trade rules will be conducted if the situations are mature, he said, adding that the negative list for foreign investment in pilot free trade zones will be further reduced. FREE TRADE Wang said that, as a key part of the Ministry of Commerce's work is to facilitate mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries, the ministry will support foreign investment and foreign trade as its primary tasks, actively advance the joint building of the Belt and Road projects, promote the integration of domestic and foreign trade, and enhance bilateral and multilateral trade cooperation. Vice Minister Wang Shouwen said the country is seeking to sign more free-trade agreements and upgrade existing free-trade deals with Singapore and the Republic of Korea (ROK), respectively. Talks over new agreements with the Gulf Cooperation Council, Israel and Norway will be accelerated, as will those concerning the China-Japan-ROK free-trade agreement, he said. So far, China has inked 19 free-trade agreements involving 26 countries and regions. Worldwide, more than 350 international free-trade agreements have been reached, according to the World Trade Organization. The vice minister said free-trade agreements have brought closer ties between China and its trade partners. For instance, China's trade with ASEAN skyrocketed from 78 billion U.S. dollars in 2003 to 685.1 billion U.S. dollars last year. Amid the disruptions of COVID-19, China's trade with free-trade-agreement partners rose by 3.2 percent in 2020, in comparison with 0.8 percent increase with non-free-trade-agreement partners. As for the Belt and Road cooperation, vice minister Qian Keming said that China has extended its global reach, signing more than 200 cooperation documents with 172 countries and international organizations. Over 90 bilateral cooperation mechanisms have been established to facilitate trade, investment and e-commerce. From 2013 to 2020, China's cargo trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative totaled 9.2 trillion U.S. dollars. "These efforts have brought new development opportunities and broader markets to all countries, and at the same time enabled them to share the dividends of our reform and development," Wang Wentao said.
President praises hardworking spirit of Saihanba foresters President Xi Jinping has called for further progress in developing the green economy and ecological conservation and praised the spirit of foresters in Saihanba, Hebei province, who planted in recent decades the world's biggest cultivated forest. Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remark on Monday during an inspection tour of the Saihanba forest farm, which is regarded as a leading example of the nation's efforts to advance ecological conversation. During his visit, Xi learned about how the foresters manage and protect the forest farm and Hebei's coordinated efforts to conserve its mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes and grassland, as well as its efforts to control desertification. Xi told the foresters their work is significant and they have acted as role models to inspire the nation to achieve ecological progress. The Saihanba forest farm, located around 400 kilometers north of Beijing, covers about 70,000 hectares. In the 1950s, the region was a wasteland due to rampant logging, which resulted in the Chinese capital and adjacent regions being frequently hit by sandstorms. Organized by forestry authorities, hundreds of trailblazing foresters and engineers embarked on tree planting in Saihanba in 1962 to try to stop the rapid desertification. Since then, three generations of Saihanba foresters have managed to increase forest cover in the region from 11.4 percent in the early 1960s to 80 percent today. Such woodlands have become an important environmental shield and green lung for Beijing and neighboring regions. Due to this dramatic transformation, Saihanba was given a Champions of the Earth Award, the highest honor of the United Nations Environment Program, at the third UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi in December 2017. During his visit, Xi spoke of the hardworking spirit the Saihanba foresters demonstrated in planting the forest, saying it is part of the spirit of the CPC to struggle for success. The entire Party and nation should have the same spirit in their efforts to develop the green economy and promote ecological conservation, he said. As a champion of green development, Xi has attached great importance to ecological conservation in the high-quality development of the country. He has said that "lush mountains and lucid waters are invaluable assets". In 2017, in an instruction on the achievements of the Saihanba forest farm, he commended the foresters for the "miracles" they performed in "turning a barren wasteland into a thriving forest". The development of Saihanba is the result of the persistent efforts and dedication of forestry workers, and has set a great example in China's pursuit of ecological progress, Xi said. Efforts to pursue green development and ecological progress should be made from one generation to the next, to create harmony between man and nature and leave a better environment for future generations, he said. Xi also visited the city of Chengde on Tuesday, where he learned about its efforts in cultural heritage protection, religious work, ethnic unity, rural vitalization and eldercare.


Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, checks the growth of the trees and learns about the promotion of the Saihanba spirit and the high-quality development of the Saihanba forest farm at a forest named after Wang Shanghai, a late official of the farm, in north China's Hebei Province, Aug. 23, 2021. Xi made an inspection tour of the Saihanba forest farm on Monday. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

SHIJIAZHUANG, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Monday stressed the importance of developing the green economy and furthering ecological progress.

Xi made the remarks while visiting a memorial forest in the Saihanba forest farm located in north China's Hebei Province.

Named after Wang Shanghai, a late official of the Saihanba forest farm, the Shanghai memorial forest is the birthplace of the "Saihanba spirit," a term attributed to generations of workers on the farm who have kept their mission in mind, worked hard and pursued green development.

The workers have dedicated themselves to decades of hard work and created a miracle by transforming a wasteland into vast forests.

When talking with staff representatives of the farm, Xi said their efforts have set a good model and are of great significance for ecological advancement nationwide.

Xi urged the workers at the Saihanba forest farm to gain a deeper understanding of ecological conservation and continue their hard work for new achievements.
BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- For some time, the United States has been manipulating the COVID-19 origins tracing by distorting facts and hyping up such baseless cliches as the so-called "Wuhan lab leak" theory.

The ulterior political motive behind the malicious U.S. acts is to deflect responsibility for its incompetence in tackling the virus and at the same time smear and suppress other countries.

In this regard, the world must take a clear-cut stand against such attempts.

It is common sense that the origins tracing must and can only be a matter of science. In the face of the global health crisis, countries need to work together with a rational attitude that respects science and facts.

Meanwhile, the tracing study must be undertaken by scientists -- the only ones who are qualified to find the source of the virus and its transmission path to humans -- so as to better prevent future risks.

Since last year, scientists from many countries around the world have expressed their views that the scientific direction of origins tracing should not be changed, and opposed instrumentalizing the origins tracing work and politicizing a scientific issue.

In fact, China has always supported and will continue to participate in the science-based tracing study. Since the early stage of the pandemic, China has been actively cooperating with the World Health Organization (WHO) on the origins tracing of the virus. It shared the genetic sequence of the virus at the earliest possible date and invited WHO experts to China twice for origins studies.

The WHO-China joint study report released in March has been prepared in total compliance with the procedures of the WHO, and used a scientific approach. It has been proven to be a valuable and authoritative report that can stand the test of science and time. The report ought to act as the basis and guideline for global origins tracing efforts. Any attempt to repudiate and distort the conclusions of the joint study report is a political manipulation and disrespectful to global scientists and science.

However, the United States has been trying to kidnap the WHO and clamouring for another so-called virus tracing against China, which is not only a trampling on the scientific spirit, but also an insult to China's national dignity.

China's refusal to such kind of virus tracing is not to hide anything, but to defend its rights and dignity in accordance with the law.

China welcomes tracing efforts in a scientific and serious manner, but firmly opposes the so-called tracing work with mischievous intentions that flout science.

As a sovereign state, China will never allow certain political forces with ulterior motives to manipulate the issue as they want and scapegoat China as they wish.

From the perspective of international laws, linking state responsibility to the source of the virus is groundless and will set a perilous precedent.

Moreover, increasing fresh discoveries of early outbreaks of the virus in multiple countries, some of which were earlier than the first cases reported in China, have sparked new thinking in the academic community about the origin and spread of the coronavirus.

On origins tracing, Washington's distortion of facts is both a disregard for related international laws and a violation of the principle of presumption of innocence.

Behind America's manipulation of origins tracing lies its sinister intention to smear China for its own political gains. On one hand, some U.S. politicians attempt to assign blame to China and stir up anti-China sentiment in America, in hope of chasing votes and distracting the public from their own failure in epidemic response; On the other, by scapegoating and demonizing China, they figure for containing China's development and securing America's global hegemony.

Kenneth Hammond, a professor at New Mexico State University specializing in Chinese history, said "American politicians, and their wealthy interests which essentially control them, are very worried about losing their role as the dominant power in global affairs as China re-emerges as a major factor in the development of the world economy and in geopolitical relations."

"These elites are anxious to stall or thwart China's development in any way they can," including adopting the relentlessly propagated narrative, he noted.

In fact, the international community has more than once said no to America's politicization of origins tracing. Earlier this year, more than 300 political parties, social societies and think tanks from over 100 countries and regions opposed politicizing the disease's origins in a joint statement sent to the WHO Secretariat.

Origins tracing requires cooperation, truth and science, instead of smear, lies or political manipulation. It is time for America to wake up to that, and understand that its evil calculation on seeking a "presumption of guilt" against China is doomed to failure.
The United Nations refugee agency has called for a prohibition on the forced return of Afghan nationals, as thousands scramble to flee the country following the Taliban's takeover.

"States have a legal and moral responsibility to allow those fleeing Afghanistan to seek safety, and to not forcibly return refugees," UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo said Tuesday in Geneva.

The UN wants asylum seekers, who have previously had their claims rejected, to also be protected from a forcible return to dangerous situations -- also known as non-refoulement.

"UNHCR remains concerned about the risk of human rights violations against civilians in this evolving context, including women and girls, those perceived to have a current or past association with the Afghan government, international organizations or with the international military forces," Mantoo said.

Since the beginning of the year, the UNHCR says more than 550,000 Afghans have been internally displaced as a result of conflict and insecurity.
The top U.S. infectious disease expert said Tuesday the U.S. could have COVID-19 contained by early 2022 with the possible full approval of more vaccines.

Dr. Anthony Fauci's remarks came one day after the Pfizer vaccine received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"If we get the overwhelming majority of those 80 to 90 million people who have not yet been vaccinated, who have been reluctant to get vaccinated or have not had the opportunity, I believe we can see light at the end of the tunnel," Fauci said on the NBC News "Today" program.

With the potential full government approval of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson's vaccines in coming weeks and the possibility of children being approved for vaccinations this fall, Fauci said "We can turn this thing around."

In the U.S., more localities and organizations said Monday they will require proof of vaccination following the announcement that Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine received full federal approval.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has agreed to be the ruling political party's vice-presidential candidate in next year's elections, the PDP-Laban party said on Tuesday, laying the groundwork for the leader to stay in power beyond his term.

The PDP-Laban party made the announcement ahead of a national assembly on Sept. 8 where it is also expected to endorse Duterte's aide and incumbent senator Christopher "Bong" Go to be its presidential candidate in the 2022 polls.

Duterte is making "the sacrifice" and heeding "the clamor of the people," Karlo Nograles, executive vice president of the ruling PDP-Laban party, said in a statement.

In the Philippines, the president is limited to one six-year term and Duterte's term is due to end by June next year. His vice-presidential run is seen by political observers as a backdoor to the presidency, however.

Nograles said the move would "guarantee continuity of the administration's programs during the past five years," including those meant to address illegal drugs. Duterte's critics believe he could be making a play for retaining power through the number two post, by taking over as president in the event ally Go wins and then resigns.


Despite domestic and international pressure to extend, President Joe Biden is sticking to his Aug. 31 deadline to complete the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

His administration is ending evacuation operations to get Americans, Afghans and third-country nationals out of Afghanistan earlier than the deadline in order to allow the withdrawal of American troops and military hardware, said the White House.

"We are currently on a pace to finish by August the 31st," Biden said from the White House Tuesday afternoon. "The sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops."

Biden said that as of Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. had helped evacuate 70,700 people since Aug. 14. But he acknowledged that completing operations by the deadline depended on the Taliban's cooperation in allowing evacuees access to the airport. He said he had asked the Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the timetable, should that become necessary.

In his remarks, Biden did not mention ending evacuation flights earlier than the deadline, but White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed to reporters Tuesday that "there would need to be time to wind down." Declining to provide "operational details," Psaki said American troops in Kabul are faced with increasing threats from ISIS-K, referring to the Khorasan network, a self-proclaimed branch of the militant Islamic State group active in Central and South Asia.

Earlier Tuesday, Department of Defense press secretary John Kirby confirmed that the military would need time to unwind before the deadline. "Roughly speaking, you need at least several days to get the amount of forces and equipment that we have at the airport, to get that safely and effectively retrograded," Kirby said in a briefing to reporters. "I won't get into a specific tick tock."

The White House did not respond to VOA's question as to whether the U.S. will end all evacuation flights or only military ones prior to the August 31 deadline, and whether the administration will help Afghans trying to leave on commercial or charter flights to secure permission from the Taliban.
Korean tech giants accounted for about half of the global TV market in the first half of this year.

Market research firm Omdia said Tuesday that Samsung sold some 21 million TVs during the period thanks to the popularity of its premium models, accounting for 31 percent of the market. Its sales rose by some 10 percent on-year, keeping it at the top for the 16th year in a row.

LG accounted for 19 percent of the market, beating Japan's Sony with about 9 percent and China's TCL with some 7 percent.


Pusan National University is revoking the 2015 admission of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's daughter Cho Min to its medical school because her parents doctored her resume.

The decision was made after an investigation by a university committee and a review by the governing body.

Earlier this month the Seoul High Court found her mother Chung Kyung-shim guilty of forging her daughter's resume.

But Cho Min has already graduated and gained her medical license.

The university committee concluded that the forged documents and false work experience certificates her parents submitted did not play a substantial role in the medical school's decision to admit her, PNU Vice President Park Hong-won told reporters.

But the governing body decided to revoke the admission after reviewing a recent appellate court's decision. "The 2015 application guidelines for the medical school stipulate that applicants cannot be accepted if their documentation is false," he said.

It will take two to three months of internal procedures including a hearing before the decision is finalized. The Ministry of Health and Welfare will then decide whether to revoke her medical license. "We're going to review the law and follow the necessary steps," a ministry spokesman said.

Hanil General Hospital, where Cho is serving her internship, said it will wait for the ministry's decision.

Cho Kuk is still in denial. "As her father, it's painful," he wrote on Facebook. "I'll make sure that everything is fully explained in the hearing before the final decision is made."


Samsung on Tuesday unveiled a plan to invest a record W240 trillion and recruit 40,000 new staff over the next three years (US$1=W1,167). That is over 30 percent more than investment over the last two years.

The idea is to invest nearly double the electronic giant's operating profit of W123 trillion over the past three years, with the goal of boosting competitiveness of its semiconductor business and focusing on biotechnology.

Seventy-five percent or W180 trillion will be invested in Korea.

Samsung vowed to do its best to prepare for the seismic changes it expects in the post-coronavirus era, focusing on industrial restructuring and creating jobs for young people. It also wants to invest in next-generation businesses including artificial intelligence while strengthening its position with bold mergers and acquisitions.

The announcement came after Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong was released from prison under a special amnesty on Aug. 13.


Korea has sent military planes to Afghanistan and neighboring countries to rescue Afghans who have helped Korean occupying forces or the government, the Foreign Ministry here said Tuesday.

Three military aircraft were deployed to bring out Afghans who helped Korea and their families now that the country has fallen to the Taliban. This is the first time Korea has sent military aircraft and troops to a conflict area to rescue foreigners.

The ministry said the Afghans had worked at the Korean Embassy or hospitals and job training centers run by Korean engineering and reconstruction forces for years.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. Hot and humid. High 96F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low around 75F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Woburn, MA (01801)

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Periods of rain. High 68F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

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Periods of rain. Rain becoming heavy at times overnight. Low 61F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
Woburn, MA (01801)

Today

Rain likely. High 68F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

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Periods of rain. Rain becoming heavy at times overnight. Low 61F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
Woburn, MA (01801)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. High 69F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

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Periods of rain. Rain may be heavy late. Low 61F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
(The Center Square)  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed levying a $5.1 million fine on right-wing activists Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl for allegedly making 1,141 illegal election-related robocalls without prior consent.

If enacted, the fine would be the largest ever under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the FCC says.

The robocalls completed on August 26 and September 14, 2020, warned potential voters that if they vote by mail, their personal information will be part of a public database that will be used by police departments to track down old warrants and be used by credit card companies to collect outstanding debts.

The calls allegedly targeting urban areas, including Detroit, identified Wohl and Burkman by name and used Burkmans wireless phone number as the caller ID. Wohl and Burkman admitted under oath to their involvement in the creation and distribution of the robocalls.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel applauded the estimate.

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This massive fine properly reflects the seriousness of the allegations these two political operatives face. Mr. Burkman and Mr. Wohl allegedly orchestrated a series of robocalls aimed at suppressing the vote in the November general election, she said. While my office will continue to pursue the criminal case against these men, I applaud the FCC for its action today.

Burkman and Wohl are awaiting trial in Wayne County Circuit Court after a failed dismissal attempt, announced in May.

The two face the following:

Election law - intimidating voters, a felony punishable by up to five years;

Conspiracy to commit an election law violation, a felony punishable by up to five years;

Using a computer to commit the crime of election law - intimidating voters, a felony punishable by up to seven years; and

Using a computer to commit the crime of conspiracy, a felony punishable by up to seven years.

Their next court date is Sept. 21 for a final conference before the Hon. Margaret Van Houten.
Ms. Sonja Kay White of rural Tipton County went home to be with our Loving Lord Jesus Christ on August 24, 2021 having succumbed to a four year-long lung disease. Sonja was born on January 3, 1943 at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis to the late Wayne Eugene and Dorothy Helen (Watson) White.

A lifelong resident of Tipton County, Sonja graduated from Kempton High School and attended Indiana University. She had worked for Donald W. White, DDS for 37 years.

She is survived by her only brother Donald Wayne White, DDS and his wife Carolyn Marie along with her special four-legged babies: Anya, Yoshi and Brinkley.

Private graveside services are being handled by Young-Nichols Funeral Home of Tipton. Burial will be at the Union Cemetery in Atlanta, Indiana.

Memorial contributions can be made in Sonjas name to East Union Christian Church, 1711 E 296th Street, Atlanta, Indiana, 46031.

Psalm 34:

I will bless the LORD at all times,

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul makes its boast in the LORD;

let the humble hear and be glad.

Oh, magnify the LORD with me,

and let us exalt his name together!

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I sought the LORD, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous

and His ears toward their cry.

When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears

and delivers them out of all their troubles.

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the LORD delivers him out of them all
MERRILLVILLE  Gov. Eric Holcomb is recommending Northwest Indiana lean in to the qualities that make it a unique place to live, work, play and stay as Region business and community leaders take steps to grow the economy and attract new residents.

"You've got so much going on here," Holcomb said. "We're humble Hoosiers but it's OK to have some swagger when it's true, and there's a lot to share about this Region."

The Republican chief executive addressed the status of Northwest Indiana during a question and answer session at Avalon Manor Tuesday with Marc Chase, editor of The Times, during the annual induction ceremony for the Business and Industry Hall of Fame, sponsored by The Times Media Co.

WATCH NOW: Gov. Eric Holcomb announces creation of Indiana Public Health Commission

Holcomb said no other quadrant of the state has the same connections to the global economy thanks to Northwest Indiana's proximity to Chicago, the current and future road and rail infrastructure linking the Calumet Region to Chicago, and the myriad opportunities to bring new talent into the Hoosier State.

He said if Region leaders remain focused on continuing to grow the population in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties, push for business investment that will create the jobs needed 10, 20 or 30 years down the line, and stay hungry for change, then Northwest Indiana truly can become the best version of itself.

"You're doing this already, and I'm going to start doing a lot more of it, and that is sell, sell, sell," Holcomb said. "The only thing that I think would surpass your standing as it is today is your potential."

Holcomb observed the Region has come though the COVID-19 pandemic with a resiliency not seen everywhere else. He said using that by being "first and fast" with new initiatives and focused priorities will give Northwest Indiana a leg up on just about everyone.

"There are a lot of communities and regions in the country that don't have that potential," he said.

The governor said the state is prepared to invest in the future of Northwest Indiana through the new, $500 million Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI).

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He said READI grants, set to be awarded in coming months, are designed to propel regional public-private investments in quality of place and quality of life, innovation, entrepreneurship, and talent attraction and development.

"What I hope is it ends up erasing lines, whether it's partisan lines, or municipal, or county, or just lines in your head," Holcomb said. "This pulls everybody together and harnesses that synergy."

Holcomb also is optimistic the proposed increases in federal infrastructure spending advancing through the Democratic-controlled Congress will effectively supplement the state's ongoing efforts to bolster economic growth by improving Indiana's roads, bridges, rail, broadband internet access, and water infrastructure.

Watch Now: Riding Shotgun With NWI Paramedics

"There is a need," Holcomb said. "There are overdue infrastructure projects (in Indiana) that have national importance that need money."

At the same time, Holcomb declined the opportunity to say U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., and U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., should reverse their opposition to the bipartisan infrastructure plan due to its $1 trillion price tag and instead support the measure.

"I, too, share budget concerns, I share the debt and deficit spending, and we've got to get at, as a nation, what's driving that debt and solve that," Holcomb said.

"But if we only look at that, we'll never get anything done of national importance and security that's going to have a generational impact."

Get to know these new Indiana laws enacted in 2021
HAMMOND  Displaced former residents of East Chicagos Calumet Housing Complex lost a battle this week in their fight to sue companies they accuse of polluting their former homes.

U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen this week dismissed their claims in two separate lawsuits on technical legal grounds.

Lawyers for the residents have until next month to repair the damage by amending their suit.

Lawyers for nine industrial firms already have argued that would be futile because no amendment can cure basic flaws in the plaintiffs' damage claims.

West Calumet was a public housing project built in the 1970s over land that was once the site of the U.S. Smelter and Lead Refinery.

Low-income residents of the complex of three-story apartment buildings and brick duplexes were exposed to lead and arsenic discharged into the locations soil during 39 years of refinery operation until it was closed and designated a Superfund site, eligible for a future cleanup.

Decades of inaction were followed by crisis in 2016 when East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland forced the evacuation of 1,200 residents. The housing project was demolished.

Contractors have been replacing contaminated soil with clean fill, a $29 million ongoing process nearing completion.

The city plans to repurpose the site for the construction of new industrial warehouses.

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Lawyers from Northwest Indiana and around the country filed seven separate lawsuits between 2016 and 2018 on behalf of the displaced residents.

The suits portray the former West Calumet residents as victims of racial and environmental discrimination.

They have demanded the City of East Chicago and nine corporations, involved in the refinerys past operations, pay the residents damages.

Van Bokkelen ruled this week that corporate defendants, Atlantic Richfield Company, E.I. DuPont De Nemours, Chemours Company and the Hammond Lead Product Group werent to blame.

He said the companies didnt intend to hurt the residents because they couldnt have reasonably foreseen that former East Chicago city officials would turn the refinery site into a densely-populated housing project decades later.

The judge stated the residents lawyers have failed to specify injuries the residents have suffered. They cannot successfully proceed by arguing a threat of future harm to the residents that is, not yet realized.

Crown Point attorney Walter Alvarez, one of the lawyers representing the former West Calumet residents, couldnt be reached Tuesday for comment.

Another judge dismissed one of the other suits Jan. 5 following an out of court settlement with the residents. The terms of that settlement werent made public in court papers.

Four other suits against East Chicago and the corporations remain pending. The court has yet to rule on motions to dismiss those cases as well.

Gallery: Recent arrests booked into Lake County Jail
INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Central Indiana's1 healthcare and life sciences sector has an $84 billion annual economic impact and directly employs more than 133,000 people and 331,000 workers indirectly, according to a new report. The study from TEConomy Partners, ESSENTIAL: The economic impact of Central Indiana's healthcare and life sciences sector, examined the influence of decades of investments in the region as well as how the sector provides benefits to Indiana's other industries such as manufacturing, technology and retail.

The report discusses not only the economic measures of capital expenditures, wages and jobs, but also analyzes the non-traditional impacts such as access to healthcare and its influence on economic development. It also points out that the healthcare and life sciences ecosystem is larger than traditional research and development, underscoring the importance of continued investment in the sector.

Key statistics from the report include:

Commercial healthcare and life sciences R&D spending was an estimated $8.6 billion by regional companies in 2020.

by regional companies in 2020. There are currently 2.94 million square feet of committed construction projects, resulting in a projected $2.27 billion capital project spending (2019-2023) by healthcare and life sciences organizations.

capital project spending (2019-2023) by healthcare and life sciences organizations. The healthcare and life sciences sector contributes $33.2 billion in gross domestic product (GDP) compared to the next largest sectors: $29.3 billion for manufacturing and $14.6 billion for finance and insurance.

in gross domestic product (GDP) compared to the next largest sectors: for manufacturing and for finance and insurance. Every $1 of all goods and services produced by the healthcare and life sciences sector, generates an additional $0.48 within the regional economy.

"From investments in facilities, equipment, research, talent and purposeful connections through BioCrossroads, Central Indiana's healthcare and life sciences sector has a substantial collective impact on the vitality of the region," said Patty Martin, president and CEO, BioCrossroads. "These investments help ensure Hoosiers have access to high quality healthcare services and support innovation, economic development, and educational opportunities for not only the healthcare and life sciences sector, but also our manufacturing, technology and retail sectors."

Central Indiana's healthcare and life sciences sector directly accounts for a significant amount of the region's economic impact measures, including:

10.6% of regional employment

16.5% of regional labor income (wages and benefits)

19.6% of regional Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

18.7% of total regional output, which is the total value of goods and services produced

Central Indiana's manufacturing sector, the next largest sector, accounts for:

7.9% of regional employment

11.5% of regional labor income (wages and benefits)

17.3% of regional Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

25% of total regional output

Notably, the healthcare and life sciences sector's total impact on the Central Indiana region includes:

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21.4 % of total employment

26.1% of total labor income (wages and benefits)

28.9% of total Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

27.7% of total output

The total impacts are the summation of all economic impacts driven directly by the healthcare and life sciences sector and the effects of this spending rippling through the region's economy.

"Ultimately, it is clear that past and future investments in the infrastructure and talent that advance Indiana's life sciences and healthcare capacity represent a fundamental good for Indiana," commented report author Simon Tripp, principal and senior director, TEConomy Partners. "Enhancing the quality of life for Hoosiers; boosting the regional economy; making critical infrastructure investments that benefit multiple sectors; and providing a proactive means of response in the face of public health emergencies are all components of this critical sector."

The full report and executive summary are available at www.biocrossroads.com. Join BioCrossroads' virtual Frameworx educational event on Friday, Sept. 10 where Tripp and leaders from Central Indiana's healthcare and life sciences sector will discuss the findings in detail.

About BioCrossroads

BioCrossroads is Indiana's initiative to grow, advance and invest in the life sciences, a public-private collaboration that supports the region's existing research and corporate strengths while encouraging new business development. BioCrossroads invests capital and provides support to life sciences businesses, launches new life sciences enterprises (Indiana Biosciences Research Institute, 16 Tech, Indiana Health Information Exchange, Fairbanks Institute for Healthy Communities, BioCrossroadsLINX, OrthoWorx and Datalys Center), expands collaboration and partnerships among Indiana's life science institutions, promotes science education and markets Indiana's life sciences industry.

1For this report, Central Indiana is defined as Boone, Brown, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Putnam, Shelby, and Tippecanoe counties.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-report-highlights-outsized-impact-of-healthcare-and-life-sciences-sector-in-central-indiana-301362678.html

SOURCE BioCrossroads
Press Release

August 25, 2021 Govt's misplaced priorities under a pandemic

Nancy: ELCAC gets P28B, but RITM lab fund cut by P170M Sen. Nancy Binay today slammed the plan to increase by P11 billion the budget for an anti-insurgency task force for 2022, while slashing by P170 million the budget for the country's primary infectious disease research and laboratory facility. Amid elevated Covid variant outbreaks, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine's (RITM) 2022 proposed budget for laboratory services was slashed by P170 million--from P393 million in 2021, down to P223 million for 2022. On the other hand, Malacanang wanted P11.66 billion more than the P16.4 billion budget NTF-ELCAC received in 2021. "What's happening? Ang kalaban natin ay Covid. Mas importante ba ang ELCAC kaysa RITM? It does not make sense. Government seems to be removed from the realities on the ground," Binay said. According to Binay, as a critical backend support line of the Department of Health in preventing infectious and communicable diseases, RITM should be given high priority, and its budget expanded and increased. "At a time when we need a reliable and stable lead center in our fight against the pandemic, DBM chooses to cut back RITM's budget. Year-in year-out, binabawasan lagi. 'Di ba ang dapat gawin ay ang palakasin pa lalo ang mga public health service institutions, hindi pahinain," the lady senator pointed out. Binay added that disparity in funding and how the war against Covid and the war against insurgency are being handled show how misplaced Malacanang's priorities are under a pandemic. "As RITM is already struggling in building their manpower and lab resources, babawasan pa ang budget nila. Yung masaklap is that NTF-ELCAC's budget is inflated to billions, while depriving RITM--a legitimate government institution--of funds necessary to provide critical laboratory services in time of a pandemic. It doesn't make any sense at all," the senator pointed out. Binay noted that slashing RITM's budget stunts its critical testing capacity, and effectively cripples its primary mandate of testing. "Paano tayo makakapag-level up kung laging iniipit ang kakarampot na budget para sa health, testing at Covid response, pero may bilyones na budget sa red-tagging," she added. Binay said she will oppose the proposed 2022 NTF-ELCAC budget, and will ask colleagues in the Senate to increase rather the budget of government health research initiatives, disease surveillance, genomic testings, and national public hospitals. "Given the limited fiscal sources, it is morally unacceptable and wrong to prioritize P28 billion on a misplaced agenda over a crucial public health agenda that has a direct impact on the health of 100 million Filipinos... Timing of testing is crucial. Let's equip, retool and modernize RITM. Give them the latitude to hire more scientists. RITM needs the necessary funding support--lalo pa ngayong we're racing against time and finding ways in tapping resources judiciously in fighting both known and unknown diseases. Hindi pula ang kulay ng kalaban. Ang laban ngayon ay kung paano mabuhay," Binay noted. Rather than support NTF-ELCAC's request to increase its budget, Binay added it would be best if Congress gives RITM a big budget boost in order to increase its scale and scope, and strengthen its role in medical research and public health. She said testing is one of the biggest missing pieces in the "3 Ts", and RITM plays a big role in the country's fight against the virus if only it is given the necessary support and funding.
Press Release

August 25, 2021 Co-sponsorship speech of Senator Pia S. Cayetano on SBN 2332

Raising the statutory rape age fom the current 12 to 16 years old Mr. President, dear colleagues, I rise today to co-sponsor Senate Bill No. 2332 under Committee Report No. 279. I worked on a similar bill when I was in the House of Representatives. Senate Bill 2332 seeks to increase the age of sexual consent in the country from twelve years to above sixteen years old, for what I would have thought would be obvious reasons. The age of consent has remained at 12 years of age since 1930, following the enactment of the Revised Penal Code. So that's a 90-year-old law, which was later on adopted in the Anti-Rape Law of 1997. In other words, any sexual intercourse with a minor who has not reached the age of 12 is automatically regarded as rape, even if the minor consented or appeared to have voluntarily engaged in the sexual act. However, once a child reaches the ripe old age of 12, it's a different story. Suddenly, under the law, this 12-year-old can give consent to that act. But we ask ourselves, how can a 12-year-old give consent to such an act? Any way we see it, a 12-year-old, in the strictest definition, is a child. Children are defined as those persons below 18 years of age or those over 18 but are unable to fully take care of themselves or protect themselves from abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation or discrimination because of a physical or mental disability or condition. And yet under existing laws, they can consent to a sexual act with an adult? Studies even show that the rational part of the brain that deals with making good judgment and awareness of long-term consequences is not yet fully developed until the age of 25. In this day and age, it truly boggles the mind. We note that in the 1930s when the Revised Penal Code was passed, girls could get married at 14, boys at 16. This is based on the Old Civil Code passed in 1949. We changed this when the Family Code was enacted on 3 August 1988. So now the marriage age is 18 for both boys and girls. But the idea that the shame of a rape would be covered up with a marriage persisted for decades. Or that focing a 12 year old to later on say he/she consented, cleared the perpetrator of a crime. Clearly those are the reason for this provision. Anything to give the perpetrator an excuse. A girl's honor would be restored if she married her rapist. That was the thinking. It's terrible, I know. But that's how people of the past thought. Having been very active with the Inter Parliamentary Union and a past President of the Women's Bureau of the IPU, we know that this still persists in other countries, that way of thinking. But I'd like to believe that that way of thinking is left in the past in this country. We cannot change the way people thought and acted in the past. But we can change our laws to prevent this kind of thinking and behavior today. It's now time we change our laws to protect our children. Now, let's look at what's happening from a global perspective. The Philippines has the lowest age of consent in Asia, and one of the lowest in the world. Even when the Philippines had approved and adopted the International Convention on the Rights of Child (UNCRC), we remained non-compliant with its recommendation to increase the age of sexual consent to at least 16 years of age. This goes against the very principles we laid down under our Constitution, which mandates the State to value the dignity of every human person and guarantee full respect for human rights, as well as to defend the right of children to special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their development. The passage of this bill is even made more urgent given the rise in cases of violence against women and children during this pandemic. Data from the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) showed that from March 15 to Nov. 13, 2020, there have been 13,923 reported cases of violence against women and their children, 4,747 of which were cases wherein the children themselves were the victims. We have more data, Mr. President. But our colleagues who spoke before me, I'm sure those who will speak after me, have spread and will continue to spread more of this into the record. One last point, to complement this measure, we wish to also emphasize the need to immediately implement our existing laws that seek to educate our children about their rights, including those provided in the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law. One important provision is the age- and development- appropriate comprehensive sexuality education, which will help children and adolescents understand not only their reproductive system (the body parts) but their reproductive health rights as well, such as their right to personal safety and boundaries and privacy, their right to body safety, which includes the right not be inappropriately touched by others, and their right not to be put in compromising situations. Our current law on the age of sexual consent takes away our children's right to be children and to enjoy their childhood. Let's do the right thing and amend this 90-year-old law. Let's change the narrative for our children. On this note, Mr. President, I humbly that I be made co-sponsor of this measure. Thank you, Mr. President and dear colleagues.
Press Release

August 25, 2021 Hontiveros seeks probe into payment claims issues between private hospitals and PhilHealth Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed a resolution urging the Senate to conduct an investigation on the payment claims issues between the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and private hospitals. "Ang mamamayang Pilipino ang nalulugi sa bangayan ng PhilHealth at private hospitals. Sa bawat araw na hindi nalulutas ang isyung ito, may mga pasyenteng matinding nag-aalala kung saan kukuha ng pambayad sa ospital. The Senate must investigate because we simply cannot leave the public hanging," Hontiveros said. According to Proposed Senate Resolution No. 880, PhilHealth issued Circular No. 2021-0013 "suspending payment of claims that are subject of investigations pertaining to fraudulent, unethical acts, and/or abuse of authority" for a period of 120 days. However, as a result of this directive, the Private Hospital Association Inc. (PHAPi) and the Philippine Hospital Association (PHA) announced that they were "disengaging" with PhilHealth, prohibiting PhilHealth members "for the meantime" to avail of PhilHealth benefits when they go to member-hospitals. "The temporary suspension of claims may severely impact struggling small hospitals and treatment centers, including healthcare workers who are employed in these facilities. Kung hindi ito maresolba, ang mga Pilipinong manggagawa rin ang lubos na maapektuhan," Hontiveros said. "Pinaghirapan nating ipasa ang Universal Health Care Act (UHC) para masiguradong lahat ng Pilipino ay may access sa health services at walang sinuman ang kailangang malubog sa utang dahil lang sa isang kapamilyang nagkasakit. Mas lalong dapat tiyakin na walang harang sa paggamit ng health services ngayong panahon ng krisis. We should not allow an impasse during this crucial time of a public health emergency," added Hontiveros, who co-authored and co-sponsored the UHC Act. The senator said that resolving this issue must be prioritized, especially in light of the confirmed community transmissions of the Delta variant and the detection of a local case of the Lambda variant. She stressed that interruptions in healthcare insurance will have literal life-and-death implications, particularly for the poor and the middle class who cannot afford the full cost of privatized healthcare. "In the midst of a public health crisis, Filipinos need safety nets in public health emergencies, as well as a financial cushion on the cost of hospitalization. If no agreements are reached between PhilHealth and the private health care providers, the consequences will be borne by the Filipino people who are already reeling from the multiple burdens wrought by the pandemic," Hontiveros concluded.
Press Release

August 25, 2021 TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS WITH MS KAREN DAVILA AT ANC HEADSTART Q: Let's start with this-- the President has decided he will run for vice president. How would you describe that? Senator Risa Hontiveros (SRH): Sabi ko nga, e di wow. Every party has its own nomination process, but it seems some gatekeepers in PDP-Laban have turned Ka Nene Pimentel's original party into a zombie, an institution only performing rituals devoid of substance and principle. This recent development is an even more grotesque version of Shake, Rattle, and Roll. The President started his presidential run with a lot of drama, and it looks like he'll be leaving us the same way, trying to confuse us, and we, the Filipino people, still searching for a true leader. Q: But don't you think it's quite strategic frankly on the part of PDP-Laban, and even the President, with him declaring that he will run, you will have a lot of local officials that will not know who to support. Local officials will want to support the winning team because their funds depend on it for future projects, right? So frankly speaking, I've spoken to some senators and some local officials and what the president has done and PDP-Laban has done is number one: it has prevented their own members from supporting another candidate, which is quite typical in the Philippines, and it has put a lot of local government officials, they can't plan anything and those who want to run now are held back from actually running. Because who would want, frankly, to compete with the President of the Philippines? SRH: But of course, they'd have to remember kung itutuloy ni Presidente nitong plano nila, he would be running for reelection to the presidency but, sabi niya, at sabi ng partido niya, as vice president. Hindi natin alam sino magiging presidential candidate nila. And the president's popularity until now is not transferable in the same scale to any other candidate. At saka in fairness sa mga local government officials, I'm sure at the back of their minds din, sa susunod na taon, 2022, hindi lang iyan taon ng eleksyon, taon iyan na ma-ooperationalize na ang Mandanas ruling, when a greater amount of IRA funds will flow to them at mas makakadesisyon sila especially in terms of the direction of their development program. So kahit papaano, that's a degree of greater autonomy from the national government. Q: Hindi dapat matakot ang local government officials from choosing and supporting their own candidate? SRH: I hope they would take heart in that promise of autonomy of the local government code to their LGUs. Sana madagdagan yung kanilang lakas ng loob to chart the destiny not just of their jurisdictions pero collectively of the whole country. At itong pagiging stratehiko ni presidente, maybe it's not strategic enough, maybe it's purely and cynically tactical kasi sinabi nila kaya daw sila nagiisip silang tumakbong VP para umiwas sa accountability, whether from local courts after his administration or the ICC. Ang dami-dami nang nagbuhos ng kritisismo diyan that that is a blatantly unconstitutional and simply wrong use of any public office. Q: And the vice president is not immune from suit. SRH: Exactly. So kahit tactically, palpak yun. Hindi strategic move at kahit tactically, mali. Because no public office, not the VP office, not even the presidential office would shield a person from immunity for his crimes. Q: At this point.. No one has declared except for Senator Ping Lacson. You have at least in the latest surveys, you're talking one of the frontrunners is his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, and if she chooses not to run and PDP-Laban supports Senator Bong Go, some say you do have the administration resources backing him up even if he isn't faring in the surveys. So don't you see this as the strategic move that the President feels it's win-win for me, whether it's Sara who wins, Bong Go wins, I win. SRH: Gaya ng pinaguusapan natin kanina, the President's enduring, up to this point, popularity is not transferrable to the same magnitude to any other candidate, ni miyembro ng pamilya nila, ni kaalyado nila. It is simply not the same. And the early surveys are already bearing that out so next year, malaki talaga ang nakataya, will the election bring us a continuation of Dutertismo, will the election bring us an end to Dutertismo and yung pagsingil ng accountability para diyan, we're all in this for the long game, ika nga. It may be anybody's game next year, hindi lang sa administrasyon at para sa oposisyon plus, plus or all the non-admin forces. Q: What is the impact overall to the economy, to business coming into the country, to where the Philippines is headed if there is another six years of Duterte? No less than Vice President Leni Robredo said we cannot have another six years of this. What is the impact? Right now we're facing an 11-trillion peso debt. Foreign investments are down. You have the World Bank and even the IMF saying, among the ASEAN countries, and countries in the whole of Asia, the Philippines will recover the last. SRH: That's why with all those international voices as well, you could say they are non-partisan international voices sounding the alarm about the slowest pace of our economic recovery from this pandemic. I agree with VP Leni's warning and voices are also coming out now from the private sector, the business community, that we cannot afford more of this very poor economic and pandemic response, which is simply a dead weight around the neck of our economy. Hunger is stalking our land. Dumadami ang nawawalan at nababawasan ng trabaho. More MSMEs especially the smaller enterprises are being forced to close, more jobs are being shed, lalo na season 3 nung nakaraan ng ECQ, no pa-renew nang pa-renew yung series na iyan, kahit hindi naman siya pumapatok kasi kulang na kulang sa health and economic measures. Kulang na kulang din sa ayuda. So really, you don't have to be the leader of the opposition, as VP Leni is, to say please we can't afford another more than a half decade of this. Something's got to give. And maybe the election, I pray, will give us that break. Not only politically but economically as well. Q: The VP has not made a decision yet on whether she should run. Or does this serve at least other than the surveys some kind of a tipping point or will it at least push her to run? Is that a factor in her decision? SRH: I suppose any dire moments like we're in economically also would be a tipping point for any candidate especially the highest elected opposition leader. Any leader, any politician would also keep her finger on the pulse of the people, at palagay ko, you know, the surveys and focused group discussions are showing dahil pangalawang taon na ito ng pandemya, lumalabas na mas tipping point na ang usaping kabuhayan kaysa pa kalusugan. More and more Filipinos are becoming ready to risk our health just to be able to go out, make a living, feed our families. So I'm sure VP Leni, as all the other presidentiables, is monitoring this public pulse, this public sentiment, or temperature. Going to the filing of certificates of candidacy in October, when we enter the campaign period, and down to the wire til election day. I'm also heartened na nag-uusap-usap sila, iba't ibang mga presidentiables pati sa non-administration camp kasi buhay parin ang pangarap ko ng isang united front. To deliver better health outcomes, better economic outcomes, better governance outcomes sa ating sambayanan after May 2022. Q: Now both the Lower House and the Senate are conducting separate inquiries on how the Department of Health actually spent its funds. I know that you've been very active in the Senate hearings, but let's start first with the health benefits. Sec. Duque says it will be released at the latest today. But what have you discovered, what is most alarming to you, in terms of the health department has spent their funds? SRH: If Duque said they will finally release those SRAs and the hazard pay to our healthcare workers today, ihabol narin nila yung pondo para sa MATs - meals, accommodation, transportation.. Q: Which was actually all covered in Bayanihan 2. SRH: Exactly. All covered by Bayanihan 2 for which expenditures. As for Bayanihan 1, I have a pending resolution for a special audit by COA. Hats off to COA, sabi ng maraming kababayan natin, it's not only those wearing capes who are superheroes, sometimes they're also auditors working in COA. So kung sinasabi ni Sec. Duque na today they will begin releasing those funds, well and good. Ibig sabihin, let them not only make paper corrections or give paper compliance to the COA audit, but really deliver concrete solutions to the stakeholders in the health scene, especially our healthcare workers. Pero kulang pa iyan. We need, not just compliance with COA; we need effective and inspiring leadership from the DOH. And on other points na lumabas sa COA report, iyang transfer of P42 billion of DOH funds to the procurement service of DBM without a MOA, without supporting documentation. Yung P95 million worth of medicines na napanis nalang o napapanis nalang sa mga bodega ng DOH, while our LGUs are crying for more non-COVID medicines as well in their rural health units, and barangay health stations. There's an international UN agency, UN Women and the Center for Global Development, saying that women are affected by the lack of medicines in those health facilities nearest to all of us. So bakit sa kabila ng lahat ng iyan, there are monies unspent for the healthcare workers, there are monies transferred in large magnitudes to PS-DBM without documentation at may malaking halagang pera ng gamot na napapanis sa mga bodega. These all go back to the doorstep of Sec. Duque. Q: Christopher Lao, the former head of the procurement office of the DBM, has been subpoenaed by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and he is scheduled to attend today. SRH: Good. He really should appear. He was heading the procurement service of DBM when those fund transfers took place. They may not be the only ones. DBM acting secretary Canda said there are billions of pesos of transferred funds out of DOH to PS-DBM, perhaps also to PITC or the Philippine International Trading Corporation. We want someone to adequately explain how funds transferred to PS-DBM in particular were spent and the best person to do that is indeed the head of the office at that time, no other than former Usec Lao. More than the lack of proper documentation, he needs to explain why contracts were awarded to firms that sold overpriced Personal Protective Equipment, overpriced PPEs and supplies, when in fact are the subject of that resolution I filed requesting for a special audit. I'm glad these things are coming out and being brought to the public's attention through the Commission on Audit kaya muli mabuhay sa COA. Q: Christopher Lao was a supporter of President Duterte during the campaign. Senator Bong Go issued a statement, saying that it is inaccurate to call him his former aide. But you do have sources saying clearly there is some kind of closeness between the two, but Senator Bong Go has said that that was an appointment that had nothing to do with him. Do you find it curious that the DOH transferred the funds, 42 billion, and it lands on the lap of a supporter of this government, not a career official, and somebody who's been linked to a colleague as senator? SRH: Well if my colleague says that but the fact still stands that former Usec Lao is a known supporter of the president at totoo ganyan tens of billions of pesos landed in his service he used to head, the PS-DBM. At sa panahon niya, ayun na nga may mga kontratang inaward sa overpriced suppliers ng mga health supplies may mga kontratang inaward sa mga China-based companies sa kabila ng there were Filipino manufacturers offering quality medical grade and cheaper supplies at that time and yet they were not awarded any of those contracts even after reconfiguring their own production on the request of government so dapat magpaliwanag si dating Usec Lao. Q: But more than that also is the Department of Health transfers P42B to the DBM for procurement and of the P42B only P29B was spent, there something like P12 or P13B that was unobligated or unspent. In the midst of a pandemic, what accountability is there for the DOH? SRH: For DOH and PS-DBM, in tandem for that P13B sa hindi nagastos sa kabila ng matinding at paulit-ulit na sinasabing pangangailangan ng ating health care workers, plus yung P12B na hindi ginastos ng DOH specifically para sa health care workers. Bakit may P13B nakapark pa rin sa PS-DBM, earning interest at the time of a pandemic samantalang yung mga LGUs natin, ang ating mga kababaihan, kulang na kulang sa pera. Bakit may nakapark pa rin at kumikita ng interes na P13B without the MOA, without supporting documents. All around, doesn't smell right. SRH: You have called for the resignation of Secretary Duque many months ago even last year when questions of his efficiency and capability came out. There were 14 Senators who called for, but it is too late at this point. The president is clearly standing up for him. But many ask, if he is truly, for example, if he's shown gross negligence, why are there no cases that have been filed against him? SRH: And actually such cases could be filed. In addition to possible graft and corruption cases, at least that offense of gross negligence. Kasi naman, yes the President continues to protect him, hindi naman pwedeng hirap na hirap ang ating mga kababayan sa walang katapusang lockdown, samantalang ang Sercretay of Health ay sitting pretty at protektodo. Sinabi ng pangulo noong gabing yun, I will stand for Duque even if it bring me down. Wow, but Sec Duque has been largely ineffectual, he suffers from a serious case of incompetence. Pwede nating itanong the secretary is co-chair of the IATF pero ano nga ba talaga ang ambag nila kahit sa IATF? Actually naka farm out na yung mga major response tasks during this COVID-19 pandemic. We have Sec Dizon as testing czar, we have Sec Ano as the contact tracing czar, we have Sec Galvez as vaccine czar, Sec Vega is still the treatment czar, Usec Vergeire is the spokesperson for the DOH. Sa dami ng iba't ibang department secretaries na czar siyang may hawak sa mga elemento sa usapin ng pagtugon sa COVID, ano pa ba talaga ang naiiwan sa kamay ni Sec Duque. Q: He's above health clearly, he oversees Health. SRH: And it doesn't seem like it. With the way DOH has been falling behind in properly spending the funds appropriated to it by COngress, the funds released to it by the DBM. Ang ganda nga ng sagot ni acting DBM Sec Canda noong sinabi ng DOH na kulang ang nirelease na pondo sa kanila ng DBM. Ang sagot ng DBM at that first hearing was 'o kung kulang ang pondong binigay namin sa inyo, bakit may sinauli pa kayo?' Right? Why is there the P12B unspent just for that one item of the health care workers. Q: In today's hearing, you are expecting Chris Lao to attend? SRH: Yes. He must face the Senate, face the public and hopefully face the music. Q: And you don't find it curious he resigns when the COA report has come out. And also DBM Chief Wendell Avisado resigns a few days before the Senate starts its Blue Ribbon Committee meetings. You have two officials of the DBM that need to answer and are accountable for P42B being transferred by the DOH without proper documentation at that and they both leave their posts. SRH: Curiouser and curiouser talaga. Q: You have an OIC, an acting secretary answering who did not make those decisions. SRH: And who in fairness to her is a career official of the DBM. Q: Is it just unfair. Shouldn't Avisado be called to answer. They resigned and escaped their accountability if ever? SRH: Perhaps it would be a good idea also to invite Former Sec Avisado to the hearing. He resigned just recently before the budget debates go into high gear but si Former Usec Lao resigned a couple of months ago and really mysteriously, walang paliwanag, walang dahilan na binibigay at least publicly sa kanyang pagbitiw sa tungkulin. In fact, he was reportedly in communicado for these past couple of months kaya mabuti na lang kung talagang mag-aappear siya mamaya akonti sa aming pagdinig. The resignation of former Sec Avisado I think is more lamentable at kung imbitahin sya ng aming Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chair Dick, I believe that he would appear. But really the man on the hot seat is the head, former head of the procurement service DBM. Q: You were once in PhilHealth and the dilemma right now is the circular released by PhilHealth, a unilateral circular of course just saying they will just stop paying hospitals because they are investigating possible fraud. We're talking about P86B of unpaid hospital bills, P20B with the private sector and under PhilHealth rules, they need to pay within 60 days. SRH: That's the turnaround time. Q: If a hospital doesn't accept you, hypothetically, are they answerable to the law? SRH: They are. Q: And yet PhilHealth leaves them no choice, it has unilaterally decided, we don't want to pay you in 60 days in the midst of a pandemic. SRH: Yes and as always the PhilHealth members, it's the patients who will pay the heaviest price. Q: Because the coverage for COVID is 750,000. SRH: At most for critical cases. It is a range from coverage from mild, moderate, severe to critical cases. Really that's a financial lifeline for COVID patients as PhilHealth is envisioned to be sa ating universal healthcare system. The health financing or insurance pillar para may coverage ang bawat miyembro ang bawat pasyente at hindi mababankrupt ang sinumang pamilya kung kailangang magpaospital ang kanilang miyembro lalo na panahon ng pandemya. I echo the call of my party Akbayan, let's build bridges not walls especially during this time of pandemic. I'm actually filing a resolution calling, a joining of these issues across the different stakeholders primarily, the PhilHealth members of patients, the hospitals that need to stay afloat during this pandemic, and PhilHealth which initially has said that they are suspending payments to what they call questionable claims for a period of 120 days which translates to 4 months which is just untenable in a middle of a pandemic. Sinabi ni Sec Duque na magtatawag daw sila ng dialogue, let's get on it Sec and let that dialogue bear concrete fruit in the first meeting pa lang. Because everyday that passes nainsecure lalo ang ating mga pasyente, ang PhilHealth members sa coverage sa kanila lalo kung sila ay maconfine dahil sa COVID could really spell the difference between life and death for our kababayan. Q: Let's talk about the 2022 budget, the government is proposing a P5T plus budget for 2022, the largest in history. What red flags are you seeing with that budget? Let's start first with the NTF-ELCAC budget? SRH: And an increase in the NTF-ELCAC budget at the time na yung proposed budget nila para sa DOH in the middle of a pandemic ay fifth lang, ranking fifth lang sa lahat ng mga departamento. Yung para sa DSWD na kasamang ayuda is only sixth highest in the proposed budget at yung para sa DOLE at a time when people have lost so many jobs had to shutdown their livelihoods, yung para sa DOLE, para sa job generation, ay tenth lamang. Nasaan ang tamang priorities ng administrasyon, ng executive at the time of a pandemic. Q: Let's talk about the NTF-ELCAC. Does it need a bigger budget? SRH: I don't think it needs a bigger budget. Medyo hirap na hirap na nga kami sa Kongreso, labas sa ilong ng iba sa amin para ipasa yan noong nakaraang taon dahil masyadong mabigat ang kamay ng Armed Forces at PNP sa foreseen expenditure ng mga pondong iyon pero sige nakinig kami lalo na sa ating mga LGUs na sabi nila doon sa mga barangay nila na medyo humupa na ang armed conflict, more of peace process has been undertaken on the ground that they need any additional funds for development programs so okay, naipasa yun but now, the executive, the Office of the President is asking for an even bigger budget Q: It's asking now for P28B. The budget for the NTF-ELCAC was it at 16 or 19? SRH: It was at 19. Q: Now at 28 SRH: Yes, if it was at the 16s, ngayon nasa 20s. 28 at a time na yung proposed budget say para sa University of the Philippines system is only P20B kasama na yung para sa PGH, our main hospital in the middle of a pandemic. Ang daming gumegewang-gewang yung proposed budget nila with wrong priorities. Q: Do you fear that the NTF-ELCAC could actually be used for patronage politics during the elections? It's released to the LGUs directly, and in a way it's how you court the local officials. SRH: I support releasing the budget directly to LGUs but not just through this channel. Not just through NTF-ELCAC. It should primarily be through the DILG, and yes direct to the LGUS and in this time of pandemic and recession, directly to the LGUs through the DOH and through the economic departments of our government. Less through the military or police channels because we need to budget the AFP and PNP properly and directly to them for their core mandates but the development mandate especially in our LGUs hands and through our government's economic managers should flow greater and more properly through the proper channels. At sa ganoong paraan we will see a more correct budget that is COVID-responsive and that is recession-responsive to our kababayan in the different LGUs. Q: The budget for 2020 of the DOH was something like P200B and the COA flagged them because P57B was unspent. Do they deserve a bigger budget? But there are departments that are notorious for really unobligating, unspending and use absorptive capacity as the real problem. SRH: I'm afraid that the Department leadership, the Secretary is most responsible for that underspending in the middle of the pandemic. Naniniwala pa rin ako na may mga liderato sa DOH lalo na sa kanilang mga Usec at Asec pababa down to the ground our local health officers who know how to spend that money and who have been spending and would be spending it better with a more effective, competent leadership at the top. Medyo mahirap ang aming sitwasyon this year, we have to rely on the COA reports, for one I would be arguing for more and better funding for DOH pero medyo weight around our necks yung current leaderships. We have to be of two minds appropriating for the DOH for the year 2022 dapat may sapat at mas malaking budget sila but knowing that there's that Secretary, protektodo ng presidente but who has overseen a really you know a criminal or a sinful underspending of that fund at this time.
Press Release

August 25, 2021 CO-SPONSORSHIP SPEECH OF SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS ON COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 279

(An Act increasing the age for determining statutory rape and other acts of sexual abuse and exploitation to protect children) Just a very brief manifestation, Mr. President, as the principal author of this measure to raise the age of sexual consent. I would just like to express my gratitude to the Sponsor, Chair Richard Gordon, for his sponsorship of this groundbreaking legislation to raise the age of sexual consent. Sa totoo lang, kahindik-hindik ang kwento ng mga advocates na may mga batang 13 years old, 14 years old, who are asked to prove in court that they did not consent to the sexual act, with some even being asked kung nag-enjoy ba sila. Kaya ang malimit na nangyayari, hindi nalang nagsasalita ang mga biktima. As a mother, I am disgusted that the current state of our laws subjects a 13-year-old to this kind of cruelty. As a policymaker, I am pleased that we now take an advantage of an historical opportunity to correct this. The 18th Congress will be the Congress waylaid by the pandemic, the Congress that faced unprecedented challenges. But with this measure -- along with other measures such as the Anti Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children law which this Chamber passed on third reading -- I hope it will also be the Congress that leaves an enduring legacy for our children. I only have a few friendly questions during interpellation, and perhaps a few amendments at the proper time if the good Sponsor so permits, but it would be my honor to co-sponsor this measure. Thank you.
Poe: Demand accountability from DOH

Sen. Grace Poe reminded Health Sec. Francisco Duque III to assume accountability for his department during the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing.

In her opening statement, Poe cited the Government Auditing Code of the Philippines or Presidential Decree No. 1445 that states, "The policy of the State that all resources of the government shall be managed... in accordance with law and regulations, and safeguard against loss or wastage... The responsibility to take care that such policy is faithfully adhered to rests directly with the chief or head of the government agency concerned."

"Hindi pupwede na ide-delegate palagi sa mga kasamahan sa trabahomismong ang namumuno ng ahensya ang may responsibilidad," Poe said.

The Commission on Audit recently flagged the Department of Health (DOH) on its inefficient fund utilization, procurement deficiencies, and non-compliance with rules on granting COVID-19 allowances to health workers, among others.

"Somebody must be held accountable. Habang walang nasasampolan, paulit-ulit ito at walang matututo," said Poe who earlier questioned why Duque hasn't been suspended despite leaving a number of hospitals and health workers disgruntled.

Last year, Ombudsman Samuel Martires ordered the suspension of eight PhilHealth executives who faced administrative and criminal complaints over the alleged misappropriation of P2.7 billion in Interim Reimbursement Mechanism funds.

The DOH has since committed to release P311 million from its contingency fund to distribute the special risk allowance to 20,000 health workers amid threats of mass resignations.
OCALA, Fla.The Department of Health in Marion County is taking appointments to give third Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 shots to immunocompromised Marion County residents.

Appointments will be scheduled for the next four Saturdays starting Saturday, Aug. 28, at Liberty Middle School, 4773 SW 95th St., Ocala. Appointments will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The department will give Pfizer and Moderna booster shots; there is currently no booster shot available for people who have received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

You can sign up for an appointment online at https://tinyurl.com/marioncovidvax.

The department is partnering with Marion County Public Schools to provide the shots to Marion Countys immunocompromised residents

We are grateful for our partnership with Marion County Public Schools, said Department of Health in Marion County Administrator Mark Lander. We have been working closely with our schools to help protect students and staff, and we are glad to have the school districts help to get the booster shot out to our vulnerable residents.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive an additional dose. This includes people who have:

Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood

Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system

Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system

Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)

Advanced or untreated HIV infection

Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response

Immunocompromised individuals may discuss with their health care provider whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them. Individuals can self-attest that they are immunocompromised and receive the additional dose wherever vaccines are offered. This will help ensure there are not additional barriers to access for this vulnerable population receiving a needed additional dose. Find out more about the COVID-19 vaccine booster shot at cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html.

Testing and vaccinations available

Free drive-through COVID-19 testing is available weekly at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion (2232 NE Jacksonville Road, Ocala) and Florida Agriculture Center and Horse Park (11008 South Highway 475). You can receive first and second shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 weekdays at the health department Ocala facility, 1801 SE 32nd Ave. For details on testing and vaccination opportunities, visit http://marion.floridahealth.gov.

For more information, call the Department of Health in Marion County at 352-644-2590.

Find out more

Visit http://marion.floridahealth.gov, https://www.marionflcovid.org and https://twitter.com/flhealthmarion for the latest information on COVID-19 and vaccinations. Visit https://floridahealthcovid19.gov and use the Vaccine Locator and Testing Sites tools to find vaccination and testing sites near you.
Morocco has taken note of the unilateral decision of Algerian authorities to sever diplomatic relations with the Kingdom Morocco as of this Tuesday, says the Foreign Ministry in a statement.

Morocco fully deplores this unjustified though expected decision, the Foreign Ministry said, citing the recent escalation in recent weeks and its impact on the Algerian people.

The Kingdom categorically rejects the fallacious, even absurd, pretexts underlying the decision, the statement said, adding that Morocco will remain a credible and loyal partner for the Algerian people and will continue to act, with wisdom and responsibility, for the development of healthy and fruitful inter-Maghreb relations.

Algerias foreign minister Ramtane Lamamra who made the unilateral decision has accused Morocco of undermining bilateral ties but failed to offer whatsoever evidence to back their baseless claims.

Morocco and Algeria have had strained relations for decades, mainly over the Sahara issue and the border between the two countries has been closed since 1994.

Moroccos King Mohammed VI has reached out many times to Algerian rulers to open land borders and to settle all issues hampering the development relations between the two countries, but the royal offers fell on deaf ears.
A private citizen has moved to the Supreme Court to contest the Court of Appeal ruling on the BBI.

Morara Omoke, a lawyer, wants justices to set aside the Court of Appeals finding that a proposed referendum on multiple amendments to the Constitution can be submitted as a single question to voters.

In his notice of appeal, Morara wants the apex court to declare that Article 257(10) of the Constitution requires all the specific proposed amendments to the document to be submitted as separate and distinct referendum questions to the people.

According to Morara, an omnibus bill would violate election principles and the freedom and right to vote.

He argues that a single question for each proposed amendment could give voters a clear picture of the exact issue they are being called to vote upon.

Morara says an omnibus bill is likely to confuse voters and deny them the freedom of choice.
Bishop David Muriithi of House of Grace Church has responded to a suit in which his former lover is seeking Sh100,000 monthly allowance for child maintenance for their two-year-old son.

In his replying affidavit, the clergyman said he is willing to take responsibility for the child, but can only afford Sh10,000 monthly upkeep because he depends on well-wishers.

Bishop Muriithi has also pledged to pay for his sons school fees. He says he will provide for the minors school fees when he attains school-going age.

That as a responsible Kenyan, I offer to take full responsibility of paying fees for the minor as well as payment of 10,000 per month for the minors upkeep. I make the commitment herein bearing in mind my limited means and family responsibility which I am obliged to meet as well as the fact that the minors education will take the largest share of the minors maintenance, he says in a sworn statement.

Muriithi admitted that he had a short-lived on-and-off relationship with the woman, Judy Mutave Muasya, which ended in the year 2018. He noted that the woman is currently enjoying a comfortable home which she shares with her teenage son as well as the baby he sired.

Muriithi argues that his baby mama ran a good business during their relationship and she is, therefore, able to cater for the child.

The House of Grace founder also denied that he knew about the pregnancy as claimed by Judy Mutave.

The first time I learnt of the pregnancy was long after the relationship ended when I called to say hello and in the process, she casually informed me that she was at St. Mary to deliver a baby which shocked me and so she is lying that I knew about the pregnancy, court papers note.

Bishop Muriithi further contested the choice of school for his son saying he was not consulted before the mother settled for the high-end Kiota School. He said he cannot afford the institutions fees because he does not have a regular income.

The man of the cloth also dismissed his baby mamas demand Sh10,000 to cater for a househelp saying she had one even before getting the child in question and the minor does not mean he has to take up the responsibility.

Muriithi has also taken an issue with Judys misconception that he leads a lavish lifestyle. He is accusing her of extortion and sensationalizing her suit in a bid to pressure him into paying her demands.

The applicant insinuates that I live a high-end life. It is clear in my mind that the applicant, having had the misconception that I live a high-end life somehow, has caused herself to conceive with the sole aim of getting a slice of the perceived high end life, he says

I do state that this is a pigment of the applicants imagination as I do not earn any salary from the church and therefore I do not have a regular income or payslip but rather depend purely on donations from well-wishers and such donations have not been forthcoming due to the Covid-19 pandemic where church activities have been disrupted for close to two years, he said.

Muriithi further claims Judy does not have the welfare of the child at heart.

As a responsible adult who had liaison with the applicant, I am convinced that it would in the best interest of the child for me to take up the reasonable parental responsibility over the child whom she claims to be mine as that is the most responsible thing to do to protect the minor, he said.
The Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) has deregistered the three Collective Management Organisations (CMOs)  Kenya Association of Music Producers (KAMP), Performers Rights Society of Kenya (PRISK) and the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK).

In a statement to newsrooms on Tuesday, KECOBO said the CMOs failed to meet conditions set out in their provisional licenses in April this year and that were valid until May 30.

The conditions included: Holding an Annual General Meeting; allocating 70% of revenue for royalty payment; engaging with Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) with a view to reaching a payment plan on tax arrears.

Others were; demonstrating evidence of marketing and promotion of the use of ICT collection system; uploading of repertoire to the system under KECOBO supervision; as well as implementing the CMO policy in total.

By the time the Board was issuing these conditions, it noted that several conditions for the 2020 license period had not been achieved. The Board set the conditions on the understanding that rights holders would be relying on the royalties collected by CMOs during the pandemic period, said KECOBO Executive Director Edward Sigei.

The decision to deregister the CMOs follows show cause letters issued to the CMOs for non-compliance to the licensing conditions specifically breach of administrative cost limit and diversion of royalties into an undeclared account whose operations are not monitored by KECOBO. Several submissions were also received from rightsholder organisation in response to a public notice placed by KECOBO both in print and various social media platforms.

Further, the board noted that at the end of July 2021, KAMP, PRISK, and MCSK collected Ksh.114 million in royalties but only distributed 35.9% (Ksh.41 million) instead of the agreed 70% (Ksh.79 million).

From reports of distribution from two entities received so far, PRISK allocated a further Kshs. 4 million while KAMP made an allocation of Kshs. 1.2 million from their allocation of Kshs.10 million and Kshs. 8 million respectively to cater for administrative costs, Sigei wrote.

KECOBO said it decided to deregister the CMOs based on these reasons and having been dissatisfied with their explanation in response to show cause letters.

The board further suspended the collection of royalties for three months during which period it hopes to reform the CMO legal structure to prevent any future misuse of funds.

The main issues flagged by the Board of Directors include the opening of a different account other than the KPM account authorised by KECOBO, having spent more than 65 percent of the finances on administration cost contrary to directives and not undertaking their role of engaging the public and raising awareness about the KPM system, said KECOBO Board Chair Mutuma Mathiu.

The collection of royalties by these organisations, therefore, stands suspended until further notice, stated KECOBO Executive Director Edward Sigei.
Kitui county appears to be the gift that keeps on giving with regards to bizarre occurrences that leave its residents and the country in shock and bewilderment.

Barely three months after the story of a snake that fell from the sky and bit a man who was driving, another spectacle has reportedly been witnessed in Kitui.

As the story goes, a patient who is admitted at a hospital in Kitui received visitors in the form of livestock. The goat and chickens are said to have stormed the hospital to check up on their owner.

While Nairobi Wire could not immediately verify these claims, pictures shared on social media captured a goat and two chickens in the vicinity of a hospital.

One picture captured the goat seemingly checking in at the receptionists desk as if to ask for directions to the ward holding its owner. Another shows a rooster and a hen atop an empty hospital bed.

According to a popular online forum, the visit left area locals and hospital staff in shock. As you would expect from Kitui county, a majority linked the incident to witchcraft.

This is the first time we are witnessing such a thing in the whole of Kitui region. How can goats and hens visit the hospital to spend time with their owner? We suspect that this is witchcraft paraphernalia, one resident is quoted as saying.

Another observed that: These animals might have come to deliver important information to their guardian who had been away from them for a while. Perhaps they just missed her and wanted to show care by paying a physical visit to her.

The wild speculations continued on social media, with Kenyan netizens also pointing a finger at witchcraft.

Reincarnation of his dead relatives, one internet user wrote.

Another added: Hehe my Kitui friends will not rest for the next week or so.

Another guy who must be fun at parties decided to be philosophical, writing: Lakini mzungu alituchanganya akili kweli, eti kitu isiyo ya kawaida ikifanyika ni uchawi. Ile mental colonisation bado tunajiendelezea ndio itafanya hii nchi ikose kupaa.

Below are some reactions from Kenyans on Twitter(KOT).

Who said they are animals  Sultan Governor (@Sultanbalombu) August 24, 2021

It is only in Kitui where people change from human beings to hyena or donkey & later go back to their default form. OGOPA !!  Justin Mwanzia (@AmTheJustin) August 24, 2021

You hapa iko watu who transform into snakes. Ogopa maze pic.twitter.com/hb0GJqQo0d  Tom Balozi (@TomBalozi) August 24, 2021

It started with dropping on snakes from the air now thiswatu wa Kitui mtwambie whats going on  Mwendia (@wawiramwendia) August 24, 2021

Am not shocked  MadamCpa (@MadamCpa) August 24, 2021

They better treat that one   Stay Dangerous (@i_Elvis_) August 24, 2021

Probably even @mamangilu is not the real governor   Ranto  (@Only1Ranto) August 24, 2021

Na serikali bado imenyamaza  #ENDPOLICEBRUTALLITY (@kimanigachuki) August 24, 2021

Whats CR7 doing there at Reception?  MA PhatJAY  (@mwania_josphat) August 24, 2021

A wanted person cant even visit their loved ones in hospital because snitches be everywhere.. pic.twitter.com/l7jclV5nNs  EmPurror MwenyeKitty (@KijanaMahewaJr) August 24, 2021

Hii kenya ina mambo bana  YEGO (@Brian_Yego17) August 24, 2021
Dr. Willis Akhwale, Kenyas Covid-19 vaccine task force chairman, answers questions about the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines/

The consignment is the first batch of over 1.7 million doses that will be donated by the US government. Along with AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and J&J jabs (still to come), the Moderna vaccines are part of Kenyas ambitious plan to vaccinate 10 million people by the end of 2021. Only 2.9 percent of adult Kenyans are currently vaccinated.

The Moderna vaccine was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration on December 18 last year. While it was the first vaccine against Covid-19 to be tried on humans, it became the second, after Pfizer/BioNTech, to be approved by the European Union. On April 30 this year, the World Health Organization also approved it under the emergency use authorisation category. The Health Ministry in Kenya, via the Pharmacy and Poisons Boards, has also approved it and assured Kenyans of its safety.

How effective is it against Covid-19?

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says evidence from clinical trials shows the Moderna vaccine is 94.1 percent effective against coronavirus. This means that out of 10 people who got the Moderna jab, nine of them will not be severely affected by the disease.

However, as a caveat, the WHO says that effectiveness outside of clinical trials can differ. Already, fresh reports last week indicated that the effectiveness of some vaccines fades over time and this could necessitate booster shots.

Is the Moderna vaccine effective against the Delta variant?

According to Dr. Akhwale, it does offer some protection.

Different studies from different clinical trials also shed light on its effectiveness. For instance, a study by Oxford University researchers, which is not yet peer-reviewed, says it does offer some protection from the Delta variant only that its effectiveness diminishes after some time.

In a separate Canadian study, the vaccine could provide protection against the Delta variant and other variants tested, even though it was much more reduced than the Alpha variant.

How will I get the vaccine in Kenya?

The Health Ministry says each of its listed health facilities has one type of vaccine (AstraZeneca). However, vaccine task force chair, Dr. Akhwale, says that only facilities with a high number of people like the Kenyatta National Hospital will have the option of two types, including Moderna. Before going to a vaccination centre, the Health Ministry has advised people to use the ChanjoKE system to pre-register for facilities that have the Moderna vaccine. Choosing a particular vaccination post means that you will use the jab that is available there. See the list of centres in the portal.
According to information published by Tass on August 25, 2021, flight tests of Zircon hypersonic missile from a submarine carrier - the Severodvinsk nuclear submarine - are scheduled to begin in September 2021, a source in the military-industrial complex told. These tests were originally planned for August.

Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

Artist rendering of Zircon hypersonic missile (Picture source: Pukamara)

Zircon flight design tests are also being actively carried out onboard the surface carrier - the Admiral Gorshkov frigate. Launches have already been carried out on both above-water and ground targets.

The Zircon is a Russian-made hypersonic missile designed to be launched by a ship and able to travel at speeds of between Mach 6 and Mach 8. The missile is reportedly capable of striking both ground and naval targets. It has a range of between approximately 250 (400 km) and 600 miles (965 km) and can be fired from the vertical launch systems mounted on cruisers Admiral Nakhimov and Pyotr Veliky, Project 20380 corvettes, Project 22350 frigates, and Project 885 Yasen-class submarines, among other platforms.

The Zircon missile can fly at a speed of Mach 8Mach 9 (9,80011,025 km/h). This has led to concerns that it could penetrate existing naval defense systems. Zircon exchanges information in flight and can be controlled by commands if necessary.

The Severodvinsk (K-560) is a Yasen class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine of the Russian Navy and the lead vessel of the class. The submarine was handed over to the Russian Navy in late December 2013. The flag-raising ceremony was held on 17 June 2014, marking its introduction into the Russian Navy.
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House arrest of suspended Tomsk Mayor extended for 3 months in abuse of office case

 RAPSI

13:28 25/08/2021

MOSCOW, August 25 (RAPSI) - The Sovetsky Court in Tomsk on Wednesday extended house arrest of the suspended citys Mayor Ivan Klyain charged with abuse of office and illegal participation in business activities until November 26, his attorney Andrey Grivtsov told RAPSI.

The court thus dismissed the defense bid to release him under restraining order.

In November 2020, the official was arrested and detained. In early March, a court ordered the defendants release from detention and put him under house arrest due to his health condition.

According to investigators, in 2016, Klyain acting in the interests of the Tomsk Beer company, where he is a shareholder, illegally ordered a chief of the city administrations Department of Urban Planning to add inaccurate information on the 300-meter sanitary protection zone near the enterprises land plot to the geographic information system GeoCad and prepare a resolution of dismissal of a businessmans application seeking to change the territorial zone.

These actions allegedly caused serious damage to the entrepreneur consisting in the impossibility to use the land plot for the planned intended purpose, namely construction of multistory housing, investigators believe.

Moreover, investigators claim the defendant being an elected Mayor of Tomsk personally and through an intermediary ran the Tomsk Beer company from October 2013 to November 2020. By virtue of his office he rendered assistance to the commercial organization in the solving of disputes with authorities and other structures occurred as part of the business operation.




Ex-owner of Promsvyazbank Dmitry Ananyev arrested in absentia in fraud case

 RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov

15:54 25/08/2021

MOSCOW, August 25 (RAPSI)  Moscows Tverskoy District Court on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for ex-owner of Promsvyazbank Dmitry Ananyev in absentia as part of a new fraud case opened against him and his brother Alexey, the courts press service told RAPSI.

He is to be detained for 2 months after his actual arrest or extradition to Russia.

A similar motion against his brother Alexey Ananyev will be considered on August 27.

The brothers have been charged with large-scale fraud. According to investigators, they were involved in the illegal siphoning off assets worth nearly 6.7 billion rubles (over $90 million) from the bank.

In September 2019, Moscows Basmanny District Court arrested the men in absentia on embezzlement charges.
Municipal lawmaker restricted of liberty for year for sanitary rule breaches at Moscow rally

 Moscow's Basmanny District Court, AGN Moskva

16:25 25/08/2021

MOSCOW, August 25 (RAPSI)  Moscows Preobrazhensky District Court on Wednesday restricted municipal lawmaker Lucy Stein of liberty for 1 year as punishment for violating sanitary norms at an unauthorized rally held in Moscow in January, the courts press service told RAPSI.

According to the sentence, she is prohibited from changing her permanent place of living without notifying authorized bodies, attending mass events and participating in them, leaving Moscow and Moscow Region without permission, leaving her place of residence from 10 pm to 6 am.

Stein was found guilty of incitement to breaching of sanitary and epidemiological rules.

In August, the court sentenced other defendants Nikolay Lyaskin and Lyubov Sobol to the restriction of liberty. Oleg Navalny, the brother of convicted blogger Alexey Navalny, received 1-year suspended term as part of the case.

According to the Interior Ministry, coronavirus-positive persons ordered to isolation were identified among participants of the rally held in Moscow on January 23, 2021. A criminal case over violation of sanitary and epidemiological rules was opened over this fact.




President Putin backs proposal to establish Father's Day in Russia

 flickr.com/ Georgie Pauwels

17:13 25/08/2021

MOSCOW, August 25 (RAPSI)  Russian President Vladimir Putin has supported a proposal to establish Father's Day in the country.

This initiative was made by participants of the strategic session of the United Russia political party and backed by Russias Commissioner for Children's Rights Anna Kuznetsova. The President announced that the idea of establishing of this new holiday in Russia would be discussed during a meeting with representatives of the public on Wednesday.

The proposal to establish Father's Day and celebrate it on the third Sunday of October had been voiced earlier by a member of the All-Russia Peoples Front Central Office, Honored Artist of Russia Denis Maidanov. Speaking at the strategic session The People's Program of the United Russia for Families with Children, he stressed that many public organizations support this initiative.

In turn, Kuznetsova confirmed that there is a request in society to establish Father's Day. This, she says, will make up for the lack of attention to the topic of fatherhood. Now the holiday is celebrated at the regional level in 28 constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
Afghan Peoples Deserve to Live in Safety, Security and Dignity

South Asian CSOs give full solidarity to Afghan People

Statement

21 August 2021

We have been witnessing about the changing political landscape in our neighboring country Afghanistan after takeover of power by Taliban group. We understand, political changes of Afghanistan really matter in South Asia and to the whole world since it is interlinked to the global peace and order.

We know Afghanistan is continuously suffering from violent conflict. Afghan peoples have been already living with very difficult situation. They have been suffering by multiple ways such as violence, insecurity, poverty, hunger, poor public services and environmental catastrophes.

We understand, Afghan people are sovereign and they have rights to take decisions of their country. However, we are worry about the peoples of Afghanistan. We are worry about the situation of marginalized people particularly women and girls, children, war victims, Persons with disabilities, poor people, workers, indigenous peoples etc. Further, we are concerned about the journalists, human rights activists, civil society activists, women rights activists, teachers, and humanitarian aid workers.

There are political uncertainties in Afghanistan. It is not that simple to predict what political course will take place in the country. Our current concern and worry are suffering and pain of people in Afghanistan due to the present crisis.

The crisis management in Afghanistan is very urgent. In this humanitarian crisis of Afghanistan, there is high risk in the increase of violations against women, child rights, and elderly people. Future generations of Afghanistan are mostly likely to live at a risky state.

Therefore, we civil society organizations of South Asia release this joint statement for taking possible robust actions, find sustainable solutions, and to express our deep solidarity to Afghan people.

We publicly call for taking following actions and to draw attention of the Taliban Authority, United Nations, international communities, and civil society organizations:

Call on to the Taliban Authority

Respect universal human rights and humanitarian principles and to take immediate actions to protect the lives of the Afghan people, particularly of women and girls, children, persons with disability, elderly people, displaced peoples, minorities, poor and working-class peoples, and migrant workers on minimum humanitarian grounds.

Immediately suspend all deportations and forced returns to Afghanistan.

Immediately stop bloodshed and violation of human rights.

Ensure safety of all Afghan citizens including internally displaced persons and internal refugees. Also, we look forward a stable democratic process that deliver to the Afghan people.

Create enabling environment for Human Rights, freedom and liberty of people and also to open space for Media and CSOs to freely run their activities.

Ensure access to education for women and girls without any discrimination.

Enhance public health services to protect the lives of people form COVID 19 pandemic and other diseases.

Call on to the Neighboring Countries

Publicly recognize that Afghan peoples fleeing their country and give them meaningful opportunities to seek asylum. However, keep maintain law and order and integrity in recipient country.

Open border for Afghan peoples who want to leave their country.

Neighboring countries should not interfere in internal affairs of Afghanistan whether it is positive or negative. Leave it to Afghans to decide for themselves unless they ask for support.

Call on to the United Nations and International Communities

 Increase support for emergency evacuation, relocation, and resettlement operations for Afghans, particularly vulnerable and deserving peoples.

 Give asylum to those who are at high risk and living in Afghanistan and this process should speed up.

Mobilize their agencies and mechanisms to relief work for people in distress.

Provide adequate humanitarian assistance and basic necessities along with psycho-social support the most vulnerable as emergency supports.

Continue international cooperation particularly in health, education, social security and sustainable livelihood.

All donors and aid agencies to adhere to the Grand Bargain commitment in promoting localization and transparency in humanitarian aid.

Increase humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan and its neighboring countries to which Afghans are fleeing.

Pledge new support for civil society groups inside and outside of Afghanistan for humanitarian support and to protect rights of Afghan peoples

Give special considerations for women, children and other vulnerable minority groups.

Create an independent and gender-sensitive investigative and accountability mechanism at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

We urge the UN Security Council to pass a resolution to protect Afghan women, girls and minorities.

Make all efforts to find the connection with Taliban authority and initiate dialogue to ensure the safety of people, protect them.

We urge SAARC to be more active and vibrant in order to address the Afghanistan crisis.

Call on to the CSOs

We urge CSOs of Afghanistan to come forward, be visible, keep serving for Afghan peoples and build their hopes.

We urge CSOs South Asian countries work together to restore peace, justice and human rights in Afghanistan.

We rest of South Asian CSOs urge strong collaboration with Afghan CSOs and INGOs for better understanding of Afghanistan.

Endorsed By

Aathpahairiya Kirat Samaj

Abdul Momen Khan Memorial Foundation (Khan Foundation)

Abdul Sattar Chachar

Action Works Nepal

ActionAid Nepal

Active Help Organization

Adahas

Adivasi Navjeewan Gathan Navjyoti Agua

Adivasi Womens Network

Advocacy, Research, Training and Services Foundation

Afghanistan National Education Coalition

Afghanistan Translation and Research Center

Ageing Nepal

Ain o Salish Kendra

All India Forum of Peoples Movement

All India Womens Conference

Alliance Against Trafficking in Women and Children in Nepal

Andhra Pradesh Vyavasaya Vruthidarula Union

ANEKA

Angalo

AP Vyavasaya Vruthidarula Union

Arpan poverty Alleviation

Asia Academy for Peace, Research and Development

Asia Dalit Rights Forum

Asia Development Alliance

Asia Indigenous International Network

Asia Pacific Women with Disabilities

Asia Pacific Womens Watch

Asia Safe Abortion Partnership

Association for Dalit Womens Advancement of Nepal

Association for Promotion Sustainable Development. Hisar. India

Association for Social Development

Association of Collaborative Forest Users Nepal

Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (ACORAB) Nepal

Association of District Coordination Committees Nepal (ADCCN)

Association of Youth Organizations Nepal (AYON)

AWARE GIRLS

AWAZ Foundation Pakistan: Centre for Development Services

Badhan Hijra Sangha

Badin Development & Research Organization

Bandhu Social Welfare Society (BSWS)

Bangladesh Adivasi Forum

Bangladesh Apparels Workers Federation

Bangladesh Centre for Human Rights and Development (BCHRD)

Bangladesh Indigenous Womens Network

Bangladesh Krishok Federation

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication

Bangladesh Womens Health Coalition

Beyond Beijing Committee

Bikaner Medical Relief Society

Bikashka Lagi Sajha Abhiyan Siraha

Blue Diamond Society

Borok Peoples Human Rights Organization

BRAC

Business and Welfare Initiatives Ltd.

BYND2015 Nepal Hub

Campaign for Human Rights and Social Transformation (CAHURAST)

Campaign for Popular Education

CARE International in Nepal

Caritas Nepal

Centre for Community Economics and Development Consultants Society (CECOEDECON)

Center for Conservation, Education and Research

Center for Indigenous Peoples Research and Development

Center for Participatory Research and Development

Center for Research and Advocacy, Manipur

Central Department of Environmental Science, TU

Centre for Advancement of Public Understanding of Science & Technology

Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability

Centre for Community Economics and Development Consultants Society

Centre for Dispute Resolution and Policy Research

Centre for Environment and Development

Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development India

Centre for Environmental Justice

Centre for Health, Education, Training and Nutrition Awareness

Centre for Poverty Analysis

Centre for Social Change

Centre for Sustainable Development and Environment

Citizen News Service - CNS

Clean Bhutan

Clean Energy Nepal

Coalition for Education Development

Coastal Development Partnership

Collective Campaign for Peace Nepal

Commonwealth Youth Council

Community Based Inclusive Development Network Pakistan

Community Building for Sustainable Development

Community Development Services

Community Health & Educational Organization

Community Healthy Advocacy Network at Nation (CHANAN)

Community Initiatives for Development in Pakistan

Concern for Environmental Development and Research

Conservation Organization for Afghan Mountain Areas

Consortium of Humanitarian Agency Sri Lanka

Cooperation for Peace and Development

Coordinating Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation

CWEI

CWIN Nepal

Dak Diye Jai

Dalit NGO Federation of Nepal

Dalit Welfare Organization

Dalit Youth Alliance

Deepti Bhuban

Development Exchange Center Nepal

Development Project Service Centre (DEPROSC-Nepal)

Dhaka Ahsania Mission

Dhimal Jatiya Bikas Kendra Nepal

Dhimal Women Forum

Dignity Nepal

Digo Bikas Institute

DiMaNN

Disabled Persons Association of Bhutan

Disability Rights Alliance India

Durjoy Nari Shangha

Earth Day Network

Earth Environment Protect Organization

Earthlanka

EMPOWER INDIA

EMPOWER PEOPLE

Enable Lanka Foundation

ENRUDEC

EquityBD/COAST Trust

ESCR Network Nepal

Family Planning Association of India

Federation for good governance Nepal

Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN)

Federation of Private Forest Stakeholders, Nepal

Feminist Dalit organization (FEDO)

Films 4 Peace Foundation

Forest Environment Workers Union Nepal

Forum for Consumer Rights Protection Nepal

Forum for Community Upliftment System Nepal (FOCUS-NEPAL)

Forum for Womens Rights and Development

Forum for Women, Law and Development

Forum of Environmental Journalists of Bangladesh (FEJB)

FREEDOM FORUM

FRESHWATER ACTION NETWORK SOUTH ASIA

Friends for Peacebuilding and Development

Garjan Nepal

Gender Advocacy Working Group

Gender and Water Alliance

Global Call to Action Against Poverty

Global Call to Action against Poverty-Sri Lanka

Global Advocacy Nepal

Global Sustainability Solutions (GLOSS)

Centre for Environment Education

GoGo Foundation

Gopal Kiran Samaj Sevi Sanstha, India

Grace T. Shaikh

Gram Bharati Samiti

Green Organization - GO

Green Watch Dhaka

Hami DajuVai

HAMI YUWA

Heart to Heart Lanka

Hindara Educational and Social Development Organization

HomeNet Nepal

HomeNet Pakistan

Hope and Transformation against Poverty

Housing Recovery and Reconstruction Platform (HRRP)

Human Rights Focus Pakistan

Human Touch

Human Wing International

Huvadhoo Aid

ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, South Asia

Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA)

India HIV/AIDS Alliance

Indian Dreams Foundation

Indigenous Peoples Forum Odisha

Indigenous Women and Children Foundation

Institute for Youth and Development

Integrated Regional Support Programme

International Centre for Climate Change and Development

International Institute for Human Rights, Environment and Development (INHURED International)

International Planned Parenthood Federation

IRDC

IT for Change

Jagaran Media center

Jagriti Child and Youth Concern Nepal (JCYCN)

Jeunes Volontaires pour lEnvironment Nepal

Joint Efforts for Relief, Guidance and Awareness

Justice and Rights Institute Nepal (JuRI-Nepal)

Kalyan Regional Community Science Centre

Kamana Foundation Nepal

Kapaeeng Foundation

Karbi Human Rights Watch

Karnali Integrated Development Centre

Karnali Integrated Rural Development And Research Centre

Kawish Resource Center

Khpal Kore Organization

Kiran Nepal

KOTHOWAIN (Vulnerable Peoples Development Organization)

Krisoker Sor (Farmers Voice))

KRITIKA womens campaign for social cultural transformation

Krityanand UNESCO Club Jamshedpur

Landesa, India

KUSAL Nepal

Larr Humanitarian & Development Programme

Light for the World NL

Light House

Local Environment Development and Agricultural Research Society

Local Road Bridge Programme (LRBP)

Lokenatya O Sanskritik Unnayan Kendro

Lumanti Support Group for Shelter

Mahila Atma Nirvarta Kendra (MANK)

Mahila Dakshata Samiti

Mahila Shakti Bikash Kendra Nepal

Maldives Association of Persons with Disabilities

Maldivian Network for Empowering Women

Manuski

Micro Enterprise Development Programme

Motivation Sri Lanka (MSL)

Mugal Indigenouw Women Upliftment Institute

Muktangan Mitra

Naga Women Union

Narigrantha Prabartana

National Action and Coordinating Group

National Association of Community Electricity Users Nepal, NACEUN

National Association of Intellectual Disabled and Parents

National Campaign For Education Nepal

National Campaign for Sustainable Development

National Coalition for Education, India

National Disability & Development Forum

National Election Observation Committee (NEOC)

National Farmers Group Federation

National Federation of the Disabled Nepal

National Federation of Women Living with HIV and AIDS

National Federation of Youth NGO Nepal

National Fisheries Solidarity Movement

National Forum for Advocacy, Nepal

National Forum of Women with Disabilities

National Human Rights Foundation (HURFON)

National Indigenous Disabled Women Association Nepal

National Indigenous Women Forum Nepal

National Indigenous Womens Federation (NIWF)

National Integrated Development Association

National Land Rights Forum Nepal

National Trade Union Coordination Committee

National Union of Workers

National Youth Federation Nepal

Nava Kiran Plus

Navrachna Samaj Sevi Sanstha

Naz Male Health Alliance

Nepal Disabled Women Association (NDWA)

Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities

Association of Nepal Kirat Kulung Language and Cultural Development

Nepal Majhi Women Upliftment Association

Nepal Policy Institute

Nepal Climate Change Federation

Nepal Transportation and Development Research Centre

Nepalese Youth for Climate Action

Network for Development of Indigenous Peoples -NDIP

NGO Federation of Nepal

NGO-Federation of Nepalese Indigenous Nationalities

Nirmanee Development Foundation

NISARGA

North-East Affected Area Development Society

Norwegian Refugee Council

One to watch

OPTION NEPAL

Pakistan Fisher Folk Forum

Pakistan Institute of Labor Education and Research

Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek

Pakistan Rural Workers Social Welfare Organization

Pakistan Youth Parliament For Water (PYPW)

Participatory Research Action Network- PRAN

Paryavaran Mitra

PEACE HOPE, PAKISTAN

Peoples Action for Social Service

Peoples Development Community

PLAN International Bangladesh

Poor and Dalit Upliftment Service Committee-PUSEC Dolpa

Poor Rural Development Society

Prayatna Samiti

Professional Development and Research Center

Programme on Womens Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Public Advocacy Initiatives for Rights & Values in India

Rapid Response

REFAD Nepal

Resource Centre for Primary Health Care (RECPHEC)

Restructuring Nepal

Roots for Equity

RUDAS Nepal

Rural Area Development Programme, RADP

Rural Development Organization

Rural Initiatives in Sustainability & Empowerment

RURAL VOLUNTEERS CENTRE

Russ Foundation

Rutgers WPF

SABARAMATI SAMITI

Safai Karmachari Andolan

SAHANIVASA

Sahara Nepal

SAMATA Foundation

Sambriddi Nepal

Sanayee Development Organization

Sankalpa Nepal

Sathi All for Partnerships

Savisthri District Womens Collective

SAVISTHRI Womens Movement

Saviya Development Foundation

SDGs National Network Nepal

SDGs Studio

Self Help Environment Awareness Camp (SHEAC)/Institute of Forestry, Pokhara

Sevalanka Foundation

Shakti Milan Samaj

Shakti Samuha

Shelter Participatory Organization

Shirkat Gah womens Resource Centre

Shobujer Ovijan Foundation

SICOMBEO

Sightsavers International

Sindh Community Foundation

Sindh Graduates Association (SGA)

Sindhica Reforms Society

Society for Appraisal & Women Empowerment in Rural Areas

Society for International Law and Public Policy

Society for Rural education and Development

Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child

Socio-Economic-Educational-Development-Service-India

South Asia Dialogues on Ecological Democracy (SADED-Nepal)

South Asia Partnership Nepal

South Asian Dialogues on Ecological Democracy

South Indian Harm Reduction Network

Special Talent Exchange Program/APWWDU

SPIRAL FARM HOUSE

Sramabikash Kendra

Sri Lanka United Nations Friendship Organisation

SUNITA FOUNDATION

Support Nepal

Swabhiman - State Disability Information and Resource Centre

Sylhet Jubo Academy

Tanneri Chaso Surkhet

Tarayana Foundation

The Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka

The Freedom Foundation Trust

THE RESOURCE NEPAL

The Small Earth Nepal

The YP Foundation

Toni Hagen Foundation Nepal

Transformation Nepal

Trinamul Unnayan Sangstha

TSD Socioeconomic Research Center

UDAAN TRUST

UDYAMA

UN Women - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Unification Nepal

United Mission to Nepal

United Rural Development Organization

Universal Versatile Society

Vikalp

Visible Impact

Dalit Rights Society Parsa Nepal

Voluntary Action Network India

Voluntary Association for Agriculture, General Development, Health & Reconstruction Alliance

Ujjyalo Foundation

Volunteers Initiative Nepal

Wada Na Todo Abhiyan

We Women Lanka

Women |Employees Welfare Association

Women Acting for Transformative Change

Women and Media Collective

Women And Youth Foundation

Women Development Program

Women Development Society

Women For Human Rights Single Women Group

Women Forum for Women in Nepal

Women with Disabilities Development Foundation

Women Youth Empowerment in Social Service and Human Right

Womens Center

WOMENS INITIATIVES

Womens Rehabilitation Centre

Womens Welfare Center

World Vision International Nepal

Young Women For Change

Youth Action Nepal

Youth Advocacy Nepal (YAN)

Youth Advocacy Network (YAN), Pakistan

Youth Advocacy Network Sri Lanka

Youth Association for Development

Youth Federation of Indigenous Nationalities, Nepal

Youth for Change and Development Organization

Youth for Environment, Education and Development Foundation

Youth for Human Rights Nepal

Youth forum for human rights

Youth network for peace and development (YNPD)

YUWA

Zo Indigenous Forum
Seguin City Manager Steve Parker talks to the audience gathered on July 18 at the Seguin Coliseum for the first public meeting about the proposed Stormwater Utility Program.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on August 25, 2021

2021/08/25

Today, August 25, is the national low-carbon day. This week is the 31st National Energy Conservation Week under the theme of "saving energy and reducing carbon for green development".

Raising the public awareness of ecological conservation, following through on the vision of green development, and making frugality and energy saving a common practice are important steps toward achieving low-carbon development, advancing ecological conservation and building a beautiful China.

Hard work, thrift and simple living is a family heirloom of the Chinese nation. In the MFA, we carry forward our fine tradition of diligence and thrift. We actively practice the concept of low-carbon offices, take great effort to save energy and cut emissions, and advocate a green lifestyle. Today in Lanting, the AC is off, I'm not wearing a tie and there are video clips and e-posters on conserving water and protecting Earth on the electronic screen at the entrance. These are concrete measures of the foreign ministry's participation in the National Energy Conservation Week. Of course, they are only a small part of what the ministry has done.

A clean, beautiful and green homeland is the shared dream of people in all countries. We hope you will join us in this effort by starting with small daily habits to reduce carbon footprint and raise environmental awareness. Let's play our part in looking after the planet we all call home and join hands in building a community of life for man and Nature.

NTV: On August 24, Japan's self-defense force conducted a joint exercise with the US and the UK. The excise is believed to be targeting China and showing to the world the close ties between Japan, the US and the UK. Does the foreign ministry have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: We noted relevant reports. China always holds that military cooperation between countries should not undermine regional peace and stability, or the interests of a third party.

CCTV: It is learned that Permanent Representative of China to the UN Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland wrote to the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) the other day, handing over two non-papers on Fort Detrick and the University of North Carolina, as well as an open letter signed by netizens demanding an investigation into Fort Detrick. Could you please elaborate on China's position?

Wang Wenbin: On August 24, Ambassador Chen Xu, Permanent Representative of China to the UN Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland, wrote to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and submitted two non-papers titled "Doubtful Points about Fort Detrick (USAMRIID)" and "Coronavirus Research Conducted by Dr. Ralph Baric's Team at University of North Carolina", and an open letter signed by more than 25 million Internet users calling for an investigation into the Fort Detrick base.

China's position on the issue of global origins study is consistent and clear. Tracing the origins of the virus is a scientific issue. China always supports and will continue to participate in scientific origins study. The conclusions and recommendations of the China-WHO joint study report have been recognized by the international community and the scientific community, and must be respected and implemented. Future global origins study should and can only be carried out on this basis.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) has received WHO experts twice. It is extremely unlikely that the novel coronavirus was leaked from the WIV -- this is the clear conclusion of the China-WHO joint study report. Those who insist that the possibility of a lab-leak cannot be ruled out should investigate Fort Detrick and the University of North Carolina in the principle of fairness and justice.

The fact is, the international community and the American people have long raised serious concerns over the illegal, non-transparent and unsafe practices at the Fort Detrick base. It is the center of US bio-military activities and USAMRIID is the main research entity there. USAMRIID has long been engaged in coronavirus research and modification. After the Institute was shut down because of serious safety incidents in 2019, disease with symptoms similar to that of COVID-19 broke out in the US. The US has not yet given any explanation on these problems to the international community and American people.

As to the University of North Carolina, the US has been falsely accusing the WIV of causing the COVID-19 pandemic with its coronavirus researches. However, it is the US who has sponsored and carried out more such researches than any other country. In particular, the Baric team leads the world in researches in this field, with extremely mature capability in synthesizing and modifying coronavirus. An investigation into Dr. Baric's team and lab will help clarify whether such researches have created or can create SARS-CoV-2.

We urge the US to stop using the origins study to seek political manipulation. If it is bent on insisting the lab-leak theory, it should start with inviting WHO experts to launch a probe into Fort Detrick and the University of North Carolina to find the source of the virus. In the meantime, we hope the international community can work hand in hand to resist the backlash of politicization and bring the origins study back to the right track of scientific cooperation.

Xinhua News Agency: China announced on August 24 that it will work together with African countries to formulate and implement a plan for China-Africa digital innovation partnership. Could you talk about the two sides' expectations for advancing cooperation in digital innovation?

Wang Wenbin: Digital innovation is an emerging sector for practical cooperation between China and Africa. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during his trip to Africa at the beginning of this year that China will strengthen digital cooperation with the African side and help it seize the opportunity presented by the information revolution, bridge the digital divide and build a digital Africa. To advance new progress in the digital technology and to inject new impetus into high quality China-Africa cooperation, Assistant Foreign Minister Deng Li announced at yesterday's opening ceremony of the China-Africa Internet Development and Cooperation Forum that China stands ready to work together with African countries to formulate and implement a plan for China-Africa digital innovation partnership. He also proposed efforts in six aspects. First, strengthen digital infrastructure to ensure unimpeded information flow for socioeconomic development. Second, nurture the digital economy and promote the integrated development of the digital technology and the real economy. Third, advance digital education to produce a talent pool for digital innovation and thus remove the bottleneck. Fourth, enhance digital inclusiveness to make sure services benefit all African people. Fifth, jointly ensure digital security and improve digital governance capability. Sixth, build cooperation platforms to stimulate progress with exchange.

Actions speak louder than words. As China announced the partnership plan, relevant commitments have already begun to translate into reality. Some optic fiber backbone projects undertaken with China-Africa cooperation will soon start in Africa. Starting from September, there will be a season of promotion through e-commerce for African products and the China-Africa Beidou Cooperation Forum, among other events. We will maintain communication with the African side to jointly design practical cooperation measures in the digital area for the coming three years and include them in the list of deliverables of the FOCAC meeting to be held at the end of the year to bring China-Africa digital cooperation to a new height.

Reuters: According to a Reuters report, US climate envoy John Kerry is expected to travel to China in September. Can you confirm if he will be visiting and if so, what the visit will entail?

Wang Wenbin: I don't have any information to offer at the moment.

Global Times: It is reported that according to US officials, the US intelligence report on the origins of COVID-19 is not likely to "yield a definitive conclusion on whether the new coronavirus jumped to humans naturally, or via a lab leak, in part because of the lack of the detailed information from China". Does the foreign ministry have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: The US government draws on the intelligence apparatus to publish the so-called report on origins tracing. Its aim is not to get to the bottom of the origins of the virus, or to form a scientific report based on facts and scientific methods. What the US is really up to is to shift the responsibility of its failure in pandemic response domestically and scapegoat China. Such a politicized report to plant evidence, naturally will not reach any scientific conclusion on origins tracing of COVID-19, but will only interfere in and undermine the global efforts of origins tracing and cooperation on pandemic response.

The allegation of lack of information from China is just an excuse to cover up the US' own failure in relying on intelligence to trace the origins of the virus. I want to tell the US side that Chinese and WHO experts have released a joint origins study report, which contains abundant authoritative and valuable information. The US is the country with the highest number of infections and deaths in the world, and the worst outward spread of the virus. The timeline of the COVID-19 outbreak in the US has been constantly revised to earlier dates, with the connection between Fort Detrick and the University of North Carolina biological laboratories and the novel coronavirus shrouded by suspicions. The international community strongly asks the US side to be open and transparent and provide detailed information on this. The US side has been dodging these questions. It remains reticent and puts up obstacles. This only shows that the US has a guilty conscience. What it cares about is not how to find the origins of the virus, but how to use the issue to suppress other countries and serve its own interests.

SCMP: A spokesman for the Political Office of the Taliban in Qatari capital Doha tweeted on August 24 that the Taliban delegation met with Chinese ambassador and others in Kabul. Do you have more information on that?

Wang Wenbin: China and the Afghan Taliban have smooth and effective communication and consultation. Kabul is naturally an important platform and channel for the two sides to discuss various important matters.

I want to stress that China's policy toward Afghanistan is consistent and clear. We always respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, follow the principle of non-interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs and adhere to a friendly policy toward the entire Afghan people. China respects the Afghan people's independent choice of their own future, supports the implementation of the "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" principle, and stands ready to continue to develop good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation with Afghanistan and play a constructive role in Afghanistan's peace and reconstruction.

Bloomberg: The ruling parties of Japan and Taiwan will hold their first security talks this week. The bilateral concerns about increasing Chinese military strength will likely to be atop the agenda. Does the Foreign Ministry have a comment?

Wang Wenbin: I noted relevant reports. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. China firmly opposes all forms of official interactions between Taiwan and countries having diplomatic ties with China.

The Taiwan question concerns the political foundation of China-Japan relations. On the Taiwan question, the Japanese side bears historical responsibilities to the Chinese people for its past crimes and should especially be prudent with its words and actions. We seriously urge Japan to review its considerations, avoid interfering in China's domestic affairs in any form, and refrain from sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces in any form.

Shenzhen TV: Foreign media reported that on August 24, the head of US Space Command James Dickinson in his speech at the 36th Space Symposium of the Space Foundation claimed that, the warfighting force he leads has reached Initial Operational Capability, and will achieve full operational capability in the next several years. He also mentioned that the US Space Command soon will begin conducting its own military exercises focused on space warfighting. Do you have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: Currently, space security is getting increasingly complicated and severe, with the US being the primary factor that has an impact on space security. In recent years, the US has openly defined space as a new warfighting domain, put in place an independent space force and space command, and vigorously built up space military strength. What the US has done exacerbates the risks of weaponizing space and turning it into a war-fighting domain, and severely threatens peace and tranquility of space. In this regard, China is deeply concerned.

China stands for peaceful use of space, and advocates preventing weaponization of and arms race in space. Over the years, China has worked with countries including Russia, to actively push the international community to negotiate legal instruments on space arms control, so as to safeguard security and ensure sustainable utilization of space. What stands in contrast is that the US, for a long time, resists negotiation process on space arms control, and divert the attention of the international community by painting China as a threat in space. The acts of the US side show that weaponizing space and turning it into a war-fighting domain has become the biggest threat to space security, and that it is of much urgency to negotiate and conclude legal instruments on space arms control.

China hopes that the US will earnestly shoulder its due responsibility as a major country, and do more to safeguard peace and security in space. China calls upon the international community to attach importance to the risks of space arms race, and actively participate in and support the negotiations on legal instruments on space arms race.

Reuters: First, US Vice President Harris has offered Vietnam support to counter China in the South China Sea, including more visits by US warships. Do you have any comment on that? And second, according to a report from Bloomberg, a group of US financial firms and Chinese regulators are trying to restart meetings later this year. Do you have any comment on this?

Wang Wenbin: On your first question, the US has so far refused to accede to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, while claiming to uphold it. The US arbitrarily launched military intervention in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, while claiming to defend the interests of smaller countries. I think it would be much more credible if the US said it was trying to maintain its hegemony and uphold its own interests.

China is firmly opposed to the US deployment of maritime law enforcement forces in the South China Sea to meddle in regional affairs and disturb regional peace and stability.

On your second question, I am not aware of relevant situation. You may refer to competent authorities.
Leading up to the 2021 edition of National Caretaker Appreciation Day events taking place the week of September 20-26, Standardbred Canada will profile caretakers from across the country in our Faces of Racing series. The series kicks off with Ashley Lendvoy of Hamilton, Ont.

Growing up, Ashley Lendvoy spent her days riding horses competitively, hanging out with her friends, and like any other teenager in high school, she was eager to get her first part-time job. She decided to turn her passion into a career and transitioned from horse hobbyist and rider to a Standardbred caretaker.

The 20-year-old Hamilton, Ont. resident landed a job working with Standardbreds by taking a chance and posting to social media in search of employment with horses.

I was looking to work part-time with horses, so I had posted on Facebook that I was looking for a job and Mark McKinnon messaged me and asked me if I would be interested in working with the Standardbreds for Carmen Auciello Stables in Flamborough. I jumped in with two feet and I havent looked back since! It has been by far the best choice I have ever made.

Ashley has that Facebook post to be grateful for as she has been employed as a Standardbred caretaker for the last three years. She started out working for trainer Carmen Auciello, then made a move to First Line Training Centre working for the Steacy Stable, and is now employed by trainer Blair Burgess, all of whom have had a hand in teaching Ashley about the business.

From my time working as a caretaker, I have come across some pretty awesome people that have helped me a ton. I will always look up to these people and forever be thankful that I got the chance to have them help me out, Ashley explained. The first person I would like to mention would be Bill Rapson. I was working for Mark and Shawn Steacy, and Bill worked there as well. He has taught me so much and helped me get to where I am today. Whenever I have a question, Bill is the first person I go to for advice. The second person I would like to mention is Blair Burgess; he has also been a great help to me and has taught me lots of things along the way.

After spending three years working with Standardbreds, Ashley divulged how much she has fallen in love with the business and the breed.

Standardbreds are by far the best breed of horses. Their nature is just so amazing, they are very docile and resilient and overall, a very smart breed, Ashley explained. My advice for the up-and-coming generation that would like to pursue a career in harness racing, is to get into a stable that fosters a learning environment where you can be hands-on. Also, to be prepared for all the downfalls, although there are many good things that come out of all the downs in the business!

Harness racing is filled with ups and downs, and Ashley confessed that her major challenge working with the breed has been getting too attached to some of the horses that she's had in her care.

My biggest challenge to this day has probably been having to let some of the horses go that you grow attached to. I wish we could keep them all, but unfortunately that isnt the reality and to make it a business and career you must face the fear of letting some go when their time is up or when the time is right.

On the flipside, she recognizes that there are many gratifying aspects that come along with working as a caretaker and that the work she performs daily is very fulfilling.

To me, the most rewarding aspect of being a caretaker is when you have a horse in your care, and it wins a race or even races well. It is a great feeling knowing all your hard work has paid off in a matter of a few minutes. The one horse I really loved taking care of was Parisian Blue Chip. She is a very tough mare, mentioned Ashley. While working as a caretaker, I really enjoy the time when the babies come in and I really enjoy stake season as well. I find it amazing to watch the young horses develop over time and see what they are capable of on the track.

Since Lendvoy has been working in the business she has learned what it means to be an outstanding horseperson and caretaker and is eager to move further along in the industry in her career. At present, she helps out with two horses owned by her boyfriend Edin Bosnjakovic, and is also in the process of obtaining her trainers license. In the meantime, Kevin Bodz does the training.

To be a successful caretaker one thing that you need to definitely have is determination. This is not an easy job, so you must be determined to work hard and be the best you can be to be successful. You must also be very aware and alert of your surroundings. You need to keep on top of your horses and make sure they are healthy, and you also need to know when they are feeling off or something isnt right. Finally, I would say that you need to be dedicated. This isnt a job to make quick money and go then go home, its a job where you must work very long hours and it can get exhausting at times. It is a job for the ones who love the sport and animals and can be on their feet 365 days of the year.

Since her partner purchased the two horses, Lendvoy fell head over heels for the seven-year-old Big Jim mare, Lady Oxford.

Lady Oxford has me stuck. She has grown on me so very much and I have become very attached to her, and I feel like she feels the same way. It has taken us a lot of hard work and trust for us to get to where we are today, but she is now my best friend. To say the least...I think shell have a home for life with me!

Ashley keeps herself busy with the horses, but she wouldnt have it any other way, especially during the lockdown this past year.

The only thing that helped me get through the lockdown, was the horses. They kept me very busy like always, so it really helped me cope with everything in general. I always look forward to every single time a horse races in my care. It gives you a thrill, just like an adrenaline rush.

Now that racing has returned in Ontario, Lendvoy is excited to be back at the track and celebrate National Caretaker Appreciation Day.

I think National Caretaker Appreciation Day is a great event! It helps caretakers get their name out there and get noticed by other people! It also shows appreciation for all the hard work the caretakers do daily.

Standardbred Canada wishes Ashley the best of luck in obtaining her trainers license and lots of success in her future with racing! Keep an eye out for her name as she might be one of the next young successful female trainers on the Ontario circuit!
Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Investment has joined a consortium led by CBC Group, Asias largest healthcare-dedicated investment firm to acquire a 46.9% equity interest in Hugel, Koreas top medical aesthetics company, from Bain Capital.



The market capitalization of Hugel is approximately $2.5 billion. Members of the consortium include Singapore-based CBC, Mubadala, GS Holdings Corp, a leading business group in South Korea, and IMM Investment Corp (IMM), a leading investment firm based in Korea.



Michael Keyoung, MD, PhD, Managing Director and Head of North America and Korea at CBC, said: By leveraging our foothold in international markets, we are confident that Hugel as a Korea-based company will become a leading global aesthetics business by expanding significantly into the United States, Europe, China and the rest of the world. CBC will continue to further develop its global healthcare portfolio with strong support from our global investors.



Camilla Macapili Languille, Head of Life Sciences at Mubadala, said: This opportunity cements Mubadala Life Sciences entry into Asia alongside our colleagues from the Mubadalas China Investment Program team, who already have an established presence in China and a long-standing relationship with CBC. We will work closely with our consortium partners and leverage our network to support Hugels vision of becoming a leading global medical aesthetics company.



As CBC continues to build its presence in the Asian healthcare sector, this transaction marks its strategic entrance into the medical aesthetics sector, joining an industry-leading portfolio in the pharmaceuticals and biotech, medical technology and service sectors.



Founded in 2001, Hugel is specialised in the botulinum toxin and hyaluronic acid fillers space in Korea and is the fourth type A botulinum toxin product manufacturer approved for launch in China.



Hugel expects to obtain marketing approvals in Europe and the US in the next 12 months.



Morgan Stanley is acting as the Consortiums sole M&A advisor.  TradeArabia News Service
Australia will be celebrating the spirit of innovation and history as one of the worlds oldest continuous civilisations at its Expo 2020 pavilion with the theme of Blue Sky Dreaming.

Australia's natural wonder, innovative know-how and fascinating 60,000-year-old cultural history and diversity will be on the worlds stage alongside 191 participating nations during the six-month event.

Located in the Mobility District, the pavilion standing 21 m tall, will be among the largest at the expo. From October 1 to March 31, 2022, it will showcase key trade, economic, export and education opportunities while celebrating the nations highly unique natural and cultural attractions.

A key element of the pavilion's design is its roof, a gleaming white canopy inspired by the large fluffy white cumulus clouds that make up Australias iconic big blue skylines, said a top government official.

"The large white cumulus cloud is a common feature of Australias expansive horizons and is a clear and a recognisable sign of good weather," Justin McGowan, Australias Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai.

"Agile and ever-changing, visitors to the Australian Pavilion will find the cloud central to their pavilion journey. By day, it provides cooling shade over the forecourt. At night, it comes alive with a dynamic display of light and sound designed to mimic the ancient and rugged landscape of Australia," he noted.

"We are confident that the combination of the building and the breadth of the visitor experience will ensure that the Australian Pavilion is one of the highlights of Expo 2020 Dubai and a powerful representation of Australia on the world stage that we can all be proud of," he added.

McGowan said the expo represents an exciting opportunity for Australia to play a leading role at what is being referred to as the global business Olympics.

"Expo 2020 Dubai is an unmissable opportunity for Australia to build on existing relationships and identify new trade and investment opportunities. Global collaboration is integral to the worlds economic and social recovery. With 191 nations participating, Expo 2020 Dubai offers a gateway not only to the Middle East but to the whole world," he added.

Meaningful art touches all aspects of the pavilion, helping to replay the story of Australias vibrant and long-lived culture. Visitors go through three distinct sections  the Welcome Stories tunnel, the Star Dreaming planetarium-style experience and an immersive storytelling exhibition space dubbed Annikas Journey- before reaching the open forecourt where visitors can come together to dine, reflect, and celebrate true Australian culture and hospitality.

"In developing the design for the Australian Pavilion, we wanted a venue that captured not only the Blue Sky Dreaming theme, but the welcoming spirit and relaxed, multicultural society for which Australia is renowned," remarked McGowan.

"Brisbane-based architectural team bureau^proberts has designed a space which embodies the Australian spirit and persona; relaxed and laid back, yet dynamic, lively and courageous. The Australian Pavilion will be a place of gathering where everyone is welcome and will leave feeling inspired, having experienced a taste of what Australia has to offer the world," he stated.

"Presenting an event on this scale is a truly collaborative undertaking. We are proud to be joined at Expo 2020 Dubai by all of Australias state and territory governments, as well as our many public and private sector partners," added McGowan.

The Australian Pavilion enjoys strong support from the Commonwealth Government, along with all Australian states and territories and leading public and private sector organisations.

The Victorian Government is a platinum partner, with major partners including the New South Wales Government and The Hermal Group, a diverse enterprise comprising several business interests and investments.-TradeArabia News Service
The construction sector is a vital contributor toward economic growth across the region and smart construction is well poised to drive its strong rebound following the Covid-19 pandemic, said the organisers of The Big 5, the only live, in-person event connecting the global construction industry in 2021.

Set to open on September 12 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, The Big 5 incorporates a technology focus through its broad offering of product showcases, high-level summits, and free-to-attend certified talks, including the all-new Digital Construction World, Intelligent Buildings and Offsite & Modular product sectors, Start-Up City, and the exclusive FutureTech Construction Summit during the four-day event, according to dmg events.

Ahead of the event, organisers revealed that there are $2.39 trillion worth of projects planned and un-awarded in the GCC and valued at $1.56 trillion the construction sector alone represents 65% of the future pipeline.

According to The Big 5s Data & Research Partner, Meed Projects, despite the recent short-term upheaval, the longer-term outlook for the market remains largely positive.

Josine Heijmans, Vice President  Construction at dmg events pointed out that these figures offered huge opportunities for the adoption of new technology and systems in the market.

"Now more than ever the industry needs to take advantage of the increased efficiency, sustainability and improved quality that new technologies offer. That's why The Big 5 puts the spotlight on technology this year with a wealth of features dedicated to promoting digital transformation of the industry," stated Heijmans.

According to her, the promotion of smart construction has increased at The Big 5 this year, marking a positive shift towards digitalisation in the regions sector.

"As the only in-person event connecting the global construction community in 2021, The Big 5 is a vital platform for industry development in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic," she added.

Speaker at the FutureTech Construction Summit and Director at Heriot-Watt Universitys Centre of Excellence in Smart Construction, Dr Anas Bataw said the pandemic had forced the industry to slow down and provided the opportunity to reflect on the improvements required for the construction sector to rebound quicker and better.

"With the growth of the construction industry over the past few months, smart construction practices such as the use of digital technologies is particularly important as it will accelerate and automate the way we design, build and operate," remarked Bataw.

"In fact, the World Economic Forum estimates that full-scale digitalisation could unlock savings between $700 billion to $1.2 trillion in design, engineering, and construction industries within ten years," he added.

The other key highlights of Big 5 include the Future of Facades and the Global Construction Leaders Summit, each designed to shed light on crucial developments in the construction sector and long-term opportunities on the horizon.

The popular free and CPD-certified talks series will continue at the event, with 70 sessions set to cover vital industry topics, said the organisers.

The largest and most influential event for the construction industry in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region has so far confirmed more than 1000 exhibitors from 45 countries and 20 country pavilions and has recently opened an online networking and meeting facilitation add-on to help organisations kick-start their experience wherever their location.

The event will be held alongside The Big 5 Heavy, Middle East Concrete, Windows, Doors & Facades Event, Gulf Glass, HVAC R Expo, The Big 5 Solar, Middle East Stone, Urban Design & Landscape Expo, FM Expo.-
BznsBuilder, the leading Egyptian 360 Business Relation Management platform (BRM) extends its footprint into the Asian market by launching the platform in Indonesia in partnership with Indonesia Prima.

The new launch was announced during the Festival Entrepreneur Indonesia in the presence of his Irman Adi Purwanto Moefthi the Indonesian Commercial Consulate in Egypt.

BznsBuilder is a flagship platform that prides itself on being the startups' virtual co-founder providing businesses with step-by-step guides on building impeccable business plans. The platform automates the financial reports and charts without the need for a solid financial background. Founders can also develop their pitch decks and one-page plans, export and share them with investors.

Indonesia Prima is an innovation player supporting Indonesian and Asian startups to grow and scale their businesses.

BznsBuilder expansion in Indonesia is the first in a series of planned expansions into Asia, the home for 200 global unicorns, bringing BznsBuilder's 360 experience to support local entrepreneurs in building their businesses. The expansion to Indonesia followed the booming in the local ecosystem with the startups raising more than 1.9B in Q3 2020.

Riham Abu Elinin, founder of BznsBuilder commented on the new launch saying: "BznsBuilder is on a mission to empower entrepreneurs, students, and organisations globally with reliable, efficient and cost-effective 360 business relationship management solutions to grow their business."

Diah Yusuf founder of Indonesia Prima said: Entrepreneurs should create a better future with better mindsets as well as skill sets. BznsBuilder will help them with practical thinking to have better understanding of their business to grow, to achieve their maximum success. I am delighted to have this opportunity of working in partnership with BznsBuilder to expand in Asia, because we all are part of the global entrepreneurship ecosystem and must support each other.-- TradeArabia News Service
Dubais Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) recently discussed means of boosting cooperation and exchanging expertise between RTA and its Korean counterpart in the fields of autonomous transport and control systems.



Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the RTA received CHO, Eung Cheon, Vice-Chairman of Land Infrastructure and Transport Committee, Lee Hun Seung, Vice-Chairman of Land Infrastructure and Transport Committee of the Republic of Korea, reported Emirates News Agency WAM.



The visiting Korean officials, accompanied by Moon, Byung-Jun, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Dubai, reviewed RTAs plans for the future development of these fields.



At the start of the meeting, Al Tayer welcomed the visitors and praised the cooperative relationships between RTA and several Korean entities operating in the fields of transport and transport systems.



He briefed the visitors about Dubai Strategy for Self-Driving Transport that aims to convert 25 percent of total mobility journeys in Dubai into smart and autonomous journeys by 2030.



He noted that RTA was finalising trial runs for the operation of the autonomous air taxi and autonomous taxis as well as the development of suspended mobility systems.



The Korean delegation viewed RTAs plan for sustainable transport encompassing an array of projects and initiatives to enhance eco-friendly transport. The plan aims to transform the entire Dubai Taxis fleet into eco-friendly vehicles (hybrid and electric) by 2027, experiment the operation of the first hydrogen-powered taxi in the Middle East, and the trial run of the first batch of electric public buses.



The delegation attended a briefing about Dubais Intelligent Transport Systems centre, which uses smart technology to manage traffic movement to meet the requirements of Dubais sustained growth such as the hosting of mega international events like Expo 2020.



The meeting discussed RTAs efforts to commute visitors to Expo 2020. RTA has developed a comprehensive plan including routes for lifting visitors from key assembly points in Dubai and other emirates to the site of Expo.



It also covers the operation of Route 2020 of Dubai Metro stretching 15 km from Jebel Ali Station to the site of Expo. It connects 7 stations and can lift 46,000 riders per hour in both directions.



The plan also includes the deployment of taxis to serve expo visitors along with the required stands and streamlined movement.



CHO, Eung Cheon praised the excellent partnership between RTA and its Korean counterpart, and expressed hope to see more cooperation and exchange of expertise in the interest of both parties.
Etihad Engineering, a leading commercial aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services provider, has signed a strategic partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to provide Passenger to Freighter (P2F) conversions on Boeing 777-300ERs.



Etihad Engineering will capitalise on their expertise and extensive capabilities for the specialised Boeing 777-300ERSF conversion. In the initial stage of the partnership, Etihad Engineering will facilitate towards two conversion lines accommodating multiple aircraft conversions per year.



Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: The Boeing 777-300ERSF is not only extremely attractive to customers but a technological breakthrough, given that its the first in its size category to offer extensive cargo solutions. Not only do we see the demand, but we view it as a greener, more profitable, highly innovative solution for our airline customers, and an excellent way to drive value for our business.



Abdul Khaliq Saeed, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Engineering, said: We are delighted to announce our partnership with IAI which maximises the potential of our highly skilled workforce and reinforces Etihad Engineerings position as a centre of excellence in Abu Dhabi in line with Abu Dhabis economic vision 2030.Our commitment to the P2F programme demonstrates our confidence in the ability of IAI to deliver long-term value enhancement of the B777-300ERs in the global fleet.



Boaz Levy, President & CEO, Israel Aerospace Industries, said: The Abraham Accords have given IAI the opportunity to expand its global activity to the Gulf region. IAI is active in over 100 countries across the world. Establishing the conversion site in partnership with Etihad Engineering is a testament to IAIs strong ties with the UAE and strengthens its foothold in the region. I am confident that this agreement will lead to many more partnerships with local companies in the Gulf States, which will grow our business in the region.



Yossi Melamed, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Israel Aerospace Industries Aviation Group, said: IAIs Aviation Group, the worlds leading cargo conversion provider, has begun the structural modification of Boeing 777-300ERSF in cooperation with GECAS to provide a leading professional solution to the air cargo industry. Over many years, Etihad Engineering has received the highest professional regard from IAIs Aviation Group.



The Abraham Accords have enabled us to meet the companys managers first-hand, to see their ability and dedication, in addition to witnessing the companys great capabilities in the field of jet maintenance. The agreement we signed adds a significant tier to the relations between Israel and the Gulf States. I have no doubt following this agreement, additional agreements with companies in the region will arrive, and they will economically benefit the sides involved.



I would like to thank Tony Douglas, the companys CEO, and my friend Abdul Khaliq Saeed for the energy they invested in bringing to fruition the first cooperation agreement between IAI and Etihad Engineering. I eagerly await the moment when B77-300ERSF jets converted jointly by IAI and Etihad Engineering will take to the skies and serves clients all over the world, Melamed concluded.



In 2019, IAI and GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) announced the launch of the Boeing 777-300ERSF, a programme which established a P2F conversion dubbed The Big Twin denoting its status as the largest ever twin-engine freighter.



While the Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the aviation sector, cargo operations are offsetting operators losses, as it continues to play a critical role in facilitating international trade. As a result, industry forecasts show an increase in demand for wide-body freighter aircraft with long-haul capacity.  TradeArabia News Service
The value of foreign aid provided by the UAE from 2010 to 2021 totalled AED206.034 billion ($56.14 billion), confirming its support of global efforts to achieve peace and prosperity and provide developmental, humanitarian and charitable aid to many countries.

This data was published in a report by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation (MoFAIC), which highlighted the fact that, during this period, the UAE was ranked the worlds leading development aid donor for four consecutive years, and ranked second and fourth in other years during the same period, Emirates News Agency (Wam) reported.

The UAE's foreign aid consists of three categories - development, humanitarian and charitable aid, the report added.

Development aid accounted for 87.7 per cent of the total value of its foreign aid, while humanitarian and charitable aid accounted for 9.9% and 2.4%, respectively.

Around 59% of the total development aid was in the form of grants, which recipient countries are not required to repay, while concessional loans accounted for the other 40.9%.

The report addressed the geographical distribution of Emirati foreign aid from 2010 to 2021, with the African continent accounting for nearly half, Asian countries around 40%, and Europe, the Americas and Oceania for nearly 5%, while multilateral programmes and organisations received the remaining 5%.

The report explained that UAE foreign aid helped achieve the sustainable development plan set by the UN General Assembly in 2015, offering AED110.467 billion between 2016 and 2020.

It showed that the UAE supported the renewable energy sector from 2010 to 2020 with aid amounting to AED1.97 billion, highlighting that the UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund (UAE-CREF), and the UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund (UAE-PPF) received $50 million each.

In 2018, the country launched the '100% Women Policy', stipulating Emirati foreign aid will target female empowerment and gender equality by 2021. According to the report, from 2016 to 2020, over AED6.17 billion was allocated to womens empowerment and protection, accounting for 6.2% of the total aid.

International efforts to address the Covid-19 pandemic included providing over 2,250 tonnes of medical aid to nearly 136 countries, the report explained.

International organisations operating from the International Humanitarian City in Dubai also sent over 955 aid shipments to 177 countries. The UAE also provided support to the World Health Organisation and the World Food Program by providing around 500,000 PCR test kits, at a value of AED36.7 million, in addition to aiding in the transport of two field hospitals from Norway and Belgium to Ghana and Ethiopia at a cost of $4 million.

Additionally, the UAE has established field hospitals in Jordan, Guinea Conakry, Sudan, Mauritania, Lebanon and Sierra Leone to aid in their fight against Covid-19.

The report addressed the UAEs support for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), and its pledge to provide AED367 million during a donors conference in Dakar, Senegal, in 2018, which was paid out over three phases from 2018 to 2020, supporting education in 90 countries.

In July 2021, the UAE also pledged to provide the same amount to support a strategic global partnership plan for education over the next five years.
Adnoc Logistics & Services (Adnoc L&S), the shipping and maritime logistics arm of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), has acquired six line boats to provide critical marine services across petroleum ports in Abu Dhabi.



All six vessels are the Damen Stan Tug 1606 type, and were contracted directly from Sharjah-based Albwardy Damen, as part of Adnoc Groups commitment to boost In-Country Value across its operations.



The steel hulled, twin screw vessels are powered by two Caterpillar engines providing nearly 16 tonnes of bollard pull. With their proven design, these line boats enable Adnoc L&S to continue providing reliable and efficient operations to the Petroleum Ports Authority (PPA) in Abu Dhabi.



Captain Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of Adnoc L&S, said: The acquisition of these state-of-the-art line boats from Albwardy Damen is aligned with our strategy of growing the Adnoc L&S fleet with highly specialized marine services, including comprehensive port operations for customers in the UAE and worldwide. We are committed to boost our operations by contributing to the development of high-end shipbuilding and repair capabilities within the UAE.



The country is emerging as a global hub for maritime and shipping operations, and we continue to enhance the business environment for shipping and affiliated sectors through such targeted capital expenditure.



Line boats are multi-purpose boats used by Adnoc L&S Logistics and Marine Services for assisting in berthing and unberthing tankers, and handling hoses, at the oil terminals.



Pascal Slingerland, Regional Sales Director  Middle East of Albwardy Damen, added: We are grateful for the long-lasting relationship with Adnoc Group. We have invested heavily in our UAE base with new shipbuilding and ship repair facilities so we can support the full range of repairs and requirements during the lifetime of a vessel. This includes the construction of new boats in the UAE and drydocking in addition to the Damen Services Team in the UAE, which offers niche services for the maritime industry.



The contract was awarded in July 2020 to Albwardy Damen, a subsidiary of Damen Shipyards Group, a Netherlands-headquartered global shipbuilding, defence and engineering services company. Four of the vessels were delivered in May 2021 and another two in June 2021. Damen Shipyards Group has previously delivered 33 vessels to Adnoc Group across its operating companies.



Adnoc L&S is in the midst of a strategic expansion program, to offer a broader service to its customers while supporting and enabling the growth of Adnocs upstream production capacity and the expansion of its downstream and petrochemical operations. Last year, Adnoc L&S signed a 25-year agreement with PPA to service all petroleum ports in Abu Dhabi.  TradeArabia News Service
The world is your oyster, they say. If so, these six spots are the pearls of destination dining.

From the blue waters of the Maldives to the historic architecture in Milan, accompany your food with not just taste but the sights and sounds of these restaurants.

Tailored dining at Seta, Mandarin Oriental Milan

Starting in Italy, the Mandarin Oriental Milan offers guests a two-Michelin-starred experience. The hotel is housed in a series of elegant 18th-century buildings in the heart of the city and steps away from the fashion district and the artistic neighbourhood of Brera.

Guests can be taken on a gastronomic journey designed by Chef Antonio Guida. With so many options to choose from, The La Via del Seta tasting menu can be the go to experience.

The menu includes a selection of Chef Antonios signature dishes, including Oysters with potatoes, friggitelli peppers and champagne sauce and his variation on risotto, the delectable Risotto with raspberry and herb cream.

Private dining on the beach or Coral Terrace

The next destination is the W Maldives. Perfect for a romantic dinner, guests can choose from one of the locations around the resort, surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean.

Offering a farm menu featuring a range of meats, ocean menu inspired by the sea, a combination of the two or something special created for vegetarians, every detail is crafted specially for the couple.

Dishes include sumptuous lamb rack with herb crust, wagyu beef stripling, luxurious caviar and portobello mushroom risotto, bringing flavours from around the world.

Private dining experience

Staying in the W Maldives, experience the wonders of nature with a gastronomic delight. From a sensational sunset with bubbles and canapes to a five-course casual bistro menu complete with private chef, or a barefoot beach barbecue in the white sands of the Maldives.

On this private palm-fringed island, guests can design this elevated date-night to whatever they desire.

An Italian night in Jeddah

Jetting off to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia next. On its 20-km-long corniche, the Rosewood Jeddah makes the experience exceptional with incredible offers.

Epicureans will be delighted with the hotel, which features four restaurants and lounges. The Habsburg restaurant has launched an Italian night which offers guests an array of options including an assortment of fresh Italian cold cuts and cheeses, freshly baked Italian breads, pasta, pizza and mains.

Guests can also indulge in an afternoon tea amid Viennese charm at Soleil and socialise over beverages and bites at Sky Lounge.

Bask in the ambience in Doha city

Doha offers a host of gastronomic delights. Mosaic, one of the centrally located Madarin Oriental Doha hotels three restaurants, offers an eclectic collection of cuisines prepared in nine live cooking stations which include a rotisserie, sushi station, Arabic grill, tandoori oven, Asian wok, yakitori grill and two stations dedicated to delicious desserts alongside refreshing juice and smoothies.

With a lively ambience and panoramic views of the city, Mosaic promises to take guests on a journey of culinary discovery inspired by the flavours of the Silk Route where guests can enjoy the backdrop with views of Barahat Msheireb, Al Corniche and West Bay.

In-Retreat Barbecue

And lastly, with a quick trip back to the W Maldives, guests can feel the sand between their feet and admire the starlight as they savor fish fresh from the ocean with the in-retreat barbecue experience at the W Maldives luxury villas.

Gourmet delights from land and sea include baby chicken marinated in local spices, keffir lime butter lobster tail and melt-in-the-mouth king prawns.

This destination dining experience is the perfect way to bring loved ones together in the natural environment with the soundtrack of the gentle ocean waves and crackling of charcoal.-TradeArabia News Service
Help India!

National Council of Women Leaders (NCWL) said that its campaign will showcase caste-based sexual violence in 15 Indian states, sharing a selection of landmark cases of crimes against Dalit women and girls dating from 1985 to now, which demonstrate the long term, deep-rooted nature of this systemic targeting.

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INDIA  Working in collaboration with Dalit Human Rights Defenders Network (DHRD-Net), Equality Labs, and Equality Now, the National Council of Women Leaders (NCWL) has launched a national campaign running from July 19 to August 31 2021, that aims to draw much-needed public attention to how Dalit women and girls are being deliberately subjected to widespread sexual violence and harassment stemming from severe, pervasive and intersectional discrimination tied to their gender, caste and class.

National Council of Women Leaders (NCWL) is a newly established coalition bringing together over 70 women leaders from across India who belong to a range of marginalized backgrounds and have been working at the grassroots to support and empower disadvantaged women and girls in their communities. Breaking new ground by creating a high profile platform exclusively for women from different marginalized groups, NCWL was established in February 2021, with the mandate of facilitating cooperation, collaboration, and amplification of collective solidarity and expression. The Council is forging a unique space for members to celebrate their own identities, raise their voices and boldly champion the rights of women and those from communities facing discrimination.

In a statement, NCWL said that vulnerably positioned at the bottom of these social structures, the socioeconomic disadvantages and low political status of Dalit women and girls increases

their exposure to human rights violations, while simultaneously reducing their ability to escape harm or access justice.

NCWL said that sexual violence is being used by those in dominant positions as a weapon to assert power and reinforce existing hierarchies. Dalit women and girls are often subjected to more severe or aggravated forms of sexual violence, such as gang rapes or rape with murder, and there is commonly a collective nature to these crimes, with offenders from dominant castes acting in groups to commit offences, the statement read.

NCWL pointed out that survivors of sexual violence, particularly those from marginalized communities, struggle to obtain justice within Indias legal system. The horrific gang-rape and murder of the 19-year-old Dalit woman in Hathras, and the deplorable way in which it was dealt with by many in authority, has shown a spotlight on how men from dominant castes are granted protection and impunity at all levels, NCWL said.

Perpetrators of sexual violence and abuse know they are far less likely to face punishment if they commit a crime against members of the Dalit community because attacks are rarely investigated or prosecuted, NCWL said. Police often refuse to register cases, coerce survivors into compromises, or declare cases false, they said.

For the small proportion of sexual violence crimes that Indias criminal court system does prosecute, conviction rates remain abysmally low. Survivors and their families who seek legal justice are often subjected to extreme pressure to stay silent, and cases that do make it to court mostly involve the most egregious crimes, such as when the victim has been killed or is a young girl, NCWL pointed out.

Data from Indias National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in 2019 reported that ten Dalit women and girls are raped every day in India. Extensive under-reporting, problems registering sexual assaults with the police, and the sharp rise in sexual and gender-based violence since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, mean the true figures are likely to be considerably higher, they said.

NCWL said that its campaign will showcase caste-based sexual violence in 15 Indian states, sharing a selection of landmark cases of crimes against Dalit women and girls dating from 1985 to now, which demonstrate the long term, deep-rooted nature of this systemic targeting.

NCWL will also report on developments  or lack thereof  in how the criminal justice system and others in authority respond to such cases, noting the specific barriers that survivors of sexual violence face which prevent them from receiving justice or support.

Throughout the campaign, NCWL will be hosting a series of activities, bringing together womens rights activists to share experiences and methods, advocate for positive change, and hold duty bearers to account. Data, visuals, and other creative tools to communicate the problem to a broader audience will be provided, alongside videos of activists working with survivors and victims families from marginalized communities. The campaign will culminate in the creation and sharing of key recommendations for policymakers, government authorities and civil society to improve responses to cases of caste-based sexual violence.
A new study suggests breastfeeding may pass along COVID-19 antibodies to babies. (Photo: Westend61 via Getty Images)

The breast milk of women whove been vaccinated with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines contains a significant supply of antibodies that may help keep babies safe, a new study says.

Although there are still many questions about how much protection those antibodies offer infants  and how long that protection lasts  researchers say the findings provide another compelling reason for women who are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding to get vaccinated.

When babies are born, they have a relatively immature system. It develops over time. So the major protections that babies receive come from Mom. So if Mom is producing these antibodies that are present in the breast milk, there is the potential for that protection that Mom has to be transferred over to her baby, Joseph Larkin III, senior author of the study and an associate professor of microbiology and cell science with the University of Florida, told HuffPost. This is particularly important because babies cant be vaccinated right now.

The study, published in the journal Breastfeeding Medicine this week, was conducted last winter when the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines first became available to health care workers. As such, it was small  limited to just 21 health care workers who were lactating at the time  and did not include the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, though Larkin told HuffPost that research on that vaccine is happening now.

The womens breast milk was analyzed pre-vaccine, after the first dose, and after the second dose, and, after each shot, the coronavirus antibodies present in the womens breast milk increased.

Once the women were fully vaccinated, there was roughly a 100-fold increase in their levels of coronavirus antibodies, the new study found. Thats a greater antibody level than tends to occur when women are infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus itself.

Even for women who cannot or choose not to breastfeed, vaccination has benefits.

Of course, breastfeeding is challenging, and Larkin told HuffPost he did not want his findings to put unnecessary pressure on women who may be struggling or unable to breastfeed. While most moms in the United States now start off breastfeeding, less than 60% still do it at six months, and breastfeeding pressure can harm womens mental health.

Story continues

As a father of five, I do understand  from an outside perspective  some of the challenges that go into breastfeeding, and I respect that. For those moms that are unable to breastfeed, for many reasons, they shouldnt be disheartened, because just by being vaccinated she is providing a layer of protection for her baby, he said.

Indeed, studies have suggested that SARS-CoV-2 antibodies can travel through the placenta.

Also, when mothers and other people who spend time with unvaccinated babies get vaccinated themselves, theyre effectively cocooning those babies. So it can be an important preventive measure in addition to steps like masking and limiting time in indoor public settings.

The need to vaccinate pregnant women is urgent.

Despite the benefits of vaccination for pregnant and breastfeeding women, their vaccination rates remain low. Less than one-quarter of pregnant women in the U.S. have received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Yet groups like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said it is more urgent than ever to vaccinate people who are trying to conceive and people who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Unvaccinated pregnant women who get COVID-19 are at much greater risk of serious illness, and hospitals around the country are reporting an uptick in pregnant patients. One fetal medicine specialist in hard-hit Alabama told The Daily Beast about the terrifying toll the delta variant is taking on unvaccinated pregnant women there and said doctors sometimes had to perform emergency C-sections on intubated patients. At the same time, pediatric coronavirus cases are soaring.

Experts hope the growing research showing the benefits of vaccination for women and their babies will sway women to do roll up their sleeves. Young children still cannot be vaccinated, though they are likely to be eligible for vaccination sometime this fall or winter. But children ages 5 to 11 will likely qualify first, followed by younger kids.

The idea of trying to protect those that cant protect themselves is very, very important, Larkin said.

Experts are still learning about COVID-19. The information in this story is what was known or available as of publication, but guidance can change as scientists discover more about the virus. Please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most updated recommendations.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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Our good friend John Parker from WarbirdsOnline in Australia recently put together a nice piece which focuses on a pair of significant, although often overlooked aviation museums located on the grounds of the former key Battle of Britain airfield in eastern Kent, RAF Manston. We thought our readers would enjoy learning a little about these two gems!

We have visited the United Kingdom many times over the years and made an extensive tour of the extraordinary aviation museums throughout the land. One of the most significant areas of the UK, from an aviation perspective, is the county of Kent which saw extensive action in WWII, especially during the Battle of Britain when the local airfields provided many of the homes for the frontline aircraft dueling with the Luftwaffe in the skies above.

Indeed, there were numerous WWII-era airfields with a rich history in Kent, but sadly, most of these have succumbed to developers bulldozers, so just a handful now remain. But one of the largest and most significant survivors is the former RAF Manston, which actually dates back to 1916 when the Royal Naval established an airfield here, with a base at Westgate Bay for seaplanes. Indeed, Royal Naval Air Service fighter planes based out of Manston made a key intervention during a German bombing raid in August 1917, which prevented the enemy fleet from continuing to their target.

This early Naval Air Station existed on the land now occupied by the airfields present passenger terminal. Further WWI development included four underground hangars, a dedicated railway line to Birchington, a power station, a barracks for 3,000 people and even an indoor swimming pool.

In WWII, the base played a major role in the aerial defense of southern England, particularly during the Battle of Britain. It was also as the staging post for Barnes Wallace to test his famous Bouncing Bomb at the nearby Reculver estuary site. The RAFs very first operational Gloster Meteor get fighters were based at Manston too. Post WWII, both the RAF and USAF operated from the field in some capacity. RAF Manston closed formally in 1999, with the barracks and other grounds transferring eventually to the British Army. The airfield portion remained active as the civilian-run Manston, Kent International Airport until May, 2014, when it closed. However, there are possibilities that flight operations may resume in 2022.

Located adjacent to one another on a portion of the airfield are two significant museums, the Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum and the RAF Manston History Museum. The latter is temporarily closed presently, as it is receiving comprehensive renovations. We visited both museums in 2010 and were very impressed; they are certainly worth including on any trip to the UK.

Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum

This museum is dedicated predominantly to the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane and their roles throughout WWII, not just in the Battle of Britain. Naturally enough the displays are centered around actual Spitfire and Hurricane airframes.

The beautifully presented Supermarine Spitfire is Mk.XVI(LF) TB752, which saw combat during 1945. This aircraft was constructed at Castle Bromwich in the early part of 1944 and entered service with No. 66 Squadron at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in March 1945, bearing the squadron code LZ-F. TB752 took part in missions over northern Holland and Germany. Later in the war, TB752 flew with the Royal Canadian Air Forces No.403 Wolf Squadron, with whom the Spitfire shot down at least 5 enemy aircraft. Post war TB752 ended up as a gate guardian at RAF Manston, but was subsequently brought indoors and restore; she eventually made her way into the museum in pristine condition.

The Hawker Hurricane on display is Mk.IIC LF751. She rolled off the production lines at Hawkers plant in Langley during 1944 and served with No.1681 Bomber Defence Training Flight and No.27 Operational Training Unit based at Waterbeach coded FB-B. During July 1945, LF751 was relegated to instructional purposes with the code 5466M. Post-war, LF751 underwent refurbishment for long-term external display as a Mk.IID, but obviously, such outdoor exposure was unkind to the airframe and the Hurricane deteriorated considerably. The remarkable team at the Medway Aircraft Preservation Society (MAPS) stepped in during 1985, however, and undertook a comprehensive restoration plan which returned the aircraft to its current pristine condition.

The museum also contains a host of artifacts from other WWII aircraft, ground support material, weapons and wreckage. An inert, concrete-filled example of Barnes Wallaces Bouncing Bomb used during wartime testing was recovered from the sea at nearby Reculver where the bombs were dropped by dH Mosquitos and Avro Lancasters during air-trials from RAF Manston.

RAF Manston History Museum

The RAF Manston History Museum emerged from the RAF Manston History Club in 1986. It covers the history of the establishment from 1916 when it opened as a Royal Naval Air Station up until RAF Manston closed. Interestingly, one of the museums buildings is actually one of the original 1916 structures! This is another excellent museum with a host of aircraft and exhibits covering nearly a century of operations at the facility.





The extensive collection of aircraft is very interesting if a little eclectic. It includes the following

RAF Manston History Museum Aircraft

Blackburn Buccaneer S.2B, XV352, (Cockpit)

Canadair T-133 Silver Star Mk.3, G-BYOY

De Havilland Chipmunk T.10, WP772

English Electric Canberra B.15, WT205 (Cockpit)

English Electric Lightning F.6, XR770

The V-1 flying bomb (Perhaps a replica?)

Gloster Meteor T.T.20, WD646.

Handley-Page Victor K.2, XL190 (Cockpit)

Huntair Pathfinder 2 Microlight.

Hunting Percival Jet Provost T.4, XR658

Nieuport 17 replica, A.213

Panavia Tornado GR.1T, ZA325 (Cockpit).

PZL-Mielec TS-11 Iskra, SP-DOF.

SEPECAT Jaguar GR.3, XZ106

Short SD.3-30 Srs.100, G-SSWP (Cockpit).

Slingsby T.31B Cadet TX.3, XA312

Slingsby T.38 Grasshopper TX.1, XA231

Sopwith 1 Strutter replica, B.619

Westland Wessex HU.5, XS482

Westland Whirlwind HAS.7, XN380

This Museum also hosts a large collection of weapons, equipment and military airfield support vehicles; it is certainly an excellent place to visit for any enthusiast. Please note that the museum is temporarily closed whilst it undergoes a massive refurbishment, which can only enhance its appeal in the future, so please check its current status before you visit.

Manston Airport Aircraft

At the time of our visit, Manston Airport was also the home to a number of redundant airliners which have now disappeared most likely having been scrapped over the intervening years. Another feature present during our visit was the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre (DFTDC, formerly FSCTE Manston) which we believe closed in 2020, however a number of aircraft, mostly ex-RAF operational types, remain visible in satellite views of the site. These aircraft are not accessible to the public, however.
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A staff member transfers COVID-19 vaccines donated by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) at Wattay International Airport in Lao capital Vientiane on Aug. 23, 2021. The second batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the PLA to the Lao People's Army has arrived at Wattay International Airport in Lao capital Vientiane. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

VIENTIANE, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The second batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to the Lao People's Army, carried by PLA Air Force's Y-20 transport aircraft, has arrived at Wattay International Airport in Lao capital Vientiane.

Defense attache of the Chinese embassy in Laos Li Bing and Deputy Minister of National Defense Vongkham Phommakone attended the handover ceremony held on the arrival of the vaccines on Monday.

The Lao deputy defense minister spoke highly of the Chinese army's assistance and expressed sincere gratitude. He said that various anti-epidemic materials such as COVID-19 vaccines, medical masks and virus testing reagents, as well as military medical experts from the Chinese army, have played an important role in preventing and controlling the spread of the epidemic in Laos.

The continuous care and valuable support to the Lao People's Army from the Chinese side fully demonstrate the brotherhood of the two countries and two armies which share the common ideology and belief, and the spirits of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and the unbreakable community with a shared future, which is of strategic importance for deepening the friendly Laos-China cooperation, said the Lao officer.

Li Bing said, when addressing the ceremony, that since the outbreak of the epidemic in Laos, the Chinese army has been providing various anti-epidemic supplies, and has sent military medical experts to Laos to help fight the epidemic.

The PLA has faithfully practiced the initiative of building a global community of health for all, and actively participated in international cooperation against the epidemic, and will continue to work hand in hand with the Lao People's Army to fight the epidemic, said Li.
Chaldean Patriarchate Removes 'Babylon' From Name

Baghdad -- The reference to "Babylon", so far contained in the name of the Chaldean Patriarchate, has been removed on the initiative of the last Chaldean Synod of Bishops because it has no historical basis. This emerges from a communication from the Patriarchate, which is intended as an answer to questions and disapproving comments that were published on the Internet after the decision of the Synod.

During the last Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Church, which took place from August 9th to 14th in Baghdad, the participating bishops, together with Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako, unanimously decided to give up the previously used designation "Patriarchate of Babylon of the Chaldeans" and replace it with the simple definition" Chaldean Patriarchate". The synodal decision had also led to critical reactions. For example, in an online appeal, the Chaldean Writers' Association expressed its "regret" at a synodal resolution which, according to the authors of the communique, "calls into question a legacy of which we are proud".

The Patriarch's reply emphasizes that many critical comments come from circles of the Chaldean diaspora, while in Iraq "no one opposed the decision of the Synod". "Babylon", as the Patriarchate said, "was the capital of the Babylonian Empire, and it was never an episcopal or patriarchal seat and is now an Iraqi-Muslim city".

The denomination of "Patriarchate of Babylon of the Chaldeans" has no historical basis, for several reasons. By the time Christianity came to Mesopotamia, Babylon was already in ruins. The complex historical events that in the sixteenth century saw a part of the Assyrian Church of the East reaffirm full unity with the Church of Rome, led to the establishment of the Chaldean Patriarchate, linked by bonds of hierarchical communion with the Successor of Peter. But the reference to "Babylon" was included in the title of the Chaldean Patriarch only in 1724 by Patriarch Youssef III, who resided in Diyarbakir (today in Turkish territory).
by Vladimir Rozanskij

The Patriarch of Constantinople in Ukraine on the 30th anniversary of separation from the Soviet Union. Protests by pro-Russian faithful over recognition of Kiev's autocephaly in 2018. "I feel at home in this place and with this people who are inseparable from our canonical territory".

Kiev (AsiaNews) - The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew (Archontonis) has honoured Ukraine with an official visit to mark the August 24 national holiday for the independence. Bartholomew recognised Ukraine's ecclesiastical autocephaly in 2018. The Patriarch met Metropolitan Epifanyj (Dumenko), President Volodymyr Zelenskyj and members of the Rada, Ukraine's parliament.

Hundreds of people, faithful to the Orthodox Church of Moscow obedience, protested against the "schismatic" Patriarch and intoned prayers of reparation, accompanied by the pro-Russian Metropolitan of Kiev, Onufryj (Berezovskij). Other crowds, however, wanted to cheer him on in the name of the ecclesiastical autonomy, but Bartholomew avoided public demonstrations that could further exacerbate tensions.

The Patriarch did not take part in the Ukrainian independence ceremony held in the afternoon in St Sophia Cathedral and presided over by Metropolitan Onufryj, who had made Bartholomew's absence a pre-condition. In addition, President Zelensky, at Bartholomew's suggestion, established the "feast of the statehood of Ukraine", separate from that of independence. It will be held on 28 July, the day of the Baptism of the Rus' of Kiev, thus identified as the beginning of the history of the "Ukrainian State".

According to Andrej Melnikov, deputy editor of the Nezavisimaja Gazeta, the ecumenical patriarch is in some way "replacing NATO, the European Union and the UN" in recognising the dignity of the Ukrainian people, after years of conflict with Russia, which considers the land on the Dnieper part of its history, as Vladimir Putin himself has stressed in some recent speeches.

Thirty years ago, Ukraine's Supreme Soviet authority approved the declaration of independence from the USSR, which was the beginning of its dissolution and the autonomous existence of a Ukrainian state, for centuries divided between Poland and Russia. The ecclesiastical diatribe flared up shortly after the events of 1991, with the first requests for autocephaly and the unilateral proclamation of the Kiev patriarchate by Metropolitan Filaret (Denisenko), now in his nineties but still active in the various disputes between Moscow and Kiev.

In the history of nations with an Orthodox tradition, ecclesiastical jurisdiction is a fundamental element of identity, closely linked to political events. Russia itself gave a supreme example of this, with the proclamation of the patriarchate of Moscow in 1589, obtained from Constantinople not without force, to exalt "the one true Orthodox kingdom". Today Bartholomew is in Kiev, for the first time since the signing of the Tomos of autocephaly, to bring all the Churches back to the tradition of the first millennium, in which - in his words - "Constantinople has always had one great privilege: that of sacrifice, for the good of the universal Church".

In his greeting to the Ukrainian authorities and people, the Ecumenical Patriarch thanked "the Most Holy Trinity for allowing me to visit the long-suffering land of Ukraine, the baptismal font of Rus', the glorious Kiev where the holy Prince Vladimir laid an unshakable foundation for faith in Christ, received from the great Church of the New Rome".

Bartholomew added that he "feels at home in this place and with these people. Not because I have already been there or my glorious predecessors have been there, but because the Kiev metropolia, despite the trumpets to the contrary that resound, was from the beginning an inseparable part of our own canonical territory, even if some historical circumstances and human violence separated it from us, but not forever".

The patriarch of Constantinople then reiterated from Kiev that he was the "first see" also for all the other Orthodox Churches of "Russia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Albania, Czechia and Slovakia, in a word, of all the new Churches formed from our body". Closing any discussion of Orthodox primacy, Bartholomew assured that "we do not remember the disappointments and humiliations, the offences and sufferings, but we always go forward on the path of forgiveness, virtue and healing for all our children without exclusion". Politics, he says, must stay out of ecclesiastical life, which is difficult to achieve in the traditions of the Orthodox symphony between the throne and the altar.
by Sumon Corraya

The nun was returning to the convent. The man who stole her bag injured her eye. The episode adds to discrimination and violence against Bangladeshi Christians.

Dhaka (AsiaNews) - A nun of the Catechist Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was attacked and injured by a thief. The attack took place in recent days in Sreeghonti, in the diocese of Rajshahi. Sister Scholastica Jopomala Gomes, who teaches at St. Joseph's Haigh College in Bonpara, just six kilometres from the convent to which she was returning, got out of her rickshaw and was walking along the street when a man tried to steal her bag. When the Catholic nun tried to protect herself, the thief punched her and fled with the stolen goods: a mobile phone, a watch and some money.

Fr. Joseph Mistri, a member of the Society of Jesus and parish priest in Bhabanipur, reported that the nun was seriously injured in one eye, so after reporting the incident to the local police, she was transferred to Dhaka, where she will receive better treatment.

Msgr Gervas Rozario, bishop of the diocese of Rajshahi, told AsiaNews that he was sorry for the incident: "I think what happened is very sad. I ask the police to catch the Muslim aggressor to ensure justice".

There are countless attacks against Christians in Bangladesh, especially against religious and missionaries. In 1998, a missionary school in the old city of Dhaka was attacked by a group of Muslims who wanted to take over the church grounds. In 2001, at least 10 Catholics were killed and more than 50 injured when a bomb exploded in the parish of Goplagonj.

In 2015 in Dinajpur, members of the Islamic State shot the Italian PIME missionary, Father Piero Parolari, a doctor, who fortunately recovered. In 2018, Sister Madeline, a nun of the Missionaries of Charity congregation, was stabbed while returning from the bank in Moulovibazar.
Iraqi public opinion is critical of the United States, which, as in Afghanistan, has achieved the same poor results in building a state after years of occupation. Baghdad's silence and Isis' "contempt" for the rise of the Taliban. Saad Salloum: Iraq's 'neutrality and stability' essential for the region's future. The litmus test of elections in October.

Baghdad (AsiaNews) - Iraqi public opinion summarizes that "the United States has failed to build a state in Afghanistan, despite 20 years of occupation" in which profound "political and social changes" have taken place, says Saad Salloum, journalist and associate professor at the Chair of Political Science at the prestigious al-Mustansiriyya University in Baghdad, one of the oldest in the world.

In an interview with AsiaNews the regional expert says "It is similar to how the United States also failed in Iraq, after 18 years of presence following the 2003 invasion" to oust Saddam Hussein then in power. "Hence the comparison between Afghan and local history", with the understandable fear that "the same scenario could occur", as a Chaldean priest from Mosul had already explained in recent days.

To date, there have been no official statements or initiatives by the government in Baghdad, which prefers to keep a low profile on the rise of Koranic students in Kabul - a not too distant memory of what happened in Mosul in the summer of 2014. The radical Islamic movements themselves are keeping a low profile, while some observers even speak of "contempt" on the part of the Islamic State (IS, formerly Isis) towards the Taliban, who were handed over the country following the American withdrawal. The general public, and users on social media, have instead relaunched images and videos of the great escape, with the ensuing chaos at the capital's airport, wondering if this could also happen in Iraq.

US President Joe Biden's plan to significantly reduce the military presence in Iraq by the end of the year, as communicated to Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al Kadhimi during a meeting in July, adds to the uncertainty about the future. A situation of uncertainty could encourage a large-scale return of Isis militiamen on the one hand and strengthen the aims of conquest by local militias linked and supported by Tehran that have long been operating in the political and military underworld, with further bloodshed.

Analysts and international experts underline the similarities in terms of corruption and weakness of the armies of the two Countries, which could lead to the fear of a collapse of the Iraqi State, as happened in Afghanistan. "At the same time", warns Saad Salloum, "the Iraqi front is different from the Afghan one: different experiences, also successful, as happened in Iraqi Kurdistan, in the North, where there are no great threats and where the United States policy has been able to weave good relations. Furthermore, there is a positive bond between Baghdad and Washington, also from a strategic point of view. The approach is different, just as the scenario is different compared to Kabul", where there are more marked influences from China, Russia and Iran to take into account.

"All this," he continues, "suggests that the Afghan scenario will not materialise in Iraq, which is fast approaching the [parliamentary] elections in October" that will give rise to "a new government".

"Certainly, there are interests and pressures from outside, such as Turkey, Iran and the United States itself,' he notes, but the country is 'too important for the future of the Middle East and its fundamental stability' to be left to its own devices.

A co-founder of the Iraqi Council for Interfaith Dialogue and president of the Masarat Foundation, Salloum is one of the most influential figures in interfaith dialogue, so much so that he received the coveted Stefanus Prize for religious freedom in 2018. "The Gulf nations," he concludes, "see Iraq as a neutral place" and ideal for "talks and negotiations, a crossroads" that manages to survive "amidst tensions and opposing interests of the powers at play. This is also thanks to the policies of the current government, based on greater neutrality".
In 2013, Australia closed its doors to refugees and diverted their boats to the Melanesian islands. The bishops of Papua New Guinea have been calling for a permanent solution for them and for those arriving from Afghanistan in the coming months. A similar call was also made by the Archbishop of Melbourne Mark Coleridge.

Port Moresby (AsiaNews) - The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands has launched an appeal for the relocation of Afghans who have been stranded in Oceania for over eight years because Australia has refused their request for asylum. The men and women now have no possibility of communicating even with their families who have remained in Afghanistan.

"In light of this situation, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, is making a call for solidarity and ressetlement of all Afghan refugees who still remain in PNG, Nauru, Australia and the general Asia Pacific region," reads a statement by the bishops released after a press conference held this morning.

Afghans are one of the largest groups of asylum seekers whose issue in Oceania has dragged on for years. In 2013 Australia - in order to stop landings - passed a harsh law that closed the doors to asylum seekers, diverting them to detention centres on the islands of Manus and Nauru. More than eight years later, several hundred of these people still remain between Papua New Guinea and prison facilities and 'alternative places of detention' in Australia, where they have no right to resettle.

At the press conference, a spokesperson for the 20 asylum seekers still in Port Moresby denounced how in all these years the Asia-Pacific nations have done nothing to find a permanent solution for the Afghans. "Our situation is very difficult because we are dealing with two states, Australia and Papua New Guinea."

The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has already caused half a million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and will produce a further flow of asylum seekers to neighbouring countries.

"These refugees need our support, both materially and in prayer, as they think about the lives of those they left behind in Afghanistan," the Papua New Guinean bishops wrote to the governments of the region, which should create "a special humanitarian programme to provide safe passage out of Afghanistan" for those most at risk.

Stanis Hulahu, Papua New Guinea's migration officer, said at the press conference that the country, like other Melanesian nations, did not have "a well-established humanitarian programme to deal with this situation", but was working to manage the arrival of asylum seekers in the future. A commission will be set up to determine who is entitled to refugee status. Hulahu also invited the bishops to take part.

In the meantime, Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Melbourne, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference, also presented the same requests to the Australian government in a letter dated 19 August addressed to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, assuring that Catholic aid agencies "are ready to assist the government in the relocation of refugees".

The prelate then asked Canberra to provide at least 20,000 humanitarian visas for those coming from Afghanistan. That would be about 17,000 more applications than the current provisions.

"It would seem our moral duty to stand with those who supported Australian military forces as interpreters or in other capacities, who it seems likely will suffer reprisals and even death for their work," the Archbishop wrote. "We should also offer refuge to other Afghans who are likely to face persecution or risk being killed because of their opposition to the Taliban, or because of their beliefs, values and way of life, including members of the Christian community."
Three copies of the Guru Granth Sahib arrived in the Indian capital along with Afghan Sikhs. Despite the emergency situation, a special religious ritual was followed to get them out. Each book of sacred hymns is a "living guru". Concern is growing for Afghanistans cultural and religious heritage now in the hands of those who destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan.

New Delhi (AsiaNews/Agencies)  In addition to people, three sacred books of great spiritual value were evacuated from Afghanistan following a specific ritual.

Amid the scenes of people fleeing Afghanistan after its fall to the Taliban, one stands out, that of three Indian Sikhs walking barefoot on the runway of Kabul airport with three suitcases on their heads containing as many copies of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holiest Sikh religious scripture.

The precious books flew out yesterday on an Indian Air Force plane along with Afghan Hindus and Sikhs, landing in New Delhi, solemnly welcomed by a government minister.

The Guru Granth Sahib is a collection of hymns written by ten great Sikh masters; some 1,430 pages divided into 31 ragas. According to Sikh belief, each copy (saroop) of the holy book is a living guru.

For this reason, they are venerated in temples and put away in special containers in the evening. When they are moved from one place to another, a certain ritual must be followed: The scripture must be carried on the head and the person carrying it must be barefoot.

Declared the living Guru of the Sikhs in 1708, the Guru Granth Sahib was usually copied by hand, until printing was introduced under British colonial rule.

Old and worn copies must be taken to the Goindwal Sahib, one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Punjab, where they are cremated. For this reason, particular attention was paid to this aspect in the evacuation of the Afghan Sikhs.

Afghanistan was once home to hundreds of thousands of Sikhs, but their community was decimated by the Afghan wars. Only a few hundred are thought to remain in the country.

Until recently the latter had 12 copies of the Guru Granth Sahib, six of which were transferred to India in recent weeks, three arrived yesterday and the other three should arrive in an upcoming humanitarian flight.

The fate of Sikh sacred texts reflects Afghanistans latest tragedy, raising concerns about the countrys cultural and religious heritage, now in the hands of the Taliban.

The last time they were in power, the Taliban destroyed the gigantic statues of the Buddha in Bamiyan, on 12 March 2001.
Tepco, the company responsible for the nuclear power plant hit by the earthquake and tsunami of 2011, made the announcement yesterday. The radioactive water, which can no longer be stored, will first be diluted to reduce health risks. However, consumers are wary, so the government will buy seafood to compensate for the losses of local fishermen.

Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies)  The Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) today announced that it plans to release contaminated water from the Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean starting in the spring 2023.

Next month, a study of the seabed will begin to prepare the installation of the pipes that will carry the water from the nuclear plant damaged by 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

About 140 tonnes of radioactive water are generated each day as ground water and rain mix with the highly radioactive water used to cool melted nuclear fuel at the site.

This contaminated water is kept in storage tanks after most of the highly radioactive material is treated. But storage space is fast reaching capacity.

Back in April, the Japanese government decided that the only way to resolve the problem was to release the treated water into the Pacific Ocean.

Despite assurances by experts that the release will entail no health risks, the Japanese government is planning a series of measures to address the drop in sale of local seafood products.

After the 2011 disaster, the consumption of food products from Fukushima prefecture dropped drastically.

Following a meeting of ministers involved in the Fukushima file yesterday, the government decided that it would buy products that can be frozen and try to expand the sales network for those that cannot be stored for long.

For its part, Tepco announced that it will step up efforts to monitor the quality of sea water around the plant and publish a range of data to address consumers concerns about the safety of local seafood.

However, after denying compensation to some groups of victims, local residents have become wary of the company.

Faced with mounting criticism, Tepco president Tomoaki Kobayakawa, after attending yesterdays ministerial meeting, told reporters that his company would do all it can to counter negative rumors and respond to any harm resulting from the release of contaminated water into the sea.
The incident took place in the Tusba district, in Turkey's eastern province. Opposition MP Murat Sarsac submitts a complaint. According to some sources, a local landowner was behind the damage. The number of incidents of violence, abuse and damage against minority property is increasing.

Istanbul (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Unknown assailants have damaged several (Christian) graves in an Armenian cemetery in the district of Tusba, in the province of Van, in the far east of Turkey. Yesterday, Turkish opposition MP Murat Sarsac, a member of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), lodged a complaint and asked for a parliamentary inquiry to be opened on the matter.

The suburb of Kalecik, also known as Lezk, was an Armenian neighbourhood before the 1915 genocide. The Housing Development Agency (TOKI) promoted the construction of several housing units in the area after the devastating 2011 Van earthquake. Local witnesses report that, in recent days, a landowner brought bulldozers to the cemetery and purposely damaged the graves. According to a report by the Mesopotamia Agency (Ma), gravestones and bones were also removed and scattered.

In the images caught on CCTV cameras, MP Murat Sarsac points out, 'you can see that the gravestones are damaged and dozens of bones from the cemetery are scattered on the ground'. The Hdp member adds that similar incidents have often occurred in Van in the past, confirming that no adequate measures have been taken so far by central and local authorities to "protect monasteries, churches and historical cemeteries".

"In 2017, a toilet, a dressing room and a car park were built on Dilkaya Tumulus and the Armenian cemetery in Can," he noted. "Because of treasury hunting and the negligence of the executive authorities, historical and cultural structures in and around Van are damaged."Sarsac asked Vice President Fuat Oktay whether an investigation was opened into the incident and why the authorities do not protect Armenian cemeteries and cultural and religious heritage. He also asked about the central government's position on the vandalism and whether an 'inventory of Armenian monasteries, churches and other cultural assets in the region' had been made.

For the minorities, the desecration of the Armenian cemetery is only the latest in a series of controversial episodes, which show disrespect - if not contempt and commercialisation - of religious and cultural heritage. Last January, an ancient Armenian church in Bursa was expropriated and put up for sale online for 800,000 dollars, or the barbeque held in the grounds of another, while in recent months, the conversion of the ancient Christian basilicas of St Sophia and Chora into mosques, which were then museums in the early 20th century under Ataturk, has held court.

These are controversial decisions in the context of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's "nationalism and Islam" policy to hide the economic crisis and maintain power. In both buildings the Islamic authorities have covered images of Jesus, frescoes and icons revealing Christian roots with a white curtain.
Under U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, schools must quarantine all students in a classroom if they are unmasked and have come in contact with a person who tests positive with COVID-19. If all students and staff are masked, the CDC says students not deemed a close contact can remain in school.
We have been enormously pleased with our Westminster distribution and fulfillment center. So, when we decided to expand into a fourth facility to support our continued nationwide focus on growth and innovation, it was a natural decision to select a second Maryland location, Annette Danek, executive vice president, supply chain, of Penguin Random House, said in a statement. We are enthusiastic about the many terrific possibilities our Hampstead site can realize for our authors, booksellers, publishing partners  and for the career opportunities for our Westminster colleagues, and new job opportunities for Marylanders.
In those cases, when the city tried to argue that the crimes of the Gun Trace Task Force were so outside the scope of their employment that the city should not be liable, the Court of Appeals disagreed and said the officers were carrying out their jobs and the department had failed to supervise them.
A frying pan was observed in the second floor bedroom that contained family photographs that appeared to have been set on fire, police wrote in court papers. On the first floor, a makeshift altar or shrine had been constructed on the dining table from photographs that had been removed from the homes walls. The seating area of the sofa .. had family photographs carefully arranged and displayed on it.
Thousands of people are still thought to be trying to leave the country, and its not clear that everyone who wants to will be able to before the end of the month. But any decision by Biden to stay longer could reignite a war between the Taliban and American troops and other coalition forces who are running the airlift.
Indeed, defense attorney Gary Springstead told the judge that Garbin is going to be a star witness against the others. He later told reporters that Garbin can tell what was in his mind at the time, which is that this wasnt some fanciful plot. This was real. And he can tell the government why he believes other people had the same intent that he did and show them where to look.
The application to go higher was almost unheard-of for an ambitious development whose construction was already well underway. The builders had not mentioned the added stories in their original plans. It was not clear how much consideration they had given to how the extra floors would affect the structures overall. And, most galling for town officials, the added penthouses would violate height limits designed to prevent laid-back Surfside from becoming another Miami Beach.
First, increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates in schools and within families will help students and educators safely return to in-person learning, extracurricular activities and sports. Rigorous studies have shown that the vaccine is safe and effective, with no evidence of significant side effects. Reports of serious side effects are rare and the known and potential benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks. We are hearing that the vaccine may be approved for children under 12 in the near future. As a pediatrician and mom, I look forward to providing that protection to all children, including my own. Until then, it is incredibly important that everyone who can be vaccinated do so to protect children under 12.
Regarding the recent article, Lack of masks mandate could pose a logistical nightmare for some Maryland schools due to quarantine requirements (Aug. 23), no question masks should be mandated by Gov. Larry Hogan for all Maryland schools. The policy requiring all unmasked students exposed to COVID-19 to quarantine at home is only one concern. The disruption of large groups of students being present in class one day and then out for an extended period is not only an academic disaster but a social one.


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More clouds than sun. High 77F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.

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For more than two decades, India has openly opposed any prospect of the Taliban returning to power in Afghanistan. New Delhi has continued to oppose the Taliban even in the face of the international communitys ongoing effort to engage the group to find a negotiated settlement. Pakistan, on the other hand, supports efforts to engage the Taliban in an attempt to bring the Taliban back to power. After the collapse of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis government and the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, Islamabad believes that it has scored a major win against India as it can isolate New Delhis political influence and interests in Afghanistan. The Talibans return to power risks turning Afghanistan into an India-Pakistan proxy battleground.

BACKGROUND: U.S. troops in Afghanistan have nearly completed their withdrawal. Only a few thousand troops are deployed at the Kabul International Airport to help with the evacuation efforts. The Taliban have said that the U.S. should leave the country by the end of August and have warned of consequences if the U.S. would miss the deadline.

The Afghan peace process has virtually collapsed after the Talibans takeover of the country. The peace process that began in 2018 between the U.S. and the Taliban culminated with the signing of the Doha Accord in early 2020, stipulating that all U.S. troops should leave Afghanistan within 14 months and starting conversations regarding the intra-Afghan peace process.

The U.S. has recognized Pakistans role in persuading the Afghan Taliban into signing an agreement with the U.S. However, the international community and particularly the U.S., still believes that Pakistan never forced its longtime ally, the Taliban, to agree to a peace deal with other Afghan stakeholders. All available reports indicated that the Taliban would take over the country  something that Pakistan has long wanted to achieve despite pressure from the international community to cease its support for the group. However, few anticipated that the group could take over Kabul or return to power even before the completion of the U.S. force withdrawal from Afghanistan.

It is in Pakistans interest to push for the formation of an inclusive government representing all major ethnic groups of Afghanistan. If the Taliban seeks to rule Afghanistan by isolating other groups, the country could plunge into instability, which would also impact Pakistans security.

Fears are growing that Pakistan could again use the Talibans return to power as an opportunity to attack the interests of its longtime foe India. For decades, one of Pakistans core interests have revolved around diminishing Indias role in Afghanistan and use the country to push its militaristic policy in the region.

Conversely, India has continually supported the Afghan government and openly opposed the Talibans return to power, which would directly challenge Indias interests in Afghanistan. India may therefore see a need for reorienting its Afghan policy and consider the option of opening talks with the Taliban. In any case, Pakistan and India are poised to lock horns again as they strive to support different groups in order to undermine each others interests.

IMPLICATIONS: The implications of such a scenario will be significant not only for regional stakeholders but also for the Afghan population. At present, it appears that Pakistan is interested in seeing an inclusive government in Afghanistan as it remains engaged alongside China and Russia. Yet from Islamabads perspective, any meaningful outcome of these efforts should offer the Afghan Taliban a major share of power. The peace process was intended to lead to an agreement whereby the Taliban holds a degree of power. And this is what Pakistan has always wanted  a government in Kabul that is friendly to Pakistan.

At the moment, there is an opportunity for Pakistan to look beyond supporting the Afghan Taliban and earn the respect and support of other Afghan stakeholders if Islamabad is truly interested in the Afghan peace process. Amira Jadoon, Assistant Professor at the Combating Terrorism Center and the Department of Social Sciences at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point told this author that Pakistan needs to exploit the goodwill that it has earned through its role in the peace process, and its relationship with the Afghan Taliban to promote peace and good governance in Afghanistan and support future power-sharing arrangements. In this regard, Pakistans image-building will have to precede any concrete humanitarian and institutional support and needs to be perceived as an earnest effort by all major Afghan stakeholders.

It remains open to debate what Pakistan can do to earn the trust of all major Afghan stakeholders in a matter of months. Policy makers in Islamabad already believe that they have done enough to show that their efforts are genuine. Whatever those measures may be, they have not helped in changing the attitudes of the Afghan ruling elite towards the Pakistani states questionable role in their internal affairs.

This essentially means that if the peace process would not lead to an inclusive government, which appears likely, Pakistan will be forced to double down on its policy of supporting the Afghan Taliban. India, which supports the Northern alliance, the only remaining group that is still opposing the Talibans return from the Panjshir province, can be expected to use all available means to bolster the Anti-Taliban alliance. Panjshir is the only remaining province of Afghanistan that is not under Taliban control, and a majority of the military officials and troops that worked for the government of former President Ashraf Ghani have fled to the province.

There have been reports that India is also considering to open direct talks with the Taliban. Addressing the intra-Afghan talks last year, Indias External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar repeated his countrys support for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, and Afghan-controlled peace process and avoided criticism of the Talibans role.

The U.S. would probably like to see New Delhi open direct talks with the group to safeguard its interests. Last year, U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad called on India to engage with the Afghan Taliban and directly discuss its concerns related to terrorism, adding that Washington wants New Delhi to take on a more active role in the Afghan peace process. Apparently, this wish made little difference in New Delhis policy making circles as India continues to maintain officially that it will not support the return of a Taliban government in Afghanistan.

This essentially means that India could go back to supporting the Northern Alliance that opposed the Taliban during the 1990s and also became a part of the Afghan government after the Taliban government was removed in 2001. India has worked for more than a decade to support different factions in an effort to oppose the Talibans return, and is unlikely to change this policy course now.

Violence is likely to mount in Afghanistan in the coming weeks between the Pakistan-supported Taliban and India-supported resistance forces. According to the Doha Accord, U.S. troops were to withdraw by May 1 but the deadline was unilaterally extended by President Biden. A Taliban spokesman said in a statement that the passing of the May 1 deadline was a violation in principle that has opened the way for Taliban fighters to take every counteraction it deems appropriate against the occupying [foreign] forces.

As thousands of people amass at the Kabul International Airport to flee the country, the Taliban have warned that they want all foreign evacuations from the country to be completed by an August 31 deadline and that they will not agree to an extension. The group has also said that it will not form a government until all U.S. troops have left Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, leaders from the top U.S. foreign allies have asked President Biden to extend the deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from Afghanistan. Reportedly, CIA Director William Burns also held a secret meeting with the Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar to gain his support for an extended deadline.

CONCLUSIONS: Against the backdrop of these developments, regional stakeholders, particularly Pakistan and India, are preparing to support their local factions in Afghanistan. It is possible that as soon as the U.S. troops leave Afghanistan, the intra-Afghan peace process and efforts to form an inclusive government will become irrelevant. Pakistan will likely view the situation as another opportunity to isolate India in Afghanistan, while India will expend great effort to hold on to the gains it has made in the country over the last decade. The return of violence and a factional war between the Taliban and other ethnic groups risks starting another proxy war between the two countries.

AUTHOR'S BIO:

Umair Jamal is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Otago, New Zealand and the Diplomat Magazines correspondent in Pakistan. His areas of research include counterterrorism and security issues in the Pak-Afghan region. He has consulted with various think tanks in Pakistan and globally and has published for a number of media outlets including Al-Jazeera, Foreign Policy, SCMP, and the Huffington Post.

Image Source: U.S. Central Command photo by Senior Airman Brandon Cribelar accessed 8.25.2021
But Marylands latest surge differs from previous waves. For one, vaccines are now widely available to the public, and more than 60% of Marylanders are fully vaccinated. That number doesnt include children under 12, however, who cant get vaccinated yet. And with school starting up again soon, kids could be heavily affected by the virus.
You can always call your vaccination site to see if they can print you a new one. This is rather easy if you were vaccinated at your neighborhood pharmacy, but trickier if you were vaccinated at a pop-up or mass vaccination site.
The return to in-person learning in a majority of schools across the state is about to begin, but it comes as the more contagious delta variant is contributing to a rise in coronavirus cases in Maryland.
We believe that students of all types and all kinds of backgrounds can excel, Hrabowski said. We believe in very high academic standards for our students and ourselves. We are a campus that is constantly seeking the truth, whether through research, through the teaching and learning process, through serving in communities to understand the challenges that we face as a society. And the vision would be to continue doing all of those things.
The boards themselves have little power over the day-to-day functions at the academies, including the curriculum. They are, as the lawsuit describes them, oversight boards. They are required by law to meet a certain number of times per year and make recommendations to the academies, the president and the secretary of the Navy. They can also make recommendations to Congress.
The police department in its response also addressed problems flagged in the work of a firearms examiner, whose work over a 10-month period has been called into question. Jaeger said it was discovered that swabs collected by the examiner were missing from at least three evidence packages and or were mislabeled or switched.
Government has an obligation to do all we can to protect the health, safety and well-being of our residents, Olszewski said in a statement. While weve made undeniable progress in our fight against this deadly virus, the rapid emergence of the Delta variant has made it clear that we need access to every tool in our toolbox to be able to respond to it.
After an investigation, police discovered Curtis would frequently pose as the mother of an infant or toddler within the messaging chat rooms and discuss the sexual abuse of his purported children, according to the release. It also states Curtis distributed images documenting the sexual abuse of the children he pretended were his.
At Mondays meeting of the Aberdeen City Council, Mayor Patrick McGrady said the city is trying to get buy-in from officials in Havre de Grace and Bel Air on a cross-municipality joint resolution that asks for the cities of Aberdeen and Havre de Grace to be united in one councilmanic district, as well as changes to the countys other districts during decennial redistricting.
To fund the plan, the county sent a letter of intent to apply for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act funding from the Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year. If approved, the county can file an application to borrow up to 49% of the cost of the Safe and Sound plan. The remaining 51% would be funded by the county and through other sources. The county would not have to repay the loan until construction is complete.
The practice was first put in place under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But it was struck down by a conservative majority on the Supreme Court in 2013, which ruled the formula for determining which states needed their laws reviewed was outdated and unfairly punitive. The court did, however, say that Congress could come up with a new formula, which is what the bill does.
Over the past couple of days, my fellow soldiers and I have called to check in on each other, to make sure were doing OK. One friend sent me a frantic note asking for help with his former interpreter, who is stranded at the airport in Kabul with his pregnant wife and children, desperate to get to safety. They are stranded despite the fact that his wife was injured and hit in the stomach during a stampede at the airport before U.S. forces gained control.
Pakistan has handed over a list of most-wanted terrorists affiliated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operating from the war-torn neighbouring country to the Taliban.

Pakistan shared the list with Taliban chief Haibatullah Akhundzada after they took control of Kabul recently, reported The Express Tribune.

Reportedly, Akhundzada had set up a three-member commission to investigate Pakistan's claim that the TTP was using Afghanistan to plot cross-border terrorist attacks.

According to The Express Tribune, Islamabad is seeking action against TTP and its affiliates have already initiated talks with the terror group.

"We have taken up the issue with them (Taliban). We have given them a list of wanted TTP terrorists operating from Afghanistan," a senior Pakistani official, familiar with the development, told The Express Tribune.

The official further said that Pakistan expected the Taliban to take action against the TTP. Although the official did not share the list, it is believed that Pakistan was seeking action against the TTP chief and its other top commanders.

The Taliban has also set up a separate commission for anti-Pakistan militants to stop violence against the neighbouring country and return to their homes across the border, the Voice of America (VOA) learnt through highly-placed sources.

Quoting sources in Islamabad, the VOA reported that the TTP leaders were being warned by the commission to settle their problems with Pakistan and return to the country along with their families in exchange for a possible amnesty by the Pakistani government.

The sources have ruled out the possibility of Pakistan accepting any TTP demands, insisting the amnesty would be offered in line with the country's Constitution and law, which would require the militants to surrender their weapons.

According to the February 2020 deal between the Taliban and the US in Doha, the group cannot permit regional or transnational terrorist groups to use Afghan soil to threaten global security, reports The Express Tribune.

Taliban has claimed that it will not allow Afghan soil to be used for any terrorist activities.

"This concern is legitimate, and our policy is clear that we will not allow anyone to use the soil of Afghanistan against any neighbouring country, including Pakistan. So, they should not have any concern," Afghan Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen told media agencies.

Shaheen added that neither the TTP nor any other terrorist groups will have any place in our country and that's a clear message to all.

Since the Taliban took control over Kabul, there are growing concerns that groups such as the banned TTP may be further emboldened by the development.

The TTP chief recently issued a statement congratulating the Taliban victory and renewed allegiance to its chief Akhundzada.

There were also reports that the Taliban have released many TTP terrorists including its former deputy chief Maulvi Faqir Muhammad from jail.

(ANI)

Also Read: UN refugee agency says some 400 illegal migrants rescued off Libyan coast
Some 400 illegal migrants were rescued and returned to Libya, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Tuesday.

"Last night, some 400 persons were returned to Libya including 28 women and 4 children," UNHCR tweeted.

"Disembarkations took place at the Tripoli Naval Base and Azzawiya Oil Refinery. The majority were Sudanese, Eritrean and Ethiopian. UNHCR and International Rescue Committee provided urgent assistance to all survivors," it said.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of its leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.

So far in 2021, more than 22,000 illegal migrants, including women and children, have been rescued, while hundreds of others died and went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Rescued migrants end up inside overcrowded reception centers across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers.

(ANI)

Also Read: Taliban warn US not to encourage Afghan elite to leave country
What can be trusted; what can be relied on; what stands firm no matter what? What isnt shaky and shifting below our feet? Psalm 93 gives a response to those questions about instability and
The kids they help arrive from countries including Myanmar, Pakistan, Syria and Afghanistan. Many children fled their homes and spent years in refugee camps, where they were unable to learn; most were barred from school in home countries. Arriving in the U.S. can be a relief but also the beginning of a challenging new chapter as families work to build new lives. Many of the kids learn English and serve as translators for their families.
The content of each BaKIT Box indicates how soon ingredients should be used, but Medina Jacobson recommends sticking the whole bag (which comes inside the box) in the fridge if it wont be used right away. But if the butter, for example, needs to come to room temperature before making frosting for cupcakes, the recipe cards will specify.
The show had three hosts over the course of its two-decade run. The show launched in 2001 with Amanda Puck. Two years later, Alpana Singh, a master sommelier, became the face of the show. She remained in that position until 2013, when local food writer Catherine De Orio took over. Singh then made a surprise return as host in 2018. Check, Please! also spread to other cities, with spinoffs of the show filmed in metros such as Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.
There were so many of us who were in those (conversion therapy) communities who were self-harming, and none of us are self-harming now, said Rodgers, who started burning her shoulders when she was 19. It just seems like such a direct correlation: Were told were broken and sinful and disordered so we hate our bodies and take it out on our bodies.
Jerry Bobbitt, 51, was waiting for the train back to his home in the Detroit suburbs when a train station employee yelled that he and the others waiting in the lobby needed to evacuate, he said. He at first wasnt sure if it was a runaway train or an active shooter, but word of a shooter soon spread.
Rahm Emanuel, who put in the cameras while he was mayor, made the argument they were safety aids to protect people in parks. In some cases, thats a fair description. But many of these so-called parks are hardly epic patches of green and cameras now ding away with nary a pedestrian in sight. In some cases, even late at night. At least Emanuel kept the settings more reasonable. Lightfoots administration has gone much further, even though the mayor has claimed a desire to wean her city from its addiction to fees and fines.
But Democratic legislative leaders have ordered the General Assembly to return to special session on Tuesday to modify their maps now that census data is available. The survey results overstated Illinois population decline and Republicans said the map resulted in a near 30% deviation from its most populous House district to its least populous district  with a 10% deviation the standard of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Weve been busy on all fronts trying to get money out the door and trying to give people financial strategies to get them through this period, Clarke said. One thing that I learned being part of this initiative is that its that intimate relationship between the landlord and the tenant that keeps these units affordable. We want to preserve that intimate relationship as part of this initiative because theyre dependent on each other  the tenant pays their rent, thats how the landlord pays the mortgage and keeps the property up. Its this whole circle of life that were trying to bring back into balance.
Avendano still has another pending case against him in which he is accused of making sexual contact with another child under the age of 13 at the school.
Tuesday marks the third time in less than a week that rescuers pulled people from lake waters in Evanston. On Aug. 21, Evanston firefighters rescued a 37-year-old man who was two miles off Dempster Street Beach after high waves filled his kayak with water. Then on Aug. 22, Evanston Fire Department swimmers rescued two Northwestern students early Sunday after they were caught in strong currents at Clark Street Beach.
She falsely claimed the business operated since 2017 and she bought it in May 2020 with 20 employees and $150,000 in sales, records show. Weeks did some braiding out of her East Chicago apartment, but nothing to this scale, prosecutors said.
International moviemakers are gearing up to use the Australian state of Queensland as a scenic backdrop for several big-budget shows.

Screen Queensland announced on Tuesday that Disney+ would film a live-action science-fiction adventure TV series at Village Roadshow Studios near the state capital city of Brisbane and surrounding Gold Coast locations.

Disney executive producer Johanna Devereaux said the 10-part series, Nautilus, would be based on Jules Verne's classic novel 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.

"It's a huge privilege to bring the Nautilus and her crew to life again in such a bold, exciting way, with a diverse team of creative talent and on-screen characters," Devereaux said of the production which is due to start early next year.

Screen Queensland CEO Kylie Munnich said Nautilus would be a "complex production requiring the construction of large-scale sets, together with heavy visual effects and a highly technical set-up for computer-generated creatures and worlds - it's an epic project."

Another major TV production will be filmed in the state's tropical Far North, with the streaming giant Netflix announcing its own 10-part drama series Irreverent, which will be about an American criminal masquerading as the new church reverend in an idyllic seaside community.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has welcomed the announcement of the two productions, estimating that the filming of Nautilus, alone, would bring about 96 million Australian dollars (about 69.25 million U.S. dollars) into the state's economy and create about 240 jobs for local cast and crew.

Palaszczuk said Irreverent would stream the natural beauty of the state's Far North into "living rooms across the world, affirming the region's status not only as a production paradise but also as a bucket-list destination for future travel."

Munnich said that the Far North was a unique production location and was subsequently in high demand from both domestic and international productions.

One of the most anticipated projects is Universal Pictures' Ticket To Paradise, starring Academy Award winners Julia Roberts and George Clooney, which is due to start filming in Queensland later this year.
For centuries, Chinese herbal pharmacies worldwide look very much the same: herbs are retrieved from a wall of wooden drawers by a grey-haired pharmacist, weighed in a steelyard and divided into several portions before being wrapped up and bundled in paper.

With a history of more than 2,000 years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), seen by many as a national treasure for its unique theories and practices, has found its way to connect with the rapidly changing demands of modern people.

In the pharmacy at northwest China's Gansu Provincial Hospital of TCM in Lanzhou City, 500 white plastic bottles are lined up against the wall like honeycombs, replacing the usual wooden cabinets. Each bottle has a unique QR code on its packaging and contains different concentrated herbal granules.

Once receiving a prescription, pharmacists will pull out the bottles from the walls and place them into an automatic dispenser, which can quickly identify different medicines and blend them in the proper proportions.

After all the granules have been mixed together, the dispenser will automatically seal them into different small packages.

"It used to take more than five minutes on average for a skillful pharmacist to fill a prescription. Now the whole process is completed within one minute and traceable on the computer," said Wang Hongli, deputy director of the department of pharmacy at the hospital.

Cao Yong, a 26-year-old white-collar worker, got his prescribed medication after a short wait. "It is convenient and simple for busy office workers like me, as all I need to do is open the package and pour the granules into hot water," said Cao.

In recent years, such smart TCM pharmacies have blossomed in many cities in China, catering to young people's need for effective medical services in their fast-paced life.

At the same time, some time-honored pharmacies have embraced a "fusion" style to renovate their prestigious brand.

In downtown Shanghai, Tonghanchuntang, which was founded in 1783, has gone viral for turning its old pharmacy into a TCM experience store last December.

With stylish interior designs such as colorful boxes holding herbs inlaid in the ceiling, the store is positioned as a fashionable TCM healthcare center targeting younger consumers.

"We bought low-fat herbal drinks downstairs and experienced pulse-feeling upstairs. That was a fascinating trip, giving me a rare opportunity to get to know the charm of the TCM culture," 23-year-old Yang Lu commented online.

More advanced technologies, such as big data, artificial intelligence and 5G, have provided strong support for the research of TCM, while multi-disciplinary collaborations have sped up the inheritance and innovation of the whole industry, leading to greater opportunities for business growth.

The secret of TCM's lasting popularity and vibrancy is that it can continuously adapt to changing times to meet the diverse demands of different generations, said Ning Yanmei, an associate professor at the college of pharmacy at the Gansu University of Chinese Medicine.
Shanghai on Tuesday released its financial development plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), which envisions the city evolving into a strategic link between the domestic and international markets, against a backdrop of the country implementing its "dual circulation" development paradigm.



Internationalization will be one of the highlights of Shanghai's financial market in the next few years. The scope for the issuance of the panda bond, the yuan-denominated bond from a non-Chinese issuer, will be widened.

Domestic issuers will be supported to issue more yuan bonds, the Chinese corporate bonds denominated in foreign currencies. Financial institutions will be encouraged to provide services related to offshore economic and trade activities.

Qualified foreign institutions are encouraged to set up wholly owned or jointly held securities firms, mutual funds, futures companies, life insurance companies, asset management subsidiaries of commercial banks, pension fund management companies, and credit rating agencies in Shanghai, according to the central regulators' guideline.

"Foreign institutions will be supported to expand their business scope in Shanghai. Both domestic and overseas institutions here will be treated on an equal footing," said Shanghai's Vice-Mayor Wu Qing.

Continued efforts will be made during the 14th Five-Year Plan period to advance the free use of the renminbi, said Sun Hui, deputy director of the People's Bank of China's Shanghai Head Office.

Based on demand, more market entities, especially key companies, should be more accustomed to using the renminbi for settlements. Such breakthroughs should be more widely seen in trading for commodities like crude oil, iron ore and rubber as well as in overseas project contracts, said Sun.

"What can be realized by foreign currencies, the renminbi will be able to serve the same end, but only in more convenient ways," he said.

A multi-level capital market should be built in Shanghai at a faster pace, the plan stated. Direct financing, especially equity financing, should be given a bigger role in the financial market. Key strategic industries like artificial intelligence and biomedicine should seek faster development with the help of the capital market.

Meanwhile, more angel investors, venture capital firms and equity investment institutions should be attracted to Shanghai to provide a more friendly environment for scientific innovation.

Trading of infrastructure-based real estate investment trusts, or REITs, should be further advanced to make Shanghai an internationally competitive market for the product.

As for the country's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, Shanghai will explore a "green" path in the financial sector. The national-level carbon emissions trading market, which was launched on July 16, should become more internationally influential in the next few years.

Experiments in climate investment and financing will be conducted. Green loans, bonds, insurance policies and funds will seek substantial growth in Shanghai in the next few years, the plan stated.
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Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Tuesday inspected the city of Chengde in north China's Hebei province.



Xi went to the Chengde Mountain Resort, the Puning Temple, the Chengde Museum, a village and a community-based service center for elderly home care.

He conducted field research on the preservation and development of cultural heritage, as well as the topics of religious affairs, ethnic unity, rural vitalization and elderly care services.
You are here: China

China is making notable progress in rural transport infrastructure construction as improved road networks play a key role in the country's new mission of rural vitalization.



Currently, China's rural road mileage has reached 4.38 million km, accounting for 84.3 percent of the country's total road length, Minister of Transport Li Xiaopeng told a press conference on Tuesday.

As a complete victory over absolute poverty has been secured nationwide, China has started on a new journey of rural vitalization.

The country is not simply pursuing an increase in its rural road mileage but is striving to promote the integration of transportation construction, resource development and industrial development in rural areas to better serve the goal of rural vitalization, according to the Ministry of Transport.
Following the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban, the American press are in broad agreement that the decision to end U.S. involvement in Afghanistan was a clear and universally-accepted mistake.



A sample of articles in influential U.S. publications such as Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, and The Atlantic reveal that the U.S. "lacks credibility," and "betrayed" the Afghan people. Some have even stated that the betrayal is "your fault," you plebeian Americans. Sure, the U.S. lacked credibility when its past three presidents all promised to turn the tide and "win" in Afghanistan; we betrayed the Afghan people when we invaded 20 years ago; and Americans in post-industrial towns, half of whom don't vote in their own country's elections, should care as much about imposing our version of democracy on Afghanistan as policy experts who are paid to care about Afghanistan, right?

"The Afghans are trapped in a 'nightmare,'" CNN headlined an article. What about the girls and women killed when the U.S. and its warlords invaded in 2001? What about the 1,000 or more civilians killed every year of the war and the children recruited as soldiers? The whole war has been a nightmare.

Among U.S. media and national security professionals, there is very little acknowledgement of the arguments of those who supported the withdrawal. That's because the media and the elites have career and business interests in having America invade and occupy many countries.

There are about 2,000 think tanks in the U.S., about a third of all the think tanks in the world, and Washington DC is where they are centralized. DC think tanks also disproportionately attract funds from wealthy donors and corporations. And what is the most common topic of "thinking" for these think tanks? "Foreign Affairs, and National Security," according to an analysis by Northwestern professor Alexander C. Furnas which was published in Applied Network Science.

In order for think tanks to have something to write about and hence attract money, they need to have "problems" in the world and propose "solutions" America's leaders can engage in.

The best way to attract funding is through fear. Consequentially, there are many think tanks that focus exclusively on terrorism, warning that al-Qaeda will launch another attack if the U.S. doesn't bomb somewhere. For the past two decades, hyperventilating "experts" have fearmongered about biological weapons, suitcase nukes, EMP attacks and worse.

But being wrong doesn't harm one's career in Washington. The same experts keep circulating among the same think tanks, and keep making the same predictions to keep getting hired.

The DC establishment is no better at predicting or planning foreign policy engagements. See how they all failed on Iraq, too, in addition to Afghanistan. To take just one example, Paul Wolfowitz, then working for the Bush administration, previously the dean of Johns Hopkins' foreign policy school, later president of the World Bank, said that Iraq would have no sectarian conflicts following the U.S. overthrowing its government.

The U.S. media repeatedly solicits the opinions of the same experts and determines what to be concerned by what think tanks are concerned about. Journalists want to appear worldly and feign superior knowledge and concern for the rest of the world. They want you to know they support the Afghan people.

Some foreign correspondents even wrote articles about their concerns for the people they knew in Afghanistan. There are a lot of people suffering, and there will be for some time. But the relationships between a journalist or a policymaker and those they know abroad cannot justify foreign policy. They do not change the facts on the ground.

Too many journalists and politicians, on the other hand, do not know the families of soldiers who are being sent to sacrifice their bodies and lives for a losing war. Only 7.3% of Americans have ever served in the military, and the share of Americans currently serving is smaller than it has ever been. The number of Americans who have family members serving in the military is also declining, and military service is increasingly being concentrated amongst the same class.

This creates a military-civilian divide, which is manifested in the media's out-of-touch reaction to Afghanistan. The children of journalists and politicians are not fighting in Afghanistan. They have nothing on the line. It is just another imperial game for them.

Mitchell Blatt is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/MitchellBlatt.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.




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Law-enforcement authorities from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand joined forces Tuesday for the 108th Mekong River joint patrol.

Three Chinese vessels departed Tuesday morning from Guanlei Port in southwest China's Yunnan Province for the four-day patrol, the Yunnan provincial public security bureau said.

The patrol also marks the beginning of a three-month joint campaign to crack down on cross-border crimes, including illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and telecommunication and internet criminal activities in the Mekong River basin, said the bureau.

The Mekong River, known as the Lancang River in China, is a vital waterway for cross-border shipping.

China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have been carrying out joint patrols on the Mekong River since December 2011.
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A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Tuesday opposed COVID-19 origins tracing by U.S. intelligence agencies, urging the U.S. to return to the course of scientific origins tracing as soon as possible.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a press briefing when asked to comment on a report on the COVID-19 origins tracing being compiled by U.S. intelligence agencies.

"As is widely known, the origins tracing needs science, not intelligence. It is anti-scientific for intelligence agencies to engage in virus origins tracing," Wang said.

Noting the notorious record of U.S. intelligence agencies, Wang said the so-called report cannot be truth-based. "It's just a planted report with conclusions preset and then 'evidence' pieced together. It is not credible at all."

The purpose of origins tracing is to safeguard the lives and health of people of all countries, not to shift responsibility, suppress opponents, and serve one's selfish interests, Wang said, stressing solidarity in origins tracing studies.

He said since the outbreak of COVID-19, the U.S. has politicized anti-epidemic efforts, which has led to the country having the largest number of infections and deaths and made U.S. people pay a heavy price.

Now, for ulterior political purposes, the U.S. has used intelligence agencies to conduct the so-called investigation on the COVID-19 origins tracing, undermining international cooperation. Such move has been widely opposed and questioned by the international community, said Wang.

He urged the U.S. to proceed from the interests of life and health of its own people and people globally, stop political manipulation, and return to the course of scientific origins tracing as soon as possible.
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Choteau Public Schools convene for the new school year on Aug. 25. New faculty this year include, from left: sixth-grade teacher Dana Benge, third-grade teacher Tori Pletan, high school and junior high science teacher and head girls basketball coach Matt Cornelius, junior high and high school math teacher Leanne Merja and K-12 guidance counselor Anita Hauff. Not pictured is second-grade teacher Amanda Cornelius.
Medical Sensors Market Overview

According to Market Research Future (MRFR)s report, the global medical sensors market is slated to reach a significant valuation at a 7.6% CAGR over the review period of 2016 to 2022.

The medical sensors have broad adoption in the healthcare industry for making medical devices efficient and safer. Some of these consist of smartwatches for diabetic care devices, heart rate, orthopedic care devices, sleep apnea, and surgery-specific sensory devices.

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The other objective behind the massive usage of medical sensors is the simplification of the operations in the medical sector where great care is taken in the development, manufacturing, and services activities of medical devices. Additionally, an augment in the government initiatives to encourage the use of advanced medical technologies such as mHealth, telehealth, and virtual health products coupled with the rising adoption of smartphones and other electronic devices equipped with sensor devices is assessed to drive the market growth over the forecast period.

Medical Sensors Market Segmental Analysis

The global Medical Sensors Market is segmented on the basis of types, application, and sensor placement. The various types of medical sensors available in the market are blood glucose sensors, blood oxygen sensors, ECG sensors, image sensors, inertial sensors, motion sensors, pressure sensors, and temperature sensors. The applications of medical sensors across the healthcare industry are diagnostics, fitness, imaging, medical therapeutics, monitoring, others. Based on sensor placement, the global market for medical sensors is segmented into implantable sensors, ingestible sensors, invasive/non-invasive sensors, strip sensors, wearable sensors.

Medical Sensors Market Regional Analysis

Based on the region, the global medical sensors market is segmented into the Asia Pacific, the Americas (North America & Latin America), Europe, and the Middle East and Africa.

The American region is the largest in the global market for medical sensors, owing to the early adoption of advanced healthcare devices in North America, especially the US. The established healthcare sector in the region, along with the technologically advanced medical devices and medical sensors are influential factors for market growth over the review period. Additionally, the increasing prevalence of lifestyle and chronic diseases in the region has risen the demand for advanced diagnostics and detection facilities.

During the review period, the Asia Pacific market is expected to emerge as the fastest-growing region in the global market for medical sensors. The primary reasons for this substantial growth are influential factors such as growing urbanization, increasing technological advancement, and the presence of emerging economies like China and India, wherein the governments are investing majorly towards the growth of the healthcare sector and adoption of advanced medical devices, including medical sensors. The other countries that are also expected to contribute significantly to the regional market share are Japan and South Korea, followed by the rest of the Asia Pacific region.

The Middle East and Africa region are expected to record the smallest market share and witness static growth. The factors contributing to the stagnant market growth in this region include lack of awareness among consumers towards the availability of advanced medical devices, low product penetration, lack of education and skilled workforce, lack of technological development, political instability in some areas, and the poor healthcare sector. The growth in the region over the review period is due to the government initiatives towards the improvement of the healthcare sector and the provision of basic medical facilities. Additionally, the middle eastern developing countries such s Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates, are expected to contribute to the majority of the market sare acquired from this region over the review period.

Medical Sensors Market Operated By Top Key Players

The key players identified in the global medical sensors market are First Sensor AG, GE Healthcare, Given Imaging, Inc, Honeywell International, Inc, Measurement Specialties Inc., Medtronic Plc., NXP Semiconductors N.V., Philips Healthcare, Smiths Medical, STMicroelectronics, and STMicroelectronics N.V.

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At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research a
Medical Supplies Market Information, by type (infusion products, blood collection tubes, wound care products, dialysis consumables, surgical drapes, adult incontinence products, blood glucose test strips, and others), by application (urology, wound care, anesthesia, sterilization and others), by end user (hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and others) - Forecast to 2027

Medical Supplies Market Overview

The need to cut down the infection rate and reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus significantly in the upcoming period is stimulating the medical supplies market. The stress on minimally invasive procedures in light of this pandemic is estimated to fast-track the expansion of the medical supplies market companies in the forecast period. Moreover, an increased budget level being allocated for the procurement of medical supplies is estimated to benefit the global market in the impending period.

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Medical Supplies Market Segmental Analysis

The segmental review of the medical supplies market has been conducted on the basis of type, application end-user and regions. On the basis of end-user, the medical supplies market is segmented into clinics, nursing homes and hospitals. On the basis of applications, the medical supplies market comprises of wound care, urology, anaesthesia, and sterilization. Based on the region, the medical supplies market has been segmented into the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, North America, Europe, and Africa. On the basis of type, the medical supplies market comprises of wound care products, infusion products, surgical drapes, adult incontinence products, blood collection tubes, dialysis consumables, and blood glucose test strips.

Medical Supplies Market Regional Analysis

The regional review of the medical supplies market includes regions such as the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, North America, Europe, and Africa. The North American market for medical supplies is ruling the market as notable players are chiefly based in this region. The regional medical supplies market of North America has a greatly progressive setup for healthcare, and the technical proficiency of the professionals is increasing steadily, which is facilitating the region to appear as the top market. The European medical supplies market is fast growing as the region shows comparable traits in applying progressive technologies. The Asia Pacific medical supplies market is the speediest mounting regional market as the developing economies are capitalizing seriously in the healthcare sector. Moreover, many nations in the region have raised their position as a medical tourism destination which is also prompting the progress of the medical supplies market in the region. Though, the Middle Eastern and African regional medical supplies market is likely to show steady development as the region has restricted healthcare development owing to the dearth of infrastructure amenities.

Medical Supplies Market Competitive Analysis

The gradual growth in the bottom-line results is estimated to be conducive to the market players plans for the future. The market is estimated to exhibit a resurgent phase of development in the impending period. The market is also foreseen to take significant strides to achieve major digital investments in areas such as AI engineering and distributed cloud. The unprecedented socioeconomic challenges are estimated to have a noticeable effect on the global market in the duration of the forecast period.

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The incorporation of digitalized processes in businesses is predicted to spur the market in the impending period. The organizations are likely to improve their response time and reaction to crisis considerably in the upcoming years regarding the current situation created by the global pandemic. The stimulating effect of analytics to business value is estimated to encourage innovation and more strategically plans in the forthcoming period. The impact of automation is estimated to trickle to virtually every area of business operations and fostering the development of the global market in the forecast years.

The renowned companies in the medical supplies market are Medtronic plc. (Ireland), Boston Scientific Corporation (U.S.), Johnson & Johnson (U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (U.S.), Baxter International Inc. (U.S.), 3M Company (U.S.), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), and Halyard Health, Inc. (U.S.) and others.

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At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients.
The global market for hospital acquired infections are expected to surpass a valuation of USD 36.16billion by 2022 with a CAGR of 7.3% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2022. Market Research Future (MRFR) discussed several factors in the report that would provide ample scope to the market to register strong growth in the coming years.

The growing demand for safety against various attacks from bacteria, virus, and others, susceptible patients in the hospital with weak immunity, better inclusion of drugs. Hike in technological support, and others are expected to boost the market prospect of the hospital acquired infections. Lack of patient handling awareness can also prevent growth for the market.

However, the global market can suffer from the growing microbial resistance and increase use of glass and ceramic in hospitals.

also read @ https://www.medgadget.com/2019/10/hospital-acquired-infections-hai-market-to-expand-phenomenally-industry-analysis-by-method-of-treatment-infection-type-size-growth-share-top-companies-regional-forecast-to-2022.html

Hospital Acquired Infections Market Segmentation:

The stud on the global hospital acquired infections market includes pathogen types and treatment method, nd infection type. These segments have data that is helpful in getting insights. These insights are reliable as they have been backed by several figures and factors. It would help in the development of strategies.

By pathogen types, the study on the global market for hospital acquired infections market has been segmented into viral, bacterial and fungal. The viral segment is getting tailwinds due to the impact of several contagious viral diseases.

By treatment method, the study on the Hospital-Acquired Infections Market Overview has been segmented into chemical, sterilization, and radiation. The sterilization segment is getting good thrust due to its use for the surgical equipment.

By infection type, the global market study on the hospital acquired infections has been segmented into blood stream infections, urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal infections, surgical site infections, and respiratory infections. The respiratory infections segment is getting ample traction from the market.

Hospital Acquired Infections Market Regional Analysis:

The Americas would be leading the global market as the structural superiority of the region is expected to boost the revenues. Also, hike in investment to ensure better treatment facilities can influence the regional market. The US and Canada would contribute the most to take the regional market forward.

Hospital Acquired Infections Market Competitive Landscape:

The global market for hospital acquired infections is expecting boost from companies like 3M Company, Becton Dickinson and company, Belimed AG, Advanced Sterilization Products, Getinge AB, Cantel Medical Corp., STERIS Corporation, and others. These companies will launch their strategic moves including various mergers, acquisitions, collaborations, and others. These strategies often create better scope for the market to expand and the companies benefit from that by making more profits. Other tactical measures like launching strategy, innovations, and a hike in research and development sector is all set to boost the global market outcome. MRFR's recording of these latest changes can inspire better strategies in the coming years.

Hospital Acquired Infections Industry News:

In May 2020, studies published on the effective application of Vibativ have been published and it shows positive results for the medicine. Vibativ is a FDA approved anti-infective drug that is used for the treatment of certain serious bacterial infections that includes bacterial pneumonia both hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated. The medicine also finds substantial application in the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections.

The global hospital acquired infections market is getting amply boosted by the recent COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. This is primarily due to the contagious nature of the disease that spreads almost in no time. Countries are trying to contain it owing to which the market for hospital acquired infections is growing.

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Lactate dehydrogenase test market information: by type (LD1, LD2, LD3, LD4, LD5) by indications (cerebrovascular diseases, liver diseases, blood disorders, others) by equipment (instruments, consumables, others) end users - Global Forecast till 2027

Considering all these factors the market for lactate dehydrogenase test is expected to reach $ 6.4 billion by the end of 2023, this market is projected to growing at a CAGR of ~ 8.8 % during 2017-2023.

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 LDH-1 is found primarily in heart muscle and red blood cells

 LDH-2 is found primarily in white blood cells

 LDH-3 is found primarily in the lungs

 LDH-4 is found primarily in the kidney, placenta, and pancreas

 LDH-5 is found primarily in the liver and skeletal muscle

Thus higher values of any particular enzyme denotes diseases of different organs. Thus, lactate dehydrogenase is used as an indicator to diseases such as cerebrovascular diseases, liver diseases, blood disorders, muscle dystrophy, fatigue, necrosis, infections, substance abuse etc. The development of high sensitivity and selective reagents and instruments has boosted the growth of the market as it increases the reliability of the test. However the development of substitute tests which are more sensitive for particular disease condition has threatened the future market.

The growth of substance abuse and workplace rules to check the use of substance abuse has led to increase in testing services which will add to the growth of the lactate dehydrogenase test market.

Key players of Global Lactate dehydrogenase test Market:

LifeSpan BioSciences,

Aviva Systems Biology,

Accurex Biomedical Pvt. Ltd.,

Thermo Fisher Scientific,

Bioo Scientific Corporation,

Quest Diagnostics,

Abcam plc.,

Randox Laboratories Ltd.,

Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC.,

Merck KGaA

others.

Lactate dehydrogenase test market is estimated to be led by the developing regions of Asia Pacific which is further estimated to be dominated by China and India. Countries of the developing world such as Indonesia, Cambodia, China, and India will land a lions share for the market for lactate dehydrogenase test in the Asia Pacific. The presence of large populations with unmet needs and the growing screening rates is the strongest driver of growth in these markets. Thus, there is larger potential to grow in the developing regions due to less competition. The growing number of lactate screening for diseases and workplace substance abuse screening is the strongest factor responsible for the growth of the Asia Pacific market.

Segmentation:

The global lactate dehydrogenase test market is segmented

Segmentation on the basis of type, indications, equipment, and end users. Based on type, the market has been segmented as lactate dehydrogenase 1 (LD1), lactate dehydrogenase 2 (LD2), lactate dehydrogenase 3 (LD3), lactate dehydrogenase 4 (LD4), and lactate dehydrogenase 5 (LD5). Based on the indications,the market has been segmented as cerebrovascular diseases, liver diseases, blood disorders, muscle dystrophy and fatigue, necrosis, infections, substance abuse, and others. Based on the equipment, the market has been segmented as instruments (spectroscope, centrifuge, others), consumables and others. Based on the end users, the market has been segmented as hospitals and clinics, diagnostic laboratories, academic and research and others.

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At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.
Join Edith Salas of Salas Properties & host Jenn Barlow as they visit the Coronado Shores community. The towers have amazing views including the world famous Hotel del Coronado, downtown San Diego, San Diego Bay, the City of Coronado, Point Loma, and the Pacific Ocean.
Floyd Gollnick, 74, already was being held on charges from similar incidents in Southington and Bristol on the night of May 30. No one was hurt in those shootings, or earlier in the day in Hartford when Gollnick fired several rounds at the Capitol from the drivers seat of his pickup truck parked on Capitol Avenue, police said.
Everybody forgets that last year we had 39 [days of] 90 plus [temperatures], Lessor said. This year we had more rain. This year weve had the second wettest combination of July and August on record. We had the third hottest July on record, so far were fourth for August. Some of the models are saying we could see another half inch to an inch [of rain] this weekend, which of course is going to knock the temperatures down.
The case and those jurors have hung in limbo ever since, and although in-person jury trials are resuming in some cases across the state, Judge Julia D. Dewey decided Tuesday it has simply been too long since the jury was seated to continue with that group. Some of the selected jurors have moved in the intervening months, even out of state in some instances, she added.
Fasold had been a businessman, family man and community leader, and residents were shocked to hear accusations that he had secretly taken video of young Blue Dolphins Swim Club members changing in the Plainville High School locker rooms. Hes also accused of hiding his cellphone in a bathroom in his home to videotape girls who went to a fundraiser there.
The point of the round table was to discuss what we know works in schools. Despite the efforts of those who deny the science, it is clear to the scientific and academic community that masks work and will keep our children safe, said Max Reiss, a spokesman for Lamont. Bullying and these kinds of tactics wont work when it comes to mitigating COVID-19.
The proposal to stock Lake Shel-oole with Largemouth Bass from the Fish, Wildlife & Parks Miles City Fish Hatchery is sure to bring a smile to the face of those who love to fish, young and not-so-young. Copies of the draft proposal are available on the FWP website at http://fwp.mt.gov/news/publicnotices.
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Jerry Cronin, former president of the Norfolk Sunrise Rotary Club, said the idea for the event came from a board meeting of the Norfolk Sunrise Rotary Club. Club member Lori Lampert, the zoos operations manager, was relating how a for-profit beer event had been held at the zoo that didnt work out well, he said. Families with children were turned away because it was adults only, and the all-you-could-drink ticket pricing led to incidents of overconsumption.
Saleen Martin Staff writer

Saleen Martin, a Norfolk native, is a reporter on The Virginian-Pilots features team. She joined The Pilot in 2018 after getting her master's degree from the University of Georgia. She also has a bachelor's degree from Virginia Wesleyan University. She has a weakness for horror movies, witchy Netflix shows, reality TV, and sushi.
Abdullah then took a shower, and numerous inmates and jail staffers were in and out of the cell before police and medics arrived, the document says.
Even though he grew up in Annapolis, Hopkinson said he never spent much time on the bay until his wife gave him a paddleboard for Christmas six years ago. He started going out on the water regularly and fell in love with the feeling of disconnecting from land life. He was soon taking his children out too, and grew protective of the bay.
Across the system, at least 70% of the staff has been fully vaccinated already, Asher said. For those who received their shots somewhere else, such as a pharmacy or another provider outside Sentara, they have to enter that information into the companys internal records.
Rejecting a plea for more reservation for Tamil Nadu, the Bench said the reservation of AIQ seats for admission to the under-graduate, post-graduate and diploma medical and dental courses across the States must be uniform. (PTI Photo)

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Wednesday approved the recent notification of the Centre providing 27 per cent reservation to OBC (other backward class) candidates for admission in Central medical colleges under the all-India quota (AIQ).

Rejecting a plea for more reservation for Tamil Nadu, the Bench said the reservation of AIQ seats for admission to the under-graduate, post-graduate and diploma medical and dental courses across the States must be uniform. Logically, if the seats are given to candidates across the country, there cannot be reservation to one extent in one State and to another extent in a different one, it said.

The Bench said the concept of reservation that appears to have been addressed by the Constituent Assembly while framing the Constitution may have been turned on its head by repeated amendments and the veritable re-invigoration of the caste system  and even extending it to denominations where it does not exist  instead of empowering citizens so that merit may ultimately decide matters as to admission, appointment and promotion.

"To the extent that 27 per cent of the seats available for admission in Central educational institutions is reserved for OBC candidates other than the creamy layer, and such figure having been arrived at upon empirical studies being conducted, the provision of 27 per cent reservation for OBC candidates in addition to the approved reservation for scheduled caste and scheduled tribe candidates as indicated in the notification of July 29, 2021 may be permissible subject to the formal approval of the Supreme Court," said the First Bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P D Audikesavalu.

The Bench was closing a contempt petition from the ruling DMK seeking to punish the Central government officials concerned for not implementing an order of the High Court issued in July 2020. Last year, the then Chief Justice AP Sahi-led Bench, in its order, suggested, among other things, the constitution of a committee to provide the terms of implementation of reservation as claimed by the petitioners. It said the panel can also fix the percentage of reservation.

Contending that the order was not complied with, the DMK filed the present contempt application.

The Bench, however, said the inclusion of a further 10 per cent by way of vertical reservation for economically weaker sections (EWS) would require the approval of the Supreme Court. To this extent, the reservation for the EWS, as indicated in the July 29 notification, has to be regarded as impermissible till such approval is obtained.

Closing the petition, the Bench pointed out that since the committee had been constituted as per the orders of the First Bench of the Madras High Court dated July 27, 2020 and it had given its opinion and the Union government, or its appropriate agencies, had acted on its basis albeit not exactly in terms of the recommendations, no case of wilful or deliberate violation of the said order can be said to have been made out.

"The notification of July 29, 2021 issued by the Union as a consequence of the order dated July 27, 2020, appears to be in order insofar as it provides for reservation for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBC categories. The horizontal reservation provided in such notification for people with disabilities also appears to be in accordance with law," the Bench held.

However, with regard to 10 per cent reservation for EWS, the Bench observed:"The additional reservation provided for economically weaker sections in the notification of July 29, 2021 cannot be permitted, except with the approval of the Supreme Court in such regard."

The Bench added that the in-principle approval of the Supreme Court for providing reservation for OBC candidates under AIQ for medical admission in the State is apparent from its order dated October 26, 2020. To such extent, the provision made for 27 per cent reservation in such regard appears to be permissible, since the apex court approved the implementation of reservation for OBC candidates beginning from the academic year 2021-22 by the same order.

In support of its stand that the reservation cannot exceed more than 50 per cent, the Bench referred to the Supreme Court judgement in the Indra Sawhney case, which stated that the quota cannot exceed the cap cent unless there are exceptional circumstances. If the dictum is confined to vertical reservation, as it should be, it would imply that the cap of 50 per cent ought not to be breached.

Notwithstanding the 103rd Amendment to the Constitution not having been made at the time the judgement in the Sawhney case was pronounced, it is submitted (with due deference to the fact that the issue is pending consideration before the Constitution Bench) there may be a case for horizontal reservation cutting across the unreserved and reserved categories for the economically weaker sections.

For one, even if a common reasonable yardstick were to be applied, economically weaker sections would be found to exist across the board. This may suffice to cater to the perceived need for the uplift of the EWS without there being a conflict with the dictum in Indra Sawhney. However, the decision in such regard has to be left for another day and at an exalted level, the Bench said.

Rather than the caste system being wiped away, the present trend seems to perpetuate it by endlessly extending a measure that was to remain only for a short duration to cover the infancy and possibly, the adolescence of the Republic. Though the life of a nation/state may not be relatable to the human process of aging, but at over-70, it ought, probably, to be more mature, the Bench added.
The results will be available soon after release on the website https://eamcet.tsche.ac.in  PTI photo

Hyderabad: Results of Eamcet-2021 will be released at 11 am on Wednesday, the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University announced on Tuesday. The results will be available soon after release on the website https://eamcet.tsche.ac.in.

Education minister Sabitha Indra Reddy will release the results, along with JNTU Vice-Chancellor Prof. K. Narasimha Reddy and top education department officials at the UGC-HRDC Auditorium in the JNTUs Kukatpally campus.

The results, JNTU said, will mention the name of the candidate, gender, fathers name, area, category, Eamcet marks, the marks in the individual subjects, rank and result.
New toll plazas would come up on nine NH stretches after handing over them to private players. (Representational Photo:DC)

HYDERABAD: A total of nine national highway stretches passing through Telangana state over an extent of 565 km have been identified by the Centre for Asset Monetisation to generate revenue by way of charging toll amount from road users. New toll plazas would come up on these stretches after handing over them to private players.

The Centre launched National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) on August 23 to raise Rs 6 lakh crore in four years from 2021 to 2025 by monetising Central government assets such as national highways, airports, railways, power transmission lines, gas pipelines etc across the country. The funds thus raised are meant to be used to boost infrastructure spending and spur economic growth.

Secunderabad railway station has been identified for passenger train operations by private sector players and Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, (RGIA) for sale of the Centre's 13 per cent stake in the airport.

In Telangana, the stretches identified on national highways for monetisation include Kadthal-Armoor (31 km), Adloor Yellareddy-Chegunta (52 km), Chegunta-Bowenpally (62 km), Telangana/Maharashtra border to Islamnagar (55 km), Armoor-Adloor Yellareddy (59 km), Adloor Yellareddy-Gundlapochampally (86 km), Hyderabad-Bengaluru (NS-2/BOT/AP-7) (75 km), Hyderabad-Bengaluru (6 sections, 68 km) and Kothakota bypass-Kurnool (77 km). The Centre also identified BSNL telecom towers and Bharatnet Fibernet

optic fibre network in Telangana for monetisation.

However, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials are not clear about the implementation of asset monetisation of national highways. Official sources in NHAI-Telangana unit said they were yet to receive guidelines from the Centre over how this new system would work. They expect that private firms may take over these stretches by paying an upfront amount to NHAI, set up toll plazas and collect user charges from motorists.
Hyderabad: In all probability, Dalit Bandhu beneficiaries have to wait for some more days to receive Rs.10 lakh each. The government has released Rs.1,207 crore for the scheme since it was launched by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao in Vasalamarri village on August 4 and again during its formal launch in Huzurabad on August 16. The funds have been kept at the disposal of collectors of Karimnagar and Yadadri-Bhongir districts.

Collectors were asked to transfer the amount to the bank accounts of beneficiaries for setting up any self-employment unit. But officials are insisting on training Dalits in their chosen units before transferring the amount as they are not convinced of their business plans and skills to make it viable.

While some beneficiaries sought permission to invest in property like buying agricultural land or constructing a building on their own plots which can be rented out for assured income instead of taking risks in businesses, officials rejected it saying there was no such option. Some want to buy cabs and autos but they have no driving license.

The Chief Minister handed over the cash allotment letters to 15 Dalit families in Huzurabad on August 16 to formally launch the scheme. Even these 15 families did not receive amounts in their banks.

Karimnagar collector R.V. Karnan held a meeting with these beneficiaries and enquired what they intended to do with Rs.10 lakh. They said they would set up dairy units, super markets, tailoring, embroidery, ladies emporium etc, while some others said they would purchase cab, auto, tractor etc.

The collector entrusted the responsibility to respective department officials to create awareness among beneficiaries about the viability of these units. He also suggested better alternative models which suited them and also market demands, besides providing 15-day training to know the nitty-gritty of starting a business.

"We initially decided to set up an embroidery unit by purchasing sewing machines but on the advice of the collector, we opted for a cloth showroom. We are being provided necessary training for 15 days now to run the business effectively, Kanakam Mohan and Chandrakala, who are among the beneficiaries who received cheques from the Chief Minister, said. They are residents of Chelpur village in Huzurabad mandal.

Karnan on Tuesday held a meeting with bankers to open separate Dalit Bandhu accounts for beneficiaries in banks.

"It was decided to open fresh bank accounts to transfer Dalit Bandhu amount as most of them have Jan Dhan accounts which have limitations of up to `1 lakh only. Bankers were asked to undertake door-to-door visits of every household in Huzurabad constituency and open new accounts," Karnan said.

If beneficiaries owe any earlier loan arrears, there may be scope for banks to deduct Dalit Bandhu amount to adjust old arrears and to avoid this, new accounts are being opened.

Officials decided to transfer the amount only after they undergo required training to acquire knowledge and skill to run a particular business unit. At present, they are holding meetings with every Dalit family and conducting survey on their area of interest. As none of the units has been grounded so far, it will take some more days to receive `10 lakh each.
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday spoke to British counterpart Dominic Raab and discussed developments in Afghanistan. The was the second phone call between the two in the last 10 days and since the Taliban took over Afghanistan.

"Spoke to UK Foreign Secretary @Dominicraab this afternoon. Our conversation focused on developments in Afghanistan," Jaishankar tweeted.

The call comes at a time when several countries including India and UK are evacuating their citizens from Afghanistan.

Last Wednesday, Jaishankar and Raab exchanged views on Afghanistan developments and the immediate challenges.

"Welcome the conversation today with UK Foreign Secretary @DominicRaab. Exchanged views on the Afghanistan developments and the immediate challenges," Jaishankar, who was then on a four-day visit to the US had tweeted.

On August 15, the Taliban entered Kabul and took control of the presidential palace.

Efforts are being made to maintain stability in Afghanistan. However, thousands of people are rushing to the airport to flee the nation as they are afraid of the terror group's brutal atrocities in the nation.
HYDERABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has alerted party leaders and cadre to prepare for Huzurabad Assembly bypoll in September last week. He held a meeting with senior party leaders to discuss the issue on Wednesday.

Party sources said the Chief Minister informed them that he had information that the Election Commission (EC) was likely to issue poll notification next week either before August 31 or in the first week of September and polling would be held in September last week.

Rao felt that EC was planning to complete bypolls in all the states in September itself as October would not be conducive to hold elections due to Dasara, Durga Puja, Navaratri celebrations etc. Normally, the EC maintains at least 24 days gap between the announcement of poll dates and polling.

He opined that even if poll notification was issued in the first week of September, the polling could be completed by September-end. On August 12, the EC wrote to all political parties in the country, seeking their opinion regarding campaigning for the bypolls following the Covid guideline by August 30. With this, parties expect EC to issue poll notification soon after August 30 deadline.

Huzurabad Assembly seat fell vacant on June 12 after sitting MLA Etala Rajendar resigned from the TRS as well as MLA post to join the BJP. As per norms, the EC has to hold bypoll within six months of the seat falling vacant. Although, there is time until December 12 to hold bypoll for Huzurabad, the EC is expected to club bypoll along with West Bengal bypolls and also other states in September.
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Her house damaged in crash, local speaks to City Council

How is the city going to ensure our safety?
The American Special Forces are not pleased as British Commandos are doing rescue missions while standing down. With the White House in disgrace and Americans not getting rescued while allied commandos are out on dangerous rescue missions in Kabul.

They complained that the US forces are looking useless in Afghanistan, as the allies bring in small people. That makes them look bad politically.

America is looking bad under Biden

Sources say that Washington is binding their special forces not to enter Kabul to rescue trapped Americans and be caught by the Taliban holding Joe Biden hostage, even asking the British SAS to abandon their people in Kabul.

It all started when an American daily wrote that a US office allegedly told the Brits to stop because the US is floundering politically under the new administration, reported the UK Express.

To that end, the UK special ops confirmed the US request. SAS source spoke to the Mirror and confirmed that the white house sent a request the past few days, but their soldiers are up to it simply to the US representative and will do the job.

The anonymous source said all is well for all special ops conduction actions in Kabul and even teaming up on the covert rescue missions.

Brit are outsmarting the Jihadis

In the background, the 2 Para of the 16th Air Assault Brigade is busy getting entitles evacuees under Taliban nose. One more report is the British Special forces have caused the Jihadis to stop putting pressure on the evacuation. At the same time, American Special Forces sit it out while US citizens fear for their lives.

Read Also: Taliban Betrays Promise Not to Murder Civilians As Photos Reveal Traitors Disposing Dead Bodies of Victims in Mass Graves

Most of the British special ops have learned how to deal with Mullahs in the field. It is a practical move to ensure all Britons and entitled Afghans will get out safely and sooner.

SAS in daring raid to rescue specialist troops surrounded by Taliban in Afghanistanhttps://t.co/RhqJGoiEup pic.twitter.com/f2nX03h9Ty  Daily Star (@dailystar) August 23, 2021

This initiative by British special ops commandoes has worked well and gained results, while US forces are couped up on Washington's orders. The commandos are holding well under the pressure of seeing the cruel Jihadi's handiwork, with compassion and sympathy shown to the trapped afghans.

In only 24 hours, the UK operators have gotten more than 1,800 people out of Kabul. To that effect, the deadline to bring more people out has been moved to Friday or Saturday, said the Times.

As of the last reporting, the UK can accommodate a total of 6,000 to 12,000 Afghans. It was British citizens and Afghan interpreters who can enter Britain. Changes allow other Afghanis to go to the UK. There is a provision for the families of eligible people to join their family members with these rules.

New from the Biden administration that the deadline might be extended for keeping US troops in Afghanistan. But so far, nothing is definite, and the discussions are not final; no one knows how well this part will pan out.

Biden said the taking people out of Kabul will not be easy, how early or late. He highlighted everything but a plan to get everyone out. He will soon meet with the G7 leaders, who would have an earful with him, over the debacle in Kabul. It comes after a discussion with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

American Special Forces have been useless as the Potus does not listen, while British special forces move at speed against the Taliban. Many Americans ask why no rescue missions?

Related Article: British Broadcaster Nigel Farage Not Happy With Joe Biden Ignoring Calls of Boris Johnson Amid Afghan Crisis

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Remember a decade ago when all the cool kids started saying LOL?

It was a confusing time. Did it mean lots of love? Or did it mean laugh out love? Or did it mean both at once?

This was one of the defining moments that seemed to separate millennials from the baby boomers. The tech-savvy from those that avoided technology like the plague.

Ever since the dot-com boom in the nineties, we have seen a rapid progression of screen technology and the various ways we can communicate online. With that has come to an evolution in the type of language we use and an uptick in abbreviations.

When we use abbreviations like LOL, it is often a way to become more relatable to our peers, make a statement not seem as serious and make the conversation, in general, more lighthearted. This is important because many of us are communicating blindly-in that we can not see any body language during our interaction.

So abbreviations when communicating online have become our way of making what can seem like a short and sharp interaction much warmer, inviting and friendly.

Since LOL took the digital world by storm, there have been plenty of other abbreviations that have had trends of their own. From IYKYN (if you know, you know) being one of the most common Instagram captions to SMH (shaking my head) one of the most frequent reactions to comment on social media posts.

For those that have taken to TikTok in particular, you may have noticed a new abbreviation making the rounds-PFP.

Have you ever wondered what is PFP and what does it mean?

Well, we are here to help you get up to speed with the various meanings of PFP and when to use them in different social settings.

Defining PFP

There are actually multiple definitions for PFP. So we are going to start with the most common use as defined by those who use TikTok and make our way down from there.

1. PFP = Profile Picture

Made famous by TikTok users, PFP refers to the profile picture a user has for their account. Every user needs some sort of PFP to make their profile unique and stand out amongst the millions of users. But more so than just being a PFP, it is also a re-occurring trend on the platform-where users band together and update their PFP in a certain way to support a person, cause or movement.

Here are some ways in which PFP can be used in conversation.

Example 1:

"Girl, your PFP is lit. I love it"

Example 2:

"Does my PFP look good?"

Example 3:

"I checked out her PFP, she looks hot."

2. PFP = Photo for Proof

This definition is still quite common, but more so used outside the world of TikTok. When people use PFP to mean photo for proof, it is most likely being said over a texting or messaging conversation amongst friends or as an Instagram caption full of irony. We live in a wolrd today where we need to see visual evidence for proof that an event actually took place. PFP is the perfect representation of our photo-obsessed society and a need to visualize reality.

Here are a few ways in which PFP in this context can be used in conversation.

Example 1:

Person A: I just saw Rhianna at Trader Joe's!

Person B: PFP!

Person A: [responds with photo]

Person B : That is so crazy, you are so lucky.

Example 2:

Person A posts a collection of photos from their time in Italy, all of which are the cliche shots tourists love to take. They accompany it with a caption that says "Finally left the country. #PFP"

3. PFP = Professional Finance Planner

This is a great example of how a non-social media user is likely to use PFP and why context is everything for this abbreviation. It is very likely that in this context, the speaker would not feel the need to abbreviate. They want to sound professional and ask for a professional service, so would likely request a professional financial planner. However, it is likely that those who do this career would have PFP on their LinkedIn profile and that those in the industry would be more comfortable using the abbreviation in everyday discourse.

Final Thoughts on Using PFP

PFP means multiple different phrases or titles. It comes down to the type of platform the conversation is taking place on, the standard discourse that incurs and the context in which you want to use PFP.

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
After the Taliban indicated it would not give him any more time to evacuate US citizens and refugees, President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he will stick to an August 31 deadline for pulling US troops from Afghanistan.

Critics blasted Biden for appearing to give up to the Taliban, claiming that Americans and Afghans who assisted the US troops may be left behind, prompting the White House to insist that "contingency" preparations would still be in place if necessary.

During a morning video conference with fellow G7 leaders, Biden revealed his decision. He was supposed to give a noon speech to the American people, but his comments were continually postponed as criticism increased.

Allies railed against Biden's US troops withdrawal in Afghanistan

After two former British prime ministers and numerous MPs raged against President Joe Biden's abrupt withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the United States may have lost its closest allies. Many British Lawmakers, regardless of political affiliation, have slammed Biden.

According to Newsweek via MSN, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair blasted Biden's hasty withdrawal in a long piece published on his website on Saturday, calling it "imbecilic." Former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May questioned Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the House of Commons on August 19 on how Britain might have underestimated the Taliban's power when they stormed Kabul on August 15.

On condition of anonymity, a UK government minister said the United States' departure simply indicated to the world that they are not that interested in playing a global role. On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will attend crisis talks on Afghanistan with international leaders, including Biden, to discuss evacuation plans and a longer-term strategy for the Central Asian country.

According to reports in the British press, Johnson would push Biden to extend the deadline for removing soldiers from the nation from August 31 to give more time for evacuations. The Taliban, on the other hand, has warned that extending the deadline may provoke a reaction.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines addressed legislators on the status of the evacuations on Tuesday morning.

"There's no possible way that we can get every American that is still in Afghanistan out in the next seven days," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters following the meeting.

Read Also: White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki Claims Americans Stuck Behind Taliban Lines in Afghanistan Are Not "Stranded"

Taliban leaders urge not to extend the withdrawal

In one significant difference between Biden's public statements and those of military leaders, the president stated on Friday that no Americans in Afghanistan were unable to access Kabul's airport, but the Pentagon quickly contradicted him.

In a Fox News interview on Tuesday, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) claimed that by sticking to the Taliban's August 31 deadline, "Joe Biden looks ridiculous on the world stage," The decision by Biden to withdraw US troops from the 20-year battle was widely praised, and the process began under former President Donald Trump. However, how the departure was carried out generated a barrage of criticism, NY Post reported.

Following the Taliban's takeover of Kabul last week, some 5,200 US forces are in the Afghan capital assisting with an airlift out. Taliban commanders requested that Biden not extend the evacuation deadline, threatening to seize control of the airport.

Per CNBC, the president has received political pressure from both his European allies, like the United Kingdom and his party in Washington to extend the withdrawal deadline. On Tuesday, though, Biden warned that remaining longer poses a severe risk to allied troops and civilians.

According to the president, ISIS-K, an Afghan affiliate of the terror group, poses an increasing danger to Hamid Karzai International Airport. Biden also called the United States' relationship with the Taliban in Kabul "tenuous."

The president said the militants have worked with the US on the evacuations, but the longer the US remains, the higher the chance of combat breaking out. Since August 14, the US has evacuated or assisted in the evacuation of about 70,700 individuals from Afghanistan, according to the White House. Nearly 75,900 persons have been moved to the United States since the end of July.

Approximately 4,000 American passport holders and their families have been flown from Afghanistan as of Tuesday, while many more are said to be awaiting evacuation. The world's seven main industrialized democracies, NATO, the European Union, and the United Nations have decided to "stand united in our approach to the Taliban," Biden claimed.

Related Article: Joe Biden Reveals Talks of Extending August 31 Afghanistan Withdrawal, Defends His "Right Decision" Amid Catastrophic Situation

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A group of Afghan resistance fighters kills 30 Taliban Jihadis as they wage guerilla warfare close to Kabul. This small force of freedom fighters are dedicated to fighting till the last man.

Even as the Taliban conquer Kabul, and the pro-Afghan army has fallen. They have regrouped in an arm resistance against the Jihadi overlords.

A new resistance by the deposed government

According to a report in CGTN, the anti-jihadi forces have gotten control of several districts outside of Kabul about 70 miles north. It seems the war will not be over yet for the insurgents who will have a problem.

Though Kabul capitulated fast, the remaining Afghan troopers attacking and defeating the Taliban in their first three districts, challenging them, reported the Express UK.

A message was sent by the resistance for supplies to be provided by the US and Western allies. To continue the resistance in combatting the new despotic rulers of Afghanistan.

Talibs have massed forces near the entrance of Panjshir a day after they got trapped in ambush zones of neighboring Andarab valley & hardly went out in one piece. Meanwhile Salang highway is closed by the forces of the Resistance. "There are terrains to be avoided". See you.  Amrullah Saleh (@AmrullahSaleh2) August 22, 2021

News reports relayed that the fighters engage the Jihadis in the northern parts, especially in Panjshir and Baghlan province. All fell faster than expected, and the Taliban is on the run in these three provinces. Moreover, western support is needed to continue the campaigns against the insurgent Jihadis and succeed in planned actions with fresh supplies.

Another is the new leaders of Kabul did not say their forces are getting killed and injured in the ongoing clashes. Afghan resistance fighters kill 30 Taliban jihadis is terrible news for the Jihadis facing armed opposition.

Read Also: Joe Biden Cancels Holiday As Liberal Media Turned on Him for Poor Performance Amid Taliban Rise in Power

In recent skirmishes, there is an unconfirmed report that anti-Taliban forces have killed 30 jihadis in combat. Images online showed crowds rejoicing as the white Taliban banner is placed on buildings, not the Afghan flag anymore.

One Afghani embassy worker had a video with Ahmad Massoud, son of legendary Afghan commander, climbing on a helicopter to Panjshir. Forces loyal to the old government are gathering under Massoud to organize the resistance.

Massoud said that all fighting forces would be gathering in Panjshir as the staging point before getting run over. The Afghanis got many trucks, armored cars, and five helicopters when they fled. A picture of the US equipment on the border pans around with five helicopters and many Hummers parked there.

BBC News verified that the resistance gathered several generals, staff, and soldiers. Vice President Amrullah Saleh fully supported Massoud and other legislators following his lead. He added that they would not bow to Taliban Terrorism.

Post was not abandoned by Afghan VP

Vice President Saleh did not abandon his post until it was needed and will continue to fight against the new rulers of Kabul, noted the Indian Express.

Afghani special ops and commandos who got training from elite special action units, including Special Air Service (SAS), are staying behind enemy lines. Hopefully, the resistance would be joined by many locals as well. Included are hardened troops who fought for 20 years against the Jihadis.

Related Article: Biden Refuses Military Advice As His Decisions Have Endangered the West from Terrorism

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Uranium cubes found by Allies in 1945 will be scrutinized by researchers looking into the alleged Nazi atomic bomb that could have beaten America.

Researchers are looking into how close the Fuhrer got to having his doomsday weapon that would have decided the outcome of World War II, with Germany victorious. German scientists used these cubes to form a primitive nuclear reactor that the Germans were almost finished, but events stopped its completion.

Hitler almost completed his atomic bomb

Scientists of the Third Reich knew the basic presumption, when neutrons would collide against uranium-235, atoms inside the mysterious cubes will set a chain reaction and shatter to release bursts of energy, reported the Daily Mail.

Nazis were dead set on making nuclear bombs to devastate the allied nations, as Hitler's revenge in the war. In the last days of 1945, the allies had captured a prototype reactor that was taken apart and studied. There were 664 Uranium cubes. Many were lost and sold in the black market in its shipment to the US, noted Science News.

ICYMI: Our May cover story tracks the journey of a uranium cube, one of several hundred that a team led by Werner Heisenberg used to try to build a nuclear reactor for Nazi Germany during World War II https://t.co/9ADYqRQvp1 pic.twitter.com/fiOzOEK9uW  Physics Today (@PhysicsToday) May 6, 2019

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will release the results from the study to confirm the nature of these cubes. These Uranium cubes found by Allies were the basis of most nations' initial experiments. The researchers will investigate to help in identifying how nuclear material is transported illegally.

Read also: Nazi Bunker Destroyed in 1944 Was Found During Excavation of Carpark in Lubin Poland by Accident

One of the reasons for developing an atomic bomb is so the V-2 will carry the devastating power of an A-bomb to destroy Britain.

Brittany Robertson at PNNL remarked that it was lucky that the nuclear program failed, or it would have been different if Germany had mastered it.

In the early 40s, more than one German physicist was trying to crack the puzzle of nuclear fission and make weapons-grade plutonium for weapons primarily.

Werner Heisenberg helmed a group of researchers to study nuclear fission in Berlin and later in Haigerloch, to continue without allies coming to interrupt them, cited in History.

Germany had facilities focused in Uranium manufacture

The Haigerloch lab facility was where experiments were done in a lab, under the town's castle church, inside a potato and beer cellar clandestinely.

One more site is Gottow with physicist Kurt Diebner, and both labs were manufacturing Uranium cubes as reactor fuel in primitive reactors.

The cube was two inches on all sides, with considerable numbers suspended on cables like an atomic chandelier. Cubs were immersed in heavy water with heavy hydrogen or deuterium, which would control the nuclear reaction in the cubes as a thermonuclear regulator.

It was a failed experiment because the uranium did not radioactively decay and start a reaction in the atoms. There was no second chance for the Nazis to perfect it; allies came and ended the project.

These cubes would not be seen anymore or where they were, though some were in the US and Europe in labs studying them. Some are in collections of private persons to this day. The exact whereabouts are not known after all these years.

A Study will be done by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to examine one of the cubes. One of the Uranium cubes found by Allies will shed on their nature and its origin that will be published. It seems accidental that Hitler fueled the atomic age after the Fall of the Third Reich.

Related Article: Hitler's Weird Stone Henge: Does It Hide Secret Tunnels to Experiment Aircraft Before Modern Prototypes?

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A teenage girl is wanted for the murder of a man after breaking into his home, dousing him and his partner with a liquid, and setting them on fire, after already being accused of fatally shooting a disabled 20-year-old woman last year.

On Monday, authorities identified the suspect, 19-year-old Emma Presler, for the Aug.6 death of 33-year-old Devin Graham and the injury of his wife, 26-year-old Karissa Lindros. The woman was brought to the hospital with burns across 70% of her body. The Montgomery County District Attorney's office filed murder charges against the young teen, who is still on the run, on Monday.

Teenage Murder Suspect

The suspect still remains at large and roams free despite there being a warrant for her arrest, Jodi Silva, the spokeswoman for the Houston Police Department, said. Investigators identified the young woman after following eyewitness accounts of a suspect fleeing in a white, four-door sedan.

Lindro's aunt said that she knew Presler, but did not specify how they were acquainted. Police have not yet revealed any information about the suspect's potential motive for the crime. Presler did not have an attorney listed in court records, The Daily Beast reported.

In September 2020, when she was still 18 years old, Presler was also charged for the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old victim identified as Sierra Rhodd, who had disabilities. Authorities said the victim was shot through her bedroom window. A judge later ruled that there was no probable cause to charge the suspect due to a lack of evidence.

The case also included four other people who have been arrested, including Presler's boyfriend at the time of the crime, KSAT reported. Officials said Rhodd had cerebral palsy and had several bullet wounds from the incident. Police said there were multiple suspects who later fled in several vehicles after committing the crime.

Read Also: Microsoft Data Breach Exposes 38 Million Personal Details of People, Including Social Security Numbers, Vaccination Record

Austin McCalla, Presler's boyfriend at the time, was believed to have owned a red pickup truck used as a getaway car. Several residents near Presler's home said they were not surprised by the incident and the young teen's alleged involvement with the case.

One Aline, who wished to keep her identity secret, only to be identified by her middle name, said that issues at the suspect's house never stopped. The 31-year-old resident said many incidents have occurred at Presler's home that suggested prostitution and drug sales.

Brutal, Unprovoked Attack

The attack on Rhodd was believed to have been gang-related, and allegedly targeted the victim's 15-year-old brother, Yahoo News reported. Another nearby resident, Tonya Woods, said she quickly left the area and moved to another Houston home after the murder charges against Presler were dropped.

The 57-year-old said police were frequently at Presler's home and said there have been shootings, assaults, and at least on suspicious fire at the home in recent years. "It's absolutely crazy. But it's also very sad. God only knows what else is going on in that house," the resident said.

Other than the murder charges, Presler has also been faced with theft, drug possession, evading arrest, and failure to appear in court. She had an additional felony warrant for possessing meth in Graham's death.

Related Article: North Carolina Caretaker Charged After Leaving Cerebral Palsy Patient in Hot Car For 5 Hours Who Eventually Died

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The death of Queen Elizabeth II dies and the ascension of Prince Charles Prince to the throne may jeopardize Prince Andrew's royal titles, according to a biographer.

Prince Andrew will be permitted to keep his role as colonel of the Grenadier Guards, although he is unlikely to return to public life following sexual assault allegations. Despite the claims, the Queen is said to have stated that she will allow her son, the Duke of York, 61, to continue in his honorary duty.

Queen Elizabeth allows Prince Andrew to keep military positions

Military leaders, on the other hand, are concerned that his inability to execute public responsibilities would humiliate the forces. Other honorary appointments held by Prince Andrew include colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, commodore-in-chief of the Fleet Air Arm, colonel-in-chief of the Yorkshire Regiment, and honorary air commodore of the Royal Air Force.

Per Daily Mail, the action indicates that the monarch stands behind her son, who has walked away from public life for the foreseeable future after his connection with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was exposed in 2019. Virginia Guiffre (nee Roberts), 38, one of Epstein's victims, has accused Prince Andrew of rape, sexual abuse, and sexual assault in a new complaint she filed last month.

She claims that when she was 17, Epstein forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew three times. Prince Andrew disputes the allegations but has yet to respond publicly to the case.

Prince Andrew sought to falsely portray himself to the public as ready and willing to comply, prosecutors claimed last week. However, he had provided no interview to federal officials and had repeatedly refused requests to speak with investigators. According to the source, the Duke remains a person of interest to prosecutors at the US Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York, but they do not expect to be able to question him in the near future, if at all.

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Prince Charles may have a different view when he takes the throne

Nigel Cawthorne, author of "Prince Andrew: Epstein, Maxwell, and the Palace," told Newsweek that Prince Charles could have a different point of view. In his work, the author describes how Prince Charles felt Prince Andrew had Edward's support to declare a regency after the queen died.

The prince thought Prince Andrew and his wife Sarah Ferguson devised the scheme with Princess Diana, who also expressed her desire for William to succeed Charles as king. Prince Charles' ambition to shrink down the monarchy, eliminating family members, not in the direct line, sparked tensions between the brothers in the 1990s.

Even years before the Epstein incident, historian Robert Lacey stated in Battle of Brothers, a book of Harry and William, that Prince Charles intended Prince Andrew to lose his role as part of efforts to trim down the monarchy. In the 1990s, Prince Charles was unsuccessful in eliminating Prince Andrew, but the Duke of York was forced to retire from public life following a vehicle accident during a BBC interview in 2019.

The fact that the Queen appears to be preparing to preserve the Duke of York's military title has embarrassed a senior military officer. Senior Defense Chiefs have stated that they "all agree that he should leave," and that Prince Andrew should be "faded out" of his positions since he has become an embarrassment to the Armed Forces. After his disastrous interview with BBC Newsnight in 2019, the Duke surrendered most of his patronages, although he managed to save a few prominent commands.

Prince Andrew is presently staying at Balmoral with his mother, the Queen, who is said to privately back him. Prince Charles, on the other hand, is said to see "no way back for the Duke," Express.co reported.

Related Article: Queen Elizabeth Has Had Enough of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's Attacks, Orders Palace Aides to Plan Legal Fightback

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The American Rescue Plan distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to residents in the United States who suffered through the coronavirus pandemic's economic effects and gave away $1,400 stimulus checks to eligible families, but how do you know if you can receive the same payments?

The stimulus payments also gave families an additional $1,400 for each child in the household. However, some people who were expecting to give birth in 2021 did not receive their payments because their child was born when the money from the American Rescue Plan was distributed.

New $1,400 Stimulus Checks

This meant that these families will most likely have to wait longer to receive their financial support from the federal government. Authorities assured that these households would not be left out from receiving the stimulus money.

While there is no way for the Internal Revenue Service to know if a family recently had a baby, households can notify the agency when they file their 2021 tax returns to report their new dependent. This process is much more important for families who do not normally fix returns because it is the only way to claim the money, Fox Baltimore reported.

However, families will have to abide by the rules of the initial $1,400 payments, such as income thresholds. The IRS also said there was no limit to the number of dependents that can receive the $1,400 stimulus payments.

Read Also: New Stimulus Check: Here's How to Know If You Have Unclaimed Cash in Your State

Despite this, a fourth stimulus check is unlikely to be passed by lawmakers as Americans continue to struggle financially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The House and Senate are turning their focus on the $3.5 trillion federal budget package and the $1 trillion infrastructure bill. However, residents can still expect to receive relief aid for this year and next year as lawmakers have not entered discussions on a potential new stimulus relief package.

The expanded child tax credit gives money to families depending on the number of their dependents. The next distribution will be sent out on Sept. 15 and was signed into law under the American Rescue Plan, CNET reported.

Other Relief Packages

A supplemental "plus-up" payment will also be distributed by the tax agency, which will give out payments for owed stimulus checks. Teachers and school staff in some states will also receive $1,000 "thank you" payments. California residents, on the other hand, will see another round of Golden State Stimulus Checks worth $600 up to $1,100 in September. A petition has also called for the distribution of $2,000 monthly stimulus checks and continues to gain support from residents.

Families who welcome newborn babies this year after the distribution of the $1,400 stimulus checks will most likely receive their money in 2022. The income requirements are no more than $75,000 per year for single filers and $150,000 per year for couples filing jointly. Households who earn more than these values will see a reduction in their payments depending on how far their annual salary is compared to the thresholds.

The child tax credit, on the other hand, will give out $3,600 for each dependent under six years and $3,000 for any child six years and older, Fortune reported.



Related Article: Here are States Giving New Stimulus Check Despite Federal Government's Unclear Possibility of Handing Out Fourth Round of Payments

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After being seen last 2009, Claudia Lawrence is still missing, and no one knows if she's alive or dead. Even if the police have not found the woman's remains, police are convinced that she is a victim of foul play.

Claudia, 35, was seen on March 18, 2009, going to her home in Heworth, Yorks. Her father, Peter Lawrence, 74, a former solicitor, died in February this year after waiting for news of his daughter. Nothing came up after more than a decade, and he does not know what happened to Claudia.

New information sparks police's interest on Claudia Lawrence's case

In the early months of 2021, authorities mentions that the police received information about Claudia Lawrence which was interesting and sparks a whole new line of investigation.

Joan Lawrence, 78, spoke to the Mirror and said that the police assured her about her missing daughter. She said she is confused, worried, and does not know what to think. She admitted feeling anxious and nervous about what will happen. Her daughter was missing for the last 12 and half years, and she wanted to know her child's whereabouts, reported the Sun UK.

All these years, the family waiting for closure but is still in the dark since the investigation started and how stressful it has been. Divers of the police department have checked a visited fishing spot in the search for the missing woman.

Police are looking for Claudia, a university chef, through the undergrowth in a line to detect anything odd. The authorities are interested in a closed road outside the Biotech Campus, a close-by gravel pit, and the A64. This place is about nine miles from the victim's residence.

Read Also: Axe-Wielding Husband Calls 999 to Confess Ending Life of Estranged Wife

Six months ago, her dad, Peter, searched for her despite the chance she'll never be found. The question lies on why the sudden interest in the Sand Hutton gravel pits after all these years. Instead, they stated the search that would go on for a few days.

Five were arrested and interrogated on suspicion if they are the ones who killed Claudia. A reward was posted by the family, which cost 2million.

Lawrence went missing in 2009

In March 2009, Claudia was failed to show up for work for the 6 am shift the morning. The night before, she spoke to her parents, and it was the last time they heard of her.

Several weeks later, the police think its foul play and advertised a 10,000 reward for any information that would solve the missing person or murder case. When the police asked about her personal life, the victim was thought to have had an affair with 12 lovers in the last five years. Her mother was shocked and told the police that is not her daughter. A friend reveals that Claudia had many affairs and liked married men.

Police stated that they would search for the missing woman in the Sand Hutton gravel pits in York, about seven miles away from her home. Authorities informed the family about it, noted BBC.

Detective Superintendent Fox said the investigation had already started in the gravel pits to look for clues about the missing woman 12 years ago. Claudia Lawrence is still missing, but her family still hopes for good news since her case remains unsolved up to this day.

Related Article: Relatives Beat 17-Year Old Indian Girl to Death for Wearing Jeans That Breaks Tradition

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The federal government may be able to provide your family with a "Surprise" Child and Dependent Care Credit payment.

Can you figure out how much it costs? The surprise stimulus payment might be as much as $8,000. In addition, if your family has two or more children under the age of 13, you are eligible for $16,000 in costs.

Previously, you could only claim $6,000 for several children's expenses. You can use this child care money to cover the costs of daycare, after-school programs, day camp, and other activities after they are received.

What is Child and Dependent Credit Payment?

If you wish to get up to $16,000 in the form of a child tax credit, you must be a working person who meets specific criteria. The American Rescue Plan, costing $1.9 trillion, was enacted by the House and Senate in February and March 2021 to offer immediate assistance to American people and businesses. This plan also includes the payment of child and dependent care credit.

The extra payment of up to $8000 can assist people in caring for their parents and partners, particularly if they are unable to care for themselves. The COVID-19 has devastated the financial situation of many working-class families over the past year.

Furthermore, it becomes much more challenging when they must pay all of their obligations while also caring for a child or immediate family that is entirely reliant on them on all fronts. If you wish to take advantage of this program, you can claim all of your costs when submitting your taxes in 2022.

It covers up to $8,000 in childcare expenditures, as well as costs associated with caring for a spouse or parent who is unable to care for themselves. For families with two or more dependents, the cost rises to $16,000.

Daycare, after-school programs, caregivers, day camp, and other forms of child care are all included in these costs. According to The East County Gazette, the credit is intended to help people to return to work while read avoiding large fees for care expenditures incurred while they were away.

Read Also: Here's How You Can Receive Your Monthly Stimulus Check Faster

Who is eligible for the stimulus payment?

Per Nerdwallet, the Child and Dependent Care Credit can help you pay for up to $8,000 in child care and similar expenses for a child under the age of 13, a spouse or parent who is unable to care for themselves, or another dependent so that you can work, as well as up to $16,000 in expenses for two or more dependents.

A teenager babysitting your smaller children for a little extra allowance money does not constitute daycare before school at a city site. It's also not a good idea to try to claim whatever you're paying off the books because that income may not be reported by the person you're paying.

Although the costs won't be deductible until next year, keeping records throughout 2021 to be prepared is your best chance. The filer's adjusted gross income must be less than $125,000 to qualify for the Child and Dependent Care tax credit.

It comes as part of Joe Biden's proposals to expand the child tax credit, which will see families get an extra stimulus payment starting July 15. As part of the American Families Plan, about 39 million households will get up to $300 per month for each child under the age of six.

Filing a claim for something you're paying off the books isn't a good idea. This implies that the person who received the money would be unable to claim the money. This surprise stimulus payment is not available to families earning more than $438,000 per year.

You won't be able to claim these costs until the following year when you file your tax return. So, in the meanwhile, it's preferable to stay put and keep the records up to date until 2021. Following the completion of your income tax return, you will begin receiving the surprise Child and Dependent Credit payments on July 15 of the following year, as per The Sun.

Related Article: New Stimulus Check: Here's How to Know If You Have Unclaimed Cash in Your State



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House lawmakers on Tuesday passed a sweeping voting rights bill aimed at protecting the right of every citizen in the United States to vote.

The bill, which is named after the late Georgia congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis, outlined a new formula that can be used by the Justice Department to determine whether states and local jurisdictions have discriminatory voting patterns.

Under the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, jurisdictions with a recent history of discrimination would be required to get approval from the Department of Justice before they can make changes to their voting laws. The bill also includes measures that would counter two Supreme Court rulings that made it harder to challenge discriminatory voting changes, according to Fox News.

Voting Rights Bill

The Lewis bill had first been put in place under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. However, the Supreme Court struck it down in 2013. The conservative majority argued that the formula used to determine which state needed approval before making changes to their voting laws were outdated and unfairly punitive.

Despite striking it down, the Supreme Court did say that the U.S. Congress could come up with a new formula, which is exactly what the bill brings to the table, according to the Associated Press.

The Lewis bill passed with a vote of 219-212. No Republicans in the House voted in favor of the legislation. The bill will now proceed to the Senate, where it may face steep opposition as the Democrats only have a slim 50-50 majority. This means they lack the 60 votes needed to pass the bill.

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On Tuesday, House lawmakers also argued that the Lewis bill is a vital complement to the Democrat's For the People Act, which Republicans in the Senate filibustered in June.

The For the People Act would create minimum voting standards in the U.S. This included same-day and automatic voter registration, as well as no-excuse absentee voting. The filibustered bill would also require all federal elections to have an identical set of rules. While these rules could be changed by state and federal jurisdictions, they could only be tweaked to provide more access.

Advantages of the Legislation

The measure would also make it much easier for voters to register, designate their party affiliations, change their addresses and de-register through an online portal. Voters would also be automatically registered when they visit state or federal agencies unless they explicitly refuse to be.

Early voting would also be expanded across the United states, with all jurisdictions offering it for 15 days, at 10 hours each day, as reported by The New York Times.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday echoed the House's message, calling for the Senate to pass the Lewis bill and send it to his desk.

"The House is acting. The Senate also has to join them to send this important bill to my desk, and the Senate has to move forward on the people's act - critical legislation to protect our democracy and the right to vote," Biden said, according to NPR. "We need both of those."



Related Article: Federal Unemployment Benefits Unlikely to be Extended Amid Lack of Support From Democrats

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Amid a nationwide food shortage - and as Kim Jong Un purportedly dropped hundreds of pounds - a North Korean cartoon that aired on official television last week appeared to caution children about obesity and overeating.

Two girls are shown strolling on city streets during the winter in a clip from the animation, according to Seoul-based journalist Chad O'Carroll of news and analysis site NKNews. One of them chastises her fatter buddy for wanting to ride the bus home despite her size and advises her to walk instead.

The two then proceed to the first girl's place, where the slimmer girl does acrobatics while her companion eats and falls asleep on the couch. According to NKNews senior analytic reporter Colin Zwirko, the cartoon may potentially be used by the North Korean government to show the country's prosperity.

Obesity becomes a concern amid food shortage

While Many citizens in North Korea are presently hungry as a result of coronavirus-related food shortages, obesity is becoming a rising concern among the country's elite. In recent months, it has been reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dropped a significant weight, as per National Interest.

Strange lessons in a new North Korean cartoon aired last week. Early on, acrobat girl tells her overweight friend that she's "fat" and should walk instead of riding the bus. Invites her over, gives her tons of snacks and tells her to be "teacher" while she practices all night... pic.twitter.com/tX1JQvDz4D  Colin Zwirko (@ColinZwirko) August 22, 2021

Although many who monitor North Korea have been watching the issue for hints as to what it implies for Kim's position, it's unclear exactly what Kim Jong Un did to lose weight. Now, there's another story in the North Korean press concerning weight concerns, but it has nothing to do with Kim Jong Un.

While many citizens in North Korea are presently suffering from hunger as a result of coronavirus-related food shortages, obesity is becoming a rising concern among the country's elite. While the North Korean leadership typically portrays events in the nation in a good light, they have been forthright about the current famine.

Both the 1994 starvation in North Korea and the previous "Arduous March" have been compared. However, the country has mostly refused outside assistance, especially in the area of vaccinations. North Korea is "in crisis," according to Human Rights Watch researcher Lina Yoon.

Parents must offer their children a healthful mix of fish and vegetables for breakfast every day, according to a state TV broadcast in early August. The show cautioned that if children do not eat a nutritious breakfast every day, they may develop a stomach condition or other illnesses. It included footage of youngsters in upper-class households refusing spoons of rice.

Furthermore, Naenara, an online state outlet, recently published an article advocating weight loss therapies. However, there is a limit to how much can be said about Kim Jong Un's weight. According to an unconfirmed allegation by Radio Free Asia on August 18, North Korea has forbidden mention of Kim's weight loss.

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Kim Jong Un's health topic is banned in North Korea

North Korea has banned civilians from talking about Kim Jong Un's weight loss and has warned that gossip is "reactionary conduct." Kim is healthy, according to government officials, who claim he is eating less for the benefit of the people as the country grapples with severe food shortages.

Kim's health became a topic of discussion as photographs emerged showing the tyrant appearing significantly thin after losing up to 44 pounds earlier this year. Attempts to suppress rumors regarding Kim's weight, however, have failed.

According to sources, neighborhood watch groups issued formal announcements prohibiting individuals from discussing Kim Jong Un's health. It is said to be the first time North Korean officials have addressed concerns about Kim's weight loss or health, as it is generally a taboo subject.

Last month, the leader was photographed waving to a gathering of adoring military men, and he appeared to have lost weight around his waist and face, with his signature Mao suit seeming somewhat loose. Images from the first workshop of the Korean People's Army's commanders and political officials, conducted in July, revealed Kim with a much thinner visage.

It comes two months after state television said that Kim's gaunt condition was tearing our people's hearts, in a very rare broadcast in a country where public discussion of the leader's health and personal life has traditionally been taboo.

On June 25, the strictly controlled state media cited an anonymous Pyongyang resident as stating that after viewing photos of the considerably thinner Kim, everyone in North Korea was devastated. According to analysts, the statements indicated that officials were attempting to utilize Kim's weight loss to strengthen allegiance to the government during a time of crisis, Daily Mail reported.

Related Article: Kim Jong-Un's Health: North Korea Warns Citizens to Refrain From Talking About their Leader's Health



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The Kremlin will send high-tech radars that can detect stealth Signatures and hypersonic systems compared to standard radar. It will be installed in the far eastern reaches of Russian to defend from such weapon systems.

It is new to state-of-the-art Rezonans-N Radar. A sophisticated radar detects the undetectable like the F-35 or even hypersonic weaponry, which is the greatest danger it faces.

Such installations will be first installed in the Sakhalin region according to the Russian domestic defense industry. The defense ministry will decide its final location.

Getting the edge over near peers

Despite these pronouncements, according to the Russian news agency TASS, it is not confirmed yet. Also, the operators of the new radar systems would be starting their acclimatization to using them in 2023.

A single-module installation of this kind has been constructed at the radio-technical training facility of the Russian Air Defense Forces in the Vladimir Region, reported the ExpressUK.

Three Rezonans-N all-around surveillance four-module radar systems of the Russian Northern Fleet's 45th Air Force and Air Defense Army are currently on operational alert or dispatched.

There are three radar stations on alert, and two more radar units are in the Russian Arctic. It performs in the meter band and employs the theory of wave resonance, enabling them to spot stealth aircraft and hypersonic objects traveling at speeds more than Mach 20, flying at incredible speeds of Mach 20 or more.

The high-tech radars can find targets and provide target identification on aerodynamic targets at a range of 600 km, and detect stealth Signatures and hypersonic systems at a range of 1,200 km or a height of approximately 100 km.

Read also: F-35 Lightning II Stealth Fighter Up Against Conventional Jets in Air Combat Drills

Reports come after a Russian Navy anti-submarine ship called Vice-Admiral Kulakov, accompanied by other logistic boats, crossed the English Channel earlier in the month, noted Wales Online.

On August 14, the press office of the Russian Northern fleet said that a large ASW ship is already in the Channel. It said the ships and support vessel were fronted by the Large ASW ship, the Vice-Admiral Kulakov of the Northern Fleet, went by the Pas-de-Calais and continues to move south in the English Channel.

Ships in the fleet is a Russian corvette called "Gremyachchiy," even a minesweeper "Vladimir Emelyanov" serving the Black Fleet.

After the Main Naval Parade, several ships joined the Vice-Admiral Kulakov in the North Sea on August 12. The two ships reportedly joined the anti-submarine destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov of the Northern Fleet in the North Sea on August 12 after participating in Russia's Main Naval Parade. The ships are intended to coordinate on a variety of tasks, notably inter-fleet coordination and lengthy journeys.

The Naval Day parade

On July 25, officially recognized as Navy Day in Russia, the Main Naval Parade took place mostly on river Neva in St Petersburg. A total of 4,000 sailors were involved, with 50-plus ships, of many naval assets paraded Russia's maritime might. It included 40 planes, helos which made it more impressive.

Vladimir Putin rode a ship that inspected the ships and men in the Bay of Finland. The Russian leader acknowledges the sailors on Navy Day. He gave a speech to boost the morale of the Russian forces that day. These high-tech radars, which can catch stealth signatures and hypersonic systems, are part of the Russian arsenal to defend mother Russia.

Related Article: B-21 Raider New Images Released by the US Air Force After many speculations from the Lack of Information

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With skyrocketing prices, cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and Ethereum are poised for more record-breaking levels, soaring price predictions, and being a legit threat to fiat currencies such as the U.S. dollar.

Bitcoin has recently breached the $50,000 mark, while Ethereum stood strong above $3,200 on Monday, as other major cryptocurrencies also got a major boost to bring the entire crypto market value to over $2.1 trillion--a near 100 percent rise from July, Forbes reported.

Bitcoin's giant leap is the highest level the token reached since February 16, based on Coindesk data. It last hit above the $50,000 level in March before setting its all-time high of above $60,000 in April, Time noted. Since then, however, the coin took hard tumbles and crashed to below $30,000due primarily to China's crackdown and Tesla CEO Elon Musk's disheartening remarks on Twitter.

Bitcoin, Ethereum Surge to Cause 'Seismic' Shift from Fiat Currencies to Crypto

Its current surge has emboldened banking executives to forecast a "seismic" shift in the financial markets. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies could replace our traditional fiat currencies within the next five to 10 years, a Forbes poll revealed.

Read Also: Bitcoin Price Prediction: BTC Value Surges 40%, $100,000 Breakout Seen

Deloitte consultants released a report saying that 76 percent of finance professionals consider Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other crypto as a replacement or alternative for the U.S. dollar and other fiat money in the next five to 10 years.

Eighty-one percent of the 1,300 executives surveyed consider the blockchain as broadly scalable and widely adopted in the mainstream market. The Forbes poll further revealed that 73 percent of the respondents believe that companies should embrace cryptocurrencies and blockchain to maintain their competitiveness.

Deloitte global blockchain and digital assets practice head Linda Pawczuk urged finance industry players to "redefine themselves and find innovative ways" to achieve growth in the future of currencies, particularly in the wider adoption of digital assets into the mainstream.

Global Central Banks Scrambling With Digital Versions of Fiat Currencies

This year, top brick-and-mortar banks Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan have started unveiling Bitcoin and crypto services to clients as global central banks toy around with central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).

China has begun to experiment with its digital yuan, while the U.S. and Europe are on the early stages of actual, decisive moves into CBDCs.

Facebook Seeks to Create Own Cryptocurrency, Twitter to Expand Bitcoin Use

Social media giants Facebook and Twitter are likewise entering the crypto space, with Facebook seeking to create its own cryptocurrency, diem. Twitter, on the other hand, is expanding the use of Bitcoin, with CEO Jack Dorsey leading the way.

Use cases of cryptocurrencies have grown in recent months, with more establishments accepting digital coins as a payment option for actual products and services.

Deloitte emphasized in a report that cryptocurrencies is not merely a wave of the future, but is "happening right now." As such, using digital assets is "not an option-it is inevitable."

Of course, cryptocurrency remains a risky investment. However, there is no doubt it is growing in popularity.

Related Article: Bitcoin Price Prediction: Experts Forecast BTC Value Breakout, Possible Crypto Crash
With the latest hack of Bahraini activists' iPhones, NSO Group's Pegasus software seems to have circumvented Apple's latest BlastDoor protection designed to prevent security breaches.

The University of Toronto's Citizen Lab disclosed that the Pegasus malware hacked the phones between June 2020 and February 2021. The hacked activists included political dissidents and members of the Bahraini Center for Human Rights, a U.S. News report said.

Bahrain's government has been suspected to be behind the hack, the report further said. Bahrain, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, has been widely scrutinized for suppressing dissent. But the kingdom's National Communications Center released a statement dismissing the Citizen Lab findings as "misguided," and stressed that Bahrain is committed to safeguarding individual rights and freedoms.

The Israel-based NSO Group said it would investigate the matter while questioning Citizen Lab's motives in releasing the report.

Read Also: iPhone iMessage Security Risk Exposed! Should Apple Hide, Filter Texts From Strangers?

Pegasus Allows Hackers to Read Texts, Hear Voice Calls in iPhones

The Pegasus spyware is a powerful malware that allows hackers to read texts, monitor voice calls, take over a device mic and camera, type in keystrokes, and much more, Gizmodo noted.

Citizen Lab pointed out that Pegasus infects iPhones with "zero-click" vulnerability or without users taking action. Hackers used the zero-click iMessage exploit, which requires no phishing and just takes advantage of the messaging app's code vulnerability to complete its attack,

This vulnerability, Citizen Lab said, is being exploited in the latest versions of the iPhone's iOS at the time of the hack,--articularly iOS 14.4 and iOS 14.6, which was released in May. It added that there has been no indication that this has been addressed.

Pegasus Spyware Undermines Apple's New 'BlastDoor' Security Protection

This means the attack is very significant since it undermines Apple's new "Blastdoor" security protection designed to overcome such covert breaches. BlastDoor, which analyszes and stops malicious data from reaching the iMessage app, is a sandbox service that executes code separately from the OS and operates within the messaging app, MacRumors stated. It would peer through all incoming messages and filters the content securely, thus disallowing malicious code in a message from interacting with iOS or accessing user data.

Blastdoor was integrated into iOS 14 in January 2021.

Due to previously reported breach on human rights activists, lawyers, and journalists likewise using the Pegasus malware last July, Apple released a security update in iOS 14.7.1 to fix that vulnerability. But Citizen Lab emphasized the Bahraini attack employed a different attack method.

Apple has yet to comment on the latest breach, but it has reiterated its condemnation for the attacks and assured iPhone users that the risk is low. The company added it would continue to work to prevent such attacks.

In a statement published on U.S. News, Apple Security Engineering and Architecture Ivan Kristic said such incidents are "not a threat to the overwhelming majority of our users," adding that Apple "adds new protections for its devices and data."

Related Article: Is Your iPhone Infected With Pegasus Spyware? 1 Way to Scan Your Phone, Detect Scary Virus
Millions of Americans might get a monthly boost of $100 in their social security checks by 2022. This is because of the anticipated 6.2 percent cost-of-living adjustments that have taken place in these last few months. Fortunately for everyone, there is an online calculator to accurately calculate the monetary benefits you can look forward to.

Americans who have reached the age 62 are entitled to start receiving their social security benefits. Note, however, that an early claim on the money would result in fewer benefits on their full retirement age at 70.

Before calculating the money, eligible Americans should be warned that different factors affect the social security benefits. In fact, they could receive a significantly bigger bonus if they decide to wait until next year.

Social Security Income Benefits: How Much Can I Get?

The social security monetary benefits directly increase and decrease based on cost of living, officially referred to as Cost-Of-Living Adjustments (COLA). The calculated data is estimated through Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).

In highlight, if the general expenses like bills, rentals, and groceries have increased, the receivable allowance from social security benefits would also increase. Notably, the pandemic affected much of our lifestyle. Eligible Americans who would receive their monetary benefit should be informed of this new estimate.

According to The Sun, the consumer price index spiked by 5.4 percent in July. Therefore, receivable social security benefits were projected to have a 4.7 percent increase in May, 6.1 percent increase in July, and 6.2 percent by August.

In 2021, the Social Security COLA declared was 1.3 percent for approximately 70 million Americans. With this figure, social security payouts amount to $1,543 per month and $18,516 per year.

In estimate, a 6.2 percent increase would add approximately $95.67 per month. Mary Johnson, a social security policy analyst, referred next year as "highest paid since 1983 when it was 7.4%" per The Sun.

Social Security Administration (SSA) said the official announcement for the next COLA is set on October. The new COLA should immediately go into effect by January 2022.

Read Also: Are You Affected by the T-Mobile Data Breach? 4 Ways to Protect Yourself If You're Exposed

Social Security Income Calculator: How to Calculate Benefits

For eligible Americans who want to receive their social security benefits, you could use the SSA online calculator to compute the exact estimate. Note that this calculator does not access your personal and earning records and would only provide estimates by the available information

To use the online calculator, you have to enter your "date of birth" and "earnings in the current year (2021)." In the circumstance that you have already retired, provide the last year where you had covered earnings.

Afterward, the calculator would compute your benefits by age. It would specifically inquire about the "full retirement date option" where you would provide the month and year.

Lastly, the calculator would inquire if you want an estimate based on "today's dollars" or by "inflated (future) dollars." Eligible Americans interested in getting their benefits this year should take the first option, while curious ones who want a prediction for 2022 inflated benefits should pick the latter.

The calculator would provide a full report of your benefits for retirement and for particular circumstances like disability or survivors.



Related Article: Afraid You're Exposed in the T-Mobile Data Breach August 2021? Monitor the Dark Web If Someone Is Selling Your Info!
Billionaire mogul Elon Musk has always been a passionate futurist in his remarks about innovations pushed by the companies he leads.

In his Twitter account, Musk frequently mentioned how such innovation is set to rule people's lives--sometimes even hinting a sort of a doomsday vision in his most recent, viral tweet, as reported by the Daily Express.

The Guns of August pic.twitter.com/m7J2sJVNIT  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 23, 2021

But among all the innovations he espouses, there is only one that he has shown deep concern: artificial intelligence (A.I.).

Through the years, Musk cautioned people about AI, specifically AI-powered robots, as he even forecasted "scary outcomes" such as in the James Cameron film "The Terminator." Because of this, Musk has seemed to be revisiting such nightmarish cinematic scenes in trying to save the world from such an abhorring eventuality of being overrun by AI robots, again in a grand futuristic declaration.

Elon Musk AI Warning Resurfaces After Tesla Bot Reveal

Musk announced that his electric vehicle company, Tesla, will build a humanoid robot prototype, called the "Tesla Bot," CNBC reported. During Tesla's "A.I. Day" on August 19, Musk said a prototype of the Tesla Bot would be completed in 2022. A futurist to a fault, however, Musk tends to overshoot his deadlines and underdeliver.

Read Also: Elon Musk's Bright Idea To Prevent Robots From Taking Over The World

While Musk generally supports A.I., he has expressed concern over its application and advancement in robotics, as he always cite a film that was released in his early teens. He told CNBC in 2014 that there have been movies like "The Terminator" with "scary outcomes" that make him "keep an eye on what's going on with artificial intelligence."

Musk would mention "The Terminator" again in 2017 when he described his neurotechnology startup Neurolink--which seeks to develop brain implants that will link with computers--as that preventive tool against Skynet, the antagonist in the 1984 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In a tweet, Musk remarked in a tweet that the idea for Neurolink is the "aspiration to avoid AI becoming other."

He would further warn this danger of having "robots (that) will be able to do everything better than us" in his speech before the National Governors Association. Having exposure to the most cutting edge AI, Musk stressed "people should be really concerned by it."

And commenting on a viral video of Boston Dynamics' parkour-performing robot, Musk said the acrobatic moves was "nothing." The robot, he added, will "move so fast, you'll need to a strobe light to see it." He concluded the tweet with "Sweet dreams..."

This is nothing. In a few years, that bot will move so fast youll need a strobe light to see it. Sweet dreams https://t.co/0MYNixQXMw  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 26, 2017

Tesla Bot 'Optimus' to Complete Complex, Useful Tasks

The Tesla Bot, codenamed Optimus, will stand 5-foot-8, weigh 125 pounds with human-like hands and feet and a visual sensor as its eye, CNBC further noted. The automaker will work on discarding the bot's "dangerous, repetitive, boring tasks." The bot, he said, can be ordered to complete complex, useful tasks, such as fixing cars or buying groceries

Analysts, however, are not too excited about Musk's Tesla Bot reveal, as they question its timing. Per CNBC, Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives described it as "headscratcher" since such bots are "not what investors want to see."

Related Article: Elon Musk's New Company Will Merge Human Brains With AI By 2021
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took images of the Comet ATLAS last year. However, what was expected to be the brightest comet of the decade turned out to be a dud, disintegrating into 30 icy pieces.

A new study based on observations from these Hubble images revealed that the doomed comet broke off from an ancient parent comet suspected to have swept within 23 million miles from the Sun--which is closer than the nearest planet Mercury, around five millennia ago.

A blast from the past! 



Using Hubble, astronomers studied a comet named ATLAS and found that it may be a broken-off piece of a comet that mightve been visible about 5,000 years ago!



Read more: https://t.co/wvKusMKLqQ pic.twitter.com/2TTGiKo7GC  Hubble (@NASAHubble) August 19, 2021

According to a NASA release, the comet would have been a breathtaking sight for civilizations in Eurasia and North Africa by the end of the Stone Age.

NASA Hubble Pictures: ATLAS a Remnant of Ancient Comet 5,000 Years Ago

The study's main author, astronomer Quanzhi Ye from the University of Maryland, observed the comet using the Hubble Space Telescope. He pointed out that based on his team's observations, Comet ATLAS was a mere fragment from the brighter comet that whizzed past the Earth's sky 5,000 years back, CNN revealed.

Ye and his team's method in analyzing the comet helped them determine its origins. They found out that the orbit of ATLAS took the same route as the comet observed in 1844, suggesting that both comets were "siblings" from the parent comet that crumbled centuries back.

Read Also: NASA Hubble Telescope Pictures of Heaven: Space Observatory Snaps Remarkable Spiral Galaxy

According to the NASA release, astronomer Maik Meyer first discovered the connection between the comet ATLAS and the 1844 comet.

It is not rare for a comet to disintegrate into smaller sibling pieces. In July 1994, the Hubble and the Galileo spacecraft spotted the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 broke off due to Jupiter's gravitational pull, forcing the remnants of the original comet to form a straight line called a "comet train."

While Shoemaker-Levy 9's demise was largely predicted, with the comet's pieces creating fireballs that left scars on the gas giant, ATLAS' breakup was different, having torn into pieces when it was farther from the Sun than Earth. Its parent comet, on the other hand, was closer to the Sun when it disintegrated.

NASA Hubble Images: Astronomers Mystified by Comet's Journey

This came as a mystery to Ye and his team. In the NASA statement, Ye asked how the comet survived its first pass on the Sun 5,000 years ago since "it's very unusual." He also said this is the first time a long-period comet would break up before getting near the Sun.

The astronomers also said that parts of the comet showed various structures and compositions since one fragment disintegrated in days while another lasted for weeks. Ye observed that the comet's nucleus "was stronger than the other part."

NASA gave two theories on why the fragments had different lifespans, which would give a clue on the undetermined composition of the ancient parent comet. The U.S. space agency said "streamers of ejected material" broke the comet apart using centrifugal forces, or volatile ice material could have blown apart the weaker piece akin to "an exploding aerial firework."

Related Article: NASA Hubble Images: Space Telescope Captures Birth of Star in Gemini Constellation!
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Wharton, TX (77488)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms mainly during the morning. Hot and humid. High 94F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

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




Namyang Dairy Chairman Hong Won-sik adjusts his glasses during a press conference at the firm's headquarters in Seoul, May 4. Korea Times file



Kim & Chang in awkward position



By Lee Kyung-min



The months-long dispute over a 53.08 percent stake Namyang Dairy Chairman Hong Won-sik sought to sell for 310.7 billion won ($265 million) to local private equity fund (PEF) Hahn & Co. is expected to morph into a protracted legal battle, as the PEF hired Yoon & Yang, a law firm specializing in finance and tax litigation, Wednesday.



Some market watchers say the private equity has more to gain in a civil suit, since the court is likely to recognize that the sale was in progress, as illustrated by a contract drawn up between the two, as well as the Fair Trade Commission's merger approval and corporate funds prepared for payment upon request.



Others say the private equity is being pressured for time, since few investors will consider a drawn-out dispute as competent handling of a high-stakes deal.



The announcement of the representation by the law firm with expertise in corporate litigation comes shortly after the disgraced chairman, 71, hired the law firm L.K.B. and Partners in a strategic move to prepare for a countersuit upon a civil claim likely to be filed by the private equity for an incomplete stock purchase agreement (SPA) signed May 27.



Some point out that the chairman seeking counsel with L.K.B., which has little experience in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and is known mostly for taking on politically divisive cases, rather than Kim & Chang, the initial counsel for the takeover deal, is indicative of his desperation to stall the deal as much as possible.



Yoon & Yang said the firm isn't in a position to disclose specifics and particulars related to the dispute due to confidentiality issue. "Nothing has been decided at this point," a Yoon & Yang official told The Korea Times by telephone. L.K.B. was not available for comment by deadline.



Blame game



Both Hong and the private equity maintain that they hired the law firms for counsel on a broad range of legal issues, not limited to defense strategies. Yet chances are high for them to extend the dispute in court proceedings, if  or when  the ongoing exchanges of opinions through intermediaries bear an outcome rejected by both.



Industry watchers believe the two have been exchanging opinions since Aug. 17, when Hong issued a statement denying culpability over a delayed meeting between the two, scheduled originally for July 30.



The private equity claimed Hong "abruptly and unilaterally" canceled an extraordinary shareholders meeting, shortly after which the two were to finalize the takeover. Hong postponed the meeting to Sept. 14 saying he needed more time, in what the private equity views as no more than a stalling tactic constituting breach of contract.



In the statement, Hong said that he had no intention of breaking the deal, refuting claims of a "no-show" raised by the PEF.



"We informed Hahn & Co. that the deal cannot be inked July 30 as previously set, long before the date of the meeting. The deal cannot be finalized when the parties involved are not ready. It is a simple rescheduling of the date and nothing changed."



Hong also refuted the claims of a "no-show," adding that he did attend the extraordinary shareholders meeting to inform other shareholders about his decision to delay the inking of the deal. This is why Hong maintains that he is not at fault for not being present at the place where the two had planned to meet.



The claim rebuts the private equity's claim that the meeting of shareholders was "postponed for six weeks due to the unilateral decision of the current major shareholder." It said all measures including legal action will be pursued since this was a "clear violation of the SPA contract."





Hahn & Company chairman Yoon Yeo-eul




The nominee for South Korea's financial regulator said Wednesday that it may be difficult to recognize cryptocurrency as a financial asset in light of international trends.







"I understand that the Group of 20, the International Monetary Fund, other international agencies and a considerable number of experts find it difficult to see virtual currencies as a financial asset, and think they could not function as a currency," Koh Seung-beom, the nominee for the Financial Service Commission (FSC), said in a meeting with journalists.







His comment came as South Korean investors have been heavily buying virtual currency, considering it as a lucrative asset amid the coronavirus pandemic.







More young people have been investing in cryptocurrencies, anticipating higher returns, with some saying they cannot buy homes solely with their incomes amid skyrocketing home prices.







Koh reiterated his earlier commitment to make sure financial authorities put the top priority on curbing a sustained increase in household debt, which some experts say is a time bomb for Asia's fourth-largest economy.







"The FSC will push ahead with existing anti-debt measures and come up with additional steps, if needed, by mobilizing all available policy means," he said.







An excessive increase in household credit could lead to the creation and collapse of a bubble, which could undermine the soundness of the country's financial industry and have a negative impact on the real economy, he added.







South Korea's household credit reached a record high of 1,765 trillion won ($1.52 trillion) as of end-March, up 9.5 percent from a year earlier, according to central bank data.







In April this year, the FSC announced a set of measures to slow the growth of household debt by expanding tougher rules to more mortgage borrowers. (Yonhap)






North Korea's official newspaper on Wednesday called for the military's absolute obedience to the ruling Workers' Party as the country marked the 61st anniversary of its Army-First Day.







North Korea celebrates the Day of Songun, or Army-First Day, on Aug. 25 to mark late leader Kim Jong-il's visit to the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Guards 105th Armored Division in 1960. The unit is known to have entered Seoul for the first time among North Korean troops during the 1950-53 Korean War.







"For a military to demonstrate strength as an invincible combat force that can defeat any powerful enemy, it should be well-prepared not only in its ideology but also in terms of military technology," the paper said in an editorial.







The paper, however, made no mention of any specific military achievements, including nuclear weapons, intercontinental ballistic missiles or submarine-launched ballistic missiles.







It called on the military's "absolute loyalty" and "absolute obedience" to the ruling party, saying no other organization has remained as loyal to the party than the military.







Songun means putting priority on the military. It was a trademark policy of the late leader Kim Jong-il, under which he put much of the country's scarce resources into weapons development and other efforts to build stronger armed forces, even though ordinary North Koreans struggled with hunger.







After taking office in late 2011, the current leader Kim Jong-un pushed to strengthen functions of the ruling party in an apparent shift from his late father's emphasis on the military-first policy. (Yonhap)






The number of babies born in South Korea dropped to a record low in June, data showed Wednesday, in the latest sign that underscores the country's gloomy demographic situation with the chronically low birth rate.







A total of 21,526 babies were born in June, down 2.7 percent from the previous year, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.







It marked the lowest for any June since 1981, when the statistics agency began compiling related data.







In the second quarter, the number of newborns reached an all-time low of 66,398, down 2.7 percent from the previous year.







South Korea is struggling with a sustained fall in childbirths as many young people give up getting married or having babies amid a prolonged economic slowdown.







The country's total fertility rate  the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime  hit a record low of 0.84 last year. It marked the third straight year that the rate was below 1 percent.







In the April-June period, the total fertility rate stood at 0.82, down from 0.85 the previous year and the lowest for any second quarter.







The number of deaths rose for the fourth straight month in June amid a rapidly aging population.







The number of deaths came to 24,391 in June, up 3.1 percent from a year earlier. It gained 3.3 percent on-year to 75,049 in the second quarter.







This resulted in the country's population decreasing by 2,865 in June, marking the 20th consecutive month of decline.







South Korea reported the first natural decline in population in 2020 as the number of deaths outpaced that of newborns.







Policymakers warned the country may face an "age quake" starting in 2030-40, an earthquake-like demographic shock from a fall in population and social aging, if it does not tackle demographic challenges in a timely manner.







Meanwhile, the number of people tying the knot fell 5.5 percent on-year to 16,235 in June. Divorces declined 0.4 percent to 8,741 in the month, the data showed. (Yonhap)


From left are new presidential secretary for civil participation Kang Kwun-chan, presidential secretary for New Southern and Northern policies Kim Jeong-hoi and presidential secretary for land and transport Kim Yi-tak. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae



By Nam Hyun-woo



Kim Jeong-hoi, deputy minister for trade negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, was appointed as presidential secretary for New Southern and Northern policies, which are aimed at bolstering economic ties with countries south and north to Korea.



Presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said Tuesday that President Moon Jae-in named Kim, 50, as his new secretary in charge of the policies. The post has been vacant since Kim's predecessor, Yeo Han-koo, was appointed as trade minister earlier this month.



Kim is a career bureaucrat, taking key posts related to Korea's U.S.-bound trade at the trade ministry. He also served at the ministry's departments on vehicle-technology convergence and energy resources, before becoming the deputy minister for trade negotiation last December.



Kim graduated from Seoul National University's Department of Economics and earned his master's degree at Boston University.



The New Southern and Northern policies are Moon's initiative to enhance economic ties with southern countries including ASEAN member nations and India, and northern countries including Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.



With the southern countries, the President seeks to improve their ties with Korea to a level matching the four powerhouses surrounding Korea  the U.S., China, Japan and Russia  so they can build a future-oriented partnership toward prosperity. With northern countries, Moon seeks to capitalize on their economic growth potential and connectivity to Europe.



Kim's appointment is interpreted as President Moon's bid to pursue stability among his aides by hiring officials who have been serving in related government organizations. Along with Kim, Moon appointed Kang Kwun-chan as secretary of civil participation and Kim Yi-tak as secretary of land and transport. The former is from the office of presidential planning secretary and the latter is from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.



"The new secretaries have been building their experience and expertise in Cheong Wa Dae and respective ministries, and they have profound understanding of the Moon Jae-in administration's policy philosophy," the spokesperson said in a written briefing. "As they have been addressing key pending issues so far, they are expected to play their roles with responsibility."



Kang is a Korea University graduate and also earned his Ph.D. in political diplomacy from the graduate school there. Land and transport secretary Kim is a Seoul National University graduate.


By Kim Rahn





Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon / Yonhap
Rep. Yun Hee-suk of the main opposition People Power Party announces her decision to give up her parliamentary seat in a press conference held at the National Assembly in Seoul, Aug. 25. Yonhap



Rep. Yun Hee-suk, a rising freshman lawmaker of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), on Wednesday offered to give up her parliamentary seat and presidential bid over her father's suspected violation of the farmland law in the past.



Yun was one of 12 PPP members identified Monday in a probe by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) as being linked to allegedly irregular real estate dealings in the past. The probe was the latest in the ACRC's parliament-wide examination into property dealings linked to legislators in the past.



On Tuesday, the PPP leadership reviewed individual cases of the lawmakers in question and decided to expel one member and recommend five others to leave the party. Yun was cleared of charges by the party, as the case was that of her father's violation of the farmland law and not directly connected to Yun.



Yun, who rose to national fame last year with her parliamentary speech criticizing the government and the ruling party's set of new tenant protection laws, nonetheless decided to give up her seat and presidential bid.



"I will return my National Assembly seat to the constituents of the Seocho-gap district and the people," Yun announced during a press conference at parliament. "I am now suspending my journey in the primary for the presidential candidacy."



Yun explained her decision as being based on the "sense of crisis" that she may end up "demolishing a key axis" in the opposition's battle to achieve a change of government in the upcoming presidential race, labeling the government's real estate policy failure and criticism on the ruling bloc's double standard culture as one of the biggest flash point issues in the presidential race.



Yun also suggested the ACRC probe was politically motivated, calling the investigation an "irrational move intended to damage the reputation of an opposition lawmaker who has lived independently from her father for over 30 years."



She also called the ACRC investigation a "ridiculous probe."





People Power Party Chairperson Lee Jun-seok, right, asks Rep. Yun Hee-suk of his party to withdraw decision to give up her parliamentary seat, Aug. 25. Yonhap
National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, center, poses with floor leaders of the two major parties, Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon of the main opposition People Power Party, left, and Rep. Yun Ho-jung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, Wednesday, to announce that they decided to delay a plenary meeting supposed to be held on the day to Aug. 30. Yonhap





By Jung Da-min







The National Assembly has delayed a plenary session slated for Wednesday, during which the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) planned to approve a bill aimed at imposing punitive damages for media outlets producing "fake news." The DPK and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) agreed to hold the plenary session on Aug. 30.







The postponement was due to a procedural problem over the controversial bill. The DPK pledges to push ahead with its passage at the next plenary meeting, while opposition parties vow to prevent it through all possible means.







National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug announced the delay at around 10 a.m., about six hours after the DPK members of the Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee approved the revision bill to the Act on Press Arbitration. The committee started its discussion on Tuesday but the meeting ran overnight into Wednesday morning, and the endorsement came after the PPP members left the meeting room in protest.







The decision to put off the plenary session came after Park accepted PPP floor leader Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon's complaint that the DPK was ignoring legal procedures. According to the National Assembly Act, a bill passed at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee can only be introduced in a plenary session at least one day after the judiciary committee's passage of it.







Even if the plenary meeting is held on Aug. 30 as agreed, a big clash between the two major parties is expected to take place as the PPP, which boycotted relevant committee meetings, is now planning to attempt a filibuster to block the vote on the bill at the next plenary session. The DPK, however, maintains a supermajority in the National Assembly and can block any filibuster.







As criticism over the DPK's passage of the bill has grown from opposition parties and civil organizations, the DPK has proposed to have a discussion session during the plenary meeting, in which all lawmakers of the National Assembly can participate and review the bill.







Rep. Han Jun-ho, a spokesperson of the DPK said, "A filibuster is a battle between a spear and a shield.  It would be better to hold a plenary committee session in which lawmakers could propose ideas to revise the bill to reach an agreement."







Regarding the matter, PPP spokesman Rep. Kang Min-guk said that PPP members would discuss the proposal.







Ever since the DPK introduced the revision bill, controversy grew as critics are claiming the ruling bloc could use the revised law to block media criticism of the government and ruling party members. The criticism is continuing even after the DPK made some changes to the original bill, such as excluding high-ranking government officials and executives of major companies from those who could seek punitive damages against the media, in response to concerns that the initial version of the bill could hamper the media's role in criticizing political or economic power.


A poster of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation / Screen captured from World Health Organization



By Bahk Eun-ji



A high court has ruled that a Sierra Leonean woman who came to Korea to avoid female genital mutilation should be granted refugee status because the practice is violation of human rights. The Gwangju High Court overturned a lower court decision that ruled against the 38-year-old woman who filed the suit to counter the Gwangju Immigration Office's decision not to recognize her as a refugee.



"Circumcision is a practice that inflicts pain to a women's body and infringes on human dignity, and is a persecution someone has to suffer because she is a member of a specific group," the court said. "There is sufficient grounds for fear and a high chance of being circumcised against her will if the woman is repatriated."



The Sierra Leone woman converted to Christianity in 2009 after attending a Catholic school in her home country, but was pressured by her mother to join a traditional religious group that circumcises women. Her mother was one of the leaders of the group and wanted the woman to succeed her position after undergoing genital cutting.



The woman refused and was assaulted by people of the religious group several times in April 2019. She said she reported this to the police, but was not protected because of the religious group's great influence in her country.



After receiving death threats, she came to Korea in September 2019. After 23 days in the country, she applied for refugee status with the immigration office.



But the office rejected her application, saying fear of female genital mutilation did not constitute "enough grounds that she may be persecuted."



She then filed an administrative suit with the Gwangju District Court to annul the immigration office's decision. But the local court ruled against her, saying she failed to present evidence of her claims and it was unlikely she was persecuted because of race, religion, nationality, membership in a specific social group or political opinion  factors applied in deciding whether to grant refugee status.



However, the appeals court overturned the lower court's ruling, saying she had been pressured to succeed her mother's position as a leader of the group and that she had been kidnapped and assaulted because she refused to do so.



"She was at risk of being circumcised in her familial, regional and social circumstances, and she has stated this situation consistently," the court said. "Her statement that her life could be in danger if she refuses to succeed her mother in the post is also consistent with the results of the United Nations Refugee Agency's fact-finding."



"She also didn't seem to have other cause for entry to Korea than the attempt to avoid circumcision, and she may face the same pressure for genital mutilation even if she moves to other regions in Sierra Leone because the nation has no law prohibiting the practice," the court said. "So we recognize there are sufficient grounds that she could be persecuted."


By Arthur I. Cyr





As the United States withdraws from Afghanistan under intense pressure, the Taliban are providing stark evidence of their exceptional fighting prowess. Forces of the militant fundamentalist movement have overrun major cities with stunning speed. The national government has collapsed.



This success has occurred despite trillions of dollars and tremendous labor being invested over two decades to build an effective national army and representative central government institutions.



Known as a conservative obstructionist, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell's immediate denunciation of President Joe Biden for a "botched" Afghanistan withdrawal begins the inevitable political recriminations from the right. There are also cries from some political quarters to send sizable military forces to overthrow the Taliban again.



That would be a major blunder.



As always, the context is clarifying. On September 11, 2001, an al-Qaeda (not Taliban) terrorist group based in Afghanistan carried out large-scale, horrific, murderous attacks on the United States. Hijacked civilian aircraft became directed lethal missiles. High-octane aviation fuel provided massive explosions on impact, an imaginative as well as evil killing tool.



Planes struck the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Another went down in the Pennsylvania countryside. That plane likely was to have hit the U.S. Capitol or White House. Passenger heroes prevented that.



In response, military forces of a comprehensive international coalition of nations led by the U.S. overthrew the fundamentalist Taliban regime in Kabul. Both the United Nations and NATO supported this effort, made necessary by the terror attacks.



Over time, comprehensive economic, political and social reform dimensions evolved. These were not necessary.



In February 2020, after nearly 20 years of occupation, the U.S. government, led by former President Donald Trump, and the fundamentalist Taliban movement signed a formal agreement for the phased withdrawal of international troops. The accord includes detailed stipulations to help protect the population and discourage the return of terrorists.



This struggle to find a reasonably responsible, acceptable diplomatic route for the departure reflects subtle but sustained sentiment among Americans. The emphasis on ending the war quickly was part of Donald Trump's "America First" campaign and important to his 2016 election victory.



Afghanistan has no history of sustained central government. Local tribal leaders remain powerful, dominating politically and socially, lethal in armed conflict.



In 1979, the Soviet Union carried out a massive invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. Many years of brutal unconventional warfare followed, extraordinarily costly to Soviet forces.



President Jimmy Carter supplied American weapons and related support for the Mujahideen warriors. President Ronald Reagan expanded that aid. A decade later, Moscow withdrew, acknowledging defeat.



After the Sept. 11 attacks, a sizable international coalition led by the U.S., under U.N. authority, invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban regime. However, the movement was not defeated.



Instead, in classic insurgent fashion, the Taliban faded into the population. Professor John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago has provided insightful analysis.



Afghanistan is significant for U.S. interests within the larger South Asia region. Major trade routes traverse the region, today as in ancient times. Preventing proximate powers, notably China, from establishing dominance is important.



As the Taliban advances, the U.S. must conduct efforts to extricate those who wish to leave, especially people who directly supported the international coalition. Mearsheimer and others emphasize the importance of remaining involved by means of espionage, bribery and other forms of influence, including special operations.



The surprise of American officials at the speed of Afghanistan's collapse signals a major intelligence failure. That fact requires investigation.



Finally, Afghanistan's people ultimately are responsible for their nation.





Arthur I. Cyr (acyr@carthage.edu) at Carthage College is author of "After the Cold War," "Liberal Politics in Britain" and other books.


Cho Kuk's daughter faces nullification of admission to medical school



Pusan National University (PNU) announced Tuesday that it will nullify its admission of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's daughter in 2015 to its medical school, following her mother's conviction on multiple counts of academic fraud in an appeals court.



PNU Vice President Kim Hong-won told reporters that the decision to cancel Cho Min's admission to PNU's Graduate School of Medicine was made after an internal panel investigated the admissions process for her and analyzed the appeals court's ruling that her mother, Chung Kyung-shim, had committed multiple counts of academic fraud that affected her daughter's admission to the school. PNU based its decision on the school's admissions guidelines at the time, which stated that an applicant will be rejected if any material submitted is dishonest or untrue.



On Aug. 11, the Seoul High Court upheld the lower court's ruling that Chung, herself a professor of Dongyang University, fabricated her daughter's internship certificates from prestigious institutions such as the Center for Public Interests and Human Rights Law of Seoul National University, the Biotechnology Research Institute of Kongju National University, Dankook University's Medical Science Research Institute and KIST, obstructing the admissions processes of both Korea University and PNU's medical school. She was found guilty on all seven charges associated with her daughter's admissions fraud and sentenced to four years in prison.



The nullification decision is a preliminary administrative measure, and it will take two to three months before a final decision is made after a hearing. Korea University is also reviewing the high court's verdict in order to make its own decision on Cho Min's fate. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday that it will embark on the process of revoking her medical license upon receiving official documentation of the nullification of Cho Min's admissions status from PNU.



The scandal involving Cho Kuk's daughter has raised questions about the honesty and fairness of Korea's school admissions processes. Cho and his wife fabricated multiple internship certificates from prestigious institutions in the attempt to get their daughter into better schools. At the same time, they have raised allegations that they themselves were victims of malicious reporting. In any case, their acts of academic fraud have enraged people who have basic common sense and who believe that justice should prevail. It's sad to see the former justice minister continuing to make excuses without apologizing for these shameful, dishonest acts. Hopefully, PNU's decision to cancel Cho Min's admission status will serve as an occasion to renew our resolve to uproot such injustices.


Hyundai Motor Group Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group





By Baek Byung-yeul







The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation renamed its scholarship program as the "Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Scholarship," and announced it will take a more active role to foster the next generation of workers, the charity organization established by the automotive giant said Wednesday.







The foundation added that it decided to reorganize its scholarship program to better reflect the commitment of Chung Mong-koo, the foundation's founder and the automotive group's honorary chairman, to finding skilled personnel to increase the nation's competitiveness.







"The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Scholarship program will work as a platform to foster next-generation leaders who will lead social change, innovation and play crucial roles to create a sustainable future, in addition to supporting the underprivileged and nurturing the country's cultural scenes," the foundation said.







With the rebranding, the foundation has set a goal to support around 1,100 talented individuals in five fields for the next five years. The five fields include global, future industry, international cooperation, social renovation and culture and arts.







In the global field, the foundation will select graduate and doctoral students in eight ASEAN countries, and provide them with support so they can study at graduate schools in Korea and grow into thought leaders.







For the future industry field, the scholarship program will concentrate on future leaders in science and technology to help them take a lead in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Scholarships will be provided to Korean university students studying intelligent information technology, bio health and new energy industries.







In the field of international cooperation, the program will provide related educational opportunities and support scholarships to university students who wish to work for international organizations. For the social renovation field, the foundation will cooperate with Hyundai Motor Group affiliates to jointly foster social entrepreneurs and social ventures.







For culture and arts, the foundation will promote the next generation of future cultural leaders who will be active on the global stage. It will select middle and high school students and college students majoring in classical music or gugak (traditional Korean music and dance), and offer systematic education programs along with scholarships.







Also, the foundation will provide additional scholarships to students who achieve outstanding performance on the global stage, helping them to become leaders of future generations.







"The foundation will provide the nation's best scholarship support for talented people to grow into future generation leaders through the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Scholarship," said Kwon Oh-kyu, chairman of the foundation.


An online discussion to improve shortcomings the Serious Accidents Punishment Act is hosted by the Korea Enterprises Federation (KEF) at its headquarters in Seoul, Aug. 11. Courtesy of KEF



Biz community, labor coalition all discontent with labor act effective next year



By Yi Whan-woo



Business and labor circles are each increasingly crying foul over a disputed, soon-to-be-enacted law on toughening punishment of business owners and CEOs who are responsible for fatal occupational accidents due to lax safety measures.



Effective from Jan. 27, 2022, the Serious Accidents Punishment Act is aimed at complementing current regulations that has been criticized for letting employers avoid punishment while punishing their subordinates instead.



The new law accordingly will put business owners and CEOs found responsible behind bars for up to 10 and half years or subject to 5 billion won ($4.2 million) in fine.



Business owners and a coalition representing workers have asked the government for time to overhaul the law for different reasons after the related bill was approved by the National Assembly in January of this year.



Business owners argue the law is too ambiguous in terms of defining fatal injuries and deaths of employees attributed to poor safety and health regulations, as well as the conditions for criminal punishments to be imposed on employers in the event of industrial accidents.





The members of minor Justice Party, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, and the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy join a press conference to discuss ways to overhaul the so-called Serious Accidents Punishment Act at the National Assembly, Aug. 17. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun
China could offer farmers in Afghanistan help with alternative crops to opium poppies to try to counter threats to China posed by the Central Asian nation's continued dependence on the illegal drug trade, Chinese analysts suggested.



Trafficking in poppy-based drugs and methamphetamine remains the Taliban's largest single source of income, according to various estimates, and is likely to remain so with the prospect of international sanctions on the militant group.



In the past, one of the main routes for heroin from Afghanistan entering China was via Pakistan and China's western province of Xinjiang.



Wang Jinguo, an international affairs expert with Lanzhou University, said China needed to focus on ensuring the trade was not revived in the aftermath of the US pull-out from the Central Asian state.



"After the US withdrawal [from Afghanistan] China's anti-narcotics agencies need to pay close attention to preventing drugs from Afghanistan flowing into China through the northern route again," state news agency Xinhua quoted Wang as saying last month.



The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime said in June that Afghanistan accounted for around 80 per cent of global opium and heroin supplies.



Afghanistan generated between $1.2 billion and $2.1 billion in income from consumption, production and exports of opiates in 2019, the office said.



The trade has proved lucrative for the Taliban, with the UN Security Council saying in June that the militant group collected about $460 million in taxes from opium growers last year.



Since entering Kabul and taking power in Afghanistan this month, the Taliban has vowed that the new government will not turn the country into a fully-fledged narco-state.





In this 2009 July file photo, Sarab village resident Raihan comforts her 1-year-old son after having an early morning opium smoke with family members in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan. Raihan was addicted to opium while pregnant with her son making him an addict at birth. AP-Yonhap
U.S. President Joe Biden gives a statement about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, Aug. 24. Reuters-Yonhap



President Joe Biden said Tuesday the United States intends to complete its pullout from Afghanistan by August 31 and needs to withdraw rapidly because of a growing risk of terrorist attacks.



"The sooner we can finish, the better," Biden said of the plan to evacuate Americans, Afghan nationals and US troops from Taliban-controlled Kabul.



"Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops."



The US president said he had discussed the evacuation with Group of Seven leaders earlier Tuesday and they agreed to "continue our close cooperation to get people out as efficiently and safely as possible."



"We are currently on the pace to finish by August 31," said Biden, who has been under pressure from some European leaders to extend the deadline to ensure the evacuation of everyone who is seeking to flee the country.



He said meeting the August 31 deadline was contingent "upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those who we're transporting out."



"I've asked the Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the timetable should that become necessary," Biden added.



The Taliban have been "taking steps to work with us" so far, Biden said, but there is an "acute and growing risk of an attack by a terrorist group known as ISIS-K," or Islamic State-Khorasan.



"Every day we're on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both US and allied forces and innocent civilians," he said.



US-led troops have ramped up operations to get thousands of people out of Kabul by August 31  the deadline set by the US before the fall of the capital for all foreign troops to have pulled out.



Biden said the United States has evacuated 70,700 people since August 14  the day before the Taliban took power in Kabul  including 6,400 in the past 12 hours.



US officials said more than 4,000 Americans were among those flown out of Hamid Karzai International Airport in the Afghan capital.



Several thousand other people have been evacuated by allied European nations, such as Germany and the United Kingdom.





Evacuees termed Canadian Entitled Persons sit in a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) C-177 Globemaster III transport plane for their flight to Canada from Kabul, Aug. 23. Reuters-Yonhap



'It will not be enough'



The Taliban urged skilled Afghans not to flee the country on Tuesday and warned the United States and its NATO allies they would not accept an extension to the evacuation deadline.



A spokesman for the hardline Islamist group told America to stop taking "Afghan experts," such as engineers and doctors, out of the country.



"This country needs their expertise. They should not be taken to other countries," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a press conference in the capital.



European nations have said they would not be able to airlift all at-risk Afghans before the August 31 cut-off, and Biden has faced calls from all corners to extend the evacuation window.



Mujahid said the Islamist group opposes an extension.



"They have planes, they have the airport, they should get their citizens and contractors out of here," he said.



Germany said Tuesday Western allies simply cannot fly out every Afghan who needs protection before the cut-off date.



"Even if (the evacuation) goes on until August 31 or even a few days longer, it will not be enough," Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Bild TV.



France said it would have to end evacuations from Kabul's airport on Thursday if the United States stuck to the deadline, and Spain said it would not be able to rescue all Afghans who served Spanish missions.



Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Taliban checkpoints and violence were making it difficult for people to reach Kabul airport to catch one of Spain's daily military flights out of Afghanistan.



EU leaders at the G7 meeting urged Biden to continue to secure Kabul airport until operations to evacuate vulnerable Afghans are complete.



Many Afghans fear a repeat of the brutal interpretation of Islamic law that the Taliban implemented when first in power from 1996-2001, or retribution for working with the US-backed government over the past two decades.



On Tuesday, Mujahid said female Afghan government workers should stay home until security conditions in the country improve.





Refugees queue on the tarmac after disembarking from an evacuation flight from Kabul, at the Torrejon de Ardoz air base, 30 km from Madrid, Aug. 24. AFP-Yonhap


PURPOSE OF YOUR JOB POSITION The primary purpose of your job position is to provide residents with routine daily nursing care delivered in a compassionate attitude and in accordance with our established nursing care procedures and philosophies as may be directed by your supervisors. DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY As a Certified Nursing Assistant you are delegated the administrative authority, responsibility, and accountability necessary for carrying out your assigned duties. JOB FUNCTIONS Every effort has been made to make your job description as complete as possible. However, it in no way states or implies that these be the only duties you will be required to perform. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or is a logical assignment to the position. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION A criteria-based performance evaluation will be done using components of this job description and documentation of your daily activities. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS 1.1 Record all appropriate entries on flow sheets, notes, charge, etc. 1.2 Report all accidents and incidents you observe on the shift as they occur. 1.3 Report all changes in the resident's condition to the charge nurse as soon as practical. 1.4 Uses resident's charge system accurately. ADMISSION, TRANSFER, AND DISCHARGE FUNCTIONS 2.1 Ensure that the resident's room is ready for receiving the resident (i.e., bed made, name tags up, etc.). 2.2 Greet and escort residents to their room. 2.3 Introduce residents to his/her roommate, if any, and other residents and personnel as appropriate. 2.4 Make resident comfortable (i.e., put to bed, get water, etc.). 2.5 Inventory and mark the resident's personal possessions as instructed. 2.6 Store resident's clothing. 2.7 Assist residents with packing their personal possessions when they are being transferred to a new room, or when being discharged. 2.8 Transport residents to new rooms or to the receiving area. 2.9 Assist residents with loading/unloading as necessary. EMPLOYEE FUNCTIONS 3.1 Follow work assignments, and/or work schedules in completing and performing your assigned tasks. 3.2 Perform all assigned tasks in accordance with our established policies and procedures, and as instructed by your supervisors. 3.3 Notify the facility when you will be late or absent from work. 3.4 Report all complaints and grievances made by the resident. 3.5 Cooperate with inter-departmental personnel, as well as other facility personnel to assure that nursing services can be adequately maintained to meet the needs of the residents. 3.6 Create and maintain an atmosphere of warmth, personal interest and positive emphasis, as well as a calm environment throughout the unit and shift. 3.7 Meet with your shift's nursing personnel on a regular basis to assist in identifying and correcting problem areas and/or the improvement of services. PERSONAL NURSING CARE FUNCTIONS 4.1 Participate in and receive the nursing report upon reporting for duty. 4.2 Assist residents with daily dental and mouth care (i.e., brushing teeth/dentures, oral hygiene, special mouth care, etc.). 4.3 Assist residents with bath functions (i.e., bed-bath, tub or shower bath, etc.) as directed. 4.4 Give back-rubs as instructed. 4.5 Assist residents with hair care functions (i.e., combing, brushing, shampooing, etc.). 4.6 Assist residents with nail care (i.e., clipping, trimming, and cleaning the finger/toenails.). (Note: Does not include diabetic residents.) 4.7 Shave residents. 4.8 Keep residents clean and dry (i.e., change gown, clothing, linens, etc., when it becomes wet or soiled.). 4.9 Make beds (occupied and unoccupied). 4.10 Position bedfast and wheelchair or Specialty chair residents in correct and comfortable positions. 4.11 Change bed linens. Keep linens tight to avoid wrinkles from forming under the resident. 4.12 Put extra covers on beds as requested. 4.13 Assist resident with bowel and bladder functions as instructed (i.e., take to bathroom, offer bedpan/urinal, portable commode, etc.). 4.14 Maintain intake and output records as instructed. 4.15 Keep incontinent residents clean and dry. 4.16 Check and report bowel movements and character of stools as instructed. 4.17 Prepare and give enemas. Report results as instructed. 4.18 Assist residents in preparing for activity, social and wellness programs (i.e., church services, parties, visitors, etc.). 4.19 Follow established policies concerning exposure to blood/body fluids. 4.20 Assist in transporting residents to/from appointments, activity and social programs, etc., as necessary. 4.21 Assist with lifting, turning, moving, positioning, and transporting residents in and out of beds, chairs, bathtubs, wheelchairs, lifts, etc. using proper body mechanics and appropriate number of personnel for resident condition. 4.22 Answer resident call-bells promptly. 4.23 Assist residents to walk with or without self-help devices as instructed. 4.24 Perform restorative and rehabilitative procedures as instructed. 4.25 Measure and record temperatures, pulse, respirations and pain (TPRs), as instructed. 4.26 Weigh and measure residents as instructed. 4.27 Assist with the care of the dying resident. 4.28 Provide postmortem care as instructed. 4.29 Check residents routinely to assure that they're personal care needs are being met. 4.30 Assist Residents for transport to and from the Wellness Center, including change into and out of swimsuits. SPECIAL NURSING CARE FUNCTIONS 5.1 Observe and report the presence of pressure areas, skin breakdowns and any reddened area to prevent decubitus ulcers (bedsores). 5.2 Provide daily indwelling catheter care on every shift. 5.3 Provide daily Range of Motion Exercises. Record data as instructed. 5.4 Turn bedfast residents at least once every two (2) hours. 5.5 Perform special treatments as instructed. 5.6 Watch for and report any change in room temperature, ventilation, lighting, etc. 5.7 Turn all medications found in the resident's room/possession over to the Charge Nurse. FOOD SERVICE FUNCTIONS 6.1 Prepare residents for meals (i.e., take to bathroom, wash hands, comb hair, raise bed, position tables, place bavettes, take to/from dining room, etc.). 6.2 Serve food trays. Assist with feeding as indicated (i.e., cutting foods, feeding, assist in dining room supervision, etc.). 6.3 Assist residents with identifying food arrangements (i.e., informing residents with sight problems, of foods that are on his/her tray, where it is located, if it is hot/cold, etc.). 6.4 Record the residents food/fluid intake. Report changes in the resident's eating habits. 6.5 Keep residents water pitchers clean and filled with fresh water (on each shift), and within easy reach of the resident. 6.6 Serve between meal and bedtime snacks when appropriate. 6.7 Perform after meal care (i.e., remove trays, clean residents hands, face, clothing, take to bathroom, brush teeth, clean dentures, etc.). 6.8 Check rooms for food articles (i.e., food in proper container, unauthorized food items, etc.). STAFF DEVELOPMENT 7.1 Attend and participate in scheduled training and educational classes. 7.2 Attend and participate in scheduled orientation programs and activities. 7.3 Maintain current licensure. SAFETY AND SANITATION 8.1 Restrain residents in chair/bed only as instructed. 8.2 Check restrained residents at least every thirty (30) minutes. 8.3 Release restraints at least every two (2) hours for range of motion exercises, taking to bathroom, etc. 8.4 Maintain a record of restrained residents, the times restraints were released, and how long the restraints were released. 8.5 Notify the Charge Nurse of any resident leaving/missing from the facility. 8.6 Keep floors dry. Report spills immediately. 8.7 Keep excess supplies and equipment off the floor and stored in designated areas. 8.8 Keep residents personal possessions off the floor and properly sorted. 8.9 Follow established smoking regulations. Report all violations. 8.10 Keep the nurses' call system within easy reach of the resident. 8.11 Report all hazardous conditions and equipment to the Staff Nurse immediately. 8.12 Follow established safety precautions in the performance of all duties. 8.13 Report all safety violations 8.14 Before leaving work area for breaks, or at the end of the work day, store all tools, equipment, and supplies. 8.15 Wash hands before and after performing any service for the resident. 8.16 Wash wheelchairs, walkers, etc., as instructed. 8.17 Clean and return all resident care equipment to its designated storage area after each use. 8.18 Perform routine housekeeping duties (i.e., clean bed-rails, over-bed table, night stand, medicine chest, closets, etc.) that relate to nursing care procedures. 8.19 Wash hands before entering and leaving an isolation room/area. 8.20 Report any communicable or infectious disease that you contact, to the Director of Nursing Services and/or to the Infection Control Coordinator. 8.21 Follow established isolation precautions and procedures. EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY FUNCTIONS 9.1 Use only the equipment you have been trained to use. 9.2 Operate all equipment in a safe manner. 9.3 Use only the equipment and supplies necessary to do the job. Do not be wasteful. 9.4 Report defective equipment to the Charge Nurse. 9.5 Inform the Charge Nurse of your equipment and supply needs. CARE PLAN FUNCTIONS 10.1 Review Nurse Assistant instruction sheets daily to determine if changes in the resident's daily care routine have been made on the care plan. 10.2 Inform the Charge Nurse of any changes in the resident's condition so that appropriate information can be entered on the resident's care plan. RESIDENT RIGHTS 11.1 Maintain the confidentiality of all resident care information. 11.2 Ensure that you treat all residents fairly and with kindness, dignity and respect. 11.3 Ensure that all nursing care is provided in privacy. 11.4 Knock before entering the resident's room. 11.5 Report all grievances and complaints made by the resident to the Charge Nurse. WORKING CONDITIONS Works throughout the nursing service area (i.e., drug rooms, nurses' stations, resident rooms, etc.). Sits, stands, bends, lifts and moves intermittently during working hours. Is subject to frequent interruptions. Is involved with residents, personnel, visitors, government agencies/personnel, etc., under all conditions and circumstances. Is subject to hostile and emotionally upset residents, family members, personnel, and visitors. Communicates with nursing personnel and other department personnel. Works beyond normal working hours, on weekends and holidays, and in other positions temporarily, when necessary. Attends and participates in continuing education programs. Is subject to falls, burns from equipment, odors, etc., throughout the work day. Is subject to exposure to infectious waste, diseases, conditions, etc., including the AIDS and Hepatitis B viruses. Must be able to work the required hours for the position. Must be able to adhere to all policies of St. Simeon's including absenteeism or tardiness as well as all approved policies. EDUCATION Must possess, as a minimum, an 8th grade education. EXPERIENCE Must be a certified nurse aide in accordance with laws of this state or be willing to undergo certification. Must maintain current certification in accordance with the laws of this state. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS Must be able to read, write, speak, and understand the English language. Must possess the ability to make independent decisions when circumstances warrant such action. Must possess the ability to deal tactfully with personnel, residents, family members, visitors, government agencies/personnel, and the general public. Must meet age requirements for the position. Must possess the ability and willingness to work harmoniously with professional and non-professional personnel. Must have patience, tact, a cheerful disposition and enthusiasm, as well as the willingness to handle difficult residents. Must be willing to seek out new methods and principles and be willing to incorporate them into existing nursing practices. Must be able to relate information concerning a resident's condition. PHYSICAL AND SENSORY REQUIREMENTS (With or Without the Aid of Mechanical Devices) Must be able to move intermittently throughout the work day. Must be able to speak and write the English language in an understandable manner. Must be able to cope with the mental and emotional stress of the position. Must be able to see and hear or use prosthetics that will enable these senses to function adequately to assure that the requirements of this position can be fully met. Must function independently and have flexibility, personal integrity, and the ability to work effectively with residents, personnel, and support agencies. Must be in good general health and demonstrate emotional stability. Must be able to relate to and work with the ill, disabled, elderly, emotionally upset, and, at times, hostile people within the facility. Must be able to lift or assist in moving more than own body weight. Must be able to bend, walk, stand, lift, carry, push and handle equipment, supplies or patients exceeding 50 pounds. Must be willing to perform tasks that may involve exposure to the resident's blood/body fluids. Must be able to assist in the evacuation of residents.

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University Enterprises, Inc. (UEI) at Sac State is seeking a Retention Specialist for the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). CAMP is a federally funded program designed to help students from migrant and seasonal farm worker backgrounds succeed at Sac State. CAMP facilitates transition from high school to college and offers first-year support services to develop the skills necessary to persist and graduate from college. CAMP strives to be "a home away from home" for its students.

UEI offers an excellent benefits package which includes:

 Paid Vacation Time & Paid Sick Time

 Paid Holidays  13 paid holidays per year including paid time off the week between Christmas Day and New Years Day as the CSUS campus is closed and one personal day.

 Excellent medical benefits  100% employer paid medical & dental for employee-only coverage and low cost for family coverage

Apply online by 9/3/2021.

Pay Rate: $19.39 - $29.09 per hour

Position Overview:

This position advises first and second year migrant students regarding university procedures, career development, job opportunities, internships, scholarships, and many other personal and academic issues related to university life. Due to the nature of the job responsibilities, the person in this position will have a legal duty to report child abuse and neglect and is considered by law to be a mandated reporter. This position reports directly to and receives general supervision from the Program Coordinator and Principal Investigator. The position oversees and monitors the work of part-time student assistants.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Provides individual advising to students regarding university policies, registration, withdrawal, graduation, financial aid, general education, advising and other issues typical of university life. Provides new students with orientation to campus services. Explains polices regarding financial aid, health services and tutorial services. Helps to assess career development, career advancement, and ideas on techniques related to job search opportunities. In conjunction with the Outreach Specialist, co-coordinates and implements special activities for students and their families. This includes, but not limited to: CAMP Orientation, the CAMP Student/Parent Program, career exploration and field trips, career exploration workshops, the annual student/staff retreat and other activities in alignment with CAMP goals and objectives. Collects and compiles information and maintains database regarding job opportunities, internships programs, scholarships, fellowships, and other employment opportunities. Collects and compiles information and statistics on numbers of students advised, participation in retention activities, and prepares monthly and year-end reports on CAMP retention efforts. Closes out student files and develops student referral lists for other campus offices. Coordinates and implements special educational, cultural and enrichment activities for the students and their parents. Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with campus supportive services offices, academic departments, community agencies, secondary school personnel, and migrant education personnel. In collaboration with the Outreach Specialist, performs presentations to students, school personnel, community organizations, parent advisory committees, and community agencies regarding CAMP, higher education opportunities and financial aid. Some travel and evening/weekend presentations may be required. Performs other duties as assigned by the Director to ensure the success of the program and its participants. Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree in one of the Behavioral or Social Sciences, Education or related field or equivalent combination of education and/or work experience. Demonstrated experience in advising, education, or a related student services field and working with underrepresented students in academic and/or career advisement. Demonstrated excellent written and oral communication skills in English. Demonstrated knowledge of the unique cultural traits found in migrant families. Demonstrated skill in advising and guiding students individually and in-groups. Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain cooperative relationships with coworkers, students, parents, faculty, and staff. Demonstrated skill to work independently. Demonstrated familiarity with word processing and spreadsheet computer applications, such as the programs in the Microsoft Office Suite. Must be legally eligible to drive in California, complete and pass an online training course, maintain a good driving record, and be acceptable for vehicle insurance coverage under the University Enterprises insurance plan. Must continue to meet the established driving standards, driving record will be monitored with the California Department of Motor Vehicles to ensure compliance. Must have reliable transportation. Must be fingerprinted and pass a background check. Must continue to meet the established standards.

Preferred Qualifications:

Demonstrated communication skills in Spanish, Vietnamese, or Punjabi.

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Location: Mequon - Wisconsin

Location: Twinsburg - Ohio

Location: Ladysmith - Wisconsin

Job Description Note: By applying to this position, your application will be considered for all locations where we hire these roles in the United States. Our Integrated Supply Chain (ISC) function supports the overall execution of manufacturing operations at Rockwell Automation. Our teams within ISC develop and implement process for productivity across our plant operations, drive improved security within our plants and across our products, drive global standardization of our Connected Enterprise Operations and its commercialization while working toward improvements for our customer experience initiatives. As an intern within ISC Manufacturing & Engineering group you will perform a key functional role while working with a team of engineers and industry professionals in one or several of the following areas: Manufacturing Engineering: The Manufacturing Engineering Organization focuses on launch and operational excellence by establishing, deploying and governing technical solutions with standards for manufacturing and fabrication processes. Key activities in this group include establishing organization-wide governance frameworks, wide-reaching change management, and the maintenance of manufacturing playbooks to enable to standardize and deploy our best innovations across common processes. You will have the opportunity to be a significant contributor, while getting comprehensive exposure to the business structure of Rockwell Automation and how we are helping our customers bring the Connected Enterprise to life. Rockwell will match your background and skills with your interests and our business needs. Each experience is unique; if you are extended an offer, the manager will share the details about his/her intern role closer to your start date, including specific projects you may work on and responsibilities you may have. Additionally, as a student associate there will be hosted activities and events intended to help you grow your network, develop your professional skills and immerse yourself in our company culture. Critical capabilities: Multi-disciplinary continuous learning

Informed decision making; problem solving

Ability to lead and influence

Self starter Basic Qualifications: Must be pursuing a bachelor's or advanced degree from an accredited college or university

Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75

Legal authorization to work in the US is required. We will not sponsor individuals for employment visas, now or in the future, for this job opening. Desired Qualifications Preferred cumulative GPA of 3.0

Preference given to students met on campus, at a national recruiting event, through a Rockwell Automation-hosted event or a targeted recruiting campaign

Preference give to students who have had prior intern or co-op with Rockwell Automation

Pursuing a degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Operations Research, Logistics, General Management, Economics, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Industrial Distribution, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Systems Engineering

Previous experience in a manufacturing environment

experience in lean manufacturing / six sigma concepts

Basic knowledge in supply chain, previous supply chain internship experience We are an Equal Opportunity Employer including disability and veterans. If you are an individual with a disability and you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact our services team at +1 (see application details).




Court Clerk Salary: $38,646.40 Annually Location: City Hall, 1001 Schroeder Creek Blvd. Wentzville Job Type: Full-time Department: GENERAL GOVERNMENT Job Number: 00624 Closing: 9/6/2021 5:00 PM Central Summary Adventurers wanted! The City of Wentzville is seeking a full-time Court Clerk I. The Court Clerk I assists the public with tasks at the Courthouse, treating each person with respect and providing excellent customer service. Prepares cases for the court docket and processes all paperwork in the court system. Cross-trains on other functions and duties within the Municipal Court; maintains contact with the Municipal Judge throughout the day.



The ideal candidate for this position must be a dependable team-player with excellent grammar skills who is proficient in operating computers, scanning and copying. Prior demonstrable customer service experience is highly desired.



Candidates must submit a short cover letter expressing why they are interested in a career with the Municipal Court. Qualified candidates will receive a link to complete a typing test; a passing score will be required for further consideration. Essential & Ancillary Job Duties Essential Job Duties Essential & Ancillary Job Duties Essential Job Duties Answer incoming phone calls for the Court Office and direct calls accordingly.

Answer questions regarding procedures and functions of the court system.

Issue warrants and/or letters; as ordered, for failure to pay.

Distribute all incoming documents (faxes, mail, etc.) in the court system to keep records up-to-date.

Accurately enter all citations filed by the Prosecutor's Office into the court's database.

Track and update Reports Needed List

Prepare documents for outside agencies (Record of Convictions and Fingerprint Cards).

Process payments at the Court Window and apply payments to correct citation.

Track payment plans to make sure data is correct and warrant files are updated.

Process bonds pertaining to deposits and prepare and file corresponding documentation.

Process and maintain closed files, certified citations and appelate citations.

Share the responsibility of processing paperwork filed by the Prosecuting Attorney's office. Ancillary Job Duties Perform general clerical duties such as filing, copying, and faxing.

Perform other related duties as assigned. Job Qualifications & Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Job Qualifications Education, experience and training that are required or desirable in order to effectively perform the job at the time of hire. An equivalent combination of education, training and experience will be considered. Additional requirements and/or substitutions may be requested and require the approval of HR. High school diploma or equivalent required.

Minimum of one year experience desired.

Cash handling experience required.

Municipal experience desired. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

May be representative, but not all-inclusive, of those knowledge, skills and abilities commonly associated with this position. Proficiency in use of basic business software (word processing, spreadsheets, email, presentations) and basic office equipment.

Proficient keyboarding skills.

Basic knowledge of court terminology.

Basic accounting skills.

Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.

Ability to effectively organize and prioritize work as well as concentrate on multiple tasks simultaneously.

Attention to detail and the ability to maintain focused concentration.

Excellent customer service skills.

Regular attendance is a necessary and essential job duty. Work Environment & Physical Abilities Work Environment  Environmental or atmospheric conditions commonly associated with the performance of the duties of this job. Primarily an indoor work environment.

Exposure to moderate noise levels. Physical Abilities

The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential duties. Must be able to sit for significant periods of time.

Must be able to speak and hear clearly.

Must be able to perform repetitive wrist, hand, and/or finger movement.

Must have finger dexterity and hand-eye coordination.

Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds.

Must have clarity of vision and the ability to adjust focus. The City of Wentzville is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The City does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status. The City of Wentzville makes every effort to fully comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer. The City of Wentzville is a drug and alcohol free work place. A pre-employment drug screen is required for all positions. The City of Wentzville participates in E-Verify.



APPLICATIONS MAY BE FILED ONLINE AT: http://www.wentzvillemo.org

1001 Schroeder Creek Blvd

Wentzville, MO 63385

636-639-2190

636-639-2007

hr@wentzvillemo.org

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Description

Req #18138 Monday, August 23, 2021 Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a subscription-led and digitally focused media and marketing solutions company committed to empowering communities to thrive. With an unmatched reach at the national and local level, Gannett touches the lives of millions with our Pulitzer-Prize winning content, consumer experiences and benefits, and advertiser products and services.



Our current portfolio of media assets includes USA TODAY, local media organizations in 46 states in the U.S., and Newsquest, a wholly owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom with more than 120 local news media brands. Gannett also owns the digital marketing services companies ReachLocal, Inc., UpCurve, Inc., and WordStream, Inc., which are marketed under the LOCALiQ brand, and runs the largest media-owned events business in the U.S., USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures.



To connect with us, visit www.gannett.com . The Provincetown Banner, covering the communities of Provincetown, Truro and Wellfleet, Mass. and part of Gannett Media New England/wickedlocal.com and the USA TODAY NETWORK, is searching for a digital-savvy reporter to join its staff. The Banner publishes online daily and in print once a week. Located on the tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown is known as a haven for artists, with numerous galleries, clubs and restaurants in downtown Provincetown,

This general assignment reporter will focus on gathering news and information in multimedia formats. This is a daily reporting beat that also includes many opportunities to work on enterprise journalism.

Requirements Will cultivate a beat and its key players. Has a genuine interest in people and the ability to build trust. Seeks out and listens to people. Must be able to develop and maintain relationships with public figures within the community.

Reports quickly, clearly and accurately and deliver news, via stories, video, and various social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other methods available.

Equally adept at writing breaking news stories, enterprise and trending stories and traditional long form features. Here's what you need -Bachelors degree in journalism or equivalent -At least one year of journalism experience is preferred. -Ability to write clear, compelling stories that engage our audience. -Understanding of social media and how to engage audience on digital platforms. -Ability to multitask and excel under deadline pressure, using time efficiently. -Ability to work well with people and build relationships in the community. -This role requires a valid drivers license, reliable transportation, and the minimum liability insurance required by state law. -Employment is contingent on passing a post-offer pre-employment background check We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, dont limit your upload to a resume; show us what youve done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order: 1.Your resume one to two pages. 2.A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job. 3.Links to 3-6 online samples of your work. Show us what youve produced or had a hand in that best reflects what you can do in your desired role.



#content

Gan.content Gannett Co., Inc. is a proud equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a diverse workforce. As such, we will consider all qualified applicants for employment and do not discriminate in connection with employment decisions on the basis of an applicant or employees race, color, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, citizenship status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, marital status, personal appearance (including height and weight), sexual orientation, family responsibilities, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy status (including childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), education, genetic characteristics or information, political affiliation, military or veteran status or other classifications protected by applicable federal, state and local laws in the jurisdictions where Gannett employs employees. In addition, Gannett Co., Inc. will provide applicants who require a reasonable accommodation, as a result of an applicants disability or religion, to complete this employment application and/or any other process in connection with an individuals application for employment with Gannett Co., Inc. Applicants who require such accommodation should contact Gannett Co., Inc.s Recruitment Department at Recruit@gannett.com. Job Family Frontline Journalists

Job Function Consumer

Pay Type Hourly Other details

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Requirements

None






CANTON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT AND MONTROSE SCHOOL DISTRICT

AND FRIENDSHIP HOUSE



An Innovative Mental Health Program:



COMMUNITY/SCHOOL BASED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROGRAM (CSBBH)

CSBBH is a unique program embedded in the Montrose School District, Jr./Sr. High School and Canton Area School District with a multi-disciplinary team, providing therapeutic services to identified students in the school, and to the identified students and their families in their homes and the community. CSBBH provides services that are based on social emotional and behaviorally informed clinical principles, including behavior management, clinical and crisis intervention, case management, and consultation/training to school staff and others involved in the childrens care.



Behavioral Health Technician Full Time (Canton and Montrose)

Member of a multi-disciplinary team of professionals responsible for: responding to the therapeutic and case management needs of identified children and their families; maintaining clinical documentation in compliance with regulatory requirements.



Candidates must possess a Bachelors Degree. Preference will be given to a candidate with experience in a clinical setting and/or case management experience. Education related to children or human services, and knowledge of the Canton area or Montrose area community preferred. Position has a flexible 40 hours/week schedule and on-call crisis response availability; and requires valid drivers license and PA Act 33 Child Abuse, PA Act 34 Criminal Records, and FBI Criminal Background Check clearances.



Sign on bonus up to $2,000.00

To apply send resumes in by clicking within.

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Videos



Duties



Summary

This position is at the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) in the Southern Region, Asset Management and Assistance Center. This position serves as a Contracting Oversight Officer. Learn more about this agency



Responsibilities

As a Contracting Oversight Officer, you will: Develop large, complex, and high visibility procurements for contractor work which has agency-wide implications, as assigned.

Serve as AMAC's contracting officer and oversight manager for work engaged through its consulting function or for its management of liquidation related activities under either conservatorship or liquidation authorities.

Develop and manage systems to provide for the competent control, evaluation, and administration of AMAC's procurement program.

Work independently to plan and develop a program for the management of contracts in AMAC to include oversight of AMAC's AME Contracting and contracting in AMAC Consulting programs.

Develop contracts for the provision of services, supplies, or equipment, by requesting proposals for contracts, negotiating the terms of such proposals, monitoring contract performance after award and recommending termination action.

Serve as an AMAC senior subject matter expert and technical authority in all areas of contract administration, price analysis and purchasing activities.

Examine and evaluate price proposals submitted by bidders or contractors in connection with solicitations, contract changes and final settlements on contracts. Draft AMAC procedures, policies, manuals, guides, and methods to implement AMAC's procurement policies.



Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position. Supervisory status No Promotion Potential 14 Job family (Series) 1102 Contracting Similar jobs Contracting Managers

Managers, Contracting



Requirements



Conditions of Employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen.

Suitable adjudication of background/security investigation is required.

A financial disclosure is required.

A probationary/trial period may be required.

Applicants must complete an assessment battery (i.e., Assessment Questionnaire and USA Hire Assessment) via the USA Hire platform if notified to do so.

Must complete initial online questionnaire.



Qualifications

Specialized experience is the experience that has equipped you with the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.



All applicants applying for the CU-14 level must have at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the CU/GS-13 level obtained in the private or public sector.



Specialized experience for this position is defined as experience: Developing contracts for the provision of services, supplies, or equipment, by requesting proposals for contracts; Conducting negotiations for a variety of procurement actions; Monitoring contract performance; and Providing guidance on contract policies and regulations.

You must meet the qualifications for this position by the closing date of this announcement.

Please note, all experience statements (i.e., duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire) copied from this announcement and pasted into your resume will not be considered as a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.



YOUR RESUME MUST provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience and support your responses to the online questionnaire as described in the vacancy announcement. When describing your experience in your resume, please be specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Please ensure that your resume includes the grade (if you are a current or previous federal employee), month, and year that you began and ended for each position held or that position may not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Full-time employment will be assumed unless otherwise stated on your resume. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating.



Your resume must also support your responses to the online questionnaire. Failure to provide support may result in a lower rating and/or you may be excluded from consideration. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions.



Education

In addition to the specialized experience, there is a basic education requirement:



Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above



Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 or higher-level contracting positions, including at least 4 years' experience in contracting or related positions. At least 1 year of that experience must have been specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level of the position, and must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position;



AND



A 4 year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.



Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. This also applies to positions at the same grade in the same agency or other agencies if the specialized experience requirements are met. However, they will have to meet the basic requirements and specialized experience requirements in order to qualify for promotion to a higher grade, unless granted a waiver under Paragraph D.



Waiver: When filling a specific vacant position, the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B above if the senior procurement executive certifies that the applicant possesses significant potential for advancement to levels of greater responsibility and authority, based on demonstrated analytical and decision making capabilities, job performance, and qualifying experience. With respect to each waiver granted under this Paragraph D, the senior procurement executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position in an agency on the basis of a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action.



AND



In addition to the basic educational requirements, FAC-C Level III certification is required. A copy of the FAC-C Level III or DAWIA Level III certification is required with the application.



All education must be received by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with an education requirement) therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees received from schools recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants may verify accreditation at the following website: (see application details) .



FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for federal employment. A third party equivalency evaluation must be submitted at the time of application for all foreign education to receive consideration.



Additional information

SALARY: Pay will be set within the advertised pay range to align with the selectee's skills and experience and the requirements of the position. Pay will be set using NCUA's compensation policy. The salary range shown is NCUA's Local Pay Rate (LPR) which includes the locality rate for the Austin, Texas geographical area. Please click here to review all salary ranges based on locality.



SELECTIVE SERVICE: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. You may register or check the status of your registration by visiting the Selective Service website at: (see application details) .



This position is in the bargaining unit.



NOTE: Effective January 1, 2010, OPM must authorize any employment offers we make to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES (political) employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you must disclose that to the point of contact listed on this vacancy announcement.



Illegal drug use by individuals working for or on behalf of the federal government, whether on duty or off duty, is contrary to the efficiency of the service and in direct violation of the Controlled Substance Act and the Drug-Free Workplace Act.



Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCUA's current posture will not require employees to perform official travel or work onsite at NCUA offices or in credit unions any earlier than August 30, 2021. This date may be extended.



If it becomes necessary for NCUA to request on-site work, NCUA may solicit volunteers for the assignment. Management reserves the right to request employees to perform on-site work in exigent circumstances.



Individuals who must relocate for this position, may be approved or required to begin work temporarily in their current geographic location prior to relocation to the permanent duty station advertised in this vacancy announcement.



NCUA IS A COMPETITIVE SERVICE FEDERAL AGENCY.



NCUA uses E-Verify, a web-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify , including your rights and responsibilities.



More than the number of positions listed may be filled through this vacancy announcement Read more



How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. First, your application package will be reviewed for completeness (resume, completed assessment questionnaire, and supporting documentation). You will not be considered if you fail to submit all the required documents as outlined in this vacancy announcement.



Second, if you have a complete application package, your resume will be reviewed to determine if you meet the basic qualifications and specialized experience requirements (see "Qualification" section). You must provide specific details in your resume as to how your experience meets the specialized experience.



Third, your resume and supporting documentation may be compared to your responses to the assessment questions. The numerical rating you receive is based on your responses to the questions. If upon review it is determined that your resume and supporting documentation do not support your responses to the questions, your numerical rating may be adjusted and you may be excluded from consideration for this position.



In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.



The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.



The self-assessment questions have been developed to evaluate your competency in the following areas: Accountability

Attention to Detail

Contracting/Procurement

Customer Service

Flexibility

Influencing/Negotiating

Integrity/Honesty

Interpersonal Skills

Learning

Oral Communication

Self-Management

Stress Tolerance

Teamwork

Writing



Reference Checks: Reference checks will need to be conducted prior to an offer of employment for the top candidate(s) for this position. The reference checks will need to be conducted with current and former supervisors, if applicable, as a part of NCUA's selection assessment process.



If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, your application will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, please click here: (see application details)



Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Read more



Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance Not Required Drug test required No Position sensitivity and risk High Risk (HR) Trust determination process Suitability/Fitness



Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package which includes:

1. Resume

2. Other supporting documents: Cover letter, optional

College transcript(s), if qualifying based on education or if a basic requirement

Most recent SF-50 or Notification of Personnel Action showing you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held (if applying as a status candidate with current or former Federal Service)

DD-214, SF-15 Form, and VA letter, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty for veterans for consideration under veteran hiring authorities.

Non-competitive appointment authority documentation, if applicable.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction In Force separation notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.)

Most recent performance appraisal, optional CURRENT AND FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES:

Current and former federal employees must submit a Notification of Personnel Action, or SF-50, that indicates grade, status, tenure, and the full performance level (FPL) of the position held. Please do not submit an SF-50 for a cash/time off award.



Note : Current permanent NCUA employees are not required to submit a Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50). The status will be confirmed by the Agency.



VETERANS:

If you wish to receive consideration under an applicable Veteran's authority such as VEOA, 30% or more disabled vet, VRA, etc., you must submit a copy of your Veteran's documentation including a DD-214 (member 4 copy preferred, however, the documentation provided must contain dates and character of service), along with a VA letter, SF-15 , etc., if applicable. If you are a current active duty service member, please submit an official statement of service from your command.



Note: If you are a current active duty military member who does not have a DD-214 and is claiming preference under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces indicating that you will be discharged or released under honorable conditions from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification. Certifications must be on letterhead from the appropriate military branch and include the following information: military dates of service and expected discharge or release date, the character of service, military rank, type of discharge, and date when terminal leave will begin. Certifications must be signed by, or by the direction of military members' military personnel offices, unit commanders, or higher headquarters.



CTAP/ICTAP: Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof of their eligibility: Copy of agency notice;

Most recent performance rating; and

SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location or Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction In Force separation notice.

Note: To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated well-qualified or above on the rating criteria for this position. For additional information, click CTAP .



Benefits

A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window Learn more about federal benefits . Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time, or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.



Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is setup to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.



Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) for federal employees & job applicants Read more



Reasonable Accommodation Policy

Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process should follow the instructions in the job opportunity announcement. For any part of the remaining hiring process, applicants should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. A reasonable accommodation is any change to a job, the work environment, or the way things are usually done that enables an individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform job duties or receive equal access to job benefits. Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodations when: An applicant with a disability needs an accommodation to have an equal opportunity to apply for a job.

An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to perform the essential job duties or to gain access to the workplace.

An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to receive equal access to benefits, such as details, training, and office-sponsored events. You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application or hiring process or while on the job. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. Learn more about disability employment and reasonable accommodations or how to contact an agency. Read more Legal and regulatory guidance Financial suitability

Social security number request

Privacy Act

Signature and false statements

Selective Service

New employee probationary period




Description



System ID 725550

Category Facilities

Relocation Type No

Employment Status Full-Time

Unit Description

Use your passion for service to create a positive impact and make a difference. Sodexo is seeking a Director of Facilities for Lewiston, Maine to support our healthcare segment at Central Maine Medical Center. CMMC is a 264 bed facility that includes a multitude of off-site locations, with travel expected among those locations. Under the direction of the Sodexo Executive Director. the Facilities Director will be responsible for the plant operations and facilities engineering services at Central Maine Medical Center, Lewiston campus. This includes and not limited to mechanical, electrical, structural, civil, low voltage, demolition, ILSM Process, architectural, landscape, and NFPA 101 Life Safety Regulatory requirements. Responsible for all operational and capital budgets for all areas under construction and life safety. Responsible for the development and implementation of system framework to support asset management program and preservation of the hospital Infrastructure system wide. Responsible for the support of the Hospital and Departmental Mission of providing a safe and respectful environment for all hospital individuals. Overall, will provide the direction, oversight, and coordination of all functions and activities of the Facilities Management Departments, including Engineering, Plant Operations, and Facilities Management. The Director of Facilities Operations will assume overall responsibility for the safe and efficient functioning, maintenance and operation of all buildings, equipment, machinery, systems, and grounds keeping. Will direct, plan, coordinate and is administratively and professionally responsible for the proper installation, operation and maintenance of uninterrupted light, heat, power, water, and monitoring systems of all health system buildings and services. The Director has oversight of budgets, staffing, short- and long-range planning, program development, policy and procedure for all Facilities department, construction/renovation operations, landscape operations, campus planning, skilled trades' contractors, maintenance and repair programs and energy management. Work in partnership with the owner representative for construction activities. Ensures compliance with local, state, and federal regulations and regulatory agencies, efficiency of services and delivery of optimal customer service. Plans, improves, and maintains owned and leased facilities and equipment. Provides strategic leadership and vision for departments. Directs, manages, and coordinates with the functional authority for planning, organization, control and integration to ensure completion of projects. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Coordinate with the Hospital Senior Leadership. the selection and supervision of architects, engineers, planning and design consultants, contractors, project managers, construction managers, inspectors, and/or other applicable professionals when required. Responsible for quality control deliverables, supervises construction progress, ensures quality standards and completion dates. Ensure compliance with health, safety and medical regulations at each location. Manages activities concerning technical development and scheduling. Establishes and manages budgets and productivity targets. Controls expenditures within the limitations of the project and department budgets. Ensures maintenance of physical structures, HVAC, mechanical, electrical systems, utility systems, and grounds are in operative and safe working condition at all time. Responsible for constant state of readiness to comply with TJC, EOC, Life Safety and Emergency Preparedness survey inspections, preparation and document requirements. Ensures that the health system is in compliance with all local, state, and federal codes and regulations. Assists in gathering information and assembling files for State Health Inspections. Works directly with Hospital Senior Leadership to develop and implement plans for the Medical Center facilities vision and growth. Learn more about Sodexo's Benefits Learn more about the area: http://www.lewistonmaine.gov/ Working for Sodexo:

How far will your ambition, talent and dedication take you? Sodexo fosters a culture committed to the growth of individuals through continuous learning, mentoring and career growth opportunities. Apply today!

Position Summary

The Director of Facilities Operations is responsible for directing facilities maintenance operations of building(s) and property at a single unit. The Director of Facilities Operations manages the preventative maintenance and reactive repair of skilled trades, e.g., HVAC, plumbing, electrical, utilities; and manages the hiring, training and supervision of staff, professionals and management. The Director of Facilities Operations manages a safe and efficient working environment, essential to the performance of the business. The Director may oversee construction work and often manages other core Sodexo services, and/or logistics of business/operations services, e.g., grounds keeping, laundry, food, security, inventory, mail, concierge services.

Qualifications & Requirements

Basic education requirement- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience Basic management experience- 5 years Basic functional experience- 5 years Sodexo is an EEO/AA/Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran employer.



Requirements

See Job Description






Hardware System Integrator - Apple Home Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino) , California , United States Hardware Summary

Posted: Aug 23, 2021 Role Number: 200280729 We're a diverse collection of thinkers and doers, continually reimagining what's possible to help us all do what we love in new ways. The people who work here have pushed forward entire industries through the Mac, iPhone, iPad, AirPort, HomePod, and Apple TV, and do so by collaborating deeply with service partners, including iTunes, the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, and Apple Pay. Join us in developing solutions the world doesn't know of yet. You will be a part of a hands-on development team at Apple's headquarters that has a significant role in the development of partner branded products that deeply integrate across Apple's product portfolio, including Home, AppleTV, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch and Mac. Our system integration team is looking for exceptional electrical engineers to complement our world-class system engineering team. In this role, you will contribute your deep understanding of camera, battery, audio, wireless, touch, display, power management or sensing technology domains to drive silicon decisions, provide technical leadership in driving product development and architecture, provide technical guidance during schematic and layout, teach and mentor engineers, and collaborate with a vast cross-functional team to deliver the world's best, most optimized, designs. Key Qualifications You are able to demonstrate strong EE fundamentals, with an interest in mentoring other engineers

Three (3) or more years overall experience developing sophisticated ARM architectures in products used by millions of loyal customers as a system integrator.

Your toolkit may include an understanding of touch, display, camera, acoustic, wireless (BLE, Thread, WiFi) or inductive power architectures.

Your ability to work across teams at Apple, while you collaborate in a flat organization with deep electrical and protocol knowledge of current and emerging technologies.

Experience designing products from an idea to production.

Expertise in board schematic and layout CAD tools, including Concept, Allegro, PADS or Altium.

Expertise in various emerging sensing technologies and sensor design highly preferred.

Do you have knowledge of signal integrity, simulation, RF design for BT, BTLE, 802.15.4 and WLAN?

Knowledge of battery cell and pack design and development is a PLUS.

Proficiency in use of oscilloscopes, logic and protocol analyzers, and general lab equipment as it applies to debugging of electrical circuits Description As a member of our team, you will contribute to every aspect of system engineering. You will apply your engineering expertise and work with cross-functional teams to realize products that consumers will love! You will solve challenging engineering problems by driving component selection, directing schematic and layout, and bringing-up/debugging circuits in the lab. Expect to collaborate with multiple cross-functional groups, including PD, DFM, RF Design, BizOPS, Software, HW Test, etc. to bring a product from concept to mass production. You will define and influence custom, future silicon. You will go beyond the industry norm and demonstrate creativity in problem solving, ability to think dynamically and outside of standard convention, and adapt quickly to new technical areas. You will provide mentorship and technical leadership to our engineers. Occasional travel internationally to work with our manufacturing partners is expected. Education & Experience B.S., M.S., or PhD in Electrical or Computer Engineering with relevant experience




Location: Mayfield Heights - Ohio

Job Description Rockwell Automation is the largest company in the world dedicated to industrial automation and information. Here, we connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to make the world more intelligent, more connected and more productive. From improving the production of medicines that boost human health to reducing waste in an oil and gas plant, the work we do changes how we live. We truly believe we are doing things never before possible. And we need the brightest minds to help make that happen - the makers, the forward thinkers, the problem solvers. That's where you come in. The Engineer In Training (EIT) program is an entry-level program for engineers to learn core Rockwell Automation product technologies and to develop fundamental engineering skills for use in customer facing activities. This program prepares recent engineering graduates from around the world to be cross functional, highly technical resources that provide engineering services for Rockwell Automation's customers. The program includes a combination of formal classroom training and work assignments to give engineers hands-on experience with Rockwell Automation's products and technologies. Training focuses on both technical and commercial competencies. Program participants will have a high level of interaction with Rockwell Automation leadership and will receive many opportunities to build their professional network. The program will consist of up to 1 year of training in Mayfield Heights, OH prior to deployment in to the Technical Support Engineer role. Upon completion of the training program, engineers are assigned to various different business units and field offices across North America. Once participants have relocated to their assignment as successful EIT graduates, they are responsible for a subset of the following tailored to their specific business: The primary responsibility of the Networks and Servers Technical Support Engineer position is to remotely provide support for network equipment and server and storage equipment located at customer sites. This position works extensively in the server environment and network environment and is responsible for ensuring high availability of all network equipment. This position requires self-initiative, ownership, excellent listening skills, a drive to follow issues to resolution, commercial sensitivity, and superb attention to detail, responsiveness, collaboration, technical expertise, and business acumen. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: This position focuses heavily on Rockwell Automation Communication / Network and Cisco products and technologies. Possess technical expertise for Ethernet infrastructure support and will be instrumental in bridging the industrial and information networking paradigms.

The position will require an engineer to stay Up-to-date on IT industry understanding, policies and knowledge.

Provides troubleshooting assistance remotely via telephone and email on products to Rockwell Automation field service personnel, distributors, integrators, and customers. Work with other engineers, manage multiple issues with changing priorities and deal with high pressure situations successfully.

Capable of investigating and verifying reported product problems in software, firmware, hardware and documentation. Document the problem, work with appropriate group to resolve the problem, and follow up with the Rockwell Automation representative or customer when the problem is solved.

Provides documentation of all actions taken in the appropriate systems, set expectations with customers and follow-up on an action item or activity needed to resolve a problem being experienced by a customer. You will update and author Technical Notes and other documentation to inform Rockwell Automation personnel, domestic or international, of solutions to commonly experienced problems, workarounds, installation / configuration practices that create problems, etc. to improve customer satisfaction and acceptance. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Met the degree requirements and eligible to graduate with a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electromechanical Engineering, Computer and Information Systems, Computer Systems Engineering, Network Engineering, Software Engineering

Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75

Candidates must be willing to relocate to Cleveland, Ohio for a minimum of 2 years

Legal authorization to work in the US is required. We will not sponsor individuals for employment visas, now or in the future, for this job opening. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Preferred cumulative GPA of 3.0

Preference give to students who have had prior intern or co-op with Rockwell Automation

Previous relevant experience in an Internship/Co-Op

Successful candidates must possess exemplary problem solving and analytical skills, have the ambition and ability to work independently as well as within a team, have strong communication skills, and possess excellent conflict resolution skills.

Successful candidates must be able and willing to travel and work at customer sites, and must be available to work overtime, weekends and holidays to meet customer requirements. Prior experience Cisco hardware, network switching technologies, or Rockwell Automation products.

Background and understanding of IT controls and compliance.

Cisco Certification (CCNA/CCNP) or VMWare Certification (VCA/VCP) We are an Equal Opportunity Employer including disability and veterans. If you are an individual with a disability and you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact our services team at +1 (see application details).




Position: Customer Service Representative

Part-time & full-time positions available We are seeking friendly Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) who are also willing to help out with Home Deliveries made with a company vehicle to join our organization. Candidates should have experience with cash handling, in person customer service and be good communicators. For the role of the back-up driver, we ask for a 3 year safe driving record. Our CSRs welcome our customers and complete accurate transactions in a pleasant manner allowing customers to recognize that we care about them and their garments. Full time & Part time positions available. We offer: $15.25+ an hour (more for delivery back-up/trainees)

Health, Dental, Life and Short Term Disability Insurance and 401(k)

Paid Time Off

Employee Recognition and Incentive Programs

Training and potential for growth

Employee discount and weekly pay Requirements for Customer Service Representatives Include: Prior experience working in a customer service role

Good communication skills and enjoy working with clients

Good attention to detail

Basic computer skills

Cash handling experience is a plus

Flexible schedule including availability on Saturdays Please apply online or in person at any of our locations including: 152 Galen St, Watertown (near Newton Corner) Dependable Cleaners (https://dependablecleaners.com/careers/), a family owned and operated business since 1944. We have 14 locations in the South Shore, Boston, Brookline and Watertown areas and we pride ourselves on giving our customers the highest quality in clothing care. We are an award-winning dry cleaner, including Best of Boston, Mayor of Boston's Greenovate Award, Best of South Shore Living, Family Business Association's Endurance Award and over 80 Readers Choice Awards. Dependable Cleaners exercises both green business practices and active community outreach programs. "Dependable Cleaners is the best! Very reliable and everyone is friendly and helpful! I enjoy going to Dependable Cleaners because I always get a smile and superior service! Dependable Cleaners has excellent management. A++ Thank you!" - Joan K's customer review

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Magnolia, AR (71754)

Today

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 99F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low 73F. Winds light and variable.
Magnolia, AR (71754)

Today

Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 99F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy. Low 73F. Winds light and variable.


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In June and July of this year, an African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) technical review committee approved eight project proposals to receive funding in an important milestone for its Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy. Approved proposals will receive grant funding of more than $7.3 million to operationalize their activities, creating several new enterprises and an estimated 20,000 jobs for youth across the continent.

Several of the approved proposals were submitted in response to a call from the Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development Department (AHHD) through the Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund (https://bit.ly/3gw7LvF) late last year. Bank offices, complexes and departments from across regional member countries submitted nearly 24 proposals for committee review.

Themes submitted included capacity building for entrepreneurs, climate change, gender, affordable housing, food security, migration and textiles, with the common thread of creating decent jobs for young women and men.

The diverse range of themes and interests demonstrates the degree that our Bank peers understand that creating jobs for Africas growing youth population is a cross-cutting issue to be factored into operations across the continent, said Martha Phiri, Director of the Banks Human Capital, Youth and Skills Department. The Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund is increasingly viewed as a destination resource for financing our scale up efforts to create decent jobs for young women and men, she added.

The Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy calls for the integration of jobs and skills for youth across Bank operations to maximize the impact on increasing employment opportunities. It specifically mandates embedding youth employment into Bank plans, projects, staff training and systems, and increasing the Banks influence and support in regional member countries. One of the projects approved is leveraging technical collaboration with the International Labor Organization to develop the Banks employment marker.

Approved projects include business development support for agricultural entrepreneurs selling online in Malawi and Zimbabwe, training to help staff members of Libyas Ministry of Labour better meet the needs of young entrepreneurs including women and people living with disabilities, an online training and accelerator program for entrepreneurs in the textile, apparel and accessories industries, and an initiative to boost job creation in climate change adaptation and resilience in Egypt, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Guinea, Morocco, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Chad, Gabon and South Africa.

The Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund provides project preparation and co-financing for Bank projects and places great emphasis on employability, entrepreneurship and job creation through enterprise and value chain development. The Fund has also supported countries that implement policies conducive to private sector development and youth employment. Also in line with the Banks commitments under the fifteenth replenishment of the African Development Fundthe concessional window of the African Development Bank Groupthe call for project proposals reflects the Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development Departments strategic intent to leverage and integrate youth employment and employability into the Banks operations in African Development Fund countries.

Launched in November 2017, the Fund promotes the creation of sustainable jobs for young Africans by equipping youth and women-led startups, as well as micro, small and medium enterprises with the skills, financial support and enabling environments to run bankable businesses.
Da Vinci is able to apply for tax financing because the project site is in the citys NIZ, a unique 128-acre zone that stretches from the downtown to the Lehigh River waterfront and allows developers to harness certain state and local tax revenues to pay project debt service. The NIZ, while often criticized by suburban property owners who have lost tenants to new office buildings in Allentown, has spurred $1 billion in office, apartment, hotel and retail projects and has injected life into what was one of Pennsylvanias most depressed downtowns.
Trammell Crow Co. recognizes the importance of Dutch Springs as a recreational facility for both scuba divers and the community at large, principal Matt Nunn said in a statement sent to The Morning Call. We have been in discussions with local officials for the past several months with the goal of donating the water portion and an adjacent area of the property for the officials to maintain these facilities and provide community uses in conjunction with our proposed development.
Im having these amazing menu boards designed by this incredible artist, Cindy said. She illustrated these cartoon vegetables, and all of the panels are going to teach you how to easily order something. For example, the cheesesteak sub board will help clarify what you want  do you want a steak or cheesesteak? Do you want 7 inches or 14 inches? It comes with sauce, onions, shredded lettuce and tomato unless you dont want any of these items and then we can make it your way. Also, pickles and mayo are available upon request.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene of the 3:07 p.m. crash in the 1700 block of North Delaware Drive, (Route 611), police said in a news release. Police have released no further details and are withholding the mans identity until his next of kin have been notified.
This can be done in hundreds of ways. But right now, there is a particularly simple and timely way for us to prove to our kids that we truly love our neighbors: By requiring them to wear a mask when they go to school and by supporting the school districts that have done the right thing by doing the same.
As a current print subscriber, you receive 24/7 access to our website and online e-edition at no additional charge. All you have to do is activate your access. To activate digital access, you will need your account number. You can find your account number on any recent subscription notice or bill.
: zypz8 (Lime), : Australia

 : No Breaking News to Cover, Guo Wengui Newsjacking on the Heavy Rain of Zhengzhou.

: BBS  (Wed Aug 25 04:56:47 2021, )



No Breaking News to Cover, Guo Wengui Newsjacking on the Heavy Rain of

Zhengzhou.

Letting off Steam and Donation Cheating with All Efforts. Comrades, Keep

Your Eyes Open!







Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan province, was hit by heavy rain at 4 PM

July 20. By 17 o'clock, rainfall per hour reached 201.9 mm, which has

exceeded the extreme value of China's hourly rainfall capacity on land,

resulting in poor drainage, severe waterlogged, economic losses, and

enormous casualties. However, with the strong support of the Chinese

government and all parts of the country, the people of Zhengzhou united as

one to actively carry out self-rescue operations, relief, and rescue work.

All these have achieved initial success. Guo Wengui, who is far away in New

York, has been working in Zhengzhou for many years, and Yuda Building is

just in Zhengzhou. He should have felt empathy for the heavy rain in

Zhengzhou. But surprisingly, He turned a happy face to this. At the same

time, Cheater Guo tried to describe natural disasters as human-made ones and

encourage Guo investors to donate to Zhengzhou. There must be some triggers

in this donation because of the duplicity and the inconsistency. Comrades,

keep your eyes open! Don't be fooled!



From the beginning, Guo Wengui had no breaking news to cover. The revolution

is false advertising that hangs a sheep's head to sell dog meat signs.

Protecting his money and life, revenging, getting the United States

political support, bleeding "the ants" dry are the authentic purposes of the

person. So, at the beginning of the whistleblower movement, Guo Wengui's

material is fake. The original aim is to expand the number of fans and 'the

ants' who can help the team. From 2018 to 2020, There has been no material

for him, even a fake one, to disclose. But fortunately, Seattle Crabs, Sara,

and other "ants" handed over the "pillow "(the Rule of Law Foundation and

the G group )when Guo Wengui was sleepy. He began to transform from leading

the whistleblower movement to donation cheating of the RLF and investment

fraud of G Group easily by the pillow. At present, the Rule of Law

Foundation, the Rule of Law Society, and the G group have been at the end of

the rope. The person deceived, the betrayer Sara, the Pig Head Lude, "

heroic scientist"Yan Limeng, will surely spare no effort to bomb those

savagely with their words and actions. In the end, Guo Wengui will not

escape from the punishment of the"judicial purgatory."



Therefore, It is the heavy rain in Zhengzhou on July 20 that made

Guo Wengui deflect people's attention and change the subject he used to hold

. On the one hand, it was a way to let off steam and vent frustration. To

appease the restless emotions in the Guo Group after Lude and Yan Limeng

defected, he discourses eloquently on a subject of the contribution to

Zhengzhou from him and Yuda tower. It can imagine that how deep his

depression was on the hands-changing of Beijing Pangu and Henan Yuda. It is

so unfamiliar that even the staff in these two towers don't know who Guo

Wengui is. But no debts without creditors. That all these forced Guo to turn

to his original color has only himself to blame.But to see years of

accumulation in vain, Cheater Guo's heart is unwilling and full of anger. So

, He used Zhengzhou's heavy rain to vent one's grievance and has since

ruined his public persona. Guo Wengui said the heavy rain that happened in

Zhengzhou is not accidental, is inevitable, is not a natural disaster, is a

human-made disaster, Zhengzhou is an evil place, it had better drowning

these bastards of Henan. They deserve it! Look how much anger there is. Guo

Wengui so far did not understand that small tricks, lies, robbery, and under

-society movement cannot help him sustain. Now Cheater Guo, who is full of

hostility, is still trapped in his trap. The Rule of Law Foundation, the

Rule of Law Society, and the G group are giant pits dug by Guo Wengui. Guo

must face the group of victims, "big ants" Sara and Lude, who betrayed him

as well as surveillance from the United States judicial. Now he is

newsjacking on the heavy rain of Zhengzhou, Which is asking for trouble.

160;How dare he is



It is the only chance to survive for Guo Wengui if he stops here, washes his

hands of it from now, and gives back the money that he cheated out of

before. According to Lude, the finance of the Rule of Law Foundation and

Farms have become dangerously intertwined. According to Sara, the project

funding of Phoenix Farm has been partly transferred to the Abu Dhabi-China

fund through Guo Wengui's account. That is to say, Guo Wengui embezzled

nominal public investment funds. It is a big mistake and beyond any help.

Moreover, to obtain political asylum, Guo Wengui used Bannon to get in touch

with trump, and the money he spent on this was also from the investment of

Gclub. Guo's consumption and payments to Yan are also linked with the legal

fund. In a word, Guo Wengui has been back to less than before November 20,

2018. The prodigal who returns is more precious than gold. If Cheater Guo

stops here, demonstrating that his conscience did not vanish. But just

yesterday, Mr. Guo made a shocking announcement that a plan of calling on G

Group to donate to Zhengzhou. According to the above comments about Guo

Wengui associated with the heavy rain of Zhengzhou and the unhappiness of

the owner alteration, we can infer that he won't have a flash of benevolence

. What's more, he paid lip service to the cause, but he hasn't lent a hand

from the beginning. Investors of G Group, don't be fooled by Guo Wengui. He

is just newsjacking on the heavy rain of Zhengzhou and actually to cheat you

out of your donations.



In short, heavy rain in Zhengzhou has caused considerable economic losses

and casualties. It is human nature that when difficulties arise in one place

, aid comes from everywhere. But Guo Wengui, who has long held a grudge

against the people of Zhengzhou, is not destined to become conscientious

suddenly. Why did he turn 180 degrees and call on his comrades to come to a

plan of Zhengzhou donation ?! "Many kiss the baby for the nurse's sake." It

is the real intention of Guo to blackmail investors and then make a windfall

. With no breaking news to cover, G Group has been at the end of its rope.

Now Guo is bleeding investors dry by newsjacking on Zhengzhou's heavy rain,

which has been seen through by people from the start. Save your breath!

Cheater Guo. You still have so many potent enemies to deal with.



--

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Sports

12-member Indian contingent, including Jhajharia, departs for Tokyo Paralympics

Tokyo, Aug 25 | Publish Date: 8/25/2021 12:07:03 PM IST

Veteran Devendra Jhajharia and reigning world champion Sandeep Chaudhary were among five javelin throwers in a 12-strong Indian contingent that left for Tokyo on Wednesday to compete in the Paralympics.

The contingent also included two high jumpers  Nishad Kumar and Ram Pal  and discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya.

One of the top medal prospects, Jhajharia had won the gold medal in Athens and Rio Paralympics.

The 40-year-old javelin thrower had rewritten his world record of 63.97m when he sent the spear to a distance of 65.71m in a qualifying event in June.

His main competition comes from compatriots Ajit Singh and Sundar Gurjar. With a little bit of luck, India could grab all three medals in the mens F-46 category, which is for athletes with arm deficiency, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement in arms while competing in a standing position.

After Neeraj Chopras historic performance at the Tokyo Olympics, javelin throwers have been in the limelight.

Neerajs gold medal has put the spotlight on javelin throwers and being the senior most of the lot, I can say this with assurance that after Tokyo Paralympics, javelin (throw) will be the second most popular game in this country after cricket, Jhajharia said.

Focus will also be on Chaudhary and Sumit Antil in the mens F64 category in which they are ranked world number one and two respectively. The F-64 classification is for athletes with a leg amputation, who compete with prosthetics in a standing position. Track and field events begin on August 27.
Sports

Liverpool refuse to release Salah for WC qualifiers

London, Aug 24 (AP) | Publish Date: 8/24/2021 11:40:13 AM IST

Liverpool has refused to release Mohamed Salah for Egypts upcoming World Cup qualifying matches because of coronavirus restrictions, the countrys soccer association said Monday.

Egypt is on Britains red list, so Salah would be required to quarantine upon his return from Cairo and miss two Premier League games.

Egypt is scheduled to play Angola in Cairo on Sept. 2 before traveling to face Gabon three days later in Franceville.

The association said it continues its contacts with the FIFA . to have international players be exempted from travel restrictions imposed on them in countries where they play due to coronavirus.

The Egyptian federation also wanted Salah to play for the national team at the Tokyo Olympics, but it said Liverpool denied the request.

Clubs are not obligated to release players for the mens Olympic tournament.

Salah, who has twice won the Premier Leagues Golden Boot award, tested positive for the virus during a visit to Cairo in November, where he attended his brothers wedding. At the time, he was to join the national team for its game against Togo.

The 29-year-old Salah was the first Egyptian player to become a Premier League champion after joining Liverpool in 2018 from Roma. Liverpool is seeking to strike a new deal to keep Salah with the club.

Egyptians see Salah as a sign of hope for a country battered by poverty and years of political turmoil.
International

Russia concerned about Taliban weapons seizures

Moscow, Aug 25 (AP) | Publish Date: 8/25/2021 12:14:54 PM IST

Russias defence minister has voiced concern about the Taliban seizing a large number of weapons, including air defense missile systems, after sweeping over Afghanistan.

Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday the Taliban has captured hundreds of combat vehicles along with a number of warplanes and helicopters. He expressed a particular worry about the Taliban obtaining more than 100 man-portable air defense missile systems.

Shoigu noted that Afghanistans refugee problem is a cause for grave concern.

The Russian defense chief voiced hope that the Taliban would move to form an inclusive government that would include all groups in the country. (AP)
According to information published by the U.S. Navy on August 24, 2021, the Expeditionary Sea Base USS Hershel Woody Williams (ESB 4) participated in the first iteration of the Brazilian-led, Gulf of Guinea exercise called Operation Guinex with the Brazilian Frigate Independencia, Aug. 23, 2021.

Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

Lewis B. Puller-class USS Hershel (Picture source: U.S Navy)

Guinex is the first exercise off of Africas Atlantic coast to have participation by both U.S. and Brazilian naval vessels. The engagement highlights the U.S. and Brazils shared interest in maritime safety and freedom of commerce in the southern Atlantic.

The exercise will run from August through September 2021.

While at sea, Hershel Woody Williams conducted small boat and Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) drills, as well as maneuvering exercises.

Hershel Woody Williams recently completed a maritime security exercise with the Nigerian Navy and members of Ghanas Special Boat Squadron.

The ESB ship class is a highly flexible platform that may be used across a broad range of military operations. Acting as a mobile sea base, they are part of the critical access infrastructure that supports the deployment of forces and supplies to support missions assigned.

The USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (ESB-4) is a Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary sea base, currently in service with the United States Navy. The ship was commissioned by the Navy in Norfolk, Virginia on 7 March 2020. An expeditionary sea base is designed to be a semi-submersible, flexible, modular platform providing the US Navy with the capability to perform large-scale logistics movements such as the transfer of vehicles and equipment from sea to shore.

The expeditionary mobile base is configured with a 52,000 square-foot flight deck, fuel and equipment storage, repair spaces, magazines, mission planning spaces and accommodations for up to 250 personnel. The ship is capable of supporting multiple missions including Air Mine Counter Measures (AMCM), counter-piracy operations, maritime security operations, humanitarian aid and disaster relief missions and U.S. Marine Corps crisis response. It can also support MH-53 and MH-60 helicopters and will be upgraded to support MV-22 tiltrotor aircraft.
At least 200 Rohingya people were arrested attempting to escape dire conditions on Bangladeshs remote Bhasan Char Island have been arrested since May, although aid workers suspect that the actual number is much higher, said Human Rights Watch on Tuesday.

The arrests of Rohingya refugees trying to escape what has been described as a prison island shows that assurances from Bangladesh authorities of voluntary relocation and freedom of movement were a hoax, said Meenakshi Ganguly, the South Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

The government needs to demonstrate that Bhasan Char is safe and habitable, including by allowing

refugees to come and go freely.

Despite facing decades of atrocities in Myanmar, the Rohingya people desperately want to go back to their homes, Ganguly said.

But until it is safe for them to do so, the UN, humanitarian agencies and international donors should press the Bangladesh government to uphold its obligations to protect refugees instead of forcing them onto an unstable island.

Following a meeting in July with a UN delegation, Bangladesh authorities announced that they would relocate an additional 80,000 refugees from Coxs Bazar to the island starting in October.

On August 25, it will be four years since the military began a massive campaign of ethnic cleansing that forced over 730,000 people to cross the border.

The New York-based international group also said a fishing boat carrying more than 40 Rohingya people, including children, fleeing Bhasan Char Island capsized on August 14 in the Bay of Bengal, leaving at least 11 dead.

Only 15 people are known to have survived the August 14 capsize while 11 bodies were recovered and 16 people are still missing, it said.

A 36-year-old man who survived the capsize along with his wife but lost all three of their children said he paid Tk 30,000 to Bangladeshi middlemen who assured safe passage for his family to the port city of Chattogram by fishing boat.

The HRW spoke with four Rohingya who survived the capsize and seven relatives of them who were arrested on August 18 for trying to flee the island.

It said that the Bangladesh government, which is reportedly finalising plans with the United Nations to start operations on the island, should make the safety and protection of the refugees a priority, including by allowing them freedom of movement to return to Coxs Bazar.
Berlin Reporter New courses, entry-level certificate added to Criminal Justice Program at WMCC



Two WMCC Criminal Justice program graduates, Lt. Hollie Dube and Cpl. Noah Dumas, both of Berlin Police Department. (Courtesy Photo) (click for larger version) BERLIN  White Mountains Community College (WMCC), with a campus in Berlin and academic centers in Littleton and North Conway, has added a new entry-level certificate and new courses to the criminal justice program for the fall semester which begins August 30. These changes will align the criminal justice curriculum with the current and projected needs of the industry by providing students with in-demand skills for careers in law enforcement positions at various local, state and federal levels.



"One of our goals is to continually align the criminal justice curriculum with the needs of the profession," said Jennifer Lemoine, WMCC criminal justice program coordinator and a 17-year veteran police officer. "Through our continued work with our advisory board, that includes local law enforcement professionals in our community, we found important topics facing the industry today like mental health and crisis intervention that needed to be added to the curriculum to prepare students for a career."



The three new courses that were added to the criminal justice program include: Drug Abuse and the Law, Introduction to Homeland Security and Crisis Intervention. WMCC also created a new six course entry-level criminal justice certificate that will enable graduates to demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and components of the American Justice System from arrest, trial, incarceration and release/rehabilitation along with the many duties and functions of law enforcement entities. This certificate was designed to allow high school students to take the college courses for concurrent college credit (all courses have an online option) and therefore, they have the potential to graduate high school with their diploma as well as a certificate in Criminal Justice from WMCC.



"Recruitment is at an all-time high in our community and we strive to find candidates who have an education, experience or an internship in the criminal justice field," said Chief Adam Marsh of the Gorham Police Department. "WMCC's criminal justice students are being educated on a myriad of issues that law enforcement officers are dealing with today and these examples help them prepare for calls in the field."



As part of the criminal justice program, students experience 120 hours of on-the-job training observation that is tailored to their interest within the profession and often leads to a full-time job after graduation. Graduates can anticipate careers in areas such as homeland security, border patrol, corrections, law enforcement and police departments, an area with faster than average job growth.



WMCC's degree in criminal justice addresses the causes of crime and ways to control it through the various components of the criminal justice system covering law enforcement, the court system and the correctional environment. It enables both pre and in-service students to complete their degree on either a full or part-time basis in preparation for professional careers. Articulation agreements with Plymouth State University, Granite State College and University of New Hampshire  Manchester will allow students to easily continue to earn a four-year degree.



WMCC offers flexible classes with options for in-person, online and hybrid models. To learn more about the program, contact Jennifer Lemoine at jlemoine@ccsnh.edu.



White Mountains Community College (WMCC) is located in Berlin with satellite campuses in Littleton and North Conway, and is one of seven colleges in the Community College System of New Hampshire. WMCC offers Associate Degree and Certificate programs, plus training options, preparing students for 21st century job opportunities as well as transfer pathways to four-year colleges and universities. WMCC is fully accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). Our courses are the most affordable in New Hampshire and our Littleton Academic Center makes us accessible to all students in the North Country Region. Courses are available day, evening and online. WMCC courses transfer to four-year colleges and universities in New Hampshire and across the country. The seven community colleges in the system are committed to working with businesses throughout the state to train and retain employees to develop a robust workforce across all sectors and embraces the "65 by 25 Initiative," which calls for 65 percent of New Hampshire citizens to have some form of postsecondary education by 2025 to meet future workforce demands. BERLIN  White Mountains Community College (WMCC), with a campus in Berlin and academic centers in Littleton and North Conway, has added a new entry-level certificate and new courses to the criminal justice program for the fall semester which begins August 30. These changes will align the criminal justice curriculum with the current and projected needs of the industry by providing students with in-demand skills for careers in law enforcement positions at various local, state and federal levels."One of our goals is to continually align the criminal justice curriculum with the needs of the profession," said Jennifer Lemoine, WMCC criminal justice program coordinator and a 17-year veteran police officer. "Through our continued work with our advisory board, that includes local law enforcement professionals in our community, we found important topics facing the industry today like mental health and crisis intervention that needed to be added to the curriculum to prepare students for a career."The three new courses that were added to the criminal justice program include: Drug Abuse and the Law, Introduction to Homeland Security and Crisis Intervention. WMCC also created a new six course entry-level criminal justice certificate that will enable graduates to demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and components of the American Justice System from arrest, trial, incarceration and release/rehabilitation along with the many duties and functions of law enforcement entities. This certificate was designed to allow high school students to take the college courses for concurrent college credit (all courses have an online option) and therefore, they have the potential to graduate high school with their diploma as well as a certificate in Criminal Justice from WMCC."Recruitment is at an all-time high in our community and we strive to find candidates who have an education, experience or an internship in the criminal justice field," said Chief Adam Marsh of the Gorham Police Department. "WMCC's criminal justice students are being educated on a myriad of issues that law enforcement officers are dealing with today and these examples help them prepare for calls in the field."As part of the criminal justice program, students experience 120 hours of on-the-job training observation that is tailored to their interest within the profession and often leads to a full-time job after graduation. Graduates can anticipate careers in areas such as homeland security, border patrol, corrections, law enforcement and police departments, an area with faster than average job growth.WMCC's degree in criminal justice addresses the causes of crime and ways to control it through the various components of the criminal justice system covering law enforcement, the court system and the correctional environment. It enables both pre and in-service students to complete their degree on either a full or part-time basis in preparation for professional careers. Articulation agreements with Plymouth State University, Granite State College and University of New Hampshire  Manchester will allow students to easily continue to earn a four-year degree.WMCC offers flexible classes with options for in-person, online and hybrid models. To learn more about the program, contact Jennifer Lemoine at jlemoine@ccsnh.edu.White Mountains Community College (WMCC) is located in Berlin with satellite campuses in Littleton and North Conway, and is one of seven colleges in the Community College System of New Hampshire. WMCC offers Associate Degree and Certificate programs, plus training options, preparing students for 21st century job opportunities as well as transfer pathways to four-year colleges and universities. WMCC is fully accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). Our courses are the most affordable in New Hampshire and our Littleton Academic Center makes us accessible to all students in the North Country Region. Courses are available day, evening and online. WMCC courses transfer to four-year colleges and universities in New Hampshire and across the country. The seven community colleges in the system are committed to working with businesses throughout the state to train and retain employees to develop a robust workforce across all sectors and embraces the "65 by 25 Initiative," which calls for 65 percent of New Hampshire citizens to have some form of postsecondary education by 2025 to meet future workforce demands.

Berlin Reporter Berlin, Gorham athletes preparing for new season Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
Littleton Courier Kuster's North Country tour includes local stops

by Angel Larcom

Congresswoman Anne Kuster stopped at the Rocks Estate and Bethlehem's new recovery center before visiting the White Mountains Community College in Littleton as part of her "Build Back Better" tour of the North Country Last week. (Courtesy Photo) (click for larger version) LITTLETON  Congresswoman Anne Kuster included three Littleton and Bethlehem sites while touring the North Country last week. She visited the New Hampshire Detox center, formerly known as the Friendship House, in Bethlehem last Tuesday afternoon before stopping at the Rocks Estate and the White Mountain Community College in Littleton.



Kuster kicked off her "Build Back Better" tour in Woodstock at the Woodstock Inn and Brewery that included a conversation with regional business owners and tourism leaders. Participants included Lincoln Town Manager Butch Burbank, White Mountains Attractions leader Cheryl Reardon and Chutters owner Jim Alden.



In Bethlehem, Kuster discussed substance use and recovery treatment options with Amatus Communications Director Christine Webster, State Rep. Linda Massimilla and AHEAD Housing CEO Mike Claflin. Amatus assumed leadership of the former Friendship House on Route 302 earlier this year after several months of closure.



While visiting the recovery center, Kuster discussed her work as a founding co-chair of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force. Earlier this year, the committee examined the effects of COVID-19 on mental health and addiction, which indicated a steep increase in overdose fatalities nationwide.



"The COVID-19 pandemic created additional challenges for those who were already struggling with addiction, and the stress of the health and economic crises contributed to an increase in mental health issues for countless Americans," noted Kuster.



During her mid-afternoon tour of the Rock Estate, Kuster learned directly of the Forest Society's expansion plans from North Country Property Director Nigel Manley, Forest Society President Jack Savage and Rocks Estate Project Manager Will Abbott. Last month, the organization closed the property to public access to begin essential utility and parking improvements, with an anticipated reopening in mid-September.



White Mountain Community College's Littleton campus was Kuster's final stop of the day. Earlier this month, the community college secured $350,000 in federal grant funding through the Northern Borders Regional Commission. The funds are earmarked for a new Business and Industry Training facility in Littleton.



Satellite campus expansion, particularly in Littleton and North Conway, has been part of the White Mountains Community College (WMCC) strategic plan since 2018. Likewise, the expansion will also meet enriched high school partnership development goals and expanded education access for adult workers, noted WMCC President Chuck Lloyd.



Both campus construction and funding will occur in multiple phases, noted Lloyd. The $350,000 secured earlier this month is only a portion of the school's $5 million capital campaign.



Expansion plans include constructing a new, freestanding 10,000-square-foot building that will house an industrial technology lab when completed. HVAC renovations and cosmetic campus improvements are yet another part of the plan, as is relocating the school's successful Diesel Heavy Equipment Technology program from Berlin.



"As we recover and rebuild from COVID-19, it is critical we prioritize workforce development to ensure Granite State students have the skills they need to thrive, and New Hampshire businesses have highly-trained employees to hire," stated Kuster. LITTLETON  Congresswoman Anne Kuster included three Littleton and Bethlehem sites while touring the North Country last week. She visited the New Hampshire Detox center, formerly known as the Friendship House, in Bethlehem last Tuesday afternoon before stopping at the Rocks Estate and the White Mountain Community College in Littleton.Kuster kicked off her "Build Back Better" tour in Woodstock at the Woodstock Inn and Brewery that included a conversation with regional business owners and tourism leaders. Participants included Lincoln Town Manager Butch Burbank, White Mountains Attractions leader Cheryl Reardon and Chutters owner Jim Alden.In Bethlehem, Kuster discussed substance use and recovery treatment options with Amatus Communications Director Christine Webster, State Rep. Linda Massimilla and AHEAD Housing CEO Mike Claflin. Amatus assumed leadership of the former Friendship House on Route 302 earlier this year after several months of closure.While visiting the recovery center, Kuster discussed her work as a founding co-chair of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force. Earlier this year, the committee examined the effects of COVID-19 on mental health and addiction, which indicated a steep increase in overdose fatalities nationwide."The COVID-19 pandemic created additional challenges for those who were already struggling with addiction, and the stress of the health and economic crises contributed to an increase in mental health issues for countless Americans," noted Kuster.During her mid-afternoon tour of the Rock Estate, Kuster learned directly of the Forest Society's expansion plans from North Country Property Director Nigel Manley, Forest Society President Jack Savage and Rocks Estate Project Manager Will Abbott. Last month, the organization closed the property to public access to begin essential utility and parking improvements, with an anticipated reopening in mid-September.White Mountain Community College's Littleton campus was Kuster's final stop of the day. Earlier this month, the community college secured $350,000 in federal grant funding through the Northern Borders Regional Commission. The funds are earmarked for a new Business and Industry Training facility in Littleton.Satellite campus expansion, particularly in Littleton and North Conway, has been part of the White Mountains Community College (WMCC) strategic plan since 2018. Likewise, the expansion will also meet enriched high school partnership development goals and expanded education access for adult workers, noted WMCC President Chuck Lloyd.Both campus construction and funding will occur in multiple phases, noted Lloyd. The $350,000 secured earlier this month is only a portion of the school's $5 million capital campaign.Expansion plans include constructing a new, freestanding 10,000-square-foot building that will house an industrial technology lab when completed. HVAC renovations and cosmetic campus improvements are yet another part of the plan, as is relocating the school's successful Diesel Heavy Equipment Technology program from Berlin."As we recover and rebuild from COVID-19, it is critical we prioritize workforce development to ensure Granite State students have the skills they need to thrive, and New Hampshire businesses have highly-trained employees to hire," stated Kuster.

Littleton Courier Bethlehem schools to begin year with mask requirements Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 11:21:38|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Group of Seven (G7) held a virtual summit on Tuesday as the United States and its allies scramble to complete evacuations from Taliban-held Afghanistan before the impending Aug. 31 deadline, while contention among the "rich countries club" runs deep over U.S. hasty withdrawal from the Asian country and the chaos it engendered.

G7's "immediate priority" is to ensure the safe evacuation of their citizens and Afghans who "have assisted" the group's "efforts over the past 20 years," said a statement released after the summit, which was chaired by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Despite pressure from U.S. allies on President Joe Biden during the summit to extend his Aug. 31 deadline for troops withdrawal, Biden has decided to stick to the scheduled date. Earlier on the same day, the Taliban said there will be "no extensions" of the deadline.

CHAOS LEFT BEHIND IN KABUL

In the days since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, tense and chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport have saddened the world.

Multiple deaths have been reported, including in the horrific manner of falling from the sky after clinging to planes. Over the weekend, at least seven Afghan civilians were killed during a stampede outside the airport.

As the deadline for evacuation is only one week away, James Heappey, junior minister for the armed forces at the British Ministry of Defense, has warned that Britain will not be able to evacuate everyone it hopes to.

"The fact is we will get out as many as we possibly can, but we have been clear throughout that there is a hard reality that we won't be able to get out everybody that we want to," he said on Monday.

French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters on Monday that "additional time" was "necessary" to carry out the evacuations.

However, as the United States and the Taliban both ruled out deadline extension, it remains to be seen how the events will unfold when the deadline expires with thousands expected to be still left stranded near the Kabul airport.

Meanwhile, the likely massive influx of Afghan refugees has reopened divisions in Europe, as not all Europeans are willing to roll out the welcoming mat for the vulnerable people from the war-torn country.

"France (had) already taken its part," spokesperson for the far-right National Rally, Julien Odoul, said on France Inter, a major French public radio channel, on Monday, arguing that "the terrorists (have) taken advantage of the migratory highways to infiltrate and then hit us."

French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that "Europe alone cannot shoulder the consequences" of the situation in Afghanistan, and warned against "significant irregular migratory flows."

CONDEMNATION OF U.S. HASTY PULLOUT

The chaos and harrowing scenes in Kabul have attracted a torrent of criticism over the U.S. hasty withdrawal.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Saturday blasted the United States for an "imbecilic" decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

"The abandonment of Afghanistan and its people is tragic, dangerous, unnecessary," he said. "We didn't need to do it. We chose to do it. We did it in obedience to an imbecilic political slogan about ending 'the forever wars.'"

"The decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in this way was driven not by a grand strategy but by politics," Blair noted.

Norbert Roettgen, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in Germany's lower parliament, told Deutsche Presse Agentur on Tuesday that "part of the disaster is that the U.S. decided to withdraw unilaterally."

Elliott Abrams, Vandenberg Coalition chairman and former senior U.S. State Department official, has called Biden's execution of Afghan withdrawal a "disgraceful performance."

"Why did he not understand that his decisions would create chaos?" Abrams said last week.

SOUL SEARCHING AFTER AFGHAN FIASCO

Claiming to be in pursuit of Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001, the U.S.-led military forces invaded Afghanistan. Since then, they have caused more than 30,000 civilian deaths, injured more than 60,000 and resulted in about 11 million refugees.

"The stupidity and incompetence" displayed over the Afghan withdrawal have once again confirmed that the U.S. elites "don't understand the rest of the world, and aren't fit to govern their own country, let alone the globe," British newspaper The Daily Telegraph said in an opinion article last week.

The U.S. failure in Afghanistan shows that "full-on liberal imperialism inevitably backfires," it added.

Paolo Gentiloni, European commissioner for economy and also former Italian prime minister, said on Monday that the failure of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan showed that the set of liberal values held by the West is "not a unanimously shared model."

Effie Pedaliu, a visiting fellow at the IDEAS foreign policy think tank of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), said in an article published on LSE website that comparisons between Saigon and Kabul are "false and misleading."

"In the 1960s and 1970s it was American credibility that was at stake. Now, it is the trustworthiness, reliability and relevance of the western model of governance," she said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 14:57:53|Editor: huaxia

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends a virtual summit of G7 leaders, in London, Britain, on Aug. 24, 2021. (Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

LONDON, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Group of Seven (G7) held a virtual summit on Tuesday as the United States and its allies scramble to complete evacuations from Taliban-held Afghanistan before the impending Aug. 31 deadline, while contention among the "rich countries club" runs deep over U.S. hasty withdrawal from the Asian country and the chaos it engendered.

G7's "immediate priority" is to ensure the safe evacuation of their citizens and Afghans who "have assisted" the group's "efforts over the past 20 years," said a statement released after the summit, which was chaired by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Despite pressure from U.S. allies on President Joe Biden during the summit to extend his Aug. 31 deadline for troops withdrawal, Biden has decided to stick to the scheduled date. Earlier on the same day, the Taliban said there will be "no extensions" of the deadline.

Photo taken with mobile phone on Aug. 22, 2021 shows trucks waiting to cross border at a border crossing point between Pakistan and Afghanistan, in southwest Pakistan's Chaman. (Str/Xinhua)

CHAOS LEFT BEHIND IN KABUL

In the days since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, tense and chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport have saddened the world.

Multiple deaths have been reported, including in the horrific manner of falling from the sky after clinging to planes. Over the weekend, at least seven Afghan civilians were killed during a stampede outside the airport.

As the deadline for evacuation is only one week away, James Heappey, junior minister for the armed forces at the British Ministry of Defense, has warned that Britain will not be able to evacuate everyone it hopes to.

"The fact is we will get out as many as we possibly can, but we have been clear throughout that there is a hard reality that we won't be able to get out everybody that we want to," he said on Monday.

French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters on Monday that "additional time" was "necessary" to carry out the evacuations.

Afghans enter Kabul airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Rahmatullah Alizadah)

However, as the United States and the Taliban both ruled out deadline extension, it remains to be seen how the events will unfold when the deadline expires with thousands expected to be still left stranded near the Kabul airport.

Meanwhile, the likely massive influx of Afghan refugees has reopened divisions in Europe, as not all Europeans are willing to roll out the welcoming mat for the vulnerable people from the war-torn country.

"France (had) already taken its part," spokesperson for the far-right National Rally, Julien Odoul, said on France Inter, a major French public radio channel, on Monday, arguing that "the terrorists (have) taken advantage of the migratory highways to infiltrate and then hit us."

French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that "Europe alone cannot shoulder the consequences" of the situation in Afghanistan, and warned against "significant irregular migratory flows."

Photo taken on Aug. 22, 2021 shows a commercial plane approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

CONDEMNATION OF U.S. HASTY PULLOUT

The chaos and harrowing scenes in Kabul have attracted a torrent of criticism over the U.S. hasty withdrawal.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Saturday blasted the United States for an "imbecilic" decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

"The abandonment of Afghanistan and its people is tragic, dangerous, unnecessary," he said. "We didn't need to do it. We chose to do it. We did it in obedience to an imbecilic political slogan about ending 'the forever wars.'"

"The decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in this way was driven not by a grand strategy but by politics," Blair noted.

Norbert Roettgen, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in Germany's lower parliament, told Deutsche Presse Agentur on Tuesday that "part of the disaster is that the U.S. decided to withdraw unilaterally."

Elliott Abrams, Vandenberg Coalition chairman and former senior U.S. State Department official, has called Biden's execution of Afghan withdrawal a "disgraceful performance."

"Why did he not understand that his decisions would create chaos?" Abrams said last week.

Photo taken in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, on Aug. 20, 2021 shows a screen displaying U.S. President Joe Biden (C) delivering remarks on Afghanistan at the White House in Washington, D.C. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

SOUL SEARCHING AFTER AFGHAN FIASCO

Claiming to be in pursuit of Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001, the U.S.-led military forces invaded Afghanistan. Since then, they have caused more than 30,000 civilian deaths, injured more than 60,000 and resulted in about 11 million refugees.

"The stupidity and incompetence" displayed over the Afghan withdrawal have once again confirmed that the U.S. elites "don't understand the rest of the world, and aren't fit to govern their own country, let alone the globe," British newspaper The Daily Telegraph said in an opinion article last week.

The U.S. failure in Afghanistan shows that "full-on liberal imperialism inevitably backfires," it added.

Paolo Gentiloni, European commissioner for economy and also former Italian prime minister, said on Monday that the failure of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan showed that the set of liberal values held by the West is "not a unanimously shared model."

Effie Pedaliu, a visiting fellow at the IDEAS foreign policy think tank of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), said in an article published on LSE website that comparisons between Saigon and Kabul are "false and misleading."

"In the 1960s and 1970s it was American credibility that was at stake. Now, it is the trustworthiness, reliability and relevance of the western model of governance," she said. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 15:56:56|Editor: huaxia

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A staff member attending the (China) Eurasia Commodity and Trade Online Expo 2021 poses for a photo at Xinjiang International Convention and Exhibition Center in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

URUMQI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The (China) Eurasia Commodity and Trade Online Expo 2021 opened Wednesday in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Aimed at building a Silk Road commerce and trade platform for win-win economic cooperation, the online expo attracted 1,323 exhibitors and 1,865 buyers from 25 countries.

The online exhibition hall has been divided into four areas with nine themes covering tourism, textiles, agricultural products and food, among others.

From Aug. 25, 2021 to Aug. 24, 2022, the online platform will provide exhibition services for exhibitors for one year, as well as long-term digital services for them, said Mamtimin Hadir, acting mayor of Urumqi.

The expo has become an important platform for promoting economic cooperation, trade exchange among Asian and European countries since the first commodity expo was held in 2015. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 18:13:37|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday urged the United States to stop political manipulation on the issue of coronavirus origins tracing.

If the U.S. insists on the "lab leak" theory, it should invite the World Health Organization to investigate the labs of Fort Detrick and the University of North Carolina in the first place, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily press briefing. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 20:00:38|Editor: huaxia

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Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Aug. 20, 2021 shows Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming waving their hands after conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) out of the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Tian Dingyu)

by Xinhua writers Hu Tao, Wang Chenxi

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming completed extravehicular activities (EVAs) for the second time during the construction of the space station on Aug. 20. They installed extravehicular extended pump sets and lifted the panoramic camera in their EVAs.

The newly installed extravehicular extended pump sets will play a key role in ensuring the in-orbit operation of China's space station for no less than 15 years, according to the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).

Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, capital of China, June 17, 2021 shows China's Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship having successfully docked with the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

EXTRAVEHICULAR "HEART"

Developed by the CAST, the extended pump sets are called the "heart" of the fluid loop, which is a core part of the space station's thermal control system.

"Like a heart providing power for blood flow and sending blood to all parts of a body, the pump sets keep the special liquid circulating stably in the loop," said Han Haiying, a CAST designer of the thermal control system.

Without the protection of the atmosphere, the surface temperature of the space station can reach more than 150 degrees Celsius under the sunlight. While in the dark, its surface temperature can drop to lower than minus 100 degrees Celsius.

In this harsh space environment, the thermal control system is crucial in ensuring the normal operation of the space station's equipment and comfortable living conditions for the astronauts.

The fluid loop evenly covers the key parts of the space station. By circulating the special liquid in the loop, it is capable of collecting heat generated by onboard equipment and astronauts for cooling and bring the heat to relevant devices and structures for heat supplementation, according to Zheng Hongyang, a CAST engineer in charge of the fluid loop of the thermal control system.

It can also help precisely control the temperatures of various "rooms" in the space station, said Zheng.

"Always operating at a high speed, the liquid loop pumps have a limited service life and must be repairable and replaceable," Han said.

The thermal control team thus created multiple "hearts" for both inside and outside the cabin for the fluid loop, so as to empower the system with ultra-long operation capability.

Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Aug. 20, 2021 shows Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) out of the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Tian Dingyu)

SIMPLE BUT IMPORTANT MOVE

In the space environment, astronauts wearing spacesuits are restricted in their movements. A simple action, such as turning a screw, could cost them a lot of energy and time.

The CAST team did their best to simplify the procedure of installing the extended pump sets, making it a four-step process.

The astronauts need to hook and lock the pump sets to the outer wall of the space station core module Tianhe, and then connect the electric circuit as well as the liquid circuit.

Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, capital of China, June 17, 2021 shows three Chinese astronauts onboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship saluting after entering the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

The newly completed EVAs not only verified the technology of installing pump sets in orbit but also laid a good foundation for the following construction of the space station and stable operation of the station for up to 15 years, according to the CAST.

The three Chinese astronauts were sent into space onboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship and entered Tianhe on June 17. Astronauts Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo completed the first EVAs on July 4.

The Shenzhou-12 spaceship crew will continue to carry out scientific and technological space experiments before their planned return in the middle of September. 




Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 22:32:02|Editor: huaxia

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-- At two events held in China's Chongqing this week, the digital economy has taken center stage and opened up new possibilities for international cooperation as it is becoming ubiquitous in modern life.

-- The scale of China's digital economy hit 39.2 trillion yuan in 2020, accounting for 38.6 percent of the country's GDP.

-- While evolving into a new driver powering economic growth, the digital economy has helped many countries deepen international cooperation in more fields.

CHONGQING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- From big data, cloud computing and the Internet of Things to blockchain, 5G and artificial intelligence (AI), the digital economy is the talk of the town in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

At the Smart China Expo 2021 and the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Forum on the Digital Economy Industry, both held in Chongqing this week, the digital economy has taken center stage and opened up new possibilities for international cooperation as it is becoming ubiquitous in modern life.

Guests from all SCO countries and relevant SCO bodies attended the forum online or offline, and more than 610 companies from 31 countries and regions, including Huawei, iFLYTEK, Alibaba and Intel, participated in the expo through online or offline exhibitions.

A total of 92 projects worth a total of 250 billion yuan (about 38.62 billion U.S. dollars) were signed at the expo on Monday, demonstrating the vitality of the digital economy.

A correspondent views a 3D display product at the Smart China Expo 2021 in Chongqing, southwest China, Aug. 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

LATEST SMART TECHNOLOGIES

The three-day expo, which concluded on Wednesday, saw the display of a wide range of cutting-edge technologies and applications, including a cloud-computing processor the size of a business card, an AI machine that can grade homework and tests, and smart home technologies that allow users to voice-control heaters and floor-cleaning robots through WeChat.

A capsule robot capable of performing gastrointestinal endoscopy procedures through automated navigation caught the attention of many visitors.

With the help of AI, the capsule robot developed by Chongqing Jinshan Science & Technology (Group) Co., Ltd. can navigate its way around the stomach along pre-planned routes and perform medical examinations in a painless and non-intrusive way, according to expo staffer Liu Siyu.

"We see great roles that smart technology plays in various sectors whether it is AI, education, health, climate change, and agriculture, etc., in the past two years when the world has been under COVID-19," British Trade Commissioner for China John Edwards said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Nearly 50 British companies exhibited in the expo's UK Pavilion, joining the "UK Now" Roadshow and the Digital Transformation in Manufacturing Forum to share expertise, exchange ideas and forge partnerships.

Visitors try VR devices at the Smart China Expo 2021 in Chongqing, southwest China, Aug. 23, 2021. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

NEW FIELD FOR COOPERATION

In the Russian exhibition hall, the kokoshnik, a traditional Russian headdress, wowed many visitors with its exquisite craftsmanship.

Russian kokoshnik craftsman Juhann Nikadimus had long sought to revive the traditional handicraft, but was often thwarted by the difficulty of acquiring expensive brocades, pearls and other materials in Russia. His problems were solved after he sourced the materials on AliExpress, a global online retail marketplace.

"Chinese brocades are very similar to the materials used historically in Russia in terms of texture and quality, and they cost only a fraction," Nikadimus said.

Photo taken on Aug. 24, 2021 shows the main venue of Smart China Expo 2021 in Chongqing, southwest China. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

The scale of China's digital economy hit 39.2 trillion yuan in 2020, accounting for 38.6 percent of the country's GDP, according to a white paper recently released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

While evolving into a new driver powering economic growth, the digital economy has helped many countries deepen international cooperation in more fields.

"We stand firm in our commitment to opening-up and cooperation, and will continue to expand new space and share development opportunities of the digital economy," said Xiao Yaqing, China's minister of industry and information technology, when addressing the opening ceremony on Monday.

"The possibilities offered by the digital revolution are cross-cutting and limited only by our imagination," said Singapore's Minister of Communications and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo via video link. "Only by working together can we fully unlock the potential of digital technologies."

(Reporting by Ding Yinghua, Zhao Yufei, Wu Kunpeng, Liu Enli, Zhou Erjie. Video reporter: Li Aibin; video editor: Luo Hui)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 22:59:47|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone conversation on Wednesday with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

In the conversation, Xi said since the beginning of this year, China and Russia have taken the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation as a new starting point to promote strategic coordination and comprehensive practical cooperation between the two countries.

The series of new achievements in this regard provide significant support for the development of both countries and play a pivotal role in uniting the international community to overcome difficulties, he said.

The two countries should explore new ways of cooperation, expand cooperation areas and work to achieve more cooperation results, Xi said.

Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic waves ebb and flow, presenting the international community an arduous anti-pandemic task, Xi said, noting that China is ready to work with Russia to deepen cooperation on vaccine development and production and ensure the safety and stability of the global supply chain for vaccines, so as to protect the lives and health of the two peoples and contribute to the building of a community of common health for mankind.

Only the wearer knows whether the shoes fit or not, Xi stressed, saying that it is the people of the two countries who have the most say about which system works in their own country.

As comprehensive strategic partners of coordination for a new era, China and Russia should deepen cooperation against interference and firmly hold their respective national future in their own hands, Xi said.

China firmly supports Russia in pursuing a development path that suits its national conditions, and firmly supports Russia's measures to safeguard its national sovereignty and security, Xi said.

The two sides should take the opportunity of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) this year to work in joint effort with other SCO members to strengthen solidarity, coordination and mutual support so as to safeguard the security and development interests of countries in the region, Xi said.

The two leaders also had an in-depth exchange of views on the situation in Afghanistan.

Xi stressed that China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan and adheres to the policy of non-interference in its internal affairs, and has played a constructive role in resolving the Afghanistan issue via political means.

Xi said that China stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Russia and the broader international community to encourage all factions in Afghanistan to build an open and inclusive political structure through consultation, implement moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, thoroughly dissociate from all terrorist groups, and maintain friendly relations with the rest of the world, especially neighboring countries. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 23:24:54|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with local residents while visiting Binhe community in Chengde, north China's Hebei Province, Aug. 24, 2021. Xi made an inspection tour of Chengde City in Hebei Province from Monday to Tuesday. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

CHENGDE, Hebei, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed implementing the new development philosophy, promoting the Saihanba Spirit, and striving to achieve this year's major goals for the country's economic and social development.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour of Chengde City in north China's Hebei Province from Monday to Tuesday.

Xi stressed implementing the CPC Central Committee's decisions and arrangements, staying committed to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, and putting into practice the new development philosophy in an all-round, faithful manner.

He also underlined the need to achieve a balance between COVID-19 prevention and control and economic and social development, and between development and security, to promote high-quality development, and to strive to fulfill major social and economic targets and tasks for this year to ensure a good start of the 14th Five-Year Plan.

Xi began the tour with a visit to the Saihanba mechanized forest farm in the northernmost part of Hebei on Monday afternoon.

China has the world's largest area of man-made forests, an extremely great achievement, as noted by Xi. Saihanba, he said, has set an example in the global history of ecological progress.

Xi expressed his hope that the farm staff would continue to work hard and take bold steps to explore deepening the reform of state-owned forest farms, promoting green development and increasing their carbon-sink capacity.

He visited the farm's first man-made forest, named after a late farm official Wang Shanghai.

Talking with staff representatives of the farm, Xi said generations of workers there have forged through concrete actions the Saihanba Spirit, featuring staying true to the original aspiration, being hardworking and enterprising, and pursuing green development.

The achievement, Xi said, is an example to the rest of the country in advancing ecological progress.

He urged the promotion of the Saihanba Spirit to inspire people to make new contributions to the realization of China's second centenary goal.

On Tuesday morning, Xi inspected the Chengde Mountain Resort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to learn about the protection of cultural relics.

He stressed efforts to properly protect, develop and utilize fine traditional Chinese culture, in a bid to build stronger cultural confidence and foster the national spirit.

Leaving the site, Xi went to the Puning Temple, which was first built in 1755.

Xi stressed upholding the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation, with active guidance provided to religions so that they can adapt themselves to the socialist society.

He then visited the Chengde Museum. Noting that China is a united multi-ethnic country, Xi said the diverse Chinese nation has been formed over the course of a long history.

Experience has shown that only the CPC can unite the Chinese nation, and only under Chinese socialism can all ethnic groups work together and achieve development and prosperity, Xi said.

Continuous efforts should be made to consolidate and develop socialist ethnic relations of equality, unity, mutual assistance and harmony, he added.

In the afternoon, Xi paid a visit to the village of Daguikou in Chengde, where he inspected progress on rural vitalization.

Highlighting the crucial role of industries in advancing rural vitalization, Xi urged efforts to develop industries with local strengths and deliver more benefits to rural areas and rural residents. He also called for strengthening public health services in rural areas.

Xi dropped by the home of villager Huo Jin and chatted with the family. He stressed that, even when China's urbanization has reached a high level, there will still be hundreds of millions of people working and living in rural areas.

Prosperity must be achieved in both urban and rural areas, Xi said, calling for building a new socialist countryside that is more beautiful and has better living conditions.

He also visited a community-based service center for elderly home-care in the city.

Pointing out that ensuring a happy life for the elderly people in their later years is a vital responsibility of Party committees and governments at all levels, Xi called for efforts to develop all-inclusive elderly care services and improve the networks for community-based service centers for elderly home-care.

He also called on communities to play an active role as the first line of defense in coordinated control mechanisms and remain vigilant against the COVID-19 epidemic.

Talking with community residents in a public square, Xi said that China will definitely realize national rejuvenation as more than 1.4 billion people are bending their efforts in one direction and traveling with perseverance on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 23:35:20|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese President Xi Jinping checks the growth of the trees and learns about the promotion of the Saihanba spirit and the high-quality development of the Saihanba forest farm at a forest named after Wang Shanghai, a late official of the farm, in north China's Hebei Province, Aug. 23, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

CHENGDE, Hebei, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed implementing the new development philosophy, promoting the Saihanba Spirit, and striving to achieve this year's major goals for the country's economic and social development.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour of Chengde City in north China's Hebei Province from Monday to Tuesday.

Xi stressed implementing the CPC Central Committee's decisions and arrangements, staying committed to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, and putting into practice the new development philosophy in an all-round, faithful manner.

He also underlined the need to achieve a balance between COVID-19 prevention and control and economic and social development, and between development and security, to promote high-quality development, and to strive to fulfill major social and economic targets and tasks for this year to ensure a good start of the 14th Five-Year Plan.

Xi began the tour with a visit to the Saihanba mechanized forest farm in the northernmost part of Hebei on Monday afternoon.

China has the world's largest area of man-made forests, an extremely great achievement, as noted by Xi. Saihanba, he said, has set an example in the global history of ecological progress.

Xi expressed his hope that the farm staff would continue to work hard and take bold steps to explore deepening the reform of state-owned forest farms, promoting green development and increasing their carbon-sink capacity.

He visited the farm's first man-made forest, named after a late farm official Wang Shanghai.

Talking with staff representatives of the farm, Xi said generations of workers there have forged through concrete actions the Saihanba Spirit, featuring staying true to the original aspiration, being hardworking and enterprising, and pursuing green development.

The achievement, Xi said, is an example to the rest of the country in advancing ecological progress.

He urged the promotion of the Saihanba Spirit to inspire people to make new contributions to the realization of China's second centenary goal.

On Tuesday morning, Xi inspected the Chengde Mountain Resort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to learn about the protection of cultural relics.

He stressed efforts to properly protect, develop and utilize fine traditional Chinese culture, in a bid to build stronger cultural confidence and foster the national spirit.

Leaving the site, Xi went to the Puning Temple, which was first built in 1755.

Xi stressed upholding the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation, with active guidance provided to religions so that they can adapt themselves to the socialist society.

He then visited the Chengde Museum. Noting that China is a united multi-ethnic country, Xi said the diverse Chinese nation has been formed over the course of a long history.

Experience has shown that only the CPC can unite the Chinese nation, and only under Chinese socialism can all ethnic groups work together and achieve development and prosperity, Xi said.

Continuous efforts should be made to consolidate and develop socialist ethnic relations of equality, unity, mutual assistance and harmony, he added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping talks to villagers while conducting field research in Daguikou village during an inspection tour of Chengde in north China's Hebei Province, Aug. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

In the afternoon, Xi paid a visit to the village of Daguikou in Chengde, where he inspected progress on rural vitalization.

Highlighting the crucial role of industries in advancing rural vitalization, Xi urged efforts to develop industries with local strengths and deliver more benefits to rural areas and rural residents. He also called for strengthening public health services in rural areas.

Xi dropped by the home of villager Huo Jin and chatted with the family. He stressed that, even when China's urbanization has reached a high level, there will still be hundreds of millions of people working and living in rural areas.

Prosperity must be achieved in both urban and rural areas, Xi said, calling for building a new socialist countryside that is more beautiful and has better living conditions.

He also visited a community-based service center for elderly home-care in the city.

Pointing out that ensuring a happy life for the elderly people in their later years is a vital responsibility of Party committees and governments at all levels, Xi called for efforts to develop all-inclusive elderly care services and improve the networks for community-based service centers for elderly home-care.

He also called on communities to play an active role as the first line of defense in coordinated control mechanisms and remain vigilant against the COVID-19 epidemic.

Talking with community residents in a public square, Xi said that China will definitely realize national rejuvenation as more than 1.4 billion people are bending their efforts in one direction and traveling with perseverance on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 02:54:41|Editor: huaxia

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ALGIERS, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Algeria is severing diplomatic relations with Morocco, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra announced on Tuesday.

Lamamra read a letter on behalf of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during a press conference held at the International Conference Center in capital Algiers, saying "Algeria has decided as of today (Tuesday) to break off its diplomatic relations with Morocco."

He added that this decision is motivated by the fact that Algeria rejects the logic of the "fait accompli" and the unilateral policies that Morocco has been taking.

Lamamra recalled "the hostile acts" of Morocco towards Algeria since mid-July, particularly "the support given to what Morocco's ambassador to the UN called the right to self-determination of the 'valiant Kabyle people' in Algeria."

Lamamra further accused Morocco of supporting two organizations that Algerian authorities classified as terrorist organizations, namely the Movement for the self-determination of Kabylie and the Movement of Rachad.

The foreign minister also recalled Morocco's involvement in the so called "Pegasus espionage operation" which targeted a number of countries, including Algeria, as well as some past incidents.

"For all these reasons, Algeria has decided to break off diplomatic relations with Morocco," concluded the Algerian top diplomat.

This decision comes a week after President Tebboune stated that relations with Morocco should be reviewed.

Algeria and Morocco have been undergoing tense relations for decades. Their border has been closed since 1994 after Rabat started imposing visa entry on Algerian nationals following a bomb attack in Marrakesh.

The lasting diplomatic stalemate is mostly provoked by the disagreement between the two nations over the disputed area in the western part of Sahara. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 03:18:16|Editor: huaxia

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KHARTOUM, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials of Sudan and Libya on Tuesday expressed willingness to protect joint border to prevent spread of crimes and curb illegal immigration.

Deputy Chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Council Mohamed Hamdan Daqlu on Tuesday met in Khartoum with the Vice President of the Libyan Presidential Council Musa Al-Koni, said the sovereign council in a statement.

Daqlu called for the necessity of reactivating the role of joint forces between the two countries to protect borders and reduce illegal immigration, the statement said.

Director of the African department at Sudan's Foreign Ministry Hassan Abdul-Salam Omer said the meeting reviewed the bilateral relations and how to enhance and develop them further, according to the statement.

He added that Al-Koni invited Sudan to participate in the conference of defense ministers of Libya's neighboring countries, to be held in September.

The Undersecretary of Libya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Political Affairs Mohammed Khalil Issa commended Sudan's supportive stances to Libya, according to the statement.

Issa expressed his country's willingness to form the joint forces among the neighboring countries to monitor the border.

A quartet agreement, signed by Libya, Chad, Niger and Sudan in May 2018, stipulates deployment of forces to secure the joint border and combat cross-border crimes and illegal immigration. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 10:41:15|Editor: huaxia

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ACCRA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Ghana will strive to transform the fisheries sector in a bid to create more jobs and enhance livelihoods, said a senior official Tuesday.

Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, chief-of-staff of the presidency, made the remarks during the launching of the 7th Meeting of Ministers in charge of Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) scheduled to be held in Ghana next April.

"The government will address illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and depleting marine fish stocks which have far-reaching implications for future generations," Osei-Opare said.

The official said the government would develop a new fisheries co-management policy to enhance the management of the fisheries sector and optimize its impact.

Ghana earns about 190 million dollars from fish exports annually, and the sector supports livelihoods for about 3 million people, according to official data. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 19:45:35|Editor: huaxia

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KAMPALA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The first batch of evacuees from Afghanistan arrived in Uganda Wednesday morning, the country's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

A total of 51 evacuees, including men, women and children, arrived at the Entebbe International Airport on a privately chartered flight, before being escorted by local police to a hotel in Entebbe, 40 km south of the capital Kampala.

Following a U.S. request, Uganda will temporarily host at-risk Afghans and other nationals "who are in transit to the United States and other destinations worldwide," the ministry said.

The evacuees underwent necessary security screening, COVID-19 testing and quarantine procedures, it said.

Some Ugandans in Afghanistan did not travel on the flight due to "the challenges of accessing the airport in Kabul," the ministry said, adding that "arrangements are being made to bring them in the subsequent flight."

Uganda last week said it would host 2,000 Afghans and other nationals fleeing Afghanistan after the Taliban seized Kabul. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 21:12:48|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan health workers will from Sept. 1 be required to report all cancer cases as soon as they diagnose them in a virtual database as the east African nation seeks to keep track of the disease that is silently ravaging people across the country.

Mutahi Kagwe, Cabinet Secretary of Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that health workers will be given access to the virtual platform where they will report the cases.

"Health service providers will be required within 60 days of making a cancer diagnosis to make a notification to the National Cancer Institute for the purposes of maintaining the National Cancer Registry," said Kagwe in a statement issued in Nairobi.

He said that the notification will be done into a secure web portal from personal computers or smartphones for any location of the country, which makes it easier to capture the information.

According to the Ministry of Health, some 30,000 people die from cancer every year in Kenya, with the country recording close to 50,000 new cases every year. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 23:42:15|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- A UN-backed new cultural initiative dubbed the Home of Somali Poetry was launched in Somalia on Wednesday to help promote unity among Somalis.

The initiative backed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) brings together Somali poets and poetry enthusiasts to promote Somali poetry and use it to foster peace and human rights.

UNDP Somalia Resident Representative, Jocelyn Mason said the UN agency is delighted to support the Home of Somali Poetry as it strides onto the Somali cultural scene.

"Poetry unites all Somalis and this common language and literary inheritance is a powerful tool for peace," Mason said in a statement issued in Mogadishu to mark the launch.

The Home of Somali Poetry website hosts a growing Somali Poetry Archive, which preserves the classics and showcases new work from a fresh generation of poets, as well as an online magazine for poetry-related articles, interviews with poets, live performances, learning resources and more.

The initiative will also organize special events to help unite Somalis around their shared literary culture and advocate for peace and human rights, as well as commissioning new work from Somali poets and organizing live performances and cultural exchanges.

Starting this year, the UNDP said, the initiative will run the annual Somali Poetry Awards - an "Oscars" of Somali poetry to recognize the very best creative talent across three categories: Poet of the Year, Woman Poet of the Year, and Youth Poet of the Year. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-26 00:10:37|Editor: huaxia

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WAJIR, Kenya, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police killed two gunmen and recovered 4 AK rifles with 316 bullets during a shootout on Tuesday in Wajir county, northeast Kenya.

Rono Bunei, northeastern regional police commander said Wednesday that among those killed during the incident in Dabader area was a local police reservist believed to have gone rogue.

Bunei said the second victim was not immediately identified.

He said a team was patrolling in the Dabader area in Habaswein Sub County when they met the gunmen prompting a shootout.

Apart from the 316 bullets found on them, police said they also recovered 14 empty magazines, two military smoke jackets, four mobile phones and a solar panel.

Bunei said they had intensified patrols in the region to address sporadic attacks from al-Shabab militants and their sympathizers.

He urged for cooperation from locals in efforts to address insecurity which has affected transport, education and general development in the area.

"We must work together to ensure we tame these activities which are hampering development. It is a duty for everyone there to ensure there is security," said Bunei. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-26 01:24:28|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Forestry researchers and security experts from the eastern Africa region on Wednesday urged governments to put stringent measures in place and facilitate sustainable harvesting of sandalwood trees.

Wycliffe Mauta, a researcher at Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), said that sandalwood trees were in great demand since it is used as medicine and raw material for the cosmetic industry.

"Smuggling and trafficking of sandalwood is in high demand due to the international market demand," Mauta said at a webinar meeting in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, stressing that regional governments should move with speed to save the tree species from getting extinct as a result of high demand globally.

Arthur Owuor, a researcher with Our Trees, We Need Answers, a Uganda-based conservation lobby, noted that policies exerted pressure to save sandalwood, shea butter and other tree species from extinction in the region.

Owuor urged governments to raise penalties for the offenders so that they can stop smuggling and trafficking of the products.

"There is an urgent need to provide communities in regions where sandalwood is found with alternative livelihoods to save the trees from demise," said Bernard Kamondo, a research scientist at KEFRI. The tree species is currently only available in the wild but efforts are ongoing to collect the seeds on a timely basis.

KEFRI is partnering with local communities to work on a propagation project, where they are breeding the specimens of sandalwood to help in producing more seedlings.

"Once complete, the propagated seedlings will be available to farmers for commercial growing," said Kamondo.

Joyce Kimani, regional coordinator for the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), said that sandalwood trafficking is a thriving criminal enterprise in the region, blaming the internet for fueling environmental crime and trade of African sandalwood.

"Like all organized crime, sandalwood trade attracts tax evasion, corruption, violent crime, fraud, and money laundering," said Kimani.

The researchers said that the tree should be valued and looked at as a cash crop, urging governments to embark on public education to enlighten communities on the importance of protecting the endangered tree species.

According to the researchers, smugglers who work with cartels and brokers have penetrated remote villages in the region, whose local residents have limited knowledge of the trees' commercial value.

African sandalwood was listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a threatened species in 2018. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 21:14:11|Editor: huaxia

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NICOSIA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Cypriot health authorities are ready to start any time giving a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine to fully vaccinated people, Deputy Director of the Health Ministry's Pharmaceutical Services Elena Panayiotopoulou said on Wednesday.

She said the Pharmaceutical Services has got an ample stock of vaccines and planned to start booster vaccination as soon as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gives the go-ahead for a third dose.

"I understand that it is only a matter of days for EMA to give its recommendation," Panayiotopoulou told the radio of state run Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.

She added that the scientific team advising the Health Ministry on the handling of the pandemic recommended that "vulnerable and older people should be given priority before the onset of autumn."

Panayiotopoulou said that people who have been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca or Johnson and Johnson vaccines will receive a booster dose of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine. She added that it has been medically established that the interchange of vaccines is not harmful.

Data released by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday for the period up to Aug. 23 showed that 72.3 percent of the population in Cyprus eligible for vaccination had completed their vaccination, while 77.6 percent have received at least the first vaccine dose.

The Health Ministry also said it aimed at vaccinating at least 80 percent of the population of 12 years and over by the end of August, ahead of the start of the new school year. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 22:44:43|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Four Russian military transport aircraft are evacuating more than 500 citizens of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine from Afghanistan, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

The aviation group have taken off from Kabul and are currently on their way back to Russia, it said.

On each plane, there are military medics with necessary equipment as well as an adequate supply of drinking water, food and blankets, it added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-26 03:50:16|Editor: huaxia

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ATHENS, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic on Wednesday called for closer cooperation beyond borders to address challenges like the wildfires in Greece in the wake of the country's worst heat wave in decades.

"There is a time for bold action, because climate change will lead to more challenges like this one," he said during a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The Greek leader appreciated the assistance from the European Union, the RescEU mechanism and all the European countries in combating the wildfires which decimated over 100,000 hectares of forests and farmland across the country earlier this month, according to Greek national broadcaster ERT.

"We had 23 countries present in Greece during this unprecedented crisis, and it was a real show of solidarity," he added.

Lenarcic commended the solidarity demonstrated by other EU member states, as well as Greece's contribution to build a stronger EU Civil Protection mechanism while visiting a RescEU stockpile of medical items hosted by Greece.

"Eleven member states of the European Union responded through our Union Civil Protection Mechanism to the Greek request for assistance to deal with these extraordinarily challenging wildfires," he told ERT.

Member states provided some 1,000 firefighters and this has been the largest ever firefighting operation coordinated through the Union's Civil Protection Mechanism, he said.

Since 2014, Greece has asked for assistance from the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism 10 times, while it has offered its assistance 22 times when other member states asked for help, he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-26 05:11:07|Editor: huaxia

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ZAGREB, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Croatia's tourism results almost reached the 2019 level in July and August, and booking for September also looks promising, Croatian Minister of Tourism Nikolina Brnjac said on Wednesday.

"The number of tourists and overnight stays is around 90 percent of summer months in 2019," Brnjac told the national news agency Hina.

According to the eVisitor system, 9.8 million tourists visited Croatia this year and there were 61.3 million overnight stays. It is 64 percent of arrivals and 74 percent of overnight stays compared to the same period in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country.

Foreign tourists are also provided with free vaccinations in Croatia.

"We desire to maintain the status of the country with the most favorable epidemiological situation in the Mediterranean, and that is why we will continue to focus on security so that tourist and social events can take place in the rest of the year," Brnjac told Hina.

Croatia depends heavily on the tourism industry, which makes almost 20 percent of the southeastern European country's gross domestic product. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 01:04:17|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden decided to stick with the Aug. 31 deadline for troops withdrawal from Afghanistan, U.S. media reported on Tuesday.

Citing a U.S. official, multiple news outlets said that Biden also asked for contingency plans in case he determines at a later date that the U.S. military needs to remain in the country longer.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid made it clear on Tuesday at a press conference that the United States should withdraw all troops and contractors before the Aug. 31 deadline.

Biden in July ordered that the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan conclude by the end of August.

The United States has been scrambling to evacuate Americans and its Afghan partners from the country since the Taliban entered the capital Kabul on Aug. 15.

The White House said on Tuesday that around 21,600 people had been evacuated during a 24 hour-period ending early Tuesday morning. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 05:27:12|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Democrats-held House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to advance a bipartisan 1-trillion-dollar infrastructure bill and approve a 3.5-trillion-dollar budget resolution, breaking the stalemate due to intra-party disagreement over the chamber's priority.

In a 220-212 party line vote, the lower chamber adopted a measure that would allow Democrats to write and approve the 3.5-trillion-dollar social spending package without Republican support, while clearing the path for the final vote of the Senate-passed infrastructure plan.

The measure also requires the House to vote on the infrastructure bill by Sept. 27, which is an intra-party compromise after a small group of centrist Democrats pushed Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the chamber, to take up on the bipartisan infrastructure plan before the Democrats-only budget resolution.

In addition, the vote also advanced a separate voting rights bill, clearing the way for the chamber to vote on a legislation later Tuesday.

Pelosi has been pushing to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the 3.5 trillion spending package at the same time, but nine moderates, led by Representative Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, opposed her plan to vote on Monday on a related measure, leading to hours of negotiations within the party.

In a Washington Post opinion published on Sunday, the nine House Democrats urged the party to "do infrastructure first."

"We are firmly opposed to holding the president's infrastructure legislation hostage to reconciliation, risking its passage and the bipartisan support behind it," they said.

"We can pass the infrastructure measure now, and then quickly consider reconciliation and the policies from climate to health care to universal pre-K that we believe are critical," they added.

In a statement Tuesday, Pelosi said she is committing to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill by Sept. 27. "I do so with a commitment to rally House Democratic support for its passage," said the Democratic leader.

"We must keep the 51-vote privilege by passing the budget (resolution) and work with House and Senate Democrats to reach agreement in order for the House to vote on a Build Back Better Act (infrastructure package) that will pass the Senate," she said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 14:39:27|Editor: huaxia

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HOUSTON, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- More than 1,100 new COVID-19 cases were reported among staff and students by Houston-area schools in the southern central U.S. state of Texas in the past 24 hours, local media reported on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday afternoon, as many as 6,755 cases were reported in 27 Houston-area school districts, adding 1,626 new cases since Monday afternoon, reported KTRK-TV, an ABC News affiliate based in the most populous city in Texas.

Houston Independent School District reported 194 students and 82 staff infected with COVID-19 in just two days into the school year, said the report.

Rice University, a private research university in Houston, recently decided to revert to remote learning for the first two weeks of the fall semester since one of its COVID-19 testing providers produced multiple false positive test results last week.

Rice implemented a pre-semester testing on Aug. 13 that included 81 COVID-19 positives out of around 4,500 people tested over nine days, equaling a 2-percent positivity rate, much higher than the 0.24-percent positivity rate Rice accrued over the last school year, reported the Houston Chronicle newspaper.

In southern Texas, as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to surge in Austin-Travis County, there are 726 COVID-19 hospitalizations for 11 counties including and surrounding Austin, the state's capital city, just one shy of a pandemic high of 727 on Jan. 18 this year.

The Austin Independent School District, which requires mask-wearing for all students, staff and visitors, announced on Tuesday that it will offer a one-time incentive of 250 U.S. dollars to eligible employees who are fully vaccinated by Oct. 15.

The district is also considering mandating vaccines for all teachers and staff, said the Houston Chronicle.

In Kaufman County, located in the northeastern area of the state, all Kemp Independent School District campuses will be closed from Wednesday through Friday due to rapidly spreading COVID-19 cases, the district said on Tuesday, adding the three-day closure will allow schools to thoroughly disinfect all district facilities, including transportation.

Kemp Superintendent James Young told local media that as of Monday, 100 students and 30 staff members had tested positive for COVID-19, equaling about a 7-8 percent positivity rate within the district.

However, despite health officials' suggestions, Leander Independent School District, which consists of more than 40,000 students in central Texas, chose not to close schools in the area, according to a Texas Tribune report on Tuesday.

About 43 percent of cases in the district occurred in elementary schools and the "vast majority" of cases are students, said the report, citing Dr. Amanda Norwood, medical director of the Williamson County and Cities Health District.

"This outbreak is probably infecting more kids than what we've seen in the past epidemic surges," former Food and Drug Administration director Scott Gottlieb spoke on CNBC, while predicting the Delta-driven COVID-19 surge in the southern United States has likely peaked.

According to data issued Tuesday by the Texas Department of State Health Services, more than 2.9 million cases have been reported in Texas and more than 54,000 people in the state have died since the pandemic broke out last year.

The Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council on Monday reported more than 4,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations for the first time since the outbreak in the 25-county region the agency covers. More than 700 patients, 107 in critical condition, were stuck in emergency departments waiting for an available bed. Enditem


The accelerated upgrade of the public health system that has seen older hospitals refurbished, new wards opened and new equipment bought, is now being expedited and spread to areas without hospitals with Government building 32 new hospitals, the first four of them nearly finished and work already started on others.

This is in line with the vision of the Second Republic under the leadership of President Mnangagwa, to undertake a massive infrastructure development and social investment programme aimed at transforming Zimbabwe into an upper middle income society by 2030.

Apart from the hospitals, Government is spearheading road construction and upgrading countrywide under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme as enunciated in the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).

Under the NDS1, the building of world class infrastructure and provision of key social services have been identified as key enablers for sustainable socio-economic development.

The hospitals are being built to very similar plans on turnkey contracts, under which structural works and the provision of the equipment are all done together.

The plans show male and female wards, theatres, maternity wards, out-patient departments, immunisation sections and a laboratory.

The four now almost ready are in southern Harare where there has been a swathe of new housing, Mberengwa, Chimanimani and Bulawayo.

The structural works for Harare South Health Centre are now almost complete, as is the case at others in the first four.

At the 22-bed Harare South Health Centre in the new Stoneridge suburb yesterday NMS contractors were working on the three separate buildings, with all three now roofed and the laying of the floors in progress.

Posting on his Twitter handle yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Permanent Secretary Mr Nick Mangwana said President Mnangagwa was walking the talk on improving the health sector.

President Mnangagwa promised to revamp our health sector. He is living up to that promise. What you are looking at is a new 22-bed turnkey hospital coming up in Harare South.

Thirty-two of these are being built across the country and they come all-inclusive with radiography and labs among other features, he said.

Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Dr John Mangwiro confirmed the 32-hospital construction programme but referred the technical questions to acting Director Hospital Planning and Project Management Engineer Frank Chiku.

Eng Chiku said the first phase targeted four health facilities: the Stoneridge Centre in Harare South, Bulawayo, Mataga in Mberengwa, and Chimanimani.

Completion of Stoneridge was slated for September but because of the Covid-19 lockdown, we are revising our timelines. The next phase of the construction is set for next year, he said.

The Covid-19 pandemic saw the already-planned rehabilitation of public health facilities accelerated as resources were found and were donated to get these up to the levels that they could cope with the seriously ill.

At the same time there was a determined effort to improve the whole public health sector.

Both parts of the programme were seen in Bulawayo recently when President Mnangagwa opened two health facilities in Bulawayo, strengthening Governments quest to revamp the health services and guarantee universal health coverage as a means to improve peoples lives.

The two facilities are a paediatric orthopaedic hospital and a Covid-19 isolation and treatment centre.

The paediatric orthopaedic facility, to be named Bulawayo Orthopaedic Hospital, is the first of its kind in Zimbabwe and just the third in Southern Africa.

At the same time most rural district councils, for the first time having a reasonable capital development budget thanks to devolution funds, have been complementing Government efforts as most rural communities see extra health facilities as so important that new clinics quickly rise to the top of the wish lists.

For example, Chegutu Rural District Council has been building three new clinics using these funds to improve health services.

Council chairperson Councillor Tendai Gwinji recently said the completion of the clinics would reduce mortality rates and long distances walked by villagers.

We have completed Danangwe and Katawa Clinics. Already, nurses are now offering services to people at Danangwe which we have opened.

Another clinic in Mhondoro is expected to be completed soon as we have purchased material using Devolution Funds. This is in line with our Governments agenda and President Mnangagwas vision of improving the lives of the people, he said.

The council is also working on building staff houses at Katawa and Mhondoro North Clinics to cater for the welfare of the nursing and health staff. A rural clinic is far more than just the clinic building as is common in urban areas. Staff need housing and often a new borehole has to be drilled, and fairly frequently solar power installed.

People used to walk at least 20 kilometres to access health care services. The move by the Government to introduce devolution funds is highly appreciated by the council which has found challenges in meeting its targets of providing services to the people due to low revenue collections. Herald


A Mwenezi man desperate to bring his sickly brother Norman Makuvire (42) back home from South Africa was forced to carry the corpse on his back across the Limpopo after the former died at the river.

A Police report in the hands of Two Nations confirms the case that happened last Wednesday.

Peterson Makuvire(36) has since been arrested by Beitbridge Police for illegally crossing into Zimbabwe from South Africa.

The Police report says that at around 11pm on August 18, a detective assistant inspector deployed at the illegal crossing point saw a man carrying another man on his back crossing the Limpopo River.

The assistant inspector and details from the CID intercepted Makuvire and he told them that he was carrying his sickly brother from Lipalole Province in South Africa on their way home to Mwenezi.

The Police officers inspected Norman and realised that he was already dead and had no visible marks that could indicate foul play.

Peterson told the Police that his brother was ill since 2018 and the illness was getting worse by the day hence he decided to take him home. He said he was dropped at the river by a South African pirate taxi and because his brother could not walk he decided to carry him on his back.

The body was certified dead by Dr Linos Samhere and it tested negative for Covid-19. Masvingo Mirror
THE Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)s court challenge against compulsory vaccination of workers has suffered a major blow after government and several private entities cited as respondents dismissed it as not urgent and defective.

ZCTU recently filed an urgent chamber application at the High Court seeking an order stopping employers from forcing their unvaccinated employees from reporting for duty until they got the COVID-19 jab.

The labour body cited Labour minister Paul Mavima, Attorney-General (AG) Prince Machaya, Zimnat Insurance Company, Zimbabwe National Road Administration, TelOne, Windmill, Seed Co Zimbabwe and Manicaland State University as respondents.

Machaya, who responded on behalf of the Labour minister, said there was a misjoinder of respondents.

This is a clear case of misjoinder of the first and second respondent. The functions of AG are outlined in section 114 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe and the applicant has shown no reason why he has cited the AG in the current proceedings. As the AG, I have no direct control over the administration of the Labour Act and as such the application should be removed from proceedings, Machaya submitted.

Machaya also said the minister had no duty at law to advise companies on how to conduct their business and to adhere to the provisions of the Constitution and legislation relating to public health.

This being a constitutional matter, applicants ought to proceed against the alleged violators of the constitutionally enshrined rights. There, thus, is no basis for citing the first and second respondents in these proceedings. Applicant should be made to pay costs for unnecessarily dragging the respondents to court.

TelOne, through its head employee relations, Lindy Dziripi, said the ZCTU application was not urgent.

In a related development, Parliament has rejected a petition by Chiredzi-based human rights activist, Marko Shoko, challenging mandatory vaccination. Clerk of Parliament Kennedy Chokuda confirmed yesterday that they had rejected Shokos petition.

We receive a lot of petitions everyday and forward them to relevant committees. If they are rejected we notify the writer. In this case we have already notified Marko Shoko about it, he said.

However, Shoko denied ever receiving any communication from Parliament. I havent received such communication from Parliament. Even if the petition is accepted, they dont communicate. I usually read some of my petitions in the Hansard, Shoko said.

Shoko of Tshovani, Chiredzi, last month petitioned Parliament arguing that forced vaccinations violated sections of the Constitution.

He said depriving unvaccinated people certain services was against the governments stated position that COVID-19 vaccination was free and voluntary.

This was after government announced that only vaccinated workers will be allowed to board Public Service Commission buses. More and more companies are also placing unvaccinated workers on forced leave.

Shoko argues that mandatory vaccination violated citizens right to privacy which includes the right not to have medical conditions disclosed (section 57(e)), and not to be treated in an unfairly discriminatory manner on such grounds as religious beliefs among others.

He further said section 35 of the Public Health Act provided that no health service or treatment shall be provided to a person without their informed consent, arguing that for the consent to be valid, it must be voluntary and informed, and the person consenting must have the capacity to make the decision.

According to Shoko, voluntary and informed consent or refusal to consent to a particular health service or treatment must be respected. Newsday
ZANU PF Manicaland provincial chairman Mike Madiro has accused his political enemies of playing dirty in a bid to oust him as party provincial chair.

His claims came after the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veteran Association provincial political commissar Gift Kagweda said the association and its affiliates had decided to dump Madiro.

But Madiro told NewsDay this week that there was an agenda by some individuals to remove him from the hot seat.

There is an agenda setting which is coming from the social media. It is an act of some individuals who do not like me, he said.

They are using old tricks. They are using the type of politics which no longer work. Politics has modernised.

At the weekend, Kagweda said some of the war veterans felt there was need for change in the leadership in Manicaland province, suggesting that the Transport deputy minister should give others a chance.

We need change in Manicaland province, Comrade Madiro is failing to unite the party in the province and there is confusion in some branches and I am saying, it is time for comrade Madiro to rest, he said.

Kagweda said they were still weighing options on who to support between Makoni district co-ordination committee chairperson Albert Nyakuyedzwa and Chipinge South MP Enock Porusingazi. Newsday
Mukund Mohan, a 48-year-old Washington state resident, was working as the chief of technology for the Canadian e-commerce company BuildDirect, after stints with Microsoft and Amazon, when he submitted eight fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Seattle.
I think that COVID has proven to be an elusive foe and having pockets of communities vaccinated isnt enough to prevent dangerous variants from developing and spreading across the country, he said. If everyone whos eligible doesnt get vaccinated we risk a killer variant that could have enormous impacts on populations that have so far escaped most of the ravages of coronavirus, namely children and young adults.
Craylyn Dillard-Skinner, a teacher at Public School 63 in the Bronx, said weve had a lot of townhalls  and those are great, but just being able to ask someone, Were you in the school all year, what was your experience, is often helpful.
He grabbed Crawfords head and pulled it into his chest and kept telling her to just relax and kept asking why are you so tense? Corn then began kissing Crawford on the head and rubbing her legs. He accused Crawford of being insecure and asked her if she had daddy issues, the suit reads.
We had a fleet of trains from Buffalo, rail from Pennsylvania, signals from the New York City subway, trolley poles from Philadelphia, said Kassel. But the New York City DOT just came one day with a truck and threw out all our stuff that was in the yard and that was the end of it. If we had continued what we were doing there would be a train line from Red Hook to downtown Brooklyn.
To facilitate the scheme, operators would recruit the poorest people they could find, anyone desperate enough for money that theyd be willing to go under the knife for a post-surgery payment. Some of the patients were so hard up that their first request at planning meetings was for food.
The act of being absent during ones shift and being paid regardless was common practice at the [LIRR] and everyone that WITNESS-1 worked with did it, according to the filing, which was partially redacted. WITNESS-1 was told he could leave the job site as long as he was available by phone and was led to believe this was allowed because everyone was doing it and it was a common practice.
Cops released the image of a suspect who authorities said walked up to an Asian woman in Manhattan and punched her. (NYPD)
Were going to close Rikers Island, he said. There may be folks who want us to go back in time. This is an 80-plus year old facility that doesnt make sense anymore. It is based on a punitive, negative dynamic when what we need is a dynamic focused on how we redeem people, turn their lives around, make them positive members of society again.
The teen had come into the shop with friends looking to pick up a black Mercedes E300 which had been in a crash. He was mad his repaired car hadnt been washed yet and angry he had to pay a $1,000 deductible, according to shop manager Armando Lio.
Police were drawn to the home after the victims worried sister called from North Carolina to report she had not been able to reach him.
The white car saw the mother but not the little girl, the witness recounted. The little girl was bloody. The mother picked her up and was like, Oh my God! Oh my God! Its crazy. A lot of blood.
The injured man, who was not identified, fled and left a trail of blood on the staircase to reception, collapsed on the lobby floor, and later told police he and Summers had been shot by Willis, who tried to rob them, according to the outlet.
At trial, Pentlands defense team argued that Williams had been bothering women in the neighborhood and the video did not tell the whole story, the Columbia Post and Courier reported. A neighbor said she went to Pentlands house after Williams got into an argument with her daughter-in-law, and Pentland claimed he was worried Williams would approach his wife.
The former president continues to insist without evidence that the election was somehow rigged. At least 140 officers were injured during their clash with Trump fanatics. More than 600 people have so far been charged in connection with the assault on the Capitol.
Amazon had dropped off the packages maybe five minutes before, and I got the alert on my security camera, she told WVIT-TV. And then I got a second alert five minutes later, and I was taken aback because I wasnt expecting anyone else in my driveway.
Details of the offer are unknown, but several rioters who were not charged with violent crimes have pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of illegally demonstrating inside the Capitol, which carries a six-month sentence but would likely be reduced as part of the deal.
On Sunday, rescue personnel were able to retrieve and transport the hikers body to the Red Lodge Airport, according to the Carbon County Sheriffs Office. While her family has yet to comment on the discovery, they previously released a statement in July after authorities determined it was unlikely she survived.
Shea mailed several posters, including one sent to an official with the Anti-Defamation League that depicted a Grim Reaper-like figure wearing a skeleton mask and holding a Molotov cocktail outside a home along with the message Our Patience Has Its Limits... You have been visited by your local Nazis, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Seattle, which prosecuted the case.
During their internal investigation, detectives learned that Brown engaged in excessive and unjustifiable actions during the incident and failed to report the use of force to his supervisors, a statement from Louisiana State Police said.
Touted as the first of its kind by local officials, the hands-free, voice-activated Tallahassee Bystander hit app stores on Tuesday. It was developed over the past year, amid a nationwide escalation in violence between people and police, by the citys Technology and Innovation Department in partnership with the local non-profit More Than a Name and local company Quadrant 2, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
Here in the dark, in the wee hours of the morning, it is so easy to pretend that all of this was just a nightmare or that Im just here in this hospital bed due to my own issues with Covid. Not for anything being wrong with my sweet baby girl whom I thought I was protecting in my own womb, she wrote.
The nations top diplomat said U.S. officials are seeking to contact all the Americans who they believe might be still in Afghanistan in hopes of getting them out as soon as possible as the withdrawal deadline of Tuesday looms.
Bringing together some of the biggest names in the private sectors underscores how cyber attacks have cut across virtually all sectors of commerce. In May, for instance, hackers associated with a Russia-based cyber gang launched a ransomware attack on a major fuel pipeline in the U.S., causing the company to temporarily halt operations. Weeks later, the worlds largest meat processor, JBS SA, was hit with an attack by a different hacking group.
The memo, which was obtained by The Associated Press, does not dictate a specific timeline for completing the vaccinations. But it says the military services will have to report regularly on their progress. A senior defense official said that Austin has made it clear to the services that he expects them to move quickly, and that this will be completed in weeks not months.
But with the Supreme Court considering a challenge to the federal eviction moratorium, the concern is that a wave of evictions will happen before much of the assistance has been distributed. Some 3.5 million people in the U.S. as of Aug. 16 said they face eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey.
The 25-year-old man and his fiancee went to a hotel in the northwestern state of Gujarat and apparently used drugs before engaging in intercourse, local media reported this week. When the couple realized they did not have a condom, they decided to apply the gluey substance to his genitals to avoid pregnancy, police told news outlets.
Gov. Hochul ticked off a well-chosen list of priorities on her first day: clarifying mask mandates and upping vaccination rates to slow COVIDs spread, whipping a lame bureaucracy to get emergency rent aid out the door and prevent evictions, doing the same with cash for excluded immigrant workers, and improving the culture in state government, with more transparency and a fresh focus on preventing sexual harassment. She said her tenure will be characterized by far more collaboration with legislative leaders, and no blindsiding of New York City, in stark contrast to that imperious fellow who undermined Mayor de Blasio seemingly for sport.
He lost consciousness with his foot on the gas, and it was some of the most horrifying moments of my life, Milano said. I got the car to stop, and there were some incredibly kind people who stopped to help me through the next 40 minutes, so I feel like I need to say a special thank you to these incredible good Samaritans who stopped to help.
The former frontman of The Police, known for 80s hits such as Dont Stand So Close To Me and Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic as well as his formidable solo career, is gearing up for a new residency in Las Vegas after spending much of the pandemic holed up in studios in New York and the Bahamas, he told The Times.
Eldens father was paid $200 for his participation in the 1991 photo shoot, tossing his 4-month-old son into a pool at the Pasadena Aquatic Center. However, Elden claims in the suit obtained by the Daily News that no contract was ever signed.
The night before the story came out, Dorfman said she couldnt sleep. I thought maybe Id bitten off more than I could chew. I had waited so long because I wasnt emotionally stable enough. After cocooning for nine months, I felt secure and grounded enough to do it, but I was still freaking out. It had nothing to do with peoples reactions, because thats out of my control, but with the attention and conversations that come up around this topic, she said.
OSU Public Safety Officer, Nic Morrell working during the summer amongst the new mask requirements at the Cascades campus in Bend, Ore. OSU-Cascades follows the main campus in requiring face coverings in all public indoor settings for students and faculty alike.
The proposal involves firms that provide cash advances to plaintiffs in civil lawsuits and receive portions of ultimate awards in the cases. Overdorfs bill would place a series of regulations on the industry, including requiring firms to register with the state as a litigation financier; requiring that consumers be able to cancel contracts with the firms within five days; and placing a limit on interest that the firms can charge.
The highly contagious delta variant led to an acceleration in cases around Florida and record high hospitalizations just as schools prepared to reopen classrooms this month. By mid-August more than 21,000 new cases were being added per day, compared with about 8,500 a month earlier.
Listen to the doctors. Dont listen to the politics. Get your vaccine. Judd said. It is a sad day. Its a sad set of circumstances that from the president on down, we politicize this very dangerous disease. Shame on all of them. We need to follow the doctors, the scientists, who have spent their entire lives preparing for and saving peoples lives, who provide the best information based upon the research that they have in that moment in time. Thats who i listen to.
To me, as a kid, Loch Haven Park may as well have been Broadway, he said. It also means so much to me to be across the street from the former home of Theatre Downtown. Rupe credits Frank and Fran Hilgenberg, who ran Theatre Downtown, as the first people in Orlando who took a chance on me, hiring Rupe to direct A New Brain when he was just 20 years old.
The show offers everything for in and around the home: kitchens, baths, solar, landscaping, roofing, remodelers, said David Kielhurn, president of East Coast Consumer Shows. The theme of the show is home improvements. Were showing off the most elite contractors Central Florida has to offer.
For the first time in two years, the Central Florida Home Expo returns to Orlando with vendors offering everything for homes, inside and out. Check it out Aug. 28-29 at the Orange County Convention Center.
Its an iconic cocktail and although there isnt a tremendous amount of agreed-upon history for its creation  the first person to come up with it could have been anyone  it is a very rich base to build on, for bartenders to use as inspiration for new takes.
Barksdale was arrested around 8:30 a.m. by the Mecklenburg County Sheriffs Office and faces charges for assault and battery and assault on a female, jail records show.
The Orange board is now at least the ninth Florida school district to defy Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administrations ban on mask mandates in public schools. Orange board members also said they wanted to challenge the legality of his ban  put in force by a Florida Department of Health rule  and could join with the Broward County School Board in that fight.
He failed to slow for other traffic that was snarled from another fatal crash about two hours earlier. In that incident, a 48-year-old man from Preston, Georgia, driving a tractor-trailer was killed when he swerved to avoid hitting another tractor-trailer, then overturned and hit a guardrail.
Constitutional scholars say Elders sudden ascent is an example of all that is wrong with the recall process, which requires a majority to recall a governor but only a plurality of votes for the replacement candidate to win. With 46 challengers on the ballot, 49.9% of the electorate could vote to keep Newsom, and he could still lose to a replacement who is supported by only a tiny sliver of voters. Polls show a rout by Newsom among all Californians but a far tighter race among likely voters. Elder leads 46 challengers on the ballot with about 20% of the likely vote.
I can tell you, if my school district requires masks, I will make sure they get hurt next year. Im not going to share what I will do. But it will hurt. Students are not going to be prevented from going to school because some bureaucrat wants to tell parents how to raise their child. Its not going to happen, at least in Brevard County.
As the term of democratic nation-state is pariah to Taliban ideology, and as it sees the world only in purely fundamentalist religious terms, the Afghanistan of the 21st century will be an epicenter of a deadly clash between religious fundamentalist forces and democratic forces with international powers joining the clash. While in the 19th and 20th centuries, Afghanistan was a key piece in the struggle for supremacy in Central Asia, in the 21st century the trouble-torn country will be a key battleground between the forces that represent orthodoxy and those that represent democracy, pluralism and multiculturalism.
In a campaign email Wednesday, state Rep. Anthony Sabatini announced an AR-15 gun raffle, a promotion he later changed to a giveaway after the Orlando Sentinel pointed out it would be illegal for him to hold a raffle.
Inside the MuppetVision attraction is a big-screen, 3D experience starring Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, who are flanked by Statler and Waldorf animatronics in a side balcony. The characters are putting on a show and mayhem ensues with a patriotic number, a Beaker mishap and Piggy getting pulled into the water during her Dream a Little Dream of Me number. Its a quippy show with mildly threatening 3D moments, including one just for yuks with a banana cream pie.
What we learned later on the internet: Matarazzo turns 19 next month, and Netflix indicates that season four of Stranger Things will become available sometime in 2022. (Not that were pacing, but season three was released in July 2019.) His voice will be heard next year in the animated film Hump, which features a camel, a goat and a desert fox.
Gaborone, Botswana (PANA) - Botswanas Presidency has urged civil servants to improve service delivery, despite working with changes occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic
Abbot Tryphon

Most people are aware that the Norse explorer Leif Eriksson was the first European to reach America, some 500 years before Christopher Columbus, but very few know he arrived as part of a Christian mission. Fewer still realize Leif Eriksson was an Orthodox Christian. Having become a hirdman (guard) of the royal army of King Olaf Tryggvason in Norway, Leif had himself accepted baptism into the Christian faith, and had received from the King orders to travel to Greenland with a priest in order to convert the Norse settlements there.

When their ships were blown off course, Leif and his companions ended up in what we now know as Newfoundland. After getting back on course, and converting the Greenlanders to Christ, Lief and his crew returned to this Newfoundland, where they built permanent settlements, settlements that included the construction of churches. While the Norwegian presence in North America was short lived, the fact that the first Christian presence on the continent was Orthodox is significant.

Although King Olaf Tryggvason had accepted baptism at Canterbury in England, the first Christian rulers in Scandinavia were kinsmen of the rulers of Gardarike, or Kiev (The Rus, of course, were not Slavs but Scandinavians, most hailing from Sweden). King Olaf had himself grown up under the protection of Grand Prince Valdemar (Vladimir), who famously converted the Rus to Christianity in 988. Norse Christianity was Orthodox in tone and appearance from the beginning, and the last of Norways pre-schism Christian kings, Harald Hardrada, was openly rebuked by Rome for adhering to Eastern traditions. He brought into the Norwegian Church a number of priests and bishops from Novgorod and Gardarike, and also Miklagard (Constantinople), where he had headed the Varangian guard in service of the Byzantine emperor. The first Christian presence in the Americas, then, was not merely Orthodox in the sense of pre-schism, but had strong ties to the cultural and ecclesiastical traditions of the Orthodox East. This fact can clearly be seen in the interiors of the thousand year old Norwegian stave churches that we see today.

With love in Christ,

Abbot Tryphon

* * *

(Abbot Trypon offers his thanks to Father Kristian, a Norwegian Orthodox priest in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain, on whose writing on the subject he based his blog article.)
Bradda Head Holdings Limited's chief executive Charles FitzRoy joins Proactive London to talk through their positive drilling results from its Burro Creek East lithium project in Arizona.

Assay results from the first twinned holes (BCE21-01 and BCE21-02) at the Burro Creek East deposit show the potential for higher lithium grades in the Upper Clay Zone versus a 2018 drilling programme.

FitzRoy points out that the assay results from the completed portion of a second twinned hole (BCE21-02) showed a 14% increase in grade in the top part of the Upper Clay Zone over the same depth profile, with the highest grade recorded 1,840 parts per million (ppm) over 1.2 metres.

He also explains why mechanical issues with the drill rig meant that hole BCE21-02 was terminated earlier than planned and before reaching the depth of the previous 2018 Reverse Circulation (RC) hole.
( ) is on a roll with its latest nickel discovery at Andover and two new gold projects in Western Australias hottest gold districts.

The company continues to intersect substantial visible nickel and copper sulphide mineralisation from its resource definition drilling program on the VC-07 East nickel-copper sulphide deposit at the Andover Project (60% Azure/40% Creasy Group) in Western Australia.

In addition, Azure is also advancing its Barton Gold Project in the middle of the Kookynie Gold District and Turner River Gold Project, a 450 square kilometre gold-rich district just south of Port Hedland.

Promisingly, the company is well funded with $30 million in cash to advance its nickel and gold assets.

Azure Minerals has a busy 12 months ahead, delivering newsflow through 2021-2022.

Layered mafic-ultramafic intrusion

Andover Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project covers 70 square kilometres of Andover mafic-ultramafic intrusive complex and exploration has demonstrated that it hosts significant nickel, copper and cobalt sulphide mineralisation.

Being a layered mafic-ultramafic intrusion, Andover has similar geological characteristics to the Fraser Range Province and the Julimar and Savannah intrusive complex.

Andover is connected with excellent local infrastructures such as airports, port access, railway, grid power, sealed highways, and support services readily available.

Andover is a fertile environment for nickel & copper sulphides.

Delivering maiden mineral resource

To date, Azure has completed 80 diamond drill holes for 36,816 metres at Andover, with 72 holes drilled at VC-07 and eight holes drilled at the VC-23 prospect.

Notably, 22 new drill holes intersected multiple intervals of massive, semi-massive, matrix and heavily disseminated nickel-copper sulphides.

Three rigs are drilling around the clock at VC-07 East, with a primary focus on completing the drill-out of the deposit this year and delivering a maiden mineral resource in 2022.

Next steps

Azures +40,000-metre diamond drilling program is continuing at Andover, with the VC-07 East zone developing into a significant nickel-copper sulphide deposit.

Downhole electromagnetic (DHTEM) surveying along the VC-07 mineralised corridor continues to provide targeting for additional mineralised extensions, assisting in future drill planning.

The Andover regional exploration program will focus on drill-testing other EM conductor anomalies identified on the property, for example at VC-23, VC-18, VC-41, when heritage and statutory approvals of those sites have been granted.

In addition, VTEM and FLTEM surveys are underway guiding exploration drilling at Andover.

Furthermore, key development studies are underway, which includes metallurgical test work, geotechnical & mining, community, heritage & environment and infrastructure & logistics.

Strong regional gold endowment with multiple gold deposits.

Two new gold projects

The Barton project is in the Kookynie Gold District, close to several large and growing gold deposits and adjoins ( ) Minerals Ltds ( ) new Puzzle North gold discovery.

Barton is mostly soil-covered and has undergone little historical exploration, with the best drill intersection of 7 metres at 1.26 g/t gold within 18 metres at 0.77 g/t along trend from Puzzle North.

Importantly, multiple structural targets have been identified and systematic drilling is planned for 2021.

The Turner River Gold Project comprises two unexplored Exploration Licence applications covering 450 square kilometres just south of Port Hedland.

At the closest point, Turner River is within seven kilometres of De Grey Mining Ltds Mallina Gold Project, which contains 2.2 million ounces of gold resources hosted in multiple deposits plus the recently discovered and potentially very large Hemi gold deposit.

- Ephrems Joseph
Experienced management team from Premier Gold after spin-out

El Nino mine at South Arturo achieved production in 2019

Granite Creek hosts high-grade open-pit and underground deposits

What i-80 Gold does:

i-80 Gold Corp is a well-financed Nevada-focused mining company eying mid-tier gold producer status through the development of its portfolio of advanced-stage projects.

The company holds a 40% interest in the South Arturo Mine in partnership with Nevada Gold Mines, a joint venture between Barrick Gold and Newmont Corporation, which owns the remaining 60% interest. The gold producers other two key assets are the McCoy-Cove property and Granite Creek mine.

The companys South Arturo property is located on the northern end of the Carlin Trend, around 54 kilometers (km) northwest of the small city of Carlin, in Nevada. Significantly, South Arturo includes both open-pit and underground mineral reserves and resources that remain open for expansion. The companys producing El Nino underground mine at South Arturo achieved commercial production in the third quarter of 2019.

In addition, i-80 holds a 100% interest in the Granite Creek Mine which lies at the intersection of the Getchell and Battle Mountain Trends in proximity to Nevada Gold Mines Twin Creeks and Turquoise Ridge mining operations. The property which lies on the eastern flank of the Osgood Mountains hosts both high-grade open pit and underground mineral resources that remain open for expansion. The Pinson underground mine on the Granite Creek Mine is permitted with underground infrastructure in place to expedite the development process.

In terms of geology, since 1980 the Granite Creek Mine has produced nearly one million ounces of gold, primarily from the CX, Mag, and Range Front Zones that are all located in the hanging wall of the east-dipping Range Front fault of the Osgood Mountains.

Meanwhile, i-80 holds a 100% interest in McCoy-Cove property located on the Battle Mountain Trend, in proximity to Nevada Gold Mines Phoenix operation. With historic production of around 3.3 million ounces of gold and more than 100 million ounces of silver, the property is host to one of the highest-grade undeveloped gold deposits in Nevada. McCoy-Coves total land package consists of 30,660 acres with excellent exploration upside.

i-80 Golds pure-play Nevada spinout was created out of Premier Gold Mines Limiteds US assets through which ( ) acquired Premier in 2021. As a result, Premier Golds experienced management team spearheads i-80 Golds pure-play Nevada spin-out.

How is it doing:

i-80 Gold Corp has been making steady progress so far in 2021.

On August 30, the company announced that assay results for the first hole drilled at its Granite Creek Property confirmed the high-grade, open-pit opportunity.

In a statement, i-80 Gold said hole iGM21-01, drilled from the bottom of the historic CX-Pit, intersected two zones of mineralization grading 3.17 grams per tonne (g/t) gold over 7.5 meters (m) and 6.80 g/t gold over 51.1m.

The hole was drilled for metallurgical purposes into the main structure below the pit (true widths unknown) and returned exceptional grades that appear to be oxide mineralization based on an average cyanide soluble to fire assay ratio of 0.94 over both intervals.

The company said the surface drill program targeting open pit mineralization at Granite Creek is complete and multiple assays remain pending. The drill program was focused on intersecting material to be used for metallurgical and geotechnical purposes in advance of initiating permitting for an open pit mine and on-site processing.

Earlier in the month, i-80 Gold noted that its common shares began trading on the OTCQX Best Market under the ticker symbol IAUCF after qualifying for an upgrade from the OTC Pink market.

Also in August, the company revealed that it is well-positioned with $70.1 million in cash and equivalents and no debt to advance its portfolio of projects in the goldfields of Nevada.

For the period ended June 30, 2021, the mining company produced a total of 4,972 ounces of gold, compared to 4,765 ounces of gold during the second quarter of 2020 from the South Arturo property. In the meantime, a total of 11,075 ounces of gold were produced for the six months ended June 30, 2021.

In addition to its producing mine, El Nino at South Arturo, i-80 is beginning to plan for expanding production through the addition of Phase 1, Phase 3, and potential heap leach projects at South Arturo. i-80 said it is also advancing economic studies and test mining at the Granite Creek project, and planning for advanced underground exploration at its McCoy-Cove Property.

For the second quarter, the company reported total revenue of $10.3 million and a mine operating income of $3.4 million, compared to revenue of $10.9 million and mine operating income of $3.1 million during 2Q 2020.

The decrease in 2Q revenue when compared to the same period in 2020 was primarily due to the sales of 576 less ounces during the period offset by an increase in the average realized gold price of $63 to $1,784 per ounce, said the company.

Meanwhile, i-80 pointed out that total mine operating income of $3.4 million for 2Q 2021 compared to income of $3.1 million in 2Q 2020 illustrates the consistent nature of our operating property".

The results for the quarter were impacted by one-time restructuring costs resulting from the spin out of i-80 gold from Premier Gold Mines and when considered resulted in an adjusted loss of $2.6 million for the quarter.

i-80 reported total revenue of $23.8 million and mine operating income of $9.6 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021, compared to revenue of $19.3 million and mine operating income of $4.7 million for the same period a year earlier.

On June 16, i-80 announced that the rehabilitation of underground drill bays was now complete, and underground drilling had started at its Granite Creek property. The 2021 surface and underground drilling program at Granite Creek is expected to consist of around 22,000 meters of drilling.

i-80 said it will execute an extensive exploration and delineation drilling program this year targeting both the open pit and underground mineralization. It expects to complete a Preliminary Economic Assessment this year followed by the commissioning of a Preliminary Feasibility Study.

The goal of the 2021 drill program is to advance underground and open pit opportunities to production.

I-80 Gold Chief Operating Officer Matt Gili said in a statement that advancing the Granite Creek Mine to producer status is the firms primary focus for 2021. The large-scale drilling program is designed to increase resources, advance permitting to facilitate open-pit mining, and prepare for test mining ahead of feasibility studies, said Gili.

Inflection points:

Forging ahead with large Granite Creek drill campaign

Advancing the Granite Creek Mine to producer status

Progress on drill campaign at El Nino

What the broker says:

In a note to clients on August 30, Stifel GMP analysts wrote that first drilling at i-80 Golds Granite Creek property in Nevada has returned high grade, open pit mineralization over chunky widths".

The majority of drilling is focused on defining and expanding high grade mineralization within several priority target areas close to existing underground mine workings, the analysts said.

A PEA (preliminary economic assessment) is nearly complete, and we expect release within the next month, they added.

The Stifel analysts believe i-80 Golds assets in Nevada provide a pathway to 200,000 plus ounces of annual gold production, noting that 20,000 metres of drilling is planned to increase resources in 2021 and prepare for underground test mining to be initiated this year.

The analysts currently have a Buy rating on i-80 Gold stock with a target price of C$4.25 per share.

What the boss says:

i-80 Gold CEO Ewan Downie laid out the company's path forward in 2021 when the company reported second-quarter results in August.

"Q2 was a groundbreaking quarter for us. We completed the spin-out from Premier Gold Mines, closed the acquisition of Granite Creek and the adjacent Christison land package, and finalized the subscription receipt financing. With these transactions completed, i-80 is well-positioned, with $70 million in cash and no debt, to advance the projects in our portfolio to achieve our goal of building a mid-tier gold producer, Downie said in the results statement.

"The acquisition of the Granite Creek Project provides the company with near-term production potential from the historic underground workings and mid-term potential for an open-pit project. i-80 is excited to have launched an aggressive drilling campaign, with approximately 22,000 meters of drilling planned," he added.

Contact Sean at sean@proactiveinvestors.com
Callum Baxter was also appointed to the Technical Advisory Committee

( , , ) announced it has appointed Paul Hallam as a new non-executive director.

Hallam is a senior mining industry professional with more than 40 years of Australian and international resource experience across a range of commodities, including both surface and underground mining.

He has global operational and corporate experience from his executive roles, including Director of Operations with ( ), Executive General Manager of Developments & Projects with ( ), Director of Victorian Operations with ( ) as well as Executive General Manager of Base and Precious Metals at North Ltd.

Hallam has been on the board of several Australian and international companies listed on stock exchanges.

He will start his new role on 1 September and will also join the Audit and Risk Committee and Remuneration Committee.

The AIM-listed miner also announced the appointment of Callum Baxter to the Technical Advisory Committee.

He will step down from his full-time role as chief technical officer and director on 31 August to focus on this new endeavour.

The Technical Advisory Committee will report to the chief executive and provide technical input and enhance the company's existing capabilities in exploration, resource definition, mine development and ore processing.

Baxter will be joined by industry experts Stuart Masters, Simon Hanrahan and Dr Ian Ritchie in the committee.

Baxter will join the Technical Advisory Committee due to the instrumental role he has played in Greatland's success, the firm said.

After founding the company in 2005, he used his geological and technical expertise to lead a globally recognised exploration programme in the Paterson region of Western Australia.

In 2016, Greatland acquired tenements in this region and commenced focussed ground geophysics and data modelling before implementing a targeted four-hole drill program under 400 metres of cover, leading to the discovery of the high grade gold and copper Havieron deposit.
Part of the exploration targeted previously underexplored northwestern and southeastern areas of the 4.2-kilometer Phase I drill grid

During the drill, high-grade gold controls were identified along the LP Fault

( ) Ltd has released results from its ongoing, fully-funded exploration program at its flagship Dixie Project in the Red Lake district of Ontario.

Part of the exploration targeted previously underexplored northwestern and southeastern areas of the 4.2-kilometer Phase I drill grid.

According to Great Bear, the results expand and characterize the zone outboard from the Central LP Fault, which had seen the highest density Phase I drilling prior to todays release.

During the drill, high-grade gold controls were identified along the LP Fault.

Drilling has confirmed these controls in several areas, which will facilitate targeting of high-grade gold during Phase II drilling below the current 450-meter drill depth, and elsewhere along strike, said the company.

Additionally, steeply-plunging high-grade gold mineralization has been successfully targeted in the northwestern "Discovery" and southeastern "Viggo" areas of the LP Fault.

The recent results have increased the number of high-grade gold domains being modeled at the LP Fault from 17 to 23. This includes seven high-grade gold domains which are being modeled in the northwestern "Discovery" area.

In the Discovery zone, 26-drill holes were completed in the original LP Fault "Discovery" area, located along the most northwesterly 700 meters of the 4.2-kilometre-long Phase I drill grid.

Highlights include:

Drill hole BR-365 extended gold mineralization approximately 100 meters deeper than past drilling on its section, assaying 15.04 grams per tonne (g/t) gold over 4.00 meters from 545.00 to 549.00 meters downhole, within a broader envelope of 3.13 g/t gold over 29.50 meters from 523.50 to 553.00 meters downhole;

Drill hole BR-394 assayed 150.00 g/t gold over 0.80 meters from 331.60 to 332.40 meters downhole, within a broader interval of 28.18 g/t gold over 4.80 meters from 331.60 to 336.40 meters downhole. The total mineralized interval was 3.83 g/t gold over 43.10 meters from 311.50 to 354.60 meters downhole.

"The confirmation of predictable high-grade gold controls within the LP Fault has clear, positive implications for our ability to target and model higher-grade mineralization, especially at depth, Chris Taylor, president and CEO of Great Bear, said in a statement.

Taylor went on to say: However, the confirmation of continuous mineralization at shallow depths in the "Gap" area is arguably the more significant development as we progress towards maiden mineral resource estimate publication by early next year. While clearly not the most strongly mineralized segment of the LP Fault, the "Gap" area contains mineralized intervals with similar grades and widths to those that have been incorporated into mine plans within other Canadian bulk tonnage gold deposits. These new results confirm the strongly mineralized Central and Discovery areas are connected as a continuously mineralized gold zone with clear bulk tonnage potential over three kilometers of strike length."

Research Capital reiterates SPECULATIVE BUY rating

Following the release of the positive drill results and zone expansion news, analysts at Research Capital issued an updated note on the company, reiterating a SPECULATIVE BUY rating and target price of $36.

The share price of Great Bear has been range-bound between $13/sh and $15/sh since early summer and seems to imply that the blue-sky discovery phase is over, the analysts wrote. While that may be somewhat the case, we continue to believe the market is discounting a much smaller resource than we believe is present and we reiterate our SPECULATIVE BUY and $36/sh target price.

Shares of Great Bear were trading for C$13.30 at 11:22 am EST.

- Updates with Research Capital note -

Contact the writer at georgia@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter @MissInformd
The clinical research collaboration builds upon its existing strategy of focusing on establishing a better understanding of the basic mechanisms by which DMT exerts its effects in the brain and elsewhere in the body

Investigators will carefully characterize any acute and persisting subjective, affective, cognitive, and neural dose-dependent effects for both drugs being evaluated

PharmaDrug Inc announced it has entered into a clinical trial agreement with the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) to conduct a clinical study comparing acute and enduring psychological and neural effects of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and an undisclosed, potently active comparator molecule.

The Toronto-based company said the clinical research collaboration builds upon its existing strategy of focusing on establishing a better understanding of the basic mechanisms by which DMT exerts its effects in the brain and elsewhere in the body.

The principal investigator, Dr Frederick S. Barrett, an associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, will be supported by co-investigators, Dr Sandeep Nayak and Dr Roland Griffiths, all from the JHU Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research.

"We are excited to collaborate and support Dr Frederick Barrett to better understand DMT and its potential, CEO Daniel Cohen said in a statement.

The JHU Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research is a global leader in psychedelics clinical research, and we are very grateful to partner with them to achieve our objectives in expanding our pharmaceutical product pipeline for novel uses and delivery forms of DMT to treat unmet medical needs, he added.

The company said the first part of the planned study will examine the dose effects of DMT and the other test article. In the second part of the study, healthy subjects will be exposed to a maximum tolerated dose of each drug.

During both parts of the study, investigators will carefully characterize any acute and persisting subjective, affective, cognitive, and neural dose-dependent effects for both drugs being evaluated.

PharmaDrug noted that much debate exists around the relative potential benefits of micro vs macro-doses for psychedelic compounds. Using a highly controlled approach, it said the currently planned clinical trial will go some way to finding an answer.

Under the terms of the agreement, the company said it has an exclusive option to obtain a worldwide, royalty-bearing commercialization license to all rights, title, and interest that JHU may have or obtain in any invention that results from the clinical study.

Toronto-based PharmaDrug is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of controlled substances and natural medicines such as psychedelics, cannabis and naturally-derived approved drugs.

Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com
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In a significant ruling, the Mahad Court has held that the arrest of Union Minister Narayan Tatu Rane by the Maharashtra Police was "justified" in the case pertaining to the 'slap slur' against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, and ordered him not to repeat it.

While sending Narayan Rane, 69, to Magisterial Custodial Remand till September 4, the Mahad Court Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) S.S. Patil ruled: "Considering reason of arrest and reasons discussed above (in the order), I found that arrest is justified."

Spelling relief for the police, the court also held that there are grounds in the Criminal Procedure Code when "a police officer can arrest anybody without a warrant".

The JMFC's ruling effectively punctures the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders' allegations targeting the Maha Vikas Aghadi government for the 'illegal arrest' and dark warnings that it could lead to repercussions.

Shortly after Narayan Rane was granted magisterial custody for 10 days, his legal team comprising lawyers Rajendra Shirodkar and Sangram Desai applied for bail which was granted by JMFC Patil imposing several conditions late on Tuesday.

The Assistant Public Prosecutor Prakash Joshi and his team of lawyers strongly opposed the bail, submitting that the accused was a Union Minister who could make similar statements which could lead to disharmony among the people.

However, the court said that "no prejudice will be caused to the prosecution if the accused (Rane) is released on bail on certain terms and conditions".

In the Mahad Court, Rane said he was not ill-treated by the police, was ready and willing to cooperate with the investigations, would not abscond, furnish surety and abide by any terms and conditions imposed upon him.

Rane has not denied the ('slap slur') offence against the Chief Minister made out by the police and now has been advised by his lawyers not to make such statements in public, but was not prepared to give any written undertaking to the effect before the court.

The JMFC further held that all the offences, cognisable and non-cognisable, registered against Rane are triable by the court.

"Offences under Sections 153-A(1)(b),(c) and 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code are non-bailable, but not punishable for imprisonment for life or death. The offences are punishable which may extend upto three years. Rest of the offences (189, 504, 506 of IPC) are bailable," said JMFC Patil.

Citing grounds for rejecting police custodial interrogation, the court said that Rane made the alleged ('slap slur') statements before the police and the media, it was viral on social media, and his lawyers have also now advised him to refrain from making such utterances in public.

The court granted bail of Rs 15,000 to Rane, ordered him not to tamper with evidence, threaten or induce any witnesses or the police, report to the Alibaug Police on August 30 and the second Monday of September.

The JMFC Patil further ordered Rane to cooperate with the police investigations, to provide his voice samples if required for the case investigation but the police must give him seven days' prior notice.
Hours after the Congress-led Punjab government accepted the demands of sugarcane farmers, the party's General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday slammed the Uttar Pradesh government for not increasing the price of sugarcane in the state.

In a tweet, Priyanka Gandhi, who is also the Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge, said, "The Congress government in Punjab listened to the farmers and raised the price of sugarcane to Rs 360 per quintal while the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government, which came to power promising to increase the price of sugarcane to Rs 400 per quintal, has not raised a single paise on the price of sugarcane for the last three years. The Uttar Pradesh government has threatened to "see" if farmers raise their voices."

Priyanka's remarks came after farmers on Tuesday evening vacated the railway tracks and highways in Punjab after the Amarinder Singh government accepted the demands of the sugarcane farmers.

Farmers in Punjab had blocked the national highways and railway tracks in Jalandhar since August 19. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday tweeted, "Happy to share that after consultation with farmers, we have approved SAP for sugarcane at Rs 360 per quintal. My government is committed to the welfare of our farmers. Jai Kisan, Jai Jawan!"

Singh said he is committed to safeguarding the rights of farmers and "will continue to do everything in my capacity to support them in every possible way".
Fully vaccinated international Indian tourists can move freely around Sri Lanka, after an on-arrival test as the country reopens borders to India after a long anticipated wait.

With a clear travel safety protocol and no minimum stay period, as the ease in restrictions globally pave way for a strong comeback of international travel, Sri Lanka has taken a big step. The latest Sri Lankan Tourism health protocol for Indian travellers shares detailed information on the travel safety guidelines approved by government authorities. These have been designed to ensure maximum safety for travellers and local communities. Only fully vaccinated Indians who have completed the recommended vaccine doses will be considered (after 2 weeks from their final vaccination), with no minimum stay period requirements. Further enhancing travel opportunities between both countries, the national carrier SriLankan Airlines is soon expected to increase connectivity and flight frequencies from Indian cities to its hub in Colombo.

Resplendent Ceylon invites Indian guests to experience its benchmark luxury hospitality and peerless service once again in the destination. Ceylon Tea Trails, Cape Weligama and Wild Coast Tented Lodge: All three resorts within the hospitality group offer newly launched, specially curated travel packages under the 'Tea, Sea and Safari' journeys.

The newly launched range of 'Tea, Sea and Safari' journeys by Resplendent Ceylon has been thoughtfully conceptualised -- with exclusive insights into the cultural, natural, and culinary heritage of the destination. These travel packages provide different combinations of curated itineraries spanning across the resorts -- for short stays ranging from four to seven nights, as well as long stays of 10 nights or more.

Authentic experiences merged with luxurious accommodation promise utmost privacy during the stay -- from restored colonial era bungalows at Ceylon Tea Trails amid tea plantations, to expansive cliff-top villas and suites overlooking the sea at Cape Weligama, and spectacular cocoon tents at Wild Coast Tented Lodge that redefine 'safari' as a holistic wilderness experience. Additionally, special upgrades and curated dining privileges together offer an unparalleled ultra-luxe vacation. Resplendent Ceylon's 'SafeStay' initiative further ensures that health and safety are paramount for all guests, teams, their families, as well as local communities.

The pioneer of luxury experiential travel in the destination and part of the family-owned Dilmah Tea Company, as the sole member of Relais & Chateaux in Sri Lanka, Resplendent Ceylon has been globally renowned for three distinctive, boutique luxury resorts in the destination: Ceylon Tea Trails, Cape Weligama and Wild Coast Tented Lodge.

"We're confident this positive step by Sri Lanka Tourism will facilitate seamless travel between our neighbouring countries in the coming months. India is an important market for us and Resplendent Ceylon is delighted to invite discerning Indian travellers once again to experience meticulously tailored 'Tea, Sea and Safari' journeys combined with benchmark luxury hospitality across our resorts," said Malik Fernando, Managing Director, Resplendent Ceylon.
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday told Group of Seven (G7) leaders that the United States aimed at completing Afghan evacuation by August 31, while asking for contingency plans to adjust the timeline if necessary.

Biden attended a virtual G7 summit over Afghanistan earlier in the day, during which "he confirmed we are currently on pace to finish by August 31st," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

"He also made clear that with each day of operations on the ground, we have added risk to our troops with increasing threats from ISIS-K," she said, referring to the local affiliate of the Islamic State.

"And that completion of the mission by August 31st depends on continued coordination with the Taliban, including continued access for evacuees to the airport."

"In addition, the President has asked the Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the timeline should that become necessary," she added.

The statement came as multiple U.S. news outlets reported that Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns held a secret meeting with Taliban senior leader Abdul Ghani Baradar on Monday in Kabul, which likely covered the August 31 deadline issue.

Earlier on Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid made it clear that the US should withdraw all troops and contractors from the country before the deadline and no extension for the ongoing evacuation process would be possible.

Biden is facing pressure from allies and lawmakers to extend the ongoing evacuation beyond August 31. According to media reports, Britain and France had expected Biden to leave US troops in Kabul for additional days for the evacuation.

In a Tuesday interview with FOX News, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged the president to "forget about the August 31st deadline" and to continue the evacuation.

Some congressional Democrats also questioned whether the evacuation could be completed in days.

"It's hard for me to imagine all of that can be accomplished between now and the end of the month," House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff told reporters on Monday after receiving a classified briefing on Afghanistan.

Biden in April ordered all US troops to leave Afghanistan before September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that drew the United States into its longest war. He then brought forward the deadline to August 31 in July.

The US has been scrambling to evacuate Americans and its Afghan partners from the country since the Taliban entered the capital Kabul on August 15.

The White House said on Tuesday that around 21,600 people had been evacuated during a 24 hour-period ending early Tuesday morning. In total, approximately 58,700 people had left the country since August 14.

The Pentagon said later in the day that "approximately 4,000 American passport holders plus their families" had been evacuated.

The Biden administration thus far cannot provide a precise number of US citizens who remain in Afghanistan. US media estimated that number is between 10,000 and 15,000.
The ongoing cholera outbreak in Nigeria has killed 1,768 people in the country since its onset in January, a top health official said here.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Chikwe Ihekweazu, head of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), said 47,603 suspected cases of cholera were recorded in 23 states and the Federal Capital Territory as of mid-August, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The cases were reported from the beginning of the year. Persons aged five to 14 were mostly affected, 51 per cent being male and 49 per cent, female," Ihekweazu said, noting that the national multi-sectoral emergency system continues to coordinate the national response.

The senior disease control official said the lack of potable water in rural communities, inadequate manpower for the cholera outbreak, as well as insufficient vaccine to be deployed to the affected local government areas in the country, are challenges being encountered in the cause of responding to the outbreak.

Cholera is a highly virulent disease characterized in its most severe form by a sudden onset of acute watery diarrhoea that can lead to death by severe dehydration.

The outbreak of cholera in Nigeria has remained persistent, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more often in areas with poor sanitation, overcrowding, lack of clean food and water, and areas where open defecation is a common practice.
The first flight of US-bound Afghans evacuated from the war-torn country has arrived in Kuwait for transit, said Alina L. Romanowski, the American ambassador to the Gulf nation.

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, the envoy announced the safe arrival of the first flight carrying Afghan evacuees to a military facility in Kuwait, reports Xinhua news agency.

She added that the arrivals were welcomed by US and Kuwaiti military and diplomatic personnel.

Romanowski did not specify how long the Afghans would stay in Kuwait before heading to the US and other destinations, nor the number of the arrivals.

Kuwait's Foreign Ministry approved on August 22 the transit of 5,000 Afghan nationals who have been evacuated from their country to the US under the directions of the Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The move aims to enhance the cooperation between the two countries and continuation of the humanitarian role of Kuwait in the evacuation from Afghanistan, the Ministry said.

The US and its allies have been scrambling to evacuate personnel from Afghanistan since the Taliban entered Kabul on August 15.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday that the American and coalition aircraft had evacuated over 16,000 people in the last 24 hours.
The Taliban leadership is warning the employed women in Afghanistan to stay indoors until it trains its security forces on "how to deal with women".

"Our security forces are not trained [in] how to deal with women or how to speak with women," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters at a press conference, Fox News reported.

"Until we have full security in place ... we ask women to stay home," he said.

Mujahid added that the guidance is a "very temporary procedure", and women will be allowed to return to work once a system is in place to protect their safety.

Fear is mounting among women and girls in Afghanistan after the Taliban told working women to stay at home, admitting that they are not safe in the presence of the militant group's soldiers.

The Taliban spokesperson said that women should not go to work for their own safety, undermining the group's efforts to convince international observers that the group would be more tolerant towards women than they were when they were last in power, CNN reported.

The instruction came the same day that the World Bank halted funding in Afghanistan, citing concerns about the safety of women, and within hours of the UN calling for a "transparent and prompt investigation" into reports of human rights abuses since the Taliban takeover.

Mujahid said the guidance to stay at home would be temporary, and would allow the group to find ways to ensure that women are not "treated in a disrespectful way" or "God forbid, hurt".

He admitted that the measure is necessary because the Taliban's soldiers "keep changing and are not trained".

"We are happy for them to enter the buildings, but we want to make sure they do not face any worries," he said.

"Therefore, we have asked them to take time off from work until the situation gets back to a normal order and women related procedures are in place. They can return to their jobs once it is announced," Mujahid added.

When last in power between 1996 and 2001, the militant group had banned women from workplace, stopped them from leaving homes unaccompanied and forced them to cover their entire body.
A former minister in Afghanistan has now reportedly taken up a job delivering food in Germany.

Syed Ahmad Shah Saadat, former Afghanistan Minister of Information and Communications, was spotted by a local journalist in Germany's Leipzig city when he was on his way to make a delivery on his bicycle, the Independent reported.

Saadat had joined the government of the now-exiled President Ashraf Ghani as a cabinet minister in 2018. After serving for two years, however, Saadat resigned and left the country for Germany last December.

The former minister began working as a delivery executive for the food delivery company Livrando after his money ran out, reported Sky News.

Saadat said his story should "serve as a catalyst to change the way high-ranking people live their lives in Asia and the Arab world".

Photos of Saadat have gone viral on social media amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country once the US announced it was pulling out its troops from the war-torn nation.

Ghani had abruptly left the country just before the capture of Kabul by the Taliban and is now reportedly in the UAE.

Reacting to the situation back home, Sadaat said he never thought a civilian government would fall so fast.

He reportedly holds two master's degrees in communication and electronic engineering from the Oxford University. With a career spanning over 23 years, Sadaat has worked with at least 20 companies in 13 countries, including Saudi Arabia.
Researhers have sequenced the genomes of two living and three extinct rhinoceros species and compared them to existing data from the remaining three living species and a range of outgroups.

Understanding the relationships among rhinoceros species and when they diverged has been a question addressed by evolutionary biologists since the dawn of the field, said Dr. Love Dalen, a researcher at the Centre for Palaeogenetics and the Swedish Museum of Natural History, and colleagues.

Charles Darwin himself discussed the topic in 1842 as one of a handful of examples in his short treatise on evolution that preceded On the Origin of Species in 1859.

Although rhinoceroses were once a diverse clade, extant rhinoceroses comprise only five species, all of which are highly endangered and global priorities for conservation.

Rhinocerotoidea, the clade including the rhinoceros family Rhinocerotidae, diverged from tapirs 55-60 million years ago in either Eurasia or North America.

The family subsequently radiated into at least 100 species distributed across Africa, Eurasia, North, and Central America and included some of the largest land mammals that ever lived.

Most rhinocerotids went extinct prior to the Pleistocene, with just nine species surviving into the Late Pleistocene, during which additional extinctions occurred.

In the study, the scientists analyzed the genomes of five living species: the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum), the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), and the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus).

They also analyzed the genomes of three extinct species: the Siberian unicorn (Elasmotherium sibiricum), the Mercks rhinoceros (Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis), and the woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis).

Their findings show that the oldest split separated African and Eurasian lineages about 16 million year ago.

The authors also found that while dwindling rhinoceros populations today have lower genetic diversity and more inbreeding than they did in the past, rhinoceroses have historically had low levels of genetic diversity.

We can now show that the main branch in the rhinoceroses tree of life is among geographic regions, Africa versus Eurasia, and not between the rhinos that have one versus two horns, Dr. Dalen said.

The second important finding is that all rhinoceroses, even the extinct ones, have comparatively low genetic diversity.

To some extent, this means that the low genetic diversity we see in present-day rhinos, which are all endangered, is partly a consequence of their biology.

All eight species generally displayed either a continual but slow decrease in population size over the last two million years, or continuously small population sizes over extended time periods, said Dr. Mick Westbury, a researcher at the University of Copenhagen.

Continuously low population sizes may indicate that rhinoceroses in general are adapted to low levels of diversity.

This notion is consistent with an apparent lack of accumulated deleterious mutations in rhinos in recent decades.

Rhinos may have purged deleterious mutations in the last 100 years, allowing them to remain relatively healthy, despite low genetic diversity.

The findings are partly good news, and partly not, Dr. Dalen said.

It appears that low levels of genetic diversity in rhinos is part of their long-term history and hasnt led to an increase in health problems related to inbreeding and disease-causing mutations.

However, we also find that present-day rhinos have lower genetic diversity, and higher levels of inbreeding, compared to our historical and prehistoric rhinoceros genomes.

This suggests that recent population declines caused by hunting and habitat destruction have had an impact on the genomes.

This is not good, since low genetic diversity and high inbreeding may increase the risk of extinction in the present-day species.

The study was published in the journal Cell.

_____

Shanlin Liu et al. Ancient and modern genomes unravel the evolutionary history of the rhinoceros family. Cell, published online August 24, 2021; doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.07.032
thl today releases its results for the financial year ending 30 June 2021 (FY21).

Rob Campbell, thl Chair, said We are not pleased with the net loss after tax of $14.5M, but do consider that we have managed it well within the context of global tourism. We have continued to adapt, manage the balance sheet and retain opportunities for the future.

However, we recognise the uncertainty regarding the outlook for international tourism, particularly for New Zealand and Australia. The United States appears to be close to reopening and the current increasing vaccination rates in New Zealand and Australia are clearly positive.

In the interim, thl remains a company with a carefully managed balance sheet that is strong for our industry segment and has a company value that is supported by a base of tangible, realisable and in demand assets that are being sold well in excess of book values.

Grant Webster, thl Chief Executive Officer, said we are moving forward, taking the opportunities that exist for our business in todays environment whilst continuing to challenge and adapt as required for long-term success.

We have capitalised on the relative category growth for the RV experience and improved our vehicle sales expertise to deliver a record sales year, while managing our rental fleet to the prevailing domestic conditions within each country.

A key priority for the year has been keeping customers and crew safe from COVID-19. We are very pleased to have had no traceable cases linked to our operation from any of our 40 locations globally. Despite the challenging times and uncertainty, our crew have adapted and delivered.

Regardless of the demand environment today our belief in becoming Future-Fit remains, and is directing us on what we believe is the right path, ensuring we will be sustainable in all aspects of the business as we reset and prepare for the years ahead.

Summary:

Statutory net loss after tax of $14.5M, and ordinary net loss after tax of $14.3M down $34.3M on the prior corresponding period (pcp).

Continued balance sheet management with net debt of $49M and refinanced debt facilities of up to $250M through to 2024.

Record vehicle sales revenue and volumes, with growth in average sales margin per vehicle in all countries.

Strong USA performance with average yield uplift on the pcp.

Australian Rentals business delivered positive EBIT result despite lockdowns, with positive outlook for domestic demand and average yields assuming an environment with no domestic travel restrictions.

New Zealand Rentals and Tourism continue to be challenging given the reliance on international tourism.

A net loss is the most likely outcome for FY22, however the quantum of the loss is difficult to ascertain at this point.

Please see the links below for details

NZX Media Release

Results Presentation FY21

Integrated Annual Report FY21

NZX Results Announcement Form

Source: Tourism Holdings Limited

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Listed New Zealand and Australian childcare and education centre operator Evolve Education Group Limited has today announced financial results for the half year ended 30 June 2021.

Revenue for the 6 months ended 30 June 2021 of $74.9m was almost 15% higher than revenue for the statutory comparative period (6 months ended 30 September 2020).

Loss after tax for the 6 months ended 30 June was $0.52m compared to profit after tax of $6.23m for the 6 months ended 30 September 2020). (Note: EVOs balance date changed during calendar year 2020 from 31 March to 31 December).

Comparison of the trading performance compared to the six months to June 2020, adjusting for wage subsidies received in the prior period, is included in the market release and investor presentation.

As advised previously, the change in balance date has resulted in significant seasonality in the results in both NZ and Australia. One third of full year EBITDA is expected to fall in the first half of the year and two thirds in the second half. This is due to:

-In New Zealand 8 of 11 public holidays fall in the first half of the year. Government funding is not provided for public holidays.

- In Australia older children depart for primary school in February of each year.

This seasonality must be taken into account when extrapolating first half year results.

Given the uncertainty about both the quantum of support available in NZ and the length of the current Covid lockdowns, the Board has determined that it is prudent to withdraw guidance for CY2021.

However, guidance for 2022 is confirmed at underlying EBITDA of $23m to $25m subject to there being no material Covid 19 related issues in CY2022.

Please see the links below for details

EVO FY21 Interim Appendix 1

EVO FY21 Interim Results Investor Presentation

EVO FY21 Interim Financial Statements 30 June 2021

EVO FY21 Interim Market Release

Source: Evolve Education Group Limited

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Air New Zealand has announced a loss before other significant items and taxation of $440 million for the 2021 financial year  its first full 12-month period of operation with Covid-19 related international travel restrictions. Using the same metric, the company reported an $87 million loss for the 2020 financial year.

Statutory losses before taxation, which include a $29 million gain from other significant items, were $411 million, compared to a loss of $628 million last year.

The financial result benefited from approximately $450 million of Government assistance including airfreight support schemes as well as further subsidies and initiatives that are not expected to be repeated to the same extent in the 2022 financial year.

Ongoing border restrictions saw operating revenue decline 48 percent to $2.5 billion as international flying was significantly reduced, with capacity down 55 percent on the prior year, although cargo flying revenue grew by 71 percent compared to the prior year thanks to airfreight support schemes. The airlines domestic business performed strongly, led by strong leisure demand as well as corporate customers flying at close to pre-Covid levels.

Chairman Dame Therese Walsh says the 2021 financial result reflected the reality of a year in which the airline was unable to fly two-thirds of its passenger network.

In a severely constrained environment, Air New Zealand maintained cost discipline, focusing on delivering with excellence in the areas in its control. The return of a strong domestic business and growth in the cargo services that underpin our key export markets was a reminder of the airlines crucial role in New Zealands infrastructure, says Dame Therese.

Air New Zealanders showed agility during constantly changing operating conditions, managing reopenings, pauses and then closures while generating new revenue from additional cargo routes and increasing domestic and regional passenger capacity to match an increased demand for domestic leisure travel.

Dame Therese paid tribute to the continued commitment and sacrifice of the Air New Zealand team.

Financial results summary

 Operating revenue of $2.5 billion, down 48 percent on the prior year

 Cargo revenue up 71 percent on the prior year, supported by the New Zealand and Australian Governments IAFC, MIAC and IFAM schemes (the airfreight support schemes)

 Loss before other significant items and taxation of $440 million

 Loss before taxation of $411 million

 Domestic capacity rebounded strongly as the year progressed, reaching 93 percent of pre-Covid for the three months ending July, driven by strong leisure demand and the return of corporate customer

 Latest domestic nationwide lockdown expected to negatively impact financial operating performance

 Liquidity of $1.3 billion as at 24 August 2021, comprised of $183 million cash and $1.15 billion of undrawn funds on the Government standby loan facility (the Facility)

 Dividends remain suspended

 Planned capital raise deferred to first quarter of calendar year 2022

Please see the links below for details

Air NZ 2021 Annual Results Media Release

Air NZ 2021 Annual Results Presentation

Air NZ 2021 Annual Shareholder Review

Air NZ 2021 Financial Results

Air NZ 2021 Annual Results Appendix 1

Source: Air New Zealand Limited

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New Zealand Oil & Gas today announces a net loss in line with expectations following steady production performance during the past year, increased exploration expenses associated with drilling offshore Western Australia, and foreign exchange impacts.

Revenue and NPAT are estimated to substantially increase in the current financial year as a result of the acquisition of a share of three producing assets in the Amadeus Basin in Australia's Northern Territory, and new production from Indonesia.

The net loss for the year attributable to New Zealand Oil & Gas shareholders was $36.4 million, or 21.7 cents per share. Net loss attributable to shareholders of New Zealand Oil & Gas $1.4 million last year. The Group result was a loss of $43.3m ($0.8m in the prior period).

Revenue for the year was steady at $36.0 million, compared to $37.3 million in the prior period.

New Zealand Oil & Gas subsidiary, Cue Energy Resources, contributed $24.1 million to revenue from its Maari, Sampang and Mahato assets ($25.2m last year), and recorded a $13.7 million loss ($1.2m profit in the prior period).

Revenue from production at the Kupe gas fields in Taranaki, New Zealand was stable at $11.9 million ($12.0m last year) for the New Zealand Oil & Gas 4 per cent share.

The Group expensed $35.4 million for the year for exploration. The main expenditure was the unsuccessful Ironbark well offshore Western Australia, as disclosed in the half year results announcement. Cue was also a participant in the unsuccessful WA exploration.

The Group had $70.8 million of cash on hand at balance date. $51.8 million was held by New Zealand Oil & Gas and $19.0 million was held by Cue . The higher New Zealand dollar compared to the US Dollar and AU Dollar contributed a foreign exchange loss of NZ$6.7 million.

Chief Executive Andrew Jefferies says the business has a net tangible asset backing of 60.8 cents per share, well above its current share price.

"We expect a considerable contribution from our new Amadeus assets following completion, expected in the next couple of months.

Further revenue has also been added from Cue's Mahato interest in Indonesia. Our revenues have remained steady throughout a year of considerable disruption, this is because our portfolio is dominated by gas and connected to pipeline markets with long term contracts.

A year ago I stated that we expected steady revenue from our producing assets, drilling was likely to reduce our cash balances, and we were ready to deploy our significant war chest if suitable assets became available in Australia or New Zealand. The year played out as expected, with a substantial drilling cost, steady production revenues and an excellent acquisition.

I expect shareholders to see our activity bear fruit in the coming year's result."

No dividend will be paid this year.

Please see the links below for details

2021 06 NZO Annual Result News Release

FY21 Financial Statement Notes and Audit Report

NZX Appendix 1 release

Source: New Zealand Oil & Gas Limited

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Page Content

The Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, Omar Ottley extends his sincerest condolences to the families and friends of the three (3) victims who passed away due to COVID-19. Heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the families during their time of grief.





As of August 24th, there were forty eight (48) persons who tested positive for COVID-19; however thirty five (35) persons have recovered; bringing the total active cases to three hundred thirty (330). The total number of confirmed cases is now three thousand five hundred twenty (3520).





The Collective Prevention Services (CPS) are monitoring three hundred fifteen (315) people in home isolation. Fifteen (15) patients are hospitalized at the St. Maarten Medical Center. The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 has increased to forty six (46).





The number of people recovered since the first case surfaced on St. Maarten has increased to three thousand one hundred forty four (3144). Two hundred thirty two (232) people are in quarantine based on contact tracing investigations carried out by CPS.





The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (VSA) Airport Health Team in collaboration with Health Care Laboratory Sint Maarten (HCLS) have tested 3, 579 travelers arriving at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA), while CPS tested 37, 841 people throughout the community. As the numbers continue to fluctuate, CPS will continue to actively execute its contact tracing measures.





Minister Ottley urges everyone to put your health first. If you are experiencing signs and symptoms of COVID-19, come forward for testing.The drive thru testing in Pointe Blanche remains open daily without the need for an appointment. Operating hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM and on Saturdays from 8:00 AM to





12:00 PM. If you are not vaccinated, please do your research and consider getting vaccinated as soon as possible.
Indian agents in Afghanistan would also be in contact with the handful of miscreants who are not happy with the present Taliban regime.

by Ali Sukhanver from Islamabad

Days after the fall of Kabul, nations are hurriedly evacuating their diplomats and citizens, leaving behind two decades of work and investments. The Taliban's blisteringly fast takeover of Afghanistan has stunned security and diplomacy experts worldwide Vikas Pandey of BBC News Delhi said in a recent article. He further said, Pakistan and China - both are expected to play a crucial role in Afghanistan's future. As far as the matter of investment is concerned, India had been the fifth-largest aid donor and one of the most effective suppliers of technical support to the development projects running in Afghanistan. Unwillingly, the United States had to keep India out of almost all political negotiations over Afghanistan in spite of Indias very effective role as an investor. Experts are of the opinion that keeping India out of the dialogue-process was simply because of Pakistans strenuous objections on India. Indias absence was also noticed during the recent Troika Plus talks this month, these talks were attended by China, Pakistan, Russia and the United States. It seems that the US authorities knew well that Indias presence to the talks would do nothing but distort the peace-process that is why India was not given the due importance in negotiation process.

A columnist at Foreign Policy, Sumit Ganguly has also pointed towards the same situation in his recent write up. He said, The crisis following the U.S. withdrawal leaves Indias foreign-policy and security interests at considerable risk on two fronts. First, a new Taliban government will likely foster safe havens for anti-Indian terrorist organizations and other groups that could sow chaos in Indian-administered Kashmir. Meanwhile, Chinas willingness to work with the Taliban could expand its footprint in the region. In short things are not good for India in new Afghanistan as all its investment is expected to go waste. The India Today published an article of Koustav Das on 18th of August 2021. The writer said, The return of the Taliban could mark the beginning of another dark era for Afghanistan with uncertainty prevailing about the countrys economic progress and its ties with the rest of the world, particularly with those countries which have invested heavily in Afghanistan. India is one such country. It has helped Afghanistan in all aspects of nation-building over the past two decades when the US-NATO forces provided a shield against the Taliban and other fundamentalist forces. Given the situation, it remains unclear how India will maintain diplomatic ties with a government controlled by the militant group. The Taliban rule could disrupt Indias friendly ties with Afghanistan and subsequently its strategic investments in the war-torn country. In short, India will have to struggle very hard to save her heavy-investments in Afghanistan; and that wont be possible unless expected peace in Afghanistan is attacked.

Looking at the present Afghan scenario, one could very easily estimate that in the days to come there could only be two possibilities; either Afghanistan would turn into a very strong country or it would change into a more horrible wasteland. If the Taliban succeed in keeping all stake-holders united and disarming all militant groups by dragging them into the main stream, the world would soon find Afghanistan standing at a very decisive position, having a very cordial relationship with the neighboring countries and dealing wisely with all national and international forces. In that case, the importance rather need of India as an investor would be minimized to zero. So India would do all her best to patronize and strengthen the groups which are inwardly not in favour of the Taliban supremacy. The first step in this regard is the recent propaganda done by the Indian sponsored media groups against Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai who had been a deputy foreign minister in the last Taliban regime. At present he is an expected key player in the new government in Afghanistan. Stanikzai alias Sheru had been under training at 982 batch of the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun for the completion of pre-commission training for a year and a half before joining the Afghan National Army as a lieutenant. Those were the days just after Afghanistan was overrun by the Soviet Union. Now the Indian media is trying to spread an impression that Sheru would prove himself a very strong caretaker of the Indian interests in Afghanistan. That is nothing but an attempt to create misunderstandings among different Afghan leaders.

Indian agents in Afghanistan would also be in contact with the handful of miscreants who are not happy with the present Taliban regime. Their joint venture might bring some disaster of a very minute and temporary level which would certainly not be challenging or threatening to the Taliban. It is need of the time that the Taliban must introduce to the world a moderate picture of the New Age Taliban. They must try to keep people united by assuring to them all basic human rights. Moreover they must not allow any country to interfere into Afghanistans internal matters. The Taliban must be thankful to God that He blessed them with such a matchless victory over worlds so-called super-power; now their real success lies in giving this victory an eternal colour with the help of their wisdom, intelligence and patience. It is also a point to be kept in mind that their victory would never be digestible to the countries like India. Such countries would do all their best to distort the dreamed of peaceful and prosperous face of Afghanistan.
U.S. Wrecks Another Country Thinking Its Playing the Great Game

by John Pilger

As a tsunami of crocodile tears engulfs Western politicians, history is suppressed. More than a generation ago, Afghanistan won its freedom, which the United States, Britain and their allies destroyed.

In 1978, a liberation movement led by the Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) overthrew the dictatorship of Mohammad Daoud, the cousin of King Zahir Shar. It was an immensely popular revolution that took the British and Americans by surprise.

Foreign journalists in Kabul, reported the New York Times, were surprised to find that nearly every Afghan they interviewed said [they were] delighted with the coup. The Wall Street Journal reported that 150,000 persons marched to honor the new flag the participants appeared genuinely enthusiastic.

The Washington Post reported that Afghan loyalty to the government can scarcely be questioned. Secular, modernist and, to a considerable degree, socialist, the government declared a program of visionary reforms that included equal rights for women and minorities. Political prisoners were freed and police files publicly burned.

Under the monarchy, life expectancy was 35; one in three children died in infancy. Ninety percent of the population was illiterate. The new government introduced free medical care. A mass literacy campaign was launched.

For women, the gains had no precedent; by the late 1980s, half the university students were women, and women made up 40 percent of Afghanistans doctors, 70 percent of its teachers and 30 percent of its civil servants.

So radical were the changes that they remain vivid in the memories of those who benefited. Saira Noorani, a female surgeon who fled Afghanistan in 2001, recalled:

Every girl could go to high school and university. We could go where we wanted and wear what we liked We used to go to cafes and the cinema to see the latest Indian films on a Friday it all started to go wrong when the mujahedin started winning these were the people the West supported.

For the United States, the problem with the PDPA government was that it was supported by the Soviet Union. Yet it was never the puppet derided in the West, neither was the coup against the monarchy Soviet backed, as the American and British press claimed at the time.

President Jimmy Carters secretary of state, Cyrus Vance, later wrote in his memoirs: We had no evidence of any Soviet complicity in the coup.

In the same administration was Zbigniew Brzezinski, Carters national security adviser, a Polish emigre and fanatical anti-communist and moral extremist whose enduring influence on American presidents expired only with his death in 2017.

On July 3, 1979, unknown to the American people and Congress, Carter authorized a $500 million covert action program to overthrow Afghanistans first secular, progressive government. This was code-named by the CIA Operation Cyclone.

The $500 million bought, bribed and armed a group of tribal and religious zealots known as the mujahedin. In his semi-official history, Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward wrote that the CIA spent $70 million on bribes alone. He describes a meeting between a CIA agent known as Gary and a warlord called Amniat-Melli:

Gary placed a bundle of cash on the table: $500,000 in one-foot stacks of $100 bills. He believed it would be more impressive than the usual $200,000, the best way to say were here, were serious, heres money, we know you need it Gary would soon ask CIA headquarters for and receive $10 million in cash.

Recruited from all over the Muslim world, Americas secret army was trained in camps in Pakistan run by Pakistani intelligence, the CIA and Britains MI6. Others were recruited at an Islamic college in Brooklyn, New Yorkwithin sight of the doomed Twin Towers. One of the recruits was a Saudi engineer called Osama bin Laden.

The aim was to spread Islamic fundamentalism in Central Asia and destabilize and eventually destroy the Soviet Union.

In August 1979, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul reported that the United States larger interests would be served by the demise of the PDPA government, despite whatever setbacks this might mean for future social and economic reforms in Afghanistan.

Read again the words above I have italicized. It is not often that such cynical intent is spelled out as clearly. The United States was saying that a genuinely progressive Afghan government and the rights of Afghan women could go to hell.

Six months later, the Soviets made their fatal move into Afghanistan in response to the American-created jihadist threat on their doorstep. Armed with CIA-supplied Stinger missiles and celebrated as freedom fighters by Margaret Thatcher, the mujahedin eventually drove the Red Army out of Afghanistan.

Calling themselves the Northern Alliance, the mujahedin were dominated by warlords who controlled the heroin trade and terrorized rural women. The Taliban were an ultra-puritanical faction, whose mullahs wore black and punished banditry, rape and murder but banished women from public life.

In the 1980s, I made contact with the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, known as RAWA, which had tried to alert the world to the suffering of Afghan women. During the Taliban time they concealed cameras beneath their burqas to film evidence of atrocities, and did the same to expose the brutality of the Western-backed mujahedin. Marina of RAWA told me, We took the videotape to all the main media groups, but they didnt want to know. 

In 1996, the enlightened PDPA government was overrun. The president, Mohammad Najibullah, had gone to the United Nations to appeal for help. On his return, he was hanged from a streetlight.

I confess that [countries] are pieces on a chessboard, said Lord Curzon in 1898, upon which is being played out a great game for the domination of the world.

The viceroy of India was referring in particular to Afghanistan. A century later, Prime Minister Tony Blair used slightly different words.

This is a moment to seize, he said following 9/11. The kaleidoscope has been shaken. The pieces are in flux. Soon they will settle again. Before they do, let us reorder this world around us.

On Afghanistan, he added this: We will not walk away [but ensure] some way out of the poverty that is your miserable existence.

Blair echoed his mentor, President George W. Bush, who spoke to the victims of his bombs from the Oval Office: The oppressed people of Afghanistan will know the generosity of America.  As we strike military targets, we will also drop food, medicine and supplies to the starving and suffering

Almost every word was false. Their declarations of concern were cruel illusions for an imperial savagery we in the West rarely recognize as such.

In 2001, Afghanistan was stricken and depended on emergency relief convoys from Pakistan. As the journalist Jonathan Steele reported, the invasion indirectly caused the deaths of some 20,000 people as supplies to drought victims stopped and people fled their homes.

Eighteen months later, I found unexploded American cluster bombs in the rubble of Kabul which were often mistaken for yellow relief packages dropped from the air. They blew the limbs off foraging, hungry children.

In the village of Bibi Maru, I watched a woman called Orifa kneel at the graves of her husband, Gul Ahmed, a carpet weaver, and seven other members of her family, including six children, and two children who were killed next door.

An American F-16 aircraft had come out of a clear blue sky and dropped an Mk 82 500-pound bomb on Orifas mud, stone and straw house. Orifa was away at the time. When she returned, she gathered the body parts.

Months later, a group of Americans came from Kabul and gave her an envelope with 15 notes: a total of $15. Two dollars for each of my family killed, she said.

The invasion of Afghanistan was a fraud. In the wake of 9/11, the Taliban sought to distance themselves from Osama bin Laden. They were, in many respects, an American client with which the administration of Bill Clinton had done a series of secret deals to allow the building of a $3 billion natural gas pipeline by a U.S. oil company consortium.

In high secrecy, Taliban leaders had been invited to the United States and entertained by the CEO of the Unocal company in his Texas mansion and by the CIA at its headquarters in Virginia. One of the deal-makers was Dick Cheney, later George W. Bushs vice president.

In 2010, I was in Washington and arranged to interview the mastermind of Afghanistans modern era of suffering, Zbigniew Brzezinski. I quoted to him his autobiography in which he admitted that his grand scheme for drawing the Soviets into Afghanistan had created a few stirred-up Muslims.

Do you have any regrets? I asked.

Regrets! Regrets! What regrets?

When we watch the current scenes of panic at Kabuls main international airport, and listen to journalists and generals in distant TV studios bewailing the withdrawal of our protection, isnt it time to heed the truth of the past so that all this suffering never happens again?

This article was produced by Globetrotter.

John Pilger is an award-winning journalist, filmmaker, and author. Read his full biography on his website here, and follow him on Twitter: @JohnPilger.
Jo Biden blamed the Afghan forces that they recruited, trained and armed during the last 20 years. What can we do if they cannot fight Taliban? was his explanation for the apparent betrayal. In that case why the hell the US went to Afghanistan and virtually occupied this other peoples country?

by Dr Laksiri Fernando

US decision or Jo Bidens decision to leave Afghanistan was correct in terms of original sin and the socio-political,and cultural contradictions, created during the colonial occupation since 2001. However the way they are withdrawing creates the impression that theUS and other Western allies are in a terrible mess.

Without much common sense, the American and allied troops were withdrawn before their civilian supporters or citizens were evacuated. Academics and students were among them. That is why we still have a chaotic situation at the Kabul airport. 20 odd people are already killed. At least some of them fell from the first aircraft leaving. The scene was very much similar to Saigon, 46 years ago.

Jo Biden blamed the Afghan forces that they recruited, trained and armed during the last 20 years. What can we do if they cannot fight Taliban? was his explanation for the apparent betrayal. In that case why the hell the US went to Afghanistan and virtually occupied this other peoples country? Biden did not blame the fleeing President Ashraf Ghani who fled the country before anyone else.

Hypocrisy of US Policies

So many ambiguities and contradictions are exposed in respect of US foreign policies as a result of the present crisis. Biden claimed, like other previous Presidents, that US foreign policies are guided by international human rights. In the same speech he said that there is noting more to gain by US being in Afghanistan. His reasoning was that the US invaded Afghanistan because of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and to punish Osama bin Laden as a way of meting out justice to the American victims and people.

Osama bin Laden was caught and killed in 2011. Then why didnt the Americans leave Afghanistan immediately after that? Ten more years have gone since then. Bin Laden was not killed in Afghanistan, but in Pakistan. Even if the US wanted to eliminate not only Bin Laden but also al-Qaeda which might make sense, why did they want to occupy the whole of Afghanistan?

There is no question that not only the US, but also the Western countries in general, have some form of interest in promoting human rights and democracy in their foreign policies. But their self-interests are the cornerstone, and these interests as well as their human rights policies are overwhelmingly marked still by a form of colonial mentality. This has been what is in crisis from Saigon to Kabul.

History

Some people believe the US intervention in Afghanistan started in 2001. That is not the case. It goes back to the beginning of the Cold War. Both the Soviet Union and the US wanted to keep Afghanistan as a client state. During the period of Daoud Khan (1953-1978), Afghanistan zig zagged between the two super powers. The opportunity was taken up by the Communists and created a revolution in 1978. Afghanistan was named a Peoples Democratic Republic. That was when the US started directly funding and arming Mujahedeen movements of various types through Pakistan. Then the Soviet Union intervened and first invaded the country.

Picture 1: Some Afghan refugees and fighters  photo by LF

Understandably, any type of socialism was anathema to the US. It was not on the basis of human rights but on economic or profit reasons. It is not true that only the US backed regime after 2001 created circumstances for womens right to education and work. Those were introduced between 1978 and 1990. The communist regime also was repressive and the ordinary or rural people disliked some of the policies on religious grounds. That was the basis for people-based Mujahedeen movements. There is evidence that the US, perhaps unintentionally, promoted some Arab Mujahedeen groups to involve in the Afghan civil war. Some origins of Al Qaeda goes back to these efforts, if not Taliban.

Personal Experience

I had to visit the UNHCR office in Peshawar in 1989 as a World University Service (WUS) representative. WUS Pakistan was assisting refugees independently and apolitically. The visit involved visiting refugee camps in Azakhel and more towards Pakistan-Afghan border. There was no possibility of crossing the border or visiting Jalalabad (Afghanistan) given the heavy fighting.

The wounded who were treated at Medicine San Frontier makeshift hospitals were disheartening to look at. In many makeshift camps, young boys carried heavy arms perhaps guarding their mothers and sisters. These were supposed to be the future Taliban. I was not allowed to take many pictures except some male refugees and fighters (picture 1) and the Basic Health Unit at Azakhel Camp (picture 2) from a side. The streets in Peshawar at that time were largely deserted due to the war (picture 3). My trip to the border areas from Peshawar was challenging, drinking Coca Cola with salt for dehydration (picture 4) and lower Hindukush mountains in the background.

Picture 2: Basic Health Unit for refugees in Azakhel  photo by LF





Picture 3: Deserted streets in Peshawar  photo by LF





Picture 4: On my way to Afghan border - picture by HH

My visit from Geneva was after the Geneva Accords (1988) between Afghanistan and Pakistan guaranteed by the US and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union withdrew and the US promised not to support any faction, true or not. The civil war continued and ended up as a Taliban government  Islamic Emirate (1997) with many other insurgency (terrorist) groups still operating in the country. The new Emirates was recognized only by few countries,mainly Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and UAE. And it fell quite quickly in 2001 when the US invaded.

This bit of history shows how the US, the Soviet Union now gone, was involved in the Afghan debacle from the beginning, and the consequences would be extremely difficult to eliminate in the foreseeable future.

What is Created?

The speed of the collapse of the US backed Afghan government of Ashraf Ghani shows the futility of what the US and some other Western governments were doing in Afghanistan during the last twenty years in the name of democratic nation building.

Democracy or human rights could be ensured primarily through internal forces and changes. These cannot be achieved through occupation or colonialism. External examples or diplomatic influencescan be useful, if implemented in a friendly manner and not in an arrogant way.Even at present, the way many Western countries reacted to the first press conference of the Talban was dismissive and arrogant.

It may be true that what they said about the rights of women, female children, the press, and amnesty to those who supported the last government cannot be fully trusted. All might depend on the circumstances. However, those should be welcomed instead of condemning outright for the sake of promoting them in a positive direction. Qualifications must have been warranted, instead of sarcasm or condemnation.

What was created by the Western occupiers in Afghanistan appears to be shallow. It is true that some of the middle class sections in urban Kabul and the suburbs embraced Western values, democracy and human rights That is good. But the great majority of the rural and remote communities were left out. They may have different values or oblivious to democracy or human rights. Education ought to take precedence over propaganda.

What the occupation largely created were refugees. At present the population in Afghanistan is estimated to be around 40 million. According to the UNHRC, around six million Afghans are living in Iran and Pakistan as refugees. Some of them are reported to be coming back now with some national hope. UNHCR estimated Afghan refugees in other, mainly Western countries, to be nearly three million. They would not come back. Who is unwilling to live in a developed country instead of a poor and a conflict ridden country? The present exodus at the Kabul airport might include not only those who worked for the occupied government but also who aspire to live in a Western country. Large disparities in living conditions between rich and poor countries are main the reasons.

Future Challenges

It would be an extremely difficult task for any future government in Afghanistan to run the economy, day to day administration, while rectifying confusions and conflicts created by the occupiers as well as the Afghans themselves over the last 50 years. Infrastructure development might be a top priority. One hope might be China who would offer to build destroyed or absent infrastructure in the country. There are of course skyscrapers and KFCs built in Kabul. But those are not for the poor or the ordinary.

There can be international forces intervening. China might not be in a position to sort them out. China anyway cannot be a panacea. It has still not much leverage in the UN system or in the international community. Therefore going by the colonial mentality of most of the Western countries,not to speak of the US, there can be future challenges including invasions and intrusions. There may be a need to look for friends in the West as well. This is what Vietnam did after Saigon.

Of course there would be major internal challenges as well. Apart from Taliban, there have been half a dozen of other armed groups in Afghanistan. Many have now been integrated to Taliban, but not all. There can be challenges from the ISIS or the remaining Al Qaeda. Will Afghanistan again would become a safe haven for international terrorism is also a question? Even about Taliban itself, we really dont know much. Therefore, we really have to keep our fingers crossed but not be completely pessimistic, negative or arrogant like the Western pundits.

There is an apparent difference in Taliban between, for example, 2001 and 2021, that may bring some hope for the progressive world. The lessons from Saigon to Kabul are very clear. Diplomacy without interference might be the best for the world in promoting democracy and human rights.
Amateur radio promotes spirit of muhibbah

Malaysia's Sun Daily reports: What began with a single call among the community of amateur radio operators blossomed into a lifelong friendship between two friends of different races that continues to this day.

It all began around 10 years ago, when Mansur Abdul Muien, 42, made a call through a repeater looking for an amateur radio operator with a Class A licence to sign a certification document relating to the licensing of the equipment.

Mansur, then a youth staying in Taman Tasik Utama, Melaka Tengah, did not expect his call to be answered by Chong Wee Long, 48, who then provided personal information that helped to resolve the matter.

After the brief introduction on the repeater, I then met with Chong, who was staying in Taman Bukit Cheng, which wasnt far from where I lived, and we became friends ever since.

Although we do not meet often because of the Covid-19 pandemic, our bond of friendship still remains strong. Thanks to amateur radio, he said when met by Bernama, recently.

Mansur, who hails from Kampung Sungai Bedaun, Labuan, and has stayed in Melaka since 2005, said amateur radio does promote the spirit of muhibah, or goodwill, among races as operators need to abide by three main rules, to not talk about politics, not to promote any form of business and not to be racist.

The multiracial bonds formed within the community of amateur radio operators are unique, where introductions are made through communications on radio channels.

Read the full Sun Daily article:

https://www.thesundaily.my/local/amateur-radio-promotes-spirit-of-muhibbah-CM8248217
Radio ham blamed for faulty insulin pump A woman with an apparently faulty insulin pump is trying to blame a radio amateur neighbor who lives several doors away



Broadcaster WFTV says:



A Marion County woman is taking on her neighborhood association, in a matter she said puts her health at risk.



Michelle Smith, a Type 1 Diabetic, and a consultant determined that her neighbors ham radio hobby might have interfered with the doses of insulin being pushed out from her pump.



The 55+ community where she lives hired that consultant and told the neighbor to shut down his amateur radio station.



But a copy of the communitys rules shows a change was put in place that could pave the way for other similar antennas to be installed.



9 Investigates learned that Smiths complaint went all the way to the state level.



She wants the Florida Commission on Human Relations to make a determination whether the communitys board and management is doing enough to protect her and others with medical devices.



Read the full story and watch the TV news report at

https://www.wftv.com/news/9investigates/woman-fights-have-ham-operations-banned-after-potential-interference-with-insulin-pump/GA5IHWEQGFA

7XHLOLPQDVEZGCQ/
Registration now open for AMSAT Space Symposium

The 39th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting will be held Friday through Sunday, October 29-31, 2021, at the Crowne Plaza AiRE in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Registration is now open for the event at https://launch.amsat.org/Events. Student registrations are available at $40, and General registration is at $75. Registration for the Saturday evening Symposium Banquet is an additional $55. Full details are available at the registration website.

The Crowne Plaza AiRE is located at 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN 55245, adjacent to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and only steps away from the METRO Blue Lines American Blvd. stop. Nearby shopping and tourist attractions include Mall of America, SEA LIFE at Mall of America, Nickelodeon Universe, and the Minnesota Zoo.

The Symposium includes presentations, exhibit space, and the AMSAT Annual General Meeting. The preliminary schedule is presented at https://launch.amsat.org/event-4414716

The AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting will be held before the Symposium, October 28-29, at the same hotel.

Those attending may make hotel reservations by calling the hotel directly at (952) 854-9000 or (877) 424-4188 (toll free) or online by visiting crowneplazaaire.com. The group name is Amateur Satellite Group.

Platinum and Titanium members of the AMSAT Presidents Club receive free admission to the Symposium and receive a complimentary lunch with the President on Saturday afternoon. Please email members@amsat.org to arrange registration.

Presenters are invited to participate at the Symposium and/or submit a paper to the Symposium Proceedings. Read the Call for Papers at https://www.amsat.org/2021-amsat-symposium-proceedings-call-for-papers/ for more information.
Occupied Aaiun, August 25, 2021 (SPS) - The Executive Bureau of the Saharawi Instance Against the Moroccan Occupation (ISACOM), a Sahrawi NGO in the occupied areas, asked the United Nations to take the necessary measures to put an end Moroccan aggressions against Sahrawi activists in the occupied areas of Western Sahara, particularly the activist Sultana Jaya and her family.

In a statement made public Tuesday, the Sahrawi NGO highlights that the situation in the occupied areas of Western Sahara is really worrying and deserves the attention of the international community, due to the mistreatment and humiliation suffered by its inhabitants, particularly the activist Sultana Jaya and her family, who have been subjected to the most atrocious forms of abuse practiced by the most powerful dictatorships, for more than nine months and whose continuation could cause a humanitarian catastrophe .

"We invite the United Nations and its human rights bodies, as well as the African Union and other relevant international organizations and agencies, to" take a firmer position against the practices of the Moroccan occupation, including appropriate measures to end these atrocious acts of retaliation, in order to protect the activist Sultana Jaya and her family from this continuous repression , concludes ISACOMs. SPS

125/090/TRA
He did work with many Tamil diaspora communities to heal the war wound. He did his best to console Tamil community after the war.

by Dr SLM Rifai

No doubt Mangala Samaraweera is one of greatest leaders of Sri Lankan soil. He was a shining star among all Sri Lankan politicians. His political philosophy will never be forgotten by people of Sri Lanka. His political legacies will be in the minds of people for years to come. He will be remembered for his sincerity, dedication, honesty, patriotism, and loyalty to this nation. He will be remembered for his shrewd diplomatic skills and bravery. He will be remembered for his sharp diplomatic attitudes to win the hearts and minds of international community.Soon after, Sri Lanka defeated LTTE, Sri Lanka encountered an international cry.Many western countries wanted to punish the government for some alleged war crimes in the war against LTTE and yet, it was Mangala with his shrewd diplomatic skills managed to win the support and goodwill of many western countries at this crucial time aftermaths of war. No other Sri Lankan politician would have handled this difficult situation as Mangala did. He managed to protect the goodwill and reputation of Sri Lanka at these difficult times. He won the hearts and minds of many international political leaders even at this crucial time after the war.

This is what Samatha Power: the former US ambassador to the UN has to say about Mangala Samaraweera in respond to Mangalas invitation.  Right now, I am in the final weeks of finishing of writing a new book. I have been working nonstop to meet my deadline. I wont even leave my house to buy groceries. But if there is one person who could get me to travel over 8.000 thousand miles at the movement, it is Mangala. This testimony alone is sufficient to describe the personality, manners, and charismatic qualities of Mangala. International political leaders are inspired and mesmerised with his soft and lenient attitudes and approaches in his diplomacy and politics.

Not only in international politics, locally too, he won the goodwill of people across all Sri Lankan communities. He tried to heal the war wounds from Tamil communities. He did his best with his limits and limitations to comfort Tamil communities after the war. He did work with many Tamil diaspora communities to heal the war wound. He did his best to console Tamil community after the war. He had a big heart to understand the suffering of Tamil community. He not only sympathised with Tamil community but also empathised with them in their suffering and hardship.

He promoted an inclusive political philosophy for Sri Lanka. He strongly believes that the contribution of all minority communities is imperative for the nation building process of Sri Lanka. He firmly believes that no community should be marginalised, isolated, and neglected in the nation building process of the country. He was very much honest and firm in his opinion. His international exposure and interaction may have taught him that we cannot develop this nation without the support and cooperation of all minority communities. Yet, some Sinhalese nationalist groups did not understand him, and they accused him of many things. They insulted him and portrayed him as an anti-Buddhist, and anti-Sinhalese politician. He was portrayed as a disloyal politician to the national interest of Sri Lanka and yet, all what he wanted was to rebuild this nation after the war, with some inclusive political ideas and yet, his political philosophy was distorted, misinterpreted, and misunderstood by many ultra-Sinhalese nationalist groups and media. He never compromised the sovereignty and integrity of this nation and yet, he was accused of collaborating with Tamil diaspora communities. All what he wanted was to seek the support of diaspora Tamil community to rebuild this nation. To do, Sri Lanka must promote an inclusive political concept. That is what he wanted to do. He wanted to take Tamil community on board to develop this nation. There are more than one miilon Sri Lankan Tamils in Europe alone. What is wrong in making use of their skills, experience, and knowledge to develop this nation. Yet, some nationalist groups did not understand Mangala on this matter.

He respected the democratic rights and will of the people. He appreciated the political freedom, liberty and freewill of people in politics. He wanted to handle public problems through dialogues, discussions, and negotiations. One of his tweets reads like this.  In my time there were protests almost daily in front of the Finance Ministry: I never called the police to disperse them nor negotiate with the protestors until the protest was called off. However disagreeable their demand maybe we must respect the right to demand and protect. This statement illustrates his respect for public opinions and public freedom. He never wanted to crush peoples right to protest and peoples liberty and freedom.

His political philosophy is very much identical with the political philosophy of the former President CBK. In fact, it was CBK who initiated an inclusive political philosophical concept for Sri Lanka and yet, for some reasons some Sinhalese nationalist elements did not let her to promote this concept. Neither China nor India will resolve our national problems. It is a political responsibility of our national leaders to resolve our internal political problems in consultation with all minority communities. To overcome our national problems and challenges Sri Lanka badly needs some inclusive political concepts to promote our national identity. Mangala was in the process of establishing a new political platform to promote his ideas and yet, God got him. Unfortunately, there is no more Mangala with us to promote these inclusive political ideas and yet, it is the responsibility competent political leaders to promote his all-inclusive political philosophy for this nation. We hope some good political leaders will continue the political legacies of Mangala in coming years. That is only way to take this country forward.
Im not sure what the expectation is in terms of paying for growth, West added. If that is a cost to be shifted exclusively onto the taxpayers thats what were going to be looking at  somebodys got to pay for it.
But prosecutors and the Sheriffs Office argued this was no accident, though no one suggested there was an escape plan. Nebergall, who was booked back into jail within hours of the incident, will be staying there while his appeal is pending.
The Broward County Commission was scheduled to sign off on the name change Tuesday, but the town asked commissioners to hold off since it hadnt been publicly approved or even discussed yet.
Officials said they are investigating whether the group was smuggled to the United States. The vessel involved was seized.
The next month, he went to the Fort Lauderdale police station twice in two weeks and was refused entry for refusing to wear a mask. He once went to his car and returned wearing pink underwear on his face. An officer said that was fine, but he needed to take Baumans temperature. He refused and left, police said.
Floridians ages 12 to 29 are the least vaccinated group in the state, though the surge is causing more of them to get the shots. DeSantis touts the rates among older people  83% for those 60 and up  but has done little to encourage vaccinations for anyone else.
Your stance against a mask mandate, which may be needed statewide, flies in the face of everything you say in your narrative about personal and parental rights. Local school boards are made up of people we voted for and who we want to make the rules  not you, Sir. You are clearly in a position to benefit off the backs of people infected with COVID, by touting monoclonal antibody treatment instead of prevention as a first-line defense.
An Afghan family will be welcomed to Malaga by the Red Cross after being evacuated from Kabul by Spanish troops. They are just a handful of the thousands trying to leave the country after the advance of the Taliban, who have already taken the capital, in response to the withdrawal of Western troops.

The family group is made up of seven people who will be cared for by the NGO experts who have been working in similar situations for more than 25 years. The care protocol includes tools to help them adapt as quickly as possible to life in the city with school guidance, language help and job search support.

The Afghan group will arrive in the city from the Torrejon de Ardoz military base in Madrid, after being evacuated from Kabul at the start of this week.

The Red Cross, which is collaborating with the Government in the face of the international humanitarian crisis, has already been in charge of preparing the reception protocol for the family.

Several regions in Spain, including Madrid, Murcia and Valencia have already welcomed different groups from Afghanistan, and Andalucia now joins the initiative.

According to the national governments delegate in Andalucia, Pedro Fernandez, Andalucia is a land of solidarity, and the Andalusian people will welcome these people who arrive. We cannot forget that they are living an indescribable human drama and it is a desperate and especially hard situation for the women and children.

Fernandez highlighted the "very important role that Spain has played in the evacuation and reception of these refugees", and thanked "the tremendous effort that our armed and security forces are making, as well as society and the different NGOs in a humanitarian crisis that has moved everyone."
National Police officers have arrested a 27-year-old Hungarian man at Malaga airport under a European arrest warrant issued in his home country, in relation to kidnapping and fraud crimes.

International cooperation led to the National Police swoop on the man after they learned of his presence in Spain a few weeks ago.

The wanted man, with the initials J.L., was part of a criminal network in Hungary, and accused of kidnapping a woman and threatening her with a firearm.

The fugitive was also linked to a group dedicated to swindling old people, making them believe that a relative needed money urgently, collecting the money from their homes or even accompanying them to the bank so that they could extract funds from a cash machine.

The arrest was made in one of the car parks at Malaga airport when the wanted man was meeting an accomplice from Hungary, who was about to provide him with money and documentation. Once police had verified the fugitive's true identity - since he provided fake documents - he was arrested in connection with the European detention order and, additionally, with falsifying documents.
The president of the Junta de Andalucia, Juanma Moreno, has underlined the value and role that the two American military bases in the region will play when they host refugees from the conflict in Afghanistan. The US bases are located in Moron de la Frontera (Seville) and Rota (Cadiz).

Moreno said that "the bases of Rota and Moron are essential in the shared objective of working together to save the lives" of Afghans who want to leave the country after the Taliban seized power.

The Andalusian president said the agreement between Spain and the United States for the joint use of the bases should be "a source of pride."

Moreno spoke after the agreement was reached in a telephone conversation between Spains PM, Pedro Sanchez, and the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to allow Americas Afghan collaborators to pass through Spanish soil before they reach other countries.

"Hopefully one day the Afghans fleeing the horror will be able to return to their country and regain their freedoms," said the president of the Junta de Andalucia, referring to the conflict in Afghanistan.

The United States plans to transfer up to 4,000 Afghan refugees to these two military bases, under the agreement reached with the Spanish government, according to Europa Press.

The people who will arrive in Moron and Rota are former collaborators of the United States Government in Afghanistan, as well as their relatives, who will be temporarily housed at these facilities, before later being transferred to the United States or other countries with which the Biden administration is reaching agreements for their care.
The Mossos d'Esquadra regional police are investigating the "violent death" of a two-year-old boy who was found dead in a hotel room in the Sants-Montjuic district of Barcelona on Tuesday night, 24 August.

According to the Ser de Catalunya chain, the boy arrived at the hotel with his father, who was separating from the child's mother and who, allegedly, sent messages warning her that she would "regret it."

The Catalan police are carrying out "steps to find out who was responsible" for the events and clarify the circumstances of the death, which was notified by a call to the 112 emergency services, sources from the Mossos have told Europa Press.

First on the scene, at around 10.30pm, were local police officers, followed by an ambulance crew from the Sistema d'Emergencies Mediques (SEM).

The investigation is in the hands of the Mossos police force and the investigating judge has ordered the secrecy of the proceedings.
Mandatory masks, social distancing of 1.2 metres between students and ventilation in the classrooms. The 2021/2022 school year in Spain will begin with few changes to the Covid-19 measures compared to the previous one.

The Ministry of Education and the regions have agreed this Wednesday (25 August), during an extraordinary meeting of the education committee, on the health restrictions that will be in place in schools for the start of the next academic year.

The back-to-school guide continues to be the document approved on 29 June (drafted before the explosion of cases caused by the Delta variant), which establishes the mandatory wearing of masks in those over six years of age, the maintenance of bubble groups, a distance in class of at least 1.2 metres between students and cross ventilation in classrooms.

After the meeting, the Minister of Education, Pilar Alegria, called for prudence" from everyone.

"This year is not going to be like the last, but we cannot lower our guard," said Alegria, who reminded that the priority is "maximum attendance at all stages and in a safe environment."

The Education department and the regions have pinned their hopes on the extension of vaccinations to the age group between 12 and 19 to be able to relax the going back to school measures throughout the start of the year.

"If the situation improves, we will be able to relax restrictions, but that will be determined by the health authorities," said Alegria, before declaring that, currently, 16.4 per cent of adolescents have the complete vaccination schedule and 61.7 per cent have received at least one dose.

The department has demanded that the regions dedicate a good part of the 13.5 billion euros they will receive from central government between now and the end of the year (70 per cent immediately and the other 30 per cent in November) must be spent on hiring more teachers to reduce the number of students per year class.

"We must continue the same as last year," Alegria insisted, given the reluctance of some regions, who prefer to allocate these funds to other purposes than education.
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Opinion writer Zach Freeman discusses the fractured relationship between the United States and Afghanistan and the responsibility of the U.S. in supporting their allies.
Blackshear, GA (31516)

Today

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 72F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Clearfield, PA (16830)

Today

Rain. Potential for flooding rains. High 64F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 52F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
Note: Special one-year subscription at a reduced price for first-time subscribers or for subscriptions that have been expired for at least one year  those living in Jackson County and the Cherokee Indian Reservation (28719) addresses qualify. Offer good through Friday, Aug. 2, 2019.

We accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover; we do not accept AMEX.
PIGGS PEAK  It was another day of drama at the Piggs Peak Town Council yesterday.

This time, a meeting was disrupted, forcing the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mzwandile Ndzinisa, and councillors to abandon it. This follows the latest report by this publication that the CEO had been suspended by the Mayor, Victor Rodrigues. The meeting was held in the boardroom by councillors to discuss the CEOs suspension. While the meeting was in progress, police officer, Sergeant Busta Vilakati, who was accompanied by other members of the Piggs Peak Residents and Ratepayers Association, entered the meeting venue. Vilakati was not in uniform. Before he entered, councillors could be heard exchanging words, but it was not clear what they were discussing.

However, according to some of the councillors, who spoke on condition of anonymity, a motion had been suggested that the current mayor and his deputy should be suspended. Sibongile Magagula is the deputy mayor. It is alleged that at this time, the mayor briefly left the meeting and then returned. Later, Vilakati also arrived. When he entered the meeting venue, Vilakati could be heard him speaking though it was not clear what he was talking about from outside. After he had spoken, the CEO was then seen exiting the meeting while Vilakati followed him. Vilakati was then heard ordering the CEO to leave and asking why he was still at work despite his suspension. Hamba! shouted Vilakati. He also shouted at some of the councillors to also leave. I am giving you five minutes, shouted Vilakati. The off-duty police officer followed the councillors and the CEO downstairs to the parking area to make sure that they got into their vehicles and left, which they did.

commotion

The commotion left nurses who were conducting vaccination for COVID-19 terrified. Some of the nurses got out of the nearby offices and asked about the commotion. One of the nurses asked why so many councillors were afraid of only one person. Is he carrying a gun? asked one of the nurses as Vilakati kept shouting at the CEO and councillors to leave. The CEO, accompanied by councillors Victor Masango, Thembisile Dlamini, Sizwe, Themba and Mndeni GomorahSimelane grouped at a junction near the town council offices where they waited for police officers to arrive. The police officers arrived after about 20 minutes.

According to Vilakati, he requested the CEO to leave because he wanted to save his life. He said he had been receiving calls from some ratepayers as well as employees of the town council that the CEO was still at work. He claimed the people who called him were angry that the CEO was still in office despite his suspension. He warned that considering the ongoing protests, some pepole could end up bombing the civic centre if the CEO continued working. We dont want to see you at work tomorrow, warned Vilakati. He made the warning in the presence of police officers. When he was asked if he would go back to work, Ndzinisa declined to comment.
MANZINI  Pastor Sikhumbuzo Shongwe is asking the public to pray for him.

Shongwe said this yesterday while at the Manzini Magistrates Court where he made his first appearance after handing himself over to the police on Monday morning. He has been charged with two counts of attempted murder. Shongwe was wearing a caramel trench coat, grey tracksuit pants, grey hoodie sweater, black socks and blue and white slides. He said following the shooting incident, the law would take its course and during this process, the truth would hopefully come out. He further extended an apology to all the people who were affected by the act that resulted in his arrest. After apologising to the public, Shongwe pleaded for prayers during this difficult time. He said on the day of the shooting incident, he was supposed to travel to Ngwazini as one of his cousins was paying bride price (lobola) and he had reported at his church that he would not be present on the day. Meanwhile, court two of the Manzini Magistrates Court was an office for Shongwe.

business

In his four-hour wait to appear before a judicial officer, he had an opportunity to engage with his business partner, Thembinkosi Nkonyane. Nkonyane is the Director of Corban Hardware and is also related to Shongwes wife  Jabulile Nkonyane. The meeting saw Shongwe standing in the accused dock while his family members stood next to him outside the dock. According to the Corban Hardware director, the pair engaged on business issues as he introduced the couple to the hardware business.

It was gathered that Nkonyane empowered the Shongwes with the Corban Hardware branch located at Luve and now that Shongwe has been incarcerated and his wife in hospital, a solution was needed on how to manage the business in their absence.

It was gathered that it was out of this need that the meeting took place yesterday and while the pair engaged in the discussion, Shongwes sisters were also part of the meeting. The meeting took place at about 11am, just after Bishop Nash Shongwe arrived at the magistrates court to offer moral support to his son.

Leading to the meeting between Nkonyane and Shongwe, the latter had an opportunity to meet his father (bishop) and they exchanged pleasantries. Bishop Shongwe had walked into court with his sons fellow congregant at the All Nations Zion Church  Bishop Vusumuzi Maculuve. Bishop Maculuve briefly informed this publication that he had come to the court to give moral support to Shongwe while he was also praying for his injured wife. Also, socialite Themba Mthimbawawa Xaba was among the people who were in court to offer moral support to the accused person.
MBABANE  Despite being one politician who has on countless occasions questioned reckless decisions by government, MP Marwick Khumalo was on Monday asked why he was silent in Parliament.

This took place during an engagement on Twitter Space, where participants asked why he and his colleagues were silent. Why are you silent in Parliament when there are people incarcerated? These are the MPs who hold the same position that you hold. You havent said anything about it. As a seasoned and experienced politician, I want to know if Sibahle Sinje has decided that it doesnt want to involve itself in the issue of the MPs? asked one of the participants. In his usual calm self, the MP expressed that he liked the submission despite that it might have come from an uninformed opinion. He mentioned that since he joined politics, he had never had a talent of being silent.

Proximity

I think because of proximity, you might be uninformed about what transpires in our Parliament. Just to help you understand, after this incident, or before it, you will remember at some point I was out of the country when my colleagues were called sellouts. When I came back I am the one who spoke out on it and submitted that as MPs we had not come to represent a party so there was no way any one of us could be labelled sellouts, he said. He said he questioned why government was allegedly killing civilians for exercising their right and wondered if such meant being silent. Khumalo said he was never elected to be a church mouse as he believed that Parliament was not a synagogue. I will speak until I leave. Maybe, do not expect me to say what someone else has said as I do not want to sound boring. But I have no problem if I am asked whether I support what someone else has submitted. That is when you will get my side, he said.
MBABANE  The countrys Tinkhundla System of Government has become inunu (a monster) to many.

This assertion was made by experienced politician and Lobamba Lomdzala Member of Parliament (MP) Marwick Khumalo. The former radio personality was speaking during an engagement on social media platform, Twitter Space, which was hosted by an organisation called SwazisInDiaspora whose members include those based in other countries. According to its profile, SwazisInDiaspora is an independent social movement (non-partisan) whose main objective is to tell stories of emaSwati around the world. Worth noting was that this time around, the engagement attracted many participants, who included well-known people from various sectors and foreign media such as BBC. It lasted for over two hours with most of the participants boldly stating that they no longer wanted the monarchy as it had failed them while others said they wanted the country to become a republic.

Others did not want to entertain Khumalos submission of having a dialogue. As they made their submissions, criticising the countrys system and leadership, Khumalo would now and again advise them to consider consulting BakaNgwane, something which the participants did not want to entertain. As expected, while many appreciated having the MP join the session and felt his views were enlightening, others felt he was not responding properly to their questions. Worth noting was that Khumalo was his usual calm self as he would at times express appreciation to comments that were seemingly too much for him. Khumalo emphasised that he did not mean that things were perfect in previous years but that the whole political landscape had changed for the worst.

In vernacular the MP said; Tinkhundla, setijike nyalo taba yinunu, akusasiko loku. Sekwashintja. I know, I can see that lapho seyihambe khona seyiyayela.

He said he was speaking from a privileged position having been a practitioner in the system. Khumalo mentioned that todays situation had changed from what it was during the days of individuals he referred to as political stalwarts, including the late Albert Shabangu, Dr Sishayi Nxumalo and Arthur Khoza. According to Section 79 of the Constitution of Swaziland (Eswatini), the Tinkhundla is a system of government that is democratic and participatory on the tinkhundla level. Even though MP Khumalo did not mention any name, he stated that the situation was fine until one man came and the ship started to sink. That is a fact. It was not like this before. Some of us have been there and we know. The political machine that exists now, there is no one who defends it. Those who attempt are just doing lip-service. In Parliament right now, there is no politician who stands up and puts their foot down. We just do lip-service because we are paid, he stated.

Khumalo said such needed reforms so that development agencies and international organisations could assist the country. In his view, the country was slipping away from emaSwati and said recent incidents where property and infrastructure were burnt would make investors leave. This is serious, lelive liyasilimalela, he said. The participants of the session also raised a concern that legislators no longer questioned some of the bad decisions taken by government. It was brought by the participants to Khumalos attention that some years ago, he was in the forefront of a move by MPs to stop the purchasing of a private jet by government. The participants said Khumalo and his colleagues at the time stood their ground and won over government.

Electorate

In response, Khumalo first said he hoped the participants, as the electorate, would have the answer to such a question. He mentioned that he was a political practitioner in the field and wouldnt know what then happened. He admitted to having participated in such an exercise and spoke in jest saying it brought problems to him up to this day. I am trying to say that we believed at the time that we had that kind of autonomy to correct things and vote on those issues. The vote was serious such that at some point we felt government would win and since it was in the evening and journalists were present, we left one by one and did not form a quorum. And then the next day we came back in full force. That is when we voted against the purchase of the jet. But those were the days. Now it is a totally different ball game. Now the autonomy is no longer there because the past system used to allow differing views, Khumalo said.

He recounted how at one point a prince who was a minister spoke in jest about how certain people felt like Eswatini MPs were just rubberstamps, when the reality was that government was actually finding it hard to contain them. Indeed at the time government knew that when it tabled something in Parliament, it would be tough. However, the system then evolved and things were neutralised. My experience tells me that the tendency of intimidation by threatening to jail people started and things changed, he stated. Even though he did not elaborate, he mentioned that he was not the only one who was arrested by the government that was led by the late Prime Minister, Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini, as there were others as well. Meanwhile, he reiterated his call that the monarchy should remove itself from politics. One of the participants said most emaSwati had always had a soft spot for the monarchy no matter where they were in the world as they always ensured that they took on anyone who criticised it and the authorities.

The participant said such had changed as they had seen that the monarchy allegedly did not care about them. Khumalo mentioned that he was not oblivious to the fact that emaSwati saw things differently such that others spoke of a republic. He said he was of the belief that most of the citizens spoke of the monarchy being removed from politics. If you like the monarchy and have its interests at heart, you will only talk of it removing itself from politics. It is not a mistake what is happening in countries like the UK because politics is muddy. Now you dont want the institution involved, he said. He mentioned that people who saw things differently were regarded as ones who wanted to overthrow the State.

Monarchy

Utawuketula bese uba yinkhosi yaka-Khumalo njani nje? Let the monarchy be removed from the day to day political activities and allow the people to elect a government that will be accountable to them. I am dreaming of a country whereby you will have His Majestys government and have His Majestys opposition the same way it obtains in the UK, the MP submitted.
Bahrain had awarded a total of 1,070 tenders and auctions worth BD1.3 billion ($3.42 billion) during the first six months of the year, despite the difficult economic conditions triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new data released by Bahrains Tender Board.

Of this, the lion's share was for oil sector projects worth BD696 million followed by aviation (BD179 million) and the construction and engineering consultancy (BD155 million).

The total value of the tenders awarded has grown by 60% from BD820 million in the first half of 2020, which reflects the volume of economic activity in the kingdom, it stated.

The value of contracts in the field of services, auctions and investment amounted to approximately BD144.4 million, while the materials and equipment sector contracts were worth BD137 million.

According to Bahrains Tender Board data, Tatweer Petroleum was the highest selling agency in terms of the value of the tenders awarded in the first half with a value of BD547.4 million for 63 tenders, followed by the Bahrain Petroleum Company with a value of BD105.9 million for 31 tenders.

The Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning was in the second spot with a value of BD87.4 millon for 74 tenders, followed by the Electricity and Water Authority with a value of BD80.7 million for 74 tenders, and finally Gulf Air with a value of BD43.7 million for 59 tenders.

Tender and Auction Board Chairman Sheikh Nayef bin Khalid Al Khalifa said: "The 35% increase in the number of tenders awarded in the first half of this year reflects the growth rate witnessed by the main economic sectors in Bahrain, and the investment opportunities in Bahrain."

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and its direct impact on the supply and supply lines and the provision of services, we have succeeded in performing our duties to the fullest, while enabling the managing authorities to implement their plans and projects without any delay thanks to the adoption of an emergency plan in line with the instructions of the National Medical Team," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Omans University of Nizwa has registered a new patent for using nanotechnology to initiate change to Budesonide, the medicine used to treat inflammatory bowel disease.



Unlike the earlier undeveloped drug, the advanced Budesonide drug, which comes in capsules, has been developed to arrive intact in the colon. There the drug is extracted, using the acid nature of intestinal enzymes to deal directly with feces, reported Oman News Agency (ONA).



The medicine developed by Nizwa University spares patients high doses from existing capsules known to dissolve in the upper sections of the alimentary system and cause side-effects without benefiting the body.



International medical drug production companies were seeking ways to upgrade the efficiency of Budesonide. This prompted some major drug firms, like AstraZeneca, to contribute sums towards lab tests after the encouraging results of research at the University of Nizwa, which registered its patent for the same in the US.



The University of Nizwa hopes its invention would cause a shift forwards in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. The university is working in cooperation with drug firms to pave the way for clinical applications and streamline production.
Saudi Arabias Ministry of Interior has issued directives to allow direct entry of fully vaccinated expatriates from countries facing travel ban, an official source at the ministry has announced.

The diplomatic missions of the concerned countries have confirmed the receipt of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) directive in this regard.

The new decision will be applicable only to those foreigners who have a valid residency permit (iqama) and left the Kingdom on exit and re-entry visa after taking two doses of vaccine against coronavirus from Saudi Arabia, Saudi Gazette reported.

Currently, countries facing the travel ban are India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, UAE, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Lebanon.

The source said that the authorities had earlier allowed direct entry to Saudi citizens, as well as to foreign diplomats, health practitioners and their families from the countries facing travel ban.

All other segments required to spend 14-day quarantine in a third country before their entry into the Kingdom.

Indian Ambassador Dr. Ausaf Sayeed said that the embassy had received a circular from the Agency for Foreign Missions at MOFA in which it says that the competent authority had issued approval for lifting the suspension of direct entry to the Kingdom for residents from the countries on the travel ban list.

Dr. Sayeed added: We will continue our efforts for the direct entry of the most majority of expatriates who have already received two doses of vaccine from India or those who took first dose of vaccine from Saudi Arabia and the second dose from India.

The 2.6 million Indians make up nearly one-third of the expatriate population in the Kingdom.

The Embassy of Pakistan in Riyadh too thanked the Saudi leadership for the decision that will benefit thousands of Pakistani expatriates.

Indonesian Consul General Eko Hartono also welcomed the Saudi decision and said: "Though this decision will benefit only a small segment of Indonesians, we are waiting for the big news of direct entry for all the Indonesians who received two doses of vaccine from the home country.
With medical examinations being mandatory from August for private sector professions related to industries impacting public health, Bahrains Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) has invited all public and private sector employees to avail of the periodic medical checkup appointment service via the National Portal, bahrain.bh.

iGA Deputy Chief Executive of eTransformation, Dr Zakareya Ahmed AlKhajah explained that this service, provided by iGA in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, streamlines appointment bookings, supports entities which play a role in combating communicable diseases, and aids national efforts to protect public health.

He revealed that 702,959 appointments have been booked via the portal since 2016 up until June 2021.

Dr AlKhajah added that this eService has now been further improved, allowing it to electronically identify which industries and professions meet the criteria of the recently implemented mandatory checkup, and determine if additional medical tests are needed in line with the nature of these jobs. This covers salons, cosmetic packaging and sales businesses, massage outlets, food preparation and sales establishments such as hotels and F&B stores at public and private leisure locations, food warehouses, mills and bakeries, and others. The service made possible by linking to Ministry of Industry, Commerce & Tourism data, has been renamed on the National Portal to Periodic Medical Examination Services.

Dr AlKhajah noted that this is among several medical eServices the iGA provides through the portal. Others include viewing and rescheduling of appointments and accessing health reports for individuals and business owners.

The eService has sped up procedures, saving business owners and individuals time and effort by reducing the need for in-person visits to health centers. In addition, it relies on paperless reports, reducing government expenditure and environmental impact.

The Government Services Contact Center can be contacted on 80008001 or via the Tawasul app or follow the iGA on its social media channels @iGABahrain to obtain more details about the Periodic Medical Checkup Services.  TradeArabia News Service
Qatar Petroleum has awarded a major engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for its North Field Expansion Project to Tecnicas Reunidas, a Madrid-based contractor that provides EPC services to the energy industry.



Tecnicas Reunidas will act as the EPC contractor for the expansion of existing liquid products (condensate, propane and butane) storage and loading facilities and the expansion of import facilities for Mono-Ethylene Glycol within Ras Laffan Industrial City, as well as other ancillary facilities and pipelines serving the North Field Expansion Project.



These new facilities will be utilised to handle liquid products from the four new LNG trains comprising the North Field East (NFE) project, which is scheduled to start-up before the end of 2025. The facilities will also support two new LNG trains comprising the North Field South (NFS) project.



Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs, The President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum said: The award of this major EPC contract is a part of the North Field Expansion Project, which supports the further development of Qatars substantial natural gas resources and reinforces our position as the worlds largest LNG producer.



The contract provides for the expansion of the existing infrastructure required to ensure the safe loading and on-time delivery of associated liquid products to our international customers. We look forward to working with Tecnicas Reunidas to deliver this important project in a safe, timely and successful manner.



The award of this contract is the culmination of front-end engineering and design (FEED) work that began in early 2018, and represents another important milestone to deliver on Qatar Petroleums commitment to significantly increase Qatars LNG production capacity. When completed, the NFE project will increase Qatars LNG production capacity from 77 million tons per annum (MTPA) to 110 MTPA, while the NFS project will further increase Qatars LNG production capacity from 110 MTPA to 126 MTPA.



Al-Kaabi added: The NFE project, with a capacity of 32 MTPA, is the largest LNG project ever to be undertaken. I would like to thank Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the CEO of Qatargas, and his team for their valuable contributions to the project, and to commend the world-class performance of Qatar Petroleum and Qatargas project teams to successfully deliver on this ambitious mission.



Activities on the ground are progressing well on all fronts and according to plan, and we are on target to deliver the first LNG from the NFE project by the end of 2025.



As part of the contract, Tecnicas Reunidas will perform the detailed engineering work in Qatar, leveraging the growing technical capabilities in the country for the development of major projects.  TradeArabia News Service
Mauritius has further eased travel protocols for vaccinated travellers as such guests would spend only seven days in a special resort bubble hotel before going out to discover more of the Indian Ocean paradise.



Arvind Bundhun, Director of Mauritian Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), said: This is a major leap towards 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 prior to embarkation will be able to explore the island freely from the moment they arrive.



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.



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, a statement said.  TradeArabia News Service
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New Delhi, Aug 25 (UNI) Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday slammed the Uttar Pradesh government for not increasing sugarcane prices for the last three years, and cited the example of Punjab, which hiked it yesterday.

"The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, which came with a promise of Rs 400 per quintal for sugarcane, has not raised a single penny on the prices for the last three years," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet on Wednesday.

She said in Uttar Pradesh, farmers are threatened when they raise their voice.

She also compared it with Punjab, where the Congress led government agreed to increase sugarcane prices after demand by farmers.

"The Congress government of Punjab listened to the farmers and raised the price of sugarcane to Rs 360 per quintal," she said.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday approved a hike of Rs 35 per quintal in the state agreed price (SAP) for sugarcane crop.

The farmers will now get Rs. 360 per quintal. The decision was taken after protests by farmers, and a series of meetings between the government and farmers.

After the announcement, the Samyukt Kisan Morch, an umbrella body of farmer organisation participating in protests against new farm laws, said farmers agreed to the hike.

A statement by SKM said it was a "historical achievement" for the farmers.

UNI AO
ELIZABETH URBAN is News Editor for The Vidette. Urban can be contacted at emurba1@ilstu.edu. Follow Urban on Twitter at @eliizabethurban.

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BTEC in Music Performance

The Department of Education in collaboration with the Gibraltar Academy of Music and Performing Arts is pleased to announce the launch of the Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Music Performance.

The BTEC in Music Performance is for post-16 learners who want to continue their education through applied learning in practical musicianship. The qualification has been developed to ensure that it supports progression to higher education.

The qualification is equivalent in size to one A Level and aims to provide a programme of study covering both performance and the music industry. It is designed to be taken alongside other Level 3 qualifications and carries the same UCAS points. This course is recognised by higher education providers as contributing to admission requirements for university courses.

Employers and professional bodies have been involved and consulted to confirm that the content is appropriate and consistent with current practice for learners planning to enter employment directly in the music sector which includes; Performance techniques, communication skills and team work. It also gives learners an opportunity to focus on their personal vocal or instrumental technique through solo and ensemble performance.

BTEC Nationals provide a vocational context in which learners can develop the knowledge and skills required for particular degree courses.

This course will boost the already existing portfolio of vocational courses on offer to students locally.

GAMPA will work with the Gibraltar College and the two comprehensives in making this a reality.

Minister for Education and Culture John Cortes said: This is an exciting development and one more step in our policy of widening vocational opportunities for young people. It has been a please working with GAMPA and using their expertise and resources together with the experience of the Gibraltar College in making this a reality. The performing Arts are very strong in Gibraltar and we have to encourage this.

Keri Scott, Designate Director of Education, expressed her gratitude to GAMPA for partnering with our College and schools on this project and explained: We are delighted to be offering our young people with an additional qualification through which talented music performers can capitalise on their skills and talent.

Christian Santos, Principal of GAMPA, said: It is a pleasure to be able to work together with the Department of Education in order to offer students the opportunity to continue their musical education through a different vocational pathway.
ALEXANDRIA, La. -- In the past few months pediatricians have seen widespread cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, in the southern states. RSV is a common respiratory virus that causes cold-like symptoms in kids. Young children can have more severe symptoms.

Now, with the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19, and vaccines not available for children under 12, pediatricians are seeing kids who have RSV and COVID.

Dr. Bridgett Foreman, an internal medicine and pediatrics doctor at CHRISTUS St. Francis Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria, said testing positive for RSV does not rule out COVID-19. So, kids should be tested for both.

And so, if we fall into that trap of saying, 'Oh, well, they don't have COVID because they have RSV, sure, that kid should still be kept away from other kids, because RSV is contagious too, she said. But we may not be adequately identifying other people who've been exposed to COVID because we missed COVID in that child, and we do know that kids can spread COVID. And so, it's important to be suspicious of any of those symptoms that could be consistent with COVID.

Foreman said any child who has symptoms should get tested. And if symptoms persist after a day or two, get tested again.

And I think you should assume you know, in taking those risks, is it necessary to go to this birthday party? Is it necessary to go to the grocery store and take the whole family? Is it necessary to visit grandparents if there's any infectious symptoms? Foreman said. If you think it's allergies, you think it's sinus, even with a negative test, I would reassess how important it is to do those things and try and keep sick people home and out of these public environments and away from other family members who may be at risk.

Symptoms for RSV and COVID can look the same. So, Foreman says parents should be vigilant. And if their child shows signs of being sick, make sure the doctor tests for both.
City OKs Agreement for Airport Terminal Project

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - At their meeting Tuesday evening, the Paducah City Commission approved an interlocal agreement related to the Barkley Regional Airport terminal project, and recognized organizations who helped in the recent Southside Rise and Shine Neighborhood Spruce-up.The mayor and commissioners voted unanimously to approve the agreement between the city and McCracken County and the Barkley Regional Airport Authority. It establishes that an equal portion of the local share of the terminal project will be paid by the city and county, with the latest estimate for that cost at $5.8 million. The Airport is receiving federal and state funding along with fundraising efforts that will cover approximately 87% of the total cost. Phase one of the project, which involves dirt work and some utilities, is already underway.Mayor George Bray proclaimed Tuesday as "Southside Rise and Shine Day," reading and signing the proclamation at the meeting. They recognized businesses and organizations who attended neighborhood celebrations while also sharing resources and information to make the eight-week event a success. Businesses honored were:CFSBLotusMcCracken County Cooperative Extension ServiceMcCracken County Public LibraryStrengthening Families & Communities9th Street Church of ChristBobs Drive-In RestaurantCalvary Baptist ChurchChurch of the Living GodGrace Baptist ChurchHousing Authority of PaducahPaducah Lowes Store #2460Commissioners also approved contracts for services between the City and the following agencies:Carson Center  City is providing $45,000 to support the performing arts center.Sprocket, Inc.  City is providing $35,000 in support of Sprocket.Greater Paducah Economic Development  City is providing $250,000 in support of GPEC. A check presentation ceremony was held with GPED President/CEO Bruce Wilcox.A municipal order approved accepting an additional round of Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funding in the amount of $185,093. These funds will be used to reimburse payroll expenses for police officers and firefighters.A resolution was approved in support of McCracken Countys submission of a recertification application as a Work Ready Community. McCracken County initially earned the certification as a Work Ready Community in 2015.
Jury Convicts Stalcup of Murdering Ex-Wife

By Bill Hughes

PADUCAH - A McCracken Circuit Court jury on Tuesday found Anthony Stalcup guilty of murdering his ex-wife in 2019.Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Chuck Walter said the jury of twelve reached the verdict after deliberating for a little over three hours. Judge Tim Kaltenbach then allowed testimony for the penalty phase of the trial, and after deliberating for about another hour, the jury recommended a sentence of 35 years in prison.The range of penalty could have been anywhere between 20-50 years, or life in prison. Walter said the defense asked the jury for mercy based on Stalcup's age of 66.Regarding the verdict and sentence, Walter said, "We're very pleased with that. We're happy with the result in general. It was a tough murder case to try. We felt like the jury worked some justice for Judy Stalcup."Anthony Stalcup also plead guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and faces a sentence of 5-10 years on that charge.He will have to serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole. Kaltenbach is scheduled to sentence Stalcup on November 17.Judy Stalcup was shot July 10, 2019 in the Noble Road home she shared with her ex-husband. Deputies found her with a gunshot wound near the back of her armpit, and detectives didn't believe the wound could be self-inflicted. She died less than an hour later at a hospital.Anthony told several versions of his story to detectives, but eventually said he fired the gun, which was under his pillow on a couch. He reportedly told detectives he had been contemplating suicide, but pulled the trigger to scare his ex-wife in the next room.
Hardin County Schools Closed; Over 25% Absent

By West Kentucky Star Staff

ELIZABETHTOWN - Hardin County Schools in southern Illinois have seen more than a quarter of their students stay home this week, and their superintendent has decided to close schools for the rest of the week.Superintendent Andy Edmondson wrote to parents on the school website on Tuesday that the missed days will be considered "school emergency days." This means there will be no school work assigned and no meals delivered for the three days. The days will be made up at the end of the year.The superintendent did not specify whether the absences were from COVID-related illness, or if parents were keeping children home out of concern for safety.The Southern Seven Health Department website lists about three dozen active COVID cases in the county of just under 4,000 population. The school system had an enrollment of about 520 students last year.Here is Edmondon's letter to parents in its entirety:
Drones, Dog Used in Graves County Manhunt

By West Kentucky Star Staff

GRAVES COUNTY - A five-hour manhunt ended in the arrest of a burglary suspect in Graves County on Wednesday.The Graves County Sheriff's Office said they received a 911 call around noon about a possible burglary in progress in the area of Merit Road.The homeowner was not at home, but received an alert on his phone from a security system that showed a man at his house. The homeowner arrived and noticed a newer model truck parked in his driveway and pulled in and blocked the vehicle in.The suspect had allegedly gone to another residence and was attempting to steal gasoline from a vehicle there. After finding the man on his property, the homeowner held him at gunpoint and called 911.The suspect ran into a cornfield when deputies arrived.While deputies searched for the suspect they discovered his vehicle had recently been stolen from a dealership in Cadiz. A different stolen pickup with Texas plates was recovered from the Cadiz dealership when the dealer learned they had a vehicle stolen from them.Drones from Calloway and Carlisle County were also involved with the search as well as a K9 unit from McCracken County.The search ended around 5:30 pm when the suspect emerged from a field onto KY Highway 80.The man had no identification but claimed to be 37-year-old Rocky A. Autry of Spur, Texas. Police will verify his identity through fingerprint analysis.He was charged with criminal trespass, receiving stolen property valued at over $10,000, criminal mischief, attempted theft, and fleeing or evading.
Marshall County Named Economic Development Winner

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MARSHALL COUNTY - The Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC) has announced the recipients of its annual Community Economic Development Awards (CEDA). Marshall County was named the winner in the category of communities 15,001 to 40,000 in population.Winners were recognized at an awards luncheon held Monday, August 16, at SEDCs annual conference in Tampa, Florida.The projects/programs submitted were recognized in the categories of business retention and expansion, business recruitment, community development and community involvement. Entries were evaluated on their innovativeness, transferability, community commitment and leverage, measured objectives and secondary benefits.Marshall County won for Southwest One Industrial Park, the community's first multi-tenant industrial park. Southwest One has completely changed the communitys ability to compete for projects and has allowed Marshall County to plan strategic marketing and lead generation efforts focusing on targeted sectors.
Name of Graves County Shooting Victim Released

By West Kentucky Star Staff

HICKORY - Detectives with the Kentucky State Police, Post 1 continue to investigate a shooting Tuesday night on Makenzie Circle in Graves County that left one person dead.Police began receiving reports of shots fired near the apartment complexes on McKenzie Circle in Hickory just after 6:30 pm.Police have identified the victim as 28-year-old Darian Williams of Hickory. Preliminary autopsy results show Williams died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds to the body.Detectives continue to gather information and follow all leads to develop a suspect. Anyone with information regarding this situation is asked to contact Kentucky State Police, Post 1 at 270-856-3721
One Lane Open Each Way on I-24 After Fatal Crash

By West Kentucky Star Staff

CALVERT CITY - A crash that involved four vehicles near Calvert City has claimed at least one person's life.Officials say one lane of traffic is now moving along Interstate 24 in each direction, following an accident reconstruction investigation by Kentucky State Police.An oil tanker truck caught fire in the median after the accident near the 29 mile marker in Marshall County. The remaining oil will have to be pumped out of the trailer before the scene can be cleared, and officials will have to close one side of the interstate for approximately an hour to remove the truck.It's estimated that it could be at least 10 pm before normal traffic resumes through the area.Westbound vehicles have been detouring using KY 453 at exit 31 in Grand Rivers and may use US 62 to rejoin the Interstate at exit 27.Eastbound vehicles are detouring onto US-62 at exit 27 in Calvert City and traveling to Grand Rivers by KY 453 and onto I-24 at exit 31, or they may continue on US 62 until they get to exit 40 at Eddyville.
Wickliffe Traffic Stop Ends in Drug Arrest

By West Kentucky Star Staff

WICKLIFFE - A traffic stop and a K9 unit helped lead to a drug arrest in Ballard County.The Ballard County Sheriff's Office says deputies pulled a vehicle over around 1 am Tuesday morning on US 51 North in Wickliffe for not having a rear license plate illuminated.The driver was identified as Phillip Brahnam, of Apple Valley, CA. During the traffic stop, Ballard Sheriff K9 Kony, was deployed and allegedly alerted to the presence of illegal drugs in the vehicle. Deputies say they found Methamphetamine and other items associated with illegal drug use during a search of the vehicle.Brahnam was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance 1st degree. possession of drug paraphernalia and a rear license not illuminated.
Some Nations End Kabul Evacuations, Deadline Looms

By The Associated Press

KABUL - Poland ended its evacuations from Afghanistan, but other European nations vowed Wednesday to press on for as long as possible, as the clock ticks down on a dramatic airlift of people fleeing Taliban rule ahead of a full American withdrawal.President Joe Biden said he will stick to his Aug. 31 deadline for completing the U.S. pullout, as the Taliban insisted he must, ramping up pressure on the already risky operation to fly people out of Kabul.European allies pressed for more time but lost the argument, and as a practical matter, they may be forced to end their evacuations before the last American troops leave. Several countries have not said yet when they plan to end their operations, perhaps hoping to avoid yet another fatal crush at an airport, one of the last ways out of the country.The Taliban wrested back control of Afghanistan nearly 20 years after they were ousted in a U.S.-led invasion following the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida orchestrated while being sheltered by the group. Their return to power has pushed many Afghans to flee, fearing reprisals or a return to the brutal rule they imposed when they last ran the country.Thousands of people are still thought to be trying to leave, and it's not clear that all of them will be able to before the end of the month. But any decision by Biden to stay longer could reignite fighting between the Taliban and Western troops running the airlift."Due to extreme tension on the ground ... and the scheduled departure of American forces, these evacuations are a true race against time," French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday. He said that his country's evacuation would likely end "a few hours, maybe a few days ahead" of the American departure.The Taliban said they would allow normal commercial air traffic to resume when they assume control of the airport after Aug. 31, but it's unclear whether airlines would be willing to fly into an airport controlled by the militants.With the deadline looming, Marcin Przydacz, a Polish deputy foreign minister, said Wednesday that Poland had evacuated its last group after consulting with U.S. and British officials."After a long analysis of reports on the security situation, we cannot risk the lives of our diplomats and of our soldiers any longer," Przydacz said.A number of troops will remain briefly to wrap up operations, Przydacz said. Poland has used over a dozen planes to bring hundreds of evacuees to Warsaw. Some later traveled on to other countries.The Czech Republic declared its own evacuation mission complete last week, and Hungary said it plans to end its operations soon.The White House said Wednesday around 19,000 people were evacuated from Kabul over the last 24 hours. It said the U.S. has evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of around 82,300 people since August 14.Secretary of State Antony Blinken was to elaborate later Wednesday on details of the evacuation of Americans. The State Department has not publicly said how many Americans it believes are still hoping to leave.Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the military will "continue to evacuate needed populations all the way to the end." But he added that in the final days and hours there will have to be a balance as the 5,400 troops in Kabul and critical systems also need to be withdrawn.In Kabul itself, life has been slow to return to normal, but many people  especially women  are staying inside, fearful of the Taliban or the general instability.Kabul Mayor Dawood Sultanzoy said many city workers have yet to return to work, with the absence of experienced staff hindering normal operations. But he said the city has begun to remove the blast walls that became ubiquitous in recent years as the Taliban and other armed groups carried out bombings and other attacks against the Western-backed government.The Taliban say the decades of war are over and there will be no revenge attacks on people who opposed them. But many Afghans distrust the group, and there have been reports of summary executions and other abuses in areas under Taliban control. Many fear a return to the Taliban's hard-line Islamic rule of the 1990s, when women were largely confined to their homes.Chaos at the Kabul airport has transfixed the world after the Taliban captured most of Afghanistan in a matter of days this month. Afghans poured onto the tarmac last week, and some clung to a U.S. military transport plane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths. At least seven people died that day, and another seven died Sunday in a panicked stampede.Thousands have thronged the airport in the days since, and the U.S. and its allies have worked to speed the evacuation, sometimes flying people out before their paperwork is fully processed and bringing them to transit points. On Wednesday, a group of 51 people landed in Uganda, which became the first African nation to serve as a transit point.European nations, including American allies Germany and the United Kingdom, had pressed for a longer window to continue evacuations. However, Biden has stuck to the August date, even after an emergency online summit of the Group of Seven nations.That left European nations with no choice but to abide by the deadline."That the overall deployment literally stands and falls with the stance of the militarily strongest member of the alliance, the U.S., was always clear to us," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a speech to parliament."We will continue the evacuation operation for as long as possible," she added, without specifying when operations would end.For now, the U.S. military coordinates all air traffic in and out of the Kabul airport. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen tweeted that "people with legal documents" will be able to fly out of Kabul airport via commercial flights after the August deadline.On Wednesday, a stream of military planes took off from the airfield as evacuees lined up on the tarmac. The desperate remained outside, some standing knee-deep in sewage and waving identity documents at Western soldiers in hopes of being allowed to go beyond the barbed wire fencing and onto a flight out.While the final withdrawal date just under a week away, analyst Patricia Lewis said the practical deadline for the evacuations to stop was "the next couple of days.""There's a huge amount of stuff that has to be done, including getting all the people out who are doing the job and all the equipment," said Lewis, who is the director of the international security program at Chatham House, an international think tank."All of the allies are highly dependent on the U.S. for military cover, particularly air cover," Lewis said. "They can't put their own people at risk, so it really depends on when the U.S. starts packing up."
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-24 20:16:02|Editor: huaxia

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by Benedictus Robert Yota

JAKARTA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing public activity restrictions in Indonesia due to the COVID-19 pandemic have forced many businesses to close down. However, the public's limited mobility has also inspired many young people to start their own business at home.

Nathania Suryana, owner of a cold-pressed celery juice brand based in Tangerang city in Banten province, launched her enterprise two years ago.

She was an avid consumer of celery juice before, and saw a growing demand for healthy drinks in Indonesia.

"Especially since the pandemic started, our income has steadily grown by two to three times compared to pre-pandemic levels," Suryana told Xinhua recently.

To further boost her sales, Suryana has sent giveaways to her followers on social media, released bundle packages with special prices, as well as handed out free delivery promos.

Anthony Stryfe, owner of a cafe in the Gading Serpong area in Tangerang, began selling themed gift boxes online during Christmas last year, and has continued the business by creating the Eid al-Fitr and Quarantine packages since then.

The gift boxes contain coffee and tea beverages, cookies, and other pastries made by Stryfe's cafe.

"This year, our online sales have grown quickly. As of now, sales from the boxes contribute to half of my cafe's total income," said Stryfe.

Vina Permatasari, producer of the artisan garlic butter based in South Tangerang city in Banten province, started her business in May last year, just two months after the first COVID-19 pandemic case was found in the country.

"When I first introduced my garlic butter brand, I didn't have any competitors selling the same thing. The product is unique in Indonesia, perfect for home cooking, and goes well with many dishes," she said.

According to Permatasari, there was a noticeable 20 percent year-on-year increase in her sales during this year's June to July period compared to the same period last year.

She attributed the revenue increase to the public activity restrictions that have been in place since early July, making people stay at home more and shop online.

"So far, the pandemic has in a way benefited my business. My product is targeting people who cook at home either as a hobby or a way to cut spending, both of which have been growing in this pandemic," added Permatasari.

On Monday, the Indonesian government extended its public activity restrictions, locally known as PPKM on the country's most populated island of Java and the resort island of Bali, as well as a number of provinces outside the two islands for another week, until Aug. 30. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 09:58:29|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Australia's national science agency has developed a tool capable of forecasting the number of coronavirus infections on each international flight to the country.

The model, which was developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), uses the number of incoming travellers and the rate of COVID-19 infection in their country of origin to estimate case numbers aboard a flight.

Jess Liebig, a CSIRO research scientist, said it would act as another tool to aid government decisions on travel restrictions and opening borders.

"The model is a flexible framework that can be used to quantify the effects of travel restrictions and to evaluate proposed relaxations," she said in a media release on Wednesday.

"It also enables us to pinpoint the groups of travellers most likely to be carrying the virus, so authorities can more efficiently direct healthcare and biosecurity control strategies."

In a study published on Wednesday, Liebig's team applied the model to two different scenarios; one with open international borders and one with actual travel restrictions imposed by the federal government between January and June 2020.

They found that the restrictions reduced the number of COVID-19 cases brought into Australia by 88 percent.

"Our modelling shows that without travel restrictions, over 48,000 COVID-19 cases were likely to have been imported to Australia from January to May 2020," Liebig said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 11:31:51|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand reported 62 new community cases of Delta variant of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases in the community outbreak to 210.

The total number of community cases in the country's largest city Auckland is 198, and 12 are in the capital Wellington, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told a press conference.

Of these 62 new cases, 36 are female and 26 are male.

All of the cases have or are being transferred safely to a managed isolation facility, under strict infection prevention and control procedures, including the use of full PPE (personal protective equipment), he said.

"As previously indicated, it's not unexpected to see a rise in daily case numbers at this stage. At its peak last year, New Zealand had a daily total of 89 new cases," he added.

There are currently six epidemiologically-linked sub-clusters identified within this outbreak, Bloomfield said.

New Zealand will remain at the top level 4 national lockdown until midnight Friday, subject to another review on that day. The country has moved to a lockdown since midnight Aug. 17 after the first COVID-19 Delta variant case in the Auckland community was identified.

Under the Alert Level 4 lockdown, businesses and schools are closed except for essential ones such as supermarkets, pharmacies and service stations.

Meanwhile, New Zealand reported one new case in recent returnees who came from India, and has remained in a managed isolation and quarantine facility in Auckland, said a Ministry of Health statement.

The total number of active cases being managed in New Zealand is currently 246, and the number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic is 2,803, it said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 13:20:03|Editor: huaxia

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SYDNEY, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The hospital system in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) is under challenge, as the state's new locally acquired COVID-19 cases soared to over 900 on Wednesday.

The Westmead Hospital, a major hospital in the worst-hit area of Sydney's current outbreak, said it is no longer operating in a business-as- usual environment and careful assessment and response is required to manage future demand for its services.

"Yesterday, Westmead Hospital emailed all staff declaring they are 'standing up an Emergency Operations Centre to support an internal disaster management response' due to the overwhelming amount of COVID cases at the facility," NSW Greens MP and health spokesperson Cate Faehrmann tweeted.

Faehrmann said internal communications sent to her by frustrated health workers showed that the state's public health system is "shockingly unprepared to cope with the current outbreak".

Local media Sydney Morning Herald also reported that the Westmead Hospital is conducting an urgent review of its critical care capacity, emergency department flow, COVID-19 wards and ambulance offloading.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard acknowledged on Wednesday's press conference that the health system is working under pressure.

"Westmead staff are managing about 1,500 patients in the community and about 121 staff are in their wards. There are about 23 currently in ICU. That is a pressure situation for them," he said.

"I'll stress that it isn't easy. Last week, Westmead Hospital had 280 patients who came in by ambulance with COVID. So about 40 ambulance deliveries a day with COVID."

He said the Westmead Hospital would work with private hospitals in the local area to ensure some patients are able to be looked after in the private hospital as well.

"I'm confident that we have maybe a system that is under pressure but a system that works," Hazzard said.

The situation came as NSW, the epicenter of the latest outbreak, recorded 919 new local cases on Wednesday, the biggest daily increase since Australia's COVID outbreak started early last year, and two deaths including a woman in her 30s and a man in his 80s. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 14:55:19|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Sixteen evacuees from Afghanistan have tested positive for COVID-19, local media reports said Wednesday.

The 16 were among the 78 that landed in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Reports said all the passengers have been quarantined as a measure of precaution.

The tests were conducted upon their arrival at the Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi.

"All 16 returnees are said to be asymptomatic - patients who don't exhibit any symptoms for the virus," a media report said.

So far 626 people, including 228 Indian citizens and 77 Afghan nationals belonging to the Sikh community, have been evacuated from Afghanistan.

A directive issued by the federal health ministry on Monday said people arriving from Afghanistan would have to undergo a mandatory minimum 14-day institutional quarantine.

Officials said the Indian government was working closely with the United States, whose forces control the interior sections of the Kabul airport, to facilitate the return of its stranded citizens.

Kabul fell to the Taliban on Aug. 15 after President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani fled the country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 15:13:03|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Philippine exports to China have "increased significantly" during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, the Department of Trade and Industry said late Tuesday, attributing the result to Duterte's independent foreign policy stance.

During a meeting at the presidential palace, Philippine Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Philippine exports to China reached 9.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2019, witnessing an increase of 59 percent in four years.

"From January to June 2021, our export to China reached 5.5 billion U.S. dollars or an increase of 34 percent compared to the same period in 2020," he added.

"China has widely accepted our export products, making it easy for our products to enter the Chinese market," Lopez said.

Meanwhile, Chinese investments kept pouring into the Philippines during the Duterte administration, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, adding the Philippines gained from Duterte's independent foreign policy stance.

After Duterte assumed the presidency in 2016, he announced that his administration would pursue an independent foreign policy.

Lopez also said the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by 15 participating countries in November last year was "another good thing" during the Duterte administration.

"The RCEP is a historic free trade agreement," Lopez said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 16:50:32|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Indian government said on Wednesday Afghan nationals intending to travel to India must apply for e-Visa.

The decision has been taken in view of the situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has taken control of the country.

"Owing to the prevailing security situation in Afghanistan and streamlining of the visa process by introduction of the e-Emergency X-Misc visa, it has been decided that all Afghan nationals henceforth must travel to India only on e-Visa," read a statement issued by India's home ministry.

The ministry said previously issued visas to Afghan nationals, who are currently not in India, stand cancelled.

"Keeping in view some reports that certain passports of Afghan nationals have been misplaced, previously issued visas to all Afghan nationals, who are presently not in India, stand invalidated with immediate effect. Afghan nationals wishing to travel to India may apply for e-Visa," the ministry further said.

On Tuesday, a federal government minister Hardeep Singh Puri said so far 626 people, including 228 Indian citizens and 77 Afghan nationals belonging to the Sikh community, have been evacuated from Afghanistan.

Officials in the Indian government said they were working closely with the United States, whose forces control interior sections of the Kabul airport, to facilitate the return of its stranded citizens.

The Taliban swept across Afghanistan this month, seizing control of almost all key towns and cities in the backdrop of withdrawal of the U.S. forces that began on May 1.

Kabul fell to the Taliban on Aug. 15 as President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 16:57:53|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 13,573 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,883,088.

The DOH added that the death toll climbed to 32,492 after 228 more patients died from the viral disease, adding that seven laboratories failed to submit reports.

On Monday, the Philippines reported its highest single-day spike with 18,332 new cases as the DOH declared the community transmission of the Delta variant in Metro Manila and the adjacent region.

Takeshi Kasai, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Western Pacific, expressed concern over the surge of coronavirus infections in the Philippines, urging people "to take their role" in suppressing the virus transmission.

The WHO said the Delta variant has the highest transmissibility of all the variants of concern. Kasai described the Delta variant as a "real threat which is testing the capacity of even the strongest public health systems in our regions."

The Philippines has detected a total of 1,273 Delta variant cases, including 26 deaths.

Kasai urged people to get the vaccines and continue practicing safety measures to curb the infections.

The Philippines, which has around 110 million population, has tested over 17 million people since the outbreak in January 2020. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 18:51:24|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 18,671 within one day to 4,026,837, with the death toll adding by 1,041 to 129,293, the country's Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

According to the ministry, 33,703 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of patients recovering from COVID-19 to 3,639,867.

To date, at least 33.09 million people in the country have received two shots of vaccines, while 59. 01 million have taken the first doses, the ministry added.

Indonesia has given its emergency use approval to Russia's Sputnik-V COVID-19 vaccine, the country's National Agency of Drug and Food Control said in a statement on Wednesday.

Since January, the agency has issued emergency use approval for seven COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, namely Sinovac, BioFarma, Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer and Sputnik-V. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 21:12:48|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- An experts' panel has recommended the reopening of schools in Delhi in a phased manner, as the number of COVID-19 cases has fallen over the past several weeks.

The Indian capital recorded 39 new COVID-19 cases and zero deaths on Tuesday.

Schools in the city have been shut since March last year, after the pandemic hit the country, with Delhi gradually being one of the most affected places in the country.

Regular classes and examinations have been conducted online since the closure of schools. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) recently declared results of students of 10th and 12th standards while following a "tabulation policy" without conducting the annual examinations.

Set up by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), the panel in its report suggested to the Delhi government that initially senior students, those studying in 11th and 12th standards, should be allowed to schools, followed by middle standard students and ultimately primary and lower standards.

According to a Delhi government official, the report will be studied in detail and a final decision will be taken soon.

A teacher with a Delhi government school said that recently the students studying in senior standards were allowed to visit their respective schools to discuss and solve their problems with their teachers.

Local media reports said that earlier this month Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal asked officials to set up an expert committee to chalk out a detailed plan to reopen schools as pandemic cases had declined in the national capital. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 21:59:31|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers have been found dead at an area of protected forest in Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh, a local official confirmed on Wednesday.

The decaying bodies of a female tiger and two cubs have been found by local authorities in a forest situated in Meukek village, South Aceh District, where hunter traps were also found.

Aceh's Natural Resources Conservation Agency's Head Agus Arianto said that the agency is still investigating the case.

"We suspect that they were entangled. However, we are still investigating whether the snares were made for tigers or other animals," Arianto was quoted by state news agency Antara as saying.

The Sumatran tiger, the only surviving species of the Sunda Islands tiger, has been listed as a critically endangered species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List since 2008. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 22:33:03|Editor: huaxia

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TOKYO, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) is planning to build an approximately 1-km undersea tunnel to release contaminated radioactive water from the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant out to sea, local media reported Wednesday.

The Japanese government decided in April to start discharging the water from around spring of 2023.

The country's decision to dump Fukushima contaminated water into the sea has received strong criticism from its neighboring countries including China.

China has expressed serious concerns about Japan's decision to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear station, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian saying that China urged the Japanese side to take a responsible attitude and treat the issue of nuclear waste disposal with caution.

Zhao stressed that proper disposal of nuclear waste is related to international public interests and the vital interests of neighboring countries, which should be handled carefully and properly to avoid further damaging the marine environment, food safety and human health.

Meanwhile, South Korea has also voiced its "grave concerns," with Foreign Ministry spokesman Choi Young-sam saying "it will be difficult to accept if the Japanese side decides to release the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant without sufficient consultations."

TEPCO is seeking to start full-scale construction of the tunnel in early 2022 after applying to the Nuclear Regulation Authority for a review of the construction plan, according to local media.

More than 1 million tons of treated water has accumulated since a massive earthquake and tsunami, which triggered a triple meltdown at the Fukushima plant in March 2011.

Water pumped into the ruined reactors at the Fukushima plant to cool the melted fuel, mixed with rain and groundwater, which has also been contaminated, is being treated using an advanced liquid processing system to remove most contaminants, according to local media.

However, substances like tritium -- a radioactive byproduct of nuclear reactors -- are hard to filter out.

According to some marine experts, traces of ruthenium, cobalt, strontium, and plutonium isotopes in the wastewater also raise concerns.

The decision to release the contaminated water offshore into the Pacific is aimed at preventing reputational damage to local marine products amid condemnation from fishermen, local media reported.

The Japanese government said it will buy marine products as an emergency measure to support fishermen if the planned discharge of treated water from the Fukushima plant into the sea hurts their sales. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-25 22:57:03|Editor: huaxia

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Bangkok, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Over 3,000 international tourists have visited other designated tourist areas beyond Phuket in Thailand since a new program took effect on Aug. 16, Thailand's Center for Economic Situation Administration said Tuesday.

The "Phuket Sandbox 7+7 Extension" program reduces the mandatory stay in Phuket for fully vaccinated international travelers from 14 to 7 days, after which another seven days can be spent in alternative tourism hotspots in Krabi, Phang-Nga or Surat Thani.

"The program signifies the progress of Thailand's plan to gradually reopen to fully vaccinated international travelers." said Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

More destinations will be added to the list, once the preparation of appropriate measures on health and safety are fully in place, he added.

So far, there have been a total of 24,190 tourists visiting the country under the Phuket Sandbox scheme, which was launched on July 1, allowing vaccinated foreign tourists from low-and-medium-risk countries to visit the island without undergoing a two-week quarantine.

The primary countries of origin of these travelers are the United States, Britain, Israel, France and Germany.

Tourism is regarded as a key driver for the Thai economy. The country attempts to restore the sector and prepare for a nationwide reopening for vaccinated foreign visitors by mid-October. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-26 00:38:42|Editor: huaxia

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YANGON, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Three members of security forces were shot dead by some armed men at a bank in Myanmar's Chin state, state-run media reported on Wednesday.

Some gunmen shot the security members from a close distance after pretending to be customers at the bank in Tedim township on Wednesday morning, the state media said.

According to the report, the gunmen took some firearms of the security members, along with over 38.8 million kyats (over 23,331 U.S. dollars) from the bank and search for the gunmen is still underway. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-26 00:54:54|Editor: huaxia

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KAMPALA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Wednesday commended Uganda for allowing to host fleeing Afghan nationals.

The UN refugee agency said in a tweet that Uganda chose to open its doors to Afghan nationals in their hour of need.

"Uganda has a long-standing tradition of welcoming refugees and this is another great show of solidarity with people whose lives and freedom are threatened at home," the agency said.

Uganda announced on Wednesday that it had received 51 evacuees from Afghanistan. This is the first batch of the 2,000 evacuees expected to be hosted in the country.

Uganda hosts the largest number of refugees in Africa, more than 1.45 million, mostly from South Sudan, and also from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, according to figures by UNHCR. Enditem
Kampala  Uganda has resumed mass vaccinations against COVID-19 after running out of doses in June. But even with less vaccine hesitancy, essential workers say the rate of vaccination is too slow.

Two health workers share a table facing a long line of Ugandans waiting to receive a dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Many are here for their second shots and the officials have to check the system, to see if they qualify for it.

Seventeen-year-old Kawalya Paul is among those standing in line as he waits for his card to be verified and stamped.

Even though he is not on the priority list of those to be vaccinated, Paul explains to VOA why he decided to come.

"Actually, my mom's boss, succumbed to Covid. Every time he was all very protective. He could not talk to you in case you're not putting on a mask. So, I was like, if he was able to get it, yet he's a doctor and a big man, I was like, what about me, why shouldn't I? Because I saw the virus was close," he said.

The priority list for vaccinations includes teachers, security personnel, health workers, the elderly - who are defined as people over 50 years old - and those between 18 and 50 with underlying health conditions.

At the end of July, Ugandan authorities received 1.72 million doses of vaccine, and are hoping to get another 11 million in September.

The pace of vaccination remains slow. So far only about 1.1 million Ugandans have been inoculated.

But, officials are hopeful that Ugandans are now eager to get the vaccine and have opened up vaccination centers at Kampala's Capital City grounds and the Namboole National stadium.

Pius Okethwengu, the Namboole hospital administrator, said they are seeing a large turnout of people at the stadium. He predicts the goal of inoculating 10,000 people this week will be surpassed.

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"We are having this activity, starting today, in the next five days, to be able to have attended to all these clients that we are looking for. But, with the response that we are seeing, we are estimating that actually we should be able to even exceed that. And the beauty is, the vaccines are there and, we should be able to give the services to the people," he said.

The vaccination drive is raising hope that authorities will lift the restrictions on schools, public transportation and religious institutions imposed last month amid a new wave of coronavirus cases.

The minister of education said on July 30 that schools could reopen if all children between the ages of 12 and 18 are inoculated.

Othieno Leonard, a secondary school teacher, does not expect to see educational facilities reopen any time soon.

"I don't think so. I really feel, given the pace at which they are vaccinating, it is going to take us way longer to put us in a situation where we can call it normal. So, for now, I don't have hope that they can open soon," said Leonard.

The Ministry of Health says about seven million children would need to be vaccinated before classes can resume.
As concerns mount over the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, in the third wave of the virus, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday confirmed that the state had recorded 135 fatalities. Sanwo-Olu highlighted the havoc being wreaked by the deadly strains of the virus spreading in the country.

The governor, who spoke during a media briefing in Ikeja, also revealed that the state had taken delivery of Moderna vaccine from the federal government. He said the state received a little above 300,000 doses of Moderna vaccine to boost the drive towards achieving herd immunity.

Sanwo-Olu said the test positivity rate had increased to 12.1 per cent in the past weeks, compared to seven per cent recorded at the end of July 2021. He said this resulted from non-adherence to the laid-down health protocols designed to stop the spread of the pandemic.

The governor stated that the situation called for more responsibility, urging residents to adhere to the preventive protocols put in place by the government.

He said, "We are now clearly in the middle of third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and Lagos has remained the epicentre of the disease in Nigeria. Test positivity rate currently stands at 12.1 per cent, compared to 1.1 per cent at the end of June, and seven per cent at end of July. As at August 21, 4,387 positive cases are currently being managed actively in-community.

"Over the course of managing the COVID-19 pandemic, about 5,551 patients have been admitted into our various COVID-19 care centres in Lagos, with 506 registered fatalities. Of these deaths, 135 have sadly, happened in this current third wave.

"I commiserate with all residents who have lost loved ones to the pandemic. We share in your pain and grief. As a society and as a government, it is for us to redouble our efforts to defeat this devastating pandemic."

The increase in positive cases, Sanwo-Olu said, has also shot up oxygen demand at the government-controlled isolation centres, with the state supplying 400 cylinders daily to patients with severe cases.

At the beginning of the third wave, it was learnt that 75 cylinders were consumed per day at the isolation centres.

Sanwo-Olu said the state would be ramping up its oxygen plants in the coming days, as he projected that the demand for oxygen may shoot up in the next few weeks.

From next Wednesday, the governor said Lagos would start the administration of the first dose of Moderna vaccine across 150 centres set up in the state for the exercise. He said increasing vaccination would stem fatalities, urging residents to get the vaccine.

Sanwo-Olu said, "In terms of treatment of severe cases, we have seen a gradual increase in the uptake of oxygen during the current wave. Utilisation has increased from 75 cylinders per day at the beginning of this third wave, to over 400 cylinders per day, currently.

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"With our modelling, suggesting that we may be requiring even more oxygen supply over the next few weeks, we are exploring several ways of increasing our oxygen capacity.

"One of the major pillars of our mitigation strategy for the third wave is vaccination. We are seeing that countries that have vaccinated a large percentage of their population are recording drastic reductions in the numbers of COVID-19 related deaths.

"This is one of the reasons why we have not spared any cost to ensure that the vaccines that have been provided by the federal government are made available to every resident that meets the requirements for the vaccination programme."

As part of the strategy to stem the cases, Sanwo-Olu said the state government had identified 5,998 Persons of Interest, most of whom arrived from red-listed countries, and had successfully isolated 4,500 of them.
"I went into the (first) marriage, it didn't work out. And it ended in a very bad way, in social media, the noise was everywhere. I was actually filming and somebody called me and told me, I wanted to die!"

Nollywood star, Funke Akindele, has opened up about everything from the drama of her first marriage to the joys of the second and to the tough 2020 she had.

The 44-year-old actress married Kehinde Almaroof Oloyede aka "Kenny Doo" on May 26, 2012. The couple separated 1 year and 46 days after citing irreconcilable differences. Mr Oloyede is the newly-elected chairman of the Oshodi-Isolo Local Government in Lagos.

The actress opened up about the short-lived first marriage for the first time ever on a recent episode of #WithChude, with the Co-founder of Joy, Inc. Chude Jideonwo.

'WithChude' is a special series of targeted multimedia conversations and investigations focused on narratives that enable and strengthen the mind, heart, and spirit.

"The marriage ended in a bad way. I was filming when someone called and told me. I wanted to die. I cried and lost a lot of deals; You know I cried, lost some good deals then. But I didn't let it break me," she said.

"You know, I just wanted to get married. I want to do things right, have children, and all that. And I went into the (first) marriage, it didn't work out. And it ended in a very bad way, in social media, the noise was everywhere. I was actually filming and somebody called me and told me, I wanted to die!".

Lessons

Sharing some lessons from her first marriage, the actress advised spinsters not to feel pressured into marriage to take their time because if they rush in, they will be forced to rush out.

She said: "I don't want to drag anybody. I'll talk about myself. I just wanted to get married. Children, pressure, and all that. As a young lady out there, do not be pressured to get married. Get married because you want to get married, get married because you love him, you want to spend the rest of your life with him. Don't get married because mummy and daddy are saying get married or your friend just got married, have children because you want to have children, you want to be blessed with children, you love children."

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"Don't have children because the society will say "ah she's barren ohh, 12 years 6 years e never marry" ignore the gossips, ignore the naysayers, give them "sorry the middle finger, I don't care". Yes, ignore because you have your life, do what makes you happy."

On how she was able to pull through the turbulent times she experienced after her marriage ended, Akindele, said: "I survived that period by channeling my pain into work. I was collecting every script from the East and acting.

"I rushed into the marriage out of pressure and it didn't end well.

Akindele married Nigerian rapper JJC Skillz in London in May 2016. Her pregnancy rumours were among the top searched results on Google search engine in August 2017. They welcomed twin boys in December 2018 and have several step-children.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has disclosed that over 100,000 lives have been lost to the 12-year-old insurgency in the North-east zone.

Zulum, who stated this on Tuesday while speaking with newsmen at the State House, Abuja, also said there are a total of 2,600 surrendered insurgents now in custody, emphasizing that not all of them are criminals.

While noting that many of them are women and young children who have been trained to handle AK-47, the governor assured Nigerians that the repentant insurgents would be subjected to the extant laws of the country.

He, however, stressed that no law prescribes the killing of surrendered insurgents, adding that they would be trained for the purpose of reintegration.

Details later...
A Rivers High Court on Monday restrained Uche Secondus as the national chairman of the PDP.

The Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Yemi Akinwonmi, has suspended the meeting of the party's National Working Committee indefinitely.

Mr Akinwonmi issued the directive on Tuesday following the restraining order issued against the party national chairman, Uche Secondus, by a Rivers High Court in Port Harcourt.

The court on Monday barred Mr Secondus from parading himself as neither the national chairman of the party nor member.

He said his deliberate decision to take over the reins of the party affairs was to ensure broader consultation in the overall interest of the party.

Quoting section 45 (2) of the PDP constitution, the deputy chairman said he was permitted to oversee the party's affairs till all issues were resolved.

"Our attention was drawn yesterday evening to a court order which purports to restrain our National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus from summoning and presiding over the meetings of the organs of the party.

"In the foregoing circumstance, as the deputy National Chairman South of the Peoples Democratic Party, after due consultations and in exercise of the aforesaid powers, hereby deem it fit and proper to postpone the National Working Committee, NWC, meeting earlier scheduled for today till further notice to allow for broader consultations in the overall interest of our party," Mr Akinwonmi, currently recovering from protracted illness, declared on Tuesday.

However, against his directive, some members of the NWC, under the leadership of the Deputy National Chairman (North), Suleiman Nazif, held a meeting where they scheduled an emergency National Executive Committee for Friday.

Brewing crisis

The leadership crisis rocking the party took a prominent dimension in the last two weeks when seven members of the party national executives resigned their positions, faulting Mr Secondus style of leadership as the core reason for the growing defection of members and governors to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in recent time.

The development pitched the party governors against each other as the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, expressed relentless desire to ensure the embattled chairman's dismissal while some other stakeholders expressed contrary views.

However, Mr Secondus, against this turbulent turn of events, denied any wrongdoing and vowed not to resign his position.
Oil production were suspended in Ogoniland in the 1990s.

The Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) Limited says it is ready to commence production in abandoned oil wells to the benefit of community and the country.

NPDC is a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The Managing Director of NPDC, Mohammed AliZarah, spoke at an event by the Ogoni Liberation Initiative, according to a statement signed on Tuesday by Garba Deen Muhammad, Group General Manager (Public Affairs), NNPC.

He said that the company understood the concerns and yearnings of the Ogoni people and shared in their pain.

According to him, the NPDC and the Federal Government (FG) would work with the communities to ensure their environment was remediated and the activities not impact negatively on their environment but bring them development, employment and growth.

He said the organisation of the event by the Ogoni Liberation Initiative and the turn-up of various people including traditional rulers, youths and women had buoyed the confidence of the company

This, he described as 'an act of love and solidarity'.

"Indeed, this is a clear testimonial and demonstration of a strong cordial relationship that has existed between us over the years.

"This, for us is our social licence to operate in this peace loving community," he said

Mr AliZarah observed that it was in the best collective national interest of the country to speedily restore the environment of Ogoniland, and create the needed condition for the social economic development of the communities.

"As a viable partner, we would join you to pursue the greater good of our people and the nation.

"We stand with you and would work with you to achieve this within the shortest possible time," he said.

On the communique submitted by the Ogoni Liberation Initiative signed by leaders of various communities that make up Ogoni land, AliZarah assured them that he would send the document to the management of the NNPC for onward transmission to the relevant quarters including the President.

Earlier, Douglas Fabeke, the Convener and leader of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative, organisers of the event, said the Ogoni people welcomed with great joy the intervention of the FG and the takeover of the oil exploration sites by NPDC following the judgement of the Appeal Court in Abuja.

He described the judgment and subsequent takeover of the sites by NPDC as liberation for the Ogoni people.

According to him, the people of Ogoni have looked forward to the freedom over the years.

He assured the FG that the people of Ogoni would support all efforts aimed at restoring and exploring its huge natural resources for the benefit of the people.

"The Ogoni people are ready for oil and gas business deal in the land to entrench development in partnership with the NNPC/ Federal Government of Nigeria through a transformed template and practical community development delivered by the host communities.

"The Ogoni people are ready to do all forms of businesses with the State, Federal and Global Corporate Communities for the development of their land, provided the business is anchored upon Ogoni development," he said.

He called on the leaders of the Ogoni to eschew bitterness and work with the FG to ensure that the people benefitted from their resources.

He submitted a communique on behalf of the people of Ogoni to the FG at the request of Ogoni people and as a condition for the mutual relationship between the people and NPDC.

The communique, among other things, requested that the issue of clean-up in Ogoniland be re-visited and the Government should mandate the handling agency to expedite actions and clean the land in tune with the UNEP Report's recommendation.

It also requested to allow the Ogoni people to bring investors that would perfectly implement the UNEP report's recommendations to the letter.

It also called on the Federal Government to expedite action on the provisions of infrastructure to the Ogoni people.

"The Ogoni people will not work under any political manipulation that will affect the development and smooth operation in the Land without capturing the interest of the people.

"We stand by every word drafted here and will implement it to the letter, and also ready to give the Federal Government of Nigeria a maximum cooperation to achieve its aim for the success and benefit of the Nation and the Ogoni people," the communique said.

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It would be recalled that oil production operations were suspended in Ogoniland in the early 1990s due to disruptions from local public unrest. The military dictatorship Sani Abacha killed the renown environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa.

The oilfields and other installations have since largely remained dormant.

Hope was, however, rekindled following an Appeal Court judgment that paved the way for NPDC to take over oil production from Shell in Ogoni land.

The Appeal Court sitting in Abuja upturned the August 23, 2019 ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja which held that the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) was entitled to the renewal of the Lease on OML 11.

In the ruling, the Appellate Court held that the Minister of Petroleum Resources had the discretion whether or not to renew the OML 11 Lease in favor of SPDC.

The court further held that the minister rightly exercised his discretion in awarding the OML 11 Lease to NPDC, a subsidiary of the NNPC. (NAN)
The IMF announced on Monday that its new allocation of SDRs was equivalent to $650 billion, of which Africa has about $33 billion.

The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Tuesday asked developed countries to channel their shares of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to poor African countries.

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala made this submission in a series of tweets on Tuesday.

The WTO boss applauded Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF, and shareholders for the "historic SDR allocation."

The IMF announced on Monday that its new allocation of Special Drawing Rights SDRs was equivalent to $650 billion.

The largest SDR in the IMF's history comes into effect in an effort to help countries recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the IMF noted.

"The allocation is a significant shot in the arm for the world and, if used wisely, a unique opportunity to combat this unprecedented crisis," IMF said in a statement.

"The SDR allocation will provide additional liquidity to the global economic system supplementing countries' foreign exchange reserves."

The organisation added that countries could use the space provided by the SDR allocation to support their economies and step up their fight against the crisis.

SDRs were being distributed to countries in proportion to their quota shares in the IMF.

SDR is an international reserve asset created by the United Nations specialised agency to supplement its member countries' official reserves.

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Africa is entitled to about $33 billion, but French President Emmanuel Macron pledged during a summit of African leaders in May to urge richer nations to support an allocation of $100 billion to Africa.

On Tuesday, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala encouraged countries with strong foreign exchange (forex) reserves to support poorer counterparts in the fight against COVID-19, especially in Africa.

"Let me congratulate @KGeorgieva and her whole team as well as @IMFNews shareholders on today's historic allocation of $650 bill in SDRs which will strengthen members' reserve positions and assist them to better fight the pandemic," she tweeted.

"I urge members with strong foreign exchange reserve positions to channel their SDR allocations to poorer countries, particularly those in Africa, to support their Covid19 fight."
Lagos  Nigeria's Esther Chukwuemeka, who was denied admission to study law at Abia State University (ABSU) due to her young age, has at 20 years-old, become Africa's youngest barrister (advocate) to be called to the Nigerian Bar as a solicitor and advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Barristers, according to the Lawyer Portal.com, are qualified legal professionals who offer specialist advice while representing, advocating and defending their clients in court or at a tribunal.

Chukwuemeka was 13 years-old when she wrote her Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

According to the website the Nigeria Lawyer.com, despite her being denied access to study law at ABSU, Chukwuemeka's father secured her admission in the second most populous country in the world, India, to follow her dream of studying law.

Upon completing her studies in India, which she did in record time, she enrolled for the mandatory Nigerian Law School examination, the Bar Part 1 programme, which is compulsory for all students from foreign universities.

Eventually, she wrote the Bar final exam and was among the successful students.

Chukwuemeka took to social media platform Instagram to say, "If it had not been the Lord on our side, the story would have been different. I thank my parents, friends and well wishers for their love and support throughout this journey. I owe my success to you all.

"Wow, finally this young one can now be referred to as BARRISTER ESTHER EBUBENNA NWADIKE (EE Nwadike Esq ... Barrister and Solicitor Of the Supreme Court of Nigeria)." - African News Agency.
Two factions have emerged in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the suspension of the party's National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, by a Port Harcourt High Court on Monday.

The court had restrained Secondus from parading himself as PDP helmsman and party member following the intense crisis rocking the party.

Sequel to that, the Deputy National Chairman (South), Elder Yemi Akinwonmi and the Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Suleiman Nazif, are laying claim to Secondus' seat.

Both deputies are claiming to be acting chairmen of the party.

Akinwonmi, via a statement, announced that with Secondus' suspension, he has the powers to preside over meetings of the party in acting capacity. He announced the postponement of the NWC meeting slated for yesterday.

However, while Akinwonmi announced the postponement of the NWC meeting yesterday, the Nazif-led faction met and reached some key resolutions.

Nazif told newsmen at the end of their meeting at the party's national secretariat in Abuja, that the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting would hold on Friday.

"We have waited this morning for the Deputy National Chairman (South), who has been incapacitated; who has not been attending NWC meetings in the last nine months.

"He has not been in communication with any member of the NWC for the last 10 months. And like I said, this party must continue its process.

"Like you know, in the absence of the Deputy National Chairman (South), I take full charge. So I am hereby calling for an emergency NEC meeting on the 27th August, 2021, by 10am prompt to deliberate," Nazif said.

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However, hours later, Akinwonmi addressed a press conference at the party's national secretariat in Abuja, in the company of the 2019 governorship candidate of the party in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, and the party's national secretary, Sen Ibrahim Tsauri.

He said that he was hospitalized for a period of three months and has recovered enough to take the duty of acting chairman.

He said the declaration became necessary after Nazif stated that he was incapacitated and unable to carry out the responsibilities of acting chairman.

Our correspondent reports that the PDP Constitution states that in the event of resignation, removal, death, incapacitation or absence of the national chairman, a deputy national chairman from the region of the country where the national chairman originates from shall assume office as the national chairman in acting capacity.

Daily Trust reports that members of the PDP NWC are divided over Secondus' suspension.

Sources at the APC National Secretariat confided in our correspondent yesterday that after the Nazif-led meeting with some members of the NWC, other pro-Secondus NWC members met in the office of the National Organising Secretary, Col. Austin Akubundu (rtd) where they had a short meeting.

However, the outcome of the meeting was not established at the time of filing this report.
The Defence Headquarters, on Tuesday, vowed to track down the bandits who killed some of their troops after breaching the perimeter fence, went straight to the officers' living quarters and started shooting sporadically at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).

Daily Trust had reported that bandits invaded the Afaka barracks of the NDA, Kaduna, killing two senior officers. The bandits were also said to have also kidnapped a senior officer.

Reacting to the sad incident, the military high command, through the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, condole with the families of the deceased officers, saying henceforth, the security of the NDA communities have been beefed up while operations are ongoing in the general area.

A statement on his behalf by the Director, Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Benjamin Sawyerr, Irabor said all efforts have been intensified by troops and they are currently combing the entire locations in search and rescue mission for the adducted officers.

"The gallant troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), in joint operations are in hot pursuit of armed bandits that attacked the officers' quarters of the prestigious Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), in Kaduna early hours of 24 August 2021.

"The bandits who sneaked in after breaching the perimeter fence went straight to the officer's living quarters and started shooting sporadically. Unfortunately, two brave and gallant officers paid the supreme price while 1 other officer was abducted by the bandits during the process.

The vast land NDA, Kaduna occupies. Pic by Maryam Ahmadu-Suka

"All efforts have been intensified by troops who are currently combing the entire locations in search and rescue missions for the abducted officers.

"The Commandant NDA as well as the HQ 1 Div. with the support of NAF are presently in a coordinated joint operation to search and rescue the abducted officer and arrest the perpetrators.

"The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) wishes to use this medium to condole with the families of the deceased officers, and thanked troops for their quick response.

"The CDS also wishes to assure the NDA communities of their safety as security have been beefed up while operations are ongoing in the general area. Further details will be released later," the statement read.




"According to article 29 of Congress regulations, this is what corresponds. We are working on that. Let's hope to have it ready next week," she added in remarks made before entering the Legislative Palace.

(END) FGM/CVC/MVB

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The Board of Congress has been working on a series of legislative proposals containing topics for consensus among all parties so that once it is ready it can propose the Executive Branch a shared Country Agenda, Parliament Chairwoman Maria del Carmen Alva affirmed on Wednesday.Publicado: 25/8/2021




Its rise is the most noteworthy highlight of a promisingly progressive year for Peruvian higher education: no country with more than ten universities has recorded a higher proportion of jumps than Peru (50% of 20 universities trending upwards).





PUCP 's upwardly mobile performance is based on its outstanding reputation among both academics and employers surveyed by QS. It scores 97.2/100 (10th in Latin America) for Employer Reputation, and 94.7/100 (11th) for Academic Reputation.





Its rise is also explained by the university's high levels of international visibility. It ranks 23rd for Web Impact, achieving a score of 80.3/100.





In addition, it ranks 60th in the region for QS's measure of teaching resources (Faculty/Student Ratio) and 70th in Latin America for Citations per Paper.





However, Peru's best-performing research institution is Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, which ranks 11th in Latin America for Citations per Paper with a score of 98.6/100.





Also in the continent's top 100 from Peru are: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (54th, up from 56th), Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (joint-73rd, up from 77th), and Universidad del Pacifico (89th, up from 95th).





It should be pointed out that, of the countries with more than ten ranked institutions, Peru and Ecuador make the most significant progress, with 50% and 47% of their ranked institutions improving their position.





"For Peru, there are clear signs that its universities are making progress towards becoming more regionally-competitive," Ben Sowter, Director of Research at QS, expressed.





"In particular, with five of its universities achieving a top-50 score for our Employer Reputation metric, there is evidence that Peru's best universities are cultivating graduates able to succeed in the workplace," he added.





On the other hand, Sowter noted that, with no Peruvian university receiving a top-100 score for Papers per Faculty, improving research productivity remains a major national barrier to improvement.





Latin America





For the fourth year in a row, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile has been named Latin America's top university.





Achieving perfect scores from both academics and employers, it outranks Brazil's Universidade de Sao Paulo Latin America's highest-ranking public university and its compatriot, Universidad de Chile.





Reflecting the maturity of an evaluation exercise now in its eleventh year, there are no new entries into the top ten.





However, driven by a perfect score for the Employer Reputation indicator, Universidad de Los Andes rises to 5th, replacing Brazil's Universidade Estadual de Campinas (7th).





(END) NDP/RMB/MVB

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Folklore is the authentic expression of a people that embraces its traditions, legends, customs, music, dances, among other expressions that distinguish one culture from another.

UNESCO proclaimed that World Folklore Day be celebrated every August 22 to commemorate the day when the British scholar William G. Thoms coined the word "folklore" in a letter to the journal Athenaeum.

Bearing all this in mind, this article examines Peru's regional dances that have been inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

They are taught to the younger generation from early childhood, with elders encouraging children to learn a large variety of Christmas carols, 'zapateo' rhythms, and dance sequences as a sign of devotion.

The dance of the 'negritos' is mostly performed by men to the tune of a long fiddle, along with singing, shoe-tapping dance, and bells. The dance of 'pallitas' is performed by women to the sound of the guitar or fiddle, accompanied by a 'zapateo' and singing.

According to UNESCO, 'Hatajo de Negritos' and the 'Hatajo de Pallitas' from the Peruvian south-central coastline are two complementary expressions featuring music and singing as part of Christmas celebrations, hailing from the central region of Ica in Peru.

On December 12, 2019, UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage recognized 'Hatajo de Negritos' and 'Hatajo de Pallitas' as part of the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

'Hatajo de Negritos' and 'Hatajo de Pallitas' (Inscribed in 2019)

Scissors dance (Inscribed in 2010)





The scissors dance is performed by inhabitants of Quechua villages and communities in the south-central Andes of Peru, and now in urban settings. This competitive ritual dance is performed during dry months coinciding with the main phases of the agricultural calendar.





The scissors dance takes its name from the pair of polished iron rods, resembling scissors blades, wielded by each dancer in his right hand. Together with a violinist and a harpist, a dancer forms a cuadrilla (team) that represents a given village or community.





To perform, two or more cuadrillas face each other, and the dancers must strike the blades together in time to the rhythm of the accompanying musicians, while performing a choreographed duel of step-dancing, acrobatics, and increasingly demanding movements.









The competition or atipanakuy may last up to ten hours, and physical ability, quality of the instruments, and expertise of the accompanying musicians, are all evaluated to determine the winner.





The dancers wear outfits embroidered with golden fringes, multicolored sequins, and small mirrors, but while in costume are forbidden from entering churches because of the tradition that their abilities are the result of a pact with the devil. Regardless, the scissors dance has become a popular part of Catholic festivities.




The accumulation of condemnatory sentences against the formal presidential advisor will see him spending more than 30 years in prison.





The former head of the country's intelligence service has been deprived of liberty since 2001, after he was captured in Venezuela and returned to Peru. Therefore, he has undergone actual imprisonment for 20 years.





Corruption of officials, conspiracy, enforced disappearance, aggravated homicide, money laundering, arms trafficking, and usurpation of public office, are some of the crimes for which he was sentenced to imprisonment.





Usurper of public office and human rights violator





The first ruling against him came in 2002, when he was sentenced by the Judiciary to nine years in prison for the crime of usurpation of public office, as he held a position for which he was never officially appointed: presidential advisor and head of the country's Intelligence Service.





The cases for which he received the most severe sentences have to do with human rights violations.





One of them was the killings at Barrios Altos and El Santa, as well as the murder of journalist Pedro Yauri, for which he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. In this case, he was charged with the crimes of enforced disappearance and murder.





Montesinos was also sentenced to 25 years in prison for the disappearance of three people and for burning their bodies in the basement of the Intelligence Service premises in the Army.





Montesinos transferred to Ancon II prison









"No person deprived of liberty will get a privileged treatment or will be allowed to get by the security at prisons to continue committing crime, under the Bicentennial Government," the Head of State wrote on Twitter.





Update at 6:08 p.m. (local time): Justice Minister Anibal Torres has reported that Vladimiro Montesinos was transferred to Ancon I prison to continue serving his sentence.





(END) FGM/CVC/RMB/MVB
Within this framework, the Cabinet member affirmed that State ministers are working hard, adding that if Parliament decides not to grant a confidence vote to the group led by Prime Minister Guido Bellido, the work will be continued by other people.





"No one is indispensable (...). If Congress does not grant us confidence, well, that is their right, their faculty; it is stated by the Constitution. However, it would not be justified because we are starting the work," he asserted.





Likewise, the high-ranking official pointed out that it is not the purpose of this Government or the President of the Republic to dissolve Parliament, noting that the Head of State wants to govern for the sake of the citizenry.





"The President does not have that purpose; he has stated it, there is no revanchist purpose or of revenge; he wants to work for Peru and not dwell too much on these things at Congress," he said in remarks to Exitosa radio.





He also indicated that the top official is the one who assesses the changes in the Cabinet, as well as the moment in which they should occur.









(END) FHG/CVC/MVB
Likewise, the high-ranking official said that the Government is working hard to combat and reduce corruption in prisons as much as possible.





"There will be no prisoners with privileges from now on. The Government of (President) Pedro Castillo has made a statement in this regard and said that it will not tolerate violations of security measures by inmates anymore," he expressed.





According to the Cabinet member, Montesinos was transferred to Ancon II between 03:00 a.m. and 03:30 a.m. At the penitentiary center he will be classified, and then he will probably be transferred to Ancon I prison the place that would correspond to him.





In statements to Exitosa radio, the minister affirmed that Montesinos could not be transferred to Challapalca prison, because he has chronic diseases and is 76 years old.





"He cannot be taken to that prison if he is over 65 years of age," Torres noted.





"That man has been convicted of various crimes such as qualified homicide; aggravated kidnapping; intervention in a foreign country, in the case of sale of weapons to the FARC in Colombia, among others," he explained.





His longest sentence for those crimes is 25 years. It began on June 25, 2001 and will end on June 24, 2026.





Moreover, the minister indicated that the investigations carried out by the Navy into the phone calls made by Montesinos during the electoral campaign which violated security measures should be completed soon.





In this sense, the government official affirmed that measures should be taken so that events like this do not happen again.





Torres also reported that the transfer of terrorist leaders and other inmates held at Callao Naval Base prison is being evaluated.





When asked if the situation of former President Alberto Fujimori who is serving a sentence over crimes of corruption and against human rights at Lima-based Diroes prison he indicated that everything is under evaluation.





Vladimiro Montesinos





Montesinos the former advisor to Alberto Fujimori's Government (1990-2000) has been held at the Maximum Security Detention Center (CEREC) in the Callao Naval Base since 2021.

He is serving sentences for crimes of corruption of officials, usurpation of functions, money laundering, aggravated kidnapping, conspiracy and arms trafficking, qualified homicide, and enforced disappearance.




?? AHORA l El titular de la PCM, @GuidoPuka, inaugura el 14. Gore Ejecutivo Instalacion del Consejo de Coordinacion Intergubernamental CCI. https://t.co/mKyPlSaKaA




Its rise is the most noteworthy highlight of a promisingly progressive year for Peruvian higher education: no country with more than ten universities has recorded a higher proportion of jumps than Peru (50% of 20 universities trending upwards).





PUCP 's upwardly mobile performance is based on its outstanding reputation among both academics and employers surveyed by QS. It scores 97.2/100 (10th in Latin America) for Employer Reputation, and 94.7/100 (11th) for Academic Reputation.





Its rise is also explained by the university's high levels of international visibility. It ranks 23rd for Web Impact, achieving a score of 80.3/100.





In addition, it ranks 60th in the region for QS's measure of teaching resources (Faculty/Student Ratio) and 70th in Latin America for Citations per Paper.





However, Peru's best-performing research institution is Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, which ranks 11th in Latin America for Citations per Paper with a score of 98.6/100.





Also in the continent's top 100 from Peru are: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (54th, up from 56th), Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (joint-73rd, up from 77th), and Universidad del Pacifico (89th, up from 95th).





It should be pointed out that, of the countries with more than ten ranked institutions, Peru and Ecuador make the most significant progress, with 50% and 47% of their ranked institutions improving their position.





"For Peru, there are clear signs that its universities are making progress towards becoming more regionally-competitive," Ben Sowter, Director of Research at QS, expressed.





"In particular, with five of its universities achieving a top-50 score for our Employer Reputation metric, there is evidence that Peru's best universities are cultivating graduates able to succeed in the workplace," he added.





On the other hand, Sowter noted that, with no Peruvian university receiving a top-100 score for Papers per Faculty, improving research productivity remains a major national barrier to improvement.





Latin America





For the fourth year in a row, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile has been named Latin America's top university.





Achieving perfect scores from both academics and employers, it outranks Brazil's Universidade de Sao Paulo Latin America's highest-ranking public university and its compatriot, Universidad de Chile.





Reflecting the maturity of an evaluation exercise now in its eleventh year, there are no new entries into the top ten.





However, driven by a perfect score for the Employer Reputation indicator, Universidad de Los Andes rises to 5th, replacing Brazil's Universidade Estadual de Campinas (7th).





(END) NDP/RMB/MVB
" " Melvin Vaniman, the first engineer of the hydrogen airship America, with the tabby cat mascot, "Kiddo," after boarding the steamship Trent in October 1910. Library of Congress

In 1910, manned flight was still a tantalizing dream, a just-off-our-fingertips notion that promised freedom and glory and the kind of casting off our earthly shackles that had lured in romantics for ages.

And so it was in October of that year that the entire world  or at least a good portion of the eastern United States  looked heavenward, toward the latest fantastical attempt at real, sustained flight. All eyes were pointing toward New Jersey  not exactly heavenward, granted, but you get the idea  where the airship America and its crew aimed to be the first manned flight to cross the Atlantic.

"In the early 1900s ... there's this mystique about aviation. It's futuristic. It's this incredible thing. You have the first powered, heavier-than-air aircraft with the Wright brothers [in 1903]," says Thomas Paone, a museum specialist at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. "Aviation is thrilling. And that excitement is building."

We say manned, of course, because flight in 1910 still was mostly the provenance of men.

And, as it turned out with America, one unruly tabby cat.

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Up, Up and Away

In 1910, there were those who thought that, if long-distance manned multi-passenger flight were to become a reality  if those longing eyes on the ground in New Jersey were to have a real chance to fly to Europe  it would be on lighter-than-air airships like America or the rigid-framed German zeppelins. Both got their lift either from hydrogen or helium. Both had small engines to propel the crafts. The difference was that the zeppelins had a large frame that held up the fabric of the balloon that surrounded it.

The America, then, was basically a big balloon, some 200 feet (61 meters) long, first built in France in an attempt to reach the North Pole. Its owner was American newspaper publisher Walter Wellman, a self-defined explorer and aeronaut. Wellman's try for the North Pole failed miserably but, undaunted, he brought his ship to America, built it bigger and set his sights on the Atlantic.

Wellman and his crew took off from Atlantic City, a small passenger cabin and a wooden lifeboat attached to the bottom. Among those onboard was Wellman, engineer Melvin Vaniman, navigator F. Murray Simon and a radio operator, Jack Irwin.

The flight struggled from the start, fighting bad weather and balky engines that apparently had been infected by sand from the New Jersey shore. Off New England, the engines failed and the ship began to drift southward. The trip seemed doomed at that point.

Even before then, though, the crew had to deal with that darned cat.

" " Walter Wellman's airship "America" attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Photo taken from British ship, RMS TRENT Library of Congress

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The Story of Kiddo

"I'm not sure whose cat Kiddo was," Allan Janus, a museum specialist in the archives department at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, says via email. "He may have been a stray who was adopted by America's crew, though Wellman said he was the pet of one of the crew."

Whatever the case, Kiddo (as he later became known) did not, initially, want to be part of the historic voyage. Later, the navigator Simon gave this account to The New York Times:

"All the time we have been towed to sea I am chiefly worried by our cat, which is rushing around the airship like a squirrel in a cage. I was at the wheel and Jack Irwin, the wireless man, who was seated in the lifeboat suspended from the car of the airship, cried out to me, 'This cat is raising hell; I believe it's going mad.'"

Kiddo, notably, was the subject of the first wireless transmission from an aircraft.

" " Kiddo, the first cat to attempt to cross the Atlantic by airship, and Melvin Vaniman, engineer of the airship America. Kiddo was the subject of the first-ever wireless radio message sent from an aircraft. Library of Congress

"Roy," either Irwin or Vaniman wired, "come and get this - - -damn cat."

The crew was so discombobulated by the cat's antics early in the flight that Kiddo was put in a bag and lowered toward a trailing boat of newspapermen as the America was being towed to sea. The handoff couldn't be completed, though, and Kiddo was brought back onboard.

The cat eventually settled down as the hours passed and the ship drifted from its target. Some 72 hours later, after 1,008 miles (1,622 kilometers) in the air, the America was abandoned at sea near Bermuda  the ship was never to be seen again  and its crew was rescued by a passing steamship. The wooden lifeboat is now among the artifacts at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Back in New York, the crew was welcomed as heroes. Photos were snapped for The Times with Kiddo front and center. "For a time," Janus says, "he was displayed at Gimbels department store in a gilded cage. Afterward, he retired from aviation and lived with Wellman's daughter in Washington, D.C."

The last flight of America was not, technically, a successful one. But no airship had ever traveled so far (albeit in the wrong direction). America brought the dream of flight, of crossing oceans in a human-made flying machine, closer to reality than it ever had been.

"We sacrificed our airship, but we saved our lives," Simon wrote after America's voyage, "and, above all, as Mr. Wellman and Mr. Vaniman will show when they write their technical reports, we have gathered a vast amount of useful knowledge which will help largely in the solution of big problems relating to the navigation of the air. And we also saved the cat!"

NOW THAT'S INTERESTING The first trans-Atlantic airship voyage was completed about nine years after America was lost, in July 1919, by the British airship R34. The 643-foot (196-meter) ship carried a stowaway kitten named Whoopsie.
" " Timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) are extremely dangerous, with venom that passes through a set of hollow fangs in a mouth with a built-in hinge mechanism. Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

[It] occurred to me that the Rattle-Snake is found in no other quarter of the world besides America, and may therefore have been chosen, on that account, to represent her. Benjamin Franklin

Franklin penned those words in a 1775 letter to the Pennsylvania Journal. By then, he had a well-known affinity for a particular type of rattler: Crotalus horridus, or the timber rattlesnake.

Just like Franklin implied, rattlesnakes are native to the Americas. There are around 30 living species, which range as far south as Argentina and as far north as Canada.

If it's the timber rattlesnake you're after, visit the continental U.S.

From craggy New Hampshire to sunburnt Texas, 27 states have populations of tail-buzzing timber rattlers. Crotalus horridus is a very widespread species, in other words. Yet across many parts of this country, timbers aren't nearly as common as they used to be.

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Know Your Rattlers

Another name for the timber rattlesnake is the "banded rattlesnake." It fits; these reptiles have dark bands overlaying a backdrop of scales that's lighter in color. Individual snakes can look black and gray or they can have a brown-on-tan complexion.

The namesake "rattle" is made of shed skin. A newborn baby's tail is tipped with a scaly lobe called a "pre button." This is lost once the animal sheds its skin for the first time. At that point, the pre button will be replaced by a "button"  a knob of old skin which becomes the first segment in the snake's rattle.

New segments are added on during later sheds. Because of the way these things interlock, the reptiles can produce an audible "buzz" by shaking their tails. The sound sends a message of warning to other animals that get a little too close for comfort.

Timber rattlers are the largest venomous snakes in New York, Tennessee and a few other states; adults can grow 34 to 60 inches (90 to 152 centimeters) long.

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Eyes and Pits

Their heads are vaguely triangular, with vertical pupils set in lidless eyes. Between those eyeballs and the snakes' nostrils, there are two sensory pits capable of detecting infrared radiation, or IR.

All rattlesnakes share this feature. And for good reason: Every animal on the planet gives off invisible IR. However, even in total darkness, the facial "pits" can locate the source of this radiation  which the snakes perceive as heat.

So if, say, a warm-bodied mouse wanders past a rattlesnake at the stroke of midnight, it might be out of luck. Armed with the pit organs, the reptile could theoretically locate this tasty morsel, despite poor lighting conditions.

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A Striking Image

Rattler venom passes through a set of hollow fangs with their own built-in hinge mechanisms. The special teeth can swing forward and jab a nearby target when the snake means business. Then as the jaws close, both fangs are pulled backwards.

As for the actual venom, it's a mixture of toxins. Some of them, called "neurotoxins," impair the target's nervous system. Others (i.e., "hemotoxins") do a number on things like red blood cells and the general blood-clotting process.

The exact content of timber rattler venom may vary from one specimen to the next.

As noted in "America's Snake: The Rise and Fall of the Timber Rattlesnake" by nature writer Ted Levin, the venom of this species has been divided "into four main types ... which vary geographically from virulent to weak, a distinction likely the result of populations having been isolated for scores of centuries in temperate refuges during the Ice Age."

Hence, some timber rattlesnakes  including many in the deep South  carry a more neurotoxic brand of venom than others do.

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Forest Creatures

Timber rattlers are cut out for life in deciduous forests, ecosystems dominated by hardwood trees that lose their foliage once a year.

For food, Crotalus horridus turns to small mammals  like mice, rats, voles, chipmunks and rabbits  as well as birds, amphibians and other reptiles.

The species gives birth to live young in August and September. As the winter approaches, timbers hole up in dens, with rock crevices being popular lodgings. Several of these rattlers may hibernate together inside the same den throughout the coldest months of the year.

In the springtime, they migrate away from these shelters. Using chemical trails left behind by other individuals, a timber rattlesnake can relocate the same den every winter.

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United Snakes of America

Timber rattlesnakes were some of the first venomous reptiles that the British encountered in North America. And it didn't take too long for them to emerge as political symbols.

In a 1751 article titled "Rattle-Snakes for Felons," Benjamin Franklin slammed the United Kingdom for sending convicted criminals to its 13 American colonies. To get even, he proposed shipping live rattlesnakes back to London.

"Rattlesnakes seem the most suitable returns for the human serpents sent by our mother country," Franklin opined.

Clearly, he was joking. But Franklin grew to appreciate the timber rattlesnake and see it as a mascot of sorts for the emerging United States. He wasn't alone; in 1776, the U.S. Navy's first commander-in-chief started flying a yellow flag bearing a rattler and the slogan "Don't Tread on Me."

Named the "Gadsden Flag" after its original designer, South Carolina's Christopher Gadsden, this distinctive (and polarizing) banner is still widely used more than two centuries later.

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The Road Ahead

In the United States, your chances of getting killed by a rattlesnake  any rattlesnake  are statistically slim. That said, in the event of a bite, get to a hospital as soon as you can. (If possible, photograph the actual snake for identification purposes.)

When rattlers bite people, it's often a response to inappropriate handling. Give these reptiles their space and they can make great neighbors. Research published in 2013 suggests timber rattlesnakes may be doing us a huge favor by eating certain rodents which are known to spread Lyme disease.

Unfortunately, Crotalus horridus has seen better days as a species.

Timber rattlers have gone locally extinct in Michigan, Maine, Rhode Island and Delaware over the years. Meanwhile, there's only a single breeding population of them left in the entire state of New Hampshire.

Habitat loss, persecution by fearful humans and the overcollection of wild snakes for the pet trade have all contributed to this decline. So has the rise of Snake Fungal Disease (SFD), an infectious disorder that can lead to blisters, clouded eyes and life-threatening skin lesions.

Slow maturity rates aren't helping. Timber rattlers can live into their thirties, but some females don't start reproducing until age 10. After she's given birth to her first litter, a mother timber might not have another one for three to five more years  or ever, really.

Today, the timber rattlesnake is considered "endangered" or "threatened" in 12 states. Conservationists around the country are working hard to secure a brighter future for this great American serpent.

Now That's Interesting The biggest known rattler species is Crotalus adamanteus, also called the eastern diamondback rattlesnake. Found in the southeastern U.S., these guys can weigh more than 10 pounds (4.53 kilograms) and grow 96 inches (244 centimeters) long.
The construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing dual-city economic circle has become a national plan and the Tianfu New Area in Sichuan province is an important development engine for the circle, local officials said.

The Tianfu New Area is accelerating the creation of a park city in the new era and becoming a model for high-quality development with a better business environment.

The Plan for the Construction of a Stable, Fair and Accessible Business Environment in the Tianfu New Area was released to create a high-level international business environment benchmark and optimize regulations on market, supervision, legal protection and business. It focuses on the full lifecycle of enterprise services, with 148 reform measures.

On the evening of July 23, a stunning neon mirroring party was presented in the Sino-Italian Cultural Exchange City Reception Center in the Tianfu New Area.

Fendi, a luxury brand from Italy, brought a number of showbiz stars, artists and fashion bloggers to its debut to celebrate the launch of the men's 2021-22 autumn and winter series, demonstrating a different Italian style.

The Sino-Italian Cultural Exchange City Reception Center, which opened in April, is a brand-new cultural and creative landmark in the area that aims to build an international cooperation platform for cultural exchanges and mutual learning.

The Sino-Italian Cultural Exchange City Reception Center has hosted cultural exchanges, economic and trade activities such as the celebration of the National Day of Italy in 2021, and the themed photography exhibition titled China and ItalyLights and Shadows on the Silk Road.

The Sino-Italian Cultural Innovation Industrial Park, where the Sino-Italian Cultural Exchange City Reception Center is located, will be built into a landmark of Sino-Italian cultural innovation under the Belt and Road Initiative, an international cultural tourism destination and a world-class cultural and creative intellectual property incubator.

At present, the Chengdu Center of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce and the Italian Belt and Road Research Institute have settled in the park.

The park is just one of the many international cooperation platforms in the Tianfu New Area.

The Tianfu New Area is shouldering the important mission of building an inland gateway with a bonded logistics center and other foreign exchange platforms.

Based on its positioning as an inland open portal, the Tianfu New Area is committed to creating a benchmark for an international business environment.

The Tianfu New Area will promote the liberalization and facilitation of investment and trade, establish a market investment environment in line with international rules, and take effective measures to attract all kinds of enterprises to invest and develop here, so that all enterprises will get the opportunity to participate in the competition on equal footing.

According to the plan, the Tianfu New Area will regularly publish a list of city opportunities and investment white papers, expand the construction of free trade zones, carry out stress tests around RCEP, CPTPP and other international rules, and formulate the Pre-entry National Treatment plus Negative List Management Implementation Plan for the Tianfu New Area in hopes of building an innovative sample of inland free trade zone.

In recent years, ecological livability has become the direction of urban development.

As the first place to propose the park city concept, the Tianfu New Area focuses on the park city for the growth and development of new economy and new kinetic energy. It also strives to create a unique business environment for the long run.

The Tianfu New Area is enhancing the vitality of urban development and brightening people's lives with the characteristic business environment of a park city that is suitable for living and doing business.

"Choosing a city means choosing a way of life," said Wang Xucheng, manager of Trend Shop Subset. "I am very optimistic about the development concept of the park city in the Tianfu New Area and it has always been my original intention to open a store here."

"People, city, environment and industry are highly harmonious and unified in the park city's management," Wang added.

"I can fully enjoy the policy dividends of innovation and entrepreneurship as well as a convenient urban life in the environment."

The Xinglonghu bookstore in the Tianfu New Area is expected to be complete this year.

Wang Zhongxun, vice-president of Yuncong Technology Group, also feels the Tianfu New Area has strong development potential and momentum in commercial resources, emerging industries, and technological innovation.

As a result, Yuncong Technology Group has been devoted to the construction of smart cities in the area, integrating the concept and technology of human-machine collaboration into all scenes of urban life, and building a harmonious, warm, accessible and smart life for people.

The plan says that the Tianfu New Area will adhere to the bottom line of 70.1 percent of ecological land, creating a world-leading "city in the park".

In the future, the Tianfu New Area will take the construction of a park city that implements the new development concept in its overall direction while continuing to release new scenarios and products to the world, and aim to gather the world's brightest minds and technologies together.

The plan proposes to create a fair and just legal protection environment while also establishing a legal protection system based on the rule of law.

It aims to improve the quality and efficiency of trial execution, increase the protection of intellectual property rights, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of various market entities in accordance with the law.

The creation of a high-level modern legal gathering area has become a highlight of the rule of law construction in the Tianfu New Area.

According to the relevant person in charge of the administrative examination and approval bureau of the Tianfu New Area, the Tianfu Central Legal Affairs District will be built into one of the country's first legal platforms with an international influence.

In February, the Tianfu Central Legal Affairs District, as the country's first provincial-level modern legal affairs gathering area, started operations.

(APD)
YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian sent a congratulatory letter to President of Uruguay Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou on the countrys national day  the Independence Day, the Armenian Presidents Office told Armenpress.

The Armenian-Uruguayan relations are based on mutual trust, respect and sympathy. The local large Armenian community also greatly contributes to the cooperation of the two countries. Armenia and Uruguay have a huge potential for expansion of bilateral ties. I am sure that we will develop and deepen the mutual partnership between our countries with joint efforts for the benefit of our nations, the letter reads.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Turkish Company Otokar presents a new version of its ARMA 8x8 armored vehicle fitted with a NEFER unmanned weapon station developed by the Turkish company Aselsan, armed with one 30mm automatic cannon and one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun.



Otokar ARMA 8x8 armored vehicle fitted with a NEFER turret armed with a 30mm automatic cannon at IDEF 2021, defense exhibition in Istanbul, Turkey. (Picture source Army Recognition)

The ARMA 8x8 is a modular multirole wheeled armored vehicle fully designed and developed by the Turkish company OTOKAR. The development program of the ARMA was started in 2007 and concept design, detailed design and engineering studies were completed within 2008. The first version of the vehicle was initially unveiled in May 2011 at IDEF defense exhibition in Istanbul, Turkey.

As modular armored vehicle, the ARMA can be configured according to mission requirements as armored personnel carrier (APC), infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), mobile gun system, mortar carrier, command post, anti-tank vehicle support and more.

The hull of the ARMA provides all-around standard ballistic protection against 7.62 mm armor-piercing rounds and artillery shell splinters. Add-on armor kit can be fitted for a higher level of protection. The vehicle also provide mine protection and can withstand explosions equivalent to 8 kg of TNT under the hull.

The APC version of the ARMA has a crew of two and can accommodate up to 10 fully equipped infantrymen. it can be fitted with a wide range of manned or unmanned weapon stations armed with machine gun or automatic cannon up to 30mm caliber.

The ARMA is powered by a Caterpillar C9 turbocharged diesel engine developing 450 hp coupled to a a 7-speed automatic gearbox. It can run at a maximum road speed of 105 km with a maximum cruising range of 700 km.

The NEFER turret is an unmanned weapon station primarily developed by the Turkish company Aselsan for integration on combat tracked or wheeled vehicles. Through its extensive surveillance and remote control capabilities, NEFER enhances situational awareness of the gunner in his proximity while the vulnerability to attacks is decreased drastically.

The NEFER turret can be armed with 25 or 30mm caliber automatic cannon as well as 7.62 or 12.7mm coaxial machine gun. Standard equipment of the turret includes day and night imaging system, laser range finder computerized fire control, and is able to shoot on the move. The turret has a traverse of 360 with elevation from -10 to +60. The turret provides the same level of ballistic protection as the hull of the ARMA.
Armenia has welcomed the UNESCO fact-finding mission and is ready to support its implementation as soon as possible. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan has stated this in response to a question of RFE/RL, news.am informs.

August 25, 2021, 17:55 MFA spokesperson: Armenia welcomes UNESCO fact-finding mission, is ready to support its implementation

The aforesaid news agency had asked Hunanyan to comment on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs statement that Armenia was allegedly against the visit of the UNESCO fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).

It should be noted that the need for immediate implementation of the UNESCO fact-finding mission has occurred for the protection of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage from the imminent danger of destruction in the territories fallen under the control of Azerbaijan as a result of the 44-days war of 2020.

Both during the military hostilities and after the establishment of ceasefire, there have been numerous documented facts of deliberate destruction of the Armenian churches and other cultural and religious monuments, as well as cases of vandalism by the Azerbaijani armed forces. Moreover, along with the physical destruction of Artsakh's religious and cultural heritage, we observe unacceptable cases of falsification of historical facts, distortion of the identity of Armenian monuments, and changing of the architectural appearance by the order of the top leadership of Azerbaijan.

Perhaps, in order to conceal its cultural crimes, for a long time Azerbaijan has been hindering the visit of UNESCO experts, while accusing the organization of bias. The practice of creating obstacles for the implementation of the mission and politicizing the issue by the Azerbaijani authorities still continues. We would also like to remind that in December, 2020, the Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO stated that Azerbaijan was not agreeing on the dispatch of the mission.

It should be noted that Armenia has welcomed the UNESCO fact-finding mission and is ready to support its implementation as soon as possible, in line with the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two protocols.

The endangered cultural and religious heritage of Artsakh requires urgent international attention in order to properly preserve it and prevent the cases of vandalism. The implementation of UNESCO mission and the comprehensive study of historical and cultural heritage will contribute to the efforts of preserving the cultural heritage in the territories under Azerbaijani control and preventing possible negative developments.

The Armenian side is interested in the implementation of the mission in the shortest possible terms and continues to exert purposeful efforts in this regard, the Armenian MFA spokesperson noted in his response.
STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 25, ARTSAKHPRESS: "We paid particular attention to developments on the European continent, including the deplorable situation in relations between Russia and the European Union. Contacts with Brussels have been reduced to a minimum as a result of the EUs policy aimed at containing Russia," he emphasized.

"For our part, we expressed readiness to boost pragmatic dialogue with the European Union and its member states based solely on equality and mutual respect, and search for agreements in areas of mutual interest," Lavrov added.

The Russian top diplomat noted that blogger Alexey Navalny, who had been mentioned by the Austrian foreign minister at the press conference, was serving his sentence for economic crimes.
Soldiers in Niger have killed more than 100 Islamist fighters near the border with Burkina Faso, the military says.

The operation was in response to the deaths of 19 soldiers at the hands of jihadists in the northwestern region of Torodi in late July, Niger's army said in a statement issued late on Tuesday night.

Weapons, ammunition and vehicles belonging to the militia were confiscated, it said.

Several armed groups are active in Niger, Burkina Faso and other countries in the Sahel region. It was not clear which group was the target of the offensive.

Some of the groups have sworn allegiance to the al-Qaeda terrorist network or the Islamic State.

In Niger, which has a population of around 23 million, jihadist attacks are regular occurences, especially in the regions bordering Mali.

The government has little control in the desert-like expanses outside the cities and the capital Niamey.
Cayuga County's jobless rate continued its substantial year-over-year decline last month, but the number of people actively participating in the labor force also remained lower.

The state Department of Labor this week released monthly job market data showing Cayuga's July unemployment rate dropped to 5.2%, down from 11.0% in the same month of 2020. The New York state economic shutdowns were just starting to be lifted at that point a year ago.

The new rate came from an increase in the number of employed residents of 700, up to 33,200. Unemployed residents dropped by 2,200 to 1,800.

The overall labor force size of 35,000 residents was down by 1,400 from July 2020, and marked the lowest total reported in state records dating back to 1990.

A similar trend of lower unemployment rates combined with smaller labor forces has played out over the past several months in Cayuga County, and in much of upstate New York.

Cayuga County's July rate ranked 25th lowest out of 62 counties in New York. Hamilton County (3.9%) was lowest while Bronx County (13.9) was highest. The statewide rate measured 7.45, while the national rate was 5.7%. Those figures were not adjusted for typical seasonal shifts.
Gov. Kathy Hochul told New Yorkers she is direct, decisive and a straight-talker.

The outline of her early agenda confirmed those descriptors.

In a speech that lasted a little more than 10 minutes, Hochul, who was sworn in as New York's first female governor on Tuesday, detailed her priorities for her first days in office. At the top of the list: COVID-19 and the Delta variant.

COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in New York, but there hasn't been a statewide strategy to combat the surge. Hochul hopes to change that with proactive measures focused on ensuring that children can attend in-person classes and that schools are safe from the virus. She is calling for vaccinations to be required for teachers and school employees, with a weekly testing option for those who aren't vaccinated.

Hochul also directed the state Department of Health to implement a universal mask mandate for anyone entering schools. And the state will launch a back-to-school testing program for students and staff.

There will be more policies to come for schools. Hochul said she will make an announcement later this week with "concise and consistent" guidance for school districts.
New York's U.S. senators want quick action on a disaster aid for Cayuga County and other parts of upstate New York affected by flooding last week.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Wednesday asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be prepared to approve a request from New York state for a major disaster declaration. Gov. Kathy Hochul would need to request the declaration. The final decision on whether to sign off on the request would be made by President Joe Biden.

If Biden declares a major disaster, grants would be available to state and local governments to cover the costs of emergency work and to repair damaged facilities. FEMA usually covers 75% of the eligible costs. There is also individual assistance available for people affected by the disaster. That aid could be used to repair damage to homes and property.

Before the state formally requests disaster aid, FEMA will conduct a preliminary assessment to determine whether the costs of the damage meet the threshold for a federal declaration.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Fred moved through upstate New York last week. Heavy rainfall caused severe flooding in some areas, including Steuben County.
With New York schools beginning classes in two weeks, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday outlined her plan to ensure that in-person learning is a safe experience for students, teachers and staff.

Hochul wants to require COVID-19 vaccinations for school employees, including teachers, with an option for unvaccinated individuals to be tested weekly. She said Wednesday that she doesn't have the authority to do this unilaterally  it would require state legislative action or adoption by local school districts  but wants to figure out how to implement the vaccine-or-test mandate.

One step Hochul can take is directing the state Department of Health to require masks in schools. The department will issue the mask mandate through the Public Health and Health Planning Council. Under the requirement, anyone in public and private schools must wear masks.

If schools need masks, the state has a supply. According to Hochul's office, New York has nearly 55 million non-surgical face masks, 10 million adult-sized cloth masks and more than 4.3 million child-sized cloth masks.
SKANEATELES  The town of Skaneateles held a somewhat heated public information meeting Tuesday about New York state's recently passed law legalizing recreational marijuana.

A little-known aspect of the law was the focus of much of the meeting, which eventually saw residents sharing a wide range of opinions about the law and the substance itself.

Presenting at the meeting was attorney Michael Balestra of Hancock Estabrook, who took the 30 residents in attendance at the Austin Park Pavilion through the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act signed into law March 31 by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The reason for the meeting, Balestra explained, is that the town and village of Skaneateles can opt out of two parts of the law: allowing retail marijuana sales at dispensaries and allowing consumption sites. If so, their boards must draft local laws, which would be subject to referendums if enough residents petition for one.

Municipalities have until Dec. 31 to opt out, Balestra said, but can repeal their local laws any time afterward. Every other part of the new state law will be in effect in Skaneateles regardless, Balestra continued. That includes the legalization of possession of up to 3 ounces of marijuana, use of the substance and, eventually, growing up to three mature and three immature plants at home.
More precisely, Benjamin was chosen, if Hochul is any example given her own years as lieutenant governor, for loyalty and a willingness to travel tirelessly  downstate mostly, in Benjamins case  making a case each day for the Hochul administration.

The Buffalo News reported a couple weeks ago that Benjamin, along with Sen. Jamaal Bailey of the Bronx, were on the short list to be Hochul's second-in-command.

The Hochul and Benjamin team is supposed to be publicly unveiled tomorrow in Harlem.

A number of Democrats who know Benjamin were waiting until Hochul confirmed the choice before speaking about Benjamin.

Benjamin is close with Keith Wright, the Manhattan Democratic Party Chairman and former longtime member of the Assembly representing the Harlem area. He did not immediately return a call for comment.

Benjamin, 44, is also a Brown University graduate. In his state biography, he says his mother moved from the Caribbean to find work. Benjamin worked for three years as an investment advisor at Morgan Stanley. He is presently the chairman of the Senate Committee on Budget and Revenue.
The iconic Geneva International Motor Show, one of the oldest in the world, will be shifted from its traditional venue in Switzerland to Qatar from 2022. The organisers of the automotive show made the announcement today, saying that they have gone into a partnership with the Qatar Tourism.

The announcement

was made during a press conference held at Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre (DECC), the venue where the automotive show will be held next. Earlier this year, the organisers had confirmed that the event will return in 2022.

The 2020 edition of the Geneva Motor Show was cancelled for the first time since World War II due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Efforts to hold it last year also failed as the crisis continued, and had forced the organisers to push back the 91st edition to next year.

The iconic annual automotive event will now be known as the Qatar Geneva International Motor Show. According to the joint press conference today, the event will be held between February 19 and 27 next year in a completely new format in Doha.

Maurice Turrettini, President of the Permanent Committee of the Geneva International Motor Show, said, We are very proud and honoured, that Qatar Tourism has put their trust in us for the conception of the new motor show in Doha. Our partnership is the result of very trusting and constructive discussions from day one. The joint forces with Qatar Tourism empower us to focus on the upcoming 91st edition of GIMS in February 2022, where we will be able to gather ideas and learnings for the new motor show in Doha."

Akbar Al Baker, Chairman of Qatar Tourism, said, In line with the national strategy, Qatar National Vision 2030, we are expanding our tourism proposition to position Qatar as a world-leading destination and ensure guests enjoy the very best of Qatar."

In addition to extensive hotel and resort development, the refurbishment and creation of tourism assets and an expanding culinary scene, hosting internationally renowned events is an important pillar of our strategy. Were pleased to partner with the highly distinguished Geneva International Motor Show and look forward to a collaborative relationship to bring this eminent event to our shores," he added.

The Geneva International Motor Show is more than a hundred-years old annual automotive carnival that was first held in 1905. The auto show has been graced with debut of some of the most iconic cars over the years such as the Ferrari 250 California Spider, Porsche 904, Lamborghini Diablo, and Jaguar E-Type.
Xiaomi invests in smart parking solution provider AIPark

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Xiaomi Group recently made a strategic investment in AIPark, a Beijing-based smart parking management solution provider, according to an announcement AIPark posted on Aug. 23 via its WeChat account.

Photo credit: AIPark



The investment is expected to help boost the multi-scenarios business collaboration between AIPark and Xiaomi's smart ecosystems, said AIPark.

Founded in June 2015, AIPark is a tech firm with AI smart parking + big data operation platform at its core. The company says it applies the high-level image recognition technology to the commercial use of urban smart parking management, focusing on providing smart solutions for city static traffic in the world.

The parking solution supplier manages an App named AIPark (dubbed Aiboche in Chinese), which allows drivers to book parking lots and pay for the service directly via the App. To make its App usable, AIPark upgrades traditional parking spaces into smarter ones by employing its in-house developed visual recognition and video-enabled parking management technologies.

In 2020, AIPark completed four rounds of fundraising. Its investors include Gaorong Capital, Asia Green Fund, NIO Capital, China Capital Investment Group, BOCOM International, and other renowned financial institutes.

Up until now, AIPark's city-level smart parking solution has been put into commercial use in nearly 30 cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, and Tianjin.

Since the announcement of the foray into intelligent EV domain on March 30, 2021, Xiaomi has invested in some companies working on automotive and traffic-related business. Chinese autonomous driving startup ZongMu Technology announced on June 3 the completion of its Series D funding led by Xiaomi Changjiang Industrial Fund, a fund backed by Xiaomi.
Baidu-backed JiDU Auto, Hesai Technology join hands to build smart driving system

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On August 25, JiDU Auto, a smart electric vehicle venture between Chinas tech giant Baidu and automaker Geely, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Chinese LiDAR manufacturer Hesai Technology (Hesai) to co-develop safer and more efficient intelligent driving systems, according to JiDU Auto's press release.



JiDU Auto, Hesai signing agreement; photo credit: JiDU Auto



Previous reports said that JiDU Auto may adopt the pure vision approach to smart driving features. The collaboration with Hesai raised speculation that the company will take the LiDAR solution into account.

JiDU has not commented on the guesswork yet.

In December 2017, Baidu Apollo and Hesai jointly launched Pandora, an all-in-one sensor kit for environmental sensing for self-driving cars. The suite integrates cameras, LiDAR and Apollo's data processing ability into the same module, with advanced synchronization and calibration solutions.

In the development of Pandora, Hesai was mainly responsible for the design and production of hardware, while Baidu Apollo took charge of the definition of overall system and the adaptability of algorithms.

Hesai announced in May 2018 it raised 250 million yuan ($38.606 million) in the Series B financing, which was led by Baidu and Lightspeed China Partners.
HOZON Auto, Huawei join hands to develop smart driving tech, digital energy, cloud service

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Chinese EV startup HOZON Auto and Huawei Technologies Co.,Ltd. (Huawei) inked an agreement on August 25 to develop a long-term win-win partnership, aiming to co-advance the ecosystem of intelligent vehicles into a higher level, according to HOZON Auto's press release.



HOZON Auto, Huawei sigining agreement; photo credit: HOZON Auto



Under the agreement, the two companies will carry out all-around cooperation on smart connectivity, in-car computing, intelligent driving, digital energy, and cloud-based service, on the foundation of such core technologies as IoT (Internet of Things), cloud computing, and big data.

The NETA S, which is scheduled to hit the market next year, will be the first model co-developed by HOZON Auto and Huawei. It will use Huawei's MDC (Mobile Data Center) intelligent driving platform and LiDAR technology.

Huawei has reiterated many times its resolution not to build complete cars, while stressed that it will focus on ICT technology to help automakers build good cars and become a provider of incremental components for intelligent connected cars.

According to a statement released in May, Huawei has chosen BAIC BJEV, Changan Auto, and GAC Group as its strategic partners to support them in developing their own sub-brands. The vehicles armed with Huawei's autonomous driving solution are allowed to bear the HI logo (standing for Huawei Inside) after being authorized by Huawei.

Wang Jun, president of Huawei smart car solution business unit, said on April 18 that Huawei planned to invest $1 billion into the research and development of smart driving technologies this year. Besides, the R&D group of its auto business will be expanded to over 5,000 staff members in 2021, of which more than 2,000 will come from the autonomous driving arm, he added.
LOS ANGELES  Tim Lutz, the beloved adult industry executive who co-founded Cybersocket more than 25 years ago, has passed away after a battle with cancer.



Lutz died on Aug. 20 at his home in Palm Springs. He was 58.

Tim was at peace with what was happening to him and he was ready to go, said Morgan Sommer, who co-founded Cybersocket with Lutz and also was his former life partner. He had spent considerable time in the past few weeks talking with me and other people in his life about this inevitable process.

He fought to win, until it was clear that no treatment or positive attitude was going to change the outcome of this kind of cancer. He was not afraid of death, just as he was not afraid of life.

Lutz was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in late November of 2020.

Sommer, now the senior vice president of sales and traffic at Docler Holding, continued, He and I shared a lot of life over the past 25 years as friends and business partners, and as life partners for 14 of those years, and as co-parents to Billy for 14 years.

We started a successful business together and sold it when it was clear it was time for us both to let it go. After we changed our personal relationship we were both married to other people and continued to support each others evolution and happiness.

As business partners we were a good balance to each other and could often be contentious but we always agreed that until we agreed we took no action. That worked for us, but it did lead to some very heated and impassioned discussions. We were both alphas.

Sommer told AVN that as Tims condition began to deteriorate rapidly during the past eight weeks, he put his life in order, talked to people he needed to connect with, and prepared himself.

He is now free of pain and suffering and onto his souls next adventure, Sommer added. His lifelong friend Tina Fiori and her mother were there for him extensively over the past nine months taking care of him to the end.

Lutz shared his battle with the disease openly with posts on social media and occasional journal entries on CaringBridge.org in recent months.

In one particularly poignant journal update about his radiation and chemotherapy treatment on January 21st, Lutz reiterated, I repeat, fear has never entered my mind.

Im surrounded by Love and will manifest my destiny, Tim wrote. My life purpose serves me and the people around me best when I exist in a place of Love. To Be Love is the reason I'm here. It allows for my immortality, my eternal life, my ultimate joy, my happiness.

AVN Media Network CEO Tony Rios remarked, Tims mantra was always, You exist in the world that you create. I can say that the world was a better place for having Tim in it. He was a dear friend and one of the most loving people Ive ever come to know.

Timi, you will always be in our hearts and thoughts. May you rest in peace.

Harmik Gharapetian, VP of sales and marketing at Epoch, remembers meeting Lutz about 16 years ago at a bar.

And we just connected and became friends since thenhe was one of the most genuine souls I ever met in my life. He had a heart of gold, Gharapetian told AVN Tuesday. He cared for people. He was truly a genuinely nice person.

I will remember all the good times with him and cherish them and try to forget the suffering he went through the last few months.

Gharapetian said Lutz sometimes came over for Thanksgiving dinner.

When he couldnt get together with his family there were a couple years where he came over to our house, Gharapetian continued. We had regular dinners together where we didnt talk business at all. We had a friendship outside of the industry. There was a period of time in the middle where life happened and we couldnt get together as much, but we reconnected in the last couple of years.

And when I got the bad news it was just more and more on a daily basis, cherishing the time we had together.

He was so easy going, so welcoming of new people in the group. I could tell you Tim became a regular friend of my close friends from high school, grade school and college.

He developed relationships with them just through our friendship.  He was just a special, special person and hell never be forgotten.

Born in Ohio and raised in Orion, Ill., Lutz moved to L.A. in the late 80s after graduating from Northern Illinois University with a degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry.



Right after college he packed his car and drove to California, Morgan Sommer said. He sold cable for a little while, then he got into graphic design, and at one time started another magazine with somebody else called Bang magazine.

Then he was doing lots of freelance graphic design and he and I met at the GV Guide Awards in Fall of 96, when I moved to LA.

We met again later at the after-party. We hit it off and started dating and a week or two later we came up with an idea for a business and we started Cybersocket.

Sommer told AVN that Lutz had a passion for designhe applied his talents in that area to all of Cybersockets marketing campaigns and artistic endeavors.

He loved design, that was his thing. He was a designer through and through, Sommer said. All the things we did over the years he was always creative director and art director. When he was at home or in the yard or whatever, he was all about design.

And he loved to travel. He was very interested in the world around him. I traveled extensively with him when we were still together.

I know he loved Barcelona. He also really loved Vienna. We have a really good friend thats in Vienna that he went to visit more than a few times. He loved traveling to Thailand also.

Under Lutz and Sommers leadership, Cybersocket became an iconic brand known worldwide in the LGBTQ community. The 21st annual Cybersocket Awards will be held in January 2022. Sommer and Lutz sold the company in May.

It just kind of all happened that the opportunity came along and it turns out it was for the best, Sommer said. It would be really hard to be running that business now.

Lutz is survived by his mother, sister and younger brother.

We knew it was coming, Sommer said. He was truly well prepared for this. He embraced this with all of the certainly of someone who believes that in some way he will exist forever.

Sommer explained that he was visiting Florence, Italy, with his husband last week when he received the news.

Tim loved the ideals represented by Da Vinci and Michelangelo, Morgan wrote on Facebook. At one of the first meetings I had with Tim 25 years ago he pointed to an image of Da Vincis Vitruvian Man on a shelf in his living room, with the Latin phrase Omnia Vincit Amor, and asked me if I knew what it meant. I translated it correctly.

The phrase means love conquers all.

Photo 1: Morgan Sommer & Tim Lutz in West Hollywood, Calif.

Photo 2: Tina Fiori & Tim in Las Vegas

Photo 3: Tim in Maldives
LOS ANGELES  Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon on Wednesday announced that adult film star Ron Jeremy has been indicted on more than 30 sexual assault counts involving 21 victims dating back more than two decades.

Far too often, survivors of sexual assault suffer in isolation, District Attorney Gascon said in a press release announcing the indictment. We must ensure that survivors have all options available to help with recovery, including trauma-informed services for healing and support to report such crimes.

Jeremy pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 12 counts of forcible rape, seven counts of forcible oral copulation, six counts of sexual battery by restraint, four counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object, two counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious or asleep person and one count each of lewd act upon a child under the age of 14 or 15, sodomy by use of force and assault with intent to commit rape. The indictment was unsealed today.

He is scheduled to return to court on October 12 for a pretrial conference in Department 107 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.

A grand jury returned the indictment, case BA484349, on August 19.

Jeremy is accused of sexually assaulting more than 20 women over a 23-year span dating back to 1996. The victims range in age from 15 to 51.

In October 1996, a 19-year-old woman was allegedly raped by the defendant during a photo shoot in the San Fernando Valley.

In October 2000, a 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped by Jeremy at a party in a nightclub. Sometime between 2002 and 2003, he also is accused of sexually assaulting a young woman at a strip club in City of Industry.

The defendant is accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in June 2004.

A 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped by the defendant at a home in Woodland Hills in 2008. Two years later, a woman went to the defendants home where she was allegedly sexually assaulted.

In January 2013, Jeremy is accused of sexually assaulting a 38-year-old woman at a West Hollywood bar the defendant frequented.

The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, the Los Angeles Police Department and the District Attorneys Bureau of Investigation.
LOS ANGELES  OnlyFans on Wednesday indicated it would reverse its plan to ban sexually explicit content on October 1.

In a tweet posted by @OnlyFans, the company said:

Thank you to everyone for making your voices heard. We have secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the planned October 1 policy change. OnlyFans stands for inclusion and we will continue to provide a home for all creators.

In a subsequent tweet, the company stated: An official communication to creators will be emailed shortly.
FUSD was the first area school to pass a mask mandate on its campuses last week during a board meeting that took place the night before school started. Penca said the response had been largely positive, though some families were frustrated because [of] the timing.

That timing, he said, was due to how quickly things can change during the pandemic. The weekend before school started, he said, was a time of reflection for himself and other board members. With the update to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance and rising local metrics, he said, if the state law banning mandates for masks and vaccinations hadnt been a factor, we would have made the mask mandate decision in July as we were reviewing and updating our mitigation plan.

Things just really built up around the surging of the numbers and understanding some of the decisions made by other leaders and other school districts and getting that legal understanding about the law; it just kind of happened fast, he said. ...We don't always have control over the timeline, but we felt it necessary to start that mask requirement on day one. If we waited a couple of weeks, we would be dealing with a lot more cases and having to quarantine two weeks from now, so we just felt it urgent to start off right away.
Residents in northern Arizona living outside of an official flood zone still may want to consider purchasing flood insurance.

That was one of the messages from officials during a Monday meeting between the Flagstaff City Council and the Coconino County Board of Supervisors. The meeting came ahead of an engineering summit planned for later this week.

That summit will largely be focused on longer-term mitigation strategies and infrastructure to handle flooding off of the 2019 Museum Fire burn scar that has impacted Flagstaff neighborhoods on the east side of the city several times throughout the monsoon season.

According to a press release, the Coconino County Flood Control District has spent $3.4 million on flood mitigation in the Museum burn scar area, while the City of Flagstaff has spent $1.8 million since July 13.

But officials also spoke to the flood events that residents outside of that area have experienced, which could define the next decade of stormwater priorities for the city and county.

There have been several instances in and around Flagstaff within the last two months in which areas well away from a burn scar have also been flooded by large downpours.
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Aerial photo taken on Aug. 17, 2021 shows people visiting the Tongluo Mountain mine park in Shichuan Town, Yubei District of Chongqing, southwest China. Shichuan Town, once a main quarry location for limestones, saw its forests and arable lands destroyed by exploitation. Facing the deterioration of the environment, local government closed the Tongluo Mountain quarry in 2012. Starting from 2016, ecological restoration projects of Tongluo Mountain were carried out and the former quarry was turned into a mine park. With the improvement of the environment, the park also offered job opportunities to local villagers. It has received over 500,000 visitors since its trial operation in February 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)




Chinese officials said on Tuesday that significant improvements have been made to rural transportation since 2012, and are promising a greater focus on safer and greener travel.

Since 2012, 1.2 million kilometers of roads have been built or upgraded in poorer areas, covering some 70,000 villages, new data from the Ministry of Transport showed.

Transportation officials told a news conference that new railway lines and airports have been extended to most impoverished regions.

"A new airport in remote places in Xinjiang, Qinghai or Inner Mongolia, can shorten the trip to provincial capitals by 4 to 18 hours," said Dong Zhiyi, deputy chief of Civil Aviation Administration of China.

"All airports in poor areas now have at least one flight per day to the provincial capital, and one transfer at most can bring everyone to an international airport hub in the country."

The progress has solved the decades-long headache of transportation problems in poorer areas by building an extensive network that benefits both rural and urban residents, said Li Xiaopeng, minister of transport.

"We are no doubt a country with a huge transportation network, but there's a long way to build it into a strong one," Li pointed out. "To do that, we should first shift the priority from speed and scale to quality and efficiency."

Officials said the next phase will be to promote safer and greener development in the transportation sector.

Statistics released by the ministry show that by the end of 2020, the number of new energy buses reached 466,000, accounting for 66.2 percent of total urban buses. The national railway electrification rate reached 74.9 percent.

More information about the second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference to take place in Beijing from October 14 to 16 was released on Tuesday.

The conference will be attended virtually by transport ministers across the world, but ambassadors to China will attend in person, Li revealed.

"There will be an opening ceremony, closing ceremony, ministerial forum, and plenary meetings," he said. "All preparations are proceeding in an orderly manner."

The theme of the UN conference is "Sustainable Transportation, Sustainable Development."

"Poverty reduction, people's livelihood, green development, interconnectivity and regional development; these are the areas we need to focus on when we talk about sustainability in transportation," Li explained.
Even as US troops began leaving, the Taliban gained strength. And the May 2021 deadline for pulling out all US troops ultimately was passed onto Trump's successor.

Joe Biden

Even before entering office in January, Biden had begun weighing what to do in Afghanistan, where he'd long become disillusioned about the war efforts. After having his advice to remove US troops rejected by Obama, Biden was finally in a position to end what he'd come to view as a war without purpose.

Over the course of the early months of his presidency, Biden received advice from his national security team, including "clear-eyed" warnings that withdrawing all US troops could lead to the eventual collapse of Afghanistan's government and a takeover by the Taliban.

Conversely, remaining in the country past the May deadline set in Trump's deal with the Taliban would expose US troops to attacks.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's meeting with President Joe Biden comes in the midst of heightened tensions with its regional archenemy, Iran, and as Israel grapples with a gradual resurgence of hostilities on its southern border with the Gaza Strip.

Bennett, in his first state visit overseas since taking office, met separately Wednesday with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

At the start of his meeting with Blinken, Bennett said he planned to speak with Biden and administration officials primarily about "how do we fend off and curtail Iran's ... race to a nuclear weapon.

The U.S. and Israel were also expected to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and economic matters.

Bennett has spoken out against the possibility of a new nuclear accord between Iran and world powers, and says that any agreement must also put the brakes on Iran's regional aggression. Recent months have seen a string of attacks on Israeli-connected shipping, believed to have been carried out by Iran.
This story will be updated.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New York Gov. Kathy Hochul promised more government transparency on her first day in office and by day's end her administration had quietly delivered it by acknowledging nearly 12,000 more deaths in the state from COVID-19 than had been publicized by her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo.

New York now reports nearly 55,400 people have died of COVID-19 in New York based on death certificate data submitted to the CDC, up from about 43,400 that Gov. Cuomo had reported to the public as of Monday, his last day in office.

"We're now releasing more data than had been released before publicly, so people know the nursing home deaths and the hospital deaths are consistent with what's being displayed by the CDC," Hochul said Wednesday on MSNBC. "There's a lot of things that weren't happening and I'm going to make them happen. Transparency will be the hallmark of my administration."

The Associated Press first reported in July on the large discrepancy between the fatality numbers publicized by the Cuomo administration and numbers the state was reporting to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
WAVERLY, Tenn. (AP)  Matthew Rigney and Danielle Hall were sleeping with their four children in the Tennessee apartment they had just moved into two weeks earlier when the flash flooding struck.

"We woke up and water was filling our apartment," Rigney told WTVF-TV.

The normally shallow and sedate Trace Creek just 20 feet (6 meters) away had overflowed, turned by record-breaking rainfall into a raging torrent.

"We heard a loud boom and it was the door busting in," Rigney said.

The couple grabbed the children and ran into a back bedroom, but the water kept rising. Hall climbed out a window to go for help, while Rigney clung to the kids: 7-month-old twins Ryan and Rileighana in his arms, 19-month-old Brayla on his hip and 5-year-old Maleah wrapped around his neck.

Once outside, Hall was immediately knocked off her feet by the rushing floodwaters but was able to grab hold of a tree. It was from there that she watched her husband and oldest two kids clamber up onto the roof. To her horror, she did not see the twins.
The former CEO of TierOne Bank has agreed to a $2,345,605 garnishment to pay off the restitution and fine he owes in a criminal case for a scheme to conceal losses on real estate loans from regulators and shareholders, which ultimately led the bank to fail in June 2010.

Gilbert Lundstrom is serving an 11-year prison sentence on house arrest after being convicted at trial of 12 counts, including wire fraud, securities fraud and falsifying bank records.

Last month, federal prosecutors asked the court to make his restitution due right away, rather than in monthly installments.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Blackburn said the government had learned that the FDIC paid Lundstrom, as receiver for the bank, $481,697 in unpaid retirement plan benefits and still owes him $2,748,561, plus interest.

While he was current on his $2,500 monthly payments, he still had sizable fine and restitution balances. As of July 26, Lundstrom still owed $2,341,721, which includes a fine of $1.2 million.

For that reason, she sought to block the FDIC from disbursing the $2.7 million and a judge's order for the FDIC to pay funds owed to Lundstrom to the clerk of the court.
Once I give him the 'find' command, hes going to go out and look for odor, and hes going to do that on his own, said Dover. Once he hits odor, hes going to go to where the odors coming from, the subject.

Then hes going to come back to me and tell me that hes found someone, and go back to the subject, she said. The cycle repeats, with the dog navigating back and forth between the searcher and the lost, until contact is made.

When searching for cadavers, the routine is the same. However, the handlers use different commands than when searching for the living. Usually, each dog will have a unique command to start them searching for a body, to prevent false starts.

To prepare for a cadaver training drill, the team distributes some of the death-scented apparel and body parts. A shoe from a car crash might be hung in a tree, a small container of fingertips placed in a hollow log, or bloodied shirts hidden behind a boulder. One particularly effective piece of material is a small block of concrete, made by mixing Quikrete with human blood and discarded placenta.
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Though Arntzen doesn't support the masking policy, universal masking in schools remains the recommendation of the CDC. The SD2 policy has also garnered support this week from organizations including St. Vincent Healthcare, the Billings Clinic, St. John's United, RiverStone Health and the Billings Chamber of Commerce.

"We want to make Montana proud," Arntzen said. "Use your voice, use your family, use your friends, your neighbors. Talk to those teachers, visit with them."

Event organizers on Tuesday night reiterated their support of teachers and also the unions representing teachers and staff at Billings schools. The Billings Education Association Board of Directors put together a statement Monday night addressing the masking requirement in schools and responding to a memo Superintendent Greg Upham had sent out Sunday to district employees.

The memo from Upham outlined how instances of refusal to follow or enforce the masking policy would be deemed insubordination and result in five days of unpaid leave, with the option for a teacher or staff member to return earlier if they agree to adhere to the masking policy. Further refusal could result in an employee's contract being terminated, the memo said. Three teachers were on unpaid leave over the masking policy as of Tuesday evening. The same number of teachers had been on unpaid leave Monday.
Larry Lieb farms 92 acres of soybeans and timber in central Illinois and also raises a few cows and pigs.

He said he wondered whether the vaccine could be safe, given how quickly it came to market  and he got it for only one reason.

"My daughter's a respiratory therapist, and she told me I was gonna get it," Lieb said. "Plain and simple."

Unlike some of his relatives, Lieb said, he does not buy into conspiracy theories about the vaccine. But he said he avoids those conversations altogether.

"It's their own personal choice," he said. "On issues where they're set in their ways, you know, it's futile to try."

The pandemic has had a huge economic impact on farmers, said Mike Stranz, vice president of advocacy for the National Farmers Union.

"There's been so much upheaval in the agricultural economy and in our communities," Stranz said. "We need to start moving past that, and vaccines are the way towards that [goal]."

Vaccination rates have consistently lagged in rural communities, and an analysis from NPR and Johns Hopkins University in June found new COVID-19 hot spots are cropping up in areas with dangerously low vaccination rates  especially in the South, Midwest and West.
They said reducing the wolf population would reduce attacks on livestock and boost deer and elk herds.

A primary change in wolf hunting in Idaho allows the state to hire private contractors to kill wolves and provides more money for state officials to hire the contractors. The law also expands killing methods to include trapping and snaring wolves on a single hunting tag, using night-vision equipment, chasing wolves on snowmobiles and ATVs and shooting them from helicopters. It also authorizes year-round wolf trapping on private property.

In Montana, state wildlife authorities earlier this month approved a statewide harvest quota of 450 wolves, about 40% of the states wolf population. Methods for killing wolves that were previously outlawed can now be used. Those include snaring, baiting and night hunting. Trapping seasons have also been expanded.

On a related front, the Center for Biological Diversity in May asked Fish and Wildlife for an emergency relisting of gray wolves in Idaho and adjacent states.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game on Monday responded on that subject with a letter to Haaland stating that despite headlines to the contrary, 2021 Idaho legislative changes do NOT in fact call for killing 90% of Idahos wolves or for wolf eradication.
Active COVID-19 cases in North Dakota have reached their highest point this year, and Burleigh County has recorded its 200th coronavirus-related death.

Active cases on the state's coronavirus dashboard Wednesday were at 1,843, up 9% from the previous day and up 50% from a week ago. They have increased eightfold in the past month. State health officials say the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus is driving the spike, particularly among the unvaccinated.

Nearly one-fourth of the active cases are in Burleigh and Morton counties. State data showed just one available staffed inpatient bed and one ICU bed at Sanford Health hospital in Bismarck, and no beds in either category at CHI St. Alexius Health.

Statewide, there were 206 available staffed inpatient beds and 28 ICU beds -- numbers similar to a year ago when virus numbers were increasing toward pandemic highs. There were 53 COVID-19 patients in hospitals in the state Wednesday, down five from Tuesday but also on par with last year at this time.
"This is nonpartisan work, and we want a fair map for all North Dakotans," Voters First Director Rick Gion told reporters Wednesday.

The groups, which include North Dakota Native Vote and the League of Women Voters of North Dakota, also raised concerns of gerrymandering, or drawing boundaries to favor certain incumbents.

"This is not about partisan politics ... this is about representation. This is about having equal access to electing somebody that knows the community," Native Vote Executive Director Nicole Donaghy said.

Ellen Chaffee, a member of the BadAss Grandmas for Democracy who helped lead the 2018 Ethics Commission measure, cited "explicit" comments by former House Majority Leader Al Carlson, R-Fargo, in 2011 after the last redistricting, such as "There's a few people that we would have preferred to protect that we weren't able to get done."

The former top House Republican told the Tribune that Chaffee didn't take his comments "in the right way."

"Every time you redistrict, there's a shift in the population, and because of that you have to get a certain number of people in each district, and sometimes we end up putting two Republicans that used to be from different districts in the same district, and that's what my comment meant," Carlson said.
The pandemic disrupted many Americans work lives. Some of us  generally highly educated white-collar workers with relatively well-paying jobs  were able to shift to remote work. Millions of other workers, especially many poorly paid service workers, simply saw their jobs disappear when consumers stopped eating out and traveling.

Now the economy is recovering  a recovery that will probably continue despite the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus. But many Americans dont want to go back to the way things were before. After a year and a half of working from home, many dont want to return to the stress of commuting. And at least some of those who were forced into unemployment have come to realize how unhappy they were with low pay and poor working conditions, and are reluctant to go back to their previous jobs.

To be honest, when businesses first began complaining about labor shortages I was skeptical. These kinds of complaints always surface when the economy begins to recover from a slump and often mean only that job applicants have gotten a bit less desperate. Some of us also remember how, seven or eight years ago, Very Serious People insisted that we faced a major skills gap and would never be able to get unemployment down to the levels that prevailed before the financial crisis. (Spoiler: We did.)
As the evacuations from Afghanistan continue, the Tribune editorial board believes we should pause to remember the North Dakotans who died serving in the country. North Dakotas losses werent as high as for many states, but that doesnt diminish the pain of those who lost loved ones.

From 2006-12, seven North Dakotans died in service to their country in Afghanistan. They ranged in age from 19 to 41, with five in their 20s.

The Associated Press compiled a grim list of the toll in Afghanistan from the start of the U.S. involvement through April of this year. In the 20 years of fighting, the U.S. military reported 2,448 personnel killed.

There were 3,846 U.S. contractors killed; 66,000 Afghan military and police lost; our allies saw 1,144 die; 47,245 Afghan civilians died; 51,191 Taliban and other fighters were killed; 444 aid workers died; and 72 journalists were killed covering the conflict.

Add those wounded or maimed for life and the results are horrific. This editorial doesnt intend to debate the merits of the war or withdrawal, but to remember the seven from North Dakota who died.
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In restricting land purchases by environmentalists, conservatives undermine the power of property rights as a path to conservation. It shouldnt be that way. []

Some sects of environmentalists are well known for disrupting and interrupting land transactions for the cause of conservation, using whatever legal and regulatory means necessary to control, coerce, or prevent concerted human development.

Its a combative legacy that has left many of their critics wondering: If land conservation is of such utmost importance, why not just pay for ownership of such lands, protect and conserve them as one sees fit, and be done with political and legal antics?

Alas, its a strategy that has routinely been tried, but continues to be met by undue resistance from government regulators and lawmakers.

Consider the story of American Prairie, a Montana-based non-profit whose main goal is to purchase and permanently hold title to private lands that glue together a vast mosaic of existing public lands, all for purposes of wildlife conservation and public access. According to Outdoor Life, American Prairie has thus far accumulated nearly 100,000 acres of private land, and another 310,000 acres of associated federal and state land in northeast Montana, with the specific goal of better managing the regions native bison population.

For defenders of secure property rights as the most just and effective path to conservation, its a wholly legitimate mission, if not a noble pursuit. Yet the states Republican legislators recently tried to pass a bill that would prohibit American Prairie and other organizations from such transactions, claiming that such sales provide unfair tax advantages to nonprofit organizations. In an op-ed, bill sponsor and Republican state Rep. Dan Bartel openly boasted that he wished he could legislate them out of existence. Given that this is not how the law works, Bartel lamented that he would have to settle with limiting property rights instead.

While the bill in Montana now looks to be a failed effort, it is not an isolated case. As Shawn Regan details in an extensive essay for the Property and Environment Research Center, the stories are many. Whether one looks to the range of activist gimmicks or more serious, good-faith efforts to acquire public lands or buy out hunting permits, environmentalists have routinely tried to use private ownership to achieve their goals.

The laws vary, but as Regan explains, much of the government resistance tends to surround public lands, relying on narrow definitions of productive use:

The extent of these voluntary market-based exchanges is often limited to private lands. On federal and state propertywhich makes up most of the land in the American Westsuch deals are much more complicated, if not outright prohibited. Environmentalists are often not allowed to acquire public land leases to conserve the landat least not without considerable difficulty. And its not due to a lack of financial resources. As [environmental activist] Tempest Williams found out the hard way, federal and state laws typically prevent leaseholders from acquiring such rights for nonconsumptive purposes  The laws and institutions governing the use of most federal- and state-managed land emerged in the 19th and early 20th centuries for a narrow purpose: to promote the productive use of the nations resources. Property rights were established and maintained by actively using the resources. Concepts such as beneficial use, use it or lose it, and the rule of capture undergird the legal history of U.S. land policy and still serve as the basis for many of the rules that determine the use of natural resources.

One can disagree with environmentalists over what is most productive for the land in question. But by seizing or regulating away the freedom to buy and manage such property freely, we eliminate our best mechanism for facilitating such disagreements.

The lesson is not that energy development, logging, or livestock grazing is bad, or that every effort to stop such activities should prevail, Regan writes. Rather, its that environmental values are real and legitimate, and they are best expressed in ways that acknowledge existing property rights, seek an honest bargain, and reflect the opportunity costs of the other forgone values associated with the land.

When we remove rightful paths of recourse  ceding property planning activities to the state  we ought not be surprised when environmentalism takes an overtly political turn. Indeed, the more we cling to public criteria and our own narrow notions of productivity, the more we invite others to do the same  using the same coercive means to defend their own preferred ends. As Regan explains, People who want to conserve lands often have no other option but to lobby for restrictive designations, regulate existing land practices, or file legal challenges to stop extractive activities on public lands they care about.

Further, by deferring to politics when it benefits certain special interests, we only invite greater cynicism about the true ability of markets and economic freedom to provide as better a path to conservation. Its clear that many people value conservation and are willing to spend their own money to get it, Regan concludes. The only question is whether those resources will be channeled through zero-sum political means or through positive-sum market mechanisms.

For proponents of economic freedom who also believe in the good of environmental conservation, such struggles will continue to require consistency, even when it may feel uncomfortable or uncertain. In the end, our environmental advocacy will inevitably answer one central question: Do we believe in the power of property rights or not?
Igor Vovkovinski who stood 7 feet 8.33 inches tall and was recognized by Guinness World Records as the Tallest Living Man in America, has died. He was 38.

Vovkovinskiyborn with the medical condition of pituitary gigantismdied of heart failure surrounded by his mother and brother. According to a Facebook post by his mother, he enjoyed a piece of Kyive cake and Fanta soda before his death.

From Guinness World Records:

Originally from the Ukraine, Igor moved to Minnesota with his mother Svetlana when he was 7-years old. With a size 24 10-E shoe, Igor faces challenges daily including fitting into cars, finding comfortable shoes and squeezing into desks at the Minnesota School of Business where he is pursuing a degree in paralegal studies. He's found solace in organizations like the Tall Club International where he's made lasting friendships with other tall people like himself. Igor now joins the Tallest Living Man, Sultan Kosen (Turkey), who measures in at 8 feet 1 inch and the Tallest Man Ever, Robert Wadlow (US) who stood an amazing 8 feet 11.1 inches tall in the Guinness World Records pantheon.

(CNN)
Delta Air Lines employees who choose not to get vaccinated against Covid-19 are about to learn that muhfreedoms aren't free. The cost? Two hundred dollars a month in increased health insurance premiums.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told employees in a memo: "The average hospital stay for COVID-19 has cost Delta $40,000 per person. This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company. In recent weeks since the rise of the B.1.617.2 variant, all Delta employees who have been hospitalized with COVID were not fully vaccinated."

(The " B.1.617.2 variant"  lol, the CEO of Delta couldn't call it the "Delta variant," now could he?)

Delta also told unvaccinated employees that if they come down with Covid-19, they won't be eligible for the company pay protection program and will have to use sick days instead.

From MSNBC:

Unvaccinated employees will face other restrictions, including indoor masking effective immediately and weekly Covid-19 tests starting Sept. 12 the Atlanta-based airline said in announcing new Covid policies for employees. The measures are the latest attempt by a U.S. corporation to drive up Covid vaccination rates. Delta stopped short of an outright mandate like rival United Airlines established earlier this month. The airline, which self insures its employees, stands out in its plans to raise premiums for unvaccinated workers to cover the higher costs of insuring employees who get Covid.

Photo by Pablo Nidam on Scopio
At Truist Park, the home of the Atlanta Braves, a fan gets selected to run a foot-race versus a very fleet of foot opponent, "The Freeze". In this foul-pole to foul-pole (160 Meters) sprint The Freeze rarely gets beaten in the "Beat the Freeze" contest, even when given a massive head start, which every competitor gets.

This fan was beating The Freeze, but to win, you have to finish. He finished with a glorious last-second face plant, and The Freeze glided to victory again. 40,000 Braves fans got to cheer and ultimately witness this fan's humiliation first hand. You have to credit him though, because you can't win if you don't try, and he didn't win.

Here is another angle to watch this poor guy lose his legs just before the finish line.
Margaret Ann Cirko (37) was sentenced to 1-2 years in prison, 8 years probation, and fined $15,000 for deliberately coughing and spitting on groceries at a supermarket.

In March 2020, Cirko entered a Gerrity's Supermarket in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania and announced., "I have the virus. Now everyone is going to get sick." She proceeded to cough and spit on $35,000 worth of groceries, which the supermarket had to dispose of.

According to The Daily Beast, Cirko pleaded guilty to a weapons of mass destruction charge in June, a second-degree felony.

At her sentencing, Circo told the judge, "I wish I could take it back."

"I do, too," said the judge.
Samsung South Africa announced recently that the serial numbers of TV sets stolen from a warehouse in Johannesburg had been flagged for shut-down. Any of the sets that come online will be remotely brickedand they can't be activated unless they go online.

A TV blocking system has been activated on Samsung television sets stolen from our warehouse The blocking will come into effect when the user of a stolen television connects to the internet, in order to operate the television Once connected, the serial number of the television is identified on the Samsung server and the blocking system is implemented, disabling all the television functions Should a customer's TV be incorrectly blocked, the functionality can be reinstated once proof of purchase and a valid TV license is shared to serv.manager@samsung.com or click here for more information

The same thing is true (or at least technically possible) of most televisions sold nowadays, but Samsung is unusual in thinking "we can and will remotely destroy your television" is a feature to boast about to consumers. It's hard to be concise when describing Samsung, all told, but pointing out that the company's chairman was convicted and jailed for corruption gets you most of the way there.
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FDA gives official nod

On Monday, Aug. 23, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration officially approved the first COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the FDA website, the organization gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

The vaccine will now be marketed as Comirnaty and used for the prevention of COVID-19 disease for individuals 16 and older.

The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorization for those ages 12 to 15 and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals, per the website.

The FDAs approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, acting FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D., said per the website. While this and other vaccines have met the FDAs rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product.

Woodcock said the FDAs official approval helps instill additional confidence to get vaccinated. She said the milestone puts the nation one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.

Find more information online at FDA.org.
South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe City on the west shore had the nations worst air pollution at midmorning Wednesday, reaching 334, in the hazardous category of the 0-500 Air Quality Index, according to AirNow, a partnership of federal, state and local air agencies.

South of Tahoe, Rick Nelson and his wife, Diane, had planned to host a weekend wedding at Fallen Leaf Lake, where his daughter and her fiance had met. However, the smoke caused most of the community to leave. The sun was an eerie blood orange, and the floats and boats in the lake were obscured by haze Tuesday.

In the end, the Nelsons spent two days arranging to have the wedding moved from the glacial lake several hours southwest to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Everybodys trying to make accommodations for the smoke. And I think its becoming a reality for us, unfortunately, Diane Nelson said. I just think that the smoke and the fires have gotten bigger, hotter and faster-moving.

Climate change has made the 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.
If approved, the order would apply not only to businesses, but to schools within the countys borders, as well.

Douglas County Health Director Lindsay Huse told the County Board on Tuesday that she had sought the approval for the mask order from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Huse said the order, if approved, would require masking until community transmission drops below the substantial category and until eight weeks past the time a COVID vaccine is approved for children between the ages of 5 and 11.



WASHINGTON  Dr. Anthony Fauci is urging hospitals and doctors to make greater use of antibody treatments for people infected with COVID-19 as hospitalizations and deaths rise due to the spread of the delta variant.

Infusions of antibody drugs can keep patients who are experiencing mild-to-moderate symptoms from getting so sick they need hospitalization, the governments top infectious disease specialist said at Tuesdays White House coronavirus briefing. They also can serve as a preventive treatment for people exposed to someone with a documented infection.
We all know these numbers will come and go, Stapleton said. Today our numbers are not where we want them to be, but they could be worse. It changes day to day."

The mandate is all but certain to generate legal challenges.

Attorney Corey Hogan, founding partner of HoganWillig, said he was not sure how the governor's announcement will affect a case he filed in state Supreme Court challenging the state's previous mask mandate. He said his law firm has hundreds of plaintiffs ready to sign on to a challenge to masks in federal court, but he was waiting to see which entities to bring to court.

"We knew some type of mandate would probably come," Hogan said. "If, in fact, the Department of Health does issue some type of a mandate, rather than a guideline, then we'll know where to go. I don't think they have the authority to do that."

The New York State Council of School Superintendents welcomed Hochul's mask requirement.
ALBANY  Gov. Kathy Hochul has tapped a Black state senator from Harlem to be her lieutenant governor, a move that highlights the Buffalo Democrats downstate political needs if she is to run a successful campaign in 2022 to keep her new job for a full term.

Sen. Brian Benjamin, whose Senate district encompasses Harlem, East Harlem and the Upper West Side, is widely respected among his colleagues and has strong ties to Black leaders in New York City. The holder of an MBA from Harvard University, Benjamin was a member of President Obamas national campaign finance committee.

Sources with knowledge of the pick, first reported by Spectrum News NY1, confirmed Benjamin has been tapped by Hochul. Her office did not return calls for comment.

Hochul has said she wanted a second-in-command to be from New York City, where her political future will rest next June if there is a Democratic primary for governor.

The lieutenant governors job has few legal duties  presiding over the state Senate and serving as governor if Hochul dies or goes out of state. Benjamin has presided over the Senate many times the past couple years when Hochul was not there to serve on the podium.
Not that a growing customer base isnt important, too. He notes that businesses also look for places with more people with disposable incomes that will sustain their operations.

It all works together, he said, explaining that once an area has customers, its easier to attract businesses. It all works in a kind of a circle.

He said thats why a lot of the Buffalo Billion and other such efforts were devoted to getting people to want to be here, and why Buffalo partnered with Rochester  to create a bigger labor pool  in the unsuccessful effort to win an Amazon headquarters a few years ago.

Now Buffalo is growing on its own, thanks largely to increases in the numbers of people of color, including an influx of refugees and immigrants.

In addition to the economic benefits, Kucharski said population growth also brings new energy, new ideas and new perspectives.

If you dont have it, its really difficult to grow your region, he said, adding that such growth also must be sustained with policies that facilitate such characteristics as livable, walkable communities and racial and social equity because both companies and workers take note of such factors.
Former Gov. David A. Paterson can appreciate Tuesdays historic events more than most. In 2008, he became the states first Black governor when he assumed the top job following another resignation in disgrace  by Eliot L. Spitzer.

Its an historic event, he told The Buffalo News in a Tuesday phone conversation that dwelled on the incredulity of it all. New York has been a member of the union for 234 years, and this is the first day weve had a woman governor?

But following the morning ceremony in which Hochul acknowledged being emotional but prepared, the new governor had to get to work. She met with Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and they didnt talk about the normal business of state government, such as crafting a budget. This time, the new trio of two women and one man in a room had to dwell on life and death matters presented by a coronavirus still wreaking havoc on New Yorks government, its finances and its people.

They have to find a way to successively pull New York out of its Covid-19 mess. And if Cuomo could chalk up success in inspiring the state during its darkest moments of 2020, then Hochul must somehow do the same. That means she must govern effectively. That also means mastering the intricacies of New York politics in a way she has never faced before.

Analysis: Local Democratic leaders shed no tears over Cuomo "During the about-to-end Cuomo era, Erie County Democrats more often than not found themselves isolated from the inner workings of New York Democratic politics," writes Robert J. McCarthy.
Metz Culinary did not respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit alleges that Metz Culinary and Catholic Health assigned only the Black second-shift Environmental Services Department workers to clean the Covid-19 rooms, and when white employees helped, offered to help, or questioned why only the Black employees were assigned to the Covid-19 rooms, they were not permitted to help and, instead, were fired or retaliated against.

Metz Culinary employees supervise and manage all the Environmental Services Department employees, some of whom are paid by Metz Culinary, while others are paid by Catholic Health, according to the lawsuit.

Two Black workers who are suing remain employees in the department and report to a Metz Culinary supervisor who ultimately reports to a Metz Culinary employee individually named in the suit.

The other Black plaintiffs include a former Catholic Health employee, who quit in frustration, and a former Metz Culinary supervisor who quit after not getting a pay raise like his counterparts, according to the lawsuit.

Earlier this year, while in the presence of the former Metz Culinary supervisor, a white employee responded to a cleaning request by pulling on her skin and saying, I dont do that, see the color of my skin? according to the lawsuit.
MEBANE, N.C. (AP)  Lloyd Dobyns Jr., an award-winning NBC News correspondent who reported from places around the world and who anchored an innovative U.S. television newscast in the early 1980s, has died, his family said. He was 85.

Ken Dobyns said in a statement that his father died Sunday in Mebane, North Carolina, northwest of Raleigh. He said his father suffered complications from a series of strokes.

Dobyns worked for NBC News in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and was known in the U.S. for working with Linda Ellerbee on the late-night news series NBC News Overnight in 1982 and 1983, according to a statement released by Ken Dobyns and online with a Raleigh funeral home.

He was a friend, teacher, trouble-maker, and a world-class journalist, Ellerbee said in the statement. I shall miss him more than I can say.

Dobyns was born in Newport News, Virginia, on March 12, 1936. After serving in the U.S. Army, he began his broadcasting career as a reporter for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1957. Three years later, he became a news anchor at WAVY-TV, the NBC affiliate in Virginia's Tidewater area, and advanced to news director, the family statement said.
Biden said he had asked the Pentagon and State Department for evacuation contingency plans that would adjust the timeline for full withdrawal should that become necessary.

Pentagon officials expressed confidence the airlift, which started on Aug. 14, can get all Americans out by next Tuesday, the deadline Biden had set long before the Taliban completed their takeover. But unknown thousands of other foreign nationals remain in Afghanistan and are struggling to get out.

The Taliban, who have wrested control of the country back nearly 20 years after being ousted in a U.S.-led invasion after the 9/11 attacks, insist the airlift must end on Aug. 31. Any decision by Biden to stay longer could reignite a war between the militants and the approximately 5,800 American troops who are executing the airlift at Kabul airport.

In Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a news conference the U.S. must stick to its self-imposed deadline, saying after that we wont let Afghans be taken out on evacuation flights. He also said the Taliban would bar Afghans from accessing roads to the airport, while allowing foreigners to pass in order to prevent large crowds from massing.
SEATTLE (AP)  An organizer of a neo-Nazi campaign to threaten journalists and Jewish activists in three states was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison after apologizing for what he did and saying he's a changed man.

Cameron Shea was one of four members of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division charged last year with having cyberstalked and sent Swastika-laden posters to journalists and an employee of the Anti-Defamation League, telling them, You have been visited by your local Nazis, Your Actions have Consequences, and We are Watching.

The defendant wanted the victims to feel unsafe in their own homes, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.

Shea, 25, pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in Seattle to two of the counts in the five-count indictment: a conspiracy charge that carries up to five years in prison and interference with a federally protected activity, which carries up to 10. Prosecutors sought a term of more than four years.

In a letter to Judge John C. Coughenour, Shea apologized, saying, I cannot put into words the guilt that I feel about this fear and pain that I caused.
On Monday, a total of 43,415 people were reported to have died in New York since the pandemic began  under the Cuomo way of counting.

When the broader CDC counting system is used, the actual death levels in New York: 55,395.

Im a fan of full transparency and accurate data," said Dr. Thomas Russo, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo.

Covid-19 cases climb in Erie County, but hospitalization rate remains relatively low The bottom line: Because more Erie County residents are vaccinated, fewer people are suffering serious illnesses and fewer are dying due to the virus.

Reporting the full sets of data, Russo said, will help make the public aware of the gravity of the situation and has the potential to help us move forward to do better in containing the pandemics spread.

Many health care experts and news organizations have long been using the CDC data, instead of the Cuomo administrations death count numbers. But the Covid-19 death count numbers put out by the former governor each day, as well as reported online by the health departments own public tracking system, had the effect of also confusing residents of the state as to the true fatal nature of the virus.
If Erie County sewage luminaries (yes, theres such a thing) were trying to convince residents that it is important, if not exactly sexy, to spend public money improving the wastewater system, they succeeded via a story in Mondays editions of The News.

Indeed, the ready answer to critics who insist that government is always the enemy is that only through government action and regulation do Americans have ready access to clean water, a primary requirement not just for health, but for life. But the systems dont last forever. They need to be maintained and updated, as County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz plans to do, using $32.7 million of federal stimulus money from the American Rescue Plan.

To be blunt, people live longer because of sewers, Joseph Fiegl, deputy commissioner of sewerage management, told the Erie County Legislature last month. What is more, he said, economic vitality depends on them: Sewers are needed for businesses to develop and to grow, he said.

Its necessary work, even if it falls short of the transformational ambitions that the deluge of federal money ought to provoke. Its the kind of routine work that would eventually be completed though bonding. Still, the project is at least plausible and of obvious public necessity.
This is not about whether you are Republican or Democrat. If you are an American, you need to wake up and see what is happening to our country. President Biden has been an abject failure. You need to look no further than what is happening at our border with Mexico and the debacle over how we withdrew from Afghanistan. Biden has spent all his time reversing everything former President Trump implemented in order to spite Trump. Trump was an egomaniac and not someone to admire, but most of his policies were sound. Trump put America first. Biden has put undocumented immigrants and his son first. Biden wants to blame Trump for everything and not give Trump credit for anything. Make no mistake, the expedited roll out of the Covid-19 vaccine was due to Trumps implementation of Warp Speed, Biden had nothing to do with it.
A recent letter writer implored readers to respect the choice of those who refuse the Covid-19 vaccine. That writer cloaked the decision to refuse the vaccine as a matter of individual freedom and he quoted Benjamin Franklin who allegedly once said Anyone who chooses to cede liberty in exchange for security will end up with neither. It is so ironic that the writer quoted Franklin to defend his anti-vaccination stance because no one would more forcefully disagree with the position of that letter writer than Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin was a fervent advocate of smallpox vaccinations. The author Walter Isaacson stated in his biography, Benjamin Franklin, An American Life, that Franklin had editorialized in the Pennsylvania Gazette in support of inoculations and published statistics showing how effective they were. Franklins 4-year-old son died from smallpox. According to Isaacson, the childs death was possibly the worst personal tragedy that Franklin experienced in his long life. It was made all the more bitter for Franklin, because although Franklin was a staunch supporter of smallpox vaccinations, he had neglected to get his son vaccinated as soon as possible.
CANBERRA, Australia  Australia on Thursday advised its citizens in Afghanistan not to travel to Kabuls airport, where there as a very high threat of a terrorist attack.

Australians in the airports vicinity were advised to move to a safe location and await further advice.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the travel advice was consistent with revised British and New Zealand advice. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul warned American citizens away from three specific airport gates over an unspecified security issue.

Australia has helped evacuated around 4,000 people from the airport since Wednesday last week including 1,200 overnight, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

That was triple the number that Morrison said he thought was possible last week.

It remains a highly dangerous environment, Morrison said.

That danger and those risks have been increasing each and every day as we always knew they would, and thats why weve been moving with the haste that we have, he added.

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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:

 Poland, Belgium end Afghan evacuation as clock ticks down

 US says 1,500 Americans may still await Kabul evacuation

 2 US lawmakers Kabul trip prompts questions, criticism

 Immigrant families from San Diego area stuck in Afghanistan

 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON  The head of the U.S. militarys European Command says that so far more than 7,000 evacuees from Afghanistan have been flown to eight locations around Europe, mainly in Germany and Italy.

Gen. Tod Wolters said Wednesday that 55 evacuation flights from Afghanistan have flown into Ramstein Air Base in Germany and three into Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy. He says the flights brought nearly 5,800 evacuees from Kabul to Ramstein and 662 to Sigonella.

Smaller numbers of flights and people have gone to six other European locations, largely bases in Germany. Flights will soon be going into the base at Rota, Spain.

Story continues

Wolters says there have been few medical or security problems. He says fewer than 100 individuals have needed additional medical screening, and of those fewer than 25 needed medical attention at the military hospital. More than half of them have already returned to Ramstein for further processing and travel onward to more permanent destinations.

He says just 52 people have required additional security screening, and all of them were eventually cleared.

Wolters says evacuees are spending three to four days at the Europe transit stops before they move on. He says the plan is to move 1,500-1,800 people per day on to Dulles International Airport outside Washington.

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LONDON  The British government is warning its citizens in Afghanistan to stay away from Kabul airport, citing the ongoing and high threat of a terrorist attack.

The Foreign Office says anyone in the area of the airport should move away to a safe location and await further advice.

It is unclear how many Britons remain in Afghanistan. U.K. military flights have evacuated more than 11,000 people in recent days, including several thousand British citizens and more than 7,000 Afghans.

Britain is planning to end its evacuations before U.S. forces depart at the end of the month.

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WASHINGTON  The Afghan baby girl born on a C-17 military aircraft that made an evacuation flight from Afghanistan will forever carry that experience with her. Her parents have named her after the planes call sign  Reach.

The head of U.S. European Command told reporters Wednesday that officials had spoken to the newborn's parents. Gen. Tod Wolters says the parents decided to name her Reach because the transport aircrafts call sign is Reach 828.

She was born Saturday, and members of the 86th Medical Group helped in her birth as the plane flew from Kabul to Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

European Command says the mother went into labor during the flight and began experiencing complications due to low blood pressure. The pilot descended in altitude to increase air pressure in the aircraft, which helped stabilize the mother. Military medical personnel delivered the baby in the planes cargo bay.

Wolters says the baby and family are all in good condition. Two other babies whose parents were evacuating from Afghanistan have been born over the past week at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the U.S. military hospital in Germany.

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BRUSSELS  Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo says the country has ended its evacuation flights carrying people from the Afghan capital of Kabul to Pakistan.

De Croo tweeted Wednesday that the federal government took the decision to bring an end to evacuations from Kabul airport given the evolution of the situation in Afghanistan and in agreement with its European partners.

He says five flights operated between Kabul and Islamabad on Wednesday and all personnel involved in the operation and those evacuated are now in Pakistan.

De Croos says that Belgium will continue to repatriate to our country those people evacuated in the days ahead. More than 1,100 people have been flown to Belgium in recent days.A

Belgium and other European countries have been obliged to wind down their operations as U.S. troops running Kabul airport prepare to leave by Aug. 31.

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WASHINGTON  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the administration believes about 1,500 American citizens remain in Afghanistan, 12 days into a massive U.S. military airlift.

Blinken said at a news conference Wednesday that another 4,500 Americans have been evacuated in a U.S.-run, round-the-clock operation since the Taliban reached the capital Aug. 14, completing a sudden rout of the U.S.-backed Afghan government and military.

Blinkens count comes after days of pressing for official estimates of how many Americans remain to be safely gotten out of the country, ahead of a planned U.S. troop withdrawal Tuesday.

American officials are in contact with about 500 American citizens to try to get them safely out of the country, the U.S. official said.

Blinken described ongoing efforts to reach the final 1,000 Americans, ahead of the U.S. withdrawal.

Were aggressively reaching out to them multiple times a day, through multiple channels of communication  phone, email, text-messaging  to determine whether they still want to leave, he said.

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WASHINGTON  Germanys top military commander says 21 German citizens were picked up during an overnight helicopter mission in Afghanistan that was flown by U.S. forces.

Gen. Eberhard Zorn said Wednesday that U.S. troops flew the helicopter and German forces picked up the evacuees.

The Pentagon acknowledged that there was a U.S. military helicopter flight into Kabul overnight to gather evacuees and take them to the airport to be flown out of the country. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby and Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor said this was the third such helicopter rescue flight done by the military during the ongoing evacuation. They declined to say who the passengers were or provide any other details.

The U.S. and other nations are under increasing pressure to get people out before the Aug. 31 deadline for the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

U.S. officials have said there have been ongoing efforts to collect Americans, at-risk Afghans and other NATO or allied individuals from Kabul and get them through the chaotic perimeter into the airport. They wont say how these rescues are being done, but say the helicopter missions have been rare.

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ISTANBUL  Turkey has begun to evacuate its troops from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years in the country.

The Defense Ministry made the announcement Wednesday.

The Turkish Armed Forces are returning to our homeland with the pride of successfully fulfilling this task entrusted to them, the ministry said in a statement. The current situation and conditions were evaluated and the evacuation of TAF elements has started.

Turkish soldiers have been helping evacuate people from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul since the Taliban took the city more than a week ago. The ministry said Turkish military aircraft evacuated 1,129 people.

Prior to the Taliban taking Kabul, NATO member Turkey had offered to secure and operate the airport following the U.S. withdrawal.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted: Turkey will continue to work for the peace, security and prosperity of our Afghan brothers and sisters.

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MILAN  Italian military planes have transported nearly 1,000 Afghans out of Kabul in the last 24 hours, bringing to 4,400 the number of Afghan nationals who worked with Italian institutions and charities flown to safety. The Defense Ministry made the announcement Wednesday.

A total of 3,959 Afghans have been flown onward to Rome during the air bridge, comprised of 63 flights since June.

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MEXICO CITY  Mexico has welcomed a group of 124 Afghan media workers and their families after the group fled their country because of the Taliban takeover.

The group arrived Wednesday aboard a Qatar Emiri Air Force flight to Mexico City in the pre-dawn hours. The Foreign Relations Department said the Afghans had worked for various media outlets and had requested humanitarian visas because of the Talibans hostility toward journalists.

The New York Times reported that a group of its journalists had been taken in by Mexico and arrived Wednesday.

Mexico accepted its first group of refugees from Afghanistan on Tuesday, when five women and one man arrived in Mexico City.

The young women, who had to travel through six countries to reach Mexico, have competed in robotics competitions. They fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country earlier this month. The Taliban have been hostile to women working or going to school after a certain age.

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MOSCOW  The Russian Defense Ministry says four planes sent to evacuate more than 500 people from Afghanistan have taken off from Kabul and are en route to Russia.

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday the planes would carry the nationals of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine from Kabul. The flights marked the first such airlift for Russia since evacuations from Kabul began.

Teams of medical workers are present on each plane to provide assistance to the evacuees if necessary.

The evacuations will be carried out upon orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Separately, a representative of the Afghan community in Russia said Wednesday the Russian Embassy in Kabul has allowed more than 1,000 Afghan citizens to come to Russia once the Kabul airport reopens for regular flights. The Interfax news agency quoted Ghulam Mohammad Jalal as saying they include Afghan citizens of Russian origin, Afghan students studying in Russian universities and those who hold Russian residence or work permits.

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ROME  The World Food Program says more than half a million Afghans are displaced inside the countrys borders after they sought to escape conflict  and many of them need food aid.

The U.N. organization with a 450-person team has managed to distribute food to some of those in need as much of the worlds attention focuses on Kabuls airport and the frantic bid by countless Afghans to flee their country.

The agencys deputy country director for Afghanistan, Andrew Patterson, said in Kabul on Wednesday that all four main border crossings that it uses to transport food remain open and goods are flowing through.

But Patterson worries about the possibility that international funding will be frozen, including for the WFP humanitarian operation, in the wake of the Taliban taking power.That, he said, would precipitate catastrophe for Afghanistans people.

Last week, Patterson in separate comments had noted that closure of banks in the country complicated the ability to distribute cash to purchase food locally for those at risk of going hungry.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The Dutch defense ministry says that two evacuation flights have landed Wednesday in Amsterdam carrying a total of 299 people.

The ministry says that among the arrivals were 54 Dutch nationals. It has not given details of the nationalities of the other evacuees.

The Dutch government has conducted 16 evacuation flights out of Kabul to countries in the Afghanistan region. Nine flights have brought evacuees to the Netherlands.

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STOCKHOLM  Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde says that another 227 people have been evacuated from Kabul, adding they were citizens of the Scandinavian country, people with permanent residency permits and local hires.

She made the announcement Wednesday. A total of 771 persons have been evacuated to Sweden from Afghanistan.

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PARIS  A French government spokesperson says France will continue its evacuation operation in Kabul as long as possible ahead of American Aug. 31 withdrawal date.

Gabriel Attal on Wednesday did not provide a date for the end of the French operation, saying only we will likely need to anticipate a few hours, maybe a few days ahead of the American forces departure from Kabul airport.

We will continue as long as possible, he said. Due to extreme tension on the ground ... and the scheduled departure of American forces, these evacuations are a true race against time.

Attal declined to elaborate on how many people are still waiting for evacuation by France in Kabul.

A 10th flight carrying evacuees landed in Paris on Wednesday, with 21 French and 220 Afghan nationals, including 130 children onboard, according to the French Office of Immigration and Integration.

In total, at least 1,720 Afghans and a hundred French people have been evacuated by France since the beginning of the operation last week.

French President Emmanuel Macron promised France would evacuate Afghans who worked for the country as well as activists and others under threat.

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BERLIN  Germanys foreign ministry says it believes that more than 200 citizens of the country are still in Afghanistan.

Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said Wednesday that the figure is higher than that previously given in part because people are continuing to report to us.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas had said Tuesday that about 100 Germans and their families were still on the ground, and Burger acknowledged that there was a certain fuzziness about the figure because some of the relatives are also German citizens.

Burger said that 540 Germans have been flown out so far. In all, more than 4,600 people have been flown out of Kabul on flights operated by the German military.

It isnt clear when Germanys evacuation effort will end. Chancellor Angela Merkel told parliament on Wednesday that it will continue as long as possible.

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BUDAPEST, Hungary  Hungary will soon cease its evacuation operations in Afghanistan after the country extracted more than 500 people from Kabul in recent days, the country's foreign minister told a news conference Wednesday.

The exact timing of the end of rescue operations will be announced by the commander of the Hungarian Army, which could happen today, Peter Szijjarto said.

Hungary transported more than 500 evacuees at the request of its allies, including the United States and Austria, Szijjarto said, as well as Afghan citizens and their families who assisted Hungarian military forces in Afghanistan.

Hungary is only willing to accommodate those Afghan asylum seekers that assisted Hungary, Szijjarto said. He urged Hungarys allies to ensure the safety of Afghans who are in danger after assisting NATO operations in Afghanistan.

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SOFIA, Bulgaria  Bulgaria says it will grant asylum to some 70 Afghan citizens and their families.

The countrys caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Yanev told reporters on Wednesday that the Afghan nationals have previously worked at the Bulgarian Embassy in Kabul or within the Bulgarian military missions in Afghanistan.

He did not elaborate about the timing and the route of the evacuation.

Their evacuation from Afghanistan will be a challenge, but with the arrangements in place I hope that we will be successful, Yanev said.

Bulgaria, a member of the European Union and NATO, has already announced that it is going to shelter Afghans who worked for the Balkan country.

But it is hesitant to invite larger groups of refugees, saying that all temporary accommodation centers are already overcrowded with migrants from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.

Bulgaria was used as a transit route for hundreds of thousands of migrants on their way to western Europe during the height of the migrant crisis. Since then, Bulgaria erected a razor-wire fence along most of its 269-kilometer (167-mile) border with Turkey and has pledged to deploy hundreds of army troops to support border police.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands  Protesters have burned car tires outside a military base in the central Netherlands where Afghans are being housed after being evacuated from Kabul.

Police dog handlers broke up the demonstration Tuesday night outside the base in the village of Harskamp, 85 kilometers (52 miles) east of Amsterdam.

A police spokeswoman said Wednesday that officers did not arrest or hand on-the-spot fines to anybody at the demonstration Tuesday night.

Hundreds of Afghans have arrived in the Netherlands in recent days after being flown out of Kabul. They are being housed in three military bases.

The base in Harskamp can house 800 evacuees.

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VILNIUS, Lithuania  A plane carrying the first group of Afghan interpreters who had worked with Lithuanian forces in Afghanistan has touched down in the Baltic country.

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that a total of 50 people were flown from Kabul via Warsaw, Poland.

They are the first of 115 interpreters who worked with Lithuanian forces in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2013, and Lithuania plans to bring all of them out of the country. The second group is expected to land in Vilnius later in the day.

Meanwhile in Norway, two planes from Afghanistan with a total of 278 passengers landed in Oslo, Norwegian news agency NTB reported.

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MOSCOW -- Russia is preparing to evacuate more than 500 people on four military planes from Afghanistan  its first airlift operation since evacuations from Kabul began.

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that it will airlift the nationals of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine from Kabul.

Teams of medical workers will be present on each plane, the ministry said, should any of the evacuees require medical attention.

The evacuations will be carried out upon orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ministry noted.

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KAMPALA, Uganda  Ugandas government says 51 people evacuated from Afghanistan have arrived in the East African country at the request of the United States.

Authorities said in a statement that the group, transported to Uganda in a chartered flight, arrived early Wednesday. That statement said they included men, women and children. No more details were given on the identities of the evacuees.

Ugandan officials said last week the country will shelter up to 2,000 people fleeing the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan. They said the Afghans would be brought to Uganda in small groups in a temporary arrangement before they are relocated elsewhere.

Uganda has long been a security ally of the U.S., especially on security matters in the region.
(Bloomberg) -- Delta Air Lines Inc. will impose a $200 monthly surcharge on employees who arent vaccinated. Moderna Inc. said it had completed the application process for full approval of its vaccine in the U.S., while Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE said theyre seeking full clearance for a booster shot.

Johnson & Johnson said a booster provided a rapid and strong increase in antibodies. New York Governor Kathy Hochul reported nearly 12,000 more deaths in the state from Covid-19 than had been publicized by her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, who left office Monday. Chicago will require all city workers to be vaccinated.

The European Union will discuss whether to reimpose curbs on visitors from the U.S. as new coronavirus cases soar. The World Health Organization has backed a proposal to set up a $10 billion fund to plug the financial gap in the global health-care system exposed by the pandemic.

Key Developments:

Global Tracker: Cases top 213.6 million; deaths pass 4.45 millionVaccine Tracker: More than 5.02 billion doses administeredAre Covid Shots Working? What the Real World Tells Us: QuickTakeDeSantis faces revolt from angry Florida parents, schools on masksEmbattled WHO virus origins team says window is closing for probeAs Australias vaccine rate soars, so do delta cases

U.K. Plans Shots for Children 12 and Over (5:04 p.m. NY)

U.K. authorities have told the National Health Service to prepare for the possible rollout of a Covid-19 vaccination program for 12- to 15-year-olds from Sept. 6, the Telegraph reported, citing emails it has seen. The children wouldnt need to get parental consent for the jabs.

Becton, Dickinson At-Home Test Approved (4:45 p.m. NY)

Becton, Dickinson and Co. said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization for its BD Veritor at-home test, which uses a nasal swab and a mobile app to provide a diagnosis in 15 minutes.

Moderna Holds Some Vaccine Vials in Japan (3:45 p.m. NY)

Moderna Inc. is holding some doses of its Covid-19 vaccine in Japan after receiving several complaints of particulate matter in the vials, a spokesperson said Wednesday.

Story continues

Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna said it put one lot of vaccine and two additional batches on hold. The spokesperson didnt immediately specify how many doses that includes. The company said it believes the manufacturing issue arose at one line of its contract-manufacturing site in Spain.

Moderna said its investigating reports and is working with its Japanese partner, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd., and regulators to address potential concerns. The company said no safety or efficacy issues have been identified.

WHO Backs $10 Billion Global Health Fund (1:40 p.m. NY)

The World Health Organization has backed a proposal to set up a $10 billion fund to plug the financial gap in the global health-care system exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The annual Global Health Threats Fund is part of efforts by G20 finance ministers to double spending in health care and boost the financial capacity to respond to future pandemics, said Singapore Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam during a WHO press briefing on Wednesday.

According to Tharman, global health security is dangerously underfunded, making it vulnerable to a prolonged Covid-19 pandemic and future ones, unless public funding is increased.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that the report, currently under consideration, is consistent with previous calls to increase financing to support the organizations preparedness for fighting pandemics.

University of Wisconsin President Vows to Fight (1:35 p.m. NY)

Tommy Thompson, University of Wisconsin interim president and a former federal Health and Human Services secretary, said hes ready to fight in court state legislators who want control over university policies that aim to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, including mandates to wear face coverings or get vaccinated.

If you want to sue me fine, but Im not going to back down, said Thompson, a Republican and former Wisconsin governor who served as HHS secretary during the George W. Bush administration. Thompson said the university has the unambiguous authority under state law to impose health standards on the university systems 26 campuses.

EU May Reimpose Travel Curbs on U.S. (1:30 p.m. NY)

The European Union will discuss on Thursday whether to reimpose curbs on visitors from the U.S. as new coronavirus cases soar.

The change was recommended by Slovenia, which holds the EUs rotating presidency and is responsible for triggering an assessment of countries allowed non-essential travel there, according to two officials familiar with the plans.

The U.S. had 507 new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the first two weeks of August, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, well above the limit of 75 set out in EU guidelines. Still, a move to bar visitors from the worlds largest economy would come as a blow to airlines and travel firms pressing for a full reopening of lucrative transatlantic routes.

Chicago Mandates Vaccines for City Workers (1:12 p.m. NY)

Chicago will require all city workers to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. As cases of Covid-19 continue to rise, we must take every step necessary and at our disposal to keep everyone in our city safe and healthy, Lightfoot said in an emailed press release. Getting vaccinated has been proven to be the best way to achieve that and make it possible to recover from this devastating pandemic. The mandate, effective Oct. 15, applies to all city employees and volunteers.

Deutsche Bank Requires Vaccines for Trading (12:30 p.m. NY)

Deutsche Bank AG is allowing only those employees fully vaccinated against Covid-19 onto its U.S. trading floors, joining a growing number of financial firms restricting access for staff who dont get the shots.

The new policy, announced last week, applies to trading floors because social distancing is difficult on them, and not to other facilities used by the German bank in the U.S., a person with knowledge of the matter said. The policy is likely to impact few workers, as almost all employees have received the vaccine, the person said

Pfizer Seeks Full U.S. Approval for Booster (12:30 p.m. NY)

Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE said theyre seeking full approval from U.S. regulators for a booster shot of their vaccine for people age 16 and older.

The companies announced Wednesday that they had started a rolling Biologics License Application with the Food and Drug Administration for a third-dose booster. Pfizer and BioNTech said they intend to complete submission of the application by the end of the week, bringing them one step closer to clearance for the additional shot.

Brazil to Begin Giving Boosters, Cut Dose Gap (11:38 a.m. NY)

Brazil will begin distributing booster shots of Covid-19 vaccines to some groups starting in mid-September. The booster will preferably be from Pfizer Inc., the health ministry said. The effort will focus on people over 70 vaccinated more than six months ago, as well as those who have immunodeficiencies. Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca Plc vaccines could be used as alternatives, the ministry said. Authorities made no mention of Sinovac Biotechs CoronaVac, which has been used frequently in Brazil but has lower efficacy rates.

Greece Extends Restrictions in Crete (11:16 a.m. NY)

Greece extended restrictions in three of the four administrative areas of Crete, the countrys largest island, including a curfew from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. and a ban on music at all entertainment areas. The same measures, which will be in place until Sept. 3, were also introduced in the Messinia area of southern Greece including the city of Kalamata.

On Tuesday, the country reported its biggest one-day jump in new coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic. The Greek authorities fear a further increase in cases as people return to mainland urban areas from summer vacations on islands such as Crete, where the virus has spread throughout the holiday period.

New N.Y. Governor Adds 12,000 Deaths (11:13 a.m. NY)

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who took office Tuesday, reported nearly 12,000 more deaths in the state from Covid-19 than had been publicized by her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, the Associated Press reported.

New York now reports nearly 55,400 people have died of the disease in New York based on death certificate data submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up from about 43,400 that Cuomo had reported to the public as of Monday.

Delta to Levy Fee on Unvaccinated Workers (10:12 a.m. NY)

Delta Air Lines Inc. will impose a $200 monthly surcharge on employees who arent vaccinated against Covid-19, becoming the first major U.S. company to levy a penalty to encourage workers to get protected.

The new policy was outlined in a company memo Wednesday from Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian, who said 75% of the carriers workers already are vaccinated. Increasing cases of coronavirus linked to a very aggressive variant are driving the push for all employees to get the shots, he said.

Moderna Completes Submission to FDA (9:44 a.m. NY)

Moderna said it completed the rolling submission process for its Biologics License Application to the FDA for full licensure of its Covid vaccine in individuals 18 and older. The company has requested Priority Review designation.

Scotland Has Record Daily Cases (9:22 a.m. NY)

Scotland reported 5,021 new cases yesterday, a daily record and the first time since the start of the pandemic that more than 5,000 new infections have been identified in a 24-hour period.

The record number of infections comes only a day after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned that restrictions on movement and social interaction could be reimposed if numbers dont start declining. The spread of the virus has accelerated in the nation of 5.5 million people amid a reluctance by younger people to get vaccinated and after the bulk of restrictions were lifted on Aug. 9.

Swiss May Expand Use of Covid Certificates (8:30 a.m. NY)

The Swiss government is considering expanding the mandatory use of Covid certificates in indoor spaces as cases and hospitalizations rise. Certificates would be needed to enter indoor areas of restaurants, bars and clubs, as well as indoor events such as concerts, cinemas and weddings. Their use would also be required at fitness centers, museums and zoos. Covid tests will no longer be paid for by the government from Oct. 1.

Separately, the Swiss government secured 7 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech SE vaccines for both 2022 and 2023, with an option for an additional 7 million doses each year. Its subject to a modified shot being authorized by drug regulator Swissmedic.

French Territories State of Emergency Extended (7:50 a.m. NY)

France extended a state of emergency in some overseas French territories and postponed the return to school to Sept. 13 for kids as the coronavirus continues to spread, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday. While around 70% of Frances population has received at least one vaccine dose, the campaign is lagging in some overseas territories. President Emmanuel Macron told ministers Wednesday that the delta variant probably wouldnt be the last one, and toned down any early optimism.

J&J Booster Shot Triggered an Antibody Surge (6:45 a.m. NY)

Johnson & Johnson said a booster of its Covid-19 vaccine provided a rapid and strong increase in antibodies, supporting use of a second shot among people who previously received its single-dose immunization.

A second dose led to a ninefold increase in Covid-fighting antibodies compared with the levels participants had 28 days after getting their first shot, the health-care giant said Wednesday, citing interim data from an early-stage trial.

China Warns of Retaliation if Accused (6:15 a.m. NY)

China threatened retaliation against those questioning whether the coronavirus leaked from its labs, a warning that comes days before the U.S. releases findings from an intelligence investigation into the pandemics origins.

We will continue to cooperate with international organizations like the WHO in their research and in their search for the origins, said Fu Cong, director-general of the Foreign Ministrys Arms Control Department. But we do not accept baseless and unfounded accusations that are politically motivated. And if they want to baselessly accuse China, so they better be prepared to accept the counterattack from China.

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HANOI (AP)  U.S. officials are continuing to investigate two possible cases of so-called Havana Syndrome health incidents that delayed Vice President Kamala Harris' trip from Singapore to Vietnam.

The investigation was in its early stages and officials deemed it safe for Harris to make her scheduled stop in Vietnam, after initially hitting pause for a few hours on Tuesday. Havana Syndrome is the name for a rash of mysterious health incidents first reported by American diplomats and other government employees in the Cuban capital beginning in 2016. Harris on her trip is reassuring Asian allies after the tumultuous evacuation of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

U.S. officials had not yet confirmed the latest reported Havana Syndrome case, and it did not involve anyone traveling with Harris, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. In light of the reports, there was an assessment done of the safety of the vice president, and there was a decision made that she could continue travel along with her staff, Psaki said.
Republican lawmakers are prepared to spend up to $680,000 on their ongoing review of the November presidential election and will issue subpoenas in the next week or two, according to former Wisconsin and national Republican Party chair Reince Priebus.

Also on Wednesday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said he believes a cyber-forensic audit is necessary as part of the Legislatures review of the 2020 election and that discussions have focused on additional hiring to aid in the probe.

Assembly Republicans have been working with (former Wisconsin Supreme Court) Justice (Michael) Gableman to conduct a swift, complete and thorough investigation, Vos said in a statement. Part of our discussion has been focused on hiring independent contractors to enhance our efforts. We believe a cyber-forensic audit is necessary to ensure issues did not happen in 2020. We have allocated additional resources to Justice Gableman to ensure this investigation gets to the truth.

Vos didnt provide any clarity on what he meant by a cyber-forensic audit, nor did he confirm the cost of the audit.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  A lawmaker questioned the lack of a memorandum of agreement between the Department of Health and the Department of Budget and Managements procurement service during the DOHs fund transfer of over 40 billion for the purchase of PPEs.

I am sorry but what you are saying is contrary to the implementing rules and regulations of the Procurement Act, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon told resigned DBM Usec. Lloyd Christopher Lao during a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

Drilon was referring to Laos remarks at the hearing that there was no need to sign an MOA for the fund transfer. According to Lao, the DBM procurement arm was already authorized by the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) to purchase medical items tagged as common-use supplies.

There is nothing there which dispenses with the execution of the MOA which is necessary so that there can be a documentary tracing of this disbursement, said Drilon, who also cited the Government Procurement Reform Acts Section 7.3.3.

The section says purchasing entities without the ability to perform a certain procurement as determined by their respective heads may outsource such tasks to other agencies through the execution of a MOA.

The MOA shall contain specific arrangements, stipulations, and covenants, in accordance with government budgeting, accounting and auditing rules.

Meanwhile, Sen. Panfilo Lacson noted the PS-DBM which Lao used to head did not have authority to procure face shields as these werent included in the list of items the DOH sought to be tagged as common use.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III reiterated that the department tapped the PS-DBM for procurement of COVID-19-related items for medical workers, citing a whole of government approach while recounting how the agencys own bids and awards committee struggled to come up with bidders during the pandemics onset.

Lawmakers have been grilling the DOH and DBM on last year's purchase of what they said were overpriced face masks and shields, and health authorities transfer of 42 billion to the budget agency.
(CNN)  US President Joe Biden will stick, for now, with an August 31 deadline to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, according to a senior administration official, after determining the risks of Taliban reprisal or terror attacks were too high.

Biden relayed his decision in crisis talks of the Group of 7 on Tuesday morning, making clear the decision to stick to the withdrawal timeline was in large part driven by those security risks.

US and western officials familiar with the discussion said Biden noted that each day the risks are getting higher in a country now controlled by the Taliban. The President made a particular point of warning of the potential for terror attacks, which has become an acute concern inside his administration, the officials said.

Still, Biden has asked for contingency plans in case he determines at a later date the US needs to remain in the country for longer. And on the G7 video conference, he left open the possibility of extending past the end-of-month deadline should the dynamic with the Taliban change.

European allies of the United States stressed during the talks that they wanted to ensure any possibility of a deadline extension was considered by the US, according to a person familiar with the call.

While advocating for leaving at the end of the month, Biden said the risk of an attack is "very high," an administration official said.

Even as the United States flies tens of thousands of people out of the country, the situation in Afghanistan remains desperate and many Afghans who assisted the war effort are still awaiting their turn to leave. US officials have described in stark terms the real threat of terror attacks at the Kabul airport as crowds gather outside the gates

Biden spoke for seven minutes on the G7, which includes the heads of the world's leading democracies. He is set to deliver remarks on Afghanistan at 2 p.m. ET.

The crisis talks of the G7 come as the Afghanistan evacuation effort has picked up steam in the past days, now far exceeding the administration's initial daily goals. The White House said on Tuesday that 12,700 people were evacuated by 37 US military flights and 8,900 were evacuated by coalition flights over the past 24 hours. The Pentagon added that the military has increased the pace of flights out of Kabul to one aircraft every 45 minutes.

In total, the White House says US efforts have facilitated the evacuation of approximately 58,700 people since August 14, and 63,900 since the end of July. Approximately 1,000 Afghans have arrived at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, DC, in the last 24 hours, according to the Pentagon.

The massive logistical undertaking by the American military -- which took control of part of Kabul's international airport, including its air traffic control, in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover -- has allowed other countries to evacuate their citizens. If the US withdraws, its unclear whether civilians from any country would still be able to leave.

Despite the massively scaled-up flights, some of Biden's advisers were worried about US troops' safety and the potential for ISIS or Taliban reprisals should they stay any longer than August 31. Representatives for the Taliban have called the deadline firm, and said American troops remaining past the date would amount to a "clear violation" of their agreement with the United States.

The administration has remained in daily discussion with the Taliban on security matters, including the end-of-month deadline. The CIA director, Bill Burns, traveled to Afghanistan this week to meet with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar, according to senior administration officials, who said the US is seeking a clearer understanding of where the Taliban stands on several issues as the clock ticks towards the deadline.

Burns, a seasoned career diplomat, is the highest-ranking US official to meet in person with Taliban leadership since Afghanistan's civilian government collapsed on August 15.

Some on the President's national security team warned against an extension. Instead, they pointed to the rapidly sped-up flights out of the country and said they still believe there is time to compete the effort before September.

"We believe that we have time between now and the 31st to get out any American who wants to get out," national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday.

Any extension would have been likely be very brief and focused only on evacuating Americans, according to one official familiar with the matter, who said all contingencies were under discussion. The Taliban has made clear that "our leadership will take proper and necessary decision(s)" should the US stay past August 31, spokesman Sohail Shaheen said Monday.

"August 31 is deadline announced by them," the Taliban spokesman said. "US must adhere to removing troops from Afghanistan by this date. Otherwise, it will be a clear violation."

The emergency meeting of the G7 was called this week to respond to the chaotic events in Kabul, where tens of thousands of foreign nationals and Afghan citizens who assisted in the war effort are desperately trying to leave.

Britain and France in particular were pressing Biden to leave troops in country for an extra few days, arguing it would still allow him to meet his original 9/11 withdrawal date for US forces.

Even some US Democrats agree; House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff emerged from a classified briefing with intelligence officials on Monday pessimistic the Biden administration will be able to meet its goal of evacuating all Americans and its allies from Afghanistan by August 31, saying that was "very unlikely."

"It's hard for me to imagine all of that can be accomplished between now and the end of the month," Schiff said, adding he was worried about the terror threat to the airport.

There was another all-member House briefing on Afghanistan scheduled for Tuesday morning. Top members of Biden's national security team, including the secretaries of State and Defense, all briefed lawmakers.

Emerging afterward, lawmakers from both parties said they pressed the officials to extend the August 31 deadline.

"There was strong, bipartisan support to extend the August 31 deadline," said Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat. "That was a major theme, a major comment a major point we all tried to make, urging them to do more to advocate with the President to extend the deadline."

G7 members also planned on Tuesday to discuss whether or when they should jointly recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's government, western officials familiar with the planning told CNN. Any decision on whether to recognize the Taliban would come with enormous consequence that could be used as leverage to compel the group to respect human rights, the officials said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is hosting the meeting as the current G7 president, is advocating for a unified approach to the Taliban, according to western officials. He wants the world's leading democracies to come up with a plan on how to recognize the government or potentially apply economic sanctions or withhold aid.

So far no governments have recognized the Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan. Doing so could allow the country access to previously committed foreign aid. Non-G7 powers like China and Russia have also been in contact with the Taliban.

Biden has said he wants to see "harsh conditions" applied to the Taliban, particularly in how they treat women and girls, before lending their government legitimacy. He said Sunday he was open to applying sanctions.

Tuesday's G7 call is also expected to include the Secretaries General of NATO and the United Nations. Both organizations are expected to play a role going forward in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon has advised Biden he must decide by Tuesday in order to leave enough time for troops and equipment to leave the country by the end of the month, according to officials familiar with the matter.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Biden decides to keep August 31 deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan as evacuations accelerate."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  Senators on Wednesday criticized Health Secretary Francisco Duque III for letting other agency officials answer questions directly addressed at him.

Secretary Duque I respect you but please, you dont pass it on, said Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Richard Gordon after the official intended to turn over a question to one of his undersecretaries.

You have to man up and answer the question yourself, because that shows weakness. Kaya ka napagdududahan dahil di ka sumasagot [You are being doubted because you dont answer] forthrightly and I dont think thats your intention, the lawmaker further said.

Sen. Grace Poe echoed Gordons sentiments.

Hindi pupwede na parang ide-delegate lagi sa mga kasamahan sa trabaho, kundi mismo ang namumuno ng ahensya ang may responsibilidad, reminded Poe.

[Translation: You cant always delegate things to your co-workers, because the one leading the agency should hold the responsibility.]

The Health chief has frequently called on undersecretaries and directors to answer questions directed at him in recent probes held both by the Senate and the House on the agency. State auditors recently flagged deficiencies in how the DOH handled its budget, adding that they undermined its efficient response to the pandemic.

When you are head of agency and cannot answer for your agencys actions, you are incompetent! tweeted Senate President Tito Sotto, who also took part in Wednesdays hearing.

Senators have criticized the Health chief a number of times as the country continues to grapple with the COVID-19 health crisis. Just recently, they urged him to stop blaming others and step up amid complaints from health workers who have yet to receive promised benefits.

The Cabinet official was likewise called out for his rant against the Commission on Audit, with lawmakers coming to the defense of state auditors who, they said, were just fulfilling their mandate.

RELATED: Binay repeats call for Duques resignation: More pandemic solutions than distributing face masks, shields

Despite the amount of criticism Duque has faced, he has been consistently defended by President Rodrigo Duterte. The chief executive said over the weekend that he will stand by the official even if it will bring me down.

READ: Duterte will never fire Duque, but will accept his voluntary resignation
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Bong Go will give way to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte if she decides to run for the country's highest post in the 2022 elections, Malacanang confirmed on Wednesday.

Citing Duterte, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told an interview on state-run PTV that the President will step aside out of "delicadeza" since he does not want a Duterte-Duterte tandem himself.

'Should Sara decide to run, Bong Go is out. For my part, dahil delicadeza, hindi po puwede dalawa kami diyan, if she runs, out na rin ako,' so 'yun po ang sinabi niya," Roque said, quoting Duterte in a meeting with public officials on Tuesday.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who serves as PDP-Laban executive vice president, also confirmed to CNN Philippines' The Source that Duterte is willing to consider "not running for vice president" in case his daughter seeks the presidency in the upcoming polls.

"He said that if Mayor Sara runs, then he is considering not running for vice president, sinabi niya (that's what he said)," Nograles said.

"He said na yung Duterte-Duterte to him  and he's always been consistent diyan  sabi niya pag Duterte-Duterte parang, to him, he is not convinced that it should happen, at least itong 2022 national elections."

[Translation: He said that the Duterte-Duterte tandem  and he's always consistent there  he said that he is not convinced that a Duterte-Duterte tandem should happen, at least in the 2022 national elections.]

Duterte confirmed in his public address on Tuesday that he will run for vice president to "continue his crusade" on insurgency, criminality, and illegal drugs.

The ruling party officially endorsed the Go-Duterte tandem earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Mayor Duterte has not yet publicly disclosed her plan for 2022.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  PDP-Laban will nominate Sen. Bong Go as its standard bearer in the upcoming elections, unless an alliance is formed with the party of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, in which case the plan could change, an official of the ruling party said Wednesday.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, also PDP-Laban executive vice president, told CNN Philippines' The Source that the party will nominate for now Go in tandem with President Rodrigo Duterte, who is seeking the vice presidency, since the presidential daughter belongs to a different political party.

He said, however, that PDP-Laban could form an alliance with any political party "in the realm of possibilities."

"Mayor Sara belongs to a different political party. So that being the case, there has to be some sort of agreement or alliance perhaps between PDP-Laban and the party of Mayor Sara in that eventuality," Nograles said when asked about the possibility of endorsing Mayor Duterte, who leads the regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago.

"Again, ayoko namang pangunahan ang magiging decision ng aming partido tungkol diyan (I don't want to preempt the decision of the party regarding that) but in the realm of possibilities, obviously there is always that possibility of coming up with an alliance...between PDP and another political party or a number of political parties," he said.

Nograles said that "everything else (is) purely hypothetical and speculative" about the decision of the party with regards to other political parties' possible contenders. For the meantime, PDP-Laban will nominate the Go-Duterte tandem in the upcoming national convention on September 8, he added.

Nograles told The Source, however, that President Duterte is willing to give way to his daughter in the upcoming polls since he is not in favor of a Duterte-Duterte tandem himself.

READ: Duterte may not run for VP if Sara seeks presidency, says PDP-Laban exec

In a separate interview, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque also cited President Duterte as saying he and Go will back out of the picture if the Davao City mayor runs.

"Should Sara decide to run, Bong Go is out. For my part, dahil delicadeza, hindi po puwede dalawa kami diyan, if she runs, out na rin ako,' so yun po ang sinabi niya," Roque said, quoting Duterte.

[Translation: 'For my part, out of delicadeza, we can't both be there, if she runs, I'm also out of the picture,' that's what the President said.]

The ruling party officially endorsed the Go-Duterte tandem earlier this month.

Nograles said Duterte first accepted PDP-Laban's endorsement for his vice presidential run in a Monday meeting with the faction of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi. He added the party continues to hope that like Duterte, Go will also accept the endorsement.

Meanwhile, Mayor Duterte has not yet publicly declared her plan for the 2022 polls. A Hugpong ng Pagbabago official previously told The Source that members of the regional party are "almost 100% sure" the mayor will just seek reelection to avoid a tandem with her father.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  Senators on Wednesday approved on second reading the bill which seeks to delay by three years the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Senate Bill No. 2214 proposes that the polls in the region be held in 2025 instead of the supposed 2022 schedule, thus amending the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

Senator Ping Lacson said he rejected the measure, while Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and Senator Imee Marcos abstained from voting.

In pushing for the bill, Senator Francis Tolentino earlier said the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly contributed to the delays in the programs of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority. The BTA is the Moro Islamic Liberation Front-led interim government leading the transition period in the BARMM.

According to Tolentino, there are still talks that have to be completed, such as enacting priority bills including the Bangsamoro Electoral Code and the Revenue Code.

However, Lacson said proponents of the measure should refrain from citing the pandemic as a reason in order to avoid the same logic from being used to push for a "no-election" scenario in the entire country in 2022.

RELATED: Don't blame COVID-19 for push to postpone Bangsamoro polls  Lacson

Meanwhile, members of the BTA have also appealed for more time to fulfill their mandate, saying the three-year transition period under the law was not enough to put in place the normalization and peace-keeping process.
Editor's note: CNN Travel series often carry sponsorship originating from the countries and regions we profile. However, CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports. Read the policy.

(CNN)  For more than 12,500 years, one of the world's largest collections of prehistoric rock paintings lay undiscovered in Colombia's Amazonian rainforest.

Depicting now-extinct ice age animals, such as the elephant-like carnivorous mastodon, stocky ice age horses and giant sloths, the drawings were painted by some of the first humans to ever reach the Amazon.

As groups of hunter-gatherers traversed the globe in search of food, shelter and land, they were confronted by the enormity -- and diversity -- of the Amazon Rainforest. Researchers have long been perplexed by the decision of early humans to settle in the Amazon basin, due to its harsh environmental conditions and seemingly inhospitable landscape.

The stunning rock art discovery was made in 2017 as part of an expedition named "Last Journey." Engineered by a British-Colombian archaeological team funded by the European Research Council, the art will take years to study.

Spanning nearly eight miles of cliff face, the paintings were kept a secret until they were unveiled by a documentary late last year for the UK's Channel 4. They are so remote that to get to the rocks, archaeologists had to complete a challenging four-day trek that led to three rock shelters: Cerro Azul, Limoncillos and Cerro Montoya

Jose Iriarte, professor of archaeology at Exeter University in the UK, led the expedition to the remote site, alongside Colombian and British researchers.

"We started seeing animals that are now extinct," Iriarte said in a statement at the time. "The pictures are so natural and so well made that we have few doubts that you're looking at a horse, for example. The ice-age horse had a wild, heavy face. It's so detailed, we can even see the horse hair. It's fascinating."

The paintings, located in the Serrania La Lindosa, won't necessarily provide the answer to why humans decided to settle there, but can certainly give glimpses into an ancient civilization that scientists know little about.

"We're currently undertaking analysis of the images we have been able to document," said Mark Robinson, a UK-based member of the expedition team. "We're just finishing up a discussion of the potential megafauna identifications and another manuscript assessing perspectivism and the start of Amazonian artistic traditions."

'Sistine Chapel of the ancients'

Serrania La Lindosa is located on the riverbank of the Guayabero River, between the departments of Meta and Guaviare.

Fish, lizards, birds, dancing people and one figure wearing a bird mask were among the images the team found, which at the time were described as "the Sistine Chapel of the ancients."

The paintings were identified during landscape surveys in 2017, and experts named the shelters following the discovery. The art depicts geometric shapes, handprints and people interacting with plants, trees and savannah animals, leading the team to believe that the Amazon may not have always been a rainforest.

Additionally, there are drawings of deer, tapirs, alligators, bats, monkeys, turtles, serpents and porcupines, as well as what appears to be Ice Age megafauna. These now-extinct animals are depicted in rock art in Central Brazil, but experts believe these drawings are more realistic.

The paintings have been so well preserved, at least for the past half century, due to the region being under the control of FARC, Colombia's largest rebel group. For years, the country was embroiled in a civil war, with many areas completely off limits as they were controlled by guerrillas.

Many areas in the country opened up following the peace agreement made between FARC, which stands for Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), and the Colombian government in 2016.

Even after the 2016 peace process, the team had to negotiate with rebel leaders in order to enter safely during their 2017 expedition.

The placement of some of the drawings, which are reddish-ochre in color, baffled the expedition; some were so high on the cliff walls they could only be viewed with drones.

The site, which has yet to be named, isn't the first in the country to have wowed archaeologists with prehistoric paintings. Chiribiquete National Park, the largest protected area in Colombia, is home to 75,000 paintings of hunting scenes, battles, dances and ceremonies, across 60 rock shelters -- and dating back to 20,000 BCE.

Where to see ancient rock art now

Rock art is notoriously difficult to date, but adjacent materials, such as the tools that were used to create the images were tested to date the site. Researchers have also identified animals that are now extinct, which helps with the dating process.

The Serrania La Lindosa excavations, in the deep soil around the shelters, have revealed one of the earliest dates for the occupation of the Colombian Amazon.

"For Amazonian people, non-humans like animals and plants have souls, and they communicate and engage with people through rituals and shamanic practices," Iriate said, speaking of the recent discovery. "These earliest Amazonian artists' expressions likely represent the origins of this distinct relationship."

Returning to the area is a "distant reality" at the moment due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, explained Robinson, a professor at the University of Exeter. However, the team remains hopeful it can return in 2022.

Robinson hopes that an in-person symposium about rock art sites, similar to one the university hosted online this year, will be held in Colombia next year, but the event is Covid-dependent.

Although the public cannot yet visit the Serrania La Lindosa sites, there are other ways to explore Colombian rock art.

Chiribiquete National Park is essentially the gateway to the Serrania La Lindosa, and ancient rock art was found here in 2014.

Even this park is difficult to visit, however; the Colombian photographer who made the discovery filmed these paintings from a helicopter. The park is so protected -- because it houses these culturally and historically important paintings, as well as a wealth of wildlife -- that most of the areas are off limits to tourists. However, if you can afford it, there are companies offering hour-long helicopter rides over the park, departing from the nearest city of San Jose del Guaviare.

A much easier, and more environmentally friendly, way of learning about pre-Colombian culture is to visit Bogota's Museo de Oro -- the Gold Museum -- which covers two floors and contains more than 55,000 pieces of gold, many of them made by the country's indigenous communities, many with ties to the legend of El Dorado.

Another option, also in Bogota, is Museo Nacional -- the National Museum -- which is one of the first museum in the Americas, and has artifacts from 10,000 BC.

This story was first published on CNN.com 'Last Journey' offers clues to an ancient civilization
(CNN)  Washington Post humor columnist Gene Weingarten has apologized for a piece he wrote last week about his eating habits, in which he inaccurately described Indian cuisine as "based entirely on one spice."

In the August 19 piece titled "You can't make me eat these foods," Weingarten ticked through a number of foods at which he turned his nose up such as Old Bay seasoning, hazelnuts and anchovies, among others. Regarding Indian food, he wrote that "If you like Indian curries, yay, you like Indian food!"

The illustration at the top of the column depicts a mustached man in a bib literally turning his nose up at spoonful of food being offered to him.

"I don't get it, as a culinary principle," he added. "It is as though the French passed a law requiring every dish to be slathered in smashed, pureed snails."

Those statements sparked backlash with critics saying it's inaccurate and dismissive. Indian American author and model Padma Lakshmi, who hosts Bravo's "Top Chef" and Hulu's "Taste the Nation," tweeted, "What in the white nonsense is this?" Indian American actress and screenwriter Mindy Kaling tweeted, "You don't like a cuisine? Fine. But it's so weird to feel defiantly proud of not liking a cuisine. You can quietly not like something too."

Weingarten tweeted an apology on Monday and acknowledged that his column was "insulting."

"From start to finish plus the illo, the column was about what a whining infantile ignorant d---head I am," Weingarten tweeted. "I should have named a single Indian dish, not the whole cuisine, & I do see how that broad-brush was insulting. Apologies.(Also, yes, curries are spice blends, not spices.)"

After this story was published, Weingarten told CNN Business that he thought "people would not take this column seriously because I was not taking myself seriously."

"That was a miscalculation, and what I do realize that I did not realize before  I should have  was that the item on Indian food was different from all the others," he added. "All the others were specific foods. Even tongue in cheek, I was not condemning an entire ethnic cuisine, and I think that made it stand out. I do understand why people are upset by it."

The Post also amended the column with a correction to the top and removed the inaccuracies.

"A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Indian cuisine is based on one spice, curry, and that Indian food is made up only of curries, types of stew," the correction reads. "In fact, India's vastly diverse cuisines use many spice blends and include many other types of dishes. The article has been corrected."

A Post spokesperson declined to comment beyond sharing the correction.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Washington Post columnist apologizes for insulting Indian cuisine in a piece about food he won't eat"
(CNN)  The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack demanded several US government agencies hand over a massive tranche of documents that signal it intends to undertake a sprawling probe of security failures and attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.

The requests echo those previously issued by other House committees in the aftermath of the January 6 riot, while significantly broadening the search to other areas and people inside and outside government. Specifically, the select committee is asking for records from the Department of Justice, Department of the Interior, Department of Defense, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Counterterrorism Center, the Department of Homeland Security and, perhaps most importantly, the National Archives -- the custodian of the Trump administration White House records.

The list of targets is long and varied, ranging from information about attempts to either carry out or defy then-President Donald Trump's orders, invoke the insurrection act, martial law or the 25th Amendment, as well as for communications regarding members of the Trump White House, campaign, January 5 and January 6 rally organizers, and even alleged members of far-right extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

"The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol is examining the facts, circumstances, and causes of the January 6th attack. Our Constitution provides for a peaceful transfer of power, and this investigation seeks to evaluate threats to that process, identify lessons learned and recommend laws, policies, procedures, rules, or regulations necessary to protect our republic in the future," committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, wrote in a statement Wednesday.

Several of the letters request "all documents and communications" related in any way to Trump and members of his family who served in official roles at the White House, including: former First Lady Melania Trump and top advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.

Some of the former President's other children and their spouses, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Lara Trump, are named as well.

The committee is also seeking records related to then-Vice President Mike Pence and a host of former White House officials, including former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, as well as of the former President, who have questioned the validity of election results in key states where Trump lost.

Among those listed are Rudy Giuliani, Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon and Roger Stone.

Investigators focused on efforts to overturn 2020 election results

As part of the sweeping records request, the committee has asked the Department of Justice for documents and communications involving discussions about challenging the validity of the election between Trump and former top DOJ officials, such as Jeffrey Rosen, Richard Donoghue, Patrick Hovakimian, Byung J."BJay" Pak, Bobby Christine and Jeffrey Clark.

The committee also requested communications between Trump or his allies and "any DOJ official" in the days before and after January 6. As part of that request, the committee asked for any documentation related to discussion of the 25th Amendment from November 3, 2020, to January 20, 2021.

CNN previously reported that Clark, a Trump-appointed environment law chief for DOJ, was at the center of the former President's efforts to overturn the election, received a high-level intelligence briefing around New Year's 2021 that did little to stop his efforts to prove foreign interference had cost Trump reelection.

He has emerged as a major figure in the narrative being written in documents and testimony from former Justice Department officials who were forced to fight off his efforts to orchestrate a coup of leadership at the Justice Department and use it to help the former President.

Clark isn't scheduled yet for an interview with the House Select Committee. A source familiar with Clark's thinking told CNN earlier this month he is awaiting access to documents the committee has and to see whether a fight over the secrecy of presidential discussions materializes.

In addition, the committee requested all documents and communications from individuals that could show DOJ intervention in litigation filed by the Trump campaign -- or states seeking to challenge the election.

On that list are Meadows as well as Trump lawyers and advisers, including Giuliani, Kurt Olsen, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Joseph diGenova, and Victoria Toensing.

The committee also asked the Justice Department to provide documents that pertain to the certification of the election, including the role that Pence played in presiding over the Senate the day election results were certified.

And the committee asked about any senior personnel changes at the Justice Department, including with presidential appointees, between November 3, 2020, and January 20, 2021.

The committee specifically requested all documentation pertaining to Clark, a former Trump appointee at the DOJ who has emerged as central to Trump's efforts to overturn the election. The committee also requested communication between then-Attorney General William Barr and attorneys investigating allegations of voter fraud.

Targeting efforts to overturn the election results from within the White House, the committee is seeking records from the National Archives including all communication between White House officials and state government officials from hotly contested states such as Arizona, Georgia, Texas and Michigan.

The officials include Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, chief investigator for Georgia Secretary of State Frances Watson, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Michigan state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, former Michigan Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield, and Wayne County Board of Canvassers Chairwoman Monica Palmer.

The panel is also demanding all communication related to Dominion Voting Systems Corp., which was the system used that became a primary target of voter fraud falsehoods.

Committee seeks internal White House communications

In its request to the National Archives, which houses all of Trump's records from his time as president, the select committee zeroes in on the paper trail it wants to obtain from the former President and his orbit.

Based on how the panel's request is divided, it appears focused on examining whether the White House worked to delay or impede the counting of election results, what Trump knew about the election outcome versus what he stated publicly, the planning and recruitment around the January 6 rally, and if there were efforts to stop the peaceful transfer of power.

The list surrounding Trump includes requests for call logs, telephone records, schedules and meetings for an expansive group including the Trump children -- Ivanka, Eric, and Donald Jr. -- as well as Lara Trump, Jared Kushner, Melania Trump, Flynn, Stone, Giuliani, Stephen Miller, Marc Short, Hope Hicks and Kayleigh McEnany.

Although the list does not name any members of Congress, the committee requests documentation on "any Member of Congress or congressional staff" who fits into this category of officials who were influential in maneuvering Trump's handling of the events of January 6.

From the day of January 6 specifically, the committee requests all White House visitor logs, notations on movements of Trump and communications from the Situation Room.

In terms of the security breakdowns related to January 6, the committee also asked the Justice Department for all documents related to its planning as well as decision making on when to deploy law enforcement personnel to the Capitol and discussion about the use of martial law.

The committee goes as far as requesting all documents pertaining to "the mental stability" of Trump or "his fitness for office" in the days between the insurrection and when he left office on January 20.

Will Biden assert privilege?

The National Archives previously told CNN it possesses documents that are relevant to the committee's investigation and that there is a process "by which the Congress and the incumbent administration may request access to records of former administrations."

The committee's document requests could lead to potentially lengthy fights over access.

President Joe Biden could seek to block the committee from receiving any of the documents by asserting executive privilege. Trump also could assert executive privilege, but Biden has the ultimate say over Trump on whether the documents can be shared or if doing so could compromise the presidency itself.

After that, Trump could still try to go to court to stop the committee from obtaining documents from the Trump White House and testimony from people like former White House Chief of Staff Meadows.

The question of executive privilege poses several potentially uncomfortable political scenarios for Biden.

If he does assert privilege, the Democrat-led committee could pursue more extreme legal avenues to try to obtain the records. If he doesn't, that could set a precedent that opens his administration to expansive, Republican-led probes if the GOP wins either chamber in the midterm elections.

The Biden administration has already declined to assert executive privilege over some testimony related to January 6, telling former Justice Department officials that they were free to provide "unrestricted testimony."

But the Biden administration has not weighed in on whether the committee should have unrestricted access to records and documents from the Trump White House.

CNN reported earlier this week that congressional investigators are also poised to send notices to various telecommunications companies requesting that they preserve the phone records of several people, including members of Congress.

Rep. Thompson a Mississippi Democrat, said the panel plans to send notices to social media companies, too, though he declined to name which ones.

"I can tell you that we'll look at everything that will give us information on what happened on January 6," Thompson said. "We will look at all records at some point."

This story was first published on CNN.com 'House committee seeks documents from agencies on January 6 Capitol attack, signaling massive investigative effort'
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The PCA changes year to year, depending on how much money NPPD makes. The 2022 PCA is expected to be $10.7 million -- much less than the 2021 PCA of $73.2 million. That change will affect purchased power costs.

"If you include the PCA -- the fact that it's going to drop from a $73 million to a $10.7 million refund -- then the (preliminary) range is from a 7.8% increase to an 11.1% increase (in purchased power costs)," NPPD Pricing, Rates & Wholesale Billing Manager Todd Swartz said at an Aug. 12 NPPD Board meeting.

Excluding the PCA, Swartz said, the average expected increase is zero.

Without factoring in the PCA change from 2021 to 2022, Loup would see a small increase -- approximately .3%. But that's almost nothing compared to the 10.2% increase with the PCA taken into account.
With the presence of emerald ash borer recently confirmed in Columbus, residents can expect the pest to have a profound impact on the local canopy as time goes on.

"We do have a high number of ash trees and a lot of them are mature shade trees right now," Top Shape Tree LLC Owner and Arborist Morgan Neely said. "We see those as a high-value tree because they've taken 50 or 60 years to produce some of the shade. We're going to see a major loss of these trees in our mature canopy."

An Aug. 17 press release from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) confirmed the discovery of the emerald ash borer (EAB) in Columbus.

According to the press release, this makes Platte County the 10th county where the EAB has been confirmed in Nebraska since it was first detected in the state in 2016.

Neely, whose tree servicing business is located in Columbus, said residents with ash trees should pay attention to any changes in the health of the trees over time.
MADRID (AP)  A group of at least 40 migrants attempted to swim from Morocco into Spains North African enclave of Ceuta and threw stones at Spanish police, local media reported as top officials wrestled Wednesday with what to do with hundreds of unaccompanied minors who got into Ceuta from Morocco three months ago.

Migrants trying to reach European soil swam around a fenced breakwater after nightfall Tuesday and confronted Spanish police officers, one of whom was slightly injured by a stone, local media reported.

Attempts to enter Ceuta by people from sub-Saharan Africa are not uncommon and have led to tension between Spain and Morocco over whether the government in Rabat is doing enough on its side of the border to stop them.

Both countries police a wide buffer zone around the fenced breakwater.

Cooperation with Morocco is crucial for Spanish authorities trying to hold back large numbers of migrants who mass at the border and look for chances to get across. Spain is also under pressure from migrants trying to reach its Canary Islands by boat from northwestern Africa.

Some 10,000 migrants descended on Ceuta in May by either scaling the border fence or swimming around it. Among them were hundreds of unaccompanied minors, who have been in Ceuta since then.
Mary Fisher, 74, of Shermans Dale, was taken to Penn State Holy Spirit Hospital after police said her 2016 Hyundai Tucson went off the road while she was attempting to negotiate a left curve in the 6000 block of Spring Road in Carroll Township at 3:09 p.m. Aug. 22. Police said the car hit a mailbox, utility pole and embankment before rolling and coming to a stop upright on its wheels.
Toomey likewise told the veterans that South Korea would not exist in its current form if not for you.

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The veterans who received the Ambassador for Peace Medal on Wednesday are Lauren Alinio, Donald Baker, Robert Gerard, James Goodman, Ralph Hopkins, Nicholas Manzella, Lewis Meyers, Richard Rife, Lester Smith, Paul Wagner and Leroy Welsh.

Like many veterans, Welsh said that the real significance of the medal was for the soldiers that never made it back here. Three of the men he was close with during training at Camp Pendleton were killed in Korea, Welsh said.

Im honored, but I dont want people to forget that this is not only my medal, its everybodys medal. Every serviceman thats over there now, that was there  thats who it belongs to, not me alone, Goodman said.

Manzella recalled arriving in a Korea, in 1951, that was far removed from modern images of Seoul and South Koreas other high-tech cities. People lived in boxes on the streets and along the riverbanks, Manzella said.

The intense fighting in Korea, according to most historical estimates, resulted in proportionally more civilian casualties than World War II and the Vietnam War, with constant streams of refugees.
Members of Congress who want to take such a trip are required to receive permission from committee chairmen. Moulton did not consult in advance of his trip with the House Armed Services Committee, according to an aide familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it. McCarthy said Meijer also did not seek permission to go.

Rep. Mike McCaul of Texas, the ranking Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee, called the trip a distraction, and advised others against making a visit.

"But I understand the frustration," he said.

Three officials familiar with the trip said State Department, Defense Department and White House officials were furious because it was done without coordination with diplomats or military commanders directing the evacuation.

The U.S. military found out about the visit as the legislators' aircraft was en route to Kabul, according to the officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing military operations.

One senior U.S. official said the administration saw the visit as manifestly unhelpful, and several other officials said it was viewed as a distraction for troops and commanders at the airport who are waging a race against time to evacuate thousands of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others.
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Bettigole said she's been working with the district over the last six to eight weeks preparing for schools to re-open. She told the board more children are hospitalized in Philadelphia with COVID-19 than have been at any other point in the pandemic, adding the delta variant means younger people are getting infected.

Unlike New Jersey, the Philadelphia resolution as presented did not allow teachers to opt out of vaccination for other reasons. Hite said much of the alternative mitigation efforts allowed in the New Jersey mandate will already be done in Philadelphia as school starts.

Philadelphia schools will re-open next week, and for many of the district's 120,000 students, it will be the first time they attend in-person classes since nearly 18 months ago when the city first announced COVID-19 lockdowns. The district has been preparing for the return of students Aug. 31, announcing a mask mandate for staff and students earlier this summer and a weekly testing regimen for staff, as well as twice weekly testing for students in competitive sports or in activities like chorus.

The resolution passed Tuesday includes a note that the district will discuss developing incentives and work to provide easy access to the vaccine for teachers and staff and certain contract workers who will fall under the mandate.
So what else could President Biden possibly screw up?

Our commander in chief and his woke generals have blown the evacuation of Kabul so badly that even CNN and MSNBC have had to cover it.

For the last month, Biden assured us that when our military left Kabul it wasnt going to be a humiliation like Saigon in 1975.

It sure wasnt. It was much worse  and its far from over.

Were just starting to witness the deadly costs of the Biden administrations backwards evacuation of Afghanistans capital.

Safely evacuating tens of thousands of American citizens and Afghans who risked their lives to help us for 20 years from a city surrounded by the enemy is not rocket science, its just Military Science 101.

First, while you hold on to your soldiers and air power for protection, you get all the civilians out  women and children first.

Next you get your fancy military equipment out  untold billions worth of it  so, um, your enemy doesnt get to use it.

Then, after a look around to make sure no one is left behind, you pull your soldiers out  and say goodbye to Americas longest war.
Adding insult to future injury for especially Afghan women and girls is a new book by Washington Post reporter Craig Whitlock. Titled The Afghanistan Papers (shades of The Pentagon Papers), the book says, A confidential trove of government documents obtained by (the newspaper) reveals that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable.

Among the 400 interviews conducted with officials from the George W. Bush, Obama and Trump administrations, three-star Army General Douglas Lute, who served as the Afghan war czar for Bush and Obama, is quoted by Whitlock as saying: We were devoid of a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan  we didnt know what we were doing.

Lute might have asked the military leaders of the old Soviet Union who occupied the country in the 70s but failed to subdue it and were forced to pullout.

Lute added: If the American people knew the magnitude of this dysfunction... which he blamed on bureaucratic breakdowns among Congress, the Pentagon and the State Department.
"We invited panels of employees to come up and speak to these people. This was done for two years. We did a tour of the bank in Farmington and then talked a little bit about our history, as well. We did this in 2017 and 2018. Then, in 2019, we really started to formalize the program. That's whenever we had our first actual intern program that was formalized. It was one week. It was the first week of June, and what we did was we talked about the culture in this, our products, our values, the FSCB brand. We talked about our retail systems, as well as our loan systems."

Allen added that there were also activities held during the week to build camaraderie between the participants.

"That first week really created a bond with each other that I think was pretty special," he said.

Covid's effect

Because of Covid, the intern program in 2020 couldn't be held in person, and so it was held virtually. The same topics were covered as before, but the interns were also given the opportunity to take part in several independent learning projects that could be performed at their leisure. Allen said they participated in weekly virtual "huddles," as well.
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If your child becomes ill, keep them home from school and get them tested, she added.

The health center offers the Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson and Johnson vaccines daily from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Vaccination is our best defense against COVID disease, Ragsdale said.

Mineral Area College is requiring masks on campus. But no area secondary or elementary schools have a mask mandate in place, except on the bus, which is a federal mandate.

According to the CDC, quarantining is required for anyone who has been in close contact  within six feet of someone for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period  with someone who has COVID-19, unless they have been fully vaccinated.

The guideline goes on to say that people who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine after contact with someone who had COVID unless they have symptoms. However, fully vaccinated people should get tested three to five days after their exposure, even if they dont have symptoms. They should also wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until their test result is negative.
You know, how much stuff I've dug up since I've been in there. It's a crazy amount of things that people have not taken care of over the years. Crazy amount of things that people are not taking care of, he said. And you being on the board, know that in the last year or so, then were you part of the problem?

No, Wood said.

OK, because we're trying to get a solution going here. OK. I'm trying to bring people in. I got to have money. That's a fact, Spradling said. These problems have been snowballing for years. I've been here for a couple of months, and I've already found so many problems.

Im here for solutions. Im trying to right the ship now. That's what I'm working on. But what I don't need, what I do not need is negativity, telling me that I'm not doing anything. Because I'm telling you right now, every day I'm here, I go past your house, at least at least six times, because I make a different circle every time.

Alderman Charlie Lewis said the ultimate answer would be to raise taxes, but no one wants their taxes raised. One resident in the audience heartily confirmed that notion, but said, perhaps once the water issue is fixed and everyones water bills are possibly reduced, maybe Leadwood residents would be willing to raise public money to support the police department.
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"So, it's definitely good for me being a first-time handler and it being the first time he's been on patrols. It's kind of a learning experience for the both of us for sure."

Shumate said adding another K-9 to the department's law enforcement assets provides significant investigative advantages. The deputy explained that one of his primary goals as an officer is ridding the community of illegal drugs, and Kay's sense of smell is a huge help.

"Ever since I got in the law enforcement, I wanted to go after the illegal narcotics on the street," said Shumate. "And having a dual purpose canine  it just makes the job so much easier when you're wanting to strictly go after narcotics."

Kay is a multi-purpose police K-9, meaning he's trained in criminal apprehension, narcotic detection, missing person tracking, officer protection, and other patrol activities.

The department began utilizing the dog on duty on Aug. 3. Shumate said Kay was deployed to assist area investigations nearly every day of his first week on the job.

"We had a fugitive apprehension track pretty much every day," Shumate recalled. "We've already assisted the Highway Patrol on a traffic stop where narcotic equipment was found in the vehicle that K-9 Kay had alerted to."
I never saw him. I never saw him, Ravnsborg told the detectives.

Noem called on Ravnsborg to resign in February after the investigation concluded, but Ravnsborg resisted those calls, saying he was still capable of fulfilling the duties of his office and asking that he be given due process under the law. Three law enforcement groups, the South Dakota Fraternal Order of Police, the South Dakota Chiefs of Police Association and the South Dakota Sheriffs Association, joined the governors calls for him to step down.

The Republican-dominated Legislature considered impeaching the attorney general this year, but momentum quickly died out and lawmakers decided to wait until after the criminal proceedings to consider whether to proceed. House lawmakers said Wednesday that they were still digesting what the plea deal meant for possible impeachment.

Republican state Rep. Steve Haugaard, an ally of the attorney general, said an impeachment seemed unlikely, especially given that new details about the crash won't come out at a criminal trial.
During the early days of the COVID-19 epidemic, my brother and I congratulated each other that we had little to fear. Descended from hardy Irish peasants who lived in dirt-floored hovels among farm animals, we'd inherited sturdy immune systems and pretty much never get sick.

Or so we assured each other.

Except, come to think of it, our maternal grandfather, Michael Sheedy, died during the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic at age 34. His own father had died earlier the same year at 56. Our mother was 5 years old when her grandfather and father succumbed to influenza. Although she rarely spoke of it, her childhood had been a difficult one. All this in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where we were born.

So maybe we needed to be a little less cocky and more careful, we agreed. Indeed, we both got ourselves and our wives as close to the front of the vaccination line as we could. I stubbornly stayed on hold throughout an entire BBC-TV documentary to make an appointment at the university hospital; my brother drove three hours each way to get his shot at a pharmacy he found online. Hardly heroic, but the right call.
Culpeper Police seized more than 5 ounces of suspected fentanyl mixed with heroin following a rear-end traffic accident Monday afternoon on Orange Road.

A man and woman from Maryland are being held in the local jail and a 5-month-old baby in the vehicle with them was taken by the Department of Social Services, Capt. Tim Chilton of the Culpeper Police Department told the Culpeper Town Council Public Safety Committee Tuesday morning.

The crash happened around 3 p.m. and police worked on the case until after midnight, he reported. The matter will likely be handed off to federal authorities due to the amount of fentanyl involved, which Chilton described as Enough to kill this whole town.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 8-10 times more powerful than morphine, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency. It can be deadly even ingested in small doses.

As little as two milligrams, about the size of 5 grains of salt, can cause negative health effects including trouble breathing, dizziness, and possible overdose, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Chilton said the man and woman in the vehicle were headed into Greene County and had stopped in Culpeper.
Last week, the U.S. Drought Monitor included parts of Albemarle as being in Moderate Drought, while the rest of the county was Abnormally Dry. A new map will be released Thursday morning based on updated data.

An Aug. 23 map from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality shows that precipitation, groundwater levels, streamflow and reservoir levels are all currently normal for the drought evaluation region that covers Charlottesville and Albemarle.

The South Fork Rivanna Reservoir, which currently provides most of the water to the city and Albemarles urban ring around it, is full and overflowing. Mawyer said if water stopped flowing over the dam, there would be approximately 60 to 90 days of water available remaining in the reservoir.

The Ragged Mountain Reservoir, which also serves the urban area, has a greater amount of storage than South Fork Rivanna Reservoir, but its treatment plant can currently only treat about 3 million to 4 million gallons per day. The South Rivanna Treatment Plant can treat 10 million gallons per day.

Thats why we monitor South Rivanna because its smaller than Ragged Mountain Reservoir, but were pulling more water out of it to treat it at the South Rivanna Treatment Plant, Mawyer said.
The science surrounding booster shots is still being reviewed by the FDA and CDC. Shirley said some studies show COVID immunity appears to lessen as time goes by, which results in the need for a booster.

The COVID vaccine remains very effective, but we are seeing breakthrough infections, and we hope that booster shots could prevent even mild to moderate disease, she said. Its thought that a third dose could boost that back up.

Although immunity may wane, it does not disappear.

We have not seen the data that show breakthrough infections leading to hospitalization, or being put on ventilators or dying from COVID, Sifri said. Were seeing infections after vaccinations and that may be all it is. It is an effective vaccine. The question is where is the point where we may need a booster and thats what the CDC and the FDA are going to be looking at.

Shirley said the first groups vaccinated in the push to roll out the shots in winter and spring 2021 will be probably be the first to get a booster dose. That means those living in nursing homes and care facilities and health care workers would be first up for the boosters.
Our contention is, she was a tracker, she was a guide, she was an interpreter. She should be at the feet of Lewis and Clark pointing out the way west and the track they should follow, and things like that, said Borgmeyer. By taking it down and hiding it away youre taking away the ability to learn things that happened in the past that could help with the future.

The explorers party camped in St. Charles in 1804 before heading up the Missouri River on its way to the Pacific Ocean.

If St. Charles is selected to acquire the statue, city officials should take an approach similar to the commission appointed to deal with a statue in Tower Grove Park, suggested Kellie Thompson, director of the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies at Washington University. That commission formed in 2018 after controversy over what to do with a since-removed monument to Christopher Columbus. The commission was made up of historians, experts from local arts institutions as well as representatives of Italian-American and Native American people in St. Louis.

For me I would always go back to the voices of people that are affected, even if its one person, said Thompson. I think thats valid and it should be thought about, because like the mascot issue, these things affect kids. They affect how native youth perceive themselves.
Health officials said Tuesday that they are confident the country remains on track to quell the outbreak.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says most of the new cases appeared linked and officials arent seeing an exponential rise in infections.

New Zealand is scheduled to remain in lockdown until at least Friday, while the city of Auckland where most of the cases have been found will stay in lockdown until at least the end of the month.

The outbreak is the first in New Zealand in six months.



SYDNEY  An Australian state leader is indicating that a slight easing of pandemic restrictions is coming for Sydney after achieving a vaccination milestone.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Tuesday she will announce before the weekend a new freedom for fully vaccinated people now that 6 million vaccine doses have been administered across the state. She said that equates to 60% of the population having at least one dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca and 32% being fully vaccinated.

Australias most populous state is in lockdown because of the virus outbreak, as is Victoria, which is the countrys second most populous state.


NEW YORK  A study from Israel says COVID-19 carries a far higher risk of heart inflammation than Pfizers coronavirus vaccine.

Researchers in Tel Aviv estimate there were three cases for every 100,000 people vaccinated with the Pfizer shot. But risk of it was 11 per 100,000 in people who were infected with the virus.

The finding were published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Grace Lee is an infectious disease expert at Stanford University and says the paper is the first to assess the potential risks of vaccination in the context of understanding the potential benefits of vaccination.

Previous reports have linked the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to inflammation of the heart muscle. The problem was mainly seen in male teens and young men, who developed chest pain a few days after vaccination.

U.S. health officials say they have confirmed about 800 vaccine-associated cases total of two types of inflammation  in the heart muscle and in the lining of the heart.

The Clalit Research Institute researchers looked at hundreds of thousands of people who were vaccinated and not vaccinated. Separately, they looked at unvaccinated people who were infected or not.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin contradicted the president when he said Taliban fighters have been harassing and beating Americans trying to flee Afghanistan. Biden said he has no indication Americans are being prevented from reaching the Kabul airport. Reaching the airport and getting on a plane are not the same, as the Taliban have it encircled with checkpoints.

Does anyone know what is going on in this administration? Aside from its claims not to know how many Americans remain in Afghanistan and its inability to ensure their safe passage out of the country  which could lead to the taking of hostages as in Iran in 1979  the long-term consequences of our poorly executed non-policy will continue, perhaps for years to come.

Former Israeli diplomat Yoram Ettinger writes in his newsletter: In 2021, the 14-century-old vision and strategic goal of Islamic terrorism is not limited to the territory of Afghanistan. It is driven by fanatic imperialism, striving to subordinate the infidel West  and especially The Great U.S. Satan  which is perceived to be the key obstacle on the way to Islamic global domination.
Yes. I will do my part to conserve household energy usage, even if I'm uncomfortable in my home.

No. It is too hot to conserve household energy usage.

I already conserve, even before ERCOT requested it.

Maybe, depending on the reason ERCOT provides and whether or not I am home during that time.

Vote

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Its one thing for us to encourage employees, members of the community, to get a vaccination, Nyquist said. Its another to require a medical procedure for people to continue their employment with an organization.

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Although positive COVID-19 test cases are rising, school is still scheduled to start on time. The board will be watching for updates regarding COVID-19 and conferring with health officials to ensure that this continues to be the right decision.

Public comment continues to be summarized and read by Sipe, which all of the board members agreed was not ideal. Directors Michael Thomson and Brad Wilson said that having public comment is part of the procedure, and the board should be able to take the heat and hear peoples thoughts expressed in their own voice rather than Sipes.

Aguinaga said he agreed that there needs to be a way for board members and constituents to communicate about important issues, but that public comment often turns into a one-way conversation in which one party inappropriately tries to educate the other.

Nyquist said that while it is very important for members of the community to be heard and feel like they are heard, everyone needs to act as if their children are watching them during public comment so things do not get out of hand.
Mill Citys Canyon Strong Wildfire Memorial will be held on Sunday, Sept. 5 at Kimmel Park at noon.

The event, hosted by the city of Mill City, will commemorate the destructive wildfires that ravaged the 2,000-person community last year at this time. The memorial will recognize those who lost their lives in the fire, those who survived and the firefighters who risked their lives.

Eleven firefighters, mostly volunteers, stayed to help even after professionals were ordered to leave the scene of the fire on Labor Day. These eleven individuals will be celebrated at the memorial.

We need to continue the healing that will keep us moving forward, Mill City resident Dave Keasey said in a news release. We must recognize those who have lost so much that can never be replaced. We must honor those who risked their lives to keep this disaster from being so very much worse. And we must share our stories which are a vital part of the healing process for both the teller and the listener.
Even big timber outfits like Starker Forests are seeing the first kind of damage of this kind.

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This is kind of a new occurrence for us, said company president Randy Hereford. Ive been with the company for 40 years and never seen anything like this as far as heat goes.

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He also said that the damage appears to be worse as you head into Lincoln County, as southern and western facing slopes were hit harder than the vast majority of forest lands in Benton County.

Hereford also said it seemed like the damage happened mostly to old growth trees, which tend to be more capable of bouncing back from extreme weather events.

Theres lots of speculation as to why but we probably wont fully know why were starting to see more red needles, he said. Were seeing that mostly on the larger old growth trees.

Scientists like Beverly Law, a professor emeritus of the Oregon State University College of Forestry, study ecophysiology, which directly analyzes the ways that organisms naturally react to their environments. She says that non-acclimatized trees being hit by the excessive heat may be one factor in the damage, but only time will tell how lasting of an impact this will have, or whether well continue to see the same kinds of summers in the future.
LONDON (AP)  A cafe in Scotland's capital where author J.K. Rowling wrote some of the Harry Potter books has been damaged in a fire.

The Elephant House in Edinburgh suffered smoke and water damage after a blaze broke out at the patisserie next door on Tuesday.

More than 60 firefighters and 12 fire engines were deployed to tackle the blaze. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said one of its crew members was taken to hospital as a precaution and later released.

Images showed the cafe with its front windows gone, a ruined interior and debris lying outside.

Owner David Taylor told the BBC he was "devastated" by the extensive damage to his business. He said the cafe would likely be closed for months for repairs.

The Elephant House is a regular stop for Harry Potter fans and long bore a sign declaring itself as the "birthplace" of the fictional young wizard.

Rowling has disputed that, saying she began writing the magical stories before she moved to Edinburgh. But she confirmed she frequented the cafe while penning some of the seven-book series.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a security alert warning American citizens away from three specific airport gates, but gave no further explanation. Senior U.S. officials said the warning was related to ongoing and specific threats involving the Islamic State and potential vehicle bombs, which have set U.S. officials on edge in the final days of the American drawdown. The officials insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing military operations.

Blinken said the State Department estimates there were about 6,000 Americans wanting to leave Afghanistan when the airlift began Aug. 14, as the Taliban took the capital after a stunning military conquest. About 4,500 Americans have been evacuated so far, Blinken said, and among the rest some are understandably very scared.

The 6,000 figure is the first firm estimate by the State Department of how many Americans were seeking to get out. U.S. officials early in the evacuation estimated as many as 15,000, including dual citizens, lived in Afghanistan. The figure does not include U.S. Green Card holders.

About 500 Americans have been contacted with instructions on when and how to get to the chaotic Kabul airport to catch evacuation flights.
A man is dead and a woman is critically injured after the man apparently shot her before taking his own life, the Aurora Police Department said.

The shooting happened about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday in the 2300 block of North Emporia Street, near Stanley Marketplace, police said.

Responding officers found the man and woman at the scene suffering from gunshot wounds.

The two were taken to a hospital where the man died shortly after, police said. The woman is still alive but was in critical condition as of Tuesday night.

Police have not released any information about what led to the shooting but said it appears to be a domestic violence incident. Police have not identified the man or the woman and have not specified what their relationship was.

This comes after Robert Terry fatally shot his wife, Sarah, and then himself outside of an Aurora home on July 30.

At the beginning of the year, experts attributed the rise in homicides in Colorados largest cities to an increase in domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Aurora Police Department said anyone who knows a victim of domestic violence or is experiencing domestic violence themselves can call the Victim Services Unit at 303-627-3100.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, police said. Witnesses are still being sought for interviews.

Anyone with information is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can be anonymous and are eligible for a $2,000 reward.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are asking drone users to be mindful of their hobby as it can increase stress and even cause death to wildlife.

Many wild animals are preyed upon by the air and become distressed by drones flying above them. Additionally, many birds see drones as a predator competing for food that could lead to behavior changes.

Although drones give people insight to various landscapes otherwise unaccessible to humans, they also pose a threat, said Brian Dreher, terrestrial section manager with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

"It's important for drone operators to understand their surroundings including the impacts to people's privacy and wildlife health," Dreher said in a release. "Part of being a Coloradan is respecting the natural environment around us. As people pick up drone use as a hobby, they also need to understand the importance of conservation ethics."

Wild animals are already hyper-aware of their surroundings because of survival instincts. With drones flying overhead, it can heighten these reactions, especially where there's a mother and its young nearby, officials said.

But drone use to observe wildlife behavior isn't the only time animals are harassed or gain additional stress.

Heather Dugan, the department's field services assistant director, said CPW is seeing more hunters harassing wildlife with their drones, which is a violation of federal law and the department's commission regulations.

"The bottom line is, if it's related to a hunt in any way, you can't do it," Dugan said. "For scouting, locating, anything. If they fly before they take an animal, they're illegal. If they use the drone to locate an animal they may have shot and wounded, they're illegal."

Non-hunter drone use on Colorado Parks and Wildlife land is restricted. It is illegal to take off or land a drone in any of the department's 350 wildlife areas. However, it is legal to use drones within designated areas for model aircraft use at certain state parks.

"Even then, drone operators should be aware that it is illegal to harass wildlife," officials wrote.

Harassment of wildlife is defined as causing a change of behavior to wildlife, Dugan said.

"So if the animal runs, if it changes direction, if it stops eating, that's harassment," she said. "Any change in the animal is considered harassment and it's illegal."

Anyone caught violating any of the drone regulations and laws could face penalties from $70 to $125,000. It depends on the circumstances and range of what someone was doing, Dugan said.

Additionally, an operator found in violation of laws or regulations could have their aircraft and all related equipment seized.

"If we proved it, we might elect to request it's forfeited as a public nuisance," Dugan said. "They're obviously using it for illegal activities and shouldn't continue to possess it."

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is urging drone users to follow the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommendations for responsible drone flying with wildlife:

Protect Wildlife & the Environment
The attorney for a Colorado man accused of taking a Capitol police officers baton and helping drag another officer down the buildings steps has asked the court to reconsider granting him pretrial release.

The attorney claimed in a motion filed Monday that prosecutors distort[ed] the trust, misrepresent[ed] facts, and [relied] on the actions of co-defendants on January 6, 2021 to compensate for its inability to demonstrate that defendant should be detained.

Jeffrey Sabol, 51, of Indian Hills came to the Capitol on Jan. 6 in tactical gear and carrying zip ties in his bag, prosecutors said. He faces eight charges, including trespassing, disorderly conduct and violence with a dangerous weapon, assaulting, resisting or impeding officers and two counts of civil disorder.

Senior Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington federal district court denied Sabol bail on April 8. He wrote evidence of Sabols previous planning and intent in his actions suggest he was not just caught up in the frenzy of the crowd, but instead came to Washington, D.C. with the intention of causing mayhem and disrupting the democratic process.

But Sabols attorney, Alex Cirocco, argued in Mondays motion that new video evidence weighs in favor of his release.

Sabol never used the officers baton as a weapon, Cirocco argues, and the motion refutes claims by prosecutors that he held it to another officers neck.

He says prosecutors have relied on one photo showing Sabol holding the baton over the body of the officer dragged down the steps, identified as B.M. in court papers.

Cirocco argues video footage from earlier in the afternoon shows Sabol waving his hands to call off violence, which the motion claims clearly show[s] that defendant did not come to the U.S. Capitol with the intent to harm or injure Officers.

The Governments constant references to defendant being methodical and premediated on January 6 could not be further from the truth. The Governments entire case is based on a 20 second video clip where defendant disarms Officer A.W. of his baton, Cirocco argues.

Body-camera footage shows Sabols co-defendant, Jack Wade Whitton, acted as the main aggressor in pulling that officer down the lower western terrace steps of the Capitol, and Sabol left the steps immediately after the incident, the motion claims.

In his April memo denying Sabol's release, Sullivan also wrote he poses a continued danger to the public based on his willingness to act violently on his beliefs and in a perceived battle against tyranny.

Previous records in Sabols case suggest he attempted to fly to Switzerland shortly after Jan. 6. Law enforcement found an electronic plane ticket from Boston to Switzerland in Sabols car.

But Sabols attorney says the government hasnt identified any concrete public safety threat posed by Sabols release. Since the former Donald Trumps presidency to President Joe Bidens administration has occurred, Cirocco argues no threat remains to disrupting the election or transfer of power.

Cirocco also points to a few other defendants accused of more violent actions than Sabol the day of the riot but whom judges granted pretrial release. Similar to Sabol, these defendants also had no felony convictions, if any criminal history at all, before Jan. 6 or ties to extremist groups, Cirocco argues.

The motion requests Sabols release to his mother and father under conditions including curfew and GPS monitoring. If the court again denies Sabol's release, the motion argues for him to have access to a laptop from his jail cell to review evidence and assist in his defense.
Should the U.S. military have remained in Afghanistan past Aug. 31 and until all American civilians and Afghans who helped our country's efforts could get out?

You voted:
Cameroons state-owned CamTel has revealed that it will begin offering mobile and data services nationwide using the brand name Blue.

Journal du Cameroun reported that the Blue branding would apply to fixed, mobile and internet services. The operators General Manager Judith Yah Sunday Achidi confirmed that the firm would retain CamTel as its corporate name.

After a restructuring in 2019, Cameroons Telecommunications Regulatory Board (ART) granted CamTel three licences in March 2020 covering fixed, GSM and transport services (including cable landing stations).
Digicel Fiji has announced plans to invest a further FJD13 million (US$6.2 million) in upgrading its 4G LTE infrastructure to meet the soaring demand resulting from the pandemic.

TeleGeography reports that the upgrade is aimed at boosting data capacity in residential areas and extending coverage in underserved regions. Local outlet Fiji Village quoted the operators CEO Farid Mohammed as saying that he expected the upgrade to be complete by the end of October.

The additional investment will enhance customer experience especially in areas where Digicel is facing challenges because of the increase in data usage due to more people working from home and more people online from home due to the current pandemic restrictions, said Mohammed.

Digicel Fiji embarked on an investment programme in 2019 which has seen the operator spend FJD30 million on deploying LTE-Advanced Pro technology (Pre-5G) as well as extending 4G coverage in maritime zones.

Earlier this month, Digicel Fiji launched a satellite broadband service branded as Digisat, which offers affordable internet access to rural and remote communities.
The Colombian ICT minister, Karen Abudinen, has announced the resumption of the installation of digital centres, or connection points, in rural areas of the country, a project that temporarily halted in 2020.

The digital centres project, which aims to connect more than 14,700 schools in remote areas of the country, will now be developed by ETB NET Colombia Conectada, a temporary entity made up of two companies: ETB and its subsidiary Skynet.

The ICT minister said the government cancelled the initial contract awarded to the Union Temporal Centros Poblados (UTCP) consortium after it failed to offer sufficient guarantees and that it would be working to recover the amounts already paid to the bidder.

About $588 million has been allocated to the plan which aims to provide internet access to schools in rural areas of 16 Colombian departments until at least 2031.

The digital centres project came about from goals set out in the countrys 2018-2022 Development Plan Pact for Equity. The project itself began in 2019.

The hold-ups have been blamed on corrupt contractors. Legal steps are apparently being taken to recover any damages.

However, a few weeks ago members of Colombias opposition parties demanded the resignation of the ICT minister over the alleged embezzlement of funds by government contractors. The minister has refused to go, insisting that she will dedicate herself even more diligently to ensuring that the money is recovered and that the connectivity goal is achieved.
ZTE Corporation announced that it has assisted China Mobile in launching the operators first NodeEngine Powered 5G integrated high-precision positioning commercial case in Guangzhou.

The international provider of telecommunications, enterprise, and consumer technology solutions for the mobile internet said in a press release that the commercial case for Grandview Mall this time employs ZTEs NodeEngine powered 5G high-precision positioning solution.

"Only by inserting an additional board in existing BBU, the 5G integrated high-precision positioning system for the grand mall can achieve seamless indoor and outdoor coverage with positioning accuracy of up to sub-meter level," it said.

Moreover, this system is well compatible with the industry-leading positioning solutions such as Bluetooth/UWB, providing unified and efficient LBS(location-based service) for upper-layer service applications, as well as open API interfaces for third-party apps to interconnect. In addition, it can provide an accurate shopping location navigation service for 5G terminal users.

ZTE, the Guangzhou Branch of China Mobile, and Grandview Mall are among the first batch of 20 members of Guangzhou 5G+ Digital Business Alliance, which aims to jointly promote 5G commercial applications and develop overall 5G+ intelligent business solutions.

ZTE, as a provider of 5G network equipment for China Mobile Guangzhou, has offered key technologies including 5G networks, edge computing, and indoor positioning for the Alliance. Since the foundation of the Alliance, the three parties have worked together to carry out service innovations to meet the typical commercial service requirements of Grandview Mall.
Chinese multinational electronics company Xiaomi Corporation is dropping the Mi branding ten years after the company launched its first Mi smartphone, said local media reports.

The mobile phone manufacturer will simply use Xiaomi in the future. The move was reportedly signaled by the recent launch of the companys new product, the Xiaomi Mix 4.

The Xiaomi Mix 4 was launched in China earlier this month, but it does not carry the Mi branding.

"This change will unify our global brand presence and close the perception gap between the brand and its products. This change may take some time to take effect in all regions. With introducing the new brand identity, two distinct product series will sit beneath the parent brand," it said in a press release.

"This differentiation is also reflected in our updated logos, with both the Xiaomi and Redmi logotypes under the parent brand logo. The product series naming convention  Xiaomi and Redmi  will also be applied to our ecosystem and IoT products over time," it added.

Xiaomi products represent the pinnacle of technology and offer a premium experience, according to the company, while Redmi products bring big innovation at a more accessible price point and are aimed at a younger audience.

Though the company is best known for its smartphones, Xiaomi also sells many products in the smart home, lifestyle, and computing categories, including televisions, laptops, refrigerators, air fryers, smartwatches, scooters, robots, hairdryers, and so much more. Most of these products bear the Mi brand today, but that will change for any new products they launch.
As a wildfire approached her Moscow Mountain rental home Monday, Ruth Garfield smelled smoke but was unsure of how close the danger truly was. When she heard a helicopter overhead, Ruth said she went onto her back porch to see if she could catch a glimpse. It was then she saw the fire that would swallow the home roaring up the hill perhaps 30 yards away.
Four years ago, I found out I was Type II diabetic.

It was a shocker, to say the least, and for the most part I had no symptoms. In other words, it caught me unprepared and totally off-guard.

It was during a regular checkup and blood work that I learned about my high blood sugar. Like most men, that regular checkup was five years in the making.

It was my wife Bev who insisted that I have the blood work done. I am glad that I listened to her.

After the blood work was done, I got a call the next day that I needed to go back to the doctors office. Thankfully, the nurse who called me said it was because of my high blood sugar. It sounded bad, but not as bad as some other diagnoses might have been.

My blood sugar level was over 400 on the test. I went cold turkey on anything sweet and by the time I made it back to the doctor, it was down to 330.

The end result was that I took a once-a-week shot and a daily shot. I took those first shots while he watched, to make sure I did it right.

In a week of cold turkey off of sweets and the shots as well as Metformin, I got the numbers below 140.
Pinellas board member Bill Dudley cited several studies indicating little difference in coronavirus infection spread among children whether they wore masks or not.

If it doesn't make a difference, why do it? Dudley said. We have a mandate, and that mandate is choice. Do what you think is best for your child.

The three-day hearing that started Monday before Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper pits pro-mask parents against the DeSantis administration and state education officials who contend that parents, not schools, should choose whether their children cover up in classrooms.

The highly contagious delta variant led to an acceleration in cases around Florida and record high hospitalizations just as schools prepared to reopen classrooms this month. By mid-August more than 21,000 new cases were being added per day, compared with about 8,500 a month earlier. The state said 16,820 people were hospitalized on Tuesday, down from a record of more than 17,000 last week.

Dr. Mona Mangat, a St. Petersburg physician who specializes in pediatric immunology, testified Tuesday on behalf of the lawsuit plaintiffs that face coverings remain essential in classrooms because children 12 and under aren't yet eligible to get their shots.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  A sham candidate for the Florida Legislature pleaded guilty Tuesday to being part of a vote siphoning scheme in last year's election and will testify against a former Republican state senator who prosecutors say ran it.

Alex Rodriguez agreed to testify against former Sen. Frank Artiles after pleading guilty in Miami-Dade County to accepting illegal campaign donations and lying on campaign documents. He will receive three years probation if he cooperates, including a year of house arrest. He had faced a possible 20-year prison sentence.

Prosecutors charged Artiles in March with felony campaign fraud charges, saying he secretly gave more than $44,000 to Rodriguez so that he could run in the 2020 election to confuse voters and siphon ballots from then-Democratic incumbent, Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez. The funds allegedly came from a dark money source. Artiles has pleaded not guilty.

Alex Rodriguez, a 55-year-old auto parts salesman with no political experience, ran as an independent in the three-way race in Miami-Dade County, pulling in 6,000 votes. The race was won by Republican Ileana Garcia by just 32 votes. She is not implicated in the scheme.
Going forward, the leaders said they would judge the Afghan parties by their actions, not words, echoing previous warnings to the Taliban not to revert to the strict Islamic form of government that they ran when they last held power from 1996 until the U.S.-led invasion that ousted them in 2001.

In particular, we reaffirm that the Taliban will be held accountable for their actions on preventing terrorism, on human rights in particular those of women, girls and minorities and on pursuing an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan, the leaders said. The legitimacy of any future government depends on the approach it now takes to uphold its international obligations and commitments to ensure a stable Afghanistan.

Yet, individual leaders offered less sanguine descriptions of the meeting as well as the state of affairs in Afghanistan, which have dramatically changed since the bloc last met in Britain in June. At the time of that summit, Afghanistan had been almost an afterthought with the leaders more concentrated on the coronavirus pandemic, China and Russia. Although Biden had announced his plan for complete withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Cornwall meeting did not anticipate Talibans rapid takeover.
The investigation Gableman is leading is one of several in the state.

The nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau is conducting a review of the election as ordered by Republicans. That is expected to be done in the fall. And Republican Rep. Janel Brandtjen, chairwoman of the Assembly Elections Committee, issued subpoenas earlier this month to election clerks in Milwaukee and Brown counties seeking voting machines, ballots and other records but legislative attorneys have said they're not valid unless Vos signs them.

The clerks in both counties said the subpoenas are being reviewed. Vos has said if Gableman determines that subpoenas are necessary, he will "look into making sure those can happen.

Priebus said he was told that subpoenas would be issued in the next week or two. He did not specify whether they would be new subpoenas or if Vos was signing the ones issued by Brandtjen.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
He said of his nephew, who worked in construction, He was the kindest kid. He loved his family. He loved being a dad.

Davis fled the restaurant, police said, and was captured in a nearby alley. Cellphone video obtained by the Herald shows Davis lying spread-eagle on his back and smiling as three officers approach with their guns pointed towards him yelling commands, warning him that if he touches his gun he will be shot.

Davis then rolled onto his side into a fetal position, before again rolling onto his back as officers approached. Davis screamed I give, I give, I give as officers flip him onto his stomach and handcuff him. The video shows a black handgun lying about 10 feet (three meters) away.

Tommy Davis, the suspect's father, told The Associated Press that his son had traveled to Miami Beach with some friends. He said his son has never been in trouble or had mental health issues. No arrest record for the younger Davis could be found.

This is an unlikely thing, the senior Davis said. 'We are trying to find out what happened. You can imagine we were shocked."

He said he didn't know whether his son would ingest mushrooms or other drugs.
A farmer harvests dragon fruits in the central province of Binh Thuan. Photo by VnExpress/Viet Quoc

Vietnam has requested that China resume importing agricultural produce through the border of Yunnan Province after over a month of suspension due to Covid-19 fears.

There had been no Covid-19 cases detected along the border of Yunnan, and around 400 Chinese trucks a day typically enter Vietnam, the Ministry of Industry and Trade recently told Chinas Ministry of Commerce and Yunnan authorities.

But from July, Yunnan had stopped the imports of agricultural produce, especially dragon fruit, from Vietnam due to fears of Covid-19 contagion.

Trade Minister Nguyen Hong Dien proposed Yunnan resume trading with safety measures imposed as it has been doing for over a year.

Many Vietnamese companies earlier this month complained that Chinas halt of importing dragon fruit and tightened safety measures have increased the difficulties for their businesses.

The trade ministry has advised Vietnamese companies to use official export quotas, meaning to establish prior contracts with Chinese buyers before sending trucks to the border to ensure smooth trade activities.

China was Vietnams second largest export market in the first seven months with a value of $28.7 billion, up 24 percent year-on-year, according to General Statistics Office.
Pope Francis is seen during the weekly audience in Saint Peter's Square, at the Vatican, February 27, 2019. Photo by Reuters/Yara Nardi

Pope Francis has sent 100,000 ($117,406) to Vietnam in an emergency aid amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Vatican stated in a Tuesday press release.

The money was sent to the people of Vietnam who are "in a state of grave peril due to the socio-economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic," according to the press release.

The funds were said to be part of an "initial aid package," the Vatican News reported. It would be administered through the embassy, according to Reuters.

Besides Vietnam, aid would also be sent to Haiti and Bangladesh, which are suffering from the aftermath of a recent earthquake and a tropical cyclone called Yaas, respectively. The earthquake struck Haiti on Aug. 14 and has killed over 2,000 people, while cyclone Yaas left tens of thousands of people homeless in Bangladesh last May.

Vietnam has recorded more than 365,000 local Covid-19 cases since the fourth coronavirus wave hit the country in late April. A total 9,014 deaths have been recorded so far.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, visiting U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has taught countries that the world is more interconnected and interdependent than ever before and the threats nations face are accelerating more rapidly.

In this new era, partnership is essential. Countries must be willing to take on the challenges together to create opportunities. Nations know that the Covid-19 pandemic will not be the last threat of its kind that people face, countries should be better prepared for the next one, she said.

In this context, the U.S. wants to help improve public health infrastructure across Southeast Asia, Harris said, adding that her country strongly supports ASEAN's centrality by helping member countries acquire expertise and infrastructure for dealing with Covid-19 and other pandemics in the future.

"That is why the launch of this CDC office and our work together is so very important."

Harris noted that 110 million vaccine doses have shipped out worldwide from the U.S.; and more than 23 million of these have been delivered to Southeast Asia.

The U.S. has also pledged $500,000 for the ASEAN Covid-19 Response Fund to support the purchase of more vaccines. It has provided more than $150 million in emergency assistance for the countries of this region to administer vaccines and to help patients recover, she said.

The U.S wants to work with ASEAN to improve readiness and response in the inevitable event of a future pandemic or another public health crisis. The opening of a regional CDC office is a true testament of the U.S.s commitment to this region, she said.

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh said the launch of the CDC regional office in Hanoi demonstrated the development and vast potential of the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the U.S.

It also reflected the high priority that the U.S government places on cooperation with the region in health care and disease control. This is a testament to the ever growing collaboration between the U.S and the region, for mutual interest and for global efforts to protect the health of the people, he said.

"We are also convinced that the office in Hanoi will work closely with partners within and outside the region in pursuit of the crucial goal of ensuring the best healthcare services for the people."

Minh said Southeast Asian countries and the U.S have worked closely together to combat the pandemic, mitigate consequences and foster economic recovery. These endeavors include cooperation to maintain supply chains and mutual assistance in terms of medical equipment and supplies.

He said he hoped that Harris will continue to devote due attention to encouraging U.S. partners to provide vaccines, medications and medical equipment to Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam in a timely manner "to help countries overcome the pandemic, resume production and business activities and foster economic development...."

National, regional priority

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky re-emphasized VP Harriss statement that the U.S. and partners share the understanding that health security must be a national security priority. And given that such diseases know no borders, it is also a regional security priority.

"The new office in Hanoi will be essential for global health security and help countries strengthen public health fundamentals throughout the region. It will be the hub for understanding the unique health challenges in Southeast Asia, and in doing so will undoubtedly save many, many lives," Walensky said.

Chair of the ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting, Indonesia's Budi Gunadi Sadikin, said he believed that the U.S.-ASEAN partnership was a stepping stone for countries in the region to build stronger, more responsive and resilient health systems, especially in facing future threats to global health security.

ASEAN looks forward to the U.S. CDC exploring areas of collaborations, the provision of technical assistance, exchanges in supporting the operations of ASEAN Center for Public health emergencies and emerging diseases, he said, adding: "The first priority is achieving ASEAN vaccine security and self-reliance, which is very important right now."

John MacArthur, MD, will be the new CDC Southeast Asia Regional Director. Prior to this appointment, Dr. MacArthur served as the CDC Thailand country director for more than six years. He also served as the CDCs Team Lead for the U.S. Presidents Malaria Initiative, a $620 million per year program to control malaria in sub-Saharan Africa and the Greater Mekong Sub-region.

According to the U.S Embassy in Hanoi, in addition to the Southeast Asia Regional Office, CDC also recently established Regional Offices in Eastern Europe/Central Asia (Georgia), the Middle East/North Africa (Oman), and South America (Brazil).

The embassy said CDC was "uniquely suited to increase American engagement and collaboration with Southeast Asian leaders to enhance regional capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious diseases and other emerging health threats."

It said priorities for the new regional office would include: building tomorrow's public health workforce; expanding regional public health laboratory training; developing innovative programs to improve health for mobile and migrant populations; ensuring a coordinated response to public health emergencies through networked Emergency Operation Centers; and strengthening the early warning system for the detection of zoonotic and emerging infectious diseases.
According to Wine Institute figures, Californias wine industry contributes $114 billion annually to the American economy and employs 786,000 workers. California retail wine sales reached $43.6 billion in the United States in 2019, with the state claiming three out of every five bottles sold. All in all, the Golden State is responsible for producing 81% of all the wine made in America, and ranks fourth worldwide in wine production, trailing only France, Italy and Spain.

Californias colorful wine history

Originally planted by Franciscan missionaries for sacramental wine production back in the 18th century, Mission grapes are believed to be the first cultivated variety grown in America. After the Gold Rush of the 1840s and up until around the turn of the 20th century, European wine grape varieties were imported and propagated at nurseries throughout the state. In fact, the California State Viticultural Commission was established in 1860 to promote variety in vine importation.

However, Californias true wine boom wouldn't happen until the 1960s, when consumer tastes began to evolve from sweet wines and generic jug blends to quality table wines made from specific grape varieties.

Along with his peers, industry legend Robert Mondavi led the effort to put California wines on the global map, striving to turn out products that rivaled the best wines Europe had to offer.

The Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 proved a watershed moment, when California Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon bested their French counterparts in blind tastings for the first time ever.

So just what is it that gives California wines their lasting allure? Turns out, several things.

Climate

California benefits from a Mediterranean-like climate defined by warm, dry, sunny summers and mild , wet winters. These conditions help wine grapes grow steadily during a long, relatively stress-free season between April and October.

The great diversity of climates across California contributes to its great wines, supporting the growth of everything from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel.

Topography

The influence of the Pacific Ocean and several other significant mountain ranges cannot be overstated. Many of the most important wine regions in California, from Napa and Sonoma to Santa Barbara and Paso Robles, benefit in myriad ways from the natural cooling of coastal winds, fog and moisture. The comfortable temperatures help grapes retain acidity, which in turn keeps the resulting wines fresh and balanced instead of flabby and heavy on the palate.

This specific geology is one of the reasons California boasts 142 unique American Viticultural Areas (AVAs)  designated geographic regions for growing wine grapes  from Humboldt County near the Oregon border all the way to Temecula Valley and San Diego to the south with the majority of AVAs dotting the coast.

Elevation

Along with microclimates and soils, California features a wide variety of exposures and elevations, giving wine growers and winemakers further material to work with. These variations make it possible to capture the abundant sunshine the state provides, and to protect the vines from the threat of frost, wind or heavy rain, though rainfall during the growing season tends to be minimal. Currently, California supports the growth of dozens of different wine grape varieties, with Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon proving the most popular, and thus, the most frequently planted.

Sustainability

California has long embraced forward-thinking sustainable practices with a focus on soil health, habitat restoration and biodiversity, in addition to encouraging beneficial insects, using sheep and other grazing animals for weed control, and emphasizing water conservation.

In 2019, Sonoma County announced that 99% of its vineyards had been certified sustainable, making it the most sustainable wine region in the world.

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Just say no and shut the door, he said, later adding that he didnt want to see the city in jeopardy of a lawsuit that would be costly.

The citys newest councilman, Giovanni Puccinelli, said he agreed with Morris that he liked kids being able to come to the door, and he was against an ordinance that opposes all solicitation.

Stanton also said he could look at modifying the citys trespass code regarding no-solicitation signs, but that issue was not part of the agenda, so he would have to look at that only if he got a nod from the council.

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Lee Hoffman, a former city councilman, said he asked for the door-to-door proposal because he has been trying to get the council, county, and Elko County School Board to synchronize their efforts because of concerns about where we are headed as a country.

The privacy issue is really the biggest concern. It is in the interest of the city to protect citizens as best you can. Its a matter of pushing back wherever we can, Hoffman said.

Vern Hatch, who is in the alternative health business, said door-to-door visits to ask about whether someone is vaccinated is an intrusion of privacy and against HIPAA, and people should not have to be burdened by the question of what to do if someone comes to their door.
ELKO  The Elko County School District will follow Gov. Steve Sisolaks Directive 48 in its reopening plan, the two-member school board decided Tuesday evening.

The directive says school staff must wear face coverings while inside school buildings, regardless of vaccination status.

Trustees Teresa Dastrup and Ira Wines unanimously approved a motion to comply with applicable law, including but not limited to Nevada Revised Statute, Nevada Administrative Code and emergency directives.

The amendment reversed the school boards plan approved two weeks ago that allowed face coverings to be optional for students and staff in the Elko County School District.

Five school board members have since resigned, two who voted in favor and two who opposed the plan.

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The line masks will be optional for all students and staff unless an outbreak is determined by local public health authorities, violated Directive 48, section 5 which allowed school districts with populations less than 100,000 to adopt a policy students, but not for staff.

Teachers are required to wear mask statewide regardless of vaccination status, unless they have a medical exemption, according to the directive.
South of Tahoe, Rick Nelson and his wife, Diane, had planned to host a weekend wedding at Fallen Leaf Lake, where his daughter and her fiance had met. However, the smoke caused most of the community to leave. The sun was an eerie blood orange, and the floats and boats in the lake were obscured by haze Tuesday.

In the end, the Nelsons spent two days arranging to have the wedding moved from the glacial lake several hours southwest to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Everybodys trying to make accommodations for the smoke. And I think its becoming a reality for us, unfortunately, Diane Nelson said. I just think that the smoke and the fires have gotten bigger, hotter and faster-moving.

Climate change has made the 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.

Although there were no evacuations ordered for Lake Tahoe, it was impossible to ignore a blanket of haze so thick and vast that it closed schools for two days in Reno, Nevada, which is about 60 miles from the fire.

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The Nevada Department of Wildlife is celebrating Habitat Conservation Framework Executive Order 2021-18 signed by Governor Steve Sisolak on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. This order seeks to reverse the long-term trend of loss in Nevadas wild landscapes and maintain the multitude of values they provide for our communities and wildlife species.

This executive order calls for the creation of a comprehensive Nevada Habitat Conservation Framework. The framework will engage conservation partners; stakeholders; and local, state, and federal agencies to identify values and services provided by intact habitats. In addition, the order will evaluate threats; prioritize landscapes; and develop strategies to conserve, restore, and rehabilitate Nevadas threatened wildlife habitats.

Two immediate products will be developed to address threats to Nevadas sagebrush habitat and wildlife movement corridors. A Sagebrush Habitat Plan will seek to collaboratively address the conversion and loss of Nevadas sagebrush habitats due to climate change, wildfire, and invasive species.
Leaders of the G7 nations held a virtual meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan after the Talibans lightning offensive across the country following the pull-out of US forces that began on 1 May and culminated in the fall of Kabul to the militants on 15 August, bringing an end to a 20-year conflict in the country between the Islamist political movement and the now-exiled, US-backed government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The Taliban were ousted after five years in power by US-led forces in the weeks after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States by al-Qaeda militants whose leaders had found safe haven in Afghanistan.

In the aftermath of the Talibans recapture of Kabul a huge multinational evacuation mission was launched. Tens of thousands of foreign nationals and Afghans have been evacuated by an international airlift with many more fleeing for the borders of the landlocked country. Several nations have pledged to take in Afghan refugees with the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and Germany committing to providing save haven for over 80,000. Some estimates place the number of Afghans at risk of reprisals for having worked with US and coalition forces at around 300,000.

Kabul airport has been inundated with people tying to get on flights out of the country ahead of a Taliban-imposed deadline of 31 August for all foreign nationals to be evacuated. US President Joe Biden, who has faced criticism for his decision to withdraw US combat troops from Afghanistan, is also now under pressure from allies to seek an extension to that deadline, risking a political confrontation with the Taliban. The US and its major allies have ruled out sending in more military aid with those troops currently there purely engaged in the evacuation effort and the security of Kabul Airport.

Rush to evacuate Kabul

Full screen AKHTER GULFAM (EFE)

CIA Director William Burns met Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on Monday, two sources told Reuters.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said he was not aware if Baradar had met the CIA chief. But he said the group had not agreed to an extension of the deadline and it wanted all foreign evacuations to be completed by 31 August. He also called on the United States not to encourage Afghan people to leave their homeland. The Taliban also urged foreign embassies not to close or stop work. "We have assured them of security," he said.

Countries that have evacuated nearly 60,000 people over the past 10 days were trying to meet the deadline agreed earlier with the Taliban for the withdrawal of foreign forces, a NATO diplomat told Reuters. "Every foreign force member is working at a war-footing pace to meet the deadline," said the official, who declined to be identified.

Biden, who has said US troops might stay beyond the deadline, has warned the evacuation was going to be "hard and painful" and much could still go wrong. Democratic US Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, told reporters he did not believe the evacuation could be completed in the days remaining. "It's possible but I think it's very unlikely given the number of Americans who still need to be evacuated," Schiff said.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at a news briefing Monday that "we will continue to get Afghans at risk out of the country even after US military forces have left".

British Defense Minister Ben Wallace told Sky News he was doubtful there would be a deadline extension. But German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Germany was working with the United States and Britain to ensure the NATO allies can fly civilians out after the deadline.

G7 stance on Taliban

The G7 leaders could discuss taking a united stand on the question of whether to recognize a Taliban government, or alternatively renew sanctions to pressure the movement to comply with pledges to respect women's rights and international relations. "The G7 leaders will agree to coordinate on if, or when, to recognize the Taliban," said one European diplomat.

In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kremlin was interested in serving as a middleman in resolving the crisis along with China, the United States and Pakistan.

At the same time, he said, Russia opposes the idea of allowing Afghan refugees to enter the ex-Soviet region of Central Asia or having United States troops deployed there. "If you think that any country in Central Asia or elsewhere is interested in becoming a target so that the Americans could fulfil their initiatives, I really doubt anyone needs that," Lavrov said during a visit to Hungary.

Who are the G7?

The G7 originated in 1973 at an informal meeting of finance ministers and was officially rubber-stamped in 1975. The founding members were Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The G7 became the G8 in 1997 when Russia was invited to join as a permanent member but reverted to the G7 when Russia was indefinitely suspended following its annexation of Crimea.

Despite containing only 10 percent of the worlds population, the G7 accounts for some 60 percent of global net wealth and between 32 and 46 of global GDP. Although it has no legal or institutional mandate, the G7 wields considerable power. As the European Union, which has a permanent presence at G7 summits, notes: The political direction set by these leaders on a policy issue will have a ripple effect across many other international organisations and institutions.
Around the world blood banks are seeing stocks tighten as covid-19 is putting a damper on blood donations and hospitals resume procedures that were put on hold during the pandemic. Eligible blood donors in the US can donate blood, in most cases, any time after they have received an authorized covid-19 vaccine as long as you are symptom-free and feeling well at the time of donation according to the Red Cross.

Donating blood, platelets and AB Elite plasma is a lifesaving act, which 6.8 million Americans perform each year, providing 13.6 million units of blood. But this represents just three percent of the population and fresh supplies are always needed. Red blood cells must be used within 42 days of donation, but platelets have only a five-day usability span. The Red Cross fact sheet says that one donation can potentially save up to three lives and that around 36,000 units are needed everyday.

What restrictions are there to donate blood after vaccination?

The Red Cross requires that donors be symptom-free and feeling well at the time of donation. If you are experiencing any side effects of the covid-19 vaccine received it is asked that you wait until you are feeling better before donating.

There is no wait time required, in most cases, between getting vaccinated against covid-19 and donating blood if you received one of the following vaccines; AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Novavax, or Pfizer, including a booster. However, you will be required to provide the manufactures name of the covid-19 vaccine which you received. If you cannot provide that information, you will be asked to wait two weeks before you will be allowed to donate.

Will donating blood affect the efficacy of the vaccine?

Your antibody levels will not be depleted when you donate blood. The human body has roughly 10 pints of blood and donors provide just 1 pint per donation and the immune system rapidly reproduces antibodies. It takes the body between four and six weeks to fully replace the red blood cells which is why at least eight weeks are required between whole blood donations. Platelet only donations require only a 7-day interval but you can only donate 24 times per year.

Blood supplies strained by covid-19 pandemic

Doctors the world over are sounding the alarm about limited blood supplies. Unlike in the US, some countries force potential donors to wait for a determined time period from when they have their covid-19 shot. Also, fewer are giving blood out of concern over the once again surging number of cases due to the Delta covid-19 variant.

Dr. Claudia Cohn, chief medical officer at AABB, previously known as the American Association of Blood Banks told Reuters that in the US a supply that was already stretched by the pandemic tighten even more as hospitals increased surgeries that had been on hold. The South Korea Red Cross says that it has just 3.2 days' worth of blood on hand, less than half the supply it had this time last year.
In a weeks time the evacuation from Kabul is expected to be over. The mission, headed by the US, has so far been a success, but there are still thousands of people needing to be evacuated and not much time to do it in. The US has refused overtures for extending the date and for their part the Taliban are adamant that they will rebuff any calls to keep NATO troops in Afghanistan into September.

In any case, the decision rests squarely in the hands of President Biden as the Taliban can ill afford an invasion of the airport as they try to build their new state.

The US has evacuated approximately 70,700 people out of Afghanistan since August 14, according to figures released by the White House Tuesday evening.

What have the Taliban said about a possible extension?

The Taliban are defiant that there will be no extension beyond August 31. A spokesperson for the group, Suhail Shaheen, said the deadline for withdrawal of US troops is a "red line".

"If the US or UK were to seek additional time to continue evacuations, the answer is no," Shaheen told Sky News. He went on to say that there will be "consequences" if the deadline for withdrawal is extended.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid also called on the United States not to encourage Afghan people to leave the country.

Why do US allies want an extension?

Leaders of the G7 nations, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom, met on Tuesday to discuss the unfolding situation in Afghanistan. The British government is fearing that they will be unable to get out all the necessary people in time.

UK defense minister Ben Wallace said on Monday that the evacuation efforts were "down to hours, not weeks." The BBC has been told that there are still 2,000 eligible Afghans from their relocation scheme to be evacuated and the UK government said their evacuation can only go ahead if US forces remained to defend the airport.

German foreign minister Heiko Maas told Bild newspaper, "Even if the deadline is August 31 or is extended by a few days, it will not be enough to evacuate those we want to evacuate and those that the United States wants to evacuate."

"That's why we are working with the United States and Britain to ensure that once the military evacuation is completed it is still possible to fly civilians out of Kabul airport."

Although the speed of evacuations are now high, there are added fears of an attack by the Afghan branch of the Islamic State. No friends of the Taliban, both groups have been engaging in running skirmishes since the declaration of the Emirate in 2014. An added security risk could put the evacuation mission under threat, especially as more and more troops begin to evacuate

Will Biden give them an extension?

August 31 already represents an extension of the original May 1 deadline set out at the Doha summit, where the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was negotiated with the Taliban.

President Biden has been confident that the withdrawal will be completed before the deadline.

We are currently on pace to finish by August the 31st, Biden said in his third address on Afghanistan since the country fell to the Taliban.

In addition, Ive asked the Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the timetable should that become necessary, Biden said.

Outside foreign pressure, the president has been under attack domestically after comments he made that not every American may get out of Kabul.
-- The U.S. intelligence community consists of 18 civilian and military organizations within the federal executive departments, including the leading Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). With an annual budget of more than 80 billion U.S. dollars, their jobs include so-called "intelligence activities necessary for the conduct of foreign relations and the protection of the national security of the United States."

-- The intelligence services are tasked with delivering sound information and educated analysis to U.S. policymakers but they are also needed politically, especially when Washington is determined to carry out interventions. History has shown U.S. intelligence agencies fanned the flame in the country's politically charged drives to initiate wars.

-- Public opinion manipulation -- During the Cold War, the CIA enlisted more than 400 American journalists in a 25-year span in a bid to manipulate the public opinion by spreading propaganda, wrote Carl Bernstein, a renowned U.S. investigative reporter, in a cover story for U.S. magazine Rolling Stone in 1977.

-- Washington's use of the controversial intelligence arms for COVID-19 origins tracing has come under question, as there is a strong consensus that the matter should be left to scientists with qualifications and expertise in certain fields, which the U.S. intelligence community clearly lacks.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- "I was the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) director. We lied, we cheated, we stole," then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said when addressing Texas A&M University in April 2019. "We had entire training courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment."

Pompeo's "confession" is only a glimpse of the gigantic U.S. intelligence system's ingloriousness, from the production of unsubstantiated intelligence that gave Washington pretexts to invade others to the engagement of assassinations, abuse of prisoners, wiretapping, and public opinion manipulation, among other things.

Photo taken on April 13, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Photo by Shen Ting/Xinhua)

The shameful and deplorable record, while having long since shattered the credibility of the intelligence community, has also laid bare its nature of serving at the pleasure of U.S. decision-makers, regardless of truth, facts, and human conscience, as Washington plays power politics and seeks to preserve a hegemonic position in the world.

POLITICAL INSTRUMENT

The U.S. intelligence community consists of 18 civilian and military organizations within the federal executive departments, including the leading Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). With an annual budget of more than 80 billion U.S. dollars, their jobs include so-called "intelligence activities necessary for the conduct of foreign relations and the protection of the national security of the United States."

The intelligence services are tasked with delivering sound information and educated analysis to U.S. policymakers but they are also needed politically, especially when Washington is determined to carry out interventions. History has shown U.S. intelligence agencies fanned the flame in the country's politically charged drives to initiate wars.

Robert Hanyok, a former historian with the National Security Agency (NSA), wrote in an internal publication that was declassified in 2005 that the military intelligence agency's officers "deliberately skewed" the evidence passed on to Washington to falsely suggest that Vietnamese ships had attacked American destroyers on Aug. 4, 1964, in the "Gulf of Tonkin" incident that led to the United States engaging more directly in the Vietnam War.

Based on the assertion that such an attack had occurred, then U.S. President Lyndon Johnson ordered airstrikes on the Southeast Asian country and Congress passed a broad resolution authorizing military action, according to an article published by The New York Times in 2005.

In addition, Philip Liechty, a former CIA officer, revealed to The Washington Post in 1982 that the Johnson administration and the spy agency fabricated "evidence" in 1965 to help prove that the war in Vietnam was being fueled by outside arms and to set the stage for U.S. involvement.

The United States also notoriously used what it called "facts and conclusions based on solid evidence" that Iraq is making weapons of mass destruction to invade the Western Asian country 18 years ago as part of the West's counterterrorism campaign. However, no such weapons had ever been found. Yet years of war left hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead and a broken country, along with more than 4,400 casualties among U.S. troops.

Colin Powell, who presented as secretary of state the U.S. case against Iraq to the United Nations Security Council in early 2003, acknowledged several years later that the invasion was "badly flawed." "If we had known the intelligence was wrong, we would not have gone into Iraq," Powell told NBC News during an interview in 2015. "But the intelligence community, all 16 agencies, assured us that it was right."

"This was, in short, a war the White House wanted" and that the U.S. intelligence community was "under intense pressure to justify the war," wrote New York Times opinion columnist Paul Krugman in 2015. "Whatever the precise motives, the result was a very dark chapter in American history. Once again: We were lied into war."

UNBOUNDED TACTICS

U.S. intelligence agencies have gone to great lengths to fulfill purposes with no regard to laws and ethics by deploying unbounded tactics.

Prisoner abuse -- The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee released in 2014 an explosive report on the CIA's detention and interrogation program, detailing its personnel's use of "enhanced interrogation techniques," including waterboarding, stress positions, sleep deprivation, and noise exposure, on select detainees captured after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 that led to the "War on Terror," and how the spy agency tried to cover it up and obstruct oversight.

Then chair of the panel, Senator Dianne Feinstein from California, called the CIA's actions "a stain" on the country's history. "This program was morally, legally, and administrative misguided," she said on the Senate floor in 2014. "The CIA program was far more brutal than people were led to believe."

Wiretapping -- A European media investigation released in May this year revealed the NSA had collaborated with Denmark's secret service to spy on high-ranking officials from Germany, Sweden, Norway, and France.

The report once again put under the spotlight spying activities of the United States, years after intelligence contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked highly classified information from the NSA, exposing the agency's surveillance programs both at home and abroad, including PRISM, under which agents can access users' data stored in major social media and tech companies.

Assassination -- The CIA had attempted to assassinate several foreign leaders and aided assassination plots in some countries, a report by the U.S. Senate in 1975 found.

Following the release of the report, then U.S. President Gerald Ford signed an executive order in 1976 banning the federal government from engaging or conspiring in "political assassination." And yet Washington "never totally abandoned the strategy, simply changing the terminology from assassination to targeted killings, from aerial bombing of presidents to drone attacks on alleged terrorist leaders," said a 2017 article in The Guardian.

Public opinion manipulation -- During the Cold War, the CIA enlisted more than 400 American journalists in a 25-year span in a bid to manipulate the public opinion by spreading propaganda, wrote Carl Bernstein, a renowned U.S. investigative reporter, in a cover story for U.S. magazine Rolling Stone in 1977.

"The tactic was straightforward: false news reports or propaganda would be provided by CIA writers to both knowing and unknowing reporters who would simply repeat the falsehoods over and over again," according to political blogger Lauren Von Bernuth in a 2018 post on the CIA project known as Operation Mockingbird, adding that its primary function "was to cover up covert and often illegal foreign operations."

TRUST CRISIS

The White House has been roundly criticized after a chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan earlier this month, as many pointed fingers at the intelligence community over the debacle. Richard Haass, president of U.S. think tank Council on Foreign Relations, tweeted that he thinks "this looks to be both a major intelligence &policy failure with tragic consequences."

Photo taken on July 2, 2021 shows the Bagram Airfield after all U.S. and NATO forces evacuated in Parwan province, eastern Afghanistan. (Photo by Sayed Mominzadah/Xinhua)

This is not the first time U.S. intelligence agencies have been mired in a political firestorm. When Donald Trump was in office, the relationship between the White House and the intelligence community had been tense because of their disagreements over a number of national security matters.

Trump was particularly unpleasant with a 2017 DNI report concluding that Russia interfered with the 2016 U.S. presidential election in favor of his victory, arguing that there was a "deep state" within the federal government seeking to undermine the legitimacy of his election. Critics responded by raising concerns that the rhetoric was mounting political pressure on the intelligence community while eroding its independence and public image. Russia has denied the allegations of election interference.

In April 2020, Trump fired Michael Atkinson, inspector general of the U.S. intelligence community, who first notified Congress of a whistleblower complaint over the White House's interaction with Ukraine that ultimately led to the president's impeachment by the House of Representatives earlier that year. The Republican moved to install loyalists to the DNI in the final year of his presidency, triggering criticism that intelligence agencies would be further politicized.

In an article published in U.S. magazine Foreign Affairs late 2020 when she was still president and CEO of U.S. think tank Wilson Center, Jane Harman wrote that Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump early this year, is inheriting "a broken intelligence community."

"U.S. spy agencies are mired in the worst crisis of trust and accountability the nation has seen since the Iraq war," Harman pointed out, stressing that the intelligence process has been politicized "in ways large and small, undermining the integrity of national security decision-making and the public's faith in it."

Biden asked in May the U.S. intelligence community to redouble their efforts to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and come up with a report in 90 days. Intelligence officials have reportedly drafted a classified report that is in the preliminary review process.

Washington's use of the controversial intelligence arms for COVID-19 origins tracing has come under question, as there is a strong consensus that the matter should be left to scientists with qualifications and expertise in certain fields, which the U.S. intelligence community clearly lacks.

Refrigerated trailers are seen at a temporary morgue in Brooklyn, New York, the United States, June 15, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

"We don't need an intelligence report, we need an outbreak investigation -- and that's a very different skill set, and a very different approach," Peter Hotez, co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children's Hospital and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told Rolling Stone in June this year.

His remarks were echoed by Matthew Kavanagh, director of the Global Health Policy &Politics Initiative at Georgetown University, who said that if the aim of Biden's report was to find a scientific explanation of the origins of COVID-19, he would have tasked the health agencies with it, instead of the U.S. intelligence community.

"This tells us that this is a political and an intelligence story: not a story mostly about science," Kavanagh continued. "And so we should understand the picture in that sense, and not be naive about it. We're in a place where politics is driving people's scientific understanding in a dangerous way." (Video reporters: Deng Min, Jawid Omid, Liu Chuntao, Yang Yi, Feng Yiwei, video editor: Peng Ying)

Editor: WXY
KAMPALA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, a Chinese envoy here has urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to stick to science-based origins-tracing rather than yield to political manipulation by parties with selfish interests.

The WHO Secretariat should uphold the institution's earlier position that the search for the COVID-19 virus origins is not and should not be exercised in attributing blame, finger-pointing or political point-scoring, said Chinese ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong in an article published in the local Daily Monitor newspaper on Saturday.

Zhang said any origins-tracing that goes against the World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution should be disregarded.

"The WHO Secretariat should act on the WHA resolution, conduct thorough consultation with member states on any global origins-tracing work plan including the follow-up mechanism, and fully respect the views of member states," said the envoy.

He said accusations that China is refusing cooperation on origins-tracing are baseless, noting that instead the country has since the onset of the pandemic been cooperating with WHO.

"China has been actively engaging in origins-tracing cooperation with the WHO, shared the genome sequencing of the virus at the earliest time possible, and invited WHO experts to China twice for origins-tracing research," Zhang said.

WHO in March this year released the Joint Report by the WHO-China joint study team, which provides the most authoritative, professional and science-based conclusions on origins-tracing and sets out detailed recommendations for future work in origins-tracing, he added.

"No country has the right to put its own political interests above people's lives, nor should a matter of science be politicized for the purpose of slandering and attacking other countries," he said.

He said the findings and recommendations of the WHO-China joint study report are widely recognized by the international community and scientists, and must be respected and implemented by all parties, including WHO.

Future global work on origins-tracing, according to Zhang, should be based on the WHO-China report, instead of starting all over again and ignoring all serious and productive efforts therefrom.

"Very importantly, the plan for origins-tracing involving a particular country must be decided through consultation with the country concerned, as it provides the basis for effective cooperation to be conducted," said Zhang.

More than 70 countries have expressed support for the WHO-China joint study report and opposition to politicization in their letters to WHO director-general, noted Zhang.

"Over 300 political parties, social organizations and think tanks from more than 100 countries and regions in the world submitted a joint statement to the WHO Secretariat, calling on the WHO to carry out the origins-tracing research in an objective and impartial manner and expressing firm opposition to politicization," Zhang said.

"These voices of justice should and must be heeded and taken seriously," he added.

China will work with other parties to carry out science-based global origins-tracing, and continue to contribute to humanity's final victory over the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Zhang.

Given the ongoing spread and rebound of the pandemic, Zhang stressed, the priority remains stepping up equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and enhancing solidarity and cooperation.

Editor: Zhang Zhou
Photo taken on Aug. 20, 2021 shows staff examining bamboo lamps at a lighting company in Meixi Town, Anji County, Huzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province. The company has developed nearly 800 kinds of bamboo lamps and lanterns, incorporating modern cultural and creative elements, and are well received by foreign customers. The sales in the first half of the year reached 3.5 million yuan, an increase of 70% over the same period last year. (Xia Pengfei/Guangming Picture)
The further implementation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) between Ukraine and the European Union was discussed during a meeting between Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis.

"I believe that the first round of talks on further abolition of customs tariffs in bilateral trade in accordance with the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement will take place in September," Shmyhal said.

According to the Prime Minister, the dialogue between Ukraine and the EU on the conclusion of the Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA) has also gained momentum.

Shmyhal thanked Dombrovskis for his support in these issues.

In addition, Shmyhal touched upon the issue of increasing the quota of permits for Ukrainian carriers for the current and next years.

For his part, the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission responded that in the process of the implementation of the DCFTA, trade between the EU and Ukraine had grown by almost 50%, and Ukraine had become one of the EU's key trading partners.

"Our Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement means that its potential benefits go beyond just trade liberalization. Increasingly aligning Ukraine's regulatory framework to that of the EU can boost bilateral trade and boost Ukraine's global competitiveness," Dombrovskis said, reaffirming that Ukraine is the EU's strategic partner.
IMF SBA for Ukraine could be extended for six months  finance minister

Finance Minister of Ukraine Serhiy Marchenko has said that the current 18-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) could be extended for six months.

"This is being discussed, but there is no final decision yet. That is, the extension of the SBA for six months is possible. But it is too early to talk about this extension," Marchenko said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

He added that the decision should be agreed with partners.

The finance minister also recalled that Ukraine expects the IMF mission in September.

"The President of Ukraine had a conversation with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. It was the initiative of the executive director regarding the arrival of this mission. We expect the mission in September, as it was said earlier," the Minister of Finance said.
The Ministers of Energy of the U.S., Germany and Ukraine discussed the threats posed by the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project at a trilateral meeting, Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko said following a meeting with Peter Altmaier and Jennifer M. Granholm, which took place on Monday, August 23, during the Crimean Platform summit.

"Regarding Nord Stream 2. In fact, we proceeded from the position that has already been declared, voiced by the President of Ukraine, that we cannot allow the Russian Federation to use gas as a weapon. And we discussed in detail the issue of ensuring the security of gas supplies, ensuring transit, as well as those steps that will provide guarantees for Ukraine in preserving its transit potential," Haluschenko said.

Haluschenko also said that the parties discussed in detail the application of the Third Energy Package in relation to Nord Stream 2 and the elimination of Gazprom's monopoly in gas supplies, as well as "a number of steps that can be taken from the point of view of real guarantees for Ukraine regarding the preservation of transit."

"And the key thing in this is just the energy security of both Ukraine and European countries," the minister said.

Also, according to him, the ministers separately discussed the synchronization of the power system of Ukraine with the European one.

"We noted that this is important for Ukraine from the point of view of decarbonization of the processes that we intend to implement today from the point of view of energy transformation," Haluschenko said.
The government's decision to reduce the electricity tariff for the population is within Ukraine's obligations under the stand-by arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), provided that this decision does not carry fiscal risks for the budget, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said.

"I see no reason why this decision should affect the negotiations. Our arrangement, by and large, does not focus on increasing or decreasing tariffs. These tariff stories are interesting from the point of view of fiscal risks," the minister said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

According to him, while there is no negative communication from the Fund regarding this decision, he does not expect it in the future either.

"This is the Energy Ministry's business, they communicate with the Fund. I think they discussed this decision. But there is no doubt that this decision should be fiscally balanced. We will not cover any tariff needs from the budget," Marchenko said.

He noted that the main task is to balance the energy market. "If Energoatom and Ukrhydroenergo agreed to this reduction, it means that they have calculated these risks. Thus, the Ministry of Energy bears all risks and responsibility. In no way will the budget of Ukraine subsidize these companies," the Minister of Finance said.

Marchenko pointed out that assistance in the form of state guarantees for Ukrenergo's "green" bonds can only be provided to pay off debts to "green" generation companies accumulated in previous periods, as it is regulated in the state budget for this year.

The minister confirmed that the issue of such bonds is being prepared, but he did not give other details, referring to the fact that a decision was made to transfer Ukrenergo from the Finance Ministry to the management of the Energy Ministry.

"Now Ukrenergo is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Energy, so, as they say, bon voyage. The government made this decision, we abstained from it. But it was adopted, there is no point in discussing," Marchenko said.
Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine LLC (GTSOU) will offer its services in managing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, head of the company Serhiy Makogon has said.

"We will offer our services for managing Nord Stream 2 as a GTS operator truly independent of the Russian Federation," he wrote on his Facebook page.

"Upd. This is a joke," the GTSOU head later clarified.

Makogon welcomed the decision of the Dusseldorf Higher Regional Court, which rejected the claim of the operator of Nord Stream 2 (a subsidiary of Gazprom - Nord Stream 2 AG) against the decision of the German Federal Network Agency or Bundesnetzagentur not to exempt the pipeline from the EU Gas Directive.

According to him, the court's decision not to exempt Nord Stream 2 from European Union rules, which require pipeline owners to differ from gas suppliers in them to ensure fair competition, "is exactly what the Ukrainian side insists on."

As reported, Nord Stream 2 AG earlier appealed against the regulator's decision not to derogate the gas pipeline from the EU Gas Directive, which is regulated in Germany by the relevant national law. The company filed the claim in relation to paragraph 28b of the German Energy Industry Act.

The German legislation envisages the theoretical possibility of exemption from regulation, but this only extends to gas pipelines that were completed before May 23, 2019.
Russian-occupation forces in Donbas violate ceasefire three times over past day, one soldier killed, two more wounded  JFO HQ

Over the past day, Russian-occupation forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions in Donbas three times, one soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was killed, two more were wounded. From the beginning of the current day, the ceasefire has been observed, the press center of the JFO headquarters said.

"Over the past day, August 24, three violations of the ceasefire were recorded. As a result of enemy shelling, one soldier of the Joint Forces was killed, two more were wounded," the headquarters said as of 07:00 on Wednesday.

It is noted that the wounded soldiers were evacuated and taken to a military hospital. The state of health of one of them is serious, the another one is satisfactory.

It is also reported that near Novomykhailivka and Prychepylivka, Russian-occupation forces fired at Ukrainian positions with small arms.

In addition, in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, the passage of an enemy unmanned aerial vehicle of the Orlan-10 type was recorded, crossing the contact line.

"The Ukrainian side of the JCCC informed the representatives of the OSCE Mission about all the facts of violations by Russian-occupation forces through the established coordination mechanism," the headquarters said.

At the same time, as of 07:00 on Wednesday, August 25, no ceasefire violations were recorded.
The founding summit of the Crimean Platform, which was held in Kyiv on Monday, opens a page for finding a peaceful, durable solution to return the occupied Crimean peninsula to Ukraine's jurisdiction, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

"I would like to emphasize once again the need to increase the global awareness of the importance of the problem of the annexation of Crimea. We must return serviceability, the force of international law. We understand that there is no easy solution to the problem under these conditions. And, unfortunately, the international system, including the UN system mechanism, will not contribute much to this. So the only way remains is to go peacefully, diplomatically, but go powerfully. I believe that this summit opens this page in the search for a peaceful, lasting solution to the return of Crimea to Ukraine, because Crimea is Ukraine," Cavusoglu said at the founding summit of the Crimean Platform in Kyiv on Monday.

The Foreign Minister said that Turkey supports the aspiration of the Crimean Tatars to preserve and independence in Ukraine.

"Some seven years have passed since the illegal annexation of Crimea. Our support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine remains strong, and our voice resounds strongly among other voices against such a blatant violation of international law," Cavusoglu said.
The North Atlantic Alliance supports Ukraine's position and also demands the return of the occupied Crimea peninsula to its jurisdiction, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said.

"NATO continues to support Ukraine on the path to democratization, strengthening the rule of law and security sector reform, including supporting the development of the capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces and responses to hybrid threats. NATO is together with Ukraine, we demand the return of Crimea, we reaffirm our readiness to support Ukraine in the fight for freedom," Geoana said at the founding summit of the Crimea Platform in Kyiv on Monday.

He said that the Ukrainian people have chosen the path to freedom, democracy and Euro-Atlantic integration.

"As Mr. Stoltenberg said at one time in front of the Verkhovna Rada, NATO is on the side of Ukraine, NATO seriously condemns and will never recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. Crimea is the territory of Ukraine, and we call on Russia to return control of the peninsula to Ukraine," Geoana said.

At the June summit, NATO leaders reaffirmed their steadfast support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, he said. "We condemned the buildup of the military presence and the destabilization of the situation on the part of the Russian Federation. We call on it to stop violating human rights against all Ukrainians, including the Crimea Tatars," NATO Deputy Secretary General said.

Geoana also said that NATO confirms the decision of the Bucharest summit that Ukraine and Georgia will become NATO members.
The Verkhovna Rada called on international organizations and foreign parliaments to strengthen cooperation within the Crimea Platform to counter the aggression of the Russian Federation.

The adoption of a relevant statement to the UN, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the BSEC Parliamentary Assembly, the European Parliament, the governments and parliaments of foreign states (draft resolution No. 5775) was supported by 283 MPs at an extraordinary session of parliament on Monday, August 23.

The Verkhovna Rada calls on the UN member states to support the Crimea Platform as a tool to consolidate international efforts aimed at de-occupying the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as to join the work of the Crimea Platform in the governmental, parliamentary and expert dimensions. Ukrainian MPs also appeal to the parliamentary assemblies of international organizations and the European Parliament to make a decision in support of the Crimea Platform.

At the same time, the Verkhovna Rada emphasizes the importance of preserving the international policy of not recognizing the attempt to annex Crimea by the Russian Federation, preventing violations by the occupying state and its occupation administrations of the norms of international law. The authors of the document also propose to urge foreign partners to increase political, diplomatic and economic pressure on the Russian Federation in response to its violation of international law. Also, the Verkhovna Rada emphasizes the importance of preventing violations by the occupying state of the fundamental rights, freedoms and interests of Ukrainian citizens, ensuring security in the Black and Azov Seas.

The draft resolution also proposes to condemn the forced passportization of Ukrainian citizens in the temporarily occupied territories by the Russian Federation, and urge foreign partners not to recognize these documents, increasing pressure on Russia to stop illegal passportization.

Among the authors of the draft resolution No. 5775 are Verkhovna Rada Speaker Dmytro Razumkov, First Deputy Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratiuk, as well as MPs from various factions and parliamentary groups.

The Crimea Platform is a new consultative and coordinating format initiated by Ukraine with the aim of increasing the effectiveness of the international response to the ongoing occupation of Crimea, increasing international pressure on Russia, as well as achieving the main goal - the de-occupation of Crimea and the full restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty over the peninsula.

Officially, the activities of the Crimea Platform are based on the inaugural summit, which took place on August 23 in Kyiv.
The U.K., Canada, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States are creating the Partnership for a Strong Ukraine Fund, which is to raise up to GBP 35 million from donors, the press service of the British Embassy in Kyiv said.

"The UK together with Canada, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States will support Ukraine to mitigate Russia's destabilizing influence in southern and eastern regions. The fund aims to gather up to 35 million between the co-donors over three years to finance technical advice to government, grant investments in economic opportunities; and improved public services for the people of southern and eastern Ukraine," the embassy said on Twitter.
The Russian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group on the settlement of Donbas (TCG) has disrupted consultations planned for August 25 within the humanitarian subgroup on the release of detainees and the opening of the entry-exit checkpoint on the contact line, involving terrorists in the negotiations, the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG said.

"The Russian delegation, less than a day before the start of the meeting, made a technical report on the involvement in the work of the humanitarian subgroup of the TCG, a citizen of Ukraine, Maya Yuriivna Pirogova, who was convicted of terrorism in Ukraine [...] The Ukrainian delegation does not hold consultations with persons convicted of terrorism," delegation said in the Telegram channel.

The Ukrainian delegation views such a gesture on the part of Russia as a deliberate attempt to disrupt the consultations.

"The Russian delegation is trying to shift its direct and sole responsibility for the consistent disruption of the solution of humanitarian issues, for example, the exchange of persons held due to the conflict, the unblocking of the entry-exit checkpoint operation from the Russian side, and others," the delegation said.

The Ukrainian delegation calls on the representatives of Russia in the TCG to return to the planned tripartite consultations.
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro expressed her concern about the imposition of sanctions by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) against several media outlets, recommending that each publication be thoroughly checked before imposing restrictions on them.

"While Ukraine has a legitimate right to protect its national security, the authorities should find a balanced and proportional solution in addressing media related concerns, a solution that preserves media pluralism, free flow of information and diversity of opinions in line with relevant international standards and OSCE commitments," Ribeiro said in a statement on the OSCE website on Wednesday.

It notes that media freedom is dependent on a healthy, vibrant and competitive landscape which includes "voices that provide a variety of news."

"Any sanctions on media should be subject to careful scrutiny, accompanied by effective procedural safeguards to prevent undue interference," Ribeiro said.

Ribeiro's statement followed after the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine adopted a decision to impose sanctions against a number of individuals and legal entities, which banned access to Strana.ua, Vedomosti and Moskovsky Komsomolets.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called hysterical the reaction of Russian publications to the holding of the constituent summit of the Crimea Platform on 23 August.

"I will not draw your attention to the hysterical reactions of Moscow and pro-Russian media resources. It is burning there. In short: Glory to Ukraine!" Kuleba wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that more than 300 publications about the Crimea Platform were published in publications of almost 50 countries of the world from North and Central America to Southeast Asia. "The numbers continue to grow. There are analytical articles and quotes from interviews of foreign leaders who attended the summit in Kyiv. Millions of people in the world have learned about the Crimea Platform," the minister said.

Kuleba also recalled that 46 foreign delegations took part in the summit.
The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine pledges funds for the Affordable loans 5-7-9% program in the draft state budget for 2022, but sees the need to reformat it so that most of the loans are issued for investments in fixed assets, Minister of Finance Serhiy Marchenko said.

"It is important for us to reformat this program so that most of the loans go to investments in fixed assets," he said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-.

Marchenko said that the Ministry of Finance held a meeting with commercial foreign-invested banks with, where they talked about proposals to modernize the Affordable Loans program. "We asked to send proposals in writing. But in writing, this does not mean the need to disturb the market, like, everything is gone and the program is not working. This is one of the most effective programs," the Minister of Finance said.

"But in the future, it is important to focus on investment goals," Marchenko said.

Earlier, in June, the Forum for Leading International Financial Institutions (FLIFI), headed by the Board Chairman of Raiffeisen Bank, Oleksandr Pysaruk, sent a letter Ukraineto the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) and the Ministry of Finance with a request to limit the implementation of the Affordable loans 5-7-9% program.
On Friday, August 27, at 12.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a roundtable conference entitled "The 30th Anniversary of Independence. What Celebration Showed  Internal and External Dimensions." Participants include political scientist Taras Zahorodny; Director of the Institute for Global Strategies Vadym Karasiov; political expert Kostiantyn Matviyenko; Director of the Ukrainian Barometer sociological service Viktor Nebozhenko (8/5a Reitarska Street). The broadcast will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot.
British-Ukrainian theatre director Olga Danylyuk and UK-based Ukrainian dancer and producer Ivan Putrov are bringing a one-off spectacular Ukrainian ballet gala to Sadlers Wells Theatre in London on September 7, 2021.

The gala will be a unique presentation of Ukrainian performance art on the UK stage and will showcase the world-renowned traditions and innovation of the modern Ukrainian ballet school.

The gala will mark the debut of the Ukrainian National Ballet on a British theatre stage. Some of the best Ukrainian and British dancers will come together for a celebration of Ukrainian and British ballet traditions.

The ballet gala coincides with Ukraines 30th Independence Anniversary and will underline Ukraines cultural distinctiveness and vibrant artistic energy.

During these 30 years, Ukraine has been on a challenging journey to re-connect with its history and re-establish its voice as an independent country. The performance aims to create awareness of Ukraines progress over the past three decades and demonstrate its outstanding talent in the area of ballet.

Ukrainian principal dancers currently performing around the world with American Ballet Theatre, Wiener Staatsballett, Lithuanian National Ballet and Toulouse Ballet du Capitole will join stars from The Royal Ballet and English National Ballet in a programme which spans the classics including The Dying Swan, Don Quixote, Diana and Acteon, Le Corsaire, Les Sylphides, Grand Pas Classique and to System A/I, a contemporary ballet world premiere from choreographer Ludovic Ondiviela and dramaturg Olga Danylyuk.

Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom said:

We are proud to welcome Ukraines top artistic talent to the UK, where they will showcase the best of Ukrainian dance tradition through a unique ballet

performance. Notably, the gala coincides with the anniversary of Ukraines 30 years of independence and will be a memorable celebration of Ukrainian culture. I look forward to attending the gala and celebrating highly-acclaimed Ukrainian performance art together with British audiences in September.

Dr Olga Danylyuk (PhD, RCSSD, University of London), Director of I-Do Lab and Dramaturg for System A/I said:

This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase Ukraines cultural tradition and distinctiveness through ballet. We are bringing top Ukrainian dancers to a British stage who are collectively making a tremendous impact by presenting Ukrainian art and culture through unforgettable performance. As a dramaturg and an Ukrainian I could not be more proud of this performance that exemplifies so many of Ukraines characteristics and is a perfect way to mark Ukraines 30th anniversary of independence.

Former Royal Ballet Principal Ivan Putrov (Producer of acclaimed Men in Motion and Against the Stream) said:

Ukraines long history of producing great dancers is alive and flourishing. I am thrilled to be able to introduce them to British audiences alongside some of our finest London-based dancers in this tremendously exciting gala celebrating the tradition and innovation of Ukrainian culture.

Address: Sadlers Wells Theatre, Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4TN

Performance Date: 7 September 2021 (7pm)

Tickets: 20-95

Booking: https://www.sadlerswells.com

Telephone: 020 7863 8000

Ukrainian Ballet Gala is a collaboration between Putrov Productions and I-Do Lab. The evening is generously sponsored by FERREXPO PLC and ICU.

Ivan Putrov  Principal Dancer and Producer

Ivan Putrov was born in Kyiv, Ukraine to a ballet family. He trained at The Kyiv State Choreographic Institute and at The Royal Ballet School. Upon graduation Sir Anthony Dowell invited him to join the company where he became a principal after three seasons. Ivans awards include Premier Prix at the Prix de Lausanne, Gold medal at the Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition, Gold Medal at the Nijinsky Festival, Critics Circle National Dance Award and the Medal for Work and Achievement from the President of Ukraine. In 2009 Ivan was made an Honorary Artist of Ukraine.

More about Ivan Putrov can be found on his website .

Dr Olga Danylyuk (PhD, RCSSD, University of London, MA, Central Saint Martins, Director of I-DO Lab - Theatre Director and Producer

Olga Danylyuk started her theatre career on Broadway NY as an assistant to the renowned designer Ann Hould-Ward upon graduation from Lviv Art Academy. Since then she has embarked on an international career as theatre designer and director with the range of performance forms including musicals, opera, ballet, physical theatre and drama. Her experience in theatre includes working with La MaMa Theatre and Joyce Soho in New York, Camden People Theatre and Laban Contemporary Dance School in London, Maryanski Theatre and Theatre of Comedy and Drama in Moscow among others.

Olga completed her PhD using PaR methodology at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. In her research of mediatised war she explored the inter-determining relationship between art and politics.

In 2016-2017 Olga also served as an adviser to the Minister of Culture of Ukraine.
A Waymo Jaguar I-Pace SUV is seen driving on a road in San Francisco, California, U.S. (Photo : REUTERS/Nathan Frandino)

Alphabet Inc's Waymo has started taking a few San Franciscans on rides in its self-driving sport utility vehicles and hopes to open the robotaxis to anyone in the city in less than the three years it took to launch in its only other market.



Waymo's announcement on Tuesday of its status and plans in San Francisco, a small peninsula of hills, trolleys, bicycles and narrow streets, shows the length that remains before driverless transport becomes commonplace.



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The company's all-electric Jaguar I-PACE SUVs initially are serving the more residential western and southern portions of the city, including Richmond and Bernal Heights. Operators are in driver's seats with hands on their knees - but prepared to steer in an emergency.



Anybody can sign up for Waymo's ride-hailing app, though the company is hand-selecting who it picks up with the list expected to grow gradually to hundreds of people. Waymo bars them from publicly discussing rides.



Sam Kansara, senior product manager at Waymo, acknowledged that autonomous vehicles are rolling out slower than Waymo and its many rivals had originally envisioned.



"There's a lot that remains to be done," Kansara said. "This is a step about starting to now get more information so that we can inform our roadmap."



The company wants feedback from people with differing backgrounds and commuting needs. It expects many riders to weigh in on challenges with hopping on and off because of San Francisco's limited curb space and rampant double parking.



Employees riding in the city since February gave the company confidence to expand to the public, Kansara said.



Waymo last October in a first-of-its-kind deployment in the United States for the industry started allowing anyone to buy rides in its fully driverless Chrysler Pacifica minivans in some Phoenix, Arizona, suburbs.



The launch followed three years of testing, but Kansara said he hopes lessons learned from that experience will bring about swifter progress in San Francisco.


CIA Director William Burns speaks during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats in Washington, D.C., U.S. (Photo : Al Drago/Pool via REUTERS)

U.S. President Joe Biden sent CIA Director William Burns to meet Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on Monday in the highest level official encounter since the militant group took over the Afghan capital, a U.S. official and a source familiar with government activity told Reuters on Tuesday.



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A congressional source said Burns and Baradar had discussed the Aug. 31 deadline for a U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Burns was due to discuss his meeting with select members of Congress, including those on intelligence committees, later on Tuesday.



The Biden administration has been evacuating U.S. citizens and other allies amid chaos at Kabul airport ahead of the deadline.



A Taliban spokesman said he was not aware if Baradar met the CIA chief. The White House and a CIA representative declined to comment on the meeting, first reported by the Washington Post.



Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Tuesday the group had not agreed to extend the deadline for evacuation and they wanted all foreign evacuations to be completed by Aug. 31.



Biden last week said U.S. troops may stay in Afghanistan past his Aug. 31 deadline in order to evacuate Americans. On Tuesday, an administration official told Reuters the U.S. president has accepted a Pentagon recommendation to stick to the deadline for removing American troops.


Ambassador of China to the United Nations Chen Xu attends a session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, (Photo : REUTERS/Denis Balibouse)

China's envoy told the U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday that the U.S. army and the militaries of its coalition partners should be held accountable for rights violations allegedly committed in Afghanistan.



During a session on reports of Taliban abuses, Chinese Ambassador Chen Xu gave no details of the alleged violations in the nearly 20 years since U.S. troops entered Afghanistan to fight the Islamist militant Taliban after the Sept. 11 attacks.



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However, Amnesty International has previously said that thousands of Afghans have been killed or injured by U.S. forces of which few have been brought to justice. The U.S. Department of Defense at the time defended its efforts to avoid casualties.



The Chinese envoy told the Human Rights Council: "The US, UK, Australia and other countries must be held accountable for the violation of human rights committed by their military in Afghanistan and the evolution of this current session should cover this issue."



Council members agreed to mandate reports on any rights violations by the Taliban.



"Under the banner of democracy and human rights the U.S. and other countries carry out military interventions in other sovereign states and impose their own model on countries with vastly different history and culture," Chen said, adding that this had inflicted "great suffering".



China, which has not fought in Afghanistan, is seen to be holding out an olive branch to the Taliban and the latter has also said that Beijing can contribute to its economic development. Unlike the United States, its NATO coalition partners and Russia, China may be at an advantage since it has not sent troops there in the past.



"We will continue developing a good neighbourly, friendly and cooperative relationship with Afghanistan and continue our constructive role in its process of peace and reconstruction," Chen added in his speech.


Secretary-General of the Arab League (AL) Ahmed Abul Gheit and the Arab Parliament on Tuesday urged Algeria and Morocco to exercise self-restraint after Algerian authorities cut diplomatic relations with Rabat.

Algerias Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra announced on Tuesday the cessation of his countrys diplomatic relations with Morocco, saying that history has proven time and again Moroccos constant hostilities against Algeria.

In the wake of Algerias announcement, Morocco expressed its regret for this decision, which is completely unjustified yet expected given the logic of escalation that has been recognised over the recent weeks.

The Moroccan foreign ministry added in a statement that the kingdom will remain trustful and sincere to the Algerian people and will continue to work with wisdom and responsibility in order to develop sound and constructive relations with Algeria.

In a statement by the Arab League, Abul Gheit voiced his deep regret for the heightened tensions between Algeria and Morocco, urging both Arab countries to avoid further escalation.

Both Algeria and Morocco are essential for joint Arab action, an official from the AL general secretariat said in the statement, hoping that they will restore their good relations to maintain stability in the region.

The Arab Parliament also voiced its utmost concern over the developments in the relations between the two countries.

In a statement, the Arab Parliament called on both countries to prioritise their brotherly ties and work to serve the interests of their peoples.

The Arab Parliament called on the two sides to exercise self-restraint and avert further escalation that could harm bilateral relations.

It urged Algeria and Morocco to engage in constructive dialogue to deescalate tensions and discuss controversial issues within a brotherly and Arab framework.

Algeria and Morocco are both heavyweights in the Arab and regional system and should continue to bear the responsibility of enhancing Arab solidarity and overcoming differences and schisms, the statement continued.

The Arab Parliament said it is fully confident in the wise leaderships of the two countries and their ability to ride out the current crisis as soon as possible.

The Algerian move to cut ties with Morocco comes after Algeria said it would review its relations with Rabat last week after accusing it of being complicit regarding the deadly forest fires that have been ravaging the Algerian north.

The forest fires in Algeria, which broke out on August 9 amid a blistering heatwave, burned tens of thousands of hectares of forest and killed at least 90 people, including more than 30 soldiers, according to the AFP.

Algerias foreign minister on Tuesday also accused Moroccos leaders of being responsible for repeated crises and behaviour that has led to conflict instead of integration in North Africa.

Lamamras statement, read out on behalf of Algerias President Abdel-Madjid Tebboune, said Moroccos unfriendly, hostile, and despicable acts against his country have started since Algerias independence, citing incidents in 1963 and 1976.

Lamamras statement also accused Moroccan security and propaganda services of launching a vile and widespread media war against Algeria and Algerian people and leaders by weaving fictional scenarios, creating rumors, and spreading malicious information.

The Algerian FM also referred to a dangerous and irresponsible deviation committed by a Moroccan envoy by addressing what he called the right of self-determination for the brave tribal people who have been subjected to the longest foreign occupation.

Algeria demanded clarification from the Moroccan authorities following this incident, Lamamra said, however, the silence of the Moroccan side in this regard, which has continued since July 16 [2021], clearly reflects the political support [provided] by the highest Moroccan authority for this act.

The deviation in question  that has triggered the current course of action  was a statement given by Moroccos envoy to the United Nations Omar Hilale in July expressing support for the right to self-determination for Algerias traditionally restless Kabylie region, a stronghold of the countrys Amazigh (Berber) minority.

At the time, Algerias foreign ministry said Morocco had thus publicly and explicitly supported an alleged right to self-determination of the Kabyle people.

Hilales comments sparked anger among Algerias political class and on social media, with Algerians defending the countrys territorial unity.

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Egypt has released the first 1 million doses of its locally-produced Sinovac/VACSERA vaccine after the completion of the required evaluation tests, the Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday.

The manufacturing of the Sinovac doses is part of an agreement signed between the Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) and the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac.

The first million Sinovac/VACSERA doses were produced early in July, with the country planning to manufacture 40 million doses of the Chinese vaccine by the end of the year at VACSERA factories.

The release comes only two days after the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) granted the Sinovac/VACSERA vaccine an emergency use license.

The 1 million doses have been distributed to coronavirus vaccination centres nationwide, totalling 657 so far, including 145 centres for those travelling abroad, health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said in a statement.

Megahed noted that the country is also in the final stages of manufacturing and evaluating 15 million doses of the vaccine, which represent VACSERAs production capacity per month, in preparation for their distribution to vaccination centres.

The doses have been released after passing the necessary evaluation tests in accordance with the global rules followed by the World Health Organisation to assess the safety, quality and effectiveness of vaccines, Megahed added.

Minister of Health Hala Zayed, via video conference on Wednesday, extended thanks to the VACSERA staff, hailing the companys achievement as a qualitative and historic leap, according to the statement.

To date, Egypts vaccination campaign has included the use of the imported version of the Sinovac vaccine along with the Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Sinopharm vaccines.

This comes in addition to the countrys plans to produce millions of Sinovac and Sputnik shots annually to cover local and African needs.

The government has set a goal to vaccinate 40 million citizens by the end of the year, representing around 40 percent of population, a step hailed by WHO.

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Egypts state-owned construction company Arab Contractors announced on Tuesday that it has won a contract to establish a 150km long road in DR Congo linking two key cities in the country.

In a statement, Arab Contractors CEO Sayed Farouk said the project, worth 110 million euros, is funded by the European Development Fund.

The road will link the cities of Kamuesha and Kananga, Farouk said, noting that the project includes the establishment of three bridges of different lengths as intersections to the road.

The project also includes 33 industrial works for rain drainage and road protection, Farouk added.

Arab Contractors has also recently started a project to build and furnish a five-storey building for the defence ministry in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa, Farouk said.

Farouk also noted that the company has won the trust of Congolese customers due to the quality of the projects it implements in the African country and its adherence to delivery dates.

Farouk said that Arab Contractors is currently finishing the implementation of a number of internal roads in Kinshasa and the development of a water plant in Uvira city in the South Kivu Province.

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Sudanese Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas said on Wednesday that the failure to exchange information on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) before the recent unilateral filling of its reservoir caused Sudan to incur heavy expenses.

However, in a tweet, Abbas denied that the GERD had any negative impact on the devastating Nile floods Sudan has witnessed this year, which led to the death of dozens and the collapse of thousands of homes.

He explained that the amount of water flowing from the Blue Nile into the mega dam after 20 July has been equal to the amount flowing out of it.

Ethiopia announced early in July that it would commence the second filling of the GERDs reservoir that month despite Egypt and Sudans rejection of the unilateral decision before a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam is reached.

On 19 July, Ethiopia announced the completion of the second filling, asserting that it has caused no harm to the two downstream countries and claiming that the dam reduces the harm of Nile floods.

Despite the unilateral filling of the GERD, water passed through the middle passage of the dam on 20 July. After that, the [amount of] Blue Nile [water] entering the dam is [equal to] what came out of it, Abbas said on Wednesday.

This means there has been no impact from the dam on floods this year, Abbas said, affirming that the failure to exchange information with Sudan regarding the dam, however, forced Sudan to take costly precautions [to prepare for the floods] that have had a major economic and social impact [on Sudan].

The minister said that the floods this year witnessed an unexpected amount of water coming from the White Nile, exceeding any amount of flooding the country faced in the past 100 years.

The average water flow of the White Nile in the month of July in previous years varied between 70 and 80 million cubic metres per day, however, this years flood season recorded a daily flow ranging from 120 to 130 million cubic metres per day, Abbas explained.

Sudan, however, managed to use its reservoirs of the Merowe and Roseires dams to reduce the intensity of the floods.

Egypt and Sudan have repeatedly warned of the negative impacts of filling the dam without a binding agreement and highlighted the risks it can cause to people and agricultural lands.

The three countries have affirmed on different occasions, including in a United Nations Security Council meeting that was held to discuss the issue last month, that they would like to continue to delegate the African Union to sponsor and mediate the talks between them.

Egypt and Sudan, however, have urged the involvement of the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, along with the AU in mediating the talks, a proposal that Ethiopia rejected.

Russia and Algeria have also recently proposed to play a positive role in the GERD issue at the request of the three countries.

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The head of Egypt's diplomatic mission in Tripoli Tamer Moustafa met on Wednesday with a number of ministers in the Libyan government to discuss preparations for re-opening the Egyptian embassy in Tripoli and the consulate in Benghazi.

The move affirms Egypt's constant support for Libya's stability, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Egyptian diplomat's meetings with the Libyan ministers of foreign affairs, planning, oil and gas, housing, labor, and the economy touched on the overall bilateral ties and means to further enhance them.

The two sides also tackled the reconstruction process in Libya and possibilities of benefiting from the Egyptian experience in various fields, given President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's directives to provide Libya with the needed support in this regard.

Egyptian efforts to support Libya in confronting the coronavirus pandemic and maintaining the airlift launched by Cairo to transfer liquid oxygen to all Libyan areas were also discussed.

Egypt's support for Libya and its readiness to make all possible endeavors to implement the stipulated roadmap was also affirmed during the meetings.

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Algeria's Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said Tuesday that his country has severed diplomatic relations with Morocco due to its "hostile actions".

The move comes afer Algeria last week said it would review its relations with Morocco after accusing it of complicity in deadly forest fires that ravaged the country's north.

"Algeria has decided to cut diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Morocco from today," the minister announced during a press conference.

"History has shown that the Kingdom of Morocco has never stopped carrying out hostile actions against Algeria," Lamamra added.

The forest fires in Algeria, which broke out on August 9 amid a blistering heatwave, burned tens of thousands of hectares of forest and killed at least 90 people, including more than 30 soldiers.

Algerian authorities have pointed the finger for the fires at the independence movement of the mainly Berber region of Kabylie, which extends along the Mediterranean coast east of the capital Algiers.

The authorities have also accused the Movement for Self-determination of Kabylie (MAK) of involvement in the lynching of a man falsely accused of arson, an incident that sparked outrage.

Algeria last week accused Morocco of supporting the MAK, which it classifies as a "terrorist organisation".

"The incessant hostile acts carried out by Morocco against Algeria have necessitated the review of relations between the two countries," a presidency statement said last week.

It also said there would be an "intensification of security controls on the western borders" with Morocco.

The border between Algeria and Morocco has been closed since 1994.

Algeria's foreign minister on Tuesday also accused Morocco's leaders of "responsibility for repeated crises" and behaviour that has "led to conflict instead of integration" in North Africa.

Relations between Algiers and Rabat have been fraught in past decades, especially over the flashpoint issue of the disputed Western Sahara.

Morocco considers the former Spanish colony an integral part of its kingdom, but Algeria has backed the Polisario movement which seeks independence there.

Last month, Algeria recalled its ambassador in Morocco for consultations after Morocco's envoy to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, expressed support for self-determination for the Kabylie region.

At the time, Algeria's foreign ministry said Morocco thus "publicly and explicitly supports an alleged right to self-determination of the Kabylie people".

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Russia is preparing to evacuate more than 500 people on four military planes from Afghanistan _ its first airlift operation since evacuations from Kabul began.

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that it will airlift the nationals of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine from Kabul.

Teams of medical workers will be present on each plane, the ministry said, should any of the evacuees require medical attention.

The evacuations will be carried out upon orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ministry noted.

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Halawes (Hallucinations), a silent adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, by Egyptian director Mohamed Abdalla, will premiere at Al-Hanager Theatre on 27 August, after years of planning and long months of rehearsals.

It was like a dream that came to me 12 years ago. It was not an easy journey. I am excited it is finally coming to fruition after eight months of rehearsals, said the director, adding that his no-dialogue version of the classical play focuses on human relationships and emotions of friendship, love, jealousy and hate that could exist within one circle of conflict.

The cast includes Omar Ezz, Abdallah Sultan, Abdulrahman Al-Qadi, Nesma Adel, Moatassem Shaaban, Jeorj Fawzi, Mustafa Hazeen, Reem Essam and Amira Ibrahim. The cast was trained by Abdullah with the assistance of Mostafa Hozayen and Ahmed (Oscar) Najdi.

We focus on the most expressive body language. Some of the cast had not been in mime theatre before. We merge different aspects of theatre schools to present a rich theatre experience, Abdalla added.

Among the crew are assistant director Marwa Hassan, executive director Ahmed Reda with decor designed by Amr Abdullah and lighting designed by Abu Bakr Al-Sharif. Amira Saber is the stylist of the show while Mohamed Bkkar Fawzy designed the masks and make-up.

Mixed by Youssra Tawfik, the music of the show is selected and prepared by Abdalla and will be under the charge of sound executive Omar Chicoo Shoqier.

I faced many obstacles along the way and I was able to pass them. I am hoping I could deliver my message to all mime theatre artists in Egypt, telling them to continue the road without despair, the director concluded.

Halawes will be performed at Al-Hanager Theatre every day at 8pm for 15 nights starting Friday.

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RESIDENTS of Luxor were kept awake at night on Monday as the Palace of Tawfiq Andraos overlooking the Nile was demolished. The palace had been standing since its construction in 1897 and relates to the history of its former owners family.

Andraos Bishara was one of the most prominent figures in Luxor in the early 20th century. Upon his arrival in Luxor from his hometown of Qus in the 1880s, he decided to build his family home in the precincts of the Luxor Temple with a view across the Nile to the Theban Necropolis. He invested part of his fortune in buying land that extended as far as the Colossi of Memnon on the west bank at Luxor. His son Tawfiq gradually became a key figure in the town and built his own house beside his fathers, which was earlier demolished.

The sons palace was inhabited by the Andraos family until 2013 when the bodies of Tawfiqs two daughters were found dead, believed to have been murdered, inside. Since then, the palace has been abandoned.

According to Tarek Lotfy, head of the Luxor City Council, the decision to demolish the palace was taken by the Luxor governorate as the committee assigned to investigate its condition had said the instability of its foundations made it a threat to the neighbouring Luxor Temple and pedestrians walking along the Nile corniche.

The committee said the building could collapse at any time. Lotfy said that two committees were supervising the demolition and removing any valuable items. Opponents of the demolition say that the palace should not have been demolished as it had a cultural and historic value, pointing out that it could have been restored.

The palace is dilapidated and should be demolished, said a government official who preferred anonymity, asserting that it was a real threat as in recent years it had been subjected to illegal excavations which had affected its foundations and spread cracks over its walls.

The palace was not listed on Egypts Heritage List. It is not a monument, he said.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 26 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Within the next six weeks Egypt is aiming to vaccinate over 6 million people with at least one shot of the five vaccines currently in use in Egypt. The rush to vaccinate coincides with the expected arrival of a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections in Egypt, including the Delta Plus variant.Minister of Health Hala Zayed says one goal is to ensure all students, teaching staff and administrators in schools and universities have received at least one dose of vaccine before the start of the new academic year, scheduled to begin on 9 October. In press statements this week Zayed said staff and students would be denied access to state-run universities should they refuse the vaccine.The health minister said that of the 10 million citizens who had registered for vaccinations, 7.5 million had received at least one dose. These figures are roughly confirmed by international organisations monitoring the spread of Covid-19 in Egypt.The rollout of vaccinations began in Egypt at the end of January, almost a year after the first case of coronavirus was reported. So far, the vaccination campaign has progressed at best sluggishly, a pattern that urgently needs to be reversed if Egypt is to escape the worst repercussions of the expected fourth wave due to start in October.According to Zayed, locally produced Sinovac vaccines will be available for use this week, helping to boost vaccination numbers, and the ongoing monthly production of the vaccine is scheduled to come in at 15 million doses.The Ministry of Healths goals for the next ten weeks include ensuring 5.5 million students and staff receive a first dose of vaccine, and that healthcare workers  among whom vaccine take up has plateaued at less than 25 per cent  receive a similar level of coverage.A source at the Ministry of Health, speaking on condition of anonymity, said providing a first dose for these six million is an ambitious but possible target which would not compromise the provision of vaccines to high risk groups of for those seeking to travel.The plan is to work on parallel tracks, said the source. He revealed that in addition to locally produced Sinovac, Egypt has also secured supplies of the Sinofarm, Astrazenca, and Johnson & Johnsons single shot vaccines.The minister of health, of finance, and the prime minister have all reassured the public that resources have been made available to ensure at least 40 per cent of the population is vaccinated before the end of the year.The 40 per cent target is shared by other African countries, many of which lag far behind rich states vaccination rollouts. The targets, however, could easily be compromised as developed nations rush to buy up vaccines to provide their citizens with third booster shots, leaving developing nations even further behind.A report by Oxfam, issued on 29 July, said the cost of vaccinating the world against Covid-19 could be at least five times cheaper if pharmaceutical companies werent profiteering from their monopolies on Covid-19 vaccines.Anna Marriott, Oxfams Health Policy manager, said: Pharmaceutical companies are holding the world to ransom at a time of unprecedented global crisis. This is perhaps one of the most lethal cases of profiteering in history.Public health expert Alaa Ghannam says that the very obvious inequality in the sharing of vaccines worldwide had resulted in low vaccination rates in Egypt, as in other developing countries.Ghannam thinks vaccinating 40 per cent of Egypts population by the end of the year is ambitious, and 30 per cent would be a more realistic figure. He also says healthcare workers, and those employed on public transport, education and other public services should be prioritised.Ahmed Azzab, public health coordinator at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, believes Egypt can make a major leap forward by utilising the local production of Sinovac and its the cumulative experience of the health system in vaccination programmes.I think it is doable, but we need to follow the priorities specified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to guarantee there are no loopholes through which Delta Plus or other variants can spread, says Azab. Among those priorities, the authorities must ensure frontline health workers are vaccinated.The Doctors Syndicate reports that more than 500 doctors have died due to Covid-19 since the pandemic first hit Egypt.Azzab acknowledges that some doctors are reluctant to get vaccinated but notes it is within the legal mandate of the competent authorities to insist on vaccinating all health workers.He also says that providing vaccines through temporary health units, which proved really successful with the recent campaign against the spread of Hepatitis, would make a difference.Such units would help address problems of accessibility: at the moment people must register online for a vaccination, a process that can exclude the elderly and those without Internet access.According to Azab, Egypt also needs to focus more on using easier to access and cheaper to get vaccines.Whatever the debate about the efficiency of one vaccine compared to another, developing countries need first and foremost to secure a higher vaccination take-up, he argues.Of the Ministry of Healths recent announcement that it is engaged in securing supplies of medication to better treat serious cases of infection with the new Delta variant, Azab warns that this should not be seen as a reason to abandon preventative measures.I think awareness is a key here. We need to regain the rigour that we had in spring last year when the media was really invested in getting people to be vigilant. Lower numbers of infections have led to laxity when it comes to precautions and this must end as we enter the fourth wave.Meanwhile, sources at WHO and the World Bank have been arguing that Egypt has to keep an eye on surveillance. While conceding that no country has a record of every single infection, they argue that Egypt needs to do more to accurately monitor the spread of the new variant if it is to avoid being seen as a high-risk country.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 26 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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As part of a national project to modernise Egypts customs administration, the Ministry of Finance has introduced a new system to expedite the release of imported goods as soon as they arrive at port. To enjoy the benefits of the new system, importers must first register with the new pre-arrival customs facilitation system, which will become mandatory by October.

The executive regulations of the new customs law lay out procedures for authorised economic operators that grant them benefits consistent with the provisions of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), Minister of Finance Mohammed Maait said.

The new system will allow importers to pay only 30 per cent of estimated customs duties in advance, after submission and approval of the necessary documentation, termed advance cargo information (ACI). The remainder will be paid upon the arrival of the cargo, after port authorities have reviewed it and calculated final fees.

Maait said the systems online ACI portal was fully secured to protect the privacy of registered users and that its purpose was to collect all necessary information in one place and make it available exclusively to authorised customs officials.

Importers or customs brokers acting on behalf of importers have responded enthusiastically to the new ACI system. According to the minister, 15,000 companies have already registered with the portal, reflecting the business communitys eagerness to benefit from the advantages of the new system.

In addition to speedier customs clearance, which makes it possible for goods to reach their destinations more quickly, the ACI system reduces shipment costs because the rapid release of goods spares importers storage costs at port facilities.

The streamlined process will also increase Egypts international competitiveness, facilitate the movement of trade, and attract investment.

Around 2,200 companies have registered about 18,000 successful customs transactions on the system since it first went into operation on a trial basis in April, Maait said. The trial period ends at the end of September.

We are keen to provide all possible facilities to importers and their agents and to overcome any obstacles they may face in order to encourage them to join the ACI system, Maait said, adding that agents from the firm EgyTrust have been stationed at logistics centres in Cairo and Alexandria to help with registering inbound shipments.

NAFEZA, as the National Single Window for Foreign Trade Facilitation system is called, will extend to Safaga, Nuweiba, Ismailia, and Aswan before the end of 2021, thus establishing an electronic network between all Egypts ports, which will strengthen governance, protect national security, and prevent the entry of any harmful goods, the minister said.

He added that by that time new x-ray systems will also have been introduced at 85 per cent of Egyptian ports.

Shahat Ghatouri, director of the Customs Authority, urged importers and customs brokers to register on the new ACI system as soon as possible, at www.nafez.gov.eg, in order to benefit from incentives still on offer during the remaining period of the trial phase.

Those who open an account before the end of August will be entitled to a 50 per cent reduction on subscription fees. The reduction declines to 30 per cent for registration before mid-September and to 20 per cent for registration before the end of September.

Early account openers will also be entitled to priority customs clearance during the remainder of the trial period if they use the system. This entails entering the information of an expected shipment in the system and uploading the required documentation in order to receive a shipment identification number, or ACID, from the Customs Authority within 48 hours.

The Customs Authority has created a joint committee with the Federation of Egyptian Industries to enhance communication and ensure positive interaction with the business community in order to facilitate early registration and use of the new system, Ghatouri added.

According to Mohammed Al-Bahi, chair of the Federations Tax and Customs Committee, the Ministry of Finance has put measures in place to facilitate and encourage business people to open NAFEZA accounts and help them make immediate use of the new system.

This positive move on the part of the ministry has instilled a spirit of optimism and assurance among investors, Al-Bahi said, adding a call to importers to register with the ACI system before it becomes mandatory in October in order to simplify and speed up the release of foreign shipments upon their arrival in Egyptian ports.

However, while everyone agrees on the importance of digital procedures, there have been reservations among importers regarding the period specified for registration. Matta Beshay, a member of the Exporters Division of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and head of the Egyptian Company for Trade and Agencies, hopes there will be a further postponement of applications because any failure to register would mean importers that have not done so would be unable to carry out import transactions.

The system was originally scheduled to begin in July, but registration was extended until October. Beshay said companies needed longer to familiarise themselves with the requirements for registration, especially since some importers were having difficulties dealing with the new technology. He said the new system had multiple benefits, the most important being the release of goods within three rather than seven or 10 days.

The new customs law and its bylaws, according to Al-Bahi, has been thoroughly discussed in the Federation of Egyptian Industries and all its observations have been taken into account in the drafting of the executive regulations.

Apart from the promise of speedier procedures, investors have welcomed the new systems measures to prevent smuggling, minimise waiting fines and fees, and reduce corruption because it will no longer depend on cash transactions.

Al-Bahi added that the new customs law would contribute to the development of the customs system and strengthen the governments regulatory role, especially given the stiffer penalties that could be imposed on violators.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 26 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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For nearly four decades, the Middle East has been picking up the pieces of the US strategic folly in Afghanistan and paying the price for its unending wars in the region.



The debacle led to the creation of Islamic jihad by CIA proxies that rose during the civil war in Afghanistan following the Soviet invasion in 1979, with devastating consequences for the region and the world.



Both governments and societies have shouldered the brunt of the terrorism that has since shaken the Arab and Muslim nations and sparked a clash of civilisations between the West and Islam.



The sweeping Taliban victory after the abrupt US withdrawal from Afghanistan this month has brought back memories of the chaos and horror caused by violent terrorist networks and raised fears across the region of the jihadists making a comeback.



Some even fear that the Taliban victory could have a broader geopolitical impact on a region already battered by civil wars, regional conflicts, despotism, corruption and underdevelopment.



A week after the Taliban stormed into the Afghan capital Kabul, the movement seems to be consolidating its control over Afghanistan, facing few challenges to its renewed theocratic rule.



Taliban fighters are using force to break up protests, beating people trying to flee the country at Kabul Airport, and stepping up efforts to arrest people who worked for the former government, particularly in the security services.



Most horrifying has been the climate of fear hanging over the battered country, as Afghans remember the Talibans brutal rule by stone-faced insurgents who imposed their harsh interpretation of Islamic law during their short-lived control of Afghanistan in the 1990s.



Reactions abroad have been confused, especially from the USs Western allies who scrambled to respond to the crisis after NATO troops were bounced into withdrawing from Afghanistan with little in the way of consultation from the US administration.



While US President Joe Biden remains under criticism for his fast retreat, Western governments have sent mixed signals on how to address the new situation in Afghanistan.



Some have realised that they will have to grapple with one of their biggest foreign-policy and security challenges in decades and continue their efforts to suppress global terrorism threats and a possible refugee influx.



Meanwhile, Pakistan and Iran, Afghanistans neighbouring countries which have nurtured close ties with the Taliban over the years, stand to benefit from the US withdrawal in different but geopolitically significant ways.



For Islamabad and Tehran, the retreat removes the US security presence that they believe Washington was using to expand its influence in Afghanistan at their expense. Both Iran and Pakistan hope to make regional strategic gains through the Talibans victory.



Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan welcomed the changeover in Afghanistan and said that the Taliban have broken the shackles of slavery. Irans position was straightforward, with President Ebrahim Raisi taunting the Talibans takeover as Americas military defeat.



Qatar, the Gulf emirate which has served as a facilitator for the US-Taliban talks and maintains close ties with the Islamist movement, endorsed the movements takeover, with its Foreign Minister Mohamed Bin Abdel-Rahman Al Thani, promising that Qatar will do its utmost to bring a peaceful transition to Afghanistan.



The Talibans victory received a warm welcome from like-minded Islamist groups, such as the Palestinian Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements, the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan and the terror-listed Al-Shabab insurgents in Somalia.



Yet, governments and mainstream Arabs remain stunned by the troubled US exit and are taking the Biden administration, even though implicitly, to task over the chaos the withdrawal is leaving behind and the risks of a spillover.



Moreover, it is evident that the Taliban comeback in Afghanistan is galvanising many regional actors as policy makers try to reassess their security and strategic calculations as a result of this huge challenge for a terribly fluid region.



Whether or not regional policy chiefs have been surprised by the sudden takeover of Afghanistan, or were well prepared for this moment, broader questions have arisen in the wake of the Talibans victory as pessimistic assessments of where things are going are also emerging.



The most pressing challenge is the tremendous impact that a strict Islamist system will create in Afghanistan, as most Arab governments are pressing ahead with plans to introduce religious reforms at a time when the region seems to be at a turning point in its unsettled struggle between nationalism and Islamism.



The reforms were triggered by the attempts of Political Islam, including the Muslim Brotherhood group, to seize on the popular uprisings of the Arab Spring in 2011 to take power and advance their own agenda, spurring divisions with the largely nationalist and secular sector and religious minorities.



Across the region changes are aimed at reforming religious discourse and social behaviour and restructuring religious institutions away from fundamentalism and extremism and not without resistance from traditionalists and Political Islam.



The much-needed reforms are being widely viewed as leading to a more open and more tolerant society and a forthcoming path to a broader Islamic reformation and enlightenment. In the long term, the social changes could hopefully end the vicious cycle of nationalism versus Islamism and set the path for democratic reforms.



Afghanistans fall to the Taliban has now put all that at stake. The movement has ruled out an elected government, and its spokesmen have made it clear that the group envisages a Sharia basis for governing the country.



If Afghanistan is declared an Islamic emirate, in other words if it becomes a country ruled by a religious theocracy as it was in the 1990s, it will be a huge challenge for a terribly weakened region to sustain itself with another Islamist state next door.



The largely Sunni Arab world already feels threatened by the Shia-dominated Islamic Republic in Iran that seeks to export its religious model, and an extremist Sunni regime in the Middle East would have a devastating impact on reform endeavours.



The second key challenge is the fear that Afghanistan will become a terrorist safe haven again where Arab jihadists can operate and direct their networks back home as they did under the Talibans last emirate.



Arabs were among the thousands of jihadists who remained in Afghanistan after the war against the Soviet army in the 1980s and formed the backbone of Osama Bin Ladens Al-Qaeda terror group and other networks spread over the region from Iraq to Morocco.



Al-Qaedas relationship with the Taliban seems to be intact, and there are no indications that the group, whose leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri has pledged allegiance to Taliban chief Haibatullah Akhundzada, has or will abandon its networks.



While Al-Qaeda could take advantage of its close ties to the group, the Talibans rise could also open up opportunities for the notorious Islamic State (IS) group, which suffered a devastating defeat in Iraq and Syria in 2017, to rise up again and expand.



The number of IS members in its branch in Afghanistan, known as the Khorasan Emirate, are estimated at 1,000 fighters, and these have been responsible for dozens of attacks against civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as scores of clashes with US, Afghan and Pakistani security forces, over the last few years.



The group, which is believed to have established footholds in some of the central and south Asian nations, receives support from the IS leadership in Iraq and Syria and is believed to be reconstituting to launch attacks that will not necessarily be restricted to Afghanistan or the Asian theatre.



However different things may be from the way the group behaved during its last run in power, since its return the Taliban have been tight-lipped about the future of these terrorist groups under their rule. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has only promised that Afghanistan wont be used against the United States and its allies.



While the Taliban has not made any revisions to its extremist ideology or promised to change, radical groups and even mainstream Islamic political groups have publicly cheered its triumph as a victory by Allah for Islam, and they will look to the movement as a driving force for their resurgence.



If that disastrous scenario takes place, it will roll back all the gains that have been made so far in the battle against extremism, and the region will find itself once again trapped in Political Islamism and possibly an IS-like insurgency or one reminiscent of that carried out by returning Afghan veterans in the 1990s.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 26 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Americans are praising Gulf countries; especially Qatar, UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain for agreeing to host Afghan evacuees temporarily  until Washington finds a way to settle them somewhere. So far, Qatar will host 8000 and the UAE 5000. Kuwait and Bahrain agreed to host an unspecified number.



The chaotic scenes of Afghanis who worked with the US military, NATO forces and other Western bodies flocking to Kabul Airport to leave the country after the Taliban took over highlighted the extent of the disaster there. Now the Gulf countries are trying to prove to their American and European allies they can be reliable in times of need. But apart from the humanitarian effort, political rivalries in the Gulf were clearly manifest in the last few days with the rapid developments in Afghanistan. Though no strong political announcements have yet been made from Gulf capitals, it is clear there are differences emerging. Some commentators note the irony of the Qatari capital Doha hosting Taliban leaders while the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi hosted the fleeing Afghani President Ashraf Ghani.



It is an odd prospect, comparable to the first round of Taliban rule in Afghanistan a quarter of a century ago. When the militant movement took over in 1996, Saudi Arabia and the UAE along with Pakistan were the only countries in the world that recognised the Taliban government that was to be ousted by the American invasion of 2001 after 9/11. The attacks had cost the three US allies dearly since the Taliban were hosting the attackers. Qatar was also a target of Americas wrath for allegedly supporting Al-Qaeda and turning its famous satellite channel, AlJazeera, into a mouthpiece for Bin Laden and his cohort, though Doha didnt actually recognise the Taliban government  nor did Iran.



When the Americans installed a different government in Kabul, all the Gulf countries supported it  from President Hamid Karzai to Ahraf Ghani  to appease Washington. Yet Qatar and Iran kept a sort of working relationship with the Taliban. So when the Americans started reaching out to negotiate with the Taliban years ago, Doha was their gateway. Washington forced Pakistan to release Taliban leader Mullah Abdel-Ghani Bradar from jail in 2018, so he could help with negotiations for the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Since then, Bradar has joined other Taliban senior figures in Doha where he is known to have conducted phone conversations with former US president Donald Trump.



The UAE was the only Gulf country to participate with troops in Afghanistan, as part of its commitment to the coalition to fight terrorism. In fact, it also played a supporting role as an American ally. American military operations in the region are commanded mostly out of Qatars Al-Udeid Air Base which hosts some 10,000 American troops. Americans also fly out of the Al-Dhafra Air Base near Abu Dhabi. As a European analyst describes Qatari and Emirati positions today, Each country is positioning itself in the best way possible to pursue its interests in this crisis. But its Qatars approach that appears to have proven fruitful. The Gulf research fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, Cinzia Bianco, told AP, Qatar has positioned itself as the go-to mediator with the Taliban. It was a risky bet, especially considering the optics with the wider public, but it paid off Now, Qatar is well-positioned to be the first contact point for regional and international players who want to explore the possibility of engaging with the Taliban... without compromising themselves.



This view is shared widely among Western analysts. They agree that other Gulf countries might prefer to keep a quiet stance, waiting for more to unfold before taking decisions. They tread a fine line  not to intimidate any party for the sake of protecting the security of the region. In an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly, Andrew Hammond of Oxford University echoes the same views: The Gulf was critical to the Taliban regime the first time round, and it looks like it will be the same this time. Now it is Qatar thats the crucial ally in the Gulf. Doha is the conduit for talks with US officials and AlJazeera Arabic has emerged as the outlet where the Taliban can get their opinions out to Arabic media and beyond. All in all, the Taliban, with help from Qatar, are putting on an impressive PR campaign.



But the Gulf rivalry over Afghan developments goes even further. The difference between India and Pakistan over the issue  with Pakistan supporting the Taliban while India, especially under Modi, supported the American-backed government  was a Gulf issue too as Saudi Arabia and the UAE fostered closer ties with India. The position of Turkey is also significant to the Gulf rivals, as Ankara maintains links with Taliban while joining the American and NATO efforts in Afghanistan.



The UAE and Saudi Arabia look to me to be happy to play a second fiddle role. They know the Taliban regimes status in the West hangs in the balance - they might recognise them, they might not - so they can sit back and wait, Hammond said, nonetheless stressing that the latest developments are playing into the Qatari camps hands. Theres a good chance Qatar will remain the number one staging ground for Western contacts, no matter what happens - not least because the US military operations are run out of Qatar. Plus AlJazeera has convinced the Taliban that it is the most influential Arabic media platform. But in media terms Turkeys TRT Arabic could emerge as an important platform for Taliban news as well.



Afghanistan might not be as important to the Gulf region as Yemen, but with the prospect of the Taliban reviving the terrorist threat to the region, no one can ignore it. Many of Al-Qaedas terrorists were from the Gulf and North Africa, and they went there during the 1980s and 1990s to fight the Soviet occupation only to end up fighting against their own countries and the rest of the world.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 26 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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The Iranian parliament has been discussing the cabinet lineup submitted by the new President Ebrahim Raisi ahead of approving it. The discussions inside the legislature of the Islamic Republic have been largely left out by international media: only English and Arabic-speaking Iranian outlets offer information about what is going on.



This is partially related to the fact that the process is not over yet. Due to Covid-19 and endless foreign sanctions on Iran, a huge part of the conversation went to health and socio-economic topics.



But some of the results were announced. For example, according to a report by the state-affiliated Tehran Times, parliaments national and security foreign policy committee accepted Raisis nomination of Hussein Amir Abdullahian as foreign minister.



Frankly - for Western governments - Abdullahian will be no less fierce than the arguably moderate Javad Zarif, his predecessor. Although Abdullahian stressed that Iran will remain committed to nuclear diplomacy, he said Iran will prioritise national interests and national power.



The political science scholar and veteran diplomat worked as the deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs under former hardliner president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad was a man the West did not like at all, especially for his controversial statements, including his denial of the Holocaust. Some MPs criticised Abdullahian for using vague terms such as balanced foreign policy and not expressing his position on the US assasination of Qassem Suleimani.



But this is not a sign of de-escalation with world powers. Both Javad Owji and Rostam Ghasemi, the two men nominated as ministers of oil and gas and roads and urbanisation, respectively, also worked with Ahmadinejad. Moreover, Raisi wants General Ahmed Vahidi to become his interior minister. Vahidi is a former defence minister who was blacklisted by the United States and wanted by Interpol for his alleged involvement in the bombing of a Jewish cultural centre in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires in 1994. The attack led to the death of 85 people and injury of hundreds.



In the 1980s, Vahidi was also the commander of the Quds Force, a wing of Irans Revolutionary Guards that specialises in unconventional warfare and was responsible for the rise of Irans Shia armed proxies across the region.



I do not think that it will differ much at all in substance, Kanishkan Sathasivam, director of Salem State Universitys William H Bates Centre for Public and Global Affairs, said of Irans nuclear policy under Raisi. Sathasivam explained that Irans nuclear policy has always been entirely in the hands of the supreme leader, the president, foreign minister and the designated negotiator. The difference, Sathasivam added, will be in the optics and the way in which dealings are handled, because of course Raisi comes with a lot of negative baggage that his Western interlocutors cannot ignore or dismiss.



He pointed out that Raisi and his boss Ali Khamenei see the pro-Western and pro-democracy moderates completely defeated at home, while the Americans are driven out of both Iraq and Afghanistan. Sathasivam noted that even a nuclear deal with Iran would put US President Joe Biden at the risk of serious blowback at home with his Democratic Party in the US Congress.



The negotiations are currently not going well, because the Iranians believe they have the upper hand over the US/Biden at this point and as such they are holding out for a deal in which they get everything they want (which is the lifting of all sanctions, including those unrelated to the nuclear issue) but without giving the US anything in return beyond what is already in the JCPOA, he stressed.



Biden wants a new nuclear deal that includes Irans ballistic missiles and military activities in the region. Since he took office, Western and Iranian delegations have not reached any agreements on this issue. Iran went even further by resuming its nuclear activities in the facilities of Arak and Fordo.



The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned last Wednesday that Iran is using advanced centrifuges to enrich 60 per cent of its above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Natanz. On the following day, the German, French and British foreign ministries revealed grave concern about the IAEAs report. Our concerns are deepened by the fact that Iran has significantly limited IAEA access through withdrawing from JCPOA-agreed monitoring arrangements, the joint statement read.



Things will likely grow even worse when the Raisi government takes office. Jason Brodsky, a senior Middle East analyst at the London-based Iran International TV, told Al-Ahram Weekly that Raisis administration is thus far shaping up to be the most sanctioned presidency in the history of the Islamic Republic.The president, first vice president, vice president for parliamentary affairs, chief of staff, defence minister, interior minister, roads minister, oil minister and tourism minister are all sanctioned, said Brodsky.



It is an administration that is closer to the Office of the Supreme Leader than its predecessors, and thus tensions with the United States will continue. What is more important than any one minister is that the true powers of the Islamic RepublicIrans supreme leader, his office and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corpsremain in their posts, and will continue to drive the decision-making on the files that most concern the international community, Brodsky concluded.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 26 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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The Egyptian community in Afghanistan, including the Azharite delegation and the diplomatic team, arrived in Cairo on Monday following their evacuation on direct orders from President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi.

The country is no longer safe or stable on the return of the Taliban to power following the complete withdrawal of US forces. Here, while thousands have left to the Gulf and millions await their fate, Afghan refugees are seen arriving at the Pakistani border.

No agreement was reached on Western policy on Afghanistan at a G7 meeting on Tuesday, with NATO allies openly expressing their dismay at US policy, writes Manal Lotfy

As the Taliban make a comeback in Afghanistan, the Middle East region wakes up to a new reality and renewed threats, writes Salah Nasrawi

Taliban pledges to form an inclusive government and their sudden professed moderation will likely vanish as soon as US and NATO troops depart from Afghanistan, writes Khaled Dawoud

Researcher on Islamist movements Ahmed Kamel Al-Beheiri explains to Dina Ezzat why it would be wrong to lump the Taliban in Afghanistan in with other militant groups

Ahmed Mostafa registers the effects of Afghan refugees on intra-Gulf politics

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In violation of the schedule for the Somali elections announced on 17 July, the Somali regional states have been unable to adhere to it.

According to the schedule, senators were supposed to be elected during the period of 25 to 28 July, and the final names of members of the Upper House (Senate) were supposed to be announced on 1 August, followed by preparing for the election of members of the Peoples Assembly, the lower house of parliament, during the period of 12 September to 2 October.

With the formation of the two houses, Mogadishu would have been one step away from choosing a new president for Somalia, therefore bypassing the political and constitutional crisis the country has been going through since 2020 and because of it the state of political instability and bloody violence.

Other than the Puntland and South West states, which elected all their representatives to the Senate, 11 and eight seats, respectively, the Jubaland and Galmudug states were able to hold partial elections by selecting four and six representatives, respectively, out of the eight seats allocated to them. The Hirshabelle and Somaliland states are still in the process of preparing for the elections.

This article aims to address the challenges that have prevented the regional states from committing to the electoral schedule, in addition to providing a brief vision of the future of Somalia in the light of the current context.

The challenges that prevented the Somali regional states from adhering to the electoral timetable varied between administrative, political and those related to security.

The political and security pressures that Mogadishu is facing following the postponement of the Somali elections have turned into a political challenge and a cause of pressure on the head of the transitional government, Mohamed Hussein Roble, who was entrusted with organising the elections. He thus bears the political responsibility to overcome the present dilemma.

This political challenge prompted Roble to expedite the elections. There was a short period of about a month from the announcement of the date of 25 July for holding the elections, made in June, and the announcement of the elections schedule on 17 July. This reflected poor preparation and coordination with the heads of the regional states and a failure to take into account what the regional states were facing in terms of obstacles preventing them from committing to the date of the elections.

These obstacles included the pressure of time and the slow preparation for the elections. The five state presidents were unable to submit their lists of final candidates on time, in part because of the high nomination fees of about $20,000 for Upper House candidates, as well as to the fact that some regional states and the federal immigration and security authorities in Mogadishu prevented politicians running in the elections from travelling and returning to their constituencies.

This prompted Roble to announce before the start of the elections on 22 July that he would not tolerate such measures, calling on the airlines and those politicians who had been subject to such illegal restrictions to report directly to his office.

The threats came in the light of the intensification by the Somali security and military forces of operations against the strongholds of the rebel Al-Shabab movement, especially in the centre, south and southwest of the country, with the support of the African Union peacekeeping forces (AMISOM) and the US.

Washington recorded its first military strikes during the Biden presidency within this framework on 20 to 24 July and succeeded in killing about 210 terrorist elements. This threw the leaders of the movement into disarray and pushed some of them to surrender, among them leader Idris Abdullah Moallem.

There are now two main ways forward for the Somali elections, which at the same time present a vision for the future of Somalia.

First, the present delay in the electoral process could end in the completion of the elections. This is the most likely scenario, since despite the delay by some regional states in deciding their lists of representatives, Somalia has been able to make tangible progress in holding the elections, and it was praised for this by UN Special Envoy to Somalia James Swan.

It is likely that the delay in holding the elections is temporary for two reasons. First, Roble is conducting extensive consultations with those states that have not yet complied with the need to submit electoral lists. Second, political and economic pressures related to the financing of the elections from the international community are expected to escalate, and this will create an additional incentive for the heads of the states concerned to submit their lists.

Something similar took place in the states of Puntland and Jubaland, which were pressured into accepting the electoral system signed in September 2020 by the international community. This scenario is not without the risk of external intervention and attempts to impose a supportive political environment for Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, also known as Farmaajo, in the two chambers of parliament, enhancing his chances of winning a second term.

The second possibility is that there will be further obstruction of the electoral process. This will bring memories to the minds of Somalis of the Somali Civil War and the security turmoil and political bickering that the country saw following the postponement of the elections. As a result, Somali leaders will not take responsibility for this path, whether because of the expected security and political repercussions inside Somalia or the position of the international community.

The latter could impose economic sanctions and political pressure on Somalia and its leaders were the elections to be further postponed, thus creating an environment for the growth of the activity of the Al-Shabab movement.

Although the schedule for holding the Somali elections has suffered a setback, steps have been taken in this direction, indicating the ability of Somalias leaders, with the support of the international community, to hold the elections and thus help to end the challenges which Somalia faces after a period of nearly nine months during which the elections issue has been a main threat to the future security and stability of the country.

*The writer is a researcher at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 26 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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It certainly involves more than watching a carefully staged press conference and then struggling to wrap ones mind around the very far-fetched idea of the Taliban with a new and modern mindset. Nor does the other side of the equation - Washington, which struck the exit agreement with the Taliban - make things easier, given how profoundly muddled the USs management of its departure was and the ongoing repercussions of this. Bidens press conference last Friday shows how. He spent two-thirds of the time speaking about the details of the evacuation, describing it as one of the most difficult operations in history, which, even if true, skirts the central issue or issues.

Such details appear part of an attempt to play down the larger question, namely the consequences of the US departure as a whole. Biden went so far as to say that US passport bearers who wanted to reach the Hamid Karzai International Airport had only to wave their passport in order to pass through the checkpoint Taliban fighters had set up everywhere in the country. But he and others in his administration paid little attention to the problem of greater concern to everyone, namely the fact that control of Afghanistan has been handed over to the Taliban.

The scenes of the intelligence and logistical fiasco that riveted international public opinion all through last week were an initial symptom that will pass once Afghanistan moves to the next, more important phase. What will dominate that phase are questions surrounding the Talibans lack of a clear vision for the future. As the Taliban, in its second edition, scrambles to provide reassurances, it will be constantly haunted by the legacy of Taliban-1 (1996-2001), in which the movements extremism, warped concept of the state and crude mode of rule were on full display.

But perhaps its first test, the extent to which it fulfills its pledge to form a government representative of all factions of the people, will be sufficient to affirm or refute its ability to change. The chances are it will expose the extent of the credibility gap between its reconciliatory PR rhetoric and its intolerant, exclusionist creed. We might already have the answer to this in the early eruption of the battle over the flag triggered by the Talibans immediate obsession with replacing the national flag on government buildings with its own. Suddenly, the national flag has begun to appear everywhere, and not just in anti-Taliban protest demonstrations. Overnight, it has come to symbolise the determination to hold onto the progress the country had made in recent years.

The Talibans focus on this relatively petty detail, despite its symbolic value, and the immediate public reaction draws attention to greater issues related to the nature of the state. The Talibans 2005 Order of the Islamic Emirate, which replaced the constitution, promises to be another flashpoint if the Taliban attempt to resurrect it. Perhaps to avert this, the movement has pledged to revise the document that was tailored exclusively to Muslims of the Hanifa school and totally excluded all other Sunni schools and Muslim sects.

Another problem, overshadowed by the havoc of the US departure, concerns the reverse military assimilation process which has been unfolding with disconcerting speed. Normally, in the event of a political transition from one order to the next, certain concepts and arrangements are put into place to provide for the assimilation of militia and other irregular combat formations into the national army and security agencies. Iraq and Libya offer recent examples in this regard, even if these processes are still in trial or early phases.

In Afghanistan, the insurrectionist movement is incorporating the national army. Whatever reservations one may have over how the Afghan national army was built and the degree of success the Americans had in developing it as a national institution with a professional creed, it cannot be denied that a state army did exist and performed its duties on the ground.

So, when we add this reverse assimilation process to the ease with which the Taliban forces seized control of the territory and the huge amounts of US weapons and heavy military machinery they acquired, we find ourselves staring at an enormous minefield the potential impacts of which on the balance of forces and other factors are impossible to foresee. What we do know so far - and this is very little - is that the army counted among its ranks a huge number of individuals with dual loyalties who voluntarily put down their guns as the Taliban advance swept through the Afghan states. Their disappearance and, often, smooth shift of allegiance to the Taliban was a major blow to US plans and accelerated the timetable for departure.

Another major question concerns the prospect of civil war and perhaps the spectre of partition, at least in the north, which had already declared that it had nothing to do with the US-Taliban agreements. Perhaps other regions might follow suit when they see, in concrete form, the Talibans monopolistic approach to power. As quickly as the Taliban accelerated their march on the capital, anti-Taliban resistance committees began to spring up in the province of Panjshir under the leadership of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the son of eponymous resistance leader. According to news reports, Massoud Jr has already assembled at least 6,000 fighters, mostly ethnic Tajiks, the historic enemies of the Pashtun to whom the Taliban belong.

On Sunday, the Taliban launched a massive military campaign against the northeastern province which, if it sets its mind to it, is demographically and geographically intractable and has close relations with neighbouring states. Recently, Panjshir also became the refuge of many Afghan army members who oppose the Taliban and suddenly found themselves stranded when their colleagues surrendered. The province thus contains a perfect brew for civil war and even a secessionist scenario that could forge yet another rugged path among the many, torturous paths the Afghan future might tread.

*The writer is the managing director of the Egyptian Centre for Strategic Studies.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 26 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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The scenes coming out of Kabul last week after the Taliban reached the Afghan capital and the president of the country fled with dozens of senior officials have shaken world opinion.

In the meantime, the US and its NATO allies have begun evacuating their diplomats and nationals, along with those Afghans who worked with Western embassies and forces over the last two decades. At the time of writing, the US and its allies had successfully managed to evacuate 18,000 people from Kabul International Airport, named after former Afghan president Hamed Karzai.

The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan has raised questions about the NATO alliance and whether its member countries should continue to rely on the US for their defence. The decision to withdraw from Afghanistan that US President Joe Biden announced last April was taken without close coordination with NATO.

The British wanted to keep a small NATO force in Afghanistan, of perhaps some 3,000 soldiers, in order to provide deterrence on the one hand against an all-out offensive by the Taliban and on the other hand to give support to the Afghan army in case it needed military assistance to repel Taliban attacks.

The US turned down the British proposal, and the Biden administration may regret having done so. In retrospect, it would have been a realistic decision on the part of NATO, and it would have prevented the Taliban from controlling 90 per cent of Afghanistan, as they do today.

What went wrong in Afghanistan over the last two decades that allowed the Taliban to come back with such force, taking not only the US administration but also the whole world by surprise? It is interesting to note that as recently as June US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives that he did not expect an immediate deterioration in the situation as US forces began to draw down over the summer.

Moreover, when Biden received Ashraf Ghani, the outgoing president of Afghanistan, last spring at the White House, he asked him to establish political unity among the various factions in his country including the Taliban and not to disperse his forces trying to defend the entirety of Afghan territory. Ghani turned a deaf ear to this advice.

On 16 August, Biden in a three-minute speech to his countrymen said that Afghanistans political leaders gave up and fled. He added that the Afghan military collapsed sometimes without trying to fight.

We can pinpoint two main causes for the lightning collapse of the Afghan state in just a week: the fragility of political power and authority, let alone the pervasive corruption within the apparatus of this pseudo-state, and the lack of discipline and morale within the ranks of the Afghan military.

Of course, speaking of morale within the Afghan forces, we should also take into account the feeling of powerlessness that spread in the army once the US reduced dramatically the number of air sorties it was carrying out to assist Afghan military units in fighting advancing Taliban fighters.

I guess the turning point came when the Americans left the Bagram Air Base over night without alerting the Afghan military. The Afghan army realised then that without decisive air cover by the Americans, the fight against the Taliban would be almost useless. That was accompanied by secret communications between the Taliban and many Afghan commanders and officers to surrender without a fight. Furthermore, the Taliban gave money to unpaid Afghan soldiers, some of whom had not received their salary for the last six months. It is not unusual in this part of the world to get your way by doling out money.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, speaking last week before members of the US Congress to explain what could have gone wrong in carrying out the withdrawal from Afghanistan, said that you cant buy will and you cant purchase leadership. From his standpoint, thats what was missing in this situation.

But to better understand the situation on the ground today, we have to go back to February 2020 when the administration of former US president Donald Trump signed a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban, without the Afghan government being a party to the agreement, whereby US forces would withdraw from Afghanistan by May 2021 without conditions as to what the Taliban should do in return. From that day onwards, the Taliban began serious planning for their comeback, both militarily and politically.

Quoted in the UK Financial Times last weekend, Ahmed Rachid, a well-known expert on South and Central Asia and the author of a book entitled Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia, pointed out that without the withdrawal deal, nothing would have happened. It changed the whole equation. The Afghan army was no longer a fighting force. It tipped the balance in favour of the Taliban.

The big surprise, as well as the dismal failure, was that neither the Americans, nor the NATO allies, nor the Afghan government, anticipated or simulated an all-out Taliban offensive once the American forces began their withdrawal. Misreading the Taliban after all these years is inexcusable, to say the least.

General Douglas Lute, a three-star general who served as the White Houses Afghan war czar during the Bush and Obama administrations, said that we were devoid of a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan  we did not know what we were doing We did not have the foggiest notion of what we were undertaking.

Biden said that much as well, although implicitly, in his remarks defending his administration, when he made clear that US forces went into Afghanistan with one mission, which was to hunt down and defeat Al-Qaeda after the September 11 attacks on the US, and that this mission had been accomplished.

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan and its short and medium-term consequences means that the US for many years to come will not get involved in grand schemes of nation-building. The irony is that after two costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there are no traces whatsoever of nation-building, however. In fact, the opposite could be true.

But the return of the Taliban to power in Kabul does not only testify to shortcomings and failings in the US strategy, but also to a certain failure on the part of the Muslim world in dealing with Islamist fundamentalism and extremism.

*The writer is former assistant foreign minister.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 26 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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With the collapse of Kabul, 20 years after the US invasion of Afghanistan, US President Joe Biden informed the world that the purpose of the US campaign in Afghanistan had never been to build a state or create a democracy. A Taliban leader confirmed that the movement would never adopt a democratic system.

Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires, were the words that resounded in official circles in east and west. Books of history in the libraries of the worlds prestigious universities and high-powered think tanks confirm this famous adage, but since when has people learned the lessons of history?

Soon, more studies of the recent events in Afghanistan will join their predecessors on the shelves and then share in their oblivion. The price will continue to be paid by ordinary men and women in terms of lives lost or damaged, squandered resources, decades of lost development and continued underdevelopment.

Along with the images of chaos and panic coming out of Afghanistan this week  the desperation at Kabul Airport and the people who died trying to latch themselves onto planes as they took off  the Internet has also been circulating pictures showing Taliban fighters eating ice cream and riding bumper cars in fair grounds, giving us a glimpse of the fuller dimensions of this tragicomedy.

In the coming days, the media will doubtless turn to other events, as is usual with its rush from one crisis to the next and the desensitisation of audiences to the one that has just passed. However, crucial questions will remain, many without clear answers.

The first is the easiest. What went wrong in Afghanistan? Experts will take us back to the roots of the crisis in 1979, if not before, and to the attempts of the then Democratic Party administration of US president Jimmy Carter to support the Afghan resistance against the Soviet-backed government in Kabul during the Cold War.

Moscow was lured into invading Afghanistan, which has been mired in conflict and bloodshed ever since. The destruction of the country reached its height after Republican Party president George W Bush formed a US-led coalition to invade Afghanistan and avenge the terrorist attacks against the US on 11 September 2001. In the process, the US overthrew the Afghan regime that it had earlier fabricated.

Some US experts today, some of whom served under the Democratic Party president Barack Obama, say that the US should have withdrawn from Afghanistan after its forces had killed Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in May 2011. Others, senior officials under Bush, go one step further and say the withdrawal should have taken place after it was confirmed that Bin Laden had fled the caves of Tora Bora in Afghanistan following battles in the Nangarhar province in December 2001.

So why did coalition troops remain in Afghanistan for two decades after Tora Bora and a decade after Bin Laden was killed if the purpose of the mission was not to build democracy in Afghanistan? That question has had the experts casting about for answers. According to Richard Armitage, deputy state-secretary under Bush, speaking in a recent radio interview, the US should have got out of Afghanistan in 2002, but simply put the matter on autopilot. It was for this reason that it had remained in the country until this months wretched ending, he said.

Most Americans agree that the withdrawal was necessary, but that it came too late. However, they disagree over whether the US should have gone in to begin with. With the exception of a minority, they also mostly agree that there was an exit strategy. This brings me to the second question: why the sudden collapse?

Political analyst Ian Bremmer attributes what he has called the Biden administrations first major foreign policy crisis to a failure in execution and not in strategy. He argues that the US presence in Afghanistan was unsustainable and that it was a situation that the US could not win, and the Taliban could not lose.

The withdrawal was the best of bad options, but it was incompetently executed due to four main factors  a military and intelligence failure, a failure to coordinate with allies both in terms of the withdrawal measures and the aftermath, a planning failure, in the sense of anticipating different scenarios and making the necessary resources available, and a communications failure due to minimising the chances that the Taliban would take over the entire country as quickly as they did.

On the third point, the result of this failure was having to send in 3,500 more troops than the US had withdrawn in the first place in order to assist with the evacuation and the scenes of panic and desperation following the Afghan regimes sudden capitulation to the Taliban. On the fourth, when asked about the images of panic seen in Saigon in 1975, Biden assured the public that there would be no scenes of helicopters airlifting people off rooftops in Afghanistan as there had been in Vietnam.

The third question concerns the nature of the Afghan state and its future. The coming days will clarify this, but what we know thus far is that despite the trillions of dollars spent, the invasion bequeathed a failed state, a neglected economy, and a society that is more fractured and torn than ever. The situation today poignantly drives home what should have been obvious before the disastrous invasion: that foreign meddlers cannot build a nation state.

This is the case even when assuming the best of intentions, let alone when the prelude to the political intervention takes the form of wide-scale destruction blessed by the preachers of outworn creative chaos theories. There definitely was chaos, but it created nothing but devastation.

In his article Blood in the Sand, US economist Jeffrey Sachs remarks that even a cursory look at Americas spending in Afghanistan reveals the stupidity of its policy there. Citing a report by the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction published earlier this year, he writes that of the $964 billion the US invested in the occupation over the course of 20 years, fully $816 billion, or 86 per cent, went to military outlays for US troops. And the Afghan people saw little of the remaining $130 billion, with $83 billion going to the Afghan Security Forces. Another $10 billion or so was spent on drug interdiction operations, while $15 billion was for US agencies operating in Afghanistan. That left a meagre $21 billion in economic-support funding.... In short, less than two per cent of the US spending on Afghanistan, and probably far less than two per cent, reached the Afghan people in the form of basic infrastructure or poverty-reduction services.

It is little wonder that Afghanistan is at the bottom of international economic and human-development rankings, apart from some limited improvements in public health and female education that now face a precarious future.

The fourth and last question concerns the future of US foreign policy after this resounding failure and, more importantly, the future of the international order in a rapidly changing multipolar world. After all, the failure is not just about the tragic scenes at Kabul Airport; it is also about a long chain of testimonies to the US poor performance at many levels.

This has led a growing body of opinion to advocate a stronger focus on domestic reform in the United States. One exponent of this view is Charles Kupchan, a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University in the US, who holds that US policy should prioritise domestic reconstruction with investment in infrastructure and social policies, while setting an example to other countries by means of democratic reform and the pursuit of a popularly supported foreign policy.

Meanwhile, the editor of the UK Financial Times has reminded us of the US long history of successive cycles of flagrant foreign interventionism and isolationism. As he has pointed out, various domestic factors have compelled the US to avoid intervening in foreign conflicts unless absolutely necessary, as occurred the two world wars. On the other hand, the US will always concern itself with the stability and security of its allies in Europe and Asia, despite mounting domestic appeals to refrain from foreign involvements.

Americans are fond of saying better late than never. In the case of Afghanistan, not only is late worse, but they should never have been there to begin with.

An Arabic version of this article appeared on Wednesday in Asharq Al-Awsat.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 26 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Related The battle for the language academy

The current conflict in the Arabic Language Academy against the remnants of Islamo-fascist thought has stirred widespread concern and anger among large tracts of society. This is because of the cultural prestige of this institution which is a source of soft power regionally and internationally. In my discussion of the issue in last weeks column, I faulted the government for ignoring the problem rather than applying the same resolve it dedicates to the fight against terrorism which, in fact, feeds on such deviant thought.

My friend Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, the minister of higher education, phoned me as soon as he saw my article. He assured me that the government was, indeed, concerned with this question and that his ministry had already taken steps to challenge the recent elections of the academys board of directors, which is dominated by Muslim Brotherhood affiliates and sympathisers. He said that he had refused to certify the results of the elections and appointed Salah Fadl as acting chairman of the board until such time as proper elections can be held.

I had mentioned this in my article, but followed with a question as to what the point would be of holding another round of elections when the composition of academys membership remains unchanged. I suggested appointing a number of prominent intellectuals whom the current academys leadership had prevented from joining it for no sound reason. A prominent example of this type of snub is our great Arab novelist, Naguib Mahfouz, who remained excluded from the academy to the end of his life, despite his prolific literary output, his contribution to the development of literary Arabic and the fact that he is the sole Arab Nobel laureate. We should also note that the academy has never counted a Copt or a woman among its members.

We have a major precedent for government appointments to the academys membership. It occurred in 1940, seven years after its official establishment, when King Farouk issued a royal decree bestowing membership on some of the most eminent literary figures of the time. They included Taha Hussein, Ahmed Lotfi Al-Sayed, Mohamed Hussein Heikal, Tawfik Al-Hakim, Abbas Mahmoud Al-Akkad and Ibrahim Abdel-Qader Al-Mazni, who together they ushered the academy into its golden era. Abdel-Ghaffar told me that personally he would have no objection to this idea as long as it was conducted in a manner consistent with the academys charter and the law. According to my information, the academy actually applied to the ministry, in November last year, to change its bylaws. The proposal included a list of ten nominees to vacant positions in the academy. The ministry has yet to take action on this application.

Certainly, the speed with which the minister responded to the concerns I raised last week is praiseworthy in its own right, as is his commitment to the rule of law. However, I do hope he will turn his attention to the amended bylaws submitted to his office so as to clear the way for the admission of enlightened intellectuals and writers who will help rescue the academy from the clutches of Islamo-fascist thought. We are still caught in a vicious battle against the pedlars of an ideology that the Egyptian people rose up against on 30 June 2013. The longer those individuals remain in positions of influence, the greater will be their ability to disseminate their dangerous ideas. Although we can take heart at the tangible decline in terrorism thanks to our security agencies concerted operations, we must not forget that terrorist violence derives its raison detre from a perverse ideological foundation that began to take root in society four decades ago. Unless it is totally eradicated, that thinking will continue to work its malignant effect and inevitably breed more terrorism.

I was pleased to learn that my fellow journalist Hamdi Rizk too addressed this subject in his well-known column in Al-Masry Al-Youm. Purging the academy of Muslim Brotherhood members and sympathisers in accordance with the law is a battle that has waited for too long, he wrote. The battle for the academy is the battle for Egyptian culture. It is symbolic of the victory of secular forces and an affirmation of Egyptian leadership of linguistic organisations in the Arab world.

I was also heartened by several letters. Ambassador Mohamed Al-Dali wrote: The Arabic Language Academy truly suffers from the plague of the age. I am not familiar with the academys bylaws, but why shouldnt the appointment method serve as the solution for selecting suitable members capable of advancing the academy and its lofty message? As for the bylaws, surely there are many legal ways to amend them.

Ahmed Morsi, the eminent heritage scholar, wrote: A respectable article on a respectable topic that merits the attention of the linguistic, literary and intellectual communities. The time has come for them to rescue the Arab Language Academy from the mafia that has dominated it for decades.

And from the great artist Mostafa Al-Razzaz: A well-merited call for justice and reform for the venerable and worthy Arabic Language Academy. The government and the people should support and settle this matter with the utmost haste, as the academy is an embodiment of Egypts honour as a member of the Arab nation. This is a call that inevitably requires the sponsorship of the Second Republic, and with the same degree of zeal.

To which University Professor Fathi Abu Ayana adds that the government and civil society should launch a campaign in the media and the academic community to save the Arabic Language Academy as a beacon for the preservation of our language and a source of Egypts soft power.

Equally encouraging was news of an urgent suit filed with the courts to oblige the minister of higher education to accelerate the process of amending the academys bylaws so that the institution can be freed from the remnants of the Muslim Brotherhood and its followers.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 26 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Scenes of thousands of Afghanis crowding the Kabul Airport, sometimes crushed to death while trying to flee the country, are harrowing enough. But they might not be the worst to come out of this country, war-torn for over four decades now, following the astonishing Taliban takeover.

At least seven Afghans including a two-year-old girl died were trampled to death while applying for evacuation on board British, American and NATO military and civilian planes outside the British embassy. Jane Ferguson, one of the few Western correspondents still in Kabul, said, the scenes are apocalyptic. People are fainting and dying. Children are going missing.

The Biden administrations obsession with a quick withdrawal has led to massive, widespread chaos all over Afghanistan, made worse by the humiliating escape of former Afghani president, Ashraf Ghani while Taliban fighters were hours away from the presidential palace. The Afghan army and security forces  financed and equipped for over 20 years in the presence of the US and NATO  simply collapsed and disappeared.

Taliban leaders have been trying hard to assure the outside world that they are not back in Kabul to implement the same, terrifying regime that marked their short reign, which ended with the US occupation of Afghanistan in late 2001 to retaliate against the Taliban hosting Al-Qaeda, which proudly claimed responsibility for the 11 September attacks.

Taliban leaders say they have learned from their mistakes. They have vowed to form an inclusive government made up of different political groups and ethnicities, to respect womens and girls right to education, not to revive their policy of banning women from any appearance in public except with a male guardian and, most importantly, not to let Afghanistan to become a safe haven for militant and terrorist groups from all over the world.

However, many Afghanis and most world countries remain doubtful that those pledges are more than lip-service to win international recognition, and would not be carried out on the ground. In the light of past experiences since the country fell into chaos and civil war after the former Soviet Union occupied it to back up its communist allies in 1979, there seems to be more opportunity for the situation in Afghanistan to deteriorate than for it to improve.

Many fear the deceptively nonviolent, swift entry of the Taliban into Kabul, and the official new Taliban rhetoric on future moderate rule, will be able to keep the peace, and that civil war will break out as soon as US, British and other troops leave the country within days, or weeks, depending on Bidens decision on how long he would allow US troops to maintain their presence at the airport to evacuate American and a few thousand Afghan nationals after the 31 August deadline he set earlier.

The US president seems himself doubtful while offering a few inducements, mainly economic assistance. He told reporters at a recent news conference, the Taliban has to make a fundamental decision. Is it going to attempt to unite and provide for the well-being of the people of Afghanistan, which no one group has ever done for hundreds of years? If so, its going to need everything from additional help in terms of economic assistance, trade and a whole range of things.

But it is very hard to believe that the Taliban, with its extremist ideology and leaders, will be able to achieve what no one group has ever done for hundreds of years. Reports on the ground indicate that Taliban fighters have already begun searching homes, hunting for former Afghan leaders they accuse of cooperating with US and NATO allies. Peaceful protests in a few Afghani cities raising the national flag, instead of the white Taliban banner, were met with violence and deadly shots from Taliban fighters holding automatic machine guns. Tajik leaders, including the son of the late Ahmed Shah Massoud, announced that they have already recruited a small army to resist Taliban rule.

Meanwhile, Bidens gamble that the Taliban would keep their word in fear of losing US aid could be easily be disregarded, considering the announcements made by more influential neighbours, namely Russia and China, that they were ready to recognise and help the new Afghani government formed by the Taliban. Even the Shiite majority Iran, which nearly went to war with the Taliban in the early 1990s after the slaughter of Iranian diplomats on sectarian grounds, issued friendly statements, though they expressed more joy with the humiliating US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The same applies to India, despite awareness that the Taliban takeover would weaken its interests in Afghanistan and embolden its historic rival, Pakistan, where many Taliban leaders were based for decades.

In the worst case scenario, Afghanistan will deteriorate into civil war again; extremist groups, including Daesh or the so-called Islamic State, will find a safe haven where they can move and plan freely, fearing only occasional US aerial raids as the situation is in Yemen or other failed states in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Regional and influential world countries will pick sides based on their share of whatever gains they can draw from this impoverished, vast country. But those who will pay the heaviest price are the Afghan people who will witness yet another episode in their long, bloody history.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 26 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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It might be considered new age wellness, but sound healing is hardly a new form of therapy. The ancient Greeks used music to cure mental illness, and in ancient Egypt music therapy was a staple in temples. Sound therapy has been proven effective not just in achieving a state of relaxation, but also in moving through blockages in the body. It has also been known to help in treating stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, depression, sleep disorders, PTSD, dementia, autism and pain.

"Everything in the universe has its own vibration and all we do is tune our bodies to it, just like you would tune an instrument. Sound healing allows your body to heal itself by slowing down your brain waves, which affects every cell in your body, shifting them from the diseased state to being in ease. It just aligns it with whatever you need," explained Rasha Hussein. In addition to being a sound healer, Hussein is also a Reiki healer and a meditation teacher.

So how exactly does it work? According to Hussein, when it comes to sound healing, the voice is the most powerful tool of all, especially your own voice, because then you are self-generating your own healing vibrations to clear and shift your energetic blocks.

"Sound can shift frequencies from low energy of guilt and fear to higher vibrations of love and joy," she explained.

During her sessions, Hussien uses vocal toning in addition to a variety of instruments including the Tibetan healing bowl, shamanic drums and shakers. She uses different instruments at different times and volumes and every instrument is tuned to a different vibration in order to retune the body. Healing bowls have been used in Tibetan culture since the 12th century. The metal bowls come in many sizes and each one produces a deep sound that relaxes and heals the mind while producing a unique vibration that works on separate parts of the brain.

Meanwhile, toning is the practice of making vowel sounds for an extended period of time for therapeutic or meditative purposes. It was developed in the 1980s by renowned sound healer Johnathan Goldman, who discovered a healing connection between our chakras, vital energy vortexes, and vowel sounds.

"Vocal toning uses seven tones based on vowels. Each one is connected to a particular chakra or area of the body. Using a specific tone allows you to access a particular point of the body and begin to heal it," explained Hussein. For example, the 'ah' tone reaches the heart chakra while an 'ee' sound goes to the crown chakra.

"Vocal toning involves using one steady tone to balance your cells and open your energetic pathways. It's very intuitive, something that we do naturally, like releasing an audible sigh of relief," Hussein noted. That is why many cultures throughout history, from ancient Egyptians and Greeks to indigenous tribes, have a form of vocal toning.

Late archaeologist Abdel-Hakim Awyan was an indigenous wisdom keeper who saw Egypt through the eyes of his ancestors. In the documentary the Pyramid Code, researched by Dr. Carmen Boulter in the Graduate Division of Educational Research at the University of Calgary, Aywan explains that the pyramids structure is a harmonic one that used the sound of running water through an underground tunnel to heal illnesses.

"The chamber within the pyramid has a specific harmonic replicating the harmonics of the cavities of the human body. And sound healing techniques were then used to restore the patient's body to the correct harmonics," Awyan explained in the documentary. Further taking the example of the Bent Pyramid of Sneferu in Dahshur, Hakim noted that the pyramid had two different chambers that produce two distinct sound frequencies. "These frequencies are in turn amplified within the pyramid walls to create huge fields of harmonic resonance that restore balance within a human body.

"The adult body consists of 75 percent water, and water is a great conductor for sound vibrations," explained therapist Sherine Abdel-Khalik.

"When vibrations travel through the body, they promote circulation, energy flow, and rejuvenation. The frequency of the sound synchronizes with the brainwaves and activates distress responses in the body," she added.

"So even deaf people can benefit from sound healing because they can feel the vibrations," she noted.

Sound healing synchronizes brain waves to achieve profound states of relaxation, thus helping to restore the normal vibratory frequencies of the cells in our bodies. Throughout the years, science has proven that sound or vibration has a strong impact upon substance. The study of cymatics has shown how sound creates geometric patterns in matter. Moreover, Japanese researcher Dr. Masaru Emoto has even proven that sound changes the molecular structure of water.

"While I have never tried any kind of drug before, the entire experience felt very trippy," explained Rehab Adel, who took part in a sound healing session.

"As I listened to the sounds, I couldn't help but cry, and while I tried to breathe and remain calm, tears poured out of my eyes. I kept trying to go back to the breath like I do when my mind drifts off during meditation, but it wasn't that easy," she said.

"After the session, I felt both physically and emotionally renewed," she added.

"The physical vibrations of the instruments were intense. I felt a wave of energy above me, which kept me still on the floor as if being pushed towards the earth. I could feel so much energy all around the room," said Adel.

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KYODO NEWS - Aug 25, 2021 - 21:19 | World, All, Coronavirus

Indonesia will offer booster shots of vaccines against the novel coronavirus early next year after all of the targeted population have been vaccinated, a Cabinet minister said Wednesday.

Indonesia aims to vaccinate over 208 million of its 270 million people. As of Wednesday, about 33 million people have been fully inoculated.

"If all of (the targeted population) have been fully vaccinated by January, the booster for the general public can start immediately after that," health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told a hearing with parliamentarians aired live on social media.

"The booster has been clinically proven effective to give better protection from COVID-19," he added.

At present, Indonesia only gives booster shots to medical workers, who have been exposed most to the coronavirus through treating infected patients.

Most of the medical workers received their first and second doses of CoronaVac vaccine produced by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech Ltd.

The third jabs, using Moderna vaccine developed by U.S. company Moderna Inc. and recently donated by the U.S. government, have been given since mid-July to the medical workers. As of Wednesday, 34 percent of 1.47 million medical workers have been inoculated.

According to Sadikin, however, the government will only pay the boosters for low-income recipients of government health insurance. Others must pay for the boosters, but they will be free to choose which COVID-19 vaccines they get.

"The price will be around $7 or $8," the minister said.

The World Health Organization has called for halting the use of coronavirus booster shots until at least the end of September to help ensure access to the vaccines in developing countries, some of which have been unable to secure doses even for medical workers.

As of Wednesday, the cumulative total of Indonesia's coronavirus infections exceeds 4 million with almost 130,000 fatalities.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 25, 2021 - 21:35 | World, All, Coronavirus

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said during her trip to Vietnam on Wednesday that the United States will provide an additional 1 million coronavirus vaccine doses to the country to help it fight the pandemic.

During her talks with Vietnamese officials, including President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, in the capital Hanoi, Harris also served notice to China over its claims in the South China Sea, where Vietnam has territorial disputes with its northern neighbor.

The United States has already donated roughly 5 million doses of vaccine to Vietnam, with Harris earlier saying the United States intends to serve as "an arsenal of safe and effective vaccines for our entire world."

The vice president said the Defense Department has committed to provide 77 ultra-low temperature vaccine freezers to assist vaccination distribution efforts in all 63 of Vietnam's provinces.

Later Wednesday, she attended the opening ceremony of the Southeast Asia regional office of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vietnam has been grappling with surging virus cases since April but its vaccination rate remains low. As of Sunday, less than 2 percent of the population had been fully vaccinated.

The CDC's newly created regional office in Hanoi covers Vietnam and other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as Papua New Guinea, and is expected to serve as a base for coordination with those countries and making a rapid response to infectious diseases.

Harris also criticized China over its sweeping claims in the South China Sea and emphasized the need to keep its behavior in check, indicating that Washington hopes U.S. vessels, including aircraft carriers, will continue to make port calls in Vietnam.

"We need to find ways to pressure and raise the pressure, frankly, on Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge its bullying and excessive maritime claims," Harris said during a portion of her talks with the Vietnamese president that was open to the media.

The vice president also noted that the administration of President Joe Biden supports sending another used U.S. Coast Guard cutter to Vietnam, contingent on the congressional approval.

According to a White House fact sheet, "This cutter would complement two other U.S.-provided cutters, a fleet of 24 patrol boats, base facilities, piers, law enforcement training, and other joint activities that bolster Vietnam's capacity to contribute to maritime security in the South China Sea."

At the outset of her separate talks with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Harris said, "We are grateful for Vietnam's constructive leadership in upholding freedom of the seas."

And we will continue to work with you to push back against threats to the rule-based international order," she added, in an evident swipe at China.

Harris arrived in Vietnam, the final leg of her two-nation tour in Southeast Asia, on Tuesday as the first sitting U.S. vice president ever to visit the country.

In a speech in Singapore earlier that day, she denounced China's assertion of its territorial claims in the South China Sea as unlawful.

"Beijing's actions continue to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations. The United States stands with our allies and partners in the face of these threats," she said, pledging that Washington will pursue a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Related coverage:

Harris raps China's aggressive assertion of claims in South China Sea

Harris reaffirms U.S. commitment to Indo-Pacific amid Singapore visit
KYODO NEWS - Aug 25, 2021 - 11:00 | All, World

The Group of Seven industrialized nations on Tuesday vowed to work to safely evacuate their citizens from Afghanistan following the unexpectedly swift takeover by the Taliban, while urging the militant group to respect human rights in the country and prevent terrorism.

During a virtual meeting of the G-7 leaders to discuss Afghanistan, U.S. President Joe Biden conveyed his intention to stick to his self-imposed deadline of Aug. 31 for completing the withdrawal of American troops there as he seeks to end the war that started following the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 on the United States.

His remarks came as U.S. allies such as Britain and France have reportedly been calling on Washington for easing the timeline amid the ongoing international airlift operations from Afghanistan to help people flee from the Taliban rule.

A joint statement issued by the G-7 leaders following their meeting did not mention the U.S. troop withdrawal deadline, only emphasizing that their "immediate priority is to ensure the safe evacuation of our citizens and those Afghans who have partnered with us and assisted our efforts over the past twenty years."

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters that Tokyo will work closely with the other G-7 members on efforts to evacuate people from Afghanistan and that his country is prepared to help support refugees who flee Afghanistan to neighboring countries.

Biden said during the meeting that the United States is "currently on pace" to finish pulling out its troops by the end of the month, according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

But he also made clear that completion of the mission by the deadline "depends on continued coordination with the Taliban, including continued access for evacuees to the airport" and asked the Pentagon and the State Department for "contingency plans" to adjust the timeline should that become necessary, Psaki said in a statement.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday his group will accept no extensions of the deadline.

Biden said later in the day that "the sooner we can finish the better," noting that each day of operations brings "added risk" to U.S troops due to threats from an Islamic State-affiliated terror group in Afghanistan.

"Every day we're on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians," he said.

The international airport in Afghanistan's capital Kabul has been flooded by people seeking to escape from the Islamist group that returned to power earlier this month after being ousted by U.S.-led forces in 2001.

Foreign governments are rushing to airlift citizens out of the country, with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces sending three transport planes.

With attention growing as to whether a Taliban-led Afghanistan government will be recognized by foreign powers, the G-7 leaders said the group will be held accountable on human rights in Afghanistan, including those of women, and efforts to prevent a resurgence in terrorism.

"Any future Afghan government must adhere to Afghanistan's international obligations...We will judge the Afghan parties by their actions, not words," they said in a joint statement.

They also called on all parties in Afghanistan to "work in good faith to establish an inclusive and representative government, including with the meaningful participation of women and minority groups."

The Taliban, which controlled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, has promised to uphold women's rights "within the framework of Islam" amid concerns liberties will be significantly eroded under their strict implementation of shariah law.

Biden, who has faced criticism over the chaotic evacuation scenes at the Kabul airport, has defended the withdrawal of American troops in a process that was started by his predecessor Donald Trump, saying "there was never a good time" to exit.

The United States began the war in Afghanistan against the al-Qaida organization behind the Sept. 11 terror attacks as well as the Taliban, which harbored the group.

In April this year, Biden announced that he would withdraw all the U.S. troops in Afghanistan by the upcoming 20th anniversary of the terror attacks, saying it was "time to end America's longest war." In July, the deadline was moved up to Aug. 31.

But as the Taliban seized city after city before taking control of Kabul on Aug. 15, Afghanistan's security forces collapsed in a matter of days, and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

The Biden administration has been forced to send thousands of troops to the war-torn country to assist with evacuation operations.

The G-7 members are Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, as well as the European Union. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, were also invited to the G-7 summit meeting on Tuesday.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 25, 2021 - 19:17 | All, Japan, World

Japan and Britain have held a joint naval drill in the Pacific Ocean south of Okinawa Island, Japan's Defense Ministry said Wednesday, as the two countries deepen defense cooperation amid China's growing military clout.

The drill, conducted on Tuesday, involved the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Ise and a strike group of the British aircraft carrier the Queen Elizabeth, marking the first time for the Royal Navy's largest warship to exercise with the Self-Defense Forces near the Japanese archipelago.

U.S. and Dutch naval vessels accompanying the British strike group also participated in the drill, according to the ministry.

In the exercise, which was open to the media, the F-35B advanced stealth fighter jets belonging to the U.S. Marine Corps and the Royal Navy took off from the Queen Elizabeth's ski ramp-like deck as part of the training.

The drill also involved F-15 fighter jets of Japan's Air-Self Defense Force and the U.S. Air Force.

Japan is considering deploying a total of 42 F-35B fighter jets in the future to an ASDF base in Miyazaki Prefecture in the country's southwest, according to the Defense Ministry.

"It is essential to strengthen cooperation with countries that share universal values, regardless of geographical distance," Rear Adm. Yasushige Konno of the MSDF told a press conference Tuesday.

When asked about the stealth fighter jets, Konno said, "At present, only the United States and Britain are deploying (the F-35B jets). It is very meaningful for us to be able to participate in a joint exercise and gather information."

The Queen Elizabeth and its strike group left Britain in May to showcase London's increased engagement in the Indo-Pacific in the face of Beijing's active presence in the East and South China seas.

The strike group is expected to make a port call at the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, in September.

Related coverage:

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British carrier strike group to make port calls in Japan in Sept.
New Delhi :

MJ Akbar, a Minister of State for External Affairs in Prime Minister Narendra Modis cabinet, on Wednesday relented to the pressure and resigned from the post after scores of women accused him of sexual harassment as part of the #MeToo movement. The news of Akbars resignation, after in initially refusing for it, brought relief to a section of women demanding the powerful minister to step down.

Reacting to the development, which looked highly unlikely after his previous statement and the move to file a defamation case against one of the accusers, while some called it a vindication of the allegations, others linked it to Maha Ashtami and said that goddess Durga has slayed the demon.

Below are the reactions of women on Akbars resignation:

Nirupama Menon Rao (Former Foreign Secretary): So glad that Minister MJ Akbar has resigned his post. His continuation was untenable and indefensible. A big shoutout to all the brave women journalists who called him out for his alleged, sickening and exploitative behaviour towards them.

Also Read | Watch: At Sabarimala Temple, policemen turn protesters, vandalise vehicles

Priya Ramani (One of the accusers): As women, we feel vindicated by MJ Akbar's resignation. I look forward to the day when I also get justice in court.

Khushbu Sundar (Congress Spokesperson): On Maha Ashtami, Devi Durga slays the demon. MJ Akbar gone. She also demanded MJ Akbar give up his Rajya Sabha seat too.

Suparna Sharma (Accuser): Akbar should have resigned immediately after returning to India instead of issuing a statement. When he issued the statement, it seemed as if it was government versus Priya Ramani. Now that he has resigned, it is Akbar vs Priya Ramani.

Harinder Baweja (Journalist): When Beti Bachao turned on its head, it became, Mantri Bhagao, Vote Bachao (Sack the minister, save the votes)... we see through it, we see through it.

Rekha Sharma (NCW chief): It definitely took some time coming because some inquiry must be going on, but finally they took the decision and that is what matters. I welcome this decision as I was looking forward to it.

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New Delhi:

As the sun sets on the Sabarimala mountain range on Wednesday, Lord Ayyappa Temple set atop a hill will open its door to devotees to perform monthly puja. But tension mounts at Nilackal - the main gateway to Sabarimala, as vehicles and women travelling to visit the temple were stopped, raising doubts about the possibility of women entering the holy place of worship. Nilackal base camp is located about 20 km away from Sabarimala hilltop. A meeting by The Travancore Devaswom Board, a temple body on Tuesday with various stakeholders including the Pandalam royal family and Ayyappa devotees failed to come to a conclusion on the matter, according to an NDTV report.

Heavy security was deployed near the base camp at Nilackal.

Kerala: Total 1000 security personnel, 800 men and 200 women, deployed at Nillekal and Pampa base. 500 security personnel deployed at Sannidhanam. Portals of the #SabarimalaTemple will be opened today. pic.twitter.com/yxjJ1CCWzq  ANI (@ANI) October 17, 2018

Also Read | Rampal Case: Self-styled godman gets life term for murder

For the first time, after the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups to enter the holy place, the Sabarimala Temple will open on Wednesday. However, tension looms large as temple devotees on Tuesday stopped vehicles and prevented women of the "banned" age group from moving forward to the Sabarimala temple located on the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats.

Women agitators, chanting 'Swamiya Saranam Ayyappa' and clapping their hands, were seen inspecting vehicles at various points en route to Sabarimala since Monday evening.

"No woman belonging to the banned age group of 10-50 will be allowed to travel further from Nilackal and offer worship at the shrine" when it opens for the monthly pooja tomorrow evening, a woman agitator was quoted by PTI as saying.

Read More | LIVE | Rahul Gandhi continues his temple run, prays at Gurdwara Data Bandi Chhor in Gwalior

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in an effort to ease the situation, told reporters that no one would be allowed to block devotees from proceeding to Sabarimala. After the five-day monthly puja during the Malayalam month of Thulam, the temple would be closed on October 22.

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Muzaffarnagar:

A local court sentenced a woman and her lover to life imprisonment for killing her husband here after he opposed their relationship.

Additional District Sessions judge Ravinder Kumar on Friday evening imposed a fine of Rs 7000 each on Raheesa and her lover, Rizwan, after holding them guilty under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence).

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He sentenced them to life imprisonment.

According to the prosecution, on June 15, 2010, the two accused killed her husband, Shahnawaz, who was a shopkeeper, after he opposed their affair.

Shahnawazs brother Islam had lodged a police complaint in the case following which an FIR was registered.
New Delhi:

The Patiala House Courts on Tuesday listed the hearing of Union Minister MJ Akbar's defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani to October 18. Akbar, who was accused of sexual harassment amid the raging #MeToo campaign against male predators, had on Monday filed a private criminal defamation complaint against Ramani.

Ramani recently accused the minister of state for external affairs of sexual misconduct as the #MeToo campaign took India by storm.

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Reacting to the accusations and allegations against him, Akbar had issued a statement on Sunday and said that he would take legal action against the accusers.

Taking Ramani to court, the former editor of a newspaper accused her of wilfully, deliberately, intentionally and malaciously defaming him and has sought her prosecution under the penal provision on defamation.

Also Read | #MeToo: Did MJ Akbar hire 97 lawyers to fight defamation case against Priya Ramani?

Ms Priya Ramani began this campaign a year ago with a magazine article. She did not, however, name me as she knew it was an incorrect story. When asked recently why she had not named me, she replied, in a tweet: Never named him because he didnt do anything.

If I didnt do anything, where and what is the story? There is no story. This was admitted at the very inception. But a sea of innuendo, speculation and abusive diatribe has been built around something that never happened. Some are total, unsubstantiated hearsay; others confirm, on the record, that I didnt do anything..., Akbar had said in the statement he issued on Sunday.

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New Delhi:

In what appears to be one of the most bizarre news related to the touchy topic of respect towards ones national anthem, a 21-year-old Chinese online star has been jailed for five days after singing the national anthem badly and insulting it.

The Shanghai Police punished Yang Kaili, who has more than 45 million followers, for appearing in a 10-second video on October 7 singing a snippet of the national anthem March of the Volunteers in her signature cutesy voice and waving her arms like a conducter.

Read More | LIVE | Rahul Gandhi continues his temple run, prays at Gurdwara Data Bandi Chhor in Gwalior

In a statement as quoted by The Telegraph, the Shanghai Police said: All citizens and organisations should respect the national anthem, and protect its integrity. Live-streaming webcast is not lawless territory and users should obey the law and uphold moral standards. The police will resolutely crack down on such behaviors that challenge the legal bottom line or public order and good social morals, in order to purify the Internets public sphere, the police added.

This prompted Yang to stop broadcasting online, to undergo patriotic education, and to reflect deeply on her misguided actions. My actions have deeply hurt everyones feelings. Sorry  so sorry  to my homeland, sorry to my fans, sorry to netizens, sorry to the online platforms, she said. I will deeply reflect, and fully accept ideological, political and patriotic education, and study hard on the National Anthem law and relevant regulations.

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Yangs detention is the first high-profile instance of Chinese authorities enforcing the anthem law. The anthem law is one manifestation of how Chinas government under President Xi Jinping has emphasized nationalism and ideological discipline while cracking down on dissenting speech - or even jokes, according to a report on NDTV.

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New Delhi:

Former Mizoram home minister R Lalzirliana, who was expelled from the Congress party last month is set to join the Mizo National Front (MNF) party, according to reports.

The former Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) vice-president submitted his resignation as legislator to state legislative assembly secretary S R Zokhuma on Friday.

The MNF has a slogan  For God and our country. The Congress party has the habit of mentioning God but the MNF has been walking with God. I have made a decision that I too, should walk the talk, unlike the party who had sacked me, R Lalzirliana told reporters.

Also Read | #MeToo: Alok Nath's wife submits written complaint seeking to register defamation case against Vinta Nanda

Lalzirliana, one of the most trusted aides of chief minister Lal Thanhawla, was expelled from the ruling Congress party on September 17 after which he announced his intention to join the Opposition MNF party.

On September 6, the Congress disciplinary action committee served show cause notice to former home minister Lalzirliana questioning his loyalty to the party. However, instead of replying to the show cause notice which he termed as baseless, the Tawi constituency MLA resigned from the post of Mizoram home minister and eventually axed him from the party.

Lalzirliana, the Tawi AC legislator for four terms, played a major role as initiator between the Mizoram government and Hmar Peoples Convention (D) outfit peace treaty, which saw massive development in law and security of the state.

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Meanwhile, according to reports, MNF is willing to allot Lalzirliana as partys official candidature for Tawi AC for November 28 polls if the former Congress leader joins them.

On the other hand, the Congress has already fielded Rosiamngheta, former councillor of the Aizawl Municipal Council as the official candidate of Tawi AC for the state assembly elections.

Mizoram will go polls on November 28.
New Delhi:

In another round of blame game over Rafale fighter jet deal, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Friday alleged that Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's three-day trip to France was a part of a huge government "cover-up" on the multi-crore Rafale 'scam'. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has refuted all such allegations and accused him of spreading lies on the Rafale fighter jet deal.

Lashing out at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Gandhi scion said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "is corrupt" and the "PM of Anil Ambani". His statement came on the heels of a French media report which states that aerospace major Dassault had to select Anil Ambani's company for the joint venture as a "mandatory" trade-off to win the 59,000-crore Rafale deal.

"It is absolutely clear that the prime minister is corrupt. I repeat, the prime minister of India is a corrupt man... and sadly, his entire campaign was on fighting corruption," Rahul said while addressing a press conference in the Congress office in Delhi on Thursday.

"He is actually not your prime minister. He is Anil Ambani's prime minister," the Congress chief said about Modi.

Gandhi's contention also included Sitharaman's visit to France, which according to him was part of a "huge cover-up".

"Now you see the defence minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, suddenly leaving for France... that too to visit Dassault... One wonders what the emergency is," Gandhi said.

Read | #MeToo: Congress President Rahul Gandhi says high time everyone learns to treat women with respect

The #GreatRafaleCoverUp has begun. To try and show the deal is legit, Raksha Mantri will need to generate minutes of imaginary meetings held between the French & our MOD & both sides will need to agree on a common story to be spun to the media.



RM left for France last night.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 11, 2018

"And let me make one more thing very clear... Dassault is sitting on a massive contract... It will obviously say whatever the Indian government wants it to say. But look at the internal documentation in Dassault... that makes it clear as to what had happened"," he added.

Hitting back at the Congress party, the BJP accused Gandhi of spreading lies on the Rafale fighter jet deal.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal dubbed him a "serial liar" in his address to the press in the national capital on Friday.

Repeating a lie "100 times will not make it a truth, the minister added.

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"Congress lied in Parliament too where Rahul Gandhi said he personally met French President and asked him about the secrecy of Rafale deal. It only shows the hollowness of knowledge that he does not know that secrecy pact was done in 2008 by then PM Manmohan Singh," Goyal reiterated.

Meanwhile, Sitharaman on Thursday held wide-ranging talks with her French counterpart Florence Parly and formulated strategies to deepen strategic and defence cooperation between the countries.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the Minister of Armed Forces of France, Florence Parly at the first ministerial meeting of the bilateral Annual Defence Dialogue between India and France in Paris held on 11 Oct. pic.twitter.com/TPBTm2S1tm  ANI (@ANI) October 12, 2018

During her visit to France, the defence minister also visited the Rafale manufacturing facility at the outskirts of Paris to take stock of the progress in the production of the 36 fighter jets for India.

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New Delhi :

Fairoz Khan, president of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI)  students wing of the Congress party, has resigned from his post following sexual harassment allegations by a party worker from Chhattisgarh.

The resignation of Khan, which was submitted on Monday evening, had been accepted by Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

A Congress worker from Chhattisgarh had alleged that Khan had sexually assaulted her and her sister and a few other women from the party. She had also lodged a police complaint against him at the Parliament Street police station in September.

Also Read | #MeToo: Did MJ Akbar hire 97 lawyers to fight defamation case against Priya Ramani?

The NSUI national president, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, has denied that charges of sexual harassment against him and said that he stepped down keeping in mind the partys interests.

Following the womans complaint, the Congress party had also constituted a three-member committee to look into the matter.

The Congress was under pressure to take action against Khan as it was demanded the resignation of BJP leader and junior External Affairs Minister MJ Akbar, who is also facing the similar allegations.

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New Delhi :

Undeterred by his defamation case against one of the 14 accusers in the raging #MeToo campaign, another woman has come out with the allegations of sexual harassment against Union Minister MJ Akbar.

Tushita Patel, also a journalist, alleged that Akbar had kissed her forcibly and once greeted her dressed only in his underwear. In an article published in the Scroll.in, Patel, who was part of the team that started the Asian Age, said that she was surprised by the "complete lack of contrition and attempt to victim shame".

Also Read | Beti Bachao from BJP leaders: Rahul Gandhi taunts PM Modi over MJ Akbar episode

"I am reading with indignation, but not surprise, about your complete lack of contrition, your lies, your facetious arguments, your lack of sensitivity in your attempt to victim shame and some remarkably stupid statements. If I don't speak up now, I feel I'll be complicit in your crimes," Patel wrote in the article.

Patel said that her first encounter with the journalist-turned minister was in 1992 when she was a trainee in the Telegraph  one of the newspapers Akbar headed. Expressing her ordeal, she said that Akbar had called her to meet him in his hotel room.

"You opened the door dressed only in your underwear. I stood at the door, stricken, scared and awkward. You stood there like the VIP man, amused by my fear... Does greeting a 22-year-old in a state of undress pass your test of morality? Is that not "doing" something?" she wrote.

In another incident, Patel said that the BJP leader had allegedly summoned her to his hotel room for some work and sexually harassed her.

"Suddenly you got up, grabbed me and kissed me hard - your stale tea breath and your bristly moustache are still etched in the recesses of my memory. I wriggled out and ran till I reached the road, jumped into an auto rickshaw and started crying."

#MeToo: Alok Nath sues Vinta Nanda over rape charges, demands Re 1 as damages - english.newsnationtv.com

She asked the Union Minister to stop lying and dared to see him in the court.

"...So please stop with the lying... And enough with the legal intimidation - we can see you in court too. We are not confused, conflicted or vulnerable any more. Our time to speak is now - when we don't have to run to a police station to lodge a complaint before anyone would give us a hearing."

MJ Akbar had been accused of sexual harassment by at least 14 women as part of the #MeToo movement gripping the country. He, however, denied the charges and even filed a defamation case against one of the accusers - Priya Ramani.

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Kolkata:

Five people died and 20 were injured on Tuesday as the bus they were travelling in fell into a canal in West Bengal's Hooghly district, the police said. The bus, heading for Kolkata, fell into the Dakatia Khal at Haripal, near Gojarmore at around 9 am, injuring 15 people, SP Sukesh Jain told PTI.

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The injured passengers were rushed to a hospital in Haripal.



Locals and policemen rushed to the spot for rescue operation which is underway.
New Delhi:

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders paid their last respects to party veteran N D Tiwari who passed away here after a prolonged illness.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad also paid their homage to the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand at his residence.

Tiwari, who was undergoing treatment at Max Super Speciality Hospital, breathed his last at 2.50 pm Thursday after he suffered a heart attack, hours after he turned 93.

Also Read | MeToo: Balika Vadhu fame Pratyusha Banerjees boyfriend Rahul Raj opens up on sexual harassment

He was admitted to the hospital in September last year after suffering a brain stroke. A team of doctors had been monitoring his condition.

In a statement, Max Healthcare had said, Tiwari was admitted at Max hospital, Saket for several months and was undergoing treatment for complications related to a brain stroke. He breathed his last at 2.50 pm today (Thursday).

His body will be taken to Lucknow Saturday afternoon and will be kept at the Vidhan Bhawan from 1 pm to 3 pm for people to pay their last respects, an official release issued here on Friday said.

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Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his ministerial colleagues will receive the mortal remains at the airport, it said.

Tiwari, who was considered close to Indira Gandhi, had served as a Union minister in several Congress-led governments. He had the unique distinction of having served as the chief minister of two states, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where his native place is located.

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Washington:

Saudi Arabia is considering an admission that journalist Jamal Khashoggi died during an interrogation that went wrong, US media reported on Monday.

Khashoggi, a Saudi national and US resident who became increasingly critical of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has not been seen since he walked into the kingdoms Istanbul consulate to sort out marriage paperwork on October 2.

Turkish officials have said they believe he was killed, a claim Saudi Arabia denies.

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But CNN cited two sources as saying the Saudis are preparing a report that will acknowledge Khashoggis death resulted from an interrogation that went wrong during an intended abduction.

One CNN source cautioned that the report was still being prepared and could change, while another said it will likely conclude the operation took place without clearance, and that those involved will be held responsible.

The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, said the kingdom is weighing whether to say that rogue operatives killed Khashoggi by mistake during an interrogation.

The Journal, like CNN, said the Saudi statement has not been finalized.

Khashoggis fate has troubled Washington and Saudi Arabias other traditional Western allies.

US President Donald Trump earlier Monday said he had spoken with Saudi Arabias King Salman who strongly denied the kingdoms involvement in Khashoggis disappearance.

It sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers. Who knows? the president said, describing the situation as terrible.

Trump dispatched his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the kingdom on Monday to find out first-hand what happened, what they know, whats going on.

He may go to Turkey. He may not, Trump said during a visit to Alabama.

Also Read | #MeToo: Alok Nath sues Vinta Nanda over rape charges, demands Re 1 as damages

He may meet with all of them together. But we want to find out what happened and hes got instructions to find out what happened.

Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency said Pompeo was expected in Turkey on Wednesday to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, after talks in Riyadh.

Prince Mohammed, 33, a son of King Salman, consolidated his control in June 2017 when he was named Crown Prince to replace his cousin, Mohammed bin Nayef, who was fired.COMMENT

Bin Nayef had extensive counter-terrorism expertise which had made him a favourite of previous American administrations.

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Washington:

The language people use in their Facebook posts can predict the future risk of depression as accurately as the tools clinicians use in medical settings to screen for the disorder, according to a study.

Analysing social media data shared by consenting users across the months leading up to a depression diagnosis, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Stony Brook University in the US developed an algorithm that could accurately predict future depression.

Indicators of the condition included mentions of hostility and loneliness, words like "tears" and "feelings," and use of more first-person pronouns like "I" and "me," researchers said.

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"What people write in social media and online captures an aspect of life that's very hard in medicine and research to access otherwise," said H Andrew Schwartz, principal investigator of the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"It's a dimension that's relatively untapped compared to biophysical markers of disease. Considering conditions such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD, for example, you find more signals in the way people express themselves digitally," Schwartz said.

The researchers identified data from people consenting to share Facebook statuses and electronic medical-record information.

They analysed the statuses using machine-learning techniques to distinguish those with a formal depression diagnosis.

Nearly 1,200 people consented to provide both digital archives. Of these, just 114 people had a diagnosis of depression in their medical records.

The researchers then matched every person with a diagnosis of depression with five who did not have such a diagnosis, to act as a control, for a total sample of 683 people.

The idea was to create as realistic a scenario as possible to train and test the algorithm, researchers said.

To build the algorithm, researchers looked back at 524,292 Facebook updates from the years leading to diagnosis for each individual with depression and for the same time span for the control.

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They determined the most frequently used words and phrases and then modelled 200 topics to analyse what they called "depression-associated language markers."

Finally, they compared in what manner and how frequently depressed versus control participants used such phrasing.

The researchers learned that these markers comprised emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal processes such as hostility and loneliness, sadness and rumination.

They could predict future depression as early as three months before first documentation of the illness in a medical record.

"There is a perception that using social media is not good for one's mental health, but it may turn out to be an important tool for diagnosing, monitoring, and eventually treating it," Schwartz said.

"Here, we have shown that it can be used with clinical records, a step toward improving mental health with social media," he said.
New Delhi:

Self-styled godman Rampal was awarded a life sentence on Tuesday by a Hisar court in connection with the two murder cases registered against him and 27 of his followers in 2014. Rampal is currently lodged in Hisars Central Jail-2.

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Rampal and the 27 others were booked on charges of murder and wrongful confinement after four women and a child were found dead in the Satlok Ashram on November 19, 2014. Another case was registered against the self-styled godman and his followers after a woman was found dead at his ashram in November 2018.

The Hisar administration has deployed forces to contain any violence. In August last year, another self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahims followers had unleashed violence in Hisar after the Dear Sacha Sauda chief was convicted of rape. As many as 30 people had died in the aftermath of the verdict and properties worth several crores destroyed.

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Rampal founded the Satlok Ashram in Karotha village of the Rohtak district in Haryana in 1999, based on his following from within the Kabir Panth.
Jaipur: A delegation of the Republic of Argentina led by the Argentine Ambassador to India, Hugo Javier Gobbi, met with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to Chief Minister.

Gehlot emphasized the possibility of cooperative cooperation between Argentina and Rajasthan during the meeting. He claimed that over the last two and a half years, the state administration has made a number of policy moves in favour of investors. RIPS-2019, MSME Act-2019, Rajasthan Industrial Development Policy-2019, Solar and Wind Energy Policy, and others are important policies and programmes. The One-Stop-Shop system has been implemented to increase investment in the state. Investment and entrepreneurship friendly atmosphere has developed in the state due to these policy reforms, he said.

Hugo discussed with Chief Minister about the possibilities of investment in agriculture, industry, tourism and mining sectors. He said companies from Argentina were interested in investment in sectors like Medical & Health, IT, lithium and silver exploration in the mining sector and batteries of e-vehicles. During the meeting, discussions were made regarding possibilities available for investment in tourism, agro-processing, agri-marketing, contract farming, animal husbandry etc. Apart from this information regarding increasing production of olive, date palm, pomegranate etc.

The Argentine team also included Agriculture Attache Mariano Beheran and Head of Commercial Department Denise Preguica Bozic. Ashok Gehlot attempted to hard-sell opportunities in Rajasthan, notably in the areas of tourism, manufacturing, and mining, which are the state's bright spots. Apart from agriculture, which is still the backbone of the local economy, these sectors drive Rajasthan's economy.

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The Indian and Kazakh armies will hold a 13-day military exercise beginning August 30. The military exercise will focus on counter-terror operations in mountainous terrain, the defense ministry said on Wednesday.

The military exercise named "KAZIND-21" will be conducted at a Kazakh training node in Aisha Bibi in Kazakhstan. The exercise will provide an opportunity for the Armed Forces of India & Kazakhstan to train for counter-insurgency/counter-terrorism operations in the mountainous. The military said a total of 90 personnel from the Bihar Regiment of the Indian Army will participate in the joint exercise. The scope of the exercise will include professional exchange, planning, and execution of operations in a counter-terrorism environment and sharing of expertise.

"The exercise will culminate after a 48 hours long validation exercise which will involve a scenario of neutralization of terrorists in a semi-rural hideout," the ministry said.

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Mr M came to Nepal from South America in March 2020. As Nepal was relatively free of the Covid-19 pandemic, he had come here on a holiday with his wife. But, a few weeks after his arrival, Nepal went on lockdown; the government cancelled all flights in and out of the country.

Stuck in Nepal with nowhere to go, the couple rented an apartment in Pokhara and decided to stay there until flights resumed. But, things did not change as much as they hoped they would. There were repatriation flights out of Kathmandu in August 2020, but those were few and far between and none of them flew to South America. While commercial flights did resume in late 2020, they were limited and tickets cost three times more than the actual fare.

We were stuck. There was no chance to get home, that is why we stayed here, says Mr M, who asked not to be called by his real name, fearing the governments wrath.

Mr M finally flew to Kenya on August 5, but the Department of Immigrations red stamp on his passport, banning him from Nepal for one year, has disappointed him.

It was quite hurtful because I love this place and have been coming here every year since 2014. I wished the government could be a bit compassionate, but I guess things are what they are, says Mr M.

This is not an isolated incident. Of late, many foreign tourists have had a red stamp issued on their passports barring them from Nepal for at least a year if they stayed beyond July 29, 2021. This has resulted in tourists having to fly to countries that offer them free visas. Some have flown to the Balkans where they have been getting free visas for a year while some have gone to Africa as Nepals immigration departments ever-changing rules drove them out of the country.

Ever-changing rules

File: Department of Immigration

Id have stayed had I been given the chance. Im still willing to come back, but sadly, this red stamp means I cant come till August 2022, says Mr M.

But, things have changed since he left on August 5.

On August 20, the Department of Immigration released a notice stating tourists who were stranded in Nepal even if their visa had expired could stay in Nepal until September 29. Even though the department says that this will be the absolute last that it is going to allow people to stay, with rules changing every month, tourists are puzzled if they want to leave or stay put.

I feel cheated in a way because this is unfair. Had I known this would happen, Id have happily stayed in Nepal, says Mr M.

But, it is not that the government has not shown any compassion. Upon orders from the Home Ministry, the department allowed people to be in Nepal for seven months, even though they can only be here for five months on a tourist visa. This came as a boon to many tourists who just could not afford to pay extortionate rates for flight tickets in 2020.

But, things changed in June. The department published a notice on its website asking tourists who had their visa expiring to leave the country by July 29, leaving people like Mr M in a pickle. According to the notice, if tourists did not leave Nepal by July 29, they would be barred from entering the country for a year.

Decrees and defences

File: A group of foreign tourists visiting Nepal

Like Mr M, Linda was red-stamped by the department before she left Nepal for the Balkans. She says it was quite uncalled for during the pandemic. Based in Pokhara, she went to the immigration office there time and again asking for a pardon, but that did not happen. But unlike Mr M, Linda only got banned from the country until December 2021.

The rules changed which resulted in us making that decision, says the departments spokesperson Jhanka Nath Dhakal. I know that it doesnt look nice but these decisions come from the Home Ministry. We are just a regulatory body that follows these decisions.

When asked if people like Linda or Mr Ms red stamp would be removed, Dhakal said that it was unlikely as a decision had already been made during that time.

Dhakal and other government officials say that even though they understand the tourists problems, they feel the visitors have had plenty of time to get away from Nepal. But, that has not been as straightforward as they claim it to be. Flights have not been regular as the Delta variant has spread throughout the world.

With most of them yet to be vaccinated, the tourists are scared to leave their bubble and travel abroad amidst the pandemic as they argue that a case-by-case basis needs to be implemented by immigration.

Linda, 65, was terrified to leave, as she had not been vaccinated. But, as the rules stated she had to leave, she did so with a heavy heart. I would have loved to stay there. But, sadly, the rules didnt allow for that to happen, she says.

New change but no solace

To make things easy (and complicated), the government has released a new statement last week, in which it writes that tourists can stay in Nepal until September 29. While some have cherished this, others are not as happy.

Ryan is an Australian citizen who cannot get to Australia anytime soon. Tickets cost as much as AUD 11,000, but his main problem is there is a long waiting list that only allows him inside his own country by November.

Im desperate to return, but I cant. I understand the Nepal governments stand, but Ill be red-stamped regardless. Its like being treated as a criminal, he says.

But, department officials say they are just following orders (from the Ministry of Home Affairs). Spokesperson Dhakal says the decision to extend the date to leave Nepal was made to ensure that tourists like Ryan who cannot go back to their countries have time to find alternate routes.

We are aware of this and have been holding meetings with the ministry regularly. We dont want people to feel that they are being cheated, says Dhakal.

Government change affecting immigration rules

File image: Ministry of Home Affairs

An official from the department tells Onlinekhar on the condition of anonymity that it is not in charge of the rules and that it comes from the ministry. The official says they do not want to be issuing these red stamps as it increases more paperwork for them.

Who wants to do more work, he says.

The official adds that they have been trying to raise this issue with the ministry for a long time, but due to ministers changing on a regular basis, their message gets lost.

We want to make it easy for the tourists, but for now we cant do anything because the government has just changed, and a new minister is at the helm. If they change things, we can make things easy for tourists; if they dont, there is nothing we can do, he says.

But, Phanindra Mani Pokharel, the Home Ministry spokesperson, says whatever the department is doing is as per the law. He does not want to accept that a concrete decision has not been made due to a new minister being appointed recently.

Weve been taking action against people who overstayed and sending them back. This is what is in the rule books, he says.
MONTREAL, Aug. 25, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Auxico Resources Canada Inc. (CSE: AUAG) is pleased to announce new test results that confirm the presence of high-grade rare earth metals at a distance of 1.6 kilometres from the initial discovery point on the Company-controlled property in the department of Vichada in Colombia. For reference, please see the new results under Sample #1 in the table below with a total rare earth oxide content of 55.03%. Results from the initial discovery point were the subject of a previous news release published by the Company on May 28, 2021, and they are presented in the table below under Sample #18 with a total rare earth oxide content of 56.81%.

Auxico Resources Canada Inc. (CNW Group/Auxico Resources Canada Inc.)

Rare Earth Element Symbol Sample #18 Sample #1 Sample #2



Grade (%) Grade (%) Grade (%) Cerium CeO2 31.09 33.53 38.70 Neodymium Nd2O3 9.49 7.64 7.73 Lanthanum La2O3 9.40 6.87 7.36 Praseodymium Pr6O11 2.44 2.02 4.53 Samarium Sm2O3 1.81 1.78 2.27 Gadolinium Gd2O3 0.75 0.97 1.38 Dysprosium Dy2O3 0.72 0.68 0.71 Yttrium Y2O3 0.50 0.14 0.05 Ytterbium Yb2O3 0.40 1.05 0.35 Erbium Er2O3 0.21 0.35 0.13 Total Rare Earth Oxide Content

56.81 55.03 63.21

Auxico signed a memorandum of understanding to earn a 70% interest in a joint venture for the exploitation and trading of industrial sands (tantalum ore) originating from properties in the department of Vichada, Colombia. Auxico's partner has an exclusive purchase agreement for industrial sands with the indigenous community Guacamayas-Maipore. The Company is pleased to report the discovery of high-grade rare earth metals at a distance of 9 kilometres from the Company-controlled property, within the 20,000-hectares permit area held by the indigenous community Guacamayas-Maipore. For reference, please see Sample #2 in the table above, with a total rare earth oxide content of 63.21%.

In the past week, the Company's Qualified Person ("QP"), Joel Scodnick, P.Geo., has taken 22 samples from 15 prospect pits, of which almost all of them contain red sands and gravels, as well as varying degrees of altered pegmatitic material. This area within the limits of the property measures 1.6 km long by 750 m wide and is open in all directions, thus measuring a minimum of 1.2 million square metres in area, Most of the pits bottomed out in water with the red sands and gravels still visible. Sample number 1 in this news release was selected from Area 50. The author re-sampled the two pits in Area 50 yesterday. The two channel samples taken were both in red sands and gravels and measured 1.35 metre thick and 3.6 metre thick, and both of these zones continue at depth.

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Auxico owns a license to a processing technology based on ultrasound, which has achieved 80%+ recoveries of both selected rare earth elements and the thorium content during a 2-hour long leaching time, as presented in the chart below.

Element Symbol Grade Recovery



(%) (%) Cerium CeO2 31.09 82.92 Neodymium Nd2O3 9.49 83.27 Lanthanum La2O3 9.40 82.97 Praseodymium Pr6O11 2.44 82.98 Samarium Sm2O3 1.81 83.26 Gadolinium Gd2O3 0.75 83.09 Dysprosium Dy2O3 0.72 80.79 Yttrium Y2O3 0.50 71.57 Ytterbium Yb2O3 0.40 66.64 Erbium Er2O3 0.21 73.16 Thorium ThO2 8.60 85.27

These results were the subject of a previous news release published by the Company on July 30, 2021. By using the ultrasound-assisted process, the level of radioactivity of 994 nanoSieverts per hour (nSv/h) recorded before the 2-hour leach was reduced to a dose rate of 3 nSv/h.

Sample #1 and sample #2 were analyzed by the laboratory Alpha 1 in Bogota, Colombia. All samples are panned concentrates of gravels, where sand has been washed away with water. The results presented in this news release are the grades of these panned concentrates and not of the total samples.

Uses of Cerium and Neodymium

Cerium is the most abundant of the rare earth elements and is used as a pigment and in incandescent mantles for gas lighting. The most important use for neodymium is in an alloy of iron and boron to make very strong permanent magnets. These neodymium magnets are used specifically in hard disc drives, mobile phones and video and audio systems.

About Auxico Resources Canada Inc.

Auxico Resources Canada Inc. ("Auxico") is a Canadian company that was founded in 2014 and based in Montreal. Auxico is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties in Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Additional information on Auxico can be found on the Company's website ( www.auxicoresources.com ) or on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ) under "Auxico Resources Canada Inc."

QUALIFIED PERSON

This news release was reviewed and approved by Joel Scodnick, P.Geo., an independent consultant to Auxico, in his capacity as a Qualified Person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101. The QP advises the reader to pay particular attention to the disclaimer shown below.

Disclaimer: The samples described above were not selected under the supervision of the Qualified Person, and therefore do not comply with National Instrument 43-101. These samples were shipped to a laboratory at Thetford Mines, Quebec, selected by Auxico. The QP is currently on site and is supervising a sampling program on most of the prospect pits that were recently established and where some results were disseminated in the Company's news releases. It is the opinion of the Qualified Person that the values presented above are not in compliance with NI 43-101. Because the chain of custody cannot be independently established from the above sample, the Company cautions the reader as to the reliability of the samples and the results thereof. The Company and the QP do not take any responsibility for the values presented in this press release and are being referred to for general information purposes only, and to demonstrate the potential that this property holds, which can only be established following due diligence by Auxico's QP.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 signed   signed 



Pierre Gauthier Mark Billings CEO, Auxico Resources Canada Inc. President, Auxico Resources Canada Inc. pg@auxicoresources.com mb@auxicoresources.com Cell: +1 514 299 0881 Cell: +1 514 296 1641

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release.

SOURCE Auxico Resources Canada Inc.

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Provider of SmartHub Customer Data Platform hires Europe and APAC executives and launches data hosting in Europe

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Blueshift , the leading AI-Powered Customer Data Platform, today announced the expansion of its SmartHub Customer Data Platform (CDP) in Europe and Asia Pacific (APAC) regions, adding to its proven success in North America. The company appointed two highly experienced executives, Stuart Gordon and Sumit Ramchandani to lead the expansion into Europe and Asia-Pacific (APAC) respectively. Additionally, Blueshift is launching an option for customers to host their data on European soil, further enabling customers to be compliant with the evolving privacy and security frameworks. The expansion to these new regions comes on the heels of Blueshift's $30M Series C financing round earlier this year.

Stuart Gordon, VP of EMEA at Blueshift

Blueshift's SmartHub CDP has been adopted by leading global brands including LendingTree, Discovery Inc., Udacity, and BBC among others, and has been shown to deliver 781 percent ROI in a recent study conducted by Forrester Research. Blueshift was recently named among the fastest-growing companies on Deloitte's Fast 500 Technology Awards , which lists the fastest growing technology companies in North America. Blueshift has been recognized as a leader in the CDP and Marketing Automation categories by G2.com.

Based in London, Gordon will oversee Blueshift's expansion efforts in the UK and Europe. He previously held leadership positions at iAdvize, Koomo, and Certona. Enabling European brands to activate their customer data with confidence, Blueshift is also announcing that new customers will have the option of hosting their data in Europe.

Ramchandani, who will spearhead Blueshift's APAC expansion efforts, will be based in Singapore. Prior to joining Blueshift, Ramchandani was the CEO at Air Asia Media, and previously held leadership roles at Leo Burnett, Ebay, and Macy's.

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Blueshift currently works with several fast-growing companies in the Europe and APAC regions, including Discovery Inc, Paypal, Groupon, and many others. In a recent conversation with Gordon , on the topic of using customer data to drive higher engagement, Fredrik Salzedo, the Director of Retention at Discovery said, "Blueshift has increased our show-to-show engagement by 3X by personalizing the content at a 1:1 level."

"As brands across the world are experiencing an increased urgency towards digital transformation, we saw a great opportunity to introduce the SmartHub CDP to the Europe and Asia Pacific regions," said Blueshift's Co-Founder & CEO, Vijay Chittoor. "The deep expertise and impressive track records Stuart and Sumit bring to Blueshift align perfectly with our mission, and we are excited to have them come aboard at this time of explosive growth."

About Blueshift

San Francisco-based Blueshift helps brands deliver relevant, connected experiences across every customer interaction. The Blueshift SmartHub CDP uses patented AI technology to unify, inform, and activate the fullness of customer data across all channels and applications. Through unified data, omnichannel orchestration, intelligent decisioning, and unmatched scale, Blueshift gives brands all the tools they need to seamlessly deliver 1:1 experiences in real-time across the entire customer journey.

The company is backed by leading venture capital investors, including Fort Ross Ventures, Avatar Growth Capital, SoftBank Ventures Asia, Storm Venture Partners, and Nexus Venture Partners. For more information visit blueshift.com .

Sumit Ramchandani, Managing Director, APAC at Blueshift

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1600265/Stuart_Gordon.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1600266/Sumit_Ramchandani.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/844872/Blueshift_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Blueshift
WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubb has appointed Richard Barnett Executive Vice President, head of North America Construction Surety. In this capacity, Mr. Barnett will be responsible for the underwriting, strategy and product management of construction surety products and services offered through Chubb's global large accounts segment.

Richard Barnett appointed Head of North America Construction Surety

Chubb is the fifth largest surety underwriter in the U.S., representing more than 70 of the Engineering News Record top 400 contractors. The business offers a wide variety of surety products and specializes in underwriting both commercial and contract bonds and has the capacity for bond issuance on an international basis.

Based in Whitehouse Station, N.J., Mr. Barnett will report to Stephen Haney, Vice President, Chubb Group, and Division President North America Surety, and Chief Underwriting Officer, Global Surety.

"Rich has close to four decades of global surety experience, with 35 years of them being at Chubb," said Mr. Haney. "Having someone of his caliber and global underwriting experience in this role will help us continue to provide qualifying firms the surety capacity needed to support a wide range of projects."

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Barnett served as Surety Director of Engineering and Construction, where he had underwriting responsibility for Chubb's large construction clients. He began his career at Chubb in 1986 as a Surety Underwriter, and throughout his tenure at Chubb has held a number of leadership roles with increasing responsibilities in North America and internationally. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and economics from Wartburg College, Waverly, IA, and holds a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation.

About Chubb

Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: chubb.com.

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Chubb Insurance Company of Canada has offices in Toronto, Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver and provides its products and services through licensed insurance brokers across Canada. For additional information, visit: chubb.com/ca.

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SOURCE Chubb
One of the worst disasters in a summer full of extreme weather events  the Western European flooding in July  was made significantly more likely and more intense due to the impact of human-caused climate change, new research shows. More than 200 people lost their lives when rivers overflowed and roared through towns in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, washing away structures that had been standing for hundreds of years.

A Belgian government minister described the flood as "one of the greatest natural disasters our country has ever known." As much as two months' worth of rainfall fell in just two days, with some locations picking up nearly 8 inches.

The new study from a team of international scientists at World Weather Attribution has found that the European flooding event  even in today's heated climate  would only be expected to occur once every 400 years in that part of the world. The study also found that the flood event was between 1.2 times and 9 times more likely than it would have been without climate change, and our warmer climate made it up to 19% more intense.

And the researchers warn, "these changes will continue in a rapidly warming climate."

Rainfall totals from the mid-July European flood event in millimeters. / Credit: World Weather Attribution

The factors the study takes into account involve fairly straightforward science. For instance, it's well understood that a warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor and dump more rain. The relationship is simple: for every 2 degrees Fahrenheit increase in global temperature, atmospheric water vapor increases by 8%.

In addition, the attribution study uses climate models to analyze local effects like the impact on convection (downpours) due to a warmer atmosphere. The study can then use computer modeling to compare heavy precipitation in today's heated atmosphere with what they call a counter-factual world  one with cooler, pre-industrial-level temperatures. The difference between the heated and not-heated world tells scientists how impactful climate change has become.

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While these numbers are impressive in their own right, they don't tell the whole story. That's because assessments like these focus on statistical and climate model analysis, which do not take into account the climate change impact on large scale weather patterns, like atmospheric steering currents known as the jet stream.

Climate change and the jet stream

The jet stream is a narrow river of air in the upper atmosphere which is responsible for steering storms around the globe and also separating cold air masses from warm air masses. In the case of the European floods there's no debate that a very abnormal jet stream was a significant factor.

The jet stream at the time, from July 12 to 15, was so elongated, wavy and unstable that a piece of it broke off, forming what is called a cut-off low. These type of lows move very slowly, often dumping heavy precipitation over the same areas for a prolonged period of time.

You often hear us talk about the wavy jet stream. Heres a good illustration of how this manifests in extreme weather, connecting the Europe flooding to the Heat Dome in the US West. Some scientists have found a connection between climate change and a more ampd - wavy jet 1/. pic.twitter.com/4rEZNHL3mg

 Jeff Berardelli (@WeatherProf) July 17, 2021

Cut-off lows like the one in Europe can and do happen naturally. But they are made more likely when the jet stream is slower and more wavy. Many climate scientists believe that a warmer climate is indeed making the jet stream slower.

In 2018, Penn State climate scientist Dr. Michael Mann published a paper about changes in persistent extreme summer weather events, coining the rather technical term quasi-resonant amplification (QRA), which refers to large scale weather patterns that are more likely to be semi-stationary due to a warmer climate.

In an email to CBS News, Mann says although he doesn't see evidence that QRA contributed to this flood event, "There's no question that the overall slowing down of the summer jet stream did play a role."

Mann calls attribution studies like this one "extremely conservative" and says that since its modeling doesn't appear to have taken this factor into account, "it is likely understating the role climate change likely played here."

Why was the impact of warming on the jet stream not included in the World Weather Attribution analysis? Simply put, jet stream dynamics are extremely complicated and hard to replicate in climate models. The jet stream also exhibits tremendous day-to-day and year-to-year variability in terms of its location, speed and degree of waviness. This makes determining the impact of climate change on the jet stream extremely challenging, especially for a rapid study like this.

The extent to which climate change is causing the jet stream is become slower and more "wavy" is one of the hottest debates in the climate community. There's one camp of scientists who buy into a concept called the wavy jet stream  the idea that because the temperature contrast from the poles to the tropics is lessening, the jet stream slows down and becomes more meandering and curvy. There's another camp, just as big, who disagree.

Although there is still no clear winner in this climate debate yet, there is one study, coincidentally published just two weeks before the European floods, which seems to be especially applicable. In their research, the authors not only take into account changing rain rates due to increased moisture and convection, but also the change in steering currents in the atmosphere.

Using extremely high resolution climate simulations, the authors were able to show that a future increase in precipitation extremes across Europe happens not only because of more moisture, but also due to slower storm movement of storms, which increases their duration in a given location. What they describe bears a striking resemblance to what happen in mid-July.

"Our results suggest such slow-moving storms may be 14x more frequent across land [in Europe] by the end of the century," the study concludes. The authors say the main reason seems to be a reduced temperature difference between the poles and tropics, which weakens upper-level winds, especially in the fall.

But this impact of a slower, more amplified jet stream reverberates all around the globe. This past weekend in the U.S., record-breaking rainfall occurred both near the path of Henri in the New York City area and to a much larger degree in western Tennessee, where more than 17 inches of rain fell in 24 hours  a new state record.

Following a weekend of record-breaking rain after #Henri made landfall, @WeatherProf breaks down how climate change is intensifying these naturally occurring weather patterns. pic.twitter.com/iDNtam1OA8

 CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) August 23, 2021

The Tennessee flooding, which claimed at least 22 lives, was not caused by a large weather system. Rather, it was caused by a very narrow band of heavy rain which got stuck over one small area for an extended period of time.

The result was an extremely rare event  one that would be expected to happen less than once every 1,000 years.

As seen in the graphic below, this can be blamed on a blocked weather pattern  a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam in the atmosphere  which extended well into the Atlantic Ocean and even Greenland. When nothing can move, heavy rain bands persist in the same spot.

This summer has featured a very amplified and wavy jet stream across the globe. One aspect of this type of pattern is a blocked flow, in which systems get stuck for extended periods of time. / Credit: CBS News

While the connection between climate change and extreme weather is still hard for science to put an exact number on, what this summer has made abundantly clear is that greenhouse warming from the accumulation of carbon emissions is amplifying extreme weather all over the globe. These extremes will only increase at a faster rate as the climate continues to warm.

48 Hours preview: The Circleville Letters

Vice News correspondent details his experience in Kandahar as the Taliban took control

U.S. processing thousands of Afghan evacuees at air base in Germany
Gage Cannabis Co. Logo (CNW Group/Gage Cannabis Co.)

Two-year extension of licensing agreement to 2026 provides Gage with the exclusive rights in Michigan to cultivate, manufacture, and distribute Cookies products as well as operate Cookies branded dispensaries

DETROIT, Aug. 25, 2021 /CNW/ - Gage Growth Corp. ("Gage" or the "Company") (CSE: GAGE), a leading high-quality premium cannabis brand and operator in Michigan, today announced that they have entered into an amended and new licensing agreement with Cookies, one of the most well-respected, top-selling and premier cannabis brands extending their partnership from 2024 to 2026.

The amended licensing agreement with Cookies will extend its exclusive partnership for another two years on top of the original five-year exclusivity and will introduce "Cookies Corners", a store-within-a-store concept to the state of Michigan. The deal provides Gage and Cookies with full coverage of the Michigan market, with a target goal of opening 12 Cookies branded retail dispensaries and Cookies Corners in all Gage stores by the end of 2024. The Company expects that this extension will establish Michigan as the strongest Cookies market outside of California.

Cookies Logo (CNW Group/Gage Cannabis Co.)

"We are excited to continue this journey with the Cookies family as we extend our exclusive licensing agreement," said Fabian Monaco, CEO of Gage. "We look forward to continue working with the entire Cookies team to produce and supply the best cannabis products in Michigan, now, and for years to come."

This announcement solidifies the partnership held between Gage and Cookies in Michigan. The Company will continue to evaluate further partnership opportunities with Cookies in other markets in the United States.

"After performing at the Michigan cannabis cup a few years ago, I got a chance to really understand how important the Michigan market was to the industry and shortly after, chose Michigan as the first state to open a Cookies store outside of California," said Berner, Co-Founder and CEO of Cookies. "Since then, we have developed an amazing relationship with Gage and they fully understand and respect the vision, brand, and standards when it comes to quality. With the Cookies Detroit 8 Mile location being one of our highest performing stores, we have decided to expand Cookies' footprint throughout the state. The Michigan market has welcomed us with open arms and for that I'm extremely humbled. We are working on developing exclusive menus for Michigan and we can't wait to release them in our new stores."

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About Gage

Gage Growth Corp. is innovating and curating the highest quality cannabis experiences possible for cannabis consumers in the state of Michigan and bringing internationally renowned brands to market. Through years of progressive industry experience, the firm's founding partners have successfully built and grown operations with federal and state licenses, including cultivation, processing and retail locations. Gage's portfolio includes city and state approvals for 19 "Class C" cultivation licenses, three processing licenses and 15 provisioning centers (dispensaries).

For more information about Gage Growth Corp., visit www.gagecannabis.com or www.gageinvestors.com.

Instagram: @gagecannabis

Facebook: @gageusa

Twitter: @gagecannabisco

About Cookies

Cookies, founded in 2008 by Berner (the prolific Bay Area rapper and entrepreneur) and his partner Jai (a Bay Area breeder and cultivator) is more than a premier cannabis company; it is an authentic lifestyle brand with passionate fans all over the world. The company went mainstream in 2011 and has grown its business through the combination of globally recognized premium genetics, popular culture resonance, and social media influence. Cookies is constantly engaged in new breeding projects to launch differentiated brands and has quickly built a grassroots cult following while remaining loyal to its brand promise: authenticity and genetics innovation.

Today, Cookies is one of the most well-respected and top-selling cannabis brands in California and throughout the world. The company and its product are recognized globally and offer a collection of over 150 proprietary cannabis varieties and product lines including indoor and sungrown flower, pre-rolls, gel capsules, vape cartridges, CBD Flower and medicinal mushrooms. Cookies' seed-to-sale business allows for complete quality control at every stepfrom cultivation and production to customers' end retail experience. With a deep commitment to restorative justice and progressive drug policy, Cookies actively works to enrich communities disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs through advocacy work and social equity initiatives.

Cookies Social:

Instagram: @realcookiesenterprises

Twitter: @cookiesglobal

Facebook: @Cookies_Global

Caution Regarding Cannabis Operations in the United States

Investors should note that there are significant legal restrictions and regulations that govern the cannabis industry in the United States. While legal in certain states, cannabis remains a Schedule I drug under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act, making it illegal under federal law in the United States to, among other things, cultivate, distribute or possess cannabis. Financial transactions involving proceeds generated by, or intended to promote, cannabis-related business activities in the United States may form the basis for prosecution under applicable U.S. federal money laundering legislation. Investors should carefully read the risk factors and disclosures contained in the offering circular prepared in connection with the Offering before making any decision to invest in the Company.

Explanatory Note Regarding the Company's Operations

References in this news release to the Company and its operations and portfolio are inclusive of the operations and assets of certain licensed cannabis operators that operate under the Gage brand pursuant to contractual arrangements with the Company. For additional information, please refer to the Company's long form prospectus dated March 26, 2021 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as, "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "expect", "anticipate", "believe, "intend", "plan", "forecast", "project", "estimate", "outlook" and other similar expressions, and include statements with respect to future growth of the Michigan market, future partnerships with Cookies and future product offerings of Gage. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management in light of management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors relevant in the circumstances, including assumptions in respect of current and future market conditions, the current and future regulatory environment; and the availability of licenses, approvals and permits.

Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information including, but not limited to, those risks disclosed in the Company's long form prospectus dated March 26, 2021 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

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SOURCE Gage Cannabis Co.

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BERLIN (Reuters) - German exports to China declined for the first time in nearly a year in July, easing by 3.9% year-on-year to 8.4 billion euros ($9.9 billion), the statistics office said on Wednesday.

That was the first decline in exports to China, Germany's second biggest sales market outside the European Union, since August 2020, and it was the biggest slump since May 2020, when the world was gripped in the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Exports to the United States grew by 15.3% to 10.8 billion euros, the statistics office said.

($1 = 0.8516 euros)

(Reporting by Rene Wagner; writing by Maria Sheahan; editing by Riham Alkousaa)
DUBLIN, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Digital X-Ray Systems Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Research and Markets Logo

The global digital x-ray systems market is evaluated at US$5,631.180 million for the year 2019 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.03% to reach a market size of US$7,425.844 million by the year 2026.

Digital radiography utilizes X-ray imaging, through a digital image capture device where digital X-ray sensors are used instead of traditional photographic film. Digital X-ray systems produce diagnostic images by interacting with human tissues. The generated images can be obtained, modified, deleted, and shared over a network of computers. The primary factor driving the digital X-ray system market is growing incidents of cardiovascular, orthopedic, and dental disorders around the globe. Advancement in technologies, efforts to provide better healthcare facilities, and an aging population is also fuelling the demand for digital X-ray systems. However, expensive diagnostic tools have curtailed market growth to some extent. Geographically, the APAC region will drive the global market for Digital X-Ray equipment on account of heavy investments in healthcare infrastructure whereas America will also be driven by the growth in digital X-ray systems on account of rising incidents of injuries and accidents coupled with growing awareness of these systems among the target population about its uses in the region.



Furthermore, some of the key factors responsible for the market growth include, such as the increasing occurrence of orthopedic diseases and cancers, the increasing number of serious injuries, the advantages of digital X-ray systems over conventional X-rays, technological advancements, and product development. Digital X-ray devices use digital x-ray sensors instead of films to capture images. This results in an immediate preview of the images that ultimately improves time efficiency and capacity to digitally transfer images.



The major advantages of digital imaging are cost-effectiveness and easy accessibility. The hospitals can cut the cost by lowering the film price, reducing the requirement of storage space, and decreasing the number of people required to run the services and archive sections. The images are also instantly available for distribution to the clinical services without the time and physical effort needed to retrieve film packets and reviewing previous imaging on a patient is much easier. This factor majorly impacts the positive growth of the digital X-ray devices market. Digital X-rays expose approximately 70-80% less radiation than conventional X-rays. This is hugely beneficial for the long-term health of patients, especially pregnant women or patients who are already suffering from illness, thus ensuring safety. With the help of digital X-rays, dentists can now easily recognize oral issues, which is leading to a declining need for an invasive investigation at the diagnosis stage. Additionally, digital radiography safely stores patient X-rays, resulting in no loss from the holders.



The market has been significantly driven by the increasing health expenditures done by several governments in order to enhance the technological advancements in the sector.



The advent of COVID-19 had a positive impact on the digital x-ray systems market given the rise in the cases from the disease which increased the demand for digital x-rays during the period. The COVID-19 pandemic has turned on the spotlight on diagnostic imaging, particularly on digital X-ray devices. Digital imaging plays a key role in the diagnosis of COVID-19 and indicates the affected lung tissue in infected patients. In Dec 2020 Agfa HealthCare launched its new SmartXR for X-ray Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Digital Radiography portfolio to assist with the radiology routine, which has proven important during the COVID-19 crisis. Thus, because of the ongoing pandemic, the digital X-rays devices market is expected to be positively impacted by COVID-19 accurate diagnosis and treatment.



Due to the increase in the number of dental disorders, cardiac disorders, cancers especially breast cancer, there is an increased demand for digital X-ray devices globally. As per American Heart Association in 2017, approximately 17.8 million death occurred due to cardiovascular diseases in the United States, and this number is expected to grow to more than 22.2 million deaths by 2030 in the United States. The increasing incidence of cardiovascular diseases surges the demand for imaging devices with precise diagnosis and hence Digital X-ray devices acquire their importance in this context.



The advancements in technology and increasing product approvals, along with partnerships and collaborations by key players are helping in the market growth. For instance, in June 2020, Nanoxand SK Telcom entered into a partnership agreement to deploy 2,500 Nanoxdigital X-ray Systems into South Korea and Vietnam. Also, in Nov 2020, Hologic, Inc., received a CE mark for its Genius Digital Diagnostics System, which consists of a digital imager for image acquisition, an AI algorithm for analyzing images, an image management server for storing images for Cervical Cancer Screening. Thus, all the aforementioned factors are currently augmenting the growth of the digital X-ray devices market.

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Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction



2. Research Methodology



3. Executive Summary



4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis



5. Digital X-Ray Systems Market Analysis, by Technology

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Direct Radiography

5.3. Computed Radiography



6. Digital X-Ray Systems Market Analysis, by Portability

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Handheld Systems

6.3. Portable X-Ray Systems

6.4. Mobile X-Ray Systems

6.5. Floor-to-ceiling Mounted Systems

6.6. Ceiling Mounted Systems

6.7. Fixed Digital X-Ray Systems



7. Digital X-Ray Systems Market Analysis, by End user

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Hospitals

7.3. Diagnostic Centres



8. Digital X-Ray Systems Market Analysis, by Application

8.1. Introduction

8.2. Cardiovascular Imaging

8.3. Chest Imaging

8.4. General Radiography

8.5. Dental

8.6. Mammography

8.7. Orthopaedic

8.8. Others



9. Digital X-Ray Systems Market Analysis, by Geography

9.1. Introduction

9.2. North America

9.2.1. USA

9.2.2. Canada

9.2.3. Mexico

9.3. South America

9.3.1. Brazil

9.3.2. Argentina

9.3.3. Others

9.4. Europe

9.4.1. Germany

9.4.2. France

9.4.3. UK

9.4.4. Others

9.5. Middle East and Africa

9.5.1. Saudi Arabia

9.5.2. UAE

9.5.3. Others

9.6. Asia Pacific

9.6.1. China

9.6.2. India

9.6.3. Japan

9.6.4. South Korea

9.6.5. Taiwan

9.6.6. Thailand

9.6.7. Indonesia

9.6.8. Others



10. Competitive Environment and Analysis

10.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

10.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness

10.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations

10.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix



11. Company Profiles

11.1. Carestream Health

11.2. Fujifilm Holdings Corporation (Fujifilm Medical Systems)

11.3. GE Company (GE Healthcare)

11.4. Hitachi, Ltd.

11.5. Hologic, Inc

11.6. Koninklinje Philips NV (Philips Healthcare)

11.7. Shimadzu Corporation

11.8. Siemens Healthineers

11.9. Canon Medical Systems Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)

11.10. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd (Samsung Healthcare)



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/f0zkhy

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



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SOURCE Research and Markets
NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global interior doors market is estimated to witness massive growth in forecast period, due to rapid increase in demand for better home furnishing. The Asia Pacific region to foresee significant growth by 2028.

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Research Dive in its latest published report estimates that the Global Interior Doors Market will generate $102,543.4 million and exhibit a CAGR of 6.3% from 2021 to 2028.

Market Dynamics: Interior Doors Market

The rising demand for renovation activities in the commercial and residential sector, and the growing disposable income of people leading to increasing demand for better home furnishing are the factors projected to foster the growth of the global interior doors market during the analysis period. In addition, e-commerce is increasingly utilized in the building and furnishing materials which is boosting the market growth. Moreover, technological advancements in the interior doors such as the prominence of augmented reality (AR) is estimated to create massive opportunities for the growth of the global market by 2028. However, the high investment & installation costs associated with interior doors is expected to restrict the market growth in the estimated timeframe.

Request to Download Sample Report of Interior Doors Market

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Interior Doors Market

The COVID-19 outbreak has negatively impacted the global interior doors market during the pandemic. The decreasing growth of the market is majorly attributed to disruption in supply chain of raw materials and decreasing demand for furnishing products from the residential and commercial sectors. In addition, the delay in ongoing construction projects due to lockdown restrictions imposed by various countries has adversely impacted the market.

Key Segment Findings of the Market:

The research report segments the global interior doors market into door type, material, mechanism, and region.

Based on door type, the bypass sub-segment valued for $14,829.4 million in 2020 and is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period. The considerable growth of the sub-segment can be due to the surging demand for space saving doors in the commercial and housing sectors.

Based on material, the wood sub-segment accounted for $17,169.1 million in 2020 and is anticipated to hold the largest share in the global industry by 2028. This growth is attributed to the increasing utilization of wood in furnishing as it is the most important building materials used in the residential and commercial construction sectors around the world.

Access our comprehensive analysis of the Impact of Interior Doors Market

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Based on mechanism, the swinging sub-segment accounted for $21,397.7 million in 2020 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.7% over the forecast period. This is majorly due to lesser maintenance cost and cost-effectiveness of swinging doors.

Based on region, the Asia Pacific market for interior doors is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 6.7% and reach up to $44,042.4 million by 2028. This is primarily attributed to increasing disposable income of people and rapid industrialization in the region. In addition, the surging demand for interior doors from the residential sector to drive the regional market growth.

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Top 10 Key Players of Interior Doors Market

The prominent players of the global interior doors market include 

1. PGT Innovations, Inc.

2. Hormann International Inc.

3. JELD-WEN, Inc.

4. Masonite

5. ASSA ABLOY

6. MI Windows and Doors, LLC

7. Simpson Door Company

8. Cornerstone Building Brands, Inc.

9. ANDERSEN CORPORATION

10. PELLA CORPORATION.

These players are focusing on mergers, collaborations, product development, and launches to gain a competitive in the global market.

In July 2020, Lualdi, a luxury Italian brand for interior doors, announced the launch of minimalist sliding doors in India. The L7 Plus sliding glass doors are an unparalleled combination of engineering and creativity. Enquire and Get Quick Access to Top Companies Development Strategies Summary Report

More about Industrial Refrigeration Market:

Related Trending Topics:

1. Doors Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2028 - Request to Download Sample Report

2. Industrial Refrigeration Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212028 - Request to Download Sample Report

3. Butterfly Valves Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212028 - Request to Download Sample Report

About Research Dive



Research Dive is a market research firm based in Pune, India. Maintaining the integrity and authenticity of the services, the firm provides the services that are solely based on its exclusive data model, compelled by the 360-degree research methodology, which guarantees comprehensive and accurate analysis. With an unprecedented access to several paid data resources, team of expert researchers, and strict work ethic, the firm offers insights that are extremely precise and reliable. Scrutinizing relevant news releases, government publications, decades of trade data, and technical & white papers, Research dive deliver the required services to its clients well within the required timeframe. Its expertise is focused on examining niche markets, targeting its major driving factors, and spotting threatening hindrances. Complementarily, it also has a seamless collaboration with the major industry aficionado that further offers its research an edge.

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SOURCE Research Dive
Figure 1

Location map for Caribou Gold Project

Location map for Caribou Gold Project

Completed four drill holes targeting based on recent geological model

Core logged, sampled and sent to the lab for analysis

Historical Mine Average Grade ~14 g/t Au



VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MegumaGold Corp. (CSE: NSAU) (MegumaGold or the Company), is pleased to announce that drilling has been completed at the Caribou gold project (Caribou or the Project). Maritime Diamond Drilling Ltd. of Brookfield, Nova Scotia has demobilized their EF-50 rig. Approximately half the drilling, in two NQ-sized diamond drillholes, twinned important historical drillholes, half were step-out and in-fill drillholes. These drillholes may also improve on the widths of quartz vein zones where previous drilling campaigns did not account for good grades within vein wall zones. A total of 4 diamond drillholes in 620 metres were completed on August 10th. The first shipment of samples were received on 17th August, with the remainder arriving soon at Activation Laboratories Ltd. Samples will be tested for gold by Fire Assay with a portion checking the presence of other elements by ICP.

The Caribou Project

The Project consists of 16 contiguous mining claims (256 hectares) located 80 km northeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia and is approximately 12 kilometers on existing roads from St Barbara Minerals Moose River Consolidated operating mill. (Figure 1). Nova Scotia government records for the Caribou Gold District indicate that the area produced slightly over 100,000 ounces of gold between 1869 and 1955.

The main styles of gold mineralization currently defined is in the area of the past-producing Holman Mine. This was the largest historical mine in the Caribou Gold District and was operated by Consolidated Mining and Smelting Ltd. (Cominco) between 1932 and 1947. The main source of gold production was a plunging quartz stockwork zone developed over a vertical distance of approximately 220 meters and along a length of approximately 400 meters. Subsequent exploration by Seabright Exploration Inc. in the 1980s identified additional parallel, gold-bearing stockwork zones that to date have not been fully delineated by drilling. A northwest-trending structural corridor that crosses the northeast-trending Caribou Anticline controls the location of the plunging stockwork zones. Cominco also mined several bedding-parallel quartz veins, the most notable of which was the High Grade Vein. The reported average gold grade during Comincos production period is ~14 g/t.

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Theo van der Linde, President of the Company stated Now that we have completed our first drilling program on Caribou Gold Project, I am excited to receiving the assay results which I believe will confirm that the Company was on the right track when it acquired this asset. I look forward to the next steps in advancing this great project.

Figure 1 is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/71abe643-0d51-4405-9f31-e19451ec69bf

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release was reviewed by Fred Tejada, P.Geo, an officer and a director of the Company, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101).

On behalf of Board of Directors

Fred Tejada

Chief Executive Officer and Director

MegumaGold Corp.

For more information contact, please contact Junita Thakorlal, Investor Relations, at info@megumagold.com or +1 (604) 687-2038.

About MegumaGold Corp.

MegumaGold Corp. (CSE: NSAU, OTC: NSAUF, FWB: 2CM2) is a Canadian junior gold exploration company engaged in the business of acquiring, exploring, and developing natural resource properties. MegumaGold has centered its exploration focus on the Meguma Supergroup of Nova Scotia that hosts the producing Touquoy Gold Mine plus several other advanced-stage gold deposits. As a result, MegumaGold has assembled a strategically positioned, district-scale tenure position of 151,633 hectares within the Meguma Gold District. For additional information, please visit MegumaGolds website: http://www.MegumaGold.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this presentation, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to MegumaGold within the meaning of applicable securities laws including, without limitation economic estimates and any statements related to estimated mining costs. MegumaGold provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to exploration findings, results and recommendations, as well as those risks and uncertainties identified and reported in MegumaGolds public filings under its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although MegumaGold has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. MegumaGold disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.




Smartglass solutions improve training effectiveness to reduce labor and costs, supporting food quality, consistency and operational efficiency for quick service restaurants

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The foodservice industry is navigating an unprecedented wave of change in the wake of COVID-19, pushing quality assurance front and center. A recent survey of more than 600 foodservice professionals revealed that nearly 90% of food safety managers, operations managers and franchise managers say COVID-19 has made it harder to recruit and retain employees, with nearly 40% of respondents unsure if food in their restaurants consistently meets corporate standards1. NSF EyeSucceed is a transformational training modality that uses Augmented Reality (AR) paired with wearable smartglasses to improve both virtual and in-person training, consistency and operational efficiency, contributing to better experiences for employees and consumers.

NSF International Logo

NSF EyeSucceed co-founders Tom Chestnut and Jennifer Tong applied their more than 40 years of collective foodservice experience to develop a solution that addresses the growing demand for AR capabilities in the restaurant industry.

"The need for smart solutions that are cost effective has been growing for years. Following the pandemic, the food industry is seeking even more ways to leverage new technologies to improve training and efficiency while maintaining quality and consistency," said Tom Chestnut, Co-Founder of NSF EyeSucceed. NSF EyeSucceed provides foodservice businesses with a customized suite of applications, helping to keep pace with the rapid hiring and increased consumer demand that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic."

Another finding from the survey revealed that 51% of quick service restaurant (QSR) brands say AR could make training faster and 40% say AR could reduce human error.

"Our proof-of-concept testing and implementation in five global markets has proven that NSF EyeSucceed delivers transformational solutions," said Jennifer Tong, Co-Founder of NSF EyeSucceed. "We are encouraged by the wide use of applications for this technology to truly transform the foodservice industry  from decreasing the need for in-person visits to vastly improving employee training. For foodservice managers, this means reduced costs while also enhancing food quality and safety for both employees and consumers."

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Wendy's is a long-time leader in quality assurance and is focused on continuously evolving its programs to drive industry innovation. As such, the company was among the first to investigate AR for this use and to pilot smartglasses using NSF EyeSucceed.

"Since introducing NSF EyeSucceed to our suite of quality assurance tools in 2020 through a pilot program, our team at Wendy's has experienced greater efficiency in our food safety and supplier oversight practices, from product evaluations to audit improvements," said Jorge Hernandez, Vice President of Quality Assurance at Wendy's. "This hands-free solution has been especially useful throughout the pandemic, as it's provided connectivity between sites and deepened supplier relationships, despite travel restrictions around the world. As a result, we've seen time and cost savings and positive feedback from our employees and supplier partners. We look forward to completing the pilot program, including testing the glasses for employee training, and scaling up key learnings."

NSF EyeSucceed enables:

Enhanced Training and Wearable Learning: Hands-free smartglasses can be used to train employees at workstations for shorter onboarding and on-the-line accuracy, allowing for immediate product sale and food waste reduction and higher retention of training material.

AR-Fueled Corrective Intelligence: NSF EyeSucceed applies next-generation AR solutions to detect human error, driving quality, consistency and cost efficiency. Use of the solution can monitor a product such as a burger being made the exact same way, no matter where you are in the world.

Anytime, Anywhere Maintenance: NSF EyeSucceed assists workers to keep machinery in top working order with intuitive instruction available on-demand and at the point of need. Frontline workers can install, set up and maintain equipment via livestream, and connect with technical experts to diagnose and fix issues with the aim to avoid asset downtime and technical travel time.

Hands-free Tools: NSF EyeSucceed supports greater efficiencies in food safety by making self-audits, reporting and inspection easier with hands-free technology and digitizing documentation for everything from task checklists to inventory management, without the need for app or web development.

Remote Work: The technology eliminates the need for travel and on-site visits by offering real-time remote audits, inspections, tech support and collaboration while maintaining quality and safety expectations. This was proved especially helpful during COVID-19 lockdowns when travel was restricted.

Another leading QSR saw the following results when using NSF EyeSucceed:

Training costs reduced by ~65% and employee satisfaction with training increased by 83%

Training accuracy improved by 50%; improved retention and confidence over traditional platforms

75% savings in maintenance costs and lost revenue.

NSF EyeSucceed is supported by Glass Enterprise Edition 2 and runs on Google Cloud's secure, flexible and stable cloud infrastructure. As the only Glass Provider for the food industry, NSF EyeSucceed uses the most advanced smartglass technology to deliver NSF's custom food industry software applications and patents, created specifically to optimize back-of-house operations. NSF EyeSucceed is currently in the top five of Google's top 10 Glass Enterprise Edition deployments and it is now implementing at scale. NSF is part of Google Cloud's Partner Advantage Program and will be listed on its Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Connect network.

For more information on NSF EyeSucceed, visit https://www.nsf.org/eyesucceed.

For media inquiries, please contact Anj Oto at media@nsf.org or +1 (734) 773-4194.

Glass and the related logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

About NSF International

NSF International is an independent, global organization that facilitates the development of standards, and tests and certifies products for the food, water, health sciences and consumer goods industries to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment. Founded in 1944, NSF International is committed to protecting human health and safety worldwide. With operations in 180 countries, NSF International is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre on Food Safety, Water Quality and Indoor Environment.

About Wendy's

Wendy's was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Dave built his business on the premise, "Quality is our Recipe," which remains the guidepost of the Wendy's system. Wendy's is best known for its made-to-order square hamburgers, using fresh, never frozen beef*, freshly-prepared salads, and other signature items like chili, baked potatoes and the Frosty dessert. The Wendy's Company is committed to doing the right thing and making a positive difference in the lives of others. This is most visible through the Company's support of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and its signature Wendy's Wonderful Kids program, which seeks to find a loving, forever home for every child waiting to be adopted from the North American foster care system. Today, Wendy's and its franchisees employ hundreds of thousands of people across more than 6,800 restaurants worldwide with a vision of becoming the world's most thriving and beloved restaurant brand. For details on franchising, connect with us at www.wendys.com/franchising. Visit www.wendys.com and www.squaredealblog.com for more information and connect with us on Twitter and Instagram using @wendys, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wendys.

*Fresh beef available in the contiguous U.S., Alaska and Canada.

About Google Glass

Glass Enterprise Edition 2 is a wearable device that helps businesses improve the quality of their output, and help their employees work smarter, faster and safer. It provides hands-on workers and professionals with glanceable, voice-activated assistance that is designed to be worn all day with its comfortable, lightweight profile.

1 A random sample of n=680 workers and decision makers including restaurant managers, employees, food safety/quality managers, operations managers/directors and franchise managers in the UK, China, India and US were surveyed in May 2021. The study was double-blind and fielded by Lucid, a global leader in managed survey sample. The margin of error for this study was +/-3.76% at the 95% confidence level.

CONTACT: Anj Oto

media@nsf.org

+1 (734) 773-4194

NSF EyeSucceed can be used for worker training, quality assurance, and more.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1330631/NSF_International_Logo.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1601180/Zeno.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1601189/NSF_EyeSucceed_Logo.jpg

SOURCE NSF International
NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine recently revealed that Rocky Mountain West Insurance is No. 755 on its annual list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

Rocky Mountain West Insurance Logo

"I believe the ability to provide others an opportunity to build their own successful business is the greatest achievement anyone could aspire to." - Uwe Philip Kirch, President/CEO.

Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year's list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020's unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September 2021 issue of Inc.

"The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people."

Based in Grand Junction Colorado Rocky Mountain West Insurance ranked 13th in within the insurance industry nationally and 31st overall among Colorado companies. Since 2005 it has become a critical distribution channel for their carriers, and formidable opportunity for insurance professionals seeking to build their own independent agency.

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CONTACT: Trout Kirch trout@rockyquote.com

Inc. 5000 Methodology

Companies were ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. Companies meeting the required revenue thresholds also must have been founded by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent. Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

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SOURCE Rocky Mountain West Insurance
HANGZHOU, China, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 18th, 2021, Sunon officially signed a contract to confirm the construction of its Mexican plant in Hofusan Industrial Park, which marks another step towards its globalization endeavors, following the establishment of the US subsidiary and flagship showroom.

Sunon USA Experience Center (Irvine, CA.)

Established in 1991, Sunon is a global office furniture solution provider that places great importance on manufacturing, R&D, marketing, and customer service with over 4000 employees around the world. Apart from a National Industrial Design Center in Hangzhou, Sunon also established a European R&D Center in Germany. For now, Sunon has obtained more than 1200 global patents and 30 European and American Design Awards. Its domestic sales network has covered both the first-tier and second-tier cities, and its overseas business network has expanded to over 110 countries and regions. Considering that the USA is the largest office furniture-consuming market, Sunon's manufacturing plant in Mexico will greatly bridge the distance between American consumers and Sunon products, prompting it to become a leading office furniture brand in North America.

"Building a factory in Mexico echoes not only with the requirements for rapid development but also with our 'global' manufacturing strategy." - Mr. Ni Liangzheng, Chairman, Sunon. Sunon's entry into Hofusan Industrial Park will promote the process of localization and speed up production and delivery. With years of cooperation with multiple robotic companies, Sunon has made great progress in intelligent production, and the new plant will also be equipped with cutting-edge machinery and technologies and set a benchmark for smart production.

Mr. Wang Licheng, chairman of Holley Group, said in his speech that Hofusan witnessed the cooperation between Holley Group and Futong Group to create a leading industrial hub for the North American market. The industrial park's infrastructure and services have been rapidly improved, which laid a solid foundation for Sunon's plant to go into operation as soon as possible. The alliance between two powers will surely facilitate the industrial up-gradation of the local area and help achieve the common development goals of the two parties.

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Sunon plans to build a highly automated and intelligent manufacturing facility. It will cover an area of 130,000 square meters and will focus on the production of panel furniture, chairs, tables, and sofas. Meanwhile, upholding the principle of "globalized mindset and localized operation", Sunon will continuously go hand in hand with its business partners to solve the logistical and supply chain issues faced by customers and make people around the world have easier access to high-quality office furniture products.

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SOURCE Sunon Group Co., Ltd.
MioTech, a sustainability data and solutions start-up, is planning to double its headcount in the region to 300 after bagging new funding from investors including Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC, as it anticipates strong demand from Asian companies looking to reduce carbon emissions.

The Hong Kong-based start-up announced on Tuesday that it has raised new capital from GIC and Chinese investment bank Guotai Junan International. The two add to a list of early investors that also includes HSBC, venture capital firms Horizons Ventures and Zhenfund, and rating agency Moody's.

"We are seeing a paradigm shift in the global financial markets, whereby economic growth will increasingly be fuelled by sustainable technology and away from the mobile internet sector," said chief executive Jason Tu in a Zoom interview with the Post. "The need to reduce carbon emission will broaden out to many industries beyond just the heavy polluters."

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Tu declined to reveal the amount GIC and Guotai Junan have invested in the firm, which uses artificial intelligence to help companies with their environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting and with tracking carbon emissions. According to Crunchbase, a venture capital data provider, MioTech had raised a total of US$7 million from its previous five rounds of financing since 2016.

The addition of GIC and Guotai Junan has helped raise MioTech's profile among institutional investors, and among prospective Chinese issuers, Tu said. "Some of the existing investors" will also make follow-on investments over the next two months, he added.

With 150 people currently employed in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, Tu said some of the new headcount will be in Singapore as it sees strong demand from banks and other companies there looking to report on their ESG efforts or install equipment to track their carbon emissions.

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In China, MioTech estimates the ESG data market is worth about US$6 billion now the country's national carbon exchange in Shanghai has gone live, opening up more collaboration opportunities with Chinese carbon exchanges and other financial institutions.

Beijing has committed to achieving peak emissions before 2030 and net zero emissions by 2060.

In Hong Kong, MioTech claims to be the biggest sustainable technology provider with an ESG database covering over a million private and public companies, and more than 700 verified data points.

"We have hired a good number of data scientists in Hong Kong. We expect that Hong Kong can play an active role in carbon emission trading in the Greater Bay Area," said Tu, referring to the area comprising nine Chinese cities, Hong Kong and Macau that has been designated by Beijing for innovation-driven development.

Tu's comments come after plans announced in July for the Securities and Futures Commission and the Hong Kong stock exchange to collaborate with the city's accounting watchdog on a road map to adopt new climate-related financial disclosure standards. He declined to say whether MioTech is involved with the regulators' work.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2021 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2021. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
ZURICH, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Switzerland has proposed a new mechanism to review and approve corporate takeovers by foreign countries or state-backed investors, responding on Wednesday to pressure from parliament to review the country's unrestricted access.

A government statement did not name specific countries, but calls to limit Chinese investment have increased since state-owned ChemChina bought Swiss agrichemicals group Syngenta in 2016 for $43 billion.

"The main threats are likely to come from investors close to the state. Accordingly, takeovers by foreign state or state-affiliated investors in all sectors should have to be reported and approved," the Swiss cabinet said in laying out principles for draft legislation.

It has yet to define the areas in which private foreign investors should face approval requirements for takeovers.

Free-market Switzerland has long opposed investment controls, arguing its open-door policy ensures Swiss companies get the capital and expertise needed to prosper and create jobs.

It said potential threats include companies that might fail to provide an indispensable service, dependence of the Swiss military on arms suppliers, public reliance on information technology suppliers, access by a malicious actor to sensitive personal data, or significant distortions of competition.

Switzerland will still seek to preserve its openness to foreign investments and its attractiveness as a business centre, the government said. It will also ensure that investment controls are compatible with international law.

The draft legislation should be available by the end of March for public comment, the government said. (Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Mike Harrison)
World's only robot capable of cleaning freely on curved surfaces. Over 30 patents registered in 16 countries including the US

Selected as government project supervising company-started 'developing technology for processing organisms attached on a ship's hull'

Most highlighted maritime SME, CEO Kim Yusik, "contributing to environment-friendliness of the maritime industry"

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "We have commercialized an economical and environment-friendly underwater robot cleaning system for the first in the world." Awarded the new technology representative certification in the mechanics field by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy the next year after its establishment, Tas Global, led by CEO Kim, is showing solid technological strength.

Tas Globals industrial diver

Hull Cleaning with Robots

Hull Cleaning Robot cleaning ships surface. On the left is the filtration system which cleans microorganisms and microparticles in 3 stages

The hull cleaning robot of Tas Global attaches strongly and softly on ships underwater and on the water surface. It is the only robot capable of cleaning while moving freely on curved surfaces. The robot is operated by various sensors and 8 cameras facing all directions. While the robot's body weighs 200kg, it moves smoothly by maintaining positive buoyancy. An in-house developed portable filtration system of Tas Global, connected to the robot's body, can clean microorganisms and microparticles in 3 stages.

Selected as supervising company for government project of 'ship hull attached organisms processing technology development'

With the world's first and best technology, Tas Global was selected as the supervising company of this year's government project 8 years after its establishment.

The company was selected as the supervisor of the research project 'Development of Technology for Processing Organisms Attached on Ship's Hull" executed for the 'clean sea, rich fish field' national policy assignment of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

In this project, supported with 16.3 billion KRW during 5 years, institutions including Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering(KRISO), Korea Register(KR), Korea Maritime Institute(KMI), Korea Testing & Research Institute(KTR), Korea Marine Equipment Research Institute(KOMERI), Snsys, Proxy Healthcare, Safetech Research, etc. jointly participated.

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The commissioned institutions are Korea Maritime University, Changwon University and Gyemyeong University, while the beneficiary organization is HMM.

Additionally, as an international treaty on cleaning ships in water using new technologies would be drafted and enacted jointly by International Maritime Organization(IMO), United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) and Global Environment Facility(GEF) within 3 years, the successful performance of this assignment has become crucial than ever.

Prior to this, Tas Global joined the international industry association of IMO's The GloFouling Partnerships Project as the first in East Asia to set its environment-friendly robot technology as an international standard.

When the international treaty established, maritime shipping companies must have organisms attached to the underwater body of ships removed and maintain the organism attachment at a state below a certain level (minor seaweeds).

Tas Global is evaluated as the most competitive, being the only company that has developed and commercialized a robot technology that attaches on the ship's surface and moves without slipping. It registered over 30 patents in 16 countries, namely the US and Europe.

Safety of industrial divers of highest priority, "will prepare an environment-friendly ship cleaning standard"

Tas Global is attentive to the safety of industrial divers. Robot work emerges on large areas and standardized works, but underwater repairs occur on small areas and are of irregular nature. Thus, divers focus on works requiring precision.

Tas Global prepared an internal safety guideline exceeding the safe diving equipment and complementing the manpower structure specified in the occupation safety and health acts. Its another goal is to consistently invest in the procurement of highly-priced industrial diving equipment to normalize the Korean industrial diving system, which has not been sensitive enough to safety so far.

Based on such technological capability, Tas Global has signed a contract with HMM on robotic underwater ship cleaning and diving works in 2020 and has continued until today. Tas Global is also closely working with international major shipping companies such as CMA CGM, and Inchcape.

Mr. Kim, CEO, stated: "to contribute in the environmental friendliness of maritime industries, we have completed the world's best-class economical and environment-friendly underwater robot cleaning system" and that "Tas Global will contribute to the development of shipping industries by providing the standards for environment-friendly underwater ship cleaning in the future as well".

Angela, +82 51 416 8702, sales@usmtas.com

SOURCE Tas Global
OVERLAND PARK, KS, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II (NYSE: SNPR) (TortoiseCorp II), a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company, today announced that its shareholders voted to approve the previously announced business combination with Volta Industries, Inc. (Volta Charging), an industry leader in commerce-centric electric vehicle (EV) charging networks with over 1,700 EV chargers across 24 territories and states, and all other proposals presented at TortoiseCorp IIs extraordinary general meeting of shareholders (the Extraordinary General Meeting) held on August 25, 2021.

Approximately 96% of the votes cast on the business combination proposal at the Extraordinary General Meeting were in favor of approving the business combination. TortoiseCorp II plans to file the results of the Extraordinary General Meeting, as tabulated by an independent inspector of election, in a Current Report on Form 8-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) today.

Subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the other customary closing conditions, the business combination is expected to close on August 26, 2021. Following closing, TortoiseCorp II will change its name from Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II to Volta Inc. and its common stock and warrants are expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbols VLTA and VLTA WS, respectively, on August 27, 2021.

About TortoiseCorp II

TortoiseCorp II is a special purpose acquisition company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. TortoiseCorp IIs expertise spans across the entire energy and infrastructure value chain. TortoiseCorp IIs strategy is to combine with a company to take advantage of the global opportunities created by the energy transition including clean energy generation and storage, alternative fuels and transportation, technological advances and changes in energy policies. To learn more, visit www.tortoisespac.com.

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About Volta Charging

Volta Charging is an industry leader in commerce-centric EV charging networks. Volta Chargings vision is to build EV charging networks that capitalize on and catalyze the shift from combustion-powered miles to electric miles by placing stations where consumers live, work, shop and play. By leveraging a data-driven understanding of driver behavior to deliver EV charging solutions that fit seamlessly into drivers daily routines, Volta Chargings goal is to benefit consumers, brands and real-estate locations while helping to build the infrastructure of the future. As part of Volta Chargings unique EV charging offering, its stations allow it to enhance its site hosts and strategic partners core commercial interests, creating a new means for them to benefit from the transformative shift to electric mobility. To learn more, visit www.voltacharging.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The information in this press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, regarding TortoiseCorp IIs proposed acquisition of Volta Charging and TortoiseCorp IIs ability to consummate the transaction are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the words could, should, will, may, believe, anticipate, intend, estimate, expect, project, the negative of such terms and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on managements current expectations and assumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, TortoiseCorp II disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release. TortoiseCorp II cautions you that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of TortoiseCorp II. In addition, TortoiseCorp II cautions you that the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are subject to the following factors: (i) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could delay the business combination or give rise to the termination of the agreements related thereto; (ii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against TortoiseCorp II or Volta Charging; (iii) the inability to complete the business combination due to the failure to satisfy other conditions to closing in the transaction agreement; (iv) the risk that the proposed business combination disrupts TortoiseCorp IIs or Volta Chargings current plans and operations; (v) Volta Chargings ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the business combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition and the ability of Volta Charging to grow and manage growth profitably following the business combination; (vi) costs related to the business combination; (vii) changes in applicable laws or regulations; and (viii) the possibility that Volta Charging may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described in this press release, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and plans could different materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Additional information concerning these and other factors that may impact the operations and financial results of TortoiseCorp II and Volta Charging can be found in TortoiseCorp IIs periodic filings with the SEC, including TortoiseCorp IIs Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the SEC on May 6, 2021 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the six months ended June 30, 2021 filed with the SEC on August 13, 2021, as well as TortoiseCorp IIs definitive proxy statement/prospectus filed with the SEC on August 2, 2021. TortoiseCorp IIs SEC filings are available publicly on the SECs website at www.sec.gov.

Investor Contact:

Morrow Sodali LLC

Donna Corso or Ryan Loveless

(800) 662-5200

(Banks and Brokers call collect at (203) 658-9400)

SNPR.info@investor.morrowsodali.com






WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - A U.S. representative from Illinois has urged President Joe Biden to consider using federal emergency powers to save two struggling nuclear power plants in his state as their owner edges closer to shutting the first one next month.

Representative Adam Kinzinger, a Republican, asked Biden in a letter sent late on Monday to consider using powers under the Defense Production Act (DPA) or the Federal Power Act (FPA) to keep the plants open until federal or state subsidy programs can make them economically viable. Copies were sent to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and other top officials.

Exelon Corp Chief Executive Christopher Crane said early this month the company plans to shut the nuclear reactors at Byron in September and Dresden in November unless an Illinois or federal program comes to the rescue.

The DPA, enacted in 1950 during the Korean War, allows the U.S. government to direct private companies to produce certain goods to meet the nations national security needs.

Kinzinger said under the FPA, Granholm could submit a proposal to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requesting that it determine an emergency exists and require the plants to stay open.

"The decisions you and your administration make on these matters in the days ahead will have a substantial impact on the future of America's energy and climate policy," Kinzinger said in the letter https://kinzinger.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=402796.

The United States has 93 nuclear reactors, down from 104 in 2012, as aging plants face rising security costs and competition from electricity generated from plentiful natural gas, and wind and solar power. Still, they are the country's top source of emissions-free power generation.

The White House, the Energy Department and Exelon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Illinois has been debating a clean energy package that includes subsidies for nuclear power. The bill has been bogged down by requirements to shut power plants fueled by coal and natural gas, but the state legislature is expected to consider a slimmer version of the bill on Aug. 31.

White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy has said that existing U.S. nuclear plants in many areas are going to be "absolutely essential" to reach Biden's goal of making the power grid emissions free by 2035. The administration has supported using taxpayer subsidies to keep nuclear plants from closing and such a measure is in its infrastructure legislation. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner and Scott Disavino in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler)
WARSAW, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Poland's largest national park, the Biebrza National Park is a natural treasure on the map of Europe and one of the last valleys in Europe not destroyed by man. Meanwhile, approximately 40% of the land does not belong to it. The Polish Zubr brand is working towards securing this priceless area  in cooperation with the park authorities, Zubr is helping to buy land that should be actively protected.

The Zubr beer brand helps buy land for Biebrza National Park in Poland to protect endangered species (PRNewsfoto/Zubr and Biebrzanski Park Narodowy)

This is also a brands response to the postulates of the European Union and the United Nations calling for giving lands back to nature in order to stop the climate and environmental crisis. In keeping with this trend and with reference to the alarming United Nations report from August of this year, the Polish Zubr beer brand decided to help the authorities of the Biebrza National Park to protect areas that are priceless for endangered species of animals. That is why Zubr has embarked on long-term cooperation with the Biebrza National Park, in order to recover plots of land that are lying on its territory.

Approximately 500 million m of water has accumulated in the wetlands of the Biebrza Valley, one of the last valleys in Europe not destroyed by man. The marshes cool the climate, are islands of biodiversity, act as natural air conditioners and, in addition, constitute a unique habitat for protected species of birds that are admired by the whole of Europe. However, more than 40% of the Biebrza National Park still belongs to private owners and the park staff are unable to conduct appropriate nature conservation activities there, such as protecting habitats, regulating tourist traffic and preventing the destruction of nature as a result of the development of agriculture or construction.

"The protection of habitats is the most effective measure for nature, and not the protection of species. The protection of habitats is critical for an endangered species of birds to remain in the given area. Because it not only nests there, but also feeds, brings its chicks to the water and rests during migration. While farming is not appropriate protection of these habitats, namely appropriate de-bushing, mowing, etc. This will ONLY be possible if we acquire these lands for the Park and protect them properly" says Wodzimierz Wroblewski, Deputy Director of the Biebrza National Park.

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Buying land is the priority for the Biebrza National Park, but it is a long and costly process. The involvement of the Zubr brand means this process can be accelerated. The first of the planned plots has already been purchased with funding from the brand and thus has enlarged the Biebrza National Park's ownership of the area.

The activities of the Zubr brand take place at a time when no new national park has been established in Poland for 20 years. The average area of national parks in the European Union is approximately 3.4% of the country's area, whereas they only constitute 1.1% in Poland. Meanwhile, more than 70% of Poles surveyed are in favour of increasing the area of national parks.

The activities in the Biebrza National Park are a part of consistent implementation of the mission of Zubr brand belonging to Asahi Europe, which is based on the active support of wildlife species by reinvesting some of its profits in them. It pursues this mission in the most valuable natural regions of Poland. It supports various nature conservation initiatives  long-term initiatives, such as cooperation with the Biaowieza National Park, and those that require quick action, such as assistance during fire in the Biebrza Valley.

"The Zubr brand was created 18 years ago around the symbols of Polish nature. In the brand's advertisements, the brand hero  Zubr (representative of the European bison)  plays the role of the Guardian of the Forest, who cares for all of its inhabitants. As our brand draws from the world of Polish nature, we feel responsible for actively supporting its protection," says Urszula Czerniawska-Kapeluch, Senior Brand Manager of the Zubr brand.

In 2019, the Zubr brand donated a million zlotys to the protection of endangered species; in 2020 it funded specialist equipment worth 1 million zlotys for the Biaowieza National Park, while a further million will be donated this year to the battle for the preservation of wildlife in its most natural form.

For more information on the Fund's activities please visit: www.funduszzubra.pl

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1601609/Zubr_and_Biebrzanski_Park_Narodowy.jpg

Cision

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SOURCE Zubr and Biebrzanski Park Narodowy
Gains visibility to achieve reliable performance at scale

HAIFA, Israel, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- proteanTecs, a global leader in deep data solutions for advanced electronics, announced today that Uhnder, a pioneer in digital imaging radar sensors for ADAS and next-generation mobility applications, has selected the company's Universal Chip Telemetry (UCT) monitoring solution to provide actionable insights and predictive data about the performance, quality, and reliability of its radar-on-chip, through all product development and usage cycles.

proteanTecs UCT for reliable performance at scale

proteanTecs provides deep data based on Universal Chip Telemetry (UCT), introducing visibility from within. Their cloud-based analytics platform applies machine learning algorithms to measurements extracted from on-chip monitors, strategically placed during design to provide a high coverage, high resolution picture of the system's health and performance throughout its lifecycle. Chip manufacturers and Tier1s can reduce DPPM (defect parts per million), optimize system performance, and manage reliability margins. Once deployed in the field, OEMs can perform data-driven OTA updates, ECU fault diagnostics, and predictive maintenance, with alerts on faults before failures.

Curtis Davis, Uhnder CTO and co-founder, said: "The automotive industry needs better sensing with high reliability to reach truly effective ADAS and full autonomy. proteanTecs' UTC deep-data monitoring provides Uhnder with critical visibility, along with predictive performance tracking, during production and while the system is in mission mode."

"Uhnder has built the power and flexibility of digital processing into their radar sensors," said Gal Carmel, proteanTecs GM Automotive. "This enables complete programmability, while allowing for precise digital imaging radar perception. By embedding proteanTecs' UCT, Uhnder will be able to reinforce the performance and reliability profiles needed for series production at scale."

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About Uhnder

Uhnder is the leader in digital perception radar technologies for automotive and next-generation mobility applications. Based on digital code modulation, Uhnder's fully software-defined radar-on-chip (RoC) and sensor modules enable highest-resolution digital perception for ADAS, AV, and logistics automation systems. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Uhnder is the only supplier of digital imaging radar chips and systems. For more information, visit www.uhnder.com and follow Uhnder on LinkedIn.

About proteanTecs

proteanTecs develops revolutionary Universal Chip Telemetry (UCT) for electronic systems throughout their entire lifecycle, increasing their performance and reliability. By applying machine learning to novel data created by on-chip UCT Agents, proteanTecs provides meaningful insights and visibility unattainable until today, leading to new levels of quality, reliability and scale. Founded in 2017, the company is headquartered in Israel with offices in New Jersey, California and Taiwan. For more information, visit: www.proteanTecs.com.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1600798/proteanTecs_UCT.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/844547/proteanTecs_Logo.jpg

proteanTecs Logo

Press Contact

Tamar Naishlos, Media Relations

tamarn@proteanTecs.com

SOURCE proteanTecs
Insiders are cashing out from Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (SPCE). Among them is Richard Branson. I am bearish on the stock.

Branson sold about $300 million worth of the companys shares, according to a regulatory filing, via his company Virgin Investments Ltd. (See SPCE stock charts on TipRanks)

Insiders are Selling; Analysts Say Hold

Insider selling is usually a bearish sign for a stock, as insiders have better knowledge than the public about the economic and financial situation of the underlying company.

Nonetheless, according to 11 Wall Street analysts following the stock, Virgin Galactic is a Hold. The average SPCE price target of $36.67 implies 38.5% upside to current trading levels.

TipRanks' Smart Score rating system doesnt support the analysts bullish sentiment. Virgin Galactic scores a 2 out of 10, indicating that the stock is likely to underperform the overall market.

Additionally, the company has reported a string of losses, as it has plenty of costs to reckon with and no revenues from operations.

An Ambitious Enterprise with Many Challenges

Virgin Galactic is an ambitious enterprise. It develops spacecraft to take tourists around space, and has made significant progress in fulfilling this ambition.

Heres a statement from Michael Colglazier, CEO of Virgin Galactic, following the announcement of the second-quarter results, ended June 30, 2021.

In the second quarter, we made meaningful progress towards commencing commercial service in 2022. We successfully completed two spaceflights from New Mexico  the latest carrying a full crew of mission specialists in the cabin and garnering an extraordinary global media and consumer response. In addition, we received FAA approval to expand our existing launch license, marking the first time the FAA has licensed a Spaceline to fly customers to space.

"Leveraging the surge in consumer interest following the Unity 22 flight, we are excited to announce the reopening of sales effective today, beginning with our Spacefarer community. As we endeavor to bring the wonder of space to a broad global population, we are delighted to open the door to an entirely new industry and consumer experience.

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There has been a great deal of excitement among momentum investors upon seeing Virgin Galactic reach yet another milestone towards commercialized space travel.

However, this excitement should be tempered due to a couple of challenges. Finding enough adventurous, wealthy individuals eager to go to space is one.

There are also the heavy investments the company must undertake to reproduce its advantage, a significant problem for airlines, which have been poor investments. Not to mention the dozens of government rules and regulations the company must comply with to keep its flights in the sky, and beyond.

Lastly, theres the risk of accidents that cool off enthusiasm for space traveling, and the companys shares.

Summary and Conclusions

Virgin Galactic is a young company, with grand ambitions and many challenges. Its shares are more like a long-term call option, rather than a stake in a value-creating enterprise.

Insider selling should temper investor enthusiasm for Virgin Galactics shares. The company has a long way to go to create meaningful revenues and prove to Wall Street that its business model is working.

Disclosure: At the time of publication, Panos Mourdokoutas did not have a position in any of the securities mentioned in this article.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article represents the views and opinion of the writer only, and not the views or opinion of TipRanks or its affiliates, and should be considered for informational purposes only. TipRanks makes no warranties about the completeness, accuracy or reliability of such information. Nothing in this article should be taken as a recommendation or solicitation to purchase or sell securities. Nothing in the article constitutes legal, professional, investment and/or financial advice and/or takes into account the specific needs and/or requirements of an individual, nor does any information in the article constitute a comprehensive or complete statement of the matters or subject discussed therein. TipRanks and its affiliates disclaim all liability or responsibility with respect to the content of the article, and any action taken upon the information in the article is at your own and sole risk. The link to this article does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by TipRanks or its affiliates. Past performance is not indicative of future results, prices or performance.
Erik Princes firm Blackwater received hundreds of millions of dollars in government contracts during the Iraq and Afghan wars (AFP/Getty)

White House press secretary Jen Psaki has excoriated Erik Prince , the billionaire US military contractor, for reports he is allegedly charging $6,500 per ticket for flights out of Afghanistan on a chartered plane.

I dont think any human being who has a heart and soul would support efforts to profit off of peoples agony and pain as theyre trying to depart a country and fearing for their lives, Ms Psaki said at Wednesdays White House press briefing.

Mr Prince is the founder of Blackwater, a military contractor that earned billions from the United States wars in Iraq and Afghanistan . Now, as the war in Afghanistan ends with an American defeat, Mr Prince reportedly appears to have found a way to profit from that too.

Tens of thousands of Afghans, Americans, and foreign nationals are currently evacuating the country as the authoritarian Taliban regime returns to power. President Biden has pledged to meet a 31 August deadline to remove almost all American troops, and despite pressure from other G7 leaders to allow more time for evacuations, the president shows no signs of budging.

Im determined to ensure that we complete our mission, Mr Biden said on Tuesday.

In the past 24 hours, the US and other countries have flown 19,200 people out of the international airport in Kabul, bringing the total number of evacuees so far to 82,300.

But many more, including thousands of American citizens and tens of thousands of Afghans who qualify for special visas, remain in the country.

Mr Prince has allegedly offered a privileged few of those people a way out  for a steep price. According to The Wall Street Journal , the financier has advertised his flights at $6,500 a head, plus additional costs if the passenger needs help escaping their home and getting safely to the airport.

Journalists and other observers have condemned the effort.

After making millions of dollars off the Afghanistan war, Erik Prince is back at it, exploiting peoples desperation for cash, tweeted New York Times editor Maria Abi-Habib.

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Erik Prince sees a crisis for his fellow Americans and allies, and the billionaire uses it to charge $6,500 per person for a plane seat out, activist Amy Siskind wrote . What a guy!

The Independent has reached out to Mr Prince via his current company for comment, but has not yet received a response.

Read More

Afghanistan news  live: 2,000 still awaiting UK airlift from Kabul as thousands more flee Taliban

People need to be evacuated from Afghanistan now  processing paperwork can wait

Biden news - live: US in helicopter rescues outside Kabul airport as congressmen slammed for Afghanistan trip

Women's rights activist recounts pain of leaving Afghanistan

EXPLAINER: What's happening with Afghanistan evacuations?

Taliban hunts down government staff despite amnesty

The Taliban: Who are they, who are the leaders and what do they want?

How quickly did Taliban advance across Afghanistan?
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2021 / Labaton Sucharow, a nationally ranked and award-winning shareholder rights law firm, announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired Zymergen Inc. ("Zymergen" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:ZY) common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and prospectus issued in connection with the Company's April 2021 initial public offering ("IPO"). Zymergen investors have until October 4, 2021, to file a motion to serve as lead plaintiff.

On August 3, 2021, less than four months after its IPO, the Company issued a disappointing business update and revised its financial forecast citing "issues with its commercial product pipeline." Additionally, the Company announced that its CEO Josh Hoffman would be stepping down from his role, effective immediately. On this news, the Company's stock price plummeted over 70%. The Company now stands accused of issuing a registration statement that was materially false and misleading and omitting to state material adverse facts.

If you purchased stock of ZY and want to receive additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please contact David J. Schwartz using the toll-free number (800) 321-0476 or via email at david@labaton.com.

About the Firm

Labaton Sucharow LLP is one of the world's leading complex litigation firms representing clients in securities, antitrust, corporate governance and shareholder rights, and consumer cybersecurity and data privacy litigation. Labaton Sucharow has been recognized for its excellence by the courts and peers, and it is consistently ranked in leading industry publications. Offices are located in New York, NY, Wilmington, DE, and Washington, D.C. More information about Labaton Sucharow is available at labaton.com.

CONTACT:

David J. Schwartz

(800) 321-0476

david@labaton.com

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SOURCE: Labaton Sucharow LLP





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The end of August is bringing a hot and humid finale to summer in Fredericksburg.

Tuesdays high temperatures in the low 90s will be the floor rather than the ceiling for this weeks daily highs. TodayWednesdayFredericksburg-area thermometers look to climb into the mid-90s. With dew point temperatures in the miserably uncomfortable 70s, this last full week of August isnt providing any relief to summer-like conditions.

While the jet stream remains parked up over the Canadian border, a strong Bermuda high is in control of local conditions. The clockwise flow of air around that large feature is pumping hot moist air northward from both the southern Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. The only potential break from the heat will be showers and storms that fire over the mountains or along boundaries near the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.

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Fredericksburg is likely to see a few of those storms late this afternoon into the evening hours. Beside the ever-present threat from lightning, the main concern will be flash flooding courtesy of the slow-moving cells. Although nothing severe is anticipated, one or two of these storms may foster strong downburst winds which could create very localized damage.
Im not sure CRT made me a better or worse person; in fact, I doubt it touched my moral fiber.

Opponents of CRT often admit, as did Butler with evolution, that they know little about it. They dont even seem to reject it as a theory. Instead, they imagine that, as one vocal opponent put it, this theory judges my daughter by the color of her skin and encourages and instructs her to prejudge others by theirs.

I dont buy this. But as a parent, I get that subjecting ones child to judgment of any kind feels risky. And what if some of that judgment is directed at you? What parent has not known the fear of being rejected by a child in favor of newly discovered values, new beliefs, a new modus vivendi?

Immigrant parents rue the loss of their kids to American language and culture. Religious parents mourn the children who leave the familys beliefs behind. A right-wing child can be a source of acute heartbreak to liberals. (An article in Der Spiegel some years ago was titled Shock Your Parents: Become a Neo-Nazi).

Many parents treat even experiments in stylesay, the adoption of a hijab or Burning Man garbas existential rejection.
PLATTSMOUTH  Erv Portis, who has served as the city administrator for the city of Plattsmouth since 2007, is leaving to assume new duties with a state agency.

Portis has been tapped by Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, Nebraska Military Department adjutant general, to become the next assistant director of Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

The agency made the announcement on Monday.

While its a great opportunity for Portis, it is also a tremendous loss for Plattsmouth, said Mayor Paul Lambert

Were losing a lot of knowledge and ability, he said. Weve seen tremendous things take place that he spearheaded.

That included overseeing the successful sewer separation in the downtown section, and the quick responses to various natural disasters and his knowledge of dealing with federal and state agencies for financial assistance, Lambert said.

Erv had command of how FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) operations work and he made sure we were doing things the correct way.

Portis will assume that post from Bryan Tuma, who is retiring at the end of September. Tuma was named assistant director in 2014.
That, too, has raised questions for Hammond.

You dont see women and children trying to leave, he said. You see grown men that are trying to leave their country instead of turning around and trying to fight for whats theirs. We gave them everything they needed  the training, the equipment, the know-how.

Hes seen stories about men who got out of Afghanistan on work visas and are sad, because they left wives and children behind.

There is absolutely nothing in this world that would keep me from my wife and kids, Hammond said. I would fight tooth and nail, last bullet, last breath, I would never give up my country.

Hammond thinks the Afghans were under Taliban rule for so long that they think they have no choice. His heart goes out to people who got a taste of freedom, which now is being taken away.

As he thinks about his time in Afghanistan, Hammond remembers the Afghan interpreters and others who did jobs that military personnel didnt have time to do.

I hope and pray they are OK, he said.

Meanwhile, veterans like Hammond grapple with the question of whether their time in Afghanistan was wasted.
But, she said, UNL as an institution has work to do when it comes to supporting survivors.

Green said UNL has recently instituted new trainings on sexual misconduct prevention and responses, and rolled out additional resources for victims.

"No one should be a victim of sexual assault or harassment, and we have taken a number of steps to provide additional support and reporting mechanisms for our campus," Green said.

UNL maintains a comprehensive list of campus and local resources for sexual assault survivors on its website, including information on how to report sexual assaults to both law enforcement and the school's Title IX office.

Kathy Redmond, who became the first student to file a Title IX lawsuit in the U.S. after she reported being sexually assaulted by former Husker football player Christian Peter in the mid-1990s, said the latest allegations demonstrate not much has changed at UNL over the past three decades.

There were protests, albeit smaller, aimed at stopping sexual assaults on campus then, too, but what she described as a "rape culture" at UNL has been allowed to continue.
Hundreds of protesters converged on a University of Nebraska-Lincoln fraternity house Tuesday night after reports surfaced of an alleged sexual assault at the house.

The crowd organized outside of the Phi Gamma Delta house at 1425 R St. at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, chanting at the men inside, one of whom is alleged to have sexually assaulted a UNL student sometime Monday night.

UNL Police Chief Hassan Ramzah said the alleged assault is under investigation and the department is "looking at a variety of different factors based on what was reported."

The alleged assault was reported to campus police at 3:47 a.m. Tuesday.

Around 18 hours later, a wave of UNL students flooded the block of R Street in front of the Nebraska Union and largely remained there for more than two hours, holding signs and shouting chants and expletives as officers from the university's police department and LPD looked on.

Largely unmasked demonstrators shamed and made demands of the fraternity, often in rhythmic, call-and-response fashion.
CANBERRA, Australia  Australia on Thursday advised its citizens in Afghanistan not to travel to Kabuls airport, where there as a very high threat of a terrorist attack.
American officials are in contact with about 500 American citizens to try to get them safely out of the country, the U.S. official said.

Blinken described ongoing efforts to reach the final 1,000 Americans, ahead of the U.S. withdrawal.

Were aggressively reaching out to them multiple times a day, through multiple channels of communication  phone, email, text-messaging  to determine whether they still want to leave, he said.



WASHINGTON  Germanys top military commander says 21 German citizens were picked up during an overnight helicopter mission in Afghanistan that was flown by U.S. forces.

Gen. Eberhard Zorn said Wednesday that U.S. troops flew the helicopter and German forces picked up the evacuees.

The Pentagon acknowledged that there was a U.S. military helicopter flight into Kabul overnight to gather evacuees and take them to the airport to be flown out of the country. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby and Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor said this was the third such helicopter rescue flight done by the military during the ongoing evacuation. They declined to say who the passengers were or provide any other details.
More than 10,000 people seeking to leave Afghanistan remain at the Kabul airport and the figure could rise in the coming days, the Pentagon says, as the United States and its allies race to meet an August 31 deadline to finish the evacuations that President Joe Biden said are becoming more risky each day for U.S. troops still on the ground.

In 10 days since the Taliban swept into Kabul, the United States and its allies have flown out more than 88,000 people, including 19,000 in the last 24 hours, U.S. officials said on August 25.

But the U.S. military warned that even with planes departing the airport every 39 minutes, over 10,000 people remained at the facility awaiting departure.

"This is a snapshot in time," U.S. Army Major General Hank Taylor, joint staff deputy director for regional operations security, said, noting that more people could arrive at the airport at any time in a bid to leave the country.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that of the 6,000 U.S. citizens who were identified in Afghanistan, at least 4,500 of them and their families have been evacuated since mid-August, and that the State Department was "aggressively" reaching out to the remaining contacts.

He stressed that U.S. efforts to help people who wanted to leave Afghanistan would not end on August 31, and that the Taliban has made a commitment to allow U.S. citizens and at-risk Afghans to do so after that date.

The evacuation process went into overdrive after the Afghan government collapsed on August 15 following a blitz offensive by the Taliban that saw most of the country's provinces fall to the militants in rapid succession.

Many Afghans are hoping to leave because they fear reprisals for working with international troops over the past two decades, while others dread a return to the Talibans harsh interpretation of Islamic law that the hard-line Islamist group enforced when in power from 1996 to 2001, in particular the repression of women.

The Taliban has said that all foreign evacuations must be completed by August 31 and has asked Washington to stop urging highly skilled Afghans to leave the country.

Biden said on August 24 that the evacuation is on pace to finish by the deadline, but its timely completion depends upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those whowere transporting out and no disruptions to our operations.

Asked about reports that the Taliban fighters were blocking Afghans from getting to Kabul airport for evacuation flights, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on August 25: "Outside of that the Taliban have set up checkpoints and we are in daily communication with Taliban commanders about who we want to get in and what the credentials are, what they look like, and what's valid."

As the August 31 deadline approached, some U.S. allies announced they were ending the evacuation process, while European powers such as Britain and Germany sought to speed up the extraction of their citizens and Afghan nationals who worked for them, with Chancellor Angela Merkel pledging to try to help people out of Afghanistan even after the end-of-month deadline.



"The end of the air bridge in a few days must not mean the end of efforts to protect Afghan helpers and help those Afghans who have been left in a bigger emergency with the takeover of the Taliban," Merkel told the German parliament.

After The Guardian newspaper reported late on August 24 that Britain would halt the evacuations in "24 to 36 hours," U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab sought to calm concerns, saying on August 25 that "the lion's share" of British citizens without dual nationality had been evacuated from Afghanistan.



Raab said that in the previous 24 hours some 2,000 people had been brought to Britain from Kabul.



A French government spokesperson said France will continue its evacuation operation in Kabul "as long as possible" ahead of the withdrawal date.

Russia on August 25 also announced that it was sending four military aircraft to evacuate some 500 Russian nationals as well as Belarusians, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Ukrainians from Afghanistan.

But NATO allies Poland and Hungary said on August 25 that they had ended the evacuations because of security concerns.

The Taliban has promised a general amnesty for anyone who worked with the U.S.-backed government. But there have been worrying reports of the militants hunting down journalists as well as former Afghan troops and government officials.



Amid chaotic scenes outside the airport, countries have started picking up their citizens from other locations and ferrying them to the waiting aircraft, while Afghans seeking to flee were left waiting outside the gates of the airfield.

Citing U.S. and other officials, The Wall Street Journal reported that the CIA and U.S. military were conducting clandestine helicopter operations to rescue Americans in and outside of Kabul.



Hundreds of former Afghan guards from the Australian Embassy and their families were left standing in sewage in a moat for hours outside Kabul airport yesterday, before being told they could not enter because they did not have visas in their passports.



With concern rising that the turmoil caused by the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan could turn the country once again into a breeding ground for terrorism, regional powers Russia and China discussed the potential threat in phone call between President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, the Kremlin said.



The two leaders agreed to step up efforts to combat the threats of "terrorism" and drug trafficking from Afghanistan, the Kremlin said in a readout of the call, adding that it was important to prevent instability from Afghanistan spilling into neighboring countries.



On August 24, the leaders of the G7 major industrialized nations -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States -- met virtually to discuss how to complete the withdrawal and how to deal with the Taliban.

The G7 leaders said they would remain committed to Afghanistan and back the United Nations in coordinating immediate humanitarian help.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the G7 agreed not only to a joint approach to dealing with the evacuation but also to a road map of how to engage with the Taliban.

The top condition of the G7 agreement was that militants must allow safe passage to Afghans wanting to leave the country even after August 31, Johnson said.

He noted that the G7 wields economic, diplomatic, and political leverage over the Taliban, including the ability to withhold substantial funds.

Biden said that the Taliban has been taking steps to work with the United States but added that it's a tenuous situation with a serious risk of it breaking down as time goes on.

Biden announced in April that he wanted the troops withdrawn before the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States by Al-Qaeda militants, whose leaders had found safe haven in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. He later moved the deadline forward to August 31.



Kirby said that, when the U.S. evacuation mission is over, troops will leave the airport, which will no longer be the responsibility of the United States.



"The Taliban will have to manage on their own and I assume with the international community," Kirby said.

Keeping Kabul airport open after the departure of foreign forces is vital for Afghanistan to stay connected to the world but also to maintain aid supplies and operations.

Reuters quoted two Turkish officials as saying that the Taliban have asked Ankara for technical help to run the facility, while stressing that Turkeys military also withdraw fully by the end-August deadline.

The conditional request would complicate any prospective mission, one official said, adding: "Ensuring the safety of workers without the Turkish armed forces is a risky job."

The Turkish Defense Ministry later announced it had started pulling out troops serving at Kabuls Hamid Karzai airport.

In Kabul, banks reopened for the first time since the Taliban takeover, but many people were said to have difficulty accessing their savings amid a rise in basic food prices.



The New Kabul Bank was issuing small sums of money to customers, while other banks said they were unable to allow withdrawals due to a lack of cash from Afghanistan's central bank, the BBC reported.



A local resident told RFE/RL that he did not have enough money to cover his family's daily expenses: "We have no money to support the family. No one lends and the situation is very difficult," he said.



Western Union, which allows people to receive money from abroad, has suspended its services, while the United States has frozen Afghan central bank reserves in U.S. accounts, depriving the Taliban of billions of dollars.



International financial institutions have also suspended their disbursements to Afghanistan.

This story includes reporting by RFE/RL Radio Azadi correspondents on the ground in Afghanistan. Their names are being withheld for their protection.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, dpa, AFP, and the BBC
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on August 25 that almost all British citizens without dual nationality have been evacuated from Afghanistan.

"The lion share, almost of them who want to come out, have been brought home," Raab told Sky News.



He said in the last 24 hours some 2,000 people had been brought to Britain from Kabul, adding that London has been working with regional partners India and Pakistan.

Raab said that Britain would use every last remaining hour to bring its people back.



The Guardian newspaper reported late on August 24 that the last Royal Air Force aircraft evacuating people from Kabul could be in the next "24 to 36 hours."

"The military planners will work out how much time they need to withdraw their equipment, their staff, and what's really important is we will make the maximum use of all the time we have left," Raab said.

The Taliban has put an exit date of August 31 for all foreign evacuations.

Raab said Britain is pressing the permanent members of the UN Security Council to agree to "some parameters on the way forward" in dealing with Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

With reporting by Reuters and Sky News
As the Taliban transforms its military chain of command into a governing structure for Afghanistan, alliances and tribal configurations that kept two rival Taliban factions together in recent years are now being tested.



"Conquering a country is always the easy part. Ruling it, in Afghanistan's case, is the difficult bit," says historian William Dalrymple, an expert on Pashtun tribal rivalries. "That's when the tensions and the fault lines become apparent."



Afghanistan security expert Ted Callahan says decisions now being made by the Taliban on a governing structure will determine whether the movement remains united or splinters into regional Taliban fiefdoms.



Callahan told RFE/RL the possible emergence of Taliban fiefdoms is a question he and many other experts are now considering.



Dalrymple notes that "splintering" is what happened to Afghanistan's mujahedin government following the 1989 Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan.



"The regional warlords of the mujahedin command ended up at loggerheads with each other and fighting each other in Kabul" during the early 1990s, he told RFE/RL. "It's not impossible that this might happen now [between rival Taliban factions]. But this is a question that no one is in a position to answer right now."



"One of the things that has surprised many Western observers is how coherent and disciplined the Taliban has been up to now," Dalrymple told RFE/RL. "The recognized idea was that the Taliban were this fractured force and they'd splintered. But what we've seen in the last two months has shown an extraordinary discipline and a well-organized campaign with very little tribal dissonance."



Factional Divisions



Factional divisions began to emerge between the Taliban's Quetta Shura leadership council and militant commanders farther east after the death of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar in 2013.



The result was a far-reaching realignment among Taliban factions across Afghanistan and Pakistan  particularly between hard-line groups like the Haqqani network that wanted to escalate fighting and more moderate Taliban leaders who sought accommodation with Kabul and Islamabad.



Signs of the rift were apparent in May 2014 when RFE/RL reported that the leader of the Haqqani network, Sirajuddin Haqqani, had ordered his followers not to obey the orders of the Quetta Shura.

Meanwhile, the eldest son of Mullah Omar, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, was seeking support from his allies in the Quetta Shura to fulfill his personal ambition of becoming the next Taliban supreme leader.



With Haqqani opposed to the idea of Mullah Yaqoob as supreme leader, it seemed the Taliban was on the verge of disintegrating.



But the rift was resolved, at least temporarily, by compromises within a new Taliban chain of command.

Three deputy leadership posts were created beneath the Taliban supreme leader but above the Quetta Shura.

Mullah Yaqoob became the deputy leader in charge of military operations in 13 provinces designated as the Taliban's "western zone." They include the Taliban's traditional capital city, Kandahar.

View an interactive version of this map here.

Haqqani was named deputy leader overseeing military operations in 21 provinces of the Taliban's "eastern zone." His fighters now control Kabul.

Both Mullah Yaqoob and Haqqani have also overseen appointments of the Taliban shadow government down to the local and district level within their designated territories.

A third deputy leader's post was created for Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar, a member of the Quetta Shura who was released from a Pakistani jail at the United States' request in 2018 before being placed in charge of the Taliban's political affairs and its political office in Doha.

But many analysts doubt Baradar has much influence over local battlefield commanders and fighters in Afghanistan -- the real source of power within the Taliban.



Despite the easing of tensions brought by the Taliban's revised chain of command, signs of the rift between the Haqqani network and the Quetta Shura surfaced again after Baradar's negotiating team signed a peace deal with the United States in Doha in February 2020.

Antonio Giustozzi, a Taliban expert with the Royal United Services Institute in London, attributed attacks in Kabul later in 2020 to the Haqqani network, saying they were being carried out without the approval of the Quetta Shura and exposing divisions between Taliban factions.



Tribal Rivalries



Dalrymple says those who want to understand the Taliban's shifting dynamics in the weeks and months ahead should be looking at Afghanistan's tribal configurations and age-old Pashtun tribal rivalries.



"All through Afghan history, the tribal allegiances have shifted like pieces in a kaleidoscope and different factions have allied with different factions," Dalrymple tells RFE/RL. "The key thing to understand, though, is how much these alliances are based on tribal lines."



"Unless you make the tribal calculation, you can't understand what's going on in Afghanistan," Dalrymple says. "It isn't like there are permanent tribal divisions. Alliances and oaths of allegiance can move from month to month, week to week. But the basic divisions are pretty clear."



Dalrymple concludes that the key "fault line" relevant to what happens next with the Taliban leadership is the age-old Pashtun tribal rivalry between the Durrani and the Ghilzai clans -- a rivalry that predates the Taliban by centuries.



Very broadly speaking, Dalrymple explains, the Durrani clan comprises the historical "aristocrats and the landlords" while "the Ghilzai are the nomads, the day laborers, and the dispossessed."



"Those are the units one has to be looking at and studying" as a new Taliban governing structure begins to "develop like a polaroid photograph coming into shape in front of you," he says.



Baradar, like many key figures in the Quetta Shura, is a member of the Durrani clan  who mostly live in southern parts of Afghanistan like the provinces of Kandahar, Helmand, and Uruzgan.



Mullah Yaqoob is from the Hotak tribe, a branch of the Ghilzai clan. But he is also from southern Afghanistan and has strong ties and allegiances with Durrani Taliban.



His supporters, including members of the Durrani clan, have argued that he should be the natural successor to become the Taliban's supreme leader.



Fighters under his command control the region where the Taliban was created, as well as the cities of Kandahar and Herat, Helmand Province, the Spin Boldak border crossing into Pakistan, Afghanistan's entire border with Iran, and the border with Turkmenistan.

Those fighters seized sophisticated U.S. military equipment from Afghan government forces when they captured Kandahar Airfield in the south and Shindand Airfield in Herat Province.



Sirajuddin Haqqani is from the Zadran tribe of the Ghilzai clan. Its power base is in southeastern Afghan provinces like Khost and Paktia, as well as Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region.

Haqqani is seen as the most powerful militant commander in Afghanistan. As head of the notorious Haqqani network, the territory now under the control of his fighters includes Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-i Sharif, in addition to key border crossings into northwestern Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.



Haqqani's fighters also seized significant amounts of U.S. weaponry from Afghan security forces -- including armor and aircraft -- when they captured Bagram Airfield to the north of Kabul and other military posts in northern Afghanistan.



Sanctioned by the United States as an international drug trafficker and an officially designated terrorist leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani is purported to have the Taliban's strongest ties to both the Al-Qaeda terrorist network and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.



Security analyst Callahan concludes that, out of all Taliban factions, the activities of Haqqani and his fighters have been the most favorable for the interests of the Pakistani state.



Emerging Government Structure



Taliban talks on forming a new government have included meetings with some former Afghan officials and political figures -- including former President Hamid Karzai, a member of the Popalzai tribe of the Durrani Pashtuns.



In a Twitter statement, Karzai said he'd urged the Taliban to form an "all inclusive" government.



The Taliban has yet to announce its broader plans to restructure for the role of governance as opposed to fighting a guerrilla war. But some details have begun to emerge.



Wahidullah Hashimi, a senior Taliban figure familiar with the decision-making process, has outlined a power structure similar to the way Afghanistan was governed from 1996 to 2001.



At that time, Supreme Leader Mullah Omar stayed in the shadows and left the daily running of the country to a ruling council.



Hashimi told Reuters that current Supreme Leader Malawi Hibatullah Akhundzada will likely remain in charge above any new ruling council -- the ultimate authority on religious, military, and political questions.



But he suggested one key difference from Mullah Omar's Taliban regime: He said a new post could be created that works as a kind of "president."

Hashimi said that post should be above the ruling council and work to run the day-to-day business of government while Akhundzada issues edicts from behind the scenes.



Of the Taliban's three current deputy leaders, Haqqani appears to be the most active in trying to position himself for a chief executive role under Akhundzada.



Since his fighters led the Taliban advance into Kabul on August 15, he has sent his uncle, Kahili-ur-Rehman Haqqani, to seek out declarations of allegiance from key Afghan political figures and tribal chieftains.



RFE/RL's Radio Azadi cites claims by Kahili-ur-Rehman Haqqani that he obtained declarations of allegiance from Heshmat Ghani Ahmadzai, the brother of exiled Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, as well as Ghani's former minister of borders and tribes, Gul Agha Sherzai.



He also claims he received an allegiance pledge from Ahmad Masud, the son of the late anti-Taliban commander known as the "Lion of Panjshir," Ahmad Shah Masud.



Masud's aides confirm that "negotiations" with Haqqani are under way. But they insist Masud has pledged alliance to neither Haqqani nor the Taliban.

Masud and other anti-Taliban figures, including Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh, have formed an anti-Taliban resistance movement based in the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul  one of the few parts of Afghanistan that is not currently under Taliban control.

Meanwhile, Taliban sources said on August 24 that a former Guantanamo detainee, Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir, has been appointed as the Taliban's acting defense minister.

Zakir was born in the Kajaki district of Helmand Province and is a member of the Alizai tribe, which is part of the larger Durrani clan.



The Pajhwok news agency reports that some Taliban figures have also already been appointed to posts such as the governorship of Kabul, the head of intelligence, acting interior minister, and acting finance minister.



Whatever governing structure is finalized, and whoever is appointed to the Taliban leadership posts, Hashimi said it is certain Afghanistan will not be a democracy.



"There will be no democratic system at all because it does not have any base in our country," Hashimi said. "We will not discuss what type of political system we should apply in Afghanistan because it is clear. It is Shari'a law and that is it."

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, whose correspondents' names are being withheld for their protection.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Low 58F. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 85F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Showers early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 57F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
SALIDA  A Chaffee County judge did not make a ruling Tuesday on whether there was sufficient evidence for Barry Morphew to stand trial in the murder of his wife, Suzanne.

At the end of the four-day preliminary hearing and about 20 hours of testimony at the courthouse in Salida, Judge Patrick Murphy said he would rather make his decision "correctly" rather than quickly.

The next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 17, when Murphy will make his ruling.

Suzanne Morphew, 49, of Maysville in Chaffee County, was last seen May 10, 2020. Despite an exhaustive search, her body has not been found.

Earlier Tuesday, Barry Morphew's attorneys called Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Joseph Cahill as a witness to question him about a DNA sample taken from the glove box of Suzanne Morphew's vehicle after she went missing.

The sample resulted in three unknown matches in the Combined DNA Index System, a national DNA database used by law enforcement. The matches were connected to sexual assault cases in Arizona and Chicago, according to testimony.

According to the defense, Cahill was listed as the CBI contact in letters sent to law enforcement agencies in Tempe, Ariz., Phoenix and Chicago, notifying them of DNA matches between a swabbed sample taken from the glove box of Suzanne Morphews vehicle and unsolved sexual assault cases in those cities.

Barry Morphews DNA was excluded from the glove box sample, according to defense attorneys.

Cahill testified that he was not aware of those letters at the time they were sent, between October and April. He testified that he became aware of them when the district attorneys office gave the letters to him later on.

Cahill testified that he didnt follow up on those matches. In the Chicago case, a detective in that city told Cahill that he would follow up on the match, Cahill testified, and then said he did not check whether the detective did so.

Under cross-examination from the prosecution, Cahill testified that a DNA match from CODIS should be treated as an investigative lead that law enforcement should follow up on.

The defense also called Chaffee County Sheriff's Office Deputy Scott Himshoot, who testified that a tranquilizer gun owned by Barry Morphew appeared not to have been fired in a long time.

The prosecution wrapped its case earlier Tuesday. Over three and a half days of testimony, the prosecution questioned several witnesses and submitted dozens of pieces of photo and video evidence without laying out a specific narrative for what they think happened to Suzanne Morphew.

According to testimony for the prosecution:

- Suzanne was having a two-year affair with Jeff Libler, a Michigan man who was told he was not a target of the investigation. Suzanne suspected that Barry was having an affair, but investigators have not found evidence of that. (The defense focused on interview transcripts in which Barry acted surprised and disbelieving that his wife would have an affair.)

- Suzanne sent Barry a text on May 6, four days before she was reported missing, that said, Im done.

- Suzanne and Libler regularly communicated through LinkedIn, but no messages came from Suzanne after the afternoon of May 9, the day before she was reported missing.

- Barry owned a tranquilizer gun that investigators suspected he might have used on Suzanne, and also a 16-inch gun with a scope that Barry told investigators he used to shoot chipmunks. He told investigators he was using the gun on May 9 to shoot chipmunks on his property.

- Days after Suzannes disappearance, law enforcement found a needle sheath in the dryer in the Morphews residence. The sheath would fit a needle used to inject serum into a tranquilizer dart. Barry told investigators he had no idea how it got there. He also told investigators that he might have had tranquilizer serum on his work bench before he left May 10 for Broomfield on a presumed business trip.

- Barry had injuries to both of his hands and scratch marks on one of his arms on May 13, three days after Suzanne went missing. He told investigators he got the injuries from a tree while searching for Suzanne.

- Barry visited a business, Stove & Spa, in Poncha Springs in the late afternoon on May 9, the last day Suzanne was seen alive. The owner of the store told investigators that Barry inquired about getting his hot tub fixed and didnt make any purchases.

- Barrys phone was in airplane mode for several hours on two occasions: on May 9, the last day Suzanne was seen alive, and May 10, when Barry was in Broomfield.

- When Barry left his home early May 10 to drive to Broomfield, he turned left instead of right, which would be the direction to go to head toward Broomfield. Barry told investigators he saw a bull elk and followed it to see where it would drop its antlers. One witness testified that elk dont drop antlers that time of year.

- In Broomfield, Barry made five stops at various businesses and disposed of items in trash receptacles. He told investigators that the items were clutter from his truck. One witness testified that his theory is Barry was disposing of murder evidence.

- Barry left his hotel room in Broomfield in late afternoon on May 10. One of his employees, who was staying at the same hotel, told investigators that when she went into that room hours later, it smelled strongly of chlorine and wet towels were strewn on the floor.

- On March 5, 2021, 10 months after Suzannes disappearance and after many interviews with investigators, Barry asked two FBI agents: "What about immunity? Can you give me immunity if I just sit and open my life to you?" (FBI Agent John Grusing later said under defense questioning that Morphew said he was asking the question in case he was falsely convicted.)

Barry Morphew is being held without bail.
MOAB, Utah (AP)  Residents of a Utah tourist town near the campsite where a newlywed couple was recently gunned down say theyre puzzled and concerned as the police investigation unfolds.

Crystal Turner and Kylen Schulte were found dead last week at a campsite near Moab, a desert town where they were living that draws visitors from around the world to its sweeping red-rock vistas.

Investigators believe someone killed the women and fled the area, KUTV reported. No firearms have yet been recovered.

We do think it was an outside party, Grand County Sheriff Steven White said.

The sheriffs office has also said theres no further danger to the public. But that leaves unanswered questions for locals now nervous to be alone.

Until they can give us more than that, we are not safe, said friend Cindy Sue Hunter. She said she ventured to the campsite after they didnt return as planned earlier this month and she called police.

Schultes aunt Bridget Calvert previously said the couple told friends that a creepy guy was making them uncomfortable in the days prior to their deaths.

Schulte, 24, was from Billings, Montana. Her brother died in an accidental shooting in 2015, Calvert has said. Mackeon Schulte was accidently shot by a friend who was startled when he threw pebbles at the boys window in the middle of the night.

Kylen Schulte had recently fallen in love with and married Turner, a 38-year-old from Hot Springs, Arkansas. The two were remembered with flowers and candles at a vigil Sunday at the Moonflower Community Cooperative in Moab. Hunter said the couple was beautiful inside and out.

We just had an instant connection, she said. They were just very special people.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Showers early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 58F. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
America's return to the moon in 2024 will usher in "a new era of firsts" in scientific discoveries and space exploration, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Tuesday during the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.

The mission, designed to establish an orbiting base and find ways to make oxygen and rocket fuel for a future trip to Mars, will be the first moon landing in more than 50 years. But it will be far different from the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s and 1970s, said Nelson, who while in Congress was a crew member on a 1986 space shuttle mission. A test flight without a crew is expected to launch late this year.

"We will send more astronauts to explore the moon than ever before" to study quakes on the moon, explore the lunar south pole, determine whether there is water below the moon's surface and other goals, Nelson said. The ultimate goal of the Artemis mission is to establish the orbiting lunar gateway as a starting point for a future manned mission to Mars in the next decade; that is a goal set by former President Barack Obama and carried forward by former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.

Echoing a theme that he sounded Monday during a media briefing , Nelson said "space is hard," noting the supply chain challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and delays in producing components needed for the mission. Repeating former President John Kennedy's famous quote, "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard," Nelson said "we are a can-do people."

To get to the moon, Nelson said, will take "all of us working together," including private contractors, international partners and the American people. He recalled that during his shuttle mission, he looked out the spacecraft's window and saw "an incredible creation suspended in the middle of nothing. I wanted to come back and be a better steward of the place. When I looked out, I didn't see racial, religious or political divisions, just all of us together as citizens of this planet."

Nelson also promoted NASA's upcoming launch of the James Webb space telescope, which will be the world's largest and is designed to peer through a keyhole in space 1 million miles away to see light that was emitted during the earliest days of the universe more than 13 billion years ago. He also said NASA is developing technology to help firefighters suppress wildfires and to measure agricultural water use to gauge conservation efforts.

Colorado is a major player in NASA's missions with more than 500 vendors and suppliers employing 23,000 people, which Nelson said is "bound to increase as we prepare to go back to the moon and on to Mars."
Colorado Springs residents will decide in November whether to allow the city to keep up to $20 million in tax revenue to create a wildfire mitigation fund.

The Colorado Springs City Council voted unanimously to place on the ballot a question asking voters to retain the money and spend no more than 5% of the funding annually. The city needs voter approval to keep the funds because they are in excess of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights cap, a limit on how much tax revenues can grow each year.

Any additional funding over $20 million will be refunded to voters through their city utility bills, Mayor John Suthers said.

Colorado Springs Fire Chief Randy Royal said the new funds would help protect the 35,000 homes in the wildland urban interface, where homes are adjacent to wooded areas where fire danger is highest.

"We think its a great opportunity for the community. ... I do think we can increase our efforts probably two to three times beyond what we are doing today," Royal said.

The city could use the funds to pay crews to do direct fire mitigation such as trimming back trees, shrubs and other vegetation. It could also use the funds for evacuation planning and community wildfire education.

Mitigation could help prevent the level of catastrophe the city saw during the Waldo and Black Forest fires, Councilman Richard Skorman said.

"The economic impact to a major fire like that to the whole region is something you just cant begin to calculate," he said.

The ballot question does not list all the ways the money could be used to mitigate fire to ensure the city can use the money as it's needed, Suthers said. He expects the money to be used throughout the community, including areas such as Palmer Park and Corral Bluffs Open Space on the east side. The money can also be used outside the city's boundaries if necessary.

If the question passes, the city expects to invest the money and use interest from the funds for mitigation and a portion of the main funds, he said.

The city could also replenish the fund with future TABOR retention questions, he added.

Skorman said he didn't want to see the 5% limit on spending placed in the ballot question in case the city had an important opportunity for wildfire mitigation funding come up.

However, Suthers supported the limit to help show the community the money wouldn't be spent all at once. The council as a whole supported the limitation as well in its vote.
Coloradans are sharply divided over a lot of issues, so its no surprise theyre evenly split on the hot topic of the moment  whether to mask up their kids for school.

As reported Thursday in The Gazette, a new survey conducted by Louisville-based political polling firm Magellan Strategies found 50% of Colorado parents oppose mask mandates for public-school students in grades K-12. Yet, 48% of the parents polled support requiring masks. As surveys go, that amounts to a tie.

And as on so many other issues facing our state, their differences reflect partisan loyalties. Fully 83% of Democrats said masks should be required in school  while 79% of Republicans were opposed. Colorados largest voting bloc, the unaffiliated, opposed mask mandates 56-43.

The survey findings come as Colorados largest school districts continue to tweak mask policies amid the start of school.

The state is literally split down the middle over whether kids should be wearing masks to schools, Magellans Ryan Winger said. It seems like opinions have really hardened, too, especially among Republicans and Democratic partisans.

Accordingly, there have been heated exchanges over mask mandates up and down the Front Range and across the state. And the acrimony has been especially pronounced when it comes to schools. Some parents fear for their childrens physical health. Others just as fervently worry about childrens mental health as the seemingly perpetual crisis drags on.

Masks arent the only bone of contention, either, on the COVID war front. The Magellan survey found a similar split on parental views of the COVID vaccine. When parents were asked whether high school students should have to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination to attend school in-person, 50% said no and 47% said yes.

Support among parents was lower for a student vaccination requirement for middle schoolers; 52% were opposed and only 44% were in favor.

The face-off, of course, offers little comfort, and even less guidance, to public officials. Yet, there might be some things about mask mandates that most Coloradans could agree on.

Among them is that all parents probably long for a return to normal as soon as possible; masks clearly wont be part of that. Indeed, as Gazette columnist Jimmy Sengenberger points out in a piece he penned for our news affiliate, prolonged mask use can pose problems for young childrens development.

Among the research Sengenberger cites is a 2018 study that finds, Although our experience of the world is multimodal (we see objects, hear sounds, feel texture, smell odors, and taste flavors), visual signals and languages are key social signals in humans  Among visual signals, facial expressions (FE) are crucial components of emotional signals. They allow people to understand and express not only emotions  but also social motivation 

Given the high priority of helping our children emerge from crisis mode ASAP, another thing most Coloradans should be able to agree on is keeping decisions on mask mandates, vaccine requirements and the like as local as possible. That will ensure parents are plugged into the process, and that they have a better chance of making their voices heard.

Local school districts and county commissions arent guaranteed to make the right call, but their decisions are likelier to be informed by parental input  which has had too little influence to date in this pandemic. Local government is more likely to look at the overall impact of policies because it gets feedback, up close and personal, from the people most affected by those policies.

Thats why Douglas County and most recently Adams County commissioners have voted to opt out of a public health order by their regional health department requiring younger students and their adult staff be masked in school.

The counties hear from parents and must balance wide-ranging priorities with the minimal risk COVID poses to kids. By contrast, the public health bureaucracy, especially at the state level, is buffered from rank-and-file parents and can operate in vacuum in which kill COVID at all costs is the only item on the agenda.

This weeks survey findings underscore how divisive masks and vaccinations have become amid COVID fatigue in Colorado. Which is why it makes all the more sense to keep policy decisions local. They can be most closely tailored to weigh competing interests among adamantly opposed views. Local decision making also can respond most nimbly to changing conditions amid a pandemic.

As Thomas Jefferson observed, The government closest to the people serves the people best. Its as true today in countering COVID-19 as it was in Jeffersons time.
Military leaders overseeing U.S. Space Command backed down from full-throated support of a process that would move it from Colorado Springs to Alabama, but said they'll wait for a pair of federal investigations to conclude before they decide to reverse the decision.

Former President Donald Trump caused controversy Friday when he told a syndicated radio show that he "single-handedly" decided on Huntsville, Ala., as the command's future home, short-circuiting a nonpartisan process at the Pentagon to make the basing decision.

In Colorado Springs for the Space Symposium, which packed the Broadmoor this week, new Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said he puts as much faith in that Trump statement as he has in the panoply of his political pronouncements.

"President Trump has said many, many things," Kendall said in a news conference.

But Kendall  who is familiar with assets in Colorado Springs and Alabama from his more than 50 years of defense experience, including as an Army officer, defense contractor and in senior Pentagon posts  was clearly not ready to close the door on the Pikes Peak region as Space Command home.

"I think either one of them is certainly feasible as the headquarters," he said of Huntsville and Colorado Springs.

The Trump administration announced the Alabama move on Jan. 13, when the president had one week left in office. Immediately, rumors of political skullduggery emerged, with sources telling The Gazette that Trump had ignored senior military leaders with the Huntsville pick.

Colorado politicians from both political parties pointed to Trump's Friday remarks as proof that political shenanigans played a role and called on Biden to reverse the decision.

Space Command's Army Gen. James Dickinson, who has in the past expressed confidence in the Huntsville decision, was hesitant to back it up Tuesday, saying it would be "premature" for him to voice an opinion until investigations of the move by the Government Accountability Office and the Pentagon's Inspector General conclude.

Dickinson said he does want certainty for his command, which is provisionally located in Colorado Springs through at least 2026 as the Alabama decision plays out.

"To get to the next level, it will require resources, personnel and a permanent location for my headquarters," he said.

Reggie Ash, who heads military programs for the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce & EDC, said Tuesday that his sources were quiet on Space Command, too, even as thousands of space experts swirled through Space Symposium exhibit halls.

"Surprisingly, there's just not a lot of new information on the Space Command move this week," he said.

Space Command made its own move-free headlines.

Dickinson announced Tuesday that the command, which leads all American military missions in orbit, reached a startup milestone of "initial operational capability."

The announcement means the command, which celebrates its second birthday since its 2019 rebirth next week, can effectively defend American interests in orbit while deterring rivals from attacking U.S. space assets.

Dickinson said that Space Command, headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, is "prepared to address threats from competition to conflict in space, while also protecting and defending our interests in this vast and complex domain."

The latest version of the command, which was headquartered here in the Cold War years but shuttered amid budget cuts in 2002, has now reached 900 troops, Dickinson said.

Dickinson didn't address the controversy in his remarks Tuesday morning, but he did talk about the importance of caring for the command's troops.

"Make no mistake, our No. 1 priority in all of this, in all of the missions areas we have, is to take care of those people," Dickinson said.
Facing foreign election foes, states hire cyber navigators

After more than a year of virtual meetings, Bill Ekblad showed up last week at eight southern Minnesota election offices to deliver a simple message to county election chiefs and information technology directors: You dont need to face the massive cybersecurity threat alone.

A Navy veteran who served 26 years as a cybersecurity strategist, Ekblad is Minnesotas first cyber navigator, charged with helping local election offices defend against the ongoing menace from foreign foes.



Savvy adversaries are finding new ways to wreak havoc, and that could be leveraged in the election world, he said from the road. Counties dont have to face these challenges by themselves.

If a phishing attempt targeted one county election official, its likely officials in one of the other 87 counties got a similar email, Ekblad said. Getting ahead of that threat by communicating with every election official around the state is essential, he added.

Local election officials are on the front lines of election defense, but they often are underfunded or lack the technical knowhow to protect systems from cyber threats. Seeing this vulnerability, at least seven statesFlorida, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohioin recent years have launched cyber navigator programs that offer local election officials state-backed contacts to meet the challenge. Several other states are considering following suit.

Mark Lindeman, an acting co-director of Verified Voting, an election security nonprofit, said cyber navigators are akin to personal trainers or financial advisers.

It recognizes that local election officials simply dont have the time to become experts on cybersecurity along with all the other things that they are expected to be an expert in, he said. They really need people who can break down deep knowledge of cybersecurity issues into the next steps that they can actually take.

In Americas decentralized election system, the voting process is administered by 10,000 separate election offices, making it impossible to mount a coordinated national defense. Disparities among counties in resources and personnel are immense. And while states have cybersecurity agencies, many dont employ experts who specialize in election administration.

The modern voting process relies heavily on websites run by local election officials. Americans who want to register to vote, check their registration status, find out where to vote or look for authoritative information on who won elections go to websites that often are administered by counties or cities.

At the same time, local election officials are charged with configuring voting machines, tabulating results and then publishing them in some form. All these responsibilities require proficiency in cybersecurity or technical support staff, both of which are hard to come by when election officials face chronic underfunding.

Illinois was the first state to meet this challenge with cyber navigators.

Russian agents struck the states voter registration system before the 2016 presidential election, stealing the personal information of more than 70,000 voters. Two years later, the Prairie State hired nine cyber navigators to assist the states 108 election offices and prevent another breach of that magnitude.

The program costs between $5 million and $5.5 million annually. It was created in the states 2018 budget and signed into law by former Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican. The program is funded through federal Help America Vote Act grants and operates in partnership with the states Department of Innovation & Technology, which broadly oversees Illinois cybersecurity apparatus.

If this could happen at the state level, where we have more resources available, what can we do to bolster their infrastructure, their awareness of how these attacks happen? said Amy Kelly, the cyber navigator program manager for the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Really, it was about educating individuals who werent cybersecurity experts, she added, giving them the tools to make informed decisions and making their election infrastructure more secure.

Illinois is divided into four regions, with two navigators assigned to each and a manager based in Springfield, the state capital. Every county participates in the voluntary program, meeting monthly with its assigned cyber navigator and reporting any suspicious behavior, such as a phishing attempt or misinformation on social media.

Cyber navigators train local officials how to prevent and respond to cybersecurity breaches. In one scenario, a malicious actor with access to an election offices social media account or website could spread false information about voting dates, times, procedures or results, leading to a crisis of confidence among voters. Officials also monitor for online misinformation.

Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray, a Republican, said the program has provided the foundational resources that all counties need to secure elections. Even though his is a medium-sized county surrounding Springfield, Gray said he and other local officials have benefited from the methodical knowledge of the cyber navigators.

I dont think any election office thought theyd be on the front lines of cybersecurity, he said. Were just one keystroke away from eroding the confidence in the election system.

While partnerships among local, state and federal election officials have grown over the past five years, there are still immense election security challenges, officials say. The threat from clever foreign adversaries such as Russia has not gone away.

Its clear that more and more nation states have shown an interest in interfering with our election process, said Jen Easterly, director of the Department of Homeland Securitys Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, at a National Association of State Election Directors conference this month. We know that more work needs to be done to shore up our systems.
Facial recognition tech: Not just for IDing criminals

Federal agencies are expanding their use of facial recognition technology, especially for authenticating users before granting them digital access to devices.

According to an Aug. 24 Government Accountability Office report, 18 of the 24 agencies surveyed used FRT for digital access or cybersecurity, law enforcement or physical security.

Of the 16 agencies using FRT for digital access, 14 used it to unlock agency-issued smartphones, which was the most common purpose of FRT reported, GAO said. The General Services Administration and the Social Security Administration said they were testing whether FRT could verify identities of persons accessing government websites by comparing live images of users to stored photos from a government IDs.

Six agencies  the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Defense, Health and Human Services, Interior and Treasury  said they used FRT in criminal investigations, such as identifying a person of interest by comparing images of an individual against databases of mugshots or other records. DHS and the State Department also enlisted FRT for border protection to help verify travelers identities.

Five agencies use FRT to help physically secure facilities, such as conducting real-time searches through live camera feeds for individuals on watchlists or those suspected of criminal activity.

While most of the FRT-using agencies owned their own systems, some also had access to systems owned by another federal agency, state or local governments or commercial vendors.

Ten of the 24 agencies surveyed have been conducting FRT research and development. The Department of Commerces National Institute of Standards and Technology along with the National Science Foundation have been conducting or supporting broad-based research into FRT standards and tools. DOD, DOJ, DHS and State have been working to advance FRT applications used in their agency. DHS, for example, worked on improving FRT reliability when subjects were wearing masks. DOJ addressed issues of false matches related to skin tones and challenges involving deepfakes. State conducted research on the impact of aging on the accuracy of facial recognition.

Other agencies reported using FRT as a tool to conduct other research. The Department of Transportations Federal Railroad Administration used eye tracking to study alertness in train operators. Similarly, the Department of Veterans Affairs used eye tracking to evaluate pupil response in a research program that treats post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans. It also used a prosthetic device that tracks eye movements to help speech-impaired use a computer or tablet for communication.
IRS beefs up compute power for fraud detection

The IRS Office of Research, Applied Analytics and Statistics (RAAS) increased processing speeds 10-fold during a pilot test of a GPU-acceleration platform.

For the test, IRS built a cluster for its fraud-detection algorithm and ran a dataset of about 4 terabytes against it.

Our expectation was we were definitely going to see some speed-up in computational processing, but we didnt expect that much, Joe Ansaldi, RAAS chief technical branch leader said during an Aug. 5 online event discussing the GPU-accelerated Cloudera Data Platform (CDP) on NVIDIA-certified systems.

RAAS has struggled with having the infrastructure to support data mining on its troves of data, he added. Our biggest challenge is definitely the infrastructure to support all the ideas that the subject-matter experts are coming up with, he said. The SMEs want to dive in deeper within the algorithm space, creating and training algorithms and expanding the number of parameters each of those algorithms has, he said.

Cloudera and NVIDIA aim to address key challenges around accelerated data science and artificial intelligence with the CDP powered by NVIDIA computing.

According to Scott McClellan, senior director of NVIDIAs data science product group, data science starts with a preproduction, or ideation, phase in which researchers iteratively work through data engineering challenges such as aggregation and cleaning to produce labeled data they can use to train machine learning models or feed analytics pipelines.

The faster this phase moves, the more productive data scientists can be in the production phase, when pipelines are running continuously at scale. In that point, researchers may be dealing with individual datasets that are hundreds of gigabytes or terabytes in size and produced on an hourly basis, leading to total data processing in the hundreds of terabytes to petabytes range, McClellan said at an Aug. 3 online event.

CDP is a hybrid multicloud platform that can run in a data center, in the cloud or across both. It has a Shared Data Experience layer that handles security, governance, lineage, migration and metadata. Running on that is the Cloudera Accelerated Runtime with NVIDIA RAPIDS, a suite of open source software libraries and application programming interfaces for executing data science pipelines entirely on GPUs. On top of that sits user-facing data services.

With the services, users can run life cycle data, stream data, store and enrich data, report on it, build operational applications and build ML and AI models, said Sushil Thomas, vice president of ML at Cloudera.

Cloudera integrates this functionality into CDP so that all of our customers and all of that data have access to that acceleration without making any changes to their application, and thats really important, Thomas said. Customers dont have to go and rewrite things; their existing applications work.

It lets our customers do more. On the ML side, this means more compute power and model-creating and getting to better model accuracy, he added. On the data engineering side, it means accelerated processing with five times or more full-stack acceleration when you think about an end-to-end data science workload. This means you can do five times more with the same data center footprint.

At RAAS, Ansaldi said the subject-matter expert who worked on the fraud-detection algorithm will continue running that and that the department plans to procure NVIDIA A100 Tensor CORE GPU cards, which accelerate data center compute abilities, to expand testing.

With the pilot now, we have an idea of the infrastructure we need going forward and also just in terms of thinking of the algorithms and how we can approach these problems to actually code out the solutions to them, he said. Now the shackles are off and we can just run to our hearts desire.
Education

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New to the pack: Roosevelt Elementary gets a therapy dog

Theres a brand new addition to the Roosevelt Elementary School staff with four legs and a wet nose.

Teddy, a one-year-old whoodle, is the new therapy dog to the Mason City School District. He is joining four other therapy dogs in the district.

Provided Teddy, the new therapy dog at Roosevelt Elementary, gets attention from Mason City Community Schools Superintendent Dave Versteeg.

The purpose of Teddys work is interacting with a range of kids and helping with their emotional and mental needs. Tara Truex, Teddys handler and a special education teacher, says he has been excited to get to work with the students for a while now.

If I let him out, hes right by the car door and I have to tell him todays not the day, said Truex.

Superintendent Dave Versteeg said in order for someone in the district to bring a dog into a school, they must follow the policy laid out by the district to certify their dog is trained in therapy. This policy helps prevent family pets from coming to school, according to Versteeg.

The requirements for getting a therapy dog in a school is having it trained by a certified trainer, qualify to do temperament training, trained in therapy, pass certain grooming requirements and receive all necessary shots, along with additional paperwork. All of the work it takes to bring a therapy dog into a school takes about a year, according to Versteeg.

Theres a lot of hoops that they have to jump through in order to make it happen, said Versteeg.

Versteeg said whenever a dog does meet all the requirements to work in a building, that it is a privilege.

Truex got Teddy at ten weeks old in early June of last year with the intent to train him as a therapy dog. She said that Teddy is her COVID baby.

Teddy was supposed to be therapy trained through a program at a correctional facility but it was unable to happen because of COVID-19. With a change of plans, Truex trained Teddy herself through supervision of a certified trainer in Geneva.

The two trained for around two months with mandatory classes at least once a week. After going through training, they had to wait a year in order to be tested out by the certified trainer.

Provided Teddy and Mason City Community Schools Superintendent Dave Versteeg.

Truex said that involved a series of tests to see how Teddy would react in certain situations and if he could listen to commands despite distractions. Some of the tests were having Teddy come to Truex in a crowded room and staying in a certain spot when told. Truex said she was happy to see Teddy was able to test out.

I was just so excited, I wanted him to test out so bad, said Truex.

Teddys debut to the students came right at the end of last year after Truex had warmed them up that Teddy would be coming.

It was so great to take him at the end of the year last year and meet all of the kids, said Truex.

Truex says Teddy has lots of energy but his energy is used towards seeking out attention from people. Teddy understands because of training to look for certain signs when he is interacting with people. She added that because of this, Teddy is able to bring the calm to others.

Currently, Teddy only works part-time and on certain days at Roosevelt Elementary. After a long day of work, Truex says Teddy is ready to take a nap when he comes home.

After a full days work, he is just really, really tired, said Truex.

Truex said the reaction has been positive from fellow teachers and only a couple of kids have been nervous seeing Teddy. She added that Teddy is always on a leash so that he doesnt make a student more nervous.

Hes here to please, said Truex.

Versteeg said his reaction to Teddy was getting a big smile from being around him. He added he is excited to see the work that Teddy will do for the students and teachers at Roosevelt Elementary.

I think Teddy will help kids and adults have better days, said Versteeg.

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Iowas seven-day average of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 is also climbing, and stands at 491, a 54% increase over the past two weeks, according to the New York Times data. Hospitalizations in the state are at the same level now as they were in late January.

The counties that saw the biggest gains in hospitalization, when measured against their overall population, were Lucas, Madison, Polk, Ringgold and Warren counties.

Despite the current rapid rate of increased infections, the raw number of newly infected Iowans remains far less than last November, when Iowa sometimes topped 4,000 new cases per day.

The total number of current COVID-19 cases at Iowa stands at 849, a 42% increase over the past two weeks.

Two-thirds of some counties residents still unvaccinated

Statewide, 51% of Iowans are fully vaccinated, which places Iowa close to the national average. There are 23 states with a higher percentage of fully vaccinated residents.

The Iowa counties that have the lowest percentage of fully vaccinated residents are: Davis County, at 31%; Decatur County, Van Buren and Lyon counties, each at 34%; and Sioux and Wayne counties, at 35%.
Versteeg said whenever a dog does meet all the requirements to work in a building, that it is a privilege.

Truex got Teddy at ten weeks old in early June of last year with the intent to train him as a therapy dog. She said that Teddy is her COVID baby.

Teddy was supposed to be therapy trained through a program at a correctional facility but it was unable to happen because of COVID-19. With a change of plans, Truex trained Teddy herself through supervision of a certified trainer in Geneva.

The two trained for around two months with mandatory classes at least once a week. After going through training, they had to wait a year in order to be tested out by the certified trainer.

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Truex said that involved a series of tests to see how Teddy would react in certain situations and if he could listen to commands despite distractions. Some of the tests were having Teddy come to Truex in a crowded room and staying in a certain spot when told. Truex said she was happy to see Teddy was able to test out.

I was just so excited, I wanted him to test out so bad, said Truex.

Teddys debut to the students came right at the end of last year after Truex had warmed them up that Teddy would be coming.
LONDON, Ky. (AP)  A man pardoned by Kentucky's former governor for a 2014 drug robbery killing has been convicted for the same slaying in federal court after a two-week trial.

Federal prosecutors brought charges against Patrick Baker after he was released from prison when former Gov. Matt Bevin pardoned him on his way out of office in 2019. Baker's family had political connections to Bevin, including hosting a fundraiser for the one-term governor.

A federal jury in eastern Kentucky convicted Baker Wednesday on a charge of murder committed during a drug trafficking crime after about six hours of deliberation over two days.

U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom will sentence Baker, 43, on Dec. 21. Prosecutors declined to seek the death penalty, but Baker could serve life in prison on the conviction.

"At its core, this case was about one thing: Patrick Bakers role in the death of Donald Mills," Carlton Shier, the acting U.S. Attorney for eastern Kentucky, said in a news release Wednesday. Having heard the evidence, the jury found him guilty.
Iowa has joined 8 states to legally ban mask mandates in schools, despite the safety recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Governor Reynolds states some politicians are trying to turn public safety measures-- children wearing masks in school--into political disputes for their own political gain. Choice, Freedom and Personal Responsibility are catch phrases Gov. Reynolds used during the pandemic to inflate the value of our individual rights and freedoms, while deflating the collective responsibility to public health safety inherent in the free choices we make. Im not sure when we all became so focused on ourselves and forgot about our neighbors, friends, coworkers, families and, yes, strangers.

I agree we all have choices. In the case of COVID-19, the right one is vaccination and universal masking, including in school. Choosing to remain unvaccinated, unmasked, and not masking children in school places everyone at risk. If you make the choice not to be vaccinated, or make that choice for your child, the default responsibility is to protect others. That means masking-up.
During his keynote address, Warner cited a defense department report that found that 41% of the 9,600 companies listed in the defense industrial base cited labor as a major concern. That study came out before COVID, he pointed out.

In addition, 53 out of 100 open skilled positions in the country were all in the manufacturing sector, he said.

While talking to reporters, Warner said most communities are going through changes as the nature of work alters and new technology enters the picture.

Ahead of curve

Danville is simply a little bit ahead of the curve, he said. This community got hit hard in the late 90s and early 2000s whether it was textiles, furniture and tobacco, all those traditional industries went down, and yet the community here, through elected leaders and the business leaders stepped up.

He pointed to the Institute as an example of the community moving into the 21st century.
Warners office said it is aware that Fort Pickett could be used for the resettlement effort, but has not received confirmation from the Department of Defense.

The Biden administration said it has evacuated 70,700 people from a besieged airport in Kabul in nine days. Many of them are U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, but others are Afghan allies and their families under special visas, as well as other Afghans considered vulnerable and at risk by remaining in the country under Taliban control.

All of those evacuated from Afghanistan to the United States are arriving at Washington Dulles International Airport in Loudoun County, where state and local public health workers test them for COVID-19. The Biden administration has not said how many have tested positive for the coronavirus, but the Northam administration estimated as many as 10 cases.

The health and well-being of Americans and all other people relocating from Afghanistan to the U.S. is of utmost importance and that means helping these individuals leave the country as quickly and safely as possible, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday.
The board never got to a discussion of the health commissioners order. The meeting began falling apart when Livingston District representative Kirk Twigg attempted to amend the agenda to add time for public comments.

Comments were not part of the published agenda, which according to state law must be made available to the public at least three working days prior to a public meeting.

At an emergency special meeting held Aug. 11, the board did vote to amend the agenda and allow public comments before it voted to remove a religious exemption to the mask ordinance.

After Twigg made his motion Monday night, Shelley and Battlefield District representative Baron Braswell said they heard from constituents after the last meeting.

I spoke to a number of people over the last week and they asked about public comments, and I said there would not be public comments, Shelley said. So because its not on the agenda, I do not think public comments would be appropriate, because it was not advertised.

There are a number of people here, but there are other people who asked about public comments and when they were told there would not be any, they did not attend the meeting.
Though theres some evidence to suggest that such nicotine-delivery systems are less hazardous than traditional cigarettes, none of them are completely safe.

PMI also plans to portray itself as a health care and wellness company by selling smoke-cessation products and by attempting to buy Vectura, a British pharmacy company that makes asthma inhalers. Olczak says his companys new mission is to unsmoke the world, but its essentially just finding new ways to profit from tobacco and hoping to look friendly while doing so.

Some American tobacco manufacturers are likely to try the same tactics.

Let the buyer continue to beware.

Incidentally, theres an obvious parallel to be seen between the smokers who used to force others to endure their dangerous secondhand smoke and COVID-19 vaccine resisters who, no matter how healthy they figure they are, can still transmit the virus to others. Nuff said.

Tobacco usage in the U.S. as well as other countries has changed over the last few decades, as weve become more aware of the dangers and both government and medical organizations have fought to diminish its use.
Children and their parents came down to Henry Street in Uptown Eden on Saturday to enjoy and marvel at all kinds of vehicles that serve the community. Among them: giant earth movers, police cars, fire trucks, military vehicles, construction and public works trucks, rescue vehicles and more. The City of Eden sponsored the event that helped garner school supply donations for children in need.
There seems to be widespread agreement  throughout business and government  that we must avoid returning to the depressing life of stay-at-home shut-ins and closed stores and restaurants. And the best way to do that is to vaccinate everyone.

In California, about 64% of the population over age 12 has received at least one dose.

Youre much more likely to get the delta variant if youre unvaccinated than if youre vaccinated, says Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of state Health and Human Services.

If you take eight cases of COVID-19 today, at least seven would be among people who are unvaccinated. More than 98% of those hospitalized are unvaccinated.

Ghaly talks about myths:

A lot of people think the vaccine itself may make them more sick than COVID-19. Thats just not the case. Sometimes theyll get mild side effects, but they wont need medical attention.

Some feel if they havent gotten [COVID-19] yet, theyre not going to. But with the delta variant, if youre not vaccinated youre just waiting to get infected. You can only hide from it for so long. It will find you.
HIGH POINT  Just weeks after replacing catalytic converters stolen from two buses, thieves again struck the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club.

The nonprofit discovered the latest thefts Monday as workers prepared for the first day of afterschool pickups for the new school year, according to a news release from the organization.

Staff members tried to start the buses and perform inspection checks, but quickly realized two buses wouldnt run correctly because the replacement catalytic converters were missing.

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In mid-July, two buses and a passenger van owned by The Salvation Army were damaged in catalytic converter thefts that the agency said have plagued the High Point area. Now the nonprofit faces the expense of replacing the two stolen catalytic converters again. It is working with the High Point Police Department to try and identify the thieves.

The Salvation Army estimates it will cost about $8,000 to replace the recently stolen parts, bringing the total repair costs due to the thefts this summer to almost $16,000.
"Because, historically, credit-score algorithms have failed to take into account rent payments and utility payments, the credit scores of African Americans and Latinos have been unfairly disadvantaged in my view," Sabbeth said.

In the meantime, programs like those offered by the city of Greensboro aim to assist first-time homebuyers so they can begin to build wealth and overcome biases in the system.

The city is trying to push back on such disadvantages to encourage home ownership among minorities. But it's not alone in taking up the cause.

For 33 years, the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro has broken the cycle of limited ownership opportunities for people of color and others by putting more than 500 families into homes with mortgages they're able to sustain and ultimately pay off.

The nonprofit acts, in many ways, as a bank with a helping hand. If a person doesn't qualify for a conventional consumer loan, Habitat is there to assist with financial education and mortgage payments that never exceed 30% of a family's monthly income.

Banks are "processing to make the money. We're looking to make a generational change in poverty here," said David Kolosieke, president and CEO of Habitat's Greensboro operation.
The Hiatt Street property is already under contract with new owners who plan to build apartments there. The families say it has been hard to find another place within the city limits to move their mobile homes.

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Anderson said her aunt, who died recently, stipulated in her will that the property be sold and the proceeds divided among her grandchildren.

We are simply trying to do that, said Anderson, who is the executor.

Those involved agree that the Jamison property has been a tight-knit, affordable mobile home community within the city limits for decades and has been especially attractive to immigrants since the 1990s. The owner, Shirley Todd Jamison, who worked in the Guilford County Health Department, spent nearly four decades in Latin America as a nurse and missionary. She died in March 2017.

Anderson said that the process for rezoning the land for apartment use has been public, as required by law. A notice of the meeting was placed on the property, she said.

In a sad twist, supporters say, residents had gathered around the sign on the day of the rezoning meeting thinking thats where it would be held.

They have freedom of speech, but I think its wrong what they are doing, Anderson said of the protests.
Parents, the board said, don't have an unlimited right to send their kids to school unmasked, infringing on the rights of other parents who want their children kept safe.

DeSantis is not backing down. Ar a news conference Wednesday, the governor warned of additional consequences for defiant schools districts, but didn't elaborate. DeSantis contends those boards are violating the Parents Bill of Rights, signed into law this summer. It gives parents authority to direct their children's education.

Those schools districts are violating state law and they are overriding what the parents judgment is on this, he said, stressing repeatedly that cloth masks dont prevent the spread of aerosols.

If these entities are going to violate state law and take away parents rights . theres consequences for that, DeSantis added.

The state had given Broward and Alachua counties until Tuesday to end their mask mandates. Broward's students began school a week ago with a mask policy in place. State officials have threatened to withhold funding equal to school board salaries if a district doesnt comply. Those funds make up less than 1% of each districts budget.

The debate over masks has gotten heated.
For Graham Allison, the veteran foreign policy scholar at Harvards Kennedy School, Biden deserves praise, not scorn, for taking a calculated risk in order to extract the United States from a failing effort in a misguided mission.

Yes, the ugliness of the aftermath should not distract from the fact that Biden made the right call, the best among the bad choices available.

This does not lessen his obligation to respond forcefully to the humanitarian crisis created by the administrations costly miscalculations about the astonishing speed with which the Taliban would seize control of the country.

The U.S. must be aggressive in pulling out not only Americans but also Afghans who risked their lives to support our troops, without imposing an artificial deadline. We can do better than this.

On the withdrawal itself, you can distill all the recriminations around Bidens decision to one essential argument: You either believe that a small U.S. force in Afghanistan could have maintained the status quo and held the Taliban at bay, or you dont.
Largest increase in COVID cases last week for those 0-11, 12-15, 16-19 years old
Turkey has stepped up its offensive on various regions of north and eastern Syria, but ambiguity prevails in the region. About this, ANHA agency conducted a meeting with the official speech of the Democratic Union Party Sama Bagdash, The official speaker of the Democratic Union of Democratic Party.

Sama Bagdash, touched on the escalation of a Turkish occupation, saying ": returning to the early Syrian crisis, we find that these attacks did not stop, the beginning was directly supporting the ISIS by Turkey, which was trying to occupy these areas. After being defeated, Turkey intervened to occupy regions north and eastern Syria.

She noted that they present a democratic project for the north and east Syria, "This project will ensure the rights of components in Syria, something Turkey doesn't approve, so it makes use of all it mighty to fail this project."

"We have recently seen the opening of the Autonomous Administration's representatives in a number of countries and efforts to recognize the administration and represent it in the political process." She said, and its participation in the future process said: "Turkey uses all its political, military and diplomatic mighty to target these areas that have been able to defeat the ISIS."

What prevents Damascus from confronting the Turkish occupation?

The Damascus government always speaks about defending the unity and sovereignty of Syria, but it has never directed its gun at the Turkish occupier, who is trying to carve out parts of Syrian territory.

Bagdash says there are many violations against Syria's borders, "What happened in Afrin is a clear violation of Syrian sovereignty, but the Syrian government did not take this file to the Security Council to work to remove the occupation from the Syrian regions."

She explained, "There is a point on which all countries agree, which is the weakening of the Kurdish people and all peoples demanding freedom. They are trying as much as possible to maintain their authority. Despite our efforts for a solution and our call to change some articles in the constitution, the Syrian government insists on its old regime, and its failure to defend the region will weaken the region."

Sama continued, "They want to weaken the Kurdish people because they are leading the democratic project to solve the Syrian crisis."

Why does Russia turn a blind eye to Turkish attacks?

Both America and Russia signed agreements with the Turkish occupation state in 2019 for a cease-fire, but since then, Turkey has not calmed down, attacking, hundreds of times the region in front of the two countries sponsoring the agreements without moving a finger.

On this issue, she said, "There were agreements after the Turkish attack because there were no further attacks, but unfortunately these attacks did not stop. Turkey always targets the areas of Zarkan, Tal Tamr and other areas." It indicates that they are partners in what is happening."

She saw that the Turkish state is trying by all means to target civilians, institutions and personalities in the Autonomous Administration, and said: "This is an attempt to target the peoples of the region, and a while ago a massacre was committed against an Arab family, and this is a clear targeting of the democratic project and coexistence."

Sama Bakdash indicated that despite the administration's meeting with these countries, the Turkish attacks did not stop, but rather increased in intensity.

Why doesn't America do its duty to protect the skies of the region?

On the ambiguous US position towards the Turkish drones attacks on the region from time to time, Sama explained that Turkey is a member of NATO and has interests with America as well as with Russia, and added: America is trying to reduce escalation to create a balance, but so far it has not It plays an active role in the possibility of stopping these attacks and limiting the Turkish drones that target civilians, and it has no clear practical position on the ground to confront the Turkish drones.

What if the attacks don't stop?

On the impact and risks of the continuation of the Turkish escalation, and the consequences of its continuation, she stressed that the Turkish state is trying to create chaos and this will lead to the return of ISIS again. ".

The official spokeswoman for the Democratic Union Party, Sama Bagdash, called on the peoples of northern and eastern Syria to rally around the Autonomous Administration, "what we saw in Afghanistan, despite the presence of a force consisting of 300,000 soldiers, but it could not protect Afghanistan," and said: "The essential protection is not to rely on any of the forces and the attacks are not only targeting the Kurdish people, and the components must be vigilant towards Turkey's policies."

(A)

ANHA
" " The FDA just approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is recommending everyone now get a COVID-19 booster shot starting Sept. 20. Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a joint statement Aug. 18, 2021, declaring that vaccinated Americans will be eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot beginning Sept. 20. This news came six days after the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) authorized booster vaccines for certain immunocompromised individuals.

The approvals are part of a concerted effort to combat the highly contagious delta variant and stave off waning immunity from the original mRNA vaccines. But what does this mean for you? And how do scientists know whether a vaccine requires a booster in the first place?

First, let's examine some of the science behind booster shots.

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The Lowdown on Booster Shots

A booster vaccine is an additional dose of immunization given months or years after the initial injection. Whether or not a booster vaccine is necessary depends on several factors: the type of pathogen being targeted, the patient's immune system, new disease mutations or the mechanism of the vaccine itself.

One major reason some vaccines require boosters is that the protection they confer gradually diminishes over time. "For example, whooping cough," says Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. "That vaccine immunity wears off."

After one dose of the whooping cough (also known as pertussis) vaccine, your body launches a strong immune response, releasing antibodies to protect you from the bacterial toxin that causes severe, monthslong bouts of coughing. But given time and lack of exposure, your immune system "forgets" how to fight off this toxin. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting a booster every 10 years to (metaphorically) jog your immune system's memory and prime it to protect you once more.

The whooping cough booster uses the same mechanism as the initial dose to trigger an immune response. But some vaccines employ another strategy, known as heterologous vaccination. "Heterologous means using different types of vaccines to boost immunity," Adalja says.

Meningitis is one such shot. The first formulation, which protects against four common types of meningitis, is typically administered to kids around age 11, with a booster at age 16. However, a different formulation is also recommended for teens and young adults between ages 16 to 23. This second jab safeguards against meningitis B, which is more likely to infect college-aged people. Together, they form a one-two punch of protection.

" " Flu vaccines are reformulated every year because new strains can emerge and because there are so many different variants, booster shots simply don't work. Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

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To Booster Shot or Not?

Unfortunately, simply adding a booster isn't an option for all vaccines; certain pathogens change too fast and too radically from year to year. For instance, the annual flu shot. "The flu vaccine is a complete reformulation," Adalja says. "It's not a booster, it's just a whole new vaccine."

There are four main types of seasonal influenza virus and each type has dozens of variants. Scientists try to predict which ones will be dominant each year when they formulate the newest flu vaccine, but it's always a moving target. And sometimes a new strain emerges unexpectedly, as with the 2009 swine flu pandemic.

In contrast to the flu virus, however, some pathogens mutate extremely slowly. The yellow fever vaccine provides lifelong immunity to most people after only a single dose. Researchers have been able to determine the long-term efficacy of these vaccines through natural history studies that follow patients over a period of many years. By regularly screening these volunteers for breakthrough infections and monitoring their levels of antibodies, they can develop a clear picture of when and whether a booster dose is necessary.

But you may be thinking, COVID-19 vaccines haven't been around for very long  certainly not long enough for a natural history study. How do we know whether boosters are necessary?

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Why Get a COVID-19 Booster?

It's true that the coronavirus only emerged recently. But when it comes to vaccine research, scientists have spared no expense. The disease may be less than 2 years old, but COVID-19 is one of the best researched diseases, ever. And some of those data suggest that COVID-19 immunity does begin to wane after a period of several months.

"Eventually all of us will need booster shots for our COVID vaccines because the immune response we get to that vaccine decreases over time," Dr. Dorry Segev, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, said in a statement. "Ongoing research will tell us better what that magic window is."

Recently, a team of Israeli scientists published a seven months-long study of COVID-19 immunity in individuals who had received the Pfizer vaccine. They found that over that time, the patients' resistance to infection dropped from 95 percent to 39 percent. However, they also determined that vaccinated people remained more than 90 percent protected from severe disease.

A second study quickly followed after the Israeli government gave the green light for COVID-19 booster shots. This one found that a third dose of vaccine was very effective in preventing breakthrough infections in people over age 60. Even better, it appears to give protection against the Delta variant.

These studies prompted the FDA and CDC to take action, authorizing booster shots for folks in the U.S. eight months after their first immunization. The agencies hope that this, in combination with an FDA stamp of approval for the Pfizer vaccine, will quell the most recent surge of infections brought on by the Delta variant.

" " The HPV vaccine often requires a booster shot. For example, the CDC recommends adolescents aged 9 through 14 who received two doses of HPV vaccine less than 5 months apart have a third dose. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Now That's Interesting Getting vaccinated isn't just a good health decision, it's a sound economic investment as well. Research shows that for every dollar a country spends on vaccination, its economy grows by around $44.
A Montana Army National Guardsman was arrested on suspicion of raping and strangling a woman at the Fort Harrison National Guard base outside Helena.

John Clements Newell, 31, of Livingston, is charged with felony aggravated sexual intercourse without consent and felony strangulation.

On Aug. 19, a Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office deputy responded to Fort Harrison for reports of a sexual assault. The deputy made contact with the victim, who alleged that the previous night Newell had entered her room without permission, raped and strangled her.

Court documents state the defendant put his hand on the victim's throat and pinned her against the wall, touched her chest and attempted to kiss her several times. He is also accused of attempting to take off her shirt, pinning her to the bed with his body weight and slapping her several times.

The victim was reportedly able to wrestle out of his control, and the defendant allegedly attempted to make small talk with the woman before attacking her again.
Petty also phoned Fleury's son to make sure she had a ride home.

Hedge said Petty never identified himself as a police officer, but that she noticed he was wearing an HPD-branded tie clip.

"What those folks do is amazing to me. I think they're wonderful," Hedge said of HPD officers and law enforcement in general. "They've got tough jobs. We don't know how fortunate we are to have them."

Hagen said he would expect that from any of his officers.

"This is what I believe every police officer in this department would do," he said. "They will step up to help anyone in need whether it is a person choking like in this situation or any other situation where they see someone that needs help. The Helena Police Department is often complimented on how we treat our citizens, especially those in need. This is another excellent example."

Petty will be presented a Life Saving Award on Friday at the police Law and Justice Center.

Though Petty said he was simply doing what anyone else with his training would do in such a situation, Fleury said she knows the truth.

"He did such a good job," she said. "He saved my life."

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Federal guidelines say no more than 7% of income should go to child care. By that definition, 88% of Montanans do not have access to affordable child care. That equates to many parents or guardians working reduced hours to avoid high costs, which in turn means lower wages, Watson said.

From the child care business perspective wages in the industry often remain low, with the average worker earning a median income of less than $23,000 per year. Wages have been cited by the state as one reason the industry faces significant challenges with employee recruitment and retention.

The coronavirus pandemic saw 171 licensed child care facilities close with 21 of those having reopened. But issues finding child care persisted before COVID-19, officials and lawmakers said.

This isnt a new problem, the pandemic didnt start this problem, said Rep. Mary Caferro, D-Helena. It may have exacerbated it, but it isnt a new problem.

Caferro emphasized that one of the consequences of the child care shortage is children left in unsafe situations. She proposed an unsuccessful amendment to increase reimbursement rates to address the wage issue, saying it is a crisis today we need to do something about.
Gianforte repeatedly touted the efficacy and safety of the vaccines, which have been taken by about 450,000 Montanans. With each statement he encouraged those who have not been vaccinated to consult doctors or pharmacists directly to receive medical advice. Encouragement by elected officials or the media to vaccinate have been ineffective, he believes.

When it comes down to it though, people who are hesitant to get the vaccine dont want a lecture, the governor said. They dont respond to sanctimony and virtue signaling. They want to be talked to with respect. They trust their personal medical provider to talk to them about the vaccine, answer their questions, clear up any uncertainty and provide them with medical guidance.

Montana's 50% uptake of eligible vaccinations continues to lag behind national averages. On Tuesday, the CDC reported that a little over 60% of those 12 years of age or older had been fully vaccinated.

Gianforte derided politicization of the vaccine, calling it unfortunate, and providing an example of a comment made by Vice President Kamala Harris in reference to former President Donald Trump. The governor did not provide an example of politicization of the vaccine made by any Republican officials.
Six Montana legislators  Theresa Manzella, Paul Fielder, Brad Tschida, Steve Galloway, Bob Phalen and Jerry Schillinger  traveled to South Dakota for an election fraud conference held by millionaire conspiracy-theorist Mike Lindell.

Predictably, the conference was a complete circus. Lindells own experts dismissed his so-called evidence, while he ranted about the terrorists hiding in his hotel and sabotaging his Wi-Fi.

The antics of an unhinged pillow salesman are entertaining, but the activities of Montana lawmakers demand real scrutiny. Why are elected officials wasting time chasing conspiracy theories when so many real issues face our state? Months of investigations have yielded zero evidence of their allegations. In fact, credible audits have confirmed that the 2020 election was conducted freely and fairly.

Is this really about election integrity or is it about sore losers who cant handle how democracy works?

While these lawmakers chase conspiracies and spread misinformation, real Montanans need help. Our legislators should be tackling COVID-19, helping small businesses, fixing roads, bridges and schools, fighting wildfires, and providing drought relief to farmers and ranchers.
Roughly two out of every three acres of Illinois farmland is farmed by someone other than the owner.

That is more than any other state, and it has been that way for longer than most of the current owners and operators have been around. Just the way things are done in Illinois, one might say.

Nevertheless, it poses a bit more of a quandary for a large amount of farmland in Illinois than it would in other states, since rental agreements are a significant segment of the states farm economy. And farm operators cannot afford to get under water on rental payments. Care must be taken in what is negotiated with land owners.

This is the time of year when many of those rent negotiations are underway. Some started weeks ago. Some will start weeks from now, but usually agreements have to acknowledge the date of Oct. 31, which is the final date for notices if arrangements are changing for the 2022 growing season.

Throughout most of the past decade, farm profitability has been tight, and many years, commodity prices were insufficient to pay cash rents, much less have any left over to pay farm family expenses. In recent years, government funds from the Trump administration and Chinese grain imports have help float the boat, and cash rents could be paid.

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Currently, many farm operators are flush with cash from high grain prices that began 13 months ago. Many are willing to pay higher cash rents to land owners. And many land owners are not hesitant to ask for higher cash rents. Today everything would seem to be hunky dory. Tomorrow is another question.

University of Illinois ag economist and farm management specialist Gary Schnitkey has been frequently sounding the alarm that things could change. While grain prices are good today, that may not be the case when final cash rent payments are due at the end of next year. Commodity prices go up and commodity prices go down.

While supply-demand issues would seem to keep grain prices higher than in recent years, there could be black swans paddling past, such as pandemics, embargoes, or other unplanned events in ones risk management plan.

This column for many years has touted the benefits of a variable cash rent. One that will vary from year to year, based on yields and commodity prices, instead of having a locked in cash value. Schnitkey is pushing hard for that also this year, offering simple formulas that reward land owners additional money, based on higher yields or higher prices.

But one thing that Schnitkey mentions, and it may overshadow the simplicity of any agreement, is that once a formula is deemed acceptable to both the farm operator and the land owner, it can carry from year to year, and cash rent does not have to be negotiated every year, with all of the hair-pulling, frustration, and potential financial failure that could accompany the annual rental agreements.

Many farmers will say, Thats a great idea, why didnt I think of that?

Stu Ellis is an observer of the Central Illinois agriculture scene. In addition to his weekly column, you can view his From The Farm and Harvest Heritage reports on WCIA 3 News.

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BERLIN (AP)  A new show examining how some of the Nazis' favorite visual artists were able to successfully continue their work in postwar Germany is set to open in Berlin this week.

Divinely Gifted. National Socialism's favored artists in the Federal Republic opens Friday at the German Historical Museum. It traces the careers and works of many who figured on a list of Divinely Gifted" artists, compiled in 1944 on behalf of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels.

In contrast, Jewish artists and those critical of the Nazis were defamed and persecuted while their works were banned from museums as so-called degenerate art.

The Divinely Gifted list contained the names of more than 100 painters and sculptors counted among the most important representatives of the National Socialists' cultural output. They were considered so useful to the Nazis' propaganda efforts that they were spared conscription into the armed forces.

Despite Germany's aspired new beginning after the end of World War II in 1945, and the de-Nazification process, many of these artists were rehabilitated and successfully pursued their careers for decades.

They received lucrative commissions from government, industry and church organizations, taught at art academies and were represented at exhibitions.

Their designs for statues, reliefs and tapestries on public squares or theaters left their mark to this day on the face of many German city centers, the exhibition shows.

The fact that many of the renowned protagonists of the National Socialist art world continued to work successfully in the post-war decades was blended out of the influential art-historical narrative of a new beginning after 1945, the show's curator Wolfgang Brauneis said.

We are throwing light on this special topic from a contemporary historical vantage point and hope in this way to contribute to a revision of the art-historical canon and post-war modern art, Brauneis added.

It's not just in the art world that people who enjoyed power and influence under the Nazi regime were able to continue their careers after the war in Germany. It also happened in the judiciary, government ministries, education, academia and elsewhere.

At the German Historical Museum, some 300 sculptures, paintings, tapestries, models, photographs, film and sound documents  accompanied by explanations and analysis  try to shed light on both the Nazi-era and the postwar careers of artists such as sculptors Arno Breker and Willy Meller.

Until the fall of the Third Reich, Breker was a professor of visual arts in Berlin and Hitler's official state sculptor. Despite his close ties with the Nazis, on whose patronage and goodwill he depended, Breker was allowed after the war to design sculptures for the city hall of the western city of Duesseldorf or insurance company Gerling in Cologne.

Meller created sculptures for Berlin's Olympic stadium in 1935, and designed others for the Nazis' Prora building complex on the Baltic coast  a gigantic holiday resort for German workers which was never completed.

After the war, Meller was tasked to create sculptures for German postal service Deutsche Post, and even made a memorial in front of the first German documentation center about the Nazis in the western city of Oberhausen.

Often, the continued presentation of work by the Nazis' favorite artists was met with no or little resistance by the public in the first postwar years. That perception only changed slowly starting in the 1960s, when the younger German generations publicly began to question the atrocities committed by the Third Reich.

The Divinely Gifted show runs through December 5 and is accompanied by curator tours in Berlin, Munich, Duesseldorf and Vienna to some of the artists' works in those cities.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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In 1925, John W. Butler, a legislator in Tennessee, told reporters that years earlier hed read in the papers that boys and girls were coming home from school and telling their fathers and mothers that the Bible was all nonsense.

I didnt think that was right, Butler told the New York Times in July of that year.

At first Butler couldnt figure out exactly what students had seen in school that allegedly led them to reject Christianity. But with help from a preacher, he settled on a culprit: A biology class about heritable characteristics. Evolution.

Butler then authored the Butler Act, which banned the teaching of Darwins theory and became the basis for the famous Scopes monkey trial.

A century later, another theory is being banned in schools: critical race theory, or CRT. Several state legislatures have passed bills to keep it out of classrooms, alleging that it challenges the popular belief that racism in America mostly ended with the civil rights movement. Some add anecdotal evidence that critical race theory guilt trips white students and leaves Black students with apathy and despair.

It corrupts the youth, in other words. Just like evolution in 1925. Or Socratic inquiry in 399 BCE.

Critical race theory is an odd object of hostility for lawmakers. Just as evolution is an effort to understand how organisms become more complex with time, CRT tries to understand why civil rights legislation in the United States didnt end segregation.

Perhaps, the theory proposes, the law itself  or the real-estate business, or policing, or even tropes in the language  is inflected by racism in ways that are hard to detect.

Opponents of critical race theory dismiss inquiry like this, but whats weird is how much it worries them. CRT, like evolution in 1925, strikes them as more than just too complicated. It somehow threatens to deprive their kids of faith  not faith in the Christian God this time, but in the decency of the United States and in white Americans of good character.

There are some impressive leaps of logic here. A kid in this hypothesis goes from considering the reflexive use of articulate in certain circumstances to despair and demoralization.

I was exposed to CRT in graduate school (heres where I admit I did a PhD in English) and I find it hard to imagine how this tragedy goes down. CRT sharpened my analytical eye for the way seemingly neutral elements of experience can express something less than neutral, and how a position of no ideology can itself reflect an ideology. Im not sure CRT made me a better or worse person; in fact, I doubt it touched my moral fiber.

Opponents of CRT often admit, as did Butler with evolution, that they know little about it. They dont even seem to reject it as a theory. Instead, they imagine that, as one vocal opponent put it, this theory judges my daughter by the color of her skin and encourages and instructs her to prejudge others by theirs.

I dont buy this. But as a parent I get that subjecting ones child to judgment of any kind feels risky. And what if some of that judgment is directed at you? What parent has not known the fear of being rejected by a child in favor of newly discovered values, new beliefs, a new modus vivendi?

In the battle over curriculum, the immediate goal for schools and teachers is to oppose any unconstitutional bans on ideas, while not dismissing as immoral anyone who objects to critical race theory. Parents are much more likely to appreciate the value of an intellectual challenge if schools acknowledge the primal parental fear that what gets taught may separate kids from their innocence, their faith, their optimism  and their families.

Instead of banning The 1619 Project or critical race theory from middle-school social studies classes, lets demand that principals and teachers address the unease some parents experience when their offspring are taught anything that contradicts what they themselves believe. At the same time, school administrators need to make it clear that classes in the humanities challenge students to examine existing beliefs. That doesnt make schoolteachers corrupters.

Virginia Heffernan is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times.

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ABINGDON, Va.  Establishing a new tax on cigarettes dominated discussions at Tuesdays meeting of the Washington County Board of Supervisors.

On first reading, the board voted 6-1 to hold a public hearing to potentially establish a cigarette tax across Washington County.

The tax would be part of a regional tax on cigarettes in the Mount Rogers area. Such a tax has already been approved by several nearby locations that include the city of Galax; the towns of Wytheville, Hillsville, Rural Retreat, Chilhowie and Saltville; and the counties of Bland, Smyth, Grayson, Wythe and Pulaski.

Carroll County did not vote to adopt a cigarette tax ordinance, said Washington County Administrator Jason Berry.

Supervisor Saul Hernandez voted in opposition on Tuesday.

Im not in favor of this tax at all, said Hernandez. Im certainly for the public hearing.

Hernandez said the cigarette tax would single out a particular sector of the population.

Supervisor Phillip McCall expressed concern that a cigarette tax could drive tobacco customers away from Washington County and to nearby locations, where cigarettes might be sold cheaper.
To the parents who insist that masking of kids should be a family decision, do you not see that your familys decision co-opts the decision-making of others? You are part of a broader community. A decision by you affects your community. The fact is, your mask protects me, and my mask protects you.

And what of the right-minded concern for kids who are immunocompromised or who are dealing with a disability that makes them more vulnerable to the virus or the consequences of contracting it? Hear this: It is arguably a civil rights issue.

It was sobering to read a petition launched by parents of children enrolled in local Catholic schools demanding the diocese abandon its mask mandate, which was announced last week. In part, the petition reads: There is a growing concern that parents are losing their rights to do what is best for their children. We must stand up as parents and as a community and say enough is enough.

Really?

What about standing up for the social values promoted by the Church and, presumably, by those who are a part of the Churchs school community: care for your brother and your sister?

Here are some more facts:
Every four years, Virginians have to put up with a charade  an election for lieutenant governor.

The governor is important because the governor, well, governs.

The attorney general is important because that office is full of lawyers to advise state agencies on whats legal and whats not  and go to court to sue somebody.

But then theres the office of lieutenant governor. Every four years, the candidates will tell Virginians why they want this office, and what theyll do with it that others havent done before.

Wait long enough, and theyll all propose bold action and innovative thinking.

Yet not a single candidate for lieutenant governor has ever proposed the one thing that would truly be bold and innovative. Not a single one has ever proposed to abolish the position of lieutenant governor.

We dont expect either candidate this year  Hala Ayala for the Democrats, Winsome Sears for the Republicans  to do so either.

And yet the question remains: Why do we need a lieutenant governor? Or a vice president, for that matter? Yes, yes, our state and federal constitutions require them, but why?
"Billy Summers" by Stephen King; Scribner (517 pages, $30)



Theres nary a supernatural horror in sight in Stephen Kings latest novel, "Billy Summers." No shape-shifting evil clowns, no possessed Plymouths, paintings or pets.

Thats not to say there are no monsters. Its just that theyre the human variety, and there are plenty of those.

The title character is a middle-aged hitman. Hes prided himself, through a career lasting a couple of decades, on only accepting jobs when the target is a very bad person: He basically sees himself as a garbageman with a gun.

Billy is 44 and figures now might be a good time to retire from a high-risk profession. But hes tempted by one last job offer with a $2 million paycheck  even though hes seen enough noir movies to know one last job is a cliche that ends badly.

Billy has worked before with the go-between who hires him, a Las Vegas mobster named Nick Majarian. The target, Nick tells him, is also a hitman, but one who has gone off the rails and been arrested for assault after propositioning a feminist writer he mistook for a hooker. She pepper-sprayed him, and now Joel Allen is sitting in the Los Angeles jail.
In the afternoon, Harris announced the launch of a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Southeast Asia regional office. The new office will be one of four regional CDC offices globally, and is focused on collaborating with regional governments on research and training to deal with and prevent global health crises. She said that while combating the current pandemic is a priority, we must be, if we are honest, better prepared for the next one.

But even as Harris aimed to keep her focus squarely on those key agenda items, her visit was shadowed by a recent security scare in Vietnam.

Harris flight to Vietnam was delayed for hours Tuesday afternoon after the vice presidents office was made aware of an investigation into two possible cases of the so-called Havana Syndrome in Hanoi, according to administration officials. The Havana Syndrome is the name for a rash of mysterious health incidents first reported by American diplomats and other government employees in the Cuban capital beginning in 2016 that have since affected diplomats across the globe.

Asked about the incident Wednesday, Harris didn't specifically address the possible cases, but instead expressed her gratitude for the work done by America's diplomatic corps.

The people who work in our embassies around the world are extraordinary public servants who represent the best of what the United States believes itself to be, and aspires to be, which is a good neighbor to our partners and our allies around the globe, she said after a lease signing for the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The televised debate hosted by KCRA and the San Francisco Chronicle begins at 7 p.m.

More than 22 million California voters have received ballots in the mail with two questions: Should Newsom be recalled and, if so, who should replace him? Voters have 46 replacement candidates to choose from, though former Congressman Doug Ose left the race after ballots were printed and has endorsed Kiley. More than 1.5 million people have already returned their ballots, according to ballot tracking data from Political Data Inc.

The replacement candidate with the most votes will become governor if a majority of voters want to boot Newsom. The last day to vote is Sept. 14.

All four candidates on stage are in need of a breakout moment that could help boost their name recognition and support among voters in the race's final weeks. Newsom and Democrats have dedicated most of their attention to Elder, warning he would be a dangerous leader for California. That, and his long career as a conservative commentator on television and radio, has elevated him to front-runner status among the replacement options.
Then she got a call from the principal saying her son had been exposed and had to stay home at least a week. Of particular concern was that her parents watch her son after school and her mother has multiple sclerosis.

"It's definitely a big worry about how it's going to go from here on in and how the school's going to handle it," she said.

In Georgia, more than 60,000 students  over 3% of the state's 1.7 million in public schools  are affected by shutdowns so far. Many superintendents said they have already recorded more cases and quarantines than during all of last year, when most rural districts held in-person classes for most students.

"This year, you saw it very quickly," said Jim Thompson, superintendent in Screven County, Georgia. "Kids in the same classroom, you'd have two or three in that classroom."

Thompson said the county's 25-bed hospital warned it was being overloaded by infections but what led him to send the district's 2,150 students home was concern that he wouldn't be able to staff classes.

"You don't want to start the school day and find you don't have enough teachers," Thompson said.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  Hundreds of Palestinians on Wednesday demonstrated near the Israeli border in the southern Gaza Strip, calling on Israel to ease a crippling blockade days after a similar gathering ended in deadly clashes with the Israeli army.

The demonstration wrapped up without a repeat of Saturday's intense clashes after Hamas kept the crowds from approaching the separation wall.

Egypt, which has been trying to broker a long-term cease-fire between the enemy sides, had appealed to the Islamic militant group to calm things down. Shortly after the demonstration ended, Hamas officials announced that the territory's key border crossing with Egypt was partially reopening on Thursday.

The Israeli military, which had beefed up its forces ahead of the demonstration, said it used tear gas and limited live fire to disperse the crowd. Palestinian medics reported at least 14 people were wounded, including five people who suffered gunshots. None of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening.

Soheil al-Hendi, a Hamas official, said the group had made a great effort to avoid bloodshed.

The enemy must understand this message that we do not want to repeat what happened last Saturday when blood was spilled," he said.
The Afghanistan withdrawal disaster has finally exposed Biden's incompetence to the world. Biden abandoned military bases and left 83 billion dollars worth of weaponry and equipment to our enemy. Biden removed our troops first, leaving American civilians and Afghan supporters unprotected. How is that possible? Afghans are being tortured and killed outside Kabul. The Taliban have released Al-Qaeda and ISIS prisoners who will seek revenge on us. Our allies are shocked and America has lost its credibility around the world.

Dissent memos from our Afghan embassy diplomats warned the State Department of a collapse but their memos were ignored. How could our generals not see this coming. General Milley said he wanted to know more about "white rage in America." Maybe he should have been focusing on Taliban rage instead. The National Security team needs to resign in disgrace. Trump was impeached over a phone call. Biden should resign or be impeached for gross negligence and dereliction of duty. Former Obama Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that Biden has been wrong on every foreign policy decision he's made. It seems that a hasty careless decision was done in order to have a photo op before 9/11. Unfortunately two photos will be remembered. The first will be desperate Afghans falling from a C-17 military plane trying to flee the Taliban. The second picture will be the Taliban, in US military gear, raising their flag mocking the raising of the US flag over Iwo Jima. Biden is linked to those pictures forever.


The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 760,000 student members as part of 8,700 local FFA chapters in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at



The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 760,000 student members as part of 8,700 local FFA chapters in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at FFA.org and on Facebook and Twitter.

Topcon Agriculture has further strengthened its commitment to the industry through a major sponsorship with the National FFA Organization. FFA is a school-based national youth leadership development organization that prepares members for career success through skills-based training and personal growth combined with science-based vocational education illustrating practical applications of STEM. It does so by helping them discover their talent through hands-on experiences and teaching life skills needed to achieve real-world success moving forward. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.This is an outstanding opportunity for us to invest in the future of agriculture in a way that could not be more direct nor more impactful, said Michael Gomes, vice president of business development, agriculture, for Topcon. Anyone who has grown up in rural America around farming knows and respects the FFA for the work it does in developing young people. Being able to help support the possibility of shaping the lives of these young men and women is genuinely exciting.Topcon committed to becoming a sponsor of the National FFA Agricultural Proficiency Award for Grain Production  Entrepreneurship. The sponsorship also includes a series of five Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) Grants to help FFA members fund their individual projects in any area of agriculture. Topcon will also continue the ongoing support for the National FFA Convention & Expo, being held this year in Indianapolis, Indiana.Today, less than 2% of the U.S. workforce is engaged in production agriculture, yet membership in FFA is at an all-time high at over a half-million members, based upon the value it creates for young people. It also speaks to the growing strength of agriculture and its future as both a sustainable and renewable resource. This bodes well for a world that is finding it increasingly hard to provide food, fiber and fuels for its burgeoning population, Gomes said.Brian Sorbe, Topcon Agriculture vice president and general manager, Americas, said, Many FFA members eventually choose careers in outdoor, hands-on industries such as agriculture, construction and surveying, often using Topcon tools of measurement. Young people in FFA today are learning skills to help them become the problem solvers of tomorrow.Helping young people understand the importance of sustainability  and its role in their future  is important. The link between the adoption of precision ag and those sustainability benefits, will in the long-term, benefit everyone. We at Topcon are extremely proud to lend insights on the value of the precision agriculture (PA) approach for that future, Sorbe said.Additional information on Topcon and its work with FFA is available at topconpositioning.com/na/FFA.

About Topcon Positioning Group

Topcon Positioning Group, always one step ahead in technology and customer benefits, is an industry leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of precision measurement and workflow solutions for the global construction, geospatial and agriculture markets. Topcon Positioning Group, including Topcon Agriculture, is headquartered in Livermore, California, U.S. (topconpositioning.com, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook). Its European head office is in Capelle a/d IJssel, the Netherlands. Topcon Corporation (topcon.com), founded in 1932, is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (7732). Topcon Agriculture: (topconagriculture.com, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook).
Fall semester classes for the 160th academic year at Hope College will begin on Tuesday, Aug. 31.

The incoming freshman Class of 2025 will arrive on Friday, Aug. 27, with New Student Orientation beginning that evening and continuing through Monday, Aug. 30. The colleges Opening Convocation will be on Sunday, Aug. 29, at 2 p.m. at the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse (relocated from Ray and Sue Smith Stadium due to the high temperatures anticipated that day) and will feature an address by Dr. Gerald Griffin, who is interim provost and an associate professor in the departments of biology and psychology.

The college is planning on an in-person school year, with the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic continuing to inform operations according to local, state and federal guidelines and requirements, and local health conditions. In conjunction with the start of the school year, for example, the move-in times for students have been staggered, as they also were during 2020-21, to limit the number of students and families present in residence halls and dining halls simultaneously.

Additionally, due to the August 13 announcement by the Ottawa County Department of Public Health that the countys transmission rate is now in the high-risk category, masks must be worn by all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, while indoors on campus unless in their living space or alone in their work space. The college will reassess the mask policy on September 14 based on transmission rates and campus wastewater and surveillance testing.

We recognize that none of us want to wear masks again. Yet we also recognize that doing so is for the health and safety of ALL faculty, staff and students at our college, the colleges Campus Health Advisory Team said in a message sent to students and their families on August 19. We can do this together because it allows us to still be together. Thank you for partnering with us in this endeavor.

Hope continues to strongly encourage members of the campus community to be vaccinated, and is also seeking their vaccination status to inform planning. As of August 19, 81.4% of enrolled students were fully vaccinated or planned to be fully vaccinated early in the semester, and more than 81% of faculty and staff had reported being fully vaccinated. As of August 20, according to the State of Michigans COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage dashboard, for Ottawa County the vaccination initiation rate (1 or more doses of any vaccine) for those 12 and older was 61.56% and for the state the rate was 59.8%.

As during 2020-21, Hope will monitor campus wastewater for the virus. The college also continues to have a quarantine and isolation process, as well as safeguards for those who are not vaccinated that include pre-arrival testing and surveillance testing.

Updates regarding circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic are posted regularly at hope.edu/coronavirus.

Opening Convocation speaker Dr. Gerald Griffin has been a member of the Hope faculty since 2015. He was appointed associate provost for academic affairs in 2019, and became interim provost in January 2021.

He is a neuroscientist and virologist who has several peer-reviewed publications that represent his dedication to neuroscience research and education. He has mentored and published with more than 30 undergraduate and graduate students, and has been active in numerous science-education opportunities, including being a council member for the Faculty of Undergraduate Neuroscience.

His research interests primarily focus on the reciprocal interactions between viruses and the nervous system. In 2019, he was named an Emerging Scholar by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, and Hope presented him with its Janet L. Andersen Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2016, he and his team of Hope student researchers received the colleges Social Sciences Young Investigators Award for investigating the normal functioning of the peptide amyloid beta, which has been found in elevated levels as a plaque in the brains of Alzheimers patients. During the colleges Winter Happening event in January 2017, he presented a seminar examining research highlighting the roles of infectious agents in decreasing mental function.

Prior to coming to Hope, Griffin was an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at Tuskegee University for four years, previously serving as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania for two years. He completed his doctorate in neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania in 2009 and undergraduate degree at Cornell University in 2003.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL URGES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO PROTECT PEOPLE FROM DISCRIMINATION IN HOUSING Chicago  Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 23 attorneys general, today urged the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to reinstate a rule that protects people from discrimination in housing. No one should be denied access to housing based on their race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or disability, Raoul said. We cannot tolerate discrimination in any form, and I urge HUD to take action that will ensure states have tools to better protect our residents from housing discrimination. The rule, also known as the Implementation of the Fair Housing Acts Discriminatory Effects Standard, was originally established in 2013 under the Fair Housing Act. The rule protects individuals against facially neutral housing and lending practices that result in discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or familial status. HUD is proposing to reinstate the 2013 rule and revoke an unlawful 2020 replacement that had serious legal defects, failed to provide specific protections for people who were victims of discrimination, and made it more difficult for many valid legal claims to proceed. In the comment letter, Raoul and the attorneys general state that they rely on the 2013 rule to combat discrimination, challenge housing policies that have a discriminatory effect, and ensure more equal housing opportunities. Raoul and the coalition contend that the reinstated rule better aligns with the Fair Housing Act and judicial precedent. Raoul and the attorneys general also suggest that HUD should consider further strengthening the rule in the future, considering the ongoing prevalence of segregation and discrimination in housing and lending in communities across the country. Joining Raoul in sending todays comments are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Return to August 2021 Press Releases
As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ
I remember when I was stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam War the best time of day was walking to the consolidated mailroom to check my mail. I was so possessed with receiving my mail, I sometimes would dream about forgetting my combination to the box and not being able to open it knowing letters were in the box. Such a thought was devastating and the sadness was overwhelming. Those of you who were ever far away from your loved ones understand what joy I received from a letter from my wife, Barbara, and kids confirming they were all right.

Yet, letters did not always bring joy for everyone at that mail room because, frequently I saw men walking away more angry than sad. They had received what we used to call a Dear John Letter. These were letters from a wife or girlfriend informing the airman their loved one had found someone else. Thank God I never experienced the receipt of such a letter, but I can imagine what it does to service men and women already under stress from being in a combat zone. Such letters are unthinkable, but we know life does not always turn out the way we planned.
Thursday, Aug. 26

American Red Cross blood drives will be held at Embassy Suites Concord Golf Resort and Spa, 5400 John Q Hammons Drive NW, from 2-4:30 p.m. and CK Select Real Estate, 142 Cabarrus Ave. E., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Make an appointment to give by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.

Friday, Aug. 27

Old Courthouse Theatres performance of Godspell will be at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at www.octconcord.com, by calling the box office at 704-788-2405, or at the doorseating permitted. The box office opens one hour prior to showtime.

Saturday, Aug. 28

Old Courthouse Theatres performance of Godspell will be at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at www.octconcord.com, by calling the box office at 704-788-2405, or at the doorseating permitted. The box office opens one hour prior to showtime.

The Piedmont Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon at 518 Winecoff School Road. It features lots of local produce, meat, flowers and other products.

Sunday, Aug. 29
Professional, well-trained security professionals are critical for businesses of every size and kind, and we are pleased to be able to offer this new program to ensure that employers are able to hire individuals who are prepared for any scenario that might arise, said Carol S. Spalding, president of Rowan-Cabarrus. Our law enforcement, fire and emergency services training is second to none, and we are pleased to be able to contribute to the safety and economic development of our community by offering excellent instruction and preparation for this important job sector.
Q: Lately we have seen many inch-long brown caterpillar-like creatures with many legs all over our yard and getting into the house. We have lived here for more than 20 years and have never seen this amount of them before. Are they millipedes and how can I get rid of them?

C.B.

Answer: Matt Bertone, an entomologist with N.C. State Cooperative Extension, said that from your description you probably have millipedes.

It does sound like millipedes and with recent heavy rains, they may crawl out of their usual spots and invade homes, etc.

Here is something I wrote on them a while ago: https://ncsupdicblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/blame-it-on-rain-part-i-multitude-of.html

Long story short is there is very little that can be done except making sure all the cracks and gaps leading inside the home are sealed and vacuum up any invaders. As the environment gets better for them, they will return to their normal spots.

Q: We hear the British often referred to as having a stiff upper lip. What does this mean? Is it because they seldom show outward emotion?

J.L.
Jones declined to comment Wednesday and referred questions to Sharpe, who did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Jones did not file a written answer to the lawsuit before the settlement was reached.

According to the lawsuit, the nurse began working for Thompson in 2017, after Baptist took over management of Wilkes Medical Center. For four years, their relationship was professional and platonic, the lawsuit said. Thompson also was the nurses physician, performing several medical procedures on the woman.

Then, on May 17, Thompson told the nurse that he was having problems in his marriage and that she was attractive. He further told her that he was interested in having a relationship outside of work, according to the lawsuit.

Thompson later apologized, and the nurse thought this was an isolated incident, the lawsuit said.

About a month later, on June 11, Thompson, while in his truck, told the nurse that he had audio and video recordings on his cellphone that contained highly personal, confidential, and potentially damaging information about her, the lawsuit alleged. The recordings were of conversations that the nurse had with someone else. The lawsuit did not provide details about the contents of the recordings.

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It looks like a driveway leading to a family farm because it is  and has been for centuries.

The history of the place has been well-documented by the family, a story of perseverance told during daily tours and tastings.

A shortened version, offered in greater detail at Old Nicks website and by family members during tours, goes something like this:

John Williams, the wealthy Welshman, arrived in the New World  Virginia specifically  in the 1690s. He married, started a family and moved later to what is now North Carolina. And like a lot of frontiersmen, Williams made whiskey.

One of his grandsons, Joseph Williams, was given a land grant of 8,000 acres in what was then part of a much larger Rowan County. Known at one time as Little Yadkin, the area eventually became part of Forsyth County.

Joseph Williams, family lore has it, established a distillery in 1768 to make whiskey for medicinal purposes and personal enjoyment. After fighting in the Revolutionary War, he returned to his land and tended to the distillery.
A Thomasville man was struck and killed Wednesday morning by a Amtrak train in Lexington, the second Thomasville resident to be killed this week by a train in Davidson County, authorities said.

Gary Dale Beck, 37, a pedestrian, was struck by a train that was traveling north from Salisbury to High Point, the Davidson County Sheriffs Office said.

Beck was pronounced dead at the scene, and his body was found about a quarter-mile from the site where he was hit, the sheriffs office said.

Davidson County sheriffs deputies and Davidson County emergency services personnel went to Lee Smith Road in Lexington after they received a report of a pedestrian struck by a train, the sheriffs office said.

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No further details about this incident were immediately available, the sheriffs office said.

A Thomasville woman was fatally struck by an Amtrak passenger train Monday night in Thomasville. Mary Fowler, 43, died at the scene, Thomasville police said.

The incident happened shortly before 8:10 p.m. when Fowler was attempting to cross the southbound tracks near the 300 block of West Main Street, police said.
A less-is-better approach has worked for three state Republican senators in getting at least one healthcare reform bill through the legislature.

On Monday, the state House approved Senate Bill 462 by a 100-3 vote. The bill passed the Senate by a 48-1 vote on May 5.

SB462 has been sent to Gov. Roy Cooper, who has 10 days to sign or veto the bill, or let it become law without his signature.

The bill focuses on limited changes to the states controversial certificate of need (CON) program.

The N.C. Healthcare Association, which typically opposes bills that would weaken or eliminate certificate of need laws, said it did not oppose SB462.

The state must issue a certificate of need before a health care system or other medical provider can build a facility, buy equipment or offer a surgical procedure. It affects 28 health care sectors. The law took effect in 1978.

The primary goal of the law is to prevent unnecessary duplication of services within a community or region as a means of controlling costs.
Triad comparison

The key element for the analysis is what The Markup termed as the odds ratio, which indicates the likelihood of denial for applicants of each race or ethnic group compared with white applicants.

One statistical challenge for the N.C. metros is that the white population is much larger than those of the minority groups.

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For example, in the Winston-Salem MSA, whites make up about 68% of the population, while Blacks are 18%, Hispanics 10%, Asian 2% and 2% race not available.

In the Greensboro-High Point MSA, the breakdown is 57% white, 27% Black, 9% Hispanic, 4% Asian and 3% race not available.

In terms of percentages for the Winston-Salem MSA, 79.7% of loan applications were approved for whites, or 4,535 out of 5,687

For persons of color, 77.1% of Blacks were approved, or 430 out of 558; along with 74.6% of Hispanics, or 418 out of 560; 78% of Asians, or 142 out of 182, and 76.5% in the race not available category, or 469 out of 620.

For the denial odds ratio, Winston-Salem MSA was listed at 1.1 for Black applicants compared with white, 1.8 for Hispanic applicants and 0.8 for Asian applicants.
Nurses mental health

Despite the technological advances in medicine and the recognition of mental health, we will see a different frontier of nursing and health care in the future. The pandemic experience will cause many nurses, those ready to retire and not, to leave the field entirely due to post-traumatic stress disorders related to treating COVID-19. If we have learned anything over the last 18 months, it is the devastating effects of exposure to repeated loss of life in our communities.

We need to reconfigure how to prepare for any mass event and support those who are on the front lines trying to save every human being. Nursing staff are looking for a deeper sense of trust, that we are truly all in this together. Compensation can relieve the effects of financial stability but it cannot replace the respect that nurses have earned.

There have been extreme measures placed on physicians, nurses and all of those included in the care of the patients during COVID. Mental health is a current and future issue for all health care providers if it is not addressed appropriately.

Eli Johnson

Clemmons

In the Bible
Health

breaking topical top story

Lancaster County brings back mask mandate as COVID cases, hospitalizations spike in Lincoln

JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star Elaine Monnier uses the checkout lane at the Super Saver at 48th and R streets on Tuesday. Beginning Thursday, masks will once again be required in public indoor spaces in Lancaster County.

Lincoln, it's time to dig out those masks.

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department on Tuesday announced plans to reinstitute the local mask mandate because of rising COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, people 2 and older  regardless of vaccination status  will be required to wear masks in indoor spaces when 6 feet of separation can't be maintained. The mandate will be in effect until Sept. 30, at which time officials will reevaluate whether it is needed.

"To slow the increasing spread of the virus, its important that the mask requirement includes everyone, regardless of vaccination status, because of the aggressive and highly contagious delta variant, said Health Director Pat Lopez.

FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Director Pat Lopez addresses questions during a news conference on Aug. 5.

In addition to restaurants, bars, grocery and retail stores, the mask mandate also includes arena concerts and sporting events such as Husker and high school volleyball matches.

The Health Department also raised its COVID-19 risk dial for the fifth straight week, from low-orange to mid-orange.

Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said the delta variant has gained a foothold in the community, and its "uncontrolled spread" is leading to more illnesses and quarantines, as well as a burden on local hospitals.

The leaders of Lincoln's two hospital systems both said they support the return of the mask mandate.

Derek Vance, president of CHI St. Elizabeth and CHI Nebraska Heart, said St. Elizabeth has seen record numbers of patients in its emergency room recently, which is "bursting at the seams."

Mask mandates Several cities, including Kansas City, Missouri, have reinstated indoor mask mandates for people regardless of vaccination status. Similar statewide mask mandates are in effect in Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington.

Bryan Health last week announced it was suspending some elective surgeries to free up more hospital beds for COVID-19 patients and other seriously ill patients.

The rolling average number of people hospitalized locally for COVID-19 has increased to 75 as of Tuesday, up from 42 at the beginning of the month.

Lancaster County was the first city or county in Nebraska to have a mask mandate during the pandemic, instituting one in late July of last year, and it stuck around longer than any other city or county, extending through May 20.

When the county relaxed the mask mandate, weekly cases had dropped below 100 for the first time in nearly 11 months, and they stayed there for eight weeks, bottoming out at 33 the week ending June 11.

Where to get vaccinated As of Tuesday, 70.1% of adults in Lancaster County are fully vaccinated. Residents 12 and over are eligible for the vaccine. Walk-in vaccination clinics this week: WEDNESDAY UNL City Campus Union, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. UNL East Campus Union, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nebraska Wesleyan Acklie Hall, 3-5 p.m. THURSDAY UNL City Campus Union, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. UNL East Campus Union, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. FRIDAY Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. To find a pharmacy offering vaccinations near you, text your zip code to 438829.

But cases started a steady climb the last week of June and that soon became a rapid climb, with cases doubling every two weeks as the delta variant started tearing through mostly unvaccinated people. Last week, Lancaster County recorded 788 cases, the highest number in seven months. The Health Department said the county has averaged at least 100 cases a day since Aug. 17.

The increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations has also led to an increase in deaths.

Lancaster County reported three more deaths Tuesday, a woman in her 50s, a woman in her 90s and a man in his 90s. Two of the victims were unvaccinated.

The deaths bring the total this month to 18, more than in May, June and July combined. Bryan Health reported six deaths over the weekend and 22 just in the past two weeks.

Cases have been surging elsewhere in the state as well. According to numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nebraska had 3,755 cases for the seven-day period ending Friday, a 41% increase from the previous week.

A few school districts, mostly in the Lincoln and Omaha areas, started the year with either full or partial mask mandates, but Lancaster County is the first government entity to enact a sweeping mandate.

Bryan Health, with Lincoln hospitals full, delays elective surgeries again Elective surgeries requiring an overnight stay that can be postponed for 30 days will not be scheduled until further notice.

Lincoln Public Schools said in a message to parents Tuesday that it would institute a full mask mandate starting Wednesday. Previously, only students and staff in grades K-6 were required to wear masks. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln also is instituting a mask mandate starting Wednesday.

At Southeast Community College, the mask requirement will cover not just the Lincoln campus, but locations across the 15-county service area.

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department is able to institute a countywide mask mandate because of a quirk in state law. The department was formed in 1889, prior to the statewide creation of health districts, meaning it does not fall under the state's jurisdiction when it comes to public health emergencies.

And with Gov. Pete Ricketts staunchly opposing mask mandates, elected bodies (city councils or county boards) were left to impose requirements in the height of the pandemic last year.

Nebraska health officials cheer FDA move on COVID-19 vaccine Officials say full approval of the Pfizer vaccine could lead to more vaccinations, either through employer mandates or a reduction in vaccine hesitancy.

Douglas County's health director Tuesday sent a letter to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services requesting permission to institute a countywide mask mandate. The Omaha World-Herald reported that there's little support among elected officials in Omaha for a mask mandate at this time.

The new mask mandate in Lancaster County is similar to the one that was in effect before. Masks will not be required in a number of situations, including eating and drinking in a restaurant, while exercising, and for those who have a medical condition or disability that prevent the wearing of a mask.

Lincoln nursing homes say they'll require staff to be vaccinated for COVID-19 Tabitha, Sumner Place and Southlake Village were among those to announce plans to mandate employee vaccination after the president said facilities that don't require vaccines could lose access to federal funds.

Daryl Dickerson, who owns Sandy's bar at 14th and O streets, said his customers were pretty cooperative the last time a mask mandate was in place, and he expects it will be the same this time around.

Dickerson said trying to enforce the mandate is "a little like herding cats," because there's always someone who says they forgot their mask or is on their way to the bathroom or has some other reason for not having one on.

"We'll enforce it to the degree that it's possible," he said.

Last year, several businesses, notably Madsen's Bowling & Billiards, received citations for violations of the directed health measure requiring masks.

No individuals were cited for non-compliance, and city officials said Tuesday that their focus will remain on education rather than enforcement.

Lopez said that she expects the mask mandate, along with increasing vaccination numbers, will eventually bring down the number of local cases. She said there have been no discussions about any further measures, such as capacity restrictions.

Bryan reports 6 COVID-19 deaths over the weekend Lancaster County has recorded 15 COVID-19 deaths this month, more than in May, June and July combined, following the announcement of two more Monday.

+6 +6 What do we know about booster shots for COVID-19? A look at what we know about boosters and how they could help fight the coronavirus.
The former CEO of TierOne Bank has agreed to a $2,345,605 garnishment to pay off the restitution and fine he owes in a criminal case for a scheme to conceal losses on real estate loans from regulators and shareholders, which ultimately led the bank to fail in June 2010.

Gilbert Lundstrom is serving an 11-year prison sentence on house arrest after being convicted at trial of 12 counts, including wire fraud, securities fraud and falsifying bank records.

Last month, federal prosecutors asked the court to make his restitution due right away, rather than in monthly installments.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Blackburn said the government had learned that the FDIC paid Lundstrom, as receiver for the bank, $481,697 in unpaid retirement plan benefits and still owes him $2,748,561, plus interest.

While he was current on his $2,500 monthly payments, he still had sizable fine and restitution balances. As of July 26, Lundstrom still owed $2,341,721, which includes a fine of $1.2 million.

For that reason, Blackburn sought to block the FDIC from disbursing the $2.7 million and a judge's order for the FDIC to pay funds owed to Lundstrom to the clerk of the court.
The city has negotiated with developers on several residential projects that use tax-increment financing to include several affordable housing units as part of their projects as a way to increase affordable housing in the city.

Sky Park developers will use $1.3 million in TIF to rehab the high-rise, built in 1963 at 13th Street and Lincoln Mall, but the $285,000 going to the South of Downtown area wont come from that.

Thats because Sky Park falls within a TIF district created to help the South of Downtown area rehabilitate houses within that district.

The city has used district TIF in other parts of the city, according to Dan Marvin, the citys urban development director, including Havelock and along North 27th Street. In district TIF areas, the increase in property values goes to projects to help revitalize that district.

Developers will give $285,000 to start the rehabilitation fund, and as district TIF money comes in, it will supplement that.

Naturally occurring affordable housing is a phenomenon that happens as buildings naturally begin to deteriorate over time, Marvin said, and property owners must typically raise rents to pay for improvements.
HANOI (AP)  U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a sharp rebuke to China for its incursions in the South China Sea, warning its actions there amount to coercion and intimidation and affirming that the U.S. will support its allies in the region against Beijings advances.
CROWN POINT  A Lake Station man with a previous sex abuse conviction was wanted Tuesday on charges alleging he repeatedly raped a teenage girl after persuading the girl's relative to allow her to babysit his children.

Bradley W. Franchville, 28, is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting the girl between May and October 2019 in a Merrillville motel room. The girl was between the ages of 14 and 15, according to Lake Criminal Court records.

He's charged with one count of rape and two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor.

The girl told investigators Franchville claimed he would be working while she watched his children, but he never worked, court documents state.

The girl alleged Franchville picked her up from school on one occasion and took her back to the motel room. After his wife left for work, he placed his three kids in a bathtub and left them alone while he raped the girl on a bed, court records state.

The girl told police she began screaming and Franchville said, "If you love me, then you will let me finish."

Franchville was accused of making a similar statement when he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in May 2013 in Porter County, The Times previously reported.
OMAHA  Nebraskas health agency has rejected a request from Douglas County health officials for approval to issue a countywide mandate requiring people to wear face masks indoors.

The health department for Douglas County  Nebraskas most populous with more than 580,000 people  revealed Tuesday it had asked the state approval for a mask order. Later Tuesday, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services denied the request, with state Director of Public Health Gary Anthone saying his agency had to balance the benefit to the public with individual liberty.

Under the circumstances, imposing restrictions on every individual at a district level is not appropriate, Anthone wrote in his denial.

Gov. Pete Ricketts, who oversees the state agency, has steadfastly opposed mask mandates, even as COVID-19 cases have soared.

Douglas County Health Director Lindsay Huse said Tuesday at a county board meeting that she had sought the state's approval for a countywide order that would have been in place until community transmission dropped below the substantial category and until eight weeks past approval of a COVID vaccine for children ages of 5 to 11.

The order would have applied not only to businesses, but to schools within Douglas Countys borders.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin contradicted the president when he said Taliban fighters have been harassing and beating Americans trying to flee Afghanistan. Biden said he has no indication Americans are being prevented from reaching the Kabul airport. Reaching the airport and getting on a plane are not the same, as the Taliban have it encircled with checkpoints.

Does anyone know what is going on in this administration? Aside from its claims not to know how many Americans remain in Afghanistan and its inability to ensure their safe passage out of the country  which could lead to the taking of hostages as in Iran in 1979  the long-term consequences of our poorly executed non-policy will continue, perhaps for years to come.
RACINE  Gov. Tony Evers sent a message on Tuesday to Republicans looking to pass legislation that would create hurdles to voting.

I will veto any bill that makes it more difficult for eligible people to vote, Evers said.

The comment came during a Q&A with the press at the Julian Thomas Elementary School Health Clinic, 930 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, where the governor announced two new programs for addressing disparities in health care and communities.

I never, ever in my wildest dreams when I decided to run for this office thought that we would be spending all this time protecting democracy, he said. We should be looking for ways to make it easier for people to vote.

The comments were not part of the governors prepared remarks. Instead, they followed a question asking about Evers reactions to the news that Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Racine County Republican, met with former President Donald Trump on Saturday.

Vos is leading the Republican effort to investigate the 2020 election regarding irregularities and/or misconduct.
Priebus told Bannon that the investigation would cost about $680,000, at least to start. He did not specify whether the money would come from taxpayers, donations or both.

Vos, who is close friends with Priebus, met with Trump at an Alabama rally on Saturday and promised to keep him updated on the investigation.

Vos said in a statement Wednesday that Assembly Republicans were working with Gableman to conduct a swift, complete and thorough investigation. Part of that discussion, Vos said, included hiring independent contractors to help. He did not detail who or what their job would be.

We believe a cyber-forensic audit is necessary to ensure issues did not happen in 2020, Vos said. We have allocated additional resources to Justice Gableman to ensure this investigation gets to the truth.

Vos did not release a copy of the contract with Gableman or immediately respond to a request for the contract.

Priebus and Gableman did not immediately return messages seeking comment Wednesday.

Dem says probe is a disgusting waste
Unsupported claims

Regarding Wisconsins 2020 election, something is up here, Bannon said.

Priebus agreed, claiming that the election in Milwaukee was a total and complete disaster even though a recount of absentee ballots in Milwaukee County found no evidence of foul play; a recount in Dane County had the same result.

Priebus and Bannon have been among those alleging fraud in the election that President Joe Biden won. No evidence has been found in any recount or audit on the scale of undoing Bidens win in any state.

Priebus said that Wisconsins Republican base wants to continue focusing on the 2020 election: Im pretty active in the grassroots, very active in Wisconsin. I know what people in our party want, I know what we need to do, and No. 1 is to clean up what happened in 2020.

Both men criticized a comment made by U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., during a pro-Trump rally in Brooks home state on Saturday. Brooks was booed when he told those gathered, regarding the 2020 election, to put that behind you.
A yearslong effort to test backlogged sexual assault evidence in Wisconsin has resulted in prosecutors sixth successful conviction, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

Dane County Judge David Conway sentenced 47-year-old Joachim M. McKnight, of Saginaw, Michigan, to 3 years in prison for the assault of a teenage victim that occurred in March 1994.

The Madison Police Department investigated the case, which was prosecuted by the Dane County District Attorneys Office.

McKnight pleaded guilty on Aug. 9 to third-degree sexual assault and was sentenced Aug. 19. He was charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault in January 2020, according to the criminal complaint.

Sexual assault evidence was tested in 2018 from the victims sexual assault kit, which can contain evidence that is crucial to finding sexual predators or freeing those wrongly convicted.
Gableman has said a thorough investigation into Wisconsin's election was warranted and the intention was not to attempt to overturn the results. Biden's victory has withstood recounts in two counties and multiple state and federal lawsuits, but Republicans passed a series of bills that would toughen absentee voting rules, all of which were vetoed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

The investigation Gableman is leading is one of several in the state.

The nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau is conducting a review of the election as ordered by Republicans. That is expected to be done in the fall. And Republican Rep. Janel Brandtjen, chairwoman of the Assembly Elections Committee, issued subpoenas earlier this month to election clerks in Milwaukee and Brown counties seeking voting machines, ballots and other records but legislative attorneys have said they're not valid unless Vos signs them.

The clerks in both counties said the subpoenas are being reviewed. Vos has said if Gableman determines that subpoenas are necessary, he will "look into making sure those can happen.

Priebus said he was told that subpoenas would be issued in the next week or two. He did not specify whether they would be new subpoenas or if Vos was signing the ones issued by Brandtjen.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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1. Yes. An unvaccinated worker is a potential health liability for the entire workforce.

2. Yes. But it should only be required in some businesses, like health care or food service.

3. No. The requirement shouldnt be forced on employees; its a discriminatory practice.

4. No. Not only should they not require COVID shots , but no proof of vaccination either.

5. Unsure. Its a hard choice between public safety concerns and personal freedoms.

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Eventually the photo was spotted by an Italian journalist who had written a book on World War II. He was able to track down Adler's regiment and where it had been stationed from a small detail in another photograph. The smiling photo was then published in a local newspaper, leading to the discovery of the identities of the three children, who by then were grandparents themselves.

They shared a video reunion in December, and waited until the easing of pandemic travel rules made the trans-Atlantic trip possible.

"I am so happy and so proud of him. Because things could have been so different in just a second. Because he hesitated, there have been generations of people,'' Donley said.

The serendipity isn't lost on Giuliana Naldi's 30-year-old granddaughter, Roberta Fontana, one of six children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren who descended from the three children hidden in the wicker basket.

"Knowing that Martin could have shot and that none of my family would exist is something very big," Fontana said. "It is very emotional."

During his stay in Italy, Adler will spend some time in the village where he was stationed, before traveling on to Florence, Naples and Rome, where he hopes to meet Pope Francis.
We are very excited to announce that we have just received a Wisconsin Humanities Recovery Grant, which will help us pay for upcoming general operating expenses. Our Pandemic Response and Recovery Project will keep the Vernon County Museum and Historical Society thriving into the future. In turn, we will continue to support Wisconsin Humanities mission, which is to strengthen the roots of community life through educational and cultural programs that inspire civic participation and individual imagination.

The project funds come from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This coming Friday, Aug. 27, the Vernon County Historical Society will host its annual pork chop dinner. The dinner will be held on the lawn of the historic Sherry-Butt House at 795 N. Main St. in Viroqua from 4 to 7 p.m. or until the food runs out. Tables and chairs will be spread across the lawn for people to dine outside, and carryouts will also be available.
Health system policy requires COVID-19 vaccination and is in line with dozens of local, regional and national health systems, schools and organizations to protect against COVID-19. The requirement joins a group of other vaccinations under condition of employment and helps ensure delivery of safe patient care.

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Anderson says vaccination is an individual choice, a belief seconded by Betty Johnson, organizer with Coulee Region Freedom Fighters. Johnson says a vaccine mandate is a violation of every persons right to choose for their own body, while Anderson says deciding whether or not to have the shots is the most basic human right and essential American right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

As of Tuesday, in Wisconsin 1,964 cases of the delta variant had been sequenced, with the actual number of cases much higher. Anderson says data shows the vaccine does not offer adequate protection against the delta strain, referencing the CDC guidance not to partake in a cruise ship vacation if you are at high risk, even if fully inoculated. A hospital environment is similar, he says  indoor, shared space.

The argument that staff need to be vaccinated to protect their patients is not reflected by what we know about the delta variant, Anderson says.
The state of Wisconsin has chosen an environmental law firm out of San Francisco to handle its litigation related to the growing PFAS crisis around the state, including in La Crosse.

Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul announced that Sher Edling LLP will help the state in its investigation and litigation of potential claims.

Every Wisconsinite  whether they live in the Driftless, the Central Sands, the Northwoods or in the heart of our urban areas  should be able to trust the water from their tap. Period, Evers said in a statement. But for far too many Wisconsin households that is not the case, and I am glad we are moving forward to hold polluters accountable so we can clean up our water and protect the health and safety of our communities.

Sher Edling is an environmental firm with experience prosecuting cases involving water pollution, including from PFAS. The firm also serves on the Plaintiffs Executive Committee of the Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Product Liability Litigation.

The firm was chosen out of 11 proposals, officials said in a statement, after the Department of Administration opened up the bidding process in January. Officials with the Departments of Justice, Natural Resources and Administration helped narrow down the search and choose a finalist.
Among the motions are two separate other acts motions, with the state asking that it be allowed to present to the jury two past incidents involving Rittenhouse, one in which includes a video that shows a person the state identifies as Rittenhouse punching a girl during a dispute on Kenoshas lakefront, along with another video in which a voice can be heard which the state identities as that of Rittenhouse. In that video, the person the state identifies as Rittenhouse says Bro, I wish I had my (expletive) AR, Id start shooting rounds at them, while the video shows several people leaving a CVS pharmacy. According to the state motion, the video was taken two weeks before Rittenhouse admitted he shot the three men. According to the state, Rittenhouse believed the people in the CVS video were shoplifting.
Wisconsins top education official on Wednesday urged everyone headed into school buildings in coming days to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear masks, while nearly 500 pediatricians and other providers called for masks and other measures to curb a surge fueled by the delta variant of the coronavirus.

The asks are simple, and the rewards are great, state Superintendent Jill Underly wrote in an editorial urging a united front against the virus. Wear a mask when inside buildings. Get vaccinated if youre able to. Maintain safe distancing where possible. If we agree to collectively use these mitigation strategies, our school buildings remain open.

The letter to parents and schools from pediatricians and other providers who care for children emphasized masks, maintaining 3 feet of distance and vaccinations for those eligible, which is anyone 12 and older. Most public schools in Wisconsin open on or after Sept. 1.
While the campaign to mass-produce a highly effective COVID-19 vaccine was breathtaking in its speed, the reality is this scientific miracle was the culmination of years of research, development, and investment, including from many Wisconsin-based biohealth companies and organizations. There were many failures before the incredible successes we see today. For the developers of these vaccines, the time, costs and resources were immense.

Eroding or eliminating protections will stifle such extraordinary developments moving forward. Investors in revolutionary research  the vast majority from the private sector  will be less likely to invest knowing the real risk that the government can co-opt the end product at any time, which would have a devastating impact on Wisconsins growing biohealth startup community. That will have a chilling effect on all areas of pharmaceutical research, limiting Wisconsinites unprecedented access to medicines.
Only Mazar-e-Sharif was wrested from the governments hands in just a few hours, cemented by scores of Taliban fighters roaring in on motorbikes with barely a resistance shot fired. The lessons? The information from the top tiers of Afghan security was a failure and likely a microcosm of the extent to which the intelligence fed to the U.S. its allies was utterly off-the-mark. Furthermore, no apparent airpower was deployed to assist ground troops, indicating the billions of U.S.-taxpayer dollars bled into the air force had fast withered away. The military failure was further illustrated by the smooth assail into the city by the Taliban, who proceeded to celebrate through to the early morning as terrified civilians hunkered down. I also found to be especially baffling the absolute lack of preparation despite the knowledge that surrounding provinces across the north of the beleaguered nation were failing fast. Throughout my days wandering the Mazar markets and conducting interviews through the main streets, I saw just two Humvees roll through in a 48-hour period. No police or security officials could be seen on the streets. The cry of a police siren in the distance was also a rare sound. In short, there was no plan and no will for a real win.
Who decided to send Americans to fight in the never-ending Afghan civil war? Our bloodshed started in 2001, with President George W. Bush, following 9/11, ordering bombing attacks. He then sent in troops to help topple the Afghan government, and to capture Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora.

The Afghan government did topple, but Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld convinced Bush to test out his light footprint theory of warfare, leaving bin Laden free to escape to Pakistan.

Rather than admitting failure, Bush created a new mission: Bring democracy to Afghanistan! Pursuing thin unattainable objective, Bush, followed by President Obama, forced American soldiers to spend 15 years chasing the impossible, at a tragic cost of human life.

Enter Donald Trump, who decided as president to fight yet another four years in this hopeless Afghanistan endeavor, while abandoning Syria to slaughter by the Russian-backed Assad government. Trump had no interest in military briefings, preferring Fox in the morning. With Commander-in-Chief Trump missing in action, our military was left adrift, as casualties mounted.
SYDNEY  Authorities in Australias New South Wales state say they will ease pandemic restrictions for vaccinated adults next month even as they are reporting a record 1,029 coronavirus infections and three deaths from COVID-19.

The record reported Thursday surpassed the previous high for a 24-hour period of 919 infections just a day earlier.

State Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the slight easing of restrictions is coming because the state reached 6 million vaccine doses in a population of 8.2 million.

Beginning Sept. 13, families in the highest-risk parts of Sydney will be allowed to leave their homes for an hour of recreation as long as any adults are fully vaccinated. The recreation hour is in addition to the hour people are already allowed out to exercise.

Elsewhere in the state, groups of five will be allowed to congregate as long as all adults are fully vaccinated.



MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 Pfizer seeking FDA OK for COVID-19 vaccine booster dose

 WHO: Coronavirus origin window of opportunity stalled, closing fast

 New NY governor adds 12,000 deaths to publicized COVID-19 tally

 Treasury Department reports only 11% of rental assistance distributed



 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine



HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WELLINGTON, New Zealand  New Zealand has reported 68 new community cases of the coronavirus, the largest daily increase since April of last year as an outbreak of the delta variant continues to grow.

The government put the nation into a strict lockdown last week as it tries to stamp out the outbreak, which has grown to a total of 277 infections.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Thursday that she is confident the lockdown is working and new cases will soon begin to drop.

Also on Thursday, national carrier Air New Zealand reported an annual loss of 440 million New Zealand dollars, or about $306 million U.S., after revenue dropped nearly 50% due to the pandemic-induced plunge in international travel.



OLYMPIA, Wash,  Washington state health officials say the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is doubling every 18 to 19 days in the state.

Dr. Umair Shah is the state secretary of health and said Wednesday that the surge driven by the delta variant of the coronavirus has stressed, stretched and strained hospital resources across the state,.

One hospital official said hospitals throughout the state are facing their highest levels of occupancy ever, and the impact has been especially hard on regional and rural hospitals where there are no critical care beds left.

According to the state Department of Health, 1,346 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Tuesday. There have been more than 488,000 confirmed coronavirus infections in Washington state during the pandemic, and 6,448 deaths related to COVID-19.



NASHVILLE, Tenn.  The Tennessee state health commissioner says children now account for more than a third of the states COVID-19 cases, a sharp rise from earlier as the delta variant of the coronavirus continues to spread.

Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said Wednesday that Tennessee had 14,000 pediatric cases in the previous seven days, which she said was 57% more than the previous week. She says such cases now make up 36% of total COVID-19 cases, when its historically been in the 10 to 15 percent range.

The spike in cases among school-age children has brought calls from some health officials for more forceful protective measures such as mask mandates at schools. Gov. Bill Lee has resisted such suggestions.



TOPEKA, Kan.  Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has directed state employees to resume working remotely if possible because of the surge in infections from the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.

Kellys announcement Wednesday came after two months of steadily rising numbers of COVID-19 cases that have stressed hospitals. Her directive applies to state agencies under her control. Employees must resume remote work by Sept. 3 and continue at least through Oct. 4.

A memo from Kellys administration secretary says any employee who was able to work remotely earlier in the pandemic should do it again. Many state employees spent more than a year working remotely before normal operations resumed in June.



LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Kentuckys governor says the state has set a new high for pandemic-related hospitalizations during its most severe wave yet of coronavirus infections.

Gov. Andy Bashear said Wednesday that 2,074 Kentuckians are hospitalized for COVID-19, which is up from 1,658 a week ago. There were 4,849 new coronavirus cases, the third-highest since the pandemic began.

The governor warns that our hospitals are overrun.

Officials say intensive care unit capacity in five of the states 10 hospital regions is above 80%.



SANTA FE, N.M.  Top health officials in New Mexico are warning that the state is about a week away from having to ration medical care as coronavirus infections continue to climb.

The state health secretary said Wednesday the state is tracking along with its worst-case projections when it comes to spread of the virus and hospitalizations for COVID-19. Dr. David Scarse says there was a 20% increase in pandemic patients needing care in just the past day.

Scarse says that the result may be that were going to have to choose who gets care and who doesnt get care, and we dont want to get to that point.

He says the biggest constraint right now is the shortage of health care workers.



RALEIGH, N.C. --- Hospitals in the Raleigh region of North Carolina say younger and otherwise healthy adults are increasingly being hospitalized for COVID-19 amid the spread of the coronavirus delta variant.

The chief physician executive for WakeMed Health & Hospitals said Wednesday that the average age of patients it is treating for COVID-19 is almost 20 years younger on average than during the first surge of the pandemic.

The director of Wake Countys EMS agency says it is getting more calls for help than ever before, with daily totals often 33% higher than pre-pandemic levels of about 300 calls.

The chief medical officer at UNC REX Healthcare says the hospitas ICU capacity is now full.

The more than 3,500 patients currently in North Carolina hospitals due to COVID-19 is the highest since Jan. 21.



RENO, Nev.  Nevada officials say the coronavirus positivity test rate is continuing a two-week decline statewide but has reached its highest level since December in northern Washoe County, where new daily cases and deaths continue to rise.

Washoe County Health District Officer Kevin Dick says 30 new deaths have been reported so far in August in the Reno-Sparks area, compared to five each in the months of June and July.

The countrys positivity rate stood at 18.9% Wednesday, the highest since 20% on Dec. 20.

Statewide, the 14-day average for the positivity rate is at 14.1%, down from 16.4% on Aug. 13 after a steep climb from as low as 3.3% in early June. Statewide, Nevadas positivity rate peaked Jan. 15 at 21% after a steady climb from 6.1% on Sept. 24.



NEW YORK  A study from Israel says COVID-19 carries a far higher risk of heart inflammation than Pfizers coronavirus vaccine.

Researchers in Tel Aviv estimate there were three cases for every 100,000 people vaccinated with the Pfizer shot. But risk of it was 11 per 100,000 in people who were infected with the virus.

The finding were published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Grace Lee is an infectious disease expert at Stanford University and says the paper is the first to assess the potential risks of vaccination in the context of understanding the potential benefits of vaccination.

Previous reports have linked the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to inflammation of the heart muscle. The problem was mainly seen in male teens and young men, who developed chest pain a few days after vaccination.

U.S. health officials say they have confirmed about 800 vaccine-associated cases total of two types of inflammation  in the heart muscle and in the lining of the heart.

The Clalit Research Institute researchers looked at hundreds of thousands of people who were vaccinated and not vaccinated. Separately, they looked at unvaccinated people who were infected or not.

Since two different groups of people were studied, the researchers were limited in making comparisons. The study focused only on the Pfizer vaccine, and it did not provide breakdown of results by age or sex.



HONOLULU  The state of Hawaii says 88% of executive branch employees are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and 92% are expected to be within the next month.

The state released the data after Gov. David Ige this month began requiring state employees to either show proof of vaccination or get tested every week.

The data cover 14,000 employees. The figures exclude workers at the Department of Education and the University of Hawaii.

The state Department of Human Resources Development says of its 87 employees applied for exemptions from the vaccination or testing requirement. Eleven workers were placed on leave without pay because they didnt comply with the requirement.



JACKSON, Miss.  Mississippi health officials said Wednesday that a child younger than 5 has died from COVID-19.

Dr. Paul Byers, the state epidemiologist, said it was the sixth pediatric death from the virus in Mississippi since the pandemic began. He said the Health Department would not provide any identifying information, including where the child lived.

State Health Department spokeswoman Liz Sharlot also said Wednesday that law enforcement officers are investigating threats against the state health officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs. He has been imploring people for months to get vaccinated, but Mississippi still has among the lowest vaccination rates in the United States.

Dobbs wrote Tuesday on Twitter that he has received threatening phone calls from people promoting false conspiracy theories about his family.



PORTLAND, Ore.  Oregon will deploy crisis teams of hundreds of nurses, respiratory therapists, paramedics and nursing assistants to regions of the state hardest hit by a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations that have stretched hospitals to the limit.

Gov. Kate Brown said Wednesday that up to 500 health care providers from a medial staffing company will head to central and southern Oregon, as well as 60 additional nurses under a different contract provider.

State health officials say COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased 990% in Oregon since July 9.

The personnel will head to Bend, Redmond, Medford, Ashland, Grants Pass and Roseburg and can move around the state as conditions require.



CHICAGO  Chicago officials say all city employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by mid-October.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the rule Wednesday, saying employees will have to submit proof of vaccination via an online portal by Oct. 15.

The city has already required employees in public schools, including teachers and principals, to be vaccinated by the same deadline. City officials say employees can apply for a religious or medical exemption, which will be individually reviewed.

Lightfoot says getting vaccinated is the best way to make it possible to recover from the pandemic.



NEW ORLEANS  A child under age 1 is among the latest reported COVID-19 deaths in Louisiana.

The state health department didnt provide the childs exact age or where the death occurred. The childs death was one of 110 in the Wednesday report, which said 85 of the deaths were listed as confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 25 as probable.

We last reported a COVID death in a child 6 months ago, the health department said on Twitter. In total, 11 children younger than 18 have died from COVID in Louisiana.

The department reported more than 6,619 confirmed and probable cases on Wednesday. Statewide hospitalizations dropped by 12 to 2,844.

The disease is blamed for more than 12,000 confirmed deaths in Louisiana.



MADISON, Wis.  Wisconsins top education official is urging everyone headed into school buildings to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear masks.

Jill Underly says those steps will help ensure schools dont have to shut down amid a spike in new cases. The state superintendent of schools wrote an editorial Wednesday urging a united front against the virus. She noted the situation was different from last year thanks to the availability of vaccines.

Many schools in Wisconsin didnt open in-person learning in the fall of 2020, taking a hybrid approach for at least part of the year.

Wisconsins two largest districts, Milwaukee and Madison, were both looking into a vaccine mandate for teachers, something Democratic Gov. Tony Evers says he supports. Evers is a former teacher, school administration and state superintendent for education.

A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates a majority support nationwide for mask and vaccine requirements in schools.
SEOUL, South Korea  South Korea has reported 2,155 new coronavirus cases, nearly matching a record daily increase set earlier this month amid an alarming spread of infections.

With Wednesday's report, the country has tallied more than 1,000 new cases for 50 consecutive days, including a record 2,221 on Aug. 11.

The virus has shown no signs of slowing despite officials enforcing strong social distancing restrictions short of a lockdown in Seoul and other large population centers where private social gatherings are banned after 6 p.m.

The Health Ministry is concerned that transmissions could further increase during next months Chuseok holidays, the Korean version of Thanksgiving when millions of people travel across the country to meet relatives. It is considering measures to reduce travel during the period, such as limiting train occupancy.



MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 Georgia Gov. Kemp orders National Guard to overwhelmed hospitals

 US outbreaks force early reversals on in-person learning at schools

 ACLU sues over South Carolina ban on school mask mandates

 Dr. Fauci recommends hospitals, doctors use more antibody treatments



Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine



HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

SYDNEY  Australias New South Wales state has recorded another new daily high of 919 coronavirus infections. It also has had two more deaths related to COVID-19.

New South Waless previous high for a 24-hour period was 830 infections reported Sunday.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said Wednesday that the health system in Australias most populous state is under pressure but is coping.

The COVID-19 death toll has reached 76 in New South Wales since the outbreak of the delta variant was first detected in Sydney on June 16.

Neighboring Victoria, Australia second-most populous state, reported 45 new infections Wednesday.

Both states are locked down.



BOISE, Idaho  State leaders in Idaho are urging people to volunteer at hospitals to help health workers who are being swamped by a rising number of COVID-19 cases.

Idaho Public Health Administrator Elke Shaw-Tulloch says hospitals need help with everything from housekeeping to delivering care, which could be provided by retired health workers.

The director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare says volunteer help is badly needed to keep the states medical facilities operating.

Dave Jeppesen says that their level of capacity is so strained that we are talking about crisis standards of care  were dangerously close to that as this point in time.

As of Friday, the number of coronavirus infections statewide had increased 31% compared to the previous week, and hospital admissions for COVID-19 were up about 30%, according to data from the CDC.



JACKSON, Miss.  Mississippis top health official says he has received threats from people who are spreading lies accusing his family of receiving payments for him urging the public to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Mississippi has seen a rapid increase in cases since early July, driven by the highly contagious delta variant of the virus and the states low vaccination rate. State health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs has been imploring people for months to get vaccinated.

On Tuesday, Dobbs wrote on Twitter that he has gotten threatening phone calls from people repeating unfounded conspiracy theories involving him and his family.

Dobbs says one lie is that his son, who is also a physician, receives a World Bank-funded kickback whenever Dobbs urges people to get vaccinated. In Dobbs words: I get zero $ from promoting vaccination.



MONTGOMERY, Ala.  A poison control hotline in Alabama is fielding increasing calls about possible poisoning with ivermectin poisoning, an animal de-wormer that doctors are warning people not to try as a home remedy for COVID-19.

The Alabama Poison Information Center at Childrens of Alabama has fielded 24 ivermectin exposure cases so far this year, of which 15 were related to COVID-19 prevention and treatment. It says there have been five other calls seeking information about ivermectin.

By comparison, the center had six total calls involving the de-wormer in 2019 and 12 in 2020.

Federal regulators have approved ivermectin to treat people and animals for some parasitic worms and for head lice and skin conditions, but the drug is not approved for COVID-19. The human and animal formulations are not the same, and doctors say it is dangerous for people to self-dose, particularly with the large quantities given to animals.



JACKSON, Miss.  More than 1,000 out-of-state medical workers are starting to deploy to 50 Mississippi hospitals to help with staffing shortages as the state deals with a surge of COVID-19 cases.

Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday that 808 nurses, three certified nurse anesthetists, 22 nurse practitioners, 193 respiratory therapists and 20 paramedics have been hired under 60-day contracts that could be extended if needed.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency awarded contracts to four companies of the 19 that submitted proposals when the state sought medical workers earlier this month.

Mississippi will pay $80 million for the contracts, and Reeves says he expects the federal government to reimburse the state for the entire expense.



DALLAS  Texas hospital systems are increasingly closing off-site emergency rooms and moving their staff to hospitals to help with a flood of COVID-19 cases.

Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston closed three suburban emergency rooms in Kingwood, Spring and Sienna to help ease the burden on its hospital staffs. St. Lukes Health in Houston closed its Conroe ER to help meet surging admissions at its hospital in nearby The Woodlands.

Texas Health Hospital Rockwall near Dallas has moved the staff at its satellite ER to the hospitals ER, and it also put up an air-conditioned tent outside to accommodate 10 to 15 overflow patients.

Of the 7,258 ICU beds in Texas hospitals, 6,746 were filled Wednesday. Of those, 3,592 were COVID-19 cases.



HOUSTON  The National Rifle Association has canceled its annual meeting, which had been set to be held next month in Houston, due to concerns over the pandemic.

The NRAs meeting had been set for Sept. 3 through Sept. 5 and would have been attended by thousands of people taking part in social gatherings and other events on acres of exhibit space.

The organization said Tuesday it made the decision after analyzing relevant data regarding COVID-19 in Harris County, where Houston is. Houston, like other Texas cities and communities, has seen a jump in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations due to the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.

The NRA says impacts from the virus could have broader implications for those attending if the event went forward.



SACRAMENTO, Calif.  A summer coronavirus surge driven by the delta variant is again straining some California hospitals, particularly in rural areas, but the trend shows signs of moderating and experts predict improvement in coming weeks.

The pattern is similar to the infection spikes California experienced last summer and much more severely over the winter, when intensive care units were overflowing. But this time the surge has come without the shutdown orders that previously hobbled Californias economy, businesses and schools.

The state epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said Tuesday that were hopeful, definitely. Pan says the states latest projection does look encouraging that we are plateauing and or peaking.

More than 8,200 people are hospitalized for COVID-19 across California, with nearly 2,000 in intensive care. Deaths have begun increasing and state models project nearly 2,000 people will die within the next three weeks.



COLUMBUS, Ohio  Ohio State University will require all students, faculty and staff to complete the full coronavirus vaccination process by Nov. 15.

School President Kristina Johnson said Tuesday that the requirement is based on the decision by the Food and Drug Administrations decision to grant full approval to the Pfizer vaccine.

Ohio State is one of the countrys largest universities and a major employer in the state capital, Columbus.

Johnson says the vaccination requirement coupled with Ohio States mask mandate provides the best chance of continuing to enjoy the traditions that we love throughout the academic year with higher vaccination rates in our campus community.



OFALLON, Mo.  Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has filed a lawsuit seeking to stop school districts from enforcing mask mandates, requirements aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

A spokesman said Tuesday that the lawsuit names Columbia Public Schools along with the districts Board of Education and board members, but is a class action lawsuit that would apply to school districts across the state that have a mask mandate for schoolchildren.

The new school year began Monday in several districts across the state, and with the delta variant causing a big spike in cases, hospitalizations and deaths, more than four dozen districts are requiring students, teachers and staff to wear face coverings.

The lawsuit cites the low death rate among school aged children.



SALEM, Ore.  People in Oregon, regardless of vaccination status, will once again be required wear masks in most public outdoor settings  including large outdoor events where physical distancing is not possible  beginning on Friday.

The outdoor mask mandate, which was announced Tuesday by Gov. Kate Brown, is part of a growing list of statewide measures implemented in Oregon in an attempt to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19. There was already an indoor mask mandate.

Over the past month coronavirus cases, fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant, have overwhelmed hospitals in the Pacific Northwest state.

Health officials say part of the reasoning for the new mandate is because they are seeing instances where cases are clustering around outdoor events, such as music festivals.

On Monday there were just 47 adult intensive care unit beds available in the state, with 937 COVID-19 patients hospitalized. Currently more than 90% of the states ICU and hospital beds are full.



MILWAUKEE  Milwaukees mayor has ordered mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for city employees. Mayor Tom Barrett made the announcement Tuesday afternoon. The requirement applies to general city employees as well as temporary employees and interns.

We have an obligation to provide a safe workplace for all employees, and a vaccinated workforce is part of that, Barrett, a Democrat, said in a news release.

The mandate will go into effect Sept. 1. Unvaccinated employees will receive up to two hours of paid leave to get vaccinated and will have until Oct. 29 to produce proof of vaccination. Workers who wont comply will face 30-day unpaid suspensions. Workers who continue to refuse to get the shots will be fired. The city will provide exemptions from the shots based on medical or religious reasons.

The mandate doesnt apply to unionized city workers. The mayors office says the city is negotiating with the unions on how the requirement will apply to members.



OMAHA, Neb.  The health department for Nebraskas most populous county has asked the state for approval to issue a countywide mandate requiring people to wear face masks indoors.

If approved, the order would apply not only to businesses, but to schools within the countys borders, as well.

Douglas County Health Director Lindsay Huse told the County Board on Tuesday that she had sought the approval for the mask order from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Huse said the order, if approved, would require masking until community transmission drops below the substantial category and until eight weeks past the time a COVID vaccine is approved for children between the ages of 5 and 11.



WASHINGTON  Dr. Anthony Fauci is urging hospitals and doctors to make greater use of antibody treatments for people infected with COVID-19 as hospitalizations and deaths rise due to the spread of the delta variant.

Infusions of antibody drugs can keep patients who are experiencing mild-to-moderate symptoms from getting so sick they need hospitalization, the governments top infectious disease specialist said at Tuesdays White House coronavirus briefing. They also can serve as a preventive treatment for people exposed to someone with a documented infection.

Three antibody products are available under emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, and theyre free thanks to taxpayer support. But Fauci says they remain a much-underutilized intervention.

However, demand for the drugs increased five-fold last month to nearly 110,000 doses, with the majority going to states with low vaccination rates. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has been among the patients treated with antibodies.
With President Joe Bidens announcement last week, COVID-19 booster shots are coming for the fully vaccinated.

Heres who can get a booster now and when the rest of us can get their booster shot.

Who should get a COVID-19 booster now?

Only those individuals who have compromised immune systems.

On Aug. 12, before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fully approved the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19, the federal agency amended its emergency use authorizations for the Pfizer and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to permit an additional dose.

After a thorough review of the available data, the FDA determined that this small, vulnerable group may benefit from a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said of the authorization.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 3% of adults in the United States are immunocompromised. This group of Americans, though, represent about 44% of hospitalized COVID-19 breakthrough cases, a federal study found in July.

Heres the list of who should get a booster now: those with advanced or untreated HIV infection; cancer and transplant patients; and those being treated with drugs that suppress the immune response, among others.

Are universal booster shots coming?

Yes.

Emerging research shows waning immunity after six to eight months. Boosters are fairly common as even highly effective vaccines  the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 90% effective against severe disease  become less effective over time.

Biden announced on Aug. 18 that fully vaccinated adults should get a booster shot eight months after inoculation. This recommendation, however, does not yet apply to Americans who received the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine.

Pending approval from the FDA and CDC, boosters will start the week of Sept. 20.

My administration has been planning for this possibility and this scenario for months, Biden said. We purchased enough vaccine and vaccine supplies so that when your eight-month mark comes up, youll be ready to get your vaccination free  that booster shot free. And we have it available.

When should I get my booster?

Heres the answer health officials have given: If your second shot was Feb. 15, youre eligible for a booster eight months later on Oct. 15. If your second shot was on March 15, then the booster should be given on Nov. 15.

Will I need a booster if I got the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine?

Likely.

Because the J&J vaccine wasnt available until March, more research is required before a booster will be recommended.

Where will boosters be available?

Were no longer in March, when Lancaster Countys mass vaccination site first opened and the vaccine allocations were limited, leaving people to scramble for a shot, sometimes outside the county.

Today, there are roughly 80,000 vaccination locations nationwide.

Most big-box pharmacies  CVS, Target, Walgreens, Walmart and more  offer COVID-19 vaccines.

Is it OK to mix and match COVID-19 vaccines?

In short, no.

Boosters should be administered with the same manufacturer. So, patients who received a Pfizer vaccine should get a Pfizer booster.

Whats required for the booster?

No ID. No insurance. No state residency requirement. Just a copy of your vaccination card. And no out of pocket payments. COVID-19 vaccines are and always have been free of charge, although some sites do seek an administrative fee reimbursement from insurance companies.
THE ISSUE

Cocalico, Columbia Borough, Conestoga Valley, Donegal, Elizabethtown Area, Hempfield, Lampeter-Strasburg, Lancaster, Manheim Township and Pequea Valley school districts are starting school this week. Eastern Lancaster County, Ephrata Area, Manheim Central, Penn Manor, Octorara Area, Solanco and Warwick school districts start next week. Of these public school districts, only Lancaster, Columbia Borough and Manheim Township are requiring students and school staff to wear masks indoors.

Few people seem concerned that schools now hold armed intruder drills, install security cameras, and in some cases deploy armed police officers to keep students safe from gun violence.

But schools implementing essential measures to keep out a viral intruder? Thats apparently a bridge too far for some people.

We believe that failing to require masks to begin this school year is a terrible mistake.

School officials have been left in the lurch by the Lancaster County commissioners and a shamefully silent Gov. Tom Wolf. With no county health department to guide them, county school officials have been left to make decisions on their own, and they mostly have made bad ones.

We hope the school districts making masks optional manage to avoid outbreaks. We truly do. But against the highly contagious delta variant, and with children under 12 not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, the odds are not in their favor.

And it strikes us as deeply unfair that the parents who are doing all the right things to protect their children from the delta variant  encouraging mask-wearing, practicing social distancing, avoiding crowds, getting vaccinated  are being forced by mask-optional policies to consider whether sending their kids to school is safe.

Jen Hartman told LNP | LancasterOnlines Alex Geli that her daughter, a junior at Hempfield High School, is vaccinated and will wear a mask in school. But with others unvaccinated and not wearing masks, Hempfield is risking disruptions to in-person learning, Hartman said.

As Geli reported Monday, With 7,000 students, Hempfield is the second-largest county school district, and the largest not requiring masks.

Hartman works as a customer service representative for Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health. Like this editorial board, she believes its illogical for schools to make masks optional as they start the academic year.

To me, masking is such a simple thing that we can do, Hartman said. It increases the likelihood of staying (in-person) the whole time.

Keely Childers Heany, of Millersville, told Geli that she is vacillating on whether to send her 8-year-old daughter to Eshleman Elementary School in the Penn Manor School District, which is making masks optional.

She told Geli she was happy and relieved for the parents whose districts are requiring masks, but was distressed by Penn Manors failure to do so.

A bees nest

As Geli reported Tuesday, parents in the Conestoga Valley School District received a letter Sunday  the day before school opened  from district Superintendent Dave Zuilkoski. He announced a tweak to that districts mask-optional policy.

Because elementary students are ineligible for COVID-19 vaccination, Zuilkoski wrote, the districts elementary schools will impose a two-week mask requirement if they reach a certain number of active coronavirus cases. The case thresholds triggering a temporary mask requirement range from five to eight, depending on the elementary school.

As Geli noted, The district is using the same threshold the Pennsylvania Department of Education used last school year for closing schools amid surges of the virus. That guidance, however, is not in place this school year and it was never meant for shifting to a mask requirement.

A district spokesperson declined to answer why the administration had adopted this slightly revamped policy. In our view, it doesnt go nearly far enough.

Were not alone in that view.

I was aghast, LuAnne Mikos, who has a son in fourth grade in the district, told Geli.

She said Conestoga Valley should have gone further and adopted a universal mask requirement.

A retired nurse, Mikos said masks are a preventive measure, not something meant to quell an outbreak once things have gone haywire.

Mikos said sending her son to school Monday, knowing that he would be around unmasked kids and adults, was heart-wrenching. She told Geli she called neighboring schools to see if her son could attend there, and she has talked to a lawyer about potential legal remedies.

I dont know what to do, Mikos said. Were just sending them into, like, a bees nest now, and they could have prevented that.

A bees nest is exactly what a school district with a mask-optional policy seems like. And indeed, it is a preventable quandary. School officials could have saved parents the angst, children the risk and themselves the headaches that likely are coming if they had strengthened, not relaxed, COVID-19 mitigation measures.

As Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told The Atlantic magazine, the fewer mitigation measures a school has in place  masks, testing, ventilation, vaccination for students over 12  the more likely that school closures will be necessary.

Not using those measures is a surefire way to mean more kids have to be out of school and have interruptions due to quarantine and individual school closures, Nuzzo said.

The Atlantic pointed out that in just one school district in Florida, a state that has banned mask mandates, 8,400 students were in quarantine or isolation after one week of school. In Alabama, some districts are already being forced back to virtual learning.

Keeping schools open

In its article, titled This School Year Is Going to Be a Mess  Again, The Atlantic noted that schools learned last year that they could stay open if they implemented mitigation measures and community spread was low.

The big takeaway was: With moderate efforts, we could pretty much control transmission pretty well, Alyssa Bilinski, a public health researcher at Brown University who has modeled COVID-19 in schools, told that magazine.

In Lancaster County, however, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, community transmission is now high. In addition, most school districts arent requiring masking.

Which is in complete opposition to the recommendations made by the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health physicians and other infectious disease experts.

Theres no single intervention thats the magic bullet, but a set of layered interventions can work together to stop COVID. I would say its still true for delta. Its just that you need more, Meagan Fitzpatrick, an infectious-disease modeler at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told The Atlantic.

Where the delta variant is concerned, less isnt more. Less is dangerous.

Critical thinking needed

We know were a broken record on this issue. But we feel compelled to keep sounding the alarm.

Were not alone in our concern.

As Marsha Bowen, a retired certified school nurse, writes in a letter to the editor today applauding the Manheim Township school board for mandating masks, Masks and vaccines are not political or personal issues, but public health issues and should be treated as such.

She notes that schools teach students of all ages to use critical thinking in making decisions. Facts and information provided by experts in any field are evaluated when making decisions and looking at outcomes.

Unfortunately, most Lancaster County school boards and school district administrators havent demonstrated any reliance on medical experts and critical thinking. Theyve surrendered to that force they warn students about  peer pressure, in this instance exerted by vocal parents making politically charged, medically unsound arguments.

They should instead heed the words of Dr. Alexandra Solosko, a pediatric hospitalist who wrote in an LNP | LancasterOnline column last week of caring for countless children with COVID-19 in our inpatient unit at Lancaster General Hospital.

Some children, she wrote, may have only mild illness; however, we have had many children who have ultimately developed respiratory failure, heart damage, neurological complications and shock. And a good number of these children were previously healthy and not considered high risk. 

School officials: You understandably go to great lengths to protect children from all kinds of harm, including the scourge of school shootings. Please also protect them from the viral threat that is the delta variant of COVID-19.
Most of the media outlets seem to be casting blame on President Joe Biden for the disastrous situation in Afghanistan.

I see things differently. Many years ago, people in power in Washington, D.C., decided that they should share and publicize military plans and operations with the general public and, as the internet developed, transmitted those plans across the world.

In the case of our Afghanistan withdrawal, the date for the withdrawal was made public through the national media, first by President Donald Trump in 2020 and later by President Joe Biden. In my view, neither of these announcements should have been made public, especially since we were still engaged in a conflict with a ruthless enemy.

Basic military tactics and training emphasize that you protect your strategies, plans and proposed operations and keep them secret. Letting an enemy know ahead of time that you are going to pull out of a war zone  and actually providing them with an expected timetable for that  is a monumental blunder.

I cannot understand who in the Pentagon, Department of State or other government agency allows that information to become public. I believe that the situation in Afghanistan could have been avoided, had our government gotten everyone out prior to publicly announcing the date for withdrawal.

We need to dust off the slogan used during World War II: Loose Lips Sink Ships.

Gary M. Levinson

Lancaster Township

Vietnam War veteran,

9th Infantry Division
As a retired certified school nurse in Manheim Township, I applaud the decision made by the Manheim Township school board to begin the school year requiring all students and personnel to wear masks indoors.

Masks and vaccines are not political or personal issues, but public health issues and should be treated as such.

Schools are educational institutions that teach students of all ages to use critical thinking in making decisions. Facts and information provided by experts in any field are evaluated when making decisions and looking at outcomes. As facts change, decisions evolve and that is what the school board has pledged to do.

Our children can learn a valuable lesson from all of us as we weave our way through this public health pandemic  it is about all of us, not each of us.

Marsha Bowen,

Bachelor of Science in nursing

Manheim Township
Rightly, there is bipartisan dismay over the plight of the Afghan people. A persons heart breaks when witnessing the disintegration of a society. However, be careful as to whom you point at for accountability.

Who is more accountable: those who perpetuated 20 years of occupation, or those who took on the unenviable decision to evacuate? How you answer the question reveals as much about your core principles as the reality of the situation.

Military responses, while sometimes provisionally necessary, are not solutions to enduring political problems. Ironically, the more the military is depended upon, the less the underlying causes are addressed and the more intractable the solution becomes. Occupation creates its own necessity.

By the very dynamics of protracted occupation, the longer you wait, the greater the inevitability of resistance. There is no best time to withdraw from military occupation. Vietnam, then Iraq, and now Afghanistan should teach us its imprudence. Not all that is idealistically desirable is pragmatically doable. To ignore this dynamic is to invoke the tragic.

In my view, those who engaged in a policy of nation-building are primarily responsible for the now apparent fiasco. The timing and logistics of evacuation are secondary and a distraction from accountability. Put less delicately, I am ill-disposed to listen to those who were so ready to go in make a moral cause about the messiness of getting out.

In the name of human rights and reality, let us learn the lessons staring us in the face. By owning consequences, a nation becomes responsible.

Eugene Clemens

Elizabethtown
Biden Rejected Pressure from Senior Military Officers with Decision To Withdraw from Afghanistan

Aug. 24 , 2021 (EIRNS)When President Joe Biden made the decision on April 14 to withdraw the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops from Afghanistan, along with those of NATO, he was rejecting pressure from senior military officers, starting with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, to keep a residual military presence in the country. Politico reported later that same day that when Biden was weighing a complete withdrawal, top military leaders advocated for keeping a small U.S. presence on the ground, made up primarily of special operations forces and paramilitary advisers, arguing that a force of a few thousand troops was needed to keep the Taliban in check and prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a haven for terrorists. Milley, as well as the four-star commanders of U.S. ForcesAfghanistan, Central Command, and Special Operations Command, were emphatic proponents of this strategy, according to nine current and former officials who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity. But in the end, Politico reported, Biden and his top national security deputies did what no previous President has done successfullythey overrode the brass.

The advice of the top brass was likely very close to that of the Afghanistan Study Group, a body set up by Congress in December 2019 tasked with identifying policy recommendations that consider the implications of a peace settlement, or the failure to reach a settlement, on U.S. policy, resources, and commitments in Afghanistan. The study group, co-chaired by former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford and former Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and hosted and supported by the U.S. Institute for Peace, issued its recommendations on Feb. 3, 2021. Its report concluded that there is a real opportunity to align U.S. policies, actions, and messaging behind achieving a durable peace settlement to end four decades of violent conflict in Afghanistan.

The most important revision of U.S. policy that the report recommended was to ensure that a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops is based not on an inflexible timeline but on all parties fulfilling their commitments, including the Taliban making good on its promises to contain terrorist groups and reduce violence against the Afghan people, and making compromises to achieve a political settlement. In other words, it was to be a conditions-based withdrawal. That was the advice that Biden rejected.

Leon Hadar, a former columnist for the Jerusalem Post and a long-time critic of U.S. policy in Southwest Asia, writing in The National Interest on Aug. 21 characterized the military pressure this way: U.S. generals and their echo chamber in Washington were doing a repeat performance, trying to force the hands of another President by making it close to impossible for him to end the 20-year-long occupation of Afghanistan.

But by resisting pressure from those who counted on him to play ball, Biden demonstrated that he intended to fulfill the pledges he had made to the American people to withdraw from Afghanistan and end the endless wars, Hadar writes later. That is the most important takeaway here. A clear majority of the American peopleRepublicans and Democratssupported leaving Afghanistan and Iraq. But their ability to impact the debate on this issue has been limited in the last 20 years.
Whither Global Britain: Six Characters in Search of a Policy

Aug. 24 , 2021 (EIRNS)The British Royal establishment continues to have fits over Bidens handling of the Afghanistan withdrawalnot really over the Afghanistan withdrawal as such, rather that Biden is doing it without consulting London. This has implications for Boris Johnsons Global Britain, which has no legs to stand on, without being buttressed by U.S. military muscle.

Lord Kim Darroch, the former zone-flooding British ambassador to the U.S., warned that the foreign policy disaster that is the Afghan withdrawal risks undermining Johnsons Global Britain project. Global Britain was an interesting and potentially lucrative, sensible path for the U.K. to go on, Darroch told BBC Radio 4 on Aug. 23, but now, the handling of the exit from Kabul, as well as other recent policy decisions, would hamper such ambitions. We have reduced foreign aid; we have done a defense review which does a number of good things but which reduces the size of the British Army; we have done trade deals which, with one exception, duplicate [existing] EU deals and we have rather passively acquiesced in the foreign policy disaster that is the Afghan withdrawal, he said. It is going to take quite a long time for the West as a wholebecause it is a Western failure, a Western disaster, this is not just the U.K. and the U.S.to recover from all this, to recover our reputation.

Darrochs stint in Washington, it will be recalled, ended prematurely in 2019 when the Daily Mail tabloid published diplomatic cables showing that he was working to undermine President Donald Trump or even have him removed from office because of the fear in London that Trump might break the U.S. from its lockstep with British geopolitics.

Philip Collins, political columnist for the Evening Standard, said yesterday that it would have made no difference if Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had been in Whitehall instead of lounging on the beach in Crete. A Foreign Secretary asleep on a sun lounger is the perfect visual metaphor for British foreign policy after Brexit and the demise of the American desire to police the world, he writes. With Britain now on bad terms with both the U.S. and the EU,  Global Britain is proving to be two words without content.

In an earlier column Aug. 20 in the Evening Standard, Gen. Sir Nick Parker (ret.), who commanded British troops in Afghanistan, and Standard Defense Editor Robert Fox warned that the weeks events in Kabul provide a severe reality check to Britains role in the worldin particular our involvement in international missions that demand the use of military force.

The precipitous Biden exit from Afghanistan, they write, sends worrying signals. It highlights contempt for NATO; key partners Britain, France and Germany were not even consulted. It also shows an alliance fragile without U.S. leadership.

Dan Sabbagh, the Guardians defense and security editor, drew the contrast on Aug. 22 between Bidens ignoring the British on Afghanistanhe took more than 24 hours to respond to a request for a phone call from Boris Johnson last weekto the outlook expressed in the Integrated Review on foreign and defense policy, released in March. That document confidently asserted that the United States will remain the U.K.s most important strategic ally and partner where Britain functions as a smaller partner to the most powerful military power on the planet.

Lord Peter Ricketts, the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee under Tony Blair, writes in an angry column today in the New Statesman that the Afghanistan crisis has exposed the delusions of grandeur of Global Britain. Five months ago, the government published an Integrated Review of foreign and defense policy, Ricketts writes. Its central thesis was that the U.K.s recovered sovereignty [post-Brexit] and close links with Washington would enable it to turn the dial on international issues of consequence and shape the international order of the future. These airy assumptions of British exceptionalism have not survived their first contact with reality, however. As Theresa May asked with scorn in the [Aug. 18] Commons debate: Where is Global Britain on the streets of Kabul? 
Lavrov Warns Ukraines Crimea Platform Is a Western Coven To Groom Neo-Nazi Policies

Aug. 24 , 2021 (EIRNS)Yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky officially launched the Crimea Platform summit in Kiev, described as an aggressive effort to mobilize international support for Ukraine regaining control of Crimea and Sevastopol from Russia, which it accuses of illegally annexing in 2014. According to Euronews and AP, representatives of 46 countries, including 30 NATO members, attended, many of them foreign or defense ministers. In his inaugural speech, Zelensky vowed that he would do everything possible to return Crimea, so that it, with Ukraine, becomes part of Europe. First announced by Zelensky in September 2020, his initiative was postponed twice, because it wasnt clear what international support it would get.

Charging that Russia has fully militarized Crimea, and transformed it into a territory where the most basic rights and freedoms of humans are regularly violated, Zelensky warned attendees that Russias alleged occupation of Crimea called into question the efficiency of the whole international security system, principles of territorial integrity and inviolability of borders. Without restoration of confidence any country couldn't be sure if its territory would not be occupied, he proclaimed. The international community must respond, he demanded. We want to see the active efforts of our Western partners! Charles Michel, president of the European Council, blathered about the EUs unwavering determination not to recognize Russias illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov minced no words in calling the event by its right name. In visiting Sudak, Crimea on Aug. 11, Lavrov stated, Another coven will take place in a week, the Crimean Platform meeting, where the West will continue to foster the neo-Nazi and racist attitudes of the current Ukrainian authorities, TASS quoted him as saying. And in an interview with the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet, published Aug. 23, Lavrov identified that On July 21, Vladimir Zelensky signed a discriminatory law, On the Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine. Along with the previously adopted laws on the state language and on education, the new legislation seriously infringes on the interests of Russians, Hungarians and other peoples historically living in various regions of modern Ukraine. In fact, we are witnessing an artificial division of the countrys population into categories with different sets of rights, which is very similar to the theory and practice used by Nazi Germany.

Today, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the foreign involvement in the Crimean Platform:
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25 , 2021

The True Power of the American Presidency

Aug. 24 , 2021 (EIRNS)When President Joe Biden made it clear in his afternoon statements to the press following his virtual meeting with the G7 nations, that he was sticking to his Aug. 31 Afghanistan pullout deadline, a somber pall appeared over 10 Downing Street, Porton Down, and Gee Street in Clerkenwell, home of the Tavistock Institute. The dismayed Nigel Kim Darroch, Baron Darroch of Kew, said, It is going to take quite a long time for the West as a wholebecause it is a Western failure, a Western disaster, this is not just the U.K. and the U.S.to recover from all this, to recover our reputation. He of flooding the Trump zone fame had to reckon with the hard truth that the multiple attempts to stop Biden from carrying out the promised Afghanistan withdrawal had not worked, and that the public relations stunt known as Global Britain had just been revealed to be Windsor Castles made of sand.

Retired Adm. Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 2007 till September 2011that is, under both Bush 43 and Bush 44, Barack Obamaconfessed that he, Obama, and that entire administration had been wrong, and then Vice President Joe Biden had been right, about whether or not to surge in Afghanistan with 40,000 troops in 2009. Biden had opposed the surge, suggesting 10,000 troops who would fight terrorism at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, and otherwise train the Afghan military. Biden had it right back then.... I give him credit for that, Mullen said. He is the first to exercise the conceptual option of what former career CIA analyst Ray McGovern has called metanoia. When Metanoia (Beyond-Thought) was personified, it was often as a goddess, cloaked and sorrowful, who inspired both regret and reflection, leading to repudiation of wrong judgments.

Those who have been afflicted by chronic misjudgment of current history for the past several years due to the pestilence of partisanship, particularly after Lyndon LaRouches September 2012 observations on the post-Cheney/Obama Bush 43/44 death of the political party system in America, are baffled by the present moment. Caitlin Johnstone, in an Aug. 22 article entitled Bush-Era War Criminals Are Louder Than Ever Because Theyve Lost the Argument, observed: After the U.S. troop withdrawal established conclusively that the Afghan government theyd spent 20 years pretending to nation-build with, was essentially a work of fiction, thus proving to the world that theyve been lying to us this entire time about the facts on the ground in Afghanistan, you might expect those who helped pave the way for that disastrous occupation to be very quiet at this point in history. But, far from being silent and slithering under a rock to wait for the sweet embrace of death, these creatures have instead been loudly and shamelessly outspoken.

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change has posted a lengthy essay by the former Prime Minister. who led the United Kingdom into two of the most unconscionable military interventions in living memory. Blair criticizes the withdrawal as having been done out of obedience to an imbecilic political slogan about ending the forever wars,  bloviating about Radical Islam, and asking, has the West lost its strategic will?  Blair has long believed and practiced through Responsibility To Protect the idea that Global Britain must be vigorously defended down to the last American. But those that refuse to understand the British Babylonian priesthood special relationship to the United States, cant touch this, and remained intentionally unenlightened.

A statement written by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on the situation said: The SCO member states reaffirm their intention to assist Afghanistan in becoming a peaceful, stable and prosperous country, free from terrorism, war or drugs, and are ready to join international efforts to stabilize and develop Afghanistan with the central coordinating role of the UN. Afghanistan joining the Belt and Road Initiative is the pathway forward, and the United States, using the very real need for a world health platform, can turn its attention to joining these nations while simultaneously retooling and re-employing its own nation for that battle.

Over two-thirds of the American people want the war to end. The Presidency has moved to honor that desire, and to complete that policy in Afghanistan. As for the evacuations chaos: Has anyone considered that the fact that factions in the United States turned down the offer to coordinate efforts in Afghanistan, including evacuation efforts, with the Russians, and possibly others, contributed to the instability? Or that an announced and implemented anti-Covid-19 world health initiative, begun months ago, along the lines of what Helga Zepp-LaRouche had proposed in conference after conference since June 2020, would have also helped to pre-stabilize the conditions of withdrawal in Afghanistan prior to evacuation? Even now, and for a small percentage of the $2 trillion known to have been spent in the war in the past 20 years, the United States could help win the peace in Afghanistan, through a world health platform construction program involving all the nations of the area.

Lyndon LaRouche said, in a 1991 interview given in prison:

Whether I remain in prison or not is essentially at the pleasure of the President, or the Presidency. The legal grounds for removing me from prison, by removing the sentence, by removing the conviction, exist.... The evidence exists. As to whether that evidence and that procedure will be acted upon, will be up to the political pressures acting upon the Presidency. I am here because the President wishes me here, and for no other reason. If the President were to change, then I probably wouldthe law would be allowed to release me from prison.

LaRouche, who campaigned as a Presidential candidate more than any other individual, realized that the institutional powers of the United States Presidency were of a different nature than the compromised capabilities of a prime minister. When the power of the Presidency of the United States is deployed for the good, it is immense, the greatest in the world. Bidens completion of the withdrawal that Trump started, despite British-inspired Pentagon and State Department pressures to do the opposite, is, if completed, an example of that.


Afghans fearing punishment from the Taliban have attempted to stay out of sight since the militant group took control of the country.

Those in hiding include employees of Afghanistans collapsed government, civil activists and women. They distrust the groups promises not to take revenge on them. They are seeking a safe way to leave the country.

The Taliban quickly took over major Afghan cities and the national government in recent weeks. Now, Taliban fighters have set up traffic stops throughout the capital, Kabul. The Associated Press (AP) reports the Taliban is stopping drivers to ask where they are going and to examine drivers documents.

There are also reports of Taliban fighters going door-to-door in search of former government workers and civil activists. Such reports, however, have not been confirmed. The AP reported there have been no signs of widespread house-to-house searches.

One Afghan in hiding who spoke to the AP is a 39-year-old reporter named Mobina. She told the news agency that she fled from the city of Mazar-e-Sharif with her two children after the Taliban took over the area. She is now staying in a safe house in Kabul.

We are asking ourselves What is next? We are crying because nothing can be fixed, Mobina said.

Also in Kabul, 26-year-old Mumtaz is with his family inside their apartment. His father worked for the Afghan government and his brother was killed in an attack in 2010 in Laghman province, where the Taliban has long been active. The family went to Kabul's airport after the Taliban entered the city on August 15. But they found huge crowds, a lack of organization and gunfire.

The family decided to return home and has not left the apartment since. Their worry grew after a neighbor warned them that a group of armed men were looking for them. We cant go out. We just ask our neighbor to bring us foodWe are really scared, said Mumtaz, who recently completed law school.

Mobina and Mumtaz only wanted to be identified by their first names because of fears that they could be punished for speaking out. Both said they had not received any direct threats from the Taliban so far.

Mobina said she is in hiding with 25 other people. The others include heads of civil society groups, womens rights defenders and leaders of development projects. They say they have heard that Taliban fighters are out on the streets, stopping women and asking them where their male escort is. Under the Talibans past rule, women were required to have such an escort.

Some say it is in the interest of the Taliban not to return to the brutality shown during their rule from 1996 to 2001. In those years, they barred girls and women from schools and banned them from public life. The group also ordered extreme punishments and public executions.

Today, the Taliban will depend on foreign donor assistance to run the country. Some experts say this may be a reason for the group to carry out a more moderate rule.

Evacuations out of the country are being organized by national embassies seeking to help their own citizens and the Afghans who worked directly with them. Thousands of other at-risk Afghans are not included in these groups.

Even those who do get approved for evacuation face huge crowds at the airport. Taliban fighters control which travelers get in. Many others struggle just to reach the airport.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________

Words in This Story

revenge  n. something you do to punish someone who has done something bad to you

apartment n. a usually rented room or set of rooms that is part of a building and is used as a place to live

province  n. any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into

escort  n. a person responsible for going somewhere with someone else to guard or protect them

brutal  adj. very violent or cruel

evacuation  n. to move people from a dangerous place to somewhere safer


After a 30-minute walk and a short boat ride to his school in a distant part of southern Chile, Diego Guerrero can finally get on the internet.

His school is in the small village of Sotomo, around 1,000 kilometers south of capital Santiago. Just 20 families live there. The town can only be reached by boat.

Now, it is one of two places in Chile chosen for a new project to receive free internet for a year. The project is run by billionaire Elon Musk, chief executive of SpaceX.

Starlink, a part of SpaceX, aims to send out 12,000 satellites as part of a network to provide internet services around the world,

The plan is important for getting the money that SpaceX needs to pay for Musks dream of developing a new rocket that can fly paying people to the moon and to try to colonize Mars.

For Diego, 7, getting online is enough of a dream.

I really like the internet because we can do homework, he said. Its faster so we can do more of it.

Greater Opportunities

Diegos father, Carlos, has bigger plans for his son. He hopes the new internet connection will provide his son with more opportunities.

He takes Diego to school daily by boat, often battling the weather. He said, I didnt have the option of going to school so you do it whatever the conditions, good or bad weather or pandemic, even if its difficult.

The schools seven students can go online by using personal devices provided by the education ministry to help their education.

Their only teacher at the school, Javier de la Barra, said he looked forward to using the internet for professional development.

The signal is received by a satellite dish on top of the school. Another device gives out a wireless signal to most of the school and outside areas. The plan is to extend it to the rest of the village.

It only works from noon to midnight because of the limited supply of fuel to the generator that supplies power to the village.

De la Barra said it is still a large improvement to the phone internet connection that a few people in the area use.

The Starlink antennae was placed in July. Transport and Telecommunications Minister Gloria Hutt attended the ceremony for its start.

She said she hoped Starlink would help those who have lived without the internet. The difficulty of living now without an internet connection became clear when the coronavirus lockdowns left people without good internet struggling to work or study.

Chile has among the highest rates of internet connectivity in South America. Government numbers show that there are 21 million mobile internet connections among its population of 19 million as of March 2021.

As Diego and Carlos know, having mobile internet does not mean you can always get a signal.

Carlos Guerrero said, What would be great is if all these services could be extended around our community, not just to a small part, so everyone could enjoy them.

Im Gregory Stachel.

Pablo Sanhueza reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

____________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

network  n. a system of computers and other devices (such as printers) that are connected to each other

opportunity  n. a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something

pandemic  n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world

dish  n. something that is shaped like a shallow bowl

generator  n. a machine that produces electricity

mobile  adj. able to be moved from one place to another


Many Americans are moving to the southern and western United States, despite extreme heat and a limited supply of water.

The population of Greeley, Colorado, and the surrounding area grew by 30 percent between 2010 and 2020. It is one of the fastest growing parts of the U.S., reports the latest U.S. census.

Dick Maxfield has lived in Greeley for 60 years. During those years, he has seen the population increase by 300 percent, reaching almost 110,000.

People come to the town because there are good jobs and homes that are less costly than those in nearby Denver. But there is not enough water.

Anything we can do to protect our safe water supply is so important, Maxfield said.

Lisa Dilling is a water researcher and a professor at the University of Colorado. She said climate change makes the problem of population growth and not enough water even more difficult.

Where is the water going to come from? Dilling asked. We can still have growth, but we need to make sure were thinking ahead.

The lack of rain and extreme heat in the western U.S. is being called a mega drought.

Some communities there are taking extreme steps to protect their water supply.

In Oakley, Utah, a town outside of Salt Lake City, officials ended home building because the water system was at its limit.

Dick Jefferies is part of a conservation group called Trout Unlimited. He said the only thing that will stop the growth is a lack of water. Its a limited resource, he said.

Built on rivers

Many cities in states like Colorado got their start because of rivers. The founders of Greeley picked the location because it was where two rivers came together. Now those rivers, and others nearby, are drying up.

Federal officials recently declared a water shortage on the Colorado River, which provides water for 40 million people in the western part of the U.S.

So, the city is working to find a new water source  underground  about 100 kilometers away. But taking water from a natural underground source known as an aquifer is both costly and controversial.

There is also the possibility that the water they find will have too much uranium, a radioactive material that can cause illness. Some say there are ways to remove uranium from the water, others think the risk is too great.

Greeley, however, said the water from the aquifer will not be the citys first water source.

Adam Jokerst works for the citys water department.

Greeley would never deliver unsafe drinking water to its residents, including any water that had detectable uranium, he said.

Those who oppose the water plan are trying to organize a vote in November.

Citizens of Greeley seem split. One person said she did not think town officials would do anything bad. They live here, too, said Aimee Huston.

But Sandi Cummings said the plan was so upsetting that we are even considering this.

Jokerst said it is the citys responsibility to provide water to its residents. He added that the project will give Greeley the water it needs to continue growing.

We have all the ingredients for developers to build here, he said.

Even with plans and water testing, two experts say Greeleys plan may not be perfect.

Jeff Lukas studies water and climate in Colorado. He said taking water from the aquifer may be risky because it is far away and the water is hundreds of meters below ground.

Jeff Crane studies river water projects in Colorado. He said Greeley and other cities are going to keep running into water problems.

Theyre trying to figure out how to continue to grow  without more water. Somethings got to give.

Im Dan Friedell.

Matthew Daly wrote this story for the Associated Press. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

What would you do about the lack of water in the western U.S.? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

despite prep. without being prevented by (something)

census n. the official process of counting the number of people in a country, city, or town and collecting information about them

drought n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain

conservation n. the protection of animals, plants, and natural resources

controversial adj. relating to or causing much discussion, disagreement, or argument : likely to produce controversy

radioactive adj. having or producing a powerful and dangerous form of energy (called radiation)

detect v. to discover or notice the presence of (something that is hidden or hard to see, hear, taste, etc.)

ingredient n. a quality or characteristic that makes something possible

got to give expression. to break because of force, pressure, or strain


There has been a long list of difficulties with distance learning during the pandemic. But public school systems across the United States are now setting up more virtual learning centers. They hope to serve families who feel remote learning works best for their children.

Thirty-eight state education departments answered an Associated Press survey this summer. Their answers showed more permanent virtual schools and programs will be in place in the coming school year.

Some parents are concerned about the coronavirus. But they also like the independence that comes with remote schooling.

In addition, schools want to improve attendance. They have seen too many students leave for virtual schools, home schooling, private schools and other choices. Fewer students could mean less financing for school districts.

Dan Domenech is executive director of the American Association of School Administrators. He said virtual schooling is the future.

Some of these states might be denying it now. But soon they will have to get in line because they will see other states doing it, he said. And they will see why it is a good idea.

Karen Strauss is a parent in the U.S. state of New Jersey. She lost a brother-in-law to the pandemic. Her vaccinated teenager will return to school in person. But she wants her 5-year-old son, Logan, at home until he can get the vaccine. Strauss said Logan has done well online under the guidance of his teachers.

If learning from home is whats best for them, why not do that? Whats the reason, except that people are afraid of change? she said.

School districts plans for long-term, full-time virtual programs grew during the pandemic. Students in virtual learning centers usually are educated separately from a districts other students.

In Virginia, before the pandemic, most local virtual programs offered individual classes only to grades 6-12. Few offered full-time learning. But in the new school year, 110 of Virginias 132 school districts will use Virtual Virginia, a state-operated program that includes all grades. It will provide some or all of their full-time virtual schooling, spokesperson Charles Pyle said.

So far, more than 7,500 students have enrolled in Virtual Virginia full time for the fall. That compares with just a little over 400 students in the 2019-20 school year, he said.

In Tennessee, state officials approved 29 new online schools for the 2021-22 school year. That is more than two times the number created over the last ten years, spokesperson Brian Blackley said.

Like most U.S. states, New Mexico is requiring schools to offer in-person learning this year. But the Rio Rancho Public Schools used federal money to add the remote SpaRRk Academy for K-5 grades. A survey found nearly 600 of the 7,500 student families wanted to continue virtual schooling.

The spread of COVID-19s delta variant and rising infection rates have caused worry at the start of this school year. But President Joe Biden and educators across the country suggest returning to in-person schooling. Their main concern is that many students were served poorly by distance learning.

Test scores in Texas showed the percentage of students reading at their grade level fell to the lowest levels since 2017. Louisiana tests scores also showed that public school students who attended in-person classes during the pandemic did better.

Research before the pandemic raised questions about the performance of fully virtual schools. A 2019 report from the National Education Policy Center said data was limited by inconsistent reporting and school requirements. But it showed that only 48.5 percent rated acceptable out of 320 virtual schools with available ratings.

Domenech said families seeking virtual schooling often have children who are strong students. Remote learning is great for personalized learning because it lets them move at their own speed, he said.

States handle remote learning requirements differently.

Massachusetts, for example, requires districts to give proposals that include details about equitable access, curriculum and demand. New online schools in Arizona have a trial period until student performance proves the schools are academically sound.

At least some of the virtual schools that districts set up may never take in students. In North Carolina, 52 districts made plans for fully virtual schools. Some were set up only in case they were needed, says education department spokesperson Mary Lee Gibson.

States like New Jersey, Texas and Illinois have removed widespread remote choices. Instead, they are giving the choice to students with special situations. But some parents are pushing back.

New Jersey mother Deborah Odore said she wants her son and daughter to continue schooling remotely this year for health reasons. They are too young to be vaccinated.

I'm Alice Bryant.

And I'm Bryan Lynn.



The Associated Press reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

Quiz - Pandemic Speeds US Rise in Virtual Schools Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

survey  n. an activity in which many people are asked questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something

(school) district  n. an area or region containing the schools that a school board is in charge of

teenager  n. someone who is between 13 and 19 years old

variant  n. different in some way from others of the same kind

score  n. the number of points that someone gets for correct answers on a test or exam

data  n. facts or information used usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something

grade - n. a level of study that is completed by a student during one year

enroll - v. to enter someone as a member of or participant in something

access  n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone

curriculum  n. the courses that are taught by a school, college or program

academic  adj. of or relating to schools and education
A culture guide named Persephone welcomes travelers to Greece and takes them through a famous cave in the north. The guide moves smoothly around the underground area and can talk about it in 33 languages.

Persephone is very intelligent. It also is a human-sized robot.

The robot has been in operation for about a month at the Alistrati Cave, 135 kilometers northeast of the city of Thessaloniki.

Persephone guides visitors through the first 150 meters of the cave that is open to the public. For the remaining 750 meters, a human guide takes over.

The robot can give its part of the tour in 33 languages. It can also answer 33 questions, but only in the Greek language.

Nikos Kartalis is the scientific director at the Alistrati site. He had the idea of creating the robot when he saw one on television guiding visitors at an art show. Persephone was built by the National Technology and Research Foundation and cost about 118,000 euros, or 139,000 U.S. dollars.

People who had visited in the past are coming back to see the robot guide, said Kartalis. He added, Many foreign visitors couldnt believe Greece had the capacity to build a robot and use it as a guide in the cave.

The robot moves along a walkway in the cave system. Mineral formations within the cave can reach 15 meters long. This cave is one of the most beautiful, not only in Greece but in Europe, as well, Kartalis said. It has stalactites and stalagmites in many shapes and colors, even red.

Kartalis said the cave is 3 million years old and was first explored in 1974. It opened to visitors in 1998.

Persephone, with a white body, black head, and two bright eyes, moves on wheels. It guides visitors to the first three of eight stops along the walkway. It can do two more stops, but it is too slow for the tour. Persephones creators are considering ways to increase her speed.

The robot begins the tour by saying: My name is Persephone, I am the daughter of the goddess Demeter and the wife of Pluto, the god of the underworld. I welcome you to my under Earth kingdom, the Alistrati Cave.

Many visitors are interested in the robot guide.

Patrick Markes traveled to Greece from the Czech Republic.

It was surprising for me," he said. "Ive never experienced such a thing. He added he enjoyed the slower speed of the robot guide. It goes slower, so I can look around, Markes said.

Markes listened to the machine in his native Czech language for the first three stops. He heard the rest in English from a human tour guide.

Evdokia Karafera is a human guide who partners with Persephone.

It is helpful, because it speaks many languages," she said. "Theres just a little delay in the touring. She added, Most find it fascinating, especially the children, and find it interesting that it speaks many languages.

Karafera noted, however, that human tour guides must remain part of the operation.

Robots, at some point in the future, will take over many jobs," she said. "But I believe they cannot replace humans everywhere.

(Visitors say) the robot is interesting, original, but cant substitute for the human contact with the guide and the conversation we can have on the way back.

Im Ashley Thompson.

The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

___________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

cave - n. a large hole that was formed by natural processes in the side of a cliff or hill or under the ground

capacity - n. the ability to do something

stalagmite - n. a pointed piece of rock that sticks up from the floor of a cave and that is formed by dripping water which contains minerals

stalactites - n. a pointed piece of rock that hangs down from the roof of a cave and that is formed by dripping water which contains minerals

fascinating - adj. very interesting or appealing

kingdom - n. the spiritual world of which God is king

conversation - n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people : the act of talking in an informal way




Charlie Watts of the British music group The Rolling Stones died Tuesday at a hospital in London.

Watts played drums for the very successful band for almost sixty years. His publicist, Bernard Doherty, said the musician passed away peacefully surrounded by his family.

Watts had announced he would not travel with the Stones in 2021 because of an undefined health issue.

Watts was respected worldwide for his muscular style of drumming, which he combined with elements of jazz, a favorite music of the artist. He joined the band early in 1963, just a few months following its first public performance.

Many of the most famous Stones songs, like Brown Sugar and Start Me Up, begin with a short guitar riff that is quickly joined by Watts' beats on the drums. Bill Wyman, the groups bass player often described Watts skill as fattening the sound.

The Stones began, Watts said, as white blokes from England playing Black American music, but quickly developed an identifiable sound all their own. Watts also did many independent musical projects throughout his years with the band.

To the world, he was a rock star. But Watts often said that the experience was tiring, unpleasant, and even frightening. Girls chasing you down the street, screaming...horrible!... I hated it, he told The Guardian newspaper. In another media report, he described the drumming life as a cross between being an athlete and a total nervous wreck.

Charles Robert Watts was born in London on June 2, 1941. From childhood, he was passionate about music  jazz, especially. He fell in love with the drums after hearing the music of Chico Hamilton. Watts taught himself to play by listening to records by Johnny Dodds, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington and other jazz greats.

Watts was not a rock music fan at first. He shared a home with the Stones leaders Mick Jagger and Keith Richards because he did not have to pay for the housing.

Keith Richards taught me rock and roll, Watts said. Wed have nothing to do all day, and wed play these records over and over again."

The Stones had searched for months to find a permanent drummer. Richards has spoken about how much the band wanted Watts to join. The guitar player said the band members cut down on expenses so they could pay Watts a good wage. Watts said he believed at first the band would be lucky to last a year.

Every band Id ever been in had lasted a week, he said. I always thought the Stones would last a week, then a fortnight, and then suddenly, its 30 years.

I'm Caty Weaver.

The Associated Press reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

_____________________________________________________

Words in This Story

cherished  adj. greatly loved

riff  n. a short and usually repeated pattern of notes in a song

fatten  v. to make more substantial

bloke  n. (chiefly British) a man; a guy

athlete  n. a person who is trained in or good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength

passionate  adv. having, showing, or expressing strong emotions or beliefs
Unfortunately, the piece in today's question was not made from jade. Instead, it was carved from a material that is not considered to be a gemstone and one that is softer than either jadeite or nephrite and far easier to carve. It is generally called "soapstone" or less commonly among collectors "steatite."

Soapstone has a high talc content that can range from about 30 percent to as much as 80 percent. The softer grades of soapstone can feel a bit like a bar of soap when touched  thus the name. The carving belonging to M. L. W. appears to be very typical of soapstone carvings made in China at the turn of the 20th century or slightly before.

This one appears to be a grouping of small vases surrounded by a profusion of chrysanthemum blossoms and leaves. This was meant to be a mantel or table ornament and was not designed to serve a utilitarian purpose  such as holding an actual flower arrangement or long matches for a fireplace.

This appears to be a very nice example of Chinese soapstone carving but vast quantities were exported to the United States and elsewhere and are commonly found. Many are rather simplistic and crudely carved, but this one appears to be nicely done and some of the individual chrysanthemum blossoms appear to be detailed and very well executed.
A Corvallis man is suspected of numerous instances of sex abuse.

Lawrence John Lemaster, 64, was arrested on Friday, according to a news release from the Benton County Sheriffs Office.

On Monday afternoon, Lemaster was charged in Benton County Circuit Court for 15 counts of first-degree sex abuse, two counts of first-degree sodomy, two counts of second-degree unlawful sexual penetration, one count of public indecency and one count of private indecency, according to Oregons online court database.

Lemaster pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was represented by retained defense attorney Nicolas Ortiz, and the next hearing in the matter was scheduled for Sept. 27.

The crimes allegedly occurred between 2010 and 2017. One of the accusers is a male who was under the age of the 12 during that time period, and another was a female who was under the age of 14 when the crimes reportedly occurred.

BCSO and the Corvallis Police Department had been simultaneously working on investigations into Lemaster since April 2021, when information surfaced that he committed sexual abuse to two unrelated children, the news release states.

A grand jury returned an indictment in the matter on Aug. 17.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times.
Sipe read 17 public comments aloud, 11 of which were critical of the board, one was in support of the board and five were neutral or contained questions.

The comments ranged from frustration about the current form of public comment, the lack of transparency from the board regarding the search for a new superintendent and reckless budget spending on Goffs, Saxtons and Sipes contracts.

Working parents would like for meetings to be set at times they can get to after work, and for ample notice for when they are going to happen. One parent commented that only four elementary schools in the district have air conditioning, and another disagreed with the state doing away with high school testing for the next two years.

The next GAPS board meeting will be Monday, September 13, at Memorial Middle School. Meetings are live streamed and archived on the Greater Albany Public School YouTube account.

Joanna Mann covers education for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6076 or Joanna.Mann@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @joanna_mann_.

The Greater Albany Public Schools school board met Monday night at Meadow Ridge Elementary School to discuss Hispanic Heritage Month and Oregon Gov. Kate Browns recent vaccine mandate for all K-12 educators.

Board chair Eric Aguinaga read the proclamation recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month, which will be Sept. 15-Oct. 15. Twenty-two percent of students and eight percent of faculty identify as Latinx in the school district. The proclamation was then repeated in Spanish.

Gov. Kate Brown announced August 19 that all K-12 school employees in Oregon must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18, or six weeks after full FDA approval, whichever comes later. Additionally, health care workers will not be allowed to use weekly testing as an alternative to getting vaccinated.

Children in the GAPS school district will return to classrooms the week of Sept. 7. Linn and Benton County currently have slightly different COVID-19 restrictions, with outdoor masks enforced in Benton, but not in Linn. In Linn County, students have the option of quarantining for seven days as long as they present a negative COVID-19 test, while in Benton, the minimum quarantine period for everyone is 10 days.

Chief of Staff Rich Sipe said he is still trying to navigate the vaccine mandate for educators, wanting everyone to be safe but respecting personal choice.

Board member Roger Nyquist expressed his disagreement with the vaccine mandate for employees.

Its one thing for us to encourage employees, members of the community, to get a vaccination, Nyquist said. Its another to require a medical procedure for people to continue their employment with an organization.

Although positive COVID-19 test cases are rising, school is still scheduled to start on time. The board will be watching for updates regarding COVID-19 and conferring with health officials to ensure that this continues to be the right decision.

Public comment continues to be summarized and read by Sipe, which all of the board members agreed was not ideal. Michael Thomson and Brad Wilson said that having public comment is part of the procedure, and the board should be able to take the heat and hear peoples thoughts expressed in their own voice rather than Sipes.

Aguinaga said he agreed that there needs to be a way for board members and constituents to communicate about important issues, but that public comment often turns into a one-way conversation in which one party inappropriately tries to educate the other.

Nyquist said that while it is very important for members of the community to be heard and feel like they are heard, everyone needs to act as if their children are watching them during public comment so things do not get out of hand.

Sipe read 17 public comments aloud, 11 of which were critical of the board, one was in support of the board and five were neutral or questions.

The comments ranged from frustration about the current form of public comment, the lack of transparency from the board regarding the search for a new superintendent and reckless budget spending on Goffs, Saxtons and Sipes contracts.

Working parents would like for meetings to be set at times they can get to after work, and for ample notice for when they are going to happen. One parent commented that only four elementary schools in the district have air conditioning, and another disagreed with the state doing away with high school testing for the next two years.

The next GAPS board meeting will be Monday, September 13, at Memorial Middle School. Meetings are live streamed and archived on the Greater Albany Public School YouTube account.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)  For some Asian Americans, the dim sum cookie at Sunday Bakeshop here will taste like childhood.

It looks like a typical sugar cookie except with sesame seeds on top. But bite into the creamy, red bean center and it's reminiscent of the fried, filled sesame balls served at a Chinese dim sum restaurant.

The concoction is pastry chef Elaine Laus nod to her grandmother, who would often make them. The baked goods that Lau's team churns out  like hojicha chocolate croissants and Chinese White Rabbit candy cookies  aren't going to be found in any bakery in Asia. There's an intrinsic American sensibility at the nearly 3-month-old shop.

"Talking to some of the Asian Americans and other people that have tried some of our pastries, we get a lot of comments where theyre just like... Oh this took me back several years, when they were growing up, said Lau, 35, who was born in Oakland.

For us, its kind of nice we can evoke some positive memories and feelings with our pastries.

From ube cakes to mochi muffins, bakeries that sweetly encapsulate growing up Asian and American have been popping up more in recent years. Their confections are a delectable vehicle for young and intrepid Asian Americans to celebrate their dual identity.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital on Aug. 14, more than 82,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan in one of the largest U.S. airlifts in history. While the pace has picked up in recent days, its still a chaotic scramble as people seek to escape. Afghans trying to reach the Kabul airport face a gauntlet of danger, and there are far more who want to leave than will be able to do so. Those who do make it out will face the many challenges of resettlement, either in the U.S. or somewhere else.
He has also been active in the 100th Meridian Community by helping with the cook offs at Bands and Brews for several years and cooking the meat for past Farmer and Businessmen Appreciation BBQ events.

As you can see, Petes roots go deep in the ag sector and define his very livelihood, Birgen said.

The 2021 Farm Family of the Year was awarded to the Ron Stear family.

The Stear family farm can trace its origins to 1918, the year his grandparents, Wilmer and Mary Stear bought the land and would live there the rest of their lives.

Stear was born near Cozad on May 13, 1932 to Lawrence and Francis Stear. He returned from service in the Army to help his family on the farm.

For the full story on the Stear family, please read the story written by Barb Batie on page X.

Senator Matt Williams was one of the speakers at the event, he started by pointing to the Cozad FFA students in the crowd and thanked them for being present, This is our future, thats why we are here.

Williams also specifically thanked Don and Barb Batie, who have been responsible for the interview, story and slideshow about the local farm families of the year.
Ken Smith wipes the sweat off of Firebug as they finish a ride at Hells Gate State Park earlier this week in Lewiston. Smith is training Firebug to be a performance horse who will follow in the hoofprints of her mother that placed second at the Pendleton Roundup, competing in barrel racing a
Former owner of Rideau Winery and Vineyard in Solvang Iris Duplantier Rideau  the first Black woman to own a winery in the United States  will be honored with the prestigious Pioneer and Legend Award in Atlanta later this month.

Wine and Culture Fest announced its third annual Hue Societys Roses and Rose Awards Brunch in Atlanta, which each year celebrates the outstanding accomplishments of Black and Brown wine industry professionals throughout the country, with Rideau being one of three this year.

The now retired 84-year-old businesswoman, who resides in the Santa Ynez Valley, had purchased a 6-acre plot of land in Solvang which she then added to with 22 acres some six years later. At the age of 59, and without previous winery experience, Rideau in 1989 began producing award-winning Rhone wines, syrah, Mourvedre, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier.

Rideau reportedly sold 300 cases in her first year, eventually increasing that volume to 9,000 cases annually.

According to Rideau, her success in wine was built on the invaluable experience she gained through business ownership. The insurance agency she owned specialized in assisting minority homeowners in the Los Angeles area. She also worked with Mayor Tom Bradley to create the city's Affirmative Action Program that assisted women and minority-owned businesses in securing contracts with the city of Los Angeles.

Even further, her work to lift up others emerged from the personal hardship of fighting discrimination and humiliation as a youth and throughout her life, she said.

Born in 1936 in New Orleans, Rideau and her mother fled in the 1940s to join the Great Migration of millions of Blacks and other people of color who could no longer tolerate the racist attitudes in the South, and settled in Los Angeles. There, Rideau managed to get a job in an insurance agency and continue her education, all while taking care of her young daughter as a 17-year-old single mother.

With support from industry experts such as Rick Longoria and female winemaker Adrienne St. John, as well as her natural penchant for food and drink, Rideau pushed the envelope and made history, winning the Best in Show at the Los Angeles International Wine competition in 2004 for her Estate Roussanne.

Rideau sold her winery and vineyard in 2016 and recently completed her memoir "One Life Between Two Worlds: From White to Black."

+6 Wine grapes fall to No. 5 in Santa Barbara County crop values, strawberries No. 1, cauliflower No. 2 For the first time since 1995, wine grapes fell out of the top four crops in Santa Barbara County, giving way to cauliflower, broccoli and nursery products in its slide from No. 2 to No. 5, while strawberries remained at the top, according to the 2020 Crop Report released last week.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Coroners Bureau on Thursday identified a man and a woman from Santa Maria, and a Solvang man killed in two separate vehicle collisions along Highway 101 in Goleta on Wednesday.
Eight staff members and one inmate at the Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Bureau of Prisons data released on Tuesday.

The infections were reported at the medium-security U.S. Penitentiary, according to the agencys website, which tracks active cases.

The numbers reflect an increase of four staff infections from a day ago.

Bureau of Prisons officials did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The complex housed 1,982 inmates between the USP, the low-security Federal Correctional Institution and two satellite camps as of Aug. 3, according to court records.

Santa Barbara County as a whole has experienced a surge in coronavirus cases beginning in late July, largely fueled by the delta variant. County health officials recorded 83 new infections on Aug. 23, down from 147 on the previous day. Daily reported cases have steadily declined since reaching a peak of 184 on Aug. 12.

The delta variant accounted for more than 90% of coronavirus samples taken in July, according to county health data.
A Guadalupe officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of a 59-year-old male bystander Saturday is the first in Santa Barbara County to be independently investigated by state officials under a new law, according to a police department spokesman on Monday.

The incident occurred shortly after 9:30 a.m. when a Guadalupe Police officer recognized a suspect wanted on a felony no-bail warrant near the intersection of Obispo and Birch streets, according to Chief Michael Cash.

In the process of trying to detain the suspect, the officer fired his service weapon and struck Juan Luis Olvera-Preciado, who was sitting in a nearby car, located in the 100 block of Obispo Street.

During a press conference held Monday outside police headquarters, Cash emphasized that the departments first priority is taking care of Olvera-Preciados family and the responding officers, who were not injured.

Police release dashcam video, 911 call of fatal officer-involved shooting in Lompoc Lompoc Police on Thursday released six dash cam videos and a 911 call related to the March 28 fatal officer-involved shooting of 26-year-old Krys Ruiz near the intersection of East Walnut Avenue and the 100 block of North H Street.

One of the main things that I want to put at the top of this is the welfare of the family, Cash said. Officers are also having a very hard time with this. This is really tough right now.

Cash did not identify the two officers that responded, but urged patience  the incident is under investigation by four separate agencies, including the GPD, Santa Maria Police Department and the Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Office.

He didnt identify the suspect either, but said he had been apprehended and must be interviewed before any information is released.

The Sheriffs Office will be assisting the California Department of Justice with the criminal side and provide forensics services, while the SMPD will investigate to see whether policies and procedures were followed, according to Cash.

It was sheriffs detectives responding to the scene who recognized that the officer-involved shootings circumstances met the criteria for AB1506, which triggers a notification to and an independent investigation by the state DOJ whenever an officer-involved shooting results in the death of an unarmed person.

Signed into law on Sept. 30, 2020, and going into effect on July 1, 2021, the law makes the DOJ the lead agency in the investigation.

Cash said that any results of the investigation from his department, the SMPD and Sheriffs Office will be provided to the Attorney Generals Office for its report.

As part of the investigation, state officials are required to release information on the incident and, upon completion of a report, make its findings public.

Department of Justice officials declined to provide a comment on Tuesday, but said in a prepared statement released on Monday that it immediately deployed its California Police Shooting Investigation Team for Southern California to Guadalupe.

Cash asked for cooperation, calling on people to come forward in order for the investigation to be as transparent, thorough and complete as possible.

When a reporter asked Cash to provide specifics about the shooting, he couldnt offer details other than what was in the press release, which he said was prepared jointly with the Sheriffs Office.

I appreciate you bringing that up because youre speaking for a lot of people out there who would like to know and I try to put myself into those kind of situations, Cash said. I want to know, too. I want people to have faith in this process.

Following the shooting, Cash and his sergeant personally offered their condolences to Olvera-Preciados family. In a raw moment, Cash said Olvera-Preciados wife hugged them both during the meeting.

During the press conference, Cash called the shooting an incredibly sad, unimaginable moment, but praised the community for overcoming division and supporting each other. Cash said that Olvera-Preciados birthdate of July 12, 1962, will stick with him.

No one knows where to go, what to do, Cash said, adding that he will keep reaching out to the family and the community. Were going to have compassion, were going to have understanding. As long as we keep that, we will be able to get through anything."

This story has been updated to reflect that the shooting is the first in Santa Barbara County to be investigated under a new state law.
New registered nurses are invited to apply for a special mentoring program being offered by the Lompoc Valley Medical Center. The program is designed for newly graduated registered nurses, particularly those interested in working in the perioperative services unit where outpatient and inpatient surgical patients are treated.
Solvang leaders dipped a toe into the nitty-gritty of the city's general plan Monday during a joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission, but found early dissension among the ranks after repeatedly ignoring requests to include reference to Chumash and Spanish predecessors high in the visioning document.

The Planning Commission voted 3-1 to approve the plans guiding principles, with the addition of reference to the library and a verb change, and directed staff to return with a more succinct vision statement. Planning Commissioner Joannie Jamieson dissented. Commissioner Scott Gold was absent.

I think were glossing over a whole history of what was here before Solvang. Its not Danish, I know, but its certainly added to what some people come here for, said Jamieson, a seventh-generation Californio.

The council upheld the commissions decision with its own unanimous vote, although Mayor Pro Tem Clau Orona also repeatedly requested the base document include specific reference to Chumash and Spanish people who preceded the Danes.

Theres nothing in the guiding principles that acknowledge our relationship with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, Orona said.

Jamieson also repeatedly reminded the joint body that Chumash culture in the Valley is not a thing of the past, but a living culture and community that continues to support the Valley as a whole.

If it werent for the tribe in this Valley, there would be a big world of hurt monetarily for people who need the extra money, and Im not talking about gambling, Im talking about the donations they make. They make huge donations to all the schools in the Valley. Were not just Danish, Mark, she said, referring to City Councilman Mark Infanti.

I give up. I agree, Infanti responded.

Planning Commissioner Justin Rodriguez said retaining references specifically to Solvangs Danish or titles such as Danish Capital of America isnt exclusive of other cultures, and requested that the joint body avoid getting into semantics and move ahead to the meat and potatoes of the general plan, which will guide city planning decisions for the next 20 years.

Ultimately, the plan will include deep dives into traffic and parking plans, citywide fiscal impact modeling alternatives to existing land uses, and more. It will run alongside the citys housing element update, which will include site inventory analysis and address the state-mandated housing requirements of the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA).

Think of a vision as the foundation, so a vision basically sets your track; its your goal, its what youre looking toward, said Brent Gibbons of Mintier Harnich which contracted with Solvang for the general plan update. So a vision is supposed to be broad; its supposed to be aspirational, comprehensive, long-term and visionary. A vision isn't mandated by a general plan, but it really serves as I like to think of the spine of the plan itself. Everything else builds off of it.

The general plan development process now moves on to its next stages, including further revision of the vision statement, and a Nov. 4 public workshop on alternative choices that will help inform the rest of the work on the general plan. Feedback from that workshop and additional edits to the vision statement will circle back to the council and commission for further guidance and final decisions.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
I remember the New York Times wanted to interview us, he said. I turned them down, because I didnt want them to know how wrong I was probably doing my job.

While Reilly is the protagonist, Pickett digs deep into the comic backstories of almost every character in The Restaurant Inspector, from the right-wing newspaper editor who believes in the mystical properties of copper to the scheming county commissioner who hopes to parlay the strife into a run for Congress.

Pickett said he loved diving deep into each of the characters and their obsessions. The first draft of The Restaurant Inspector ended up running over 400 pages.

It was super fun to write the first draft, he said. I could be halfway through a chapter, and Id be like Oh, this is going to be the next chapter. I couldnt wait to get started on the next chapter. It was just so much fun.

But then I had to edit and edit and edit to get everything down. The editing was so exhausting. If I have to change this thing on page 47, then I have to change these eight different storylines. If they think this, then they cant think that 72 pages later. I was going crazy.
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That's been a double whammy for many school districts because the number of teachers leaving to pursue other careers continues to grow. That's been on top of the loss of veteran educators, those 55 and over, who took retirement immediately following Act 10's passage. Normally, roughly 15% of the teacher workforce retires at age 55. In 2012, that number doubled to 30%.

Back in 2016, when Tony Evers was still superintendent of public instruction, he commissioned a 10-member working group to study school staffing issues. Among the factors the report found was poor teacher morale. Interviews with teachers across the state revealed that they feel targeted and undervalued, especially in the wake of Act 10.

"The perception now is that the community is less forgiving of teachers, and there is increased pressure for teachers to be 'darn near perfect,'" the working group reported. "Due to budget cuts and revenue limits ... there are fewer resources available overall to invest in teacher training and retention."

Ironically, one of the fallouts of Act 10 has been the creation of what is often referred to as teacher "free agency," which adversely affects many rural districts. Talented teachers, especially those in high-demand areas like science, technology and math, are recruited by districts that can afford to pay more, leaving poorer districts with even worse shortages.
Dear Editor: As a lifelong Wisconsin resident, veteran, public servant and animal advocate, I am appalled at the refusal of Frederick Prehn to leave his long-expired seat on the Natural Resources Board (NRB). Even more disturbing is how instead of holding a hearing on Gov. Tony Evers appointment to the board, Sandra Nass, the Wisconsin Legislature wants to hire lawyers at taxpayer expense to defend Prehn and their own inaction. While we shouldnt expect anything less from the anti-democracy forces that occupy the Capitol, it is infuriating nonetheless. These brazen power grabs only serve to erode the already shattered trust that the majority of citizens have in our institutions.

The behavior of Prehn and the other three Walker appointees on the NRB shows how broken our system truly is. It is staggering how four walking-and-talking conflicts of interest are allowed to dictate to and overrule not only the DNR but also the majority of the public. Most people have no idea that the decisions made by these four board members directly impact their own pocketbooks and partisan goals. Prehn, in addition to being a dentist, is a cranberry farmer, GOP donor and gun shop owner. Greg Kazmierski, who owns a hunting equipment business, is a GOP donor and founded the Hunters Rights Coalition. William Bruins is a dairy farmer and former president of an agriculture lobbying group, and Terry Hilgenberg is a developer and GOP donor. Every decision that these four board members make directly benefits them. Any wonder why Prehn refuses to leave his throne?
The congressmen now face criticism for showboating as politicians  which they vehemently deny  while adding needless confusion to a dire situation. But they also tapped into a frustration of those who feel that standing by and doing nothing is also not an option.

Both have served in the military, with backgrounds in the region. Moulton, a Marine who has been an outspoken critic of the Iraq War, served multiple tours in Iraq. Meijer was deployed as part of the Army Reserves and later worked in Afghanistan at a nongovernmental organization providing aid. Moulton serves on the House Armed Services Committee and Meijer is on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Their offices did not provide further comment Wednesday. But in a joint statement issued Tuesday night, Moulton and Meijer said they took seats that were already empty on their flight out and disputed suggestions they made the trip to grandstand.

We came into this visit wanting, like most veterans, to push the president to extend the August 31st deadline," their statement read After talking with commanders on the ground and seeing the situation firsthand, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, no matter what we do, we wont get everyone out on time.

Back home, however, their effort received a chilly reception.
Madison School Board members were not given the districts full third-party investigative report into an East High School teacher who planted hidden cameras in student bathrooms during field trips, a failure the boards former president said has taken too long to correct.

Im surprised its taken this long to get it, and its unfortunate board members have to see it in the news, Gloria Reyes, who was president when the report was completed in June 2020, said in an interview. We need to be transparent about these issues even if we dont have all the answers.

The full report, released last week apparently by mistake to the Madison monthly Isthmus, concluded the December 2019 incident was not reportable abuse under district policy. It made several detailed recommendations for field trip policy changes  such as prohibiting chaperones from keeping student room keys  but after more than a year and with the new school year about to start, those proposed changes have not been forwarded to the board or approved.

The districts former director of labor relations, Heidi Tepp, commissioned the third-party investigation to examine if the actions of district employees violated field trip and chaperone policies, district spokesperson Tim LeMonds said. The investigation, which did not require board approval, cost taxpayers $8,000.
Philosophy Walker, parent of a son who will attend kindergarten at Orchard Ridge Elementary School, said she is thrilled that the district will require students and staff to wear masks regardless of their vaccination status in buildings, but she would feel even better if staff were required to get vaccinated.

I feel like last year all we wanted was for our kids to go back to school, and now our kids are going back to school in person and were all absolutely terrified, she said. Its because my son cant be vaccinated, thats really scary to me, especially with the delta variant it seems like kids are getting sick more often, are getting hospitalized more often.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported 2,170 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday across the state and 21 new deaths connected to the virus.

The number of people with COVID-19 in Dane County has remained stable, according to Public Health Madison and Dane County, but the number of hospitalizations has increased 45.5% over the past two weeks.

Cases appear to be increasing among children ages 5 to 11, according to city-county health department data, while cases among children 4 and younger and among children 12 to 17 years old appear to be decreasing.
An additional $2.25 million in federal funds could come for the proposed building, but the county first needs to determine whether the purchase would be allowed under forthcoming federal guidelines. If so, that would bring the total funds for housing solutions up to $9.25 million.

The hope is that the city of Madison would also contribute to the hotel or building purchase. OKeefe said the mayor and council have set aside federal funds for that purpose.

At this point, Wegleitner doesnt have a specific property in mind for the hotel or multi-unit building, but she has a vision of how it would function. Under a housing-first philosophy, an persons inability to pay rent, lack of rental history, criminal history or prior eviction wouldnt hold them back from securing housing. Those are reasons people are often pushed out of the regular housing market and pushed into homelessness, Wegleitner said.

Housing is a human right, Wegleitner said. Everybody deserves a place to live.

If the funding is approved, Wegleitner acknowledged that it would be a long process to find a hotel or other building and convert it into housing. But she is optimistic that another tiny house village could be constructed before winter.
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Idaho asks FEMA and other states for help in last-ditch effort to staff hospitals

DREW NASH, TIMES-NEWS FILE PHOTO A medical staffer walks the halls during their shift Monday, April 18, 2016, at Minidoka Memorial Hospital in Rupert.

BOISE  When the month of August began, about 8% of the patients in Idaho hospitals had COVID-19.

Three weeks later, theyre now more than 20% of hospitalizations.

Almost none of the patients have been vaccinated for COVID-19, according to state data and multiple Idaho Capital Sun interviews  demonstrating both the safety of the vaccine, and how effective it is in helping the human body fight the coronavirus.

Idaho Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen said Tuesday that the state is dangerously close to hitting crisis standards of care, when health care providers would be forced to triage patients and may not be able to give everyone life-saving care.

One local doctor says the COVID-19 surge is sapping energy and resources from Idahos health care system, at a time when the hospitals need to give other patients life-saving medical care.

Dr. Peter Cliften, who admits patients to St. Lukes hospitals in Boise and Meridian, said the disease is now taking down families.

You admit mom, and then dad gets admitted, he said. And the kids are in the ER, and sometimes theyre admitted. Were seeing younger and younger patients that are sometimes even more ill than the older patients.

Another local physician, Dr. David Peterman, said Idaho is headed for scary territory and that he is extremely concerned about children.

Peterman pointed to hospitals in other low-vaccination states like Texas, Florida, Arkansas and Louisiana, where children are being hospitalized.

Vaccines in the real world: 2 Idaho success stories at care facilities There was a time earlier in the pandemic when Lincoln Court Retirement Community in Idaho Falls, and Countryside Care and Rehab in Rupert.

Any child thats admitted to the hospital, and certainly any death, is preventable, said Peterman, CEO of Primary Health Medical Group. Of course I support vaccinations, but we can stop this in its tracks right today, right now, if I wear a mask and you wear a mask  particularly in schools.

Idaho asks for help from FEMA, other states

Idaho state officials last week issued a call for help from other states, and from the federal government.

Idaho is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitals are at, or quickly nearing, capacity in ICU and Critical Care Units across the state and hospitals are reporting significant staffing challenges, said a request sent Friday from the Idaho Office of Emergency Management to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Multiple Idaho hospitals are asking for help, it said. They dont have enough nurses, nursing assistants or respiratory therapists, it said.

Every effort has been made to fill the staffing requests. A handful of hospitals are reporting they are in full contingency mode and may need to request crisis standards of care in the near future, the request said.

State officials from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reiterated their plea in a request to other states through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.

They asked for 235 full-time health care workers:

120 registered nurses

35 clinical staff such as nurses or medical assistants

20 respiratory therapists

60 certified nursing assistants.

At first, the request said, workers would go to the Boise area and the Coeur dAlene area  where Kootenai Health has been forced to stop taking in patients from other hospitals and projects a massive influx of patients. Other locations may be added based upon future critical staffing shortfalls, it said.

FEMA is still working on the request, Idaho Office of Emergency Management Public Information Officer Natalie Shaver told the Sun in an email. For the (state-to-state request), there is some interest/response, but nothing is finalized yet, so we dont have anyone here.

There is stiff competition for a limited number of health care workers.

The pandemic has thinned the ranks of nurses, physicians and other health care staff who are willing to continue working at the bedside.

We just have had this constant barrage of new and unprecedented things we have to take care of, Cliften said. A lot of my colleagues are just frustrated and tired, and trying our hardest not to get burned out and leave (the profession).

Travel nursing agencies are trying to recruit to staff Idaho hospitals, offering premium pay rates. One agency is offering $4,600 to $8,000 per week. Some agencies pay for travel, housing and other essentials on top of the wages.

For one agencys job openings in cardiovascular ICUs, Idahos pay rate was the highest offered in the U.S.

St. Lukes Health System had 319 nursing job openings posted as of Tuesday, with signing bonuses of up to $7,500.

The late summer surge of COVID-19 has added to the already overstretched emergency rooms in Idaho hospitals.

In the nine years Ive been in St. Lukes, I have not seen us boarding patients in the ER like we have been doing in the last four to six weeks, Cliften said.

Cliften said his colleagues have gone into the emergency room to treat patients who normally would be admitted to the hospital, taking care of them for 24 hours and discharging them directly from the ER.

Overwhelmed Idaho hospitals may use crisis care for COVID-19. What does that mean? Idaho hospitals are less than two weeks away from using crisis standards of care, otherwise known as health care rationing or triage. Here's what you need to know.

When I got my second COVID shot, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders

Before the pandemic, Cliften said he felt pretty immune to the psychological impact of a patient dying.

Thats a part of taking care of patients in the hospital  helping people with that transition to death has always been something that weve kind of always had to learn, he said.

Doctors also have to help families with that emotionally difficult decision of when to let that loved one go, he said.

I had a time last December where I had a COVID patient a day dying, and that was something I was not emotionally prepared for, and that was probably one of the lowest times of my career in hospital-based medicine, he said. You think youre immune to it, and it still hits you at times.

Cliften said the hospital, like others in Idaho, lost employees to burnout from having to work extra shifts, as well as the emotional toll of COVID-19.

After months of watching patients die of COVID-19 and going through elaborate decontamination routines when they get home to their families, Idaho health care workers got access to the vaccine in December.

When I got my second COVID shot, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders, right? Because there was enough data behind vaccination where I did not feel that fear (about catching) COVID. Im not a spring chicken anymore, Cliften said. I felt myself tearing up as I was leaving from that vaccination. Im finally there, Ive got some protection behind me.

But the vast majority of patients he sees now didnt make the choice to get that protection.

The crush of a fast-spreading delta variant is perhaps most apparent in Idahos intensive care units, which now have more COVID-19 patients than at any other time in the pandemic. There have been more than 100 people in Idaho ICU beds with COVID-19 every day since Aug. 11.

Jeppesen said Tuesday in a telephone town hall that he recently visited an ICU.

Its difficult to describe the sadness and the suffering thats taking place there, he said.

They are looking for volunteers to help out at the hospitals, everything from housekeeping to medical staff, he said, urging people who want to help with the crisis to visit volunteeridaho.com.

Idahos ICU hospitalization rates for COVID-19 are now higher than theyve ever been, Jeppesen said.

An Idaho Capital Sun analysis of federal data shows that COVID-19 is also rapidly consuming the limited number of adult ICU beds that are staffed.

Ive never seen anything like what were seeing now

Cliften is a former U.S. Air Force physician who worked at Bagram Air Force Base. Asked how being on the front lines of the pandemic compares with that, he answered with a long pause.

Its different, he said.

The base hospital had everything and everyone it needed to treat all the patients who came in, he said. That often included enemy combatants and even, he thinks, a war lord.

While it was exhausting, I did that for six months, and then I was back in the states, and things were back to normal, he said. This has kind of been a high stress situation for now a year and a half, and its been exhausting. Ive never seen anything like what were seeing now.

The St. Lukes Meridian hospital recently took what had been an observation area for post-procedure heart patients and turned it into an ICU-level care unit, he said.

Its like you get one patient moved out of the ICU, and youve got another one ready to come in, he said.

Cliften recently had a patient in her 20s who couldnt breathe. She needed a huge amount of oxygen, pushed to her lungs through a high-flow mask. She was deteriorating.

I was talking to our crisis nurse, an ICU-level nurse  trying to make a decision of whether to take the last ICU bed. Should we? he said. I had one patient who was 50, and he deteriorated faster (so he) got that bed and ended up getting intubated.

Luckily, the 20-something patient turned around without ICU care, he said.

Its hard when you have patients that are saying, this is torture, we would do anything to get better, said Cliften.

There is no cure for COVID-19 that he can give them  or that anyone can give them. He can only try to keep them alive and as comfortable as possible, and then urge them to get vaccinated after theyve recovered.

About half of the people who come in unvaccinated remain skeptical, he said. He is baffled by the politicization of health care and medical care and measures that can protect people from a potentially deadly disease.

More than half of Idahoans remain unvaccinated and vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19.

With a rising number of cases and a shortage of trained professionals to care for those who end up in the hospital, the state is barreling toward crisis.

Many of those unvaccinated Idahoans are children.

With school starting, Cliften and others are bracing for the worst: an influx of pediatric patients sick with the disease. Cliften also worries, personally, because his child is enrolled in the West Ada School District, which has so far decided not to require masks.

While deaths are rare from COVID-19, children are increasingly being hospitalized because of the coronavirus. Idaho currently has seven children in the hospital with COVID-19, according to federal data.

Children so far make up about 1.8% of all the hospitalizations from COVID-19 in Idaho, and about 0.7% of children known to be infected have been hospitalized, according to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics and Childrens Hospital Association.

Health leaders are worried about what will happen if more children become seriously ill  especially when COVID-19 coincides with the arrival of other respiratory viruses.

The largest pediatric ICU in the state is in Boise, with just 12 beds.
Its not work; its a way of life, Robin Kelley said.

In 2019, the Idaho State Historical Society and the Idaho Department of Agriculture designated the orchard as an Idaho Century Farm. The Century Farm program recognizes a farm or ranch owned and operated by the same family for at least 100 years. The Kelley family has owned the orchard for 113 years.

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The orchard has a long history of welcoming the public for the pick-your-own experience. The Kelley sisters dont just sell fruit; they also strive to make a visit to the orchard a magical experience.

She hopes visitors make the most of the trip to the orchard.

Ours is one of the last original orchards left, Robin Kelley said. The drive is so beautiful.

We really do focus on our community and customers. We help people understand that produce is a product of nature  that what you are about to consume took a year to create.

Focusing on ways to enhance the orchard experience, the Kelleys have turned an old home on the property into an Airbnb. Visitors to the orchard are invited to picnic and enjoy the beautiful grounds.
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Doctors also have to help families with that emotionally difficult decision of when to let that loved one go, he said.

I had a time last December where I had a COVID patient a day dying, and that was something I was not emotionally prepared for, and that was probably one of the lowest times of my career in hospital-based medicine, he said. You think youre immune to it, and it still hits you at times.

Cliften said the hospital, like others in Idaho, lost employees to burnout from having to work extra shifts, as well as the emotional toll of COVID-19.

After months of watching patients die of COVID-19 and going through elaborate decontamination routines when they get home to their families, Idaho health care workers got access to the vaccine in December.

When I got my second COVID shot, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders, right? Because there was enough data behind vaccination where I did not feel that fear (about catching) COVID. Im not a spring chicken anymore, Cliften said. I felt myself tearing up as I was leaving from that vaccination. Im finally there, Ive got some protection behind me.

But the vast majority of patients he sees now didnt make the choice to get that protection.
Frankly were so overwhelmed by the testing and the demand for urgent care that we may be a little slow, Peterman said. We are setting records in August with 1,600 patients in our urgent care daily.

At some point, they cant see all the patients, he said.

Understand that if primary care all over the state is overwhelmed, theres not an alternative, because emergency rooms are also full, Peterman said.

The increase in coronavirus cases is affecting all age groups, said deputy state epidemiologist Kathryn Turner. Last week the state hit a new record with the number of cases reported in children under age 5.

Peterman, who is a pediatrician, said his clinics have also seen positive tests among kids increase. During one week in July, Primary Health had six positive coronavirus tests among patients aged 5 to 18 years old. Last week the clinic had 123 positive tests in that age group, he said.

If you do that math, you cant get more frightening than that, he said. Any child that is admitted to the hospital and certainly any death is preventable. We can stop this in its tracks today, right now, if I wear a mask and you wear a mask, particularly in schools and inside.

Children under 12 are not yet eligible to be immunized, and experts say masks offer some of the best protection they can have against the virus. As of Tuesday afternoon, the state health department knew of only four districts that were requiring masks  Boise, Blaine, Moscow and Lapwai.
Of course theyre disappointed.

The Republican supermajority of the Idaho Legislature refused to act on Medicaid expansion for several years. It was only because of a citizens initiative that Medicaid expansion happened.

Medicaid expansion passed with 61% of the vote and with a majority in many rural districts.

Its fair to say that a majority of Idaho voters were disenfranchised for years by a negligent Legislature. Only when a citizens initiative came on the ballot was the will of the voter heard.

And the Republican Legislatures reaction to that? Make it harder for the voters to get something on the ballot. To their credit, some Republicans  Sens. Dan Johnson and Jim Woodward, and Reps. Dustin Manwaring, Marco Erickson, Marc Gibbs, Caroline Nilsson Troy, Mike Kingsley and Fred Wood  voted against the bill, but even combined with all of the Democratic legislators, it wasnt enough to kill it, and Gov. Brad Little signed it.
Were all soldiers for liberty

Folks: Every American is now a soldier for liberty, right down to the children.

Beijing-Biden and his freak show has gone so far off the mark, it is beyond belief for many. But the fight is on. The survival of the Republic is at stake. Get this through your heads: No republic -no liberty.

If what we see continues, Agenda 21/2030 will soon be upon us. When it does, heres what will happen. You, all of you, will lose all your private property and wealth; youll have internal security (vaccine) passports of one form or another; you will not be able to go anywhere, buy food, shop, or do anything we now take for granted today unless we comply with every government mandate to the letter. In short, you can be jailed in your assigned dwelling, not allowed to leave, and starved to death. The Big Techs are already bragging about how they can jail anyone where they live.

Our republic will be transformed into a Red Chinese colony. And if you want to see real racism look at the Red Chinese. In China if you are not a bonafide Chinese you will be marked, relocated and eliminated. Red China is one of the most brutal and racist countries in this world and many of our representatives are literally handing the United States over to them.
You can rest assured that the vaccine works tremendously well to keep you from having to go to the hospital, but you can spread it to others even if you dont know you have it. Thats why it behooves us to mask when were indoors and avoid crowds.
The Broad Street building was built to house the printing industrys monstrous pieces of equipment that were standard in the middle of the 20th century, when equipment instead of technology did the work. Little by little the building emptied out as the huge pieces of equipment were replaced with desktop computers and now with laptop computers Bulletin staff can take anywhere.

The printing industry has certainly been through a lot of changes since 1889, Craig said. We dont need space for all the equipment that it used to take to make a newspaper 50 years ago, just a pleasant office in the city, convenient for our readers and advertisers to come see us.

We are allowing someone else to take this beautiful building  a community monument, if you will  and allow them to do something and utilize the space better.

Said Bulletin Editor Steven Doyle: The Bulletins address may be changing, but its mission is not. Our responsibility to provide you with all the news and information we can muster from Martinsville and Henry and Patrick counties remains. We will continue to watch over those who represent you and to illuminate the stories among you, both on martinsvillebulletin.com and in our printed newspaper.
A roundup of the latest COVID-19 developments this morning:

TOP STORIES

Johnson & Johnson booster shot prompts large increase in immune response, company says

Booster doses of Johnson & Johnson's one-shot coronavirus vaccine generated a big spike in antibodies, the frontline immune system defenses against infection, the company reported Wednesday.

People who received a booster six to eight months after their initial J&J shots saw antibodies increase nine-fold higher than 28 days after the first shot, Johnson & Johnson said.

The data comes from two Phase 2 studies conducted in the United States and Europe, the company said in a statement. Some of the 2,000 or so people in the studies got booster doses six months after their first doses of J&J's Janssen vaccine.

"New interim data from these studies demonstrate that a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine generated a rapid and robust increase in spike-binding antibodies, nine-fold higher than 28 days after the primary single-dose vaccination," the company said in its statement. Read the full story here:
A broad education effort about cardiac arrest seemed to improve care and save lives, a study has found. But even as the response to cardiac arrest improved in important ways, survival rates rose only in white people.

"What this makes us want to do is make sure we have efforts in place to recognize and respond to cardiac arrest in Black communities in a rapid way," said the study's senior author Dr. Christopher Granger, a professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina.

The study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, looked at data from 2010 to 2014 in 16 North Carolina counties. More than 7,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests were examined. About 37% were Black adults; the rest were white adults.

In 2010, North Carolina began a statewide effort called HeartRescue. It included training for hospital workers and first responders about cardiac arrest as well as community education on how to perform CPR and use automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, which are found in many public places.

In the program's wake, researchers found, bystander CPR rates improved for both groups  from 37% to 46% for Black people, and from 39% to 52% for white people. First responders  such as firefighters and police officers  became more likely to use a defibrillator on white people before paramedics arrived. Defibrillator use by first responders also increased for Black people, but the finding did not reach statistical significance.

Survival until hospital discharge improved significantly only for white people, increasing from 8% in 2010 to 11.4% in 2014. Survival for Black people remained unchanged at about 9%.

Digging into the data, researchers found Black people were less likely to have had a "shockable" heart rhythm when first responders arrived.

"The results indicate that the lower frequency of shockable rhythm among Black patients could be an important contributor" to their survival rates, said lead author Dr. Sidsel Mller of Herlev and Gentofte Hospital in Hellerup, Denmark.

The study found other differences between Black and white cardiac arrest patients. Black people were more likely to have a cardiac arrest, and those who did were younger and more often women. And they were more likely to be alone when they had one. That can be a problem, Granger said, "because if the arrest isn't witnessed, then of course the response is going to be delayed."

Cardiac arrest is a sudden disruption of the heart's electrical function. For a few minutes, a normal rhythm can be restored by shocking the patient with a defibrillator. But the longer it takes for help to arrive, the lower the likelihood someone will respond to treatment.

Of the more than 350,000 cardiac arrests that occur outside the hospital each year in the U.S., only about 1 in 10 survive to hospital discharge, according to American Heart Association statistics.

In the study, the average response time for emergency medical services was eight minutes, the same for both Black and white patients. Response time for first responders was not measured, Granger said.

Dr. Marina Del Rios, an associate professor in the department of emergency medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, said the study was important because it used real-life data to confirm what had been seen in narrower types of studies.

Del Rios, who was not involved in the new research, said the findings raise questions about what hospitals are doing that could cause survival rates to differ.

She noted, for example, previous research indicates women and Black and Latino people who've had a cardiac arrest are less likely than their respective male and white counterparts to receive post-cardiac arrest interventions.

Such differences, she said, exist within the context of broader structural problems, including racial bias and unequal access to health care.

"We still have a lot of work to do to understand why some patients are at higher risk of having a cardiac arrest and why the type of cardiac arrest that they have is different," she said.

Mller said the overall findings indicate that intervention programs such as HeartRescue seem to work irrespective of the patients' race. And Granger said the work pointed to several possible steps that could help improve cardiac arrest survival in Black communities, starting with ensuring first responders are positioned to arrive rapidly and dispatchers are fully trained in how to best serve Black callers.

The study, he said, also shows the importance of widespread education about cardiac arrest. "It's especially important for the Black community to get trained in bystander CPR," and to know when to call 911.

He agreed more work lies ahead. "Care did improve, community response improved, but survival did not. So, the implications of the study are, 'OK, now we need to find out why that might be the case.'"

Explore further Study highlights steep rise in cardiac arrests associated with opioid use

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
When COVID-19 patients are discharged from the hospital, most are far from being welleven if their hospital stay was fairly short.

That's among the initial findings of a study that followed Americans hospitalized for COVID-19 during the pandemic's "third wave"the fall of 2020 through early 2021.

Researchers found that of 253 patients discharged from the hospital, almost 85% were still not back to their previous health one month later.

In fact, more than half reported a new disability that was interfering with their daily lives, including their ability to work. A similar percentage said they had new or worsening heart and lung symptomssuch as chronic cough, breathing problems, chest pain and an irregular, racing heartbeat.

These were not elderly, frail people, stressed Dr. Theodore "Jack" Iwashyna, one of the study's lead researchers.

Half were younger than 60, and in fairly good health before being sickened with COVID, according to Iwashyna, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Nor did they have especially long hospital stays: The median stay was five days, meaning half of the patients were discharged sooner.

Altogether, it highlights the lingering toll COVID-19 takes when people are sick enough to land in the hospital.

"Just because they got out of the hospital doesn't mean they're fine," Iwashyna said.

That was true in the early days of the pandemicand, based on this study, continued to be true in the third wave.

"COVID is still bad, even though hospital systems are prepared for it now," Iwashyna said.

Researchers are still trying to understand why COVID can evolve into a long-haul condition for some people.

"Long COVID still has no clear cause," said Dr. Thomas Gut, who heads the post-COVID recovery program at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City.

"Most recent evidence shows that the syndrome is related to inflammatory changes that occur due to the infection," said Gut, who was not involved in the new study.

Besides heart/lung symptoms, Gut said patients can have profound fatigue and neuro-cognitive changescommonly dubbed "brain fog." And those problems can even strike people who had milder COVID and never needed to be hospitalized, Gut said.

So while SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus, the resulting disease can have broad effects in the body.

"COVID is a whole-body illness," Iwashyna said, "and so is long COVID."

The findings, published recently in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, are based on the initial patients in a larger, ongoing government-funded study. It will follow up to 1,500 patients hospitalized for COVID at large hospitals across the United States.

Iwashyna's team found that of 253 patients surveyed one month after discharge, about 55% said they had at least one new or worsening heart/lung symptommost commonly a chronic cough.

Meanwhile, 53% said they had physical limitations that had not been present before, including problems with daily tasks such as shopping, carrying groceries or even walking around the house.

Besides the physical toll, the study found, there was a financial one: About 20% of patients said they'd either lost or had to change their job, while 38% said a loved one had taken time off from work to care for them.

Because long COVID is complex and varied, Gut said, there is no "one size fits all" way to manage the symptoms.

One way to help hospitalized patients is through home health services after discharge.

But, Iwashyna said, few patients in this study actually received those servicesand there were hints that might have contributed to their disabilities. Of patients who reported new physical limitations, a full 77% had not received home health care.

"This makes me wonder, are we still underestimating how bad the long-term effects can be?" Iwashyna said.

Both he and Gut stressed a critical point: The best way to avert long COVID is to avoid getting COVID in the first place.

"Get vaccinated," Iwashyna advised.

The vaccines are "not perfect," he said, and breakthrough infections can sometimes occur. But they still slash the risk of getting sick, and are highly effective at keeping people out of the hospital.

A study released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that unvaccinated people are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID than fully vaccinated people.

Explore further Short hospitalizations hit hard for COVID patients

More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on long COVID. Theodore J Iwashyna et al, Continuing Cardiopulmonary Symptoms, Disability, and Financial Toxicity 1 Month After Hospitalization for Third-Wave COVID-19: Early Results From a US Nationwide Cohort, Journal of Hospital Medicine (2021). DOI: 10.12788/jhm.3660 Journal information: Journal of Hospital Medicine

 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
University of Colorado, Boulder, professor Mark Hernandez, engineering student Ricardo Reyes and architecture student Halle Sago take microbial counts on a classroom desk in Boulder in spring 2021. Credit: Glenn Asakawa/CU Boulder, CC BY-ND

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought increased attention to indoor air quality and the effect that ventilation has on reducing disease transmission in indoor spaces. A recent infrastructure survey reported that of the nearly 100,000 operating public school buildings across the U.S., more than a third have an immediate need for upgrades to the ventilation systems that help control indoor air quality and the spread of "aerosols."

Aerosol is the term used to describe the millions of microscopic particles that float in airboth indoors and out. People constantly inhale and exhale aerosols, some of which include allergens, particles from automobile exhaust, wildfire ash and microbes.

Our University of Colorado environmental engineering team has been studying the microbiological components of indoor air, called "bioaerosols," for more than 25 years. We have surveyed the ventilation systems of hundreds of K-12 classrooms, health care facilities and restaurants. And we have provided facilities managers with affordable plans to improve indoor air quality.

Our own work as well as others' has found that many classrooms are unfortunately poorly ventilated, and that better ventilation can reduce student absences due to illnessboth during a pandemic and more normal times.

After surveying the installation of air filtration systems over the past year, we found that they can significantly improve air quality in classrooms by lowering aerosol levels, which in turn lowers COVID-19 transmission risk. But effective installation is key.

A new age of filtration

As the pandemic continues to highlight the need for better ventilation and indoor air quality, many academic institutions, government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and professional building science societies have been promoting better building-management practices to improve school ventilation.

Some building scientists have called for bringing the ventilation conditions in schools up to the levels prescribed for medical clinics. Unfortunately, the infrastructure investments required for that level of upgrade are well out of practical reach for many public buildings: Between 2008 and 2017 alone, state capital funding for schools was cut by $20 billion, or 31%.

In the absence of funding for major building upgrades, simple in-room filtration technologies have been installed in some schools to improve ventilation in classrooms where many students spend their days in close quarters. However, these filters have only been deployed in a small fraction of public schools across the country.

This technology, called high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration, was born in the aerospace industry more than 50 years ago. HEPA filtration has been proved to efficiently remove microscopic airborne particlesincluding respiratory virusesfrom air in higher occupancy spaces like classrooms.

Over the past few years, a new generation of HEPA filters have emerged from the U.S. commercial sector. These filters are more compatible with educational settings and less intrusive than their research-grade counterparts that are commonly used in the aerospace and pharmaceutical sectors, where "clean rooms" are needed. These latest models include improvements like multidirectional intake, reduced noise, lower power requirements, better durability and relatively small footprints.

HEPA filters have also become more widely used over the past couple of decades in homes in response to the recognition of rising asthma rates among children. But until the COVID-19 pandemic, they were rarely used in public school settings.

Bringing fresher air to classrooms

Over the 2021 spring academic semester, our team installed hundreds of new HEPA filters in public elementary classrooms in Denver, Colorado, the largest metropolitan school district in the Mountain West. These upgrades were possible due to a recent industry-university cooperative effort between the University of Colorado, the Intel foundation and the Carrier Corporation, a multinational ventilation equipment company. Together, these organizations contributed more than $500,000 for large-scale ventilation assessments, HEPA filter installations and other air quality improvements for Denver-area schools.

A yet-unpublished poll of teachers in many of those classrooms overwhelmingly reported that this new generation of HEPA filters were welcome and easy to accommodate in their classrooms.

But like all engineering solutions, air filter effectiveness depends on proper installation. Our team's field studies demonstrate that a simple "plug-and-play" approach will not address the complicated reality of aerosol exposures in densely occupied classrooms. In many situations, we have found HEPA filters that were undersized and placed inappropriatelysuch as facing a wall or in a remote cornerand sometimes not even turned on.

Networks of HEPA filters need to be thoughtfully installed, and the process must take into consideration other factors such as existing ventilation system performance, ceiling height, desk layouts and the presence or absence of ceiling fans. HEPA filters can only work up to their full potential if schools have the right number of them, they are the appropriate size and are placed in optimal positions.

The best HEPA filter installations consider details like student seating charts, high traffic areas and other variables based on student behaviors. Fortunately, building facility managers and custodial staff can be trained, with modest time investment, to install, operate and maintain HEPA filters in classrooms, with minimal distraction to teachers.

Air quality improvements are an investment in health and education

A 2020 review on indoor air quality strategies estimates that an individual HEPA filter, sized for elementary school classrooms with average energy use, costs about $361. This is consistent with our team's experience in the Denver Public Schools system, where we typically installed at least two units per classroom at a cost of less than $800 per room. We estimate that this is roughly equal to the cost of one extra textbook per student over an academic year. In our opinion, that is well worth the potential improvement in indoor air quality in classrooms.

In-room HEPA filtration is a long-term investment that supplements existing ventilation systems. And though COVID-19 was the impetus for the installation of many HEPA filters, they are effective for far more than just reducing exposures to airborne viruses. Well-maintained and properly functioning filtration systems also reduce exposure to wildfire ash that can penetrate buildings, as well as allergens and other unwanted particles like automobile exhaust, tire detritus and construction dust.

But even the best indoor HEPA filtration cannot guarantee protection from airborne respiratory threats in schools. HEPA filters are effective only as part of an integrated approach. Ultimately, masks, distancing and reducing the number of students packed into tight spaces will determine how well students are protected from COVID-19.

HEPA filters are the modern analogy of "seat-belts" for indoor air quality in the age of COVID-19. If fitted correctly, they can only help lower the exposures to COVID-19 and other aerosols that students experience during their school days.

Explore further Which air cleaners work best to remove aerosols that contain viruses?

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
(HealthDay)Two new government reports confirm that while the power of coronavirus vaccines wanes over time, they still protect strongly against severe disease, even as the highly contagious Delta variant overtakes America.

One study that looked at Los Angeles County reaffirmed that fully vaccinated people are far less likely than unvaccinated people to be hospitalized, admitted to an intensive care unit, require mechanical ventilation or die from COVID-19. Meanwhile, a second study that followed front-line health workers for months found vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 infection dropped from 91% to 66% once the Delta variant accounted for the majority of circulating virus, but the vaccinated were still far less likely to be infected.

"While we did see a reduction in the protection of the COVID-19 vaccine against the Delta variant, it's still two-thirds reduction of risk," Ashley Fowlkes, author of the second study and an epidemiologist for CDC's COVID-19 Emergency Response Team, told CNN on Tuesday.

"It's still a very powerful vaccine," Fowlkes added, particularly against severe disease. "But we are also looking towards continuing to use masks for a little bit longer."

Fowlkes' study falls in line with other research from around the world that illustrates Delta's increased tendency to cause largely minor infections among fully vaccinated people.

The new paper is the latest chapter in an ongoing study that has been following health care personnel, first responders, and other essential and frontline workers who receive weekly PCR tests in eight locations across six U.S. states, CNN reported. The vast majority are vaccinated.

In the Los Angeles study, unvaccinated people were five times more likely to become infected with the coronavirus and 29 times more likely to be hospitalized as people who were fully immunized. It is the latest evidence that vaccines continue to significantly reduce the risk of severe illness, despite the spread of the more contagious Delta variant.

Still, there is little doubt that vaccine effectiveness has dropped as the Delta variant has spread. On May 1, the report said, people who had not been immunized were more than eight times as likely to be infected as people who were fully vaccinated. Once Delta took hold, that dropped to about a fivefold greater risk.

"Prior to Delta, it did indeed appear that the vaccines were also very good at protecting against infection overall," Paul Simon, chief science officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Health, told the Washington Post. "But when Delta emerged, there was a big change, because Delta is so much more infectious. The vaccine didn't protect as well against infection."

"The vaccines are doing exactly what they promised us they'd dothey are keeping us from getting sick and dying, but with the Delta variant, we are seeing more transmission than we saw with the Alpha [British] variant," Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles health department, told the Post this month.

And breakthrough cases will continue to climb as vaccination rates increase overall, experts pointed out.

"Simply, it's math. As we have more people vaccinated, more of our infections that we diagnose are going to be in vaccinated people," Oregon state epidemiologist Dean Sidelinger told the Post. "It's not entirely unexpected."

The amount of virus circulating in the community can be compared to the intensity of of a rainfall, Simon explained to the Post.

"It's not a drizzle; it's a storm. Even if you're fully vaccinated, you should add that layer of extra protectiona raincoat, a maskwhen you're out in the rain," Simon said. "Once we get this level of community transmission back down to a low level, I think people who are fully vaccinated will again have much more confidence."

Both government studies were published Tuesday in the CDC publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

FDA Grants Full Approval to Pfizer COVID Vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval for Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine.

"The FDA's approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic," Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said in an agency news release. "While this and other vaccines have met the FDA's rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product."

U.S. health officials hope the decision will trigger more vaccine mandates and boost vaccination rates among Americans who remain hesitant about immunization, The New York Times reported.

"While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated," Woodcock said. "Today's milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S."

The approval is likely crucial for greater vaccine uptake.

For example, as students prepare to return to college campuses across the country, some, like Indiana University, already require vaccines for students. But others, like the University of Memphis, will likely only pursue a vaccine mandate when coronavirus vaccines gain full federal approval, the Times reported.

Speaking to CNN on Sunday, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said he thought full FDA approval would definitely have a significant impact on millions of Americans who remain vaccine-hesitant.

"This may tip them over toward getting vaccinated," he said, adding that he expected companies, governors and schools to use the full FDA approval to impose vaccine mandates. "We already know that there are many businesses and universities that have moved toward vaccine requirements."

About 60% of eligible people in the United States are now fully vaccinated, according to figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Three in 10 unvaccinated adults said they would be more likely to get vaccinated if one of the vaccines currently authorized for emergency use were to receive full approval from the FDA, according to a June poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The Pentagon also plans to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for the country's 1.3 million active-duty troops by the middle of next month or when the FDA gives full approval to the vaccine, whichever comes first.

For the 45 percent of unvaccinated Americans who have steadfastly said they will not get the vaccine, full approval will likely prompt new restrictions, including limitations on employment and an increase in health insurance premiums, the Times reported.

Some states and municipalities could follow the lead of New York City, which will soon require at least one vaccine dose for those seeking to enter indoor restaurants, gyms or cultural events.

The FDA updated its authorizations of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines last week to allow third "booster" doses for some immunocompromised people, a decision backed by the CDC.

Regulators are still reviewing Moderna's application for full approval for its vaccine, and a decision could come at least several weeks after the one for Pfizer. Moderna is planning to submit its data in support of a booster shot in September, the Times reported.

Explore further Pentagon to make COVID vaccination mandatory for all military personnel

More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on Journal information: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on COVID-19

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Fu Cong, a Foreign Ministry director general, speaks at a briefing for foreign journalists at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. China went on the offensive Wednesday ahead of the release of a U.S. intelligence report on the origins of the coronavirus, bringing out the senior official to accuse the United States of politicizing the issue by seeking to blame China. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

The international scientists dispatched to China by the World Health Organization to find out where the coronavirus came from said Wednesday the search has stalled and warned that the window of opportunity for solving the mystery is "closing fast."

Meanwhile, a U.S. intelligence review ordered up by President Joe Biden proved inconclusive about the virus's origin, including whether it jumped from an animal to a human or escaped from a Chinese lab, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

In a commentary published in the journal Nature, the WHO-recruited experts said the origins investigation is at "a critical juncture" requiring urgent collaboration but has instead come to a standstill. They noted among other things that Chinese officials are still reluctant to share some raw data, citing concerns over patient confidentiality.

Earlier this year, WHO sent a team of experts to Wuhan, where the first human COVID-19 cases were detected in December 2019, to probe what might have triggered the pandemic now blamed for nearly 4.5 million deaths worldwide, with more than 10,000 people a day succumbing despite more than 5 billion doses of vaccine administered.

In their analysis, published in March, the WHO team concluded the virus probably jumped to humans from animals, and they described the possibility of a laboratory leak as "extremely unlikely."

Fu Cong, a Foreign Ministry director general, speaks at a briefing for foreign journalists at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. China went on the offensive Wednesday ahead of the release of a U.S. intelligence report on the origins of the coronavirus, bringing out the senior official to accuse the United States of politicizing the issue by seeking to blame China. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

But the WHO experts said their report was intended only as a first step and added, "The window of opportunity for conducting this crucial inquiry is closing fast: any delay will render some of the studies biologically impossible."

For example, they said, "Antibodies wane, so collecting further samples and testing people who might have been exposed before December 2019 will yield diminishing returns."

China said Wednesday that officials should "concentrate on other possible avenues that may help trace the origin" of COVID-19 and suggested studies should be pursued in other countries.

Fu Cong, a director-general in China's Foreign Ministry, agreed it is a "pity" the search for COVID-19's origins has stalled but said it wasn't China's fault. "China has always supported and will continue to participate in the science-based origin tracing efforts," he said.

Fu Cong, a Foreign Ministry director general, speaks at a briefing for foreign journalists at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. China went on the offensive Wednesday ahead of the release of a U.S. intelligence report on the origins of the coronavirus, bringing out the senior official to accuse the United States of politicizing the issue by seeking to blame China. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

He accused the U.S. of "hyping the lab leak theory" and trying to shift the blame onto China, and implied the coronavirus might be linked to high-level American research labs, suggesting the United States invite WHO to investigate some of its installations.

Marion Koopmans and her WHO-recruited colleagues listed a number of priorities for further research, including conducting wider antibody surveys that might identify places where COVID-19 was spreading undetected, both in China and beyond, testing wild bats and farm-raised animals as potential reservoirs of the virus, and investigating any credible new leads.

Some other scientists fear the best opportunities to collect samples might have been missed during the first few weeks after some of the earliest human cases appeared linked to a Wuhan seafood market.

Chinese researchers collected hundreds of environmental samples immediately after the coronavirus was found, but it is unclear how many people or animals were tested.

Fu Cong, a Foreign Ministry director general, speaks at a briefing for foreign journalists at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. China went on the offensive Wednesday ahead of the release of a U.S. intelligence report on the origins of the coronavirus, bringing out the senior official to accuse the United States of politicizing the issue by seeking to blame China. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

"Once you have wildlife traders shifting over to other kinds of employment because they're worried about whether they'll be able to do this anymore, that window starts to close," said Maciej Boni, a Pennsylvania State University biology professor who has studied virus origins and was not part of the WHO team.

Still, Boni said scientists might be able to pinpoint COVID-19's animal source by hunting for closely related viruses in species like raccoon dogs, mink or ground squirrels. But he said it could take about five years to do the kind of extensive studies necessary.

The search for COVID-19's origins has become a bitter source of dispute between the U.S. and China, with increasing numbers of American experts calling for the two Wuhan laboratories close to the seafood market to be investigated, something China has flatly rejected and branded "scapegoating."

Biden in May ordered a 90-day review by U.S. intelligence agencies of both the animal-to-human hypothesis and the lab leak theory. In July, even WHO's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus said it was premature to have rejected the lab theory, adding that research accidents are common.

Explore further WHO says confident China will cooperate on COVID origins probe

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Ebola virus. Credit: NIAID

A young Guinean woman who tested positive for the Ebola virus in Ivory Coast after arriving there two weeks ago has recovered from the disease, the Ivorian health ministry said Tuesday.

"We performed on the patient two biological tests which were negative in an interval of 48 hours. She is therefore declared cured," Serge Eholie, ministry spokesman and head of the country's infectious diseases department told AFP.

"We are lifting her isolation today (Tuesday). She is no longer a risk of contamination. She is still very tired, we are keeping her in hospital," the professor added.

Her diagnosis was the first confirmed case of Ebola in Ivory Coast since 1994.

The 18-year-old had travelled to Abidjan by bus from Labe in northern Guinea, a journey of about 1,500 kilometres (950 miles) that traverses a densely-forested region where Ebola epidemics broke out earlier this year and 2013-16.

The World Health Organization has identified 49 people who have been in contact with the woman, and Ivory Coast started a vaccination campaign earlier this month to target those who were in immediate contact with the patient and security forces along the border with Guinea.

Ebola, which is transmitted through close contact with bodily fluids, is a fatal viral disease that causes severe fever and, in the worst cases, unstoppable bleeding.

Ivory Coast is the third African country this year to have been affected by the Ebola virus after the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea.

Her case had caused a dispute between the two countries after Guinea requested reconfirmation of her positive test, pushing Eholie to stand by his diagnosis last week.

Explore further Guinean authorities identify 58 contacts of Ebola sufferer

 2021 AFP
Credit: Shutterstock

A team of researchers from SAHMRI and Flinders University has found a link between the type of microbiome that repopulates the gut following antibiotics and shortened lifespan in mice.

The study recently published in Cell Reports, is the first of its kind to examine the long-term effects of exposing normal healthy mice to antibiotics in early life, tracking the mice from infancy to old age, 102 weeks later.

Professor David Lynn, an EMBL Australia Group Leader at SAHMRI and Flinders University, who led the project, says that previous studies investigating the causative link between gut microbiota and lifespan have largely been restricted to invertebrates and mice with shortened lifespan due to genetic deficiency.

"This is the first time we've been able to monitor the impact that changes in gut microbiome due to antibiotics in early life can have on mice throughout their normal lifespan," Prof Lynn said. After microbiome diversity was severely depleted following antibiotics, researchers found that the gut was repopulated with either one of two different dominant types of microbiota, which they called "PAM I" and "PAM II."

"Mice with PAM II microbiome displayed increased insulin resistance in later life, indicating metabolic dysfunction, as well as significantly higher levels of inflammation in multiple different tissues including the blood, liver and brain," Prof Lynn said.

"The PAM II mice died at approximately double the rate compared to those that were repopulated with the PAM I microbiota, even though both groups were littermates exposed to the same antibiotics."

These effects were observed even though the composition of microbiota in both groups of antibiotic exposed mice returned to normal in the weeks after antibiotic exposure and long before the detrimental effects on metabolism and inflammation were observed in the PAM II mice.

Graphical abstract. Credit: DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109564

"Our data suggests that the type of microbiome that repopulates the gut after antibiotics has the potential to reprogram the mammalian immune system with long-lasting effects including on longevity," Prof Lynn said.

Previous studies in humans have linked antibiotics to a litany of long-term health effects; but have often shown varying results between different individuals and different studies.

Prof Lynn says this latest study suggests that this variability may be due to the type of microbiome that recolonises after antibiotics, rather than the depletion of the microbiome during antibiotic exposure.

To further prove the results were due to differences in microbiome recovery and not antibiotics, the researchers took the extra step of colonizing mice with no microbiome, known as "germ-free," with the PAM I and PAM II microbiome.

These experiments showed changes in the immune system of germ-free mice colonized with the PAM I microbiota compared to the PAM II microbiota.

Prof Lynn says that those with PAM II typically had a more inflammatory immune system.

"These data suggest that differences in the microbiota following antibiotics in early life can reprogram the immune system long-term, with the consequences of this reprogramming emerging later in life, including effects on immunity, metabolism and even lifespan," Prof Lynn said.

The study is a strong example of what SAHMRI's cross theme collaboration can achieve, with four different research departments combining on the project, the others led by Professor Chris Proud, Professor Geraint Rogers and Dr. Tim Sargeant.

Explore further Babies at risk for diabetes may have microbiota restored

More information: Miriam A. Lynn et al, The composition of the gut microbiota following early-life antibiotic exposure affects host health and longevity in later life, Cell Reports (2021). Journal information: Cell Reports Miriam A. Lynn et al, The composition of the gut microbiota following early-life antibiotic exposure affects host health and longevity in later life,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109564

Provided by South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI)
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

According to the European Union (EU) Cosmetics Regulation, animal testing for the risk assessment of cosmetic products or their ingredients is prohibited in the EU and all its member countries. The regulation includes an EU-wide marketing ban on cosmetics with ingredients tested on animals. This landmark political decision secured the EU a leading role in the protection of animal welfare and has contributed to positive developments in using alternative methods to animal testing beyond the EU's borders. "In fact, the cosmetics sector has become an engine for change, whichfuelled by European legislationhas greatly advanced the use of alternative methods to animal testing in other parts of the world as well", explains Dr. Giorgia Pallocca, deputy director of CAAT-Europe at the University of Konstanz.

Consumers who buy cosmetic products in one of the EU member states therefore generally assume that no animal testing was conducted for the market approval of the products, at least not after the bans from the Cosmetics Regulation came into force in 2013. This assumption is incorrect, however, as reported in a recent article by the Transatlantic Think Tank for Toxicology (t4), which has just been published in the scientific journal ALTEX. According to the report, one reason for this is a second EU regulation that partly contradicts the Cosmetics Regulation, namely the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals regulation (REACH). All substances manufactured in or imported into the EU in quantities of more than one ton per year have to be registered with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), including a registration dossier with a full toxicological evaluation.

Loopholes and conflicting legislation

Many cosmetic ingredients are used also in other products, such as laundry detergents or wall paint. In such cases, the substances fall under other regulations that allow and require animal testing. "This dual use of substances is one of the 'loopholes' through which ingredients continue to enter cosmetic products, despite the fact that their risk assessment was partially based on animal testing", says Dr. Costanza Rovida, CAAT-Europe's regulatory affairs coordinator.

Also compounds that are only used in cosmetics are being animal-tested. This is the case, if the regulatory agency ECHA is concerned about the health of industrial workers manufacturing the products or about the environmental impacts (e.g. killing of fish) of substances intended for cosmetic use. In such cases, where different regulations clash, often the REACH regulation dominates, and animal testing may be required.

Animal testing continues despite ban

By analyzing the publicly available REACH dossiers, the scientists involved in the report found that in the REACH database (as of 23 December 2020), 419 substance dossiers reported cosmetics as their only use. Of these, 63or around 15 percentused the results of "new" animal tests for risk assessment. These are tests that were conducted after the respective bans under the Cosmetics Regulation came into force. In some of these cases, risk assessments based on alternative methods to animal testing had been used by the registrants, but were later rejected by ECHA who explicitly requested additional animal tests. "The fact that animal testing continues to be carried out on substances that are later found in cosmetics is clearly the result of the conflict between REACH and the EU Cosmetics Regulation. However, a lack of harmonization and political will also plays a role here", Professor Thomas Hartung, CAAT-Europe's co-director, states.

As ECHA is still reviewing a large number of REACH dossiers, it is likely that animal testing will continue to be requested for the registration of ingredients for cosmetics, according to the scientists' report. What is also problematic in this context is that the latest EU status report (2020) on the use of animals for scientific purposes includes animal testing of cosmetic ingredients for REACH registration in the category of "industrial chemicals legislation uses". Since it is important for both consumers and the cosmetic industry that cosmetics are truly "free of animal testing", the scientists call for more transparency on REACH testing as long as the conflict between the two EU regulationsthe Cosmetics Regulation and REACHis not resolved.

Action platform for cosmetic products without animal testing

In order to resolve this conflict and to contribute to a solution, CAAT-Europe, which is associated with the University of Konstanz and the Baden-Wurttemberg platform on alternatives to animal testing (BW-3R), is currently creating an action platform for cosmetic products without animal testing. With more than 10 years of experience as an independent institution, CAAT-Europe maintains extensive relationships with various stakeholders and decision-makers and is an official external advisor to the European Parliament on issues related to future technologies in the life sciences. "We would like to use our action platform to demonstrate the will of individual stakeholders, such as the cosmetic industry, to implement cruelty-free cosmetic products and to develop a joint strategy with scientists and policy makers to achieve this goal", describes Professor Marcel Leist, co-director of CAAT-Europe and professor of in vitro toxicology and biomedicine at the University of Konstanz.

Explore further No exceptions to cosmetics animal testing ban: top EU court

More information: Jean Knight, Continuing animal tests on cosmetic ingredients for REACH in the EU, ALTEX (2021). Jean Knight, Continuing animal tests on cosmetic ingredients for REACH in the EU,(2021). DOI: 10.14573/altex.2104221
In this March 2021 photo provided by Pfizer, vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared for packaging at the company's facility in Puurs, Belgium. On Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, the company said it started the application process for U.S. approval of a booster dose of its two-shot COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 16 and older. Credit: Pfizer via AP

Pfizer is seeking U.S. approval of a booster dose of its two-shot COVID-19 vaccine.

The drugmaker said Wednesday that it has started the application process for a third dose of its vaccine for everyone ages 16 and older. The company said it will complete the application with the Food and Drug Administration by the end of this week.

The FDA earlier this month said transplant recipients or others with weakened immune systems can get an extra dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Then last week, U.S. health officials announced plans to give COVID-19 booster shots to all Americans to shore up their protection amid the surging delta variant of the coronavirus.

That plan drew criticism from scientists at the World Health Organization, who noted that poor countries are not getting enough vaccine for their initial rounds of shots.

Pfizer's vaccine, jointly developed with Germany's BioNTech, received full FDA approval earlier this week, also for those ages 16 and older. It had been given to that age group under an emergency use authorization, which is still the case for those ages 12 to 15.

More than 200 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been administered in the U.S.and hundreds of millions more worldwidesince it got the green light in December.

The three vaccines used in the U.S. made by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are still preventing hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. But the vaccines don't appear quite as strong against the highly contagious delta variant as they were against earlier versions of the virus.

The U.S. booster plan calls for an extra dose eight months after people get their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

Also on Wednesday, J&J said people who received a booster for its single-shot vaccine saw a big jump in virus-fighting antibodies. The drugmaker plans to talk to regulators about its booster.

Moderna is expected to do the same. It said Wednesday that it had completed its application to the FDA for full approval of its two-dose vaccine.

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

When patients exhibit stroke symptoms, doctors must quickly make a life or death determination: Are their symptoms caused by a clot that can be treated with blood thinners or by bleeding in the brain, which may require surgery? A new Yale-led study shows that a portable MRI device can help identify such intracranial hemorrhages, potentially life-saving information particularly in areas or scenarios where access to sophisticated brain imaging scans are not readily available.

The results were published Aug. 25 in the journal Nature Communications.

"There is no question this device can help save lives in resource-limited settings, such as rural hospitals or developing countries," said Kevin Sheth, professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Yale School of Medicine and co-corresponding author of the research. "There is also now a path to see how it can help in modern settings. It is of critical importance to continue to collect more data across a range of stroke characteristics so that we can maximize the potential benefit of this approach."

For the study, the research team examined the efficacy of a device known as the Portable Point-of-Care MRI system. According to researchers, it can be wheeled down a hospital hallway, costs a fraction of traditional MRI technologies, and can be used almost anywhere by medical technicians with even minimal training. It was developed by Hyperfine Research Inc., a part of the Guilford, Connecticut-based medical technology incubator 4Catalyzer.

The Yale team, which was led by Sheth and Mercy Mazurek, a clinical research analyst and first author, and co-corresponding author W. Taylor Kimberly of Massachusetts General Hospital, compared the results of portable MRI scans of 144 patients at Yale New Haven Hospital with results obtained from traditional neuroimaging scans. Specifically, the portable MRI was used to scan brain injury patients at the bedside.

Neuroradiologists interpreting images acquired by Hyperfine's portable MRI correctly identified 80% of intracerebral hemorrhages.

The study is the first to validate the appearance and clinical implications of a brain hemorrhage using a portable MRI device.

Sheth and his team are also investigating the potential of portable MRI technologies in helping diagnose and monitor head trauma and brain tumors, and to assess brain health in people with risk factors such as high blood pressure.

Researchers from Hyperfine also contributed to the paper. The research was primarily funded by the American Heart Association, the National Institutes of Health, and Hyperfine Research.

Explore further Portable MRI can detect brain abnormalities at bedside
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It is well known that dementia is associated with increased mortality. New scientific research shows how in recent years more deaths are being registered with dementia as the underlying cause of death. The growth in the rate of dementia related deaths may be connected to an increased awareness about dementia as a fatal disease.

Over the past 20 years an increasing number of deaths have been registered with dementia as the underlying cause of death. That is the main conclusion of a new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease from Danish Dementia Research Centre (DDRC), who investigated how the causes of death has changed over time in people with diagnosed dementia as compared to the general elderly population.

It calls for more attention to the fact, that dementia in its essence is a life-threatening disease, says chair of DDRC professor Gunhild Waldemar.

"We believe that this increase in the registration of dementia as a cause of death may reflect a positive change in diagnostic rates and in perceiving dementia not only as a disease that contributes to mortality but as a disease that is actually fatal."

She adds that even though there is an increase in registration, dementia is probably still underreported as a cause of death in people with a dementia disorder.

Dementia as leading cause of death

The new population-based study is the first to investigate time trends of causes of death in people diagnosed with dementia. Data were based from the national registry data from the entire Danish population aged 65 years and above who died within the years 2002-2015.

During the study period 621826 people died of whom 103785 were diagnosed with dementia prior to death, and dementia became the most leading cause of death in people diagnosed with dementia. During the latter part of the period dementia appeared more frequently as the "underlying cause" rather than the "contributing cause" on the death certificates.

Explore further Dementia leading cause of death in September

More information: Lrke Taudorf et al, Causes of Death in People with Dementia from 2002 to 2015: A Nationwide Study, Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (2021). Journal information: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease Lrke Taudorf et al, Causes of Death in People with Dementia from 2002 to 2015: A Nationwide Study,(2021). DOI: 10.3233/JAD-201400
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Women who receive more sunlight in their first trimester lessen the chances of developing problems with their placenta associated with preterm birth and baby loss, researchers say.

The likelihood of those exposed to the lowest available sunlight to give birth prematurely was ten percent higher than women experiencing the highest levels, the team found.

Experts at the University of Edinburgh analyzed maternity care data for nearly 400,000 mothers and more than 500,000 babies born after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Maternity records of all single live births in Scotland between 2000 and 2010 were then cross checked with postcode-specific weather records from the same period.

Sun exposure in the second trimester was not shown to have any impact on premature birth risk.

Shape advice

Researchers say their findingswhich were independent of other risk factors such as age and smokingcould help shape the advice given to families during pregnancy.

The team says more work is needed to better understand the link between sunshine and premature birth. It is already investigating if artificial light can boost pregnancy healthto benefit parents in places with limited sunlight.

Complications caused by preterm birthdefined as babies born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancyare the leading cause of death in children under five-years-old.

Survivors of preterm birth have higher rates of disability, including learning disabilities and visual and hearing problems, than those born at term.

Improved health

The team hopes further research can help develop ways to reduce preterm birth and subsequent childhood morbidity and mortality.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh had previously shown that when our skin is exposed to the sun's rays, a compoundcalled nitric oxideis released to our blood vessels that helps lower blood pressure.

This previous work suggested that exposure to sunlight improves health overall, because the benefits of reducing blood pressure far outweigh the risk of developing skin cancer.

Sunlight also directly contributes to vitamin D production, which helps with the development of an unborn baby's bones, teeth, kidneys, heart and nervous system.

Previous research from the same group has shown sunnier areas are associated with fewer deaths from COVID-19, and that increased sunlight exposure is linked to lower blood pressure and fewer heart attacks.

"The role of sunlight is an exciting new avenue for research into preterm birth prevention. This study is important because it provides further data reminding us that sunlight has health benefits as well as risks," says Dr. Sarah Stock, reader in maternal and fetal health at the University of Edinburgh's Usher Institute.

Explore further Urgent need for anti-smoking campaigns to continue after pregnancy

More information: Lauren Megaw et al, Higher Sun Exposure in the First Trimester Is Associated With Reduced Preterm Birth; A Scottish Population Cohort Study Using Linked Maternity and Meteorological Records, Frontiers in Reproductive Health (2021). Lauren Megaw et al, Higher Sun Exposure in the First Trimester Is Associated With Reduced Preterm Birth; A Scottish Population Cohort Study Using Linked Maternity and Meteorological Records,(2021). DOI: 10.3389/frph.2021.674245
Switzerland announced Wednesday that it has signed a new contract with Pfizer for seven million COVID vaccine doses next year and in 2023, with an eye towards providing future booster shots.

The new contract with the US pharma giant also contains the option for an additional seven million doses each year after that, the government said in a statement.

The country of 8.6 million people already has contracts for some six million Pfizer doses and 13.5 million Moderna doses this year.

The statement said the new contract meant the government had "reserved sufficient vaccines from both vaccine manufacturers to be able to offer booster shots to the public if necessary."

The announcement came a day after the World Health Organization hit out at the "shocking disparity" in coronavirus vaccines, as wealthy countries buy up doses for third shots while millions in poorer nations yet to have access to a first.

Switzerland also has contracts for millions of vaccine doses made by AstraZeneca, Curevac and Novavax, but currently only the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna jabs are in use in the country.

Like a number of other European countries, Switzerland is currently in the throes of a fourth wave of COVID infections.

Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset told reporters Wednesday that the number of hospitalisations was soaring, but said the situation was under control, for now.

In a bid to rein in the infections, he said the government was now contemplating extending the requirement to display a certificate of vaccination or a negative COVID testalready needed to go to nightclubs and large demonstrationsto gain access to restaurants, museums, theatres and most other indoor events.

The government has also decided to require payment for tests taken to obtain a COVID certificate, in an effort to drive up vaccination rates.

According to Bern, only 56 percent of the Swiss population has received at least one vaccine dose, compared to 63 percent in the EU.

Explore further Swiss secure three million more Moderna vaccine doses

 2021 AFP
Elevated intracranial pressure,; or pressure in the brain, can cause permanent damage. There is a significant market for a device that can detect and messure increased pressure easily and quickly without surgery, says Selbekk. Here he demonstrates the technology. Credit: Ole Martin Wold

A new invention may be on the verge of replacing a costly cranial surgical procedure currently being performed on some traffic accident victims and other patient groups. The ultrasound-based technology has now been granted CE approval for the European market.

"We're through the eye of the needle on this one," says Tormod Selbekk. Selbekk is Head of Technology at the spin-off company Nisonic AS. He is also co-inventor of the new device, and was previously a research scientist in medical technology and ultrasound at SINTEF, where the idea was born.

"Increased intracranial pressure (ICP) or brain pressure, can result in brain damage and can be caused by either accidents or illness," he says.

It is important in all cases to detect brain pressure increases as soon as possible, in order to make treatment easier and more effective. One treatment option may be as straightforward as the timely administration of diuretic drugs.

Ultrasound may replace surgery

Brain pressure is currently measured directly using a sensor or via a drain that is inserted into the patient's brain tissue through a hole the cranium. The procedure must be carried out in an operating theater. It is expensive, onerous and, not least has a small risk of side-effect for the patient.

The new ultrasound scanner, called Nisonic P-100, can relieve the burden on hospitals and offer patients more sensitive treatment. It is equipped with built-in software that automatically processes the ultrasound images. The device makes it possible for doctors rapidly to determine whether a patient may be developing dangerous increases in brain pressure. The technology is based on an algorithm that interprets ultrasound images of the patient's optic nerve sheath, which changes its dimensions in response to increases in intracranial pressure.

A demanding approval process

Achieving CE marking approval for the Nisonic P-100 technology has been a demanding process, but the technology has recently been passed by the various control agencies and was given the green light.

"We're all very pleased about this," says Selbekk. "This last year has been particularly challenging because the EU has recently amended its CE marking approval legislation for medical equipment. On top of this, we've had to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In spite of these issues, we've succeeded in the space of just over two years in advancing our prototype and achieving approval as medical equipment," he says.

This means that not only can the technology now be used in hospitals throughout the EU, but it will also be easier for us to gain access to large and growing U.S. markets in the future. The market for ICP detection and monitoring equipment is expected to increase significantly in the years ahead. Several reports have estimated a market valued at USD 270 million, with the biggest levels of annual growth in the field of ultrasound detection. Nisonic is thus ideally positioned to take advantage of a future growth area.

Possible game changer

Eirik Helseth is a Professor and Head of Neurosurgery at Oslo University Hospital, Ulleval. He is principal investigator in a clinical research study, in which ultrasound images of the optic nerve are recorded in patients suffering from severe head injuries. The collaboration in the research project makes it possible for Nisonic to receive anonymized ultrasound images and ICP measurements for the further development of the methods..

As part of a standard procedure, these patients have had a sensor surgically inserted into their brains in order to monitor intracranial pressure. The aim of the research project is to assess whether processed ultrasound images of the optic nerve captured by Nisonic's technology can provide a reliable measure of brain pressure.

Helseth calls the method a potential game changer:

"Current technology only enables us to make reliable measurements of intracranial pressure with the help of a sensor, or via a drain, that is inserted into the patient's cerebroventricular (brain cavity) system," says Helseth. "Both methods require admission to a hospital's neurological department and a surgical procedure in order to insert the pressure sensor or drain. If ultrasound images of the optic nerve prove to be a reliable method of measuring ICP, this will open opportunities for the method to be applied not only in all other hospital departments, but also in GP surgeries and ambulances. This will be fantasticand a global sensation," he says.

The more data, the better the result

However, Helseth is keen to point out that the equipment can never be better than the data provided to the algorithm.

"It is essential that the equipment is used in many hospitals so that we can obtain even more patient data to work with," he says. All medical professionals know that such equipment has to be tested on a large number of patients before reliable measurement data can be obtained. For example, there may be differences in optic nerve sheath structure between men and women, and among different age groups.

"This is why the Neurological Department at Ulleval is assisting Nisonic with its research and data gathering. We have great faith in the approach and the technology," says Helseth.

Looking for financial partners

Nisonic is now on the lookout for more capital investment and business partners who can help the company realize its overseas growth plans.

"If we succeed in establishing our method for the non-invasive monitoring of ICP, market assessments have indicated that there is significant interest among clinicians in hospitals in Europe and the U.S., and a high economic potential for the technology," says Selbekk.

The company has succeeded with the development of Nisonic P-100, by collaborating with several Norwegian contributors. These include ultrasound scanner suppliers Vitacon AS, which has provided key assistance in connection with the CE marking approval process; Medistim ASA, which specializes in ultrasound imaging linked to cardiac surgery; and Aurotech AS, based in Tydal, which has provided hardware. The Nisonic P-100 is at large an entirely Norwegian product.

In use in Stockholm

The first Nisonic system is already on its way to the Bragee clinic in Stockholm, which is collaborating with the Karolinska institute in clinical research. Here, the equipment will be used for research into patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (ME).

Swedish researchers are working with a theory that ME patients also exhibit elevated intracranial pressure. Nisonic's equipment will be used to measure the diameters of ME patients' optic nerve sheaths, as well as those of a control group. Selbekk says that these measurements will then be compared with diameters measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) .

This research will provide Nisonic with even more patient data, which will further improve the system's algorithms.

"The more patient data we have, the better the equipment will be. This is because the method is based on deep learning and neural networks, which are branches of the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence," he says, adding;

"Our job will be much easier now that the equipment is CE approved. CE marking enables us to capture anonymous data much more rapidly than in the past. We expect to achieve even better results by means of systematic data analysis and training of the neural networks.

Explore further A diagnostic tool to save lives and prevent brain damage

More information: Llewellyn C. Padayachy et al, Non-invasive assessment of ICP in children: advances in ultrasound-based techniques, Child's Nervous System (2019). Llewellyn C. Padayachy et al, Non-invasive assessment of ICP in children: advances in ultrasound-based techniques,(2019). DOI: 10.1007/s00381-019-04371-1 Llewellyn Padayachy et al, Pulsatile Dynamics of the Optic Nerve Sheath and Intracranial Pressure, Neurosurgery (2016). DOI: 10.1227/NEU.0000000000001200 Llewellyn Padayachy et al, Noninvasive Transorbital Assessment of the Optic Nerve Sheath in Children: Relationship Between Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter, Deformability Index, and Intracranial Pressure, Operative Neurosurgery (2018). DOI: 10.1093/ons/opy231 Chiara Robba et al, Optic nerve sheath diameter measured sonographically as non-invasive estimator of intracranial pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Intensive Care Medicine (2018). DOI: 10.1007/s00134-018-5305-7 Journal information: Neurosurgery
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

With evidence estimating that nearly one-fourth of the world's women and girls face challenges related to menstrual managementincluding stigma, privacy, and access to affordable materialsa commentary in JAMA Health Forumreinforces the need to engage the public in understanding the importance of menstrual health. This includes sufficient funding and more research to educate young people, their parents and communities about the process of menstruation, along with the clinicians who serve them.

"A culture of silence around the issues of menstruation needs to be broken," said Marni Sommer, DrPH, MSN, RN, associate professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. "Menstrual equity is a human rights and public health issue, with racial, socioeconomic, and sex disparities intertwined," said co-author Diana J. Mason, Ph.D., RN, senior policy service professor at the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement, George Washington University School of Nursing.

Evidence from low as well as high resource countries shows that significant menstruation-related challenges are faced by schoolgirls, displaced adolescent girls and women, as well as women in the workplace, and many of these disparities intensified during the pandemic. Additional data highlight how those affected by homelessness face issues that go beyond access to products, and how they encounter barriers to manage their periods with dignity.

"At a minimum, access to free menstrual products in all public spaces is needed, as Scotland has done. In addition, attention is essential to assure all people with periods have access to safe, private spaces with water and soap for changing their menstrual products in comfort," noted Sommer.

To promote menstrual equity Sommer and Mason make the following points:

Policy makers in the U.S. should eliminate state sales taxes on menstrual products.

High-quality menstrual products should be available for free in schools, prisons, homeless shelters, and health care facilities.

Health professionals should advocate for free access to menstrual products.

The U.S. should open the door for coverage of menstrual products under Medicaid and propose increasing the monthly benefit for adolescent girls and women of childbearing age under The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

We need to underscore the relevance of menstrual health and hygiene to all UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

"Women, adolescent girls, and all people with periods in the U.S. and around the world must be able to manage their periods with dignity and comfort, without stigma or shame," said Mason.

More information: Marni Sommer et al, Period Poverty and Promoting Menstrual Equity, JAMA Health Forum (2021). Marni Sommer et al, Period Poverty and Promoting Menstrual Equity,(2021). DOI: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2021.3089
Ambassador of Belarus V.Rybak meets the Deputy Minister of Trade of Turkey

On August 24, 2021 the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of Turkey, Victor Rybak, met with the Deputy Minister of Trade of Turkey, Mustafa Tuzju.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the implementation of the agreements reached at the highest level in Ankara in April 2019.

Special attention was paid to the discussion of the preparation of the eleven session of the Belarusian-Turkish Joint Intergovernmental Economic Commission.

The parties expressed interest in the early implementation of the bilateral intergovernmental agreement on the system of mutual trade facilitation signed by the customs authorities of Belarus and Turkey.

The Belarusian diplomat informed the Deputy Minister of Trade about the preferences of the Great Stone Industrial Park and the prospects for Turkish companies to work there.

Deputy Minister, in his turn, expressed gratitude to the Belarusian side for assistance provided to Turkey in its fight against forest fires.

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As cooler temperatures and increased rain continue to improve conditions in northwestern Montana, fire managers are rescinding Stage II fire restrictions.

The rain has significantly lowered fire danger, according to a news release from the Flathead National Forest.

As of Wednesday, fire restrictions will be rescinded in Flathead National Forest lands  including the Great Bear and Bob Marshall Wilderness  in Missoula, Flathead, Lake, Lewis and Clark, and Powell counties, as well as Kootenai National Forest lands in Flathead, Lincoln and Sanders counties.

On Tuesday, Missoula County lowered the area fire danger from "very high" to "high" and said restrictions would be rescinded countywide by Thursday.

Glacier National Park will also lift restrictions.

The Lost Trail and Swan River National Wildlife Refuge lands and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservations Kalispell, Libby, Stillwater and Swan units are also under the order.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Region 1 within Flathead, Lake, Sanders and Lincoln counties are under the group rescinding restrictions, along with all of Flathead, Lake and Lincoln counties.
Conley also noted that she is not aware of any other states limited in regard to following CDC guidance as Montana is. As far as any litigation, she added that she could not guarantee a successful outcome for the board, but stated that someone needs to answer the question as to whether or not it's legal in Montana to follow what the CDC is recommending.

"It's very hard to me to conceive of a discrimination status in a Montana protected class that's not subject to reasonable grounds to differentiate ... it seems extreme to me that state law would prohibit us from following CDC guidance," Conley said.

CDC guidance says a close contact is someone who has been within 6 feet of a person infected with COVID for a cumulative 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period during that person's infectious period. A person's infectious period begins two days before symptoms or two days before a positive laboratory test if they are asymptomatic.

There are exceptions in a school setting. If a student is 3 to 6 feet from an infected student but both students are wearing "well-fitted" masks, the non-infected student would not be considered a close contact, according to CDC guidelines.

That exception does not apply to teachers, staff or other adults, Barnett said.

The board voted unanimously to continue to follow CDC guidance on quarantining.

Jordan Hansen covers news and local government for the Missoulian. Shout at him on Twitter @jordyhansen or send him an email at Jordan.Hansen@Missoulian.com

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The Missoula City Council has voted to commit $23,000 out of the general fund to study tourist homes, such as Airbnb short-term rentals, to see how theyre affecting the local housing market.

Were going to pay for a vendor to provide ongoing services to provide us real data about the number of short-term rentals that are being advertised in our city, said council member Julie Merritt.

(The vendor) doesnt just report exactly whats on vacation-rental-by-owner sites, they actually pay people to look into them, she said.

The city will be able to know the types of homes that are being used as short term rentals, the exact number, their exact addresses and how much people are getting paid for these rentals, she added.

Although the city requires tourist homes that arent owner occupied to be registered with the city, Merritt believes there is low compliance with the law. The vendor would set up a website that would make it easy for people to register.

Its really important for us to have that information, Merritt said. It needs to be data-driven, not just anecdotal evidence.

The city might adjust its registration fees based on the information they get, she said.
Instead, 8- and 9-year-olds who commit the most severe felonies would still have their cases adjudicated in juvenile court before a judge, who could require more intensive treatment and even probation. They need a little bit more services that can be better provided through juvenile delinquency court than what can be provided otherwise, said Sen. Danny Britt, a Robeson County Republican and bill sponsor.

Repeat offenders of any crime or infraction at this age also would automatically be treated as delinquent. Other 8- and 9-year-olds who commit largely nonviolent felonies and any misdemeanor would avoid court but could receive as much as nine months of counseling.

Legislators who backed raising the age of delinquency to 10 say younger children lack the intellectual capacity to understand the juvenile court proceedings and assist in their defense. Advocates for a higher age tell stories of young kids drawing in coloring books in a courtroom awaiting adjudication.

More than 2,100 complaints were filed against nearly 1,150 youth under 10 during the three fiscal years from 2016 to 2019, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Ultimately 54 who went before a judge were found responsible for the actions in those complaints.
Still, only about 40% of Louisiana's population is fully immunized against the disease so far, according to state health department data. But that number has been rising as Louisiana has seen record-breaking numbers of people hospitalized from the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.

Ardoin said he expects to see people in the vulnerable population keep using the absentee balloting process. While absentee-by-mail voting increased in recent elections, most mail-in votes were cast by people legally able to do so without the emergency rules.

Louisianas absentee balloting procedure is limited to voters 65 or older, members of the military, overseas voters, people who are hospitalized, the physically disabled and those who wont be in their parish for the election.

Prior emergency rules had allowed people also to seek an absentee ballot if they were at a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 because of medical conditions; were subject to a quarantine order; were advised by a health provider to self-quarantine; were experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking medical confirmation; or were caring for someone who is isolated because of the disease.



Follow Melinda Deslatte on Twitter at http://twitter.com/melindadeslatte. Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  The only time Californians voted to recall a governor, they replaced him with a Hollywood megastar. This time, could it be a 29-year-old YouTube star who ends up leading the nation's most populous state?

Its a very long shot, but Kevin Paffrath could conceivably win simply because he has some name recognition by virtue of the nearly 1.7 million followers of his video channel, where he dispenses financial advice. The other eight Democrats running are essentially unknowns.

The Democratic field is filled with anonymous political neophytes because of Gov. Gavin Newsoms successful strategy of discouraging any prominent Democrats from running in the Sept. 14 election. His goal was to make it an all-or-nothing proposition for voters  keep Newsom, or live with the consequences of picking a replacement with a far different policy agenda.

Social media stardom translates to name recognition, and that's really what's going to make a big difference in an election like this with 46 names on the ballot," said Kim Nalder, a professor of political science at the California State University, Sacramento.
A Connecticut woman faces a week in jail and $2,400 in fines after being prosecuted for walking across a thermal area in Yellowstone National Park.

"Although a criminal prosecution and jail time may seem harsh, its better than spending time in a hospitals burn unit, said acting U.S. Attorney Bob Murray in a press release.

Madeline Casey, 26, of New Hartford, Connecticut, appeared before Magistrate Judge Mark Carman in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, on Aug. 18 for sentencing.

She was charged with walking off the boardwalk in the Norris Geyser Basin to get closer to a thermal pool and geyser. Casey was photographed and filmed venturing off the boardwalk, despite the fact that many signs are posted along the route warning visitors.

Boardwalks in geyser basins protect visitors and delicate thermal formations, said Morgan Warthin, Yellowstone public affairs officer. The ground is fragile and thin and scalding water just below the surface can cause severe or fatal burns."

Dating back to 1870, more than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstones hot springs.
Set in a life-like environment, the simulation lab allows nurses to apply their new skills to mock nursing scenarios with high tech manikins. Studies show that nurses still achieve the same level of learning in sim labs as they do in clinical rotations and therefore can account for up to 50% of clinical experiences, according to Fischer.

The sim lab project has been years in the making as St. Vs and MSU waited to find real estate that could support multiple students. When space opened up in the Mansfield Center, it was clear that, with a few renovations and the addition of three rooms, the space would fit the sim lab needs.

Before, only about 20% of the MSU students clinical experiences were gained through simulations due to limited space on the Billings campus. Sim labs were being held in campus office space that could only accommodate up to four students for one simulation, Fischer said. The college hopes to increase sim lab experiences with the new site.

Tools such as this will help educate existing and future MSU students, but expanded education is needed across the state in order to meet the increased workforce needs.
" " Despite the many, many designs, a scant few United States coins incorporate their numerical value onto either face. Chuck Cross/EyeEm/Getty Images

Pity the poor penny. Those copper-colored one-cent pieces are so little valued that you can take them or leave them at about any convenience store counter. Even some panhandlers will toss them back at you after asking for change. Maybe that's why there's talk of discontinuing the coins altogether.

If the feds are going to scrap the cent, they may as well consider overhauling the entire U.S. coinage system. For one thing, the size of the coins currently in circulation doesn't correspond to their value. Dimes are smaller and lighter than nickels, despite being worth double the amount.

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" " Most countries use common Arabic-derived numerals on at least one side of their coin currency to indicate value, but not the United States. Levent Karabulut/EyeEm/Getty Images

And then there are those amounts. If you're in the United States, take a look at the change in your pocket and you'll see the coins are not stamped with a numeral indicating their denomination. Instead, the common coins currently in circulation use three different units to indicate their value. Coins worth one cent are colloquially called "pennies" and marked "One Cent"; our 10-cent coin, one-tenth of a dollar, goes by the name of a dime and is engraved with the word "One Dime"; and 25-cent pieces read "Quarter Dollar."

If you're a tourist or new transplant to the country, or if you're among part of the population with a degree of illiteracy, you're out of luck. For instance, the U.S. Embassy in Japan even addresses this specifically for those heading to the United States and confused by the coinage.

"We do not have any information available about why the United States has followed the general custom of displaying coin values in words instead of numbers," says the embassy page. "The United States Mint used numerical descriptions of the value on our coins from time to time since the establishment of our coinage system in 1792. However, this has been the exception and not the rule."

No one contacted for this article seems to know definitively why most U.S. coins don't feature number values, a quirk that probably leaves non-English speakers with a handful of hard to identify change.

The best guess is that it has something to do with tradition, and the process in which the country's currency is designed. There was a time when coin values corresponded to the value of the metal used to produce them. Quarters and dimes were mostly silver, pennies were copper and nickels were comprised of, yes, nickel. That all changed in 1965, when the rising cost of silver forced Uncle Sam to move a copper-nickel combination.

" " The current one-dollar coin is the rare American coin that displays its value with a numeral, albeit in relatively small print. Don Cardona/Getty Images

"I think that when they made the transition in the 1960s and were all of a sudden taking the silver out of coinage, they wanted to preserve the tradition," says Scott Schechter, a coin evaluator and vice president of Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. "I think that's why so many of our coin designs have never changed. They've stayed identical to when they had intrinsic metal value."

Federal law dictates how coins are designed and made with specific detail. That includes particular requirements about the size, weight, thickness and metallic composition of coin currency. The law requires that certain words or phrases  like "Liberty," "E Pluribus Unum" and "In God We Trust"  be engraved on each coin. It also gives Congress and the president the ultimate authority to approving any new designs through legislation.

"The legislation dictates a lot of what ends up on a coin," Schechter says. "It can be really constraining."

The law doesn't say anything about a ban on denomination numerals or a preference that denominations be spelled out in words. The one-dollar coins currently in circulation come stamped with a noticeable "$1." Still, Schechter says that all the other stuff legally required to be displayed on American coins leaves little extra room, even for a helpful little number.

Now That's Interesting The U.S. could make about $4.4 billion by discontinuing one dollar bills in favor of dollar coins, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Wearing a mask regardless of your vaccination status has proven to be effective in cutting back on the transmission of COVID and other viral illnesses, the department said in its press releases.

The health department also continues to recommend everyone who is eligible get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Of Burke Countys total population, 41% (36,958 residents) have been at least partially vaccinated, and 37% (33,912 residents) have been fully vaccinated.

The county health department has doses of the Moderna vaccine, and some doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine while supplies last, the Tuesday release said.

Booster shots already are available for those who are immunocompromised and have received either of the mRNA vaccines offered by Pfizer and Moderna. The third dose must be received at least 28 days after the second dose, the county health department said.

Anyone who is moderately to severely immunocompromised and is looking to get a third dose of the Moderna vaccine can call the county health department at 828-764-9150 to schedule an appointment. Those who need another dose of the Pfizer vaccine can call Blue Ridge Urgent Care at 828-580-3278.
A woman will be selling her home, one that has been a frequent stop for law enforcement officers in Burke County, after public nuisance action taken Friday.

Superior Court Judge Robert C. Ervin signed an order against Teresa Cannon, the owner of the property located at 3421 U.S. 64 in Burke County, requiring that she sell the property as soon as possible. The order came as a result of a collaborative effort from the Burke County Sheriffs Office and North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Nuisance Abatement Team.

The order said Cannon and another person can stay at the home until the house is sold, but it must be sold as soon as a bid within 10% of the asking price comes in. She cant have anyone come over to the home, and the sheriffs office is allowed to enter the home at any time to find someone violating the terms of the order.

Criminal activity has been occurring at this property for years and has caused the citizens of the community to suffer unnecessarily, said Burke County Sheriff Steve Whisenant in a Tuesday press release. Through our County and State law enforcement agencies working together and with the cooperation of the property owner, we were able to solve this problem and make the community safer.

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Fire restrictions are being loosened in Butte-Silver Bow, Beaverhead, Lewis and Clark and Jefferson counties in southwest Montana due to last weeks cool, wet weather and favorable forecasts, fire officials say.

Those counties are moving from Stage 2 fire restrictions to Stage 1. Restrictions are being rescinded altogether in Anaconda-Deer Lodge, Granite and Powell counties, although bans on open burning remain in place. The changes are effective just after midnight Wednesday, or 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

Butte-Silver Bow Fire Marshal Zach Osborne said the Interagency Fire Management Officials of Southwest Montana made the decisions after a meeting Tuesday.

This decision comes after a rise in relative humidity, and above-average precipitation month of August and a favorable future weather forecast, Osborne said Wednesday. These events left our forests fire rating low enough, which led to the decision to rescind fire restrictions.

Under Stage 1 restrictions, camp fires are now allowed again, but only in a designated fire pit with a metal fire ring. Smoking is prohibited except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area at least 3 feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
Butte police reports

Assault on officer

Just after 7 p.m. Monday, officers arrived at the Town Pump, 531 S. Montana St., to investigate a disturbance.

Michael William Mallo, 32, of Butte had been asked numerous times to leave the premises on Sunday and on Monday.

When officers arrived, he was standing outside the casino with an unidentified female.

Mallon continually refused officers requests for him to leave the premises. When they attempted to arrest him, he fought with them.

Once taken to the Butte Detention Center, he was jailed for felony assault on a police officer and the misdemeanor offenses of resisting arrest (two counts), criminal trespass to property, disorderly conduct and assault on a police officer.

Safe, rifle gone

It was reported last Thursday afternoon that a garage in the 800 block of South Dakota Street was broken into and a gun safe with a rifle inside was taken.

Gunshot complaint
Participation in the medical monitoring program does not prohibit employees at the Anaconda plant from pursuing civil suits against U.S. Minerals.

The company converted black slag from the towering pile along Montana Highway 1 near Anaconda into roofing materials called Black Diamond Abrasive Products. The slag is smelter waste from around 100 years of historic copper processing, and contains a variety of toxic substances including inorganic arsenic.

Exposure to arsenic is known to cause lung and skin diseases, including an increased risk of skin cancer, and may also cause cardiovascular effects and other cancers.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided over the arraignment Monday. Sentencing in the criminal case was set for Dec. 10 in Butte before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen.

Throughout Montanas long history with mining, operators like U.S. Minerals have sacrificed worker safety for profit. These operators need to know that there are severe consequences to this kind of callous behavior. This is an important case because it not only holds the operator criminally responsible for poisoning its own workers, but it also prevents U.S. Minerals from doing this again anywhere in the country, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif Johnson said.
But if signed into law along with Democrats' other election bill, the For the People Act, many of those restrictions could be neutralized  and likely prevented from getting approved again. Both laws would likely face legal challenges.

In the short term, the vote Tuesday was expected to soothe restive Democratic activists who have been frustrated by inaction on the issue in the Senate.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson said he was "encouraged" by the bill's passage. But he also offered a thinly veiled threat, pledging to watch closely as the Senate takes it up and "keep track of every yea and every nay" vote.

"Make no mistake, we will be there, on the ground in 2022, in every state that needs a new Senator," he said in a statement.

Democrats' slim 50-50 majority in the Senate means they lack the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. For months, progressives have called for scrapping the filibuster, but a number of moderate Democrats oppose the idea, denying the votes needed to do so.

It's also not clear that the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, as written, would be supported by all Democrats in the Senate, where there are no votes to spare.
Transportation officers who take inmates around the state are told they cannot stop anywhere to use the bathroom, Meaders said.

The unions statement claims some correctional officers work up to 40 hours of overtime in a two-week period, usually 16 hours at a time and sometimes on days off. Salmonsen, the prison warden, did not comment on the unions assertions for this article, but described the dimensions of the staffing shortage in January to a legislative budget subcommittee.

Imagine looking forward to your shift ending and half an hour before you go home you get a phone call saying you have to stay for another eight hours, he said.

Recruiting and retaining staff, he said, has been and will always be a challenge for MSP.

Deer Lodge is a small workforce pool from which to draw, he said during the hearing, which requires recruitment from surrounding communities such as Butte, Anaconda, Missoula and Helena. The starting wage has hurt retention, as well.

Sadly it is all too common for us to hire a new correctional officer, invest in his or her training only to see them move on to a higher paying job at a county detention facility after they become POST (training) certified, Salmonsen told the committee.
Watts career took off after he played with Alexis Korners Blues Incorporated, for whom Jagger also performed, and was encouraged by Korner to join the Stones.

Watts wasnt a rock music fan but was guided by Richards and Brian Jones as he absorbed blues and rock records. He said the band could trace its roots to a brief period when he had lost his job and shared an apartment with Jagger and Richards because he could live there rent-free.

Watts was the final man to join the Stones; the band had searched for months to find a permanent drummer and feared Watts was too accomplished for them. Richards recalled the band wanting him so badly to join that members cut down on expenses so they could afford to pay Watts a proper salary. Watts said he believed at first the band would be lucky to last a year.

Every band Id ever been in had lasted a week, he said. I always thought the Stones would last a week, then a fortnight, and then suddenly, its 30 years.

He found refuge from the rock life, marrying Shirley Ann Shepherd in 1964 and having a daughter, Seraphina, soon after. While other famous rock marriages crumbled, theirs held.
WAPELLO  It took two meetings but the Louisa County Board of Supervisors sent a letter Tuesday to the Iowa Department of Management asking for guidance to implement a tax law that shifts mental health funding from counties to the state.

In 2023, Iowa will dissolve Fund 10, which is used to pay the counties mental health/disability service administrative costs. Eventually, the state will assume all costs, but that leaves counties in limbo over how to handle county employees who perform regional duties.

Those employees are currently paid through Fund 10.

The supervisors agreed on Aug. 17 to send a letter prepared by Southeast Iowa LINK mental health and disability services region, but the action was postponed because it was not included in that meetings agenda. Instead, the board had asked County Auditor Sandi Sturgell to send the same letter from her office. She told the board Tuesday that she sent her letter, and the board then formally approved sending its own.

The letter also asks for the explanation before counties begin budget planning in December for Fiscal 2023.

The supervisors also received the monthly departmental update for the countys emergency management services, E911 and safety programs from director Brian Hall.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Biden administration likely violated federal law in trying to end a Trump-era program that forces people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S.

With three liberal justices in dissent, the high court refused to block a lower court ruling ordering the administration to reinstate the program informally known as Remain in Mexico.

It's not clear how many people will be affected and how quickly. Under the lower court ruling, the administration must make a good faith effort to restart the program.

There also is nothing preventing the administration from trying again to end the program, formally called Migrant Protection Protocols.

A federal judge in Texas had previously ordered that the program be reinstated last week. Both he and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused the administration's request to put the ruling on hold.

Justice Samuel Alito ordered a brief delay to allow the full court time to consider the administration's appeal to keep the ruling on hold while the case continues to make its way through the courts.

The 5th Circuit ordered expedited consideration of the administration's appeal.
To start, these sites recommend two things: Honestly assess your companion's ability to travel, and make sure he or she is carrying or wearing some kind of identification in case you get separated. The sites make it clear that your experience will vary depending on the status of your companion's disease.

I can attest to that. My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2011, and our travel options have changed dramatically as his disease has advanced. Nonetheless, we have traveled over the last decade by air and auto, beginning in 2013 with a trip to New York and then Europe to see family and friends. It was a kind of farewell tour while my husband could still (sort of) recognize his siblings.

The trip was not without its challenges. In Frankfurt, Germany, a place neither of us had been, we took a stroll to help us adjust to a new time zone. Throughout the walk, my husband insisted that not only had he visited the town in his 20s but had lived there for nearly a year. It wasn't until the next day that I understood he thought we were still in New York. Our six-hour plane ride to Germany hadn't registered.
MultiChoice Group was ordered by an appeal tribunal in Lagos to pay 50% of a 1.8 trillion naira (R65 billion) disputed tax backlog imposed on it by Nigerian authorities.

The amount is a deposit and condition of the pay-TV companys case being heard, the Federal Inland Revenue Service says in an emailed statement on Wednesday. The case has been adjourned for hearing on Sept. 23.

MultiChoice stock slumped 6.6% as of 4:33 p.m. in Johannesburg, hitting near 11-month lows.

The company wasnt able to immediately comment when contacted by Bloomberg.

Nigerias tax authority asked lenders to freeze MultiChoices local bank accounts to recover the alleged tax arrears last month.

The decision came after Johannesburg-based MultiChoice refused to grant access to its servers for an audit, Nigerias Federal Inland Revenue Service said at the time.
A shooting star observed by people in Pretoria, Polokwane, and Bulawayo was the upper stage of a Chinese rocket burning up in the atmosphere.

This was the conclusion of astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics in the United States, Jonathan McDowell.

McDowell contradicted reports citing the South African Astronomical Observatory, which said the phenomenon was a bright meteor, or bolide.

I am skeptical SAAO has any data that confirms this as a meteor, I think they are just making an incorrect assumption, McDowell stated.

Pretty sure it was the YZ1S stage.

By the time of publication, the SAAO and the Astronomical Society of South Africa (ASSA) had confirmed that the phenomenon was caused by the re-entry of the upper stage of the Yuanzheng-1S, designated YZ-1S.

Figuring out what caused the phenomenon was a puzzle that fascinated astronomers on Tuesday night.

McDowell explained that he estimated the deorbit trajectory, but his initial calculations did not match the time of the observations in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

He then calculated that the most likely explanation was that the Yuanzheng1S made a deorbit burn that wasnt quite decisive enough.

The rocket then did three orbits around the Earth before reentering the atmosphere.

Spaceflight Now reported that the Yuanzheng1S carried two test payloads for a planned constellation of Internet satellites.

According to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the Long March 2C rocket lifted off at 13:15 (19:15 Beijing time) on Tuesday from the Jiuquan launch base in the Inner Mongolia region of northwestern China.

Military tracking data from the United States suggested that the upper stage delivered the two satellites into an orbit of about 1,100 kilometres with an inclination of 89.4 degrees to the equator.

There was an unidentified third satellite aboard the rocket, which also had a communications tech demo mission.

Videos of the rocket re-entering the atmosphere over South Africa posted to Twitter are embedded below.
Discovery Health chief actuary Emile Stipp said Covid-19 is becoming endemic and that people should forget about herd immunity.

Speaking to Biznews, Stipp said they estimated that the coronavirus had infected between 70% and 80% of South Africans.

This would suggest that the country is close to herd immunity, estimated at between 80% and 90% by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Stipp, however, dismissed the promise of herd immunity to end the pandemic.

I think herd immunity is something that we must all forget now. Its not going to happen, Stipp said.

The reason for that is that Covid-19 is becoming endemic. So, unless you have everybody vaccinated in a population and unless vaccination or previous infection gives you complete protection against reinfection or infection in the first place, youre not going to get it to go away.

He said if youve had Covid-19 before, your risk of getting it again if you come into contact with the virus is about 20% to 25%.

Even if you are vaccinated, the data emerging across the world is that you have a risk of about 20% of getting infected.

Covid-19 variants are also becoming more contagious, which Stipp said is the real thing to be worried about.

There is, however, good news. While you can still get infected if you have been vaccinated, your chance of going to the hospital and dying is significantly reduced.

So, what youre seeing playing out in Europe and many other places in the world now is that when they get to a certain level of vaccination, the country starts opening up, said Stipp.

It happened in Holland, it happened in the UK, and then infections go up. But what we dont see is the deaths go up.

What that means is that Covid-19 with vaccination is less harmful than influenza.
Standard Bank launched fixed LTE broadband services for its clients on Wednesday, powered by the MTN network.

Fixed LTE allows for a data connection without the physical fibre infrastructure but still offers the benefit of a high-speed data connection, said Lee Ramsden, the head of sales and distribution at Standard Bank Mobile.

It is important to us that our customers are connected, provided with products that allow them to be digitally enabled, easy to install, and also allow for easy top up and management through our website, Ramsden said.

Ramsden explained that Standard Bank bases its packaged offers on an amount of data per month, including a router that the bank subsidises.

If a customer runs out of data or needs more, they can buy recurring monthly or top-up bundles online.

Data allocations vary depending on which bank account you hold.

We are able to offer customers an opportunity to purchase devices for less, to access affordable and even in some cases, free data  simply for banking with us, Ramsden said.

Only MTN approved devices can be used with the service. These include the Huawei B525, Huawei B612, Huawei B618, and ZTE MF286 routers.

The Standard Bank Fixed LTE service is designed to be used at your home or office or a specific location, and MTN will lock the service to the address for which you placed the order.

You can request that your Standard Bank Fixed LTE be moved to another location up to 2 times per calendar year.

Clients do not need to sign a contract to use Standard Banks fixed LTE services, as they are all offered on a month-to-month basis.

All Standard Bank fixed LTE packages are charged pro-rata. If you sign up halfway through the month, you will pay half the monthly fee and receive half the data for the rest of the month.

Standard Bank Fixed LTE will only provide a public dynamic IP address for the fixed LTE service.

The table below summarises the fixed LTE packages available on Standard Bank Mobile.

Standard Bank account Data allocation Monthly fee MyMo (PAYT) 5GB R69 Consolidator 10GB R89 MyMo (Bundle) 10GB R102.50 Elite 10GB R102.50 Prestige 20GB R112 Professional 20GB R112 Private 30GB R119 Signature 40GB R129 Wealth and Investment 50GB R139 All Standard Bank Mobile Fixed LTE packages include a router. Data allocations are Anytime data. Month-to-month.

Bundle top-ups

The following table summarises the top-up prices for Standard Banks fixed LTE deals.
Microsoft, meanwhile, said it would invest $20 billion in cybersecurity over the next five years and make available $150 million in technical services to help local governments upgrade their defenses. IBM plans to train 150,000 people in cybersecurity over three years, Apple said it would develop a new program to help strengthen the technology supply chain, and Amazon said it would offer to the public the same security awareness training it gives to employees.

Top executives of each of those companies were invited to Wednesday's meeting, as were financial industry executives and representatives from the energy, education and insurance sectors. A government initiative that at first supported the cybersecurity defenses of electric utilities has now been expanded to focus on natural gas pipelines, the White House said Wednesday.

Though ransomware was intended as one aspect of Wednesdays gathering, a senior administration official who briefed reporters in advance said the purpose was much broader, centered on identifying the root causes of any kind of malicious cyber activity and also ways in which the private sector can help bolster cybersecurity. The official briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity.
- Performance metrics to evaluate the Chambers marketing efforts

- A pilot program allowing up to 20 Napa Valley Wine Train passengers to shop and dine downtown daily.

The new strategy also suggests reducing restrictions on formula retail businesses, commonly referred to as chain stores.

Formula restaurants are prohibited by city code, but other formula businesses are allowed if the Planning Commission grants a use permit or if city officials grant a temporary pop-up permit for up to three months of operations.

The city could relax those restrictions by allowing a limited number of formula businesses downtown or by redefining the term to accommodate businesses that have only a small number of other locations.

Councilmembers didnt direct staff to change any of those regulations right away, but they were generally supportive of tweaking the citys rules to open the door to vibrant businesses.

The strategy would expand on previous business-friendly initiatives St. Helena has introduced in the last few years, including the over-the-counter pop-up use permit, loans for small businesses affected by the pandemic, and temporary pop-up parks on Hunt Avenue, Telegraph Alley and Money Way.
Shugri will be in conversation with local reporter Meg McConahey: www.copperfieldsbooks.com/event/shugri-said-salh-online

Born in Somalia in 1974 as the fourth daughter in a society that saw daughters as a burden, Salh was sent to live with her nomadic ayeeyo (grandmother) at the age of 6 to learn a once-common way of life. She left behind her parents, her fathers multiple wives, her many siblings, and her home in the city of Galkayo.

Though the desert was a dangerous place threatened by drought and hunger and plagued by predators, she grew up courageous and free, learning how to herd camels, raise her own goats, and become a part of the community found through the courtship rituals, and stories and songs of her ancestors. She was even proud to face a brutal female circumcision, the rite of passage that all respectable girls underwent in Somalia.

The book is a story of hope, survival, and the shifting definitions of home that chronicles Salh's journey from her travels with her grandmother to her escape from Somalia's brutal civil war to her new homes in Canada and then California
The last steps before firing are carving out the finer details of faces, hair, shoes, water and so forth on the clay. Then the clay is divided into tile grids and brought to one of his two kilns, first for the bisque firing, to transform the unfired dry clay to a porous state thats ready to accept glaze and, finally, to glazing and the second firing.

All the tiles must then be inspected for cracks or imperfections, laid out, painstakingly packed in uniformly sized cardboard cartons and shipped to the site for installation.

For the Station 37 project, he made several extra tiles of the hose in case any measurements had changed, or an additional feature was added after the original plans.

For example, the last time I visited the firehouse construction, a downspout had been added to the front of the building. Those details have to be considered in the overall mural and the tile placement may have to shift slightly.

The entire process takes a combination of creativity and precision. Tubiolo explains that practical details are a necessity for public artists.
Supervisor Belia Ramos suggested the county might work with Pacific Gas & Electric on a system. She pointed to what Sempra Energy is doing with its weather monitoring in San Diego as an example.

Sempra Energy is doing exactly this that we are discussing. And more, Ramos said.

She wants Napa County to think more broadly for the long-term. Perhaps it can engage with other partners, she said.

Meanwhile, a prior Illumination Technologies California proposal involving both an early warning fire detection system and telecommunication equipment is dead.

Illumination Technologies California wanted to install about 23 faux-tree monopoles in county right-of-ways. It would then lease the monopoles out to telecommunication companies.

In return for use of county property, the company would install the IQ FireWatch system on 10 to 12 poles to provide 90% coverage of the county. It would pay to operate and maintain the system for 30 years.

In addition, Illuminated Technologies California would install telecommunication towers in unprofitable, remote areas of the county.
According to information published by Saab on August 25, 2021, the company is leading a live demonstration as part of the EU-funded OCEAN2020 defence research project. The demonstration is being held in the Baltic Sea in August 2021, with the participation of 17 European companies, research institutes and defence ministries.

Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

Visby-class corvettes (Picture source: Saab)

The purpose of the live demonstration off the southern coast of Sweden is to demonstrate the capabilities of 13 different unmanned vehicles, four of them from Saab, and the communication and control processes that enable cooperation amongst them.

With the support of the Swedish Armed Forces, Saab is leading the delivery of the demonstration, with two scenarios that have a clear military focus. The purpose of the first scenario is to prove that the vehicles can detect and collect target information, create a recognised maritime picture and later engage an enemy threat. Acting as a threat to a coastal area of vital military importance are two high-speed boats, along with motherships for unmanned systems. In the second scenario, the various vessels and systems are working together to counter underwater threats from some dummy sea mines and a Saab AUV62-AT underwater vehicle representing a submarine.

Saab is participating with two unmanned surface vessels, the Patrol Craft CB 90 (Enforcer III) and the Surveillance Craft Piraya, which are demonstrating their autonomous operation and collaboration capabilities.

Below the waves, Saabs Deep Vision Side Scan Sonar locates any hidden threats while the Sea Wasp remotely operated vehicle operates in the depths to neutralise dummy sea mines. On-shore, Saabs Giraffe AMB radar is searching for and tracking the targets while the 9LV Combat Management System provides a comprehensive situational overview. Saabs Secure Service Oriented Architecture connects and distributes the information in an efficient way between all the systems.

Unmanned systems and platforms offer several advantages: obtaining a permanent presence but with the use of limited personnel, removing risk of exposure to the threats to personnel, and reduced costs. For a country like Sweden, which has a long coastline to protect, autonomous systems can bring great advantages in cooperation with traditional ship systems.

OCEAN2020 is a consortium funded by the European Union's Preparatory Action on Defence Research and implemented by the European Defence Agency. This work contributes to the EUs ability to lead innovation in support of Europes strategic autonomy in the maritime domain.

The consortium, led by Leonardo S.p.A and with Saabs co-leadership for the second live demonstration, is made up of 43 participants from 15 countries, giving it a large European dimension.
Digest: Armenian soldier killed at Ararat positions, Azerbaijan returns Karabakh citizen injured

Human rights activist: We have indisputable evidence of 80 more Armenian POWs being captured by Azerbaijan

Artsakh parliament holds special session dedicated to 30th anniversary of declaration of Karabakh independence

Azerbaijan prosecutor general complains about Russia peacekeepers in Karabakh

Armenia opposition MP: Azerbaijanis throw burning wheels at several Gegharkunik Province villages

Caucasus Heritage Watch: Azerbaijanis destroy Makun Bridge in Karabakh

Russias Lavrov: Armenia is our ally

Soldier, 39, killed after Azerbaijan opens fire on Armenia positions

Russia, Azerbaijan deputy FMs discuss implementation of Karabakh agreements

Armenia army General Staff chief meets with 3-month training camp reservists

Armenia health ministers adviser appointed deputy head of UCLA Promise Armenian Institute

Prosecutor's Office: Numerous injuries found on Artsakh citizen returned by Azerbaijan

Artsakh President appoints new labor, social, migration affairs minister

Armenia national airline to be named Fly Arna

Armenia defense minister pays working visit to some military units

Pashinyan: I am convinced that Armenia-Uzbekistan mutual relations will further develop

615 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Moody's leaves Armenia sovereign rating unchanged

Russia peacekeepers ensure order, security in Karabakh on Knowledge Day

Psaki: US partners with Turkey, Qatar on Kabul airport

Artsakh to mark Independence Day anniversary for first time without Armenia top leadership attendance

President to Armenia students: Learn to overcome challenges, to pursue dreams without despair

Five missing after US Navy helicopter crashes off California coast

Armdaily.am: Armenia President reacts to recent events taking place in Syunik Province

Newspaper: Azerbaijan carrying out large-scale construction in Artsakhs Shushi

Newspaper: Armenia authorities compile 'blacklist' of opposition MPs

Biden calls Afghanistan evacuation mission extraordinary success

Armenian Foreign Minister and CSTO Secretary General discuss Armenian-Azerbaijani border situation

Merkel says that Germany is trying to establish contact with Taliban

Digest: More on COVID-19 in Armenia, armed robbery takes place in Yerevan

Russia FM calls on Azerbaijan to unconditionally release Armenian POWs

Russias Lavrov: Rhetoric of both sides of Karabakh conflict needs to be moderated

Armenias Mirzoyan: We will respect Afghanistan peoples choice

Armenia FM: No negotiations on peace agreement with Azerbaijan underway

Eurasian Development Bank wants to become one of largest creditors of Armenia economy

Armenia Investigative Committee: Man found dead with gunshot wound inside car in Yerevan

Lavrov: In talks with Armenia FM we will separately discuss Nagorno-Karabakh situation

Opposition MP: Positive signals being exchanged with Turkey are new trap for Armenia

Armenia FM: Tense situation in region is consequence of Azerbaijan's destructive policy

ECtHR ruling: Ambassador to Sweden, Iceland to get compensation from Armenia government

Armenia, Russia FMs hold tete-a-tete meeting

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan, former deputy PM Gevorgyan case court hearing not held

Ombudsman: Azerbaijan MOD aims to cover up their criminal acts against Armenia civilian population

Fallen soldiers family stages protest outside Armenia government building

No electricity in court where Armenia 2nd president Kocharyan, ex-deputy PM Gevorgyan criminal case is heard

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan, former deputy PM Gevorgyan criminal case court hearing resumes

524 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

OSCE Minsk Group new Russian Co-Chair visits Azerbaijan

Armed robbery occurs at bank branch in Yerevan shopping mall

37,000 first-graders start school in Armenia

Armenia PM congratulates Kyrgyzstan President on Independence Day anniversary

Some 30,000 people evacuated in California due to wildfires

Russia peacekeepers hold humanitarian action for Nagorno-Karabakh children

Dead body of man, 37, with gunshot wound is found in car in Yerevan

Newspaper: Artsakh independence anniversary to be celebrated without Armenia top leadership for first time in history

Newspaper: Armenia authorities trying to cause rift among parliament opposition factions, MPs

Armenia PM goes on short vacation

UN Security Council adopts Afghanistan resolution

Pentagon announces US completion of evacuation out of Kabul airport

Armenia ombudsman reaffirms Azerbaijan soldiers deliberate starting fire near Sotk, Kut villages of Gegharkunik

Ukraine and Armenia to cooperate in attracting investments

Armenian Ministry of Education and French Embassy sign cooperation agreement

Israeli Defense Minister meets with the President of Palestine

Uzbekistan completely closes border with Afghanistan

IAEA: North Korea seems to have restarted nuclear reactor

EU recommends restoring restrictions on US tourists

Digest: Turkey talks normalising relations with Armenia, soldier injured in Karabakh

Dollar drops in Armenia

Azerbaijans Aliyev calls Karabakh Armenians hated enemy

Azerbaijan president: Current course of events shows that Karabakh conflict would never be resolved peacefully

Divine Liturgy served in Armenian church of Turkeys Malatya for first time since 1915 (VIDEO)

Economist: Armenia exports growth connected with external factors

Opposition Armenia Faction MPs health grows worse in prison

Moscow Armenian Theater actor dies during performance

Artsakh FM: Azerbaijan, with Turkeys complicity, sending militants from Afghanistan to occupied part of Karabakh

Opposition Armenia Faction MP summoned to Special Investigation Service

Officer charged with Azerbaijans capturing of 62 Armenia soldiers in Artsakh: They were forces 15 times greater

FM: Armenian captives in Azerbaijan are subjected to torture

Lawyer of Armenia officer accused in 62 Shirak residents case: How was connection cut off on day of Azerbaijan attack?

Health ministry: 275,138 people so far vaccinated in Armenia against coronavirus

Russia peacekeepers in Karabakh carry out actions to find drones

Confusion arises during Armenia appellate court hearing of case of ex-President Kocharyan, others

Armenia 2nd president Kocharyans lawyer submits to appellate court motion to cancel or reduce bail

Prosecution in case on Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan, others: Charge should be re-qualified

Artsakh Investigative Committee: Azerbaijan soldier who entered Martakert city apartment is arrested

275 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia appellate court continues considering lawyers, prosecutors appeals in ex-President Kocharyan, others' case

Armenia FM to pay working visit to Russia

Coronavirus casualties worldwide exceed 4.5m

One dead, 2 injured after road accident in Armenia town

Brazil unveils largest Buddha statue in country

Unidentified gunman opens fire inside Toronto shopping mall

Explosions occur in Kabul Monday morning

Armenia ombudsman: Azerbaijan soldiers deliberately set fires near Sotk, Kut villages

Biden declares major disaster in US State of Louisiana

Death toll rises to 7 in US missile strike in Kabul

US hits Kabul territory

At least 30 people killed in airstrike on a Yemeni military base

Turkey speaks about normalising relations with Armenia

Pentagon confirms US attacked car in Kabul due to ISIS threat
As the international media focused on the chaos unfolding in Afghanistan, Turkey ramped up its drone attacks on Yazidis in Iraqs Sinjar district, according to Washington Examiner

While Turkish diplomats and journalists often insist its targets are affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the Turkish military and intelligence services often do not distinguish between legitimate members and ordinary farmers or schoolchildren. The most recent strikes destroyed a medical clinic. The Turkish drone strikes increasingly threaten to undercut refugee repatriation inside Iraq and create space for the Islamic State to regroup, as the most effective Kurdish groups fighting ISIS are Sinjars grassroots Kurdish and Yazidi militias.

Turkey increasingly relies on drones to achieve militarily what it cannot otherwise accomplish diplomatically.

This was the case three years ago in Libya as Turkey sought to strengthen its Islamist allies. It repeated this last year in Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)]. As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has literally gotten away with murder, he has moved to expand Turkeys reliance on drones.

Over the last year, the Turkish military has built a drone base at an old airport in Northern Cyprus that Turkey has occupied illegally for almost half a century. This base, combined with the capabilities enabled by a new Turkish satellite that Elon Musks SpaceX is scheduled to launch, will expand the operational range of Turkeys drones across the Eastern Mediterranean. That Turkey threatens NATO partners such as Greece and sides with designated terrorist groups like Hamas over Israel should be a wake-up call to the Biden administration.

Increasingly, it appears that Erdogan seeks to undermine other Biden initiatives. Consider Ethiopia, where the Biden administration has worked admirably to restrain Ethiopian Prime Minister and Nobel Laureate Abiy Ahmeds genocidal campaign against Ethiopias Tigray population. Biden asked his friend Sen. Chris Coons to speak with Abiy. Biden then appointed Jeffrey Feltman to be his special envoy to seek peace in the Horn of Africa. More recently, USAID administrator Samantha Power traveled to the country to seek to convince Abiy to end attempts at collective punishment of the Tigrayans and to allow aid into the region. Abiy refused to meet with her.

Instead, in recent days, Abiy has traveled to Turkey, ostensibly to promote diplomacy. In reality, it appears the meeting was to arrange delivery of Bayraktar TB2 and Anka-S drones to Abiys forces to use against the Tigrayans. Such drones could be as much a game-changer in the Horn of Africa as they were in the South Caucasus when Azeri forces overran Armenian towns in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In effect, Erdogans actions are for drone proliferation what Pakistani nuclear scientist AQ Khan was for nuclear weapons. Erdogan and his clients may seek ethnic cleansing against Yazidis, Armenians, and Tigrayans, but, for both ideological and financial reasons, Erdogan does not care.

Like Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken prefers to sign strongly worded statements. Increasingly, adversaries and allies alike ignore him. If America projected strength, perhaps Biden's and Blinkens words would matter. But when America projects weakness, dictators like Erdogan and Abiy simply run roughshod over U.S. interests and the foundations of the post-World War II liberal order. Whats happening in Afghanistan is bad enough, but Biden's and Blinkens impotence means such atrocities could become the rule rather than the exception.
YEREVAN.  In 2018, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs repeatedly called for not changing the format of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) talks, but these calls were later ignored by Armenias authorities. Artur Khachatryan, an MP of the opposition "Armenia" Faction, on Wednesday stated about this in the National Assembly.

He added that the Armenian government's program for 2019 stated that the format of these talks should be changed.

"They [i.e., the Armenian authorities] were stating that Armenia is fighting not only against Azerbaijan, but also against Turkey and mercenaries [in the Artsakh war last fall]. In 1993, [then Turkish President Turgut] Ozal wanted to send troops to Armenia, but then Armenian diplomacy prevented it, but today it does not exist," Khachatryan said.

According to him, it is difficult to expect success when the number of personnel diplomats of Armenia is being reduced and high-ranking diplomats are appointed for political reasons, moreover, these people have very modest experience in this field.

"If the [Armenian] authorities think that the borders of the state are determined by the Law on Administrative Territorial Division, then why did they not change it? They had three years to do that. I also want to ask: Will anything be found out about the role of the commander-in-chief [i.e., the PM] in the concept of army reforms [in Armenia]?" the opposition MP concluded.
Armenia has welcomed the UNESCO fact-finding mission and is ready to support its implementation as soon as possible. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan has stated this in response to a question of RFE/RL.

The aforesaid news agency had asked Hunanyan to comment on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs statement that Armenia was allegedly against the visit of the UNESCO fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).

It should be noted that the need for immediate implementation of the UNESCO fact-finding mission has occurred for the protection of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage from the imminent danger of destruction in the territories fallen under the control of Azerbaijan as a result of the 44-days war of 2020.

Both during the military hostilities and after the establishment of ceasefire, there have been numerous documented facts of deliberate destruction of the Armenian churches and other cultural and religious monuments, as well as cases of vandalism by the Azerbaijani armed forces. Moreover, along with the physical destruction of Artsakh's religious and cultural heritage, we observe unacceptable cases of falsification of historical facts, distortion of the identity of Armenian monuments, and changing of the architectural appearance by the order of the top leadership of Azerbaijan.

Perhaps, in order to conceal its cultural crimes, for a long time Azerbaijan has been hindering the visit of UNESCO experts, while accusing the organization of bias. The practice of creating obstacles for the implementation of the mission and politicizing the issue by the Azerbaijani authorities still continues. We would also like to remind that in December, 2020, the Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO stated that Azerbaijan was not agreeing on the dispatch of the mission.

It should be noted that Armenia has welcomed the UNESCO fact-finding mission and is ready to support its implementation as soon as possible, in line with the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two protocols.

The endangered cultural and religious heritage of Artsakh requires urgent international attention in order to properly preserve it and prevent the cases of vandalism. The implementation of UNESCO mission and the comprehensive study of historical and cultural heritage will contribute to the efforts of preserving the cultural heritage in the territories under Azerbaijani control and preventing possible negative developments.

The Armenian side is interested in the implementation of the mission in the shortest possible terms and continues to exert purposeful efforts in this regard, the Armenian MFA spokesperson noted in his response.
YEREVAN.  There is no answer to the solution of a large number of problems in the security part of the government program. Tigran Abrahamyan, an MP of the opposition "With Honor" Faction, stated about this at Wednesdays National Assembly debates on the program of the new government of Armenia.

"We want peace in the country, and I believe there is a consensus on that in the country. But in the next line of that part of the government program it is written that in the current situation it does not depend on us, which is a problem in itself and shows the contradictions already in the preamble of the government program. In general, the sections on peace were used as electoral technology for the public, but in reality, there was manipulation in this," he said.

The opposition lawmaker recalled that after the end of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war last fall there were territories that should not have been transferred to Azerbaijan under any document, but were transferred. "Let's look from Azerbaijan's point of view: Does Azerbaijan, using this precedent, have the opportunity to dictate its agenda to Armenia?"

Abrahamyan noted that the term "Artsakh Republic" is nonexistent in the program of the new Armenian government.

"Is the absence of the [aforesaid] term your policy? A way of thinking? Or what? Moreover, Republic of Armenia is mentioned in all points, but the phrase Republic of Artsakh is missing. Also, there is no section [in the new government program] related to the officers. The officers are at the heart of any change in connection with the security sector, especially now when we are starting from scratch. If we push the officer factor to the second, third plan, then these reforms have no chance of success," the lawmaker said.

According to Abrahamyan, the program of the new government does not mention also what task is set before the Armed Forces of Armenia.

"Will the armed forces ensure the security of Artsakh under any circumstances or not? Do the armed forces have a task of fighting in Artsakh and resolving an issue in the conditions of ineffective negotiations or not? I have not seen the answer to a large number of issues in this program," Tigran Abrahamyan added.
YEREVAN.  Speaker Alen Simonyan of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia strongly condemns the violence that took place in the NA Wednesday. Simonyan told reporters about this in parliament today.

"Many different situations we have witnessed [in the NA today]. Now we have made it a subject of discussion, and we will find certain solutions to avoid these situations. In particular, I consider it unacceptable in such situations when reporters are taken out of the [NA] booth. I have discussed it with my colleagues and, in all likelihood, in case of such a situation, we should not remove reporters from there in any way, although there are fears that this could threaten security. Besides, there is an opinion that it is not right when a photo or video of a person being hit is published so that no one can harm their dignity and good reputation," said Alen Simonyan.

The Armenian parliament speaker recalled that the reporters do not have the right to enter the NA Sessions Hall, but there have been such cases.

As reported earlier, During Wednesdays fight between the ruling and opposition MPs in the NA, the latters security officers forcibly removed reporters from the NA media booths so that they could not video record this scuffle. Some reporters even sustained light injuries during this forcible removal.
An airbase with Turkish drones in occupied northern Cyprus is of concern to neighboring countries, which see it as an additional instrument of instability in the troubled Eastern Mediterranean region, AP reported.

The Cypriot government sees the deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles as a means for Turkey to achieve an expansionist program - using military means to expand its reach and consolidate its control over the region, which potentially possesses significant reserves of natural gas.

Turkey has deployed heavy weapons and over 35,000 troops in northern Cyprus since the occupation. But the deployment of drones is giving Turkey more room to strike, adding to regional concerns.

The leader of the separatist Turkish Cypriots, Ersin Tatar, boasted earlier that Bayraktar TB2 drones at Lefkoniko airbase could be deployed much faster than from bases on the Turkish mainland to survey the region as far as the coast of Egypt.

The Egyptian spokesman called the deployment yet another in a series of provocative measures by Ankara that require a tough response from the international community, especially the United States and the European Union, of which Cyprus is a member.

The base, along with other measures in Cyprus, Libya and the Mediterranean, is only further destabilizing the region. This is alarming, an Egyptian diplomat told The Associated Press, on condition of anonymity.

The drones were sent to northern Cyprus in December 2019 in response to oil and gas exploration by international energy companies licensed by the Cyprus government. Turkey has argued that exploration off the southern coast of Cyprus ignores its rights and the rights of Turkish Cypriots to the potential hydrocarbon wealth in the area.

Turkey has conducted its own searches for hydrocarbons in the waters claimed by Cyprus and Greece. The EU condemned Turkey's actions as a violation of international law and the sovereign rights of Cyprus and Greece.

At least two Bayraktar TV2 drones are currently deployed in Lefkoniko. With a range of 200 kilometers and an altitude of 6,100 meters, the drones can carry weapons and surveillance equipment capable of delivering real-time images to Turkish naval vessels.

Turkey is reportedly upgrading its Bayraktar satellite targeting systems to further expand their range. A reconnaissance report received by AP says the airbase is being upgraded to accommodate the planned deployment of additional unmanned aerial vehicles, surveillance aircraft, training aircraft and advanced fighters.

Israeli officials do not appear to view the base as a direct threat and declined to comment on the matter. In the past, they have objected to the aggressive actions of Turkey in the region.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Hayat said last month that the Israeli government follows with deep concern the recent unilateral actions of Turkey in northern Cyprus, and expressed his solidarity and full support to the Cypriot government.

While Israel refrains from making official comments, Gabriel Mitchell, an analyst at the Israel Institute for Regional Strategic Studies, said the drone base is an alarming development that will exacerbate existing tensions with Turkey.

According to Mitchell, Israel is trying to balance its support for Greece and Cyprus with its efforts to keep the door open for dialogue with Ankara.

But Turkey's planned expansion of the drone base is problematic because it will exacerbate the problems of regional partners - in particular Greece and Cyprus - and will generate a new set of security considerations in the already overpopulated eastern Mediterranean, the analyst said.
Comedy legend Molly Shannon suffered a tragic loss when she was only a baby, but that incident shaped the kind of person she would grow up to be. She shares her story in her upcoming memoir.

When she was only 4, her mother, little sister, and cousin were involved in a car crash, together with her father. When the fateful accident happened, only her father survived, albeit with horrible injuries.

The aftermath of this accident would shape the life of the Saturday Night Live actress, who until recently has not spoken of the tragedy.

Molly Shannon attends the 25th Annual Critics' Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 12, 2020 in Santa Monica, California.| Source: Getty Images

While she kept viewers glued to their screen for seven straight seasons of SNL, no one really knew her pain, and better still, no one understood why she always gravitated towards characters that seemed dark and complicated.

And now, we get to understand how her deep-rooted anxiety and sadness from the ordeal paved the way for her characters. Recalling the incident that changed her life, she says:

"I felt like I had been through a war."

In her memoir "Hello, Molly," to be published in 2022, Shannon, 56, opens up about her deep yet complicated connection with her father, who, after the fateful accident, had to relearn how to use his limbs.

He also had to raise Shannon's sisters all by himself. She also writes about her best SNL memories, in what she calls "hilarious and heartbreaking" events.

She says she has been jotting down little notes since she was in her 20's that have helped her write her long-awaited memoir.

Shannon is married to Fritz Chesnut and they share a son, Nolan, and a daughter Stella.

She especially wishes the book would reflect the relationship with her father, which she says despite the complexity their relationship was presented with, they healed together.

Shannon featured on SNL between 1995 and 2001 and was known for her different and hilarious characters such as Helen Madden, Sally O'Malley, and Mary Katherine Gallagher.

In 2000, she was awarded an Emmy Nomination and then went on to guest star in numerous movies and shows, including "Super Fun Night" in 2013, "Getting On," and "Life In Pieces."

Shannon is married to Fritz Chesnut, and they share a son, Nolan, and a daughter Stella. She opens up about her motherhood journey, the chaos of parenting, and how much humor has helped them through their day-to-day life. She says:

I definitely have a silly sense of humor. I feel like so much creativity comes from silliness and being free, so I definitely encourage that through play.

The former SNL star goes on to give parenting advice saying how important it is to empathize, listen and ensure her kids know it is safe to express themselves.

One of her greatest life lessons is to be grateful for every little thing. She is happy when her kids get along well with other kids at their school. She adds: "Its amazing how the simple things make me feel so grateful and peaceful.
University of Miami Libraries (UML) is pleased to announce the appointment of Nicholas Nick Iwanicki as the new university archivist for University Archives. Nick will provide leadership, research services, and coordination for all aspects of University Archives collections held by the Otto G. Richter Library and will plan and promote the collections development and outreach in collaboration with Richters Manuscripts and Archives Management department, the subject specialty libraries, and with stakeholders across the University and in the UM Alumni community.

Prior to his appointment at UML, Nick served as interim executive director for the Colorado School Mines Geology Museum and as special collections librarian in residency for the Arthur Lakes Library at the Colorado School of Mines, positions that have shaped his archival and leadership skills. Before that, he was an independent project archivist to The Caribou Companies in Colorado. He holds a B.A. in history and a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Denver in Colorado.

Nick started as university archivist on August 16, 2021, and he looks forward to leading UMLs support for the Universitys 20252026 centennial celebration.

Nick Iwanicki can be reached at ngi5@miami.edu.
It welcomed students during one of the most challenging periods in the University of Miamis history. But not even the specter of COVID-19, which forced the institution to change nearly every aspect of the way it operated, could overshadow Lakeside Villages debut.

Now, a year after the 12-acre student housing complex opened in the heart of the Coral Gables Campus, it has received one of the worlds most prestigious building design awards that one University administrator says is a clear indication of our hemispheric and global appeal.

Lakeside Village is one of the recipients of the coveted International Architecture Awards. Presented by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, the award honors new and cutting-edge architecture designs from around the world.

An international jury of prominent architects, designers, critics, and educators selected the winners from more than 450 entries.

The awards gala reception and dinner will be held Friday, Sept. 10, adjacent to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. And the winning projects will be on display during the special exhibition The City and the World at the Contemporary Space Athens until Oct. 11.

Designed by the award-winning international architecture firm Arquitectonica and built by Fort Lauderdale-based construction company Moss and Associates, Lakeside Village includes 25 interconnected buildings, or pods, and a multitude of outdoor spaces including a courtyard, study areas, recreational center with a climbing wall, and outdoor terraces.

In addition to five floors of student housing for 1,115 sophomores, juniors, and seniors, the first floor and mezzanine level of the main structure serve as retail, event, and office space. The development also includes exhibition space, a 200-seat multipurpose auditorium, classroom, and multiuse pavilion.

It is the first phase of the Universitys Housing Facilities Strategic Plan to improve campus living space for students.

The 25 interconnected buildings feature 60,000 square feet of sloped green roofs with a layer of grass, reducing the developments carbon footprint. The green roofs help to reduce solar heat gain and also collect rainwater used on the landscaping. The project is on track to achieve LEED Gold certification.

It wasnt done to be showy, Jessica Brumley, vice president for the Universitys Facilities Operations and Planning division, said of the green roofs. The designers successfully incorporated sustainability into the building, and thats something thats obviously important to us as an institution.

Lakeside Village, Brumley explained, satisfies students demands for a mixed-use development that offers everything they need in one location, making it unnecessary for them to leave campus.

There are several developments being built off campus. So, theres a certain expectation with students that they are provided certain amenities. Because if they dont get them on campus, they would look elsewhere, Brumley explained. And so, thats a consistent theme in the phased development of our residential housingnot just looking at the living quarters, but how the overall development impacts the campus community.

She praised the award, calling it a clear indication of our hemispheric and global appeal that President Julio Frenk often speaks of.

Pat Whitely, senior vice president for student affairs, noted that Lakeside Village "offers our students everything they could want in any upperclass housing area. It has truly activated the other side of Lake Osceola, and our students have embraced the design, offerings, and meticulous planning that went into it."

"There are few buildings on any univeristy campus that can elevate the living and learning experience. Lakeside Village achieves that and more," said Jon Baldessari, executive director of Housing Operations and Facilities.

The accolade comes on the heels of the development receiving the 2021 Award of Excellence for Sustainability from the Florida/Caribbean chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Lakeside Village is also an Architizer A+ Awards (2021) Popular Choice Winner in the Urban and Masterplan Category and was recognized by the Florida Educational Facilities Planners Association with an Architectural Showcase Award in 2020.

We were elated to design it, Bernardo Fort-Brescia, a founding principal of Arquitectonica, said of Lakeside Village. Its a project that it is very much in keeping with the trend in architecture right nowdesigning multipurpose buildings.

Arquitectonicas designers brainstormed with the Universitys Facilities Operations and Planning, Housing and Residential Life, and Student Affairs divisions to ensure that Lakeside Village was designed with all the components needed for robust student life.

Everything was brainstormed, Fort-Brescia said. And the University was very much a part of the process and a key player in the discussions about how this residential complex would, indeed, be a villagea place where people live, study, and socialize.

Fort-Brescia said his firm approached the project from the standpoint of maximizing the frontage of Lake Osceola. We integrated a strong sense of connectivity to the existing campus by creating paths and view corridors and strategically locating them on the ground level, and introducing spaces that strengthen student life and wellness, he said. The overall shape of the building frames an internal courtyard surrounded by classrooms, an arrival lobby, a multiuse hall and auditorium, commercial spaces, a centralized mail hub for all student housing, and pop-up space, he pointed out.

The balance of the building frames an outdoor recreation space and lawn that front the central campus lake. By creating this space on the ground, not only does the building promote wellness, outdoor gathering, and recreation, but the shape allows many more dorms to have a view of the lake, Fort-Brescia pointed out. By breaking up the overall building into smaller components connected by bridges, it creates a village rather than a single structure. And these bridges on the interior create gathering and study spaces.

He noted that wellness is a critical component of Lakeside Village, most notably represented by the hurricane stairs. They take on a very sculptural and free-flowing form that represents the movement of students within the building and the promotion of using stairs to enhance wellness, he said.

No architect designs in a vacuum; and in this case, the input from the University was immensely important, Fort-Brescia stated. Together, we developed what we call in our business a list of uses, covering everything from the different types of residential apartments to the gathering and studying areas.

Other notable projects on the Coral Gables campus designed by Arquitectonica include the Shalala Student Center, the Fate Bridge spanning Lake Osceola, and the School of Architectures Thomas P. Murphy Design Studio Building, a winner of the 2018 Building of the Year award by World-Architects.
Following a year of varied learning experiences and a notable election season last spring, this years University of Miami Student Government executive officers are ready to serve, safeguard, and inspire their student body.

Landon Coles, a senior majoring in political science and the groups president for the 2021-2022 academic year, ran on the hopes of establishing transparent policies that encourage greater social cohesion; connect students with professionals; and actively benchmark and communicate ideas, initiatives, and policies with peers.

Working alongside Coles are Ajiri Uzere, vice president and a senior studying political science and psychology, and Grace Tenke, treasurer, who is also a senior and is majoring in finance, marketing, and management. The trio meets weekly to implement guiding policies and to continue the inherited and newly established campus-wide projects for their Student Government administration.

I didnt run for this position for a title, I didnt run for this position just to add something else to the resume, said Coles, who is a Ronald A. Hammond Scholar. We genuinely care about bettering our community and we each want to inspire others to be their best selves.

We, as an executive board, communicate daily and thats been one of the strongest characteristics of our board, Tenke said. Now that were back in person, you feel the energy. And I think thats fueling the excitement and desire to be organized, so that we can get back into the swing of things.

Before they were sworn in as this years executive board, each of them has made quite a name for themselves within the campus community. Uzere co-founded the Beyond the Horizons mentorship program and served on the groups Freshman Leadership Council. Tenke is a member of Zeta Tau Alpha, the former president of business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi, and the current Iron Arrow lawmaker.

Coles, who is the first Black male to lead Student Government in 11 years, is proud to serve in this role and be a representative for individuals who might not have seen somebody who looks like them in such a role, he said.

As the semester begins, Coles, Uzere, and Tenke are already hard at work. During last weeks fall orientation the three student leaders collectively interacted with thousands of students.

Part of the work expected to be set forth this semester will include implementing new initiatives, including creating the Student Government Consortium, which will be an affiliation with other student governments across the country to brainstorm ideas and collaborate.

We really want to make sure were bringing the best to our students here at the University by knowing what other universities are doing, by benchmarking and really collaborating, Tenke said. This will make our experience for our students here the best it can possibly be.

Another initiative the board is looking to hit the ground running with is a leadership summit to provide a development program for all first-year leaders on campus.

Since these students will be working with each other for the next [few] years, I want to provide the tools they need to become really successful student leaders on campus, said Uzere. I want things like how to book a room, or who to contact for specific information, to be normalized.

Coles is highly anticipating the balance between the agenda that they ran on and the agenda and ideas that their team executes. For instance, the groups director of academic affairs would like to implement a study buddy program, where the Student Government works to partner individuals to prepare them for standardized tests such as the MCAT or LSAT.

They can study together and as someone whos preparing for the LSAT myself, that is an excellent idea among so many other great ideas I have heard from the team, Coles said. Other initiatives that excite me include keeping our foot on the gas as it relates to social justice, racial justice, and equity.

As the semester takes off, the three student leaders said they want their peers to know that even though they hold titles, that they, too, are just students.

We are just studentslike the rest of [our peers]who are just trying to serve as a vessel and a mouthpiece on behalf of the issues that [all students] face, Coles said. What we are practicing is trickle down communication, where we get the information and we share it accordingly.

One of the main things this executive board wants its peers to take away from this academic year is that it is important to get involved.

Each executive board member constantly shares their contact information on all social media platforms and also has office hours for students to connect in person. Coles, Uzere, and Tenke each pride themselves on being approachable and accessible.

Encouraging students to get involved starts with us setting a great example of what it means to be a student leader, Tenke said. We want you to be leaders on this campus.
Felicia Marie Knaul, a member of the Cancer Control Program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, director of the University of Miami Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas, and professor at the Miller School of Medicine, will lead a new commission at The Lancet, a top global medical journal, to examine how to simultaneously strengthen cancer care and health systems worldwide, especially in the wake of COVID-19.

Along with Knaul, the Lancet Commission on Cancer and Health Systems will be led by two other renowned cancer experts, Dr. Mary Gospodarowicz, a radiation oncologist and former medical director of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre as well as a professor at the University of Toronto, and Patricia J. Garcia, former minister of Health of Peru and professor in the School of Public Health at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima. Harnessing the accumulated knowledge of more than 30 health care experts from around the worldincluding several former ministers of healththe commission is tasked with improving access to cancer care and to novel treatments for the disease worldwide.

Our commission will explore how to harness the synergistic and mutually symbiotic relationships between cancer and health systems to improve outcomes, said Knaul, an international health economist who focuses on Latin America. COVID-19 can catalyze innovation and radiate new energy for systemic change. We are confronted with both a challenge and an opportunity to improve cancer control for everyone, everywhere, and to shake health systems out of an equilibrium of apathy through which some have access to ever-improving treatment and prevention, while manymostly the poorlack access to even the most basic treatment for pain relief and palliative care.

Research indicates that access to cancer care across the world is profoundly inequitable, and access to the latest treatments and forms of palliative care are limited to patients in high-income nations, the commission contends. Meanwhile, the number of cancer patients continues to rise. An expected 28.4 million people are projected to have cancer by 2040. And current statistics indicate that in wealthy countries, 90 percent of children with cancer have the likelihood of cure, whereas in low-income nations, only 10 percent survive.

We cannot wait any longer. It is not acceptable that with all the innovation and advances in cancer control, treatment, management, and palliative care, there are still abysmal gaps between countries and even in the same country between different populations, said Garcia, an alumna of the Miller Schools William J. Harrington residency program in internal medicine. We need to raise the bar and innovate in different aspects of health systems to reach everybody with the best standards.

Knaul has put forward a new framework that will be pioneered with this commission. As the announcement published recently in The Lancet shares: Hope-guided economic decision-making seeks to leverage successes in combating diseases and assumes that scientific breakthroughs can be equitably distributed to strengthen health systems and economies, benefiting entire populations.

Cancer epitomizes the injustices of health care access ... now, affordable, implementable solutions exist, yet survival gaps persist, the commission wrote. This global health failure is perverse.

Lopes

Knauls work and motivation for founding the new commission is rooted in her own experience with cancer and as a global advocate for better access to early diagnosis and care. Diagnosed in 2008 with breast cancer, Knaul founded Tomatelo a Pecho, a Mexico-based non-governmental organization that promotes research, advocacy, awareness, and early detection of womens health issues in Latin America.

The commissioners also include Dr. Gilberto De Lima Lopes Jr., associate director of global oncology at Sylvester and medical director of its international programs, who is working to develop new treatments for cancer and to improve access with a focus on Latin America.

Cancer is one of the most complex of health problems. To provide equitable care to all suffering with the disease we need comprehensive actionspanning from prevention and early diagnosis to individualized treatment and palliative care, Lopes said.

Joining them is University President Julio Frenk, a distinguished global health leader and professor of public health. As Mexicos Minister of Health from 2000 to 2006, Frenk introduced health system innovations through the program, Seguro Popular, to provide better access to cancer care and control for close to 50 million Mexicans. Frenk also believes that the that faculty and staff at Sylvester will offer a wealth of knowledge to the commission.

Frenk

At the University of Miami, we are uniquely positioned to respond to the global cancer challenge because of our world class Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and our interdisciplinary core of capable and caring researchers, who have extensive hemispheric and international reach, Frenk said.

Leadership at Sylvester, which became South Floridas only National Cancer Institute in 2019, is thrilled that three faculty members will serve on the commission.

Access to cancer care should never be based on geography or income, said Dr. Stephen Nimer, a leukemia and lymphoma specialist who serves as director of Sylvester. I applaud The Lancet for establishing this commission. It drives home the far-reaching impact that cancer care plays in improving overall global health, and I am proud that professor Knaul, President Frenk, and Dr. Lopes have all been identified for their expertise in developing collaborative opportunities to improve cancer care and health care for all.
Retired fighter pilot, former U.S. Senate candidate to discuss lessons from Afghanistan and Iraq

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Amy McGrath, a retired fighter pilot who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, will share her thoughts next week on lessons the United States should learn from the nations withdrawal from Afghanistan. Southern Illinois University Carbondales Paul Simon Public Policy Institute is hosting the virtual discussion.

McGrath, a retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and former candidate for U.S. Senate in Kentucky, will join the institute for a virtual discussion at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31. John Shaw, institute director, will discuss with McGrath her military service in the Middle East and her foray into electoral politics.

The event is free and open to the public; registration is required at paulsimoninstitute.org/event-information to receive the link to the Zoom webinar.

McGrath is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where she later taught. She flew 89 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in 2002 became the first woman in the Marines to fly a combat mission in an F/A-18 combat jet. She later served as a congressional fellow and as a Marine Corps liaison to the U.S. Department of State.

After her retirement, McGrath ran for the U.S. House and Senate in Kentucky, most recently vying to unseat Mitch McConnell, the highest-ranking Republican in the Senate. She has also founded Honor Bound, a nonpartisan organization that supports women running for public office. Her memoir, Honor Bound: An American Story of Dreams and Service, was published Aug. 3.

Amy McGrath has had an inspiring and iconic career that has taken her from a childhood in Kentucky to the Naval Academy in Annapolis to flying fighter aircraft over Iraq and Afghanistan, Shaw said. Amy will help us grasp the strategic consequences of the recent tumultuous developments in Afghanistan. She will also help us understand how these recent developments are viewed by Americas current soldiers and veterans.

The event is part of the institutes Understanding Our New World virtual conversation series with government and private sector leaders, policy experts, political analysts, authors and journalists.



Attendees are encouraged to submit questions for McGrath with their registration or email them to paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu.
Farhan Chowdhury, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, recently received a $442,500 grant from the National Institutes of Health. He will use it to study ways to meet an engineering challenge: creating lab-grown stem cells for specific types of body cells, such as heart, skin, or other organ tissue. (Photo by Russell Bailey)

SIU engineering professor uses NIH grant to probe how stem cells become specific tissue

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill.  When you receive an injury to your body, stem cells come to the rescue. Now, a Southern Illinois University Carbondale researcher will use a grant to study ways to create and direct massive numbers of stem cells to speed healing, even when the injury is beyond the bodys typical ability to heal itself naturally.

Farhan Chowdhury, associate professor of mechanical engineering and energy processes, recently received a $442,500 grant from the National Institutes of Health. He will use it to study ways to meet an engineering challenge: creating lab-grown stem cells for specific types of body cells, such as heart, skin, or other organ tissue.

Work began July 1 and will continue through July 2024 during this first phase.

Much of the work will center on better understanding the ways in which stem cells are signaled to develop into the types of cells the body needs. Scientists have believed that stem cells receive chemical signals for this purpose. They now believe physical signals from the extracellular matrix  the tissues around the cells  might also play a crucial role in determining the type of cell the given stem cells ultimately play.

In addition to investigating chemical signaling of stem cells, Chowdhurys grant will allow his team to investigate the effects of these tiny physical signals, which involve mechanical, microenvironment, and single molecular forces.

The research has the potential to revolutionize critical care for people badly injured in accidents, warfare or other incidents.

That is when the creation and unlimited supply of functional body cells in a laboratory setting becomes critical, Chowdhury said. Overall, the proposed work will shed light on the detailed molecular and mechanical pathways of stem cell lineage, and what makes those cells commit to a certain cell type.

The grant will fund the research for three years and can be renewed through a competitive process. In keeping with SIUs focus on involving undergraduate students in cutting-edge research, up to three undergraduate students will be involved in the work, as well as two graduate students.

The students will gain research experience in rigorous and intensive research in the areas of stem cells, cell mechanics, and biophysics, Chowdhury said. Students will conduct experiments, analyze and summarize data and prepare manuscripts advancing the proposed scientific agenda.

Stem cells to the rescue

Stem cells have the ability to grow into many things the body needs, such as new skin, bone, or other tissues. But science has yet to determine just how a stem cell knows what to become  its fate in a sense  let alone how to control it.

Almost all tissues in the human body include stem cells, which are on call to provide regeneration and injury repair. The human body constantly requires such upkeep, either due to natural aging or traumatic injury. Such issues account for up to one half of the amount spent on health care worldwide.

Unlocking secret forces

So why is a mechanical engineer is involved in understanding this critical biological process? Because some such processes involve tiny machine-like functions.

Lack of precise, laboratory control of so-called single-molecule level forces  possibly coupled with the interplay of chemical signals  has prevented medical researchers from controlling stem cell fate in the lab. Chowdhury wants to investigate mechanical frameworks for controlling the fate of pluripotent epiblast stem cells created in the lab using both chemical and single-molecule force approaches.

He hopes using the two approaches together might unlock secrets in their synergy, which in turn might reveal how scientists might determine stem cell fate in the lab, thus opening the door to the therapeutic treatments in the future.

The central hypothesis is that the synergistic effect of chemical and single-molecule force cues, sent through the extracellular matrix and cell-to-cell interaction, can control fate decisions far more effectively than previously possible, Chowdhury said. The long-term goal is to develop novel approaches to control the directed differentiation of pluripotent cells.

Engineering on the tiniest level

Chowdhury will be working with pluripotent epiblast stem cells, which have the ability to indefinitely divide and produce exact copies of themselves. During the first part of the work, the team will focus on understanding the physical mechanisms in the single-molecule forces involved with differentiating pluripotent epiblast stem cells into mesodermal cells, a type of cell present in the early developing stages of embryos. In the later stages of development, these mesodermal cells give rise to tissues such as cardiac muscles, skeletal muscles, smooth muscles, red blood cells.

To do this, Chowdhury will use tiny tension gauge tethers that are built from DNA designed to rupture at a defined force level. This precise control of forces at the single molecule level will allow to engineer cell fate than previously possible.

Together with chemical signaling, such precise control and specific targeting of mechanical pathways may lead to superior control of cell differentiation into the mesoderm, he said.

Additional study will involve studying how these cells renew themselves, as well as using something called a nano-yoyo to further define the mechanical forces responsible for controlling the cells fates.

The proposed work will elucidate detailed molecular, chemical and mechanical pathways that contribute to specific lineage commitments, Chowdhury said.
Afghanistan. Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock

If you're like me, you've been frustrated and more than a little irritated by media analysis of recent events in Afghanistan. While on-the-ground reporting has been invaluable, much of it has been couched in highly polemical terms, with journalists flinging around words like "fiasco," "reckless," and "calamity," as if the awfulness of the Biden administration's policymaking and implementation should be self-evident to all.

Thankfully, others are doing a better job of furthering our understanding of rapidly unfolding events  and, more importantly, of how we got to the present. Here are four of the best recent takes:

Francis Fukuyama's short essay for American Purpose looks all the way back to the Bonn Conference in late 2001, shortly after the collapse of the Taliban government, for the source of our current problems in the region. That's when we set a goal of creating a centralized, bureaucratic Afghan state instead of trying "to stabilize the country under a coalition of local warlords and tribal militias." The latter would have rubbed a lot of Americans the wrong way, but it likely would have been far more effective than the (ultimately doomed) approach we adopted instead.

David Frum makes a related point in a brief tweet thread about why the Afghan military crumbled as soon as the U.S. withdrew air and logistical support. The answer, once again, was a lack of national cohesion in Afghanistan, which left us as the linchpin holding the country together, which was both "hopeless" and something "nobody else on Earth  would ever attempt."

Ivo Daadler's lengthier tweet thread cogently explains why it's wrong to assume, as so many stories published over the past two weeks have done, that Joe Biden could simply have chosen to disregard the Trump administration's deal with the Taliban over American withdrawal. If Biden had attempted such a reversal, Taliban attacks on U.S. troops would have resumed and accelerated over the low and seemingly sustainable baseline of the past year. Biden's choice, then, "was between withdrawal or a major surge of troops to fight a strengthened Taliban."

Story continues

Matthew Yglesias's powerful Substack post looks at a long list of American geopolitical decisions over the past 20 years and concludes provocatively that "the national security establishment has never cared about Afghanistan." By which Yglesias really means that we have consistently prioritized other considerations in dealing with major players in the region, including Iran, Russia, China, and Iraq. The national security establishment clearly cares enough about Afghanistan to oppose withdrawal, but it has never cared enough to do what would have been needed to make a decisive difference there.

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In this Nov. 15, 2019, photo, Crystal Sandoval, of El Paso, Texas-based Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, gives an asylum application workshop in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio

Under the Trump administration, asylum applications were suddenly rejected due to blank spaces.

An applicant who was not married would be rejected for not writing "N/A" for a spouse's name.

More than 60,000 asylum applications were rejected under the policy.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Immigrants applying for asylum in the United States who had their applications rejected over a "no blank space" policy under the Trump administration will be given a second chance, thanks to a new settlement.

As this reporter noted in a feature for the Guardian, long-time immigration attorneys began complaining in 2019 that asylum cases were being rejected for a novel, pedantic reason: irrelevant lines on the application being left blank.

Some asylum-seekers had their cases rejected because they listed two siblings, for example, but did not write "N/A" in the remaining spaces provided for brothers and sisters they did not have. Spanish speakers had their applications turned away for not spelling out their name, for a second time, in a "native alphabet."

More than 60,000 applications were rejected for such reasons, according to the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, which filed a November 2020 lawsuit over the policy change, alleging that was a mere bureaucratic pretext for denying humanitarian relief.

In July 2021, a US federal judge approved a settlement in that case. Under the agreement, US Citizenship and Immigration Services will allow provide rejected applicants a chance to apply again by July 20, 2022, with their application backdated to the time their initial claim was rejected.

USCIS said this month it will notify anyone who might be eligible.

"It was an outrageous policy clearly aimed to impede individuals from obtaining the humanitarian benefits that Congress has provided," Matt Adams, legal director at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, said in a statement. "It aptly demonstrates the Trump administration's utter disregard of the law."

Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com

Read the original article on Business Insider
Adult film star Ron Jeremy was indicted on more than 30 rape and sexual assault counts involving 21 people dating back more than two decades, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office announced Wednesday.

State of play: The counts appear to be identical to charges filed against Jeremy last year. Facing over 300 years in prison if convicted, Jeremy pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, as he has in nearly every court appearance since his first arrest last June.

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The 68-year-old faces 12 counts of forcible rape, seven counts of forcible oral copulation, six counts of sexual battery by restraint, four counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object, two counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious or asleep person and one count each of lewd act upon a child under the age of 14 or 15, sodomy by use of force and assault with intent to commit rape, according to the indictment returned on Aug. 19 and unsealed Wednesday.

The age range of the alleged victims is between 15 and 51 years old, per the indictment.

Jeremy has been held in jail on $6.6 million bail since his 2020 arrest.

What they're saying: "Far too often, survivors of sexual assault suffer in isolation," District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement.

"We must ensure that survivors have all options available to help with recovery, including trauma-informed services for healing and support to report such crimes," he continued.

What to watch: Jeremy is slated to appear in court on Oct. 12 for a pretrial conference.

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By Katanga Johnson and Anthony Esposito

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Five members of an all-girl Afghan robotics team and more than a hundred media workers have arrived in Mexico, fleeing an uncertain future at home after the recent collapse of the U.S.-backed government and takeover by the Taliban militant group.

"We give you the warmest welcome to Mexico," said Mexican Deputy Foreign Minister Martha Delgado as she greeted the robotics team members during a news conference at Mexico City's international airport late on Tuesday.

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan last week as the United States and its allies withdrew troops from the country. The White House and U.S. allies are racing to complete the evacuation of all foreigners and vulnerable Afghans before an Aug. 31 deadline https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/amid-kabul-evacuation-chaos-biden-under-pressure-extend-deadline-2021-08-23 agreed with the Taliban, U.S. President Joe Biden said this week.

The robotics team, made up of women and girls as young as 14, has been heralded https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-afghanistan-ventil/afghan-all-girls-robotics-team-designs-low-cost-ventilator-to-treat-coronavirus-patients-idUSKCN24L0WO for winning international awards for its robots and started work in March on an open-source, low-cost ventilator as the coronavirus pandemic hit the war-torn nation.

The Taliban, which previously barred girls from schools and women from working when they ruled Afghanistan in the late 1990s, has promised to prioritize women's rights and girls' education.

Mexico has pledged to aid Afghan women and girls. Ebrard said on Aug. 18 that the country was processing refugee applications of Afghan citizens, especially women and girls, with the aid of Guillermo Puente Ordorica, Ambassador of Mexico in Iran.

Tuesday's safe arrival in Mexico was made possible by an "extensive international effort and coordination from a group of volunteers" who helped the girls, according to a volunteer who requested anonymity for fear of the safety of the families that remain under Taliban control.

Story continues

Other members of the robotics team landed in Qatar in recent days.

Greeting some of the 124 journalists and staff of Afghan and foreign media outlets who arrived from Kabul a few hours after the robotics team, on Wednesday morning, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the decision to offer refuge followed a long tradition of Mexico welcoming people fleeing persecution.

"In this case, it's people who are risking their lives to inform, to communicate. People committed to freedom of expression," Ebrard said.

Both Mexico and Afghanistan are considered among the most dangerous countries for journalists.

(Reporting by Katanga Johnson in Washington and Anthony Esposito in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Diego Ore in Mexico City and Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Heather Timmons, Sandra Maler and Michael Perry)
More than 82,000 people have been airlifted from Kabul since the Taliban gained control

A number of nations say there is a high threat of a terrorist attack at Kabul airport and have warned their citizens not to travel there.

Australia, the US and UK have issued alerts to their citizens. Those already outside the airport are advised to leave the area immediately.

More than 82,000 people have been airlifted from Kabul, which fell to the Taliban 10 days ago.

Countries are rushing to evacuate people by a 31 August deadline.

Thousands of people are still waiting inside and outside the airport, hoping to fly out of the country.

The Taliban have opposed extending the deadline but also promised to allow foreigners and Afghans to leave the country beyond 31 August, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

On Thursday, Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marise Payne, said: "There is an ongoing and very high threat of a terrorist attack".

It comes hours after the US State Department told those waiting at the Abbey Gate, East Gate or North Gate to "leave immediately".

The UK issued similar advice asking people there to "move away to a safe location and await further advice".

The Foreign Office said that the security situation in Afghanistan "remains volatile" adding that there was "an ongoing and high threat of a terrorist attack".

None of the countries gave any further information on the security threat.

Countries are attempting to finish evacuations by the 31 August deadline

In a speech on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said the US-controlled airlift would have to come to an end soon because of an increasing threat from the Islamic State group in Afghanistan.

About 19,000 people have been evacuated on US-organised flights in the past 24 hours, Mr Blinken said on Wednesday, with airlifts stepped up in recent days amid scenes of chaos.

He said that the US was still on track to complete operations at Kabul airport by the end of the month.

Story continues

"Only the United States could organise and execute a mission of this scale and this complexity," he told reporters in Washington.

"The Taliban have made public and private commitments to provide and permit safe passage for Americans, for third-country nationals and Afghans at risk past August 31st," he said.

He added that the US would help those who wanted to leave Afghanistan "not just during the duration of our evacuation and relocation mission, but every day thereafter".

The US is committed to getting as many Afghans as possible, Mr Blinken said

Up to 1,500 US nationals could still be in the country and the administration was making exhaustive efforts to trace them, the secretary of state said.

The CIA and the US military have been carrying out clandestine operations to extract Americans using helicopters and ground troops, US and other officials have told the Wall Street Journal.

The perilous operations have been both inside and outside of Kabul, the paper says.

The Pentagon has said 10,000 people are still waiting to be evacuated from Kabul airport by US aircraft. There are fears for thousands more Afghans who are desperate to leave but cannot reach the site.

BBC correspondents say many of those being turned back by the Taliban at the airport gates appear to have travel papers.

President Joe Biden tweeted that the US would "do everything" to "provide safe evacuation".

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The UK said its evacuation operation was moving at "significant pace", with some 1,200 people flown out on Wednesday.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said his government would use "every hour and day that we've got left" to fly British nationals and eligible Afghans out.

Kabul airport is currently being defended by 5,800 US and 1,000 British troops.
KABUL, Afghanistan  As thousands more people were evacuated from Kabul's airport Wednesday, reports have emerged that dire conditions await them in transit hubs like Qatar.

A "nightmare," said Sara Frotan, 14, who was airlifted with her family to the al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar's capital, Doha.

There were not a lot of bathrooms, people would take showers with bottles of water," Sara, an American citizen who lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, said.

She said that her family feared the Taliban because they held American passports and her father had worked as an interpreter for the U.S. government. So they had fled from Afghanistan's capital, she added.

Image: Service members prepare to board evacuees onto a C-17 Globemaster lll on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. (Airman 1st Class Kylie Barrow / AP)

"It was very sad because we had to leave our family without saying goodbye," she said.

After touching down in Doha, Sara said, passengers had been held on board the aircraft for seven hours and the intense heat had caused her and some others to faint.

Her complaint echoed those made by Afghan citizens, who said they were met with "unsanitary conditions and overcrowding," once they arrived in Qatar, according to a State Department cable issued Saturday and obtained by NBC News.

Some claimed they slept on the floor for days and feared contracting Covid-19 in crowded facilities amid a lack of medical care, the cable said.

Images of Afghans being housed in un-airconditioned facilities with too few lavatories and no toilet paper had been circulated among local U.S. Embassy staff and had reinforced their reluctance to consider evacuation despite intense fear of the Taliban takeover, the cable added.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Tuesday that the United States was aware of the situation and as concerned as anybody about what have been terrible sanitation conditions at Qatar that were facilitated by the sheer numbers and the speed with which those numbers got there.

Navy Capt. William Urban, U.S. Central Command spokesman, told NBC News on Tuesday that capacity to provide essential humanitarian assistance to evacuees in Qatar has been rapidly built up, but it has been challenging to keep up with the flow.

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More than 10,000 people were still waiting to be evacuated on Wednesday, Army Major General William Taylor, told a news briefing Wednesday. He said that in the previous 24 hours, 90 U.S. military and other international flights had evacuated 19,000 more people, bringing the total evacuation number so far to about 88,000. He said one plane had departed every 39 minutes.

Despite growing pressure from his European allies to allow more time for people to leave, President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he would stick to his Aug. 31 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, leaving a narrow timeline to finish evacuating Americans and Afghan allies.

On Wednesday, a group of Republican and Democratic members of Congress called on Biden to extend it so that the military could finish its evacuation mission.

Calling the deadline "arbitrary," Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas. said Biden should "let the military accomplish their mission and then we will get out.

Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., said that the conditions in Afghanistan have worsened.

The Taliban is not cooperating in terms of allowing Afghans to come to the airport, and yet the reality on the ground is still that our military is operating under an order that we are leaving on August 31 despite what the president suggested. And I think that's absolutely wrong, he said.

"The question before us now is, are we going to keep our deadline, or are we going to keep our promise? Are we going to allow the mission to determine the timetable, or are we going to let the timetable, determine the mission?"

With time running out, thousands remain around the perimeter of Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport. On the civilian side, American soldiers were searching the bags and belongings of Afghan evacuees Tuesday, just 50 yards away from the first airport gate, where the Taliban were also managing crowds.

NBC News saw Taliban fighters leading long lines of evacuees toward the airport, including pregnant women, men and children in a process that appeared calm and orderly on Tuesday. In a line of traffic at the airport gate, military-style vehicles with mounted machine guns, adorned with white Taliban flags, could be seen.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a press conference Tuesday the group would not agree to U.S. forces staying past Aug. 31 to continue evacuations.

He also urged Afghan skilled workers to stay in the country to prevent a massive brain drain, and warned that the Afghans would not be allowed to go the airport anymore.

Gabe Joselow reported from Kabul, Fallon Gallagher from Chantilly, Va., Yuliya Talmazan from London and Abigail Williams from Washington.
A health worker prepares to inoculate a pregnant woman with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 at a vaccination center in Bogota Photo by Raul Arboleda/AFP via Getty Images

An unvaccinated pregnant nurse and her unborn child died from COVID-19 in Alabama.

"We're glad she's not suffering anymore," her mother, Julie Mulkey, told Al.com.

A study in JAMA Network Open found pregnant women with COVID-19 are over 15 times more likely to die.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A family in Alabama is mourning the death of an unvaccinated pregnant nurse and her unborn child after she contracted COVID-19.

According to Al.com, Haley Mulkey Richardson, 32, worked in the labor and delivery unit at Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.

Family friend Jason Whatley told Al.com that she tested positive for COVID-19 about three weeks before her death on Friday. "She was home sick for about a week and then her heart rate went up," he said.

Haley was seven months pregnant and had no preexisting conditions when she was admitted to the hospital on August 8, according to the publication.

"After about three or four days in the hospital, the [obstetrician] told her that she was going to lose the baby," Whatley told Al.com. "And she continued to get worse and worse."

Haley resided in Theodore, Alabama with her husband Jordan Richardson and their daughter Katie, who turns three years old this week, the publication reported.

Jordan told Good Morning America his wife knew how "overrun" hospitals were and said she did not want to be a "burden."

He told the news outlet that their baby, Ryleigh Beth, died on August 18, despite Haley experiencing no prior pregnancy complications. Two days later, Haley died.

Jordan said his wife chose not to get vaccinated when they found out they were expecting and was going to wait until after the baby was born."We weren't worried about it for us, but just didn't want to have complications with the baby," he said, adding that he also tested positive for COVID-19 but only experienced mild symptoms.

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Experts are urging pregnant people to get vaccinated

Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged all pregnant women to get vaccinated, with CDC Director Rochelle Walensky issuing a statement on August 11 that confirmed it is "safe and effective" to do so.

A study published in JAMA Network Open in early August found that COVID-19 drastically increases the risks of death and pre-term births. The study observed 869 ,079 women who gave birth at nearly 500 US medical centers between March 1, 2020, and February 28, 2021.

It found that the women with COVID-19 were more than 14 times as likely to need intubation or mechanical ventilation, and more than 15 times as likely to die. They were also approximately 40% more likely to deliver prematurely.

Haley's mother, Julie Mulkey, told Al.com "it's really hard" to grieve her daughter and unborn grandchild. "It's hard to accept, it's hard to face. We're glad she's not suffering anymore," she said.

In a final post shared to her Facebook page, Haley wrote: "Here in the dark, in the wee hours of the morning, it is so easy to pretend that all of this was just a nightmare or that I'm just here in this hospital bed due to my own issues with COVID."

"Not for anything being wrong with my sweet baby girl whom I thought I was protecting in my own womb. I know the prognosis and I know the reality," she added.

Haley's family and friends are now speaking out in order to urge more people to get the vaccine, according to Good Morning America.

"It's a bittersweet thing to come out of this but [Haley would want] for pregnant women to be aware of how at-risk they are for this and to take any and all precautions, including being vaccinated," Whatley told the publication.

Representatives for Ascension did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
Washington Examiner

The father of a Marine Corps lance corporal had a tense encounter with President Joe Biden after he agreed to meet with the president at Dover Air Force Base following his son's death in Kabul, he said.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)  For some Asian Americans, the dim sum cookie at Sunday Bakeshop here will taste like childhood.

It looks like a typical sugar cookie except with sesame seeds on top. But bite into the creamy, red bean center and it's reminiscent of the fried, filled sesame balls served at a Chinese dim sum restaurant.

The concoction is pastry chef Elaine Laus nod to her grandmother, who would often make them. The baked goods that Lau's team churns out  like hojicha chocolate croissants and Chinese White Rabbit candy cookies  aren't going to be found in any bakery in Asia. There's an intrinsic American sensibility at the nearly 3-month-old shop.

"Talking to some of the Asian Americans and other people that have tried some of our pastries, we get a lot of comments where theyre just like... Oh this took me back several years, when they were growing up, said Lau, 35, who was born in Oakland.

For us, its kind of nice we can evoke some positive memories and feelings with our pastries.

From ube cakes to mochi muffins, bakeries that sweetly encapsulate growing up Asian and American have been popping up more in recent years. Their confections are a delectable vehicle for young and intrepid Asian Americans to celebrate their dual identity.

Ingredients they found embarrassing as children are being blended with European or traditional American pastries into something new. Some of the bakers welcome the chance to dispel culinary and societal misconceptions, especially given months of anti-Asian hate.

The experience of being an immigrant kid in between two very different cultures is what inspired the name and concept behind Third Culture Bakery, a few miles away from Sunday Bakeshop, in Berkeley. Open since 2018, it's the brainchild of husbands Wenter Shyu, 31, and Sam Butarbutar, 32. Nine months into their courtship, they decided to open a bakery together and expand Butarbutar's mochi muffin business beyond wholesale and pop-ups. The mochi muffin, still a signature item, is influenced by Butarbutar's Indonesian roots and made with California-grown mochiko rice flour.

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The operation has blossomed, with two locations in Colorado and a second San Francisco Bay Area store planned. Their menu includes mochi brownies and butter mochi doughnuts with glazes like matcha, ube and black sesame.

Shyu said many non-Asian patrons have never been exposed to some of the ingredients.

Its a lot of educating. Even when you educate and share where it comes from, people are judging it. Its a very mixed bag. Its also very rewarding because then you get to see their reaction trying this new thing theyve never had in their life, he said.

Shyu recalls some awkward situations, such as one in May when Third Culture was featured on a Denver TV station as part of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The finished segment included Oriental music that Shyu, who was born in Taiwan, described as cringe-y and uncomfortable."

I told the news station, if you guys did a piece on Black History Month and added tribal African music, there would be an outrage, Shyu said. Somehow for Asian Americans, thats OK. Thats the exact thing were trying to fight against."

For these bakeries, integrating Asian flavor profiles isnt a gimmick. Its what feels natural and authentic, said Deuki Hong, 31, whose Sunday Family Hospitality Group launched Sunday Bakeshop, and who loves Lau's outside-the-pastry-box thinking.

When I was running a Korean barbecue, we were known also for corn cheese, a little melty side dish... She took that and was like, Im gonna make a pastry out of it, said Hong, co-author of Koreatown: A Cookbook. Wow, this came from our conversation that was very personal to me and it also tastes really delicious.

Rose Nguyen, a 34-year-old former nurse, switched careers and opened Rose Ave Bakery inside The Block Foodhall in Washington, D.C., in March 2020, just before a pandemic shutdown. Nguyen was peddling Instagrammable morsels like strawberry lychee rose donuts, ube cake and matcha chocolate cookies. She won over enough foodies to keep going with online orders until fully reopening this June.

Born in Rhode Island to Vietnamese immigrants, Nguyen said it sometimes hurt when, growing up, her white friends thought her food from home was weird or gross. So, it's gratifying now to showcase Asian flavors unapologetically.

It was never about trends or satisfying other people, Nguyen said. Its just me, basically. The business goes hand in hand with who I am.

As fixtures in their neighborhoods, these bakery owners all felt compelled to do something when racist attacks against Asians tied to the COVID-19 pandemic started. Third Culture Bakery raised donations at its locations to pay for and distribute 21,000 safety kits for Asian seniors. Sunday Bakeshop and Rose Ave Bakery have donated pastries and profits to anti-Asian hate organizations.

The bakers felt a disconnect between that hatred and the joyful connection that their food can make across cultures.

Its so unfortunate that its happening, and still happening, because people say they love Asian food and Asian American food," Nguyen said. "Yet, they dont even realize you love the food and dont love the people."

Older, traditional Asian bakeries started out as a means of replicating something immigrants missed back in their home country. The new bakeries' bolder assertion of identity is a natural evolution, said Robert Ji-Song Ku, an Asian American studies professor at Binghamton University and author of Dubious Gastronomy: The Cultural Politics of Eating Asian in the USA."

Chefs like Roy Choi and David Chang came to fame in the early 2000s embracing their Korean heritage. But the baking world is still "a real frontier, Ku said.

It goes against stereotypes of Asians as math geeks. Its sort of the artistic side of Asian American identity thats often ignored, Ku said. Theyre instead really trying to fuse things together  create this mixture.

These first- and second-generation Asian American bakery owners seem passionate about bringing visibility to the Asian American community, which often feels invisible, Ku added.

They're showing that an ube snickerdoodle or a black sesame muffin is as American as any apple pie.

There's nothing wrong with apple pie, Hong said. "But theres a lot more interesting things being done... there's a lot of Asian creators and entrepreneurs, and gradually they'll be more vocal.

___ Terry Tang is a member of The Associated Press Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ttangAP
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - At least 12 soldiers were killed in an attack in northwestern Burkina Faso on Sunday and seven others are missing, three security sources said.

There was no immediate comment from the army. The sources said the incident took place in the Toeni commune in the Boucle du Mouhoun region near the border with Mali. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

On Saturday, a special army unit killed two prominent jihadists in the same region, according to the Communications Ministry.

Attacks by militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State are on the rise in West Africa's Sahel region, killing thousands and displacing millions in recent years across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

On Wednesday, an armed group killed 30 civilians, army soldiers and pro-government militiamen in a series of attacks near Burkina Faso's border with Niger.

(Reporting by Thiam Ndiaga; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Peter Cooney)
By Renju Jose

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Sydney's COVID-19 infections hit a daily record on Wednesday, putting parts of the health system under pressure, officials said, calling for vaccinations to be stepped up to stem the tide of hospital admissions.

Despite two months of lockdowns in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW) state reported 919 new cases amid a growing Delta variant outbreak, taking Australia's daily case numbers to a new pandemic high just below 1,000.

New infections in greater Sydney reached 838, eclipsing Sunday's record of 830 cases for the whole state. Some 85% of the state's total infections lie in greater Sydney. A total of 113 people in the state are in intensive care, with 98 of those unvaccinated.

"This highlights ... the fact that vaccination is the key. We need to increase those vaccine coverage levels," NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said during a televised media briefing in Sydney, the state capital.

Australia, grappling to control a third wave of the coronavirus, has locked down more than half of its 25 million population, including its largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, and is accelerating an initially sluggish vaccine rollout.

Around 31% of people aged over 16 have been fully vaccinated, while 54% have had at least one dose.

Westmead Hospital, one of the largest in Sydney's hard-hit western suburbs, has reduced ambulance arrivals for COVID-19 patients for 24 hours and shifted critical patients to other hospitals, an internal note shared on Twitter by NSW lawmaker Cate Faehrmann showed.

Asked about the changes, state Health Minister Brad Hazzard acknowledged the health system is working under pressure but said the situation is still manageable.

"Westmead Hospital is typical of the sorts of pressures you would expect when you got a major hospital in the middle of the epicentre of the virus outbreak," he said. Around 80% of cases have been detected in Sydney's west.

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In neighbouring Victoria, new cases fell for a second straight day to 45, down from 50 a day earlier, as officials sought to boost the vaccine rollout by allowing anyone over 16 to book an appointment from Wednesday.

REOPENING PLANS

The spike in cases comes as Australia's federal government pressed states to stick to a four-stage national reopening plan https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sydney-under-strict-new-lockdown-rules-cases-soar-2021-07-29 agreed last month, as some have suggested delays given the persistently high new daily case numbers in Sydney.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg warned state leaders on Wednesday that current emergency economic supports may be withdrawn when the country hits a 70%-80% COVID-19 vaccination rate, even if states and territories decide to retain border controls.

"There should be no expectation on behalf of premiers and chief ministers that our emergency economic support will continue at the scale that it is currently," Frydenberg told broadcaster Seven News.

Despite the recent Delta outbreaks, Australia's coronavirus numbers are still relatively low, with just over 46,600 cases and 986 deaths. Deaths from the latest outbreak have risen to 76, although the death rate has slowed from last year.

Virus-free Queensland said it would pause arrivals from NSW and Victoria states, and the Australian Capital Territory for two weeks from Wednesday to help ease pressure on its hotel quarantine system.

($1 = 1.3782 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Renju Jose; editing by Jane Wardell and Richard Pullin)
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the classified assessment by the intelligence community of COVID-19s origins following a 90-day review ordered at his behest, and the White House says that an unclassified summary of the findings on the debate over a natural origin versus a Wuhan lab leak is expected to be made public soon.

A White House official told the Washington Examiner, The President was briefed on the classified report. We look forward to having an unclassified summary of key judgments to share soon.

GOP REPORT SAYS OCTOBER 2019 WUHAN MILITARY GAMES WERE ONE OF THE EARLIEST SUPER SPREADER EVENTS



House Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans concluded early this month that the evidence points to COVID-19 emerging from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in late August or early September 2019, with China covering it up for months.

In early February, WHO team leader Peter Ben Embarek said the possibility the coronavirus escaped from the Wuhan lab didnt merit further inquiry, saying a jump from animals to humans was most likely, and an accidental release was "extremely unlikely." But days later, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reversed that, saying, All hypotheses remain open and require further study.

The WHO-China report was widely considered a failure, partly due to the lack of access to key data and Chinese influence over the investigation, and Embarek has admitted that the Chinese government applied pressure on the reports conclusions.

Last month, Tedros said there was a "premature push" to dismiss the lab theory, but the Chinese government shot down the suggestion of a second investigation.

The new U.S. intelligence assessment didnt yield a definitive conclusion  in part because of the lack of detailed information from China, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing two senior U.S. officials. One official told the outlet: It was a deep dive, but you can only go so deep as the situation allows. If Chinas not going to give access to certain data sets, youre never really going to know.

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The Washington Post reported that intelligence officials fell short of a consensus according to U.S. officials, with one official contending to the outlet that the intelligence community is not necessarily best equipped to solve this problem, because while spy agencies are positioned to collect on a range of foreign actors, this official believed this was fundamentally a scientific conundrum.

The ODNI said in May that the intelligence community has coalesced around two likely scenarios: either it emerged naturally from human contact with infected animals or it was a laboratory accident and that while two elements of the IC lean toward the former scenario and one leans more toward the latter  each with low or moderate confidence  the majority of elements within the IC do not believe there is sufficient information to assess one to be more likely than the other.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines gave an interview to Yahoo News in June, in which she said that were hoping to find a smoking gun but that its challenging to do that, and it might happen, but it might not.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Wuhan Lab, China, Coronavirus, Joe Biden, Intelligence Community

Original Author: Jerry Dunleavy

Original Location: Biden briefed on intelligence communitys COVID-19 origins assessment
By Ali Kucukgocmen

TATVAN, Turkey (Reuters) - Muhammad Ali said he dreamt of building a cryptocurrency business before the Taliban began its sweep through Afghanistan, forcing him into a daunting journey west through Iran and Turkey, evading border guards and security searches as he went.

The Taliban victory in Afghanistan has raised concern in Turkey, a staging post for many migrants trying to reach Europe and already home to nearly 4 million Syrians, of a new influx of refugees. It has ramped up security on its border https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-conflict-turkey-migrants-idAFKBN2FN0HS with Iran - but some Afghans are still getting through.

Sheltering in a drainage tunnel outside the Tatvan district of Turkey's eastern Bitlis province, Ali, a young man in his 20s from Afghanistan's Khost province, said he was waiting for transport west and wanted to go on to Europe. Around 50 others were sheltering with him.

Ali said he had studied computer science and taught web and graphic design in Afghanistan. He said he had a YouTube channel where he posted videos on topics including how to make money online.

"I was planning a bitcoin or ethereum mining business... Suddenly everything changed and the Taliban took over all of Afghanistan," he said.

"There is no internet. If there is no internet, I cannot do my job there. If we had smart phones that had a camera, the Taliban wouldn't allow it."

After trekking for weeks through Iran, migrants who enter Turkey's eastern province of Van make their way by foot, bus or boat to the town of Tatvan on the western shores of Lake Van.

On their way they try to evade police checkpoints, raids on their hideouts and coast guard vessels which patrol the huge lake, where a boat carrying around 60 migrants sank last year https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-turkey-boat-migrants-idUKKCN24J0M3, killing them all.

Wais Muhammad Shehrzad, 30, said he left Afghanistan a month ago, paying $1,000 to traffickers and walking up to 50 hours at a time with little sustenance on the way.

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"Our feet are blistered, we have no clothes, no food," he said, taking off his shoes to show a bruised ankle, and telling others in the group to sit down to avoid being seen.

Shehrzad said he was from Kabul and had worked as a shoe maker and previously as an English teacher. He wanted to get to Istanbul, find work, and send money back to his family.

In recent weeks Turkish police have detained thousands of Afghan migrants among an estimated 300,000 in the country. Those caught in Bitlis are sent to a repatriation centre in Van, although Afghans are currently not sent back to their country because of the turmoil there.

A day after he spoke to Reuters, Ali sent a text message. "We are arrested by police," it said.

(Additional reporting by Parniyan Zemaryalai in London; Editing by Dominic Evans and Nick Tattersall)
Dozens of Haitians were taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol officials near Key Biscayne, Florida, on Tuesday afternoon after the group came ashore in an alleged human smuggling operation, officials said.

At least 42 migrants, including women and children, were detained in the "maritime smuggling event," Chief Patrol Agent Thomas Martin of the Border Patrols Miami Sector tweeted.

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake on Aug. 14 has left more than 2,200 dead in the Caribbean country and injured more than 12,000 others. At least 53,000 houses were destroyed.

HAITI QUAKE: TENSIONS GROW OVER AID AS DEATHS PASS 2K

Aid efforts there have been hampered by the looting of aid trucks in the chaotic aftermath, according to CBS News.

Key Biscayne is across the Rickenbacker Causeway from Miami.

Officials said they are investigating whether the group was smuggled to the United States. The vessel involved was seized.
Soldiers watch over Afghan refugees waiting in line to be processed for an exit flight out of Kabul

Canada is racing to wind down its Afghanistan evacuation effort ahead of America's 31 August deadline, as officials warn some may be left behind.

As of 24 August, Canada had airlifted more than 2,700 people out of Kabul, including Canadian citizens, Afghans and other foreign nationals.

But efforts have been stymied by chaos on the ground, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan acknowledged on Wednesday.

"We are pushing our people and our aircrafts to their limits," he said.

Canada has vowed to take in 20,000 Afghan refugees, but has not specified a timeline.

Officials say the country's armed forces may have just days left to complete evacuation efforts before they are forced to withdraw. Canada's efforts rely on the American military's control of the Kabul airport, meaning it must wind down efforts before they leave.

"We would have liked to have stayed beyond the 31st deadline, but as you know this decision has been made by the Americans," Mr Sajjan said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said on Wednesday it was possible that Canada would not complete its evacuation in time for the draw down.

He said the "commitment" will continue beyond the deadline, without offering specifics.

Reports out of Afghanistan have described a chaotic effort by the Canadian military to get people out of the country.

Criticism was amplified this week by cell phone footage posted to Facebook that appeared to show Canadian special forces ignoring the pleas of Afghans claiming to have Canadian exit documents.

Asked about the footage on Wednesday, Minister Sajjan called the scene "heart-wrenching", but defended the work of the military saying that they "have to establish security" at the airport.

"Security is what allows that work to continue to bring people in," he said.

Canada formally withdrew its own military presence in Afghanistan in 2014, but forces were sent back in recent days to assist rescue efforts.

The evacuation efforts come as most federal politicians, including Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, are on the campaign trail.

The prime minister called a snap election federal election earlier this month.
(Bloomberg) -- Chinese technology stocks struggled to extend their rally into a third day, as bargain hunters retreated amid lingering concerns about how far Beijing may push ahead with its clampdown on private enterprise.

The Hang Seng Tech Index trimmed its gain to 0.2% at the close, after jumping as much as 3.5% earlier. New Oriental Education & Technology Group also pared its surge to 13% after rising as much as 22%.

The weakening momentum is a fresh reminder of just how fragile investor mood remains about industries that had suffered an unprecedented regulatory assault in recent months. Hesitance among investors has reemerged despite earlier enthusiasm induced by strong corporate earnings, Cathie Woods return to the sector and favorable technical indicators.

It was a technical rebound earlier this morning, said Daniel So, strategist at CMB International Securities Ltd. in Hong Kong The market is still observing due to regulatory overhang, while investors have already digested companies earnings and any new guidance.

Weighing on the broader market, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. fell 1.4% after rising 3.5% earlier, while Tencent Holdings Ltd. cut its advance to 0.6% after earlier rising as much as 4.2%.

Chinas crackdown on its tech behemoths had caused the Hang Seng Tech Index to tumble more than 45% from a peak in February before enjoying a meaningful rebound over the last two sessions.

We believe uncertainty will remain high across the internet and other related sectors and, by extension, toward Chinese equity in general, Vincent Mortier, deputy group chief investment officer at Amundi SA, commented via an email on Monday. We know that cyber security and data protection remain a firm focus for regulators in the short term.

Still, some investors remain hopeful that the nascent rally may pick up its pace again, encouraged by signs of renewed interest among prominent fund managers such as Cathie Wood.

Woods Ark Investment Management has bought shares of JD.com, JD Logistics Inc. and Pinduoduo Inc. this week, when the companies released strong financial results. The fact that Chinese private tutoring firms, led by New Oriental, have managed to held on to their sizable gains also helps cushion the broader weakness.

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In addition, there are signs that the U.S. and China are engaged in efforts to start remedying frayed relations, as a contingent of Wall Street veterans and high-level Chinese officials are preparing a new round of meetings before the end of the year.

Some optimism about bottom fishing efforts, the U.S.-China discussions and the recent gains in the broader tech sector are aiding education stocks as well, said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Marvin Chen. But there is still long ways to go for the sector, he added.

(Updates share moves and adds chart of New Oriental Education.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.

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Supermarkets start to build their stockpiles in September, so problems faced now will hit Christmas further down the line. Photo: Getty Images

Britons may not be able all their favourite foods over the holiday season this year as Christmas dinner could be impacted by food shortages in supermarkets. The industry has warned that Brexit, the pandemic and a shortage of lorry drivers is creating serious supply chain issue.

There are about 100,000 fewer lorry drivers than the country needs, and supermarkets including Iceland have warned this will leave gaps on shelves.

Sarah Coles, personal finance analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown, told Yahoo Finance UK that Christmas dinner is under three different threats: a shortage of lorry drivers, a shortage of workers at meat processing factories, and potato crops in Europe hit by floods.

The shortages consumers are seeing from the likes of Nandos and McDonalds in recent days and weeks highlights the immense impact this is having on businesses across the country, Richard Walker, managing director of Iceland Foods, told Yahoo Finance UK.

We have already seen deliveries to our stores cancelled for the first time since the pandemic began, and this is solely due to the heavy goods vehicle driver shortage. 

The real worry is that time is quickly running out as we approach the extremely busy Christmas period, during which a strong supply chain is vital for everyone.

Speaking to Radio 4, Walker said: Soft drinks are 50% less in terms of volume."

Watch: The challenge to get Christmas turkeys on tables

Coles, meanwhile, cited research from the Confederation of British Industry that found that stockpiles held by major retailers are at their lowest since the 1980s. She said supermarkets start to build their stockpiles in September, so problems faced now will hit Christmas further down the line.

The shortage of drivers is not going to be an easy one to fix: it's combination of a perfect storm of Brexit making it less attractive for EU drivers to work in the UK, COVID encouraging workers from overseas to return to their families, and tax rules making it more difficult for drivers to claim theyre self-employed, which means they earn less.

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The second threat is a shortage of worker at meat processing factories.

Read more: Why is the UK facing a HGV driver shortage and what could it mean for consumers?

This was already a problem due to the pingdemic  workers being asked to isolate by the NHS app because they came into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID, even if the workers had been vaccinated.

It's become worse now that the economy has opened up.

Workers would usually be processing frozen meats for the table around this time  like pigs in blankets  and already they are producing less than usual. Turkey production is down 20%.

The British Meat Industry Group has warned meat companies are already around six weeks behind their Christmas production schedules.

It now looks inevitable that there will be a shortage of the more complicated lines like pigs in blankets and gammon roasts. Given the current workforce shortages, meat companies are finding it difficult to see how theyll dig themselves out of this, it warned.

The knock-on effect of not having staff to process meat means farmers cant send animals to slaughter as they normally would, so many of them have decided to cut back on the number they rear, said Coles.

At this stage, theyre not predicting empty tables this Christmas, but theres likely to be far less choice on offer, she said.

The third threat is a specific threat to roast potatoes, as flooding in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands hits potato crops.

This affects the potatoes usually used for manufacturing chips, but as the industry sources its spuds from elsewhere, it could impact potatoes available for roasting this Christmas as well.

And thats just Christmas dinner. There are also warnings that shipping issues and computer chip shortages could mean the shelves are empty of popular presents too, said Coles.

The message from Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium was not as ominous.

He said: While we do not anticipate problems, retailers will be taking all necessary measures to mitigate possible disruption."

"This includes paying extra to secure HGV drivers, and bringing non-perishable goods in early, or via alternative routes, to avoid a last minute rush on shipping."

Watch: UK economic recovery falters due to supply chain issues
Washington  CIA Director William Burns met with the Taliban's de facto leader in Kabul on Monday, a source familiar with the situation said, in what marks the group's highest-level encounter with the Biden administration since the fall of the Afghan capital.

News of the meeting between Burns and the Taliban leader, Abdul Ghani Baradar, comes one week before the August 31 deadline for the U.S. military to complete its evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies from Kabul. Roughly 21,600 people were evacuated from the capital over a 24-hour period on Monday and Tuesday, including 12,700 evacuees on 37 military flights, a White House official said.

A U.S. defense official said the military expected a decision from the White House on Tuesday on whether or not the U.S. will leave Afghanistan by the August 31 deadline.

To date, the Taliban have allowed the American evacuation effort to proceed largely unimpeded, though there have been reports of beatings and injuries in the airport's chaotic perimeter. U.S. officials have warned that the massive crowds could be a target for a terrorist attack by the group known as ISIS-K, which is known to operate in Afghanistan.

A Taliban spokesperson told CBS News that extending operations beyond August 31 would be a "violation" of the U.S. commitment to withdraw. "The response depends on the decision of our leadership," the spokesperson said.

Baradar, a longtime Taliban official, was arrested by the CIA in a joint operation with Pakistan's intelligence service in 2010 in Karachi. He went free in 2018 after the U.S. pushed for his release while starting talks with the Taliban. The Washington Post first reported Monday's meeting with Burns.

Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar, left, met with CIA Director William Burns, right, in Kabul on August 23, 2021, as the U.S. continues evacuations from Afghanistan. / Credit: Getty Images

Burns is the first career diplomat to lead the CIA, having served as deputy secretary of state from 2011 to 2014 after spending more than three decades at the State Department. In his memoir, "The Back Channel," he describes the secret bilateral talks he led with Iran during the Obama administration alongside Jake Sullivan, now President Biden's national security adviser. The talks eventually paved the way to the nuclear deal with Tehran.

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In interviews and congressional testimony, Burns has acknowledged that U.S.'s ability to collect and act on terror threats will diminish following the military's withdrawal, but that the CIA would retain a "suite of capabilities" to monitor potential plots. Pentagon and intelligence officials have warned that al Qaeda and other terror groups would likely seek to regain an ability to launch attacks on U.S. targets.

On Monday, the State Department said discussions with the Taliban had been "operational, tactical ... focused largely on our near-term operations and near-term goals" but did not specify at what level engagements were happening.

The CIA and the National Security Council declined to comment on Tuesday.

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Attendees hold hand-guns equipped with surpressors during the National Rifle Association (NRA) 2019 Annual Meetings on Saturday, April 27, 2019 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. SETH HERALD/AFP via Getty Images

The National Rifle Association's annual convention was scheduled for next week in Houston.

On Tuesday, the organization announced that the convention was canceled over COVID-19 concerns.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have been surging in Harris County, which includes Houston.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The National Rifle Association has canceled its annual meeting over COVID-19 concerns.

"The NRA's top priority is ensuring the health and well-being of our members, staff, sponsors, and supporters. We are mindful that NRA Annual Meeting patrons will return home to family, friends, and co-workers from all over the country, so any impacts from the virus could have broader implications," the organization said in a statement on Tuesday. "Those are among the reasons why we decided to cancel our 2021 event."

The NRA's annual conventions usually attract thousands of attendees. More than 87,000 people attended the 2018 convention in Dallas.

The convention was scheduled to take place at the George R. Brown Convention Center from September 3-5 in Houston, where COVID-19 cases have been on the rise and hospitals are overwhelmed.

Houston is in Harris County, which has reported a 21% test positivity rate over the past two weeks, county data showed. As of Tuesday, there were more than 51,000 active cases in Houston and the entire county combined. The county is under the highest threat warning and has instructed the unvaccinated only to leave their homes for essentials and for everyone to wear masks indoors.

On Monday, KTRK reported that three emergency rooms in the Houston area had to shut down because of an overwhelming number of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

The Daily Beast previously reported that prior to the cancellation of the event, multiple gun makers had pulled out of the conference over COVID-19 concerns. Sources told the outlet that makers like Benelli USA, Browning, FN Herstal, Kimber Manufacturing, Savage Arms, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armory, Sig Sauer, and Sturm, Ruger & Company had pulled out. None of these companies responded to Insider's email requests for comment at the time of publication.

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Shannon Watts, founder of gun-violence prevention group Moms Demand Action, was critical that the NRA said it was canceling over safety concerns while at the same time promoting guns.

"The @NRA claims to have analyzed data and consulted with local medical professionals and elected officials about the dangers of the pandemic in Texas, but completely ignored this exact process when it pushed permitless carry through the state's legislature two months ago," Watts said in a tweet.

She added: "it is probably the first time the @NRA has put public health and safety before profits, so there's that"

The NRA did not respond to Insider's request for comment at the time of publication.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Chicago Tribune

Al Capones vaults inside a decrepit Chicago hotel were embarrassingly empty in 1986. The real riches of the legendary boss of Chicagos organized crime syndicate have been located more than 2,000 miles west in northern California, quietly occupying the homes of his four granddaughters  Veronica, Diane, Barbara and Theresa. The items were purchased by my grandparents, probably most of them ...
Eight months after adult Americans began receiving COVID-19 vaccines, children under 12 are still not eligible for the shots.

That's left a lot of parents worried their children might get sick  and might get others around them sick, as well.

Children can catch COVID-19 and pass it on to others. Luckily, they are less likely than adults to become seriously ill. Roughly 4.5 million American children have become infected with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

That number has risen lately, however, with children making up a higher proportion of the seriously ill. Many adults are protected by vaccines and the highly contagious delta variant now accounts for most of the infections in the U.S. Across the country. About 180,000 children have been infected in the past week, the American Academy of Pediatrics says.

We pose and answer several common questions about young children and COVID-19 vaccines:

What age group can currently get COVID-19 vaccines?

Adults and children 12 and up are eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, now called Comirnaty.

Only adults are eligible to receive the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines because their studies in children have not yet been completed.

Indira Cisneron holds her son German Vazquez while waiting to get her first COVID-19 vaccine shot as her other son Gabriel Vasquez, left, 13, waits in southwest Detroit.

Why aren't COVID-19 vaccines available yet for kids under 12?

Traditionally, drugs are studied first in adults and then move to adolescents, then children, then younger children, as they are proven safe and effective in each group.

With COVID-19 vaccines, large clinical trials in adults (and in the case of Pfizer-BioNTech, older teens) took place in the second half of last year and studies in teens and then younger children began earlier this year.

Read more: Pfizer's vaccine is FDA-approved for adults, but it's still a 'no-no' to vaccinate kids under 12

More colleges are requiring the COVID-19 vaccine. Some are starting to kick out unvaccinated students.

What's the status of clinical trials on younger children?

Story continues

All three companies are studying their vaccines in children, first in adolescents, then 5- to 11-year-olds, then 2- to 5-year-olds followed by infants, 6 months and up. Younger babies are believed to have some protection from their vaccinated mothers. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that pregnant people get vaccinated to protect themselves because they are at higher risk for a serious COVID-19 infection, and their unborn child would receive some protection.

Because the vaccines were already proven safe and effective in tens of thousands of adults, the studies in children have been allowed to be smaller  on the order of 3,000-4,000, instead of 30,000-40,000.

Children are less likely to become seriously ill with COVID-19 than older adults, with risks generally declining with age. So regulators want to make sure that vaccines are safe enough to justify use in each age group.

Advisory panels to the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration decided that the benefits outweigh the risks of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for adolescents age 12 to 15.

Pfizer-BioNTech has said its study in children ages 5 to 11 should be completed early this fall, and in younger children early next year.

Moderna began its trials several months after Pfizer-BioNTech, so it is likely to complete its trials some time later, though it has not released a detailed timetable.

In May, the company showed its vaccine was safe and extremely effective in adolescents. Out of 3,700 12- to 17-year-old volunteers, no one who was fully vaccinated with the active vaccine developed the virus, the study found.

J&J hasn't yet started its studies in minors, though it is in active discussions with the FDA to begin four trials with a minimum of 4,500 children. The first trial, in adolescents 12 to 17, is expected to begin this fall with the others to follow.

When will the COVID-19 vaccine be available for kids under 12?

The FDA requires longer-term follow-up data on children than adults, "to make sure that the safety is adequate," according to Dr. Peter Marks, who heads the FDA division tasked with reviewing vaccines.

The FDA has not given a sense of how long it would take to review the research, but previous emergency use authorization requests have taken as long as eight weeks, suggesting that vaccines are unlikely to be available to grade schoolers until very late this year or early next.

Two- to 5-year-olds should be able to get shots by the end of winter or early spring 2022.

Dr. Peter Marks, Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research within the Food and Drug Administration speaks during a hearing, with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, on the Covid-19 response, on Capitol Hill on March 18, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared before a joint hearing of the house committees to lay out a timeline for vaccinating children against COVID-19.

Is the vaccine dosage the same for children as adults?

The dose is the same for 12- to 15-year-olds as for adults, but dosage for younger children is likely to be lower. That's one of the things being worked out in the trials.

In early trials, Pfizer-BioNTech said 112 children received doses of 10, 20, or 30 micrograms, with an option for 3 micrograms in the youngest children.

Currently, they are testing 10 micrograms in 5- to 11-year-olds and 3 micrograms in children under 5. Adults and adolescents get 30 micrograms.

Is the COVID-19 vaccine safe for kids?

In adolescents, the vaccines seem to be as safe as they are in adults, though teens may be more likely to suffer side effects like post-vaccine pain, fatigue and fevers.

The risk of heart inflammation, called myocarditis, also appears to be higher in younger people, particularly males, after vaccination.

'Keep your guard up': CDC studies show waning COVID vaccine efficacy as delta variant sweeps US

Why shouldn't parents try to vaccinate their younger children now?

Legally, now that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has received full FDA approval, doctors can prescribe it to anyone, including young children.

But the FDA and leading pediatricians warned this week that it's a terrible idea to give shots designed for adults to children under 12.

The dose is likely to be more than they need, causing unnecessary side effects, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, which has urged the FDA to expedite the process of authorizing shots for younger children.

Contact Karen Weintraub at kweintraub@usatoday.com.

Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is COVID vaccine safe for children? When can kids get it? What to know
Some Democrats say they are confused about whom to vote for  or whether to vote at all  on the second question of the recall ballot. (Chris Delmas / AFP/Getty Images)

Lauren Wilmore, a 23-year-old actress, dance teacher and masters student, has largely built her TikTok following with content referencing the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise.

But sometimes inspiration strikes when its least expected, such as when she opened the official voter information guide for Californias gubernatorial recall election.

Wilmore had intended to pick a backup candidate to go along with her no vote on the effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom. But with no prominent Democrats to choose from, the task proved harder than expected  and far more chaotic.

In a 66-second TikTok video that taps into the confused id of many a California Democrat, Wilmore goes through the 32-page guide, ranking candidates by how much I lost it when I read their statements.

With the recall election three weeks away, many Democrats are flailing for answers about how to approach the ballots second question: If Newsom is recalled, who do you want to replace him?

Newsom and the state Democratic Party are urging voters to leave the second question blank . That advice has landed well with some but left others confused and frustrated. Many party faithful say they feel powerless over how to meaningfully weigh in on such a crucial question.

Like, some of these [entries] have to be jokes, right? Wilmore asks viewers in the TikTok video, her face bopping in front of the ballot guide.

Yes and no. Some of the statements  like that of Green Party candidate Dan Kapelovitz, which reads Can you dig it? or that of "no party preference" candidate Adam Papagan, which just says Love u  are almost certainly intended to be funny.

But as the California voters desperately swapping ballot advice in group texts, Facebook posts and Instagram comments will quickly tell you, nothing less than the stewardship of nearly 40 million people and the worlds fifth-largest economy is at stake.

In 2003, then-Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante ran as a backup candidate when the party urged Democrats to Vote no on recall and yes on Bustamante." Gov. Gray Davis ended up being ousted and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected with a double-digit lead over Bustamante.

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Bustamante, who now runs a consulting firm, supports the party's decision not to run a replacement candidate this time around  pointing out that Newsom remains far more popular than Davis was and the Democratic registration advantage has increased significantly since 2003. He left the second question on his ballot blank after reviewing the candidates and not seeing "anybody that I knew or liked."

Elizabeth Alcantar, vice mayor of Cudahy, did the same: In my political circles, folks are definitely leaving it blank, she said.

But the official Democratic Party line had yet to trickle down to Alcantars childhood and school friends, many of whom have been texting the millennial politician for advice on how to vote.

Silicon Valley bookkeeper Adrienne Leigh also left the second question blank, after going through a process of elimination.

There's nobody, Leigh said of the 46 replacement candidates on the ballot, summing up the opinions of many beleaguered California Democrats. There's nothing.

Others, like Los Angeles lawyer and podcast consultant Eric Spiegelman, found the partys advice to be flat-out offensive.

How dare the Democratic governor of California tell me not to vote? Like, what is that? Spiegelman asked, with no small amount of indignation.

This is a crazy way to run a state, Bill Burden, a Democrat who runs a drive-through coffee shop in the Sierra foothills, said of the recall process. Burden was unimpressed with the Democrats listed, though he ultimately marked his ballot for Marin yoga teacher Holly Baade.

Wilmore, the TikTok creator, said she wished she knew whom other Democrats were choosing as a backup candidate. She feared that if everyone picked different people, a Republican would garner the most votes.

Similar fears drove Elaine Loh, an L.A. writer, to make an Instagram slideshow to help other confused Democrats fill out their ballots. It urges Democrats to band together behind Kevin Paffrath so that if Newsom loses, at least we have a shot at retaining the governorship.

Loh said she chose Paffrath, a Democratic YouTube content creator and real estate agent, after Googling leading Democratic candidates in California recall. His was the only name she recognized.

That same calculus has led some loyal Democrats to do the previously unthinkable and cross party lines.

Joanna Korshak, a vice president of film at Endeavor Content in Los Angeles, was one of several who told The Times they had marked their ballots for Kevin Faulconer, the most moderate of the leading Republican candidates. Voting for a Republican for the first time in Korshaks life was a struggle, she said, but she characterized the move as an insurance policy against the success of a more hard-line candidate like Larry Elder.

The Faulconer campaign has not produced ads specifically geared toward Democrats, but it does include party voters in digital ad targeting.

Getting a chunk of Democratic voters has always been part of our coalition, Faulconer campaign manager Stephen Puetz said, noting that the former San Diego mayor received a significant number of such votes in his successful races in that Democratic-leaning city.

But many liberal voters are unwilling to hold their noses and vote for a GOP candidate, let alone one who supported former President Trump. With what they see as no good options, some have veered into a sort of second-question nihilism, wherein civic duty  I cant leave a ballot question this important blank  collides with the candidate void  there are no meaningful choices, just absurdity.

Theyre all fungible, fringe candidates, right? Spiegelman said. If Gavin gets recalled, its going to be a crapshoot.

After spending some time on the Wikipedia page for the 2003 gubernatorial recall, Spiegelman noticed that write-in candidates  even those who garnered only one or two votes  appeared on the election totals. (As was the case in 2003, write-in candidates must file a statement of candidacy with their local elections office to be counted and certified.)

Im going to write myself in, he decided. Ill be forever ensconced on the Wikipedia page. It will be part of my SEO.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A Spirit Airlines passenger disobeyed a law that went into effect more than 30 years ago and lit up a cigarette on board.

Cellphone video taken by fellow passenger early Tuesday morning shows what went down on the flight from Detroit to Fort Lauderdale once smoke started wafting into the cabin and bothering fellow travelers.

Alexa Majdalawi, of Boynton Beach, told the Miami Herald the woman lit up a little after landing as the plane taxied on the tarmac at Fort Lauderdale International Airport.

A flight attendant told him how to wear his mask. Then he struck her, Florida cops say

Majdawali said she first asked the woman to stop smoking, then complained to the flight attendant because she was having a hard time breathing.

The clip starts with another passenger yelling about how the smoker messed everyones day up.

Please dont duct-tape the passengers: Airline sends memo to flight crew amid meltdowns

Deputies enter the aircraft and start walking to the back where the woman appears to be asleep.

Ive had a long day, she said after being woken up, according to Majdawali.

Oh my God, come get her! says the other witness as people laugh and deputies try to find the alleged offenders overhead bag.

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This isnt the first incident of this nature for Spirit. In 2019, a man lit up mid-flight heading to Minneapolis. Video shot by a fellow passenger shows the man taking a drag and then appearing to fall asleep before a flight attendant tells him what he is doing is against the law. He was reportedly escorted off by police once the plane was on the ground.

The Miami Herald reached out to Spirit Airlines for comment:

When Flight 845 from Detroit was taxiing to the gate in Fort Lauderdale, a passenger inexplicably decided to light a cigarette in violation of federal law, said a statement. Flight attendants noticed the odor and the other guests were quick to point out who was responsible and hand over what remained of the extinguished cigarette. Our crew summoned law enforcement officers to have them waiting at the gate to remove the passenger.

According to the Broward County Sheriffs Office, the smoker complied with deputies request to leave the plane and was not arrested.
Over the past year, as employees of the scandal-plagued Orange county sheriffs department received their official use-of-force training, independent investigators from the county were sitting in.

Their goal was to identify problems that might lead to unnecessary killings or headline-grabbing cases of law enforcement violence. And, as a new report documents, they found plenty.

During a training about the duty to intervene when an officer uses excessive force, one instructor began the session by asking the trainees if they had joined the force in order to rat on their peers for misconduct. None of the trainees raised their hands.

Related: California reaches reform deal with Bakersfield police condemned over deadly force

Another instructor illustrated a discussion of mental health regulations in California with a photograph of three convicted killers and the caption, Why do all mass shooters look like mass shooters? That claim was wrong, and might also encourage individuals to discriminate against and mistreat others who are perceived to be mentally ill, the investigators warned.

The newly released investigation was conducted by the Office of Independent Review, a previously dormant Orange county public agency, and commissioned after the George Floyd protests last year. The report comes as the sheriffs department, one of the largest in the country, has been embroiled in controversy for years over criminal behavior by deputies and even a former sheriff, who was indicted on corruption charges in 2007 and ultimately convicted on one count of witness tampering.

Since 2019, there have been dozens of incidents in which sheriffs deputies were found to have engaged in dishonest behavior or violated the law, a Voice of OC investigation found. A long-running scandal over evidence mishandled by the sheriffs department resulted in more than 60 criminal convictions or charges being dropped, Orange countys district attorney announced in early 2021. In late 2020, a former deputy was indicted for allegedly stealing 15 guns from a dead mans house.

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In a statement, the Orange county sheriff, Don Barnes, called the investigators new report lacking in substance and useful recommendations, and defended the departments current use-of-force practices.

In 2020, out of the 309,009 calls for service and thousands of other daily public interactions, force was used in the community only 372 times, or 0.1% of calls for service, Barnes said.

Refinement of policies, practices, and training must and does occur on an ongoing basis, he said.

The county investigators concluded that there were serious problems with every part of the sheriffs departments approach to using violent force. The departments policies on force were too vague, permitting officers to use undefined alternative force methods, not focusing enough on de-escalation techniques and even allowing them to fire warning shots, something other law enforcement departments have banned, the report concluded.

Sheriffs deputies were allowed to submit reports on their use of force late and with little detail, obscuring what actually happened in the incidents, the investigation found. When supervisors conducted interviews of the people who had been targets of a deputys use of force, as the departments policy required, they sometimes allowed that deputy to be present for the interview, creating a potential chilling effect.

A former correctional staff member of the county jails told investigators that sheriffs deputies used the twist up, or the manipulation of peoples fingers, as a punishment for incarcerated people when deputies felt they were disrespected, not for any justifiable reason. Deputies could really screw someones wrist up without having to write a report, the former staff member said. Several people who were currently or previously incarcerated in Orange county jails independently confirmed to investigators that this had been done to them.

During an official department training, one instructor explicitly referenced this illegal tactic of abusing jail inmates out of sight of surveillance cameras, while explaining the importance of employees knowing where cameras were placed within the jail, the investigators found.

In my day, the instructor said, you knew just where to go in order to tweak a problem inmates fingers while you were handcuffing them.

The slide the instructor was discussing was titled, Make a good movie.

The Orange county sheriff departments own recent evaluations of its use-of-force record had been glowing. In a 2020 internal report, the department had celebrated an impressive statistic: 98.1% of its use-of-force incidents, it found, fell within the departments policy.

But that use of force statistic only existed because department supervisors sometimes simply failed to pass along some known policy violations for further examination, the investigation found.

A systematic review of Orange county deputies use-of-force reports revealed that few included descriptions of de-escalation tactics that they tried before using violent force. It was not clear, the investigators wrote, whether the deputies had left out these details, or whether they are not routinely attempting to de-escalate situations at all.

In one incident, deputies tried to wake up a person who appeared to be drunk and passed out in a ditch. Rather than talking to him, the deputies tried to put handcuffs on him while he was sleeping, and then punched him in the face when he resisted, the report found.

In another incident, a mother called for help with an adult son with schizophrenia, and told deputies explicitly that there were no weapons in the house and that the knives had been hidden. When the son did not comply with deputies commands and walked away, the four deputies who responded grabbed him and pulled him down the stairs and into a table, breaking a vase in the process, then wrestled him into handcuffs on the floor. As justification for this use of force, they cited his potential access to weapons.

De-escalation is currently a component of our use-of-force policy, is part of our training, and is part of the day-to-day practice of deputies, Barnes said in a statement. He said the new report minimizes the extent to which de-escalation is utilized.

While Orange countys office of independent review recommended multiple changes to the sheriffs departments policies and training in order to better prevent avoidable harms, only the sheriff has the authority to enforce those changes.

Sergio Perez, the executive director of the office, said that he hoped the report would lead to a proactive response by the department. Too often, he said, investigations into a departments use of force come in the aftermath of a single tragic, high-profile event, which can make broader policy changes more challenging.

This is intended to help identify the seeds, the cause, of those kinds of events  so we can proactively work to mitigate them, Perez said.

The OIR perspective will continue to be considered, and evidence-based recommendations rooted in best practice will be adopted, the sheriff said in a statement.
An innocent driver was killed early Wednesday when his car was hit by a stolen vehicle driven by a 14-year-old as he was being chased by Dallas police.

During the chase, the 14-year-old drove through a red light and crashed into a Chevrolet Impala, killing that driver, police said.

The name of the victim has not been released by authorities.

The 14-year-old boy and three other teens who were in the stolen car with him were injured in the crash and they were taken to local hospitals.

The chase began shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday when Dallas police observed a Toyota Camry in the 1000 block of South Buckner Boulevard in Dallas.

Police got behind the vehicle and checked its registration, learning that the car had been stolen during an aggravated robbery on Monday.

Police attempted to stop the stolen car and a pursuit ensued.

Just after 1:30 a.m., the stolen car went through a red light at Great Trinity Forest Way and Wadsworth Drive, where it collided with the Impala.

The driver of the Impala was taken to local hospital, where he later died.

The teens are in custody and face charges in the fatal crash, according to Dallas police.

No Dallas police officers were injured in the chase and crash.
Diana Aguilar

Courtesy of Diana Aguilar

If you told Diana Aguilar last year that she would be opening a quaint Ecuadorian cafe at the height of the pandemic, she would call you crazy. But that's exactly what happened this past March when the proud Ecuadorian immigrant and her family set up shop in Brooklyn's Dumbo neighborhood.

"I didn't know we would be where we are today, even a year ago. But it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up," says Aguilar, crediting low rent prices as the impetus behind Zaruma Gold Coffee, which she operates with her four adult children. "I still pinch myself. It's a dream come true."

Zaruma Gold Coffee sells specialty, single-origin coffee that's grown and roasted in Ecuador and boasts an impressive 83-84 points, "cupping scores" that are determined by seasoned coffee experts who evaluate a fresh batch's scent, flavor, and mouthfeel, as well as its growing conditions and harvesting processes. To put it into perspective, the world's highest rated coffees have previously garnered scores of at least 94 points  an outstanding feat that comes with a hefty price tag. (The more premium the coffee, the more expensive it is.)

"I always felt Ecuador was never given the praise and recognition it deserved when it came to being a leader in the coffee space," says Aguilar, who hails from Zaruma, a town in Ecuador's southern province of El Oro. "People have always been quick to name Colombia as the best."

coffee

Courtesy of Diana Aguilar

And there's a good reason for that. Ecuador's neighboring country has garnered impressive accolades over the years, including the lauded Cup of Excellence, the industry's highest honor, which not only spotlights delicious coffees but also prioritizes the well-being of small farmers and workers who harvest and select the beans before they're roasted and packaged for delivery.

Aguilar was determined to change the narrative  with no intention of downplaying Colombia's offerings. Instead, she aimed to help improve Ecuador's reputation when it came to coffee while also ensuring the livelihood (i.e. working conditions and fair pay) of those same farmers and workers.

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RELATED: The Best Coffee Shops in America

So, a few years after finding success with her first stateside business, which sold Ecuadorian-made clothing in 30 New York and New Jersey stores, Aguilar rolled up her sleeves once more and launched Zarucoffee, an e-commerce business that first found its footing online before making its brick-and-mortar debut at Zaruma Gold Coffee this past March.

Zarucoffee is unique in that it offers specialty coffee from all four regions in Ecuador: Coast (where the town of Zaruma is located), Sierra (home of the Andes Mountains and the province of Pichincha), Amazon, and Galapagos. Each of these regions are known for its unique altitudes, climates, and soils  all of which are in ideal conditions for growing coffee. It's what makes Ecuador the perfect purveyor of coffee, according to Aguilar.

Coast is a medium-light roast coffee that has flavor notes reminiscent of chocolate, brown sugar, and citrus. Sierra, a medium-light roast coffee, takes a much more fruit-forward approach, thanks to its honey, peach, and berry flavor notes. Galapagos, a medium roast bourbon coffee, puts chocolate, nuts, and stone fruit at the flavor forefront. Hazelnut, caramel, and spice notes come through in the Amazon offering, which is considered a medium roast coffee.

Diana Aguilar

Courtesy of Diana Aguilar

The end result of the bean-to-brew process? A really good cup of coffee.

As for the cafe itself, Aguilar is still dreaming big.

"We want to have Ecuador's best coffees [in Zaruma Gold Coffee]," she says, adding that these offerings would need to come from microlots and have a score of at least 86 points to be awarded that designation.

For now, however, Aguilar is counting her blessings and connecting with those who regularly visit Zaruma Gold Coffee, which also sells traditional Ecuadorian dishes like tigrillo (fried green plantain scramble with eggs and cheese), yuca bread, and bolon de verde (green plantain fritters) on the weekends.

"I can't tell you how many people have come up to me in tears, telling me how proud they are of what we're doing," she says, referencing a recent interaction with an Ecuadorian patron. "It's their own little piece of home."
In this Aug. 19, 2021 photo, Taliban fighters display their flag on patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP Photo/Rahmat Gul

A female journalist told Fox News she feared for her life after the Taliban took over Kabul.

The journalist, who remained unnamed, said she has to change her location daily to hide from the militant group.

"I don't know how long I can do this," she said. "I can't put more people in danger because of myself."

See more stories on Insider's business page.

A female journalist in Afghanistan said she has to change her location daily to hide from the Taliban, Fox News reported Wednesday.

"They are checking for the people who always talked against them," the journalist, who remained unnamed in the report, told Fox News. "Every day, I'm changing my address to be sure that they can't track me."

"I don't know what will happen to me, because if they find me, they will kill me," she added.

She told the news outlet that though she was already fearful of her safety given female oppression under the Taliban, she also expressed concern that she could be a target for the Taliban after being a frequent critic of the group on-air.

She said she "was one of the females to always talk against Taliban in the media because what they did to the women, what they did to the innocent people in Afghanistan, what they did it to the children in Afghanistan," saying Taliban fighters "burned" and "killed them."

At first, the journalist said she wasn't allowed to enter the newsroom where she worked, saying that a Taliban fighter told her "we don't need females here" and that she should "go to your home. Don't come back."

"They told me 'you're not allowed to come to the TV. We will have our own presenter, our own journalist. And we don't need you anymore,'" the journalist said.

Read more: How Americans who helped prosecute the Taliban are going down a 'black hole' to help their Afghan interpreters

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She later fled her home with her 17-year-old brother out of fear that Taliban fighters would begin killing female reporters. The journalist told Fox News she had been staying with friends but remains wary of who she can place her trust, saying that she was worried they could turn her over to the Taliban to protect themselves or become targets of the militants themselves.

"My friends are afraid because they think that they might be targeted because of me," the journalist said. "I don't know who is actually my enemy right now."

"I don't know how long I can do this," she continued. "I can't put more people in danger because of myself."

The journalist's fear of retribution comes in contrast to the Taliban's pledge to take a more moderate approach to authority over Afghanistan in comparison to their rule more than two decades ago. The journalist disputed their claim to a more just authority, saying "We don't have any future. We don't have any freedom."

"My message to the world and to America and to people all around the world is the Talibans (sic) are not change," she said, citing the report. "The only thing that the Taliban did for the last 20 years was killing people. People will never forgive the Taliban for what they did to the Afghan people for the last 20 years and what they are doing  now."

"And the very basic rights as a human that I have to speak, to go out of my home, to choose everything I want, it's gone," she added. "There is no hope for me, for my generation, for my people, for females, especially for the journalists, who are very afraid."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Roughly $6 billion that was either approved or will be approved for Afghan military training is now up for grabs after Kabuls collapse last week, and the jockeying among lawmakers to find a new home for that money has begun.

The numbers include almost $3 billion unspent from fiscal years 2020 and 2021, and $3.3 billion requested by the Pentagon to train and equip the Afghan army, air force and national police in 2022.

"There's gonna be a food fight," said Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee. "A whole lot of people have been looking at that money now."

House Armed Services Chair Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Rogers have discussed how to handle the money ahead of the committee's consideration of its version of the National Defense Authorization Act next week.

The new wrinkle comes as pressure mounts on the House to back a significant increase in military spending after the Senate tacked an extra $25 billion onto President Joe Bidens proposed defense budget.

House Armed Services slashed nearly all of the Pentagon's $3.3 billion request for Afghan forces in 2022 in a draft full committee version of the defense bill obtained Wednesday by POLITICO, though exactly how and to what accounts the panel parceled out the money is unclear.

The bill still includes $350 million to close out contracts and operations related to supporting Afghan forces.

Lawmakers will likely use some of the funding to beef up U.S. counterterrorism operations in the region as the Biden administration grapples with how to combat terrorist groups without a military presence in Afghanistan or its neighboring countries. The Pentagon has said it intends to conduct "over-the-horizon" operations there, a concept Rogers and other lawmakers have criticized as impractical, and the military hasnt explained.

"One of the first things that you're going to see, Adam and I agree on, is how we can use that for counterterrorism efforts," Rogers said.

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"This over-the-horizon business that they're talking about, the Democrats, is just not workable. We can't fly out of UAE or Qatar and expect to be able to do ISR," he added, referring to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. "So I think you're going to see us looking for some good way that we can apply some of that money to counterterrorism."

House Armed Services is slated to roll out its full defense policy bill early next week before a Sept. 1 markup.

But House Armed Services isnt the only committee that has to update its legislation in the wake of the U.S. pullout. Two top committees already set aside funding for the effort prior to the collapse of the Afghan government, and will need to revise their bills.

The Senate Armed Services Committee in July approved its version of the NDAA that backs the Pentagons $3.3 billion proposal for Afghan security forces. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), who chairs the committee, is weighing how to handle the funding ahead of a Senate debate on the legislation this fall.

The money would have come on top of the $83 billion the U.S. has already spent to train and equip the Afghan military and security forces over the past two decades. But those forces, however large and well-equipped they were just two weeks ago, no longer exist.

A Pentagon official confirmed that the building is in talks with lawmakers over the fiscal 2022 cash as well as the roughly $2 billion left over from the 2021 budget. The State Department included about $360 million for Afghanistan  an increase of $34 million  in 2022.

The House and Senate Appropriations panels will have to reallocate that money for any funding shift to become reality. Senate appropriators havent yet unveiled a fiscal 2022 defense spending bill. The House Appropriations Committee, however, approved a Pentagon funding bill in July that would provide just over $3 billion for Afghan forces, trimming the administrations request slightly.

The collapse of the Afghan military was so stunning, and is so fresh that no one  from lawmakers, the Pentagon or defense industry insiders  knows where the money will end up.

Its not a windfall for the defense industry, said one lobbyist with defense ties. The cost of current operations and requirements like [counterterrorism] to address the fallout [will likely] create an even bigger bill.

But a second lobbyist with defense ties thinks the money definitely creates opportunity for defense contractors since it will free up in excess of $3 billion for the committees to spend.

The rush to scoop up billions of unspent dollars following Afghanistan's fall to the Taliban hasn't escaped criticism. Some progressive groups are calling on Congress to ensure the money aids Afghans fleeing the Taliban rather than padding the Pentagon budget.

Redirecting these $6 billion to finance evacuations, refugee resettlement and much-needed humanitarian assistance, for example, could spell the difference between life and death for countless Afghans," said Kate Kizer, policy director of Win Without War. "After two decades of occupation, tens of thousands of lives lost and millions more displaced, it would be an insult to the people of Afghanistan to turn around and use the funds freed up by their governments collapse to double down on weapons and war."

The scramble for the suddenly unclaimed $3 billion comes amid a much-wider bipartisan effort on Capitol Hill to boost the Pentagon budget beyond the $715 billion proposed by the Biden administration.

Republicans slammed Biden's Pentagon budget request for not keeping up with the expected rate of inflation, instead pushing for a boost of 3 to 5 percent above inflation.

In July, Senate Armed Services endorsed a $25 billion increase to Biden's budget proposal to hike Pentagon spending to $740 billion for the coming fiscal year. Broad bipartisan support in the Senate for the budget boost has ratcheted up pressure on the House to endorse a similar increase.

Smith, who backs Biden's lower topline, has conceded enough Democrats will support more defense funding to force an increase in the overall amount of funding authorized in the House NDAA. The freed up Afghanistan money, he says, is now part of the overall budget discussion, though he stressed "it does not fundamentally alter the topline debate."

"There's a lot of people who think that we need to go above Biden's budget anyway," Smith said. "There's another $3 billion to accomplish some of that. So that's been part of that broader discussion."
Waymo

Google self-driving spinoff Waymo is now offering robotaxi rides to the public in San Francisco.

Waymo's Trusted Tester program will let residents hail a ride in an all-electric Jaguar vehicle.

All of the rides will still have a back-up driver onboard to take the wheel in case of emergencies.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

San Francisco residents are now able to hail a ride in a self-driving taxi.

Waymo launched its Trusted Tester program on Tuesday, allowing San Franciscans to get to their destinations in an all-electric, self-driving Jaguar I-PACE vehicle. The SUVs are equipped with the fifth generation of Waymo's autonomous driving technology, called Waymo Driver.

"Through the Trusted Tester program, we'll help San Francisco residents expand their mobility options while complementing the city's robust public transportation infrastructure," the company said in a press release announcing the program. "We can't wait to hear from more San Franciscans as they experience the Waymo Driver themselves."

The company has been testing self-driving technology in San Francisco for more than a decade, but this is the first time it will offer such rides to the public there. Residents can book rides through the Waymo One app.

Waymo, which began as Google's self-driving car project, says people in San Francisco can hail the taxis "for their everyday needs anywhere they want to go in our initial service area." All of the robotaxis will still have a trained back-up driver onboard to take over driving in case of emergencies.

Read more: 3 execs leading the startup born of Google's self-driving car project reveal their plan to attack the $800 billion trucking business

Waymo began the Trusted Tester program last week with a few people. The current expansion will stretch to include all locals who are interested, starting with a smaller group first and branching out to more riders in the coming weeks. In exchange for the rides, which are free, users will give feedback on the Waymo One app, pick-up, drop-off, and the ride in between.

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Waymo added that rides in wheelchair-accessible vehicles are also available in the program.

This isn't the first time Waymo has offered robotaxi rides to the public. The company started offering autonomous rides in the Phoenix metro area in 2017. This ride-hailing service went fully driverless in Phoenix last year, when Waymo took human safety drivers out of vehicles running in the area. Earlier this year, one of these rides went awry and blocked traffic. At the time, the company said, "Our team has already assessed the event and improved our operational process."

Read the original article on Business Insider
A new House Republican bill would prohibit the U.S. government from charging U.S. citizens for their evacuation or repatriation flights out of Afghanistan, a response to the State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul telling evacuees to sign a form promising to pay up to $2,000 or more to get out of the country.

Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said she introduced the Flights for Freedom Act on Tuesday, which her office said: Ensures that the United States government will not charge U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents for evacuation or repatriation flights out of Afghanistan now or any time in the future. Both before and after the fall of Kabul, the United States had instructed evacuees to fill out a form promising they would pay $2,000 or more for their flight out of Afghanistan, even after the Taliban takeover, only updating the form over the weekend.

The bill would codify what already-stated policy.

In these unique circumstances, we have no intention of seeking any reimbursement from those fleeing Afghanistan," State Department spokesman Ned Price told the Washington Examiner on Thursday.

"The thousands of Americans left behind in Afghanistan by the Biden administration already fear for their lives, Tenney said Tuesday. "They should not be forced by the U.S. government to finance their own lifesaving flights out of the country."

The legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Brian Mast of Florida and Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, would require Secretary of State Antony Blinken to waive any expenses related to the evacuation and repatriation of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents for the withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to Tenneys office. It also annuls any promissory note or obligation made to repay the costs of a U.S. citizen getting out of Afghanistan and prohibits any federal official or employee from soliciting or accepting funds for the Afghan evacuation of U.S. citizens.

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BIDEN RAISES SPECTER OF ISIS-K ATTACK AT KABUL AIRPORT

After the State Department issued an alert over a week ago saying U.S. citizens could have to pay for evacuation flights out of Afghanistan, a report indicated people hoping to escape are being asked to pay up. Although U.S. officials told Politico evacuation flights out of Kabul would be free, its National Security Daily newsletter reported some sources said otherwise  including one who said State Department staff were asking for up to $2,000 per U.S. citizen and more from noncitizens.

President Joe Biden said on Tuesday the U.S. had evacuated 70,700 people since Aug. 14 and 75,900 since the end of July.

A security alert on Repatriation Assistance for U.S. Citizens published on the website of the Overseas Security Advisory Council, part of the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security, was published on Aug. 14  one day before the Taliban swept into Kabul  and encouraged U.S. citizens to take advantage of commercial flights while they remained an option, offering guidance on eligibility requirements for those who sought charter flights.

One part of the alert said: "Repatriation flights are not free, and passengers will be required to sign a promissory loan agreement and may not be eligible to renew their U.S. passports until the loan is repaid. The cost may be $2,000USD or more per person."

A separate State Department webpage stated, Regardless of the method of transportation, or who provides it, U.S. citizens (and others who are eligible for U.S. government assistance) are generally responsible for reimbursing the government for the cost of their travel.

The U.S. Embassy was abandoned over a week ago. Hamid Karzai International Airport erupted into chaos as crowds of Afghans attempted to flee when the Taliban marched into Kabul last Sunday following an ill-planned U.S. military withdrawal.

Thousands of U.S. troops had to be sent back into the country to assist with the evacuation and protect the airport, with the Taliban just outside the perimeter and thousands of Americans and Afghan allies stuck outside. There have been numerous reports of the Taliban preventing U.S. citizens and Afghan allies from reaching the airport, and the threat of an ISIS-K terrorist attack has come to the forefront.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul warned people last Wednesday the U.S. government "cannot ensure safe passage" to the airport for evacuation. The bulletin also included a message about every American citizen needing to fill out a "Repatriation Assistance Request" form.

The second page of the form tells each applicant evacuation flights are not free, and the cost could exceed $2,000 per person. Each U.S. citizen was prompted to fill out a checklist to say he or she understands the conditions or chooses not to continue with filling out the form.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Afghanistan Evacuation webpage on the State Department website also included a link to the Repatriation Assistance Request form with a promise to pay.

The form was still accessible and live on the webpage for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as of late Thursday evening, the Daily Caller reported. The Washington Examiner found an information page on the State Department's main website dated Thursday that also directed people to fill out the form. As of Friday night in the U.S. and Saturday morning in Afghanistan, the requirement to pay was still there.

It was Saturday morning in the U.S. (or Saturday evening in Afghanistan) that the U.S. Embassy Kabul Repatriation Assistance Request 2021 form was finally changed to no longer include a requirement to agree to pay $2,000 or more. Tenneys legislation would set that in stone.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Afghanistan, Taliban, State Department

Original Author: Jerry Dunleavy

Original Location: GOP bill would prohibit government from charging US evacuees for flights out of Afghanistan
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Photos Getty

By JoNel Aleccia | KHN

For months, Joelle Ruppert was among the millions of Americans who are COVID vaccine holdouts. Her reluctance, she said, was not so much that she opposed the new vaccines but that she never felt compelled by the evidence supporting their experimental use.

Nonetheless, after she fell ill with COVID last month, Ruppert, a Florida preschool teacher, found herself desperate to try an experimental product that promised to ease her symptoms: infusion with a potent laboratory-produced treatment known as monoclonal antibody therapy.

I was in bed, I was feeling so badly, like the longest flu I ever had in my life, said Ruppert, 54, of Gainesville. I was, like, whatever, give me whatever.

Ruppert and her husband, Michael, 61, who also contracted COVID-19, are among thousands of people in the U.S. who in recent weeks have rushed to receive infusions of the powerful antibody cocktails shown to reduce hospitalizations by 70 percent when given promptly to high-risk patients.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Mugs With Unmasked Music StarThen Tests Positive for COVID

The rush has been fueled in no small part by governors in Southern states, where vaccinations lag and hospitalizations are soaring with Delta-variant infections. Republican Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas are among leaders touting the antibody treatments even as they downplay vaccination and other measures that health officials say can prevent illness in the first place.

Together, they have opened dozens of state-sponsored sites where monoclonal antibody therapy is offered, holding regular news conferences to endorse the potentially lifesaving benefits, while continuing to resist wider public health measures such as mask mandates and vaccine passports.

Anyone that has a better-than-average risk with COVID, if you do get infected, this is something you can do early and potentially really make a difference, DeSantis said Saturday at the opening of a monoclonal antibody infusion site in Manatee County.

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The Regeneron clinic at a monoclonal antibody treatment site in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Chandan Khanna/Getty

Since mid-July, delivery of the antibody cocktail made by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has soared from 25,000 doses to 125,000 doses per week, with about half shipped to four states: Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama, said Alexandra Bowie, a company spokesperson. The treatments use laboratory-produced molecules to replace, enhance or mimic the bodys natural antibodies that fight infection.

The sudden spotlight on the antibody treatments has whipsawed some public health experts, who have struggled for months to create and sustain sites capable of offering the therapy. The treatment is delivered primarily through a one-dose intravenous infusion that takes about 25 minutes, followed by an hour of observation for reactions.

Antibody cocktails, which must be given within 10 days of COVID infection or exposure, are effective for many patients, but this is not a substitute for vaccine, by any means, said Dr. Christian Ramers, chief of population health and an infectious disease specialist at Family Health Centers of San Diego.

Its a backwards strategy, said Ramers. Its so much better to prevent a disease than to use an expensive, cumbersome and difficult-to-use therapy. It does not make any medical sense to lean into monoclonals to the detriment of vaccines. Its like playing defense with no offense.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said monoclonal antibody treatment is for anyone with a better-than-average risk who tests positive early on in the infection. Mike Ehrmann/Getty

The cost of Regeneron infusions: about $1,250 a dose. For now, the federal government is covering the cost.

The federal government is also covering the costs of COVID vaccination, at about $20 a dose.

Hospitals and infusion centers also charge for the time and resource-intensive administration of monoclonal antibody treatment. Medicare has agreed to pay providers between $310 and $450 for performing it in health care settingsand $750 for treatment in a patients home.

Some patients who receive the treatment may be charged similar amounts for copays and administration fees, depending on what a hospital charges and what their insurance covers. DeSantis has emphasized that the treatment is provided at no cost to patients at Floridas state-run sites.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized two monoclonal antibody treatments for emergency use for COVID in November, weeks after then-President Donald Trump credited Regenerons product for curing his infection. Since then, use of a cocktail made by Eli Lilly has been halted because it wasnt effective against some COVID variants. In May, sotrovimab, a monoclonal antibody made by the pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline, also received emergency authorization.

The treatment is authorized for people newly infected with COVID at high risk of hospitalization and for high-risk patients who have been exposed to the virus. Those eligible include a wide swath of the American public: people who are overweight or obese, those who have diabetes, heart disease or other illnesses, and those with compromised immune systems.

The COVID vaccines also were authorized under emergency-use protocol. This week, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was granted full approval for use in people 16 and older.

Christina Pushaw, a DeSantis spokesperson, said criticism of efforts to promote monoclonal antibody therapy amounts to a false choice.

Prevention and treatment are not mutually exclusive, she said in an email. Both monoclonals and vaccines save lives. The difference is that vaccines are preventative and cannot help someone who is already infected with COVID-19.

Floridas Death Toll Now Exceeds DeSantis Margin of Victory

Some health officials welcomed the attention to monoclonal antibody therapy generated by DeSantis and others, saying the treatment has been undervalued and underused. The federal government has shipped more than 1.3 million doses of monoclonal products to nearly 6,300 sites, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. So, far, about 637,000 dosesor fewer than halfhave been used.

Its not about vaccination. Its about a treatment for COVID that can keep patients out of the hospital, said Connie Sullivan, president and chief executive of the trade group National Home Infusion Association. This isnt about politics. This is about patients at risk.

Still, some unvaccinated people appear to view the antibody treatments as a backup plan if they get sick, several health officials said.

At Memorial Hospital Pembroke in South Florida, Chief Nursing Officer David Starnes has overseen treatment of more than 2,000 patients with antibody cocktails since December. At least 90 percent of the patients have been unvaccinatedand the numbers keep climbing.

Whats amazing to me is that a vaccine weve been working on for 10 years, they are deathly afraid of, Starnes said. But this highly experimental cocktail? Theyre willing to run in there the minute that theyre sick to get this infused into their bodies.

Even those confounded by the emphasis on monoclonals over vaccination in some states say this new attention to the treatment has helped counter a basic public relations problem: Until recently, awareness of monoclonal treatments, often called mAbs, was low, leaving patients in danger of missing the 10-day window for treatment.

Utah, where fewer than half of residents are vaccinated, is among the states hosting an intensive, coordinated effort to reach people in time. Officials at the Intermountain Healthcare system based in Utah pulled together a team of volunteer medical professionals, dubbed the mAb squad, who scan lists of newly positive COVID patients and call those who meet eligibility criteria to connect them with the treatment.

Dr. Curt Andersen, a family medicine physician and an associate medical director with Intermountain Healthcare, said hes seeing lists of 70 to 80 patients every day because of the Delta surge. I talked to this one gentleman who got treated. Then his wife got treated. Then his mother, who was at very high risk, Andersen said. On the phone, he broke down in tears because we had this resource and he was so grateful.

Ruppert, the Gainesville preschool teacher, said she, too, was grateful. She and her husband both felt better within days of being treated at UF Health Shands Hospital. The experience has caused her to rethink how to protect herself and her family from COVID.

Now that Ive been there, I have a completely different perspective on this, said Ruppert, who will be eligible for vaccination in mid-October, 90 days after the antibody infusion. I most likely will be vaccinated.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris took aim at China again on Wednesday, accusing Beijing of bullying its neighbors in Southeast Asia.

Harris is currently on a diplomatic tour of the region in the hopes of countering China's influence there, and this marks the second broadside in two days aimed at Beijing.

"We need to find ways to pressure, raise the pressureon Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge, its bullying and excessive maritime claims."

Harris forged ahead with her trip to Vietnam despite delaying the visit due to a health scare.

The U.S. government blamed that delay on reports that someone in Hanoi may have been targeted by Havana syndrome, a condition of unknown origin with symptoms including dizziness, nausea, migraines and memory lapses.

Harris also pledged 1 million COVID vaccines to Vietnam after a similar donation by Beijing.

Beijing had attempted to stage its own diplomatic coup just as Harris' trip was delayed by scheduling a surprise ambassador meeting in Vietnam.

Chinese state media has accused Harris of trying to drive a wedge between China and Southeast Asian nations.

During an earlier stop in Singapore, Harris accused Beijing of using coercion and intimidation to back its unlawful claims in the South China Sea.

China has established military outposts on artificial islands throughout the sea.

Meanwhile, Vietnam and several other nations also lay claim to parts of the waters, home to crucial shipping lanes, gas fields and rich fishing grounds.

A White House official says Harris has pledged to support Vietnam's maritime security, including through visits by U.S. ships and aircraft carriers.

Harris is also expected to establish a new U.S. Embassy site in Hanoi in an effort to expand the relationship between the two countries.
Aug. 25Softball

Chattooga 10, Murray County 2

Murray County (3-7) fell on the road as Chattooga (7-0) stayed undefeated Tuesday.

The Lady Indians scored the first run of the game in the top of the first, but couldn't keep it going as Chattooga pulled away. The hosts built their 10-2 lead after the fourth, and the game ended after the fifth because of the mercy rule.

Natalie O'Neal was 2-for-3 with an RBI double for Murray, and Alyssa Usrey sent in the other run. Brooklyn Gonzalez also was 2-for-3.

Murray County hosts Ringgold in Chatsworth Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 8, North Murray 2

North Murray (4-7-1) fell at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (3-3) 8-2 on Tuesday.

The Lady Mountaineers scored in the second and fourth innings, but LFO racked up eight runs on eight hits.

North Murray plays a doubleheader at Columbus on Friday at 4 p.m.

Sonoraville 3, Coahulla Creek 1

Coahulla Creek (1-5) took a battle with Sonoraville (7-0) into 10 innings, but the Lady Colts fell 3-1 when the Phoenix added two runs in the top of the 10th.

The Lady Colts scored one run in the second inning and Sonoraville answered in the fourth inning. From there, the teams were locked into a scoreless battle until Sonoraville finally broke through in the third extra inning.

Coahulla Creek was held without a hit by Sonoraville pitcher Taylor Long, who dealt 17 strikeouts. The lone Coahulla Creek run came when Bailey Warnix reached home plate on a wild pitch.

Long pitched all 10 innings, and Steahl Smith did too for the Lady Colts. Smith tallied 10 strikeouts and walked just two while throwing 151 pitches.

The Lady Colts play at Southeast Whitfield tonight at 5.

South Paulding 6, Dalton 1

Despite a home run from Samya Simpson, Dalton (2-3) couldn't score any more runs and lost 6-1 to South Paulding (6-2) Tuesday at home.

Simpson blasted a solo shot over the center field fence in the bottom of the third inning for the first score for either team.

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Dalton pitcher Haley Curtis held the Spartans off the board until the fifth, when they broke through with three runs. South Paulding knocked out two home runs of their own.

Simpson was 2-for-2 for the Lady Cats, while Addison Eicholtz, Ella Hill, Dasia Ware and Gracie Young also tallied hits.

Dalton plays at Northwest Whitfield at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.

Volleyball

Creek splits at Rome tri-match

Coahulla Creek (6-4-1) split two matches at a tri-match at Rome High School Tuesday, defeating Woodland (2-6) and falling to Rome (6-2).

The Lady Colts defeated Woodland 25-20 in both sets of the match. Kalynn Cameron had three kills and two aces in the win, and Aubree Langley had two kills, two blocks and an ace. Sierra Simpkins had four kills.

Coahulla Creek fell to Rome 25-16 and 25-13.

Langley added three blocks in the loss, while Jalisia Famber tallied two kills and two blocks and Jarelli Mallozi had two kills and a block. Kensli Warnix totaled nine assists on the night for Coahulla Creek.

The Lady Colts host Pickens Thursday at 7 p.m.

To submit scores and results for nightly roundups, email sports@dailycitizen.news or call (706) 272-7742.
A special committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol issued a sweeping demand for records from the executive branch, the panel chairman announced Wednesday.

Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, said the committee is expanding the investigation and wants to focus on the events leading up to the attack as well as how the event fits into what Democrats believe was an effort to overturn the 2020 election.

KATHY HOCHUL BECOMES NEW YORK'S FIRST FEMALE GOVERNOR



Thompson sent letters to the National Archives and Records Administration as well as seven other agencies, including the Defense and Justice Departments as well as the FBI and others, seeking information related to the runup to the Jan. 6 riot.

Thompson wants the agencies to provide records related to the gathering and dissemination of intelligence work in advance of the attack, security preparations around the U.S. Capitol, the role agencies played in defense of the Capitol on Jan. 6, and how the January 6th events fit in the continuum of efforts to subvert the rule of law, overturn the results of the November 3, 2020 election, or otherwise impede the peaceful transfer of power.

Democrats are determined to investigate the role then-President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers played in stirring up the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

The panel has not yet issued subpoenas for any of the information. Thompson said this week he will first make requests in writing.

Thompson told reporters this week he wont stop with the executive branch and plans to request records from Congressional lawmakers, although he did not indicate who he would target.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Some Democrats have accused GOP lawmakers of both provoking the rioters and facilitating their access to the Capitol, which has not been proven.

Democrats are also eager to find out more about Minority Leader Kevin McCarthys conversation with Trump on Jan. 6. The California Republican held a tense call with the president, asking him to call off the protesters, according to a GOP lawmaker who documented the exchange.

Story continues

The Jan. 6 panel has held one hearing, featuring law enforcement, and is planning another one, Thompson said.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Congress, U.S. Capitol Building, January 6 Commission, Bennie Thompson, Kevin McCarthy, Donald Trump

Original Author: Susan Ferrechio

Original Location: House committee demands executive branch records from Jan. 6 riot
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's evacuation flights from Afghanistan are nearing an end after the central European country airlifted more than 500 people from Kabul, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Wednesday.

Western nations were rushing to complete the evacuation of thousands of people from Afghanistan on Wednesday as the Aug. 31 deadline for the withdrawal of foreign troops draws near, with no sign that the country's new Taliban rulers might allow an extension.

"The exact timing (of when our evacuation ends) will be announced by the commander of the army, which may happen as soon as today," Szijjarto told a news conference, adding that most evacuees were Afghan nationals who had supported a Hungarian charity or Hungarian troops there.

Szijjarto made the remarks after a plane carrying 240 Afghan nationals including 126 children landed in the Hungarian capital Budapest on Wednesday. It was not clear if there were other nationals on the plane as well. Szijjarto did not provide further details.

Hungary, a tough opponent of irregular migration to Europe, reiterated that it rejected any plans to accommodate large numbers of Afghan refugees, and would only evacuate people whose lives were at risk for supporting the NATO presence in Afghanistan.

Another plane that arrived in Budapest on Monday evacuated 173 people from Afghanistan, including many at the request of the United States and Austria.

(Reporting by Anita Komuves and Gergely Szakacs; Editing by Nick Macfie)
ICE agents apprehend someone in the early morning hours in Bell Gardens, Calif., in March 2020. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could get its first Senate-confirmed leader in nearly five years this fall  laying the groundwork for change at an agency long criticized for its treatment of immigrants in detention.

ICE faces mounting pressure to make changes as the Senate prepares to vote on President Bidens nominee, Texas Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, who has long worked with ICE but has also taken a moderate approach to immigration enforcement. Though the Biden administration has already announced new guidelines for the agency, implementing them and other changes will fall to the new director.

The question of what ICE can and should change is complicated. Calls for an overhaul of the agency, nearly two decades old, have come from across the political spectrum and range from more targeted detentions to abolition of the agency itself. The Times spoke with more than a dozen advocates, experts, former detainees, current law enforcement officers, and former ICE officials to hear what kinds of changes they would like to see.

Treatment in detention

For years, the loudest call has been to improve conditions for detained immigrants, most of whom face no criminal charges but are waiting to find out whether they will be allowed to remain in the country.

ICE has two main branches: one that investigates transnational crimes, including human trafficking and money laundering, and another responsible for enforcing immigration law across the nation's interior. It is the latter  Enforcement and Removal Operations  that has so often sparked controversy.

Last fall, dozens of women reported being subjected to unnecessary medical procedures without their consent by a gynecologist contracted by ICE. In response, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced plans to close two ICE detention centers, including the Georgia facility where the medical accusations came to light.

ICE has also faced allegations of abusive treatment of detainees, some of which was documented in a 2020 investigation by The Times , and of the use of toxic industrial disinfectant at a private, ICE-contracted detention center in California. More recently, detainees and advocates have accused the agency of failing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in crowded immigration detention centers.

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In a statement, ICE officials said the agency was cooperating with an investigation by the Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General.

Some advocates, former detainees and lawmakers say closing a few detention centers fails to address what they call a larger pattern of poor treatment, often in privately run facilities. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), chair of the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship, is among those who have long called for better oversight of all U.S. detention facilities.

For those who must be detained, conditions must be improved. It would be smart to replace the very expensive system of for-profit facilities with more affordable nonprofit facilities, Lofgren said.

ICE officials defended the agency's practices, saying it uses various kinds of facilities to meet its needs while also attempting to save money.

Yenni Petit, a Haitian asylum seeker and transgender woman who was detained by ICE for three months this year, spoke to The Times after she was held at the Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center, a private facility in Louisiana operated by GEO Group. While in custody, according to documents filed by her lawyer, she was denied her hormone treatment and placed in solitary confinement for more than 60 days for what she was told was her own protection.

How is this a place for immigrants who don't have any history of violence? asked Petit, 26, whose lawyer secured her release in May. Petit wore an ankle monitor for two months as she awaited the outcome of her case.

ICE spokesperson Dani Bennett said in a statement that Petit repeatedly requested to remain in "protective custody," or solitary confinement.

Bennett added that Petit's request for hormones "was determined not to be medically necessary" during her stay at Pine Prairie.

GEO Group said that the Department of Homeland Security provides extensive policies related to the care and treatment of transgender individuals and that the company is "contractually required to meet those policies and standards.

"The decision of where to house a transgender detainee is made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account several factors including but not limited to, the individuals gender identity, the safety and well-being of the detainee, medical care needs, and individual preference based on community/family ties or attorney in the area," Bennett said in the statement.

Making detentions more targeted

Immigrant advocates and some lawmakers are calling for a more targeted approach to detentions. Early in his term, President Trump demanded federal authorities take a "zero tolerance" approach to anyone living in the country illegally, doing away with an Obama-era emphasis on detaining and deporting immigrants with criminal backgrounds or those who had recently arrived.

Mayorkas announced this year a plan to reorient ICEs mission toward prioritizing those who pose a threat to national security or public safety, or are recent arrivals. According to the interim agency guidance , deportation officers must get permission from supervisors to arrest people who do not fit those descriptions. Updated agency enforcement guidelines are to be released this month, according to a Homeland Security spokesperson.

Mayorkas' announcement was welcomed by most advocates, though they said they were waiting to see his guidance translated into action.

Others say his policy shift doesn't go far enough. Jorge Loweree, policy director of the nonprofit immigrant advocacy group the American Immigration Council, said it's too vague, leaving the future of millions of immigrants an open question mark in the eyes of ICE. Loweree wants the federal government to define a subset of immigrants whom it will shield from deportation, including what he called "vulnerable populations" and "people with long-standing ties to their communities in the U.S."

Just under 26,000 people are in ICE custody, down from early August 2019, when more than 55,000 people were held, according to data from the agencys website . The drop is largely due to the pandemic, during which the U.S. has largely closed its southern border.

Progressives such as Lofgren, as well as libertarians including Alex Nowrasteh, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, would like to see ICE more frequently use alternative methods such as ankle monitors to track immigrants. Electronic monitoring through ankle monitors is one of ICE's many "alternatives to detention" programs.

Homeland Security also announced on Aug. 17 a program to provide social services, including mental health services and sex trafficking screenings, to non-detained immigrants facing deportation.

The program would supplement other "alternatives to detention," programs that are "not a substitute for detention, but allow ICE to exercise increased supervision over a portion of those who are not detained," agency officials said in a statement.

Collaboration with local law enforcement

The agencys ongoing collaborations with local law enforcement remain another point of contention. Many advocates and some former law enforcement officials would like to scale back or end programs such as 287(g), which trains law enforcement officers at the state and local levels to perform some functions of federal immigration agents . They would also like to halt the use of so-called detainers, which allow ICE to request that local law enforcement hold a person for up to 48 hours after their official release date.

ICE officials said in a statement that the goal of the 287(g) program is public safety, to be achieved by enabling local police to "identify criminal noncitizens who they have arrested for local crimes," and who may be in the U.S. illegally, and to "turn them over to ICE for immigration enforcement after their criminal case is complete" so the agency can expel them from the country.

Kevin Lashus, who was an attorney with ICE under President George W. Bush, said the local collaboration is an important part of immigration enforcement  especially when it comes to individuals who have committed serious crimes or have outstanding orders of removal.

But Lashus said that in recent years the law enforcement collaborations have been used as an excuse by local communities to get the federal government to take custody over individuals who have been arrested for minor crimes  which as a chilling effect on cooperation with police among people in the country illegally. Many are afraid that reaching out to local law enforcement, even to report crimes, will lead to their expulsion from the country.

In hopes of minimizing that chilling effect, ICE updated its policy Aug. 10 announcing it would no longer seek to expel certain victims of crime. "The new policy significantly limits the circumstances under which a noncitizen victim will be detained by ICE, requires pre-approval for civil immigration enforcement actions against victims, absent exigent circumstances, and adds new tracking and training requirements," agency officials said in a statement.

Lashus would like ICE to also create an exception for those who report violent crimes in their communities.

That's still not enough for Amada Armenta, a UCLA associate professor of urban planning who specializes in immigration enforcement. She'd like to do away with the collaboration programs altogether. When immigrants [are] afraid to engage with law enforcement, she said, "thats bad for all of us."

Reforms from top to bottom

Calls to abolish ICE, or at least its enforcement arm, have grown louder in progressive circles. But the argument has also gained traction among libertarians.

The Cato Institute's Nowrasteh said he supports abolishing the Enforcement and Removal Operations division and rebranding ICE to focus solely on investigating transnational crime. That, he says, would allow for more cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE by ensuring that the agency focuses on people who are real criminals, rather than just immigration offenders.

The mantra in some circles to "abolish ICE" is dead on arrival in Congress, says Sarah Saldana, who served in the Obama administration as the agency's last Senate-confirmed director. She calls the push to abolish ICE a very simplistic approach to a very complex, full-of-tentacles issue.

But even a partial rebranding of the agency is bound to stall, as it did in 2018 after news of the separation of migrant families along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Whatever reforms are enacted, critics and supporters of ICE agree that the new director must address low staff morale. Both Lashus and Saldana say the poor morale stems from a lack of leadership at the agency under acting Director Tae Johnson.

There's nothing like an agency without leadership, Saldana said. That is a formula for disaster. She hopes a speedy confirmation of Gonzalez will give ICE "the leadership thats needed for an agency that is much maligned but provides a tremendous service to the country."

Gonzalez has taken a middle-of-the-road approach to reform as sheriff of Harris County, Texas, where Houston is located. He ended his departments participation in ICE's controversial 287(g) program granting his deputies federal immigration enforcement powers. But he allowed ICE to issue extended holds on those detained by his deputies.

In his confirmation hearing last month before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Gonzalez said he wouldnt end the 287(g) program on a national scale  drawing criticism from groups including the American Civil Liberties Union.

As sheriff, he also supported bail reform and improving access to public defenders, said Alex Bunin, Harris Countys chief public defender.

That mix might not win over progressives and hard-liners, but it might just earn him the 51 votes needed to become ICEs new director  and thread the needle on reform.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Students and teachers at Caldwell High School will be required to wear masks through the beginning of September.

The mask mandate, which will also apply to Washington and Lincoln elementary schools, will be in effect through Sept. 3 as a precaution for the next two weeks, said Jessica Watts, Caldwell School Districts communication director, in an email update.

At the districts board meeting this week, trustees decided they would monitor the number of absences at schools, and if that reaches 10%, they would meet to discuss next steps. That preceded the discussion that led to the Caldwell High mandate.

We are strongly encouraging families to keep their children home if they or a family member is sick, Watts said. Masks are still recommended at the other schools in the district.

The new mandate comes as districts across Idaho are reconsidering their mask and safety policies as COVID-19 cases surge in the state and public health officials warn about the more transmissible delta variant.

Districts are facing pressure from both sides of the issue: those who want mask mandates and those fighting for mask-optional policies.

The Boise School District earlier this month announced masks would be required for everyone indoors, regardless of vaccination status. The West Ada School District is scheduled to discuss its back-to-school safety protocols Tuesday night.

Becca Savransky covers education for the Idaho Statesman in partnership with Report for America. The position is partly funded through community support. Click here to donate.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little was one of dozens of Republican governors who announced in May that he would reject the continuation of enhanced federal unemployment benefits during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, hes one of several Republican governors facing a lawsuit over that decision.

Idaho Legal Aid Services on Friday filed a suit on behalf of two unnamed workers against Little and the Idaho Department of Labor over the governors decision to end the additional benefits. Both plaintiffs have underlying health conditions and were laid off during the pandemic, according to the complaint.

The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program ended in Idaho on June 19 and would have provided unemployed Idaho residents with an additional $300 a week through the CARES Act. The lawsuit, filed in the 4th Judicial District of the State of Idaho, aims to continue Idahos participation in the program.

Howard Belodoff, an Idaho Legal Aid Services attorney representing the plaintiffs, said 14,000 Idaho residents relied on the additional money. The plaintiffs are especially vulnerable as the COVID-19 pandemic surges again, he said.

As bad as it is, I dont understand why you make it worse for 14,000 people in Idaho and their families, Belodoff told the Idaho Statesman on Tuesday. Now is not the time to be cutting people off, especially vulnerable people like my clients.

The Idaho Attorney Generals Office, which is representing the Department of Labor, declined to comment on pending litigation. Littles spokesperson didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

One plaintiff, referred to as A.E. in the lawsuit, is a 38-year-old diabetic construction worker in Salmon who was laid off during the pandemic. The second plaintiff, K.S., is a 35-year-old Meridian resident who has Crohns disease and was laid off from an Eagle-based company in March 2020, according to the complaint.

Idaho Legal Aid Services attorney says Idaho workers have a strong case

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Cases have mounted in Republican states where governors cut off the enhanced benefits. State courts in Maryland and Indiana have ruled against their governors decisions and ordered the states to restart the pandemic benefits. Belodoff said he believes he has an even stronger case in Idaho.

The complaint filed on Friday alleges that the state violated Idaho code to maximize unemployment insurance benefits available to eligible Idaho residents who lost their employment through no fault of their own.

Idahos employment security law states that Idaho must cooperate with the U.S. Department of Labor and should take such action as may be necessary ... to Idaho all advantages under federal laws in unemployment insurance and workforce resources.

The states unlawful action has unnecessarily and prematurely severed the lifeline of thousands of struggling Idahoans and risks plunging thousands of Idaho residents into housing instability as well as severe emotional and economic crisis, the complaint states.

Belodoff said Tuesday that his two plaintiffs were not on any assistance programs before they stopped receiving the enhanced federal unemployment aid. They applied for Medicaid and other state-run aid because they could no longer pay their bills, he said, ultimately costing the state more money.

Little announced in May that he would end Idahos participation in the federal unemployment program due to employers recruitment challenges. Those benefits included programs for the self-employed, who dont normally qualify for unemployment, and a program that provided an additional $100 a week to mixed-income earners.

Its time to get back to work, Little said in a statement on May 11. My decision is based on a fundamental conservative principle  we do not want people on unemployment. We want people working. A strong economy cannot exist without workers returning to a job.

Belodoff said state officials failed to provide a solid reason to deny the federal benefits. Both his plaintiffs wanted to work and followed the process to receive unemployment benefits. The Salmon construction worker was offered only one job, which begins in October, Belodoff said. The Meridian resident with Crohns has been unable to find work, Belodoff said.

The idea that these people dont want to work, the idea that these people would rather collect unemployment, its a myth, Belodoff said. Its just not true.
While Michelmersh Brick Holdings plc (LON:MBH) might not be the most widely known stock at the moment, it saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the AIM. Less-covered, small caps sees more of an opportunity for mispricing due to the lack of information available to the public, which can be a good thing. So, could the stock still be trading at a low price relative to its actual value? Lets take a look at Michelmersh Brick Holdingss outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.

Check out our latest analysis for Michelmersh Brick Holdings

What is Michelmersh Brick Holdings worth?

According to my price multiple model, which makes a comparison between the company's price-to-earnings ratio and the industry average, the stock price seems to be justfied. In this instance, Ive used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stocks cash flows. I find that Michelmersh Brick Holdingss ratio of 26.87x is trading in-line with its industry peers ratio, which means if you buy Michelmersh Brick Holdings today, youd be paying a relatively sensible price for it. Is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Since Michelmersh Brick Holdingss share price is quite volatile, we could potentially see it sink lower (or rise higher) in the future, giving us another chance to buy. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market.

What does the future of Michelmersh Brick Holdings look like?

Future outlook is an important aspect when youre looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so lets also take a look at the company's future expectations. Michelmersh Brick Holdings' revenue growth are expected to be in the teens in the upcoming years, indicating a solid future ahead. Unless expenses grow at the same level, or higher, this top-line growth should lead to robust cash flows, feeding into a higher share value.

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What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in MBHs positive outlook, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we havent considered today, such as the financial strength of the company. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at MBH? Will you have enough conviction to buy should the price fluctuate below the industry PE ratio?

Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping tabs on MBH, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the optimistic forecast is encouraging for MBH, which means its worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

So while earnings quality is important, it's equally important to consider the risks facing Michelmersh Brick Holdings at this point in time. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Michelmersh Brick Holdings you should know about.

If you are no longer interested in Michelmersh Brick Holdings, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
The Guardian

As sovereign nations, Indigenous groups are using their authority to make their own rules to protect students and teachers A mural on the Navajo reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico. Photograph: Andrew Hay/Reuters Native American tribes across the handful of US states with bans on school mask mandates have asserted their powers as sovereign nations to defy the orders, with some also implementing their own testing and vaccine directives for tens of thousands of students and faculty in schools on t
DUBAI (Reuters) - Irans parliament on Wednesday approved all but one of President Ebrahim Raisi's big-name nominees for a cabinet of hardliners that will have the task of implementing his plans to ease U.S. sanctions and tackle worsening economic hardship.

Raisi, a hardliner under Western sanctions over allegations of human rights abuses when he was a judge, was sworn into office on Aug. 5 with the Islamic Republic's clerical establishment facing growing crises at home and abroad.

With economic misery palpable at home, the mid-ranking Shi'ite cleric's priority will be boosting an economy hobbled since 2018 when Washington exited Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with six powers and reimposed sanctions that have squeezed Tehrans oil income and shut it out of the international banking system.

The hardline-dominated parliament approved anti-Western Hossein Amirabdollahian as foreign minister. He is believed to have close ties with Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement and other Iranian proxies around the Middle East.

A former ambassador to Bahrain, Amirabdollahian was deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs between 2011 and 2016. He was deputy chief of mission at Iran's embassy in Baghdad from 1997-2001.

To be freed from crippling U.S. sanctions, Iran has been negotiating with world powers since April to revive the nuclear pact that curbed Tehran's nuclear programme in return for lifting international sanctions.

A sixth round of the talks were held on June 20, with Iranian and Western officials saying major gaps remained to be resolved in returning Tehran and Washington to full compliance with the pact. Iran has violated limits on its enrichment of uranium, a possible pathway to nuclear weapons, since 2019. It has always denied seeking nuclear weapons.

Raisi has backed the talks, but insiders have predicted that his government will adopt a tougher line when they resume. Parties involved in the negotiations have yet to set a date for the next round of negotiations.

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Parliament also approved the nomination of Javad Owji, an ex-deputy oil minister and managing director of the state-run gas company, as oil minister. Raisi's nominee for the education ministry was rejected by lawmakers for issues including lack of experience in the subject.

Raisi's cabinet includes several commanders of the Guards like Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, a former defence minister and commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the Quds Force. Several members of Raisi's cabinet are on U.S. or European Union sanctions lists.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett want to use their meeting on Thursday to project that the U.S.-Israeli relationship is off to a fresh start, Israeli and U.S. officials involved in the visit tell Axios.

Why it matters: The leaders will discuss Iran, military aid to Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian issue, China and more. Both need a successful meeting for their own domestic political reasons and want to build a personal relationship.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

For the past 12 years, it was Benjamin Netanyahu making these trips to Washington, and Netanyahu's tenure is in many ways the impetus that's driving Bennett and Biden together.

Bennett wants to move on from Netanyahu's frequent bickering with Barack Obama and Biden and believes policy differences can be better managed through a less confrontational approach, one of his aides tells me.

"Joe Biden is a true friend of Israel. There is a new government in Israel and a new administration in the U.S., and I am bringing with me a new spirit of cooperation," Bennett said before departing from Tel Aviv.

The Biden administration is also intent on helping to stabilize Bennett's eclectic "anti-Netanyahu" coalition, which includes fellow right-wingers as well as parties from the center and left.

Driving the news: Bennett arrived in Washington on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, he has meetings with Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

He will arrive at the White House on Thursday at around 11:30am.

This will be Bennett's first trip to the White House, and he enters it with very little experience meeting other world leaders.

Behind the scenes: Speaking with his advisers on the flight to Washington, Bennett reflected on the road that has led him to this point and admitted he was excited about the upcoming meeting.

Bennett's main priority for his meeting with Biden is Iran. He plans to tell Biden that, unlike Netanyahu, he wants to cooperate with the U.S. on that issue, an Israeli official said.

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But Bennett will also stress the urgent need for a Plan B as an Iranian return to the 2015 nuclear deal seems increasingly unlikely. That plan should also address Iran's regional activity, the official said.

In his meetings with Biden and Austin, Bennett is expected to ask for more U.S. military aid  both to replenish the Iron Dome missile defense system but also to build up Israeli military capabilities against Iran and its proxies.

Bennett will also propose that Biden use the burgeoning regional alignment under the Abraham Accords as part of a strategy to counter Iran, Israeli officials say.

On the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Biden and Bennett are far apart. Biden is committed to the two-state solution, which Bennett rejects.

But they agree that conditions aren't ripe for direct peace talks and that they should instead focus on improving the situation on the ground in the occupied West Bank and Gaza and preventing escalation.

Bennetts aides think that this creates a wide range of issues on which Israel and the U.S. can work together.

Bennett also expects to discuss three issues that are higher priorities for Biden than the Middle East: climate change, COVID-19 and China.

Bennett will present a new policy that will treat relations with China as a national security issue and pay greater heed to U.S. concerns, an Israeli official said.

Chinese investments in Israel were a rare point of tension between Netanyahu and Donald Trump.

More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Israel's top Jewish religious authorities have told the Vatican they are concerned about comments that Pope Francis made about their books of sacred law and have asked for a clarification.

In a letter seen by Reuters, Rabbi Rasson Arousi, chair of the Commission of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel for Dialogue with the Holy See, said the comments appeared to suggest Jewish law was obsolete.

Vatican authorities said they were studying the letter and were considering a response.

Rabbi Arousi wrote a day after the pope spoke about the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, during a general audience on Aug. 11.

The Torah contains hundreds of commandments, or mitzvot, for Jews to follow in their everyday lives. The measure of adherence to the wide array of guidelines differs between Orthodox Jews and Reform Jews.

At the audience, the pope, who was reflecting on what St. Paul said about the Torah in the New Testament, said: "The law (Torah) however does not give life.

"It does not offer the fulfilment of the promise because it is not capable of being able to fulfil it ... Those who seek life need to look to the promise and to its fulfilment in Christ."

Rabbi Arousi sent the letter on behalf of the Chief Rabbinate - the supreme rabbinic authority for Judaism in Israel - to Cardinal Kurt Koch, whose Vatican department includes a commission for religious relations with Jews.

"In his homily, the pope presents the Christian faith as not just superseding the Torah; but asserts that the latter no longer gives life, implying that Jewish religious practice in the present era is rendered obsolete," Arousi said in the letter.

"This is in effect part and parcel of the 'teaching of contempt' towards Jews and Judaism that we had thought had been fully repudiated by the Church," he said.

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IMPROVED RELATIONS

Relations between Catholics and Jews were revolutionised in 1965, when the Second Vatican Council repudiated the concept of collective Jewish guilt for the death of Jesus and began decades of inter-religious dialogue. Francis and his two predecessors visited synagogues.

Two leading Catholic scholars of religious relations with Jews agreed that the pope's remarks could be seen as a troublesome setback and needed clarification.

"To say that this fundamental tenet of Judaism does not give life is to denigrate the basic religious outlook of Jews and Judaism. It could have been written before the Council," said Father John Pawlikowski, former director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies Program at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

"I think it's a problem for Jewish ears, especially because the pope's remarks were addressed to a Catholic audience," said Professor Philip Cunningham, director of the Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia.

"It could be understood as devaluing Jewish observance of the Torah today," Cunningham said.

Arousi and Pawlikowski said it was possible that a least part of the pope's teaching homily, known as a catechesis, was written by aides and that the phrase was not properly vetted.

Koch's office said on Wednesday he had received the letter, was "considering it seriously and reflecting on a response".

Francis has had a very good relationship with Jews. While still archbishop in native Buenos Aires, he co-wrote a book with one of the city's rabbis, Abraham Skorka, and has maintained a lasting friendship with him.

In his letter to Cardinal Koch, Arousi asked him to "convey our distress to Pope Francis" and asked for a clarification from the pope to "ensure that any derogatory conclusions drawn from this homily are clearly repudiated".

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A booster dose of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine sharply increased levels of antibodies against the coronavirus, according to interim data from two small, early-stage trials, the company said in a press release on Wednesday.

J&J has been under pressure to produce evidence of whether a booster shot would increase protection from its one-shot vaccine as the U.S. government prepares to roll out a booster campaign next month. The company plans to discuss the data with U.S. regulators as they devise their booster shot regimens.

The preliminary data announced on Wednesday involved a total of 17 people. It found that a second dose of the J&J vaccine delivered six months after the first resulted in a ninefold increase in binding antibody levels over those seen 28 days after the first dose, the company said.

The company did not release data on whether a second dose of its vaccine increases levels of neutralizing antibodies, which block the virus from entering cells.

Those data are still being analyzed, said Dr. Dan Barouch, a Harvard vaccine researcher who helped design J&Js COVID-19 vaccine, but who was not involved in the J&J booster study.

Unlike neutralizing antibodies, binding antibodies tag the virus for destruction by other parts of the immune system. Barouch said increases in binding antibodies typically correlate with increases in neutralizing antibodies.

Several countries, including the United States, have begun offering booster doses https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-booster/factbox-countries-weigh-need-for-booster-covid-19-shots-idUKKBN2FP168 to vulnerable individuals, including the immunocompromised, as the Delta variant has spread and some vaccinated people have become infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. But those campaigns have excluded the J&J shot because there has been no evidence that a booster helps increase vaccine protection.

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U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisers in particular have been waiting for word on how to advise immunocompromised individuals who received the J&J vaccine and are already recommended to receive a booster shot.

According to J&J, the studies released Wednesday showed significant increases in binding antibody responses in participants aged 18-55 and in those 65 years and older who received a lower booster dose.

The study summaries are being submitted to the preprint server MedRxiv in advance of peer review or publication in a journal.

The results were released ahead of long-awaited results from J&J's large, two-dose vaccine trial. A spokesman said those results will be available in the coming weeks.

In July, J&J published interim Phase 1/2a data in the New England Journal of Medicine that showed neutralizing antibodies generated by its vaccine remained stable eight months after immunization with a single dose.

"With these new data, we also see that a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine further increases antibody responses among study participants who had previously received our vaccine," Mathai Mammen, head of research and development at J&J's Janssen pharma division, said in a statement.

"We look forward to discussing with public health officials a potential strategy for our Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, boosting eight months or longer after the primary single-dose vaccination."

Several scientists have raised concerns that individuals who got the J&J shot would need boosters. One study by a team from New York University found a "significant fraction" of blood samples from recipients who got the J&J shot had low neutralizing antibodies against Delta and several other coronavirus variants.

J&J said the company is working with the CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency, the World Health Organization and other health authorities about delivering a booster shot with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Karishma Singh and David Gregorio)
By Antoni Slodkowski

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga held talks on Wednesday with a powerful ruling party executive on a party leadership vote that will decide who leads the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) into the next election due by November.

The ruling LDP vote is expected to take place on Sept. 29.

The executive, Toshihiro Nikai, said this week he backs Suga's re-appointment as party chief, a position ensuring Suga would stay on as prime minister and take the party helm in the looming general election.

Japan's largest newspaper, the Yomiuri daily, said on Wednesday that in addition to Nikai's faction, the leadership of four other main groups in the LDP also favoured Suga for the top job, although younger, more vulnerable MPs opposed the unpopular premier.

Suga took office last September after Shinzo Abe quit, citing ill health, and his term expires at the end of next month. The premier's ratings have fallen below 30% as Japan battles its worst wave of COVID-19 infections, and some in the party want to replace him before the general election.

There had been speculation that Suga may aim to first call a general election, win a majority of seats, then use the victory to help him win another term as party leader.

But Kyodo news agency, citing unnamed sources, said late on Tuesday Suga was not planning to dissolve the lower house of parliament, a key step for calling a snap election, before the party leadership vote.

This arrangement appeared to have been confirmed during the talks on Wednesday, where Suga and Nikai agreed the party leadership race would go ahead, Kyodo said.

At an evening news conference on the expansion https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-seeks-state-emergency-expansion-8-more-prefectures-minister-2021-08-24 of the COVID-19 state of emergency to eight more prefectures, Suga remained vague on the timing of the elections.

"As for dissolving the lower house of parliament and holding a general election, choices are getting slim. I've been saying repeatedly that the top priority is our coronavirus response. I want to decide with that in mind," he said.

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Suga has repeatedly said he will run in the leadership contest for another term, though a former foreign minister, Fumio Kishida, has firmed up his decision to challenge him in the party vote, according to public broadcaster NHK.

LDP members of parliament and grassroots party members are expected to be eligible to vote in the poll.

Nikai played a central role in ensuring Suga's victory in the previous LDP leadership race last year.

(Reporting by Antoni Slodkowski; Editing by Michael Perry and Mark Heinrich)
U.S. Air Force loadmasters and pilots assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, load people being evacuated from Afghanistan onto a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen/U.S. Air Force via AP

Psaki condemned defense contractor Erik Prince's plans to charge $6,500 for seats on a flight out of Kabul.

"I don't think any human being who has a heart and soul would support efforts to profit off of people's agony," she said.

Prince, the founder of Blackwater, said he'll charge extra to transport passengers to the airport.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki condemned defense contractor Erik Prince for his plans to charge $6,500 for seats on a chartered evacuation flight out of Kabul, Afghanistan.

Related video: Thousands try to flee Afghanistan after Taliban takes control

When first asked about private contractors profiting off the ongoing evacuation of Americans, Afghans, and others from the country, Psaki said the Biden administration doesn't approve of charging evacuees.

"We are evacuating people free of cost because that is the right step to take and certainly we wouldn't be supportive of profiting off people who are desperate to get out of a country," she told reporters during her Wednesday press briefing.

After being asked specifically about Prince's plans, she condemned the proposal in harsher terms.

"I don't think any human being who has a heart and soul would support efforts to profit off of people's agony and pain if they're trying to depart a country and fearing for their lives," she said.

Prince, a Trump ally and founder Blackwater Worldwide, said he'll charge extra to transport passengers to the airport from their homes in Kabul, The Wall Street Journal first reported.

Since the Taliban took control of Kabul on August 14, US troops and allied forces have evacuated more than 82,000 people, including more than 4,000 Americans and their families, Psaki said on Wednesday. She added that there are about 1,500 additional US citizens still in Afghanistan who the government has been in touch with or reached out to "multiple times a day through multiple communication platforms."

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There are tens of thousands of Afghans eligible for special immigrant visas for their work with the US military who are still stuck in the country. Human rights groups believe there are about 300,000 Afghans who have worked with US forces over the last two decades and are therefore at high risk of being targeted by the Taliban if they stay in Afghanistan.

Related video: Afghanistan cafe offered women a safe space pre-Taliban

Prince's defense contracting has long drawn scrutiny. In 2014, four of his Blackwater contractors were convicted of killing 17 unarmed Iraqi civilians, including women and children. Last December, Trump pardoned the contractors. Earlier this year, UN investigators found that Prince violated a UN arms embargo on Libya when he delivered weapons and foreign mercenaries to a Libyan militia leader planning to overthrow the country's government in 2019.

Read the original article on Business Insider
JERUSALEM (AP)  As police protected them, three Jewish men stepped forward, placed their hands out at chest level and began reciting prayers in low tones in the shadow of Jerusalems golden Dome of the Rock.

Jewish prayers at Jerusalems most sensitive holy site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, were once unthinkable. But they have quietly become the new norm in recent years, flying in the face of longstanding convention, straining a delicate status quo and raising fears that they could trigger a new wave of violence in the Middle East.

What is happening is a blatant and dangerous violation of the status quo, said Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani, a top official with the Waqf, the Jordanian-backed Islamic trust that administers the site. The Israeli police must stop providing protection to extremists.

The hilltop compound is the holiest site for Jews, revered as the location of two ancient temples destroyed in antiquity. Three times a day for 2,000 years, Jews have turned to face it during prayers. It also is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.

Israel captured the hilltop, along with the rest of east Jerusalem and the walled Old City, in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it, a move that was not recognized by most of the international community. The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as capital of a future independent state.

The flashpoint site is the emotional epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many rounds of deadly fighting in the decades-long conflict have erupted around it. The most recent was in May, when an Israeli police crackdown on stone-throwing Palestinian protesters inside the mosque helped precipitate an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and violent upheaval in Israeli cities.

Since 1967, a loose set of rules known as the status quo have governed day-to-day operations at the site. Any actual or perceived changes to the status quo has the potential to ignite violence.

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For decades, Jews avoided worship at the site for religious reasons. Many leading rabbis, including the countrys Chief Rabbinate, ruled after the 1967 war that Jews should not enter the entire area of the Temple Mount out of concern for ritual impurity and uncertainty over the exact location of the ancient Temples holy of holies.

But attitudes are changing, particularly among Israels hard-line, religious nationalist right wing.

Amnon Ramon, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Policy Research, said the issue of Jewish prayer has transformed in recent decades from a matter that was on the fringe to a subject in the mainstream for the religious nationalist public. Most in that community appears to support some degree of Jewish worship there, as do a growing number of ultra-Orthodox Jews.

New Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who leads a small, hard-line religious party, caused an uproar last month on the Jewish fast day of Tisha BAv when he said Israel was committed to protecting freedom of worship for Jews at the compound. His office quickly issued a clarification stating there was no change whatsoever in the status quo.

Rabbi Eliyahu Vebr, head of the Temple Mount Yeshiva, said that for over a year, he has entered the site daily, most of the time with at least 10 Jewish men necessary for a group prayer.

So long as things are not conspicuous, in a way that disturbs, the police allow it, he said. Some days there is friction with Muslim worshippers and authorities, he said, but mostly there isnt. Palestinian media, including those of the Islamist militant group Hamas, publish videos almost daily of Jewish settlers storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Flanked by a detachment of paramilitary Border Police troopers, a quorum of 10 men entered the shrine on a recent morning and made their way to a secluded area of the eastern side of the compound. They prayed discreetly in hushed tones while a handful of guards from the Waqf watched from a distance.

Kiswani, who is the Waqfs director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, said Muslim authorities have strongly protested the Jewish prayers, both to Israeli police and to the Jordanian government.

But he said Israeli police forcibly prevent Waqf personnel from approaching Jewish worshippers and in some cases, arrest or expel them. The mosque is a pure right for Muslims alone, and there is no prayer in the mosque except for Muslims, he said.

Israeli police said its forces operate in accordance with the terms of visitation customary at the site, while maintaining public order. It said the regulations for visitors are determined by the government and court decisions.

Akiva Ariel, a spokesman for Beyadenu, a Jewish activist group advocating for Jewish prayer at the site, said things began to change under the government of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who led the country for 12 years before he was ousted in May.

The police turn a blind eye to the worship, so long as its done inconspicuously, Ariel said. During the recent visit, the men conducted the ancient blessing, in which priests make Vs with each hand, spreading their ring and middle fingers, and quietly recited a special benediction, while others performed surreptitious bows while praying. But they did not don prayer shawls or phylacteries  small cases holding slips inscribed with passages of Scripture bound to the head and arm that are customarily worn during morning prayers.

For many Jewish Temple Mount activists, the main aim is a place for Jewish worship at the site, Ariel said. This is our holiest place. We arent demanding that Muslim be evicted from here, heaven forbid, he said.

Palestinians have long feared that Israel may change routines at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, such as partitioning the site, similar to a holy site in Hebron revered by Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque and by Jews as the Tomb of the Patriarchs.

Ramon said that Palestinians fear that if they give an inch, Israel may take a mile.

Its hard to know how and when it will explode, he said. But it definitely can happen.
Vice President Kamala Harris during the official launch of the CDC Southeast Asia Regional Office in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Wednesday. Evelyn Hockstein/Getty Images

China one-upped the US in Vietnam by pledging to donate 2 million COVID-19 vaccines.

Kamala Harris was en route to Vietnam when this happened.

The US has promised more than 1 million COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Kamala Harris was on her way to Vietnam to donate 1 million COVID-19 vaccines when China took advantage of a scheduling delay, sent its diplomat to meet with the prime minister, and offered 2 million vaccines, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

Harris is traveling in Southeast Asia this week as part of the Biden administration's broader effort to curb China's expanding influence across the globe. President Joe Biden has made challenging China on the global stage a top foreign-policy priority, framing it as a battle between democracy and autocracy. China's effort to one-up the US in Vietnam is emblematic of the evolving competition between the two major powers.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh thanked the Chinese diplomat, adding that Vietnam "does not ally with one country to fight against another," according to state media.

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On Monday, Harris met with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. As the US faced international scrutiny over the chaos surrounding the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, Harris during a news conference with Lee said, "The reason I am here is because the US is a global leader, and we take that role seriously."

In a separate speech during the visit, Harris criticized China over its actions regarding the South China Sea.

"In the South China Sea, we know that Beijing continues to coerce, to intimidate, and to make claims to the vast majority of the South China Sea," Harris said. "These unlawful claims have been rejected by the 2016 arbitral tribunal decision. And Beijing's actions continue to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations."

Read more: The ultimate White House org chart to 600+ members of Biden's staff and who makes six figures

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"The US stands with our allies and partners in the face of these threats," she added.

Harris also addressed the crisis in Afghanistan, which has cast a shadow over her trip, saying that Biden made "the courageous and right decision to end this war because we had achieved what we went there to do."

The vice president said the US was "laser-focused on the task at hand" to complete evacuations from Afghanistan by an August 31 deadline.

In Vietnam on Wednesday, Harris continued to criticize China over its "bullying" tactics in the South China Sea.

"China firmly rejects the US deployment of law enforcement forces in the South China Sea, meddling in regional affairs and disrupting regional peace and stability," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in response, according to The Associated Press.

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An 80-year-old Kansas City man has died of injuries from a crash that happened earlier this month involving a another driver who told police she ran a red light to escape gunfire.

Police were called to the area of Truman Road and Bennington Avenue around 10 a.m. on Aug. 3 on a reported two-car collision, Officer Donna Drake, a Kansas City police spokeswoman, said in a statement. Officers were simultaneously dispatched to that intersection on a reported shooting, Drake said.

The 80-year-old was driving a Toyota sedan northbound on Bennington Avenue when his car was struck, police said. He died Monday evening in an area hospital, police said. His identity was not immediately disclosed.

A female passenger in the mans Toyota was also seriously injured during the crash, police said.

The other driver was headed east in a Chevrolet sedan when she blew the red light, police said. She and a juvenile victim were in the car at the time of the shooting.

No one was struck by gunfire. But the car had obvious bullet damage to its exterior, according to police. Both occupants were taken to an area hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening.

Kansas City police are investigating the shooting incident as an aggravated assault, Drake said.
Kayleigh McEnany on Fox News (Fox News)

Trump White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has been widely ridiculed after claiming you didnt see crisis after crisis when Donald Trump was president.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News, for whom Ms McEnany co-hosts the show Outnumbered, the former press secretary suggested that Mr Trump had not stacked up crisis situations like the ones currently seen under President Joe Biden.

We are eight months into a Biden presidency ... wrap your head around that. We still have three years and four months left, Ms McEnany said on Tuesday during a segment that discussed the drop in Bidens approval ratings following the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan and ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Look, when President Trump was president, you didnt see crisis after crisis. You just didnt see it, she added, despite Mr Bidens predecessor having been plagued by the pandemic and his administration signing the agreement to withdraw from Afghanistan.

Mr Trumps presidency was mired in controversy, featuring a record two impeachments in his one four-year term. And while Ms McEnany appeared to have forgotten some of the more dramatic moments of the former commander-in-chiefs tenure, Twitter users certaintly hadnt.

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Charlottesville, El Paso shooting, Las Vegas Sniper, having his supporters gather for his rallies in a pandemic, George Floyd, January 6th Insurrection I can go on and on Kayleigh one Twitter user wrote.

Hurricane Maria, Children Caged at the border, Heather Heyer, Charleston, Helsinki, George Floyd, BLM, tear gassed people, fences at WH, north Korea.... another added, while numerous Twitter users said they no longer woke up checking social media to see what new crisis had been started by the presidents wild tweeting habit.

Commentator Chris Hahn said: Youre right Kayleigh, It was just a 4 year train wreck followed by a coup attempt, while one user simply posted: The multiverse is real.

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Read More

Biden news live: President accused of bald-faced lie

Biden brushes off chaotic Kabul airport scenes as five days ago

Biden shows almost Trumpian defiance by digging in over Afghanistan
ALMATY (Reuters) - Kazakhstan said on Wednesday it would ban unvaccinated people from shopping malls, restaurants and cafes on weekends in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19.

People wanting to shop or eat out will have to show a "green" status on a mobile app, proving that they have had a shot, or a recent negative test or have recovered from the disease within the past three months, the government said.

The order comes into effect on Saturday.

The former Soviet republic is planning to reopen schools next month. Most of them have been closed since March 2020.

Kazakhstan has reported 823,189 COVID-19 cases with 8,643 related deaths. It has fully vaccinated 5.1 million people, just over a quarter of its population.

(Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Andrew heavens)
Aug. 24FOSTORIA  Plans to install a gas-collection and cleaning system at the controversial Sunny Farms Landfill in southwestern Seneca County will be discussed Monday night at a public meeting hosted by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Sunny Farms is a 510-acre landfill about four miles south of Fostoria along County Road 18 in Loudon Township. It is now owned by WIN Waste Innovations, a collaboration of 10 former waste industry businesses, including the landfill's former owner, Tunnel Hill Partners.

Both Tunnel Hill and WIN Waste Innovations have spent a lot of time and money addressing odors emitted by Sunny Farms.

According to a Facebook group called Sunny Farm Landfill complaint group, some residents still notice a stench.

The project being proposed, though, is the next step in a series of efforts to reduce those odors, according to former Seneca County Commissioner Ben Nutter, now the community engagement manager for WIN Waste Innovations.

"This is the first step in making us more green," Mr. Nutter said.

He said the technology removes hydrogen sulfide  the source of a potent, rotten-egg smell  and transforms it to elemental sulfur.

"This system will eliminate the need for much flaring," Mr. Nutter said.

The meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at Tiffin Middle School, 103 Shepherd Dr., Tiffin, will be held to discuss the permit WIN Waste needs from the Ohio EPA to install the pollution-control technology.

As recently as 2 1/2 years ago, the state EPA was besieged with complaints about Sunny Farms, with 100 or more calls per week during the fall of 2018, according to agency records.

About 500 people attended a special meeting Feb. 12, 2019 in the Tiffin Columbian High School auditorium to address the situation, many of them furious with the company and with public health and environmental officials.

The chief executive officer of Tunnel Hill Partners came out from Connecticut to start that meeting with a public apology. He owned up to Sunny Farms having a fractured relationship with the greater Fostoria community, and vowed better days ahead.

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Sunny Farms takes in up to 7,500 tons a day of a broad range of waste: virtually anything that meets the legal definition of being nontoxic, nonhazardous, and noninfectious. Most of it arrives in trains via the Fostoria-to-Columbus CSX Transportation railroad track that runs along the landfill's eastern edge.

One Ohio EPA materials and waste management official said at the 2018 meeting that Sunny Farms had been a source of foul odors for years, but especially since 2015.

If the new permit is approved, WIN Waste Innovations will install a hydrogen-sulfide removal system and enclosed flare, the Ohio EPA said in a news release.

"The draft permit includes limits for hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide emissions," the state agency said.

To receive electronic handouts for the meeting, email Heather Lauer of the Ohio EPA at heather.lauer@epa.ohio.gov.

The Ohio EPA will accept public comments until 5 p.m. Sept. 7. Written comments can be submitted during the hearing or mailed to Alyse Wineland, Ohio EPA Northwest District Office, 347 Dunbridge Rd., Bowling Green, OH 43402. They also can be emailed to her at alyse.wineland@epa.ohio.gov.
The Daily Beast

Fox BusinessDonald Trump has had a lot to say about how Joe Biden has mishandled the withdrawal from Afghanistanbut, when given the chance to explain what he would have done differently, Trumps master plan boiled down to leaving the country in smouldering ruins before leaving it forever.The ex-president appeared on Fox Business on Tuesday morning to get some things off his chest a day after the last U.S. troops left Afghanistan. During a curious rant about how he believes unnamed shadowy force
Broward Health Medical Center ICU Dr. Sunil Kumar was among a group of Florida health officials who pleaded for pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19 Tuesday. WPLG Local 10

Florida doctors are pleading for pregnant women to go get vaccinated against COVID-19.

"If for no other reason, if you love that baby, please go get vaccinated," local ICU Dr. Sunil Kumar said.

Data show that "if the mom is vaccinated the antibodies can be transmitted over to the baby," he said.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Florida doctors are pleading for pregnant women to go get vaccinated against COVID-19 as coronavirus cases continue to surge across the US.

Data show that "if the mom is vaccinated the antibodies can be transmitted over to the baby," Broward Health Medical Center ICU Dr. Sunil Kumar said during a press conference Tuesday. He pleaded to unvaccinated expectant mothers: "If for no other reason, if you love that baby, please go get vaccinated."

Kumar was among a group of Florida healthcare workers who urged pregnant women to get the jab, WPLG Local 10 reported.

Recently, an unvaccinated woman died due to complications with COVID-19 after she gave birth to a baby boy, crushing Kumar and Dr. Adolfo Gonzalez-Garcia, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Broward Health Medical Center, according to the news outlet.

"This baby will never know his mother and this woman never saw her child and that's so, so sad and it should never happen," Gonzalez-Garcia said at the press conference.

The doctors believe the mother would still be alive if she had been inoculated against COVID-19.

Increasing data suggests the vaccines are safe and effective in pregnancy

When the vaccine rollout began in the US, medical organizations largely left the decision to get vaccinated up to pregnant women, due to limited research. That put patients and clinicians in a difficult position.

Since then, more than 100,000 people have gotten vaccinated during pregnancy, and no red flags have been raised. Data from three safety monitoring systems didn't find safety concerns for vaccinated pregnant people or their babies.

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Most recently, the CDC revealed a new analysis finding no increased risk of miscarriage among nearly 2,500 pregnant women who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine before 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Another recent study showed that pregnant people with COVID-19 have far higher rates of adverse birth outcomes compared to healthy pregnant patients. The researchers found that the 18,715 patients who had COVID-19 were more than five times as likely to be admitted to the ICU, more than 14 times as likely to need intubation or mechanical ventilation, and more than 15 times as likely to die.

Women with COVID-19 were also about 40% more likely to deliver prematurely.

CDC: Vaccinating pregnant people 'has never been more urgent'

That data, coupled with the dangers of the Delta variant and low rates of vaccination among pregnant people, led the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to urge pregnant women to get the coronavirus vaccine earlier this month. Doing so has "has never been more urgent," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine had already changed its tune, advising providers to "enthusiasticually recommend vaccination" to pregnant people on June 30.

"It is clear that pregnant people need to feel confident in the decision to choose vaccination, and a strong recommendation from their obstetrician-gynecologist could make a meaningful difference for many pregnant people," their joint statement says.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Luxury airship will offer sustainable travel to the North Pole

OceanSky, a startup travel company that specializes in luxury aviation, has developed an airship that aims to offer a sustainable way for adventurers to travel to the North Pole to witness some of the most remote parts of the Arctic.

The startup was founded in 2014 and received funding from Swedens Energy Agency and Traffic Administration to develop innovative technology for sustainable transportation.Their vessel is an airship called Airlander 10, which is 98 metres in length and can fly at a maximum altitude of 2,000 metres for up to three days.

iceberg Credit - OceanSky

OceanSky is working towards becoming a climate positive company through carbon offsets. (OceanSky)

Lighter-than-air technology powers the vessel and the company says that the airships engines will be electric and release zero emissions by 2030. The current Airlander 10 model uses four combustion engines and releases 75 per cent fewer carbon dioxide emissions compared to other conventional aircraft.

THE EXPEDITION

The airship will depart from Longyearbyen, Svalbard, which OceanSky says is one of the most northerly settlements on the planet. Pilots will choose a route based on optimal wind directions and notable locations, such as those with polar bears, whales, and icebergs.

The company says that their unique mode of transportation allows guests to experience Arctic wildlife without leaving a footprint on the delicate ecosystem. Robert Swan, an Arctic explorer and the first person that travelled to the North and South Pole by foot, will lead the expedition.

The expedition will show that travel and transport by air can be sustainable. Lighter-than-air technology can supply humanity with ultra-efficient means of mobility, and operate in areas without infrastructure and civilization, OceanSky states on their website.

412 original Credit - Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd and Design Q OceanSky

The airships design is built for viewing unique wildlife while in flight. (Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd/Design Q/OceanSky)

Sustainable energy will power the airship and the company intends to promote the development and use of renewable energy in aviation. In addition to stepping away from traditional fossil fuel resources, the company also plans on being carbon positive.

Through our cooperation with ChooseNow, OceanSky becomes climate positive. The money paid for carbon credits goes to UN-certified clean energy projects in developing countries. Carbon offsetting is not to be considered an all-in-one solution but an important part of OceanSky's actions to reduce carbon footprint and fight climate change, the company says in a press release.

Thumbnail credit: Kirt Thomsen/OceanSky
Meghan McCain on the set of The View. (2018 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Meghan McCain took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday after the latter lay flowers for her late father, Senator John McCain, at a memorial for him in Hanoi, Vietnam, marking the location where he was shot down during the Vietnam War.

The conservative talk show host, who left The View earlier this year, told Ms Harris in a tweet on Thursday that the way to honour her fathers passing would be to ensure that every single American and Afghan who aided US forces during the nearly 20-year occupation were safe from the Taliban.

If you want to honor my dads legacy on this anniversary of his death  you would spend every second making sure every single American and Afghan ally is out of harms way, tweeted Ms McCain.

He was nothing if not someone who understood sacrifice and loyalty to the people he served with, she added.

Her remark, which did not specifically mention Ms Harris, nevertheless came just hours after Ms Harris was seen in videos laying flowers on the ground at the memorial in a pounding rainstorm while an aide held an umbrella overhead.

As Washington has devolved into a polarised, partisan battleground over the past two presidencies (at least), Mr McCain emerged as a maverick who would often buck his own party to vote for compromise legislation, most notably in 2017 when he famously ended GOP hopes to repeal the Affordable Care Act alongside Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins.

His and former President Donald Trumps mutual animosity also led to his wife, Cindy McCain, endorsing President Joe Biden in his bid to unseat Mr Trump last year.

At the site of the monument commemorating Mr McCains capture during the war, which led to his imprisonment for five and a half years, Ms Harris offered praise for the Republican senator.

"He was an extraordinary American. A hero, Ms Harris said. He loved our country. He was so courageous and really lived the life of a hero, the sacrifices that he made that were on every scale imaginable ... and he always fought for the best of who we are."

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For the past week and a half, the Biden administration has been the target of criticism from many over his handling of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, and from Mr McCains wing of the Republican Party in particular for withdrawing US troops at all, a position that is at odds with the majority of the US public according to most recent polling.

The president faces underwater approval ratings on the issue as descriptions and images of the evacuations have caused many to question why flights out of the country did not begin weeks earlier, before the capital was in the hands of the Taliban.

The US has also faced questions over why the White House was taken by surprise regarding the speed of the Talibans takeover, as evidenced by Mr Biden saying one month ago that US intelligence had not indicated that it was likely Kabul would fall within weeks.

Thousands of Afghan citizens are still waiting in and around Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul hoping for a seat on a flight out of the country, while the Taliban has urged Afghan nationals to stay and in some cases attempted to prevent some from reaching the airport.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manual Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday that the foreign ministry would hold a news conference later in the day about the U.S. Supreme Court decision reinstating the "Remain in Mexico" immigration policy.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied President Joe Biden's bid to rescind an immigration policy implemented by his predecessor, Donald Trump, that forced thousands of asylum seekers to stay in Mexico awaiting U.S. hearings.

(Reporting by Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
The outcome of the Supreme Courts order that the Biden administration restart former President Donald Trump's "remain in Mexico" policy and begin sending asylum-seekers back to the other side of the border depends on whether Mexico will allow migrants to be returned.

The likelihood that the Migration Protection Protocols, as the program is known, will be carried out is thought to be low, given that Mexico has refused to accept back other migrants sent from the United States under a different U.S. policy.

Mexico is under no obligation to take back people who are not Mexicans into its territory, said Theresa Brown, managing director of immigration and cross-border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, adding that it "100% boils down to what Mexico will do.

The Supreme Courts decision Tuesday evening mandated the Biden administration go back to returning migrant families seeking asylum to Mexico, where tens of thousands were sent from 2019 through early 2021 to live in tent cities and encampments while they awaited their day in U.S. court. President Joe Biden rescinded the program but was sued to reinstate it by Texas and Missouri in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

The reality is, Mexico could put its foot down and say, No," said Brown. "Just like Title 42, they can put their foot down and say, No, we're not going to take people back under either of these scenarios, and we're just done. And then the administration has to find something else to do.

Title 42 refers to the pandemic restrictions that the Trump administration enacted in March 2020 that allowed border officials to turn away immediately any child or adult who came across the border. The Biden administration is still operating under Title 42, but, in the spring, it stopped sending back most families to their home countries because Mexican state governments refused to take back migrants who were not from Mexico. As a result, tens of thousands of families have been released into the U.S.

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SMUGGLER CAUGHT TRANSPORTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN VEHICLE PAINTED TO LOOK LIKE BORDER PATROL SUV

Because Mexico was already refusing to take back families under Title 42, Brown said it is unlikely that Mexico would be open to taking back families under a different U.S. initiative, such as the Migration Protection Protocols.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador agreed to implement the protocols in late 2019 after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on all Mexican exports. Immigrant advocates are now calling on the Mexican president to refuse to work with the U.S. in the hopes of preventing the Supreme Court order from resulting in migrants being sent back to Mexico.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees operations at the border, said it is in talks with the Mexican government about reinstating the protocols.

As a result, the Border Patrol may have no other choice than to place families in deportation proceedings that end up with families ultimately being released into the U.S. Families cannot be detained by the government for more than 20 days, and immigration judges face yearslong delays in deciding whether a family who illegally crossed the border should be deported.

Biden could turn to a process known as expedited removal, as the administration has begun doing this summer. Expedited removal allows the government to return migrants quickly at the cost of not allowing them legal proceedings. However, anyone placed in this category has a right to seek asylum before being swiftly removed. The government would have to find more detention space to hold people who are seeking asylum, Brown said.

In addition, the Justice Department will rework its plans to do away with the protocols so that it can try again to end the program but in a way that holds up in court. The American Civil Liberties Unions Immigrants Rights Project Director Omar Jadwat said this was the route that the Biden administration should go.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The government must take all steps available to fully end this illegal program, including by re-terminating it with a fuller explanation, Jadwat said in a statement. What it must not do is use this decision as cover for abandoning its commitment to restore a fair asylum system.

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Tags: News, Supreme Court, Mexico, Border Crisis, National Security, Law Enforcement, Migrants, Refugees, Immigration, Donald Trump

Original Author: Anna Giaritelli

Original Location: Mexico could refuse to take back migrant families despite Supreme Court order
Aug. 25The Middletown City School District and Middletown police department are investigating an alleged assault of a student, though no police report has been filed.

The district posted a release on its website today saying it takes "any and all claims of violence seriously and we are working with our police department."

The district said an incident occurred on Aug. 19 at Middletown Middle School. When there is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct, appropriate disciplinary measures are considered, the district said. The school has had open communication with all families involved, the district said.

"Please know, we have policies and procedures that place the highest priority on the health and safety of our students," the statement read.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 513-425-7700.
A wildfire in northeastern Minnesota more than doubled in size Tuesday, growing to more than 19,000 acres, after it produced pyrocumulous clouds that generated lightning and even raindrops, fire officials said.

The Greenwood Fire's growth, most of which happened Monday afternoon, prompted firefighters to leave McDougal Lake, about 80 miles northeast of Duluth, officials said. Authorities fear that structures might have been destroyed or damaged.

"We had crews embedded, and as this fire took off, it was quite an effort to communicate with forces on the ground so they could get out," said federal fire incident spokesman Clark McCreedy.

The pullout was a success, and no injuries were reported. However, downed trees and necessary cleanup mean crews have been unable to assess damage around the lake, McCreedy said.

In addition to the firefighter pullout, 159 dwellings were evacuated Monday, according to an update from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. Cabins, homes and recreational sites remain under threat, the group said.

Patrick Prochaska, a Minneapolis resident who built a cabin near McDougal Lake in 2012, told NBC affiliate KARE that he watched via security camera as flames mostly bypassed his property Monday, causing minor damage.

"I was feeling very scared," he said. "At the same time, I could see that it was not doing anything to the house, and it was kind of reassuring."

The fire in and north of Superior National Forest has mostly performed according to the weather, fire officials said. On Monday, with dry fuel on the ground and temperatures in the high 80s, it was an expanding inferno punctuated by strobes of lightning.

"The winds were drawn into the fire from all directions," the incident's fire behavior analyst, Michael Locke, said in a video update Tuesday. "It created what we call pyrocumulous clouds. And really high in the atmosphere ... you'd see a thunderstorm, and in fact they went high enough to produce a few sprinkles of rain and even some lightning."

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Temperatures dipped into the mid-70s Tuesday, and the blaze mellowed. "The real story was cloud cover and cooler temperatures," McCreedy said.

More of the same, and possibly rain, was in the forecast, giving officials hope that they might be able to close the book on an unusually active and dry fire season in Minnesota.

Experts have said climate change has set the stage for extreme weather, including an increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires in the Northern Hemisphere.

Firefighters  426 were assigned to the Greenwood event  have been confronted with "prolonged, severe drought," making parts of Minnesota look like the fire-prone West this summer, McCreedy said.

The Greenwood Fire, which was detected Aug. 15, is believed to have been sparked by lightning.

So far, firefighters have scored no containment, and areas including McDougal Lake, Sand Lake and the Highway 2 corridor have been under mandatory evacuation orders. The federal Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was closed Saturday "due to active and increasing fire activity, extreme drought, limited resources," the National Forest Service said in a notice.

Officials set a goal of Sept. 1 for full containment.

"We're probably going to get more of that moderating weather for the rest of the week," McCreedy said. "That opens the door for fire crews to make progress on the ground."

CORRECTION (Aug. 25, 2021, 9:02 a.m. ET): A previous version of this article incorrectly described the location of McDougal Lake. It is about 80 miles northeast of Duluth, not 80 miles south-southwest.
Good Morning America

The Justice Department on Monday alerted several federal judges that an outspoken attorney representing at least 17 alleged rioters charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection is reportedly hospitalized and possibly incapacitated after testing positive for COVID-19, leaving the bulk of his cases effectively at a "standstill" and his clients "without counsel." The California-based attorney, John Pierce, currently represents more defendants charged in the riot than any other defense lawyer -- including multiple alleged members of the Proud Boys group and a number of individuals accused of assaulting law enforcement officers. In recent weeks, an associate at Pierce's law firm, Ryan Marshall, has appeared in Pierce's place during multiple hearings, where he offered conflicting reports about the status of Pierce's health.
Scientists have repeatedly debunked the myth that masks do not slow the spread of COVID-19. Eric Schmitt, a Republican who is also running for U.S. Senate, also claimed without evidence that masks lead to impaired learning.
Utah authorities and the FBI are still searching for suspects a week after the shooting deaths of two young women who were on a camping trip when they died.

The Grand County Sheriff's Department first responded to a call from a family friend who discovered the bodies of newlyweds Crystal Michelle Turner, 38, and Kylen Carrol Schulte, 24, of Moab on Aug. 18 in the South Mesa area of the La Sal Loop Road, according to a press release.

"The Grand County Sheriffs Department along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State of Utah Special Bureau of Investigation and multiple law enforcement partners are conducting a double homicide investigation into the death of two female campers from the South Mesa area of the La Sal Mountains," the sheriff's office wrote in a Tuesday Facebook post.

NEWLYWED UTAH COUPLE FOUND FATALLY SHOT AFTER MAN WAS CREEPING THEM OUT, REPORT SAYS

The Grand County Medical Examiner's Office later determined that the two women, who were last seen at a local tavern called Woody's on Aug. 13, had died of gunshot wounds, as FOX 13 Salt Lake City first reported.

The sheriff's investigation into the incident, which they are calling a double homicide, is ongoing. The office had not identified any suspects at the time of publication.

CALIFORNIA MAN ARRESTED NEARLY 2 DECADES AFTER WOMAN'S MURDER DUE TO ADVANCES IN DNA TECHNOLOGY

"Kylen and Crystals moms are both carrying heavy hearts," Schulte's aunt Bridget Calvert wrote on a GoFundMe page for the victims' burial costs. "We have been in touch with them and they know we are here for them. The outpouring of support not only helps emotionally but truly financially. We are working on arrangements for transportation, funerals and memorials."

Donors have given more than $33,000 so far, according to the GoFundMe page.

Calvert said her niece and Turner had told friends at least twice about a man in the area who was "creeping them out," FOX 13 reported.

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"They said they were going to go move, they were going to go pack up and move their campsite  that he was still creeping them out," Calvert told the outlet.

REMAINS OF UTAH WOMAN WHO VANISHED IN 1979 IDD WITH DNA TESTING, FAMILY EYES LATE HUSBAND IN HER DEATH

Calvert wrote on the GoFuneMe page that Kyeln is the second child that her father, Sean-Paul Schulte, has lost. Kylen's brother, Mackeon, "was lost to negligent gun ownership when he was shot and killed by a friend in 2015 at the age of 15," Calvert wrote.

Schulte's father wrote in a Wednesday Facebook post that he is "not going to go down a dark tunnel" after his daughter's death like he "did after Mac."

"Today I'm going to invite my mom and dad and sister and niece to console me," he said. "Today I'm going to try double hard to love Val and say extra prayers for her. I've been down this path before. I'm pretty sure I know what not to do. I think I might know what to do I'm going to take those steps today."

Authorities are asking anyone with additional information to contact the sheriff's office at (435) 259-8115.

Fox News' Stephanie Pagnones contributed to this report.
Abigail Echo-Hawk was part of a small team of researchers at the Seattle Indian Health Board that released a landmark study in 2018 on the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women. The report not only hinted at the hidden magnitude of the problem  documenting more than 500 cases, predominantly in the Western United States, stretching back to the 1940s  it also highlighted major shortcomings in the crime data used to understand the issue.

In the absence of comprehensive government information, Echo-Hawk and her colleagues combed media reports, reached out to the families of victims across Indian Country and called community leaders and organizers to compile their study.

We need to understand the base issue of the problem, said Echo-Hawk, the executive vice president the Seattle Indian Health Board and a citizen of the Pawnee Nation. Where are we? What does the data look like? What do the leaders need?

Three years later, there is still no definitive count of missing and murdered Indigenous women in the U.S., in part because of underreporting of crimes and police reports that misclassify Native American women as white or Hispanic. Police generally do not document victims tribal affiliation  often, police forms lack a field for this information  which means even tribal governments dont understand the scope of the problem among their own citizens. But based on available research, more than 4 out of 5 American Indian and Alaska Native women experience violence in their lifetime, according to a 2016 National Institute of Justice study.

Without better data, this ongoing legacy of colonial violence, in which Indigenous women and children across North America were subjugated and exploited for hundreds of years, has been effectively hidden. Native people have been made invisible in the data policymakers use to address the publics needs and allocate the necessary funding and attention, researchers and advocates say.

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Image: Small, wooden paddles with the names of missing and murdered indigenous women on a garment at a memorial vigil at the University of Washington in Seattle on Feb. 14, 2019. (Genna Martin / via Getty Images, file)

Echo-Hawk is one of many Indigenous women demanding a reshaping of the criminal justice system in a way that values their lives. She and others are pushing the issue to the forefront by pressuring public officials and policymakers to fund efforts to address the problem and by showing them, through testimonials and research, the cost of inaction.

We refuse to let our people die in silence, Echo-Hawk said.

Image: Abigail Echo-Hawk (Melissa Ponder)

In the last few years, nearly a dozen states have created task forces on the issue, and Echo-Hawk and other Indigenous researchers and advocates are pushing more states to do the same  and to fund the changes the panels recommend. In Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a Democrat who is White Earth Band of Ojibwe, has pushed for funding for justice reforms. The task force there led to the recent establishment of an office to investigate cold cases, using Covid-19 relief funding.

This month, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, announced his state would create a task force as well. The 21-member group of representatives from tribal nations, community outreach organizations and the criminal justice system will look at best practices for data collection and crime reporting. The task force has $500,000 to spend over the next two years and hired a small staff.

The incomplete nature of the data, if Im putting it charitably, has been a challenge for us, Ferguson said.

Addressing the patchwork of criminal jurisdictions in Indian Country  which requires prosecutors, and sometimes law enforcement, to determine whether tribes, the state or the federal government has authority in a case  is already difficult, he said. But its an even more daunting task when law enforcement doesn't know how many cases exist.

One of Echo-Hawks strategies is a novel workaround: Since law enforcement generally does not collect data on tribal affiliation, this year she helped the King County Prosecuting Attorneys Office, which covers Seattle, set up a system to gather this information from victims and their family members when a case is referred for prosecution. The office also created a system to share resources and information with tribes.

Related: Limits on tribal prosecutions have worsened the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, experts say. Congress is weighing a fix.

Aubony Burns, a senior deputy prosecuting attorney in King County, said she and her co-workers found the Seattle Indian Health Boards report startling, and after an inventory of their cases, she said they realized we had huge holes in just the basics of our data.

For Burns, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation who works in the offices sexually violent predator unit, it was an urgent call to action to collect better crime data, which determines the prosecutions that get resources and attention. If were not keeping it right and addressing it in the correct way, then its really useless, right? she said.

The program is new, but Burns said in the coming months she expects data on tribal affiliation to illuminate the needs of the Indigenous peoples in King County.

Since the 2018 study, both the Seattle Police Department and the Washington State Patrol have put funding toward cases involving missing or murdered Indigenous people, but neither has started gathering tribally specific data. The Seattle Police Department has worked with the Seattle Indian Health Board to analyze the data collection process and hired a data adviser on this issue, said Sgt. Randall Huserik. The Washington State Patrol has hired two tribal liaisons to review data for racial misclassifications, help families report crimes and investigate older cases, said Capt. Neil Weaver.

IMage: The families and friends of missing or murdered indigenous women march through the streets of Seattle on Jan. 20, 2018. (Genna Martin / via Getty Images, file)

Echo-Hawk secured a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to start the work being done in King County, which she hopes to see replicated outside of Washington. Next month she and her colleagues will share that work in a toolkit for other prosecutors interested in collecting and analyzing tribally specific victim data.

It is true, community-led police reform, Echo-Hawk said. "What weve done in the King County prosecutors office can be replicated in any county in the country, large or small."

Theres also action at the federal level. Under the direction of Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the first Native American to hold the position, the department is building a missing and murdered unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs to support investigations and coordinate services with the families of victims.

For Annie Forsman-Adams, a researcher on Washingtons new task force and a member of the Suquamish Tribe, a key component is buy-in from police departments to not only collect more detailed data, but also to create new ways to gather it by building trust in the communities they patrol. For many police departments, that could mean training officers on the complexities of Indigenous identity.

At the end of the day, thats how were going to collect good data, she said.
Norfolk State University is offering $500 to students and $1,000 to faculty and staff who show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 by Sept. 20.

The incentive comes after the Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine Monday and a month after NSU announced its vaccine requirements for students and employees.

University officials asked students to confirm their banking information through their student account to receive the money. Faculty and staff will get their cash through payroll. The projected payout date is Oct. 15.

Students who dont meet the COVID-19 vaccine requirement by Sept. 20 will be referred to the Dean of Students Office for Student Conduct  which could lead to removal from on-campus housing and in-person courses. Unvaccinated faculty and staff may face disciplinary action.

Faculty, staff and students can file for a religious or medical exemption to getting the vaccine.

Schools across Hampton Roads  including Christopher Newport University, Hampton University, William & Mary and Old Dominion University  also are requiring students to get a COVID-19 vaccine or file an exemption.

At CNU  which started classes Monday  100 percent of students have either been vaccinated or filed an exemption, according to a school spokesperson.

Meanwhile, William & Mary has withdrawn 33 undergraduates and nine graduate students from the fall semester who didnt meet the schools vaccine requirement by the Aug. 10 deadline. Of those students, 10 undergraduates and two graduates were registered for fall courses, according to university spokesperson.

Those undergraduates can reenroll if they show proof of vaccination or obtain an exemption by Sept. 10, the universitys deadline to add or drop classes. Deadlines vary for graduate students based on their program.

ODUs deadline for vaccination is Sept. 1.

Ali Sullivan, 757-677-1974, ali.sullivan@virginiamedia.com
Video filmed by KCNA, which could not be independently verified by Reuters, showed North Korean people bowing and offering flowers to the statues of former leaders, Kim Jong Il and his father Kim Il Sung.

Kim Jong Il started his "Songun", which translates to "military first", ruling doctrine in August 25, 1960.
Using laser pointers and noisy horns to torment Jewish settlers across the valley, Palestinians in Beita have set themselves apart from others demonstrating against Israel's occupation of the West Bank.

But beyond attention-grabbing tactics, protesters in the Palestinian town near Nablus insist their weeks-long campaign against the wildcat settlement of Eviatar is distinct for another reason.

They describe it as a grassroots movement, not inspired or directed by Fatah secularists who control the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, or their rivals from the Islamist Hamas that runs the Gaza Strip.

"Here there is only one flag: That of Palestine. There are no factions," Said Hamayel told AFP.

"We are doing from below what Palestinian leaders cannot do from above," argued Hamayel, who said his 15-year-old son Mohammed was killed by Israeli army gunfire in a mid-June protest.

The army said it had opened fire to suppress "rioters" who posed a grave threat to troops.

The Beita protests broke out in May as a group of hard-line settlers erected a Jewish community on a nearby hilltop.

All settlements are considered illegal under international law, but Israel has granted authorisation to such communities across the West Bank, a territory it has occupied since 1967.

But Eviatar was built without Israeli approval and the government struck a deal with settlers for their evacuation on July 2, while it studied the land to evaluate the prospect of eventual authorisation.

- 'Popular resistance' -

Israeli troops stationed at Eviatar since the settlers left have faced ongoing protests from the people of Beita, who number about 12,500 and say the surrounding land belongs to them.

More than 700 Palestinians have been injured and at least seven have been killed since the unrest erupted in May, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Hamayel, who is still grieving over the loss of his son, voiced pride in what he termed the Beita "model".

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"The Israelis want to stamp out our new form of popular resistance. They are afraid of it."

He said the Beita movement stood in contrast to the PA, led by 86-year-old president Mahmud Abbas, which "does nothing but issue statements" denouncing Israel's occupation.

Palestinian politics have been fractured since 2007, the year Hamas took over Gaza after Fatah refused to recognise the Islamists' election win.

Despite various reconciliation bids, bitter acrimony between the factions persists.

Fatah has remained entrenched in the West Bank, with Hamas running Gaza, but experts said events earlier this year altered sentiments among ordinary Palestinians.

Abbas cancelled the first scheduled Palestinian elections in 15 years, as street rallies in support of Palestinians facing Israeli eviction in annexed east Jerusalem gained momentum.

With tensions building in the Holy City and elsewhere, Israeli forces clashed with Palestinians at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site.

On May 10, Hamas fired rockets at Jerusalem, citing its mandate to defend Al-Aqsa.

An 11-day Israel-Gaza conflict followed the Jerusalem rocket attack, with Hamas and other armed groups in the enclave launching thousands of munitions at the Jewish state, which hit Gaza with hundreds of air strikes.

- Common cause -

The conflict and east Jerusalem protests revived a sense of common cause for young Palestinians that transcends allegiance to either Fatah or Hamas, said Jalaa Abu Arab, the 27-year-old editor of the Palestinian news site Dooz.

"For the first time in years the youth were not seeing themselves as victims anymore... there was the feeling that Palestinians were not just taking the fire and sitting, but rising and standing," Abu Arab told AFP.

Young Palestinians have had enough with the "soft approach", but that does not necessarily mean "they were in favour of Hamas", he said.

Abu Arab referenced the death in Palestinian custody of Nizar Banat, a prominent critic of the PA, whose suspected killing by Palestinian security forces sparked protests.

Former Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad called the current situation "unprecedented".

"I don't know how far we are from really becoming a real crisis. It might already be (one) and it should be looked at by the leadership as a crisis."

Speaking to a small group of reporters, he called for "a change of direction, beginning by listening to people, in particular the young people who are very frustrated with the occupation and the promises of freedom that remain unfulfilled".

With Hamas-Fatah reconciliation seemingly out of reach, and long-sought elections postponed indefinitely, Hamayel argued the "Beita model" could deliver change across the Palestinian territories.

"There are problems at the top, but here, on the ground, the Palestinians unite."

gl/cgo/bs/hkb
Andrew Cuomos final act as governor was to wrongly grant a proudly admitted, convicted terrorist, a man guilty of the felony murders of police officers, a likely ticket to freedom. David Gilbert was part of the Weather Underground who still has 35 years on his 75-year sentence for the Oct. 20, 1981 robbery in Rockland County where Brinks guard Peter Paige and Police Officers Edward OGrady and Waverly Brown were heinously gunned down by his friends.

Cuomos clemency to Gilbert and five other men came with just hours remaining before he departed his office, having resigned. He should have left Gilbert off the list.

Unlike some clemency cases, here was no miscarriage of justice or failure to have a lawyer or the police or prosecution withholding evidence. Gilbert was no mixed-up kid. He wasnt poor, or uneducated, or a racial minority defendant with the cards stacked against him. He was a 37-year-old, highly intelligent, committed revolutionary, a nice Jewish boy who graduated from Columbia and then became a terrorist.

His fellow Brinks terrorist Judy Clark, who also had a 75-year sentence after she and Gilbert arrogantly refused to recognize the authority of the court, was given a chance at parole in 2016 by Cuomo, citing her supposedly amazing transformation in prison. Clark was denied parole and then freed on a second appearance in 2019.

Another Brinks accomplice was Gilberts girlfriend Kathy Boudin. She took her lawyers advice and got 20 years. The infant son who they left with a babysitter while they went to their crime, Chesa Boudin, was raised by others and is now the San Francisco district attorney. He pressed for his dads release.

The Parole Board must carefully apply the law with Gilbert, as they failed to do with Clark. That means they cant deny him access to documents or other records for the proceedings. Gilbert has been a model prisoner and claims he is remorseful. We bet he is; 40 years in prison is not fun. But freed or not, he will always remain a terrorist.
Aug. 24Plans to transform the campus, new programs and activities and incentives for COVID shots were among the items top University of Texas officials spoke to students about during Pizza with the President Tuesday.

The question-and-answer session, hosted by the Student Government Association, was held just outside the Student Activity Center.

President Sandra Woodley said the university is planning to improve the quality of its space.

"The (place) that we're in right now is going to be completely redesigned," Woodley said.

One element will be a one-ton Falcon.

"She's gorgeous. That will be in the middle of this quad. She's actually on a ship right now coming from Spain where she was," Woodley said.

The falcon was gifted by an anonymous donor to the university, Chief of Staff/Executive Director of Communication Tatum Hubbard said.

Woodley said there would be a contest to name the falcon.

"... We're going to redo all of the spaces here around the quad," Woodley said. "That's part of what we call our campus transformation plan. Pretty soon, you will see under the Mesa deck, a lot of really great outdoor study furniture. It's going to be a lot of fun, bright color furniture for you to be able to hang out outside. It'll have plug-ins so that you can do that. The library building across from here we have the money to completely renovate the first floor of the library," Woodley added.

The outdoor furnishings were funded through HEERF funding to support outdoor learning and living as a preventative strategy against COVID. HEERF stands for Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund and it is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

Library renovations and projects are funded through support from Odessa Development Corporation, Permanent University Fund (PUF) and Blackstone Launchpad.

Part of the campus transformation will also include entrances and signage.

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"We've got those tombstones that kind of halfway show you where you're supposed to go. That's going to get a full facelift and upgrade," she added.

The Stragglers, the bronze cattle at 42nd and JBS Parkway, will be moved back and that corner will be a new plaza for the community and the students. The plaza will include a memorial to the victims of the Aug. 29, 2019, mass shooting.

"... It's called Bright Stars Memorial. Light will emanate from the cylinder that will go out on there, but we will also open up that space," Woodley said.

She added that UTPB wants the students to be part of the design of the plaza, quad, walking paths and entrances.

Woodley noted that the No. 1 goal is to make sure students get a University of Texas education and their academics are strong.

Both Woodley and Vice President for Student Affairs and Leadership Becky Spurlock said they will be glad to hear student ideas on how to improve the campus. Spurlock said she's there to listen if things are going wrong, as well.

"... This fall should be a really good one. We're really excited to kick off our new athletic schedule. We've got our first home football game coming up Friday, Sept. 3. ... It's going to be here on campus, so we're excited about that," Spurlock said.

She noted that Welcome Week is still going on and there was a COVID vaccine clinic later in the afternoon Tuesday.

Spurlock also stressed the importance of staying on track academically.

She said the Student Success Center is offering more help and tutoring.

"We've got some student peer leaders who are going to be embedded in some classes to provide one-on-one and group support for academic areas. We're going to be rolling out a program called Making the Grade. So, during COVID you didn't do so well in a class and you want the opportunity to retake that class, we're going to help you do that financially. We'll be announcing that program to the students that are eligible this week," Spurlock said.

A Student Success Hotline has been started. The number is 432-552-4035, so if you don't know where to go, there are people who will answer the phone until 8 p.m. during the week.

"And then we'll get back to you to help you with whatever you need. My office is up on the fourth floor. I'm around the corner from Dr. Woodley, but you'll see me, and of course, Dean (of Student Services Corey) Benson, out and about on campus," she said.

She told those attending to never be afraid to stop her, ask questions and tell her what's on their minds.

Spurlock said they are almost giddy to have students back on campus, but at the same time she's worried because the hospitals are filling up with COVID cases.

"... COVID continues to be a significant issue in our community and our population's under vaccinated. So ... if you have questions about ... concerns about being vaccinated and you want to connect with me, I can connect you to a medical practitioner and you can have a confidential conversation to get your questions answered, if that would help you make your decision," Spurlock said.

She added that there is a link on the university's vaccine incentive webpage.

"If you haven't seen that, we are incentivizing people to get vaccines," Spurlock said.

The grand prize is one semester of tuition and fees at UTPB. The drawing is Oct. 6.

Details are listed at tinyurl.com/yp3es5yp.

"..Please get vaccinated. Take care of yourself and your friends," Spurlock said.

Spurlock said the university is going to open the Center for Inclusion and Belonging on the second floor of the Student Activity Center.

"We're shooting to have our grand opening in the spring," she said.

Woodley said plans are to upgrade technology around UTPB.

"We're also completing or maybe already have completed extra WiFi in our quad and in our buildings to make it very easy for you to connect and a better strength. ...," Woodley said.

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WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Poland and Belgium ended their evacuations from Afghanistan, but other European nations vowed Wednesday to press on for as long as possible, as the clock ticks down on a dramatic airlift of people fleeing Taliban rule ahead of a full American withdrawal.

President Joe Biden said he will stick to his Aug. 31 deadline for completing the U.S. pullout, as the Taliban insisted he must, ramping up pressure on the already risky operation to fly people out of Kabul.

European allies pressed for more time but, as a practical matter, will need to end their evacuations before the last American troops leave. Several countries have not said when they plan to end their operations, perhaps hoping to avoid yet another fatal crush at an airport, one of the last ways out of the country.

The Taliban wrested back control of Afghanistan nearly 20 years after they were ousted in a U.S.-led invasion following the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida orchestrated while being sheltered by the group. Their return to power has pushed many Afghans to flee, fearing reprisals and a possible return to their brutal rule.

It's not clear if the thousands of people still thought to be trying to leave will succeed. But any decision by Biden to stay longer could reignite fighting between the Taliban and Western troops running the airlift.

Late Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy warned U.S. citizens at three airport gates to leave immediately due to an unspecified security threat. Australia, Britain and New Zealand also advised their citizens Thursday morning not to go to the airport, where there was a very high threat of a terrorist attack.

Australia has helped evacuate around 4,000 people, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison noted the increasingly dangerous situation. That danger and those risks have been increasing each and every day as we always knew they would, and thats why weve been moving with the haste that we have, he added.

The Taliban said they would allow normal commercial air traffic to resume when they assume control of the airport after Aug. 31, but its unclear whether airlines would be willing to fly into an airport controlled by the militants.

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With the deadline looming, Marcin Przydacz, a Polish deputy foreign minister, said Poland had evacuated its last group. We cannot risk the lives of our diplomats and of our soldiers any longer," Przydacz said.

A number of troops will remain briefly to wrap up operations, Przydacz said. Poland has used over a dozen planes to bring hundreds of evacuees to Warsaw. Some later traveled on to other countries.

Hours later, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said his country ended its evacuation flights carrying people from Kabul to Pakistan. Belgium will continue to repatriate to our country those people evacuated in the days ahead, De Croo said. More than 1,100 people have been flown to Belgium.

The Czech Republic declared its own evacuation mission complete last week, and Hungary said it plans to end its operations soon.

Due to extreme tension on the ground ... and the scheduled departure of American forces, these evacuations are a true race against time, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday. He said that his countrys evacuation would likely end a few hours, maybe a few days ahead of the American departure.

The White House said Wednesday around 19,000 people were evacuated from Kabul over the last 24 hours. It said the U.S. has evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of around 82,300 people since the Taliban takeover in mid-August.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said as many as 1,500 Americans may be awaiting evacuation, a figure that suggests that part of the U.S.-led airlift could be completed before the Tuesday deadline. The State Department estimated about 6,000 Americans had wanted to leave when the airlift began Aug. 14.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the military will continue to evacuate needed populations all the way to the end." But he added that in the final days and hours there will have to be a balance as the 5,400 troops in Kabul and critical systems also need to be withdrawn.

In Kabul itself, life has been slow to return to normal, but many people  especially women  are staying inside, fearful of the Taliban or the general instability.

Kabul Mayor Dawood Sultanzoy said many city workers have yet to return to work, with the absence of experienced staff hindering normal operations. But he said the city has begun to remove the blast walls that became ubiquitous in recent years as the Taliban and other armed groups carried out bombings and other attacks against the Western-backed government.

The Taliban say the decades of war are over and there will be no revenge attacks on people who opposed them. But there have been reports of summary executions and other abuses, and many Afghans fear a return to the Taliban's hard-line Islamic rule of the 1990s, when women were largely confined to their homes.

Chaos at the Kabul airport has transfixed the world after the Taliban captured most of Afghanistan in a matter of days this month. Afghans poured onto the tarmac last week, and some clung to a U.S. military transport plane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths. At least seven people died that day, and another seven died Sunday in a panicked stampede.

Thousands have thronged the airport in the days since, and the U.S. and its allies have worked to speed the evacuation, sometimes flying people out before their paperwork is fully processed and bringing them to transit points. On Wednesday, 51 people landed in Uganda, the first African nation to serve as a transit point.

For now, the U.S. military coordinates all air traffic in and out of the Kabul airport. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen tweeted that people with legal documents will be able to fly out of Kabul airport via commercial flights after the August deadline.

On Wednesday, a stream of military planes took off from the airfield as evacuees lined up on the tarmac. The desperate remained outside, some standing knee-deep in sewage and waving identity documents at Western soldiers in hopes of being allowed to go beyond the barbed wire fencing and onto a flight out.

While the final withdrawal date just under a week away, analyst Patricia Lewis said the practical deadline for the evacuations to stop was the next couple of days.

Theres a huge amount of stuff that has to be done, including getting all the people out who are doing the job and all the equipment," said Lewis, who is the director of the international security program at Chatham House, an international think tank.

All of the allies are highly dependent on the U.S. for military cover, particularly air cover," Lewis said. "They cant put their own people at risk, so it really depends on when the U.S. starts packing up.

___

Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tameem Akhgar in Istanbul, Jill Lawless in London, Karel Janicek in Prague, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.

___

More AP coverage of Afghanistan: https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan
Workers prepare a solar kit to be installed on the roof of Tse'Bii'Nidzisgai Elementary School student. (Photo/Courtesy of Young Living Foundation)

MONUMENT VALLEY, Utah Thanks to a new solar-powered light, Audrina Romero is able to keep reading and painting long after the sun goes down.

Her painting kind of calms her down from anxiety or stress, or anything like that, said Audrinas mother, Misty Romero. That was a magical moment for her, when Heart of America came and installed the solar, and then we left the lights on all night She read a book, and then she painted all night.

Audrina is one of 75 students at Tse'Bii'Nidzisgai Elementary School who has new access to light and electrical power through a solar power station kit installed by the Heart of America and Young Living Foundations and donated by the renewable power solutions company Goal Zero.

Mylo Fowler (Navajo), HOAs Native American community liaison, said 25 more Navajo homes will receive kits before the projects end. Kits like the one the Romero family received includes a light, a solar panel and a 500-watt battery that charges Audrinas school computer and other devices.

Audrina Romero (right), shown with her mother Misty, is one of 75 students who has new access to light and electrical power through a solar power station kit installed by the Heart of America and Young Living Foundations. (Photo/Misty Romero)

Audrina Romero (right), shown with her mother Misty, is one of 75 students who has new access to light and electrical power through a solar power station kit installed by the Heart of America and Young Living Foundations. (Photo/Misty Romero)

Misty said that electricity is not a want, its a need for Navajo families. Before receiving the solar kit, her only light sources were a weak camping light and the sun, and they charged their devices at her mothers trailer. She said that having a light bright enough to read by has lifted Audrinas spirits and made her willing to read and paint more.

Its needed for our younger generations so that they can continue their education, and I just wanted to say even for myself, Im going to take my masters (degree classes) using this solar so I can stay up late at night and do my classes online, Romero said. I mean, without the solar, I dont think I could do it, honestly.

Backed by a coalition of charitable partners and volunteers, Heart of America (HOA) began a six-phase Native American Response in May 2020 to address educational inequities worsened by the pandemic. The foundation distributed school and art supplies, solar lanterns and more to 7,500 students from Native communities in Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Fowler said many Navajo families have multiple children in school, so the lanterns they receive can light up much of their home.

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A lot of the principals (of the schools we worked with) would say at least, bare minimum, 50 percent of these kids dont have electricity, Fowler told Native News Online. Which means, getting the Internet is out of the question because you need power for that, right? Some teachers were struggling to make a simple phone call out to these kids, their students, just because they live out in the middle of nowhere. So these kits allowed these students to continue to work from home, learn from home with grade-appropriate materials.

Trying to find light

Romeros lack of electricity is far from unique on the Navajo Nation. According to the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA), about 15,000 Navajo families dont have power in their homes. Fowler said that some families solar power is unreliable due to the end of the company that installed the systems, leaving families with no technical assistance.

Romero said that Navajo families sometimes wait years for electricity to come to their homes.

Mylo Fowler, HOA's Native Community Liaison

Mylo Fowler, HOA's Native Community Liaison (Photo/Mylo Fowler)

Fowler said he vividly remembers hearing someone from NTUA tell his family every summer that this would be the summer they would get electricity, from when he was in second grade until well after he graduated from high school. He recalls using a hot kerosene lamp, a flashlight, or the familys wood-burning stove for light to do his homework when he was growing up.

In some cases it was quite unhealthy, Fowler said. And the sad thing is that a lot of my Navajo youth are still learning that way: trying to find light.

Fowler said he first began installing solar power systems on his own in 2015, in the homes of Navajo families he would hear from on Facebook. He later continued his work with the Real Salt Lake Foundation and eventually Heart of America, and he has also been involved with an annual effort by Goal Zero. For the next installation, he said theyve begun conversations with the Chinle Unified School District on the Navajo Nation and White Mountain Apache and San Carlos Apache tribes.

And so the last time we did that, I think we powered 65 homes in 2 days and we just started having those conversations again, where Goal Zero, they want to do 50 homes with Heart of America, Fowler said.

Heart of America is collecting donations at this webpage to provide students on the Navajo Nation and their families with more solar lanterns, education kits, WiFi hotspots, and tablets.

And so, its just been amazing to see the power and the immediate impact light has had on these families, Fowler said. And while the world advances with technology, and the Internet, 5G, Google Fiber, its amazing how a lot of families are still lacking the basic simple things.

About the Author: "Andrew Kennard is a reporting intern for Native News Online. Kennard is pursuing a degree in Multimedia Journalism at Drake University and has worked as a staff writer for the Times-Delphic, the Drake student-produced weekly newspaper. This fall, he will work as the Times-Delphic\u2019s News Editor. "

Contact: AndrewKennard@donthaveit.com
The US has suffered a flurry of major cyberattacks targeting everyone from federal prosecutors through to meat suppliers, and the White House hopes some discussions with key companies will produce some long-term security solutions. The Washington Post reports that President Biden, certain cabinet members and relevant security officials are holding talks on August 25th with tech giants ADP, Amazon, Apple, Google, IBM and Microsoft to see how they can help bolster cybersecurity.

While the spate of ransomware attacks will be on the agenda, a senior Biden administration official said the White House wanted to tackle the "root causes" of cybersecurity issues. This included addressing a wide range of vulnerabilities, instituting "good operational practices" and hiring more security workers.

The conversations will also involve financial and insurance giants (including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Travelers) as well as educational organizations like Code.org and Girls Who Code. While the Biden meeting is at the center of the discussions, the chats with cabinet members and officials are billed as "informal" sessions that will help establish definitive solutions.

The White House said the meetups were a recognition that the US needed a "whole-of-nation" cybersecurity strategy involving both the government and private sector. It also promised this wouldn't be the "last engagement" with companies on security issues. This comes soon after Biden took multiple steps in a bid to improve digital security for vital infrastructure, such as issuing an executive order meant to bolster federal security standards and coordination.

The question, as always, is whether or not the discussions will lead to meaningful action. The meeting with tech firms might help with top-down decision-making, but that won't matter much unless the other talks also lead to tangible strategy changes. This could be little more than a public relations exercise if the companies don't (or can't) commit to specific cybersecurity improvements.
Aug. 25Cameron Kyles went to a Middletown house on the night of Oct. 12, 2019, and robbed then shot Michael Stewart II to death as part of a gang plot involving three others, according to prosecutors.

Kyles' trial for aggravated murder in the slaying of Michael Stewart II began Monday in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

But the defense says Kyles, now 20, was a "patsy" to take the fall for those who conspired to rob Stewart.

In addition to aggravated murder, Kyles is charged with aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, felonious assault and having weapons under disability for Stewart's slaying on Ninth Avenue.

During opening statements in Butler County Common Pleas Court, Assistant Prosecutor Jackie Welp told the jury 35-year-old Stewart was a "Blood" gang member and Kyles and the co-defendants were "Crips" who planned to "hit a lick" or rob Stewart of cash and marijuana.

Camron Pawlowski, a 16-year-old boy and another teen hung out at Pawlowski's residence on Bavarian Woods on Oct. 12 smoking marijuana and talking about the robbery, Welp said. After picking up Kyles, they drove to Stewart's house, parked in the alley, and sent in the youngest of the four to make a buy and see if anyone else was in the house.

Then Kyles went into the house with a gun, shots are fired and Kyles ran out as Stewart lay dying grabbing money and a baggie of marijuana. They went back to the Bavarian Street residence where Kyles took a shower and put his clothes in the washing machine. The gun, which Middletown police found, was ditched in the woods near the residence wrapped in a white shirt, according to prosecutors.

Welp said the teens divided up the money from the robbery and blood-stained dollar bills were found in Kyles' possession.

"We know this defendant's whereabouts on Oct. 12 to Oct. 13 because he was wearing a GPS monitor from a previous charge of participating in a criminal gang," Welp said. She added Kyles wanted to "earn his stripes" with the gang by committing the robbery.

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Defense attorney Rodney Harris told the jury during openings, "Throughout Cameron's life he has had a number of mental health limitations and challenges. He has been manipulated and mistreated. He was popular when they wanted a patsy."

Kyles was not trusted because he could not keep a secret and was not part of the planning to rob Stewart, Harris said.

"He was the dumb patsy that they could lay the case right in his lap," Harris said, adding what better person to take the fall than someone wearing a GPS monitor.

The defense attorney pointed out during the trial that the juvenile, who was called to testify, was given a deal assuring his case stay in juvenile court if he testified at trial. He pled guilty to murder and has been sentenced to the Ohio Department of Youth Services until his 21st birthday.

Pawlowski, 17, who was tried as an adult, was sentenced to prison for 15 years. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, aggravated burglary and having weapons under disability with gang and gun specifications. A fourth person in the car was not charged, Harris said.

The trial is expected to continue all week.
Sen. Marco Rubio asked the Biden administration to explain how it will secure the U.S.-Mexico border in the event that terrorists released by the Taliban from prisons in Afghanistan attempt to sneak in.

The Florida Republican asked Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday to provide a full accounting of the steps taken by the department over the past week to shore up the southern border, where thousands of federal agents have been pulled from the field to care for a soaring number of migrant families in custody.

"The current alarming and unsustainable crisis in Afghanistan also gives me significant concerns about the increased risk of dangerous individuals crossing from Mexico into the United States due to your track record of failing to secure our southern border," Rubio wrote in a letter.

Rubio, the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and a senior member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, cited reports that the Taliban have released al Qaeda and Islamic State fighters from prison. He added that people on the terrorist watchlist had already been apprehended at the southern border this year as justification for his concerns.

BORDER PATROL HIRING AGENT TO 'ADDRESS GAPS IN DIVERSITY,' MEMO REVEALS

The Florida senator gave Mayorkas until Aug. 31 to explain how the department has boosted border security in the past week to ensure that terrorists released by the Taliban cannot cross the border. He also asked for a written classified report detailing the total number of terrorists the Border Patrol has arrested over the past four months.

Rubio's remarks come days after the outgoing head of the Border Patrol, Rodney Scott, told agents that they were apprehending people on the terrorist watchlist "at a level we have never seen before."

"You are not immigration police and our job is not immigration on the border," Scott said in a farewell message to agents. "Our job is to know who and what comes in this country and then to filter it out based on the rules applied by Congress and by law. Thats critically important, and when you put it in the context of immigration only, I think you miss the bigger fight. This job is extremely important. Your mission's very important."

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Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency of the Border Patrol, would not share information about terrorism-affiliated encounters.

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Tags: News, Marco Rubio, Foreign Affairs, al Qaeda, Border Patrol, National Security, Terrorists, Taliban, Afghanistan, Islamic State

Original Author: Anna Giaritelli

Original Location: Rubio asks DHS about border security amid Taliban's release of terrorists
The Supreme Court issued an order late Tuesday declining to stop the revival of a Trump-era border policy that requires asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are reviewed by U.S. immigration judges.

The high court's conservative supermajority denied the Biden administration's emergency request to continue the suspension of a federal judge's order that requires U.S. border officials to reinstate the so-called "Remain-in-Mexico" program.

Since the current hold on the lower court judge's ruling expires at midnight on Tuesday, the Biden administration will be legally mandated to implement the Trump-era border rule on Wednesday.

Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer, who make up the Supreme Court's liberal minority, indicated they would have granted the Biden administration's request.

Tuesday's ruling is a significant judicial setback for the Biden administration, which has maintained it can't implement the Remain-in-Mexico policy without the Mexican government agreeing to accept migrants returned by the U.S.

Last week, the Mexican foreign ministry called the potential revival of Remain-in-Mexico a "unilateral" U.S. action, saying it had yet to be officially notified of a policy change.

U.S. immigration officials were directed late Tuesday to "reimplement" Remain-in-Mexico starting at 12:01 AM on Wednesday, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by CBS News.

The memo from Andrew Davidson, the U.S. asylum chief, noted that DHS is working on an "expeditious" revival of the policy, but said that it hinges on Mexico's "concurrence," as well as "the establishment of appropriate infrastructure, processes, and related systems and capabilities."

SAN LUIS, AZ - AUGUST 15: Migrants attempting to cross in to the U.S. from Mexico are detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the border August 15, 2021 in San Luis, Arizona. / Credit: Getty Images

U.S. officials were also instructed to stop processing and admitting asylum-seekers who were previously subjected to the Remain-in-Mexico rules. As of earlier this summer, the Biden administration had allowed 13,000 of these asylum-seekers to enter the U.S. and continue their cases there.

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"Once necessary prerequisites are met," the U.S. will start returning migrants to Mexico, the memo said.

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said it was holding "diplomatic discussions" with the Mexican government about the Remain-in-Mexico rule, which the Trump administration dubbed the Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPP.

"The Department of Homeland Security respectfully disagrees with the district court's decision and regrets that the Supreme Court declined to issue a stay," the department said. "DHS has appealed the district court's order and will continue to vigorously challenge it. As the appeal process continues, however, DHS will comply with the order in good faith."

During former President Donald Trump's term, more than 70,000 Latin American migrants were enrolled in MPP and returned to Mexico, where many found themselves in squalid tent camps and dangerous border towns. Advocates for asylum-seekers strongly denounced the policy, calling it inhumane and draconian.

President Biden, who was critical of the program during the 2020 presidential campaign, suspended it on his first day in office. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas formally terminated the program in June.

Despite its draw down of the MPP policy, the Biden administration has continued to cite a public health law that was first invoked by the Trump administration in March 2020 to rapidly expel from the U.S. southern border most migrant adults and some families with children without allowing them to request asylum.

SAN LUIS, AZ - AUGUST 15: Migrants attempting to cross in to the U.S. from Mexico are detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the border August 15, 2021 in San Luis, Arizona. / Credit: / Getty Images

At the center of the current court case over the MPP program is a lawsuit filed by Texas and Missouri, which alleged that the Biden administration illegally terminated the program.

Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who was appointed to the federal bench by former President Trump, agreed with the arguments presented by Texas and Missouri, finding that the Biden administration's rescission of the MPP policy was unlawful.

Kacsmaryk ordered federal officials to revive the Remain in Mexico program until it is "lawfully rescinded" and the government has the detention capacity to hold all asylum-seekers and migrants subject to mandatory detention.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to suspend Kacsmaryk's order last week, with a three-judge panel supporting his legal opinion. Justice Samuel Alito subsequently granted the Biden administration a four-day "administrative stay," which expires Tuesday at midnight.

In its opinion last week, the Fifth Circuit noted that if the Biden administration's "good-faith efforts to implement MPP are thwarted by Mexico, it nonetheless will be in compliance with the district court's order, so long as it also adheres to the rest of the statutory requirements."

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court said its order should "not be read as affecting" the Fifth Circuit's interpretation of Kacsmaryk's original ruling.

Omar Jadwat, the director of American Civil Liberties Union's immigrants rights project, urged the Biden administration to move swiftly to try to wind down the Remain-in-Mexico rule once again."The government must take all steps available to fully end this illegal program, including by re-terminating it with a fuller explanation," Jadwat said. "What it must not do is use this decision as cover for abandoning its commitment to restore a fair asylum system."

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Biden aims to keep August 31 deadline for Afghanistan exit

Eye Opener: Biden sticking with Afghanistan deadline
Seoul's education board is forcing its girls' schools to remove a regulation that mandates that female students must wear only plain, all-white undergarments. Park Ji-Hwan/AFP via Getty Images

Seoul's education board is removing a policy that requires female students to wear plain, all-white undergarments.

A quarter of Seoul's girls' schools regulate the color and transparency of students' underwear.

Seoul's government wants the regulations removed by the end of the year.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is forcing the city's girls' schools to ditch a mandate that requires female students to wear only plain, all-white undergarments.

As of this week, a 31 of Seoul's 129 girls' schools at the middle and high school level still had such a regulation in place, Seoul Metropolitan Council member Moon Jang-gil told local news outlet JoongAng Daily.

Moon said the schools police the color, pattern, and transparency of their students' underwear, per each institution's code of conduct. This includes rules that penalize students who wear underwear that is not plain or white and punishments for wearing lacy lingerie.

Some of the guidelines listed in school regulations included: "Penalty points will be given to all types of underwear except for white patternless undergarments," "Lacy lingerie is prohibited" and "Blouses must be long enough that when raising one's arms, the underwear cannot be seen," reported Korea JoongAng Daily.

The Seoul Office of Education is asking the schools to either remove the regulations voluntarily or be forced to by the end of this year, per BBC Korea.

The policy change was precipitated by a survey conducted by Asunaro, a South Korean youth activist organization, earlier this year. The organization received more than 400 complaints from female students across the country about such underwear regulations.

Asunaro collected anonymous accounts from female students, some of whom said that schools allowing male teachers to inspect their uniform tops and check if they were wearing the correct underwear was both insulting and disturbing, per Hani News.

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Other students said they felt violated and uncomfortable during extensive underwear checks, particularly in schools where female students' clothes were scrutinized to see if they were wearing bras of varying colors, Korean news outlet Yeoseong Shinmun reported.

A spokesperson from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education told the JoongAng Daily that before official pressure was applied to schools to get on board with policy shifts, it was difficult to get institutions to amend their school rules.

"While most public schools follow our announcement, it often gets blocked by the school principal, the board members, or the steering committee in private schools as there is no legally binding force," the spokesman told the JoongAng Daily.

But these girls' schools now have no choice but to acquiesce to the new government directive.

According to a report from Yonhap News, six of the remaining 31 schools that have such underwear regulations announced on Tuesday that they will be removing their underwear policy following talks with the Seoul education board.

Read the original article on Insider
Relief from prolonged heat and humidity will take hold across the Northeast this weekend, but as the transition takes place, there will be a renewed concern for flash flooding in some locations, AccuWeather forecasters warn.

Hot and humid conditions that expanded in the wake of Henri early this week have lingered in most areas into Friday. High temperatures ranging from the upper 80s to the middle 90s F, with AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures ranging from the 90s to low 100s have been common most of the week.

There are some changes coming to New England this weekend, but people in the mid-Atlantic hoping for a blast of cool, refreshing air similar to mid- to late-September and October will be greatly disappointed, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.

It is tough for cold fronts to reach much of the Atlantic coast during August, and that will be the case in the coming days.

"For a front to roll through with a major change to cool weather, there needs to be a significant southward dip in the jet stream to help nudge the Bermuda High out of the way. Instead, the jet stream will barely have a ripple this weekend, so the air aloft will remain quite warm," Anderson explained.

There will be some cooling in the lower part of the atmosphere that will be assisted by the Atlantic Ocean.

Water temperatures are about their highest levels of the year right now, ranging from the 60s along the coast of Maine to the lower 80s along the Virginia capes.

"Any cooling by way of a northeasterly or easterly breeze will be limited and will tend to carry some moisture along with it," Anderson said.

Some reduction in humidity is likely for New England and part of upstate New York, but the humidity drop may become progressively less noticeable farther to the south and west this weekend, due to the ocean adding its moisture contribution to the air.

"It is possible for no significant change in humidity to occur from New York City on south and west this weekend," Anderson said.

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CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

High temperatures are forecast to take a bit of a hit, especially in New England and northeastern New York state, where highs are forecast to trend downward to the 70s and even the upper 60s.

Some of the best weather this weekend in terms of low humidity sunshine, and fall-like conditions may be in Maine, closer to the source of the cool and dry air from eastern Canada. For example, high temperatures in Bangor, Maine, reached 91 on Thursday but are forecast to only reach the lower 70s on Saturday and the middle to upper 60s on Sunday. High temperatures at that level are more typical of late-September.

Farther to the south and west, the high temperature trend may only be 5-10 degrees lower from the extremes of much of this week. By Sunday, highs are forecast to range from the middle 80s in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to just shy of 90 in Washington, D.C.

"Any time there is a flow of air partially or fully from the Atlantic, there can be issues due to cloud cover, lingering misty conditions and even patches of rain or thunderstorms. These are also concerns for this weekend in the mid-Atlantic, central Appalachians, Great Lakes and even New England," Anderson said.

During the summer, a change in air temperature, whether subtle or extreme, can also mean the risk of thunderstorm development.

"The atmosphere over the mid-Atlantic and central Appalachians is loaded with moisture and that can be squeezed out in the form of torrential downpours and the risk of flash flooding right through the weekend," Anderson said.

The greatest risk of flash flooding will extend through Saturday, as the storms on Sunday will be more spotty in nature.

"Motorists should be especially careful after dark as it may be difficult to see flooded roadways ahead of time," Anderson said.

Spotty storms with intense rainfall erupted over the mid-Atlantic region on Thursday afternoon. Over the course of one hour, 1.54 inches of rain, drenched Fredericksburg, Virginia.

"For those heading to the beach this weekend, in addition to the potential for stubborn clouds and even some rain, a stiff breeze from the Atlantic may lead to rough surf and strong rip currents from the southern New England coast to Long Island, New York, New Jersey and Delaware," Anderson added.

Another potential concern at the beaches is that runoff from Henri's flooding on Sunday and Monday may have washed pollutants into the surf zones. People are urged to abide by any local restrictions set forth by officials due to weather or contaminants.

During the middle and latter part of next week, it may be possible for a more substantial push of cooler and less humid air to reach the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic coast. However, potential developments in the tropical Atlantic, including Ida heading for the Gulf of Mexico, may add some level of complexity to the forecast, should a system push northward into the Southern states.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
A candidate for Star City Council and chairman of the citys Parks, Art and Beautification Committee has resigned amid a police investigation.

Matt Vraspir resigned his position on the committee and suspended his campaign for City Council, according to a Facebook post from Star Mayor Trevor Chadwick on Tuesday.

The circumstances surrounding this resignation involves an ongoing police investigation, Chadwick wrote on the city of Stars Facebook page. There is a lot of conjecture on social media right now. I ask that you please allow our police and prosecutors offices to do their jobs. I have every confidence in the work they do, and that justice will prevail.

The Star Police Department is investigating a shooting of a family dog, according to the Ada County Sheriffs Office and Chadwick. The city of Star contracts with the Sheriffs Office for police services.

Carmen Garshelis, the owner of a golden retriever named Stanley who was fatally shot last weekend, has accused another man, not Vraspir, of shooting the dog. But Vraspir was involved, Garshelis told the Idaho Statesman.

A since-deleted Facebook post from Vraspir in a Star community group denied that. Garshelis provided a screenshot of the post to the Statesman. Vraspir wrote: My heart breaks for Carmen and her family. This tragic accident should never have happened, but any insinuation that I was involved in any way is completely false.

Vraspir did not respond to a phone call from the Statesman on Tuesday night and an email Wednesday morning.

Garshelis said the shooting occurred while she was out of town. She left the dog with the man accused of shooting him, she said. During her trip, she was told her dog had run away, she said.

In a separate post on the citys Facebook page, Chadwick said the incident was reported to Star police as an accident. Idaho law would allow for a felony charge if it is determined the shooting was deliberate.

Like many of you, I am disheartened, angered and dismayed to hear about the shooting death of a beloved family dog in Star over the weekend, Chadwick said in a Facebook post on Monday afternoon. It breaks my heart for the dog owner and the pup that this senseless act of violence has occurred.

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That post did not mention Vraspir or name anyone involved in the incident.

Chadwick said Star officers will send all evidence to the Ada County Prosecutors Office, which will make a decision about charges.

Said Garshelis: This is wrong and I am hoping that justice is served for Stanley.

Rachel Spacek covers western Ada and eastern Canyon counties. Have a story suggestion or a question? Email Spacek at rspacek@idahostatesman.com.

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This year's State Fair will have a few twists and turns to it as vendors make last-minute changes due to COVID concerns. Among them:

Hamline dining hall will serve outdoors only

There will be no Swedish meatballs or Hamloaf at the Hamline Church Dining Hall this year.

The State Fair institution announced this week that "out of an abundance of caution" it would not be offering indoor seating or dining this year.

"While we had hoped to be fully open, given the current levels of COVID infection we believe this decision is in line with our faith tradition that calls us to love our neighbor," said the Rev. Mariah Furness Tollgaard, senior pastor at Hamline United Methodist Church in St. Paul.

This year, the dining hall will focus on the sweeter side of its menu. The popular Sno-Cap Mini Waffle Sundae is back, but Izzy's ice cream is not. (Izzy's announced the closing of its scoop shops last year and is now focused on expanding its supermarket footprint.) Instead, they'll be scooping nine flavors of Bridgeman's ice cream  vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, brownie caramel, cookies and cream, Mackinac Island Fudge, salted caramel espresso, key lime pie and lemon sherbet.

The dining hall, celebrating its 124th year, is the oldest food concession at the fair, and one of only two church dining halls still operating (the other is Salem Lutheran Church). Located on Dan Patch Avenue, it will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. throughout the fair.

Minnesota Cooks program is canceled

The Minnesota Farmers Union will not be hosting its annual Minnesota Cooks Day event this year, citing continuing health concerns.

"We value our longstanding relationship with the Minnesota State Fair and the opportunity we've had to showcase our local foods program, Minnesota Cooks ... for the last 18 years, where we connect with Minnesotans about the importance of local foods," the group announced on its Instagram page. "This year, however, with the continuing health concerns of COVID-19 and the delta variant, we have made the difficult decision not to host our annual Minnesota Cooks Day event. We do not feel that we can ask our program participants, many with young families, to attend given the risks it may bring."

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What's not going away, though, is the annual calendar giveaway. The Minnesota Cooks 2022 calendar will be available at the Minnesota Farmers Union coffee shop, and if you're opting out of the fair this year, you can request one at minnesotacooks.org/store; a $5 shipping fee applies.

The coffee shop will continue to highlight Minnesota farm-fresh ingredients in its signature Maple Nitro Cold Press, Heirloom Tomato and Sweet Corn BLT and, new this year, Cucumber Jalapeno Limeade. Find it on Dan Patch Avenue between Cooper and Cosgrove streets.

Who's new at the fair

For those keeping track, the fair announced nine new vendors this year:

Andy's Garage: The Midtown Global Market mainstay will make its debut with the ChoriPop, a vegan corn dog. International Bazaar.

Auntie M's Gluten Free: Corn dogs, cheese curds and three flavors of funnel cakes, all gluten-free. Judson Av.

Baba's: A variety of hummus bowls, from dill pickle to truffle. Plus baklava. Underwood St.

Fluffy's Hand Cut Donuts: Create your own Jumbo Donut Sundae. West Dan Patch Av.

Libby's Ice Cream & Co.: Cones, cups, shakes and sundaes, plus banana split on-a-stick. Chambers St.

New Scenic Cafe: Sashimi tuna tacos from this Duluth favorite. Between Lee and Randall Avs.

Solem Concessions Cheese Curds and Mini Donuts: Its Cajun cheese curds are new to the fair. Between Murphy and Lee Avs.

Spinning Wylde: The St. Paul cotton candy maker will have more than 30 flavors. Underwood St.

Summer Lakes Beverages: Gluten-free, vegan mocktails in three flavors. Between Lee and Randall Avs.
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday the Biden administration must reinstate former President Trump's "Remain-in-Mexico" policy.

Driving the news: The Court voted 6-3 to reject the administration's plea to block the reinstatement of the program, which requires immigrants seeking asylum at the southern border to wait in Mexico while their applications are pending.

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The court's liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer dissented.

What they're saying: The order stated the Biden administration acted in an "arbitrary and capricious" manner when the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program was rescinded.

The ruling cited a decision made last year declining to let the Trump administration rescind the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

The big picture: The majority of justices sided with a ruling from a federal judge in Texas, which said the Biden administration failed to consider several critical factors before officially terminating the program in June.

The Justice Department had asked the court last week to suspend the lower court's order, saying the MPP "has been formally suspended for seven months and largely dormant for nearly nine months before that."

Justice Samuel Alito temporarily halted the order to allow for the administration to file documents to make its case, but the court ultimately denied it.

Flashback: When the Biden administration ended the program, Missouri and Texas filed lawsuits alleging they had been injured by the rescission by having to provide government-issued identifications to immigrants that were allowed into the U.S., per the New York Times.

Between the lines: "Immigration advocates and Democrats often criticized the MPP program in which migrants were often forced to live in dangerous conditions," Axios' Stef Kight reports.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

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ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland has signed an agreement with Pfizer to supply 14 million more doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to cover 2022 and 2023, Health Minister Alain Berset said on Wednesday.

"The Swiss government has completed a further contract with Pfizer, which will supply 7 million vaccine doses (in both) 2022 and 2023," Berset told a press conference in Bern.

The contract includes an option for an additional 7 million doses to be supplied to Switzerland each year, Berset said. "With this, the Swiss population will have access to enough vaccine in the coming two years," Berset said.

(Reporting by John Revill; editing by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi)
By Orhan Coskun and Tuvan Gumrukcu

ANKARA (Reuters) - The Taliban have asked Turkey for technical help to run Kabul airport after the departure of foreign forces but insist that Ankara's military also withdraw fully by the end-August deadline, two Turkish officials told Reuters.

The conditional request by the Islamist Taliban, who swept back to power in Afghanistan 20 years after they were ousted in a U.S. invasion, leaves Ankara with a difficult decision over whether to accept a hazardous job, one official said.

Mainly Muslim Turkey was part of a NATO mission in Afghanistan and still has hundreds of troops at Kabul airport. The officials say they are ready to withdraw at short notice.

But President Tayyip Erdogan's government has said for months that it could keep a presence at the airport if requested. After the Taliban seized control of the country Turkey offered technical and security assistance at the airport.

"The Taliban have made a request for technical support in running Kabul airport," a senior Turkish official said, adding however that the Taliban demand for all Turkish troops to leave would complicate any prospective mission.

"Ensuring the safety of workers without the Turkish Armed Forces is a risky job," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Talks with the Taliban on the issue were ongoing and, in the meantime, preparations for a troop withdrawal had been completed, he said.

It was unclear whether Turkey would agree to give technical assistance if its troops were not there to provide security.

Another Turkish official said a final decision would be made by the Aug. 31 deadline for foreign forces to leave the country and end a 20-year military involvement in Afghanistan.

Keeping the airport open after foreign forces hand over control is vital not just for Afghanistan to stay connected to the world but also to maintain aid supplies and operations.

"It's going to be a critical lifeline for the humanitarian action in Afghanistan," Mary Ellen McGroarty, World Food Programme director in Afghanistan, said last week.

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'GOOD RELATIONS'

Turkey has praised what it described as moderate statements by the Taliban since they captured Kabul, and has said it is open to engaging with them once a new government is formed.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Tuesday the group sought good ties with Ankara,

"We want good relations with Turkey, the Turkish government and the Muslim people of the Turkish nation. As for Turkish forces stationed in Afghanistan, we are not in need of them in our country and once the evacuation is completed we will secure the airport by ourselves," Mujahid said.

Turkey had been responsible for securing Kabul airport under the NATO deployment and has been involved in evacuation efforts over the last two weeks.

The United States says it is coordinating with regional partners, as well as the Taliban, about the future operation of Kabul airport.

"A functioning state, a functioning economy, a government that has some semblance of a relationship with the rest of the world, needs a functioning commercial airport," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday.

"We are in discussions with the Taliban on this very front. They have indicated to us in no uncertain terms that they seek to have a functioning commercial airport."

(Addional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Washington; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Dominic Evans and Giles Elgood)
Fewer than 1,000 U.S. citizens are actively seeking assistance in leaving Afghanistan, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said approximately 4,500 Americans have evacuated.

Over the past 24 hours, weve been in direct contact with approximately 500 additional Americans and provided specific instructions on how to get to the airport safely, Blinken told reporters Wednesday. "For the remaining roughly 1,000 contacts that we had who may be Americans seeking to leave Afghanistan, we're aggressively reaching out to them multiple times a day ... From this list of approximately 1,000, we believe the number of Americans actively seeking assistance to leave Afghanistan is lower  likely significantly lower.

CHINA LAUNCHES MILITARY DRILLS AS KAMALA HARRIS VISITS INDO-PACIFIC

President Joe Bidens administration, along with other NATO allies and partner states, has scrambled to evacuate civilians from Afghanistan in a fraught security environment ever since Taliban forces swept through the country and up to the gates of Kabuls international airport earlier this month. Taliban fighters have maintained a ceasefire with the United States under a 2020 peace deal, but they have demanded U.S. forces leave the country within weeks  putting evacuation operations under a strict deadline.

The Taliban, whether we like it or not, is in control  largely in control of the country, certainly in control of the city of Kabul, Blinken told reporters. And its important to work with them to try and facilitate the departure of all those who want to leave.

That tactical dynamic has empowered the militants to apply an extra level of scrutiny to people attempting to reach the airport, with consequences for Americans seeking to flee. Taliban officials are blocking the departure of Afghans who hold U.S. visas rather than the passports of a citizen, even if those visa holders are related to American citizens, administration officials told congressional staff in a briefing prior to Blinkens public update.

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Those restrictions have forced some American citizens to choose between abandoning their relatives or leaving the country.

Some Americans may choose to stay in Afghanistan  some who are enrolled, and some who are not, Blinken said. Many of them are dual nationals who may consider Afghanistan their home, whove lived there for decades, or who want to stay close to extended family.

Biden maintained any deadline for a departure of U.S. troops should not be regarded as a deadline for U.S. government assistance either to Afghans who seek to flee the country and are eligible for American support  but the process will depend on the Taliban keeping their promises to provide safe passage to Afghans who are otherwise expected to be at risk of violence from the group.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE IN THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Taliban have made public and private commitments to provide and permit safe passage for Americans, for third-country nationals, and Afghans at risk going forward past Aug. 31, Blinken said. And we certainly have points of incentive and points of leverage with a future Afghan government to help make sure that that happens. But I can tell you again  from my perspective, from the presidents perspective  this effort does not end on Aug. 31.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Foreign Policy, National Security, Antony Blinken, State Department, Afghanistan, War in Afghanistan, Refugees

Original Author: Joel Gehrke

Original Location: The Taliban are 'in control': Blinken gives update on American evacuations from Afghanistan as deadline looms
From trucks stuffed with carpets, bedding, clothes and even goats, around 200 Afghan refugees look beyond the horizon toward Spin Boldak in their country's south, waiting to return home from Pakistan.

Dreading another period of harsh rule after the Taliban's rapid takeover following the US troop withdrawal, thousands have been desperately trying to flee Afghanistan, with chaotic images emerging from the Kabul airport.

But some families want to repatriate to their homeland, saying the Taliban will bring stability to the war-torn nation.

"We emigrated from Afghanistan during bombing and hardships, when Muslims were in trouble, now, praise be to Allah, the situation is normal, so we are returning to Afghanistan," Molavi Shaib told AFP while waiting at the border.

Divided by a 10-foot-deep trench filled with barbed wire, the mountainous boundary separating Spin Boldak from Chaman in Pakistan's southwest sees thousands crossing the trade route every day.

As scores try to escape Taliban rule, Pakistan has ramped up security at the border, making the process more stringent.

"People want to return but they are not allowed to cross, we request the Pakistani government to allow us to cross the border because there's no war, and peace has been established," Muhammad Nabi said.

"We have our household with women and kids waiting -- we want them to cross the border."

Pakistan has housed over two million Afghan refugees since the first wave of war broke out in Afghanistan over 40 years ago, with numbers fluctuating based on the conflict's intensity, but the country has said it is not in a position to take in any more.

Displaced Afghans have long complained about feeling unwelcome with little access to employment and citizenship rights.

Many have become pawns in a diplomatic blame-game between the countries, which have accused each other of aiding militant groups. Islamabad has long been seen as protecting the Taliban and could be one of the few governments with close ties to the new regime in Kabul.

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- 'Better to go back' -

With dust blowing over their belongings and children squeezed in between the furniture, dozens of trucks are parked in Chaman's barren fields, as returnees complete document checks and wait for their crossing to be approved.

On the back of one truck, a teenage boy holds a baby, surrounded by a hodgepodge of household goods including a bucket, a bed and a bicycle. Another boy sits next to him on a yellow cushion while a white goat can be seen milling about between them.

The returnees say they will have better lives in Afghanistan.

"I am returning to Ghazni, now peace has been established and we are happy that we are returning back to our home. It's much better to go back and settle there," Wali Ur Rahman told AFP.

His words are a jarring contrast to the images from Kabul airport where people have clung to the exterior of planes and at least one person has fallen to their death off a departing jet.

Many of those trying to get out of Afghanistan fear reprisals from the Taliban after working for foreign governments that fought the militants during the 20-year war.

But Nabi told AFP he was confident the end of the conflict would bring a brighter future.

"We migrated here to Pakistan because of the ongoing war in Afghanistan, now peace has been established," he said.

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Young asia student remotely learn online at home with parent in coding robot car and electronic board cable. (Photo: Gettyimages)

You might already be familiar with the STEM pillars of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. What's lesser known is that in Singapore, there's a unit in the Science Centre dedicated to igniting students passion for STEM.

Initiatives to support the STEM Applied Learning Programme (ALP) in secondary schools are supported by the Ministry of Education, which sanctions programmes such as Industrial Partnership Programme (IPP), creating opportunities for students to get early exposure to the real-world STEM industries and careers. The end goal is to inspire a generation of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians.

Now for an even lesser known concept: Arts is slowly being incorporated all over the world into STEM, forming the acronym STEAM. The purpose is to inculcate an educational discipline that sparks a well-rounded interest of sciences and arts in children from an early age.

With all that said, where can parents find a one-stop shop with all the toys and learning peripherals they need for their children?

Look no further than the STEAM store that Amazon Singapore is launching today. The STEAM store delivers a catalogue of over 2,000 educational toys and books in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths for children of all ages. From 25 August to 1 September, enjoy deals up to 25% off when you shop there! Prices reflected here are before discount.

Read more: An age-by-age toys guide for children

Here are some of the toys you can expect from each category.

Science

Inflatable Solar System, S$50 (Photo: Amazon)

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National Geographic Rocks & Fossils Kit 200+ Piece Set, from S$40. (Photo: Amazon)

GeoSafari Ant Factory Toy, S$55 (Photo: Amazon)

Technology

LEGO 51515 Robot Inventor, S$466.90 (Photo: Amazon)

Snap Circuits SCA-200 Arcade Electronics Discovery Kit, S$61.50 (Photo: Amazon)

Coding for Beginners: Using Python, S$29.70 (Photo: Amazon)

Engineering

Ravensburger GraviTrax Building, from S$85.90 (Photo: Amazon)

Learning Resources MathLink Cube Big Builder, 200 Pieces, from S$33 (Photo: Amazon)

Art

Faber-Castell The Starry Night Pl Paint By Number Museum Series, S$10.90. (Photo: Amazon)

First Emotions: I Feel Happy, S$10.70. (Photo: Amazon)

LEGO DOTS Bracelet Mega Pack 41913, S$31.90 (Photo: Amazon)

Mathematics

Pidoko Kids Montessori Toys for Toddlers, S$22.30 (Photo: Amazon)

My STEM Day - Mathematics, S$6.50 (Photo: Amazon)

Lift-The-Flap Fractions and Decimals, S$26.60 (Photo: Amazon)

Sign up for Amazon Prime today to enjoy free shipping and exclusive deals! Prime is S$2.99 per month. Start a 30-day free trial of Prime at amazon.sg/prime.
(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a populist turn in Canadas election campaign, pledging to impose a 3% surtax on the nations big banks and insurers.

At a campaign stop in Vancouver, the leader of the governing Liberals promised to hike the corporate income tax rate by three percentage points on profit over C$1 billion ($793 million) at financial institutions. The measures, which would bring the rate to 18% from 15% currently, are expected to generate C$2.5 billion for government coffers over the next four years, starting in 2022, according to a party news release.

Industry groups bristled, calling the levy counterproductive and warning it could hurt the economy.

Singling out specific economic sectors for special taxation is a proven detriment to economic growth and has been abandoned as a strategy from previous governments, the Canadian Bankers Association said. Banks are already among the largest taxpayers in Canada.

Trudeaus proposal is meant to complement another headline-grabbing pledge to ban foreign buyers from the nations increasingly expensive housing market. Trudeau is trying to regain momentum after stumbling out of the gates in his bid to win back a majority in parliament. The Liberals are fighting on two fronts -- competing for votes against the left-leaning New Democratic Party and the more centrist Conservatives.

Given that our banks have posted extraordinarily large profits and continue to be incredibly successful, including through a pandemic where everyone else had to tighten their belts, were going to ask them to do a little bit more, Trudeau said Wednesday.

The announcement landed in the middle of strong bank earning season. Four of Canadas six banks reported fiscal third-quarter profits that topped analyst estimates, driven largely by gains in domestic mortgage lending. The remaining two are scheduled to report results Thursday.

The six biggest banks combined posted more than C$40 billion in net income in their most recent fiscal year. In addition to benefiting from the strong housing market, the firms also saw a surge in trading and corporate financing deals.

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In its statement, the CBA said Trudeaus proposal would reduce income that would otherwise benefit the majority of Canadians who are bank shareholders, either directly through share ownership or indirectly through pension and mutual funds.

The Canadian Life & Health Insurance Association also pushed back, saying it would expect any future government to consult with companies on new tax measures.

Trudeaus proposed levy would cut the banks earnings per share by about 2% to 3% and could change their relationship with the government, which had been fairly favorable, according to Paul Gulberg, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.

This is not a positive for investor perception, for sure, Gulberg said. It does not change bank fundamentals, but its a concern for lower profitability -- and potentially capital returns -- for one of the largest segments of the benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index.

Canadas eight-company banks index, which had climbed 1.1% on the strong earnings, fell as much as 0.6% from its high for the day after the announcement.

Swing Voters

Polling after the first week of the campaign showed the Liberals losing ground to the Conservatives, weakening their chances of regaining the majority government they lost in the 2019 election. The NDP, which is rising in the polls, has also promised to raise taxes on large corporations.

Taking a bigger cut of bank profits is precisely the type of political commitment that will entice the crucial progressive swing voter to the Liberals, said Elliot Hughes, who advised former Finance Minister Bill Morneau before joining Ottawa-based consultancy Summa Strategies.

I would expect to see more of these types of proposals as the campaign goes on and as we get closer to the release of the full Liberal platform, he said.

(Updates with industry reaction beginning in 3rd paragraph.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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At a rally in Alabama this weekend, former President Donald Trump was booed by supporters for forcefully endorsing vaccination against COVID-19. The spectacle seemed to encapsulate the complexity of the nations current COVID moment.

I believe totally in your freedoms. I do. Youve got to do what you have to do, Trump told his audience. "But I recommend: Take the vaccines. I did it  it's good."

The crowd jeered.

The COVID crisis has taken many turns, endured several waves, and continued to divide a nation of Republicans and Democrats who have long remained in stark disagreement over the threat of the virus and what should be done to mitigate its spread. The Trump rally is a fascinating look at the dynamics of social identity and the psychology of leadership, said Dominic Packer, co-author of the forthcoming book "The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony."

Packer said when a leader builds an identity around the narrative of "us versus them," they are pressured to stay in the bounds of "us," and find it difficult to veer into the territory of "them."

"I think the booing is super interesting," he said. "Trump is an identity leader. He's rallied a group of people who really strongly identify with him personally and with this oppositional identity to the left. ... What the booing reveals is that identity-based leadership is a double-edged sword, because people only embrace you as their leader if they think, 'you're one of us.'"

More than 624,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, and cases are spiking across the nation. At the current pace, 34 Americans die of COVID-19 every hour. USA TODAY spoke with Packer about leadership, identity and what his research tells us about this pandemic chapter.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump addresses supporters during a "Save America" rally at York Family Farms on August 21, 2021 in Cullman, Alabama.

Question: What's the difference between being an identity leader and simply being a leader?

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Dominic Packer: Leadership is often defined very abstractly. A leader is someone who can influence the behavior of others, who can get other people to do things. Leaders of groups bring together a collection of people in pursuit of common goals. Whether it's defeating the Democrats or evacuating people from Afghanistan, those are all acts of leadership when you're coordinating people.

What we really focus on in the book is that a major tool leaders can use is a sense of common identity. ... Trump has been somewhat masterful at it. It really resonates with a segment of the population who he hasn't just energized around the Republican identity, but who he's energized around a personalized charismatic identity of his own. He crafted an identity around himself that appeals to a substantial number of people. Some politicians are better at it than others and it works better at different times.

Q: Why is identity-based leadership a double-edged sword?

Packer: Fundamental to being an identity leader is that you are the prototypical member of the group you're a part of. And Trump holds that position very strongly, but (the booing is) suggesting there are limits to it and that if you've defined the identity around, 'vaccines are fundamentally a leftist plot or a Democrat thing,' then even Trump gets pushback when he seems to dilute that boundary.

I think when it comes to identities, especially oppositional and very conflicting identities like we have right now politically, diluting the boundary is a sin. It's not acceptable. It's, 'vaccines are a them thing. What is he doing? He's betraying us and betraying our cause. What is he becoming a Democrat now?' That's my interpretation of why you get such a negative, emotional reaction. ... But my intuition is that if Trump was to consistently and very publicly start saying, 'everyone needs to get vaccinated,' I do think it would move the needle. I think a lot of his base would go do it. Maybe with some grumbling, but I do think they would.

Q: What is the most important thing readers need to know about this COVID moment?

Packer: It feels like people have lost hope a bit. If you compare across countries, countries that have seemed to do better throughout the pandemic are places where the leadership has really rallied people around a national identity, 'We as X country are going to fight this together.' ... The United States is particularly an outlier in just how polarized it's become. It really doesn't feel like a national thing. It really is a left/right thing and I think that's tragic.

To maintain solidarity, people need to feel, and this is what research would show, a sense of what's called collective efficacy. If we do stick together and we do this together, we will succeed, or at least we have a good chance of succeeding. And those feelings are increasingly being lost. I certainly feel it, a loss of that collective efficacy. Can we get back together again? I really hope so.

Q: What is necessary for effective leadership around COVID?

Packer: One of the things leaders often are tempted to do, and I feel the Biden administration did this, was to claim victory before you won. Because they really want to take a positive moment and make everyone feel good. But it also then sets up false expectations and people get let down.

I feel like if we've learned nothing else from COVID, it's that we don't understand COVID, and it's a long way out. We will get through it, but it's not going to be soon. It's complicated, it's difficult, and we're going to have setbacks. And I guess I would urge leaders to be honest with people about the realities of it. We're in a war against the virus and it doesn't care about whether we feel good or not.

When leaders lead they're making assumptions about how people work, and it's one of the things we talked a lot about in the book, that some of the assumptions we intuitively make are wrong. One assumption that is often made is that in crisis or emergencies, people respond selfishly and with panic. What research shows is that in an emergency, people usually don't panic. They're often weirdly calm and people often become more altruistic and helpful. ... It would be better to freak people out so that they really understand it. They can then respond appropriately to it and they can again rally around a response to the challenge as opposed to thinking it's not so bad and then getting shocked.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump being booed on COVID vaccination a lesson on identity leadership
Former President Donald Trump says abandoning Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan was a mistake.

Adding his voice to a chorus of Republicans critical of the Biden administration's decision to vacate the base used to coordinate the decadeslong war effort in Afghanistan, Trump argued it could have been used to alleviate the chaotic evacuations of U.S. citizens and Afghan allies in Kabul's airport following a Taliban takeover of the country. He also said the airfield provided significant strategic value to counter geopolitical rival China.

"We should have sent the people out very safely, and we would have had Bagram open. That was always going to be  we should have kept Bagram because Bagram is between China. It has total access to China, Iran, and Afghanistan. And I guess they didn't realize that they abandoned it," Trump told Lisa Boothe on her podcast, The Truth with Lisa Boothe.

U.S. troops and Western allies left the air base, about an hour's drive from Kabul, in early July as part of the withdrawal set to wrap up by Aug. 31. Top officials in the Biden administration have defended leaving the base before evacuations were complete, claiming the decision was based on the recommendation of the military  even as it left the effort reliant on a single civilian airport with one runway and prompted thousands of U.S. troops to be flown back into the capital to assist.

BLACKWATER FOUNDER ERIK PRINCE OFFERS EVACUATION FLIGHTS FROM KABUL FOR $6,500 PER PERSON

When it comes to Bagram, the best military advice that we received was that No. 1, Bagram was an immense facility that would be difficult to secure over time and put our troops at risk, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on NBC News's Meet the Press over the weekend. And second, it didnt logistically make sense from an evacuation perspective because it is located outside of Kabul, and both American diplomats, American citizens, and most of the Afghans at risk live inside Kabul.

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Still, the move has been subject to heavy criticism among Republicans in Congress amid scenes of pandemonium outside of the Kabul airport and concerns not all U.S. citizens will be able to leave the country by the end of the month.

No one in their right mind would have closed Bagram Air Base while leaving behind thousands of civilians. But thats what Joe Biden did," Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas said in a tweet.

The U.S. has evacuated approximately 82,000 people on military and coalition flights from Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport since Aug. 14, one day before the Taliban took the capital of Afghanistan and overran the former government, Biden administration officials said on Wednesday. At least 4,000 U.S. passport carriers and their families are among those who have been evacuated, but Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday there may be as many as 1,500 U.S. citizens left.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Trump himself negotiated an agreement to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan as part of a deal cut with the Taliban. He insisted, "We would have had Bagram open because we always intended to keep it," even though he also said the military would have left the country following the evacuations.

"It would have been a wonderful thing to watch because the military would have come out  would have protected everybody. Then probably you bombed the bases. The bases that we determined. And then the military comes out, everybody is safe. We take all of our equipment. They're talking about $83 billion worth of equipment," he said.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Donald Trump, National Security, Afghanistan, Joe Biden

Original Author: Daniel Chaitin

Original Location: Trump says abandoning Afghan airfield was critical mistake
ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkey's military has begun evacuating from Afghanistan but Turkish experts could remain in the country to provide technical support to the Taliban in operating Kabul airport, officials said on Wednesday.

Reuters reported earlier that the Taliban have asked Turkey for technical help to run Kabul airport after the departure of foreign forces but insist that Ankara's military withdraw fully by the Aug. 31 deadline.

Mainly Muslim Turkey was part of a NATO mission in Afghanistan and still has hundreds of troops at Kabul airport. It has also been involved in evacuation efforts since the Taliban took control of the capital this month.

"After various contacts and evaluating the current situation and conditions, the evacuation of the elements of the (Turkish armed forces) has begun," the Defence Ministry said.

Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said the troop withdrawal would take up to 36 hours and that the first plane had already taken off.

He said the Taliban wanted technical support from Turkey in running the airport and that talks would likely reach positive results.

"After our soldiers withdraw, we could continue to operate the airport there," he said, adding that negotiations on Turkish civilian experts providing technical support at the airport were ongoing.

Speaking to broadcaster NTV, Kalin said he doubted the Taliban had the capacity to secure the airport.

'FUNCTIONING AIRPORT'

Keeping the airport open after foreign forces hand over control is vital not just for Afghanistan to stay connected to the world but to maintain aid supplies and operations.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said regional countries were making "very active efforts" to see whether they can help keep the airport open once the U.S. military leaves.

"The Taliban have made clear that they have a strong interest in having a functioning airport," Blinken said.

Turkey has praised what it described as moderate statements by the Taliban since they captured Kabul on Aug. 15 and has said it is open to engaging with them once a new government is formed.

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"We welcome the messages from the leaders of the Taliban with cautious optimism for now," Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday. "(The) actions and the steps it will take will determine how the process ahead of us in Afghanistan will be shaped."

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Tuesday: "We want good relations with Turkey, the Turkish government and the Muslim people of the Turkish nation."

(Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen; Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Washington; Editing by Nick Macfie and Peter Cooney)
By Nandita Bose

HANOI (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met Vietnam's top leaders on Wednesday, offering support in several key areas including the enhancement of its maritime security in an effort to counter Beijing's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

Harris also offered more visits by U.S. warships during her talks with Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, according to a White House official who did not wish to be named.

Harris's seven-day trip to Singapore and Vietnam is part of a broader U.S. strategy to woo allies that Washington hopes will help it challenge China's growing security and economic influence in the region.

During the talks Harris offered Vietnam vaccines and aid to tackle COVID-19 and announced the launch of several programs to help combat climate change, said the White House official.

Speaking in Hanoi, Harris said there was a need to increase pressure on Beijing over its maritime claims.

"We need to find ways to pressure, raise the pressureon Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge, its bullying and excessive maritime claims," said Harris during a meeting with the Vietnamese president.

It was the second time in two days Harris has attacked Beijing.

On Tuesday in Singapore, Harris accused Beijing of coercion and intimidation to back unlawful claims in parts of the disputed the South China Sea. China rejected her comments, charging Washington with trying to drive a wedge between Beijing and its Southeast Asian neighbors.

China has established military outposts on artificial islands in the South China Sea, which is crossed by vital shipping lanes and contain gas fields and rich fishing grounds.

China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan lay claim to parts of the waters.

Over the last few years, tensions between China and Vietnam in the South China Sea have remained high and Vietnam has quietly endorsed the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy because it takes a hard line against China in the disputed waters.

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However, with U.S.-China competition throughout the Indo-Pacific dramatically heating up, the Southeast Asian nation has attempted to strike a delicate balancing act.

Harris' arrival in Hanoi was delayed https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/eve-harris-trip-vietnam-tells-china-it-does-not-pick-sides-2021-08-24/#:~:text=HANOI%2C%20Aug%2024%20(Reuters),to%20the%20mysterious%20Havana%20syndrome on Tuesday after the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam said it had detected an "anomalous health incident", potentially related to the mysterious Havana Syndrome.

During the delay, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and China's ambassador to Vietnam held a previously unannounced meeting, during which Chinh said Vietnam does not take sides in foreign policy. The Chinese ambassador told Chinh Beijing would donate 2 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam.

Senior White House officials have said Harris will strike a balance during her meetings in the region by offering to counter China's influence while not forcing the nations to take sides between the two powers.

The U.S. vice president announced support for Vietnam's response to COVID-19 with the donation of an additional one million doses of Pfizer vaccines, bringing the total donation to the country to 6 million doses, and an additional $23 million to support its efforts to fight the pandemic.

After successfully containing the pandemic for much of last year, Vietnam has since April been dealing with a large outbreak of the Delta variant of the virus in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Asia, with just under 2% of its 98 million people fully-vaccinated against COVID-19.

MARITIME SECURITY CO-OPERATION

The vice president's offer to support Vietnam's increased maritime security included visits by U.S. ships and aircraft carriers, the White House official said.

Also contingent on approval from the U.S. Congress, she offered the deployment of a third U.S. Coast Guard high-endurance cutter - a fleet of 24 patrol boats, base facilities, piers, law enforcement training, and other joint activities that helps Vietnam bolster its maritime security, the official said.

The U.S. also launched a five-year, $36 million USAID project which aims to accelerate Vietnam's transition to clean energy and announced lower tariffs on U.S. exports of corn, wheat, and pork products to Vietnam to reduce the trade deficit with the country.

Harris is also expected to sign a lease for a new U.S. Embassy compound in Hanoi in an effort to expand the relationship between the two countries, the official said.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Hanoi, Additional reporting by James Pearson; Editing by Michael Perry)
A flight carrying Afghan evacuees fleeing the Taliban takeover of their country touched down early Wednesday in Uganda where they will be given temporary refuge, government officials said.

The foreign ministry said a charter flight carrying 51 Afghans -- including men, women and children -- landed in the lakeside city of Entebbe, where they were whisked to hotels in a convoy of buses.

More evacuees from Afghanistan are expected to arrive at a later time in Uganda from the war-torn country, the ministry said.

It said it followed a request from the US government to temporarily host "at-risk" Afghan nationals and others who are in transit to the United States and other destinations worldwide.

"The decision to host those in need, is informed by the Government of Uganda's consistent policy of receiving refugees and persons in distress as well as playing a responsible role in matters of international concern," the ministry said in a statement.

Media reports have suggested Uganda had agreed to take about 2,000 refugees but this has not been confirmed.

Uganda hosts one of the largest refugee populations in the world -- nearly 1.5 million according to the United Nations, mainly from neighbouring South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The ministry said that arrangements were also being made to bring home a number of Ugandans who were unable to make this first flight "due to the challenges of accessing the airport in Kabul".

Neighbouring Rwanda said on Tuesday it also plans to take in dozens of schoolgirls and staff from Afghanistan's only boarding school for girls.

Since the Taliban's August 15 takeover of Kabul, Afghans have grown increasingly desperate to escape the country, with many terrified of facing life under the hardline Islamist group.

The US embassy in Kampala thanked Uganda for its "generosity and hospitality toward these communities".

"The Government of Uganda and the Ugandan people have a long tradition of welcoming refugees and other communities in need," the embassy posted on Twitter.

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Most refugees in Uganda live in large refugee settlements in the sparsely populated north of the country but around 81,000 urban refugees live in the capital Kampala.

Aid agencies have repeatedly said that the international response to support refugees in Uganda, a country of about 44 million people, has been underfunded.

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The United Nations plans to launch an appeal Wednesday seeking nearly $200 million to help Haiti in its recovery effort after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck it nearly two weeks ago, causing large-scale damage across the southern peninsula.

Two days after the Aug. 14 quake hit southwestern Haiti, Tropical Depression Grace dumped heavy rains in the same quake-affected regions, causing flooding and blocking access to roads.

As you can imagine, additional human and financial resources are needed to respond to the crisis, Stephan Dujarric, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said Tuesday as the U.N.s acting deputy emergency relief coordinator, Ramesh Rajasingham, visited Haiti and the regions affected by the deadly tremor.

The funding will be used to provide shelter, water and sanitation, emergency healthcare, food, protection and early recovery assistance.

The epicenter of the powerful quake was eight miles southeast of Petit-Troude-Nippes in the department of Nippes. The regional departments of the Southwest and GrandAnse also suffered widespread damage, decimating some rural communities. All three regions were devastated by Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

More than 2,200 people were killed in the quake when homes, hospitals and churches collapsed. More than 12,200 people were injured and more than 130,000 houses were either damaged or destroyed. Haitis Office of Civil Protection, which is leading the quake response, said about 800,000 people have been affected and an estimated 650,000 people  40% of the 1.6 million people living in the three affected departments  are in need of emergency humanitarian assistance.

Im sleeping in the streets. Life in a Haiti fishing village battered by the earthquake

Even though the latest earthquake was less catastrophic than the 2010 temblor, which left more than 300,000 dead and 1.5 million injured, the impact has been devastating, the U.N. said.

The U.N.s appeal is for $187.3 million and targets a half million individuals of the 650,000 most vulnerable.

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We need efforts for recovery and reconstruction to start in earnest and simultaneously with the humanitarian response, Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry said.

Bruno Lemarquis, the U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, said the country and its people need the worlds solidarity more than ever to help with the multiple crises.

Moving towards recovery, and taking into account lessons learned from the devastating 2010 earthquake, it will be absolutely essential to support and rally behind national leadership and coordination efforts, support national and local capacities, systems, economic actors, and to build on Haitian knowledge and expertise, he said.

The back-to-back disasters hit while Haiti was still reeling from the July 7 assassination of its president, Jovenel Moise, and as the country faces an escalation in gang violence. The violence has affected more than 1.5 million people since June, with at least 19,000 displaced in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, the U.N. said.

The compounded effects of an ongoing political crisis, socio-economic challenges, food insecurity and gang violence continue to greatly worsen an already precarious humanitarian situation, the U.N. said in its latest update of the situation.

In the days since the disaster, efforts to get food and potable water to the quake-ravaged regions have stepped up, and the government, with help from non-governmental organizations like CORE, founded by actor Sean Penn, is starting to remove the debris.

The international Organization for Migration has also issued a preliminary $15 million appeal to deal with the initial needs. It is tracking the movement of the internally displaced people with new technology, including satellite imagery and mobile phones.

For the first time the IOM is also allowing individuals to donate privately for Haiti assistance through a platform that it is using in Afghanistan. Individuals will be able to give from $1 to $100 and the money will be used for items for the vulnerable population, said Giuseppe Loprete, IOM country director for Haiti.

Dr. Carissa Etienne, who heads the World Health Organizations Americas office, said Wednesday that Haitis health ministry is coordinating with humanitarian partners and has asked for additional support for surgical and trauma care for the victims of the earthquake.

The Pan American Health Organization, Etienne said, continues to distribute much-needed medical supplies and is working closely with the Haitian Ministry of Health and emergency teams on the ground. She noted that the quake has delayed a COVID-19 vaccination campaign that was launched just weeks before the disaster struck.
Karas Correctional Health provides health care at the Washington County jail but reportedly has prescribed ivermectin to inmates for COVID-19. Ivermectin is not approved for treating COVID-19.

Why it matters: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned against using the drug for the virus. However, as discussed during a quorum court meeting Tuesday  and reported Wednesday morning in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette  the jail's health provider had been prescribing ivermectin to inmates.

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Context: Veterinary ivermectin is used to treat parasites in animals. Despite warnings from health officials, people have been taking it to try to treat COVID-19, resulting in an increase in calls to poison control.

The Arkansas Poison Center has received 27 calls this year related to ivermectin, spokesperson Leslie Taylor told Axios.

Some forms of ivermectin are approved for use in humans, such as treating parasitic worms and head lice, and physicians have the ability to prescribe medications for off-label use, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.

What's next: Amy Embry, executive director at the Arkansas State Medical Board, explained to Axios that the board does not generally regulate health care at correctional facilities and operates on a complaint basis, which means it may investigate complaints made against doctors by patients or anyone else.

The medical board can suspend or revoke medical licenses.

The board hasn't received complaints (at least not ones that have been processed and become public yet) about this, and Tuesday's meeting appears to be the first time many learned about it.

Reality check: An Aug. 1 post on Karas Health Care's Facebook page disputes that masks decrease the spread of viruses. Masks do decrease the spread of viruses, including COVID-19.

What they're saying: "I think we need to reevaluate who we are using to provide medical care if they are disregarding FDA guidelines and giving dewormer to detainees at our county jail," Eva Madison, justice of the peace, said during the quorum court meeting this week.

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Karas asked for a 10% raise from the county, which was a discussion item at the meeting.

Holly Dickson, executive director for the ACLU of Arkansas, wrote in a statement, "No one  including incarcerated individuals  should be subject to medical experimentation."

The other side: Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder said during the meeting Karas has been "amazing partners" during the pandemic. He said out of more than 500 positive COVID-19 cases at the jail, one person had been admitted to the hospital, and no one had died.

"We may have disagreements on treatment, but you know what? Doctors prescribe. They've been to medical school. I haven't," Helder said.

Go deeper: Read the Arkansas Department of Health's guidance on the drug here.

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This handout image shows A Marine with the 24th Marine Expeditionary unit (MEU) passes out water to evacuees during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, August 22. Sgt. Isaiah Campbell / U.S. Marine Corps via Getty Images

The US State Department said it has contacted every American who has expressed interest in leaving Afghanistan, making over 4,000 calls in four days.

Approximately 4,000 Americans and their families have been evacuated so far, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

The US has evacuated and helped evacuate around 70,700 people since August 14.

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The US State Department said it had been in touch with every American who has expressed interest in leaving Afghanistan through the online Repatriation Assistance Request form on the US Embassy in Kabul's website.

In a tweet on Tuesday, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said the department had made more than 4,000 calls in the last four days.

Approximately 4,000 American citizens and their families have been evacuated so far, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, reported CNBC. However, it is not known how many Americans are still in Afghanistan.

When asked for an exact figure, White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters in a briefing Tuesday that the US does not track its citizens' whereabouts in the world. But she added the State Department would have a more accurate figure on Wednesday.

The updates came as an August 31 deadline nears for US troops to withdraw from Afghanistan, potentially upending the evacuation process.

There have been calls for US President Joe Biden to extend the deadline, but in a speech Tuesday, he remained confident that the evacuation would be completed by then.

"We are currently on pace to finish by August 31," Biden said, adding, "the sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops."

The president added, however, that he has also asked the Pentagon and State Department to come up with contingency plans if evacuations are not completed.

Meanwhile, the Taliban has said that the deadline will not be extended, warning of "consequences" should US troops stay past the deadline. During a press conference on Tuesday, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghans were no longer allowed to go to the airport and that all Afghans who had gathered at Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul should head home.

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"The road, which goes to the airport, is blocked. Afghans cannot take that road to go to the airport, but foreign nationals are allowed to take that road to the airport," Mujahid said, according to CNN.

"We are not allowing the evacuation of Afghans anymore, and we are not happy with it either," he added.

The US has "evacuated and facilitated the evacuation" of around 70,700 people since August 14, adding that it has relocated about 75,900 people since the end of July, the White House said on Monday.

Read the original article on Insider
Back to school in masks

Students arrive masked to Bethel Memorial Elementary School in Bethel Park, Pa. on Aug. 24, 2021. Credit - Andrew RushPittsburgh Post-Gazette/AP

Americans have reached consensus on a single goal: children must return to classrooms. Yet, as the Delta variant has surged, policymakers across the country have abandoned measures to protect unvaccinated children from COVID-19. Months after a withering debate on the best way to open schools, only 12 states have school mask mandates while 9 have banned them. In Florida, Gov. DeSantis signed an executive order prohibiting mask mandates in schools, and the State Board of Education threatened to withhold state funding from districts that required masking in defiance of his prohibition. Several governors, including Tennessees Bill Lee, have issued orders allowing parents to opt out of local mandates.

Even in Vermont, a state lauded as a model for its approach to school reopening and vaccination rates, children have been an afterthought of the pandemic response. As a public health researcher, practitioner, and parent in Vermont, Ive watched the state over the last year retreat from many of the lessons it initially offered for a country struggling to return children to classrooms.

Vermont reopened its schools on September 8, 2020 with robust, 41-page statewide guidance amid a mere 5 cases. State and school leaders called upon communities to come together to keep kids safe and in-school. When cases flared in late fall, Vermont Governor Phil Scott closed bars and instituted restrictions on social gatherings, travel, and sports. Keeping kids in school represented a central priority for the state, and leaders aligned its public health response to achieve this goal.

Yet, Vermonts state leadership has set aside key elements of its success as it has prepared for the 2021-22 school year. Citing its high vaccination rates, the state bucked CDC and AAP masking guidance in its 1.5 page reopening memo recommending light touch mitigation measures in K-12 schools even as it in August registered the fastest growing epidemic in the U.S. State leaders recommended masking in children under 12 and in students 12 and older in schools with vaccination rates less than 80% but stopped short of mandating it. Absent in state plans were descriptions of the robust layered approach including effective ventilation that experts widely view as essential to reopening as the hyper-transmissible Delta variant spreads.

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Vermonts local control approach has left school leaders and unvaccinated children at the mercy of village political whims and expertise. School leaders struggle to make public rapidly changing conditions, and some report receiving threats from community members opposed to mask requirements. Schools in the countrys most vaccinated communities have adopted the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidance in full while the school board in Essex County, an area with vaccination rates more than 25% lower than the rest of the state, voted 5-0 against masking. As a result, some unvaccinated Vermont children will return to schools with more limited mitigation measures in place than what the CDC recommends in public indoor settings in counties with substantial or high transmission. Yet, the risk of a variant twice as transmissible as the wild-type virus is far greater this fall and therefore calls for redoubling mitigation strategies.

Gov. Scott is not the only governor hiding behind the states high vaccination rate and counterparts who have shown outright disregard for the health and education of children. Once criticized for instituting an outdoor masking mandate, Massachusetts Gov. Baker rejected calls from the Massachusetts Medical Society, Teachers Unions, and others for universal masking mandates in schools, leaving the onus of public health decision making on the states 404 individual school boards. New Hampshire Gov. Sununu signed a law banning vaccine mandates while eschewing calls for masks in schools.

These actions have come at the most dangerous moment for children in the pandemic. Children now account for nearly 1 in 5 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S, and pediatric Covid-19 hospitalizations have reached their pandemic record. Schools that have opened without mitigation measures in place now have sent thousands of students into quarantine within days, and staff shortages have forced others to close. Even as vaccines continue to protect against hospitalizations and death, mounting data highlights the imperative to employ robust strategies to protect children too young to be vaccinated.

Its time to stop minimizing the risk of Covid-19 to children and debating minimalistic approaches to reopening schools. U.S. and state leadership must build on the best practices from Vermont and other states, rather than rationalizing policy choices that compromise the health and education of children mere weeks or months before they are eligible for vaccination. Heavily vaccinated states such as Vermont must once again lead by example and use all available tools to ensure a safe return to in-person education.

Returning children safely to classrooms must now be the central goal of the public health response. To this end, governors must institute indoor mask mandatesand restrict other activities as conditions dictateto curb skyrocketing cases across communities. At the same time, governors must mandate robust school guidance that employs all evidence-based tools to keep kids healthy and in school, including universal masking, ventilation, testing, and controls on high-risk indoor activities, including lunches. States must also ensure that students with high-risk medical conditions have access to remote learning or other accommodations until they are eligible for vaccination.

Vermont has taught the country that it takes a village to bring children back to school during a pandemic, but now we must not leave villages to manage the pandemic on their own. Instead, the U.S. must center the health and education of its children in a unified public health response and create the conditions for a safe return to schools.
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Mark Schmitz said he confronted Biden at a ceremony to repatriate the remains of his son, who was killed last week in an attack at the Kabul airport.
To make even a minor alteration to a listed property you will need to get permission and use specialist builders and architects. Photo: Getty

Its many peoples dream to buy a listed building but, while they may look beautiful, dont underestimate the challenges that come with living in one.

What is a listed building?

A listed building is defined as being of special architectural or historic interest. It is usually (though not always) pre-Victorian in era and is on a national register, held by Historic England.

There are around 400,000 listed buildings in England and 500,000 across the UK, and this status protects them from changes that may affect the building and its history.

There are three categories of Listed Building: Grade I, which makes up 2.5% of the list and includes buildings of exceptional interest which are very strictly protected; Grade II*, buildings of extra special importance, accounting for 5.5% of listings; and Grade II, which makes up the remaining 92%.

The listing doesnt just cover a house, but also all outbuildings and structures, such as walls, that sit within the curtilage of a listed building.

How is living in a listed building different?

When you buy a listed property, you are buying a little piece of history but you are also promising to protect and preserve it.

Ann Beckwith lives in a Grade II*, 14th century, timber-framed farmhouse. It is quirky and unique, but we have to maintain the history of the house for public benefit, she said.

Read more: Airbnb to give 20,000 Afghan refugees free temporary accommodation

Listed properties require specialist, and often pricey, buildings insurance as the cost of rebuilding them is much more than that of a non-listed building. These buildings also cost more to repair if something goes wrong as specific materials and specialist tradespeople are required.

While many modern homes are focusing on becoming more energy efficient, this isnt an option for listed buildings. Making the house eco-friendly is a challenge as were not allowed to use double glazing or insulate the house in the same way you can a modern house, says Ann. This means heating can be expensive and the house can be draughty and cold.

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On the plus side, if you are planning to sell or rent out your property, an energy performance certificate (EPC) wont be required.

Can you make alterations to a listed property?

Another major difference between a listed and unlisted property is the process of making changes. For even a minor alteration, for example putting up panelling or changing windows, you will need to get permission and use specialist builders and architects.

Any work to the fabric of a Grade II Listed building, other than simple maintenance work, will require Listed Building Consent (LBC) from your local authority, says Mark Hall, a director at Cyma Architects, who specialises in listed properties.

Read more: How to argue your case for permanent home working

As it is a criminal offence to carry out building work on a listed building without LBC, it is much better to check with your local authority first before starting any building work, even if it is only maintenance.

For major work, such as extensions or changes to the internal layout, you will need to be prepared for large amounts of paperwork, not to mention time, and, potentially at the end of it all, a rejection of your proposed plans.

If you want to make your mark on a property and make radical changes, dont buy a listed building, says Mark.

But, for those who are willing to compromise and put in the time, there are things that can be done. We want to add a big dining-room/kitchen onto the house but were prevented from adding an extension at ground level, says Ann. After two years, Historic England and the conservation officer have suggested an alternative design that involves converting the cellar instead, so Anns hoping to get the go-ahead this year.

Top tips

If you decide to take the plunge and buy a listed building, there are plenty of resources around to give you advice on what you can and cant do.

Read more: The cheapest places to rent in the UK

There are a number of databases of suitable craftspeople and professionals, such as The Building Conservation Directory, published by Cathedral Communications Directory; and The Listed Property Owners Club have suitably qualified members, according to Mark. Also, Historic England has some fantastic advice and guidance on their website.

Despite the difficulties that come with owning a listed building, Ann thoroughly recommends it: You feel you are a part of living history.

Watch: How much money do I need to buy a house?
Lynchburg Chief of Police Ryan Zuidema said the city, like many across the country, is seeing an increase in violent crime and both the perpetrators and victims are becoming younger.

So its critical we get to these young men and young women long before they get an opportunity to be taken out by the streets, he said.

He told Kaine he hopes part of the bill is to get job training for adults because many of the children struggling do not have parents at home.

And thats what they need, they need positive role models, which a lot of these folks in this room, kind of wrap their services around to make sure were doing that for them to be successful, he said.

Kaine said three quarters of the bill is focused on child care, pre-K and community college but the other quarter has a heavy investment on workforce development.

Kaine said he is working to phase in universal pre-kindergarten that is a mixed delivery not only for public schools but the private pre-K providers as well. Universal preschool is a movement to use public funding to ensure high-quality preschool is available to all families.
President Carters energy example should have been followedThe really good news this week comes from out of the past when I read that my favorite president, Jimmy Carter, has been getting a lot of positive material published about his time in the White House and his life in general. As one of the writers mused, Where would be today if we had followed his energy example so many years ago?

He demonstrated renewable energy by having solar panels installed on the White House and gave his press briefings in a sweater. He was ready to make small concessions for the future of the planet and urged the country to do the same. Just think about the path we so readily abandoned when Reagan guffawed and went back to sucking down the fossil fuels. Now, primarily due to the pollution of our 40-year fossil fuel binge since, we are faced with a West on fire and a drought of such magnitude that next year water could begin to be rationed for 40 million Americans.

President Carter still believes in science: todays politicians, especially Republicans, would do well to follow his lead.
Schools across Japan are stepping up measures against student suicides that have been on the rise amid the coronavirus pandemic, holding sessions about mental health and using technology to help students report their moods.

Japan logged a record-high 499 student suicides last year amid the pandemic, with many believed to have felt lonely during school closures that lasted for months to prevent the virus from spreading. The figure for the first half of 2021 was higher than a year ago, government data showed.

At a mental health educational session organized by a junior high school in Wakayama Prefecture in March, a school counselor explained to around 140 students how to spot signs they may be developing mental health conditions.

Osakas education board introduced in April a software application titled weather of the heart to check students mental health. The app is loaded onto tablet computers used by all children at elementary and junior high schools run by the city.

In the morning assembly, students can choose one option out of sunny, cloudy, rain and thunder to indicate how they feel that day. The results are automatically sent to teachers devices, informing them about changes in the mood of students who picked a different option from before. - Japan Times
Cardano has been trending for a couple of weeks now, and for good reason.

As the network continues to upgrade, ahead of the Alonzo mainnet hard fork next month, its native token ADA has seen an exponential rise in popularity. Additionally, there is a piece of good news for Japanese traders looking to add ADA to their crypto-wallets.

Earlier today, Japanese crypto-exchange Bitpoint became the first in the country to list the token. Cardano Co-founder Charles Hoskinson was quick to acknowledge this development, with the IOHK exec sharing a Haiku by Matsuo Basho.

Bitpoint had announced the decision to be the first Japanese exchange to list ADA earlier this month. The Tokyo-based platform is among the leading exchanges in the country, with affiliations in Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Panama. In a recent video, Hoskinson had opined that exchanges like BitFlyer, another market leader, would soon follow suit since ADA is a popular currency in the area. - ambcrypto.com
The stolen Royal iconostasis doors of Ayios Anastasios church in the Turkish-occupied Peristeronopigi village of Famagusta have been repatriated from Japan after a complex legal struggle.

According to the Department of Antiquities, the Royal iconostasis doors have returned to Cyprus after efforts intensified during the last two years, thus concluding one of the most renowned and complex repatriation cases.

The Department of Antiquities will preserve the Royal iconostasis doors.

However, they will be handed over to the Cyprus Church until their return to Ayios Anastasios, where they belong, is made possible.

The looting of Ayios Anastasios by the Turkish occupation army and its collaborators and the sale of the Royal iconostasis doors, icons and sacred vessels of the church, the fate of which remains unknown, reveals the catastrophic consequences of the Turkish invasion on the cultural heritage of Cyprus, the Department of Antiquities said in a statement.

The doors were located in Japan in the 1990s at the Kanazawa College of Art.

Their repatriation was made possible following the coordinated efforts of the Department of Antiquities, the Cyprus Embassy in Tokyo and the Church of Cyprus, together with the competent authorities of the Kanazawa College of Art that possessed the Royal iconostasis doors.

The Royal iconostasis doors belong to the Cypriot iconographic tradition of the 18th century, which is differentiated from the rest of the Orthodox world, of which they are an important example.

During this period, the upper part of iconostasis doors was usually decorated with representations of the Annunciation, while the lower parts were often decorated with representations of the Three Hierarchs and occasionally, with a Cypriot saint, Ayios Spyridonas in this case. - financialmirror.com
While some people are saying U.S. efforts to secure Afghanistan were now all for nothing, Lewis said any additional efforts might have been just as fruitless.

I dont know if there was ever going to be an undisputed way to leave Afghanistan, he said. I dont think any improvement was going to happen. I think we should have been gone a long time ago.

Afghanistan is very tribal, Lewis said, and some Afghanis are loyal to their tribe instead of their nation.

Their culture is not just a single culture, he said. You can go over a mountain, and people are speaking a different language. Much of the country is rural, and they dont really care whos in power because they dont think it affects them. And some people over there still thought we were Soviets, because they were so out of the loop.

Lewis said if the situation in Afghanistan is going to turn around, it will have to be because of the Afghan people.

We trained them for years, and at the slightest bit of resistance, they put down their weapons and gave up, he said. I dont think we can fix this. I think they need to make adjustments on their own.

Lewis described the exit as a multi-factor failure.
As a teenager, she said her father fell ill from emphysema and had his health insurance canceled, forcing the family to choose between paying for his medicine and paying the familys bills.

But my teachers and my community never gave up on me, and I got a fair shot, Bohannan said in her campaign announcement video.

The first in her family to go to college, Bohannan paid for her degree in environmental engineering from the University of Florida by also working for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, before attending law school.

In Congress, Bohannan said she will fight to ensure hard-working Iowa families and small businesses receive a fair shot to get ahead.

I dont think hardworking people should lose everything when they have one bad break, Bohannan said. If people are working hard, they deserve a fair shot. And thats why Im running. ... I just want to work to find real solutions to real problems.

She used the bipartisan Senate-passed $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and $1.9 trillion COVID-19-stimulus package as examples.
The Santa Catarina state government says the Indigenous people involved in the current court case invaded the land in 2009. The Xokleng people say the original extent of their territory was progressively diminished by encroaching agribusiness and that they never left the area.

Bolsonaro has repeatedly said Indigenous people control far too much land relative to their population  their territories cover 14% of Brazil, most in the Amazon  and has been outspoken about his desire to promote rural development.

Together with farm interests, he has argued that the 1988 cutoff had already been established by an earlier court ruling. Changing it now would create chaos, he said in a television interview on Wednesday.

If that happens, we will immediately have in front of us hundreds of new (Indigenous) areas to be demarcated, he told farming-focused station Canal Rural. In addition to the losses for the rural producer  many have family occupying that land for more than 100 years  those lands that today are productive could cease to be productive.

Some of the people marching on Wednesday held banners that read Bolsonaro Out and "Indigenous territory is life.
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CURTIS  A walk-in clinic for the college community and public to receive a first COVID-19 vaccination will be Tuesday at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis.

Any individual who has not been vaccinated is welcome. The clinic is free of charge.

The Pfizer vaccine will be administered by the Southwest Public Health Department at the NCTA campus from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Student Union. The second shot will be given Sept. 21, at same times and location.

Register at vaccinate.ne.gov or call the health department in McCook at 308-345-4223. For minors ages 18 and younger, a consent form signed by a parent or guardian will be needed.

Vaccinations are not required for students to attend NCTA, which is part of the University of Nebraska system. As the Delta variant is evident, NU President Ted Carter recommends vaccinations for all who frequent NU premises.

Aggie students moved to campus and Curtis this weekend as NCTA classes began Monday. Students, staff, faculty and routine users of the campus were to take the saliva-based entry test during a four-day period.
The movie screens at Platte River Malls long-sleeping six-plex will return to life Sept. 3 when Golden Ticket Cinemas officially reopens it as Platte River 6.

President, CEO and founder John Bloemeke said four films will play across all six screens, led by Marvel Studios Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on its nationwide opening weekend.

Golden Ticket began a brisk two-month remodeling job in early July on the former Carmike Cinemas and AMC theater complex.

AMC closed the multiplex when COVID-19 settled over Nebraska in March 2020 and never reopened it.

The remodeling has gone on as scheduled, Bloemeke said Tuesday. We were always hoping for the 3rd (to open), because Shang-Chi is a big Marvel film. We were hoping that would work out, and it did.

Candyman, Free Guy and Jungle Cruise will round out the opening-weekend lineup as the newly remodeled six-plex debuts on the malls south side, Bloemeke said.

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Golden Ticket, now operating 13 theaters in nine states, is the North Platte malls first major new tenant since Rev Development LLC of Lincoln bought the mall last November.
Writer Beer & Society

There is nothing that cannot be discussed and worked out over a beer. Join me as I explore local beer, breweries and how they can civilize us.
(Bloomberg) -- Algeria cut diplomatic ties with Morocco, citing what it claimed were hostile acts, plunging decades of difficult relations between the North African neighbors to their lowest point since the 1970s.

Algerian Foreign Affairs Minister Ramtane Lamamra, announcing the move Tuesday in a televised press conference, laid out a litany of grievances going back decades, which include alleged Moroccan support for separatists in Algeria and a dispute over the Western Sahara region that Morocco claims. He also cited more recent causes for strain, including allegations of espionage and Moroccos new ties with Israel.

The move risks escalating tensions in a region already mired in disarray. Algerias neighbor, Tunisia, is in the midst of an internal political power fight while Libya is struggling for stability as part of a U.N.-backed push to end nearly a decade of fighting in the OPEC member.

The rift between two key allies of the West may also have implications for a broader fight against terrorism in the region. And it could complicate a pact allowing Algeria to transport gas to Europe via Morocco in exchange for intake that mostly feeds Moroccan gas-fired power plants. The agreement is scheduled to expire in October.

Morocco has consistently carried out unfriendly, hostile and despicable acts since Algerias 1962 independence, Lamamra said, according to the state-run APS news agency.

He also accused Morocco of supporting two groups Algeria has blamed for devastating wildfires in the country that left at least 90 dead, and of using the Pegasus spyware program, designed by an Israeli company, to spy on its officials.

Algeria Sees Terror Hand in Mob Killing, Wildfires, Ennahar Says

Moroccos Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said it regrets a completely unjustified, but expected decision. It added that it categorically rejects the fallacious, even absurd, pretexts underlying Algerias decision to sever diplomatic ties.

Story continues

Consular services would remain for nationals of either side, the Algerian minister said.

Lamamra, discussing the decision, cited a trip to Morocco by Israels foreign minister this month in which the visiting diplomat said Algeria was developing ties with Iran and opposed Israels admission to the African Union as an observer. Morocco joined the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Bahrain in striking normalization deals with Israel during the last year of Donald Trumps presidency.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic matters, said Algerias accusations were baseless. Whats important are the very good relations between Israel and Morocco, the official said

But the roots of the ill will run deeper. Among other flashpoints, Algeria has provided a home for years for a movement seeking independence in the Western Sahara region thats claimed in full by Morocco. The border separating the nations has been closed since 1995.

Polisario Chief Leaves Spain After Stay That Roiled Morocco Ties

Algeria refuses to submit to unacceptable behaviors and actions in its relationship with Morocco, Lamamra said.

The decision to cut ties comes a week after Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune, in a meeting with the countrys High Security Council, stressed that the incessant hostile acts perpetrated by Morocco against Algeria, have required the review of relations, APS said.

Algeria exports natural gas to southern Europe through three pipelines under the Mediterranean Sea. One of those -- the Maghreb-Europe pipeline -- enters Spain via Morocco.

(Updates with Israeli reaction, adds background on pipeline)

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.
"Lightning Strike" is also Cork's father's back story. After all, Liam O'Connor's legacy branches across most of the 18 books in the series. Liam left a "hard road map" for his son to follow; yet, in many of the earlier novels Cork's choices are often held against his father's principles. "Lightning Strike" "unravels the mystery" that was Cork's father.

What happens is this. While on a hike in the woods, a young Cork discovers Big John Manydeeds' body hanging from a tree on the precipice of Lightning Strike, a place sacred to the Anishinaabe.

After Big John's death, "rumors flew like harpies." Big John couldn't face his life anymore, they said. He was driven to suicide "in the grip of booze," they proclaimed. He finally gave in to his demons, they whispered. Everyone sees what they want to see in Big John's death  except the truth. No one was looking at the death of a Native American man that hard. At first, not even Liam.

"I know your father's heart is in the right place," says Cork's grandmother, an Anishinaabe woman, "but, in the end, he's still the arm of a system that has oppressed The People for generations."
The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations rose on Tuesday from 74 to 77 at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and EAMC-Lanier in Valley, while COVID patients on ventilators remained at 16 for the third straight day.

Seven days ago, 62 patients at EAMC were hospitalized with COVID and six of them were on ventilators. Thats a one-week increase of 24% for hospitalizations and 167% for patients on ventilators.

The most COVID patients on ventilators since the start of the pandemic was 22 from April 3-5 of 2020, as EAMC approached its first peak.

Two weeks ago, on Aug. 10, EAMC had 44 COVID patients hospitalized but only one on a ventilator.

At the time, Dr. Michael Roberts, EAMCs chief of staff, pointed to the average age of COVID-19 patients, which was dropping. Prior to vaccines being available, he said, the majority of our patients were 65 and older and therefore more likely to have health issues thatwhen combined with COVID-19can make it difficult for their body to keep up.

Roberts said people in the 65-and-up age group had been more willing to accept the vaccine as soon as it became available than other age groups.
Multimedia Reporter

Staff writer Harry Funk, a professional journalist for three-plus decades, has been on the staff of The Almanac since 2015. He has a bachelors degree in journalism and master of business administration, both from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Washington, PA (15301)

Today

Overcast with rain showers at times. High 69F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 52F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
ONTD, should Sha'Carri hire a social media manager or are these just the growing pains of a woman ,who suddenly finds herself under intense, public scrutiny?



I mean, the TV thing could be one thing - maybe they had behind the scenes drama? - but the tweet is another story entirely. Get your shit together girl!

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american celebrity culture is so weird because everyone acts shocked and appalled when a public figure likes an ignorant tweet or makes a poorly-thought-out clapback



like, do you really expect athletes who do not have PR representation to be any more intelligent, or any less messy, than the average american citizen? because i have news for you regarding the average american citizen



none of this is to say any of it is okay



i just find the "shocked" responses hilarious



america do you really not know who y'all are lmao

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Yeah this whole thing has been so bizarre for me to observe

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naw let her be her authentic awful self. we love a transparent queen!

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I love track, how did I not know that its so fucking dramatic

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Also it was insane to see everyone (in like youtube comments, not here lol) living for SAFP seemingly laughing at Shacarri until the lil Wayne tweet when everyone started insisting that Shacarri was seeing things and SAFP wasnt laughing at her at all. The gaslighting!!!!

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kinda OT, not sure how to word it but it is just so weird to me to see athletes perform in the olympics and then selling random stuff like comcast (felix) or oreos (biles) lmao. i know they have to do this p much as a way to make money but it will never not be weird to me

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COMCAST? oh my god

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Comcast/NBC broadcasts the Olympics, cutting Allyson a check is the least they can do after 4 Olympic games. 

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It is weird but they deserve their own piece of the pie when everyone else is making money off of their achievements, especially a company like Comcast/NBC.

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Allyson Felix??? Everyone loves Allyson, she is a pioneer, bar none the classiest and most respected American woman in track & field history. Out of everyone you take issue with her?  There's always the highly, highly unlikely possibility they have had issues with each other but I'd be shocked if Allyson had issues with anyone.



A mighty "fuck you!" for liking that tweet, JFC.

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Ive been following ShaCarri for a while and shes is VERY VERY defensive towards anything said about her. I imagine shes sick of people talking about the incident that she wants to move on from, but still- everything Allyson said was really nice, I dont think they even know each other so for her to even be asked about ShaCarri is a little annoying, so yeah of course its gonna be a fake answer. She doesnt know her. (That I know of)

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There's obviously the point of requiring PR and social media management, but also, I admit, I have seen a few African-Americans on twitter, making comments ridiculing the lesser developed status of African, Caribbean countries. I mean, white Americans do it all the time (as expected) but I was a bit shocked to see African-Americans do it too. I think this is just be how a lot of Americans and europeans look at "backward" countries, which bleeds over into their social media

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Theres a lot of tension between black people globally and it goes in all directions. I dont say that to minimize what americans were saying about caribbeans but that its not novel at all thanks to what colonialism has meant for us.



For example my mom is african and she used to say that african-americans are lacking culture and holding back the black race, she once had a jamaican boyfriend who wouldnt introduce her to his family bc it would be "embarrassing to bring home a savage".

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oh definitely. i grew up around west indians, and plenty of them didn't want their kids dating or marrying black americans, believed all the stereotypes, repeated the same culture comment that your mom made, etc, etc. i've heard...a lot. there isn't this automatic solidarity that comes with blackness like people think.



Edited at 2021-08-25 07:28 pm (UTC)

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The diaspora wars are real.



African-Americans vs West Indians vs Afro-Europeans vs Africans can get nasty as hell.

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I believe that just comes down to culture tbh





There isnt any global solidarity between groups because were all so different from one another despite looking or apart of the same identities/nationalities its hard for a lot of people to pull their head out of the sand and see the other perspectives and lifestyles around them

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i saw something on twitter about her being homophobic and said some ignorant shit about Chris Brow/Rihanna situation

:(

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Yeah, someone posted the tweets in the last post. They're still up too, she never deleted them :/

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She's one of those 'Rihanna hit him too! She's just as wrong! It happened years ago!' type of girls.



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She has a girlfriend.

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and after lil nas xs montero video premiered she told people to block her if they supported him so, yeah still homophobic

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She's always been an asshole, huh, and unapologetic about it. Well fuck

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Its entirely possible to be



1. Still grieving after losing a parent

2. An extremely talented athlete

3. An asshole



All at once

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Honestly, she's showing that she's a hot ass mess and I'm done w black social media coddling her.

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Allyson is probably just being an adult and is pretty much right from both a PR standpoint and maybe a human standpoint.



I wasnt really stanning for this girl bc i think its silly to stan for olympians in particular but on top of just not being the nicest person (to put it lightly), shes clearly very immature and a bigot. My personal treatment for people like that is just to wish them luck and ignore them bc that kind of energy is exhausting to engage with even just w mockery.

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Seriously! I know exactly the type of girl ShaCarri has to be in person too. Rude as hell, lacks empathy, will throw a friend under the bus for selfish reasons. Obv Im projecting but if youre consistently showing us one way.. Her liking a tweet calling felix fake is where I got my rude radar going lmao

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I mean this is the person who tweeted that if you wear pink you should die in a pit bc thats gay in 2015, and in March 2021 said that anyone supporting Lil Nas X should unfollow her, and said Rihanna hit Chris Brown so they both made mistakes in 2019. And now liking these pretty awful tweets. So this is unfortunately pretty much par for the course from her.

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Shes an immature asshole. We dont need to sugarcoat it or make excuses for her.

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i guess we can finally stop feeling sorry for ha!

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lmao so many people loving this in the comments of that tweet smh edit - wrong post this was meant for the Cinderella movie lol



I really want to root for Sha'Carri because they did her dirty but I can't



Edited at 2021-08-25 07:22 pm (UTC)

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I'm sorry, but how was she done dirty?

I empathize with her because the passing of a parent is always hard, but she was not cheated out of the chance to compete, she chose to smoke weed. We can reevaluate the bylaws of marijuana and the relationship to athletic sports vs the use of other stimulating substances, but in the current system she was not treated unfairly.

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Recovering global oil demand and drilling activity has made oilfield services firms optimistic about the sectors prospects not only in the immediate future but also in the medium term.

Oilfield service providers reported second-quarter earnings that beat analyst forecasts. But more importantly, companies specializing in different segmentsfrom fracking to offshore drillingexpressed confidence that the oil services industry now faces a solid recovery in the coming quarters and even years, despite the recent Delta variant surge.

The market also seems to believe that recovering global oil demand will boost drilling activity. Shares of oilfield services firms have rallied over the past year, driven by rising oil prices and demand.

Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB) is up 46.5 percent in the past 12 months, Helmerich & Payne (NYSE: HP) is up 54 percent, Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) stock has gained 24 percent, Baker Hughes (NYSE: BKR) has seen shares rise by 42 percent over the past year, and Transocean (NYSE: RIG) has surged by 159 percent since August 2020.

The rising U.S. rig count and the increase in American crude oil production also support the view that a recovery is underway.

As of August 20, the total rig count in the U.S. was 503 active rigs, up by 249 from the same time last yearthe highest rig count since April 2020, but still down sharply from the 790 active rigs in March 2020. The EIAs estimate for U.S. crude oil production for the week ending August 13 rose by 100,000 bpd for the third week in a row to an average of 11.4 million bpd.

Moreover, the oilfield services sector has now seen a fifth consecutive month of job growth, adding an estimated 6,082 jobs in July, the Energy Workforce & Technology Council said earlier this month in an analysis based on preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The sector has restored around 38,300 positions from a peak of over 115,000 pandemic-related job losses, the council estimates.

Executives at oilfield services firms said in recent weeks that they expect a lasting, possibly a multi-year, recovery in activity and in their business.

The worlds three largest oilfield services providers expect the vaccine-driven recovery in global oil demand to continue through the coming quarters, which they expect will lead to the next upcycle in demand for oil drilling and completions.

The positive activity momentum we see in North America and international markets today, combined with our expectations for future customer demand, gives us conviction for an unfolding multi-year upcycle, Jeff Miller, Halliburtons chairman, president, and CEO, said last month in the Q2 results release.

Although we recognize the risks presented by the variant strains of the COVID-19 virus, we expect spending and activity levels to gain momentum through the year as the macro environment improves, likely setting up the industry for stronger growth in 2022, Baker Hughes chairman and CEO Lorenzo Simonelli said.

With oil price at elevated levels, the supply response to this demand recovery is developing broadly as anticipated. Indeed, this combination has resulted in a call on short-cycle production as well as an uptick in long-cycle project, reflected in new FIDs and encouraging recovery in both offshore developments and near-field exploration activity through the second quarter, Schlumberger CEO Olivier Le Peuch said on the Q2 earnings call.

Helmerich & Payne CEO John Lindsay said at the end of July, Assuming oil prices remain stable and near current levels, we would not be surprised to see 2022 budgets for public companies drive further incremental increases in rig activity next year.

The Permian will continue to lead the way in active rig gains, Helmerich & Payne says.

Midland, Texas-based ProPetro Holding, which provides pressure pumping for fracking in North America, said in early August that the pressure pumping industry is faced with an impending reinvestment cycle that will require innovative solutions to meet the needs of the market.

As we navigate the COVID-19 delta and potentially other variants, volatility will remain, but oil price fundamentals appear strong for a continued recovery, ProPetro chairman CEO Phillip Gobe said.

Timing remains uncertain as were still in the early innings of what we view as a multiyear recovery, he added.

Outside the United States, recovery is also underway and will accelerate in the coming months, executives say.

Supported by the ongoing conversations with our customers, we believe we are at the beginning of a sustainable recovery for offshore drilling. Assuming oil prices remain constructive, we believe we will witness a robust offshore market recovery in 2022 and beyond, Transoceans CEO Jeremy Thigpen said on the Q2 earnings call earlier this month.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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For governing a country, $1.6 billion in cash cant be stretched too far. Thats how much comes in the coffers of the Taliban, which has now taken over Afghanistan. Now, banks and international organizations are cutting the cord.

For the past two decades, some 80% of Afghanistan's budget has been financed by the U.S. and other international donors. Now, its all gone.

Last week, the IMF decided that Afghanistan would no longer be able to access its resources, including the over $370 million set to arrive later this month.

The Biden administration also announced that Afghanistans central bank assets in the U.S. would not be made available to the Taliban, who have been on the Treasury Departments sanctions designation list since 9/11.

According to the media and former Afghan officials, the U.S. has frozen nearly $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the countrys central bank.

Germany, one of Afghanistans top donors, has also halted development aid of $500 million this year. Others have threatened to do the same. The EU had pledged $1.4 billion over the next four years in long-term and emergency assistance, but is now placing those funds on hold.

Its not a decision made lightly. Halting aid will of course affect the Talibans ability to rule, but will also have a major impact on civilians. According to the International Rescue Committee, some 18.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

It will get more difficult for them, as well. Last week, Western Union and MoneyGram stopped servicing the country, cutting off a lifeline for families depending on money sent from abroad by the Afghan diaspora. US banks are now waiting for instructions as to whether they can deal with Afghan banks.

As for the Taliban, in fiscal year 2020, the Taliban reportedly brought in $1.6 billion, according to a confidential report commissioned by NATO. According to a recent UN report, the primary sources of Taliban financing remain criminal activities including drug trafficking and opium poppy production, extortion, kidnapping for ransom, mineral exploitation.

Of the total annual revenue, estimates are that the share of the illicit drug economy is $460 million. Mining is believed to have brought in $440 million in revenue last year.



In the areas under their control, the Taliban had also implemented a form of taxation, which according to some reports was a 10% tax on harvest and a 2.5% tax on wealth.

The Taliban have also continued to be a major beneficiary of charitable donations from wealthy individuals from the countries in the region--to the tune of some $240 million.

By Safehaven.com

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China announced on Wednesday the discovery of a major shale oilfield in the Daqing Oilfield cluster with expected reserves of 1.27 billion tons of oil, Chinese Xinhua news agency reported.

Daqing Oilfield is one of China's major onshore production centers, and the new discovery is expected to help it boost its oil production in the coming years, according to Xinhua.

Daqing Oilfield, which saw the first exploration for shale oil in the 1980s, now has more than 40 wells producing crude.

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) aims to boost shale oil production from shale formations in Daqing to reverse the decline in the production in the area, the state-held oil giant said on Wednesday, as carried by Reuters.

CNPC has increased efforts to research and drill for shale oil in the Songliao basin where Daqing is located. The company has identified shale oil bearing zones in the Gulong formation, CNPC told a media briefing carried by local television.

"The Gulong shale oil campaign helps to cement Daqing's position as China's largest onshore oilfield as it struggles to replace reserves ... it contributes to ensure national oil supply security," said Fang Qing, general manager of Daqing oilfield, as carried by Reuters.

Chinese oil giants are ramping up exploration for shale oil and gas as part of a mandate from authorities to raise domestic production, which could diminish China's costly dependence on crude oil and natural gas imports.

Yet, China has struggled to develop its huge shale gas and oil resources. The challenges arise because some of the most prolific basins are twice as deep underground as the shale gas resources in some of the most extensive U.S. shale gas plays. The challenging geology leads to higher well drilling and completion costs, lower margins for exploration and production companies, and, at times, mixed results in gas flows.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said natural gas should never be used as a geopolitical weapon and backed extending an energy partnership deal with Ukraine once it expires in 2024.

Merkel made the remarks in Kyiv on August 22 at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Merkel is making her last visit to Ukraine before she is due to step down after elections in Germany next month. Her visit to the Ukrainian capital comes two days after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Merkel has been criticized for backing the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, which Kyiv, Washington, and others warn will not only strengthen Moscows energy hold on Europe but cut Ukraine out of lucrative gas transit fees.

At the press conference, Zelenskiy said talks on extending the gas transit agreement with Russia have been vague. He said he wanted to understand what Ukraine can get after the agreement expires in 2024.

Merkel has been a key supporter of Kyiv since Russia annexed Ukraines Crimea region and began actively supporting separatist formations in parts of eastern Ukraine in 2014. That conflict has claimed more than 13,000 lives.

Merkel said in a news conference following her meeting with Putin that she would continue "to work for the territorial integrity of Ukraine" until she steps down following elections in Germany in September.

However, Merkel has been criticized for her stance on Nord Stream 2, which will soon double Russian natural gas supplies to Germany.

Berlin has raised the possibility of creating a mechanism to compensate Ukraine for lost revenue.

"You can call it a pragmatic approach," Zelenskiy said in an interview this week with several media outlets.

He called the German chancellors diplomacy a "very delicate balancing act," but he added that "in my opinion, this is too soft."

Ukraine on August 24 will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.

The country will also host several European leaders on August 23 for a summit on Crimea and to discuss ways of having the peninsula returned to Ukraine, but Merkel is not planning to participate in the conference.

At the press conference in Kyiv on August 22, Merkel said Berlin considers Russias March 2014 annexation of Crimea as illegal.

By RFE/RL

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When earlier this month analysts sounded the alarm for Europes energy security because of the looming shortage of liquefied natural gas, the culprit behind the situation was identified as stronger demand for the superchilled fuel from Asia.

But demand is always just one side of the story.

The supply of liquefied natural gas globally has tightened in recent months amid rising demand because of planned maintenance operations and outages, Reuters Clyde Russell noted in a recent column.

Russell points to Australia and the United States as examples of how regular maintenance can perhaps best explain the reduction in exported LNG volumes. But some gas producers have been struggling with pandemic-related maintenance issues, Bloombergs Anna Shiryaevskaya reported earlier this month, also pointing out the supply outages at LNG terminals in other parts of the world.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration has also noted supply outages at LNG plants in Australia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Algeria, Norway, and Trinidad and Tobago as one reason for increased U.S. LNG exports. Yet even with this increase, U.S. LNG has not been enough to sate demand for the fuel.

Related: Skimming Stones Pattern Shows Wall Street Is Wrong About Oil

Meanwhile, Asian demand is seen continuing stronger than usual for this time of year because of a hotter summer that led to greater electricity demand. Europe is desperately trying to fill its gas storage ahead of winter, but there is a big question mark over whether it would succeed as it is competing directly with Asian importers for limited LNG volumes. As for pipeline imports, Europe remains dependent on Russia, which recently reduced export volumes, albeit temporarily, because of a fire at a Gazprom facility.

Globally, LNG importers will likely continue to rely mostly on Qatar. This is because Qatar has been the only significant LNG producer to increase production during the demand surge. According to data from Kpler cited by Reuters Russell, global LNG imports totaled 30.96 million tons. This was up from 28.2 million tons for July last year.

This months imports, however, are likely to be even higher, at an estimated 31.88 million tons. The question of whether exporters will be able to meet this demand remains open, but in all likelihood, we will see even higher LNG prices on the spot market.

The situation may persist: Bloombergs Shiryaevskaya quoted Russian Novateks deputy CEO Mark Gyetvay as saying earlier this month that demand for LNG was expected to remain strong in Asia through the rest of the year. Indeed, after a short breather in the autumn, winter normally lifts demand for fuels as heating demand replaces demand for air conditioning.

By the same token, demand for LNG and gas, in general, is likely to remain strong in Europe as well, as the continent tries to prepare for the winter. The situation is very welcome for LNG producers. It should also be gratifying for Gazprom because Europe is now eagerly anticipating the start of the Nord Stream pipelinea controversial project vocally opposed by the Baltic states and Polandwhich would add 55 billion cu m in annual export volumes to the gas-starved continent.

According to the EIA, U.S. LNG exports this year will exceed its pipeline exports for the first time since the country started exporting liquefied natural gas. Both will continue to grow both this year and next, the agency said in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, suggesting the current fundamentals in LNG and gas will remain for a while.

One interesting aspect of the current gas market dynamics is that Europe does not appear to insist on low-carbon LNG. While earlier this year the EU ruffled some energy industry feathers by insisting that the LNG it receives has a low carbon footprint, priorities seem to have changed considerably with the security of winter supply trumping emissions footprints.

The dynamics on the LNG market also suggest that forecasters such as Shell and BP were right to expect continued strong demand for LNG that flies in the face of EU officials such as Green New Deal leader Frans Timmermans who earlier this year said that fossil fuels have no viable future in Europe as it strives for net-zero emissions.

Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel made an ambitious claim earlier this month when she said during a meeting with Ukraines president that Germany will wean itself off Russian gas within twenty-five years. Judging by the current dependence of Europes biggest economy on Russian gas and by its plans to close its coal and nuclear power plants, this seems much easier said than done.

What is true for Germany is true for Europe and Asia in terms of dependence on imports, regardless of their origin. While the narrative around natural gas and LNG has shifted from it being a bridge fuel to it being no better than coal and oil basically, the realities of energy security suggest gas will likely continue enjoying strong demand for years more to come.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Mexico's Pemex has restored about 17 percent of the more than 400,000 bpd in oil production it lost due to a fire that erupted on an offshore platform this weekend, the Associated Press has reported.

The fire killed five, injured six, and now the company says it had found the remains of two workers who were initially considered missing.

The platform where the fire erupted is part of a gas-processing hub in the Campeche Bay. Its outage as a result of the fire reduced Pemex's production by some 444,000 bpd.

The natural gas processed at the Ku-Maloob-Zaap center is used to boost oil production from offshore fields, Reuters noted in a report citing a Pemex document. As a result of the fire, production fell from 719,000 bpd to 275,000 bpd. The outage is equal to about a quarter of Pemex's daily output.

Speaking to the media after the fire, Pemex chief executive Octavio Romero dismissed the possibility that the accident was caused by underinvestment.

"There is not a problem of lack of investment, there is not a problem of lack of resources," Romero said. "The oil industry is a risky industry. We have had accidents, which in numbers are less than in previous years."

The production outage, meanwhile, caused a spike in the price of heavy sour crude in the United States, as traders prepared for lower supplies from Mexico, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources as saying the full restoration of lost production could take several weeks. Delays in crude oil deliveries from Pemex are also a possibility.

Pemex, however, has said that the lost production will be restored in full by the end of the month.

"We can report that 35 wells that produce 71,000 barrels per day have been recovered and that we will reestablish 110,000 additional barrels (per day) by opening another 29 wells in the next 36 hours," Romero said, as quoted by Reuters.

This is the second fire at a Pemex platform for the past two months. The first one occurred in early July. The company said at the time that the fire was caused by a gas pipeline leak and a lightning storm. The location of the blaze was once again the Ku-Maloob-Zaap complex. Now, media reports again point to a gas leak in relation to the accident.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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The recent resurgence in Covid-19 infections in many parts of the world led not just to a slump in oil prices but growing pessimism about the prospects of oil demand. However, some recent news has reversed the sentiment, with optimism pushing prices higher again. Perhaps the biggest news was the Food and Drug Administration's granting full approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine this week. The approval sparked hopes that vaccine hesitancy in the United States would diminish now, which would in turn potentially encourage more fuel demand.

In further good news for oil, China reported zero new Covid-19 cases this week after clamping down on several local outbreaks. As the world's largest oil importer, China is a weathervane for oil prices, and this week, the weathervane is pointing towards more oil demand.

A weaker U.S. dollar contributed to the positive sentiment as it is usually conducive to stronger oil demand, as did reports of higher refinery throughputs in India in July. These rose by close to 10 percent on the year and were accompanied by an increase in fuel demand in the country by the most since April.

This slew of bullish news for oil might lead to a change in the behavior of large oil traders such as hedge funds, which have continued selling oil futures for seven of the last nine weeks now, according to the latest weekly column on oil buying and selling by Reuters' John Kemp.

Related: U.S. Coal Consumption Hit 60-Year Low In 2020

Last week hedge funds and other institutional traders sold the equivalent of some 25 million barrels of Brent and 9 million barrels of West Texas Intermediate. Reuters' market analyst noted that most of the sales were profit-taking, but about 12 million barrels were "new bearish short-selling" in anticipation of weaker fundamentals for oil in the second quarter. Since June 15, traders have sold a total 253 million barrels of oil.

The second-half outlook for oil demand remains mired in uncertainty. Despite rising levels of vaccination in Europe and the United States, analyst expectations about the lifting of all travel restrictions appear to be guarded. Per Reuters' Kemp, most governments will likely also take the guarded path and not rush into lifting restrictions on international movement until there is a fair degree of certainty that the spread of the coronavirus is under control.

When this degree of certainty will be achieved remains to be seen as reports begin to come in about rising numbers of breakthrough Covid-19 infections in vaccinated people. The addition of booster shots is one possible solution, but availability may be limited in most parts of the world.

On the flip side, as a growing number of U.S. companies are beginning to mandate vaccines for their employees, some analysts expect a strong rebound in work-related travel in the fall.

"With many corporations and government agencies likely to enforce vaccine mandates, return to office travel should dramatically pick up in the fall," OANDA analyst Edward Moya told Reuters this week.

Meanwhile, many will be watching this week's Fed meeting, which could produce updates on the central bank's plans to start winding down its stimulus program.

"While the virus remains a threat to the short-term demand outlook, despite signs of an improving situation in China, this week's Jackson Hole summit may give the market some ideas about the timing of tapering," Saxo Bank said in a market commentary on Monday.

Recent comments from senior Fed officials that tapering needs to start sooner rather than later because the economy is growing strongly have contributed to oil's decline. This means that any news to the effect of tapering likely to happen later rather than sooner would be bullish for prices. The chance of this has recently increased with the number of Covid-19 infections.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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The Biden administration, along with U.S. intelligence and military agencies, was stunned by the gains made by the Taliban which saw them seize the Afghan capital Kabul and take power earlier this month. The rapid collapse of the U.S.-backed government and its security forces was a complete surprise for Washington. The early July 2021 assassination of Haitis president, allegedly by Colombian mercenaries, along with six week-long violent anti-government demonstrations in long-time U.S. ally Colombia also caught the Biden administration off guard. Those events highlight that Biden, despite campaigning as a seasoned international relations expert, lacks a genuine understanding of many pressing geopolitical crises that are threatening regional stability and urgently need Washingtons attention. One such dilemma is the plight of Venezuela, once Latin Americas richest and most stable democracy.

The OPEC member, which was once among the worlds largest oil exporters, is on the verge of collapse after decades of corruption and malfeasance by the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela. The states potential to implode is accelerating because of strict U.S. sanctions, weaker oil prices, and the near failure of its economic backbone the petroleum industry. This confluence of events has triggered a deep seemingly irreversible economic crisis for Venezuela which has been described as the worst economic collapse outside of war. It is causing immense suffering for the Venezuelan people with it estimated that more than 90% are living in poverty and that over five million have fled their country, mostly settling in nearby nations notably Colombia, creating what is the worlds second worst humanitarian disaster. That massive influx of economic and political refugees into neighboring countries, notably Colombia, is exacerbating existing social turmoil in the region. In Colombia alone, those refugees are competing for work in a country with a double-digit unemployment rate, where more than 50% of the population works informally and over 42% (Spanish) live in poverty.

Related: Brent Climbs Back Above $70 On Major Production Outage

Venezuelas economic implosion means that Caracas is nearly bankrupt and incapable of funding basic public goods, including security forces capable of maintaining a monopoly of violence in the petrostates territory. As the state progressively unravels, withdrawing from many remote regions, various towns and smaller cities have fallen into isolation. It is non-state armed groups that are stepping in to fill the void. Colombias Marxist National Liberation Army (ELN  Spanish initials), with an estimated strength of 1,500 fighters, has established a significant presence in Venezuela. The guerilla group, long tolerated by Chavez and Maduro, is operating in the states of Amazonas, Apure, Bolivar, Tachira and Zulia controlling lucrative smuggling routes, illegal gold mining and extortion. In many communities which lack a government presence where the ELN operates, the guerillas have become a de-facto state of sorts, meeting out justice and providing basic public goods. The ELNs flourishing presence in Venezuela can be blamed on Caracas inability to control its territory and rein in the groups activities. As the ELNs power expands they can profit further from lucrative illicit activities, notably cocaine as well as arms trafficking and illegal mining.

FARC dissidents, which are involved in similar illicit activities to the ELN, are also expanding their presence in Venezuela as the state further weakens and continues to unravel. This has seen the 10th and 28th FARC Fronts, who refused to recognize the 2016 peace accord with Colombias national government, expand their presence on the Colombian Venezuelan frontier. Clashes, earlier this year, between the dissident FARC 10th Front and Venezuelan security forces, in the state of Apure near the border with Colombia, highlighted the growing strength of the FARC dissidents. Using classic guerilla tactics, honed during years of battle with the Colombian Army, dissident FARC combatants defeated the Venezuelan military.

Those events further emphasize just how weak Caracas has become and the governments inability to effectively maintain sovereignty over Venezuelas national territory. This is not only confined to remote regions; Maduros autocratic regime is also steadily losing control of Caracas with suburbs in the citys west becoming virtual war zones as various armed gangs battle security forces for control. In the latest reported incident, which occurred in July 2021 roughly 300-armed gang members fought pitched battles with police. There is a growing consensus, among analysts and academics, that Maduros regime is steadily losing its grip on power in Venezuela. Reuters quoted Alexander Campos a researcher at the Central University of Venezuela who said, "It is becoming more evident that Maduro is losing control in and out of Caracas,".

Venezuelas massive financial catastrophe triggered by the near-collapse of the petrostates economic backbone, its oil industry, has essentially bankrupted Caracas making it nearly impossible for Maduros regime to maintain control of the country. While a heavily divided opposition along with harsh U.S. sanctions appears incapable of unseating Maduros authoritarian regime there are growing fears that Venezuela will ultimately implode, leaving a failed state. If Venezuela is unable to rebuild its shattered economic backbone, the oil industry which will require an investment of anywhere up to $200 billion, then the state will likely implode. Strict U.S. sanctions cutting Venezuela off from global capital and energy markets make it impossible for Caracas to acquire the capital required, either through oil exports or financing from international lenders. Those harsh measures are deterring urgently needed investment from Western energy supermajors which are the only oil companies possessing the necessary capital, technology and expertise to rebuild Venezuelas shattered oil industry. For these reasons, Venezuelas economic crisis will deepen, heightening the risk that the state will collapse.

While failed states are not contagious, they foment greater civil unrest, political turmoil, and conflict in neighboring states. As Afghanistan has repeatedly demonstrated, the void left by a failed state provides haven for terrorist and criminal groups while creating an ideal environment for extremist regimes to seize power. While it is unlikely the authoritarian Maduro regime will be replaced by a radical political power, as occurred in Afghanistan, the states failure will create a vacuum that various armed non-state groups operating in northern South America will seek to fill, sparking greater regional turmoil. It is Venezuelas descent into chaos that is fueling Maduros desire to engage with Washington and have sanctions eased so that Venezuelas collapse is prevented.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

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There was recently an attack on the Mercer Street vessel belonging to an Israeli billionaire, with Iran being blamed for the incident. These kinds of attacks have been happening since the beginning of the year, and it appears highly likely that they will continue. There is a possibility of maritime security breaches in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz. Such developments could lead to a rise in political, economic, and security issues, especially if they were to coincide with an Israel-Iran confrontation.

Attacks on Israeli-owned ships: An overview

Since the beginning of 2021, attacks on ships passing through the Gulf routes have led to increased maritime concerns. In April, Hyperion Ray, an Israeli-owned ship, experienced what was described as a missile attack near Fujairah port, UAE. Before that, in February, there was an explosion that hit the Israeli-owned MV Helios Ray near the Gulf of Oman.

Recently, a similar attack occurred in the Gulf of Oman. For context, the MT Mercer Street is a Liberian-flagged oil tanker owned by a Japanese firm that is managed by a London-based company, called Zodiac Maritime. Zodiac Maritime happens to be owned by the Israeli billionaire, Eyal Ofer.

On 30 July, the ship was moving through the Gulf when it was struck by a kamikaze drone carrying military-level explosives. The drone blasted through the oil tanker bridge and created a hole where the captain and the crew commanded the vessel. This attack, unfortunately, led to the demise of 2 crew members, one from the United Kingdom and one from Romania. Hours later, the same vessel was under attack by two armed drones northeast of Masirah Island off the coast of Oman. The UK, USA, Romania, and Israel have blamed Iran for the attack, while Iran has denied all of these allegations.

Related: Europe Faces LNG Supply Crunch

On 5 August, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz stated that in response to the attack, Israel is prepared to attack Iran. Upon investigations of the incident, on 7 August, the USA stated that the remains of the drones were examined, and it is clear that they were made in Iran.

In an unrelated event, on 4 August, the Asphalt Princess, a Panama-flagged bitumen tanker, was allegedly boarded by Iranian hijackers. It took place on 3 August, off the coast of the Emirati port of Fujairah. These events unfolded in the Strait of Hormuz, where other cargo ships reportedly encountered sudden steering difficulties. Fortunately, no one was injured during the hijacking, and the vessel was freed hours later. Washington made a statement that the hijackers were Iranian, although Iran was quick to deny its involvement.

Relevance to the global economy

As of now, not much attention has been paid to these kinds of incidents. Critics seem to dismiss the issue as yet another security dilemma in the Middle East. However, this time the situation is different. The Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz are bustling maritime trade routes in the world. They open to the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. They are essential routes for the oil-exporting countries in the region. It goes without saying that the security of these routes and the maritime industry in the region is of great interest to all countries involved.

These attacks are dangerous on multiple levels. International shipping is an essential aspect of the global supply chain for trading purposes. About 90 percent of all the trades that take place in the world are carried through maritime trading routes. Because the operation of these routes has been managed so efficiently thus far, there is little attention paid to the consequences of its disruption. That said, once its disruption is felt through a shortage of goods, awareness of the situation naturally becomes heightened. One such instance took place during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the early outbreak, China closed the port of Yantian, the third busiest port in the world.

When the port handling 13 million containers worth of goods was partially closed, retailers feared that it would impact trade for the whole year. Given this reaction to the halt of one port and the potential for such a massive backlog, as a result, one cant help but consider what this might mean for the global economy if both the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuzs routes were to close down due to an Israeli response to these alleged Iranian actions.

Importance of Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz

Simply put, several cargo vessels flying flags of countries ranging from Malaysia to Singapore pass through this region. This route is the main artery of sea routes for cargo vessels shipping several essential goods, including oil from this region, that consequently keep the engine of these globalized economies running.

Looking Ahead

Thus, with the already tense situation that is unfolding between Iran and Israel, mainly as a consequence of Irans developing nuclear program, all these attacks taking place on the cargo vessels crossing this region may very well impact stability in the region.

These attacks appear to be designed to damage the countries to which these ships belong, as opposed to mere piracy. Perhaps, given the recent theme, for now, only Israeli ships are at greater risk of such attacks. However, the importance of maritime security for all countries is unchanged. As tensions rise in the region, so does the risk of collateral damage as a result. That said, based on how similar situations have been dealt with in the past, as with ports closing as a result of the pandemic, it would appear that the associated political concerns, as well as the security of the ships crews, will only be made a priority when the consumer begins to feel the effects of such activities. Recognizing and responding to these relatively small attacks is essential for the security and prosperity of a multitude of international interests. If they are left unaddressed, the harm caused has the potential to be felt on an exponentially larger scale, with the global supply chain most vulnerable. Given the current tensions between Israel and Iran, it would be wise to keep a close eye on how this situation develops.

By Global Risk Insights

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Oil and gas leasing on U.S. federal lands will resume later this year, sources from the Biden administration have said, according to court documents cited by Reuters.

The White House said in January that it would review existing oil and gas leasing regulations to see if there was space for changes in them. While the review lasted, new oil and gas leasing would be suspended.

The news caused an immediate and negative reaction from states that draw in tens of millions in revenues from oil and gas production royalties. A group of such states earlier this year sued the administration, and in June, a Louisiana federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that effectively removed the ban.

The lawsuit argued that the ban would result in GDP losses of $33.5 billion during President Biden's first term and another $8.8 billion in conservation funding.

In July, Republican Senators accused the Department of the Interior of dragging its feet on restarting oil and gas leasing. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland responded by saying the department was evaluating its options. Earlier, following the court ruling, the department had said it would comply with it.

The administration responded by filing an appeal against the injunction with the Department of the Interior, saying, "The appeal of the preliminary injunction is important and necessary. Together, federal onshore and offshore oil and gas leasing programs are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions and growing climate and community impacts."

"Yet the current programs fail to adequately incorporate consideration of climate impacts into leasing decisions or reflect the social costs of greenhouse gas emissions including, for example, in royalty rates," the department also said earlier this month.

Now, according to a briefing seen by Reuters, the Interior Department plans to hold a lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico in October or November. Preparations for the tender should take until the end of this month.

Interior has "expended significant agency resources, including many hundreds of employee-hours, preparing to hold oil and gas lease sales," the department said in the brief.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany will have to obey European Union regulations that separate owners of the pipelines from suppliers of gas, a German court ruled on Wednesday, dealing a blow to Russian gas giant Gazprom who sought to have EU rules waived for the controversial pipeline.

Under the EU Gas Directive, pipeline operators in the European Union must ensure fair competition by allowing access to third parties.

Nord Stream AG, the consortium behind the pipeline, has said that extending the EU directive to a pipeline from a third country (Russia) is discriminatory and that the revision of that Gas Directive from 2019 was specifically designed to delay or stop Nord Stream 2.

In a ruling on Wednesday, the Dusseldorf Higher Regional Court upheld a previous decision of a German regulator to impose the EU Gas Directive on Nord Stream 2.

Technically, the courts decision would not prevent the start of the flow of gaswhich Gazprom says will take place as early as this yearbut the Russian-led pipeline owner may need to restructure and to hold auctions for third-party suppliers for the gas that would flow through Nord Stream 2.

Nord Stream 2 AG maintains that the company is being unlawfully discriminated [against], a spokesperson for the company told The Moscow Times.

The rejection of Nord Stream 2 AGs application for a derogation exposes the discriminating effect of the amended EU Gas Directive, the spokesperson added.

Nord Stream 2 AG company has taken note of the court ruling and will assess it. We will inform about future steps in due time, a source in the companys press service told Russian news agency TASS.

Just last week, Gazprom said that Nord Stream 2 might supply 5.6 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe this year. Nord Stream 2 AG told Reuters last Thursday that construction was 99 percent complete.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear an appeal filed by opponents of the Line 3 oil pipeline project, effectively allowing construction of the replacement program and dealing a blow to opponents of Enbridges pipeline.

By declining to hear the appeal, the Minnesota Supreme Court basically affirmed the decision of the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which had affirmed in June the approvals of the Line 3 project issued by Minnesota state regulators.

Enbridges Line 3 Replacement project will replace the existing 34-inch pipe with new 36-inch pipe for 13 miles in North Dakota, 337 miles in Minnesota, and 14 miles in Wisconsin. The average annual capacity of Line 3 after replacement is planned to be 760,000 barrels per day (bpd), which would be a capacity increase of 370,000 bpd compared to the capacity of the original Line 3.

The Line 3 replacement is already in service in Canada, but it is not yet operational in the United States. Construction of the new Line 3 in Minnesota started in December 2020. The project is already 80 percent completed in Minnesota, Enbridge says.

But the completion of the pipeline still faces opposition from environmentalists and first nation groups, which continue to sue Enbridge and the state of Minnesota, asking for injunctions to protect lands, water, and crops along the pipeline route.

Earlier this month, the White Earth Band of Ojibwe tribe sued Minnesota, claiming that the state is violating the rights of wild rice, which possesses inherent rights to exist, flourish, regenerate, and evolve, as well as inherent rights to restoration, recovery, and preservation.

Also earlier this month, Enbridge said in a filing with the Canada Energy Regulator that Line 3 in the United States could be completed within the next 30 to 60 days which will allow the Line 3 replacement pipeline to commence service as early as September 15, 2021.

Enbridge welcomed Tuesdays decision of the Minnesota Supreme Court, while opponents said that interests of corporations continue to prevail over nature and the rights of indigenous people.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Astronomers researched a planetary system only 35 light-years away that contains rocky exoplanets, and they found that it may have a planet in the habitable zone, the area around a star where conditions are suitable for liquid water to exist.

Using the European Southern Observatorys Very Large Telescope in Chile, a team of astronomers studied the planets around the nearby star L 98-59, which has planets resembling those in the inner solar system.

Among their findings is a planet with half the mass of Venus, which is the lightest exoplanet ever measured with the radial velocity technique, according to a statement. They also discovered a planet that could be an ocean world as well as a possible planet in the habitable zone.

The planet in the habitable zone may have an atmosphere that could protect and support life, Maria Rosa Zapatero Osorio, an astronomer at the Centre for Astrobiology in Madrid, Spain, and one of the authors of the study, said in the statement.

The new findings mark a milestone in scientists quest to find life on other planets.

The findings include a technical breakthrough, since the team used the radial velocity method to discover the small mass of the innermost planet in the system.

This method measures the tiny gravitational pull of an orbiting planet on the host star. Based on how much the star moves, astronomers can estimate the exoplanets mass.

Then, given the mass and size of the exoplanet, scientists can calculate its density, which helps determine its composition: Denser ones are likely rocky, while fluffier ones are gaseous.

If we want to know what a planet is made of, the minimum that we need is its mass and its radius, explained Olivier Demangeon, a researcher at the Instituto de Astrofisica e Ciencias do Espaco, University of Porto in Portugal, and lead author of the study, in the statement.

The above-described type of measurement, however, is very hard to achieve. The team made use of the Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanets and Stable Spectroscopic Observations (ESPRESSO) instrument on board the Very Large Telescope.

Without the precision and stability provided by ESPRESSO this measurement would have not been possible, Osorio said in the statement.

This is a step forward in our ability to measure the masses of the smallest planets beyond the Solar System.

The detection of biosignatures on exoplanets relies on the study of the planets atmospheres, but todays telescopes are not powerful enough to achieve this with small rocky planets. According to the statement, the L 98-59 planetary system is a potential target for future studies of exoplanets atmospheres.

Based on the data analyses, the team inferred that three of the planets in this system may contain water. The two planets closest to the central star may have small amounts of water, while the third planets mass could be up to 30 percent water.

Hidden exoplanets not previously found may exist in this planetary system. The team discovered a fourth planet and even suspect there is a fifth planet in the zone where liquid water may exist on its surface.

We have hints of the presence of a terrestrial planet in the habitable zone of this system, Demangeon said in the statement.

The fifth exoplanet, if confirmed, may have a mass of 2.46 Earth mass, with an orbital period of about 23 days. Although this is quite close to the host star, since L 98-59 is a red dwarf, which is much cooler than the sun, this distance is perfect for creating temperatures similar to Earths.

This system announces what is to come, added Demangeon.

We, as a society, have been chasing terrestrial planets since the birth of astronomy and now we are finally getting closer and closer to the detection of a terrestrial planet in the habitable zone of its star, of which we could study the atmosphere.

The new research is published in a paper in a forthcoming volume of Astronomy & Astrophysics.

By Zerohedge.com

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Saudi Arabia and Russia have signed a military cooperation agreement at an arms expo outside Moscow.

Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman announced on Twitter on August 24 that he signed the agreement with Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin aimed at developing joint military cooperation between the two countries.

Salman also met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during his visit outside Moscow to the arms expo International Military-Technical Forum Army-2021.

The deputy defense minister said the meeting explored ways to "strengthen military and defense cooperation between our two countries."

There were no immediate details of the military agreement between Saudi Arabia, the worlds top arms importer, and Russia, the second largest weapons exporter after the United States.

The United States has traditionally been the top arms supplier to Saudi Arabia. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Saudi Arabia was the main recipient of U.S. arms transfers in 201620, accounting for 24 percent of U.S. arms exports.

"We aim for a progressive development of cooperation in military and military-technical fields on the entire spectrum of issues that pose mutual interest," Shoigu said during the meeting with Salman.

He noted that Russia had many new weapons systems that have proven themselves well in Syria," where Russia's military intervened to support President Bashar al-Assad in that countrys civil war.

By RFE/RL

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There has been a good deal of speculation about how the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and the dramatic change of power there will affect Central Asia's relations with the big powers.

Some say Russia's presence in the region will be strengthened, or perhaps China's, and U.S. influence will be on the wane in the coming years.

It is arguably more likely that little about Central Asia's relationships with the big powers, as they currently stand, will change at all.

The United States

Some have said the final U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan is a blow to Washington's reputation in Central Asia and the beginning of an ebb in relations between the United States and those five post-Soviet republics.

But Central Asian governments are unlikely to forget how much 20 years of the U.S.-led military operation in Afghanistan meant to them.

Especially now, with the Taliban seemingly resurgent in Afghanistan, one could argue that no countries benefited more from the U.S. presence in Afghanistan than the states of Central Asia.

After the Taliban reached Central Asian borders in the late 1990s, the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan were on the verge of panicking.

Only Turkmenistan, with its official policy of neutrality, managed to reach an understanding with the Afghan militant group.

After the United States and its allies started military operations in Afghanistan in late 2001, those threats were removed from Central Asia's borders and northern Afghanistan was a relatively peaceful area until 2013.

During those years, Central Asia was allowed to develop while remaining shielded from Afghan instability thanks to the efforts of the United States, its foreign allies, and Afghan government forces.

While the results of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan might have been unexpected, the pullout itself had been announced 10 years earlier by then-U.S. President Barack Obama; so Central Asia's leaders knew foreign forces were leaving Afghanistan and had 10 years to prepare for it.

Between 2001 and 2021, the United States helped Central Asia increase its capacity to identify and neutralize threats from Afghanistan through joint training, funding and equipment for border security, and military vehicles including quad bikes, trucks, and (for Uzbekistan) MRAPs (mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles).

The United States provided and still provides aid to Central Asia, recently including COVID-19 vaccines, has attempted to boost trade with the region's individual states where possible, and has supported efforts by those states to join international organizations like the World Trade Organization (WTO).

And the United States provides a counterweight to Russia and China, allowing Central Asia to avoid falling too much under the influence of either Moscow or Beijing.

Russia

Some feel Russian influence in Central Asia will be significantly enhanced now that the United States and its allies have departed Afghanistan.

In terms of security in Central Asia, Russia has long had a presence there. That began long before U.S. and allied troops were deployed to bases in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to support the operations in Afghanistan.

Russia's 201st Division has been based in Tajikistan since the 1940s, and under the terms of an agreement signed in 2012 will remain there until at least 2042.

Russia opened a military base at Kant, in Kyrgyzstan, in 2003, after U.S. forces were already stationed in Kyrgyzstan, and, under the terms of an agreement signed in 2012, Russian forces will stay there until at least 2027, with an option to extend that deal by another five years after that.

Technically, the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which allies Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, runs the base at Kant. But nearly all the troops and military equipment currently there come from Russia.

There has been no sign that Russia plans to increase its military presence in Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan and, so far, no word that Russia is seeking to use bases in other Central Asian countries.

Russia has recently conducted joint military exercises with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan near the Afghan border, and CSTO exercises in Kyrgyzstan started on August 24.

Russian tanks are deployed near the Afghan-Tajik border ahead of joint military exercises earlier this month.

But Russia did the same thing in the late 1990s and has regularly conducted such exercises with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan throughout the years the United States was in Afghanistan. And after Shavkat Mirziyoev became Uzbekistan's president in 2016, Moscow also renewed military drills with Uzbekistan.

Certainly, Moscow could play on Central Asian fears of threats from Afghanistan -- most of which the Kremlin has stoked for 25 years -- and use its new clout in the region to pressure Central Asian states into moving closer to Russia and further from the West, or even from China.

Russia might also convince Uzbekistan to rejoin the CSTO, which Tashkent has joined and left twice already (1992-1999 and 2006-2012), or even pry Turkmenistan out of isolation and firmly under Russian influence, a process already under way in recent years.

But Moscow has been sending mixed messages lately about the threat from Afghanistan.

Russian officials are now downplaying the dangers of the Taliban, with some suggesting a Taliban government will be easier to cooperate with than the UN-backed government that has now mostly fled, which is not what the Central Asians were hearing from Moscow for the last quarter of a century.

Russian officials now contend that the threat out of Afghanistan comes from the non-Afghan Islamic extremists in that country, some of whom are citizens of Central Asian countries, who could cross the border into Central Asia and create instability.

The Central Asian governments might well agree with that assessment.

But even if that's the case, how much could Russia help them?

Unless such groups were foolish enough to try to cross en masse, there is little that Russian firepower could do to help Central Asians.

Small groups of extremists or individuals crossing into Central Asia to carry out terrorist attacks are difficult to repel and, in the end, would represent an internal threat to any country in question.

Bilateral or multilateral defense treaties are based on foreign or external threats, and partners are not bound to come to the aid of an individual country facing a threat from domestic enemies. Moreover, to date in Central Asia, none has ever done so.

China

There have been suggestions that Beijing might take advantage of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan to expand its influence in Central Asia.

But Chinese sway in the region is mainly economic, although it has undoubtedly helped Central Asian states contend with perceived security threats (mainly so such threats don't spill over into China).

China sells weapons in Central Asia, and has conducted joint military exercises and drills both bilaterally and within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) that also includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, as well as Russia, Pakistan, and India.

Beijing also operates a small military base in a remote area of eastern Tajikistan guarding the high mountain gateway to China.

Some think China could send troops to help Central Asia if the region were being destabilized from elements coming out of Afghanistan.

This is unlikely to happen.

Deploying Chinese forces to prop up a government in a predominantly Muslim country could compound any security problems a Central Asian state might have, potentially making it a magnet for jihadists.

The brutal campaign Beijing has launched against its own Muslims -- Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Hue -- has already blackened China's reputation and angered many outsiders.

Furthermore, although China has built up a formidable army in the last 25 years, its history of foreign military ventures since the communists came to power does not engender much confidence.

Chinese troops took appalling losses in Korea in the early 1950s and during the brief Ussuri River battle with Soviet forces in 1969, as well as during the incursion into Vietnam in 1979. Beijing has not sent its military to fight in another country in more than 40 years.

In 2016, two Chinese peacekeepers were killed in South Sudan -- news that shocked the Chinese public. Explaining the loss of dozens more Chinese soldiers in another foreign venture could prove problematic for Beijing.

That said, China has invested a large amount of money and been able to extract huge amounts of raw materials -- including oil, natural gas, uranium, iron, and more -- over the course of more than two decades in Central Asia.

The region's governments have seemingly profited from those ventures, and some of their citizens have found jobs working on Chinese projects.

But the days of the huge Chinese projects in Central Asia -- the oil and gas pipelines, the new railways and roads, oil refineries, and other infrastructure -- are coming to an end, if they are not over already.

China will continue to invest in Central Asia and extract valuable resources. But Beijing will not be spending the amounts of money it did 10 and 20 years ago. And the bills for loans that Central Asian governments took from China during those years are coming due, leaving many of those countries hard-pressed to make payments.

Anti-Chinese sentiment is on the rise in Central Asia and could increase as citizens increasingly view their governments as having sold out to Beijing.

Does Central Asia Need Help?

Central Asian governments' fears regarding Afghanistan could lead them to make rash decisions about foreign partnerships in the coming months.

But, in truth, they might not need much outside help at all.

The first time the Taliban showed up at their doorstep, all five Central Asian states had been independent for a mere five years and the civil war in Tajikistan was still raging.

There was good reason at the time for their respective leaders to be concerned about their future in a region of rising instability.

Now, these countries have been independent for 30 years, the Tajik civil war is almost 25 years in the past, Central Asia is generally seen as a stable region, and regional ties are better than they have been since the early years of independence.

Their militaries are larger and better equipped.

Their borders with Afghanistan are better defended.

And they are all more familiar with the Taliban now than they were when that militant group first swept through Afghanistan in the second half of the 1990s.

Their best defense could be their own unity.

By RFE/RL

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State of Nebraska rejects Douglas County's request to order a mask mandate

The State of Nebraska on Tuesday rejected a request from Douglas Countys health director who was seeking authority to implement a countywide mask mandate.

Douglas County Public Health Director Lindsay Huse asked the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services for approval to issue a directed health measure requiring people to wear face masks indoors in the county. The temporary mask mandate would have applied to school districts across Douglas County as well as other indoor settings.

Huse, in explaining her decision to send the letter Tuesday morning, cited the rising number of COVID cases in the county, including among children.

Our kids deserve protection, Huse said. And they deserve an education. Our families deserve protection.

Gary Anthone, the states director of public health and chief medical officer, denied the request.

Anthone wrote that the state was obligated to balance the benefit of the public with that of individual liberty and consider the applicable state statutes.

He noted that previous mask mandates were limited to specific circumstances when social distancing was not possible.

Under the current circumstances, imposing restrictions on every individual at a district level is not appropriate, Anthone wrote. The Department has not imposed or approved restrictions on individuals unless the specific individual posed an identifiable risk to others.

Anthones boss, Gov. Pete Ricketts, has opposed mask mandates throughout the pandemic. Ricketts spokesman Taylor Gage said Tuesday that the states position remained unchanged. He referenced a statement issued by the governor after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month recommended masking in indoor public settings and in K-12 schools, even for vaccinated people.

Ricketts said then that Nebraskas return to normal would not be interrupted by the new CDC guidance. Its time for the CDC and the government to get out of the way, and to stop trying to tell people how to live their lives, Ricketts said in the statement.

Nebraska's COVID cases up for 9th straight week; Ricketts' focus remains hospital capacity Weekly case counts now are at their highest sustained level since February and have topped counts during the original surge in spring 2020.

Instead of mandates, Ricketts has encouraged Nebraskans to voluntarily wear a mask, when appropriate, and get vaccinated.

State officials have said since last year that the Douglas County Health Department does not have the legal authority to issue a mask mandate without the approval of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

However, those limitations do not apply to Lancaster County, where on Tuesday the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department announced it was issuing a directed health measure restoring the countys indoor mask mandate for people age 2 and older, regardless of vaccination status. The mandate, which had been recommended, will take effect Thursday at 12:01 a.m. and run through Sept. 30. The department has a special status under state law and does not have to seek state approval for its actions

Health Director Pat Lopez cited rising cases and hospitalizations in Lancaster County, including 249 cases in schoolchildren and outbreaks in eight child care centers and a third of the countys long-term care facilities.

Speaking to the Douglas County Board on Tuesday, Huse framed her mask mandate request as a tool to help keep students in school, protect them and their families from the spread of COVID and help health systems until we can get transmission to a manageable level and a vaccine approved or authorized for our elementary schoolkids.

Last week we closed several classrooms in the Millard schools, sending home nearly 100 children in that district, Huse said. And over the weekend we sent letters keeping over 140 kids and staff members in the Ralston School District.

In anticipation of the states denial, local officials said it will likely be up to individual cities, towns and school districts in Douglas County to decide whether to make masks mandatory.

Omaha health officials hope full approval of Pfizer's COVID shot boosts vaccination "My hope is this will make many more people who were on the fence comfortable in going ahead," said Dr. Cary Ward, chief medical officer of CHI Health.

If he says no, then weve used up all our arrows as a county, said Chris Rodgers, president of the Douglas County Board of Health. Then the only thing we can do is chirp from the rooftops and recommend and say we want you to do this.

Huse said vaccinations are increasing in the county, but not fast enough. She said hospitals are running at 80-85% full, intensive care units at about 80% full, and the number of people on ventilators with COVID rising slowly.

Where before we were seeing between 12 and 16 people on a ventilator, now we are seeing between 18 and 19, she said. We are seeing more severe cases.

The directed health measure Huse proposed would have required masking for all people over age 5, in indoor public settings with some exceptions, until two benchmarks were met.

First our community transmission drops below the substantial category, she said. Second, until eight weeks have passed since a COVID vaccine is approved for children between the ages of 5 and 11.

State touts 'no mandated COVID-19 vaccine' in job ads for vets homes, other institutions The ad raised consternation in medical circles because of concern that it could undermine efforts by local health systems to require employee vaccination by luring away vaccine objectors.

Huse said last week that state officials had told her that the state would mount a court challenge to a mask mandate, possibly resulting in an injunction that would prohibit enforcement of the order.

She said Tuesday that the governor has been clear about his stance on mask mandates.

I can understand that people want to be over wearing masks, she said. But unfortunately, were seeing a resurgence of a highly contagious variant right now. ... And at least in Douglas County we need to consider the best actions to protect our community here.

Huse said earlier that she hadnt decided what shed do if the state rejected her request.

We really need to set down and strategize about what our next steps will be, she said. Were going to continue to talk to our local lawmakers to see what the willingness is there and what avenues we might be able to take.

Some attorneys said last year that the Douglas County health director has the authority to issue a mask mandate for the City of Omaha. Rodgers said Huse is unlikely to do so without Omaha Mayor Jean Stotherts support. Stothert said Tuesday that she does not support another mask mandate. Omaha City Council members said last week that they did not intend to pursue a mandate.

The Omaha Public Schools are requiring masks to be worn indoors by students, faculty and staff and all of its schools. Other school districts in the county have a variety of mask policies. Some are making them optional at all levels. Others are requiring masks only in elementary schools.

UNO, UNL issue campuswide indoor mask mandates Students, faculty and staff at UNO and UNL will be required to wear masks indoors starting Wednesday.

A similar scenario played out last summer before the City Council, in the face of rising COVID cases, adopted the first ordinance requiring masks indoors on Aug. 11. Lacking state approval to issue a countywide mandate, then-Health Director Adi Pour had been moving toward implementing a requirement for Omaha. Facing a legal disagreement, she opted not to pursue the option.

On Tuesday, one citizen commented to the County Board about the mask mandate. Cindy Maxwell-Ostdiek, mother of three Millard Public Schools students, rose during the open public comment period to plead with the county for a mask mandate.

I am upset that our governor is working against public health and safety, Maxwell-Ostdiek told the board. I understand that in the past there was a threat of a lawsuit if Douglas County instituted a mask mandate. But Im hoping we can overcome that and that people will stand up and do the right thing.

Huses attempt Tuesday was welcome news to Maxwell-Ostdiek. She approached the health director after the meeting and thanked her.

Youre doing the right thing, Maxwell-Ostdiek told Huse.

World-Herald Staff Writers Julie Anderson and Sara Gentzler contributed to this report.
Pandemic experts from the University of Nebraska Medical Center will discuss the recent surge of the delta variant of COVID-19 during next weeks Omaha Science Cafe.

The virtual event, featuring Dr. James Lawler and Dr. Angela Hewlett, will be at 2 p.m. Monday via Facebook Live. To watch, go to facebook.com/ScienceCafeNE.

During the Science Cafe, Lawler and Hewlett will give a brief presentation followed by a question-and-answer portion. In addition to discussing the surge of the variant, they also will address guidance on staying safe as well as myths surrounding both the virus and vaccines.

Lawler is a co-executive director of UNMCs Global Center for Health Security. Hewlett directs UNMCs COVID-19 infectious diseases service.

Nebraskas tally of new COVID cases rose last week for the ninth straight week. The state tallied 3,755 new cases during the week ending Friday, up from 2,668 the previous week.

Hospitalizations are increasing, Hewlett said in a press release about Mondays event, and the majority of patients are unvaccinated.
The funds come at a critical time. Many families continue to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemics economic fallout.

The fact that we were able to raise so much money this year is a testament to the people in our community, Forsberg said. They recognize that if theyre able to help, theyre willing to raise their hands to do so.

The Goodfellows program provides emergency assistance to families on a one-time basis. That assistance can be huge for people looking to bridge a financial gap.

The donations will assist more than 10,000 financially struggling people pay for housing, utilities, clothing and food.

Its really those core basic needs that are provided by the Goodfellows program, Forsberg said. We know, as a community, weve got a lot of work to do to really recover from the pandemic.

The need is apparent based on the volume of calls to United Ways 211 helpline. From July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, Forsberg said calls have increased 129%. The helpline received over 190,000 referrals.
Health Director Pat Lopez cited rising cases and hospitalizations in Lancaster County, including 249 cases in schoolchildren and outbreaks in eight child care centers and a third of the countys long-term care facilities.

Speaking to the Douglas County Board on Tuesday, Huse framed her mask mandate request as a tool to help keep students in school, protect them and their families from the spread of COVID and help health systems until we can get transmission to a manageable level and a vaccine approved or authorized for our elementary schoolkids.

Last week we closed several classrooms in the Millard schools, sending home nearly 100 children in that district, Huse said. And over the weekend we sent letters keeping over 140 kids and staff members in the Ralston School District.

In anticipation of the states denial, local officials said it will likely be up to individual cities, towns and school districts in Douglas County to decide whether to make masks mandatory.

If he says no, then weve used up all our arrows as a county, said Chris Rodgers, president of the Douglas County Board of Health. Then the only thing we can do is chirp from the rooftops and recommend and say we want you to do this.
WASHINGTON  The latest U.S. intelligence report on the origins of COVID-19 is inconclusive, according to an official familiar with it  an outcome that will do little to quell debate about whether the virus spread to humans from animals or leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China.

President Joe Biden received the report this week after asking for a deeper examination of the pandemics origins. He was briefed, and the White House is preparing to release an unclassified version in the coming days, officials said.

The report doesnt point squarely to one source as the likely origin of the outbreak, echoing previous intelligence assessments, one of the officials said.

The previous assessment prepared for Biden, the major findings of which he made public in May, acknowledged divisions over whether the virus was naturally transmitted from animals to humans  the prevailing theory of scientists  or whether it leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a claim popular with Republicans that hasnt been ruled out by experts. The Washington Post earlier reported that the latest report is inconclusive.

In not ruling out a lab leak, the new report may stoke tensions between Washington and Beijing, ahead of a potential meeting between Biden and President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 summit this fall.
PIERRE, S.D.  South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg will avoid a trial and take a plea deal for misdemeanor traffic charges in a crash last year in which he hit and killed a man who was walking along a rural highway, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Beadle County States Attorney Michael Moore, who is one of two prosecutors on the case, declined to discuss details of the arrangement. The plea will be entered Thursday, when Ravnsborgs trial was scheduled to begin, he said.

Moore said a judges order bars state officials from disclosing details of the investigation. The Attorney Generals Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ravnsborg, the states top law enforcement officer, faced three misdemeanor charges, which each carry sentences of up to 30 days in jail and up to a $500 fine.

The widow of Joseph Boever, the man who was killed at age 55, has indicated that she plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the attorney general.
July storms caused more than $30 million in damage in Nebraska and left more than one-third of the state without electrical power, according to the states congressional delegation.

The delegation cited the impact of the storm in a letter to President Joe Biden supporting Gov. Pete Ricketts request for federal disaster aid.

The letter was signed by Sens. Ben Sasse and Deb Fischer and Reps. Don Bacon, Jeff Fortenberry and Adrian Smith.

Fourteen counties were affected by the July 9-10 storms, according to the letter: Box Butte, Cass, Clay, Douglas, Fillmore, Grant, Hall, Hamilton, Madison, Sarpy, Saunders, Sheridan, Washington and York.

The storms generated winds in excess of 70 mph to 90 mph and hail as large as 4 inches to 6 inches in diameter, according to the letter.

Among the cities that experienced power outages were Aurora, Battle Creek, Giltner, Neligh, Newman Grove, Norfolk, Meadow Grove, Oakdale, Omaha, La Vista, Papillion, Plattsmouth and Ralston.

The Omaha Public Power District experienced its largest outage on record and 37% of the state lost power. The storm also caused significant crop damage, including to corn, soybean, wheat, sunflower and alfalfa crops.
Thunderstorms moving along the Platte River rolled into the Omaha area early Wednesday causing power outages and leaving over an inch of rain at the Millard Airport.

We had a complex of storms developing around 11 oclock (Tuesday night) across south-central Nebraska along the Platte River and south of it, said Suzanne Fortin, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Valley. It produced quite a bit of rainfall in some areas.

The Omaha Public Power District reported that strong winds and lightning hit in its service territory starting about 1 a.m. Nearly 14,000 customers had lost power as of 2 a.m., with the majority of the outages reported in the southern and central parts of the Omaha metro area. By 8:30 p.m., the number had dropped to 460 customers without power.

Fortin said the heaviest rainfall occurred in Saunders County, where Wahoo reported 1.37 inches of rain. Rainfall amounts varied widely, with the Millard Airport recording 1.37 inches of rain, the Lincoln Airport reporting 0.19 and Nebraska City posting 0.41.

Wind gusts of 45 to 56 mph were reported at several locations including 56 mph in Wahoo, 53 mph at Plattsmouth and 51 mph at Eppley Airfield, which reported only 0.02 inches of rain.
Grotian recounted one incident earlier Tuesday in which an Afghan woman who had worked for Germanys foreign development agency four years ago was barred from entering Kabul airport.

He said the mixed messages being sent to Afghans by German bureaucrats would likely mean some will miss other opportunities to leave the country because they are still waiting for Germany to evacuate them.

Everyone who has worked for Germans must now be let through, because there wont be many more chances, said Grotian. Theyve been rejected three times, some of them four. There may not be a fifth when the planes dont fly anymore.



PARIS  French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said an Afghan evacuated from Kabul to Paris and suspected of links to the Taliban was detained by French police on Tuesday.

The man is one of five Afghans placed under strict surveillance by Frances intelligence agency for possible links to the Taliban. The five men were required to stay in a hotel in the Paris region for a quarantine, as are all evacuees who arrive in France without having been fully vaccinated.

One left the place where he was asked to stay and police arrested him, Darmanin said on news broadcaster France Info.
Turkey is said to be upgrading the Bayraktars systems to be satellite-guided to extend their range even farther. An intelligence report obtained by the AP indicates that the air base is receiving its own upgrade for a planned deployment of additional drones, surveillance aircraft, training planes and advanced fighter jets.

Israeli officials do not appear to consider the base to be a direct threat and declined to comment on the matter. In the past, they have objected to what they consider to be aggressive Turkish actions in the region.

Last month, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said the Israeli government was following with deep concern recent unilateral Turkish actions in northern Cyprus and expressed its solidarity and full support for the Cypriot government.

Although Israel has refrained from official comment, Israeli Institute of Regional Strategic Studies analyst Gabriel Mitchell said the drone base is a worrying development that will add to the existing tensions with Turkey.

Israel has been trying to balance its support Greece and Cyprus with its efforts to leave a door open for dialogue with Ankara over the last decade, Mitchell said.
Three years ago, near the end of my term in the Unicameral, I was asked to lead Blueprint Nebraska and create an economic strategic plan alongside Nebraskans in business, government and community life.

Even with Nebraskas strengths of land, location and people, many Nebraskans are impatient for change.

Through surveys, statewide public forums and the insights of hundreds of initiative volunteers, Blueprint Nebraska developed a 15-point plan to create a stronger, more competitive economy and to make Nebraskas communities prosperous and attractive to business investment and growth. Recommendations of our plan were based on four basic growth themes:

Promoting high-wage, high-growth industries.

Enhancing our valued and valuable workforce.

Investing in our infrastructure and connecting our communities.

Building a simpler and more efficient and effective government.

Details of the report and its recommendations can be found at Blueprint-Nebraska.org.
38th Avenue and Balboa Street, 1951 and 2006

A branch of Bank of America still operates on the southwest corner of 38th Avenue and Balboa Street, but it has expanded to take over where Sterling Cleaners and the Balboa Club bar once stood. In 1951, there were a lot more windows on the 38th Avenue facade of the bank. Walter's Creamery was getting a delivery of Spreckel's Ice Cream in this shot.

WNP photo from approximately same spot, December 29, 2006:

Contribute your own stories about western neighborhoods places!
Sutro Forest

To celebrate Arbor Day in November 1886, Adolph Sutro arranged for the planting of thousands of trees on what was then called Mount Parnassus. The trees, mostly Bluegum Eucalyptus, became what is now known as Sutro Forest.

In truth, what is called Sutro Forest today is only a small portion of the vast forestland Sutro created in the last twenty years of the nineteenth century. Pine, cypress and eucalyptus trees covered Mt. Davidson (then called "Blue Mountain), today's Forest Hill and St. Francis Wood neighborhoods, and even reached as far south as Westwood Park fronting Ocean Avenue.

Read much more about Sutro Forest in Richard Brandi's article "Farms, Fire and Forest".

Situated above the present-day University of California at San Francisco, the forest is dense and overgrown, providing a pleasant green backdrop to the Inner Sunset district.

UCSF has begun a campaign to thin and rehabilitate the Mt. Sutro Open Space Reserve, citing fire hazards, poor health, "invasive plant species" and a decline of wildlife.

Goats set loose on forest!
The Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET), Mrs Gifty Twum-Ampofo, has urged parents not to stop their wards from pursuing TVET-related courses.

She said the notion that TVET courses were for students who were not academically brilliant was one of the factors that discouraged people from studying those courses at both secondary and tertiary levels.



According to the minister, TVET is never for the second grade individual, it is never for the people who are not smart.



Investment



Mrs Twum-Ampofo made the appeal in an interview with the Daily Graphic when the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education toured some TVET institutions in the Ashanti Region.



She explained that the investment the government was making in TVET education and the equipment bought to retool the workshops could not be left to people who were not serious to manage.



TVET is for the people who can manage facilities concerning our lives and these are the first-class students and I am appealing to parents to encourage their children who are smart and wish to do TVET to do so.



Teachers should also guide our young ones into TVET and by doing so, you reduce poverty to a very large extent and you also reduce youth unemployment, she said.



Job creation



According to the Deputy Minister, promoting TVET formed part of the governments agenda of Ghana beyond aid and believed that the products from these TVET institutions would constitute the manpower for the countrys industrialisation agenda.



She said with the kind of equipment at the TVET secondary schools in the country, products from the second cycle institutions could be self-employed and even employ others with their skills.



She said the objective was to equip TVET students with the technical and entrepreneurial skills that could make them self-employed and thereby reducing the rate of employment in the country.



Impression



Mrs Twum-Ampofo was impressed with the effort of the management of the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) to increase the number of TVET students and also expand the existing infrastructure to accommodate more students.



She was, particularly, impressed with the well-equipped workshops at the university which, she said, showed the readiness of the university to train the teachers for the TVET schools.



Visit



Led by its chairman, Mr Kwabena Amankwah Asiamah, the committee visited AAMUSTED, Kwadaso Methodist Technical Institute, Kumasi Technical Institute and the Kumasi Technical University where the members were taken round the facilities of the schools.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A South African woman who has set up a raffle on social media to encourage people to get the coronavirus jab has told the BBC she is overwhelmed by the response.



Jolene Samuels started it two weeks ago offering some bottles of wine and perfume to those who followed her example to get vaccinated.



"Eligible groups in South Africa were not going to vaccine sites, the sites were empty, it was such an emotional mess," the 35-year-old told BBC Focus on Africa presenter Audrey Brown.



People started sending in their names to be drawn for the prizes - and then other people and companies began donating prizes to her initiative.



These include a barbecued meat seller giving a meat platter, a young tailor donating a tracksuit and a DJ offering their services.



At the beginning about 15 or 20 people sent in their names for the raffle draw, now it is in the hundreds, she says.



"The crazy thing is that random people send me messages and thank me for encouraging them to get the vaccine I cant believe it," she said.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A government-licensed recruiting agency based in Nigerias capital, Abuja, is conducting interviews for doctors to leave Nigeria and work in Saudi Arabia.



Meed Consultants recruitment drive comes at a time resident doctors in Nigeria are on strike over the delayed payment of salaries and allowances.



Flyers announcing the interviews have been circulating widely on social media, especially on WhatsApp platforms.



Consultant Dr Kura Phillip told the BBCs Ishaq Khalid that he was applying as he wanted the opportunity to broaden his experience abroad - the poor treatment of doctors in Nigeria was an added incentive.



Nigerias Daily Trust newspaper says the strike is behind a mass exodus of doctors - though many have often left over the years seeking better pay and conditions.



But Dr Peter Inunduh, chief medical officer at Benue States Federal Medical Centre, told the paper that things hadnt been this bad since the late 1980s and 1990s - and it was putting lives in jeopardy.



"For example, you have one anaesthetist in the hospital and it is the anaesthetist that manages the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a hospital, if he leaves, what do you think will happen to the ICU? he said.



Just this morning, my only anaesthetist, who is the most senior in Benue State, walked into my office to inform me he is leaving for Saudi.



He warned that unless something was done urgently many critical areas would have to shut down.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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South Africas unemployment rate is now the highest in the world, according to a list of 82 countries monitored by Bloomberg.



It rose to 34.4% in the second quarter from 32.6% in the three months of the year, the news agency quoted Statistics South Africa as saying in its latest report.



Unemployment has been a long-standing problem in South Africa.



But analysts say recent restrictions to curb a third wave of coronavirus and last months riots in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces are likely to continue harming one of Africas biggest economies.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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In his inauguration speech, President Hakainde Hichilema promised Zambians that change had arrived.



The newly inaugurated leader, who won a landslide victory against the incumbent Edgar Lungu in elections earlier this month, said the future would not be without challenges but he added the economy would be revived.



It was not just a question of fixing the economy - but growing it too, and he called for the private sector to play a role.



It was important to seek and make investments locally and regionally before looking to Europe and beyond, he said.



He promised Zambians three decent meals a day: No Zambian should go to bed hungry.



His administration would look at reforms to the mining, energy, land and tourism sectors, he said.



The 59-year-old also thanked his predecessor for his service and for the smooth transition to his administration.



This was the countrys third peaceful and democratic transfer of leadership over the last three decades, something that was of great credit to Zambia, Mr Hichilema said.



Democracy is the way to go - for Zambia, the people of Africa and the world.



He underlined that the new government would have zero tolerance towards corruption, it would be a hallmark of the administration - and it would not be a question of retribution.



The cabinet would be representative of the whole country - and all regions would have an equal share of development, he said.



The media too could feel the new dawn as they would be able to operate freely, the new president added.



Setting out his administrations commitment to educating the young, he said: Education is the best investment in any child, Im an example of that.



Calling for unity, he reiterated the slogan of Zambias founding father Kenneth Kaunda, who died in June aged 97: One Zambia, one nation.



Afterwards, President Hichilema released hundreds of balloons into the sky over Heroes Stadium - a change from last inauguration when doves were used and proved problematic when they refused to fly off.

Source: BBC









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Some unknown persons reportedly harvest body parts whenever an accident occurs in the country, a police officer has told Senior Psychologist at the University of Ghana, Professor Joseph Osafo.



Contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Prof Osafo said the Police Officer whose name was not disclosed revealed that, unlike previous days where accidents occur and personnel get all body parts, now some parts go missing.



"He (police officer) said that's what they've noticed; now when they go on accident scenes; some body parts are gone . . . either the legs are gone or the hands. An unknown person has come for them for rituals . . ." Prof Osafo disclosed.



He was speaking on the back of recent murders that have been recorded in the country.



Listen to him in the video below





Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has charged the media in the post-crisis recovery era, to be partners in complementing governments efforts to revive the economy from the economic downturn.

This, they should do by highlighting the opportunities and amplifying the successes of the government and businesses.



He said there was the need to re-engineer an economic recovery across Africa at a time when media penetration was deepest, which meant that the impact of the media to either spur that process or derail it could not be discounted.



Graphic Business-Stanbic Breakfast



Mr Oppong Nkrumah was delivering the keynote address at the Graphic Business/Stanbic Bank breakfast meeting at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra yesterday.



The meeting, held on the theme: Media and marketing communication post-COVID-19: A catalyst for socio-economic resurgence, brought together policy makers, captains of industry, media and communication practitioners and people in academia.



It was held as an in-person event, while a link was provided for others to participate virtually.



The notable personalities present included the Chairman of the National Media Commission, Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh; the President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Mr Roland Affail Monney, representatives of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana and the Advertisers Association Ghana.



Shared responsibility



The Information Minister intimated that the government would continue to provide the needed platform, framework and support required for the recovery and expected all stakeholders, including the media, to also play their roles effectively to attract the needed business.



We are at the most critical time in the recent economic history of our continent. Therefore, this is the time to rally round the flag and, indeed, rally round the continent-wide effort to recover.



This requires a common purpose from policy makers, private sector players and the media. It is the only way to guarantee our common success.



On the part of the government, we will continue to provide support for the media industry through fair regulation, capacity enhancement programmes and support to the general economy, which should in turn help the industry. In return, the media should also help project the country to the outside world, he added.



Mr Oppong Nkrumah said a lot of literature pointed to the fact that without the media and marketing communication adequately playing the role of positive amplification, the full potential of economic growth and development might not be achieved.



That, he said, meant that even in ordinary times, if the country wanted to fully achieve its economic goals and development potential, strong marketing communication and media support was required, noting that in times like this, after a pandemic, it was even more than required.



We need to deal with the tendency among some media practitioners who think that our only job is to be a check on the government and the ills of the private sector. We are in this boat together and part of our job is to positively influence society to support the recovery effort, he said.



Mr Oppong Nkrumah further noted that if there was ever a time when the country needed to examine the role of the media and marketing communication within the context of unleashing their full economic potential, it was now.



We are in extremely extraordinary times, which have caused major economic downturns, and with poverty levels already high, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, the need to recover now and quickly is high.



The pace of recovery and the extent of recovery are determined by many factors, including the interaction between the efforts of the government and the media, he stressed.



Rallying public



The Information Minister said evidence suggested that a strong rallying of the public around the recovery efforts of a country made a huge impact on the success story.



For any set of interventions to be successful, it must gain the goodwill and the support of the people. And the people will only support these recovery policies if they understand them well through a credible media, he noted.



He said that meant that policy makers must also adopt broad-based, proactive, robust and repetitive marketing communication strategies to get everybody on board.



Adherence to ethics



Also speaking at the breakfast meeting, a digital marketing and communication expert, Mr Stephen Boadi, commended the media for their role in educating and informing the public at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.



They sometimes did this at the risk of even losing revenue, and that must be commended, he said.



Mr Boadi said there were, however, some disruptions by some digital media outlets which used their platforms to publish fake and false information.



Because we are in a digital world, everybody is a publisher, and its easy to put out content. So we had people publishing all sorts of junk content that disrupted what was going on, he said.



He advised the mainstream media to insist on adherence to the ethics of the profession and not fall for the pressure from social media.



The trend is that people are going to social media to find news and discover brands, but we will always go back to traditional media to validate what we see on social media, he said.



The Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Limited, Mr Ato Afful, in his welcome address, said the media and marketing communication industry had also experienced its fair share of the pandemic.



He noted that at the height of the first wave and the post-lockdown period, newspaper sales dwindled, while advertising and sponsorship revenue also plummeted.



He said there was, therefore, the need for quick economic recovery, saying the media had a clear responsibility and mandate to help restore hope and confidence in Africa and its people.



Platform for critical deliberation



The Managing Director of Stanbic Bank Ghana, Mr Kwamina Asomaning, noted that the breakfast meeting had become a platform for critical deliberation on issues that bordered on national development.



He said that was in line with the banks quest to drive growth in Ghana, adding that the bank was proud of what the platform had become.



Mr Asomaning acknowledged the media as one of the most powerful pillars in society, for which reason the country should harness their power for economic growth.













Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Zongo Development Fund and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) are to collaborate to ensure effective broadcast of development oriented stories about Zongo communities in the country.



The stories will be geared towards fostering attitudinal change and empowering the people to take up more challenging vocations.



Under the partnership, ZoDF will be afforded the opportunity to utilize the various broadcast platforms of the GBC to strengthen the execution of its mandate in Zongo communities.



This initiative was deliberated upon when the Chief Executive Officer of the Zongo Development Fund, Dr. Arafat Sulemana Abdulai, paid a courtesy call on the Director-General of the GBC, Professor Amin Alhassan, at his office, today (Wednesday).



In his opening remarks, Dr. Abdulai expressed the gratitude of the Fund to the GBC for the marvelous support it has rendered to the Fund so far in terms of publicity.



He recounted several instances of collaboration in broadcasting the programmes, projects and interventions of the Fund by the GBC across the length and breadth of the country.



Dr. Abdulai stated that the Fund was committed to the strengthening of the collaboration with GBC.



He said the challenges confronting Zongo communities in the areas of education, sanitation, basic infrastructure and health were issues that the support and collaboration with the GBC would assist in resolving.



Other areas include skills training, employment, economic empowerment, drug abuse, extremism and violence.



Dr. Abdulai also expressed the readiness of the Fund to partner the GBC in fostering attitudinal change in Zongo communities.



On his part, Professor Alhassan commended the Fund for the unprecedented support it is rendering to Zongo Communities. He said as a public broadcaster engaged in public service, the GBC shares in the mandate of the ZoDF.



He expressed worry at the negative stereotyping of Zongo communities and underscored the readiness of the GBC to support the Fund in producing programmes targeted at such social challenges such as child beggars, violence and extremism.



He said attitudinal change is very necessary in Zongo communities and assured the Fund of the readiness of the GBC to support in fostering such a change.



Other members of the delegation from the Fund are; Mr.Thomas Baah, administrator; Ms Aisha Sissy, personal assistant to the CEO; Mr. Hafiz Bamba, programmes and evaluation, Mr. Musah Yahya Jafaru and Ahmed Ayuba, Corporate Affairs and Public Relations Department.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said President Nana Akufo-Addo must trigger processes for an amendment of the 1992 Constitution to reflect the 10-year-old recommendations of the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC).



We would urge His Excellency the President to accept the interpretation of the Apex Court (Supreme Court) as the correct interpretation of the Constitution and the law and proceed to urgently activate the processes for the early implementation of the constitutional reforms as set out by the constitutional reform committee on 20th December 2011, Nana Ato Dadzie, Chairman of NDC Electoral Reform Committee, told journalists at a press conference on Tuesday, 24 August 2021.



The NDCs reform proposals, together with the supplementary reform proposals that may be submitted, are intended to be used to undertake a dispassionate and open discussion and review of the ECs operations. They are aimed at contributing to a national conversation on electoral reforms against the background of critical and lingering cross-party dissatisfaction with the electoral process, Nana Ato Dadzie added.



Below are the key proposals made by the NDC:



The continuous registration of voters system already approved by IPAC and accepted by the EC must be implemented. However, for reasons of cost and convenience, the registration should be undertaken at the district offices of the EC once a month on the last Friday of every month.



The mandatory requirement for the publication of applicants for recruitment as temporary EC staff for registration of voters and for elections and for allowing the public to object to applicants who have questionable backgrounds or have overt partisan biases must be strictly complied with.



The EC should make sure that recruitment for the various categories of election officials is made as non-partisan as possible, with the available positions being advertised and non-partisan and competent persons being selected after interviews.



The list of all polling stations to be used for an election with their names, code numbers and locations should be published in the Gazette and as supplements in the state-owned newspapers not later than 30 days to the election.



The Regional Collation Centre should be abolished.



The voting period of 7 am to 5 pm should be maintained.



The EC should establish Election Adjudication Committees (EACs) at the national and constituency levels as administrative-dispute-resolution mechanisms for first instance grievances against decisions and actions of election officials.



The EC should be required to publish details of all election results on polling stations by polling stations and constituency by constituency basis on its website and in the Gazette.



There must be a public broadcast of the Presidential vote collation process at the EC Head Office as and when the constituency Presidential results are received and certified.



Stakeholder engagement proposals



The silence of the reform proposals on the issue of the increasing monetisation of electoral politics in Ghana is deafening.



The proposed Office of the Regulator of Political Parties (ORPP) should be re-designated Multi-Party Democracy Commission (MPDC) with an expanded mandate to address the pathologies of the political system and to monitor the health of Ghanas democracy, especially in periods in between elections.



The proposed name of the ORPP should be changed to Political Parties Regulatory Commission (PPRC). There should be a cap on political party funding for electoral campaigns.



The NDCs engagement with stakeholders should be broadened into a National Consultation on Electoral Reforms. The membership of the EC should be technocratic rather than political, with the membership positions being advertised, candidates interviewed and the most suitable persons appointed.



There should be criteria to sieve out registered but inactive and moribund political parties and political parties that do not appear to be serious from the electoral process and from membership of the IPAC.



The proposed Election Adjudication Committees (EACs) should be given a time frame within which to finish their work.



The NDC should keep faith with Ghanaians and implement its reform proposals when it finds itself in government and the proposals have not been implemented at that time.



The NDC may wish to secure the buy-in of other political parties before the proposals are tabled at a meeting of either the EC or the IPAC.



The military must not be deployed in civilian elections under any circumstances whatsoever.



The Legal and Technical Sub-Committees of the IPAC should be revived when the IPAC is restructured and becomes fully functional.



If official legislative backing for the IPAC proves difficult, an MP or MPs should sponsor a Private Members Bill to that effect. There should be a mechanism to reduce the incidence of spoilt ballots during elections.



The NDC is not the only organisation calling for an amendment of the Constitution.



A few weeks ago, Dr Abu Sakara Foster, founder of the National Interest Movement (NIM), a non-partisan civil society organisation that pursues the national interest for the greater common, said there is no contradiction between fixing Ghana and fixing the 1992 Constitution.



The former presidential candidate of the CPP told Blessed Sogah on Class91.3FMs 505 news programme on Thursday, 5 August 2021 in an interview that the Constitution is the basis for all other things and if you close all the loopholes and open proper exits for certain actions around a binding vision, you will have much more effective and efficient development with less wastage and that means that you are able to achieve those things that people are crying for and in the order of the priority they are crying for them in a better way.



That way, Dr Abu Sakara noted, the element of continuity is taken care of; secondly, there are other things that need to be done, its not just the national development plan. You need to limit the excessive powers of the executive, like leaving it with the powers it needs but taking from it the powers and influence it should not have.



You should deconcentrate the power of the executive by strengthening independent constitutional bodies in a manner in which they are appointed independently by a known, designated national body that is also independent of the executive and they are funded directly through levies and their operations cannot be controlled by the executive, he proposed.



In his view, if you do it this way, you wont have a director of public prosecution who it takes about two years to fund.



Secondly, Dr Abu Sakara noted, you have to decentralise development decision-making from the centre to local government but not in the many many local governments that we have today which have no economies of scale.



We have to rethink that whole idea and bring the local government to an economy of scale, probably at the level of the existing 16 regions  help them to create up to 30 so that the existing districts will be called sub-districts and local government will be at that level where you have the manpower, you have the economies of scale and then you can target a certain amount of money to be mandatorily injected into them every year as a revenue something.



This is what other people have done; theyve resisted temptation of collecting all the money between the legs of the minister of finance and ten sharing it as and when money becomes available he noted.



NIM acts as a think tank in concert with other CSOs as associate members under an umbrella platform.



NIMs associate members include the National Association of Non-Aligned Voters, United Movement for Change, Peoples Democratic Movement, Third Force and Ghana First Platform.



NIM is leading a campaign to fix our country and that begins with fixing our Constitution to get the system change we need for a more effective and purposeful pursuit of our nations greater good.



It said in a statement that a comprehensively reformed Constitution will help to curb parochial pursuits that distort the functioning of our democracy to suit partisan patronage.



NIM has, therefore, submitted a petition to the Speaker of Parliament to begin a national discourse on a comprehensive amendment of Ghanas 1992 Constitution.



The movement has asked all Ghanaians to collect as many signatures as possible to support the petition for reform of the 1992 Constitution, as it says after 30 years of multi-party rule under the 4th Republic, Ghanas democracy has stagnated into a duopoly that offers no real alternatives to the predicament of a nation unhinged from its big vision.



The nation is mired in debt, with an economy moored to supply of raw materials, and tethered to a pattern of public expenditure that exceeds national income, a statement from the movement said.



Consequently, results for all the efforts of creating new jobs are woefully behind the continuous growth in numbers of unemployed youth. This is primarily because investment in the economy is mostly dependent on foreign direct investment that prefers the extractive and service industries. It mostly shuns the production sector of the economy where added value is generated and living wage jobs are created.



The cry of the youth to fix the country is not a cry of rebellion, it is a cry for help from the generation of our own children. We must not use the fortunate but fragile circumstances of our personal families, to judge the predicament of our youth. Their generation is faced with the greatest challenges generated by the 21st-century civilisation. The plight of Africas youth is to bear the greatest price in human and material terms for the transformation of national economies within a continental context.

















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The minority in parliament says it will summon the Minister for Local Government and Regional Reorganisation, Mr. Dan Botwe over the delay in the appointment of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the country.



Eight months into the second term of President Akufo-Addos administration, MMDCEs expected to lead the implementation of government policies at the local level, are yet to be nominated.



Speaking to Accra-based radio station Citi FM, the Ranking Member on the Local Government and Rural Development Committee of Parliament, Nii Lante Vanderpuiye said this is hampering development at the local government level.



He said the Minister will be dragged before the house when Parliament resumes from recess in October and the list of appointees is not ready.



If by the time we resume Parliament the list has not been given, we are going to summon the Minister for Local Government and Regional Reorganisation before the house to answer and to tell us why this undue delay is happening.



He added that this is the first time such a delay in the appointment of MMDCES has occurred in Ghanas history.



This has never happened in the history of this country before. If this is his first term, we would have given him that benefit of the doubt but his second time he has no excuse. The president has no excuse to unduly delay the appointment of MMDCEs, he said.



Meanwhile, Deputy Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Osei Bonsu Amoah says a folder containing the list of eligible persons for nomination as Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) has been presented to President Akufo-Addo for action.



Very soon, he will announce it. The President has assured us that as quickly as possible, he will release the list. Lets give him that duty to do, he on Accra based radio station recently".



Mr Amoah said there has not been much of a delay for Akufo-Addo to nominate the MMDCEs.



He has to go through the report to be submitted by his team, and I mean he got a report less than two or three weeks ago. So I dont think theres been too much of a delay.













Source: graphiconline.com









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Private Legal Practitioner and aide to the former president John Dramani Mahama, Lawyer Goodwin Edudzi Tamakloe has sound a strong caution to the former director of the Danquah Institute (DI), Mr. Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko.



He says Mr. Asare Otchere Darko will have to run away from this country once John Mahama is elected again as President of this country come 2024.



Gabby's FB Post



The former DI Director, in his Facebook post strongly held that Mr Mahama lacks the moral right to tag the current administration as corrupt, accusing him of home-growing a crisis and outsourcing the solution when the latter was president.



To him, the Akufo-Addo administration has done a better job of protecting the public purse than what its predecessor - the Mahama administration - did.



He was reacting to remarks by Mr Mahama during the first leg of his regional thank you tour that the NPP wants to break the 8 in order to protect itself from corruption.



Why Does NPP Allow NDC To Accuse It Of Corruption?



Cataloguing a litany of reasons to back his assertions, Gabby Otchere-Darko accused the former administration of "making zero savings" on contracts that were either sole-sourced or done by restrictive tender, and thus wondered why the NPP can allow the NDC to attack it on the issue of corruption.



"This Government has managed to reduce the percentage of contracts that are either sole-sourced or done by restrictive tender and, by that, saving hundreds of millions every year through the PPA by reducing the costs of such contracts to the taxpayer. NDC, under Mahama, made ZERO savings in such situations. This is a fact.



"It bothers me how NPP can allow the NDC to attack it on corruption when the NPP evidently does more for the people with taxpayers money than the NDC did under Mahama. Clearly, corruption is such an easy cane with which to whip a government whether it is supported by facts or propaganda.



Surely if a government is doing more than any previous one in spending public funds on the people and their communities and also getting more in return than the previous government, then why should that ruling party allow that opponent to confidently feel that corruption is rather the ruling partys Achilles heel?" he added.



You Should Be Ashamed Of Yourself!



But speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, Mr Mahama's aide could not fathom why the NPP stalwart would brazenly attack and accuse the former president of being corrupt.



"Who is Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko? . . . Gabby should be the last person to even attack Mahama . . . politics allows for anything so we just have to take it like that . . . I can understand his pain," he said.



"If Nana Addo leaves power now Gabby will run away from Ghana . . . if he is still using his British passport he should keep it clearer and renew it, because he will run away from this country . . . just look at the numerous crimes he has done to Ghanians with his uncle?"



"As for Gabby the right time is coming," he added.



Watch video below





Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









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Senior Political Science Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Asah Asante, has thrown his weight behind the Agenda 111 health project by the Akufo-Addo administration.



President Nana Akufo-Addo has reassured Ghanaians of his commitment to build 111 district and Regional hospitals across the country.



According to the President, 88 of the hospitals are expected to be completed within 18 months.



''So far sites have been identified for 88 of the 111 hospitals, and after cutting the sod, work on the other 87 sites will also commence today [Tuesday].''



"The acquisition of the remaining 13 sites will be completed shortly for work to begin. Each hospital is being constructed at a cost of $16.88 million, i.e. $12.88 million for construction and $4 million for medical equipment, and all the hospitals are to be completed in 18 months and works will begin on the regional and other hospitals in the latter part of the year," the President said during his sod-cutting for the project in the Ashanti Region on Tuesday, August 17.



Commenting on the project during Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Dr. Asah Asante complimented the President for his resolution to improve the health sector.



He believed the Agenda 111 will create huge youth employment and advised the President not to renege on his promise.



''I plead with the government to be true to its word and deliver what they have promised . . . this Agenda 111 will create more jobs for the youth," he stated.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Former Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan has slammed the opposition National Democratic Congress for doubting the Akufo-Addo administration's commitment to build and complete 111 hospitals in the country.



The President, cutting sod for the project in the Ashanti Region on Tuesday, August 17, promised Ghanaians his government will construct 111 hospitals, of which 88 will be completed in 18 months.



''So far sites have been identified for 88 of the 111 hospitals, and after cutting the sod, work on the other 87 sites will also commence today [Tuesday].''



"The acquisition of the remaining 13 sites will be completed shortly for work to begin. Each hospital is being constructed at a cost of $16.88 million, i.e. $12.88 million for construction and $4 million for medical equipment, and all the hospitals are to be completed in 18 months and works will begin on the regional and other hospitals in the latter part of the year," he said.



But the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have little faith in the President as they believe he is only paying lip service to the Agenda 111 project.



Some members of the opposition party accused the government of spending over GH 600 million before cutting sod for the project.



The NDC 2020 Presidential candidate, former President John Dramani Mahama also claims the project is "only an afterthought that suddenly they realized that they must be doing some infrastructure and Agenda 111 has been conjured with no transparency as to how the money for the projects are going to be procured''.



Government should avert its mind and try to finish some of those projects including some of those that they themselves have initiated, he added.



But Kwamena Duncan is the least surprised about the NDC claims as he alluded to some disparaging comments that the party passed about the President's free SHS policy stating it couldn't be done, yet the policy has been effectively implemented despite their opposing views.



He described the NDC as an "impossible party" - to wit, the party doesn't believe anything is possible to do.



''This is not surprising because we have a party in this country that only thinks we can't do it. It (NDC) is impossible party.''



Kwamena Duncan was of a strong opinion that just as the President made the free SHS possible, the Agenda 111 will also materialize.



Speaking to Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', he offered prayers for the President saying, "my prayer is that, by the close of 2024 when Akufo-Addo will be handing over to an NPP President-elect, we would have completed all the 111 - 88 of them or so district hospitals. That is my prayer''.



He believed the President and his government aren't moved by opposition but focused on the Agenda 111 which will surely come into fruition.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Popular Ghanaian sex worker, Queen Farcadi has explained why she bleached her skin. In an interview with DW TV, she revealed that she bleached to get attention and to fit into the group men want.



Farcadi added that after she bleached her skin, men began to give her attention as well as other good deals for modeling roles.



Watch the video below...





















































































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A post shared by Amoaning Samuel (@e.ntamoty)



























Deutsche Welle or DW is a German public state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. The service is available in 30 languages. DW's satellite television service consists of channels in English, German, Urdu, Hindi, Spanish, Bengali, and Arabic. Headquarters: Bonn, Germany

Source: LIB









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Four of the organisers of the Chale Wote Arts Festival have been arrested and granted bail by the Accra Regional Police Command for allegedly breaching the public order law.



Those arrested are the curator of the popular street art festival, Mr Mantse Aryeequaye and three other organisers, Nii Ayeh, Ampem Darko and Evans Abio.



They were arrested last Saturday (August 21, 2021) outside the Usher Fort, James Town while they were setting up for an outdoor event.



After holding them in the custody of the Accra Central Police the police granted them bail last Monday.



Virtual event

Contrary to the previous event that is associated with a large crowd the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) announced that it had agreed with the organisers of the Chale Wote Festival to hold this years edition of the annual street art festival virtually. The event was scheduled for August 13 to 21, 2021.



The AMA explained that the arrangement was due to the surge in the COVID-19 cases and in compliance with the Presidents 26th update on the COVID-19 protocols for people to avoid large gatherings to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.



Later, the organisers of the festival issued a statement challenging the decision by the AMA to hold the event virtually.



However, the CEO of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah, has said the decision to advise organisers of the Chale Wote Festival to hold a virtual event was to protect lives amidst a recent spike in COVID-19 deaths.



Bail

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Accra Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ms Juliana Obeng who confirmed the arrest said the four persons were arrested after the police picked up intelligence about the organisers holding an outdoor event without police permit.





She said in line with the Public Order Act (1994) any person who desires to hold any special event in any public place is required to notify the police in not less than five days before the date of the special event.



The section on the interpretation of the Act defines a special event as procession, parade, carnival, street dance, celebration of traditional custom, outdooring of traditional ruler, demonstration, public meeting and similar event.



Ms Obeng said the four persons have since been granted police enquiry bail and are required to report at the Accra Central Police station every day while investigations continue.



Chale Wote Street Art Festival which started in 2011 is an alternative platform that brings art, music, dance and performance out into the streets.



The festival features street painting, graffiti murals, photography, theatre, spoken word, live street performances, extreme sports, film shows, fashion parade among others.





Source: Graphic Showbiz









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" " Students on the campus of Darul Uloom, the Deoband school of Islam located in a small town, Deoband, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. SAJJAD HUSSAIN/getty images

Following the Taliban's rapid taking of power in what it describes as a reestablished "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," fears of a certain kind of Islamist ideology being brought back have led a large number of Afghans to flee, or fear for their lives.

The Taliban were known for their oppressive rule. They ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, at which point they were pushed out of power by U.S. and British troops. Under the Taliban rule, religious minorities and other Muslims who did not share their fundamentalist understanding of Islam were not tolerated. The Taliban also severely restricted the rights of women and girls.

As scholars who research ethno-religious conflicts in South Asia, we have studied the origins of the Taliban's religious beliefs. The roots of this ideology  Deobandi Islam  can be traced to 19th-century colonial India.

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Colonialism and Islam

Deobandi Islam emerged in India in 1867, 10 years after a major Indian nationalist uprising against the rule of the British East India Company.

Two Muslims clerics, Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi and Maulana Rashid Muhammad Gangohi, were behind the setting up of the Deobandi school. Their aim was to indoctrinate Muslim youth with an austere, rigid and pristine vision of Islam. At its heart, Deobandi Islam was an anti-colonial movement designed to revitalize Islam.

This school of Islamic thought had a very particular understanding of the faith. The Deobandi brand of Islam adheres to orthodox Islamism insisting that the adherence to Sunni Islamic law, or Sharia, is the path of salvation. It insists on the revival of Islamic practices that go back to the seventh century  the time of the Prophet Muhammad. It upholds the notion of global jihad as a sacred duty to protect Muslims across the world, and is opposed to any non-Islamic ideas.

The first madrassa  or Islamic school  to educate Muslim youth in the Deobandi tradition was set up in the north Indian state of present-day Uttar Pradesh toward the end of the 19th century.

The Deobandi school system spread over the next several decades and attracted Muslim youth in different parts of the Indian subcontinent. For instance, the Deobandi tradition became the most popular school of Islamic thought among the Pashtuns, an ethnic group living in an area on either side of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Pashtun leaders played an instrumental role in establishing and expanding the Deobandi curriculum and tradition in the Pashtun belt across the Durand line, the colonial border separating British India from Afghanistan.

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Funding and Enrollments

After British India was partitioned in 1947 between India and Pakistan, many prominent Deobandi scholars migrated to Pakistan, setting up a large number of madrassas.

With the independence of India and Pakistan, the school placed its full attention on training the students within this fundamentalist Islamic tradition.

In the years and decades after the independence of Pakistan, Deobandi madrassas spread across Pakistan, and one of their principal causes of political activism became India's treatment of Muslims in the Indian-controlled portion of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to one estimate, by 1967 there were as many as 8,000 Deobandi schools worldwide and thousands of Deobandi graduates mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Malaysia.

At first, the Deobandi madrassas tended to be poorly funded. One event that greatly boosted the growth of enrollment in Deobandi madrassas was the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

The CIA's covert involvement in the war fueled Islamic militancy and inadvertently helped organize and orchestrate a resistance movement mostly composed of ardent religious fighters. A substantial number of these Afghan fighters were drawn from the Deobandi madrassas, especially the Pashtuns, who played a leading role in the resistance.

During that time, the Deobandi madrassas also gained financial assistance. This assistance, as scholar Thomas Hegghammer writes, came mainly through American aid dollars meant for Pakistan and money from Saudi Arabia.

Saudi leaders, in fact, used the influence of their money to push their own interpretation of Islam  Wahhabism  at the Deobandi madrassas. Wahhabism is a deeply conservative form of Islam that believes in a literal interpretation of the Quran. At this point, the Deobandi madrassas moved far away from their religious roots.

" " Afghans have fled upheaval in their country for more than 40 years, often landing in refugee camps in Pakistan. Chris Hondros/Getty Images

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Ties of Kinship

Following the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan in 1979, millions of Afghan refugees, in several waves, took shelter in Pakistan, especially in its Pashtun belt.

Keen on obtaining a strategic toehold in Afghanistan, Pakistan actively recruited young men in refugee camps, imbuing them further with religious zeal to fight the Soviets.

Driven out of their homes in Afghanistan, the dispossessed young Afghans thrived in the refugee camps, in part due to ties of ethnicity as Pashtuns. Drawn to a religiously based offensive against what they deemed to be an infidel, or foreign occupier, they became ready recruits to the anti-Soviet cause.

Many of the Taliban's key leaders and fighters, including Mullah Omar, the founder of the organization, had studied in the Deobandi seminaries in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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After the Civil War

After the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, the fighters continued to enjoy the support of Pakistan's security establishment and private actors for financial assistance.

When Afghanistan plunged into a civil war in 1992, various factions of the anti-Soviet resistance vied for power. Among them was the Northern Alliance, a group that India and Russia had backed and was under the leadership of an ethnic Tajik, Ahmed Shah Massoud, who resisted the Taliban and acquired an almost mythic status.

However, as scholar Larry P. Goodson writes, with the crucial and substantial assistance of Pakistan's security establishment, the Taliban emerged victorious and seized power in 1996.

Once in power, they imposed their distinctive brand of Islam on the country  far removed from its religious roots in colonial India.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. You can find the original article here.

Sumit Ganguly is the distinguished professor of political science and the Tagore chair in Indian cultures and civilizations at Indiana University.

Sohel Rana is a Ph.D. student at Indiana University.
The telescopes of the GWAC-A, the GWAC-F60A/B and the GWAC- F30. Credit: HAN Xuhui

The incorporation of distinct telescopes into larger coordinated networks can enhance the discovery and follow-up capacity. However, challenges still remain in scaling, deploying, organizing and scheduling such networks.

A Chinese-French joint team from Space Variable Object Monitor (SVOM) mission developed an Automatic Observation Management (AOM) system to incorporate individual facilities with different telescope size, photometry parameters, and control techniques into a well-organized network.

This study was published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific on June 30.

The first observation network adopted AOM is the Ground-based Wide-Angle Cameras Network (GWAC-N), a network of robotic multiple types, optical telescopes under the framework of SVOM mission.

The GWAC-N is currently located at Xinglong Observatory of National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC). It comprises two wide FoV GWAC telescopes, two 60-cm telescopes (GWAC-F60A/B) and one 30-cm telescope (GWAC-F30).

Via AOM, the GWAC-N obtained better sky coverage and detection performance that enables multiple tasks, including large-sample surveys, the follow-up observation of Gamma-Ray Bursts and Gravitational Waves, and the detection of optical transients, variable and periodic objects, and moving objects, etc.

"AOM could perform complex observations with ten observation modes and 175 strategies. The AOM is also working with a high duty cycle and stable behavior. It scheduled an average of 1,500 targets and produced 600 observation plans per clear night in December 2020," said Dr. Han Xuhui from NAOC, the first author of the study.

According to simulation, via AOM, a 10-telescope network could handle the working load of 100,000 targets in eight seconds. This result ensures that AOM can be adapted to the largest and busiest world-wide, general purposed, telescope networks.

In the next two years, the complete GWAC-N will be installed at two observatories. The number of telescopes in the GWAC-N will be extended to nine GWAC-A telescopes and five 60-cm class telescopes. More external telescopes are also foreseen to join the network.

AOM will fully support the operations of GWAC-N. With its modular design, the AOM is also scientifically and technically viable for other general-purpose telescope networks.

Explore further Superflare detected on an ultracool star

More information: Xuhui Han et al, The Automatic Observation Management System of the GWAC Network. I. System Architecture and Workflow, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (2021). Xuhui Han et al, The Automatic Observation Management System of the GWAC Network. I. System Architecture and Workflow,(2021). DOI: 10.1088/1538-3873/abfb4e
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Colonels, brigadiers and generals who leave the Army are more likely than lower ranks to find high-quality civilian work, a conference on work and employment has heard.

Dr. Wang Wen told the British Sociological Association online conference today (Wednesday, 25 August 2021), that a survey showed top ranking officers were more content in their civilian jobs, disproving the idea they were too regimented to adapt to civilian employment.

Dr. Wang, of the University of Wolverhampton and Professor Matthew Flynn, University of Hull, analyzed their research data on 203 former service personnel in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines who were aged 50 or over when they left the military. They found that 136 were employed or self-employed, 47 were in training or were unemployed, and 20 were not looking for work.

Of the 203, 47 had been a colonel, brigadier or general in the Army and Marines, or were between the ranks of Group Captain and Air Chief Marshall in the Air Force, or were Admirals in the Navy.

The researchers studied how the ranks rated their civilian jobs in terms of how interesting it was, how it made use of their skills and if they felt valued. They found that the most senior ranks were 38% more likely to report being happier with their current civilian employment than other ranks, and were more likely to say their civilian job was high quality.

They were more willing to change, as demonstrated by the fact that they were happier than other ranks with career advice, training and workshops provided by services' Career Transition Partnership.

"Long serving military personnel are often viewed as being overly regimented and lacking adaptability, and it is commonly assumed that these factors make it harder for long-serving officers to successfully navigate the military-to-civilian career transition and ultimately find a satisfying civilian job," Dr. Wang, from the University of Wolverhampton Business School, told the conference.

"But my analysis does not support the negative association between military achievement of long-serving military personnel and the job satisfaction of civilian employment."

One former Lieutenant Colonel told them: "I got a job as a project manager contracting for a client. It made use of my skills and I learned loads in that first year. Once I got a foothold, I learned how to negotiate a decent package and then secured a permanent role with one of the client's key suppliers."

The service personnel had left the forces because they were either told to leave, were unhappy with their salary, felt they had no promotion prospects, or the work had become too physically demanding or too stressful.

The researchers adjusted the data, which came from an Officers' Association report into service personnel seeking civilian employment, to compare military personnel of similar age and qualifications to rule these factors out of the analysis.

Explore further Armed Forces personnel who are medically discharged most likely to struggle with transition into civilian life

More information: Flynn, M., & Ball, C. (2020), The Challenges and Barriers Faced by Servicemen and Women Seeking Employment Upon Leaving the UK Armed Forces Aged 50 or Over. Cambridge: FIMT
The quark structure of the proton. There are two up quarks in it and one down quark. The strong force is mediated by gluons (wavey). The strong force has three types of charges, the so-called red, green and the blue. Note that the choice of green for the down quark is arbitrary; the "color charge" is thought of as circulating among the three quarks. Credit: Arpad Horvath/Wikipedia

Scientists from the BASE-collaboration, led by RIKEN scientists, have developed a new cooling method that will allow easier measurements of a property of protons and antiprotons called the magnetic moment. This is one of the properties that is being investigated to solve the mystery of why our universe contains matter but almost no antimatter.

Our universe should, under the standard model, have equal amounts of matter and antimatter, but in reality it does not. To find out why, scientists around the world are trying to discover tiny differences between the two that could solve the mystery. One promising avenue is to explore whether there are differences in the magnetic moment of the proton and antiproton, and the BASE experiment, based at CERN, is trying to determine this. Using a sophisticated devicea Penning trap capable of capturing and detecting a single particlethe BASE team in the past was able to improve the precision of proton and antiproton magnetic moment measurements by a factor of thirty and by more than three orders of magnitude, respectively, leading to a test of matter/antimatter symmetry at the level of 1.5 parts in a billion, finding essentially that the magnets in the proton and the antiproton are similar to nine significant figures.

One difficultyamong manyin carrying out such experiments is that to measure the magnetic moments precisely, the particles need to be kept at temperatures close to absolute zero, -273.15C. In previous experiments the cold temperatures were prepared by using a technique known as "selective resistive cooling," which is time-consuming and, according to the researchers, "similar to throwing a dice with 100 faces, trying to roll a 1."

For the current experiment, published in Nature, the BASE collaboration reported the first ever demonstration of "sympathetic cooling" of a single proton by coupling the particle to a cloud of laser-cooled 9Be+ ions. Sympathetic cooling involves using lasers or other devices to cool one type of particle, and then using those particles to transfer the heat of the particle they wish to cool. With this technique, the group simultaneously cooled a resonant mode of a macroscopic superconducting tuned circuit with laser-cooled ions, and also achieved the sympathetic cooling of a single trapped proton, reaching temperatures close to absolute zero.

The technique described in the recent paper is an important first step towards a considerable reduction of faces on the dice-manifold, with the vision of ideally reducing the surface to just one. "We are reporting an important first step, and the further development of this method will ultimately lead to an ideal spin-flip experiment, in which a single low-temperature proton will be prepared within just a few seconds. This will allow us to determine the particle's spin state in just one measurement that takes about a minute," says Christian Smorra, one of the scientists leading the study. "This is considerably faster than our previous magnetic moment measurements, and will improve both sampling statistics and the resolution of our systematic studies," adds Matthew Bohman, a Ph.D. student at the Max Planck Institute for nuclear Physics, Heidelberg and the first author of the study.

"In addition, the reported achievement has applications not only in proton/antiproton magnetic moment measurements. It adds general new technology to the tool-box of precision Penning-trap physics, and also has potential applications in other nuclear magnetic moment measurements, ultra-precise comparisons of charge-to-mass ratios in Penning traps, or even in enhancing the production of antihydrogen," adds Stefan Ulmer, spokesperson of the BASE collaboration and chief scientist at RIKEN Fundamental Symmetries Laboratory.

The BASE collaboration operates three experiments, one at the antimatter factory of CERN, one at the University of Hannover, and one at the University of Mainz, the laboratory where the new method was actually implemented. The reported study is a result of the joint collaboration between RIKEN, the German Max Planck Society, the Universities of Mainz, Hannover and Tokyo, the German metrology institute PTB, CERN, and GSI Darmstadt. The work was supported by the Max Planck, RIKEN, PTB center for time, constants and fundamental symmetries.

Explore further A transportable antiproton trap to unlock the secrets of antimatter

More information: Sympathetic cooling of a trapped proton mediated by an LC circuit, Nature (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03784-w Journal information: Nature Sympathetic cooling of a trapped proton mediated by an LC circuit,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03784-w
Elasmosaurids, like the Cardiomorax mukulu reptiles seen here, lived during the Cretaceous Period. They were predators, thriving on fish and other marine life. Credit: Karen Carr Studio Inc.

A CT scan of the skull of a long-necked plesiosaur shows the cranial architecture of these long-extinct marine reptiles didn't evolve much over 22 million years that they lived during the Cretaceous time.

That's very unusual, said SMU paleontologist Louis Jacobs, one of the world's foremost authorities on prehistoric creatures and co-author of a study published in PLOS One.

"Basically, in anything except living fossils, you don't go 22 million years without evolving," said Jacobs, professor emeritus of Earth Sciences at SMU and president of ISEM at SMU.

Elasmosaurid plesiosaurs, lookalikes of the mythical Loch Ness monster, were the largest of the long-necked plesiosaurs, growing as long as 43 feet with half of that length deriving from their small heads and very long necks. Paleontologists from SMU (Southern Methodist University), as part of an international team called Projecto PaleoAngola, based their findings on a CT scan of the 71.5 million year old skull from a species of elasmosaurid called Cardiocorax mukulu.

This detailed 3D model allowed the paleontologists to compare the well-preserved skull of C. mukulu found in Angola to that of other species of elasmosaurids. They found that C. mukulu looked nearly identical to skulls that came from much older elasmosaurids, including one found at Cedar Hill, Texas, in 1931, whose 93-million-years old remains can be found at SMU's Shuler Museum of Paleontology.

"The skull shape, organization of muscles, and the shape and arrangement of the teeth largely reflect how an animal acquired prey," said co-author Michael J. Polcyn, research associate and director of SMU's Digital Earth Sciences Laboratory "The interesting aspect of Cardiocorax mukulu is that it appears that this animal's predecessors adopted a particular feeding style early in their evolutionary history, and then maintained the same basic skull structure for the next 22 million years"

It will take more research to pinpoint why elasmosaurids might have been different from other reptiles in their evolutionary journey.

Elasmosaurids lived during the Cretaceous Period, which spanned from 145 million years ago to 66 million years ago. They were predators, thriving on fish and other marine life. Projecto PaleoAngola paleontologists first discovered C. mukulu in Angola in 2015.

The lead author of the CT scan study is Miguel P. Marx, who will be starting a Ph.D. program at Lund University in Sweden later this month and was a researcher in SMU's Earth Science department during this study. Other co-authors include Jacobs and Polcyn of SMU.; Octavio Mateus of Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Museu da Lourinha, Portugal; Anne S. Schulp of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center and Utrecht University in the Netherlands; and A. Olimpio Goncalves of the Universidade Agostinho Neto in Angola.

Skull found in the same area that yielded Smithsonian Museum exhibit

Mateus found the nearly complete cranium and jaw of C. mukulu, along with 12 associated teeth and other fossilized parts of the reptile's body in Bentiaba, Angola in 2017. That area is on the coast of Angola that Jacobs has called a "museum in the ground," because so many fossils have been found in the rocks there.

Many of those fossils are currently on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. The museum's "Sea Monsters Unearthed" exhibit, co-produced with SMU, features large marine reptiles from the Cretaceous Periodmosasaurs, turtles, and plesiosaurs.

Jacobs and Polcyn forged the Projecto PaleoAngola partnership with collaborators in Angola, Portugal, and the Netherlands to explore and excavate Angola's rich fossil history and began laying the groundwork for returning the fossils to the West African nation. Back in Dallas, Jacobs, Polcyn, and research associate Diana Vineyard went to work over a period of 13 years with a small army of SMU students to prepare the fossils excavated by Projecto PaleoAngola.

Like the Smithsonian exhibit, the discovery of the Cardiocorax mukulu remains were the result of that collaboration.

CT scan shows jaws and teeth of elasmosaurids didn't evolve much

Marx's computed tomography (CT) scan of the skull was designed to reveal parts of the skull that are otherwise difficult to see, such as the braincase. Only part of the skull was actually freed from the Angolan rock in which it was discovered because elasmosaurids skulls are so fragile. So the CT scan was taken largely through the rock that preserved the specimen.

However, "the good resolution of the resulting CT images allowed me to discriminate between the bone, the rock matrix, and the plaster jacket the skull was protected in," Marx said. "Thus, I could build a 3D model of the skull and be able to study the fragile parts of it, such as the braincase and palate, without touching it."

The team's conclusions about the cranial anatomy of C. mukulu were drawn from comparisons to the skull of Libonectes morgani, a much older elasmosaurid housed at SMU.

"The skull of L. morgani at SMU is so complete that the sutures between different bones can clearly be delineated," he said. "The skull of Libonectes morgani worked as a guide for me when making the skull model of Cardiocorax mukulu. This made the process of building the model much faster."

Marx and the PaleoAngola team also compared the 3D imaging to the skulls of Styxosaurus snowii and Thalassomedon haningtoniall elasmosaurids from different time periods.

The similarity between the jaws, teeth and other skull anatomy of C. mukulu and its predecessors was a surprising discovery, Marx said.

For example, the skull of Cardiocorax mukulu and Libonectes morgani both exhibit a tall dorsal ramus of the maxilla, and the organization of the skull bones around the orbits is identical, Marx said. The skulls of these two species only differed in a couple of key aspects, including a slightly different number of teeth in the upper and lower tooth rows, the location of the premaxillary-parietal suture, and the presence or absence of the pterygoids contacting each other beneath the basioccipital bone.

"It appears that the skull of elasmosaurids did not undergo significant evolutionary change throughout their history, which is very cool," Marx said.

Explore further Skull of 340 million year old animal digitally recreated, revealing secrets of ancient amphibian

More information: Miguel P. Marx et al, The cranial anatomy and relationships of Cardiocorax mukulu (Plesiosauria: Elasmosauridae) from Bentiaba, Angola, PLOS ONE (2021). Journal information: PLoS ONE Miguel P. Marx et al, The cranial anatomy and relationships of Cardiocorax mukulu (Plesiosauria: Elasmosauridae) from Bentiaba, Angola,(2021). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255773
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

"The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion," Albert Einstein wrote. Perhaps this is nowhere more evident than in protein evolution, where past and present versions of the same enzyme exist in different species today, with implications for future enzyme design. Now, researchers have used evolutionary "time travel" to learn how an enzyme evolved over time, from one of Earth's most ancient organisms to modern-day humans.

The researchers will present their results today at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

"If a person lives in present-day Rome, they might want to learn about ancient Rome to better understand who they are," says Magnus Wolf-Watz, Ph.D., the project's principal investigator. "In the same way, we can look backward in time at more ancient forms of enzymes to understand how the proteins are working today and how we might engineer new versions in the future."

Wolf-Watz, who is at Umea University in Sweden, looked back some 2 to 3 billion years to primitive organisms known as archaea. These single-celled life forms, which still exist today, have characteristics of both prokaryotes (bacteria, which lack a cell nucleus) and eukaryotes (organisms like plants, animals and fungi that have a nucleus in their cells). A branch of archaea known as the Asgard phylum, discovered in 2015, comprises the closest known ancestors to eukaryotic cells. Four types of Asgard archaea have been identified, including Odin archaea, found in hydrothermal vents deep in the Atlantic Ocean.

Odin archaea have an enzyme called adenylate kinase (AK), which is also found in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Wolf-Watz previously studied two human types of this enzyme, AK1 and AK3. Both are important in maintaining the energy balance in cells, but AK1 is in the cytoplasm, where it transfers a phosphate group from adenosine triphosphate (ATP, the main energy carrier in cells) to adenosine monophosphate (AMP). In contrast, AK3 resides within mitochondria, where it transfers a phosphate group from guanosine triphosphate (GTP, a molecule similar to ATP but with distinct roles) to AMP.

Wolf-Watz's team used X-ray crystallization and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to study the structures of AK1 and AK3, finding that although the enzymes are very similar, they have a subtle difference in a short loop region that causes AK1 to prefer ATP and AK3 to prefer GTP. "Now we can take any AK enzyme, look at the structure of that loop, and predict whether it's going to use ATP or GTP," Wolf-Watz says. The next step was to examine a more ancient version of an AK enzyme  from Odin archaea  to learn how AK1 and AK3 evolved to prefer different nucleotide substrates.

The researchers purified the archaea AK and determined its structure. They found that the loop important for discriminating ATP and GTP is much longer in the archaeal enzyme, and it has chemical groups that can bind either nucleotide. "What we found is an early ancestor of the human AKs that contains two capacities  it can use both ATP and GTP," Wolf-Watz says. "During the course of evolution, it became specialized to become specific for one or the other, depending on the cellular compartment where it resides." The archaea AK can actually use all naturally occurring nucleotide triphosphates (NTPs). "We've discovered a universal NTP binding motif that could be a building block for the future design of novel enzymes," Wolf-Watz says.

The archaeal AK contains three copies of the enzyme (known as a trimer) that bind to each other through a helical structure. In human AKs, a mutation in this region makes the enzyme copies unable to stick to each other. The human enzymes, which function independently, are almost 1,000-fold more active. The trimer could have been more stable in the extreme environment of hydrothermal vents, but the human enzymes might have traded this thermostability for higher activity, which is important in a cooler environment, Wolf-Watz says.

Next, the researchers want to engineer novel enzymes that could be useful in organic synthesis or drug development. They also want to examine other enzymes from Odin archaea and study how they might have evolved over the eons. "We studied one enzyme and made this fantastic discovery," Wolf-Watz says. "Of course, there's more to find. It's like we're digging through a treasure chest."

Explore further Spotting the invisible

More information: Evolutionary origins of enzymatic specificity and dynamics, ACS Fall 2021.
Life reconstruction of Taytalura in its natural habitat with the extinct conifer Rhexoxylon in Ischigualasto (Argentina) during the Late Triassic, hiding from the primitive dinosaur Eodromaeus (in the background) inside the skull of a mammalian ancestor. Credit: scientific illustrator Jorge Blanco

Lizards and snakes are a key component of most terrestrial ecosystems on earth today. Along with the charismatic tuatara of New Zealand (a "living fossil" represented by a single living species), squamates (all lizards and snakes) make up the Lepidosauriathe largest group of terrestrial vertebrates in the planet today with approximately 11,000 species, and by far the largest modern group of reptiles. Both squamates and tuataras have an extremely long evolutionary history. Their lineages are older than dinosaurs having originated and diverged from each other at some point around 260 million years ago. However, the early phase of lepidosaur evolution 260-150 million years ago, is marked by very fragmented fossils that do not provide much useful data to understand their early evolution, leaving the origins of this vastly diverse group of animals embedded in mystery for decades.

In a study published August 25 in Nature an international team of researchers describe a new species that represents the most primitive member of lepidosaurs, Taytalura alcoberi, found in the Late Triassic deposits of Argentina. Discovered by lead author Dr. Ricardo N. Martinez, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, Argentina, and curator at the Instituto y Museo de Ciencias Naturales, Taytalura is the first three-dimensionally preserved early lepidosaur fossil. It allowed scientists to infer with great confidence it's placement in the evolutionary tree of reptiles and aids in closing the gap of our knowledge of the origin and early evolution of lepidosaurs.

Martinez and co-author Dr. Sebastian Apesteguia, Universidad Maimonides, Buenos Aires, Argentina, conducted high-resolution CT scans of Taytalura which provided confirmation that it was something related to ancient lizards. They then contacted co-author Dr. Tiago R. Simoes, postdoctoral fellow in The Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, to help identify and analyze the fossil. Simoes specializes in studying these creatures and in 2018 published the largest existing dataset to understand the evolution of the major groups of reptiles (living and extinct) in Nature.

"I knew the age and locality of the fossil and could tell by examining some of its external features that it was closely related to lizards, but it looked more primitive than a true lizard and that is something quite special," said Simoes.

The researchers then contacted co-author Dr. Gabriela Sobral, Department of Palaeontology, Staatliches Museum fur Naturkunde Stuttgart, Germany, to process the CT scan data. Sobral, a specialist in processing CT data, created a mosaic of colors for each bone of the skull allowing the team to understand the fossil's anatomy in high-detail resolution on a scale of only a few micrometersabout the same thickness as a human hair.

With Sobral's data, Simoes was able to apply a Bayesian evolutionary analysis to determine the proper placement of the fossil in the reptile dataset. Simoes had recently applied the Bayesian methodwhich was adapted from methods originally developed in epidemiology to study how viruses like COVID-19 evolveto precisely estimate the time and rates of anatomical evolution during the rise of tetrapods. The statistical analysis confirmed their suspicions that Taytalura was in fact the most primitive member of the lineage that eventually originated all lizards and snakes. "It's not even a lizard in the evolutionary tree," said Simoes, "but it's the very next thing there, between true liizards and tuataras, and all other reptiles."

"This beautifully 3D preserved fossil is really an important finding. It is the most complete fossil representing the early stages of lepidosaur evolution that we have so far. All other known fossils are too incomplete, which makes it difficult to classify them for sure, but the complete and articulated nature of Taytalura makes its relationships much more certain," said Sobral.

Reconstruction of the skull of Taytalura based on high-resolution CT scans (left) and its placement in the evolutionary tree of reptiles (right). Credit: Left) Gabriela Sobral, Jorge Blanco, and Ricardo Martinez; Right) Tiago Simoes

Simoes agreed, "Taytalura is a major point in the reptile tree of life that was previously missing. Because these fossils are so small they are very difficult to preserve in the fossil record. And what candidate fossils we do have are very fragmented and poorly preserved, so they don't provide as much useful data for analysis."

Taytalura's skull reveals that the first lepidosaurs looked substantially more like the tuataras than squamates, and therefore, that squamates represent a major deviation from this ancestral pattern. Further, it has a unique dentition, differing from the teeth found in any living or extinct group of lepidosaurs. "What our analyses tells us, besides some other anatomical traits that we could see on it, in the skull specifically, is that this sphenodontian body type, at least for the skull, is the ancestral pattern for lepidosaurs. The ancestral pattern seems to be more similar to tuataras," said Simoes.

"Taytalura preserves a composition of features that we were not expecting to find in such an early fossil. For instance, it shows some features that we thought were exclusive for the tuatara group. On the other hand, it made us question how truly "primitive" certain lizard features are, and it will make scientists reconsider several points in the evolution of this group," said Sobral.

"The almost perfectly preserved Taytalura skull shows us details of how a very successful group of animals, including more than 10,000 species of snakes, lizards, and tuataras, originated," said Martinez. "But it also highlights the paleontological importance of the paleontological site of Ischigualasto Formation, known for preserving some of the most primitive dinosaurs known in the world. The extraordinary quality of preservation of the fossils at this site allowed something as fragile and tiny as this specimen to be preserved for 231 million years."

"Contrary to almost all fossils of Triassic lepidosaurs found in Europe, this is the first early lepidosaur found in South America, suggesting lepidosaurs were able to migrate across vastly distant geographic regions early in their evolutionary history," agreed Simoes.

"We are accustomed to accept that the Mesozoic Era was an age of gigantic reptiles, enormous proto-mammals, and huge trees, and thus we commonly look for fossils that are visible at human height, just walking," said Apesteguia. "However, the largest part of the ancient ecosystem components was small, as today. There was a universe of fauna sneaking among bigger, clawed or hoofy paws. Taytalura teaches us that we were missing important information by looking not only for bigger animals, but for also thinking that the origin of lizards occurred only in the Northern Hemisphere as evidence seemed to support until now."

While Taytalura is primitive, it is not the oldest lepidosaur. The fossil is 231 million years old, but there are also fossils of true lizards from 11 million years earlier. The team plans to next explore older sites in hopes of finding similar or different species from the same lineage that branch just before the origin of true lizards.

Explore further Speedy evolution: Sustained fast rates of evolution explain how tetrapods evolved from fish

More information: A Triassic stem lepidosaur illuminates the origin of lizard-like reptiles, Nature (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03834-3 Journal information: Nature A Triassic stem lepidosaur illuminates the origin of lizard-like reptiles,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03834-3
Observed NTA warming events and their impact. Credit: IAP

North Tropical Atlantic (NTA) sea surface temperature anomalies are among the dominant and most consequential climate variations on Earth.

NTA warming events increase occurrences of extreme hurricanes and their landfall frequency along the U.S. East coast, induce severe droughts in Northeast Brazil, boost phytoplankton blooms in the Guinea Dome, and trigger La Nina events the following winter. Up until now, future changes in NTA variability and its underlying mechanisms have remained unknown.

A new study, however, has recently revealed that NTA variability is projected to increase in a warming climate. The research was conducted by an international team of 12 scientists from nine institutes around the world and results were published in Science Advances on August 25.

"The increase in NTA variability means not only strengthening of sea surface temperature anomalies but also increasing occurrences of extreme NTA events," said YANG Yun, associate professor at the College of Global Change and Earth System Science of Beijing Normal University and lead author of the study.

The increase in NTA variability and occurrences of extreme events mainly arises from an intensification of El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influence, including ENSO-forced Pacific-North American pattern and tropospheric temperature anomalies.

Projected increase in North Tropical Atlantic (NTA) variability and underlying mechanisms. (A) Comparison of the NTA standard deviation (SD) over the present (1900 to 1999, blue-edged bars) and future (2000 to 2099, red-edged bars) periods in the 16 climate models. The multi-model ensemble means over the present and future periods are shown in blue-filled and red-filled bars, respectively; models that simulate a reduction are greyed out. (B) Climatic teleconnections induced by El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the present-day, as shown by sea surface temperature (color shading), wind (vectors), tropospheric temperature (red contour), convection (cloud) anomalies, and the associated Pacific-North American (PNA, high/low-pressure anomalies). (C) Same as (B) but for the future. H, high; L, low. NTA variability is projected to increase under greenhouse warming, due to an intensification of ENSO teleconnection. Specifically, ENSO-forced PNA pattern and tropospheric temperature anomalies strengthen in response to an eastward shift of ENSO-induced equatorial Pacific convection and a projected increase in ENSO variability. Credit: Yang et al., Sci. Adv. 2021; 7: eabg9690

ENSO-forced Pacific-North American pattern is enhanced in a warming climate because of the eastward shift of ENSO-related equatorial Pacific convection. This enhancement is further amplified by an increase in ENSO variability.

Co-author HUANG Gang from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences further explained that "the strengthening of ENSO-induced temperature anomalies is due to combined effects of an increase in ENSO variability and amplified vapor response to ENSO."

"The consequence of an increase in ENSO variability and its teleconnections under greenhouse warming is more severe than previously thought, as the increase can energize dominant modes of climate variability remote from the Pacific, such as the NTA," said co-author CAI Wenju from the Centre for Southern Hemisphere Oceans Research, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Australia.

Given the profound climatic impact of NTA in inducing droughts, floods, and extreme hurricanes, this study adds to the urgency of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.

Explore further Scientists more confident projecting ENSO changes under global warming

More information: Greenhouse warming intensifies north tropical Atlantic climate variability, Science Advances (2021). Journal information: Science Advances Greenhouse warming intensifies north tropical Atlantic climate variability,(2021). advances.sciencemag.org/lookup  .1126/sciadv.abg9690
Artists conception of the Cassini spacecraft flying amid geysers on Enceladus, a moon of Saturn. Credit: Karl Kofoed / NASA

What a parting gift the Cassini mission gave us.

Below is a movie sequence of images, garnered from the final dedicated observation of the Enceladus' geysers by the imitable Cassini spacecraft.

Back in August of 2017, Cassini stared at Enceladus for 14 hours, looking at the moon's night side. The movie begins with a view of the part of the surface lit by reflected light from Saturn and transitions to completely unilluminated terrain. About halfway through the sequence, the exposure time of the images changes in order to make fainter features more visible as the light level drops.

"That's why stars appear towards the endthey're the small dots streaking by," said Paul Byrne, planetary scientist and associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis, who brought this animation to our attention on Twitter.

Just 18 days after these observations of Enceladus, Cassini plunged into Saturn. This 'self-sacrifice' ensured that any potentially habitable moons of Saturn wouldn't be contaminated sometime in the future if the drifting, unpowered spacecraft were to accidentally crash land there. Microbes from Earth might have adhered to Cassini, and its RTG power source was still generating some warmth. If not destroyed, it could melt through the icy crust of one of Saturn's moons, possibly, and reach a subsurface ocean.

This movie sequence of images is from the last dedicated observation of the Enceladus plume by NASAs Cassini spacecraft on August 28, 2017. The images were obtained over approximately 14 hours. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Enceladus became one of the biggest surprisesand joysof the 13-year Cassini mission. At only about 310 miles (500 km) in diameter, the bright and ice-covered Enceladus should be too small and too far from the Sun to be active. Instead, this little moon with active geysers at its south pole is one of the most geologically dynamic objects in the solar system.

In 2005 Cassini discovered jets of water vapor and ice erupting form the surface of Enceladus. The water could be from an subsurface sea. Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA

While the images of the geysers are stunning, another instrument on Cassini, the magnetometer, first noticed something strange on spacecraft's first flyby of the icy moon in 2005. The magnetic field seemed to be 'draped' around Enceladus, initially suggesting an atmosphere of some sort. Later, on a subsequent pass, Cassini images revealed jets of water vapor and ice erupting form the surface of Enceladus.

The discovery of the geysers took on more importance when Cassini later determined the plumes contained water ice and organics. Since life as we know it relies on water, this small but energetic moon has been added to the short list of possible places for life in our solar system.

Cassini captured this image of Enceladus with Saturns rings. The vapor plumes are clearly visible at the south polar region. Credit: NASA/ JPL-CalTech

Recent studies have revealed methane present in the plumes, another hint towards of possible life.

We all miss Cassini, but the spacecraft keeps on giving, even after its demise, as scientists continue to study the treasure trove of data it gathered during its years at Saturn.
Ann Willis, a researcher with the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences, takes measurements on the Little Shasta River with colleague Rob Lusardi in 2017. Credit: Joe Proudman/UC Davis

Dams poorly mimic the temperature patterns California streams require to support the state's native salmon and troutmore than three-quarters of which risk extinction. Bold actions are needed to reverse extinction trends and protect cold-water streams that are resilient to climate warming, according to a study published in the journal PLOS ONE by the University of California, Davis.

The study helps identify where high-quality, cold-water habitat remains to help managers prioritize conservation efforts.

"It is no longer a good investment to put all our cold-water conservation eggs in a dam-regulated basket," said lead author Ann Willis, a senior staff researcher at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and a fellow for the John Muir Institute of the Environment. "We need to consider places where the natural processes can occur again."

The uncommon cold

Understanding where cold water is likely to stay cold is critical for conservation. But "cold" is more than just a number on a thermometer. The term represents the many factors that combine to create cold water capable of supporting aquatic ecosystems.

Water managers deliver cold water from reservoirs to streams to support aquatic life. But Willis said this assumes that all cold water is the sameakin to giving blood to another person without understanding their blood type and health status.

While previous studies have suggested that dams can be operated to achieve ideal temperatures, few tested that hypothesis against the temperature patterns aquatic ecosystems need.

The UC Davis study assessed stream temperature data from 77 sites in California to model and classify their "thermal regimes," or annual temperature patterns. It found the state's reservoirs do not adequately replicate natural thermal patterns, making them incapable of supporting cold-water species effectively.

"I'm an engineer; I thought we could operate ourselves into success, but the science doesn't support that," Willis said. "It's not a question of whether we remove a dam, but which dam, and how we need to restructure how we manage water. Or we need to be willing to take responsibility to be the generation that says, 'OK, we're letting this ecosystem go extinct.'"

Mill Creek, a spring-fed creek that flows from the base of Mt. Lassen to the Sacramento Valley, is an important cold-water stream. Credit: Ann Willis/UC Davis

What about the drought?

Drought often tempts people to double-down on hard-infrastructure solutions for water storage.

"We falsely equate dams with water security," Willis said. "More storage does not mean more water. A giant, empty refrigerator doesn't help you if you're starving. The same is true for water."

Of California's 1,400 dams, only one very large and highly-engineered damShastastood out in the study as replicating natural cold-water patterns.

The study does not suggest removing all dams. However, considering removing "deadbeat dams" where there are critical ecosystems could help restore natural processes and support fish, people and biodiversity amid climate warming.

Cold comfort

Key cold-water conservation candidates include streams highly influenced by groundwater, such as in the Cascade Range, and places where water easily infiltrates the soil, such as Northern California's Feather River.

"Classifying these streams and understanding their thermal regimes is an effective way to focus our time and money on the places most likely to make a difference," Willis said.

Explore further Beaver dams may buffer against temperatures that threaten sensitive species

More information: Ann D. Willis et al, Classifying California's stream thermal regimes for cold-water conservation, PLOS ONE (2021). Journal information: PLoS ONE Ann D. Willis et al, Classifying California's stream thermal regimes for cold-water conservation,(2021). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256286
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Studies show that anti-Korean sentiment in Japan has grown steadily in the past decade, despite the growing acceptance of more visibly "foreign" Southeast Asian migrants in Japan. A University of Notre Dame researcher conducted two years of ethnographic fieldwork in a historic Korean ghetto in Osaka, Japan, to shed light on the legacy of discrimination that third- and fourth-generation Korean minorities have faced as the descendants of labor migrants under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

As Sharon Yoon, assistant professor of Korean studies at Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs, and her co-author, Yuki Asahina, at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, point out in their recent paper in the journal Politics and Society, Korean minorities were deemed a danger to the political stability of Japan by the American Allied Forces and the Japanese government, and discriminatory laws excluded them from social welfare benefits, citizenship rights and mainstream employment throughout the postwar era. Until the 1980s, the vast majority of Korean minorities lived in squatter settlements where crime, poverty and mental illness abounded. These xenophobic policies were overturned following Japan's ratification of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1979; and the U.N. Refugee Convention in 1982.

Members of Japan's new far right known as the "Zaitokukai" (short for Zainichi Tokken wo Yurusanai Shimin no Kai, or Citizens Against the Special Privileges of Koreans in Japan) are angry that Koreans are granted what they believe is unfair access to "public assistance not available to other foreigners, by positioning themselves as victims of the Japanese empire." The far-right group aims to undo the legal apparatus granting Koreans these so-called special privileges.

"While their numbers are decreasing with increasing rates of naturalization and intermarriage with Japanese nationals, Koreans have become the primary target of the far right because of their symbolic place in postwar Japanese discourse as the Other," said Yoon, also an affiliate of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.

Despite Japan's low rates of immigration compared to the West, Yoon and Asahina were intrigued to find many structural similarities between Japan's new far right and those in Europe and the U.S.

"Although many scholars have highlighted the rise of the Zaitokukai as unique to Japan's particular historical legacy as a former colonizer in Asia, we need to analyze Japan's new far right within the broader literature on hate groups in the West," said Yoon. "Japan has experienced minimal rates of immigration, but the impending doom and perception of fear that is spread by the new far right make it seem as if the Korean minorities are responsible for Japan's stagnating economy."

Since 2012, the new far right has moved from spreading hate on online forums to organizing anti-Korean street protests. The Japanese Ministry of Justice reported that the hate group organized 1,152 hate rallies in Japan between April 2013 and September 2015. The group has also frequently targeted Korean schools and in 2009 and 2010; "far right activists were filmed taunting Korean children with racial slurs while banging on the metal gates at the [Kyoto No. 1 Korean elementary] school's entrance for over an hour," the authors wrote. Ultimately, a group of human rights activists and concerned parents at the school sued the Zaitokukai. The Japanese Supreme Court ruled in the school group's favor and fined the Zaitokukai $120,000 in 2013.

Though much attention has been paid to the far-right group's extremist hate rallies, Yoon and Asahina point to the broader influence that the Zaitokukai has had in the public sphere by spreading anti-Korean sentiment within the popular book industry in Japan. In a world dominated by the internet, the seemingly antiquated publication of books has actually helped popularize far-right ideas among middle-aged and older Japanese men, because "while the internet may appear more credible to youth who tend to distrust traditional media outlets, for older Japanese, books continue to be highly regarded as reliable sources of information."

A pivotal moment in the mass publication of hate books came when a comic book called "Kenkanryu" (translated as "Hating the Korean Wave") was acquired by a small publishing house. Yoon and Asahina noted that with the decline of magazine sales, unedited hate books written by far-right netizen activists buoyed financially strapped publishing companies.

"The book ['Kenkanryu'] was largely ignored by mainstream newspapers and large bookstores," Yoon and Asahina wrote. "Angry by the lack of media exposure, fans took to the blogosphere and online forums to propel sales. And as a result of their efforts, within just three months of its release, 'Kenkanryu' sold more than 300,000 copies and Yamano Sharin, the young cartoonist who penned the comic, was thrust into stardom."

The authors argue the erosion of trust in the Japan's once-trusted liberal newspaperAsahi Shimbunplayed a key role in triggering the growing legitimacy of far-right beliefs. In 2014, the Zaitokukai capitalized on the controversial topic of the Korean "comfort women," claiming that a former Asahi Shimbun journalist fabricated stories about the first Korean woman to publicly reveal her story of being coerced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army. The newspaper's editors were also pressured to retract a story on workers at the doomed Fukushima Daiichi plant who fled during the nuclear meltdown, defying their supervisor's orders. The fall of Asahi Shimbun is closely tied, the authors espouse, to the new far-right group's exploitation of these stories that they claim brought shame upon the nation. Intense pressure came from key public officials, including, most notably, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe himself, to retract the stories and apologize. The president and chief executive of the newspaper gave in to the pressure and apologized in addition to firing the executive editor and disciplining other editors. Yoon noted that the takedown of Asahi Shimbun caused a chilling effect that has forced other newspapers to self-censor to protect against a similar fate.

Although Japan's new far right is no longer active as a social movement, a growing contingency of followers remains. The authors point to the possibility that the Japan First Partywhich holds only one political seat in the entire countryis merely a front allowing the hate group to continue to hold xenophobic hate rallies protected by laws that guarantee the free speech of political parties during elections.

"The left isn't as vocal anymore after the Asahi Shimbun debacle. It is true that there are no longer hate rallies, but the members of Japan's new far right have gone underground," Yoon said. "They have changed the ecological environment of public discourse normalizing anti-Korean hate speech. We need to research and track how they are spreading their ideas to large numbers of ordinary Japanese, not just whether or not there continue to be hate rallies, or if the far right has any visible influence on elite politics," Yoon said.

Explore further Most Japanese want Olympic Games delayed or canceled: Poll

More information: Sharon J. Yoon et al, The Rise and Fall of Japan's New Far Right: How Anti-Korean Discourses Went Mainstream, Politics & Society (2021). Sharon J. Yoon et al, The Rise and Fall of Japan's New Far Right: How Anti-Korean Discourses Went Mainstream,(2021). DOI: 10.1177/00323292211033072
NASA's Psyche spacecraft is in the midst of system integration and test at JPL. This image was taken on August 18, 2021, less than a year from launch in August 2022. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

As part of NASA's Discovery Program, the mission to explore a metal-rich asteroid is well on its way to an August 2022 launch.

With NASA's Psyche mission now less than a year from launch, anticipation is building. By next spring, the fully assembled spacecraft will ship from the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a launch period that opens Aug. 1, 2022.

In early 2026, the Psyche spacecraft will arrive at its target, an asteroid of the same name in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Scientists believe asteroid Psyche, which is about 140 miles (226 kilometers) wide, is made largely of iron and nickel and could be the core of an early planet.

The spacecraft will spend 21 months orbiting the asteroid and gathering science data with a magnetometer, a multispectral imager, and a gamma ray and neutron spectrometer. The information the instruments gather won't just help scientists understand this particular object; it will lend valuable insight into how Earth and other planets formed.

"It's incredible to be at this point now, with a big spacecraft coming together and one year until launch," said Arizona State University's Lindy Elkins-Tanton, who as principal investigator leads the Psyche mission. "Like everyone in the world, our team has faced many challenges of the COVID pandemic, and we are putting in maximum effort to make it to the finish line. I'm so proud of this incredible group of people!"

In March, Maxar Technologies delivered to JPL the spacecraft's Solar Electric Propulsion Chassis, with most of the engineering hardware needed for the electrical system, the propulsion systems, the thermal system, and the guidance and navigation system. Psyche will use Maxar's superefficient electric propulsion system to travel through deep space. The spacecraft's delivery coincided with the kickoff of the mission phase known as assembly, test, and launch operations.

The mission also will test a sophisticated new laser communications technology, recently completed by JPL, called Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC). The technology demonstration will focus on using lasers to enhance communications speeds and prepare for data-intensive transmissions, which could potentially include livestream videos for future missions.

Engineers already have completed the successful integration of the magnetometer and DSOC with the Psyche spacecraft. The Psyche spectrometer will be integrated over the next few months, along with the imager.

When the spacecraft is fully assembled, it will move into JPL's huge thermal vacuum chamber for testing that simulates the environment of deep space. The entire spacecraft then will be attached to a large shaker table in an acoustic chamber to simulate the environment of launch.

"We have all been watching the spacecraft come together on the floor of the clean room. It's tremendously exciting after all the years of hard work designing the system, and building and testing its myriad of components," said JPL's Henry Stone, the Psyche project manager. "The pressure is now on to complete assembly and test of the vehicle prior to shipment to Cape Canaveral in less than a year. It's both exhilarating and stressful for all involved, but I have total confidence in this team's ability to get the job done in time for our launch. Go, Psyche!"

Explore further NASA begins final assembly of spacecraft destined for asteroid Psyche

More information: For more information about NASA's Psyche mission, see For more information about NASA's Psyche mission, see psyche.asu.edu/
The Leang Panninge cave on the southern peninsula of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Credit: Leang Panninge Research Project

The oldest genome of a modern human from the Wallacea regionthe islands between western Indonesia and Papua New Guineaindicates a previously undescribed ancient human relationship. Researchers were able to isolate sufficient genetic material from the skull of an individual buried more than 7,000 years ago on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. It belonged to a hunter-gatherer society and was interred at the site now called Leang Panninge ('Bat Cave'). A large part of the genetic code matched that of today's Papua New Guineans and Aboriginal Australians. Yet portions of the genome did not match these groups. This brings new surprises about the evolution of modern humans.

The international study was accomplished through close collaboration with several researchers and institutions from Indonesia. It was headed by Professor Johannes Krause of the Max Planck Institutes for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig and the Science of Human History in Jena, Professor Cosimo Posth of the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tubingen, and Professor Adam Brumm of Griffith University, Australia. The study has been published in the latest edition of Nature.

Almost completely preserved skeleton

The Wallacean Islands formed stepping stones in the spread of the first modern humans from Eurasia to Oceania, probably more than 50,000 years ago. Archaeological finds show that the ancestors of our species lived in Wallacea as early as 47,000 years ago. Yet few human skeletons have been found. One of the most distinctive archaeological discoveries in this region is the Toalean technology complex, dated to a much more recent period between 8,000 and 1,500 years ago. Among the objects manufactured by the people of the Toalean culture are the characteristic stone arrowheads known as Maros points. The Toalean culture has only been found in a relatively small area on the southern peninsula of Sulawesi. "We were able to assign the burial at Leang Panninge to that culture," says Adam Brumm. "This is remarkable since it is the first largely complete and well preserved skeleton associated with the Toalean culture."

Selina Carlhoff, doctoral candidate at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and lead author of the study, isolated DNA from the petrous bone of the skull. "It was a major challenge, as the remains had been strongly degraded by the tropical climate," she says. The analysis showed that the Leang Panninge individual was related to the first modern humans to spread to Oceania from Eurasia some 50,000 years ago. Like the genome of the indigenous inhabitants of New Guinea and Australia, the Leang Panninge individual's genome contained traces of Denisovan DNA. The Denisovans are an extinct group of archaic humans known primarily from finds in Siberia and Tibet. "The fact that their genes are found in the hunter-gatherers of Leang Panninge supports our earlier hypothesis that the Denisovans occupied a far larger geographical area," says Johannes Krause.

Excavations at the Leang Panninge site: The skeleton as found. Credit: Hasanuddin University, Indonesia

Another piece in the great genetic puzzle

A comparison with genomic data of hunter-gatherers who lived west of Wallacea at about the same time as the Leang Panninge individual provided further cluesthat data showed no traces of Denisovan DNA. "The geographic distribution of Denisovans and modern humans may have overlapped in the Wallacea region. It may well be the key place where Denisova people and the ancestors of indigenous Australians and Papuans interbred," says Cosimo Posth.

Stone arrowheads, known as Maros points, are up to 8,000 years old. They are considered typical of the Toalean techno-complex developed by the people living in the south of the island of Sulawesi. Credit: Yinika L Perston

However, the Leang Panninge individual also carries a large proportion of its genome from an ancient Asian population. "That came as a surprise, because we do know of the spread of modern humans from eastern Asia into the Wallacea regionbut that took place far later, around 3,500 years ago. That was long after this individual was alive," Johannes Krause reports. Furthermore, the research team has found no evidence that the group Leang Panninge belonged to left descendants among today's population in Wallacea. It remains unclear what happened to the Toalean culture and its people. "This new piece of the genetic puzzle from Leang Panninge illustrates above all just how little we know about the genetic history of modern humans in southeast Asia," Posth says.

Explore further Humans may have occupied Indonesian site Leang Burung 2 earlier than previously thought

More information: Genome of a middle Holocene hunter-gatherer from Wallacea, Nature (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03823-6 Journal information: Nature Genome of a middle Holocene hunter-gatherer from Wallacea,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03823-6
Pacific Sheath tailed Bat (Emballonura semicaudata). Credit: Ron Leidich

A whopping 191 different bat species live in the Pacific Islands across Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesiabut these are, collectively, the most imperiled in the world. In fact, five of the nine bat species that have gone extinct in the last 160 years have come from this region.

For too long, the conservation of Pacific Island bats has been largely overlooked in science. Of the 191 existing species, 25% are threatened with extinction, and we lack information to assess the status of a further 15%.

Just as these bats are rare and far-flung across the Pacific islands, so is the expertise and research needed to conserve them along with the vital ecosystem services they provide, such as pollination, seed dispersal, and insect control.

The first-ever Pacific Islands Bat Forum, held earlier this month, sought to change this, bringing together a new network of researchers, conservationists, and community members380 people from 40 countries and territoriesdedicated to their survival.

So why should we care about these bats anyway?

Conserving Pacific Island bats is paramount for preserving the region's diverse human cultures and for safeguarding the healthy functioning of island ecosystems.

In many Pacific Island nations, bats have great cultural significance as totems, food, and traditional currency.

Bats are the largest land animals on many of the Pacific islands, and are vital "keystone species", maintaining the structure of ecological communities.

Yet, Pacific Island bats are increasingly under threat, including from intensifying land use (farming, housing, roads) invasive species (rats, cats, snakes, ants), and human harvesting. They're also vulnerable to climate change, which heightens sea levels and increases the intensity of cyclones and heatwaves.

So let's meet four fascinatingbut threatenedPacific Island bats that deserve more attention.

1. Pacific sheath-tailed bat

Conservation status: endangered

Distribution: American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Samoa, Tonga

The Pacific sheath-tailed bat (Emballonura semicaudata) weighs just five-grams and has a weak, fluttering flight. Yet somehow, it has colonized some of the smaller and more isolated islands across the Pacific, from Samoa to Palau. That's across 6,000 kilometers of ocean!

Over the past decade, this insect-eating, cave-roosting bat has disappeared from around 50% of islands where it has been recorded. The reasons for this are unclear. Disturbance of cave roosts, introduced species such as lantana and goats, and increasing use of pesticides, may all have played a part.

Unfortunately, the Pacific sheath-tailed bat is now presumed extinct in many former parts of its range, including American Samoa, Tonga, and several islands of the Northern Mariana Islands. This leaves Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Fiji as remaining strongholds for the species, though data is limited.

2. Montane monkey-faced bat

New Georgian monkey-faced bat Pteralopex taki  no picture exists of the Montane monkey-faced bat. Credit: Tyrone Lavery

Conservation status: critically endangered

Distribution: Solomon Islands

There are six species of monkey-faced batall are threatened, and all are limited to islands across the Solomon Islands, Bougainville, and Fiji.

The montane monkey-faced bat (Pteralopex pulchra) is one species, and weighs around 280 grams, eats fruit and nectar, and has incredibly robust teeth. But perhaps most startling is its ruby-red eyes and wing membranes that are marbled with white and black.

The montane monkey-faced bat has been recorded only once by scientists on a single mountain (Mt Makarakomburu) above the altitude of 1,250 meters, on Guadalcanal Island. This tiny range makes it vulnerable to rare, extreme events such as cyclones, which could wipe out a whole population in one swoop. And being limited to mountain-top cloud forests could place it at greater risk from climate change.

It's an extreme example of both the endemism (species living in a small, defined area) and inadequacies of scientific knowledge that challenge Pacific island bat conservation.

3. Ornate flying-fox

Ornate flying-fox (Pteropus ornatus). Credit: Malik Oedin, IAC

Conservation status: vulnerable

Distribution: New Caledonia

Like many fruit bats across the Pacific, New Caledonia's endemic ornate flying-fox (Pteropus ornatus) is an emblematic species. Flying-foxes are hunted for bush meat, used as part of cultural practices by the Kanaks (Melanesian first settlers), are totems for some clans, and feature as a side dish during the "New Yam celebration" each year. Their bones and hair are also used to make traditional money.

Because they're so highly prized, flying-foxes can be subject to illegal trafficking. Despite the Northern and Southern Provinces of New Caledonia having regulated hunting, flying-fox populations continue to decline. Recent studies predict 80% of the population will be gone in the next 30 years if hunting continues at current levels.

On a positive note, earlier this year the Northern Province launched a conservation management program to protect flying-fox populations while incorporating cultural values and practices.

4. Fijian free-tailed bat

Conservation status: endangered

Fijian free tailed bat (Chaerophon bregullae). Credit: Dave Waldien

Distribution: Fiji, Vanuatu

In many ways, the Fijian free-tailed bat (Chaerephon bregullae) has become the face of proactive bat conservation in the Pacific Islands. This insect-eating bat requires caves to roost during the day and is threatened when these caves are disturbed by humans as it interrupts their daytime roosting. The loss of foraging habitat is another major threat.

The only known colony of reproducing females lives in Nakanacagi Cave in Fiji, with around 7,000 bats. In 2014, an international consortium with Fijian conservationists and community members came together to protect Nakanacagi Cave. As a result, it became recognized as a protected area in 2018.

But this species shares many characteristics with three of the nine bat species that have gone extinct globally. This includes being a habitat specialist, its unknown cause of decline, and its potential exposure to chemicals through insect foraging. It's important we continue to pay close attention to its well-being.

Where do we go from here?

The perspectives of local knowledge from individual islands aren't always captured in global scientific assessments of wildlife.

In many Pacific Islands, bats aren't protected by national laws. Instead, in many countries, most land is under customary ownership, which means it's owned by Indigenous peoples. This includes land in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. Consequently, community landowners have the power to enact their own conservation actions.

The emerging Pacific Bat Network, inspired by the recent forum, aims to foster collaborative relationships between scientific conservationists and local leaders for species protection, while respecting cultural practices.

As the Baru Conservation Alliancea locally-led, not-for-profit group from Malaita, Solomon Islandsput it in their talk at the forum: "Conservation is not a new thing for Kwaio."

Now the forum has ended, the diverse network of people passionate about bat conservation is primed to work together to strengthen the conservation of these unique and treasured bats of the Pacific.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
A new study by Yale undergraduate Chase Doran Brownstein describes two dinosaurs that once roamed the eastern United States from fossils housed at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History: an herbivorous hadrosaur (depicted in the silhouette) and a tyrannosaur. Credit: Yale University

Tyrannosaurus rex, the fearsome predator that once roamed what is now western North America, appears to have had an East Coast cousin.

A new study by Yale undergraduate Chase Doran Brownstein describes two dinosaurs that inhabited Appalachiaa once isolated land mass that today composes much of the eastern United Statesabout 85 million years ago: an herbivorous duck-billed hadrosaur and a carnivorous tyrannosaur. The findings were published Aug. 25 in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

The two dinosaurs, which Brownstein described from specimens housed at Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History, help fill a major gap in the North American fossil record from the Late Cretaceous and provide evidence that dinosaurs in the eastern portion of the continent evolved distinctly from their counterparts in western North America and Asia, Brownstein said.

"These specimens illuminate certain mysteries in the fossil record of eastern North America and help us better understand how geographic isolation large water bodies separated Appalachia from other landmassesaffected the evolution of dinosaurs," said Brownstein, who is entering his junior year at Yale College. "They're also a good reminder that while the western United States has long been the source of exciting fossil discoveries, the eastern part of the country contains its share of treasures."

For most of the second half of the Cretaceous, which ended 66 million years ago, North America was divided into two land masses, Laramidia in the West and Appalachia in the East, with the Western Interior Seaway separating them. While famous dinosaur species like T. rex and Triceratops lived throughout Laramidia, much less is known about the animals that inhabited Appalachia. One reason is that Laramidia's geographic conditions were more conducive to the formation of sediment-rich fossil beds than Appalachia's, Brownstein explained.

The specimens described in the new study were discovered largely during the 1970s at the Merchantville Formation in present day New Jersey and Delaware. They constitute one of the only known dinosaur assemblages from the late Santonian to early Campanian stages of the Late Cretaceous in North America. This fossil record period, dating from about 85 to 72 million years ago, is limited, Brownstein noted.

Brownstein examined a partial skeleton of a large predatory therapod, concluding that it is probably a tyrannosaur. He noted that the fossil shares several features in its hind limbs with Dryptosaurus, a tyrannosaur that lived about 67 million years ago in what is now New Jersey. The dinosaur has different hands and feet than T. rex, including massive claws on its forelimbs, suggesting that it represents a distinct family of the predators that evolved solely in Appalachia.

"Many people believe that all tyrannosaurs must have evolved a specific set of features to become apex predators," Brownstein said. "Our fossil suggests they evolved into giant predators in a variety of ways as it lacks key foot or hand features that one would associate with western North American or Asian tyrannosaurs."

The partial skeleton of the hadrosaur provided important new information on the evolution of the shoulder girdle in that group of dinosaurs, Brownstein found. The hadrosaur fossils also provide one of the best records of this group from east of the Mississippi and include some of the only infant/perinate (very young) dinosaur fossils found in this region.

Brownstein, who works as a research associate at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center in Stamford, Connecticut, has previously published his paleontological research in several peer-journals, including Scientific Reports, the Journal of Paleontology, and the Zoological Journal of the Linnaean Society. In addition to eastern North American fossils, he currently focuses his research on the evolution of fishes, lizards, and birds. He is particularly interested in how geographic change and other factors contribute to how fast different types of living things evolve.

He currently works in the lab of Thomas J. Near, curator of the Peabody Museum's ichthyology collections and professor and chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale. Brownstein also collaborates with Yale paleontologists Jacques Gauthier and Bhart-Anjan Bhullar in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.

While Brownstein is considering pursuing an academic career in evolutionary biology, he says his research is driven by enjoyment.

"Doing research and thinking about these things makes me happy," he said. "Like biking, it's something I love to do."
Lab staff in the Mizzou Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Lab, or MAPIL, show the plastic waste particles that are being added to the pavement mixture. The lab is located inside the MU College of Engineering. Credit: University of Missouri

Each year in the United States, millions of tons of plastic waste are discarded and not recycled, leading to serious environmental problems. In an effort to help keep this waste from ending up in the environment, engineers at the University of Missouri are partnering with Dow and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to test mixing plastic waste into the asphalt pavement mixtures for possible use on American roadways and bridges.

Asphalt pavement mixtures are typically created from a mixture of asphalt and other materials called "aggregates," such as stone, sand or gravel, said Bill Buttlar, the Glen Barton Chair in Flexible Pavements in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He said the chemical makeup of plastic helps it become a good product for road pavement mixtures.

"Plastic was developed to be durable and has a shelf life of hundreds of years," Buttlar said. "Asphalt and plastics are also chemically similar because they both come from crude oil, so they can be mixed together. They aren't perfectly compatible, but it's close enough that engineers and chemists can work together to find a workable solution."

Inside the Mizzou Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Lab, or MAPIL, located in the MU College of Engineering, engineers and students are determining how to incorporate various types of single-use, polyethylene-based plastic waste into asphalt pavement, including drinking bottles, grocery bags and drinking straws. Buttlar, the lab's director, said the idea for using plastic waste in pavement developed through a series of conversations he had with Mizzou alumnus Jim Fitterling, the chairman and CEO of Dow, a $39 billion global materials science company, following a tour Fitterling had of the MAPIL lab during a recent visit to the college.

University of Missouri engineers are working with Dow and the Missouri Department of Transportation to test the use of plastic waste in road pavement mixtures. Credit: University of Missouri

Fitterling is looking forward to partnering with his alma mater.

"I joined Dow more than 35 years ago, two weeks after graduating from Mizzou," Fitterling said. "Both this company and this university have been integral parts of my life. So, I always appreciate the opportunity to bring the two together. But, even more than that, through this project, Mizzou and Dow are partnering on an innovative solution that will better our planet. This project fits perfectly at the intersection between both Dow and the University of Missouri's purpose and mission. At Dow, we're working to tackle some of the toughest challenges facing our world, like ending plastic waste. These challenges will require great problem solvers and strong partnerships. I know we're getting both when we work with the University of Missouri College of Engineering."

A real-world test

MoDOT is excited to begin seeing the use of recycled plastic in asphalt pavements, said Dave Ahlvers, state construction and materials engineer.

The pavement mixture using recycled plastic is being applied to a deteriorating section of Stadium Boulevard in Columbia near U.S. Highway 63. Credit: University of Missouri.

"Recycled material is an important element of delivering a durable and economic product," Ahlvers said. "We currently utilize recycled asphalt, pavement, recycled asphalt shingles and ground tire rubber in our mixtures. Expanding to utilize plastic reduces the amount of virgin material needed, which is a winning situation for the environment and overall cost."

MU's engineers and students get to test their laboratory-developed mixture in a real-world environment when it is applied as a pavement overlay, or a new layer of asphalt, to a deteriorating section of road surface, along a stretch of Stadium Boulevard in Columbia from College Ave. to U.S. Highway 63 where traffic averages approximately 36,000 vehicles a day. Buttlar said to confirm the results, the team will need to observe the nearly two-mile test area for at least one year, including one summer and one winter season. He said a pavement overlay should last for at least a decade, or about 12-15 years, before needing to be replaced, and recycled materials such as plastic and tire rubber can also extend pavement life by increasing both its strength and toughness. Buttlar also plans to conduct long-term monitoring of Stadium Boulevard and future demonstration projects in partnership with MoDOT.

The test sections on Stadium Boulevard will also include a control section, or area with a current pavement mixture commonly used and approved by MoDOT, as well as an additional test section using a pavement mixture including a chemically modified, recycled ground scrap tire rubber. The ground tire rubber test is being conducted in collaboration with an additional project partner, Asphalt Plus, LLC. This product extends road life, reduces road construction costs, and could prevent the disposal of millions of scrap tires in the U.S. and Europe.

Meeting the right specifications

Before a pavement mixture can be applied on a commercial scale to be used by contractors when bidding on road projects, it must first have a certain specification that is approved by MoDOT, or another state's transportation regulatory authority. This process begins in the development stage, when labs such as MAPIL assist with creating a product, and can also continue once a field demonstration project has been completed and contractors can conduct further innovation in their own laboratories.

"The specifications are a set of requirements and parameters that are placed in the contract so that a consistent product can be produced and bid on by all contractors," Ahlvers said. "Innovation allows MoDOT to use our funding most efficiently, and we are hopeful that we can make a difference in reducing plastics entering landfills."

An asphalt pavement test mixture sample designed by the Mizzou Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Lab is ready for further lab testing to determine its strength and durability. Credit: University of Missouri

Keeping the environment in mind

One key aspect of this project is making sure the final product doesn't cause a harmful impact to the environment. So Buttlar is collaborating with one of his colleagues in the College of Engineering, Baolin Deng, to study the project's environmental impact. Deng, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has already assisted Buttlar's team with electron microscopy testing and water quality testing, and Buttlar said so far, the results indicate that the environmental impact should be negligible.

"Everyone has a sense that this is a really big deal," Buttlar said. "On the one hand, we appreciate plastics and we benefit from them, yet we are swimming in plastic waste right now. This is clearly a critical, global challenge where there are not a lot of viable solutions currently available. In this case, the pavement will have to be durable, economical and truly sustainable. We're now focused on studying the life cycle of plastic waste in pavement to make sure that it is a cleaner, more sustainable approach, and I think everyone senses that this is a possible solution."

Explore further Improving asphalt road pavement with nano-engineered particles
Presley Mila Perez gets a ride on the shoulders of George Estrada as they walk along the shore of Lake Tahoe in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. The pair both wore face mask to protect them from the smoke from the Caldor Fire that is blanketing the area cloaking the normally blue sky in a dull gray aura. Credit: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Ash rained down on Lake Tahoe on Tuesday and thick yellow smoke blotted out views of the mountains rimming its pristine blue waters as a massive wildfire threatened the alpine vacation spot on the California-Nevada state line.

Tourists ducked into cafes, outdoor gear shops and casinos on Lake Tahoe Boulevard for a respite from hazardous air coming from an erratic blaze less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) away.

The Caldor Fire erupted over the course of a week into the nation's No. 1 firefighting priority and was "knocking on the door" of Tahoe, said Thom Porter, California's state fire chief. A major wildfire has not penetrated the Lake Tahoe Basin since 2007.

Tourists typically come to swim and hike, relax along the lake's calm shores or take their chances gambling, not risk their lives in the face of a potential disaster.

Although there were no evacuations ordered and Porter said he didn't think the fire would reach the lake, it was impossible to ignore the blanket of haze so thick and vast that it closed schools for a second day in Reno, Nevada, which is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the fire.

Visitors wore masks outdoorsnot because the coronavirus pandemic, but because of the toxic air and inescapable stench of fire. The gondola that ferries summer passengers to the summit of the Heavenly Mountain ski area was closed until winter due to the wildfire risk.

Harrah's Lake Tahoe Casino is shrouded in smoke as face mask wearing pedestrians cross the street at the California-Nevada line, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. Smoke from the Caldor Fire is blanketing the area cloaking the normally blue sky in a dull gray aura. Credit: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Cindy Osterloh, whose husband pushed a relative in a wheelchair beneath the idled cables, said she and family members visiting from San Diego were all on allergy medications to take the sting out of their eyes and keep their noses from running so they can ride out the smoke for the rest of their vacation.

"We got up and it was a lot clearer this morning. We went for a walk and then we came back and now it's coming in again," she said of the smoke. "We're going to go and see a movie and hopefully it clears up enough that we can go do our boat rides."

An army of firefighters worked to contain the blaze, which has spread explosively in a manner witnessed in the past two years during extreme drought. Climate change has made the 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.

A couple has a meal along the shore of Lake Tahoe in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. Smoke from the Caldor Fire is blanketing the area, cloaking the normally blue sky in a dull gray aura. Credit: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Massive plumes have erupted in flames, burning embers carried by gusts have skipped miles ahead of fire lines, and fires that typically die down at night have made long runs in the dark.

Northern California has seen a series of disastrous blazes that have burned hundreds of homes and many remain uncontained. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden declared that a major disaster exists in California and ordered federal aid made available in four northern counties ravaged by blazes dating back to July 14.

The Caldor Fire had scorched more than 190 square miles (492 square kilometers) and destroyed at least 455 homes since Aug. 14 in the Sierra Nevada southwest of Lake Tahoe. It was 11% contained and threatened more than 17,000 structures.

Nationally, 92 large fires were burning in a dozen states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. Although many fires are larger, the Caldor Fire has become the top priority to keep it from sweeping into the Tahoe.

Smoke from wildfires in neighboring California blankets neighborhood streets in suburban Sparks, Nev., just east of Reno, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. The Washoe County School District closed all schools including those in Reno, Sparks and parts of Lake Tahoe on Monday due to the hazardous air quality. The county health district urged the general public to "stay inside as much as possible" due to conditions expected to continue through Wednesday. Credit: AP Photo/Scott Sonner

As the fire grew last week, politicians, environmentalists, and policy makers gathered on the shore for the 25th annual Lake Tahoe Summit dedicated to protecting the lake and the pine-covered mountains that surround it.

With the Caldor Fire burning to the southwest and the Dixie Fire, the second-largest in state history with a 500-mile (804-kilometer) perimeter, burning about 65 miles (104 kilometers) to the north, the risk to the lake was top of mind.

"The fires that are raging all around us nearby are screaming this warning: Tahoe could be next," said Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif.

The last major blaze in the area took South Lake Tahoe by surprise after blowing up from an illegal campfire in the summer of 2007. The Angora Fire burned less than 5 square miles (13 square kilometers) but destroyed 254 homes, injured three people and forced 2,000 people to flee.

Smoke from wildfires in California obscures the Pah Hah Range, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, about 1 mile east of Diedrichsen Elementary School in Sparks, Nev., which was closed due to hazardous air quality. The Washoe County School District closed all schools including in Reno, Sparks and parts of Lake Tahoe on Monday due to the health hazard. The county health district also urged the general public to "stay inside as much as possible" due to conditions expected to continue through Wednesday. Credit: AP Photo/Scott Sonner

A Croman Sikorsky S-61A helicopter flies over firefighters working on a containment line on the south end of the Caldor Fire west of Grizzly Flats, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. More than 13,500 firefighters were working Monday to contain a dozen large California wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of people to flee to safety. Credit: Sara Nevis/The Sacramento Bee via AP

A Croman Sikorsky S-61A helicopter drops water on the south end of the Caldor Fire near Grizzly Flat Road west of Grizzly Flats, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, as a second helicopter flies over a nearby home as it departs in the distance to refill its water bucket. More than 13,500 firefighters were working Monday to contain a dozen large California wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of people to flee to safety. Credit: Sara Nevis/The Sacramento Bee via AP

Cal Fire vehicles line up along Highway 50 in Strawberry, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, as smoke from the Caldor Fire burning on both side of the route fills the air. A wildfire burning for a week in Northern California continued to grow out of control, one of about a dozen big blazes in the drought-stricken state that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate. Credit: Sara Nevis/The Sacramento Bee via AP

Presley Mila Perez gets a ride on the shoulders of George Estrada as they walk along the shore of Lake Tahoe in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. The pair both wore face mask to protect them from the smoke from the Caldor Fire that is blanketing the area cloaking the normally blue sky in a dull gray aura. Credit: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Firefighters take a break from fighting the Caldor Fire to get free ice cream before it was discarded at the Strawberry Station General Store on Highway 50 in Twin Bridges, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. A wildfire burning for a week in Northern California continued to grow out of control, one of about a dozen big blazes in the drought-stricken state that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate. Credit: Sara Nevis/The Sacramento Bee via AP

Stella Murphy, 9, wears a face mask as she walks along the shore of Lake Tahoe in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. Smoke from the Caldor Fire is blanketing the area cloaking the normally blue sky in a dull gray aura. Credit: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Scars from the fire can still be seen not far from the commercial strip where South Lake Tahoe meets the Nevada border in Stateline, where tourists go to gamble.

Inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, cocktail waitresses in fishnet stockings and leopard-print corsets served customers playing slots and blackjack who said they weren't overly concerned about the fire.

Sitting at a slot machine near a window looking out at cars driving through the haze on Lake Tahoe Boulevard, Ramona Trejo said she and her husband would stay for their 50th wedding anniversary, as planned.

Trejo, who uses supplemental oxygen due to respiratory problems, said her husband wanted to keep gambling.

"I would want to go now," she said.

Explore further California fire cancels bike ride, prompts evacuations

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Colour-coded 4.8-GHz total-intensity map of G107.0+9.0 with overlaid polarized-intensity bars along B-field direction. Credit: Reich et al., 2021.

Astronomers from Germany and China have performed detailed radio observations of a supernova remnant (SNR) known as G107.0+9.0. Results of the observational campaign yield important insights into the radio properties of this source. The study was published August 19 on arXiv.org.

SNRs are diffuse, expanding structures resulting from a supernova explosion. They contain ejected material expanding from the explosion and other interstellar material that has been swept up by the passage of the shockwave from the exploded star.

Studies of supernova remnants are important for astronomers, as they play a key role in the evolution of galaxies, dispersing the heavy elements made in the supernova explosion and providing the energy needed for heating up the interstellar medium (ISM). SNRs are also believed to be responsible for the acceleration of galactic cosmic rays.

At a distance of between 5,000 and 6,500 light years away, G107.0+9.0 is a large (estimated to be 244-326 light years in size) optically bright, radio and X-ray faint Galactic SNR in the Cepheus constellation. Previous studies of this SNR have shown that it showcases a faint associated radio emission that requires further inspection.

So a team of astronomers led by Wolfgang Reich of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany, has conducted a search for radio emission from G107.0+9.0 by analyzing new data from the Effelsberg 100-m and the Urumqi 25-m radio telescopes. The study was complemented by archival data from various available radio surveys.

"We extracted faint radio emission from the optically identified SNR G107.0+9.0 from published surveys at 22 MHz and 408 MHz and new observations at 1.4 GHz and 4.8 GHz," the researchers wrote in the paper.

The observations detected radio emission from G107.0+9.0 between 22 MHz and 4.8 GHz with a steep non-thermal spectrum, which confirms the SNR nature of this source. The astronomers explained that the radio emission was found to have a non-thermal integrated spectral index of 0.95. This is steeper than that of typical shell-type SNRs in the adiabatic evolution phase, which have a spectral index of about 0.5.

According to the study, G107.0+9.0 does not show the typical morphology of a shell-type SNR and may be in the radiative phase. Its surface brightness at 1.0 GHz was found to be among the lowest currently known for supernova remnants.

Furthermore, the research detected polarized emission at 1.4 GHz and 4.8 GHz. This polarized emission extends beyond the boundaries of G107.0+9.0, hence the astronomers assume that it is a result of a Faraday screen (FS) hosting a faint ordered magnetic field along the line of sight.

Summing up the results, the authors of the paper noted that the properties of G107.0+9.0 make it a unique SNR.

"G107.0+9.0 adds to the currently small number of known, evolved, large-diameter, low-surface-brightness Galactic SNRs," they explained.

Explore further New large optically bright supernova remnant discovered

More information: Wolfgang Reich et al, Radio properties of the optically identified supernova remnant G107.0+9.0, arXiv:2108.08575v1 [astro-ph.GA] Wolfgang Reich et al, Radio properties of the optically identified supernova remnant G107.0+9.0, arXiv:2108.08575v1 [astro-ph.GA] arxiv.org/abs/2108.08575

 2021 Science X Network
Credit: Shutterstock.

The mRNA vaccine success story is one of the few positives to emerge from COVID-19. But these vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech are only the tip of the iceberg in the coming RNA medical technology revolution.

Australia, including our newly established UNSW RNA Institute, is well-placed to take a leading role in this revolution. With its eyes firmly set on making NSW a global force in the RNA industry, the NSW Government is backing a new RNA Bioscience Alliance between all the NSW Universities as well as funding a $15 million RNA production network between some of the state's leading research organizations to bootstrap pre-clinical RNA research. UNSW's RNA Institute is a key part of this drive, and with a $25 million investment brings together world-leading expertise to support the state and national agenda.

So beyond mRNA vaccines, what are these RNA therapeutics on the horizon? And what is the secret sauce that finally got mRNA vaccines to work after many years of trying? To understand this, let's first tackle what RNA is and how it is used in medicine.

What is RNA?

In simple terms, RNA is the software that runs the cellit carries information from the genes (the DNA) to the factories that make proteinsthe key building blocks of life. An mRNA vaccine is essentially a code that, when it enters a cell, tells it to make a specific protein.

For COVID, that is the "spike" protein that normally sit on the virus's outer shell. Like the fragment of a virus you find broken down in soapy water, they are themselves harmless; however the body recognizes these proteins as foreign and then learns how to fight next time if the real virus turns up. But mRNA is only one form of RNAthere are myriad other types of RNAmany of which were thought to be junk but are now recognized to play key roles in how cells work.

Broadly speaking, RNA comes in two forms: long and short. mRNA vaccines are "long" RNAtypically 1000s of nucleobaseswhere each base is like a byte in programming code. Beyond vaccines, mRNA could also be used to treat certain forms of cancers or even create cancer vaccines.

In contrast to long RNAs there are other RNAs that are very short, perhaps only 2021 nucleobases, such as in small interfering RNA (siRNA). Such short RNAs have already been used in patients, with an equally, if not more impressive, range of therapeutic applications, including in genetic disorders, cancer, and even as treatment against viruses themselves. This includes work at the UNSW Kirby Institute on short RNA treatments against HIV and SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for this pandemic.

Whether with short or long-form RNA, the key to their success in medicine is the delivery systemthe nanoparticles that carry RNA towards their target. Without these, RNA therapeutics and vaccines would never have become a reality, as "naked" RNA is unable to enter cells and instead is rapidly broken down once injected. This is where nanomedicinean area of particular strength here at UNSWcomes to the fore.

The first RNA drug, Onpattro, a short-form RNA (siRNA) approved in the US in 2018 to treat a debilitating hereditary nerve disorder, is delivered in a lipid nanoparticle not dissimilar to those that Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna use in their mRNA vaccines. Undoubtedly R&D on short RNA therapies paved the way for the rapid development and safe launch last year of the mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

What is next for RNA therapies and technologies?

This is the challenge that our new UNSW RNA Institute will address. We have brought together scientists, engineers, and medical researchers to work on key bottlenecks at the frontier of RNA science and medicine.

Projects will range from advancing short RNA treatments to unraveling the complex roles that RNA has in brain development, including possibly unlocking the root causes of elusive neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. Developing short RNA based COVID-19 treatments will be a focus of the NSW RNA Production and Research Network collaboration, funded by NSW Health.

Another focus for the Network is delivery systems to the airways, the lungs and even the nose. If we can administer RNA via a simple puffer or inhaler rather than a syringe, this would be a safer more efficient way of tackling an emerging viral infection.

To this end, experts from the Kirby Institute, Children's Cancer Institute, The Australian Centre for Nanomedicine at UNSW and the Woolcock Institute in Sydney, have joined forces aiming to transform the RNA therapeutics field by making inhaled delivery of both short and long RNAs a reality.

The research expertise held in our universities, coupled with the ambition that the NSW state has for RNA manufacturing and the Federal Government's plan to support a large-scale mRNA manufacturing capability in Australia, gives every reason to be very optimistic about the future RNA ecosystem for Australia.

Explore further Vaccines from BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna can be combined
Environmental conditions in Northwest Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula. Maps (ae) illustrate reconstructed precipitation conditions at different points in time. Dark blue areas are estimated to have been sufficiently wet to support human persistence during most of the millennium shown, red areas were likely long-term unsuitable for human persistence, and orange, yellow, and light blue areas were inhabitable during intermittent periods. a, c, d, e correspond to key possible exit timings based on archaeological or genetic evidence while b exemplifies challenging conditions between windows of opportunity. The dotted line in the elevation map (f) represents the reconstructed Neanderthal range at 120k years ago. Credit: Nature Communications (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24779-1

A trio of researchers from the University of Cambridge working with a colleague from the University of Tartu has found possible evidence of multiple opportunities for early humans to migrate out of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula prior to the mass migration that occurred approximately 65,000 years ago. In their paper published in the journal Nature Communications, the group describes mapping climate models that show conditions hundreds of thousands of years ago onto possible migration routes of early humans.

Most of the evidence to date suggests that early humans migrated out of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula and on to Eurasia approximately 65,000 years ago. But a question that dogs researchers is, why then? Most in the field have assumed it was a combination of human maturation and opportunity, that the path to Arabia became more conducive to human existence. In looking at a map of northern Africa, migrating to the Arabian Peninsula would appear to be a daunting task. The only land route is across the huge desert covering the Sinai Peninsula. Another option involves crossing what is now the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb into what is now Yemen.

Logic suggests that a period of increased rainfall on the Sinai would have allowed humans to subsist on animals that fed on the grasses that would have begun to grow there. But such conditions, the researchers argue, likely would have occurred many times throughout human history. To find out if that was the case, they first made one assumption: For early hunter gatherers to survive, they would need to be in a place that had at least 90 millimeters of rainfall per year. Using that figure as a guide, the researchers looked at climate models created by prior researchers that show likely rainfall amounts in the areas where humans were most likely to use paths for migration. They found that conditions were suitable for such migrations multiple times over the past 300,000 years along both the north and easterly routes. Notably, the longest window of opportunity occurred from roughly 30,000 to 65,000 years agothe same time period that scientists believe the so-called mass migration event occurred.

The researchers note that their findings suggest that it was possible that some early humans migrated to the Arabian Peninsula, and perhaps farther, prior to the mass migrationbut their work still does not explain why they were not able to survive there until the mass migrations began.

Explore further Research team traces ten million years of climate history in the Arabian Peninsula

More information: Robert M. Beyer et al, Climatic windows for human migration out of Africa in the past 300,000 years, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications Robert M. Beyer et al, Climatic windows for human migration out of Africa in the past 300,000 years,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24779-1

 2021 Science X Network
In this July 1, 2021, provided by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Heath Powers, center, site manager for the second Atmospheric Radiation Measurement mobile facility, helps set up radiometers for ARM's Surface Atmosphere Integrated Field Laboratory (SAIL) field campaign in Gothic, Colo. Federal scientists are launching an effort to better understand the hydrology in the U.S. West. The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday, Aug. 24 announced a new kind of climate observatory near the headwaters of the Colorado River. Credit: David Chu/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory via AP

The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday announced a new kind of climate observatory near the headwaters of the Colorado River that will help scientists better predict rain and snowfall in the U.S. West and determine how much of it will flow through the region.

The multimillion-dollar effort led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory launches next week. The team has set up radar systems, balloons, cameras and other equipment in an area of Colorado where much of the water in the river originates as snow. More than 40 million people depend on the Colorado River.

Alejandro Flores, an associate professor of hydrology at Boise State University, said the weather in mountainous areas is notoriously difficult to model and the observatory will be a "game changer."

"We have to think about the land and the atmosphere as a linked system that interact with each other," he said in a call with reporters. "Up until now, there have been a lack of observations that help us understand this critical interface."

The West is in the midst of a more than 20-year megadrought that studies link to human-caused climate change. That, along with increased demand on the Colorado River led to the first-ever shortage declaration in August, and there's an increasing threat of deeper, more widespread water cuts. Arizona, Nevada and Mexico won't get their full allocations of river water next year.

In this June 2021 photograph, provided by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, construction of the second Atmospheric Radiation Measurement mobile facility (AMF2) is finished for the day in Gothic, Colo. Federal scientists are launching an effort to better understand the hydrology in the U.S. West. The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday, Aug. 24 announced a new kind of climate observatory near the headwaters of the Colorado River. Credit: Ken Williams/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory via AP

Scientists will use the observatory to gather data on precipitation, wind, clouds, tiny particles, humidity, soil moisture and other things. Along with a better understanding of the hydrology, they hope to learn more about how wildfires, forest management, drought and tree-killing bugs, for example, play a part in water availability.

A big issue in predicting water supply in the West centers on soil moisture and content, said Ken Williams, the lead on-site researcher and Berkeley Lab scientist. The monsoon season largely was a dud across the Southwest for the past two years, which means more melting snow soaks into the ground before reaching streams and rivers when it does rain, he said.

Climate experts said during a separate briefing Tuesday that southern Arizona and parts of New Mexico have seen impressive rainfall totals so far this monsoon season, with Tucson marking its wettest July on record. Mike Crimmins, a professor at the University of Arizona, called it an "amazing reversal" for the desert city.

The Colorado River flows near Grizzly Creek Rest Area in Glenwood Canyon on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Glenwood Springs, Colo. The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, announced a new kind of climate observatory near the headwaters of the Colorado River that will help scientists better predict rain and snowfall in the U.S. West and determine how much of it will flow through the region. Credit: Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via AP

Some parts of the Southwest have seen as much as four times their normal precipitation levels. But Crimmins noted other spots like Albuquerque, New Mexico, are either at average levels or still lagging.

"We have both really wet conditions for the short term, but we also have longer-term drought still hanging out there because we have these longer-term deficits that we cannot solve with just one or two or even three months of precipitation," he said.

To reverse the longer-term trends, the region would need to see back-to-back wet winters and summers that are hard to come by, Crimmins said.

The new climate observatory, called the Surface Atmosphere Integrated Field Laboratory, brings together federal scientists, university researchers and others to build upon an ongoing study in the upper Gunnison River basin in Colorado that shares characteristics with other watersheds in the expansive Rocky Mountains.

This Aug. 17, 2021 photo provided by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows Atmospheric Radiation Measurement instruments that will collect data from September to June 2023 during the Surface Atmosphere Integrated Field Laboratory (SAIL) campaign in Gothic, Colorado. The SAIL campaign will provide insights into mountainous water-cycle processes. Federal scientists are launching an effort to better understand the hydrology in the U.S. West. The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday, Aug. 24 announced a new kind of climate observatory near the headwaters of the Colorado River. Credit: David Chu/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory via AP

In this Aug. 16, 2021 photo provided Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, John Bilberry looks up at an Atmospheric Radiation Measurement instrument tower installed for the Surface Atmosphere Integrated Field Laboratory (SAIL) field campaign in Gothic, Colo. The SAIL campaign will provide insights into mountainous water-cycle processes. Federal scientists are launching an effort to better understand the hydrology in the U.S. West. The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday, Aug. 24 announced a new kind of climate observatory near the headwaters of the Colorado River. Credit: David Chu/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory via AP

In this Thursday, May 1, 1997, file photograph, a sign marks the Colorado River as it flows past the Never Summer Mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park near the town of Grand Lake, Colo. The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, announced a new kind of climate observatory near the headwaters of the Colorado River that will help scientists better predict rain and snowfall in the U.S. West and determine how much of it will flow through the region. Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File

In this aerial photo, smoke, from the Pine Gulch Fires and the Grizzly Creek fires, fills the I-70 corridor looking west as the Colorado River shimmers in the light Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Glenwood Springs, Colo. The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, announced a new kind of climate observatory near the headwaters of the Colorado River that will help scientists better predict rain and snowfall in the U.S. West and determine how much of it will flow through the region. Credit: Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via AP

Craig, who only wanted his first name used, looks east towards an empty Highway I-70 closed due to the Grizzly Creek Fire and the Colorado River on Aug. 18, 2020, in Glenwood Springs, Colo. The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, announced a new kind of climate observatory near the headwaters of the Colorado River that will help scientists better predict rain and snowfall in the U.S. West and determine how much of it will flow through the region. Credit: Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via AP

This July 14, 2021 photo provided by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows a rain gauge that will measure the amount of liquid precipitation that falls during the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility's Surface Atmosphere Integrated Field Laboratory (SAIL) field campaign in Gothic, Colo. Measurements from the rain gauge will also help scientists validate precipitation estimates from radar. Credit: John Bilberry/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory via AP

The Colorado River flows near Bair Ranch rest area in Glenwood Canyon on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Glenwood Springs, Colo. The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, announced a new kind of climate observatory near the headwaters of the Colorado River that will help scientists better predict rain and snowfall in the U.S. West and determine how much of it will flow through the region. Credit: Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via AP

The Colorado River flows near Hanging Lake rest area in Glenwood Canyon on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Glenwood Springs, Colo. The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, announced a new kind of climate observatory near the headwaters of the Colorado River that will help scientists better predict rain and snowfall in the U.S. West and determine how much of it will flow through the region. Credit: Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via AP

For the Rio Grande basin, the data could help water managers as they juggle longstanding water sharing agreements among Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Mexico, Williams said. It also could help improve weather forecasting and experiments to modify the weather, such as cloud seeding to produce more precipitation.

The data will be available to other researchers and provide a benchmark for any collection beyond the two-year project, scientists said.

___

This story has been updated to clarify that watersheds in the expansive Rocky Mountains have similar characteristics.

Explore further Mountains of data: An unprecedented climate observatory to understand the future of water

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Montane forest in Cameroon. Credit: Jiri Dolezal

Scientists studying tropical forests in Africa's mountains were surprised to uncover how much carbon they store, and how fast some of these forests are being cleared.

The international study reported today in Nature, found that intact tropical mountain (or montane) forests in Africa store around 150 tons of carbon per hectare. This means that keeping a hectare of forest standing saves CO 2 emissions equivalent to powering 100 homes with electricity for one year.

The study found that African mountain forests store more carbon per unit area than the Amazon rainforest and are similar in structure to lowland forests in Africa. Existing guidelines for African mountain forestswhich assume 89 tons of carbon per hectaregreatly underestimate their role in global climate regulation.

The international team also investigated how much tropical mountain forest had been lost from the African continent in the past 20 years. They found that 0.8 million hectares have been lost, mostly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Ethiopia, emitting over 450 million tons of CO 2 2 into the atmosphere. If current deforestation rates continue, a further 0.5 million hectares of these forests would be lost by 2030.

Lead author Dr. Aida Cuni-Sanchez, from the University of York's Department of Environment and Geography and at Norwegian University of Life Sciences, said: "The results are surprising because the climate in mountains would be expected to lead to low carbon forests.

"The lower temperatures of mountains and the long periods they are covered by clouds should slow tree growth, while strong winds and steep unstable slopes might limit how big trees can get before they fall over and die.

"But unlike other continents, in Africa we found the same carbon store per unit area in lowland and mountain forests. Contrary to what we expected, large trees remain abundant in mountain forests, and these large trees (defined as having diameters over 70 cm) store a lot of carbon."

Tropical forest in Africa's mountains. Credit: Dr Aida Cuni-Sanchez, University of York

Scientists measured 72,000 trees in 44 mountain sites in 12 African countries, from Guinea to Ethiopia, and south to Mozambique. In each mountain site they established plots where they recorded the diameter, height and species of every tree.

Researchers said that better knowledge about how much carbon mountain forests store is especially important for the ten African nations where the only tropical forests they have are those found on mountains.

"While we know what makes African forests special, we don't yet know why they are different. It is possible that in Africa, the presence of large herbivores such as elephants plays an important role in mountain forest ecology, as these large animals disperse seeds and nutrients, and eat small trees creating space for others to grow larger, but this requires further investigation," Dr. Cuni-Sanchez added.

Co-author Dr. Phil Platts, from York's Department of Environment and Geography and the IUCN's Climate Change Specialist Group, said: "About five percent of Africa's tropical mountain forests have been cleared since 2000, and in some countries the rate exceeds 20 percent. Besides their importance for climate regulation, these forests are habitats for many rare and endangered species, and they provide very important water services to millions of people downstream".

Most African nations have committed large amounts of land to forest restoration under the Bonn Challenge. Although forest restoration is important to mitigate climate change, avoiding deforestation is a greater priority.

Co-author Dr. Martin Sullivan, at the Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, added: "Previous carbon estimates for tropical mountain forests in Africa were much lower than the values we report in our study.

"We hope that these new data will encourage carbon finance mechanisms towards avoided deforestation in tropical mountains. As outlined in the Paris Agreement, reducing tropical deforestation in both lowland and mountain forests must be a priority."

Co-author Dr. Gerard Imani, at the Department of Biology, Universite Oficielle de Bukavu in DR Congo, added: "Carbon finance mechanisms could help improve conservation interventions on the groundeven within protected areas, deforestation, forest degradation and defaunation remain a challenge."

Explore further Rise in Southeast Asia forest clearance increasing greenhouse gases

More information: High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests, Nature (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03728-4 High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03728-4 The forest inventory data is part of AfriMont and AfriTRON plot networks, covering 13 countries in Africa, www.afritron.org . The data are curated at www.forestplots.net . Journal information: Nature
Credit: Shyripa Alexandr/Shutterstock

Many people have responded to the uncertainty, boredom and anxiety of the pandemic by drinking more.

In a recent study of 11 major OECD countries, 36% of people said they increased their alcohol consumption during lockdown. Women, parents of young children and those on high incomes saw their alcohol consumption increase the most.

The OECD suggests a range of solutions to this concerning rise, including "limiting the promotion of alcohol among young audiences", "strengthening police controls to prevent road accidents due to alcohol" and "setting pricing policies to limit the financial accessibility of alcohol" to prevent excessive alcohol consumption.

But there's another possible solution: the promotion of wine with a low or even zero alcohol content. This approach is already seeing success with beer and other non-alcoholic beverages, including whisky and gin, particularly among millennials.

Although still marginal, no and low-alcohol (NoLo) beverages currently represent 3% of the global beverage alcohol market in ten headline economies, reaching a global sales values of $4,520 million in 2020.

A legitimacy issue

Dealcoholised wines are produced through a gradual, or even total, elimination of alcohol content via evaporation, reverse osmosis or preventing fermentation.

These things are relatively easily done, but the main challenge is to eliminate the alcohol without altering the taste of the wine. Great progress has been made in this direction, but at present dealcoholised wine still does not fully taste the same as a traditional wine, and does not offer a genuine alternative.

And if we do manage to create a product that tastes like the real thing, could we still call a partially or totally dealcoholised product "wine"? Our research from 2019 found that the changing a product's alcohol content affects how people categorise it. Only few respondents to our study identified low-alcohol wine as a wine.

In another, forthcoming study, we identified the limits of acceptability of this new product. Two-thirds of potential consumers consider alcohol to be an important product attribute and therefore believe that this innovation does not belong to the "wine" category at all.

Regulations also have an impact on legitimacy. The law in France, for example, states that wine is "a drink that results exclusively from the complete or partial alcoholic fermentation of fresh grapes (crushed or not) or from grape must", with an alcohol content of more than 8.5%.

Remove the alcohol, and the product will no longer legally be considered wine.

The problem of categorisation

Wine is far from the first product to face issues of categorisation in this way.

In Europe, the label "milk" is defined by regulations as "the produce of the milking of one or more cows". In 2017, the European Court of Justice enforced this regulation by prohibiting the use of the words "milk" and "cheese" to refer to plant-based versions of these products, in response to claims from dairy producers that such labels would confuse consumers.

But when it comes to meat, the European Parliament decided in 2020 to authorise the use of meat-related words to describe plant-based foods. As such, the terms "veggie burgers", "soy steaks" and "vegan sausages" can all be used in the European Union.

The exception is in France, where the law clearly stipulates that words used for food with animal origin cannot be used to designate products made using vegetable proteins.

Ongoing debate in Brussels

A growing number of wine producers, large and small, have now started to produce dealcoholised products, and they are demanding the right to use the term "wine" for these new beverages. The debate is currently raging in Brussels, where the European Commission is discussing the reform of the common agricultural policy and the harmonisation of community rules, including the reform of Article 180 on wines.

Depending on how the negotiations go, we could soon apply the term "wine" to dealcoholised products, albeit in a strictly controlled and regulated fashion.

Applying a regulation that links these products to the world of wine, probably in the form of a subcategory, will allow consumers to better identify these beverages and understand their inherent benefits.

The acceptance of low or no-alcohol wine will also depend on serious communication efforts from wine producers and retailers about these products.

As professionals work more on the legitimacy issue, dealcoholised wine will become more widely known and consumed, thus reducing the psychological barriers linked to its uptake. This could see the alcohol content of a wine become a decisive criterion in consumer decision-making and help overcome the issues many potential buyers currently have with identifying dealcoholised products as "wine".

The main challenge, then, is improve the taste of wine that doesn't contain alcohol. It is possible that, in the near future, advances in dealcoholisation techniques will reduce the difference between traditional and NoLo wines, as is already the case with beer and spirits. The future of these new products will depend on whether wine producers can truly succeed in reducing the taste gap.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Stefanik spokesman Alex DeGrasse claimed that Stefanik never said she was going to attend the Wilton rally  despite her social media posts promoting the event.

An Aug. 18 tweet from Stefanik said, Amercian Patriot @ScottPresler will be joining #TeamElise & the @SaratogaGOP for a rally & voter registration drive!

Thank you Scott for all of your hard work to #SaveAmericata @Risepacny

Everyone is excited to meet you! #NY21

That tweet appears to have been removed from Stefaniks Twitter feed.

The event was sponsored by Elise for Congress.

DeGrasse said the Team Elise mentioned in social media posts refers to her donors and supporters.

The announcement of the event at Gavin Park prompted a group called No to Hate in Upstate, No to Fascist Attacks on Democracy to schedule a counter-protest at the same time at 5:30 p.m. at Congress Park at 268 Broadway in Saratoga Springs.

Organizer Joe Seeman said the event is still scheduled.

Zeilman criticized that event as a distraction from the failures of Democratic policies.

The local Democrat outrage to our grassroots voter registration drive is really about the National Democrat party imploding in front of our eyes and local Democrats looking for any other distraction to talk about other than their own failed policies that have brought our country into a crisis. They are threatened by Republicans historic support in upstate and all of America, he said in the statement.

Michael Goot covers politics, crime and courts, Warren County, education and business. Reach him at 518-742-3320 or mgoot@poststar.com.

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Warren County will receive at least $152,000 to treat, reduce and prevent opioid use through a settlement with one of the major drug manufacturers.

The Warren County Board of Supervisors has settled a claim with Johnson & Johnson/Janssen. The settlement will provide a minimum award of $152,544 and possibly additional payments.

The funding is part of a $98 million settlement the drug company reached with the state involving its alleged role in the increase in use and abuse of opioids, according to a news release.

The drugs have been blamed for numerous overdose deaths. To date there have been 21 overdoses in the county including five fatalities, according to an online dashboard that Warren County and the city of Glens Falls launched earlier this year.

Heroin was responsible for the most overdoses with six, followed by fentanyl with four. About half of the overdoses, 12, occurred in the city of Glens Falls.

The Board of Supervisors will decide in the coming months how the funding can be best used to help the agencies and programs that are working with those who are confronting opioid addiction. Settlement funds can be used for drug treatment, education and law enforcement-related purposes.
During her comments Tuesday, Hochul didnt mention the need for additional emergency powers, or the role of the State Legislature. But shell need the support of legislative leaders, whom she met with Tuesday, if not new executive powers or legislative moves, to accomplish her goals.

Thats important in a contentious environment now likely to become even more contentious. Hochuls plans will incur the wrath of some parents and teachers, particularly on Long Island where school board fights are ongoing. Beyond making sure her efforts stand up to legal challenges, Hochul will have to sell her message, utilizing all levels of government to help.

Thats where Hochuls promise of collaboration and partnership comes in. Thats easy to pledge on Day One. Its a lot harder to deliver. That was made clear Tuesday as a barrage of special interests issued lengthy to-do lists for Hochul, which shell have to balance with the states own massive needs. Among her priorities, Hochul mentioned COVID rent relief funds, the environment, small business, job creation, crime and systemic racism. She notably focused little attention on some of her predecessors key issues, like transit and economic development, in the brief address. Hopefully, therell be more on that to come.

Hochul is correct to turn her attention to COVID first. She has the right goals and hopefully, the right tools. Now she just needs to win the war.

This editorial originally appeared in Long Islands Newsday.

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Metropolitan Hilarion and Bishop Mark make a visit to Indonesia

Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia

of Australia and New Zealand

arrived in Indonesia today and served a liturgy in Jakarta were he ordained 2 Indonesians deacons to the Priesthood. During the course of his visit to Indonesia His Eminence will ordain 4 priests and 1 deacon

Indonesian Orthodox mission Archimandrite Daniel Byantoro held a press-conference with

Indonesia

- Archimandrite Daniel Byantoro

Discrimination of Orthodox Christians in Indonesia

Founder of the Indonesian Orthodox Church - Archimandrite Daniel

International Aid from Orthodox Christian Churches

Orthodox Missionary work in Eastern Indonesia

Orthodox Baptism in Papua

The Orthodox Church in Indonesia needs financial help to continue printing Orthodox literature, buying land and building churches. Fr Daniel quotes, The possibilities for the growth of Orthodoxy in Indonesia are huge, for a small investment into missionary work; the returns are evident through the large number of Indonesians converting to the Orthodox Church.

The Indonesian Orthodox People love the shepherd of their spiritual flock

Metropolitan Hilarion Ordinates Fr. Athanasius from Papa - (Left to Right) Fr. Daniel, Reader Alexander Paramonov, Metropolitan Hilarion, Fr. Athanasius

Simeon Boikov

www.pravoslavie.ru

Moscow 6/2009
Farmers and crafters market: The Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce Farmers & Crafters Market runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays through Sept. 29. Farmers will be on the grounds of the Ocean City Tabernacle, 6th Street and Asbury Avenue; and crafters will be on Asbury Avenue between 5th & 6th Streets. For more information, call 609-399-1412 or visit oceancityvacation.com .

First responders appreciation dinner: City officials and the Vineland Fire Department will host an appreciation dinner for firefighters, emergency medical technicians and Office of Emergency Management volunteers Sept. 9 at Merighis Savoy Inn, 4940 E. Landis Ave. As part of the event, awards for Years of Service and individual unit citations will be presented. In addition, the Fire Department will present a new fire safety video locally produced by Glasstown Productions. A limited number of tickets for members of the community who want to join the celebration are available for $50 per ticket. The event will kick-off at 6:00 pm with a cash bar, and the dinner and other activities will begin at 6:30 p.m. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Lloyd Ronchetti Scholarship and the Burn Foundation. For more information, call Deputy Fire Marshal Carlos Mercado at 856-794-4000, ext. 4203, or email cmercado@vinelandcity.org.
National

top story

Clean injectable meds depend on horseshoe crabs

Bill Barlow, Staff Writer Horseshoe crabs return to Delaware Bay beaches each spring, although naturalists say their numbers have declined dramatically. MEG KINNARD, ASSOCIATED PRESS South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, right, listens as Foster Jordan of Charles River Labs talks Aug. 6 about the properties of horseshoe crab blood, which is a vital component in the contamination testing of injectable medicines  including coronavirus vaccines. cfairfield-pressofac / Press archives A horseshoe crab lies on Reeds Beach along the Delaware Bay. The crabs eggs help nourish red knots as they make their 9,300-mile annual trek from the tip of South America to Canada.

Its one of the stranger, lesser-known aspects of U.S. health care  the striking, milky-blue blood of horseshoe crabs is a critical component of tests to ensure injectable medications such as coronavirus vaccines arent contaminated.

To obtain it, harvesters bring many thousands of the creatures to laboratories to be bled each year, and then return them to the sea  a practice that has drawn criticism from conservationists because some dont survive the process.

The blood, which is blue due to its copper content, is coveted for proteins used to create the LAL test, a process used to screen medical products for bacteria. Synthetic alternatives arent widely accepted by the health care industry and havent been approved federally, leaving the crabs as the only domestic source of this key ingredient.

Many of these crabs are harvested along the coast of South Carolina, where Gov. Henry McMaster promoted the niche industry as key to the development of a domestic medical supply chain, while also noting that environmental concerns should be explored. The Delaware Bay is said to be home to the largest population of horseshoe crabs on the East Coast, but the animals can be found from Maine to Mexico.

We dont want to have to depend on foreign countries for a lot of reasons, including national security, so its good to see this company thriving in the United States, McMaster told The Associated Press. He spoke this month during a visit to Charles River Laboratories at its Charleston facilities, to which AP was granted rare access. We want to do everything we can to onshore all of these critical operations.

A fragile Bayshore hamlet and its resilient people inspire a Jersey author's latest book The preceding miles of exquisitely green marshlands were beautiful. But the up-close vastness of the Delaware Bay merging with the summer sky, and the sun-bleached jumble of modest houses hugging the coast, were a superlative-ready vista.

Horseshoe crabs  aquatic arthropods shaped like helmets with long tails  are more akin to scorpions than crabs, and older than dinosaurs. Theyve been scurrying along the brackish floors of coastal waters for hundreds of millions of years. Their eggs are considered a primary fat source for more than a dozen species of migratory shore birds, according to South Carolinas Department of Natural Resources. On the Delaware Bay, the eggs are a vital food source to migrating birds each spring, including the red knot, which travels from South America to the arctic each year.

Their value to avoiding infection emerged after scientists researching their immune response injected bacteria into horseshoe crabs in the 1950s. They ultimately developed the LAL test, and the technique has been used since the 1970s to keep medical materials and supplies free of bacteria.

Their biomedical use has been on the rise, with 464,482 crabs brought to biomedical facilities in 2018, according to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

In South Carolina, thats done only by Charles River, a Massachusetts-based company that tests 55% of the worlds injectables and medical devices  like IV bags, dialysis solutions and even surgical cleaning wipes, according to company officials.

We are almost the last line of defense before these drugs leave the manufacturing area and make it to a patient, Senior Vice President Foster Jordan told McMaster. If it touches your blood, its been tested by LAL. And, more than likely, its been tested by us.

Charles River employs local fishermen to harvest the crabs by hand, a process governed by wildlife officials that can only happen during a small annual window, when the creatures come ashore to spawn.

Contractors bring them to the companys bleeding facilities, then return them to the waters from which they came. During a year, Jordan said his harvesters can bring in 100,000 to 150,000 horseshoe crabs, and still cant satisfy the growing demand.

We need more, though, Jordan told McMaster, adding his company is working with the state to open up more harvesting areas. The populations steady. ... We need access to more beaches, to get more crabs.

The practice is not without its critics, some of whom have argued that bleeding the crabs and hauling them back and forth is harmful. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 10% to 15% of harvested crabs die during the process.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the species overall as vulnerable, noting decreasing numbers as of a 2016 assessment. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission listed 2019 stock as good in the Southeast but poor in areas around New York.

Conservationists sued last year, accusing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of shirking its duty to protect areas including South Carolinas Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge by allowing horseshoe crab harvesting. They argued that taking out the crabs affects other species in the protected area. A federal judge temporarily halted the harvest, but that was reversed following Charles Rivers appeal.

The environmental groups asked to withdraw their complaint this month after federal officials imposed a permitting process for any commercial activity in the refuge, including horseshoe harvesting, beginning Aug. 15. Even if such permits are denied, Jordan told McMaster that only 20% of its harvest came from the refuge, with most coming from farther down the South Carolina coast.

There is a synthetic alternative to the horseshoe crab blood, but it hasnt been widely accepted in the U.S., and meanwhile, Charles Rivers international competitors are making synthetics and pressing for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.

My mission is to make sure that any competitor that comes into the United States, from China or any of these other producers, has to go through the same regulatory process that we had to go through, to make sure that its safe, Jordan said. If all these synthetics start coming in from other countries, were going to lose the protection that weve had for all these years, and the safety, and the control of the drug supply.

We want to have as much stuff made here as we can, McMaster said in response.

Atlantic Cape students partner with Rowan for three-year data collection project Five Atlantic Cape Community College students are working with researchers and engineers from Rowan University to examine ways to improve artificial intelligence systems and machine learning algorithms.

As for the environmental concerns, the governor said maintaining a healthy balance between scientific demands and the states ecosystems, which bolster a significant portion of South Carolinas tourism economy, is paramount.

Its like a house of cards. You pull out one part, and the rest of it will fall, McMaster said.

Staff Writer Bill Barlow contributed to this report.

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Due to a lack of funds and environmental concerns about construction near adjacent wetlands, the connector project remained dormant until 1996, when Steve Wynn and the Mirage Group purchased the formerly city-owned H-Tract, the site of the former city landfill off Huron Avenue, and wanted to build three or four casinos there.

I think that it changed the city and divided it in a way, said James Karmel, professor of history at Harford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland, and author of Gambling on The American Dream: Atlantic City and the Casino Era. Back then, Atlantic City was thriving and people were looking to come in. This project showed that. With what is going on today, this project probably would not get off the ground.

The project was not without its opponents, chief among them then-casino mogul Donald Trump.

It split the city and caused the breakup of the Casino Association of New Jersey. There was a group that sided with Trump and was a group that sided with Wynn, Karmel said. There were a lot of people who fought the project outside of the casino industry. There were some residents who fought the project and held out and got more than double the value of their property.
CAPE MAY  Lifeguards from throughout the region plan to pitch in on the beaches of Cape May so members of that communitys Beach Patrol can attend the funeral of Norman V. Inferrera III in his hometown in Pennsylvania.

Inferrera, 16, died Friday after a surf boat accident while on duty as a lifeguard in Cape May, the first guard to die in the line of duty in the citys history.

His story has resonated throughout the state and around the country, with sympathy pouring in from all over.

City Council unanimously voted Wednesday to name a beach in his honor.

I think I speak for all of us when we say our hearts and prayers go out to the Inferrera family, Mayor Zack Mullock said during the meeting. Thank you, Norman, thank you to the family and our prayers are with you.

Murphy orders flags at half-staff for Cape May lifeguard Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday ordered U.S. and New Jersey flags at half-staff at all state bui

Council voted to introduce an ordinance renaming the beach at Reading Avenue for Inferrera. The measure still requires a public hearing and final vote to take effect.

I can tell you right now it will pass unanimously, Mullock said after the meeting.
Im always trying to figure out what we can do thats different that we never did before, Swank said. We went horseback riding. Were going whale watching.

To entice Kassie to read the book by JRR Tolkien, Swank suggested their summer project be building a door just like that of the books main character, Bilbo Baggins.

She read the book, and then we decided we would try to build a Hobbit door. But I said, You got to do it. Im just here to show you how, Swank said.

Kassie used a jigsaw, and a bandsaw, and did all the cutting. She screwed in the lag bolts by hand, to get a feel for the work.

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Pleasantville schools to host family carnival and resource fair Wednesday PLEASANTVILLE  The community is invited to a family carnival and resource fair hosted by th

The construction took about four Wednesdays, not counting the time it took to plan and purchase supplies. Swank said he wanted Kassie to be involved from start to finish, and they even calculated how much it would cost to build the project as a contractor, with parts and labor  about $1,400.

I knew it was going to take some time, Kassie said. My favorite part was getting to be creative with it, the painting, choosing colors. The hardest part was standing on the ladder, just because its scary.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  Northstar New Jersey Lottery Group LLC recently donated $20,000 worth of STEM-focused computer equipment to the Egg Harbor Township Police Activities League, an official said Tuesday.

The donation included a MacBook Pro, two 3D printers, an RS-Spectroscope and a streaming studio kit with three cameras, two microphones and supporting hardware, Hector Tavarez, executive director of the league, said in a news release.

Its a good day at PAL when we receive a donation that advances our existing programs. Its an even better day when we receive a donation that helps to create new programs, said Tavarez. The new 3D printers will help advance our competitive robotics teams, the RS-Spectroscope and the media equipment are the start of two new programs. We are extremely grateful to Northstar and other companies who help us meet the needs of our ever-changing community.

The donation is part of Northstars After School Advantage Program, which allows the company to apply its technological expertise to assist in educating youth.
Most voters and parents who vote in New Jersey support the statewide school mask mandate amid rising cases of COVID-19 in the state, according to a new Monmouth University poll.

The poll, released Monday, shows that 67% of voters and 69% of voters who are also parents of school-age children support Gov. Phil Murphys recent mask mandate for students, teachers and visitors at all primary, elementary and secondary schools, and slightly more than half of voters (53%) support a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for anyone eligible for the vaccine, including students 12 and older.

The vocal opposition to the states school mask mandate is a decidedly minority view. However, there may be greater pushback from parents if a vaccine mandate was instituted for school children, said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

The poll was conducted by telephone from Aug. 11 to 16 with 810 New Jersey registered voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.
Its one of the stranger, lesser-known aspects of U.S. health care  the striking, milky-blue blood of horseshoe crabs is a critical component of tests to ensure injectable medications such as coronavirus vaccines arent contaminated.

To obtain it, harvesters bring many thousands of the creatures to laboratories to be bled each year, and then return them to the sea  a practice that has drawn criticism from conservationists because some dont survive the process.

The blood, which is blue due to its copper content, is coveted for proteins used to create the LAL test, a process used to screen medical products for bacteria. Synthetic alternatives arent widely accepted by the health care industry and havent been approved federally, leaving the crabs as the only domestic source of this key ingredient.

Many of these crabs are harvested along the coast of South Carolina, where Gov. Henry McMaster promoted the niche industry as key to the development of a domestic medical supply chain, while also noting that environmental concerns should be explored. The Delaware Bay is said to be home to the largest population of horseshoe crabs on the East Coast, but the animals can be found from Maine to Mexico.
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP  A man wanted on attempted murder charges fled police in Pennsylvania, stole a police vehicle, drove to New Jersey, and was shot and wounded during a gun battle with officers, authorities said Tuesday.

Arthur Henry Disanto Jr., 41, has been charged with armed carjacking, and further charges are pending. It wasnt known Tuesday if he has an attorney to speak on his behalf.

Disanto was wanted in the July 3 shooting of a woman in the Philadelphia suburb of Media.

Pennsylvania troopers attempted to stop a motorcycle driven by Disanto on Monday night in Marple, authorities said. He was later spotted by a plainclothes officer in Folcroft who was driving an unmarked police SUV.

The officer caught up with the motorcycle in Philadelphia. Disanto lay the bike down and reached for a gun in his waistband as the officer got out of his vehicle, authorities said.

The officer retreated behind the SUV, and Disanto got in and drove off, authorities said. The officer shot out the windows as Disanto left. Its unclear whether Disanto fired any shots then, and the officer was not injured.
Murphy, who was elected in 2017 after two terms of Republican Chris Christie, is seeking to become the first Democrat to win reelection in New Jersey in more than four decades.

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Polls show him with a lead over Ciattarelli, a former state Assembly member and small business founder with an accounting background.

Murphy is a self-styled progressive and has signed a number of liberal measures that Christie blocked, including a phased-in $15 minimum wage, higher taxes on the wealthy and legalized recreational marijuana. Murphy also signed tighter gun control bills and bills to expand paid sick leave for workers.

Hes also piloted the state through the coronavirus pandemic, with surveys showing him getting decent grades for his handling of the outbreak.

The state has among the highest percentages of people fully vaccinated in the country. It also has among the highest per capita death rates from COVID-19 in the country.
No sooner had the Taliban taken Kabul than questions began to be asked about how they would manage Afghanistans economy. Do the insurgents-turned-rulers have the skills to run, say, a modern finance ministry and central bank? Will foreign donors trust them with aid? Can they do business with investors interested in the countrys mineral wealth?

Throughout their two decades in the wilderness, the Taliban have shown themselves capable of generating resources to maintain an insurgency, mostly from the drug trade, illegal mining and donations from supporters abroad, but also from taxes and rents in areas under their control. In good years, the Talibans revenues amounted to upwards of $1 billion.

But the Afghan budget is more than five times that size. The countrys gross domestic product, estimated at $22 billion, has grown nearly threefold since the Taliban were driven from power in 2001. And the economy has for several years been in precarious health, propped up by foreign aid. By the World Banks reckoning, three-fourths of the governments budget is funded by international donors, led by the U.S.
Dovey has called it merely an effort to inform the public. Thats nonsense. His calling the project a dump is false and inflammatory. He of all people knows that there are many trash transfer stations in the world and theyre just places trash is gathered for transport.

He could inform the public by giving better statements to our reporters, or by writing a guest column for these pages as he has done in the past. He could make a presentation to Pleasantville City Council and seek coverage of it.

The various parts of government at all levels have plenty of opportunities to make their cases and settle their disputes without wasting public money on campaigns against each other. Since much of government consists of coming to terms with other parts of government, the means for doing so are long-established.

This needs to be a bright line that frustrated officials wont cross. Otherwise, the public will be paying to be afflicted with political signs and advocacy websites for ever-more issues on which state, counties and municipalities disagree.
And former state Sen. Paul Schmipf, though striking a more constructive tone, has raised little money and has yet to raise his profile to the level needed to be competitive in a statewide primary.

Despite projecting unity in their mission to defeat Pritzker next year, there was a clear divide last week on how Republicans can accomplish the task, many believing the current field of candidates is not up to it. At the very least, many are unsure.

I think all of them have their hearts set in the right place, said state Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, who is also mulling a run for governor. They're doing what they feel they're driven to do and we appreciate people at all levels who are willing to put their neck forward and run for office. Whether they have the ability to unite and grow the party is a big question right now that I don't think there's an answer to yet, but that's the threshold issue. Can they do that?

Some members of Chicagos moderate business community are so concerned that theyve asked Dillard to consider a third run for governor, something he appeared hesitant to do but has not dismissed outright. U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, also hasn't ruled out a run, depending on whether redistricting works out in his favor.
Its never surprising when politicians say one thing and do another. Its also never surprising when politicians put their own interests above the interests of everyday people.

Thats the case with Democrats, and the pledges they made on the campaign trail that they would carry out legislative remapping that was nonpartisan, transparent and fair. Gov. J.B. Pritzker made the same commitment during the 2018 campaign, vowing to veto any redistricting process that was partisan.

Then, earlier this year, they reneged on the voters of Illinois. Democrats huddled in a secret room in the Capitol complex, relied on incomplete numbers from the U.S. Census American Community Survey program, and rushed to Pritzkers desk a legislative remap aimed solely at solidifying Democrats stranglehold on the General Assembly.

The new map is anything but fair and nonpartisan. In some cases, boundaries were recast to toss GOP incumbents into the same district, forcing them to run against each other in the primary. One candidate would be eliminated  the other would go into the general election with depleted campaign funds and resources.

Pritzker signed the remap into law, exposing his campaign pledge for what it was  empty rhetoric.
"When you're in person, you get to see the person, you get to see what they really are like and what they wear," said Peny Marverry, HR coordinator and recruiter for Hill & Valley Premium Bakery. "On the phone, you're just picturing somebody else, completely different."

Todd Mizener, marketing and communications director for the Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus, who assisted in organizing the fair, said this year was different from prior years of because everybodys got jobs.

Businesses across the U.S. are struggling to hire and retain employees amid the Great American Labor Shortage, because of complications from the COVID-19 pandemic and shifts in the labor market.

We really need help, said Ethan Salazar, service supervisor at Respite Connection. We tried an online career fair, we've tried anything virtual, and this is the first one in person that we've had come up. And already we've had more people come to the table and show interest, and we have all of those virtual events.

Most businesses were looking to fill a wide range of jobs that require different skill sets. Per Mar Security Services is looking to fill multiple roles across four sectors of the company: security officers, customer care monitors, sales representatives and technicians, according to John Mumma, representative for Per Mar.
The Rock Island County Health Department reported 101 new cases of COVID-19 since its last report Monday. The total number of cases reported since the start of the pandemic is 16,150.

Rock Island County health officials also reported 35 patients hospitalized Monday in the county with the virus. The number of deaths tied to the virus since the start of the pandemic remained 335.

According to Iowa Department of Public Health, Scott County saw an increase of roughly 400 cases since the total-case numbers were reported last week. The total number of COVID-19 cases identified in the county since the start of the pandemic is 23,205.

MetroLINK offers vaccine clinic

Partnered with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Illinois Department of Public Health, MetroLINK will host a Community Partner Vaccine Clinic from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 26, at Centre Station, 1200 River Drive, in Moline.

The clinic is free to the public, and walk-ins are welcome. Both Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be available. Metro offers a free monthly bus pass for the month of September and a gift card to Melis Pancake House for all participants. Fares will be waived for those using Metro to and from the vaccine clinic.
Recently, the Supreme Court ruled 8-to-1 in favor of former high school cheerleader Brandi Levy, who was suspended from her team after sending a profane rant to friends on Snapchat.

In Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. the court decided that schools act in loco parentis (in the place of parents) during the normal school day, but that this power did not extend absolute control outside of school grounds.

The case was not groundbreaking; rather, it places merely responsibility on the parents of children to monitor activity after school. In other words, the decision bluntly reiterates the common duty of parents: "protecting, guiding, and disciplining."

School administrations come out unscathed. The supposed victory for greater freedom in public schools does not upturn any recent precedent, nor delineate any new protections of speech. In fact, tough questions about student speech on social media still lie ahead. "Because off-campus speech made through social media can be received on campus ... it often will have a greater proximate tendency to harm the school environment, wrote Justice Clarence Thomas in his dissenting opinion.
Getting vaccinated should be seen as a pro-life activity. Yet the same people who favor government action to protect vulnerable life in the womb seem to be the least likely to favor government action to protect vulnerable life due to Covid.

Most arguments against vaccination are pro-choice: "It is my body. This is a free country. No government is going to tell me what to do."

Pro-life people who support government regulations on abortion can sound exactly like their pro-choice foes when they say, "Im personally for vaccinations, but I believe each individual should have the right to choose."

Government rules on vaccinations (such as school and travel requirements) have been around for generations. They have protected us from smallpox, polio and other preventable diseases. Traveling to many places in Africa, for example, requires proof of vaccination. Such requirements were rarely even challenged before Covid.

When vulnerable life is being threatened, such as what is happening today as we try to re-open schools, we should err on the side of life instead of choice. In this case, that means getting people vaccinated, even if that requires government directives.
Though the 2011 ride was focused on honoring firefighters and first responders in the 9/11 attacks, this years also included military. After 9/11, Sales said, our military stepped up and took over that cross to bear. During that ride 10 years ago, he said, they connected with different departments and had discussions about what 9/11 was like for them and the importance of the ride.

That mission is still the same this time, except weve added the military to it also.

Most of the riders are from Santa Fe, California, Sales said, so the ride began Aug. 1 at the fire station there and brought the riders north through their home state and into Eugene, Ore. in those first few days. From there, it was east across Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming before crossing into Nebraska, with Chadron as their first stop. It would be another four days across Nebraska before they crossed into Iowa.

Even though the riders come from different places and may have never met before that first day, Sales said they all enjoy their time together and get along really well, joking around as if theyve been long-time friends.
A professor at UC San Diego, Hoang is used to delivering lectures via Zoom but less comfortable using it for promotion. "Students in the classroom are paying money to laugh at my bad jokes, but if I'm reading to promote my book and I can't gauge the audience response, it's very, very difficult," she said.

Crime writer Don Winslow postponed the publication of "City on Fire," scheduled for Sept. 21, to April 2022, hoping touring would be safer then.

"One of the great joys of publishing a new book is interacting with readers on a tour," Winslow said in a statement Aug. 10. With COVID-19 cases rising again, he will wait until he can "tour at full capacity, meet with readers in signing lines and shake the hands of the people I value so much."

The country's varying reactions to the health crisis have posed a major challenge in planning tours and readings.

"Every state responds differently, counties respond differently, and that certainly impacts artists that want to be connecting with the world," Lewis said.

Harper at Red Hen said they're not counting on a fully open country this fall.
ProPublica first reported that South Dakota investigators had obtained a search warrant, citing four unidentified sources. Two people briefed on the matter by law enforcement confirmed the investigation to the AP. They demanded anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it.

Sanfords electronic devices came to the attention of investigators with the South Dakota attorney generals office after a technology firm reported that child pornography had either been sent, received or downloaded on his device, according to one of the people who spoke to AP.

Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg determined there was sufficient evidence to move toward prosecuting Sanford, but passed the case to the U.S. Department of Justice because it spanned to Arizona, California and Nebraska, according to both people. Federal prosecutors have given no indication that they are bringing charges against Sanford, and Ravnsborg has not dropped plans to prosecute him if the Justice Department declines, according to both people.

The Justice Department and the South Dakota attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the investigation.
Letters to the editor, August 25, 2021

Governor Playing with fire

My home adjoins rugged Black Hills woodlands where bugs killed many trees. Many of the dead trees still stand and others are on the ground to protect from runoff on the steep hillsides. We have had several too dry years and even the live trees aren't safe from fire. Then think of the pine needles and dry scrub.

If our governor's home were in this area, I don't think she would be nearly so eager to have fire works. (The key word there is "fire".) We've seen too many big fires here and across the nation to want the potential for more devastation. Our firefighters already have too much to protect and have been unable to do enough controlled burns to relieve the pressure.

Why not use our tax money to provide help to our fire fighters instead of trying to provide us with more fire.

Carolyn Winkler, Custer

A dangerous environment

CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.
AARP South Dakota applauds both the Governor and the South Dakota Legislature for pushing high-speed internet expansion through the process, but there is an additional step that needs to take place.

Unlike simply turning on a faucet to get water or turning on a switch to light a room, using high-speed internet requires one to have digital literacy. Finding ways to help people learn how to use the applications that access to the internet offers will be crucial to increasing service adoption. Organizations that are accepting state funds to expand our broadband infrastructure also have a responsibility to our communities. They must ensure digital literacy throughout our state. Plus, our state leaders should encourage partnerships with community organizations to support training for South Dakotas most vulnerable residents.
YERINGTON, Nev.  The significance of his "Remembrance Run" didn't sink in until Ku Stevens was finishing up the two-day, 50-mile (80-kilometer) trek across the high desert from Carson City to Yerington to honor the memories of ancestors who were removed from their families and sent to the Stewart Indian School.

The school that operated on the south edge of Carson City from 1890 to 1980 was one of about 350 across the U.S. and Canada created to force the assimilation of Native Americans.

The Yerington High school senior's great-grandfather, Frank "Togo" Quinn, escaped from the school three times  the first when he was 8 years old, finding his way back to his family more than a century ago.

"Running down that hill and seeing my valley and seeing my home and my people's land out here, goosebumps all the way down," Stevens told the Reno Gazette Journal after he finished the run on Aug. 15.

"Thinking what it would be like to be a kid, coming over those hills and trying to get here. Realizing you're safe, at least until they come to get you again," he said.
Dominion is already operating a two-turbine test wind project on the ocean.

In January 2020, the Port of Virginia entered into a lease of 40 acres at Portsmouth Marine Terminal with Danish company rsted, which partnered with Dominion on that test project.

Joe Harris, a spokesperson for the port, said Wednesday that while improvements to the terminal will be needed for both the rsted and Dominion leases, its too early to estimate how much those upgrades will cost.

The Clean Economy Act requires Dominion, when it applies for State Corporation Commission approval of its approximately 180-turbine project, to submit a plan that gives hiring priority to veterans, local workers, people of color and people who are from poor areas.

The state Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy is creating a workforce development plan for offshore wind in Virginia thats expected to be finished this fall.

The conference, hosted by the Baltimore-based Business Network for Offshore Wind, allowed Northam and Dominion chairman, president and CEO Bob Blue a forum to not only promote the business aspects of offshore wind, but to praise each other in front of a full ballroom of attendees.
Lacy Lennon, who says she makes tens of thousands of dollars a month from OnlyFans charging $100 a minute for custom videos, remains skeptical on the ban reversal. What's scary is what's the safety on this? How do we know it won't happen again?"

There are other sites where people can pay for porn, and a crop of new ones started trying to lure upset OnlyFans creators. Rapper Tyga was promoting his plans for a new platform called myystar in media interviews after OnlyFans announced its ban, saying, Were not putting a limit to any content that you do.

Weve been in the adult industry for 20 years and were tired of seeing sex workers get bullied and exploited by the platforms that make the money off them, said Mattie McCoy, whose Nevada company is also developing a site that could offer an alternative to OnlyFans for sex workers, called Naughty Popcorn.

Advocates had criticized OnlyFans planned ban, saying they were concerned it would push people into more dangerous street-based sex work. They say taking away a safer virtual space and cutting peoples income makes them more vulnerable to the risk of being trafficked.
Virginia has become the hub of a widening effort to resettle thousands of people evacuated from Afghanistan as the United States prepares to withdraw troops from the Taliban-controlled country by Aug. 31.

Fort Lee, near Petersburg, is one of four U.S. Army posts that the government is relying on to temporarily house Afghans with special immigrant visas and their families. The first 221 immigrants under Operation Allied Refuge  206 adults and 15 infants  arrived at Fort Lee on July 30.

Fort Lee and three other Army posts  Fort Bliss in Texas, Fort Dix in New Jersey and Fort McCoy in Wisconsin  can handle up to 25,000 people.

In the Richmond area, local businesses are helping collect donated supplies for the refugees headed for Fort Lee. The supplies needed include personal hygiene products, travel kits for both men and women, snacks (that are manufacturer wrapped), and games, toys, puzzles, and coloring books for children.

Woody and Nelsen Funeral Homes said all five of its Richmond-area locations will accept donated supplies, which it will deliver to the Islamic Center of Virginia, which will get the items to Fort Lee.
Stoney had previously said he would appoint Reid to the role permanently once she was healthy enough to return.

I cant go into much detail about anything else because its a personnel matter, but Ive expressed my gratitude for her service to the city and she certainly will be missed, Stoney said in an interview Wednesday evening.

Appointed by the mayor with the approval of the City Council, the chief administrative officer is charged with managing the citys daily operations, making them the citys highest-ranking unelected administrator in the citys government.

In his previous role, Saunders, who had been the mayors chief of staff since the beginning of his first term, oversaw a team of policy advisors and assistants to the mayor, helping to develop initiatives and goals for the administration.

Saunders previously worked as a policy advisor to Gov. Terry McAuliffe and chief of staff to First Lady of Virginia Dorothy McAuliffe, according a biography on the citys website.

Saunders sits on the board of visitors of the College of William& Mary and holds a masters in public administration from Indiana University. He graduated from the Virginia Executive Institute and the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative.
Descendants of seven Black men executed in 1951 for the rape of a white woman in Martinsville are scheduled to meet with Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday to discuss a posthumous pardon.

Activists first made the unusual request to Northam last year. Earlier this month the Martinsville City Council passed a resolution asking him to grant posthumous reprieves to the men, known as the Martinsville Seven, and commute their death sentences.

The meeting is set for 10 a.m. to be followed by a news conference by the family members at the Bell Tower on Capitol Square at noon, said Liz Ryan, one of the organizers.

Rudy McCollum, a lawyer and former mayor of Richmond and the nephew of one of the executed men and great-nephew of another, said he plans to attend. The best possible outcome would be that the governor posthumously pardons the men themselves and apologizes on behalf of the commonwealth to their families, he said.

Capital punishment was abolished in Virginia in March in part because of racial disparity in its use. From 1908, when Virginia began using the electric chair and keeping execution records in a central location, to 1951, state records show that all 45 prisoners executed for rape in Virginia were Black men.
Glenn Youngkins position on COVID-19 vaccinations in Carolina-blue Virginia is the same one that got Donald Trump booed at the former presidents rally in Crimson-red Alabama.

An opponent of mandatory jabs, increasingly the rule in Virginias public and private sectors, Youngkin says they should be voluntary  this being the land of the free and the home of the brave. The Republican nominee for governor says he has been vaccinated and is hoping  not recommending, not urging  that inoculation-averse supporters do the same.

This is another of Youngkins tricky high-wire acts  performed without a net.

It is one in which he doesnt want to terrify the voters he needs to win but who have little in common: those in the libertarian countryside who consider the vaccine a matter of personal freedom and those in the liberal suburbs who consider the vaccine a matter of life and death.

Along the Potomac River, in Fairfax County, the states largest locality and one of its most Democratic, 60% of residents have been fully vaccinated. Along the North Carolina line, in Patrick County, among the states smaller localities and one of its most Republican, the full-vaccination rate is 33%.
The operation is really complex, with lots of moving parts and shared responsibilities across many government agencies at the federal, state and local levels, Neely said.

Defense officials have not provided specific information on how many Afghans have been processed at Fort Lee or how many are there currently, but an Army spokesperson said the military has capacity for up to 15,000 people at four bases and is working to increase that capacity to 22,000 by the end of this week.

The other bases are Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, Fort Bliss in Texas and joint base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. The U.S. Northern Command, a joint force established in 2002, is expanding the initiative to include Fort Pickett, near Blackstone, and Quantico, in Prince William County, in coordination with other federal agencies. The program already is using the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, in Fairfax, to temporarily house people arriving at Dulles.

Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, whose congressional district includes Fort Pickett, said her office is seeking more information from the Defense Department on the bases role and its effect on the surrounding communities.

Spanberger also expressed gratitude to the Virginia National Guard, based at Fort Pickett, for its work during this rapidly changing situation.
A member of the Virginia Redistricting Commission has tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the cancellation of the groups upcoming meeting.

We were alerted today by a commissioner who tested positive for COVID-19, redistricting commission staff said in an alert Tuesday night.

The short note added only that the member had been present at the most recent meeting of the commission on Monday. Most of the commissions 16 members were in person for the meeting in the Pocahontas Building on Capitol Square. The commission did not disclose which member had contracted COVID-19.

The redistricting commission, made up of eight citizen members and eight legislators, is working on a tight deadline to deliver its proposed maps to the General Assembly for their consideration. The meeting that had been scheduled for next Monday, Aug. 30, was expected to be the groups first with the needed population data in hand, which is expected to publish Thursday.

The commission will have 45 days from Thursday to deliver maps of House of Delegates and state Senate districts to the General Assembly for their consideration, and 60 days to deliver a map of redrawn U.S. House districts. Legislators can vote the commissions proposed maps up or down, but cannot amend them.
The other nine states with no limits on individual donors to candidates are: Pennsylvania, Indiana, Alabama, Iowa, North Dakota, Nebraska, Texas, Utah and Oregon.

Twenty-two states prohibit corporate contributions to political campaigns and 23 states set limits. Aside from Virginia, the other four states with no such limits are Oregon, Utah, Nebraska and Alabama.

Zamarripa said 14 states provide some sort of public financing options for campaigns.

In some states, Zamarripa said, candidates are encouraged to raise enough money in small donations to demonstrate their candidacies have enough public support to warrant public funding. Candidates then agree to forgo high-dollar contributions. In other states, candidates who agree to limit expenditures to a certain amount receive matching funds from the state.

Senators earlier this year killed Simons bill that would have banned personal use of campaign money, a measure that cleared the House of Delegates with no opposition. Senators instead promised to study campaign finance reform.
Mayor Sherman Lea is considering whether the annual state of the city speech should become a free public event next year without the usual ticket requirement, which pays for meeting space and a hotel breakfast.

Lea plans to talk to the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce, host of the event, about a criticism hes heard that the event requires a ticket.

I think there is some merit to the fact that, hey, you got to go buy a ticket to hear your elected official, hear the status of the city, Lea said.

About 175 people gathered last week at Hotel Roanoke for this years update, which covered the citys pandemic response and recovery plans. Tickets were $37 and $27 for chamber members and city-sponsored guests.

The event was livestreamed on the web and recorded for replay.

Joyce Waugh, president and CEO of the Roanoke Regional Chamber, said the chamber had space for and welcomed people to sit and listen to the speech without a ticket, though not eat.

I think its very important that the message get to everyone who wants to know more about what the city has been up to and is planning to do, Waugh said.
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is seeking public comment on special regulations for the fall deer hunting season after a deer was found to have chronic wasting disease earlier this year in Montgomery County.

It was the first such case in the region.

Meetings will be held Aug. 25 at 6 p.m. in the Floyd County High School auditorium and Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. in the Pulaski County Middle School auditorium. COVID-19 restrictions, including masks and social distancing will be enforced, according to the DWR.

Officials want to extend the hunting season in the affected areas and have put restrictions on how and where deer carcasses from those locations can be transported.

And these changes are now in effect:

A prohibition on white-tailed deer fawn rehabilitation in an area that includes Montgomery, Floyd and Pulaski counties.

A restricted transport of whole deer carcasses and any parts containing brain or spinal cord tissue out of that area.

A prohibition on feeding of deer year-round in Bland, Carroll, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Roanoke, and Wythe counties, and in the cities of Radford, Roanoke, and Salem.
I want to say how I felt about the article "Truth about COVID-19 vaccines" in the Sunday paper (Aug. 8). It was very well written in a clear and understandable way.

As a retired educator I am very concerned about the coming school year. Last year was a very stressful year for everyone involved. I talked to a newly appointed manager of a store who used to be a teacher. We lost a few.

Personally, I know of at least one person who lost their sense of taste and smell for a while. I also have a good friend who ended up in the hospital from COVID-19. I am sure there are a lot of people with stories of someone in their family or group of friends who was ill with the virus.

My friend who had COVID-19 got vaccinated. The vaccine protects against variants according to the article. A person who has had the illness on the other hand may not be protected against them.

It is my guess that there are a lot of unvaccinated people walking around in my community. I hope there are not a lot of parents of small children who fit in that group. Given the current information on new cases I will wear a mask whenever I am inside where there are a lot of people.
Any American with even a modest knowledge of our history should agree that we have been at our best when we ultimately come together in a common cause, whether to gain our independence from a tyrannical despot, to come to grips with our horrific legacy of slavery, or to join beleaguered allies in defeating Fascism, restoring democracy and humanity in much of the world.

In each of these endeavors, we strove to better align with the vision so clearly stated in our founding documents, a vision envied and admired by people everywhere.

It matters little whether our Founding Fathers believed in the rights of all people, regardless of color, creed, gender, or birthplace. They didn't. What matters is that they clearly wrote that they did, inspiring people around the world, regardless of which power-crazed autocrat barred the way.

Democracy is a journey and mankind a work-in-progress, always striving and course-correcting.

In America, it is possible to be proud of one's heritage, but it is also critical that we admit our forebears' failings and inhumanity. Only then can we truly advance the ideals that our Declaration of Independence and Constitution proclaim.
The total investment capital for the project was to be around VND 9,763 bn, of which the support capital of VND 2,300 bn would come from the Ho Chi Minh City budget, while about VND 1,000 bn was to come from the Tay Ninh province budget.

However, now the Department of Planning and Investment believes that the capital source for the project has increased substantially and the current public investment plan is not in balance with the Ho Chi Minh City development plans for the 2021 to 2025 period.

Balancing budgets

Authorities and leaders in Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh province have determined that investing in the construction of the Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai Expressway is extremely urgent in order to facilitate the circulation of goods and travel from the central economic zones of the Southern Key Economic Zone area, and for linking with seaports and the whole ASEAN region. The whole route covers a length of 50 kms, which passes through Ho Chi Minh City for over 26 kms with eight lanes, and goes through Tay Ninh province over a distance of more than 23 kms with six lanes. Therefore, finding and balancing the budgets to accelerate the project is now very urgent.

Recently, the Department of Planning and Investment sent a report to the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on investment methods as well as some recommendations to speed up the project progress. According to calculations, the preliminary total investment in Phase 1 of the project will be VND 15,900 bn. In this, construction cost will come to VND 5,417 bn; management, consulting, and loan interest expenses will be around VND 1,836 bn; cost of compensation and support for site clearance and resettlement is expected at VND 7,433 bn, with Ho Chi Minh City giving VND 5,901 bn and Tay Ninh province giving VND 1,532 bn; and contingency costs are expected to be around VND 1,214 bn.

The Department of Planning and Investment recommends Phase 1 of the project under the method of build-operate-transfer (BOT). In this, the State supports the cost of compensation and site clearance from the budgets of the two localities. The rest of the capital comes from the investor, and this cost is collected by the investor under the contract.

Regarding compensation, site clearance and resettlement support, Ho Chi Minh City has agreed with the People's Committee of Tay Ninh province to report to the Prime Minister to divide two projects into compensation, site clearance, support and resettlement through each local area. In addition, during the process of the interdisciplinary appraisal council, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City will direct the Department of Planning and Investment and other departments and sectors to coordinate in appraising the capital source and the ability to balance the City's budget capital to participate in the project according to the requirements of the project.

According to the plan, the Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai Expressway project will start construction in 2023 and be completed by 2025. Currently, Tay Ninh province is waiting for Ho Chi Minh City to submit to the People's Council an investment policy proposal. After the People's Council of Ho Chi Minh City gives its approval, the two localities will carry out the next procedures with the aim of starting the project as planned. According to information from the Department of Transport of Tay Ninh province, all compensation costs will be covered by the local budget. Currently, the compensation budget for site clearance is very large, but for the common goal of contributing to socio-economic development, Tay Ninh province and Ho Chi Minh City will jointly try to balance the budgets.

According to the Department of Transport of Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of Planning and Investment is currently making plans and reporting to the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to prepare to submit to the City Council. After the City Council agrees and approves, the next steps will be carried out. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport added that in this project, the BOT construction and installation part is expected to payback. The site clearance part will be funded by the localities, appraised, then a pre-feasibility study report will be made and submitted to the investment policy makers.

Priority project

Currently, the Department of Planning and Investment has proposed to the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to report to the City Council on the urgency of the project. Accordingly, the project is being invested to meet travel and freight demand, and reduce the load for National Highway 22 Trans-Asia Expressway, connecting economic centers, border-gate economic zones, urban centers of the Southern key economic region with the hubs of seaports and international airports of the region and the ASEAN economic region. Seeing the advantages of highways that have been invested and built in the region, this project will contribute to improving the quality of transport infrastructure, create a breakthrough for the region's socio-economic development, and ensure safety, security and defense.

In addition, the Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai expressway will develop traffic infrastructure, facilitate the exploitation of land fund for urban development along the route and suitable and effective services and industrial zones. Recently at an online meeting of the Minister of Transport, Mr. Nguyen Van The, with the Southern localities on the implementation of a number of projects in the South, the Minister proposed that the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh province coordinate and complete the procedures to submit to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision on investment policy of the Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai expressway project in August 2021.

According to the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, it is expected that the medium-term public investment capital for the 2021 to 2025 period, along with the city budget as per the announcement by the Prime Minister, will be VND 127,683.9 bn for on-going projects. This includes transitional projects and new start-up projects that have been decided by competent authorities, which are projects funded by the central budget, and pre-investment projects that have been allocated capital in the year 2021. Therefore, the Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai Expressway project has not been balanced in the medium-term public investment plan for the 2021 to 2025 period.

Ho Chi Minh City proposes to adjust the expected capital level of the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2021 to 2025 period from investment capital sources in the city, and can mobilize about VND 119,410 bn. According to the Department of Planning and Investment, in case the National Assembly agrees to increase the expected capital level of the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2021 to 2025 period, the Department of Transport needs to review and redefine the priority order of projects in the field of transportation. In particular, the Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai Expressway project must be given highest priority to ensure the capital source and the ability to balance the capital for the project implementation from the additional capital the City can mobilize is the basis for reporting to the City People's Council to consider and decide on the project.

Do Tra Giang
Wandering is one of the more alarming behavioral changes I encounter in my work. It can be harmless in some cases, such as wandering around the house. Weve likely done this ourselves...
The latest return to masking, whether you think it will work or not, feels completely avoidable because a safe and effective vaccine is readily available. Debates around masking seem to have taken our eye off the real target, getting as many people vaccinated as possible as quickly as possible.
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And these are just the ones over the border in Pakistan.

Now, with the vacuum created by this recent withdrawal, the Taliban in Afghanistan (as well as their Pakistani brothers of Tehrik I Taliban) have become emboldened. They are winning, and they know that they are winning, and we have left.

Years ago, my brother Michael was living and working in the Green Zone in Iraq, assisting in the prosecution of Saddam Hussein. He wrote home about the men and women who served as translators, people who risked their lives every day to serve the U.S. government. That government promised to protect them.

And they needed that protection. Those civilians in the Green Zone like my brother were living in one of the safest areas in the Middle East, an almost impenetrable fortress guarded by the most competent, fearless and resourceful troops in the world. The interpreters, on the other hand, lived in villages seeded with informers and terrorist sympathizers. Their families were at risk. They could not hide behind American artillery for their safety. And yet, they showed up every day, and did their jobs, and then squared their shoulders and walked home.
After seven months in the White House, and despite horrible immigration polling, an issue that cost the Democrats the 2016 presidential election, the Biden administration just doesnt care about voters opinions or how sustained open borders will alter sovereign nation America.

Like it or not, open borders are here to stay for the simplest reason. No one in the Biden administration, least of all the president and his Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, wants immigration laws enforced.

The law, 8 U.S. Code  1225, is crystal clear on borders: aliens who do not have a legal right to be present in the U.S. shall be detained pending a final determination of credible fear of persecution and, if found not to have such a fear, until removed.

That is, as former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Andrew McCarthy wrote, even those who credibly claim to fear persecution if returned from whence they came  the infinitesimally small percentage of legitimate refugees among the hordes now seeking entry  are supposed to be held in custody until that claim is fully adjudicated.
Britain warns attack on Kabul airport could come within hours; Biden, Israeli PM to meet for first time; MLS seeing boost in popularity. Here are this morning's headlines.
"Then aligning his body with hers, maybe wrapping coils around her to hold her in place so he can position himself for copulation," said Shine. "But females often aren't interested, so they zoom away and hide in the coral."

Male sea snakes were more likely than females to approach divers, particularly during mating season, according to the study.

In some cases they would flick their tongue at the diver, and in 13 cases they charged at the diver. When a male sea snake charged the diver it came straight after an unsuccessful chase of a female, or following an interaction with a rival male.

Charges by females were observed after they had been chased by males, or had interacted with the diver before losing sight of him.

In three cases male sea snakes coiled around the diver's fin, which is normally observed during courtship.

"These patterns suggest that 'attacks' by sea snakes on humans result from mistaken identity during sexual interactions," reads the study.

Sea snakes may find it difficult to identify shapes under water, according to previous research.
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We just want whatever the consequence or the justice that had been delivered based on the court's ruling to be final, period, Middleton said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Williams, one of the lead prosecutors on the case, said the mass shooting was one of the worst events in South Carolina's history.

"Our office is grateful for the decision of the court, a decision that ensures, as the Court stated, that the harshest penalty a just society can impose is indeed imposed, Williams said in a statement.

All of the judges in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers South Carolina, recused themselves from hearing Roofs appeal; one of their own, Judge Jay Richardson, prosecuted Roofs case as an assistant U.S. Attorney. The panel that heard arguments in May and issued the ruling on Wednesday was comprised of judges from several other appellate circuits.

Following his federal trial, Roof was given nine consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty in 2017 to state murder charges, leaving him to await execution in a federal prison and sparing his victims and their families the burden of a second trial.
Representative image

Moscow [Russia], August 26 (ANI/Sputnik): The Danish air force has finished flights out of Kabul, has evacuated over 1,000 people since the Taliban took over, the Danish Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"The last Danish Hercules plane has taken off from Kabul. Since August 15, the Danish air force has taken more than 1,000 people out of Afghanistan," the ministry said.

The list of evacuees includes diplomatic personnel from the Danish embassy in Kabul, their families, and former translators who assisted the country's troops in Afghanistan, as well as Danish nationals and citizens of some other countries.

On August 15, Afghanistan fell under the control of the Taliban, prompting many countries to begin evacuating their citizens and diplomats, as well as limited numbers of local collaborators. As thousands of Afghans stormed the Kabul airport in the hope of getting out, the radical movement closed the gates to all but foreign citizens. It also warned that all evacuations must end on August 31. (ANI/Sputnik)
Believe it or not, there are still plenty of places in the U.S. where theres no cell phone service and, as a result, no way of navigating with your smartphone on the spot.

You might have to use  brace yourself  a map.

Remember maps? Theyre made of paper, and no matter how hard you swipe, tap or pinch, they don't change. Maps dont have pop-up ads or cookies that track your searches; they might have pictures of local attractions around their edges instead.

And while folding maps might be a lost art, reading them isnt.

As my wife and I plan to drive cross-country, were bringing an atlas of maps as a backup. Its bulky and you have to turn the pages. But we want to be prepared for the unexpected.

8 reasons to bring a map

Its a good idea to bring a map on a road trip as a backup, says Michael Tischler, Ph.D., director of the National Geospatial Program at the U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS. When I was a kid, we always had a Rand McNally road atlas in our car, Tischler says.

But there's more than just the nostalgia factor. Here are a few times when you could be glad to have an old-fashioned map:
SEOUL, South Korea  South Korea has reported 2,155 new coronavirus cases, nearly matching a record daily increase set earlier this month amid an alarming spread of infections.
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Greeces health minister announced plans on Tuesday to impose new testing requirements and attendance restrictions on people who aren't vaccinated against COVID-19.
"Rachel and I became victims of our own success," he said. "The bed and breakfast would make all of its profit for the year by hosting weddings over the course of three or four months. The rest of the year, our location was pretty desolate and too isolated from everything else."

This was especially true for Rachel Westergard, who wanted to go back to school.

"It wasn't an easy decision to make, but moving to the Midwest was the right thing to do," Westergard said. "Rachel enrolled as a business major at the University of South Dakota while we moved to my hometown of Le Mars."

After hearing that longtime Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce of Commerce Executive Director Neal Adler was retiring, Westergard thought his own eclectic background might prove advantageous.

"I've have had the opportunity to wear many hats over the years," he said. "This experience has made me empathetic to the challenges facing different types of industries."

That was important since the Le Mars Chamber executive director would also be the executive director of Le Mars Business Initiative Corporation (LBIC), that centered solely on economic development.
Landrum stabbed the pair after the three had been drinking in the apartment that Adem and Drappeaux shared at 2103 Nebraska St. Drappeaux, 43, testified that Landrum became upset after she rebuffed his sexual advances. He left and returned with a knife, then stabbed her five times in the arm and chest with a steak knife before Adem intervened and scuffled with Landrum. The fight moved outside, where Adem, 37, was stabbed 24 times in the face, chest, back and arms.

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Public defender Billy Oyadare characterized Landrum as a kind man who had helped the couple several times, giving them rides and buying groceries for them.

Landrum testified himself Tuesday that he had had enough of Drappeaux "mooching" off of him by coming to his home to use the shower. Landrum said that on the night of the stabbing, he had gone to her apartment and asked that only Adem come to him for help in the future. Drappeaux became furious, grabbed a knife from her kitchen and attacked him.

Landrum acted in self-defense, Oyadare said, taking the knife from Drappeaux and fending her off before fighting with Adem. Oyadare showed jurors a photo of a cut to Landrum's left hand, an injury that a pathologist testified was a "classic example" of a defensive wound suffered while warding off a knife attack.
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa -- A woman has pleaded not guilty in connection with the slaying of a Lake Park, Iowa, woman.

Allison Decker, 26, entered her written plea Tuesday in Dickinson County District Court to charges of first-degree murder, second-degree theft and conspiracy to commit second-degree theft. Her trial was scheduled for Sept. 21.

Decker and co-defendant Justice Berntson, 24, are accused of killing 25-year-old Angel Bastman in her home. Berntson faces the same charges as Decker and has pleaded not guilty. Both remain in custody in the Dickinson County Jail on $1 million bonds.

Bastman's body was found Dec. 22 at her home at 104 Maple Ave. According to court documents, Bastman was killed at approximately 5 p.m. Dec. 21. Authorities have declined to comment on the cause of death.

In December, investigators determined that Bastman's rental car was missing from her home. Four days later, Sioux City police spotted Berntson driving it in Sioux City. A vehicle pursuit ensued, and Berntson, who gave an Elk Point, South Dakota, address at the time, was arrested after crashing the car.
Three officials familiar with the flight said that State Department, Defense Department and White House officials were furious about the incident because it was done without coordination with diplomats or military commanders directing the evacuation.

The U.S. military found out about the visit as the legislators' aircraft was inbound to Kabul, according to the officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing military operations.

One senior U.S. official said the administration saw the lawmakers' visit as manifestly unhelpful and several other officials said the visit was viewed as a distraction for troops and commanders at the airport who are waging a race against time to evacuate thousands of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others as quickly as possible.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement Tuesday evening taking note of the desire of some legislators to visit Afghanistan and saying she was writing to reiterate that the Departments of Defense and State have requested that Members not travel to Afghanistan and the region during this time of danger. Ensuring the safe and timely evacuation of individuals at risk requires the full focus and attention of the U.S. military and diplomatic teams on the ground in Afghanistan.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  A California agency didn't properly distribute federal relief funds meant to help homeless residents during the coronavirus pandemic, and the mismanagement was so prolonged that local organizations may lose the money because of missed deadlines, auditors said Tuesday.
PHOENIX (AP)  The Arizona Supreme Court has declined to revive an effort to seek the death penalty against a Mexican immigrant charged in the 2015 killing of a convenience store clerk during a robbery in metro Phoenix.

Prosecutors have been asking the courts to revive their intent to seek the death penalty against Apolinar Altamirano ever since a lower-court judge concluded in mid-2019 that authorities couldnt pursue his execution because hes intellectually disabled.

The latest effort from prosecutors came this spring when they asked the Arizona Supreme Court to either conclude Altamirano isnt intellectually disabled or to send the case back to the lower court to make another determination on his disability.

On Wednesday, the states highest court declined to review another court's ruling over the issue.

Altamirano is accused of fatally shooting Grant Ronnebeck, a 21-year-old clerk at a Mesa convenience store, after Ronnebeck insisted that Altamirano pay for a pack of cigarettes. Authorities say Altamirano stepped over Ronnebeck to get several packs of cigarettes before leaving the store.
HANOI (AP)  Vice President Kamala Harris called on Vietnam to join the U.S. in challenging Chinas bullying in the South China Sea, continuing her sharp rhetoric against Beijing as she met with Vietnamese leaders on Wednesday.
Pelosi told her colleagues before the vote that the legislation would lead to a federal investment on par with the New Deal and the Great Society.

She brushed aside the delays. Thats just part of the legislative process, she said, according to an aide granted anonymity to discuss a closed-door caucus meeting.

Not only are we building the physical infrastructure of America, we are building the human infrastructure of America, Pelosi said on the House floor.

Easing off the stalemate will shelve, for now, the stark divisions between moderate and progressive lawmakers who make up the Democrats' so-slim House majority. But as the drama spilled out during what was supposed to be a quick session as lawmakers returned to work for a few days in August, it showcased the party differences that threaten to upend Biden's ambitious rebuilding agenda.

With Republicans fully opposed to the presidents big plans and arguing that Congress should be focused instead on the crisis in Afghanistan, the Democratic leaders have just a few votes to spare. That gives any band of lawmakers leverage that can be used to make or break a deal, as they are in position to do in the weeks to come as moderates and progressives draft and vote on the broader $3.5 trillion package.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  People in Oregon, regardless of vaccination status, will once again be required to wear masks in most public outdoor settings  including large outdoor events where physical distancing is not possible  beginning Friday.

The mandate, announced Tuesday by Gov. Kate Brown, is part of a growing list of statewide requirements implemented in Oregon in an attempt to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19.

Oregon is one of a handful of states with an indoor mask mandate in effect. But it's the first to reinstitute a statewide mask requirement for outdoor public areas where people are close together, according to the governors office.

Over the past month, coronavirus cases, fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant, have overwhelmed hospitals in the Pacific Northwest state. On Tuesday, Brown said 1,000 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized, beating the state's record set the previous day of 937 people.

The Delta variant is spreading fast and wide, throwing our state into a level of crisis we have not yet seen in the pandemic. Cases and hospitalizations are at a record high, Brown said in a statement. Masks are a quick and simple tool we can immediately deploy to protect ourselves and our families, and quickly help stop further spread of COVID-19."
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Gov. Tom Wolfs administration on Tuesday discontinued a lawsuit against IBM after suing the company four years ago, accusing it of failing to deliver on a contract to produce an updated system for processing unemployment compensation claims.

However, Wolf's administration refused to provide a copy of any agreement with IBM, or describe all of its terms.

In a brief statement, Wolf's Department of Labor and Industry said it settled and resolved the lawsuit "following an extensive discovery period and exchange of expert reports and opinions," and revealed no terms other than saying that IBM acknowledged no liability or wrongdoing.

The department did not file any sort of agreement paperwork in Dauphin County court, where the lawsuit had been filed. All it filed was a one-sentence discontinuance Tuesday morning, according to court records.

A department spokesperson would only cite the settlement in refusing to provide any information beyond the four-sentence statement the department had issued.

Private lawyers argued the case for the state, and the department did not respond to questions Tuesday about how much the case had cost it in legal bills.
A small group of Boeing engineers who perform key safety tasks are raising concerns about their ability to work free of pressure from supervisors, and their comments are prompting federal regulators to take a broader look into the companys safety culture.

The employees are deputized to approve safety assessments and handle other jobs for the Federal Aviation Administration, making their independence from company pressure critical.

According to an FAA letter, one of the employees said, I had to have a sit down with a manager and explain why I cant approve something. The worker indicated that the company shopped around for another employee in the engineering unit.

Another employee reported consternation by managers when engineers find fault in designs of components because that can cause delays in delivering airplanes.

The FAA's initial investigation ran from May until July. An FAA official described it in an Aug. 19 letter to Boeing's leader of safety and aircraft certification. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)  Just over half of Floridas 2.8 million public school students now face mandates to wear masks in classrooms as a courtroom battle continues over efforts by Gov. Ron DeSantis to leave such decisions up to parents.
HOUSTON (AP)  The National Rifle Association announced Tuesday it has canceled its annual meeting, which had been set to be held next month in Houston, due to concerns over COVID-19.

The NRAs meeting had been set for Sept. 3 through Sept. 5 and would have been attended by thousands of people taking part in social gatherings and other events on acres of exhibition space.

The organization said it made the decision after analyzing relevant data regarding COVID-19 in Harris County, where Houston is located. Houston, like other Texas cities and communities, has seen a jump in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations due to the highly contagious delta variant. Hospitals in the Houston area and around the state have continued to fill up with COVID-19 patients, with ambulances sometimes waiting hours to offload patients as beds have become scarce.
It sounds like the first group of people that arrived are just relieved to have been able to escape Afghanistan. They won the lottery, theyre here in America, he said. The vast majority are here wanting what we want, the opportunity to raise their families in safety and security, with opportunity.

But Johnson faulted President Joe Biden's administration, saying its assurances about the vetting process was putting lipstick on a pig.

Maybe theyre taking biometrics, but you need biometrics taken beforehand that you can compare them to, he said. It would be nice if we knew everyone even just had an identification card, but Im hearing they dont.

State Rep. Tony Kurtz, who is a veteran, said its important to get the Afghans who worked alongside the U.S. out of Afghanistan.

The vast majority of them are here for the right reason, but all it takes is one and weve got to make sure we do our due diligence, he said. We need to take time, once they get out of harms way, to make sure were getting the right people and doing the proper vetting.
The lawsuits accuse online booking companies of chronically underpaying taxes ranging from 10.5% to 13.38%, calculated as a percentage of gross rental receipts.

Both court filings used an example of an online travel company obtaining a room from a hotel for $150 and selling it online to a customer for $200, then paying the state tax based on the lower wholesale price of $150.

This business model deprives Nevada taxing authorities including Clark County of taxes due them on the full value of the transaction, the county lawsuit said.

The amount in dispute includes more than $100 million in unpaid taxes, plus perhaps another $100 million in damages and penalties, Cristalli said.

The revenue would benefit tourism, school, transportation and local government general fund accounts, according to the county lawsuit filed May 14 in Clark County District Court.

Attorneys representing at least 16 named defendants moved the case in July from state to federal court, where a judge now is being asked whether to send it back to state court.

In state court, a hearing is scheduled Sept. 2 before a judge in Las Vegas who decided in May not to throw out the unusual qui tam civil lawsuit filed in April 2020 by Fierro and Rogich.
As President Lyndon Johnson and the best and brightest of the 1960s were broken on the wheel of Vietnam, the Biden presidency may well be broken on the wheel of the Taliban's triumph in Afghanistan.

Less than a week into the chaotic U.S. withdrawal at Hamid Karzai International Airport, a CBS poll found that Americans, while still approving of President Joe Biden's decision to get us out of this "forever war," were stunned by how badly botched the withdrawal was being executed.

By 75-25, Americans believe the withdrawal is going badly. And those who believe it has gone "very badly" outnumber by 9-1 those who believe it has gone "very well."

Biden's own approval rating has plummeted to 50%, the lowest of his presidency. Yet, the disastrous debacle at Kabul airport is by no means played out. It may yet become worse, far worse.

For it is difficult to believe the United States can get all its citizens out by Biden's deadline of Aug. 31, and impossible to believe we can withdraw all of our imperiled Afghan allies from that 20-year war who today live in terror for themselves and their families.
Two Nebraska National Guard units are slated to deploy to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the southwest border in early October.

The deployment could last up to a year, according to Maj. Scott Ingalsbe, spokesperson for the state National Guard.

A total of about 150 guardsmen from the Nebraska Army National Guard's 1-376th Aviation Battalion, based in Grand Island, and the 128th Engineer Battalion, based in Columbus, will deploy at the direction of the federal government, according to Ingalsbe. They're replacing units from other states that have been deployed there, he said.

"Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command and its forward operational command, U.S. Army North, the Nebraska National Guard units mission is to assist CBP by providing aviation and engineer support," Ingalsbe wrote in an email.

He did not offer a more specific location where the soldiers will be based.
Experts and advocates are unaware of any voter fraud cases involving impersonation in Nebraska in the last century, but that doesnt mean the states elections have always been free of mischief and corruption.

Democracy was a crude system, said David Bristow, a historian, author and editor of Nebraska History Magazine. Over the years it has gotten more sophisticated.

These were fraudulent things that happened in the past, but which are now prevented by modern election laws and practices, Bristow said.

Here are some examples, courtesy of Bristow and articles he provided to The World-Herald.erritorys first election, just a fraction of people living there could vote because of exclusions. Most residents were Native Americans, Bristow said, and automatically ineligible. And even within the white population, women were ineligible.

Even by the standards of the day, it was amateur hour, Bristow said. Picture trying to run an election among a small number of people spread thin over the prairie, living in dugouts and tar paper shacks.
Our hospitals are full. Our healthcare workers are tired. Parents and guardians are scared to send their children to schools, Eddy said Tuesday in a statement as she pleaded for people to get vaccinated and wear masks again in public.

Public health officials said it will be difficult to track cases back to the 11-day fair in Des Moines. Its likely to take at least five days for symptoms to show up and seven to 10 days for cases to be seen in the data, said Dr. Meghan Schaeffer, an epidemiologist working as a consultant for Polk County.

In Polk County, 54.7% of population is fully vaccinated and coronavirus cases have increased 175% in the past three weeks. Area hospitals have 109 COVID-19 patients.

We have not seen a trend in COVID-19 hospitalizations like this since the last COVID-19 surge, which took place in October of 2020, the Polk County Health Department said in Tuesday's statement. Four of the hospitalized are under age 18, the highest number of patients that young the county has seen.

County health officials said they expect the surge in new cases to continue because school has started and people are not following COVID-19 prevention strategies, including wearing masks in public indoor settings.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Nebraskas health agency has rejected a request from Douglas County health officials for approval to issue a countywide mandate requiring people to wear face masks indoors.

The health department for Douglas County  Nebraskas most populous with more than 580,000 people  revealed Tuesday it had asked the state approval for a mask order. Later Tuesday, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services denied the request, with state Director of Public Health Gary Anthone saying his agency had to balance the benefit to the public with individual liberty.

Under the circumstances, imposing restrictions on every individual at a a district level is not appropriate, Anthone wrote in his denial.

Gov. Pete Ricketts, who oversees the state agency, has steadfastly opposed mask mandates, even as COVID-19 cases have soared.

Douglas County Health Director Lindsay Huse said Tuesday at a county board meeting that she had sought the state's approval for a countywide order that would have been in place until community transmission dropped below the substantial category and until eight weeks past approval of a COVID vaccine for children ages of 5 to 11.
"But my teachers and my community never gave up on me, and I got a fair shot," Bohannan said in her campaign announcement video.

The first in her family to go to college, Bohannan paid for her degree in environmental engineering from the University of Florida by also working for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, before attending law school.

In Congress, Bohannan said she will fight to ensure hard-working Iowa families and small businesses receive "a fair shot" to get ahead.

"I don't think hardworking people should lose everything when they have one bad break," Bohannan said. "If people are working hard, they deserve a fair shot. And that's why I'm running. ... I just want to work to find real solutions to real problems."

She used the bipartisan Senate-passed $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and $1.9 trillion COVID-19-stimulus package as examples.

"It has serious money in there for broadband, for infrastructure like roads and bridges," Bohannan said of the infrastructure bill, which awaits a contentious House vote. "It's going to benefit Iowa as much or more than it benefits any other state. It wasn't everything everybody wanted, but it was a good bipartisan compromise. And that's the kind of thing we should have more of in Washington."
First Premier is known for issuing high-interest credit cards to those with poor credit. Sanford, now retired, started it in 1986 amid a rush by lenders to take advantage of South Dakotas lax lending laws.

Sanford told the AP in 2016 that he wanted his fortune to have a positive impact on children after his hardscrabble childhood in St. Paul, Minnesota. His mother died of breast cancer when he was 4, and by the time he was 8, Sanford was working in his fathers clothing distribution company. He, along with two siblings, lived in a small apartment.

Stanford has since given away close to $2 billion.

You can only have so many cars and all of that kind of stuff so put it into something in which you can change peoples lives, Sanford said in 2016.

Sanford Health CEO Bill Gassen announced in March that the billionaire was donating an additional $300 million to the hospital system that bears his name. He told South Dakota Public Broadcasting at the time that it took the reports of the investigation seriously, but was satisfied that they were not substantiated.
Update, Aug. 25, 2021, at 9:35 a.m.: After this story was published, OnlyFans tweeted a statement announcing its intention to go back on the ban on pornography, saying it had secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community.

Every year since 2013, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, or NCOSE, has published a Dirty Dozen list of companies they believe are major contributors to sexual exploitations. New to the list in 2021 was OnlyFans.com, the hugely popular site for cam models and independent pornographers, described by NCOSE as the latest iteration of the online sexual exploitation marketplace. The group insists that OnlyFans facilitates sexual exploitation, harms minors, and emboldens men to objectify and degrade women, and the companys inclusion on the list was a sign that it had become a target for anti-porn crusaders.

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In the days following last weeks announcement by OnlyFans that it would ban sexually explicit videos, Victory! was the word prominently displayed on the NCOSE website. The group takes much of the credit for pushing the site to ban porn beginning Oct. 1. Its the groups second big victory in under a year: NCOSE also claims some of the credit for pushing Mastercard and Visa to cut major ties with the worlds largest porn site, Pornhub.com, last December. NCOSEs unequivocal goal is to put companies that peddle in pornography out of business, and supporters of the organization believe they are succeeding.

Pornographers are committing the biggest crimes of the century! were the first words I heard from Laurie, an evangelical anti-porn activist and staff member at a large anti-porn organization that hosted a conference I attended as a researcher in 2019. (Laurie is a pseudonymI had to offer anonymity to staffers for access to the conference.) She was leading a session called Pornography and the Law. I started the day at a continental breakfast where I sat with three white women in their 20s, all friends, who had flown to the East Coast from Portland, Oregon, where one roasts her own coffee beans. They all are passionate about sex trafficking, as one described to me, and are members of the same church.

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In the conference session a few hours later, Laurie explained that there are two main crimes committed by pornographic websites: the crime of obscenity, meaning the distribution of any material so offensive that it is not protected by the First Amendment, and the crime of facilitating illegal activities, including sexual assault, rape, and human trafficking. Obscenity is not now, nor has it ever been, legal in this country, Laurie explained. Obscenity in 2019 is as illegal as it was in 1919 and 1819, but nobody is enforcing these laws, she told us in an exacerbated tone. Internet pornography is a complete cesspool full of rapists and pedophiles who are documenting their crimes, Laurie said to nodding heads. If the laws were enforced, pornographers would be off the streets and where they deserve to be: in jail.

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Evangelical Christians have been focused on criminalizing pornography and prosecuting the porn industry for well over a century. But as a sociologist who has spent years studying the contemporary anti-pornography movement, Ive watched evangelicals lean toward new tactics as the pornography industry itself has changed.

In decades past, anti-porn Christian activists have pushed for the enforcement of obscenity laws that date back to the late 19th century as a way to combat the porn industry. Obscenity laws, though, have become notoriously difficult to prosecute since a Supreme Court ruling in 1973, Miller v. California, when the court created what is now called the Miller standard that distinguishes obscenity from other forms of protected speech based on varying community standards as well as literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. Which is to say: Laurie is correct when she says that obscenity is still a crime, but incorrect in describing all pornography as obscene. Since the 1970s, the courts have consistently distinguished pornography from obscenity, the former protected under the First Amendments right to free speech.

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The primary strategy of the anti-porn movement in the 21st century is to use laws against sex trafficking to limit porn. The latest of these, SESTA-FOSTA, signed into law in 2018, situates all internet pornography on tenuous grounds: It amends the Communications Decency Act of 1996 to remove the protection granted to websites for the content of its users if that content is found to promote or facilitate the prostitution of another person. In other words, under SESTA-FOSTA any website with sexual content could be feasibly held legally liable for sex trafficking, a term only loosely defined. Anti-porn activists take advantage of this.

OnlyFans existing terms of use require that all people using the site are over 18 and that they do not display obscenity. This means the site has a long list of words that are banned, from Abduct to Zoophilia. Anti-porn activists have warned that websites with user-uploaded content, like OnlyFans, only superficially comply with the law, and that its easy for users to thwart both age and content verifications. But it is perfectly legal for consenting adults on OnlyFans to share pornographic content. Thats part of why its a popular option for sex workers, particularly those who want to produce content independently and free from the oversight (and sometimes direct pressure and coercion) of the agents and directors in commercial pornography.

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Though OnlyFans has said publicly that scrutiny from banks motivated their move to ban all sexually explicit videos, fears over government scrutiny may have also played into their decision. Its announcement came just over a week after Republican Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri sent a letter with over 100 signatures to the Department of Justice urging the attorney general to investigate OnlyFans.com for criminal activity. The letter came at the urging of several inter-connected anti-pornography organizations, including NCOSE.

Though NCOSE touts itself as nonpartisan and nonreligious, the group got its start in the 1960s as Morality in Media, an ecumenical group of clergy united in their opposition to pornography. Today, the group maintains its religious ties through a leadership of conservative Christians and alliance with Christian organizations. Still, NCOSE has benefited from alliances with anti-porn feminists concerned about womens exploitation, including Gail Dines and Julie Bindel, and secular porn addiction recovery groups, such as NoFap.

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While secular feminists and many recovering porn addicts insist their problems with porn are not due to moral opposition to sexual explicitness, they have signed onto a movement that was started by and continues to be led by conservative Christians. And religious activists use these other groups to make the anti-porn movement seem more diverse than it actually is.

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I heard about the so-called diversity of the anti-porn movement repeatedly as I traveled to events across the country. Evangelical activists insisted the problems with porn transcend any religious belief system and instead can be measured as objective forms of harm. Yet in my research, I find that religious actors continue to dominate anti-porn efforts, even if behind the scenes. Whether through resolutions passed by states to declare pornography a public health crisis, a petition signed by millions to shut down Pornhub.com, or the latest move to push OnlyFans.com to ban porn, these efforts can be traced back to organizations with religious roots.

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When anti-porn groups use language about trafficking, they hope to attract broad support, since all of us can agree that no person should be forced into labor or servitude, sexual or otherwise. Yet groups like NCOSE and others led by conservative Christians use trafficking as an umbrella term for all sex work, including that which is legal and consensual. According to NCOSEs guiding values, the commodification of sex acts is inherently exploitative.

As many sex workers have pointed out in the wake of OnlyFans announcement, executives will not face the brunt of harm caused by the sites new policy. Instead, its sex workers themselves. Camming is by far one of the safest forms of sex work, and without this major platform, many will be forced to consider riskier forms.

The victory for NCOSE and groups like it when it comes to OnlyFans is not the reduction of sexual exploitation. It is the victory of getting antisex work beliefs a firmer hold within politics and corporations.
This summer, Haiti has witnessed one tragedy after another. First, in July, there was the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Then in mid-August, an earthquake struck in a rural zone southwest of the capital. A few days later came flooding due to a tropical storm. Jonathan M. Katz, an former Haiti correspondent who writes the newsletter The Long Version, says many of his old friends and colleagues in the Caribbean island have had enoughand that no one should perceive Haiti as being unlucky, but rather as being long exploited. What are the real origins of Haitis compounding disasters (spoiler alert: The U.S. has played a big role), and what would really get the country up on its feet? To dive more into Haitis disasters, the history that explains why Haiti lacks resources in the first place, and what Haitians actually need, I spoke with Katz on Wednesdays episode of What Next. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Mary Harris: If youre an American whos sitting here thinking, I guess should I give money to the Red Cross to help Haiti, should you do that?

"A vanishingly tiny fraction of all the money that was spent or talked about ended up in the hands of Haitians."  Jonathan M. Katz

Jonathan M. Katz: No, that I wouldnt do, because that doesnt really help anybody. The Red Cross doesnt address the root causes of the problems in Haiti, and in fact has a history of adding to the root causes. We, as Americans have played a major role in causing Haitis povertylike, a direct role in making Haiti as poor as it is today. I would say that if Americans want to get involved in fixing Haitian poverty, that is possible, but it means first and foremost addressing the inequities and the extraction and all of the roiling that we have done in the past. It really takes a lot of digging and self-awareness.

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Is it worth looking at the 2010 earthquake as an example of how the will to help is there, but the resources arent? And that, when the resources come in, they come in in the wrong way?

Oh, 100 percent. When people rememberif people even now rememberthe quake from 11 years ago, they often remember that there were these big, totemic money figures floated about. But where did the money go? If you actually look back at that, youll see that much more was pledged to Haiti than was ever delivered, and the vast majority of the money that was given never went to Haiti. It just went in circles from one hand to the next in the donor countries. One of the biggest figures was a half a billion dollars to the U.S. Department of Defense. The point of that money was to fund a military response, which did do some things, like help repair the port in Port-au-Prince. But the vast majority of that money, the vast majority of time and resources, was there to prevent social unrest, and to essentially keep people from leaving Haiti and coming to the United States. The risk of all of those things happening was extremely overblown. But, you know, the vast majority of U.S. soldiers dispatched to Haiti never left their ships. They never set foot on Haitian soil.

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And they were there to do a job they didnt really need to be doing.

Exactly. So, you mentioned the Red Cross

Which also had a half-billion dollars.

Exactly. It spent that money internally. Im not saying necessarily that it was pocketedthis is how an organization works. It has people whose salaries and travel have to be paid. And the Red Cross bought a bunch of hygiene kits and tarps, and distributed those. But, you know, a vanishingly tiny fraction of all the money that was spent or talked about ended up in the hands of Haitians. I mean, it was far less than 1 percent. And much of that went to the Haitian elite.

The vast majority of ordinary Haitians saw nothing: They got a tarp, they got a T-shirt from an NGO, maybe they got a bag of rice that lasts them a couple of weeks, and that was it. So they end up clearing the rubble themselves, repurposing it, and rebuilding their own homes. And the way they rebuild their homes is as fragile and unsafe as it was before the last disaster struck.

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Haitians are, by necessity, the most self-sufficient, creative people you will ever meet in your life. The problem isnt a lack of knowhow or a lack of desire or will. It is really a lack of material resources. But understanding why those resources are lacking in Haiti is necessary in order to figure out how to fix that problem.

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Part of what I really appreciate about your reporting is that you put disasters like this earthquake or the 2010 earthquake in a wider context of how Haiti has been exploitedEuropean countries coming in and draining it of resources in all kinds of ways and setting the country up for failure. I wonder if theres one example in particular that contextualizes the historical roots of whats happening now.

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Haitis real claim to fame in the world is that it is the only country ever born out of a successful revolution by enslaved people. It was a French colony called Saint-Domingue, and the enslaved people who were brought there from Africa rose up, overthrew slavery, defeated the most powerful army in the worldNapoleons armyand made themselves free in 1804. And for that they were rewarded with exclusion and exploitation by other countries, many of whom, especially the United States, were still practicing slavery and did not want this example of a self-freed people reaching their own enslaved population.

They feared it.

Yes. And that is a major theme of American history leading up all the way to our Civil War. Theres talk all throughout the 19th century about another Haiti happening.

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Werent Haitians also compelled to pay back the people who had enslaved them?

Exactly. Frances biggest response was in 1825. King Charles X sent over some gunboats and said: I got a great offer for you guys. Its an offer you cant refuse either. You pay us back for your freedom, for the land that you your fathers and mothers were enslaved on. If you do that, we will give you diplomatic recognition. And if you dont, were going to reinvade and bombard you. And Haiti agreed to the deal. Haitians paid back every cent of what ended up being 90 million gold francs, which is worth about U.S.$20 billion today. The principal was paid back by the 1880s and the last bit of interest was paid back in 1947.

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All of the resources, all of the customs revenues that could have been kept in Haiti and used to build the country, to build infrastructure, ended up going to French planters. But more than that, in order to fill the hole of the Haitian budgets, the government had to take out major loans. Some of those loans were taken out from U.S. banksthe most important one of those that was involved was the City Bank of New York, now just known as Citibank, under Citigroup. In 1914, in order to ensure that Wall Street banks got their debt payments paid, the U.S. Marines came ashore, went into the Haitian central bank, basically stole half of Haitis gold reserves, put them on a U.S. warship, took them to Wall Street, and put them in a vault there.

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That set Haitian politics into a complete tailspin. In the summer of 1915, the last Haitian president who was ever assassinateduntil Moise was assassinated just a couple of weeks agowas assassinated in that context, which then was the pretext for a U.S. invasion. And it led to an occupation that lasted until 1934, which was the longest time the United States has ever militarily occupied a foreign country until that record was broken by the U.S. in Afghanistan in the past year.

Youve drawn this parallel between how the United States has behaved in Haiti and more recently in Afghanistan, and Im wondering if we can draw that out a little bit more here. At the same time this summer that Haiti was suffering so many tragedies, the United States was pulling out of Afghanistan. How would you compare and contrast these relationships, between the United States and Haiti and the United States in Afghanistan?

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The United States involvement in both countries started with invasions to thwart what it considered to be hostile, militarized movements. In Afghanistan it was the Taliban. In Haiti it was basically guerrilla fighters known as Cacos, who operated especially in the mountains of northern Haiti. We set up puppet governments in Afghanistan with Hamid Karzai. In Haiti we set one up with Philippe Dartiguenave, who was just this milquetoast senator who had no real constituency. Dartiguenaves government had to depend on the Marines for protection, and the Marines came up with the idea of setting up a Haitian client military instead of just having Marines thereto set up basically a police force and fight the insurgents in our stead in Haiti, which was called the Gendarmerie dHaiti. The same thing has been tried in many other places that the United States has since invaded, occupied, etc. In Afghanistan, thats the Afghan National Security Forces.

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Do Afghanistan and Haiti also share this history where nongovernmental organizations come in and try to do some of the work that you would traditionally think a government would do?

Absolutely. Afghanistan is a great example of a country where the United States blows it up and then, in order to rebuild, it assigns itself and its defense contractors and humanitarian groups to rebuild what it just blew up. Haiti is a very similar case. The United States implemented an explicit policy of bypassing Haitian governments and standing up what are now known as NGOs in its place.

I think some people in the U.S. would say the whole reason we need to stand up these outside organizations in countries like Haiti and Afghanistan is because when the governments are not necessarily trustworthywhen theres corruption and graftif we are filtering our money through third parties instead of the governments, maybe more of it will get to the people who need it. What would you say to that?

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I would say that that is a sensible reaction in theory, but it doesnt really jibe with the evidence on the ground.

Why not?

If it were the case that there was this endemic corruption and the United States and foreign NGOs are just trying to work their way around it, then you would expect that at the very least, corruption would be reduced, right?

So youre saying the corruption came with U.S. involvement, was a byproduct of it.

Absolutely. Corruption is often talked about as the excuse for not giving money to Haitians. But then we then end up making Haiti a more corrupt place than it was before. The U.S.s power players in Haiti are this very tiny elite who have their hands in all kinds of violence and drug trafficking and really, really nasty stuff.

If the U.S. and other countries were helping Haiti the right way, what would that look like?

Honestly, the biggest thing is just to put money in Haitians hands. And I dont mean the elite. Put money in the peoples hands so they can rebuild their own lives in the best way they see fit. Haitians can do it. They just need the money and the resources and the time to do it.

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Two American congressmen secretly visited Kabul on Tuesday, hitching a ride on military aircraft for an unauthorized 14-hour tour of the already chaotic U.S. evacuation effort in Afghanistan. The two House membersDemocratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Republican Rep. Peter Meijer from Michiganare both veterans of the Iraq war, and said their fact-finding mission was to give them a better understanding of the situation on the ground in order to provide better congressional oversight of the U.S. wind down of the war effort.

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Administration officials expressed dismay with the rogue trip, saying it distracted from the already frenzied effort to get Americans and allies safely out of the country by President Joe Bidens Aug. 31 deadline. Some questioned whether the congressmen took seats from other would-be evacuees and diverted scarce resources to ensure their safety that could have been better used elsewhere. One administration official portrayed the visit to the Washington Post as moronic and selfish while a U.S. diplomat described it as one of the most irresponsible things Ive heard a lawmaker do. In response, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to House members Tuesday to reiterate that the Departments of Defense and State have requested that Members not travel to Afghanistan and the region during this time of danger.

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Moulton and Meijer, however, pushed back against this characterization in a statement about how they came to decide to visit Afghanistan. America has a moral obligation to our citizens and loyal allies, and we wanted to make sure that obligation is being kept, they said. As members of Congress we have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch. There is no place in the world right now where oversight matters more. We conducted this visit in secret to minimize the risk to the people on the ground. Both Moulton and Meijer have been proponents of extending the drawdown date beyond the end of the month and reiterated their calls for an extension based on their trip. After talking with commanders on the ground today and seeing the situation for ourselves, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, no matter what we do, we wont get everyone out on time, even by 9/11, they said.

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Since the trip was not part of an official delegation, the two congressmen embarked on a patchwork journey to Kabul, first hopping a commercial flight to the United Arab Emirates. A spokesman said the pair paid for the flights with their own money and then figured out a way onto an empty military flight going into Kabul where they landed around midday local time. The lawmakers did not appear to have a return plan when they arrived in Kabul other than they pledged to leave only on a flight that had spare room, so as not to take a spot from someone on the ground. The two House members ultimately departed the country roughly 14 hours later, around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, in seats they say were designated for crew members, not evacuees.
On Tuesday night, the Supreme Court issued one of the most radical orders in recent memoryand it did it in three sentences, unsigned. By a 63 vote, the conservative justices attacked the presidents authority to conduct foreign policy (a principle it had vehemently preserved throughout the Trump presidency) by compelling the Biden administration to revive Donald Trumps Remain in Mexico policy, which required all asylum-seekers who arrive at the Southern borderincluding many fleeing violence in Central Americato wait for their U.S. immigration hearings in Mexico. This 2019 policy, the product of extensive negotiations between the Trump administration and the Mexican government, has been suspended for about 17 months. On Aug. 13, however, a single federal judge issued a nationwide injunction ordering the government to reinstate the long-dormant program immediately. Late Tuesday, the Supreme Court blessed this unprecedented hostile takeover of the executives immigration policies without bothering to explain how or why.

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The implications of Tuesdays decision are profoundly disturbing. The conservative justices spent the bulk of the Trump years insisting that courts must defer to the presidents constitutional authority over foreign affairs. Now they have allowed a lone Trump-appointed judge, Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, to force the government into sensitive diplomatic negotiations over border policy. Their decision even grants Kacsmaryk sweeping authority to oversee these negotiations so he can ensure that the Biden administration is pushing Mexican officials hard enough to revive Trumps program, something the administration does not want to do. And they have seemingly abandoned their skepticism toward nationwide injunctions like this onea position some held when it allowed them to undermine the federal judiciarys check on Trump. In the process, the six Republican-appointed justices have injected chaos, confusion, and cruelty into the United States border policy, thrusting thousands of asylum-seekers into legal limbo.

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The Supreme Court gave special immigration policy deference to Donald Trump, turning a deliberate blind eye to racist motives for the Muslim ban, under the theory that the executive branch has unique constitutional authority over immigration policy. But now, this same court, aided by a raft of conservative jurists, will refuse such deference to Biden. For those who continue to insist that the Supreme Court transcends politics, these flip-flops should prove otherwise.

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Perhaps the most perverse aspect of the litigation over Remain in Mexicoalso known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPPis that the policy itself is illegal. The Immigration and Nationality Act does allow the government to return a narrow class of migrants to contiguous territory while they await hearings. But, as a federal appeals court explained in 2020, the law does not allow the government to send the vast majority of asylum-seekers back to Mexico to await hearings. Doing so violates the United States treaty obligations as implemented in the INA, which bar the government from sending refugees back to countries where they fear persecution.

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Because MPP is illegal, the Biden administration should not have had trouble repealing it. Making matters easier, Trump himself suspended the program in March 2020, replacing it with new COVID-related restrictions. It was only in effect for about 14 months and had already been suspended for 17 months. Bidens Department of Homeland Security began to repeal the program back in January, and in June, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued a seven-page memo explaining why he was officially rescinding the policy.

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The attorneys general of Texas and Missouri promptly sued, arguing that the rescission was illegal. They brought their case before Kacsmaryk, who issued an astonishing decision on Aug. 13, claiming that MPP wasnt just permissible under the INA, but actually required. Why? According to Kacsmaryk, asylum-seekers awaiting a hearing must either be detained or sent back to Mexico; they cannot be released into the U.S. Were that true, it would mean the U.S. government had inadvertently been violating federal law for nearly a quarter-century. But it is objectively false: Another provision of the law expressly permits the government to parole migrants into the U.S. at its own discretion. Kacsmaryk ignored this statute, declaring that the Biden administration must either detain every migrant who arrives at the U.S.-Mexican border or send them back to Mexico.

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Kacsmaryk went further than simply reinstating the program. He attributed the current border surge to Bidens repeal of MPPa fundamentally political claim that is not at all supported by the record. He used this claim to give the states of Texas and Missouri standing, finding that they faced the burden of providing health care, education, and even drivers licenses to asylum-seekers who would otherwise be held in Mexico. Kacsmaryk rejected U.S. officials declarations, made under oath, that restoring MPP would require negotiations with the Mexican government, falsely asserting that the U.S. could unilaterally compel Mexico to hold thousands more migrants within its borders. (It cannot.) He gave the government just one week to revive the program.

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We have no idea what even constitutes an emergency, or which parties have standing, or what the legal reasoning might be.

A panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (which included two Trump nominees) declined to disturb Kacsmaryks decision. The Biden administration, faced with the prospect of reinstating an unlawful program that no longer exists and cannot be implemented unilaterally, sought emergency relief at the Supreme Court. That move teed up an easy opportunity for the Supreme Courts conservatives to demonstrate its lack of politicization: Throughout Trumps presidency, lone district courts issued nationwide injunctions against his immigration policies, and virtually every time, the Supreme Court lifted these injunctions, often without explanation, letting the policies take effect. In some of these decisions, the conservative justices insisted that courts grant broad deference to the presidents foreign policy decisions, a constitutional principle that reaches back centuries.

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This case gave the full court a chance to exhibit consistency between Republican and Democratic presidents. Instead, they tore up the rules they established under Trump and allowed Kacsmaryk to dictate the administrations foreign affairs. They did not even narrow the scope of his injunction, even though Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch decried these kinds of nationwide injunctions when they were issued against Trump.

If the six justices in the majority truly believed that Mayorkas memo rescinding the program was arbitrary and capricious, as they implied in their opaque order, they could have asked for a better-reasoned decision. When Chief Justice John Roberts blocked Trumps attempt to kill DACA, he laid out exactly how the president could redo the repeal lawfully. But this time, the court gave zero guidance as to how the Biden administration can fix its errorit didnt even identify the alleged error. The booby prize is that the court alluded to language from the 5th Circuit decision finding that the administration will not violate the court order if it tries in good faith to reinstate the Trump-era policy. What constitutes good faith when youre dealing with a defunct program and a third-party government? No one knows. So, the threat of sanctions now hangs over government officials who must initiate delicate diplomatic negotiations at the direction of a judge who does not understand immigration law.

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Immigration lawyers have long objected to the Remain in Mexico policy on humanitarian grounds. When the policy was first enacted in 2019, asylum-seekers were detained under horrific conditions in camps rife with violence, rape, torture, and disease as they awaited their immigration hearings in the U.S. Human Rights First has identified more than 800 violent attacks on asylum-seekers stuck in Mexico under MPP, including kidnapping, rape, and murder. It is no accident that one of Bidens first actions as president was to formally suspend it, even as his larger record on border control remains mixed.

As we have suggested in the recent past, the problem with late-night emergency orders written as haikus on Post-it notes stuck to the front doors of the Supreme Court isnt just that the parties must scramble, without guidance, to discern what it is the court wants them to do. In this case, perhaps tens of thousands of desperate asylum-seekers and their families have absolutely no clue as to what the law is now and why. We have no idea what even constitutes an emergency, or which parties have standing, or what the legal reasoning might be.

Not very long ago, the high court used its shadow docket to spank what it deemed runaway district court judges arrogating power to set immigration policy in violation of Trumps orders. Now, the same shadow docket is being used to hand federal immigration powers to runaway district court judges, with no rule or principle set forth beyond the fact that Biden should just lose, because they say so.
The reaction to the news that the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine had been approved by the Food and Drug Administration should have been cause for pure celebration. But, even among fans of the vaccine, the reaction on social media was not entirely positive, thanks to its awkward name: Comirnaty. Twitter user Christopher Bouzy wrote, The person(s) who came up with this name should never be allowed to name anything ever again. They shouldnt even be allowed to name their pets. Nancy Friedman, a linguistic expert on branding, opined that Comirnaty is a meh name: it sounds strained and laborious. She compared the Pfizer name with SpikeVax, the brand name currently being used for the Moderna vaccine in Europe. As Friedman noted on her blog, SpikeVax is fun to say and it gets your attention, because spike is not a neutral word.

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But Pfizer/BioNTech had gone with Comirnaty. According to the website Fierce Pharma, the name developed by the branding firm Brand Institute is a blend of four elements: COVID-19, immunity, mRNA (the vaccine technology that Comirnaty uses), and community.

My own first reaction to Comirnaty was also unease. As a phoneticiana linguist who studies how the sounds of the worlds languages are produced and perceivedI initially commiserated with others on Twitter who complained it feels like sticky peanut butter in the mouth. Linguistically, some aspects of Comirnaty are confusing in comparison to other English words were familiar with. For starters, according to the FDA press release, it should be pronounced koe-MIR-na-tee. Even that phonetic transcription choice is unclear: How are we supposed to pronounce MIR? While the letter sequence mir can rhyme with her (as in mirth), as I believe they are intending, it can also have other pronunciations, as in words like mirror or mired.

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Then, that er sound immediately provoked ridicule, recalling the beloved Ermahgerd meme. As Twitter user Tim Lampe quipped, Strong Ermahgerd pronunciation of community energy over here. Ultimately, American English speakers will most likely pronounce it almost like community, except with co for the first syllable and mer instead of myu for the second syllable (komni for fans of the International Phonetic Alphabet).

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Linguistic research shows that people are more likely to rate a nonword as having better wordlikeness when sequences of sounds in the nonword are more frequent in existing words of their language. For example, gwesht is considered an unlikely word of English, because the sequences gw and sht are found in few words of English. On the other hand, grisp, containing more frequent sequences like gr and sp, is rated as a better possible word of English. While there are some words that have elements similar to Comirnaty, it is a pretty limited set. Words like paternity, maternity, eternity, and, ironically, modernity, come to mind, but the sound sequence mirn in English is found mainly in the name Myrna, which peaked in popularity in 1938 according to the Social Security baby name database. This is enough to reduce the wordlikeness of Comirnaty. Also, longer nonwords are often rated as less wordlike than shorter ones.

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Another reason for initial discomfort with Comirnaty may have to do with its spelling. If it is supposed to evoke immunity and community (and be pronounced similarly), it would be more reassuring if it ended in ity. An -ity ending would have also ensured that readers knew to stress the mir syllable, since -ity always has what linguists call antepenultimate stress: stress on the third to last syllable, as in the inspirations of imMUnity and comMUnity. As for that a instead, the creators were clear that mirna is meant to evoke mRNA. And I can only assume that the little i was considered a visually minimal deviation from the mRNA acronym compared to e, which might have been a more phonetic spelling. Though, if they had gone with Comyrnaty, perhaps that could have been parlayed into a public health campaign to address vaccine hesitancy featuring Myrna vanquishing Rona.

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But the more I thought about Comirnaty, the more I started to root for it. Its a little sappy and overwrought, but its goal is to package all of the magic of an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 into one nine-letter word. Linguists use the term blends to refer to those mashups of two or more words, from the common brunch to the humorous snowpocalyse to the trendy cronut. Its not trivial to come up with a four-part blend, with one part being an acronym, no less. Even if the final product is a little unwieldy, I still applaud Brand Institute for its earnest effort.

Besides, as the Fierce Pharma article informs us, BioNTech and Pfizer were apparently considering alternatives like RnaxCovi and RNXtract. Comirnaty might be a little clunky and maybe theres some initial confusion about the right pronunciation, but who would have preferred RnaxCovi instead? As for Johnson & Johnson/Janssen, maybe we still have time to dissuade them from naming their vaccine Jcovden, Jcovsen, or Jcovav. Comirnaty may not inspire immediate adoration, but Jc at the beginning of a word would surely unleash new levels of social media scorn.

In the end, no matter how clever or awkward Comirnaty may be, we may just end up calling it the Pfizer vaccine forever. Netflix wanted us to call its DVD service Qwikster and Disney apparently expected us to call Baby Yoda Grogu, but just because a company introduces a new name doesnt mean people will use it. Especially when, no matter how much we appreciate it, it still does feel a little like peanut butter in your mouth.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Slovak film about British sailor wins top prize in America

Sailing legend Paul Johnson never learnt about the success as he died in June of this year.

Slovak documentary "The Sailor" won an award at the Rhode Island film festival in the USA in mid-August. (Source: Facebook/The Sailor)

When she met Paul Erling Johnson, an old sailor, on a small island several years ago, Slovak documentary filmmaker Lucia Kasova knew in that split second that her next documentary would be about him.

The Sailor, as she called the documentary, recently saw a triumphant American debut when it won an award at the Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Read also

Read also Slovak cinematographer Strba will decide on Oscar awards Read more

An intimate and profound portrait, judges said about the Slovak documentary, which took home a grand prize in the category of best feature documentaries in mid-August.

The film is a great example of fine documentary filmmaking, the jury added, celebrating the dynamic bond between filmmaker and subject.

The Rhode Island event, which is one of ten festivals in the world that act as an Academy Award qualifier in several categories and a qualifier with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, saw a record entry base of 6,843 submissions this year.

It is an honour, said Kasova after learning she and her team had won the main prize at the US festival.

Sea gypsies

The producer of the film, Nazarij Klujev, called their recent success a huge satisfaction after three years of work on the documentary, noting that their aim was first and foremost to show The Sailor to global audiences.

The idea behind the Slovak documentary arose in Kasovas head a decade ago when she visited the Caribbean islands, where she came across a community of sea gypsies.

Those people threw away their passports, did not carry a flag of their home country, the documentary filmmaker said. The sea became their nationality, she added.

Sailor Paul Johnson died in July 2021, director Lucia Kasova announced on Facebook. She said: "I am thankful that he let me inside and allowed me to shoot this film, for his honesty and friendship and being the special person he was." (Source: Facebook/Lucia Kasova)

However, the work on the documentary about that community began only after she met 80-year-old sailing legend Johnson in a small grocery shop in Harvey Vale in Carriacou, an island of the Grenadine Islands, when she told herself the old sailor would best represent the community.

Kasova described him as an iconic symbol of freedom who had lived his life to the fullest, despite being lonely, before he passed away in June of this year, aged 83.

Sailor from day one

This film is a contemplation about his choices after a lifetime of freedom before he embarked on his final journey of no return, the director said.

Johnsons life was always linked to the sea. He was born on a ship in the south of Great Britain and accompanied his parents on their expeditions.

A few years after he lost his twin sister in the Second World War, he decided to buy a 1895 dinghy and sailed across the Atlantic. Johnson sailed up and down the oceans and built trendy vessels all his life.

He sailed the world with various women and had three kids that he knew of, Kasova claimed.

video //www.youtube.com/embed/cHsaVuKqZik

Though he tried living on the mainland several times throughout his life, mostly to earn money before his next adventure, the filmmaker added that he never got used to that kind of life.

But as a very old man, he had no choice but to settle down in Carriacou in the end, drinking vodka instead of expensive rum aboard his boat before his final trip.

The Slovak director maintains that the film about Johnson is the reason why she wanted to join the film industry, adding: It is a film I needed to make.

25. Aug 2021 at 12:03 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Lets offer safety to people from Afghanistan, NGOs call on government

The public may join the call by signing an online petition.

In this photo, taken on Aug. 16, 2021, hundreds of people gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane along the perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Source: TASR)

We are watching the situation in Afghanistan worsen dramatically. For many inhabitants of the country, especially for women and girls, the Taliban taking over means a direct threat to life, fundamental rights and freedoms.

This is a statement issued by the Human Rights League and Mareena, Slovak NGOs who are calling on the Slovak government to offer safety to more people from Afghanistan. On August 19, the Slovak government brought 24 people to Slovakia from Afghanistan. Most of them were Slovak citizens, people who have cooperated with Slovakia and their families.

Slovakia ready to grant asylum to 10 Afghan citizens Read more

NGOs claim that they have 100 names and counting of people who should be rescued from Afghanistan. Several people in Slovakia have expressed concern about the situation in Afghanistan.

One of them is an Afghan who has lived in Slovakia for several years. He fears for his sister, a student of medicine in Slovakia, who went to visit family and is stuck in Afghanistan. It is not clear whether she will successfully return and finish her studies.

I am very afraid of her future and the safety of my family; the situation is unpredictable, the brother said.

Public petition

Many of the people these NGOs in Slovakia want to help have a family or acquaintances in Slovakia and thus a support system.

The Taliban hates educated women, says Afghan-Slovak filmmaker rescued from Kabul Read more

Both organisations have managed to obtain support from employers, educational institutions and cities that can offer people who come from Afghanistan to Slovakia scholarships or other forms of assistance.

The initiators, together with other non-profit organisations, have launched a public call asking the Slovak government to provide security and a chance for a dignified and free life to other people in Afghanistan who are at risk by creating an aid programme for them. More than 3,700 people have signed it so far.

24. Aug 2021 at 11:20 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Minimum wage sees year-on-year growth

Tripartite meeting didnt heed the demands of unions.

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The minimum wage in 2022 will be 646 a month.

Labour Minister Milan Krajniak (Sme Rodina) announced the sum after tripartite negotiations, which took place between the government, trade unions and representatives of businesses last week.

The automated status quo will be upheld, which dictates that the minimum wage should be no less than 57 percent of the average wage from two months ago. Thus, the minimum wage saw a year on year growth of 23.

The tripartite meeting did not go in favour of the Confederation of Trade Unions (KOZ), which demanded the adjustment of the automated increase of the minimum wage to 60 percent. Had their wishes been fulfilled, the minimum wage for 2022 would have been 680 a month.

On the contrary, the tripartite meeting ended in favour of employers, who recommended a status quo automation of 57 percent.

The Federation of Employers Associations (AZZZ SR) originally wanted to freeze the minimum wage at last year's level, citing the effects of the pandemic.

Following the tripartite meeting, the AZZZ wrote that their position was that it would recommend an increase in minimum wage automation to 60 percent of the median wage in the future.

The AZZZ would also advocate ending minimum wage entitlements in the future. The Association of Industrial Unions and Transport along with the National Union of Employers have expressed similar positions.

The Association of Towns and Villages in Slovakia had no significant remarks to add to the proposal.

25. Aug 2021 at 12:06 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Deputy culture minister dismissed without explanation. Some imply political games

Zuzana Kumanova has been supported by several Roma organisations active in Slovakia, who disagreed with the proposal.

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Zuzana Kumanova of the junior coalition party Za Ludi ended in her post as the state secretary (deputy minister) at the Culture Ministry.

The cabinet recalled her from the function at its August 25 session. She will be replaced by former MP Viera Lescakova on August 26, the SITA newswire reported.

Though the proposal to replace Kumanova was officially submitted by Culture Minister Natalia Milanova, it was in fact initiated by Veronika Remisova, investments minister and chair of Za Ludi. Some have already criticised her for this, claiming she is doing so only because Kumanova supports a small faction within the party that wants to replace Remisova.

Meanwhile, the representatives of Roma organisations opposed the proposal as well, saying that Kumanova, who is Roma, is an expert, while Lescakova does not know anything at all.

Kumanova heard no complaints about her work

Kumanova took the post at the Culture Ministry in October 2020. She started out as an independent expert and then joined the party, as she wrote on Facebook. When working at the ministry, she was responsible for EU funds, national minorities, Slovaks living abroad and the state language.

25. Aug 2021 at 17:06 | Compiled by Spectator staff
The Grand Circuit rolls into Canada in a big way this weekend with major stakes events slated for Woodbine Mohawk Park on Thursday (Aug. 26) and Saturday (Aug. 28).

Some of the possible contenders for the 2021 Mohawk Million will be in action on Thursday (Aug. 26) with five divisions of the Champlain Stakes  three for male trotters and two for the fillies.

Fillies begin the Thursday night stakes action with a seven-horse contest in the second race. Delilah Hanover leads the charge as the 2-1 morning line favourite following a third-place effort in the $326,850 Jim Doherty Memorial behind Venerable. Bob McClure drives the daughter of Muscle Hill from trainer Richard Nifty Norman from post 3 against a field including Resolving, who posted an 11-1/4 length victory in an Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold division at Grand River Raceway on July 28. Trevor Henry pilots that Robert Fellows trainee from post 7.

The second division for the fillies, carded as Race 6, puts the unbeaten record of Adare Castle to the test. Mark Etsell trains the daughter of Muscle Mass who owns three OSS Gold victories  her most recent a 1:55.3 head decision on Aug. 20 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. James MacDonald has the drive from post 2 as the 2-1 choice.

Colts and geldings have their first Champlain split in Race 4, with the Marcus Melander trainee Letsdoit S leading the nine-horse charge. The Nuncio colt ships north from an eighth-place finish in the $293,450 Peter Haughton Memorial after tiring from a first-over trip. Doug McNair grabs the drive behind the colt from post 6.

Division two for the colts and geldings, going as Race 7, aligns a full field fronted by Twin B Archie, who just missed victory in a Gold event on Aug. 19 by a neck in 1:55.1. James MacDonald stays in the bike behind the Archangel gelding for trainer Scott McEneny and starts as the 5-2 morning-line choice from post 2.

Another undefeated rookie will try to extend its unbeaten record in the final Champlain division, set as Race 10. Paul MacDonell pilots Duly Resolved from post 4 for trainer John Bax after coasting to a 1:56.3 victory in a Gold division on Aug. 19. The gelding by Resolved has won in all four of his outings and moves onto the Grand Circuit as the 5-2 morning-line favourite.

Saturday is loaded with stakes action for multiple groups of horses, with pacing two-year-olds competing in the $279,600 Nassagaweya, two-year-old pacing fillies in the $227,300 Eternal Camnation, pacing sophomores in the $171,500 Somebeachsomewhere and three-year-old pacing fillies in the $169,550 Simcoe Stakes.

Division one of the Nassagaweya includes the Casie Coleman Herlihy trainee Contact Zone, who sped to a 1:53 victory in a division of OSS Grassroots on Aug. 16 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. He starts form post 2 in a field that includes Century Inspector, who finished third in the $251,050 Battle of Waterloo; Nautical Hanover, who was runner-up in the $86,500 Dream Maker Series; and Many Moons, who holds the swiftest speed badge of the group with a 1:51.3 mark taken in a preliminary of the Dream Maker.

Battle of Waterloo champ Betterhavemymoney will try to rebound in the second Nassagaweya division following a fifth-place effort in a Gold split on Aug. 14. James MacDonald pilots the Nick Gallucci trainee who scorched the Grand River track to take its signature race by just a head in 1:52.4 back on Aug. 1.

Sophomore pacing fillies battle in the Simcoe following the Nassagaweya with an overflow field of 11. Voelz Delight tops the field from post 5 following a second-place effort in a Gold division at Rideau Carleton on Aug. 22, which came after she won an OSS split at Grand River on Aug. 2. Sylvain Filion retains the drive for the Benoit Baillargeon trainee in a field also including OSS stars Best Head West and Grassroots graduate Twin B Sunkissed.

Freshmen pacing fillies then start in their first division for the Eternal Camnation in Race 6. I Love Ongait competes from post 2 in this affair off a fourth-place finish in an OSS Gold split on Aug. 17 in a field that also draws Big Bettor Hanover, who finished second in the $145,060 Battle of the Belles on Aug. 2.

The second division of the Eternal Camnation goes towards the tail of the card as the evenings twelfth race. Nick Gallucci trainee Prohibition Legal will look to keep her unbeaten record intact following three-straight victories against Gold competition. James MacDonald pilots that probable favourite from post 5.

North America Cup prospects start their stakes action on Saturday in Race 8, the first division of the Somebeachsomewhere. The field includes last seasons Grassroots champ Second Bruiser and Desperate Man, who upset Lawless Shadow and Bulldog Hanover in a division of OSS Gold on July 25 at Georgian Downs. Summa Cum Laude also ships north for the first division as last years Breeders Crown champ will try to rebound from a seventh-place finish in the $100,000 Max Hempt Second Consolation.

Bulldog Hanover leads the second division of the Somebeachsomewhere riding back-to-back victories against Gold competition. Jody Jamieson drives the Jack Darling trainee from post 4 in a field including Jimmy Connor B, who put in a powerful 1:50.1 performance in a division of Grassroots on Aug. 20; his stablemate and last years Battle of Waterloo champ Bettor Sun; and Nick Galluccis upstart Powertrain, who will try to get back on the wagon following a break in a Gold division on Aug. 21.

Saturdays card also features potential starters for the upcoming $316,000 Roses Are Red Stakes in a $35,000 Fillies & Mares Open Pace and Canadian Pacing Derby prospects in the $34,000 Preferred Pace. First-race post time for both the Thursday and Saturday cards is 7 p.m. (EDT).

With 12 horses entered for the Roses Are Red, eliminations are not required for the Saturday, Sept. 4 final. The field of a dozen is listed below in alphabetical order:

Gias Surreal

JK First Lady

Karma Seelster

Keep Rockin A

Lit De Rose

Lyons Sentinel

Machnhope

Major Occasion A

Marloe Hanover

Peaky Sneaky

Rocknificent

So Much More

Only Jk First Lady, Lyons Sentinel and Peaky Sneaky will not race in this Saturdays Mares Open.

The post position draw for the Roses Are Red final will be conducted on Saturday evening.

To view Thursday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Thursday Entries - Woodbine Mohawk Park.

To view Saturday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Saturday Entries - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Two trotters shipped into The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 24)  Katkin Morgan from Hoosier Park, Nezblanc from The Meadows  and promptly won the two trotting segments of the $15,300 tri-features.

The Donato Hanover gelding Nezblanc posted the faster mile, equaling his lifetime best of 1:53.1 and leading at every call for driver George Napolitano Jr., the perennial Pocono leader who won five races Tuesday. Aaron Johnston trains the trotter who looks to be headed for better things for owner Richard Hess.

The Guccio gelding Katkin Morgan was impressive in his own way during his 1:54.2 victory  he was last at the quarter, not prime territory from which to launch a winning bid locally, and sixth at the stretch call, but Anthony Napolitano had him rallying strongly and was along in plenty of time for trainer Peter Pellegrino and Brett Boyd Racing Inc.

The third feature was a pacing contest in which the Rockin Image gelding Stellar BB followed the cover of Tell Them Lou, then caught that rival by a nose to post his fourth victory in his last five starts. The 1:51.2 winner paid a very George Napolitano Jr.-unlike $37.40 in getting the nod in the picture for trainer Darren Taneyhill and owner Eric Prevost.

Hambletonian Oaks champion Bella Bellini makes her first start since winning the classic three weeks ago, taking on older rivals in a $19,300 event that will be co-featured on Saturday (Aug. 28) with two $35,000 Pennsylvania All-Stars events for three-year-old pacing fillies. The card on Saturday begins at 12:30 p.m.; program pages will be available at the PHHA website.

(PHHA / Pocono)
The rookie trotting stars of Atlantic Canadian harness racing will meet Thursday evening (August 26) in the Brian Andrew Memorial Stakes at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

The 12-dash presentation has a 6 p.m. opening post time with $12,150 Andrew divisions in Races 2 and 4.

Up Helly AA headlines the eight-horse field in Race 4 in an Andrew split for two-year-old trotting colts. Driver Ken MacDonald will strut his .792 driving average into the division as the Antigonish, P.E.I. reinsman has 11 wins from just 15 driving starts in 2021. His wife, Clare MacDonald, trains the son of Armbro Barrister for owner Riley Farms Ltd., of Summerside, P.E.I. Up Helly AA has won his last four stakes races including taking a mark of 2:04.4 at Summerside and equalling it in Charlottetown. Stablemate Cadillac leaves from post eight in the class with Clare MacDonald training and driving the son of Tad The Stud who scored his first victory last week in Atlantic Sires Stakes action in Charlottetown in 2:04.3.

Ontario-bred Pay Up Jack is also in the field for trainer/driver Kenny Arsenault from post five. The Angus Hall colt was a winner in 2:04.2 his last outing.

Peter MacPhee likes Up Helly AA on top of the Post Time Picks as the most probable winner of the night. Up Helly AA is rolling along right now and has won four straight at four different tracks across the Maritimes. Were wagering MacDonald will want to boss it from the word 'go' and if they do clear to the lead, it could be a high five.

The other $12,150 Andrew Memorial division lines up in Race 2 for the two-year-old trotting fillies. Red Shores Summerside track record holder Defriended has post three in the class with Myles Heffernan Sr. above the wheels for owner Jackie Heffernan and trainer Myles Heffernan Jr. Other top entries in the distaff are Along For The Ride (to be driven by Brian MacPhee) and Berts Legacy (Paul Lanigan).

Race 6 is the D and G Younker Memorial with Mile Hill Willie (Gilles Barrieau) making his return to action off a month-long hiatus in the $2,100 class.

Race 7 is the Happy 80th Birthday Bert McWade Pace with Top Of Her Trade (Walter Cheverie) favoured for the lions share of $1,600.

Catch all the action live at the track or tune into the worldwide broadcast at Redshores.ca. Live streaming is also available on the Red Shores Youtube page and you can wager online at HPIBet.com.

To view Thursday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Thursday Entries - Charlottetown Driving Park.

(Red Shores)
But cases started a steady climb the last week of June and that soon became a rapid climb, with cases doubling every two weeks as the delta variant started tearing through mostly unvaccinated people. Last week, Lancaster County recorded 788 cases, the highest number in seven months. The Health Department said the county has averaged at least 100 cases a day since Aug. 17.

The increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations has also led to an increase in deaths.

Lancaster County reported three more deaths Tuesday, a woman in her 50s, a woman in her 90s and a man in his 90s. Two of the victims were unvaccinated.

The deaths bring the total this month to 18, more than in May, June and July combined. Bryan Health reported six deaths over the weekend and 22 just in the past two weeks.

Cases have been surging elsewhere in the state as well. According to numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nebraska had 3,755 cases for the seven-day period ending Friday, a 41% increase from the previous week.
Cindy Osterloh, whose husband pushed a relative in a wheelchair beneath the idled cables, said she and family members visiting from San Diego were all on allergy medications to take the sting out of their eyes and keep their noses from running so they can ride out the smoke for the rest of their vacation.

We got up and it was a lot clearer this morning. We went for a walk and then we came back and now its coming in again, she said of the smoke. Were going to go and see a movie and hopefully it clears up enough that we can go do our boat rides.

An army of firefighters worked to contain the blaze, which has spread explosively in a manner witnessed in the past two years during extreme drought. Climate change has made the 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.

Massive plumes have erupted in flames, burning embers carried by gusts have skipped miles ahead of fire lines, and fires that typically die down at night have made long runs in the dark.
A pair of young brothers had to take control of their SUV and steer themselves to safety when their dad was fatally shot Friday night while driving on a Texas freeway.

Their father, a 29-year-old man, had been driving a Toyota Sequoia on Interstate 10 in Houston with his sons, ages 8 and 6, when he was shot just before 11 p.m., Houston Police Department (HPD) Public Information Officer John Cannon told CNN.

The victim's sons then steered the SUV off the freeway to a strip mall parking lot where one of the children got out of the car and ran to get help, Cannon said.

Their father was pronounced dead at the scene and both boys were unharmed, he added.

Police are looking for the shooter and investigating a motive while piecing together what led to the fatal shooting.

"We don't know if it was targeting or road rage," Cannon said, adding that it may have been something else.

HPD is looking for a "white passenger vehicle," Cannon said.

Investigators will canvas the area to look for any witnesses and will review video footage from the cameras on the freeway to "see if this was captured at all," Cannon said.
I will not lie. I want lots of space placed between a beautiful duck gliding on the marshes and the duck a lorange carefully arranged on my plate. And Ill never forget the jarring sight of a hawk plucking a baby duck from the water. Its pathetic little quacks still haunt my ears.

FROMA HARROP Froma Harrop is a syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate and contributor to CNN Opinion. Follow her on Twitter @FromaHarrop. She can be 

As you may guess, hunting is not my thing. But as a meat eater, I cannot get on any high horse about those who shoot animals for sport or food or both. Ducks in the wild eat fish and frogs. Guess the duck and I are all locked onto the same food chain, whereby one creature depends on the next as a source of nourishment.

And that leads us to an interesting little controversy over, of all things, a government regulation on duck art.

Every year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service runs a competition for a portrait of a swimming bird to appear on the federal duck stamp. Sportsmen pay $25 for the stamp, which gives them the right to hunt for waterfowl on Americas wildlife refuges. The service uses the proceeds to help manage these essential habitats.

The controversy centers on a Trump administration rule that the winning piece of art include some depiction of hunting. Supporters assert that the hunting imagery would showcase the reality that hunters contribute mightily to the cost of refuge preservation.
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After canceling its awards banquet in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the N.C. Department of Labor invited recipients of its safety awards for 2021 to Statesville for a lunch in their honor, hosted by the Statesville Chamber of Commerce.

What you all have accomplished when it comes to workplace safety, and the total commitment on behalf of your organizations, is something we can all be proud of, Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson said. There is a direct correspondence to organizations like yours that make a commitment to workplace safety and reduce injury and days away from work rates.

Dobson, who assumed office in February, visited with the workers from the area who were in attendance and acted as the keynote speaker for the event. He commended all of the organizations that received awards for not only their commitment to workplace safety, but also their ability to adapt their policies to keep workers safe during the pandemic.

This is the first time that every individual in North Carolina is dealing with the same personal problems with COVID-19, he said. You all met that challenge and addressed those problems head on.

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The film From the Ground Up: The Reconstruction of Fort Dobbs, which details the reconstruction of the French and Indian War site, is set to be included in the Library of Congress.

The G.L. Wilson Building Co., a local general contractor, which partnered with the Friends of Fort Dobbs and Fort Dobbs State Historic Site to rebuild it, announced the news.

The reconstruction of Fort Dobbs was a milestone event for the Statesville community, the Friends of Fort Dobbs and all those involved over many years, Tom Wilson, the companys president, said. The film From the Ground Up: The Reconstruction of Fort Dobbs was produced to commemorate the hard work, dedication and construction expertise of all those who labored in the reconstruction. To be recognized by the Library of Congress with the addition of the film to the permanent collection is truly an honor and will forever commemorate the efforts of so many.

The short documentary was directed by Emma Wegmiller and produced by G.L. Wilson Building Co. in 2019. It will be accepted into the librarys collection under the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division, the companys release says.

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Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell County is one of only four programs in North Carolina to be named a 2021 Hospice Honors Elite recipient.

The annual review by HEALTHCAREfirst recognizes agencies that continuously provide the highest level of quality care as measured from the caregivers point of view. It acknowledges the highest performing agencies by measuring caregivers responses to the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems hospice satisfaction survey.

This is the sixth time in eight years that HPCIC has received the Hospice Honors Elite recognition, and it really speaks to the dedication of our staff and the extraordinary care we provide, Terri Phillips, the hospices president & CEO, said. To have received this honor during a year our staff was also coping with a pandemic makes it even more meaningful. We are humbled that the families we have served rated our care at the highest level.

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Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell Countys mission is to honor life by providing extraordinary care with comfort, compassion and dignity to patients, families and community. In the surveys caregivers complete, many express how dedication to that mission helped them in a difficult time.
ABINGDON, Va.  Virginia first lady Pamela Northam last Wednesday praised the innovation of the staff at Blue Mountain Therapy in Abingdon, especially their plans to use horses to communicate with children who have special needs.

The recently relocated therapy center now occupies the former Dixie Pottery building along Lee Highway, just off Interstate 81s Exit 13.

Earlier this summer, it was granted a special-exception permit from the Washington County Board of Supervisors to host horses on the property for equine therapy  a concept Northam, a former therapist, says she relishes.

Im very excited about that. I grew up riding horses in central Texas. And I know what working with animals like that can mean to your average young person, Northam said. But also those with special needs, weve seen tremendous gains in therapy.

She added that she considers horses a wonderful tool that can be used to really engage students who have communication disorders.

Northam continued touring schools and facilities later in the week with stops at Grundy and Richlands.
Many of our healthcare workers  those we rely on to care for us and our families  are worn out and stressed, and we cannot afford to lose them. They go to work every day, see the devastation and hold the hands of those who are dying because family can't be present. They do this because they are trained to give care to those in need, and they do their best with what they have, knowing there are limited treatments for COVID-19, and no cure.

This surge is entirely preventable and healthcare workers feel as if their community is letting them down. Many view the rejection of vaccines as betrayal, when they can see a potential end to the exhaustion, loss and sacrifice.
I started feeling like I was not alone anymore, Thomas told Jones during her victim impact statement. I really thought I found a great group to help me with this new way of living.

Brown said he saw Thomas and her children as family, noting that he babysat Thomas daughter while Thomas was in jail.

But, somewhere along the way, the relationship between the two families soured.

Thomas said Brown harassed her and her children, calling them names and making her daughter cry. She said Brown and his family would wait for them to come outside, just so they could say hurtful, heartbreaking things to us.

Dogs were sicced on them and trash thrown in their yard, Thomas told Jones.

And he burnt a cross in my yard on my birthday, the day of my sons protest, she said.

Though she said she still had love for Brown, Thomas told Jones that no amount of jail time could make up for how she and her children were terrorized. She said she decided to give it to God who would give it to Jones.

Im going to walk out of here knowing justice was served, she said.
A Marion, Virginia, man who burned a cross on the front yard of an African American family in June 2020 following a civil rights protest, was sentenced Friday to 18 months in prison.

James Brown, 41, pleaded guilty in April to criminal interference with federally protected housing rights based upon the victims race.

When Brown burned a cross in the victims front yard, he carried out a despicable act of intimidation, interfered with a federally protected housing right, and broke a serious federal law, Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Bubar said in a news release.

Bubar said the sentence demonstrates that such threatening acts of hatred will be investigated and prosecuted.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador said there is zero tolerance for someone violating anyones civil rights. He said civil rights violations continue to be a top priority for the FBI. He asked that anyone with knowledge of a hate crime report it to law enforcement.

Brown burned a cross on the front yard of an African American family in the early morning hours of June 14, 2020. One of the family members, 17-year-old Travon Brown, had organized a civil rights protest the day before in Marion.
In many cases, the new bill wouldn't apply to laws enacted in the years since the court's 2013 ruling. That likely includes the wave of new Republican-backed restrictions inspired by Donald Trump's false claims of a stolen 2020 election.

But if signed into law along with Democrats' other election bill, the For the People Act, many of those restrictions could be neutralized  and likely prevented from getting approved again. Both laws would likely face legal challenges.

In the short term, the vote Tuesday was expected to soothe restive Democratic activists who have been frustrated by inaction on the issue in the Senate.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson said he was encouraged by the bill's passage. But he also offered a thinly veiled threat, pledging to watch closely as the Senate takes it up and keep track of every yea and every nay" vote.

Make no mistake, we will be there, on the ground in 2022, in every state that needs a new Senator, he said in a statement.

Democrats' slim 50-50 majority in the Senate means they lack the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. For months, progressives have called for scrapping the filibuster, but a number of moderate Democrats oppose the idea, denying the votes needed to do so.
Im optimistic in how the House of Delegates races are developing, Youngkin said. I think there are more than six  we need six to get back a majority  and there are more than six I think we can turn. The polling is really positive, with our race being neck and neck as we head into the second half of September and October. Were also seeing it across delegate races. Delegate races that maybe were leaning a little more Democrat back three or four months ago are neck and neck, and ones we thought were neck and neck, were ahead. So I feel really good about our ability to take the House.
But this vote effectively deprives the public of seeing something other than two obviously partisan maps. Thats not good and goes against the spirit of what voters thought they were getting.

3. Legislators likely get protected.

The commission voted to include the home address of legislators in the mapmaking. In other words, mapmakers will be able to intentionally protect certain legislators of their party or perhaps intentionally draw districts disadvantageous to certain legislators on the other side.

This vote goes directly against what voters were expecting. The whole point of a redistricting commission is that voters are tired of legislators picking their own constituents and not the other way around. Pure redistricting pays no heed to where legislators live.

This 9-6 vote found all the Republicans and a minority of Democrats voting in favor of inclusion. Considering that Republicans are in the minority in the Legislature, this seems an odd position for them to take. In any case, it raises the specter that this Frankenstein monster of a commission will be in the incumbent protection business  for both parties.

The one good thing the commission did was vote to minimize the splitting of counties and cities between multiple districts.
President Joe Bidens defense of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was callous, self-serving and deeply unconvincing. Above all, it was beside the point. The question is no longer whether U.S. troops should have stayed. Its how the U.S. can minimize the damage caused by this grievously bungled exit.

Some of the gloating among U.S. rivals is overdone, but theres no doubt U.S. credibility has suffered a crippling blow. Abandoning loyal Afghan allies to their fate will haunt future U.S. interventions around the world. Friends have been snubbed. Rival powers will take heart. Terror groups that were always going to be hard to target from afar are now set to grow bigger and faster than before. Recovering from this debacle will require long, painstaking effort.

It must start with telling the truth. So far, the president has refused to recognize this misadventure as a failure. If a mess of this order doesnt qualify, its hard to know what would. Biden needs to be honest, not blithely unyielding in his own defense.
The songwriters talk about what prompted them to write their songs before they perform the songs. Its a marvelous experience to be there, said Ledgerwood.

Stanley and other members of the songwriters group also have free performances on the first Friday at The Arts Depot and on the second Saturday at the Abingdon Farmers Market.

Its a very creative group, and I think thats what is the most enjoyable, said Mary Munsey, music director at Virginia Highlands Community College, who is the facilitator for the songwriters group.

Other similar organizations in the region include songwriter groups in Roanoke and Knoxville.

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According to Munsey, the idea for the group spun out of the Richard Lee Songwriters Contest sponsored by the Abingdon community college.

Some folks thought it would be fun to start their own local group. Its not associated with the college, but they allow us to meet there.

Before COVID-19 struck in 2020, the group met the first Thursday each month. Since then, Munsey has tried to keep the group going by meeting via Skype and Zoom, and when weather permits, with a backyard gathering at her home.
BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip (AP)  From the shell of their sitting room, its wall blown open by Israeli missiles, Zaki and Jawaher Nassir have a window into their neighborhoods upheaval.

In one buildings skeleton, children play video games atop a slab of fallen concrete. In another, a man stares out from beside a bed covered in debris.

Until this neighborhood was hammered by the fourth war in 13 years between Israel and Hamas, the Nassirs often sat by their window, watching children play. Now they watch demolition workers hack away at the wreckage so they and their neighbors can start rebuilding -- again.

We have no peace in our lives and we expect that war can happen again at any time, Zaki Nassir says.

The story of the Nassirs, their neighbors and the toll of four wars is Gazas story.

Since 2008, more than 4,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflicts, over half of them civilians. The Israeli death toll stands at 106.

The Islamic militants, who reject Israels right to exist, have fired thousands of rockets across the border. Israel, which considers Hamas a terrorist organization, has repeatedly hit the Strip with overwhelming firepower that, despite its high-tech precision, continues to kill civilians.
I expected Gov. Jay Inslee to order mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for all eligible college and K-12 students last week.

He stopped short of that, requiring the vaccinations only of all teachers and staff at public and private schools. His order also applies to childcare and early learning workers who supervise kids from multiple families, and the only exemptions are for religious or medical reasons.

The orders are perhaps the most sweeping in the nation directed at stopping the rapid spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. The governor should be lauded for joining the federal government and a growing number of employers around the nation in imposing vaccine mandates on workers.

But did Inslee go far enough? We are in the midst of a pandemic of the unvaccinated, and one could argue that all students, too, should be vaccinated against COVID as they become eligible  as they have been against a host of other diseases for decades.

Its clear the only way were going to defeat this evolving and tricky disease is with mandatory vaccine policies. There is too much resistance to masks and social distancing measures, which are hard to enforce. No amount of cajoling, educating and incentivizing people will convince the many who make excuses or accept voodoo online medicine to avoid getting jabbed.
In this April 13, 2021, file photo, environmental activists wearing a mask of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and protective suits perform to denounce the Japanese government's decision to release treated radioactive Fukushima water, near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea. Japan's government adopted an interim plan Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021 that it hopes will win support from fishermen and other concerned groups for a planned release into the sea of treated but still radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant. Credit: AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, FIle

The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said Wednesday it plans to build an undersea tunnel so that massive amounts of treated but still radioactive water can be released into the ocean about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) away from the plant to avoid interference with local fishing.

The operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, said it hopes to start releasing the water in spring 2023. TEPCO says hundreds of storage tanks at the plant need to be removed to make room for facilities necessary for the plant's decommissioning.

An official in charge of the water discharge project, Junichi Matsumoto, said TEPCO will construct the undersea tunnel by drilling through bedrock in the seabed near its No. 5 reactor, which survived the meltdowns at the plant, to minimize possible underground contamination or leakage of radioactive ground water into the tunnel.

Increasing amounts of radioactive water have been stored in about 1,000 tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi plant since 2011, when a massive earthquake and tsunami damaged three reactors and their cooling water became contaminated and began leaking. The plant says the tanks will reach their capacity late next year.

The government decided in April to start discharging the water, after further treatment and dilution, into the Pacific Ocean in spring 2023 under safety standards set by regulators. The idea has been fiercely opposed by fishermen, residents and neighboring countries including China and South Korea.

The offshore discharge using a pipeline enclosed inside a concrete tunnel is an attempt to minimize the "reputational damage" that would occur if the contaminated water is released close to marine life off the Fukushima coast.

In this Feb. 27, 2021, file photo, the Pacific Ocean looks over nuclear reactor units of No. 3, left, and 4 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan. Japan's government adopted an interim plan Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021 that it hopes will win support from fishermen and other concerned groups for a planned release into the sea of treated but still radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant. The government decided in April to start discharging the water into the Pacific Ocean in the spring of 2023 after building a facility and compiling release plans under safety requirements set by regulators Credit: AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File

Under the plan released Wednesday, the water will be released at a depth of about 12 meters (40 feet) below the ocean's surface, said Matsumoto, who works for Fukushima Daiichi Decontamination & Decommissioning Engineering Co., a company created by TEPCO.

A pipeline enclosed in undersea tunnel is safer than simply laying a pipe under the seafloor in the event of a major earthquake or tsunami, he said at a news conference.

TEPCO plans to dilute the contaminate water with large amounts of seawater to reduce the concentration of radioactive materials below allowable limits. Plant workers are to sample the water ahead of its release and examine samples of seawater from multiple locations daily. Japan has obtained the International Atomic Energy Agency's agreement to cooperate in the water sampling and monitoring.

The controlled release, with an annual cap on radioactive materials, will continue for about 30 years, or until the plant's decommissioning ends, Matsumoto said.

TEPCO said it plans to apply to the Nuclear Regulation Authority for a safety review of the tunnel plan after gaining support from local fishermen and other residents. It hopes to start construction so the discharge can start in spring 2023.

The government on Tuesday adopted an interim plan that includes a fund to cushion the impact of any negative reports about the discharge and compensate fisheries and other local businesses for any damage.

Japanese officials have said the ocean release is the most realistic option for disposing the water, which they say is required for the decommissioning of the plant. Government and TEPCO officials say tritium, which is not harmful in small amounts, cannot be removed from the water, but all other isotopes selected for treatment can be reduced to safe levels before release.

Explore further UN nuclear agency to help monitor Fukushima water release

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
South Hills (15301)

Today

Cloudy with showers. High 69F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 53F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
South Hills (15301)

Today

Overcast with rain showers at times. High 69F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 52F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
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David Blackorby, state chair of the Texas branch of ESGR, said one of the most important aspects of the award is that it must be initiated by employees. TEEX did not receive just one nomination, but three from employees who have benefitted from the agencys support.

One of the nominators was Lt. Col. Andrew Wenzel, who serves as an infantry officer with the Texas Army National Guard and is a TEEX program director. Were part-time service people, and clearly sometimes they call us up and thats disruptive for the employer, so the employers support for that in saying, Hey, well manage; do what you need to do. We got your back, thats really powerful, he said.

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Wenzel said he and his fellow nominators all know people who do not have the same amount of support from their employers and sometimes have to make the decision to leave their uniform service.

Capt. Stephen Bjune, part of the air medical evacuation team in the Air Force Reserve and a training manager with Texas A&M Task Force 1, said they do not have to worry about if they will have a job when they return from a deployment or if their family will have help and support if needed.
Dr. Melissa Viray, deputy director of Richmond and Henricos health districts, said in a Friday media briefing the localities have no plans for large-scale events unless we absolutely have to  opting instead for community-focused pop-ups.

Viray said she also thinks about what hasnt changed to limit the threat of cases increasing this past year.

Among them: the ability to isolate safely when in a multi-generational household and stay home when quarantining is needed without worrying about losing wages; having food access and stable housing through income stability; not hesitating to get a vaccine because theres no paid sick leave to use if there are side effects the next day.

Then, in addition to concerns of not reaching higher vaccination rates fast enough, Viray said there are fears pandemic fatigue might result in people being tired of listening to public health departments and following precautions.

We can continue to build the infrastructure to be able to maintain this containment and vaccination, Viray said. But if we dont overcome these obstacles of people not being able to stay home when theyre sick or people who are not vaccinated, we cant get off this ride.

There have been improvements to containment and vaccine efforts, Viray said, but some of the greatest challenges to limiting an increase in cases are the same as last year.
It would be a chance for Lemons, facing retirement in 2024, and fellow conservatives installed on the court by the General Assemblys former Republican majority, to demonstrate a measure of independence that the current Democratic majority warns is unlikely. They cite the justices Republican-friendly rulings that, for instance, ahead of the 2016 presidential election, preserved administrative obstacles to restoring the voting rights of felons who have completed their penalties.

The court-as-cartographer scenario has startling urgency because, having received from Washington census figures generally viewed as good news for Democrats and bad news for Republicans, the commissions proceedings gave way to an unsubtle hissing match that exposed the panels potential fatal weakness: that it can be commandeered by its legislators intent on preserving the status quo  gerrymandering.

How else does one explain the commissions willingness to consider election returns and the addresses of incumbents  and, by implication, those of prospective challengers? Such information was routinely included in the knotty equations that determined legislative and congressional lines when they were  as they were for more than two centuries  the handiwork of the General Assembly.
During Annevar this year RAV had Army National Guard helicopters land at the site, and more than 100 people came to see the helicopters as well as take ATV rides on the trail.

The group was awarded a $15,000 grant from the Arthur Klinkacek Community Enrichment Fund in July, and they have received more than 150 donations from people, businesses and organizations. In total, there has been more than $208,000 raised toward the $300,000 goal.

They have applied for a grant with the Nebraska Game and Parks Recreational Trails Program that could award up to $250,000.

Since fundraising has gone so well, RAV hopes to raise enough funds to add a pedestrian bridge along the trail that will go over a ditch. RAV is considering ways to eventually continue the trail to Buffalo County Lake, but the challenge will be going over a busy road and railway track.

To walk around the lake is about a mile and a half, maybe a little bit farther. If you connected this to this, you are over 3 miles for a really nice trail, Chramosta said.

The trail currently is mowed by the city, and people already use it as a nature trail. Construction is set to begin in June 2022, and the trail will be tentatively completed by fall 2022.
Starting Sept. 1, Texans ages 21 and older will be allowed carry handguns without training or a license as long as they are not legally prevented from doing so. Gov. Greg Abbott said the law protects American gun rights. Some law enforcement officers worried the law may increase crime rates while putting officers and civilians in danger. Do you support Texas becoming a constitutional carry state?

You voted:
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Becca Tally, chairperson of the Southern Illinois Immigrant Rights Project, is working with her group to demand the release  not transfer  of all the detainees in the center.

This is the perfect opportunity, with the end of the contract, for these men and women  who are, you know, integral parts of their families, their homes, their communities, to have that genuine review of their case and be released home where possible, Tally said. And we'd like to see them return to their families, their jobs, their communities, instead of languishing away in a detention center awaiting their court process.

Tally said she believes putting people in immigration detention centers is poor policy and it is contrary to the values of faith and family the community holds dear. She said transferring detainees breaks up their support system.

If this center is going to close, we think it's very important that people be able to go back to their families and the support systems within their community, rather than being transferred far away from their families, where they lack the relationships and support that they may have developed in Pulaski, Tally said.
CARBONDALE  Days after the death of Keeshanna Jackson, the community is demanding answers, justice and an end to violence.

The 18-year-old SIU freshman was shot and killed about 3 a.m. Sunday. As of Tuesday evening, police say they were still tirelessly working the case, seeking tips from the public and searching for any information that may lead to an arrest or suspect.

The Southern Illinois Unity Coalition organized an anti-violence rally on Tuesday to honor Jacksons life and demand an end to gun violence. About 40 people gathered at Carbondales Town Pavilion to show their support.

Nancy Maxwell, a member of the coalition, helped organize the event. She said the news of Jacksons death impacted her as a mother first and an activist second.

I have a daughter that's 17. She's going to college next year, I would be so upset if I sent her to college, and three days later she was dead, Maxwell said in an interview. I would be so upset that it was millions of people at the party and nobody wants to help find who did it.

Matt Wilson, another organizer with the So-Ill Unity Coalition, said he wants younger generations to have a chance to grow up and feel safe in the community.
Chicago's Office of Inspector General is a taxpayer-funded independent watchdog that has subpoena power but no authority to change or eliminate city programs.

According to the OIG report, late last year the police department asked for and received an extension of its three-year, $33 million ShotSpotter contract, the company's largest, that was set to expire this month. The city exercised an option to extend it, setting a new expiration date for August 19, 2023, it said.

Some aldermen expressed surprise that Mayor Lori Lightfoot's administration renewed the contract, with one saying he would introduce an ordinance requiring City Council approval on the renewal of any contract over $1 million. Lightfoots office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

ShotSpotter has won praise from law enforcement agencies that say it puts officers on the scene far faster than if they had waited for someone to call 911 to report gunfire. While, for example, there have been questions about whether the police shooting of Toledo was justified, authorities said that an instant before he was shot, the teen was holding a gun that another man had fired minutes earlier.

Lightfoot has weighed in as well, calling the technology, along with cameras and high-tech support centers staffed with police, "a lifesaver.
Some 7,000 miles away near Chicago, U.S. Army veteran Chris McClanathan watched Kabuls collapse on television. His thoughts instantly turned to Romal, the outgoing, extremely effective interpreter he worked with when he deployed to northern Afghanistan in 2011.

The two had remained in casual contact over the years, mostly through hitting the like button on each others Facebook posts as they both went about their lives. McClanathan took a chance last week that Romal still had internet access and sent a message to him via the social media app. The reply was almost immediate.

Romal, whose surname is being withheld for his familys safety, wrote that he was moving from relatives house to relatives house and had, so far, evaded the Taliban. McClanathan said his friend expressed confidence that he would qualify for a refugee flight, but he needed the paperwork to pass through the airport checkpoint. To go to the airport without it and try to talk his way in would be a suicide mission, he said.

After learning of his friends plight, McClanathan became one of the many Afghanistan War veterans trying to help their former interpreters and their families leave Kabul and uphold Americas promise. Its a reflection of the unique bond between soldiers and their translators, who do far more than just parrot conversations in different languages.
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"It is in line with what is already out there," Council Vice Chair Janie Cooper-Smith said.

In other business:

 Orangeburg County Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting a state Senate bill that would allow counties to increase taxes above the states millage cap in order to support fire districts.

If it became law, Senate Bill 401 would allow county councils to suspend the millage rate limitation for the purpose of supporting a fire protection district over a two-year period.

Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young clarified that council was supporting the bill because the South Carolina Association of Counties asked it to and not because Orangeburg County plans to enact any millage increases.

Prior to giving unanimous support to the resolution, Orangeburg County Council Chairman Johnnie Wright noted the proposed millage increase would only be for two years.

"It is not an ongoing thing," Wright said.

 Council gave first reading, by title only, to an equipment lease-purchase agreement with Motorola Solutions, Inc. Council also passed a resolution allowing the purchase to move forward.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP)  Igor Vovkovinskiy, the tallest man in the United States, has died in Minnesota. He was 38.

His family said the Ukrainian-born Vovkovinskiy died of heart disease on Friday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. His mother, Svetlana Vovkovinska, an ICU nurse at Mayo, initially posted about his death on Facebook.

Vovkovinskiy came to the Mayo Clinic in 1989 as a child seeking treatment. A tumor pressing against his pituitary gland caused it to secrete abnormal levels of growth hormone. He grew to become the tallest man in the U.S. at 7 feet, 8.33 inches and ended up staying in Rochester.

His older brother, Oleh Ladan of Brooklyn Park, told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis that Vovkovinskiy was a celebrity when he arrived from Ukraine because of his size and the flickering Cold War of the late 1980s. But Ladan said Vovkovinskiy "would have rather lived a normal life than be known."

Vovkovinskiy appeared on "The Dr. Oz Show" and was called out by President Barack Obama during a campaign rally in 2009, when the president noticed him near the stage wearing a T-shirt that read, "World's Biggest Obama Supporter." In 2013, he carried the Ukrainian contestant onto the stage to perform in the Eurovision Song Contest.
And Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene arguing that Americans are not being allowed to leave, but Afghans are being taken to America shows that President Joe Biden is a complete failure to America.

And here is former President Donald Trump reacting to a picture of a military plane full of Afghan refugees that took off from Kabul: This plane should have been full of Americans. America First!

Its easy to see why some would find this argument useful. It isnt an outright rejection of the notion that we should accept refugees  just a more defensible assertion that refugee processing should take a backseat to getting U.S. citizens out of harms way. And it shines a spotlight on the Biden administrations deeply wishy-washy PR around the Afghan collapse. Asked whether Americans should be prioritized for evacuations, White House press secretary Jen Psaki responded that we are prioritizing a number of groups.

But the argument is also a thorough misrepresentation of the facts on the ground. The depressing reality is that it means very little whose evacuation the U.S. is prioritizing  because the U.S. lacks the capacity to choose who exactly to get out of harms way.
With around 51% of the population fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the personal finance website WalletHub continues to rank states for safety during COVID-19.

In order to find out the safest states during the pandemic, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across five metrics. The data set includes the rates of COVID-19 transmission, positive testing, hospitalizations and death, as well as the share of the eligible population getting vaccinated.

According to WalletHub, we live in the 10th least-safe state.

South Carolinas rankings are (1=best; 25=average):

 43rd  vaccination rate

 40th  positive testing rate

 39th  hospitalization rate

 45th  death rate

 21st  transmission rate

While no one should take the rankings as an absolute measurement of how South Carolina has fared and will fare during the coronavirus pandemic, they do again give reason for people to be aware that COVID-19 is still a threat and actions are in order.
Rowan University is among the first in the region to join a new, Princeton University-led innovation network designed to transform scientific discoveries into new commercial ventures.

The NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Northeast Hub brings together eight institutions from Delaware, New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania to develop a diverse and inclusive innovation workforce. The consortium is backed by a $15 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation.

The hub is one of five in a nationwide NSF-funded network of universities formed to accelerate the economic impact of federally funded research and invest in technologies that improve everyday lives, delivering benefits in health care, energy and the environment, computing, artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced materials and other areas.

Supported by a web of academic, industrial and government partnerships, the I-Corps Northeast Hub will provide entrepreneurial training, mentoring and resources to researchers from all backgrounds, including those historically underrepresented in entrepreneurship. The program is designed to help researchers form startup companies and transform their scientific discoveries into benefits for society.

This new partnership exactly fits where we want to go as a research university, said Dr. Tabbetha Dobbins, interim vice president for research at Rowan University. Rowan is already an economic engine in the region and were excited by the possibilities for our innovators.

Princeton will be the principal institution in the new hub, with the University of Delaware and Rutgers University as partner institutions. The hub will include five initial affiliates: New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Rowan University in New Jersey, Lehigh University and Temple University in Pennsylvania, and Delaware State University, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). The hub will expand by adding new affiliates each year.

As a group, the eight institutions represent $1.4B in annual research spending, have trained 430 I-Corps teams in regional cohorts and have spun out more than 80 deep technology ventures in the past five years.

The I-Corps program gives innovators the support they need to rapidly develop products and business plans based on customer feedback and market needs, said Dr. Yatin Karpe, director of Rowan Universitys Office of Technology Commercialization and Rowan Innovations.

Rowans inclusion in the I-Corps Northeast Hub will give our faculty researchers quick and easy access to entrepreneurial resources and networking opportunities, Karpe said. Weve already seen growing interest among our researchers in bringing their innovations to the marketplace and I expect that interest will grow exponentially with the hub's new regional and national networking opportunities.

Since 2018, through Karpes leadership, Rowan University has sent 15 teams of researchers to regional I-Corps training. Ten Rowan researchers have earned national I-Corps awards, and one earned additional funding through the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Nidhal Bouaynaya, associate dean for research and graduate studies at the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, will serve as Rowans lead in the hub. A professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Bouaynaya earned Rowans first national I-Corps award to support her innovation: artificial intelligence to dramatically improve the detection of brain tumorsabout three years earlier than the standard of care.

Our vision for an inclusive entrepreneurial futurefrom ideation to commercializationwill foster an ecosystem that responds to current national crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and structural racism, said Bouaynaya, co-founder of MRIMath, LLC, a Rowan-affiliated startup.

The I-Corps program is already making an impact in South Jersey. Innovations under development include a surgical robot to align femur fractures and new technology to protect people in areas affected by earthquakes and flash floods.

With help from his I-Corps award, Dr. Ben Wu from the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering and his team developed a prototype for a noninvasive way to detect skin diseases. His technology received a U.S. patent.

We found that the I-Corps programespecially the training they offeredwas very helpful to commercialize our idea, said Wu, an electrical and computer engineering professor. We switched our mindset from what can we build in the lab to fit the market to what does the market want us to build to solve the current pain points.

For more information, visit www.icorpsnortheasthub.org
Throughout this pandemic Gov. Noem has remained focused on governments proper role, as well as her own authority, he said in a statement.

However, whether or not the governor calls a special session may have little bearing on the deadlines employers throughout the state have set for employees to be vaccinated. In order to cause any passed bill to take immediate effect before the deadlines, it must gain a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate. With some in Senate leadership already opposed to the mandate bans, that is unlikely.

Nearly 56% of people eligible for a vaccine in the state have received one, according to the Department of Health.

Meanwhile, cases of the virus have resurged to their highest levels since February. The Department of Health reported 331 new cases Monday. New cases in the state have more-than-tripled in the last two weeks, according to Johns Hopkins researchers.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide climbed to 127, leaving about 42% of hospital beds open. Sanford Health is preparing for a fresh wave of the virus over the next four to six weeks, the Argus Leader reported.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
A Connecticut woman faces a week in jail and $2,400 in fines after being prosecuted for walking across a thermal area in Yellowstone National Park.

Although a criminal prosecution and jail time may seem harsh, its better than spending time in a hospitals burn unit, said acting U.S. Attorney Bob Murray in a press release.

Madeline Casey, 26, of New Hartford, Connecticut, appeared before Magistrate Judge Mark Carman on Aug. 18 in Mammoth Hot Springs for sentencing.

She was charged with walking off the boardwalk in the Norris Geyser Basin to get closer to a thermal pool and geyser. Casey was photographed and filmed venturing off the boardwalk, despite the fact that many signs are posted along the route warning visitors.

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Boardwalks in geyser basins protect visitors and delicate thermal formations, said Morgan Warthin, Yellowstone public affairs officer. The ground is fragile and thin and scalding water just below the surface can cause severe or fatal burns.

Dating back to 1870, more than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstones hot springs.
She did bring attention to the fact that even during the pandemic, nearly 97% of students in the state participated in the testing this past spring. It was successfully administered in an in-person environment to grades 3 through 10.

The test also matched the format of the 2017-18 state assessment, and no changes were made to question content.

Unlike other years, though, Wyoming received a waiver from federal accountability requirements and the State Board of Education to ensure these test scores will not be used for accountability purposes. Balow stated this was not an opportunity to judge educators.

Kari Eakins, Wyoming Department of Education chief policy officer, said that performance expectations are still relevant to Wyoming students, but that is only to inform the state about how students continue to test over the upcoming years.

In terms of breaking down how students are doing this year, there are no stark differences from testing scores in previous years, as Balow previously stated. But the average remains close to 50% or below in the number of children passing English language arts, math and science standardized testing.
And then consider what a disheartening sentence that is in 2021. Youd think that fight was won long ago. And in a sense, it was. It was won in 1870 with ratification of the 15th Amendment. It was won in 1915 when the Supreme Court struck down the so-called grandfather clause. It was won in 1965 with passage of the Voting Rights Act. Now we are required to win it yet again, eight years after the Supreme Court tore the heart out of the Voting Rights Act, with gleeful Republicans passing new laws designed to suppress the Black vote.

Progress shadowed by setback. Dreams deferred. It is the story of our lives.

Im tired, said the great man, in an America so long past that telephones had rotary dials, TV was in black-and-white and Barack Obama was a 5-year-old boy living in Hawaii. And indeed, there was about King a palpable exhaustion as he addressed that America, standing there in shirt sleeves, face puffy, mopping at sweat that trickled down his neck, describing how it felt to live under constant threat of death. I must confess, Im tired, he said yet again.
AS majority State-owned First Citizens Bank (FCB) ponders whether to participate in the new Additional Public Offering of shares in publicly listed Barita Investments Ltd, dozens of financial executives in Jamaica are more concerned to find out the details of a company called Barita Finance.
There are many ways college students can find work using school resources, online tools, and networking

As college students return to campus this year, many of them will be looking for part-time jobs. Finding work can sometimes be a challenge, especially when everyone is returning to school at the same time and competing for the same job openings. This year may feel particularly intimidating since many students havent been on campus for over a year and need to start the search from scratch.

Fortunately, there are many factors working in their favor. First off, there are a lot of jobs available out there. Also, everybody is in the same boat, trying to lock something down as life gets back to normal. Like most things, the ways job seekers look for work is evolving.

What percent of college students have jobs?

Close to half of students work part-time

Many students have jobs. In fact, 43% of people who are fully enrolled in college have some type of part-time job. If you are going to school in a college town, theres a good chance that seasonal work is available, as business picks up when school is in session.
This time last week Zahraa Hussein wasnt sure what to do about a nearly $2,000 debt she owed to Pima Community College, or how it might derail her academic future.

Hussein, a junior who dreams of becoming an orthodontist, said the debt was the result of some confusion about her financial aid package. And regardless of why she had it, it was too high for her or her family to pay.

That also meant she, along with any other PCC student with an outstanding balance, wasnt able to enroll in classes at PCC this semester. (An account balance also prevents students from receiving transcripts or obtaining certificates.)

I didnt want to give up something Ive wanted for so long. Especially after Ive worked so hard to get where I am right now, said Hussein, who has long had plans to transfer to the University of Arizona to pursue a bachelors degree in biomedical sciences after completing her associates degree at PCC. I really thought I was going to have to drop out and not continue. That was just the worst feeling.
A 26-year-old man has been arrested after getting into a shootout with police Friday afternoon.

According to Tucson police, plainclothes officers were in the area of 29th Street and Swan Road working in unmarked cars on another call, when Zachary Oscar Lee, 26, approached Sgt. Lorence Jove who was sitting in his car.

After a brief interaction, Lee pulled out what police described as a semiautomatic handgun and began exchanging gunfire with Jove, before running south across 29th Street to nearby apartments.

Police chased after Lee and took him into custody after giving him first aid for gunshot wounds. He was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Lee was treated and released from the hospital before being booked into Pima County Jail on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm within city limits.

Jove has been with the Tucson Police Department for nine years.

According to a tweet from police chief Chris Magnus on Wednesday, the Tucson City Court released Lee on pretrial release with no bond over the prosecutor's request.

Eric Silverberg, city court administrator, said they do not comment on cases.
At the heart of the dispute is how the state budget is adopted.

There are two main bills, one the feed bill appropriating money to run various state agencies and the other a capital outlay bill for construction projects.

But there also are a series of budget reconciliation bills, designed to enact changes in state law and policy to conform with the spending plans.

The problem, according to Desai, is that the Arizona Constitution says each piece of legislation shall embrace but one subject and matters properly connected therewith. The same provision requires each element of what is in each bill to be laid out in the title.

Desai wants the judge to void provisions in each of those bills that do not relate to the subject of the bill.

For example, the provision prohibiting schools from requiring masks is within a 231-page House Bill 2898, appropriating monies, relating to kindergarten through grade 12 budget reconciliation. Masks have nothing to do with any of that, she said.
The state has sufficient funds to cover this expense, Huckelberry wrote. Why they have chosen to discontinue funding COVID-19 testing in Pima County is a mystery. Maybe they have spent the billion-plus dollars allocated to Arizona by the federal government.

Cullen says the county plans to set up a rapid antigen testing center Saturday at the Abrams Public Health Center, 3950 S. Country Club Road, but the exact details have not yet been announced.

COVID-19 tests are readily available at pharmacies and medical providers, but Cullen said the county is providing a new free testing option because we wanted to ensure, because of our commitment to equity, that testing was available to everyone.

While the county used to sponsor a variety of free testing options, free testing centers have since become limited. Most free testing options were previously paid for by the state, which took over the countys contracts with Paradigm Laboratories, the contractor providing testing services. Cullen said those state-based resources have become scarce. Now, theyre down to two county locations.
That led to this appeal and, according to Eppich, this precedent-setting ruling on an issue that has never come up before. And the way Eppich and the other appellate judges see it, there is no such restriction on Arizona trial judges.

He said the law is clear.

At one extreme, Eppich said, are people who are convicted of what are classified as dangerous offenses under Arizona law  or any offense in another state that, had it occurred here, would have been in the same category  have no legal right to seek to have their rights restored.

A second category involves those convicted of serious offenses, here or elsewhere. They cannot seek to restore their rights for at least 10 years after their cases have been absolutely discharged, meaning after all fines are paid and all periods of probation have ended.

But Eppich said those convicted of any other felony offense can seek to regain their rights two years from date of absolute discharge. Gahary contends  and prosecutors do not dispute  that his convictions fall into that last category.

Put simply, the judge said, Arizona law contemplates exactly the kind of relief that Gahary is seeking.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero pointed to the need to repair local bridges and fund the citys plan for a transit system from the airport to Oracle Road.

Oro Valley Mayor Joe Winfield mentioned the need for more bus service between downtown Tucson and Oro Valley.

On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, committed to holding a vote on the infrastructure bill by Sept. 27. If Biden signs the bill, it would take effect Oct. 1, which is the first day of the federal fiscal year, Sinema said.

In response to a question from a reporter, Sinema cast doubt on whether the federal government would be able to pull U.S. citizens and Afghans out of Afghanistan by Aug. 31, as President Joe Biden said Tuesday.

It is my understanding from the briefings Ive received that that will be difficult, if not impossible, to do, Sinema said.

It is my personal commitment to ensure that our office does everything possible to help all of our American citizens, as well as Afghans who have served our country over the last 20 years, be evacuated into safe situations, Sinema said.
After five years at Main Gate Square, a local restaurant known for its bottomless mimosas is relocating to midtown Tucson.

The Dutch Eatery and Refuge leased 4,000 square feet at The Plaza at Williams Centre, 5340 E. Broadway.

We are excited about the new place, said Nicole van Winden, who owns the restaurant along with her husband and chef, Marcus. We love the Williams Centre and are looking forward to being more accessible.

The couple will move into the space formerly occupied by Pita Jungle, on the west end of the plaza.

They will take advantage of the citys streateries program, which allows business to spread out onto sidewalks and parking lots to offer outdoor seating.

The Dutch will open to the west with patio seating and pet-friendly area in the current parking spaces.

It will be incredible to be able to expand the space, said van Winden, a Tucson native and University of Arizona alum.

She met Marcus when they were both working for Holland America Cruise Line.

They opened The Dutch at 943 E. University Blvd. five years ago.
Roughly a third of people develop long COVID, and many of them were active individuals who now cant walk 100 yards, Chilton said. The question we are investigating now is: If this enzyme is still relatively high and active, could it be responsible for part of the long COVID outcomes that were seeing?

One of the most exciting things about the discovery, Chilton said, is that there are already one or two tested inhibitors that could help and that have gone through late-phase clinical trials.

That, he said, could mean the time needed to figure out how to protect patients from this runaway enzyme could go from years to months. Whats needed as soon as possible is a large clinical trial using one of these inhibitors to help people with severe COVID-19.

We have focused, and rightly so, on vaccines to resist the virus, he said. But its also become apparent that there are going to be some limitations to that approach. With a large segment of the population refusing to get vaccinated, more and more variants are likely to form.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP)  The first group of Afghan refugees to be airlifted to New Jersey arrived overnight at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, a military spokesperson said on Wednesday.

More are expected to continue arriving in the coming days, according to Senior Airman Ariel Owings.

The number of refugees that will be housed in New Jersey and for how long isn't clear, but on Tuesday, military officials proposed setting up enough shelter for up to 9,500 Afghan nationals for up to a year.

Gov. Phil Murphy said earlier this week that the arrival of a significant number of Afghans was imminent. Afghan evacuees are being housed at four military bases in the United States.

In addition to New Jersey's joint base, they're heading to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin; Fort Bliss, Texas; and Fort Lee, Virginia.

Task Force McGuire-Dix continues to build capacity here as U.S. Army North, U.S. Northern Command and the Department of Defense work to build additional capacity at Fort Lee, Fort Bliss, Fort McCoy, and potentially other military locations, as required," Owings said.
In a video posted on his Facebook page, Dr. Rob Karas said ivermectin is one of nine medications he's prescribed for COVID-19 to inmates at the jail and has been administering there since October. Karas said no inmates are forced to take the medication and they can refuse it.

Karas said the jail has had 531 virus cases and zero deaths and only one inmate hospitalized. In a Facebook post, Karas said 67% of the jail's inmates have been vaccinated against the virus.

Karas, who said he has had COVID-19 twice and has taken ivermectin, defended administering it to patients.

Do you want us to try and fight like we're at the beaches of Normandy or do you want me to tell what a lot of people do, which is go home and ride it out and go to the ER when your lips turn blue?" Karas said.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas criticized the drug being prescribed to inmates, citing the FDA's warnings about the drug. The group said it was seeking additional records about the drug's use from the sheriff's office and from the health provider.

They need to stop this practice immediately," ACLU of Arkansas Executive Director Holly Dickson said.

None of the jail's inmates administered ivermectin were state prisoners being held by the facility, the state Department of Corrections said. The department and its medical services provider are not providing ivermectin to any of its inmates, spokeswoman Cindy Murphy said.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
We hope to hear from them soon, he said.

Howard Shen, a district spokesman, said one family with five children arrived in San Diego on Wednesday night. The two other families were out of Afghanistan, but Shen said he could not confirm exactly where they were  only that they are safe.

That's all we want," he said.

Counseling was being made available for the families and for their children's schools.

Hashemi said the family back in San Diego was still shaken after their harrowing experience.

They are OK now, he said. They need to calm down and forget what theyve seen.

In all, the El Cajon families included two dozen children, some of whom witnessed shootings and other violence in and around the Kabul airport in recent days, Hashemi said.

The families had each traveled to Afghanistan on their own on different dates and were not part of an organized trip.

The families asked U.S. officials for help after being blocked by the throngs of Afghans at the airport desperately trying to escape after their governments rapid collapse and the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Pfizer is seeking U.S. approval of a booster dose of its two-shot COVID-19 vaccine.

The drugmaker said Wednesday that it has started the application process for a third dose of its vaccine for everyone ages 16 and older. The company said it will complete the application with the Food and Drug Administration by the end of this week.

The FDA earlier this month said transplant recipients or others with weakened immune systems can get an extra dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Then last week, U.S. health officials announced plans to give COVID-19 booster shots to all Americans to shore up their protection amid the surging delta variant of the coronavirus.

That plan drew criticism from scientists at the World Health Organization, who noted that poor countries are not getting enough vaccine for their initial rounds of shots.

Pfizers vaccine, jointly developed with Germanys BioNTech, received full FDA approval earlier this week, also for those ages 16 and older. It had been given to that age group under an emergency use authorization, which is still the case for those ages 12 to 15.

More than 200 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been administered in the U.S.  and hundreds of millions more worldwide  since it got the green light in December.
Scientists will use the observatory to gather data on precipitation, wind, clouds, tiny particles, humidity, soil moisture and other things. Along with a better understanding of the hydrology, they hope to learn more about how wildfires, forest management, drought and tree-killing bugs, for example, play a part in water availability.

A big issue in predicting water supply in the West centers on soil moisture and content, said Ken Williams, the lead on-site researcher and Berkeley Lab scientist. The monsoon season largely was a dud across the Southwest for the past two years, which means more melting snow soaks into the ground before reaching streams and rivers when it does rain, he said.

Climate experts said during a separate briefing Tuesday that southern Arizona and parts of New Mexico have seen impressive rainfall totals so far this monsoon season, with Tucson marking its wettest July on record. Mike Crimmins, a professor at the University of Arizona, called it an "amazing reversal for the desert city.

Some parts of the Southwest have seen as much as four times their normal precipitation levels. But Crimmins noted other spots like Albuquerque, New Mexico, are either at average levels or still lagging.
While we respect the courts ruling in La Palma, we will pursue the legal process to retain La Palma as our alternative site. Hawaii remains our preferred location for TMT, and we have renewed our efforts to better connect with the Hawaii community in a meaningful and appropriate way," he said in an email to The Associated Press.

Pablo Batista, a spokesman of the Ben Magec-Ecologistas en Accion group, hailed the decision as a big setback for what he called a fraudulent project that he said made fake promises of new jobs for the island.

The whole idea of offering the island as a back-up was nothing else but as a strategy to put pressure on the Hawaii plans, Batista said.

In a statement, the group also said that the five years that the TIO consortium has lost on La Palma should make it reflect on the arrogant and disrespectful strategy that they have carried out both in Hawaii and in the Canary Islands, emboldened by institutional support and despising the arguments of the opposition to the TMT.

The group's concerns echo some of the concerns expressed by those fighting the telescope in Hawaii, said Kealoha Pisciotta, one of the leaders seeking to keep the project off Mauna Kea.
Their next pretrial hearing in the federal case is scheduled for Sept. 9.

More than two months after Arbery's slaying on Feb. 23, 2020, no one had been charged in his killing. Then cellphone video of the shooting leaked online and a national outcry erupted. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case the next day and swiftly arrested the McMichaels and Bryan, who recorded the video.

All three remain jailed on state murder charges and are scheduled to stand trial on those counts this fall in Glynn County Superior Court. Jury selection in the state case is scheduled to start Oct. 18.

The McMichaels and Bryan won't face hate crime penalties at the state level because Georgia's hate crimes law wasn't adopted until after his slaying. At the time Arbery was killed, Georgia was one of just four U.S. states without a hate crimes law. Georgia lawmakers quickly passed one amid the outcry over his death.

Attorneys for all three men charged in the case say they committed no crimes. The McMichaels lawyers have said they pursued Arbery, suspecting he was a burglar, after security cameras had previously recorded him entering a home under construction. They say Travis McMichael shot Arbery while fearing for his life as they grappled over a shotgun.
Four of the five placed under surveillance after arriving in France were close to a man suspected of links to the Taliban, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has said. That man, who has remained in the restricted zone, admitted belonging to the Taliban. He bore arms at a blockade in Kabul, the interior minister said this week, but also helped in the evacuation of the French Embassy, assisting the French army, citizens and journalists.

French intelligence agents were tracking the five via geopositioning and saw on Monday that one of them had left his restricted zone, Darmanin said on Tuesday.

He arrived in Paris last weekend and was immediately placed under watch, along with the four others, at the hotel east of Paris, and ordered not to leave.

The interior minister, who ordered the special surveillance for the five, insisted in an interview Tuesday with France Info that there were no slip-ups in checking evacuees.

The main suspect slipped through the cracks in the chaotic evacuation last weekend, but Darmanin said he was identified during a thorough identity check at the French air base in Abu Dhabi, used by France as a transit point for evacuees.

By Wednesday night, France had evacuated more than 2,000 Afghans and more than 100 French, authorities said.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
OPINION: Arizona water issues, Afghanistan, the pandemic and more is what is being discussed in Letters to the editor. Join the discussion by submitting a letter at tucson.com/opinion.
I think it has progressed in the manner it should, said Carter, who was the citys police chief at the time of the plans creation and continued in that role through the 2020 plan.

Externally, the comments offered by the public in recent years have been less about practices that our Police Department needs to change in relation to race and use of force, and they have started to be more about quality of life issues such as traffic violations, he said.

We take that as a good sign that we have been meeting their expectations on the harder issues.

 Internally, we still try to look at what concerns there may be on a national level regarding those issues and explore strategies to answer those concerns.

Mars said one new area of concentration in this years plan, an initiative to hire and retain police officers, is one of its most locally focused  and most challenging  aspects.

The lack of manpower was already an issue, but recent incidents (nationally) and public perception of police officers have led to people staying away from our profession, he said.

Mars said the Police Department has lost three officers already this year and that two more are leaving in October.
Salsa Festival

The Oklahoma Aquarium will host its second annual Salsa Tasting Festival, 3-6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at the Aquarium, 300 Aquarium Drive in Jenks. Activities include tastings of salsas and queso dips, a jalapeno-eating contest and more. Baskets of tortilla chips are $3 for those wanting to sample the goodies, as its bad form to use ones fingers. okaquarium.com.

Explore history of Native American ink

If youre a fan of ink, saddle up and visit the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City for the Friday, Aug. 27 opening of a new exhibit: Tattoos: Religion, Reality and Regret.

The exhibit explores the cultural traditions of tattooing in Native American cultures and tattooing traditions practiced globally today.

Tattooing is a form of expression often undervalued in historical research, Eric Singleton, the museums curator of ethnology, said. Tattoos were used to express tribal affiliation and war honors, connections to divine beings, maturity rites, and social or religious affiliation so meaningful to some cultures that they could carry on with a person into the afterlife.
Jailers in Muskogee warn of critical mode as a COVID-19 outbreak has affected half of the jails inmates and eight detention center employees.

According to a news release from the Muskogee County Sheriffs Office, the jail on Wednesday had 135 positive cases, none of them requiring any further treatment or hospitalization.

We have contacted all of our community partners, including the hospitals, health department, law enforcement entities and our community leaders, to make them aware of this situation, Sheriff Andy Simmons statement says.

Jails across Oklahoma are taking extra precautions to try to prevent virus spread as the more-contagious delta variant has doubled transmission rates across the state.

Tulsa Countys jail has nine COVID-positive inmates and 19 infected staff, Sheriffs Office spokeswoman Casey Roebuck said Wednesday. The detention center, which averages about 1,200-1,300 inmates per day, has tested 13,541 individuals and had 591 positive results.
Then-OHP Trooper James Loftis had claimed in his investigative report on the matter that it could be reasonable for someone to conclude that Tyner tried to slow down to avoid being cited or arrested for speeding. Loftis, who testified at the trial, also indicated in his report his belief that Tyner took improper evasive action by appearing to use only his rear brake.

However, he said in a deposition that the finding assumed that Tyner  who had a lifelong interest in motorcycles  was inexperienced in operating such vehicles. Tyner was wearing a helmet at the time, according to Titsworths written statement to Sheriffs Office leadership.

The Sheriffs Office has said the OHPs investigation into the crash was independent and showed our Deputy was not at fault in Tyners death, which the agency described as a tragic loss.

We never disputed that Cobie was going 5-10 (mph) over (the speed limit.) But it was an illegal U-turn and the deputy pulled one without checking for traffic, Smolen said of the situation.
Despite a published letter stating otherwise, Okmulgee Public Schools is not requiring masks on its campuses.

Superintendent Renee Dove confirmed Tuesday morning that there was a miscommunication regarding the wording in a letter to parents and students dated Sunday that originally stated that masks would be required on campus starting Monday.

It is now strongly recommended  we are not requiring or mandating wearing masks, Dove said. However, almost every child who has walked into the building has had a mask on.

Dove said the change was in order to keep the district in compliance with its previously published Return to Learn plan while acknowledging the increase in COVID-19 cases in the community. According to data published by the Oklahoma State Department of Health, there are 145 active cases of COVID-19 in Okmulgee.

Under the terms of the law known as Senate Bill 658, public school districts are prohibited from requiring masks on campus unless a state of emergency has been declared for their area by Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Don Bingham with the law firm Riggs, Abney, Neal, Turpen, Orbison and Lewis is one of the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs. He said Tuesday that he is not aware of any school board other than Tahlequah considering similar action.

We welcome the support of any school district that wants to have a say in this, he said.

Tahlequah Public Schools, the largest school district in Cherokee County, has been publishing newly reported COVID-19 case counts five days a week on its website and Facebook page since Aug. 13. Since Saturday, the district has had 20 new reported cases of COVID-19 among its students and two among its employees.

Meanwhile, officials at Keys Public Schools, located just southeast of Tahlequah, announced Monday that eight classes across four grades are in quarantine due to confirmed cases of COVID-19 among students.

The districts kindergarten and third grade classes will be allowed back on campus on Monday, while its 3- and 4-year-old classes will remain in quarantine through Tuesday.
Municipal Court does not tag its trespassing cases based on what prompted police involvement, so it has no way to know how many mask cases have been adjudicated.

Tulsa Police Capt. Richard Meulenberg said he was unable to look up how many citations police issued for violations of the citys first mask mandate because of the ransomware attack that hit the city in April.

But the number is likely tiny. When asked how many calls the Police Department received from businesses reporting mask mandate violators, Meulenberg again said its impossible to know because of the ransomware attack.

Anecdotally, I dont recall many, if we had any at all, Meulenberg wrote in an email.

The citys Working in Neighborhoods Department, meanwhile, played no direct role in enforcement, according to the city. WIN was added as an enforcement arm in November  nearly halfway through the mask mandate that was in effect from mid-July 2020 through April.

The Tulsa Health Department, which also joined the enforcement effort in November, did the vast majority of enforcement of the mask mandate, though it issued no citations and just a handful of warnings.
A former state legislator and Owasso doctor died Tuesday afternoon in Oologah Lake, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

Dr. George Dale Derby, 72, was medical director of anesthesia and chairman of the board at Bailey Medical Center. Troopers said he was between the Redbud Ramp and Goat Island on Tuesday when he attempted to swim to a disabled and drifting boat.

Derby reportedly went under just before 4 p.m. and did not resurface, according to a preliminary troopers report. His body was recovered in 13 feet of water two hours later by members of the Northwest Fire Department.

Serving District 74 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Derby was a state legislator from 2017-19. He was a founding member of Bailey Medical Center and was with the Owasso hospital since its beginnings in 2006, according to a statement from CEO Scott Lasson.

One of his favorite sayings was that every single patient is family. He lived by this every day. Everyone was special to him.  Dr. Derby was loved by the Bailey family and will be greatly missed, Lasson said.

House Speaker Charles McCall and Rep. Mark Vancuren issued statements Wednesday morning.
An 18-year-old woman was killed when an SUV crashed into a utility pole in midtown Tulsa on Tuesday afternoon.

Kaylesha Houston was driving a Chevrolet Tahoe and another person was driving a red Dodge Charger east on 31st Street near Joplin Avenue at speeds of around 70 mph about 3:30 p.m. when Houston tried to change lanes and her Tahoe spun out of control, hitting the utility pole, Tulsa Police Sgt. Will Dalsing said.

He said Houstons vehicle and the Charger were driving close together, and the Charger was either chasing or following Houstons vehicle at the high speeds when the collision occurred.

The speed limit in the area is 40 mph.

Houston was the only occupant of the Tahoe, Dalsing said.

Dalsing said it was clear the driver of the Charger knew Houston, but police let that person go while they investigated the collision.

Police closed 31st Street west of

Sheridan Road, just northwest of the Interstate 44/Broken Arrow Expressway interchange, for about three hours while the wreckage was removed.
In the chaotic aftermath of the flood, there was confusion about even the number of people killed. The number had previously climbed as high as 22, but Gillespie later said some people were counted twice and others were counted who died from non-flood-related causes.

With the search for victims over, efforts turned to clean-up and recovery on Wednesday. All of the deaths would be investigated by detectives, Gillespie said, even though there is no foul play suspected.

They're just tying up loose ends, trying to find out the circumstances about how somebody went in the water, how they  where we found them  and tying all those records together," he said. We're going to treat each one with the individual respect it deserves to get the answers about what happened in each one of those cases.

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis spoke to reporters on Tuesday about the toll the disaster has taken on residents.

Youve seen us get a little emotional. You have to remember, these are people we know, peoples families, people we grew up with  just the people of our small town. Its just very close to us.



Loller reported from Nashville, Tennessee.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  The last person jailed for being gay in Romania walked free in 1998.

The country decriminalized homosexuality three years after that, in 2001, while reforming its laws to qualify for membership in the European Union.

The 20th anniversary of the abolishment of Article 200, which authorized prison sentences of up to five years for same-sex relations, was one cause for celebration during the gay pride parade and festival held in Romania's capital this month. People danced, waved rainbow flags and watched performances at Bucharest Pride 2021, an event that would have been unimaginable a generation earlier.

Yet many members of Romania's LGBT community remain frustrated by the Central European nation's failure to go further and pass laws that would legalize same-sex unions or marriages. There are also fears of a conservative backlash to the gains achieved so far.

Some Romanians, influenced by the Orthodox church, reject the growing social acceptance of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people, especially among young people.
A Miami, Oklahoma, man who was arrested on federal assault charges in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol is accused of attacking an Associated Press photographer, according to a Tuesday news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia.

Benjamen Scott Burlew, 41, was arrested Aug. 20 by Tulsa County deputies on misdemeanor charges of assault within special maritime and territorial jurisdiction and committing an act of physical violence on U.S. Capitol grounds.

According to an affidavit, two separate videos captured Burlew taking part on the attack on the photographer.

The videos show the photographer getting pulled down a set of stairs near the lower west terrace of the U.S. Capitol by two unknown assailants, the affidavit says.

While attempting to avoid confrontation with those assailants, the AP photographer relocated to another position on the stairs, where Burlew aggressively confronted him, according to the news release.
Prosecutors are planning to seek the death penalty against the man accused of slaying five children as well as his brother in Muskogee.

The Muskogee County District Attorneys Office announced Wednesday its intent to seek the death penalty against Jarron Deajon Pridgeon, 25, who is charged with six counts of first-degree murder in the Feb. 2 shootings.

Pridgeon has been held without bond in the deaths of Jalaiya Pridgeon, 1; Jaidus Pridgeon, 3; Harmony Anderson, 5; Neveah Pridgeon, 6; and Quedynce Anderson, 9; and his brother, Javareon Lee. He is also charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon in the shooting of the childrens mother inside a home in the 900 block of East Indiana Street in Muskogee.

Pridgeons defense has signaled its intent to draw attention to his mental health. In a 2019 felony assault case, he initially received a deferred sentence following a mental health evaluation.

District Judge Bret Smith accelerated that case to a conviction earlier this month and ordered Pridgeon to serve a 10-year prison sentence in the matter.
When OConnor was tapped by then President Donald Trump for the federal bench, the American Bar Association said he was not qualified.

OConnor, who ultimately didnt get the judicial post, said American Bar Association lawyers who dont know him gave him a negative rating, while all kinds of lawyers and judges supported him. He called the ABAs opinion unfounded and nonsensical.

He is not a member of the American Bar Association.

I am proud of my legal career and service to the community, OConnor said.

He said he is aware that the issue could come up in his upcoming campaign.

Drummond said he has no intention of saying anything negative against Mr. OConnor during this race, adding that he went negative in the race against Hunter only after Hunter went negative.

Drummond, who announced his intention to run again just days after Hunter resigned, said that in the last race, he carried 55 counties and lost to a career politician with remarkable support inside government.

Drummond said he is willing to put more money into his campaign if it is needed, but he said he thinks it will be unlikely given his fundraising so for.
Seeing many frontline health workers burned out during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, two high school students built a robot that helps combat the virus.

The idea of making a multi-functional robot fighting the COVID-19 pandemic of Hoang Minh Nhat and Truong Viet Bao Chau has come to fruition after three months of hard work.

According to the two students, who are from a high school in Thua Thien-Hue Province, located in central Vietnam, the robot that looks like a shopping cart has a low frame of around 60 centimeters in height and moves on three wheels.

The lower part of the robot can function as an automatic sweeper that uses a 360-degree rotating brush to collect medical wastes.

One dustbin is on the back of the robot and there is a metal box on the top of the dustbin carrying various stuff.

The front surface has two metal pods that are as high as one persons belly. The two call them the robots antennas.

One of them has a device to measure body temperature and the other carries a tool spraying disinfectant along with a UV bulb.

Remotely running the robot via a control box, Nhat demonstrates what the robot can do.

Under his control, the robot moves and brushes the floor cleanly. The robot can move smoothly in the hall on the two-front engine-powered wheels and one behind.

There is a spray container in front of the robot spreading water aerosols. The machine uses an ultraviolet bulb below the sprayer to disinfect the surrounding area. The efficacy of sterilization can be up to 70 percent, said Nhat.

In a test mission intended to prove how the robot can take body temperature remotely, Nhat asked Tuoi Tre (Youth) reporters to come forward and stand in front of it.

When they showed their hands before the robot, its screen displayed 37 degrees Celsius, which is a normal reading.

The robot has a camera that helps to send images in real time through the control screen panel," explained Chau.

"Doctors can talk directly to their patients via a walkie-talkie.

The robot uses an RF system, which helps to transmit images from a distance of up to 500 meters."

The two 11th-grade students told Tuoi Tre they had invented the robot, with medical doctors in mind.

They felt extremely impressed to look at the images of doctors who treated COVID-19 patients being exhausted after hours of working in an isolation facility last year.

Nhat and Chau looked for instructions showing how to create a robot that can be controlled remotely on the Internet.

We hope to seek a solution to address the everyday tasks the doctors who work in quarantine centers have to deal with such as disinfection, taking patients body temperature, giving them food and medicine, recalled Nhat.

Improving automation

After securing the final model of the robot, Nhat and Chau brought it to Chan May General Hospital in Phu Loc District, Thua Thien Hue Province for a trial run.

The two were over the moon after two days of testing for receiving positive feedback from the hospitals medical staff.

Dr. Hoang Van Tham, former director of the general hospital, complimented the students on the robot.

The machine can save the medical staff from coming into direct contact with the patients when administering medicine, giving food, and running temperature checks, Dr. Tham said.

Each robot would cost around VND10 million (US$440), according to Nhat, but he hopes the cost could be decreased in case of mass production.

"We are mulling over increasing the robots automatic capability, Nhat said.

In some countries like Japan and South Korea, artificial intelligence has enabled robots to take action according to peoples wishes.

"We are striving to make the robots work on their own without being remotely controlled by anyone."

Thanks to the robots distinguished features, Chau and Nhat won the third-place prize in a contest for teenagers in Thua Thien-Hue in 2020, according to teacher Nguyen Hoang Ngoc, principal of their high school.

The two friends creative project has been chosen to take part in a national contest this year, Ngoc revealed.

After achieving certain success with the robot helping doctors during the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Nhat and Chau would like to make more things that can support frontline medical staff. We intend to make special personal protective equipment that can better regulate the body temperature of the wearer, Chau divulged.

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A cadre of 150 Vietnamese tech experts from all around the world joined together to create 'Giup Toi!' (Help Me Out!), a mobile app that looks to shoulder the burden on Vietnams healthcare system during the ongoing coronavirus epidemic by bringing professional medical consultation to patients and the general public.

'Giup Toi!' is part of a project managed by the National Technology Center for COVID-19 Prevention and Control and sponsored by the Ministry of Communications and Information, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Solution for care

The app acts as a bridge that connects Vietnamese patients with doctors and experts who provide free-of-charge medical advice.

Users just need to download the app to their devices, then describe their health problems  from suspected COVID-19 symptoms to chronic diseases  before the system can put them through to a suitable doctor who can give in-depth diagnosis.

Meanwhile, doctors can check up on residents requests on the app in their free time before deciding to reach out to them. This way, even the smallest bit of time out of the doctors schedule can be utilized to provide support for the public.

As Hung Tran, founder of the 'Giup Toi!' project, points out that many medical facilities in Vietnam are being overburdened during the coronavirus pandemic.

Many asymptomatic COVID-19 cases have been sent back home for self-isolation, while those at high risk of infection have yet to receive consultation from professionals.

Patients with conditions other than COVID-19 still need their medical check-ups. Mental health decline has also emerged as an issue that needs to be addressed during Vietnams extended social distancing measures.

In light of the situation, 'Giup Toi!' is anticipated to help lighten the burden on the healthcare apparatus by providing remote check-ups for the public while using little resources from doctors.

According to Hung, practitioners can be anywhere and still tend to health inquiries on the app with just 15 minutes off their timetable.

The app is currently backed by a roster of health experts, one of whom is Dr. Phan Thi Ngoc Linh, director of the Center of Healthcare Improvement Research.

As Dr. Linh sees it, the app should not only focus on the number of patients they tend to, but also on the quality of each consultation.

For that reason, practitioners and experts in its network should be screened and selected carefully.

They will also be trained and must uphold the consultation guideline that the 'Giup Toi!' team prescribed to ensure service quality.

Four weeks of development

Considering the tremendous amount of work that communication platforms normally require, 'Giup Toi!' has astounded many IT professionals as its development only took four weeks.

Seeing the urgent need for medical support in Vietnam, Hung Tran, tech entrepreneur and founder of the rising AI platform Got It, called on the Vietnamese tech community and assembled a team of 150 engineers to help him develop a health consultation app.

Nguyen Phuong Thuy, tech specialist for a health data firm in the U.S. and co-founder of education platform STEAM for Vietnam, is one of the earliest supporters of Hungs initiative.

The 'Giup Toi!' team was so motivated that they started creating their website, establishing a domain, and recruiting help for the project right after they first met each other in a video call, Thuy recounted.

Thang Le, another devoted backer of the project, said he and other members spent many sleepless nights completing the app in time.

Despite being busy with his day job as a data specialist at an oil company in the U.S., Thang still chipped in his hours to support Vietnams bid to push back the coronavirus epidemic.

Thanks to the teams dedication, 'Giup Toi!' is now up and running on Google Play Store and Apple App Store, raking in thousands of downloads after just a few weeks of launch.

However, the developers are still not satisfied.

They are working on the final touches to raise 'Giup Toi!''s handling capacity to 300,000 requests per day.

We have invited over 300 doctors to join the app and provide support for patients, said Dr. Quach Huu Trung, director of 199 Hospital in Da Nang City and member of the 'Giup Toi!' team.

We hope that the app can help our community overcome the epidemic and resume our economic and social progress soon.

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Pope Francis has sent more than 350,000 euros ($411,000) in charity funds at his personal disposal to help with emergency relief in Haiti, Bangladesh and Vietnam, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

A statement said 200,000 euros was going to Haiti to help in the aftermath of the Aug. 14 earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people.

About $70,000 was sent to Bangldesh for continuing recovery assistance from Cyclone Yaas, which left tens of thousands of people homeless last May, and about 100,000 euros to Vietnam, where food supplies have been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Vatican said the sums were initial contributions and would be administered through its embassies in the countries.

Much of the charity money at the pope's personal disposal comes from Peter's Pence, a fund to which Catholics can contribute for general or specific causes.

The fund amounted to 50 million euros in 2020, according to a consolidated financial statement issued last month.
The United States will provide Vietnam with an additional one million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, Vice President Kamala Harris announced during her meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi on Wednesday.

The donated jabs would begin to arrive within the next 24 hours, AP News reported.

The U.S. previously donated more than five million shots of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to the Southeast Asian country via the COVAX Facility.

Vice President Harris had also joined talks with Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan earlier the same day.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh gestures while talking with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris at the Government Office in Hanoi, August 25, 2021. Photo: Vietnam Government Portal

During her meeting with State President Phuc, Harris said she was honored to be the first U.S. vice president to pay an official visit to Vietnam.

She thanked the Vietnamese leaders and people for their warm and thoughtful welcome.

The U.S. supports a strong, independent, and prosperous Vietnam, the vice president stated, adding that the Southeast Asian country will continue to expand international integration and assume an increasingly important role in the ASEAN bloc and the region.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, August 25, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Vice President Harris, along with a delegation of U.S. officials, is scheduled to join the Vietnamese government on Wednesday to launch the Southeast Asia regional office of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Hanoi.

She will also attend a virtual meeting with officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Papua New Guinea to discuss COVID-19 response measures and ways to strengthen global health security.

The official visit of the U.S. vice president is set to run until Thursday.

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Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris has commenced her official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Vietnamese Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan.

The U.S. official arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Tuesday evening following a three-hour delay.

Vice President Harris had wrapped up a trip to Singapore prior to her arrival.

This is the first official visit to Vietnam paid by a sitting U.S. vice president. The Southeast Asian country previously welcomed U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin last month.

Vice President Harris is scheduled to meet with Vietnamese leaders on Wednesday.

Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris arrives at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, August 24, 2021. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre

Along with a delegation of U.S. officials, she will join the Vietnamese government during the inauguration of the Southeast Asia regional office of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Hanoi.

Harris will also attend a virtual meeting with officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Papua New Guinea to discuss COVID-19 response measures and ways to strengthen global health security.

The U.S. has so far shared more than 23 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine with Southeast Asia.

Her official visit to Vietnam will conclude on Thursday.

The plane carrying U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is pictured at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, August 24, 2021. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre

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Check out the news you should not miss today:

Politics

-- Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris arrived in Hanoi on Tuesday night to officially begin her three-day visit to Vietnam.

COVID-19 Updates

-- The number of new coronavirus infections detected in the community was 3,977, accounting for over 84 percent of the total 4,610 cases recorded in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday, according to the citys COVID-19 portal.

-- The COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City began using three robots to treat patients remotely, delivering medicine and allowing medical workers to communicate with them without close contact.

-- Nha Trang City and Van Ninh District in south-central Khanh Hoa Province will continue to uphold social distancing measures under the prime ministers Directive No. 16 while the districts of Cam Ranh, Cam Lam, Dien Khanh, and Ninh Hoa will follow less stringent Directive No. 15 from Wednesday for the next 14 days. Authorities also required local residents not to go outside from 7:00 pm to 6:00 am the next day.

-- Authorities in Phan Thiet City in south-central Binh Thuan Province have decided to impose social distancing under the prime ministers Directive No. 16 from Tuesday, as part of their efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus. People in the city will also be banned from going outdoors from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am the next day until further notice.

-- Can Tho will prolong its coronavirus social distancing drive under the prime ministers Directive No. 16 in the entire Mekong Delta city until September 8, starting from Wednesday.

Society

-- Police in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday arrested and initiated legal proceedings against a 30-year-old man for obstructing law enforcement officers at a vaccination point in Tam Binh Ward.

-- Whirlwinds coupled with heavy rain on Tuesday swept through various residential areas in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang with as many as 49 houses heavily destroyed, local authorities reported.

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A teen girl has confessed to burning a slew of straw huts belonging to her neighbors, whom she said had caused offense to her family members in the north-central Vietnamese province of Ha Tinh.

The case was unveiled on Tuesday as police in Huong Son District, Ha Tinh identified N.T.T., a 14-year-old resident of Son Tien Commune, as the perpetrator of the destruction of one shelter and eight straw huts in the locality from June 26 to August 9.

At the police station, T. admitted to igniting eight neighbors straw huts, including burning one of them twice, and setting fire to her own familys fence for six times.

T. said she did so to take revenge on those who had decried her family members.

The girl had neither a medical history nor mental illness, according to local authorities, while her homeroom teacher regarded her as a student who refuses to socialize and stays quiet. Therefore, she has no close friends.

T. is the youngest child in a poor family whose parents work as farmers to feed their many children.

As most of the victims did not claim compensation for their burnt properties, local authorities decided to deal with T.s harmful act by cooperating with the girls family in educating her as a minor.

While the Huong Son District police were taking her testimony at the police station on Sunday afternoon, another straw hut was on fire at 3:30 pm, before another caught fire at 7:30 pm the same day in Son Tien Commune.

Authorities determined that another group caused the two blazes over personal conflicts.

Police are investigating the two cases.

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The Air Defense and Air Force Service under the Ministry of National Defense put two stations of mobile oxygen production equipment into operation on Tuesday at the Military Hospital 175 to meet the medical oxygen needs in Ho Chi Minh City.

Each station includes a unit of production machinery and equipment mounted on a transport vehicle and an attached mobile back-up generator, according to Colonel Nguyen Van Hieu, head of the Air Defense and Air Force Services motorcycle - electrical department.

Six staff members, including two drivers and four electricians, currently operate the two stations with a designed capacity of 16 cubic meters per hour.

It is estimated that each station is capable of generating from 40 to 60 40-liter extracted oxygen tanks with a working pressure of 150 kilograms per square centimeter on a daily basis.

Utilizing the pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology, which separates nitrogen molecules from other gas molecules by the carbon molecular sieves, it creates 99.5-percent pure oxygen products.

This portable oxygen production system can be quickly maneuvered to any location, practically contributing to meeting the urgent need for medical oxygen at hospitals for treating COVID-19 patients.

In Ho Chi Minh City, Factory A41 run by the Air Defense and Air Force Service is also operating three on-site liquid oxygen production lines with a capacity of about 4,300 40-liter oxygen cylinders.

The factory donated 1,000 40-liter oxygen cylinders to 12 COVID-19 field hospitals in the city on August 18.

A military officer operates mobile oxygen production equipment at the Military Hospital 175 in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

Military officers operate mobile oxygen production equipment at the Military Hospital 175 in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

A military officer operates mobile oxygen production equipment at the Military Hospital 175 in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

Military officials visit two mobile oxygen production stations at the Military Hospital 175 in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

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A patrol police team transported a woman suffering from heavy bleeding after giving birth to the hospital in time for treatment in Chau Thanh District, Kien Giang Province in Vietnams Mekong Delta region on Tuesday.

The task force saw Nguyen Thu Thuys family members carrying her and a baby on a motorbike in Minh Luong Town of Chau Thanh District at around 6:15 am on Tuesday.

The officers promptly transferred the woman, who was bleeding profusely, and the baby into a police car to head for the hospital.

Thuy had shown signs of approaching labor earlier.

However, before she could go to the hospital, she went into labor and gave birth at home.

After giving birth, the woman was bleeding in large amounts.

Due to the emergency situation, the family members resorted to the motorbike to take her to the hospital.

Had it not been for the police using the car with a priority siren, Im not sure whether or not we could save her as it took more than ten kilometers from our house to the hospital, said a family member of Thuy.

Thuys baby weighed more than three kilograms at birth.

Both the mother and baby are healthy and staying in the care of Chau Thanh District General Hospital.

Before my family members could thank them, the policemen got in their car and left, Thuy told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper over the phone.

When Im discharged, Ill take my baby to them to express my huge gratitude.

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The Ministry of Health documented more than 12,000 domestic COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, along with over 7,600 recoveries and 335 fatalities.

Thirty-six provinces and cities logged 12,093 local cases whereas a separate three infections were imported from abroad, the health ministry said.

The health ministry had documented 10,797 locally-infected patients on Tuesday.

More than 7,300 of the latest local cases were found in the community while the remaining were detected in isolated areas or centralized quarantine facilities.

Ho Chi Minh City registered 5,294 of the new domestic infections, up by 667 patients; Binh Duong Province 4,129, up by 501; Dong Nai Province 618; Long An Province 460; Tien Giang Province 319; Da Nang 162; Khanh Hoa Province 150; Tay Ninh Province 119; Binh Thuan Province 106; and Hanoi 96.

Since the fourth COVID-19 wave began in Vietnam on April 27, the country has confirmed 377,245 community transmissions in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities.

Ho Chi Minh City stays atop with 190,166 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 81,182, Dong Nai Province with 19,728, Long An Province with 19,046, Tien Giang Province with 8,155, Dong Thap Province with 6,316, Khanh Hoa Province with 5,862, Bac Giang Province with 5,840, Da Nang with 3,561, and Hanoi with 3,005.

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 recorded 7,646 recoveries on Wednesday, bringing the total to 169,921 recovered patients.

The death toll has mounted to 9,349 after the health ministry documented 335 fatalities the same day, including 266 in Ho Chi Minh City and 31 in Binh Duong Province.

The Southeast Asian country has detected an accumulation of 381,363 cases since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it on January 23, 2020.

Health workers gave 432,460 vaccine doses on Tuesday.

More than 18 million vaccine shots have been administered in Vietnam since the country rolled out vaccination on March 8, with over two million people having been fully vaccinated.

The Vietnamese government expects to obtain 175 million shots of various vaccines, including 51 million Pfizer-BioNTech jabs, by early 2022.

It set a target of immunizing two-thirds of a population of nearly 98 million people against COVID-19 by the first quarter of next year.

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ABC has launched a public information campaign to debunk myths about COVID-19 vaccines, calling on Australians to get the jab.

Amongst those appearing are Shaun Micallef, Lisa Millar, Tony Armstrong, Wil Anderson, Nazeem Hussain, Craig Reucassel, Michael Rowland, Sammy J, Jeremy Fernandez, Namila Benson, Jan Fran and Courtney Act.

Joining them are doctors Norman Swan, Preeya Alexander and Karl Kruszelnicki, who address several vaccination questions.

ABC Managing Director David Anderson said, As the nations most trusted media organisation, we are proud to help Australians get the facts about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

Australians want credible, reliable information to keep themselves and their loved ones safe and well. The ABCs Vax Facts campaign highlights how COVID-19 vaccinations are essential to saving lives and to helping Australians return to our normal ways of life and work.

The ABCs public information campaign, produced in-house and launched today across television, radio and online, addresses vaccination myths and common concerns, including:

Can I get COVID-19 from the vaccines?

Will the vaccines work against new COVID-19 variants?

Do the vaccines contain animal products?

Were the vaccines rushed into circulation?

Can I still get COVID-19 after being vaccinated?

What is long COVID?

We started this work by looking at frequently asked questions coming to us from ABC audiences. We then put out the call to our fabulous ABC on-air personalities and were overwhelmed by so many of them wanting to help deliver this important information, said Leisa Bacon, ABC Director Audiences.

Our Vax Facts campaign was produced by our incredible internal creative team at ABC Made and uses an engaging, light-hearted tone to communicate essential information for all Australians.

Versions of the promotions running on social media will include subtitles in Arabic, Vietnamese and Mandarin to reach as many Australians as possible, including those in COVID-19 hotspots in Sydneys south and west.

For more information about the COVID-19 pandemic, including live coverage and the latest news on the pandemic, go to: https://www.abc.net.au/news/story-streams/coronavirus/.

For details on where and when you can get vaccinated, please refer to the Department of Health: https://www.health.gov.au/campaigns/coronavirus-covid-19.
History doco The Real Lawrence of Arabia screens this Sunday on SBS.

The real Lawrence of Arabia is a man called Thomas Edward Lawrence, a British Intelligence Officer whose daring raids in World War I made him a legend. But who really was the man known as Lawrence of Arabia and how is it he came to lead a small army of Arabs to defeat the Turks  the fourth largest army in the world?

The Real Lawrence of Arabia reveals the man behind the myth. With captivating expert interviews and an array of archive from ITNs archives, movies, diaries, letters and press from the time, well bring to life this intensely personal drama. Well also use the words of T. E. Lawrences war memoirs The Seven Pillars of Wisdom in which he documented his great adventures. The story of T.E. Lawrence is the ultimate story of courage and guilt, betrayal and triumph.

From his early years growing up in rural Wales, well chart how Lawrence went from Oxford archaeology student in Oxford to fighting alongside Arab guerrilla forces in the Middle East during the Arab Revolt. Well also explain how Lawrences role in unifying the Arab tribes against the Turks set in motion a chain of events that he was powerless to stop. Events that even today, profoundly shape Arab-Western relations.

Sunday, 29 August at 9.30pm on SBS.
On Sunday Compass screens a follow up to its documentary The 100+ Club.

Now, The 110+ Club profiles Dexter Kruger who became Australias oldest living person when he turned 111 in February.

This is directed and produced by Mandy Lake of FlickChicks Productions.

In the 111th year of his life, outback author Dexter Kruger is in a race against time towards his ultimate deadline.

Roma-based, retired cattleman, Dexter Kruger, is old. Very, very old.

So old, in fact, that he was a toddler when the Titanic sank, four when the First World War broke out, hes lived through the Spanish Flu and the Great Depression, and hes seen about 20 Australian Prime Ministers come and go.

The last time we saw Dexter on ABCs Compass programme  in The 100+ Club documentary nine years ago  the outback author was busy finishing off his 5th book, with the help of his faithful decipherer, Bob.

Little did we imagine back then while we were capturing Dexter zipping about on a quad bike, cracking whips, and quips, that he would not only still be with us in 2020, but also filming for the sequel  The 110+ Club (Dexter Kruger Was Here!

Yet, at 110 years of age, Dexters not only very much alive and kicking, but hes also as sharp-witted, fully focussed, and goal oriented as ever!

And, as well see in this half hour documentary  which kicks off with his 110th birthday bash, and follows him for the next 553 days  the supercentenarian still has a few outstanding items to tick off his bucket list.

For starters, hes absolutely determined to blow out the candles on his 111th birthday cake on 13 January, 2021.

The worlds oldest living author is also ardently working on his 13th and final book  which he describes as a collection of all the little and big things that Ive seen and heard through my long life.

Its a story of success, Dexter says. For Ive defeated everything put before me.

Whats even more impressive is that hes aiming to release it on the very day he wants to write himself into the history books by becoming Australias oldest ever man  17 May, 2021.

Those who know Dexter have no doubt that his sheer mindpower and tenacity could help carry him to that seemingly ambitious deadline; but, sadly, its his body that may ultimately let him down  his organs are now starting to shut down.

Make no mistake, its the writing thats keeping Dexter going, but he also arguably wouldnt be alive today were it not for his adoptive grand-daughter and self-described secretary, Janet Rowling.

Janet stepped up to the plate with her laptop, as Dexters decipherer four years ago, and shes since been visiting the near-blind author three times a week to help put his stories onto paper, as well as update his social media (hes a huge fan of Facebook).

A devout member of Romas Life Christian Church, the 56-year-old mum of two firmly believes God sent me to work with Dexter and shes been fervently praying for his soul since his surprising revelation to her that he  a regular church-goer  doesnt believe in the bible and God is but three letters on a piece of paper.

Needless to say, these unlikely friends have had some very spirited conversations about religion over the years and Janets now on her own personal quest to save her beloved friend from eternal hell but, as well see, the mutual respect they have for each others belief systems is simply beautiful to behold.

At its very heart, The 110+ Club (Dexter Kruger Was Here) is both quintessential a buddy film, as well as a moving portrait of one of Australias most inspiring characters.

8pm Sunday on ABC TV+
Disney+ has released a trailer for Happier than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, a cinematic concert experience in which Billie Eilish will make her Disney debut.

Directed by Robert Rodriguez and by Oscar-winner Patrick Osborne the special will also include animated elements, taking viewers on a dreamlike journey through Billies hometown of Los Angeles and its most iconic backdrops. Happier than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles features FINNEAS, the Los Angeles Childrens Chorus, the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, and world renowned Brazilian guitarist, Romero Lubambo, with Orchestra Arrangements by David Campbell. Happier than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles was produced by Interscope Films and Darkroom Productions, in associate with Nexus Studios and Aron Levine Productions, with Kerry Asmussen as the Live Concert Director and Pablo Berron as Director of Photography.

Seven time Grammy Award-winning artist Billie Eilishs brand-new album Happier Than Ever was written by Billie and her brother FINNEAS, who also produced the album. The album debuted at No. 1 in 19 countries and has since spent a total of three consecutive weeks in the U.S. Previous to Happier Than Ever Eilishs breakout album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S as well as 17 additional countries around the world upon release in 2019, and was the most streamed album of that year. She later went on to make history that year as the youngest artist to receive nominations and wins in all the major categories at the 62nd Grammy Awards. Most recently, she took home both Record of the Year for everything i wanted, and Best Song Written For Visual Media for No Time To Die at this years 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

Writer/Director Robert Rodriguez directed the action films Desperado and From Dusk Til Dawn. Additional film credits include Sin City, Alita Battle Angel, We Can Be Heroes, and the Spy Kids films, all of which were produced at his Troublemaker Studios facility in Austin, Texas.

Patrick Osborne is an American animator, screenwriter and film director. In 2014 he won the Academy for Best Animation Short Film for Feast his directorial debut, and followed this up with the innovative Emmy winning and Oscar nominated VR short Pearl in 2017. He served as the animation director for ABCs comedy series Imaginary Mary. Previous to that, Osborne was an animator for films such as Walt Disney Animation Studios Wreck-It-Ralph and Bolt.

Under the leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil offers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that inspire and strengthen communities in Los Angeles and beyond. The Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra is the foundation of the LA Phils offerings, which also include a multi-genre, multidisciplinary presenting program and such youth development programs as YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Performances are offered on three historic stagesWalt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and The Fordas well as through a variety of media platforms. In all its endeavors, the LA Phil seeks to enrich the lives of individuals and communities through musical, artistic and learning experiences that resonate in our world today.

Friday, September 3 on Disney+.
Virginia Trioli hosts Q+A live from Melbourne this week.

This week Q+A puts young people front and centre  on the panel and sending in questions from around the country.

The Delta variant is radically changing the face of COVID and were seeing a rising number of infections in children and teens.

Schools have become the new battleground, with outbreaks among students across states and exams delayed or cancelled. In Melbourne, playgrounds are closed and a curfew is back in place, as part of stricter lockdown measures.

The Federal Government has announced that all people aged 16 to 39 will be eligible for a covid vaccine by the end of August, however many who are keen to be immunised still face a long wait.

Is it time to reconsider the focus on vulnerable adult groups? What are the particular needs of young people when it comes to vaccine access and information? How are the ongoing lockdowns in NSW and Victoria affecting school and university students? And what about those young people losing their jobs and career paths due to COVID? Are we giving young people enough of a say in all this?

Guests:

Norman Swan, Aus. Research Alliance for Children and Youth and Coronacast presenter

Anthea Rhodes, Paediatrician and child health researcher

Fiona Russell, Paediatrician and epidemiologist

Petria Houvardas, Year 12 student from Sydney

Arth Tuteja, Year 11 student from Melbourne

Thursday, August 26 at 8.30pm AEST.
Season 5 of Spanish hit series Money Heist returns to Netflix next week.

Part 5 will be released in two volumes, on September 3 and December 3 2021.

The gang has been shut in the Bank of Spain for over 100 hours. They have managed to rescue Lisbon, but their darkest moment is upon them after losing one of their own. The Professor has been captured by Sierra and, for the first time, doesnt have an escape plan. Just when it seems like nothing else could go wrong, an enemy comes on the scene that is much more powerful than any theyve faced: the army. The end of the greatest heist in history is approaching, and what began as a robbery will turn into a war.

Violence
SBS and Screen Australia have announced production funding for a new drama comedy as part of its Digital Originals initiative.

A Beginners Guide to Grief, written by and starring South Australian Anna Lindner, receives funding for SBS On Demand.

A Beginners Guide to Grief, is a drama comedy series exploring themes of death, grief and identity. The story follows 31-year-old Harriet Wylde as she returns to her hometown in remote South Australia to care for two terminally ill parents. When both pass away within weeks of each other, shes forced to face her ultimate fear: absolute aloneness. After reconnecting with her dysfunctional childhood friend Daisy, Harriet discovers that grief doesnt play by any rules and soon, neither will she.

The project is directed by Renee Mao, executive and creative produced by Linda Ujuk and produced by South Australian Kate Butler, both of KOJO Studios, and also produced by South Australian Julie Byrne. Principal funding is being provided by Screen Australia in association with SBS, and it is financed with support from the South Australian Film Corporation.

The series emerged from the Digital Originals initiative in 2019, which also included Iggy & Ace, premiering on SBS On Demand on 9 September.

Commissioning Editor, SBS Scripted, Donna Chang, said: Were thrilled to see more incredible talent and surprising stories unearthed through the Digital Originals initiative. Its fantastic to be taking A Beginners Guide to Grief into production and we cant wait to bring it to screens on SBS On Demand next year. Its also exciting to see the dynamic mix of projects from this years submissions being developed, reflecting more genres  from comedy, crime and even horror  showcasing unique Australian stories, and challenging us to think about what a digital series can be.

Screen Australia Senior Online Investment Manager, Lee Naimo, said: From the moment we heard the pitch for A Beginners Guide to Grief from creator Anna Lindner, we knew we wanted to see this project through, and were delighted to support Lindner and the talented creative team bring it to life. And the exciting talent keeps coming  were so impressed with the calibre of projects in our next crop of Digital Originals and look forward to seeing them develop their projects further.

SAFC CEO Kate Croser added: The SAFC is really pleased to support writer Anna Lindner, and producers Kate Butler and Linda Ujuk from KOJO Studios with Julie Byrne to take their series to the screen. The SAFC has long been committed to supporting greater participation by women and female-identifying practitioners in the screen industry as part of our mission to boost diversity and inclusion across the entire sector, and it is wonderful to see that come to light in this fully South Australian produced and post-produced series.

Six new projects have also been chosen for further development under Digital Originals.

Head of Programming and Commissioning at NITV, Kyas Hepworth, also added: Digital Originals provides an important platform for emerging creatives from backgrounds so often underrepresented in our sector to shine, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives with powerful First Nations stories and perspectives to collaborate and share with all Australians. Its been great to get to know the teams and see their creativity and innovation come to life through the short form format.

Six new series have also been chosen for further development from a shortlist of 12 projects from the 2020 Digital Originals initiative candidates. All 12 teams took part in exclusive development workshops held virtually in May, run by Screen Australia, SBS and NITV which included international and local guest speakers, as well as developing the projects to align with the SBS Charter and SBS platforms, including NITV, and culminated in a pitch.

The six Digital Originals projects from 2020 being funded for further development, are:

Appetite

Three penniless delivery riders must battle the multinational food delivery company, Appetite, after becoming personally entangled in a conspiracy surrounding the death of a rider on the streets of Sydney.

Creatives: Mohini Herse (Writer/Director/Producer), Neilesh Verma (Writer), Neil Sharma (Director), Sleena Wilson (Executive Producer).

Garbage

When his truck happens across a police raid, a young garbage collector becomes entangled in a drug deal that goes terribly wrong. If hes to escape he must not only face down a dangerous criminal syndicate, but his own fear of failure amidst a profound family crisis.

Creatives: Hunter Page-Lochard (Writer/Director/Producer), Luke Bouchier (Writer/Director/Producer), Kobie Duncan (Writer).

Let Me Help

After watching their care workers hook up at a bar, two strangers with cerebral palsy are determined to explore their relationships with sex and each other.

Creatives: Emma Myers (Writer/Creator), Nina Oyama (Writer/Creator), Angus Thompson (Writer/Creator), Hannah Ngo (Producer).

Night Bloomers

Dark tales from the Korean diaspora that bloom in the night and move you.

Creatives: Andrew Lee (Writer/Director/Producer), Ashlea Ritchie (Producer), Michael McMahon (Executive Producer), Barry Gamba (Executive Producer).

Diva (previously known as Sonny)

Inspired by a true story, Diva follows the journey of a young queer Samoan man who discovers himself through the world of professional wrestling.

Creatives: Jason Dewhurst (Writer), Taofia Pelesasa (Writer), Jessica Magro (Producer).

Unicorn Hunters

Sick of being hunted on Tinder to fulfil straight peoples fantasies, Sunny decides to catfish straight girl Elise, but instead starts to fall for her, before realising shes also not who she claims to be.

Creatives: Rachel Perks (Writer), Jean Tong (Writer), Tessa Mansfield-Hung (Producer).

An evolution of SBSs Short-Form Content Initiative, Digital Originals aims to support practitioners and projects that reflect gender equity and/or the diversity of people and experiences from around Australia. This includes those who identify as First Nations Australians; are from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds; those who are living with a disability; are female or trans/gender diverse; identify as LGBTQIA+; and those who are located in regional and remote areas.
"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker."
By Mark Gokavi

Hanley Sustainability Institute students leaders often talked about - or wrote on a whiteboard - the idea of starting a podcast.

Early in 2021, University of Dayton graduate Sophia Palmer made it happen and decided to tell the story of the sustainability trailblazers that came before 2014s $12.5 million gift from George ('77) and Amanda Hanley.

Palmer, a December 2020 UD grad who majored in mechanical engineering and earned a sustainability minor, developed a special four-part series that detailed four eras of how HSI and UD's sustainability program got to where it is and hinted at its future.

Calling the stories informative and inspirational, Palmer spoke to numerous administrators, faculty members and students connected to the effort to forge a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly campus.

The series starts with events beginning around 1985 and journeys through the decades after that led to a new strategic plan and the academic program offering four tracks in a major and a graduate certificate.

"Here at the Hanley Sustainability Institute, we understand that we would not be where we are today without the passion, creativity and hard work of many students, faculty and staff across the University, Palmer said during the podcast. That is why we wanted to document where weve been, where were at and where were going."

Ben McCall, HSIs executive director, said that HSI looks forward to building on the strong foundation that has been laid by decades of UD students, staff and faculty to advance sustainability education, research and operations both on campus and in our community."

For more sustainability news and information, visit HSIs news blog, the Hanley Sustainability Institute website and the sustainability program website. To sign up for HSIs Sustainability Spotlight newsletter, register here.
Holland America Line Announces May 2022 Return-to-Service Dates for Volendam and Zaandam



Zuiderdam will sail the Grand World Voyage in 2023

Seattle, Wash., Aug 25, 2021  Travelers looking to get back to sea on their favorite Holland America Line ship can anticipate a restart date of May 2022 for Volendam and Zaandam. The ships will join Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam and Zuiderdam, which have returned to service or are slated to restart cruising by November 2021.

Holland America Line will restart the two ships in May when Volendam will explore Northern Europe and Zaandam will return to the Canada/New England region. With these new start dates, the Grand World Voyage and Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage will not operate in 2022 and will resume in 2023.

We have been diligently planning and preparing to move our ships back into service, and after an extremely successful restart in Alaska and Europe we are thrilled to have return-to-service dates for Volendam and Zaandam, said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. The team members on our ships in service have shared what a positive experience it has been welcoming guests back on board. We look forward to next spring when even more eager travelers can get back to cruising with us.

Volendam and Zaandam Return May 2022

When Volendam returns on May 1, the ship will offer longer explorations ranging from 14 to 35 days to the Baltic, Norway up to North Cape and Spitsbergen, British Isles and Iceland, all roundtrip from Rotterdam, Netherlands. The ship also sails along the Iberian Peninsula to the Mediterranean and down to Egypt and Israel.

Zaandam restarts on May 12 in the beloved Canada/New England region, with a cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Boston, Massachusetts, followed by itineraries between Boston and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The ship will offer the popular 35-day Voyage of the Vikings itinerary in July that sails roundtrip from Boston to Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Ireland.

Story continues

Grand Voyages Resume in 2023

When the Grand World Voyage departs Jan. 3, 2023, Zuiderdam will debut on the 128-day around-the-world sojourn, offering world cruise guests the opportunity to book a verandah stateroom for the first time. Zuiderdam also features Music Walks Lincoln Center Stage, B.B. Kings Blues Club and Billboard Onboard, along with specialty restaurants Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto. Volendam will return for the 74-day Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage in 2023 that departs Jan. 3, 2023.

Guests who were booked on the 2022 Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage will be automatically moved to the 2023 departure aboard Volendam. Guests who were booked on the 2022 Grand World Voyage aboard Zaandam will be automatically moved to the 2023 Grand World Voyage aboard Zuiderdam.

Our 2022 Grand World Voyage booked in record time, and with the pent-up demand to get back to world cruising we moved the cruise to Zuiderdam, Antorcha added. For the first time on a Grand World Voyage our guests will be able to book a verandah stateroom category, which makes for spectacular scenic cruising, breakfast with a view or relaxing outside without leaving your stateroom.

2023 Grand World Voyage Highlights  Zuiderdam

128 days. Departing Jan. 3, 2023, roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale.

Crossing the South Pacific to New Zealand and Australia before sailing up the west coast of Africa and charting a path through Northern Europe.

61 total ports in 30 countries and island nations, including eight overnight calls.

15 calls around the African continent with opportunities for safari experiences.

2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Highlights  Volendam

74 days. Departing Jan. 3, 2023, roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale on an itinerary that circles the continent on a counterclockwise route.

34 total ports in 16 countries and island nations, including five overnight calls.

Daylight transit of the Panama Canal and overland opportunities to visit Machu Picchu, the Galapagos Islands, Patagonia and Iguazu Falls.

Four days of spectacular scenic cruising in the icescapes of Antarctica.

11 calls in Brazil and a journey along the Amazon River to Manaus.

Koningsdam to Assume Popular Hawaii, Tahiti and Marquesas Cruise in 2023

With Zuiderdam embarking on the Grand World Voyage, Koningsdam will take on that ships longer, exotic itineraries in 2023. Koningsdams 25-day Mexican Riviera and Circle Hawaii Collectors Voyage will move from a Jan. 31, 2023, departure to Jan. 7, 2023, for 24 days. In February, the larger Pinnacle Class ship offers the exotic 35-day Hawaii, Tahiti and Marquesas itinerary roundtrip from San Diego, and all guests booked for that departure aboard Zuiderdam will be moved to Koningsdam.

Zuiderdams Panama Canal cruises in January and April 2023, as well as a 10-day Mexico and Sea of Cortez voyage, will be assumed by Zaandam.

Full Refund Option Also Available

Guests who prefer a 100% refund of monies paid to Holland America Line can visit the Cancellation Preferences Form to indicate their preference by Sept. 24, 2021.

The above options are not applicable to guests booked on a charter sailing. Other booking and cancellation conditions and policies may?apply if the cruise was not booked through Holland America Line. See the terms and conditions in the Cancellation Preferences Form for all details.

For more information about Holland America Line, consult a travel advisor, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com.

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As the world braces itself for an influx of people fleeing Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban coup, it is a timely opportunity to look at the real effect of immigrants and refugees on a country. So often these people are demonised and scapegoated by the media and politicians as a distraction from underlying domestic problems or to make political capital out of voter fears.

According to a recent survey, almost one in three Europeans feels that refugees are more to blame for crime than other groups, while those who believe that refugees will increase the likelihood of terrorism is almost double that.

The study of immigrants and violence often focuses on the likely opportunities and motives of migrants to commit violence, and the effect on a countrys crime level. But the latest research from my colleague and I took a different approach, looking at the number of refugees welcomed by a country as a measure of national compassion.

Our analysis showed that countries in Europe and North America that treat refugees with compassion and accept them in greater numbers are likely to have lower murder rates. Put simply, compassion towards refugees is not linked to greater risk of violent crime.

What the evidence shows

The study concentrated on the period from 2014 to 2017 when almost 2 million migrants  many from the Middle East  tried to find asylum in EU countries, marking the worst crisis of its kind since the second world war.

We looked at countries that were able to prevent refugees from simply marching in. In these countries, refugee flows reflect political choices and asylum policies rather than the inability to prevent massive influxes at the border. This means our focus was not on countries like Lebanon, Kenya or Turkey, but rather on Europe and North America.

According to UN statistics, Ukraine, the US and Lithuania are in the worst position for murder with more than five murders per 100,000 people per year  and more than six in the case of Ukraine. Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Albania and Hungary have more than two homicides per 100,000 people per year. All these countries received fewer refugees per population than the average European or North American country.

Story continues

The three states that received the greatest number of refugees per population were Germany, Malta and Sweden, all of which are among the least violent countries in the west.

Only three countries  Poland, Czech Republic and Slovenia  have low numbers of refugees and low levels of homicides. But there are no examples of countries with generous asylum policies and high levels of violent crime.

Role of compassion

The link revealed by the study between openness to refugees and low levels of violent crime is not related to refugees peaceable natures or other characteristics. Rather, I believe it is more about the characteristics of the host country that welcomes them  or not.

Our study worked on the basis that valuing human life motivates the desire to save refugees from the dangers of war. At the same time, it assumes that such appreciation also strengthens moral and motivational obstacles to violence.

I argue that this respect for life implies a willingness to rescue rather than persecute. The fact that the murder rate and the number of refugees are negatively correlated provides evidence that the effect of this ethos on host populations is greater than any potentially destabilising effect of refugee flows.

The political consequences of this finding could be significant as the Afghan crisis grows. Afghan refugees do not constitute as great a danger as the attitude that leads to the rejection or reluctance to take on refugees. If we accept the evidence that showing compassion and openness to refugees does not put people of host countries in danger, some of the deep political divides that characterise debates on asylum seekers could be lessened.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Timo A Kivimaki does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Extinction Rebellion protesters have descended on Oxford Circus, where they blocked traffic with a giant pink table, danced peacefully and heard speeches, as climate demonstrations in London continue.

Earlier, the environmental movement gathered outside the Brazilian embassy to protest deforestation and attacks on indigenous people on the third day of its Impossible Rebellion protests in the capital, due to last for two weeks.

XR is aiming to disrupt business as usual in London with its latest set of demonstrations as the climate crisis unfolds.

More than 100 people have been arrested since Sunday, the day before the start of the official action.

Read More

Extinction Rebellion: Who are the climate activist group bringing cities to a standstill and what are their aims?

As Extinction Rebellion targets the worlds biggest polluters, does it matter how green individual activists are?

Extinction Rebellion make camp in Soho for day two of London protests

Key Points

Protesters to gather outside Brazilian embassy

Forty women block Oxford Circus to urge climate action

IPCC report prompted surge in XR backing, group claims

15:38 , Tim Wyatt

The UNs stark report warning that climate change was already causing catastrophe around the world led to a surge of donations and support for Extinction Rebellion, one of its founders has said.

Liam Geary Baulch, who helped launch the organisation in 2018, said they saw a jump in donations after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change document was published earlier this month.

The report explained how human activity had already pushed up global temperatures by 1.1C and was driving weather and climate extremes in every region across the world.

Mr Baulch said: Last week 100,000 was raised in crowdfunding in just 24 hours ahead of the two weeks of protests in London.

With the IPCC report just coming out, a lot of people have been reignited with the urgency of taking action on the climate and ecological emergency and are aware that, now its more safe for everyone to come to London [due to coronavirus restrictions being eased].

Story continues

He added: We are again running groups all over the country and people are being encouraged to come down to London... When theyre here they are all involved with different kinds of protests, all with the aim of like really inviting people to get in and come and talk with us.

Protester: I came here because Ive given up all hope

15:28 , Tim Wyatt

Paul Sheehy, 46, was one of four demonstrators holding a banner reading Act Now outside the entrance to the Microsoft store at Oxford Circus.

He told The Independent he had travelled from Warrington to attend todays protest and was willing to go to prison to stop climate change.

Paul, a call centre operator who has been part of XR for two years, said: I came here because Ive given up all hope. Lots of people think that its pointless to even protest now, theres so much political apathy in the world.

But once you run out of hope you have to try and change things. In this case it means reduce fossil fuel use rapidly - which they say is impossible but we are here to make the impossible inevitable.

The pandemic has been so difficult for us. This is to kick start the movement again. When were talking to people in the public, a lot of them say thank you. But we need more people involved to make it work. We need that active engagement.

Im prepared to go to prison for this and I know many others are as well.

He added: The police have changed their tactics - they are being more harsh with us. But I imagine theyre under pressure from Priti Patel who famously doesnt like us.

We have no beef with the police though, we know they are just doing their jobs. They have the same concerns that we have.

He continued: There is only a slight change in our tactics. This week is about outreach. We want to jar people out of their ordinary lives. We want to show that breaking the law is proportionate to the level of crisis were facing.

Police trying to detach protesters glued to Oxford Circus structure

15:23 , Tim Wyatt

The Metropolitan Police have confirmed they are attempting to dismantle the large pink table erected at Oxford Circus by the Extinction Rebellion demonstrators.

In a tweet, the force said its officers intervened when activists began building the table but added some had glued themselves to the structure to prevent the police from removing it.

Some individuals have glued themselves to the structure, specialist officers are working to support their removal, the police tweeted earlier. There will be some disruption to traffic in the area as roads are currently blocked, which we are working to reduce.

More images of Oxford Circus blockage

15:09 , Tim Wyatt

Daniel Keane, reporting from the scene of the Oxford Circus protest, has sent back these pictures of the activists closing the road with their giant pink table.

(The Independent)

(The Independent)

(The Independent)

Forty women block Oxford Circus to urge climate action

14:47 , Tim Wyatt

Earlier, more than 40 women closed the busy road junction at Oxford Circus in central London to invite women to come to the table to discuss how to turn around the climate crisis.

Mirroring a similar protest earlier this week, the XR demonstrators built an oversized pink table in the middle of the road, with two empty chairs facing each other.

XR said the demonstration represented an invitation to all those who identify as female, nonbinary or trans: the crisis is here  come and take your seat at the table and demand the urgent action needed to tackle the climate and ecological emergency.

Activists then locked and glued themselves to the structure and to block traffic. When police officers manning the protest managed to clear the road, the phrase Courage calls to courage everywhere had been daubed onto the tarmac.

(Extinction Rebellion)

The phrase is a quotation from the suffragette Millicent Fawcett and is part of her own statue in Parliament Square.

Hester, a 41-year-old mother of three who took part in the protests and did not give her surname, said: If we are to turn around this suicidal system, women all over the world must take their seat at the table.

We are just one part of a movement for change, and we invite all women and those who identify as nonbinary, intersex or transgender to join us as we step into our collective power.

Demonstration has now begun to move up Regent Street

14:41 , Tim Wyatt

The XR protest which has been in Piccadilly Circus has now started heading back up Regent Street.

(The Independent)

XR no longer aiming for mass arrests, protester claims

14:25 , Tim Wyatt

XRs tactics have shifted with their latest bout of civil disobedience, with the group no longer hoping for as many activists to be arrested as possible.

Jamie, a 22-year-old marketing intern who did not wish to give his surname, told Daniel Keane at the central London demonstration he felt the groups approach had changed compared to last years protests. He has spent the day handing out leaflets to passers-by at Piccadilly Circus.

He told The Independent: I joined XR two years ago as I realised we need to act now on climate change. I realised Ive lived a comfortable life but this directly impacts my future survival - but its also killing lots of people right now.

Theyre used to be this attitude that civil disobedience - like locking yourself to the street - meant going and getting as many people arrested as possible.

I think that more and more people in the movement feel that thats on its way out. The police have become a lot smarter about that anyway and it also can exclude people.

Were still a direct action movement but were moving towards something a bit more motivational. Im not against the idea of blocking roads as long as theyre government buildings or in the city of London. Occupying a space has always been part of protest in British history but its better when you have specific targets.

He added: The government, fossil fuel corporations and the media are still slightly unaware that the public is more radical than they think on the climate crisis.

When you talk to people on the street people still feel worried about the climate. Most of our direct actions - even controversial ones - get peoples attention and shifts the agenda even if some of us get shouted at in the street.

Chinese activist terrified'

13:28 , Jane Dalton

A young woman from China told crowds gathered at Piccadilly Circus that she was terrified for the future and had taken risks in standing up for climate action.

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Young climate activists urge UK and UN to act on murders of environmental defenders

13:18 , Jane Dalton

Young climate activists from across the world are calling on leaders to urgently act on the killing and harassment of environmental defenders.

A record 212 environmental activists were murdered in 2019  with preliminary analysis suggesting the situation has worsened since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Exclusive by our climate correspondent Daisy Dunne:

Young climate activists urge leaders to act on environmental defender murders

Hunger striker: The planet is f***** up more badly than we imagine'

13:03 , Jane Dalton

A large crowd has assembled in Piccadilly Circus and speeches have begun, reports Daniel Keane.

Martha Krumpeck, a member of extinction rebellion in Austria, told the crowd of her 30-day hunger strike in Austria in opposition to the governments plans to build new motorways.

I decided to go on hunger strike in Vienna to protest against climate inaction by the Austrian government... I lasted for 30 days - then the minister finally conceded and launched an evaluation on the plans to build new motorways, she said.

If they say they can still construct this s***, I will go on hunger strike again.

If we dont fight, we will be the last generation. If they want to kill us all, we can all least offer some resistance.

Our governments are refusing to give up the old system. They are continuing to use fossil fuels.

The planet is f***** up more badly than any of us can imagine. It is time for us to put ourselves in harms way.

(Daniel Keane)

Farmer at Brazilian embassy protest calls for cut in soya demand

12:55 , Jane Dalton

Protesters played samba music outside the Brazilian embassy and carried placards reading Down with Bolsonaro and We Stand with Brazilian Indigenous People.

Alan Measures, 71, said he had travelled to London from Peterborough for his second XR protest.

He told The Independent: I spent the last 30 or so years as a farmer and Ive been looking at the issue of the Amazon rainforest and soy production for years. It is aligned with the issues faced by indigenous people.

We in this country couldnt use pulses or beans to substitute for the soya meals that we get and demand hasnt gone down. Ive lobbied the National Farmers Union and Ive met my MP to ask questions about this.

I would like to see something that reduces the demand in the UK for soya products.

He said the atmosphere surrounding the protests had changed since last year and the public appeared less hostile.

He continued: I walked here from the South Bank yesterday flying my flag. I was worried Id have to take it down and pack it away - but it was quite reassuring how many people stopped to greet me and talk to me.

It is very positive - a few years ago it wouldnt have been.

Its so mixed today. You get people from all ages and all backgrounds.

He added: The problem with our government is one of attitude. Our political cycle is short, politicians focus on winning elections.

I cant see Boris Johnson changing his attitude... we need him to be replaced.

We need a cross-party agreement on climate change - that is all that can move us forward.

Trade officials given Charred Earth Award'

12:47 , Jane Dalton

Activists handed a Charred Earth Award to the Department for International Trade, during a solemn red-carpet ceremony, with the sound of cattle playing.

The government must put environmental protection, particularly of the Amazon, front & centre of any trade talks with Brazil, XR said.

By treating Brazil as a friendly future trading partner the DIT is condoning deforestation, human rights abuses against Indigenous people & a climate catastrophe. It will have horrific consequences for everyone across the planet.

Protesters move on to Department for International Trade

12:27 , Tim Wyatt

XR protesters have now moved on to the Department for International Trade, where they have presented officials with a Charred Earth award.

The activists have condemned the government for pursuing future trade with Brazil, who they argue is responsible for massive deforestation of the Amazon rainforest and human rights abuses against indigenous people living there.

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More images from todays protests in central London

12:17 , Tim Wyatt

XR campaigners are still filling the streets of central London, waving banners, banging drums and making speeches as the third day of action by the group continues.

See some of the latest pictures below:

(The Independent)

(PA)

(The Independent)

XR demonstrators praise lighter touch policing at latest protests

11:58 , Tim Wyatt

The Independents Daniel Keane is reporting from the protest outside the Brazilian embassy.

One demonstrator, Rowena Fields, 66, was flying an XR flag and told him she had travelled down from York this morning to help highlight the awful suffering experienced by indigenous tribes in Brazil.

She said: Im here because I want to support indigenous people and highlight the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. This is my fourth XR protest. I think theres a lighter touch here now compared to before, and it almost feels now the police are more sympathetic to our cause.

Some of the conversations Ive had with them - it appears as if they feel like this protest makes a lot of sense. You cant look at the IPCC report and not think: something urgent needs to happen.

Our tactics are also different. They are more fluid and more dispersed.

XR activists block oil refinery in the Netherlands

11:53 , Tim Wyatt

According to reports from The Netherlands, Extinction Rebellion campaigners briefly blocked roads leading to a Shell oil refinery near Rotterdam this morning.

Police arrested 12 activists after they closed roads leading to the Pernis facility, one of the largest refineries in Europe, preventing lorries from entering the site.

The Dutch branch of XR said their action was to demand the fossil fuel giant cut its emissions faster and warned they had other demonstrations planned throughout the week.

Tory MP hits out at XR

11:29 , Zoe Tidman

A Tory MP has accused Extinction Rebellion of putting people off the cause of tackling the climate crisis with their actions.

Watch her comments here:

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Does it matter how green activists are?

11:17 , Zoe Tidman

A favourite line of attack against the environmental movement is charging members with hypocrisy.

Right-wing blog Guido Fawkes is among the outlets highlighting that one of Extinction Rebellions co-founders, Dr Gail Bradbrook, drives a diesel vehicle.

But does it matter exactly how green individual activists are?

Harry Cockburn takes a look at the question:

Does it really matter how green XR activists are?

Brazil embassy protest

10:44 , Zoe Tidman

Activists have gathered outside Brazils embassy in London for a protest in support of Indigenous people in the Amazon.

See pictures here:

Activists from Greenpeace and other organisations joined XR protesters outside the embassy (AFP via Getty Images)

A demonstrator during a protest calling for an end to 'the genocidal attacks being waged against Brazil's indigenous peoples' at the Brazilian Embassy (PA)

Demonstrators during a protest calling for an end to the genocidal attacks being waged against Brazils indigenous peoples at the Brazilian Embassy (PA)

What happened yesterday?

10:23 , Zoe Tidman

Today is the third official day of Extinction Rebellions latest round of protests.

On Tuesday, 40 more environmentalists were arrested as demonstrations continued in central London.

Activists were seen on the top of a van in Soho and staged a die-in demonstration in Westminster.

Catch-up on what happened yesterday with Holly Bancrofts report:

40 arrested as Extinction Rebellion occupy parts of Londons West End

Protesters to gather outside Brazilian embassy

10:05 , Zoe Tidman

Extinction Rebellion are set to gather outside the Brazilian embassy to protest the environmental destruction of the Amazon Rainforest and Brazils treatment of its indigenous people.

Protestors will gather from 10am to 11.30am outside the embassy in Cockspur Street in central London.

Extinction Rebellion protestors head to Brazil Embassy

What is Extinction Rebellion?

09:59 , Zoe Tidman

The Impossible Rebellion is Extinction Rebellions first major action since its Autumn Rebellion in September last year.

Actions are planned across the next fortnight at St James Park, London Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, the Bank of England, outside the Brazilian Embassy and at other locations around the city.

But what actually is Extinction Rebellion and where did it come from?

Joanna Taylor takes a closer look:

Who are Extinction Rebellion and what are their aims?

Protests to go ahead in London

09:40 , Zoe Tidman

Protests are due to start shortly in London.

One is planned at Brazilian embassy between 10am and 11.30am, with XR calling it Global Day of Action for Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon Rainforest.

The other protest - Courage Calls To Courage: Women and FINT Action - is due to start at 11.30am at Piccadilly Circus.

09:26 , Zoe Tidman

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of Extinction Rebellion action in London.
New Delhi, Aug 25 (UNI) Military forces of India and Kazakhstan would jointly hold a training exercise by month-end at a training node in Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Defence informed on Wednesday.

Named KAZIND-21, the exercise scheduled from August 30 to September 11, will be the fifth edition of the joint training and aims at boosting bilateral relations between the two nations.

While the Indian Army contingent, represented by a battalion of the Bihar Regiment consisting of 90 personnel led by a Contingent Commander will take part in the exercise, the Kazakhstan Army will be represented by a company group.

The Ministry said that the exercise will provide an opportunity to train for counter-insurgency/terrorism operations in hilly terrain and rural scenarios

"The exercise will provide an opportunity to the Armed Forces of India & Kazakhstan to train for Counter Insurgency/ Counter Terrorism operation in the mountainous, rural scenario under UN mandate. The scope of Joint Exercise includes professional exchange, planning & execution of the operation in Counterterrorism environment at sub-unit level and sharing expertise on skills at arms, combat shooting and experiences in Counter Insurgency/ Counter-Terrorism operations. The exercise will culminate after a 48 hours long validation exercise which will involve a scenario of neutralization of terrorists in a semi-rural hideout," the statement by the Defence Ministry read.

The Ministry believes that exercise will strengthen confidence, interoperability and enable sharing of best practices between the armed forces of India and Kazakhstan.

UNI ASH SB 1140
30 years ago, a new hot spot appeared on the USSR map- the Chechen-Ingush Soviet Socialist Autonomous Republic. At that time, in Moscow, the State Committee on the State of Emergency attempted to seize power in the country: on August 23, the President of Russia signed a decree on the dissolution of the CPSU, the President of the USSR appointed new security ministers to replace arrested ones and Muscovites demolished a monument to Dzerzhinsky on Lubyanka.

Those days, Grozny was also boiling: a monument to Lenin was removed, protesters at an indefinite rally demanded the resignation of the republic's leadership. The blood was not yet spilt, but the situation was already tense. Moscow had no time to resolve Russian regions issues. The work of the State Committee on the State of Emergency was caught up by the RSFSR leadership - the power of Mikhail Gorbachev was vanishing, Yeltsin was strengthening his positions in the Kremlin. On August 23, he demanded that Gorbachev coordinate all key personnel appointments with him.

In Grozny, supporters of General Dzhokhar Dudayev - the All-National Congress of the Chechen People (NCChP) literally stormed the political arena. On August 22, they surrounded the republican television, forcing to provide a live broadcast to the general. Dudayev demanded the dissolution of the Supreme Soviet of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, the adoption of a new Constitution and law on citizenship on the territory of Chechnya, as well as direct elections of the new leadership.

On August 23, the protesters actually seized the Supreme Soviet, the government of the republic, television, radio and the airport. Law enforcement agencies did not even try to prevent these seizures.

But there was still hope for a compromise. The Executive Committee of the NCChP, headed by General Dzhokhar Dudayev, and representatives of the Supreme Soviet of the Chechen-Ingush ASSR, headed by Doku Zavgayev, created a conciliation commission. Options for overcoming the crisis were proposed. An extraordinary session of the Supreme Soviet was planned to resolve the problems in a legal way, but the protesters supporting the NCChP did not accept this option. They demanded the unconditional resignation of Zavgaev, who eventually left his post on September 15. And before that, on September 6, Dudayev's national guards stormed the meeting room of the Supreme Soviet and beat 40 deputies.

Party and Soviet structures of Checheno-Ingushetia were completely destroyed within a month after the failure of the State Committee on the State of Emergency. Eventually, the republic turned into a rebellious region. "In August 1991, the Soviet and federal leadership had no time for Chechnya, as well as for Dagestan and the entire North Caucasus. Moscow was preoccupied by power splitting. Leaders of social movements in Chechnya took advantage of this, squeezing the maximum result out of the situation," political analyst Eduard Urazaev told Vestnik Kavkaza. In the Chechen society that survived deportation, there was a powerful anti-Soviet and anti-communist charge, which became the driving force behind the process.

Eduard Urazaev recalled that perestroika stirred up the intelligentsia in Checheno-Ingushetia that created democratic social movements. Later they were joined by former law enforcement officers. Sufficiently stable and mobile social groups were formed. The legitimate Soviet authorities of the republic could not rely on a weakened Moscow, they had to independently manoeuvre between different groups. The Soviet and federal leadership behaved contradictory. Separatists managed to seize weapons and then power on the territory of Chechnya. Their armed structures were well organized. The negotiations did not yield anything, since the new de facto authorities of Chechnya raised the issue of giving the republic the status of a Union within the USSR. This issue was beyond the capabilities of the federal leadership. All this resulted in a confrontation between the new democratic leaders of Russia and the Chechen separatists, "Urazaev stressed.

According to the political analyst, the public leaders of Chechnya began the struggle against the Soviet regime with democratic mottos. It was the democratic movements that were popular in the Republic by the end of August 1991. But later, many social forces adopted Islam and imposed Sharia law, which only increased the gap between Grozny and Moscow. A whole complex of contradictions led to military campaigns on the territory of Chechnya, which brought grief and suffering to tens of thousands of people.
Though the energy sector has been underpinning China-Arab trade ties, cross-border e-commerce has increasingly been turned to as a vital thoroughfare linking Arab states and their largest trading partner, according to participants in a major interregional expo, which concluded on Sunday in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, a trailblazer in building the "online Silk Road."

Cross-border e-commerce was arguably among the most attention-grabbing topics at the fifth China-Arab States Expo, which was held both in-person and online for the first time amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 1,000 domestic and overseas businesses registering as exhibitors this year, People's Daily Online writes. "Cross-border e-commerce has been developing rapidly, and I think it can be a very efficient way for Lebanese products to be sold in China," the Xinhua News Agency reported over the weekend, citing Joseph Tannous, economic attache of the Lebanese embassy in Beijing.

Among the Arab businesses attending the expo online were 15 Lebanese firms, which showcased items including red wine and olive oil. "At the moment, we are working to create the first Lebanese online cross-border e-commerce shop in China. We hope this boutique will regroup many of Lebanon's high-quality products in China," Tannous said. "I hope in the near future more and more Lebanese products will find their way to Chinese consumers." As the permanent host of the interregional expo, Ningxia has been positioned to pioneer efforts to build the online Silk Road as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, especially after a pilot zone for cross-border e-commerce was approved in the autonomous region in late 2019.

The pilot program has attracted cross-border traders as well as incubated many start-ups that are eager to capitalize on the burgeoning trade via multiple cross-border conduits, Sun Zhenghao, commercial manager of the Xingqing Digital Economy Industrial Park in Yinchuan, told the Global Times on the sidelines of the expo.

Over 180 cross-border e-commerce companies have been either introduced or incubated in Ningxia, with transactions having topped 300 million yuan ($46.14 million). Preferential policies in the autonomous region, where an economic inland pilot zone was approved in 2012 with the establishment of a comprehensive bonded area in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia, are considered to have laid the groundwork for Ningxia's rise as the online Silk Road hub.

The bonded area adjacent to the international airport in Yinchuan netted 9.34 billion yuan in exports and imports in 2019, up 28.5 percent year-on-year, accounting for 38.81 percent of Ningxia's total foreign trade, official data showed.

The local government went a step further, green-lighting the creation of an international express distribution center within the bonded area at the end of 2016. The distribution center became officially operational in May 2017. The availability of such facilities put an end to sending international shipments from Ningxia to other provinces and cities for customs clearance, according to Sun, counting on efficient customs clearance as a springboard for a cross-border e-commerce boom expected between China and Arab states. At a booth where medical supplies such as face masks were displayed during the expo, Zhao Bin, general manager of Guangdong Jiayongyuan International Trade Co, told the Global Times that his company has plans to foray into the Saudi Arabian market, where a rising number of Chinese businesses eye a foothold via localizing their operations.

"Saudi Arabia, exemplifying the Arab community, takes a realistic stance when it comes to its China policy, having extensively cooperated with China, notably in energy," Zhao said, describing cross-border trade as one of the arenas beyond energy where businesses from the two countries can team up.

The availability of broad-ranging products from Chinese traders appeals to the Saudi Arabian market and such traders, if capable of tying up with local partners and building physical footprints in Saudi Arabia, would have access to local financing programs that are quite cost-effective and could easily scale up their operations, Zhao noted. Buoyed by such inspiring prospects, Hao Xueqiong, a Yinchuan-based cross-border e-commerce veteran, told the Global Times that his company, whose overseas outreach now focuses on Latin America, is turning attention to Arab states in hopes of getting a tailwind from the online Silk Road.

An expansion into Arab states - where traditional Chinese medicine herbs have become increasingly popular - also prompted interest of Chao Zhuduo, founder of a company in Pengyang county of Guyuan in Ningxia, which specializes in mugwort cultivation and processing. His company employs roughly 2,000 people including local farmers attending to mugwort cultivation, Chao told the Global Times inside the company's booth at the expo, where various mugwort-based healthcare products were on show, rendering it one of the most-visited attractions. The company raked in about 60 million yuan in output in 2020, mainly through domestic online vendors and livestreaming channels, he disclosed, expecting his mugwort business to make a fortune in the Arab world via cross-border e-commerce. Demand for traditional Chinese medicine is on the rise, especially in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, with an average annual growth rate of nearly 15 percent, media reports said.
Poverty rate

Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world. Though in terms of GDP the country is in the middle of the list of 188 states, in relation to per capita income it is 179th. The situation is only worse in some African countries - Somalia, CAR, South Sudan and others. In terms of corruption, Afghanistan is also one of the outsiders. In the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, the Asian country is ranked 4th from the bottom, followed only by Syria, Samoa and South Sudan.

It is clear that for now there is no opportunity for any large investments and projects. For the past 20 years, the Afghan economy has largely relied on foreign aid from the United States and its NATO allies. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell estimates that the US spent 300 million dollars on Afghanistan every day. In 20 years, Washington allocated two trillion dollars. The finances went to the maintenance of the military machine, though a considerable share of the money was also directed to humanitarian projects - providing food, water and electricity, building schools, housing and hospitals.

Rich mineral resources: gas, gold, copper

Despite all the poverty and misery, Afghanistan has always had great potential - its mineral resources. In fact, Afghanistan is rich not only in opium and heroin but also in rare metals, the total cost of which is estimated at over trillion dollars. Afghanistan has deposits of iron, chromite, gold (in the southern Pashtun provinces), lead and copper (60 million tons - almost half of the Russian deposits). Their exact volume is unknown, and extraction is difficult due to their location in remote mountainous areas. Sodium chloride, sulfur and lapis lazuli are currently mined nonmetallic minerals. By the way, Afghanistan is the only major supplier of lapis lazuli to the world market.

There are opportunities in the energy sector as well. In the Shebergan area there are 136 billion cubic meters of gas. The total gas reserves are estimated at 444 billion cubic meters. There are also deposits of oil in the provinces of Balkh and Jowzjan (3.8 billion barrels), uranium and gold. Afghanistan has large reserves of high-quality iron ores (2.2 billion tons), neodymium, cobalt and niobium (supercapacitors and superconductors).

Lithium and China

Lithium is of particular interest to potential investors. It is used in the manufacture of smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices. Lithium reserves are concentrated in the soda salt marshes of Ghazni and neighboring provinces. Their volumes may exceed those of the world leaders - Bolivia. China is closely located to Afghanistan, and Chinese high-tech corporations like Huawei and Xiaomi are in desperate need of lithium. According to the business newspaper Financial Times, the Chinese have already proposed investments in energy and infrastructure projects during the negotiations with the Taliban (banned in Russia). The PRC is also interested in the production and transportation of oil and gas from Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Beijing may build highways to connect both the cities of Afghanistan and the country itself with neighbouring states. One of the priorities is the project of the road between Chinese Xinjiang and the Pakistani port of Gwadar. Thus, China will be able to reach the Indian Ocean, where its geopolitical rival India is located, and further strengthen economic relations with its ally Pakistan. The FT is also speculating on the China-Iran transport artery through Afghanistan, with the possible laying of gas and oil pipelines linking China to the Persian Gulf.

Taliban invite everyone

The Taliban, who took power in Afghanistan, is aware of the country's economic potential, therefore, after seizing Kabul, they invited other countries to invest in mining.

"We have just stepped out from the war and destruction phase and entered a new era. That is why the people of Afghanistan need help from other countries. We need assistance in such areas as health care, infrastructure, education and other sectors. You are welcomed to come and develop our natural resources, the official representative of the Qatari political office of the movement, Mohammad Sohail Shahin said.

Earlier, on July 28, the leader of the Taliban moderate wing (banned in the Russian Federation), Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, met in Beijing with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. According to CNN, the Taliban agreed to open their country to Chinese investments in exchange for latters non-interference with their fellow Uighurs in northwest China.

The copper project turns out to be an epic fail

The previously mentioned high level of corruption, according to which Afghanistan is ahead of other countries, can become an obstacle for foreign investment: sometimes the level of bribery is huge. Difficulties are also created by the tribal nature of society: not only officials has to be taken into account to open an enterprise. All this is superimposed on the lack of infrastructure in an area rich with mineral resources.

According to the Bell, the Taliban have already reached the ceiling of profits from the artisanal mining of lapis lazuli: the group earned only 20 million dollars annually on it, and just 400 million dollars from the exploitation of all resources. This revenue, although is bigger than of the pro-American regime in Kabul, but incomparably less than it can be and in comparison with primary opium production (more than a billion dollars per year).

The problem of corruption is well illustrated by the copper project launched under President Hamid Karzai, who was seated after the 2001 US invasion. In 2007, the Chinese rented the large Mes Aynak mine. Production was supposed to start five years later and bring 350 billion dollars annually. But the development of the mine has not yet begun. It turned out that first the former Minister of Natural Resources demanded a bribe in amount of 30 million dollars from the Chinese for mining in area controlled by the Taliban, and then an increase in concession payments. Added to this was the lack of coal for the TPP of the concentrating plant and the phosphates needed for copper smelting. The copper project turned out to be epic fail.

A chance for a happy future

Despite all the difficulties, the Taliban still have a chance to use natural resources to boost Afghanistan's economy. According to the IEA, in 2020-2040, the demand for lithium in the world will increase 40 times due to the energy transition. If the Taliban manage to curb corruption and open the country to China and other big investors, then natural resources will bring large revenues to Afghanistan. There is already interest on the part of the PRC. If China gains control of Afghanistans pristine lithium and rare earths reserves, it will be a key victory in the battle for resources with Europe and the United States, the newspaper writes. In 2019, the United States imported 80% of rare earth metals from China, while the European Union imported 98%, The Bell notes, citing Quartz.

As for Russia, the expert of the Valdai International Discussion Club, Georgy Asatryan admits the countrys participation in various projects in Afghanistan only after the situation there stabilizes.

The likelihood of Russia's participation in economic life in Afghanistan is high. Historically, Russia has always been interested in the Afghan economy. This process flourished during the Soviet period. With the introduction of US troops, the situation changed. Especially since 2014, when the United States torpedoed Russia's participation in projects, in particular, infrastructure and logistics. Russian companies are showing interest, but so far the situation is unstable, and I do not expect large-scale financial injections from Russia. But in theory, this is possible at the local level, and in the future - at higher levels, if the situation stabilizes, Asatryan told Vestnik Kavkaza.
Russia regards its Arctic oil and gas development in the same way that the U.S. saw its shale oil and gas sector around 20 years ago, which is a truly game-changing opportunity to alter the balance of power in the worlds hydrocarbons markets. The Vostok Oil project, run by state oil giant Rosneft, is the cornerstone of these Arctic ambitions, combining the exploration and development of several huge oil and gas fields, Oil Price writes.

Rosneft is now in talks with various groups of investors on taking part in the Vostok Oil project and whichever groups succeed in securing an interest will say much about the geopolitical balance in the oil and gas industry in the coming years. In broad terms, the Vostok Oil project will unite the largest deposits in the north of Krasnoyarsk Territory, including the supergiant oil and gas fields of the Vankor cluster (Vankorskoye, Suzunskoye, Lodochnoye, Tagulskoye, Ichemminskoye), and the Payakhskoye oil field, and West-Irkinsky site. Overall, according to several senior oil and gas industry sources in Moscow and London spoken to by OilPrice.com last week, Rosnefts estimates that the Vostok Oil project has 6.2 billion tonnes (53 billion barrels) of oil reserves are realistic.

At full capacity, the project is set to produce up to 100 million tonnes (845 million barrels) of oil per year, which equates to just over another 2 million barrels per day. Given Russias ability to currently produce at least 11 million bpd with relative ease, this additional output from the Vostok Oil project would bring its average daily crude oil production to between 13 and 14 million bpd. This would be on a level with the current upper limit projections for the U.S. in the next five years and way above Saudi Arabias true crude oil production, which has averaged 8.162 million bpd from 1973 to yesterday.

All of these developments  and other elements of Russias Arctic sector exploration and development in the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas, lying on the south side of the Kara Sea - are within close proximity of the Northern Sea Route (NSR). The NSR, the coastal route of which crosses the Kara Sea, is already in operation but is being built out further to be the primary transport route to monetise these resources in the global oil and gas markets, especially to China.

Recently, Rosneft chief executive officer, Igor Sechin, told Russias President Vladimir Putin of the formal commencement of operations on the Vostok Oil project, stating: The prospecting and exploration work are now underway, in accordance with our timetable, and adding that the design work for a 770-kilometre oil pipeline and a port had been completed. In this context, Sechin also promised Putin that the scheme would create a new oil and gas province on Siberias Taymyr peninsula, with the complete project representing a total investment of RUB10,000 billion (US$135 billion), including two airports and 15 industry towns.

Russias efforts in the Arctic and through the NSR are being bolstered by Gazprom Neft, the countrys third biggest oil company by output and the oil arm of state gas giant Gazprom. July 2020 saw Gazprom Neft ship its first cargo of oil produced in the Arctic to China via the NSR, adding to its existing Western exports via the NSR to Europe.

According to Gazprom Neft, it took 47 days to deliver a full cargo of 144,000 tonnes of sweet, light Novy Port oil  that comes from the Yamal peninsula developments  to the Chinese port of Yantai on the Bohai Sea from Russias north-western city of Murmansk. Successful experience in the sale of Arctic oil in the European market and in-depth insight of Asia-Pacific markets allow Gazprom Neft to offer Novy Port oil with a unique year-round logistics scheme to Asian partners, said Gazprom Nefts deputy director general for logistics, processing and sales, Anatoly Cherner. A month later, Gazprom Neft announced a new joint venture (JV) with Anglo-Dutch super-major Royal Dutch Shell, focused on the exploration and development of oil and gas resources along the Gydan peninsula area, particularly at the Leskinsky and Pukhutsyayakhsky licence blocks.

The China side of these Arctic projects is fully in line with the US$400 billion or so 30-year deal signed in 2014 for Russia to export vast quantities of gas  through the Power of Siberia pipeline project  to China over that period (managed on the Russian side by Gazprom and on the China side by China National Petroleum Corp). The agreement delivers some 38 billion cubic metres of natural gas a year to Chinas burgeoning economy (having formally started in 2018), totalling over 1 trillion cubic metres of gas being supplied during a whole contractual period.

Although a relatively reasonable deal for Russia economically, the political benefit is huge, giving it a major second market for its gas in the event of further sanctions from the U.S. over its already significant gas dealings with Europe. It also opened the way for massive Chinese investment in Russias power and transportation infrastructure and for a much broader and deeper co-operation between the two countries (including militarily) over the 30-year period.

It is highly likely, therefore, that Chinas investment into Russias Arctic exploration and development efforts will not just be focused on its gas (and resultant LNG) projects but also on its oil ones. It is also interesting to see that despite the remnants of the U.S.-led sanctions against Russia (as a result of its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and later its poisoning in the U.K. of former GRU colonel, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia)  many international oil companies are still active in Russian oil and gas projects, including in the Arctic. Aside from Royal Dutch Shells stake in the Gazprom Neft Gydan projects, Japans Mitsui and Japan Oil Gas and Metals National Corporation stake in Novateks Arctic LNG 2 project, perhaps the most overt signal that the oil business goes its own way when possible, regardless of all other considerations, is the fact that U.K. supermajor BP sold its TNK-BP Russian joint venture for cash and a 19.75 per cent stake in Rosneft.

According to initial  but vague reports out of Rosneft  potential investors in the Vostok Oil project (aside from the obvious Chinese candidates) include oil traders, international integrated oil and gas companies, and national or neo-national oil companies, including firms from India. A 10 per cent stake in the Vostok Oil project was already acquired by international trader Trafigura in 2020, and Rosneft and a consortium headed by Vitol signed a letter of agreement for the sale of a 5 per cent stake in the Vostok Oil project, according to a statement from Rosneft in June.
The political situation in Armenia remains stable: the authorities and the opposition continue to squabble, and the public is passively watching the populist speeches of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, promising to build a strong statehood. It seems that the authorities have chosen a comfortable playing environment for themselves, but in reality the situation in the upper echelons of power is stagnating, exposing the weaknesses of the current administration's policy.

Pashinyan did not give up reprisals against his political opponents. He calls this process measures for the purification and rejuvenation of Armenian politics. Now repressions are directed against the associates of his main political opponents, not opposition leaders. Pashinyan realized that it was difficult to put ex-President of Armenia Robert Kocharian behind bars, so he focused on lesser-known, but colorful political figures who joined Kocharian's coalition. The arrest of Armen Charchyan, the former director of the Izmirlian medical center in Yerevan, a member of the parliament from the Armenia bloc, Armen Charchyan, was a message addressed to well-known Armenian doctors, lawyers and simply respected professionals in society who refused to support the "revolutionary" government. Pashinyan cannot win over the Armenian intelligentsia to his side, and therefore resorts to intimidation, hoping to bring disloyal intellectuals out of the Armenian politics.

While some politicians are persecuted by the authorities, others are moving up, which demonstrates a purely partisan approach to personnel policy. Administrative appointments are limited exclusively to members of Pashinyan's team, since the prime minister prefers to trust ideologically correct candidates rather than recruiting professionals. So the post of head of Armenian diplomacy was taken by Pashinyan's closest associate, former speaker of the parliament Ararat Mirzoyan. Already the former acting Foreign Minister Armen Grigoryan returned to the post of Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, explaining his previous appointment with "a business trip to the Foreign Ministry." This "business trip" did not bring Pashinyan the expected result, as a result of which Grigoryan was recalled, although a month ago experts from the prime minister's team assured that, being the secretary of the Security Council, Grigoryan was out of place. Pashinyan did not dismiss or demote Grigoryan to a position commensurate with him as the head of some pro-government youth asset, so he decided to shuffle the same deck of cards again.

In general, Pashinyan is satisfied with the current political situation. He has not yet succeeded in achieving closer pro-Western integration. World politicians are concerned about the problem of Afghanistan, the CSTO is closely monitoring the situation in Central and Central Asia. Against this background, Pashinyan prefers to leave political leave, slowly plunging into the routine of daily problems in Armenia.

The shortsightedness of Pashinyan's policy is confirmed by the fact that none of his initiatives find support from foreign policy partners and the diaspora. For example, the West was disappointed with the prime minister's appointments, which affected Armenian diplomacy. Pashinyan did not explain why members of his team became ambassadors of Armenia to Ukraine and the United States instead of professionals. Therefore, the foreign policy partners of the head of the Cabinet of Ministers suspected him of striving to appoint curators who should have overseen the transfer of part of the oligarchs' business projects from the ruling party outside the republic.

In Armenia itself, Pashinyan prefers not to show initiative unnecessarily, since excessive activity can damage the reputation of the "people's" prime minister, which the nationalist opposition can take advantage of.
Jamaica, Germany, Kenya or traffic lights? The names of the potential German coalitions  and their corresponding party colors  can be quite exotic. But as the vote has begun to split in the run up to the federal elections next month, the possible combinations that will make up Germanys government have grown. The race is still wide open, Spectator World writes.

Coalitions were purposefully built into Germanys post-war democracy  the voting system mixes first-past-the-post with proportional representation to ensure a workable splintering. With one notable exception in 1957, no political party has received the votes of over half of the electorate outright. It usually falls to the party with the most votes to find a coalition partner to form a majority government. Normally the larger party can rely on just one junior  but it looks increasingly likely that whichever party comes first will need the support of two runners-up.

It was widely expected that the 2021 election would be won by Angela Merkels Christian Democrats (CDU-CSU) who would then work with a coalition partner, possibly the Green party whose poll ratings were strong at the start of the campaign in the spring. But more recent polling shows that no two-way combination is currently likely to reach a majority.

The latest poll this week showed Merkels Christian Democrats at 22 percent, which would be the lowest result the party has ever had by quite some margin. This would put them neck-and-neck with the Social Democrats (SPD) who also came in at 22 percent, followed by the Greens at 17 percent, the liberals (FDP) at 13 percent and the right-wing AfD on 12 percent. No two political parties could form a majority together if these numbers were repeated at the election.

While three-party coalitions make up around half of the state governments, at the national level they could prove a lot more difficult to run. The federal government in Berlin by definition sets the vision and tone for the entire country rather than dealing with concrete local issues such as transport or education. A splintering of that vision  particularly among parties with broadly equal levels of support  means the chances of political stagnation are high. If the current polls are right, this would not be a coalition of one clear leader with support from two smaller parties; everyone would want a strong say in the direction the country would take post-Merkel.

It is not even yet clear who might lead such a coalition as Germanys new chancellor. Commentators initially assumed that Armin Laschet, Merkels successor as CDU leader, had it in the bag, and the question was merely who would join him in running the country. But now Olaf Scholz, leading an SPD that many considered a spent force, looks like his most likely challenger. The moderate Social Democrat has a reputation for being a safe pair of hands  he is an experienced politician, currently serving as vice chancellor and minister of finance in Merkels coalition government. He has not received the same amount of media attention as his CDU competitor Laschet or the Green candidate Annalena Baerbock. But he has begun to quietly impress the German public on the campaign trail, avoiding the petty dramas seen in both the CDU and Green camps.

Scholz is rapidly closing the gap. His party is now neck-and-neck with the CDU-CSU, but if Germans were able to vote for a chancellor directly, he would win hands down. Currently, 34 percent of the public would choose him as the next chancellor while Baerbock only attracts 13 percent of the votes and Laschet trails behind on 12 percent.

With a background in law, Scholz is often seen as a sensible, solid candidate. He can point to a long political career in which he has served as the mayor of Hamburg and held a number of ministerial posts. He has also been involved with the SPD since he was a schoolboy. But he is not a fiery speaker, nor is he considered to have the skills needed to save his party from decades of steady decline. His growing support is as much a symptom of the other parties failures as his own political prowess.

Germany is now likely to end up with an unwieldy three-way coalition, which will be led by either an extremely unpopular candidate fielded by the Greens or the CDU, or by the marginally more solid Scholz. None of the three seem to have the credibility, charisma or popular support needed to keep a divergent troika toeing the same line. The electoral race is now less about who finishes first and it is not really about dark horses either. The big question is which of the horses might be persuaded to share a stable together when the race is over.
The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel was considered by many to be declarative. Few expected any serious agreements, and the two politicians really did not sign them. But in one country they were still offended by the outgoing Chancellor Merkel.

On June 20, Angela Merkel visited Moscow for the last time as chancellor. According to the politician's calculations, this is the 16th visit in her 16 years of rule by Germany. Journalists counted more, but the essence is not important. Most importantly, the two presidents, as Putin said, are always in telephone contact. Such close contact is necessary between the strongest countries in Europe, even if there are a lot of problems between them now. Here is an incomplete list of disagreements: the FRG's non-recognition of Crimea as Russian, the unresolved conflict in Donbass, Berlin's claims to arrest Navalny, restrictions on the work of German NGOs in Russia, and so on.

Despite all the difficulties, Frau Chancellor says that differences need to be resolved and resolved through dialogue. It was very symbolic that the Chancellor laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. For this act, Merkel could be forgiven for many mistakes in relation to Russia. Such a mature and pragmatic dialogue between Putin and Merkel greatly strains politicians in Kiev, who believe that the German Chancellor should solve all their problems. After meeting with Putin, Merkel went to Kiev. Unlike Putin, who greeted her with honors and flowers, none of the high-ranking officials came to the airport of the Ukrainian capital - neither the mayor of Kiev, nor the president of Ukraine.

Moreover, before Merkel got off the plane, claims from the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy already flew to her - he accused the Chancellor of an inadequate policy towards Russia, so that the German journalists themselves drew attention to the fact that in Kiev their head of government greeted, to put it mildly, "modestly". German journalist Jorg Blank suggested that Kiev probably expects that after the September elections the "greens" will be at the helm of the Bundestag, and they know how to speak harshly with Moscow. It is difficult to say whether it is true or not. The latest polls show that it is unlikely that Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party will lose its leading role, given that 25% of voters are ready to vote for it, 20% for their coalition partners from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), and "green" - 18%. At best, the Greens can count on the role of junior partners, be it with the CDU or the SPD.

What's more obvious here is that Kiev politicians seem to be finally disillusioned with Merkel and her willingness to swear at Putin. In fairness, it should be noted that the chancellor in the Kremlin did not hesitate to raise all acute issues - she reminded about the "annexation of Crimea", demanded to speed up the Minsk process to return Donbass to Ukraine, and pointed out the topic of preserving Ukrainian transit after the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. But this is not enough for Zelensky. He does not understand that on the other side of the barrier is Vladimir Putin, the leader of the strongest country. And with him, Merkel speaks not as with the president of a banana republic, but on an equal footing. If politics is where the art of the possible, it is here.

Zelensky also does not understand that Nord Stream 2 is an economically important project for Germany, that Merkel cannot force Moscow to maintain the Ukrainian transit of Russian gas, when, as Putin correctly says, there is no guarantee that Europe will buy these surpluses after launch of Nord Stream 2. In a word, Ukraine is offended by Germany. And offended for a number of reasons.

First, Kiev did not like the fact that Merkel was able to come to an agreement with Joe Biden, and the American lifted the sanctions against Nord Stream 2. Secondly, he was upset that Germany did not fit in for him when Zelensky was preparing an intervention in Donbass. It is also annoying that Berlin, together with Washington, does not want to accept Ukraine into NATO. And, probably, the final nail in the coffin of German-Ukrainian friendship - Merkel refused to go to the Crimean Platform forum, where Ukrainians, together with the governments of 45 countries, will fantasize about how to help Ukraine return Crimea.

In fact, this approach proves that, in fact, Merkel has resigned herself, and she recognizes Crimea as de facto Russian. It can be assumed that after the September 26 elections in Germany, relations with Ukraine are unlikely to improve at such a pace. Unless, of course, a miracle happens and the "greens" take power into their own hands. Armin Laschet, the next likely chancellor and successor to Merkel, is also pragmatic towards Russia, and Zelenskiy can hardly count on more loyalty under his rule than under Merkel.
Historian, board member of the Armenian-Azerbaijani civil platform Artur Aghajanov, through his YouTube channel, addressed Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan with an appeal to involve the Baku Armenians in the process of the final settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. "They lived together with Azerbaijanis, they understand Azerbaijanis, think to some extent like Azerbaijanis. Let's work together, we can advise a lot," Aghajanov said.

Commenting on the results of his working visit to Moscow on July 7 at that time, the then acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, who discussed with Vladimir Putin the implementation of the trilateral agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh signed by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021 Aghajanov said that this visit should be considered in conjunction with the Moscow meeting of the Russian President with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, held on July 20. "If the President of Azerbaijan had a substantive conversation and a constructive dialogue, then Mr. Pashinyan goes to Moscow only to complain, to tell that he is not satisfied," said a board member of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Civil Platform.

Speaking about the recent proposals of Nikol Pashinyan to place the CSTO monitoring mission along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and other earlier attempts by the Armenian leadership to involve the organization in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, Aghajanov suggested that the Armenian Prime Minister better "learn what the CSTO is, what are the functions this organization ":" Before speaking on the podium, Nikol Pashinyan had to familiarize himself with the charter of the organization, that decisions on collective security are made by consensus and a vote of the CSTO members is necessary. But if there is no general agreement of the CSTO, how can this decision be made? the agreement on November 10 to start unblocking the roads, but the Lachin corridor is working, and the Zangezur corridor is not working. Instead of starting to fulfill the agreements, Mr. Pashinyan is looking for the causes of conflicts at the borders. But it is obvious that until there is demarcation, conflict situations will inevitably arise. Pashinyan needs to fulfill the achieved agreement and a little to understand something. "

Building versions on the subject of the destructive position of the Armenian Prime Minister, Aghajanov is perplexed: "Either his team is weak, or it has not yet been formed, or he does not control the situation." Turning to Pashinyan, he asks: "You are multi-vector - you run to America, then to France, then to Russia, but maybe you will decide somehow? Perhaps it would be better to establish relations and meet with Ilham Aliyev himself and to negotiate? Doesn't a politician have wisdom? "

Aghajanov believes that Baku-Armenians could best establish relations with Azerbaijan: Then we will have a lasting peace. Because both the so-called Karabakh leadership and the Armenian leadership are engaged in populism. Now these territories have been returned. If they were peacefully returned, there would not have been so many casualties from both the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides. This is on the conscience of the current prime minister and everyone else. The leaders of Armenia do not have enough wisdom to start If we give the Baku Armenians an opportunity, we will quickly establish relations with the Azerbaijani side and the Azerbaijani people close to us. "

In conclusion, Artur Aghajanov again resorted to comparing Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev, noting that the President of Azerbaijan is head and shoulders above the Prime Minister of Armenia as "an intelligent, competent politician who can improve relations," and called on Pashinyan to fulfill the agreements reached.
Last month, I became the first Israeli businessman to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Azerbaijan Investment Company, the sovereign investment arm of the Azeri government, on the historic occasion of the opening of the Azerbaijan Trade and Tourism Office in Tel Aviv. The projected agreement will promote strategic cooperation in the field of investment by the Government of Azerbaijan in OurCrowds portfolio, while OurCrowd will encourage startups to establish a presence in Azerbaijan, writes Jon Medved, serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist, founder and CEO of OurCrowd, for EU Reporter.

Our modest memorandum is a small step in the march toward the true globalization of entrepreneurship. The Azeri government has wisely seized the opportunity to be part of the innovation investment revolution.

The entrepreneurs and the investors of the future will come not just from Silicon Valley, or Midtown Manhattan, or the City of London. They will come from anywhere, because the world has shrunk to the dimensions of a Zoom screen. The innovators from these areas are aware of the urgent issues that pose the next big challenge for the rest of the world  not just the standard problems of rich, affluent western nations where so much technology is currently located and directed.

The people who make California such a high tech hotspot are not just the local population but the newcomers who bring their skills from across the globe. More than half of the startups founded in Silicon Valley between 1995 and 2005 had at least one immigrant founder and many of its flagship brands are headed by immigrant executives. All the key figures in the development of the Moderna vaccine against Covid-19 came from outside the US. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was developed by Turkish immigrants to Germany. Innovation thrives when different cultures and educational systems encounter each other. The blending of experience and different ways of thinking produce innovative approaches to problems. The cultural mix provides the technical color that separates startups from monochrome multinationals, like the diversity that marks out boutique hotels from bland international chains.

So in this era of remote working and electronic deals, why not connect with these innovators in their home locations? From Menlo Park to Berlins Torstrasse and Tel Avivs Rothschild Boulevard, entrepreneurship has been guided by the old real estate adage: Location, location, location. Silicon Valley became the Mecca of megabytes as the new priests of tech and their acolytes made the pilgrimage to the center of the new tech world. No longer.

Covid has redrawn the innovation map. Location really doesnt matter anymore. There is no map  just an infinite variety of instantly accessible people with an infinite variety of skills, cultures and education. With the globalization of entrepreneurial activity, the next big companies can come from anywhere in the world.

My company is all about democratizing access to the private investing asset class. We are not just committed to helping the wealthy citizens of rich countries write checks, but to truly making access to capital global. Entrepreneurs will come from anywhere and investors should come from anywhere.

In an interconnected world, where you can complete a venture deal with Brazilian or Japanese venture funds you will never meet because its all done over Zoom, why not Azerbaijan  either as investors or as entrepreneurs?

From Jerusalem, we became interested in Azerbaijan because it has become such an important strategic ally of Israel and a major oil supplier. The positive and warm treatment by Azerbaijan of its small Jewish community and its ties to Israel demonstrate how Muslims and Jews, who thrived together during the Golden Age, can cooperate to forge a new future. Central Asia, largely ignored by the business world, is a place to watch. Its strategic location, natural mineral resources, growing economic influence and fast-developing educational institutions make me think it will be the next big growth spot for tech and entrepreneurship. It represents a market that has been woefully underserved by the tech investment community. My colleague Ori Sobovitz, who heads our Government Relations team, correctly identified Azerbaijan as a timely opportunity: an oil-producing country with a sovereign wealth fund that has never invested in venture capital before. The Israeli experience provides a useful guide for such countries to take their first steps in high-tech investment.

When I came to Israel and raised money for my first startup, there was not a single venture capital fund. Most people are not aware that the supercharged blossoming of innovation in Israel has essentially occurred in just three decades. Thats the blink of an eye. Three decades from now, alongside Silicon Valley, New York, China, Israel, London and Berlin, other countries will have caught up and be participating  including many in Africa, Latin America and Central Asia. We are excited to be doing this with our new friends in Azerbaijan. We hope that by helping to develop the high-tech ecosystem in Central Asia, we will also be helping the rest of the world.
Algeria cut diplomatic relations with Morocco on Tuesday, citing what it called hostile actions by its most populous neighbour with which it has had strained relations for decades.

Speaking at a news conference in Algiers, Foreign Minister Ramdane Lamamra accused Morocco of using Pegasus spyware against its officials, supporting a separatist group and failing in bilateral commitments, including on the Western Sahara issue.

The Moroccan kingdom has never stopped its hostile actions against Algeria, he said, announcing the immediate cessation of ties. Consulates in each country, however, will stay open, he added.

Moroccos Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on social media that it regretted what it called an unjustified decision and said it would remain a credible and loyal partner to the Algerian people, Reuters reported.

While the border between the two North African powers has been closed since 1994, diplomatic relations have not been broken since they were restored in 1988 following an earlier dispute. Morocco has said for years it wants the border to reopen. Algeria has said it must stay shut for security reasons.

Relations have deteriorated since last year, when the Western Sahara issue flared up after years of comparative quiet. Morocco regards the disputed territory as its own.
U.S. President Joe Biden received a classified report from the intelligence community that was inconclusive about the origins of the novel coronavirus, including whether the pathogen jumped from an animal to a human as part of a natural process, or escaped from a lab in central China, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter, Washington Post reported.

The intelligence community will seek within days to declassify elements of the report for potential public release, officials said.

The assessment is the result of a 90-day sprint after Biden tasked his intelligence agencies in May to produce a report that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion on the origins of a virus that has killed more than 4 million people globally and wrecked national economies. But despite analyzing a raft of existing intelligence and searching for new clues, intelligence officials fell short of a consensus, said the officials.

The debate over the viruss origins has become increasingly rancorous since former president Donald Trump said last year that the virus originated in a Chinese lab. Efforts to understand the viruss provenance have been complicated by Chinese authorities steadfast refusal to allow a more intensive inquiry by international investigators.

Bidens directive came after he received a May report from the agencies saying that they had coalesced around two likely scenarios but had not reached a conclusion. He disclosed that two agencies leaned toward the hypothesis that the virus emerged from human contact with an infected animal, while a third leaned toward the lab accident scenario.
China National Petroleum Co (CNPC) said on Wednesday it plans for new shale oil production from formations within the area of the existing Daqing oilfield that will help replenish that site's diminishing output.

CNPC said it aims to produced 1 million tonnes of oil annually by 2025 from the Gulong shale oil formations at Daqing in northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

CNPC has drilled several key exploration wells in the Gulong formation including the Guyeyouping 1, Yingye 1H and Guye 2HC, all of which have yielded high volumes of oil in test production.

As China's biggest oilfield, Daqing has pumped for the past 60 years but its reserves are quickly depleting and CNPC is turning to shale formations near the field to replace the output.

CNPC has stepped up research and drilling in the Songliao basin where Daqing is located for unconventional oil resources that require technologies such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing.

Calling it a "strategic breakthrough" in continental-based shale oil, CNPC has identified so far this year oil bearing zones in the Gulong formation with a size of 1,413 square km that added 1.268 billion tonnes worth of geological reserves.

"The Gulong shale oil campaign helps to cement Daqing's position as China's largest onshore oilfield as it struggles to replace reserves ... it contributes to ensure national oil supply security," Fang Qing, general manager of Daqing oilfield, said at media briefing carried by Heilongjiang provincial television.

CNPC said plans to drill a total of 100 wells into the Gulong this year, having completed 58 so far and 17 of those are producing industrial volumes, Reuters reported.
Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addressing a youth forum in Istanbul on Aug. 25, called on Muslims to raise their voice on against injustices they witness.

"Muslims should take responsibility for their own peace and well-being, as well as for the security and future of all humanity, and raise their voices against the injustices they witness," Erdogan said in his video message to the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF)'s 4th General Assembly being.

Noting that the world is witnessing one of the most turbulent times in human history, Erdogan said that security problems, terrorist activities, and the coronavirus outbreak prevented longed-for peace.

"Muslims struggling with conflicts, migration, poverty, and disease in a wide geography from Syria to Afghanistan, on the other hand, have to struggle with rising Islamophobia and cultural racism, especially in Western society," he said.

Citing one of his long-held maxims that "the world is bigger than five," in reference to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council in a call to reform the body, Erdogan said Turkey draws attention to global injustice at every opportunity.

Erdogan also called on young people to take part "in very active roles in politics, academia, sports, commercial, and social life."

"I expect you not to allow anyone to come between us and divide you over ethnic, sectarian, or cultural differences," Hurriyet cited Erdogan as saying.
Turkish Central Bank's reserves will surpass $115 billion when pending transactions are completed, Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

The bank's official reserves so far stand at $109 billion, Erdogan said at the meeting of Justice and Development (AK) Party provincial heads in the capital Ankara.

According to the latest data, Turkish Central Bank's official reserves amounted to $97.7 billion as of the end of June.

Touching on the country's current account balance, Erdogan said: In 2019 we managed to shift the current account deficit, which for years was our economy's biggest problem, into a surplus. We will see the same table again soon."

The country's current account gap stood at $1.127 billion in June, narrowing for the fourth consecutive month, according to Central Bank data.

Soon, after a fall especially due to fluctuations in exchange rates, Turkey's gross domestic product (GDP) will surpass over a trillion dollars, the president said.

Turkey's GDP at current prices was at 5.1 trillion Turkish liras (some $717.1 billion) in 2020, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute, Anadolu Agency reported.
Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained 31 chieftains and members of an interregional structure of the Katiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad terrorist organization (outlawed in Russia) in Moscow, the Novosibirsk Region, Yakutsk and the Krasnoyarsk Region during a nationwide sweep, the FSB Public Relations Center said on Wednesday.

"The Federal Security Service in cooperation with the Interior Ministry and Russias National Guard as part of a special operation in Moscow, Novosibirsk, Yakutsk, Krasnoyarsk, and in Kansk in the Krasnoyarsk Region, as well as in the hamlet of Prokudskoye in the Novosibirsk Region terminated the activity of an interregional structure of the Katiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad terrorist organization. Some 31 individuals from among its leadership and participants were detained," TASS cited the center as saying.

According to the FSB, the terrorist cell members recruited and transported adherents to active combat zones, financed the members of the terrorist group located in Syria and incited terror-related crimes.

The FSB reported that the search uncovered proscribed religious literature, Katiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihads propaganda videos, as well as communication devices, data storage devices and bank cards. The authorities have opened criminal cases, and active search measures are in progress.
28 years of the Minsk Group were the years of lost opportunities, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said, as he received the newly appointed United Nations Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Vladanka Andreeva on August 24 in Baku.

The Azerbaijani leader noted that within their capacity and our potential they try to contribute to the cause of peace and security. "With the United Nations, our active interaction with institutions started as a result of Armenian aggression, and 1993 was a year when those famous resolutions of the Security Council were adopted, which were very positive step, very promising gesture of support, and addressing the Armenian aggression. The demand for immediate, full, unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from our internationally recognized territories was a very important political gesture of the Security Council," AzerTAc cited him as saying.

"But unfortunately, these resolutions were not implemented and as you probably know, many times I personally raised this issue that there is no mechanism of implementation of the Security Council resolutions. In one case, they were implemented short period of time but in our case, they were not implemented at all by international players. Especially what was of concern and was difficult to understand by Azerbaijani society that those who adopted those resolutions, three out of five permanent members-states were the countries which were and still are the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. So, they themselves adopted those resolutions and they had a mandate to facilitate implementation of these resolutions. But unfortunately, 28 years of the Minsk Group were the years of lost opportunities," Ilham Aliyev recalled.

"On many occasions I raised the issue of imposing sanctions on Armenia. Because I thought that could be a way how to avoid confrontation, avoid war. We wanted to resolve this issue peacefully. Speaking last year at the General Assembly just several days before the war, I was warning international community that Armenia is preparing for war, that these were not just words for the sake of propaganda. That was a realistic analysis of Armenias behavior in the months prior to the war. And unfortunately I was right. If sanctions were imposed on Armenia on time, if Minsk Group co-chairs - three leading countries of the world used five percent of their potential to persuade or to force Armenia to withdraw its occupational forces then the war would not have happened," he noted.

"Therefore, the responsibility for the war is not only lies on Armenia but on those who could not or did not want to force them to comply with the international law. Therefore, Azerbaijan implemented these resolutions itself, within international law norms. We restored justice, we restored international law norms. We implemented the United Nations Security Council resolutions ourselves and we acted in accordance with UN Charter. Chapter 51 recognizes the right for every country for self-defense. So, we used all the existing international instruments to restore our territorial integrity," the Azerbaijani President stressed.

"So now the war is over, the conflict is resolved, there is nothing to talk about what happened. We need to look to the future and of course, our main concern now is a restoration of destroyed territories which are in full devastation. Of course, we count on the future cooperation with the United Nations on these issues, issues related to humanitarian situation, issues related to our plans with the restoration of the liberated territories. Of course, we will need more interaction with UN institutions," the head of state added.

"As you probably know we also are in contact with UNESCO, and we have been waiting for UNESCO for almost 30 years. I dont know whether you know it or not, a couple of years ago, last time when we invited UNESCO to come, that was of course, the time of occupation, to come and to see what has been done to our territories. Because the OSCE Minsk Group twice sent a fact-finding mission to the occupied territories. We have been asking them to send another mission, but they did not. Weve been asking UNESCO to come and to see the damage to our historical monuments caused by Armenian aggressors and they refused. UNESCO officials were saying that UNESCO is not involved in political issues. But after the war was over, we received the signals from UNESCO that they want to come. Of course, we expressed our surprise because they were not coming for almost 30 years, when we have been asking them. They decided to come after the war. Therefore, we, of course, agreed to that and as far as I know the last information was that their mission have been already created but now Armenia is objecting again. Therefore, its again delayed," Ilham Aliyev said.

"We are in touch with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees office and we are planning to resettle the former refugees as soon as possible but the main problem is landmines, and total devastation on the occupied territories. So, we will work with the United Nations and its institutions in good phase as good partners in order to achieve our main goal of restoration of liberated territories. We count on very active involvement of your office in Baku," the head of state noted.
Israel intends to form a coalition of Arab countries to limit Iran's influence in the region, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said.

What we need to do, and what we are doing, is forming a regional coalition of reasonable Arab countries, together with us, that will fend off and block this expansion and this desire for domination by Iran, Bennett said.

Bennett did not reveal the details of his new vision for Iran, The New York Times reported.

Earlier, Bennett held a meeting with US Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns in Tel Aviv, where they discussed the situation in the Middle East.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett does not expect to solve the conflict with the Palestinians during his tenure as head of government.

"This government is a government that will make dramatic breakthroughs in the economy," Bennett said. "Its claim to fame will not be solving the 130-year-old conflict here in Israel."

"This government will neither annex nor form a Palestinian state, everyone gets that. Im prime minister of all Israelis, and what Im doing now is finding the middle ground - how we can focus on what we agree upon," he told The New York Times.

But on the construction of West Bank settlements and the blockade of Gaza, Bennett is picking up where Netanyahu left off.
Russia remains concerned over the extremely tense situation around the Wests evacuation of citizens from Afghanistan and follows this situation most closely, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists Wednesday.

"We saw reports that the Taliban (terrorist movement outlawed in Russia) themselves have set up a deadline of August 31, and we know that this issue was discussed at the G7 emergency meeting yesterday," the spokesman said. "The situation is developing, time is running out, the situation remains extremely tense and we still follow it most closely and retain our concerns."

He underscored that "the security of Russian citizens remains an unconditional priority and everything would be done to ensure it," TASS reported.

However, Peskov redirected questions about the timeline of Russian Ministry of Defense evacuation of Russian, Ukrainian and CSTO citizens from Afghanistan to the Russian defense agency itself.
Russia is keeping a close eye on the situation in Afghanistan but will not let its armed forces be drawn into an all-against-all conflict in that country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.

"You know how difficult and alarming the situation in Afghanistan currently is. We are keeping a close eye on this situation, actively cooperating with our allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)," he said at a congress of the ruling United Russia party. "Naturally, we will not interfere in Afghanistans domestic affairs, neither will our armed forces be drawn into this all-against-all conflict. I think this is what is going on there."

He recalled that the conflict in Afghanistan has been smoldering for decades. "The former Soviet Union has its own experience in that country. We have learned the lesson," Putin said.
General Director of the Roscosmos space agency Dmitry Rogozin hopes that NASA administrator Bill Nelson will be able to visit Russia before the end of the year.

"We eagerly await the visit of the NASA chief, senator Bill Nelson. There are issues that should be discussed in person. I am hoping that senator Nelson will be able to visit Russia before the end of this year if the epidemiological situation allows," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

The Roscosmos CEO also invited the senator and his spouse to visit him at home.

Earlier, he reported that the NASA head was going to come to Russia with his family.
The Taliban (terrorist group banned in Russia), who have taken power in Afghanistan, banned on Tuesday the movement of U.S. dollars and historical relics out of the country.

In a tweet, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said any of the items recovered would be immediately seized, and violators would face legal action.

The takeover has triggered a wave of Afghans rushing to Kabul airport to flee the country. But the group has urged Afghan nationals to go home, saying life is returning to normal.

The spokesman reiterated that no policy of revenge would be pursued, and all public servants should return to their jobs, Anadolu Agency reported.
Turkey has evacuated 1,404 people from Afghanistan until today, Turkish Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.

1,061 of these are Turkish citizens while the others are from various countries, Cavusoglu said during a joint press conference with his Uruguayan counterpart Francisco Bustillo in the capital Ankara.

He added that 200 more Turkish citizens are waiting to return to Turkey.

Cavusoglu also noted that there are about 4,500 Turkish citizens total in Afghanistan. "We have contacted each of our citizens, called them one by one," he said.

Underscoring the need for stability in Afghanistan, Cavusoglu said: "Our hope is that peace and stability in Afghanistan will be permanently established within the framework of democracy and human rights. If steps are taken in this direction, Turkey will give our best support."

"I would like to note that we are in contact with all parties, not just with a particular group," Daily Sabah cited him as saying.
Millions of Afghans could soon face starvation due to a combination of conflict, drought and the coronavirus pandemic, executive director of the World Food Programme David Beasley said on Tuesday, calling on political leaders to act fast.

"Theres a perfect storm coming because of several years of drought, conflict, economic deterioration, compounded by COVID," David Beasley told Reuters in Doha. "The number of people marching towards starvation has spiked to now 14 million."

The WFP is warning of a human catastrophe looming in Afghanistan if the United Nations agency is not able to raise $200 million by September.

Beasley said the international community faced some very difficult decisions, warning it would be "hell on earth" for the people of Afghanistan if the economic situation deteriorated.

"The people of Afghanistan need aid now," he said, adding that the amount of people needing the WFP's help could double if the international community "turns their back" on Afghans. "The politics needs to be worked out as soon as possible."

Beasley said he was very worried about whether the agency would raise the $200 million needed and that it hoped Qatar, other Gulf Arab states and the U.S. would contribute.

Without the $200 million, he said, the WFP would start to run out of food for Afghanistan next month and that 4 million lives would be at risk if food aid could not be pre-positioned for them before winter. "Our number problem and concern right now is money."

Beasley also said the Taliban (the terrorist group banned in Russia) had provided assurances to the WFP to allow its aid to continue to reach people unimpeded.

"They have thus far been cooperative. They have allowed us independence, neutrality and impartiality," he said, adding that the Taliban were not taxing vehicles carrying aid supplies.
The World Bank has halted funding for projects in Afghanistan after the Taliban (terrorist group outlawed in Russia) seized control of the country.

It cited concerns over how the Taliban's takeover will impact "the country's development prospects, especially for women".

The move comes just days after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suspended payments to Afghanistan, BBC reported.

The Biden administration has also frozen the assets of Afghanistan's central bank that are held in the U.S.

"We have paused disbursements in our operations in Afghanistan and we are closely monitoring and assessing the situation in line with our internal policies and procedures," a World Bank spokesperson told the BBC. "We will continue to consult closely with the international community and development partners. Together with our partners we are exploring ways we can remain engaged to preserve hard-won development gains and continue to support the people of Afghanistan."

Since 2002 the Washington-based financial institution has committed more than $5.3bn to reconstruction and development projects in Afghanistan.

On Friday, the World Bank told staff that its Kabul-based team and their immediate families had been safely evacuated from Afghanistan to Pakistan.

The decision by the World Bank to suspend payments to Afghanistan is the latest financial blow to the country's new government.

Last week, the IMF announced that Afghanistan will no longer be able to access the global lender's resources. An IMF spokesperson said it was due to "lack of clarity within the international community" over recognising a government in Afghanistan.

Around $440m of new monetary reserves had been set to be made available to the country from 23 August.
While many officials have been honored for their excellent fulfillment of official duties, many others have been prosecuted for their involvement in trade fraud.

Tran Hung (first right)

Several days ago, an official of the HCM City Department of Market Surveillance died after being exposed to Covid-19 when performing his duty at a checkpoint in the city.

A report found that 1,772 officers have been on duty at checkpoints to ensure compliance of regulations in the last four pandemic outbreaks. They have contributed to protecting the health of the community and ensuring the smooth circulation of goods.

During the pandemic, the market control force have helped boost the consumption of farm produce. Some checkpoints serve as sales points that sell farm produce directly to consumers.

In struggling against counterfeit goods and trade fraud, in the last two years, the force has discovered large-scale cases in many localities, from the north to the south.

Analysts say that this period saw the largest-ever counterfeit goods trafficking cases, especially after the market surveillance agency was upgraded to the Directorate of Market Surveillance.

However in this period, dubious actions committed by some unethical officials were brought to light.

In June 2021, the Central Inspection Committee decided to discipline and dismiss Nguyen Quoc Tru, former Head of the Phu Tho Market Surveillance Department, from all positions in the Party. It expelled Vi Ngoc Khang, former Deputy Head of the department from the Party, and gave warnings to two other leaders of this department.

Prior to that, the Phu Tho Police issued a decision to start legal proceedings against Vi Ngoc Khang, and released a four-month detention command to the subject, who was Deputy Director of the Phu Tho provincial Market Surveillance Department and Chu Ngoc Hoang, Bui Manh Cong and Ha Minh Tuyen, the market inspectors of the 8th Market Management Team. The aim is to investigate the act of "abusing position and power while executing official duties" as stated in Article 356 of the Penal Code.

After discovering three ships selling petroleum products illegally, Vi Ngoc Khang told members of the inspection team not to seize or confiscate the evidence of violations for the state, which were three tankers and oil in the storage compartment.

According to Phu Tho Police, the five defendants caused a loss of VND700 million to the State.

The police have recently begun investigating a case of manufacturing and trading of counterfeit goods, and abuse of position and power. This involved people performing official duties and using bribes. The parties involved were Hanoi Printing and Culture Communication JSC, Phu Hung Phat Production and Trading Co., Ltd, the Market Management Team No 17, Hanoi Market Surveillance Department and related units.

This is believed to be the biggest ever case involving fake books.

A few days ago, the the Police Department for Corruption, Smuggling and Economic Crimes (C03) under the Ministry of Public Security prosecuted and detained Tran Hung, the main controller and former Head of Team 304, now Head of Team 1444 of the Directorate for Market Surveillance, and accomplices.

Tran Hung was charged with the crime of "abusing position and power while performing official duties" specified in Article 356 of the Penal Code. Nguyen Duy was prosecuted for brokering bribes.

On July 23, the Police Investigation Agency issued a decision to prosecute Le Viet Phuong, former Vice Head of the Market Surveillance Team No 17, and take him into custody; and Pham Ngoc Hai and Thanh Thi Dong Phuong, former controllers of Market Management Team No 17, now the Market Management Team No 14 at the Hanoi Market Surveillance Department.

At a working session with the Directorate of Market Surveillance on August 20, 2021, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien said the wrongdoings in performing official duties were increasing, ranging from administrative violations to criminal infringements.

Luong Bang

Dont blame merchants for higher prices: ministry Reporting on the effects of the Prime Minister Directive 16 in southern provinces, Taskforce 970 said that production and consumption of farm produce have become stable but prices of some seafood, poultry meat and pork have begun increasing again.
Two famous secondary schools for the gifted in Hanoi and HCM City have found it difficult to enroll students for the 2021-2022 academic year because there are too many students with a perfect 10.0 GPA (grade point average).

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted in Hanoi on August 20 announced it would not organize a school entrance exam to enroll students. The school will select students based on their records at primary schools.

In early August, Tran Thuy Duong, Headmaster of the school, noted that the number of registered students is very high every year, about 5,000. In previous years, about 3,000 applications would be shortlisted after the first round. The school organizes an exam to assess the abilities of the 3,000 students to select only 200 students.

All the students applying for the school have excellent learning results at primary schools. Many of them have 10/10 scores for Vietnamese language and Math, Duong said.



On August 19, the HCM City Education and Training Department issued a decision on increasing the number of students to be enrolled in the sixth grade of the Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted.

It stated that there would be changes in the way of enrollment, because there are too many students who have scores of 10 for both Vietnamese language and Math at primary school.

A report found that 1,560 students had a 60 score from academic year-end Vietnamese language and Math tests in third, fourth and fifth grades.

However, the school plans to enroll only 525 students.

The citys education department therefore has decided that the school will also consider the results of the Science, History and Geography tests in fourth and fifth grades when enrolling students.

Luong The Vinh Secondary and High School, a prestigious private school, received about 4,000 applications for admission to the sixth grade in 2016 and 2017 each year. Of these, 1,000 students had a perfect 10/10 score for both Vietnamese language and Math during their five years at primary school.

But the school could only enroll 660 students, so it said that students who had won prizes at local and national competitions would have privileges. The school, however, still had many students applying with high prizes at competitions.

The same situation can be seen at other prestigious schools every year.

Whats behind the perfect resumes?

According to Thanh Ha (not her real name), a teacher at a high school in Hanoi, there are real and artificial 10 scores. Some students score well based on real ability. But other .

10 scores are given by teachers because of various reasons, including requests from school leaders or parents.

Exam questions are always very easy. Schools dare not raise difficult questions. Students can easily get a perfect score of 10, she explained. However, even if exam questions are easy, such a high number of 10 scores is abnormal."

She said that students nowadays are more knowledgeable than previous generations, partially because they have more methods and resources that support study. However, many scores of 10 are indeed artificial.

Teachers concerns

Thanh Hoa, a teacher at a primary school in Hanoi, said she has had an unhappy academic year.

In March, she attended a training course after Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) issued Circular 27 dated September 4, 2020, which describes how to assess primary school students, beginning in the 2020-2021 academic year.

She heard at a training course that the entire educational sector needs to "declare war" against the "achievement disease", and that the number of excellent students, which is abnormally high, needs to decrease.

The teacher observed the regulations stipulated in the circular in assessing her students abilities. However, she felt discouraged when seeing that other schools did not do so, because the schools had a very high percentage of excellent students, 70-80 percent.

Hoa agreed that the reported proportion of excellent students is fabricated, saying that many first graders still speak with a lisp and cannot do four basic math operations.

However, because of the "achievement disease", teachers, under pressure from school leaders, still give high scores to students so that schools can be honored for having many excellent students.

Phuong Chi

Education sector looks to stop students copying essay examples Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son has asked schools to find ways to stop students from copying essay examples.
The US will donate 1 million more doses of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to Vietnam, raising the total number to 6 million doses, US Vice President Kamala Harris told Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during their talks in Hanoi this morning (August 25).

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and US Vice President Kamala Harris. Photo: Minh Nhat

The US has donated more than 5 million doses of Moderna vaccine to Vietnam out of a total of its 23 million vaccine doses for 20 Asian countries and territories through the COVAX program.

Vietnam is among the 10 countries receiving the highest numbers of vaccine doses in this program.

US Vice President Kamala Harris is currently on a three-day visit to Vietnam. This is the first time an incumbent US Vice President has visited Vietnam.

Harris met with Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh this morning.

She attended the virtual launching ceremony of the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) office for the Southeast Asia region in Hanoi on Wednesday afternoon. The office is established with the aim of promoting global health security by maintaining a sustainable presence in the region, facilitating quick and effective response against medical threats.

The US Vice President also witnessed the signing of the land lease for the construction of a new US embassy in Hanoi.

Thanh Nam
Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan hosted a reception for US Vice President Kamala Haris who is on a three-day visit to Vietnam at the Presidential Palace on August 25.

Harris visit is the first time an incumbent US Vice President has visited Viet Nam, and this is also the first time the Vietnamese Vice President hosted a reception for a high-ranking foreign official since taking office in July at the first session of the 15th-tenure National Assembly.

After meeting with Anh Xuan, Harris had talks with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh later.

In the afternoon, she is expected to attend the virtual launching ceremony for the US CDC office for the Southeast Asia region, and witness the signing of land lease for the construction of a new US embassy in Hanoi.

US Vice President Kamala Harris arrived at Noi Bai International Airport late Tuesday, to a welcome delegation led by Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, Chairman of the Government Office Le Khanh Hai, and Charge d'Affaires, a.i. of US Embassy Hanoi Christopher Klein.

The agenda of the trip is said to range from COVID-19 support, economic cooperation, to regional security challenges.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, trade between Viet Nam and the US hit a record of US$90.8 billion last year, and they are working hard to raise the figure to $100 billion this year.

Over the past five years, Viet Nams export revenue to the US surged 230 per cent, while its import value was up more than 175 per cent.

The US has become Viet Nams biggest buyer and the Southeast Asian nation has emerged as the 10th largest trade partner of the US.

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan receives US Vice President Kamala Harris. (Photo: VNA)

US Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting Vietnam from August 24-26 at the invitation of Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan. (Photo: VNA)

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and US Vice President Kamala Harris at the reception. (Photo: VNA)

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, US Vice President Kamala Harris, and delegates at the reception. (Photo: VNA)

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and US Vice President Kamala Harris at the reception. (Photo: VNA)

During her stay in Vietnam, Harris is scheduled to have meetings with Vietnamese leaders, discussing issues of mutual concerns such as the COVID-19 pandemic, regional security and economic cooperation. (Photo: VNA)

Source: VNA/VNS
Long before SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, came onto the worlds stage, scientists from all around the globe have been conducting fundamental research and developing new vaccines and interventions to combat emerging viruses and bacterial pathogens.

The race to understand, treat, and prevent infectious diseases is playing out in real time as we are experiencing the global pandemic of COVID-19. Bacteria are growing increasingly resistant to antibiotics, blight is placing a strain on agriculture, and the habitable range of disease vectors is expanding as global temperatures rise.

This fall, leading international experts in the area of infectious disease will be sharing their most recent findings at the Distinguished Speaker Seminar Series in Infectious Diseases.

The series, hosted by the Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens (CeZAP), an arm of the Fralin Life Sciences Institute, invites outstanding scientists from around the nation to give presentations about their research interests, which range from salmonella in wild birds to antibiotic resistance, and from coronavirus pathogenesis to insect-transmitted emerging plant diseases.

"In keeping with the land-grant mission of Virginia Tech, the center has several overarching objectives that include translating basic and mechanistic research in infectious diseases into tangible results, such as vaccines, antimicrobial drugs, intelligent infrastructure, and diagnostics that benefit the global society. The seminar series will bring leading infectious disease researchers to inform and exchange ideas with our research community, said X.J. Meng, the founding director of the Center and University Distinguished Professor of Virology in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.

Coordinated by Nisha Duggal, an assistant professor of molecular and cellular biology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, and Jonathan Auguste, an assistant professor of arbovirology in the Department of Entomology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the virtual seminar series is an opportunity for Virginia Techs infectious disease community to come together and learn from the best.

I am very excited for the opportunity for all of the CeZAP faculty and CeZAP-affiliated students to have the ability to interact with these global leaders in their respective fields, said Auguste, who is an affiliated faculty member of the Fralin Life Sciences Institute. We are very thankful for the CeZAP community for these nominations and for the willingness of the presenters to participate in the seminar series.

One of those world-renowned researchers is Scott Weaver, the director of the Institute for Human Infections & Immunity and the John Sealy Distinguished University Chair in Human Infections and Immunity at the University of Texas Medical Branch. A world-renowned researcher in arbovirology, Weaver studies arthropod-borne virus ecology and transmission. His lab is also developing vaccines to control the diseases that they cause, such as chikungunya virus and Zika virus, the latter of which is now associated with birth defects and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Carrie Harwood, who is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Gerald and Lyn Gristein Professor of Microbiology at the University of Washington, will be speaking on bacterial longevity. Her laboratory group hopes to improve our understanding of bacterial lifetime and persistence through the examination of Rhodopseudomonas palustris, a photosynthetic bacterium that may be able to convert raw plant material compounds into hydrogen gas or other biofuels.

James Van Etten, another member of the National Academy of Sciences and the William Allington Distinguished Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Nebraska, will also be presenting. Van Etten is a pioneer in the study of large double stranded DNA viruses, which he coined as "Giant Virus." Using genomics, structural biology, and classic virology, the lab hopes to better understand these giant viruses, which have the ability to infect unicellular eukaryotic organisms like green algae.

Each spring, nominations for the seminar series for the following academic year will be solicited from CeZAP affiliated faculty. A total of 50 nominations were submitted for the upcoming seminar series. The 2021 fall seminar speakers will include:

Kishana Taylor, a postdoctoral research associate at Rutgers University and the co-founder and president of the Black Microbiologists Association, is focusing on the role of monocytes and macrophages in SARS-CoV2 infection and subsequent development of COVID-19.

Gerry Wright, a Distinguished University Professor at McMaster University and the Michael G. DeGroote Chair in Infection and Anti-Infective Research, is using fundamental and applied research to address antibiotic resistance.

Kim Orth, the W.W. Caruth Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research and the Earl A. Forsythe Chair in Biomedical Science at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, is studying bacterial secretion systems and bacterial effectors to understand how signaling systems in eukaryotic hosts can be affected by bacterial pathogens.

Paul D. Roepe, the co-director of Georgetown Universitys Center for Infectious Disease, and his lab are elucidating the mechanisms of resistance to cytotoxic drugs to design, synthesize, and test new drugs.

Rodrigo Almedia, the UC Berkeley Hildebrand-Laumeister Chair in Plant Pathology, is studying the plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa to better understand the ecology of emerging diseases, pathogen transmission biology, and insect-microbe interactions.

Sonia Hernandez, a professor of wildlife disease and wildlife at the University of Georgia, explores how pathogens affect wildlife populations, communities, and ecosystems from an applied perspective.

Shawn Chen, a professor at the Biodesign Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines, and Virotherapy at Arizona State University, specializes in the development of novel human therapeutics and vaccines in plants to combat infectious diseases, cancer, and biological warfare agents.

Juergen Richt, a Regents Distinguished Professor of Diagnostic Medicine Pathobiology at Kansas State University, investigates zoonotic, emerging, and transboundary diseases of livestock.

Latania Logan, the chief of the Section of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Pediatrics at the Rush University Hospital, studies the clinical and molecular epidemiology of multidrug-resistant enterobacteriaceae infections in children.

The seminars not only connect students and professors with prominent researchers in the area, but they also provide an opportunity for the CeZAP community to get to know one another.

Last year, our seminar series was focused on internal speakers, which was awesome, because we got to know what kind of infectious disease research is happening here at Virginia Tech, said Duggal, who is also an affiliated faculty member of the Fralin Life Sciences Institute. Some of us are still meeting each other and it is a good way for us to keep engaging and collaborating with one another.

Auguste believes that these seminars are important for community education, and that they may help us be better prepared for future pandemics or other public health crises, as well as the misinformation that comes with them.



Given the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic, any efforts to educate the community, whether it's the university community or the infectious disease community, are going to help improve our public health in the future, said Auguste. In light of all of the misinformation that there is out there in regard to infectious disease, it is important that we have these leaders in their fields here so people can ask them questions directly.

The Distinguished Speaker Seminar series will also be offered as a one-credit course through the Virginia Tech Graduate School, to the Infectious Disease Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program students as well as to any other interested graduate students at Virginia Tech. The class, which is called GRAD-5984: Interdisciplinary Seminar, will require students to attend the seminars in the series.

Aside from one presentation, all of the Distinguished Speaker Seminars will be hosted on Zoom. You can join the seminar each week by clicking this link.

For an up-to-date schedule, visit: https://infectiousdisease.fralinlifesci.vt.edu/Education.html.
Aug. 23, 2021 - updates:

Throughout late 2020 and early 2021, University Arborist Jamie King performed proactive tree risk assessments for targeted trees along the most highly utilized paths through the area adjacent to Lane Stadium known as the Old Growth Forest and commonly referred to as Stadium Woods. A recently published executive summary highlights near-term maintenance opportunities stemming from the analysis that will help mitigate potential safety risks to the university community.

Many of the pruning practices recommended for risk reduction support tree preservation by limiting deadwood and tree and branch failures that may create wounds and expose trees to decay organisms.

Maintenance activities will begin on Aug. 25. Additional maintenance phases will take place in the weeks to follow.



December 2020 - updates:

To continue the preservation of campus trees and help ensure the safety of the campus community, a risk assessment of the Old Growth Forest adjacent to Lane Stadium, commonly referred to as Stadium Woods, is underway.



The proactive assessment focuses on trees adjacent to pathways and campus thoroughfares. To date, the health, structure, and risk of 12 trees have been assessed by University Arborist Jamie King.

Ongoing inspections, tree risk assessments, and maintenance activities are critical tools in advancing Virginia Techs tree preservation commitment and natural resource management. This long-term pledge is underscored throughout the Stewardship Plan for Virginia Tech's Old-Growth Forest near Lane Stadium, the developing Campus Urban Forest Master Plan, and Campus Master Plan.

Both frameworks call for preservation and management of the Old Growth Forest, citing the positive environmental and cultural benefits, and hands-on learning opportunities it offers the campus community.

The assessment is conducted in close alignment with the University Arboretum Committee. Assessment outcomes and associated next steps will be shared via VT News over the coming months.

Learn more about campus trees and the universitys interactive tree inventory map, which includes identifying information for nearly 10,600 trees across the Virginia Tech campus, including tree type, species and origin details, height, and more.

Additional information about Virginia Tech's tree preservation efforts can be found here.
An Afghanistan doctor whose family says he was arrested 20 years ago with two Waco missionaries fears for his life and is pleading for help fleeing the country now that the Taliban has seized control of the war-torn nation.

A family member said Dr. Mansoor Sawiz, a pediatrician who worked as an interpreter for Antioch Community Church missionary Dayna Curry before the two of them, missionary Heather Mercer and several other foreign aid workers and Afghan associates were imprisoned by the Taliban for months in 2001, has sent desperate messages to family here in Texas and to the media for aid in leaving Afghanistan with his wife and five children.

Ajmal Mayar, an engineer whose wifes sister is married to Sawiz, said Tuesday that the lives of Sawiz and his family have been upended and placed in danger since U.S. troops pulled out of Afghanistan and the extremist group has taken over.

Sawiz and his family traveled from their home in the Samangan province in north central Afghanistan to Kabul this week in an effort to get on a plane leaving the country, said Mayar, who appealed to the Tribune-Herald to reach out to Curry to see if she could assist his efforts.
Homeless advocates are watching the curtain close on Oak Lodge Motor Inn, an eyesore at 1024 Austin Ave. beset by crime and neglect but still a place where Waco residents otherwise without options could spend the night or a decade.

Where residents go from Oak Lodge is a puzzle entities including Mission Waco, the Waco Housing Authority, Church Under the Bridge and the city of Waco have sought to solve. With an Aug. 31 target date approaching, their scramble to put people somewhere, nearly anywhere, has intensified.

A $9 million retail and residential development called the Dottie Oaks Condominiums is planned where the 72-room Oak Lodge now stands. Developers Brian Mitchell and Julius Kramaric announced in June that they expected a year of demolition and construction work to start at the end of this month, but assured it would only start after residents are out. That timeline unfolds in less than a week, but Oak Lodge is not empty. Estimates vary on the number still living there, ranging from two to more than 20. Some have help in leaving, others are stuck in limbo, possibly not able to afford rental rates elsewhere.
Waco History Hunt Saturday

Waco History Hunt, a family-friendly scavenger hunt, will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, starting at the Waco Downtown Farmers Market, 500 Washington Ave. The event is free and marks the anniversary of the city of Wacos incorporation.

Participants will move through Wacos early history chronologically, learning about its founding and how the city grew in the 19th century. Starting from the farmers market anytime between 8:30 am and 10 a.m., individuals or teams can use the free Waco History app to decipher each clue to the historical locations and complete interactive missions.

For more information about the event, call 254-710-3437 or visit wacohistory.org/waco-founding.

FNBCT blood drive

First National Bank of Central Texas will host a blood drive from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday at 1835 N. Valley Mills Drive in the parking lot on a Carter BloodCare bus.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 254-761-6072.

Southwest Woodturners symposium
PHOENIX (AP)  An Oklahoma man seen on video pushing an Associated Press photographer over a wall outside the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot has been arrested, authorities said Tuesday.

Benjamen Scott Burlew of Miami, Oklahoma, is the second person to be charged with attacking photographer John Minchillo, who was documenting the mob of former President Donald Trump's supporters that day.

Burlew is accused of yelling at, grabbing, dragging and ultimately pushing Minchillo over a low stone wall on the Capitol grounds.

Authorities say Burlew was among several people who attacked Minchillo, who was wearing a helmet-style gas mask and was dragged by another person down the exterior stairs by his lanyard with Associated Press lettering.

At the bottom of the stairs, Burlew and three other people grabbed the photographer and pushed, shoved and dragged him again, the FBI said.

Minchillo later found himself backed up against a stone wall by the attackers. The FBI said Burlew lunged toward the photographer and shoved him over the wall, causing Minchillo to land on his back. Burlew leaned over the wall to witness Minchillos fall, according to court records.
Abbott argues that his posture towards public health measures is motivated by a commitment to personal responsibility ahead of government mandates. But efforts to use government power to prohibit private businesses from making decisions that they think are in their best interest is the opposite. It is heavy-handed government stopping private entities from exercising their own understanding of what is responsible and what their customers and employees want.

Businesses are the private property of their owners, whose liberties should be violated only to advance compelling social interests. It is appropriate that the law prohibits a cafe from turning away customers because of their race. It is also appropriate for the same business to be free to turn away customers wearing shorts and T-shirts. Sure, masks can be annoying. But the same could be said for neckties, and I am unaware of any efforts to impose government bans on office dress codes or school uniforms in the name of personal liberty.

Banning discrimination based on race is critical to advancing equality and justice, which trumps the business owners right to decide which groups of customers to serve. Banning inappropriate dress is a decision that is none of the governments business.
RACINE, Wis. (AP)  A Missouri man who died after rescuing two young relatives from the choppy waters of Lake Michigan is the fourth person to drown in the lake this summer in the southeastern Wisconsin city of Racine.

Racine County sheriff's officials on Monday identified the man who drowned Sunday as 40-year-old Thomas Walker. They didn't say where in Missouri he lived.

Walker went into the lake at North Beach on Sunday to rescue the boys, ages unknown, authorities said.

The children showed that they were in distress, and an adult male relative entered the water to save the children, the sheriff's office said. The adult male assisted in the rescue of the young children; however, he did not emerge from the water.

Emergency responders from the South Shore Fire Department, Racine Fire Department and the sheriff's office dive team were called to the scene at around 3 p.m. Walker was found in the water about an hour later. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

The sheriff's office released a statement from Walkers family.
by Bryan R. Swopes of This Day in Aviation

On August 24, 1961, at Edwards Air Force Base, California, the legendary Jacqueline Cochran flew a Northrop Talon (T-38A-30-NO 60-0551) to an average speed of 1,358.6 kilometers per hour (844.2 miles per hour) over a straight 15-to-25 kilometer course, setting a Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) world speed record for women.

August 24 Big day! First solo in production. Jackie took off in Northrop T-38 for a 1525 record attempt at 9:00 am. I chased in F-100. Flew good pattern and lit afterburners 50 miles from west outer marker. Jackie held a good altitude through the trap and made a good procedure turn. Lit afterburner 40 miles out on return run and nailed the altitude down perfectly. The average speed was 844 mph. All the officials were pleased and the record was confirmed. One down and nine to go.

 Brigadier General Charles Elwood (Chuck) Yeager, U.S. Air Force, quoted in Jackie Cochran: An Autobiography, by Jacqueline Cochran and Maryann Bucknum Brinley, Bantam Books, New York, 1987, Pages 301302.

The Northrop T-38A Talon is a two-place, twin-engine jet trainer capable of supersonic speed. It is 46 feet, 4 inches (14.122 meters) long with a wingspan of 25 feet, 3 inches (7.696 meters), and an overall height of 12 feet, 11 inches (3.937 meters). The trainers empty weight is 7,200 pounds (3,266 kilograms) and the maximum takeoff weight is 12,093 pounds (5,485 kilograms).

Two General Electric J85-GE-5s power the aircraft. The J85 is a single-shaft axial-flow turbojet engine with an 8-stage compressor section and a 2-stage turbine. The J85-GE-5 is rated at 2,680 pounds of thrust (11.921 kilonewtons), and 3,850 pounds (17.126 kilonewtons) with an afterburner. It is 108.1 inches (2.746 meters) long, 22.0 inches (0.559 meters) in diameter, and weighs 584 pounds (265 kilograms).

The Talon has a maximum speed of Mach 1.08 (822 miles per hour, 1,323 kilometers per hour) at Sea Level. The aircrafts service ceiling is 55,000 feet (16,764 meters) and it has a maximum range of 1,093 miles (1,759 kilometers).

In production from 1961 to 1972, Northrop built nearly 1,200 T-38s. As of September 2017, the U.S. Air Force had 503 T-38A Talons in the active inventory. The type also remains in service with the U.S. Navy, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Turkey also maintains a small fleet of the type, as does Germanys Luftwaffe, although all of the latter airframes are based in the USA.

Jackie Cochrans record-setting T-38 still survives, belonging to the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum. In late 2018, the museum moved the fuselage to their Udvar-Hazy Center annex for a little TLC within the Mary Baker-Engen Restoration Hangar. The complete aircraft will eventually go on display at their Washington, DC campus once that buildings renovations are complete.

For more aviation anniversaries please visit www.thisdayinaviation.com
Carolinas Aviation Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate that has served as a hub of community engagement for aviation history and STEM education in the Charlotte region for nearly three decades, today is announcing a $1.5 million gift from Charlotte-based Honeywell, catalyzing the launch of the public phase of the museums largest fundraising effort to date  The Lift Off Campaign.

The gift from Honeywell, a Fortune 100 technology company that, among other industry-specific solutions, produces aerospace products and services found on virtually every commercial, defense and space aircraft, brings the Lift Off Campaigns quiet phase funding total to $10 million, including $3.5 million in additional private contributions from unnamed donors. The $10 million also includes an expected $5 million from Charlotte Douglas International Airport for site development.

The goal of The Lift-Off Campaign is to raise $22 million in cash investments  plus several million dollars of in-kind support  toward the creation of a state-of-the-art STEM innovation center on airport property, with construction expected to begin in early 2022 and a planned opening in 2023.

Honeywell is proud to partner with the Carolinas Aviation Museum on its campaign to bring a world-class, STEM-focused community asset to the west side of Charlotte and the grounds of Charlotte Douglas International Airport, said Honeywell Chairman and CEO Darius Adamczyk. The new museum will provide students with invaluable educational experiences that help open the door to careers in STEM fields, including aviation.

The reimagined Carolinas Aviation Museum, which will be developed in partnership with Charlotte Douglas International Airport, will house dozens of aircraft and include exhibits such as interactive cockpits, flight simulators, and historic artifacts that chronicle the regions indelible connection to the wonder of flight and aviation innovation. The new facility will be located at the site of Charlotte Douglas International Airports historic WPA/Douglas Airport Hangar, which will be restored as part of the museum project.





We are extremely grateful for the support from the Airport, the City of Charlotte, and the generous investment from Honeywell, and we are ready to lift off on our next phase to create an exciting new facility that matches the innovation we seek to inspire, said Carolinas Aviation Museum President Stephen Saucier. We are looking forward to once again connecting in person with the region, contributing to Charlottes cultural tourism and economic growth, and providing impactful hands-on learning opportunities in STEM that will help address economic mobility.

Honeywell will sponsor three key areas in the new museum. The first is a themed exhibition zone in the new Main Gallery known as Innovation Nation that presents the history of aviation as a testament to humankinds capacity for creativity and imagination of possibilities beyond the known. US Airways Flight 1549, the Miracle on the Hudson plane, will be on display in Innovation Nation. Honeywells 131-9A auxiliary power unit, or APU, played a critical role in enabling the Airbus aircraft to touch down safely in the Hudson River in New York City on January 15, 2009. Honeywell is also sponsoring the museums Maker Space, in which youth can learn about aviation via interactive, hands-on activities, and a Career Center, which will serve as a vital resource to help students and area adults connect to careers in STEM-based industries.

Honeywells support over the last several years helped Carolinas Aviation Museum deliver classroom and virtual STEM education programming to more than 9,000 students throughout the Charlotte region.

As a result of the campaign, Carolinas Aviation Museum hopes to welcome more than 100,000 visitors annually and connect more than 15,000 students to STEM programming and career development labs.

Carolinas Aviation Museum, a private nonprofit, was founded in 1991 by Floyd Swinton Wilson and his wife Lois and has operated as a museum without walls offering virtual exhibitions and community STEM programs funded by Honeywell since vacating its original location in 2019. Now, the new museum will seek to celebrate North Carolina as the birthplace of aviation and immerse visitors in the history of flight.

From First in Flight to now housing one of the top 10 busiest airports in the world, the Carolinas have played an integral role in aviation history, said Haley Gentry, aviation director of Charlotte Douglas International Airport. As Charlotte Douglas continues to advance our mission to connect people and places, we are proud to support Carolinas Aviation Museum and its vision to connect our regions celebrated past to its bright future.

The new Carolinas Aviation Museum will be a dynamic cultural attraction that will connect visitors to the Carolinas storied aviation past and elevates educational opportunities and experiences for people of all backgrounds, said museum board chair Marc Oken, who is chairing the capital campaign. We are humbled that donors will be able to see their dollars come to life in an immersive space that ignites creativity and inspires the next generation of aviation engineers, educators, and experts.

About Carolinas Aviation Museum

Carolinas Aviation Museum is Charlottes most uplifting destination, a place where visitors can be inspired by the everyday heroism of flight, learn about the science of aviation and its importance to our region, and experience the living history of flying through a wide variety of artifacts and aircraft. Carolinas Aviation Museum is a recipient of support from the Infusion Fund, a partnership between the City of Charlotte, Foundation For The Carolinas, and generous donors to support the arts and cultural sector. For more information, visit www.carolinasaviation.org.
As we reported previously, the Marine Corps decided to permanently close its only museum devoted solely to aviation on March 28th, 2021  an unfortunate decision which the institutions foundation and volunteers had worked hard to avoid for the past decade. Subsequent to its closing, however, came the thorny issue of where to place the aircraft within its collection. As we noted on August 2nd, their unique Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless found a new home with the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan. And now we report that their FM-2 Wildcat has moved across the country to join the Hickory Aviation Museum in Hickory, North Carolina.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To support this project and place a donation, please visit www.georgiaairandspacemuseum.org
While we typically publish stories about actual vintage military aviation in our articles, it is fair to say that such aircraft are well beyond the financial means of most individuals  even acquiring authentic components from such flying machines has become a seriously expensive hobby. However, with the advent of inexpensive Computer Aided Design (CAD) software and 3D printers, there is now a way to accurately recreate  inexpensively  the flight controls and cockpit fittings of your favorite WWII fighter, so that almost anyone can recreate that part of the aircraft for their own enjoyment  and even to hook up to your very own flight simulator. But the best part is that you dont need to know much about CAD nor even to own a 3D printer to pursue this hobby. This is where AuthentiKit comes in, as their description reveals

If youve come here, you are almost certainly a passionate Warbird fanatic. How many of us have ever wished we had been around when our beloved Spit, Mustang, Mossie, et al, were plentiful, and roaring overhead, and dreamed of the chance to fly one of these magnificent birds ourselves?

Now imagine the immersion of flying a mission in a Mk.IX Spitfire, over occupied France in 1943, or an earlier variant during the Battle of Britain, in front of your computer screen, or better yet, with your Virtual Reality headset on, using controls that have the identical, authentic look and feel of the actual Mk.IX Spitfire, or something similar in a P-40B, P-51D, DH 98 Mosquito FB.VI, or other classic fighting machines? Now, add being able to do this with 3D components printed from freeware files, incorporating inexpensive, readily available electronics and other items, with accompanying detailed videos and instructions.

Welcome to the world of AuthentiKit.

AuthentiKit is a freeware project seeking to capitalize on the rapidly increasing availability and price reductions of 3D printing to bring a wide range of premium quality, replica flight controls to the flight sim community. AuthentiKit products occupy a middle ground between commercial fully assembled controls and DIY projects that require tools and dedication. They use a proprietary assembly method aimed at the kind of person who would be comfortable with Lego Technic, or assembling most any other build-it-yourself product.

AuthentiKit was started by Phil Hulme, out of the UK, and there is now a substantial community of people building these controls, with some having started to work with on the design side, generating systems for additional classic aircraft. Quite a few members of the community participate in the #community-print-services channel on AuthentiKits Discord server, printing 3d parts for those who dont have access to a 3D printer.

The first warbird design generated by AuthentiKit was the much beloved Spitfire Mk.IX, with a big assist from Flying Iron Simulations, an approved developer for Eagle Dynamics, whose Digital Combat Simulator (DCS) is a leading warbird simulation program.

Other relationships with simulator developers, and even warbird restoration firms, have evolved. In addition to Flying Iron Simulations, these include, but arent limited to Aeroplane Heaven, who partnered with AuthentiKit in developing Spitfire Mk1A controls, Big Radials, who were instrumental in assisting with the development of the P-40B controls, and AVspecs out of New Zealand, a preeminent restorer of classic warbirds, who is consulting as they can with AuthentiKit on an upcoming release of cockpit controls for the Mosquito FB VI.

Typical control sets are comprised of control stick/column, with associated switches and triggers for weapons, and other control stick actuators seen on the original planes; throttle, mixture, prop control, trim wheels (elevator, rudder and ailerons, as appropriate), flap levers, landing gear (undercarriage), and radiator cowl controls. In many cases, visual annunciators are also provided, for users not flying in VR.

In none of these relationships are there any commercial dimensions. AuthentiKit does not sell anything since all designs, bills of materials, and assembly guides are free to the community. This is the ultimate labor of love, with community members investing their time, know-how, and skills to provide an experience that is as close to flying these historic airplanes in real life as current day technology allows, accessible to as many people as possible.

Flight simulations in VR are immersive, to be sure, but when you see control in your headset, reach out for it, and not only is it physically where you would expect it to be, but it feels identical to what you are seeing, and functions just like the controls that are represented in your field of view, it can be an amazing experience. This connection between visual and tactile greatly enhances the feeling that you are in the actual cockpit, flying the actual aircraft. Thats what total immersion in simulations is all about.

Another great aspect of the designs being developed by AuthentiKit is they will work with any flight simulation program, such as DCS, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, FSX, X-Plane, P3D, and IL-2. This is the result of the wide compatibility designed into the common hub that interfaces between the controls and the users PC. The connection requires nothing more than a single USB port on a PC, and even the mounting scheme for the controls utilizes widely available computer monitor mounts, and a commonly employed dovetail, used by all designs. This allows users to quickly switch from one aircraft to another, often in less than 5 minutes, so flight simmers can have complete sets of controls for many warbirds, extending the immersion and the experience, with minimal effort and expense.

Hardware this awesome must be experienced to be appreciated, so if you would like to get your hands on a set or two of these flight controls for your favorite warbird, dont be put off by the DIY aspect. These are simple self-assembly kits that you can put together at your kitchen table without workshop tools and involving no soldering. Visit authentikit.org where youll find more information, videos, and links for sourcing the kits.

There are basically two options and the website has links for both approaches.
Jacqueline Cochrans life was about risk and about triumph. A successful businesswoman and director of the Womens Air Force Service Pilots in World War II, at the time of her death Cochran held more speed, altitude, and distance records than any other pilot, female or male. On August 9, 1980, Jacqueline Jackie Cochran, Colonel, United States Air Force Reserve, passed away at her home in Indio, CA, at the age of 74. Jackie was truly a giant of aviation.

The following is the official U.S. Air Force biography

Jacqueline Jackie Cochran was a leading aviatrix who promoted an independent Air Force and was the director of womens flying training for the Womens Airforce Service Pilots program during World War II. She held more speed, altitude, and distance records than any other male or female pilot in aviation history at the time of her death.

She was born between 1905 and 1908 in Florida. Orphaned at an early age, she spent her childhood moving from one town to another with her foster family. At 13, she became a beauty operator in the salon she first cleaned. Eventually, she rose to the top of her profession, owning a prestigious salon, and establishing her own cosmetics company. She learned to fly at the suggestion of her future husband, millionaire Floyd Odlum, to travel more efficiently. In 1932, she received her license after only three weeks of lessons and immediately pursued advanced instruction. Cochran set three major flying records in 1937 and won the prestigious Bendix Race in 1938.



As a test pilot, she flew and tested the first turbo-supercharger ever installed on an aircraft engine in 1934. During the following two years, she became the first person to fly and test the forerunner to the Pratt & Whitney 1340 and 1535 engines. In 1938, she flew and tested the first wet wing ever installed on an aircraft. With Dr. Randolph Lovelace, she helped design the first oxygen mask, and then became the first person to fly above 20,000 feet wearing one.

In 1940, she made the first flight on the Republic P-43 and recommended a longer tail wheel installation, which was later installed on all P-47 aircraft. Between 1935 and 1942, she flew many experimental flights for Sperry Corp., testing gyro instruments.

Cochran was hooked on flying. She set three-speed records, won the Clifford Burke Harmon trophy three times, and set a world altitude record of 33,000 feet  all before 1940. In the year 1941, Cochran captured aviation first when she became the first woman pilot to pilot a military bomber across the Atlantic Ocean.

With World War II on the horizon, Cochran talked Eleanor Roosevelt into the necessity of women pilots in the coming war effort. Cochran was soon recruiting women pilots to ferry planes for the British Ferry Command and became the first female trans-Atlantic bomber pilot. While Cochran was in Britain, another renowned female pilot, Nancy Harkness Love, suggested the establishment of a small ferrying squadron of trained female pilots. The proposal was ultimately approved. Almost simultaneously, Gen. H.H. Arnold asked Cochran to return to the U.S. to establish a program to train women to fly. In August of 1943, the two schemes merged under Cochrans leadership. They became the Womens Airforce Service Pilots.





She recruited more than 1,000 Womens Airforce Service Pilots and supervised their training and service until they were disbanded in 1944. More than 25,000 applied for training, 1,830 were accepted and 1,074 made it through a very tough program to graduation. These women flew approximately 60 million miles for the Army Air Force with only 38 fatalities, or about 1 for every 16,000 hours flown. Cochran was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for services to her country during World War II.

She went on to be a press correspondent and was present at the surrender of Japanese General Yamashita, was the first U.S. woman to set foot in Japan after the war, and then went on to China, Russia, Germany, and the Nuremberg trials. In 1948 she became a member of the independent Air Force as a lieutenant colonel in the Reserve. She had various assignments which included working on sensitive projects important to the defense.

Flying was still her passion, and with the onset of the jet age, there were new planes to fly. Access to jet aircraft was mainly restricted to military personnel, but Cochran, with the assistance of her friend Gen. Chuck Yeager, became the first woman to break the sound barrier in an F-86 Sabre Jet owned by the company in 1953 and went on to set a world speed record of 1,429 mph in 1964.



Cochran retired from the Reserve in 1970 as a colonel. After heart problems and a pacemaker stopped her fast-flying activities at the age of 70, Cochran took up soaring. In 1971, she was named Honorary Fellow, Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame.

She wrote her autobiography, The Autobiography of the Greatest Woman Pilot in Aviation History with Maryann B. Brinley (Bantam Books). After her husband died in 1976, her health deteriorated rapidly and she died Aug. 10, 1980.

Sources compiled from the Air Force Flight Test Center Office of History and Air Force Reserve Command.
We got this email in our inbox the other day, purporting to tell the story of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, All American. The story, accompanied with some incredible pictures, told of the plane, mortally wounded, getting her crew home safely. We were pretty sure we had seen this email, sent from a friend (who got it from a friend, who got it from a friend, ad infinitum) before at some time in the past, but reading it over, some things about the chain email just didnt make sense, so we decided to do some research.

Weve decided to reproduce the email, as its certainly compelling prose, however its fiction.





B-17 All American

(414th Squadron, 97BG) Crew:

Pilot- Ken Bragg Jr.

Copilot- G. Boyd Jr.

Navigator- Harry C. Nuessle

Bombardier- Ralph Burbridge

Engineer- Joe C. James

Radio Operator- Paul A. Galloway

Ball Turret Gunner- Elton Conda

Waist Gunner- Michael Zuk

Tail Gunner- Sam T. Sarpolus

Ground Crew Chief- Hank Hyland

B-17 in 1943

A mid-air collision on February 1, 1943, between a B-17 and a German fighter over the Tunis dock area, became the subject of one of the most famous photographs of WWII. An enemy fighter attacking a 97th Bomb Group formation went out of control, probably with a wounded pilot then continued its crashing descent into the rear of the fuselage of a Flying Fortress named All American, piloted by Lt. Kendrick R. Bragg, of the 414th Bomb Squadron. When it struck, the fighter broke apart, but left some pieces in the B-17. The left horizontal stabilizer of the Fortress and left elevator were completely torn away. The two right engines were out and one on the left had a serious oil pump leak. The vertical fin and the rudder had been damaged, the fuselage had been cut almost completely through, connected only at two small parts of the frame and the radios, electrical and oxygen systems were damaged. There was also a hole in the top that was over 16 feet long and 4feet wide at its widest and the split in the fuselage went all the way to the top gunners turret.

Although the tail actually bounced and swayed in the wind and twisted when the plane turned and all the control cables were severed, except one single elevator cable still worked, and the aircraft still miraculously flew! The tail gunner was trapped because there was no floor connecting the tail to the rest of the plane. The waist and tail gunners used parts of the German fighter and their own parachute harnesses in an attempt to keep the tail from ripping off and the two sides of the fuselage from splitting apart. While the crew was trying to keep the bomber from coming apart, the pilot continued on his bomb run and released his bombs over the target.

When the bomb bay doors were opened, the wind turbulence was so great that it blew one of the waist gunners into the broken tail section. It took several minutes and four crew members to pass him ropes from parachutes and haul him back into the forward part of the plane. When they tried to do the same for the tail gunner, the tail began flapping so hard that it began to break off. The weight of the gunner was adding some stability to the tail section, so he went back to his position.

The turn back toward England had to be very slow to keep the tail from twisting off. They actually covered almost 70 miles to make the turn home. The bomber was so badly damaged that it was losing altitude and speed and was soon alone in the sky. For a brief time, two more Me-109 German fighters attacked the All American. Despite the extensive damage, all of the machine gunners were able to respond to these attacks and soon drove off the fighters. The two waist gunners stood up with their heads sticking out through the hole in the top of the fuselage to aim and fire their machine guns. The tail gunner had to shoot in short bursts because the recoil was actually causing the plane to turn.

Allied P-51 fighters intercepted the All American as it crossed over the Channel and took one of the pictures shown. They also radioed to the base describing that the appendage was waving like a fish tail and that the plane would not make it and to send out boats to rescue the crew when they bailed out. The fighters stayed with the Fortress taking hand signals from Lt. Bragg and relaying them to the base. Lt. Bragg signaled that 5 parachutes and the spare had been used so five of the crew could not bail out. He made the decision that if they could not bail out safely, then he would stay with the plane to land it.

Two and a half hours after being hit, the aircraft made its final turn to line up with the runway while it was still over 40 miles away. It descended into an emergency landing and a normal roll-out on its landing gear. When the ambulance pulled alongside, it was waved off because not a single member of the crew had been injured. No one could believe that the aircraft could still fly in such a condition. The Fortress sat placidly until the crew all exited through the door in the fuselage and the tail gunner had climbed down a ladder, at which time the entire rear section of the aircraft collapsed. This old bird had done its job and brought the crew home and all in one piece.

I love these old war stories especially the ones with a happy ending!

Maybe pass this on to someone who will also appreciate this amazing story.



Well it is an amazing story, that much is certain. Though in reading it, the damage pictured didnt seem to align with the damage described, a bombing mission to Tunis in northern Africa, dispatched from England is an impossibility (not to mention having to overfly the entirety of Axis-occupied Europe to do it), and the plane appears to be on the ground in a desert, which to the best of our knowledge, England is most decidedly not. There are several other problems within the story both large and small, but to completely dissect it would take forever and it would time away from the REAL story of the All American.

The All American was actually based near Biskra, Algeria, a much more reasonable +/- 300 miles from Tunis. On the fateful day in question, the All American was part of a formation of bombers attacking the German-controlled seaport. Braving heavy flak and German fighters on the way in, the All American and her crew managed to drop their bombs and were on their way back to base when the German fighter planes began attacking again, pursuing them to the fighters maximum return range, when the attacks ended. However, two more Messerschmitts appeared and came in for the attack.

One of the fighters went straight for the nose of the lead bomber of the formation and the other came for the nose of All American. The crew of All American fired at the plane coming for them from their nose turret while firing at the fighter heading for the lead bomber from the right side nose gun. Between the fire of All American and the lead bomber, the fighter going after that plane was disabled and sent down, smoke pouring from it as it descended. The fighter that was attacking the All American, head-on and guns blazing, began a roll to pull away, but halfway through the maneuver, gunfire from either All American or the lead bomber must have killed or incapacitated the fighter pilot and the plane never completed the collision-avoiding maneuver.

The fighter passed over All American, to say with inches to spare would be inaccurate as the plane tore a significant hole in the rear of the fuselage and removed the left horizontal stabilizer. The remaining parts of the tail section, the vertical and right stabilizer seemed like they could shake loose at any moment. Miraculously, none of the B-17s crew were injured and the men all donned their parachutes, ready to abandon the plane should the tail break off.

The other crews in the formation, seeing that the B-17 was crippled, but remaining aloft, slowed to a speed the injured bird could maintain and formed a formation around her until they were out from enemy territory. Once the formation was outside of the maximum range for the German fighter planes, the rest of the formation went on ahead and All American limped on alone. The Flying Fortress landed safely, though without her tail wheel which unsurprisingly was inoperative.

As one would imagine making it safely to the ground was an emotional experience for both the flight and ground crews, a testament to the bravery of her crew, her compatriots and the legendary robustness of the Boeing B-17, that stands quite well all on its own without the additional fantastical embellishments.

There is an excellent article with an interview with Ralph Burbridge, the bombardier on All American in which you can read his first person account of this mission, as well as his other wartime experiences, though the article incorrectly introduces a bit of misinformation of its own.* Sadly, Burbridge passed away earlier this year at the age of 93.

*The Harold Adamson and Jimmy McHugh song Comin in on a Wing and a Prayer was not written about All American. The hit song, released in 1943, recounted the amazing survival of another 97th Bomb Group B-17, Thunderbird. The plane had been given up as lost on a January 12, 1943 mission to Tripoli but her pilot, Lieutenant John Cronkhite managed to get her back to Biskra though thoroughly shot up, with both starboard engines out and fuel tanks nearly dry. He landed with no brakes and ground-looped the plane when he ran out of runway, but thats a story for another day.
Back in late September 2019, we reported on the then-recent first flight of a 1970s-vintage Aermacchi MB-326KZ military jet trainer. This was an unusual situation in that this specific airframe had never flown before since the original construction contract (for the Zairean military) ended up getting canceled before Aermacchi could complete its manufacture. With the contracts cancellation, the partially assembled aircraft went into covered storage, with the hopes that another customer would pay for its completion. This never materialized until the advent of the jet warbird movement in Italy, which saw Renzo Catellanis Volafenice flying collection purchase and complete the tandem-seat light attack aircraft, powered by a Rolls-Royce (Armstrong Siddeley) Viper Mk.600 turbojet. The red tape surrounding warbird operation in Italy is complex, as one might expect, and the bureaucratic process required that the aircrafts certification move from experimental (test aircraft) to the standard category. Presently, the airworthiness certificate is not standard but rather a flight permit for a replica airplane  since this aircraft never left the original manufacture as a certified, flying aircraft, but rather as a partially completed shell.

Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic complicated the entire flight test and certification process too, but Volafenice finally received the aircrafts flight permit on December 31, 2020. Once the permit was issued, the problem then transitioned to determining who would be allowed to fly the aircraft (youve gotta love Italian bureaucracy!). As it happened, Volafenice did have a test pilot qualified to fly the MB-326, but only with the change of type (from experimental/test airplane to standard category). Therefore Maurizio Lodovisi, MB-326K test pilot, had to produce countless reams of paperwork to obtain permission to fly the airplane under its new registration type. Maurizio Ludovisi is a retired Italian Air Force General with thousands of flight hours on a variety of aircraft types, including the MB-326K, which he flew as a Test Pilot when serving with the Reparto Sperimentale Volo, the Italian Air Forces flight test unit. Ludovisi  finally  received his civilian type rating in the spring of 2021, but then another bureaucratic hurdle materialized the need for an instructor check pilot to both train and certify other pilots!

Therefore, as soon as the Italian aviation authority ENAC (Ente Nazionale Aviazione Civile) certified Ludovisi as a flight instructor in the type, Volafanice started the certification process for the other pilots in their stable: Sergio Comitini, ex-Italian Air Force test pilot (with MB-326K time) and current Alitalia airline captain, Volafenices founder Renzo Catellani, and Francesco Dante. As soon ENAC gave the thumbs up, Volafenices team organized a training program for July 27/28 2021, which successfully culminated in these three additional pilots receiving their MB-326K type ratings.

Regarding his impressions on flying the more powerful ground-attack variant of the MB-326, Renzo Catellani said: The MB-326K is a much more powerful airplane compared to the trainer version; the K produces 4,000lbs of thrust vs the 2,400 of the E trainer model. The K model, although very similar in its design to the E trainer, presents a lot of similarities with the Aermacchi MB-339. In fact, the K model has the same vertical and horizontal stabilizers, the same wing design, and hydraulic flight controls.

Coming from the dual-seat trainer like the MB-326E, what really produced strong feelings and emotions is the fact of climbing into a single-seat aircraft. The lack of the ECS panel (environmental control system) gives you the first hint that you are alone in the cockpit. Its a strange feeling because I have flown several times the E model alone, but having a back seat, although empty, gave you the false illusion to have a spiritual instructor pilot always with you thus giving you a false feeling of safety. The configuration and location of instruments in the cockpit are different compared to the E model. The first indication that you are not flying a trainer happens during the take-off roll. The K model with its performing weight-thrust ratio gives you a kick after full power is applied. This kick is more so evident when applying power during the different phases of flight and maneuvers, it does require a higher level of fast thinking to avoid the airplane gets away from you. The aerodynamic and stall characteristics are very similar due to the same fuselage and wings of the E model thus giving me a sense of comfort. Event the landing parameters are exactly the same as the E model. 

I cannot deny that it was an emotional flight, even more, if I think that to date we are pretty sure that I am the first civilian pilot without a military background to fly in a military jet in Italy.

As noted in our previous articles, Volafenice also owns and operates a former Italian Air Force trainer variant of this aircraft, MB-326E MM54168, which the museum restored to flight over a six-year period. She took to the skies again in 2012. You can read our online article about this restoration HERE or see Luigino Caliaros article inside Warbird Digest Magazines issue #50 (click HERE).

So Renzo Catellani has much to celebrate, as he and his team at Volafenice bring a new shape and sound to civilian flying in Italian skies. We wish them much success in spreading their wings and encouraging the growth of vintage aviation flights in Italy and elsewhere!
Of all the consequential battles which took place in the 20th century, its doubtful that any loom larger in significance, regarding our collective freedom, than the Normandy Invasion of June 5th/6th, 1944. Better known as D-Day, we celebrate the anniversary of this pivotal moment each year with continued vigor. Sadly, however, the generation of young men who prevailed in that epic struggle is dwindling ever more rapidly, and even the living memory of their sacrifice is also fading fast from view. However, a handful of surviving aircraft which participated in D-Day operations still remain, and their stories have a unique ability to inspire and remind younger generations about the significance of those now long-ago events.

Seeing, and hearing, a D-Day veteran Douglas C-47 Skytrain growling through the skies with a stick of paratrooper re-enactors descending from its open cargo bay door is perhaps the most evocative way these aircraft can retell the story of their most important mission. While just a handful of these D-Day veteran aircraft still fly, we can report on one of their number moving ever-closer to her first post-restoration flight, this being C-47A-65-DL 42-100521 Night Fright which flew with the 79th Troop Carrier Squadron, 436th Troop Carrier Group out of RAF Membury during D-Day. She also took part in every other consequential Airborne mission in Europe during WWII. The aircraft is currently undergoing an in-depth, authentic restoration back to flying condition in England, and Charlie Walker, one of her current guardians, is overseeing this adventure; he presents an update on progress for us here!

Night-Fright: D-Day Veteran C-47  Restoration Update

by Charlie Walker

Rewind back to 2017 and it was all systems go as we were frantically trying to get Night Fright ready for the big one, June 2019 and the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. We were also making  and filming  a TV documentary about D-Day 75 with Guy Martin and North One Television for Channel 4. The finale would have been Night Fright retracing the route she had flown 75 years earlier and dropping Guy on the original Drop Zone in Normandy

It was a big ask, not impossible, but we had an awful lot of work to do. Back then we were putting in between 500 and 600 work hours every month and we had a team of around a dozen highly-skilled engineers from Heritage Air Services working on Night Fright. The focus was manifold; we had structural work taking place, work in the cockpit, cabin detailing, avionics and on all the sub-systems including the oil, hydraulic and fuel systems. Furthermore, we had three engines being overhauled to zero-time in the USA, split between Global Radial Engines and Anderson Aeromotive.

That February, we found ourselves in Ontario, Canada on another adventure. We purchased a C-47 located at Peterborough airport to give us access to some parts that we simply couldnt find anywhere else, including a cargo floor and a complete set of original paratrooper benches. We arrived in the worst snowstorm Ontario had seen in 30 years with temperatures as low as -30C and a complete whiteout. A freezing week later and we had removed all of the necessary parts and loaded them into a 40 shipping container for the journey home, all with a film crew in tow.

It was probably late Spring of 2019 when we had to accept the reality that Night Fright wasnt going to be ready for the D-Day 75th Anniversary. This was disappointing, of course, but these large restoration projects are full of challenges and hurdles that need to be overcome, and its difficult to predict how much effort/time is involved ahead of time. Its hard to say whether there was one particular thing which caused us to miss our deadline, but I think our determination to make Night Fright the most accurate and authentic C-47 flying in the world today has caused some those delays. We have scoured the globe for priceless and original parts to fit on Night Fright when we could have compromised and used modern equivalents. The detail we were now going into meant that this became a down-to-the-last-rivet restoration of a C-47  not a small task. Its hard to explain why projects like this take so long; the only way I can explain it is that every time you come to the next part or piece you need, it often ends up having to be completely remade. That doesnt mean finding it on a shelf or ordering it either  that means good old fashioned engineering. Despite not being able to hit our deadline, we still had to come up with a new plan for the finale of the TV programme in the form of another C-47  we still did the drop following the original route, and it was an amazing process to be a part of!

With the disappointment of missing June 2019, and having evaluated where we were and where we needed to go, we set to work in late 2019 with a renewed sense of optimism. We had decided on a plan of tackling all of the remaining structural work before moving on to the sub-systems and then finally the detailing and cosmetics.

Great progress took place; we built a completely new rear bulkhead, finished the engine cowls, trial-fitted the cargo floor so it was ready for installation, fitted undercarriage jacks, repaired fuel tanks and checked them for leaks, painted, completely rebuilt the crew seats, repaired and installed the wing root fairings, made a completely new tail cone, repaired and painted the horizontal stabilizer, made and installed bump stops, and a myriad other details which needed attention.

As well as the front-line engineering, we were also conducting a huge amount of research. Neil Jones, an RAF sergeant and project volunteer, continued to track down all of the original navigation and radio equipment which would give Night Fright that authentic, 1944 look and feel. Neil also worked on the pararack release panel, the navigators table and other internal details.

2020 got off to a good start, with the structural work continuing and progress beginning to take place with some of the internal details. That February also recorded a special moment for the project as we received a visit from the late James Hardts family from the USA; Hardt was Night Frights copilot on D-Day. And in March, Warbird Workshop, a TV documentary we had participated in, aired on Yesterday TV.

2020 also saw us make contact with the 436th Operations Group (OG) at Dover AFB; the 436th OG is the present incarnation of the 436th Troop Carrier Group which Night Fright flew with on D-Day. We are delighted to have their enthusiastic support, and regularly communicate with the senior team. Furthermore, we have also made a presentation for some of the personnel at Dover and look forwards to helping educate future 436th OG members about the important role their predecessors played in WWII.

Of course, at the end of March 2020, the UK and the rest of the world were thrown in to chaos with the onslaught of COVID 19. When the UK went into national lockdown, work on Night Fright effectively ceased. Indeed, it wasnt until October before Heritage Air Services were able to return to the hangar in any meaningful capacity. With structural work on the fuselage all-but-completed, we decided to tackle the last major item on the list  the wings. For the previous eighteen months, we had been putting off the decision regarding whether to use Night Frights original wings or another set we had available to us at Coventry.

Ultimately, we chose to use the original wings, staying true to our philosophy of authenticity and originality. We began the process by de-skinning the undersides, a task which took about three weeks. We then thoroughly cleaned and paint-stripped each wing, another labour intensive endeavor which took several of weeks. Once completed, however, we were able to assess structural condition and identify necessary repairs. We were pleasantly surprised by what we found, but there was still a lot of work to do. There were stringers and stringer cleats we needed to replace, not to mention the upper and lower wing attach angles, then there were repairs needed for some of the ribs, an aileron hinge, landing and formation lights. The wing leading edges also needed attention too.

By the end of June 2021, work was all-but-complete on the wings, with all necessary repairs having taken place and the underside of both wings re-skinned. There are a few minor tasks yet to complete: repairs to the right-hand wingtip, the trailing edge sections need fitting and a little bit of skin work post-trailing-edge sections being installed.

We will then move on to other areas of the project, returning to systems work and restoring the cockpit. Many parts are already overhauled and ready for installation as soon as the time is right  these include the engine cowlings, tailplane, fuel tanks and of course the outer wings. So, in the not-too-distant future things will change pretty quickly!

This brings us up to date with where we are presently with the engineering tasks. Most of the wing repairs are now complete and we expect to begin reskinning them imminently. At that point, the wings will go through repainting and we will then return to focusing on other areas of work. While Im reluctant to give any completion deadlines, particularly in light of the current challenges around the world, but if we continue at the current pace, I feel we can expect Night Fright to be approaching her first post-restoration flight by the end of 2021.

In addition to the aircrafts restoration, we have also been tackling the task of other aspects in the larger project, which is intended to see Night Fright based out of her original WWII airfield at Membury. Indeed, we are in the final stages of the planning permission process for establishing a museum at Membury. This will be our way of honoring Troop Carrier Command and we very much look forwards to welcoming visitors to the museum. Of course Night Fright will be hangared at Membury, becoming the star of the show, and we hope to operate her from the airfield during the summer months. To our knowledge, Night Fright will become the first WWII warbird to return and operate from her original wartime base!

As part of our outreach endeavors, we rolled out an education program early last year for making presentations to local schools, colleges and aviation museums. Obviously, this program went on hiatus when the pandemic arrived, but we have been able to make presentations virtually in the interim. Living and breathing tangible history while educating future generations about the past is at the forefront of what we are trying to do.

With a project of this massive scale, there is always plenty going on, managing and creating content for social media channels, the website, magazine articles and radio interviews, designing, creating and selling merchandise and creating partnerships. We have partnered with some wonderful like-minded organizations which are helping raise awareness about our project and what we are trying to do. We have also joined the newly-formed DC-3 Society where we can work with the DC-3 community to keep these airplanes flying and promote the work we are all doing.

We look forward to keeping Warbird Digest readers regularly updated with progress as we push to return Night Fright to the air this year.

Warbird Digest published a marvelous article by Richard Paver about Night Fright, her restoration and combat history in Issue 90 of the magazine backorders are available when you click on the image below!
The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) announced plans last Thursday to establish a new CAF National Airbase within a major metropolitan area as well as announcing that they are embarking immediately on a nationwide search immediately for the best location for this new facility. The CAF National Airbase, which is intended to become the Crown Jewel of the existing network of 60 facilities that are currently spread over 28 states, is the first step of a larger Airbase Strategy that will see the organization reorganize and establish several CAF Airbases at key locations around the country over the next decade, with sites selected to maximize the cultural and educational impact of the CAFs activities.



At each Airbase, the public attraction will house flying vintage military aircraft combined with interactive educational displays, entertaining activities and each will host an annual air show. Additionally, the CAF will look to partner with other leading innovative, historical, educational and entertainment based organizations to accomplish its mission. CAF President/CEO Stephan C. Brown stated: The Commemorative Air Forces mission is education  such that Americans will value and support the contributions of military aviation in assuring our nations freedom. But, in todays environment, we have to find new ways to educate and break away from traditional and increasingly outdated methods. The CAF National Airbase will house and serve as a stage to share a rotating group of the most significant military aviation assets in history. Brown further stated that the CAF has been restoring, maintaining and operating vintage warbirds for over 55 years and has amassed the worlds largest fleet of flying vintage military aircraft and that he expects that this National Airbase will become a premier destination for the host city chosen.

The new flagship National Airbase facility will be a year-round aviation attraction, house CAF Staff and volunteers and host a large annual warbird air show/fly-in. By establishing a world-class aviation facility within a metropolitan area with a large population and a strong international tourism component, the CAF hopes to further its mission of educating both the domestic and international public on the history and importance of our countrys efforts to protect freedom through airpower.

Sites under consideration for the National Airbase will need to meet minimum runway length and width requirements, as well as a population minimums, economic incentives and tourism potential. Once the location has been chosen and the new facility has been built, the CAFs Board of Directors has made the decision to relocate its Headquarters personnel and operations there. The CAF has been headquartered in Midland, Texas since 1991 and the CAF has indicated that it will continue to maintain its strong presence there, including plans to improve the CAF Airpower Museum, upgrading it to a CAF Airbase status and assigning it additional airplanes and continuing to sponsor the annual Midland/Odessa CAF AIRSHO.
Once again, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 proved to be the worlds greatest aviation event. Better known simply as Oshkosh to those who love aviation, the event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin showcases many incredible aircraft for one week each summer to the several hundred thousand enthusiasts who fly in from across the globe to witness or participate in the spectacle.

And Oshkosh is now in the books for 2021. As ever, it proved highly successful, with another record attendance. The Experimental Aircraft Associations CEO and Chairman, Jack Pelton, had the following to say in a formal press release celebrating this years accomplishments. This was perhaps the most challenging set of circumstances weve ever faced as an organization to make the event happen. I could not be more proud of our volunteers, staff, and participants for the way they came together to exceed our expectations and make AirVenture 2021 a truly memorable experience. We went into this year not knowing what AirVenture would look like and how big of an event was possible. The aviation community spoke loudly, though  it was ready to come to Oshkosh and we were happy that we could welcome them. Our theme was The Wait is Over, and indeed it was. And the wait was worth it. There was joy and excitement throughout the grounds and it set the stage for the return of AirVenture, making us very excited for the future.

Attendance: Approximately 608,000  Only the third time attendance has surpassed 600,000 and within 5 percent of 2019s record total.

Total aircraft: More than 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh and other airports in east-central Wisconsin. At Wittman alone, 16,378 aircraft operations took place in the 10-day period from July 22-31, which is an average of approximately 116 takeoffs/landings per hour when the airport is open.

Total showplanes: 3,176, which included: A record 1,420 vintage aircraft registered, plus 1,089 homebuilt aircraft, 354 warbirds, 148 aerobatic aircraft, 112 seaplanes, 33 ultralights, and 27 rotorcraft.

Camping: More than 12,000 sites in aircraft and drive-in camping accounted for an estimated 40,000 visitors.

Volunteers: More than 5,000, who contributed in excess of 250,000 hours.

Commercial exhibitors: 747.

Forums, Workshops, and Presentations: A total of 1,055 sessions took place throughout the week.

Social Media, Internet, and Mobile: The EAAs social media channels reached more than 18.95 million people during AirVenture, with an engagement of 1.08 million; EAA video clips during the event were viewed 3.48 million times.

International guests: Despite travel restrictions that greatly limited the number of attendees from other nations, the EAA still welcomed visitors from 66 countries during the week.

The Gathering shines The EAA Aviation Foundations annual event to support its aviation education programs attracted more than 500 people and raised more than $1.7 million dollars which will be focused on EAAs mission of growing participation in aviation.

Media: 567 media representatives on-site, from four continents.

Economic impact*: $170 million for the five counties in the Oshkosh region (Winnebago, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Brown). *  based on a 2017 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh economic impact study





From a warbird perspective, EAA AirVenture 2021 saw the first Oshkosh appearance of the magnificent Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat belonging to Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. This WWII naval fighter made its first post-restoration flight on January 3, 2021, following a two and a half year restoration with Steve Hinton, Jr. at Fighter Rebuilders in Chino, California. The aircraft won the Grand Champion Warbird Award this year, which was not a surprise to anyone whod followed the Hellcats journey back to flight. Another first appearance on the big stage was the Warbird Heritage Foundations Goodyear FG-1D Corsair (BuNo. 92050, N194G). Following an eight-year restoration, Mike Schiffer flew the Corsair for the first time on March 9, 2021. The airplane has been finished in an authentic Naval Reserve paint scheme for the former NAS Glenview. Bernie Vasquez brought the Dakota Territory Air Museums recently restored Hawker Hurricane Mk.XII (RCAF 5708). Another first appearance was the OV-10 Squadrons North American-Rockwell OV-10 Bronco, which they flew all the way from Chino, California. This aircraft, OV-10A BuNo 155474, was the 164th example off the production line and a veteran of three different wars. In February 1969, it deployed to Vietnam with the Black Ponies of Light Attack Squadron Four (VAL-4), serving there until April 1972 (look for a full feature on 474 in a future issue of Warbird Digest Magazine).

As many will know, hundreds of gorgeous, strikingly presented airplanes arrive at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh each and every year hoping to win a Lindy Award. Of course, only a handful can come away with any kind of award, but fewer still earn a Lindy. These awards range across six categories: Homebuilt, Warbird, Vintage, Ultralight, Seaplane, and Rotorcraft. Entrants can only receive consideration for one category in any given year, and are not eligible for the same or any lower-tier awards if they have won previously. While the award judges consider an aircrafts looks in their deliberations, the quality of craftsmanship on display is a crucial factor as well. Careful construction and/or restoration, as well as tireless maintenance, are essential to winning a Lindy.

Here is the list of the winners in the Warbird category.

Preservation Awards

John Schaefer

Waterloo, Illinois

Cessna O-1A Bird Dog, N413PG

Pete Bales

Janesville, Wisconsin

Hughes OH-6A Cayuse, N67PB

Lou Feldvary

Hardy, Virginia

North American T-6D Texan, N757LF

Blake Bosley

Richmond, Texas

Cessna L-19 Bird Dog, N60591

Judges Choice: Military Transport

United States Air Force

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, 02-1099

Judges Choice: Light Attack Aircraft

Douglas F. Kulick

Reno, Nevada

Piper PA-22-160 Tri-Pacer, N2650A

Judges Choice: Brody Equipped Grasshopper

Ric Woldow

Morton, Illinois

Piper L-4, N50364

Judges Choice: Primary Trainer

Richard Smith

Austin, Texas

Fairchild PT-19A, N48671

Judges Choice: T-34

Gary Otto/CAF Wisconsin Wing

Pewaukee, Wisconsin

Beechcraft T-34A Mentor, N5347W

Judges Choice: Fighter

Warbird Heritage Foundation

Waukegan, Illinois

Goodyear FG-1D Corsair, N194G

Dirty Bird

Hunter Hamilton

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Beechcraft C-45/SNB-5, N97001

Best Military Transport

Joseph Anderson

Phoenix, Arizona

Douglas DC-3A, N8336C

Silver Wrench

Aerometal International Inc.

Aurora, Oregon

Best L-Bird

Phil Hein

Burlington, Wisconsin

Stinson L-5G Sentinel, N2584B

Silver Wrench

Fred Wright

Phoenix, Arizona

Best B-25

Bettys Dream LLC

Minot, North Dakota

North American B-25 Mitchell, N5672V

Silver Wrench

Aero Trader

Chino, California

Best Navy Fighter

American Honor Foundation

Ocala, Florida

Chance Vought F4U-4 Corsair, N240CF

Silver Wrench

American Honor Foundation

Ocala, Florida

Best T-34

Mike Reirdon

El Cajon, California

Beechcraft A-45 Mentor, N4982N

Silver Wrench

Blackwell Aviation

Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania

Best T-6/SNJ

Daniel Van Buskirk

Bismark, North Dakota

North American T-6 Texan, N72176

Silver Wrench

Springer Aeronautics

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Best Fighter

Hannu Halminen

Orono, Ontario, Canada

North American P-51 Mustang, N951HB

Silver Wrench

Glenn Wegman Fighter Enterprises

Indiantown, Florida

Returning Best of Class  Large Plaque

Robert Stoney

Mercer Island, Washington

Cessna O-1E Bird Dog, N4848M

Returning Grand Champion  Large Plaque

Keith Brunquist

Wasilla, Alaska

Boeing YL-15 Scout, N477OC

Keep em Flying Award  Large Plaque

Dan Blackwell

Irwin, Pennsylvania

Beechcraft T-34A Mentor, N557DB

Silver Wrench

Dan Blackwell

Irwin, Pennsylvania

Keep em Flying Award  Large Plaque

Jimmy Hayes

Sarasota, Florida

Aero Vodochody L-39X Albatros, N395MK

Silver Wrench

Code One Aviation

Rockford, Illinois

Keep em Flying Award  Large Plaque

Joe Roetering

Naples, Florida

Beechcraft T-34B Mentor, N434JR

Silver Wrench

Blackwell Aviation

Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania

Phoenix Award

Steve Miller

Naperville, Illinois

Lockheed Airtrooper N100GR

Gold Wrench

George Robertson

Jim Fernandez

Sorrell Brothers

Reserve Grand Champion: Post-World War II

American Honor Foundation

Ocala, Florida

North American F-86 Sabre, N386BB

Gold Wrench

American Honor Foundation

Ocala, Florida

Reserve Grand Champion: World War II

Jordan Deters/CAF Minnesota Wing

Hermantown, Minnesota

Vultee BT-13A Valiant, N52411

Gold Wrench

CAF Minnesota Wing

Grand Champion: Post-World War II

James and Pat Harker

Forest Lake, Minnesota

Convair L-13A, N6615C

Gold Wrench

James and Pat Harker

Forest Lake, Minnesota

Grand Champion: World War II

Fagen Fighters WWII Museum

Granite Falls, Minnesota

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat, N9265A

Gold Wrench

Fighter Rebuilders

Chino, California

So now we turn to next years EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Jack Pelton noted that: Planning is well underway for next years event, including discussions during AirVenture 2021 about possible features and attractions for 2022. We also look forward to welcoming more international visitors next year to return AirVenture to a truly global reunion. In the next few months, we will be finalizing highlights in all areas to make the 69th EAA fly-in convention the Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebration.

Some of the many wonderful people who attended this years event!
Presently, Obie has over 7,000 flight hours in 52 different aircraft types and 735 arrested landings on 20 different aircraft carriers! He also held the honor of being the only pilot in the world actively flying a Corsair he once flew in combat until he retired in 2013 at the young age of 85.

This specific aircraft, Vought F4U-4 BuNo 97359, departed EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 with the Best Navy Fighter award, but its military history dates to March 12, 1946, when the U.S. Navy first accepted it for service. However, the fighter flew into storage at NAS Tillamook, Oregon, and then Santa Ana, California. After a four-month stint in the pool and FASRON 7 at NAS North Island in San Diego, 359 finally received a squadron assignment when it was attached to the Hellrazors of VA-13A at North Island in April 1948. She remained with this unit until May 1949, by which time the squadron had relocated to NAS Jacksonville, Florida.

In March 1950, the Corsair went into storage once again, this time in Litchfield Park, Arizona. On October 18, 1950, the fighter was assigned to VMT-2 at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro, California, thus beginning a two-year stint with the U.S. Marines. After refurbishment in San Diego and Jacksonville, 359 was assigned to VF-44 Hornets at NAS Jacksonville, Florida on January 28, 1953, and saw extensive action from the decks of USS Lake Champlain (CV 39) and USS Boxer (CV 21) during the closing months of the Korean War. In the final years of its career, 359 served with VF-74 at NAS Quonset Point, Rhode Island, VX-2 at NAS Chincoteague, Virginia, and Reserve squadrons in San Diego, California and Olathe, Kansas. The Navy finally struck her from their books at Litchfield Park in July 1956 with 1,798 hours on the airframe.

But the scrap mans torch was not in her future. In November 1957, the legendary character, Bob Bean, purchased the fighter for $1,500.99 and stored it outside for the next 19 years until Tom Friedkin purchased the aircraft on November 19, 1975. Less than a year later, this Corsair made its television debut on Flying Misfits, the two-hour pilot episode for the television series which became Baa Baa Black Sheep. By the time the series ended in April 1978, the fighter had appeared in 35 of 36 episodes. The Corsair remained in the Friedkin family collection until January 1988, when they sold it to the Old Flying Machine Company based in Duxford, England. Here the aircraft flew, oddly, in WWII-era Royal New Zealand Air Force markings. However, this was to be a brief overseas jaunt, as the fighter returned home to the US in 1992 and, over the next two decades, passed through several different owners, including Norm Lewis and Max Chapman. In 2006, the Corsair briefly reunited with its former Black Sheep co-star, FG-1D BuNo 92106, in Vintage Wings of Canadas stable at Gatineau Executive Airport in Quebec, Canada. In March 2008, former Vintage Wings of Canada regular, Doug Matthews, purchased the aircraft and had it repainted to represent the Corsair flown by VF-32 pilot Lt (j.g.) Thomas Hudner on his Medal of Honor mission of December 4, 1950.

In 2010, it was discovered that retired Navy Commander Charles Obie OBrien, a pilot then-flying with the Virginia Beach-based Military Aviation Museum (MAM), had flown this Corsair on three of his twenty-four combat missions over North Korea in June and July 1953. Obie, 83-years-old at the time, was the last pilot in the world who had both flown Corsairs in combat and was still actively flying the type six decades later. When fellow naval aviator Doug Matthews heard about Obie he said without hesitation, Well he has to fly it again.

So on Saturday, September 22, 2012, Obie climbed aboard 97359 and expertly brought the aircrafts Pratt & Whitney R-2800 to life. Over the previous decade, Obie had logged more than 100 hours at the controls of the MAM FG-1D, but this flight was different. It was special. He was, once again, about to fly the very same Corsair he had flown into the teeth of enemy anti-aircraft fire nearly six decades earlier.

A year later, however, Matthews sold the Corsair on to Oklahoman Trent Latshaw. The Corsair flew less than 100 hours in the following ten years before the American Honor Foundation of Ocala, Florida acquired it. Upon learning that there was a living Korean War veteran who had flown 359 in combat and whod also flown Corsairs into his mid-80s, officials at the American Honor Foundation chose to honor Obie, and his VF-44 squadron-mates, by repainting the Corsair to represent how it appeared in those closing months of the Korean War. With Obies name on the canopy rail, the combat veteran fighter made its public debut at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021, featuring at the famous Warbirds In Review on July 23, 2021.

The repaint took place early in July 2021. The airplane flew to John Mosleys paint shop, Hangar 360 Aircraft Services, to regain its wartime identity. The squadron markings, aircraft number, and even Obies name under the canopy completed the long-overdue tribute. Warbird Digest photographer Greg Morehead traveled to Raymond, Mississippi to document its first flight in these markings. While this Corsair might technically be part of the American Honor Foundations collection, to them it will always be Obies Corsair.
by Aaron Haase

The Yankee Air Museums Thunder Over Michigan air show took place in Ypsilanti, Michigan over the weekend of August 7th/8th 2021. Due to infrastructure construction on the East side of the airport and the Thunderbirds staging at Selfridge, this years event involved a hybrid drive-in format for visitors, who could watch the show from their vehicles, but also walk around a static ramp area to meet the crews and view some of the aircraft up close. The air show itself was spectacular. Early performer announcements included the US Air Force Thunderbirds and F-35 Lightning II aerial demonstration teams, the US Navys EA-18G Growler legacy flight team, a German Air Force A400M Atlas, along with a large gathering of North American B-25 Mitchells and a selection of other significant warbirds. Then a month before the show, the museums Kevin Walsh announced two further major additions to the air show lineup: the US Navy Blue Angels and Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II demonstration teams. Currently, Thunder Over Michigan is one of only two shows this year to have managed to land both the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds!

Unusually, display flying began at 8:30AM, with an intermission to allow patrons and performers to grab lunch and explore the grounds before the afternoon performance started at 1:00PM; each display period was jam-packed with nonstop action. The morning shows started off each day with what they dubbed Mitchell Madness with all thirteen attending B-25s and the sole-surviving PBJ-1J Mitchell taking to the air. There was a rumble of building thunder as bomber-after-bomber started their engines and began pre-flight run-ups. During their performance, each Mitchell flew past air-show center three times for a strafing run, photo pass, and an open bomb bay pass. The Mitchells concluded their performance with a 9-ship flyover during the Saturday morning show and an 8-ship flyover during that afternoon and the Sunday shows.

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The attending B-25s included:

After the B-25s recovered from their morning and afternoon portions of the show, the other performances followed a similar pattern each day: the VAQ-129 EA-18G Growler Legacy Team from NAS Whidbey Island (staging from Selfridge ANGB) took center stage with some fast passes. Following its solo display, the Growler formed up with Scott Scooter Yoak flying Jim Tobuls F4U-4 Corsair (BuNo.97143 Korean War Hero) to begin their U.S. Navy Legacy Flight demonstration.

The German Air Forces Airbus A400M Atlas then made some fantastic flybys, especially during their morning performances, when they pulled copious amounts of vapor during their maneuvers. After the A400M, Louis Horschel performed a short aerobatic demonstration in TP-51D Mustang 45-11559 Mad Max. Once he landed, the Yankee Air Museums pride and joy took to the skies  their magnificent Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Yankee Lady  joined by four P-51 Mustangs each day: Louis Horschels Mad Max, Jack Roushs P-51D Gentleman Jim (Saturday) and P-51B Old Crow (Sunday), Tri-State Warbird Museums P-51D Cincinnati Miss, and Jim Hagedorns P-51D Old Crow. Three of the Mustangs joined the B-17 for a formation pass and then each made a few solo passes. Once these aircraft recovered, the US Air Force took center stage with the F-35 Demonstration team (staging from Selfridge ANGB) flying in the morning portion and the A-10 Demonstration team flying in the afternoon portion. The morning portion also included the crowd favorite US Air Force Heritage Flight which included the A-10 and F-35 forming up with Stuart Milson flying the Warbird Heritage Foundations P-51D Mustang Moonbeam McSwine. The finale for the morning air show segment came from the U.S. Navy Blue Angels in their new F/A-18 Super Hornets. The mornings high humidity sometimes meant the team disappeared in the incredible amounts of water vapor the team generated with their high-g maneuvers. I asked one of the Blue Angels crew members what time they had to start preparing for their morning performances, since this was highly unusual for the team, and he stated that they started prepping the jets as early as 5:00 AM! The final performance of the afternoon air show, of course, was headlined by the US Air Force Thunderbirds. The team had to stage from Selfridge ANGB due to the limited amount of ramp space available at the Willow Run Airport which resulted from the runway construction presently underway. The Thunderbirds new display routine seems to keep them lower and more in front of the crowd  it also added a lot more thunder with several new passing routines with lit afterburners, including a diamond sneak pass!

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Saturday night also featured a photoshoot featuring P-51D Mustang Mad Max, F4U-4 Corsair Korean War Hero, and the Yankee Air Museums B-25D Rosies Reply. I was also lucky enough to take part in a B-25 photo flight, flying in the Commemorative Air Forces B-25J Show Me from which I was able to photograph the Commemorative Air Forces B-25Js Miss Mitchell and Maid in the Shade! Special thanks must go to the pilots of Show Me for allowing us to fly with them!

Huge kudos, of course, go out to all of the Thunder Over Michigan personnel and staff for putting on an incredible event given all of the changes and curveballs with which they had to cope in our present circumstances. The drive-in parking grounds looked full and the speed at which the crew handled the morning and afternoon air show parking transitions was impressive to watch. Congrats to all on a well-put-together and well-thought-out event!

Kevin Walsh, the Yankee Air Museums Executive Director and Director of the Thunder Over Michigan Airshow had this to say about the event: Thunder this year pushed the envelope of innovation in guest experience. We proved that quality wins out over quantity with all 4 air shows (in 2 days) being less than 2 1/4hrs. We saw the emergence of a much younger audience with a format change. And although many came to see the jet acts, they left talking about the B-25 segment.

Many thanks to Aaron Haase from AirShow360 for the report and photos. For more great aviation photography, visit AirShow360 on Facebook.
As some may have inferred from the advertisements in late May, 2021 that a number of the late Paul G. Allens aircraft restoration projects were being put up for sale, it only seemed a matter of time before more gems from his remarkable estate would find their way to the marketplace. And such is the case now for Allens Focke-Wulf Fw 189A-2 (WkNr 2100), believed to be a unique survivor from 846 examples built. The project, in an advanced state of completion, is now available for sale via the workshop tasked with its rebuild, the Aircraft Restoration Company (ARCo).

As the (edited) sales description continues

The twin-boom, twin-engine, heavily glazed aircraft was the main reconnaissance type used by the German Forces on the Eastern Front during WWII and was known as The Flying Eye.

The Fw 189 usually carried a crew of three, with a maximum speed of 217mph and an operating range of just over 400 miles. During our research into the type, we came across stories of an Fw 189 once returning from a sortie with a boom missing, either from flak or ramming, which is a testament to the sturdiness of Kurt Tanks design. For ease of replacement in the field, both booms were interchangeable in order to minimize the number of spare parts required. The Fw 189 could capture reconnaissance photographs from the camera built into the fuselage; indeed the type performed superbly in this role. The Fw 189 combined all of the attributes required on the Eastern Front  strength, maneuverability, toughness, and reliability, combined with the ability to operate from short and unpaved airstrips.

Wr Nr 2100, originally built as an Fw 189-A1, is thought to be the fourth of ten Fw 189s produced at the Aero factory in Prague. The aircraft made its first two test flights on July 23rd, 1941, and another the following day. Receiving its airworthiness certificate soon after, the Fw 189 moved on to the short-range army cooperation unit which would take it into action. It served in the army cooperation role for roughly two years, during which time it likely received an upgrade to A2 specification. Her wartime flying career came to an end on May 4th, 1943. Just after 3 am that morning, the crew  pilot Lothar Mothes; navigator/bombardier/gunner Kurt Lebrecht; and rear gunner Gunther Albrecht  took off on what would be their last mission. The aircraft was to photograph Loukhi III Airbase from an altitude of 20,000ft and then continue north up the Murmansk-Leningrad Railway. Half an hour into the sortie, the crew sent a radio message warning that they were under heavy attack by Soviet Hurricanes, but that was the last communication they were able to make before the aircraft went down. The pilot managed to belly in with the aircraft remaining substantially intact, but Lebrecht and Albrecht died as a result of their wounds. Remarkably, however, Mothes survived the ordeal  and the war. He made his way behind Russian lines, feeding off tree bark and grubs to survive, and finally reunited with German soldiers having evaded Soviet forces for two weeks. He spent nine months in hospital and convalescing as a result of the crash, but returned to his duties as a pilot, flying a further 100 missions in Fw 189s.

Soviet wartime reports state that their forces located Fw 189 wreck site within hours of the crash, the aircraft having come down in a forest near Loukhi, south of Murmansk in far northwestern Russia. It was there, in Arctic conditions, that the aircraft remained for 52 years, surviving relatively undisturbed to become worthy of salvage instead of scrapping, like most of the other examples lost on the battlefield. Indeed, such was the inaccessibility of the crash site that the recovery team had to use a helicopter to hoist her remains from the forest in 1992. Noted British warbird salvager, Jim Pearce, was responsible for saving this remarkable aircraft and transporting her safely back to the UK by air, road, and sea. She went into storage initially, but made a public outing at the Biggin Hill air show in 1996 where her wartime pilot, Lothar Mothes, had the opportunity to revisit his old mount. one can only imagine the emotional experience this must have been.

While Jim Pearce did initiate the aircrafts restoration, with some work taking place, it was clearly a project which required deeper pockets to complete. Pearce sold the aircraft to the late Paul G. Allens Flying Heritage Collection in 2007, and as with most of the other restoration efforts conducted at that organization, they rarely released any details publicly until a project was nearing completion. This was true for the 189

However, despite being a well-kept secret for many years, work on the Fw 189 is well advanced. In the aircrafts fuselage area, the forward frame is 40% complete, the central fuselage 65%, and the aft section 75%, with the rear turret (cupola) also being approximately 75% complete. The structure/skins for the center-wing and the engine nacelles are 80% complete and the fuel tank panels are 60%. The wingtips are at 40% and the starboard outer wing is 65%. Both port and starboard tail booms are 80% and the fin units are 60% complete on the port side and 80% on the starboard. Of the control surfaces, the ailerons are at 50%, the flaps at 40%, and the rudders at 20%.

Fw189 A1/2, Werke Nr 2100, is presented for sale as a unique and ongoing project to be seen through to completion to airworthy or static condition. For more information (and photographs), please visit www.aircraftrestorationcompany.com
Regular readers of Warbirds News know weve been following the progress of Jerry Yagen and the Military Aviation Museums de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito, from its shipment from New Zealand to the announcement of its first public appearance. The plane has been being assembled over the past few weeks at the Military Aviation Museums facility in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with the assistance of technicians from Avspecs Ltd of New Zealand, who had completed the assembly and initial test flights of the plane at their shop in the Southern Hemisphere before disassembling it and packing it into three shipping containers for the month-long oversea journey to its new home in the states.





The project, which has resulted in what is believed to be the worlds only airworthy Mosquito, has been an 8-year and reportedly four million dollar odyssey for Yagen and the museum. The Mosquitos unique glued balsa and birch wood construction conceived to minimize metal usage during wartime, made for an extremely lightweight plane, that while an exceptional performer, had no shot at longevity as the animal glues that held their molded wood fuselages together made for a plane that literally decomposed, and quite rapidly if exposed to the elements.

Perhaps for the sheer challenge of the project, Hagen located a mouldering pile of wood that had once been a Mosquito but still had much of its metal bracketry and other non-wooden items intact and had a body fabricated from scratch by Mr. Glyn Powell of Papakura, New Zealand, based upon jigs and molds he had completed by hand over the course of a decade for a static display Mosquito commissioned by the Canadian Historical Aircraft Association. An airworthy Mosquito, being something of the holy grail for aviation enthusiasts, as word got out that Hagen was resurrecting one, needed rare parts necessary for the restoration were offered up to aid in the project. Landing gear brakes from England, a pair of engines from Australia, instruments and a propeller from Canada, a seat found (un)surprisingly enough on eBay, One by one, these pieces all came out of the woodwork says Yagen.

The plane has been finished in the colors and marking of the 487th Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force that, flying their Mosquitos, took part in the daring Allied raid dubbed Operation Jericho where Allied bombers attacked the Amiens prison in German-occupied France, causing extensive damage to the facility and enabling over a hundred Resistance prisoners, who were scheduled for execution, to escape.

The plane underwent ground testing for FAA inspectors last week, which it passed with flying colors and while the air tests for certification to fly in US airspace was originally scheduled for last Friday, uncooperative weather on that day and over the weekend caused delays in doing the flight certification. This morning the plane took to the air and was put through its paces without incident, though it is still awaiting final certification from the FAA which is expected shortly. The public debut for the Mosquito is scheduled for the Military Aviation Museums Warbirds Over the Beach Air Show on the 18th and 19th of this month.

Here is the video of the take off.

Thanks to Jon Brawner, one of the mechanics at Fighter Factory, for sending the video to us!
Will the Comcast-MicroTech deal open up more opportunities?

Every company that sought to win a spot on the potential $50 billion EIS telecommunications contract vehicle had to spend millions on their proposals whose pages were numbered in the hundreds. Lines of pricing probably approached half-a-million or more.

That was just to get to the August 2017 awards to 10 companies. Now there are nine carriers, given how CenturyLink and Level 3 merged shortly thereafter into the company now known as Lumen Technologies.

Winning was just step one. After that came months and in some more than two years of work and testing of back-office systems to gain an authority to operate" that let them work on EIS task orders. Companies likely spent several million more getting their ATOs.

In short, getting on the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract was an expensive and time consuming process.

It was a given that companies such as AT&T, Verizon and Lumen would pursue spots. Those three are also incumbents from EIS' predecessor. L3Harris Technologies and BT Federal also have large corporate infrastructures backing them up.

But pursuing EIS was a risk for these relative newcomers to the federal market: MetTel, Core Technologies and Granite Telecommunications.

Which brings us to MicroTech and Comcast.

MicroTech was probably the surprise winner of EIS. My first thought when I saw the name on the list was whether this was a different company from the one founded and run by Tony Jimenez. But it was indeed his company. Jimenez had spent years ahead of EIS building out those capabilities.

Theyve had success, winning nearly 20 EIS task orders. In November, MicroTech bundled the EIS work into a subsidiary called Defined Technologies and now hes selling that business to Comcast.

Jimenez has declined to comment on the deal.

Two trains of thought are on my mind about this deal and both are off the mark to a degree.

Myth number one is that the deal is a windfall for MicroTech and Jimenez. The value of the transaction is undisclosed at this point and Im sure it is a good price for MicroTech. But whatever the price is, you also have to back out the millions in time and resources spent to get to this point.

My read is that like many divestitures, MicroTech sold the EIS business so it could focus on its core business. Defined Technologies was having some success in winning EIS business, but with that success comes more demand for resources to sustain the growth.

Defined Technologies should have more access to those kinds of marketing and sales resources at Comcast that inside a small business like MicroTech. Which means becoming part of Comcast should unlock more opportunities for Defined Technologies.

Train of thought number two is the question of why would the cable and media giant Comcast want to buy a spot on EIS. Isnt it too late to get on a contract thats been out in the market for nearly two years?

Not in this case.

EIS replaced GSAs Networx vehicle and retirement of the latter contract is well underway. More work is coming over as task orders under Connections II, WITS3 and other local service telecom contracts expire in the next several years.

This is billions more in business outside of Networx. In fact, I have been told that GSA has voiced some thoughts that it might have to raise the $50 billion ceiling of EIS.

So there is the opportunity that Comcast sees and one reason, as our Ross Wilkers has been noting, the company launched its federal business two years ago. Comcast's federal shop already had some success, including winning spots on DISAs Commercial Ethernet Gateway program.

Once Defined Technologies is in place, look for Comcast to accelerate its pursuit of federal work thanks to its position on the EIS.
Northrop wins part of its next-gen jammer protest

Northrop Grumman can claim a partial victory in its protest of a $500 million award to L3Harris Technologies to build a next generation jammer for the Navys EA-18G Growler aircraft.

Many elements of the protest involve highly classified information so there is a good chance we might not learn much about the specifics of Northrops objections. Technically, there are two protests because the Navy segmented the classified portion from the unclassified portion of the work.

Northrops successful protest dealt with the project's classified portion, in which the argument was that L3Harris had a conflict of interest. The Government Accountability Office recommended the Navy address that conflict of interest.

Beyond that I dont know much else, including if GAO made any specific recommendations on how the Navy should address the conflict or even what constituted L3Harris' conflict of interest.

The decision on the denied protest involves the unclassified portion of the jammer contract. But again, it will likely be some time before many details are released given how intertwined the two are.

What we do know is that Northrop challenged the evaluation that led to the award to L3Harris.

The development of the Navys next-generation jammer has been a fly-off of sorts between the two companies. Each won a demonstration contract to show off their approach. L3Harris won the follow-on to that, which is what Northrop is protesting.

The jammer is a pod that will sit under the Growlers wing and will let the plane conduct electronic warfare operations. The Navy wants to address advanced and emerging threats in the middle frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum.

L3Harris is contracted to deliver eight pods. The eventual opportunity should be much bigger. As of 2017, the Navy had 150 Growlers in operation.

In addition to the U.S. military, there is an international opportunity for this technology as well. Australia's military is also participating in the development program.

Well track how the Navy addresses the conflict of interest GAO found and how that could impact the award to L3Harris.

In a statement, L3Harris said the company was disappointed in GAO's decision. "We do not yet know the details behind this decision," a spokeswoman said in an email. She said they are waiting to get more information from GAO and the Navy.

Northrop Grumman hasn't responded to my request for comment.
VTG fuels new opportunities with latest acquisition

VTG has made its second acquisition of the last nine months as the private equity-backed company continues to build out its four-pronged strategy.

ASSETT Inc.'s capabilities include software development, artificial intelligence and digital transformation with a particular focus around undersea and unmanned systems. That company also built up a collection of intellectual property through a series of prime contracts.

Some of ASSETT's customers include Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Special Warfare Command and U.S. Special Operations Command.

The deal brings about $10 million in annual revenue and 50 people to VTG. With ASSETT in tow, VTG estimates it'll hit $250 million in 2021 revenue.

These are primarily engineers, scientists and software developers, VTG CEO John Hassoun said.

This is the fourth deal VTG has closed since 2019 as it builds its capabilities around the same number of key areas:

C5ISR

IT modernization. That includes digital transformation, including artificial intelligence and machine learning

Directed energy and hypersonics

Unmanned and undersea warfare

Weve been looking two years trying to find key differentiated technology in the unmanned and undersea area that enhance our offerings, Hassoun said.

One item that made ASSETT attractive is its collection of prime contracts, particularly its Phase III Small Business Innovation Research contracts. Those are wide-open contract vehicles that almost an agency can use to acquire cutting-edge technology developed under Phases I and II.

Think of Phase III as a very flexible vehicle built on IP and technology and it can draw investment from all kinds of other uses and operational initiatives, Hassoun said.

Now ASSETT will be part of a larger company with more infrastructure to take its technology to new customer sets beyond the Navy.

Right now the plan is to set them up as a center of excellence for product development and technology demonstration, Hassoun said.

That group will be under the leadership of retired Navy Adm. Jim Shannon, reporting to Hassoun. Shannon will collaborate closely with VTG Chief Growth Officer Sunil Ramchand in promoting VTG's expanded capabilities to its broad customer set.

The capabilities theyve generated around artificial intelligence, machine learning and human-machine teaming are applicable to many of our other customers, Ramchand said.

ASSETT has strong relationships with certain customers because of its small size it hasnt expanded much beyond that customer. As part of VTG, their capabilities should at least be made aware to a broader audience. Its a similar strategy that VTG used when it acquired Intelligent Shift in 2019.

Intelligent Shift mostly did subcontract work in the intelligence community, where it applied its digital transformation skills. But since that December deal, VTG has used the Intelligent Shift capabilities to win $40 million in prime contracts in the IC.

When VTG integrates its acquisitions, its with an eye toward new opportunities. Because of its acquisitions, VTG has won several new prime contracts including the Optical Dazzler Interdictor, Navy, or ODIN contract. VTG is developing a laser to disrupt adversaries surveillance systems under a $9 million pilot.

Another example, is a $116 million contract for C4ISR engineering and production services with the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific.

A trend driving opportunities for VTG is the Navys investments in distributed maritime operations, which is driving the need for more undersea capabilities as well as dispersing it capabilities more widely to meet near peer threats such as China.

It is forcing the Navy to go to unmanned platforms as well and the fleet architecture has to be networked, Hassoun said.

That is the kind of digital transformation work VTG is focused on and what guides is acquisition strategy. Each acquisition needs to add capabilities that make the whole stronger, he said.

Before we made the ASSETT acquisition we identified about five or six different opportunities that by combining both entities, both capabilities, we could pursue that neither company had the right credentials on their own, Hassoun said.

From the get go, we're moving into a new world with a new set of opportunities.
Yazzie, who is touted as a world champion fancy dancer, took to the stage in his traditional regalia and shared some of his moves, as well as his flute music.

He also spoke about his experiences from high school.

It was very challenging during those times, because we encountered discrimination, he said. We encountered racism. But we endured, so I stand here tall and proud of who I am. I know where I come from. I still try to learn as much as I can today about my roots, about my history.

I use music, I use dance, I use this stage as a platform to deliver a message to the world: We need to recognize our Indigenous people, Indigenous communities, not just here in North America, but all over the world.

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During Yazzies presentation, he selected people in the audience to join him on stage, and he gave a dance lesson. Following the dance, which he says is a way to express your spirit and also keep in shape, he asked for thoughts on how they felt.

In addition this evening, campus leaders shared their thoughts and ideas from closed on-campus listening sessions that will play a role in shaping the universitys mission stewardship statement.
With good reason: Black workers with some college or an associates degree are more likely to secure a good job than are those with no education beyond high school.

But even with education and training, Black workers earn less than white workers across nearly all education levels.

That doesnt mean that postsecondary education is not still one of our nations most powerful levers for economic advancement.

But they suggest that Black educational attainment, long characterized as the great equalizer, does not and cannot set Black Americans on equal economic footing.

Our educational institutions must do more to disrupt occupational segregation by not just increasing access, but also focusing on the success of Black learners and workers in education and training pathways associated with high wages.

We must also recognize that disrupting occupational segregation is not the job of postsecondary education alone. Black workers with in-demand skills and credentials are still more likely to be unemployed, underemployed and less well compensated than their white peers with similar qualifications (even in similar occupations). For example, Black students earn computer degrees at twice the rate that they are hired by companies in the field.
That sounds somewhat reassuring.

Indeed, some legislators have taken the courts statement to mean that not much will change.

We hope theyre right. Unfortunately, the high court has refused to answer follow up questions about how this would work.

Iowas unique system of redrawing political boundaries is successful in large part because of the constraints put in the law and the fact that much of the heavy lifting is centered in a non-partisan agency. Politicians in Iowa arent permitted to do the kind of, well, tinkering that is done in so many other states. (Yes, were looking at our neighbors in Illinois, but also many other states, such as Texas.)

In fact, gerrymandering across the country has been so pervasive that it has distorted Statehouse and congressional delegations to the point that it has yielded the much-quoted saying that lawmakers tend to pick their constituents, rather than the other way around. (Iowas constitutional deadline, by the way, does not apply to the redrawing of congressional boundaries.)

Unlike other states, in Iowa, politicians arent allowed to direct the map drawing and, when the boundaries are presented to them, they arent allowed the chance to amend them. Its an up or down vote.
Not too far from the Tiny Russian Village TRV

MOSCOW, August 23. /TASS/. Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) has apprehended a Ukrainian national in Tula, a city located 193 km south of Moscow, for gathering highly-classified information on the latest types of weapons on orders from Ukrainian intelligence, the FSB press office told TASS on Monday.The Federal Security Service has apprehended a Ukrainian national red-handed in Tula for gathering data constituting a state secret on the latest armaments and secret technical documentation for them, the press office stated.According to the FSBs data, under the instructions of Ukraines intelligence services, the foreigner was searching for personnel from Russian defense enterprises who had access to state secrets.His objective was to recruit Russians and obtain legally-protected information from them on advanced small arms, the FSB said.
What does a community look like? This is just one question that Shimon Attie's Night Watch invites.

The 20-foot-wide LED video features portraits of refugees and asylees, many of them LGBTQIA+ and unaccompanied minors. Collectively, they represent the most vulnerable of populations fleeing their home countries to seek asylum in the United States. But that's not all. Already a powerful feat of public art, the enormous screen is also mounted on a barge that moves its way through the Northern Bay Area and Oakland Estuary.

Night Watch is a masterpiece of institutional arts collaboration, as well. The project gathered steam behind the energy of Catharine Clark, founding director of Catharine Clark Gallery, and BoxBlur. This project, which Clark calls her "love letter to the city," came together with the support of more than 40 distinct arts institutions in little more than a year's time. For Clark, who is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Catharine Clark gallery, this love letter was an opportunity to, once again, congregate as an artistic community.

Incredibly, the barge will make its way around the San Francisco Bay for three nights of free shoreline viewing, prompting a plethora of onshore activations from partnered organizations. Join the 15-piece brass marching band as they march to the Warm Water Cove; reserve a ticket at Cowell Theater for an evening of dance; or listen to the music of Classical Revolution along the shoreline in Oakland. Night Watch is a festival of experiences for everyone.

Night Watch debuts at historic Angel Island, a site which saw generations of immigrants arrive amid intense scrutiny and racism during the early 20th century. By beginning here, Night Watch nods to the currently fraught politics surrounding the arrival of refugees amid a rise of nativism in the United States. When we see faces of people indistinguishable on the surface from U.S. citizens and displayed on such a large scale, we are forced to grapple with the current presence of vulnerable populations in our community and the political context in which they arrive. According to Catherine Seitz, the legal director of the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area, we must also confront the unknowability of an immigrant's personal story of arriving here.

"They're the people who our kids go to school with, or we go to church with; sometimes they came here seeking opportunity but other times it was because they were pushed out by violence. You just never know. You can't judge a book by its cover."

Shimon Attie is well acquainted with the rich geographic and individual histories of the Bay Area community. Though a New York-based artist, he grew up in San Francisco, and the questions he asks in his art are in many ways a product of his time growing up in the city. Attie uses his art, not necessarily to preach to his audience, but instead "the hope is to create complex, affective, emotional, and experiential moments for the viewer, whereby some oxygen, maybe even some poetic oxygen, is created that allows for a shifting, subtle kind of reconsideration."

In short, his art is an invitation. It is an invitation to open oneself up and experience the transformative potential of art.

Shimon Attie, 'Night Watch' (Norris with Liberty), 2018. Originally produced by Moreart.org in New York City. Courtesy of Shimon Attie.

There will be opportunities to experience Attie's larger body of work, in addition to viewing Night Watch. Catharine Clark Gallery presents Here, Not Here from September 18th to October 31st. Featuring acclaimed projects representing decades of Attie's artistic career, the exhibition also debuts an exciting new video, Time Laps Dance, which features Brazilian martial artists in a bitingly humorous critique. The oeuvre of Attie's work contextualizes and elaborates on the themes of identity, memory, and location so prominently displayed in Night Watch.

Bearing witness to Night Watch in tandem with Attie's legacy affirms the communal invitation to acknowledge, celebrate, and experience the undeniable fact that our community includes everyone; from the most privileged of us to the most vulnerable, from people living here for generations to people who have just arrived.

Presenting organizations include Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, California College for the Arts, Congregation Emanu-El, Gray Area, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, Minnesota Street Project, Museum of the African Diaspora, PhotoAlliance, Saint Joseph's Arts Foundation, San Francisco Art Institute, and University of San Francisco.

// Night Watch is on display September 17 -19; find more info at immersiveartsalliance.org.





This article was written by Luke Williams for SF/Arts Monthly. Williams is a Bay Area-based writer and artist whose works include Black literary, visual, and performing arts. His writing has appeared in KQED, New York Magazine, The Brooklyn Rail, among others. You can follow his personal blog at explorationsme.wordpress.com
AlexeyPetrov/Getty Images

In a year that has seen increasingly outrageous behavior from airline passengers, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised by what happened on Frontier Airlines Flight 2239 from Philadelphia to Miami.

On July 31, 22-year-old Maxwell Wilkinson Berry spilled a drink on his clothes. He retreated to the restroom, only to return without a shirt. A flight attendant helped him retrieve a clean top from his luggage, but then he allegedly groped her and one of her colleagues. When confronted, he bragged about his parents wealth and swung a fist at a male flight attendant. Then, as millions have seen on a viral expletive-filled video, fellow passengers helped restrain Berry as airline employees duct-taped him to his seat, where he remained until his arrest on the ground.

So much for the friendly skies.

It was only the latest example of bad behavior from airline passengers. Every week, it seems, brings a new report of an outrageous and dangerous incident above. Earlier this year, a customer punched a Southwest Airlines flight attendant  knocking out two of her teeth. On a JetBlue flight, a traveler threw an empty alcohol bottle and food, and hit an airline employee.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has received 3,889 complaints about passenger behavior this year (as of Aug. 16). They come as the agency has adopted a zero tolerance policy toward flight disruptions. The FAA announced last week that it has proposed $531,545 in fines against 34 particularly egregious travelers who flew between January and May, bringing the total amount of proposed civil penalties in 2021 to $1 million.

The federal agency has even gone as far as to tweet warnings and release memes  pictures with text designed to easily share on social media  urging passengers to behave.

One shows an elderly woman in a cockpit, raising a finger in admonishment. Don't embarrass me. I raised you better than to act that way, it says. The FAA has zero tolerance for not following crew instructions. Another shows a picture of a pickup. You could have spent $35,000 on a brand new truck. But instead you are paying a fine because you punched a flight attendant.

Amusing, perhaps. But the problem is serious. Last month, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA reported that more than 85 percent of its members had encountered bad behavior from passengers this year, based on a survey of nearly 5,000 members. And almost 1 in 5 have been physically threatened.

What in the world is going on?

Mask-related conflicts, too much alcohol

Noncompliance with the federal mask mandate seems to be fueling many of the problems. The FAA notes that the majority  more than 2,800  of the cases involve conflicts over the mask requirement. On an April 12 JetBlue Airways flight from Boston to Orlando, for instance, a woman refused to comply with the face-mask mandate, shouted obscenities at the flight crew and, after a seated passenger objected to being bumped into, punched the passenger in the face.

Nick Ewen, a senior editor at The Points Guy travel advice website, notes that this summer has seen high numbers of rescheduled and canceled flights, amplifying passenger frustration.

Many of the cases involve alcohol, which has led some airlines, including Southwest and American, to temporarily suspend or limit alcohol service in economy class for domestic flights. American recently extended its ban to Jan. 18 just after the federal government extended its mask mandate for commercial travel to the same date.
SALIDA, Colo.  Male DNA that corresponds with partial profiles found in three unsolved sexual assault cases was found in the car of a missing Colorado woman whose husband is charged with killing her, an investigator testified Tuesday.

The partial DNA profile created from DNA left on Suzanne Morphews glovebox matched profiles developed in sexual assault cases in Chicago, Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona, Colorado Bureau of Investigation agent Joseph Cahill said, The Denver Post reported. DNA from Barry Morphew was not found in the DNA sample, according to his lawyers, KUSA-TV reported.

Cahills testimony came as he was questioned by one of Morphews lawyers during the final day of a hearing to determine whether Morphew will stand trial for murder and other charges in his wifes presumed death.

Morphew, 53, was charged in May after pleading for his wifes safe return on social media soon after she was reported missing by a neighbor on Mothers Day in 2020. He has not yet been asked to enter a plea.

According to their questioning during the four-day hearing, prosecutors believe Morphew killed his wife, Suzanne Morphew, on the evening of May 9, 2020, before leaving for work in the Denver area the following day, which was Mothers Day. Her body has not been found.

On Tuesday, Barry Morphews lawyers also asked investigators about statements he had made about how much he loved his wife and how he said he had searched nearly 200 square miles (518 square kilometers) looking for her after her disappearance.

Barry Morphew held back tears as his attorney Dru Nielsen questioned retired FBI Agent Jonathan Grusing about statements Barry Morphew made to him. The husband continued to say he loved Suzanne Morphew after investigators told him she was having an affair.

He said, It doesnt mean I dont love her,' Grusing said.

On cross examination, Grusing also said multiple dogs trained to detect decomposing bodies did not react to any such evidence in Barry Morphews truck.

While the prosecution repeatedly brought up a tranquilizer gun and accessories found in the couples home, the defense played body camera footage that showed Chaffee County sheriffs deputies saying they did not believe the gun worked. Prosecutors have not explained whether or how the tranquilizer gun and parts may have been involved in Suzanne Morphews death.

Judge Patrick Murphy said he would rule on whether there was enough evidence for Barry Morphew to stand trial at a hearing on Sept. 17.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Sen. Jacob Candelaria has resigned as a voting member from legislative interim committees  the latest salvo amid his dispute with Senate leadership.

In an interview, Candelaria accused Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, a fellow Democrat from Albuquerque, of retaliating against him by changing his seating assignment on the Senate floor and moving his Roundhouse office.

Stewart, in an email exchange with Candelaria last month, said that she wasnt asking him to resign from interim committees and that, in fact, she thought Candelaria had done a good job on the Senate Finance Committee, a powerful standing committee that meets during legislative sessions.

As for the seating and office location, she said Tuesday that it was her prerogative to make changes.

Candelaria called it retaliation.

This is kind of her Mean Girls approach to governing senators, Candelaria said Monday. Any attempt to hold her accountable is going to be met with these petty retaliatory acts.

Mean Girls is a 2004 teen comedy about high school cliques and bullying.

Candelaria said he gave up his voting role on interim committees  the panels that meet between formal legislative sessions  to deprive Stewart of leverage after she threatened to remove him. He will still participate, he said, as an advisory member.

Interim committees handle much of their work without formal voting, although they occasionally vote on whether to endorse legislation for a coming session. Much of their work involves accepting public testimony and providing a forum to question administration officials.

In an email exchange obtained by the Journal under a public records request, Stewart said it was Candelaria who brought up resigning from interim committees, which she asked him not to do.

I will reiterate to you that I made no threats to you on any of these issues, she said in the email to him about committee assignments.

As for Candelarias other allegations, she released a statement through a spokesman Tuesday.

I dislike discussing internal senate matters in a public forum but yes, one of my prerogatives as pro tem is to assign office spaces and seating in the chamber, Stewart said. When I feel a change is necessary its my job to make it.

Candelaria, who represents neighborhoods in Southwest Albuquerque, has clashed repeatedly with Democratic leaders of the Senate and with Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

In 2018, he resigned as chairman of the Senate Democratic caucus, and he later opted against participating in Democratic caucus meetings altogether. He has said he has no plans to change party affiliation.

In May, he accused a Cabinet secretary of filing a defamatory ethics complaint against him.

More recently, Candelaria has slammed Stewart for her role in the handling of a personnel investigation involving a top legislative staffer.

The staffer, Rachel Gudgel, was put on probation and reprimanded last year after an investigation into allegations that she made disparaging comments about Native Americans, among other complaints.

Candelaria said Stewart and other members of a legislative panel that oversees Gudgels work should have fired her, given the critical role Gudgel plays in analyzing education policy as director of the Legislative Education Study Committee.

Nevertheless, Candelaria said this week, the dispute with Stewart wont interfere with his ability to represent his constituents.

I dont care where I sit, he said. Im not a child.
PHOENIX  Arizona is reporting nearly another 2,600 new COVID-19 cases as well as 38 more deaths.

The state Department of Health Services dashboard Tuesday showed 2,595 more confirmed cases of the virus.

This brings the states pandemic totals to 991,309 cases and 18,638 deaths.

Hospitalizations due to the virus inched up again to 1,994 patients.

Officials with several of the states biggest health care systems have said a majority of hospitalizations and ICU occupancies are comprised of unvaccinated people. Public health experts say the more transmissible delta variant is also making up most cases.

Gov. Doug Ducey and hospital leaders continue to urge vaccination as the best way to stop the virus spread.

So far in Arizona, more than 7.2 million vaccine doses have been administered. At least 3.9 million people  or 55.3% of the eligible population  have received at least one dose. Over 3.4 million have been fully vaccinated.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Chaco Canyon in northwest New Mexico is a significant landscape for many ancestral and modern Native communities.

The area is also a focal point in the debate over how the federal government should manage oil and gas drilling on public lands.

Pueblo leaders and archaeologists are pushing for federal agencies to protect cultural sites and consult tribes as the U.S. Interior Department reviews its mineral leasing program.

Acoma Pueblo Gov. Brian Vallo said during a call with reporters on Tuesday that New Mexicos tribes should be involved from the earliest stages of determining where to drill on federal land.

The Bureau of Land Management oversees that drilling permit process.

We need to provide the ethnographic data to the agency or agencies, so that they understand the landscape from that cultural perspective, Vallo said.

The Acoma governor added that BLMs final leasing decisions should reflect tribal input.

We just have not seen that happen, he said. And when it does happen, it isnt consistent.

Congress has appropriated about $1.6 million to the Navajo Nation and a coalition of pueblos for a cultural study of the greater Chaco landscape.

That report could be completed by this fall.

The Biden administration paused new federal oil and gas lease sales earlier this year pending a review to ensure the program serves the public interest.

In a March forum, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland panned what she called the previous administrations act now, think later approach to drilling.

In order to tackle the climate crisis and strengthen our nations economy, we must manage our lands and waters and resources, not just across fiscal years, but across generations, Haaland said.

Last week, Interior appealed a Louisiana district court decision that had forced the agency to resume leasing.

The current federal leasing system stresses profit over preservation, said Paul Reed, an Archaeology Southwest archaeologist who authored a new report about energy impacts on Indigenous landscapes.

Reed recommends BLM take a more proactive approach to removing such sensitive cultural areas as Chaco Canyon from drilling plans.

The oil and gas industry has been allowed to call the shots in leasing federal lands across the West, Reed said.

The report urges the BLM to overhaul leasing by considering regional impacts, instead of focusing solely on how drilling affects individual cultural sites.

The accumulated impact of 100 years of rampant oil and gas development on public lands in the American West is substantial, Reed said.

Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Kay Bounkeua is on her way to Santa Fe.

The Bernalillo County Commission on Tuesday appointed the community organizer to complete the rest of Sheryl Williams Stapletons term in the New Mexico Legislature. She is believed to be the first Asian American woman to serve in the legislative body.

Bounkeua, a Democrat, will represent Albuquerques District 19. Bisected by Central Avenue, the district runs as far west as Girard and as far east as Wyoming, and includes part of the International District.

The daughter of immigrants who came from Laos in the 1970s, Bounkeua said she was honored to bring a different perspective to the Legislature.

Its been incredible  for those who believe in something bigger  a new voice thats grounded in lived experiences and shared values, she told the commission. This is an opportunity for us to kick open the doors so well never again be the only or the first.'

Bounkeua, 36, replaces Stapleton, who resigned from the House of Representatives last month amid a criminal investigation into whether she had been getting kickbacks from an Albuquerque Public Schools vendor.

Bounkeua is currently New Mexico deputy director for The Wilderness Society and was previously executive director at the New Mexico Asian Family Center. She has a master of public health degree from the University of Michigan.

Ten people  including educators, a lawyer and a onetime legislative staffer in former U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingamans office  applied to replaced Stapleton. Each addressed the County Commission during a special meeting Tuesday, touting their experience and community credentials.

Multiple commissioners noted the strength of the field.

Im a little jealous  (of) how many great community leaders they have in District 19, Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada said prior to Tuesdays vote.

Commissioner Adriann Barboa, whose district encompasses the area Bounkeua will represent, noted that the commission was carrying out its responsibility due to heavy and heartbreaking circumstances.

I step into this recognizing this community needs healing and some rebuilding of trust, said Barboa, who ultimately nominated Bounkeua for the seat, saying she had worked alongside Bounkeua advocating for paid sick leave, language access and more.

Ive seen her be gentle enough to work with the care needed to serve people in domestic violence situations, and with the strength and power to fight for the visibility and rights of immigrant families and refugees, Barboa said.

The commission voted 4-0 to appoint Bounkeua. Commissioner Walt Benson was not present.
Doctors and nurses have cajoled and pleaded, talking about how they are watching patients struggle to breathe before they ultimately go on a ventilator and die. The governor has offered cash incentives and a lottery and alluded to the possibility of going back to lockdown-style measures much more restrictive than masking up indoors as the highly contagious delta variant takes hold and hospital intensive care units fill up.

Despite these efforts and many others, an estimated 500,000 New Mexicans who are eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19 have chosen not to do so. The state website said that as of Tuesday, 29,361 doses of the vaccine had been administered in the past seven days  a slight uptick but far below the early days of vaccine availability when people were scrambling to get shots.

Lets hope the Food and Drug Administrations long-awaited full-use authorization Monday for Pfizers COVID-19 vaccination will make a difference.

Because there were 2,201 new COVID cases in New Mexico just over the weekend and nine more deaths.

The reasons for vaccine holdouts are many, ranging from those who dont believe the virus will affect them to those who dont think the vaccine works all that well to those with fringe notions such as it can alter your DNA and/or cause you to become magnetic.

And, of course, many have voiced concern over the speed with which it was developed and possible side effects, pointing to the fact that  until this week  the FDA had only given the vaccine emergency use approval.

As cases and hospitalizations have soared in the face of vaccine resistance and a resurgent virus, there has been a renewed, and necessary, push to get shots in arms  just as it was imperative to do so in earlier generations ravaged by polio and smallpox.

The governor has mandated that all state employees and schoolteachers and staff be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. The new health order issued last week required hospital, nursing homes or similar congregate facility workers to get the first dose of the vaccine within 10 days. The New Mexico State Fair will require proof of vaccination for workers and attendees ages 12 and over  in other words, those eligible for the vaccine.

Presbyterian Healthcare Services, one of the states largest employers, is requiring vaccinations for its entire workforce of 13,000-plus people.

Those steps should help increase the vaccination rate. And so should the FDAs approval Monday of full authorization for Pfizers vaccination for individuals 16 and older.

The FDA already had approved emergency use for those 12 and up, along with emergency use vaccines by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

For Pfizer, the FDA analyzed 40,000 participants ages 16 and older. Half received a placebo, and trial results indicated the vaccine was 91% effective in preventing COVID-19. Your annual flu shot is nowhere close.

FDA scientists reviewed hundreds of thousands of pages of data from the participants, and approval should be enough to prompt more employer vaccine mandates  and more individuals to decide to get the shots. Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock said the vaccine meets the agencys high standards for safety and effectiveness.

Todays milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S., she said.

In New Mexico, 66.8% of residents ages 18 and older are fully vaccinated, but African Americans and Hispanics lag significantly behind non-Hispanic whites. There is geographic disparity as well, as counties in southeastern New Mexico have far lower vaccination rates than Bernalillo, Santa Fe, Sandoval and Los Alamos counties. Thats frightening when you consider that nationally, more than 660,000 people have died of COVID-19 and the death toll in New Mexico is approaching 4,500.

Finally, while much has been made of breakthrough infections among vaccinated people, its important to recognize that a very high percentage of patients who require intensive care and ventilators are unvaccinated. Its not unusual for every patient in a hospital ICU to fit that description. And the most important purpose of a vaccine is to keep you from getting really sick and dying.

But even for mild cases, some mathematical context is useful. New Mexico recently reported that 19% of new COVID cases were in fully vaccinated people, compared with 81% in unvaccinated people. The states percentage of fully vaccinated people over age 18 is about 66%. Applying those percentages, if 1,000 people were tested and 100 of them tested positive, you would find that only 19 of the 660 vaccinated people tested positive while 81 of the 340 unvaccinated tested positive. Those are pretty good odds in favor of getting the shot.

And thats what has to happen if we hope to vanquish, or at least suppress, this virus by years end.

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.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

After years of dipping his toes in the local political pool, Eddy Aragon is now plunging in.

The conservative radio host and station owner on Tuesday formally declared his candidacy in the 2021 Albuquerque mayor's race, adding his name to a lineup that includes incumbent Tim Keller and Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales.

Aragon, 46, is a newcomer both to this race  having only started his qualifying push last month  and to elections overall. While he registered as a candidate in the 2017 mayoral race, he dropped out prior to the election. Earlier this year, he sought the Republican Party's nomination in a special election to determine the Albuquerque area's representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, but the party's state central membership decided to put Mark Moores on the ticket instead.

The 2021 mayor's race marks Aragon's first appearance on an election ballot.

I am absolutely ready for this endeavor, Aragon said, citing his business experience as a radio station owner and his daily communication with the public as a radio host. I prepared for this every day for the last six years without knowing.

During a Tuesday news conference, Aragon offered a glimpse into his platform.

Aragon said he is against Albuquerque's City Council-approved sanctuary city policy and several other policies and programs already in place, from the hiring bonuses the city offers new employees in certain hard-to-fill municipal government jobs and the economic development incentives provided to companies like Netflix to the $133 million Albuquerque Rapid Transit project, which he said he would evaluate and dismantle if it's cost-effective.

Aragon questioned the wisdom of opening the Gateway Center shelter and services center in the old Lovelace hospital on Gibson and of other government investments in homeless services. He said he wants to recriminalize homelessness so that the city's approach includes penalties in addition to helping people who live on the streets.

I think the solutions that we've proposed thus far have not reduced the level of homelessness, said Aragon, who noted that his own grandmother experienced homelessness.

He said he would do whatever he could to fight potential future pandemic-related business lockdowns  which are typically the purview of state health officials  and that he would oppose a vaccine mandate for the city's workforce.

Aragon would not, however, fight the U.S. Department of Justice-ordered reforms within the Albuquerque Police Department, saying the city should hasten compliance in order to get past the associated oversight.

It's something that we have to do, and we should shut up about it, he said.

City races are officially nonpartisan, but Aragon is the only Republican who qualified for the mayoral ballot.

Only 27% of Albuquerque voters are registered Republicans, according to numbers the Bernalillo County Clerk's Office provided the Journal on Tuesday. A plurality of city voters  47.3%  are registered Democrats. Keller and Gonzales are Democrats.

Aragon still likes his chances, saying he can appeal to the city's significant independent voter base and maybe attract some Democrats, too.

I started out as a Democrat; I know the Democrat Party pretty well. I think I have crossover appeal, he said. I'm Hispanic, and that actually matters, I think, a heck of a lot more sometimes than party does.

While Keller already has received over $600,000 in public campaign financing, and Gonzales remains embroiled in a legal battle over whether he was improperly denied public campaign financing, Aragon will run his campaign on private donations. Though he's only just begun to fundraise, he said being a radio personality should help.

I plan on leveraging and utilizing my media (and) my name recognition, he said.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

PNM Resources and Connecticut-based energy giant Avangrid are offering another $10 million in economic development funding, plus strict regulatory controls to ensure grid reliability, to gain more support for their proposed merger.

The latest concessions, contained in a filing the companies made to the state Public Regulation Commission on Monday afternoon, resolved some outstanding disputes with the PRCs Utility Division staff. Until now, staff had opposed the merger. But the new filing reflects a negotiated settlement on issues that previously kept staff from supporting it.

PRC hearing examiner Ashley Schannauer must decide if he will permit the latest concessions to become part of the official record that will go before the full five-member commission for a final decision on the merger this fall. Schannauer presided over nearly two weeks of public hearings with 24 parties intervening in the case. The hearings ended Friday, and Schannauer told intervenors no new evidence would be accepted.

But the two companies and PRC staff are now requesting that Schannauer either waive that decision to allow the new agreements contained in Mondays filing to be incorporated, or briefly reopen the record to accept them as additional evidence.

If Schannauer concedes, it would leave only one party still opposing the merger deal  Santa Fe-based New Energy Economy. All others in the case now either directly support the merger or dont oppose it, said Steve Michel, an attorney with Western Resource Advocates, which joined the merger settlement agreement in April.

At this point, the opposition is limited to just New Energy Economy, which wants the merger to just be rejected outright, Michel said.  Everyone else is supporting or not opposing it. From the stakeholders perspective, it seems weve coalesced around a series of agreements on conditions for the merger to proceed.

If approved by the PRC, Avangrid would acquire PNM Resources and its two utility subsidiaries  Public Service Company of New Mexico and Texas New Mexico Power  in an all-cash transaction valued at $4.3 billion.

With the oral public hearings now over, intervening parties will still file written briefs in the case, the last of which are due in late September. After that, Schannauer will release a recommended decision on the proposed merger, which the five commissioners will then review for a final decision.

Pushed to deal

Comments made during last weeks hearings by Commissioner Joseph Maestas encouraged PNMR, Avangrid and PRC staff to press on in negotiating a final resolution to their pending differences, although that didnt occur until shortly after the hearings ended, according to the Monday filing.

Maestas had posed questions about the merger to Avangrid President and Deputy CEO Robert Kump on the last day of hearings. Maestas said economic development funding is a critical benefit for consumers in the merger process, and urged all parties to try one more time to reach a final, consensus agreement.

That led to new compromise positions that the negotiating parties say justify reopening the record. That includes $10 million in additional economic development funding for a total of $25 million that Avangrid now promises to invest over 10 years, up from $15 million over five years previously.

In other words, should the commission determine the merger should be approved, the value of opening the record is at least a $10 million increase, read the Monday filing.

Shortly after hearings started on Aug. 11, Avangrid had also offered $8 million in new money to be added to its previous commitments, including another $6 million in rate benefits for consumers and $2 million more in economic development funding.

With the latest $10 million concession made with PRC staff, the company is now offering a total of $133.5 million in direct merger benefits. That includes:

 $67 million in rate relief for customers over three years

 $10 million to forgive past-due residential consumer debt accumulated during the pandemic

 $15 million for energy efficiency to help low-income customers reduce consumption and electric costs

 $2 million to extend electric service to more people in remote areas

 $25 million in economic development funding

 $12.5 million for Indigenous community groups in the Four Corners region

 $2 million for scholarships and apprenticeships in the greater metropolitan area

Avangrid has promised as well to create 150 new high-paying jobs over three years, generating an estimated $200 million in local economic impact.

The merger partners and PRC staff also announced new regulatory controls to ensure grid reliability under Avangrid going forward. Avangrid previously agreed to work with PRC staff and others to create new reliability standards with annual reporting to measure and monitor compliance.

The new controls now define initial standards that Avangrid must meet, plus automatic penalties ranging from $250,000 to $500,000 for each incident of noncompliance, depending on how long the problems last. Thats a significant concession by Avangrid, because previous agreements only called for establishing new reliability standards after the merger, with stipulations to allow staff or other parties to seek penalties for noncompliance in the future, Michel said.

The standards and penalties werent spelled out before, and it would have been staffs responsibility to seek fines rather than the automatic obligations now included in this new agreement, Michel said. I think theres a strong case now that the merger will benefit PNM customers and the state in general.  But well have to see if the hearing examiner and commissioners feel that way.

New Energy Economy, however, remains firmly opposed to the merger.

NEE Executive Director Mariel Nanasi said PRC staff settled for substantially less economic development funding and much softer reliability standards than the utility division originally sought.

Having automatic penalties for reliability underperformance is good, Nanasi told the Journal. But staff settled for way less than what it said in the hearings is necessary to protect customers from unreliable service.
A bank robber chose the late afternoon to target a branch inside a Walmart in Northeast Albuquerque on Tuesday.

The FBI and Albuquerque police are now looking for the man, who was wearing a cap with a Zia symbol, dark mask and a gray sweatshirt with the Champion brand logo, when he displayed a handgun and robbed the First Convenience Bank inside the Walmart at 2266 Wyoming NE, near Menaul, just before 6 p.m., according to the FBI.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic man in his 30s or 40s, about 6 feet to 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighing about 180 to 200 pounds.

The suspect approached tellers, showed them a handgun in his waistband, and demanded money, the FBI said in a news release. A teller handed over an undisclosed amount of money to the suspect, who left the bank.

Anyone with information about the robbery is urged to call the FBI at (505) 889-1300 or Albuquerque Metro Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at (505) 843-STOP. Tips can also be submitted through tips.fbi.gov.
DENVER  A couple whose young dog was shot by a police officer in a northern Colorado city has filed a lawsuit accusing the officers supervisors of covering up what happened and claiming that the city has fostered a culture that encourages the use of force.

In body camera footage released Wednesday in support of the lawsuit, two dogs run toward Officer Matthew Grashorn as he gets out of his patrol car while responding to a trespassing report in an empty parking lot in June 2019.

Grashorn raises his gun. One of the dogs stops and begins to turn back, in response to calls from owners Wendy Love and Jay Hamm, according to the lawsuit. The younger one, a 14-month-old Staffordshire terrier-boxer mix named Herkimer continues toward the officer and is shot, falling to the ground.

After asking for permission from Grashorn, Love rushes to the wounded dog but Grashorn warns her he could bite her because hes hurt as she cries. She also asks for permission to take him to a veterinarian but that is not allowed to until about eight minutes later, after Grashorns supervisors arrive.

The dog was euthanized after spending four days in intensive care, the lawsuit said. The dog needed expensive spinal surgery and faced a poor quality of life afterward, the couples lawyer, Sarah Schielke said.

According to the lawsuit, veterinarians encouraged the dog to be put down because he also faced euthanization after the surgery after being accused of being a dangerous dog by police.

The lawsuit claims that police accused Herkimer of attacking Grashorn and charged Hamm with having a dangerous dog to justify the shooting after Hamm said he would talk to the media about what happened. The charge was later dropped, it said.

There is no audio for the first 30 seconds of the body camera footage, which is standard after a camera is activated. According to the lawsuit, Grashorn did not announce himself because he wanted to surprise the couple. The lawsuit faults him for not retreating back into his car to avoid the dogs.

Love and Hamm initially filed a lawsuit against Grashorn in June but on Tuesday they expanded that lawsuit to also include allegations against his supervisors and the city. According to the lawsuit, a use-of-force report showed that Grashorns supervisors found his actions were reasonable and in compliance with department policy.

A spokesperson for Loveland police said it does not comment on litigation. A telephone message and an email to the city attorneys office was not returned.

The citys police department has recently come under scrutiny in an arrest of a 73-year-old woman with dementia that led the arresting officer to be charged with assault and another one with failing to stop him or report his actions.

According to the lawsuit, the shooting happened after Love and Hamm parked their pickup truck in the parking lot of what appeared to be a vacant building to let their three dogs out and do some repair work on a container they were using for their wood delivery business. The owner of the building was inside and, after watching the couple on surveillance footage, asked police to respond to the property, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit claims that the city puts a priority on responding to calls from businesses and has a pattern of using violence to show owners that their interests are important to them. The lawsuit noted that the woman with dementia who was arrested, Karen Garner, was contacted by police because she was accused of leaving a store without paying for about $14 worth of items.

The City believes that behaving in this callous, unlawful way will attract more business development to the City, the lawsuit said.
WARSAW, Poland  Poland and Belgium ended their evacuations from Afghanistan, but other European nations vowed Wednesday to press on for as long as possible, as the clock ticks down on a dramatic airlift of people fleeing Taliban rule ahead of a full American withdrawal.

President Joe Biden said he will stick to his Aug. 31 deadline for completing the U.S. pullout, as the Taliban insisted he must, ramping up pressure on the already risky operation to fly people out of Kabul.

European allies pressed for more time but, as a practical matter, will need to end their evacuations before the last American troops leave. Several countries have not said when they plan to end their operations, perhaps hoping to avoid yet another fatal crush at an airport, one of the last ways out of the country.

The Taliban wrested back control of Afghanistan nearly 20 years after they were ousted in a U.S.-led invasion following the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida orchestrated while being sheltered by the group. Their return to power has pushed many Afghans to flee, fearing reprisals and a possible return to their brutal rule.

Its not clear if the thousands of people still thought to be trying to leave will succeed. But any decision by Biden to stay longer could reignite fighting between the Taliban and Western troops running the airlift.

Late Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy warned U.S. citizens at three airport gates to leave immediately due to an unspecified security threat. Australia, Britain and New Zealand also advised their citizens Thursday morning not to go to the airport, where there was a very high threat of a terrorist attack.

Australia has helped evacuate around 4,000 people, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison noted the increasingly dangerous situation. That danger and those risks have been increasing each and every day as we always knew they would, and thats why weve been moving with the haste that we have, he added.

The Taliban said they would allow normal commercial air traffic to resume when they assume control of the airport after Aug. 31, but its unclear whether airlines would be willing to fly into an airport controlled by the militants.

With the deadline looming, Marcin Przydacz, a Polish deputy foreign minister, said Poland had evacuated its last group. We cannot risk the lives of our diplomats and of our soldiers any longer, Przydacz said.

A number of troops will remain briefly to wrap up operations, Przydacz said. Poland has used over a dozen planes to bring hundreds of evacuees to Warsaw. Some later traveled on to other countries.

Hours later, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said his country ended its evacuation flights carrying people from Kabul to Pakistan. Belgium will continue to repatriate to our country those people evacuated in the days ahead, De Croo said. More than 1,100 people have been flown to Belgium.

The Czech Republic declared its own evacuation mission complete last week, and Hungary said it plans to end its operations soon.

Due to extreme tension on the ground  and the scheduled departure of American forces, these evacuations are a true race against time, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday. He said that his countrys evacuation would likely end a few hours, maybe a few days ahead of the American departure.

The White House said Wednesday around 19,000 people were evacuated from Kabul over the last 24 hours. It said the U.S. has evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of around 82,300 people since the Taliban takeover in mid-August.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said as many as 1,500 Americans may be awaiting evacuation, a figure that suggests that part of the U.S.-led airlift could be completed before the Tuesday deadline. The State Department estimated about 6,000 Americans had wanted to leave when the airlift began Aug. 14.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the military will continue to evacuate needed populations all the way to the end. But he added that in the final days and hours there will have to be a balance as the 5,400 troops in Kabul and critical systems also need to be withdrawn.

In Kabul itself, life has been slow to return to normal, but many people  especially women  are staying inside, fearful of the Taliban or the general instability.

Kabul Mayor Dawood Sultanzoy said many city workers have yet to return to work, with the absence of experienced staff hindering normal operations. But he said the city has begun to remove the blast walls that became ubiquitous in recent years as the Taliban and other armed groups carried out bombings and other attacks against the Western-backed government.

The Taliban say the decades of war are over and there will be no revenge attacks on people who opposed them. But there have been reports of summary executions and other abuses, and many Afghans fear a return to the Talibans hard-line Islamic rule of the 1990s, when women were largely confined to their homes.

Chaos at the Kabul airport has transfixed the world after the Taliban captured most of Afghanistan in a matter of days this month. Afghans poured onto the tarmac last week, and some clung to a U.S. military transport plane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths. At least seven people died that day, and another seven died Sunday in a panicked stampede.

Thousands have thronged the airport in the days since, and the U.S. and its allies have worked to speed the evacuation, sometimes flying people out before their paperwork is fully processed and bringing them to transit points. On Wednesday, 51 people landed in Uganda, the first African nation to serve as a transit point.

For now, the U.S. military coordinates all air traffic in and out of the Kabul airport. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen tweeted that people with legal documents will be able to fly out of Kabul airport via commercial flights after the August deadline.

On Wednesday, a stream of military planes took off from the airfield as evacuees lined up on the tarmac. The desperate remained outside, some standing knee-deep in sewage and waving identity documents at Western soldiers in hopes of being allowed to go beyond the barbed wire fencing and onto a flight out.

While the final withdrawal date just under a week away, analyst Patricia Lewis said the practical deadline for the evacuations to stop was the next couple of days.

Theres a huge amount of stuff that has to be done, including getting all the people out who are doing the job and all the equipment, said Lewis, who is the director of the international security program at Chatham House, an international think tank.

All of the allies are highly dependent on the U.S. for military cover, particularly air cover, Lewis said. They cant put their own people at risk, so it really depends on when the U.S. starts packing up.

___

Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tameem Akhgar in Istanbul, Jill Lawless in London, Karel Janicek in Prague, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.

___

More AP coverage of Afghanistan: https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan
SANTA FE  New Mexico hospitals are so overwhelmed that about 50 patients were waiting Wednesday in emergency rooms or elsewhere for intensive care beds  a crunch due partly to the spike in COVID-19 infections, a state official said.

Dr. David Scrase, who leads the state departments of health and human services, said hospitals may invoke crisis standards of care next week, a situation that means they would start choosing who gets care when demand outstrips the supply of resources.

Its a really harsh and grim reality, Scrase said in a public briefing Wednesday. Its going to be very uncomfortable the next two weeks for folks needing hospital care in New Mexico.

More than 50 people were on a waiting list for a bed in an intensive care unit, he said, because there arent enough beds available. The patients are super sick, Scrase said, but stuck in emergency rooms or general hospital beds.

The spike in hospitalizations come as New Mexico endures a wave of COVID-19 infections. The case rate is higher in areas with lower vaccination rates, Scrase said.

The hospital crowding, Scrase and other health officials said Wednesday, isnt only a result of COVID-19. Health care systems in New Mexico are having a higher patient load resulting from a variety of medical conditions  some of which were worsened when people avoided seeking care during earlier parts of the pandemic.

Hospitals are also facing staffing shortages, especially among nurses, Scrase said, a phenomenon playing out nationwide and making it difficult to recruit nurses from out of state.

The state is transferring patients among regions to help balance the load, he said, but there simply arent enough ICU beds to meet demand.

New Mexico last engaged crisis standards of care in December, when COVID-19 hospitalizations reached their high point. Crisis standards are a declaration that can allow for the rationing of care if the demand exceeds the supply of ventilators or other resources.

Top health officials urged New Mexicans on Wednesday to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they havent already, to wear masks indoors and to follow other social distancing protocols to limit the spread of the disease.

State Epidemiologist Christine Ross said rapidly spreading infections among unvaccinated individuals are driving the spike in new cases and hospitalizations. People who arent fully vaccinated accounted for 88% of COVID-19 hospitalizations in a recent four-week period, she said.

The state has seen breakthrough cases among vaccinated people, too, she said, but they are at much lower risk of hospitalization, even if they test positive.

Statistical modeling suggests the surge in cases will continue through mid-September, although Scrase said that its difficult to project so far in advance and that peoples behavior will influence the caseload.

There are also signs for optimism.

Deputy Health Secretary Laura Parajon said the pace of vaccinations in New Mexico has picked up, perhaps as people talk to their primary care providers or take advantage of the states $100 vaccination incentive, which ends Aug. 31.

An estimated 66.9% of New Mexicans 18 and older have completed their vaccine series, and 76.4% have received at least one dose.

Vaccination, Parajon said, is our only way out right now to protect our state and our families.

Scrase said the ICU waiting list is a completely new phenomenon for New Mexico.

We are working to do everything we can to make more room, Scrase said, but we are just running out of rooms and, of course, staff to take care of patients.

New Mexico has fewer hospital beds per capita than the nation as a whole.

Scrase encouraged anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 and has certain risk factors  such as those who are obese and those older than 64  to seek medical treatment, which might prevent the need for hospitalization.

The state Department of Health reported 433 hospitalizations for COVID-19 on Wednesday, a 23% increase in the past week alone.

The state also announced 770 new cases of COVID-19 and five additional virus-related deaths, bringing the death toll to 4,488 residents.
PHOENIX  Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has issued a declaration of emergency for Coconino County after heavy rain last week caused major flood damage to homes, neighborhoods and private property.

Ducey said Wednesday that damage caused by post-wildfire flooding has taken a severe toll on parts of the northern Arizona county.

The National Weather Service reported Aug. 17 that up to 3.3 inches of rain fell on the Museum Fire burn scar and surrounding areas in Coconino County.

Severe post-fire floods have impacted local communities causing damage to private property, public buildings and infrastructure, and roadway and drainage system damages.

Ducey also has requested additional resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist with cleanup efforts in the town of Gila Bend after recent flooding left two people dead and damaged hundreds of homes

The declaration of emergency makes state funding available for response efforts and directs that the Emergency Response and Recovery Plan be used to oversee the deployment of state and other assets.

Ducey also issued a declaration of emergency for Coconino County last month after rains caused heavy flooding on July 13-16 and July 22-24.
DENVER  Rural Colorado county officials pled with community members to pass along a message to their missing-in-action county clerk who is being investigated for an election security breach: Come home.

Mesa County commissioners made their plea Tuesday during a meeting attended by supporters of Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who has not made any local appearances since Colorados Secretary of State Jena Griswold opened an investigation into the county elections office in early August. A second investigation by the FBI and Mesa County district attorney is also ongoing for possible criminal actions.

Peters is still being paid a salary.

The commissioners meeting lasted more than two hours as they debunked false election claims and defended their selection of former Secretary of State Wayne Williams to run the countys elections while Peters is out, the Grand Junction Sentinel reported.

Griswold said images of election management software used by the countys elections equipment were obtained by conspiracy theorists and posted on far-right blogs. Griswolds office also said it believes one of the images was taken on May 23 from a secure room where the equipment was stored and accessed by Peters, who allowed a non-employee into the office.

Griswolds office identified the non-employee but refused to say anything more about who he is or why he was there. The Associated Press isnt naming him until more information becomes available. He has not been charged with a crime.

If you do, or you know somebody who does, call Tina, tell her to come out of hiding and come home, Mesa County Commissioner Scott McInnis told the audience.

Mesa County commissioners also approved a new elections equipment contract with Dominion Voting Systems, which is the subject of several lawsuits by conservative supporters of former President Donald Trump who have called for audits of the 2020 election for alleged voter fraud. A range of election officials across the country, including Trumps former attorney general, William Barr, have confirmed that widespread fraud did not occur.

After deeming Peters unfit to host upcoming elections, Griswold had appointed Mesa Countys treasurer and a three-person advisory committee to stand in her place. However, after unanimous consent by the local commissioners, former Secretary Williams will officially replace Peters.

Griswold also ordered Mesa County to replace its voting equipment because of the posting of the countys voting equipment passwords on a far-right blog.

Peters most recent public comments criticizing Griswolds actions and Dominions machines were broadcast on The Lindell Report hosted by My Pillow chief executive Mike Lindell, who has become well-known for his unwavering support of Trump and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Its not clear when the interview with Peters was filmed. But Lindells show started airing this week at 11 a.m. CST.

She reiterated previous claims that Griswolds staff raided her elections office and refused to let the Mesa County Deputy Clerk observe the Secretary of States team in the Mesa office when they began their investigation.

They couldve just asked me. They didnt have to come in with all barrels blazing, Peters said.

Early on in the investigation, Griswold said her team sent an order to Peters to inspect the elections equipment and relevant paperwork but the clerk did not respond. She then appeared at a South Dakota event hosted by Lindell where she blasted the inquiry.

She also reiterated claims that the investigation led by Griswold  who is a Democrat  is an attempt to take over one of the few remaining conservative counties in Colorado.

County commissioners told the audience they hadnt heard from Peters until two days ago through a third person, McInnis said, adding that her message was in biblical terms.

The new Dominion Voting Systems contract will include a $3,300 ballot audit review module that would allow people to see images of all ballots cast.
BILLINGS, Mont.  A woman who owned and operated massage parlors in Montana, and has previous convictions related to prostitution, has pleaded guilty to charges alleging she enticed women to provide prostitution services to customers in Billings, the U.S. Attorneys Office said Wednesday.

Kyong Cha Roberts, 68, pleaded guilty Tuesday to coercion and enticement in a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Cavan. A sentencing date has not been set. The crimes carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.

From 2016 to 2019, Roberts owned and operated massage parlors in Billings, prosecutors said.

In June 2019, Roberts posted an advertisement in an online Korean newspaper seeking women to work in her massage business. Roberts told a woman who responded to the ad that she could make $5,000 per month at the massage parlor and also talked to the woman about sexual services being provided, prosecutors said. The woman came to Billings and started working for Roberts, who again discussed sexual services, court records said.

This is Roberts second known federal conviction. In 2006 in Texas, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to structuring, or separating large cash deposits and monthly rents from people operating prostitution and other businesses in amounts smaller than $10,000 to avoid federal reporting requirements.

She was sentenced to three years in prison. Roberts and a co-defendant forfeited $444,000 in property, including interest in a commercial building in Dallas, $153,000 in cash and five vehicles, including three Mercedes-Benz cars.

After she served her prison time and was under supervision in 2010, Roberts was arrested at a massage parlor in Boise, Idaho, and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor prostitution, in violation of her probation.
Instagram Celebrity

The 'Selling Sunset' star talks about her new romance and reveals that co-star and boyfriend's former lover helped the pair distract media's attention when they just started dating.

Aug 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - Chrishell Stause kept her romance with boss Jason Oppenheim a secret for two months before going public.

The "Selling Sunset" co-stars confirmed last month (July21) they are dating, and the 40-year-old real estate agent admitted she and The Oppenheim Group founder kept their relationship private until their friends started to become "savvy to it."

"It's just one of those things," she told E! News. "You don't want to share with everybody and get all their opinions before you really know what it is. We really were really private and secretive for as long as we could until we realised the walls were closing in."

"People were getting a little savvy to it. We made it to the point where we're really happy to share it because we knew exactly what it was, so it's all good."

Chrishell admitted her co-star Mary Fitzgerald - who previously dated Jason - was the first to find out about their relationship.

She said, "We're all just so close and we all work just so close together, and there's no hiding it from Mary. We work together constantly. She's our best friend."

"In fact, it was fine that she knew because she could kind of help detract any (attention) because if Mary's there we're all just hanging out as a group."

And the star insisted there is no awkwardness between her, Mary and Jason, despite the pair's dating history.

"That was so many years ago," she said. "I just feel like, we're all best friends at this point. Her and Romain (Bonnet) are so happy. It just feels like a family. It's nice."

In July, Chrishell posted pictures on Instagram of herself and Jason enjoying a holiday with friends, and in two of the photos, she and her new beau could be seen cuddling together on a boat.

Several of their co-stars on the hit Netflix show also left comments on the post congratulating them on their relationship.

Amanza Smith, Mary and her husband Romain, and Jason's brother Brett Oppenheim were among those leaving touching messages.

Chrishell was previously married to "This Is Us" star Justin Hartley from 2017 until November 2019 when he filed for divorce.

She then filed for dissolution of the marriage in December 2019, and their divorce was finalised in February this year.
Instagram Movie

The 'Molly's Game' actress says the heavy make-up she donned for her new movie 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' took a toll on her skin and made her look much older.

Aug 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - Jessica Chastain is convinced she's done "permanent damage" to her skin due to the heavy make-up she had to wear to star in "The Eyes of Tammy Faye".

The Oscar-nominated actress is unrecognisable in the film, in which she plays televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker, with her alabaster complexion transformed into a deeply tanned visage.

And in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Jessica admitted her skin will be paying for the transformation for years to come.

"I think for sure I've done some permanent damage to my skin on this," she sighed. "Listen, I eat very pure and I take very good care of my skin and I stay out of the sun and all that stuff. But it's heavy. And when you're wearing it all day every day - the weight of it on your body, it stretches your skin out. I finally took it off and I was like, 'I look 50 years old!' No, I'm kidding. But it's fine. It's for my art."

While it normally took around four hours per day to do her make-up, Jessica was actually sitting in the chair for nearly eight hours one day - which took its toll.

"It was like going on a long-distance flight every day," she admitted. "Because if it takes seven-and-a-half hours to put on, it's going to take at least two hours to get off. It was concerning to me. I was worried about my circulation. By the time I got on set that first day that was seven-and-a-half hours, I was like, 'I have no energy left.' And she's supposed to show up with so much energy."

"That was the '90s look - the very end. That's the most prosthetics I've worn. Even the bronzer and the foundation are so much darker, the lashes are thicker. The make-up gets heavier as she gets older."

"The Eyes of Tammy Faye" is released in cinemas on 17 September (21).
Instagram Celebrity

After the president of The Movement Talent Agency, Jim Keith, announces that the 'In the Heights' actor has passed away, many of his fellow dancers turn online to express their condolences.

Aug 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - Serge Onik has passed away. The dancer and choreographer best known for competing in season 11 of "So You Think You Can Dance" was confirmed to be dead by his representative. He was only 33 years old.

On Tuesday, August 24, Jim Keith, the president of The Movement Talent Agency, announced the heartbreaking news in a statement to E! News. "He was an amazing dancer with a huge heart and he touched the lives of everyone who met him," he said.

"He will be truly missed. This is a sad day for us at the agency and for the dance community as a whole. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family at this time," Jim continued in his statement. Details surrounding the 33-year-old star's passing remain unavailable.

Upon learning about the passing of the "In the Heights" star, many fellow dancers were quick to express their heartbreak over the sudden loss. Ballroom dancer and "Dancing with the Stars" pro Elena Grinenko shared a throwback photo in honor of the late performer. In the caption, she wrote, "RIP @sergeonik. We going to miss you. I'm so sad that world lost such an amazing person like you."

In the comment section of the post, former "DWTS" pro dancers Tony Dovolani and Anna Trebunskaya expressed their condolences. Tony responded, "Wow [broken heart emoji]. This is unbelievable." Meanwhile, Anna said, "I'm so so sad about this. RIP Serg," adding a set of crying face emojis.

Figure skater Ashley Cain-Gribble also shared a tribute to Serge on her Instagram page. "This will hurt for forever. rest in peace angel. I am lucky to have lived on this planet at the same time as you [love]," she wrote along with a series of images from their happy moments.

Also mourning over Serge's death was television host Kristyn Burtt. "My heart is broken. Besides being such an incredible talent, you were a great friend," she captioned her Instagram photo with the late dancer. "You will be so missed, @sergeonik."

Serge gained fame after placing in the top 14 \in season 11 of "So You Think You Can Dance" in 2014. Following his run on the dancing competition, the Ukraine native went on to work closely with "DWTS" pros Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Val Chmerkovskiy as a choreographer.

Serge was most recently seen as a dancer in the musical film "In the Heights". The performer, who's a teacher at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City, also appeared on "Agent Carter", "Bones" and "Jane the Virgin".
Instagram Movie

While promoting his HBO documentary series 'New York Epicenters', the 'BlacKkKlansman' director confesses he still 'got questions' about the New York City terrorist attacks.

Aug 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - Director Spike Lee isn't worried about criticisms he includes conspiracy theories in his new 9/11 documentary series, because he's still "got questions" about the New York City terrorist attacks.

While promoting his HBO documentary series, "New York Epicenters: 9/11-2021", which debuted on Sunday, August 22, Lee tells The New York Times he's still trying to uncover the truth about the events of September 11, 2011.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker's new four-part series, which marks the 20th anniversary of the tragedies, revisits ideas shared by conspiracy theorists, such as their suggestion the heat generated by jet fuel could not have melted the metal beams of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, both of which collapsed.

Spike explains why he included the dubious claims. "I mean, I got questions - and I hope that maybe the legacy of this documentary is that Congress holds a hearing, a congressional hearing about 9/11," he says.

Although it's not mentioned in the article, the U.S. Congress released its report into the attacks back in 2004.

The newspaper's reporter asks Lee about including members of the conspiracy group, Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth, in his series, as they have implied U.S. government officials were involved in the World Trade Center attacks.

And the "BlacKkKlansman" director claims he agrees with the controversial group on at least one conspiracy theory. "The amount of heat that it takes to make steel melt, that temperature's not reached," he insists.

Ultimately, Spike hopes people will "make up their own mind... My approach is put the information in the movie and let people decide for themselves. I respect the intelligence of the audience."

And he's not worried about being labeled a conspiracy nut. "People are going to think what they think, regardless," he shares.

"People have called me a racist for 'Do the Right Thing'. People said in 'Mo' Better Blues' I was anti-Semitic. 'She's Gotta Have It', that was misogynist... And you know what? I'm still here, going on four decades of filmmaking."
Instagram Celebrity

When making an appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!', the 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' star claims he was at the time working for a company that was a little stingy.

Aug 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" star Simu Liu got his start as a superhero early - he used to play Spider-Man at children's parties.

The Chinese-Canadian actor, who stars as the title character in Marvel's first Asian-led action movie, admitted he's been working on his craft for a really long time.

"I was a dress-up Spider-Man for kids' birthday parties," he told "Will & Grace" star Sean Hayes last week (ends August 20), when the actor sat in as host of U.S. talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

"I did that for one summer. I would roll up to these six-year-old parties, and I would basically get assaulted by them for one hour. Nobody ever believed that I was the real Spider-Man!" he lamented.

"I worked for a company that was a little stingy, and I feel like if you had gotten a movie-quality suit and you showed up, some kids may actually [have been convinced]. But I had a less Marvel, more Walmart [suit]," he joked, referring to the American chain of discount stores.

"You know like the 1960s Spider-Man [Internet] meme when they were pointing at each other? It was like that, and so I showed up like that, and none of the kids knew what that Spider-Man even was. It was terrible."

"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" debuts in U.S. cinemas on September 3.

Elsewhere in the interview, Simu also talked about performing scenes from "Good Will Hunting" during his "Shang-Chi" audition. "When you audition for Marvel they're so secretive about all of the scripts and everything. So the first audition that I did, didn't know the character name, didn't know the project, it was just two scenes from 'Good Will Hunting'," he recounted.

"Which was one of my favorite movies, which was good and bad because I knew all of the scenes, I knew the characters but I also knew exactly the way that the lines were delivered," he continued sharing. "I sent in two scenes of me doing 'Good Will Hunting', but me doing Matt Damon from 'Good Will Hunting' with like the full Bostonian accent."
Celebrity

In the audio recording released by Macomb County Sheriff's Office, Kim Scott reportedly tried to take her own life by taking 'a bunch of pills' and 'cutting herself.'

Aug 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - New harrowing details of Kim Scott's recent hospitalization have been unveiled as audio of a 911 call made by her friend has been released by authority. In the audio, a woman called the emergency line from Eminem's ex-wife's Michigan house and asked for help following her suicide attempt.

In the recording released by Macomb County Sheriff's Office and obtained by The Sun on Tuesday, August 24, the female caller told the dispatcher that Kim had "tried killing herself after taking a bunch of pills." In the audio clip, the unidentified woman added that "there's blood everywhere on the bathroom floor."

The male dispatcher wondered if Kim was conscious to which the woman answered, "She is, she's yelling at me not to call the police." When asked if Kim had a gun, knife, or other weapons which resulted in blood, the woman replied, "She had the door locked and she wouldn't let me in. And I kept telling her, 'I'm coming in, I'm coming in.' "

"I broke the handle off and she was laying on the floor saying, 'Don't call the police, don't call the police,' " the woman continued. The caller went on to reveal that Kim "took a bunch of pills" and "cut herself." She also claimed that the 46-year-old told her, "I left a note."

Kim was rushed to the hospital after attempting to take her life on July 30. According to the police report, she "attempted to strike the responding officer" and that she had "difficulty speaking, was slurring her speech and later fluctuated in various levels of consciousness."

The report continued detailing that Kim was sitting on her bathroom floor with an "unidentified object" in her hands. She also had a "large amount of smeared blood" due to "several small lacerations on the back of her legs." Of her suicide note, the report claimed that there was a "small cardboard shipping box" with "haphazard messages" written out to members of her family.

Kim's suicide attempt happened only a few days after her mother Kathleen Sluck's funeral. The matriarch passed away on July 23. Kim was reported to have undergone a medical and psychological evaluation at the hospital, but is now at home recovering.
Instagram Celebrity

In an Instagram video, Royalty is seen playing and swimming with Bubbles, one of the elephants, during her visit to Myrtle Beach Safari with her mom Nia Guzman.

Aug 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - PETA's attention was on Doc Antle and his Myrtle Beach Safari after Chris Brown's daughter Royalty paid a visit. According to a new report, the animal rights organization dubbed the visit reckless and illegal.

In an Instagram post which was published earlier this month, Royalty was seen playing with Bubbles, one of the elephants. The 7-year-old, who visited Myrtle Beach Safari with her mother Nia Guzman, was swimming with the animal. She also swam with a couple tiger cubs, with a video.

"Living the dream! #SaveTheTigersSaveTheWorld," Royalty's page wrote in the action. "We love what you are doing @docantle thank you for these memories!"

TMZ reported that PETA sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday, August 24. It asked USDA to investigate Doc's South Carolina operation as it considered the act as a breach of the Animal Welfare Act.

Antle, meanwhile, responded to PETA's accusations in a statement to the news outlet, noting that it wasn't the first time for PETA to do the same thing. The organization allegedly did the same when Lil Pump visited the safari.

"Just a huge waste of time and resources for the federal veterinarians who have to check out these erroneous allegations," Antle shared. 'We are in no ways in violation of the animal welfare act. We have continuously perfect inspections. We are well aware of the USDA protocols to conduct this type of filming."

He continued, "Rest assured that we are in full compliance with all federal and state regulations. USDA is our partner in animal welfare and we share a passion and commitment to providing the highest possible care for our animal ambassadors at the preserve."

As for USDA, its representative told the outlet that they are currently "looking into" PETA's allegations against Antle.
Instagram Celebrity

When 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' star shares a body positivity message while showing off her curves on Instagram, some users doubt that her thick body is all natural.

Aug 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - Porsha Williams has set the record straight about which procedure she has taken to enhance her look. On Tuesday, August 24, the reality TV star took to Instagram to show off her natural tummy and derriere while sharing a body positivity message, but some people doubted the authenticity of her claims.

"PSA: If you have a** and have not had lipo or tummy tuck dis what yo stomach and body gone look like!" she wrote underneath a photo of her rocking an orange dress that perfectly hugged her curves. "Get whatever surgery you want but at least remember if you have a fupa or gut it's OKKKKK I was just trying in my @amazon dress and figured I would share that."

The comments were soon flooded with accusations that she has had a BBL (Brazilian Butt Lift). "Be honest. Have you had a BBL before?" one person asked, to which Porsha bluntly responded, "Now why the hell would I be saying this if I had a BBL?"

Another wasn't convinced, stating, "Girl BYE!!! You know damn well you had a a** done and tummy tuck and breast, what kills be is when you women try to lie." Porsha then fired back, "You follow me so you already know I would be just as proud to show my fake a** like I did in naming my fake breast 'Coco & chanel'! Why be negative why don't you want this message to land for girls or women who feel the need to be perfect because of the gram!"

While admitting that she did have breast surgery and isn't against any kind of cosmetic procedures, the 40-year-old explained her intention with the post, "Why can't I try to help with that so-called celeb body image ! If people or even me want lipo fine but we should still feel good with our regular ol' self as well! We are normal just like anybody. It's good to be reminded sometimes between my edited photo shoots and glam post ! Be blessed."

When another said, "It's ok to be natural," Porsha replied, "and it's ok to het (sic) surgery! They just gotta stop asking us if we pregnant We sick of sucking in."

Porsha later dedicated another post to address the wild speculations. Having had enough with the criticism, she shared her throwback pictures to highlight that she has always had a thick body. "Don't Play with me beeeen stacked! Tried to help but some of y'all crazy," so she claimed in the caption.
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As confirmed by Chicago Park District spokeswoman Michele Lemons, the event that is set to be held at Soldier Field Chicago on August 26 will be attended by 38,000 fans of the rapper.

Aug 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - Kanye West isn't following the footsteps of some other artists who require attendees to follow strict rules to attend their music events. For his upcoming "Donda" listening party, which is set to be held on Thursday, August 26 and will start at 9 P.M. at Soldier Field, Chicago, fans don't have to show vaccination proof or negative COVID-19 test results.

Though the event requires no proof of vaccination and negative test results, the capacity of the stadium will be reduced from 63,000 to 38,000. Chicago Park District spokeswoman Michele Lemons said in a statement that the limited capacity shows that the district is taking the situation seriously.

"Kanye West's performance is one of many examples that show that Chicago can be open and safe at the same time," Michele told the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday, August 24. "We have worked with Soldier Field on COVID-19 safety protocols, as we have other venues including Wrigley and Guaranteed Rate Fields, and feel this event can be safely held with the proper mitigation efforts in place."

The Chicago native named his new record in honor of his late mother Donda and has also allegedly constructed a replica of his home, which he used to share with his mom during his younger age, in Soldier Field.

The ex of Kim Kardashian teased the reconstruction of his childhood crib on Instagram on August 20. The 1,600-square-foot house was owned by his mother over 18 years ago before she sold it for $121,000 in 2003.

Previously, Kanye threw two "Donda" listening events at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The first was in July and the other one was held earlier this month. At the time, Kim attended the parties with their young children 8-year-old North, 5-year-old Saint, 3-year-old Chicago and 2-year-old Psalm. The daughter of Kris Jenner also wore a matching outfit with the 44-year-old rapper.
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Stewart Pearce, the author of 'Diana: The Voice of Change', notes that the Sussexes and the Cambridges 'are talking with one another and they're talking by Zoom.'

Aug 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - It seems like Prince Harry and Prince William are mending fences. If a new report is to be believed, the two princes are becoming "very close" following a rift after Harry and his wife Meghan Markle decided to step down as senior royal members in 2020.

"I know that the four are talking with one another and they're talking by Zoom [and by] FaceTime," royal expert Stewart Pearce told Us Weekly on Tuesday, August 24. "They're very close with one another."

The author of "Diana: The Voice of Change" went on to note that Harry and Meghan are "very different" from William and Kate. "Their lens on the world is highly individualized," so Stewart claimed. "And what's remarkable is that they all totally respect [each other], but this lens is different."

Previous report also claimed that Kate and Meghan are communicating well. "Meghan and Kate are actually getting along really well and have been in touch more often," a source claimed earlier this month. "Meghan and Kate's relationship was never that close. And now they're closer than ever and working on their relationship for the sake of the family."

It was also said that the Duchess of Sussex reached out to her sister-in-law to talk about Kate's possible involvement in an upcoming Netflix documentary. "Meghan and Kate are actually getting along really well and have been in touch more often," another source said.

The source continued, "Meghan has been talking to her about collaborating on a project for Netflix, a documentary that will spotlight Kate's charity work and the huge impact she's made with her philanthropy." As for the Duchess of Cambridge, it was said that "Kate is very flattered, and it's all very positive between them."
Instagram Celebrity

The model's sister Nicole also takes to her own Instagram page to congratulate her sister on her 23rd birthday, writing in a loving post, 'Been loving you since day 1.'

Aug 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - Joel Madden is such a good brother-in-law for Sofia Richie. The Good Charlotte musician took to his Instagram account on Tuesday, August 24 to celebrate the model's 23rd birthday with a loving tribute.

Joel treated his followers to a never-before-seen picture featuring himself, wife Nicole Richie and young Sofia. "Happy Birthday to my little sister @sofiarichie," so 42-year-old artist wrote in the caption. "love you forever Sof."

The post also featured a picture with their 13-year-old daughter Harlow and the birthday girl. Sofia and Nicole's famous dad Lionel Richie was also seen in the tribute. Sofia, meanwhile, caught wind of the birthday shout-out and replied in the comment section. "I love you beyond!" so the model wrote.

Sofia's sister Nicole took to her own page to congratulate her sister on her birthday. "Been loving you since day 1. Happy Birthday @sofiarichie," the House of Harlow founder wrote alongside some throwback pictures. To the sweet post, Sofia replied, "Omg! This makes me want to cry."

Nicole also took to Instagram Story to further celebrate Sofia's big day. "Don't forget i taught you everything you know. Like how to grt [sic] escorted out of parties," the 39-year-old "The Simple Life" alum wrote hilariously over some pictures of the sisters. "And how to get day drunk in grocery stores."

As for Sofia, she's currently happily dating Elliot Grainge. Back in April, the model and her music executive beau enjoyed a romantic getaway. Sofia treated fans to a peak of the vacay by posting a picture featuring them riding a blue convertible with the beautiful St. Barts as its stunning background. The model lifted her two hands up high in the air, with her two fingers from each hand making the V sign.
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During their virtual interview, the 'Rumors' raptress and the One Direction member reminisce about the moment when they first met at a BBC Radio 1 event in London.

Aug 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - Lizzo and Niall Horan can be such a perfect couple. When appearing in the Tuesday, August 24 episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", the "Rumors" raptress and the former One Direction member drove fans wild with their flirty exchange.

Niall, who served as a guest host in the virtual interview, introduced Lizzo as his "beautiful friend" to the audience. As time went by, the two recalled their first meeting at a BBC Radio 1 event in London.

Recalling her reaction when meeting Niall, Lizzo said, "That was you. They introduced me to you. And you were like, 'Congratulations, Lizzo, you're smashing it'. And I was like, I'll smash you.' " The pair and the audience then burst into laughter.

The "Truth Hurts" hitmaker and the Irish musician then took a fun compatibility test together. "If we get married would you make me sign a prenup?" he asked, to which the 33-year-old jokingly replied, "Wait a minute, who got more money? I want some of that One Direction money!" She then added, "You know what, no, I trust you."

"We wouldn't have to sign a prenup. You got me boo," Lizzo went on saying. Niall then melted fans' heart as he told Lizzo, "I love you and I trust you."

The 27-year-old hunk then asked a lighter question, "What is the minimum number of dates before I can fart in front of you?" Lizzo answered, "I have a sensitive nose. I can smell a flea fart, so you know... I don't want it."

Lizzo then asked back, "Wait, so what about you?" Niall then cheekily replied, "You can do whatever you want in front of me girl."

Social media users have since raved over the two's interaction. One user gushed, "IIf we don't flirt like niall horan and lizzo then i don't want it." Another user chimed in, "I just watched niall and lizzo flirt for 20 minutes and i'm not complaining."
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The pair's latest sighting fuels speculation that they may have quietly welcomed their first child together following pregnancy rumors that hit the 'Tomb Raider' actress last year.

Aug 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender are enjoying a downtime in Ibiza with the presence of a little companion. The couple has been joined by a baby during their getaway to the Spanish island.

In pictures obtained by Daily Mail, the Lara Croft of 2018's "Tomb Raider" was seen carrying the infant while walking on the unpaved road. The 32-year-old dressed in a flowing white shirt dress with cut-out detailing and brown slippers. She also had a Louis Vuitton bag slung over her shoulder while wearing a black face mask.

Her husband Michael, meanwhile, was carrying their bags to a waiting car. He cut a casual look in a burgundy checked shirt and matching shorts while he went barefoot. The Irish-German actor protected his eyes from the glaring sun with dark shades while also wearing a blue face mask.

Their latest sighting fuels a speculation that they have quietly welcomed their first child. Back on August 2, Michael was first seen with a baby on the set of Alicia's new HBO series "Irma Vep", months after she was rumored to be pregnant.

At the time, the 44-year-old actor came in support of his wife who was filming the upcoming series in Paris. He was pictured cradling the baby while walking around the set. Donning a white long-sleeve shirt and pale grey pants, he also went barefoot at the time.

Alicia was later spotted cradling a baby at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport. During their journey, the "Dark Phoenix" actor was also spotted pushing the youngster in a pram. It's unclear though if it was the same baby that was seen with them in all three different occasions as the tot's face was always blurred in the paparazzi pictures.
Note to journalists: Please report that this research will be presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

A media briefing on this topic is available at www.acs.org/acsfall2021briefings.

ATLANTA, Aug. 25, 2021  The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion, Albert Einstein wrote. Perhaps this is nowhere more evident than in protein evolution, where past and present versions of the same enzyme exist in different species today, with implications for future enzyme design. Now, researchers have used evolutionary time travel to learn how an enzyme evolved over time, from one of Earths most ancient organisms to modern-day humans.

The researchers will present their results today at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Fall 2021 is a hybrid meeting being held virtually and in-person Aug. 22-26, and on-demand content will be available Aug. 30-Sept. 30. The meeting features more than 7,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics.

If a person lives in present-day Rome, they might want to learn about ancient Rome to better understand who they are, says Magnus Wolf-Watz, Ph.D., the projects principal investigator. In the same way, we can look backward in time at more ancient forms of enzymes to understand how the proteins are working today and how we might engineer new versions in the future.

Wolf-Watz, who is at Umea University in Sweden, looked back some 2 to 3 billion years to primitive organisms known as archaea. These single-celled life forms, which still exist today, have characteristics of both prokaryotes (bacteria, which lack a cell nucleus) and eukaryotes (organisms like plants, animals and fungi that have a nucleus in their cells). A branch of archaea known as the Asgard phylum, discovered in 2015, comprises the closest known ancestors to eukaryotic cells. Four types of Asgard archaea have been identified, including Odin archaea, found in hydrothermal vents deep in the Atlantic Ocean.

Odin archaea have an enzyme called adenylate kinase (AK), which is also found in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Wolf-Watz previously studied two human types of this enzyme, AK1 and AK3. Both are important in maintaining the energy balance in cells, but AK1 is in the cytoplasm, where it transfers a phosphate group from adenosine triphosphate (ATP, the main energy carrier in cells) to adenosine monophosphate (AMP). In contrast, AK3 resides within mitochondria, where it transfers a phosphate group from guanosine triphosphate (GTP, a molecule similar to ATP but with distinct roles) to AMP.

Wolf-Watzs team used X-ray crystallization and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to study the structures of AK1 and AK3, finding that although the enzymes are very similar, they have a subtle difference in a short loop region that causes AK1 to prefer ATP and AK3 to prefer GTP. Now we can take any AK enzyme, look at the structure of that loop, and predict whether its going to use ATP or GTP, Wolf-Watz says. The next step was to examine a more ancient version of an AK enzyme  from Odin archaea  to learn how AK1 and AK3 evolved to prefer different nucleotide substrates.

The researchers purified the archaea AK and determined its structure. They found that the loop important for discriminating ATP and GTP is much longer in the archaeal enzyme, and it has chemical groups that can bind either nucleotide. What we found is an early ancestor of the human AKs that contains two capacities  it can use both ATP and GTP, Wolf-Watz says. During the course of evolution, it became specialized to become specific for one or the other, depending on the cellular compartment where it resides. The archaea AK can actually use all naturally occurring nucleotide triphosphates (NTPs). Weve discovered a universal NTP binding motif that could be a building block for the future design of novel enzymes, Wolf-Watz says.

The archaeal AK contains three copies of the enzyme (known as a trimer) that bind to each other through a helical structure. In human AKs, a mutation in this region makes the enzyme copies unable to stick to each other. The human enzymes, which function independently, are almost 1,000-fold more active. The trimer could have been more stable in the extreme environment of hydrothermal vents, but the human enzymes might have traded this thermostability for higher activity, which is important in a cooler environment, Wolf-Watz says.

Next, the researchers want to engineer novel enzymes that could be useful in organic synthesis or drug development. They also want to examine other enzymes from Odin archaea and study how they might have evolved over the eons. We studied one enzyme and made this fantastic discovery, Wolf-Watz says. Of course, theres more to find. Its like were digging through a treasure chest.

The researchers acknowledge support and funding from the Swedish Research Council, the Kempe Foundations and the Carl Trygger Foundation.
The sudden fall of Kabul and the Taliban's near-total takeover of Afghanistan has left many of America's long-standing partners wondering what will become of the values-based, US-led international order.

While President Joe Biden's withdrawal of troops by August 31 is inevitable, the speed at which the situation descended into chaos, and the White House's lack of contrition and flexibility has left allies spinning.

On Tuesday, Biden's fellow G7 leaders, led by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, pressed the US President to extend that deadline in order to get foreign citizens, Afghan people who have aided allied troops and other vulnerable groups out of the country. But Biden stood firm.

As America's allies -- most notably in Europe -- see it the United States is walking away, washing its hands of a crisis it played a large part in creating, and with scant regard for the problems that doing so creates elsewhere.

As one senior European official told CNN: "When America reversed course on Syria, it sparked a crisis in Europe -- not the US."

The reason this is so hard for allies to swallow is because so much of the world's foreign policy, especially in Europe, is based on the assumption that the US's commitments to the values-based Western order, through the UN and NATO, are iron-clad.

Europe's reliance on the US in terms of international affairs is nothing new. Throughout the Trump presidency, European diplomats and officials repeatedly spoke with CNN about the need for something they call strategic autonomy. However, a lack of any coherent policy has slowed these efforts -- and in the context of Afghanistan, that means when the US withdraws, everyone withdraws.

NATO's treaty opens with the pledge that: "The Parties to this Treaty reaffirm their faith in the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and their desire to live in peace with all peoples and all governments."

The UN charter it references reads: "The purposes of the United Nations are ... To maintain international peace and security, and to that end ... to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace."

Critics are struggling to see just how Biden's recent behavior squares with these commitments -- and worry that it confirms America's retreat from the world stage. Biden has argued however that his country's anti-terror mission in Afghanistan was achieved a decade ago -- when American troops killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden -- and that the US is still a leader elsewhere on the global stage, including in humanitarian efforts.

Speaking on Tuesday about his meeting with the G7, Biden told press: "We talked about our mutual obligation to support refugees and evacuees currently fleeing Afghanistan. The United States will be a leader in these efforts and we'll look to the international community and to our partners to do the same."

"All of us agree that we're going to stand shoulder to shoulder with our closest partners to meet the current challenges we face in Afghanistan, just as we have for the past 20 years," he also said.

But many have doubts about what that means in practice.

"To me, this shows is the end of one geopolitical era, which was about creating a liberal international order, and the beginning of a new one, which is about the competition between China and America," said Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, ealier on Tuesday.

America's exit from a key strategic area has also created opportunities for its international enemies to increase their influence in Afghanistan on very different terms to those required from the West.

Historically, American -- and by extension Western -- support for countries like Afghanistan was given on a quid pro quo basis.

"What made support from the West so attractive to countries around the world was the underpinned commitment to helping countries build liberal, open democracies and a society grounded in the rule of law," says David Lidington, chair of the Royal United Services Institute and a former deputy Prime Minister of the UK.

"One of the consequences of the defeat in Afghanistan is the lack of confidence in the West, which can only be a good thing for China and Russia who can offer their support with zero regard for rule of law or human rights," he adds.

China's new relationship with the Taliban was already in the works back in July, before the militant group took control of the country. China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, met a Taliban delegation in northern China, where the two sides reached an agreement: China would help with Afghanistan's reconstruction, and in exchange the Taliban would ensure regional stability.

As CNN has reported, the fall of a stable Afghan government and subsequent triumph of the Taliban is not necessarily a good thing for China and, in some respects, presents more of a headache that anything else.

However, the early stage at which China met with Taliban leaders confirmed the perception, at least in the eyes of America's European allies, that China is ready to capitalize on the void left by the US -- if unlikely to fill it militarily. Based on current reports from Afghanistan, how the Taliban achieves stability now is unlikely to meet the Western human rights standards -- but might not pose an obstacle to Beijing's support, given China's own poor record on human rights.

Russia has also made overtures to the Taliban in recent days, with its foreign ministry saying it would not evacuate its embassy as Kabul fell. Though the Taliban is -- at least on paper -- officially proscribed by Moscow, the Kremlin does have working contacts with the Taliban, who, it claimed, have "started to restore public order" since seizing power.

This is the same Russia that supported stability in Syria by providing its brutal president, Bashar al-Assad, with firepower and aiding in airstrikes against rebel groups. Russia has denied this, saying it was exclusively targeting ISIS.

It is also the same Russia in which opponents of the Kremlin are poisoned and imprisoned.

China and Russia have in recent years acted in tandem, using international institutions to poke the West in the eye.

According to Velina Tchakarova, director of the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy, China and Russia are already "operating within the existing global order with the clear goal of disrupting it, dismantling its multilateral structures" to further competing views of multilateralism that contradict the West's.

"Coordinated efforts by China and Russia in the UN Security Council (e.g., Iran and now likely Afghanistan) and other international organizations will continue to grow as both states seek to improve their international image as norm-setters in a rapidly changing rules-based world order," she adds.

The withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, and the subsequent race to evacuate vulnerable people, fits into this narrative.

Rightly or wrongly, the US's commitment to withdraw by such a hard deadline will be seen as the catalyst for the Taliban taking control of the country. How it handles the consequences of that will likely color how both its allies and its enemies view the US's legacy in Afghanistan.

Leslie Vinjamuri, director of the US and the Americas Programme at Chatham House, says people will "judge the US in Afghanistan based on how it manages the unfolding humanitarian situation, whether it takes large numbers of immigrants, what kind of humanitarian assistance it commits to."

She adds that if "Afghanistan descends into a failed state or a grave humanitarian crisis unfolds, many people will blame the US, rightly or wrongly. And undoubtedly this will feed into the narrative of US hypocrisy when it comes to human rights."

By extension, that blame and those accusations of hypocrisy, will also land at the feet of the Western allies who, once the US decided it was time to leave, had no choice but to go too. And that provides one hell of an opportunity for those who wish to take the West's place on the world stage -- without the moral obligations.

The fight for Afghanistan may be over, but some believe there is still work for the West to do.

Tom Tugendhat, a British lawmaker who served in Afghanistan and chairs the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, thinks that the Western alliance still has a role to play in Afghanistan -- one which will have global implications.

"We can invest in the UN and start and use its programs to support the Afghan people," Tugendhat said. "We can bring in regional partners in India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and others to work together. The Taliban isn't universally popular, but it is inspiring others. Islamist groups in Africa and in Asia are drawing inspiration and we need to work with partners around the world. We need to start acting internationally."

The reputational cost to the West of what's happening in Afghanistan won't be fully known for some time. What is clear for now is that if America's allies want the option to serve their own interests globally, they need to accept that as things stand, they are inadequate.

That means countries that have for so long relied on the stability of the US commitment to promoting Western values will need to rethink their foreign policy.

If Mark Leonard is correct, and this really is the end of a geopolitical era, those countries will need to refocus their priorities on a new, scary basis: That the US simply isn't that interested anymore.

The-CNN-Wire

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BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - California's recall election is just three weeks away and voters are already casting mail-in ballots.

On the ballot, there are two parts.

The first one states, Shall GAVIN NEWSOM be recalled (removed) from the office of Governor?

Thats where voters can answer either Yes or No.

The second statement says, Candidates to succeed GAVIN NEWSOM as Governor if he is recalled, and thats where voters can select from the 46 replacement candidates.

The candidates have listed their political party preference as well as their occupations.

There is also an option to write in a replacement.

If the majority of the votes on the recall question are No, then Governor Newsom will continue to be governor.

If the majority of the votes on the recall question are Yes, Governor Newsom will be removed from office.

Then, the replacement candidate who receives the highest number of votes will be elected for the remainder of the governors term until Jan. 2, 2023.

But voters dont have to vote on both parts of the recall ballot.

Voters can vote No to the question of removing the governor and select a replacement.

Depending on what assembly district you live in, the order of replacement candidates might look different.

The purpose is to follow the state laws regarding ballot rotation, giving each replacement candidate a fair opportunity.

The Butte County Elections Office is expecting a higher turnout compared to the recall election in 2003.

For a list of all Butte County drop box locations, click here.
This article has been updated to include the full interview with Chico Mayor Andrew Coolidge.

CHICO, Calif. - Action News Now spoke with Chico Mayor Andrew Coolidge about the state of the local homeless crisis and the ongoing lawsuit between the city and a group of eight homeless people.

For the time being, the city cannot enforce park rules that ban overnight camping until the judge approves a homeless shelter compromise.

Below is this transcription of our conversation with Mayor Coolidge:

Q: Mayor Coolidge, the first thing I think we should address here is, where are we at in the process of finding some sort of compromise when it comes to finding a shelter solution?

A: I think the community really wants to know that, where are we in the trial process, where are we in terms of actually getting some resolution? Because I think we all want to move forward and I'm among those folks. So if you look at it today actually they'll be submitting briefs to the magistrate in terms of the settlement conference, that will be proceeding on the 30th, so there will actually be a settlement conference at that time. Hopefully, there will be.. some sort of resolution. That's really the issue we're dealing with. The two parties coming together. I believe the other side wants the moon. We're really just dealing with providing a solution that will work within the city's budget, so we can end this and get back to enforcing the in the parks and waterways, so it's complicated.

Q: One of the things the judge brought up was at the airport shelter site, we're not seeing beds, a roof, walls, all of the things that might entail what a shelter is. Is there a plan in the works to make that site more of a shelter? Or is there some other solution you're cooking up?

A: A lot of people like to talk about the airport site and say, a lot of things were missing. But at the same token, a lot of things weren't in place yet. We actually had a request for a proposal out for that site to have organizational management. And to have them manage it in a way that would provide some of those things. But the county backed out of that site, we had other difficulties and that never came to fruition. So we have the site out there, it has the spaces and we are actually providing additional shelter above the tents, but that site, even though a lot of people have said that's not a great site, not a great location - it has about 29 people out there. They're staying. So it's grown on its own. Whether the city continues to do it because we have gotten some push back because the judge did not like it - that's something that we have to look at and see whether we tailor that back and look into something else, I think that's where the settlement conference comes into play.

Q: It feels like this all seems so far down the line. Everyone wants some sort of compromise reached, and yet we're still not even sure if we make (the airport site) work go a completely different direction at this point?

A: Certainly the city has an idea of what we can do. There are some sites being considered, some sites being offered. We want to put that together, we want to make this problem a problem of the past. We want to move forward. Whether the plaintiffs are on board with that? Some folks would say they're just trying to delay, trying to keep this process going as long as possible because it works in their favor? The city's of course pushing for the judge to make a decision quicker to get to a settlement sooner. So we've offered some pretty big things that I never thought we'd put on the table and the response we're getting is just not even...

Q: Can you tell me what some of those things are?

A: I can't tell you specifically what they are, but I can tell you that we're considering things that are more similar to Comanche Creek. Sites that have some shade and trees, that have access to water. So we've put some pretty hefty items on the table but I don't ever see us moving to an indoor shelter, because that would be really difficult. it would be difficult for the entire ninth district to actually comply with that. You're talking about San Francisco and L.A., if they had to do that, even those cities would be on the brink of bankruptcy. So to require cities to provide indoor housing when some of our residents don't even have that? To provide air conditioning when some of our residents don't even have that? I don't think that's a very realistic outcome. I don't think the judge is going to burden the city with that and every city in the ninth district with that.

Q: While we're tied up, while the city can't do anything when it comes to enforcing (some) park rules, what are the key public safety issue that you're worried about?

A: You'll start to see some movement on those issues. When it comes to extreme drug use, when it comes to the fires, obviously anything with criminal activity, that's something that we're looking at and working on to stop that kind of activity. So we are rolling out a program to do that. We know and realize that these areas are high-crime areas as well. So there's a lot of folks in the community pushing for enforcement in that area, but according to the city attorney in how we move forward, it has to be in a way that isn't targeted. We don't want to target that community or seem like we're targeting that community. So for example we can't go in there and say we're going to fine everyone for smoking and cite them. We really have to look at doing something more complete and inclusive in terms of the entire city and just enforcing laws on the books.
CHICO, Calif. - Chico Police Department are searching for an armed robber who stole a cash register from a 7-11 store early Wednesday morning.

Two employees at the 7-11 on Walnut St. in Chico said around 2:30 a.m. they spotted a man entering the store with a long gun. The employees then rushed to the bathroom and were able to lock themselves inside and call 911.

Chico Police Department reported that before leaving the store the robber stole a cash register containing an undisclosed amount of cash. After searching the area officers were not able to locate the suspect.
CHICO, Calif. - The Chico Police Department said a person who was supposed to register as a sex offender and was out of compliance with his registration was arrested on Tuesday morning.

Police said Gilbert Metz, 62, was arrested at one of the encampments at Comanche Creek.

The Chico Police Target Team was on patrol and encountered Metz who was arrested for felony violation of failing to register as a sex offender.
WASHINGTON - A Shasta Lake couple has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit forced labor, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Nery Martinez Vasquez, 53, and Maura Martinez, 53, pleaded guilty Tuesday.

The couple owned and operated the restaurant Latinos and the cleaning company Redding Carpet Cleaning and Janitorial Services.

According to the DOJ, the couple convinced the victims, a Guatemalan relative and her two minor daughters, to come to the U.S. in Aug. 2016.

The couple arranged for the victims to come to the U.S. on travel visas and had them stay over their visas and work at the restaurant and the carpet cleaning business with little to no pay from Sept. 2016 to Feb. 2018.

These defendants used the promise of America to lure the victim and her children to the United States in search of a better life, only to turn around and use that hope to exploit their dreams under cruel conditions, said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division.

They also threatened to make calls to authorities and have the victims arrested for overstaying their visas if the victims did not do what the couple requested.

The Shasta Lake couple did not allow the kids to go to school as they claimed the kids would be arrested and deported. The kids worked for the business instead of attending school, the DOJ said.

The DOJ said the couple will be sentenced on Nov. 8 and face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Unilever beauty brand, Lux, is launching a campaign to highlight the impact of casual sexism faced by women in their everyday lives by inviting men to experience it first-hand for themselves. Whether on the street or in the workplace, women are constantly judged on the way they dress, walk and speak. From catcalls to inappropriate compliments, everyday sexism is shockingly commonplace  and is causing women to self-edit their beauty and how they express their femininity as a result.

Although the problem exists on a global scale, many men dont consider that they are doing or saying anything wrong. Nor are they aware of the damaging impact that seemingly offhand comments like Cheer up, you look prettier when you smile may have on womens self-worth.

Created by WPPs Wunderman Thompson Singapore, the new LUX campaign aims to spark a conversation and bring about real behaviour change by giving men the opportunity to  quite literally  walk in womens shoes. The campaign cleverly leverages City Walks  a quickly growing platform where users can take a virtual stroll around different cities around the world  to offer men a glimpse of the sexism that women suffer by doing something as simple as taking a walk.

The campaign has been kicked off in the Middle East. When users visit the platform, they can click on In Her Shoes, a special button allows them to toggle between experiencing the walk as a man, or as a woman. While men can enjoy an uninterrupted ramble, soaking up the sights and sounds of the city, the female perspective is very different. Crossing a bridge or wandering down a side street attracts unwanted attention from groups of men, with users subjected to casually sexist remarks like Why this red lipstick?, or Stop here, I wanna talk to you!

To build on the campaign and transform the perpetrators of sexism into allies, feedback was collated from male users who have experienced the Lux In Her Shoes as a woman, encouraging self-reflection through a series of questions asking how the ordeal made them feel, and how they think women feel as a result.

In Her Shoes is underscored by Luxs pledge to inspire women using content, partnerships and activations to help them rise above everyday sexist judgments and express their beauty and femininity unapologetically.

In March 2021, Unilever launched a new Positive Beauty vision and strategy globally, which aims to champion a new era of beauty which is equitable and inclusive. Lux seeks to inspire women to confidently embrace their beauty and appearance as their own, as opposed to it being dependent on the opinion of others thus making their interpretation of their beauty their strength.

Speaking on behalf of Lux, Severine Vauleon, Global Vice President - LUX at Unilever, said, Lux has been celebrating beauty and femininity since 1925. We understand that beauty is a womans armour, her source of strength. It is hers to express, unapologetically. We will continue to help women everywhere fight casual sexism at home, in the workplace and in wider society. Hence, this campaign is in line with the brands purpose. At Lux, we believe that beauty should be a source of strength rather than a source of judgement.

Marco Versolato, Chief Creative Officer - WPP@Unilever/Wunderman Thompson Singapore, said, Its one thing to be aware of sexism, but to actually experience it, is a whole other thing. Thats why this idea is about experiencing it for yourself. Because changing how we see and feel can change how we behave and act on this issue.

Aristomenis Georgiopoulos & Artemis Stiga, creators of the City Walks platform, added here, Casual sexism is prevalent in many countries, and conversations about this serious issue are now increasing. Its great that global brands such as Lux are raising awareness to drive positive action on it. We are all for gender equality and wish to eliminate all the discriminative behaviours, so that men and women can equally experience security and confidence in their everyday lives.

Campaign credits:

Agency Creative  Wunderman Thompson

Bas Korsten, Global CCO Wunderman Thompson

Marco Versolato, CCO WPP@Unilever/Wunderman Thompson, Singapore

Facundo Paglia, CCO Wunderman Thompson, Puerto Rico

Ricardo Tronquini, Creative Director Wunderman Thompson, Singapore

Andres Aranguren, Wunderman Thompson, Puerto Rico

Javier De Bourg, Wunderman Thompson, Puerto Rico

Agency Account Management - Wunderman Thompson, Singapore

Hinoti Joshi, Business Director, Global Lux

Ricca Teotico, Account Director

Deeksha Siwach, Account Manager

Agency Strategy - Wunderman Thompson, Singapore

Rebecca Nadilo, Chief Strategy Officer

Agency Production - Wunderman Thompson, Singapore

Gerri Hamill, Head of Integrated Production

Zakee Talib, Production Coordinator

Team Chameleon

Production

Production House: SMC, Dubai

Producer: Shamim Kassibawi

PR

Jessica Hartley, Global PR

Platform

Citywalks - Aristomenis Georgiopoulos & Artemis Stiga,

Clients

Unilever, Lux

Severine Vauleon, Global Brand Vice President

Swarnim Bharadwaj, Global Brand Director, Lux

Vivien Ng, Assistant Brand Manager, Lux

Experience the In Her Shoes here: https://citywalks.live/ inhershoes
realme, India's fastest-growing 5G smartphone brand, has launched a campaign with Flipkart to provide a unique Augmented Reality experience to consumers interested in experiencing realme GT Master Edition 5G. As part of the campaign, Flipkart users who are placing orders from select cities including Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, will receive a special card with a QR code that will lead them to an augmented reality experience.

Users can scan the QR code to experience immersive augmented reality, which will allow shoppers to virtually preview how the realme GT Master Edition 5G product would look in real life before making a purchase decision.

Commenting on the campaign, Francis Wong, CMO, realme India & Europe said, We are ecstatic to be embarking on this new journey with Flipkart. The campaign aims to make realme GT 5G series devices more accessible to users across the country. The QR Code will help users check out realme GT 5G seriess Master Edition 5G in the desired area of their house via AR capabilities. Users would be able to examine a virtual, 3D-avatar of the product and obtain a clear perspective of its appearance. This is yet another step in our commitment to offering flagship experience to our users for flagship products like realme GT 5G series.

Speaking about the campaign, Arief Mohamad, Business Head, Mobiles at Flipkart said, "We are happy to launch this campaign which enables customers to experience the realme GT Master Edition in the comfort of their homes, through augmented reality. This is in line with our vision of remaining customer-first and striving to bring the best experiences to them. "

The realme GT Master Edition 5G is slated to go on sale on August 26th, 12.00 noon onwards, along with realme GT 5G, which will go on sale on Aug 25th, 12.00 noon onwards.

realme GT Master Edition 5G is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G Processor, features a 120Hz Super AMOLED display, 174g super slim & light suitcase design, 65W SuperDart Charge, 4300mAh battery, 64MP primary camera. realme GT Master Edition 5G, designed by Naoto Fukasawa, is available in three amazing colours of Voyager Grey, Luna White and Cosmos Black and comes in three storage variants, of which two storage variants, priced at INR 27,999 (8GB + 128 GB) & INR 29,999 (8+256GB) to go on sale on 26th August, 12:00 noon onwards on realme.com, Flipkart, and Mainline channels. As bank offers, buyers can also avail flat 2000 Instant Discount with ICICI credit cards and EMI.
While the global pandemic brought economies to a halt and massively disrupted businesses, it has also fuelled start-up dreams and we even saw several Indian start-ups achieve Unicorn status during the pandemic period. The times have never been better for the budding entrepreneurs to give wings to their start-up dreams.

The Government, too, has come up with various schemes to support its Vocal for Local drive. A case in point is the Rs 1,000 crore Start-up India Seed Fund announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Start-up India International Summit 2021 held earlier this year.

Adgully has been turning the spotlight on the entrepreneurs who fought against all odds to bring their dreams to fruition in our special series  START-UP STARS. We at Adgully wholeheartedly support the Vocal for Local movement and over the next few months will be featuring all local/ homegrown businesses, brands and Apps.

Vikas Chandrawat, Co-Founder & CPO, Vahak and Karan Shaha, CEO and Co- Founder, Vahak, graduated from IIT Kanpur in 2015 right after which they started their careers as consultant and business analyst, respectively. In 2016, one of Shahas family members apprised him of the multiple problems in the road logistics industry. As freshers from college, they were passionate about creating an impact by addressing sector-specific problems. This motivated them to start a company in 2016, which further left them with no option but to work at the ground level. During those two and a half years, the duo met more than 1,000 transport companies and individual lorry owners. This experience gave them deep insights into the problems and helped the duo understand them better. To solve these issues at scale and for every single transport SME in the country, they launched Vahak in February 2019.

Since inception, Vahak has witnessed a good rate of growth and market traction. They are currently catering to about half a million transport companies. The journey started from Raipur, Chhattisgarh, and both of them onboarded their first 500 transport companies through local networks in the area. Subsequently, they started witnessing organic referrals and the numbers rose sharply to cross the 10,000 transportation companies-mark in the first 6-7 months. Thats when the duo realised that they had built something really transformational and the market lapped it up. Subsequently, they moved their operations to Bangalore and the headquarters to Singapore and started developing their teams and technology.

In conversation with Adgully, Karan Shaha, CEO and Co-Founder, Vahak, speaks about the fascinating journey of Vahak, the core preposition of the company, the deep research and networking that went behind the scenes to onboard 10,000 transportation companies in the first 6-7 months, and much more.

What need gap did you want to fulfil with your start-up? What is the core business proposition?

Vahaks major customers are transportation companies and lorry owners. Consequently, there are two major gaps that we address.

First, the industry lacks a proper business communication channel. Most of the deals are fixed over phone calls and the SMEs are totally dependent upon these for price discovery and to understand the market demand and supply on a daily basis. This wastes a huge amount of their time and limits the reach and network of the business, which ultimately results in lower lorry utilisation and highly fluctuating rates.

Second, there is a trust gap in the industry. Almost 100% of the industry players are working offline and have no online presence. Thus, there is some reluctance among players in terms of dealing with the unknown and non-verified players since the risk and transaction amount is higher. This factor hugely limits the lorry utilisation in our country, as SMEs and owners usually wait for a long duration to get their next business lead.

Our online network is built on the back of cutting-edge technology. We have an All-India Live Transport Marketplace App for Load and Lorry Booking. The app enables customers to directly connect with trusted transporters and truck owners across India and book trucks, trailers, and loads on shared vehicles, etc. The marketplace also helps transporters to create an online brand for their business, generate leads, and increase their revenue generation. Vahak also connects lorry owners with lakhs of transporters, enabling them to constantly get new loads. They are thus, able to run the vehicle for up to 25-26 days in a month and earn significantly higher revenues, with the shippers also getting better prices. This continuous work flow ensures better financial security for the transporters. Our platform also helps achieve market stability since the consistent monthly load ensures fair market price.

How did you identify your TG? Did you carry out any feasibility study prior to starting your business?

Our ground-level experience helped us clearly understand different stakeholders and user personas operating in this market. The first 500 transport companies were onboarded by us through personal meetings, which helped us gain highly valuable insights from our users initially.

What were the challenges that you faced in your start-up journey and how did you overcome them?

There are multiple changes that an entrepreneur faces in their journey, and that was the case with us too. Being graduates, we did not have a deep understanding of the logistics market, and that was the first and foremost challenge. We also faced fund-related challenges in our initial days. However, I feel these hurdles are a part of the bigger journey. One should strive to overcome and learn from them, which I believe is at the heart of entrepreneurship. Vahak has also been able to successfully scale and overcome the challenges for the transportation industry as a segment.

What were the clearances that you required for your venture from various authorities?

As a start-up, we created a private limited company and got registered with the Government of India as a start-up, which was not necessary. No other clearances were required apart from that.

Funds/ finance is the prime issue of almost all start-ups. What can the industry and the Government do to address this issue and ease the capital requirements of start-ups?

The start-up ecosystem as a whole is growing rapidly and so is the number of angel investors and VC funds for very early-stage companies. The government has launched multiple incubation centres and funds for start-ups, which provide a huge push and motivation for anyone looking to begin a company. Overall, the push towards Make in India and digitisation is sure to help start-ups in a big way. Looking at things from the transportation sector perspective, I believe that the government needs to streamline operations by simplifying formal registrations and according support to the transport industry. For India to become a global manufacturing hub and economic superpower, the transport sector has to rise. Thus, by registering the start-ups digitally and with less red-tape, a conducive environment can be created. This will help make more start-ups eligible for funding and other incubation support, and soft business loans. This will go a long way in boosting the morale of the start-up economy.

Prime Minister Modi has just announced a Startup India Seed Fund. How do you see start-ups benefiting from it?

This is a highly encouraging move for start-ups in the early stage as they can benefit from it in a huge way. It reduces the entry barrier for anyone looking to start a company. Being a home-grown B2B logistics marketplace, Vahak is building a technology-driven logistics ecosystem. This is in line with the governments vision of Local for Vocal and Digital India. The scope and eligibility criteria for the Startup India Seed Fund needs to be further expanded to bring as many entities under its coverage as possible. Seed funding is essential, and many high-potential innovative, first-generation entrepreneurs fail to grow due to the lack of funds and complexities involved with financial support from government institutions. I hope the dedicated Startup India Seed Fund will help bridge that gap.

How is digital helping you further your business?

Digital has helped us tremendously. Since we started in February 2019, we witnessed the impact of COVID-19 very closely. While the transportation sector was hit hard and operations were adversely affected after the outbreak, especially during the lockdown, we saw a tremendous surge of activity on the Vahak platform. The lorry owners and transport companies were not able to conduct their business through conventional in-person interactions and their offices, etc., were closed. At the same time, they desperately needed business. This compelled them to come online and look for digital means of business generation through a high potential platform like Vahak. We saw an increase in various parameters such as onboarding numbers, daily activity, average user daily activity and so on.

What were your key learnings so far? How do you see the start-up ecosystem progressing in 2021?

Now that the second lockdown has also been lifted, we are looking forward to rapid digital adoption by the transporters and increase in activity on our platform. The transport companies are realising the potential that digital presence and networking through a platform like Vahak offers them. They are able to access lakhs of verified lorry owners and as soon as a load is posted on the platform, within seconds they can secure a deal. Similarly, the lorry owners dont need to wait for the next load as they are almost instantly able to login and get a new consignment. This eliminates uncertainties at all levels, making the entire process smoother for them. This is an example of how digital technology has been revamping one sector and I foresee the overall start-up ecosystem in all areas such as e-commerce, healthcare, education, manufacturing and other industries grow quite rapidly in the post-lockdown phase as well as in the years ahead.

What would be your message for the budding entrepreneurs?

A business in any vertical can be successful as long as it effectively and economically benefits the target audience. It is important to properly understand the customer/ end-users needs and pain points. This will help in creating a solution that resolves the existing and future challenges of the segment through usage of the right technology. Thus, as long as a business is built with the right research and approach as well as technology integration, the chances of success will always be higher.
As a part of its unique digital campaign Bravehearts , Vedanta Group, Indias leading producer of metals and oil & gas, is rolling out a new video tomorrow featuring Meera Shenoy, change maker and founder of Youth4Jobs, an online platform focusing on education and employment of people with special needs.

The Bravehearts campaign salutes the unsung heroes who went beyond their call of duty during the Covid pandemic, creating an impact through their compelling real-life stories and humanitarian efforts.

Speaking on the occasion, President, Communications and Brand, Vedanta, Roma Balwani said, Vedantas Bravehearts campaign is an opportunity to celebrate the real heroes who have been giving hope to positively make a difference and impact members of society. Meeras hard work has resulted in providing employment opportunities to the specially abled who have overcome Disability to Ability thereby creating a platform of equality amongst all. Its stories like these that motivate us especially during these trying times, and teach us that with a little effort we can overcome any obstacle. We at Vedanta are proud to be able to make these stories come to life and be heard.

About the Meera Shenoy Bravehearts Video

Vedanta plans to release a series of short videos depicting and showcasing stories of Braveheart individuals. This video film opens with a sequence of Meera Shenoy helping a student do a primary job of putting a thread through a needle, but it makes the viewer realize how challenging that could be. Meera shares her teaching experience pre-pandemic and importance of education now more than ever to help these determined youngsters. Towards the end, the film depicts the impact of her online programme through happy visuals of students at work and Meera supporting them online as it relates the tale of hope and positivity.

Vedanta has also launched its brand campaigns Desh Ki Zarooraton Ke Liye and Aatmanirbhar Bharat ke liye, with the aim of creating awareness about metals and its potential to contribute towards a self-reliant India. Through this campaign, the company highlights how Vedanta contributes to the day-to-day life of people with its diversified offering, including oil and gas, zinc, lead, silver, copper, iron ore, steel, and aluminium and power.

Vedanta has been at the forefront of the countrys battle against Covid-19. The company took the lead in supporting local communities, migrant workers, feed stray animals, set up field hospitals, diverted oxygen from the plants for medical use. The 10 field hospitals which were set up in record time provided support to Covid patients, and will come handy of the third wave hits us as predicted. Vedanta has vaccinated more than 1 lakh employees, business partners and families and plan to facilitate 5 lakh vaccinations for communities as well.
Federal Office of Public Health

Bern, 25.08.2021 - The federal government has signed another contract with biopharma firm Pfizer. This will ensure access to a sufficient supply of mRNA vaccine for the Swiss population for the next two years. The new contract provides for the delivery of 7 million doses in both 2022 and 2023, with an option of an additional 7 million doses each year. This is subject to a modified Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine being authorised for use by Swissmedic.

The federal government is currently focusing on mRNA vaccines to protect the Swiss population. The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have so far proven to be highly effective and well tolerated. The latest contract means the federal government has reserved sufficient vaccines from both vaccine manufacturers to be able to offer booster shots to the public if necessary. Both vaccine manufacturers are currently researching modified vaccines to combat mutations of Sars-CoV-2.

Contracts with five vaccine manufacturers

The federal government continues to aim for a vaccine portfolio comprising different vaccine technologies (mRNA, protein-based, viral vector), for example to be able to offer people with intolerances an alternative means of protection. The procurement of vaccines from different manufacturers is intended to ensure that sufficient quantities of authorised vaccines are available, even if there are supply difficulties. To date, the federal government has signed contracts with five vaccine manufacturers: Moderna (13.5 million doses for 2021 and 7 million for 2022); Pfizer/BioNTech (around 6 million doses for 2021, 7 million for 2022 and 7 million for 2023); AstraZeneca (around 5.4 million doses, 4 million of which have been donated to COVAX); and Novavax (6 million doses). At present, the Moderna and BioNTech/Pfizer vaccines are being used in the cantons.

Other COVID-19 vaccines have yet to be authorised for use. Vaccines that have not yet been authorised by Swissmedic are not delivered to Switzerland or stored anywhere else on its behalf while awaiting authorisation.

International engagement to tackle the pandemic

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Switzerland has championed a global solution for fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. It has provided CHF 20 million in support to COVAX to benefit 92 low- and middle-income countries. In April 2021, the Federal Council also decided to support the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) with a further CHF 300 million. Of this, CHF 125 million will go to the COVAX facility. The ACT-A aims to promote equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, drugs and tests, and to strengthen health systems to be able to tackle the pandemic.

Besides Switzerlands international activities, the Federal Council is constantly reviewing the possibility of sharing vaccines with other countries if they are not needed in Switzerland. It recently donated 4 million AstraZeneca doses to COVAX.

mRNA vaccine technology

Like Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech relies on a novel technology called mRNA. mRNA is a type of messenger molecule that carries instructions on how to make proteins. These instructions provide the bodys cells with the information they need to produce a virus protein. As soon as the protein is produced in the body, the immune system recognises it as foreign and produces antibodies to fight the virus. The immune response prepares the body to fight the virus if it encounters it in future.

Address for enquiries

Federal Office of Public Health, Communication, media@bag.admin.ch



COVID-19 vaccination infoline: +41 800 88 66 44 (alternative number +41 58 377 88 92), daily from 6am to 11pm

Publisher

Federal Office of Public Health

http://www.bag.admin.ch




The Federal Council

Bern, 25.08.2021 - The Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER was commissioned by the Federal Council to examine Switzerland's startup ecosystem. The subsequent report reveals that this ecosystem is generally in good shape. However, there is room for improvement in a number of areas, namely technology transfer, internationalisation, access to skilled labour and financing. On 25 August, the Federal Council tasked the EAER and the Federal Department of Justice and Police FDJP with examining measures in these areas in greater detail. The findings are expected to be presented in June 2022.

Startups play an increasingly important role in a country's innovative strength. They make a significant contribution to harnessing the innovation potential resulting from research. They also play an important role in the development and application of new technological innovations. Against this backdrop, the Federal Council commissioned the EAER in December 2020 to investigate which factors are crucial for the performance of the startup ecosystem and how knowledge and technology transfer can be accelerated.

The findings show that the startup ecosystem in Switzerland is generally in good shape. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement in a number of areas. The EAER is therefore proposing to the Federal Council various measures to be examined in greater detail; namely ways of optimising technology transfer, boosting internationalisation, improving access to skilled workers and honing regulation. In view of the fact that numerous states have launched extensive programmes to support startups in recent years, measures for a more active growth strategy should also be examined in order to strengthen Switzerland's appeal as a location for startups in the long term. To this end, the Federal Council has decided in particular to comprehensively examine the advantages and disadvantages of a Swiss innovation fund. The aim is to explore the extent to which such a fund could expand the venture capital market in Switzerland and thus improve the growth opportunities of innovative companies in Switzerland.

On 25 August, the Federal Council tasked the EAER and the FDJP with examining the various measures in greater detail. The findings are expected to be presented in June 2022.

Address for enquiries

GS-EAER Communication Service

info@gs-wbf.admin.ch

+41 58 462 20 07

Publisher

The Federal Council

https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html



Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research

http://www.wbf.admin.ch



Federal Department of Justice and Police

http://www.ejpd.admin.ch




The Federal Council

Bern, 25.08.2021 - It is currently difficult to gauge how the epidemiological situation is likely to develop. If hospital admissions continue to rise as sharply as they have recently, hospitals could be overstretched within just a few weeks. The Federal Council wants to be able to act quickly if necessary. At its meeting on 25 August, it therefore decided as a precautionary measure to consult the cantons and social partners by 30 August on tightening measures against the spread of the coronavirus. The focus is on extending the requirement to present a COVID certificate to access indoor areas of restaurants, cultural and leisure facilities and indoor events. The Federal Council has also decided that from 1 October the cost of tests to obtain a COVID certificate will no longer be covered by the Confederation.

Hospital admissions of patients with the coronavirus have been rising sharply for several weeks now. The main reason for the increase is likely due to the low vaccination rate: in Switzerland, 56 per cent of the population have received at least one dose of the vaccine compared to 63 per cent in the European Union. The number of people with no immunity who risk becoming infected is still high. There are also other possible reasons for the increase: the transmissibility of the delta variant, people returning from holidays, the gradual lifting of measures such as the requirement to work from home and the ban on face-to-face teaching at universities, as well as a shift in the behaviour of the public.

It is difficult to predict at present whether the sharp rise in hospital admissions is likely to continue over the next few weeks with the start of the new school year, students returning to university for the autumn semester and cooler temperatures, or whether the situation will stabilise.

Measures only effective after two to three weeks

It generally takes two to three weeks for stricter measures to have an effect on hospital admissions. The Federal Council cannot therefore wait until hospitals are overstretched before tightening measures. If hospitals become overstretched, the number of deaths among COVID-19 sufferers would increase and non-urgent medical procedures would have to be postponed. Healthcare provision for all would suffer as a result.

Extension of situations where a COVID certificate is required

The Federal Council has therefore decided as a precaution to consult the cantons and the social partners on possible steps to tighten measures. As envisaged in the three-phase model, the COVID certificate would play a key role. The advantage of the certificate is that it is available to everyone. It documents in a standardised and forgery-proof manner either that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, that they have had the disease and have recovered, or that they have recently tested negative.

Unlike in previous waves of infection, the closure of entire sectors and the introduction of bans on certain activities are not under consideration. The certificate will reduce the risk of transmission because only people who are not infectious or who have a low risk of being infectious will be able to gather. As is already the case, children under the age of 16 will not be required to have a certificate.

There will be no change to the well-known and broadly accepted hygiene and social distancing recommendations, quarantine rules and the general obligation to wear masks in publicly accessible indoor areas, shops and public transport.

Certificate requirement for indoor areas of restaurants, bars and clubs

The Federal Council is proposing to extend the certificate requirement currently applicable to clubs and discos to all indoor areas of restaurants, bars and clubs. Certificates can be checked at the entrance or on first contact with guests when seated. Certificates will not be required in outdoor areas. The certificate requirement does not apply to staff as they are still subject to other measures, such as the requirement to wear a mask. However, when all staff present hold a COVID certificate, they are not required to wear a mask.

The same rules will also apply to hotel restaurants. Certificates will not be required to stay at a hotel as these should be open to people who may not immediately be able to get tested.

Certificate requirement for indoor events

Access to indoor events (concerts, theatre, cinema, sporting events, private events such as weddings) is also to be restricted to COVID certificate holders. To protect fundamental rights, religious ceremonies, funerals and political events for up to 30 people are exempt. Masks must be worn if these events are held indoors. Current rules will continue to apply for outdoor events.

Certificate requirement for cultural and leisure facilities

Access to venues such as museums, zoos, fitness centres, climbing halls, swimming pools, water parks, spas, billiard halls and casinos is to be limited to COVID certificate holders. Sites that are exclusively outdoors are exempt.

Certificate requirement for sporting and cultural activities

Access to indoor sporting and cultural activities such as training sessions or music and theatre rehearsals, where masks are currently not required, is to be limited to COVID certificate holders. This restriction does not apply to children under the age of 16 and to fixed groups of no more than 30 people who train or rehearse together regularly in separate premises.

Contact details recorded in clubs and discos

A COVID certificate requirement is already in place for clubs and discos. These establishments are now to be required to record contact details as well in order to facilitate contact tracing.

The Federal Council is also proposing to clarify an amendment to the ordinance on the use of COVID certificates in the workplace, which would state explicitly that an employer is entitled to check whether staff hold a certificate when setting appropriate protective measures or when implementing a testing plan.

Federal Council to adapt testing strategy

The Federal Council also adapted the national testing strategy today. Testing remains an important means of controlling the pandemic, breaking chains of infection and preventing hospitals from becoming overstretched. Routine testing in schools and in the workplace should therefore continue. These routine tests will continue to be financed by the Confederation.

COVID certificate: Cost of preventive tests must be paid for individually

From 1 October, people wishing to be tested to obtain a COVID certificate will have to pay for the tests themselves. All those who wish to be vaccinated have had the opportunity to do so. The Federal Council now no longer considers it the responsibility of the population as a whole to cover the cost of testing for people who have not been vaccinated or who have not had the disease. It is still possible to get vaccinated free of charge.

Exceptions for people with symptoms and young people

The cost of tests for people with symptoms will continue to be covered by the Confederation. However, these do not entitle the holder to a COVID certificate. Rapid antigen tests for people who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons as well as tests for children under the age of 16 will continue to be paid for by the Confederation. Those visiting a healthcare institution, such as a retirement or nursing home or a hospital can also still be tested free of charge. It is extremely important to protect those at especially high risk. Those testing negative will be provided with an attestation instead of a COVID certificate.

Pool tests open to all

The Federal Council wants to allow people without symptoms to be able to participate individually in pooled saliva-based PCR tests at their own cost, for example in pharmacies, The advantage of these tests is that they are more reliable than rapid antigen tests. It will also be possible to provide a PCR saliva sample at home. The identity of the person providing the sample must be verifiable.

Results of the consultation

The vast majority of the cantons, social partners and relevant National Council committees agreed with the proposed changes to the testing strategy. In particular, they welcomed the continued financing of routine tests in schools and the workplace. However, they suggested changes with regard to the reimbursement of test costs and stricter rules to prevent abuses. The Federal Council agreed to some of these suggestions. Young people will be able to be tested free of charge up to the age of 16. However, certificates will only be issued for people over 16 if they have paid for the test themselves.

Broader wastewater testing

The Federal Council has also decided to broaden the systematic testing of wastewater from sewage treatment plants for traces of coronaviruses. This would cover an area inhabited by around 60 per cent of the population. Key epidemiologically relevant tourist destinations would also be included. This would allow local outbreaks to be detected quickly and appropriate measures initiated.

The Federal Council has today decided to amend the Epidemics Ordinance. This means that Swiss citizens living abroad, and their immediate family (partners, children, parents and parents-in-law living in the same household) and cross-border commuters who do not have compulsory health insurance in Switzerland can be vaccinated in Switzerland. The vaccination costs will be assumed by the Confederation as requested by the cantons.

Address for enquiries

Federal Office of Public Health

COVID-19 Infoline +41 58 463 00 00

COVID-19 Vaccination Infoline +41 58 377 88 92

Publisher

The Federal Council

https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html



Federal Department of Home Affairs

http://www.edi.admin.ch



Federal Office of Public Health

http://www.bag.admin.ch



Federal Office of Sports

http://www.baspo.admin.ch/



Federal Office of Cultural Affairs

http://www.bak.admin.ch



Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html




I spent a good portion of yesterday listening to the three major cable news networks report on the crisis in Afghanistan. I'm worried for the women and girls. I'm especially worried for the boys and girls who have autism and their mothers and fathers. I ran a Google search on Autism and Afghanistan and found very little:



There are no known studies looking at the prevalence of autism in Afghanistan, and organizations such as Autism Speaks do not operate in the country.



And this:



https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-1-4614-6435-8_102534-1



The people of Afghanistan continue to hurt from the effects of decades of invasion and civil war. While there have been some efforts to support the physically disabled population of Afghanistan, there is less support for individuals with intellectual and mental disabilities; specifically, there is no support for children and adults with autism. This entry begins by introducing the history of autism-spectrum disorder (ASD) and the various legislative and political efforts in place in Afghanistan to support general disabilities. Furthermore, it addresses the lack of support for people specifically with autism in Afghanistan in regard to research and treatment of the condition. This is measured by the lack of nationwide recognition and awareness of autism, screening and diagnosis, and treatment for those afflicted with it. In addition to recognizing the severe lack of mental health resources in general, this entry also addresses the various cultural and social perceptual issues...



I am trying to bear in mind that we here in the United States and our readers across the Western world are so very fortunate. Despite the major controversies and problems we face. I look at my own daughters, loved, helped, treated, healthy, welcomed by most of society, valued..... a universe apart from what girls, typical or otherwise, experience in Afghanistan. What can we do?



...There are no known studies looking at the prevalence of autism in Afghanistan, and organizations such as Autism Speaks do not operate in the country....






With harvest progressing at a rapid pace due to the drought and a projected smaller crop, durum prices have kept moving in an upward pattern.

In general, prices continued to march higher. Weve exceeded $14 a bushel for durum bids in some locations and a lot of others are still at the $13 range, said Jim Peterson, market director for the North Dakota Wheat Commission. As has been the case for the last few weeks, theres not a lot of depth of trading at those levels, so theyre kind of a benchmark. Once domestic mills and international buyers feel comfortable starting to lock in at some of those values  just with the reality of what the Canadian and U.S. northern crops are going to bring them  then we may see some consolidation in bids.

But until then, I would expect to see a pretty wide range and some periodic volatility just until we get a better handle on what the 2021 crop is, not just in North Dakota and Montana, but certainly in Canada, as well, he added.

Looking at the crop progress numbers in the latest USDA report, producers are moving at an incredibly fast harvest pace.

That typically indicates probably not super robust yields in a lot of areas, and also just the results of the extreme heat and dryness weve had through July, he said.

In North Dakota, 32 percent of the durum crop had been harvested as of Aug. 16. That compares to 11 percent a year ago at this time. In Montana, 31 percent of harvest was complete, which is double the pace from a year ago.
I think these are all positive changes for the beef industry and the beef producers in Nebraska.
HELENA, Mont.  Farming in Montana isnt always the easiest of jobs, especially when Mother Nature is prone to have mood swings. For most of this summer, producers like Joe Dooling have battled excruciatingly warm temperatures, but on Wednesday, Aug. 18, temperatures took a dive.

Just the other day I was complaining that the air conditioning couldnt keep up in the tractor and this morning I had my heater on, Joe said with a chuckle.

A cold moisture front moved across a big portion of western Montana, delivering some much needed precipitation. Joe reported that in addition to waking up to sub 50-degree temperatures, his rain gauge showed three-quarters of an inch of rain.

Of course the moisture was appreciated, but the timing was not, as is usually the case. All of Joes second cutting alfalfa is cut, baled, and tarped, so now comes the somewhat arduous task of delivering the hay to its final destination. Joe was set to deliver a load of his hay down to Dillon on Aug. 18, but the extra moisture, added to the already irrigated fields, made it a little tricky getting the loaded hay truck out onto the road. Thankfully, Joes son was on hand to push him and the loaded rig out of the field.

All and all, second cutting went off without much incident. Joe made a point to fertilize all the fields between cuttings, so yields were good, as were harvest conditions. Haying is nowhere near done, however, as there is still a third cutting yet to be harvested.

It just seems like haying never stops, he said.
The continuing drought and looming estate tax changes have farmers and ranchers keeping a close eye on policies coming out of Washington, D.C.

Home for the August recess, South Dakotas Congressional delegates talked at Dakotafest in Mitchell Aug. 17 about the challenges they face and the work theyre doing making changes at a federal level that will help producers on the farm.

They were in agreement that producers facing drought conditions should have earlier access to cutting hay and grazing Conservation Reserve Program land.

Producers need something more practical that doesnt take an act of Congress for them to get assistance, Rep. Dusty Johnson said. Sen. John Thune said they have been working to get more flexibility in emergency situations for over a decade, so farmers can hay the land while still protecting vegetative cover for wildlife.

Its a balanced approach, but its so stinking hard to convince the bureaucracy to do things that seem so logical to us here in South Dakota, Thune said.

The tool for disaster relief this year is WHIP-plus (the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program), which passed out of the Senate agriculture committee in early August. Thune said the issue now is distributing the funding, but its much needed.

There isnt an acre of ground in South Dakota that isnt in some category of drought this year, he said.

To help farmers and ranchers better prepare for future natural disasters, Johnson said he is taking as his marching orders the recommendations put out by a group of ag, food and forest organizations. The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance gave its guidance last November. Some of those ideas will be put in place in the next farm bill, he said.
So, what is going on in the Ahwatukee real estate market? Is the bubble going to burst?
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Kemp to send National Guard personnel to Phoebe, state hospitals

File Photo: Tom Seegmueller Gov. Brian Kemp

ATLANTA  Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday the Georgia National Guard, in coordination with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Community Health, will deploy 105 personnel to hospitals throughout the state, including Albanys Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.

Trained medical personnel will assist staff at the following hospitals:

 Southeast Georgia Health System, Brunswick

 Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Gainesville

 Wellstar Kennestone, Marietta

 Piedmont Henry, Stockbridge

 Phoebe Putney, Albany

 Memorial Health University Medical Center, Savannah

 Navicent Health, Macon

 Grady Hospital, Atlanta

 Piedmont Fayette, Fayetteville

 Houston Medical Center, Warner Robins

These Guardsmen will assist our front line health care workers as they provide quality medical care during the current increase in cases and hospitalizations, and I greatly appreciate General (Thomas) Carden and his team for their willingness to answer the call again in our fight against COVID-19, Kemp said in a news release. This Georgia National Guard mission is in addition to the 2,800 state-supported staff and 450 new beds brought online I announced last week, at a total state investment of $625 million through December of this year.

I continue to urge all Georgians to talk to a medical professional about getting vaccinated.

The news came as officials with the Phoebe Putney Health System marked the end of two days of COVID patient decreases with an uptick in Tuesday numbers. Numbers released by Phoebe Tuesday showed a total of 209 patients at Phoebe facilities in Albany, Americus and Sylvester, a 10-patient increase from the day before. Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany was treating 177 patients on Tuesday, Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus 28, and Phoebe Worth Medical Center in Sylvester 4.

Phoebe facilities have administered a total of 60,055 vaccines.

With 11 COVID-19 deaths in our health system since Friday, no one should question the severity of this current surge, Health System President/CEO Scott Steiner said. Thankfully, we have seen a substantial increase in demand for vaccines over the last couple of weeks, and now that the FDA has given full approval to the Pfizer vaccine, we hope that demand will increase even more. That approval should give anyone who has been hesitant to get vaccinated, full confidence in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

Unfortunately, only 36% of Dougherty County residents are fully vaccinated, and that simply is not enough. We must dramatically increase that percentage if we hope to put an end to the pandemic. We fully support the new Strive for 75 community initiative, aimed at reaching a 75% vaccination rate in Dougherty County in 75 days. We encourage every unvaccinated citizen to do your part, reconsider and get the shot.

Anyone can schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment at Phoebe clinics throughout southwest Georgia by calling (229) 312-MYMD.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  People who oppose mask requirements or restrictions on public gatherings imposed by Kansas counties can challenge them in court and obtain a ruling within 10 days  at least for now  because of a decision Tuesday by the state's highest court.

The Kansas Supreme Court's ruling could discourage counties from imposing mask mandates to deal with the two-month surge in COVID-19 cases tied to the more contagious delta variant. It also could cause school boards to hesitate as well, though most of them are not directly affected.

The court granted a stay allowing enforcement of the pandemic-inspired law until it can rule on Republican state Attorney General Derek Schmidt's appeal of a lower court's ruling that declared the law unconstitutional. The Republican-led Legislature passed the law in March to restrict the power of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and county officials during emergencies.

The Supreme Court's order, signed by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, didn't explain why it granted the stay, though it could indicate that the justices feel Schmidt's appeal has merit.

Kelly declined to comment immediately after the ruling, telling The Associated Press, "I haven't seen it."

But Schmidt called the ruling "welcome news," saying in a statement that the lower court ruling created unnecessary confusion "at a time when the rise in COVID cases makes certainty and stability in the law even more critical."

Dennis Kriesel, executive director of the Kansas Association of Local Health Department, said his group had advised local health officials outside Johnson County to continue to comply with the law until the state Supreme Court rules on the appeal. He said attorneys he knew were skeptical that the high court would strike down the law.

The state's COVID-19 cases have been surging at levels not seen since late January, when vaccines still weren't widely available, with 1,208 new cases per day for the seven-day period that ended Monday. Hospitals also have been stressed for weeks because of the surge.

Only a handful of mask mandates are in effect in Kansas. In Johnson County, the state's most populous county, children are required to wear them indoors, and the county commission directed the county's six school districts to require masks in their elementary schools.

Several counties cited the law in ditching their mandates and COVID-19 restrictions in the spring. Commissioners in Sedgwick County, home to the state's largest city of Wichita, considered a mask mandate again Friday, but the measure failed after a heated debate in which an anti-mask activist promised that opponents would show up outside commissioners' homes with megaphones if the requirement were imposed.

The law allows people to sue specifically over mask mandates, limits on public gatherings and restrictions on business operations or religious gatherings. It requires a hearing within three days and a ruling seven days later.

The law does not apply to school board decisions. A previous version of the law did apply to schools, but those provisions expired when Kansas ended its state of emergency for the pandemic in June. Republican legislative leaders ended it over Kelly's objections just days before new COVID-19 cases began rising because of the delta variant.

However, the Shawnee Mission school district in Johnson County argued that it would be affected if the law were not blocked because it was directed by the county commission to require masks in elementary schools. With 26,000 students, it is the third-largest district in Kansas.

The district said in a filing with the Supreme Court this month that if the state could enforce the law, the district would be forced "to spend time and resources" defending measures it took on COVID-19, "instead of providing safe educational opportunities for its students."

The law also allowed legislative leaders to end the state of emergency for COVID-19, and any future states of emergency imposed by a governor. It also gave top lawmakers the power to revoke a governor's executive orders during an emergency.

___

Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kan.

___

Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
Shame and blame are animating features of the Critical Race movement. The latest example of Critical Race Theory can be found in the article from Inside Higher Ed and is titled "Camera's On: Surveillance in the Time of COVID-19." Author Margaret Finders "(pronouns: she, her, hers) is former chair and professor in the department of education at Augsburg University and Joaquin Munoz (he/him/his pronouns) is assistant professor in the American Indian studies department at the university."

The authors claim that asking students to keep cameras on during synchronous online class sessions is actually "indicative of an attitude toward teaching that positions students as docile bodies in need of constant surveillance." In fact, though "sharing an empty box or just a name seems to make many instructors uncomfortable ... feeling such discomfort does not give them the right to demand entry into students' private spaces."

Who is "demanding entry into students' private spaces"? The Zoom screen does not meander into other rooms. It shows the face of the student.

But the more important point according to Finders and Munoz is that "the ideologies of 'cameras on' are incredibly problematic due to their racist, sexist and classist [emphasis mine] undertones."

And so Marxist ideology is front and center in the article. The clearly combative words and alleged high moral stance are the first indications that the left is on the march. After all, the leftist machine is adept at manufacturing outrage. Strategic ambiguity and changing the meanings of words to suit its nefarious purposes are never-ending.

Since Critical Race Theory (CRT) is an offshoot of Marxism, the assertion is that "seemingly fair and open institutions [have] a hidden, racist component that block[s] black progress." Moreover, CRT "asserts that every difference in outcomes between identity groups must be exclusively the consequence of systemic racism. Its corollary is that all intellectual inquiry and political endeavor must be subordinated to the 'antiracist' revolutionary struggle to 'liberate' America and the world from systemic racism."

Hence, Finders and Munoz declare that "requesting or requiring students to let [an instructor] inside their homes and private spaces can be culturally insensitive and ultimately racist [because] demanding cameras on protects white racial privileges and traditional Western hierarchies of culture."

Because, even in face-to-face settings, traditional markers of engagement are highly cultural. For example, maintaining eye contact as a sign of respect or engagement is a norm that some cultures do not practice. Instructors should not demand the right to claim unrestricted visual ownership of students' bodies and spaces. Asking students to allow [instructors] into their private spaces potentially has significant cultural implications. Many students' homes may have cultural artifacts and spaces that students do not want to share outside of their sociocultural groups.

Furthermore, "being 'camera ready' may be highly gendered, as well. For some women, the need to look a particular way may be important to their presentation of self in a public forum. They may feel that they need to dress, fix hair and apply makeup in order to be camera-ready. With caregiving and other demands at home, this may prove particularly challenging. Thus, many women may decide to keep their cameras off, which instructors often incorrectly perceive as demonstrating they're not academically engaged. These are all critical equity [emphasis mine] issues that instructors should consider."

It is vital to understand the triad of diversity, inclusion, and equity (DIE) that CRT proponents demand. This DIE approach is critical to their actions. In fact, "the imposition of equity  equal outcomes for all identity groups in every aspect of politics, society, and culture" is mandatory.

Equity is not a synonym for equality. Equity has come to mean the opposite of "equality." In fact, "equity ... means inequality of treatment." The inversion of language is constantly manifested by the left.

CRT activists insist upon the removal of "implicit bias" from all areas of life and the destruction of capitalism since in their eyes "capitalism is so bound up with racism."

So in a nutshell, if one is of the oppressor/aggressor class  that is, Caucasian  then constant self-censorship and genuflection to the new masters of alleged protection from racism are obligatory.

But of course, the nasty underbelly of CRT is exposed when its adherents claim that "Larry Elder is the Black Face of White Supremacy. You've been Warned."

In essence, "contrary to the claims of some of its defenders, CRT is not simply a benign academic theory that marks another milestone in the advancement of civil rights for African Americans." It is exactly the opposite. Yet one would never know that by looking at the Owl at Purdue site, which is used by thousands of students.

Everything is about race. And if anyone questions CRT's central belief systems, that individual is branded a racist. So your low-level melanin marks you a racist, and your questioning the philosophy of CRT labels you a racist as well. CRT claims that to argue against CRT ideas is absolute evidence of the dissenter's "white fragility," "unconscious bias," or "internalized white supremacy."

CRT advocates aim to make "race obsession an official governing norm," whether it is in housing, education, employment, economics, health care, libraries, or the criminal justice sector. For example, the American Academy of Family Physicians has declared that the U.S. officially recognizes racism as a public health issue. And how to treat this alleged malady  "treat Americans differently depending upon our ancestry" (emphasis mine).

Another example of the insidious growth of CRT is the online course for librarians titled "From Collection to Action: A One-Day 'Read Woke' Mini Course with Cicely Lewis" where Lewis and her colleagues will show "how to bring diverse voices to your library collection, programming, and community building." The aim of these programs is to work on "equity-based school and public library partnerships." There are also study abroad programs where students "will explore justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging as they relate to study abroad." Nothing has been left to chance as the indoctrination takes hold.

In essence, "CRT is moral blackmail designed to spark racial conflict in America, pitting 'oppressed' minorities against 'oppressor' whites." CRT's ultimate aim is a massive power-grab and massive wealth transfer into its own advocates' coffers. It will continue to shoot a million darts into the American belief system of meritocracy and due process. Its bigotry is damaging to black and white kids alike. It is a relentless program to demoralize instructors and ultimately eliminate anyone who can think and question.

The us versus them approach is further highlighted in the article as Finders and Munoz assert that instructors asking to see students online is "the pathologizing of students."

The term "pathologize" means to "regard or treat (someone or something) as psychologically abnormal or unhealthy." I wonder  does this apply if a black instructor asks that students make themselves visible?

But the left has always been lazy about accuracy in language. The left brooks no dissent and demands total adherence to its racist philosophy. It "demoralizes and demeans white students by telling them that not only are their views but also their very lives are illegitimate, while it flatters all other students by proclaiming that their vices and shortcomings are either the fault of systemic racism or virtues and accomplishments to be celebrated."

CRT empathy is phony and false as its leaders rant and rave about cameras "protecting white racial privileges." Does this mean that famous black photographers (e.g., James Van Der Zee, Ernest Withers, Carrie Mae Weems, and Gordon Parks) used white racial privilege?

Instead, Finders and Munoz exhort that teachers need to "lean into the discomfort [they] may have about teaching online and examine it"  and, of course, "consider critical equity issues regarding race, gender and class when establishing [their] camera policy."

In short, do not see your students. Presume that you are a racist and unworthy and realize that "while looking at students may be comfortable to instructors, for students, it can be an alien experience."

Indeed, there is an aggressive, deadly virus that continues to mutate in this country, and it is Critical Race Theory. It is racist to its core. It needs to be exposed and refuted and expunged in every way possible.

Eileen can be reached at middlemarch18@gmail.com.

Image: Andy Witchger via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
As we witness planeloads full of Muslim Afghan citizens head for America, it's time to start asking why Muslim countries aren't stepping forward to take care of their co-religionists. Isn't it time they did?

Afghanistan has fallen to the Taliban and may soon become a caliphate, ruling over a population that's 90% Sunni Muslims. According to the entry on the Taliban at the "Major Religions of the World" website, the Taliban are not a standalone religious sect. Instead, they are a radical political and religious faction. Many Taliban were trained in Pakistani-run madrassas. Thanks to the refugee flow the Russian occupation triggered in Afghanistan:

Saudi Arabia had an opening to further Wahhabism, its official religion. Pakistan's military dictator, General Zia ul Haq, a devout Wahabi himself, decided to establish this network of madrassas to train and educate the young minds in the art of hating the US/Zionism. He wanted these madrassas to become a permanent supply source of mujahideen.

This brings us to what is currently happening in Afghanistan. Two superpowers, Russia and the United States, failed to obtain victory over the militant Taliban. After Russia's pulled out, the Taliban overran Afghanistan, instituting a strict, violent, and oppressive reign over the lives of many, denying basic freedoms of thought, actions, and lifestyles. Women and girls suffered the most.

Now that the Americans are pulling out, that cycle is repeating itself. With the Taliban's current victory over the country, girls and women have been subjected to rape, forced marriage, strict dress codes, and denial of freedom of education and vocations. Men are affected, too, whether it's being forced to grow beards or to stop telling jokes. (The Taliban executed a comedian on Tuesday.) The Taliban are expected to further transform societal mores and norms.

While Afghanistan is a Muslim country, the Taliban's extreme approach to interpreting Islam makes it an outlier even by the standards of other Muslim countries. Considering the severe oppression many Muslims themselves will experience under Taliban reign, a valid question arises: "When will Islamic countries come to the rescue of oppressed Islamic people?"

Afghanistan isn't alone as a country where Muslims are oppressed. The Chinese Communist Party rounded up the Uyghur people and placed them in camps. BBC News reports:

Human rights groups believe China has detained more than one million Uyghurs against their will over the past few years in a large network of what the state calls 're-education camps', and sentenced hundreds of thousands to prison terms. There is evidence Uyghurs are used as forced labor and women are forcibly sterilized. Some former camp detainees allege they were tortured and sexually abused.

Remember Darfur and the way the Sudanese Arab Muslims committed near genocide against the Darfuri black Muslims? Women and girls were gang-raped, and many Darfuris were brutally slaughtered  men, women, and children. The same happened to the southern black Sudanese, who are Christian. In Iraq, 1.5 million Muslims have been martyred.

Every sura (chapter) of the Quran, except for one, begins with "In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful." (Allah is the only word for God in Arabic, so it is also the word that Arabic-speaking Christians use. Indeed, they worshipped Allah centuries before Muhammad was born or Islam conceived.) Since Allah is described as "compassionate" and "merciful," it would follow that Muslims should take on those traits and treat others with compassion and mercy, which is why the aforementioned question is valid.

As thousands, if not millions, of Muslims around the world are violently oppressed, why aren't Muslim countries coming to their rescue? Why are Muslims accepting individual or gang rape of Muslim women and girls? Why don't Muslim countries care that millions of Muslims are brutally murdered and martyred? As Americans or Westerners, isn't it time to recognize that oppressed Muslims really need other Muslims to come to rescue them rather than placing the burden on infidels?

America and other Western nations have a right to  indeed, should  ask this invariably unasked question. They should challenge the Muslim world to take pity on oppressed Muslims around the world, especially in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Their fellow Muslims need their compassion and mercy as much as Allah's "Compassion and Mercy."

Such traits and actions could be called Quranic principles, as Christians and Jews claim such traits as biblical principles when applied to Christians, Jews, and others. They are humane principles and human rights for all peoples and all religions. Another way to pose the question is to say, "It's time for Islamic countries to come to the rescue of oppressed Islamic people, isn't it?"

Image: A photo purporting to show U.S. troops loading Afghan refugees on a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17  except the plane has Arab script on it. Seems strange to me, but what do I know? Photo from the Department of Defense.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves."

Matthew 27:24 describes Pontius Pilate as denying involvement in Jesus' crucifixion. Joe Biden is our Pontius Pilate. He causes mayhem, then leaves desolation in his wake, and takes responsibility for none of it. Given the catastrophic and devastating consequences of the illegitimate Biden administration, one has to wonder, "Where is Congress?"

Given Biden's now obvious plan to utterly destroy America both here at home and on the international stage, shouldn't they, as a united body, stand together and demand this president be removed along with his inept and tone-deaf advisers  naive Blinken, liar Sullivan, "white rage" Milley, Austin, and Afghanistan commander Gen. McKenzie? They all telegraph weakness.

Many times in our nation's past, we've had incompetent elected officials but none who did the unspeakable, inhumane damage Biden has wrought. He and his passive-aggressive posse's actions are now clearly criminal, potentially genocidal, and he seems not to care or even notice.

He and his coterie of arrogant bumblers seem unable to grasp the value of human life, America's standing in the world, or loyalty to our allies. Biden has blown up the reputation of the U.S. and proven that he and his band of milquetoasts are wholly without decency, ethics, and any sense of morality. This is a bad bunch of people who have taken Obama's intent to bring America down a peg and doubled down. They are orchestrating our defeat, which, given what he has surrendered to the Taliban/al-Qaeda/ISIS, may lead to our destruction.

So why are the men and women of Congress not standing together demanding that these treasonous tools of China be removed from office immediately? Whom do they represent if not the American people? Biden is putting their families at risk along with the rest of us.

Biden's clumsy and lethal withdrawal from Afghanistan proves, once and for all, his malevolence. He opened the southern border to all comers on the first day of his administration. He is hosting an invasion, welcoming migrants with COVID, syphilis, AIDS, TB, and probably many more diseases, some long ago eradicated in the U.S. They are gang members, cartel employees, and sex traffickers and, of course, there are innocents among them. Biden is preventing the deportation of all of them.

This can only be a calculated plan to infect Americans with COVID and other communicable diseases and the crime that will surely infect their communities. And now he is vowing to bring tens of thousands of Afghani refugees to our cities and towns. What could possibly go wrong? Will any of them be vetted, those who cross the southern border or those who arrive from Afghanistan? Not likely. They will be coddled, fed, clothed, sheltered, and cared for on the U.S. taxpayer dime. How many among them will wreak murder and mayhem upon their new host nation? Who knows? This administration, from the outset, favors criminal and foreign terrorists over Americans, choosing instead to label conservative citizens and supporters of President Trump as "domestic terrorists."

On day one, Biden prevented the completion of the wall and erased our energy independence, which is why gas prices in California are nearing five dollars a gallon, and he has been reduced to begging OPEC to pump more oil. They said no. How pathetic.

He continues to support defunding the police and has promoted teaching the racist and thus repellent Critical Race Theory. He and his administration support the medical and surgical ravages of gender dysphoria procedures, sacrificing countless young people to this dangerous, life-altering form of mass psychosis. And then there is the pandemic, a creation of the left's incitement of hysteria over a very treatable virus and the attempt to mandate experimental vaccines that have caused tens of thousands of deaths and injuries.

Big tech and the media all collude to dismiss the truth as "misinformation" just as they suppress information on available therapeutics. What have the Republicans in Congress done to counter all the ruination of our civil society? Nothing. Not one thing. Oh, they go on the news programs and complain, but they do zero, zip, nada.

One would at the very least expect all the Republicans to band together and file articles of impeachment. One would expect, given the dire circumstances, that the Democrats in Congress would demand that Biden's Cabinet invoke the 25th Amendment, as he is clearly suffering from dementia. But no. They do nothing but party maskless while ordering the rest of us to wear face diapers in seeming perpetuity and attempt to permanently bankrupt the U.S. with trillions in spending us into socialism while legislating the federal government's control over all elections. Biden, with Pelosi's help, has seen to it that the U.S. is no longer a superpower. We are no longer a democratic republic, but heading toward failed state status.

Biden's orchestration of the disastrous fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, a band of seventh-century barbarians who are going door to door to ferret out Afghans who may have helped the Americans and to capture girls as young as twelve as "wives" for their fighters, is the worst thing an American president has ever done in the history of this nation. He turned over Bagram Air Force Base and billions of dollars in helicopters, tanks, and arms. Billions. Let that sink in. He gave them the armaments to come after us.

This is far worse than the fall of Saigon, also a betrayal of in-country allies by the left. Millions were killed after Vietnam was abandoned. The killing fields were real. That is what is ahead for the Afghans and Americans who have spent years there trying to help the Afghani people, especially their women and girls. That will be Joe Biden's legacy, the permanent stain on his presidency and the ruling class that put him in the Oval Office.

But this administration should end now. Who can predict how much more damage he will do if he and his "team" remain in power? Congress, do your job! Save the nation. Find a way and do it. Get it done.

Caricature by Donkey Hotey, CC BY 2.0 license.

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To be fair, White House press secretary Jen Psaki has the worst job in Washington, D.C. She has to explain the unexplainable. On Monday, she had an exchange with Peter Doocy, who is apparently the only reporter with a pulse in that room. It's hard to believe that these are the same reporters who turned into wolves every time they saw President Trump. Anyway, back to the exchange:

Psaki said it was "irresponsible" to say that Americans are stranded in Afghanistan. "I think it's irresponsible to say Americans are stranded. They are not. We are committed to bringing Americans who want to come home, home." Doocy followed up and asked whether "there are no Americans stranded" is the official White House position. "I'm just calling you out for saying we are stranding Americans in Afghanistan when we have been very clear that we are not leaving Americans who want to return home," Psaki said. "We are going to bring them home and I think that's important for the American public to hear and understand."

Wow. I thought that Bill Clinton was whispering in Jen's ear.

Of course, they are stranded, or maybe stuck, outside the airport. The definition of stranded is "unable to leave somewhere because of a problem such as not having any transportation or money." It sorts of sounds like the situation of Americans or our allies on the other side of the airport.

I think I understand what Miss Psaki is trying to say. Her message is that the Americans are not stuck there unless we declare that they are helplessly stuck there. In the meantime, there are God only knows how many Americans who are wondering how they are going to make it to the airport. Let's hope they can do it before August 31, because all bets are off after that!

Maybe the Babylon Bee has these people figured out: "Tired Of Being President, Biden Hangs 'Trump Won' Sign Out Of White House Window." Yes, the return of the smart people to Washington is not turning out to be what they had planned. It's like the one stranded is the Biden administration.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).

Image: Prachatai.

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Monday, August 24, 2021, was an exciting day for the Pfizer vaccine. Not only did the Food and Drug Administration fully approve it, but it will also be marketed under a new name. Going forward, it will be known as Comirnaty. It should be a day for celebrating. Finally, a vaccine for the coronavirus has won the coveted FDA stamp of approval! Now everyone can be vaccinated with complete confidence in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine that has come to be the gold standard for fighting COVID-19.

Not so fast! In December 2020, Israel launched a campaign to vaccinate its entire population. The country has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, with 80% of its population over the age of twelve fully vaccinated with both shots of the Pfizer vaccine. By June 2021, there were whole days where not one COVID infection was reported. Hooray! The Pfizer vaccine has crushed COVID, and it will never rise again!

Except that two months later, in August 2021, Israel's highly vaccinated population has one of the highest rates of infection in the world. Today, roughly one in every 150 persons in Israel has the virus. The miracle-working Pfizer vaccine waned in only six months, and the vaccinated seem peculiarly vulnerable to Delta, the new COVID variant that has caused almost all the infections in Israel.

Not to be daunted by little things like waning immunity, mutated viruses, and a population rapidly sickening from a dangerous new variant that seems to have evolved to avoid the vaccine, Israel is demanding higher vaccination rates. Hospitalizations are increasing, people are dying, and health officials are floating the idea of vaccinations every six months. The fact that a dangerous variant evolved six months after the first mass vaccination effort seems to have eluded the government of Israel, which is starting a nationwide campaign for booster shots. That will make three shots for the most vaccinated and, now, the most infected country in the world.

Pfizer maintains that two doses of vaccine are sufficient to prevent illness, even as it claims that a third dose might be helpful as well. It would seem, looking at real-world results, that the vaccines are not 90% effective after all and that breakthrough infections are more common than was previously admitted.

It would also seem that COVID is especially good at evolving to get around vaccines, which raises a frightening question: if delta emerged only six months after a heavy vaccination program and started attacking the vaccinated, is it possible that boosters every six months will produce even more virulent mutations?

Perhaps it would be wiser to focus on treatments for COVID rather than a universal vaccination program. AIDS was once a death sentence, and a vaccine against the disease remained elusive, but thanks to research into treatments, AIDS patients now can hope to live relatively normal lives and even marry and have children.

Perhaps this approach is the way to beat COVID. It is possible that instead of vaccinating large numbers of people, we should be focusing on treatments for the disease and reserving vaccinations for the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

Pandra Selivanov is the author of Future Slave, a story about a 21st century black teenager who is sent back in time and becomes a slave in the old south.

Image: Vaccine booster in Israel. YouTube screen grab.

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The beasts of the Taliban undoubtedly were paying attention:

Joe Biden showed up five hours late to his press conference and, by one report, read his teleprompter with bloodshot eyes, spoke for the first five minutes on his domestic priorities, and declared the August 31 deadline for a U.S. troop pullout was on, just as the Taliban insisted, and then added that maybe it wasn't.

According to the New York Post:

President Joe Biden announced that he has asked defense officials to put together "contingency plans" for keeping American forces on the ground in Afghanistan beyond the end of this month  despite claiming earlier Tuesday that the White House would abide by the Taliban's "red line" of a full withdrawal by Aug. 31. Biden said Tuesday that the completion of US forces' evacuation operation at Kabul's international airport by the end of this month "depends on the Taliban continuing to cooperate," and confirmed that he had asked the Pentagon and the State Department for "contingency plans to adjust the timetable, should that become necessary."

Just a day ago, Pentagon officials were saying that Biden wouldn't extend the deadline, right after the Taliban had threatened "consequences" if they did. Now there's contingency talk, given that that didn't go over very well with Americans. Sound as if this guy knows what he's doing?

It doesn't sound like a lot of clarity to allies, the Taliban, or most of all to the trapped Americans who are in danger of being left behind. And with Joe showing signs of senility and showing up late, it's obvious there's some kind of infighting going on backstage.

For the Taliban, one thing is clear: Joe Biden doesn't know what he's doing. His messaging is mixed; he's striving to please all sides. Contingency plans? From the Milley crew? Good luck with that one, because the Taliban can see that most of the Biden thrust has been to satisfy themselves. Elsewhere, administration officials have said Americans actually will be left behind.

The Taliban can also see that Biden's disorganization and muddled declarations seem to be progressively getting worse.

Biden's numbers, read from the teleprompter, in this press conference, were particularly problematic.

Biden declared things were going swimmingly, and bragged that 70,000 people have been evacuated.

How many of these evacuations were the work of allies getting their nationals out, and how many were the work of the Americans? Somehow that wasn't clarified.

And how many of these evacuations involved Americans was an even bigger question. This being Biden, it was left unsaid.

Plenty of questions about this are cropping up that Biden doesn't have the narrative and teleprompter points to address.

Biden insisted that all the evacuated non-Americans are refugees who will be vetted but still hasn't said why so many of the faces of those in the news photos of overfilled cargo jets were of Afghani military-aged young men. That's not your basic profile of a refugee; that's a profile of a migrant. Did these men push their way ahead of the women, children, handicapped, and elderly at the airport to get their seats? Maybe that's not the profile of a refugee or even migrant that the U.S. should want.

The Taliban, with slimy motives of their own, certainly have declared that Joe's running a migrant ferry service as Americans remain their hostage:

"I assure you it is not about being worried or scared," [Taliban spokesweasel Suhail Shaheen] said [in an interview with Sky News]. "They want to reside in Western countries and that is a kind of economic migration because Afghanistan is a poor country and 70 percent of the people of Afghanistan live under the line of poverty so everyone wants to resettle in Western countries to have a prosperous life. It is not about [being] scared."

The other problem, according to a report by Axios, picked up by Breitbart, is that the refugees being taken to Doha for processing are being stuffed into horrendous conditions in refugee centers, with barf, diarrhea, rats, spilled liquids, trash, urine, and other plagues (imagine the flies) all around them in high desert heat. The kids in cages from Central America being sheltered in Texas migrant processing centers, bad as that is, by comparison, have it good. Apparently, there was no planning on that front from the Bidenites for these Afghani refugees, and some surely must be, waiting to be processed, either.

None of the important questions is being answered, above all, the one about whether Americans, particularly women and children who can't push through those mobbed thuggified airport gates will be left behind.

The Taliban are watching this muddle and adjusting their plans accordingly. They wish us ill. They can be counted on the two axes of Biden muddle and their hate to determine their next move.

Image: Screen shot from NBC video via shareable YouTube.

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The big problem with vaccines and viruses is that viruses tend to mutate into strains that are resistant to the vaccine. It's called ADE, "Antibody Dependent Enhancement," and it is why no effective coronavirus vaccine had ever been developed prior to the current pandemic.

From the Journal of Infection, August 9:

[I]n the case of the Delta variant, neutralizing antibodies have a decreased affinity for the spike protein, whereas facilitating antibodies display a strikingly increased affinity. Thus, ADE may be a concern for people receiving vaccines based on the original Wuhan strain spike sequence (either mRNA or viral vectors). Under these circumstances, second generation vaccines with spike protein formulations lacking structurally-conserved ADE-related epitopes should be considered.

The chairman and CEO of Pfizer seems to agree that vaccine resistance is a problem for patients...and an opportunity for Pfizer to sell booster shots, perhaps in perpetuity.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Tuesday said the company believes a COVID-19 vaccine-resistant variant will likely one day emerge, though the company has a system in place to turn around a variant-specific jab within some three months. "Every time that the variant appears in the world, our scientists are getting their hands around it," Bourla told Fox News' "Americas Newsroom." "They are researching to see if this variant can escape the protection of our vaccine. We havent identified any yet but we believe that it is likely that one day, one of them will emerge."

Alex Berenson highlights a study from Israel, with the highest vaccination ratio in the world.

VERY VERY IMPORTANT PAPER OUT OF JAPAN SUGGESTS DELTA IS MUTATING IN A WAY THAT MAY SOON PRODUCE ADE TO THE PFIZER VACCINE THROUGH NTD MUTATIONS AND BOOSTERS MAY MAKE THE PROBLEM WORSE pic.twitter.com/dhzwo2PPqk  Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) August 24, 2021

The note that boosters may make the problem worse is troubling, indeed. Even worse is this statement from Dr. Rochelle Walensky of the CDC suggesting that there may be an increased risk of serious disease among those vaccinated early:

Dr. Walensky let the Israel cat out of the bag:



"reports from Israel suggest INCREASED RISK OF SEVERE DISEASE amongst those vaccinated early".



So wait... despite all the rhetoric about reduced severity/hospitalization, Israel data suggests otherwise?? pic.twitter.com/JDSUjvXL76  Who? What? When? Where? (@Jimmy_Jeans) August 19, 2021

I am no immunologist, not even a medical doctor, but ADE makes logical sense, given what we know about the problem of antibiotics breeding resistant germs.

Vaccinated people appear to be getting the coronavirus at a surprisingly high rate. But exactly how often isnt clearAnd now, theres growing concern that vaccinated people may be more vulnerable to serious illness than previously thought.https://t.co/zgWZHh0YA5  Aaron Ginn (@aginnt) August 22, 2021

I am still fascinated by Sweden  remember Sweden?  where the approach taken was to maximize herd immunity, given the fact that 99%+++ of those who contract the virus survive with therapeutic treatment, absent serious comorbidities.

Sweden's 7-day average COVID deaths have been at ZERO for about a month now.



I feel like its only a matter of time before the very existence of a place called Sweden is scrubbed from the internet. pic.twitter.com/O3ivyGmpvp  Brumby (@the_brumby) August 17, 2021

Given the incalculable harm done by school and business lockdowns and the unknown long-term effects of the gene therapies disguised as vaccines, it looks to me as though Sweden's laissez-faire approach was far wiser than ours.

Image credit: FrankundFrei Pixabay License.

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One of the most effective ways for the MSM to shut down an inquiry into misconduct is to say it is all a conspiracy theory. Besides avoiding an unwanted discussion, the charge also invites scrutiny of the "theorist" instead of the issue itself. Notice how quickly some even start off saying something like "I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but..." Expecting their reaction, we have become almost trained to do this.

But are there really no big conspiracies?

It has been claimed that the phrase "conspiracy theory" was invented by the government to discourage the questioning of official explanations for important events, especially the JFK assassination. Whether that was the real origin of the phrase or not, it is clear that the charge is plainly being used for that purpose: to dissuade any alternatives to the party narrative for major occurrences such as election fraud and the origin of the Wuhan virus.

The more we find out about the most significant events of today, especially the virus, the more we see a gigantic, long-term, sophisticated, and extremely disciplined coordination. With newly released emails, knowing the real authors and background of major studies, previous strategy papers, and videos outside the mainstream until now, the wargaming of pandemics, the financial support of agencies, laboratories, and studies, and the timeline of the vaccines and related patents, the enormous COVID conspiracy is coming into view.

There is so much organized intrigue now; how could anyone believe there aren't any conspiracies? The people with the tinfoil hats today are the ones who don't think there are huge conspiracies, that things just happen without planning or coordination. They are the ones who will believe anything.

In fact, our time is brimming with deep secrets and hidden agendas. Consider the following questions:

Is it really more plausible that the media are acting separately but identically or that they are colluding among themselves and with the Democrats and the Deep State? That their simultaneous and identical takes on everything are just due to similar viewpoints and not highly coordinated messages of the day?

Is it possible that the media have maintained and expanded their editorial bias over time without firm top-directed orders? Or would an uncontrolled system be expected to act like a pendulum, swinging back and forth?

Is it really plausible that the left/globalists capture organizations and institutions at will without a master plan and an extensive system of carrots and sticks? It just happens. Or is it more likely that there is a central authority choreographing it all and compelling submission?

Was it ever more plausible that the virus came about accidentally from a wet market with no evidence that such action could occur, when right down the street was a lab where we know that such viruses were studied?

Is it really plausible that nations around the world keep ratcheting up the tyranny as they independently determine it to be the best course of action? Or does it seem much more likely that each is part of a larger plan, sequenced for maximum effect?

Is it really more plausible that the American people never get what they want from their leaders because they are bad at picking them or that there really is no choice because elections are compromised and much of the nation's leadership is either corrupt or being blackmailed and threatened?

Is it really probable that significant numbers of leaders take positions on issues they know are unpopular with their own constituents due to conviction and principles, however flawed? Or is it at least as likely that they are told to do so and know that that they will be taken care of if they lose their positions? Why is it that on the important issues, especially immigration, the path of least resistance for the politicians is always to betray the people?

Does anyone believe that five states independently and without consultation decided to stop counting votes at about the same time on election night?

Is it really plausible that bad people are always more clever and harder-working than the rest or that they often get promoted and taken care of in their field by unseen power brokers?

Is it really plausible that the vast majority of national elected officials, including the least impressive, have built great personal wealth during public service without extensive help and a rigged system? Or is it more likely that they have certain privileges now that they are part of the club?

Is it really possible that an adversarial movement would maintain almost flawless unanimity and discipline  guided only by common goals? Not even small differences on goals? No disagreement on methods? No visible internecine conflict and only the rarest public personality clashes? Or is it more likely that the rigid purpose and execution are maintained through extensive bribery and, when necessary, highly organized fear and punishment?

The point is that huge conspiracy is not just being further supported by recent revelations; it is becoming the only reasonable explanation for the milieu in which we find ourselves. Traditional explanations cannot account for the unlikely scenarios we see today. As soon as we get past the "there can be no big conspiracies" mindset, the world becomes clearer and more understandable, as well as more concerning. Amazing times we live in.

Image via Pxhere.

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One of Trumps triumphs was the Remain in Mexico policy, which required asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while the U.S. considers their petitions. On his first day in office, Biden suspended that rule (and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas later terminated it). Thanks to this and other violations of U.S. Immigration law, our southern border was thrown wide open.

The matter ended up before a federal district court in Texas, which issued an injunction requiring the rule to be reinstated by August 21. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected the Biden administrations request to stay that ruling. The big question now is whether the Biden administration will abide by the Supreme Courts ruling.

I must admit that I didnt pay much attention in the first instance to Judge Matthew Kacsmaryks original decision in the case that Texas and Missouri filed against Biden challenging his suspending the Remain in Mexico policy. I cynically assumed that the decision would instantly be overturned. In fact, its quite a decent order that looks at the actual law and expects the Biden administration to comply.

Texas and Missouri claimed that the orders suspending and then terminating the Remain in Mexico policy procedurally violated the Administration Procedures Act (APA) and substantively violated 8 U.S.C. 1225, the Constitution, and a deal between Texas and the feds. To the surprise and chagrin of the Democrat establishment, the judge (a Trump appointee) agreed.

What I found especially interesting was that the judge concluded that the Remain in Mexico policy complied perfectly with 8 U.S.C. 1225. As he explained, if a persons asylum claim is questionable, the government must detain that person (rather than simply releasing them into Americas interior with a court date). Significantly,

Congress allows DHS an alternative to mandatory detention in the United States: In the case of an alien described in [Section 1225(b)(2)(A)] who is arriving on land (whether or not at a designated port of arrival) from a foreign territory contiguous to the United States, [DHS] may return the alien to that territory pending a proceeding under Section 1229a of this title.  1225(b)(2)(C). This contiguous-territory-return authority enables DHS to avoid having to detain aliens arriving on land from Mexico (or Canada), and instead allows DHS to temporarily return those aliens to the foreign territory from which they just arrived pending their immigration proceedings.

Having concluded that the law was clear and that Bidens cursory order violated APA procedures, the judge gave the administration until August 21 to reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy. The New York Times is still shocked that the court applied the law as written:

That was a novel reading of the law, the acting solicitor general, Brian H. Fletcher, told the justices. That view had never been accepted by any presidential administration since the statutes enactment in 1996, including the Trump administration, he said.

In fact, theres nothing novel at all about reading a law as written. Its the first rule of statutory interpretation.

The administration turned to the Fifth Circuit for a stay pending its inevitable appeal but got the cold shoulderand on Monday, in a 107-word unsigned order, the Supreme Court also refused to stay the injunction:

The application for a stay presented to Justice Alito and by him referred to the Court is denied. The applicants have failed to show a likelihood of success on the claim that the memorandum rescinding the Migrant Protection Protocols was not arbitrary and capricious. See Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of Univ. of Cal., 591 U. S. ___ (2020) (slip op., at 9- 12, 17-26). Our order denying the Governments request for a stay of the District Court injunction should not be read as affecting the construction of that injunction by the Court of Appeals. Justice Breyer, Justice Sotomayor, and Justice Kagan would grant the application.

The big question at this point is whether the Biden administration will comply with the injunction. After all, this is the same administration that went ahead with an eviction moratorium earlier this month, even though Biden openly acknowledged that it was unconstitutionalsomething he knew because Justice Kavanaugh had described it as such in an order declaring as essentially moot an appeal from a prior, expiring eviction moratorium.

At this point, I feel compelled to point out that Trump, who was supposed to have violated all known norms, never ignored the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Joe Mr. Normal Biden, has had the most abnormal, illegal presidency in American history.

Image: Illegal immigrants in Texas. YouTube screen grab.

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To any sane person, it appears our elites and their media sycophants are engaging in an unprecedented preposterous statement tournament. They must get up every day, snicker once or twice, and try to think of the most ridiculous, least verifiable piece of ludicrous prevarication they can attempt to pass off as truth. And why shouldn't they? A significant percentage of Americans seem willing to believe anything at all.

So President Biden says there are no Americans trapped in Kabul. All right, now tell us the one about the three bears. His press secretary, Jen Psaki, says we need to get the military out of Afghanistan first, so we don't risk anyone getting hurt. Yes, forget about the thousands of American civilians trapped in Kabul. Ignore the pictures of mothers throwing their babies over fences. Um, Jen, we send our troops to places specifically to confront danger and instability...and often to fight the bad guys. That's why, unlike civilians, they are armed to the teeth and wear body armor. That's why they have attack helicopters, A-10 Warthogs, missiles, rocket launchers, grenades, and submachine guns. Or used to, before the Biden administration decided to donate them to the Taliban. But we are told we can trust the Taliban, that its members are turning over a new leaf. (Perhaps moving from the 8th century to the 9th century?)

We are told the vaccines work wonderfully and are totally safe. And then told we need to start wearing masks again. And that hospitals are filling up again. And that we need a "booster" shot. We are virtually assured the coronavirus didn't come from a laboratory in Wuhan. Until we were told that it might very well have come from a laboratory in Wuhan. But, Biden says, the Chinese are Hunter's our friends., and Iran, too, poses no serious threat.

Then the Los Angeles Times trots out a headline averring: "Larry Elder is the Black face of white supremacy. You've been warned." Gee, Times, thanks for the tip. Does it make sense, though, that a Black man is a spokesperson for white supremacy? Apparently, this is not your grandfather's White supremacy movement. (Were there many Black Imperial Wizards in the Ku Klux Klan?) I mean, did the rank and file not notice that their precious White supremacy organization was filling up with Black folks? If they did and didn't care, and if they like Larry Elder, they really aren't particularly racist, are they? Have they just not been paying attention, or have they gone soft? Or maybe there isn't that big of a problem here, and everyone can just settle down and go home.

What can be said with certainty is that "The Los Angeles Times is the face of media idiocy."

It has been said over the decades that Americans have lost their innocence, that we are terribly jaded and cynical. The past few years have proved that this, too, is incorrect. A disheartening number of Americans have bought the lies of the government and media that despise them:

"Trump colluded with Russia!"

"The 2020 election was the fairest of them all."

"Kamala Harris will be a great vice president."

"Hunter is the smartest guy I know."

"It's all Trump's fault."

The United States was founded on a healthy  and historically deeply warranted  distrust of government. Today, the only thing many Americans are skeptical about is the truth.

Past this point, no free republic, indeed no viable society, can long continue.

Photo credit: YouTube screen grab.

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The title of this article is somewhat oxymoronic in nature. The real title should read: "What will the Biden Administration do regarding Afghanistan?" as opposed to what should it do. As for what we should do, the usual panoply of options comes to focus. It would include a combination of threats; sanctions; international isolation; and, finally, using military forces to evacuate door by door each and every city that has either an American citizen or an Afghan who supported the U.S., along with his family.

However, the rank and file of the Democrat party have virtually no support for any re-engagement in Afghanistan. Also, the Biden administration's standing in the international community is at an all-time low. Therefore, it appears that all the aforementioned options are impractical, if not impossible.

An unknown number of U.S. citizens (possibly as many as 40,000) and an equally unknown number of Afghan employees who worked for American forces are in peril. Moreover, they are scattered throughout the country in cities such as Kandahar and Jalalabad. It would be quite challenging, if not impossible, to locate and extricate them all without the Taliban's cooperation. Indeed, it is the Taliban who are threatening the Biden administration with "dire consequences" if America isn't completely out of Afghanistan by August 31. So, we must ask, what is the most likely action the administration will take?

There are two courses of action America might take. The first can be described as "abandonment and denial." This would see the U.S. abandoning the Americans and Afghan allies to their fate by stating that this is the unfortunate price we pay in order to free ourselves from a never-ending war, and then denying any responsibility for this disaster by blaming the Trump administration and faulty intelligence.

The second course of action can best be described as "appeasement and bribery (ransom)." There is historical precedence for the second approach. Shortly after the Obama administration's successful conclusion of the Iran nuclear deal, the administration secretly negotiated a second agreement with Tehran regarding a small number of American hostages that Iran held. Accordingly, Obama's team secretly flew hundreds of millions of additional dollars to Iran in return for a grand total of four American hostages who should have been released before any negotiation began.

As Joe Biden was Obama's vice president, he would have been aware of this. What makes the Iran deal relevant to Afghanistan is that a large number of Biden appointees and re-treads from the Obama administration were almost certainly involved in that previous deal. Unfortunately, the number of potential hostages being held in Afghanistan is thousands of times larger, and they also should have come first before announcing a pull-out.

There is one last point that must be made. Many people have compared the fiasco in Afghanistan to the debacle in Vietnam. There is one major difference. When North Vietnamese tanks rolled into Saigon, the war ended. There was no danger that the North Vietnamese would attack the U.S. mainland.

With the Taliban takeover of Kabul, the situation is quite different. In addition to an unknown number of American citizens and Afghan allies likely to be left behind, it is probable that both al-Qaeda and ISIS will use Afghanistan as a base to reconstitute their depleted forces and launch new attacks against the West, requiring some form of U.S. retaliation. After all is said and done, the sordid story of America's involvement in Afghanistan is not yet over. It may very well just be the beginning.

Caren Besner is a retired teacher who has written articles published by American Thinker, Sun-Sentinel, Dr Swier, News With Views, The Front Page, The Published Reporter, Washington Examiner, The Algemeiner, Jewish Journal, Independent Sentinel, Jerusalem Post, Arutz Sheva, San Diego Jewish World, The Times of Israel, The Moderate Voice, IsraPost, The Jewish Voice, Joo Tube, The Florida Veteran, and others.

Image: "Everything is going to be fine" cartoon by Nobarack08.

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The Taliban announced that they expected America to be out of Afghanistan as of August 31, even though there are tens of thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies still trapped in the country. Joe Biden did not tell the Taliban to go pound sand. Instead, he meekly agreed, provided that America was still allowed to get Westerners and certain Afghan citizens to the Kabul airport during that time. Even the G7 leaders who were thrilled with Biden in June are unhappy.

The Daily Mail sums things up:

President Joe Biden told the Taliban on Tuesday that U.S. would stick to its promise to lead Kabul by Aug. 31 if it stuck to its agreement to allow Westerners and vulnerable Afghans free passage to the airport. The U.S. has ramped up its airlift in recent days amid fresh reports of human rights abuses that will fuel fears for the fate of people who worked with American troops. Adding to the sense of urgency, the country's new Taliban rulers said that all evacuations must be completed by the end of the month and announced a ban on Afghans traveling to the airport. Biden said the U.S. was 'on pace' to complete its mission by Aug. 31 but said he had asked officials to draw up contingency plans if U.S. troops had to stay longer. 'Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops, but the completion by the 31st depends upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate, allow access to the airport for those who are transporting out and no disruptions to our operations. 'In addition, I've asked the Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the timetable, should that become necessary. 'I'm determined to ensure that we complete our mission.'

Considering that the word out of Afghanistan is that the Taliban are blocking roads to the airport, turning away and beating American citizens, and going door to door to slaughter Christians, it's laughable in a crying kind of way to think there's any truth to Joe's claim that he'll get everyone out in the next six days.

Two military veterans in the House of Representatives, one a Democrat and one a Republican, sneaked into Afghanistan and came together to say there is no way to evacuate all Americans and Afghan allies and that even September 11 is an unreasonable date for the evacuation:

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, flew in and out of Kabul airport on Tuesday, with both men adding that they boarded return flights with empty seats so as not to take away space from fleeing Americans and Afghans. They appeared to condemn Joe Biden over his chaotic withdrawal from the war-torn country, and predicted the US would not be able to airlift everyone eligible to leave Afghanistan on time. [snip] 'It's obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won't get everyone out on time, even by September 11. 'Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban.'

There's a lot of speculation about what's going to happen to the people trapped in Afghanistan and what Biden is going to do about their being trapped there. The top contenders are either (a) that there are going to be massacres of both Americans and Afghans or (b) that, in addition to giving the Taliban $83 billion in state-of-the-art weapons and transport, we're going to give them additional billions to get them to release thousands of hostages. Both scenarios are awful.

Meanwhile, in Europe, the same G7 leaders who were so thrilled to be dealing with Biden  because he gave them anything they asked for, unlike Trump, who put America first  are very worried about Biden's willingness to cave to the Taliban:

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were among the leaders who urged Biden to keep boots on the ground longer during the Tuesday meeting. European leaders are worried there is not enough time to evacuate everyone who wants out. Biden spoke for seven minutes during the virtual meeting, according to officials. Afterwards, Merkel said it was clear that the evacuation could not continue if it was not supported by the U.S. And Johnson said the leaders discussed how to ensure people could continue to flee after American troops departed. 'The number one condition that we are insisting upon is safe passage beyond the 31st, beyond this initial phase, for those who want to leave Afghanistan,' he said.

To those Democrats who were willing to lie, cheat, and steal to get Biden in the White House, all I can say is "be careful what you wish for; you might get it." Of course, my gloating is severely limited by the fact that it's not just Biden and the Dems going down in flames. It's the Americans and allies trapped in Afghanistan, as well as America itself.

Image: Joe Biden (edited in Pixlr). YouTube screen grab.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
Baba Gurgur (literally "Father of Fire") is a large oil field near the city of Kirkuk which was the first to be discovered in Northern Iraq in 1927. Considered to be the largest oil field in the world until the discovery of the Ghawar field in Saudi Arabia in 1948, Baba Gurgur is famous for its Eternal Fire located at the middle of its oil fields that is estimated to have been burning for over 4000 years.

The Baba Gurgur oil field was described as far back as Herodotus (c. 484425 BC), the ancient Greek author, and some believe it to be the fiery furnace in the Book of Daniel, of Old Testament, into which King Nebuchadnezzar (630-562 BC), King of Babylon, threw three Jews for refusing to worship his golden idol. The flames have a significant symbolic value for residents of Kirkuk. It is believed that the heat of the eternal flames was used by shepherds to warm their flocks during winter, and women would visit Baba Gurgur, asking to have a baby boy. This ancient practice probably goes back to the time of fire worshipping.

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The burning flames are the result of natural gas and naphtha seeping through the cracks in the Baba Gurgur area's rocks.

A description of the area can be found in a 1939 issue of The American Journal of Science.

Near to the wells is a pool of muddy stagnant water, covered with a thick scum deeply tinged with sulphur. A few hundred yards to the east of the top of the same hill is a flat circular spot, 50 feet in diameter, perforated by 100 or more small holes, whence issue clear smokeless flames, smelling strongly of sulphur. In fact, the whole surface of this perforated spot of ground appeared as a crust of sulphur over a body of fire within; the surface being perforated by a dagger, a flame instantly issued, rising, sometimes even higher than the others.

Baba Gurgur became the first modern oil well in Iraq when the Turkish Petroleum Company struck oil on the night of 15 October 1927. The discovery soon turned into a major environmental crisis as thousands of barrels of oil gushed out inundating a depression known as Wadi Naft that carried water off the low foothills. Crude oil was escaping down to the open desert threatening the local inhabitants, their properties and risking the pollution of the water supply.

It took ten days from the first eruption to close the control valve and shut off the supply of oil. By the time the well was capped, over 95,000 barrels of oil a day had spewed into the desert. The approaching rainy season raised the spectre of another disaster: if the rains came and the wadi flooded, the oil would be carried down to the river and pollute water supplies across the whole country. Pumps were urgently installed to pump the oil back into the wells, but they made little impression. Desperate to remove the oil, large quantities were set alight. Eventually, when the rains came the area was clear of oil.

Other sites of eternal fire: Burning Gas Crater in Darvaza, The Flaming Rocks of Chimaera and Eternal Flame Falls in New York

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With the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 foldables earlier this month, Samsung introduced a new iteration of its One UI custom Android skin: One UI 3.1.1. It isnt a major upgrade over One UI 3.1 that most other Galaxy smartphones are currently running but does brings a few new features and improvements. Those goodies are now making it into the Galaxy S21 series as well.

The new software brings features like bedtime mode, accidental touch protection, camera optimizations, a new weather app, and more. You could also notice minor UI improvements with faster animations and pop-ups. Theres also reportedly a new VoNR (Voice over New Radio) function for T-Mobile users.

Samsungs latest conventional flagships are receiving the new update with the firmware version G99xWVLU4AUGQ in the US and Canada. Similar updates should soon begin rolling out to users in other regions as well.

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Note that the Galaxy S21 phones will still be running One UI 3.1 after the update, not One UI 3.1.1. Samsung has already confirmed that the new version number will remain exclusive to its latest foldables. Older devices will only get the new features it brings. Who cares about the version number anyways, as long as we are getting the latest and greatest there is to offer.

One UI 4.0 will be the next major upgrade

Samsung usually introduces a new iteration of One UI with every major flagship launch. However, the company broke the tradition this year when it launched the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 with One UI 3.1.1 instead of the previously expected One UI 3.5. And by the looks of it, there will be no One UI 3.5 at all. We will directly jump from One UI 3.1 to One UI 4.0, which will be based on Android 12.

So theres still some time to go before Samsung releases the next major One UI version. One UI 4.0 may not arrive in the stable channel until November or December, though you can expect it to be available in beta in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Samsung is expected to roll out One UI 3.1.1 features to more of its flagships. Along with the Galaxy S21 series, the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 20 phones will also receive One UI 3.1.1 features.

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The over the air (OTA) download package for the latest update for the Galaxy S21 series weighs over 1GB. So its advisable to connect your phone to a stable Wi-Fi network before downloading the file.
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(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 25 - The Taliban are going door-to-door in Afghanistan looking for people who have worked with NATO and the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA), a refugee said in Alto Adige Wednesday.

"I'm happy I arrived in Italy because the Taliban are now going house to house looking for those who work with NATO and AISA," said the man, a father.

"The Italians have done a lot for us, it is a pleasure to be here, we are happy, my children too.

"I say thank you for everything to the soldiers and Italian army who helped us get out".

The man is in COVID quarantine at the Italian army's logistical base at Colle Isarco.

The Taliban have said they will not seek revenge on those who worked with the 20-year western mission in their country.

But thousands of people have rushed to be evacuated from Kabukl airport and thousands are hoping to be flown out before US soldiers leave on August 31.

US President Joe Biden confirmed the deadline Tuesday despite pleas from his G7 allies to extend it. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - MILAN, AUG 25 - An Italian local TV host and actor was arrested for getting around a litre of the rape drug precursor GBL from the Netherlands, local sources said.

Ciro Di Maio, 46, had the drug delivered to his Milan home, police said.

He was arrested for drugs possession and pushing.

The drugs were seize.

GHB "precursors" gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol (BD) are commercially available industrial substances that are not intended for human consumption. When ingested, these substances are converted by the body into GHB. GBL and BD are also used to manufacture GHB, known as the rape drug.

Di Maio has been presenting a travel programme on the Marcopolo channel since 2009. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 25 - League leader Matteo Salvini has asked Premier Mario Draghi for a three-way meeting also featuring Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese, of whom the nationalist leader has been sharply critical recently over increased migrant arrivals and the alleged lack of policing of a massive rave party straddling the borders of Lazio and Tuscany, among other things.

"If a minister is competent they should show it, if they have a will they should show it, otherwise they should leave their post for someone else," Salvini said at the annual meetig of the influential Catholic activist group Comunione e Liberazione (CL).

Migrant flows to Italy have been sharply up this year compared to last and a hotspot on the stepping stone island of Lampedusa is overflowing, with more than twice its capacity being filled.

The huge illegal rave party that brought young people from across Europe to a country site straddling Lazio and Tuscany was broken up last Thursday leaving piles of waste, at least four alcohol-induced comas and one drowning death in its week-long trail, plus a political furore as rightwingers like Salvini and fellow nationalist Giorgia Meloni of Brothers of Italy (FdI) attacked the interior minister over the alleged lack of policing of the event.

On another issue, a call for the resignation of Economy Undersecretary Claudio Durigon to quit or be sacked after the nationalist League MP called for a park in his home city, Latina, to be renamed after Arnaldo Mussolini, the brother of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, Salvini appeared to open to the possibility, saying it might be discussed, after previously defending the official at all costs.

The park in the city founded by Mussolini after he drained the Pontine Marshes is currently named after Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, two anti-mafia prosecuting magistrates who were murdered by Cosa Nostra in 1992.

Ex-European Parliament president Antonio Tajani, No.2 in ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia (FI) party, said "we aren't asking for anyone to resign and at this difficult moment it is useless to waste time on internal political battles".

Asked about the renewed calls for Durigon to go, Tajani said "this government must put the national interest before partial interests".

Ettore Rosato of the centrist Italia Viva (IV) party said he did not think there would be a government crisis over Durigon.

Anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) MP Mario Perantoni said the M5S would file a no-confidence motion in Durigon unless he quit.

Centre-left Democratic Party (PD) leader Enrico Letta on Tuesday reiterated a call for Economy Undersecretary Claudio Durigon to quit or be sacked.

Answering a question on whether Durigon should resign, Letta replied "Yes. Apology of Fascism is incompatible with the Constitution and our government. I believe the affair must be resolved".

Letta attacked Salvini and Meloni for their allegedly extremist stances saying "Berlusconi was a bed of rose compared to them".

Meanwhile Mattia Santori, of the Sardines movement that rose up in Emilia-Romagna against the League and the spread nationally, announced that he would stand for the PD in Bologna.

He said another four or five Sardines would follow him. (ANSA).


(by Patrizio Nissirio)

ROME - It's impossible to stop Noa and her explosive creativity and not even the pandemic and consequent lockdown managed.



She, while confined at home, has recorded the album 'Afterallogy' , in which she explores the great American jazz classics, with her longstanding musical partner Gil Dor.



As soon as it proved possible, she resumed her indefatigable live performances and she will be at the Roccella Jazz Festival on Wednesday evening after a performance in Rome on Monday.



And she has a plan for the future: "I'd like to improvise lyrics in a spontaneous manner - not like in jazz, where one improvises on the basis of set chords and rhythms, but with complete spontaneity. This seems the most appropriate way to react to what is happening around us." "I had an interesting COVID year," she told ANSAmed. "In addition to recording 'Afterallogy', after a long time I finally had a chance to spend time with my children. I also did something for Italy, especially Bergamo - concerts available in streaming from home to help hospitals. We raised a lot of money." On this tour, the Israeli musician is above all offering her latest album but is also exploring her vast repertoire - from a career lasting 31 years thus far - with special attention to Neapolitan music (to which in 2011 she dedicated the 'Noapolis' album) with such gems as 'Era de Maggio' and 'Alla fiera di Mast'Andre'.



"I adore Neapolitan songs. I made that album because the world simply finds them fun. Instead, this is extraordinary music that should be more widely known. For example, I very much love the villanelle (ancient genre of popular music that began with only vocals in Naples, Ed) . The public went crazy. And of course 'Beautiful That Way', from 'La Vita e Bella'. In Rome, Nicola Piovani came to visit me - a great musician and my close friend - and he suggested a translation for 'Afterallogy', 'Dopologia', which I find very beautiful." It is a friendship that is also artistic collaboration: in 2004 the two performed together in a historic concert in Delos, a Greek island that has been uninhabited since antiquity and is near Mykonos, putting on stage 'L'Isola della Luce', written by Piovani with lyrics by Vincenzo Cerami.



Over the course of her career, Noa has played and sung all across the world, in front of many different nationalities, and considers communicating with the audience important and not just the music itself.



"My Italian is not perfect," she said, "but I got help in saying things in Italian during the concert, which I read. I believe that this creates a special bond with people, hearing one speak in their own language." After the tour, will she take a break in Israel for a while? Not Noa's style: "I'm thinking of recording a new album in the next couple of months." (ANSAmed).
TUNIS - Tunisian security forces have stepped up their activities against irregular migration.



Italian interior ministry sources say that this came after the activation of a "direct line of communication between the Italian and Tunisian authorities for the rapid exchange of information on boats carrying irregular migrants departing from the North African country's coasts and on criminal activities connected with this phenomenon".



The Tunisian Coast Guard has thwarted "eleven unauthorized attempts to cross the maritime border and rescued 231 people", according to a Tunisian interior ministry statement, noting that among the migrants were 104 from several African countries, while the rest were Tunisian nationals.



Units from the National Guard have also arrested 58 people in Aghir, Djerba, and Sfax while they were preparing to "cross the maritime borders in an irregular manner".



The Tunisian navy on Tuesday also blocked a "clandestine operation of 34 people of African nationality" between the ages of 17 and 40, including 20 women and 4 children, who were onboard a large boat that weighed anchor from the Sfax coast and was experiencing difficulties off Chebba.



The news was reported in a Tunisian defense ministry statement that also reported another operation that enabled the rescue of 23 people, most of whom Ivorian nationals, including 10 women and three children, some 50 km off Chebba.



Those rescued said that they had departed from the Sfax coast five days before.



The two groups of migrants rescued have been transfered to the Sfax naval base and the Monastir port to be handed over to the National Guard unit. They will undergo all required procedures and be reported to the judiciary.
RABAT - Algeria's decision to break off diplomatic ties with Morocco is "utterly unjustified" and based on "false, even absurd pretexts", Morocco's foreign ministry said after Algiers' announcement on Tuesday evening.



The Moroccan ministry said that the move was in any case "expected given the logic of the escalation seen in recent months".



Algiers' decision came after Morocco was accused of playing a role in fires that devastated the northern part of the country and that led Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune to announce that relations with Rabat would undergo changes.



In recent days, Moroccan king Mohammed VI had claimed that "methodical attacks" were being used against his country "by some notoriously hostile countries and organizations".



He did not say to whom he was refering.
Covid-19 vaccines are still offering good protection against serious illness, which is the main objective, according to an expert who is advising the Government on a potential autumn booster campaign.

Professor Adam Finn, member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said that while studies are showing waning immunity against mild illness some months after vaccination, the jabs are still warding off serious disease and hospital admissions.

The JCVI is expected to make an announcement in days on whether the UK will press ahead with an autumn booster campaign for 30 million people over the age of 50 and the clinically vulnerable.

The NHS in England has been preparing for such a push to commence on September 6, alongside its annual flu campaign.

But experts advising ministers on vaccination strategy are yet to confirm whether a third jab is needed.

On Wednesday a study concluded that the protection provided by two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines starts to wane within six months.

Scientists behind the Zoe Covid Study app said that the Pfizer jab was 88% effective at preventing Covid-19 infection a month after the second dose but after five to six months the protection decreased to 74%.

With the AstraZeneca vaccine, there was a protection against infection of 77% one month after the second dose but after four to five months, protection decreased to 67%.

Asked about the study, Prof Finn told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I think the Zoe study, and a couple of other studies we recently had, do show the beginnings of a drop off of protection against asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic disease.

But other studies are showing maintenance of good protection against serious illness and hospitalisation.

So thats encouraging actually that people whove had two doses are still very much well protected against serious illness, which is our main objective.

(PA Graphics)

But we do need to watch out very carefully to see if this waning begins to translate into occurrence of more severe cases because then boosters will be needed.

Prof Finn, from the University of Bristol, also said that giving immunocompromised people a third dose of a coronavirus vaccine could give them better protection.

It comes after a separate study found that 40% of people who are immunosuppressed  either through medical treatment or by disease  generated a lower antibody response compared with healthy adults.

And 11% had an undetectable amount of antibodies four weeks after being doubled-jabbed, according to a study from the Universities of Glasgow and Birmingham.

Prof Finn said that offering a third jab to people who have impaired immunity shouldnt be seen as a booster but an attempt to get them to be protected or better protected than they already are with the two doses.

He told the Today programme: I think its very much what we expected, but it is very useful because we need to figure out who are the priority people to receive additional doses of vaccine.

In this case it would be more a sort of third priming dose than the booster, in the sense that wed be trying to get them to be protected or better protected than they already are with the two doses theyve already had.

He added: The immunocompromised groups, which are the subject of this study one would expect to be in line for an additional dose.

I dont really think of this as a booster because were still trying to get them protected in the first place.

Prof Finn said there were a small group for whom the coronavirus vaccine would be unlikely ever to work.

But he said that the study showed that a lot of immunocompromised people do have the capacity to make a response, albeit slightly less.

The fact that they can make a response at all means that they probably could be protected better by giving them an additional dose, he said.

This is very encouraging, that giving an additional dose to these groups would actually serve some useful purpose.

On elderly people, he added: I mean they are both the people who receive vaccine earliest, and probably the people whose immunity is most likely to wane.

So, as evidence accumulates we may well find ourselves moving in that direction as well.

(PA Graphics)

The Government has said a further 174 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Tuesday, bringing the UK total to 131,854.

It is the highest reported daily death toll since March 12, although the figures are likely to include a lag in reporting over the weekend.

Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have been 156,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

As of 9am on Tuesday, there had been a further 30,838 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases in the UK, the Government said.

It comes as the Welsh Government announced that children in the country have been removed from the so-called shielding list.

It said the move follows advice from the four chief medical officers of the UK.

Devolved departments of health in other nations have been contacted to see whether children will also be taken off the lists in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Joe Biden cited heightened security risks to troops as he defied calls by Boris Johnson and other G7 leaders to delay his August 31 exit date from Afghanistan.

Following an emergency meeting of G7 leaders, chaired by the Prime Minister on Tuesday afternoon, the US President said the US was on pace to meet the deadline for evacuations.

He insisted there were increasing risks for his troops and their allies staying in Afghanistan beyond the end of the month.

The decision means the UK now has limited time remaining for its evacuation effort as US troops are providing security at Kabul airport to allow people to flee the country.

Mr Johnson had hoped to persuade Mr Biden to keep his forces on the ground past August 31 to allow the evacuation effort more time, although Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had conceded ahead of the talks that an extension to the deadline was unlikely.

Mr Johnson said after the virtual meeting that leaders had agreed the number one condition up to and after the deadline was that the Taliban must grant safe passage for those who want to come out.

He said there were harrowing scenes at Kabul airport for those attempting to flee Afghanistan, adding the UK would go on right up until the last moment that we can.

He said while he was confident of getting thousands more people out of Afghanistan the situation at the airport is not getting any better, there are public order issues, its harrowing scenes for those who are trying to get out, and its tough for our military as well.

The Taliban has warned that evacuations will not be allowed after August 31, while it earlier said it would not accept foreign troops remaining in Afghanistan past the end of the month.

The group, which swept to power last week in the wake of Americas major withdrawal of troops, has suggested that foreign forces remaining past the deadline would cross a red line that will provoke a reaction.

Mr Biden, speaking after the G7 meeting, said US and allied forces run the risk of attack by Isis affiliates and straining a tenuous working relationship with the Taliban if they stay in Afghanistan longer.

He told reporters: There was strong agreement among the leaders both about the evacuation mission underway as well as the need to co-ordinate our approach to Afghanistan as we move forward.

Mr Biden said the US was on pace to meet the deadline for evacuations (Leon Neal/PA)

First, on evacuation, we agreed we will continue our close co-operation to get people out as efficiently and safely as possible.

We are currently on a pace to finish by August 31, the sooner we can finish the better.

Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops, but the completion by August 31 depends upon the Taliban continuing to co-operate, allow access to the airport for those who we are transporting now, and no disruption to our operations.

Mr Biden added that he had asked for contingency plans to be put together to adjust the timetable should that become necessary.

Mr Johnson said G7 leaders  who were joined in Tuesdays meeting by the secretaries general of the United Nations and Nato  had agreed on a road map for engaging with the Taliban.

He said: The number one condition were setting as G7 is that they have got to guarantee, right the way through, through August 31 and beyond, safe passage for those who want to come out.

Some will say that they dont accept that and some, I hope, will see the sense of that, because the G7 has very considerable leverage  economic, diplomatic and political.

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A joint statement from leaders of the G7 countries  Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US  reaffirmed their commitment to the people of Afghanistan.

The statement added: The legitimacy of any future government depends on the approach it now takes to uphold its international obligations and commitments to ensure a stable Afghanistan.

The Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday evening that some 9,226 people have now been evacuated from Kabul since the mission began on Friday.

This includes embassy staff, British nationals, those eligible under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (Arap) programme and a number of nationals from partner nations.

However, the Ministry of Defence said it would not comment on reports in the Guardian, which cite defence sources, that the evacuation could end within 24 to 36 hours.

The newspaper said that the US military requires two to three days to close its operations at the airport in Kabul, and that British troops aim to be at least 24 hours ahead of that  leaving a small window for remaining flights to depart.

Meanwhile, a former UK ambassador to Washington says Mr Bidens reputation and legacy have been permanently damaged by the withdrawal.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Lord Renwick said Mr Biden had promised in his election campaign to regain the respect of the world for the US.

Instead, his abandonment of Afghanistan and the manner in which it was carried out has been greeted with appalled dismay by allied governments and jubilation in Moscow and Beijing, Lord Renwick wrote.

For President Biden, the nice guy image has gone out of the window. His reputation and legacy have been tarnished for good.

Lord Renwick said vice-president Kamala Harris would also find it difficult to restore her reputation, having promised a new emphasis internationally on womens rights.
Construction and engineering firm Costain has said it is on track to meet expectations as it swung to a profit and grew revenue in the first half of the year.

The business said it expects to benefit over coming years from the Governments commitment to invest in the UKs infrastructure.

It said pre-tax profit had hit 9.1 million in the six months to the end of June, up from a 92.3 million loss a year earlier.

Revenue rose 21% to 556.8 million, the business said.

Chief executive Alex Vaughan said: We are pleased to report an improved level of profitability and a strong cash position, demonstrating the focus on trading performance and cash generation across the business.

We continue to be successful in winning new contracts, building on last years strong platform and making the most of the significant market opportunities.

Our clients across all our chosen markets are continuing to progress their investment plans and to prioritise investment to meet their needs for decarbonisation, digitisation, levelling up and performance improvement.

The company, which has deals in place to work on the HS2 rail project, won a series of new contracts in the first half, worth more than 334 million.

It said it has good visibility on what contracts will complete during the second half, so is confident of meeting full-year expectations.

Mr Vaughan added: We are busy bidding for new work across all of our markets, combining Costains core strengths and our broader service offering in line with our strategy.

Importantly, we are being selective in our approach to tendering, focusing on bidding discipline and risk management.

We have good visibility on the completion of contracts for the remainder of this year which gives us confidence in delivering full-year results in line with our expectations.
The number of people arrested at Extinction Rebellion events in London in four days of protests has almost reached 200 as the environmental group targeted the Oxford Circus area.

The Metropolitan Police said as of 6pm on Wednesday, a further six had been arrested for a variety of offences.

It brings the total number of arrests made over the four days of protests to 196.

However, dozens of people could be seen being dragged away by officers on Wednesday afternoon after a large group blocked off the surrounding roads near Oxford Circus with a partially-built pink sculpture  putting traffic at a standstill.

The Met moved in after a van dropped off the sculpture and protesters formed a human chain to stop it being taken down, according to Extinction Rebellion (XR).

A spokeswoman for the group told the PA news agency: The van pulled up and everything was unloaded, including a partially-assembled pink structure.

Some women then came and formed a ring to allow the structure to be built by holding hands and gluing their hands together.

The police came charging in to try and stop it being built and rushed through the women to get to it, but the structure was already built by that point.

Some people then began gluing themselves to the structure.

Police had warned XR protesters to leave the area or face being arrested.

Using a loudspeaker, a police officer said: You must this area immediately or you may be arrested.

Topless women with climate messages written on their bodies were among the protesters in the area.

Officers formed a cordon close to where they were located and began carrying away dozens of them to police vans parked nearby.

Members clapped and cheered as they were taken away while others played music and chanted. Pedestrians were urged to find another way around the area.

The Met said in a statement on Twitter: Officers have intervened when protesters were building a structure at #OxfordCircus.

Some individuals have glued themselves to the structure, specialist officers are working to support their removal.

Demonstrators at Oxford Circus (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

There will be some disruption to traffic in the area as roads are currently blocked, which we are working to reduce.

Earlier in the day, activists from Money Rebellion, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion, gathered at the Department for International Trade to hold a mock awards ceremony where a Charred Earth award was given to the department.

Other activists gathered at the Brazilian embassy to show solidarity with indigenous people in the Amazon Rainforest.

XR began its Impossible Rebellion protests on Monday when demonstrators blocked roads in central London, including around Trafalgar Square.

They are demanding the Government immediately end investment in fossil fuels that are driving climate change.

The Met said a significant operation would be in place for the protests over the bank holiday weekend but also acknowledged the activists important cause.
Protesters have blocked waste lorries getting onto a landfill site at the centre of a long-running row over noxious gas fumes which a local GP has likened to a kind of torture for residents.

About 50 demonstrators arrived at the gates of Walleys Quarry landfill site in Silverdale, Staffordshire, on Wednesday morning, some settling into camping chairs and tying Stop the Stink banners to fences.

By midday the group, the vast majority of which are locals living within a mile of the site, had succeeded in preventing three lorries getting on site, while police tried to manage the situation.

Demonstrators from the local Stop the Stink campaign group blocked entry to the site (Richard Vernalls/PA)

A hardcore of protesters blocked the landfills main entrance in Cemetery Road, some carrying placards reading Whara pen n ink and images of superheroes with the caption toxic waste does not give you superpowers.

There was support from passing drivers, who honked horns, or in the case of a passing ice cream van, played its jingle of The Entertainer, in support.

It is the latest move in a long-running campaign by the Stop the Stink campaign group against the site, which protesters have claimed is the cause of a pungent eggy stink, emanating day and night.

An Environment Agency (EA) report found levels of a gas  hydrogen sulphide  recorded at the site had exceeded World Health Organisation guidelines, though it also said any long-term health risks were likely to be small.

Dr Paul Scott, a senior partner at the local Silverdale Village GP surgery, who was at the protest, said the stench was causing stress to many of his 12,500 patients.

A hardcore of protesters physically stopped lorries getting on the site (Richard Vernalls/PA)

I would almost call it a form of torture, he said.

Because if you were told that every second, third or fourth day, you were going to have sleepless nights, and theyd have all the effects from that  any other country in the world, theyd step in.

Dr Scott, who also chairs North Staffordshire Local Medical Committee (LMC), said he had patients coming in daily complaining of problems caused by the smell.

Although a long-term problem, he claimed the stench  known locally as the Silverdale Stink  seemed to have got stronger since February.

The mental health side is not going away, weve sorted out inhalers and anti-histamines  you can sort that to a degree, he said.

But the mental health (issues) you cant  and that really needs recognising.

Residents blame the landfill site for the source of the eggy smell (Richard Vernalls/PA)

He added: In many ways its a form of stress because its something that is out of peoples control and its random.

Dr Scott said the smell was so bad that during a Covid vaccine clinic at his surgery in February staff and patients could barely cope, with people coughing and spluttering.

He said: Something has so seriously gone wrong here  and there doesnt seem to be a solution, adding it was only because people werent dropping dead that he believed more had not yet been done to tackle the smell.

Dr Scott said: We dont really know the long-term effect of this  the problem is we wont really know until five or 10 years down the road.

Nathan Wint, who set up Stop the Stink, said: That smell you can smell now, that really strong eggy smell is what we get in our homes and it sticks in the home, and you cannot get it out.

One protester displays a Stop the Stink tattoo (Richard Vernalls/PA)

Mr Wint, 31, said the campaign would continue until the problem is solved and the children can go to school and breathe fresh, clean air, and people stop saying it is affecting their mental health.

To people saying it was just a smell, he said: It really isnt just a smell, it fills your house, sticks to everything  its ruining peoples lives.

The protest comes after the issue landed in the High Court in London last week.

Campaigners are now waiting for a judge to rule on a legal fight over the landfill site, said to be the source of the smell.

Lawyers representing five-year-old Mathew Richards, whose home is less than half a mile from the site, say there is a public health emergency in the vicinity of Walleys Quarry.

Nathan Wint said the problem isnt just a smell (Richard Vernalls/PA)

They have claimed the hydrogen sulphide emissions are affecting hundreds and probably thousands of people and want a judge to order the Environment Agency to take effective measures to remove the risk to Mathews life.

Mr Justice Fordham finished hearing evidence on Friday and is expected to deliver a ruling in the near future.

Walleys Quarry, which is an interested party in the legal action, says, on its website that it offers a safe disposal method for waste that cannot be otherwise reused or recycled.
A leading theatre director has called on the Scottish Government to change the one-metre distancing rule for the stage, warning it is making some shows unworkable.

Matthew Lenton, artistic director of Vanishing Point, has called for urgent clarity on the situation as the company faces cancelling one major project with another under threat.

Vanishing Points 2020 Scotland-wide tour of its critically-acclaimed version of The Metamorphosis was cut short by the first Covid lockdown last year and it is now considering whether to cancel the 2022 Scottish tour as the show depends on actors and crew being in close proximity.

Mr Lenton has written to Scottish Culture Secretary Angus Robertson and culture minister Jenny Gilruth urging them to reassess the rule.

He wrote: The show was created pre-Covid and depends on actors and crew being in close proximity. It contains illusions and effects for example, which involve performers moving quickly, passing things to each other (presumably with 1m distancing this is not allowed, but not clear in the rules), setting and removing black covers and completing fast costume changes that require physical help.

The entire show is built precisely around the intricacies of these things  an absurd and complex set of actions backstage to create a beautiful illusion for the audience.

To change this would not only damage the entire artistic impression of the show (forcing it in fact to change so much that it would no longer be the same show), but cost much, much more in extra rehearsals, set adjustments and so on.

But nevertheless, we need to decide: Do we cancel the spring 22 tour of this show? Or is the rule likely to change?

Vanishing Point is also due to perform a separate show at a major theatre in London next year and is planning to rehearse and preview the production in Scotland.

It warned the participation of Scottish acting and creative talent is now seriously under threat as a consequence of the different rules in Scotland and England  where there are no on-stage distancing rules.

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Mr Lenton said moving rehearsals to London would inflate costs so much that they could barely justify hiring Scotland-based actors and technicians, but it would seem absurd to have to hire actors and production teams in London instead, depriving freelance workers in Scotland of employment.

The director also said it is extremely hard to level the on-stage distancing rule against those in other sectors such as nightclubs where there is no distancing requirement, and called for clarity about the future.

He said: It is crucial that there is urgent clarity. Does the Scottish Government see the future of live, mid/post pandemic performance as modest, small-scale, local/national until things grow and evolve again?

This could be exciting though it will mean the end of larger-scale, more technically ambitious work like the Metamorphosis and many others.

But if that is the Scottish Governments intention, if it is the brave new world, we need to know so that we can abandon plans, discard unworkable shows and avoid potentially huge financial loss.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: The Scottish Government understands how deeply the cultural sector has been affected by Covid-19.

We have been engaging with the cultural and performing arts sector on this and other matters relating to the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

We are listening to their concerns and we are quickly reviewing the regulations with a view to ensuring their needs are met while balancing the risk to public health.
More than 11,000 people have now been evacuated from Afghanistan by UK troops.

New figures from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) showed that 11,474 people had been able to leave the country since the evacuation mission Operation Pitting began on August 13.

This includes embassy staff, British nationals, those eligible under the Afghan relocation and assistance policy (Arap) programme, as well as some evacuees from allied countries.

The Arap programme is designed to allow those Afghans who helped the UK forces and therefore are at risk of persecution by the Taliban to leave the country.

The MoD said the UK has evacuated almost 7,000 Afghan individuals and their families.

However, the PA news agency understands nearly 2,000 Afghan interpreters and other staff who worked for Britain need to be airlifted out of Kabul as the evacuation operation enters its final days.

Passengers disembarking an RAF Voyager after arriving at RAF Brize Norton from the Middle East (SAC Samantha Holden RAF/PA)

As well as the almost 2,000 people eligible under Arap, an unidentified number of special cases may be eligible for evacuation, such as LGBTQ advocates, judges and human rights activists.

The number of British citizens who still need evacuating, as well as those who hold dual citizenship, also remained unclear.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said every hour will be used to help people flee and declined to rule out UK forces having to depart by the end of Friday.

In the US, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that evacuations can continue until the end but conceded that they will have to prioritise moving out US military capability in the last couple of days.

He said more than 4,400 American citizens have been evacuated thus far.

More than 80,000 people, mostly Afghans, have been airlifted by the US since August 14, he said.
Attorneys for former reality TV star Josh Duggar have filed motions seeking to dismiss child pornography charges against him. The motions ask for the dismissal of the two charges and to suppress evidence in the case, including all statements Duggar made to investigators, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. The documents, filed Friday, allege prosecutors failed to preserve potentially exculpatory evidence and that the two acting secretaries of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at the time of the Duggar investigation weren't properly appointed.
(Reuters) Western countries rushed to complete the evacuation of thousands of people from Afghanistan on Wednesday as the Aug. 31 deadline for the withdrawal of foreign troops drew closer with no sign that the country's new Taliban rulers might allow an extension.

In one of the biggest such airlifts ever, the United States and its allies have evacuated more than 70,000 people, including their citizens, NATO personnel and Afghans at risk, since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban swept into the capital Kabul to bring to an end a 20-year foreign military presence.

U.S. President Joe Biden said U.S. troops in Afghanistan faced mounting danger and aid agencies warned of an impending humanitarian crisis for the population left behind.

Biden said they were on pace to meet the deadline, set under an agreement struck with the Islamist group last year to end America's longest war.

Evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport

"The sooner we can finish, the better," Biden said on Tuesday. "Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops."

Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was growing concern about the risk of suicide bombings by Islamic State at the airport.

British foreign minister Dominic Raab said the deadline for evacuating people was up to the last minute of the month.

Tens of thousands of Afghans fearing persecution have thronged Kabul's airport since the Taliban takeover, the lucky ones securing seats on flights.

Many people milled about outside the airport - where soldiers from the United States, Britain and other nations were trying to maintain order amid the dust and heat - on Wednesday hoping to get out.

They carried bags and suitcases stuffed with possessions, and waved documents at soldiers which might gain them entry. Some clutched young children.

"I learned from an email from London that the Americans are taking people out, that's why I've come so I can go abroad," said one man, Aizaz Ullah.

While the focus is now on those people trying to flee, the risk of starvation, disease and persecution is rising for the rest of the population after the chaotic exodus from Kabul airport ends, aid agencies say.

"There's a perfect storm coming because of several years of drought, conflict, economic deterioration, compounded by COVID," David Beasley, the executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme, told Reuters in Doha, calling for the international community to donate $200 million in food aid.

"The number of people marching towards starvation has spiked to now 14 million."

The EU said this week it was planning a quadrupling in aid and was seeking coordination with the United Nations on delivery as well as safety guarantees on the ground.

The U.N. human rights chief said she had received credible reports of serious violations by the Taliban, including "summary executions" of civilians and Afghan security forces who had surrendered. The Taliban have said they will investigate any reports of atrocities.

The Taliban's previous time in power was marked by harsh sharia law, with many political rights and basic freedoms curtailed and women severely oppressed. It was also seen as a hub for anti-Western militants, and Washington, London and others fear it might become so again.

LAND ROUTES

A NATO country diplomat in Kabul, who declined to be identified, said several international aid groups are desperate to get their Afghan staff to neighbouring nations. Afghanistan's neighbours should open their land borders to allow more people to leave, the diplomat said.

"Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan should be pulling out far more people using either air or land routes. It's vital air and land routes are used at a very fast pace," the diplomat told Reuters.

The Taliban said all foreign evacuations must be completed by Aug. 31, and asked the United States to stop urging talented Afghans to leave, while also trying to persuade people at the airport to go home, assuring them that they had nothing to fear.

"We guarantee their security," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a news conference on Tuesday.

Leaders of the G7 major industrialized nations - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States - on Tuesday discussed how to complete the withdrawal and deal with the Taliban now that they have seized power.

Britain's Raab said the deadline for evacuating people would go up the last minute of next Tuesday.

"The military planners will firm up the details for the precise time frame," Raab told BBC TV, adding that Britain hoped there would be a functioning airport in Kabul after the evacuations end.

French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told C News TV it was "very probable" that France's operation to evacuate its citizens and partners would end on Thursday.

The Afghan government collapsed as the United States and its allies withdrew troops two decades after they ousted the Taliban in the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States by al Qaeda militants, whose leaders had found safe haven in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

Leaders of the Taliban, who have sought to show https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-seek-present-moderate-face-they-take-control-afghanistan-2021-08-15 a more moderate face since capturing Kabul, have begun talks on forming a government that have included discussions with some old enemies, including former President Hamid Karzai.
Hundreds of new COVID-19 cases prompted a Florida school district to institute a 60-day mask mandate this week, becoming the latest public institution to require face coverings as the hypercontagious Delta variant ravages the state.

The Orange County school board approved the mandate at its Tuesday meeting, one day after the district confirmed more than 400 new cases of COVID-19 contracted by students and employees. The mandate goes into effect at the start of next week for all schools from pre-K through 12th grade.

Students and their parents on the first day of classes at Baldwin Park Elementary School in Orlando. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The district updates the public each day on its COVID-19 Dashboard, showing on Monday that 382 students and 37 employees tested positive. On Tuesday, the number of those quarantined was updated to 557.

Orange County is the ninth Florida county to institute a mask mandate, going against the wishes of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. An opponent of mask requirements in schools, DeSantis issued an executive order on July 30 banning such mandates, but allowing parents to decide whether to have their child wear one.

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

DeSantiss order states that the Florida Department of Health will enter rule-making in collaboration with the Florida Department of Education to protect parents freedom to choose whether their children wear masks.

Orange County Public Schools policy does allow a medical exemption following the school board vote.

I want to reemphasize, there is a medical exemption that will be recognized, Dr. Barbara Jenkins, the OCPS superintendent, said during the meeting. And we are not going to make that complex at all. It would be a letter from your doctor or physicians assistant.

But according to the districts COVID-19 Health and Safety Procedures Manual, face coverings may be required if the CDC or other governmental entities update their guidance.

A boy arrives with his mother at Baldwin Park Elementary School. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The CDC has done that, stating on Aug. 5 that due to the circulating and highly contagious Delta variant, the CDC recommends universal indoor masking by all students (age 2 and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.

Orange County joins Leon, Duval, Alachua, Hillsborough, Sarasota, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties in implementing mask mandates at their schools in recent weeks.

In Hillsborough, a mask mandate is in place after a staggering 8,000 students and hundreds of employees were quarantined because of rising COVID numbers, according to the Washington Post. Last week, the Tampa Bay area had 8,400 students and 307 employees in isolation because of a positive test or close contact with someone who tested positive.

In Broward County, one of the first to require masks, officials are holding firm on the mandate despite a battle with the Florida Department of Education, which says the county is in violation of DeSantiss executive order. Less than a week before school started, the county had three educators die of COVID, according to the Broward Teachers Union.

In Celebration, Fla., a town near Orlando founded by the Walt Disney Company, there isnt a mandate, but a school is shutting down for a week because of the disease.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted multiple students, teachers, and staff members at Celebration K-8 during this past week, the district said in a statement Tuesday. Out of an abundance of caution, the Osceola School District has decided to move all students and teachers at Celebration K-8 to digital learning starting Wednesday, Aug. 25, through Friday, Aug. 27.

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The congressional committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection sent letters to eight different federal agencies on Wednesday with sweeping requests for information and records on the roles that Trump administration officials might have played in the attack on the American democratic process.

The letters from Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the select committee chair, seek to expedite the process of turning over records from the executive branch to Congress. Thompsons letters renew some requests made by other committees earlier this year, but also build on them to cover a more expansive group of records.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., with other members of the Jan. 6 select committee. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images)

Given the urgent nature of our request, we ask that you expedite your consultation and processing times, Thompson wrote to David S. Ferriero, head of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), which has custody of presidential records. We have some concern about the delay in producing documents requested this past March, and we want to assist your prompt production of materials.

Thompsons letter asks NARA staff to meet with select committee staff to discuss production priorities. The 12-page letter includes a long list of topics about which the committee is seeking documents, call logs, visitor logs and other forms of potential evidence, with lengthy lists of names of persons of interest from inside and outside the Trump administration.

All records related to Jan. 6 are requested, along with numerous documents related to planning by the White House and others for legal or other strategies to delay, halt, or otherwise impede the electoral count, as well as recruitment, planning, coordination, and other preparations for the rallies and violence that took place during the insurrection. The committee is also looking to acquire documents that could shed light on what then-President Donald Trump was told by his advisers about the integrity of the 2020 election, and it wants to compare those internal communications with what he told his followers in the lead-up to the Capitol riot.

In addition to the letter to NARA, Thompson wrote to the Department of Defense, FBI, Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Interior, Director of National Intelligence and National Counterterrorism Center.

Rioters storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

The letter to the Defense Department focuses in part on obtaining all documents and communications relating to the potential use of military power to impede or ensure the peaceful transfer of power and all documents and communications concerning possible attempts by President Donald Trump to remain in office after January 20, 2021.

There are also a number of requests for records related to the deployment of the National Guard to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, and what role Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence might have played in that. The commander of the D.C. National Guard has said that he could have had troops deployed to the Capitol much sooner than three hours after the insurrectionists first overwhelmed police lines, but he was constrained by the acting secretary of defense at the time, Christopher Miller, who had been appointed to his post by Trump a week after the election. Trump had fired previous Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who had resisted his desires to put active-duty military on American streets during racial justice protests that at times turned violent during the summer of 2020.

One figure at the Trump-era Pentagon who is singled out is Kashyap Kash Patel, a Trump loyalist who became chief of staff to the secretary of defense after the November election. Thompsons letter seeks all documents and communications to, from, or referring to Kashyap Kash Patel, relating to civil unrest, violence, or attacks at the U.S. Capitol; challenging, overturning, or questioning the validity of the 2020 election results; or the counting of the electoral college vote on January 6, 2021.

Thompson has already said this week that he plans to issue subpoenas to private telecom companies as well, seeking phone records for those who may have been involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection, including potentially some Republican members of Congress.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty images)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formed the select committee after Republicans rejected an investigation that would have used the bipartisan 9/11 commission as a template and would have allotted five positions to Democrats and five to Republicans. In late May, GOP senators voted down that option.

Pelosi subsequently formed the select committee, which Republicans decried as partisan, even though the speaker named two Republicans who have been critical of Trump to the panel: Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy nominated five Republicans for the panel, knowing they would be subject to Pelosis veto. Two of his picks, Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Jim Banks of Indiana, not only voted against the certification of the 2020 election in the hours after the assault on the Capitol, but have also staked out reputations as ambitious pro-Trump diehards. Pelosi quickly rejected Jordan and Banks for the committee, and McCarthy then withdrew all five of his choices and did not submit more.

Before the insurrection, Trump spent months repeating false and unsupported claims of a rigged and stolen election. He deceived millions of supporters into believing this alternative reality. At least 25,000 came to Washington on Jan. 6 to attend Trumps rally in front of the White House, and the majority of those headed to the Capitol afterward, according to internal Secret Service documents.

Former President Donald Trump addresses supporters at a rally In Alabama on Aug. 21. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Thousands of Trump supporters violently assaulted police officers outside the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 election results. Over 1,600 individuals actually entered the Capitol building, according to Sedition Hunters, a website devoted to cataloguing the names and faces of the insurrectionists who went in through doors and windows.

And now, after a brief period following the insurrection in which GOP leaders denounced Trumps role in fomenting the attack, his lies about the election have been picked up and promoted again by many in his party. A Yahoo News/YouGov poll from earlier this month indicated that just 18 percent of Republicans believe that Joe Biden won the election fair and square, while 66 percent believe it was rigged and stolen from Trump.

In addition, many on the right have sought to downplay the seriousness of the Jan. 6 attack, and a Reuters report last week cited unnamed law enforcement sources claiming that the FBI has not found evidence of coordinated violence.

The committee is looking at whether there was some degree of coordination among pro-Trump militants and the White House, but also at the impact of Trumps firehose of falsehoods, and at what actions the then president may have taken to impede a response to the violence from law enforcement and the military.

Even though theres overwhelming evidence to the contrary, including hours and hours of videos and photographic coverage, theres a continued shocking attempt to ignore or try to destroy the truth of what truly happened that day and to whitewash the facts into something other than what they unmistakably reveal: an attack on our democracy by violent domestic extremists and a stain on our history and our moral standing here at home and abroad, said Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell at the committees first hearing on July 27.

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FILE - Migrants waiting to cross into the United States wait for news at the border crossing Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Tijuana, Mexico. A federal appellate court refused late Thursday, Aug. 19 to delay implementation of a judges order reinstating a Trump administration policy forcing thousands to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S. President Joe Biden had suspended former President Donald Trumps Remain in Mexico policy on his first day in office and the Department of Homeland Security said it was permanently terminating the program in June, according to the court record. (AP Photo/Elliot Spagat)

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to block a court ruling ordering the Biden administration to reinstate a Trump-era policy that forces people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S.

With the three liberal justices in dissent, the court said the administration likely violated federal law in its efforts to rescind the program informally known as Remain in Mexico.

It's not clear how many people will be affected and how quickly. Under the lower court ruling, the administration must make a good faith effort to restart the program.

A federal judge in Texas had previously ordered that the program, formally called Migrant Protection Protocols, be reinstated last week. Both he and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused the administration's request to put the ruling on hold.

Justice Samuel Alito ordered a brief delay to allow the full court time to consider the administration's appeal to keep the ruling on hold while the case continues to make its way through the courts.

The 5th Circuit ordered expedited consideration of the administration's appeal.

The court offered little explanation for its action, although it cited its opinion from last year rejecting the Trump administration's effort to end another immigration program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. In that case, the court held that the decision to end DACA was arbitrary and capricious, in violation of federal law.

The administration has failed to show a likelihood of success on the claim that the memorandum rescinding the Migrant Protection Protocols was not arbitrary and capricious," the court wrote Tuesday in an unsigned order.

The three dissenting justices did not write an opinion expressing their views of the case.

During Donald Trump's presidency, the policy required tens of thousands of migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to turn back to Mexico. It was meant to discourage asylum seekers but critics said it denied people the legal right to seek protection in the U.S. and forced them to wait in dangerous Mexican border cities.

The judge, U.S. District Judge Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, ordered that the program be reinstated in response to a lawsuit filed by the states of Texas and Missouri, whose governors have been seeking to reinstate some of the hard-line anti-immigration policies of the Trump administration.

The Biden administration argued in briefs that the president has clear authority to determine immigration policy and that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had discretion in deciding whether to return asylum seekers to Mexico.

In its brief to the Supreme Court on Friday, the administration argued that the policy had been dormant for more than a year and that abruptly reinstating it would prejudice the United States relations with vital regional partners, severely disrupt its operations at the southern border, and threaten to create a diplomatic and humanitarian crisis.

The Trump administration largely stopped using the Remain in Mexico policy at the start of the pandemic, at which point it began turning back virtually everyone crossing the Southwest border under a different protocol  a public health order that remains in effect. The Biden administration said the pre-pandemic policy had been largely dormant for months even before the outbreak of COVID-19.

President Joe Biden suspended the program on his first day of office and the Homeland Security Department ended it in June.

Kacsmaryk was nominated to the federal bench by Trump. The 5th Circuit panel that ruled Thursday night included two Trump appointees, Andrew Oldham and Cory Wilson, along with Jennifer Walker Elrod, nominated to the appeals court by President George W. Bush.
The African Union (AU) and Somalia have held talks on the likely configuration and proposed mandate of the AU's support to the country beyond December 2021, officials said on Tuesday.

Fiona Lortan, AU's Acting Director of Conflict Management Directorate, Political Affairs, Peace and Security said talks between the two parties would continue into the future with a focus on consolidating the security gains made by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) over the years.

"We will continue our discussions, but for now we have got at least some broad understanding of what we need to do and how we need to work together and partner with each other," she said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

Lortan said they have been discussing what will replace AMISOM come January 2022 since the mandate of the AU mission will end this year.

"We know that there is still a need for some sort of security presence from the African Union to assist the Somalia government in the next few years while it builds up its forces. And so, we have been discussing what the new mission should look like, and what the mandate of the new mission will be," Lortan added.

The United Nations Security Council in March adopted a resolution reauthorizing the AMISOM until Dec. 31 and maintaining its overall 19,626 uniformed personnel level ahead of the phased handover of responsibilities to Somali security forces, planned for later in 2021.

(CGTN)
DUNWOODY, Ga.  A public hearing that would incorporate two land parcels into the Dunwoody Village Overlay District turned ugly, with insults and allegations against city officials and the attorney for the commercial owners.

The controversy came to a boil at the Aug. 23 Dunwoody City Council meeting and centers around a proposed land buffer between homes in the Branches subdivision and an adjacent commercial property within the Shoppes of Dunwoody and another property that contains Sunshine Car Wash.

Hours before the massive overlay district was to come up for a council vote in late 2020, attorneys representing the business owners filed suit, contesting the proposed 150-foot land buffer between the commercial and residential properties.

The City Council decided at that time to exclude the two properties in the ordinance, vowing to incorporate them back into the zoning when the disputes were resolved. Over the past eight months, the city reached a compromise with the commercial property owners for a 35-foot buffer with 115 feet of open space.

Residents in the Branches protested, saying they felt left out of the process and questioned what could be erected within the open space.

At the public hearing, a dozen residents spoke in favor of keeping the buffer at an average of 150 feet, citing agreements made in the 1970s between DeKalb County and the original owners of the Shoppes of Dunwoody. No formal document citing that agreement can be located, however, only drafts, or unsigned documents.

The neighbors also claimed that an agreement was hammered out, prior to the filing of the lawsuit, that contained the 150-foot buffer provision. However, they said, after legal action was threatened, that option was dropped from consideration.

We need to be smart, fair and transparent, Branches resident Joan Weiss said. There is nothing smart, fair and transparent about the city scrapping the acceptable agreement we had worked out.

Resident Joe Hirsch, a regular speaker at council meetings, questioned the character of attorney Dan Webb, who is representing the commercial owners.

I dont like the man, Hirsch said. Hes not a man of his word.

Webb responded to Hirsch, saying that he had never had my integrity questioned before and I dont appreciate those comments, but I understand the source of those comments.

I know that you are well aware of the integrity of the person who made those comments, Webb said. I will stand on my reputation in all my dealings with the City of Dunwoody and the DHA.

Webb said the agreement hammered out between the city and his client is the hallmark of a true compromise  one that nobody wants  it certainly isnt what my client wants, but its something he can live with.

Webb also said the Dunwoody Planning Commission, city staff and the citys attorney have all recommended the revised proposal.

Ive heard a lot of chatter calling the property owner greedy and selfish, and I want to say that we didnt start this, he said. This (rezoning) process was started by the city, not us.

At the conclusion of the public hearing, City Councilman John Heneghan said he thinks the neighbors concerns are not being heard, and he proposed that a less dense zoning classification be investigated and discussed.

I would not be voting on this zoning based on what I am hearing right now, Heneghan said.

As the measure was a public hearing item, the council took no action on the proposal.

In other action at the meeting, the council unanimously approved the nomination of Villard Ardy Bastien to fill the unexpired term of Pam Tallmadge in City Council Post 1, who resigned July 15. He was nominated to the position by Mayor Lynn Deutsch and was seated immediately after being sworn in by DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Stacey Hydrick.

This appointment is an honor and privilege, Bastien said in a prepared statement. I enjoy public service and look forward to taking on the additional role of representing the people.

Bastien, an attorney, was appointed to Dunwoodys first Zoning Board of Appeals in 2009 and has served continuously, including as chairman, since then. He will not seek to retain the District 1 seat and will cede the position to the winner of the Nov. 2 election.
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YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan congratulated the people of Ukraine on the 30th anniversary of independence.

I believe that the ties between our nations will continue to serve as a solid ground for further development of friendly and mutually beneficial relations, Pashinyan said on Twitter.

I congratulate the people of Ukraine on the occasion of 30th anniversary of independence. I believe that the ties between our nations will continue to serve as a solid ground for further development of friendly and mutually beneficial relations.  Nikol Pashinyan (@NikolPashinyan) August 24, 2021

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. The Parliament of Armenia will hold one more session on August 25, after 18:00, for debating the governments action plan.

The respective proposal was made by Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan.

Dear colleagues, I propose to vote on convening one more session after the completion of the sessions today. It means we need to convene one more session after 18:30, he said.

74 MPs voted in favor of the proposal, no one voted against or made abstentions.

The session, that will launch at 18:30, will last until 20:00.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
New weapons include Tornado-G, Uragan-1M, and Tornado-S multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS). They replace old Grad, Uragan, and Smerch. All the three new MLRS are serially produced with new munitions, which include precision rockets.

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Tank manufacturers have finalized the overhaul and upgrade documentation for all combat vehicles in service with the army. The hardware satisfies the organic needs of the armed forces, including in the Arctic. T-80 tanks are mostly used in the north. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

Russia operates modern antitank Kornet systems. There is a line of modern vehicles of the Typhoon family : Typhoon-K of Remdiesel plant, and Typhoon-U of Ural plant. The Military-Industrial company has recently offered a new Strela vehicle, which is a light option of the Tiger. Batch supplies of upgraded BTR-82AMs are ongoing. Kurganets and Boomerang vehicles on Armata platform are completing trials and have to begin test operation by the troops in 2021. Acceptance trials of armor on Boomerang platform are beginning. The development batch will be shortly produced.

The number of new vehicles will be determined by the new arms program. Delivery plans of new and upgraded hardware are specified according to the results of modernization R&D. Tank manufacturers have finalized the overhaul and upgrade documentation for all combat vehicles in service with the army. The hardware satisfies the organic needs of the armed forces, including in the Arctic. T-80 tanks are mostly used in the north.

The new generation of T-14 Armata tanks will train and update the combat engagement tactic, as they are conceptually new vehicles. For the first time, the tank has an unmanned combat compartment (turret) and the crew stays in a protected armored capsule located in the front. The tank is highly protected and mobile, and operates new weapons. A round of munitions has been designed for it with characteristics that exceed ordinary tank shells. The tank enjoys a major modernization potential. It is mounted on a platform that can carry new weapons.

Other Russian tanks have properly performed in regional conflicts. "We have a stable export order. All the new hardware is of interest for partners. I have not yet mentioned TOS-2 heavy flamethrower and Zemledelie remote mining vehicle, which participated in the V-Day parade in 2020. There are also air defense weapons, such as Vityaz and upgraded Buk-M3 and Tor-M2U. The trend to buy the whole line of armored vehicles remains abroad. We have what to offer to a foreign customer. We have made mistakes and lost markets because the Soviet Union allowed Warsaw Pact countries to produce weapons without licenses and patents. Now they trade weapons by their own rules and undermine our export potential. We have to learn the lesson. I believe the correct conclusions have been made and we shall maintain and increase our export potential. All our ground hardware is on a par with the foreign one," Osyko said. Production of Russian arms abroad and transfer of technologies provide a good potential for the development of military-technical cooperation, he added.

The portfolio of export orders remains at the level of 55 billion dollars in the past years and Russia keeps a leading position in the arms market. Preliminary forecasts say the export volume will hardly change in 2021. It remained at the previous level during the pandemic.

New hardware has an immense modernization potential and can be used as a platform to create new weapons. Thus, the Boomerang undercarriage can be a platform for communication and reconnaissance complexes, as it has enough internal space to accommodate the necessary hardware. The same is true for other military products. Msta-SM and Koalitsia self-propelled tracked guns can be transformed into wheeled options. They will be of interest to customers.

Balkan automatic grenade launcher is a new 40mm weapon. The new caliber will change the organic fleet of grenade launchers and require new rounds of munitions. Is a major costly task. The new grenade launcher is finalized and will be accepted into service shortly. It exceeds AGS-17 and AGS-30 in firepower, but Balkan is heavier and less mobile.

At present, no complete replacement of AGS with Balkan is planned. Huge stocks of firearms and grenade launchers and munitions were accumulated in Soviet times. The industry annually produced dozens of millions of cartridges and hundreds of thousands of firearms. The armed forces still keep major stocks. Such arsenals make a complete replacement economically senseless.

It concerns not only Balkan. AK-12 assault rifle, the Lebedev pistol considerably exceed the predecessors. Their production is prepared, technologies streamlined and costs reduced.

The first serial batches are supplied to the troops manned with the most professional soldiers, mostly commandos of the Defense Ministry and other law enforcement agencies. The test operation has to expose hidden defects and drawbacks and rectify them.

Automobiles are currently procured for the Arctic, such as Mustang family on KAMAZ undercarriage and Motovoz-1 on Ural undercarriage. The creation of Arctic technical rear services on two-section tracked DT-30PM transporter has been completed.

R&D is ongoing to create 120mm mortar on the undercarriage of two-section tracked transporter, light tracked snow-and-swamp-going vehicle DT-BTR, and REM-GD tracked evacuation vehicle. R&D is also held to develop prospective Arctic communication and command posts.

"Artificial intelligence is mostly used in robots to select and identify targets and assist in driving and piloting. It reacts and makes the right decisions much faster than a human. However the machine cannot think so far," Osyko said

 Copyright 2021 TASS / Army Recognition Group SPRL. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Previously issued visas to all Afghan nationals, who are presently not in India, stand invalidated with immediate effect

Families evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan, walk through the terminal before boarding a bus after they arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport, in Chantilly, Va., on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (AP Photo)

New Delhi: Following reports that some passports of Afghan nationals with Indian visas have been misplaced in Kabul, India on Wednesday announced that all Afghan nationals must travel to India only on e-visa, adding that previously issued visas to all Afghan nationals, who are presently not in India, stand invalidated with immediate effect.

New Delhi further said that this has been done owing to the prevailing security situation in Afghanistan and streamlining of the visa process by introduction of the e-Emergency X-Misc visa.

It may be recalled that New Delhi had recently said that visas for Afghan nationals would be given through an e-Emergency visa facility. India had earlier ceased all diplomatic presence in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover there.

Indias move on Wednesday is significant in view of media reports that claimed that Afghan passports with Indian visas had been stolen from a travel agency in Kabul with a group backed by Pakistan spy agency ISI and that the major security scare had led to India cancelling all old Afghan visas as these passports could have been misused by Pakistan-based terror groups.

However, there was no official word specifically on these reports other than saying that some of the passports had been reportedly misplaced.

In a statement, the MEA said, Owing to the prevailing security situation in Afghanistan and streamlining of the visa process by introduction of the e-Emergency X-Misc visa, it has been decided that all Afghan nationals henceforth must travel to India only on e-Visa. Keeping in view some reports that certain passports of Afghan nationals have been misplaced, previously issued visas to all Afghan nationals, who are presently not in India, stand invalidated with immediate effect. Afghan nationals wishing to travel to India may apply for e-Visa ... .

Meanwhile, India is looking to evacuate the very few Indian nationals remaining in Afghanistan as well as some Afghan Sikhs and Hindus as well as some other Afghan nationals who had worked in Indian-assisted development projects in the strife-torn nation. With the US ramping up evacuations to meet its August 31 deadline from the American-controlled Kabul airport, the airport in the Afghan Capital continues to face severe pressure. New Delhi is awaiting more landing slots, having operated flights from the Afghan Capital in the past few days as well as from Qatars Capital Doha and the Tajik Capital Dushanbe where evacuees had been airlifted to earlier, from Kabul.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar also continued his consultations with foreign ministers on the situation in Afghanistan, speaking to his British counterpart Dominic Raab and Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir. The EAM tweeted, Spoke to UK Foreign Secretary @Dominicraab this afternoon. Our conversation focused on developments in Afghanistan. The EAM also tweeted, Good conversation with Saudi MoS for Foreign Affairs @AdelAljubeir. Discussed regional and multilateral issues. Welcomed relaxation of Covid restrictions on travel. Hope to see further progress.
Mr Gandhi compared the move with the British East India Company creating a monopoly

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led government accusing it of selling Indias crown jewels. Attacking the Centres National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) announced on Monday, Mr Gandhi said that the move was aimed to help 2-3 private players.

The Narendra Modi-led government is in the process of selling Indias crown jewels built by previous governments with public money over 70 years, Mr. Gandhi said while addressing a press conference along with senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram.

The Monetization Pipeline, as finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Monday, will lease infrastructure assets of Central government ministries and state-run companies to create a Rs.6 lakh crore fund to build new infrastructure. Among the assets the government plans to lease are 26,700 kms of roads, 90 passenger trains, 400 railway stations, 28,608 circuit km transmission lines, 286,000 km of Bharatnet fibre network and 14,917 towers owned by state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Ltd.

Alleging that the NMP will create monopolies, Mr Gandhi said, We are not against privatisation. Our (UPA governments) privatization had a logic and there was no privatisation of strategic industry such as the railways. All this privatisation is for creating monopolies. You know who owns ports and (is) getting airports. He also claimed that monopolies will lead to severe job losses.

I had warned about Covid and you all made fun of me. When this starts your chances of getting employment will be less. The assets of India are being sold and it is an attack on your future, he added.

Mr Gandhi compared the move with the British East India Company creating a monopoly. He said, Modi Ji believes large monopolies can save this country. You will see a dramatic increase in anger and violence. He is an instrument for doing some particular job for these people.

He also quoted the BJPs constant criticism that successive Congress governments had produced no development in the country for decades since Independence and said, The BJPs slogan was that there had been no development in 70 years. Yesterday the finance minister announced a decision to monetise all the assets built in the past 70 years. The Congress leader also urged the Congress to come out with a comprehensive report as to what impact the NMP will have including that on current reservation schemes.

Former finance minister P. Chidambaram charged the government with not thinking about the project and said that there are no criteria and goals for the monetisation scheme.

We are going to raise Rs.1.54 lakh crore every year  can this be a sole goal to sell assets? You dont embark upon the exercise without consulting stakeholders. This is all hatched in secrecy in this wonderful organization called Niti Aayog, said Mr Chidambaram. He further added that the National infrastructure pipeline is a project of Rs.100 lakh crore. How can you match Rs.100 lakh crore with Rs.6 lakh crore in five years?
Maria Elena Abello, 78, smiles after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine at the drive-up center at the Benedict Music Tent in Aspen from AVH physicians assistant Amy Behrhorst. The Pitkin Board of County Commissioners decided yesterday to extend the employment of 10 term-limited members of its COVID response team whose contracts were due to expire Dec. 31.
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The base model in coupe form starts at an MSRP of $26,695, while the 2022 Camaro convertible starts at an MSRP of $32,695. Both versions mentioned above refer to the 1LT Camaro, which comes with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four-cylinder engine. The unit is good for 275 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and can be ordered with a six-speed manual transmission or a paddle-shift automatic transmission.The V6 Camaro is still available in the range, and its 3.6-liter unit starts at $28,290 in the 1LT trim level on the Coupe. That engine comes with 335 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and is also available with a choice of six-speed manual transmission or a paddle-shifted automatic.For just over $35,000, General Motors offers the most affordable V8-engined car on the market, the LT1 Camaro. At an MSRP of $35,195, It packs 455 horsepower, which is about $77 per horsepower, which is the cheapest in the range. For the 2021 model year of the Camaro, one in four customers chose the LT1 model. That does make a lot of sense, and we expect the trend to continue.As we previously reported, the 2022 Camaro's production started last week after a two-month delay. For the 2022 model year, the Camaro gets two new color options , but the "Crush orange" and "Shock Yellow" have been eliminated from the list.GM has also cut the LT 1LE Track Performance Package from the options list of the 2022 Camaro , as is the case with the 20-inch alloy wheels called "Caliente." Customers can order the ZL1 1LE Extreme Track Performance Package for the 2022 Camaro, which has a price of $7,500 according to the Camaro configurator tool
The F-15, which was first built in 1976 as the Eagle and in 1988 as the Strike Eagle, is one of the most successful modern fighters, with over 100 victories and no losses in aerial combat. Given its impressive capabilities, the machine has been in service of several countries around the world, including Qatar.Back in 2017, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded Boeing a $6.2 billion contract to produce 36 advanced F-15 fighter jets for the QEAF. Three years later, the aircraft were already completing their maiden flight. Now, the fleet of F-15QA is getting ready to fly over Qatar's skies.Modified from the other versions, the jets are equipped with next-generation technologies such as fly-by-wire flight controls, a digital cockpit, upgraded sensors, radar, and electronic warfare capabilities. Oh, Boeing says that they also come with the world's fastest mission computer.Tech-wise we're not told much, except that they will "enhance the superiority of the QEAF with more speed, range, and payload than any fighter in the world." For context, the American version achieves speeds of over Mach 2.5 and fly as high as 60,000 ft (18 km). It also has a range of 1,381 miles (2,222 km) and can carry a wide range of weapons.A pilot training has already begun earlier this year ahead of the jets delivery. During the training, Boeing has been providing maintenance and logistics support for the QEAF. Once completed, the F-15QA will be ready to head to their new home.Following the delivery of the aircraft, Boeing plans to build and operate an aircrew and maintenance training center for the QEAF at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar until 2024, as well as provide spares and logistics support.
As many of you know, NEVS is short for National Electric Vehicle Sweden , and it owns most of Saab's assets, including its factory in Sweden. However, NEVS did not own the griffin on Saab's logo, so the company presented its first (and last) model, the 9-3 Aero , with a round black badge that had the Saab name written in white.The Chinese company meant to launch an electric vehicle brand, but those plans did not materialize. Unfortunately, the decision also involved ditching the Saab name . That decision was made six years ago, and there is no chance of seeing another new model from Saab , even with its new potential owners.The Xiaomi consortium is seen as NEVS' potential buyer, as Reuters notes, which would mean that the Chinese company would also see itself owning 65 percent of the company that owns the assets of Saab . The complicated situation that would arise from this would not favor the relaunch of Saab.The worst part for Saab and its fans is that the brand will be forgotten in time and reviving it will not be an easy task. The sale of parts of the company that currently owns most of Saab's assets is another layer of concrete added to the Sweedish automaker mausoleum.It is worth noting that the Evergrande Group, owner of NEVS, has stakes in several companies, including Faraday Future. The consortium also owns an electric vehicle brand named Hengchi. The latter displayed vehicles at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show back in April, and it may be the true asset that is being sold in the aforementioned deal. If that is the case, Saab still has no shot at returning to the market, unless its assets are acquired in full by another company.
EV

It seems that KNCAP only tested two vehicles so far in 2021, the Ioniq 5 and the Model 3. Despite Teslas claim that itsis one of the safest cars in the world, it did not fare as well as the Hyundai. As the main image in this article shows, it got only 83.3 of the 100 points KNCAP gives. In 2020, the best vehicle tested was the Genesis G80, with 97.3 out of 100.KNCAP distributes the 100 points this way: 60 points for crash tests, 20 points for pedestrian protection, and 20 points to crash avoidance systems. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 did really well in the most critical evaluation: it scored 59.29 points out of the 60, or 98.8% of what it could achieve.The second best category for the electric crossover was crash avoidance: out of the maximum 20 points the Ioniq 5 could get, it obtained 19.17 points  95.9% of the total. With such great numbers, you guessed right if you thought that pedestrian protection was what brought the Ioniq 5 down.The Hyundai got only 13.64 points from 20, or 68.2%. That is still much better than what the Tesla Model 3 achieved. Although the American electric vehicle got 99.6% of the points related to crash tests (59.77 points), it did much worse in crash avoidance (59.5%, with 11.89 points) and pedestrian protection (58.4%, with 11.68 points).
The badges of these vehicles will bring that distinction with a small R or P to the right of the Dream Edition inscription. There will be no price difference between the two, which should make the customers choice a case study.According to the company, the Dream Edition Range version will be able to travel more than 500 miles. Lucid and Motor Trend would have put two of them fully charged to travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco at highway speeds and back. Both cars traveled 445 miles and arrived with different ranges left.The worst one could still run 30 miles. The best one showed 72 miles in its range display, which means it can run between 475 miles and 517 miles. Not by chance, Lucid said the estimated EPA range for the car would be 517 miles. We have no idea if the Motor Trend staff drove both vehicles or if our colleagues just rode shotgun with Lucids engineers.Regarding the Performance version of the Dream Edition, it gets 1,111 hp instead of the mere 933 hp of the Range version. That allows the performance to reach 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 2.5 seconds instead of 2.7 s. The top speed is the same for both cars: 168 mph (270 km/h). The system voltage will be 924V, reasonably higher than the 800V with which the Porsche Taycan and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 work.If we had a pre-order for the Lucid Air Dream Edition , wed already know which one we would get, but it will be interesting to see which one the reservation holders will prefer. Lucid should disclose that as soon as it starts delivering the new vehicles.
KW

As opposed to the regular M5 CS, which by the way is anything but regular, the MH5 GTR is faster, louder and allegedly better to drive thanks to its upgraded suspension.Lets start off by discussing numbers though, since theres still no substitute for horsepower. In stock form, the M5 CS is good for 626 hp (635 ps) and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) of torque. Manharts engineers wanted more, and so they installed the MHtronik powerbox to go with a carbon air intake, allowing for a total output of 777 hp (788 ps) and 690 lb-ft (935 Nm).The tuner didnt want to boost power without also doing something to the exhaust system, resulting in those four ceramic-coated (or optionally carbon) 4-inch (102 mm) tailpipes singing to the tune of a special cat-back exhaust system with valve control.Visually, this standalone model comes with a silky dark blue Moonlight wrap and contrasting grey elements, ditching the standard models factory gold accents  for better or worse, were not sure yet.Other highlights include the forged Manhart Classic Line Y-spoke wheels, measuring 9x21 inches at the front and 10.5x21 inches at the rear, but more importantly, the customcoil springs, which are said to allow for better cornering dynamics. Thats saying a lot in a car that was already the benchmark in its class in terms of handling.Overall, we wont go as far as to say this is the meanest-looking BMW M5 weve ever seen, but its definitely up there with the best of them.
Sure, these massive ships do train together, and so do the aircraft that take off from their decks, but we know not of instances when say an American plane used a foreign aircraft carrier for cross-deck operations.That changed over the past weekend, when an F-35B deployed with the American Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 took off from the British HMS Queen Elizabeth and landed on amphibious assault ship USS America.The plane had arrived on the Queen Elizabeth a while back, and conducted this first-of-its-kind operation on August 20. Once onboard the USS America, the plane was refueled and rearmed to strike follow-on objectives.The achievement demonstrates, according to the Marine Corps, the interoperability of the F-35B and the strategic importance of the joint integration between the United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group and the U.S. Navy Amphibious Ready Group / Marine Expeditionary Unit. It also kind of increases the number of available floating bases for these planes in times of need.The F-35B is one of three variants of the Lockheed Martin-made machine, and it has been designed specifically with the needs of the Marine Corps in mind. It can land vertically and take off from very short runways, making it ideal for use at sea. Aside from the American Marine Corps , the militaries of the UK and Italy are using them as well.Generally called F-35 Lighting II , this family of fighter planes is capable of speeds of Mach 1.6 and flights at altitudes of 50,000 ft (15,000 m).
HP

kW

After it was presented at the British Motor Show, the Artura hybrid supercar will now head to Salon Prive, in Ember Orange. It features a carbon lightweight architecture and a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 assisted by an electric motor, boasting a combined 670(680 PS / 500) and 531 lb-ft (720 Nm) of torque. The model has a starting price of 185,500 ($254,548) in its home market.Joining it under the spotlight will be the Elva with a windscreen. Part of the brands Ultimate Series, the example on display will have a Satin Blue finish. Power is supplied by a 4.0-liter V8 with forced induction, which is capable of pushing out 804 HP (815 PS / 599 kW) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm). It needs less than 3 seconds to accelerate to 62 mph (100 kph), and 6.7 seconds from 0 to 124 mph (0-200 kph).Finished in Ambit Blue, the 765LT Spider is also new to the event. Following in the footsteps of the sold-out 765LT Coupe, this is McLarens latest Longtail model, and it features a carbon fiber chassis, and electrically-operated hard top that can be lowered in 11 seconds. Its also the brands most powerful Spider yet, with 754 HP (765 PS / 563 kW) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) available on tap.Offering superior comfort and a big shot of adrenaline, the McLaren GT will round off the car firms Salon Prive lineup, in a Serpentine look. This is their most luxurious model, and it needs 3.2 seconds from rest to 62 mph, with a 203 mph (326 kph) top speed.
SUV

Today the smallest sedan from Bavaria that can be had in America is the 2 Series Gran Coupe, while as far as two-doors are concerned, the range kicks off with the controversial big-grilled 4 Series or the feisty M2 Coupe. But way back in 2008, one could also have a little 135i on the driveway.And it appears one Lime Rock Grey 2008 BMW 135i certainly made an impression on its owner. So much so that it has become a very cool quarter-mile contender that is not afraid to duke it out with drag racing heroes. Of course, that is the power of the aftermarket world, where even the itsy-bitsy have a chance against factory behemoths.The good folks over at the Drag Racing and Car Stuff channel on YouTube made sure to showcase the idea with cool, nightly quarter-mile examples. It was all courtesy of a Friday Test and Tune session at the Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Florida. There, the D.R.A.C.S. team managed to capture a trio of skirmishes performed by the bite-sized 135i against much larger (both literally and figuratively) contenders.First, the 135i lined up with a crimson Ford Mustang GT, according to the description. The battle proved very tight, with the mighty Blue Oval seemingly having the upper hand, at least initially. In the end, it proved the BMW managed to recoup the initial loss and finished with a satisfactory 12.31s ET against GTs 12.77s result.Next up from the 0:55 mark came the hulking Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. This time around David didnt win against Goliath, just to prove the natural order of drag racing is sometimes hard to upset. Thenarrowly took home the win (11.82 s to an improved 12.01s).This might have ambitioned the 135i driver to prove both man and machine could do better. So, from the 1:25 mark, we see the BMW take on an Infiniti Q50 and show it might be on par with the Trackhawk if all stars align. The result speaks for itself about the humiliation endured by the Japanese rival: 11.82 s victory (same time as the Jeep) against a 12.76s ET.
PHEV

In addition to celebrating the 20th anniversary of Kleinschmidt's victory, Mitsubishi will also mark the brand's 40th anniversary in the U.S. by teaming up with military veterans charity Record the Journey (RTJ) to compete in the Rebelle for the third year in a row.Mitsubishi's participation in the Rebelle Rally began in 2019 when the company collaborated for the first time with RTJ, a nonprofit dedicated to assisting military veterans in successfully transitioning to civilian life. RTJ raced with an Eclipse Cross in the Rebelle back then, finishing second in the CUV class with the event's first adaptive racer, U.S. Air Force veteran Karah Behrend behind the wheel.Then, in 2020, Mitsubishi and RTJ made history once again by finishing third in a Mitsubishi Outlander, the first plug-in hybrid electric car to complete the multi-day off-road navigation-focused race.Now, the Japanese automaker will return for this year's Rebelle Rally, which is set to take place between October 7th and 16th and will cover more than 2,000 km (1,243 miles) across Nevada and Southern California.It will enter with its all-new flagship vehicle, the 2022 Outlander. Along with the commemorative livery, the Super All-wheel Control (S-AWC) all-wheel-drive system, as well as other vehicle features, can trace its concept back to the iconic Pajero , known as Montero in the U.S. or Shogun in the U.K."Returning to the Rebelle with an Outlander inspired by that Dakar-winning Pajero is a fitting tribute to our history, a powerful statement about our ongoing commitment to women's achievement, and the exciting future ahead for our brand," said Mitsubishi Chief Operating Officer Mark Chaffin.
With operations spanning 17 time zones, LSE 21 was a live, virtual, and constructive scenario-driven, globally integrated exercise. It gave the U.S. joint forces the opportunity to test and evaluate developmental warfighting concepts that will shape how the future Navy and Marine Corps compete, respond to crises, battle, and win on the battlefield.During the exercise, forward-deployed forces on advanced expeditionary bases identified and responded to a ship-based enemy by using combined command and control coordination with other U.S. forces. In this case, the adversary was a retired vessel dubbed Ex-USS Ingraham. The Ex-Ingraham was a guided missile frigate that was decommissioned in 2015.The clip starts by showcasing the weapon systems deployed. Then were shown simultaneous impacts from numerous platforms across the U.S. services engaging the threat. The U.S. Marine Corps fired Naval Strike Missiles from the Pacific Missile, together with AGM-84 Harpoons from F/A-18C Hornets , while F-35C Fighters used laser-guided weapons.But what gave the decommissioned ship the final blow was a fast-attack submarine , which launched an anti-ship Harpoon missile and a MK 48 Advanced Capability torpedo. You can see how the vessel snapped in half as if it was a simple toothpick.LSE 21 offered a great opportunity to demonstrate new technologies that will enable the joint force to increase the speed and precision with which complex, simultaneous, multi-domain, multi-platform anti-surface warfare fires are delivered.The precise and coordinated strikes from the Navy and our Joint teammates resulted in the rapid destruction and sinking of the target ship and exemplify our ability to decisively apply force in the maritime battlespace, said U.S. 3rd Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Steve Koehler.
Were excited to share our next step in San Francisco with the Waymo One Trusted Tester program, a research-focused initiative enabling SF residents to take autonomous rides for their everyday needs and help us shape the future of autonomous driving. https://t.co/93X3Y71c1U pic.twitter.com/dtcBDuwJUb  Waymo (@Waymo) August 24, 2021

While this is a first for the City by the Bay, for Waymo it's a familiar step. Over the last four years, the company has been testing its autonomous ride-hailing service in Phoenix, Arizona, where it accumulated tens of thousands of fully autonomous rides and plenty of feedback from the users.Moreover, for more than a decade, the company has been testing its new technology in California as well. Recently, Waymo started expanding its testing by offering autonomous rides to its employees in San Francisco Now, for the first time, San Franciscans will also be able to hail an autonomous ride. The users will simply hop into one of the company's Jaguar I-PACE vehicles equipped with the fifth-generation Waymo Driver and go just about anywhere they want to go in the initial service area.For the time being, all rides will be accompanied by an autonomous specialist or human safety operator who will monitor the ride. Trusted Testers users will also be able to provide feedback on their ride experience. In a blog post , the company explained that, at first, it will start with a small number of riders and then will slowly extend the services in the upcoming weeks.In order to sign up for the Trusted Tester program, San Franciscans will only need to download the Waymo One app. Waymo also announced that it plans to make its ride-hailing service accessible to persons with disabilities. Those in need of a wheelchair-accessible car will be able to hail one directly from the Waymo One app.
Sandy Munro published an intriguing video on August 25. It could be compared to a conspiracy theory about the U.S. government trying to bring Tesla down if it did not come from a man with extensive experience in manufacturing and innovation in the automotive industry. His video rant is an attack on what he genuinely seems to believe is an attack on improving that industry. That alone makes it clear that he did not get the point with the recent actions from the U.S. government on Tesla.

NHTSA has been accused of protecting Tesla for doing nothing about that.



Multiple companies are currently investigating autonomous driving technologies. They all have to make reports and follow protocols and rules to prevent anything bad from happening. That includes using private tracks for tests or trained drivers to perform these tests on public roads. Tesla dodged that by releasing software updates and allowing customers eager to test them to provide the data it needs. More than one has already died due to overreliance on these systems.



For years,



Sadly, this is precisely what Munro did in his last video. He shared how impressive it was for him to see FSD working with artificial intelligence taking 60 and 120 turns on its own. He said these advancements would save millions of lives and that this effort was under attack. Thats right the opposite: people concerned with how these tests are being made and the risks they bring are the ones asking the government to do something.







Under that perspective, these companies are doing more to save lives than just allowing people to do stupid things like sleeping in a moving car or believing that the vehicle can drive you home when you get drunk. Regular customers will only be able to have access to these technologies when they are fully mature, not while they are under development. This is what the entire discussion is all about.



Munro then seemed to mistake the reason for NHTSAs recent investigation. He states that the safety agency should not investigate Tesla for battery fires. It already is and for multiple cases, but no inquiry on fires was announced recently.



In the engineers opinion, electric vehicles would be much safer and less prone to such blazes because there have been much fewer fires with electric cars. It would be a reasonable comparison if we had the same number of EVs in the streets as combustion-engined vehicles. Were still far from that.



A proper comparison would put the number of EV fires against the size of their fleet and the number of combustion-engined car blazes against the total universe of these cars. If EVs are still much safer, it would still be worth remembering that battery pack fires are much more difficult to extinguish and demand a lot more water. Some fire departments even







Munro mentioned the Bolt EVs fires. GM has been a lot more transparent than Tesla about the causes, which is by no means a compliment. It only revealed the Bolt EV batteries could present a



The engineer then followed the same path Tesla used to defend its Level 2 systems and blamed the users. According to Munro, these are the guys that say hold my beer and make stupid decisions about how to use these systems. In his words, at least they would not have gone in too deep in their thought process to figure out whether or not whatever they were going to do was going to have serious repercussions.



For Munro, NHTSA started an investigation against Tesla on the same day in which the company made its AI Day. That was not exactly what happened. NHTSA launched that investigation on August 16, and it was about cars on







The engineer then praised Tesla for being a genuine American company and stated that Chinese companies would eventually come up with autonomous driving before everyone else. In other words, Congress and NHTSA would be slowing Tesla down. Munro is probably unaware that



In other words, if a Chinese company really presents a car with a true autonomous tech, it will not be without its perks, investigations, and following rules that allow it to happen. If that was a problem with U.S. regulations, Tesla could keep developing its tech in China, where it also has a factory.







Geofencing is used precisely to make the system safer. For Tesla fans, it is a limitation and a hindrance. They prefer the way Autopilot and FSD work despite the legal disclaimer stating it "may do the wrong thing at the worst time." Ironically, they hate exactly what makes other ADAS safer.



For Munro, the governments actions would be an attempt to make it an even plain field by crushing the only source of real American ingenuity. Shortly after that, he says that he is not a Tesla fanatic and that nobody buys him, probably aware that he will be accused of defending Tesla for hidden interests.



We have no reason to side with such suspicions. Munro seems authentically happy to see a car company that just changes stuff and dares to make them different as Tesla often has. What he should not miss is that this is not an excuse for the company to do whatever it wants. Testing beta software with users may be ok with computers, but it is dangerous with 2-ton machines that can go from 0 to 60 mph in a few of seconds.



More than innovation, the automotive industry must be proud of manufacturing consistency, proper testing, and offering safe and reliable products for its customers. If any government has to take measures to ensure that happens, it should. It does not matter whether it is related to the only source of real American ingenuity or to a massive company that employs thousands of people. The rules should apply to everyone, especially the ones meant to protect lives.



NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) is finally stepping up and taking measures that have been asked by NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) , autonomous driving experts, and traffic safety organizations years ago. What all these guys asked was that the government took measures to prevent Tesla from using its customers to test new technology that may have safety implications not only to those driving but also to everyone around its cars. In the past,has been accused of protecting Tesla for doing nothing about that.Multiple companies are currently investigating autonomous driving technologies. They all have to make reports and follow protocols and rules to prevent anything bad from happening. That includes using private tracks for tests or trained drivers to perform these tests on public roads. Tesla dodged that by releasing software updates and allowing customers eager to test them to provide the data it needs. More than one has already died due to overreliance on these systems.For years, Elon Musk promised Tesla vehicles would be autonomous. He said they would make a cross-country trip by 2017. In interviews, he contradicted Teslas own recommendations and took his hands off the steering wheel in a Level 2 system that is not hands-free. Many of his followers want to prove him right at their own stake and repeat or reinforce autonowashing, which is affirming something is more autonomous than it really is.Sadly, this is precisely what Munro did in his last video. He shared how impressive it was for him to seeworking with artificial intelligence taking 60 and 120 turns on its own. He said these advancements would save millions of lives and that this effort was under attack. Thats right the opposite: people concerned with how these tests are being made and the risks they bring are the ones asking the government to do something.This is far from being an attack on innovation. So much so that multiple other companies are pursuing the same goals but following the rules. They do so because they care about the reputation of what they are developing. They want customers to trust the autonomous driving tech they are developing. What good is a system that only a handful of people are willing to use?Under that perspective, these companies are doing more to save lives than just allowing people to do stupid things like sleeping in a moving car or believing that the vehicle can drive you home when you get drunk. Regular customers will only be able to have access to these technologies when they are fully mature, not while they are under development. This is what the entire discussion is all about.Munro then seemed to mistake the reason for NHTSAs recent investigation. He states that the safety agency should not investigate Tesla for battery fires. It already is and for multiple cases, but no inquiry on fires was announced recently.In the engineers opinion, electric vehicles would be much safer and less prone to such blazes because there have been much fewer fires with electric cars. It would be a reasonable comparison if we had the same number of EVs in the streets as combustion-engined vehicles. Were still far from that.A proper comparison would put the number offires against the size of their fleet and the number of combustion-engined car blazes against the total universe of these cars. If EVs are still much safer, it would still be worth remembering that battery pack fires are much more difficult to extinguish and demand a lot more water. Some fire departments even place EVs inside improvised water tanks to avoid reignition. Tesla would probably avoid an investigation if it were more transparent on the reasons behind the fires with its cars. Instead, it released an OTA update that capped the voltage in many of its vehicles. Affected customers sued Tesla and accused it of trying to hide the reasons for the update, and the company is now trying to settle that lawsuit. Meanwhile, other fires keep happening, such as a recent one in Guangzhou, China.Munro mentioned the Bolt EVs fires. GM has been a lot more transparent than Tesla about the causes, which is by no means a compliment. It only revealed the Bolt EV batteries could present a torn anode tab and a folded separator very recently. We have not heard from Tesla so far about why some of its vehicles caught fire.The engineer then followed the same path Tesla used to defend its Level 2 systems and blamed the users. According to Munro, these are the guys that say hold my beer and make stupid decisions about how to use these systems. In his words, at least they would not have goneFor Munro, NHTSA started an investigation against Tesla on the same day in which the company made its AI Day. That was not exactly what happened. NHTSA launched that investigation on August 16, and it was about cars on Autopilot crashing emergency vehicles , not about fires. The AI Day was on August 19 , three days later. If anyone was reacting to anything, the chronology suggests it was not the government agency.Munro also said that Congress decided to investigate Tesla. It was also not the case. Two Senate Democrats (Richard Blumenthal and Edward Markey) asked the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) to probe Tesla for promoting its driving aid systems as capable of full self-driving, which would mislead customers and endanger the public. That didnt stop Munro from believing it was too much of a coincidence for all this to happen on the same day.The engineer then praised Tesla for being a genuine American company and stated that Chinese companies would eventually come up with autonomous driving before everyone else. In other words, Congress and NHTSA would be slowing Tesla down. Munro is probably unaware that Nio is now facing a lot of scrutiny in China after a driver died while using NOP  its Level 2 driving assistant system. Nio even implemented a test to ensure customers know how to use it and that it is not an autonomous system.In other words, if a Chinese company really presents a car with a true autonomous tech, it will not be without its perks, investigations, and following rules that allow it to happen. If that was a problem with U.S. regulations, Tesla could keep developing its tech in China, where it also has a factory. Munro said that all other companies (General Motors, VW, Mercedes-Benz, and all the others) would be offering crappy driving assistant aids, and they would not be able to catch up. Munro recently tested Fords Blue Cruise, which uses geofencing, and he was not impressed.Geofencing is used precisely to make the system safer. For Tesla fans, it is a limitation and a hindrance. They prefer the way Autopilot and FSD work despite the legal disclaimer stating itIronically, they hate exactly what makes othersafer.For Munro, the governments actions would be an attempt tobyShortly after that, he says that he is not a Tesla fanatic and that nobody buys him, probably aware that he will be accused of defending Tesla for hidden interests.We have no reason to side with such suspicions. Munro seems authentically happy to see a car company that just changes stuff and dares to make them different as Tesla often has. What he should not miss is that this is not an excuse for the company to do whatever it wants. Testing beta software with users may be ok with computers, but it is dangerous with 2-ton machines that can go from 0 to 60 mph in a few of seconds.More than innovation, the automotive industry must be proud of manufacturing consistency, proper testing, and offering safe and reliable products for its customers. If any government has to take measures to ensure that happens, it should. It does not matter whether it is related toor to a massive company that employs thousands of people. The rules should apply to everyone, especially the ones meant to protect lives.
Copyright  2020 by Mountain Times Publications. Digital or printed dissemination of this content without prior written consent is a violation of federal law and may be subject to legal action.
Much of the 2021-2026 program that has been laid out in parliament by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian focuses on the new governments vision of Armenias future in new geopolitical realities in the region created after last years defeat in the war against Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Hayastan and Pativ Unem, the two opposition factions represented in the parliament, have been critical of Pashinian and his political team, holding them responsible for the defeat and describing the governments program as a pathway to a new capitulation.

Pashinian and majority lawmakers have dismissed such accusations, claiming that it is Pashinians predecessors, namely former presidents Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisians, with whom the two opposition factions are associated, that are largely to blame for the defeat.

They argued that by letting them score a landslide victory in the June 20 snap parliament elections people vindicated Pashinian and his political team, while passing a guilty verdict on the former governments.

In his speech today Hayk Sargsian, a member of the ruling Civil Contract faction, in particular, criticized the former governments for their mishandling of the economy and army affairs that led to large-scale out-migration and a decrease in the countrys defense capabilities before the 2018 velvet revolution. He said that the new Pashinian government did not have enough time to redress the situation.

In an apparent reference to opposition criticism that some members of the current government did not serve in the army, Sargsian said that all former defense ministers during whose tenures people were exempted from military service by phone calls were traitors.

Sargsians remarks sparked a quarrel in the chamber between pro-government and opposition lawmakers as the main opposition Hayastan faction is led by former defense minister Seyran Ohanian.

As lawmakers began to throw water bottles at each other, Parliament Speaker Alen Simonian interrupted the session and called in security guards to restore order in the chamber.

Several lawmakers, including Civil Contract member Hrachya Hakobian, were removed from the chamber.

Hakobian later told reporters that the brawl was provoked by Ohanian, who threw a water bottle in the direction of Sargsian.

Ohanian did not comment immediately on the accusation. He denied any fistfights inside the session hall where access to media has been restricted since early August. Ohanian said, however, that his glasses were broken in the jostle.

Another brawl in the parliament between pro-government and opposition members broke out shortly after the lawmakers resumed work. It began during the speech of opposition Hayastan faction member Vahe Hakobian. It is seen on the video that parliament majority and minority deputies exchanged blows during a mass brawl that followed. Another break in the session was announced and security guards were called in. Several lawmakers were escorted out of the session hall.

The Prosecutors Office later said that the brawls in the Armenian parliament on Wednesday will become a matter for investigation.

On August 24, opposition lawmakers brawled with security guards after Parliament Speaker Simonian ordered that Pativ Unem faction member Anna Mkrtchian be deprived of the floor and removed from the chamber for insulting Prime Minister Pashinian.

The opposition yesterday accused Pashinian of provoking the incident with his encouragement of the security guards actions. Pashinian dismissed the accusation, saying that the security guards were doing their duty.
While receiving newly appointed United Nations Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Vladanka Andreeva on August 24, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in particular, accused Armenia of objecting to a UNESCO fact-finding mission in Nagorno-Karabakh.

We can say that we had been calling them [UNESCO] for 30 years and they wouldnt come. And after the war they decided to come. Therefore, we agreed to this and, as far as I know, the latest information was that the mission had already been created, but now Armenia is protesting again. Thats why the mission is delayed, Aliyev said, as quoted by local media.

Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vahan Hunanian told RFE/RLs Armenian Service (Azatutyun) on Wednesday that the need for the immediate implementation of the UNESCO fact-finding mission arose after last years 44-day war in order to protect the Armenian cultural and religious heritage from the imminent danger of destruction in the territories that went under the control of Azerbaijan.

Both during the hostilities and after the establishment of the ceasefire, there have been numerous documented cases of deliberate destruction of and vandalism against Armenian churches, other cultural and religious monuments by the Azerbaijani armed forces. Moreover, in parallel with the physical destruction of religious and cultural heritage sites of Artsakh [the Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh], we are witnessing unacceptable cases of falsification of historical facts, distortion of the identity and belonging of Armenian monuments, change of architectural appearance by the order of the top leadership of Azerbaijan, he said.

Hunanian said that in order to cover up cultural crimes, Azerbaijan has been blocking the visit of UNESCO experts for some time, while accusing the organization of bias. Stressing that the practice of creating obstacles for the implementation of the mission by the Azerbaijani authorities and the politicization of the issue continues, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reminded that as early as December 2020, UNESCOs deputy director-general for cultural affairs stated that Azerbaijan was not giving its consent to the mission.

Artsakhs endangered cultural and religious heritage urgently needs international attention in order to properly preserve it and prevent cases of vandalism. The implementation of the UNESCO mission and a comprehensive study of the historical and cultural heritage will contribute to the efforts to preserve cultural heritage in the territories under the control of Azerbaijan and prevent possible negative developments, the ministry spokesman said.

Hunanian emphasized that the Armenian side is interested in the implementation of the mission as soon as possible and continues to make targeted efforts in this direction.
The Russian official gave no details of the deals.

Among the countries that signed agreements are our traditional partners  Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, and, of course, India, China, Myanmar, said Shugayev, as quoted Russias RIA Novosti news agency.

Earlier, Alexander Mikheyev, director of the Russian arms exporting company, Rosoboronexport, told reporters that more than 20 deals worth more than 2 billion Euros (about $2.4 billion) had already been concluded within the framework of the Army-2021 exhibition.

After attending the exhibition in Moscow on August 24 evening and meeting with the heads of Russian military-industrial companies, Armenian Defense Minister Arshak Karapetian made a remarkable statement, saying that Armenia will stop acquiring old types of weapons and start purchasing new, high-quality weapons.

Remarkably, two Armenian delegations visited the Moscow arms exhibition. According to the Defense Ministry, first, on August 22, a delegation headed by the minister left for the Russian capital to take part in the opening ceremonies for the Army-2021 exhibition and the International Army Games.

The following day, the ministry announced that a delegation headed by Deputy Defense Minister Karen Brutian would also take part in the Army-2021 exhibition, which will be open till August 28, during which he would hold meetings with heads of a number of large Russian companies working in the defense sphere and sign contracts.

We enjoy full support. I can say that I havent heard a single no word here. And we will take practical steps to develop our cooperation with Russia. We plan to get high-quality weapons, we plan to have new weapons, we refuse to acquire old types of weapons, that is our policy. It is better for us to have fewer, but high-quality weapons to know for sure that these weapons will work, Minister Karapetian said in Moscow.

According to the Defense Ministry, on August 23 in Moscow Karapetian discussed the whole range of issues of Armenian-Russian military-technical cooperation with director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev and director of the Rosoboronexport Company Alexander Mikheyev.

Talking to media, Karapetian said that Armenia will also seek to have its own weapons production and that it will receive the support in terms of opening joint ventures. We will do it quickly. As a nation we should be able to produce our own weapons, the Armenian defense minister said.

He said that the third task for him is to exclude intermediaries between the Defense Ministry and the manufacturing companies. I think that if these three conditions are met, we will definitely get a new modernized army, an army meeting the requirements of the 21st century, and we will be able to cope with the dangers we face, Karapetian stressed.

After last falls 44-day war against Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, in which Armenia suffered a defeat, and especially after the June 20 snap parliamentary elections, the government led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has repeatedly announced plans to modernize the Armenian armed forces and acquire new weapons.

According to the governments 2021-26 action plan unveiled by Pashinian last week, the Armed Forces Reform Strategy is largely based on the analysis of the lessons learned from the 44-day war and the security environment formed after November 9, 2020 [when the Russian-brokered ceasefire was signed in Nagorno-Karabakh].

The government will define the main guidelines, long-term planning issues and resources on which the development of the defense system of the Republic of Armenia and the fifth generation warfare toolkit will be based. The government will continue the process of modernization of armaments, military equipment, acquisition of new types of weapons. A more targeted policy will be implemented in the spheres of military and military-technical cooperation with allied and partner countries, the governments action plan reads.

Still, it remains unclear what particular weapons Armenia will acquire.

The contacts of Armenian officials with representatives of major Russian arms industry companies come after an August 11 meeting between Armenian Defense Minister Karapetian and his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu in Moscow.

During that meeting Shoygu said that Russia will continue to help Armenia reform and modernize its armed forces. We can consider that the process of arms supplies to Armenia has started, the Russian defense minister said as he handed a dagger as a gift to his Armenian counterpart.

The announcement apparently angered Azerbaijan, which objects to Russias continuing arms supplies to Armenia.

In an interview to CNN Turk television on August 14 Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev argued that while the Armenian people and their leadership have put up with the defeat in the war, continuing to arm Armenia appears illogical.

We expect that Russia will stop arming Armenia, we dont see it at the moment, Aliyev said.

Responding to Aliyevs remarks, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that supplying weapons to other countries was Moscows sovereign right.

At a news briefing in Moscow on August 19 she reminded that Russia, which deployed about 2,000 peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh after the ceasefire, has supplied weapons not only to Armenia, its key military and political ally in the South Caucasus, but also to Azerbaijan.

It is Russias sovereign right, and the Russian side always takes into account the need to maintain a balance of military power in the region, Zakharova said.

Political analyst Ruben Mehrabian said that the 44-day war, in particular, showed that the Armenian army needs to be supplied with a new generation of weapons and that a fundamentally new management system should be put in place.

We need a drastic change in our entire military education system, so that the training of personnel directly meets the requirements set to the army and servicemen in the future can master everything that the army will be equipped with, Mehrabian said.
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - The Phoenix City Council is determined to find out who will be held accountable after an independent review into how police officers treat protestors.

The outside investigation, conducted by Ballard Spahr, LLP, examined police actions related to protestors being charged as gang members and the creation and distribution of a challenge coin mocking a protestor outside a Trump rally.

During the audience comment portion of Tuesdays council meeting, a woman called into the virtual meeting to say she was one of the 15 protestors charged with felonies, and that the scandal has ruined her life. I lost my job. We have had our mug shots plastered everywhere, said Marysa Leyva. This has ruined my life.

Leyva is listed in the Ballard Spahr review released earlier this month. Investigators with the firm found Phoenix police met with members of the Maricopa County Attorneys Office to come up with a plan to charge protestors arrested in an October 2020 demonstration as part of a gang called ACAB. The review found no evidence that ACAB is anything more than a slogan.

Leyva said Police Chief Jeri Williams must go. The defense that Jeri Williams didnt know anything, how is that even a defense? asked Leyva. She needs to be fired.

Council members had tough questions for Chief Williams and City Manager Ed Zuecher about what happens next. City staff said some officers named in the review are being investigated for policy violations, criminal violations, and being evaluated for placement on the Brady List for officers with integrity issues.

Some councilmembers wanted assurances the police department is making furtive changes. Chief Jeri Williams said she has shaken up her command staff and revised policy on what cases must be brought to her attention. She also made a distinction between the police departments role in the gang charges scandal and the role of prosecutors.

Moving forward if it has anything to do with first amendment protests and felony charges, I am now mandated that it has to go through me, said Williams. However, at the point of time that this incident happened, it would not have normally run through me because Phoenix PD filed different charges initially. The county attorneys office led us through the gang charge piece.

The Ballard Spahr review recommended a more thorough investigation from a law enforcement agency to consider whether officers involved in the gang charges scandal broke any laws. Zuercher said the city has asked at least five Arizona agencies to take up the investigation but it has been difficult identifying a department with the resources and the willingness to handle it. Currently the Tucson Police Department is considering handling the investigation but has asked for more information to determine if the agency has enough time and resources to commit.
Parker Chamberlin, who was 15 when he stabbed his mother to death as she lay in bed, was found suitable for parole Thursday, more than 20 year
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Two plays will be featured this weekend as a part of the Beaumont Community Players third-annual Southeast Texas Festival of New Plays.

The festival starts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the Betty Greenberg Center for Performing Arts.

It showcases new works, and this years theme is conversations in a kitchen and one-act plays, according to a news release.

The two featured plays, A Hollywood Marriage by Brandi Easton and directed by Andy Coughlan, and Gladiolus by Jamie Knox and directed by Donny Avery, will each receive 20 hours of rehearsal and a staged reading performance.

More than 330 plays from 17 different countries were submitted for the festival.

Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox

The selection process took almost a month longer than anticipated due to the volume of plays we received, BCP executive director John Manfredi said in a news release. We used a team of readers that had real enthusiasm for the job and we want to thank all the wonderful writers that submitted work.

Manfredi said those who werent selected should submit their works again next year.

The authors of the selected plays will each receive a cash award provided by BCP through their Margaret Bolton School of Performing Arts.

The festival is $10 to attend for non-members of BCP. BCP members will have free admission.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit beaumontstages.com, or call 409-833-4664.

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The Jasper County Commissioners Court met last Monday in a lengthy regular session and the proposed 2022 county budget was first up on the agenda.

Chief Deputy Scott Duncan reported that the jail had invoiced $36,000 for housing inmates from Nacogdoches, Newton, Sabine and Tyler Counties for the month of July. The Court approved a contract between Jasper and Nacogdoches Counties for inmate housing, as well as a contract renewal with Southern Health Partners for inmate medical services. The new contract, which provides necessary medical services to inmates, is for $173,151.76. The new contract also has an additional day in house for Southern personnel.

In a related item, the Court approved and accepted a donation of $100,000 from the Jasper Hospital District to offset some of the contract costs to the Sheriffs Department. The Court also expressed their thanks to the Hospital District for its assistance.

The Court also had to establish the mechanism that was passed into law with House Bill 2073, which the Legislature passed this year and provides for paid leave for peace officers and jailers. Any of these individuals who must quarantine due to exposure while on duty will continue to be paid.

Finally, concerning law enforcement, the Court maintained the Sheriffs and Constable fees for civil service at the same level as 2021.

In regional matters, the Court approved the contract between Jasper County and the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission for 9-1-1 service planning and operation. The Court also adopted an updated assignment for road numbers and addresses for the 9-1-1 services making the SETRPC the point of contact for addressing. This supersedes an order from 2002.

The Court approved an agreement with Jefferson, Hardin and Orange Counties to establish a regional COVID-19 antibody infusion center in the region to assist with increasing hospital beds for the public. The Infusion Center will be operated by Baptist Hospital and funding comes from a grant received through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

The Court heard reports from District Clerk Rosa Norsworthy, who provided the monthly criminal and civil fee report, and County Clerk Debbie Newman who presented the order for the upcoming Constitutional Amendment election which will be held on Nov, 2.

Next the Court heard from Tracie Simmons of the Jasper County Indigent Health Department as she presented a contract for pulmonary and critical care services from Cyrus Healthcare and Management, PLLC out of Port Arthur, Texas. The Court approved all these reports.

In road and bridge matters, the Court approved a plan for a subdivision in Precinct 1 under the designation of S.T.S. 224. The Court maintained the optional fees that are collected by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles at the same rates that they were in 2021. Commissioner Seth Martindale was authorized in Precinct 1 to perform maintenance with a voluntary right-of-entry agreement to improve drainage on County Road 140. The Court authorized the Angelina-Neches River Authority to utilize road right of way in Precinct 1 for a sewer line project which will run through the Holmwood subdivision to the Texas Department of Transportation Office on US Highway 190 in Jasper.

Returning to the budget, in a workshop commissioners pointed out that the budget included a criminal investigator for the District Attorneys office and clerk position for the Sheriffs Department to be stationed at the Buna Sub-Courthouse. The budget also includes a 3% cost of living increase for all employees as well as increased part-time help for the District Clerk and the Precinct 1 Commissioner. The Sheriffs office will receive increases to their budget for ammunition, communications tower maintenance and utilities at the new Communications Center. Other items included funding for the SETRPC 9-1-1, the agency on Aging, JEDCO for economic development and Christmas lighting projects to help tourism in the county. In all, the budget workshop concluded with setting the tax rate at 0.6519 per $100 evaluation.

The Court approved a mutual aid agreement with the South East Texas Flood Control District to install sensors on waterways in Jasper County in hopes of warning citizens of flooding. A mutual aid agreement between Jasper, Jefferson, Hardin and Orange Counties along with the South East Regional Planning Commission for assistance during disaster events. A hanger lease was approved at Jasper County Bell Field Airport for Bravo Aviation.
DENVER (AP)  Rural Colorado county officials pled with community members to pass along a message to their missing-in-action county clerk who is being investigated for an election security breach: Come home.

Mesa County commissioners made their plea Tuesday during a meeting attended by supporters of Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who has not made any local appearances since Colorado's Secretary of State Jena Griswold opened an investigation into the county elections office in early August. A second investigation by the FBI and Mesa County district attorney is also ongoing for possible criminal actions.

Peters is still being paid a salary.

The commissioners' meeting lasted more than two hours as they debunked false election claims and defended their selection of former Secretary of State Wayne Williams to run the countys elections while Peters is out, the Grand Junction Sentinel reported.

Griswold said images of election management software used by the countys elections equipment were obtained by conspiracy theorists and posted on far-right blogs. Griswolds office also said it believes one of the images was taken on May 23 from a secure room where the equipment was stored and accessed by Peters, who allowed a non-employee into the office.

Griswolds office identified the non-employee but refused to say anything more about who he is or why he was there. The Associated Press isnt naming him until more information becomes available. He has not been charged with a crime.

If you do, or you know somebody who does, call Tina, tell her to come out of hiding and come home, Mesa County Commissioner Scott McInnis told the audience.

Mesa County commissioners also approved a new elections' equipment contract with Dominion Voting Systems, which is the subject of several lawsuits by conservative supporters of former President Donald Trump who have called for audits of the 2020 election for alleged voter fraud. A range of election officials across the country, including Trumps former attorney general, William Barr, have confirmed that widespread fraud did not occur.

After deeming Peters unfit to host upcoming elections, Griswold had appointed Mesa County's treasurer and a three-person advisory committee to stand in her place. However, after unanimous consent by the local commissioners, former Secretary Williams will officially replace Peters.

Griswold also ordered Mesa County to replace its voting equipment because of the posting of the countys voting equipment passwords on a far-right blog.

Peters' most recent public comments criticizing Griswold's actions and Dominion's machines were broadcast on The Lindell Report hosted by My Pillow chief executive Mike Lindell, who has become well-known for his unwavering support of Trump and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Its not clear when the interview with Peters was filmed. But Lindell's show started airing this week at 11 a.m. CST.

She reiterated previous claims that Griswolds staff raided her elections office and refused to let the Mesa County Deputy Clerk observe the Secretary of States team in the Mesa office when they began their investigation.

They couldve just asked me. They didnt have to come in with all barrels blazing," Peters said.

Early on in the investigation, Griswold said her team sent an order to Peters to inspect the elections equipment and relevant paperwork but the clerk did not respond. She then appeared at a South Dakota event hosted by Lindell where she blasted the inquiry.

She also reiterated claims that the investigation led by Griswold  who is a Democrat  is an attempt to take over one of the few remaining conservative counties in Colorado.

County commissioners told the audience they hadn't heard from Peters until two days ago through a third person, McInnis said, adding that her message was in biblical terms.

The new Dominion Voting Systems contract will include a $3,300 ballot audit review module that would allow people to see images of all ballots cast.
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP)  The former finance director of the Nebraska State Fair has pleaded no contest to three counts of felony theft of money from the fair.

Patrick Kopke, 30, pleaded Tuesday and faces up to 20 years in prison on each charge when he is sentenced in October, The Lincoln Journal-World reported.
The Texas Music Offices list of certified Music Friendly Cities doesnt hold many big surprises. Austin and surrounding Hill Country towns long-renowned for music are on the list, as well as big cities like San Antonio and Fort Worth.

Dallas is still working on getting certified. So is Houston.

But one small Southeast Texas town beat them to the punch - Vidor.

I think thats great, said Chip Adams, Community Relations and Outreach Specialist with the Texas Music Office, which created the program.

What I love about when cities like Vidor do this is that it spurs other cities to move ahead, he said, noting that the mayor of Dallas congratulated the city on Twitter. Hopefully Vidor is the seed planted to get more cities in this community to join, said Adams, who received a message from the City of Beaumont while driving to Vidor to present Mayor Misty Songe with their official Music Friendly Community certification. He expects a call from Port Arthur, home of Janis Joplin and more, to come soon.

Becoming certified isnt an easy process.

We ask a lot. There are a lot of steps involved  to make the list, Adams said.

There are community music workshops to be held, music directories to be created, shows of support for community music programs. The work continues after becoming certified, as well, Adams noted.

After an initial slowdown in the process due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vidor managed to complete the requirements in just a handful of months, whereas it takes some cities one, two years to get certified, he told the crowd.

Some cities get through more efficiently than others, Adams explained, and he credited city manager Robbie Hood with Vidors quick achievement.

Robbie understood the importance and got the work done. Sometimes you just need the right person, he said.

Before the presentation ceremony, Adams got to meet Hood and other city officials in person. And they showed him why Vidor is rich with musical history and talent.

Songe gave him a tour of the Wall of Fame inside City Hall, where photographs of local talent nearly fill a long hallway.

The musical history in this town is remarkable, Adams said during the ceremony.

City councilman Gary Herrera thanked Adams and the state for the opportunity to join the program.

We definitely appreciate the State of Texas for helping us move forward and to have this opportunity, Herrera said, adding, This is a great way for us to showcase what we have and the economic and development opportunities that comes with it.

As the 26th city to join the states music friendly list, Vidor is expected to be part of moving the entire state forward in the music world.

To get Texas on a global musical stage, it helps for cities to work together, build that community and help support one another, Adams said.

Following Adams presentation, Mayor Songe also received recognition from area leaders. Representatives from State Rep. Dade Phelan and U.S. Rep. Bruce Babins offices presented her with flags flown over the Texas and U.S. capitols.

Then the event got back to celebrating what lies at the heart of the citys achievement - music.

Local talent, including David Varnado, Joe Benoit and Donice Morace took to the stage, playing for the crowd gathered outside, showing them and Adams just why Vidor has always been a music friendly city.

Getting to all these communities is one of the best parts of this gig, Adams, a first-time visitor, said, as he gathered with the crowd.

For Herrera, Tuesdays recognition goes beyond recognizing the multitude of talent in this area. It also gives the community a chance at starting a new Vidor history - something thats positive and moving forward.

kbrent@beaumontenterprise.com
HILLSBORO, Ore. (AP)  A Hillsboro man convicted of felony sex crimes for the third time has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Justin Lugo, 37, was convicted in a bench trial in May of sexually abusing a female while she slept at their parents home in 2019, according to the Washington County District Attorneys Office.
SYDNEY  Authorities in Australias New South Wales state say they will ease pandemic restrictions for vaccinated adults next month even as they are reporting a record 1,029 coronavirus infections and three deaths from COVID-19.

The record reported Thursday surpassed the previous high for a 24-hour period of 919 infections just a day earlier.

State Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the slight easing of restrictions is coming because the state reached 6 million vaccine doses in a population of 8.2 million.

Beginning Sept. 13, families in the highest-risk parts of Sydney will be allowed to leave their homes for an hour of recreation as long as any adults are fully vaccinated. The recreation hour is in addition to the hour people are already allowed out to exercise.

Elsewhere in the state, groups of five will be allowed to congregate as long as all adults are fully vaccinated.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 Pfizer seeking FDA OK for COVID-19 vaccine booster dose

 WHO: Coronavirus origin window of opportunity stalled, closing fast

 New NY governor adds 12,000 deaths to publicized COVID-19 tally

 Treasury Department reports only 11% of rental assistance distributed

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 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WELLINGTON, New Zealand  New Zealand has reported 68 new community cases of the coronavirus, the largest daily increase since April of last year as an outbreak of the delta variant continues to grow.

The government put the nation into a strict lockdown last week as it tries to stamp out the outbreak, which has grown to a total of 277 infections.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Thursday that she is confident the lockdown is working and new cases will soon begin to drop.

Also on Thursday, national carrier Air New Zealand reported an annual loss of 440 million New Zealand dollars, or about $306 million U.S., after revenue dropped nearly 50% due to the pandemic-induced plunge in international travel.

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OLYMPIA, Wash,  Washington state health officials say the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is doubling every 18 to 19 days in the state.

Dr. Umair Shah is the state secretary of health and said Wednesday that the surge driven by the delta variant of the coronavirus has stressed, stretched and strained hospital resources across the state,.

One hospital official said hospitals throughout the state are facing their highest levels of occupancy ever, and the impact has been especially hard on regional and rural hospitals where there are no critical care beds left.

According to the state Department of Health, 1,346 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Tuesday. There have been more than 488,000 confirmed coronavirus infections in Washington state during the pandemic, and 6,448 deaths related to COVID-19.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn.  The Tennessee state health commissioner says children now account for more than a third of the states COVID-19 cases, a sharp rise from earlier as the delta variant of the coronavirus continues to spread.

Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said Wednesday that Tennessee had 14,000 pediatric cases in the previous seven days, which she said was 57% more than the previous week. She says such cases now make up 36% of total COVID-19 cases, when its historically been in the 10 to 15 percent range.

The spike in cases among school-age children has brought calls from some health officials for more forceful protective measures such as mask mandates at schools. Gov. Bill Lee has resisted such suggestions.

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TOPEKA, Kan.  Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has directed state employees to resume working remotely if possible because of the surge in infections from the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.

Kellys announcement Wednesday came after two months of steadily rising numbers of COVID-19 cases that have stressed hospitals. Her directive applies to state agencies under her control. Employees must resume remote work by Sept. 3 and continue at least through Oct. 4.

A memo from Kellys administration secretary says any employee who was able to work remotely earlier in the pandemic should do it again. Many state employees spent more than a year working remotely before normal operations resumed in June.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Kentuckys governor says the state has set a new high for pandemic-related hospitalizations during its most severe wave yet of coronavirus infections.

Gov. Andy Bashear said Wednesday that 2,074 Kentuckians are hospitalized for COVID-19, which is up from 1,658 a week ago. There were 4,849 new coronavirus cases, the third-highest since the pandemic began.

The governor warns that our hospitals are overrun.

Officials say intensive care unit capacity in five of the states 10 hospital regions is above 80%.

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SANTA FE, N.M.  Top health officials in New Mexico are warning that the state is about a week away from having to ration medical care as coronavirus infections continue to climb.

The state health secretary said Wednesday the state is tracking along with its worst-case projections when it comes to spread of the virus and hospitalizations for COVID-19. Dr. David Scarse says there was a 20% increase in pandemic patients needing care in just the past day.

Scarse says that the result may be that were going to have to choose who gets care and who doesnt get care, and we dont want to get to that point.

He says the biggest constraint right now is the shortage of health care workers.

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RALEIGH, N.C. --- Hospitals in the Raleigh region of North Carolina say younger and otherwise healthy adults are increasingly being hospitalized for COVID-19 amid the spread of the coronavirus delta variant.

The chief physician executive for WakeMed Health & Hospitals said Wednesday that the average age of patients it is treating for COVID-19 is almost 20 years younger on average than during the first surge of the pandemic.

The director of Wake Countys EMS agency says it is getting more calls for help than ever before, with daily totals often 33% higher than pre-pandemic levels of about 300 calls.

The chief medical officer at UNC REX Healthcare says the hospitas ICU capacity is now full.

The more than 3,500 patients currently in North Carolina hospitals due to COVID-19 is the highest since Jan. 21.

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RENO, Nev.  Nevada officials say the coronavirus positivity test rate is continuing a two-week decline statewide but has reached its highest level since December in northern Washoe County, where new daily cases and deaths continue to rise.

Washoe County Health District Officer Kevin Dick says 30 new deaths have been reported so far in August in the Reno-Sparks area, compared to five each in the months of June and July.

The countrys positivity rate stood at 18.9% Wednesday, the highest since 20% on Dec. 20.

Statewide, the 14-day average for the positivity rate is at 14.1%, down from 16.4% on Aug. 13 after a steep climb from as low as 3.3% in early June. Statewide, Nevadas positivity rate peaked Jan. 15 at 21% after a steady climb from 6.1% on Sept. 24.

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NEW YORK  A study from Israel says COVID-19 carries a far higher risk of heart inflammation than Pfizers coronavirus vaccine.

Researchers in Tel Aviv estimate there were three cases for every 100,000 people vaccinated with the Pfizer shot. But risk of it was 11 per 100,000 in people who were infected with the virus.

The finding were published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Grace Lee is an infectious disease expert at Stanford University and says the paper is the first to assess the potential risks of vaccination in the context of understanding the potential benefits of vaccination.

Previous reports have linked the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to inflammation of the heart muscle. The problem was mainly seen in male teens and young men, who developed chest pain a few days after vaccination.

U.S. health officials say they have confirmed about 800 vaccine-associated cases total of two types of inflammation  in the heart muscle and in the lining of the heart.

The Clalit Research Institute researchers looked at hundreds of thousands of people who were vaccinated and not vaccinated. Separately, they looked at unvaccinated people who were infected or not.

Since two different groups of people were studied, the researchers were limited in making comparisons. The study focused only on the Pfizer vaccine, and it did not provide breakdown of results by age or sex.

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HONOLULU  The state of Hawaii says 88% of executive branch employees are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and 92% are expected to be within the next month.

The state released the data after Gov. David Ige this month began requiring state employees to either show proof of vaccination or get tested every week.

The data cover 14,000 employees. The figures exclude workers at the Department of Education and the University of Hawaii.

The state Department of Human Resources Development says of its 87 employees applied for exemptions from the vaccination or testing requirement. Eleven workers were placed on leave without pay because they didnt comply with the requirement.

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JACKSON, Miss.  Mississippi health officials said Wednesday that a child younger than 5 has died from COVID-19.

Dr. Paul Byers, the state epidemiologist, said it was the sixth pediatric death from the virus in Mississippi since the pandemic began. He said the Health Department would not provide any identifying information, including where the child lived.

State Health Department spokeswoman Liz Sharlot also said Wednesday that law enforcement officers are investigating threats against the state health officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs. He has been imploring people for months to get vaccinated, but Mississippi still has among the lowest vaccination rates in the United States.

Dobbs wrote Tuesday on Twitter that he has received threatening phone calls from people promoting false conspiracy theories about his family.

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PORTLAND, Ore.  Oregon will deploy crisis teams of hundreds of nurses, respiratory therapists, paramedics and nursing assistants to regions of the state hardest hit by a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations that have stretched hospitals to the limit.

Gov. Kate Brown said Wednesday that up to 500 health care providers from a medial staffing company will head to central and southern Oregon, as well as 60 additional nurses under a different contract provider.

State health officials say COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased 990% in Oregon since July 9.

The personnel will head to Bend, Redmond, Medford, Ashland, Grants Pass and Roseburg and can move around the state as conditions require.

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CHICAGO  Chicago officials say all city employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by mid-October.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the rule Wednesday, saying employees will have to submit proof of vaccination via an online portal by Oct. 15.

The city has already required employees in public schools, including teachers and principals, to be vaccinated by the same deadline. City officials say employees can apply for a religious or medical exemption, which will be individually reviewed.

Lightfoot says getting vaccinated is the best way to make it possible to recover from the pandemic.

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NEW ORLEANS  A child under age 1 is among the latest reported COVID-19 deaths in Louisiana.

The state health department didnt provide the childs exact age or where the death occurred. The childs death was one of 110 in the Wednesday report, which said 85 of the deaths were listed as confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 25 as probable.

We last reported a COVID death in a child 6 months ago, the health department said on Twitter. In total, 11 children younger than 18 have died from COVID in Louisiana.

The department reported more than 6,619 confirmed and probable cases on Wednesday. Statewide hospitalizations dropped by 12 to 2,844.

The disease is blamed for more than 12,000 confirmed deaths in Louisiana.

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MADISON, Wis.  Wisconsins top education official is urging everyone headed into school buildings to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear masks.

Jill Underly says those steps will help ensure schools dont have to shut down amid a spike in new cases. The state superintendent of schools wrote an editorial Wednesday urging a united front against the virus. She noted the situation was different from last year thanks to the availability of vaccines.

Many schools in Wisconsin didnt open in-person learning in the fall of 2020, taking a hybrid approach for at least part of the year.

Wisconsins two largest districts, Milwaukee and Madison, were both looking into a vaccine mandate for teachers, something Democratic Gov. Tony Evers says he supports. Evers is a former teacher, school administration and state superintendent for education.

A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates a majority support nationwide for mask and vaccine requirements in schools.
Kim Brent / The Enterprise

School board trustees in Beaumont and Port Arthur have decided to require masks for all students and teachers, and this is how local control is supposed to work. The elected officials closest to the situation with the most information about it have made a decision that they feel is right for their districts. They are the only districts in the region so far to make this move, and they may end up being the only ones. If so, there is nothing wrong with that.

The choice in Beaumont was made much easier by the closure of Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School on Sunday due to rising Covid infections and a clear increase in other cases and local hospitalizations. With a trend like that, trustees dont want to wait until the situation is even worse and other school closures are needed.
Bedford, PA (15522)

Today

Rain. Potential for flooding rains. High 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy early, then clearing overnight. Low 53F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
DC is moving into streaming with three larger than life characters.

This article does contain a few light spoilers for Birds of Prey (Black Canary) and The Suicide Squad (Peacemaker).

The general vibes of Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad showed us that the DCEU isnt afraid to have fun and get a little weird. On the heels of Squads success, rumors and announcements about upcoming projects have been pleasantly, surprisingly bold and unique.

The Black Canary Movie

Weve just gotten confirmation that Jurnee Smollett will be reprising her role as Dinah Lance, the butt-kicking crooner known as Black Canary. The film will be directed by Lovecraft Countrys Misha Green, and produced by the same company that made Birds.

As of now, we dont have any information about the films plot. Dinah, Huntress, and Renee were getting along very nicely at the end of Birds, so its possible the film could be a sequel of sorts. The movie also laid groundwork for more possible information about Canarys mother, Dinah Drake, and her time as an informant for the GCPD. Either or neither way, its encouraging to see DC expand on a lesser-known hero, and a character that weve already met and loved.

Michael B. Jordans Val Zod Superman

Last month, Michael B. Jordan confirmed that hell be at the helm of an HBO Max series about the Superman of Earth 2, Kryptonian hero Val Zod. Its unclear whether or not Jordan will play the lead character, but if he does, it will be an abrupt turn from his previous comic book role, the MCUs Killmonger.

Much like the original Superman mythos, Val Zod was put into an escape pod as Krypton was destroyed. He was a bit older than Kal, and while in his ship, he listened to lessons from his parents, who placed a high value on non-violence. Due to his time inside the pod and then being held underground away from the rays of yellow sunlight, the comics see Val coping with some intense fear and anxiety about his new world.

In addition to the profound vulnerability bringing this character to the screen could show, Val Zods story could give us other stories from Earth 2. In this iteration of Earth, Thomas Wayne becomes Batman after the death of his son, Bruce. Lois Lanes consciousness is also transferred into an android, so shes the Red Tornado. Kara Zor-el as Power Girl, a Darkseid-worshiping Clark Kent clone this series is gonna crack the DC multiverse wide open, and I am here for it.

The Peacemaker Series

Anyone whos seen The Suicide Squad knows that this guy will do anything for peace even not-so-peaceful things like beating someone to death with his bare hands. Nonetheless, John Cenas Peacemaker is a pure delight to watch, and hell be continuing his missions for Amanda Waller in his own upcoming series.

This skilled fighter and weapons experts story will feature many of the same characters we met in the Task Force X control room, as well as some new characters one of which will be Auggie Smith, the Peacemakers father.

Finally, a Batgirl Movie!

DC and HBO Max have also confirmed several other projects in scripting and initial casting phases. After years of bouncing the idea around, it appears that gears are finally grinding on a Batgirl movie. Leslie Grace (In the Heights) will play Barbara Gordon, the first Batgirl and daughter of Commissioner James Gordon, who will be played by J.K. Simmons.

This project will also be scripted by Birds Christina Hodson, and will exist in the DCEU timeline (does that mean Batfleck will make a guest appearance?) Rumors that Babs will face off with Firefly or Killer Moth havent been confirmed.

and so much more!

DC also recently cast Xolo Mariduena (Cobra Kai) to play Jaime Reyes, a kid from El Paso, TX, who finds a blue scarab that bonds itself to his spine and covers him in a suit of alien armor. Charm City Kings director Angel Manuel Soto has been connected to the project as well, no word yet on whether or not his perfect bromance with Booster Gold will be included.

Other projects on DCs block are looking to expand the universe even wider, physically and even metaphysically. Rumors swirl about progress on the Green Lantern Corps series, the origin story of Earths Green Lanterns and the next possible step for the Arrowverse. A Zatanna movie is confirmed to be in scripting phases, and Justice League Dark and Johnny Constantine are rumored to be upcoming HBO Max releases as well.

And sometime this year, were supposed to get the animated 3-part series Aquaman: King of Atlantis, which follows Arthur as he starts his new job as the king of Atlantis! The family-friendly cartoon will feature stories with eco-friendly messaging with and an Adventuretime-esque style.

Which upcoming DC project are you most excited for?
Garment employees work in a sewing section of the Snowtex Outerwear Ltd. factory in Savar, Bangladesh, Aug. 9, 2021.

Global clothing retailers and a pair of international workers unions have agreed to a two-year extension for an accord that would make retailers legally accountable for workplace safety at thousands of Bangladeshs garment factories, the unions said Wednesday.

However, the signatories will have to implement the safety program through a government body, the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC), according to a copy of the draft agreement seen by BenarNews.

Representatives from international textile retailers have reached a new, 26-month agreement with UNI Global Union and IndustriALL that builds on the progress made by the ground-breaking Bangladesh Accord while promising to expand the scope of the Accords legally binding commitments, one of the two unions, UNI Global, said on its website.

The renewed agreement preserves and advances the fundamental elements that made the Accord successful, the other union, IndustriALL Global, said on its website.

It listed provisions to promote worker safety and workers rights. These include respect for freedom of association; shared governance between labor and brands; a high level of transparency; a safety committee training and worker awareness program; and a credible and independent complaints mechanism, the union said.

The RSC did not exist when the first iteration of the accord was signed in 2013.

The first accord was prompted by the April 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory complex in Dhaka that killed more than 1,100 workers. It was the deadliest industrial accident in Bangladeshs history.

The accords name has changed. It is now called the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry. It will take effect on Sept. 1, a day after the previous agreement expires.

The first accord was in force from 2013 to 2018. Some 200 top retailers signed it, including H&M, Hugo Boss and Primark.

The latest agreements retail signatories have not been disclosed yet, but H&M and Inditex confirmed to The New York Times that they are part of it. Walmart, the American retail behemoth, told the Reuters news agency that it was not part of the new accord.

Garment workers protest for higher wages in Dhaka, Jan. 9, 2019. [Reuters]

Bangladeshs 5000-odd garment factories employ 4.4 million workers. The industry accounts for a little more than 80 percent of the countrys exports.

The first accord had been very successful, according to the Clean Clothes Campaign, because it was a binding agreement that has real punishments for brands, retailers, and factories who do not take enough action.

For instance, thanks to the accord, a multinational apparel brand  its name was not disclosed according to a settlement  paid the two global unions a U.S. $2.3 million settlement in 2018 to remedy life-threatening workplace hazards in 115 garment factories in Bangladesh, UNI Global said.

The Clean Clothes Campaign is a global network dedicated to improving working conditions and empowering workers in the global garment and sportswear industries.

The latest draft agreement to extend the accord from Sept. 1 until 2023 does not include the following provision that existed in the 2013 and the 2018 agreements:

The objectives of the protocol are to (i) support and motivate the employer to take remediation efforts in the interest of the workforce and the sector and (ii) expedite prompt legal action where the supplier refuses to undertake the remedial action required to become compliant with national law.

In addition, the Bangladesh government regulator RSC is now in the mix  it has been implementing a health and safety program of the accord since June 2020 and will continue, according to the draft agreement viewed by BenarNews.

Last October, witnesses to the earlier accord expressed grave concerns about the efficacy of RSC because it was governed by a board comprised mostly of brands and factory owners.

RSC does not belong to workers

On Wednesday, many workers and a major garment workers union said they were happy the accord had been extended, but they criticized the government regulator RSC, saying it was ineffective and friendly to factory owners.

RSC is not a helpful platform for the workers. It is an initiative to help the owners, Babul Akhter, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF) told BenarNews.

I am requesting all international buyers to stay under the accord. Otherwise we will withdraw our representations from RSC.

He said workers have become panicked since the recent Narayanganj factory fire incident that killed 51 people, although it was not a garments factory but a juice producer.

According to local news reports, the earlier Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh shut down its operation in the country and handed over charge to the RSC when the local body took over the safety program in June 2020.

Rafiqul Islam, a worker at Abanti Color Tex Ltd, said he was a little more optimistic now that the accord has been extended.

We are seeing some hope, even if the accord works from abroad. The accord is very important for keeping our workplace safe, Islam told BenarNews.

Owners are against the accord because it gave more priority to workers than to them.

Salma Akter Mim, who works at Dress and Dishmatic, has been a garment worker for 18 years.

The accord made us powerful and ensured safety in the sector. But the RSC does not belong to workers, it is very much loyal to the owners and other authorities, she told BenarNews.

Salma, 30, told a story to describe what she believes is the RSCs lack of transparency.

When an Accord team used to visit a factory, they would talk with workers and provide their phone numbers to workers for further communication, she said.

But, recently a team from RSC visited my factory. The RSC representatives were surprised when I sought a business card from them. They asked me why I was asking for a card from them. This is an example of the difference between the accord and the RSC, Salma said.

BenarNews asked Iqbal Hussain, RSCs managing director, about workers dissatisfaction with the body.

We are an independent national initiative, is all he said, refusing to say more.

Md. Ehsane Elahi, Bangladeshs Labor and Employment secretary, said the government would look into the grievances of the workers.

The government is always highly serious about the safety and security of the industrial workers as well as RMG sector workers, he said, referring to workers in the ready-made garment industry.

But a major trade organization of factory owners said the accords extension does not mean much, because it no longer exists in Bangladesh.

They [the accord] might be doing some supervision of the RSC, nothing [much] out of it, Md Shahidullah Azim, of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, told BenarNews.
An exhausted Rohingya woman touches the shore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat through the Bay of Bengal in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh, Sept. 11, 2017.

At least eight Rohingya children drowned in the Bay of Bengal last week  casualties of a desperate peoples desire to get away from the Bangladeshi camps where theyve been confined since fleeing Myanmar four years ago.

They were among three dozen souls aboard a small boat that capsized in bad weather on Aug. 14 off Bhashan Char Island, leaving 26 dead or missing, and providing a bleak reminder of the plight of one million Rohingya who languish in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Three-quarters of them fled a 2017 Myanmar military crackdown, whose grim anniversary falls on Wednesday.

Bashir Ahmad was one of 12 people rescued by local fishermen from the capsized boat. He and ten family members had risked their lives to get away from the remote camp on Bhashan Char, where nearly 19,000 Rohingya have been shifted since December, with the promise of better conditions than in the sprawling camps of Coxs Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh.

"My wife and my four children are still missing, Bashir told BenarNews. We came here [Bhashan Char] with the hope for a better life, but we were deprived of it.

Authorities have given up the search for the survivors.

The boat deaths in the Bay of Bengal came ahead of what Syed Ullah, leader of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, calls a black day for Rohingya people.



Rohingya refugees walk along an embankment next to paddy fields after fleeing from Myanmar into Palang Khali, near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh Nov. 2, 2017. (Reuters)



A life of fleeing

Aug. 25, 2017 was when a wave of attacks by poorly equipped Rohingya militants on Myanmar police posts in western Rakhine State, which borders Bangladesh, set off a bloody Myanmar military onslaught against Rohingya communities.

The crackdown displaced 740,000 people, and according to humanitarian organizations, thousands were killed. U.N. investigators have accused Myanmar's military of carrying out mass killings and rapes with "genocidal intent".

The Rohingya still say they want to return to their homes in Myanmar. But the prospects for their repatriation, and of fulfilling their desire for Myanmar citizenship, appear as slim as ever.

Complicating the situation is the military coup that was launched in Myanmar nearly seven months ago that has installed a junta and stoked bloodshed and further conflict across the country.

The hopelessness of their situation pushes Rohingya to keep trying their chances for life elsewhere, despite the peril of an uncertain sea voyage to make it happen.

Rashida Begum, 35, says she was meant to be on the boat that sank Aug. 14. I skipped the journey due to my younger sons sudden illness, Rashida, a mother of three, told BenarNews over the weekend. I dont know when our life of fleeing will end.

Rashidas story is emblematic of the struggles of the Rohingya, a stateless people. She has spent most of her adult life in limbo.

She first fled her home in Maungdaw district of Rakhine State some 16 years ago after the Myanmar military allegedly killed one of her family members, and settled in Coxs Bazar.

Then in February 2020, she said, she left on a boat that drifted at sea for two months, unable to enter Thailand, Malaysia or even Myanmar. Bangladesh coastguards rescued the boat and sent them back to the same Coxs Bazar camp. Three months later she was arrested by Bangladeshi police as she tried to find work outside the camp.

Later, she moved to the camp at Bhashan Char from Coxs Bazar, seeking better health and education for her children, but was disappointed  as many of the others who have made the same choice have been.

When senior officials from the refugee agency UNHCR visited the island in late May, a violent protest broke out among hundreds of refugees who complained about living conditions and being unable to earn any money, among other grievances.

Now I am trying to flee from here, Rashida said.

People always try to stay in their birthplace and come up with dreams about their place. But it is a nightmare for our Rohingya people, Rashida said. I am on the run just for a better and a safe life.



A Rohingya refugee stands among the remains after a fire broke out and destroyed thousands of shelters at the Balukhali refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, March 24, 2021. (Reuters)

Dreaming of home

Shes not alone. Last week, UNHCR reported that 2020 was the deadliest year on record for refugee journeys in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many Southeast Asian countries to tighten their borders, leading to the highest numbers of refugees stranded at sea since the regions boat crisis in 2015, UNHCR said, referring to a year when tens of thousands attempted to flee Myanmar and Bangladesh by sea.

It said some two-thirds of those attempting those voyages were women and children.

These deadly journeys are not a new phenomenon, the UNHCR report said. The roots of these dangerous journeys are found in Myanmar, where the Rohingya were stripped of their citizenship and denied basic rights.

Meanwhile, critics say Bangladesh remains opposed to international efforts to improve living standards for Rohingya in the camps because it could lead to a growing interest of the Rohingya in settling permanently rather than seeking to return to their villages in Myanmar.

Diplomacy between Bangladesh and Myanmar to pave the way for their return appears to be going nowhere. Shah Rezwan Hayat, Bangladeshs refugee relief and repatriation commissioner, said talks about repatriation had stalled because of upheaval in Myanmar and the COVID-19 situation.

But Rohingya refugees were still interested in going back to Myanmar, he said.

Refugees at Coxs Bazar attest to that.

We are still dreaming of going back home. Nobody can enjoy the life of a refugee, as well as the humiliation, said Mustafa Kamal, a Rohingya who recounts how he twice fled to Bangladesh: in 2012, when there was an earlier wave of violence against minority Muslims in Myanmar, and during the 2017 crackdown.

Another camp resident, Nur Ahmed, said that he fled in 2017 after the soldiers set fire to his three-story home in Rakhine State.

Refugee life is not a life at all. We are spending every moment here with various fears. We want to go back to our homeland with citizenship, he said.

Refugees are not allowed to work in Bangladesh, and police on Monday arrested 74 Rohingya who were working as day laborers in lemon orchards near the southern city of Chittagong. A police officer told BenarNews they would be prosecuted, along with those who helped them.

Over the past two months, at least 600 Rohingya have been arrested in various parts of Bangladesh and sent back to the refugee camps, officials said.



A child crosses a flooded area in a makeshift raft at Maulovir Para, Cox's Bazar, on July 30, 2021, after monsoon floods and landslides cut off villages across southeast Bangladesh and killed at least 20 people, including six Rohingya refugees. (AFP)
The M.T. Strovolos, a Bahamas-flagged oil tanker, is shown near Indonesias Riau Islands, in this photograph released by the Indonesian Navy, Aug. 25, 2021.

Indonesia is holding a Bahamas-flagged oil tanker, its Bangladeshi captain and 18 other crew members who are suspected of stealing nearly 300,000 barrels of crude oil from Cambodia, authorities said Wednesday.

The 600-foot ship, the M.T. Strovolos, was illegally anchored off Sumatra with its identification system turned off when authorities seized it on July 27, three days after Phnom Penh issued an Interpol red notice about the alleged theft, an Indonesian Navy official said.

An Indonesian warship, the KRI John Lie-358, intercepted the oil tanker near the Anambas Islands in the Riau Islands province after the Strovolos had sailed into Indonesian waters in the South China Sea without permission, said Rear Adm. Arsyad Abdullah, commander of Naval Fleet Command 1.

The success in seizing the tanker is thanks to cooperation among nations in Southeast Asia, and especially the coordination between the Indonesian Navy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he said in a statement released by the navy.

The Navy will not hesitate to take action against all forms of violations that occur in the waters in Indonesian national jurisdictions.

Arsyad said the operation followed an Interpol red notice that had been requested by Cambodia and forwarded to Indonesian authorities.

It was not immediately clear why the Indonesian Navy waited nearly a month until publicizing the news about the seizure of the ship and its crew. The tanker had sailed into Indonesian waters from Thailand, the navy said.

The nineteen crewmembers  13 Indians, three Bangladeshis and three from Myanmar  were detained and later taken to a port on nearby Batam Island as part of an investigation, the admiral said.

The Bangladeshi captain has been named a suspect for allegedly anchoring in the Indonesian territorial sea without a permit and could face a year in prison, or a fine of up to 200 million rupiah (U.S. $13,865) if found guilty, the navy statement said.

The case has been submitted by the Navy investigators to the Batam prosecutors office, Arsyad said.

KrisEnergy, a troubled Singapore-based oil and gas company, had rented the tanker-ship for oil storage as part of Cambodias recent bid to extract its own petroleum, the AFP news agency reported, citing authorities.

The firm had filed for liquidation in June but was unable to pay the tankers crew, authorities said, according to the AFP report.

The company ... reported to our government that the tanker stole the oil. There are some 290,000 barrels of crude aboard, AFP quoted Cheap Suor, director-general of petroleum at the Cambodian Ministry of Mines and Energy, as saying.

(But) the tanker said KrisEnergy owed it money.

In May, Indonesia released two oil-tanker captains from China and Iran as well as their vessels and crews, days after a court handed suspended sentences of one year each for carrying out an unauthorized ship-to-ship petroleum transfer in waters off West Kalimantan on Borneo Island.

Chinese national Chen Yo Qun, captain of the Panama-flagged MT Freya, and Mehdi Monghasemjahromi, skipper of the Iranian-flagged MT Horse, were found guilty of violating Indonesias navigational rules by conducting an oil transfer at sea without a permit in late January.

After the January incident, Aan Kurnia, the chief of Indonesias coast guard (Bakamla), called for tougher laws against navigational violations in Indonesian waters.

All foreign vessels, including warships, have the right of passage as long as they transit continuously and do not pose a security threat.

Indonesia requires all ships passing through archipelagic waters to activate their automatic identification systems, or report any damage to those systems. Indonesia, the worlds largest archipelago, is the only nation that has designated archipelagic sea lanes.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris flew into Vietnam on Tuesday for a two-day visit aimed at strengthening a bilateral security partnership and helping Hanoi fight the coronavirus pandemic, as Washington tries to challenge what she called Chinese coercion and intimidation in the region.

In diplomatic sparring that began before her plane landed in the Vietnamese capital late Tuesday night, Harris criticized Beijings aggressive posture in the South China Sea and its refusal to respect an international judgment rejecting sweeping clams over the critical waterway.

We know that Beijing continues to coerce, to intimidate and to make claims to the vast majority of the South China Sea, she said in a speech in Singapore earlier in the day.

These unlawful claims have been rejected by the 2016 arbitral tribunal decision, and Beijings actions continue to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations, she said, referring to the International Court of Arbitrations rejection that year of Chinas claims in the South China Sea.

China  which rejected the ruling against its claims over waters which Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam also claim  shot back at Harris.

The order sought by the United States was one in which it could willfully slander, oppress, coerce and bully other countries and not have to pay any price, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a news conference in Beijing.

No alliance sought

After the sharp Sino-American exchange, Vietnam issued a statement stressing that Hanoi did not want to choose sides.

Prime Minister (Pham Minh Chinh) affirmed that Vietnam adheres to an independent, self-reliant, multilateral, and diverse foreign policy and is a responsible member of the international community, the Vietnamese government said in a statement following Chinhs unannounced meeting with Chinese Ambassador Xiong Bo.



Vietnam does not align itself with one country against another, it said, calling for solving South China Sea disputes according to international law.

Ambassador Xiongs meeting with Chinh also unveiled a Chinese donation of 2 million COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam, playing its hand in the vaccine diplomacy that is a key part of Harriss two-day stop in Hanoi that comes as the country struggles to contain the deadly third wave of the pandemic.

Chinas state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Xiong as saying Beijing wanted to help Vietnam both control the disease and advance socio-economic development, as well as to ensure the bilateral trade and the stability of the industrial and supply chains between the two countries.

A People's Liberation Army transport plane carrying a batch of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine landed at Hanois Noi Bai International Airport on Monday, Xinhua said.

The visit by Harris, the first U.S. Vice President to travel to Vietnam since the unification of the country under the Communist North in 1975, follows last months call on Hanoi by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Austin announced plans to donate 77 ultra-low temperature freezers to help Vietnam store and distribute vaccines, and Harris is scheduled to help open the regional office for Southeast Asia of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to tackle infectious diseases.

There is a vaccine competition between the U.S. and China in Southeast Asia, but not Vietnam, said Carlyle Thayer, an emeritus professor at Australias University of New South Wales and the Australian Defense Force Academy in Canberra.

He noted that Washington has been Vietnams largest donor of vaccines, sending 5 million doses of Moderna and striking commercial agreements with other drug firms.

It is possible the Biden Administration will agree to transfer IP so Vietnam can produce vaccines, he said.

It looks like China took a quick lead but is faltering as time goes by. U.S. vaccines are more reliable and questions about the efficacy of Chinese vaccines are being raised, added Thayer.

Political prisoner appeal

Vietnam is battling a large COVID-19 outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City, with under two percent of its 98 million people fully vaccinated, the lowest percentage in Southeast Asia, and more than 9,000 deaths.

On Monday Vietnams largest city, formerly called Saigon, entered a strict lockdown, with thousands of troops and as many as 35,000 army reservists carrying AK-47 rifles deployed to restrict peoples movements

In the run up to Harriss seven-day trip to Singapore and Vietnam, Vietnamese political prisoners families, activists and U.S. lawmakers all pressed the vice president to raise human rights with Hanois one-party Communist government.

"During the pandemic, the Vietnamese government detained over 50 bloggers, journalists, and human rights defenders who were put at risk by "placing them in unhygienic, confined places," said a letter by 60 Vietnamese-American pro-democracy, religious, media, and community organizations.

My family, like others, hopes that the U.S. vice president will urge the Vietnamese government to release unconditionally the prisoners of conscience before the COVID-19 outbreak spreads into the prisons, said Do Thi Thu, wife of detained land activist Trinh Ba Phuong.

My wish is that Thuy who is now advanced in age and in poor health, be released, said Pham Thi Lan, wife of Nguyen Tuong Thuy, a former blogger for the Vietnamese service of Radio Free Asia, who is serving an 11-year prison term for writing articles criticizing Vietnams government.

If not, let him go to the USA to get health treatment under a humanitarian program, for example, she told RFA, with which BenarNews is affiliated.

According to the California-based Vietnam Human Rights Network, Vietnam is currently detaining around 300 political prisoners.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris gives remarks during the official launch of the Centers for Disease Control Southeast Asia Regional Office in Hanoi, Aug. 25, 2021.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris launched the Hanoi-based Southeast Asian office of Americas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, saying Washingtons alliances in the region aimed to mutually advance peoples health and security.

The regional CDC hub is designed to enhance health cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), officials said, at a time when countries in the bloc are reeling from soaring numbers of COVID-19 infections driven by the highly contagious Delta strain.

Our partnerships in Southeast Asia are of mutual importance to the health of our people, the strength of our economies, and our collective security, Harris said on Twitter during her visit to Vietnam, as part of her first official tour of Southeast Asia, which earlier took the vice president to Singapore.

Harris is the most senior official of the new Biden administration to travel to Southeast Asia to date. The regional CDC office was first announced by the Trump administration last September.

The CDC office will advance global health security by maintaining a sustainable presence in the region, enabling a rapid and effective response to health threats  wherever they occur  and reinforcing CDCs core mission of protecting Americans, the White House said in a news release about the vice presidents trip to Hanoi.

Harris also announced an additional 1 million coronavirus vaccine doses for Vietnam, taking Washingtons total donation to the country to 6 million. Washington will also provide U.S. $23 million to help Vietnam boost access to vaccines.

Vietnams deputy prime minister and health ministers from ASEAN members and Papua New Guinea watched as Harris inaugurated the CDC office in Hanoi, the White House said.

The CDC, meanwhile, has had a presence in Southeast Asia for a long time, Rochelle Walensky, the agencys director, said in a statement. Walensky and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra were with Harris in Vietnam.

Our longstanding partnership with the countries of the ASEAN [region has strengthened public health laboratories, emergency operations centers, surveillance systems  all tools that are being called upon during the current pandemic, Walensky said.

Vaccine rivalry

On the eve of Harris visit, China meanwhile said it would provide another 2 million doses of vaccines to Vietnam, taking Beijings total donation to Hanoi to 2.5 million doses.

A Sino-American strategic, diplomatic and economic rivalry between the two superpowers is playing out in ASEAN nations over coronavirus vaccine deliveries as well as the disputed South China Sea.

Before the donation to Vietnam that was announced Wednesday, Washington said it had so far donated more than 23 million vaccine doses and over $158 million in health and humanitarian assistance to the ASEAN countries.

Beijing, by contrast, has donated far fewer doses to members of the regional bloc than has Washington.

China has donated around 17 million doses  including the latest 2 million to Vietnam  to ASEAN countries, according to a total provided on the website of Bridge Consulting, a Beijing-based research firm.

Back in June, days after Washington said that its vaccine donations and pandemic aid came with no strings attached, Beijing said the same.

But as Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, said on Aug. 17 there are no strings attached to Chinas donation of COVID-19 vaccines to the country, except that their boats are there.

Duterte was referring to the presence of Chinese vessels in Philippine waters of the contested South China Sea, which Beijing claims most of, in contravention of an international tribunals 2016 award.

Washington, on the other hand, may even agree to transfer IP [intellectual property] so Vietnam can produce vaccines, Carlyle Thayer, an emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales and the Australian Defense Force Academy in Canberra, told Radio Free Asia (RFA), with which BenarNews is affiliated.

Manila residents wait to receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac, at the Holy Trinity Academy in Manila, Aug. 13, 2021. [Dante Diosina Jr/BenarNews]

Close to red line

Health-care systems across the region are being stretched because of spikes in coronavirus infections stemming from the Delta strain, experts warn.

The Western Pacific accounted for 10 percent of new cases globally, Dr. Takleshi Kasai, the Manila-based regional head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. The U.N. health agencys Western Pacific office covers 37 countries, including the whole of Southeast Asia.

In some places, surges are pushing health systems dangerously close to what we call the red line  where the number of critical cases exceeds ICU capacity, and hospitals can no longer provide the care that people need, Kasai told a virtual news conference.

[T]he Delta variant is now a real threat  which is testing the capacity of even the strongest public health systems in our region.

For instance, quarantine centers in the Vietnams southern Binh Duong province are filled beyond capacity, with local authorities instructing patients not yet showing symptoms to quarantine at home, according to a report by RFAs Vietnamese Service.

On Monday, Vietnam placed Ho Chi Minh City, its second largest, under strict lockdown measures through September. Vietnam recorded 354,355 cases of COVID-19 from April 27, the first day of the fourth wave of coronavirus outbreak in the country, to Aug. 23.

Neighboring Laos and Cambodia also saw the number of infections climb this week.

In Manila, meanwhile, many healthcare providers have been forced to turn away patients, with the state-run Philippine General Hospital, which caters to the poor, announcing on Tuesday that it had been overwhelmed and would stop accepting coronavirus cases temporarily.

Already, 73 percent of all intensive care units in Manilas 332 hospitals were already occupied, the health department said. Last Friday, the Philippines reported 17,231 new infections  a record.

Thailand last week breached one million COVD-19 cases, while Malaysia has recently, reported record new infections on several days  on Aug. 20 it reported 23,564 cases, the highest since the pandemic began.

Indonesias COVID-19 daily caseload has dropped lately. But as of Aug. 13, more than a quarter of the countrys total infections since the pandemic began early last year were recorded in the four weeks prior.

Southeast Asias largest and most populous country hit a peak of more than 56,000 new infections on July 15, crossing 3 million total infections a week later.

Jason Gutierrez, Marielle Lucenio, Jojo Rinoza and Dante Diosina Jr. in Manila; Ronna Nirmala in Jakarta; Nontarat Phaicharoen in Bangkok; and S. Adie Zul in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.
Thai National Police Chief Suwat Changyodsuk talks to the media during a press conference at Provincial Police Region 8 on the southern island of Phuket, Aug. 8, 2021.

Updated at 1:10 p.m. ET on 2021-08-25

Thailands national police chief said Tuesday that a station chief was charged with pre-meditated murder and would be investigated for the in-custody death of a suspected drug dealer, whose alleged torture by law enforcers was caught on video.

In video clips that have gone viral on social media, the chief of the police station in Muang, a district of Nakhon Sawan province, and some colleagues are allegedly seen wrapping a plastic bag around the suspects head while interrogating the man.

Pol. Gen. Suwat Changyodsuk, the national police chief, said the video looked authentic and that he had asked the Office of the Inspector General to investigate the station chief, Pol. Col. Thitisan Utthanapon, and 12 other officers involved in the alleged torture.

From the videos, I believe the accusation [of torture] is true, Suwat told a press conference, adding that disciplinary and criminal investigations would be conducted on the 13 officers.

I ask you to take this as a lesson for all policemen, no one can get away with being guilty and one has to bear the consequences. We have to weed out the bad apples  we cant accommodate these kind of men.

Suwat did not give details about the 12 other police officers.

The Muang station chief has reportedly fled to neighboring Laos, but BenarNews could not verify that independently.

Police identified the suspect who died as 24-year-old Jirapong Tanapat.

Sittra Biabungkerd, a lawyer for the Peoples Lawyer Foundation, a pro bono group, had posted video clips of the alleged torture on its Facebook page on Tuesday, after receiving them from a junior officer at the Muang police station, 155 miles north of Bangkok.

The lawyers group said that it had received a petition from the junior officer who sent the video clips, asking that the Aug. 5 incident be exposed.

The officer  who expressed fear for his or her life  asked the lawyers to pass the clips on to the national police chief, the group said.

The clips show a group of police officers wrapping the suspects head in a plastic bag while interrogating him, and demanding two million baht (U.S. $60,758) as a bribe to drop the case against him, the lawyers group said on Facebook.

The junior officer whistleblower said two suspected drug dealers  including a woman  were being interrogated, although only one can be seen in the video, according to the lawyers.

The petitioner said the two suspects agreed to pay one million baht but the colonel demanded two million, so he wrapped [a suspects] head with a plastic bag until he suffocated to death, the lawyers Facebook page said, citing the whistleblower.

The corpse was sent to a hospital and the colonel forced his subordinates to tell the doctors the suspect had overdosed on drugs. Then they told the woman to keep quiet in exchange for being released.

A rights activist said the Thai police have for years been suspected of torturing suspects.

Head wrappings by the police or military were heard about for a long time, but those security agencies, especially those in the Deep South, never admitted to it, Angkhana Neelapaijit, a former national human rights commissioner, told BenarNews.

But this time, the evidence is very clear.

The Thai military has been in charge of security for 15 years in the mainly Muslim and Malay-speaking Deep South after a separatist insurgent uprising re-ignited in 2004. About 7,000 people have been killed since then in violence across the southern border region.

During that time, rights groups have accused the military of using excessive force in the region, including systematic torture and extrajudicial killings, against insurgents.

Kunnawut Boonreak in Chiang Mai, Thailand, contributed to this report.

CORRECTION: An earlier version had an incorrect name for the lawyers' group and date for its Facebook post.
The Vermont Symphony Orchestra in Island Pond in 2020. The VSO will be performing at a pair of VA medical centers in Vermont today and Thursday. The shows will be at the Brattleboro VA Clinic at 3 p.m. today and the second will be at the White River Junction VA Medical Center at noon on Thursday.
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Dick DeGray, of Brattleboro, puts on his mask before going into the Municipal Building, in Brattleboro, as the town started to require visitors and staff to put their masks back on Aug. 11, as the COVID-19 virus numbers increase in Windham County.
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Case of 76 in veterans home who died of COVID lands in court

Two former top officials at a Massachusetts veterans home where nearly 80 residents died in one of the countrys deadliest COVID-19 outbreaks in a long term care facility are seeking to have their criminal charges dismissed
PITTSFIELD  American writer and podcast host Cheryl Strayed is perhaps best known for her bestselling 2012 memoir, Wild: Lost and Found on t
BOSTON  Students and staff at Massachusetts public schools are now required to wear masks indoors, under a policy Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley officially put forward Wednesday.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education authorized Riley to issue a mask mandate by a 9-1 vote Tuesday.

As discussed at that meeting, the mask requirement Riley implemented will remain in place until at least Oct. 1. After Oct. 1, middle and high schools can lift their mask mandates if they can demonstrate 80 percent of students and staff are vaccinated against COVID-19.

DESE will provide additional information to districts in the coming weeks in preparation for the October 1 date, including how to demonstrate the 80% vaccination rate threshold, the policy says.

Most Berkshire school districts already had instituted a mandatory masking policy, with the exception of McCann Technical School in North Adams.

The commissioners policy applies to students age 5 and up and strongly recommends that younger students younger also wear masks. It exempts both students who cannot wear a mask for behavioral or medical reasons and staff who cannot wear masks for medical reasons.

Mask breaks are allowed throughout the day, and the policy says those breaks should occur when the windows are open or students are outdoors, if feasible.

Masks are required for any sports-related activity indoors, but can be removed when necessary to participate in elective classes, such as the use of woodwind instruments in band.

The state guidance says it is a local decision whether and when to discipline a student for not wearing a mask, and that districts should consult their legal counsel and provide written notice to students and families about expectations and potential consequences.

Districts are encouraged to consider and implement alternatives before resorting to disciplinary exclusion, it says. Keeping students connected with school is especially important this fall, as students return to school after a challenging school year.
Investigations editor

Larry Parnass joined The Eagle in 2016 from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, where he was editor in chief. His freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant, CommonWealth Magazine and with the Reuters news service.
Christopher Ketchen listens to the Lenox Select Board last month as the board votes to end his dual role of running Lee and Lenox. Ketchen will return to his role as Lenox town administrator in late September.
Officials with the Pittsfield Housing Authority said they were unable to accept an additional 15 emergency housing vouchers because of limited staff and resources. The vouchers are part of a federal coronavirus relief program developed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
LENOX  A long-established Pittsfield veterinary clinic hopes to relocate into the long-vacant restaurant building at the entrance to the Lenox Commons mixed-use development on Pittsfield Road (Route 7/20).

South Street Veterinary Services has applied for zoning board approval leading to a purchase of the building that formerly housed Bobby Macs, Jaes Asian Bistro, Bennigans and two other short-lived eateries since the demise of the Lenox House restaurant in 2002. The building is owned by hotelier Navin Shahs BHG Group LLC.

Shah also is the owner, separately, of Lenox Commons, which contains an antiques emporium, the On a Roll Cafe, Chocolate Springs, a martial arts studio, hair salon, barbershop, pet boutique, professional offices and other retail establishments, as well as several medical practices and clinics, including Berkshire Medical Centers Lenox Family Health. At the rear of the site are the 41 Lenox Woods condominium units whose residents are represented by a homeowners association.

The Zoning Board of Appeals will review the special permit petition to operate a professional office, as submitted by Lenox attorney Jeffrey Lynch on behalf of Dr. Raymond Reiners, owner and operator of the South Street clinic, during the boards meeting at 6 p.m. Sept. 1.

The full-service practice, opened in Lenox by Dr. Andrew Breslin in 1976, moved to its current 864 South St. site in 1981. Breslin remains on the staff of the facility.

The complex is within the Lenox Gateway Mixed Use Development Overlay District, which aims to foster a greater opportunity for creative development by providing guidelines which encourage a mix of uses compatible with existing and neighboring properties.

While the districts bylaws prohibit an animal hospital that provides walk-in, 24-hour emergency care and overnight stays, there is no provision in the towns zoning bylaws either allowing or prohibiting a veterinary practice, which has defined days and hours of operation.

The applicant is seeking a waiver from all submission requirements for a new mixed-use development because Lenox Commons fully is constructed and his client simply is proposing to change the use of an existing building, according to the petition to the ZBA.

In his application, Lynch noted that the overlay district specifically allows offices of physicians, dentists, attorneys, architects, engineers, accountants and other professional practitioners. The requested special permit would align with the standards for operating a professional office, he stated.

At its Aug. 10 meeting, the Planning Board approved the change of use for the 7,000-square-foot building, pointing out that the veterinary practice is not classified as an animal hospital.

In his petition, Lynch compared a veterinary office to a physicians practice, adding that it is properly classified as a professional office and not an animal hospital.

The Planning Board has submitted a letter to the ZBA recommending approval of the project.

After discussion and research, the board determined that it believes the use veterinary clinic is quite similar to the eligible use offices of physicians, dentists and, as such, should be seen as an eligible use within the Gateway District, the letter stated. We also believe a veterinary clinic use is consistent with the Gateways intended purposes.

The boards letter also noted that the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association refers to its members as veterinary medical professionals and that, according to town bylaws, veterinary clinics are distinct from animal hospitals and kennels, which house their four-legged clients overnight.

Lynchs petition states that there are no proposed changes to the exterior of the building, except for replacement of an existing fence at the back of the site to enclose a dog-walking area, which would be supervised by clinic staff.

He noted that traffic flow and safety, including parking and loading, would comply fully with zoning bylaw requirements.

Lynch also stated that community needs are served by the proposed clinic, which would serve clients among the towns 520 registered canines and uncounted felines and would not offer boarding or grooming services. The animals would not be outside, unless leashed and attended to by clinic personnel.

The hours of operation would be 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to noon Saturday and closed Sunday.

Since the town does not have a veterinary office for dogs and cats, Lynch wrote, it would be a great convenience for Lenox residents to have a local, in-town veterinarian.

The petition states that the practice currently serves 40 to 60 dogs and cats daily by appointment, equating to about five to eight vehicles per hour. The site has 27 paved and 13 gravel parking spaces, more than the required 23 slots.

Lynch contended that the improved property would enhance the neighborhoods character.

Many restaurants have occupied this property during the past 15 years, he wrote. The constant change with periods of vacancy is detrimental to the development and the Town. 55 Pittsfield Road is a very prominent location in Lenox. When this space is vacant, it casts an image that the rest of the site may not contain businesses or offices that are viable, and therefore discourages patrons from entering the property to investigate and window-shop other businesses.

Last fall, a proposal for a recreational marijuana store at the building was withdrawn by Shah, the owner of the site, after intense opposition by the developments condo association. Instead, he suggested a new location in a retail complex at 439 Pittsfield Road, which the ZBA approved in December. Kapha Cannabis, the first retail marijuana establishment in Lenox, adjacent to Electras Cafe, Papa Johns pizzeria and Berkshire Dogs Unleashed, is aiming to open by early October.
NORTH ADAMS  A study looking at how to address issues at Greylock Elementary School is moving forward.

The Massachusetts School Building Authoritys board of directors decided Wednesday to move forward with a feasibility study of a potential school construction project.

Its not feasibility solely for Greylock. Its feasibility for the project that would service the west end of the city, Superintendent Barbara Malkas said Wednesday afternoon. That includes the possibility of consolidating schools and using Brayton Elementary School as the building.

State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg said in a statement that the feasibility study will carefully examine potential solutions to the issues identified at the schools facility and will help us develop the most cost-effective plan to address those issues.

The project is not finalized and still is being explored.

I do want to emphasize that this invitation to partner on a Feasibility Study is not approval of a project but is strictly an invitation to the City to work with the MSBA to explore potential solutions to the problems that have been identified, John K. McCarthy, MSBA executive director, said in a letter sent to North Adams Mayor Tom Bernard dated Wednesday.

For years, the city tried to get Greylock on the state repair list and was accepted into the pipeline in 2019. The building has not been renovated since 1955, according to the MSBA website.

After delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic, city officials this summer said that, based on feedback from the MSBA, they would focus on Brayton Elementary as a solution instead.

Like most Berkshire County schools, enrollment has declined during the past decade.

There will be a point in the next three to five years where the enrollments will have declined significantly enough to warrant consideration of consolidation within a two-elementary school system, Malkas told the City Council at a June meeting.

As of April 1, the district had 654 students at the elementary school level, and the authoritys 10-year projected enrollment is 625 students, she told The Eagle in June. Based on the capacity of Brayton and Colegrove [Park Elementary School], the available seats were identified as 716. So, the capacity of our buildings exceeds our projected enrollment.

Malkas said Wednesday that the feasibility study will help determine options for a school building project in the western part of the city while taking enrollment projections into account.

It only makes sense for us to think about having a project for that end of the city that would service our entire student population, she said.
Paul Veneto, right, is joined by Boston Marathon Race Director Dave McGillivray, front left, as Veneto pushes a beverage cart along State Street, in Boston, Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021. Veneto, a former flight attendant who lost several colleagues when United Flight 175 was flown into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, is honoring his friends on the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks by pushing the beverage cart from Boston to ground zero in New York.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the opening of a monoclonal antibody site Aug. 18 in Pembroke Pines, Fla. The site will offer monoclonal antibody treatment sold by Regeneron to people who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Actors Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Teyonah Parris have different definitions on who the Candyman is but agree that the fictional character is a manifestation of a heavy load of pain, agitation and suffering.

The pair star in the sequel, Candyman opening in theaters on Friday, August 27 and follows visual artist Anthony McCoy, played by Abdul-Mateen II, and his gallery director girlfriend Brianna Cartwright, played by Parris. The couple have just moved into their new luxury loft in the recently gentrified Cabrini-Green neighborhood in Chicago. After a visit from Cartwrights brother and an unexpected encounter from Cabrini resident William Burke, played by Colman Domingo, they both receive the same tale about the Candyman. McCoy, however, uses the story as inspiration in his art while unknowingly speaking the tale into existence.

RELATED: WATCH: Actor Colman Domingo And Mental Health And Cultural Experts Explore The Deeper Meaning Behind Candyman

I would describe Candyman as terrifying from my own experience and childhood, said Parris in an interview with BET.com. I would also describe him as someone who has been hurt, is in pain, and we watch him try to deal with it.

Mateen also shares his thoughts on the significance of the character.

RELATED: Black Twitter's Best Reactions To The Terrifying 'Candyman' Trailer

Candyman is a ghost who is trapped and is dealing with pain, he said. He has unfinished business, and someone has to pay. Hes a ghost who is being antagonized and theres consequences to that agitation.

Watch Mateen and Parris further explain how this reimagined sequel of Candyman also connects to true stories in the Black community.
For the second year in a row, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) and BET are partnering for Foundation Friday, which includes a town hall and an awards show.

On September 17, which is also National Black Voter Day, starting at 7 p.m. ET/PT, BET and BET Her will air the CBCF Annual National Town Hall and the 2021 Phoenix Awards for CBCFs virtual 50th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC). The shows can also be viewed online. Actress Angela Bassett will host the virtual ceremony.

CBCF President and CEO, Tonya Veasey said in a statement, We are proud to renew our partnership with BET to allow viewers nationwide to view our ALC 50 signature events. BET continues to be a significant cultural force in Black American life. And, it is fitting we share our impactful civic discussion and celebration of Black excellence through this network. In the 50th year of the Congressional Black Caucus, we also value this opportunity to showcase the hard-fought historic and current work these legislators to advance the global Black community.

RELATED: Congressional Black Caucus Visits US-Mexico Border In San Ysidro After African Migrant's Death

The Phoenix Awards, which honors individuals who made significant contributions to society will also include performances from En Vogue, Leela James, Wayne Brady, Ledisi, Mali Music and Jonathan McReynolds, Stokley, Rapsody, and Chaka Khan.

President Joe Biden is also scheduled to make an appearance at the Phoenix Awards.

Journalist April Ryan will host the town hall, which includes discussions on health equity, education, voting rights, and criminal justice. Activists and change makers will join as panelists, such as Congressional Black Caucus Chair Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, and Vice President of Social Impact at BET, Brittany Packnett Cunningham.

BET continues to utilize all of our resources, platforms and partnerships to mobilize Black civic engagement across the country, Jeanine Liburd, BETs Chief Social Impact and Communications Officer said in a statement. We are proud to partner with Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, to provide content that empowers and inspires disenfranchised communities to advocate for equality and with national campaigns such as National Black Voter Day, have all of the tools that allows them to exercise their civic duty to vote. There is a lot more work to be done, and BET will remain at the front lines fighting for equality, justice and solutions, for Black Americans not only for one night, but all year-round.

For ALC updates, special guest announcements, registration information and programming updates, subscribe to receive their e-newsletter and follow @CBCFinc on Twitter and Instagram using the official hashtags #ALC50 and #FoundationFriday.
Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, a Proud Boys leader, has been sentenced to prison for burning a Black Lives Matter banner in Washington, D.C. in December of 2020.

According to NBC News, after pleading guilty in June, on Aug. 23 Tarrio was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Harold Cushenberg to a total of 155 days for burning the banner. Judge Cushenberg said the 37-year-old did not credibly express genuine remorse."

According to CNN, Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, who is from Miami and identifies as a first-generation Cuban immigrant, was arrested after burning a Black Lives Matter banner taken from a Black church on Dec. 12. That same day, two Black churches in Washington D.C., whose histories stretch back to the pre-Civil War era, were also vandalized.

RELATED: Trump's Racism On Full Display At First Debate, Tells Proud Boys to Stand By

CNN reports Tarrio took responsibility for burning the sign on social media, writing, "Come get me if you feel like what I did was wrong. We'll let the public decide."

Founded in 2016, The Proud Boys have gained a reputation over the past few years as a group of violent misogynist, racist, anti-semitic, islamophobic bullies who have been involved in conflicts at a number of social and political events across the country. They are classified by the FBI as an extremist group and many progressive organizations label them as a hate group.

The Proud Boys claim to have chapters in the U.K., Norway, Canada and Australia, according to Quartz.com. On their website, they also say they have a presence in places as far as Israel, China and Japan.

Tarrio was ordered to begin his sentence at a Washington, D.C. jail on Sept. 6.
Call ahead to confirm events. Due to COVID-19, many events have been canceled but hosting organizations might not have updated their entries.

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Spearfish, SD (57783)

Today

More clouds than sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 82F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 59F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Gabe Heck (Belle Fourche football): Heck had four receptions for 101 yards and he had seven tackles on defense.

Peyton Millis (Spearfish football): Millis had six catches for 176 yards and one touchdown. He also had seven tackles on the night, and he had a total of 20 return yards.

Charles Alberts (Belle Fourche boys soccer): Alberts tallied three goals against Sturgis Brown on Tuesday, which resulted in a 5-1 win for the Broncs. Alberts has scored 19 goals in only five games for the Belle Fourche this season.

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LENORE - The Bedrock Fire, located near Lenore on the north side of Highway 12 between Lewiston and Orofino, reached a total of 11,205 acres before it was 100% contained Sunday. Over 12 days, members of the community, businesses, local government, and leaders supported the firefighting effort in a variety of ways.

Residents in Lenore, Cavendish and the surrounding areas welcomed firefighters into the community and were supportive partners in the firefighting effort, said Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller. Rural residents and volunteer fire departments are also often the first to respond and report fire starts, which is critical to our mission to respond as quickly as we can to incidents.

The Idaho Department of Lands appreciates the efforts of communities of local farmers and private individuals in coordinating with us to use their local knowledge as well as the tractors, discs, dozers, water trucks and personnel to support suppression efforts, especially on the canyon rims. These coordinated efforts made a critical difference.

The IDL would like to extend a thank you to the farming communities of:

Lenore

Leland

Southwick

Cavendish

The Idaho Department of Lands also wants to give special thanks to the following agencies and departments:

Kamiah Fire Department

Orofino Fire Department

Sunnyside Rural Fire District

Evergreen Fire District

Big Canyon Fire District

Nez Perce County Fire Department

Kendrick Volunteer Fire Department

Juliaetta Volunteer Fire Department

Genesee Fire Department

Deary Volunteer Fire Department

Moscow Volunteer Fire Department

Potlatch Rural Fire District

Troy Volunteer Fire & Rescue

Lewiston Fire Department

Wheatland Fire Protection District

Local and regional news outlets

Lenore volunteer fire departments

Lenore Post Office

Lenore Community Center

LeBaron Park

Nez Perce County

Nez Perce County Sheriffs Office

Nez Perce Emergency Management

Clearwater County

Clearwater County Sheriffs Office

Clearwater Emergency Management

IDL Clearwater Supervisory Area

Orofino Subway

Canyon Inn Bar and Grill

Representative Caroline Nilsson Troy

Rocky Mountain Blue Team

The fire was near Lenore, ID, on the north side of Highway 12 between Lewiston and Orofino in Nez Perce County. It started August 11, 2021, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
BOISE - Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden and Governor Brad Little have announced their intention to have Idaho join two national opioid settlements, totaling up to $26 billion.

One settlement involves opioid distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson. The other involves opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson.

The settlements include up to $119 million for Idaho and its counties and cities.

Idahos local political subdivisions will be offered the opportunity to join in the settlements. Their joining now will maximize the benefit of these settlements with most of the money going to expert-approved opioid abatement strategies.

The settlements are contingent upon enough other states also joining the agreement. That decision is expected to be announced in early September.

These settlements will lead to programs that will help Idahoans dealing with opioid-related addiction, particularly if cities and counties act now, Wasden said. It is my judgment that it is in the State of Idahos best interests to join. I urge our local subdivisions to join the state so we can maximize our recovery and enable them to receive benefits under the settlements in order to take care of our citizens.

I applaud Attorney General Wasden and his deputies who represented Idahos interests in these lawsuits and worked hard to maximize Idahos share of the settlement proceeds. We are committed to combatting substance misuse in Idaho and believe this settlement will help reduce the considerable threats to the well-being and safety of our citizens posed by the opioid crisis. I join the Attorney General in urging local subdivisions to join the settlement and to cooperate with all stakeholders to ensure the funds Idaho will receive are best used for abating the opioid crisis in Idaho, Governor Little said.

As part of the settlements, opioid distributors would also create a nationwide clearinghouse to identify and report suspicious activity in the opioid distribution system.

The Office of the Attorney General continues to pursue its separate claims against manufacturers Purdue Pharma, Mallinckrodt, Teva and Endo. Purdue Pharma and Mallinckrodt are in bankruptcy court. Both are expected to emerge from bankruptcy in the coming months and provide additional dollars for opioid abatement in Idaho.
BOISE  Democrats in the Idaho House and Senate are applauding the Idaho Supreme Courts Monday decision overturning a restrictive new initiative law, and calling on their GOP colleagues to halt all further efforts to trim citizens initiative rights.

In its unanimous ruling Monday, the states highest court found that SB 1110, which sharply increased the hurdles to qualify any new voter initiative or referendum for the ballot, constituted a grave infringement on the peoples constitutional rights.

Idaho Supreme Court overturns restrictive initiative law

Every minority Democrat in both houses voted against SB 1110. Two GOP senators and five House Republicans also voted against the bill, but it passed and Gov. Brad Little signed it into law in April.

Democrats tried to warn the Republican majority that passed this bill that this would be the outcome, Senate Assistant Minority Leader Grant Burgoyne, D-Boise, said Tuesday. The whole purpose of the initiative and referendum is really to be a check on legislative power. Thats completely appropriate. All branches of government have checks on their powers.

Meanwhile, the Legislatures legal bill for the private attorneys it retained to defend the law, in addition to the state Attorney Generals defense of it, inched up by another $1,287 this week to a total of $180,763, and it still could rise further. The Supreme Courts ruling on Monday granted attorney fees and costs to the plaintiffs, Reclaim Idaho and the Committee to Protect and Preserve the Idaho Constitution. That means the Legislature and Idaho Secretary of States office will have to split the expenses for the winning sides fees and costs, which havent yet been tallied and submitted to the court.

The taxpayers of Idaho are going to pick up the tab, said Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking, D-Boise, the Senate Minority Caucus chair.

Under SB 1110, no measure could qualify for the Idaho ballot unless signatures backing it were gathered from 6% of the registered voters in each and every one of Idahos 35 legislative districts. Current law requires signatures from 6% of registered voters in 18 of the 35 districts.

While the high court left the 18-district law in place, it noted that it wasnt ruling on its constitutionality, and that law still could be challenged.

The majority in the Legislature need to think long and hard about whether theyre going to jump out of the frying pan that they probably feel like theyre in today and get into the fire, Burgoyne said of any further initiative restrictions, because I think they may just end up losing it all.

Ward-Engelking said, We all take an oath when we come to this Statehouse to uphold the Constitution of Idaho, and its a very solemn oath, and I take it very seriously. And Im hoping that our colleagues will take a look at that and say, Hey, this is serious. We need to make sure that were upholding the Constitution of Idaho.

The Idaho Constitution has guaranteed citizens the right to initiative and referendum since 1912.

Justice Greg Moeller wrote for the court, If the Legislatures actual goal is to prevent any initiative or referendum from qualifying for the ballot, then this is probably an effective tactic.

SB 1110, he wrote, places an absolute veto power into the hands of any one legislative district in the state. That, he found, creates an onerous political hurdle before the majority of voters ever get a chance to weigh in.

For example, a lone urban district in Boise could thwart an agricultural initiative with strong statewide support, Moeller wrote.

Nevertheless, House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, in a statement on the courts ruling on Monday, continued to say he believed the overturned law protected the voice of rural voters.

House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, said in a statement, This bill never should have been passed in the first place as it was in clear violation of the ballot initiative rights established in the Idaho Constitution. Elected representatives should be working to protect the peoples constitutional rights, not take those rights away as the Idaho GOP did here.

Burgoyne noted that the court detailed 100 years of attempts by the Legislature to limit Idahoans initiative rights. This is an insult and an attack on the character of Idaho, he said, and thank goodness our Supreme Court had the wisdom to stand up and say, Stop it.
A mass screening at Cottonwoods North Idaho Correctional Institution on Aug. 16 found 51 inmates infected with COVID-19 and another inmate tested positive for the illness three days later.

The inmates who contracted COVID-19 are being monitored closely, said Jeff Ray, a spokesman for the Idaho Department of Correction, in an email Friday.

Medical personnel are completing daily symptom checks on all 52, and a security officer on their unit is watching for issues, he said.

We have not had any of the 52 require hospital care, Ray said. A majority have been asymptomatic. Only a few have had minor symptoms.

The spread of the virus at North Idaho Correctional Institution accounts for most of the 59 cases that were reported in Idaho County on Aug. 18.

Besides the inmates, three North Idaho Correctional Institution staff members tested positive for COVID-19 this month.

The Department of Correction doesnt know how the COVID-19 cases at NICI originated, Ray said.

Temperature checks are done daily on all 410 inmates at NICI and staff have temperature checks at the start of their shifts.

Plus, the Idaho Department of Correction tests inmates and staff monthly at its facilities.

At the most recent routine inmate testing at the Idaho Correctional Institution-Orofino on Aug. 10, no COVID-19 cases were detected, Ray said.

Two employees at the Orofino facility did test positive this month as well as a Corizon employee who works at that prison, he said.

Corizon is the company that provides medical care to prisoners at Idaho Department of Correction facilities.

One of the staff members was quarantined at home at the time of the positive test after being in close proximity with someone who had COVID-19, Ray said.

Typically employees return to work 10 days after the onset of symptoms if they are recovered and the absences are covered with their sick and vacation leave, Ray said.
Mr Guillermo Frydman will lead as President of the association, and Ms Poh Hwee Tee will lead as Vice-President along with Ms Celine Ting who is currently serving the role at SAPI

The Singapore Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (SAPI) board of directors has elected Mr Guillermo Frydman (Managing Director, Johnson & Johnson Singapore) as President of the association, effective immediately. He previously held the position of Vice-President of the association and served as the Chair of the Public Policy Committee. He replaces outgoing President, Mr Ashish Pal, who has played a leading role in the association for the past four years. In addition, Ms Poh Hwee Tee (Managing Director, Novartis Singapore) will take over as one of the two Vice-Presidents of SAPI, joining Ms Celine Ting (Managing Director, Eisai Singapore) in that role.

As President of SAPI, Mr Frydman will represent SAPI on all matters pertaining to the association and with a focus on fostering collaborations with policymakers, healthcare providers, and patient groups to improve access to innovative medicines and vaccines.

Established in 1966, SAPI currently comprises 41 members, including 33 global biopharmaceutical companies in Singapore, employing close to 10,000 people in the country. With a total projected output close to $22 billion, the industry accounts for a fifth of Singapores manufacturing activity and 4 percent of the countrys GDP.

Ashish has been instrumental in driving the advocacy strategies for SAPI that strengthened our industry engagement and advanced our goals as a valued and trusted industry partner in the Singapore healthcare ecosystem. I thank him for his strong leadership, commitment and significant contributions to SAPI and wish him the very best in his next role in Merck, said SAPIs Executive Director Christina Teo.

Guillermo will continue to lead SAPI in strengthening SAPIs strategic advocacy efforts with key stakeholders and enhancing access to innovative medicines and vaccines in Singapore as we work towards advancing Singapores position as a global biopharmaceutical hub.
The emergence of the Delta variant means that vaccination may not prove to be the magic bullet that many governments hoped for

A new report by The Economist Intelligence Unit (The EIU) outlines economic, political, and geopolitical consequences of vaccine inequity.

A model built by The EIU shows that those countries that will not have vaccinated 60% of their population by mid-2022 will register GDP losses totalling $2.3 trillion in 2022-25.

Emerging countries will shoulder around two-thirds of these losses, further delaying their economic convergence towards advanced economies and fuelling poverty.

In absolute terms, Asia will be the continent most affected by delayed vaccination timelines (with cumulative losses of $1.7 billion). As a share of GDP, countries in sub-Saharan Africa register the highest losses (totalling 3% of the regions forecast GDP in 2022-25).

Since the start of 2021, China and Russia have sent hundreds of millions of coronavirus jabs to emerging countries as part of a vaccine diplomacy operation. Eight months after they started, the results of these operations have been mixed. Despite aggressive media campaigns highlighting Russias commitment to coming to the rescue of developing countries, Russias vaccine diplomacy has, to date, been a failure.

By contrast, Chinas vaccine diplomacy has been a success. Despite its huge population, the country has managed to vaccinate residents at a fast pace (China is on track to reach 70% immunisation by end 2021), while becoming the worlds largest exporter of vaccines.

But the lower efficacy rate of Chinese vaccines poses risks as most Western countries do not recognise inoculation with Chinese jabs. This will hinder travel, further widening the divide between richer and poorer economies.
GUNG-HO PHARMA R&D INVESTMENTS SURPASS $3B

While the pharmaceutical industry helped combat COVID-19, from R&D actions on potential treatment strategies to balancing the medicines supply chain in the time of crisis, it struggled to maintain the natural market flow. As a result, many pharma companies had to abort some of their ongoing R&D investment plans. However for FY20-21, the average R&D expenses constituted 7.2 per cent of the total revenues of the pharma companies, with Lupin, Alembic Pharma and Dr. Reddys spending more than others.
The investment will enable personalised medicine and rehabilitation for neurosurgical and neuropsychiatric disorders

Bengaluru-based deep-tech neuroscience startup, BrainSightAI has raised $750,000 in a seed round led by Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs India with participation from Entrepreneur First, RedStart backed by Info Edge Ventures, and IKP Knowledge Park.

The company plans to leverage the capital to further its mission to enable greater precision in diagnosis and treatment planning of neuro-oncological and neuropsychiatric disorders.

BrainSightAI has evovled as a promising startup that combines artificial intelligence (AI) and neuroscience to enable functional investigation through macroscopic brain-mapping for patients suffering from psychosis.

The first cloud-based neuroscience workflow allows neurosurgeons and neuro-radiologists to map the eloquent cortex of the brain using just resting-state fMRI, a task which they find extremely difficult especially for non-cooperative patients.

Laina Emmanuel, Co-founder and CEO, BrainSightAI, said, We are now at an inflection point, where with data, lots of computing power, and artificial intelligence, we can cloud-enable complex neuroscience-based workflows. Now, doctors and researchers can focus on asking questions and not on the mechanics of answering questions.
To give fillip to R&D in health sector

The government will soon launch a special incentives scheme to support 75 start-ups in areas of telemedicine, digital health and artificial intelligence (AI) to coincide with the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav being celebrated from 15th August this year.

The scheme will be launched by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a Public Sector Enterprise under the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. In addition, an e-office of BIRAC has also been launched.

BIRAC has lent funding support of over Rs 2,128 crores to more than 1,500 Startups, Enterprises and SMEs. From supporting less than 50 Biotechnology Startups in 2012 with Innovative Funding of less than Rs 10 crore, the BIRAC is now funding over 5,000 BT Startups with over 2,500 crore. By the year 2024, the BIRAC targets to support more than 10,000 BT Startups.

BIRAC has an in-house BIRAC 3i portal to its credit, where all the applications and proposals are submitted online. This portal was launched in February 2010 and is a dynamic, robust, scalable application for Science and Innovative Research Fund Management wherein various stakeholders like companies, institutes and individuals submit their proposals online.
The award was conferred by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) at the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting 2021, Orlando

Dr BK Misra, Head of the Department of Surgery, Head, Division of Neurosurgery & Gamma Knife Radiosurgery, PD Hinduja Hospital & Medical Research Centre, received the International Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) at its Annual Scientific Meeting 2021, Orlando. He is the first Indian ever to be bestowed with this award.

Dr Misra is Honorary President of Asian Australasian Society of Neurological Surgeons (AASNS), is the first Vice President of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS), and President of the World Federation of Skull Base Societies, all leading international neurosurgical societies.

Dr Misra was the first to execute Image-Guided Aneurysm Microsurgery globally and the first in South Asia to perform Gamma Knife Radiosurgery. Acoustic Neuroma Surgery, Vascular Neurosurgery (Aneurysm, AVM), Skull Base Surgery, Pituitary Surgery, Gamma Knife Radiosurgery, Awake Craniotomy, Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery, and Surgery of Complex Brain and Spine Disorder are among Dr BK Misra's areas of expertise in neurosurgical patient care. He was the first neurosurgeon to do Awake Craniotomy for brain tumours in India. He's also the recipient of the Dr BC Roy National Award as Eminent Medical Person of the Year, 2018 (the Highest Medical Award in India).
What to expect at Fame Week Africa | The Conference 2021

From new trends to strategic thinking and business models, the stage is set for the inaugural Fame Week Africa | The Conference taking place on 4 October at Gallery 44 and Theatre in Cape Town.
In a world where travel is so heavily limited, Smile 90.4FM is going to bring a bit of Europe to Cape Town - EVERYDAY. Continuing with its innovative philosophy, Smile 90.4FM is launching the first EVER Inter-Continental Breakfast Show.

Bobby Brown will be in studio in Cape Town and will be joined by Bailey Georgiades (previously Schneider) from Athens in Greece, whilst Lindy Lehto is on maternity leave. Its Smile Breakfast, the inter-continental edition.Get ready for all the fun, entertainment and a taste of Europe every morning from 6-9am, starting 30 August 2021.We are excited that technology has developed so much in recent times that we can now host a breakfast show from two continents. I am so proud of our team for continually being innovative and setting trends, said Smile 90.4FM managing director, Lois OBrien.
Nicole Ravenscroft is described as an absolute powerhouse at Rapt Creative where she guides a strong, mostly female creative team and is no stranger to late nights and personal sacrifice to ensure that work gets out and is of a world-class quality. She is fiercely protective over her team and always goes the extra mile to deliver work that would rival anything on the global stage, and win.

Nicole Ravenscroft, executive creative director at Rapt Creative

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I have an insatiable appetite to forge new and better paths for our collective future and create things that make me happy.

You're the executive creative director at Rapt Creative. Tell us more about your role here.

Could you briefly tell us about your career?

Have you faced any challenges in the industry? If so, how did you overcome them?

I think the most important thing is in the power of the collective, harnessing this power to help each other move forward together in positivity and value is everything.

Can you comment on the transformation (or lack of) of how women are represented in the creative industries?

All I can say is female creatives are badass, brilliant and persistent to the end and it's a privilege to lead and walk with them on this crazy ride.

What can governments do to help drive female leadership in South Africa?

How do you think South Africa can help in the fight against GBV?

What advice do you have to share with the future generation of businesswomen?

As a female creative, is there anything else you would like to share with those entering the creative world?

As we celebrate Women's Month in South Africa. Do you have any words of encouragement for all the women out there?

As we approach the end of our annual Women's Month feature, we find out more from Nicole Ravenscroft, executive creative director at Rapt Creative.The easy way to describe me would be to say that I am completely in love with ideas, new thoughts, undiscovered businesses and opportunities.My entrepreneurial spirit has played a vital role in how I interact with the world and jobs at hand and has driven me to places many others wouldn't easily venture.From an early age, I have been involved in the arts, which in turn lead me to work on some magnificent culture, fashion and decor brands. My main goal and intention are to move the needle even if it's ever so slightly on how the creative community is valued, handled and help create a value-based environment for creatives to flourish and see their dreams and ideas come to fruition.Garreth Van Vuuren, the managing director of Rapt invited me for coffee a few years ago and nonchalantly asked if I would be interested in pitching on some business with him. I have always liked Garreth's work and believe he and I are cut from the same "ride-or-die" cloth, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see where this would go.We pitched on a few Heineken group brands and won them and the rest is really history. My role at Rapt has been to grow the creative studio and mentor the maverick creatives that have been acquired within the agency, as well as acquire new business and deliver top-notch creative work.Some would say I am the lioness of Rapt Creative, fiercely protective of my team and always in the trenches with them to see each job through.I have worn many hats and dont come from a traditional advertising background, which I believe has given me a unique approach to brand problems and new marketing solutions. I studied Fine Arts and was a dancer after school. I then joined a small publication calledspecifically geared towards women in business that my sister founded.At, I art directed and wrote for the publication. From there I moved into the music scene where I founded a business with Darryl Torr called Rockwell Marketing at the SABC which was built to support record labels with a more tailored and disruptive approach to marketing musicians. From there I joined the wonderful team atwhere I was lucky enough to be mentored by Karen Roos, a powerful female force in SA.From this point, I did a lot of international and local styling jobs in fashion and decor as well as worked for a sea of different agencies both locally and abroad. I have collaborated and co-founded the creation of food markets in Melville, design shops in Johannesburg, restaurants, bars and even tried a hand in a seaside guesthouse in Simons Town.I also co-founded The Kraal which is a freelance collective in which we pull together project-based teams specifically tailored for the right project versus a force fit and Gung-ho a production company focusing on content creation and film-making. These businesses work closely alongside Rapt and have also allowed us to be agile and fluid with our clients in how we approach jobs and budgets.I am currently building a photographic studio, with some great humans, focusing on product stills and a state-of-the-art editing suite, called Workshop no.1. And then just to really add some spice to the portfolio, a fishing boat restoration and rental business called Boathunters which I founded with my life partner.The industry is challenging. There is burnout, hitting brick walls or dead ends on projects, the never-ending briefs alongside rather unrealistic expectations and sometimes underwhelming budgets.I stand by the saying, "when the tide rises so do all the boats." If the team is strong and collectively feel valued and inspired, all challenges can be overcome.The next most important thing is the environment, our studio in Cape Town is based in St James on the mountain across from the sea, we pride ourselves in spaces that fuel creativity and become a home away from home. We change it up often, work in coffee shops, go away together to scenic spots across the country and keep it fluid and not a typical 9-6. If your work environment is inspired, soft, and agile, challenges become easier to face and industry blows simpler to swallow.There was definitely a time where the advertising industry felt like a boys club but now that has changed and there are many female powerhouses leading the creative fields. The majority of my team are female, and this is not something that was ever planned but just naturally fell into place.We need to create more networking opportunities for women in the country. I think the biggest problem is the access to work resources, suppliers and other people within that industry. If the government could help facilitate access to entrepreneurial resources that could facilitate and grow female businesses.It all needs to happen through education. Education will unlock a more conscious society which in turn will disseminate GBV. We also need to have zero-tolerance police against GBV, too many cases have gotten off with no implication or a very light sentence that does not meet the crime.Hold fast, take chances. This might sound a bit arrogant but I dont believe anything is that hard, it's just what you are willing to believe you can do and then putting the work in. If you love what you do, and surround yourself with people that inspire and push you to new heights the world is your playground.Interview your employers as much as they interview you. As much as you might need a job, remember you are a valuable and worthwhile resource. You should interrogate and really consider whether a company or industry is right for you. By doing this you find yourself in more places that should be than the ones you shouldn't.I read this the other day and I believe it is something all women hear, "You are a feat of physics and complex molecules, a spirit magnificent in magnitudes, a precious and invaluable treasure to be cherished - you are the only one of your kind. There has never been another you to work this planet, there will never be another you again. You are bigger than your body and your soul is rare." Kirsten Robinson.
This week, we spoke with Gareth McPherson, CEO of Wonder, the country's newest CX-specific agency that was launched recently...

Gareth McPherson, CEO of Wonder

Could you briefly explain what your role entails?

Whats really behind your mask - literally and figuratively speaking?

Growing up, what did you want to be?

How did you end up working in digital marketing?

What excites you most about your career?

What has been the highlight of your career?

Where are you based during lockdown?

When you're not busy working, what do you do? How do you socialise these days?

What's the one thing about you that not many people know, but should?

What's your favourite meme/gif of all time?

Do you have a theme song for 2021?

Are you watching any series? Reading any books at the moment?

What's next for you?

Im the co-founder of Wonder. A customer experience agency. Being a creative at heart, my day-to-day involves engaging with client partners and helping solve business challenges across their customers journey.Literally a smiling face. I always try and approach every situation with a glass half full mentality. We are all in challenging times, but to try and keep a positive mindset and upbeat approach has been key to my own wellbeing and also trying to support others.Batman. However, when I found out that wasnt a career, it shifted from being a physio to advertising in the later part of schooling.My career started when digital wasnt really a thing. Social media never existed. As new technologies were being introduced and marketing started to embrace digital channels and behaviour, I started to upskill and experiment more in digital and new technologies.I was part of a creative studio that started to pioneer digital campaigns and sell solutions to clients that utilised technology. We won South Africas first Gold digital award at Cannes in the branded content category for a unique campaign: Send your Facebook profile to Cape Town, for Cape Town Tourism. From there I joined a startup digital design studio called Big Wednesday, which then formed into Machine. We had an amazing run as a leader and front runner in digital marketing.People. Connecting brands/products/services to customers is all about understanding people and their behaviour. Also, the creative environment is stimulating as no day is ever the same.I had the opportunity to lead a dynamic company, Machine_, for two years. It was made up of 120 talented people across two cities. We continued to build on the strong legacy of its creative culture and we had fun whilst doing it. It made work not feel like work. That path led me client-side for a stint, working on an incredible brand, Virgin. Through both these journeys, it cemented my dream of founding a business in an industry I love, working with partners, clients and people who inspire me and most importantly are friends.We have office space in Cape Town and Johannesburg, but Im currently at home. I have a study that is set up as a fully functional satellite office  it has fast internet, a fish tank and an overworked coffee machine!Our socialising habits have definitely evolved. Virtual hangouts and meetups out in the open seem to be the norm. Weve had to keep our circle of seeing people small but have managed to try to be connected and have downtime. Checking in with friends and family is super important in a time like this.I have a South African Comedy Award people dont think Im a funny guy.There are too many, the internet is just the best. Some Sunday mornings, I lie in bed and scroll through TikTok I get sucked in for an hour or so people are so creative and funny.The Rocky Theme song comes to mind we just need to get up and keep pushing forward. Look out for each other and work to overcome challenges and obstacles.currently. I watch loads of documentaries and enjoy biographies.A zoom call :) No seriously a zoom call to discuss setting up an internship programme at Wonder. Watch this space :)
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on Tuesday that, at some point in the future, a strain of COVID-19 that is resistant to vaccines is likely to emerge.

Every time that the variant appears in the world, our scientists are getting their hands around it, Bourla told Fox News in an interview. They are researching to see if this variant can escape the protection of our vaccine. We havent identified any yet but we believe that it is likely that one day, one of them will emerge.

This is not the first time Bourla has made the ominous prediction. He addressed the issue in a wide-ranging interview with Fortune in February, around the time when attention was increasingly turning to new mutations of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, the pathogen that causes COVID-19.

Responding to a question about the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine against emerging variants, Bourla said he was quite confident it could neutralize the new mutations and cited encouraging lab results. At the same time, he said that the fundamental question is how likely it is that there will eventually emerge a vaccine-resistant strain of coronavirus.

Theoretically, its a very possible scenario. If you protect a very big part of the population, and if there is a strain that emerges that can use this pool of population to replicate while the current strains cannot, obviously this will overtake the original. So its not a certainty, but it is now, I believe, a likely scenario, he said.

At the time, Bourla told Fortune that the mRNA technology used in the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine allows for the rapid development of a new version able to create a different immunogenicity that could cover new mutations. He predicted that such a vaccine could be developed in around two months but noted this would depend on multiple factors including the regulatory framework.

In his interview with Fox News, he expanded on this, saying Pfizer has a process in place allowing the company to develop a variant-specific vaccine within 95 days of identifying a new mutation.

His remarks came on the same day that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported new data shedding more light on vaccine effectiveness against the Delta variant. Based on a study of 4,217 fully vaccinated participants65 percent of whom received the Pfizer shot, 33 percent took Modernas vaccine, and 2 percent got the Johnson&Johnson jabthe CDC report found lower effectiveness (66 percent) during the Delta prominent period compared to the months preceding Delta predominance (91 percent).

A day earlier, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full regulatory approval for Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 and older, making it the first such shot to make it beyond the emergency-use-only stage.
Former Congressman Ron Paul has highlighted this week that a handful of mainstream media articles have actually begun to break ranks in terms of questioning key aspects of vaccine effectiveness and mandates, particularly when it comes to the controversial boosters now being widely proposed.

"Even mainstream media is now asking big questions about the vaccines" Wednesday's Liberty Report featured. A couple of recent headlines in Bloomberg and BBC were unexpected in terms the criticism reflected and somewhat skeptical pushback against the 'consensus narrative'.

Even Mainstream Media Is Now Asking Big Questions About The Vaccines pic.twitter.com/CMRxiphMKT  Ron Paul (@RonPaul) August 23, 2021

The first news article that Congressman Paul and co-host Daniel McAdams highlight is from Bloomberg.

Here's how the very unexpected Bloomberg article, which was published this past weekend, began:

Anecdotes tell us what the data cant: Vaccinated people appear to be getting the coronavirus at a surprisingly high rate. But exactly how often isnt clear, nor is it certain how likely they are to spread the virus to others. Though it is evident vaccination still provides powerful protection against the virus, theres growing concern that vaccinated people may be more vulnerable to serious illness than previously thought.

Theres growing concern that vaccinated people may be more vulnerable to serious illness from the Covid delta variant than previously thought https://t.co/R6HsDJu9p0  Bloomberg (@business) August 21, 2021

And the same day as the BBG headline, there was this from UK government-funded BBC...

"Is catching Covid now better than more vaccine?"

The story began:

It is now a serious question that has implications for whether children should ever be vaccinated. And whether we use the virus or booster shots to top up immunity in adults. Both have become contentious issues. "We could be digging ourselves into a hole, for a very long time, where we think we can only keep Covid away by boosting every year," Prof Eleanor Riley, an immunologist from the University of Edinburgh, told me.

Surprising...



Is catching Covid now better than more vaccine? - BBC News https://t.co/cKvoscmcuO  Anna Brees (@BreesAnna) August 21, 2021

A mere month or more ago such statements found in these couple of mainstream media articles would get a person possibly suspended from Facebook or Twitter.

But they underscore just how 'experimental' the whole scenario is, despite governments in a number of places now mandating COVID-19 vaccines, with boosters just around the corner and already being implemented in some places (with Israel previously being the first) on a mass scale.

Health experts warn not to jump the gunor linein taking a third dose. https://t.co/2Fqh0sfv4z  ABC News (@ABC) August 21, 2021

Soon we could see health officials pushing a second booster, a third, and on and on it will go...

I cannot wait for triple-vaxxers to be PISSED at the double-vaxxers  https://t.co/xMxxIuAL3K  Kevork Almassian (@KevorkAlmassian) August 24, 2021

Even The Daily Beast, which has spent much of the pandemic shaming the 'vaccine hesitant' is now admitting that "ultra-vaxxed" Israel is now seeing numbers of infections skyrocket...

I dont want to frighten you, COVID-19 czar Dr. Salman Zarka told the Israeli parliament. But this is the data. Unfortunately, the numbers dont lie.



A massive surge of infections in ultra-vaxxed Israel is pointing to a complicated path ahead. https://t.co/ZVwdlLrxQL  The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) August 24, 2021

It appears that some in the media are actually beginning to acknowledge the "rush" for boosters is far too premature, and too little is yet known.
First, the FDA acknowledges that while Pfizer has insufficient stocks of the newly licensed Comirnaty vaccine available, there is a significant amount of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine  produced under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)  still available for use.

The FDA decrees that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine under the EUA should remain unlicensed but can be used interchangeably (page 2, footnote 8) with the newly licensed Comirnaty product.

Second, the FDA pointed out that the licensed Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine and the existing, EUA Pfizer vaccine are legally distinct, but proclaims that their differences do not impact safety or effectiveness.



Just as with Fords exploding Pinto, or Monsantos herbicide Roundup, people injured by the Comirnaty vaccine could potentially sue for damages.

And because adults injured by the vaccine will be able to show that the manufacturer knew of the problems with the product, jury awards could be astronomical.

Pfizer is therefore unlikely to allow any American to take a Comirnaty vaccine until it can somehow arrange immunity for this product.

Given this background, the FDAs acknowledgement in its approval letter that there are insufficient stocks of the licensed Comirnaty, but an abundant supply of the EUA Pfizer BioNTech jab, exposes the approval as a cynical scheme to encourage businesses and schools to impose illegal jab mandates.

The FDAs clear motivation is to enable Pfizer to quickly unload inventories of a vaccine that science and the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System have exposed as unreasonably dangerous, and that the Delta variant has rendered obsolete.

Americans, told that the Pfizer COVID vaccine is now licensed, will understandably assume COVID vaccine mandates are lawful. But only EUA-authorized vaccines, for which no one has any real liability, will be available during the next few weeks when many school mandate deadlines occur.

The FDA appears to be purposefully tricking American citizens into giving up their right to refuse an experimental product.
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All public sector workers who work with vulnerable people  including teachers, health-care providers and MLAs  will be required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 31 or undergo regular testing, Premier Brian Pallister announced on Tuesday morning.

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All public sector workers who work with vulnerable people  including teachers, health-care providers and MLAs  will be required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 31 or undergo regular testing, Premier Brian Pallister announced on Tuesday morning.

The move was prompted by rising case counts in other provinces as well as the provinces fourth wave and Delta variant modelling.

"We have to understand that Manitoba is not an island," Pallister said. "We understand right now that the COVID numbers are very low compared to most other jurisdictions in Canada. But weve seen this before and we are watching case counts climb in other jurisdictions around us and we are hearing projections that are dire.

"Experts are saying that the fourth wave will be an even greater threat in terms of its case than the third."

The premier also said that Manitoba has seen case counts lag behind other jurisdictions before rising sharply. The measures announced Tuesday are to prevent that from happening again.

"The Delta variant poses a threat to us," chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said during the announcement. "We certainly can see now that a fourth wave is inevitable. What isnt inevitable is what that fourth wave could look like.

"We do have 75 per cent of eligible Manitobans who have received their first and second doses. This has been quite an achievement for the vaccine implementation task force and for Manitobans. Quite encouraging, but unfortunately with Delta, it doesnt go far enough. Our vaccine rate is not rising quickly enough. The increased transmission of Delta variant, we can see, leads to a rapid rise in cases, which again puts stresses on the health-care system."

Roussin also said the measures are being implemented to avoid having to implement another lockdown.

"In previous waves, the lockdown, the intense public health restrictions were really our only tool," he said. "Now we have a much better tool, and thats vaccination."

Workers who are not fully immunized against the virus or who cannot prove they are fully immunized will have to be tested for COVID-19 up to three times a week for full-time employees and provide proof of a negative test result before they can resume working.

The full list of designated workers includes:

 Health-care workers, including doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, support service staff and direct care providers;

 Education workers, including teachers, school and educational support staff, practicum students, bus drivers and custodial staff;

 Child-care workers, including staff and practicum students;

 Public servants and funded-agency employees who work in high-risk settings with direct contact with the public or clients, who work with vulnerable populations like children or who have to enter the home of a client or sites with vaccine mandates; and

 Manitoba Justice staff who work in correctional facilities and with vulnerable people.

Kindergarten to Grade 12 students old enough to be vaccinated will not be required to do so immediately, but Roussin said it could be implemented if outbreaks or widespread transmission occur at schools.

According to Roussin, vaccination numbers among teachers and school staff arent well known, as mandatory reporting of vaccination status was not required until now.

"It should go without saying, but Ill say anyway: these employees work directly with and for the people of Manitoba and there is nothing more important than protecting the safety of Manitoba and the security of our communities," Pallister said.

Last month, the Winnipeg Free Press reported Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler and Seine River Progressive Conservative MLA Janice Morley-Lecomte were the only two MLAs who had not been fully vaccinated.

To meet that Oct. 31 target, government employees must get their first dose by Sept. 7 and second dose by Oct. 17 in order to be fully immunized while meeting the minimum time between doses.

Beyond just public sector employees, Roussin is encouraging private employers to implement vaccination mandates as well.

In order to prove vaccination status, Manitobans can display their digital or physical immunization card or a secure printout of an immunization record from public health or Shared Health that shows immunization dates.

After calling for a vaccine mandate for health-care workers earlier this week, Doctors Manitoba expressed support for the announcement.

"Doctors Manitoba appreciates and supports the Manitoba governments action today requiring COVID-19 vaccination in health care and other public sectors," the groups president, Dr. Kristjan Thompson, wrote in a statement. "While the risk may feel low, this pandemic still poses a serious threat. Increasing vaccine uptake and other precautions like requiring masks and increase use of the vaccine card are proven strategies that will protect Manitobans and help us return to a normal way of life."

Manitoba NDP health critic Uzoma Asagwara said in a phone interview with the Sun that they would have liked to see these measures be implemented earlier.

"The premier and their team, theyve had this information and the Delta modelling data for quite some time now," Asagwara said.

"It would have been beneficial for Manitobans to have this information shared weeks ago in preparation for back to school, for small businesses to be able to put clear plans and mandates in place. Instead, schools and school divisions, families, small businesses have been scrambling to take measures for people to be safe only for a few weeks later, the premier to make an announcement that theyre going back to having a mask mandate and that theyre taking other measures that dont have a timeline attached and dont have clear details attached at all."

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont praised the move, but also wished action had been taken sooner.

"We are pleased that the PCs and public health have finally listened to the medical professionals, teachers and Manitoba Liberal MLAs, who have been asking for these measures for weeks," he wrote in a statement. "We need mask and vaccine mandates because there are still many vulnerable patients in health care and children in education who cannot be vaccinated. No student, no patient and no worker in Manitoba government roles should be exposed to COVID because someone who was eligible for the vaccine refused to get it."

The premier and Roussin also announced that a mask mandate will be reimplemented for indoor public places, including schools, and that the list of activities, locations and businesses where proof of vaccination is required for entry will be expanded.

More information on these efforts will be provided on Thursday or Friday.

 cslark@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ColinSlark
The Canadian military will end its mission at Kabul airport on Thursday, as Liberal cabinet minister Maryam Monsef sparked controversy by using the term "brothers" to challenge the Taliban to protect those left behind.

In this image provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, families begin to board a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sgt. Samuel Ruiz/U.S. Marine Corps via AP

The Canadian military will end its mission at Kabul airport on Thursday, as Liberal cabinet minister Maryam Monsef sparked controversy by using the term "brothers" to challenge the Taliban to protect those left behind.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said because the U.S. is leading the mission and providing security, its 6,000-strong contingent must be the last to leave the airport on Aug. 31, the American deadline for departure. That means Canada's special forces and aircrews must begin their departure preparations in advance.

Canada is using two C-17 transport planes to airlift Afghans to safety and is one of 13 countries taking part in the airlift. It also has special forces operatives on the ground who are working outside the airport's confines to spirit fleeing Afghans to waiting flights.

"Drawing down a mission takes a considerable amount of time. It is not done overnight, and it comes with considerable risk," Sajjan said.

Senior government sources, who spoke anonymously citing the need to maintain operational safety, said the last C-17 would depart Kabul sometime on Thursday, but it was not clear when given the chaotic situation on the ground. Nor was it known if all Canadian military personnel would be on the plane because Canada and its allies are also helping each other by evacuating their personnel on their various flights.

In the coming days, the U.S. military will have to extract its own soldiers and equipment, but will prioritize human life and helping its partners, said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.

"We are now and have been working with our allies and partners to help them withdraw their people. And we'll help them withdraw their forces as well."

The pace of Canada's evacuation efforts has ramped up noticeably in the past three days with a record 535 on a Tuesday flight, part of the frantic effort to fully evacuate all foreign nationals and vulnerable Afghans who helped Canada and its allies before the country's recent fall to the Taliban.

In addition to the Aug. 31 deadline, which Taliban leaders have insisted is non-negotiable, American and Canadian military planners fear the risk of an attack on the airport and the massive throngs of would-be evacuees outside by a breakaway faction of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a group the Pentagon refers to as ISIS-K.

The two most senior U.S. commanders on the ground in Kabul, Rear Admiral Peter Vasely and Maj.-Gen. Chris Donahue, are directly involved in the effort to ensure eligible evacuees are able to get into the airport, Kirby said.

"I fully recognize that not every step of this process is in our firm control, and that there are going to be instances where it doesn't work as advertised."

Monsef, the minister for women and gender equality, used a government briefing to make an impassioned appeal directly to the Taliban to allow Afghans to flee the country and respect the rights of others who are left behind.

"I want to take this opportunity to speak to our brothers, the Taliban," she said in a remark that caught attention on social media and on the campaign trail as the federal party leaders were vying for votes ahead of the Sept. 20 election.

"We call on you to ensure the safe and secure passage of any individual in Afghanistan out of the country. We call on you to immediately stop the violence, the genocide, the femicide, the destruction of infrastructure, including heritage buildings."

Referring to Monsef's use of the phrase "our brothers," Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole said, "the language used by the Trudeau government is completely unacceptable."

Dan Albas, a Conservative running for re-election in British Columbia, said on Twitter that he strongly disagreed with Monsef's use of the term, but added: "I also believe it is important we disagree on policy. Disagreement and debate should never be used as a catalyst for personal attacks."

Monsef was born in Iran to Afghan parents during the height of the Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Her family came to Canada as refugees in the 1990s after having fled Afghanistan once the Taliban came to power in Herat, where they had returned to live at the time.

"I think this whole situation is jarring  that there are terrorists taking over my beloved ancestral land," she told the briefing.

"Muslims refer to one another as brothers and sisters," she added. "Rest assured, I continue to believe deeply that the Taliban are a terrorist organization."

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he wasn't interested in scoring political points at Monsef's expense.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said the security situation keeps deteriorating, and that with time running out, "there is a possibility that we're not going to be able to bring everyone that we want to when the air bridge stops."

A vivid illustration of that desperation came with the emergence of a cellphone video posted on Facebook that appeared to depict Canadian troops at the airport wall not engaging with desperate Afghans, brandishing the documents they needed to come to Canada.

"We have our visas, our approved visas with all the instructions  but nobody is gonna take care of us," says an English male voice above the shouting.

Sajjan called the video "heart wrenching" but said there are many other examples of Canadian Forces personnel doing "tremendous work to take Afghans to safety in a high threat environment" that includes terrorist groups as well as the obstructionist Taliban.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Aug. 31 deadline does not mean the end of American and allied efforts to get people out of Afghanistan.

"The Taliban have made public and private commitments to provide and permit safe passage for Americans, for third-country nationals and for Afghans at risk going forward past Aug. 31," Blinken said.

Garneau said Canada and the G7 will soon be telling the Taliban it must not block Afghans from leaving the country.

"We are working together to develop the necessary approach that we will take towards this Taliban regime in the coming days and to put down in front of them very important markers with respect to how they have to treat Afghans who want to leave the country."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2021
HALIFAX - The federal Greens have nominated a candidate in Nova Scotia who was turfed by the NDP in the last national campaign after a tweet surfaced in which she had compared Israel to Nazi Germany.

Green Party Leader Annamie Paul launches her election campaign at a press conference in the riding of Toronto Centre, on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

HALIFAX - The federal Greens have nominated a candidate in Nova Scotia who was turfed by the NDP in the last national campaign after a tweet surfaced in which she had compared Israel to Nazi Germany.

Rana Zaman tweeted Tuesday she is the official candidate for the Green party in Dartmouth-Cole Harbour, the riding where she was dropped by the NDP after her remarks emerged in the lead-up to the 2019 campaign.

Zaman, a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, was criticized for online posts denouncing Israel's armed forces for shooting Palestinian protesters.

One of the posts compared Israel's actions in Gaza to Nazi Germany's actions in Europe during the Holocaust.

Zaman apologized after the comments emerged, saying in a tweet she realized that her remarks were "inappropriate, hurtful and sadly may be perceived as antisemitic."

Reached by telephone Tuesday, Zaman declined to comment, saying a statement was being prepared.

The federal Greens' position on Israel has been among the issues that has led to infighting and factionalism within the party for months under leader Annamie Paul, who was elected to her position in October 2020.

In June of this year, Green MP Jenica Atwin crossed the floor to the Liberals over views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as broader tussles over power and authority within the party.

Atwin had warned about Israeli "apartheid" in a Twitter post on May 11, deeming Paul's more traditional statement on violence in the region as "completely inadequate."

There had been a long-simmering feud in the party after a social media post from Noah Zatzman  a former Paul adviser who has since stepped aside  that called out unspecified Green MPs for antisemitism.

The Greens' social media stir did not end with Zaman.

Kerri Coombs, the Green candidate for Red Deer-Lacombe in Alberta, tweeted a few days ago about British Columbia's provincial health officer: "I personally see Bonnie Henry as a serial killer with an 'Angel of Death' psychological profile. I'll leave it to others to figure out whether I've been reading too many #COVID studies in the @lancet, watching too many episodes of @CrimMinds_CBS or both."

Coombs recanted on Tuesday, saying she regretted the tweet and that it was "meant to be funny."

"I did binge-watch 'Criminal Minds' and binge-read COVID studies during the lockdown," she added.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2021.
National Australia Banks chief executive Ross McEwan has set the day for when Victoria should open up, saying November 2 should become Freedom Day for Victorians and calling for more certainty around what the community can expect once vaccination targets are met.

Mr McEwan said government targets of 70 per cent vaccination rates are set to be reached within 69 days in Victoria, and this should trigger the removal of lockdowns in time for Melbourne Cup Day on November 2. He said there needs to be more clarity from government leaders around what each stage of reopening will look like, which would motivate more Australians to get vaccinated.

Clarity is needed, Mr McEwan told an online forum hosted by the Australian British Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday. When youve been locked down for 206 days, or whatever days we have over the last year or so, and people in New South Wales have been locked down for nine weeks, we need, this is what you get when you actually get to this level.

NAB chief Ross McEwan says November 2 should be Freedom Day for Victorians as the state reaches 70 per cent vaccination. Credit:Eamon Gallagher

The United Kingdom dubbed July 19 Freedom Day as high vaccination takeup empowered Boris Johnsons government to scrap mandatory indoor mask-wearing and social distancing. Mr McEwan called for a similar approach to be taken in Victoria and around Australia to allow life to return to normality.
Late Bloomer, Clem Bastow, Hardie Grant, $34.99 Credit: At the age of 36, when writer Clem Bastow was diagnosed as autistic, so much about herself began to make sense. While she mourned the interventions and therapies shed missed, she wished that all autistic children be allowed to simply be  as she had been. But her story makes plain that this undiagnosed form of being was shot through with the pain and confusion of being different, misunderstood and mystified by the unwritten rules of human interaction. Now she has a community with its own unique culture in which she feels at home, and her relief and joy is palpable. Sharp, perceptive and alive to the many ways of being in the world, Late Bloomer sheds light on the wild and wonderful colours on the spectrum that are, all too often, invisible to or misread by the neurotypical eye.

The Penguin Book of Feminist Writing, Ed., Hannah Dawson, Penguin Classics, $55 Credit: Think of a collective noun for dynamite  a powder keg? Thats this anthology. Theres no safe ground for readers here. Any page could explode in your face. And thats what makes it so exhilarating. Yes, theres red-hot rage, but there is also searing analysis and sly wit. When a man claimed women couldnt have the same rights as men because Christ wasnt a woman, Black activist Sojourner Truth asked her mid-19th-century audience, Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him. In Freedom or Death, suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst lays down what civil war is like when civil war is waged by women. It might be a description of this collection, as generation after generation of women refuse to be silenced, their voices building to a roar.

FICTION PICK OF THE WEEK

Nostalgia Has Ruined My Life, Zarah Butcher-McGunnigle, Giramondo, $19.95 Credit: An unnamed young woman in her late twenties, stuck at home with a chronic illness and no job, is musing on the enforced anomie and aimlessness of her life. She sees no future and therefore finds it hard to formulate goals, much less act on them. This doesnt sound very engaging but it is actually quite riveting, since it is so cleverly crafted and so many of her reflections are recognisable and sometimes very funny: Im trying to have fun but its very stressful. Novella-length, this intriguing book feels more like a long, experimental short story, made up of reflections on a difficult life that are discontinuous not only from fragment to fragment but even from sentence to sentence. The narrator is living a life uncomfortably close in its mundane detail and lack of purpose to the life so many Australians are currently living as we go in and out of lockdown.

Girls in Boys Cars, Felicity Castagna, Pan, $18.99 Credit: Felicity Castagna won a Prime Ministers Literary Award for her previous YA novel, The Incredible Here and Now, and although this isnt a sequel it focuses on the same urban and sociological territory. In a McDonalds car park in North Parramatta, Rosa and her friend Asheeka are hanging out with boys who see them only as accessories, less important and more expendable than their cars. Asheeka is the cool girl with attitude, while Rosa, formerly a chubby nerd with good grades, is her sidekick and to some extent her creation, but Rosa is the one who ends up in juvenile detention. Like a teenage Thelma and Louise, the girls take off in Asheekas boyfriends car, heading towards the inland where the summer bushfires are raging. As Rosa tries to tell their story, the inner life of adolescent girls is cleverly and disconcertingly revealed, piece by piece.

People Like Them, Samira Sedira; trans., Lara Vergnaud, Raven Books, $29.99 Credit: When a well-heeled family moves into a small French village, the neighbours are cautious about these flamboyant and exuberant newcomers. The father, Bakary Langlois, befriends his neighbour Constant Guillot, but doubts creep into the friendship and end in violence. The story is told by Constants wife Anne, a clever technique that complicates the novels moral centre and puts the focus on truth rather than judgment. This stark and chilling novel is based on a true crime story from 2003, when a family of five was murdered in France. Samira Sedira, an author and actor born in Algeria, explains in an afterword that no mention was made in news reports that the main victim was a black man, whereas to her mind the elements of race and class were central to the motivation of the killer, and she brings these things to the fore in her re-imagining.

New Australian Fiction 2021, Ed., Rebecca Starford, Kill Your Darlings, $24.95 Credit: The 16 stories in this years New Australian Fiction anthology differ in subject matter, form and style, but what they have in common is the sense of apprehension and uncertainty produced by the pandemic and by the threat to the environment and to humanity posed by the effects of climate change. As editor Rebecca Starford points out in her thoughtful introduction, even when the stories are ostensibly about such things as family, isolation, travel, or sexual uncertainty and adventure, the fragile mood of our times underlies them. It makes for introspective and vulnerable voices and characters, and often for memorable stories that linger in the mind. The collection is bookended by two strong, strange stories, Lauren Aimee Curtis No French Oyster and Brooke Dunnells Departures, that ask more questions than they answer.
The woman who lost her home came across the radar when she was hospitalised for depression and let slip to a social worker that she had nowhere to go once she was discharged. The social worker was able to arrange housing and the woman has also since been connected with legal services to help her recover some of the funds. Shes been empowered to take legal action to recover the money she put into that house, says Lovelock. Thats really important because when she first came to us, she didnt want to do that. She just said I want somewhere to live. And over the course of her interaction with us, shes been able to change her perspective to acknowledge that actually it was financial abuse and she has a right to that money. Weve been able to support her to advocate for herself, and thats an amazing change from when she first came to us. The hurdle of protective instincts Lovelock says it takes a long time for elderly people to recognise abuse in close relationships. Even when they do, they are hesitant to take action because they dont want to get their son or daughter, or whoever the perpetrator is, into trouble. Even after everything, there is still an instinct to protect.

Its abuse within a relationship of trust that defines it and makes it different from the dodgy scammer, she says. It can be heartbreaking for old people because it butts up against the nurturing parental instinct to always look after your child. We have to respect that sometimes it may take a length of time for older people to speak out about their children and their abusive behaviour. Loading She believes awareness of elder abuse sits at where domestic violence was about 15 or 20 years ago, and says there is much work to be done for older people to recognise it, and for people in the community to see it and reach out, too. And tackling elder abuse needs the coordination of a number of services like counselling, legal help or aged care services, she says. In her unit, nearly two-thirds of cases are women, and half of all cases involve a son or daughter as the perpetrator. Overall, 75 per cent report financial abuse and 55 per cent psychological abuse. As a result of the abuse, about 40 per cent of cases were at risk of homelessness.

Elsewhere, a recent report by the UnitingCare Queenslands Elder Abuse Prevention Unit, funded by the Queensland Government, found that 96 per cent of abuse happened within family relationships, 71 per cent by sons and daughters. More than half were living together. In about a quarter of cases, the perpetrators were providing care the victim was dependent upon. In more than a third of cases, abuse occurred daily. Just under 20 per cent of cases had been experiencing abuse for 10 years or more. And the biggest barrier to action was not fear of further harm  in 53 per cent of cases it was to protect the perpetrator and the victims relationship with them. A matter for everyone Diedre Timms is co-chair of EAAA, which was set up in 2018 and is funded by the Attorney Generals office. She agrees there is much work to do in getting people to recognise elder abuse.

Its like family violence in that its a complex scenario and we have to make sure older people realise its OK to speak up, she says. Co-chair of EAAA Diedre Timms says we need more ways for people to speak up. We had an awareness article in a local paper in January and a woman cut it out. She didnt call us until June and she said, Ive been reading that article every couple of weeks. I think thats me  I think I am being abused. It took her that long to actually recognise that she was being abused and get the courage to ring. For advocates in the sector, much is hanging on the National Elder Abuse Prevalence Study, a $2 million research project commissioned by the Australian Government Attorney-Generals Department that claims to be the first large-scale nationwide assessment. As part of the study, which began in 2019, 7000 people over 65 will be surveyed, and another 3500 aged 18-65 to help understand attitudes.

Its anticipated that in providing concrete data, it will throw weight behind the cause and its pervasiveness, and provide that vital building block for support for funding, policy and services. But when it will be published remains a mystery, given that EAAA had expected the findings to be released by now and it is unclear why there have been delays. Loading The Australian Institute for Family Studies, which has been commissioned to do the research, was unable to provide any information about the study. Similarly, the Attorney-Generals office was unable to answer a direct question about when the study might emerge, stating only: The Australian Government is aware of the high level of community interest in the report findings.
Sydney intensive care specialist Mark Nicholls has warned that Australians who dont get tested early for COVID-19 are putting their lives at risk.

Dr Nicholls told ABC News 24 on Thursday he was concerned about stories of people dying at home from COVID-19 and others not seeking tests or taking days to get a test and spreading the virus.

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Dr Nicholls, the vice-president of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society, wants people to get tested as soon as they notice symptoms so they get early medical support.

I know [Victorian Premier] Daniel Andrews was talking about people walking around in the community for eight days with COVID and affecting other people, but they are causing harm to themselves, Dr Nicholls said.

If people get early testing and early diagnosis then they get early help. There is hospital-in-the-home [treatment] that is operating across NSW, and they have a range of infectious diseases doctors who reach out using the technology like we are using and speaking to people and doing health checks. And in some cases they are doing it three or four times a day.

There are issues of language, but they are working through those issues as well. And if they think there is a risk of these patients deteriorating, they get them into hospital earlier.

But if you have symptoms of COVID, get tested so you can be diagnosed and you can be managed at home, then we can recognise if you are deteriorating and get you into hospital.

The other thing I find is that, when people present in extremis at the door of hospitals, they are putting themselves at great risk because, if people come gradually through the hospital system, gradually to intensive care, we keep a close eye on them.

We are finding that we are not needing to use a ventilator as much as we are able to use the high flow nasal oxygen and the drug combinations. The other thing I have to say is that I am impressed with SBS. They are doing multilingual translations of the Premiers message and reaching out to people.
The former financial controller of a Sydney school has been jailed for at least five-and-a-half years after he stole $7.4 million of the schools funds to feed his gambling addiction.

Augustine Nosti, 58, started working for Moriah College  an independent co-educational Jewish school in the citys eastern suburbs  in January 2004. That year, he began siphoning college funds into his own accounts.

Moriah College at Queens Park in Sydneys east. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Over a 14-year period, Nosti misappropriated $7,408,777.43 by abusing the broad access which had been given to him to organise the schools financial affairs, including paying wages and superannuation.

The money was stolen in hundreds of transactions, including by changing details in the schools tax portal to redirect $3,993,341.46 of GST refunds into his own account instead of the schools.
A prominent Australian Muslim leader and human rights campaigner has said the intense police focus on south-western Sydney risks undoing decades of collaboration between law enforcement and marginalised communities.

Maha Abdo, who has helmed the Lakemba-based Muslim Women Association for more than 20 years, said families were complaining of COVID-19 compliance checks in the early hours of the morning and police vehicles driving up and down their streets.

The Muslim Womens Associations Maha Abdo, who has called for a more holistic COVID-19 response that involves health and social service workers alongside police on the frontlines. Credit:Kate Geraghty

No matter how much we talk about the effect that the police is having, theres all these new traumatised emotions that are coming through where people fear police, Ms Abdo told a forum hosted by urban think-tank Committee for Sydney on Wednesday.

Only last night one mother was saying to me: I fear my 18-year-old son going out [for exercise]... For the last 20 years or 25 years weve been working so closely with police, promoting police engagement, promoting the effect of police in a positive way ... Ive felt all of a sudden, [this] has just somehow gone out the window.
The recovery of human DNA from the 7200-year-old remains of a woman in the islands between Asia and Australia has given researchers incredible insight into how and when ancient peoples first reached the region.

The woman belongs to an isolated group of humans  called Toaleans by researchers  who are known from a handful of skeletons and an abundance of distinctive stone arrowheads, and who died out about 1500 years ago.

The womans remains have been dated back about 7200 years, while her DNA was the first to be recovered from the Wallacea region. Credit:University of Hasanuddin

The Toaleans lived in a small area of the island of Sulawesi and are believed to be directly related to the first humans who travelled into the region of Wallacea, the ancient name for the modern Indonesian archipelago.

Griffith University archaeologist and study co-leader Adam Brumm said the extraction of the DNA was noteworthy itself as it was the first ancient human DNA recovered from the region.
Drone delivery service Wing says it now regards Logan as the drone delivery capital of the world as it continues to expand its operations in the city.

The company has released new figures showing it made more than 50,000 deliveries in the southeast Queensland city in the first eight months of 2021.

Wing has enjoyed so much success in Logan, its using the city as a blueprint for other markets around the world. Credit:Wing

The company  operated by Googles parent company, Alphabet  has been steadily expanding its Logan operations for almost two years, and it now services 19 suburbs with small items such as takeaway coffee and even hardware.

Wing spokesperson Jesse Suskin said it had enjoyed incredible success in Logan, to the point where it is now their most successful operation anywhere in the world.
She quickly made friends, starting with the Australian Embassys consular official, Bob Hincksman, also a painter. Within a week, she was invited to a weekend at a villa in Lazio to the north of Rome. There she met Isabella Tacoli. The two became each others closest friends for the next 45 years. Isabella remembers: She met all our friends, and she was liked by all. Venn-Browns painting of Nablus north of Jerusalem from 1989. It was the hometown of her partner Wael Zuaiter, who was assasinated by Mossad in 1972. Then there were the Australian expats  the writer David Malouf and artists Justin OBrien, Jeffrey Smart, Peter and Susan Ward  and many others who took to Tuscan villages for their take on Italian light. Janet was in a new circle. She would be up and out early, setting up her easel on the streets of Rome, working until lunch-time and returning to paint in the afternoon light. The routine remained the same all her life. By the mid-1960s, Janet was in her element. In the Italian summer of 1964, two years after Janets arrival, she met the love of her life, Wael Zuaiter, a Palestinian translator, at an artists fair on the Via Margutta in Rome. Janet was 39, Wael 31. Zuaiter helped carry her paintings home and serenaded her with a song from Shakespeares sonnets, A Lover And His Lass, as they walked. Janet later said: I was very impressed. The fact that he knew this song that we used to sing at school. I was very attracted to him.

One of her painting friends, Egidio Scardamaglia, recalls: She was madly in love, you could tell. And [it was] definitely, completely mutual. Janet had seven joyful years with her Palestinian partner. They shared literary interests, love of fine music, painting and opera. Wael helped her place a series of highly successful exhibitions. Together, they entertained a variety of European intellectuals like Maxine Rodinson, Jean Genet, Bruno Cagli, and Alberto Moravia. They were on the social circuits of many embassies. When Zuaiter came home one evening in August 1972 with a marriage certificate for Janet, she was thrilled. Her diary says she told her mother next time I come home it will be with Wael. Janet was already best friends with Waels sister Naila. The two families were ready to merge. Venn-Brown outside her apartment in Rome. It was not to be. Two months later, on October 19, 1972, Wael Zuaiter was assassinated by an Israeli Mossad hit squad. It was allegedly because Zuaiter was involved in the deaths of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. But in November 1993, the BBC interviewed a key player in Zuaiters death: Major General Aharon Yariv, the Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meirs special advisor on terror in 1972. The last question and answer was: Q: So these people werent just people who were thought by your intelligence agencies to be those responsible for Munich? A: Not necessarily, not necessarily at all. Some of them were linked to Munich, some of them werent.

In 2005, an Israeli journalist for Time magazine, Aaron J Klein, wrote a book on the Munich killings and the reprisals in 1972. On Zuaiters murder he concludes: Looking back, his assassination was a mistake. Janets view differed: she said Wael was killed because he was a non-violent, public intellectual and activist for Palestine. Her family stood behind her. Her adoring niece Louise Cox, then aged 19, flew to Rome to help mend her aunts trauma. Janet edited a book, For a Palestinian: dedicated to the voice of Wael Zuaiter, containing a series of reflections by global public intellectuals who knew Wael. And a string of Arab embassies contacted her to offer her, now the wife of a martyr, work. That same year, she decided to leave abstract expressionism and paint figuratively again. Loading The eight years between 1979 and 1986 were her Arab period. Italy slid into the background and she took up invitations offered by seven Arab countries to paint with us. Janets first sight of Yemens capital Sanaa stunned her with its architectural beauty. Her paintings from the Arabian Gulf were exhibited at the prestigious Galleria La Margherita in Rome in 1982 to rave reviews. From the high-circulation LUnita: There is delicacy, there is melody, there is respect for mankind: These are the qualities to be found in her paintings.

Despite the success, Janet was having second thoughts about the safety of Romes streets. At 63, after a collision with a motorbike, she decided to revert to her age-old skills at interior painting. It was helped by her new fascination with an Italian theorist on internal design, Mario Praz. He called it interiority: exploring the individual from their surroundings. She began with her stalwart friends: Justin OBriens home, then Bruno Caglis, and finally Jeffrey Smarts studio. Her childhood skills stood her in good stead. Some of her best work was completed in this period and hangs in Italian homes. Loading In 1993, she held an exhibition in Cetona, near Florence. The same year, the Princess of Jordan asked her to do another exhibition in Amman. Janet agreed. In 1999, Caroline Simpson met her in Rome and asked her to paint Sydneys legacy building Clydebank. She agreed, but returned to Rome. In Janets heart, she knew why her family in Sydney were starting to question her decision to grow old in Rome. At 72, she felt her friends were in Italy, but her family was in Sydney. She faced an agonising choice. It was time to come home. When she made up her mind in 2005 to leave Rome she was farewelled at a grand dinner in the Piazza del Popolo, hosted by the president of the Province of Rome.
The Crimes Act (1958) covers a myriad of sins from murder to piracy with violence. It does not, however, include the offence of being a self-entitled, cold-blooded clod. If it did, Richard Pusey would remain in custody for many more years.

As it doesnt, he was released from prison on Wednesday.

Richard Pusey leaving Ravenhall on Wednesday afternoon. Credit:Joe Armao

On April 22 last year he was pulled up on the Eastern Freeway having been clocked in his Porsche at a speed of 149km/h.

Four police, Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King and constables Glen Humphris and Josh Prestney were killed when they were hit by a truck as they stood by Puseys car.
Richard Pusey has been released from prison having served jail terms for filming four dying police officers after a crash on Melbournes Eastern Freeway and other offences, including assaulting a woman.

Pusey had been in custody for all but six weeks of the past 16 months since he filmed the officers with his mobile phone in the moments after they were hit by a truck on April 22 last year.

Richard Pusey leaving Ravenhall on Wednesday afternoon. Credit:Joe Armao

He served a 10-month prison stretch for outraging public decency and other offences stemming from his driving and conduct on the freeway. He has also spent four months on remand for other crimes committed over the past three years.

Pusey, 43, was released from Ravenhall Correctional Centre on Wednesday afternoon wearing an Arabian-style headdress, a face mask with the words Fake news on it and a shirt with the slogan Get me Oprah printed on the front.
A teenager who stabbed a young woman in a Melbourne park had a police officer call his mobile phone later that day because he thought he had lost his phone and couldnt recall the attack, a court has heard.

Dimitri Evangelou followed the woman and stabbed her three times in the back with his pocket knife on a walking track in a park in Gowanbrae, near Melbourne Airport, about 10.15am on September 3 last year.

Police at the scene of the stabbing in Gowanbrae last year. Credit:Nine News

The woman, then aged 21, also suffered a stab wound to a finger on her left hand while defending herself and doctors later feared they would have to amputate the digit, the County Court heard on Wednesday.

Prosecutor Andrew Sprague said passers-by came to the womans aid when she screamed and Evangelou ran.
Fremantle Port workers have been photographed unloading cargo from an international ship without masks on and interacting with a foreign crew member.

The images of a number of Qube employees, taken at Fremantle Port on Sunday, appear to be in breach of WAs COVID rules which require port workers to wear personal protective equipment when on board, or in close proximity, to a vessel.

One of the Qube workers photographed without their masks on at Fremantle Port at the weekend. Credit:MUA

The Maritime Union of Australia is calling for the logistic companys stevedore license to be immediately suspended after taking the photographs.

MUA WA branch secretary Will Tracey described the actions as reckless.
The team of international scientists who led the World Health Organisations mission to Wuhan say that without urgent action the source of the COVID-19 pandemic will never be known.

Crucial clues may be only months away from dissolving forever, the team fear. But the international scientific investigation has stalled amid politics and accusations.

Medical workers move a person who died from COVID-19 at a hospital in Wuhan in Febuary 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic. Credit:AP

In July, China rejected the World Health Organisations plan for the second phase of the investigation, in part because it included investigations into the lab leak theory.

That led to a war of words between China and other nations. Beijing slammed the politicisation of the investigation; the White House called Chinas move irresponsible and, frankly, dangerous.
Shaima Azizi has not slept in days. From her home in Brisbane, she has endured a cruel six-day merry-go-round as her family has repeatedly tried to get into the airport in Kabul, and onto an Australian flight to safety.

Her family members have Australian visas, so they should be let in. But it has not happened - and time is running out. Shaimas 45-year-old mother has been rushed to hospital two times during that period with developments outside the airport - including scuffles, gunfire and more than 10 failed attempts to enter - exacerbating her heart condition.

Shaima Azizi, who lives in Brisbane with her husband Mohammad and two daughters, desperately wants to get her mother, brother and sister-in-law out of Kabul.

Overnight the Taliban banned Afghans from fleeing their country and said that the United States must stick to next weeks deadline to pull out, making it all the more difficult for the Azizis - who all have humanitarian visas for Australia - to get into the airport.

And now foreign officials and soldiers at Kabul airport  forced into an impossible situation by US President Joe Bidens self-imposed August 31 deadline to get people out  appear to be prioritising the evacuation of people with foreign passports over Afghans.
Panicked passengers have rushed to cancel flights into Queensland after the state government gave just two hours notice before blocking arrivals from NSW, Victoria and the ACT.

Anyone arriving in Queensland for the next fortnight, unless they have a rare exemption, will be forced to wait at the airport or in hotel quarantine until they can book a flight to exit the state or face a $4000 fine.

Queensland will turn away arrivals from New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT amid increasing pressure on hotel quarantine. Credit:Dan Peled

Police conceded some passengers may be unaware of the change.

The Queensland border closed to Victoria on July 17, New South Wales on July 23, and the ACT on August 14 amid growing coronavirus clusters interstate, but people moving permanently to the state and returning Queensland residents were still allowed entry after spending 14 days in hotel quarantine.
Washington: Two members of Congress are facing condemnation and questions following their surprise visit to Afghanistan this week, which diverted resources from the USs hasty withdrawal, enraged military leaders and led House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to declare it not a good idea.

Seth Moulton, a Democrat, and Republican Peter Meijer, flew in on Tuesday and were on the ground at the Kabul airport for several hours before flying out on a military plane.

A US Air Force on loads people being evacuated from Afghanistan onto a C-17. Credit:AP

They billed their secret visit as an effort to conduct congressional oversight of the Biden administrations handling of a rapidly deteriorating situation after the Talibans lightning fast takeover of the country.

But it stunned State Department and US military personnel.
The transition of automobiles towards electric mobility is inevitable and it is for the auto industry to make the change and drive it to make India a global leader in (EVs), Niti Aayog CEO said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the annual convention of auto industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Kant said in the next two years the cost of batteries will fall even further thereby bringing down the upfront cost of acquisition for consumers.

"At Niti Aayog, we are taking all measures to boost innovation, efficiency and investments in the automobile sector, especially to bring down the initial upfront cost of EVs to the consumers. I am stressing on EVs because I'm a strong believer and a firm believer that this transition is inevitable," he asserted.

He further said, we are a centre for compact car manufacturing. If we do not innovate, and if we do not make a radical transformation, we will lose this opportunity to become a leader in electric vehicle manufacturing."



Global battery costs have been declining, much faster than anticipated and therefore, EV economics have become favorable as battery costs decline, he added.

In the next two years, Kant said the cost of batteries will fall even further.

"The writing is on the wall, and it's for the industry to make the inevitable change and drive it, and lead it, and make India a leader in the transition of mobility across the world," he said.

The country has the potential to be the "champion" of two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers and long distance transport, including commercial vehicles with new technology of the future, he said.

Kant asked automobile manufacturers to expand investments in research and development to support electric mobility, which includes vehicle systems integration, motors and controls, power electronics and charging infrastructure.

Stating that India is a highly price sensitive market and Indians consumers are cost conscious, Kant said innovative business options such as battery swapping and leasing will reduce the upfront cost of batteries.

Also, he said India has immense potential to be a battery manufacturing leader of the world.

"Despite the fact that we do not have nickel, cobalt and lithium, we can add up to 81 per cent of value of batteries in India," Kant said, adding the government has also restructured the FAME II scheme to make it even favourable for electric two-wheeler consumers by reducing the upfront cost.

Leading two-wheeler manufacturers have reported a four-fold increase in sales, in the past three years in India around 5.17 lakh EVs have been registered in the market, Kant 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.)
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PVR Priya may have just pulled off more comebacks than acting greats do in the see-saw world of cinema.

From starting out as one of New Delhis iconic single screens in 1978 to a makeover in 1990 followed by an embrace of brand Priya Village Roadshow (PVR) in the late 90s, the South Delhi theatre was reopened on Wednesday with a gigantic new screen designed by its own proprietary technology. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated the cinema in its new avatar that boasts the PVR P(XL) technology  becoming the first in the capital and ninth overall in India to ...
As many as 166 current and former employees have converted their Employee Stock Options (ESOPs) into shares, the company said in a regulatory filing.

IPO-bound has one of the largest ESOP pools in the startup ecosystem, and has given out as rewards and benefits to employees, who have contributed to the growth of the company.

has a total paid up capital of Rs 60,69,41,722, with as many as 909 employees who have vested with an approximate 14 million options vested.

To attract and retain talented professionals, Paytm last year amended certain aspects of its ESOP policy, introducing performance-based

Earlier, Paytm had written to its shareholders that employees who hold ESOPs will be able to turn them into shares and add them to their demat account. Given that turning ESOPs into shares comes at a cost and the employees also have to bear the tax amount for the same, Paytm will help employees get loans from its established lending partners, making it easier for employees to bear the cost of becoming a shareholder.

Paytm will facilitate loans of upto Rs 100 crore through its lending partners.

Additionally, Paytm will bear the interest of these loans for six months, so that employees are able to handle their finances better and yet, become proud shareholders of the company.

Paytms gross merchandise value, at Rs 4,03,300 crore, is the highest in the payments industry as per RedSeers analysis, while Paytm Payment Gateway is the largest payment gateway aggregator in India based on total transactions.

Paytm Money, the companys bet on wealth management services, has built a strong holding for itself with a combined assets under management of Rs 5,200 crore in mutual funds, gold and stock broking, according to the companys Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP).

The companys lending business, merchant loans, as well as its buy now, pay later product, Paytm Postpaid is growing well, with an extension of the same also being launched recently called Paytm Postpaid Mini.

The companys DRHP also says that it has disbursed 1.4 million loans in Q4FY21, almost 53 times more than the number of loans (26,000) disbursed during the same period in the previous year. With all of these revenue-driven businesses and a focused growth, Paytm has also turned contribution margin positive in FY21.
Agritech robotics startup TartanSense has raised $5 million in in a round led by FMC Ventures and Omnivore, with participation from existing investor Blume Ventures.

This brings the total funds raised by the company to $7 million, after it raised $2 million in a seed round in March 2019. TartanSense builds small agricultural robots, equipped with AI-assisted computer vision, to help small farms reduce expenses and improve incomes.

Jaisimha Rao, founder, TartanSense, said, Our mission is to make small-holder farmers wealthier by shipping monetisable robots. TartanSense will have the worlds largest fleet of agriculture robots in the next 18 months. We are grateful to have amazing investors like FMC Ventures, Omnivore, and Blume Ventures backing us in our passion to empower farmers.

TartanSense is helping smallholder farmers who struggle with low yields, primarily driven by two reasons - poor chemical spraying techniques and unreliable farm labour. TartanSense's robots are precision agriculture solutions for all major farming activities--sowing, spraying, weeding, and harvesting--which simultaneously drive down cultivation costs while improving crop yields.

BladeRunner, TartanSenses latest robot, can identify, precisely locate, and mechanically uproot weeds as well as spot-spray the desired crop, reducing chemical usage by 45 per cent and increasing weeding efficiency seven fold.

Amar Singh, Managing Director at FMC Ventures, remarked, TartanSense is a pioneer in ground-based precision spraying in India. With growers interest in mind, it has developed a unique, low-cost precision application technology with a very high level of accuracy. FMC Ventures is excited to support TartanSense as they combine artificial intelligence and robotics to improve how growers apply crop inputs.

Based in Bengaluru, TartanSense was founded in 2015 by Jaisimha Rao, an alumnus of Carnegie Mellon University who returned to India after working as a quant on Wall Street. He soon assembled a core team of Carnegie Mellon alumni with rich experience in robotics, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering. The Carnegie Mellon linkage at TartanSense even extends to the company name since students and alumni of CMU are referred to as Tartans.

India is the largest grower of cotton in the world, with 33 million acres under cultivation and an average weeding expenditure of $100 an acre. The market potential only for weeding in cotton is over $3 billion a year. TartanSense aims to focus on cotton and several other crops that entail high cost of weeding.
AirAsia Indias losses nearly doubled to Rs 1,533 crore on a year-on-year basis in FY21 while those of narrowed down to Rs 1,612 crore in the same period, according to company filings.

Air travel in FY21 was marred by Covid-19 pandemic, which led to two-month suspension of flights, grounding of fleet and losses. Domestic air traffic slipped to seven-year low last year and the recovery has been gradual due to state-wide restrictions and testing.

For the Tata Group airlines, it was a year of mixed fortune. While its operating loss increased, Vistara's net loss reduced from Rs 1,814 crore in FY20 to Rs 1,612 crore in FY21 due to foreign exchange gains.

On the other hand, AirAsia Indias net loss rose 95 per cent from Rs 782.30 crore to Rs 1,533 crore in the same period. AirAsia Indias auditor has flagged off risk about the company's ability to continue as a going concern in view of complete erosion of net worth following FY21 result.

On the revenue side, Covid-19 disruption and phased increase in operations led to 63 per cent fall for AirAsia. Its revenue declined to Rs 1,358.72 crore in FY21 from Rs 3,682.91 crore a year earlier. Vistaras revenue dropped 52 per cent to Rs 2,243.49 crore in FY21 from Rs 4,738 crore in FY20.

AirAsia India declined comment. A company source said that the widening of loss was due to redelivery expenses attached with return of seven Airbus A320 planes to AirAsia Berhad in Malaysia. He added that the expense was one off in nature and the return of planes has helped the company to save costs. The company has instead preferred lower priced leases from third parties.





In its latest annual report, AirAsia India said that it has maintained focus on becoming the lowest cost airline in India. Non fuel-unit cost was 10 per cent lower than IndiGo between April-December FY21, it said. The airline also improved its market share in cargo and cargo revenue increased from Rs 67 crore to Rs 81 crore on a year-on-year basis.

Both AirAsia India and benefited from foreign exchange gains due to strengthening of Indian rupee in FY21. Indian accounting standards require airlines to record the present value of lease liability over the entire term and fluctuation in currency results in gains or losses.

In a statement, said it added new aircraft, expanded its network and took measures to reduce expenses. The airline added that it has renegotiated contracts with vendors and is working to achieve a lean cost structure.

In the FY21, despite the challenges of the pandemic, we stayed focused on our expansion strategy and launched operations to six new international destinations under travel bubble agreements, including London Heathrow, Dhaka, Doha, Frankfurt, Sharjah and Male, besides resuming operations to Dubai. We also managed to build on our operational capacity by adding one Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, two Airbus A321neo and eight Airbus A320neo aircraft to our fleet, a Vistara spokesperson said.

Vistara added that it has renegotiated contracts with vendors and is working to achieve a lean cost structure while growing its cargo and ancillary revenue with new services.
The Civil on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the for providing services, including customs, immigration and security, at the Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports, an official statement said.

The Centre had in February 2019 privatised six major airports of the country -- Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Thiruvananthapuram and Guwahati -- and through a competitive bidding process, the won the rights to run all of them for 50 years.

The took charge of the Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Mangaluru airports in October and November last year. It is yet to take charge of the remaining airports.

"An MoU for providing Reserved Services (customs, immigration, plant and animal quarantine services, health services, meteorological and security services) was signed between MoCA (Ministry of Civil Aviation) and Adani Enterprises Ltd for Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports," the MoCA said on Twitter.

Moreover, an agreement for providing communication navigation surveillance-air traffic management (CNS-ATM) services at these three airports was also executed between Adani Enterprises and Centre-run Airports Authority of India on Wednesday, it said.

"The MoU was signed by Rubina Ali, Joint Secretary, MoCA, and Parikshit Kaul, Senior Vice President, Adani Enterprises, while the CNS-ATM agreement was signed between S Swaminathan, GM (ATS), AAI and Parikshit Kaul in presence of AAI chairman, board members and senior officials," the ministry 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.)
For over two decades, the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile has been portrayed as a triumph of Indo-Russian co-development and co-manufacture. Even the missiles name  BrahMos  is derived from combining the names of a major river from each country: Indias Brahmaputra and Russias Moskva.

Numerous analysts have expressed scepticism that India has played a role in designing the BrahMos. They say the missile is based entirely on Russian technology, while India merely manufactures the missile from blueprints provided by Russia.

On Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government, which is trying to become a defence manufacturing hub, issued a statement that said the is based on the technology of Russia's P-800 Oniks cruise missile.

Later in the statement, the UP government changed tack, stating: The missile has been designed, developed and produced by  a joint venture of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and of NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPOM).



This was in the context of a request from Chief Sudhir Misra to the UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) and UP government seeking 200 acre of land for a facility to build the BrahMos. A delegation from also met UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday.

The current version of the BrahMos cruise missile is assembled at a facility in Hyderabad. But UPEIDA is aiming to manufacture the new, improved BrahMos cruise missile.

UP may soon start manufacturing the Next-Gen state-of-the-art BrahMos missile, stated a UP government release on Wednesday. More than 100 BrahMos missiles are planned to be built in the next three years.

About 500 engineers and technical people will get direct employment in the BrahMos Production Centre which will be built by investing Rs 300 crore on the land to be allotted for making BrahMos missiles at node, stated the release.

Apart from this, about 5,000 people will get indirect employment and 10,000 people will get work through the production centre. The work of setting up the BrahMos production centre is likely to start soon, said the UP government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the creation of two Defence Manufacturing Corridors, one each in UP and Tamil Nadu, during DefExpo 2018 in Chennai.

This project got a substantial boost during the DefExpo 2020, which was held in Since then, the (MoD) has announced that numerous defence manufacturers had signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth Rs 50,000 crore for investment in the corridor. Most of these MoUs have been signed for the defence corridor being built around Aligarh.

Defence manufacturers, including several who are still to manufacture any defence items, have been attracted to these industrial zones by the promise of allocation of real estate.

11 in the node, six in the Jhansi node, and eight in Kanpur node have requested to provide land (sic) for setting up factories. Acting on the proposals received from various companies, UPEIDA has so far allotted 55.4 hectares of land in Aligarh node to 19 international companies, announced the UP government on Wednesday.

About four acres of land has been allotted to two in Kanpur node and 15 acres of land to one company in Jhansi. Whereas in Lucknow node, it has been agreed to give 200 acres of land to build BrahMos Production Centre, said the UP government.

In the last three years, over 65 big have requested the government to provide land in the Defence Industrial Corridor to set up their factories, of which around 19 big companies have been allotted 55.4 hectares of land by UPEIDA recently, the UP government said.

Land in the UP corridor is being allocated to companies that have little, or no, profile in defence manufacturing, but are promising big investments.

In the Aligarh node, two of the 19 companies which have been allotted land are promising to invest Rs 581 crore to make drones. One of them, Anchor Research Lab LLP, which has undertaken to invest Rs 550 crore, has been allotted 10 hectares of land by UPEIDA. Another firm, Allan and Alvan, which has promised to invest Rs 30.75 crore, has been allotted eight acres of land.

Similarly, land has been allotted to other little-known firms that are jumping into defence manufacturing, on the strength of a promised investment.
Jehangir Wadia has quit the boards of Industries and Bombay Burmah Trading Corp., withdrawing from all listed businesses of the $15-billion Wadia Group.

Jehangir, 48, in March resigned as managing director of his family-controlled airline of Go Airlines (rebranded as Go First). A month later, Bombay Dyeing and Manufacturing Company said Jehangir had stepped down as its managing director.

Britannias latest annual report last week said Jehangir (or Jeh in media reports) did not offer himself for reappointment to the board. Mint reports that two people aware of developments had told the newspaper Jehangirs departure is connected to differences with father,

"Mr. Jehangir N Wadia, Non-Executive Director, who retires by rotation at the ensuing AGM in terms of Section 152 of the Act, 2013, has not offered himself for re-appointment. The Board of Directors at their Meeting held on 30 July, 2021 resolved not to fill the resulting vacancy and the same is placed before, said Britannias annual report.

Bombay Burmah's annual report carries an identical notice that says a resolution will be brought before shareholders at its annual meeting.
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal will hear on October 8 an appeal filed by employees against the Kalrock-Jalan revival plan.

Various employee groups have moved the appellate tribunal seeking a stay on the insolvency court order approving the revival plan as it hurt their interests.

A division bench of the on Wednesday allowed the resolution professional and the committee of creditors two weeks to file their response on the appeals and posted the matter on October 8 for admission. The tribunal was hearing an appeal filed by Association of Aggrieved Workmen of against the plan as it contravenes with the provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. The Bharatiya Kamgar Sena and Cabin Crew Association too have

challenged the plan.

On June 22, the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal cleared the airlines revival plan. While Jet Airways had admitted claims of around Rs 15,000 crore, the Kalrock-Jalan consortium offered to settle claims of Rs 475 crore of financial and non-financial creditors. Employee claims worth Rs 1,265 crore were admitted and the consortium proposed Rs 52 crore to settle their claims.
B9 Beverages Pvt., the owner of Indian craft- brand Bira 91, will open its fifth local brewery before the end of the year as it seeks to capture swelling demand in the country for more flavorsome tipples before a planned initial public offering.



The new brewery in Madhya Pradesh -- Biras second in the central Indian state -- will initially add 400,000 hectoliters a year, Ankur Jain, the 41-year-old chief executive officer, who established the brewer in 2015, told Bloomberg in an interview.

Known for its cartoon punk monkey mascot and backed by and Japanese beverage firm Kirin Holdings Co., B9 has tapped investors for about $50 million so far this year. Amid heated interest in Indias startup space -- and their IPOs, Jain said the brewer is also preparing for its last and largest round of private fund raising set to conclude in 2021 before it pins down its listing plans.





Consumers are looking for more flavor, he said on the robust demand trajectory. I dont think there will be any slow down.

The capacity at Biras new planned unit can be expanded to 1 million hectoliters -- a hectoliter is equal to 100 liters (26.4 gallons) -- boosting Biras existing capacity of 2 million hectoliters. Currently, the countrys fourth largest brewer, Bira trails foreign firms that dominate the Indian market, including Budweiser maker Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, Carlsberg A/S and Heineken NV, which owns Indias Kingfisher lager.

With sales amounting to $170 million on an annual basis, Bira is set to be profitable at an operating level within six months, Jain said. He declined to comment on the amount B9 would look to raise and the timing of the IPO.

Upstart Brewers



India has seen a modest boom of upstart brewers and craft distillers in recent years, mirroring trends globally where discerning drinkers search out new tastes away from decades old brands.

Its still a relatively untapped nation with per capita consumption low and alcohol a taboo for many sections of its nearly 1.4 billion population. Indias market was only worth about $7.8 billion in 2019 -- a fraction of the U.S.s $105.4 billion market, according to Euromonitor research.

While Indias industry was hard-hit from Covid-related lockdowns, Jain said Bira, which brews a range of lagers, stouts and ales, managed to double its sales and triple market share as many customers looked to experiment at home and took advantage of emerging e-delivery platforms.

Competition is increasing for sure -- I still think its very early, early stages, Jain said. Were nowhere near saturation yet.
firm Prime Venture Partners has announced its fourth fund of $100 million, with the first close of $75 million. Prime had raised its last fund of $72 million in 2018, the second fund of $46 million in 2015, and a $8 million first fund in 2012.

It will continue to focus on being the first institutional investor, maintaining its high-conviction and deep-support investing model in early-stage technology startups. In addition to existing focus areas of fintech, edtech, healthtech, consumer internet and global SaaS, the firm expects to expand into new areas. These include decentralised finance (DeFi)/crypto, electric vehicle, and gaming infrastructure platforms.

As India marches towards becoming a top-5 global economy by 2030 and leapfrogs the world through digital leadership, we believe the entrepreneurial ecosystem will drive this change, said Amit Somani, managing partner, Prime Venture Partners. Prime has both the conviction and competence in early-stage investing and we aim to back that will lead this once-in-a-generation transformation.

Somani said the firm sees itself continuing to build Prime as the top-choice partner for early-stage entrepreneurs who are building category-defining and seek not only financial capital, but also an active investor with deep conviction.

Prime also said that it is actively looking to expand its leadership team by adding a fourth partner.

Amidst the Coronavirud (Covid-19) pandemic, the entire fundraise was done virtually and reflects the continued interest and support that Prime is drawing from institutional investors globally. Fund Four investors include the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, a top-tier university endowment, several returning family offices and institutions, and numerous global technology entrepreneurs. The firm said this reflects the team's strong network of relationships across the industry in both the US and South-East Asia.

We are humbled by the unambiguous support we received from several of our long-time LPs, and the interest by the select new long-term LPs who have joined us, said Sanjay Swamy, managing partner, Prime Venture Partners. While the last decade was laying the foundation, the next decade is going to be spectacular as we witness the transformation of India to a digital superpower.

Founded in 2012 by Shripati Acharya and Sanjay Swamy, Prime added Amit Somani as a partner in 2015. With a view of bringing Silicon Valley style professionalism to venture investing, Prime said its mission is to partner early with entrepreneurs and help build world-class technology that are addressing some of Indias most important problems. Prime is typically the first institutional investor and focuses on companies with an innovative approach to solving fundamental problems through technology.

The firm follows a model of being highly selective and invests in only 5-6 companies a year, after building deep conviction in entrepreneurs and their startups through a rapid yet thorough diligence process. A common theme among Prime portfolio companies is strong product and technology teams with unique insights and an ability to iterate rapidly. Portfolio companies work closely with all partners during the formative phase of the business, collaborating through the Product-Market Fit phase and establish early growth.

The firm actively supports entrepreneurs with business and product strategy. It refines operating metrics, hiring, partnerships, marketing, finance, all the way through raising subsequent capital.

We have had the privilege of partnering with many of the category-defining companies in India from their early stages such as Quizizz, MFine, MyGate, NiYO, KredX, and WheelsEye, said Shripati Acharya, managing partner, Prime Venture Partners. We couldnt be more optimistic about the depth of the entrepreneurial talent and the level of ambition among the founders in India, as they bring disruptive innovation, not only in India but to the world.

According to Cambridge Associates benchmarks, all of Primes funds are in the top decile of all global VC funds of their respective vintages. Funds I to III are committed across 32 companies spanning sectors such as fintech, healthcare, SaaS, education, and logistics. Most of these companies have gone on to raise strong follow-on rounds of investment from other leading institutional investors in India, Silicon Valley, and Asia.

Most of Primes portfolio companies are focused on the booming Digital India opportunity. It also has several companies that target the US, Middle-East, and other international markets, or that initially start in India and expand from India to other geographies.

Some of the notable Prime portfolio companies include the interactive learning startup Quizziz which is used by teachers in 120 countries. It is backed by marquee investors such as Tiger Global and Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang. MyGate provides security software solutions for apartments that are being used across 20,000 societies and in 3.5 million households.

Digital health startup MFine is backed by SBI Holdings (Japan) and Heritas and clocks 12,000 daily consultations with more than 600 hospitals as partners. Remote patient monitoring startup Dozee is transforming the Indian public healthcare infrastructure. Also, neobank NiYO and pay-after placement management program Sunstone Eduversity are some of the other category-creating, high-growth startups in the Prime portfolio.
chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Wednesday termed India's victory in the 1971 war with Pakistan as a "landmark event" in global history.

Speaking at a seminar at Centre for Airpower Studies titled '50 years of Indo-Pak war: Victory in the air', the IAF chief said, "The victory in 1971 war was a landmark event in global history. On the signing of the instrument of surrender on December 16, 1971, in Dhaka, East Pakistan ceased to exist and Bangladesh was born."

"The largest military surrender after the second World War shattered the prestige of Pakistan military and left 93,000 Pakistani prisoners in captivity," he said.

Bhadauria further said that Pakistan lost a third of its Army, half its Navy and a quarter of its Air Force thereby bringing an end to atrocities the Pakistan Army had unleashed through its 'Operation Searchlight' on the predominantly Bengali population of East Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had lit the 'Swarnim Vijay Mashaal' at the War Memorial on last year's Vijay Diwas on December 16, 2020, to mark the year-long 50th-anniversary celebration of the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Vijay Diwas is celebrated every year on December 16 to mark India's triumph in liberating Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971.

In one of the fastest and shortest campaigns of military history, a new nation was born as a result of the swift campaign undertaken by the Indian Army.

After facing defeat in the 1971 war, the then Army Chief of Pakistan General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along with his 93,000 troops surrendered.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In March 2020, when most schools and colleges were closing down and sending hostel residents back home, Sudhir K Jain did the opposite. The director of IIT-Gandhinagar not only asked all students still on campus to stay back if they wished, but he also sent out an email asking students who were home for Holi and final year students trekking in Uttarakhand they could return.

The message was: the campus is your home away from your family home. You are free to pick. This was in contrast to many colleges, including other IITs, that in March asked students to go home as managing them on ...
Without precise caste data, the new central law that will restore to states and Union territories the power to notify social and educationally backward classes (SEBC/OBC) will not result in targeted affirmative action, say researchers and students bodies. Caste data, not disclosed in India since 1931 on the grounds that they encourage the idea of discrimination, are critical for a nuanced understanding of where each caste sits on the spectrum of advantage and disadvantage, they say.

Passed in parliament on August 5, 2021, the 127th Constitution Amendment bill (commonly referred to as the OBC bill) overturned a part of the May 2021 Supreme Court verdict on Maharashtra's 2018 move to extend reservations to Marathas, a dominant caste group. The Marathas have been claiming backwardness although evidence related to landownership and higher education shows their claims to be contestable. Similar claims are being made by other dominant caste groups across India such as the Patidars and the Jats, and are backed by political leaders.

"OBC reservation is most likely the only instance in the world where affirmative action is extended to a group that is not officially counted in the census," said economist Ashwini Deshpande, a professor at Ashoka University, who has worked on the economics of discrimination and affirmative action.

Legislation makes special provisions for SEBCs, (SCs), and Schedules Tribes (STs) to advance their social, political, and economic representation, including through reservation in central government jobs and educational institutions, at 27%, 15% and 7.5% respectively. This calculation is based on a 50% limit imposed by a 1992 Supreme Court judgement in a case involving reservation of government jobs.

However, the new OBC bill will need the 50% ceiling to go and new estimates to guide affirmative action should be based on caste enumeration, said researchers. Some suggested that the caste census be conducted alongside the 2021 census that has been postponed due to the pandemic.

The 50% ceiling was in any case breached when the July 2019 103rd Amendment Act introduced a 10% reservation for the economically weaker section (EWS) in the general category, that is, for those outside the OBC, SC and ST categories. The EWS category is identified on the basis of an applicant's family income and assets such as the ownership of agricultural and residential land. Until then, reservations had not been granted solely on the basis of economic status.

In India SCs, STs and OBCs have historically and persistently faced socio-economic disadvantages. They continue to earn much less than the household average income of Rs 1.13 lakh per year, IndiaSpend reported in January 2020. SC and ST households earn 21% and 34% less, respectively, than the average.

Need for data, evidence

The new OBC bill states that there will no longer be just one central list of SEBCs: States and UTs are now empowered to maintain their own, separate lists of SEBCs.

But the bill, once enacted into law, will be effective only if it is backed by exact caste numbers, activist bodies asserted. The All India OBC Students Association (AIOBCSA), a body of students and researchers working on the empowerment of SEBCs, cautioned that states "may use the power for the inclusion of the dominant castes".

"We feel that states cannot include them [dominant communities] without proper data and evidence. This can only be arrived at through a caste census," said Gowd Kiran Kumar, president of AIOBCSA. There has to be a reevaluation of the "arbitrary ceiling of 50%" upheld by the Supreme Court since 1992, he added. The 1980 Mandal Commision report, using caste data based on the 1931 census, had pointed out that Hindu and non-Hindu OBCs constituted 52% of the population, in addition to 22.5% of SCs and STs.

Defining 'backwardness'

In November 2018, the Maharashtra assembly had enacted a special law proposing 16% reservation for Marathas under the SEBC category, which was challenged in the Bombay High Court. The court ordered a reduction of reservation to 12% in college admissions and 13% in jobs.

There is little evidence of the "backwardnesses" that dominant castes such as the Patidars and the Marathas claim, experts pointed out. " ...Marathas' access to government jobs is already like that of Brahmins, and higher than that for other forward castes and OBCs, and not different from that for SC-STs", noted a May 7, 2021, analysis by researchers Ashwini Despande and Rajesh Ramachandran.

The Supreme Court noted in its judgement: "The Marathas are dominant forward class and are in the mainstream of National life. The above situation is not an extra-ordinary situation contemplated by Indra Sawhney judgment and both [Maharashtra Backward Classes] Commission and the High Court fell in error in accepting the above circumstances as extra-ordinary circumstance for exceeding the 50% limit."

The Supreme Court upheld the 102nd Constitution Amendment Act, 2018, which gave power to the President to notify SEBCs, in consultation with the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). This verdict would end the role of states in notifying groups such as the Marathas as an SEBC.

But the 127th Constitutional Amendment bill, passed after the judgement, amended Article 338(B) clause 9 of the Constitution, allowing states to create a list without consulting the NCBC, which had been granted constitutional status (to protect the interests of backward classes) after the 2018 Act.

No clarity on priority list

By passing the bill, the Centre has shifted the onus to the states, Satish Deshpande, sociologist at Delhi University, told IndiaSpend. "There seems to be a restoration of federal balance which was tilted towards the Centre," he said, but added that there is now confusion on which of the two lists, central and state, takes precedence when it comes to reservation for SEBCs.

In the 1992 Indra Sawhney case (on the question of reservation in government jobs), the Supreme Court limited reservation to 50% except under "extraordinary situations", as we said. But lawmakers, researchers and OBC groups have questioned the justification of the 50% ceiling when caste data have not been updated since the 1931 census.

The 50% ceiling is as arbitrary as any other number, said Ashwini Deshpande, who has been working on the economics of discrimination and affirmative action. "Surely the proportion of reservations has to be based on the composition of the population and on the distribution of disadvantage/advantage across castes. This can be determined if the enumeration of the socio-economic profile (that the national census does) also includes a question on jatis (caste)," she said.

Multiple state governments including Bihar, Odisha and Maharashtra have demanded that the 2021 census enumerate caste data. Caste enumeration from the 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census has not been disclosed in the public domain as "technical problems have been noticed in the huge data of caste information enumerated", and because "data has become very old and is not useable", the government told parliament in August 2021. Successive governments have not disclosed the data on caste, purportedly because that they encourage discrimination.

While dominant castes are a minority only in terms of population, they are powerful in the public space, as we said. The political idea that they could be treated as a minority is relatively new but it is a demographic fact, said sociologist Satish Deshpande. A caste census will be "the final nail in the coffin" of the 'caste as exception' model--which insists that caste is an exception, not the norm--which has dominated our political rhetoric, he said.

Understanding 'nature of inequality'

"If the government is willing it can lift the ceiling, but the courts are asking for a justification although they have created an arbitrary ceiling of 50%," said Gowd Kiran Kumar of AIOBCSA. Even if there is no socio-economic caste census, data on caste composition can be collated from other reports such as the one released by the Mandal commission and various state panels, said Rohit*, a Maratha PhD scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, who is of the view that Marathas are "socially privileged" and should not be included in Maharashtra's SEBC list.

To raise the reservation ceiling, the idea of merit and reservation has to be reexamined to establish that it does not impact economic progress and human development, several OBC students told IndiaSpend. "A state like Tamil Nadu which is among the best in terms of human development has more than 60% quota. It performs comparatively well in economic indicators too," Kiran Kumar pointed out. Tamil Nadu has had 69% reservation after the Tamil Nadu Act 45 of 1994 was included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. In February 2021, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a petition on this 69% reservation, which breached the 50% ceiling.

According to the 2006 Rajinder Sachar Commision report, at least three states--Jharkhand (60%), Tamil Nadu (69%), Maharashtra (52%)--had more than 50% reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs, and at least five had 50% reservations. With the announcement of 10% EWS, this ceiling has gone further up in implementing states.

'EWS is unconstitutional'

The EWS quota overturns the original logic of reservations while misconstruing the category itself, Ashwini Deshpande and Ramachandran had written in a March 2019 Economic and Political Weekly analysis. While the poor need protective and remedial steps to improve and promote diversity in elite spaces, reservation to groups already well-represented in higher education and government jobs "blunts this instrument which was originally designed to provide access to caste groups that would remain excluded because of discrimination", they wrote.

The EWS is unconstitutional, said Satish Deshpande. While quotas have proven welfare benefits, he added, "unfortunately, now, reservation has become mostly about who has clout, which has been proved by EWS".category

After 10% reservation for the EWS category was approved in January 2019, any non-EWS group (SC, ST, OBC or general category) would have 10% fewer jobs to target, noted a September 2019 analysis by Devika Malhotra Sharma, who teaches political science at the Delhi University. "For example, OBCs, who could earlier target 77.5% seats (27% reserved and 50.5% general merit) will now see their competitive pool coming down to 67.5%," the analysis noted.
India on Wednesday reported a net increase of 2,776 in active cases to take its count to 322,327. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 1.79 per cent (one in 56). The country is tenth among the most affected countries by active cases. On Tuesday, it added 37,593 cases to take its total caseload to 32,512,366 from 32,474,773  an increase of 0.1%. And, with 648 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 435,758, or 1.34 per cent of total confirmed infections.

With 6,190,930 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Tuesday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 595,504,593. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 31,754,281  or 97.67 per cent of total caseload  with 34,169 new cured cases being reported on Wednesday.

Now the tenth-most-affected country by active cases, third by deaths, second by total cases, and first by recoveries, India has added 226,509 cases in the past 7 days.

India now accounts for 1.79% of all active cases globally (one in every 56 active cases), and 9.76% of all deaths (one in every 10 deaths).

India has so far administered 595,504,593 vaccine doses. That is 1831.62 per cent of its total caseload, and 42.68 per cent of its population.

Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Uttar Pradesh (70076827), Maharashtra (59155940), Gujarat (47272367), Rajasthan (45362499), and Madhya Pradesh (42892112).

Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Kerala (817656), Uttarakhand (754105), Gujarat (740106), Delhi (729734), and J&K (607712).

Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 28 days.

The count of active cases across India on Wednesday saw a net addition of 2,776, compared to net reduction of 14,373 on Tuesday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are Kerala (4774), Mizoram (336), Goa (57), Sikkim (41), and Delhi (37).

With 34,169 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 97.67%, 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 (2.12%). The rate in as many as 14 is higher than the national average.

Indias new daily closed cases stand at 34,817  648 deaths and 34,169 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 1.86%.

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 599.1 days, and for deaths at 465.8 days.

Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Kerala (24296), Maharashtra (4355), Tamil Nadu (1585), Karnataka (1259), and Andhra Pradesh (1248).

Among states with more than 100,000 cases, the five with worst recovery rates at present are Kerala (95.34%).

India on Tuesday conducted 1,792,755 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 511,184,547. The test positivity rate recorded was 2.1%.

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 (14.78%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.72%), Sikkim (12.82%), Kerala (12.68%), and Maharashtra (12.22%).

Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added  are Kerala (18.04%), Sikkim (15.1%), Manipur (10.95%), Mizoram (7.32%),and Meghalaya (4.19%).

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 (1346881), J&K (955026), Kerala (851142), Karnataka (625522), and Telangana (612355).

The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (6432649), Kerala (3851984), Karnataka (2941026), Tamil Nadu (2604074), and Andhra Pradesh (2004590).

Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 4355 new cases to take its tally to 6432649.

Kerala, the second-most-affected state by total tally, has added 24296 cases to take its tally to 3851984.

Karnataka, the third-most-affected state, has reported 1259 cases to take its tally to 2941026.

Tamil Nadu has added 1585 cases to take its tally to 2604074.

Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 1248 to 2004590.

Uttar Pradesh has added 26 cases to take its tally to 1709152.

Delhi has added 151 cases to take its tally to 1437485.
The Wednesday asked the Delhi High Court to decide within two weeks the plea pending before it challenging the appointment of senior IPS officer as the Commissioner.

The 1984-batch IPS officer, who had shifted to Union cadre from Gujarat and was earlier serving as the director general of Border Security Force, was appointed Commissioner on July 27, four days before his superannuation on July 31.

He will have a tenure of one year as the police chief of the capital.

A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant permitted NGO 'Centre for Public Interest Litigation' (CPIL) to move to the Delhi High Court to intervene in the pending plea against the appointment of Asthana.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said that some more time be given to the high court as the government will have to file its response to the pending plea there.

The petition, moved by advocate Prashant Bhushan, urged the court to set aside the Centre's order to appoint Asthana after extending his service period.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
External Affairs Minister on Wednesday spoke to his British counterpart Dominic Raab on the developments in Afghanistan in the backdrop of the Taliban seizing control of the country.

"Spoke to Foreign Secretary @Dominicraab this afternoon. Our conversation focused on developments in Afghanistan," Jaishankar tweeted.

India has been in touch with several leading powers over the situation in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the situation in the war-torn country.

Almost all countries have been focusing on evacuating their citizens and partners from Afghanistan after its takeover by the Taliban on August 15.

India began its evacuation mission on August 16 and it has already brought back over 800 people, including a number of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus.

(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.)
leader lashed out at the Centre on Wednesday over its asset monetisation programme, saying the central government should help the poor and the middle class instead of giving away the assets created in the past 70 years to the private sector at throwaway prices.

The former Rajasthan deputy chief minister also accused the BJP of misleading people and doing divisive politics.

"The government should help poor and middle class people instead of handing over the assets of the country to select people," he told reporters in Dausa.

He claimed that the Centre wants to give the assets, be it railways, airports or big institutions, to its acquaintances at throwaway prices.

Pilot said despite the rise in fuel prices and unemployment, Union ministers are taking out 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra'.

"The price of petrol is above Rs 105, a gas cylinder is for Rs 900, there are no jobs, lakhs of people have died due to coronavirus. There was an oxygen shortage during the second wave of the pandemic but still the ministers are seeking blessings," he said.

During his Dausa visit, the leader exuded confidence that the would win the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections.

The elections will be held in Bharatpur, Dausa, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur and Sirohi districts.

Polling will be held in three phases on August 26, 29 and September 1, and counting of votes will take place on September 4 at the district headquarters.

(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 on Wednesday observed that governments should take approval of the respective high court before withdrawing criminal cases filed against MPs/MLAs. The top court emphasized that there is nothing wrong in withdrawing cases of malicious prosecution, but the high court must examine such cases.

A bench headed by chief justice N.V. Ramana said: "We are not against the withdrawal of cases if there is a malicious prosecution. But this needs to be examined by the judicial officer in the high court. If the high court agrees then the cases can be withdrawn".

Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, appointed amicus curiae in a 2016 petition filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking direction to fast-tracking of criminal trials against sitting and former MPs/MLAs, has filed a report in the top court. He has been assisted by advocate Sneha Kalita in the matter.

The report said the state government has informed the amicus that 510 cases relating to Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013 were registered in five districts of Meerut zone against 6,869 accused. Out of these, in 175 cases, the charge sheet was filed, in 165 cases final reports were submitted, and 170 cases were expunged.

"Thereafter 77 cases were withdrawn by the state government under Section 321 of CrPC. The Government Orders do not give any reasons for withdrawal of the case under Section 321 of CrPC. It merely states that the administration, after full consideration, has taken a decision to withdraw the particular case," said the report.

The amicus submitted that the 77 cases may be examined by the high court by exercising revisional jurisdiction under Section 401 of CrPC, in the light of the law laid down by the top court in the case of State of Kerala vs K. Ajith 2021.

On wednesday, Hansaria contended that each case may have reasoned order. The bench also comprising justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Surya Kant said it cannot examine all the cases, and let them go to the high court. Hansaria submitted that the High Court may be directed to issue administrative instructions to expedite the trial of pending cases on a day-to-day basis in terms of section 309 CrPC.

During the hearing, the chief justice drew a parallel between the problems faced by the judiciary and probe agencies like CBI or ED. He said just like us, probe agencies are suffering from lack of manpower, infrastructure. "We don't want to say anything about these agencies because we don't want to demoralise them, they are overburdened. Same with judges.", noted the bench.

--IANS

ss/skp/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government on Wednesday submitted before the that the two-member commission of inquiry headed by retired judge, justice Madan B. Lokur, to probe the Pegasus snooping allegations, would not proceed till the top court hears the batch of petitions connected with snooping scandal.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, representing the petitioner NGO Global Village Foundation Public Charitable Trust seeking disbandment of the commission, submitted there can't be two parallel inquiries. "Please see nothing is done in the proceedings there while the court is hearing the matter", said Salve.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the government, objected to this argument.

A bench headed by chief justice N.V. Ramana and comprising justice Surya Kant said: "If we are hearing other matters, we expect some restraint". The bench told Singhvi, at present issue is connected to other issues, in all fairness we expect you to wait. "We will hear it with the other matters sometime next week", said the bench.

Justice Kant added the other petitions, against Pegasus snooping allegations, are likely to have pan-India impact. "We will have advantage of your assistance in those matters also, if we hear this with that", said justice Kant. Singhvi replied between now and next week nothing earth shattering happening. "Your lordships word will create a splash", he added.

Chief justice said they are only saying that this matter will be listed with other matters. "You're forcing us to pass order", said the chief justice. Singhvi replied please say nothing, I will convey it.

After hearing arguments, the top court issued notice and tagged the petition along with other matters of Pegasus snooping allegations.

The questioned the motive behind the plea and claimed the trustee and chairman of the NGO had close links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliate, Swadeshi Jagran Manch.

The top court on August 18, had agreed to examine the NGO's petition, argued by advocate Saurabh Mishra, who sought immediate stay on proceedings before justice Lokur's commission to avoid any parallel inquiry.

--IANS

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(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 is expected to bring back around 180 people from in a military aircraft on Thursday amid a scramble by various countries to evacuate their citizens before the August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of American troops from the war-ravaged country, people familiar with the developments said.

Those being evacuated include Indians and a number of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, they said.

The aircraft carrying around 180 people is likely to reach Delhi on Thursday morning, said one of the people cited above.

Under its mission 'Operation Devi Shakti', India has already evacuated over 800 people in view of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in after it was captured by the Taliban on August 15.

Thousands of Afghans have been crowding around the airport for over a week, in a desperate attempt to flee the country fearing the Taliban's brutality.

On Wednesday, several G-7 leaders requested US President Joe Biden to extend the August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of American troops. However, Biden said the US is trying to stick to the timetable.

"We are currently on a pace to finish by August the 31st. The sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops," he said.

In the last few days, India has stepped up efforts to evacuate its citizens as well as its Afghan partners from Kabul in view of the deteriorating security situation in the Afghan capital and other parts of the country.

On Tuesday, 78 people, including 25 of its nationals and a number of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, were airlifted to Delhi from Dushanbe, a day after they were evacuated from Kabul to the Tajik city.

India evacuated 392 people including two Afghan lawmakers in three different flights on Sunday.

The Taliban seized control of Kabul on August 15. Within two days, India evacuated 200 people, including the Indian envoy and other staffers of its embassy in the Afghan capital.

The first evacuation flight brought back over 40 people, mostly staffers at the Indian embassy on August 16.

The second aircraft evacuated around 150 people, including Indian diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians, from Kabul on August 17.

India has been carrying out evacuation missions in coordination with the US and several other friendly countries.

Speaking at a think-tank, US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral John Aquilino said that there has been close cooperation between India and the US Central command in evacuating people from

He said the US is committed to ensuring the safe evacuation of all its citizens as well as those from its partner countries.

Personnel from the US central command have been handling the security at the Hamid Karzai international airport in Kabul.

(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.)
Indian Oil is asking petrol pump dealers in Gujarat to desist from participating in a one day weekly no purchase - no sale call. In a strongly worded letter, the marketing division of Indian Oils Rajkot office told dealers that taking part in the protest call by the Federation of Gujarat Dealers Association (FGPDA) is in contravention to the agreements they have signed. The dealers are demanding a hike in dealer margins.

According to the letter by Indian Oil, the protest is causing inconvenience the public.

Please refer to the Dealership Agreement entered into by and between our Corporation and you, whereby you have been appointed as our dealer for retail sale of products in compliance with the terms and conditions of the said Dealership agreement. As dealer of the corporation, you are expected to ensure continuous sale/supply of production namely Petrol, diesel, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), the letter from IndianOils Divisional Retail Sales Head, Rajkot Divisional Office said.

Further, being essential commodity, it is expected that Retail Outlets ensure uninterrupted supplies and do not indulge in any action that would create inconvenience to consumers/public. Moreover, the supply points are made to idle because of your above no purchase protest, the letter added.

Fuel pump owners in Gujarat have stopped sale of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for an hour on each Thursday from August 12. The dealers have also stopped buying petrol and diesel from oil companies every Thursday. This protest is because the government has not revised dealer margins on Petrol, Diesel, and CNG since 2017.

According to Indian Oil, this no purchase act and stoppage of CNG sales for one hour on August 12, and August 19 was not in accordance with the Dealership Agreement signed between IndianOil and the dealers and is also against the Essential Commodities Act.

Dealers say their strike call is not in contravention of any rules.

The regular revision of dealer margins has been a long-standing demand of fuel pump owners. Presently the dealers earn around Rs 3.82 a litre on petrol and Rs 2.60 a litre on diesel. There is a 3 per cent dealer margin on sale price of CNG that retails at around Rs 55 per kilogramme in Gujarat.

We want a uniform 6 per cent dealer margin on Petrol, Diesel, and CNG. This will be the gross margin for the dealer and will be inclusive of all costs that are borne for running a fuel retailing outlet. The symbolic defiance will continue till our demands are not met, Arvindbhai Thakker, President, Federation of Gujarat Dealers Association had told Business Standard.

At 6 per cent, the dealer margin will be around Rs 6 a litre on petrol, and Rs 5.5 a litre on diesel in most parts of the country.

The exact margin for a dealer varies as per a graded formula with a higher margin for those pumps with lesser sales and in rural areas. This grading system was introduced to compensate dealers who had lower fuel sales and were facing higher costs. These hikes were accompanied with imposition of central minimum wages on petrol pump employees that were around 50 per cent higher than most state minimum wages.
West Bengal BJP president on Wednesday said that Chief Minister is in a hurry for holding assembly by-polls as she wants to cling on to the chair.

Ghosh told reporters here that when the assembly election was underway in March-April this year she had urged the chief election commissioner to halt it midway fearing spread of COVID-19 infection across the state.

"So why is the chief minister in such a hurry asking the CEC's office to hold the by-polls now? At the same time why are elections to the 118-odd municipalities of the state not being held till now? People residing in areas under these municipalities are facing civic problems as there are no councillors," he said.

Banerjee, who had contested the assembly poll from Nandigram, had lost to BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari. She is required to win from another seat through a by-poll within six months of announcement of the results.

Municipal polls are held by the state election commission.

"We have given our opinion on this to the chief electoral officer in Kolkata," Ghosh said.

On the suicide attempt by five teachers on Tuesday, Ghosh said "There is complete anarchy in education sphere in the state.

Five women contractual teachers of primary schools allegedly consumed poison on Tuesday while demonstrating before Bikash Bhavan, the West Bengal education department headquarters, seeking immediate fulfilment of their job-related demands.

"It is unfortunate that those who impart education to children are being forced to take such drastic steps. They are feeling deprived," the BJP leader said.

Ghosh said people living in villages in the state are not getting COVID vaccines and alleged that most of the vaccination are concentrated in the city.

The saffron party announced the launch of its programme to distribute ration bags among the people with pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and printed on them.

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A medical student studying in a private college here was allegedly gang-raped by unidentified people on the outskirts of the city near Lalitadripura, police said on Wednesday.

The student, riding pillion with her male friend, was on her way to Chamundi Hills when a few people waylaid them on Tuesday.

The gang initially demanded money, but when they found nothing, attacked her friend and dragged her to a place where they committed the crime, police said.

The victim has been admitted to a hospital. Based on her complaint, a case of gang-rape has been registered against unknown people, police added.

The Mysuru police commissioner Dr Chandragupta visited the spot and formed multiple teams to probe the case.

Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters in Delhi that he has directed the Director General of Police Praveen Sood to initiate steps to nab the culprits.

"Based on the statement, a case has been registered. I have directed the DGP that whoever has perpetrated it, they should be identified and stringent action should be taken against them," Bommai said.

Terming the incident unfortunate, State Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said he has directed the police to conduct a thorough inquiry and take stern action.

Citing a preliminary report, he said four persons were involved in the crime.

The Minister said he would visit Mysuru on Thursday.

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The has arrested one more person for allegedly raising anti-Muslim slogans during a protest near here on August 8, officials said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Uttam Upadhyay, was arrested from Ghaziabad on Sunday, police said.

In a video that surfaced on social media, the police said he was the main person who was seen raising slogans.

Seven people, including advocate and former BJP spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyay, have already been arrested in the case.

The slogans, the police said, were raised during the August 8 protest organised by the Bharat Jodo Andolan held near

The earlier arrests were made after an FIR was registered at the Connaught Place Police Station. It pertained to provocative sloganeering at the programme, the police said.

Apart from Ashwini Upadhyay, Preet Singh, Deepak Singh, Deepak Kumar, Vinod Sharma, Vinit Bajpai and Sushil Tiwari were arrested, they said.

Preet Singh is the director of 'Save India Foundation' while Deepak Singh, Deepak Kumar and Vinod Sharma are associated with different right-wing organisations.

Hundreds of people had attended the protest organised by Bharat Jodo Andolan.

Shipra Srivastava, media in-charge of Bharat Jodo Aandolan, had said that the protest was held under the leadership of Ashwini Upadhyay.

However, she denied any links to those who raised anti-Muslim slogans.

Ashwini Upadhyay too had denied any involvement in the incident.

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Faltering monsoon rains in India are posing a risk to domestic soybean and peanut crops, and may prompt the worlds biggest importer to boost purchases from top growers Indonesia and Malaysia.

The worlds second-most populous nation, where eating fried food is a tradition, depends on overseas suppliers for as much as 70% of its edible oil needs. Concerns are growing that deficient monsoon rains this year could hurt crops, raise food prices, threaten a nascent economic recovery and boost imports of farm goods.

Inbound shipments of will be higher in the year starting on Nov. 1 than an estimated 8 million tons in 2020-21, said G. G. Patel, a veteran trader and managing partner of GGN Research. He didnt provide an estimate for the next year.

India mainly imports from Indonesia and Malaysia, which are about 2,400 miles and 3,000 miles away respectively from New Delhi.

Deficient showers in the western state of Gujarat, Indias biggest peanut grower, and erratic showers in Madhya Pradesh, the nations No. 1 producer of soybeans, are likely to hit oilseed crops, said Patel, who has been trading edible oils for more than five decades. Poor rains in the northern Rajasthan state will potentially curtail prospects for winter-sown mustard crop as well due to a reduction in soil moisture, he said.

Private weather forecaster Skymet Weather Services Pvt. said Monday that India is likely to miss a normal monsoon forecast due to patchy rains in July and August and an unfavorable weather pattern. According to the India Meteorological Department, the nations weather bureau, cumulative rainfall in the June-September rainy season so far has been 9% below normal.

Soybean production in 2021-22 will be lower than the estimated 9.2 million tons for the previous year, while peanut output may drop from 5.4 million tons, he said. According to the farm ministry, total area under monsoon-sown oilseeds was 18.8 million hectares (46.5 million acres) as of Aug. 20, compared with 19 million hectares a year earlier. Sowing of some crops will continue until the end of this month, it said.

Showers in Gujarat have been 47% lower than average so far, the weather office said. Weaker monsoon conditions will continue to prevail over several parts of the country during the next 4 to 5 days.
Yuva Sena members, who protested outside Union minister Narayan Rane's residence in Mumbai over his remarks against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, met the CM here, a leader from the party's youth wing said on Wednesday.

The meeting took place on Tuesday night at Thackeray's official residence 'Varsha', said Yuva Sena leader Varun Sardesai, who led the team during the protest.

State cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray, who is the CM's son and heads the Yuva Sena, was present in the meeting.

Sardesai, who is the nephew of CM Thackeray, had on Tuesday asked whether senior BJP leaders approved of the language used by Rane against the chief minister.

Activists of the Shiv Sena's youth wing and the BJP clashed with each other near Rane's residence on Juhu Tara Road in Santacruz (West) on Tuesday in the wake of his comments against the CM, police earlier said.

Stones were pelted from both sides, following which police used cane-charge to disperse the agitators, an official had said.

The clash took place during a protest organised by activists of the Yuva Sena against Rane, he had said.

Later, additional police force was deployed in the area.

Rane, during his 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' at Raigad in Maharashtra on Monday, sparked off a row over his remarks about slapping Chief Minister Thackeray for what he claimed as the latter's ignorance of the year of India's independence.

He was arrested on Tuesday in Ratnagiri district and later granted bail by a court at Mahad in Raigad.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government is considering allowing foreign direct investment in Life Insurance Corporation of India. It is about to accept the demands of Air India employees as it seeks to sell the state carrier.

Here are the top headlines of the day:

Asset monetisation pipeline: Govt used 4 methods to value Rs 6-trn assets

The government has used four methods to value the assets that it is looking to monetise under its Rs 6-trillion Monetisation Pipeline (NMP). The value of the assets on the block is indicative that the government is expected to realise either in the form of upfront accruals or by the way of private sector investment, NITI Aayog said in its report. Read more...

NMP plan: Low-risk assets attractive but road may be fuzzy, say experts

The Central governments Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), which focuses on leveraging value derived from operational projects, will have to face the same test of contractual sanctity and regulatory oversight, which public-private partnership (PPP) endeavours have so far countenanced. Read more...

Losing steam: IPO bets of wealthy investors turn sour in August

For much of this year, wealthy investors had made a killing on the initial public offerings (IPOs) that hit the market with some regularity. This month, however, most of their bets have gone awry. Up until July, 14 of the 19 companies that made their debut on the bourses made money for these investors on day one, after taking into account the financing cost and significant oversubscription. Read more...

Govt may permit foreign direct investment in ahead of mega IPO

The government is considering allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to enable overseas investors to buy stakes in the insurer. Read more...

Fearing conflict, govt agrees to Air India employees' main demands

The central government has agreed in-principle to Air India employees' main demands. It fears an industrial dissension now could impede the process of privatisation. It has agreed to bear the cost of liquidation loss on account of transfer to the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) from company-owned trusts, inclusion of employees in the central government health scheme (CGHS), and encashment of leaves. Read more...
The government told the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that it would not take any coercive action against Union minister in an FIR registered in Nashik over his controversial remarks against Chief Minister

A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar was hearing a petition filed by Rane, seeking to quash the FIR lodged in Nashik and all other cases that may be lodged in future.

Rane in his plea, submitted before the HC on Tuesday, also sought interim protection from arrest.

Senior counsel Amit Desai, appearing for the state government, said no coercive action will be taken against Rane in the FIR registered in Nashik till September 17, when the plea would be heard.

Rane's advocate Satish Maneshinde sought protection in all cases that may arise out of the alleged statement.

Desai, however, said a blanket statement of protection cannot be made as the petition only mentions the Nashik FIR.

The court agreed and posted the matter for further hearing on September 17.

Rane was arrested on Tuesday afternoon from Ratnagiri district in following his remarks that he would have slapped Chief Minister Thackeray for what he claimed as the latter's ignorance of the year of India's independence.

He was later granted bail by a court at Mahad in Raigad district.

(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.)
Youth Congress activists protested in Aizawl over the steep hike in power tariff, demanding the resignation of state power minister R Lalzirliana.

Leading the demonstration outside Vanapa Hall here on Tuesday, state Youth Congress president Lalmalsawma Nghaka accused the government of robbing the people by hiking power tariffs and issuing bogus power bills.

"The power minister should take responsibility for the hike and bogus bills and must oblige to resign from his office for failing to look after his department efficiently," he said.

He said the government has hiked power tariff by 20.7 per cent, which came into effect in April, at a time when people are facing hardship and livelihood crisis due to the pandemic.

Lalmalsawma claimed that power bills issued in August were mostly high and some poor families, who consumed very less units, were asked to pay consumption charges ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 lakh.

The government should withdraw all the bogus bills and re-issue correct bills to the consumers, he said.

State power engineer-in-chief Lalduhzuala Sailo denied any lapse in the power bills.

"Although meter reading was not done due to the lockdown, bills were prepared and consumption charges were calculated by taking together the average net value of the unpaid months based on the net amount of the previous bill," he told PTI.

The bill amounts were high because they covered three months -- April to June, he said.

Sailo said power tariff is decided by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) for the states of and Manipur, which as a procedure, hold a public hearing before a hike.

However, only representatives of a political party were present at the last hearing, which unanimously agreed to a 20.7 per cent hike effective from April 1, he said.

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The Directorate General of (DGCA) has released a draft procedure that calls for testing pilots, other aviation personnel and crew members for psychoactive substances before they take to the skies. The Indian regulator has sought comments from stakeholders over the next 30 days before issuing a regulation to this effect.

Asking and airports to do random checks on crew and air traffic controllers, proposed that violators be suspended for a minimum of three years or their licence be permanently cancelled as maximum punishment.

The proposed rules are similar to those prescribed by the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency.

Europe introduced rules for screening pilots for psychoactive substances in 2018 following the Eurowings crash of 2015, which killed 150 people. Accident investigators had concluded that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the captain out of the cockpit and deliberately flew the Airbus A320 into the Alps. Prosecutors concluded that Lubitz was suffering from a mental disorder with psychotic symptoms that led to suicidal thoughts and that he had concealed his illness from his employer.

In India, currently, pilots and cabin crew undergo a pre-flight breath analyser test for alcohol. Last year, the extended the test to cover ground personnel, engineers and air traffic controllers as well.

ALSO READ: India requires nearly 1,000 pilots annually to meet traffic growth

The draft regulation says that all scheduled commercial aircraft operators and air navigation service (ANS) providers shall carry out random drug testing for the consumption of psychoactive substances of flight crew members and air traffic controllers employed by them, respectively, at the facilities established by them by employing the services of an appropriate laboratory.

The aviation regulator noted that worldwide the use of psychoactive substances, their general availability and the ever-increasing number of addicted users is a serious concern for aviation safety. Their use causes behavioural, cognitive and physiological changes. This manifests in dependence, major health-related issues and negative effect on performance.

Considering the national data, there is a potential for the use of psychoactive substance in society, impacting the safety in Therefore, there is a need for setting up a preventive mechanism, said.

In the draft regulation, DGCA has proposed that in case the screening test is positive, the employee shall be immediately removed from the safety-sensitive duty till a confirmatory report is received. And in case a person refuses for the test on a second occasion or is tested positive after the first occasion of refusal for testing, his or her licence shall be suspended for a period of three years. Any subsequent violation shall lead to the permanent cancellation of licence. The investigation would consist of a screening test and a confirmatory test. The screening test will be carried out at the airport or the ATC complex and will be recorded on video.

"The medical personnel of the organisation concerned shall associate during this process. This programme shall ensure that at least 5 per cent of the employees of an organisation, as mentioned in para 4.1 of the Civil Aviation Requirements, are covered in a year," DGCA added.

Drugs to be tested for Amphetamine, methamphetamine, cannabis, cocaine, opioids, barbiturates, benzodiazepine, MDMA
For the first time, the country will have a database of unorganised The e-Shram portal will be launched by Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday to integrate social welfare schemes for these in coordination with states and trade unions.

The government aims to register all in the on this portal, said officials. There are varying estimates on the number of unorganised workers.

According to the Economic Survey (2018-19), 93 per cent of the total workforce in India is in the

According to an estimate, the total workforce in the country is 450 million. Of this, 93 per cent comes at 418.5 million.

These workers comprise the migrant labourers, street vendors, and domestic workers. The portal will also have a database on gig and platform workers. For this purpose, the labour minister had launched the logo of the portal on Tuesday.

From Thursday itself, workers from the can begin registering. The same day, a national toll-free number (14434) will be launched to assist and address queries of workers seeking registration on the portal, said officials.

As part of the process, the workers will be issued an e-Shram card containing a 12-digit unique number. A worker can register using his Aadhaar number and bank account details, apart from filling out other necessary details like date of birth, home town, mobile number, and social category.

The whole project is aimed at integrating social security schemes of the government. The details of the workers will also be shared by state governments and departments.

The registration of workers on the portal will be coordinated by the Union labour ministry, state governments, and trade unions.

The labour minister on Tuesday reached out to all trade unions to mobilise support and awareness about the portal among workers. Awareness campaigns would be planned across the country to enable nationwide registration of workers.

Workers in the unorganised sector don't get minimum wages. A few social welfare schemes do cater to them currently. For instance, a worker in the unorganised sector gets a yearly pension of Rs 36,000 under the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan Yojana by just depositing Rs 2 per day.

Earlier in June, the Supreme Court had questioned the delay in creating a national database of unorganised workers.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had told the Bench that there were some problems with the software. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati had said the database is not only a software but also a mechanism where beneficiaries are recognised.

The government said the National Informatics Centre had taken over the project and it would be done in three to four months.

It was alleged that the states had set up their own portals but had not been able to link with the national portal since the same was not yet ready.

The Code on Social Security, 2020, has for the very first time extended social security benefits like maternity leave, disability insurance, gratuity, health insurance, and old-age protection to workers in the countrys booming unorganised sector. These include gig workers, platform workers, contract workers, freelancers, and home-based workers. However, the code is yet to be implemented.

It stipulates the gratuity benefits to fixed-term employees without any conditions on minimum service. The code proposes the creation of a social security fund for extending these benefits to workers in the unorganised sector.
With the role of Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP) diluted considerably, the asset monetisation plan for ports could draw strong private party participation as it improves clarity on return on investment.

It is a move in the right direction. Private parties would have the needed capabilities to enhance efficiency and improve productivity. But with the right pricing environment given to them to do their business, interest (from private players) is bound to go up, said Shailesh Garg, director-general manager (Ports) at Drewrya maritime research consultancy.

In May 2021, under the Major Port Authorities Act 2021, the board of the port would have the authority to frame its own price scales in line with market conditions, unlike the old act, which had to be approved by the TAMP.

Alongside, under the National Monetisation Pipeline chalked out for various sectors by the government, the Ministry of Port, Shipping and Waterways has identified 31 projects for private sector participation in order to better capacity utilization of existing assets. These projects are spread over nine major ports of the total 12 major ports the country has.

The total estimated capex towards these projects stands at Rs 14,483 crore between FY22-FY25. Out of the 31 projects, 13 projects with expected capex of Rs 6,924 crore would be tendered in current fiscal, followed by another 10 projects with expected capex of Rs 4,680 crore are envisaged to be tendered out in FY23, said the document.





In the current market conditions and economic scenario, it would have anyways not been easy for the government to fund capex on their own. There was no other way out but to ask private players to invest, said a Mumbai-based port consultant on condition of anonymity.

Two projects each at Paradip port, Kandla port, Mumbai port and V.O. Chidambaranar Port along with one project each at JNPT, Mormugao and Vizag among others are part of the list of 13 projects to be tendered in the current fiscal.

Industry experts are of the view that apart from pure port players of both domestic as well as international market, industrial houses could also be interested in the upcoming port capex plans.

There could be industrial houses that could look to have a base of captive cargo at the port and then use the facility for multi-cargo handling, said Garg.

Adani Ports, Essar Ports, JSW Infrastructure of the domestic market and APM Terminals and DP World among foreign players are some of the private players active in the port business in the country.

We expect fierce competition from foreign players for these assets mainly in the container segment. For the bulk projects, participation is mostly likely to be regional as in domestic players, said Garg.

India has a 7500 km coastline with 12 major ports and more than 200 private ports. The countrys 95 percent trade volume and 65 percent of trade value is undertaken through maritime transport and hence is a crucial sector for development purposes.
In a rare face off, captains of the auto industry have hit out at the government for not walking the talk. At an industry event in the capital on Wednesday, R C Bhargava, chairman of Indias largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki, and Venu Srinivasan, chairman of TVS Motor, questioned the governments intent to support the Revenue secretary Tarun Bajaj sat in the audience listening, before his turn came to counter them.

Calling for a reduction in taxes, the auto majors expressed frustration that the contribution of the industry towards India's growth was perhaps not being recognised by policymakers as cars were still being considered a luxury only the rich can afford.

There have been a lot of statements made on the importance of the auto industry. But in terms of concrete action, which would reverse the decline in trend, I haven't seen any on the ground. I am afraid words don't get us very much in terms of extra sales," said Bhargava.

It was seemingly directed at Bajaj, who, as head of the Department of Revenue, exercises control related to direct and indirect tax of the union.

Industry lobby group Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) said the overall auto volumes in 2020-21 (FY21) in the domestic market pushed the industry back by six years. Passenger vehicle volumes in FY21 were the lowest since 2015-16; two-wheeler volumes the lowest since 2014-15.

Sales of commercial vehicles in FY21 were the worst in 11 years; for three-wheelers, they were the lowest in 19 years. Siam blamed the increased cost of ownership due to the high (GST) and a hike in road tax as the killjoys.

Srinivasan echoed Bhargava, saying while Indias two-wheeler industry is the largest in the world and largely considered a common man's mode of transport, the rates are similar to those for luxury cars.

The price of the moped has gone up 45-50 per cent. The on two-wheelers is the same as a luxury-level product. Is the being recognised for what it has contributed to the environment, to revenue, and to foreign exchange earnings? That is the question has raised, said Srinivasan.

When his turn came, Bajaj asked if taxation was the reason why industry growth was impeded. I want to understand, before came, what was the taxation structure in large auto markets? Was the taxation structure any lesser? I think it might have been a little higher. We can't decrease taxes without knowing whether that will actually lead to a corresponding increase in auto sales, he said.





He pointed out that the sales of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are rising when sales in other segments are not. I am keen to understand the reason behind the fall in numbers after 2017-18 for a sector that promised high growth a few years back, said Bajaj, adding that if taxes are reduced, it will force the government to borrow more. This can have a negative impact on the macroeconomy. A 360-degree view must be taken before making a decision, said Bajaj.

Bhargava retorted saying the growth of SUV as a metric is not the correct way since most buyers prefer entry-level models whose prices have gone up by Rs 45,000-50,000 due to the new safety and emission norms, rising insurance, and road tax.

Those earning better have graduated to an SUV. But for a large section, like the buyer of an Alto or WagonR, an increase of Rs 45-50,000 is enormous. At the lower end, most can barely afford a car. Please keep the affordability factor in mind, he cautioned.

This is the second time that a difference in opinion between the industry and the government has arisen. Last year, Shekar Viswanathan, former vice-chairman of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, had said the government keeps taxes on cars and motorbikes so high that his company finds it difficult to expand.

But the finance ministry countered saying auto companies should reduce royalty payments to parents abroad instead of seeking tax cuts.
Reiterating the fact that the union government will have a bare minimum presence in the strategically important sectors, finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, on Wednesday said, banks, financial institutions, and insurance have been identified as strategic sectors, hence the government will not completely exit these sectors but will have a minimum presence.

Addressing the media, Sitharaman said, During the budget, a public enterprise policy was announced, wherein we had identified certain strategically important sectors and in them, the bare minimum presence of the government will be there. Banks, financial institutions, and insurance are identified as strategic sectors, which means the governments minimum presence will be there in insurance.

If minimum presence is something that has to be there as per policy, I will obviously be present in LIC, in the general insurance industry, and somewhat in the reinsurance sector also, she added.

Having said that, the government will look to amalgamate or disinvest in entities in the financial sector, after ensuring that they have a minimum presence. But, over and above a bare minimum presence, if there is a need for me to identify those (entities), which are there but are probably not necessary for my bare minimum presence, I will think in terms of amalgamating, or disinvesting in them, the finance minister said.

In the life insurance space, LIC, which is the largest insurer in the country, is state-owned. And, the government is looking to list it on the bourses by the end of this fiscal year (FY22). There are four state-owned general insurers in the general insurance space, namely New India Assurance, National Insurance Company Limited, Oriental Insurance Company Limited, and the United India Insurance Company. In the reinsurance space, GIC Re is the largest reinsure of the country, which is majority government-owned but has gone public.

The government has also offloaded some stake in New India Assurance of the four general insurers by taking it public.

Recently, the government passed the general insurance business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill in the parliament, with an aim to push greater privatisation in public sector general insurers. The bill seeks to remove the requirement that the Centre should hold not less than 51 per cent of the equity capital in such insurers.

In the Union budget, the finance minister had said, the government will look to take up the privatization of two public sector banks and one general insurance company in the year 2021-22. While the government has not given out the names of the banks or the insurance company they will look to privatise, various names have been floating around since the announcement was made.

Meanwhile, the FM met heads of public sector banks (PSBs) to review the financial performance of the lenders and the progress made by them in supporting the pandemic hit economy. She announced that the cap on pension payouts to bank employees could increase to Rs 30,000from the earlier paltry sum of of Rs 9,284. Also, the public sector banks contribution for employee pensions under NPS will be hiked to 14 per cent from 10 pc earlier.
An expert committee set up by the Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has recommended phase-wise reopening of in the national capital, according to sources.

In its report submitted on Wednesday, the panel has recommended that be reopened for all classes but senior wing students be called in the first phase followed by middle class students and ultimately primary classes, they said.

"The panel has submitted its report today. The recommendations include reopening of for all classes but in a phase-wise manner. The report will be studied in detail and a final decision will be taken soon in this regard," a source said.

Currently, students of classes 10, 11 and 12 can visit schools for admission and board-exam related activities, with consent of parents.

Noting that there is no harm now in reopening schools in the national capital, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had on August 6 asked officials to set up an expert committee to chalk out a detailed plan.

The committee was set up after Deputy CM Manish Sisodia told the DDMA in a meeting chaired by Baijal that at least 90 per cent of the parents, who attended the mega parent-teacher meeting (PTM) at government schools that was held between July 19 and 31, had voted in favour of reopening the schools.

Sisodia had also noted in the meeting that school closures for over a year has led to a major loss of learning.

The committee was tasked with finalising a detailed SOP, assessing preparedness of schools, vaccination of teaching and non teaching staff and addressing concerns of parents.

Schools in the national capital were ordered shut last year in March ahead of a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of

While several states started partial reopening of schools in October last year, the government allowed physical classes only for grades 9-12 in January this year, which were again suspended following the exponential rise in COVID-19 cases during the aggressive second wave.

The Delhi government had also allowed auditoriums and assembly halls in schools to be used for training and meeting purposes, but physical teaching and learning remain suspended.

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Chief Minister Basavaraj S Bommai on Wednesday discussed various issues related to with Union Agriculture Minister and invited him for the launch of a scholarship programme for children of the state's on September 5.

After taking oath on July 28, Bommai had announced the scholarship programme for these children (class 11 to post graduate).

"On September 5, he (Tomar) will visit Bengaluru for the launch of a scholarship programme," Bommai told reporters after meeting Tomar.

It was also discussed how both the Centre and the state can boost the agriculture sector in Karnataka, specially doubling farmers' income, he said.

Tomar also informed in the meeting that the Centre has given approval for procurement of green gram at minimum support price in Karnataka, he added.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture Shobha Karandlaje, minister for water resources Govinda Karjol and Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Manjunath Prasad were also present in the meeting.

Later, Bommai also called on Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and sought early approval for pending projects struck in interstate river water disputes related to Cauvery, Krishna and Mahadayi rivers.

"A detailed discussion was held for two hours on various pending projects struck in interstate river water disputes. The minister responded positively," he said.

On Upper Krishna Stage-3 project case pending in Supreme Court, Bommai said approval was sought for implementation of projects on the share of water allocated to

Since the Telangana government has withdrawn its writ petition, Karnataka will have no problem in using its share of water, he said.

On Mekedatu project on Cauvery river, he said he sought early approval of the drinking water project meant to fulfill the demand of Bengaluru.

"A Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been submitted to Central Water Commission (CWC). The Union Minister said the DPR will be taken up in the next agenda of the Cauvery Water Management Authority meeting," Bommai said.

Shekhawat also informed that a proposal to declare national status for Upper Bhadra Project will be moved for cabinet approval, he said.

The Yethinahole drinking water project for drought prone districts was also discussed.

Mekedatu drinking water project, Upper Krishna project, Kalasa-Bandurinala project (Mahadayi) are awaiting the Centre's clearance. The state is also awaiting national status for Upper Bhadra project.

Bommai also expressed concern in the meeting over Tamil Nadu taking up an intra state river linking project on Cauvery and said it was not legally acceptable.

The Union Minister has asked the Karnataka government to submit in written about the issue and it will be done soon, he said.

"I have requested the Centre to stand with Karnataka on river water dispute issues as per the law. I believe the issues will be resolved," he added.

Bommai also said he will have a meeting on Thursday with legal officers here on pending court cases related to Cauvery and Krishna river water interstate disputes.

He is also scheduled to meet Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and attend a wreath laying ceremony at the Police Memorial Hall here.

Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar and Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani are accompanying Bommai on his two-day visit.

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TS EAMCET result 2021: The result of the Telangana State Engineering, Agriculture & Medical (TS EAMCET 2021) has been announced by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTUH), Hyderabad. The exams were conduced by Telangana State Council of Higher Education, (TSCHE). Candidates can check their results on the official website - eamcet.tsche.ac.in. The results can also be downloaded from manabadi.com. The TS EAMCET 2021 exam was held on August 4, 5, and 6 and the agriculture and medicine streams exam took place on August 9 and 10.

A total of 251,606 students had applied for the examination this year in which 86,644 students applied for the medical and agriculture stream and 164,962 students applied for the engineering exam.

Steps to check TS EAMCET result 2021

1. Go to the official website - eamcet.tsche.ac.in

2. Click on the TS EAMCET 2021 link

3. Click on 'view results'

4. Enter asked credentials and submit

5. Download the result for future reference

In order to qualify the TS EAMCET exam, students need to score a minimum of 25 per cent marks. The final ranks will be calculated based 25 per cent marks obtained in Intermediate second year exams and 75 per cent marks obtained in EAMCET exam.

Qualified TS EAMCET exam? What next?

TS EAMCET counselling 2021: Once the result is declared, qualified candidates will have to appear for the counselling session, which will begin on August 30. Candidates who score more than 25 per cent will be considered qualified however, mere clearing the entrance exam does not guarantee admission to college. The counselling will be done on the basis of merit.

About TS EAMCET

Through TS EAMCET examination, students will take admissions in several courses such as Bachelor of Technology (BTech) in biotechnology, dairy technology, BTech in engineering, pharmacy, food technology. Students can do Bachelor of Science (BSc) honours in agriculture, horticulture, forestry. Other options include Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc), Bachelor of Fisheries Science (BFSc) and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD).
Family pensions of deceased will more than treble now, with Minister Nirmala Sitharaman removing its cap in favour of a uniform 30 per cent slab to be calculated on the last salary drawn by the employee.

With this, the family rises from a maximum of Rs 9,284 per month to as high as Rs 35,000, depending on the last drawn amount.

Debasish Panda, secretary, Department of Financial Services, announced this on Wednesday in the presence of the FM. He also announced an increase in contributions by under the National Pension System (NPS).

Earlier, both the employer and employee used to contribute 10 per cent each of the basic salary. Now, the employer, or the bank, will contribute 14 per cent, while the employee can continue with a 10 per cent contribution to the NPS.

Panda said the pension hikes are in continuation of the 11th bipartite settlement on wages, which was signed by the IBA and bank unions on November 11, 2020.

There was a proposal in it for enhancement of the family pension and also the employers contribution under the NPS. This has been approved by the FM and the benefits would now accrue to the family pensioner, Panda said.

Earlier, the family pension scheme had slabs of 15-20 and 30 per cent of the pay that the pensioner drew at that point of time and it was capped at a maximum of Rs 9,284. That was a very paltry sum and the FM was very concerned she wanted it to be revised so that they get a decent amount to survive and sustain, Panda said, adding that with this, the pension can go to as high as Rs 30-35,000 per family.

The immediate financial implication of this on is not yet clear. The had not provided for this hike fully, and the cost will have to be calculated now, a banker said. The additional cost, and the resultant provisioning, will have to be calculated for each bank separately, he said.

IBA officials were not immediately available for comments. C H Venkatachalam, general secretary of All India Bank Employee Association, said the schemes were agreed upon already and the were awaiting the announcement. A defined contributory pension fund governs employees who joined banks after April 2010. This scheme will benefit 60 per cent of public sector employees, Venkatachalam said.

On account of increase in pension contributions by banks under the new pension scheme, Punjab National Bank would incur Rs 10-12 crore per month, a bank official said. For the increase in family pensions of deceased bank employees, the impact would be marginal for PNB as such pensioners are less, he added.
The families of deceased will receive up to 30 per cent of the last drawn salary of the employee under the (NPS).

Contribution made by PSBs for employee pensions under the has been hiked to 14 per cent from the earlier 10 per cent.

So far, the pension under the scheme was capped at Rs 9,284. Speaking at a media briefing in Mumbai on Wednesday, the Secretary for the Department of Financial Services, Debasish Panda said that post raising of the banks' contribution family pensions of can go up to Rs 35,000.

"Proposal for enhancement of family pension and employer's contribution under the NPS is approved by FM. The benefits would now accrue to family pensioners," Panda said.

"Cap on pay is removed and uniform slab of 30 per cent will be in force. Pension can go as high as Rs 35000," he added.

Addressing the media, Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that during her interaction with the chiefs of Public Sector Banks, she directed them to interact with export promotion agencies as well as with bodies of industry and commerce so the requirements of exporters can be well addressed in time.

She also noted that with changed times, industries have the option of raising funds even from outside the banking sector.

" themselves are raising funds through various avenues. These new aspects need to be studied to target credit where it is needed," she said.

--IANS

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A case has been registered against Karvy Stock Broking Ltd promoter C. Parthasarathy and others for allegedly cheating to the tune of Rs 563 crore.

According to a press release issued by the police on Tuesday night, the case was booked under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420, r/w 34 ( cheating) of IPC against the accused. Funds raised by KSBL by pledging shares of its six bankers were transferred to the firm's own bank accounts, and not into Stock Broker Client Account', which is in contravention with the SEBI guidelines, the police said. Further, all pledges on securities were closed without approval and securities were transferred to end clients of KSBL thereby severely impacting security of all lenders including ICICI Bank, it said. The case was transferred to Economic Offences Wing of Cyberabad and a special team was formed for the investigation. Parthasarathy was arrested by the city police here on August 19 on charges of defaulting on a Rs 137 crore loan taken from IndusInd Bank.

(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 on Wednesday said it has imposed a of Rs 15 lakh on The Baghat Urban Co-operative Bank Limited, Solan, for violation of certain norms, including, those related to NPA classification.

In another statement, the said it has imposed a of Rs 1 lakh on Delhi Nagrik Sehkari Bank Limited, New Delhi, for non-compliance with certain directions issued by the central bank.

The said inspection report of The Baghat Urban Co-operative Bank, based on its financial position as on March 31, 2019, revealed non-adherence with/violation of directions, including non-identification of NPAs, wrong classification of assets, inadequate provisions made due to wrong classification of assets and non-adherence to exposure norms for housing, real estate and commercial real estate (CRE).

A notice was issued to the bank to show cause as to why a should not be imposed for violation of the said directions.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said after considering the bank's reply and oral submissions, it came to the conclusion that the charges were substantiated and warranted imposition of monetary penalty.

The inspection report of Delhi Nagrik Sehkari Bank, based on its financial position as on March 31, 2019, revealed non-adherence with prudential inter-bank (gross) exposure limit, RBI said.

For both cases, the RBI said the penalties are based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and are not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by them with their customers.

(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.)
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Wednesday directed the defreezing of attached bank accounts/lockers/demat accounts and mutual fund folios of founder

Kapoor is currently in judicial custody in connection with a money-laundering probe by the Enforcement Directorate.

In a release order addressed to the Principal Officer/Chairman and Managing Director/CEO of all the and mutual funds in India, informed, "recovery certificate dated February 11 has been drawn up by the Recovery Officer in the proceedings for recovery of a sum of Rs and the same was due in respect of the said certificate."

The market regulator also said that Notices of Attachment dated March 24, in the proceedings against Kapoor were issued attaching the bank accounts/ lockers, Demat accounts and mutual fund folios of the defaulter.

also noted that Supreme Court vide interim order dated August 2 under Civil Appeal had inter alia directed that "there shall be stay of the operation of the impugned order qua Rana Kapoor, subject to deposit of Rs 50,00,000 within a period of 4 weeks before the Supreme Court. In compliance of the aforesaid interim order, the defaulter has deposited on August 23 a Demand Draft dated August 18 of ICICI Bank for an amount of Rs 50,00,000 drawn in favour of the Registrar, Supreme Court of India."

In September 2020, had imposed a fine of Rs 1 crore on former Managing Director and CEO for violating disclosure regulations regarding a transaction of Morgan Credits Pvt Ltd, an unlisted promoter entity of

(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 (RBI) along with the payments industry, and the payments council of India (PCI) is working on a possible solution that could ensure that the customers do not have to key in their 16 digit credit or debit card number, every time they make payments through their cards.

The RBI's new rules are supposed to kick in from January 2022.

In a statement, the PCI said, The industry and PCI are working in alignment with on possible secure card on file solutions which will ensure a near similar customer experience for online purchases whilst enhancing the security of the storage of card credentials of customers.

The was not willing to budge from its stance, insisting that payment facilitators cannot store customer card details. This came as an inconvenience to many, particularly online shopaholics who have to so far key in only the CVV number of their cards saved (masked with the last four digits visible) on the e-commerce portal and proceed with a transaction.

We are working closely with the on charting a roadmap of the possible solutions that could be adopted by the industry for securing the storage of raw card data. Solutions being worked upon, would not require the customers to enter their card number manually every time they make an online purchase the PCI said.

It said the solutions will adhere to the security checks and controls and frameworks prescribed by RBI.

The RBIs new rules would have mandated that every time a transaction was made, the entire card details must be keyed in. These would reach the merchant servers in a tokenised format, or as random numbers. Since the tokenised numbers generated would be one-time in nature, the merchant site and payments facilitator would have no reason to save the details.Experts had said while RBIs concern is genuine, it would create friction, in an otherwise seamless transaction process. The efficiency and ease of making payments in the periodic/monthly subscription-based models will be disrupted, the experts had pointed out.

PCI said it has shared with RBI the principles which can be adopted by the industry for developing secure card on file solutions.
At a time when world leaders are still weary of diplomatic dealings with after the takeover, has established its first diplomatic contact with the militant group, aimed at pushing forward its ambitious project -- the China- Economic Corridor (CPEC) -- to

Sources said that in a bid to push the CPEC, is exploring opportunities to exploit to enter the war-torn country.

Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan, Wang Yu, met Abdul Salam Hanafi, the deputy head of the political office in Qatar, in and had unimpeded and effective communication and consultation, sources said.

Talking about the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in a media briefing in Beijing, " respects the Afghan people's independent decision on their own future and destiny, and supports the implementation of the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned principle."

He also said that China will develop good, neighbourly relations of friendship and cooperation with and play a constructive role in the peace and reconstruction of the country.

Seeing the swift changes in the security challenges in and the new diplomatic alignments, India is keeping a close watch on the developments in the war-torn nation.

Sources said the Chinese are in talks with the and has again proposed the construction of the Peshawar- road.

Chinese proposal for the construction of the Peshawar-Kabul motorway was anticipated by the Indian security establishment even before the Taliban take over of Afghanistan.

Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria, had said last year that is becoming a pawn in the Chinese policy and could use the country to enter Afghanistan after the exit of US forces.

Bhadauria had said that US exit from Afghanistan will open options for China in the region, both direct and through Pakistan, allowing it entry into Central Asia, a region it has been eyeing for long.

The CPEC, one of the most ambitious components of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, was announced to great fanfare in 2015.

Since then, it has consistently been held as a "gamechanger" for Pakistan's economy. But the road to completion has proved long and winding.

It is a bilateral project with a large network of roads, railways and pipelines spanning across 3,000 km that will facilitate trade between China, Pakistan and other countries in the region.

(Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in)A

--IANS

sk/arm

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Airmen and Marines personnel guide qualified evacuees aboard a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai Airport. (Photo: Reuters)

President Joe Biden has said the US is on "a pace" to complete its evacuation mission in by August 31 and doesn't plan to have troops in the country past that date, but the completion of the deadline depends on cooperation from the

The US has currently approximately 5,800 troops at the Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul.

We are currently on a pace to finish (the evacuation mission) by August 31. The sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops, Biden told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

But the completion by August 31 depends on the continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those who were transporting out and no disruptions to our operations, he said.

The -- which seized power in on August 15, two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war -- has warned that the US must end its evacuation mission on August 31.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a news conference in Kabul on Tuesday said the US must stick to its self-imposed deadline. After that we won't let Afghans be taken out on evacuation flights, he said.

Any decision by the US to stay longer could led to a war between them and the US troops who are executing the airlift at Kabul airport, the Taliban has said.

Biden said he has asked Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the August 31 timetable of leaving Afghnaistan, "should that become necessary".

I'm determined to ensure that we complete our mission... I'm also mindful of the increasing risks that I've been briefed on and the need to factor those risks in. They're real and significant challenges that we also have to take into consideration. The longer we stay, starting with the acute and growing risk of an attack by a terrorist group known as ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan, which is the sworn enemy of the Taliban as well, he said.

Every day we're on the ground is another day we know ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both US and allied forces and innocent civilians," Biden said.

The Islamic State group's affiliate, ISIS-K, is known for staging suicide attacks on civilians.

Biden said though the Taliban are cooperating "so that we can get our people out. But it's a tenuous situation".

"We've already had some gunfighting break out, he said.

Earlier, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that the US is in direct contact not just with American citizens, but with SIV (Special Immigrant Visa) applicants as well as Afghans, whose departure the US is facilitating, about how and when to come to the airport.

Our expectation, which we have also conveyed to the Taliban, is that they should be able to get to the airport. It is also true that there are a number of Afghans who may not qualify for these programme.

And we've seen, over the past nine days, a rush of people attempt to come to the airport. We certainly understand that, but that also creates security risk and one that we have great concern about, she said.

In a statement later in the evening, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that the retrograde of US non-combatant operation in Afghanistan has not been ordered and nor would it need to be ordered at this stage.

The mission remains the same, and as you heard from the President today, it remains on the same timeline. We are focused on evacuating as many people as we can before the end of the month. The Secretary and military leaders are drawing up contingency plans should there be a need to reconsider this timeline. No such decision has been made, he asserted.

As we have made consistently clear, commanders on the ground are empowered to make any adjustments they see fit, when they see fit. That includes changes to the footprint. To that end, we can confirm reports of the departure from Afghanistan of several hundred US troops, he said.

These troops represent a mix of headquarters staff, maintenance and other enabling functions that were scheduled to leave and whose mission at the airport was complete. Their departure represents prudent and efficient force management. It will have no impact on the mission at hand, Kirby said.

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Influential lawmakers from the G-7 countries have urged that India should be invited to attend the bloc's meetings that seeks to develop a common and united front for global security and regional stability in the aftermath of the Taliban taking control over

US Senator Bob Menendez, who is also the Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and his counterparts from Italy, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the European Parliament in a joint statement also said African Union should be invited to attend individual G-7 meetings when appropriate.

The withdrawal of US and allied forces from should not be misinterpreted by the global community as any weakening of resolve from G7 governments in taking all necessary measures to combat cross-border terrorism, to support regional cooperation or advance democratic values, Menendez and his counterparts from G-7 countries said in the joint statement.

With the spillover of terrorism possible, we would like to see India invited to attend this G-7 meeting. As other terror groups are beginning to muster in the Horn of Africa and reawaken movements elsewhere, we believe the African Union should be invited to attend individual G-7 meetings when appropriate, the lawmakers said.

This would promote a regional shift for governments and ensure that the spillover effects of which could destabilise neighbouring countries are constantly monitored by those closest to the likely areas of threat," they said.

The export of terror, whether in South Asia, the Middle East, East Africa, or any other part of the world, should be met with swift and decisive action, the statement said.

The G-7 is an intergovernmental political grouping of seven countries comprising the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. US President Joe Biden on Tuesday addressed an emergency meeting of the G-7 and other world leaders amid the withdrawal of America's troops by August 31.

Besides Menendez, the joint statement was issued by David McAllister, MEP, Chair, European Parliament; Jean-Louis Bourlanges, Chair, French National Assembly; Dr Norbert Rottgen MdB, Chair, German Bundestag; Piero Fassino, MP, Chair, Italian Chamber of Deputies; ABE Toshiko, Chair, Japanese House of Representatives; and Tom Tugendhat, MP, Chair, UK Parliament. The Canadian Parliament is dissolved for the forthcoming election.

The lawmakers demanded that no member of the community of states should unilaterally recognise the Taliban regime. There must be a coordinated process, ideally through a resolution of the United Nations Security Council to ensure commitments entered into by the Taliban are seen as binding.

The key criteria for recognition should include, but not be limited to: repudiation of all cross-border terrorism, including Al Qaeda and associated groups; equality of rights for girls and women; protection of minority ethnic and religious groups; commitment to democratic elections; and ending all narcotics-related activity, the statement said.

It is the actions that will count. A monitoring and enforcement mechanism should form part of any framework agreed with the Taliban to ensure compliance with its commitments, it said.

There is little indication from its past or present behaviour that the Taliban is committed to any of these principles, so the G-7 countries should be prepared to isolate the Taliban and impose robust sanctions should violations reach an agreed threshold, the lawmakers said.

They said in order to implement an orderly evacuation of those most vulnerable within Afghanistan, the G-7 governments should avoid arbitrary dates for ending military support to the evacuation or imposing artificial caps on the number of evacuees.

Instead, these decisions should be driven by the steps required for an orderly process with the primary objective of protecting of the most vulnerable and assisting those in most need.

As well as evacuation, the G-7 governments should call on the UN to coordinate the community in responding to the likely refugee and humanitarian crisis. Afghans will be in need of emergency support, whether inside Afghanistan or out, and the role of the World Food Programme and the UNHCR will be essential to supporting those in critical need, the lawmakers said.

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Chinese President told his Russian counterpart on Wednesday that Beijing stands ready to strengthen communication with Moscow and the broader community on the Afghan issue and called for inclusive government in which "thoroughly dissociate" itself from all terrorist groups.

Xi spoke to Putin over phone on Wednesday and discussed the situation in post-Taliban takeover, a day after G-7 leaders virtually met to discuss the crisis.

The phone call also comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the situation with the Russian President.

Xi told Putin that China stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Russia and the broader community on the Afghan issue, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

He also called for concerted efforts to encourage all factions in to build an open and inclusive political structure through consultation, implement moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, thoroughly dissociate from all terrorist groups, and maintain friendly relations with the rest of the world, especially neighbouring countries.

On his part, Putin said that the current changes in the Afghan situation showed that outside forces' forcibly promoting its political models did not work in some countries and will only bring destruction and disaster to these countries. Russia and China share similar stances and interests on the Afghan issue, state-run Global Times reported.

Russia is willing to closely communicate with China and actively participate in a multilateral mechanism on the Afghan issue to promote a peaceful transition, crackdown on terrorism, cut off drug smuggling, prevent the spillover of security risks from Afghanistan, resist interference and destruction from outside forces and safeguard regional stability, Putin said.

Xi's telephonic conversation with Putin came after China held its first dialogue with the Taliban in where Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu held talks with the deputy head of the Taliban's political office Abdul Salam Hanafi.

Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, earlier stressed that a political settlement on the Afghan issue is the only way out.

Speaking via video link at the 11th BRICS Meeting of National Security Advisors on Tuesday held by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Yang said the community should respect the will and choice of the Afghan people and encourage Afghanistan to build a broad and inclusive political structure that suits its national conditions, according to the official media.

Efforts must be made to fight terrorism in all forms, and Afghanistan must never again become a gathering place for terrorist and extremist forces, he noted.

To restore peace, stability and order in Afghanistan at an early date, China and Russia can play a big role after the hasty and irresponsible withdrawal of the US, Yang said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here on Wednesday that China and the Afghan Taliban have "smooth and effective communication and consultation."



He was asked about the talks between Hanafi and Chinese Ambassador Wang in

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war.

"Kabul is naturally an important platform and channel for the two sides to discuss various important matters," the spokesman said, without disclosing the details.

China had hosted a Taliban delegation headed by the Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar last month.

Baradar reportedly assured Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that the Taliban will not permit the ETIM from operating from Afghanistan and called for Chinese investments in the war-torn country.

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A massive caused by leakage from a power plant inside one of Syria's oil refineries is spreading along the coast of the Mediterranean country, Syria's state news agency said and satellite photos showed Wednesday.

SANA said the spill reached the coastal town of Jableh, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the refinery in the town of Baniyas, adding that Syria's environment department and the municipality of the coastal province of Latakia have placed all concerned departments on alert. It said work is underway to clean the coast in the rocky areas.

A day earlier, Syria's government said that maintenance teams at Baniyas Thermal Station had brought a fuel leakage from one of the tanks under control.

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc. on Wednesday showed what appeared to be a massive 19-kilometer long spread from the Baniyas plant. An image from Monday showed no sign of the slick, suggesting whatever happened to cause the spill happened later.

The head of the Electricity Workers Syndicate at Tartous Workers Union, Dawoud Darwish, blamed cracks in one of the fuel tanks at the thermal station. He pointed out that the tank was filled with 15,000 tons of fuel.

Syria's oil resources are mostly outside of government controlled areas but its two refineries are under government control and operating.

This makes Damascus reliant on Iran for fuel, but U.S. Treasury sanctions have hindered the supply network, which spans Syria, Iran and Russia.

There has been a series of mysterious attacks on vessels in Mideast waters, including off Syria's coast, for over a year. They have come amid rising tensions in the region between Iran, Israel and the United States.

In May, Syria's foreign minister blamed Israel for mysterious attacks targeting oil tankers heading to Syria, saying they violate law and will not go unpunished.

(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.)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday again charged China with bullying its Southeast Asian neighbours, the second time in two days she has attacked Beijing during a regional visit aimed at countering China's growing influence.

Earlier on Wednesday, Chinese state media accused Harris of seeking to drive a wedge between China and Southeast Asian nations with comments in Singapore that Beijing used coercion and intimidation to back its unlawful South China Sea claims.

Speaking in Hanoi on Wednesday, Harris said there was a need to increase pressure on Beijing over its maritime claims.

"We need to find ways to pressure, raise the pressureaon Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge, its bullying and excessive maritime claims," said Harris during a meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Six nations, China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan, lay claim to parts of the South China Sea, which is crossed by vital shipping lanes and contains gas fields and rich fishing grounds.

China has established military outposts on artificial islands in the South China Sea and objects to foreign warships sailing through what it claims is its sovereign waters.

The U.S. Navy regularly conducts "freedom of navigation" operations through the disputed waters, which China objects to, saying they do not help promote peace or stability.

In 2016, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled against China's claim, but Beijing has rejected the ruling.

"While pointing a finger at China and accusing it of 'coercion' and 'intimidation', Harris willfully ignored her own hypocrisy in attempting to coerce and intimidate regional countries to join Washington in its scheme to contain China," the state run China Daily said in an editorial responding to Harris's comments in Singapore.

Harris's Singapore speech was a baseless attack on China, the editorial said. "It seems that the United States' only commitment to Southeast Asia is its dedicated efforts to drive a wedge between the Southeast Asian nations and China," it added.

The U.S. administration has called rivalry with China "the biggest geopolitical test" of the century and Southeast Asia has seen a series of high-profile visits by top administration officials, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who visited Hanoi in late July.

Harris's arrival in Hanoi was delayed on Tuesday after the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam said it had detected an "anomalous health incident", potentially related to the mysterious Havana Syndrome.

During the delay, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and China's ambassador to Vietnam held a previously unannounced meeting, during which Chinh said Vietnam does not take sides in foreign policy. The Chinese ambassador promised a donation of 2 million COVID-19 vaccines during the meeting.

China is Vietnam's largest trading partner and Vietnam is heavily reliant on materials and equipment from China for its manufacturing activities.

Their ruling Communist Parties maintain close ties, but Vietnam and China have been embroiled in a longstanding dispute over maritime claims in the South China Sea, known as the East Sea in Vietnam.

China has established military outposts on artificial islands in the South China Sea, which is crossed by vital shipping lanes and contain gas fields and rich fishing grounds.

Six nations, China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan, lay claim to parts of the waters.

The tensions have propelled Vietnam into being one of the most vocal opponents of Beijing's claims in the disputed waterway and Hanoi has received U.S. military hardware, including coastguard cutters.

Ties between Hanoi and Washington have grown closer more than four decades after the Vietnam War ended in 1975, although Washington has said there are limits to the relationship until Hanoi makes progress on human rights.

Analysts say Vietnam wants to upgrade its diplomatic relationship with the United States to a "strategic partnership" but is concerned such a move would anger Beijing.

(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.)
Images of thousands of Afghans desperately trying to flee their country following a hasty U. S. withdrawal have provoked an outcry.

As of Aug. 22, 2021, some 6,000 U. S. troops were working to evacuate U. S. military, American citizens and Afghans who are approved for Special Immigrant Visas. SIVs are a special program to protect Afghans who risked their lives working for U. S. troops in

Germany, France, Italy and the U. K. are conducting smaller evacuation efforts for their nationals and some Afghans.

The pace of these poorly planned evacuations has been slow. They are taking place amid chaos in Kabul, where crowds are being confronted by violence from members of the now-ruling Taliban and U. S. forces and facing checkpoints that are near-impossible to pass.

Shaharzad Akbar, who leads the Independent Human Rights Commission, called the situation failure upon failure.

As a scholar specializing in forcible displacement and refugees, I see this harrowing scene unfolding within a broader context of Afghanistans long-standing displacement crisis. This includes an unequal sharing of refugees between the developed world and economically disadvantaged countries.

A muted US role

The U. S. Refugee Act of 1980 standardized the procedures for admitting refugees  people who have fled war, violence, conflict or persecution  and put in place a rigorous vetting process. But over the past 40 years, U. S. acceptance rates for refugees worldwide have fallen significantly  from 200,000 admitted in 1980 to less than 50,000 in 2019.

Over the past 20 years, the U. S. admitted more than 20,000 Afghan refugees  an average of roughly 1,000 per year. But during the 2020-2021 fiscal year, just 11,800 refugees from around the world settled in the U. S.  among them were only 495 Afghan Special Immigrant Visa recipients. That number seems tiny compared to the approximately 20,000 Afghans who are currently in the pipeline waiting for a SIV and the additional 70,000 Afghans  including applicants and their immediate family members  who are eligible to apply.

Europe hosts few Afghan refugees

For decades, Afghans have also migrated or fled to Europe. Between 2015-2016, 300,000 of them arrived on the continent. They were the second-largest group of refugees and asylum-seekers after Syrians. Asylum seekers are people seeking refugee status, but whose claim has yet to be evaluated.

The Afghan population across the European continent remains small and unevenly distributed. Up until the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021, many Afghans were facing deportations. Germany is the largest European host, followed by Austria, France and Sweden.

For the first three months of 2021 about 7,000 Afghans were granted permanent or temporary legal status in the European Union. They are distributed between Greece, France, Germany and Italy, with smaller Afghan contingents in other EU states.

Australia  based on its 2016 census  has approximately 47,000 Afghans who are permanent residents, some of whom began arriving as early as 1979. Approximately another 4,200 Afghans have received temporary protected status.

Displaced within Afghanistan

This still leaves an enormous number of Afghans who are displaced without a permanent home. More than half a million have already been displaced by the violence so far in 2021 according to the U. N. refugee agency. Some 80% of nearly a quarter of a million Afghans forced to flee since the end of May are women and children.

As of 2021 and prior to the current crisis, at least 3.5 million Afghans remained uprooted within because of violence, political unrest, poverty, climate crisis and lack of economic opportunity.

Afghan refugees in Pakistan

The vast majority of Afghan refugees do not settle in the West.

Pakistan, which shares a 1,640-mile land border with Afghanistan, has long absorbed the largest number of Afghan refugees even though it is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol. Within two years of the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, following the conflict ignited by the rise of the Mujahideen, 1.5 million Afghans had become refugees. By 1986, nearly five million Afghans had fled to Pakistan and Iran.

Since March 2002, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, had repatriated nearly 3.2 million Afghans, but in April 2021, the United Nations reported that more than 1.4 million Afghan refugees remained in Pakistan due to ongoing violence, unemployment and political turbulence in Afghanistan.

Iran also remains a significant host for Afghans, with nearly 800,000 registered refugees and at least two million more who are unregistered. Smaller numbers of Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers are in India (15,689), Indonesia (7,692) and Malaysia (2,478).

Turkey  the worlds largest refugee host, with over 3.8 million registered Syrian refugees  has 980 registered Afghan refugees and 116,000 Afghan asylum-seekers.

As it stands today

The latest figures from the AP show that more than 47,000 Afghan civilians and at least 66,000 Afghan military and police forces have died in the 20-year-old Afghanistan war

The security situation in the country had been deteriorating in recent years. According to Brown Universitys Cost of War Project, an increasing numbers of Afghans have been killed as a result of crossfire, improvised explosive devices, assassinations by militant groups including the Taliban, night raids by U. S. and NATO forces and U. S.-led airstrikes.

Even prior to the takeover of Kabul, civilian casualties had risen by 29% in the first quarter of 2021 compared with the same period in 2020. A U. N. report from July 26, 2021 found a 37% increase in the number of women killed and injured, and a 23% increase in child casualties compared with the first quarter of 2020.

With the takeover of Kabul, there is a growing concern for the safety of Afghanistans women and girls, ethnic minorities, journalists, government workers, educators and human rights activists. Many Afghans desperate to leave remain outside Kabul and far from any airport.

U. S. evacuations will likely end once all Americans are out of Afghanistan. A few other western countries have committed to taking in small numbers of refugees, including Canada (20,000) and the U. K. (20,000 over 5 years).

Still, adoption of hard-line policies and anti-refugee sentiments across much of Europe means that relatively few Afghans will find sanctuary on the continent. Austria and Switzerland have already refused to take in large numbers of Afghans. Turkey, already straining with refugees, said it does not want to become Europes refugee warehouse.

Other countries committing to take in Afghans temporarily in small numbers include Albania, Qatar, Costa Rica, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia. Uganda, which already hosts 1.5 million refugees, mainly from South Sudan, has also agreed to take in 2,000 Afghans temporarily.

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Ultimately, most Afghans able to leave the country will do so not in an aircraft, but on foot into Pakistan and Iran. Pakistan, already strained by its own economic and political struggles, will once again likely be the largest host for the most recently displaced Afghans.

But given that border crossings in the region are difficult and dangerous, the vast majority of uprooted Afghans will remain within Afghanistans borders. Their considerable humanitarian needs, economic and political challenges, security concerns and resistance to the will shape the next chapter of the countrys history.

Tazreena Sajjad, Senior Professorial Lecturer of Global Governance, Politics and Security, American University School of International Service

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
will introduce President Xi Jinping's political ideology in its national curriculum for schools and colleges, in the latest effort to consolidate the ruling Communist Party's grip on power for the future.

Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era will be incorporated into China's textbooks for students at all levels, the country's Ministry of Education announced on Tuesday.

The guideline, issued by the National Textbook Committee, said textbooks reflect the will of the Communist Party of (CPC) and the nation and directly impact the direction and quality of talent cultivation, state-run Daily reported on Wednesday.

The ideology will be integrated into the curriculum covering basic, vocational and various subjects of higher education, Han Zhen, a member of the National Textbook Committee said.

As per the new curriculum, the primary schools will focus on cultivating the love for the country, the CPC and socialism.

In middle schools, the focus will be on a combination of perceptual experience and knowledge study, to help students form basic political judgments and opinions.

In colleges, there will be more emphasis on the establishment of theoretical thinking, state-run Global Times reported.

Billed as the most powerful leader after the CPC's founder Mao Zedong, Xi is widely expected to continue in power for an unprecedented third term beginning late next year.

Xi, 68, who heads the CPC, the military and Presidency will be completing his second five-year term as head of the party next year.

But unlike his predecessors, he is expected to buck the mandatory retirement rule of two terms following the amendment to the Constitution which removed the term limit for the President.

As a result, Xi, who was pronounced as core leader by the party -- a title that put him on a higher pedestal in the CPC's leadership structure -- has the prospect of continuing in power for life.

Since he took over the reins of the CPC in late 2012, Xi had consolidated his grip on power with the high-intensity anti-corruption campaign in which over a million officials including several top military personnel were punished.

He has also launched several political initiatives including the realisation of the Chinese dream broadly defined as reclaiming the lost greatness of the nation, making China a moderately prosperous society, elimination of absolute poverty, consolidation of the CPC's power over the military and integration of Hong Kong and Taiwan with the mainland, etc.

As he set for his third term, he recently launched a new initiative called common prosperity for all Chinese, which is widely reported to be a new policy of redistribution of wealth, ending the era of billionaires in the country.

The new policy shift came as the government has mounted unprecedented crackdowns on Alibaba and other top corporate firms from various sectors to tackle widening income inequality, rising debt levels and slowing consumption.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shares of Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) hit a 52-week high of Rs 1,245.90 after they surged 7 per cent on the BSE in the intra-day trade on Wednesday. The stock of the state-owned company surpassed its previous high of Rs 1,214.95, touched on August 25, 2020. It had hit a record high of Rs 1,424 on August 14, 2020.

HAL is a public sector enterprise, engaged in the design, development, manufacture, repair, overhaul, upgrade and servicing of a wide range of products including aircraft helicopters, aero-engines, avionics accessories and aerospace structures.

In the past five trading days, the market price of HAL has swelled 17 per cent after the company said it has signed $716 million deal with GE Aviation for procurement of 99 engines for manufacturing 83 LCA Tejas for Indian Air Force (IAF).

Earlier, on February 3, HAL had informed exchanges that the government had formally sealed the deal of around Rs 48,000 crore (inclusive of taxes and duties of around Rs 7,000 crore; infrastructure and design & development cost of around Rs 2,300 crore) for procuring 73 indigenous LCA Tejas Mk-1A fighter aircraft and 10 LCA Tejas Mk-1 trainer aircraft from the company.

The demand in Aerospace and Defence (A&D) manufacturing sector in the country is dominated by the demands from Defence sector. Defence projects, policies and funding of Government of India play crucial role in the growth of A&D industry in India and in-turn HAL, because of the major dependence on the Defence sector.

"There is a strong push from the government through the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan', the policy formulations and reforms post Covid, which is giving significant impetus to self-reliance and local production. This is expected to favorably impact the operations of the company. The Defence Services are looking for more indigenous options as compared to import and HAL is expected to benefit from this as there are a slew of indigenous products like LCA Tejas and its variants," the company had said in its annual report for fiscal year 2019-20 (FY20).

At 01:23 pm, HAL was trading 6 per cent higher at Rs 1,231.60 on the BSE as compared to a 0.19 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. Trading volumes on the counter jumped over four-fold with nearly 2 million equity shares having changed hands on the NSE and BSE till the time of writing of this report.
Infrastructure stocks have seen some buying interest over the past two days, after the finance minister launched an ambitious plan worth Rs 6 trillion to monetise public infrastructure projects like power plants, roads and railways. The Nifty Infrastructure index rose 1.2 per cent over the last two days.

and SEZ, Hindustan Petroleum and rose 7.8 per cent, 5 per cent and 3.5 per cent respectively over two days. While cement companies like Ramco Cements, Ambuja Cements and UltraTech are up between 0.4 per cent and 2.5 per cent, shares of Larsen & Toubro rose 0.8 per cent during the same period.

The National Monetisation Plan (NMP), as the scheme is called, aims at monetising the government's brownfield infrastructure to fund greenfield ones. The central idea behind the scheme is to raise more revenues by monetising existing brownfield infrastructure assets and channel these additional revenues into building greenfield infrastructure.

Analysts said that since the pandemic began, kickstarting capital expenditure, especially on infrastructure, has been a priority for the government.

In a note, Teresa John, Research Analyst (Economist), Nirmal Bang, said, "Seasoned infrastructure investors are likely to benefit from the monetisation programme while domestic EPC players, power transmission companies, cement manufacturers etc will benefit from infrastructure spending by the government."



The gains for these companies, however, may not be immediate and will depend on the scheme's successful implementation. The government plans to monetise assets worth Rs 88,190 crore in FY22, Rs 162,422 crore in FY23, Rs 179,544 crore in FY24 and Rs 167,345 crore in FY25.

A key risk in the brownfield project, according to Nomura, is the volume of traffic.

"We also believe the appetite of the private sector will also depend on other factors like the duration of the concessions, institutional mechanism for dispute resolution, ability to operate the projects at commercial rates, regulatory and taxation issues, among others," said Sonal Varma, Nomura's chief economist for India and Asia ex-Japan in a note with Aurodeep Nandi.

Kotak Institutional Equities, in its note, said greenfield capacities require enabling conditions for more extensive funding support from the private sector.

"For India to bridge its massive infrastructure deficit, it needs to create enabling conditions for attracting long-term capital. These include addressing key issues, including pricing of services and effective contract and dispute resolution mechanisms honouring contracts. NMP includes limited clarity on these critical aspects,' said the note.
Shares of Steel Strips Wheels (SSWL) were locked in the 5 per cent upper circuit band at Rs 1,788.40 on the BSE on Wednesday, having gained 6 per cent in two days, after the company signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) for over $105 million (Rs 800 crore) from Western Hemisphere.

SSWL has signed an MoU for close to $105 million from Western Hemisphere which would cover supply of Steel and Aluminum wheels for a minimum period of 3 years," the company said in exchange filing on Monday, August 23, 2021.

The supplies of steel wheels will begin from Chennai and Dappar plant by September 2021 and supplies from Mehsana plant for the aluminum wheels will begin by end of December 2021. This shows strong confidence of the customers in SSWL to develop long term strategic partnerships, the company said.

Separately, SSWL announced on August 20 that it has received new orders for close to $ 11 million (Rs 81 crore) from Western Hemisphere. Orders for similar capacity are anticipated in the coming months from similar customer base as businesses continue to recover rapidly, the company added.

SSWL is primarily engaged in the manufacturing business of steel wheel rims and Alloy Wheel Rims catering to different segment of automobile industry.

In the past two months, the stock has zoomed 132 per cent as compared to a 6 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex.

In another development, SSWL's board will meet on September 3, 2021 to consider sub-division/split of the equity shares of the company. SSWL will sub-divide the face value of equity shares to a lower denomination to make the stock more affordable for the small retail investors and increase liquidity.

A stock split is a corporate action in which a company increases the number of its outstanding shares by issuing more shares to current shareholders. The primary motive of a stock split is to make shares seem more affordable to small investors. Although the number of outstanding shares increases and the price per share decreases, the market capitalization (and the value of the company) does not change.
The Asia Securities Industry and Financial Association (Asifma) has written to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) reiterating the perils of moving to a T+1 settlement cycle. It has said that shifting to such a system would make India a pre- market for global institutional investors, especially those from the US and Europe.

A change to T+1 can add unwelcome trading frictions for FPI investments into Indias capital and may register concerns with MSCI, said Asifma in a note sent to the regulator on Monday.

The securities settlement for is operationally complex, involving coordination among multiple entities like fund managers, custodians, brokers, clearing members, and exchanges. So, for investors in the US and Europe the current T+2 cycle was effectively T+1, as investors were required to arrange for transactions and for pre-settlement matching during their daylight hours a day before the trades settle. Regional holidays could further add to the default risk.

Moving to a T+1 settlement would necessitate booking foreign exchange on T day or T-1 for local custodians. Tax consultants typically compute tax on T+2 or T+3 day, which may lead to a situation where pay-in is received on T+1, but clients would have to hold on to their funds in Indian rupees for a day or two due to pending tax computation. Moreover, such a shift could create unnecessary costs and settlement risks for global investors and failures in trade-matching may result in the settlement obligation being borne by domestic brokers.

The window would be too short for the Securities Borrowing and Lending to practically work and there could be spillover effects to the physically-settled derivatives market, Asifma said.

It said a number of operational and technical challenges will need to be overcome, which could be facilitated by emerging technologies such as Distributed Ledger Technology.

Asifma said Taiwan, which had moved to a T+1 settlement for equities, has subsequently moved back to T+2 after foreign investors faced problems.

China is the only large market that currently follows T+1, where shares are pre-delivered on trade date and money is settled on T+1. This has been a headache for global investors who need to pre-fund and to pre-deliver shares on a free of payment basis. This is not a model to emulate or replicate, Asifma said.

recently set up a panel of experts to look into the concerns over shifting to T+1, according to reports. The shorter trade settlement cycle is aimed at freeing up capital, making more efficient, and reducing the default risk faced by clearing corporations.
The domestic equity barometers were trading with small gains in mid-afternoon trade. The Nifty held above the 15,650 mark. FMCG shares firmed up on value buying after a two-day losing streak.

At 14:22 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 74.39 points or 0.13% to 56,033.37. The Nifty 50 index added 32.50 points or 0.20% to 16,657.10.

The Sensex hit a record high of 56,198.13 while Nifty attained an all-time high of 16,712.45 in mid-morning trade today.

The broader indices outperformed the barometers. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.47%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.73%.

In the broader market, Linde India (up 15.57%), TCNS Clothing Co. (up 15.50%), The Great Eastern Shipping Company (up 8.20%), Ircon International (up 7.26%) and Hindustan Aeronautics (up 6.72%) advanced.

Star Cement (down 5.38%), Indo Count Industries (down 4.52%), Central Depository Services (India) (down 3.57%), CCL Products (India) (down 3.52%) and Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals (down 2.89%) declined.

Buyers outpaced sellers. On the BSE, 2045 shares rose and 1091 shares fell. A total of 120 shares were unchanged.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty FMCG index rose 0.79% to 38,536.70. The index declined 0.94% in the past two sessions.

Jubilant Foodworks (up 4%), Godrej Consumer (up 2.56%), Varun Beverages (up 2.37%), Dabur India (up 1.17%), Nestle India (up 1.13%) and Britannia Industries (up 0.83%) were the top index gainers.

Marico (down 1.57%), United Breweries (down 1.28%) and United Spirits (down 0.82%) declined.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Wabco India fell 1.37% to Rs 7072.55 after the offer for sale (OFS) opened for non-retail investors today, 25 August 2021. Through the OFS, the company's promoter ZF International UK proposes to sell up to 3,80,432 equity shares (representing 2.01% stake) of the company.

The floor price for the OFS is Rs 6,900 per equity share, a 3.78% discount to Wabco India's closing price of Rs 7170.85 on Tuesday, 24 August 2021. ZF International UK held 2.01% stake in the company as on 30 June 2021.

As on 14:15 IST, the OFS received subscription for 54,432 shares. It was subscribed 15.90% on the non-retail offer size of 3,42,388 shares.

Kaveri Seeds gained 2.44% to Rs 593.55 after the company's board approved a proposal to buyback equity shares worth upto Rs 120 crore. The company proposes to buyback shares at maximum price of Rs 850 each.

Numbers to Track:

In the foreign exchange market, the partially convertible rupee rose to 74.2450 from its previous closing of 74.1925.

MCX Gold futures for 5 October 2021 settlement shed 0.46% to Rs 47,393.

The US Dollar index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was up 0.02% to 92.92.

In the commodities market, Brent crude for October 2021 settlement added 12 cents or 0.17% to $70.93 a barrel.

The yield on 10-year benchmark federal paper rose to 6.248% from its previous close of 6.250%.

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A bout of volatility was witnessed as the benchmark indices bounced back after briefly slipping into the red in early afternoon trade. The Nifty index hovered below 16,700 mark. The Nifty Oil & Gas index advanced for the third consecutive day.

At 12:20 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, surged 108.69 points or 0.19% at 56,067.67. The Nifty 50 index added 54.90 points or 0.33% at 16,679.50.

The Sensex hit a record high of 56,198.13 while Nifty attained an all-time high of 16,712.45 in mid-morning trade today.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.51% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.80%. Both these indices outperformed the main stock indices.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,060 shares rose and 979 shares fell. A total of 132 shares were unchanged.

Global sentiment improved as US House passed a measure approving $3.5 trillion budget blueprint and USFDA granted full approval to COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer. Investors continued to remain concerned that spread of highly infectious delta variant may derail the global economic recovery. Additionally, markets will remain vigilant ahead of the Jackson Hole Symposium.

US central bankers will meet virtually for an annual gathering traditionally held in Jackson Hole in Wyoming. Jerome H. Powell, the Fed's chair, will speak on Friday and is expected to reveal details about how and when the bank plans to begin winding down its bond-buying program.

Coronavirus Update:

Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 21,32,05,948 with 44,52,460 deaths. India reported 3,22,327 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 4,35,758 deaths while 3,17,54,281 patients have been discharged, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 59 crore 47 lakh mark. The cumulative figure stands at 59 crore 47 lakh 65 thousand and 751.

Derivatives:

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of market's expectation of volatility over the near term, advanced 2.18% to 13.4750. The Nifty 26 August 2021 futures were trading at 16,656.55, at a discount of 22.95 points as compared with the spot at 16,679.50.

The Nifty option chain for 26 August 2021 expiry showed maximum Call OI of 67.9 lakh contracts at the 16,700 strike price. Maximum Put OI of 74.4 lakh contracts was seen at 16,500 strike price.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Oil & Gas index rose 1.39% to 6,929.85. The index has added 3.54% in three sessions.

Adani Total Gas (up 5%), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) (up 3.62%), ONGC (up 2.96%), Oil India (up 2.43%) and Gulf Oil Lubricants India (up 1.49%) were the major gainers in the Oil & Gas segment.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) advanced 2.71% after the company announced that the company has received approval from the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board for acquiring 10.4% stake in Gangavaram Port. APSEZ announced that its proposal to acquire 10.4% stake for Rs 644.78 crore of Gangavaram Port from the Andhra Pradesh government has received approval from the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board. The transaction is expected to complete within a month.

Wipro rose 0.63%. The IT major announced that it will open a new delivery center in Sherwood, Arkansas in US and expects to hire up to 400 employees in the next two years in the city. Wipro will invest approximately $3 million to transform a 70,000 square-foot facility at Landers Road into a customer service center. The delivery center will provide operational services to Wipro's clients across industry verticals.

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Centrum Capital soared 8.26% to Rs 36.70 after the company's board approved transferring the entire business of its two wholly-owned arms to its proposed step-down small finance bank as a slump sale.

The board of directors of Centrum Capital approved the sale of its two wholly-owned subsidiaries - Centrum Financial Services (CFSL) and Centrum Microcredit - to its proposed step-down subsidiary, which is the proposed small finance bank.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the board on Tuesday and is subject to members and other requisite statutory and regulatory approvals, Centrum Capital said in a stock exchange filing.

The wholly-owned arms Centrum Financial Services and Centrum Microcredit have been sold for Rs 316 crore and Rs 110 crore respectively. The deal is expected to close within two months, subject to the regulatory approval from Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

On a consolidated basis, Centrum Capital reported a net loss of Rs 6.92 crore in Q1 FY22 as against net loss of Rs 14.60 crore posted in Q1 FY21. Total income rose 19.2% to Rs 136.34 crore in Q1 FY22 over Q1 FY21.

The Centrum Group has diversified fee businesses and a lending platform for institutions and individuals. institutional services include investment banking, mid-corporates & SME credit and broking to FIIs, pension funds, Indian mutual funds, domestic institutions etc. It also provides MSME credit, wealth management services to HNIs and family offices, affordable housing finance in tier 2 & 3 cities, micro finance loans and retail broking. Its asset management business offers funds across private debt and venture capital.

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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated today that collectively all banks are performing well, they have come out of Prompt Corrective Action. They are showing clear profits and 2 of them have done very well. Banks have shown that now they can raise money for their capital requirements.

She noted that from inputs given by officers from Tax administration, it emerged that Banks need to understand the special requirements of Sunrise sector. e.g. Fintech, one such sector can provide technological help to banks as well as can benefit from help from banking sector. Banks can play a crucial role by hand-holding industries from a particular sector to enable them to become an exporter and thereby play an important role in assisting One district one Product scheme suggested by Prime Minister.

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The key equity indices traded with decent gains in morning trade. The Nifty was trading above the 16,650 mark. IT shares resumed their uptrend after a day's breather.

At 10:22 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 121.03 points or 0.22% to 56,080.01. The Nifty 50 index was up 55.45 points or 0.33% at 16,680.05.

The Sensex hit a record high of 56,188.13 in morning trade today.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.55% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.90%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2075 shares rose and 770 shares fell. A total of 102 shares were unchanged.

Global sentiment improved as US House passed a measure approving $3.5 trillion budget blueprint and USFDA granted full approval to Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer.

Investors continued to remain concerned that spread of highly infectious delta variant may derail the global economic recovery. Additionally, markets will remain vigilant ahead of the Jackson Hole Symposium.

US central bankers will meet virtually for an annual gathering traditionally held in Jackson Hole in Wyoming. Jerome H. Powell, the Fed's chair, will speak on Friday and is expected to reveal details about how and when the bank plans to begin winding down its bond-buying program.

COVID-19 Update:

Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 213,167,989 with 4,451,812 global deaths.

India reported 322,327 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 435,758 deaths, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 59 crore 47 lakh mark. The cumulative figure stands at 59 crore 47 lakh 65 thousand and 751.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty IT index rose 1.43% to 34,323.30. The index declined 0.24% yesterday.

In the past one month, the Nifty IT index has gained 14.64% while the benchmark Nifty 50 index has added 5.96% during the same period.

Coforge (up 4.89%), Larsen & Toubro Infotech (up 2.89%), TCS (up 2.08%), Oracle Financial Services Software (up 2.03%), MindTree (up 1.46%), HCL Tech (up 1.39%), Infosys (up 1.23%), Mphasis (up 0.78%), Wipro (up 0.58%) and Tech Mahindra (up 0.19%) advanced.

Tata Elxsi was up 2.41% to 4,858.95. The stock has climbed 14.45% in the past one month and it has surged 345.61% in the past one year.

Stocks in Spotlight:

ICICI Bank shed 0.22% to Rs 692.85. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved reappointment of Sandeep Bakhshi as managing director and CEO of the bank from 15 October 2021 to 3 October 2023.

CreditAccess Grameen rose 0.12% to Rs 619.55. The MFI said that its board has considered and approved the terms and conditions for issuance of 1000 non-convertible debentures of face value Rs 10 lakh each, aggregating up to Rs. 100 crore.

Tatva Chintan Pharma Chem fell 1.47% to Rs 2105.05. The company announced the resignation of Mahesh Tanna from the post of chief financial officer and key managerial personnel of the company on 24 August 2021. The company said that it is in the process of appointing successor as chief financial officer and key managerial personnel.

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Reliance Industries Ltd is quoting at Rs 2214, up 1.39% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 3.59% in last one year as compared to a 44.27% jump in NIFTY and a 22.65% jump in the Nifty Energy index.

Reliance Industries Ltd is up for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 2214, up 1.39% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.23% on the day, quoting at 16663.15. The Sensex is at 56027.18, up 0.12%. Reliance Industries Ltd has gained around 6.6% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Reliance Industries Ltd is a constituent, has gained around 2.41% in last one month and is currently quoting at 19562.5, up 1.04% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 41.21 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 57.21 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark August futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 2216.5, up 1.63% on the day. Reliance Industries Ltd is up 3.59% in last one year as compared to a 44.27% jump in NIFTY and a 22.65% jump in the Nifty Energy index.

The PE of the stock is 43.93 based on TTM earnings ending June 21.

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Vedanta Ltd is quoting at Rs 290.7, up 1.5% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 125.44% in last one year as compared to a 44.27% gain in NIFTY and a 117.47% gain in the Nifty Metal index.

Vedanta Ltd rose for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 290.7, up 1.5% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.23% on the day, quoting at 16663.15. The Sensex is at 56027.18, up 0.12%. Vedanta Ltd has added around 6.84% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Metal index of which Vedanta Ltd is a constituent, has added around 2.04% in last one month and is currently quoting at 5444.8, up 0.96% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 116.38 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 234.37 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark August futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 290, up 1.35% on the day. Vedanta Ltd is up 125.44% in last one year as compared to a 44.27% gain in NIFTY and a 117.47% gain in the Nifty Metal index.

The PE of the stock is 9.65 based on TTM earnings ending June 21.

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Wabco India fell 1.37% to Rs 7072.55 after the offer for sale (OFS) opened for non-retail investors today, 25 August 2021.

Through the OFS, the company's promoter ZF International UK proposes to sell up to 3,80,432 equity shares (representing 2.01% stake) of the company.

The floor price for the OFS is Rs 6,900 per equity share, a 3.78% discount to Wabco India's closing price of Rs 7170.85 on Tuesday, 24 August 2021.

ZF International UK held 3,80,432 equity shares, representing 2.01% stake, of the company as on 30 June 2021.

The OFS opened on Wednesday (25 August 2021) for non-retail investors, while both retail as well as non-retail investors will be able to subscribe on Thursday (26 August 2021). A total of 10% of the total offer size is reserved for retail investors.

As on 13:45 IST, the OFS received subscription for 34,260 shares. It was subscribed 10.01% on the non-retail offer size of 3,42,388 shares.

The company reported a net profit of Rs 21.38 crore in Q1 FY22 as against a net loss of Rs 31.36 crore in Q1 FY21. Net sales during the quarter increased by 196.39% to Rs 491.92 crore as against Rs 165.97 crore during the previous quarter ended June 2020.

WABCO India manufactures automotive parts. The company produces electronic braking, stability, and suspension and transmission control systems for heavy-duty commercial trucks, trailers and buses.

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Wipro announced that it has been awarded a strategic multi-year contract to partner with E.ON in their digital transformation journey in the financial area. Wipro will provide Application Maintenance & Support Services (AMS) for innovative projects on SAP S/4HANA.

Tata Steel said that Brickwork Ratings has upgraded the ratings for the unsecured Non-Convertible Debentures/Bond Issues aggregating Rs 4,000 crore of the company from BWR AA/Stable to BWR AA+/Stable.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) said the company's proposal to acquire 10.4% stake for Rs 644.78 crore of Gangavaram Port from the Andhra Pradesh government has received approval from the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board. The transaction is expected to complete within a month.

CreditAccess Grameen said that the company's board has considered and approved the issuance of non-convertible debentures aggregating up to Rs 100 crore.

ZF International UK (the Promoter Seller) of WABCO India proposes to sell 380,432 equity shares representing 2.01% of the total issued and paid-up equity share capital of the company on August 25, 2021 and on August 26, 2021 through an Offer for Sale. The floor price is Rs 6,900 per share.

Centrum Capital said its board of directors has considered and approved the sale of the entire business of two wholly owned Material Subsidiaries named Centrum Financial Services Limited and Centrum Microcredit Limited to its proposed step down Subsidiary (proposed Small Finance Bank).

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Here are the best of Business Standard's pieces for Wednesday.

The Union finance ministry has taken the somewhat unusual step of publicly rebuking the technology major Infosys for failures in the income-tax portal that the latter has developed.

Infosys Chief Executive Officer Salil Parekh was summoned to meet Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday. In this regard, our lead editorial notes that the vendor certainly needs to be held accountable for problems in the portal but the question that has not been answered as yet is why the ministry allowed a portal of this nature to go live without proper checks. Read here

Redefining Make in India and the public sector policy are signs of a new approach to reforms, writes A K Bhattacharya. Read more

Errol DSouza and Astha Agarwalla note that an increase in public debt held by domestic banks accentuates the link between the health of the fisc and that of the banking system. Read here
The governments decision to ratify the amendment to the Montreal accord on phasing out ozone-depleting and environmentally-injurious substances used in the refrigeration industry has come at an opportune time. It precedes the United Nations 26th summit (COP 26) on climate change to be held in November at Glasgow (UK).

This move, moreover, conforms to the assurance given recently by India to the UK, the host and chair of the COP 26, to play an active and constructive role in the forthcoming meet. India is among the few countries which are on course to hit their targets under the ...
The Nashik police have issued a notice to Union minister Narayan Rane, asking him to appear before them for questioning on September 2 in connection with an FIR registered against him over his remarks against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, an official said on Wednesday.

As per the notice, Rane has been directed to remain present before the investigation officer - police inspector Ananda Wagh - at 12 pm on September 2 at Cyber police station in Nashik city, located about 160 km from here, he said.

Earlier, an FIR was registered against Rane for his remarks against CM Thackeray under Indian Penal Code Sections 500 (defamation), 505(2), (public mischief) and 153(B) (1) (c) (remarks likely to cause disharmony, or feeling of enmity or hatred or ill-will), he said.

"It is revealed that there are reasonable grounds to question you to ascertain the facts and circumstances from you, in relation to the present investigation," the notice stated.

The notice was issued under Section 41 of the CrPC, the official said.

As per the notice, Rane has been directed not to commit any offence in future and not tamper with the evidence (in the case) in any manner whatsoever.

Rane also has been directed to join the investigation as and when required and cooperate in probe into the case, he said.

Nashik Police Commissioner Deepak Pandey told reporters that the Union minister has acknowledged the notice seeking to record his statement in connection with the case.

He said Rane was cooperating in the investigation and gave in writing that he will not repeat such an offence in future, so there was no need to arrest him and the police only served him the notice.

Pandey also defended his orders issued on Tuesday for arresting Rane.

"As per my opinion, my orders were fair and just," he said, adding that he stood by his order.

Rane was arrested on Tuesday afternoon from Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra following his remarks that he would have slapped Chief Minister Thackeray for what he claimed as the latter's ignorance of the year of India's independence.

The Union minister was granted bail by a court at Mahad in Raigad district on Tuesday night.

Though a team of Nashik police was on Tuesday said to have left to take Rane in custody, a senior police official later said that they would not arrest the BJP leader for now in view of the Mahad court's bail order.

Rane faces four FIRs in Maharashtra over his remarks, which triggered a political row and protests across the state on Tuesday.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief Minister Basavaraja S Bommai is in the capital on a two-day visit to discuss state issues such as agriculture and irrigation projects with the central ministers.

Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol, state Health Minister K Sudhakar, and Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani have accompanied Bommai.

"I am going to meet Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to discussion various schemes, including doubling the income of farmers," Bommai told reporters here.

The chief minister said he will meet Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and discuss issues related to Mekedatu project, Mahadayi and Bhadra rivers.

He is also scheduled to meet Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and Health Minister Manasukh Mandaviya on Thursday.

On the gang-rape reports in Mysore, the chief minister said a direction has been issued to the police chief to take appropriate action.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that no coercive action will be taken against Union Minister till September 17 in the FIR lodged by Nashik police in the 'slap slur' against Chief Minister

The submission came in a plea filed by Rane seeking to quash the Nashik FIR and all other cases that may be lodged in future, and interim protection from arrest, which came up for hearing before a division bench of Justice S.S. Shinde and Justice N.J. Jamdar.

Rane's lawyers Satish Maneshinde and Aniket Nikam sought protection in all other cases that may arise out of the Union Minister's statement of August 23.

Senior counsel Amit Desai, appearing for the state government, said that no coercive actions will be initiated against Rane in the Nashik FIR till the next hearing on September 17.

However, Desai said a blanket statement on protections could not be made as Rane's petition mentions only the Nashik FIR, after which the latter's team said they would amend the plea with all the details.

Rane was arrested on Tuesday afternoon in Ratnagiri for his utterances against CM Thackeray and was produced before the Mahad court in Raigad late last night.

Mahad Judicial Magistrate First Class S.S. Patil, while saying the arrest was justified, sent him to magisterial custodial remand till September 4, and later granted conditional bail to Rane.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after he was arrested for making controversial remarks against Uddhav Thackeray, Union minister said on Wednesday even the chief minister had in the past used unpalatable words while referring to top BJP leaders Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath. Speaking to reporters after securing bail from a court at Mahad in Raigad district on late Tuesday night and further relief from the Bombay High Court on Wednesday, a defiant Rane asserted he is not afraid of the ruling in the state.

A former chief minister, the 69-year-old politician from the Konkan region is now with the BJP. I am not afraid of anyone and I am not backing out. My words (about "slapping" the CM) were an expression of anger against the chief minister (Thackeray) who forgot the year of India's Independence. I only told reporters what he had already said, so how can it be a crime? Rane said.

Rane made the controversial remarks on Monday after which workers lodged police complaints against him in several districts. Acting on these complaints, police arrested Rane on Tuesday afternoon and produced him before the Mahad court where he was granted bail hours later.

Asked how he will criticise Maharashtra's Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance government, the BJP leader said, I will criticise using good words.

Rane said Thackeray had ordered his party workers to break the jaws of people attacking the Sena Bhavan (party headquarters in Mumbai).

Thackeray had also said that Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath "should be beaten up with sandals", Rane claimed.

also called Union Home Minister Amit Shah shameless. He even said he was using unparliamentary words deliberately to describe Shah. What a civilised language? Rane said.

On some Shiv Sena leaders referring to his alleged crimes, Rane said, If I was a gangster according to the Sena, that party made me the chief minister. Was it OK with the party? And does it mean all Sena ministers in the current state cabinet are gangsters?" I will not sit quietly. We will use all parliamentary tools and legal powers and corner the MVA government in coming days, he said.

On some Shiv Sena MLAs issuing verbal threats, the Union minister quipped, I wonder whether they had ever killed a mouse. Asked about Shiv Sena minister Anil Parab's alleged role in his arrest, Rane said, I will lodge a complaint against him and take him to court. He can answer all the questions there.

BJP legislator and former minister Ashish Shelar on Wednesday demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged involvement of Parab in the arrest of Rane. The investigation against Parab in other cases is already going on. I am going to follow up the suspicious death of Disha Salian, a former manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajpur (who had committed suicide in June 2020 after her death). "I believe a state minister is involved in it and I will follow it up and take (the matter) to its logical end, claimed the Union minister. Responding to a photo tweeted by Sena MP Sanjay Raut, where a tiger (Sena's symbol) is seen holding a hen (a veiled reference to him) in its jaws, Rane said, I have been advised to remain low profile till September 17. I will respond to Raut after that. He does not qualify to be an editor (Raut is executive editor of Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana'). Commenting on his 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra', the BJP's mass contact programme, he said, I will resume it from Friday and continue as per the earlier schedule. I am holding a dialogue with people through the yatra.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after he was arrested for making controversial remarks against Uddhav Thackeray, Union minister Narayan Rane said even the Maharashtra chief minister had used unpalatable words while referring to BJP leaders Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath.

Speaking to reporters after securing bail from a Mahad court on Tuesday and further relief from the Bombay High Court on Wednesday, Rane also asserted that he is not afraid of the ruling Shiv Sena in the state.

I am not afraid of anyone and I am not backing out. My words were an expression of anger against the chief minister (Uddhav Thackeray) who forgot the year of India's Independence. I only told reporters what he had already said, so how can it be a crime, Rane said.

Rane made the controversial remarks on Monday after which Shiv Sena workers lodged police complaints against him in several districts. Acting on these complaints, police arrested Rane and produced him before the Mahad court where he was granted bail late Tuesday night.

Asked how he will criticise Maharashtra's Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance government, he said, I will criticise using good words.

Rane said Thackeray had ordered his party workers to break the jaws of people attacking the Sena Bhavan (party headquarters in Mumbai).

Thackeray had also said that Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath should be beaten up with sandals, Rane claimed.

Uddhav Thackeray also called Union Home Minister Amit Shah shameless. He even said he was using unparliamentary words deliberately to describe Shah. What a civilised language, Rane said.

Referring to Shiv Sena leaders referring to his alleged crimes, Rane said, If I was a gangster according to the Sena, that party made me the chief minister. Was it ok with the party?



I will not sit quietly. We will use all parliamentary tools and legal powers and corner the MVA government in coming days, he said.

Asked about some Shiv Sena MLAs issuing verbal threats, Rane said, I wonder whether they had ever killed a mouse.

(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.)
Hours after he was arrested over his controversial remarks against Chief Minister which triggered a political row and protests across Maharashtra, Union minister was granted bail by a court at Mahad on late Tuesday night.

The magistrate's court denied the police's request for his custody, but asked Rane to attend the Mahad police station on two days. The BJP leader had said during the Jan Ashirwad Yatra of his party on Monday that he would have slapped Thackeray over the latter's 'ignorance' of the year of India's independence. "Satyamev Jayate" (truth always prevails), Rane tweeted after getting bail and on his way back to Mumbai. After his arrest on Tuesday afternoon, Rane was taken to Mahad in Raigad district, 165 km from Mumbai, where an FIR was registered against him over the remark. Cases were registered against him at Nashik and Pune too as the remark set off angry protests by workers of the ruling Rane was taken into custody at Golwali, the ancestral village of former RSS chief Sadashivrao Golwalkar 'Guruji' in Ratnagiri district. He was then handed over to Raigad police around 2.45 pm in connection with the FIR registered at Mahad. The case at Mahad was registered under IPC sections 189 (threat of injury to public servant), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of public peace), and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief). At the Mahad court, Government pleader Bhushan Salvi sought seven-day police custody for the BJP leader. It was important to investigate if there was a conspiracy to tarnish the reputation of the chief minister, he said. Opposing the application, Rane's lawyers Aniket Nikam and Bhau Salunkhe argued that his health condition was serious as he was 69 years old and suffered from sugar and blood pressure issues. Nikam further argued that the offenses under IPC for which Rane was arrested were all punishable with less than seven years and hence his custody was unnecessary. Nikam also argued that Rane's arrest was illegal as no summons was issued to him under Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure before his arrest. Court, after hearing both the sides, denied the police the Union minister's custody. It instead remanded him in judicial custody and then, on the plea moved by his lawyers, granted Rane bail on a surety of Rs 15,000.

The arrest had followed Rane's statement targeting Thackeray in Raigad district on Monday. It is shameful that the chief minister does not know the year of independence. He leaned back to enquire about the count of years of independence during his speech (on August 15). Had I been there, I would have given (him) a tight slap, Rane had said. Rane defended his remarks against Thackeray, saying he hasn't committed any crime by making them. On media reportage of his 'imminent arrest' in the case, Rane said hours before his arrest that he was not a normal' (ordinary) man and cautioned the media against such reportage. Rane's remarks against Thackeray drew sharp reactions from Shiv Sena, whose workers put up a poster in Mumbai, calling him a kombdi chor' (chicken stealer), a reference to the poultry shop he ran in Chembur area five decades ago, during the initial part of his over four-decade-long stint with the Bal Thackeray-led party. Rane's remarks against set off protests in Mumbai and several other cities which included pelting of stones and vandalising offices of BJP in some areas by cadres. In Mumbai, activists of Yuva Sena, the youth wing of the Sena, and the BJP clashed near Rane's residence on the Juhu Tara Road in Santacruz (West). Stones were pelted from both sides, following which police used cane-charge to disperse the agitators, an official said, adding heavy police security was deployed outside Rane's residence. Slamming the Maharashtra government, BJP president J P Nadda said Rane's arrest was violative of constitutional values, and his party will not be cowed down by such actions. In a tweet, Nadda said the "huge" response the BJP has received in its 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' has jolted its rivals. "We fight democratically. The yatra will continue," he said. Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil distanced himself from Rane's remarks. I am not defending Rane's comments, but I will also not express regret," Patil said. Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said the BJP does not support Rane's comments, but the "party stands behind him 100 per cent". Alleging that the state police force was being used as a tool for "vendetta politics", the former chief minister said there should be law and order and "not Taliban-like governance". MP Vinayak Raut wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding the sacking of Rane over his remarks against the Maharashtra chief minister. Though a team of Nashik police was earlier said to have left to take Rane in custody (as an FIR has been filed against him there too), a senior police official said late at night that they would not arrest the BJP leader for now in view of the Mahad court's bail order.

(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.)
Reacting to the bail granted to Union Minister Narayan Rane, who was arrested on Tuesday for his remarks against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, state BJP president Chandrakant Patil said that the bail of Rane is a 'slap' by the Court on the face of state government.

He also asserted that Jan Ashirwad Yatra in the state would continue despite all odds. He also demanded the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government to take back the restrictions put at Sindhudurg district.

"It is a victory for BJP. The manner in which Rane was arrested by this (Maharashtra) government... the court has slapped them. For the last 20 months, this government is being slapped on every occasion," the state BJP chief said.

" has been granted bail, the court order copy is yet to be received. The court must have put some restrictions on his speaking but Rane sahab is free from police custody now. Even if he does not give speech, thousands of people will be on street tomorrow to see him, to see if their leader is safe," he said.

Union Minister was on Tuesday granted bail by the Magistrate Court in Mahad in Raigad district of Maharashtra hours after his arrest over his remarks against state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, BJP MLC Prasad Lad informed.

The bail has been granted on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 15,000, as per sources

Rane was sent to judicial custody earlier on Tuesday after he was produced before the Magistrate Court in Mahad in the Raigad district of Maharashtra.

Rane was arrested in Ratnagiri district after FIRs were filed against him.

He had on Monday accused Thackeray of ignorance about the year of India's independence at an event and said "I would have given a tight slap".

leaders strongly condemned Rane's remarks. Party leader Vinayak Raut sought his removal from the union cabinet.

FIRs were registered against Rane at several places including Nashik and Pune, based on the complaints filed by leaders.

Pune City Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta said a case has been registered under sections 153 and 505 of IPC at Chaturshringi police station and an investigation is being held.

Nashik Police Commissioner Deepak Pandey said that Ratnagiri Police have been requested to arrest Rane.

Police detained Rane in Ratnagiri and he has been handed over to Mahad Police.

Rane had earlier in the day moved the Bombay High Court seeking quashing of FIRs against him.

Nashik Police said that remarks by Rane against the Chief Minister may aggravate the law and order situation. It instructed officials to follow all protocols necessary to arrest a Union Minister and Rajya Sabha member.

As per the protocol, the Vice president of India and Chairman of Rajya Sabha must be informed after the arrest of a Rajya Sabha member.

A verbal spat had erupted between supporters of Rane and police at Sangameshwar Police Station in Ratnagiri.

Rane, a former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, was made Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the reshuffle and expansion of the council of ministers last month.

Rane is in Maharashtra to take part in Jan Ashirwad Yatra. He made controversial remarks against Thackeray in Raigad.

Mumbai Police have registered a total of 42 FIRs in connection with Rane's Jan Ashirvaad Yatra.

(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.)
Underlining the wider impact of the post-Covid-19 acceleration in digital adoption in the country, said that it has stepped up its commitment to online safety in India with a slew of new programs and initiatives. Announced at the virtual for India event on Wednesday, these investments include expanding resources in its Trust & Safety teams in India, the launch of a newly enhanced Safety Centre in 8 Indic languages, and user education programs focused on online safety for kids and families.

In addition to launching the global Be Internet Awesome program for kids in India, Google will also partner with Indian comic book publisher Amar Chitra Katha to interweave critical internet safety lessons through popular comic book characters across eight Indian languages.

The internet we experience today has exceeded all my initial estimations. With lower barriers to internet access, users across the world have benefited, but bad actors have also gained entry, said Vint Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google. With the increasing user adoption and the contribution of digital connectivity in Indias economy, we cannot take the internet for granted.

Since the pandemic broke, there is a heightened need to strengthen safety and security, reliability and privacy, and the overall resilience of the internet and its applications. Cerf said in addition to helping users build better digital skills, there is a need to develop tools to aid them in their quest for safety, so that companies, individuals, researchers, and governments can harness the internet for good, whilst protecting themselves from harm.

Google has significantly increased its resources dedicated to Indias Trust & Safety teams, including product policy analysts, security specialists, and user trust experts that support more than 10 vernacular Indian languages, enabling our central teams to benefit from the local nuance and inputs. This will help Google India continue its campaign against existing and emerging abuse areas, such as misinformation, fraud, threats to child safety, violent extremism, phishing attacks, and malware. This will also further strengthen Googles global Trust & Safety operations of over 20,000 people spread across the world who are dedicated to identifying, fighting, and preventing online harms.

With more and more users coming online, theres no doubt that the internet plays a central role in supporting Indias ongoing national momentum, said Kristie Canegallo, Vice President, Trust and Safety, Google. Therefore, it is critical that we do all we can to bolster user confidence in digital space. Were conscious that this requires a comprehensive approach that combines our teams with technology, user education, clear and robust policies, and collaborating with key stakeholders. Given the exciting diversity of the Indian internet ecosystem, we are looking forward to working with partners to share the capabilities we have developed over the years and learn from others as well.

The launch of the newly expanded Safety Centre in Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu, and in Bengali, Tamil, and Gujarati by year-end, will serve as a single destination dedicated to educating. It would empower Googles users on the importance of digital safety covering important topics like data security, privacy controls, and online protections.

Over the past fifteen years, we at Google have had the privilege of playing a role in Indias digital transformation, said Sanjay Gupta, Country Manager and Vice President, Google India. As we continue to invest in making the internet helpful for over a billion Indians, we value the trust our users place in us more than anything else. We are committed to protect our users every day by using the worlds most advanced security infrastructure, treating their data with the utmost responsibility, and giving them complete control over their data.

Designed and crafted by digital safety experts to help children, families, and educators learn about staying safe online, the Be Internet Awesome toolkit includes a highly visual, interactive experience called Interland. Here children can learn the fundamentals of online safety and participate in a series of fun, challenging games. Through its interactivity, children will learn how to safeguard valuable information, one-up cyberbullies, and spot whats real and whats fake. This gamified curriculum will also find a place in popular Indian comic book publisher Amar Chitra Kathas popular series across eight Indian languages.

These initiatives are supported by a series of new global policies announced by Google. These include product changes to Google Accounts for people under 18 across YouTube, Search, Location History, Play, and Google Workspace for Education. They grant teens more control over their digital footprint, expand safeguards to prevent age-sensitive advertisement categories from being shown to teens, block advertisements targeting based on the age, gender or interests of people under 18, and features on YouTube. They encourage digital well-being targeted to empower both parents and children with making the right choice for their families.
South Korean electronics maker on Wednesday launched in India the Galaxy M32 Powered by MediaTek Dimensity 720 system-on-chip, it is the first smartphone in the companys millennial-centric M-series line-up. The Galaxy M32 will be available in slate black and sky blue colours online on online store and Amazon India, and offline at select retail stores. The smartphone will be available in 6GB and 8GB RAM variants, both with 128GB on-board storage, priced at Rs 20,999 and Rs 22,999, respectively. As for the in introductory offers, is offering Rs 2,000 instant cashback to ICICI credit card users.

Coming to the specifications, the M32 5G has a 6.5-inch HD+ resolution screen of 60Hz refresh rate.

Powered by MediaTek Dimensity 720 processor, the smartphone comes with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB on-board storage. It boots Android 11 operating system-based OneUI 3.1 user interface with Samsung Knox security integrated. Samsung said, the Galaxy M32 5G will get the OS upgrades for two years.

Imaging is covered by a quad-camera array on the back, sporting a 48-megapixel primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, a 5MP macro sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front, the phone has a 13MP camera sensor for selfies, videos, and face unlock mechanism.

The Galaxy M32 5G is powered by 5,000 mAh battery, which is supported by 15W fast charger. The phone is 5G-ready with network support for twelve bands -- N1, N3, N5, N7, N8, N20, N28, N38, N40, N41, N66, N78.
Foraying into the wireless charger segment, American storage device maker Western Digital on Wednesday announced the Ixpand Wireless Charger portfolio. The new line-up of wireless chargers includes the Ixpand Wireless Charger Sync and Ixpand Wireless Charger 15W with adapter. The SanDisk Ixpand Wireless Charger Sync is a one-of-its kind device with functionality of and data storage integrated in one device.

With storage capacity of up to 256GB, the SanDisk Ixpand Wireless Charger Sync allows automatically back up of photos, videos, and contacts while the phone is charging on the wireless charger. Compatible with Qi charging protocol, this charger wirelessly charges the supported smartphone at a peak power of 10W. The SanDisk Ixpand Wireless Charger Sync comes with adaptor and 6-foot (1.8m) cable. It supports multiple backup profiles.

For the backup, the charger requires wireless connection, and supports devices based on iOS 11 or above or Android 5.0 or above required. Ixpand Wireless Charger app is available for download from the App Store or Google Play.

The SanDisk Ixpand Wireless Charger 15W with adapter comes with charging adaptor and USB-C cable. As the name suggests, it charges the supported devices at a peak power of 15W. The new SanDisk Ixpand wireless chargers are backed by a two-year limited warranty.

The Ixpand Wireless Charger Sync is available now in 256GB capacity at Rs 9,999. The Ixpand Wireless 15W Fast Charger with QC 3.0 Adapter is priced at Rs 2999. Western Digital is also offering the Ixpand Wireless 15W Fast Charger sans the charging adapter for Rs 1,999. All the products are available on online on Amazon India, and offline at Croma, Poorvika and select retail stores.
The tussle between bulls and bears may keep trading volatile on Wednesday as traders may look to book profits at higher levels while strategic investors may eye bargain hunting opportunities.

On Tuesday, the frontline indices posted strong gains amid positive global trends and on short-covering in metal and banking packs.

The S&P BSE Sensex reclaimed the 56,000-mark in the intra-day deals but closed at 55,959, up 403 points or 0.7 per cent.

It's NSE counterpart, on the other hand, surpassed the 16,600-mark and ended at 16,625, up 128 points or 0.8 per cent.

Even the broader reversed their downtrend and ended higher yesterday with the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices settling 1.5 per cent and 1.7 per cent up, respectively.

Bajaj twins -- Bajaj Finance and Bajaj Finserv -- together contributed about a third of the Sensex's total gains yesterday as the former jumped 3.6 per cent while the latter soared 8 per cent.

The sharp upmove was triggered in the stocks after market regulator Sebi gave in-principle approval to Bajaj Finserv to sponsor a mutual fund.

Consequently, while the company's stock hit a fresh record high of Rs 16,590, it's sister firm Bajaj Finance overtook State Bank of India in market-capitalisation.

Going forward, technical charts suggest Bajaj Finserv can hit Rs 20,000-mark in weeks ahead as long as it defends Rs 14,000-level.

Bajaj Finance, meanwhile, is eyeing Rs 8,000-mark with support placed at Rs 6,600.

Now, coming to today's session, volatility may remain high ahead of the monthly F&O expiry slated for tomorrow. Further, flow around Covid-19 and vaccination drives, foreign fund flow, and global trends may guide the markets' trajectory.

Among stock-specific triggers, shares of Bharti Airtel may remain in focus as the Supreme Court has granted relief to Airtel and has restrained DoT from encashing Airtels Bank Guarantees.

That apart, Wipro has won a strategic multi-year contract to partner with E.ON in their digital transformation journey in the financial area.

Lastly, CARE Ratings has revised its outlook on Dollar Industries' long-term facilities from Stable to Positive.
Harris urges Vietnam to join US in opposing China 'bullying'

Vice President Kamala Harris has urged Vietnam to join the U.S. in challenging what she called Chinas bullying in the South China Sea
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St. Johnsbury, VT (05819)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High near 70F. Winds light and variable..

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Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 54F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Here you'll find our latest collection of Caledonian-Record reports on the coronavirus outbreak and local response, from the beginning of April. Our January, February and March stories are here: https://www.caledonianrecord.com/news/local/our-coronavirus-coverage/collection_5885178c-692e-11e
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Since a 2005 project to relocate Bogue Inlet channel and slow erosion at The Point in Emerald Isle, the beach has accreted and new dunes have formed. Carteret County officials expected the relocation project to have a 15-year life, but it now appears it might get closer to 30 years. (Brad Rich photo)
The U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville, home to Fort Bragg. (CJ photo by Maya Reagan)
This photo of the Outer Banks from Virginia Beach, Virginia, to Cape Lookout was made at 10 a.m. March 12, 1969, from an altitude of about 120 miles. Geographer Roger Payne has recently published a reference guide to the names of places along these barrier islands. Photo: NASA
Regina Lotubai Lomare Lochilangole is a natural born motivator. She created an original song and dance to teach her South Sudan community about Guinea worm disease symptoms and prevention and rewards available for reporting suspected cases. The song was so effective that South Sudans Ministry of Health created a position for her within the Guinea Worm Eradication Program, titled social mobilizer. Lotubai now travels to different parts of the country to train other volunteers to become social mobilizers.

"Song and dance are common [within our culture] for occasions and ceremonies," she said. "We sing them in our villages and when working outdoors. I am happy these songs have reached to other areas."

The Carter Center leads the worldwide campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease, working closely with federal governments, local communities, and an array of partner organizations. When the Center took the reins in 1986, there were an estimated 3.5 million cases annually; in 2020, just 27 human cases were reported.

Guinea worm disease (dracunculiasis) is a parasitic infection caused by a roundworm called Dracunculus medinensis. It is contracted when people consume water from stagnant sources contaminated with Guinea worm larvae. Inside a human's abdomen, Guinea worm larvae mate and female worms mature and grow. After about a year of incubation, the adult female Guinea worm, now up to a meter long, creates a painful lesion on the skin and gradually emerges from the body. Guinea worm sufferers may try to seek relief from the burning sensation caused by the emerging worm and immerse their limbs in water sources, but this contact with water stimulates the worm to release its larvae into the water and begin the cycle of infection all over again. (Guinea worm infections also occur in some animals, especially dogs, and the campaign is working to eliminate those infections as well.)

There is no medicine to treat Guinea worm disease nor vaccine to prevent it. The remarkable progress achieved to date has been accomplished through a massive effort to supply water filters in endemic areas, teach people how to use them, and contain every case to prevent contamination of water sources. Cash rewards provide an incentive to report suspected cases so they can be investigated quickly. People like Lotubai are essential to the effort.

Lotubai has personal experience with the disease: At one time, she had at least 10 worms emerging from her body. She says her experience keeps her motivated to work until the disease is eliminated from South Sudan.

"This Guinea worm disease is not  and never was  a good illness," she said. "It is very, very bad. It has given us a lot of scars and patterns on our body, all the time unwillingly. We have been losing parts of our flesh for nothing."

Makoy Samuel Yibi, neglected tropical disease director within the South Sudan Ministry of Health, says Lotubai made a strong first impression on him:

I first met Regina in July 2017 when I was in Kuron (Kapoeta East County) for a supervisory visit. I remember the day perfectly well, because my visit to other villages was quite depressing, due to poor performance by some program staff in other areas I had visited.

We made a final effort in a cluster of villages that happens to be Reginas area of coverage. Our spirit was really uplifted to find the awareness level of Guinea worm prevention and cash rewards for reporting Guinea worm cases was very high. In a visit by the field officer and program officers, we found women in one of the households singing a song in Toposa (the local language) that explains the different amount of cash incentives for Guinea worm cases, informers, and health workers.

When we moved to the next household, we found Regina doing her own visit and teaching the song to children, women, youth, and elders. That is when I learned she was the artist who composed the song.

Rarely in my 11 years working in the Toposa area have I seen a woman as assertive and brave as Regina. I was particularly impressed with her courage to mobilize adult men and elders to sing the song in a very patriarchal society, where women are expected to be submissive. It was remarkable to see her leading the men in singing her song under what is called the elders tree. Im told that women normally do not dare to encroach the elders space, because this is where the men discuss very important issues of the village and community. She has actually broken the taboo in a positive way, and the men join her in the singing.

South Sudan reported just one human case in 2020. The program screened more than 280,000 people for the disease in 2020, investigated over 55,000 rumors, and found about 78% of people surveyed knew of its cash reward for reporting a case.

Lotubai's innovative work led to her traveling to the United Arab Emirates to receive the REACH Unsung Hero award in 2017 from the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi. The Recognizing Excellence Around Champions of Health awards spotlight individuals who have made outstanding contributions toward reaching the end of infectious diseases.

Lotubai said she will continue sharing her songs "because the enemy is still around.  I am sure peace will continue to pass from one person to another, community to community, and so on. That is how it will spread."

Learn more about the Center's Guinea Worm Eradication Program 
Making vaccines mandatory to attend concerts and restaurants makes no one safer.

Such mandates merely reward those who have been vaccinated and punish those who are not - period.

(Provincial Health Officer Dr. Henry and (B.C. PremierJohn) Horgan failed to convince enough of us with their messaging and now seem to believe that they will change attitudes and behaviours with this heavy-handed approach.

I doubt it. A government that feels it has to resort to regulations, fines, and possible jail time in order to keep us safe has seriously lost its way. But, then again, our B.C. and Canadian governments have treated us like children for the past 18 months so why change now?

Vaccine mandates make no one safer. Double vaccinated people are already as safe as is medically possible, and thus pose virtually no threat (according to Henry) to either vaccinated or unvaccinated people. And they are not at risk from unvaccinated people either (again, according to Henry).

Unvaccinated people feel they, too, are safe. Or, at least, they believe that they are doing everything required (in their opinion) to stay safe. I seriously doubt that they have a death wish, nor do I believe that the vast majority of them are selfish or irresponsible. They are merely living their lives in the best way they know how. Preventing them from going to restaurants or weddings, or calling them names, only serves to increase their reluctance. Using coercion and threats to elicit compliance from reluctant people is rarely successful in my experience.

On the other hand, if a business wants to refuse admission to unvaccinated people, or if they insist that their employees are vaccinated, that is entirely within their rights (in my opinion). That is much different from a government edict.

I was triple vaccinated in order to travel internationally, plain and simple, not because I fear for my life.

I respect the opinions of everyone, both vaccinated and unvaccinated. My unvaccinated family and friends do not scare me - I still invite them into my home and I visit them in theirs.

I believe that pitting neighbour against neighbour harms all of us in far more long-term ways than the virus ever will.

Lloyd Vinish, Kelowna
Photo: VPD

A violent and unprovoked attack on a homeless man was captured on video last month and the Vancouver Police Department has just released the footage in the hopes of identifying the suspect.

The attack took place around 1 a.m. on July 26, on Hamilton Street in Yaletown, according to a VPD media release. The video shows a man in his 20s arguing for several minutes with a group of people, who he appears to know. When a homeless man walked by the group, the suspect swatted him in the head, chased him down the sidewalk, pushed him to the ground, and repeatedly kicked him.

This must have been terrifying for the victim, who is already vulnerable and did not deserve to be treated this way, says Sergeant Steve Addison, VPD. We owe it to him to solve this crime and were asking anyone with information to give us a call.

The suspect may wear glasses and has an above-average build and a medium skin tone according to the VPDs description. He was last seen walking away from the crime scene in the company of other men.

Wed like everyone to take a good look at these images, adds Addison. Were confident someone knows these people and can help us solve this crime.

Anyone who can identify the suspect or the people he was with is asked to call a tip line at 604-717-4022.
Photo: Madison Erhardt

Wildfire evacuees will get some additional financial support from the province and Red Cross.

"This year's wildfire season has forced thousands of people from their homes in Indigenous communities and municipalities throughout British Columbia, and some no longer have a home to go back to," Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, said in announcing the relief.

"These funds will provide a helping hand as people work through the extraordinary challenges that come with such a stressful and traumatic time."

Assistance will be provided by the Red Cross to eligible households in one of three ways:

$2,000 to eligible B.C. households whose primary residence has been severely affected by this season's wildfires, based on structural loss information provided by Emergency Management BC

$2,000 to eligible households who were evacuated from the Lytton region due to wildfires

$1,200 for B.C. households under mandatory evacuation order for longer than 10 consecutive days during the 2021 wildfire season

To access the supports, evacuees need to register with the Red Cross by calling 1 800 863-6582, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

"Many British Columbians were impacted by this summer's wildfires, and this funding will provide some much-needed financial relief for people who experienced losses or frightening disruptions to their daily lives," said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.

The assistance will not affect eligibility for supports through the provincial Emergency Support Services (ESS) program.

British Columbians can make a financial donation to help those impacted by the B.C. fires at https://donate.redcross.ca/page/85877/donate/1.
A security guard shot and killed a man after an argument over parking escalated outside a Walgreens in east Harris County, authorities said.
Buena Vista, CO (81211)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. High around 75F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 48F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
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Tips from Tennesseans result in more TennCare fraud investigations than any other method and now its easier than ever to report suspected TennCare fraud to the Office of Inspector General, which investigates fraud among members of the states healthcare insurance program.

People can now simply go to our website on any device, scan the QR code and give us the information, Inspector General Kim Harmon said. Tennesseans have given us tens of thousands of tips that resulted in investigations of people who may have been abusing the states TennCare program. We wanted to make it even easier to give us information about possible TennCare fraud and you absolutely can do it anonymously.

To report TennCare fraud on the website  www.tn.gov/OIG - simply scan a QR code on the page and youre plugged in to the place you can report any details to the state.

You can still report information the traditional ways:



TennCare Fraud Hotline: 800-433-3982

Email TennCare.Fraud@TN.gov

By U.S. mail: PO Box 282368, Nashville, TN 37228

Weve enjoyed enormous support from Tennessee citizens as well as local law enforcement and judicial officials as well as doctors and pharmacists across the state, because everyone has a stake in making sure our tax dollars arent abused, General Harmon said. Now, just pick up your mobile phone and you can report suspicious information in as little time as it takes to send a text.

TennCare is the state of Tennessees managed Medicaid agency serving more than 1.4 million Tennesseans, including low-income individuals such as pregnant women, children, caretaker relatives of young children and older adults and adults with disabilities. About one third of TennCare funding comes from state tax dollars; about 65-percent comes from federal tax dollars.

The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated over 5,760 criminal cases leading to more than $10.8 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, 3,135 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.

To access the OIG most wanted list please visit https://www.tn.gov/finance/fa-oig/fa-oig-most-wanted.html. Anyone with information about a wanted subject is urged to use the contact information on the page.
John J. Woods, one of the minority owners of the Chattanooga Lookouts, had his assets frozen by a federal judge after a hearing in an Atlanta Federal Court on Tuesday afternoon. The Securities and Exchange Commission believes Mr. Woods and Horizon Private Equity, along with Southport Capital, has allegedly been operating a massive Ponzi scheme for decades, one where 400 investors from 20 different states are owed over $110 million in principal.

The SEC also requested an order that no records be destroyed and for the court to mandate a receivership to be appointed. Both were granted.



It is granted in respect to Mr. Woods and Horizon and denied as to Southport, Judge Steven Grimburg said. I find that the SEC has met its burden in respect to Horizon and Mr. Woods that there is a reasonable likelihood those defendants have engaged and continue to engage in violations of law. I dont find this burden has been satisfied at this juncture in respect to Southport.

I will appoint a receiver as to Horizon in its entirety, as to Mr. Woods, only the three assets identified, Ill ultimately ask for the council to work on a proposed order to submit to me those details. The judge continued. An asset freeze will also be granted for both Horizon and Mr. Woods assets.

The complaint says investors were told they would receive returns of six or seven percent interest, but that HPE did not earn those returns and had to consistently get new investors to pay the original investors. The complaint also says investors will lose large portions of their retirement savings once the scheme collapses, as Woods holdings are too small to pay back the investors on their principal, and are completely incapable of paying the promised returns.

John Woods has treated Horizon as his own personal piggy bank for his own personal projects, said the SECs Joshua Mayes, who told the judge that all three entities before the court are culpable for the scheme. John Woods has been running this for over a decade, and has been in control of Southport and Horizon. This is Southport running the Ponzi scheme as much as Mr. Woods. This is a situation where the Ponzi scheme would not have happened if Southport hadnt been involved.



Woods and Horizons attorney David Chaiken argued that what has happened over the last decade does not qualify as a Ponzi scheme. He emphasized that Woods and the entities listed still have real assets, and are not all smoke and mirrors. Attorney Chaiken said every transaction has been tracked.

He agreed Woods should have his assets frozen, and said that Woods has assets that, if sold, can get investors back a significant portion of their money. Attorney Chaiken also referenced several other ongoing projects that once finished will also have significant value.

Mr. Woods would freeze his majority share in Southport, attorney Chaiken said. Youll see these assets could get the investors 80 percent of the way to being whole, and some of these projects if completed could go a significant way.

Southports attorney said the company will be ruined if their assets are frozen and a receiver is appointed over those funds. He told the judge that new leadership has been appointed, and that freezing assets will cause what he described as innocent people to lose their jobs. He said what occurred was the actions of a few bad actors.

If that continues, this company will not be around for much longer. Its all a consequence of what has been going on here, the attorney said of people beginning to pull their investments from the company. What I did with management is we had discussions and arrangements, and there is a new leadership now.

Attorney Mayes told the judge that an independent receiver for the Woods assets is needed, and said the new leadership still has deep ties to John Woods. He said the new leader of Southport has known Woods for a decade.

We dont know who at Southport can be trusted, attorney Mayes said. The only thing that happens if you appoint a receiver at Southport, its that an independent person makes the decisions. All value doesnt go away and everybody doesnt get fired.

Everything that is done for Horizon making money was done at the direction of John Woods, and Horizon is nothing more than an alter ego for John Woods. John Woods personal assets should be available to fill those holes.

After a short recess, attorney Mayes said the receiver is necessary because Woods is an owner of the two named entities and the Chattanooga Lookouts. He said decisions will need to be made in regard to those assets, and a receiver will be able to do that.



We dont want to put him out on the street, attorney Mayes said. We want to make sure money doesnt disappear.

The judge granted the freeze on the majority of Mr. Woods assets, which include Horizon, Livingston Group Asset Management Co, and the Lookouts, but found that a freeze was not necessary for Southports assets.

Mr. Woods will be allowed to retain enough assets to go about his daily living and routine financial decisions.

A date for the next court appearance has yet to be set.
Welcome Home of Chattanooga provides a "community of hope, healing and compassion for those facing a serious illness or death." The nonprofit provides shelter and comfortable living space with family-type care for those who have been diagnosed with a serious illness. As part of their mission, they offer an enrichment program that provides the community opportunities to discuss and learn about end-of-life care. They provide educational sessions every year, with this years eight-week course focusing on normalizing end-of-life care. The virtual course, Demystifying Death & Dying, features 14 guest speakers and runs from Sept. 9 through Oct. 28. The cost for the course is $50 and interested parties can apply and register online at welcomehomeofchattanooga.org.

Welcome Home of Chattanooga has served 82 individuals as a 501(c)(3) non-profit since March of 2015. Staff provides 24/7 family-style care and local hospices provide professional medical care and support. In addition, every night at 6 p.m., a dinner club supports a community meal around the kitchen table. The dinner club is made up of local groups, families, agencies, faith groups, universities and hospitals.



Executive Director of Welcome Home of Chattanooga Sherry Campbell says she worked in hospice as a social worker for 12 years. She said her time in the profession taught her there are typically two places to go to receive hospice care: home or a nursing home.

I noticed that a lot of people couldnt afford those two options and the call kept getting louder and louder to create another option. In 2015, after years of work and visioning with a group of very special people and an incredibly generous gift from Blue Cross Blue Shield, we opened a free, end-of-life facility that not only allows an individual to die comfortably, but also teaches those around that the topic of death is normal. We all want the same thing at the end of life. We want to be free of pain and happy. Here at Welcome Home, we are all just walking each other home, said Ms. Campbell.
The City Council has delayed action on a move to delete Division II of City Court after City Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod raised a number of City Court issues. But it is expected to be approved in several weeks.

At the close of a long discussion, Councilwoman Coonrod said she would support a resolution by Chairman Chip Henderson to do away with the division after the term of Judge Russell Bean expires in August 2022.

Councilwoman Coonrod said, instead, the focus should be on improving the operation of City Court.

She said she favors again giving City Court the same jurisdiction as General Sessions Court, saying the city is losing some $100,000 in income with city police officers taking their cases to General Sessions instead of city.

The councilwoman said such courts as Drug Court and Mental Health Court could be moved under City Court.

And she said it should handle minor drug cases as part of an effort to keep people out of jail and "decriminalize" certain crimes such as marijuana use.

She said General Sessions Court judges should welcome the move, saying they complain of having too many cases.

Councilwoman Coonrod was critical of the Division I judge, Sherry Paty, who is seeking a new eight-year term, calling her "a white privileged woman" not focused on needs of "brown and black people."

She said when Judge Paty was asked to make a presentation to the City Council, "She acted like she didn't even want to be there."

Chairman Henderson said taxpayers could save $500,000 a year by eliminating Division II. He said City Court's cases have been falling since 2016.

He said for 2019-2021, Division II heard about 360 cases a year. He said that amounted to one and a half case a day.

He stated, "That division could easily be absorbed into Division I."

Councilman Anthony Byrd said the court did not need two court officers with take home cars each. City Court officials said court officers no longer have take home cars, but use a city-owned car for delivering court papers.

Councilwoman Carol Berz raised the possibility of closing down Division II now while continuing to pay Judge Bean until his term runs out. She said the current employees could be offered jobs elsewhere in city government.
Although the term mending fences doesnt presumably appear to have a bright future in the United States Congress, hopefully things will ultimately improve.

Originally, the words were used to hopefully heal a relationship that had become estranged or broken.

In 1880 a strong-willed Senator from Ohio, John Sherman was testing the political waters for a potential president nomination of the Republican Party. In an effort to determine his level of popular support he had shipped out of Washington and returned to his Ohio farm.

A reporter had followed Sherman and observed him talking with a high-ranking party official (G.O.P.) while standing near a fence.

When the reporter approached him and inquired as to the purpose of his return to his home state, he replied that he had come home to look after his fences.

Although he may have meant to literally repair the fences around his farm, media accounts were interpreted to mean campaigning among his constituents.

Congress in 2021 needs a lot of fence menders!

(Excerpts from The Little Book of Answers  Author  Doug Lennox  (2003)  MJF Books  New York, NY 1001.)






As the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 rapidly spreads through the unvaccinated population, there have been renewed calls for mandatory masking in schools, regardless of parental wishes. While the urge to do something is understandable, masks have not and will not alter the course of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic.

The science (data) in support of masking by the general public, including school children, is weak. Don't take my word for that. This is from the Oxford Centre for Evidence Based Medicine's latest review of the topic (Masking lack of evidence with politics - The Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (cebm.net)):

It would appear that despite two decades of pandemic preparedness, there is considerable uncertainty as to the value of wearing masks. It also notes that: Norways Institute for Public Health reported that if masks did work then any difference in infection rates would be small when infection rates are low: assuming 20% asymptomatics and a risk reduction of 40% for wearing masks, 200 000 people would need to wear one to prevent one new infection per week.

Likewise, in its latest review of the evidence for public masking, the Cochrane Library found (Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses - Jefferson, T - 2020 | Cochrane Library): There is uncertainty about the effects of face masks. And from the ongoing review of public masking by the Annals of Internal Medicine (Update Alert 5: Masks for Prevention of Respiratory Virus Infections, Including SARSCoV-2, in Health Care and Community Settings | Annals of Internal Medicine (acpjournals.org)): Therefore, the strength of evidence for any mask use versus nonuse in community settings remains low.

Finally, from the CDC itself (Mask Use and Ventilation Improvements to Reduce COVID-19 Incidence in Elementary Schools - Georgia, November 16-December 11, 2020 | MMWR (cdc.gov)): The 21% lower incidence in schools that required mask use among students was not statistically significant compared with schools where mask use was optional.

Anyone who wants to wear a mask is free to do so. It probably does moderately lower the odds of coronavirus transmission - but not enough to have any significant effect on the epidemic. There is definitely not enough scientific evidence for a major public health benefit to justify the forced masking of adults or school children.

Furthermore, the attempt to force masking on those who don't want it is a distraction from the one measure that really does work: vaccination. The evidence for the extreme safety and high efficacy of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines is overwhelming. Vaccination is where our focus should be. Everyone 12 and over should be vaccinated. The vaccinated and children under 12 are safe, by any reasonable definition of "safe," and have nothing to fear from the unvaccinated or unmasked.

I am sure that is why the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control does not recommend masking in school for kids under 12 (Questions and answers on COVID-19: Children aged 1-18 years and the role of school settings (europa.eu)). If you don't find scientific data convincing, consider this: between masking, social distancing, and shutdowns we were able to completely eliminate two flu seasons in a row in the USA.

Nevertheless, the coronavirus epidemic kept chugging right along until vaccines were available. SARS-CoV-2 was just too contagious to be affected by those measures - and that was before the much more contagious delta variant became dominant.

Can we actually follow the science for once instead of just talking about it? If wearing a mask or sending your children to school in a mask makes you feel better, go right ahead. But there is no scientific evidence to justify forcing others to comply with your wishes.

Get vaccinated, get your kids 12 and over vaccinated, and then relax and carry on with normal life knowing you and your family are safe.

Andy Walker, MD, MAAEM Past-president, Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine
A disorder was reported on Sunrise Lane. Police spoke with a man who said a woman came to his home and tried to come into his apartment with him. He said he told her that he had company over and she became upset. He said the woman then went outside and threw a small container of ranch dressing on his car window. He said she also tried to run her car into his SUV, however, the trailer hitch ball punctured her radiator and she left. There was no damage to his vehicle. The man said he and the woman have never dated or had an intimate relationship. He said he just wants her to stay away from him and his home. Due to the woman not being on the scene, police could not trespass her.

* * *

Police saw a man panhandling in a no-soliciting area at Walmart, 2020 Gunbarrel Road. There are signs that are posted stating No Soliciting.Police identified the man and realized he had previously been given a warning for panhandling in April. The man was informed that he could be arrested if seen panhandling in this area again.

* * *

A man told police an unknown black male approached him at Big River Grill & Brewing Works, 222 Broad St., asking him if he could pay for a bicycle for three days. He said the man gave him $20 for the service. He said the bicycle has not been returned to the bike station. Police searched the area, but were unable to locate the bicycle. A report was made for the man.

* * *

A neighbor called in about yelling at an apartment on Grove Street. Police checked the apartment where the yelling was coming from and everything was fine.

* * *

The manager at Sonesta Select, 2210 Bams Dr., told police she had a guest whose vehicle was broken into. She said the guest did not want to file a police report, but she needed a report for her corporate office.

* * *

A woman on Sunnyside Avenue told police that a man had moved out and was attempting to move back in. She said she does not want that to happen. She said she wants him trespassed from the property. The man does not pay bills and does not live at Sunnyside any longer. Police told her to call back if the man returned so that he can be trespassed.

* * *

A woman told police that while she was parked at Hamilton Place Mall, someone stole the TN tag off of her Nissan Altima. The tag was entered into NCIC.

* * *

A woman at 100 153 Hwy. told police that a rock hit the passenger side of her vehicle as she was driving. She said she believes that someone threw the rock, but she did not see anyone toss it. Police checked the area near the highway, but did not locate anyone there.

* * *

Someone reported a suspicious person at Walgreens, 2289 Gunbarrel Road. Police spoke with a shirtless black male wearing black pants and brown shoes. During the conversation, it became clear that the man was homeless and was just passing through. The man has officially been criminally trespassed from the Walgreens per management's request.

* * *

A disorder was reported at a residence on Highland Avenue. Police spoke with two men, who both said they had gotten in an argument over some beer. Both men admitted to being intoxicated inside their residence. Police asked both men to separate for the evening, and they said they would attempt to do that.

* * *

An anonymous caller reported a person throwing glass objects from a second floor of a residence on Duncan Avenue into the parking lot. The person throwing objects was described as a heavy set white male, approximately 5' 8" tall. Police found a person matching the description standing at the top of the second floor steps. No actions by this man were observed by police. The man only wished to identify himself as "Johnny." "Johnny" said he didn't have any problem and would go inside and keep quiet for the remainder of the night. Since there were no actions observed by police and the complainant wished to remain anonymous, no further action was taken by police.

* * *

While on patrol on N. Orchard Knob Avenue, police observed a black Toyota Avalon sedan (TN tag) driving through the 700 block of N. Orchard Knob Avenue with a license plate almost a year expired. Upon stopping the vehicle at 900 N. Orchard Knob Ave, police spoke with the driver, who said she had recently purchased the vehicle, and had not yet gotten it registered in her name, as it needed work. The woman showed police the title to the vehicle, with the seller's info filled out, but no buyer's information. She and her passenger both provided valid driver's licenses. The woman said she did not have insurance at this time. Police helped the woman finish filling out the back of her title, making sure that she was the owner of the vehicle. The woman was given a verbal warning for the registration and insurance, and released.

* * *

Police responded to a disorder at the Brew and Cue, 5017 Rossville Blvd. Police spoke with a woman who said there were two people arguing in the parking lot to the rear of the business. She described the two as a white male in blue jeans and a white T-shirt and a white female with blonde hair, black and green shorts and carrying a backpack. She said both of them left the area prior to police arrival. She said she was not wanting the individuals trespassed, but just for them to leave the area before the disorder became physical. She said at no time was the disorder physical and both of them left the area in separate directions.

* * *

A man on 6th Avenue told police that around 1:45 a.m. someone wearing a white tank top came through his unlocked gate and took his yellow bike. He identified who he said he believes the man was, but said he is unsure since he did not see him.

* * *

While traveling south on Park Avenue, police observed a white Chrysler 300 registered to a known person. The vehicle had heavy dark tint on every window. The vehicle was parked and unoccupied.

* * *

A woman on Williams Road told police that sometime after midnight someone broke into her 2011 Toyota Camry. She said her wallet and the contents of it were stolen. She said it appeared that the passenger side window was pried to gain entry, but was not broken nor damaged. Police later found a wallet and several of the stolen items in the roadway at 1412 Williams Road. The property was returned to the woman.

* * *

A man on Lamont Lane reported his 2016 silver Nissan Rogue stolen. He told police that his daughter had used the vehicle last and had left it in the driveway unlocked with the keys in the vehicle. According to the man, the only items of value in the vehicle were some horse tack and his daughter's purse. The vehicle was entered into NCIC. The vehicle has two stickers next to the license plate, a TN Walking Horse and a Celtic symbol.

* * *

A woman on E. 50th Street told police that a man threw a garbage can at her car. She said that she was sleeping in her vehicle in the parking lot while her husband was donating plasma. She said a homeless man was sleeping in front of the Plasma Center, when an employee told him to leave. She said the man became upset and threw a trash can on her car. This caused trash to fall onto her car, but did not cause any damage to the vehicle. It did not appear that the man was aiming at her, he simply threw the trash can in that direction and it fell on her car. The man then left. The woman described the can tosser as a skinny black male wearing a white shirt and jeans. She said he left going south on Rossville Boulevard.

* * *

A clerk at the Speedway, 1330 E. 3rd St., told police that a black male had stolen three 3-packs of Miller Lite earlier in the day, and he had already reported that to the police. He said that the same man returned to the store just now and stole another 3-pack of Miller Lite (worth $7.99), and left in a Nissan Murano SUV (possible AL tag). The clerk was unable to provide a picture of the suspect, but said he would try to get one for the future. The tag provided did not come back to any vehicle, and the clerk did not recognize the suspect. The clerk said he would call back in if the man returned.
As our nation mourns the historic losses of Sept. 11, 2001, I cant help but remember our troops who bravely entered enemy territory in Afghanistan in the weeks after the twin towers fell. As of April, 2,448 of them have sacrificed their lives to keep our nation safe, along with 3,846 American contractors, 444 aid workers, and 72 journalists. With one erratic decision, President Biden unraveled 20 years of gains by our brave service members and demonstrated the full weight of his weak leadership.

Last week, crowds flooded onto airport runways in Kabul and desperate parents passed their children over barbed wire to U.S. troops. Its important to understand that these scenes of horror and grief werent inevitable. Contrary to President Trump's conditions-based withdrawal agreement for Afghanistan, Biden's timeline-based decision was disorganized. His top military commanders  General Frank McKenzie, General Austin "Scott" Miller, and General Mark Milley  all favored a diplomatic agreement over an immediate exit. Biden rejected their counsel, and all hell broke loose.

The consequences of Bidens rash decision left our European allies speechless. Germany, whose troops deployed to the region following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, expressed particular shock. Norbert Rottgen, chairman of the German parliament's foreign relations committee, explained that the decision caused "fundamental damage to the political and moral credibility of the West." Germany isnt alone. Tom Tugendhat, the Conservative chair of the U.K. parliament's foreign affairs committee, said in the wake of the exit, "Afghanistan is the biggest foreign policy disaster since Suez." The European community at large strongly opposed Biden's decision, characterized by one outlet as a "mistake of historic magnitude."

From a geopolitical perspective, Biden's decision opened up the region to exploitation by the Chinese Communist Party. CCP-backed tabloids were quick to label the disastrous exit from Afghanistan U.S. humiliation. For China, U.S. failure in Afghanistan is more than an opportunity to freshen their propaganda. The Chinese government is poised to back the Taliban terrorists as a legitimate government and rain down economic support through Belt and Road Initiative deals. Our departure practically handed Beijing unfettered access to Iran via historic Silk Road routes through Afghanistan. Once again, Biden's weak leadership put China's interests above our own.

Though Biden and his administration will undoubtedly do everything in their power to make this latest crisis disappear, Tennesseans are aghast at what is unfolding in Afghanistan. Active service members, the veteran community, and Gold Star Families in the Volunteer State are calling out Bidens failure for what it is  a betrayal. Members of our armed forces have sacrificed everything to protect our nation from terrorists abroad; Joe Biden's weak leadership has demonstrated just how little he values that sacrifice.

Less than a month away from Sept. 11, our nation continues to mourn the thousands of lives lost when the Twin Towers fell and the service members who died defending our nation overseas. While Biden's weak decision-making failed the American and Afghan people, we cannot waiver in our wholehearted support of our active duty military and veteran community. Tennesseans stand with our brave men and women in uniform, and it's time the White House does the same.

Senator Marsha Blackburn
The Chattanooga Branch of the NAACP is asking that the citizens of Chattanooga give recognition and support to the black businesses and black philanthropist that are supporting pillars to the local community. This is the 10th year since the United Nations began recognition of people of African descent who provide leadership that supports communities. For more than 100 years black philanthropic led organizations have provided support in the Chattanooga community. These organizations often go unnoticed as they are led by volunteers who work diligently and quietly each year to meet its goals.

These organizations provide college scholarships, food, community programming and multiple support services. The boards, committees, and members give countless hours in support of other activities sponsored by governments and private organizations in Chattanooga.

A few of the African descent organizations in Chattanooga are the National Association for the

Advancement of Colored People, Unity Group, 100 Black Women, 100 Black Men, the Divine 9 (Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sigma Gamma Rho, Zeta Phi Beta, Phi Beta Sigma, Iota, Omega Psi Phi, Kappa Alpha Psi, Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Phi Alpha), Links, Elks, Jack and Jill and many others.

August is also Black Business Month which is being recognized in Chattanooga. Black businesses have supported African descent philanthropic organizations for years, so it is fitting that these two groups share the same month of recognition. In Chattanooga there are more than 200 businesses that contribute to the annual economic health of the city. These businesses are in the areas of medicine, administration, food, retail, services, arts and other categories.

Reverend Ann Jones Pierre

President Chattanooga NAACP Branch






Red Bank has reached out to the state of Oregon for its next city manager.

Martin Granum, who is manager of facilities and parks services at Washington County, Ore., won by default after the other finalist, Jeff Burton, of Florida, dropped out.

The Red Bank Commission, at a special meeting on Wednesday afternoon, directed City Attorney Arnie Stulce to begin contract talks with Mr. Granum, who is also a member of the Hillsboro (Ore.) School Board.

Mr. Granum, an Air Force veteran, has served as president of the Aloha (Ore.) Community Library Association board of directors.

He holds a masters degree in public administration and a bachelors degree in civil engineering.

Commission members said Mr. Granum was agreeable to a salary range similar to the former city manager, Tim Thornbury. He made $110,000, but part of that was extra pay for extra duties (public works director).

Honna Rogers of MTAS, who helped with the selection process, said Mr. Burton dropped out when he learned the salary range, saying it was too low.

At a prior meeting, Mayor Hollie Berry and Vice Mayor Stefanie Dalton supported Mr. Granum, while Ruth Jeno and Ed LeCompte were for Mr. Burton. Pete Phillips earlier said that both Mr. Granum and Mr. Burton were top choices for him.

Mr. Thornbury said he left the post because of alleged interference from the mayor and vice mayor.
In the teaser for the 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way season 3, Corey Rathgebers past fling with a mystery girl in Peru has come to light which causes his fiancee Evelin Villegas to doubt even more about whether Corey is right for her. While Corey claims that he and Evelin were on a break when it happened, this is an added problem to an already tumultuous relationship.

Corey and Evelin, 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3 | TLC

Corey has a fling with a woman in Peru while on a break with Evelin

90 Day Fiance: The Other Way fans remember Corey and Evelin from season one. Corey sold everything he owned in Washington and moved his whole life to Engabao, Ecuador to be with Evelin forever. Since the first season of The Other Way, Evelin and Corey have broken up many times. While on a break, Corey infamously met up for a date with 90 Day Fiance co-star Larissa dos Santos Lima.

If that wasnt enough of a bombshell, Corey admitted that he had almost hooked up with another woman while he was traveling in Peru. It seems this mystery Peruvian woman is a lot more involved with Corey than he initially let on.

Evelin struggles with trusting Corey and has doubts about marrying him

The couple has had nothing but issues regarding marriage as Corey wants to get married and Evelin never really had that as a goal. So now that Evelin is feeling even more doubtful. In the teaser for season 3, Evelin is seen trying on wedding gowns. She tells the camera, Most brides are excited, but I am legit terrified.

Even her family is urging her to reconsider marrying Corey. One friend who is there while shes trying on dresses, tells her, Its stupid that you want to marry him. Since the beginning of their journey, their relationship has been rocky, but the added doubt of what happened while in Peru makes it all the more difficult.

Can Corey and Evelin make it down the aisle despite their trust issues?

Corey spent the entire Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown with Evelin in her beachfront home. It was a difficult time for the couple, as documented on 90 Day Fiance: Self-Quarantined. In the teaser for The Other Way, Corey says, Living in Ecuador with Evelin hasnt been easy.

Its revealed on People that Corey isnt the only one keeping secrets. Evelin will drop a huge bombshell on Corey this season.

Its been a difficult road for Evelin and Corey, between the breakups and makeups. It seems that they still have a lot to sort out in their relationship. Fans can watch the rest of their journey on season 3 of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way premiering on August 19th a 8pm EST on TLC.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3: Arielas Ex-husband and Biniyam (Literally) Fight Over Her
Andrew Scott has made a career out of playing charismatic scoundrels. In 2019, Showtime announced that Scott would be adding to his list by being cast in the upcoming thriller series Ripley.

The series first season would contain eight episodes and follow Patricia Highsmiths bestselling Tom Ripley novels. If that name sounds familiar, the first book in the series, The Talented Mr. Ripley, was a successful 1999 movie starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, and Jude Law.

Lets recap Scotts career and why he would be a great choice to capture Ripleys dissent from grifter to murder.

Andrew Scott | Photo by Lia Toby/Getty Images

Andrew Scott played the chaos-loving Moriarty in Sherlock

Scotts Moriarty truly loved to watch the world burn. The criminal mastermind first introduced himself to Benedict Cumberbatchs Sherlock Holmes as lab tech Mollys boyfriend in the first season finale.

As each episode progressed, Moriartys boredom with the world and obsession with Sherlock grew, eventually forcing the detective to fake his own death and even killing himself. Every move seemed to be calculated with a corresponding one-liner.

Scott told the Independent in 2013 that his character came as a real surprise to people.

He doesnt have to do the conventional villain thing. He is witty, and people like that. He is also a proper match for Sherlock. Hes very mercurial, too. I have since been offered to play a lot of different characters, and thats because Moriarty is a lot of different characters. He changes all the time.

The Irish actor went from Sherlock to Fleabag

Sure, Scott played some supporting roles after his turn on Sherlock, but the actor rose to fame again in 2019 playing The Priest in the hit comedy Fleabag. Also known as The Hot Priest, Scotts chemistry with lead Pheobe Waller-Bridge was palpable.

Able to see inside her head, Scott made religion, really Catholicism, seem sexy for 30 mins of the week. Willing to look past her flaws, the Priest seemed to know exactly what to say.

Its not until he commands Fleabag to kneel inside the confession booth that we see something lurking behind his eyes. While darker and less charming, Scott can still manipulate his character into seeming attractive, even if the idea of a priest sexually dominating his parishioner is quite sinister in the real world.

Andrew Scott will now play a charming murderer

Scott will now get the chance to pull attributes from both Moriarty and The Hot Priest for Ripley.

In Highsmiths novel, the titular character is a grifter living in New York, who is hired by a wealthy father to bring his son back home from Italy. Johnny Flynn will play Dickie Greenleaf, the spoiled vagabond son. Dakota Fanning will play his fiance Marge.

Andrew Scott (aka the "Hot Priest") says Steven Zaillian's scripts for his upcoming "Talented Mr. Ripley" series are the "most astonishing" he's ever read https://t.co/WUeVKi6sno pic.twitter.com/9mrcpUy4Ql  Variety (@Variety) January 6, 2020

Johnny Flynn recently played Mr. Knightly in the 2020 adaptation of Emma alongside Anya Taylor-Joy. He also played a young David Bowie in Stardust in late 2020. Writer and showrunner Steve Zaillian will pull from all five books in Highsmiths Ripley series. This makes sense as the 44-year-old Scott is not exactly the same age as the character in the first novel. According to Deadline, the inclusion of the other novels will show Ripleys progression from con artist to serial killer.

RELATED: Is Andrew Scott Married?
If there is one thing that Greys Anatomy is known for, it is the outstanding character list that has come up over the years. Whether you have loved them or hated them, they were all perfect for the roles that they provided at the time. However, some had more of a positive impact than you may realize.

For instance, Arizona Robbins was originally supposed to heelie in and out of the set, but she made such an impact that she became the series staple for a while.

Jessica Capshaw is a fan favorite

Jessica Capshaw as Arizona Robbins | Bob DAmico/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

Arizona Robbins, played by Capshaw, was a character on Greys Anatomy for 10 seasons. Her storylines ranged from being in an openly gay relationship with Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) to dealing with a leg amputation following the tragic plane crash that killed Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) and Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), traumatizing Christina (Sandra Oh), Derek (Patrick Dempsey), and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo).

During her time we fell in love with the Good man in a storm persona that was her character. We laughed with her, admired her, and cried when she cried. It is perhaps her backstory that appeals to most. She was the original military-raised child, named Arizona because of her grandfather who died during Pearl Harbor on the Arizona.

She was raised with strict values and portrays herself as someone who is fully accepted as a lesbian by her family and friends as long as she could assure her father that she was still who he raised her to be.

Jessica Capshaw made quite the impression as Arizona Robbins

According to Ranker, Capshaw was originally supposed to come in as Arizona for just three episodes as a peds surgeon in season 3. However, as soon as she lit up the set with her cute smile, kissing Callie in the ladies rooms of Joes, she was an instant success.

After a short time off the set, Arizona made her return and the rest is history. The next time we have the pleasure of seeing her, she heelies in as a replacement pediatric surgeon, speaks with Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), and heelies away leaving Bailey gaping after her. The fans loved it and immediately, her mark was made on Seattle Grace Hospital.

Overall, Arizona ended up sticking around for more than 200 episodes and even though she left in season 14, she is still someone that the LGBTQ community loves. A fact that some find comical since Arizona was never supposed to become the character she ended up being.

Where did Arizona go?

Arizona ended up in a nasty custody battle with Torres. Torres wanted to go to New York with her girlfriend Penny after a nasty split with Arizona, who cheated. Callie wanted to take her daughter, Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres (Eva Ariel Binder), who Arizona helped to raise with her.

In the end, Sofia does go to New York with Callie but returns later to live with Arizona. Eventually, Sofia once again wants to return to Callie. Arizona has been talking with Callie and the two are once again on good terms. It is implied that Torres is single. Arizona admits that she smiles when Callie sends a message to her.

Arizona leaves Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital to move to New York with Sofia and Callie, presumably to renew her relationship with Torres.

The truth is, Arizona left the show because writers really were not sure what more they could do with her character. Most fans were upset when Callie and Arizona split up, so finding a new love would have been hard. There were also numerous characters on the set, which made it hard for everyone to get screen time.

In the end, and though we miss Capshaws smiling face and lovable character, we still like knowing that she left to go in search of Callie.

Related: Greys Anatomy: The Important Lessons Sara Ramirez Learned While Playing Callie Torres
Breaking Bland is one of the latest shows to premiere on HGTV. The shows concept is similar to other shows on the network with home improvement being at the forefront. Breaking Bland is a show that focuses on having people reconsider design in their space and stop playing it safe.

With the shows host ready to think outside the box, Breaking Bland is looking to be a bit different from the other design and renovation shows HGTV has to offer.

Mary Welch Fox Stasik of Breaking Bland | HGTV

The seven-episode first season of Breaking Bland will be hosted by designer Mary Welch Fox Stasik. Stasik is a designer that caught the eye of executives at the network when she took a home riddled with mold and dangerous asbestos and transformed it into a beautiful place to live for her and her family.

Who is Mary Welch Fox Stasik?

What many people want to know is just who is Mary Welch Fox Stasik? Mary Stasik is a native of Knoxville, Tennessee. She attended Colorado State University, then moved to New York to study with some of the top designers in the field.

Stasiks take on design is to take bold risks with design while still preserving the clients personality within the space. Her designs are fun and help create spaces where people want to spend their time.

Stasik used her own renovation story to land her newest gig on HGTV. The house that she wanted to remodel had a host of major issues including mold, asbestos, termites, and wood rot. However, she decided that she wasnt going to give up on the beautiful property.

Instead, she worked hard to make it into a dream home for her and her family and that is how the new HGTV host caught the attention of RIVR Media.

Knoxville native Mary Welch Fox Stasik will show off her sunny personality and rock-star style on 'Breaking Bland.' https://t.co/SeHWDfV5lK  Abby Ham (@WBIRAbby) August 4, 2021

Stasik met her husband Ryan while living in Chicago, and soon after they moved to Charleston and started their family. They have two children and are happy living their lives in the charm of the deep south.

Meet Mary Welch Fox Stasiks Family

Breaking Bland with designer Mary Welch Fox Stasik premieres on HGTV https://t.co/IXG9TTwFQx  PennLive.com (@PennLive) August 4, 2021

Mary Welch Fox Stasik met her future husband Ryan Stasik while both were living in New York. They were married in 2011 and moved to Chicago at that time. Ryan is a professional bassist in the band Umphreys McGee. In his spare time, he also plays piano.

Not only did Ryan and Mary move from Chicago to Charleston, but Ryans bandmate Andy Farag and his wife also relocated to Charleston at the same time. They chose Charleston for a variety of reasons, including the fact that Mary had relatives in the area and that both of the couples were tired of Chicagos harsh winter season.

Once they relocated to Charleston, Mary and Ryan welcomed their first daughter, Amelia. A couple years later, they welcomed their second daughter, Mikki. Today the family enjoys living in Charleston and exploring all that the area has to offer, including being so close to the coast.

Where is Breaking Bland Filmed?

WATCH: Mary Welch Fox Stasik is celebrating the debut of her new @HGTV show, #BreakingBland.  https://t.co/V5Ydrra1tt  Celebrity Page TV (@CelebrityPageTV) August 2, 2021

It is no surprise that with a husband and two young children, Mary Stasik wouldnt want to work too far from her home in Charleston, South Carolina. That is why her show Breaking Bland is filmed right where she lives in Charleston, according to Distractify, which allows Stasik to combine her big-city style with hometown southern charm.

With a population of more than 136,000 people, there is no shortage of homes that need to be transformed from drab to fab. Being in Stasiks home city makes it easy for her to get that work/life balance that everyone strives for.

RELATED: Surprising Secrets and Scandals You Never Knew About HGTV
Eliza Scarlet is back on the case. Filming has begun on Miss Scarlet and The Duke Season 2, PBS revealed on August 25. The new episodes will air sometime in 2022.

Miss Scarlet and the Duke returns in 2022

MASTERPIECE FIRST LOOK: Everybodys favorite Mystery! solving, will-they-won't-they, duo is back on the case and back in production! Heres your first look at Season 2 of #MissScarletPBS and more: https://t.co/Om7opPO3mg pic.twitter.com/jcrRzGWF34  MASTERPIECE | PBS (@masterpiecepbs) August 25, 2021

PBS revealed in March 2021 that the Victorian-era mystery series about a woman who takes over her late fathers detective agency would return for a second season. Now, filming has begun in Belgrade, Serbia, on those new episodes.

Everybodys favorite Mystery! solving, will-they-wont-they, duo is back on the case and back in production! Masterpiece PBS shared in a tweet announcing the news.

Miss Scarlet and The Duke stars Peaky Blinders alum Kate Phillips as Eliza Scarlet. Stuart Martin plays William The Duke Wellington, a London detective. Hes Elizas childhood friend and unofficial partner on many of her investigations, as well as her potential love interest.

Kate Phillips says the new season feels richer and more playful than ever

Kate Phillips as Eliza Scarlet in Miss Scarlet and The Duke | Courtesy of MASTERPIECE

PBS also released a first-look photo from the new season. Though the image of Eliza and William doesnt offer many clues about what to expect from the new episodes, Phillips says fans have plenty to look forward to.

Its like no time has passed at all, the actor said in a statement. Weve slipped right back into the same old Duke and Eliza dynamic. If anything, it feels richer and more playful than ever. I cant wait for our Masterpiece audience to see it.

Martin echoed his co-stars comments.

Im beyond delighted to be back in Dukes bowler hat and boots, swaggering the streets of London by Kates side, he said. To return to this rich, wonderful world and the characters that Rachael has created, with this incredible team, it feels like were home. I cant wait for our Masterpiece family and fans to see where Eliza and Duke go next, and who they bump into on the way.

Well learn more about William in Miss Scarlet and The Duke Season 2

Stuart Martin as William Wellington in Miss Scarlet and The Duke | Courtesy of MASTERPIECE

As for whats in store for Eliza and William, well just have to wait until Miss Scarlet and The Duke Season 2 airs. But in a February 2021 interview with Salon, show creator Rachael New offered some hints. She said she hoped to explore Dukes past before he joined the police force.

Duke came from Glasgow, from really poor beginnings  basically, the Victorian workhouse. He came to London as a kind of scrappy young man, and [Elizas father] Henry Scarlet found him probably doing things that he shouldnt be doing: pickpocketing and robbing and all sorts of things, she said.

After taking the young man under his wing, Duke eventually joined the police. Thats when Duke and Eliza would have, their worlds would have orbited each other but also he would have been to her house when they were teenagers, she added.

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RELATED: All Creatures Great and Small Cast and Producers Tease What to Expect from Season 2
The Rolling Stones have been going strong for the last sixty years, and up until recently, they showed no signs of slowing down. Their long-time drummer and faithful backbeat, Charlie Watts, has just died at the age of 80 years old. While mourning his death, they probably wont be thinking about the fate of their band, but could this be the beginning of the end for The Rolling Stones?

The Rolling Stones | Dave J Hogan/Dave J Hogan/Getty Images for The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones recently replaced Charlie Watts on tour

In his 2010 memoir, Life, Keith Richards called Watts the essence of the whole thing. Yet that essence hasnt been with the band for the last couple of months.

According to USA Today, Watts was forced to back out of the remainder of The Rolling Stones North American leg of their current No Filter tour this past fall due to a medical procedure for an unknown condition. They got drummer Steve Jordan to replace him, and hes supposed to start with a gig on Sept. 26 in St. Louis.

Watts feared that fans would be disappointed he wasnt there with the rest of the band but gave his blessing to Jordan nonetheless. This wasnt the first time Watts had a health scare. He fought throat cancer after he was diagnosed in 2004.

I thought I was going to die when they told me I had it, which is what most people go through, Watts told the Mirror in 2012. You think, Ah, well, thats it. I didnt know how to deal with it. The lowest point was the moment he told me I had cancer. He recovered and soon reunited with the band to record The Rolling Stones last studio album, A Bigger Bang.

RELATED: Charlie Watts: What Was The Rolling Stones Drummers Net Worth at the Time of His Death?

Will The Rolling Stones continue their tour?

No matter what is going on with the band, at least physically, theyve always continued to tour. Their current No Filter tour was delayed, but that was because of the pandemic in 2020. After Mick Jagger had heart surgery in 2019, he was dancing around on stage in a matter of months.

Likewise, when Watts was diagnosed with throat cancer, it hardly slowed down the band. There was never a thought of throwing in the towel. So if those serious, life-threatening events didnt put The Rolling Stones into retirement, were not sure what will.

As of this writing, theres been no word on whether or not the band will continue with their tour. They already canceled some tour dates even before Watts died on Aug. 24. They still have twelve tour dates scheduled all over America, and according to the ticket website, Vivid Seats, you can still buy tickets, although its not advisable. The Rolling Stones might cancel at any moment.

RELATED: How Old Are The Rolling Stones?

Will The Rolling Stones retire after Charlie Watts death?

As stated, it would take a lot for The Rolling Stones to quit once and for all. Between their own health issues and world affairs, nothing has stopped them. Theyve always eventually returned. Not even the death of past members like Brian Jones stopped them. So its doubtful that theyll retire because of Watts death, even though hell likely leave a gaping hole in the band.

According to one British journalist, that gaping hole might actually cause The Rolling Stones to bleed out. Tony Barrell, journalist and author of Born To Drum: The Truth About The Worlds Greatest Drummers, suggested that the band might call it a day after Watts left the tour last fall.

Speaking to the PA news agency (per the Irish News), Barrell said, When I heard they had to replace the drummer for their new tour, I thought, Oh, can they just carry on? Bands have done it, bands have lost important members and carried on.

If I was the Stones, Id say no and jack it in out of respect for Charlie. Because it wouldnt ever sound the same without him. On the other hand, Barrell said the band could go on forever and they did following the death of Brian Jones in 1969. But in his opinion, they should end it all out of respect to Watts.

The Rolling Stones | KMazur/WireImage

RELATED: Which Rolling Stones Members Are Still Alive?

They could carry on again. I dont know, it remains to be seen what Jagger, Richards and the rest of them think, really. But if I was them, out of respect, Id call it a day.

One things for sure; Watts kept the band together, musically and physically. If The Rolling Stones do go on, they probably will sound different. They just have to figure out whether or not carrying on is what they want and what Watts would have wanted.
90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3 is going to continue following Ariela Danielle and Biniyam Shibres relationship. Their already rocky relationship is tested when Arielas ex-husband of 10 years, Leandro, makes a surprise visit to Ethiopia. Jealous Biniyam is seen wrestling with Leandro in the teaser for the new season.

Ariela and Biniyam, 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3 | TLC

Arielas ex-husband, Leandro, comes to Ethiopia for a visit

In the upcoming season of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, Ariela tells Biniyam that her ex-husband will be coming for a visit to their home in Ethiopia. While this clearly came as a shock to both Biniyam and his family, Ariela explains that hes only a friend, nothing more. However, its hard for Biniyam to accept that, due to the fact that their marriage lasted 10 years.

When Ariela was 19, she married Leandro. According to her and Biniyams recent ET interview, she and Leandro were best friends, which was part of the reason she decided to get married to him in the first place. She explained that as time passed, they both realized that they should go experience more of life than just their relationship. Thats when she met Biniyam.

Leandro and Biniyam (literally) fight over Ariela

In the teaser for season 3 of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, Biniyam and Leandro wrestle. Biniyam is seen overpowering Arielas ex in a chokehold which results in him tapping out. The thought process behind wanting to wrestle is that Biniyam wanted to show Leandro that hes a man and that hes tough. Essentially, it was to remind Leandro that hes not going to let him take his wife and child away from him.

Biniyam expressed that even after he met Leandro, its difficult for him to trust his intentions. Due to the fact that Ariela and Leandro speak primarily in Spanish to one another, this made Biniyam nervous because he didnt understand what was being said. He admitted that jealousy did play a part in him wanting to wrestle him.

Biniyam is worried about Leandro taking Ariela away from him

Biniyam also has a complicated history with his ex. He has explained in season 2 of The Other Way that he has a child with another American woman. He revealed that she left him for the United States and now hes unable to see his child. This wound hasnt healed and its now his biggest fear that Ariela would leave him with their son, Avi.

He talked about his jealousy and the fact that his first child is being kept from him. Biniyam spoke of his wife, And shes beautiful and shes talented. And then I dont want to lose her And then I dont want to be hurt. Because when I lost [my ex], Im so hurt. Im so depressed. He goes on, Thats why I dont want it to happen with me inside. I dont want to lose her because I love her. Shes given me a baby.

He did admit to ET that hes worried about how close Ariela and Leandros relationship is. After theyve divorced, theyve remained in contact and continue to be friends. Despite Ariela trying her best to ease Biniyams mind, he is still convinced that Leandros plan for coming to Ethiopia was in an attempt to win Ariela back. Fans can watch the full story unfold on 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3, which premieres Sunday, August 29th at 8 pm EST.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3  Meet the New and Returning Couples
Officials from Cherokee Nation and the Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology announced on Aug. 19 an educational partnership between the two organizations. In recognition of National Aviation Day, the CN and Spartan College hosted the agreements signing in Tahlequah.
In the early 1980s, Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh established a commune called Rajneeshpuram and embarked on a search for utopia in the wilderness of Wasco County, Oregon. (The Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country recounts the story.) The cult sought to create the perfect city by deconstructing the social norms and religious strictures that in their view suppress ones true self.

Rajneesh taught that free love and dynamic meditation were the key to liberating the individual and reaching superconsciousness. The group bought 80,000 acres and indulged all their wildest inclinations in orgy-style meditation sessions. They wanted a perfectly compassionate and just community, where no ones self-expression would be restricted.

But before long, the brokenness of human nature brought them back to reality. When the commune received political pushback from other residents in the area, they became anything but compassionate. In the name of free love and self-expression, they attempted murder and committed fraud and bioterrorism to get their way. They also abused each other and exploited the homeless. Their attempt to completely rid themselves of all constraints left them defenseless against their own internal evils.

I see this dynamic in the public square today. Contemporary concepts of compassion and justice that ignore human brokenness and individual sin can only lead to the same desolate destination. When those ideas involve pretending men can be pregnant or arguing that the traditional family is a tool of the oppressor, were not progressing. Were descending away from truth. If we want to achieve justice, we first have to understand human nature. And to understand human nature, we have to study the nature of sin.

Here again, a story from the past serves to support the point. As activist Dorothy Day fought for justice, she was surrounded by people with a very similar worldview to those in the Rajneeshpuram commune. The radical peace movement of the 1960s preached liberation, freedom, and autonomy, as David Brooks explains in his book The Road to Character. But Day was unimpressed by that message. She preached the opposite: obedience, servitude, and self-surrender.

Christian virtues fueled her social action, but she was not some naive pilgrim of piety. Earlier in life, she had partaken in her comrades open sexuality and lax morality, as Brooks puts it. Those actions resulted in a broken heart, a broken family, and an abortion. She grew wise enough to understand that theres nothing empowering about a lack of discipline and structure, which creates only dysfunction.

Day compared the radicals she worked with to adolescents whod just discovered that their parents werent perfect and, in a spirit of disillusionment, rebelled against all their instructions and institutions. Shed say, All this rebellion makes me long for obedience. Her colleagues irreverent behavior demonstrated an immature and empty defiance that distracted from the work and weakened the movement.

Sadly, that same posture is prevalent in some justice and equality movements today. They rightly see the need to deconstruct oppressive systems but can go only so far as to drop their adherents off in the confusion and chaos of the wilderness.

By contrast, the Bibles Exodus narrative prescribes liberation as well as obedience. God didnt free the Hebrews to seek self in the wilderness for eternity. He delivered them for the purpose of worshiping him, and he demanded their obedience in order to prepare them for a much greater destination.

In that same spirit, Dorothy Day knew that when we divorce social justice from a framework of obedience, we do so at our own peril. She knew the wildernessno matter how liberating it feltcould never be the final destination of any Christian social endeavor.

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To be fair, we must acknowledge the injustices and sins that have caused so many to leave the church and rebuke Christian orthodoxy. Theyre rebelling against rules, wielded with prejudice and malice, that continue to bludgeon women and racial minorities. Theyre responding to structures that cover up abuses of power and morals that are enforced discriminately. Theyre rejecting religious institutions that serve white supremacy, support misogyny, and mistreat same-sex-attracted people, all while claiming a biblical basis.

Such harshness and hypocrisy have led to one of the biggest lies of our age: that a person cannot be orthodoxupholding historic Christian doctrine and moralsand also compassionate. Now in the public square, whenever we talk about boundaries and restrictions on individual expression, many of us assume that oppression is going on. Today, orthodoxy is associated with calloused hearts and heavy burdens that serve only old prejudices.

They have rightly responded to a culture that ignores systemic sin. But theyve done so by ignoring individual sin.

This story has two extremes, of course. As believers, we know that compassion and self-sacrifice are literally the lifeblood of true Christian orthodoxy. When American Christianity doesnt adhere to the Great Commandment and recognize the image of God in their marginalized neighbors, it falls well short of orthodoxy. In other words, the church isnt harsh because it follows the Bible too closely. Its harsh when it doesnt follow the Bible and the spirit of Jesus closely enough.

On the other hand, a permissive culture is compassionate in the same way that an unserious, lackadaisical instructor is considered cool. Theyre momentarily convenient but ultimately harmful, because theyre unable to meet rigorous objectives and promote long-term human flourishing. Their unwillingness to prepare us for the tests and harsh truths of life is a form of neglect. Inevitably, they cant protect us from the consequences of our sloth and sin. At best, they enable only dysfunction.

We live in a culture thats losing the ethic and the will to discourage mentalities that lead to sex work, recreational drug use, and family abandonment. Wed rather find ways to excuse them than stand on unpopular principles. But gospel-driven compassion doesnt conceptually refashion or normalize our brokenness in vain attempts to evade categories of sin. True justice isnt inclusive of sin, because sin leads to moral disorder, and moral disorder is where injustice thrives.

Ive been told that the idea of sin is an old, outworn notion, said Gardner C. Taylor, civil rights leader and pastor. It may be. But I know this  that old and ugly word may be outworn, but the consequences are not outworn. I speak of broken families, war, and overdoses. The consequences of sin live on!

Taylor understood that suffering came from societal injustice and also individual immorality. Our failure to acknowledge one or the other isnt compassion; its neglect. It leaves us and our neighbors unprotected from the deception and cruelty of human brokenness.

By contrast, when we embrace moral order in the context of relationship and love, we can acknowledge that our sexual proclivities and perceived identities arent always righteous. We can talk about the complexity of human desire. And we can locate ourselves not in the wilderness of personal fulfillment but in the abundant, boundaried space of Gods purposes.

Justin E. Giboney is an attorney, political strategist, president of the AND Campaign, and coauthor of Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaigns Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement.
In this episode, Heather and her online friend Pastor Aaron Duvall discuss how to build genuine online friendships. They also explore the value of online Christian communityespecially during the pandemic. Plus, Aaron reveals the story behind Weird Christian Twitter.

Aaron is the teaching pastor and director of communication at Victory Highway Wesleyan Church in Painted Post, New York, where he resides with his wife, Chera, and daughter, Harper. You can find Aaron active on Twitter @RevDuv.

Also, in the #GrowingViral segment, youll meet photographer Autry Jones. Hes active on Instagram @autryjonescreative, where he publishes photos that share Gods beauty in everyday life.

Reach out to Heather Thompson Day on Twitter @HeatherTDay and Instagram @heatherthompsonday.

Viral Jesus is a production of Christianity Today

Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day

Producer: Loren Joseph

Executive Producer: Ed Gilbreath

Director of CT Podcasts: Mike Cosper
The fate of the ancient rock-hewn churches of northern Ethiopia has become a grave concern for Ethiopian Americans, as a civil war between the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Tigray rebels imperil the fate of many religious sites across the country.

For months, Ethiopian troops have fought a rebellion by the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), which began after TPLF forces attacked an Ethiopian military installation in early November 2020. Tensions had risen after Ahmeds government withheld funds for elections held in Tigray province in defiance of federal COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings.

In recent weeks, the TPLF forces have captured the town of Lalibela, in the northern Amhara region, the site of a cluster of some of Christianitys oldest houses of worship. The Lalibela churches were carved by medieval Ethiopian Christians as an alternative pilgrimage site to Jerusalem, whose geography the complex loosely follows.

The recent military intrusion of the TPLF into Lalibela threatens the home of the New Bethlehem, where 11 rock-hewn churches built in the 12th century are still places of worship today, said a longtime analyst of the region.

The churches are also a favorite with foreign tourists to Ethiopia. We call on the TPLF to protect this cultural heritage. We also call on all parties to the conflict to end the violence, the State Department said in a statement following the seizure of Lalibela on August 5.

The churches were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Ironically, that designation came during the height of the Ethiopian Civil War, which pitted a number of rebel groups against the Communist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam.

My heart is broken for us Ethiopians in America and around the world. Our life is dismantled, said Kesis Asteraye Tsige, an Ethiopian priest in Kansas City. Everybody is wounded, sad, and lamenting. We dont know what will happen to this site now that it is not controlled by the government  If [the TPLF] are Christians, they shouldnt do this.

Asteraye Tsige, who leads Debre Sahel Medhanie Alem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, said the fall of Lalibela marks the first time the government of Ethiopia has acknowledged the risk to Ethiopian cultural heritage posed by the rebellion. Tsige said he had heard rumors that some churches were damaged in the fighting.

He urged the government of Ethiopia to ensure the protection of holy sites.

In November, the government of Ethiopia accused the TPLF of destroying an airport in the holy city of Axum, where Ethiopian Orthodox Christians believe the Ark of the Covenant is stored. Also under the control of the TPLF is the Negash Amedin Mosque, the third-oldest in Africa, which was reportedly damaged in December in fighting between Eritrean and TPLF forces.
Christian groups urge Biden to extend 'arbitrary and harmful' Afghanistan withdrawal deadline

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As President Joe Biden stands by his Aug. 31 deadline for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Christian groups are calling on his administration to ensure the evacuation of all American citizens and Afghan allies, even if that means extending evacuation efforts into next month.

At a press conference Tuesday, Biden indicated that the U.S. is currently on a pace to finish the evacuation of Americans from Afghanistan by Aug. 31 and stressed that the completion by August 31 depends upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those who  were transporting out. While he expressed openness to the idea of staying beyond the deadline set by the Taliban, Biden elaborated on the real and significant challenges that we also have to take into consideration the longer we stay.

Earlier Tuesday, Biden told leaders of the worlds other leading democracies that he had no plans to extend the Aug. 31 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. military presence from Afghanistan despite concerns that not all U.S. citizens seeking to leave the country will be evacuated by then. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin faced criticism for suggesting last week that the U.S. would evacuate Americans as long as we possibly can until the clock runs out or we run out of capability.

Bidens Defense Secretary says theyll only evacuate Americans until the clock runs out or we run out of capability. This is the team that told us they planned for every contingency. pic.twitter.com/EA2YHGxMym  Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) August 18, 2021

State Department Spokesman Ned Price also announced yesterday on Twitter that: "As of this morning, @statedept has called every American who has expressed interest in departing Afghanistan via the Repatriation Assistance Form on the @USEmbassyKabul website. We have made more than 4,000 personalized calls over the last four days."

Bidens insistence on abiding by the Aug. 31 deadline, at least for now, was met with blowback from Christian organizations that help resettle refugees in the U.S. Here are reactions from Christian groups to Biden's plans to not extend the deadline.

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House Democrats push FDA to lift safety protocols for abortion drugs

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Pro-abortion legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives are calling on the Food and Drug Administration to permanently discard safety protocols for dispensing drugs that induce a miscarriage to terminate an early first-trimester pregnancy, commonly referred to as the Risk, Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies.

A group of more than six dozen House Democrats, led by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., introduced a resolution Thursday that would express the sense of the House of Representatives that policies governing abortion care should be equitable and based on science. The resolution specifically focused on the abortion pills, also referred to as a chemical abortion or medication abortion. A chemical abortion has two components: mifepristone and misoprostol.

The lawmakers claim that the REMS have no medical basis and echoed the FDAs analysis that abortion pills efficacy and safety have become well-established both by research and experience, and serious complications have proven to be extremely rare. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., a co-sponsor of the resolution, elaborated on their goal in a statement.

As chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus, we are committed to eliminating all unnecessary barriers to abortion care, including the onerous and unnecessary restrictions on the use of medication abortion, she said. We look forward to working with the FDA to ensure any policies regarding the use of mifepristone are based solely on science and evidence, not policy or ideology.

The resolution comes after the FDA approved the temporary suspension of the REMS earlier this year, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for such a decision. Pro-abortion politicians and activists believe women should have the ability to obtain abortion-inducing drugs in the mail because of the dangers posed by the pandemic. The pro-abortion lawmakers who co-sponsored the resolution indicated their desire to make these changes to the REMS permanent.

As explained in the resolution, the REMS require that it be dispensed to patients in person, that healthcare providers who prescribe mifepristone receive certification before doing so, and that certified prescribers obtain a signed safety agreement from patients before prescribing mifepristone to them.

The lawmakers' resolution noted that on May 7, 2021, the FDA indicated that it is conducting an evidence-based review of the REMS for mifepristone, the lawmakers argued that policies surrounding the distribution of the abortion pill should be grounded in science and based on a scientific review of available medical evidence and ensure equitable access for patients harmed by restrictions ..."

This is not the first time the FDA has been pushed to change its safety guidelines for the use of abortion-inducing drugs.

When mifepristone first came out, the FDA had a protocol for it to be used through seven weeks of pregnancy, or 49 days from conception, according to Sue Turner, director of Physicians for Life.

Because many abortion clinics in the U.S. were ignoring the FDAs protocol and using the drug in chemical abortions up to 60 days, states began passing regulations saying they had to follow the FDAs protocol. They didnt want to have to follow the FDA protocol, so [then President] Obama made the FDA change it to the later date, the 60 days, to match up with what the abortion providers were doing, Turner told The Christian Post in a previous interview.

The drug was less effective," she said, and abortionists then had to also perform a surgical abortion, which meant that women were being charged for both chemical and surgical procedures.

Mifepristone, which blocks the pregnancy hormone progesterone, constitutes one dose of the abortion bill. Patients have the option to reverse the effects of mifepristone before taking misoprostol, but once they take misoprostol, which induces contractions and a miscarriage, the effects are irreversible.

While pro-abortion lawmakers maintain that abortion pills are safe, pro-life groups have repeatedly warned that abortion pills have adverse side effects. Students for Life of America partnered with Charlotte Pence Bond, daughter of former Vice President Mike Pence, to create a new docuseries titled This is Chemical Abortion, designed to put a spotlight on the dangers of chemical abortions.

Last year, the pro-life group Live Action put together an investigative report titled, Abortion Pill Kills, which highlighted complications that women can experience after taking abortion pills.

These side effects include severe cramping, contractions, and heavy bleeding. According to the report, the bleeding can often last from nine to 16 days, but in 8% of cases, the bleeding continues for more than 30 days.

The debate about the abortion pill and the safety protocols in place regulating its administration has accelerated over the past year. As Democrats and pro-abortion activists pushed for loosening the REMS, Republican lawmakers wrote a letter to the FDA, asking the government agency to label the abortion pill as deadly and classify it as a threat to womens health.

While a federal judge struck down the REMS last summer, enabling women to obtain the abortion pill by mail, the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated it about a week before the Trump administration left office in January. In response to the Democrats push to ensure easy access to abortion drugs, several states have passed laws imposing restrictions on the availability of chemical abortion.
Supreme Court rejects Biden admins attempt to stop Remain in Mexico policy

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The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a request by the Biden administration to prevent the reimplementation of the Remain in Mexico immigration policy.

In an order released Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito denied President Joe Biden's request to stop a lower court decision ordering the restart of the Remain in Mexico policy, also known as the Migrant Protection Protocols.

The applicants have failed to show a likelihood of success on the claim that the memorandum rescinding the Migrant Protection Protocols was not arbitrary and capricious, stated the order.

Our order denying the Governments request for a stay of the District Court injunction should not be read as affecting the construction of that injunction by the Court of Appeals.

The order noted that Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor would have granted the application requesting a stay.

As a result of the Supreme Court's refusal to intervene, the Biden administration is expected to continue enforcing the Remain in Mexico policy for illegal immigrants as litigation continues.

In January 2019, the Department of Homeland Security implemented the Remain in Mexico policy, which mandated that immigrants seeking to live in the U.S. would remain in Mexico while their immigration proceedings and asylum claims were vetted, with Mexico providing humanitarian needs.

In a statement released at the time, DHS said the policy will help restore a safe and orderly immigration process, decrease the number of those taking advantage of the immigration system, and the ability of smugglers and traffickers to prey on vulnerable populations, and reduce threats to life, national security, and public safety, while ensuring that vulnerable populations receive the protections they need.

After Biden became president, he attempted to end the policy, only to be sued by Texas and Missouri, with U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruling in favor of the states earlier this month.

In his ruling, Kacsmaryk concluded that the Biden administration had failed to consider several critical factors when deciding to eliminate the Remain in Mexico policy.

A few days after the district court ruling, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a per curiam ruling and denied a motion to put the lower court ruling on hold.

Even if the Government were correct that long-term compliance with the district courts injunction would cause irreparable harm, it presents no reason to think that it cannot comply with the district courts requirement of good faith while the appeal proceeds, read the Circuit Court panel decision.

Therefore, the Government has failed to demonstrate that it will be irreparably injured absent a stay pending appeal.
Texas pastor sentenced to 30 years after using hidden cameras to secretly film child porn at church

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A former Texas pastor has been sentenced to 30 years of federal prison after he pleaded guilty to using hidden cameras to record sexually explicit material of underage children at church and other locations.

David Pettigrew, ex-pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in Denison, Texas, was sentenced to 360 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant on Monday. He pleaded guilty in April for using hidden cameras to record sexually explicit material of underage children at church and other locations.

According to the Department of Justice, Pettigrew confessed to secretly taping naked minors in Collin and Grayson counties, including at his church, using cameras disguised as hooks, clocks, a picture frame, a smoke detector, an AC wall adapter, charging blocks and a pen.

The children, ages 11 to 14-years old, had no idea they were being recorded while they were reportedly undressing, bathing and toweling off at the Denison Church of the Nazarene in Grayson County.

David Pettigrew is a predator who used his position to exploit children for his own gratification, said acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei in a statement.

Parents and kids in Grayson County trusted Pettigrew as an educator, pastor and friend, all the while unaware of his criminal intent. Working with children is nothing short of a privilege, and EDTX is committed to ensuring that those who assume responsibility for children do not violate that position of trust."

The Christian Post reached out to Denison Church of the Nazarene for comment. A response is pending.

Law enforcement officials started investigating Pettigrew after they received referrals sent by two electronic surveillance providers and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children," according to the Justice Department. The referrals identified a computer user who uploaded suspected child pornography onto their online platforms.

Homeland Security Investigations agents executed federal search warrants at Pettigrews residence and the Denison Church of the Nazarene On Aug. 6, 2020.

Following the searches, Pettigrew was arrested.

Pettigrew has three children and began working for the church in 2006, according to a local CBS News affiliate.

Collin County chiropractor Chad Michael Rider is also being investigated for allegedly conspiring alongside Pettigrew to film undressed minors. Pettigrew admitted to conspiring with Rider to record minors.

Agents also executed a search warrant at Riders residence on Aug. 21, 2020.

According to information detailed in various court documents reported by News 12, there was an instance where cameras were set up in a room at the Denison church and Pettigrew and Rider allegedly instructed several minors to stand in a plastic wading pool, undress and use buckets of water to clean themselves.

Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge of HSI Dallas, said in a statement that Pettigrews actions against minors are "unforgivable and repulsive."

The actions and the emotional trauma Pettigrew caused to the innocent children he preyed upon is devastating and life-altering, Spradlin said in the statement. Protecting those most vulnerable is a top priority for HSI and we will never relent in our pursuit of characters like Pettigrew who breach their positions of trust to exploit minors.

The case against Rider is ongoing as Homeland Security Investigations and the Grayson County Sheriffs office continue investigating.

The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, which was launched in 2006 by the Justice Department to combat child sexual exploitation.
The seen, the unseen and minimum wage hikes

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Some readers may have been convinced of the immorality of a minimum wage. Previous articles on it are here, here and here. Still, they worry about the consequences of not having one. After all, minimum wage laws affect only entry level jobs that require no experience or skills. Wont the wages of the poorest workers collapse?

The question illustrates one of the most important principles of economics, what is seen vs. what is not seen, or the short-term vs. the long-term. The media and the public focus exclusively on the most visible aspects of any situation and rarely consider the broader impact that happens in the long term.

The great French economist Frederic Bastiat used the case of a broken window to illustrate the principle. The media focuses on the income that the window repairman will earn and see that as a good thing, but they fixate on the visible, short-term results of the tragedy. They miss the long-term, invisible consequences of the broken window, such as the money that might have gone to buy new shoes for the kids or a meal at a restaurant. The window repairman earns only what the shoemaker and restaurateur have lost. The media makes this error every time a major disaster destroys part of a city.

The Psalms and Proverbs are full of passages condemning the person who ignores the invisible long-term consequences of his sin in favor of visible short-term pleasures, such as Proverbs 6:6-10. Jesus warned his disciples about focusing on the visible and short-term in Mark 8:15-18:

Be careful, Jesus warned them. Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod. They discussed this with one another and said, It is because we have no bread. Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And dont you remember? Mark 8:15-18 NIV

Jesus reminded them of the two times he had fed 4,000 and 5,000 men plus their wives and children using small amounts of bread and fish. The disciples fixated on their immediate hunger and lack of bread instead of the larger issue of Jesus power to provide for them. That caused them to misunderstand Jesus warning about false teaching.

The Bible lauds faith, even though faith is in the unseen:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 NAS

So, what are those who worry about the consequences of a lack of a minimum wage missing? They dont see the masses of unemployed teenagers that minimum wage laws can create.

Every good introductory economics textbook demonstrates that a minimum wage above the market wage will cause unemployment. That principle is as iron clad as those of demand and supply. Dr. Thomas Sowell, a black economist, has proven that minimum wage legislation has made the unemployment rate among black teenagers twice as high as that among white teens.

Socialists want you to put on blinders and see only the short-term impact of such legislation on the lucky people who get to keep their jobs. Yes, their wages are higher. They dont want you to think about the armies of unemployed black teenagers. Dr. Sowell corrects such near-sighted vision in his book A Man of Letters:

Most black youngsters do not have parents who can hire them in the family business or use influence to get them jobs in a friends business. Their only hope is to get a start somewhere out in the harsh competition of the marketplace  or the even harsher competition of crime. After they get some experience under their belts, they will be worth more than the minimum wage. But to prevent them from getting the experience in the first place, by insisting that they receive the minimum wage from day one, is a great disservice to them. A Man of Letters

Yes, many black teenagers will have to take jobs that pay less than a minimum wage, given the chains that the government has shackled the market with. But as they gain experience and new skills, they will move on to better paying jobs. Without the opportunity to take a lower paying job, they face unemployment and no income at all. Isnt some income better than none?

But what if the government didnt bludgeon the market with high taxes and shackle it with massive regulations as it does? We dont have to guess. Wages increased at the highest rate in US history in a period without such barriers and without a minimum wage, as Dr. Robert Higgs demonstrates in The transformation of the American economy, 1865-1914.

Socialists like to call that period the reign of the Robber Barons. But the period in our history that socialists despise the most was also the time when wages and standards of living increased at one of the highest rates in US history. But there is more. The age of the Robber Barons included the greatest immigration in our history, when millions fled Europe and Asia to come to the US. There were virtually no limits to immigration.

Again, introductory textbooks teach that immigration reduces the wages of manual labor, all other things remaining the same, because the supply of workers far outstrips the demand. So how did US workers achieve such high rates of wage increases when the Robber Barons were supposed to be impoverishing them and immigration should have driven wages down?

The US accomplished what seems miraculous today because freedom in the market encouraged investors and entrepreneurs to create new businesses that opened jobs faster than the tsunami of immigrants could fill. In economic terms, the demand for labor far exceeded the supply, so wages rose at rates unheard of since.

What about the people who insist that humans are created in the image of God and so their dignity requires paying wages for low-skilled work that can support a family? The correct response is that wages and dignity are unrelated. Employers dont buy humans. They arent paying for an image of God or humanity dignity, nor are they hurting either. Employers rent the services of people. How should such services be priced? According to the best theologians, a free market should set the price of such services.

Socialists use sleight of hand like magicians to keep people fixated on the immediate when we should examine what is going on behind the curtain. The best Christians focus on the unseen and the long run. After all, who has seen God?

In the short run, the lack of a minimum wage may mean that some young people might have to accept lower wages to get that first job and learn new skills that will raise their income later. But isnt lower pay better than no pay, which is the result of minimum wage laws?
This week in Christian history: Bakker fraud trial begins, Louis IX dies and massacre in Orissa

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Throughout the extensive history of the Church, there have been numerous events of lasting significance.

Each week brings anniversaries of impressive milestones, unforgettable tragedies, amazing triumphs, memorable births, notable deaths and everything in between.

Some of the events drawn from over 2,000 years of history might be familiar, while other happenings might be previously unknown by most people.

The following pages highlight events that happened this week in Christian history. They include the death of Saint Louis IX, the fraud trial of Jim Bakker, and a massacre of Christians in India.

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Biden refuses to extend Aug. 31 deadline after Taliban threatens 'consequences' Antony Blinken to release number of Americans in Afghanistan after John Kirby refuses to disclose details

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The Biden administration announced that it will stick to the planned Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawal of all American troops from Afghanistan as concerns grow that the U.S. military might not be able to evacuate all remaining Americans by the end of the month.

In a press conference Tuesday, President Joe Biden told reporters gathered in the Roosevelt Room that Ive asked Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken to give you an update and a detailed report on exactly how many Americans are still in Afghanistan and how many have got out and what our projection is. He announced that the U.S. military has evacuated 70,700 people since Aug. 14 but would not specify how many evacuees were American citizens.

The president also elaborated on his decision to stand by the Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan, recalling his discussions from earlier in the day with the leaders of the worlds largest democracies as well as the United Nations, NATO and the European Union: There was strong agreement among the leaders  both about  the evacuation mission underway as well as the need to coordinate our approach to  Afghanistan as we move forward.

We agreed that we will continue ... our close cooperation to get people out as efficiently and safely as possible. We are currently on a pace to finish by Aug. 31, he added. The sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops but the completion by Aug. 31 depends upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those who  were transporting out.

The president indicated that he had asked the Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the timetable should that become necessary. He maintained that Im determined to ensure that we complete ... this mission.

Im also mindful of the increasing risks that  Ive been briefed on and the need to factor  those risks in. There are real and significant challenges that we also have to take into consideration the longer we stay, he said. Biden specifically mentioned the acute and growing risk of an attack by a terrorist group known as ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan which is the sworn enemy of the Taliban as well.

Biden added, Every day were on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians. Additionally, thus far, the Taliban have been taking steps to work with us so we can get our people out. But its a tenuous situation. He further warned, We run a serious risk of it breaking down as time goes on.

The president did not take questions from the press after his remarks.

At an emergency G7 summit, a gathering of the worlds largest democracies, Biden indicated that he planned on sticking by the Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawal. The president cited concerns that the Taliban, which has taken control of Afghanistan following the drawback of U.S. military presence, would retaliate against the U.S. for failing to abide by the Aug. 31 deadline if American troops remained in the country beyond the end of the month as the justification for his decision.

Bidens concerns stem from comments made by Taliban spokesperson Dr. Suhail Shaheen in an interview with Sky News Monday. Shaheen told the news outlet that If the U.S. or U.K. were to seek additional time to continue evacuations  the answer is no. Or there would be consequences.

It will create mistrust between us. If they are intent on continuing the occupation it will provoke a reaction, Shaheen added.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Twitter Sunday that he would convene G7 leaders on Tuesday for urgent talks on the situation in Afghanistan. According to Reuters, Johnson had hoped that Biden would extend the Aug. 31 deadline.

I will convene G7 leaders on Tuesday for urgent talks on the situation in Afghanistan. It is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to secure the gains of the last 20 years.  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) August 22, 2021

The announcement that the Aug. 31 deadline will remain in place comes as the Pentagon faces criticism for refusing to identify exactly how many Americans remain stranded in Afghanistan as the Taliban continues to take control of the country following the exit of U.S. troops.

During a press briefing Monday, U.S. Department of Defense Spokesperson John Kirby and U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, the deputy director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were asked how many Americans have been evacuated from the country. While Taylor told reporters that since the beginning of evacuation operations on Aug. 14, we have evacuated approximately 37,000 [people], he did not specify how many of the evacuees were American citizens.

Citing statistics Taylor shared about the military escorting 42,000 people to safety since the end of July, a reporter asked Taylor if he had any breakdown of the number of U.S. citizens in that 42,000 that have gotten out. He responded by saying, I do but I dont have that right now.

Another reporter reminded Kirby that he had previously claimed that 2,500 Americans have been evacuated before requesting an updated figure. Kirby declined to give a specific figure: We think that  overall  weve been able to evacuate several thousand Americans and  Id be reticent to get  more specific than that but since the 14th, we believe we have been able to evacuate several thousand.

After reporters asked Kirby additional questions, another reporter circled back to the topic of how many American civilians remain in Afghanistan. The reporter asked the Pentagon spokesman Were you being deliberately vague when you said the number of Americans was several thousand or was it because youre not sure of the number?

Stressing that the number of American citizens in the country is the most important number, the reporter urged Kirby to verify the specific number and give it to us. Kirby reiterated his previous response: I think Im just going to leave it at several thousand right now.

Tell us why, the reporter replied. Kirby explained that the numbers very fluid and it literally changes nearly by the hour.

Public opinion polling taken in recent weeks has shown that the American people disapprove of how the Biden administration has handled the Afghanistan exit. A Rasmussen poll released Tuesday found that 59% of likely voters do not believe the Biden administration is doing enough to evacuate Americans from Afghanistan. In comparison, 28% view the administrations efforts as satisfactory.

As the Biden administration suggested that up to 65,000 Afghan evacuees may be brought to the U.S., a Rasmussen poll released Monday found that voters believe that the U.S. should make evacuating American citizens from Afghanistan a higher priority than admitting Afghan refugees into the country. A poll released last week by the Trafalgar Group found that 69.3% of Americans disapproved of Bidens handling of Afghanistan while 23.1% approved.

The situation in Afghanistan has also harmed Bidens overall approval rating. As of Tuesday afternoon, the RealClear Politics average, an aggregation of public opinion polls, found that the president had a net disapproval rating of 2.3 percentage points. His approval rating stood at 46.6%, the lowest of his presidency so far, while the share of Americans who disapproved of his job performance had reached a record high of 48.9%.
11th Circuit vacates ruling in favor of trans student, will rehear Fla. school bathroom case

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The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated an earlier ruling favoring a trans-identified student seeking to use the bathrooms based on gender identity rather than biological sex.

The appeals court issued an order on Monday in the case of Drew Adams v. School Board of St. Johns County, Florida, granting a full en banc hearing before the 12-member court, vacating a three-judge panel's earlier decision.

Born in 2000 as a female but presently identifying as male, Adams was initially allowed to use the boys restrooms for six weeks in ninth grade. But eventually, officials barred Adams from doing so.

Although officials gave Adams the alternative of using a gender-neutral, single-stall bathroom, the student filed a lawsuit against the school district on the grounds of discrimination.

In August 2020, the three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit ruled 2-1 in favor of Adams, with the majority opinion arguing that the school board violated federal civil rights law.

Circuit Judge Beverly Martin, an Obama appointee, authored the majority opinion concluding that Adams federal Title IX rights were violated by the school standard.

This case calls upon us to decide whether the St. Johns County School Districts policy barring Mr. Adams from the boys restroom squares with the Constitutions guarantee of equal protection and Title IXs prohibition of sex discrimination. We conclude it does not, wrote Martin in the 2020 decision.

Adams, for his part, does not question the ubiquitous societal practice of separate bathrooms for men and women. Instead, Mr. Adams argues the School Boards bathroom policy singles him out for differential treatment on the basis of his gender nonconformity and without furthering student privacy whatsoever. The record before us has persuaded us to his view.

Chief Judge William Pryor, a George W. Bush appointee, authored a dissenting opinion. He concluded that the 2020 panel majority opinion distorts the policy, misunderstands the legal claims asserted, and rewrites well-established precedent.

By failing to address head-on the lawfulness of sex-separated bathrooms in schools, the majority recasts the school policy as classifying students on the basis of transgender status, wrote Pryor.

And based on this recasting, it reaches the remarkable conclusion that schoolchildren have no sex-specific privacy interests when using the bathroom.

Attorneys for the school board argued that the 2020 decision was based on a "hypothetical" situation, according to WWSB.

The actual policy here, while theoretically imperfect, is substantially related to student bathroom privacy, the board's motion for en banc hear reads. Indeed, the policy perfectly classifies nearly every student in the district, as at the time of the trial, the board was aware of only 16 transgender students out of approximately 40,000. There is no evidence that even those students sex as denoted in their enrollment materials did not match their biological sex, and we know that was not the case with Adams. More importantly, the policy classifies all students on the basis of biological sex, without regard to gender identity.

Ed Whelan, the distinguished senior fellow with the socially conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center think tank and a former law clerk for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, voiced support for the decision to review in a column for the National Review.

[T]he grant of en banc rehearing might ultimately tee the issue up for Supreme Court review and thus enable the Court to minimize the damage from its serious error in failing to grant certiorari in the Fourth Circuit case of Gloucester County School Board v. Grimm.

In the Grimm case, the 4th U.S. Court of Appeals concluded that a Virginia school district could not lawfully stop a biologically female trans-identified student from using boys' bathrooms.

In June, the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal in the Grimm case, allowing the circuit court decision to stand.

Both the 11th Circuit and the 4th Circuit decisions cited last June's Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, a decision finding that employers are not permitted to fire someone based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Although the Bostock ruling pertained to employment matters, the ruling has been cited in other legal decisions and policies enacted during the Biden administration.
'I'm ashamed': Richard Land rebukes Pres. Biden's Afghanistan handling, laments 'shameful' situation

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Richard Land, executive editor of The Christian Post and the former president of the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, isnt mincing words when it comes to President Joe Bidens handling of the Afghanistan crisis.

Land told The Christian Post Podcast that the chaos resulting from the U.S.-led pullout from Afghanistan has left him feeling pain, anguish, embarrassment and humiliation.

Listen to Land break down his take on Afghanistan and what he believes Afghans lives will once again look like under the Taliban:

As an American, I dont like feeling ashamed of my country, but Im ashamed of the way weve behaved in the last two weeks, he said. Its been shameful.

Land called Biden incompetent and said the president has made a series of major errors on the international relations front.

[Bidens] gotten it about as spectacularly wrong as you can get it, Land said. His behavior internationally is just as shameful as his behavior is on the southern border.

Listen to more Christian podcasts today on the Edifi app. And be sure to subscribe to the Christian Post Podcast on your favorite platforms:
Judge orders Biden to restart Remain in Mexico policy 9 in 10 asylum claims from Northern Triangle countries found to be without merit, ruling says

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A federal judge has directed the Biden administration to restart President Trumps Remain in Mexico policy, which dealt with a surge in illegal immigration by requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for their court hearings in the United States.

In a 53-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, said the Department of Homeland Security failed to consider several critical factors before scrapping the Remain in Mexico policy.

President Joe Biden reversed many Trump-era immigration policies, including Remain in Mexico, on his first day in office on Jan. 20 and halted construction on the border wall. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas formally ended Remain in Mexico on June 1 of this year.

Many Republicans blame the Biden administrations border policies for the massive increase in the number of immigrants crossing the southern border that's overwhelming U.S. border agents and area towns and cities.

Mayor Javier Villalobos of McAllen, Texas, said the city is running out of money and has been forced to issue an emergency disaster declaration.

The declaration warned that U.S. Customs and Border Protection "is releasing an alarmingly substantial number of immigrants into the City, including [thousands of] individuals that are positive for COVID-19."

The judge's ruling came Friday in a lawsuit filed by the states of Texas and Missouri, which said the discontinuation of the policy had aggravated the situation at the border and was leading to criminals slipping into the U.S.

One of the factors the Biden administration failed to consider was how some immigrants with asylum claims that lacked merit had started returning home voluntarily due to Trumps program, the judge said.

Mayorkas sent a memorandum to top immigration officials in June, saying the department reviewed the policy and determined that it does not adequately or sustainably enhance border management in such a way as to justify the programs extensive operational burdens and other shortfalls.

Referring to the memo, the judge wrote: At the very least, the Secretary was required to show a reasoned decision for discounting the benefits of MPP (Migration Protection Protocols). Instead, the June 1 Memorandum does not address the problems created by false claims of asylum or how MPP addressed those problems. Likewise, it does not address the fact that DHS previously found that approximately 9 out of 10 asylum claims from Northern Triangle countries are ultimately found non-meritorious by federal immigration judges, and that MPP discouraged such aliens from traveling and attempting to cross the border in the first place.

This decision is a win for America and an indictment of this administrations reckless immigration policies, Dale Wilcox, executive director of the Immigration Reform Law Institute, which had filed briefs backing Texas and Missouri in the lawsuit, said, The Washington Times reported.

According to numbers released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, over 188,000 border enforcement encounters took place in June. Before the pandemic last June, there were over 104,000 border enforcement encounters. The year 2021 has seen the highest number of unlawful border crossings in over 20 years.

Mayorkas finally admitted in July  when over 212,000 migrant apprehensions were made along the Mexican border  that there was unprecedented illegal activity.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who was tapped to be the border czar, has been criticized by Republicans for not being proactive in response to the border, and instead focusing her efforts on what she considers root causes in the countries of origin.
With higher levels of education and declining religiosity, most Americans now accept evolution: study

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With increased exposure to college-level education and declining levels of religious belief, a majority of Americans now believe in evolution after nearly two decades of being nearly evenly split on the issue, according to a new study.

"The theory of evolution is based on the idea that all species are related and gradually change over time. Evolution relies on genetic variation in a population which affects the physical characteristics of an organism. Some of these characteristics might give the individual an advantage over other individuals which they can then pass on to their offspring," Your Genome explains.

The new study, "Public acceptance of evolution in the United States, 19852020," authored by University of Michigan researchers Jon D. Miller, Mark S. Ackerman and Eugenie C. Scott of the National Center for Science Education, was published this month in the journal Public Understanding of Science.

Analyzing data from a series of national surveys, including from the National Science Board and a series focused on adult civic literacy funded by NASA published over the last 35 years, the researchers found that "increasing enrollment in baccalaureate-level programs, exposure to college-level science courses, a declining level of religious fundamentalism, and a rising level of civic scientific literacy are responsible for the increased level of public acceptance."

From 1985 to 2010, there was a statistical dead heat between acceptance and rejection of evolution, Miller, the lead researcher from the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, said in a press release. But acceptance then surged, becoming the majority position in 2016.

The national samples of U.S. adults were asked to agree or disagree with the statement: Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals.

Data show that Americans were evenly divided on the question of evolution from 1985 to 2007. Over the last decade, until 2019, however, the percentage of American adults who agreed with the statement increased from 40% to 54%.

Almost twice as many Americans held a college degree in 2018 as in 1988, Ackerman, a researcher at Michigan Engineering, the U-M School of Information and Michigan Medicine explained. Its hard to earn a college degree without acquiring at least a little respect for the success of science.

Religious fundamentalism was identified in the study as the strongest factor leading Americans to reject evolution. Even though the population of Americans who identify as fundamentalists declined in the last decade, some 30% of Americans remain committed to their beliefs.

According to the study even those who scored highest on the scale of religious fundamentalism shifted toward acceptance of evolution, rising from 8% in 1988 to 32% in 2019.

Such beliefs are not only tenacious but also, increasingly, politicized, Miller said in a release from the University of Michigan.

Some 34% of conservative Republicans accepted evolution compared to 83% of Democrats as of 2019, data show.

In 2019, a study from the Pew Research Center showed that only 65% of Americans now identify as Christian while those who identify as religiously unaffiliated  a group which includes atheists, agnostics and people who dont identify with any religion  swelled to 26% of the population. The drop in the number of Americans identifying as Christian reflected a 12% decline when compared to the general population 10 years earlier. The decline was visible across multiple demographics but particularly among young adults.
Strategic incompetence in the fall of Afghanistan

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Like many Afghan War Veterans, I have watched the rapid Taliban seizure of Afghanistan with much deep emotion. I left my wife and three young children for a 15-month combat mobilization as an Infantry officer adviser to Afghan National Security forces fighting the Taliban. I was fully prepared to give my life, as with the other veterans who served there. Some did not return, and many returned with wounds seen and unseen. During my time there primarily as the Senior US military adviser to Helmand Province, many of our Afghan allies were killed or wounded. To now see the Taliban sweep into the places I served, and seize the capital within weeks, I cannot remain silent. I do not believe this had to happen, and the Biden Administration made some catastrophic mistakes. Let me explain.

First, the Taliban followed a seasonal pattern of fighting throughout the war in Afghanistan. They primarily fought from late April with what we called the Taliban Spring/Summer Offensive, to peak fighting by August and tapering until around late October. They dont completely stop fighting, but during the late Fall and Winter the Taliban pull back to Pakistan or go quiet in remote locations. In a criminal lack of judgment, Joe Biden announced and began the unilateral American withdrawal at the start of the fighting season in April. Even worse, Biden planned the complete pullout during the height of the Taliban offensive in August. This meant that the most substantial change of the war, the removal of the critical American support, was made at the height of the Taliban surge.

What should have happened was a conditions-based plan to withdraw US forces during the Winter. The withdrawal should have been complete by the start of the Taliban Spring offense (Trump set a date of May 1). Additionally, the Afghan National Security Forces should have been set up for success to fight without the support they relied upon for two decades. We should have kept a few thousand Americans in place during the first fighting season on standby, and those to be withdrawn the next non-fighting season. Those Americans would allow the Afghans to completely and solely execute the fight, though with access to air support. Those Americans would also ensure American equipment did not fall into the hands of the Taliban.

We should not have withdrawn from Bagram Air Base until the absolute end of American presence, and yet withdraw early on. Reason: The Kabul Airport is unique in being in the middle of the city, and therefore vulnerable to being overrun by refugees if the Taliban came toward Kabul. It is also in a vulnerable position due to the terrain allowing it to come under indirect artillery and direct fire from high ground. It has limited runway capability, which could easily be put out of commission. Bagram was only 40 miles away and in a secure location with multiple runways. Bagram would have allowed support to the Kabul Airport, including ferrying people by helicopters back to Bagram. Instead, the Kabul Airport appears to be overwhelmed with refugees and our troops and Embassy staff in a vulnerable position near the Taliban. Additionally, we kept thousands of terrorist prisoners at Bagram, which were released when we left Bagram. Those fighters have helped take Kabul and pose a threat to the US.

Another mistake was in not developing a conditions-based plan which relied on the threat of punishing the Taliban if they violated conditions set. That punishment would have included massive airstrikes against Taliban formations and the targeting of Taliban leadership. Instead, the Taliban are creating havoc in their advance, murdering surrendering commando troops, murdering pilots, murdering civilians associated with helping Americans. We should not be tolerating this travesty of human rights. It will only get worse, and we will be forced to watch and suffer humiliation. We knew the Taliban was a criminal organization, and should have been ready to prevent this catastrophe.

As a result of the mistakes, we all face a heightened terrorist threat. A reason I volunteered for Operation Enduring Freedom was due to the terror emanating from Afghanistan on September 11, 2001. Thats why most of us sacrificed in Afghanistan, with many giving their lives. The Taliban will likely allow terror groups to again operate and plan attacks against America. Now, they will have China as an ally to help fend off Americans coming back.

This catastrophe demands accountability, starting with the Biden Administration. After Americans withdrew from Vietnam, South Vietnam held out for over two years before falling. Afghanistan has fallen within weeks, due to incompetence. Interestingly, then Senator Joe Biden voted against providing South Vietnam promised support before Saigon Fell. He has learned nothing, and created a much worse situation with this lack of judgment. America and her allies deserve much better.
Pentagon confirms Americans have been beaten by Taliban fighters en route to Kabul airport

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Americans have been beaten by the Taliban while attempting to reach the U.S.-held airport in Kabul, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said during a Defense Department briefing held after U.S. citizens were told Saturday not to travel to the airport due to security threats.

We know of cases, a small number that we know of," Kirby said at the briefing. "We don't have perfect visibility, but we know of a small number of cases where some Americans and certainly, as [Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin] also said in that statement, Afghans  Afghans that we want to evacuate, it wasn't just Americans that he talked about  have been harassed and in some cases beaten. We don't believe it is a very large number. And a matter of fact, the numbers would indicate ... that ... by and large, most Americans who have their credentials with them are being allowed through the Taliban checkpoints and ... into the gate and onto the airfield.

"We are aware of sporadic cases where they aren't being allowed, where there is some harassment going on, and yes, some physical violence has occurred" within the last week.

"What appears to be happening is that not every Taliban fighter either got the word or decided to obey the word [to allow Americans to get to the airport]," he added.

U.S. Army Major General Hank Taylor also provided updated numbers on evacuations, saying that among the 17,000 evacuated this week, 2,500 were Americans.

On Friday, minutes after President Joe Biden said the U.S. wasnt aware Americans were being harassed or assaulted by the Taliban at checkpoints in Afghanistan, the defense secretary and a spokesman for the Department of Defense said U.S. citizens trying to leave that country had been beaten by militants.

The president said the U.S. government "doesn't have the exact number" of Americans who are in Afghanistan or where they're located and is working to "verify" their whereabouts.

During a briefing call with House members Friday, Austin said the reports of Taliban beating Americans on their way to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistans capital city of Kabul was unacceptable, Politico reported, based on several people who participated in the briefing and other top officials.

Were also aware that some people, including Americans, have been harassed and even beaten by the Taliban, Austin was quoted as saying by multiple sources.

This is unacceptable and (we) made it clear to the designated Taliban leader, Austin added.  With the exception of those cases, we continue to see Americans and appropriately credentialed Afghans continue to move through.

During the briefing call, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., called the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan an enormous mistake, Politico reported.

Kirby had also acknowledged the harassment of Americans in Afghanistan on Friday.

Were certainly mindful of these reports and theyre deeply troubling, and we have communicated to the Taliban that thats absolutely unacceptable, that we want free passage through their checkpoints for documented Americans, Kirby was quoted as saying by The Epoch Times.

Earlier on Friday, Biden said during a press conference, we have no indication that Americans seeking to flee the country have been unable to safely reach the airport in Kabul.

Weve made an agreement with the Taliban, the president continued, answering a question. Theyve allowed them to go through. Its in their interests to let them go through. We know of no circumstance where American citizens are carrying an American passport, are trying to get through to the airport. But we will do whatever needs to be done to see to it that they get to the airport.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul had sent out a security alert published online, noting that the U.S. cannot ensure safe passage to the Hamid Karzai International Airport."

Following the drawing down of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the Taliban quickly seized control of much of the country, eventually taking the capital Kabul and forcing the government to flee.

In response to the unexpected speed at which they retook the nation, tens of thousands of Americans, Afghan allies, and others have desperately tried to leave the country.

The Rev. Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritans Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, has called for a day of prayer for the people of Afghanistan on Sunday.

There is no hope for these people to get out safely  apart from a miracle from the hand of God  and thats what we need to pray for, Graham said in a statement.

A return to Taliban rule for Afghanistan has led many to express concern over the treatment of women, as well as religious minorities, such as the small Christianity community.

On the website of the missionary group Frontier Alliance International, an anonymous pastor posted a statement saying the Taliban was already cracking down on Christians.

The Taliban has a hit list of known Christians they are targeting to pursue and kill. The U.S. Embassy is defunct and there is no longer a safe place for believers to take refuge, said Pastor X.

All borders to neighboring countries are closed and all flights to and from have been halted, with the exception of private planes. People are fleeing into the mountains looking for asylum. They are fully reliant on God, who is the only One who can and will protect them.

Melissa Barnhart contributed to this report
Biden says priority is evacuating US citizens out of Afghanistan, but much 'could still go wrong'

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President Joe Biden said Sunday that his administrations first priority is getting American citizens out of Afghanistan as quickly and as safely as possible but added that there is still a long way to go and a lot could still go wrong.

Our first priority in Kabul is getting American citizens out of the country as quickly and as safely as possible, Biden said Sunday afternoon in remarks from the Roosevelt Room at the White House.

Biden continued that at his direction, the State Department continues to reach out to the remaining Americans we have identified by phone, email and other means to ascertain their whereabouts and their plans.

It's been estimated that as many as 10,000 to 15,000 Americans have yet to be evacuated from Afghanistan.

He said his administration is executing a plan to move groups of these Americans to safety and to safely and effectively move them to the airport compound.  Any American who wants to get home will get home.

We are proving that we can move thousands of people a day out of Kabul, ... we have a long way to go and a lot could still go wrong, he said, regarding evacuating Americans and Afghan allies.

Asked if he will extend the Aug. 31 deadline for removing all troops from Afghanistan, Biden responded, Theres discussions going on among us and the military about extending."

"Our hope is we will not have to extend, but there are going to be discussions, I suspect, on how far along we are in the process," he said.

The U.K. Times reports that British foreign secretary Dominic Raab and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace have also requested that the Biden administration extend its deadline.

The president also assured that all evacuated Afghan allies will be given a home in the United States after they are screened and vetted at bases in other countries.

We will welcome these Afghans who have helped us in the war effort over the last 20 years to their new home in the United States of America," Biden said. "Because thats who we are. Thats what America is.

The first groups of Afghan evacuees arrived at Dulles International Airport Saturday, one week after the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan.

At a Defense Department briefing at the Pentagon Saturday, Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor told reporters that three flights carrying Afghan evacuees had landed at Dulles in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. Those evacuees will be transitioned to Fort Bliss in Texas for further processing.

Biden said in an interview with ABC News last week that as many as 65,000 Afghans might be evacuated.

U.S. governors have said they would be willing to take in Afghan evacuees.

We are eager to continue that practice and assist with the resettlement of individuals and families fleeing Afghanistan, especially those who valiantly helped U.S. troops, diplomats, journalists and other civilians over the past 20 years, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said in a statement.

In a little over 30 hours this past weekend, about 11,000 people were evacuated.

That number will change day-to-day as the air and ground operations in Kabul vary, Biden said Sunday.

Biden said the administration is also working to move our Afghan allies, who stood with us side by side, and other vulnerable Afghans such as women leaders and journalists, out of the country.

As of this morning (Sunday), we have evacuated nearly 28,000 people since August the 14th, on both U.S. and coalition aircraft, including civilian charters, bringing the total number of people we have evacuated since July to approximately 33,000 persons," he said.

The situation at the U.S.-held airport in Kabul continues to be chaotic and dangerous, however, with the Taliban surrounding the entire perimeter.

The U.K. Ministry of Defense said in a statement earlier on Sunday that seven Afghan civilians were crushed to death outside the airport as crowds attempted to board evacuation planes.

Conditions on the ground remain extremely challenging but we are doing everything we can to manage the situation as safely and securely as possible, the ministry stated, according to Deutsche Welle, which reported Taliban fighters also sparked panic by firing into the air to control the crowd.

U.S. citizens in Afghanistan were told Saturday not to travel to the Kabul airport due to security threats. The Journal Gazette said potential Islamic State threats against Americans forced the U.S. military to develop new ways to get evacuees to the airport.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby confirmed during the Defense Department briefing on Saturday that Americans had been beaten by the Taliban while attempting to reach the airport.

We are aware of sporadic cases where they aren't being allowed, where there is some harassment going on, and yes, some physical violence has occurred within the last week, Kirby said. What appears to be happening is that not every Taliban fighter either got the word or decided not to obey the word [to allow Americans to get to the airport].

Following the drawing down of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the Taliban quickly seized control of much of the country, eventually taking the capital Kabul and forcing the government to flee.

In response to the unexpected speed at which they retook the nation, tens of thousands of Americans, Afghan allies, and others have desperately tried to leave the country.

A return to Taliban rule for Afghanistan has led many to express concern over the treatment of women, as well as religious minorities, such as the small Christianity community.
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America fought two fierce conflicts, World War II and the Cold War, to secure freedom and prosperity, and to make possible a world in which people could pursue their own happiness.



But any venue for life requires some framework, and the real framework of American society  belief in God, Judeo-Christian morality, and constitutional liberalism  was tacitly discarded by American elites and much of the popular culture in the 20th century. A new commitment to self-actualization replaced it, at least on the part of the leading institutions of society. A culture war rages with that part of the populace which does not accept this.

An earlier article by this writer quoted Christian apologist Douglas Groothuis saying that, the law is based on some view of reality; all law is an enactment of some moral vision. The old view of reality held that it consisted of God and his creation, which included man created in the image of God. And the same divine revelation which discloses man in the image of God also discloses that man is male and female, and what their relations and basic social relations among human beings should be."

The new view of reality arguably consists of materialism (only physical reality considered to be objective) and expressive individualism to account for subjective reality. The personhood theory referred to by worldview commentator and author Nancy Pearcey in the linked article concerning expressive individualism might be understood as similar to philosopher David Humes bundle theory  that the self is a bundle of sensations. Add desires to this, and we would seem to have something very similar to personhood theory.

Reformed theologian Carl Trueman has lucidly outlined in his 2020 book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, how this self-defined and always changeable self has become the accepted true self, recognized in law and society as possessing the freedom and equality formerly ascribed to human beings who were held to have a fixed nature. The inconsistency in law and society which necessarily arises from a self-defined and ever changeable self should be obvious.

But the passion behind the drive for liberation will mean that these inconsistencies will have to become glaringly apparent before the irrationality of the self-defined self can be repudiated. Of course the doctrine of moral autonomy behind self-definition can be made to work according to the sensibilities of those in power. But Christians and others committed to living in truth must continually point out the problems, knowing they will be suppressed and ignored as far as our woke institutions are able.

Because the true self is held to be self-defined, a persons sex, now called a gender, is self-defined, and there are at least as many potential genders as there are individuals. But even this does not describe the true situation. Potential genders are not limited to the number of individuals in a society, but could refer to each and every emotional state of each and every individual over the course of their lives.

The great controversy in our day, of course, is the attempt to make this subjective reality an antidiscrimination category. In 2015, as debate over religious freedom and LGBT liberation began to rage in earnest, social conservative philosopher Ryan Anderson explained why it is wrong to make an antidiscrimination category out of the life someone leads:

Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed that his children would be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. A persons character is expressed in his voluntary actions, and it is reasonable to make judgments about those actions. Race implies nothing about ones actions. But in practice, sexual orientation and gender identity terms are frequently used in reference to a persons actions.

People have equal freedom and dignity because of who they are  specifically human beings  not because of the lives that they lead. Homosexual and transgender identifying people have dignity as human beings, but not as homosexual or transgender identifying persons. To argue that people have freedom and dignity because of the lives they lead would make all crimes legal, and result in chaos and barbarism.

An excellent example of the barbarism and confusion that results from making peoples subjective realities into unassailable truths and demanding justice on that basis was a widely noted panel of leftist feminists who appeared at the Heritage Foundation in early 2019 in connection with the dangers of the proposed Equality Act. One of the panelists, Julia Beck, was a lesbian expelled from Baltimores LGTBQ Commission. Along with pointing out such inanities as a biological male identifying as a woman (i.e., a transgender woman) raping female prisoners at a womens prison, or the commissions head claiming to be lesbian while in fact a biological male, she observed, how can we be homosexual if sex is fake?

This is a good question, but homosexuality itself, while necessarily referring to biological reality, nevertheless depends on what is happening in subjective reality, not physical reality. Significantly, the Heritage presentation was attacked by the mainstream media (NBC), which staggeringly and alarmingly, like much of the American establishment, is signed on to irrationality as the only decent and rational way to think.

A recent commentary by Southern Baptist Seminary President Albert Mohler pointed to the instability and unsustainability of the moral revolution in the controversy over old and new pride flags for the LGBT movement. A new transgender flag was felt necessary to be expressive of transgenderism rather than the earlier rainbow flag, and now black and brown are being considered in view of the current focus on race. Race is indeed immutable, but status as an oppressed category demanding our attention is not.

Mohler points to the use of two words by the moral revolutionaries  transgressive and erase. To be transgressive, to step over rules and boundaries in the pursuit of self-actualization, is held to be something positive, while denying the propriety of an identity based on such transgression is held to erase peoples very existence.

But the very idea that being transgressive is a good thing is sinful; it is an attack on Gods sovereignty, and a revolt against reality in the name of self-assertion. Multiple pride flags and the ever-changing LGBT initialism show the inherent instability of the pure self-assertion of the moral revolution. Mohler correctly notes the critical use of the word erase by identity politics  mere self-assertion is equated with existence; to deny someones self assertion is to deny their existence.

But in fact the self-defining person is really a human being; his or her existence is not at all denied by denying what they assert about themselves. It is transgressive identities which are erasing real identities (most notably, that of man and woman) in common understanding. No ones existence is denied by denying the objective reality of identities which are rooted in self-will, and which contradict human nature as embodied male or female selves. Rooted as it is in pure self-assertion, the gospel of moral autonomy necessarily tends toward tyranny and violence.

Mohler also notes that according to the doctrine of the moral revolution, society is obliged to recognize new previously unheard of identities as they are claimed against previous understandings, and confess that these new identities were oppressed. Common sense will resist this, but it is the claim of humiliation which gives identity politics its power, and overcoming common sense. Nevertheless, where truth and reality are denied, humiliation is just, and treating untruth as if it were truth will be destructive of life.

Incisively, Mohler observed that:

Once you start a revolution against creation, a revolution against Gods law, a revolution against the family, and the basic building blocks of society, a revolution against gender [i.e., natural sex], then guess what? Youre never going to have enough flags. Youre never going to have enough colors. Youre never going to have enough patterns. Youre going to be erasing somebody, or denying somebodys existence, because if you define yourself in that way, well, youre going to need a flag for yourself, maybe a flag for just about every day.

Intersectionality, which attempts to make identity politics coherent by overlapping various oppressions, is an ideology that falls in on itself, Mohler said. New identities tend to cancel out old ones. Identity politics is in fact a denial of human dignity and the fact that our primary identity is as creatures of a holy God who made us in his image, and made us male or female. For Christians, our identity eternally is in Christ. If we surrender that high ground, you are surrendering into absolute chaos.

The attempt to accommodate moral autonomy in law dissolves law. The older idea of liberty in law assumed human nature, and it is that nature that identity ideology denies. What replaces human nature is a cry of oppression, in which whoever can scream the loudest prevails. Whatever standard stands in the way of the hopes and dreams of some group is held to be oppressive.

Although the sexual revolution is destroying sex, and offers no prospect of permanent norms (even norms that are not compatible with Christianity), it is not to be expected that it will run out of energy, and some kind of normalcy based on reality will follow. Common sense would suggest that a culture based on transgression and deviance cannot survive on its own. But rapidly developing technology may also mean that there will be a continual rapid change in the conditions of life.



It may be that the revolution can continue for as long as anger holds out, and the perennial rehearsal of past grievances will ensure that it does hold out. Faithful Christians can only pray, follow a biblically informed conscience, and use prudence in dealing with this difficult situation for the long term, knowing that God is Lord of all things, and however the world develops in our lifetimes, or many years following, His will, revealed in Scripture, will prevail in the end.

Originally published at Juicy Ecumenism.

Rick Plasterer is a staff writer for IRD concerned particularly with domestic religious liberty. He attended Eastern Mennonite College (now University) receiving a B.A. degree in history and sociology, and an M.S. in library science from Drexel University.
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Culture eats strategy for breakfast. That famous line, attributed to Peter Drucker, is ringing true now more than ever. Its a lesson I didnt understand early in my career, and it cost me dearly. Its the backbone of how Ive tried to build my team in the second half of my career.

I dont have culture totally figured out, but I am clear on this: Culture wins.

Strategy is great. Having talented people is a must. But the real team wins when culture is working.

When culture is bad, no matter how talented the team or great the strategy, a team will never reach its potential. Because whether good or bad, culture is the trump card that determines your teams outcome. During my early years, in a different life, I had an incredibly talented team with a good strategy and a bad culture  which was largely my fault. It didnt go well. Why? Because culture always wins.

Ill never forget the first time I hired someone and felt good about it. We shook hands over a cup of coffee, and I walked away from that hire knowing I had made the right decision for my company. More importantly, I had made the right decision for my new employee. I knew hed be happy working at my church-staffing company, Vanderbloemen Search Group.

Hiring people with the right skills has always been important to me, but it took me years to realize that, as a business owner, hiring people who would be happy working for my company was just as important  perhaps even more important. A good cultural fit between my company and the people who worked there didnt only improve their quality of life, but it also affected my business.

Earlier in my career, I didnt understand how important culture was to an organizations success. At 31 years old, I was the senior minister at the First Presbyterian Church in Houston. Sam Houston, the man who brought Texas into the United States in the 19th century, went to that church. Close to 5,000 adults and about 2,000 of their kids called First Presbyterian home. There was a school, a preschool, and hundreds of employees. It was a big church, and while I was there, the attendance grew a little and the median donor age dropped.



I wish I had known then what I know now about the importance of culture in any organization. A lot of the staff left while I was the senior minister. In hindsight, I know it was because we didnt have a great culture. Worse, I know now that I was the pacesetter for that culture.

I ended up leaving the First Presbyterian Church of Houston and went to work in the corporate world for a few years before starting my own company. Hiring one person at a time, I put a lot of thought into whom I was surrounding myself with, and whom Id be trusting with my clients. We grew organically, one hire at a time, and I slowly built a business staffed by employees who didnt just like the work but also liked working together. A culture was developing within my business, and it was the kind of culture that benefitted my employees, my clients, and me.

I Got a surprise

One by one, I added more people to Vanderbloemen Search Group until we had grown to a legitimate business with a Houston office, a few dozen employees, and more than a hundred clients. In 2015, I was traveling for work and staying in a hotel in Baltimore when I received a phone call. It was someone from Entrepreneur magazine. I knew the people at my company had taken some kind of survey, and the call was about the results of the survey.

Turns out, we won best company culture in the whole country.

I was stunned. According to what the man told me, my little business didnt win the award for best culture at companies just in the city of Houston or the state of Texas, or all faith-based organizations; we were selected from all the businesses in America. I thought for sure an award like that would go to a high-tech firm in Silicon Valley, a place with Ping-Pong tables and all-you-can-eat buffets for the employees.

After that, we won more awards and landed on more lists, including Entrepreneurs Top 5 Company Culture, in 2015 and 2016, and Houston Business Journals Best Places to Work, in 2015 and 2016.

At first, I found it hard to believe we were being recognized nationally for something I had unintentionally stumbled upon: building an irresistible workplace. Those awards represented whats possible when you realize there are many priorities to consider in building a successful company, but above all else  more than profits, more than process, and even more than people  culture wins.
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In a landmark judgment in 2017, the Supreme Court of India recognized the right to privacy as a fundamental right of every Indian citizen. This essential human right extends to every citizen in the world, and should be protected by all governments. Naturally, it ought to be recognized as an indispensable democratic value.

In the famous story of creation, God covered Adam and Eve with animal skins. His act illustrated that humans were not meant to live naked and exposed. God provided clothing to protect the privacy of both the body and the person.

Yet with the growth of human civilization, and now with advanced technology, this basic right is often greatly impaired. It is dehumanizing when some of Indias low caste and poor have to bathe semi-naked in public in crowded slums and villages. Thankfully, Indias Prime Minister Modi made a singular achievement in preserving human privacy and dignity by building hundreds of thousands of toilets across India in the Clean India campaign.

Unfortunately, most governments today ascribe to themselves god-like powers, attempting to know the private lives of all citizens. But when privacy is violated, free will is jeopardized. God knows all, yet does not violate our free will.

Governments around the world, including my own Indian government, stand accused of technological snooping on societal leadersspecifically, using Pegasus software. Pegasus is sold only to governments, not individuals, which in itself implies a layer of power that is assumed by the State. Pegasus stated goal is to save lives. Its founders claim the intention to catch criminals, terrorists, drug traffickers, and human traffickers, not to destroy the lives of civil society leaders, activists, or political opponents. Now, they propose the need for a global cyber security body that monitors the misuse of this spreading technology. The free world must demand the cessation of free-wheeling snooping before its too late to shut pandoras box.

Journalists, politicians, and human rights activists are all principal targets of snooping. But its not just leaders. Anyone who uses a smartphone faces the specter of their essential human right to privacy being compromised. The kinds of information available to the state and big tech include our voice biometrics, spending habits, location, earnings, friendships, and private health details. On top of this, software can easily infect our mobile phones and harvest the rest of our information.

Right now, the right to privacy is treated as dispensable by those who can profit from it, or use it in the name of national security. The snooping state has been especially a growing problem ever since individual rights were compromised in order to keep citizens safe during President Bushs war on terror.

National security is an all-encompassing umbrella often used to justify illegal activities against free people. The infamous Edward Snowden rightly stated that todays cache of 50,000 persons of interest telephone numbers will become tomorrows 50 million. Whats more, in America the FBI has been caught illegally snooping on those who dont subscribe to the political ideology of those with power in the bureau.

The misuse of power to gather, collect, and interpret the personal information of its citizens is a grave breach of trust as is big techs use of sophisticated algorithms to monitor individuals for commercial purposes.

There is nothing neutral about the state nor big tech. Neither are inanimate entities. In democracies, the State has a contract with the people who have voted those leaders into power. When the upholding of fundamental rights is violated, the states legitimacy no longer exists.

India Supreme Court Justice D. Y. Chandrachud was one of the justices who unanimously upheld the right to privacy as a fundamental right. He grounded the right to privacy in dignity, liberty, autonomy, bodily and mental integrity, self-determination and across a spectrum of protected rights. Chandrachud declared, Dignity cannot exist without privacy. Privacy is the ultimate expression of the sanctity of the individual. It is a constitutional value which straddles across the spectrum of fundamental rights and protects for the individual a zone of choice and self-determination.

Without the right and protection of our personal space, our private thoughts, our conversations, and our personal family life, we will suffer a gradual death socially and creativelyboth of which are tied to the individual God-given freedoms of thought and expression.

Will governments continue to violate our sacrosanct democratic values with impunity? They will if we dont push leaders around the world to permanently enshrine the intrinsic human right to privacy in the rule of law. The U.S. Congress needs to pass laws to ensure we dont end up under a digital dictatorship. They are often the first mover on these issues, and if they take action Im confident that other nations will follow suit. For the wellbeing of individual people, and for nations and civilizations to flourish, illegal snooping must end.
2 Catholic nuns shot, killed in one of the worlds deadliest places

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Gunmen shot and killed two Catholic nuns while they were traveling on a highway in South Sudan, which is one of the worlds deadliest places to be an aid worker.

While five other sisters survived the attack, two men were also killed.

Sisters Mary Daniel Abud and Regina Roba from the Sisters of the Sacred Heart in the Archdiocese of Juba were buried at the St. Theresa Cathedral on Friday, UCA News reported.

Abud, head teacher at the Usratuna school in Juba, and Roba, a tutor and administrator at the Catholic Health Training Institute in South Sudans Wau Diocese, were among seven nuns who were attacked along a highway in South Sudan on Monday as they were returning home to Juba after attending the centenary celebrations at a parish in the eastern Diocese of Torit.

The gunmen, who have not been identified, followed the nuns to the bushes where they hid. They first shot Abud, who was lying down, and then shot Roba in the back as she ran away.

A male driver and another man were also killed. Another man, who was driving a motorcycle taxi, was also killed in an accident as he was fleeing the attack, according to Catholic News Agency.

Pope Francis sent his condolences.

Trusting that their sacrifice will advance the cause of peace, reconciliation and security in the region, His Holiness prays for their eternal rest and the comfort of those who grieve their loss, a telegram, signed by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said, according to CNA.

A believer in South Sudan was quoted by Mission News Network as saying that Islam was invading South Sudan. Theyre saying South Sudan is a strategic place and that [it] will be the gate to Africa [so that] Islam can go to all of Africa.

Islamic leaders are mobilizing money from different Islamic countries and theyre sending them to South Sudan, the source said.

When South Sudan became a nation 10 years ago, many believers fled persecution in majority-Muslim Sudan to find safety in the South. And until recently, South Sudan had seen improvements in its religious and political atmosphere.

After a visit to that country last February, the then chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Tony Perkins, had expressed optimism.

We are grateful to Prime Minister Hamdok and other members of the countrys bold transitional leadership who met with USCIRF to convey their explicit desire to bring a new era of openness and inclusivity to their country that suffered for 30 years under brutal and autocratic religious repression, he said, according to Crux.

At the same time, we understand that the countrys challenges are deeply-rooted, and we urge the leadership to move quickly to turn that optimism into tangible and meaningful reforms for all people across Sudan, such as acting to formally repeal Article 126 of the 1991 penal code, which outlaws apostasy, he added.

In a recent report, CARE International said that South Sudan, alongside Afghanistan, is one of the deadliest places to be an aid worker.

Ten years on from independence, South Sudan is facing its worst humanitarian crisis ever, Rosalind Crowther, CARE South Sudan Country director, said. At the same time, the safety and security of aid workers has seen a concerning deterioration. There was an alarming increase in aid workers attacked and killed, and aid supplies stolen in 2020, which has continued into 2021. A failure to ensure that humanitarians are protected will lead to unavoidable suspension or disruption of lifesaving operations in critically affected areas.
Chinese authorities paying citizens to spy on neighbors, report illegal Christian activities

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China's communist regime has ordered citizens in the countrys northeastern region to spy on Christians and report any illegal religious activities, including preaching and religious house gatherings. Informants will be rewarded with $150 for each tip, according to a report.

The administration of the Meilisi Daur District in Heilongjiang Provinces Qiqihar city released a document titled, The Reward System For Reporting Illegal Religious Activities Offences, saying informants would be paid up to 1,000 yuan ($150), China Christian Daily reported.

Officials, it says, are looking for any information  through a phone call, email or letter  on unqualified religious personnel, unauthorized trans-regional activities, preaching and distribution of printed religious literature, audio-visual products outside places of worship, unauthorized donations or private house gatherings.

The objective, it adds, is to strengthen the control of illegal religious activities in the district, prevent any COVID-19 cluster resulting from religious gatherings, mobilize the public to engage in preventing, suppressing illegal religious activities, and ensure a harmonious and stable religious landscape.

The document was released this month by the Meilisi Daur District United Front Work Department of Qiqihar.

Similar reward systems were later introduced in Zibo citys Boshan District and Weihai Citys Shandong area.

Previously, such rewards have been offered in Fujian, Guangxi, Henan, Hebei and Liaoning.

While they do not specify which religion they are targeting, it is self-evident that house churches are being suppressed, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern commented.

Open Doors USA, which monitors persecution in over 60 countries, estimates that there are about 97 million Christians in China, a large percentage of whom worship in what China considers to be illegal and unregistered underground house churches.

According to recently-released reports, religious persecution in China intensified in 2020, with thousands of Christians affected by church closures and other human rights abuses.

Under the direction of President Xi Jinping, officials from the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, have been enforcing strict controls on religion, according to a report released in March by the U.S.-based group China Aid.

Authorities in China are also cracking down on Christianity by removing Bible apps and Christian WeChat public accounts as new highly restrictive administrative measures on religious staff went into effect this year.

China is ranked on Open Doors USAs World Watch List as one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to the persecution of Christians.

The U.S. State Department has also labeled China as a country of particular concern for continuing to engage in particularly severe violations of religious freedom.
Taliban going door-to-door searching for Christians, inspecting phones for Bible apps

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As the Taliban continue to gain control of Afghanistan following the pullout of U.S. troops, leaders of the underground Christian church are warning of the implications for religious minority groups in the country.

In a statement released Tuesday, the leader of the underground church ministering to Christians in Afghanistan and the founder of the nonprofit organization Global Catalytic Ministries, who goes by the alias Pastor X, provided a first-hand ground report on the situation in the country. The statement was shared by Frontier Alliance International, an organization committed to laying the foundations for the Gospel where there are none.

The Taliban has a hit list of known Christians they are targeting to pursue and kill. The U.S. Embassy is defunct and there is no longer a safe place for believers to take refuge," the statement reads.

All borders to neighboring countries are closed and all flights to and from have been halted, with the exception of private planes. People are fleeing into the mountains looking for asylum. They are fully reliant on God, who is the only One who can and will protect them.

The statement noted that the Taliban are going door-to-door taking women and children."

"The people must mark their house with an X if they have a girl over 12 years old, so that the Taliban can take them. If they find a young girl and the house was not marked, they will execute the entire family," the statement added. "If a married woman 25 years old or older has been found, the Taliban promptly kill her husband, do whatever they want to her, and then sell her as a sex slave.

Additionally, Pastor X stated that Husbands and fathers have given their wives and daughters guns and told them that when the Taliban come, they can choose to kill them or kill themselves  it is their choice.

In a statement released Tuesday and shared with The Christian Post, Rex Rogers, the president of the nonprofit Christian media ministry SAT-7, elaborated on the dangers faced by Christians.

Were hearing from reliable sources that the Taliban demand peoples phones, and if they find a downloaded Bible on your device, they will kill you immediately," Rogers said.

Its incredibly dangerous right now for Afghans to have anything Christian on their phones. The Taliban have spies and informants everywhere."

With the Taliban's takeover, SAT-7 reports that many Afghans have begun censoring themselves to avoid "retribution." In the first six months of 2021, SAT-7 PARS reported an increase in audience engagement from viewers in Afghanistan. SAT-7 PARS broadcasts two Dari programs targeting Afghan viewers titled "Window of Light" and "Secret of Life."

In an update Thursday, SAT-7 reported that an anonymous SAT-7 PARS viewer told the organization that Christians "are in real danger."

"Sadly, in the past two to three days, my family and I have received death threats," the viewer was quoted as saying. "In this emergency situation, I have no other way but to escape from the country."

Another viewer who came to Christ about a year ago told SAT-7 that the situation is "dreadful."

"My daughters life and my life are both in danger," the viewer was quoted as saying. "My daughter is 8 years old. She has no one else except me. It was so difficult to find a phone to contact you.

Joel Richardson, preacher and host of The Underground podcast, explained Monday that In the rural villages, what the Taliban is doing  especially if they know that the families are Christians, i.e., infidels, theyre taking the women who are  teens and younger and giving them away as prizes to Taliban fighters. According to Richardson, its not just Afghan Christians who find themselves in danger due to the Talibans resurgence.

The Taliban has also set its sights on Afghans who have demonstrated any allegiance to the U.S. over the past two decades. Tens of thousands of Afghanis who worked with the American military as translators, who were part of the government, many of them are being targeted, executed, he said.

As the Taliban gains ground in Afghanistan, leaders of Christian nonprofit agencies and pastors have called on Americans and the international community as a whole to pray for Christians in Afghanistan. Officials with faith-based refugee resettlement agencies have urged the U.S. government to admit tens of thousands of Afghan Christians and American-affiliated Afghans as refugees.

Although leaders of Christian organizations agree that Christians, other religious minorities and women will face much stronger persecution with the Taliban in control, they disagree about the degree of progress made in Afghanistan before the pullout of U.S. troops.

Pastor X lamented that "20 years of work and the strengthening of a nation being destroyed in a single day while World Evangelical Alliance Secretary General Bishop Thomas Schirrmacher stressed that we should not pretend as if everything was well in Afghanistan before the Taliban taking control of the country. Schirrmacher asserted that because the constitution of 2004 stated that Afghanistan is an Islamic republic with Islam as its state religion, religious minorities never fully received equal rights in the country.

With the Taliban on the march in Afghanistan, Global Catalytic Ministries has launched a war chest for Christians in Afghanistan that seeks to provide them with emergency funds and supplies to help them get to safety as well as food, water, shelter and other basic needs. The organization hopes to raise $500,000 for 1,500 families between now and Sept. 11, which marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that led the U.S. to become militarily involved in Afghanistan to combat al Qaeda.
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP)  Thousands of Indigenous people marched toward Brazils Supreme Court on Wednesday to pressure justices expected to issue a ruling with far-reaching implications for land rights.

Wearing feather headdresses and with their bodies painted, they sang and danced along their 5-kilometer (3-mile) route. The group, which has been camping all week in the capital behind the National Theater, is comprised of some 6,000 people from 173 ethnic groups across the country, according to Association of Brazils Indigenous Peoples, a rights group and one of the organizers.

Justices will be evaluating a lower court's ruling that invalidated a claim by some Indigenous people in Santa Catarina state to what they say is their ancestral territory. The lower court based its decision on allegations the group wasn't occupying the land in October 1988, when Brazils constitution was signed after the nations return to democracy, which the group denies.

The Indigenous people were frustrated that the court didn't start discussing the case Wednesday. The majority of justices have yet to vote on another contentious debate, regarding the constitutionality of the Brazilian central banks autonomy.

Protest organizers say the courts decision could be the ruling of the century, because negating the 1988 benchmark would force judges across the country to impose that understanding on similar pending cases, and also affect the fate of a related, controversial bill advancing in Congress.

President Jair Bolsonaro suggested Wednesday that overturning the lower court's ruling would prompt new requests to officially recognize hundreds of Indigenous territories.

His attorney general filed a request to the country's top court seeking to stop the Indigenous people from gathering, citing pandemic protocols that the president himself has repeatedly ignored. Justice Luis Roberto Barroso denied the request, saying he believed demonstrators were taking precautions.

Farming groups argue the 1988 cutoff date provides certainty regarding property law, but rights defenders say it ignores the fact many Indigenous people had been forcibly expelled from their lands, particularly during the military dictatorship, or may not have formal means to prove possession.

The criteria isnt functional for determining whether or not a territory was traditionally occupied because there are diverse contexts, diverse groups that for many reasons werent on their territories in 1988, said Samara Pataxo, a lawyer for the association.

Pi Surui, from the 7 de Setembro village in the Amazon rainforest state of Rondonia, said he had come to the capital to make clear that Indigenous territory is more than just land.

It is sacred, our history, our life, Surui, 23, said at the encampment. We have the right to grow our crops and sell our livestock, our fish, live sustainably. We are also adapting to the new times, balancing our needs and advances as human beings, but without losing our culture.

The Santa Catarina state government says the Indigenous people involved in the current court case invaded the land in 2009. The Xokleng people say the original extent of their territory was progressively diminished by encroaching agribusiness and that they never left the area.

Bolsonaro has repeatedly said Indigenous people control far too much land relative to their population  their territories cover 14% of Brazil, most in the Amazon  and has been outspoken about his desire to promote rural development.

Together with farm interests, he has argued that the 1988 cutoff had already been established by an earlier court ruling. Changing it now would create chaos, he said in a television interview on Wednesday.

If that happens, we will immediately have in front of us hundreds of new (Indigenous) areas to be demarcated, he told farming-focused station Canal Rural. In addition to the losses for the rural producer  many have family occupying that land for more than 100 years  those lands that today are productive could cease to be productive.

Some of the people marching on Wednesday held banners that read Bolsonaro Out and "Indigenous territory is life.

Jose Miguel Vivanco, executive secretary of Human Rights Watch for the Americas, took to Twitter to oppose the cutoff date, which he said large landholders and Bolsonaro allies are supporting in order to expel Indigenous people.

Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who often advocates for Indigenous and environmental causes, also spoke out against it on social media.

Separately, the lower house of Congresss Constitution and Justice Committee in June approved a bill that would officially establish Oct. 1988 as the reference date for Indigenous people seeking full protection of their territories to have been occupying the land. There are more than 200 such pending requests, mostly for small territories located outside the Amazon rainforest. The bill is awaiting a floor vote.

A court ruling upholding the 1988 date would add legal backing to that bill in Congress, said Pataxo, the lawyer. If the court strikes down the prior ruling, that would weaken the bills momentum by providing justification to challenge its constitutionality in the future.

Brazil has 421 officially recognized Indigenous territories that are home to 466,000 people, according to the nonprofit Socioenvironmental Institute.

At a Tuesday night vigil ahead of Wednesday's march, Indigenous people held lights and carried banners, one of which read: Our history doesn't begin in 1988. We have resisted for more than 12,000 years. ___ Associated Press writer Debora Alvares reported this story in Brasilia and AP writer David Biller reported from Rio de Janeiro.
Like many mothers, Alissa Gipson looked forward to the moment she could finally trust her son with a box of crayons. But when that day came, she was ultimately puzzled by her sons first color choice: Brown.

I was like, Brown? Why dont you try again? Pick a different color, and as I was saying this I realized I was teaching him that brown isnt a good color. That theres way better colors out there than brown. And suddenly it was like a light bulb for me: We teach our children without even realizing it that brown is not a desirable color, and we dont even understand why we do this until years down the road when kids are making fun of kids with brown skin. I had that experience growing up.

Alissa, 32, knew for years she wanted to start a childrens clothing business, but as a busy tax attorney and a mom to a 1-year-old son, she realized that this dream business would likely come to fruition closer to retirement age than in her early thirties. But then the events of 2020 happened: the murder of George Floyd, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, and a call for social justice and change across the U.S.

CKO Digital

During this time, Alissa and her husband Neimann Gipson, 33, also an attorney, reflected upon the responsibility they felt as parents and members of the Black community to impart change. And for them, it all came back to that moment when their son chose the color brown above all others. They wanted to teach him and other children that brown was something to proudly wear and to proudly be. So Alissa acted on her dream of opening a childrens clothing business, and decided it would be dedicated to featuring the color brown.

I wanted to celebrate brown, and not as an accent color, but as the focal color where everything is built around it, Alissa said.

For the companys name, Alissas mother, Hermione Lall, suggested the name Naseberry, after a Jamaican fruit that turns brown when its ripe. Lall was born and raised in Jamaica, and Alissa and Neimann were married there.

Other fruits are brown when theyre rotten and old, but a naseberry is brown when its ripe and ready to eat. Its the perfect embodiment of what we want the brand to portray, Alissa said.

CKO Digital

In creating Naseberrys debut collection, Alissa worked with a consulting firm in Austin to sample fabrics, create technical drawings and manage the relationship with the factory that produces Naseberrys products. The clothes, which feature sizes from 6 months to 5T, are made with 100% organic cotton and feature designs sketched and hand-drawn by both Alissa and her father, Gregory Lall. Though Neimann helps Alissa with Naseberry, he doesnt hold a formal position with the company.

Naseberrys first collection, which has eight brown-centric products including a fruit-illustrated polo, a soft swaddle and a pom-pom-lined frock, launched on Juneteenth this year.

It felt like an appropriate day, Neimann said.

CKO Digital

All orders are packaged and shipped by the couple, who said they have worked through the kinks many first-year businesses face.

We did pre-sale orders and had a backlog that we needed to send out, so when we received the clothing we decided to pack them on a Friday night. We started at 9 p.m. and were up past midnight trying to figure out the label maker, which broke so many times, she joked. But its been a great experience together.

Alissa is currently working on ideas for Naseberrys next collection, which should launch in spring 2022. She was hoping to do a holiday collection this year, but between COVID-19 and current shipping delays, she realized that the clothes would not arrive in time to fulfill orders.

Dr. Courtney Jacocks Chance, a general dentist in the Heights, said she chose to buy a Naseberry dress for her 22-month-old daughter not only because the fabric is organic, but also because it is from a mom-founded, Black-owned business.

CKO Digital

Given the fact that she started this business not only during a pandemic, but also during a sensitive time during the rise of Black Lives Matter, I think it speaks volumes to her character to start a business committed to something so meaningful and impactful, Chance said.

Heide Iravani, co-founder and CEO of Piccolina, a popular childrens clothing line, knows something about producing clothing with a purpose. Like the Gipsons, Iravani wanted children to understand that its okay to be an activist and stand up for social change at a young age. Thats why she and her team developed Piccolinas popular Trailblazer Collection, which features colorful illustrations of female activists, leaders and innovators like Rosa Parks, Malala Yousafzai, Harriet Tubman and Maria Montessori.

Courtesy of Piccolina

I started the company because at a fundamental level I realized that most of what was on the market for children from clothes to toys to media really undercut the values I wanted to instill in my children, Iravani said. Because of my own life experience of overcoming adversity through education and activism, I wanted to teach my children to lean into values of equality and leadership and civic participation, and I just wasnt seeing that message anywhere in kids products.

Though Naseberry isnt as big as Piccolina just yet, Alissa and Neimann are considering avenues to grow Naseberry, including the possibility of outside investors. For now, they are taking it one day at a time. What Neimann knows for sure, though, is that he and his wife are committed to raising their son to be proud of who he is and where he comes from.

We want to make sure he doesnt have to go through life not being able to truly identify and accept who he is as a Black man, Neimann said. We want him in an environment where he can be himself and where skin and hierarchy doesnt matter. Thats all a part of what the business is and what the mission is for us.

And as for Alissa, she said she now experiences immeasurable glee when her son chooses the color brown from both his closet and his coloring box:

Now I make sure to celebrate extra, like, Yes, brown is the best color! Keep choosing brown.
Even before the pandemic hit, it became clear to many that employees mental health needed to be more clearly addressed and cared for by their employers. And since the pandemic began, home and work lives have been even more tightly entwined, resulting in stress and burnout. So how can leaders be more mindful of employees' mental wellbeing and implement healthier cultures? For the latest Leadership Lessons episode, I was proud to enlist the counsel of arguably the best possible expert to answer these questions in a meaningful way: Headspaces brilliant CEO CeCe Morken.

Reaching 70 million users in 190 countries, Headspace was one of the first meditation apps in the world and remains a leader in mindfulness and mental training. The company also offers its products and services to more than 2,000 organizations to help them build healthier, more productive cultures and higher-performing businesses. Morken shared best practices with me on the topic as well as the most valuable leadership lessons from her 35-year-career building and growing organizations  from start-ups to global, publicly traded companies such as Intuit, where she spent 13 years of her work life as an executive.

Shes so brilliant and thoughtful that its no wonder the Headspace founders promoted her to the role of CEO within six months of her joining the company in April 2020 as president and COO.

Think about having the next generation be much more balanced than the rest of us are, Morken shared of her hopes for the future of mental health. That would be the most fulfilling impact that I could see. Here are 11 lessons from my conversation with this one-of-a-kind leader:

1. Mental health is a lifelong issue for all of us

Morken shared an alarming statistic that 46 percent of us will have a diagnosable mental health condition at some point during our lives. Even for those of us who are well-adjusted, we're still on the mental health continuum. The good news is there are huge opportunities for the growth of mental health benefits and healthcare provider channels in the workplace.

2. Taking time to slow down throughout the workday can lead to more productivity

Morken says Headspace offers many opportunities for its employees to center themselves. Examples of policies include two periods during the day where no meetings can be scheduled so that workers can take guided Headspace meditations or just choose to go for a walk, as well as taking five minutes before an all-hands meeting to meditate.

Related: How Supergoop! CEO Amanda Baldwin Uses Her Wall Street Experience & Brand Expertise to Create Value and Scale the Business Profitably

3. Find the right spot on the continuum between O focus and S focus

O focus refers to ones focus on others versus ones S focus which is more self-serving, because the focus is directed more on themselves. The closer you are on the continuum to focusing on other people, the more value you bring to the world and to others, Morken says.

4. Simplicity in communication is hugely important

You want to be able to tell a story that an eighth-grader can understand and then easily relay to another person. What is great is that this can be learned and taught. When it comes to sales pitches or board decks, Morken recommends paring the information you have down to three important points and getting rid of the rest of the noise. Assume the people youre speaking to dont know anything about the topic, and delete all the acronyms and inside industry jargon from your vocabulary.

5. Hearts and minds both matter in business

The heart is about caring about your coworkers and assuming good intent. The mind comes up with frameworks and processes that guide the organization. Headspace refers to the hearts and minds idea as the what and the how.

Related: How This Food Industry Innovator Used His Experience Working for the World's Biggest Brands to Transform Chipotle In Just 3 Years

6. Great companies are built on a framework of innovation

Find a consumer-facing problem, fall in love with it and experiment to find the best possible solution. Only then will you deliver a benefit to the customer that delights them.

7. Always remain curious and flexible to new ways of thinking and doing

The power of curiosity is invaluable. Always have an openness to the idea that there might be a new and better way to achieve goals than the current trajectory. "I use the word authentic curiosity, because it means you're willing to let go of what you know and what you believe, shares Morken.

8. Decide on what is the best use of your time

Choose which areas of the business most need your direct input and which ones have strong enough leadership that they don't need as much of your attention. But keep in mind that this might cause the people you don't work as closely with to assume the projects they head up arent as important. Easing that worry is also part of your job as a leader.

Related: How This 30-Year Software Industry Veteran Scaled His Company to a Successful IPO

9. CEOs need to be able to express themselves without every word being taken as gospel by employees

Its not an easy balance to strike. Regardless of if you're in the C-suite or leading a team, you need to be clear on when you are providing direction and when you are simply offering a different perspective. Employees will often take the words of a CEO as gospel, so you need to be a master communicator.

10. Sometimes another product is a better customer fit

Morken says that sometimes it will become apparent that the match between product and customer is not the right fit. It doesnt mean your passion for being the best solution for a customers needs is not there, it just means that you shouldnt force a square peg into a round hole. Its a big decision when the head of HR anywhere decides to deploy Headspace, shared Morken. They just put their reputation on the line for all of their employees, and I want to make sure that our values are 100 percent aligned.

11. Learn from people who are different than you

When you first leave home, to go to college or travel the world after graduation, you begin to see the world through other peoples eyes. This, Morken says, is the surest path to discovering your true north: Most people in their early 20s have no real idea of who they are or the impact they want to have on others, so learn about people who are different from you, and youll find your passion. This can lead you to the thing that makes your heart beat faster, as opposed to the thing that you think you're supposed to go do.

For more from my hour-long conversation with Morken, watch the webinar here. Our series growing collection of invaluable chats like this one give our readers access to the best practices of successful CEOs from over 30 of the biggest brands, including Zoom, Nextdoor, GoDaddy and Chipotle, to name a few.

Related: How Lynn Jurich Turned an Innate Passion for Saving the Environment into a Definitively Disruptive Energy Company

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
In an ad shown to people Facebook thinks are college-educated conservatives in Oklahoma, coronavirus vaccination is touted as "trusted by the U.S. military . . . and by our Greatest Generation."

In another, Facebook users interested in the Catholic Church are told that Pope Francis says getting vaccinated is the "moral choice." Still, another tells fans of beer and country music, "It's okay to question. Now get the facts on coronavirus vaccines."

At least 35 government agencies, nonprofit entities, corporations and public figures have purchased ads with different pro-vaccination messages, each set to reach - and hopefully persuade - Americans based on characteristics such as political affiliation, cultural identity and hobbies, a Washington Post analysis of Facebook ad data has found.

The practice, known as microtargeted advertising, is one of the Internet's biggest boogeymen and has long been criticized as invasive, discriminatory and divisive. But the ad technique - in which marketers use tech companies' data to show certain messages only to people with specific interests or traits - has also become an important tool in the battle to boost vaccination rates across the United States.

It's unclear how effective the ad campaigns have been at encouraging vaccine holdouts to change their minds. Many of the ad campaigns ran through the spring and summer, as vaccination rates sagged across the country. Health authorities are newly hopeful that the full approval Monday of Pfizer's vaccine by the Food and Drug Administration will convince more Americans to roll up their sleeves.

But public health officials say the widespread use of microtargeting reflects the recognition that groups with different values, motivations and personal tastes require more than a one-size-fits-all approach amid the country's polarized political debates.

"We're in this unique moment for public health messaging where we can see what people are really looking for . . . and meet them where they are," said Tina Hoff at the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health nonprofit that targeted ads for one video series to Facebook users interested in African American culture and Ebony and Essence magazines. The videos featured Black doctors and nurses answering questions about the vaccine.

"When you've got limited resources and want to be as efficient as you can be," Hoff said, "you go straight to the folks who have the greatest need."

Beyond targeted ads, health groups have also paid for ads that show up on sites popular with conservatives. On Breitbart, the far-right news blog that has called refusing coronavirus vaccination a "perfectly reasonable choice," one ad called the vaccine a "shot to restore our freedoms," alongside a photo of children walking into school.

Candace DeMatteis, the policy director at the Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease, said the nonprofit had designed the ad seen on Breitbart to meet conservatives "where they are, both in geography and the media they consume."

"We have focused our messaging in areas where it's needed most," she said.

Federal, state and local health departments are paying for the ads alongside more traditional billboard, bus stop and TV ads in the hope that they can help turn the tide on the pandemic amid the delta variant's surge. The United States is averaging about 140,000 new coronavirus cases a day, and roughly 70% of the country's adults has received at least one dose of a vaccine. Facebook said in a statement that it has given more than $30 million this year in free advertising to governments and other groups for covid-related campaigns, including promoting the vaccine.

But unlike those traditional ads, the microtargeted campaigns have zeroed in on groups with low vaccination rates, including Republicans. Only 56% of that group said they are vaccinated or plan to be immediately, compared to 89% of Democrats and 67% of independents, a KFF poll last month found.

The Oklahoma Alliance for Healthy Families, a public health nonprofit, targeted its Greatest Generation pro-vaccine ad in March to college-educated Facebook users likely to engage with conservative political content, the Post analysis shows.

"Doctors have done their part," the ad says. "It's time to do ours - for our country . . . for each other."

Jacqueline McDaniel, the group's executive director, said the campaign was focused on conservatives who might be persuaded by its themes of patriotism and getting back to normal. "If we picked folks with more of a liberal view, they would've been more likely to be vaccinated, anyway," she said.

Public health groups have used various tactics to reach the unvaccinated across a crowded Internet. KFF, Hoff said, also has used broad-level location data to send pro-vaccine ads to people in Zip codes with low vaccination rates, and to people who ask covid-related questions on Google. Officials also have paid online influencers to promote the vaccine to their fans: "I joined the Pfizer club," one blogger wrote in an Instagram post in April sponsored by Colorado's public health authorities.

One of microtargeted advertising's big strengths is its cost and efficiency, said Hoff, who leads KFF's social impact media team. She remembers 20 years ago when teaching young Black audiences about HIV meant paying for pricey 30-second TV ads on BET and MTV - all while hoping viewers would pay attention during commercial breaks.

Today, instead of spending a fortune on a single ad for a nationwide broadcast blitz, the nonprofit is devoting its resources to pro-vaccination campaigns like "The Conversation," which features more than 100 question-and-answer videos with varying lengths, topics and audiences, each of which can then be rolled out in a more focused way online.

The group's videos in English and Spanish, including "Why not wait to get the coronavirus vaccine?," have been watched for 30 seconds or longer on Facebook and YouTube more than 25 million times, she said.

Microtargeted advertising has often been criticized for dividing people based on their personal backgrounds or beliefs, and Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., last year introduced a bill that would ban political microtargeting for fear it could further fracture "our open democratic debate."

After Russia-linked trolls used Facebook ads microtargeted by race and politics in an attempt to furtively spread dissension during the 2016 presidential election, federal regulators and lawmakers warned that the tool was a "potent weapon for spreading disinformation and sowing discord." Democrats have fretted over former president Trump's use of the technique in his campaigns, for instance, showing messages last year about unchecked violent crime to battleground-state suburban moms.

Google banned political campaigns from using most forms of targeting in 2019, though Facebook has continued to allow it. Facebook declined to say how small of a group one could target using the company's ad tools; in previous years, the minimum audience size was 100 people.

Some fear microtargeting could also be used to undercut the vaccines. Though Facebook has rules against anti-vaccine content, some recent ads have made misleading claims: One ad from the two-month-old group Positive Freedom Alliance said government data on adverse side effects undercuts the narrative that the vaccines are safe and effective. Facebook said the ad was taken down after questions from The Post. The group didn't respond to a Facebook message seeking comment.

Facebook doesn't publicly disclose advertisers' targeting choices. It does, however, give users a brief explanation of why they were shown a particular ad. Volunteers have shared many of those explanations with the NYU Cybersecurity for Democracy project, which collects them in its Ad Observatory database that The Post used for this analysis (and which Facebook has pushed to shut down).

The database offers a glimpse of how groups have crafted different pro-vaccine messages, depending on who they're talking to. Facebook users interested in the Catholic Church, for instance, were shown an ad from Ready to Vaccinate featuring the pope calling vaccination "the moral choice." Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former California governor and "Terminator" star, targeted a video ad showing himself getting vaccinated ("Come with me if you want to live!") to Facebook users interested in bodybuilding or physical exercise.

Facebook doesn't offer the ability to target ads based on race or ethnicity. But public health authorities, like many corporate advertisers, often selected categories that they expected would include the audience they want to reach.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services targeted ads to Facebook users interested in "Native American culture" that featured a woman wearing a mask decorated with Native American symbols and a pledge to "do my part for all our people." And Arkansas' Department of Health targeted ads featuring Matt Dillion, the owner of popular barbershops around Little Rock, to Facebook users interested in hip-hop, gospel music and Black comedy.

Early research into these newer advertising methods' effectiveness offer some encouraging signs. In June, the health nonprofit Public Good Projects analyzed how people responded to influencers popular with Black and Hispanic audiences when they pushed their followers to get flu shots. Though older large-scale campaigns were typically flooded with anti-vaccine trolls, the researchers found that the targeted effort received an overwhelmingly positive response and reached millions of people they might otherwise have missed.

Joe Smyser, the group's chief executive, said public health officials are only now starting to catch on to how a more modern approach could lead to major changes in a life-or-death matter. Some public health attempts to increase vaccination rates for the coronavirus - and before that, the flu - have resorted mostly to "shotgun-blasting messages we know are not very effective."

In the past, "one person in a public health organization was permitted to speak to reporters and the public, and the framing was one of risk mitigation, not engagement, and it was not a conversation - it was carefully selected talking points in front of an American flag," he said.

"We've been using these traditional advertising techniques forever," he added, and the country's immunization rates for the coronavirus and the flu aren't "anywhere close to the levels we want. We need to make sure people are seeing the things that will resonate with them. Every dollar needs to count."
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Adrienne Bailon, best known for Disney's "Cheetah Girls" is strutting up to Brick at Blue Star for a one night pop-up event on Tuesday, August 24.

While her ferocious girl group days are behind her, the Emmy award-winning talk show host of The Real has moved on to different pursuits.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Kanye just wants to be Ye.

Kanye West filed court documents Tuesday to legally change his name.

The Los Angeles Superior Court filing says the 44-year-old wants to get rid of his full name  Kanye Omari West  in favor of just his longtime two-letter nickname, Ye, with no middle name or last name.

The documents, dated Aug. 11 but not sent into the court system until Tuesday, cite personal reasons for the change. An email seeking comment from the attorney who filed the documents was not immediately returned.

A judge must approve of the change before it becomes official.

West, who has called himself Ye on his social media pages for years, tweeted that he wanted the change in 2018, saying, the being formally known as Kanye West. I am YE.

The moniker was also the title of his 2018 album. He has said in interviews that, along with being a shortening of his first name he likes, that it's a word used throughout the Bible.

West is in the middle of a divorce with Kim Kardashian West, who did not ask that her last name be changed back to just Kardashian when she filed to split from him in February. The couple's four children also have his last name.

He has been holding a series of stadium listening parties for his forthcoming 10th studio album Donda, which is scheduled to be released before the end of August.
As summer comes to an end, but the delta variant's surge does not, it's difficult for travelers to know what options they have for safe trip-planning. Travel advisories and local pandemic mandates are returning, and even Hawaii is asking visitors to stay away amid its rising coronavirus hospitalization rates. Does all of that mean we should stop traveling?

"The short answer is: It depends," said Jessica Malaty Rivera, an epidemiologist with the COVID Tracking Project.

Although much has changed since 2020, Rivera is erring on the side of caution with travel, much like she did last year. For her, that means risk-reduction efforts such as choosing to drive instead of fly when possible, avoiding crowded settings, and researching the vaccination and hospitalization rates of potential destinations. (Rivera recommends that travelers look at the coronavirus websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or a state's public health website.)

Travelers should ask themselves questions such as "Am I going to a place that has a decent health-care infrastructure [so] that if something goes wrong, I'm going to be taken care of?" Rivera said. "Are there enough people vaccinated in that area that'll make me feel comfortable? Is it a hot spot for covid transmission?"

To help guide your late-summer and fall travel planning further, we spoke with Rivera and five other health experts to compile safe trip ideas for the delta variant era. Their primary message was clear: Don't travel until you're fully vaccinated.

Here's their other top advice.

- Unwind at a bed-and-breakfast

As long as the highly transmissible delta variant remains an active threat, it's best to avoid crowds as much as possible. That makes smaller accommodation options preferable to sprawling hotels and resorts, experts say.

"With a bed-and-breakfast, they tend to be smaller capacity," said Jaime C. Slaughter-Acey, a social epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota. " ... With fewer guests, or traffic going in and out of a bed-and-breakfast, that's fewer opportunities for you to come into contact with someone who maybe is covid-positive and doesn't know it."

- Book a rental at the beach or in the mountains

To get even more space from strangers, travelers can look for private accommodations, such as a beach house, cabin in the woods or a vacation rental in a rural setting.

"I enjoy going to a nice, private, rented beach house, somewhere you can walk to the beach or barbecue in the backyard," said Michael Urban, a professor in the school of health sciences at the University of New Haven. "Something more quiet and isolated."

Brian Castrucci, the president and chief executive of the de Beaumont Foundation, a public health charity, reminds travelers that they should still exercise caution when going to outdoor destinations like beaches if they're crowded. Be sure to keep a healthy distance from strangers.

- Opt for a drivable destination

While many of us tend to think of dreamy faraway places when we start vacation planning, Slaughter-Acey encouraged travelers to remember that great travel opportunities often lurk closer to home - saving your family from having to fly.

"I would really think about places that are within a two- to five-hour drive," she said.

Such shorter trips have become a trend, observed Keri Althoff, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

"We've seen a lot of people find really safe options who have rented or borrowed cars and had a vacation within a 60-mile radius" of where they live, she said.

- Explore New York City (yes, really)

While most health experts interviewed encouraged trips that offered plenty of distance from strangers, there was one big exception.

"I feel confident going to places like New York City, because New York City is really on top of it when it comes to vaccines, mask mandates and vaccine mandates," Rivera said.

Rivera, who visited New York in June, said she was comforted by precautions such as well-enforced mask mandates at businesses, proof-of-vaccination requirements at restaurants and reduced capacity at museums.

That being said, travelers should assess every situation as they go. If you get to a place that's supposed to have strict coronavirus precautions but isn't enforcing them, "I would just leave," Rivera said. "See it for yourself and be like, 'Do I feel safe here? Do I feel comfortable here?' And then you make that decision."

- Hit up the great outdoors

Naturally, the experts endorse trips into nature.

"I think people have gotten pretty interested in the national parks, camping, being outside, and that's wonderful to see, because those are important places where you're reducing your risk, but you're also getting a break and a moment to recharge," Althoff said.

Slaughter-Acey is contemplating packing her bike and driving to Sioux Falls with her husband for a last-minute getaway before school resumes. She also recommends considering trip ideas "that you wouldn't necessarily make time for in everyday, normal, non-pandemic life," such as going on a kayaking or canoeing trip.

"Use this as an opportunity to explore different vacation experiences," Slaughter-Acey said.

- Try a day trip

Of course, traveling doesn't have to involve a night in a hotel or an Airbnb. Travelers can reduce their coronavirus risks further by returning home instead of sleeping elsewhere, experts noted.

"I can get up and go for a quick trip to Vermont for the day or something like that," said Urban, who lives in the Northeast. Consider "maybe not taking those long trips or a week-long trip. Maybe just look in your area."

Ultimately, what you do while you're traveling will matter at least as much as how you get there or where you stay.

"If I'm going to be traveling to go to a 200-person wedding, the problem isn't traveling; it's the 200-person wedding," said Carlos del Rio, a professor of infectious diseases and global health at Emory University. "People need to be thoughtful."
KENAI, Alaska (AP)  An Alaska borough mayor, who says he is not a medical professional, has promoted a debunked treatment for COVID-19 that is intended more for farm animals.

Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce has publicly backed the use of ivermectin, an anti-parasitic deworming drug, the Peninsula Clarion reported Wednesday.

Livestock supply stores in the borough, south of Anchorage, have received numerous inquiries about the drug in the recent weeks.

Pierce has twice defended use of the drug, first at last weeks borough meeting and on Monday during a radio show on KSRM.

What Im asking for is that the  world view of the various treatments that are being researched and looked at outside of and including vaccinations be looked at from a more open perspective, he said during the show. Let the doctors experiment with perhaps some things that havent been signed off by the Food and Drug Administration.

Pierce said ivermectin is a very inexpensive medication and encouraged listeners to research the drug further.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved ivermectin in both people and animals for some parasitic worms and for head lice and skin conditions. The FDA has not approved its use in treating or preventing COVID-19 in humans.

Using any treatment for COVID-19 thats not approved or authorized by the FDA, unless part of a clinical trial, can cause serious harm, the FDA said in a warning about the drug.

Pierce did not return calls to the Clarion nor The Associated Press.

He also didnt answer an email sent by the AP asking how he heard about the drug, why hes promoting it if hes not a medical professional and if he would feel liable if someone were to become ill or worse taking it. He also didnt answer if he was vaccinated or if he was encouraging people in the borough, which has the fourth-worst vaccination rate in the state among boroughs, to get vaccinated.

The borough has a population of nearly 59,000 residents, according to the U.S. Census, with the total cumulative case count at 6,153. There are currently 56 cases, and 24 of those people are hospitalized. All 11 intensive care unit hospital beds are occupied.

Sarah Donchi, the owner of Kenai Feed and Supply, said she has received a lot of questions on the types of ivermectin she carries. Though she tells them its intended for animal use only, she said people are buying it anyway."

The label on ivermectin paste at Kenai Feed said it is meant to treat a horse up to 1,250 pounds. Another product said it is intended to treat cows weighing up to 550 pounds.

Employees at Cad-Re Feed in Soldotna are also getting inquiries about ivermectin almost daily, co-owner Shawn Taplin told the Clarion.

Taplin tells customers ivermectin is a drug he orders from a veterinary supply company, but they still purchase it. What they choose to do with it is up to them, he said.

Studying ivermectin as a COVID-19 medication has been mostly abandoned, according to Dr. Coleman Cutchins, the state pharmacist with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.

Really what it comes down to, vaccines are how we treat viruses, he said.

Ivermectin can be dangerous to humans if used incorrectly, Cutchins said. The doses people are trying to recommend are really, really high, he said.
Abraham Toro comes back to haunt, beat Astros with grand slam Toro hit a grand slam against a player he was traded for last month.

Texas law banning abortion as early as six weeks goes into effect More than 100 patients were being treated at one clinic before the law took effect.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  A high school in West Virginia's largest county will switch to remote learning for the remainder of the week, education officials announced Tuesday, as coronavirus cases continue to surge statewide.

Kanawha County school officials told parents that Capital High School students will undergo remote learning through Friday, with staff reporting to school as usual, news outlets reported. Extracurricular activities have been canceled for the rest of the week. The plan is for students to return to school on Monday.
NIAMEY, Niger (AP)  Hundreds of Islamic militants attacked a military outpost in southeastern Niger overnight, killing 16 soldiers and wounding at least nine others, the country's defense ministry said Wednesday.

Extremists from the Boko Haram group targeted the soldiers near the village of Baroua, not far from the border with Chad.
PAHRUMP, Nev. (AP)  An Arizona man who was arrested after a head-on crash in rural Nevada that killed three members of an Idaho family will face felony driving under the influence charges that could put him in prison for decades, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Tyler Kennedy, 32, of Tolleson, Arizona, is due to face a judge next Monday for a preliminary hearing of evidence in the March 27 crash that killed Michael Durmeier, 39, his fiancee Lauren Starcevich, 38, and Durmeier's 12-year-old daughter, Georgia.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Gov. Tony Evers has decided to hire a San Francisco-based law firm to handle potential lawsuits over PFAS pollution.

Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul announced Wednesday that Sher Edling LLP has won a bidding process to serve as the state's outside counsel for PFAS litigation.

State law allows the governor to hire outside attorneys rather than use state Justice Department lawyers if he feels the move would be cost-effective and serve the public interest. Evers wrote in a letter to the state Department of Administration in January asking the agency to solicit bids that the Justice Department lacks the resources to prosecute scientifically complex and resource intensive PFAS cases on its own.

The DOA received 11 proposals. An evaluation panel made up of staffers from the Justice Department, the Department of Natural Resources and the DOA scored the submissions. Sher Edling LLP submitted the lowest bid among the finalists and won the contract. Under state law, the firm would be paid a percentage of whatever the state wins in litigation.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are known as forever chemicals because they dont easily break down in the environment. They have been used for decades in a range of products, including stain-resistant sprays and firefighting foam and have been an issue in communities across Wisconsin, with some of the worst pollution in Marinette and La Crosse.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Refugees from Afghanistan have arrived at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin and up to 10,000 more could do so in the coming weeks, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said Wednesday after meeting with base officials.

The base, located about 40 miles east of La Crosse in western Wisconsin, is one of three military installations nationwide that has been processing people evacuated from Afghanistan since the country fell to the Taliban.

Johnson, a Republican, visited Fort McCoy along with Republican state lawmakers and some military veterans. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers was also there separately and met with refugees, U.S. Northern Command Gen. Glen VanHerck and Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, the leader of the Wisconsin National Guard.

Our allies from Afghanistan have a long road ahead of them, and Wisconsin will continue to extend our support and assistance to these individuals who bravely contributed to our countrys efforts over the past two decades, Evers said in a statement.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, said at a Madison event on voters' rights that the United States has a moral obligation to help those who assisted the country for years in Afghanistan and those who are at risk under a Taliban regime.

During a news conference at the base, Johnson questioned the status of the refugees being brought there and whether they had been fully vetted. He said he saw numerous refugees during his visit and got the impression that those who had arrived were happy to be there, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

It sounds like the first group of people that arrived are just relieved to have been able to escape Afghanistan. They won the lottery, theyre here in America, he said. The vast majority are here wanting what we want, the opportunity to raise their families in safety and security, with opportunity.

But Johnson faulted President Joe Biden's administration, saying its assurances about the vetting process was putting lipstick on a pig.

Maybe theyre taking biometrics, but you need biometrics taken beforehand that you can compare them to, he said. It would be nice if we knew everyone even just had an identification card, but Im hearing they dont.

State Rep. Tony Kurtz, who is a veteran, said its important to get the Afghans who worked alongside the U.S. out of Afghanistan.

The vast majority of them are here for the right reason, but all it takes is one and weve got to make sure we do our due diligence, he said. We need to take time, once they get out of harms way, to make sure were getting the right people and doing the proper vetting.

All of the refugees go through security vetting before they can enter the country, White House officials said Monday. Upon arrival, they are tested for COVID-19. Those who test positive will have access to space to quarantine.

Johnson said the Biden administration should be focusing only on evacuating Special Immigrant Visa applicants and their families, and people who U.S. military members personally vouch for.

About 1,000 service members from multiple units of the U.S. Army and Army Reserve are slated to assemble at the base to provide support to the refugees.
DETROIT (AP)  FBI agents on Wednesday searched offices at Detroit City Hall and the homes of two City Council members, just a few weeks after another councilman was charged in an alleged bribery scheme.

Agents and state police were seen at the homes of Janee Ayers and Scott Benson. Agents also were seen leaving City Hall with boxes.

There was no immediate comment from Ayers or Benson, who are running for reelection.

The citizens of Detroit have a right to a city government that is free of corruption, Tim Waters, head of the FBI in Detroit, told reporters outside City Hall. No one is being charged today. Simply what we're doing today is collecting evidence.

Authorities have been investigating Detroit-area corruption for years.

Ayers name emerged several years ago in a bribery investigation involving towing magnate Gasper Fiore, according to The Detroit News. She has not been charged in that investigation.

Last month, Detroit Councilman Andre Spivey was charged in federal court with conspiracy to commit bribery and accused of accepting $1,000 from an undercover law enforcement agent in October 2018. The indictment also alleges that between 2016 and 2020, Spivey and public official A accepted more than $35,000 in payments to influence votes concerning an industry under review by the council.

In June, former Councilman Gabe Leland was sentenced in Wayne County Circuit Court to probation after pleading guilty to accepting an illegal $7,500 cash campaign contribution. Federal corruption charges were to be dismissed as part of Lelands plea deal.

In 2018, Fiore, of Grosse Pointe Shores, was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison for his role in the bribing of a suburban official for help with a municipal towing contract. The government has said the money was funneled through an executive at a trash-hauling company, who also pleaded guilty to corruption.

Former Detroit Deputy Police Chief Celia Washington also was sentenced that year to a year and a day in prison in a corruption case related to towing contracts. Washington was accused of accepting at least $3,000 from Fiore. Washington served as the Detroit Police Departments legal adviser, responsible for overseeing private towing companies that remove cars seized by police.
BOSTON (AP)  States and localities have only distributed 11% of the tens of billions of dollars in federal rental assistance, the Treasury Department said Wednesday, the latest sign the program is struggling to reach the millions of tenants at risk of eviction.

The latest data shows that the pace of distribution increased in July over June and that nearly a million households have been helped.

But with the Supreme Court considering a challenge to the federal eviction moratorium, the concern is that a wave of evictions will happen before much of the assistance has been distributed. Some 3.5 million people in the U.S. as of Aug. 16 said they face eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey.

Lawmakers approved $46.5 billion in rental assistance earlier this year and most states are distributing the first tranche of $25 billion. According to the Treasury Department, $5.1 billion in Emergency Rental Assistance has been distributed by states and localities through July, up from $3 billion at the end of June and only $1.5 billion by May 31.

Several states, including Virginia and Texas, have been praised for moving quickly to get the federal money out. But many others have still only distributed a small percentage of the rental help.

Housing advocates blame the slow rollout partly on the Treasury Department under President Donald Trump, which they say was slow to explain how the money could be spent. The criteria, while clearer under the Biden administration, was still criticized for a burdensome process that seemed more focused on preventing fraud than helping tenants.

Advocates also said states made things worse  some waited months to set up programs and others created bureaucratic hurdles.

Efforts to use coronavirus relief money for rental assistance last year faced similar challenges.

Nearly 1 million households assisted is meaningful progress, but the overall rate of spending emergency rental assistance remains much too slow," said Diane Yentel, CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Some communities are spending the money quickly and well, proving that its possible and making the many communities who arent all the more glaring and unacceptable" she said. Seven months after funds were first allocated to them, nine states have spent less than 3% of the money and 16 states have spent less than 5%.

National Apartment Association president and CEO Bob Pinnegar called the assistance rollout a disaster, marred with programmatic inefficiencies and difficulties.

Americans are hurting and we are on the edge of another financial cliff as distribution deadlines loom and the future availability of rental assistance funds is jeopardized, he said.

The Treasury Department has repeatedly tweaked its guidance to encourage states and local governments to streamline the distribution of the funds. The Biden administration has also asked states to create eviction diversion programs that aim to resolve disputes before they reach the courts.

On Wednesday, Treasury released additional guidance to try to speed up the process. This includes programs to allow tenants to self-assess their income and risk of becoming homeless among other criteria. Many states and localities, fearing fraud, have measures in place that can take weeks to verify an applicant qualifies for help.

Treasury also said states and localities now can distribute money in advance to landlords and utility providers in anticipation of the full satisfaction of (the) application and documentation requirement." And they approved providing money for tenants who have outstanding rental debt in collection, which would make it easier for them to find new housing.

For those cities and states that wanted even more clarity that they can and should use simpler applications, speedier processes and a self-attestation option without needless delays  this answers that call, said Gene Sperling, who is charged with overseeing implementation of President Joe Bidens $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package.

"The guidance could not be more clear in expressing that this is a public health and eviction emergency that requires putting quick and sound rental relief above unnecessary paperwork that will not reach families in time.

The administration also announced measures aimed at averting evictions at federally-back housing, including 400,000 rental units in Department of Agriculture-backed multifamily properties. It also is offering additional rental assistance to at-risk veterans and their families and working to ensure tenants in public housing can access rental assistance.
MEBANE, N.C. (AP)  Lloyd Dobyns Jr., an award-winning NBC News correspondent who reported from places around the world and who anchored an innovative U.S. television newscast in the early 1980s, has died, his family said. He was 85.

Ken Dobyns said in a statement that his father died Sunday in Mebane, North Carolina, northwest of Raleigh. He said his father suffered complications from a series of strokes.

Dobyns worked for NBC News in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and was known in the U.S. for working with Linda Ellerbee on the late-night news series NBC News Overnight in 1982 and 1983, according to a statement released by Ken Dobyns and online with a Raleigh funeral home.

He was a friend, teacher, trouble-maker, and a world-class journalist, Ellerbee said in the statement. I shall miss him more than I can say.

Dobyns was born in Newport News, Virginia, on March 12, 1936. After serving in the U.S. Army, he began his broadcasting career as a reporter for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1957. Three years later, he became a news anchor at WAVY-TV, the NBC affiliate in Virginia's Tidewater area, and advanced to news director, the family statement said.

In 1969, Dobyns left Virginia for New York, where he first became managing editor of WNEW-TV, then as part of the NBC News team. He worked as a foreign correspondent before returning to New York to anchor the TV news magazine Weekend, winning a prestigious Peabody Award in 1975.

Dobyns set the style for Weekend, a writing and reporting style that continued after he was joined by the equally droll and witty Ellerbee  the first time the two were paired on air, the statement added.

After leaving NBC News Overnight, Dobyns anchored the short-lived TV magazine Monitor. In a documentary titled If Japan Can, Why Cant We? he reported on the Japanese boom at a time when American manufacturing was faltering. The documentary's success led him to co-write several books about Japans economic success.

Dobyns won more than two-dozen awards for reporting, writing, and anchoring while with NBC News. He retired in 1986.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  The University of Nebraska-Lincoln said Wednesday it was closing a fraternity house and suspending all of its operations after a sexual assault was reported.

Chancellor Ronnie Green said the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity  better known as Fiji  was already on probation for violating university policy when the assault was reported.
TOKYO (AP)  The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said Wednesday it plans to build an undersea tunnel so that massive amounts of treated but still radioactive water can be released into the ocean about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) away from the plant to avoid interference with local fishing.

The operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, said it hopes to start releasing the water in spring 2023. TEPCO says hundreds of storage tanks at the plant need to be removed to make room for facilities necessary for the plant's decommissioning.

An official in charge of the water discharge project, Junichi Matsumoto, said TEPCO will construct the undersea tunnel by drilling through bedrock in the seabed near its No. 5 reactor, which survived the meltdowns at the plant, to minimize possible underground contamination or leakage of radioactive ground water into the tunnel.

Increasing amounts of radioactive water have been stored in about 1,000 tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi plant since 2011, when a massive earthquake and tsunami damaged three reactors and their cooling water became contaminated and began leaking. The plant says the tanks will reach their capacity late next year.

The government decided in April to start discharging the water, after further treatment and dilution, into the Pacific Ocean in spring 2023 under safety standards set by regulators. The idea has been fiercely opposed by fishermen, residents and neighboring countries including China and South Korea.

The offshore discharge using a pipeline enclosed inside a concrete tunnel is an attempt to minimize the reputational damage that would occur if the contaminated water is released close to marine life off the Fukushima coast.

Under the plan released Wednesday, the water will be released at a depth of about 12 meters (40 feet) below the ocean's surface, said Matsumoto, who works for Fukushima Daiichi Decontamination & Decommissioning Engineering Co., a company created by TEPCO.

A pipeline enclosed in undersea tunnel is safer than simply laying a pipe under the seafloor in the event of a major earthquake or tsunami, he said at a news conference.

TEPCO plans to dilute the contaminate water with large amounts of seawater to reduce the concentration of radioactive materials below allowable limits. Plant workers are to sample the water ahead of its release and examine samples of seawater from multiple locations daily. Japan has obtained the International Atomic Energy Agency's agreement to cooperate in the water sampling and monitoring.

The controlled release, with an annual cap on radioactive materials, will continue for about 30 years, or until the plant's decommissioning ends, Matsumoto said.

TEPCO said it plans to apply to the Nuclear Regulation Authority for a safety review of the tunnel plan after gaining support from local fishermen and other residents. It hopes to start construction so the discharge can start in spring 2023.

The government on Tuesday adopted an interim plan that includes a fund to cushion the impact of any negative reports about the discharge and compensate fisheries and other local businesses for any damage.

Japanese officials have said the ocean release is the most realistic option for disposing the water, which they say is required for the decommissioning of the plant. Government and TEPCO officials say tritium, which is not harmful in small amounts, cannot be removed from the water, but all other isotopes selected for treatment can be reduced to safe levels before release.
HADDAM  Nonagenarian Nestor Gendreau had a rare opportunity last week to take part in a ceremonial flight on an 81-year-old airplane as part of a program that allows WWII veterans to relive their military days.

Gendreau, who lives in the Higganum section of town, flew in the aircraft as part of a commemorative event sponsored locally by Sport Clips and organized by Dream Flights International, according to a press release issued by his son Gerald Gendreau.

The 20-minute flight left from a small airport in nearby Chester and toured the lower Connecticut River Valley and Long Island Sound, the news release said. Many state and local members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, as well as friends and family members, were in attendance.

Gendreaus flight was piloted by James Sims, who flew an open-cockpit, Boeing Stearman 75 biplane. Designed in 1940, the plane was used as a military training aircraft during the war. Sims was assisted on the ground by his copilot Garett Williams, according to his son.

Dream Flights is a service organization whose pilots fly six similar vintage Stearman planes across the country. Based in Carson City, Nevada, with its maintenance hangar near San Antonio, Texas, the organization honors nonagenarian WWII veterans with period accurate flights, the release said.

In fall 1944, Gendreau, 18 at the time, was drafted, and left his familys potato farm in the remote, French-speaking Aroostook County of northern Maine to join the service. He traveled by rail to attend basic training at Camp Kroft in South Carolina, and was scheduled for immediate deployment to the war effort in western Europe, his son said.

Just as he completed basic training, news came that President Roosevelt had died. In the ensuing month, the war in Europe finally ended.

With the end of the war, Gendreaus orders changed quickly. He boarded another train, this time bound for Camp Maxey in Texas. Once there, Gendreau underwent advanced training to prepare for the anticipated but dreaded ground invasion of mainland Japan, Gerald Gendreau said.

From Texas, Gendreau went next to Fort Ord in Oakland, California. While stationed there, he learned the United States had just dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He boarded the USNS Adder at the naval base in San Francisco, as a member of the US Armys 77th Infantry Division (as known as The Statue of Liberty Division) bound for Yokohama in mid-September 1945, the press release said.

The trip took 17 days, Gerald Gendreau said. While at sea, the ship was hit by a typhoon and lost one crew member overboard. Though often seasick, Gendreau landed safely in Yokohama, located only 415 miles from Nagasaki. He spent a few weeks there, and was soon moved to a U.S. base on the northern island of Hokkaido near Sapporo. Gendreau was promoted to corporal in 1946.

His responsibilities included guarding the munitions depot on the base. In 1946, after a 30-day furlough to return home in Madawaska, Maine, he extended his military service by a year. He was stationed in Tokyo for a brief period before he completed his service in 1947.

Gendreau was quarter master of the local VFW chapter for 29 years and post commander for two of those years. He has been a warden of the Knights of Columbus as well as a council member for 12 years, the news release said.

Prior to his retirement, Gendreau worked for 42 years as an electrician for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in Middletown.

For information, visit dreamflights.org.
On Tuesday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed House Bill 253 into law, which requires the Illinois Department of Transportation to establish and implement a transportation performance program to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the state's transportation system. This is part of the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan that invests $45 billion into the state's roads, bridges, railways and other critical projects over the next six years.

Under HB 253, IDOT will also develop a statewide highway system asset management plan with the goal of preserving and improving the conditions of highway and bridge assets and enhance the existing system while reducing costs. To maximize the effectiveness of taxpayer dollars, going forward, IDOT will develop a performance-based project selection process to ensure existing transportation infrastructure like roads and bridges remain in good repair. The bill passed both the House and Senate with unanimous, bipartisan support.



"Im proud that Illinois is a supply chain hub for the nation and this administration is committed to investing in our infrastructure to ensure we maintain that vital role. Through the Rebuild Illinois Capital plan  the largest infrastructure investment in Illinois history  were fixing roads and bridges across the state, creating jobs and opportunities in our communities," Pritzker said in a statement. "This legislation will empower the hardworking team at IDOT to ensure those investments go as far as possible. And by establishing a performance-based project selection process, the administration is doubling-down on our commitment to being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars."
EL CAJON, Calif. (AP)  Three families from a San Diego suburb have made it out of Afghanistan after they went to the country earlier this summer to visit relatives and got stuck there amid the chaos following the Taliban's takeover, officials said Thursday.

Five other families from El Cajon were still trying to get out, and U.S. government officials along with California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa were working on their safe return. The suburb, east of San Diego, has a large refugee population. Many of the families had gone to Afghanistan in May and early June, weeks before the crisis unfolded, so their children could see their grandparents and other relatives.

Officials initially said six families from El Cajon were trapped there but later learned there were a total of eight families from the city trying to get out of the country.

We have more work to do and under extremely difficult conditions, Issa said in a statement.

Fraidoon Hashemi, an Afghan who works as a community liaison for the Cajon Valley Union School District, said he has been in contact with the families and on Thursday was awaiting word from those who remain. All the families have children attending various schools in the district.

He said he was growing concerned because of news that two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabuls airport Thursday.

We hope to hear from them soon, he said.

Howard Shen, a district spokesman, said one family with five children arrived in San Diego on Wednesday night. The two other families were out of Afghanistan, but Shen said he could not confirm exactly where they were  only that they are safe.

That's all we want," he said.

Counseling was being made available for the families and for their children's schools.

Hashemi said the family back in San Diego was still shaken after their harrowing experience.

They are OK now, he said. They need to calm down and forget what theyve seen.

In all, the El Cajon families included two dozen children, some of whom witnessed shootings and other violence in and around the Kabul airport in recent days, Hashemi said.

The families had each traveled to Afghanistan on their own on different dates and were not part of an organized trip.

The families asked U.S. officials for help after being blocked by the throngs of Afghans at the airport desperately trying to escape after their governments rapid collapse and the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

The school district became aware of the problem after a relative of one of the families reached out to say their child would be late starting the school year, which began Aug. 17.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that as many as 1,500 Americans may be awaiting evacuation from Afghanistan. It was unclear if that included all the El Cajon families. Some are U.S. citizens; others have U.S. residency.

Despite travel warnings from the U.S. government, many felt an urgency to go to the country after not being able to see their extended families because of travel bans from the coronavirus pandemic, Hashemi said.

Most of the El Cajon families came to the United States on a special immigrant visa after having worked for the U.S. government or U.S. military in Afghanistan, officials said. The visa allows in only the person and their spouse and children.

Superintendent David Miyashiro said the families are particularly scared because of the upcoming Aug. 31 deadline for the United States to complete its withdrawal.

Miyashiro said he could not provide more details since the children and their parents could be in danger.

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This story corrects the spelling of district community liaison Fraidoon Hashemi's last name.
LONDON, Ky. (AP)  A man pardoned by Kentucky's former governor for a 2014 drug robbery killing has been convicted for the same slaying in federal court after a two-week trial.

Federal prosecutors brought charges against Patrick Baker after he was released from prison when former Gov. Matt Bevin pardoned him on his way out of office in 2019. Baker's family had political connections to Bevin, including hosting a fundraiser for the one-term governor.

A federal jury in eastern Kentucky convicted Baker Wednesday on a charge of murder committed during a drug trafficking crime after about six hours of deliberation over two days.

U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom will sentence Baker, 43, on Dec. 21. Prosecutors declined to seek the death penalty, but Baker could serve life in prison on the conviction.

"At its core, this case was about one thing: Patrick Bakers role in the death of Donald Mills," Carlton Shier, the acting U.S. Attorney for eastern Kentucky, said in a news release Wednesday. Having heard the evidence, the jury found him guilty.

Baker was convicted of reckless homicide in Donald Mills death in state court in 2017. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison, but Bevin's pardon released him and erased the conviction. Bevin called the evidence against Baker sketchy, though the former governor did not mention his ties to Baker's family.

Federal prosecutors said Baker was prosecuted the second time under the dual sovereignty doctrine, which allows state and federal officials to prosecute the same defendant for the same actions without infringing on double jeopardy protections.

Bakers lawyer, Louisville attorney Steve Romines, said he would appeal.

We felt there was evidence that should have been admitted that was not, he told the Courier Journal.

Prosecutors said Baker killed Mills, a drug dealer in Knox County, in 2014 while trying to rob Mills of cash and pain pills. Baker posed as a U.S. Marshal during the crime.

Mills pregnant wife and children were held at gunpoint while Baker ransacked the victims home for oxycodone pills, according to the U.S. Attorney. Evidence at the trial including shell casings tied to Baker's pistol and surveillance video showing Baker buying handcuff restraints hours before the killing.

Baker's release was one of a slew of pardons by Bevin at the end of his term that drew rebuke from both Democrats and Republicans.

Bakers pardon was especially controversial, since his family had held a fundraiser for Bevin the year before, raising $21,500 for the Republicans unsuccessful reelection campaign.
DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE, Alaska (AP)  Road access in a popular national park in Interior Alaska is being restricted due to a long-running landslide issue that has been exacerbated by climate change, the park announced Tuesday.

The lone road through Denali National Park and Preserve spans 92 miles (148 kilometers). Nearly half it  the area west of mile 43  closed Tuesday to nonessential vehicles, pedestrians and bikes because of unsafe conditions caused by a landslide in the Polychrome Pass area, according to a statement from the park.

Buses, the main way for visitors to access the park, will continue to run to mile 42.

According to the park, slides have affected the area since at least the 1960s but used to require maintenance every two to three years.

During the 1990s, the landslide, which occurs below the roadbed, only caused small cracks in the road surface, the statement said. However, by 2018 the slumping increased to almost half an inch (1 centimeter) per day, and then to three and a half inches (9 centimeters) per day by August 2020."

Rains earlier this month appear to have caused the rate to increase significantly, with much of the landslide moving downhill at over 10 inches (25 centimeters) per day, the park said.

Climate change has taken what was previously a problem solved by maintenance staff performing road repairs and made a challenge too difficult to overcome with short-term solutions, the statement said.

Don Striker, the park superintendent, said the National Park Service is working with the Federal Highway Administration and other agencies on a long-term solution to maintain road access through the area.

The statement says front-country trails and backcountry access remain open, as does the Kantishna airstrip, which is near the end of the road. The visitor center, near the park entrance, will continue providing daily ranger services, the statement said.

Campers at the Wonder Lake Campground, near the end of the road, and in backcountry areas west of Polychrome Pass will be relocated to areas east of the closure in the coming days, according to the statement.

The Wonder Lake Campground and Eielson Visitor Center, at mile 66, were closing Tuesday for the rest of the year.

The park road typically closes to vehicle traffic beyond mile 30 in mid-September.

Several days in September traditionally are set aside for winners of a special lottery to drive as much of the road as weather conditions allow. Paul Ollig, with the park, said he did not have an update Tuesday on this year's lottery.

More than 601,100 people visited Denali National Park in 2019.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Louisiana's latest COVID-19 surge has killed a child under the age of 1, the health department said Wednesday, as the state continues to see dozens of new deaths from coronavirus infections each day.

The Department of Health did not provide the infant's exact age or where the death occurred, but said it was the first COVID-19 death of a child in six months. Eleven children younger than 18 have died from the disease in Louisiana since the pandemic began, according to the state.

Each COVID-19 death in Louisiana has been heart wrenching, but the loss of such a young child, who could not be vaccinated yet, is tragic and a stark reminder of the difficult circumstance we are in throughout Louisiana," Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a statement.

The childs death was one of 110 reported in Wednesdays latest coronavirus figures, with 85 of the deaths listed as confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 25 as probable. The disease is blamed for more than 12,000 deaths in Louisiana, a state undergoing its fourth coronavirus surge since the pandemic began in early 2020.

Hospitalizations statewide dropped slightly in Wednesday's numbers to 2,844. That's 12 fewer than the day before. But the number remains well above the peaks of earlier surges. The New Orleans region has seen a slow but steady downward trend, and hospitalizations in the region immediately north of Lake Pontchartrain have dropped by almost 100 since Aug. 11. But central, and northwestern Louisiana have seen multiple days of increased hospitalizations.

Stress on hospitals and increasing numbers of pediatric coronavirus cases are among the reasons Edwards and state health officials have repeatedly implored people to get vaccinated.

Only 40% of Louisiana residents are fully immunized against COVID-19, according to state health department data. Thats one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation, with only five states registering lower inoculation levels, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There have been signs of increasing vaccinations in recent days. In New Orleans, 55% of the total population is fully vaccinated, according to city health department figures. And 79% of the city's adult residents have had at least one shot.

Also, higher education leaders said Wednesday that coronavirus vaccinations among Louisiana's college students are increasing as the state offers $100 cash cards for those who get the shots and as campuses start setting immunization requirements.

Presidents of Louisiana's four public college systems praised the Democratic governor's decision to set aside $7.5 million to pay for the cash cards for up to 75,000 college students who roll up their sleeves for the inoculation.

This is one that we've already seen has had a significant impact on the number of students that are seeking vaccination, said University of Louisiana System President Jim Henderson. Those are the types of strategies we think are going to be important to reach the vaccination levels necessary to protect our campuses.

The Shot for $100 campaign has persuaded more than 2,600 students so far to get immunized against the coronavirus illness, and those numbers are only expected to increase as 12 campuses are starting classes this week, Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed told the Board of Regents.

Louisiana has 200,000 college students. All four of the state's public college systems are requiring students to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The requirements kick in as early as Sept. 10 for students at Louisiana State University to submit proof of their first shot and later in the fall for other schools.

But Louisiana has a fairly broad set of vaccine exemptions under state law. Students can provide a doctors note citing a medical condition that precludes getting the vaccine or a written dissent form objecting to the shot.

Henderson told the Board of Regents that Louisiana is one of 15 states that allow a philosophical objection to avoid an immunization requirement, making it impossible to really mandate a vaccine. He said more than 80% of faculty across the UL Systems nine campuses are vaccinated, but only about 40% of their 92,000 students are.

That number is increasing. Its not increasing fast enough, but it is increasing, Henderson said.

LSU says 54% of the 39,000 students and employees at its main campus in Baton Rouge have reported they have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccination.

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Deslatte reported from Baton Rouge.

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Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP)  A man wearing a fake U.S. Border Patrol uniform and driving a bogus patrol vehicle has been arrested in southern Arizona after attempting to smuggle migrants into the country, authorities said.

Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol agents arrested the driver and 10 migrants near Tucson.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexico accepted its first group of refugees from Afghanistan on Tuesday as five women and one man arrived in Mexico City.

They were welcomed by Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, who told the group, Welcome to your home.
NEW HAVEN  Its been so long since the New Haven Public School system awarded a teacher a sabbatical leave, school board members were uncertain of the process.

Still, after extensive questioning, Carolyn Streets, a seventh-grade language arts teacher at Engineering & Science University Magnet School, was granted permission to spend six months to study how literacy is taught in Finland.

While there, the city school district will continue to pay a portion of her salary as well as pay the substitute teacher who will be in charge of Streets classes back home. In total, the tab will come to an estimated $84,000, according to Lisa Mack, the districts human resources director.

Getting to the price tag, and process for approving the sabbatical request, came during the school boards online meeting Monday.

Superintendent of Schools Iline Tracey told the board that, unlike a leave of absence, a sabbatical requires board approval because there is cost involved.

We believe it is a worthy cause to support her in this, Tracey said.

The Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching award Streets will go on is one of two Fulbrights she received. The other was to serve as a curriculum specialist at a developing school in India.

Tracey said being awarded a Fulbright is not a small thing.

The approval process is written into the teachers contract. No more than one percent of the bargaining unit can be granted a sabbatical leave at a time. Applicants must be with the district at least six years, stay with the district at least one year after returning and provide a written report of the experience upon their return.

The request is reviewed by a committee of union members and administrators. The committee recommendation to grant the sabbatical must be unanimous for it to go to the superintendent and then board.

I do not recall one in my 15 years as NHFT president, said David Cicarella, president of the teachers union. Long overdue, as we have had several worthy of consideration and subsequent approval over the years.

The vote to approve the sabbatical was 6-0 with one abstention.

Board member Darnell Goldson said while he fully supported the sabbatical, he questioned the idea that the board would approve it without considering the cost.

We are always crying broke, Goldson said. We havent managed to find money to pay our paraprofessionals (a living wage) yet but we are  paying a teacher to go to Finland.

Goldson added that though the district may be swimming in money right now with the infusion of federal COVID relief funds, we wont be in a couple of years.

Board member Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur also questioned the lack of information provided to the board. She was told the lack of specificity was because the process is used so rarely.

Board members Edward Joyner, Matthew Wilcox and Larry Conaway all said they fully supported the request.

Ive known her since she was a kid, Joyner said. She is a phenomenal teacher who does not watch the clock.

This is not an internship or scholarship but is a rigorous international exchange and professional development program sponsored by the U.S. Department of States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Streets said in an email after the board vote.

Streets is one of three teachers selected from the Connecticut cohort and the only one from a large, urban public school district.

In her letter to the board, Streets said she chose Finland because its educational system is a world leader in literacy. She intends to examine the relationship between students reading achievement and how academic language is taught. She also will research methods Finnish teachers of English use while teaching academic vocabulary.

Streets called it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

My overall goal is to examine (and) develop programs/resources for best practices that conceptually align with student growth model frameworks and confirm the fundamental goal of education that all students can succeed, Streets said.

She said she will return to New Haven Public Schools with a renewed sense of energy, sense of self-accomplishment and indispensable research which will be available to her school and the district.

Streets has been with the district for 20 years. In 2018, she was the first New Haven Public Schools teacher to win the Yale School of Management Lynn Hall Teacher Action Research Prize. Her research proved with statistical confidence that her way of teaching had a significant effect on raising student literacy skills.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Top health officials warned Wednesday that New Mexico is about a week away from rationing health care as COVID-19 infections continue to climb.

State Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase said during a briefing that the state is tracking along with its worst-case projections when it comes to spread of the virus and resulting hospitalizations. He pointed to an increase of more than 20% in pandemic patients needing care in just the past day, saying there's a waiting list of about 50 patients who need intensive care.

Were going to have to choose who gets care and who doesnt get care, he said, and we don't want to get to that point.

It was December 2020 when New Mexico was last at the brink of having to ration care. Unlike many other states, New Mexico was able to weather that crisis by having a cooperative system in place among hospitals throughout the state that allowed them to transfer as needed to ensure there were no gaps in care.

Officials with some of the state's largest hospitals said during a recent briefing that while they are all still working together, many beds already were filled by patients needing care for reasons other than COVID-19 because they had put off treatment because of the pandemic.

Scrase said the biggest constraint right now is the shortage of nurses and other health care workers. While federal aid is available to help bring in traveling nurses, he said that pool of workers is in high demand as states across the country are feeling the pinch.

State officials estimated that New Mexico would have to increase the percentage of vaccinated adults by about 18% to avert the coming hospital crisis. So far, about two-thirds of New Mexicans over the age of 18 are fully vaccinated, marking one of the higher rates in the country.

That percentage has inched up now that the state is mandating vaccinations for its employees along with employees in the medical field, teachers and certain other workers. Large employers such as Los Alamos National Laboratory also are requiring workers and contractors to be vaccinated.

Officials said during the briefing that unvaccinated people make up the majority of cases and hospitalizations since February. However, they also acknowledged that data collected over the last four weeks shows the number of infections among those who are fully vaccinated is increasing.

Breakthrough cases accounted for more than 23% of infections and 15% of deaths during that recent period.

Now that we're in this surge of infections and there is a high level of virus circulating in our communities we have seen a larger proportion here of cases, hospitalizations and deaths among vaccinated persons, State Epidemiologist Dr. Christine Ross said.

While the trend is worrisome, she said the increase doesn't compare to the steep uptick in cases among those who have not been inoculated.

Still, officials said they were hoping to see a downturn in cases in September as more people get vaccinated.
Pennsylvania's opioid disaster declaration is set to expire at the end of Wednesday after state lawmakers, newly empowered to help manage statewide emergencies, declined the governor's request for another extension.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf first declared a public health emergency in January 2018 after Pennsylvania set a record for opioid deaths, then renewed it more than a dozen times as the state battled an overdose epidemic that has worsened during the coronavirus pandemic.

Wolf had to seek legislative approval for another extension because of a newly approved constitutional amendment limiting a governors emergency powers. But the GOP-led General Assembly declined to go along.

Our fight is not over, Wolf said in a written statement. "We have an obligation to support individuals desperately in need of substance use disorder services and supports. With or without a disaster declaration, this will remain a top priority of my administration.

The disaster declaration made it easier for people to get treatment, expanded the state's prescription drug monitoring program and established an inter-agency opioid command center to coordinate the states efforts, among other things.

State officials cited progress, with opioid prescribing down by more than 40% and overdose deaths falling by nearly 20% after a record 5,403 people statewide died in 2017.

But overdose deaths have climbed again during the pandemic. More than 5,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2020, according the Wolf administration.

Unfortunately, the isolation and disruption caused by the pandemic over the past year and half has also caused a heartbreaking increase in substance use disorder and overdose deaths, Wolf said.

State lawmakers rejected the governors' request to renew the opioid disaster declaration beyond Wednesday, saying earlier this month that it was no longer necessary since many of its benefits have been accomplished through legislation, executive action and other means.

But GOP leaders in the House and Senate acknowledged the opioid crisis persists, promising it would be a top legislative priority in the fall.

Far too many Pennsylvania families have felt the impact of this crisis personally and permanently, and this epidemic has not gone away and has only gotten worse during the COVID-19 pandemic," House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre, said in announcing that lawmakers would not extend the disaster declaration.

Wolf had been able to act unilaterally until now. But voters curtailed a governors emergency powers after Wolf tangled with conservatives and business owners over his COVID-19 restrictions, giving the General Assembly more control over the length of a disaster declaration and the management of it.

One practical implication of the end of the disaster declaration is that the Pennsylvania Insurance Department and the state Department of Labor & Industry will no longer have access to data from the states prescription drug monitoring program. The Insurance Department, for example, had monitored opioid prescriptions among claimants in a pair of state programs, Wolf told lawmakers.
A South Jacksonville man found not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of his mother has been sentenced to a maximum of 60 years in the Illinois Department of Human Services for treatment after a hearing Tuesday.

Glenn C. Van Avery, 28, of South Jacksonville was arrested after his mother, Ruth Van Avery, 53, was found dead June 13, 2018, in her house.

He also was charged with trying to kill his brother, Garrick Van Avery, the same day. Garrick Van Avery suffered multiple stab wounds and collapsed in a driveway several houses away from his mothers South East Street residence.

The court finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that due to his mental illness he is reasonably expected to inflict serious physical harm upon himself, or another, and finds the defendant is in need of mental health services on an inpatient basis, the court ruling said.

States Attorney Gray Noll said Van Avery will be held in a secure facility and will receive treatment for up to 60 years, with periodic evaluations to determine his mental health.

A Springfield-based psychologist diagnosed Van Avery with schizophrenia in 2018 and found him unfit to stand trial, saying Van Avery was unable to understand or provide rational assistance in his defense, according to documents presented to the court in June.

The available information is clear that defendant was severely psychotic at this time, with delusions of paranoia that he was being threatened by his mother, brother and their pedophile ring, the documents read. In the event that defendant is not adjudicated as not guilty by reason of insanity, he would still qualify as guilty (but) mentally ill given the severity of his mental illness.

The Illinois Department of Human Services agreed with that assessment in January 2019 and Glenn Van Avery since has been receiving treatment at the states Chester Mental Health Center.

Van Avery will be under the care of a treatment team that will determine his care, Noll said.

In the event the team ever recommends his release, they will have to come before the court and they would have to petition the court for his release, Noll said. Because his actions caused death to another, that is a factor in his treatment.
ST. LOUIS (AP)  A judge has removed the city of St. Louis from a lawsuit filed after the accidental shooting death of a police officer who was playing a variation of Russian roulette with another officer.

The mother of officer Katlyn Alix sued the city after her daughter was shot to death by officer Nathaniel Hendren in January 2019.
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP)  A student leader who lost an eye in clashes with police in 2018 and also participated in anti-government protests that swept over Colombia in April and May was slain in the southwestern city of Popayan, local police reported.

Esteban Mosquera was an advocate of free tuition for university students and also campaigned in his hometown of Popayan for a basic income plan for Colombias poorest residents. Witnesses said men on motorcycles shot him as he walked toward his home Monday.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Biden administration likely violated federal law in trying to end a Trump-era program that forces people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S.

With three liberal justices in dissent, the high court refused to block a lower court ruling ordering the administration to reinstate the program informally known as Remain in Mexico.

It's not clear how many people will be affected and how quickly. Under the lower court ruling, the administration must make a good faith effort to restart the program.

There also is nothing preventing the administration from trying again to end the program, formally called Migrant Protection Protocols.

A federal judge in Texas had previously ordered that the program be reinstated last week. Both he and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused the administration's request to put the ruling on hold.

Justice Samuel Alito ordered a brief delay to allow the full court time to consider the administration's appeal to keep the ruling on hold while the case continues to make its way through the courts.

The 5th Circuit ordered expedited consideration of the administration's appeal.

The court offered little explanation for its action, although it cited its opinion from last year rejecting the Trump administration's effort to end another immigration program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. In that case, the court held that the decision to end DACA was arbitrary and capricious, in violation of federal law.

The administration has failed to show a likelihood of success on the claim that the memorandum rescinding the Migrant Protection Protocols was not arbitrary and capricious," the court wrote Tuesday in an unsigned order.

The three dissenting justices, Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, did not write an opinion expressing their views of the case.

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said it regrets that the high court declined to issue a stay. The department said it would continue to challenge the district courts order.

The American Civil Liberties Union called on the administration to present a fuller rationale for ending Remain in Mexico that could withstand court scrutiny.

The government must take all steps available to fully end this illegal program, including by re-terminating it with a fuller explanation. What it must not do is use this decision as cover for abandoning its commitment to restore a fair asylum system, said Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU's immigrant rights project.

During Donald Trump's presidency, the policy required tens of thousands of migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to turn back to Mexico. It was meant to discourage asylum seekers but critics said it denied people the legal right to seek protection in the U.S. and forced them to wait in dangerous Mexican border cities.

The judge, U.S. District Judge Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas, ordered that the program be reinstated in response to a lawsuit filed by the states of Texas and Missouri, whose governors have been seeking to reinstate some of the hard-line anti-immigration policies of the Trump administration.

The Biden administration argued in briefs that the president has clear authority to determine immigration policy and that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had discretion in deciding whether to return asylum seekers to Mexico.

The policy has been dormant for more than a year and the administration argued that abruptly reinstating it would prejudice the United States relations with vital regional partners, severely disrupt its operations at the southern border, and threaten to create a diplomatic and humanitarian crisis.

The Trump administration largely stopped using the Remain in Mexico policy at the start of the pandemic, at which point it began turning back virtually everyone crossing the Southwest border under a different protocol  a public health order that remains in effect.

President Joe Biden suspended the program on his first day of office and the Homeland Security Department ended it in June.

Kacsmaryk was nominated to the federal bench by Trump. The 5th Circuit panel that ruled Thursday night included two Trump appointees, Andrew Oldham and Cory Wilson, along with Jennifer Walker Elrod, nominated to the appeals court by President George W. Bush.

At the high court, at least five of the six conservative justices, including three Trump appointees, voted for the restart of the program. Under the court's opaque treatment of emergency appeals, the justices don't always say publicly how they voted.
CANBERRA, Australia  Australia on Thursday advised its citizens in Afghanistan not to travel to Kabuls airport, where there as a very high threat of a terrorist attack.

Australians in the airports vicinity were advised to move to a safe location and await further advice.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the travel advice was consistent with revised British and New Zealand advice. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul warned American citizens away from three specific airport gates over an unspecified security issue.

Australia has helped evacuated around 4,000 people from the airport since Wednesday last week including 1,200 overnight, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

That was triple the number that Morrison said he thought was possible last week.

It remains a highly dangerous environment, Morrison said.

That danger and those risks have been increasing each and every day as we always knew they would, and thats why weve been moving with the haste that we have, he added.

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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:

 Poland, Belgium end Afghan evacuation as clock ticks down

 US says 1,500 Americans may still await Kabul evacuation

 2 US lawmakers Kabul trip prompts questions, criticism

 Immigrant families from San Diego area stuck in Afghanistan

 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON  The head of the U.S. militarys European Command says that so far more than 7,000 evacuees from Afghanistan have been flown to eight locations around Europe, mainly in Germany and Italy.

Gen. Tod Wolters said Wednesday that 55 evacuation flights from Afghanistan have flown into Ramstein Air Base in Germany and three into Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy. He says the flights brought nearly 5,800 evacuees from Kabul to Ramstein and 662 to Sigonella.

Smaller numbers of flights and people have gone to six other European locations, largely bases in Germany. Flights will soon be going into the base at Rota, Spain.

Wolters says there have been few medical or security problems. He says fewer than 100 individuals have needed additional medical screening, and of those fewer than 25 needed medical attention at the military hospital. More than half of them have already returned to Ramstein for further processing and travel onward to more permanent destinations.

He says just 52 people have required additional security screening, and all of them were eventually cleared.

Wolters says evacuees are spending three to four days at the Europe transit stops before they move on. He says the plan is to move 1,500-1,800 people per day on to Dulles International Airport outside Washington.

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LONDON  The British government is warning its citizens in Afghanistan to stay away from Kabul airport, citing the ongoing and high threat of a terrorist attack.

The Foreign Office says anyone in the area of the airport should move away to a safe location and await further advice.

It is unclear how many Britons remain in Afghanistan. U.K. military flights have evacuated more than 11,000 people in recent days, including several thousand British citizens and more than 7,000 Afghans.

Britain is planning to end its evacuations before U.S. forces depart at the end of the month.

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WASHINGTON  The Afghan baby girl born on a C-17 military aircraft that made an evacuation flight from Afghanistan will forever carry that experience with her. Her parents have named her after the planes call sign  Reach.

The head of U.S. European Command told reporters Wednesday that officials had spoken to the newborn's parents. Gen. Tod Wolters says the parents decided to name her Reach because the transport aircrafts call sign is Reach 828.

She was born Saturday, and members of the 86th Medical Group helped in her birth as the plane flew from Kabul to Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

European Command says the mother went into labor during the flight and began experiencing complications due to low blood pressure. The pilot descended in altitude to increase air pressure in the aircraft, which helped stabilize the mother. Military medical personnel delivered the baby in the planes cargo bay.

Wolters says the baby and family are all in good condition. Two other babies whose parents were evacuating from Afghanistan have been born over the past week at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the U.S. military hospital in Germany.

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BRUSSELS  Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo says the country has ended its evacuation flights carrying people from the Afghan capital of Kabul to Pakistan.

De Croo tweeted Wednesday that the federal government took the decision to bring an end to evacuations from Kabul airport given the evolution of the situation in Afghanistan and in agreement with its European partners.

He says five flights operated between Kabul and Islamabad on Wednesday and all personnel involved in the operation and those evacuated are now in Pakistan.

De Croos says that Belgium will continue to repatriate to our country those people evacuated in the days ahead. More than 1,100 people have been flown to Belgium in recent days.A

Belgium and other European countries have been obliged to wind down their operations as U.S. troops running Kabul airport prepare to leave by Aug. 31.

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WASHINGTON  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the administration believes about 1,500 American citizens remain in Afghanistan, 12 days into a massive U.S. military airlift.

Blinken said at a news conference Wednesday that another 4,500 Americans have been evacuated in a U.S.-run, round-the-clock operation since the Taliban reached the capital Aug. 14, completing a sudden rout of the U.S.-backed Afghan government and military.

Blinkens count comes after days of pressing for official estimates of how many Americans remain to be safely gotten out of the country, ahead of a planned U.S. troop withdrawal Tuesday.

American officials are in contact with about 500 American citizens to try to get them safely out of the country, the U.S. official said.

Blinken described ongoing efforts to reach the final 1,000 Americans, ahead of the U.S. withdrawal.

Were aggressively reaching out to them multiple times a day, through multiple channels of communication  phone, email, text-messaging  to determine whether they still want to leave, he said.

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WASHINGTON  Germanys top military commander says 21 German citizens were picked up during an overnight helicopter mission in Afghanistan that was flown by U.S. forces.

Gen. Eberhard Zorn said Wednesday that U.S. troops flew the helicopter and German forces picked up the evacuees.

The Pentagon acknowledged that there was a U.S. military helicopter flight into Kabul overnight to gather evacuees and take them to the airport to be flown out of the country. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby and Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor said this was the third such helicopter rescue flight done by the military during the ongoing evacuation. They declined to say who the passengers were or provide any other details.

The U.S. and other nations are under increasing pressure to get people out before the Aug. 31 deadline for the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

U.S. officials have said there have been ongoing efforts to collect Americans, at-risk Afghans and other NATO or allied individuals from Kabul and get them through the chaotic perimeter into the airport. They wont say how these rescues are being done, but say the helicopter missions have been rare.

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ISTANBUL  Turkey has begun to evacuate its troops from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years in the country.

The Defense Ministry made the announcement Wednesday.

The Turkish Armed Forces are returning to our homeland with the pride of successfully fulfilling this task entrusted to them, the ministry said in a statement. The current situation and conditions were evaluated and the evacuation of TAF elements has started.

Turkish soldiers have been helping evacuate people from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul since the Taliban took the city more than a week ago. The ministry said Turkish military aircraft evacuated 1,129 people.

Prior to the Taliban taking Kabul, NATO member Turkey had offered to secure and operate the airport following the U.S. withdrawal.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted: Turkey will continue to work for the peace, security and prosperity of our Afghan brothers and sisters.

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MILAN  Italian military planes have transported nearly 1,000 Afghans out of Kabul in the last 24 hours, bringing to 4,400 the number of Afghan nationals who worked with Italian institutions and charities flown to safety. The Defense Ministry made the announcement Wednesday.

A total of 3,959 Afghans have been flown onward to Rome during the air bridge, comprised of 63 flights since June.

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MEXICO CITY  Mexico has welcomed a group of 124 Afghan media workers and their families after the group fled their country because of the Taliban takeover.

The group arrived Wednesday aboard a Qatar Emiri Air Force flight to Mexico City in the pre-dawn hours. The Foreign Relations Department said the Afghans had worked for various media outlets and had requested humanitarian visas because of the Talibans hostility toward journalists.

The New York Times reported that a group of its journalists had been taken in by Mexico and arrived Wednesday.

Mexico accepted its first group of refugees from Afghanistan on Tuesday, when five women and one man arrived in Mexico City.

The young women, who had to travel through six countries to reach Mexico, have competed in robotics competitions. They fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country earlier this month. The Taliban have been hostile to women working or going to school after a certain age.

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MOSCOW  The Russian Defense Ministry says four planes sent to evacuate more than 500 people from Afghanistan have taken off from Kabul and are en route to Russia.

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday the planes would carry the nationals of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine from Kabul. The flights marked the first such airlift for Russia since evacuations from Kabul began.

Teams of medical workers are present on each plane to provide assistance to the evacuees if necessary.

The evacuations will be carried out upon orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Separately, a representative of the Afghan community in Russia said Wednesday the Russian Embassy in Kabul has allowed more than 1,000 Afghan citizens to come to Russia once the Kabul airport reopens for regular flights. The Interfax news agency quoted Ghulam Mohammad Jalal as saying they include Afghan citizens of Russian origin, Afghan students studying in Russian universities and those who hold Russian residence or work permits.

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ROME  The World Food Program says more than half a million Afghans are displaced inside the countrys borders after they sought to escape conflict  and many of them need food aid.

The U.N. organization with a 450-person team has managed to distribute food to some of those in need as much of the worlds attention focuses on Kabuls airport and the frantic bid by countless Afghans to flee their country.

The agencys deputy country director for Afghanistan, Andrew Patterson, said in Kabul on Wednesday that all four main border crossings that it uses to transport food remain open and goods are flowing through.

But Patterson worries about the possibility that international funding will be frozen, including for the WFP humanitarian operation, in the wake of the Taliban taking power.That, he said, would precipitate catastrophe for Afghanistans people.

Last week, Patterson in separate comments had noted that closure of banks in the country complicated the ability to distribute cash to purchase food locally for those at risk of going hungry.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The Dutch defense ministry says that two evacuation flights have landed Wednesday in Amsterdam carrying a total of 299 people.

The ministry says that among the arrivals were 54 Dutch nationals. It has not given details of the nationalities of the other evacuees.

The Dutch government has conducted 16 evacuation flights out of Kabul to countries in the Afghanistan region. Nine flights have brought evacuees to the Netherlands.

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STOCKHOLM  Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde says that another 227 people have been evacuated from Kabul, adding they were citizens of the Scandinavian country, people with permanent residency permits and local hires.

She made the announcement Wednesday. A total of 771 persons have been evacuated to Sweden from Afghanistan.

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PARIS  A French government spokesperson says France will continue its evacuation operation in Kabul as long as possible ahead of American Aug. 31 withdrawal date.

Gabriel Attal on Wednesday did not provide a date for the end of the French operation, saying only we will likely need to anticipate a few hours, maybe a few days ahead of the American forces departure from Kabul airport.

We will continue as long as possible, he said. Due to extreme tension on the ground ... and the scheduled departure of American forces, these evacuations are a true race against time.

Attal declined to elaborate on how many people are still waiting for evacuation by France in Kabul.

A 10th flight carrying evacuees landed in Paris on Wednesday, with 21 French and 220 Afghan nationals, including 130 children onboard, according to the French Office of Immigration and Integration.

In total, at least 1,720 Afghans and a hundred French people have been evacuated by France since the beginning of the operation last week.

French President Emmanuel Macron promised France would evacuate Afghans who worked for the country as well as activists and others under threat.

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BERLIN  Germanys foreign ministry says it believes that more than 200 citizens of the country are still in Afghanistan.

Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said Wednesday that the figure is higher than that previously given in part because people are continuing to report to us.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas had said Tuesday that about 100 Germans and their families were still on the ground, and Burger acknowledged that there was a certain fuzziness about the figure because some of the relatives are also German citizens.

Burger said that 540 Germans have been flown out so far. In all, more than 4,600 people have been flown out of Kabul on flights operated by the German military.

It isnt clear when Germanys evacuation effort will end. Chancellor Angela Merkel told parliament on Wednesday that it will continue as long as possible.

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BUDAPEST, Hungary  Hungary will soon cease its evacuation operations in Afghanistan after the country extracted more than 500 people from Kabul in recent days, the country's foreign minister told a news conference Wednesday.

The exact timing of the end of rescue operations will be announced by the commander of the Hungarian Army, which could happen today, Peter Szijjarto said.

Hungary transported more than 500 evacuees at the request of its allies, including the United States and Austria, Szijjarto said, as well as Afghan citizens and their families who assisted Hungarian military forces in Afghanistan.

Hungary is only willing to accommodate those Afghan asylum seekers that assisted Hungary, Szijjarto said. He urged Hungarys allies to ensure the safety of Afghans who are in danger after assisting NATO operations in Afghanistan.

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SOFIA, Bulgaria  Bulgaria says it will grant asylum to some 70 Afghan citizens and their families.

The countrys caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Yanev told reporters on Wednesday that the Afghan nationals have previously worked at the Bulgarian Embassy in Kabul or within the Bulgarian military missions in Afghanistan.

He did not elaborate about the timing and the route of the evacuation.

Their evacuation from Afghanistan will be a challenge, but with the arrangements in place I hope that we will be successful, Yanev said.

Bulgaria, a member of the European Union and NATO, has already announced that it is going to shelter Afghans who worked for the Balkan country.

But it is hesitant to invite larger groups of refugees, saying that all temporary accommodation centers are already overcrowded with migrants from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.

Bulgaria was used as a transit route for hundreds of thousands of migrants on their way to western Europe during the height of the migrant crisis. Since then, Bulgaria erected a razor-wire fence along most of its 269-kilometer (167-mile) border with Turkey and has pledged to deploy hundreds of army troops to support border police.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands  Protesters have burned car tires outside a military base in the central Netherlands where Afghans are being housed after being evacuated from Kabul.

Police dog handlers broke up the demonstration Tuesday night outside the base in the village of Harskamp, 85 kilometers (52 miles) east of Amsterdam.

A police spokeswoman said Wednesday that officers did not arrest or hand on-the-spot fines to anybody at the demonstration Tuesday night.

Hundreds of Afghans have arrived in the Netherlands in recent days after being flown out of Kabul. They are being housed in three military bases.

The base in Harskamp can house 800 evacuees.

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VILNIUS, Lithuania  A plane carrying the first group of Afghan interpreters who had worked with Lithuanian forces in Afghanistan has touched down in the Baltic country.

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that a total of 50 people were flown from Kabul via Warsaw, Poland.

They are the first of 115 interpreters who worked with Lithuanian forces in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2013, and Lithuania plans to bring all of them out of the country. The second group is expected to land in Vilnius later in the day.

Meanwhile in Norway, two planes from Afghanistan with a total of 278 passengers landed in Oslo, Norwegian news agency NTB reported.

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MOSCOW -- Russia is preparing to evacuate more than 500 people on four military planes from Afghanistan  its first airlift operation since evacuations from Kabul began.

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that it will airlift the nationals of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine from Kabul.

Teams of medical workers will be present on each plane, the ministry said, should any of the evacuees require medical attention.

The evacuations will be carried out upon orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ministry noted.

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KAMPALA, Uganda  Ugandas government says 51 people evacuated from Afghanistan have arrived in the East African country at the request of the United States.

Authorities said in a statement that the group, transported to Uganda in a chartered flight, arrived early Wednesday. That statement said they included men, women and children. No more details were given on the identities of the evacuees.

Ugandan officials said last week the country will shelter up to 2,000 people fleeing the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan. They said the Afghans would be brought to Uganda in small groups in a temporary arrangement before they are relocated elsewhere.

Uganda has long been a security ally of the U.S., especially on security matters in the region.
The new four-bedroom house in Charlotte, North Carolina, was Crystal Marie and Eskias McDaniels personal American dream, the reason they had moved to this Southern town from pricey Los Angeles a few years ago.

A lush, long lawn, 2,700 square feet of living space, a neighborhood pool and playground for their son, Nazret. All for $375,000.

Prequalifying for the mortgage was a breeze. They said they had saved much more than they would need for the down payment, had very good credit  scores of 805 and 725  and earned roughly six figures each, she in marketing at a utility company and Eskias representing a pharmaceutical company. The monthly mortgage payment was less than theyd paid for rent in Los Angeles for years.

They were scheduled to sign the mortgage documents on Aug. 23, 2019  a Friday  and were so excited to move in they booked movers for the same day.

The Wednesday before the big day, the loan officer called Crystal Marie, and everything changed, she said: The deal wasnt going to close.

The loan officer told the couple he had submitted the application internally to the underwriting department for approval a dozen, 15, maybe 17 times, getting a no" each time. The couple had spent $6,000 in fees and deposits  all nonrefundable.

It seemed like it was getting rejected by an algorithm, she said, and then there was a person who could step in and decide to override that or not.

She was told she didnt qualify because she was a contractor, not a full-time employee  even though her boss told the lender she was not at risk of losing her job. Her co-workers were contractors, too, and they had mortgages.

Crystal Maries co-workers are white. She and Eskias are Black.

I think it would be really naive for someone like myself to not consider that race played a role in the process, she said.

An investigation by The Markup has found that lenders in 2019 were more likely to deny home loans to people of color than to white people with similar financial characteristics  even when we controlled for newly available financial factors the mortgage industry for years has said would explain racial disparities in lending.



This story was reported by The Markup, and the story and data were distributed by The Associated Press.



Holding 17 different factors steady in a complex statistical analysis of more than 2 million conventional mortgage applications for home purchases, we found that lenders were 40% more likely to turn down Latino applicants for loans, 50% more likely to deny Asian/Pacific Islander applicants, and 70% more likely to deny Native American applicants than similar white applicants. Lenders were 80% more likely to reject Black applicants than similar white applicants. These are national rates.

In every case, the prospective borrowers of color looked almost exactly the same on paper as the white applicants, except for their race.

The industry had criticized previous similar analyses for not including financial factors they said would explain disparities in lending rates but were not public at the time: debts as a percentage of income, how much of the propertys assessed worth the person is asking to borrow, and the applicants credit score.

The first two are now public in the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. Including these financial data points in our analysis not only failed to eliminate racial disparities in loan denials, it highlighted new, devastating ones.

We found that lenders gave fewer loans to Black applicants than white applicants even when their incomes were high  $100,000 a year or more  and had the same debt ratios. In fact, high-earning Black applicants with less debt were rejected more often than high-earning white applicants who have more debt.

Lenders used to tell us, Its because you dont have the lending profiles; the ethno-racial differences would go away if you had them, said Jose Loya, assistant professor of urban planning at UCLA who has studied public mortgage data extensively and reviewed our methodology. Your work shows thats not true.

We sent our complete analysis to industry representatives: The American Bankers Association, The Mortgage Bankers Association, The Community Home Lenders Association, and The Credit Union National Association. They all criticized it generally, saying the public data is not complete enough to draw conclusions, but did not point to any flaws in our computations.

Blair Bernstein, director of public relations for the ABA, acknowledged that our analysis showed disparities but that given the limitations in the public data we used, the numbers are not sufficient on their own to explain why those disparities exist.

In written statements, the ABA and MBA criticized The Markups analysis for not including credit scores and for focusing on conventional loans only and not including government loans, such as those guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration and Department of Veterans Affairs.

Isolating conventional loans from government loans is common in mortgage research because they are different products, with different thresholds for approval and loan terms. Government loans bring people who wouldnt otherwise qualify into the market but tend to be more expensive for the borrower.

Even the Federal Reserve and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency that releases mortgage data, separate conventional and FHA loans in their research on lending disparities. Authors of one academic study out of Northeastern and George Washington universities said they focus on conventional loans only because FHA loans have long been implemented in a manner that promotes segregation.

As for credit scores, it was impossible for us to include them in our analysis because the CFPB strips them from public view from HMDA data  in part due to the mortgage industrys lobbying to remove them, citing borrower privacy.

When the CFPB first proposed expanding mortgage data collection to include the very data that industry trade groups have told us is vital for doing this type of analysis  credit scores, debt-to-income ratio, and loan-to-value ratio  those same groups objected. They didnt want the government to even collect the data, let alone make it public. They cited the risk of a cyberattack, which could reveal borrowers private information.

These new (data) fields include confidential financial data, several large trade groups wrote in a letter to the CFPB, including the ABA and MBA. Consequently, if this (sic) data are inadvertently or knowingly released to the public, the harm associated with re-identification would be even greater.

Government regulators do have access to credit scores. The CFPB analyzed 2019 HMDA data and found that accounting for credit scores does not eliminate lending disparities for people of color.

In addition to finding disparities in loan denials nationally, we examined cities and towns across the country individually and found disparities in 89 metropolitan areas spanning every region of the country. In Charlotte, where Crystal Marie and her family searched for a home, lenders were 50% more likely to deny loans to Black applicants than white ones with similar financial profiles. In other places, the gap was even larger.

Black applicants in Chicago were 150% more likely to be denied by financial institutions than similar white applicants there. Lenders were more than 200% more likely to reject Latino applicants than white applicants in Waco, Texas, and to reject Asian and Pacific Islander applicants than white ones in Port St. Lucie, Florida. And Native American applicants in Minneapolis were 100% more likely to be denied by financial institutions than similar white applicants there.

Its something that we have a very painful history with, said Alderman Matt Martin, who represents Chicagos 47th Ward.

Redlining, the now-outlawed practice of branding certain Black and immigrant neighborhoods too risky for financial investments that began in the 1930s, can be traced back to Chicago. Chicago activists exposed that banks were still redlining in the 1970s, leading to the establishment of the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the law mandating the collection of data used for this story.

When you see that maybe the tactics are different now, but the outcomes are substantially similar, Martin added, its just not something we can continue to tolerate.

Who makes these loan decisions? Officially, lending officers at each institution. In reality, software, most of it mandated by a pair of quasi-governmental agencies.

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were founded by the federal government to spur homeownership and now buy about half of all mortgages in America. If they dont approve a loan, the lenders are on their own if the borrower skips out.

And that power means Fannie and Freddie essentially set the rules for the industry, starting from the very beginning of the mortgage-approval process.

Fannie and Freddie require lenders to use a particular credit scoring algorithm, Classic FICO, to determine whether an applicant meets the minimum threshold necessary to even be considered for a conventional mortgage, currently a score of 620.

This algorithm was developed from data from the 1990s and is more than 15 years old. Its widely considered detrimental to people of color because it rewards traditional credit, to which white Americans have more access. It does not consider, among other things, on-time payments for rent, utilities, and cellphone bills  but will lower peoples scores if they get behind on them and are sent to debt collectors. Unlike more recent models, it penalizes people for past medical debt even if its since been paid.

This is how structural racism works, said Chi Chi Wu, a staff attorney at the National Consumer Law Center. This is how racism gets embedded into institutions and policies and practices with absolutely no animus at all.

Potentially fairer credit models have existed for years. A recent study by Vantage Score  a credit model developed by the Big Three credit bureaus to compete with FICO  estimated that its model would provide credit to 37 million Americans who have no scores under FICO models. Almost a third of them would be Black or Latino.

Yet Fannie and Freddie have resisted a steady stream of plaintive requests since 2014 from advocates, the mortgage and housing industries, and Congress to update to a newer model. Even the company that created Classic FICO has lobbied for the agencies to adopt a newer version, which it said expands credit to more people.

A lot of things that minorities and underserved borrowers are doing, responsible financial behaviors, are going under the radar, said Scott Olson, executive director of CHLA, a trade group representing small and midsized independent mortgage lenders.

Fannies and Freddies regulator and conservator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, continues to allow the companies to stick with Classic FICO, more than five years after ordering them to study the effects of switching to something newer. The FHFA has also expressed concern about the cost and operational implications if they would have to continually test new credit scoring models.

Neither of the companies would answer questions from The Markup about why they still require Classic FICO.

Theyve been testing alternate scores for years, and I dont know why the process is taking so long, said Lisa Rice, president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, a consortium of hundreds of fair housing organizations. Well-deserving consumers are being left behind.

Fannies and Freddies approval process also involves other mysterious algorithms: automated underwriting software programs that they first launched in 1995 to much fanfare about their speed, ease and, most important, fairness.

Using a data base as opposed to human judgment can avoid influences by other forces, such as discrimination against minority individuals and red-lining, Peter Maselli, then a vice president of Freddie Mac, told The New York Times when it launched its software, now called Loan Product Advisor. A bank executive told Congress that year the new systems were explicitly and implicitly color blind, since they did not consider a persons race at all in their evaluations.

But, like similar promises that algorithms would make colorblind decisions in criminal risk assessment and health care, research shows that some of the factors Fannie and Freddie say their software programs consider affect people differently depending on their race or ethnicity. These include, in addition to credit histories, the prospective borrowers assets, employment status, debts, and the size of the loan relative to the value of the property theyre hoping to buy.

The quality of the data that youre putting into the underwriting algorithm is crucial, said Aracely Panameno, director of Latino affairs for the Center for Responsible Lending. If the data that youre putting in is based on historical discrimination, then youre basically cementing the discrimination at the other end.

Research has shown that payday loan sellers usually place branches in neighborhoods populated mainly by people of color, where bank branches are less common. As a result, residents are more likely to use these predatory services to borrow money. This creates lopsided, incomplete credit histories because banks report both good and bad financial behavior to credit bureaus, while payday loan services only report missed payments.

Gig workers who are people of color are more likely to report that those jobs are their primary source of income  rather than a side hustle theyre using for extra cash  than white gig workers. Having multiple sources of income or unconventional employment can complicate the verification process for a mortgage, as Crystal Marie and Eskias McDaniels learned.

Considering an applicants assets beyond the down payment, which lenders call reserves, can cause particular problems for people of color. People with fatter bank accounts present a lower risk because they can more easily weather a setback that would leave others unable to pay the mortgage. But, largely due to intergenerational wealth and past racist policies, the typical white family in America today has eight times the wealth of a typical Black family and five times the wealth of a Latino family. People of color are more likely to have smaller savings accounts and smaller (or nonexistent) stock portfolios than white people.

This is a relatively new world of automated underwriting engines that by intent may not discriminate but by effect likely do, said David Stevens, a former president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association, now an independent financial consultant.

Not even home valuations are free from controversy. The president of the trade group representing real estate appraisers, who determine property values for loans, recently acknowledged that racial bias is prevalent in the industry and launched new programs to combat it.

Any type of data that you look at from the financial services space has a high tendency to be highly correlated to race, said Rice, of the National Fair Housing Alliance.

In written statements, Fannie said its software analyzes applications without regard to race, and both Fannie and Freddie said their algorithms are routinely evaluated for compliance with fair lending laws, internally and by the FHFA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD said in an email to The Markup that it has asked the pair to make changes in underwriting criteria as a result of those reviews but would not disclose the details.

This analysis includes a review to ensure that model inputs are not serving as proxies for race or other protected classes, Chad Wandler, Freddies director of public relations, said in a written statement. He declined to elaborate on what the review entails or how often its done.

No one outside Fannie and Freddie knows exactly how the factors in their underwriting software are used or weighted; the formulas are closely held secrets. Not even the companies regulator, the FHFA, appears to know, beyond broad strokes, exactly how the software scores applicants, according to Stevens, who served as Federal Housing commissioner and assistant secretary for housing at HUD during the Obama administration.

The Markups analysis does not include decisions made by Fannies and Freddies underwriting algorithms because, while lenders are required to report those decisions to the government, the CFPB scrubs them from public mortgage data, arguing that including them would likely disclose information about the applicant or borrower that is not otherwise public and may be harmful or sensitive. Lenders ultimate mortgage decisions are public, however. Borrowers names are not reported to the government and addresses are not in the public data.

Fannie and Freddie declined to answer our questions about why their algorithms decisions are excluded from the public data but said in a 2014 letter to the CFPB that the revelation could allow their decision-making algorithms to be reverse-engineered.

Loan officers say the softwares decisions are mysterious even to them.

When you run so many deals through the automated system, youll look at one deal that didnt get an approval, and you just know that thats a better client than someone else that mightve gotten approved, said Ashley Thomas III, a broker and owner of LA Top Broker, Inc., a minority-owned real estate agency and brokerage in South Los Angeles. That lack of transparency in the technology is very concerning.

The Community Home Lenders Association sent a letter to Fannie and Freddie in April complaining about unannounced changes to both of their underwriting software programs that members discovered when applicants who had previously been approved suddenly were denied.

Scott Olson, executive director of CHLA, said theres no good reason to keep lenders in the dark: The more transparent, the more clear the guidance is, the easier it is for borrowers to know what they need to do to be in a position to qualify.

Earlier this month  and weeks after we began asking about its algorithms  Fannie announced in a news release that it would start incorporating on-time rent payments in its loan approval software starting in mid-September. When we asked about the timing of that change, spokesperson Katie Penote emailed The Markup a statement saying the company wanted prospective borrowers to have this option as soon as possible but was silent about what prompted it.

In addition to using Fannies or Freddies software, many large lenders also run applicants through their institutions own underwriting software, which may be more stringent. How those programs work is even more of a mystery; they are also proprietary.

When we examined the reasons lenders listed for denying mortgages in 2019, the most common reason across races and ethnicities, with the exception of Native Americans, was that applicants had too much debt relative to their incomes. When lenders did list credit history as the reason for denial, it was cited more often for Black applicants than white ones in 2019: 33% versus 21%.

When we examined the decisions by individual lenders, many denied people of color more than white applicants. An additional statistical analysis showed that several were at least 100% more likely to deny people of color than similar white borrowers. Among them: the mortgage companies owned by nations three largest home builders.

The two principal laws forbidding housing and lending discrimination are the 1968 Fair Housing Act and the 1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act. An alphabet soup of federal agencies can refer evidence of violations of these laws to HUD or the Justice Department for investigation, but referrals have dropped precipitously over the past decade.

Marcia Fudge, who took over HUD leadership earlier this year, told Axios in June that part of the reason Black ownership rates are so low in America is that we have never totally enforced the Fair Housing Act. In an email, HUD press secretary Meaghan Lynch told The Markup that Fudge intends to tackle systemic discrimination in the housing and credit markets that is at the heart of the racial homeownership gap.

We do have laws that explicitly protect against discrimination, and yet you still see these disparities that youre finding, so that suggests that we need better enforcement of existing laws, and more investigations, said Kevin Stein, deputy director of the California Reinvestment Coalition. Agencies need to do a better job of ferreting out discrimination and taking serious action once they find it.

Another key housing law, the federal Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) of 1977, allows the federal government to penalize lenders who fail to invest in low-income or blighted neighborhoods but makes no requirements regarding borrowers race. Steins group has lobbied for the law to be reformed.

Lenders who violate fair lending rules can be punished with fines in the millions of dollars. Rep. Al Green, a Texas Democrat, has sponsored legislation wending its way through Congress that would make it a crime to engage in lending discrimination.

Banks already have laws that punish people who commit fraud, he said. You can be imprisoned for  I hope you have your seatbelt on  30 years. Why not have some similar law that deals with banks who are invidiously discriminating against people who are trying to borrow money?

And some fair lending advocates have begun to ask whether the value system in mortgage lending should be tweaked.

As an industry, we need to think about, what are the less discriminatory alternatives, even if they are a valid predictor of risk, said David Sanchez, a former Federal Housing Finance Agency policy analyst who currently directs research and development at the nonprofit National Community Stabilization Trust. Because if we let risk alone govern all of our decisions, we are going to end up in the exact same place we are now when it comes to racial equity in this country.

Crystal Marie McDaniels said whatever effect race may have had on her denial, it wasnt overt.

Im not sure you ever really know, because theres no klansmen in our yard or anything  but its definitely something we always think about, she said. Its just something that we always understand might be a possibility.

The lender, loanDepot, denied race had anything to do with the decision. The companys vice president of communications, Lori Wildrick, said in an email that the company follows the law and expects fair and equitable treatment for every applicant. We take the issues raised by Ms. (McDaniels) very seriously and are conducting a thorough review of her concerns.

Crystal Marie said buying a house was crucial for her because she wants to pass on wealth to her son someday, giving him an advantage she never had. So when the loan officer told her the deal wasnt going to happen, she refused to give up.

With the help of their real estate agent, and multiple emails from her employer on her behalf, she and her husband Eskias pushed back against the denial.

Around 8 p.m. on the night before the original closing date, Crystal Marie got an email from the lender: Youre cleared to close.

She still doesnt understand how the lender went from a no to a yes, but she was relieved and elated.

It means so much to me, as a Black person, to own property in a place where not that many generations ago you were property, said Crystal Marie, who said she is descended from slaves in neighboring South Carolina.

She said her family has always had a fraught relationship with money. Some relatives were so mistrustful of banks that theyd insisted on dealing only in cash, she said, making it impossible to build up credit or wealth for future generations.

Its meant so much, she said, that we were able to go through this process and finally, eventually, be successful.

___

This story was reported by The Markup and the story and data were distributed by The Associated Press.
The new four-bedroom house in Charlotte, North Carolina, was Crystal Marie and Eskias McDaniels personal American dream, the reason they had moved there from pricey Los Angeles.

A lush, long lawn, 2,700 square feet of living space, gleaming kitchen, and a neighborhood pool and playground for their son, Nazret. All for $375,000.

Pre-qualifying for the mortgage was a breeze: They had high credit scores, earned roughly six figures each and had saved more they would need for the down payment.

But two days before they were supposed to sign, in August 2019, the loan officer called Crystal Marie with bad news: The deal wasnt going to close.

It seemed like it was getting rejected by an algorithm, she said, and then there was a person who could step in and decide to override that or not.

She was told she didnt qualify because she was a contractor, not a full-time employee  even though her co-workers were contractors, too. And they had mortgages.

Crystal Maries co-workers are white. She and Eskias are Black.

I think it would be really naive for someone like myself to not consider that race played a role in the process, she said.

An investigation by The Markup has found that lenders in 2019 were more likely to deny home loans to people of color than to white people with similar financial characteristics  even when we controlled for newly available financial factors that the mortgage industry has in the past said would explain racial disparities in lending.



This story was reported by The Markup, and the story and data were distributed by The Associated Press.



Holding 17 different factors steady in a complex statistical analysis of more than 2 million conventional mortgage applications for home purchases reported to the government, we found that, in comparison to similar white applicants, lenders were:

 80% more likely to reject Black applicants

 70% more likely to deny Native American applicants

 50% more likely to turn down Asian/Pacific Islander applicants

 40% more likely to reject Latino applicants

These are national rates.

When we examined cities and towns individually, we found disparities in 90 metros spanning every region of the country. Lenders were 150% more likely to reject Black applicants in Chicago than similar white applicants there. Lenders were more than 200% more likely to reject Latino applicants than white applicants in Waco, Texas, and to reject Asian and Pacific Islander applicants than white ones in Port St. Lucie, Florida. And they were 110% more likely to deny Native American applicants in Minneapolis.

Lenders used to tell us, Its because you dont have the lending profiles; the ethno-racial differences would go away if you had them, said Jose Loya, assistant professor of urban planning at UCLA who has studied public mortgage data extensively and reviewed our methodology. Your work shows thats not true.

The American Bankers Association, The Mortgage Bankers Association, The Community Home Lenders Association, and The Credit Union National Association all criticized the analysis.

In written statements, the ABA and MBA dismissed our findings for failing to include credit scores or government loans, which are mortgages guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs and others.

Government loans have different thresholds for approval, which bring people into the market who wouldnt otherwise qualify, but generally cost buyers more. Even the Federal Reserve and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency that releases mortgage data, separate conventional and government loans in their research on lending disparities.

It was impossible for us to include credit scores in our analysis because the CFPB strips them from the public version of the data  in part due to the mortgage industrys lobbying, citing borrower privacy.

While home lending decisions are officially made by loan officers at each institution, they are largely driven by software, most of it mandated by a pair of quasi-governmental agencies.

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were founded by the federal government to spur homeownership and now buy about half of all mortgages in America. As a result, they essentially set the rules from the very beginning of the mortgage-approval process.

They require lenders to use a particular credit scoring algorithm, Classic FICO, to determine whether an applicant meets the minimum threshold to be considered for a conventional mortgage in the first place, currently a score of 620.

Launched more than 15 years ago based on data from the 1990s, Classic FICO is widely considered detrimental to people of color because it rewards traditional credit, to which they have less access than white Americans. It doesnt consider, among other things, on-time payments for rent, utilities, and cellphone bills  but will lower peoples scores if they get behind on those bills and sent to debt collectors. Unlike more recent models, it penalizes people for past medical debt after its been paid.

Yet Fannie and Freddie have resisted a stream of plaintive requests since 2014 from advocates, the mortgage and housing industries, and Congress to allow a newer model. They did not respond to questions about why.

The approval process also requires a green light by Fannie or Freddies automated underwriting software. Not even their regulator, the FHFA, knows exactly how they decide, but some of the factors the companies say their programs consider can affect people differently depending on their race or ethnicity, researchers have found.

For instance, traditional banks are less likely than payday loan sellers to place branches in neighborhoods populated mainly by people of color. Payday lenders dont report timely payments, so they can only damage credit.

Gig workers who are people of color are more likely to report those jobs as their primary source of income, rather than a side hustle, than white gig workers. This can make their income seem more risky.

Considering an applicants assets beyond the down payment, which lenders call reserves, can cause particular problems for people of color. Largely due to intergenerational wealth and past racist policies, the typical white family in America today has eight times the wealth of a typical Black family, and five times the wealth of a Latino family. White families have larger savings accounts and stock portfolios than people of color.

The president of the trade group representing real estate appraisers recently acknowledged racial bias is prevalent in the industry, which sets property values, and launched new programs to combat bias.

If the data that youre putting in is based on historical discrimination, said Aracely Panameno, director of Latino affairs for the Center for Responsible Lending, then youre basically cementing the discrimination at the other end.

In written statements, Fannie said its software analyzes applications without regard to race and both Fannie and Freddie said their algorithms are routinely evaluated for compliance with fair lending laws, internally and by the FHFA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD said it has asked the pair to make changes as a result, but would not disclose the details.

Many large lenders also run applicants through their institutions own underwriting software. How those programs work is even more of a mystery; they are also proprietary.

Some fair lending advocates have begun to ask whether the value system in mortgage lending should be tweaked.

As an industry, we need to think about, what are the less discriminatory alternatives, even if they are a valid predictor of risk, said David Sanchez, a former FHFA policy analyst, who currently directs research and development at the nonprofit National Community Stabilization Trust. Because if we let risk alone govern all of our decisions, we are going to end up in the exact same place we are now when it comes to racial equity in this country.

Crystal Marie and Eskias McDaniels' lender denied race had anything to do with their denial. In an email, loanDepot vice president of communications Lori Wildrick said the company follows the law and expects fair and equitable treatment for every applicant.

The couple refused to give up after the loan officer told them the mortgage fell through and enlisted their real estate agent to help. Crystal Maries employer sent multiple emails vouching for her.

Around 8 p.m. on the night before the original closing date, Crystal Marie got an email from the lender: Youre cleared to close. She still doesnt understand how she got to yes, but she was relieved and elated.

It means so much to me, as a Black person, said Crystal Marie, who said her family descended from slaves in neighboring South Carolina, to own property in a place where not that many generations ago you were property.

Its meant so much.

___

This story was reported by The Markup, and the story and data were distributed by The Associated Press.
BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip (AP)  From the shell of their sitting room, its wall blown open by Israeli missiles, Zaki and Jawaher Nassir have a window into their neighborhoods upheaval.

In one buildings skeleton, children play video games atop a slab of fallen concrete. In another, a man stares out from beside a bed covered in debris.

Until this neighborhood was hammered by the fourth war in 13 years between Israel and Hamas, the Nassirs often sat by their window, watching children play. Now they watch demolition workers hack away at the wreckage so they and their neighbors can start rebuilding -- again.

We have no peace in our lives and we expect that war can happen again at any time, Zaki Nassir says.

The story of the Nassirs, their neighbors and the toll of four wars is Gazas story.

Since 2008, more than 4,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflicts, over half of them civilians. The Israeli death toll stands at 106.

The Islamic militants, who reject Israels right to exist, have fired thousands of rockets across the border. Israel, which considers Hamas a terrorist organization, has repeatedly hit the Strip with overwhelming firepower that, despite its high-tech precision, continues to kill civilians.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has likened Israels periodic offensives to mowing an unruly lawn. But the wars have done more than $5 billion in damage to Gazas buildings and infrastructure. Nearly 250,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed.

Gazas crisis is rooted in events that came long before Hamas seized control in 2007. More than half its population are from Palestinian families who fled or were driven from what is now Israel during the 1948 war over its formation. But the recurrent fighting and the blockade of recent years have made life in Gaza far worse.

Its not (just) about you are losing a building. You are losing the hope that things will get better, says Omar Shaban, who runs a Gaza think tank. Forty percent of the population was born under siege.

The Nassirs are all too familiar with that narrative of despair. But they resist it, even after a fourth war.

This is what we have, Zaki Nassir says. We have to live.

___

Five decades ago, Zaki Nassirs father moved his family to a plot of farmland in what was then a village. Today, homes built on that tract are filled with Nassirs.

Life in Beit Hanoun deteriorated sharply after Israel withdrew settlers and troops in a 2005 disengagement.

After winning Palestinian elections in 2006, Hamas clashed with the rival Fatah party the following year and seized control of Gaza. In 2008, Israel launched a major offensive after heavy fire by militants.

About 2 weeks into that war, Israels military declared a pause in the fighting so residents could gather supplies. Khaldiya Nassir was preparing the familys remaining vegetables when her husband, Adham -- Zaki Nassirs nephew -- announced he was going out to get flour.

On his way home, a woman flagged him down, pleading for help with her wounded daughter. As the 38-year-old Adham carried the girl from their house, he was wounded in the neck and back by a spray of gunfire.

Evacuated to an Egyptian hospital, Adham died three weeks later. His wife blames Israeli special forces.

Afterward, Khaldiya Nassir set aside much of the orphans assistance her family received to build a home filled with personal touches. After the latest war, much of it will have to be torn down, U.N. inspectors say.

Everything is gone, she says. We cannot afford any more fear.

____

The Nassirs were largely spared by the next conflict, in 2012. But their neighborhoods reprieve ended when war returned, less than two years later.

In 2014, three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped in the West Bank and found dead weeks later. Members of Hamas eventually claimed responsibility and Israel arrested scores of its leaders in the West Bank.

Militants responded by firing rockets into southern Israel, igniting a crackdown that exploded into a seven-week war. In Beit Hanoun, residents were told to evacuate to shelters.

Three doors down from the Nassirs, neighbors Fauzi and Neama Abu Amsha told their sons that they were staying put, insisting that at 63 and 62, the Israeli military would never see them as a threat. Jawaher Nassir, seven months pregnant, worried she might not be strong enough to flee on foot.

When we got to the school we found there was no room for us. she recalls. We had to stay in the stairwell.

They returned home 51 days later to find their home littered with shrapnel, with cracks crossing the ceiling.

When neighbor Akram Abu Amsha returned, his parents were not in their hiding place under the stairs. Then he and his brothers looked for them in a narrow alley, readily visible to drones.

We found them in pieces, he says.

____

This May protests erupted over the anticipated eviction of Palestinian families from homes in east Jerusalem and Israeli restrictions on Ramadan gatherings. A clash with Israeli soldiers at the holy citys Al-Aqsa mosque touched off the latest war.

Three nights into the fighting, the Nassirs and their neighbors hunkered down, the sound of shelling cutting through the dark.

A little after 12:30 a.m. on May 14, shouts outside warned of military fire to the east. Neighbor Itzhak Fayyad, 46, ran upstairs to reassure sleeping relatives just as the first Israeli missile exploded into the courtyard. The force flung him out a fourth-floor window, shattering his right leg.

Across the yard, the shockwaves flattened Jamal Nassirs grocery. Inside, bricks shaken loose from the wall fell on Jalal Nassir, leaving his back twisted in pain.

May nobody, neither Jews nor Arabs, ever experience such a night, Itzhaks brother, Khalil Fayyad, says.

The Israeli Defense Force told The Associated Press it targeted the area because it sat atop an underground tunnel belonging to Palestinian militants. The Air Force had used precision weapons to demolish the tunnel, while avoiding civilian casualties, it said.

While missiles did not hit any homes directly, the force blew walls and ceilings apart and left deep craters. Inspectors say many facing the courtyard will have to be torn down and rebuilt or require major repairs.

Until then, the Nassirs and their neighbors return each morning despite inspectors warnings not to spend time in the wreckage. Even after four wars in 13 years, and with every expectation that conflict will erupt again, they are staying put.

Our memories are here, Jawaher Nassir says.

___

Associated Press reporters Helen Wieffering in Washington, Wafaa Shurafa and Felipe Dana in Gaza and Josef Federman and Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem contributed to this story.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  Visitors to Nashua's City Hall must return to wearing a mask, regardless of vaccination status, because of the rise in COVID-19 cases.

The change took effect Wednesday. The Telegraph of Nashua reports Mayor Jim Donchess said the increase in cases since the beginning of August, coupled with the continued substantial community transmission in the city, prompted the decision.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Pennsylvania schools need a statewide requirement that students in classrooms wear masks as protection against the coronavirus, the Democratic governor wrote in a letter Wednesday to legislative leaders.

The message was a turnaround for Gov. Tom Wolf, who had maintained that a mask mandate was an issue for school boards to decide and questioned why Pennsylvania should mandate something that wasn't mandated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In his letter, Wolf asked Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Centre, and House Speaker Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, to call lawmakers back to Harrisburg immediately to work on a bill to order schools and child care facilities to require masks in classrooms.

Concerned parents, pediatricians, teachers and others have been urging state officials for such a mandate, Wolf said.

Wolf's administration last year mandated that masks be worn by students most of the time they are in school.

Wolfs letter said that at the end of July, just 59 of 474 school district plans submitted to the Education Department mandated masks for the just-starting 2021-22 school year.

It is clear that action is needed to ensure children are safe as they return to school, Wolf said.

Wolf told Cutler and Corman he has become increasingly concerned about misinformation being spread to try to discredit a school district's clear ability to implement masking as well as local control being usurped by the threat  implicit or explicit  of political consequences for making sound public health and education decisions.

A spokesperson for Cutler said the two leaders were reviewing Wolf's letter and were likely to respond Wednesday.

A spokesperson for House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre, said the House GOP caucus was against voting on a statewide mask mandate.

Just because theres not a statewide mandate requiring people to wear masks doesnt mean people dont have the option to wear masks, said Benninghoff spokesperson Jason Gottesman.

Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, put out a written statement late Tuesday that said she was confident that parents and districts can make the best decisions for their children.

As I have consistently stated, it is important to ensure the resources available and decisions being made are not used to strong-arm or pressure individuals, Ward said.

In May, Pennsylvania voters narrowly approved a statewide referendum that curbed a governor's emergency powers. The constitutional amendments were proposed by Republican lawmakers angry over Wolfs handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, including his orders shuttering businesses, sending students home for online schooling and ordering masks worn outside the home.

But Wolf  who largely had lifted his orders before the referendum  has maintained that the referendum did not limit his authority to issue orders designed to prevent COVID-19 from spreading, such as shutdowns or masking restrictions. Those rest on separate public health law, his administration has said.

Wolf did not explicitly threaten to unilaterally issue a mask mandate in schools, if lawmakers fail to act.

My administration will continue to monitor the situation, communicate and work with the General Assembly and take actions as needed to keep our children safe, and in the classroom, Wolf said in the letter.

Pennsylvanias two statewide teachers unions last week urged K-12 schools to require masks in school buildings, citing the threat of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends masks in schools for students, staff and teachers.

But masking has become a contentious and politicized issue, with heated debate taking place at the local level as school boards decide what their policy will be as schools reopen for the fall. Some Pennsylvania districts said they will require masks, including urban school districts in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Erie, Allentown and Bethlehem, but many others have decided to make them optional.

In other coronavirus-related developments in Pennsylvania on Wednesday:

___

GEISINGER TO REQUIRE EMPLOYEE VACCINATIONS

One of the states largest health systems said it will require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Geisinger gave its nearly 24,000 employees until Oct. 15 to get the shot, citing rising numbers of coronavirus infections and hospitalizations. It said about 70% are already fully vaccinated.

We understand that some employees who have consciously chosen to not get vaccinated may be disappointed by this decision. We hope they will understand that this is a necessary step to protect the health of our patients and their colleagues, Dr. Jaewon Ryu, Geisingers president and CEO, said in a written statement.

The Geisinger network includes nine hospitals, a medical school and provider practices throughout central and northeastern Pennsylvania.

Many other large health systems in Pennsylvania require employees to be vaccinated, including the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Lukes University Health Network. UPMC, the states largest health system, encourages but does not mandate that employees get the shot.

___

Associated Press writer Michael Rubinkam contributed.
KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  The state of Minnesota has gone to federal court to block a lawsuit over Enbridge Energy's Line 3 oil pipeline project from proceeding in tribal court.

The novel case names Manoomin  the Ojibwe word for wild rice  as the lead plaintiff. Wild rice is sacred in Ojibwe culture and a traditional source of food. The lawsuit, which was filed two weeks ago in the White Earth Band's tribal court, is the first rights of nature enforcement case brought in a U.S. tribal court and the second such case to be filed in any U.S. court. The first was a Florida waterways case filed in April, according to the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights.
Texas Democrats aren't holding back their comments after Gov. Greg Abbott announced his latest executive order on Wednesday, August 25.

Abbott's order bans COVID-19 mandates regardless of a vaccine's approval status with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Additionally, Abbott says the subject of vaccine mandates will be added to the state legislature's special session agenda.

"Vaccine requirements and exemptions have historically been determined by the legislature, and their involvement is particularly important to avoid a patchwork of vaccine mandates across Texas," Abbott said in a statement.

Shortly after the news, many took to Twitter to call out Abbott's latest action. Former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro tweeted the order isn't about Texans' freedom. He says, "This is about Abbott playing political games with a deadly virus to placate his extreme right-wing base."

San Antonio Independent School District also told reporter Joshua Fechter of the Texas Tribune that it will continue to move forward with its vaccine mandate for its employees.

"We strongly believe that the safest path forward as a school district is for all staff to become vaccinated against COVID-19," SAISD wrote in its statement. "We are moving forward with our request to have all vaccinated by Oct. 15, unless they have a medical or religious exemption."

Scroll below to see reactions from other Texas leaders, as well as The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
Ideas to improve Canadas immigration system ANALYSIS: Canada's federal election campaign provides us with the opportunity to think about the future of our immigration system.

Ideas to improve Canadas immigration system ANALYSIS: Canada's federal election campaign provides us with the opportunity to think about the future of our immigration system.

Ideas to improve Canadas immigration system ANALYSIS: Canada's federal election campaign provides us with the opportunity to think about the future of our immigration system. Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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The upcoming Canadian federal election on September 20 is an opportunity to think about the future of Canadas immigration system.

Political parties are currently campaigning across the country outlining their vision on how Canada should be governed. The next government will then have a four year mandate to lead the country.

One of the most important policy areas over the next four years and beyond is immigration. Canada is becoming more dependent on immigration to support its prosperity.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Immigration is the main driver of Canadas population and labour force growth, and is playing a greater role in Canadas economic growth. Canadas dependence on immigration is a function of its aging population and low birth rate.

An aging population is more expensive to care for since they rely on vital government-funded services such as health care. Older people also spend less than younger ones which results in weaker economic activity. In Canadas case, the birth rate is not high enough to replace the population and retiring workers which means that younger Canadians will be required to shoulder an even greater tax-burden, as well as an economic burden in terms of generating economic activity through their work in the labour market and their personal spending on goods and services. Immigration does not solve all these challenges but welcoming newcomers helps to alleviate the economic and fiscal strain caused by Canadas demographic realities.

The Canadian government recognizes this which is why it is increasing newcomer arrivals. Under the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada is seeking to welcome at least 401,000 new immigrants per year, which is the most ambitious plan in the countrys history. Only once has Canada welcomed that many immigrants, back in 1913.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

With immigration set to become a more prominent issue, it is a great opportunity to identify what steps Canada can take to improve what is already arguably the best immigration system in the world. It is clear there are some immediate COVID-related immigration issues Canada needs to address. In addition, there are other issues which are not immediate priorities but are important nonetheless and are worthy of exploration.

COVID

The pandemic has created a multitude of immigration challenges for Canada. The following are immediate priorities that need to be tackled:

Helping Newcomers Find Jobs: Newcomers have been particularly hard-hit in the Canadian labour market during the pandemic. Moreover, Canadian government research shows newcomers who arrive during recessions tend to have worse economic outcomes over their lifetime in Canada compared to those that arrive during stronger economic periods.

It is thus crucial for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to work in conjunction with industry, lower levels of government, researchers, settlement organizations, the education sector, and credentialing bodies to identify how to best offer employment support to newcomers during this challenging period. While there are reasons to be optimistic that many newcomers will succeed in the labour market due to reasons such as more workers retiring, Canada increasing its economic class selection criteria, and transitioning more temporary residents to permanent residence, among others, there is still a significant risk that some newcomer segments such as women and family and refugee class immigrants will be impacted in a disproportionately negative way beyond the pandemic. IRCC needs to be proactive and vigilant to help prevent long-term economic scarring to such vulnerable newcomer segments.

Inviting FSWP Candidates: The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) has been the main way Canada has welcomed economic class immigrants since it launched the program in 1967 as well as since the launch of Express Entry in 2015. However, IRCC has not invited FSWP candidates in its bi-weekly Express Entry draws throughout all of 2021. Their rationale is FSWP candidates are more likely to be abroad and hence face COVID-related challenges that will interrupt Canadas ability to land them as permanent residents. While this argument makes sense to an extent, it is also problematic.

There are FSWP candidates who currently live in Canada that are not receiving invitations. IRCC has been processing temporary resident applications throughout the pandemic enabling hundreds of thousands of new international students and foreign workers to travel here. Most of Canadas travel restrictions have been lifted. And the most compelling counter-argument of all is that FSWP candidates tend to have higher core Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores than other candidates. IRCC uses the CRS to rank Express Entry candidates with the purpose of Express Entry being that Canada wants to prioritize the highest-scoring candidates since they are most likely to succeed in our economy. All this to say, resuming invitations to FSWP candidates is long overdue and IRCCs policy is becoming increasingly difficult to justify now that Canada has done away with most of its travel restrictions.

Landing Expired COPR Holders: Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) holders continue to report difficulties getting their expired COPRs renewed so they can finally immigrate to Canada. These are individuals that have completed the entire immigration application process and have already been approved by IRCC. Thousands of them unfortunately saw their COPRs expire during the pandemic due to disruptions such as lack of flights, lockdowns in their countries, and not being permitted to travel to Canada. Canada finally lifted its restrictions on all COPR holders in June. However many COPR holders continue to report lack of communication from IRCC as they anxiously await the opportunity to begin their new lives in Canada. It is high time that IRCC expedite the processing of such individuals after they have had their lives on hold for the better part of the pandemic. These individuals have already quit their jobs, taken their children out of school, and packed their bags to move here, only for COVID to get in the way. The most Canadian thing to do is demonstrate compassion and give these future citizens the attention and support they deserve.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Beyond the examples above of immediate priorities, the following are ideas of other areas Canada can home in on to identify improvements.

Economic Class

Express Entry: Express Entry has been designed in a way to give IRCC and its minister wide latitude to invite immigrants with high potential to contribute to Canadas economy. However since its launch in 2015, the department has predominantly invited the candidates with the highest CRS, and during the pandemic the focus has shifted to mainly inviting candidates living in Canada. More creativity has been demonstrated by the provinces and territories through their respective Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP). One such major creative approach employed by the provinces is industry and occupation-specific draws that are meant to respond to very specific labour market needs. In Budget 2021, the Liberal Party of Canada proposed making changes to Express Entry but they did not specify what they have in mind. One new approach that IRCC can take is also hold industry and occupation-specific Express Entry draws to help alleviate worker shortages in key areas across Canada such as in technology, health care, and agri-food.

In addition, IRCC may want to consider counting self-employed work experience obtained within Canada for those who wish to apply under Express Entry. This is already recognized if a candidate has been self-employed abroad, but for some reason IRCC believes it is difficult to verify self-employment in Canada. This can be verified the same way that IRCC verifies employment, such as by asking candidates to submit their Canadian tax slips and employment letters (e.g., letters from clients and customers).

Municipal Nominee Program: The Liberals promised to launch a new Municipal Nominee Program (MNP) to help smaller cities attract more immigrants but this promise was interrupted by the pandemic. Launching it after the election would be beneficial since Canadas experience shows that providing smaller jurisdictions with selection programs tends to promote a broader distribution of newcomers. An easier and quicker solution is to simply increase PNP allocations for interested provinces that vow to use the earmarked allocations towards nominating candidates who want to settle in smaller cities.

Business Immigration: Canada was once the global leader in attracting immigrant entrepreneurs and investors but IRCC has lost interest in this space since shutting down two of its longstanding programs in 2014. The programs were problematic and outlasted their shelf life but IRCC has not since launched modern replacements that can welcome tens of thousands of more business immigrants who can support Canadas economic development. It is understandable why IRCC is apprehensive about doing so but Canada is now missing out on the opportunity to bring in immigrants with significant human, social, and financial capital. The Start-up Visa is a worthy program but it has proven after nearly a decade in existence that it is niche in orientation and unable to attract business immigrants on a larger scale. Canada has a very wide community of business immigration experts who can advise on IRCC what successful new programming may look like.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Family Class

Spousal Sponsorship: IRCC took a major step forward several years ago when they stated the new processing standard for spousal sponsorship applications would be 12 months. Given the importance of spousal sponsorship to Canadas economy and society, it is worth exploring pushing the bar even higher and getting this processing standard down to 6 months, which is the same standard that applied to Express Entry candidates prior to the pandemic.

Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP): IRCC has long struggled to balance the enormous demand to sponsor parents and grandparents. Its solution in recent years has been to host a lottery but this solution is also not ideal for any involved party. Once the pandemic is out of the way, IRCC would benefit from leading a dialogue with stakeholders across the country to identify a more sustainable and satisfactory approach to managing the PGP. Ideas that were proposed prior to the pandemic include a weighted lottery system whereby those not drawn in previous lotteries would be given a greater chance of receiving an invitation to sponsor in subsequent lotteries.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Refugees

Afghan Refugees: The return of Taliban rule has sparked a panic in Afghanistan and will likely result in a major humanitarian crisis. Prior to the NATO-led coalition in 2001, Afghanistan had 5 million refugees and internally displaced persons. Its population has doubled since 2001 so we must unfortunately be prepared for the worst. Canada has already committed to welcoming 20,000 Afghan refugees but it will likely need to welcome way more than this. The next government must roll up its sleeves and identify how to welcome the first 20,000 Afghans as quickly as possible, and then to facilitate the arrival of more Afghans in the coming years.

Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program (PSRP): One way IRCC can support Afghan refugee arrivals and promote Canadas humanitarian objectives even further is by improving the processing standard of its longstanding PSRP. The PSRP allows Canadians to privately sponsor refugees and support their settlement upon arrival. However processing times can take numerous years which is demotivating for potential sponsors and undermines Canadas ability to help those in need.

Settlement Services

Access for Temporary Residents: Canada offers the most robust immigrant settlement services in the world, spending nearly $2 billion a year to offer free supports such as language training, employment assistance, and more. However these supports are only available to permanent residents, which means that hundreds of thousands of international students, temporary foreign workers, and other temporary residents who are in Canada cannot access these great services. This is a policy flaw since IRCC openly encourages such individuals to transition to permanent residence. For instance, it launched in May 2021 a special program for essential workers and international graduates in Canada to apply for immigration. The sooner such individuals have access to IRCC-funded services, the sooner they are likely to be on their way to settling, integrating, and succeeding in Canada. There are many ways to solve this issue. For example, IRCC can make such services accessible the moment a temporary resident submits their permanent residence application.

Citizenship

Fees: The Liberals also promised to make Canadian citizenship applications free but we can assume they did not fulfil this promise due to the pandemic. A new federal mandate provides us with the chance to explore either proceeding with this promise or reducing citizenship fees. Some argue that hikes to citizenship fees in recent years have made it unaffordable for some permanent residents to go ahead with their citizenship applications.

Conclusion

Canada has a leading immigration system due to its continuous desire to modernize and foster improvements. The country has made great strides in recent years such as through the launch of Express Entry and a multi-year immigration levels plan. Express Entry has expedited economic class application processing while a multi-year levels plan gives stakeholders across the country more time to prepare for a larger influx of newcomers. In addition, IRCC does deserve tremendous credit for their work in managing the immigration system under difficult pandemic circumstances. At the same time, the immigration system is not without its flaws, and there are many ways to make it better. The ongoing election campaign and the new federal mandate gives us a significant window of opportunity to put our best immigration ideas into practice.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701)

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Periods of rain. The rain will be heavy at times. Potential for flooding rains. High 67F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

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Cloudy and damp with rain, heavy at times, early. Becoming partly cloudy late. Low around 55F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
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In recent weeks, amid broader questions about the surge of the Delta coronavirus variant in the US and the vaccination campaign to counter it, journalists have periodically pressed health officials as to when the Food and Drug Administration might fully approve the vaccines, which had been administered, up to now, under emergency-use authorization. Two weeks ago, ABCs George Stephanopoulos asked Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, whether the FDA needs to be doing more; Collins assured him that the agency is working twenty-four seven on the approval process, then stressed that there is already incredible evidence for the vaccines safety and effectiveness, and urged the unvaccinated to get a shot immediately. If youre on the fence, get off the fence, Collins said. Go. Late last week, the New York Times reported that the FDA hoped to approve Pfizer and BioNTechs vaccine for US adults as soon as Monday, accelerating its self-imposed Labor Day deadline, and that was exactly what happened. The approval was a huge story across the mainstream media landscape, knocking the crisis in Afghanistan off the top of many news homepages and TV bulletins. We begin tonight with a major breakthrough in a different type of forever war, Joy Reid said on Monday, at the top of her show on MSNBCthe war against COVID-19.

Stories about the approval usually cited two main reasons for its importance: the possibility that it might assuage the concerns of some vaccine skeptics, and the extra cover it would give employers to mandate vaccination among their staff. (A number of institutions, including the US military, were quick to make use of the cover.) Some reporters and commentators balanced the two reasons; others emphasized one over the other. Reid described the approval as a shift from a vaccine push to a vaccine must. Those who focused on the first reason often cited recent polling, from the Kaiser Family Foundation, suggesting that around three in ten unvaccinated Americans might be more likely to get a shot if it were formally approved. Others cautioned against placing too much faith in that figure, noting Kaisers own caveat that it might be a proxy for general safety concerns since a large majority of unvaccinated respondents to its poll either thought the vaccines were approved already or didnt know one way or another. The news of the full authorization would seem to be likely to push familiarity with that status higher, Aaron Blake wrote, in the Washington Post. From there, its about whether that actually makes the difference for enough people. Being more likely to get the vaccine doesnt mean youll do it. Alison Buttenheim, an expert on vaccine hesitancy at the University of Pennsylvania, told the Times that were likely talking here about a vanishingly small number of people in real life.

ICYMI: Regulatory repression as Russia turns the screw on independent journalism

In general, the coverage of the approval channeled a contradiction of sorts. The story is premised on institutional credibilityif the FDA werent a trustworthy messenger, its approval would be meaningless. And yet the main reasons the story matters are inextricably bound up with persistently high rates of vaccine skepticism in America, a phenomenon that is itself inextricable from widespread distrust of credible institutions; whats more, the reasons pull in opposite directions, offering a carrot and wielding a stick. This is not to say that the approval isnt a big story, or to criticize the coverage. Nor are the contradictions here irreconcilableindeed, they could actually help the press to tease out the diversity of fears and motivations among vaccine skeptics, some of whom may respond better to carrots and others to sticks. As Ive written before, coverage of vaccine skeptics has sometimes had an unhelpful flattening effecttarring them all with the same brush of irrational, Trump-loving crazy.

Nonetheless, the contradictions here do illuminate some truths about our information environment. One has to do with how different outlets respond to institutional cues. The same mainstream outlets that treated the FDAs verdict as big news in and of itself have also, by and large, made it clear from the beginning that the vaccines are safe and effective, and generally serve audiences that are already vaccinated at higher rates than the country at large (and, on the whole, are probably more likely to trust government authorities, especially under President Biden). By contrast, outlets, notably on the right, whose coverage has been more skeptical of the vaccines were never likely to do a U-turn based on the word of Bidens FDA. According to CNNs Brian Stelter, Fox News covered the approval story much less than CNN and MSNBC on Mondayand some network voices who did talk about it brought a skeptical tone, including by renewing their opposition to vaccine mandates. Laura Ingraham, a host, said that Biden was using the approval to take away your rights; Marty Makary, a guest, suggested that the administration had manipulated the approval and other COVID stories to distract attention from Afghanistan. They can sit here and confirm and make official whatever they want, Dana Loesch, a right-wing radio host, said, on a Fox show hosted by Jesse Watters. It doesnt change the fact that there are people who have questions.

At one point, two Fox hosts asked within a minute of each other whether the FDAs decision was rushed and what took so long? The dissonance was widely mocked online. But it spoke, in a sense, to another apparent contradiction in coverage of the approvalthe FDA has, in fact, moved both quickly and slowly, depending on how you define those terms. Again, different commentators emphasized different definitions, with some stressing that the FDA accelerated its processes compared to how long it typically takes to approve a vaccine, while others argued that it didnt go fast enough to meet this moment of acute crisis; David Leonhardt, of the Times, wrotein an article headlined FDA, not FDRthat American history is rich with examples of government officials doing what the FDA decided not to do in this case: overhaul their process in a time of crisis. The debate is a new iteration of one that has recurred in media coverage throughout the pandemic: the proper balance between rigor and urgency. Its another example, too, of scientific processes that would normally not attract much media attention playing out under a spotlight of harsh scrutinychanging public perceptions of routine procedures and, sometimes, altering incentives for decision-makers. Progress that looks quick in the cool light of history can look glacial in the glare of the twenty-four-hour cable news cycle.

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The historic speed of the approval arguably makes it an important story regardless of its immediate impact on vaccine skepticism. But the feeling persists that, in a country with a more responsible, better-adjusted information ecosystemand much higher levels of early vaccine uptakethe approval would probably not have been seen as that big a deal. The mainstream news media is part of that ecosystem, even if it isnt responsible for its worst ills. The approval hasnt been the only FDA story in the news this weekthe agency also responded to reports that some Americans have been taking ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug that is typically given to livestock, to ward off the coronavirus. You are not a horse, the FDA wrote in a tweet. You are not a cow. Seriously, yall. Stop it. The eye-catching putdown echoed, predictably, through many a headlineoffering a stark contrast to the institutional sobriety of the approval story. It was yet another jarring tonal clash in an era that has been full of them.

Below, more on the coronavirus:



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: In Kosovo, everybody has their own truth

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
JOHANNESBURG  South Africas only insurer covering political violence will increase its premiums to cover a rise in reinsurance costs following some of the worst unrest in decades, the head of the state-owned company told Reuters.

More than 300 people died and around 3,000 stores were looted when protests and violence erupted in July, sparked by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma but later driven by anger over poverty and inequality.

Sasria, which was set up after private firms stopped underwriting risk relating to political violence during apartheid, currently estimates claims related to the unrest at 18 billion rand ($1.19 billion), according to a presentation on Monday.

It is relying partially on reinsurance contracts to pay, and the cost of those contracts is now increasing, managing director Cedric Masondo told Reuters by phone.

We will increase the rate driven by the increase in reinsurance, he said, declining to say by how much. He said the timing of the increase had not been finalized

A circular communicating the decision to Sasria agents  local private insurers  was published on its website, dated Aug. 4. It said the increase would be effective from Oct. 1.

As Sasria is the only entity offering insurance coverage for political risks, firms across the country could be in line for higher premiums if they seek protection against losses linked to events like strikes or protests.

Masondo said it was still deciding whether all clients would be affected.

The insurers standard coverage offered by agents runs to a maximum of 500 million rand, while an additional 1 billion rand is available to bigger firms that approach Sasria directly.

Some coverage is also available on the open market, in particular for large corporates looking for protection beyond the 1.5 billion rand maximum Sasria offers.

A senior executive at one global insurer, who declined to be identified, told Reuters it would also increase its property insurance rates as a result of Sasrias decision.
Beachwood, OH (44122)

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Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 57F. NNE winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph..

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Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 57F. NNE winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph.
Even though the delta variant of the coronavirus is raging, spiritual leaders at two Jewish long-term care facilities say services for Rosh Hashanah from Sept. 6 to Sept. 8 and Yom Kippur on Sept. 15 and Sept. 16 will largely fall in line with ones held before COVID-19 effectively shut them 
COFFEY, Mo. [mdash]John Nelson Eacret, 73, Coffey, MO passed away Tuesday, August 24, 2021 at his home. He was born on September 16, 1947 in Portland, Oregon the son of Earnest and Rachel (Stone) Eacret. On July 7, 2007, he married Joan A. Hughes in Tracy, Missouri. She survives of the home.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  A World Health Organization official on Tuesday laid down the only circumstance when countries can administer two different brands of COVID-19 vaccines.

WHO Essential Medicines and Health Technologies coordinator Dr. Socorro Escalante said those who received Oxford/AstraZeneca may receive Pfizer as their second shot only if supply is unavailable.

She said these two vaccine brands are the only combination that has been tested, adding it is safe and effective based on limited data from a study from United Kingdom.

"The mix and match of vaccines such as Astrazeneca and Pfizer will only be recommended when the second dose for AstraZeneca is unavailable. While we have vaccines for the second dose, we continue to advise countries to use the same vaccines," Escalante said in a media briefing.

The Philippines still hasn't allowed the mixing and matching of COVID-19 vaccines, but there is a plan to launch a clinical trial.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan has tested positive for COVID-19, he confirmed on Wednesday.

Ako ay nasa maayos na kalagayan at kasalukuyang nagpapagaling, the local chief executive said in a statement.

[Translation: I am in a well state and currently recovering.]

Malapitan also asked his close contacts to self-isolate and undergo RT-PCR testing, adding the city offers free swab tests for its residents.

The mayor also assured the city government will continue fulfilling its duties and addressing the needs of its constituents.

Umasa po kayo na ang inyong lingkod ay patuloy na nakaantabay sa mga nagaganap at pangyayari sa ating lungsod habang patuloy ang aking komunikasyon sa mga ibat ibang sangay ng ating pamahalaan, he said.

[Translation: Expect your public servant to continue monitoring happenings and events in our city while I continue communicating with different branches of our government.]

Malapitan joins other Metro Manila local chief executives who tested positive for COVID-19, which include Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  President Rodrigo Duterte has directed the Department of Budget and Management to provide funds to increase the country's capacity to do genome sequencing, Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Pena said.

Dela Pena did not specify an amount, but the Philippine Genome Center earlier sought P100-million funding support - P50 million each for its satellite offices in the Visayas and Mindanao. With the budget, each facility will be able to sequence 50 samples per week for the rest of the year, PGC noted.

It is very welcome news that the President has supported the University of the Philippines' decision to expand the capabilities of the PGC branches in Visayas and Mindanao to enable them to do the advanced sequencing protocols which are urgently needed particularly with the coming out of COVID-19 variants and for ordering the DBM to release funds for the purpose, dela Pena said Tuesday in a statement.

Currently, only the PGC main office in Quezon City is conducting genome sequencing, which identifies the type of variant a coronavirus-positive person has.

The PGC and UP National Institutes of Health have detected cases of all four variants of concern in the country.

The Department of Health has declared community transmission of Delta, the most contagious among all variants of concern, in Metro Manila and Calabarzon, but it said more evidence is needed to say the situation is the same nationwide.

Community transmission means the source of infection can no longer be traced.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  The Department of the Interior and Local Government has extended the deadline for the distribution of cash assistance in Metro Manila until August 31 following the request of local government units.

In a statement, Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said the decision was made after Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana backed the appeals of local chief executives.

"The mayors also need more time to process appeals and grievances, so it is justified for us to give an extension," Ano added.

Initially, LGUs were given until August 25 to complete the payout after it started on August 11. But local officials said their cash aid distribution has been hampered by limited mobility and manpower amid rising COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region.

The DILG noted that 80.96% or 9.1 billion out of the 11.2-billion financial assistance has been given out to beneficiaries so far. This means more than 9 million beneficiaries, or 8 out of every 10 individuals, have received cash assistance.

Only Caloocan City was able to finish distribution before the deadline while eight other LGUs have at least 80% distribution rate, the department said.

Prior to being under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), Metro Manila was under the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20 due to increasing infections that were possibly driven by the feared Delta variant.

The ECQ required the government to allocate financial aid to help affected residents.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday admitted that the contact tracing application StaySafe has limitations, after its effectiveness was questioned amid the spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.

In a Senate hearing, Senator Pia Cayetano lamented the fact that the contact tracing application only acts like a digital logbook in establishments.

In truth and in fact, the StaySafe app is merely a digital log or parang yung nakasulat sa logbook na papel [or like the one written in a paper logbook]. Thats all it does. Its in our imagination that it is interconnected with the national governments tracking system, or the local governments tracking system, because it is not, she said.

Its not a matter of being techie or not techie but accepting the reality that this contact tracing app that you are relying on has limitations on what it can do, Cayetano added.

StaySafe, launched in September 2020, is the governments official contact tracing application. The COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force has required its use in all establishments and in public transportation.

For his part, Duque said the Department of Information and Communications Technology should address these concerns.

I think its very limited, almost no impact. But I think the DICT should really make sure to make the effort to explain, he said.

Because ang alam ko po dito nung in-adopt na yan ng national government. Naka-connect sa ating COVID Kaya, yung data repository system ng DOH, Duque added. But it was since March pa since we had an update. Well echo the concerns to the DICT in the next IATF [meeting.]

[Translation: What I knew was that this was already adopted by the national government, that its connected with COVID Kaya, the DOHs repository system. But it was last updated in March. Well echo the concerns to the DICT in the next IATF meeting.]

According to StaySafes privacy statement, it does not collect a user's name, age, gender and other personal information. Should a user come in close contact with persons who have reported themselves as COVID-19 positive, the user will receive an exposure notification, the app maker said.

The StaySafe app is used by scanning the QR code of establishments before entering.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday accused former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas of stealing public funds, citing previous audit reports that flagged millions to billions of unliquidated funds.

While defending Health Secretary Francisco Duque III in his weekly address, Duterte mentioned that the Commission on Audit during the Aquino administration discovered P617.44 million worth of unliquidated cash advances under the Department of Justice in 2013 when it was headed by De Lima.

He also cited P7 billion worth of unliquidated fund transfers made in 2014 by the Interior Department, which was then headed by Roxas.

Duterte compared this to the P67 billion deficiencies uncovered by COA on the Duque-led Health Departments management of COVID-19 funds in 2020.

Ito unliquidated cash advances. Ito perang kinuha talaga. Eh itong kay Duque magbili eh, ito nag-cash advance, nag-bale, the President explained.

[Translation: These are unliquidated cash advances. This is really stolen money. Duque made cash advances for purchases.]

Ex-Aquino admin officials respond

De Lima said the COA reports released years ago have been resolved, which is why no cases have been filed against her and Roxas related to these audit reports. She challenged Duterte to file cases with the Ombudsman.

In 2014, the DOJ already denied that it has accumulated such an amount of unliquidated cash advances, noting that this only amounted to P890,000.

The detained senator also criticized Duterte for being hypocritical by digging up old audit reports when he urged his agency heads to ignore this and he himself has refused to disclose his own statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth.

"Duterte's accusation against me and Sec. Mar Roxas regarding COA's past reports on our agencies is just plain rich in irony and hypocrisy. Duterte raising issue with COA reports on the DILG and the DOJ under the PNoy Administration is a clear case of misdirection," she said in a statement on Wednesday.

Roxas responded in a social media post on Wednesday, saying "Why are you so obsessed with me? 5 years na. Magtrabaho na lang kasi [Just work]."

In a television interview, he said Duterte is once again using his name to divert the public's attention away from the agencies under his watch that have been flagged by COA. He said he has no pending liabilities that's why he was cleared by the Duterte administration to retire.

The Liberal Party also explained that the amount flagged by COA is the responsibility of local governments and not the department.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  Senator Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday said a "mafia" appears to be still operating inside the Department of Health, as he questioned the amount of funds wasted due to overstocked, expired, and expiring medicines from 2013 to 2020.

Citing a Commission on Audit report, Lacson told a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing that the wasted funds totaled more than 2.7 billion - including 2.2 billion in 2019 alone.

"What does this tell us? Sa akin, ang ini-indicate sa akin nito, probably, merong mafia na well-entrenched, na hindi nabubuwag, na hindi naa-uproot, na hindi nae-extract. Nandiyan at nanatili sa DOH," Lacson said.

[Translation: What does this tell us? For me, this indicates that, probably, a mafia that is well-entrenched, not yet abolished, not yet uprooted or extracted, exists. It remains in the DOH.]

Lacson said overstocking of medicines has been a "recurring" problem in the DOH.

He reminded Health Secretary Francisco Duque that during his confirmation hearing in 2018, he had vowed to address the issue.

"Unless the secretary or the leadership of the DOH will really put his foot down and do something about this, hindi matatapos itong overstocking ng gamot (the overstocking of medicines will not end)," the senator said.

For his part, Duque assured senators that he will call for an investigation.

"Magpapa-imbestiga po ako, lalo na yung sinabi ninyo na may mafia," he said.

[Translation: I will call for an investigation, especially on the possible mafia you are talking about.]

Health-related facilities

Lacson also questioned the over 18-billion worth of "deficiencies" in the DOH's infrastructure projects under its Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP).

According to data presented by the senator, some 1.76 billion were wasted in 2015; 1.50 billion in 2016; 4.09 billion in 2017; 4.55 billion in 2018; 3.82 billion in 2019; and 2.83 billion in 2020.

In response, Duque said he will call for a review of the contracts related to the projects.

"Magpapagawa ako ng imbentaryo ng lahat ng mga kontrata nito. Titignan ko kung bakit hindi natapos at ano kaya yung mga circumstances. I will have all the contracts reviewed," he said.

[Translation: I will ask for an inventory of all the contracts. I will check why these were not finished and what were the circumstances. I will have all the contracts reviewed.]

The DOH is currently being scrutinized by Congress for its alleged mishandling of pandemic funds worth 67 billion.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  Laguna 2nd District Representative Ruth Mariano-Hernandez on Wednesday said she has tested positive for COVID-19.

The announcement came just a few days after her husband, Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez, also confirmed having caught the coronavirus.

The lawmaker said she will be in quarantine for the next two weeks but did not elaborate on her medical condition.

Her husband on Sunday reported having experienced only mild COVID-19 symptoms.

The congresswoman also said she will continue to work and participate in meetings of the House of Representatives remotely.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  The Food and Drug Administration announced on Tuesday that Modernas COVID-19 vaccine has applied for the amendment of its emergency use authorization in the Philippines to cover inoculation of adolescents.

During a meeting with Cabinet members, FDA Director General Eric Domingo said the American manufacturer submitted the application on August 19 to include those aged 12 years old and above.

He added that clinical data were already submitted, and the experts are expected to come up with their final decision until next week.

Meanwhile, Domingo said they have not approved the application of Chinas Sinovac to be used on individuals who are 3 to 17 years old due to lack of data. The vaccine manufacturer has been requested to submit more data on the vaccine's use for that age bracket so that the FDA can revisit the request, he added.

Currently, only Pfizer's COVID-19 shots have been approved by the regulator for use on minors that are 12 to 15 years old.

Vaccine experts earlier rejected the call to immunize children and teenagers against COVID-19 due to unstable supply and lack of efficacy and safety data for the said age group. The government is also prioritizing the inoculation of the most vulnerable, which include medical workers, senior citizens, and people with comorbidities.

RELATED: Gov't urged to order boosters, vaccine shots for kids ASAP

Latest data show that more than 13 million Filipinos are now fully protected from the coronavirus. This however, is still far from the goal of vaccinating some 70 million of the population to achieve herd immunity.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  Local government units in the National Capital Region that have nearly completed the vaccination of their residents can now inoculate people from other areas, Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Benhur Abalos said.

"Sa ngayon, 'yung mga nakatapos na halos...let's say 90% or 85%...kasi sayang naman yung mga doktor, mga nurse...kung kaya dito magtutulungan po lahat," he said during a media briefing on Wednesday.

[Translation: For now, it is for those that have nearly completed...let's say 90% or 85%...because it would be a waste of resources like doctors and nurses, so we all have to help each other.]

The MMDA chief cited the municipality of Pateros and Mandaluyong City for inoculating people from other LGUs. He said he would be meeting with officials of Marikina City and San Juan City to see if they could also accommodate residents from other LGUs.

"Nagma-mapping out lang sila at yun po ang pag-uusapan namin," he said.

[Translation: They are just mapping out now and we will talk about this.]

Abalos added the program would soon be implemented in areas outside NCR. Those who want to be inoculated in another LGU only have to register in the LGU of their choice to get a schedule. They should present a government-issued ID upon arrival at the vaccination site.

The MMDA chief, however, warned against "vaccine hopping," saying those who would get more than two doses could face jail time

"Yung mga nagpaplano, huwag niyo nang gagawin. Huwag na huwag ninyong gagawin at makukulong kayo," he said.

[Translation: I am warning those who are planning to do it. Don't even try it or you will go to jail.]

Abalos also said the Department of Information and Communications Technology is uploading the data of vaccinated individuals.

"Makikita sa record na ito, mahahanap kung kayo ay nakatatlo o ilang shots. Mahuhuli't mahuhuli kayo," he stressed.

[Translation: The records will show whether you have received three or more shots. You will be found.]

READ: PH's digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate portal ready for September launch DICT

Earlier, the Department of Health said vaccine hopping is a moral issue.

"Kung kayo ay nagpabakuna ng sobra sa dapat na meron kayo, ninanakawan po natin o tinatanggal natin 'yung karapatan ng ating kababayan," DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told CNN Philippines on Monday.

[Translation: If you get more than the doses allotted for you, you are stealing or taking away the rights of others.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  OCTA researchers are reporting lower growth rates and reproduction numbers in Metro Manila and Cagayan De Oro compared to the previous week.

OCTA on Wednesday said the National Capital Region recorded an average of 4,019 new cases per day from August 18 to 24, a growth of about 13%. The rate is much lower compared to previous weeks when infections rose by 54%, 46% and 67%.

The region's reproduction number - or the number of people infected by a single case - also decreased to 1.53 but is still at critical level. The same goes for Metro Manila's cities and municipality, with their growth and reproduction rates also dropping but remaining critical - except for Navotas, where the reproduction number fell to 1.4, now only at the "high" range.

According to US nonprofit Covid Act Now - which OCTA uses as reference - a reproduction rate of over 1.4 means cases are increasing exponentially, while a figure below 0.9 means infections are decreasing.

OCTA also noted that five of NCR's local government units had intensive care unit or ICU occupancy rates at critical levels, or above 85%. These are San Juan (100%), Muntinlupa (95%), Paranaque (85%), Las Pinas (90%) and Marikina (95%). On COVID-19 bed occupancy, the municipality of Pateros was the sole LGU with a critical rate, at 100%.

In Mindanao, OCTA said Cagayan De Oro's surge has slowed down as its reproduction number fell from 1.38 seven days ago to 1.15.

OCTA added that if this trend continues, the city may see a drop in cases in one to two weeks. However, its hospital bed and ICU occupancy remained at critical levels.

Cagayan De Oro is tagged as an area of concern, along with Malaybalay and Valencia in Bukidnon, and Iligan City, due to significant rises in coronavirus cases. Valencia and Malaybalay also have critical levels of average daily attack rates - or the number of infected people per a population of 100,000.

As for Davao City, OCTA said there is no cause for alarm due to the area's low reproduction number of 1.16, although its ICU occupancy was still high at 73%.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines August 25)  A member of the House of Representatives has filed a resolution seeking an inquiry into the pending requests of local governments and the private sector to enter into a multi-party agreement to procure COVID-19 vaccines.

AAMBIS-OWA Party-list Rep. Sharon Garin said she filed the resolution on Monday asking the national government to explain why portions of the law on COVID-19 vaccine procurement procedures are not implemented.

There are many pending applications for this [tripartite deals], or many agreements that are pending for signature of the national government, Garin said on Wednesday during an online forum.

The lawmaker noted the agreements left unsigned are for the procurement of some 10 million vaccine doses.

Ang ano lang dito (The issue here) is why are we not following the law, she emphasized.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. has denied that the government is delaying the approval of multi-party agreements (MPA).

He cited several reasons for not signing the agreements. Among them is that some suppliers namely AstraZeneca and Moderna have stopped accepting orders through MPAs for the time being.

Under the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021, local governments and the private sector can only procure coronavirus vaccines through a multi-party deal with the manufacturer and the national government.

Vaccine makers only engage with national governments for the supply of products still under development or those that have been granted emergency use authorization, Science and Technology Executive Director Jaime Montoya earlier said.

The COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out in the country are only approved for emergency use.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has urged President Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Bong Go to "own up" publicly their decision to run as a tandem after her father "personally confirmed" to her his plan in next year's polls.

In a statement on Wednesday, the presidential daughter did not mince words after her father reportedly said that he and Go are willing to set aside their political plan should she seek the country's highest post.

READ: Malacanang confirms: Duterte, Go out if Sara seeks presidency

"The President, very recently, personally confirmed to me that he will run for Vice President and Senator Go as President. It was not a pleasant event," Mayor Duterte bared.

Mayor Duterte said that she personally heard from the President "very recently" about him running alongside Go. She added that she herself received two letters from her father asking her to consider either endorsing the Go-Duterte tandem or taking in Go as her vice president.

"I strongly suggest to the President and Senator Go own up publicly their decision to run as a tandem," she also said.

"If they can confirm it privately, then I do not see the reason why they cannot be candid about it to the public..." the mayor added. "I respectfully advise them to stop talking about me and make me the reason for them running or not running."

She also called out the PDP-Laban faction of Sen. Koko Pimentel and Ron Munsayac to "stop blaming me for the sad state of their political party."

"It is not my fault that no one among you is a leader worthy of the respect of the majority," she firmly said.

"Do not blame me for the sitcom that your party has been reduced to," she added.

Mayor Duterte, who consistently tops the polls in the 2022 presidential election, said she "refuse(s) to be a political punching bag for a party in complete disarray."

PDP-Laban executive vice president Karlo Nograles earlier told The Source that the party will nominate the Go-Duterte tandem during their national convention on Sept. 8.

Mayor Duterte has not officially declared her candidacy for president. A Hugpong ng Pagbabago official previously told CNN Philippines that she will likely stay as mayor to avoid a tandem with her father.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25) Dozens of foreign vessels have moved out of Philippine waters since July, according to a US-based geospatial imagery firm.

In its latest data made public this week, Simularity said it monitored fewer ships in parts of the countrys exclusive economic zone (EEZ) since releasing the July 12 report on the alleged waste dumping in the Spratly Islands.

There are 71 fewer ships in Union Banks, 35 fewer ships in Thitu Reefs, and 88 fewer ships in the Philippine EEZ overall since our report, Simularity said in a report dated Aug. 23.

It added the ships are no longer anchored together in large numbers, therefore reducing the amount of waste dumped in the area.

Simularitys previous report argued that Chinese vessels have been causing long-term marine life damage by dumping waste and sewage in the Spratly reefs.

It also warned that the reef damage directly affects the fish stocks of the entire South China Sea, where the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam have claims, but much of which area is contested by China.

Both Philippine and Chinese officials raised doubts over the accuracy of Simularity's report particularly on the use of an image they claimed was an old one.

RELATED: Simularity explains as PH, Chinese officials cast doubt on sewage dumping report
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25)  The government has placed an additional order for 10 million more doses of Sinovac vaccines manufactured in China.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Tuesday that the 10 million shots will be purchased under a better deal than earlier procurements. The Philippines has administered all of the 26 million CoronaVac shots procured by the government, he added.

"Maganda po ito, ito po ay mababa po ang presyo kaysa sa original price niya," he said during officials' televised meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte. "Maganda po ang supply niya, steady."

[Translation: This is a good deal because we are getting it for a cheaper price compared to the original. Sinovac's supply is steady.]

He also said the government is hoping to purchase two million shots of Sputnik Light, the single-dose vaccine from Russia that was recently granted emergency use authorization in the country.

Last week, Galvez said the government is considering buying more COVID-19 vaccines from US manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna over Sinovac. He said there will be continued orders for Sinovac  which accounts for the bulk of the country's vaccine supply  but procurement efforts could shift to getting more Western brands.

The country has received 48 million vaccine doses through procurement and donations. Over 13.19 million people have been fully vaccinated  or 17% of the target population to reach herd immunity  while 17.49 million have received their first dose.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 26)  Two leading universities with a storied rivalry are the first picks of a key opposition group for its youth arm. The opposition seeks to ignite school spirit among the youth for 1SAMBAYANs big political fight next year.

The group held a virtual launch Wednesday afternoon of its first two student chapters: 1SAMBAYAN Lasalyano and Ateneans for 1SAMBAYAN. Both chapters aim to galvanize its student populace to support the oppositions bid in next years elections.

While still mum about her plans in 2022, Vice President Leni Robredo expressed support for both chapters, saying that these show how Filipinos can unite for better governance despite fundamental differences.

I am with you in the call for unity. But aside from this, I will reiterate: we should not be the only ones talking here. The challenge is to give our fellow Filipinos a space in our hearts. Be open-minded, listen, understand. Expand the scope of how we can help, she said in Filipino through a video message.

Prominent anti-administration figures from both Ateneo and La Salle also delivered messages of support for the new chapters, saying Filipinos can unite for better governance amid differences.

Atenean Senator Risa Hontiveros called on the youth to rally around the opposition, emphasizing that young Filipinos should decide the outcome of the 2022 elections.

I am certain many of you here, whether Atenean or La Sallian, are witness to each others burgeoning political spirit, each others Animo. We can only really do this successfully and with less doubt through a strong and solid united front, Hontiveros said.

On the side of the Green Archers, veteran human rights lawyer Atty. Chel Diokno echoed Hontiveros call to the youth, saying, This is going to be a choice of the kind of leader we want for our country. Do we want a leader who lords it over us, or a leader who serves the people?

Inclusivity is key for opposition to win in 2022 polls - analyst

Political analyst Prof. Dennis Coronacion welcomed 1SAMBAYANs student chapters launch, saying that the move shows some concrete plans in the coalitions electoral moves. These include tapping the youth vote, and moves to organize its base.

He also said the move helps repair the coalitions damaged reputation after several invitations extended by 1SAMBAYAN to prominent politicians to run under its ticket were declined.

In June, 1SAMBAYAN named several nominees for its selection process such as Vice President Robredo, Diokno, and legislators such as Senators Grace Poe and Joel Villanueva, and House Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos-Recto.

Poe  who ran for president in 2016 - said that she still had no plans to mount another presidential run. Villanueva said he was not interested. Recto also turned the nomination down, citing COVID-19 response and legislative duties as her main focus.

This is a good recovery on the part of 1SAMBAYAN and at the same time, their decision to reach out to the youth through those universities is also a good move, Coronacion told CNN Philippines in a phone interview.

However, he said that the group should have waited for other universities in the country to set up their own chapters instead of just launching it with the Taft and Katipunan-based institutions.

They have to invite the other universities and colleges too. Maganda kasi yun na (It is good to reflect) overwhelming yung support, but they have to tap the support of the youth, especially the educated ones. Sila yung (They are the) enlightened, and most of them are against the programs and policies of President Duterte, Coronacion said.

He adds, building a coalition of 1SAMBAYAN chapters from different schools nationwide would have helped shed the partys elitist image.

Ang (The) number one criticism or point against 1SAMBAYAN is that they are made up of the countrys elites, yun bang hindi kayang maka-konekta sa masa (they seem unable to connect to the masses), Coronacion said.

He added that linking with other universities would help their cause. State universities and colleges, as well as technical and vocational schools, should have also been tapped, he said.

He also noted three key challenges for 1SAMBAYAN and the opposition in general. These are how to encourage the youth in poor communities to register, how can the young can be inspired to vote, and how to convince them to choose opposition candidates.

Coronacion believes that 1SAMBAYAN should also focus on reaching out to out-of-school youth. He believes that out-of-school youth outnumber those who have degrees or are currently enrolled.

They have to come up with a strategy to convince these huge sections of the youth population that they should not vote for Duterte and his allies. Mahirap ilatag yung (It is hard to lay down the) agenda ng opposition, and ang hirap din kasi wala naman silang (and the difficulty is that they lack a) unified agenda to begin with, Coronacion said.

For its part, 1SAMBAYAN youth convenor Rae Reposar said that the group is planning to launch more chapters, saying that the organizations chapter at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines is already being set up.

Were not just expanding in schools. Were expanding in different areas across the Philippines, he said during the launch.

Reposar also said, Ateneans and La Sallians should be aware of their educational privileges. He notes that the high costs of education are pushing those in lower socioeconomic classes to apply for scholarships just to be part of the student body.

Pag sinasabing La Salle, Ateneo, elitista. But first, kailangan po nating i-acknowledge kasi yung privilege natin na makapag-aral sa mga institusyong ito, he said, adding, because youre growing and youre benefitting from this inequality, may social responsibility ka to also deliver and make it easier for other people.

[Translation: People think of La Salle and Ateneo regarded as elitist. We need to acknowledge the privilege of being able to study in these institutions. Because you are growing and benefitting from this inequality, you have the social responsibility to make it easier for other people.]

Coronacion said a candidate who appeals to the uneducated youth and informal settlers may turn the tide for the opposition.

He noted that it may be good for them to include a candidate who has a rags to riches story or someone who was able to rise from poverty.

Another thing that they have to sell is that 1SAMBAYAN is not just for the middle class and upper class, that 1SAMBAYAN is also after the welfare of the members of the lower class, Coronacion stated.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 26)  The Department of Public Works and Highways' (DPWH) plan to construct catch basins underneath Manila's Sampaloc district is back on the pipeline.

DPWH flood control engineer Lydia Aguilar on Wednesday said the project is inspired by technology from Japan, where a huge underground storage can hold a lot of flood water.

"Talagang ang tendency ng tubig ulan dahil highly-urbanized na tayo [Metro Manila] ay paved roads so hindi makapag-infiltrate 'yung tubig. We really need to have a catch storage basin which is underground. 'Yan po 'yung isa sa mga inidentify naming proposed projects," Aguilar told members of the House of Representatives during the joint hearing of Metro Manila Development and Public Works and Highways committees.

[Translation: Since Metro Manila is now highly-urbanized, the tendency is rainwater can't infiltrate because of paved roads. We really need to have a catch storage basin which is underground. That's one of the proposed projects we've identified.]

Aguilar, however, did not specify where exactly in Sampaloc these underground tunnels will be constructed. The plan is set to undergo a new feasibility study.

Sampaloc district, especially the Espana Boulevard and surrounding areas, have been infamously known for heavy flooding every time it rains.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, university belt students suffer by wading through floods to take a ride and get home during the rainy season.

The district's long-time councilor and now congressman Edward Maceda even questioned Aguilar on the supposed lack of any improvement on flood management in the area.

"Wala pa ring masyadong pagbabago eh. On a scale of one to 10, hindi kailangang 10 'yung buhos, kahit mga six or seven, 'yung medyo malakas, 30 minutes na dire-diretsong buhos, hindi na kayang agarin noong drainage 'yung ulan," Maceda said.

[Translation: Almost nothing has changed. On a scale of one to 10, and the rains don't even need to be as strong as 10, just six or seven, 30 minutes of continuous rainfall, the drainage can no longer contain the downpour.]

The department has been planning to build the flood-control project under the University of Santo Tomas (UST) open grounds even before the Duterte administration.

In 2015, however, the late President Noynoy Aquino said "a big university" opposed the proposal because it may affect some centuries-old buildings.

The UST administration then confirmed rejecting the plan due to security concerns and possible disruption of regular school activities.

"Isa po sa inidentify namin [na lugar para sa proyekto] ay sa may UST sana kaya lang of course hindi po pumayag 'yung mga [pari]," Aguilar said.

[Translation: One of the places we've identified for the project is within UST but of course the priests did not allow.]

The Catholic university eventually started its own drainage project in 2018, which is targeted to be finished this year despite the ongoing health crisis.

Aguilar, meanwhile, said the Blumentritt flood interceptor project helped mitigate the flood problem in the area, but admitted it wasn't enough. He explained Metro Manila is a low-lying area and nothing can be done about it.

Rep. Maceda responded by saying the Blumentritt interceptor barely helped in reducing floods in the area.

"I'm there everyday. Sa tingin ko halos walang pagbabago," Maceda said. "Hindi naman porke below sea level eh pabayaan na lang natin 'yung lugar namin."

[Translation: I'm there everyday. I think nothing changed. Just because our area is below sea level we'll just let things be.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 26)  The World Health Organization is recommending vaccinating children with comorbidities living in areas with increased COVID-19 cases.

WHO is recommending to countries that where children have comorbidities, and if these children are in places where theres ongoing community transmission and formation of clusters, then children could be vaccinated, WHO Essential Medicines and Health Technologies coordinator Dr. Socorro Escalante said in a briefing Wednesday.

She pointed out that while children are less likely to suffer from COVID-19 infection, there is still a small risk of severe illness and complication.

Despite this, the elderly  a vulnerable age group  should still be prioritized in the vaccination program, Escalante noted.

We still need to put that in the context of prioritizing the elderly who are more vulnerable to severe disease, she said.

As the country records more children catching COVID-19, vaccine experts already rejected the call to start immunizing the said age group due to unstable supply of coronavirus shots and the lack of efficacy and safety data.

The government also said it is prioritizing the inoculation of the most vulnerable, which include medical workers, senior citizens, and people with comorbidities.

Currently, the Food and Drug Administration has been reviewing requests of vaccine manufacturers to amend their emergency authorization in the Philippines to include children.

So far, only Pfizer COVID-19 shots have been approved for use on minors that are 12 to 15 years old.

China-made Sinovacs application to cover persons 3 to 17 years old has not yet been approved by the regulator due to lack of data.

Vaccine experts are expected to decide by next week on the request to expand the coverage of Modernas COVID-19 vaccine to include those aged 12 years old and above.

Latest data show that the government has already fully vaccinated more than 13 million Filipinos. This is still a long way from its target of immunizing 70 million individuals to achieve herd immunity.
As Penn State students kick off the fall semester with a return to in-person learning, many said theyre glad to be back  especially since online learning is largely behind them.

River Terry said he has enjoyed the return to in-person settings. Terry (junior-biology) didnt like online learning because he was unable to grasp concepts over Zoom, and he said he believes the return to in person will help him improve his learning.

I think that looking at a screen and trying to pay attention is a lot harder than being in person and looking at the person involved, Terry said.

And, Andrew Walker said he believes being in person will allow him to get more out of his chemistry labs.

Walker (junior-forensic science) said the work for his major is more hands-on  completing the online labs was difficult.

You cant really mix chemicals online, Walker said.

Lauren Carragher said she believes the transition back to in-person learning is a good adjustment.

Yet, Carragher (sophomore-veterinary and biomedical sciences) said she is concerned the in-person setting wont last for long, referencing the delta variant and whether faculty members want to teach in person or via Zoom.

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Rachel Soccio said she feels more comfortable in person. Soccio (sophomore-veterinary and biomedical sciences) said she believes its easier to read the room and ask questions face-to-face as opposed to raising her hand on Zoom.

Soccio said the shift back to in person was an adjustment but one not as big as students think.

It seems kind of scary, but then you get in there and youre like, OK this actually isnt that bad, Soccio said.

I love it, Regan Handley said about the return to in-person learning.

Handley (junior-secondary education) only had a semester and a half of in-person learning before the switch to online  she said she prefers being in the classroom.

As someone whos going to be a teacher, I can definitely see the differences in attentiveness, Handley said.

MORE CAMPUS COVERAGE

Nathan McCarraher said his grades plummeted during the initial online switch, and hes excited to return in person so he can actually learn something this time.

McCarraher (junior-mechanical engineering) said during the online learning period, he was unable to do some of the work he needed to because of technical capabilities  his computer wasnt as powerful.

Some students have a hopeful outlook on the upcoming semester, such as Allison Melendez, who said shes excited for the opportunities that come with the fall semester.

I thought it was really nice, Melendez (sophomore-biomedical engineering) said. I thought it was a lot easier to stay focused and pay attention. And it was also fun seeing more people than usual.

Andrew Monteagudo said it feels great to be back in person but found it difficult to communicate with people since there was a prolonged period of time he didnt interact in a classroom.

Still, Monteagudo (freshman-nursing) said he is optimistic for this semester and the new beginnings that come therein.

Its a fresh start, so Im pretty comfortable now, Monteagudo said.

Paige Watson said she was excited to go to class and get a real experience with the in-person setting.

Watson (sophomore-computational math) said she already feels like shes focusing better in her in-person classes than she did online. She said she believes it was easier to slack off during online learning.

I think the biggest culture shock was seeing so many people because last year  no one was on campus, Watson said. Walking around, you really didnt see that many people, and [now] the [HUB-Robeson Center] is full of people.

MORE NEWS COVERAGE

Ohio State to require coronavirus vaccinations for students, faculty, staff Ohio State University became the ninth Big Ten institution to enact a vaccine requirement fo
Twenty years ago, the United States invaded Afghanistan, toppling the Taliban government who was protecting Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

Twenty years later, the United States and the world watched as the Talbian stormed into Kabul, retaking the country.

While many in the west questioned how such a turnaround could occur with the Taliban over two decades being pushed into the countryside and going through power struggles, it should not be a surprise.

The Taliban played the long game  and won.

There are many people to blame for the collapse of the Afghan government, including the Afghan government itself.

The Afghan government failed to hold elections deemed credible, continued to perpetrate human rights abuses, was defeated by a smaller and much worse equipped force and ended with its president fleeing the nation stealing millions from the treasury.

However, Afghanistan has been in a state of perpetual war since 1978.

A nation that has known nothing but conflict for 43 years with outdated infrastructure, a crippled economy and lack of leadership was always going to be doomed.

With former warlords and militant leaders taking roles in government after ousting the Taliban, it was foolish to expect these people to become champions of democracy.

Ultimately, the biggest share of blame belongs to the four American administrations that have overseen the war.

While George W. Bush had no choice but to invade Afghanistan after 9/11  if he had done nothing, he would have absolutely been removed from office  his administration did not plan for the future.

Nation building has seldom worked for the United States  and Afghanistan. With many rejecting U.S. intervention, Afghanistan was never going to accept a democratic government.

Bush invaded haphazardly, convinced that force and overwhelming firepower could destroy the Taliban, seemingly forgetting the Taliban and Afghanistan had fought their whole lives against foreign and domestic forces.

Barack Obama entered office promising to decrease the U.S. presence in the nation but ended up expanding troop totals and increasing the use of drone strikes.

These drone strikes indiscriminately killed hundreds upon hundreds of civilians, giving the Afghan people no reason to trust America.

During the Obama administration, the primary goal of invading Afghanistan was realized, with bin Laden killed in a raid in Pakistan.

Although it is easier to look back in retrospect, this is when the United States should have left.

After fighting for 12 years, the primary target of al-Qaeda decimated and the Taliban controlling a large portion of territory, there was nothing more the United States could or should have done.

Obama appeared to understand this, and began withdrawing troops from the country slowly in 2011, and transferred full security to Afghan forces in 2013.

If Obama had withdrawn fully at this time, the Taliban would have taken the country but would have saved the United States another eight years of war.

Donald Trump entered office saying he would not expand U.S. involvement and stated the war needed to end.

While he kept to his word on involvement, the Trump administration signed a disastrous peace deal, releasing 5,000 Taliban fighters, as well as one of the leaders of the August offensive that retook the country.

These moves emboldened the Taliban, launching an increase in attacks, kidnappings and civilian killings.

Joe Biden entered office with the withdrawal already underway, extending the deadline a few months.

His fatal flaw however, was removing troops before removing the thousands of Afghan citizens and foreign nationals that needed to be evacuated.

The Biden administration moved too fast withdrawing, and by the time the United States had moved all its forces back to Kabul in preparation for leaving, it was already too late.

The Taliban steamrolled through the country, capturing the capital and overthrowing the Afghan government.

While Biden will shoulder most of the blame, and deserves his fair share, this failure has been a long process in the making  one the last three presidents all passed on to Biden.

The images of the Taliban takeover are brutal to observe.

I think of all the thousands of American and coalition soldiers who died over the past two decades, the thousands more wounded and the thousands more civilians caught in the middle killed.

I think of service members who returned home, witnessing Afghanistan fall back into control of who they had fought for decades.

I think of the thousands that the Biden administration had no plan to evacuate and left behind.

I think of the women in Afghanistan, uncertain if they will be able to participate in the upcoming government, hold jobs or even leave home without their husbands.

The United States never had a long term plan, never gained the trust of the Afghan people and never realized that the war was unwinnable.

The Taliban were always going to retake the country. It just took four administrations lying to themselves and the public to realize this was going to be the case.
Following a summer of letters and rallies demanding a vaccine mandate at Penn State, the fall semester was ushered in with a Zoom-In protest held by faculty members. The protests occurred on the first two days of classes, with approximately 270 people taking part in the event.

Penn States faculty is one of the main reasons why the university has garnered such prestigious recognition and, as a result, they have every right to protest how the administration is handling the coronavirus.

The sheer number of faculty that took part in this event speaks volumes in the solidarity and stance professors are taking. And after numerous attempts to plead with the higher-ups, the university continues to neglect what the educators have to say.

As a result of faculty protests, Penn State spokesperson Wyatt Dubois said those involved may of course be subject to disciplinary sanctions.

With the majority of classes taking place in person, one would think there would be a return to normalcy  but nothing is normal yet. The coronavirus has not been eradicated and with new strains mutating, there will be no way to confidently say we have mitigated past the virus for some time.

With that being said, does it seem logical to not offer hybrid learning? In-person classes shouldnt be mandated if nothing changed in the past year. While the virtual setting might not be ideal, professors and students were able to adapt to the new format, proving that both parties shouldnt feel obligated to come in person if they dont feel comfortable.

For some students, they have been anticipating the return to in-person learning, leading to disappointment in having to go virtual again. If students feel comfortable enough to come into classes, they should have every right to do so.

But those who dont feel confident with in-person learning should not have to be forced to switch to World Campus. It should be Penn States obligation to keep faculty and students healthy and safe.

As professors attempt to do what they can to make learning accessible to all, it only seems fair for the administration to return the favor and show the same amount of effort in helping out the faculty.

Rather than receive help, professors were faced with a possible reprimanding for taking part in the Zoom-In protest.

After two semesters worth of virtual learning, two more days cant hurt anybody. The merit for punishment seems unnecessary, considering professors have the right to protest and express themselves. They arent just educators  they are people  just like the students and administration. They have families and livelihoods outside of the classroom.

The vaccine has become a political issue between the left and right when in reality there should be no debate. In a domino effect fashion, this then leads to it becoming an economic issue for the university. In a letter penned by Penn State President Eric Barron, he made note of bipartisan support in regards to funding if the vaccine were to be mandated.

Cutting funds from Penn State as a result of mandating the vaccine doesnt make any sense. The university is a staple of Pennsylvania and a noted institution worldwide, making it too valuable to punish.

With this being Barrons final year with the university, he ends his tenure just as he entered  amid a troubling time. Following his time at Florida State, he was brought in on the heels of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse case, a time period that has cemented his reputation as a university president.

His said reputation could possibly be at stake here as a result of his response to the pandemic. On one hand it seems hes trying to lay low and keep the university out of the spotlight  a strategy that so far has not been as successful as desired.

But on the other hand, these are tumultuous times without a general consensus on the virus, so there will be differing courses of action depending on the leader.

If trying to appease the majority is Barrons plan, why not offer multiple options to the Penn State community at the very least? The idea of just knowing there is more than one choice may alleviate the already stressed out faculty and students.

This is beyond a political issue. The well-being of members of the community are at stake, and at the very least, a sense of commitment from the administration will do wonders for all.

Penn State possesses the power to make a decision that benefits the masses and pave the way to a return to normality. Vaccine documents have been required to attend schools long before the coronavirus pandemic. Barron and the administration need to make a commitment sooner rather than later, as the aforementioned prestige of Happy Valley is tarnishing by the day.

Daily Collegian Opinion Editor Joe Eckstein can be reached at jce5179@psu.edu.
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This year our dine and drink business locations throughout the Gorge have suffered with closures. You can help support your favorites by purchasing take out and gift cards. Many of these business will offer curb-side delivery and some will deliver to your home. Lets keep the Gorge going strong!
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The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
Welcome Back 2021

There was plenty of activity around MU and Columbia over the summer. Read this special section to catch up on what you missed.

Read the ebook
Marshall D. Pridemore, 98, of Westville, passed away on Sunday, August 29, 2021, at OSF Sacred Heart Medical Center in Danville, IL. he was born on November 23, 1922, in Danville, Illinois, the son of Joseph and Iva (Hensley) Pridemore. He was united in marriage to Caroline Lipowsky on Febru
08/25/2021

Photo (c) Aitor Diago - Getty Images Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 38,088,128 (37,954,406)

Total U.S. deaths: 630,928 (629,739)

Total global cases: 213,461,327 (212,802,557)

Total global deaths: 4,457,027 (4,446,164)

Pfizer CEO says another variant may be on the way

Many states are still grappling with the impact of the fast-spreading Delta variant. Meanwhile, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla is preparing for the next one.

In an interview with Fox News, Bourla said his researchers believe a future variant could be resistant to the current vaccines. Should that happen, he said the drug company has contingency plans that could produce a new vaccine in about three months.

"Every time that the variant appears in the world, our scientists are getting their hands around it," Bourla said. "They are researching to see if this variant can escape the protection of our vaccine. We havent identified any yet but we believe that it is likely that one day, one of them will emerge."

Trial suggests Johnson & Johnson booster is effective

Johnson & Johnson reports that a clinical trial of its booster shot showed it significantly increased the antibody response in individuals eight months after their first shot of the vaccine.

Researchers said they found the booster increased antibody levels nine times more than the level that was present one month after receiving the first shot. The booster was administered about six months after subjects were vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

We look forward to discussing with public health officials a potential strategy for our Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, boosting eight months or longer after the primary single-dose vaccination, said Dr. Mathai Mammen, global head, Janssen Research & Development, Johnson & Johnson.

Report: Rental aid is moving slowly

Besides extending eviction moratoriums, the government has allocated billions of dollars in aid to help distressed renters. But the Wall Street Journal reports that much of that money has yet to reach people in need.

Since the end of last year, Congress has voted to provide $46.6 billion to help tenants who are behind on their rent. As of July 31, government records show that just $4.7 billion had been distributed to landlords and tenants.

The Biden administration agrees that the money has moved too slowly, but it maintains that the pace has quickened in recent months. It says the program has provided nearly one million payments to households, including about 341,000 in July.

Around the nation
08/25/2021

Photo (c) 400tmax - Getty Images The latest case of an overheated cell phone aboard a jetliner could have ended badly, but timing helped prevent tragedy. The device only began overheating and spewing sparks once an Alaska Airlines flight from New Orleans to Seattle had landed.

A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines told reporters that a cell phone belonging to a passenger aboard flight 751 started to overheat and give off sparks just as the plane landed at Sea-Tac Airport. The flight crew placed the burning device in a specially designed battery containment bag to prevent it from causing a fire.

However, the cabin was reportedly filled with smoke, causing the crew to order an evacuation. Aircraft doors were opened, and slides were extended down to the runway. Passengers were then directed to slide out of the aircraft.

The evacuation was not without incident. The airport reported on social media that two people were taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The other 127 passengers and six crew members were transported to the terminal.

Lithium-ion battery dangers

The incident underscores the potential danger of electronic devices that are powered by lithium-ion batteries aboard commercial aircraft. Had the incident occurred 20 minutes earlier while the plane was in the air, the results could have been different.

As far back as 2005, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was cautioning consumers about the hazards that could be created by their cell phone batteries. The agency explained that the lithium batteries used to power cell phones pack a lot of power into a small space.

These batteries are more sensitive to physical stress than alkaline batteries found in toys and flashlights, and they need to be treated with more care. Because of several close calls aboard aircraft over the years, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has enacted rules covering the shipment of these batteries and devices that are powered by them.

Damaged or recalled batteries and battery-powered devices, which are likely to create sparks or generate a dangerous evolution of heat, must not be carried aboard an aircraft (e.g. carry-on or checked baggage) unless the damaged or recalled battery has been removed or otherwise made safe, the agency said on its website.

FAA gives safety tips

Devices containing lithium metal batteries or lithium-ion batteries, including but not limited to smartphones, tablets, cameras, and laptops, should be kept in carry-on baggage, the FAA says. If these devices are packed in checked baggage, they should be turned completely off, protected from accidental activation, and packed so they are protected from damage.

These events are more common than you might think. The FAA has reported at least 18 such incidents, before this latest one, so far in 2021.
Betty Louise Baker of Lewisville, Texas passed away at the age of 80 on August 14, 2021 at her daughter's home in Farmers Branch, Texas. She was born in Corsicana, Texas on April 17, 1941 to Samuel Alfred and Helen Louise McAllister Baker. She is preceded in death by her parents, step-father
Aware that Deshbhakt Trautman will be slaughtered by the heartless Russians, Rambo pushes his bosses hard and is permitted to undertake a 'solo' rescue mission. But it's also made clear to him that if he's captured or killed, he'll simply be disowned. Because they don't want to incur the wrath of the Russians.

The bravest of the brave Rambo cares a damn about his life. A veteran of Vietnam, from where his pathetic US army had fled, Rambo immediately flies to Peshawar in Pakistan, where he convinces arms dealer Mousa Ghani to take him to Khost, the town closest to the Soviet base, where Deshbhakt Trautman is held captive.



Bravest of brave Rambo cares a damn about his life. A veteran of Vietnam, from where his pathetic US army had fled, Rambo immediately flies to Peshawar As everyone else except the Americans are treacherous, a Russian mole who is an employee of arms dealer Ghani, alerts the Russians. And in no time two Russian attack helicopters swoop down on the village.

The Russians are unaware of Superman Rambo's presence who effortlessly destroy one of the choppers with a turret -- to hell with those US-made Stringer missiles or anti-aircraft guns! The second helicopter flies away to safety...

Yet the Afghan rebels are mortally terrified and want Immortal Rambo to go away.

Mousa and a young boy named Hamid, however, agree to guide Rambo to the Russian base. The American superhero single-handedly attacks the heavily-guarded Russian base and inflicts significant damage before being forced to retreat.

Hamid, as well as Rambo, are wounded during the battle. Rambo sends Hamid and Mousa away, for he knows he can easily lick his wounds to heal.

Slithering across barbed wire fences and heavily-guarded parameters of the Russian base, the wildly popular Hollywood creature reaches and frees Trautman just as he is about to be roasted alive with a flamethrower.

The powerful but benevolent duo don't stop there. They rescue several other prisoners and hijack a Hind gunship helicopter to escape the base even as the hapless evil-minded Russians look on...

And then there are lots of nail-biting twists and turns till America emerges victorious!

At the end of the battle, Immortal Rambo and Deshbhakt Trautman say goodbye to the innocent Mujahideen and leave Afghanistan!

Till of course their compatriots finally flee Afghanistan as the invincible US army had done so more than four and half decades ago in Vietnam...

A Rambo Moment, Indeed! The cowardly Mujahideen hiding in a wretched Afghan village, led by chieftain Masoud, are fearful of the Russians. They refuse to help Rambo in the mission-once-more-impossible to rescue Deshbhakt Trautman, even though they know very well that the Colonel was captured while selflessly fighting for the Afghan cause against the Russians who had criminally freed Afghan women from hiding behind the burqa, as ordained by the Almighty, and were getting educated and working alongside men in different professions.

One Deshbhakt Col Trautman is shown trying to put together a mercenary army for a clandestine CIA-sponsored mission to supply arms, train and fight alongside the Mujahideen and other tribes, to dislodge the Soviet Army in Afghanistan. Despite being shown photos of civilians suffering at the hands of the Russian tyrants, the invincible super commando Rambo refuses to go for the kill. Rambo says he is tired of fighting. Enough is enough!A disillusioned Deshbhakt Trautman proceeds on his own. But he is captured by the enemy near the Pak-Afghan border, after all the men of his mercenary army are killed.Deshbhakt Col Trautman is sent to a large mountain base to be interrogated by the ruthless Soviet Colonel, Zaysen, and his cruel henchman Sergeant Kourov.A worried US Embassy official Robert Griggs informs Rambo, quietly leading an austere life at a Thai monastery, about poor Deshbhakt Trautman's plight. The official however refuses to approve a rescue mission for fear of drawing the US into a direct war the Soviet Union.
Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Heat index values of near to just over 105 expected. * WHERE...Portions of central, southeast, southwest and western Arkansas. * WHEN...From noon today to 7 PM CDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. &&
Wiley Franklin Smith Sr., 88, of Crossville, passed away Aug. 24, 2021, at his home in Crossville. He was born March 22, 1933, in Crossville, son of Virgil Smith and Bessie (Emery) Smith. Wiley worked as a merchant for a retail sales business and was of the Baptist faith. He is survived by h
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State Patrol 'blood relay' provides life-saving delivery to Hutchinson mother

Stephen Wiblemo / Staff photo by Stephen Wiblemo Jenapher Blair of Hutchinson speaks with gratitude as members of the State Patrol who helped save her life stand behind her. Blair spoke during a ceremony at Hutchinson Health, where in July she nearly died due to hemorrhaging while giving birth to her daughter, Adalyn. A State Patrol blood relay helped deliver life-saving blood to her.

Its not every day you meet the people who saved your life. But thanks to the quick actions of Hutchinson Health workers, the American Red Cross and the Minnesota State Patrol, that day was Aug. 17 for Jenapher Blair.

Blair, a 35-year-old Hutchinson mother of three, was at Hutchinson Health that day to thank more than a dozen people who were part of a life-saving effort July 21, a day Blair and her family will never forget. That was the day her third child, Adalyn, was born, but it was also the day Jenapher nearly hemorrhaged to death while delivering her daughter.

Everything was going so smoothly until it wasnt, Jenapher recalled during the press conference at Hutchinson Health. And thats the importance of having a good medical team. I want to thank you guys so much for being aware of my needs and on point for that. And thank you to the State (Patrol) troopers.  My kids have their mom, so thank you.

Jenapher has a condition known as cholestasis, which can create complications during pregnancy. It was an issue she and her health care providers were well aware of, as all three of her children have been high-risk pregnancies.

On the day Adalyn was born, Brandon Thiemann, a nurse anesthetist at Hutchinson Health who was responsible for Jenaphers care, said the delivery quickly escalated from a routine procedure to a potentially deadly postpartum hemorrhage. The hospital did not have enough blood on hand and made a call to the American Red Cross Center in St. Paul for an emergency delivery. That call, according to Col. Matt Langer, chief of the Minnesota State Patrol, set off a cascade of events, beginning with Red Cross workers contacting the State Patrol.

Im very happy to report that the State Patrol is involved in this type of work all of the time, Langer said. In fact  between 60 and 90 times a year, the State Patrol is involved in running blood  across the state of Minnesota for people in need, just like Jenapher.

When the call went out, a trooper quickly picked the blood up from the St. Paul facility and took it to the St. Paul airport, where a State Patrol helicopter was waiting. The pilot and passenger picked the blood up and shuttled it to Hutchinson. Although Hutchinson Healths helicopter pad was occupied with an airlift preparing to take Jenapher to another location, the troopers made the quick decision to land at Hutchinson Airport, where another group of troopers met them, picked up the life-saving blood and delivered it to Hutchinson Health.

From the moment State Patrol received the call to the moment the blood reached Hutchinson Health, only one hour and five minutes had passed.

Our job is to get the blood here as fast as we possibly can, Langer said. Many troopers are involved in this. Ive done it myself, where you have blood in a cooler on your front seat, and you often never know where or why its being transported. So today its just a deep, deep moment of pride for us to recognize the life thats saved as a result of the efforts of so many people, including our medical professionals, including the Red Cross, including whoever donated that blood that got here, and including the State Patrol.

After the blood was delivered, Jenapher was flown to Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, while Adalyn, who was also suffering from breathing complications, was taken to Childrens Minnesota hospital. Both mother and baby recovered, and after five days in the hospital together, they were able to go home where they are now recovering, waiting for school to start and getting back into a normal routine.

Staff photo by Stephen Wiblemo Jenapher Blair stands with her family as her husband, Stephen, holds their new baby daughter, Adalyn, while they listen to comments from State Troopers and doctors who helped save Jenaphers life on July 21.

During Jenaphers case, the last thing she told me before I had to put her off to sleep  was that she asked me if she was going to die, Thiemann, Jenaphers nurse, said. Frankly, when people ask me that, it turns out that they do. So this is a fantastic story of a life-saving emergency, and its incredible to see Jenapher here with us today.

While Jenapher was grateful to meet the people who saved her life and recognize the actions of the State Patrol, she had another motive for Tuesdays press conference.

I never took much into account when it came to giving blood, she said. I always saw those places where they had it off in the corner, and I always thought, Thats a great opportunity. Now Im going to become a bit of an advocate for it.

Bob Bruce, a regional donor services executive at American Red Cross in Minnesota, said that like much of the nation, there is a severe blood shortage in Minnesota this summer. More donors are needed, he said, and Jenaphers story is the perfect example of how important it is to have blood on the shelves when emergencies happen.

Blood collections and blood donations are a key part of our health care system, Bruce said, and I encourage anybody that can to please donate when you can. Every donation might be the one that saves a life.
Oaklands Shannon & The Clams are bringing their surf-rock sounds to this years Underground Music Showcase.
CSPD responded to a shooting at the 3300 block of Monica Drive West on Aug. 24.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Two members of Congress are facing criticism and questions following their surprise visit to Afghanistan this week, which diverted resources from the U.S.'s chaotic withdrawal, enraged military leaders and led House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to declare it not a good idea.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., flew in on a charter Tuesday and were on the ground at the Kabul airport for several hours before flying out on a military plane.

They billed their secret visit as an effort to conduct congressional oversight of the Biden administration's handling of a rapidly deteriorating situation after the Taliban's lightning fast takeover of the country.

But it stunned State Department and U.S. military personnel. They said the resources needed to protect the congressmen detracted from the evacuation effort and raised the possibility that the lawmakers' flight out could have deprived seats to other Americans or Afghans looking to flee the country before President Joe Biden's Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawal.

We are obviously not encouraging VIP visits to a very tense, dangerous and dynamic situation at that airport and inside Kabul generally, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday, adding, they certainly took time away from what we had been planning to do that day.

The congressmen now face criticism for showboating as politicians  which they vehemently deny  while adding needless confusion to a dire situation. But they also tapped into a frustration of those who feel that standing by and doing nothing is also not an option.

Both have served in the military, with backgrounds in the region. Moulton, a Marine who has been an outspoken critic of the Iraq War, served multiple tours in Iraq. Meijer was deployed as part of the Army Reserves and later worked in Afghanistan at a nongovernmental organization providing aid. Moulton serves on the House Armed Services Committee and Meijer is on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Their offices did not provide further comment Wednesday. But in a joint statement issued Tuesday night, Moulton and Meijer said they took seats that were already empty on their flight out and disputed suggestions they made the trip to grandstand.

We came into this visit wanting, like most veterans, to push the president to extend the August 31st deadline," their statement read After talking with commanders on the ground and seeing the situation firsthand, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, no matter what we do, we wont get everyone out on time.

Back home, however, their effort received a chilly reception.

This is deadly serious. We do not want members to go, Pelosi said Wednesday, while warning other lawmakers against following suit. It was not, in my view, a good idea.

Striking a rare note of agreement, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy echoed Pelosi, saying his message to other lawmakers who want to visit Afghanistan is not to go.

Members of Congress who want to take such a trip typically need permission from committee chairmen. Moulton did not consult in advance with the House Armed Services Committee, according to an aide familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it. McCarthy said Meijer also did not seek permission.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration was similarly not made aware of the trip. She said their guidance to lawmakers was the same as it was to all Americans.

This is not the time to travel to Afghanistan, she said.

Rep. Mike McCaul of Texas, the ranking Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee, called the trip a distraction, and advised others against it, but added, I understand the frustration.

Rep. Sara Jacobs, a freshman California Democrat, was less sparing, tweeting, Taking up space in a disaster zone for your own ego helps no one.

Three officials familiar with the trip said State Department, Defense Department and White House officials were furious because it was done without coordination with diplomats or military commanders directing the evacuation.

The U.S. military found out about the visit as the legislators aircraft was en route to Kabul, according to the officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing military operations.

One senior U.S. official said the administration saw the visit as manifestly unhelpful, and several other officials said it was viewed as a distraction for troops and commanders at the airport who are waging a race against time to evacuate thousands of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others.

The Pentagon has repeatedly expressed concerns about security threats in Kabul, including by the Islamic State group. When members of Congress have routinely gone to war zones over the past two decades, their visits are typically long planned and coordinated with officials on the ground in order to ensure their safety.

The secretary, I think, would have appreciated the opportunity to have had a conversation before the visit took place, said Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman.

___

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  Hundreds of Palestinians on Wednesday demonstrated near the Israeli border in the southern Gaza Strip, calling on Israel to ease a crippling blockade days after a similar gathering ended in deadly clashes with the Israeli army.

The demonstration wrapped up without a repeat of Saturday's intense clashes after Hamas kept the crowds from approaching the separation wall.

Egypt, which has been trying to broker a long-term cease-fire between the enemy sides, had appealed to the Islamic militant group to calm things down. Shortly after the demonstration ended, Hamas officials announced that the territory's key border crossing with Egypt was partially reopening on Thursday.

The Israeli military, which had beefed up its forces ahead of the demonstration, said it used tear gas and limited live fire to disperse the crowd. Palestinian medics reported at least 14 people were wounded, including five people who suffered gunshots. None of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening.

Soheil al-Hendi, a Hamas official, said the group had made a great effort to avoid bloodshed.

The enemy must understand this message that we do not want to repeat what happened last Saturday when blood was spilled," he said.

Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV showed crowds of people approaching the fence, then running away when an Israeli military vehicle arrived. Tear gas could be seen floating in the wind. The military said it had used .22 caliber gunfire, a type of weapon that is meant to be less lethal than more powerful firearms but can still be deadly.

During Saturday's demonstration, hundreds of participants stormed the fence, some of them throwing explosives, resulting in violent clashes.

An Israeli soldier was critically wounded when a Palestinian militant shot him in the head through a hole in the wall at point-blank range, while over 40 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire. One of the wounded, Osama Dueji, died of his wounds Wednesday. Hamas identified him as a member of its armed wing.

Lt. Col. Amnon Shefler, an Israeli military spokesman, said that demonstrators on Saturday fired weapons and lobbed explosives at soldiers and tried to tear down the fence.

They are presenting riots as peaceful, he said. In reality, these riots are extremely violent. He declined to say how many troops had been mobilized on Wednesday but said the number was much larger than on Saturday and included riot-control forces.

Hamas has organized the protests in an attempt to put pressure on Israel to ease its blockade of Gaza.

Israel and Egypt have maintained the blockade since Hamas, a militant group that opposes Israel's existence, took control of Gaza in 2007, a year after winning a Palestinian election. The blockade has devastated Gaza's economy and fueled an unemployment rate hovering around 50%. Israel says the blockade, which tightly restricts the movement of goods and people in and out of Gaza, is needed to prevent Hamas from building up its military capabilities.

Israel and Hamas have fought four wars and numerous skirmishes since 2007, most recently an 11-day battle in May that killed 260 Palestinians and 13 people in Israel.

Hamas accuses Israel of violating the cease-fire that ended the fighting by tightening the blockade. In particular, it has restricted the entry of materials needed for reconstruction. Israel has demanded the return of the remains of two soldiers killed in a 2014 war, as well as the return of two Israeli civilians believed to be in Hamas captivity.

Last week, Israel reached an agreement with Qatar to allow the Gulf country to resume aid payments to thousands of impoverished Gaza families.

Under the new system, the payments will be delivered by the United Nations directly to families that have been vetted by Israel. In the past, the aid was delivered as cash straight to Hamas.

The payments are expected to begin in the coming weeks, providing some relief in Gaza.

But tensions remain high. In addition to the demonstrations, Hamas has allowed its supporters to launch incendiary balloons across the border, setting off a number of wildfires in southern Israel. Israel has responded with a series of airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza.

Egypt, which serves as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, has been working to broker a longer-term truce between the bitter enemies.

This week, Egypt closed its border crossing with Gaza, the main exit point for the territory's people to travel abroad, in a show of frustration with Hamas.

Hamas Interior Ministry announced that it had been told by Egypt that the Rafah crossing would reopen on Thursday to allow Gazans to return. Outgoing traffic will still not be allowed, it said. Egyptian officials did not immediately confirm the news.

But earlier, an Egyptian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, confirmed his government had held extensive communications with all sides.

He said Egypt had asked Hamas to calm things down and for Israel to begin easing the blockade and accelerating the Qatari payments.

___

Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.
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HARTFORD  As many as 200 Connecticut residents are stuck in Afghanistan, with Taliban troops swarming all over Kabul preventing them from reaching the safety of the airport, a refugee resettlement agency head and U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy warned Tuesday.

Most are Afghan citizens who worked with U.S. forces and resettled over the last five years in Connecticut, many around New Haven, said Chris George, executive director of the New Haven-based nonprofit Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services. They hold U.S. green cards and live here on a path to U.S. citizenship.

Many are women and children who traveled to Afghanistan for family visits or other events, believing they would be able to return home. Some of the young children are U.S. citizens, having been born in Connecticut.

I cant tell you the anguish and the fear and also the guilt that Afghans living in Connecticut have in regard to their relatives who are left behind, George said. Theyre being tracked down by the Taliban for the very fact that they are just here in this country, and that they might have driven a truck for the U.S. military, or did laundry at a military base, or served as an interpreter.

George said his agency knows directly of 65 people, and he believes there are between 100 and 200 who are trapped in Afghanistan, among about 1,000 Afghan people resettled in Connecticut over the last several years.

We need to get them out, George said. And if our military isnt going to figure out a way to extract them, then we need to ask other governments to help out, or the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide safe convoys. That is the urgent life-and-death before us right now.

George estimated that as many as 600 Afghan refugees will come into Connecticut under several resettlement programs.

The two senators said they are involved in a variety of individual cases, from U.S. citizens and green card holders, to Afghan translators and security officials along with those who have already obtained special visas to enter the U.S., in attempt to airlift them from the country.

Blumenthal, during a noontime news conference on the steps of the state Capitol, said that 21,600 people were evacuated during the previous 24 hours, bringing the recent total to 58,000 airlifted. There are thousands more American citizens, including potentially hundreds from Connecticut, he said.

George, appearing with the two senators, said the flurry of texts, emails and phone calls over the last couple of weeks from emotional Afghans who have family overseas, indicate that Taliban troops are going door-to-door looking for people who were associated with the 20-year American presence.

Theres no way they would have gone if there had been any thought that this would happen, George said. Like anyone else, they did not think Afghanistan would fall this quickly.

A harrowing escape

Getting people to the airport safely is the main impediment, Murphy said. Understandably, there are thousands of Afghans and U.S. citizens who are reluctant to leave their house and make their way to the airport.

George said he spoke with one Connecticut resident about a harrowing escape. The man and his family were making their way to the airport in Kabul, and were in touch with U.S. soldiers.

Troops sent a drone overhead, close enough to him, and then hit him with an infrared pointer and said, Is that you? And he over the phone said Yeah, this is me, and they sent troops out to get him and his family, George said.

The problem is, that is not very scalable, he said.

The numbers of evacuees are increasing by the day, Murphy said. Right now, the U.S. State Department and the Department of Defense are facilitating the evacuation of 10,000 individuals per day, but thats not good enough. We make a commitment as a country to leave no one behind in a war zone. We have to make good on that commitment here.

The CT Mirror reported Tuesday that Murphy, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Afghanistan. intends to convene congressional hearings on how the catastrophe happened, how we spent a trillion dollars in Afghanistan, how we lost so many lives and were left with an Afghan government and an Afghan military that folded overnight.

Preparing Connecticut for hundreds of refugees

The two senators are concerned about President Joe Bidens Aug. 31 deadline for clearing the American military presence from the 20-year war in Afghanistan.

While Biden on Tuesday said he still has a hard deadline of next week to end the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, Murphy and Blumenthal insisted that that facts on the ground will likely justify an extension  and they believe the president has made contingencies for that to happen.

Our priority has to be in getting everybody out, Murphy said. Arbitrary deadlines put on the United States by the Taliban should be of no relevance. Our mission should be to get our people out of there. If that means we have to go beyond Aug. 31, then we should do everything we need to in order to honor the commitment we have made.

The senators asked Connecticut residents to prepare to help as many as 600 Afghans resettle in the state.

Murphy said recent immigrants from other countries in the Middle East are thriving here in civic and business life. My hope is that Connecticut is going to open its arms wide again as Afghan families come here to Connecticut, especially those Afghans who worked with us, Murphy said.

Blumenthal said the message to people with families who are isolated in Afghanistan, is that the United States wants to help.

The focus right now is evacuating American citizens and our Afghan allies, he said. We have a moral imperative. Its not only the right thing to do, its the smart thing to do. The Afghan refugees and asylum seekers are our future doctors, nurses, scientists. Their children are the reason why we are so proud to be a nation of immigrants.

IRIS is one a small handful of resettlement agencies in Connecticut, among them, Catholic Charities and the Bridgeport-based Connecticut Institute for Immigrants and Refugees. Even before the crisis in Afghanistan, George said Tuesday, We told the State Department that IRIS would be prepared to resettle a total of 400.

Now, that number is higher, he said.

We will welcome them, provide housing, connect them to health care, enroll the kids in school, help them learn English, help them get jobs and integrate into the communities where we have resettled them, George said, calling on local civic, religious and educational institutions to come forward and IRIS will place an Afghan family with them.

Theres no better way for Americans to understand whats going on around the world than to help a refugee family get off to a good start, George said. We need all the help we can get. And please do whatever you can to remind people in government, including these two senators behind me, that we cannot leave people behind in Afghanistan.

kdixon@ctpost.com
ANSONIA  When school opens in Ansonia Thursday morning, Assistant Superintendent Steve Bergin will be running the system. Joe DiBacco, Ansonias superintendent of schools, confirmed he is stepping away temporarily due to ongoing complications from a routine medical procedure.

I have no idea when Im going to be back, but right now, (according to) my doctors notes, its October 1, DiBacco said.

DiBacco has been superintendent of schools for Ansonia since 2019, and was previously the assistant superintendent. He led the district through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and then presided over a switch to remote learning. He then oversaw the reopening of the school district, which happened as isolated virus outbreaks led to temporary school closures.

Ansonia school officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

DiBacco said he was in good spirits, and was touched by the amount of well wishes hes received. He credited the communitys caring with helping his recovery.

Theres a lot of power in prayer. My wife is from Trinidad. I had people in Trinidad, I had people in Canada, I had people in my old school district in Hamden, everyones sending prayers my way, he said.

DiBacco has had limited access to work emails since undergoing his procedure in July. He said his absence will not impact the school reopening.

During his recovery, he said daily tasks have proved to be tiring.

I shaved the other day. And I fell asleep for two hours after. Thats how tired Ive been, he said.

The ongoing complications have not only impacted DiBaccos health, but also put a stop to a summer teaching class he was preparing for earlier this summer.

I was going to be teaching an online school finance class for Quinnipiac (University), he said. Because, hey, what am I going to do for the month?

Derby Superintendent Matthew Conway said he was aware of DiBaccos absence but that the regionalization study involving Ansonia and Derby would continue. The two districts have previously explored the possibility of combining resources to save money.

The committee is still ongoing and meeting. Their next meeting is September 1, Conway said.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  A federal appeals court Wednesday upheld Dylann Roofs conviction and death sentence for the 2015 racist slayings of nine members of a Black South Carolina congregation, saying the legal record cannot even capture the full horror of what he did.

A unanimous three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond rejected arguments that the young white man should have been ruled incompetent to stand trial in the shootings at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

In 2017, Roof became the first person in the U.S. sentenced to death for a federal hate crime. Authorities have said Roof opened fire during the closing prayer of a Bible study at the church, raining down dozens of bullets on those assembled. He was 21 at the time.

In his appeal, Roof's attorneys argued that he was wrongly allowed to represent himself during sentencing, a critical phase of his trial. Roof successfully prevented jurors from hearing evidence about his mental health, under the delusion, his attorneys argued, that he would be rescued from prison by white-nationalists  but only, bizarrely, if he kept his mental-impairments out of the public record.

Roof's lawyers said his convictions and death sentence should be vacated or his case should be sent back to court for a proper competency evaluation."

The 4th Circuit found that the trial judge did not commit an error when he found Roof was competent to stand trial and issued a scathing rebuke of Roof's crimes.

Dylann Roof murdered African Americans at their church, during their Bible-study and worship. They had welcomed him. He slaughtered them. He did so with the express intent of terrorizing not just his immediate victims at the historically important Mother Emanuel Church, but as many similar people as would hear of the mass murder," the panel wrote in is ruling.

"No cold record or careful parsing of statutes and precedents can capture the full horror of what Roof did. His crimes qualify him for the harshest penalty that a just society can impose, the judges wrote.

One of Roof's attorneys, Margaret Alice-Anne Farrand, a deputy federal public defender, declined to comment on the ruling. Roof's other attorneys did not immediately respond to emailed requests seeking comment.

The Rev. Kylon Middleton, a close friend of Mother Emanuel Pastor Clementa Pinckney, a state senator who was killed in the massacre, said Roof's appeal reopened some of the psychological wounds felt by loved ones of the victims and survivors. Middleton said he is personally opposed to the death penalty, but had accepted that as the sentence Roof received.

We just want whatever the consequence or the justice that had been delivered based on the court's ruling to be final, period, Middleton said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Williams, one of the lead prosecutors on the case, said the mass shooting was one of the worst events in South Carolina's history.

"Our office is grateful for the decision of the court, a decision that ensures, as the Court stated, that the harshest penalty a just society can impose is indeed imposed, Williams said in a statement.

All of the judges in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers South Carolina, recused themselves from hearing Roofs appeal; one of their own, Judge Jay Richardson, prosecuted Roofs case as an assistant U.S. Attorney. The panel that heard arguments in May and issued the ruling on Wednesday was comprised of judges from several other appellate circuits.

Following his federal trial, Roof was given nine consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty in 2017 to state murder charges, leaving him to await execution in a federal prison and sparing his victims and their families the burden of a second trial.

Last month, however, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a moratorium and halted all federal executions while the Justice Department conducts a review of its execution policies and procedures. The review comes after a historic run of capital punishment at the end of the Trump administration, which carried out 13 executions in six months. A federal lawsuit has also been filed over the execution protocols  including the risk of pain and suffering associated with the use of pentobarbital, the drug used for lethal injection.

President Joe Biden as a candidate said hed work to end federal executions. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in March that he continues to have grave concerns about it.

Biden has connections to the case. As vice president, Biden attended the funeral for one of those slain, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, who also pastored the congregation. During his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden frequently referenced the shooting, saying that a visit to Mother Emanuel helped him heal in the aftermath of the death of his son, Beau.

Roof's attorneys could ask the full 4th Circuit to reconsider the panel's ruling. If unsuccessful in his direct appeal, Roof could file whats known as a 2255 appeal, or a request that the trial court review the constitutionality of his conviction and sentence. He could also petition the U.S. Supreme Court or seek a presidential pardon.

___

Kinnard reported from Houston.
Dalio Education has founded a new storytelling initiative that centers around teacher voices.

Teachers of Connecticut is an online platform  created by the philanthropic group led by billionaire hedge fund founder Ray Dalios wife, Barbara Dalio  that allows educators to share their stories in their own words. The collection debuted with about a dozen teacher stories, depicting a range of experiences from all around the state.

One of the things we kept hearing was that teachers sometimes feel as if their voices arent being heard, Barbara Dalio said in a statement. With so much noise out there on so many different channels, they sometimes feel as if their voices are getting lost in the mix,

So thats what this is: simply a platform for them to tell their stories, unfiltered, in their own words, said the Greenwich resident.

Stories will publish semi-weekly and be circulated on social media, including on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The idea came from several virtual meetings Dalio Education held with about 40 Connecticut teachers last spring, according to a press release from the organization.

Barbara and I heard a lot from teachers on a whole set of topics, but the one common theme that kept coming up again and again was this desire from teachers to be heard, said Andrew Ferguson, the chief education officer of Dalio Education, for their stories, in their words, to be more understood in the general public.

Ferguson added that an aspiration for the platform is to incorporate teacher perspectives into more decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond  whether at a classroom, state or national level.

Part of this is to say we think teachers deserve much larger platforms, because we think theyre champions, Ferguson said.

One of those champions is Sheena Graham, who was awarded the 2019 Connecticut Teacher of the Year.

Storytelling helps people to connect to one another, to understand different perspectives and experiences, said Graham, a choir teacher at Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport, and an adviser for the initiative. Stories can build empathy. They can empower others.

Grahams story is online, where she shares the unique pressures of teaching during the pandemic, connecting with students split in classrooms and online, and being the only one in her family who did not lose her job.

The stories that are already published on the Teachers of Connecticut platform are so powerful and inspiring, and truly humanizing, which means so much in our profession where teachers are not always appreciated as people with deep passion for the work we do, she said.

According to the organizations website, Dalio Education, which was created more than a decade ago, prioritizes supporting students at risk of not graduating high school on time and their public school teachers.

Ferguson of Dalio Education said educators interested in sharing their stories should visit www.teachersofconnecticut.org.

Teachers of Connecticut will be supported by an advisory group of 10 teachers and civic leaders from throughout the state.
Black Panther star Letitia Wright is being treated in a hospital after sustaining minor injuries on the Boston set of Wakanda Forever.

A Marvel spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday that the incident happened while filming a stunt for the sequel. Wright is expected to be released from the hospital soon.
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP)  A former truck driver who authorities say is linked by DNA to the slayings of four women at truck stops in Ohio and Illinois is not competent to stand trial in a 1996 killing, a judge has ruled.

Wood County Common Pleas Judge Matthew Reger ruled Monday that Samuel Legg III is incapable of assisting in his own defense and will continue to be held in a psychiatric facility. Authorities have said that Legg has a history of mental illness.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  A company that designs and builds digital solutions for global brands plans to set up operations in South Carolina's Charleston County, state officials said Tuesday.

The $3.4 million investment by TELUS International will create nearly 1,200 new jobs by 2022, Gov. Henry McMaster said in a news release.
Connecticut has had a lot on its mind lately. Theres the year-and-a-half-and-counting pandemic, which is still keeping life from returning back to normal. There was the prospect of days or weeks without power as a result of Hurricane Henri, which ended up falling well short of expectations in that regard, not that anyones complaining. Looking abroad, the chaotic end of the war in Afghanistan has dominated much of the available foreign-policy oxygen.

Closer to home but still a world away, a devastating earthquake in Haiti on Aug. 14 attracted relatively little attention. People heard the news and then, for the most part, moved on with their lives. But Haiti has not been able to move on. In a country with so much need, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake added an entirely new dimension to the already difficult situation.

Connecticut doesnt have the largest population of Haitian-Americans in this country - Florida and New York compete for that title. But there are tens of thousand of Connecticut residents who trace some ancestry to the Caribbean nation, and they know well the situation the country faces. At the same time, many Connecticut residents and agencies have worked diligently to help Haiti in its hour of need, and convince the rest of us that this natural disaster deserves our attention.

The earthquake, which has killed more than 2,200 people, was centered in a remote, mountainous area where relief and aid have been slow to arrive. That has kept aid agencies busy even as the attention of the rest of the world has wandered. Its true that in much of Haiti the need for assistance never really goes away, but its especially acute at a time like this.

After the initial devastation, fears more than a week later turn to issues like the spread of disease and the need for clean water. Infrastructure is a difficult issue to get people to pay attention to in the best of circumstances, but good infrastructure is vital not just to day-to-day life but surviving in the event of a natural disaster.

While agencies with Connecticut ties are on the ground in Haiti, more help is needed. Stamford-based AmeriCares says it has people on the scene and more deployments planned. Nearly $3 million worth of critically needed medicines and relief items are on the way to Haiti, the agency said. But the need for help is not going to end in the near term.

Elsewhere, an aid organization based in Norwich says it has 250 staffers in Haiti, aided by five in the eastern Connecticut headquarters of the Haitian Health Foundation. With a long history in the country, its workers are well-known by the local population and are working to provide vital services. But the needs, in a country facing political turmoil following the recent assassination of its president, are overwhelming.

There are ways to help, including by donating money. There are people in need around the world, but the suffering in Haiti must not be overlooked. No matter what other distractions, large and small, were dealing with, the needs of Haiti cannot be dismissed.
A couple of weeks ago we blogged about the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Councils (FFIEC) recently issued Architecture, Infrastructure, and Operations (AIO) booklet. Because of the length of the booklet, the blog examined how the new AIO Booklet differed from the Operations booklet, which was retired after being around since 2004, without getting into too much detail. Todays blog will take a closer look at what architecture means and FFIECs expectations for managing risk associated with architecture.

What is Architecture?

The AIO booklet explains what FFIEC means when it refers to architecture:

Architecture refers to the manner in which the strategic design of the hardware and software infrastructure components (e.g., devices, systems, and networks) are organized and integrated to achieve and support the entitys business objectives. Planning and designing an effective IT architecture facilitate managements ability to implement infrastructure that aligns with the entitys strategic goals and business objectives.
I spent the better part of my career working in the nonprofit sector. I like to say that Ive had every job from executive assistant to executive director. And I loved every minute. When you work for a nonprofitany kind of nonprofityou do it because you love it. You know, in the back of your mind somewhere, that you could make more money in the corporate sector, and sometimes kind and well-meaning family and friends even remind you of it. But you stay because you love it, and you feel committed to what youre doing.

Ive found the same to be true for all the credit union staff that Ive met, interviewed and worked with since I joined Quantum Governance more than seven years ago. While credit unions arent exactly like some of the charitable nonprofits where I worked, they surely are mission-driven, and as you know, its all about serving the members.

Of course, one of the central roles and responsibilities of a credit union board member is to carry out his or her duties as a director in good faith, in a manner such director reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the membership. And we hear this from credit union board members all the time. Ask a credit union board member what his or her job is, and he or she will most often reply to represent the best interests of the members.
Cullman, AL (35055)

Today

Partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms possible. High near 85F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
Funeral services for Lorene Privett Laseter, 95, of Glencoe, Alabama will be Wednesday, August 25, 2021 at 2 p.m. at Crestwood Funeral Home. Visitation will be Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Burial will follow in the Crestwood Cemetery. Mrs. Laseter passed away on August 20, 2021 in Riverview Hospi
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ECPPS to raise bus driver pay above $15 amid shortage

cday / Chris Day/The Daily Advance An Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools bus is seen traveling on N. Road Street as it approaches a student pickup site at Sheep-Harney Elementary School, Tuesday afternoon. ECPPS officials make a plea for more bus drivers Monday. The school board also voted to raise the pay of current drivers and award them a $1,000 bonus.

The Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Board of Education voted Monday to raise bus drivers minimum hourly pay above $15 and award them a $1,000 bonus after the districts transportation director made a direct plea for more drivers, saying the district desperately needs them.

The board approved the pay hikes recommended by interim Superintendent Eddie Ingram after hearing from school officials about bus driver shortages, overcrowded buses, missed pickups, and other transportation issues on the first day of the new school year.

We had some real traffic issues today, Ingram told board members Monday night. First days (of school) are usually dicey. This one was particularly dicey.

Under the bus driver recruitment plan board members approved following a closed session, the pay scale for ECPPS drivers will rise by 16 percent, increasing their minimum hourly rate to $15.16.

Current bus drivers will also get a $1,000 bonus, paid in two increments. The first will be paid in October and the second in January. Newly hired drivers will also get the bonus in two installments, the first within 30 days of coming to work but not before the October pay date. They, too, will get the second installment in January.

The move followed ECPPS Transportation Director Amanda Hills report on how the district fared on the first day of transporting students to and from school.

Hill said ECPPS operated 123 runs on Monday with only 41 drivers. The district also had 10 open runs it hoped to cover on Tuesday, she said.

Otherwise, well do double backs to get those covered, Hill said. Double backs are when one bus driver has to drive two scheduled routes back to back that ordinarily would be covered by two separate buses.

Hill said ECPPS drivers also had to make 10 additional runs on Monday to reduce overcrowding on buses.

We did have overcrowding this morning and even more drastic (overcrowding) this afternoon, she said.

Overcrowding remains a possibility over the next several days as the district adds students, but its something Hill said she plans to address.

I will be working on reconfiguring those buses so that we do not have any overcrowding issues, because we cannot have that, she said.

Hill indicated she likely will have to build new routes to prevent the overcrowding.

She said a lot of the extra runs were caused by the districts shortage of bus drivers.

On Friday and Saturday I lost two drivers, and as of this morning three have pulled out from driving mornings, she said.

The district also had a new driver assigned to pick up students on Monday who didnt show up for work, Hill said.

So this morning was quite hectic with everything and then this afternoon was quite hectic as well, she said.

Hill said while most drivers are taking on more than one bus run, some will drive only one morning run and others will only drive an afternoon run. Some also tell transportation officials theyll only drive a bus for middle school students while others will only drive an elementary school bus.

Its a puzzle piece to try to put together to get drivers to cover what we have as far as children goes, she said.

Noting school officials have been discussing bus drivers and routes for the past several months, board member Daniel Spence asked Hill why the district seemed so unprepared for Mondays first day of school.

How did we get to this place ... so far behind? he asked.

Spence noted his own daughters address wasnt on the bus route for their neighborhood, even though we turned our paperwork in immediately.

How did she miss the list? How did so many miss the list? he asked.

Hill responded that transportation officials are working as fast as possible trying to get ... (students) assigned (and) ready to go.

Spence also asked Hill about a situation he described as disturbing in which several kids were dropped off by a bus driver at an after-school program and no one was there to meet them.

A contractor outside had to catch the kids and take them inside, he said.

Hill responded that there is supposed to be hand-to-hand contact for students when bus drivers drop them off at such programs.

I will definitely address that, she said.

When Spence pressed and asked how ECPPS officials can reassure our parents that things are going to get better, Hill responded: We need drivers, desperately.

In response to a question from board Chairwoman Sharon Ward, Hill indicated that compensation is the driving cause of the bus driver shortage. One of the drivers who resigned over the weekend in fact said they were leaving for higher pay elsewhere, she said.

It seems the problem were running into is pay, Hill said.

And the district isnt just competing against other school districts for drivers, she said.

Its for other jobs, such as driving a dump truck, Hill said. I have lost a lot, a lot of drivers over the course of the last year  from the time we shut down until now  just for that.

School board member Rodney Walton said he understood that pay is a key consideration for any worker. However, its his hope the district will be able to recruit as bus drivers community residents motivated by the reward of getting these kids (to school) and back. He specifically mentioned retirees as potential recruits.

Were asking for help, Walton said. I understand its a compensation factor that some look at when it comes to driving a bus but it (should be about) getting our students, who are our communitys prized possessions, to and from school.

Walton also said the bus driver shortage isnt just a problem for the school board, the central office or Hill.

Its an issue for our community when somebody doesnt get on the (bus) list or somebody gets dropped off at the wrong location, or somebody gets to school an hour late, he said.

Walton encouraged residents to contact Hill and discuss joining the districts ranks of bus drivers.

Today was the first day of school and there were bumps in the road, he said. Thats to be expected. But how do we smooth it out? We need your help to get this problem solved.

Hill also made the same plea. She said persons interested in driving a school bus first have to obtain a commercial drivers license. That can be accomplished, she said, by taking one of the CDL classes that ECPPS and neighboring school districts sponsor jointly every month.

To get the permit, prospective bus drivers first have to successfully complete three days of road tests with the class instructor. At the same time theyre in class, they need to get their application in so they can be approved to drive for ECPPS, she said.

We desperately need you. I do make that plea myself, Hill said. Please call my office. Get yourself put on the list for the next bus class.

Ingram also made a pitch Monday night for additional school crossing guards. He said more are needed at several schools, but particularly near Sheep-Harney Elementary and P.W. Moore elementary schools

The local law enforcement authorities worked hard today to help us out but thats not a permanent solution, Ingram said. We need some crossing guards. If anybody wants to do that please reach out to the Elizabeth City Police Department. Wed love to have you join our crossing guard ranks.
Elizabeth City, NC (27909)

Today

Partly cloudy and windy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. High 89F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Scattered showers and thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low 68F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
File/Daily Citizen-News

School Nutrition staff members pack boxes at Coahulla Creek High School for Whitfield County Schools' summer meals program. The Board of Education approved 5-0 Monday a pay increase for School Nutrition employees of 65 cents an hour, which brings starting wages for those workers to $10.52, in order to attract employees.
Gregory (Greg) Boggs of Greenup, age 68, died on August, 20 2021, at Kings Daughters Memorial Center.. Gregory is survived by his wife of 43 years, Tina (Madden) Boggs; his daughter Jennifer (Boggs) Brown and son in law Bill Brown, of South Portsmouth; his daughter Anna Collister and son in 
Sunbury, PA (17801)

Today

A steady rain. The rain will be heavy at times. Potential for flooding rains. High 67F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Rain, occasionally heavy, ending early. Partial clearing overnight. Low near 55F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Sunbury, PA (17801)

Today

Periods of rain. The rain will be heavy at times. Potential for flooding rains. High 67F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Rain early. Decreasing clouds overnight. Low near 55F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
There are few institutions that can still unite our nation in uncritical admiration after a series of scandals challenged our collective faith in the banks, the BBC, the Church, police, politicians and much of the Royal Family.

Yet there remains immense respect among most British people for our Armed Forces  and this has been reinforced in recent days by those hectic evacuation efforts seen amid the hellish debacle of the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Night after night, news broadcasts have shown soldiers, many with baby faces beneath their helmets, staying remarkably calm at Kabul airport amid the scrums of people trying desperately to escape the terrifying Taliban takeover.

Noble

But despite such superb work, which has helped 7,000 people escape to safety on British flights, British politicians have insisted that when the Americans abandon Kabul, our forces must go too  even if this means leaving many deserving people behind.

Yesterday, the door slammed shut on thousands of those people after the Taliban refused to bend to demands for the August 31 evacuation deadline to be pushed back, and President Joe Biden ignored Boris Johnsons plea for an extension.

Despite its determined efforts, Britain will now leave a trail of broken promises and crushed hopes along with hundreds of abandoned families after 20 years in Afghanistan. Pictured: Members of the British and US Armed Forces working at Kabul Airport on August 21, 2021

As Afghans were ordered not to go to the airport and women were told to stay at home for their own safety by their repellent new rulers, the reality of the Wests waning influence became all too apparent.

Despite its determined efforts, Britain will now leave a trail of broken promises and crushed hopes along with hundreds of abandoned families after 20 years in Afghanistan.

And while the noble endeavours of those dedicated soldiers can only be applauded, this rescue mission will hardly go down in the history books as one of our finest hours.

The truth is that what is happening in Kabul is a sad reflection of our countrys weakness. Without the help of the Americans, we cannot save more of those to whom we have a deep moral obligation.

Throughout this botched withdrawal, the U.S. President has shown complete indifference to Britain, the second largest supplier of troops over the course of this intervention. It is hard to disagree with Rory Stewart, the former aid minister, when he says that bumbling Biden humiliated his Western allies by demonstrating their impotence.

And while the noble endeavours of those dedicated soldiers can only be applauded, this rescue mission will hardly go down in the history books as one of our finest hours. Pictured: British soldiers during the operation to support the evacuation of British nationals and entitled personel at Kabul airport in Afghanistan

This was underlined by the G7 group of nations, which held online talks yesterday to come up with a united response to Afghanistans sudden collapse into the hands of the Taliban. Like Britain, other members wanted the withdrawal deadline extended and were deeply dismayed over the inflexible way the White House blindsided its allies with such a hasty, badly handled exit.

The G7 was only able to come up with a meaningless road map, agreeing on future engagement with the Taliban and insisting on the safe passage of those who want to leave Afghanistan beyond August 31  a response unlikely to make the Taliban quake.

Wherever you stand on the Afghan intervention  and I believe that, with its shifting strategies and backfiring nation-building efforts, it went on far too long  there is no doubt that both Washington and Westminster have a deep moral responsibility to rescue those Afghans we have left behind. Their lives are now in danger because they helped our forces and trusted the democratic leaders who have betrayed them.

We have the same duty to offer sanctuary that we have shown, rightly, to thousands of Hong Kong citizens whose historic freedoms were crushed by Communist China in breach of an agreement with Britain over the 1997 handover of our former colony.

We have thrown out similar lifelines in the past  for example with the 27,000 Asians expelled by the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in 1972. And perhaps most famously with 10,000 Jewish children saved from the Nazis in the nine-month Kindertransport mission before World War II.

Yet the chaotic scenes in Kabul raise profound questions over our ability to take similar actions in the future and our role in the world.

We live in a time when a harshly repressive Communist dictatorship in China seeks to dominate the world, autocrats such as Russias Vladimir Putin display contempt for our values and the reliance on technology increases our vulnerability to attack.

Yet we have now been crushingly exposed by the isolationism infecting the White House under both Democratic and Republican presidents with their myopic mantra of America First.

The truth is that what is happening in Kabul is a sad reflection of our countrys weakness. Without the help of the Americans, we cannot save more of those to whom we have a deep moral obligation. Pictured: UK Armed Forces at Kabul airport on August 23

As Tim Cross, a retired Major- General and logistics expert who was involved in both the Iraq and Kosovo interventions, said this week: Whats the point of having Armed Forces if we cannot hold a single airfield? It makes the whole global Britain idea a joke.

Humiliating

Certainly this humiliating flight from Kabul feels a long way from our 1944 D-Day heroics, in which my father landed American allies on the beach at Omaha, or even that extraordinary long-range Falklands assault almost four decades ago.

Of course, there are valid reasons why our troops are being forced to leave Kabul after diktats from the Taliban. One missile could bring down a jet, one bomb could shut down the airport, one burst of machine-gun fire could end the evacuation in seconds.

But even if we wanted to stay, we simply could not have managed it without American troops. The U.S., which has 6,000 troops on the ground compared with Britains 1,000, is providing by far the most personnel to keep the airport secure and is running many of its key facilities, including air traffic control. It is also providing intelligence and aerial surveillance. Even that small deployment represents a major operation for our shrunken Armed Forces, which have plunged in number from about 330,000 at the time of the Falklands conflict to fewer than 150,000 today, while spending on defence as a proportion of the economys size has fallen even faster.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace  who has handled this Afghan crisis with admirable honesty  plans to reduce the Army by another 4,000 troops to just 72,500 men and women by 2025.

He claims this is a modernising move towards drones and cyber warfare, speaking in grandiloquent terms of moving from mass mobilisation to information-age speed.

Incompetent

Certainly the importance of technology grows daily, with the alarming anticipation of hypersonic missiles travelling 25 times faster than sound and swarms of drones using artificial intelligence to hone their attacks as they hurtle towards targets. However, the chaos in Kabul demonstrates how important it is still to have sufficient boots on the ground.

Meanwhile, politicians, civil servants and military top brass have proved so incompetent over the years in their modernisation programme that they have overseen a string of procurement catastrophes, from melting army boots through to white-elephant aircraft carriers.

The most recent horror story involves spending 5.5 billion on Ajax armoured vehicles that were meant to provide the Army with a fast, powerful and stealthy weapon for this era of high-tech warfare.

Deliveries from their U.S. manufacturer should have begun four years ago. Instead, it was reported last month that the vehicles cannot fire their guns in motion, while crews endure such bad noise and vibrations that they suffer back injuries and hearing damage. The project may be scrapped.

The nature of warfare and the shape of our world are changing with dramatic rapidity. Yet the tragic events at Kabul airport show just how much we are deluding ourselves that we remain a great global power in this time of such profound change.
Women are claiming their skin has never looked better than since they started using a 'miracle' toner from an Australian beauty brand.

In the three months since launching on May 19, Dr Naomi's $89 'Pore Relation' has won widespread praise for its ability to smooth bumps and uneven skin tone, leaving skin 'baby soft' in as little as a week.

Just two daily pumps of the two-in-one toner and exfoliator, which can be ordered online from the brand's website, claim to shrink the appearance of pores on the face, neck and decolletage to make skin look younger.

Packed with powerful natural ingredients including sugar cane, citrus and salicylic acid which help to strengthen the skin's barrier function, the vegan-friendly toner already boasts dozens of five-star reviews just months after hitting the market.

Women are claiming their skin has never looked better since they started using a 'miracle' toner from an Australian beauty brand. Pictured: A customer before and after using Dr Naomi's $89 Pore Relation

The two-in-one toner and exfoliator (pictured) has won widespread praise for its ability to smooth bumps and uneven skin tone, leaving skin 'baby soft' in as little as a week

'I swear to god my skin hasn't looked this good since I came out the womb,' one woman said.

A second agreed, writing: 'Normally I would run my finger along my nose and feels small bumps, but now it's as smooth as a baby's bottom!'

Others called it the best toner they have ever used.

Designed to be applied after cleansing and before serums to the face and neck, the lotion works its magic through a natural blend of Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) made from Myrtillus fruit, sugar cane, orange and lemon extracts.

These ingredients work together to gently exfoliate to buff away dead skin cells and reveal a brighter, smoother complexion.

The toner is just one of 19 home treatments developed by Sydney cosmetician Dr Naomi McCullum making waves in the Australian beauty industry.

Customers say their skin feels baby soft as if they have 'just come out of the womb'

The serum is packed with powerful natural ingredients including sugar cane, citrus and salicylic acid which help to strengthen the skin's barrier function

The 'Instagram-famous' physician affectionately known as Dr Naomi opened her first luxury clinic in Paddington in 2016, and quickly cemented herself as a leader in non-invasive treatments, chiefly injectables.

Five years later she has expanded her expertise into a self-titled skincare range, made and packaged in Australia, which contains products that focus on fixing pigmentation and discolouration.

In a nod to Dr Naomi's sustainable ethos, each product comes in an airless bottle, with an outer shell that can be refilled with any serum from the range.

Her best-seller is the $89 'Catfish Blurring Eye Cream' which claims to smooth fine lines, brighten dark circles and tighten sagging complexions, leaving skin looking years younger in a matter of weeks.

Women are calling Dr Naomi's new Catfish Blurring Eye Cream (pictured on reality TV star, Martha Kalifatidis) 'the best' they have ever used

Just two daily pumps of the $89 cream claim to smooth fine lines, brighten dark circles and tighten sagging complexions, leaving skin looking years younger in a matter of weeks. (Pictured: A customer before and two months after starting to use the product)

Laced with the proprietary brightening cocktail used in Dr Naomi's clinical treatments, the serum is a chance to achieve salon-style results from the comfort of your own home - at a fraction of the cost.

Ingredients such as hyaluronic acid spheres help to instantly blur the appearance of crows feet, while organic kangaroo paw extract boosts the production of collagen, leaving skin plumper.

The cream also contains peptides and plant extracts which have been proven to lessen the severity of dark circles and puffiness, smoothing skin and brightening under-eye bags.

Customers have been raving about the benefits of the cream in glowing reviews, with some saying they already 'can't live without it'.

The 'hero ingredient' behind Dr Naomi's 'best-ever' eye cream Dr Naomi's Catfish Filter is packed with powerful natural ingredients including kangaroo paw flower extract and hyaluronic acid. Known for its anti-ageing benefits, kangaroo paw speeds the skin's renewal process, strengthening its barrier function and repairing the links between your skin cells. It has been shown to reduce fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes and neck by firming skin as little as one hour after application. Kangaroo paw has also been shown to hydrate and brighten skin, restoring its natural radiance. Similarly, the hyaluronic acid contained in Dr Naomi's eye cream Advertisement

'BEST EYE CARE EVER! It's so nice and feels luxurious. The packaging is EVERYTHING. Hands down the best eye cream I've ever used,' one customer wrote.

Another said while the cream is more expensive than her usual brand, she will buy it again because of the almost instant results.

'Usually there's something that lets an eye cream down - too thick for under makeup or too thin to feel like it's working - neither of those apply here,' she wrote.

The woman said the cream has a thick texture that's easily thinned for daywear which doesn't cause her under-eye concealer to slip or cake.

And after wearing it to bed at night, her eyes look hydrated without being congested.

Many of Dr Naomi's new products have attracted attention online, but none more so than the Catfish Eye Cream (left)

'It has not caused me any irritation and my skin can be fairly sensitive. Bit pricey but I would repurchase,' she added.

Others said the cream has corrected long-term pigmentation under their eyes.

'All my other eye treatments are sitting sadly on the shelf, because this has become my superstar product,' one woman wrote.

'I suffer from dark circles and I am certain they are looking better, as I don't need to as much colour corrector.'

The cream has also been promoted by some of Australia's leading influencers, including makeup artist turned reality TV star Martha Kalifatidis who shared a video of herself applying it on Instagram.

'Catfish Eye Cream has you covered, literally. It hydrates, plumps, brightens and blurs away imperfections,' she captioned the paid partnership post uploaded on July 28.
A groom-to-be has been praised online for proposing with a pepperoni pizza reading 'Marry Me' alongside a diamond ring.

The engagement was shared on the Canadian Facebook group That's It, I'm Wedding Shaming (Non ban happy edition) by an unnamed woman, from Indiana, who was disappointed with the proposal she had witnessed.

However, social media users felt the proposal was 'lovely' and joked that the only thing better would be if they had proposed with tacos.

A groom-to-be has been praised online for proposing with a pepperoni pizza reading 'Marry Me' alongside a diamond ring (pictured)

The engagement was shared on the Canadian Facebook group That's It, I'm Wedding Shaming (Non ban happy edition) by an unnamed woman, from Indiana, who was disappointed with the proposal she had witnessed (pictured)

They criticized the woman for making fun of the pizza, saying a proposal should be personal and that not everyone needed a grand gesture.

Others joked they loved pizza so much, they'd say yes if a stranger proposed to them with the meal.

'Engagement shaming. Really, a pizza proposal,' the woman wrote, sharing a picture on the group.

The photograph captured a woman proudly showing off her diamond ring in front of a pepperoni pizza.

A message handwritten on the pizza reads: 'Marry me?,' and a heart made of pepperoni could be seen in the middle of the meal.

People disagreed and said the proposal was actually sweet and that they'd also say yes if someone proposed to them with pizza

While the original poster didn't seem to find the proposal very dignified, others disagreed and said they found the idea charming.

'A. He clearly spent on the ring. B. He clearly took the time to prearrange a special pizza. C. Pizza is good. Even when its not great, its good. D. Not everyone wants a giant fuss,' one said.

'Pizza and a ring?! A man that feeds you and buys you diamonds? Well that's a keeper I say, I'd definitely say yes,' another said.

'Id judge if it was pizza at their wedding. But proposals are usually super duper personal, and just the two people,' one wrote. 'If this is wrong, I don't want to be right,' another said.

Others said proposals didn't need to be grand gestures, while some pointed they could also be wasteful, unlike this one

'A total stranger could give me this and I'd say yes just to mack on that pepperoni and cheese,' added another.

'This is only shame worthy because they could have gotten a better pizza,' one food enthusiast said.

'100 per cent if you are proposing with a pizza you better bring your A-game pizza lol,' another agreed.
The Tiger Who Came To Tea has come under fire by a campaigner because it reinforces gender inequality which causes violence against women and girls.

Rachel Adamson, of Zero Tolerance, a charity working to end men's violence against women, said Judith Kerr's 1968 classic was 'problematic' because of its 'old fashioned' portrayal of women and family dynamics.

So, if a simple tale of a girl and her tiger friend is not safe from criticism, what could possibly be next on the woke watch list of children's books?

FEMAIL has unearthed criticism of literary classics like The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which has been called out for its depiction of exclusively 'middle-class rabbits' and damaging 'sexist' messaging, and The Gruffalo, which dares have a cast of all-male characters.

Even the seemingly harmless The Very Hungry Caterpillar is apparently at risk - because the 'genderless' animal still uses the pronoun 'he'.

Here, FEMAIL takes a look at what other much-loved bedtime stories which could be at risk of becoming 'cancelled'...

THE TALE OF PETER REBBIT

John Rowe Townshend branded Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit as 'perhaps one of the most sexist animal fantasies in children's literature' (pictured)

Beatrix Potter's Tale of Peter Rabbit, published in 1902, focuses on a widowed mother rabbit and her four children Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter.

However, it would seem the rabbits - who hop around in their cute cropped blazers, capes and dresses - are too posh for some.

Sensitive readers have branded the family 'middle-class' and for that reason the book and its sequel, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, have previously been banned in London by the Inner London Education Authority.

The story also risks offending readers because it's only the adventurous boy bunnies who go out adventuring

John Rowe Townshend raised other issues in his piece Racism and sexism in children's books and claimed Beatrix Potter's Tale of Peter Rabbit is 'perhaps one of the most sexist animal fantasies in children's literature.'

He went on: 'It keeps selling and influencing young boys and girls to believe that only males have great adventures and are excitingly "naughty".'

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

One critic has slammed The Very Hungry Caterpillar, published in 1969, by author Eric Carle, for referring to the creature as a 'he' - despite it not having a name

The Very Hungry Caterpillar has been loved by generations of readers since it was published in 1969.

But it seems the simple tale about an insect who enjoys eating everything he comes across is still not above criticism - because the insect in question is a 'he'.

A handful of literary critics have questioned why an animal, which does not have a name, other than 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar', needs to be referred to as a 'he'.

This is true of plenty of other animal characters, too, including Spot the Dog and Hairy MacLary.

The issue of male protagonists being the 'default' in picture books is apparently damaging to girl readers who might not see themselves reflected in the pages.

ZOG AND THE FLYING DOCTOR

One reviewer took issues with Zog and the knight both being male protagonists in children's picture book Zog and the Flying Doctors, by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler (pictured)

Children's picture book Zog and the Flying Doctors, by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, was released in 2010 and centres on a young accident-prone dragon, named Zog, who wants to be the best student in dragon school.

He makes friends with princess Pearl, who dreams of being a doctor when she grows up.

However, according to one critic, the children's classic fails to balance gender issues, which they argue is apparent from the very first line which reads: 'Meet the flying doctors  a dragon, knight and girl, their names are Gadabout the Great, and Zog, and Princess Pearl.'

Writing on blog theconversation.com, the reviewer took issue with Zog and the knight both being male protagonists.

'The human characters are both doctors, and it is later shown that Pearl bemoans traditional princess duties. However, the male lead is a 'great' knight, while our female lead is first introduced as a 'girl' and then identified as a princess,' they penned.

'Of course, there is nothing wrong with ballerinas and princesses, nor with celebrating femininity. What is problematic, however, is the lack of other roles presented to young girls.'

THE GRUFFALO

The Gruffalo, created by former children's laureate Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler, has been slammed for having all male animals

The Gruffalo, created by former children's laureate Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler, has enchanted a generation of children for two decades.

The rhyming story of a mouse and a monster has sold more than 13.5 million copies across the world, according to publishers Pan Macmillan.

The Gruffalo is a monster  half grizzly bear and half buffalo  that lives in the woods, and befriends a mouse.

But despite even featuring on a coin to celebrate 20 years since the children's book was released, some critics have picked issues in the bestseller.

Similarly to the use of 'he' in The Very Hungry Caterpillar, one critic in The Guardian pointed out: 'The 2017 bestseller list includes perennial favourites The Gruffalo, Guess How Much I Love you and Dear Zoo, in which all the animals are referred to by a male pronoun, as if by default.'

According to an Observer study reported by the publication, 'males were more typically embodied as powerful, wild and potentially dangerous beasts such as dragons, bears and tigers, while females tended to anthropomorphise smaller and more vulnerable creatures such as birds, cats and insects.'

CINDERELLA

One critic specifically referred to the original version of the book (pictured) by Charles Perrault, and took issue with the sisters not being described as 'ugly' but rather 'proud and haughty'

Cinderella - which is both a book and novel - famously tells the heartwarming story of the female protagonist in the wake of her father's death.

She is left in the care of her cruel stepmother Lady Tremaine, and evil stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella, who force her to carry out chores around the house. With a helping hand from her fairy godmother, Cinderella makes it to the ball where she finally meets her Prince Charming.

However, one critic specifically referred to the original version of the book by Charles Perrault, and took issue with the sisters not being described as 'ugly' but rather 'proud and haughty.'

Posting to blog hellogiggles, they penned: 'Haughty isn't awesome, but what's so wrong with being a proud woman? And how did that translate into being perceived as unattractive? Okay, time out. So because the sisters aren't naturally timid/total pushovers, that makes them 'ugly'?'

And it's not just members of the public criticising old classics, with celebrities even wading in on the debate and accusing the fairytale of being sexist.

In 2018, Keira Knightley, 33, revealed she has banned her daughter from watching Cinderella because she is rescued by a man.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Critics have slammed 1963 children's book Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak, for enforcing gender stereotypes

Award-winning 1963 children's book Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak, has been one of 10 all-time best sellers for children since the 1970s.

The book is an illustrated tale of a rambunctious boy who dons his wolf suit and goes in search of mischief but falls back on his imagination when he gets sent to his room.

However, critics have since slammed the classic children's book for enforcing gender stereotypes - with one claiming this is apparent from the very opening line.

It reads: 'The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another, his mother called him, "WILD THING!" and Max said, "I'LL EAT YOU UP!" So he was sent to bed without eating anything.'

Taking to Metro Parent, they penned: 'The first lines of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are are the only time we encounter Max's mom. But this short intro speaks volumes about her role in the home.'

SLEEPING BEAUTY

Ms Hall tweeted her views on the book earlier this week and claimed attitudes to sexual behaviour would never change, if such stories were being told to children

Most people will know 'Sleeping Beauty' as a classic fairy tale about a princess who is cursed to sleep for a hundred years by an evil fairy, to be awakened by a handsome prince at the end of them.

However, a select few have a very different perception of the novel and film because the princess does not give consent to be kissed.

Parents have critics said it teaches questionable lessons about 'consent' and warned it could encourage dangerous behaviour in the future.

The debate when viral on social media when a mother-of-two claimed on Twitter it would teach her six-year-old son negative messages.

However, many disagreed and have labelled her as 'pathetic' and 'sad'.
Ever seen a building that has given you the shivers? Perhaps a particularly creepy old castle, or medieval tower?

That kind of historical architecture has nothing on some of these eerie constructions from around the world, rounded up by Bored Panda.

From a Russian hotel that looks anything but welcoming, to a church that appears to be shooting out laser beams, the list includes properties that wouldn't look out of place as a villainous lair.

If you're of a nervous disposition, you should be careful before scrolling, as some of these edifices are the stuff nightmares are made from.

This building in Russia, thought by some people online to be the Zarechye Hostel in Dzerzhinskiy, offers a 24-hour front desk and a shared kitchen, along with free WiFi throughout

The Riverside Museum, in Glasgow, Scotland, is given an eerie hue with green lighting illuminating its unusually-shaped exterior

This unlikely edifice is Oakley's headquarters - Foothill Ranch, Lake Forest, USA. That's right - Oakley, as in the sunglasses manufacturer

These unusual structures were identified by one commentator as naval fire control towers built by the Nazis during WW2, in Guernsey and France

This spiky structure was identified by one reader as the bridge over the Gauja, Valmiera, Latvia. They said it doesn't look quite so intimidating in better weather

This cathedral, thought to be Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden, seems to be shooting laser beams out from its windows

This bank in Frankfurt, Germany, gives off a sickly green glow, which makes it stand out even more from the surrounding quaint buildings

The Charite Research Facility for Experimental Medicine (pictured) was the Central Animal Laboratory of the Free University of Berlin

Identified by readers online as the Avala Tower in Belgrade, Serbia, this structure is a 204.68 m (672 ft) tall telecommunications tower, and can be found on Mount Avala

Prague TV Tower, already an unearthly looking structure, was made even spookier by the addition of these figures created by artist David Cerny in 2004. The artwork was called 'Babies'

The Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh, USA, is often referred to online as 'Sauron', due to its uncanny likeness to the character in Lord of the Rings
A former child bride who was married off to a 26-year-old cousin when she was just 13 has opened up about the horrific experiences she endured as a result of the forced union  and she has now inspired a new law that bans underage marriage in New York.

In one of his last acts as Governor of New York last month, Andrew Cuomo signed Naila's Law, which bans marriage in the state for anyone under the age of 18.

The law, which went into effect on Saturday, is named after 31-year-old US citizen Naila Amin, who, at age 13, was taken from her home in Queens and flown to Pakistan, where she was married off to her first cousin, who beat and raped her.

Amin has spent years advocating against child marriage, which is still legal in some form in 44 states.

'People need to get that out of their head that this is a Muslim issue because its not. Its American,' Amin told NBC News.

Progress: A new law in New York bans marriage under any condition for anyone under age 18; Naila's Law was named after former child bride Naima Amin

Just a baby: At 13, Naila  a dual US and Pakistan citizen  was taken to Pakistan for a religious marriage ceremony to her 26-year-old cousin

After returning to the US, her father submitted paperwork to get her new husband an American spousal visa. Shockingly, this raised no red flags in the federal government

Amin, a dual citizen of the US and Pakistan, emigrated to the US at age four and settled with her family in Queens, New York.

She knew she would be a child bride against her wishes from an early age.

'I had been promised to my cousin when I was 8 years old, so I was aware that eventually I would have to marry him,' she told the AHA Foundation. 'No one ever asked me if this is what I wanted.'

When she was 13, Amin spent most of the year she should have been in eight grade halfway around the world in Pakistan.

While she was there, she took part in a Nikah, a religious Islamic wedding ceremony done without a marriage license. She was spiritually, if not yet legally, married to her 26-year-old cousin Tariq.

Right away, her father started putting through paperwork to get Tariq an American spousal visa, a path to US citizenship.

'I was just a green card to them,' Amin said.

Amin assumed that someone who saw the paperwork in the US would notice she was so young and put a stop to it  but no one did.

At 15, Naila was taken back to Pakistan, where she was forced to live with her husband, who beat her and raped her

In the system: During her childhood, she'd spent some time in foster care after CPS took her from her parents, who beat her

'I was a child. I want to know: Why werent any red flags raised? Whoever was processing this application, they dont look at it? They dont think?' she asked.

The legal age for marriage with parental consent in New York at the time was 14.

Amin was still an American high schooler in the New York City suburbs at the time, and despite her parents' plans, she began dating a boy her age at school named Eddie.

'He was really nice. He was like my first love, he took care of me,' she told Brown Girl Magazine.

When her parents found out, they beat her, cuffing her by the ankles in the house. She had to escape through a window, and her boyfriend took her to a social worker with Child Protective Services, who ultimately put into foster care.

It wasn't her first experience with CPS. They'd also removed her from her parents' home when she was 10, after they beat her for hanging out with a boy.

In fact, she'd been in and out of her parents' house for years.

But despite the horrors at home, Amin said she was 'lost and confused while bouncing from group home to group home' and missed the stability of living with her parents  so she eventually ran away, back to her mother and father.

Back on US soil: In Pakistan, she was able to get in touch with her old social worker, who safely got her home

It wasn't long after that, during her freshman year of high school, that a then 15-year-old Amin was taken to Pakistan to be with her then 28-year-old husband and consummate the marriage ceremony performed two years earlier and legalized when she was 14.

'It took something from me I would never get back. My childhood, my innocence was taken from me, my body and soul,' she said

'When I was taken to Pakistan, I did not initially realize that I was in danger of being forced to stay there,' she recalled.

'Before I knew it, I was trapped and it was too late... I was forced to go live with my rapist, who was the cousin I was promised to.'

She described the wedding as a 'farewell to the old me, almost like a funeral for 15-year-old Naila.'

'I remember the day of my marriage as the day where a part of myself died in which I will never be able to get back,' she told The Statesman.

She spent five months in Pakistan, where her new husband raped her and beat her. Twice she tried to escape, but she'd be caught and confined to the house, where her husband confiscated her phone, her passport, and her music.

'It took something from me I would never get back. My childhood, my innocence was taken from me, my body and soul,' she said.

Helping out: Amin spent years in therapy, and in her mid-20s turned to activism to help other girls escape and recover from child marriages

Activism: In 2016, she founded the The Naila Amin Foundation, which is working to eradicate child marriage

Fortunately, Amin did have one relative on her side: a sympathetic uncle who helped her get in touch with the social worker she saw during her time in foster care in the US.

'I escaped with help from the U.S. State Department, and my mother was arrested upon arrival at JFK for kidnapping,' she recalled.

'Without the help that was available to me because of my prior circumstances as a foster child, I would have had an extremely difficult time returning to the United States on my own. That was my ticket out.'

Amin spent years in therapy, and in her mid-20s turned to activism to help other girls escape and recover from child marriages.

In 2016, she founded the The Naila Amin Foundation, which is working to eradicate child marriage.

In addition to changing laws, she wants to give young women a new home, help them get an education or learn a skill, and get them therapy.

She's had some success already. In 2008, she worked to get New Jersey to raise its minimum age for marriage  with or without parental consent  to 18. It was only the second state to do so.

And this summer, New York followed suit, bringing the age up from 17 to 18.

In 2008, she worked to get New Jersey to raise its minimum age for marriage to 18. It was only the second state to do so (pictured with NJ Governor Phil Murphy)

Finally! She is now celebrating that a similar law was signed in New York

'I know that my two-and-a-half years of work was really worth it. This is one of the proudest moments of my life,' she said.

'I emailed every Assembly member and every senator in New York state with my story and said please support this bill,' she went on. 'I think it was about 150 Assembly members and it took me days, but I did it. We cant let this happen to our children anymore.'

She said she was thrilled when Cuomo signed the bill into law, adding that the state 'did not give up on protecting me,' even when, she says, the US did.

'My involvement at the federal level is a vastly different story. They failed me. Every day, I wonder who thought approving my spousal petition was a good idea,' she said.

'Who thought a 14-year-old should marry a 27-year-old? That is not right, they could have protected me before I was taken abroad. It is absolutely ridiculous, and we need to make a change now.'

Now, 44 states still allow minors to marry, at least under certain conditions.

Only New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island have banned minors from marrying outright.

Now, 44 states still allow minors to marry, at least under certain conditions

'I was alone when I faced my marriage,' Amin said. 'I want to be there for other girls'

Most states require people to be at least 18 to marry without parental consent, but allow minors age 16 or 17 to marry with parental consent.

With parental consent and a judge's approval, children can marry at 14 in Alaska and Vermont, 15 in Hawaii and Kansas, and 12 for females and 14 for males in Massachusetts.

In Mississippi, its 15 for females and 17 for males with parental consent.

California, Wyoming, West Virginia, and Oklahoma have no minimum marriage age with parental consent and judicial approval.

While the laws may seem like remnants of a different time, child marriage does in fact exist: From 2000 to 2018, almost 300,000 minors were legally married in the US. About 40 children get married in the US every day.

'I was alone when I faced my marriage,' Amin told the New York Times. 'I want to be there for other girls.'
Australians have shared the petty lockdown fights they are having at home - including a wife who was furious at her husband for eating her favourite cookie.

In an amusing segment KIISFM breakfast radio duo Kyle and Jackie O, couples and families stuck in lockdown revealed how they found themselves entering into heated arguments triggered by ridiculous situations.

First caller, Stacy said she's been getting annoyed at her boyfriend for getting 'excited' every time the same food delivery driver drops off their order.

'We've been getting UberEats a lot but it just seems to be the same girl who keeps coming and my boyfriend is starting to get a little bit obsessed with her,' she said.

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Australians have shared the 'ridiculously petty' lockdown fights they are having at home - including a wife who was furious at her husband for eating her cookies (stock image)

Aussies share the petty lockdown fights - Mum-of-three Eleni was furious at her husband after he ate her favourite cookie despite ordering a box of six - Stephanie's mum has been picking fights with her for not selecting a 'specific spin cycle' for their laundry - Sam ended up having an argument with her husband after she decided to cut his hair without telling him while he was sleeping Advertisement

'He gets excited when she comes and he goes "oh babe you just wait here and I'll go get it". And they're out there having a chat and laughing for too long. I just watch from the window. I am a bit jealous.

'I keep bringing it up to him "why is it always this girl?" and "what are you doing?" but he says "it's nothing babe, don't worry about it". When it's another driver, he doesn't rush to the door, he only rushes out when it's her.'

Mum-of-three Eleni said she was furious at her husband after he ate one of the six cookies she ordered for their family to enjoy in lockdown.

'The business was doing deliveries around Sydney but they weren't delivering in our area. So I got a six-pack delivered to my husband's work,' she explained.

'All day, I was getting so excited about these cookies coming home and then he rang me and was like "oh my god, these cookies are so good, I'd just eaten the Nutella one. I absolutely lost it at him - I thought "how selfish of you, you selfish pig".

'When he got home, I was such a cow. I cut up all the other cookies individually and shared it with the kids and wouldn't let him try the other ones. I was cranky because every cookie was a different flavour. And he ate the Nutella one.'

In a radio segment, KIISFM radio duo Kyle and Jackie O (pictured together) spoke to Aussies in lockdown about the petty lockdown arguments they are having with their loved ones

Jamie said her boyfriend ended up not talking to her for an entire week after things backfired on him when she told him to stop slapping her legs 'playfully'.

'I caught his hand as it was going down and I went to throw it back so it would slap him back in the face,' she explained.

'Except his finger was out and he scratched his eyelid. He started getting really angry at me and said it was my fault he got hurt.'

Stephanie said her mum has been picking fights with her for not selecting a 'specific spin cycle' for their laundry.

'I'm homeschooling the kids. Every morning I wake up, I put the washing on, I pick a cycle and I just chuck it on, I don't think about anything else,' she said.

'My mum will then come home and put the clothes on the line but she gets the s***s every time because I don't pick a specific spin cycle so they come out a little bit dryer. If you hang the clothes on the line the wrong way, forget it, it's World War III.'

Sam said she ended up having an argument with her husband after she decided to cut his hair without telling him while he was sleeping.

'So I've been listening to my husband moan and complain about his hair and beard for five weeks - all the barber shops are closed so I offered to do it for him but he wouldn't let me, he says "no, you don't know what you're doing",' she said.

'So I waited for him to fall asleep until I got a clipper and I started cutting his head. I was doing him a favour. If you saw what he looked like before, you'd do the same.'
An old-fashioned lolly shop in the historic heart of Sydney has saved itself from bankruptcy with a very modern idea.

Before Covid reached Australia in early 2020, Sticky, a family-run confectioner in The Rocks, attracted a near-constant audience at its front window, as tourists and passersby stood transfixed by staff making hard-boiled lollies from scratch.

But when the pandemic forced the closure of the country's international border in March 2020, Sticky - like countless other tourism-reliant businesses - saw its revenue drop to 'literally zero' in the space of three weeks.

With Sydney as quiet as an apocalyptic ghost town, owner David King, 50, turned to social media in a desperate attempt to save his shop, live streaming videos of the theatrical lolly making that used to draw crowds to the window on Playfair Street.

That last-ditch decision not only propelled Sticky into the international spotlight, with viral videos reposted by stars including US rapper Snoop Dogg, but made it more profitable than ever with a revenue of 'well into seven figures' for 2021.

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When sales dropped to 'zero' after Covid reached Australian shores in early 2020, lolly shop owner David King (right, with daughter Annabelle) turned to social media to save his business

Mr King (pictured) opened Sticky with wife Rachel in 2001 after quitting their respective jobs i corporate law and pharmaceuticals

'I'd love to say it was genius what we did, but it was more desperation!' Mr King told Daily Mail Australia.

What might sound like an obvious marketing strategy to millennials and Gen Z'ers was totally alien to Mr King and his wife Rachel, 47, who opened their sweet shop in 2001 after quitting their respective jobs in corporate law and pharmaceuticals.

I was distressed, I was devastated, I was in a daze. I thought it was the end.

They had a website, but for the 19 years before Covid hit their online presence drew in an average of just 10 orders per week.

But when the virus destroyed brick-and-mortar business as we knew it, they had no choice but to take their lollies fully online.

'Not only did all the tourists disappear, everyone cancelled their weddings and their corporate events,' Mr King recalled.

'I was distressed, I was devastated, I was in a daze. I thought it was the end. We were standing staff down, we were about to pull the doors down.'

Mr King and his team began livestreaming videos of the theatrical lolly making that used to draw crowds to the shop window on Playfair Street (pictured)

Determined to go down fighting, the Kings used JobKeeper payments and money borrowed from a long-time friend to invest in cameras - then set about filming.

Their first Facebook livestream drew in just 60 viewers, but a little over one year later Sticky has 4.3 million followers on TikTok, 200,000 YouTube subscribers, 980,000 followers on Facebook and a monthly reach of about 45 million.

Its TikTok fame is thanks to Mr King's daughter, Annabelle, 17, who made the account and drew in 1,000 fans in the first 24 hours.

A comedian associate of Snoop Dogg stumbled across the feed and shared one of the videos to his own account, with the rapper himself later reposting it on Instagram.

Determined to go down fighting, Mr King (right) used JobKeeper payments and money borrowed from a long-time friend to invest in cameras - the rest is history

Sticky's TikTok fame is thanks to Mr King's daughter, Annabelle, 17, (pictured) who made the account and drew in 1,000 fans in the first 24 hours

That endorsement alone saw followers shoot up by 1.5 million in a single weekend.

'We were almost back to capacity before we got onto TikTok in July last year, but once my daughter convinced me that it was a thing, we went viral in a way we hadn't on other platforms,' Mr King said.

'It melted down the website.'

Just one year into the digital era, Sticky's business has increased by a whopping 230 percent with the US now providing its biggest customer base.

The shop employs 10 staff 'working around the clock' and products often sell out 10 minutes after dropping online, with 80 percent of stock now being shipped around the world.

Taking his business to social media has reunited Mr King with the international customers shut out by Australia's border closure, with significant sales also coming from the UK, Germany, Italy and Canada.

Thanks to its viral videos reshared by the likes of US rapper Snoop Dogg, Sticky now has 4.3 million followers on TikTok, 200,000 YouTube subscribers and 980,000 Facebook fans

Million dollar idea: Taking business online made Sticky more profitable than ever, with a revenue of 'well into seven figures' for 2021 according to Mr King

The website is restocked twice a week on Friday and Saturday mornings, with products selling out in 'about 40 minutes' every time.

'I hate to say it but at the moment we're actually disappointing customers all over the world!'' Mr King said of the constant sell-outs.

While anyone with a smart phone and 4G connection can promote their business on social media, the lolly boss believes the key to success is to focus on the people behind the brand.

'What's worked for us is focusing on the social part of social media,' Mr King said.

'You have to be genuine and be 'you' - I think you have to share the human in your business.'

The confectioner has enjoyed extraordinary success in the midst of the most catastrophic public health crisis in modern history, but not all small businesses have been so lucky

Sticky has enjoyed extraordinary success in the midst of the most catastrophic public health crisis in modern history, but not all small businesses have been so lucky.

Tourism-dependent shopping precincts like The Rocks have been decimated by the pandemic, with hundreds of stores - including many of Mr King's neighbours - unlikely to ever reopen.

'The Rocks is like 28 Days Later - it's worse now than it was at the start [of Covid]' he said.

'We were seeing people coming back, the fear was going away a bit, but this lockdown is probably the most severe its been in terms of trade for everyone here.

'I look around at the people I've worked next to for 20 years and it's difficult to see how they can open again. I don't know what the future holds, it's so bleak.'
Workers have revealed their most cringeworthy Zoom meeting moments, from accidentally sharing their own nude pictures to complaining about their colleagues.

The thread was started by an embarrassed woman from Sydney who confessed to complaining about 'how boring' her colleague was during a meeting.

She didn't realise her microphone was on when she made the comments.

'Got a message from my big boss telling me, by name, to turn my mic off mid-rant,' she said.

Workers have revealed their most cringeworthy Zoom meeting moments, from accidentally sharing their own nude pictures to complaining about their colleagues

The woman then asked for other people to share their own awkward Zoom moments, and they obliged with hundreds of women leaving cringeworthy moments in the comments.

One woman was talking to a colleague who had just resigned, agreeing with her about negative aspects of the company.

The friends were complaining amongst themselves for 15 minute before one wondered out loud where the boss was and if they should call her.

'I am here guys,' she said, joining in on the conversation for the first time and leaving the other women mortified.

Another woman was sharing her screen with colleagues in a presentation when she accidentally clicked on a folder of her own nude photos by mistake.

What were to most embarrassing Zoom meeting moments? 1. Last year for work I was doing a share screen presentation and accidentally opened a folder which contained nudes. Never clicked out of a folder so fast. I want to die every time I think about it. 2. I was in a uni tutorial online and one of the students turned her camera on to squeeze her black heads close to the screen, then apply her makeup. Then turned her camera off for the rest of the tutorial. 3. I was presenting to a large group of teachers and typed in 'hot male' instead of Hotmail and we were transported to a pornography site. 4. I just greeted my work mate while I was in a meeting, telling them how boring it was and naming the boring presenter. Got a message from the big boss telling me to turn my mic off in the middle of my rant. Advertisement

'I have never clicked out of a folder so fast. I want to die every time I think about it,' one woman said.

Another woman said she was in a Zoom meeting when one of the participants got changed, not realising her camera was on, flashing her bare breasts to everyone in attendance.

One woman said a mature-aged student in her online university course turned on her camera to pop pimples on her face - not realising everyone could see.

Another said her colleague's husband walked around in his underwear during a group meeting - showing everyone more than they wanted to see.

While one heard her boss explain to his wife how broke they were and that they would have to 'eat the frozen mince' for a few weeks.

Others have heard their colleagues use the bathroom, been directed to Indian lesbian sites online and had to apologise for their pets making noise in the background.

Last year one boss accidentally turned herself into a potato using a Zoom filter and was forced to remain that way throughout her meeting.

Lizet Ocampo, the Washington, D.C.-based political director at People for the American Way was left stumped when she suddenly became a potato during a Microsoft Teams meeting.

Her employee couldn't help but screenshot the hilarious moment her confused boss tried to get rid of the awkward filter.

Some had similar tech difficulties whilst doing seminars in person.

One woman was doing a presentation to a large group of school teachers when she typed in 'hot male' instead of Hotmail.

'We were all transported to a pornography site on the huge screen,' she cringed.

She added that if she had been presenting at school the porn site would have been blocked but they were in a hired venue.

Another woman said she had a challenging client on the phone one day and vented to her colleague after hanging up.

Except she hadn't put the receiver down properly so the customer heard every word.

Career expert: The major mistakes you are making while working from home With more Australians working from home due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, a career expert has revealed the common mistakes people are making while working away from the office. Sue Ellson, from Melbourne, said while working from home it's important to maintain work relationships, share achievements and prioritise your career within the organisation, profession or industry. But while working from home, people are working harder rather than smarter and are becoming lazy due to lack of routine. 'Developing your work from home skills is essential because even if you aren't doing it full time now, you may be in the future,' Sue told Daily Mail Australia. 'There are always pluses and minuses, but remembering how to keep the human element involved is extremely important.' Falling into the trap of working longer hours Working from home gives employees more freedom of flexibility due to the lack of commute needed, though many fall into the trap of working extended hours or checking emails after work. Sue Ellson (pictured) said many fall into the trap of working extended hours while working from home Sue recommends setting daily priorities each morning to ensure everything gets done, or creating a checklist at the end of the workday for the proceeding day. 'Setting written agendas for meetings can reduce online meeting fatigue and keep everyone focused on what is important and needs to be discussed together,' she said. 'There is the potential to improve efficiency from home, especially if you have a bit more time to set up technology-based solutions that can ultimately reduce your workload.' Adopting a lazy routine While there are a number of perks to working from home, employees are often tempted to save time by avoiding usual work routines of starting and finishing on time, dressing appropriately each day, allocating time for breaks or making excuses for not completing tasks on time. But a change in routine often leads to forming lazy habits, such as waking up later and staying in pyjamas all day, which can lead to flaws in the work or 'road blocks'. 'If working from home is presenting challenges to you, don't be afraid to ask for additional support and be willing to offer support to others,' Sue said. A change in routine often leads to forming lazy habits, such as waking up later and staying in pyjamas all day, which can lead to flaws in the work or 'road blocks' Not managing relationships Sue explained how in the world of online meetings, emails and written messages, a lot of communication is abbreviated and a great deal of non-verbal communication - including tone of voice, body language and general vibe - is completely lost when working from home. 'Don't underestimate the importance of having real-time one-on-one conversations over the phone as well as small group meetings of a more casual nature,' she said. In the bleakness of the Covid-19 lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne restricting people's movements, it's becoming more important to maintain relationships without face-to-face contact. Not turning on your camera during a Zoom meeting During work Zoom meetings, some employees may prefer to turn their camera off throughout the call - but Sue said it should be turned on to not only show your work etiquette but demonstrate your commitment to the meeting. 'Some organisations prefer to have all meeting participants on camera to ensure they are present and engaged,' she said. 'But this may not work for some people, especially if they have a bad internet connection, a screaming child at home that particular day or a more introverted personality profile. 'Adding a photo to your profile ensures that people can at lease see a face rather than a black screen.' If anything, she recommended turning on your camera when you are speaking as a polite gesture. By Carina Stathis for Daily Mail Australia. Advertisement

One woman said people need to just 'own it' when they do something embarrassing on the platforms.

She said people should say 'well, now everyone knows how I feel and I am going to learn from this experience.'

'It takes the shame out of it so no one has the power to tease you,' she said.
Australian 'van lifers' driving the length and breadth of the country to escape Covid lockdown are travelling to a spectacular oasis hidden in the Queensland highlands.

The stunning waterhole that looks like a natural swimming pool is tucked away in Blackdown Tableland National Park, 814 kilometres north-west of Brisbane - but you won't find it marked on a map.

The twin pools sit 240 steps below Rainbow Falls and can only be reached by walking down a steep path hewn into the forest by footsteps.

Travelling couple Kurt and Carly, who together run Instagram page Let's Get Outta Here, learned about the swimming spot on Wikipedia and said they were blown away by its unspoiled beauty.

Australian 'van lifers' driving the length and breadth of the country to escape Covid lockdown are travelling to a spectacular oasis (pictured) hidden in the Queensland highlands

The twin pools (pictured) sit 240 steps below Rainbow Falls in Blackdown Tableland National Park and can only be reached by walking down a steep path hewn into the forest by footsteps

How to reach the swimming 'oasis' in Blackdown Tableland 1. Walk to Rainbow Falls (Gudda Gumoo), following signposts all the way. 2. Once you get to a sign that says '240 steps down to the falls', take a right and follow the path that has been created by footsteps. 3. Follow it until you reach the pools. Travellers advise heading first thing in the morning to avoid crowds. Source: Let's Get Outta Here Advertisement

'It was one of the most unique waterholes we have visited, we loved that it wasnt overcrowded,' Carly told Daily Mail Australia.

Others agreed, with one woman who recently visited the spot insisting photos don't do it justice.

'What a place! When we drove out here on a long corrugated road to the middle of nowhere we werent sure what to expect,' she wrote on Instagram

'We were so surprised to find that this place looked exactly like (if not better than) the photos.'

Rising above a sea of sand dunes and dry desert landscape, Blackdown Tableland National Park is a lush oasis brimming with colourful animals, thundering waterfalls and spectacular views.

The park can be explored by taking a scenic loop around almost a dozen breathtaking lookouts, but it's only suitable for 4WD or specialised off-road vehicles.

Photos of the park and its enchanting swimming spots have drawn stunned responses on social media, racking up thousands of 'likes' and hundreds of comments from travellers eager to visit.

'This looks amazing,' one woman wrote.

'So keen to get here,' said a second, while a third added: 'What a place!'

The waterhole is the latest destination luring Covid-weary Australians off the beaten path in search of distraction from spiralling case numbers in Sydney and fresh outbreaks in Melbourne and Canberra.

Travelling couple Kurt and Carly, who run Instagram page Let's Get Outta Here, learned about the swimming spot on Wikipedia and said they were blown away by its unspoiled beauty

The swimming spot sits in the heart of Blackdown Tableland National Park, 814km north-west of Brisbane

Hundreds are racing to an untouched beach in a national park which has been described as 'Australia's answer to the Maldives'.

Kurt and Carly have been raving about the pristine white sand and crystal clear water at Engine Point in Port Lincoln, 691 kilometres west of Adelaide, SA, since visiting earlier this year.

'The water was something you would see in the Maldives!' Carly said.

'We had the whole spot to ourselves all afternoon and you could just lay in the shallow water and watch the fish swim around.'

Travel photographers have dubbed this untouched beach in a national park Australia's answer to the Maldives

Travelling couple Kurt and Carly were blown away by the pristine white sand crystal clear water at Engine Point in Port Lincoln, 691 kilometres west of Adelaide, SA

The beach is so remote that a campground at one end is only accessible by 4WD, and campers must bring everything they need from nearby towns because there are no amenities in Engine Point at all.

The Instagram location tag is linked to dozens of breathtaking photos, with tourists raving about the unspoiled beauty of the region.

'I will never get over it,' one woman said.

Another added: 'Words cannot describe the colour of the water!'
An Australian makeup artist has discovered a simple trick for getting Kylie Cosmetics at Mecca - before the products land on shelves.

The billionaire business mogul's cult favourite beauty range launched on Mecca's website on August 24, but it won't be available in most stores until August 31.

Gold Coast makeup guru Michael Huxley claims you can buy your favourite items in person six days early by asking a shop assistant to fetch them from the store room.

Mr Huxley said he 'couldn't wait' to get his hands on Kylie's best-selling lip kits, powders and eyeliners when he heard they were coming to Australia.

Australian makeup artist Michael Huxley (pictured) has discovered a simple trick for getting Kylie Cosmetics at Mecca - before the products land on shelves

The Gold Coast makeup school founder says you can get your hands on Kylie's best-selling products simply by asking staff to fetch them from the store room

'[Mecca staff are] not putting them on their shelves till next week but I thought, it doesn't hurt to ask and I'm so glad I did,' he said.

The founder of Huxley School of Makeup heaped praise on Jenner's eponymous cosmetics line, calling her world famous lip kits a dream to work with.

'Super crisp, sharp lines, they're gorgeous,' he said.

Kylie's expansion into Australia and New Zealand brings an end to ordering from her brand's website, where shoppers face wait times of up to 14 days and shipping fees of $18.95.

The launch comes weeks after the 24-year-old reality star turned businesswoman unveiled her brand's 'clean' makeover.

All products in the revamped collection are now made with vegan ingredients that are free from parabens, gluten and animal-source oils, in a nod to the clean beauty trend gathering pace around the world.

All products in the revamped Kylie Cosmetics collection are now made with vegan ingredients that are free from parabens, gluten and animal-source oils

The mum-of-one (pictured), rumoured to be expecting her second child with on-off partner, Travis Scott, said she is committed to making strides with the new version of her brand

Kylie hyped the relaunch last month in a post on the Kylie Cosmetics Instagram page, writing: 'The NEW @kyliecosmetics is officially launching on July 15 on KylieCosmetics.com... I can't wait for you guys to try these new formulas!'

The mother-of-one, who raises three-year-old daughter Stormi Webster with her on-off partner, Travis Scott, told People she was committed to making strides with the new version of her brand.

Jenner, who is rumoured to be expecting her second child with the Sicko Mode rapper, added that she was happy to be using materials that were sustainable and cruelty-free.

The move is the latest Australian expansion for the Kardashian/Jenners, after Kylie's half-sister Kim Kardashian West announced the launch of her iconic intimates line SKIMS at David Jones.
A 'controversial' beef burger that's made with a dim sim and potato cake has been named the best in Victoria in a national competition.

Easey's in Melbourne won the title in the Litt Burger of Origin competition with the 'Motz Madness' creation.

The $20 double Oklahoma fried onion burger with cheese can only be ordered via the Litt app and is available for two weeks - so customers should act swiftly.

50 customers within 5km of the Easey's burger restaurant in Collingwood will also score the burger for free by the end of Wednesday August 25.

Easey's in Melbourne won the title in the Litt Burger of Origin competition with the 'Motz Madness' creation - a mouthwatering beef burger made with dim sim and potato cake

The $20 double Oklahoma fried onion burger can only be ordered via the Litt app and is available for two weeks  so customers should act swiftly

Easey's was crowned the best burger in Victoria and will be judged against the other finalist from around Australia at a later date.

For the first time ever a national burger competition is being held where the best burger joints across the country are competing to decide which state produces the best burger.

All 17 participating burger joints were tasked with creating a unique burger for the competition, which must be 'their best burger ever'.

Due to Covid-19 only Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne were being judged before border closures.

Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sydney were judged in May, Melbourne was judged in June, and Perth and Hobart will be judged once borders reopen.

Easey's was crowned the best burger in Victoria and will be judged against the other finalist from around Australia at a later date

The competition was paused due to the lockdown when chief judge and Melbourne resident, Cal Stubbs, was denied access to both Western Australia and Tasmania.

Other top burger joints in Melbourne that made the top five included Hello Sam, It's a Burger and Rude Boy Burger.

Litt is also an Australian-designed social media app that grew in popularity earlier this year in February.

'Australia threw their support behind us when Facebook gave our country the flick, so this is our way of saying thank you: by giving away a truckload of the country's best burgers while also shining lots of much-needed attention on small businesses,' said Brett Thompson, co-founder of Litt.

'This campaign also gives us the opportunity to showcase our Aussie developed ingenuity,' said Litt co-founder Peter Salom.

'We believe the augmented reality advertising component of Litt is unique to a social media platform, there's nothing like it in the world.'
Top Australian chefs have shared the comfort foods they have been indulging in during covid lockdown.

Restaurateur Shannon Martinez, from Melbourne, said her go-to dish is 'fakes' (pronounced 'fah-kehs'), a Greek lentil-style soup.

'It's half way between a stew and a soup. This is the perfect dish for this crazy weather,' the cookbook author wrote on Instagram.

To make the dish, you'll need brown lentils, carrot, onion, garlic, celery, onion, thyme, bay leaves, red wine vinegar, tomato paste and olive oil.

Restaurateur Shannon Martinez (pictured), from Melbourne, said her go-to dish is 'fakes' (pronounced 'fah-kehs'), a Greek lentil-style soup

The chef said the Greek lentil-style soup was one of her favourite dishes to make in lockdown

What you'll need to make Shannon's Greek lentil-style soup Brown lentils Carrot Onion Garlic Celery Onion Tomato paste Thyme Bay leaves Red wine vinegar Stock cube Olive oil Advertisement

'I know everyone is kind of hurting a little bit in terms of cash flow so I thought I'd make something that's cheap and beautiful,' the chef of vegan restaurant Smith & Daughters said.

She said fennel wasn't traditionally in the Greek recipe but she wanted to incorporate the vegetable since she had some leftover in her fridge.

In a pot, Shannon heated 1/3 cup of olive oil before adding the diced onion, carrot, fennel, celery and a pinch of salt.

She suggested adding more olive oil as it offers a rich consistency.

After sauteing the garlic, she added a tablespoon of tomato paste.

'Always good to cook out the tomato paste, it brings out the sweetness as oppose to just throwing it in the liquid. That applies to whenever you use tomato paste, especially in bolognese,' she said.

Shannon then added two bay leaves, followed with 500g of lentils.

'Season with salt and pepper. Cover with water, about an inch over the lentils and throw in a chicken stock cube,' she said. The cube stock she used was vegan but home cooks can add whichever stock they have in their pantry.

She added a couple of thyme springs, then allowed the soup to simmer until the lentils are 'nice and soft'.

'You don't want to cook them until the lentils actually collapse, you still want them to have a bit of bite. It's not your traditional lentil soup, it's a lot thicker,' she said.

To serve, she added a splash of red wine vinegar to the soup.

To make the dish, you'll need brown lentils, carrot, onion, garlic, celery, onion, thyme, bay leaves, red wine vinegar, tomato paste and olive oil

Chef Anthony Femia (pictured) said his comfort food is a bechamel cheese toastie

Anthony is the owner of Maker & Monger, a specialty cheese shop in Melbourne offering a hugely popular grilled cheese toastie (pictured) that's hailed as one of the best in Australia

How to make the perfect cheese toastie 'Grated mozzarella is perfect for toasties as it has a great melting point and gives you the trademark stretch and ooze,' chef Anthony Femia said. Never use fresh bread to make cheese toasties because the bottom ends up getting soggy. For a crispy, crunchy cheese toastie every time, use butter or mayonnaise on the outside of the bread when toasting. 'Without either, you run the risk of burning the bread and having a bitter taste in your mouth,' he added. Advertisement

Melbourne chef Anthony Femia, owner of Maker & Monger, told the GoodFood his comfort food is a bechamel cheese toastie.

To make the perfect cheese toastie, he said his go-to cheeses are grated mozzarella and English cheddar.

'Grated mozzarella is perfect for toasties as it has a great melting point and gives you the trademark stretch and ooze,' he told the publication.

Anthony said you should never use fresh bread to make toasties because the bottom ends up getting soggy.

For a crispy, crunchy cheese toastie every time, he suggested using butter or mayonnaise on the outside of the bread when toasting.

'Without either, you run the risk of burning the bread and having a bitter taste in your mouth,' Anthony said.

Melbourne chef Tony Tan said his favourite dish is a noodle soup with mushrooms.

'So long as you have stock in the house, this nutritious and versatile soup is done within minutes. Which is what we all need in lockdown,' he told the GoodFood.

The chef, who owns a cooking school, said he always prepares large batches of chicken and vegetable stocks so he could keep in his freezer to use later for cooking.

Melbourne chef Tony Tan (pictured) said his favourite dish is a noodle soup with mushrooms

'These are super easy to make. Once you have these stocks, you can make just about anything,' Tony said on his Instagram.

'Chinese chicken stock has only spring onions and crushed ginger. I freeze the tiny knobbly bits instead of chucking them into the bin) added to chicken frames.

'If you like your stock crystal clear, never boil it but bring it to 90 to 95C and leave it simmer until all the goodness is infused into the stock.

'For vegetable stock, I use dried shiitake mushrooms, carrots, ginger, spring onions and Chinese celery otherwise regular celery tops are fine.'

Tony said he likes to add stocks in his dishes to add a great depth of flavour, ranging from South-East Asian cuisines to Indian meals.

If I have vegetarian mates over, I add coconut milk, chilies, lentils and tofu to my vegetable stock for a more substantial meal,' he said.

'If you have meat-loving friends and family around, some shredded roast chicken wouldn't go astray nor would sliced beef or lamb splashed with a drop of sesame oil from the pantry.'
Beauty experts have shared the four simple steps you should follow to achieve a salon standard makeover at home.

A blog post on the website of Australian cosmetics retailer, Mecca, says you must prep hands with a nourishing balm, scrub away dead skin with an exfoliator, moisturise with hand cream and cuticle oil, then paint each nail with a double coat.

Salon treatments remain off the cards indefinitely for more than 14 million Australians in lockdown across three states.

New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT are all under strict stay-at-home orders as the regions battle fresh outbreaks of the highly contagious Covid Delta strain.

Beauty experts have shared the four simple steps you must follow to achieve a salon standard makeover at home - they are prep, scrub, moisturise and paint (stock image)

Sydney hit another grim milestone on Wednesday with a record for its 919 new cases and two deaths, despite almost 150,000 residents being vaccinated in a single day.

Further south in Canberra, residents have been warned they could be locked down for months as the ACT recorded nine new infections bringing the territory's active cases to 176.

The news was somewhat brighter in Victoria which chalked 45 positive cases overnight - down five from the 50 recorded on Tuesday.

And with uncertainty looming about when lockdown will lift, nail pros at Mecca say it's time to take your fingertips into your own hands by learning how to care for them at home.

The experts say the secret to 'happy hands' starts with removing old, chipped nail polish and nourishing your hands with a soothing balm or a revitalising gel.

Their recommendations include Mecca's own brand of Nourishing Hand Wash ($40) and Ren Clean Skincare's Atlantic Sea Wash ($35).

The experts say the secret to 'happy hands' starts with removing old, chipped nail polish and nourishing your hands with a soothing balm or a revitalising gel, then moisturising your hands with a hand cream from brands like Mecca Cosmetica or Gallinee

Next, the experts advise giving your cuticles a gentle yet firm scrub using a product such as Soap and Glory's Flake Away ($16) or Byredo's Vetyver Hand Scrub ($77).

These scrubs should be massaged into the hands in slow, circular motions, then rinsed away to reveal supple skin and shiny nails.

Before you take a brush to your nails, Mecca experts say its essential to moisturise your hands with a hand cream from brands like Mecca Cosmetica ($28) or Gallinnee ($24).

Once your hands have been cared for, it's time to paint your nails with a base coat, two to three coats of colour and a sheer top coat (stock image)

They say you should also rub oil such as Essie's Apricot Nail Treatment ($16.95) into your cuticles to prevent them from peeling.

Once your hands have been cared for, it's time to paint your nails with a base coat, two to three coats of colour and a sheer top coat.

Mecca experts suggest polishes from Essie, which cost about $16.95, or JINsoon, which will set you back $26.
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Princess Charlene of Monaco has finally reunited with her husband and children after almost three months apart - with her family flying out to be with her in South Africa as she recovers from a mystery operation.

Charlene, 43, who was last seen in Monaco in January, shared professional photographs of their reunion on Instagram today saying she was 'thrilled' to have her family back.

The family were last together at the start of June, when Albert and the children flew out to South Africa to be with Charlene.

The princess, who is originally from Cape Town, has been in her home country for months after contracting a 'serious sinus infection'. Two weeks ago she underwent a 'four-hour operation under general anaesthesia', although it was not made clear whether this was linked to the sinus infection.

Today she shared a series of photos cuddled up with her kids in South Africa with the caption: 'I am so thrilled to have my family back with me (Gabriella decided to give herself a haircut!!!) Sorry my Bella I tried my best to fix it,' referring to her daughter's choppy fringe.

Albert and six-year-old twins Jacques and Gabriella will stay with former Olympic swimmer Charlene while she recovers, the palace previously announced, although it is not clear how long their stay will be, but the princess will not return to Monaco until at least the end of October.

The absence of Charlene from Monaco, which has involved missing a string of high-profile events, has led to speculation around the state of her marriage, after news emerged that Albert is facing a paternity suit over a love child born in the early years of their relationship.

Princess Charlene of Monaco shared an awkward hug when she was finally reunited with her husband and children after almost three months apart

The family flew out to be with Princess Charlene in South Africa as she recovers from a mystery operation

Princess Charlene of Monaco has finally reunited with her husband and children after almost three months apart. The absence of Charlene from Monaco, which has involved missing a string of high-profile events, has led to speculation around the state of her marriage

Charlene, 43, who was last seen in Monaco in January, shared professional photographs of their reunion on Instagram (pictured). She joked her daughter Gabriella (left) had given herself a haircut

Mummy's boy: Princess Charlene poses with her son Jacques, who is heir to the Monaco throne. She said she was delighted to be back with her family. The family were last together at the start of June, when Albert and the children flew out to South Africa to be with Charlene

Play time! Twins Jacques and Gabriella climb a tree in one of the photos shared on Instagram. Albert and six-year-old twins Jacques and Gabriella will stay with Charlene while she recovers, the palace previously announced, although it is not clear how long their stay will be

Double trouble: The twins last saw their mother in June, when the family flew out to South Africa. The absence of Charlene from Monaco, which has involved missing a string of high-profile events, has led to speculation around the state of her marriage

In recent weeks, lifestyle magazines across Europe have speculated feverishly that the royal couple could be headed for divorce.

Charlene has been in South Africa since at least March, with media reports suggesting she is looking for a house there.

The prince, who already supports two illegitimate children, is alleged to have been in a relationship with a Brazilian woman which resulted in a daughter in 2005.

The claim, which his lawyers dismissed as a 'hoax', is particularly painful as he was dating Charlene at the time, having met in 2000.

However, Charlene has publicly supported her husband, and the palace have reiterated she is only in South Africa because she's unable to fly.

On August 13, the Monaco palace released a statement saying Charlene was to undergo surgery.

Last Monaco outing together: Charlene and Albert were last pictured together at an official event together in January at the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monaco. Albert has made a few visits to South Africa since

Last seen together: Albert and the twins paid a brief visit to South Africa in early June (pictured), the Palace has confirmed, but they otherwise keep in touch via video link. They are pictured with Charlene's brother brother Sean Wittstock, 37, and his son Raigen, seven, and daughter Aiva, five

Princess Charlene's trials and tribulations in the Monaco royal family 1987 - Bea Fiedler, a German topless model, claims her son Daniel was the prince's son. 1992 - An American national files a paternity lawsuit against the Prince, claiming that he was the father of her daughter, Jazmin Grace. 2000 - Princess Charlene meets Prince Albert at the Mare Nostrum swimming competition in Monte Carlo 2005 - In May, a former flight attendant claims that her youngest son, whom she named Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste, was Prince Albert's child. She states that his parentage had been proven by DNA tests requested by the Monegasque government. On 6 July, a few days before he was enthroned on 12 July, the Prince officially confirms via his lawyer Lacoste that Alexandre was his biological son. 2006 - After a DNA test confirmed the child's parentage, Albert admitted, via statement from his lawyer, that he is Jazmin Grace's father. 2010 - Princess Charlene and Prince Albert announce their engagement 2011 - Princess Charlene was said to have bolted two days before the royal wedding after hearing Prince Albert had a third love child during their relationship. It was alleged that Charlene tried to flee home to South Africa three times before her 'arranged marriage', at one point taking refuge inside her country's embassy in Paris. Monaco officials were said to have coaxed her back by brokering a deal between the Prince and his reluctant bride that she provide him with a legitimate heir. After that she would be free to leave of her own free will. During the wedding, Charlene was in floods of tears, while her husband looked on impassively. Later in the year, Princess Charlene confessed she felt 'very lonely' in Monaco 2012 - Princess Charlene was reported to be 'depressed' at her failure to provide her husband with a legitimate heir. 2014 - Pregnancy was announced in May. In December Charlene gave birth to twins Princess Gabriella and heir to the throne Prince Jacques. 2017 - Princess Charlene visits Africa, tells media: 'I am African and this is my heritage. It will always be. It's in my heart and in my veins.' 2019 - In a rare interview, Princess Charlene confessed it is 'sometimes hard to smile' and said the year had been 'very painful'In another interview, she said she found motherhood 'exhausting' 2020 - Charlene debuts a shocking half-shaved hairstyle. It is announced Prince Albert of Monaco will appear in court in the new year to fight explosive claims he fathered a third love child with a secret girlfriend before marrying his now wife Princess Charlene. 2021 - January 27 - Charlene is pictured with Albert for the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monaco. It is the last time she has been seen in Monaco this year. Advertisement

It read: 'Princess Charlene will undergo an operation today, Friday, August 13, for four hours under general anaesthesia.

On June 3, Charlene shared photograph of her family on safari in South Africa as her twins and husband flew to South Africa to celebrate her niece Avia's fifth birthday.

In a snap showing the last time they were seen together, Albert, Jacques and Gabriella, were joined in an open top car by Charlene's brother Sean Wittstock, 37, and his children. She captioned it with a simple heart emoji.

In earlier snaps, the family gathered around a birthday cake with Sean, his wife Chantell, 34, their eldest son Raigen, 7, and the birthday girl.

'Happy 5th Birthday, Aiva! Love, Auntie Charlene,' she wrote.

'Prince Albert and their children, Crown Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella will join her during her recovery period.'

The princess will not return to Monaco until at least the end of October.

Princess Charlene, who has been well enough to conduct interviews from South Africa and has been seen out and about, has used the time to promote her anti-poaching initiative, Chasing Zero

Charlene's last formal engagement was on January 27 when she joined Albert for the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monte Carlo. She has not been seen at home since.

Instead she has been keeping followers updated through social media posts and media interviews, in which she has spoken candidly about missing her children and described her husband as 'her rock'.

Speaking to South Africa Radio 702's host Mandy Wiener last week, the royal said: '[It's] very frustrating, terribly frustrating. I can't wait to get back to them, I can't wait to see my children.'

Charlene revealed: 'It's the longest period I've actually been away from Europe, let alone my children, but I'm FaceTiming them most days and they've been here and will be returning to see me again after my procedure.

'It's an amazing opportunity [to be here] but I'm very sad I can't be with my children this summer in Europe.'

She added that she was initially only supposed to be in her native South Africa for ten to 12 days for a conservation trip with her Princess Charlene of Monaco foundation.

However, the royal had a problem 'equalising her ears' and was told by a doctor that she was suffering from a serious sinus infection.

'It's taken time to address the problem that I'm having,' explained Charlene. 'I cannot go into full detail, but I cannot force healing so I will be grounded in South Africa until the end of October.

'The reason being I cannot fly above 3,000 metres otherwise I'll have a problem with my ears.

'I feel well, I feel good, it's just obviously a waiting game for me, but I've had a great opportunity to understand a little bit more about South Africa, the environment, the needs and it's been wonderful to be back in South Africa, and I think at this time it's crucial that people are aware of certain things via my foundation.'

Charlene joined the video interview from bush country in the KwaZulu-Natal region.

She has also shared videos released by the Monaco royal palace to mark her and Albert's 10th wedding anniversary, which took place in July. The couple spent the milestone thousands of miles apart.

But royal sources have suggested the princess has 'no plans' to return soon.

A palace source told Paris Match: 'The Princess has, for the time being, in reality, no intention of returning.'

The separation is also affecting Charlene's relationship with the people of Monaco.

Stephane Bearn, easily the most high-profile and trusted Royal commentator in France, uses an impeccably sourced piece in the latest Paris Match to discuss the torturous separation.

He describes subjects in Monaco becoming increasingly angry about their runaway Princess, as they criticise everything from Charlene's mood swings to her appearance.

'In Monaco, since the departure of Charlene, tongues have loosened,' Mr Bearn writes.

'In the whirlwind of a hard-nosed court, her fine shine is rubbing off. Her sad looks are regarded as haggard.

'Disappointed Monegasques talk about her anger, her whimsical moods, which are as changeable as her hair.'

Referring to the couple's twins, who until now have remained in Monaco with their nannies, Mr Bearn writes: 'The Palace had to invoke a suffering Princess so often that the Monegasques today find it hard to believe.

'By crying wolf, the mother of Jacques and Gabriella would have discredited and isolated herself.'

The former Olympian, 43, has not been seen in Monaco since January and has spent the last few months holed up in her native South Africa while she receives treatment for a 'serious sinus infection' she developed while on a solo visit trip to the country (pictured)

How Charlene and Albert made solo outings in South Africa and Monaco during seven months apart January 27 - Charlene is pictured with Albert for the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monaco. March 18 - Charlene is pictured at the memorial for the late Zulu monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini at the KwaKhethomthandayo Royal Palace in Nongoma, South Africa April 2 - Charlene posts an Instagram picture of herself, Albert and their twins Jacques and Gabriella for Easter. It is unknown where the image was taken. May 8 - Albert, Jacques and Gabriella attend a Grand Prix event in Monaco without Charlene May 10 - Albert attends Monaco Gala Awards in Monaco without Charlene May 18 - Charlene shares her first picture from her conservation trip in South Africa June 1 - Prince Albert II, Jacques and Gabriella attend event at Oceanic Museum in Monaco June 3 - New photos emerge of Charlene on her conservation trip June 5- Charlene puts on a united front as she shares a photo with her family to mark her niece's fifth birthday with her brother's family and Albert and the twins in South Africa June 7 - Albert and the twins attend the World Rugby Sevens without Charlene June 17 - Prince Albert attends Red Cross Summer concert in Monte Carlo with his sister Princess Caroline of Hanover June 18 - Prince Albert appears alone Monte Carlo TV Festival June 24 - Charlene's foundation releases a statement saying the royal is unable to travel and is undergoing procedures for an ear, nose and throat infection July 2 - Charlene and Albert mark their 10th anniversary separately. 'This year will be the first time that I'm not with my husband on our anniversary in July, which is difficult, and it saddens me,' Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene said in a statement. July 3 - Albert appears with glamorous niece Charlotte Casiraghi at the 15th international Monte-Carlo Jumping event, which is part of the Longines Global Champions Tour of Monaco, July 27 - Prince Albert attends Olympics alone in Tokyo August 13 - Charlene undergoes a four-hour operation. The reason is not announced August 25 - Charlene shares photos of Prince Albert, Gabriella and Jacques visiting her in South Africa Advertisement

During her trip, Charlene also debuted a dramatic new shaved hairstyle.

She showcased the 'French crop' hairdo - featuring a longer strip on top of the head and dramatically shaved back and sides - in snaps shared on her charity's Instagram page in late May.

The royal first stepped out with a dramatic half-shaved head in December 2020 but has since gone even shorter and bolder with the cut.

Charlene and Albert's marriage has been plagued with rumours from the start.

The couple met at the Mare Nostrum swimming competition in Monte Carlo in 2000, announced their engagement in 2010.

Former Olympic swimmer Charlene reportedly tried to flee Monaco for her native South Africa on three separate occasions before the royal wedding after discovering Albert had allegedly fathered a love child - his third - while they were together.

Monaco officials were said to have coaxed her back by brokering a deal between the Prince and his reluctant bride, saying she could leave once she had provided him with a legitimate heir.

One source said at the time: 'Charlene will provide an heir, then if things don't go well, she will receive a generous divorce settlement once she's served a decent amount of time.'

Charlene was seen in floods of tears on her wedding day in 2011.

Just one year after their wedding, it was reported that Charlene was 'depressed' at her failure to provide her husband with a legitimate heir.

Her pregnancy was announced in May 2014, and in December that year she gave birth to twins Princess Gabriella and heir to the throne Prince Jacques.

In the 10 years since, Charlene has rarely spoken publicly of her experience.

In 2017, the Princess made an emotional return to Africa, where she spoke about how much the continent means to her.

'I am African and this is my heritage. It will always be. Its in my heart and in my veins,' she told Eyewitness News.

Last year she admitted life was 'very painful', saying: 'I have the privilege of having this life, but I miss my family and my friends in South Africa and I'm often sad because I cannot always be there for them.'

It's been a tumultuous start to the year for the royal, after news emerged that her husband is facing a paternity suit over a love child born in the early years of their relationship.

The 34-year-old claimant  who cannot be named for legal reasons  says she had a passionate affair with Albert, leading to the birth of their daughter  whose name is also classified  on July 4, 2005.

Albert received a handwritten letter from the child, who is now 15, in September last year reading: I don't understand why I grew up without a father, and now that I have found you, you don't want to see me.

Legal papers were also filed, as lawyers for the claimant called on Albert to undergo a DNA test  just as he did before finally being identified as the father of two illegitimate children born in the 1990s and early 2000s.

In January, Charlene spoke publicly for the first time since the allegations, telling Point de Vue: 'When my husband has problems, he tells me about it. I often tell him, "No matter what, no matter what, I'm a thousand percent behind you. I'll stand by you whatever you do, in good times or in bad."

The mother-of-two went on to say she also often tells her husband she will 'protect him' and will 'always be by his side.'

Charlene, who was raised in South Africa and represented the country at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, travelled to Thanda Safari in KwaZulu-Natal in January to learn more about being done by the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa to help save rhinos from poachers.

The princess took part in conservation operations including rhino monitoring and tracking, deployment with the Anti-Poaching Unit, educational wildlife photography sessions, and a White Rhino dart and dehorning exercise.
The mother of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn said she was 'relieved' when her face-to-face meeting with her son's alleged killer was postponed.

Suspect Anne Sacoolas was set to give evidence under oath in front of Harry's mother Charlotte Charles, 46, and father Tim Dunn, 52, in Washington DC as part of a civil claim for damages, days before the two-year anniversary of the 19-year-old's death.

He was killed when a car crashed into his motorbike outside US military base RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on August 27, 2019.

Sacoolas, 43, left the UK 19 days after the crash following the US government's decision to assert diplomatic immunity on her behalf.

She was charged with causing death by dangerous driving by the Crown Prosecution Service but an extradition request submitted by the Home Office was rejected by the US State Department in January last year.

Mrs Charles fought back tears as she discussed the case on Lorraine today, two days before the anniversary of her son's death.

Harry, pictured, was driving his motorbike when he collided with US citizen Anne Saccolas, who admitted she was driving on the wrong side of the road

Charlotte Charles, 46 pictured,, from Croughton, was meant to fly out to the US with her husband Tim Dunn 52, to meet Anne Sacoolas, the American citizen whose driving cause a fatal accident that killed Harry Dunn, 19, on August 27 2019

'As much as I've tried to build myself up to be in the same room as her, it was still going to be the most difficult thing that myself and Tim would ever have to do, apart from leaving Harry the night we lost him.

'I don't know if you can ever prepare yourself to ever be in the same room, but I would have done it if the opportunity had arisen but that it was something that we could have seen through.

'At the same time, the amount of relief that I've felt when suddenly out of the blue, literally hours from getting on the plane, last week when everything changed.'

The mother said she didn't feel comfortable to travel during the pandemic and added she didn't want to be away from her family and friends on the week of Harry's death.

Anne Sacoolas, pictured, went back to the US to flee prosecution for Harry's death, but his mother, Charlotte, fought so that she's face charges in the UK

The mother admitted she had to reach out for help in order to overcome her grief.

'I had to go and get help. It got to the point back in January, February where I relised I couldn't go on the way I was anymore,' she said.

'I was losing strength at the rate of knots, I wasn't sleeping, had gone back to not eating properly, of being prompted on when to eat. I was literally running out of seam, my mood swings were terrible.

'Thankfully, working for family doctors like I had done for such a long time up until last year, I felt comfortable finally reaching out for help.

'I managed to get back on my feet, I religiously take my medication, it has given me some strength back, it has given me the strength to get back outside, I am a little more confident to leave the home not just for Harry work as I call it.'

She urged people that were struggling with issues to reach out for help instead of trying to keep it to themselves.

'It's mixed emotions all the time. You can be on a massive hamster wheel, one day where you force yourself to get out of bed every morning and then days where you just keep going,' she continued.

Charlotte said there were days where she didn't know if she'd be able to get out of bed following Harry's death (pictured: Harry)

'You look for things to do around the house you don't want that time to sit and think.

'But actually, do you know what, the more you do that and the longer you do that, the worse it becomes because you just get to the point when you do get an hour of your time, your mind goes into overdrive or you start crying and you can't control the stopping of it.'

Where is the Harry Dunn case now? Charles due to fly to US for Sacoolas deposition The depositions are part of the 'discovery' process in the Dunn family's damages claim, in which correspondence and documentation relevant to the case will be handed over ahead of a trial at the end of the year. The damages claim, brought against Sacoolas and her husband Jonathan, has unearthed a great deal of previously unheard material, such as the State Department roles held by the couple at the time of the crash. Alexandria District Court in the US state of Virginia heard the pair's work in intelligence was a 'factor' in their departure from the UK, as they left for 'security reasons'. Advertisement

And she said that although time was helping to heal, everyday was still painful.

'This time last year it was horrific. Everyday is still painful, everyday you still don't know what you're going to be like, the date is obviously more poignant as are Christmases and birthdays,' Charlotte said.

'But the true reality is that every day you have to wake up and find the strength to put one foot in front of the other and walk in Harry's footsteps at home, everyday is a painful reminder he's not here.

'Bit by bit we are piecing together everything that we need to know, and that helps, it helps me feel like we are building that legacy for him, the truth will out.'

Explaining she took life day by day, Charlotte said she found it difficult to plan ahead, because she didn't know how she'd feel every morning.

She added she wanted to be strong for the rest of her family and Harry's siblings, including his brother Niles.

'I've seen people that have never come through losing a child, I've seen people whose lives have never recovered, and i've got Niles and I've got the siblings and you have to stay strong,' she said.

'They have their whole lives ahead of them, I'm effectively halfway through mine, I do feel a responsibility to show them life can be lived again, even though I'm not quite sure yet on where to start.

'Niles got all of his life ahead of him, he's 21, we have to show him the way forward.

'The love you have for your children is like no other, nothing you can compare it to the love you have for your children is indescribable, that love keeps you going.'
A Changing Rooms contestant was so horrified with the garish colours chosen by their designer he suggested 'throwing it down the drain'.

The revamped series, which airs on Channel 4 at 8pm, features two sets of neighbours, from Cardiff, who gave makeovers to each others rooms with the help of the designers.

In tonight's episode, Teresa and Andrew were tasked with transforming their friend's stark, white living room diner into a multi-functional family space with the help of Russell Whitehead and Jordan Cluroe.

However Jordan and Russell receive a less than enthusiastic response from Teresa and Andrew after revealing they had chosen terracotta, neon green and blue for the living room - with Maria insisting her friend would 'kill her'.

The designers receive a less than enthusiastic response from Teresa and Andrew after revealing they had chosen terracotta, neon green and blue for the living room - with Maria insisting her friend would 'kill her'

In tonight's episode of Changing Rooms which airs on Channel 4, contestants Teresa and Andrew (pictured) were so horrified with the garish colours chosen by their designer Andrew suggested 'throwing it down the drain'

Upon revealing the first colour, both Teresa and Andrew both looked aghast, but Jordan reassured them: 'This is the buildings of Milan!'

After taking her hands away from her mouth, Teresa said: 'I've got no words other at the moment. I'm shocked.'

'So where do you think we might be using this colour?', asked Russell.

Andrew instantly replied: I don't know, down the drain possibly. I can't visualise that.'

Designers Russell Whitehead and Jordan Cluroe (pictured) were tasked with transforming a friend's stark, white living room diner into a multi-functional family space

After taking her hands away from her mouth, Teresa said: 'I've got no words other at the moment. I'm shocked.'

The final colour was blue, with Teresa quickly expressing her discontent about the blue colour, saying: 'we're going to paint an ice cream cone on the wall. Maria will kill me'

After admitting he was 'nervous' about the terracotta, Andrew guessed the next colour 'has got to be an ice cream, pistachio? I have this feeling.'

Instantly after revealing the neon green paint Teresa said it was 'too bright', but Andrew was fond of the vibrant shade.

'I love the second colour, I love bright colours', he said.

The final colour was blue, with Teresa quickly expressing her discontent about the blue colour, saying: 'we're going to paint an ice cream cone on the wall. Maria will kill me.'

The new show, titled 'Changing Rooms with Dulux', is presented Anna Richardson while Tibby Singh is the resident carpenter-joiner.

Teresa and Andrew's pals Maria and Nick had the challenge of making over with uninspiring front room into a cosy family space with the help of designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

But luckily, Laurence received a more positive reaction to his choices of Swansdown, yellow and a splash of back

Elsewhere on the show, Teresa and Andrew's pals Maria and Nick had the challenge of making over with uninspiring front room into a cosy family space with the help of designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.

But luckily, Laurence received a more positive reaction to his choices of Swansdown, yellow and a splash of back.

'This is something you must join me in with, that is the pasta, we will be putting sauce with that which will turn this around. How will she feel about black?', asked Laurence.

'She'll kill me, but I love it!', said Maria.

Changing Rooms with Dulux airs tonight at 8pm on Channel 4. Catch up with the series on All 4.
Two women who escaped the cult formerly known as 'Children of God' have claimed that rampant sexual abuse of children was 'actively encouraged' in its communes.

Verity Carter and Hope Bastine, both in their 40s, grew up in the British communes of the California-founded cult which is now known as The Family International.

Their stories are told in the Discovery+ docuseries Children of the Cult. To mark the documentary's release, both women appeared on today's This Morning with Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langford.

Verity, who was born in the cult and suffered sexual abuse from the age of four, claimed she saw manuals instructing parents on how to use physical and sexual abuse to raise their children.

Verity Carter, pictured, revealed how she was born into one of the Scottish communes of the Children of God cult, which is now called The Family International, on This Morning

David Berg, pictured, created the cult in California in 1968. The so-called Fundamentalist Christian group was controversial for a method called 'flirty fishing' which encourage female members to have sex with potential converts

Hope recently brought her abuser Derek Lincoln to justice. He was jailed in Glasgow for 11 years and six months.

Both women said they were still healing from the abuse they suffered at the hands of the cult, which was created by David Berg in California in 1968.

'I was born into the cult, I was born in Scotland, I was moved around across the UK and Ireland quite regularly. Truth be told, I don't know a lot of the address I grew up in,' Verity said.

'The locations were kept secrets, the name of the individuals that crossed our paths were usually false. Both of my parents are part of the cult and me and my siblings were all born into it,' she added.

Verity and Hope managed to leave the cult and have spoken out of their terrible experiences in the communes.

Verity said she suffered sexual abuse from the age of four in the cult, and that sexual relationships with children were encouraged.

Verity, pictured as a child, said she suffered from sexual abuse in the cult from age four, and claimed the cult encouraged it

Who are the Children of God? The cult rampant with sexual abuse with communes around the world and celebrity memebrs The Children of God sect was founded in 1968 by minister David Brandt Berg. Berg spent much of the 1960s traveling to different churches near his home in with his own kids, singing hymns and 'spreading the word of God', before the family to Huntington, California, in 1967 where he set up a coffee shop, and began preaching to customers. Originally known as Teens of Christ, Berg soon changed the name to Children of God in the hopes of appealing to a wider crowd that included vulnerable youths looking for a support and comfort. By targeting these groups, Berg was able to quickly expand his 'religion' and by 1969, he had more than 50 members in his 'family'. Soon after, the Children of God left Huntington and began traveling once again, expanding their ranks to include more than 200 people over the following eight months. Communes were soon set up around the world, with members moving in together to form their own 'families' of Children of God converts - and by 1972, there were 130 'communities' of full-time members around the globe. The Children of God were asked to give up their jobs and devote themselves full time to preaching Berg's teachings and proselytizing for additional members - while Berg himself lived in seclusion, sharing his prophecies through written letters known as 'MO's Letters'. But while on the outside, the group claimed to be spreading the world of God - and of Berg - internally, members were encouraged to partake in incestuous sexual relationships with minors. In 1976, female members began being urged to take part in a practice known as 'flirty fishing', which saw them forced to 'show God's love' by having sexual relations with potential members in order to lure them into the group as full-time converts. Following Berg's death in October 1994, the group - which had, by then, rebranded itself as The Family of Love, then The Family - was taken over by long-time member Karen Zerby. In 2004, the group's name was changed to The Family International. Hollywood actors Rose McGowan and Joaquin Phoenix have both shared details of their own early childhood experiences in the sect. Source: Timeline Advertisement

'My earliest memories go back to four years old for my first incident of sexual abuse that I can remember,' she said.

'I don't have many memories before that. The manual instructed on sexual abuse for children as young as two, It was severe.

'It was sent out to the communes. Not only was it condoned but it was encouraged as a way to raise their children in god stuff,' she added.

The Family International issued an apology, which Eamonn read out on the show.

'The Family International has extended open apologies to anyone who was hurt or might have been harmed in any way during their time residing in family communities, which are likewise extended to Verity and Hope,' he read.

'Although the Family International has apologised for any hurt, real or perceived, that any member or former member may have experienced, we do not give credence to tales of institutionalised abuse,' he went on.

Responding, Verity said: 'I don't see how they can claim it was not institutionalised when they got manuals on how to abuse children physically and sexually and otherwise as instruction to parents for child-raising.

'It was institutionalised whatever they say,'

'But it wasn't just the physical and sexual abuse, that the very obvious side.

'There's also the psychological abuse, the emotional abuse, what we now call coercive control,' Hope added.

Verity said it took her years to recover from the cult's effect on her.

'It's caused me a lot of damage. There were periods of my life where I went off the rails and there was a significant level of self-medication, which has left me with physical after effects,' Verity said.

'Mentally, I have long-term effects: I have insomnia, I have flashbacks, I've received help and counselling, but it's something that I have to manage rather than to cure,' she added.

'In day to day life, there are still things that occur each that that may or may not trigger me, sets something off, society difficulties, big gaps in my cultural knowledge,' she went on.

But despite the difficulties, Verity added she lived a normal life after years of healing.

'However, I moved on with my life and have been able to manage those symptoms much better than I did and now raising my family and volunteering, I am as close to normal as can be at that stage,' she said.

In the show, Hope explained what the cult stood for and the way it operated on its members.

'They called themselves a Fundamentalist Christian group, but there was a novel belief, which was the "love love" under David Berg's directive: anything could be done if done in love, and that did mean that it exposed us to an inappropriate amount of abuse,' Hope said.

'I think when I talked to my parents and tried to understand their psychology it's like the gentle drip method, David Berg would come out with a revolutionary prophecy or radical belief and it would be simultaneously exciting, "Oh we're doing something different",' she continued.

'Each time it would get more and more extreme and then it's under this sort of cloak of entrapment: We lived in communes, my mother had to relinquish her passport to the leaders, you had to forsake and give all your goods to the cult, so she had no other assets, they filtered her inheritance from her,' Hope went on.

Hope Bastine, pictured, was also sexually abused in the cult and brought one of her abusers, Derek Lincoln, to justice

Hope, who said she was 'hungry for knowledge' after leaving the cult and took herself to college, brought one of her abusers to justice, Derek Lincoln.

'It was one of the best days of my life, mostly because judging from their apology, we're gaslit,' Hope said.

'They're saying "no, you didn't experience abuse, that's just our way of life. And it doesn't help with the healing process,' she said.

But when the government says "we acknowledge this, we recognise this as wrong" and this person is going to pay the price, it's validation and it goes a long way for the healing process,' she added.

Derek Lincoln was sentenced to 11 years and a half in jail at Glasgow Crown Court in 2020.

Verity as a child in the cult. She claimed the organisation had manuals on how to sexually and physically abuse children

Verity said she hoped the docuseries would open people's eyes on cults.

'I'm hoping that people will take away that these things still go on, if someone comes to you with an extreme story it may actually be true,' she said.

'Hopefully, professionals can deal with these cases better,' she added, claiming it wasn't the case for her.

She also said she hoped 'other survivors of abuse not just from our cult but from any form of abuse will be encouraged to find their voice and make their statements,' she said.

'If more of us speak, we're more likely to get our cases in court, there are more abusers out there and I'd like to see more justice,' she said.

Hope revealed that she received several letters following her case against Derek Lincoln, with many people saying they had suffered at the hands of Children of God.

She said there was an open, cross-agency case against the cult.

Children of the Cult is now available on Discovery+.
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Lady Jemima Herbert has shared new pictures from her lavish wedding bash after tying the knot with her insurance broker beau Hugo Davies over the weekend.

The 31-year-old bride, daughter of the late 17th Earl of Pembroke and Miranda, Countess of Pembroke, wed her groom, at Wilton House, Wiltshire, which has been the family seat for 450 years.

Family and friends including socialites such as Lady Kitty Spencer and Belvoir Castle's Lady Violet Manners partied the night away with the couple after their nuptials.

Hailing the bash the 'best night ever' images shared to her Instagram showed guests sitting on hay bales around a fire and holding the happy couple on their shoulders in packed festival tent before dancing the evening away with a DJ.

Lady Jemima Herbert (left) has shared new pictures from her lavish wedding bash after tying the knot with her insurance broker beau Hugo Davies (left) over the weekend. Family and friends including socialites such as Lady Kitty Spencer (right) and Belvoir Castle's Lady Violet Manners partied the night away with the couple after their nuptials.

Pictures showed the couple sharing a sweet moment inside one of the tents before sitting down for a lavish feast with tables designed by Lay London -a luxury table setting rental company founded by Jemima and her sister Lady Alice.

Princess Diana's niece Lady Kitty was seen posing with friends outside donning a vibrant yellow gown meanwhile Alice and Katy Herbert looked the picture of summer in their colourful frocks.

The couple, who were 'old friends' before becoming romantically involved, announced their engagement in January last year but have had to rearrange their wedding twice due to the pandemic.

Looking the epitome of elegance for her big day, Lady Jemima stunned in a white dress with a cut-out back and button detailing, teamed with a collar of fabric flowers and a matching belt.

Hailing the bash the 'best night ever' images shared to her Instagram showed guests chatting as they sat on hay bales around a fire wearing glamorous frocks outside the packed party tent

Guests danced in a disco (left) with a DJ after sitting down for a lavish feast with tables designed by Lay London (right) -a luxury table setting rental company founded by Jemima and her sister Lady Alice

She completed her glamorous bridal look with a dainty veil while keeping her blonde locks in a messy up-do, paired with a tiara to add even more glitz to the spectacular ensemble.

After getting married at the stunning grounds of her family seat, Lady Jemima and her groom departed in a vintage car while surrounded by their guests.

'What an amazing day. Utterly beautiful @jemima_herbert and Hugo,' wrote Lady Violet Manners on Instagram when sharing a post filled with photographs from the picturesque day.

Lady Violet sported a check frock teamed with a sophisticated black hat, while Lady Kitty was spotted sporting a vibrant yellow dress for the reception.

Both Princess Diana's niece - who recently wed her fashion tycoon Michael Lewis, 61, in a luxurious ceremony in Italy where she wore five dresses - and the bride swapped their elegant day outfits for more comfy party ensembles.

The pictures from the lavish wedding bash showed friends and family holding the happy couple on their shoulders in packed festival tents as they danced the night away

Friends and family including Alice and Kate Herbert (left) came together to celebrate the union of the couple, who were 'old friends' before becoming romantically involved

The pair donned trainers with their garments, while Lady Jemima donned a ruffled white skirt with a matching crop top for the evening occasion, thought to have been held in a marquee on the grounds of Wilton House.

In July, Lady Kitty led the glamour at a lavish London hen party for Lady Jemima, who was joined by her nearest and dearest including sisters Lady Alice and Lady Katie to say goodbye to her single life in style with a Legally Blonde-themed bash.

The gaggle of glamorous society girls donned their best frou-frou dresses and hot pink accessories for the day out in the British capital. The group enjoyed rooftop drinks at a swanky bar and posed for photos at the five-star Ham Yard Hotel.

Lady Kitty shared a string of photos from the event on her Instagram account with the caption: 'When one of your favourite people in the world has a Legally Blonde-themed bachelorette party (swipe right to see how I was born ready and very eager for this theme thanks to @dolcegabbana)! Cannot wait to watch you get married Jemimz.'
Stefan who featured on Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy is now cookery TV star

Nirvana's famous naked baby has sued the band for child pornography after appearing on their iconic 1991 Nevermind album cover.

Spencer Eldon, now 30, said Nirvana and the estate of Kurt Cobain trafficked his image as a naked baby and is claiming $2.5million in damages for being 'exploited as a minor'.

But Spencer isn't the only child star to feature on cover albums, so what has become of the others?

FEMAIL has taken a delve into the archives to uncover their very colourful lives - including ones of the siblings on Led Zepplin's iconic 1973 album cover Houses of the Holy, who is now a celebrity TV chef.

Elsewhere, the 12-year-old boy who appeared on Placebo's debut album claimed the album's success caused him to be bullied at school and ostracised from his peers.

Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy

Stefan Gates is now a cookery TV star. Pictured, with Sian Williams on Secrets of your supermarket

Stefan's sibling Samantha Gates has a daughter named Tallulah (pictured, together)

The six children on the iconic 1973 Zeppelin album shot on Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland, are actually just a collage of two siblings Stefan and Samantha Gates who were five and seven at the time.

Both blonde and naked, they were photographed by Aubrey Powell as they climbed up a section of the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.

The black and white photos were then printed several times to give the illusion of 11 children roaming free.

These days, Samantha Gates, 55, has a daughter named Tallulah, while her younger brother, Stefan is a cookery TV star, most notably for BBC2's Cooking In The Danger Zone. He also used to present Eating Insects with Stefan Gates and has since admitted to finding the album's artwork 'disturbing and haunting'.

Placebo, debut album

The 12-year-old boy in that red jumper tugging his cheeks is David Fox, an unemployed chef from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire

He claims the album's success caused him to be bullied at school and ostracised from his peers. He took a year out of school, eventually dropping out of his GCSEs as a result

The 12-year-old boy in that red jumper tugging his cheeks is David Fox, an unemployed chef from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire.

His cousin was a professional photographer, and he took some photographs of the family for his personal use.

In an interview with The Times, David said: 'What had happened was my brother had just passed away, and my cousin came up from London to see me.

'He was a professional photographer, and he took some photographs of my family for his personal use. He brought up all his equipment and got me to do a few poses outside.'

His claimed his cousin called him a month later to say he was going to be on the cover of a rock album, remarking: 'Isn't that cool?'

Instead, he says it turned his life into a nightmare. The album sold phenomenally well and reached number five in the charts. David's face was everywhere.

'It was in Virgin, it was in HMV, it was in Tesco, it was all over the place,' he said. 'I was watching EastEnders with my mum and I saw one of the billboards by the Tube station and it had my face on there.'

David, who had been popular at school, claims he was teased by his classmates and slowly edged out. 'Nobody wanted me on their side or anything like that,' he said. 'Even the teachers used to pull me aside and ask me about this CD cover.'

In the end the bullying got so bad that he claims his mother had to drive him home from school every day so he could avoid the pupils waiting for him at the gates.

He took a year out and then dropped out of his GCSEs as a result. David then trained as a chef but was made redundant in the recession.

KoRn

Justine Ferrara, who featured on the swing from KoRn's self-titled album, was six-years-old in 1994 when the picture was taken

Now grown up, Justine (pictured) doesn't remember much from the shoot except that man was actually nice for covering the light in front of her

The girl on the swing from KoRn's self-titled album was six-years-old in 1994 when the picture was taken.

The cover art shows a little girl alone on a swing set and a mischievous looking shadow of a man with tools on the ground.

The girl is Justine Ferrara, who had been encouraged to take part by her uncle Paul Pontius, who had signed the band to Immortal/Epic Records.

Now grown up, Justine doesn't remember much from the shoot except that the man was actually nice for covering the light in front of her. The tools were added to the picture in post processing.

'He was a super-nice guy,' Ferrara said, speaking to The FW. 'He was doing me a favor, by blocking my eyes from the sunlight.'

She also went onto say how when the band's popularity began to grow, her parents became concerned she would be recognised by fans and that the family may land themselves in hot water with their daughter's school - because their uniform featured in the snap.

In 2009, Justine graduated from New York University in 2009 with a degree in communications.

The album cover child star admits that she isn't a fan of the band, but dreams of working in the music industry in the future.

Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream

The 1993 album Smashing Pumpkins famously starred two smiling young girls who donned fairy wings (pictured)

Ali Laenger and Lysandra Roberts (pictured) have since spoken of the day they shot the album cover

The 1993 album Smashing Pumpkins famously starred two smiling young girls who donned fairy wings. The adorable cuties, Ali Laenger and Lysandra Roberts, have since spoken of the day they shot the album cover.

During an interview with setlist.fm, Ali recalled 'playing dress up with Lysandra' and said it was 'the ultimate childhood dream day.'

She added: 'We ate lemon heads and enjoyed rocket pop popsicles from the ice cream truck that happened to pass by during the shoot all while being dressed up in a cute dress with angel wings of course any 7-year-old would love that.'

However, being young meant the pair didn't understand the magnitude of the photoshoot.

'Overall I know I was super little girl crushing on Billy - after all, he was a rock star!' Lysandra told the publication. 'I remember thinking that it was pretty amazing that I was going to get paid for having that much fun, and wondering if everyone enjoyed their jobs this much. I thought it was pretty neat that it was for a rock band, and I couldn't wait to hear what their music sounded like.'

Since then, Ali has pursued a career in nursing, while Lysandra, who has two children - a boy and a girl - spent years travelling around the world before settling down in Arkansas.

'I live and play in the Ozarks which is a truly beautiful place and try to spend as much time in nature as possible,' Lysandra said. 'The rivers alone in this state are incomparable, and the people are mostly courteous and congenial.'

Now, the mother-of-two is a support tech worker for a small IT company.

Notorious B.I.G - Ready To Die

Ready to Die is the iconic debut studio album of the late Notorious B.I.G, who was murdered sixteen days before the release of his second record Life After Death in 1997

The news broke that Bronx native Keithroy Yearwood was the star of the cover in 2011, when he told the New York Daily News that he was chosen to feature on one of the most iconic album covers in hip hop history

Ready to Die is the iconic debut studio album of late rapper Notorious B.I.G, who was murdered sixteen days before the release of his second record Life After Death in 1997.

The news broke that Bronx native Keithroy Yearwood was the star of the cover in 2011, when he told the New York Daily News that he was chosen to feature on one of the most iconic album covers in hip hop history.

His mum said that the famous head of hair on the cover art had been making it difficult for her son to book other modeling gigs and that despite the millions of copies sold, he only made $150.

When I first found out about it, it wasn't a big deal to me,' Yearwood told the publication. 'Now, of course, it's a big deal to me.'

Yearwood currently lives in New Jersey and works as the Executive Community Manager for a company that holds events and conferences for business executives around the globe.

Keithroy is married and shares a home with his wife Candace, their pet dog and cat.

Fall Out Boy - American Beauty/American Psycho

Jake Karlen featured on the Fall Out Boy's American Beauty/American Psycho album cover in 2015

He said in an interview with MTV that he had never listened to the band before being chosen to feature on their album, but that he has since become a firm fan

Jake Karlen featured on the Fall Out Boy's American Beauty/American Psycho album cover in 2015.

The California-based actor was just 13-years-old when his photograph was selected to feature on the band's cover art, which showed his face with half of a black American flag painted on staring into the camera.

The shoot took place in Los Angeles and took four-five hours and Jake says he is often recognised at school and over social media after appearing on the record cover.

He said in an interview with MTV that he had never listened to the band before being chosen to feature on their album, but that he has since become a firm fan.

'I knew their name but not their music so well', he said.

After working with Pete [Wentz] and seeing how he works with the cover and all the details he wants from it I know the details are important to him, so I went and listened to their music, and I love it.'

After appearing on the album cover, Jake went on to act alongside Haley Bennett and Ilya Naishuller in the action movie Hardcore Henry and has since appeared in several television adverts.

His theatre credits include playing the son of Annette Bening and Angus Macfadyen in Medea.

Van Halen  MCMLXXXIV

Many people think that the famous painting of a smoking angel-baby on the controversial Van Halen album 1984 was simply just a drawing - but it's actually based on Carter Helm

Carter grew up in the US but eventually moved to Oxford for university before moving London where he worked as an insurance broker and eventually returning to his home country

Many people think that the famous painting of a smoking angel-baby on the controversial Van Halen album 1984 was simply just a drawing - but it's actually based on Carter Helm.

A photograph of the four-year-old was used as inspiration for the sleeve, created by Margo Z. Nahas, for the rock band's sixth studio album.

And the fact that the photo featured on the album was complete luck, with the initial design concept to feature four dancing chrome women.

However when Margo declined their offer, the band stumbled across the painting of Margos friends son in her portfolio and instantly wanted the image to feature on their sleeve.

Carter grew up in the US but eventually moved to Oxford for university before moving London where he worked as an insurance broker and eventually returning to his home country.

Today, Carter is 44-year-old and lives in San Francisco where he works for a company of Inland Marine and property specialists.

'It was not until I was in third grade when it kind of hit me that being on that cover was something special', he told NME.

Nirvana, Nevermind

The latest: Nirvana and estate of Kurt Cobain are being sued by Spencer Elden, a man, now 30, who was the baby seen on the group's Nevermind album cover in 1991 (pictured)

Claims: Elden (pictured recreating his famous Nirvana cover) claimed that the band, record companies and creative personnel had 'trafficked' his image for profit

Nirvana's famous naked baby has SUED the band for child pornography after appearing on their iconic 1991 Nevermind album cover.

Spencer Eldon, now 30, said Nirvana and the estate of Kurt Cobain trafficked his image as a naked baby and is claiming $2.5million in damages for being 'exploited as a minor'.

In the suit, filed in Los Angeles federal court, Elden said his parents never gave their release in writing for the photos, and were not paid.

This is despite 2008 reports that photographer Kirk Weddle paid Elden's father Rich $200 for 15 seconds of work to appear in the snap, according to NPR.

Elden, from Los Angeles, said that his 'identity and legal name are forever tied to the commercial sexual exploitation he experienced as a minor which has been distributed and sold worldwide from the time he was a baby to the present day.'

He alleged that band members, record companies and creative personnel had 'trafficked' his image for profit, according to court documents reviewed by CBSLA.

Elden is asking for $150,000 from each of 17 defendants named in the suit, which include Cobain's bandmates Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, the executor of Cobains estate, and the estate's managers Guy Oseary and Heather Parry.

Others include photographer Kirk Weddle; art director Robert Fisher and a number of record companies that released of distributed Nevermind in the past three decades.

Elden is also thought to be suing artwork photographer Kirk Weddle and designer Robert Fisher, and Nirvanas drummer from 1988 to 1990, Chad Channing.

He said that 'defendants failed to take reasonable steps to protect [him] and prevent his widespread sexual exploitation and image trafficking.'

The image was snapped in 1990 at the Pasadena aquatic center when he was four months old.
A growing number of people are opting to take a temporary break from technology as the pandemic fuels tech fatigue, and an array of products and services have sprung up to meet the demand.

From apps that temporarily lock people out of their devices to restaurants that ban phones at the table, such fixes promise to help boost well-being by letting people reconnect with real life.

One popular solution to city burnout includes luxury retreats where guests pay to have their phones locked away in the hopes they reconnect with nature and enjoy the benefits of doing so.

Unplugged, a British start-up that manages several off-grid cabins near London, opened five new locations this year after launching the first in 2020.

Proving to be a hit with exhausted couples in need of a break, the mini lodges (costing 195 per person) were booked all summer, according to co-founder Hector Hughes.

One popular solution to city burnout includes luxury retreats (pictured) where guests pay to have their phones locked away in the hopes they reconnect with nature and enjoy the benefits of doing so

Unplugged, a British start-up that manages several off-grid cabins near London, opened five new locations (pictured) this year after launching the first in 2020

The stay, an hour or so outside of London, sees guests' phones padlocked into a box for 72 hours (pictured)

'People really just want a break and I think this is a direct result of lockdown and spending all this time on screens,' he said.

'We put cabins an hour from city life. People go and literally padlock their phones in a box. We give them a map and a Nokia and leave them to it for three nights,' he added.

The dog-friendly cabins - which can comfortably fit two people and a little one - are available for three nights, costing from 195 per person.

They are all within an hour or so of London, run on solar power, and are secluded in picturesque countryside areas - but with pubs and shops still nearby if guests want to venture out.

The stay, which sees guests' phones padlocked into a box for 72 hours, includes luxurious bedding, kitchen equipment, shower and toilet, a map of the area, books, cassettes, games and an old-school Nokia, to get in touch with the hosts or to use in emergencies.

Proving to be a hit with exhausted couples in need of a break, the mini lodges were booked all summer, according to co-founder Hector Hughes (pictured with his business partner Ben)

The dog-friendly cabins (pictured) - which can comfortably fit two people and a little one - are available for three nights, costing from 195 per person

All the cabins (pictured) run on solar power and are secluded in picturesque countryside areas - but with pubs and shops still nearby if guests want to venture out

Unplugged's website explains how the vacation doesn't include 'unwarranted emails, pushy push notifications, aimless scrolling or Netflix binges'.

Founders Ben Elliot and Hector created the idea of the cabins following a 'growing frustration of the inability to switch off'.

Ben was clocking up 14 hours of screen time a day, but soon saw Hector be completely recharged after he spent two weeks at a silent retreat in the Himalayas.

The friends wanted to let 'busy city folk unplug from their devices and recharge without flying halfway around the globe'.

Even before the pandemic struck, interest in digital detoxing had been growing steadily in recent years, industry experts said.

The stay, which sees guests' phones padlocked into a box (pictured) for 72 hours, includes luxurious bedding, kitchen equipment, shower and toilet, a map of the area, books, cassettes, games and an old-school Nokia, to get in touch with the hosts or to use in emergencies

Unplugged's website explains how the vacation at the cabins (pictured) doesn't include 'unwarranted emails, pushy push notifications, aimless scrolling or Netflix binges'

A 2018 survey of more than 4,000 people in Britain and the United States by market research firm GWI found one in five had been on a detox, with 70 per cent trying to limit the time they spent online.

Taking a break from tech is often billed as a way to boost overall well-being, helping to fight sleeping disorders, anxiety and depression - but some researchers are sceptical.

The advertised benefits are often linked to other variables rather than mere tech abstinence, said Theodora Sutton, a digital anthropologist who has been researching an off-grid retreat in the United States.

'People say they feel better after a weekend in the woods, but they have been on holiday enjoying themselves,' she said.

'If you just take technology away and don't replace it with anything else, you are not automatically going to have a better time.'

Founders Ben Elliot and Hector created the idea of the cabins (pictured) following a 'growing frustration of the inability to switch off'

Ben was clocking up 14 hours of screen time a day, but soon saw Hector be completely recharged after he spent two weeks at a silent retreat in the Himalayas. Pictured, inside one of the cabins

Wenjie Cai, a lecturer in tourism and hospitality at the University of Greenwich whose work focuses on digital detox holidays, said the experience was an 'emotional roller-coaster'.

Holiday-goers report higher levels of anxiety when they are separated from their phones at the start of a stay and again at the end, when they prepare to be reunited with them, he said.

A 2019 study by Loughborough University found a 24-hour period of smartphone abstinence had no effect on mood and anxiety.

Participants in a similar study by Oxford University researchers this year did not report improved personal well-being, such as feelings of greater self-esteem or satisfaction, when they quit social media for a day.

Lead author Andrew Przybylski, an experimental psychologist at the Oxford Internet Institute, said the possible mental health impacts of digital technology are often exaggerated.

The friends wanted to let 'busy city folk unplug from their devices and recharge without flying halfway around the globe'. Pictured, one of the mini lodges

A 2018 survey of more than 4,000 people in Britain and the United States by market research firm GWI found one in five had been on a detox, with 70 per cent trying to limit the time they spent online. Pictured, one of the cabins

'It's very likely nonsense to say that one simple trick like switching off your phone can lead you to live a happier life,' he said.

Still, using tech occupies time and attention that some might feel could be better used elsewhere.

'As human beings, we're always trying to fit together all kinds of things, like being a father, being a husband, being a professor... there's always a balance that you have to strike,' said Przybylski.

For some people, a digital detox retreat can be an opportunity to evaluate daily habits and consider whether they need changing, Cai said.

Participants in his research reported engaging more in self-reflection during an out-of-town tech break.

And while most people returned to their previous phone usage after the detox, some resolved to reduce the amount of time they spent using their devices, he said.

'Many people found there is nothing urgent waiting for them when they turned their phones back on and this gets them to think about how they can actually do away with the device a few hours a day and be more focused on work or leisure,' he said.
A woman who thought the stabbing pain in her stomach was just severe menstrual cramps discovered that she was actually suffering from sepsis  and the condition caused her to die for eight whole minutes.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based model Kia Brazil assumed that it was her period that left her in terrible pain in 2019, but when it grew so terrible that she took an ambulance to the hospital, she was told she was in fact in the throes of a deadly infection.

The 30-year-old's heart stopped three times as doctors prepped her for surgery, during which they amputated her left leg  and she went on to spend weeks in a medically-induced coma before waking up and having to undergo further amputations.

Scary stuff: Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based model Kia Brazil assumed that it was her period that left her in terrible pain in 2019, but she was actually suffering from sepsis

Moving fast: The 30-year-old took an ambulance to the hospital, where doctors amputated her left leg

Close call: Her heart stopped three times during surgery, leaving her dead for eight minutes

Kia woke up on February 11, 2019 with stabbing pains in her stomach she assumed were the result of her period, but as time went on and they wouldn't abate, she had her sister call her an ambulance.

'My body locked up completely as the stabbing pains continued,' she said. 'What I thought was menstrual cramps was actually sepsis taking over my body... I wasnt aware I had gone septic until it was way too late. Everything happened so fast.

'Once I got to the hospital, I was put in the waiting room until they couldnt handle my screams,' she recalled.

'The paramedics had advised on arrival that my blood pressure was extremely low. My vitals were checked, and I was put in an emergency room.

'I had CT scans, and the doctors discovered an infection in my stomach. It was urgent, so they took me into surgery,' she said.

But she nearly didn't make it into the OR.

'While being prepped for surgery, my blood pressure continued to drop  and my heart stopped,' she went on.

She spent two weeks in a medically-induced coma before undergoing more amputations

Losing hope: Doctors told family that Kia (pictured with her children) would die

What is sepsis? Sepsis, known as the 'silent killer,' strikes when an infection sparks a violent immune response in which the body attacks its own organs. It is a potentially life-threatening condition, triggered by an infection or injury. If caught early enough, it's easily treated with intravenous antibiotics and fluids  but sepsis strikes quickly, and for every hour of delay, a patient's chance of dying increases 8 per cent. Early symptoms include fever, chills, shivering, a fast heartbeat, and rapid breathing  which can be confused with more mild conditions like flu or upset stomach, meaning it can be difficult to diagnose. The six signs of something potentially deadly can be identified by the acronym 'SEPSIS': Slurred speech or confusion

Extreme shivering or muscle pain

Passing no urine in a day

Severe breathlessness

Skin that's mottled or discolored A patient can rapidly deteriorate if sepsis is missed early on, so quick diagnosis and treatment is vital  yet this rarely happens. Advertisement

Doctors still rushed her into surgery to amputate her left leg. While they were operating, she flatlined a total of three times, and was completely dead for eight minutes.

'The hospital advised my family that there was nothing more they could do,' she said.

But her family refused to accept this, and insisted that Kia must be taken to another hospital for life-saving treatment.

'Once I arrived at the second hospital, the fight was down to me. I received some more amputations, but I fought,' she said.

For two weeks, she survived in a medically-induced coma, ultimately waking up on her own.

She was in for a shock when she opened her eyes: Her left leg was gone, and her right leg was 'completely dead.

'My fingers were stuck  cold, hard and black,' she said.

'My family, friends, and most importantly, my children, were devastated  but they never lost hope and faith in God,' she went on.

'After seeing the condition sepsis had left my body in, I was determined to get the other dead limbs off to avoid another infection.'

Her right leg and several fingers were amputated.

Looking up: She said that her faith got her through: 'It was as if God needed to talk with me for a moment and then sent me back'

'Ive always stood firm in my faith and always believed God watches over me. A lot of the things I experienced with sepsis didnt affect me as badly as it could have,' she said

Looking to the future: After a year of hospital visits and physiotherapy, Kias life had started to get back on track

Kia is adamant that her faith is what helped her get through this ordeal. She believes that God brought her back from the brink of death, and now her faith is stronger than ever.

'Ive always stood firm in my faith and always believed God watches over me. A lot of the things I experienced with sepsis didnt affect me as badly as it could have,' she said.

'The most pain I felt was when I was heading to the first hospital, and after that, it was like I didnt feel anything else. It was as if God needed to talk with me for a moment and then sent me back,' she continued.

After a year of hospital visits and physiotherapy, Kias life had started to get back on track.

'I was given a completely new set of tools to use for the rest of my life. The most difficult part was learning how to use what I had left, and making sure I can still take care of my children the same way, she said.

She has now written a book about her spiritual experience titled Surviving Sepsis: A Survivors Tale, and has started a career as a model, aiming to increase body diversity in the industry.

Confident: She has started a career as a model, aiming to increase body diversity in the industry

Telling her story: She has written a book about her spiritual experience titled Surviving Sepsis: A Survivors Tale

'We are all normal and beautiful. Not all supermodels have real legs  they come in metal as well,' she said

'My spiritual journey was so real that I ended up writing a book about it because I needed to make sense of what had happened,' she said.

'I then decided to model, because I wanted to show that people with limb differences are not "foreign."

'I am very confident in my body, soul and mind. After having my amputations, Ive heard and seen all kinds of things  some good and some bad.

'It doesnt affect me, but there are so many people that look different and wont leave their house because the world can be so mean.

'I clearly do well under pressure, and I dont care what people think of me. I love my body, like everyone should. So my goal with modelling is to open the door for the children with limb differences who are afraid that they cant live a normal life.

'I do it for the young girl that feels ugly because she doesnt look "normal." We are all normal and beautiful. Not all supermodels have real legs  they come in metal as well,' she said.
Brigitte Macron stole the show at a French film festival today as she showed off her sparkling diamond wedding ring.

Brigitte, 68, put on a stylish display as she attended the 14th Angouleme French-Speaking Film Festival in the South West of France today.

Wearing a pair of blue jeans with an immaculate off-white blazer and a white shirt, all eyes where on her rock as she sent air kisses to her fans and coyly tucked away a lock of her blond hair behind her ears.

The French First Lady, who is 24 years her husband's senior, and Emmanuel Macron tied the knot in 2007, after originally meeting when he was 15.

French First Lady Brigitte Macron, 68, cut a casual figure in a pair of blue jeans and sneakers at the 14th Angouleme French-Speaking Film Festival today, pictured

Macron, who married the French President in 2007, showed off her sparkly wedding ring at the event, pictured

Brigitte, who came with a staff of several bodyguards, was all smiles at today's event donning one of her trademark casual chic get-ups.

The first lady opted for an immaculate off-white blazer, which she paired with jeans and a white shirt, and Nike sneaker lined with black.

Her handbag, also white with a black lining, matched the ensemble perfectly, as well as the discreet black belt around her waist.

Leaving nothing to chance, Brigitte was holding a white face mask while she strolled around the event.

Her blonde locks were styled in her perennial ear-length blond bob, and she was wearing minimal make-up, with just a dash of black eyeliner bringing out the accents of ocean in her blue eyes.

While she sport a smart casual look, Brigitte could count on her sparkly wedding ring and a luxury watch to bring some glamour to her outfit.

Brigitte always wears two rings, pictured. The first one is hers, and the second belonged to her sister who died in a car crash when the first lady was eight

Brigitte was all smile at today's event in an off-white jacket worn over a white skirt and jeans, pictured

Her pave wedding ring is mounted with eye-catching diamonds and was handed to Brigitte by her spouse at their 2007 wedding in Le Touquet, North of France.

French magazines have also revealed that Brigitte always wears two wedding rings: the fist is her own, and the second is a ring that belonged to her sister.

The first lady's sister died in a car accident when she was only eight years old, and Brigitte has been wearing her ring ever since so that her sister's memory accompanied her everyday.

Meanwhile, eagle-eyed fans of the French president have noticed he also wears two wedding rings, one on the right hand, the other on the traditional wedding finger.

The first lady looked in her element, her blond hair styled in her trademark blond bob, bouncing on her shoulders, pictured with actor and producer Dominique Besnehard

Asked by a French journalist, the French head of state explained the two rings were from the same woman, Femme Actuelle reported.

One of the rings was offered to Macron by Brigitte when he was a student.

In journalist Anna Fulda's book Emmanuel Macron: Such a Perfect Young Man, Brigitte explained: 'I offered it to him when he left for Nigeria [during his superior studies]. It was the first time we'd be separated for so long, six months.

Wearing petrol blue stilettos, Brigitte met French Director Jacques Doillon and his daughter Lina Doillon at the event
A plus-size influencer has shared video of the moment she was mocked and body-shamed by a female gym-goer while recording herself working out.

Bethy Red, 24, from Chicago, who posts fashion and exercise content on her YouTube channel, Instagram, and TikTok, was busy filming a workout routine at a gym when an unknown woman began to laugh and question her.

In Bethy's clip of the exchange, which has amassed more than 6.9million views, a woman can be heard in the background saying: 'Girl, what are you doing? Are you taking videos of yourself?'

The influencer turned around to look at the accuser and simply said 'Yes' before the woman aggressively shot back: 'You are? Well why?'

Plus-size influencer Bethy Red was filming a fitness video of her workout for her blog when she was questioned by an unknown woman - who she blocked out with a large grey square

In the video, which amassed more than 6.9million views, a woman can be heard in the background saying: 'Girl, what are you doing? Are you taking videos of yourself?'

Keeping her composure, Bethy, who has over 500,000 followers on her Instagram account, asked 'why not' and tried to turn away from the woman to end the conversation.

However, the onlooker refused to let Bethy continue to workout in peace, instead wondering: 'For your own documentation or what?'

The influencer, who captioned the clip 'so this happened', explained that it's for her blog and was promptly met with a shrill cackle from the woman.

Bethy attempted to get back to her workout while the woman packed up her belongings but soon the gym-goer mockingly said: 'Well have fun', before leaving.

The fitness blogger simply said, 'thanks' as the woman continued to laugh on her way out.

When Bethy first posted the video she initially showed the woman's face but later decided to block it out with a square to protect the person's identity once the video started gaining attention.

Bethy has over 500,000 followers on her Instagram account where she posts wellness, feminist, fashion and fitness content

Bethy talks in a second video to beg her followers to stop looking for the woman involved as innocent women were being targeted

Social media users showed their support for Bethy after seeing the TikTok and congratulated her on being calm and collected when faced with a tough situation

Once re-uploaded, she also posted another video captioned: 'PLEASE!! Stop looking for the person! A lot of innocent people are getting death treats and hate message for nothing! Thank you for the support and love.'

In the second clip she outlined her gratitude but begged her followers to stop the witch-hunt for the woman.

She revealed that the wrong women were being targeted and accused of being the onlooker in the video.

In her comment section she also added: 'The point of the video was to show that you stop a bully with kindness!' Know who you are! You are more than just a body and how you look.'

Meanwhile, in the comment section for the TikTok of Bethy being laughed at, social media users were quick to offer their support.

Many shared what they thought of the woman and highlighted the reasons why Bethy was above her.

Bethy regularly showcases her curves on social media - and encourages others to do the same, urging all of her followers to embrace their natural bodies
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Billionaire PrettyLittleThing founder Umar Kamani has proposed to his glamorous model girlfriend Nada Adelle in an extravagant ceremony with a stunning $2million (1.45million) diamond ring.

Professional photographers were on hand to capture the moment Umar, 33, who has built his fortune by selling cheap dresses to Gen Z partygoers, went down on one knee and popped the question in the Monte Carlo Opera House, which he hired out for the occasion.

In typically extravagant fashion, Umar filled the historic theatre with 10,000 white roses, dozens of candles while 25 musicians played Beauty and the Beast as radiant Nadia, 27, walked into the room.

Although she is marrying the king of fast fashion, Nada eschewed his brands for a $2,500 (1,790) slinky white gown with bejewelled straps and cut-out detailing from London-based designer David Koma for the occasion.

The dress perfectly complemented her ring - a 21-carat diamond sparkler flown in from New York celebrity jeweller Richard Nektalov.

Umar, whose family built their fashion empire from a Manchester market stall into a multi-billion pound business, looked dapper in a $5,907 (4,300) Tom Ford suit and $1million (730,000) Patek Philippe watch.

Billionaire PrettyLittleThing founder Umar Kamani has proposed to his glamorous model girlfriend Nada Adelle (pictured together), 27, in Monte Carlo Opera House

The Pretty Little Thing founder proposed to his glamorous girlfriend Nada with a spectacular $2million 21-carat diamond ring (pictured) flown in especially from New York

Umar, 33, popped the question surrounded by thousands of white roses and candles. The fashion mogul went Instagram official with his stunning girlfriend last year

Romantic Umar, who wore a tuxedo to propose, flew the ring in from New York jeweller Richard Nektalov of Leon Diamond and hired 25 musicians to play Beauty and the Beast to Nada as she walked out

Manchester-based Nada, who is no stranger to putting on a sizzling display on social media for her 427,000 Instagram followers, stunned in a sleek white dress as she showed off the dazzling 21-carat diamond ring

The breathtaking proposal comes after a whirlwind romance for Umar and Nadia, who only stepped out publicly together for the first time in March 2020.

The Manchester-based model, who boasts 427,000 Instagram followers, has been featured in magazines such as Look Magazine and Harper's Bazaar.

The law graduate, who delights in showcasing her jet-set lifestyle to her many fans on social media, has also fronted a campaign for Beyonce's Ivy Park, as well as working with make-up brand L'Oreal.

Umar, from Manchester, is the son of billionaire Boohoo founder Mahmud Kamani.

In 2012, Umar and his brother Adam co-founded PrettyLittleThing after witnessing the phenomenal success of Boohoo - with their company now enjoying a host of celebrity endorsements including Khloe Kardahsian, Hayley Bieber, Little Mix, Nicole Scherzinger and Paris Hilton.

Before he founded his firm, which is forecast to be worth around 2.1billion by next year, Umar was an amateur boxer, who previously confessed to only caring about partying and chasing women.

In 2012, Umar (pictured with Nada) and his brother Adam co-founded PrettyLittleThing after witnessing the phenomenal success of Boohoo

Umar (pictured with Nada) is the son of Mahmud Kamani, 52, who managed to turn a Manchester market stall into a billion pound fortune

Before he founded PrettyLittleThing, Umar (pictured with his fiancee) admits he was an amateur boxer and playboy who cared only about partying and chasing women

The businessman lives a very glamorous lifestyle, filled with overseas trips, flashy cars and dazzling accessories, which he regularly photographs and fills his Instagram feed with.

One day he's 'topping up his vitamin D' in the infinity pool at the luxury Monastero Santa Rosa Hotel in Italy, where a sea view suite will set you back nearly 3,000 a night.

Who is Richard 'Richie Rich' Nektalov? The jeweller to the stars who boasts Kanye West as a client Richard Nektalov, known as 'Richie Rich' is part of a New York jewellery dynasty who became a celebrity online when he turned his attention to branding on social media. The 29-year-old boasts 901k followers on Instagram and his A-list clients include Travis Scott, Adam Levine, Cara Delevingne, Hailey Baldwin , Bella Hadid, Conor McGregor, Ansel Elgort, Rita Ora. He is famous for a piece loved by Kanye West called the 'Cuban' - a chain comprised of two pieces of gold rope surrounded by smaller diamonds. Richie says that small versions of his diamonds cost around $10,000 while larger variations range from roughly $100,000-$200,000. Advertisement

The next, he's at the wheel of a Riva yacht cruising along the Amalfi coast before posing on the bonnet of his 264,000 Rolls-Royce Dawn in Beverly Hills.

You might also find him behind the wheel of his 300,000 Lamborghini Aventador roadster or the coupe version with personalised number plate. For more rugged trips, he has two Hummers and a 92,000 customised Mercedes G-class.

He's often spotted lunching at Nobu in Malibu, California, in a pair of 450 Gucci slippers, with a gold Rolex on his arm.

He hangs out with rapper P Diddy at the Grammys and Kylie Jenner at the Coachella music festival in California. All events are, naturally, recorded on his smartphone, which at one point had a 790 Louis Vuitton cover.

'A lot of these people are my friends,' he said of his celebrity circle. 'Will.I.Am is a really good mate  we FaceTime nearly every day  as is P Diddy.'

And such is his self-belief that when he wanted to launch PLT in the US four years ago, he offered a six-figure sum to reality TV star Kylie Jenner, half-sister of Kim Kardashian, to appear in one of his 15 orange dresses.

'It's all about the hustle,' he previously admitted. 'I knew I wanted to be in those circles because I'm obsessed with power.'

Power duly followed. The Kylie Jenner coup led to sales increasing ten-fold and allowed him to buy a seven-bedroom mansion in the Hollywood Hills, complete with basketball court.

His five-year plan, he's previously said, is 'to make as much money as possible' and escape his father's shadow, admitting that half the reason Mahmud helped him start PrettyLittleThing was to 'get me on the right track'.

'I'm a rich man's son and that's not what I want to be,' he said. 'So yes, I have got something to prove. I want to be the rich man. I want to be the successful person.' He added: 'If you're going to be in competition, I would rather keep it in the family.'

In 2019, society bible Tatler named Umar its eighth most eligible bachelor, alongside the Duke of Roxburghe and former One Direction star Harry Styles.

Umar (pictured with Nada) lives a very international lifestyle and his Instagram feed shows him thoroughly part of the jet-settter crowd

Umar went Instagram official with Nada (pictured) in February 2020. The couple regularly delight fans with snaps from their overseas trips

Couple goals: A snap from Umar's Instagram account on 18th April 2020 with the caption 'Isolationship' as he poses with partner Nada

Nada (pictured left with Umar), who boasts 427,000 Instagram followers, is a model who has been featured in magazines such as Look Magazine and Harper's Bazaar

Nada (pictured with Umar), who delights in showcasing her jet-set lifestyle to her many fans on social media, has also fronted a campaign for Beyonce's Ivy Park brand campaign, as well as working with make-up brand L'Oreal

Umar and his fiancee Nada made their first public outing together in March 2020, a month after going Instagram official, with the couple attending the Yeezy Season 8 show during Paris Fashion Week from Kanye West's brand.

In 2006, Umar started working for the fashion family business as a manager, while attending theatre school. He went on to study international business at Manchester Metropolitan University.

But it wasn't always private jets and fine dining for Aisha, who once shared a house with 18 people while raising her three sons with Mahmud.

Mahmud's father Abdullah moved the family to Kenya, where many Indian families had prospered under the British Empire.

Umar poses with Little Mix at the launch of the girl band's Pretty Little Thing collection at an exclusive party at Aynhoe Park House in Banbury in 2019

Fast-fashion family: Umar is the son of billionaire Boohoo.com founder Mahmud Kamani, pictured together, who has his very own rag to riches story

Flaunting the designer labels: The CEO of PrettyLittleThing (pictured) often flaunts his lavish wardrobe, which includes 450 Gucci slippers and a gold Rolex

People rushed to congratulate the newly engaged couple, including celebrities such as Love Island's Molly-Mae Hague, TV personality Lucy Mecklenburgh and footballer Jack Grealish

Mahmud was born there in 1964, but four years later the Kamanis were forced to flee to Britain by increasing unrest and draconian employment laws that favoured native Kenyans.

They settled in Manchester, where the entrepreneurial Abdullah sold handbags on a market stall to feed his family, before investing in property and founding the wholesale textile business Pinstripe, where Mahmud worked, using family connections in India to source garments.

By the early 2000s, the firm was selling nearly 50 million of clothing a year to High Street names such as New Look, Primark and Philip Green's Topshop.

Spotting the potential in the growth of the internet, Mahmud set up his online retailer in 2006 that would deliver their own-branded fashion at rock bottom prices, starting out with just three staff and operating out of a Manchester warehouse.
A new three-part docuseries lifts the lid on a lesbian couple's landmark legal battle with the gay sperm donor who fathered their youngest daughter through artificial insemination and later sued them for paternity rights in the early 1990s.

The daughter in question  filmmaker Ry Russo-Young  directed and produced HBO's Nuclear Family, which chronicles her mothers Sandy Russo and Robin Young's path to parenthood in the 1980s, when same-sex marriage wasn't legal and lesbian couples had few fertility options.

'Being gay meant that you were not going to have children. It was like you were giving up that right to have a family,' Robin explains in the trailer for the upcoming series, which premieres on September 26.

Candid: Ry Russo-Young directed and produced HBO's Nuclear Family, which chronicles her mothers Robin Young and Sandy Russo's legal battle with their sperm donor Tom Steel

Legal battle: In the early '90s, Tom (pictured center) sued for paternity of Ry after the couple forbid him from taking her to California, alone, to meet his parents

In 1979, Sandy and Robin fell in love and wanted to start a family while living in New York City's Greenwich Village. They turned to at-home insemination and found donors through mutual friends because sperm banks wouldn't serve same-sex couples at the time.

They specifically sought out gay men who lived across the country to be their respective donors because they didn't want them to be a part of the family, The New Yorker reported in 1994.

Sandy, who is 15 years older than Robin, welcomed their oldest daughter Cade Russo-Young in 1981 after being artificially inseminated with sperm from San Francisco donor Jack Kolb.

'I've always wanted kids,' Sandy says in the teaser.

Going rogue: Sandy (left) and Robin (right) turned to at-home insemination and found donors through mutual friends because sperm banks wouldn't serve same-sex couples at the time

Family: Sandy welcomed their oldest daughter Cade Russo-Young in 1981 after being artificially inseminated with sperm from San Francisco donor Jack Kolb

A year later, Robin gave birth to Ry, who was conceived by sperm from Tom Steel, a gay lawyer based in San Francisco. He initially agreed he wouldn't have any parental rights or obligations to Ry.

'I always describe my parents as Juliet and Juliet,' Ry, 39, says in the series, noting that her 'childhood was very magical.'

Tom didn't have any contact with the family until 1985, The New Yorker reported. After Cade asked about her dad, the mothers arranged for both of their daughters to meet their biological fathers.

The family became friendly with Tom, and they had visits at their respective homes in New York and Northern California. However, the relationship became increasingly strained over time.

Donor: A year later, Robin gave birth to Ry, who was conceived by sperm from Tom (pictured), a gay lawyer based in San Francisco. The family had a friendly relationship with him at first

Hard: The family's relationship with Tom became strained, and he sued for paternity of Ry when she was nine. The court battle lasted over four years, but he eventually dropped the case

Last conversation: Ry (right) last spoke to Tom when she was 16 years old after learning he was dying of AIDS

As one person notes in the trailer, 'Tom, the donor, didn't think, "I am going to fall in love with this child."'

In 1991, Tom sued for paternity rights after Sandy and Robin refused to let him take Ry to California, alone, to meet his parents.

'He changed his mind,' Sandy explains.

Tom didn't see Ry at all during the four-year legal battle, which swamped the couple with legal fees and led to their daughter having nightmares about the police coming to take her away, The Guardian reported in 2004.

Happy together: Ry is pictured with her mothers and sister Cade in a recent family photo

In the series, 'Ry investigates the ambitions and desires of her moms, her sperm donor, and all their allies and enemies as she struggles to hear and accept their divergent perspectives'

In 1994, the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court in Manhattan granted Tom legal standing at Ry's father  13 years after she was born  but did not rule on visiting rights. He eventually dropped the case.

In the upcoming series, 'Ry investigates the ambitions and desires of her moms, her sperm donor, and all their allies and enemies as she struggles to hear and accept their divergent perspectives,' according to the network's description.

For years, Tom was estranged from Ry, who called him when she was 16 after learning that he was dying from AIDS.

'He was high on medicine,' she told The Guardian of one of their last conversations.

'He was saying, "I'm sorry, I loved you, I never meant to hurt you, I always wanted to be your father." But after going through the case, I was rolling my eyes. You know: "So now you want me to forgive you because you're on your deathbed?"'

'I mean, there was a time when I did care a lot about him,' she added. 'Not as a father  more like an icon of a man.'
There could not have been an act of altruism more spontaneous or heartfelt. When Maiher Towers told her best friend a cancer diagnosis would prevent her from having a second, longed-for child, the response was instantaneous.

Stephanie Skinner did not pause before she texted back: The main thing is that you stay alive. Ill take care of the baby. Ill carry it for you. Stephanie, blessed with a complete nuclear family  two children; a boy and girl  did not even consult her husband Daniel before offering to be a surrogate for the friend with whom shed shared joy and sadness, celebrations and commiserations, for 18 years.

She and Maiher, both 34, were as good as family, like sisters, in fact. There was no confidence they did not impart to each other, no personal drama they had not mutually overcome. Id just been diagnosed with a tumour on my appendix and Id been given a stark choice, recalls Maiher. My consultant told me that the surest way to prevent the cancer from spreading would be to have a full hysterectomy and extensive chemo.

That would mean I couldnt have another child . . . I was in bits. My first impulse was to take the risk and try to get pregnant. I thought: Cancer is not going to rob me of this second chance of a baby. But then I thought that could be construed as selfishness. How would my husband James feel if he had to tell our daughter Charlotte: Mummy died because she wanted another baby so much?

Maiher Towers, 34, who was diagnosed with cancer of the appendix, reflects on going through treatment, while her best friend of 18 years Stephanie Skinner carried her baby. Pictured: Maiher, Stephanie and Alex

I was crying when I texted Steph. When she replied, Ill have the baby for you, I was overwhelmed. I just couldnt believe it  but it was typical of my amazing, selfless friend.

Stephanies offer, in October 2018, was just the start. Nearly three tumultuous years ensued during which Maihers eggs were harvested  to be fertilised by James sperm  so Stephanie could carry a baby that was biologically her friends.

By the time Id had the IVF procedure to collect my eggs in December 2018 the tumour had doubled in size to 12cm, says Maiher. The surgeon told me it would have been a very different story if wed waited until the New Year.

More euphoric highs and devastating setbacks followed. Maiher survived life-threatening sepsis after which more cancer  this time of her pelvic lymph nodes  was discovered. She had intravenous chemotherapy and more surgery in October 2019.

Then, last July, Stephanie became pregnant on their first attempt at implanting an embryo. But after the jubilation came the awful news that Maihers cancer had returned, again in her pelvic lymph nodes. Yet more treatment followed.

But baby Alex was born in April this year, a wriggling bundle of joy who has sustained Maiher ever since.

The convolutions that preceded his arrival almost defy belief. It all began three years ago, when Maiher and James, 34, a management consultant, decided to extend their happy family. It was a huge deal because Id had devastating post-natal depression after our daughter Charlottes birth two years earlier and had even contemplated suicide, says Maiher.

But painful urine infections had been plaguing her. Suspecting an ovarian cyst, her GP booked her in for an urgent scan.

Maiher, who was plagued with painful urine infections, had been suspecting an ovarian cyst when a mass was found on her pelvis. Pictured: Maiher (left) and Stephanie during surrogacy

They found a mass on my pelvis, this 6cm ball, and the doctors said it must be removed immediately or Id risk haemorrhaging.

She was referred to St Marys Hospital in Central London, where a specialist diagnosed cancer of the appendix. This was when Maiher opted for the most radical surgery offered to stop the cancer in its tracks.

Stephanie, full-time mum to Amelia-Rose, ten, and seven-year-old Henry, recalls: When Maiher told me she had cancer and said the precautionary surgery would involve removing her reproductive organs, I offered to carry a baby for her without a seconds thought.

Were soul mates. We understand each other. Since we met when we were at sixth-form college weve been through all lifes ups and downs together. I had to help her.

Meanwhile Maiher knew there was no time to lose. She went ahead with the harvesting of her eggs  and six days later was in the operating theatre. By then I had swollen ovaries as well as the tumour. The pain was so bad I felt I was being snapped in two.

I just saw it as a rather extreme form of babysitting

During the surgery they took out the right side of my colon, ovaries, fallopian tubes, womb, cervix and bladder . . . They told me theyd not been able to save my bladder and Id now need a bag.

But my overwhelming feeling was absolute relief: the cancer had been taken out of me.

Small wonder, as she recovered, Maiher was so preoccupied she gave little thought to taking up Stephanies offer. But her friend was there with solace: Youve got a baby to look forward to. Lets get you better.

But before they could formulate any plans, in February 2019 Maiher developed life-threatening sepsis. My head felt as if it was going to explode, my heart was fluttering. Every minute counted. I was blue-lighted to hospital again.

While there, yet more devastating news came: scans revealed that the cancer had spread to her pelvic lymph nodes. So I had to go through surgery all over again. I was opened up in exactly the same place.

Stephanie said her husband initially had misgivings about her being a surrogate because she had complications with their children. Pictured: Stephanie after giving birth

But I picked myself up. I thought, Ive been through this once. I can do it again. That she survived and today, at home in Paddock Wood, Kent, can even laugh about the chain of catastrophic events that would have floored a less optimistic soul, is testament to her courage, resilience and humour.

People say Im cheerful, but whats the alternative? I want to live. Life is wonderful, she says.

Even though there was more chemo to come  to ensure the cancer was dispatched  she endured it without complaint. By October she was confident, after a couple of clear scans, to broach the subject of those frozen embryos with her best friend.

Stephanie says: I hadnt told my husband about my offer to Maiher  and when I asked if hed agree, initially he had misgivings. Id had complications and two C-sections with our children and he didnt want anything to happen to me. He said: We need to do some more research before we embark on this. 

Meanwhile Maiher was anxious not to add to the pressure of their decision. I said, If you decide not to go ahead there will be absolutely no hard feelings, and Steph just smiled and nodded.

They conferred about the next step. This was when, with James and Daniel, a property developer, they all agreed to attend a conference with not-for-profit organisation Surrogacy UK. Listening to the stories of so many couples there who desperately wanted children moved us all. Then we all had dinner together and Daniel said: Im on board,  recalls Maiher.

Maiher said she reassured Stephanie that she could change her mind right until the last moment. Pictured: The friends on holiday aged 23

We were long-term friends and in a position to help, adds Stephanie. I just looked at it as a rather extreme form of babysitting.

There were, of course, legal and logistical matters to consider. What if I died? What if the very worst happened and James died, too? says Maiher.

They drew up wills, making financial provision for Charlotte and the baby should the worst happen. Then, by last July, they were set to go: Stephanie was ready to have her friends embryo implanted.

I was so excited I felt I was on another planet, remembers Maiher. But I tried to rein myself in. Right until the last moment I was saying to Stephanie: If you change your mind it wont be an issue. And she just said: Will you shut up? 

Despite the constraints of Covid, Maiher was permitted to be with her friend while the procedure took place at a private fertility clinic.

Right from the start, Stephanie was convinced that the first attempt would be successful. Her optimism was confirmed by a series of positive home pregnancy tests.

We had a baby-grow made and we rolled all the tests up into it, she remembers. We decided Daniel was going to give it to Maiher and James. So we invited them to dinner and afterwards Daniel presented them with a parcel.

Stephanie said she broke down in tears when Maiher told her that the cancer had come back, when she was ten weeks pregnant. Pictured: Stephanie and Maiher

I felt like the luckiest woman on Earth, recalls Maiher, teary again at the memory. Id beaten cancer twice and now I had a baby on the way! But I had to remind myself, Its still early days. Id had a miscarriage myself, before Charlotte, and we were all really nervous.

And there were more moments of heart-stopping anxiety in the months that followed. When I was ten weeks pregnant Maiher texted me: Unfortunately the cancer has come back,  Stephanie says. Scans revealed the awful news.

I just broke down in tears. Maiher told me the doctors were confident they could treat it, but she asked me if I still wanted to continue with the pregnancy.

I said, Theres no question Ill carry on. I cant terminate this pregnancy. You just focus on getting yourself well and Ill focus on growing the baby. 

And so she did. The two women formed a Covid bubble to spend as much time together in the coming months, and Maiher endured a fresh round of chemo that proved more brutal and horrific than ever.

But now there were also hopeful scans to enjoy  the ones that revealed the babys growth  and both friends attended together.

They agreed, too, that they wanted to know the babys sex but asked the radiologist to seal it in an envelope at the 20-week scan, so it would be a surprise until the great reveal.

Maiher said she's always been very positive, but when the cancer came back for a third time it really hit her. Pictured left to right: James, Daniel, Maiher and Stephanie

Daniel was entrusted with the secret  the baby was a boy!  and filled balloons with blue confetti which they popped at a party at his and Stephanies home in Redhill, Surrey.

Maiher and James were ecstatic, thrilled that they were going to have one of each, says Stephanie.

And she says she felt absolutely no attachment to the baby growing inside her: I had no maternal feelings at all. I was just looking after my friends baby for nine months.

It is hard to imagine the mix of euphoria and fear that marked the remaining months. Stephanies blood pressure began to rise and doctors were concerned it was the start of pre-eclampsia.

She was kept in hospital for observation and the decision was made to deliver the baby five days before her elective caesarean.

Meanwhile Maiher had learnt that her last batch of chemotherapy had not worked. It was another body blow. This time she needed radiotherapy to shrink the tumours. She steeled herself for five weeks of intensive treatment.

Ive always been very positive, she says, but when the cancer came back for a third time that really hit me. I thought, Wow, this is getting serious. I had the conversation with James. Would he be raising our baby on his own?

Pictured: Stephanie and Maiher when pregnant with her first child, Charlotte

Shed had her first session of treatment and was about to set off for her second when the call came from Stephanie: The babys coming today!

And oh my God, I was so nervous and excited, recalls Maiher.

Charlotte went to my mums and James and I shot up the motorway. It was 50 minutes to East Surrey Hospital in Redhill; we dashed there.

I was allowed to be with Stephanie and Daniel when the baby was delivered by a surgical team comprised entirely of women. I heard a little gurgle and thought, I think thats the baby, then the surgeon lifted him up and said, Ta-da!

I just burst into tears. I was numb. Hed arrived and he was so scrummy, perfect; like a porcelain doll with the most gorgeous dark hair, and the image of his big sister, recalls Maiher. And as I held him skin-to-skin, my little wriggling, crying boy, I thought all the pain was worth it. I would have gone through it all again in a heartbeat to have our son.

Alex was born on April 7 weighing 7lb 6oz, and watching her best friends joy, Stephanies main feeling was overwhelming relief.

In her understated way, Stephanie is quietly delighted to have helped Maiher, not only one of the bravest and strongest women I know, but also one of the kindest and most generous.

Maiher, who is awaiting another operation, said she will never be able to repay Stephanie for what she has done. Pictured: Maiher and James with their children

But what of the inestimable gift shes given to Maiher? On this, Stephanie is modest. When people say its an amazing thing to have done Im very British about it. I dont know how to take a compliment. To me, its just a normal thing to do for a best friend.

Maiher takes a different view: I will never be able to repay Steph for what shes done. When Alex was born I could only say, Thank you and she smiled and said, Youre welcome.

Daniel said, It was nothing. Then Steph laughed and said, It definitely wasnt nothing!  Stephanie points out, too, that she couldnt have gone through the pregnancy without her husbands support, care and guidance.

So to today. Little Alex, now four months old, continues to thrive, as does the enduring friendship between Maiher and Stephanie.

Were like an extended family: Steph is auntie to my children and her children are like special cousins to mine.

Maihers course of radiotherapy has ended and there has been some shrinking of her tumours but she awaits another operation to remove the more obdurate ones. But shes confident shell have the cancer licked.

Theres no reason why I wont beat the cancer, Maiher says.

And when I look at Alex I feel Ive won lifes lottery. Im the luckiest person alive. And of course, above all, I have Stephanies friendship  and shes the most selfless person imaginable.
As you may be aware, Ive spent more time in need of a vet in recent months than ever before. First my beloved Butch needed treatment for his arthritis, lung and heart problems. Then, three weeks ago, in a state of collapse, he was euthanised and Im still grieving.

Then my cat Suu came in with a massive abscess on her hip. Shed come off worst in a fight with a local Tom. It had to be treated or there was a risk of potentially fatal sepsis. Then the two girls, Madge and Frida, and Suu all needed booster jabs which have to be delivered annually. I managed to get an appointment on each occasion at the lovely, small privately-owned practice in North London where Ive been a client for years but, like so many veterinary surgeries, it is overwhelmed.

It has taken on more than 1,000 new clients in the past year and has been flooded with what Anita, the manager, calls lockdown puppies. Its had to stop taking new clients to continue giving the usual thorough and kindly care to existing patients.

Jenni Murray urges people to find a vet nearby before purchasing an animal, after the practice she goes to had to stop taking new clients (file image)

Its a problem thats happening across the country. The British Veterinary Association is asking people to think long and hard before taking on a new pet because its becoming harder to see a vet than your GP and, as we all know, that has been far from easy.

No vet wants to turn away an animal in desperate need but, as Anita told me, Covid, Brexit and irresponsible pet purchase has made what is often a stressful job almost impossible as demand has risen.

Brexit meant a lot of European vets left for their own countries and its proved difficult to recruit new ones. When a vet at my practice left to go back to Australia attempts to recruit a replacement began in February. The new vet is not able to start until November, so the remaining four are having to work harder than ever.

Around Christmas time, it was hit by Covid, despite taking the greatest care with masking and patients waiting outside. Owners were not allowed into the consulting room, but still the virus reduced the number of staff who were able to work. Its not surprising that receptionists and vets have been facing verbal abuse as owners struggle to get appointments, then find they have to wait longer than expected.

Anita has worked at the practice for 23 years. Owners, she says, used to understand that you might have to wait if the case before you took longer than expected. Now theyve had people rapping on the window and pointing at their watches in fury at a mere 20 minutes wait.

The vets, meanwhile, are trying to do their best by every animal, but are going home exhausted.

Its not only medical work they have to do. As travel restrictions are lifted, more owners are keen to take their pet abroad. Since the pet passport was replaced by the Animal Health Certificate, they have 12 pages of details to fill out.

Jenni (pictured) said her vet has a sign in the reception area asking us to be kind to one another, but we also need to be kind to the animals

It seems to me were asking far too much of the overworked members of a profession known to have a surprisingly high suicide rate.

My vet has a sign in the reception area asking us to be kind to one another. We also need to be kind to the animals bought to amuse us during lockdown.

As we go back to work, theyll be lonely and unhappy.

Please dont take on an animal to which you cant give your time and make sure, before purchase, you have a vet nearby who will vaccinate, neuter, microchip and be there to treat it when necessary.

Otherwise, just dont do it because, in these tough times, its the animals that will suffer most.

No need to say sorry, Parky - Meg riled me

Jenni said Meg Ryan was a nightmare when discussing Youve Got Mail and Michael Parkinson shouldn't apologise to her for the car crash interview in 2003 (pictured)

A word of comfort to my Barnsley compatriot and interviewer extraordinaire, Michael Parkinson. There is no need to apologise to Meg Ryan for the car crash interview on your show in 2003.

Like you, Ive interviewed some of the greatest Hollywood stars. Bette Davis, Tom Hanks, Lauren Bacall, Saoirse Ronan, Kirk Douglas, Dirk Bogarde . . . I could go on. All were charming, knowing it was their job to entertain the audience.

Meg Ryan was a nightmare when discussing Youve Got Mail. Nothing more than a Yeah or a Nah to every question. I cut an allocated eight minutes to three and have no regrets about a sharp dismissal.

Driving in London has become increasingly impossible since the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, closed roads, made cycle lanes and encouraged us all to do more walking. How hypocritical, then, that he chose to take his dog for a drive with a convoy of three cars involved!

Tom can land at my house any time!

Alison Webb gave permission for a VIP, running late to land his helicopter in her field

Lucky Alison Webb, who gave permission for a VIP, running late to land his helicopter in her field.

It would be a mission perfectly possible for Tom Cruise to land at my house any time he likes.

Police should know its never just a domestic

When Sarah Everard was murdered and we learned the number of women killed due to domestic violence had risen during lockdown, we were encouraged by promises things would change. So I have been appalled by news the police cannot be trusted to do their job, as revealed in a report by Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary. Its a shocking fact that 1.6 million women suffered domestic abuse between 2019 and 2020. Between 2017 and 2020, prosecutions fell from 18 per cent to just nine. The report says police fail to use all tools at their disposal  restraining orders or bail conditions. It was common in my youth for coppers to dismiss violence in the home as just a domestic. Chief Constables need to teach that misogyny has no place in the force of the 21st century. That its never just a domestic.

I left my sons booties at Greenham

Jenni tied her son's booties to the fence at Greenham to join the protest in the hope of making a safer world for all our kids

Today is the 40th anniversary of the march of women to Greenham Common in Berkshire and the setting up of the camp in protest at the siting of Cruise Missiles there.

Two years on, in 1983, I was a young TV reporter for BBC South and the new mother of a baby boy. I was sent to Greenham to interview some of the women there and found it was hard to be impartial about the fear of nuclear weapons.

In secret, I tied my boys booties to the fence at Greenham, joining the protest in the hope of making a safer world for all our kids.
Two-and-a-half years ago, Rachel Zegler was just a regular high school kid with know movie experience  but later this year, she's set to play Maria in the hotly-anticipated remake of West Side Story.

But as she tells Town & Country  which she covers this month in a stunning red Dior gown  that meteoric overnight rise to fame has left her battling a bit of imposter syndrome.

'I havent done any other film projects, but Im constantly pinch-ing myself  theres no way this is my life,' she said. 'That comes with a lot of gratitude and a lot of anxiety and a lot of impostor syndrome.'





Up-and-comer: Rachel Zegler, 20, covers the September issue of Town & Country

'Im constantly pinch-ing myself  theres no way this is my life,' she said

Overnight star: She admitted that she has 'a lot of impostor syndrome' since being plucked from obscurity

One of those 'pinch myself' moments likely came as she shot her cover for the magazine's September issue.

Inside, she models a trendy Versace crop top and matching skirt, dresses by Giambattista Valli and Michael Kors Collection, a Chanel ensemble, and lots of pricey jewelry.

Zegler always hoped for fame, but had pictured a Tony Award over a Hollywood blockbuster when she was growing up in Clifton, New Jersey.

She was in her first production at age 12, a local theater's Fiddler on the Roof, and auditioned for Rock of Ages on Broadway at 14.

In high school, she played volleyball and saxophone, but was mostly obsessed with musical theater, even landing the role of Maria in a local production of West Side Story at 16.

That prepared her for when her friend sent her a notice for an open casting call for the new remake of the original 1961 version of the film.

Dreams: Zegler always hoped for fame, but had pictured a Tony Award over a Hollywood blockbuster when she was growing up in Clifton, New Jersey

History: In high school, she played volleyball and saxophone, but was mostly obsessed with musical theater, even landing the role of Maria in a local production of West Side Story at 16

Get ready: Now she'll play Maria in the remake when it premieres in December

Zegler son sent in a video of herself singing I Feel Pretty  and while it was clearly a success, she cringes to think about it.

'I havent watched it since I did it. I would probably want to pull my teeth out if I did!' she said.

Things moves pretty quickly from there. By the summer of 2018, she was fielding calls from the film's casting director, and in January of 2019 she learned she'd scored the part.

But first, she was starring as Fiona in her Immaculate Conception High School's production of Shrek the Musical that March.

The day after her last performance, the then 17-year-old was already at work for her first West Side Story rehearsal.

Even after two months of rehearsing, she was a nervous wreck the night before her first day of filming.

Before the movie, she was starring as Fiona in her Immaculate Conception High School's production of Shrek the Musical

Movin' on up! The day after her last performance, the then 17-year-old was already at work for her first West Side Story rehearsal

'I texted [a friend]: "I think Im going to vomit. Ill check back with you later." I could not sleep, could not anything. I was just... Oh my god, terrified,' she said.

Few people have seen her performance in the movie, which premieres this December, but several people involved with the movie said the film will be different from the original.

'Every Juliet-based character is pure and innocent. Shes the Virgin Mary, and she can do no wrong,' Zegler said. 'But in reality shes 18. Shes discovering so much about herself and the way she thinks about the world.'

But even though it has yet to be released, Zegler has already scored several more big roles, and is currently living in Atlanta to film Shazam! Fury of the Gods with Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu.

'I do have moments when Im like, "I am worthy, and I got this job for a reason,"' Zegler said. 'But then it immediately fades into, "Oh god, Helen Mirren!"'

She's always been a fan of West Side Story and played the role of Maria in high school

'I do have moments when Im like, "I am worthy, and I got this job for a reason,"' Zegler said. 'But then it immediately fades into, "Oh god, Helen Mirren!"'

After that, the Colombian-American actress will play the title role in the live action Snow White.

When the casting was announced in June, a handful of critics questioned her playing the historically white character, arguing that Snow White is described as the 'fairest one of all' with 'skin as white as snow.'

Zegler took to social media to celebrate the news and fire back at trolls.

'Yes i am snow white no i am not bleaching my skin for the role,' she wrote in a since-deleted tweet.

Marc Webb, director of the Snow White adaptation, said Zegler's 'strength, intelligence and optimism' makes her the right choice for the iconic role.

'Rachel's extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts,' he said in a statement to AFP.

'Her strength, intelligence and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairytale.'
The Michelin Guide will now be updated every month with restaurants hoping to gain the prestigious stars no longer having to wait for a grand annual ceremony to see if they've made the red book.

The company, which has produced the fine dining guide since 1904, have traditionally held yearly ceremonies to announce which establishments it regards as serving 'high quality cooking, worth a stop'.

But in an historic move the Paris-based tyre-manufacturer, which released its first ever digital-only guide this year, will be revealing its latest restaurant recommendations on the last Wednesday of every month - starting from today.

Featured eateries will not be given stars immediately but those added to the guide will be the likely contenders to be listed in the yearly ceremony that takes place in October.

The Michelin Guide will now be updated every month with restaurants hoping to gain the prestigious stars no longer having to wait for a grand annual ceremony to see if they've made the red book.

The list of restaurants that have made it into the guide today include SUMI in Notting Hill, Eleven in Northumberland, The Loch & The Tyne in Old Windsor and Big Jo in London.

The restaurant entries will be highlighted by a 'New' symbol, for easy identification, and the restaurants will also be presented in more depth in monthly articles.

Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guides told FEMAIL: 'By revealing some of the new additions made by our inspectors throughout the year, we further strengthen the ties that bind us to food lovers'.

'Moreover, in a period that is still very complicated and in which the restaurant industry continues to face unprecedented challenges and uncertainties, we hope that these regular revelations and updates will provide opportunities to highlight the profession, and we invite everyone to discover and support the restaurants around them.'

What do the stars mean? ONE STAR High quality cooking, worth a stop TWO STARS Excellent cooking, worth a detour THREE STARS Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey BIB GOURMAND A Bib Gourmand is awarded to restaurants deemed to be both good quality and good value by Michelin's team of inspectors, with those listed having a menu that serves three courses for 28 or under Advertisement

In 2021, the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland was published in digital format only for the first time, in order to be more agile in reflecting the ever-evolving restaurant scene.

The digital listings can be found on the website (UK/Ireland), as well as on the free iOS and Android apps.

Some of these restaurants may then move on to receive Michelin Stars, Bib Gourmands or Green Stars at the annual launch ceremony.

It's the latest step in the traditional institution has taken in modernising the book.

In January they also released 'Green Stars' for restaurants showing outstanding commitment to sustainability.

'Launching a brand new distinction dedicated to sustainable gastronomy shows that our recognition of restaurants goes beyond the search for the best cooking. It enables us to also turn the spotlight on those with a great sense of responsibility towards the environment', said Gwendal Poullennec said a the time.

Whether these restaurants are champions of local produce, pioneers in the fight against food waste or leaders in vegetable growing, they are selected on the basis of research, fieldwork and investigation carried out by the inspectors.

By awarding Michelin Green Stars, the Michelin Guide wants to highlight the best and most innovative practices in order to inspire not only the industry, but also all the readers and users of the Michelin Guide.

The ceremony usually takes place in October, but was pushed back due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and was hosted virtually by Davina McCall in London and Gwendal Poullennec, in Paris.

Michelin said it began work on the guide in August 2019 - while restaurants were still open, meaning many were able to be inspected before restaurants closed in lockdown.
Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine is notably less effective six months after the second dose is administered, a new study finds.

Researchers from King's College London in the UK analyzed COVID-19 testing data and found the vaccine's effectiveness falls from 88 percent to 77 percent after five to six months.

They could not determine whether the lower effectiveness caused an increase in hospitalizations or deaths.

The findings could spell trouble in the U.S., where more than 100 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine - especially as the Indian 'Delta' variant continues to spread, causing cases to surge.

Federal officials hope that plans to administer boosters in September - pending approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will help shore up protection.

A King's College study found that the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the most common in the United States, drops for 88% after one month to 74% after five to six months

The effectiveness begins to slowly wane over time, according to the study, and drops below 75% after five months

The British study, published last week, included 1.2 million participants who had received either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines.

While not available for emergency use in the U.S., the AstraZeneca vaccine is widely used across Europe.

More than 400,000 participants in the study had been vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine by July 3.

Britain was hit by a third wave of infections during this period after the more infectious Delta variant sparked outbreaks across the country.

ZOE, a health data science company that contributed to the study, built an app that would ask users to report daily on whether they are unwell, their symptoms and if they have tested positive for the virus.

Using data gathered from the app and Covid testing, researchers determined that a month after vaccination, the vaccine was 88 percent effective.

That figure falls to 74 percent after five to six months.

This means the 92 million Americans who are fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine may have had their protection drop over time.

'I think the [King's College London] study and actually, a couple of other studies we recently had, do show the beginnings of a drop off of protection against asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic disease,' said Professor Adam Finn, head of the Bristol Vaccine Centre in England, and an advisor to the British government on the vaccine rollout.

'But other studies are showing maintenance of good protection against serious illness and hospitalization.

'So that's encouraging actually that people who've had two doses are still very much well protected against serious illness, which is our main objective.

'But we do need to watch out very carefully to see if this waning begins to translate into occurrence of more severe cases because then boosters will be needed.'

The findings match a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday.

Researchers found that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were 66 percent effective once the Delta variant, after being 91 percent effective against other strains, hinting at either a waning efficacy of the vaccines or a rare ability for the virus strain to cause breakthrough cases.

In response to the decreasing effectiveness of the vaccines, U.S. health officials announced plans to roll out booster shots last week.

Starting on September 20, all Americans who have received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines will be eligible for a booster shot eight months after receiving their second shot.

Booster shots are likely on the way for the 14 million recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, though official plans are yet to have been put in place.

Officials in the UK are still considering how broadly to administer third jabs, but there is pressure from health officials in the country to begin to roll out the shots.

Plans for booster shots have also been put in place in Chile, Germany, Israel and France, among others.

In the meanwhile, the U.S. is suffering from a Delta-fueled surge of Covid cases.

America is averaging 150,000 new cases every day, a 36 percent increase from the 110,000 cases the country was averaging two weeks ago.

The new daily case average is at its highest point since late January, although most cases are concentrated among the unvaccinated.

In the U.S., around 61 percent of the total population has received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 51 percent of people are fully vaccinated.
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Coronavirus cases and deaths are continuing to surge across the country as the fourth wave of the pandemic rages on.

On Tuesday, the U.S. recorded 135,245 cases of COVID-19 with a seven-day rolling average of 151,005, which is a 145 percent increase from the 61,451 average reported four weeks ago and the highest figure seen since January.

However, there are signs that growth of infections may be slowing.

Last week, cases had grown by 207 percent in one month and the week prior, the increase 393 percent.

Deaths are also on the rise with 1,405 virus-related fatalities recorded on Tuesday and a seven-day rolling average of 1,043 - the fourth day in a row the average has surpassed four figures.

This marks a 320 percent increase from the average of 248 reported 28 days ago prior and the highest number reported since March 22.

Meanwhile, hospitals are facing surges of patients with more than three-quarters of all intensive care unit beds (ICU) in use, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Arkansas recently joined Alabama as the second state to report that it has run out of ICU beds to treat critically ill patients while other states - such as Georgia, Mississippi and Texas - report that they are nearing capacity.

On Tuesday, the U.S. recorded 135,245 cases of COVID-19 with a seven-day rolling average of 151,005, a 145% increase from the 61,451 average reported four weeks ago

Deaths have also risen with 1,405 virus-related fatalities recorded on Tuesday and a seven-day rolling average of 1,043, a 320% spike from the average of 248 reported 28 days ago prior

According to data from the HHS, 77% of all ICU beds across America are occupied with more than one-third of those in use being used for COVID-19 patients

According to the HHS, 77.34 percent of all ICU beds - or 65,642 out of 84,935 staffed beds - across the country are currently in use.

Of those beds in use, 36.6 percent, or 24,084, are being used to treat COVID-19 patients.

ICU bed availability varies by state with Alabama reporting the highest capacity at 102 percent with 1,576 available beds, but 1,613 patients in need of care.

More than half of the critically ill patients, 53.1 percent, have tested positive for the virus.

Meanwhile, New Jersey has the least amount of beds in use with just 40.3 percent - or 1,217 out of 3,015 - of ICU beds occupied.

What's more, just 13.1 percent of ICU beds are being used to treat COVID-19 patients.

Doctors say that many of the patients they are seeing are younger people who did not get vaccinated compared to high-risk older patients seen earlier during the pandemic.

On Tuesday, Arkansas announced it had run out of ICU beds to treat COVID-19 patients as a surge in cases continues to overwhelm hospitals.

There are currently 881 out of 975 beds in use in Arkansas, according to the HHS, but Secretary of Health Dr Jose Romero said at a news conference that just under 50 percent of beds in the state have the ability to be used for COVID-19 patients.

The state has already reached that limit with 50.1 percent of all ICU beds occupied by people ill with the virus.

According to Gov Asa Hutchinson, this is the first time that ICUs have reached capacity since the pandemic began.

The state's ICU capacity for COVID patients barely eased hours after Hutchinson's announcement, with only one hospital in southeast Arkansas showing availability, according to the state's system for coordinating coronavirus patients.

'Everyone should know the strain this puts on our hospitals and the need to get our vaccinations and how critical our bed space is,' Hutchinson told reporters.

Alabama is operating at the highest capacity with 102% of all ICU beds in use as hospitalizations reach near record-levels

On Tuesday, Arkansas announced it had run out of ICU beds to treat COVID-19 patients as a surge in cases continued overwhelming hospitals, with around 1,200 patients total hospitalized

More than 1,000 out-of-state medical workers are being deployed to 50 Mississippi hospitals to help with staffing shortages amid the COVID-19 surge as hospitalizations reach 1,655

Hutchinson said hospitals in the state were working to open more ICU beds for virus patients and Arkansas Department of Health Chief of Staff Renee Mallory said one hospital planned to open additional beds later Tuesday and possibly later in the week.

Meanwhile, Romero said the surge in cases is continuing to keep the state's ICU capacity tight.

'The more beds we open up, the more they're going to get filled,' he told reporters.

In a report issued earlier on Tuesday, public health researchers forecast that the state's death toll from COVID-19 - which currently sits at 6,749 - will exceed 7,000 by August 30.

'If this forecast holds true, COVID-19 will have killed more Arkansans than all the wars in the 20th and 21st centuries,' the forecast by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' Fay W Boozman College of Public Health said.

In nearby Mississippi, the pandemic is also causing a surge in Covid cases with the seven-day average increasing by 120 percent from 1,196 per day to 2,635 per day in the last month, according to Johns Hopkins data

And hospitalizations have also risen from 1,031 virus patients at the beginning of the month to 1,655 - an increase of 60 percent, state data show.

More than 1,000 out-of-state medical workers are being deployed to 50 Mississippi hospitals to help with staffing shortages amid the COVID-19 surge.

Republican Gov Tate Reeves said 808 nurses, three certified nurse anesthetists, 22 nurse practitioners, 193 respiratory therapists and 20 paramedics were hired under 60-day contracts that could be extended, if needed.

Mississippi will pay $80 million for the contracts, and Reeves said he expects the federal government to reimburse the state for the entire expense.

State epidemiologist, Dr Paul Byers, said on Tuesday that vaccinations have increased in Mississippi over the past several weeks after hitting a low in early July.

The Health Department reported 85,510 people received a first, second or third inoculation during the week that ended Saturday. That's the largest number in any week since mid-April.

However, Mississippi still lags behind the national rate: 38 percent of eligible people in the state are fully vaccinated against COVID- 19, compared to 52 percent in the U.S.
A new animated heat map reveals how the COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the United States.

Created by Notus Analytics, a data company based in Washington, the animation details the number of coronavirus cases per capita in every county.

The map shows how the first infections were documented in Washington state in January 2020 and takes users through the early days of the pandemic when New York City and New Orleans were the earliest epicenters.

The animation continues into the second wave during summer 2020 which saw the Sun Belt and western states, such as Arizona and California, report spikes in cases.

Next, the map documents the winter surge of 2020-21 that saw nearly every state go from reporting less than one case per 1,000 people to as many as 20 cases per 1,000.

Finally, the map shows the declining cases seen during spring 2020 and the most recent surge that has dominated the South including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas.

Notus Analytics has created an animated heat map detailing how COVID-19 spread across the U.S., beginning on January 21, 2020, when the first COVID-19 patient in the U.S. was identified in Washington state

Next, the map shows how corners of the country, such as New York and New Orleans, Louisiana, became hotspots in spring 2020

The animation begins on January 21, 2020, which is when the first American patient was identified to have contracted COVID-19.

'Patient Zero' was revealed to be a male resident of the U.S. in his 30s, who was treated at Providence Regional Medical Center - Everett, just north of Seattle.

He had traveled from Wuhan, China, where the virus originated, but did not visit any of the markets at the epicenter of the outbreak, according to state health officials.

Although it's believed that that virus was circulating in the U.S. before this date, there were no commercially available tests for Americans to take to determine if they had the virus.

The map then continues into late March and early April 2020, when New York and New Orleans became two of the earliest epicenters.

New York was one of the only states where flights from abroad were landing when the U.S. called on citizens to return home.

The combination of so many international flights and people living in close quarters in New York City likely led to a surge in cases.

New York became a hotspot due to a large number of international flights and people living in close quarters while Mardi Gras in New Orleans was one of the first super-spreader events

In mid-April, the Big Apple saw as many as 800 people dying daily of COVID-19 and body bags piling up on the streets.

Meanwhile, Mardi Gras 2020 in New Orleans at the end of February made the state one of the earliest U.S. pandemic hotspots.

One study suggests a single person likely brought the virus to the Big Easy in the weeks before Fat Tuesday.

Researchers suspect that the patient infected 800 people within the two weeks separating February 13, 2020 and the conclusion of the festivities on Ash Wednesday, February 26.

They believe that those 800 then went on to spread the infection to another 50,000 people in Louisiana and neighboring states.

The animation continues and shows the second wave of the pandemic during summer 2020 that led to spikes in cases in the South and the West.

The Sun Belt and western states, including California and Arizona, were the hardest hit during the summer 2020 surge

On July 3, four states - Arizona, California, Florida and Texas - reported a combined 25,000 new COVID-19 cases, making them responsible for about 50 percent of all confirmed infections.

The map shows Gulf States colored in orange and red, indicating a high number of cases, and areas in Arizona colored purple, meaning that more than one in 50 people were testing positive every day.

At the time in Arizona, more than 3,000 people were hospitalized and ICU capacity reached 91 percent.

Officials revealed that if hospitals pushed past capacity, patients would be given a score to determine whether or not they're placed on a ventilator.

Cases declined again in late August and early September, only to begin rising again in early November, the map shows.

This time, the surge was concentrated in the Midwest and Great Plains with states such as Illinois and North Dakota reporting all-time highs of infections.

Between November 2020 and January 2021, most the map is covered in swaths of red and purple, indicating up to 20 per 1,000 testing positive

It was during this surge that the U.S. recorded its highest number of cases in one day (283,204 on January 8) and its highest number of deaths (5,443 on February 12)

In November, Department of Health and Human Services data showed that coronavirus patients occupied the greatest percentage of hospital beds in North and South Dakota out of all 50 states - with North Dakota reporting at one time that its hospitals had reached 100 percent capacity.

By December 2020 and January 2021, internal federal government maps showed that nearly the entire U.S. as one giant coronavirus hotspot.

The animation shows a similar situation with the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West colored red or dark red, indicating that counties were reporting between five and eight cases per 1,000 residents.

In some pockets, as many as 10 per 1,000 were infected.

It was during this period that the U.S. recorded its highest number of cases in one day (283,204 on January 8) and its highest number of deaths (5,443 on February 12).

However, cases then began to decline in March and, by early June, most of the country is colored light blue, meaning most counties are reporting between 0.6 and 1.3 cases per 1,000.

After cases declined in the spring, the map appears to mostly be colored blue, which indicates no more than 1.3 cases per 1,000 people

The animation ends on August 23, 2021, as the Southern U.S. reports record-high Covid cases and hospitalizations

During this time, the Indian 'Delta' variant was just starting to appear in the U.S. before it became the dominant strain.

Most cities and states lifted their pandemic-era restrictions including mask mandates and capacity limits.

Victory was short-lived, however, and cases began rising again. The map shows the progression of how the Southern U.S. became overwhelmed with cases up to Monday, August 23.

Unlike previous waves with large swaths of red and a few pockets of purple - indicating the worst surge - there are now several purple pockets.

States including Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas have reported record-high cases and hospitalizations, and several say their hospitals and ICUs have reached capacity.

On Monday, the U.S. recorded 229,831 new cases and a seven-day rolling average of 150,098, which is a 161 percent increase from the 57,446 average seen four weeks prior.

The average is also the highest number reported since January 30, when the average sat at 150,960.

Officials also reported 908 virus-related fatalities with a seven-day rolling average of 1,011 - the third consecutive day that the average has topped four figures, which has not been seen since late March.

It also marks a 307 percent increase from the 248 average deaths reported 28 days ago.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will likely approve COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for all Americans six months after they receive their final shot rather than eight months previously announced by the Biden administration.

A person familiar with plans told The Wall Street Journal the change in the timeline is because data being examined by federal regulators look at boosters being given after six months.

The source said that approval for extra doses for all three vaccines - Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson - is expected in mid-September.

Both a White House spokesman and an FDA spokeswoman declined to comment to the Journal about when approval should be aniticpated or how soon after a final dose boosters will be recommended.

Federal health officials will likely approve COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans six months after their final dose rather than eight months. Pictured: Rosa Gallegos, 31, gets vaccinated against COVID-19 in Los Angeles, August 11

The Biden administration initially announced plans for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots last week.

During a media briefing, officials said adults over age 18 who received the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines could get a third dose starting the week of September 20.

At the time, there were no plans in place for those who received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Currently, boosters shots are only approved for immunocompromised Americans aged 12 and older.

To be approved for the entire U.S. population, the decision will need approval from from the FDA and a recommendation made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) advisory committee.

Among the first to receive boosters will likely be health care workers, nursing home residents and other older Americans, who were some of the first Americans to be vaccinated once the shots received emergency use authorization last December.

Officials are also planning to recommend that people receive a booster made from the same company as their initial two shots.

This means that people who receive two doses of the Pfizer vaccine should get a third dose of Pfizer and those who were given two doses of the Moderna vaccine should receive a Moderna booster.

Two weeks ago, the FDA expanded the emergency use authorization of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to allow them to be administered as boosters for those with weakened immune systems, citing their higher risk of catching the virus and evidence that the vaccines' effectiveness waned over time.

More and more research has shown that people with weakened immune systems have low or undetectable antibody levels, even after two doses.

A study in May found that all cancer patients developed fewer antibodies after being vaccinated compared to healthy participants and 10 percent barely developed antibodies at all.

Another study in June looked at 30 organ transplant recipients and found that 24 developed negative antibody levels - meaning they did not have any immune-fighting cells - after two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.

Despite this evidence, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for a moratorium on COVID-19 vaccines until every country could vaccinate at least 15 percent of their populations.

However, third doses are currently approved in several countries including Chile, France, Germany and Israel.

Israel, which exclusively administered the Pfizer shot, has been offering a booster to people over 60 who were already vaccinated more than five months ago in an effort to control its own surge in cases from the Delta variant.

France and Germany have also approved third doses for vulnerable populations with plans to start administering the shots next month.
Ministers have been urged to intervene in the Ultra Electronics and Meggitt takeovers as a growing chorus of critics warn promises made by their foreign buyers will be worthless.

Amid fears over the hollowing out of Britain's defence sector, private equity titan Advent International has swooped on Ultra in a 2.6bn deal while aerospace giant Parker-Hannifin has agreed to buy Meggitt for 6.3bn.

The bidders  both American  have made a swathe of pledges to protect jobs and investment to win over sceptics. But critics fear these promises are unenforceable and not worth the paper they are written on.

Ministers have been urged to intervene in the Ultra Electronics and Meggitt takeovers as a growing chorus of critics warn promises made by their foreign buyers will be worthless

There are also concerns that both deals pose a threat to national security given the sensitive roles Ultra and Meggitt play in Britain's defence industry. They point out that Advent's assurances when it took over Cobham, another British defence firm, in a 4bn deal last year were not enough to stop swathes of the company being sold off.

Lord Heseltine, who was a defence secretary under Margaret Thatcher, said: 'In any other country, including the US, these takeovers would be scrutinised by Government.'

He added that he regarded it as 'totally naive' that UK politicians think it 'unacceptable' to intervene.

'And I'm a total sceptic about any assurances that are given. I know that companies cannot give the sort of cast-iron guarantees for the future that would be enough to persuade me.'

Ultra's board of directors this week backed Advent's offer of 35 per share. The company makes highly sensitive equipment for the Royal Navy  notably submarine-hunting sonobuoys that are dropped into the sea to detect enemy activity.

In any other country, including the US, these takeovers would be scrutinised by Government Lord Heseltine

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has been monitoring the Ultra and Meggitt deals since they were first announced, indicating that he might intervene. The promises offered up by Advent and Parker-Hannifin are an effort to soothe the fears of ministers and investors  potentially avoiding a Government intervention further down the line.

But Kwarteng is able to step in on national security grounds even if guarantees have been agreed, and can block a deal if necessary. Labour MP Darren Jones, chairman of Parliament's business committee, has already written to Kwarteng to raise concerns about how strong any commitments will be.

Jones said: 'I'm not entirely sure that ministers are able to secure commitments at the moment that are legally enforceable for the long-term in the interest of British workers or indeed British capabilities in the defence industry.'

Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the defence committee, said: 'The UK's industrial strategy must not be to allow us to haemorrhage industrial assets which diminishes our military procurement abilities when we should be expanding them.'
Pensions are set to be a key battleground in the war to take control of defence firm Meggitt.

The Coventry business is being circled by American predators  engineer Parker-Hannifin and private equity outfit Transdigm.

The tussle has outraged MPs and military figures who want Meggitt to retain its British roots amid fears of a hollowing out of the UK defence industry.

Pensions row: Defence firm Meggitt is being circled by American predators  engineer Parker-Hannifin and private equity outfit Transdigm

But one pensions expert has warned that retirement pots will increasingly become a deciding factor  meaning pension commitments could decide Meggitt's future.

Alex Waite, an independent pensions consultant at LCP which is advising firms such as G4S as well as Parker-Hannifin as it pursues Meggitt, said pension trustees are becoming wary of the amount of debt involved in takeovers.

Trustees of the Morrisons pension schemes have sounded the alarm over the proposed 7billion deal for the supermarket chain.

From this autumn, company directors and pension trustees can be jailed or fined up to 1million for doing anything which 'puts pension benefits at risk'.

Higher offer for Augean Waste company Augean has switched horses and backed a new takeover offer worth 341million. It had accepted a 315million go-private bid from Morgan Stanley Infrastructure, worth 300p a share. But it is now backing a buyout offer from a consortium of investment managers Ancala Partners and Fiera Infrastructure, which has bid 325p a share. Their approach raised the prospect of a bidding war. Augean's stock rose 17.2 per cent, or 49p, to 334p  a sign higher takeover offers may materialise. Executive chairman Jim Meredith said: 'We believe the acquisition is a good outcome for all stakeholders.'

This means Meggitt's trustees will be keeping a close eye on the leverage  or debt levels, compared to profits  imposed on the company by Parker's and Transdigm's bids.

Deals which pile more debt on a company could weaken the pension schemes, since the business will have to spend more on paying interest and could have less for retirement pots. Debt will usually take priority over pension scheme funding if a firm goes bust.

Waite said: 'Pension fund trustees could be held responsible if they allow a deal with too much leverage to pass, if this ends up harming the pension schemes. It's not just trustees.

The directors of the target company also need to consider what a deal means for pension fund members.'

Meggitt's pension scheme has a 201million funding hole, and looks after the retirement savings of 4,600 current and ex-employees.

A takeover by Parker or Transdigm is likely to leave Meggitt  which makes 'black boxes' for the RAF Typhoon jets and flight deck display instruments for commercial aircraft  with higher debt levels.

Parker's leverage is around two times, according to analysts, while Transdigm's is around seven times.

And both figures will rise as more debt is taken on during the Meggitt takeover.

Transdigm said: 'Our British businesses employ over 2,000 people, so we fully understand the requirements of acquirers.'

Parker said: 'We have signed a legally binding memorandum of understanding with the trustee of the Meggitt pension plan alongside our recommended offer.

'We very much recognise the importance of upholding Meggitt's pension obligations and are committed to putting the pension plan on a stronger foundation.'

Leeds tech firm bought by Relx in 130m deal

The founder of a Leeds software company is set to make 18million after his firm was taken over by British data giant Relx.

John Lord founded Trunarrative in 2016 and is chief executive of the company that helps banks, casinos, accountancy firms, retailers and logistics groups screen suppliers and customers and check for signs of fraud.

Relx is understood to be paying about 130million, with Lord, 54, in line for 18million as he has about 13.5 per cent of the shares.

American tycoon Larry Smith owns another 83 per cent through his firm Provenir and stands to make around 108million.

And Trunarrative's top executives, including operating chief Ryan Morrison, commercial boss Mike Harriss and technology chief David Eastaugh, also look in line to share a pot of about 5million.

Relx last year bought Cambridge analytics firm Scibite for 65million, anti-fraud tech firm Emailage Corp for 350million and identification firm ID Analytics for 273million.

Price boost for miner Bacanora Lithium miner Bacanora has accepted an improved 285m takeover offer after shareholders complained it was being sold 'on the cheap'. The offer tabled by China's Ganfeng is now worth 73.6p per share, compared to a previous bid of 67.5p per share, or 259million. This comprises 67.5p in cash as well as shares in the Zinnwald lithium project in Germany. Ganfeng's earlier offer fuelled a grassroots revolt. Its proposal needs 75 per cent shareholder support. Lithium is key in making batteries, and currently in high demand.

Rival swoops on fund administrator Sanne

Jersey fund administrator Sanne has agreed to be sold to rival Apex Group for 1.5billion.

Apex will pay 920p per share, higher than the 875p bid from private equity firm Cinven in July.

Sanne provides outsourcing services to nearly 2,000 clients, varying from private debt to capital markets. Apex is a fund services group with 5,000 staff.

Sanne chairman Rupert Robson said: 'Sanne has delivered substantial value creation to shareholders since IPO and today's acquisition ensures investors are compensated for the future potential of the business.'

The deal is yet to be voted on by investors.
The City watchdog has effectively blacklisted the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by declaring that it is 'not capable' of supervision by regulators.

In a letter to the UK arm of Binance, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the firm posed 'a significant risk to consumers'. It added the firm was unwilling to engage with it.

But the regulator is unable to stop Britons using Binance.com as the website is not connected to its UK entity. The criticism comes at a time when cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, are soaring in popularity.

Crackdown: The Financial Conduct Authority said cryptocurrency exchange Binance posed 'a significant risk to consumers'

Consumers wanting to purchase bitcoin will often use an exchange like Binance, which matches buyers with sellers.

According to its website, 1.5billion worth of cryptocurrencies are traded on Binance every day.

But the FCA and the Bank of England are increasingly worried about the risks posed to customers by its governance and products.

Binance also allows traders to place highly leveraged bets on cryptocurrencies, meaning customers can suffer heavy losses if punts go wrong.

The FCA  led by chief executive Nikhil Rathi  is also understood to be concerned about Binance's money-laundering and fraud controls.

It issued a stinging rebuke to Binance in June, forcing it to plaster warnings on its website telling consumers that it 'is not permitted to undertake any regulated activity in the UK'. Yet the FCA has few avenues left to prevent consumers buying Binance products.

The regulator said Binance Markets Limited, the group's UK arm, 'refused' to respond to basic questions including enquiries relating to money laundering.

In its letter to Binance Markets, the FCA said: 'The FCA considers that firm's responses have been incomplete and have included direct refusals to provide information.'

Fraud concerns: The FCA  led by chief executive Nikhil Rathi (pictured)  is understood to be concerned about Binance's money-laundering and fraud controls

The FCA listed failures to provide details about how the group is organised, to explain what routes UK consumers could use to buy its products, and to identify the legal entity behind it.

The firm, founded in 2017 in China by Changpeng Zhao, is domiciled in the Cayman Islands. It was planning a UK site when it bought British firm EddieUK, changing the name to Binance Markets. But under new FCA rules, Binance Markets pulled the application this year.

All cryptocurrency firms in the UK must register with the FCA by March 2022, but it says many applications it has received are totally inadequate.

Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, has warned investors that they should be prepared to 'lose everything'.

Binance said: 'As noted by the FCA, Binance Markets has fully complied with all aspects of its requirements. We continue to engage with the FCA to resolve any outstanding issues.

'As the cryptocurrency ecosystem industry continues to grow and evolve we are committed to working with regulators and policymakers to develop policies that protect consumers, encourage innovation, and move our industry forward.'
Swedish hedge fund Cevian Capital now has a 5.02% stake in British insurer Aviva

Activist investor Cevian Capital has bumped up its stake in Aviva.

The Swedish hedge fund, whose boss Christer Gardell has been dubbed the Butcher, revealed in June that it had taken a 4.95 per cent stake in the British insurer. It has now ramped that up to 5.02 per cent, stock market filings revealed, taking its holding to just over 802million.

Gardell has a reputation for ruthlessness and called for the return 5billion of excess cash to shareholders by next year. This month, Avivas chief executive Amanda Blanc set out plans to hand back 4billion.

Niko Pakalen, a partner at Cevian, said: We remain confident that Aviva will meet or exceed the expectations we have communicated.
A drug lord who founded one of Mexico's most dangerous cartels with his brothers has been arrested just moments after he was deported from the United States.

Eduardo Arellano-Felix, 64, was taken into custody after U.S. federal agents escorted him across a bridge that connects Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on Monday.

Arellano-Felix, who had served eight years of a 15-year prison sentence, is now facing organized crime and drug trafficking charges in his homeland.

Prosecutors in Mexico said Eduardo Arellano Felix was handed over to Mexican federal authorities at the border crossing.

Arellano-Felix, otherwise known as 'El Doctor,' was one of seven brothers who founded the Tijuana-based Arellano-Felix Organization that moved hundreds of tons of cocaine and marijuana from Mexico and Colombia into the United States.

Known for its violent and brutal control of the drug trade in the border city of Tijuana in the 1990s, the arrests or death of most of the seven Arellano Felix brothers have reduced the cartel to a shadow of its former self.

Eduardo Arellano-Felix, 64, was taken into custody after U.S. federal agents escorted him across a bridge that connects Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on Monday. Arellano-Felix, who with his seven siblings founded the Arellano-Felix Organization, did eight of the 15 years he was sentenced to in the United States before he was released from prison in Pennsylvania last Wednesday

Eduardo Arellano-Felix, or 'El Doctor' as he was also known, was apprehended by Mexican authorities following a shootout at his home in Tijuana, Mexico on October 25, 2008. He attempted to stop his extradition to the United States on numerous occasions before his efforts dried and was turned over August 31, 2012

The family slowly lost its grip along Californias border with Mexico over the past decade, while the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels emerged as the most powerful groups in the highly coveted corridor for moving drugs to the United States.

Arellano-Felix was apprehended by Mexican authorities following a shootout at his home in Tijuana, Mexico on October 25, 2008. He attempted to stop his extradition to the United States on numerous occasions before his efforts dried and was turned over August 31, 2012.

He pleaded guilty in May 2013, confessing to laundering hundreds of millions of dollars and using the earnings to pay of cartel henchmen for a string of crimes that were carried out. He also admitted to drug dealing proceeds to bribe officials, purchase weapons, ammunitions and cars.

The Arellano-Felix brothers, founders of the Arellano-Felix Organization, also known as the Tijuana Cartel, with their sisters

Francisco Arellano Felix (pictured) founded the Tijuana Cartel, or Arellano-Felix Organization as it is also known. He was celebrating his 63rd birthday in Los Cabos on October 18, 2013 when he was killed by a gunman who was dressed as a clown

Ramon Arellano Felix, the cartel's top enforcer, was killed at the age of 37 during a shootout with Mexican officers in 2002

His 69-year-old brother Benjamin Arellano Felix, described by U.S. and Mexican authorities as the cartel's mastermind, was sentenced to 25 years in U.S. prison after being extradited from Mexico, where he was arrested in 2002.

Ramon Arellano Felix, the cartel's top enforcer, was killed at the age of 37 during a shootout with Mexican officers in 2002.

Another brother, Francisco Javier Arellano-Felix, 51, was sentenced in 2007 to life in prison after the U.S. Coast Guard captured him in a fishing boat in international waters off Mexicos Baja California coast.

Benjamin Arellano Felix, who was described by U.S. and Mexican authorities as the cartel's mastermind, was sentenced to 25 years in U.S. prison after being extradited from Mexico, where he was arrested in 2002

The oldest of the siblings, Francisco Rafael 'El Pancho' Arellano Felix, was celebrating his 63rd birthday in Los Cabos on October 18, 2013 when he was killed by a gunman who was dressed as a clown.

The issue of freed drug traffickers has been a sensitive one for Mexico, after the release or near-release of several old-guard drug lords.

Almost eight years ago, drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero walked out of a Mexican prison late at night when a judge improperly ordered his release from a 40-year sentence for the torture-murder of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena in 1985.

He has since returned to drug trafficking and unleashed bloody turf battles in the northern Mexico border state of Sonora.

Mexicos current government is beginning to earn a reputation for having released more drug lords than it has captured, part of the presidents stated policy of no longer detaining drug lords to avoid violence.

It's a particularly thorny issue President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who in 2019 ordered the release of Ovidio Guzman, one of 'El Chapo' Guzmans sons, to avoid bloodshed.

In April, a lower court ordered 1990s drug lord Hector 'El Guero' Palma freed, a development that threatened international embarrassment had he walked free.

But in July, a Mexican appeals court overturned the acquittal, arguing the lower court improperly applied the double jeopardy rule, which prohibits trying someone twice for the same offense.
OnlyFans' founder has blamed banks for the company's ban on sexually explicit content, which stars of the platform say will either force them out of business or else drive them to switch to a new channel.

Company founder Tim Stokely was last week condemned for abandoning sex workers who say they've built his fortune, but he has now insisted that banks which process the start-up's payments were to blame for the ban.

'The change in policy, we had no choice  the short answer is banks,' he told the Financial Times.

He blasted the ultimatum he says his firm was issued with as 'unfair' and said banks had warned him they were incurring 'reputational risk' by handling OnlyFans' finances.

Stokely claimed UK-based Metro Bank closed OnlyFans' corporate account on short notice in 2019, and accused US firm Bank of New York Mellon of 'making it difficult to pay our creators', having 'flagged and rejected' every wire associated with the firm.

He also hit out at another American bank, JP Morgan Chase, saying: 'JPMorgan Chase is particularly aggressive in closing accounts of sex workers or any business that supports sex workers,' he continued.

Tim Stokely, the British entrepreneur behind the website OnlyFans, has blamed the decision last week to ban sexually explicit content was the result of pressure from banks

He added: 'We pay over one million creators over $300 million every month, and making sure that these funds get to creators involves using the banking sector,' he told the Financial Times in an interview published Tuesday.

Following the announcement last week, several sex workers told the PA news agency they intended to find a new platform and expected OnlyFans to close as a result of many others leaving.

Stokely said he would 'absolutely' allow pornographic content to return to the site if banks changed their approach.

'This decision (to ban explicit content) was made to safeguard their funds and subscriptions from increasingly unfair actions by banks and media companies,' he said.

'We obviously do not want to lose our most loyal creators.'

The platform, which is popular among sex workers, recently announced new rules coming into effect in October that prohibit 'any content containing sexually explicit conduct' - though non-sexual nudity will still be permitted.

Sex workers and models who have built their livelihoods on OnlyFans accused the website of 'using them' and then 'betraying them'.

Initially the London-based company said the move was being introduced due to pressure from financial partners, leading some to assume payment processors Mastercard and Visa were behind it.

Stokely said Chase, Metro Bank and Bank of New York Mellon were to blame for the change in policy, which has angered many content creators on the site

One US-based creator, Camila Elle, 21, accused the site of 'using' its explicit creators to promote it on social media and draw in users.

She said that many, including herself, have turned OnlyFans into a full-time career, abandoning other professional opportunities in order to dedicate themselves to creating the kind of risque images and videos that will soon be banned.

Sex workers and models have slammed OnlyFans' decision to ban sexually explicit content from October 1 - with US-based user Camila Elle accusing the site of 'using them'

The 21-year-old college student took aim at OnlyFans, saying that 'sex workers built the platform' and accusing it of 'throwing them away'

New York-based OnlyFans star Ona Artist said that it is 'suicide' for the site to ban sexually explicit content, insisting sex workers will find another platform

'I feel betrayed by OnlyFans, I made it my entire livelihood, and quit my dreams of becoming a doctor to pursue a full time career on the site,' the college student said.

'Sex workers built this platform, it's a business to us. We were the ones who promoted OnlyFans across social media.

'They used us to build the site and now they're throwing us away.'

Stokely said the company was hiring almost 200 new moderators to a team of nearly 1,000 staff members who are 'involved in some part of our multi-step moderation process'.

He told the FT that the new rules have also delayed the company's plan for a share sale.

Majority owner Leonid Radvinsky, the Ukrainian-American entrepreneur behind porn site MyFreeCams, is looking to sell part of his stake.

Stokely rejected reports that wariness from investors had sparked the move.

'We didn't make this policy change to make it easier to find investors,' said Stokely, arguing his family and Radvinsky would not bring in owners that were not comfortable with adult performers.

His comments come amid growing outrage against the increasing number of celebrities who have joined the website - and now rake in millions of dollars a month from their subscribers, with many charging top prices for images that are much more tame than the sexually explicit content many sex workers offer on the site.

Meet OnlyFans' top 10 highest earners: How celebrities like Bella Thorne and Blac Chyna rake in MILLIONS a month on the site OnlyFans has become a hugely lucrative endeavor for many of its users - particularly celebrities like Blac Chyna, Bella Thorne, and Mia Khalifa who are among its highest-earning creators. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, these A-listers rake in millions of dollars a month, with Blac Chyna topping the list of the site's biggest earners with an estimated monthly income of $20 million. Here, FEMAIL reveals the site's top 10 earners - and their estimated monthly incomes: 1. Blac Chyna: $20 MILLION 2. Bella Thorne: $11 MILLION 3. Cardi B: $9.34 MILLION 4. Tyga: $7.69 MILLION 5. Mia Khalifa: $6.43 MILLION 6. Erica Mena: $4.49 MILLION 7. Pia Mia: $2.22 MILLION 8. Safaree Samuels: $1.91 MILLION 9. Megan Barton Hanson: $1.06 MILLION 10. Jem Wolfie: $900,000 Advertisement

OnlyFans creator Satine Doll, who lives in New York and charges $10 a month for her online subscriptions, took to Twitter to blast the site for 'using sex workers' to increase its popularity, before hanging them out to dry when 'celebs got on board'.

New York-based OnlyFans star Ona Artist warned that the explicit content ban could mark the end of the site's success because many of its creators will simply find another platform on which to sell their risque images and videos.

'If OnlyFans does go ahead with this it's suicide,' she said.

'They might claim it's because of payment processors rules but those companies put through porn purchases all over the web.

'Models will always find a way to share sexual content with those who want it.'

Colorado-based user Nita Marie, 45, a Christian model who rakes in an average $1.8 million a year from her nearly-one-million subscribers, also warned that the site's explicit content ban could put sex workers at risk - because it will leave them without a 'safe and legal' forum through which to earn money.

'OnlyFans helps reduce sex trafficking and illegal sex work as it's down to the creators who choose to post content,' she said.

'Online sex work is verified, safe and legal and OnlyFans also offers an opportunity for the user to interact with the creator in a safe environment.

'Changing their conditions could cause huge issues for people.'

OnlyFans says creators can continue to share content with nudity 'as long as it is consistent with our Acceptable Use Policy'.

These prohibit specific explicit content such as rape, torture, revenge porn and sex trafficking.

OnlyFans, which has 130 million users, has become synonymous with explicit and nude content, particularly during the pandemic, when many sex workers and porn stars began using the site to make money after the adult film industry shut down over fears about COVID safety.

As a result, the site's membership has skyrocketed over the past 18 months and it now boasts more than two million creators, who have earned more than $5 billion since OnlyFans was launched in 2016.

However, the company has not disclosed how much of its revenue is generated from pornography and adult content shared by creators.

The increased popularity of the site also saw it draw in multiple celebrity creators, including Blac Chyna, Bella Thorne, Cardi B, Tyga, and Mia Khalifa - all of whom are among the top ten highest earning members of the site.

Colorado-based user Nita Marie, 45, a Christian model who rakes in an average $1.8 million a year, also warned that the site's explicit content ban could put sex workers at risk

Nita, who has nearly one million subscribers, said that OnlyFans' ban could leave many sex workers without a 'safe and legal' place to earn money

Backlash: OnlyFans creator Satine Doll took to Twitter to slam the site for abandoning sex workers as soon as celebrities began signing up

However their involvement in the site has sparked furious controversy, with many accusing OnlyFans' A-list creators of 'taking money away' from the sex workers who use it as their primary source of income.

Thorne in particular has found herself at the center of a bitter backlash - with dozens of social media users now blaming her for the explicit content ban.

OnlyFans' announcement comes one year after the former Disney star sparked outrage by joining the site and charging $200 for a single image.

At the time, claims spread online that she had offered a 'nude' snap, however the actress insisted that she never intended to pose naked, and that any suggestion to the contrary was spread without her knowledge.

Still, the 23-year-old earned $1 million on her first day on the site, a figure that she then doubled in just 48 hours - and soon after, OnlyFans announced that it would be implementing a controversial payment cap for all of its creators, prompting many to place the blame for the new limits on Thorne.

Following the backlash over Thorne's account, OnlyFans initiated a $50-per-image cap, down from its previous limit of $200, while also implementing a $100 cap on any tips.

The company also enacted a hold on payments that would make some international creators wait 30 days to receive their money  without any warning.

OnlyFans said in a statement that the changes were not prompted by any one user.

However Thorne still faced much criticism in the wake of the announcement - which prompted her to issue an apology to sex workers, insisting in a series of tweets that she had only ever intended to normalize sex work, not financially harm those who work within the industry.

Thorne has yet to comment on the explicit content ban.

However she was quickly drawn into the bitter backlash against the site on Twitter, where dozens of users accused her of 'ruining' the site by launching her own account in 2020.

'I blame the OnlyFans thing on Bella Thorne,' one person posted, while another said: 'Bella Thorne started it all. She proved that Only Fans could make money millions off just thong shots. There was no reason to have sexual content on it.

Some social media users have blamed former Disney star Bella Thorne for 'ruining' OnlyFans after she sparked furious controversy last year by joining the site

The 23-year-old was blasted last year when she charged $200 for a single image on the site - particularly after OnlyFans implemented a payment cap of $50-per-photo

Many social media users took aim at Thorne in light of OnlyFans' announcement, accusing the site of prioritizing celebrity creators like her over sex workers and models

'Now banning sexual content they probably hope to lure more celebrities to post pictures of themselves in bikinis on the App.'

The user continued in a second tweet: 'Bella Thorne is going to take a lot of heat again over Only Fans banning sexual content. She was able to make OnlyFans realize that they don't need to host sexual content to make money off the suckers that want to pay to look at a thong covered a**. Bella has never been topless.'

One person then chimed in: 'I have no ties to OnlyFans but I just wanna put it out there Bella Thorne f****d that app and started the downwards spiral, anyone with one I hope for success no mess!'

The site's other celebrity users also found themselves drawn into the controversy, with several Twitter users branding A-list OnlyFans creators as 'greedy'.

'Celebs really came through and ruined only fans for those who were actually using it to make a living,' one person wrote, as another tweeted: 'I always though celebs having OnlyFans was weird.

'They lowkey ruined the platform [by] being greedy.'

A third described the move as a 'slap in the face' to sex workers, writing: 'OnlyFans banning sexual content is a slap in the face to the ones who really built the site.

'And shoutout to all the celebs who ruined the safe space for sex workers.'
Retiring General Scott Miller is to blame for the bungled US exit from Afghanistan, a military expert who predicted the fall of the nation's capital months ago has claimed.

Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at think tank the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, slammed military leadership, telling DailyMail.com he tried to warn the Pentagon of the swift advance of the Taliban towards Kabul in the weeks before they took the city but was 'ignored'.

Roggio said President Joe Biden insisted on a reduced force of just 700 troops to both keep the US embassy in Kabul open and secure an airport to evacuate the rest of the 3,500 US soldiers, thousands of other Americans and Afghan allies.

As the US commander on the ground and facing the tight constraint, Miller chose Hamid Karzai International Airport in the middle of Kabul for the evacuation, telling US forces to abandon the nearby military airbase of Bagram outside the city.

Miller left Afghanistan in July and is due to retire from the military.

But his fateful decision came back to bite him when the Taliban swarmed into the capital within days, surrounding the airport and frustrating the evacuation of both Americans and allied Afghans, leaving many stranded and at risk of attack.

US General Scott Miller (left) and General Kenneth McKenzie (right) are to blame for the Afghanistan debacle, according to Bill Roggio, of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies

The disastrous withdrawal of US troops in Afghanistan resulted in a political crisis after the Taliban swarmed into the capital of Kabul within days, surrounding the airport and frustrating the evacuation of both Americans and allied Afghans

An aerial picture taken Monday shows crowds and traffic outside the Kabul airport as Americans and Afghan allies attempt to flee Afghanistan

Roggio is livid that none of the US's top generals, including Centcom commander General Kenneth McKenzie, appear to have questioned Miller's plan, which he says was doomed to end in catastrophe.

'Ultimately it's Generals Miller and McKenzie to blame for the decision over Bagram,' Roggio told DailyMail.com.

'Miller was the ground commander at the time and proposed the plan, worked on it with Mackenzie, then they pushed it up.

'The problem here is that no one stood up and said "this is insane." No one had the vision to say if the Taliban is able to run through Kabul before we execute our withdrawal we're going to be in a world of hurt.'

Roggio, a senior fellow at the think tank, He claimed he tried warning the Pentagon of the Taliban's threat on Kabul weeks before they swooped in, but was 'ignored'

Roggio, who was embedded with Marines in Iraq and the Canadian armed forces in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2008, pointed the finger at Miller and his senior colleagues McKenzie, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, and defense secretary and former four star general Lloyd Austin, saying they all prioritized politics and fail to stand up to Biden.

'Generals ultimately take orders. But at some point a general needs to stand up and say, "Sir, I can't in good conscience execute that order because I believe it will put American lives at risk",' said Roggio.

'That won't happen because generals in the US military are climbers. They're concerned about their next posting, their next advancement.

'They've largely become political with the exception of a few. And they just began toeing the political line.'

The military expert and editor of The Long War Journal said he had been researching and documenting the Taliban's military efforts for the past seven years, and late last year he started to see rural districts and strategic towns throughout the country fall to them at a growing pace.

But Roggio said even in late June this year, weeks from the disastrous fall of Afghanistan's capital, top US commanders appeared to be using deeply flawed intelligence.

In testimony to congress, General Milley claimed that the Taliban controlled just 81 of the 419 district centers in Afghanistan.

'In terms of the district centers in the provinces and, as mentioned earlier, there's 419 district centers, 81 of them or so are in the hands of the Taliban, about 50 were done previously and about 30 or 40 in the last 'X' amount of months. In addition to that, no provinces have fallen to the Taliban yet,' Milley said in a June 23 budget request hearing.

According to Roggio, it was General Miller's decision to abandon the Bagram airbase (pictured) and use Hamid Karzai International Airport for the evacuation

Roggio said officials should have secured Bagram (pictured in July) and put a cordon in Kabul instead

In a press briefing last week Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley let slip that the generals were acting on orders to reduce forces down to 700 troops. Roggio said President Joe Biden insisted on a reduced force to both keep the US embassy in Kabul open and secure an airport

But Roggio's data from the time instead showed 139 districts under Taliban control, with a further 173 'contested.'

'The generals should have understood what was happening,' the defense analyst said.

'Once we handed over control [to the Afghan army], I recognized that the Taliban insurgency strategy was to spread out from rural districts to the capitals and take them.

'The Taliban offensive began on May 1, and they had already gutted the Afghan army in half of the districts that they took over.

'I was saying publicly at the end of May or early June that at this pace the government's lucky to get out by the end of the summer.

'Within a couple of weeks Milley actually came round to my numbers, after Centcom behind the scenes was denigrating my numbers.

'I read their interviews with military commanders, and I built that map. That's how I knew and tracked it every day for years. That's seven years of work.

'I find it repulsive that I could have known what was coming.'

Roggio says the failure to recognize the swift advance by the Taliban on Kabul, threatening the capital, was the reason US military leadership did not question Biden's orders to reduce in-country forces to just 700  after years of political pressure to get American forces out of Afghanistan.

'They had to have thought it would never, ever have come to this. Otherwise he would not have left such a small number of troops,' Roggio said.

'They never believed that Kabul was going to fall. They thought there would be time to get Americans out.

In testimony to congress, Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley (pictured right on Tuesday) claimed that the Taliban controlled just 81 of the 419 district centers in Afghanistan. Roggio has accused Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (left) of prioritizing politics and failing to stand up to President Biden

Roggio's data from the time instead showed 139 districts under Taliban control, with a further 173 'contested'

The US said some 16,000 people were flown out of Kabul between Sunday morning and Monday afternoon, with thousands more due to leave the country today (pictured, a satellite image shows people boarding a military plane)

'Because of that they piled on bad decision after bad decision: how they announced the withdrawal, how they limited themselves to Kabul airport and the embassy, closing Bagram. It all flowed from a complete failure to understand what was happening, while it was happening.

'But just look at how quickly those estimates changed on the viability of the Afghan government. It went from 1-2 years to six months to weeks, all in the span of a month.'

Roggio added that Miller and his colleagues became blinkered believing they could negotiate with insurgents.

'The military wedded themselves to the political process, that being negotiations with the Taliban. That was evident in early 2019 when they ended the reporting on what was happening with the military situation in the districts.

'Miller said the real measure of success would be negotiations with the Taliban, not a military solution. They convinced themselves there was some kind of political settlement here. Once they did that, they began to ignore the military reality on the ground,' he said.

'They kept saying the Taliban would negotiate, there is no military solution to the problem, while the Taliban was executing a military solution to the problem.'

Roggio estimated that in order to use the more secure Bagram airbase for evacuations rather than the metropolitan civil airport, Biden would have needed to commit at least 1,000 troops  an idea he said was dismissed as 'dead on arrival'.

The US has evacuated approximately 58,700 people since August 14. Above, a family boards a US Air Force plane during an evacuation from the Hamid Karzai airport in Kabul on Monday

There are still huge crowds around the airport at Kabul with people desperately trying to get out of the country

'What they would have needed to have done is to secure Bagram and put a cordon in Kabul, a bubble so people could make it through. It can't just be a single access point.

'That would have required far more troops than they have in the operation right now, and that's just something Biden didn't want to do.'

The military expert said he was not optimistic that defense leadership would be held accountable for the 'failure'.

'It's without a doubt a failure and someone needs to pay a price for that,' Roggio told DailyMail.com.

'President Biden, if he did fire a general, he would have to admit this was all a failure. And he doesn't believe that. He believes it might be messy, but it's working.'

In a press briefing last week Milley revealed the plan to abandon Bagram and use Kabul International for evacuations was devised by Miller - and let slip that the generals were acting on orders to reduce forces down to 700 troops.

'If we were to keep both Bagram and the embassy going, that would be a significant number of military forces that may have exceeded what we had, or stayed the same as what we had,' the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman told reporters.

'So you had to collapse one or the other. And the decision was made, the proposal was made, from CENTCOM commander [McKenzie] and the commander on the ground, Scottie Miller, to go ahead and collapse Bagram.

'That was all briefed and approved and we estimated that the risk of going out of KIA [Karzai International Airport, Kabul], or the risk of going out of Bagram, were about the same, so going out of KIA was the better tactical solution in accordance with getting the troops down to a 600, 700 number.'

Roggio said Milley's statement was revealing  and was part of an effort to avoid blame for the bungled evacuation.

'I think Milley understands what a mess this is and what a mistake that was. He's certainly trying to let the s**t roll downhill,' the defense analyst said.

'Miller is no longer in the Army, he's retired. That's probably why he name-dropped him, he's not going to pay for it.'
House Democrats have passed legislation that would strengthen a landmark civil rights-era voting law weakened by the Supreme Court over the past decade  in move that is running into nearly unified GOP opposition in the Senate.

Party leaders touted the vote as substantial progress in their quest to fight back against voting restrictions advanced in Republican-led states and Civil Rights-era protections, at a time of bitter party clashes over voting rules.

The bill, which is part of a broader Democratic effort to enact a sweeping overhaul of elections, was approved on a 219-212 vote, with no Republican support.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted the Supreme Court and said 'hopefully' the John Lewis Voting Rights Act would advance in the Senate

Its Tuesday passage was praised by President Joe Biden, who said it would protect a 'sacred right' and called on the Senate to 'send this important bill to my desk.'

But the measure faces dim prospects in that chamber, where Democrats do not have enough votes to overcome opposition from Senate Republicans, who have rejected the bill as 'unnecessary' and a Democratic 'power grab.'

A single Republicans, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, has expressed support for it.

That bottleneck puts Democrats right back where they started with a slim chance of enacting any voting legislation before the 2022 midterm elections, when some in the party fear new GOP laws will make it harder for many Americans to vote.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took an optimistic tone in comments to reporters Wednesday. 'Hopefully it will see success there,' she said of the Senate.

She blasted the Supreme Court majority for an 'assault on the Voting Rights Act. 'What could they be thinking? Thinking, caring? I dont know,' she fumed.

She noted that the last Voting Rights Act reauthorization, before the Court's rulings, came on bipartisan House votes.

Senate Republicans are putting up nearly unified opposition against the bill

The bill is part of a bitter party clash over voting rules

'Unfortunately yesterday you did not see that bipartisanship and it was really sad. This is fundamental to our democracy that we respect the sanctity of the vote. That is what John Lewis life and risk of death was about,' she said.

Speaking from the House floor, Pelosi said it was imperative for Congress to counteract the Republican efforts, which she characterized as 'dangerous' and 'anti-democratic.'

'Democracy is under attack from what is the worst voter suppression campaign in America since Jim Crow,' Pelosi said.

Key provisions of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act bill The bill creates a new formula for states and jurisdictions that need preclearance from the Justice Department for election changes. The Supreme Court struck struck down portions of the Voting Rights Act in 2013 and 2021. The court ruled that the Civil Rights era 1965 law was obsolete, and Congress must identify jurisdictions to be monitored in light of current conditions. States and subdivisions with 15 or more voting rights violations over the past quarter century would qualify. So would those with 10 or more violations if at least one was committed by the state itself. States can get out of monitoring if they establish a clean record. Preclearance would be triggered with three or more violations over 25 years and the state administers elections. It would come into play for a political subdivision like a county if three or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years. The bill authorizes the Justice Department to require states to hand over election information. Courts would be required to consider a states history of discrimination. The bill would stop states was from relying on new heightened standard imposed by the courts recent Brnovich v. the Democratic National Committee ruling on Arizona voting changes. Advertisement

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, named for the late Georgia congressman who made the issue a defining one of his career, would restore voting rights protections that have been dismantled by the Supreme Court. Under the proposal, the Justice Department would again police new changes to voting laws in states that have racked up a series of 'violations,' drawing them into a mandatory review process known as 'preclearance.'

The practice was first put in place under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But it was struck down by a conservative majority on the Supreme Court in 2013, which ruled the formula for determining which states needed their laws reviewed was outdated and unfairly punitive. The court did, however, say that Congress could come up with a new formula, which is what the bill does.

A second ruling from the court in July made it more difficult to challenge voting restrictions in court under another section of the law.

The bills sponsor, Rep. Terri Sewell, said 'old battles have indeed become new again,' enabled by the Supreme Courts rulings.

'While literacy tests and poll taxes no longer exist, certain states and local jurisdictions have passed laws that are modern day barriers to voting,' said Sewell, an Alabama Democrat.

In many cases, the new bill wouldn't apply to laws enacted in the years since the court's 2013 ruling. That likely includes the wave of new Republican-backed restrictions inspired by Donald Trump's false claims of a stolen 2020 election.

But if signed into law along with Democrats' other election bill, the For the People Act, many of those restrictions could be neutralized - and likely prevented from getting approved again. Both laws would likely face legal challenges.

In the short term, the vote Tuesday was expected to soothe restive Democratic activists who have been frustrated by inaction on the issue in the Senate.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson said he was 'encouraged' by the bill's passage. But he also offered a thinly veiled threat, pledging to watch closely as the Senate takes it up and 'keep track of every yea and every nay' vote.

'Make no mistake, we will be there, on the ground in 2022, in every state that needs a new Senator,' he said in a statement.

Democrats' slim 50-50 majority in the Senate means they lack the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. For months, progressives have called for scrapping the filibuster, but a number of moderate Democrats oppose the idea, denying the votes needed to do so.

It's also not clear that the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, as written, would be supported by all Democrats in the Senate, where there are no votes to spare.

One provision in the bill would ban many types of voter ID laws, including those already on the books. That's at odds with a proposal from West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who is the chamber's most conservative Democrat. He's spent weeks working with Senate leadership to develop a more narrowly focused alternative to the For the People Act, and has specifically called for a voter ID standard that would allow for people to use a document like a utility bill.

Republicans, meanwhile, blasted the timing of the measure, noting that Pelosi called Democrats back from August recess to pass the bill, as well as to take votes on Democrats' spending priorities, when the U.S. is dealing with its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

'If theres any moment in time to put an election aside, if theres any moment of time to put politics aside I would have thought today was this day,' said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Conservatives also criticized the bill as a departure from the 1965 voting law, which used minority turnout data as well as a place's history of enacting discriminatory voting laws when determining which places would be subject to preclearance.

The new bill, instead, leans heavily on looser standards, such as using the number of legal settlements and consent decrees issued in voting rights cases, to pull places into preclearance.

That would, Republicans argue, play into the hands of Democrats, who have built a sophisticated and well-funded legal effort to challenge voting rules in conservative-leaning states.

Rep. Michelle Fischbach, a Minnesota Republican, predicted it would be a boon for Democratic advocacy groups and trial lawyers, who would 'file as many objections as possible to manufacture litigation.'

'It empowers the attorney general to bully states and seek federal approval before making changes to their own voting laws,' she said.

--

This story has been corrected to show Rep. Fischbach is a Minnesota Republican, not from Iowa.

A U.S. Secret Service officer rides his bicycle past protesters, including Ben Jealous, center, and Rev. Melvin Wilson, right, as they rally for voting rights, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, near the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Kathy Chiron, President of the DC Chapter of the League of Women Voters, wears a necklace saying 'vote' while attending a rally for voting rights, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, near the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

People rally for voting rights, including statehood for the District of Columbia, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, near the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Ben Jealous speaks during a rally for voting rights, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, near the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
A 22-year-old has won this year's UK James Dyson Award for designing a potentially life-saving device to help stem bleeding from knife wounds.

Winner Joseph Bentley, a product design graduate from Essex, revealed that knife crime is a topic personal to him, as two of his friends were victims of knife related incidents.

Stab victims can bleed to death in just five minutes, so the priority for emergency personnel is to stop excessive blood loss.

Paramedics have wound pack kits that they use to treat stab victims but police are usually first on the scene and do not currently have the rapid and accessible tools required to prevent catastrophic blood loss, according to research by the device maker.

Joseph Bentley, 22, from Essex, (pictured) won this year's UK James Dyson Award with a potentially life-saving device to stop blood loss from stab victims

His React device, which stands for Rapid Emergency Actuating Tamponade, aims to help police treat knife wounds while waiting for medical assistance to arrive.

'Knife crime is a topic that is personal to me, as two of my friends were victims of knife related incidents,' he said.

'Thankfully both incidents were not fatal, but this is often not the case for so many others.

'Seeing the profound effect that it had on my friends and their families urged me to try and create a solution that could help others in the future.'

The tool inflates an implantable medical-grade silicone balloon tamponade into the wound tract, effectively filling the cavity and preventing internal bleeding.

Mr Bentley said current wound management techniques, such as tightly packing with gauze, can be slow, technical, and extremely painful for the victim.

He claims his prototype, called React - Rapid Emergency Actuating Tamponade - can stop bleeding and save hundreds of lives a year as it will allow police to treat stab victims on the scene before paramedics arrive

The device will buy valuable time before before full medical treatment can be administered as stab victims can bleed to death in minutes. Pictured: Left, the tamponade is inserted into the stab wound, right, the actuator is connected and the trigger is pulled inflating the balloon

He claims that his prototype could potentially be in place and stop haemorrhage in under a minute, and estimates it could save hundreds of lives a year.

A&E doctor and former Love Island contestant Dr Alex George, said: 'Sadly, knife crime is on the rise and we're seeing more and more incidents of knife related injuries in A&E departments in London and across England and Wales.

'Although more needs to be done in the wider community to tackle knife crime at the source, Joseph's React concept could be an impressive solution to help first responders, police officers, and medical professionals deal with these types of injuries, should it pass its medical trials.

How it works: The tool inflates an implantable medical-grade silicone balloon tamponade into the wound tract, effectively filling the cavity and preventing internal bleeding

The product design graduate revealed that knife crime is a topic that is personal to him, as two of his friends were victims of knife related incidents

'Time is of the essence in treating these types of injuries and the React system could help buy some valuable time before full medical treatment can be administered.'

The 22-year-old wins 2,000 towards developing his concept as part of the national prize and will progress to the international stage of the James Dyson Award 2021.

'I was thrilled when I found out I'd won the national James Dyson Award,' Mr Bentley added.

'This prestigious endorsement confirms that the React concept could have real world benefits and a positive impact on society.

'Although medical device testing takes a long time, I'm looking forward to using the prize money to develop my innovation further and hopefully see the device in the hands of first responders saving lives.'
Pennsylvania woman Margaret Cirko, 37, was arrested Thursday after deliberately coughing on produce in local grocery store and charged with making terrorist threats

A Pennsylvania woman who pleaded guilty to coughing and spitting on food at a supermarket in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic was sentenced to at least a year in jail.

Margaret Ann Cirko, 37, pleaded guilty in June to a felony count of making bomb threats.

Authorities said Cirko entered Gerrity's Supermarket in Hanover Township, near Wilkes-Barre, on March 25, 2020, and purposely coughed on fresh produce and other merchandise while yelling that she had the virus.

She continued 'in several aisles before attempting to steal a 12-pack of beer as she was being ordered to leave the store by employees', police said.

'I have the virus and you're all going to get sick!' Cirko allegedly yelled while coughing and spitting near the bakery section as well as the produce area.

Joe Fasula, co-owner of the supermarket chain, said that more than $35,000 worth of merchandise had to be thrown out as a result of what the Gerrity's Facebook page called a 'twisted prank.'

Cirko tested negative for COVID-19, according to her attorney, who said she was intoxicated at the time of the incident.

Cirko apologized in court during the Tuesday sentencing.

Cirko, pictured in a police car after her arrest on Thursday March 26, pleaded guilty in June to a felony count of making bomb threats

She was sentenced Tuesday to at least a year in jail. Following the coughing incident she was sent for mental health evaluation at a local hospital, where she was also tested for COVID-19

'I wish I could take it back,' she said.

A Luzerne County judge called Cirko's conduct 'totally outrageous' and sentenced her to one to two years in jail, to be followed by eight years of probation. She also was ordered to pay nearly $30,000 in restitution.

Thomas S. Cometa, Cirkos attorney, tried to have the bomb threat charge dismissed after claiming the statute would require a mechanical device, not include bodily fluids, however the judge ultimately upheld the charge levied against her, the Times Leader reported last month.

The outlet reports that Cirko's case is predicted to be a future legal precedent, due to the fact that there haven't been any other previous cases involving bodily fluids being classified as a bomb threat.

However, prosecutors withdrew charges of making terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit theft, and criminal mischief under Cirko's plea agreement.

Gerrity's supermarket owne Joe Fasula (pictured) restocking shelves after Cirko coughed on $35,000 worth of produce and meat, threatening to expose people to the coronavirus

Fasula had no choice but to throw out some of the merchandise she coughed on worth more than $35,000, he told the press following the incident

Due to coronavirus concerns, Cirko was arraigned by District Judge Joseph A. Halesey from the backseat of a police cruiser after being discharged from the hospital following her arrest

Meanwhile, Fasula lamented the loss of food, citing the then-mounting issue of supply as panic, fueled by the onset of the pandemic, caused many shoppers to raid market shelves in fear of food shortages.

'I am also absolutely sick to my stomach about the loss of food. While it is always a shame when food is wasted, in these times when so many people are worried about the security of our food supply, it is even more disturbing,' Fasula, the store's co-owner, shared on Facebook shortly after the incident in March 2020.

After the incident, the store deep cleaned its shelves to assure it was safe.

'Today was a very challenging day. While there is little doubt this woman was doing it as a very twisted prank, we will not take any chances with the health and well-being of our customers,' Fasula added.

The exterior of Gerrity's grocery store in Hanover Township (pictured)

Cirko was initially arrested and charged with two felony counts of terrorist threats, one felony count of threat to use a 'biological agent' and one felony count of criminal mischief, as well as misdemeanor counts of criminal attempt to commit retail theft and disorderly conduct.

Following the coughing incident she was sent for mental health evaluation at a local hospital, where she also tested was for COVID-19.

Due to coronavirus concerns, Cirko was arraigned in the backseat of a police cruiser after being discharged from the hospital following her arrest and driven to the office of District Judge Joseph A. Halesey in Hanover Township, according to a report by the Times Leader at the time.

In April of this year, Cirko was arrested again on unrelated charges after refusing to leave an area church while claiming that she was a 'child of God.'

Over the course of one day, she attempted to gain entry to the Welsh Presbyterian Church three times, with prosecutors in the case saying after being told twice to leave church grounds, Cirko returned for a third time, while pounding on the doors and yelling 'Let me in, God. I love you.'

In the April case, Cirko pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of defiant trespassing where she was fined $276, the Morning Call reports.
Goldman Sachs became one of the latest companies to roll out vaccination requirements for its employees, even extending the mandate to visitors, as more businesses impose similar policies amid the FDA's approval of the Pfizer vaccine.

Employees and visitors at Goldman Sachs must be fully vaccinated and will be subjected to regular Covid-19 testing starting September 7, or they will be banned from its offices. There will be no exemptions for medical or religious reasons.

The bank, which notified employees of the requirements on Tuesday in an internal memo obtained by Reuters, will also require that masks be worn in common areas like elevators, hallways and gyms in accordance with CDC guidance issued in July.

Goldman will have stricter protocols in cities with high-transmission rates, like San Francisco and Washington, D.C., and require employees to wear masks at all times except when they are eating and drinking.

Anyone entering Goldman Sachs Group offices in the US from Tuesday must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19

Goldman Sachs employees will be subjected to regular Covid-19 testing starting September 7

The bank will also require that masks be worn in offices regardless of vaccination status from Wednesday

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon has staunchly opposed remote work and, in February, he told a Credit Suisse virtual conference that it was an 'aberration' and said it is not the 'new normal.'

In May, Solomon sent a memo to his roughly 20,000 U.S. employees explaining that they would be expected to return to the Wall Street giant's New York City offices in the Financial District by June 14. When the day came, employees were greeted with live music and food trucks to celebrate.

Despite his previous opposition to remote work, employees who refuse to get vaccinated will have to make plans with their managers to work remotely. The bank will offer a paid half-day off for those who are not yet vaccinated to get their shots.

The company's announcement came a day after President Biden demanded that companies start mandating vaccines, a move that is likely to face calls of federal government overreach and legal challenges.

But most employees at Wall Street's big banks welcome vaccine mandates and are dismayed by their unvaccinated co-workers, the New York Post reported on Monday. America has a vaccination rate of roughly 57percent, while Wall Street's workforce has one of about 90percent.

One anonymous bank employee said to the New York Post, referring to anti-vaxxers on Wall Street, 'They are certainly social outliers and maybe social pariahs. Whether it's explicit or implicit, there will be a view about that employee  people will question whether they can do their jobs. Wall Street is all about evidence and if you can't connect the dots to get vaccinated, how can you connect dots to get deals done?'

Delta Air Lines is charging employees $200 on their health insurance premiums if they don't get the shot by Nov. 1

About 75percent of Delta's roughly 75,000 employees are already vaccinated, CEO Bastian told CNBC

Some companies are dishing out harsher penalties for employees who refuse to get vaccinated. Delta Air Lines is charging employees $200 on their health insurance premiums if they don't get the shot by Nov. 1. CEO Ed Bastian told employees that the increase is to cover the cost of employees who get hospitalized with the virus.

'The average hospital stay for Covid-19 has cost Delta $50,000 per person,' Bastian said in an employee memo obtained by CNBC. 'This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company. In recent weeks since the rise of the [Delta] variant, all Delta employees who have been hospitalized with Covid were not fully vaccinated.'

Unvaccinated employees will also be mandated to wear masks indoors and subjected to weekly Covid-19 testing starting Sept. 12. The company will offer a coronavirus pay protection program to vaccinated employees who still contract the virus in a 'breakthrough case,' which will begin on Sept. 30.

CEO Bastian told CNBC that about 75percent of Delta's roughly 75,000 employees are already vaccinated and that 'aggressiveness of the [delta] variant means we need to get many more of our people vaccinated, and as close to 100percent as possible.'

Anthony Scaramucci's investment fund SkyBridge Capital has a 'vaxxed or axed' policy and is firing any employees who don't get the shot.

Scaramucci told the New York Post that employees who are not inoculated pose a threat to the rest of the workforce. He said, 'Not getting vaccinated is a horrifically selfish thing based on a lack of science. I'm passionate about this issue because I have an IQ above 100.'

Earlier this month, CNN reportedly fired three employees for breaking its mandate that employees can not show up to work unvaccinated.

At the time, CNN President Jeff Zucker wrote in a memo obtained by the New York Times, 'In the past week, we have been made aware of three employees who were coming to the office unvaccinated. All three have been terminated. Let me be clear - we have zero -tolerance policy on this.'

CNN President Jeff Zucker wrote in a memo to staff that three employees had been fired for showing up to work unvaccinated

Goldman's new policy is in line with rival banks Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Inc, which also require vaccines at their U.S. headquarters.

Other major companies like Amtrak, Walt Disney and Walmart have already required their workers to be immunized and the Pentagon have said they will mandate all troops.

Bank of America has asked that only vaccinated employees come into its offices when it begins formally welcoming people back in September.

However, three of the four largest U.S. banks - JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo - do not require vaccines for individuals at their offices.

But vaccination mandates are seeing legislative pushback. Several states have proposed laws banning vaccine passport requirements. So far, Montana is the only state has banned businesses from imposing vaccine mandates on their employees.

Biden, speaking at the White House, portrayed the FDA's full approval of Pfizer's shot as a huge victory even though it will be of limited practical value months after the vaccination received emergency approval.

Even so, he spoke directly to what he said were 'millions' of Americans who may have been waiting for full approval before trusting the jab - even though the shots have been going in arms since December 2020.

'It has now happened,' Biden said. 'The moment you've been waiting for is here. It's time for you go get your vaccine. Get it today.'

He pointed to a pickup in the pace of vaccinations amid a spike in hospitalizations and deaths among the unvaccinated.

'The FDA approval is the gold standard,' Biden said, amid information showing about a third of eligible Americans have declined to get the vaccine.

Dorit Reiss, a professor of law at UC Hastings College of the Law, told CNBC that firms may have felt wary of implementing full vaccine mandates until the shot got approval, even though they had the legal authority.

Covid-19 infections are increasing in the United States at an average of about 150,000 cases a day, and are currently at 60percent of the peak level of new daily infections reported in January, according to Reuters tracking data.
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Just a few hours after crews were spotted throwing out the last of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's belongings, Kathy Hochul was seen moving into the executive mansion in Albany with her family.

Hochul, 62, officially took office as the new New York governor on Tuesday, after Cuomo resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal in which the state attorney general found he sexually harassed 11 different women while in office.

In her first address as the governor, Hochul vowed to be transparent and require all state employees to undergo live sexual harassment training, rather than just 'click through' the slides.

A short while later, she was seen moving into the executive mansion with her family - including her two children Katie and Will, Will's wife Christina, as well as Bill Hochul, her husband of over 30 years.

Kathy Hochul was seen stepping out of the car at the Governors' Mansion on Tuesday after taking office

She and her husband of over 30 years, Bill Hochul Jr., unpacked their things as they moved into the mansion

Their family members surrounded their motorcade as they entered the mansion grounds

A number of family members and friends were seen bringing their suitcases into the building

The mansion seems to be quite the upgrade for the new governor, who is leaving behind two waterfront condos in Buffalo.

She and Bill originally purchased a $485,000 two-floor unit in 2013, after selling her longtime family home in Hamburg for $260,000. The 3,000-square-foot condo includes three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, according to the New York Post.

It is made up of the fourth and fifth floors of a condominium building, and includes an expansive living area with a wood burning fireplace, a formal dining room with a wet bar that boasts views of the water and an office.

A two-car garage is reserved for the condo, which also comes with a boat dock.

Hochul also owns the condo next door, which they purchased for $400,000.

Hochul's daughter, Katie, right, and her partner, Matt Gloudeman, brought their suitcases in

Katie is one of Kathy and William' two children. She smiled and waved for the camera as she walked into the mansion

Her son, Will Hochul, and his wife, Christina Hochul, were also seen as his mother moved into the mansion

Friends and family, wearing white to represent the women's suffrage movement, also helped with the move-in

Hochul's husband Bill Hochul, and her son, Will Hochul, checked out the pool area

They later sat on the porch talking to one another hours after moving into the property, whose most recent occupant was Andrew Cuomo

Meanwhile, former Governor Andrew Cuomo had to evacuate the executive mansion at 12am, two weeks after he announced he would resign rather than face an impeachment battle that seemed inevitable after a report by independent investigators - overseen by state Attorney General Letitia James - concluded he had sexually harassed 11 women.

Workmen were seen removing a dog bowl and what appeared to be the side of a plastic kennel, with Cuomo oin Monday night denying he'd tried to give away his dog Captain.

It remains unclear where the former governor is moving to - he previously owned a house in Mount Kisco with his longtime girlfriend Sandra Lee, but the couple sold the home after they split up in 2019.

Much of Cuomo's stuff, though, has been relocated to his sister's home in Westchester, according to New York Magazine.

Maria Cuomo-Cole's $3 million mansion that she shares with her husband Kenneth Cole, known as 'Five Chimneys' has an apparent guest house.

Workers were seen Tuesday throwing away a dog house toy and a metal food bowl belonging to Andrew Cuomo's dog, Captain, from the Governors' Mansion

The crews could be seen removing the last of Cuomo's belongings after he vacated the premises at midnight

Much of Cuomo's belongings have been relocated to his sister's mansion in Westchester County, according to New York Magazine

Hochul took office on Tuesday, just moments after the former governor officially left the executive mansion.

In her first address to New York, Governor Hochul outlined her new agenda, while seeming to take a swipe at the former governor.

On her list is: getting kids back to school and enforcing a universal mask policy, giving renters eviction aid, changing the culture of Albany, and making it mandatory to have all government employees attend a live sexual harassment training.

She told the people of New York: 'Today, I am directing an overhaul on state government policies on sexual harassment and ethics. Starting with requiring all training be done live, instead of allowing people to click their way through a class.

'In a new era of transparency - one of my hallmarks of my administration - to me, it's very simple: We will focus on open, ethical governing that New Yorkers will trust.'

She will be directing state entities to review their compliancy with state transparency laws and provide a public report with their findings.

New York's new Governor Kathy Hochul detailed her day one agenda to New Yorkers in her first address on Tuesday. She will be requiring all government employees to participate in a live sexual harassment training course, as well as, enforcing a universal masking policy for schools, aiding renters affected by the pandemic, and changing the culture of Albany

Hochul has stated that she will continue the state's current position on requiring all school personnel to be vaccinated or to be tested weekly in order to get children back to school.

To avoid a 'rerun of last year's horrors of COVID-19,' the new governor will be implementing a universal masking policy after talking to parents, teachers, school superintendents, school boards, and elected officials.

'Priority number one: We get children back to school and protect the environment, so they can learn and everyone is safe.'

She is launching a back-to-school testing program to make COVID-19 testing 'widely available' and 'convenient' for students and teachers to return to school.

She is also working to increase the number of vaccinated New Yorkers.

With the FDA approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Hochul told citizens to 'expect new vaccine requirements' and to 'prepare for booster shots,' but prolonged telling New Yorkers her exact changes for a later date.

She did mention that she will 'do whatever is necessary' to get boosters in the hand of New Yorkers, including reopening mass vaccination sites when the shot is available and is recommending, alongside Dr. Fauci, to get one at eight months.

She will also be aiding renters to avoid evictions and wants the money in the hands of those of need 'now.'

'I am not at all satisfied with the pace this COVID relief is getting out the door,' she said in her address.

'I want the money out now, I want it out with no more excuses and delays.'

In partnership with the City of New York, legislators, and surrounding cities and counties, Hochul is working to 'urgently' get the money into the hands of renters who need it.

She is hiring more staff to process rent relief applications for those who are qualified for it. If approved, renters will be protected from eviction for a year.

New York Chief Judge Janet DiFiore swears in Kathy Hochul as the first woman to be New York's governor. Husband Bill Hochul holds a Bible during the ceremonial swearing-in ceremony at the state Capitol

Hochul has said she plans to 'change the culture of Albany' after she took over as governor of New York on Tuesday from Andrew Cuomo, after her predecessor was mired in sexual harassment allegations.

Hochul vowed to bring new energy and urgency to solving immense challenges as she took over an administration criticized for inaction during Andrew Cuomo's distracted final months in office.

Hochul, a Democrat and former member of Congress from western New York, took the oath of office just after midnight in a brief, private event overseen by the state's chief judge, Janet DiFiore, who wore robes the first woman judge on the state court of appeals had worn.

At another, ceremonial swearing-in Tuesday morning at the New York State Capitol, Hochul promised a 'fresh, collaborative approach' in state government.

'I want people to believe in their government again. It's important to me that people have faith,' she said.

Hochul faces questions about how she'll change the culture of governance in New York, following Cuomo's administration that favored force over charm.

She noted that she'd already begun speaking with other Democratic leaders who have, for years, complained about being shut out of key decisions and bullied by Cuomo, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

'There'll be no blindsiding, there'll just be full cooperation,' she said.

In her first remarks to the public as New York Governor, Hochul said ''I want people to believe in their government again'

Hochul also thanked her 'big Irish Catholic' family, including her two children and Bill Hochul, her husband of over 30 years. Her immediate family sat in the front row, wearing masks and spaced slightly apart. Hochul, her daughter and daughter-in law wore white to honor suffragists who fought for voting rights.

Over the next few months, Hochul, who was a little-known figure as lieutenant governor, will have an opportunity to reshape the way power works in Albany, where Cuomo dominated decision-making for years before being felled in a sexual harassment scandal.

For generations, it's been said that all of the real decisions in the state government were made by 'three men in a room,' the governor and the leaders of the state Senate and Assembly.

Now, for the first time in state history, two of those three - Hochul and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins - are women.

She also hired two women to be in the top positions in government.

Karen Persichilli Keogh will be the secretary and Elizabeth Fine will work as counsel to the governor.

Only the state Assembly is led by a man, Speaker Carl Heastie.

Hochul faces questions about how she'll change the culture of governance in New York, following a Cuomo administration that favored force over charm. She wore a white dress to symbolize the suffragists who fought for voting rights to the ceremony

Nineteen states have never had a female governor lead their state Many states have had a female governor lead their state. The first female governor in the United States was Nellie Ross for Wyoming in 1925. She won a special election after her husband died and was governor until 1927. New York has been added to the list today as Kathy Hochul was sworn in. These states have yet to join the list: Arkansas

California

Colorado

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Maryland

Minnesota

Missouri

Mississippi

North Dakota

Nevada

Pennsylvania

Tennessee

Virginia

Wisconsin

West Virginia Source: Rutgers Advertisement

She said she had a 'high priority' of having a 'fully diverse' cabinet as she settles into office to guide her decision-making to help New York.

Hochul was planning to meet with legislative leaders later Tuesday before making a public address at 3pm.

The new governor has been a champion for women for years. In 2006, she partnered with her mother and aunt to start the Kathleen Mary House, a transitional house for domestic violence victims.

She has spoken out about her grandmother being a victim of domestic violence.

As lieutenant governor under Cuomo in 2015, Hochul toured the state stating 'Enough is Enough' concerning sexual assault on college campuses. Her work called for campuses to have a defined set of rules and guidelines on how to handle sexual assault on campus. This included providing amnesty to students who reported assault and expanded student's access to law enforcement.

Cuomo left office at 12am, two weeks after he announced he would resign rather than face an impeachment battle that seemed inevitable after a report by independent investigators - overseen by state Attorney General Letitia James - concluded he had sexually harassed 11 women.

When Hochul was asked if she'd pardon the former governor, she said it was too 'premature' to make any decisions yet.

On his final day in office, Cuomo released a pre-recorded farewell address in which he again said he was innocent and portrayed himself as the victim of a 'media frenzy.'

In his farewell remarks, Cuomo struck a defiant tone, saying the attorney general's report that triggered his resignation was designed to be 'a political firecracker on an explosive topic, and it did work.'

'There was a political and media stampede,' he said.

Cuomo also touted himself as a bulwark against his party's left-wing, which he said wants to defund the police and demonize businesses, and boasted of making government effective in his years in office.

He cited his work battling the COVID-19 pandemic, legalizing same-sex marriage and hiking the minimum wage to $15.

'I tried my best to deliver for you,' Cuomo said.

Some critics jumped on Cuomos remarks as self-serving.

Assembly member Yuh-Line Niou, a fellow Democrat, tweeted he had a hundred million opportunities to improve as a leader and 'Chose himself every time. Goodbye, Governor Cuomo.'

Cuomo's top aide, Melissa DeRosa, released a statement saying the governor was exploring his options for his post-gubernatorial life but had 'no interest in running for office again.'

Cuomo's resignation won't end his legal problems.

The ceremonial swearing in on Tuesday was separate to the formal ceremony, which happened in the Red Room at the state Capitol in the early hours of the morning

Kathy Hochul (center) signs swearing in documents, surrounded by her family (from left) Katie Hochul and Matt Gloudeman, Bill Hochul, center, and Will and Christina Hochul

An aide who said Cuomo groped her breast has filed a complaint with the Albany County Sheriff's Office.

Separately, Cuomo was facing a legislative investigation into whether he misled the public about COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes to protect his reputation as a pandemic leader and improperly got help from state employees in writing a book that may net him $5million.

Hochul takes over with the state still dealing with crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

In the coming weeks, she is expected to make decisions about whether to mandate masks for children returning to school - something she's already said she favors.

She will be under pressure to get federal rent relief money into the hands of tenants. Little of the $2 billion set aside by the federal government to help New Yorkers pay off rent debt has been distributed, to date, in the state. Thousands face the possibility of eviction if the state allows protections to expire.

Hochul promised Tuesday to make getting that money out a top priority, saying people shouldn't have to 'wait one second longer' for assistance. She also pledged quick action to get money distributed from a new state fund intended to benefit unauthorized immigrants who didn't qualify for other types of federal pandemic relief aid.

In his farewell remarks, Cuomo struck a defiant tone, saying the attorney general's report that triggered his resignation was designed to be 'a political firecracker'

'The money's there. These people are not eligible for other forms of assistance and theyre hurting and they're part of the New York family,' Hochul said.

Former Gov. David Paterson, who, like Hochul, unexpectedly became governor when his predecessor resigned, said she will need to restore faith in the office.

'There's going to be some pressure on Gov. Hochul, as there was on me, to kind of restore the values and to restore the conduct and the decorum that bespeaks a governor,' Paterson said.

She'll also have to work quickly. Hochul has already said she intends to run for a full term next year, and will have just months to establish herself as the favorite before a spring Democratic primary.

In the meantime, she'll be building an administration - a task that began in the first minutes of Tuesday with the oath of office, hours ahead of the restaging of the event for television cameras in mid-morning.

DiFiore administered the oath in the Capitol in front of a stone fireplace, atop which were placed family pictures.

Hochul, her husband and DiFiore entered the room wearing masks, taking them off when the ceremony began. Hochul placed her hand on a Bible held by her husband, a former federal prosecutor and current general counsel for Buffalo-based food service and hospitality company Delaware North.

Hochul signed a pile of papers - including the oath - using a set of 10 pens dated 'August 24, 2021,' while her family stood behind her looking on. She then thanked individual members of her staff, and told them shed see them tomorrow before she left the room.
A 78-year-old Texas man on trial for the abduction, rape, and murder of a teenage girl in 1974 abruptly changed his plea during court proceedings Tuesday, to confess.

Glen McCurley, 78, was immediately sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty during the third day of the Tarrant County trial.

Carla Walker was sitting in a car with her boyfriend after a Valentine's dance February 17, 1974, when McCurley pistol-whipped the boy before snatching the 17-year-old girl.

She had been raped and tortured alive for two days, before being strangled and stuffed in a culvert near Lake Benbrook, not far from the scene of the abduction.

Glen McCurley abducted, raped, and tortured Carla Walker for two days before killing her

DNA advances helped identify the 78-year-old as the killer, and he admitted in court to murdering the teen

The innovative DNA technology used in the successful prosecution of McCurley could help solve thousands of other cases, genealogists say.

I believe this could be the first time the tech was used in court, David Mittelman, founder of Othram, a modern parallel sequencing lab that helped lead police to the killer, told DailyMail.com.

Its a huge milestone.

Othram used a proprietary method called forensic-grade genome sequencing to revive Walker's investigation. In previous cases, it successfully gained information from DNA evidence that failed with other testing techniques, including situations where samples were considered unsuitable in other labs.

In this case, scientists built a profile using the sample and performed a genealogical search in a public database, consisting of people who offered their DNA and consented to helping police identify victims or suspects of crimes.

Walker's case remained unsolved in spring 2020, until Mittelman happened to catch an episode of The DNA of Murder that featured Walkers case. The crime happened in Fort Worth, Texas, about three hours from Othrams Houston headquarters.

Mittelman reached out to the host of the show, his close friend Paul Holes, and learned police had unsuccessfully tried to crack the case with advanced genetic genealogy testing. Investigators failed to find a match between two DNA profiles.

After connecting with detectives working the case, Mittelman learned there was some DNA left on the victims bra strap by an unknown male.

It was a fraction of the DNA originally collected but it was something, he said. They agreed to let us try to help. This was summer 2020. By July 4, we had an investigative lead.

Carla Jan Walker, a 17-year-old student at Western Hills High School, was kidnapped and killed in February 1974

Authorities said that Walker (left) was grabbed from the passenger seat of her boyfriend's, Rodney McCoy (right), vehicle

Investigators discovered Walker dead days later, in a culvert near Benbrook Lake after being beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled

DNA collected from Walker's clothes and bra helped authorities turn their attention towards McCurley, who denied murdering Walker 46 years ago. Pictured: Carla Jan Walker and Rodney McCoy

We found distant relatives and then used public records to reconstruct family trees and relationships, Mittelman said. From here we can narrow down the search to investigative leads that law enforcement can attempt to rule out.

McCurley was arrested and charged with capital murder last November.

The database used to identify him as the killer, GEDmatch, was the same online service that caught Golden State killer Joseph James DeAngelo.

Prosecutors had said they would not seek the death penalty for McCurley, who admitted to police that he had killed Walker. A video recording of that interview was played for jurors.

McCurley had been one of a number of people under suspicion since the crime occurred, but investigators had been unable to link him definitively to Walkers death.
Damaging winds, heavy rain and wild storms have left a widespread trail of destruction in NSW, cutting power to thousands of homes and leaving fallen trees and crushed cars in their wake.

More wild weather is on the way a day after extreme conditions smashed large swathes of NSW as they make their way further south towards the ACT and Victoria.

The NSW south coast felt the brunt of the gale force winds, with 18,000 homes and businesses in the Illawarra and Shellharbour regions losing power on Tuesday night.

More than 7,000 were still without power on Wednesday morning and may remain cut off until later in the day, Endeavour Energy warned.

Up to 2,000 also remain without power in the Central Coast and Hunter regions north of Sydney.

One family was woken up by the sound of the roof being ripped from their home at Flinders in Shellharbour's south.

The roof damaged several homes before it landed in a front yard several hundred metres away in an adjoining cul-de-sac.

'It was like a tornado or something lifted it,' the homeowner told the Today show.

This roof (pictured) landed in a front yard in Shellharbour after it was ripped off a house in another street on Tuesday night

Crews worked around the clock to restore power and remove fallen powerlines and trees that blocked roads.

A severe weather warning for destructive winds and damaging surf remains in place for much of the NSW coast, including Sydney.

Manly ferry passengers had a very bumpy commute to work on Wednesday morning while further west, the Blue Mountains has been blanketed in snow and icy roads have caused traffic chaos.

Storm-force wind warnings have been issued for the Illawarra coast and Batemans coast, with gale-force warnings for the Macquarie coast, Hunter coast, Sydney coast and Eden coast.

Snow is falling in alpine areas and at above 1200 metres in the Central Tablelands.

Ferocious winds reached up to 130kmh, causing 300 electrical hazards on the state's south coast.

The Blue Mountains west of Sydney has been blanketed in snow as the wild weather whips through NSW

A severe weather warning remains in place for Sydney with powerful winds (wild surf at Sydney's Bronte Beach, pictured)

Kiama south of Wollongong recorded the strongest winds of 130kmh, followed by 128kmh at Montague Island and 120kmh at Wollongong.

Jervis Bay Airfield and Ulladulla also recorded powerful winds in excess of 100kmh.

The State Emergency Service was inundated with 900 calls for help.

The damage bill extended to Orange in the state's central-west, where there was extensive roof damage and smashed car windscreens due to fallen trees.

After being battered by strong winds, heavy rainfall and even snow in some parts, NSW and Victoria will shiver through another icy day on Wednesday.

Sydney is forecast to reach a maximum of just 16C - a little higher than Tuesday's 10.2C, which was the city's coldest day in 37 years.

Melbourne will see highs of just 14C, with Adelaide at 15C and Hobart at 12C.

Sydney surfers flocked to the beach on Wednesday to take advantage of the wild conditions

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued severe weather warnings for coastal areas of Sydney and parts of NSW with damaging surf and winds exceeding 100km/h set to batter the state. Pictured is Sydney's Bronte Beach early Wednesday

Fallen trees caused damage to homes and cars (pictured) across NSW on Tuesday night

Crews worked around the clock on Tuesday night to remove fallen trees and restore power

Blackheath residents in the NSW Blue Mountains woke to snow on Tuesday morning (pictured)

Some residents took the opportunity to warm up in unconventional ways outside (pictured)

The Bureau of Meteorology said a low pressure system is expected to remain offshore and track slowly east over the next few days, generating vigorous winds and seas over the central and southern coastline.

BoM on Tuesday issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds which they said could reach up to 120 km/h along parts of the coastline in the state's south.

Closer to Sydney, the Bureau said wind speeds averaging 60 to 70 km/h with peak gusts in excess of 90 km/h are probable along the coastal fringe of the Sydney Metropolitan, Illawarra and northern parts of the South Coast districts.

Nearly 140 of the calls to SES came from the Sydney area on Tuesday.

In the Blue Mountains the cold winds brought snow for Jenolan and Blackheath with more expected on Wednesday.

Sydney (pictured) was pelted with heavy rainfall and strong winds and more is on the way for Wednesday

Staff at the Qudos Bank Arena vaccination hub toughed out the chilly August temperatures (pictured)

One Sydney residents out for the exercise got more of a workout than they'd be intending (pictured)

While on the coast a hazardous surf warning has been issued for the Hunter, Sydney, Illawarra, Batemans and Eden beaches with people advised not to go fishing, swimming or boating.

Surf Lifesaving NSW added that anyone thinking the swells might provide good surfing or fishing conditions should exercise caution.

'With the current COVID environment our resources aren't committed to actively patrolling until mid-September, so if you take a risk and find yourself in trouble there could be a delay in response in getting emergency services to the scene,' a spokesperson said.

The SES has issued a warning for flooding across parts of NSW (pictured: the Parramatta River on Tuesday)

There were also more than 18,000 power outages in homes on the NSW South Coast overnight

'People are strongly urged to check BeachSafe and understand your limitations if you do decide to take a risk.'

Winds are expected to gradually ease below gale or damaging wind thresholds from Wednesday morning.

Though those in Victoria will not escape unscathed with the winds already making their way south.

An alert has been issued for the East Gippsland, North-east and West and South Gippsland Forecast Districts, while the ski fields of Falls Creek, Mt Hotham and Mt Buller could also be affected.

'Winds averaging 50 to 60km/h with peak gusts of 90 to 100km/h are likely about the Alpine district above 1500 metres from later this morning,' BOM, said on Tuesday.

'Areas in the Central and Yarra Ranges are not expected to see damaging winds, however they may see peak gusts of 60 to 80km/h later this morning and this afternoon.'

Orange in regional NSW was hit with cyclone like winds which knocked down several large trees (pictured: SES crews)

One residents roof was blown off in Orange (pictured) during a day of wild weather on Tuesday with more on the way

While the SES was called to where a large tree had been ripped from the ground nearby (pictured)

Flood warnings have also been issued for a number of rivers with flood rescue operators on standby.

Residents have been warned to not drive, ride or walk through floodwaters.

'We are urging people to be aware of the risks, especially when it comes to weather systems like this,' an SES spokesman said.

He said people should stay off the roads if possible, move their parked cars out from under trees, tie up loose items in backyards and on balconies, and to bring pets and animals under shelter.

Sydneysiders will be in for more of the same tomorrow with Melbourne also in for cold blustery conditions

A low pressure system off the coast is causing the wild weather (pictured)

Power outages have also occurred with Endeavour Energy reporting cuts to around 18,000 homes, with emergency crews responding mainly in the Illawarra and Shellharbour regions and on the South Coast.

'Extra crews are being marshalled to assist with the repair efforts, with over 250 hazardous incidents to investigate,' Endeavour said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

'It is likely that due to the damage that some customers will be without power overnight.'

Meanwhile, Canberra is in for sub-zero overnight temperatures for much of the week while Melbourne and Hobart will see single digit minimums.

In the north of the country, Brisbane will see maximums in the mid-20s over the next week while Darwin will be in the mid-30s.

And on the west coast Perth is in for brisk weather with minimums hovering around 10C and maximums around 20C until Saturday.

The Blue Mountains and Canberra are in for particularly cold weather over the next week (pictured: Blackheath on Tuesday)
The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on progress in the classroom in the country's most locked-down state Victoria, new test scores have showed.

This year's NAPLAN results found Victorian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 progressed the least in Australia when comparing each cohort's literacy and numeracy score with what they achieved two years ago.

Students in Melbourne have spent 150 days learning from home since March 2020 - while those in wider Victoria have been banned from the classroom for four months.

Pictured: Secondary school students returning to the classroom at Bentleigh Secondary College in Melbourne's south-east on July 28. Students in the city have spent 150 days learning from home since March 2020 amid the city's cycle of Covid-19 lockdowns

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has yet to announce when children can return to school in his state.

Victorian students overall ranked first across subjects in all year levels.

But the state's scores have failed to rise at the same rate as the rest of Australia when comparing Year 3 students in 2019 and Year 5 students in 2021.

The improvement in scores in Year 5 to 7 and Year 7 to 9 students also fell behind the national average, The Australian reported.

Victorian officials have scrambled to minimise the disruption caused by Melbourne's six Covid-19 lockdowns since the pandemic began.

The state's education minister James Merlino in April announced a $250million support package to bring students back up to speed.

More than 1.2 million students nationally took part in the NAPLAN tests - which provides an annual snapshot of student's current reading, writing, language and numeracy skills.

There were significant improvements in Year 3 and Year 5 reading, Year 5 numeracy, and Year 3 and 5 spelling, along with steady upward trends in Year 3 and 5 reading results as well as Year 5, 7 and 9 numeracy.

NSW recorded the best results nationally for Years 3 to 7 in spelling and writing, while the ACT had the highest Year 9 score for grammar and punctuation.

A student learns from home in Melbourne during the pandemic. This year's NAPLAN results found Victorian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 progressed the least when comparing each cohort's literacy and numeracy score

A downward trend in writing skills for students in Year 5, 7 and 9 has also flattened, and all year levels demonstrated steady improvement in spelling.

Education Minister Alan Tudge said he was pleased with the overall numbers but worries it masks the pandemic's effects on disadvantaged children.

'We were expecting to have much more diminished results this year,' he told Sky News on Wednesday.

'What these results don't show, though, is where the outliers might be.

'I'm particularly worried about some disadvantaged cohorts who may have lost so much of their learning that are hidden by these average figures.'

The authority responsible for developing the national curriculum labelled the results a testament to the resilience of teachers, parents and students,

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews pictured on August 21. He has yet to announce when children can return to school in his state

'It's reassuring to see that overall, our students' literacy and numeracy standards have not significantly suffered, despite the major disruptions of COVID-19 and remote learning,' ACARA chief executive David de Carvalho said.

'However, this does not mean there has been no impact on specific students or demographic groups.'

The Australian Education Union warned against drawing simplistic conclusions from the 'deeply flawed' assessment.

'The narrow focus of the test reduces students to a number on a spreadsheet,' union president Correna Haythorpe said.

'And (it) does not take into account teachers' informed judgement, the daily learning that occurs in the classroom and issues relating to student health and wellbeing which are deeply important during this pandemic.'
eenager died from a cardiac arrest during a swim with his family last week

A private school has hit out at at disgraceful anti-vaxxers who claimed the sudden death of one of its Year 12 students was caused by the Covid vaccine.

St Pius X College student Tom Van Dijk, 17, died at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during a swim with his family on August 21.

Virginia Nicholls, a former ABC political reporter and Southern Cross Ten presenter, fuelled the vicious rumour mill after she tweeted an unsubstantiated report.

St Pius X College student Tom Van Dijk, 17, (pictured) died at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during a swim with his family on August 21

Former ABC political reporter Virginia Nicholls (pictured) fuelled the vicious rumour mill that claimed the student died 'shortly after' receiving a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine

In the since-deleted post, she claimed the 17-year-old died 'shortly after' receiving a jab of the Pfizer vaccine at western Sydney's Homebush mass vaccination centre.

'A year 12 student from a Sydney Catholic College has reportedly died of a heart attack shortly after receiving the Pfizer jab at the mass vaccination clinic at Homebush,' she tweeted on Sunday.

'A champion swimmer, he went into cardiac arrest after a swim.'

Ms Nicholls also claimed there had been 'unconfirmed reports' of two other teen deaths, but did not clarify how they died.

On Monday, she explained she had decided to delete the tweets after two different people from the college informed her Tom had not been vaccinated.

However, her tweet and a letter to parents from the school announcing Tom's death were widely shared on social media by hundreds of anti-vaxxers.

I made a genuine error that I deeply apologise for and regret,' Ms Nicholls told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday afternoon.

Ive apologised to the headmaster, hes forgiven me and hes very supportive and hes shocked at the death threats that Ive received as a result of it.

I put up the apology, Im not anti-vaccination, my kids are fully vaccinated.. But there are very serious side effects being reported with Pfizer and AstraZeneca.'

In the since-deleted tweet (pictured) Ms Nicholls claimed the Pius X College student had died 'shortly after' a dose of the Pfizer vaccine at a mass vaccination clinic in Homebush

Ms Nicholls (middle) claims to have worked for major vaccine manufacturer Merck for seven years and was a stakeholder relations manager at Westpac Bank

Ms Nicholls regularly posts content that casts doubt on the validity and effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines on her Facebook page and Twitter profile.

She recently reposted a video of New Zealand doctor Matt Shelton 'speaking out' against the 'dangers' of the Covid vaccine despite threats to his medical license, describing the GP as 'courageous'.

'Appearing before the NZ Medical Council, Dr Shelton says he cant in good conscience support Covid vaccinations, especially in children,' she wrote.

On Monday night she announced her Twitter would be made private for 'safety and privacy reasons' and said she had received deaths threats in recent weeks.

'For those interested in my research on Covid, vaccines, new treatments, lockdowns etc, Id love you to follow me on Twitter,' she wrote.

Ms Nicholls claims to have worked for major vaccine manufacturer Merck for seven years and was a stakeholder relations manager at Westpac Bank.

She used her experience at Merck to justify her spruiking of ivermectin, a drug used to treat parasite infestations, to treat Covid.

Ivermectin is widely promoted by anti-vaxxers as an effective treatment for coronavirus, but this has been conclusively debunked by medical experts and having no benefit whatsoever.

On Monday, Ms Nicholls (pictured at one of the Sydney anti-lockdown rallies) explained she had decided to delete her tweets after two different people from the college informed her Tom had not been vaccinated

The former reporter announced her Twitter (pictured) would be made private for 'safety and privacy reasons' and said she had received deaths threats in recent weeks

St Pius X College principal John Couani was forced to deny rumours the student died shortly after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

'Despite the clear communication from the college, there have been many insensitive and grossly inaccurate reports on social media,' he wrote on the school's Facebook page on Tuesday night.

Mr Couani said the Chatswood school and Tom's parents wanted to make it clear that he was not vaccinated and 'had not been eligible for vaccination due to his age'.

He denied rumours the school pressured students to get a jab and said it was not located in one of Sydney's 12 LGAs of concern.

'There has not been any vaccination program offered to our Year 12 students by the NSW Government at this point,' he wrote.

The principal said Tom returned a negative Covid-19 test while in hospital and there were no concerns for his mental health and wellbeing.

'It is very disappointing that a statement such as this needs to be made and the College now asks that respect is shown to allow for the family and community to grieve the loss of this brilliant and talented young man,' Mr Couani said.

'The school community is profoundly grieving Toms passing, but also celebrating his wonderful gifts and we pay tribute to Tom as an outstanding academic student, gifted sportsman and accomplished musician.

'May perpetual light shine upon Tom, may he rest in peace.'

The death of Tom Van Dijk (left) has been hijacked by anti-vaxxers wrongly claiming he died after receiving a dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine

The Pius X College principal John Couani said he wanted to make it clear that Tom (right) was not vaccinated and 'had not been eligible for vaccination due to his age'

The principal previously told The North Shore Times the school community was in a period of terrible grief and sorrow and the misinformation had to stop.

Mr Couani described rumours on social media that the school pressured students to get vaccinated against the virus as overwhelming and 'horrific'.

Another circulating post on Facebook falsely claimed a 'suppression order' was preventing the school or the media from identifying the teenager.

Karl Stefanovic slammed the 'thousands of faceless keyboard warriors' that hijacked the student's death to push their own anti-vaxxer agendas.

'His school, already dealing with grief amongst students, was forced to confirm he hadn't even had a vaccination yet,' the Today show host said on Wednesday.

'That information, that misinformation is horrific. People bought it and spread it. Imagine the added stress on that poor young man's family.'

Members of the Pius X College community were quick to send their condolences to the student's loved ones and school community on social media.

'My son was a school mate of Toms. Its a very sad time for all of the boys coming to terms with the loss of their friend,' one mother wrote.

'My heart absolutely breaks for Toms family, friends and the school community. So sorry your loss is compounded by these absolutely disgraceful and insensitive people,' a second commented.

'Devastating enough to lose a young community member, but to have to clarify these things, are just additional pain that the family do not need,' another wrote.

Tom Van Dijk (left) has been described as a high achieving academic student, champion swimmer and an accomplished violinist

School principal Mr Couani described Tom (right) in a letter sent to the wider school community as an 'incredible young man who was loved by all'

'Our deepest condolences to the Van Dijk family, Tom was a gorgeous young man taken way too young,' a fourth shared.

Mr Couani described Tom in a letter sent to the wider school community as an 'incredible young man who was loved by all'.

'He helped others, was a friend to everyone in Year 12 and had some many incredible gifts as a high achieving academic student, champion swimmer and an accomplished violinist,' the principal said in the statement.

'There are many students in the younger grades who would know Tom, and all will attest to his strong but gentle nature and the care he gave to younger students.'

He said the teenager had told his parents before his death he wanted to donate his organs to help others in need.
The Associated Press came under fire once again after it published an article on Tuesday describing Palestinians who launched an incendiary balloon attack on Israel as 'activists.'

'Activists in the Gaza Strip on Monday launched incendiary balloons into southern Israel, setting off at least three fires across the border, Israel's national fire service said,' read the controversial article filed by the American news agency.

The piece discussed the rising tensions between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

An individual who shot an Israeli sniper in the head at point-blank range was also called a 'Palestinian activist.'

Many highlighted that the nature of the attack from individuals linked to Hamas was not activism, but rather terrorism, and that the AP article was highly editorialized.

Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz said: 'Israel continues to be under a constant barrage of attacks. Some may want to call themselves activists, but their intention is terror. Any reasonable person would conclude these are terrorists.'

'Perhaps they think they can put a political spin to it, but sending fire bombs across the border is terrorism,' Chaffetz added.

'Really? Are the Taliban, ISIS and Al Qaeda also just 'activists'?' tweeted user @Ostrov_A.

Twitter users were highly critical of the AP article in which individuals linked to terrorist group Hamas were called 'activists'

A fireball rises following an Israel air strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, on August 23

Masked Palestinians prepare incendiary balloons it near Gaza's Bureij refugee camp, along the Israel-Gaza border fence, on August 24

@LahavHarkov sarcastically tweeted: ' They're community organizers. For the arsonist community.'

While @emilykschrader wrote ' 'Activists' that must be like the ''unarmed Palestinian'' who shot someone.

'The true activists here aren't Hamas terrorists engaged in arson and murder -- it is the AP allowing its 'journalists' to employ Orwellianisms to mislead readers about attacks on Israel,' Noah Pollack, former president of the Emergency Committee for Israel, told FOX.

Christina Pushaw, Press Secretary of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, said: 'The AP is more upset about Tweets debunking their hit piece on [DeSantis] than they are about terrorists.'

Pushaw was referencing an AP article that suggested DeSantis promoted a COVID-19 antibody treatment because a shareholder donated to his campaign.

Her subsequent condemnation of the news agency and its reporters saw AP write to DeSantis to accuse Pushaw of harassment - a claim both she and the governor furiously rejected.

Another Twitter user, simply replied: 'Theyre called terrorists, @AP.'

The publication also used the term 'Pro-Hamas activists' in a July article, referring to individuals involved in another attack.

The news organization has faced previous controversies for seemingly undermining terrorist actions from Hamas in its reporting, and even enhancing the notion that they act in the name of activism.

In May, the AP claimed not being aware that they were sharing space with Hamas in their Gaza office building, after the terrorist group attacked and destroyed the building from the air.

But a 2014 report by The Atlantic claimed that AP staff had long been threatened by the Hamas but the news organization refused to report it.

An individual who shot an Israeli sniper in the head at point-blank range was also called a 'Palestinian activist' in the controversial article by AP

Critics highlighted that the actions by the so-called 'activists,' were indeed terrorism

The latest article that fueled the controversy does note that the confrontation was initiated by Hamas. Israel then struck targets in Gaza with their warplanes

'We have had no indication Hamas was in the building or active in the building,'

'This is something we actively check to the best of our ability. We would never knowingly put our journalists at risk,' said AP CEO Gary Pruitt about the incident.

But social media users were skeptical of the public statement, and pointed at the unlikability of the AP not knowing that Hamas had access to the building.

'AP staff in Gaza City would witness a rocket launch right beside their office.. the AP wouldn't report it Hamas fighters would burst into the AP's Gaza bureau & threaten the staff.'

@AP didn't know about sharing a building w/ Hamas for 15 years?!?,' wrote an angry tweeter user on the platform.

The latest article that fueled the controversy does eventually note in the copy that the confrontation was initiated by Hamas.

Israel subsequently struck targets in Gaza with their warplanes.

'Hamas has grown increasingly angry in recent weeks after Israel tightened the blockade in the wake of the May war,' concluded the article.
Radio host Ben Fordham has labelled a decision to restrict the work of neurosurgeon Charlie Teo as 'disgraceful'.

Temporary restrictions have been placed upon the renowned Sydney doctor's medical licence after complaints were made about his work.

'I think this is one of the most disgraceful decisions we've seen in a long, long time,' Fordham said on his 2GB breakfast program on Wednesday.

'I know people who are alive now who would not be here if it wasn't for Dr Charlie Teo.'

'I know people who are alive now who would not be here if it wasn't for Dr Charlie Teo,' 2GB host Ben Fordham said in criticising the decision to restrict the neurosurgeon's licence

Fordham with his friend Jane Stacey (left), who he said was only alive today because of an operation performed by Dr Teo

Fordham had previously helped raise funds and hosted functions for the Charlie Teo Foundation.

The NSW Medical Council had ordered Mr Teo to provide proof that he's explained the financial costs and risks to patients before operating.

He is also not permitted to perform certain operations until he obtains written approval from a fellow neurosurgeon.

Fordham mentioned that one of his friends, Jane Stacey, who was operated on by Teo for a brain tumour in 2010, was alive today because of him.

'The NSW Medical Council knows better, they know better than Jane, they know better than all the people who called in last week when we told you that this was happening,' said Fordham.

Dr Charlie Teo (right) with Jane Stacey, who was operated on by the neurosurgeon in 2010

'Make no mistake there's a lot of jealousy in this industry, as there is in any industry.

'He's been punished because he's prepared to operate on people who other surgeons have told there's no hope.

'He's a rock star of neurosurgery and he's saved thousands of people.'

Fordham called on the Medical Council to have another look at its decision.

The restrictions follow the Medical Council of NSW calling on Dr Teo to attend an 'immediate action panel' on Thursday.

Temporary restrictions have been placed upon renowned Sydney neurosurgeon Charlie Teo's medical licence after complaints about his work

It declined last week to release any further details, and the complaints levelled against the neurosurgeon have not been publicly outlined.

Dr Teo said he accepted the Medical Council's direction to consult with another neurosurgeon on two rare types of surgery and he will also have retrospective discussions with a colleague to review outcomes, in a statement provided to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The conditions published this week also allow the Medical Council to randomly audit Dr Teo's records.

Amelia Millie Lucas's parents crowdfunded $156,000 to pay her medical bills after Dr Charlie Teo said she was a good candidate for potentially life-saving surgery

The measures include a rule that Dr Teo (pictured with daughter Nicola) obtains written support from an approved neurosurgeon before performing certain types of brain tumour surgery as well as allowing the Medical Council to randomly audit his medical records

The high-profile doctor is well known for performing 'last chance' brain surgery on patients after other neurosurgeons have deemed their condition inoperable.

Dr Teo was embroiled in a public spat with colleagues in 2019 after charging one of his patients $120,000 for a life-saving operation.

He strongly denied overcharging his patients.
An aged care nurse who stole $142,000 from her ex-partner and used the cash to fund her wedding to her new lover has narrowly avoided jail time for the brazen theft.

Melbourne woman Marie Heeraman, 52, robbed her former partner Michael Peirce of $142,000 of his mother's inheritance between 2014 and 2016.

Heeraman was sentenced to a two-year community correction order at the County Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to a course of conduct theft charge. She must complete 350 hours of community work.

The two met in the mid 2000s when Heeraman looked after her victim's elderly parents.

Marie Heeraman (pictured) has narrowly avoided a prison sentence after stealing more than $140,000 from her former partner

They later formed a relationship, with Heeraman claiming to be his best friend.

Peirce largely relied on Centrelink income before he received an inheritance of $234,000 from his mother.

Two years later, he wanted Heeraman to help him reduce his spending and to prevent his family from accessing his money, so they opened an account in her name and deposited $198,000 into it.

Heerman was meant to help Peirce manage his money by paying his expenses and giving him limited amounts of cash.

She soon transferred most of the funds into a separate bank account in her name without Peirce's knowledge.

Between October 2014 and August 2016, Heeraman spent her victim's inheritance on bridal wear, alcohol, groceries, homewares, clothing, beauty and cash withdrawals in 808 transactions.

Their relationship ended and Heeraman married her new partner in 2016.

Much of the money was put towards her wedding including $10,057 on bridal wear and clothing, $4115 on music and event management and $6055 on hair and beauty.

Marie Heeraman told her former lover to use income from Centrelink to pay his bills as she covered up her theft

She also purchased a new $27,000 Peugeot car with her victim's money.

Heeraman told Peirce he could count on her and she was 'truly helping' him spend his money wisely.

She made attempts to cover up her theft, telling her victim to use his Centrelink income to pay his bills and encouraging him to get a job.

'Just know that I love you & care about you v much & I will always be there for you, even when nobody else seems to care,' she wrote in a text message to Peirce three months after marrying her new partner.

'You'll always be my dearest friend & yes, for life. You can count on me.'

'I am truly helping you to spend yr $ wisely & to save & one day you'll thank me for this,' read another message from 2016.

Her plan was foiled when Peirce unsuccessfully tried to gain access to the money from the original account and discovered most of it was gone.

County Court Judge Sarah Dawes said Heeraman's betrayal of trust was significant.

In his victim statement, Peirce said Heeraman has left him with 'constant tension', mental stress, depression, severe insomnia and he was now 'socially withdrawn'.

He said she had left him feeling like he couldn't trust anyone new in his life.

Heeraman (pictured) was sentenced to a two-year community correction order after she pleaded guilty to a course of conduct theft charge

Heeraman had since borrowed more than $130,000 from her brother, who took out a loan to help her pay back everything she owes.

Judge Dawes told Heeraman she avoided jail by the narrowest of margins.
Experts say Australia's magpie swooping season could get a lot worse during lockdown as face masks make the birds more likely to attack.

Griffith University magpie expert Darryl Jones told the NCA Newswire: 'We know that they recognise people by their facial features so when these are covered by a mask, they cant distinguish between everyone.

Magpie experts are concerned that wearing face masks during the bird's breeding season could lead to more swooping attacks

While the birds are able to recognise facial features, experts say face masks will prevent this and cause the magpies to be threatened and attack everyone

So, just to be safe (in their minds), they seem to be saying I cant tell who is that nasty one so I had better belt everyone.'

The warning comes just weeks after a five-month-old girl tragically died when her mother tried to protect her from a swooping bird in a Brisbane park.

Author and University of New England magpie expert Gisela Kaplan added: 'They are wonderful creatures and usually parks are the only places with trees thick and tall enough for them to nest.'

Ms Kaplan says swooping is used to warn passers-by and believes the large numbers of unrecognisable people walking in parks during lockdown will force magpies to attack more.

The South Australian government is warning people to watch out for magpies during the spring breeding season from August until October.

The advice says females are known to lay their eggs from mid-August and stay in the nests guarding them until they hatch weeks later.

During the breeding season male magpies will swoop at anything they deem a threat in order to protect the nests until the young birds are developed.

A warning sign pictured at Glindemann Park, Brisbane after a five-month-old girl died when her mother tried to protect her from a swooping magpie

This month Simone, 30, was walking through Glindemann Park in Holland Park West, south-east Brisbane, with baby Mia in her arms when she tripped while trying to avoid the aggressive magpie.

The little girl suffered head injuries and paramedics took her to Queensland Children Hospital, but she couldn't be saved.

The youngster's father Jacob, 32, described the agony of losing his only child to Daily Mail Australia.

Five-month-old Mia (pictured) suffered a serious head injury and died in hospital after she and her mother Simone were swooped by an aggressive magpie

Her father Jacob said Mia had an infectious smile and laugh and brought joy to everyone

'Our whole world has been taken from us and the pain we are experiencing is unimaginable,' he said.

'We are so grateful for the most precious little gift we ever received.

'Mia brought joy to everyone's lives with her infectious smile, her pure innocence and her adorable laugh, she will be forever in all our hearts.'

Jacob said Mia was the most precious gift that he and Simone 'ever received' and that her 'adorable laugh' and 'infectious smile' brought joy to everyone's lives.

The doting father thanked family, friends and members of the public who have expressed their condolences, and reminded people to 'love and embrace your loved ones'.

'We live in such an incredible and thoughtful community,' he said.

'Your well wishes have touched our hearts and we appreciate all the support you have provided. We are sorry we cannot thank everyone individually but we are reading every loving message we receive.'

Family members pay their respects on Tuesday at the park where baby Mia tragically died after a magpie swooping incident at Glindemann Park in Holland Park West

Pictured: Grieving loved ones are are seen with an arrangement of flowers at Glindemann Park

Another resident said he reported the bird to the council about eight weeks ago after being swooped but the bird was not removed (pictured, a warning sign erected in the park )
One of Australia's youngest and richest millionaire entrepreneurs has revealed his tips for success as the pandemic sparks a record surge in new businesses.

The number of actively trading businesses in Australia climbed by a record 3.8 per cent during the last financial year despite snap lockdowns, with a grocery delivery start-up inspired by a high school dropout worrying about his grandma.

Despite the upheaval of the Covid pandemic, there were 87,806 more businesses that were created than closed, new Australian Bureau of Statistics data has revealed.

The number of new businesses increased by 365,480 or 15.8 per cent which more than offset the 277,674 or 12 per cent rise in businesses closing, as entrepreneurs embraced technology.

New, non-store retailing had an even bigger increase of 20.8 per cent as repeated lockdowns saw more consumers opt for online purchases.

One of Australia's youngest and richest millionaire entrepreneurs has revealed his tips for success as the pandemic sparks a record surge in new businesses. Fred Schebesta, the co-founder of financial comparison website Finder, has written a new book, 'Go Live! 10 Principles To Launch A Global Empire'

Fred Schebesta's tips for success Learn to pivot during a crisis Learn from mistakes rather than put off starting a business Persevere But be clear on why a business exists Have a product consumers would need everyday instead of only occasionally, likening the idea to selling a vitamin instead of an aspirin Have a growth mindset for success Advertisement

As of June 30, there were 2,402,254 actively trading businesses in Australia.

Fred Schebesta, the co-founder of financial comparison website Finder, has written a new book, 'Go Live! 10 Principles To Launch A Global Empire'.

The 40-year-old entrepreneur, worth an estimated $214million by The Australian Financial Review's Young Rich List panel in 2020, said too many people put off starting a business because they wanted to have the perfect idea.

Instead, Mr Schebesta advocated the mindset of persevering and learning from small errors going by the principle: 'If you're not making mistakes you're not trying hard enough.'

'The last person to give up is usually the one who wins,' he said in his book.

Mr Schebesta also pointed out he had failed 39 times in setting up small ventures, but learned lessons along the way.

His previous businesses ranged from labouriously finding lost superannuation to a digital marketing agency helping businesses with their search engine optimisation on Google.

To succeed, entrepreneurs needed to be focused on their purpose and understand why they existed in the first place.

'You can't reach hyper success without a growth mindset,' Mr Schebesta said.

He also suggested a good business was like a vitamin - a product used everyday to improve the quality of life - instead of an aspirin, a painkiller only used occasionally.

During the start of the pandemic in March 2020, Finder lost $2million in revenue overnight and had to cut back on its spending.

The 40-year-old entrepreneur, worth an estimated $214million by The Australian Financial Review's Young Rich List panel in 2020, said too many people put off starting a business because they wanted to have the perfect idea (he is pictured in his $17million Coogee mansion)

To recover, the website introduced a listing feature enabling consumers to directly buy much-needed hand sanitiser and face masks back when these items were in short supply in shops.

It also launched an app so people would use that instead of just visiting the website, which boosted revenue.

Finder launched in 2006 and evolved into a financial comparison website in 2012.

The business, that Mr Schebesta co-founded with his high school friend Frank Restuccia, has comparison tables for products, ranging from credit cards to home loans and airfares.

Companies pay a commission to Finder for referral traffic.

Mr Schebesta, who lives in a $17milllion clifftop mansion at Coogee in Sydney, said business that thrived during the pandemic were able to pivot.

'The pandemic showed us how to prepare for the unexpected,' he said.

'It proved that those who have a growth mindset - who embrace challenges and setbacks, who can adapt and pivot quickly - who ultimately build sustainable businesses.'

The Finder business Fred Schebesta co-founded with his high school friend Frank Restuccia, has comparison tables for products, ranging from credit cards to home loans and airfares (they are pictured together at schoolies week in 1998 after finishing year 12)

With lockdowns keeping people at home in Sydney, Northern Beaches high school dropout Rob Adams, 29, started SEND in February, after a year of practice, with the aim of delivering groceries within 15 minutes, from snacks to dairy products to fresh produce.

He started Australia's first online-only supermarket after noticing his grandmother was in the super-vulnerable category and was struggling to get basic daily necessities as traditional supermarkets became Covid exposure sites.

'Aligned with the pandemic, it was clear that gaining access to basic daily necessities was becoming a common problem for people like my grandmother,' Mr Adams told Daily Mail Australia.

'It was also evident that even the least likely people to adopt technology were converting in droves as more and more people were ordering food online and via applications.

With lockdowns keeping people at home in Sydney, Northern Beaches high school dropout Rob Adams, 29, started SEND in February, after a year of practice, with the aim of delivering groceries within 15 minutes, from snacks to dairy products to fresh produce

'Seeing how my grandmother was affected on such a personal level solidified our assumption that we were going to experience a profound shift from offline to online shopping.'

The likes of UberEats and Deliveroo focus on takeaway food, so Mr Adams took that home delivery concept and applied it to groceries.

Coles and Woolworths have shopping apps but they require customers to pick up the goods from the front of a store.

With the SEND app, consumers choose the goods they need with the promise of very quick delivery.

He started the business after noticing his grandmother was in the super-vulnerable category and was struggling to get basic daily necessities as supermarkets became Covid exposure sites

His start-up idea has already attracted $3.1million investment from venture capital firms including Germany based Cherry Ventures and New York based FJ Labs, with three shops spread across Sydney and Melbourne.

It has outlets at Alexandria and Potts Points, in inner-city Sydney, and Southbank in Melbourne.

Each shop has 10 to 20 delivery riders and Mr Adams aims to have a nation-wide presence by the end of 2021 with 30 shops.

Mr Adams started his app by contacting Aurbind Sharma, the director of an Indian software development firm who he had met online.

Without capital of his own, Mr Adams convinced Mr Sharma to become a co-founder of a company that stored goods in a warehouse and dispatched them.
A Florida city has unveiled a 'first-of-its-kind' app backed by its police department that lets locals record any interactions with cops in the wake of three officer-involved shootings.

The smartphone application, called Tallahassee Bystander, allows people in Florida's state capital to stream their interactions with police officers in the city.

Footage streamed is sent to a local server, where it is saved so it can be viewed by officials if necessary.

It could be started simply by saying 'Bystander, record.'

'We wanted to make sure this was hands-free, voice-activated so that, again, people could keep their hand where the officers could see them nd not be digging around for something in the car,' Dailey said. 'So it's safer for the officer and it's certainly safer for the citizen as well.'

It does not require registration, so users may remain anonymous. If the Tallahassee Police Department or its oversight board wants to learn more about a particular incident, it will send a push notification to whoever sent the clip, allowing them to remain anonymous if they wish.

The new Tallahassee Bystander app allows users to livestream their interactions with local police officers. The recordings are then sent to the Tallahassee Police Department and a user's emergency contacts

Copies of the recording are saved onto the users' smartphone, streamed live to the Tallahassee Police Department and are sent to three emergency contacts the user sets up.

The video could also be used as evidence in trials.

'We are here for our community,' Police Chief Lawrence Revell said at a news conference to debut the Tallahassee Bystander app on Tuesday, as it became available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

'We want to listen and continue to collaborate on ways to strengthen our relationship with the community - and the launch of this app really highlights that.'

The app is now available on the Apple App store and the Google Play store

Mayor John Dailey also said the app represents City Hall and the police department working together to build transparency.

Although similar apps already exist, he said, Tallahassee is now the first city to support and release such technology to its residents on an official platform.

'This is the first of its kind in the nation,' Dailey said. 'And the first of its kind [that is] fully endorsed by a police department. That is something every citizen in Tallahassee should be very proud of.'

The City Commission allocated $50,000 for the development of the app last year, following three police-involved shooting deaths in the city.

'It's no secret that last summer was a very difficult time in society all across the world, across the United States, across the state of Florida and right here in Tallahassee,' the mayor said at Tuesday's news conference.

He appeared to be referring to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin in May 2020, which triggered global outrage.

'It's also no big secret that each and every day, we step up as a city. We try to increase public trust in our city government, in our police department and increase transparency.'

Police Chief Lawrence Revell said the app highlights the police department's commitment to working with the community, after Black Lives Matter activists asked for a voice-activated app following three police-involved shootings last year

Local government and police officials met with Black Lives Matter protesters and activists in the aftermath of the shootings in the city, according to WCTV, and said they would like to have a voice-activated application that can allow users to record their interactions with the police.

The city's Technology and Innovation Department then worked with tech firm Tesia Lisbon and Paul Woodly from the nonprofit More than a Name, and Quadrant 2, a local business, to develop the app.

Tallahassee NAACP branch President Mutagee Akbar said he believed the creation of the app was a step in the right direction for the city.

'Anything that increases transparency and that bridges that gap between the community and law enforcement, I think is necessary and needed,' he said.

The first officer-involved shooting occurred on March 20, when police officers were trying to stop a carjacking suspect

Last year, the southern city faced three fatal police-involved shootings in the span of a just a few weeks - after not reporting any police-involved shootings since 2018.

Each of the three shootings resulted in the death of a suspect, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

The first shooting occurred several weeks before the death of George Floyd on May 25, which prompted activists across the country to take to the streets in protest of police brutality and demand transparency.

On March 20, the Tallahassee Police Department reported, a suspect reportedly stole a vehicle. Two officers tried to follow the stolen vehicle and conduct a traffic stop when the suspect, Mychael Johnson, fled in the vehicle.

A Leon County Sheriff's Office helicopter was called in to aid in the search, and later reported the suspect tried to carjack another vehicle, but instead returned to the original stolen vehicle.

He reportedly continued to evade officers as they tried to conduct another traffic stop, leading to a car chase that ultimately ended with a crash.

Johnson was reportedly trying to steal another vehicle when cops finally caught him.

'The suspect violently resisted, resulting in an officer firing their handgun,' the police department reported at the time, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

'The suspect was struck by the gunfire and passed away from the injuries at the scene.'

By May 19, another fatal shooting occurred - though details remain scant.

Police said they were called to investigate an altercation at a restaurant, before an officer shot and killed 69-year-old Wilbon C. Woodard at around 1.40pm.

Then, less than one week later, a suspect who had fatally stabbed a 21-year-old was killed after she allegedly pointed a gun at the officer.

Revell said at the time that officers tracked the stabbing suspect, later identified as Natasha 'Tony' McDade, to an apartment complex and 'immediately saw her with the gun and, according to what we've been told, pointed the gun at the officer before the officer could even fully exit the vehicle.'

Witnesses have said that multiple shots were fired that night, on May 27.

Grand juries have since determined that in each case the use of force was justified.
Pentagon commanders have warned that an Afghan-based Islamic State-offshoot called ISIS-K are 'targeting' evacuation planes flying out of Kabul.

The threat comes from an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan known as ISIS-K, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant  Khorasan Province. ISIS announced its expansion to the Khorasan region in 2015, which historically encompasses parts of modern day Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Joe Biden on Tuesday evening warned of the threat posed by ISIS-K, but Pentagon officials gave more detail in a closed-door briefing to Congress, which was relayed to Politico by three congressional aides and another source familiar with the intelligence.

'Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops,' Biden said.

'ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians.'

Further details on their plots were not shared - but U.S. forces left hordes of powerful weapons behind after withdrawing across Afghanistan, which could now be used against its own personnel.

US planes landing at Kabul Airport earlier this week were also spotted doing steep 'diving combat' landings in a bid to avoid potential attack, and were photographed dropping flares which could draw away any missiles fired at them.

Joe Biden on Tuesday evening warned about the growing threat posed by ISIS-K in Kabul

The officials said that the security situation around the airport had significantly deteriorated in recent days, given the new terror threats, and contributed to Biden's decision not to declare an extension of the August 31 deadline for all U.S. troops to leave.

ISIS-K is targeting airport gates - which have seen thousands of people gather in a bid to flee - as well as military and commercial aircraft evacuating people from the capital city, the sources told Politico.

They said the Defense Department officials told the meeting they are trying to mitigate the threats as best as possible.

Gates at the airport were closed because of the security threat, the sources said.

Captain Bill Urban, U.S. Central Command spokesman, confirmed that the threat remained high and that forces were on high alert at Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA).

'The U.S. has been transparent that there is an active and continuing threat from ISIS,' he said.

A family is seen leaving Kabul airport on Tuesday. Pentagon officials warn that the terror threat has significantly increased in recent days

Taliban fighters stand guard outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport on Tuesday

A soldier stands guard on the perimeter of Kabul airport on Tuesday

Soldiers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division escort a group of people to the terminal at Hamid Karzai International Airport on Monday

Two women are escorted by a U.S. Marine towards a U.S. Air Force plane, to depart Kabul on Tuesday

What is ISIS-K? ISIS-K is one of six or seven regional offshoots of the Islamic State - the K stands for the Khorasan region, which historically encompasses parts of modern day Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. ISIS-K was begun in 2014, as a splinter group from the Pakistani Taliban, and its original leaders were from Pakistan. In 2015 it was recognized by ISIS's leaders in Iraq and Syria, and in January 2016 declared a terrorist organization by the State Department. Its strongholds are eastern Afghanistan, straddling the border with Pakistan in Nangarhar province, and the north of Afghanistan. In 2018 the group was weakened in the north of Afghanistan, and in 2019 severely beaten back in the east. But in 2020 they regrouped and launched a series of devastating terror attacks. Advertisement

'That said, the U.S. military can continue our mission at HKIA as long as we are ordered to be there, and we are not going to shut down the mission in response to a threat from ISIS.

'We continue to be extraordinarily vigilant in regard to this ongoing threat and will take all measures necessary to defend our forces and the evacuees, as we continue the mission.'

Since Sunday, the U.S. has directed American citizens and green card holders to the Ministry of Interior, from where they are then escorted to the airport.

A Defense Department official told Politico it initially worked well, but by Tuesday had fallen apart and planes were taking off without being full.

'It worked great on Sunday,' said the defense official.

'Monday was a mixed bag and a lot of green card holders didn't get through.

'Today, clearly, U.S. citizens are having a hard time getting through.'
The Taliban are killing innocent children as they brutally consolidate power, Afghanistan's former interior minister has claimed.

Masoud Andarabi, who was sacked by the now former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani in March, posted shocking photos on Twitter of people, including a small child, who had allegedly been killed by Taliban fighters.

He claimed that the group, who now control nearly all of Afghanistan after dramatically marching into the capital Kabul last week, 'are trying to rule over people by terrorizing, killing young children and elderly citizens.'

Andarabi added that the Taliban 'cannot govern the nation' using such terror methods.

His warning came a day the main resistance group who are continuing to fight the Taliban furiously denied that their surrender was being negotiated.

Ex-Afghan soldiers - many trained by Western troops - have joined forces with local militia from a base in the Panjshir Valley, north-east of Kabul.

The group is fighting under the banner The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan [NRF] and is led by Sandhurst-trained Ahmad Massoud.

The Taliban are killing innocent children as they brutally consolidate power, Afghanistan's former interior minister, Masoud Andarabi, has claimed as he posted shocking photos of people, including a small child, who had allegedly been murdered by the fighters

Andarabi (pictured), was sacked by the now former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani in March

Andarabi added in his tweet: 'In Andarab, taliban have been carrying out unwarranted searches of homes, capturing people without reason or justification and killing innocent citizens.

'As a result, people have had to rise against their brutality to protect their lives, honor, dignity and property.'

Andarabi posted the photos after warning in an interview with Indian outlet India Today this week that the resistance to the Taliban's rule would not go away.

He said: 'I think there will be backs and pushes and resistance.

'It shows that if the Taliban do not adjust to today's Afghanistan, these pocket resistances will keep popping up.

'The resistance will continue in any form across the country.'

He said that, if the Taliban want people to support their rule and to avoid an ongoing rebellion, they should form an elected government and not an undemocratic 'emirate'.

Andarabi was sacked by the recently-ousted president Ashraf Ghani in March after a spate of Taliban attacks against government troops.

Whilst no official reason was given for his dismissal, a senior security official said at the time that Andarabi had failed to arrest a militia commander whose forces had shot down a helicopter, killing nine members of the security forces.

Andarabi had been tasked weeks before with arresting the commander.

After his post on Tuesday, he was described by Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwary as 'widely respected'.

The shocking new images were posted after chilling reports last week that Islamist militants were stalking cities across Afghanistan for women and girls.

Another image posted by Andarabi showed a dead elderly man whose legs were covered in blood

Jihadist commanders were reportedly ordering imams in areas they have captured to bring them lists of unmarried women aged from 12 to 45 for their soldiers to marry because they view them as 'qhanimat' or 'spoils of war' - to be divided up among the victors.

Resistance chief Massoud, who also studied at King's College, London, is nicknamed 'Heir to the Lion' or 'Lion Cub' after his father, a famed Mujahideen commander known as the 'Lion of Panjshir' after the region that he ruled and defended.

The Taliban claimed on Monday that they had retaken three districts north of Kabul capital seized the day before and had surrounded Panjshir, the last province that remains out of their control.

A third image posted by the politician showed a little girl who was alive but had been wounded on her cheek

They said they were negotiating with the rival forces to secure their surrender.

However, Ali Maisam Nazary, the head of foreign relations for the NLF, rubbished the claim on Twitter, saying that 'no one is going to surrender the Panjshir and @AhmadMassoud01 will defend the valley with all he has.'

His statement came after Massoud wrote in the Washington Post last week: 'No matter what happens, my mujahideen fighters and I will defend Panjshir as the last bastion of Afghan freedom.'
Poor wages, the closure of a tax loophole for drivers and EU employees returning home after Brexit are all thought to be contributing to the shortage of drivers

Large franchises including McDonalds and Nandos have been affected, closing restaurants and removing items from their menus due to shortages

A shortage of more than 90,000, has disrupted deliveries across the economy

Schools are being warned to stock up on food for hot meals over fears they could be caught up in a growing driver shortage that also threatens Christmas.

The end of the holidays next month will add to a crisis that has hit big names including McDonald's, Nando's, KFC, and Beefeater.

Deliveries of milk and fresh produce to supermarkets and corner shops have been disrupted, while supplies of canned and bottled drinks are rationed.

The fact that a firm the size of McDonald's has effectively run out of milkshakes has alerted many to an issue threatening widespread disruption to Christmas.

The Federation of Wholesale Distributors (FWD) warned: 'Wholesalers are keeping a close eye on availability across the range of products that schools buy, and have been encouraging them to stock up early where possible.

'They are working closely with schools and suppliers to flag any potential risks.'

Trade bodies such as the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Logistics UK have warned Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng the driver crisis is worsening.

Schools are being warned to stock up on food for hot meals over fears they could be caught up in a growing driver shortage that also threatens Christmas [Stock image]

David Visick, FWD communications chief, said: 'September is going to be an incredibly challenging month for food distributors who are struggling to find enough delivery drivers.

'Schools come back, workplaces are reopening fully for the first time in months, and the tourist catering trade is still at full capacity.

'The knock-on effect will be further disruption to food and drink supplies for village shops, local pubs, and all the restaurants which have been unable to trade fully for the last 18 months.'

A shortage of lorry drivers, put at more than 90,000, has disrupted deliveries across the economy, including manufacturing and construction. Experts say it is due to a combination of factors including poor wages, the closure of a tax loophole for some drivers, and EU employees returning home after Brexit.

Lockdown hit the training of drivers and 40,000 HGV tests were cancelled.

Mr Visick said: 'We're asking the Government to look at introducing a temporary visa to allow HGV drivers from the EU to fill vacancies in food supply in the months from now until Christmas.'

The issue has hit household names. McDonald's said: 'Bottled drinks and milkshakes are unavailable in restaurants across England, Scotland and Wales.' Last week, Nando's was forced to shut 50 outlets because of a problem with deliveries, while many KFC outlets cut the number of items on the menu.

A poster up in one Beefeater restaurant read: 'Due to circumstances beyond our control involving supply chain/Brexit, we are experiencing unheard levels of unavailability across a number of products.'

Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, said: 'It is consumers who will suffer.

'Retailers are increasing pay rates, offering bonuses and introducing driver training schemes, as well as directly supporting suppliers in the movement of goods, but Government will need to play its part.

'We are calling on the Government to rapidly increase the number of HGV tests, provide temporary visas for EU drivers and make changes on how HGV driver training can be funded.'

Rod McKenzie, of the Road Haulage Association, said: 'We are not being doom-mongers, but there is a clear and present danger caused by the effects of the lorry driver shortage, which is acute, and the Brexit trade deal.'

The Government urged firms to train Britons. A spokesman said: 'Employers should invest in our domestic workforce instead of relying on labour from abroad.

'We recently announced measures to tackle the HGV driver shortage, including plans to streamline the process for new drivers to gain their licence and increase the number of tests.

'We have also temporarily relaxed rules to allow drivers to make longer journeys, but these must only be used where necessary and must not compromise safety.'
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A former Royal Marine who set up an animal rescue charity in Kabul said he would be forced to put his cats and dogs down after a minister vowed to 'prioritise people over pets'.

Paul 'Pen' Farthing, 52, founder of Nowzad, said Boris Johnson had approved a charter flight he had crowdfunded to fly 69 staff and 100 animals to the UK.

But he claimed Defence Secretary Ben Wallace blocked the flight by refusing to grant air signs needed for it to land at Kabul airport. A Ministry of Defence spokesman denied the claims.

Yesterday Mr Wallace said a charter flight would hamper rescue efforts, adding: 'I'm not prepared to prioritise pets over people.' Mr Farthing said: 'If they won't allow me on to that aircraft then I'll have to put all my dogs and cats to sleep on the runway.'

Mr Farthing was rebuked by Ben Wallace this morning for complaining UK forces were stopping his private charter plane from taking his staff and rescue dogs out of Kabul.

But a Sky News video of a Vauxhall hatchback entering a military cargo jet prompted a counter-blast from animal rights activists including the comedian Ricky Gervais and actor Peter Egan, who accused the MoD of caring more about a car than 'sentient animals'.

But a video of the Vauxhall entering the cargo jet prompted comedian Ricky Gervais to tweet: 'Urgent: @PenFarthing is brave and kind. Such honour should be rewarded. He's still trying to save others in the face of grave danger. He shouldn't be left behind. And they rescued a f*****g car? Shame. #OperationArk'

Actor Peter Egan added: 'Can it be possible that @BWallaceMP is ok about airlifting a car but not sentient animals!!'

In response to the anger, an MOD source said today: 'The car was a civilian armoured vehicle (probably part of the UK Embassy fleet).

'Priority on all flights is given to passengers, but flights have to take off in their allocated time-slot to keep traffic moving, so on the flight featured by Sky, there were 134 people processed at the time allocated for take-off, and because that left some room, it was filled with cargo, including the car.'

Mr Gervais wrote in response to the video: '@PenFarthing is brave and kind. Such honour should be rewarded. He's still trying to save others in the face of grave danger. He shouldn't be left behind. And they rescued a f*****g car? Shame.'

Actor Peter Egan added: 'Can it be possible that @BWallaceMP is ok about airlifting a car but not sentient animals!!'

Mr Farthing, 52, has complained about being 'left to fend for myself' after organising the flight for his 25 Afghan staff as well as the charity's dogs and cats. He announced the UK Government granted visas for all of his staff and their dependents.

But Mr Wallace - himself a former soldier - told LBC that Mr Farthing's claim about being abandoned by the MoD was 'b******s'.

In a round of interviews, the clearly frustrated politician said that while the animal charity boss had done 'amazing' work, all the plane would achieve if it landed in Kabul was to 'block the airfield' and 'sit there empty'.

'There is a confusion, I am afraid some of the campaigners have latched on to the fact they have chartered a plane, as if this somehow is the magic wand,' he said.

'The magic wand is whether people can get through Kabul through the Taliban checkpoints and then through the 3,000-plus people, some of whom are waiting in front of the queue because they are under real threat, direct threat right now from the Taliban.'

He added: 'I am not prepared to prioritise, for example, pets over people.'

Mr Wallace said that Mr Farthing himself could get through the gates and his staff were entitled to refuge in the UK, but he could not 'guarantee' they would be airlifted 'in this window'.

Paul 'Pen' Farthing, 52, said he has been 'left to fend for myself' after the MoD allegedly stopped his privately rented plane from taking off

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace insisted he will not 'prioritise pets over people' in the evacuation

Pen Farthing is founder of the Nowzad charity which he set up after befriending a stray dog while serving in Helmand in 2006

Former Royal Marine Commando Pen Farthing has been working with his Norwegian wife Kaisa Helene (above) and their team in Kabul

Mr Farthing with dogs RPG and Jena, who were destined to die from starvation or dog fights in Afghanistan until he stepped in

Celebrities including actor Ricky Gervais and Dragons Den star Deborah Meaden, who back the Nowzad charity, today slammed the Government's attitude towards evacuating animals

An MoD spokesman said: 'We are aware of reports around vehicles being loaded onto flights leaving Afghanistan. 'Cleared passengers are always loaded as an absolute priority and any spare capacity is used for operational freight. No flight has left Kabul empty.

'In the last 24 hours, 9 flights have left with over 1800 people on board.'

Celebrities including actor Mr Gervais and Dragons Den star Deborah Meaden, who back the Nowzad charity, today slammed the Government's attitude towards evacuating animals.

Writing on Twitter, Gervais said: 'Dear stupid c**ts saying we shouldn't put animals before people.. 1. The animals go in the hold where people can't go. 2. This is an extra, privately funded plane that will allow MORE people to be saved. #OperationArk'.

Meaden added: 'So.. Pete Quentin (Tory candidate for Camberwell and Peckham) why on Earth would you put these lives at risk? Everything arranged and you pull it??? Are we dithering with peoples lives @PenFarthing #nowzad #operationark'.

It's a no from Joe: US president set to reject pleas to delay Kabul withdrawal deadline Ministers have dismissed hopes that Joe Biden will extend the August 31 deadline for withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan as the UK, France and Germany prepare to make a last-ditch plea in G7 talks today. Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel are expected to push the case for keeping the evacuation operation in place longer with thousands of desperate people still flocking to Kabul airport. However, Mr Johnson and Mr Biden discussed the airlift in a call last night without making any progress, and the Taliban has warned of 'consequences' if there is an attempt to cling on. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said this morning it is 'unlikely' the deadline will be extended, after the RAF extracted another 2,000 people in the past 24 hours. 'I think it is unlikely. Not only because of what the Taliban has said but if you look at the public statements of President Biden I think it is unlikely,' Mr Wallace said. 'It is definitely worth us all trying, and we will.' With the prospects of maintaining the military action receding, attention is turning to plans after August 31, with suggestions the Taliban could allow civilian evacuation flights to continue. Advertisement

The comments came after Mr Farthing told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'Today we still do not have anything from the MoD, in fact they cut me off.

'I did have an emergency line that I could call if I was in trouble or needed to report something that's going on but that's been cut so I've been literally left now on my own in enemy-held territory. I just can't get my head around that.

'We've got a privately-funded plane that can take 250 passengers out, 69 of them would be me and the staff, but we've got an empty cargo hold. I don't understand the problems here, I'm not asking the MoD to give me a plane I just need to have a call sign.'

Mr Farthing claimed he had not received documents from the Home Office that would allow his staff to get past Taliban checkpoints and leave the country.

But Mr Wallace told Sky News: 'He could get through the gates as a British passport holder. He was called forward on Friday and I recommend he takes that.

'His workforce have been offered, as entitled personnel, places and they will be able to be called forward, but I can't guarantee in this window they will be processed onto aircraft, all I can say is they qualify.'

He added on LBC radio: 'I have some really desperate people in that queue who are really under threat of life and death, and if we don't get them out their future is very, very bleak.

'I simply have to prioritise those people over pets, very important. It doesn't mean we don't care about animals, we're all an animal loving nation.'

Mr Farthing previously managed to get his 30-year-old wife Kaisa out of the country and shared a shocking image appearing to show her on a near-empty evacuation flight.

In an interview with Sky News, he said: 'I can't get into the airport because the MoD won't talk to me. That is beyond the pale, somebody somewhere is playing with people's lives.'

Mr Farthing goes on to describe the emotional rollercoaster he and his staff were forced to go through today.

He said: 'You've not idea of the elation in our office this morning when our staff knew [they could come to the UK].'

He previously managed to get his 30-year-old wife Kaisa out of the country and shared a shocking image appearing to show her on a near-empty evacuation flight (pictured)

Outraged social media users have taken to Twitter to vent their frustrations at the Government's alleged actions

But the joy his staff felt soon turned to despair after Mr Farthing said the Ministry of Defence refused to let his privately funded commercial plane land in the Kabul military airfield.

He said: 'It's a privately funded aircraft, I only want to take out 69 people and the cargo hold is empty so we're going to put dogs and cats into it.

'No taxpayer money will go into this. We've got 130 spare seats on that aircraft we can fill with people entitled to come to Britain.'

He went on to claim the reason his flight had been blocked is that the Ministry of Defence doesn't want people to see animals getting on a flight.

While holding back tears he added: 'I am behind enemy lines now, the Taliban are here. I cannot get into the airport because the MOD won't talk to me. They're playing with people's lives.

'I wasn't frightened because I knew I had this lifeline but that's just been cut off. I am now on my own here.

An RAF plane was filled to capacity with embassy staff, British nationals and any Afghans able to settle in the UK

Evacuations have been underway in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country on August 13 after American troops were pulled from the country

'The very people that I was part of have cut me off. You have no idea of the emotion that's going through me right now.'

Outraged social media users have taken to Twitter to vent their frustrations at the Government's alleged actions.

One wrote: 'Dear British Government, the eyes of the world are watching, not just those of the UK. It is absolutely essential this life saving flight goes ahead without delay and with all onboard (including animals). I would urge you to ensure everything is in place without delay.'

Thousands of Afghans could be left behind in Kabul as ministers push to extend the deadline for the last British evacuation flight beyond Tuesday. Pictured: British citizens catching a flight earlier this week

Taliban fighters stand guard on their side at a border crossing point between Pakistan and Afghanistan, in Torkham, in Khyber district, Pakistan

The former Royal Marine Commando runs an animal rights charity in Afghanistan and is now trying to evacuate dogs and cats

Mr Farthing said staff at the charity were working on plans to evacuate 100 cats and 100 dogs on a 200,000 charter plane

While another said: 'Furious and feel sick. How can people be so evil!!! Boris Johnson GET THIS SORTED! I can't believe we were all praising you this morning, we thought you were doing the right thing!!!!'

And another wrote: 'This is horrendous. Heartbreaking. The UK government have failed in every aspect and I am so sorry to see it now affecting you and #nowzad. I am praying for you, your staff and animals to get back safely. Stay safe.'

The MoD refused to comment on Mr Farthing's accusations last night.

How a deadly deployment in Afghanistan's Helmand province turned Royal Marine into animal saviour when he realised he couldn't leave his new canine pal behind

By JACK WRIGHT FOR MAILONLINE

Tough guy Paul Farthing arrived with the men of Kilo Company of 42 Commando Royal Marines in the war torn town of 'Now Zad' in Helmand Province - one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan - in 2006.

Tasked with providing stability for the local people in the early years of the Western intervention triggered by the 9/11 attacks in the US, the Marines soon realised it wasn't just local people who needed their help - but stray dogs.

The idea of an animal clinic was first born when Farthing - a Royal Marine Sergeant who goes by the nickname Pen - broke up a dog fight, a popular 'sport' in Afghanistan, taking place outside their remote compound.

Tough guy Paul Farthing arrived with the men of Kilo Company of 42 Commando Royal Marines in the war torn town of 'Now Zad' in Helmand Province - one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan - in 2006

Former Royal Marine commando Paul 'Pen' Farthing, who runs an animal sanctuary in Kabul, has been separated from his wife Kaisa Helene in Kabul

He was befriended by one of the dogs, who became his companion and he was named Nowzad. The Marines built a run and mortar shelter to provide the dogs with some safety and shelter and when the commando force left, Farthing decided he couldn't leave 'those sad big eyes' behind.

With the help of animal lovers Nowzad, several other dogs and 14 puppies befriended by Marines were taken on an epic journey to safety. Within months, the charity was formed with the aim of helping the animals of Afghanistan and educating the local people about the care and treatment of dogs as well as reducing rabies, a major problem in the country.

According to the Nowzad website, the clinic has reunited over 1,600 soldiers with the dogs and cats they rescue and bond with on the frontlines in Afghanistan, and 'continue to be there for the brave men and women who show compassion to animals'.

'The relationships built up between a dog and soldier on bases can be very special,' Farthing said, 'A dog can ease the stress and provide five minutes of normality that is hugely important in that kind of environment, it can provide a bond that is hard to break.

'Dogs have been proven to help post-traumatic stress and the soldiers who adopt them are addressing this.'

Undated handout photo of Pen Farthing, founder of animal rescue charity Nowzad

The US-backed authorities in Kabul undertook a brutal operation of poisoning with thousands of stray dogs on the streets but Nowzad implemented an extensive programme of humane trap, neuter, vaccinate and release as an organised and effective way of controlling the dog population - and countering canine rabies.

In parallel, they helped to educate local Afghan children how to avoid feral dogs and the humane treatment of animals. One dog at the clinic in particular carried the scars of brutality - Atish, brought in by a US aid worker who found him in agony of the streets.

'His back side had been dipped in battery acid, we think,' said Louise Hastie, the former British soldier running Nowzad's operations, 'we amputated most of the tail and he is making a good recovery.'

'We have made real progress here in terms of both care and education and it is thanks to the support of all those people who donate.

'Every penny they give is genuinely helping the lives of Afghan animals and that is something we are proud of. 'For soldiers and others out here that we have helped there has been a special bond built-up with an animal here that they can't give up.
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Jeff Bezos and his rumored fiancee, Lauren Sanchez, were seen arriving in Los Angeles aboard a $65 million private jet on Tuesday.

The couple were spotted sat next to each other next to a window as the jet pulled up to de-board.

Amazon billionaire Bezos was the first to exit the craft, while Sanchez, dressed in white pants and black blouse, followed him out into a black SUV.

New of Bezos, 57, and Sanchez, 51, dating broke at the start of 2019, when Bezos announced that he and his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, were divorcing.

Sanchez, a reporter, was also in the middle of her own divorce to Hollywood talent agent Patrick Whitesell.

Sanchez has been photographed twice with a ring on her engagement finger since she started dating Bezos, although the couple have never publicly confirmed that they are engaged.

Bezos and Sanchez - who was spotted sporting a huge diamond ring on her ring finger in June - were snapped sitting next to each other inside his huge $65 million private jet

The couple have been reportedly dating since January 2019, with Bezos previously married to MacKenzie Scott

Jeff Bezos and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez were spotted arriving in Los Angeles aboard a private Jet on Tuesday

The power couple enjoyed their flight aboard the $65 million jet despite Bezos' current legal battle with NASA

Bezos, seen wearing a hat and blue shirt, was the first to exit the private jet

The billionaire is current engrossed in a lawsuit against NASA, which awarded lunar lander contracts to competitor SpaceX

Sanchez followed behind Bezos. She reportedly held a part for him following his flight into space in July

The reporter has been photographed twice with a ring on her finger since dating Bezos

The couple's trip to LA comes amid a heated legal battle between Bezos and NASA.

Blue Origin, Bezos' space flight company, recently filed a lawsuit against NASA, claiming a $2.9 billion lunar lander contract was unfairly awarded to rival Elon Musk's SpaceX earlier this year.

The suit, filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on Monday, is sealed, but according to another filing, it 'challenges NASAs unlawful and improper evaluation of proposals.'

The company said its suit was 'an attempt to remedy the flaws in the acquisition process found in NASAs Human Landing System.'

Blue Origin was originally in competition with SpaceX and a third firm called Dynetics for what was expected to be two NASA contracts.

After Congress trimmed the space agency's budget, NASA announced in April 2021 that SpaceX's Human Landing System (HLS) would be the sole contractor.

SpaceX's $2.91 billion contract was reportedly much lower than Blue Origin's $5.99 billion bid.

Though Blue Origin claims NASA had indicated it would award several contracts, in April gave Elon Musk (pictured) and his Space X the lone $2.91 billion contract to develop a lunar lander

After NASA announced Space X would be the sole contractor, Elon Musk tweeted that rival Jeff Bezos 'can't get it up (to orbit)'

That month, Blue Origin and Alabama-based Dynetics filed a 50-page protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a congressional watchdog.

In response, Elon Musk rolled his fellow multibillionaire Bezos, tweeting he 'can't get it up (to orbit).'

In July, the GAO rejected Blue Origin and Dynetics' protest, finding 'NASA did not violate procurement law or regulation when it decided to make only one award,' striking down Blue Origin's main argument.

The same month the GAO rejected the protest, Bezos became the first billionaire in space, joining his brother, Mark, 82-year-old space pioneer Wally Funk, and an 18-year-old student.

Sanchez reportedly held a part for Bezos a few weeks later to celebrate the feat.

Blue Origin has been working on its moon landing system, known as Blue Moon, since 2017.

A rendering of Blue Moon, the lunar landing vehicle Blue Horizon intended to develop for NASA

An illustration of the SpaceX Starship human lander design that will carry the first NASA astronauts to the surface of the Moon under the Artemis program in 2024

'NASA had indicated an overriding intention to make two awards but due to perceived shortfalls in currently available and anticipated future budget appropriations, it made only the award to SpaceX, eliminating HLS competition, and effectively locking down immediate and future lunar landing system development and launch and lunar landing opportunities,' lawyers for Blue Origin.

A US judge set an October 14 hearing on the case. NASA has voluntarily agreed to halt work on the contract until November 1, according to court documents.

NASA told DailyMail.com: 'NASA has voluntarily paused work with SpaceX for the human landing system (HLS) Option A contract effective Aug. 19 through Nov. 1. In exchange for this temporary stay of work, all parties agreed to an expedited litigation schedule that concludes on Nov. 1.

'NASA officials are continuing to work with the Department of Justice to review the details of the case and look forward to a timely resolution of this matter.

'NASA is committed to Artemis and to maintaining the nations global leadership in space exploration. With our partners, we will go to the Moon and stay to enable science investigations, develop new technology, and create high paying jobs for the greater good and in preparation to send astronauts to Mars.'

NASA has voluntarily agreed to halt work on the contract until November 1, according to court documents
Queensland has temporarily shut down its border to those wanting to relocate from NSW, Victoria and the ACT because hotel quarantine is 'full' after the state recorded zero new Covid cases overnight.

'We are really concerned about the pressure that the hotel quarantine system is putting on our resources,' Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said in her Wednesday morning press conference.

Ms Palaszczuk - sporting a glamorous new look - said residents seeking to relocate from Covid hotspots had overwhelmed the state's hotel quarantine system.

'While we have allowed genuine relocations for work and other purposes, it has overwhelmed our hotels and it has to be stopped for at least the next fortnight,' she said. 'Queensland is being loved to death.'

The new rules come into effect from 12pm Wednesday.

'Queensland is being loved to death,' Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said as she debuted a glam new look at Wednesday's Covid update

New rules for those who need to quarantine in a hotel when relocating to Queensland will require people to book a room in the hotel facility before they travel and re-apply for a border pass (Brisbane's Hotel Grand Chancellor, pictured)

From 12pm Wednesday people entering Queensland will not be permitted to enter on a right of entry pass and would need to reapply for a border pass to be allocated a time to enter in another fortnight (pictured - travellers wearing masks in Queensland)

There were currently 5,114 people in 22 quarantine hotels - 3,257 from interstate and 1,857 from overseas - the largest number since the hotel quarantine system was put in place in the state.

Between August 9 and 20, 2,750 people received border passes to relocate to Queensland, the premier said, including 1,983 people in one week.

Exemptions will exist for people accessing medical treatment or other special circumstances including bereavement.

'We do not have any room at the moment,' Ms Palaszczuk said. 'We're being stretched to the limit. It's too much pressure, it's putting our workers and our community at risk.

'We don't want to see Delta coming into our community.'

She said Queensland Police and the health department had put the proposal to her to shut down hotel quarantine for a fortnight, saying there had even been requests from the Commonwealth government to help resettle refugees from Afghanistan as a result of the Taliban's takeover.

The new rules require individuals to book a room in a quarantine facility before they travel to Queensland.

They must also re-apply for a border pass, including returning Queensland residents.

'Anyone who's not already on a flight at midday will not be able to arrive simply on a right of entry pass,' Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said.

'Everyone who's a Queensland resident, or seeking to relocate, will need to reapply for their pass.'

Ms D'Ath said passes would be reissued in the next fortnight, allocating each applicant a time period to arrive in Queensland so hotel room capacity could be managed.

Queensland Police stop vehicles on the border with NSW at Coolangatta. New border measures require essential workers entering Queensland to have had at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine

Strict border controls between Queensland and NSW are in place as the Delta outbreak that originated in Sydney continues to spread

Ms Palaszczuk said the state had recently seen 'surges' above the cap on international arrivals, necessitating the new hotel quarantine rules.

'I want people to come home,' she said. 'If people want to relocate here, I want them to relocate here but we just have to do it in a sensible and orderly fashion.'

Ms Palaszczuk appeared to have a glamorous new look at today's press conference.

'Gladys [Berejiklian] wants hairdressers to reopen, maybe she's jelly [jealous] of Annastacia's 'do,' wrote one Twitter user.

Meanwhile, two truck drivers who entered Queensland from NSW are no longer deemed positive cases.

Chief health officer Jeannette Young said further testing determined the two truckies had returned false positives and were no longer deemed a risk.

'These two truck drivers were superb, doing their routine testing and extra testing and maintained social distancing at all times, stayed at home when they weren't driving the trucks,' Dr Young said.

Border residents protest the current restrictions on NSW residents entering Queensland at Coolangatta last weekend

On Tuesday Ms Palaszczuk pushed back at Prime Minister Scott Morrison's comments yesterday morning that people needed to 'get out of the cave' and open up the country once vaccination rates reach 80 per cent.

The premier said unlike people some other states, Queenslanders were already living in relative freedom.

'Have a look at Queensland at the moment: you can go to work and go to school, you can go watch sport, you can play community sport, you can go to a restaurant, you can go out, we haven't given up,' she said.

The announcement about hotel quarantine changes came as 120 Australian Defence Forces personnel today joined Queensland Police and SES volunteers to check compliance with restrictions at the NSW-Queensland border.
As many as 100 Afghan evacuees flown out of war-torn Kabul are on intelligence agency watch lists, a United States government official warned on Tuesday as it was revealed one passenger flown out to Qatar has potential ties to ISIS.

The Afghans, potential candidates for Special Immigration Visas (SIV), were flagged as possible matches to intelligence agency watch lists by the Defense Department's Automated Biometric Identification System, an official with the U.S. government told Defense One.

The Afghan who has potential ties to ISIS was detected by security screeners at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after they were evacuated from Kabul Airport, another official told the outlet. There have been 6,000 Afghans taken to the air base.

'Intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism professionals are conducting screening and security vetting for all SIV applicants and other vulnerable Afghans before they are allowed into the United States,' a State Department spokesperson told DailyMail.com.

'We are surging resources to evaluate each case and process these as efficiently as possible to protect homeland security.'

The State Department declined to confirm to DailyMail.com whether any immigrants have been flagged for having ties to ISIS, and it is unclear if they were processed before or after leaving Kabul.

As many as 100 Afghan evacuees flown out of war-torn Kabul are on intelligence agency watch lists, US official warned on Tuesday

Evacuees from Afghanistan are pictured arriving at Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar's capital Doha

They were flagged as possible matches to intelligence agency watch lists by the Defense Department's Automated Biometric Identification System. Pictured: Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul

The Afghan who has potential ties to ISIS was detected by security screeners at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after they were evacuated from Kabul Airport

The Afghan evacuees are being screened against law enforcement databases using biometric data including facial recognition, iris scans and fingerprints by agents with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).

Officials told Defense One there 'certainly' have been some Afghans who triggered alerts - but, in most cases, they have already been cleared after further screening.

However, the CBP agents are facing challenges in screening the incredible number of SIV applicants such as using old vetting systems that 'could not integrate' with the Defense Department's biometric database information, Defense One reported.

'CBP on the ground has old tech and they don't know how to use it, integrate it. And there's not enough people to process' all of the evacuees,' an official said.

The technology can take up to an hour for the system to determine whether someone is a potential security risk - and officials maintained that the system is working, but slowly.

The officials who spoke with Defense One noted that most of the security alerts have been flagged at Al Udeid, but that they 'can't rule it out' that alerts are happening at other temporary bases.

Another military-focused publication, Stars and Stripes, noted that service members at Al Udeid are feeling the toll from the mass evacuation of Afghanistan - one of the largest military operations in history.

Qatar air base, pictured, holds Afghan refugees in a 'sweltering living hell' covered in 'rats, feces and urine', a leaked US Central Command memo revealed

A member of the Taliban stands guard as Afghans gather outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport to flee the country in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday

Families board a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday

'Been doing this 12-16 (hours), no days off since the s--t hit the fan,' one Facebook user wrote on a page for Al Udeid residents.

'Now I love the fact I'm helping people and I wouldn't know what to do if I was in (their) shoes, but I just want some real rest ... cause I'm shutting down slowly. ... I'm mf TIRED ok.'

One American worker at the base told Stars and Stripes he worked 22-hour days for three days straight, which included 10 hours a day of volunteering.

Soldiers explained that there are not enough translators, and ice to keep water cool was running low despite scorching 120-degree temperatures, Stars and Stripes reported.

The outlet noted that the air base has become so full of evacuees that one plane circled overhead for two hours before it could land.

'To give these people a new chance at life was worth it,' the person wrote. 'Guys in (Al Udeid) are still swamped right now.'
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A retail boss has warned current food shortages are some of the worst he has ever seen while others blamed the shortfall of 90,000 lorry drivers on post-Brexit migration and the pandemic.

Steve Murrells, Co-operative Group chief executive, told The Times the shortages were 'at a worse level than at any time I have seen' and revealed the company had reduced several ranges on offer in stores as a result of post-Brexit migration rules and coronavirus.

Instead, the company is now retraining members of staff to drive lorries to help deal with the loss of drivers in the industry - with around 14,000 European drivers leaving the UK last year and only 600 returning.

The impact of supply chain shortages is already being felt on the ground, with McDonald's running out of milkshakes and bottled drinks this week, while Nando's and KFC have reported a shortage of chicken.

Retail bosses yesterday warned the industry faces a shortfall of 90,000 lorry drivers as a perfect storm of Covid and Brexit strangles supply chains and threatens a shortage of popular gifts and staple foods.

Steve Murrells, Co-operative Group chief executive, told The Times the shortages were 'at a worse level than at any time I have seen' as other retail bosses warn of a huge shortfall. Picture: Empty shelves in Co-op in July

Retail bosses yesterday warned the industry faces a shortfall of 90,000 lorry drivers as a perfect storm of Covid and Brexit strangles supply chains. Picture: Stock

Britons are now being warned to buy Christmas presents early, as issues with shipping from Asia means shoppers may soon be offered a smaller range of products, with demand for best-selling items like Playstation 5s and Barbies threatening to outstrip supply.

Meanwhile, a dearth of workers in the UK means meat processors are already six weeks behind with their preparations - which typically start in July - raising the spectre of labour-intensive items like pigs in blankets not being ready in time.

Some producers are responding by cutting the number of animals they rear for the festive period, with the supply of turkeys set to be 20percent lower than last year, according to the British Poultry Association.

It is believed the shortage is partially as a result of many butchers leaving the UK or turning to driving lorries due to a surge in the popularity of online shopping.

As the crisis worsens, the boss of the British Retail Consortium has called for the Government to act to help solve the shortage of drivers.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said: 'The UK faces a shortfall of 90,000 HGV drivers and it is consumers who will ultimately suffer for this.

'So far, disruption has been minimal thanks to the incredible work by retailers and their suppliers.

'Retailers are increasing pay rates, offering bonuses and introducing new driver training schemes, as well as directly supporting their suppliers in the movement of goods, but Government will need to play its part.

'We are calling on the Government to rapidly increase the number of HGV driving tests taking place, provide temporary visas for EU drivers, and to make changes on how HGV driver training can be funded.'

Co-op's chief executive Stevel Murrells (pictured) revealed the company is now retraining members of staff to drive lorries to help deal with the loss of drivers in the industry

The impact of supply chain shortages is already being felt on the ground, with McDonald's running out of milkshakes and bottled drinks this week. Picture: Stock

There have also been some issues with the availability of potatoes, according to catering firm Lynx Purchasing, which said this had been driven by floods in producing countries such as Germany and the Netherlands.

A lack of lorry drivers and food processors is being partly blamed on the new Brexit visa regime introduced on January 1, which penalises lower-skilled migrants in favour of those with qualifications.

But global factors are relevant too, bosses say, including Chinese port closures and a lack of shipping containers. US Vice President Kamala Harris yesterday urged Americans to buy Christmas toys early due to a shortage there.

Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association, said a labour shortage meant the industry was already 'well behind' on getting ready for Christmas.

He told MailOnline: 'You'd normally start to prepare pigs in blankets and gammons at the beginning of July and they'd go into the freezer and come out at Christmas time, but we're six weeks behind and not seeing any light at the end of the tunnel.

'The shelves aren't going to be empty but it's hard to see how there won't be shortages of these things and the choice will get less.'

The supply of popular Christmas products is likely to be hit by domestic labour shortages and issues with global shipping

Britain has so far been unable to shake its dependency on EU workers who have been leaving due to the pandemic, Mr Allen explained, while the supply of new workers is being held back by stricter visa rules introduced on January 1.

'Covid is one of the reasons why people are going home and not going back again but it fundamentally down to our post-Brexit immigration policy,' he said.

'I try to avoid blaming Brexit - our politicians gave us an immigration policy and it was their choice. With a million job vacancies in the country its night on impossible to fulfil all our needs.'

The most common complaint among UK retailers and food producers is the shortage of lorry drivers, which the Road Haulage Association currently puts at 100,000.

Thousands of prospective drivers are waiting for their HGV tests due to a backlog caused by lockdown, while many existing ones have left the UK after Brexit or to be back with their families during Covid.

Dixons Carphone is attempting to fill 180 driver vacancies by offering applicants a 1,500 signing-on bonus and a 1,500 retention bonus, while salaries have been boosted by at least 9%, The Sunday Times reported.

Meanwhile Amazon is reportedly offering 1,000 joining bonuses to new employees to work in warehouses in Coventry, Darlington, Dartford, Redditch and Swansea.

The supply of turkeys set to be 20percent lower than last year, according to predictions from the British Poultry Association

Importers are also suffering a financial hit, with dramatically rising transport costs caused by a global lack of shipping containers and a slowdown in freight movements resulting from port closures.

Chinese authorities recently shut Ningbo-Zhoushan port, which is one of the world's largest container terminals, due to a Covid outbreak.

Gary Grant, founder and executive chairman of toy chain the Entertainer, said the cost of shipping a container from Asia had increased from $1,700 to more than $13,000 (8,000) over the past year.

'The cost of containers - as well as a shortage of them - is proving very difficult across many industries, not just ours,' he told MailOnline.

'What is unique to us is that Christmas is a fixed date, so we are under extreme pressure at the moment to move as much stock as we can but are significantly behind with the shipment of products.

'There's not a shortage of toys, but what will happen as when we get nearer to Christmas the suppliers will not have to back-up stock that we've previously relied upon. So the range of stock we have may be narrower.'

Mr Grant said the products most likely to be impacted were the ones already selling well, including Paw Patrol, Barbie and Rainbocorns.

'Shoppers need to buy early. I'm a retailer, so sceptics would say that I'm going to tell people to do that,' he said.

'I'm not encouraging people to go and panic buy. But there is going to be shortage of certain goods, so the way to get around that is to buy early.'

McDonald's became the latest restaurant chain in the UK to be hit by supply shortages yesterday with no milkshakes or bottled drinks available in any of its outlets

Global shipping demands on maintaining a steady flow of containers from Asia to the West, including the return of empty ones.

This is currently being disrupted by the slow processing of shipments in Europe and the US, as well as port closures in China.

Alex Veitch, general manager of public policy at Logistics UK, said: 'Shippers around the world have been affected by a number of factors, most notably the impact of COVID-19 which has led to port closures, the subsequent displacement of containers, rising costs and difficulties securing capacity.

'Many shippers have shifted their goods to air or rail freight where possible, but shipping dominates the global freight market and we call on shipping lines to do all they can to improve the situation for their customers.'

McDonald's became the latest restaurant chain in the UK to be hit by supply shortages yesterday with no milkshakes or bottled drinks available in any of its outlets.

The fast-food giant, which has 1,250 restaurants, has stopped serving the drinks this week but said staff are 'working hard to return these items to the menu as soon as possible'.

A spokesman told The Independent it was 'experiencing some supply chain issues'.

A shortage of delivery drivers has disrupted supplies to supermarkets and hospitality.

Fresh food and drink supplies to Beefeater pubs and Subway outlets were also affected yesterday.

Industry experts say the lack of drivers is a result of Brexit and the pandemic.

A spokesman for Beefeater said supply chain issues had led to shortages of bottled beer and chicken.

Subway outlets in London and Norfolk have reportedly put up posters about a lack of ingredients  but this was not confirmed by the company.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued an order that effectively forces the Biden administration to reinstate a Trump-era policy that requires people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the United States.

With the three liberal justices in dissent - Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan - the court said the administration likely violated federal law in its efforts to rescind the program informally known as 'Remain in Mexico.'

The short unsigned order declared that the Biden administration had failed to show that rescinding the policy 'was not arbitrary and capricious.'

It was unclear precisely which justices voted to end the stay and if any had recused themselves or been absent from the vote.

A federal judge in Texas, U.S. District Judge Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, had previously ordered that the program be reinstated last week.

The Biden administration appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Appeal in New Orleans and asked for a delay in re-implementing the program while the case makes its way through the court system, but that was denied on Thursday.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito ordered a brief delay on Friday to allow the full court time to consider the administration's appeal for the stay.

The high court's order in the case means the case will now continue to proceed through the courts and be heard by an appeals court - and it could ultimately return to the Supreme Court, as noted by The New York Times.

As the court case proceeds, the administration must make a 'good faith effort' to restart the program.

President Joe Biden suspended the program on his first day of office and the Homeland Security Department ended it in June

Migrants arrive at El Ceibo, Guatemala, on Thursday after being deported from the US and Mexico

A US Border Patrol agent processes a group of migrants in Sunland Park, New Mexico, on July 22, 2021

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to block a court ruling ordering the Biden administration to reinstate a Trump-era policy that forces people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S.

There also is nothing preventing the administration from trying again to end the program.

The American Civil Liberties Union called on the administration to present a fuller rationale for ending Remain in Mexico that could withstand court scrutiny.

'The government must take all steps available to fully end this illegal program, including by re-terminating it with a fuller explanation. What it must not do is use this decision as cover for abandoning its commitment to restore a fair asylum system,' said Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU's immigrant rights project.

Formally known as the Migration Protection Protocols, the policy required tens of thousands of migrants seeking asylum in the United States to turn back to Mexico.

It was meant to discourage asylum seekers but critics said it denied people the legal right to seek protection in the U.S. and forced them to wait in dangerous Mexican border cities.

Judge Kacsmaryk ordered that the program be reinstated in response to a lawsuit filed by the states of Texas and Missouri, whose governors have been seeking to reinstate some of the hardline anti-immigration policies of the Trump administration.

The Biden administration argued in briefs that the president has 'clear authority to determine immigration policy' and that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had discretion in deciding whether to return asylum seekers to Mexico.

Justice Samuel Alito ordered a brief delay on Friday to allow the full court time to consider the administration's appeal

In its brief to the Supreme Court on Friday, the administration argued that the policy had been dormant for more than a year.

The Biden administration argued that abruptly reinstating it 'would prejudice the United States' relations with vital regional partners, severely disrupt its operations at the southern border, and threaten to create a diplomatic and humanitarian crisis.'

The Trump administration largely stopped using the 'Remain in Mexico' policy at the start of the pandemic, at which point it began turning back virtually everyone crossing the Southwest border under a different protocol - a public health order that remains in effect.

The Trump-era policy that Biden can't escape The MPP program was initiated in 2019 and deported certain migrants at the southern border to Mexico pursuant to Section 235(b)(2)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The Department of Homeland Security suspended the program on January 21, 2021, the day that President Joe Biden was inaugurated. Since then, no new individuals have been enrolled and the DHS terminated the program on June 1. Under the policy, those who were eligible could register online to confirm eligibility to begin processing into the United States while remaining in Mexico. Those who the U.S. government determined to be eligible for processing would be contacted by facilitating organizations and provided instructions for accessing a designated staging location, where they would complete a health questionnaire and undergo testing for COVID-19. At staging sites, facilitating organizations would provide legal orientation and support before being transported to designated ports of entry for processing into the United States. The MPP enrollees that made it this far into the program could then be released by DHS while their cases make their way through immigration court. Source: Department of Homeland Security Advertisement

The Biden administration said the pre-pandemic policy had been 'largely dormant' for months during the Trump administration even before the outbreak of COVID-19.

President Joe Biden suspended the program on his first day of office and the Homeland Security Department ended it in June.

Texas and Missouri argued that the Biden administration had not gone through proper administrative procedures in ending the policy, a legal argument that was repeatedly successful in some of the legal challenges brought against Trump administration immigration policies.

Kacsmaryk was nominated to the federal bench by Trump.

The 5th Circuit panel that ruled Thursday night included two Trump nominees, Andrew Oldham and Cory Wilson, along with Jennifer Walker Elrod, nominated to the appeals court by President George W. Bush.

The Trump administration previously filed an emergency application to continue its Remain in Mexico policy after it had been blocked by a federal appeals court.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit had said the policy was causing 'extreme and irreversible harm' because it was at odds with federal law and international treaties.

The Biden administration had requested that the Supreme Court dismiss the Trump-era court case in June.

In July, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked whether President Joe Biden believed he has executive authority to determine where Afghan nationals await decisions on their applications for Special Immigration Visas.

The reporter noted the similarities to the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy and the current housing of Afghan nationals in nations like Qatar while they await decisions on their SIVs.

'Well, it's a different program, obviously - which I know you're conveying. And what we are trying to determine is U.S. facilities and bases that are located in different parts of the world where we can house these brave and courageous individuals while their processing continues,' Psaki said.

She added: 'And it's already law, so we are - we are in a position where we can make a decision to relocate individuals from Afghanistan to these third-party countries.'

The number of children under age 18 apprehended at the border was 834 on August 5, according to Health and Human Services. The 30-day average is just 512.

Just 612 children in HHS custody were released to parents and guardians, meaning the total number of migrant children held by the US increased by more than 200.

A new report says encounters at the border reached 210,000 in July alone

The numbers from CBP show more migrants crossing in 2021 than recent years

The number of children traveling alone who were picked up at the border reached an all-time high of more than 19,000 in July, according to preliminary numbers shared with the Associated Press by David Shahoulian, assistant secretary for border and immigration policy at DHS.

It's just a sign of a greater influx - 210,000 migrants crossed into the US along the southern border in July.

It's the highest one-month total in 21 years, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

More than 188,000 migrants were encountered by law enforcement in June - compared to 33,000 in June 2020.
There were 49 cases confirmed in the state's far west, including 35 in Dubbo

Sydney has hit another grim record for its coronavirus outbreak with 919 new cases and two deaths, even as almost 150,000 were vaccinated in a single day.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the deaths on Wednesday morning - a woman in her 30s and a man in his 80s.

There are 645 people with the virus in hospital and 113 in intensive care - 98 of whom are not vaccinated.

However, Ms Berejiklian said the number of positive Covid cases is less important than increasing vaccination rates, which hit six million on Tuesday.

'That is the most important measure but what is also really important is when you have those high rates of vaccination, that adds protection and allows us to live live more freely,' she said.

'It gives us confidence to move forward because every state in the nation is going to have to confront having Delta part of our lives moving forward.'

NSW broke another pandemic record on Wednesday with a staggering 919 new cases. Pictured: A woman in Bondi on Tuesday

Fully-vaccinated Sydneysiders are likely to have an extra freedom by the end of the week. Pictured: People walking into the Homebush vaccination hub

Deputy Premier John Barilaro tried to hose down comments by Tweed MP Geoff Provest that the whole state would be locked down for an extra six weeks,

He claimed the government hadn't made a decision about whether regional areas would be locked down until the end of September like Sydney, but admitted cases weren't heading in the right direction.

'The government and the crisis committee will be considering what happens after Saturday,' he said.

'We haven't made any decision around extension of these restrictions of lockdown for regional NSW but, as you can see, the Central West isn't getting better, the far west, Hunter and New England - even though under control - still have cases.'

'We'll take advice from Dr Chant and her team on the crisis committee will make a decision and will do it sooner rather than later.'

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said Canberra residents will likely be trapped in the capital until December or early 2022.

'Put it this way, I would not be planning a trip to Sydney in the next few months,' Mr Barr said.

He even said it was more likely Canberrans would be able to travel to other states and territories before borders with NSW were reopened.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro said authorities have not decided whether the state will be locked down for an extra six weeks. Pictured: People walking in Bondi on Wednesday

Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) announced 919 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday

After a drop in Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, NSW saw another record-breaking spike on Wednesday

Ms Berejiklian dodged questions about whether the high number of new cases would have an impact on the easing of restrictions in Sydney, which was initially pegged for the end of August.

'The way I'd defined this is that this will be a journey with the community,' she said.

'We need to maintain those high levels of compliance and get vaccine coverage up as soon as possible.

'Every day I look at the data around vaccine coverage and at the geographical distribution of that will stop I am most interested in seeing vaccine rates come up in those local government areas of concern.'

Cleaners have been deployed in Bondi (pictured), as lockdown in Sydney extends to its ninth week

Ms Berejiklian urged people in NSW not to be alarmed by the rising case numbers on Wednesday (pictured: a cleaner in Bondi on Wednesday)

The extra freedom will be discussed in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, and is set to be announced on Thursday or Friday.

Hairdressers and nail salons are the most likely to be able to reopen for double-dosed customers, but Ms Berejiklian is yet to confirm.

The premier has maintained that lockdown would be lifted after 70 per cent of people in NSW were vaccinated, but if cases continue to rise above 1,000 harsh restrictions could continue for longer.

A slide in cases from a peak of 830 on Sunday down to 753 on Tuesday raised hopes the outbreak had reached its top and would start to improve.

The premier also acknowledged on Wednesday that residents may be alarmed by case numbers cracking 900, but reminded them that the rate of hospitalisation was still relatively low.

'There is no doubt people would be alarmed by rising case numbers,' she said.

'We don't want to see anybody in ICU... vaccines are our best way of doing that. Last year when there was the outbreak even though they had fewer cases, the death rate was much higher.'

Premier Gladys Berejiklian reminded Sydneysiders that the rate of hospitalisation is 'relatively low'

Vaccination rates have been consistently high, and a new freedom could be rolled out for double-dosed people by the end of the week. Pictured: staff at the Homebush vaccination hub

Dr Chant responded to questions about whether high case numbers are the result of people becoming complacent - believing that case numbers won't matter if 80 per cent of the population is vaccinated.

'The modelling suggests if we can get the group vaccinated, we will break the transmission chain,' she said.

'The numbers were bouncing around, but the solution is in our hands, and I urge everyone in those local government areas who have access to that vaccine to fill those appointment vacancies and get a vaccine.'

Health Minister Brad Hazzard was asked whether NSW could cope with up to 4,000 people in hospital, as per some modelling for by the time vaccination rates reach 70 per cent, but he said the system would manage.

'The effective rate according to our own public health advice is about 1.3... NSW Health system is probably the best in the world,' he said.

'All the information given to me from the doctors and nurses and our public health staff is that the system is coping.

Sydney is now in its ninth week of lockdown, as case numbers continue to rise. Pictured: NSW Police conducting compliance checks in Rockdale, in the city's west

Chief health officer Kerry Chant (pictured) urged people across the entire state to get vaccinated

'Westmead staff are managing about 1,500 patients in the community and about 121 staff are in their wards. There are about 23 currently in ICU. That is a pressure situation for them.'

He said there were 40 ambulance deliveries to Westmead hospital per day carrying people with Covid-19, and that each of those patients are being 'well cared for'.

'I'm confident that we have maybe a system that is under pressure but a system that works,' he added.

However, Mr Hazzard said hospitals had been building their capacity 'for some time' to cope with a Covid outbreak and were working well within their limits.

'That is part of what hospital system does. When we have very bad flu seasons, it is a similar work that is done across the networks.'

When asked whether the anti-lockdown protest in Sydney on the weekend was a super-spreader event, Mr Hazzard said it was likely that 'a number' of those people were now in hospital.

'A demonstration is completely wrong when you are in the middle of a pandemic and to think there were people who went along in vast numbers and thought it was okay to go and demonstrate against the sorts of safeguards put in place is just ridiculous,' he said.

'I'll say, you'd have to be reasonably certain that a number of those people have ended up in a hospitals who were at those large demonstrations.

'I have no doubt, no doubt, there are probably some people sitting in a hospital system at the moment requiring our health staff to put their lives at risk to look after them when they thought it was okay to go along to a demonstration.'

Ms Berejiklian confirmed the plan to offer one extra freedom was in the works on Monday night during a TV interview blitz. Pictured: women in Sydney

Lucy Morgan (pictured right), a lung specialist at Concord and Nepean hospitals, reminded residents about the importance vaccinations

Of the 919 new cases recorded on Wednesday, there were 49 in the state's far west, with 35 in Dubbo, five in Orange, Bourke, Narromine and Walgett.

Six infections were reported in Wilcannia and there was one in Broken Hill.

Dr Chant urged people in Bateau Bay, Toukley and Merimbula - all on the Central Coast - to be on alert for symptoms amid low testing rates.

She also said contact tracing was unlikely to stop in the foreseeable future.

'It's an effective public health intervention,' she said.

'What we're is doing it smarter and scaling it. Innovation of the text message, we are also embedding in the text message, little surveys that can tell us if they are a household member or they are in aged care or any critical workplace.'

Lucy Morgan, a lung specialist at Concord and Nepean hospitals, reminded residents about the importance vaccinations by detailing the horrific experiences people have had in hospital with the Delta variant.

'Many of my patients have a terrible cough, the sort of cough that leaves you breathless and they can't move or speak without the cough becoming really terrible,' she said.

'Lots of patients have diarrhoea. Lots of patients have nausea. They just can't eat or drink anything. And people feel so overwhelmingly fatigue, or they can do is lie on the bed.'

The premier has been privately pushing for the return of in-person learning on October 5 when term four commences.

Police have been enforcing Sydney's lockdown, which has been tougher in the city's west. Pictured: Police in Maroubra on Monday

Political insiders have tipped the fully-vaccinated will finally be able to get a hair cut after months in lockdown. Pictured: People at a vaccination hub in Homebush

But with school-aged children now making up about 25 per cent of all new Covid cases it remains to be seen whether that will be possible.

'Our message is consistent. We look forward to seeing something about schools on the day after. Have asked everyone between 16-39 and LGAs of concern to get the vaccine,' she said.

'We have put a call out to groups like teachers in those communities to come forward further vaccine and we know that in areas outside those areas of concern, a high degree of vaccine has occurred amongst teachers.'

'The body has access to a vaccine. Don't be fussy. Come forward and get vaccinated.'

Ms Berejiklian confirmed the plan to offer one extra freedom for fully-vaccinated people was in the works on Monday night during a TV interview blitz, her first since the outbreak started on June 16.

Pictured: Two Bondi residents braving the wet weather on Tuesday morning

The Australian Medical Association has urged authorities to stay the course on lockdowns while the health system struggles to cope

Political insiders have tipped the fully-vaccinated will finally be able to get a hair cut after months in lockdown, with the premier making similar suggestions during a radio interview.

'I have never suggested that life will be free once we get to the six million jabs but what I have said, and will honour, is that if you are fully vaccinated, there will be at least one thing you can do that you cannot do now,' Ms Berejiklian told A Current Affair on Monday.

'We know that the harsh lockdowns in NSW are affecting every single citizen, so for us to be able to give them something they can do, which they couldn't previously do, is an important opportunity.'

Despite the premier's extra freedom promise, the Australian Medical Association urged authorities to stay the course on lockdowns while the health system struggles to cope.

NSW President Danielle McMullen said health must come first, 'we cannot ease restrictions while our health system is struggling'.

The premier is urging people aged 16-to-39 living in southwest or western Sydney to go to nsw.gov.au and book for a Pfizer vaccine at a hub, saying there are thousands of doses available and people could be jabbed as soon as Wednesday or Thursday.

'We are literally giving you priority status because we know that that particular age group are the most mobile,' she told Sydney radio 2GB on Wednesday.

'If we can vaccinate them and protect them and stop them and their loved ones going into hospital we'll also be stopping the spread of the virus.'
There will be a jobs bloodbath unless travel rules are eased, MPs have warned.

Industry experts say Turkey should be taken off the red list because Covid infection rates among passengers arriving from there have nearly halved to 1.7 per cent.

Ministers are reviewing the green, amber and red country rankings for foreign travel with an announcement expected tomorrow.

Turkey's red-list status means all arrivals must quarantine in a hotel for eleven nights at a cost of 2,285.

The country went red in early May, but holidays for most people have been off limits since October, when a previous quarantine-free 'travel corridor' with the UK was axed.

This was partly due to concerns over the accuracy of Turkey's Covid data.

But it is now sharing more detailed statistics, experts say, and moving it to amber would allow quarantine-free holidays again for the double-jabbed from next week.

There will be a jobs bloodbath unless travel rules are eased, MPs have warned. Industry experts say Turkey should be taken off the red list because Covid infection rates among passengers arriving from there have nearly halved to 1.7 per cent [Stock image]

Henry Smith, the Tory chairman of the all-party future of aviation group of MPs, said the 'overly cautious approach' to reopening foreign travel meant the UK recovery was lagging behind mainland Europe's and thousands of travel jobs were at risk.

Labour MP Ben Bradshaw, who sits on the Commons transport committee, said Covid rules were 'unnecessarily deterring' families from taking foreign trips and hampering the economy.

Even double-jabbed travellers must take two tests when returning from low-risk green and amber countries.

Turkey's seven-day infection and vaccine rates are not dissimilar to those of Spain, which is expected to remain amber.

In a further boost, Greece, France and Portugal look set to remain amber.
The photo that helped bring Nazi mass-murderer Adolf Eichmann to justice has been revealed for the first time, alongside the identity of the man who turned him in.

That snap - taken in the early 1950s - shows Eichmann, who is circled in red, standing next to Gerhard Klammer, a German geologist who worked alongside the infamous Nazi at an Argentinian construction firm.

Klammer's involvement in bringing Eichmann to justice was only revealed last week, 32 years after his death, with his family's blessing.

He emigrated to Argentina in the early 1950s to seek work, and began working for the Capri construction company in Tucuman Province, which sits in the north of the country.

Shortly afterwards Eichmann joined the same firm, calling himself Ricardo Klement. Klammer knew of his colleague's true identity, and tried to inform German authorities.

Klammer knew who Eichmann was because their company, which planned hydroelectric power plants, employed many Nazis, according to German magazine Der Spiegel.

This is the photo of Adolf Eichmann (circled) with Gerhard Klammer stood to his right, which ultimately led to his capture

Eichmann (circled) is pictured stood next to Gerhard Klammer and colleagues from the Argentinian construction firm where both men worked

But they ignored his message, and he never received a response to the astonishing tip.

Klammer shared the identity of his former colleague again in 1959 after returning to his home country.

He confided in a close friend - a priest who had served in the German army, and shared the photo of himself with Eichmann, as well as the mass-murderer's home address in Argentina.

That information was then passed to a bishop, who in turn passed it to Fritz Bauer. Bauer was a German Jewish prosecutor who had made it his mission to hunt Eichmann down.

US troops captured Eichmann after World War II, but he escaped from a prison camp in 1946. He landed in Argentina after living in Germany under a false identity for years, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

Bauer fled his homeland during World War Two, but returned after fighting stopped.

He was the most powerful Jewish prosecutor in the country at the time. Eichmann was widely-known to have escaped to Argentina, but Bauer was the only German lawyer intent on bringing him to justice

Bauer had previously received intel on Eichmann from a half-Jewish man called Lothar Hermann who'd moved from Germany to Argentina.

His daughter had gone on a date with Eichmann's son, who'd boasted of his father's true identity.

That information sparked a 1957 attempt by Israeli intelligence agency Mossad to try and track Eichmann down.

But they couldn't find him, and returned empty handed.

Gerhard Klammer, left, knew his colleague at an Argentinian construction firm was Nazi butcher Adolf Eichmann, right, with his first tip-off to German authorities ignored

Eichmann, second from right, smiles as a Jewish prisoner has his hair cut at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp

Bauer traveled to Israel to meet with head of Mossad Isser Harel to pass on Klammer's information.

Harel and Israel's then Attorney General Haim Cohn were sufficiently convinced

It was Klammer's tip-off which ultimately helped Mossad track Eichmann down in Argentina in May 1960.

Eichmann had since moved from the address Klammer had given him, but Mossad agents were still able to track him down from it.

They were able to kidnap him and bring him back to Israel to face justice, in one of the most daring and famous missions ever carried out by government agents.

An eight man team of Mossad agents arrived in Buenos Aries a month before Eichmann's capture on fake passports, and planned to seize him off a bus he regularly took to work.

Their plan was almost abandoned when he failed to take that bus, but the Mossad crew got lucky when they spotted Eichmann getting off another bus 30 minutes later, and seized him.

He was transferred between local Mossad safe houses for nine days. The Nazi killer was then sedated by an Israeli doctor, and dressed in a flight attendant's uniform before being loaded onto an El-Al plane, and flown to Israel.

Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion shared news of his capture with the world the following day.

Eichmann is pictured during his trial in Israel in 1961, which saw him accused of genocide and crimes against humanity

Eichman was convicted on all 15 counts he was charged with, and hanged months later

Above, the home in Suburban Buenos Aires where Eichmann's wife and children were found living

Prosecutor Fritz Bauer (right) followed up on Klammer's claims and handed the information to Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency

He spent nine months in jail, and was put on trial for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity in April 1961

Eichmann was convicted on all counts, and was hanged in June 1962. Klammer made Bauer promise never to reveal where the tip that led to Eichmann's capture had come from.

Bauer kept his promise, with Klammer's name finally revealed in a German newspaper story published Friday finally explaining his role in the historic capture.

Klammer's name was first reported by German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which said Klammer has earned 'a place of honor in Israeli history.'

Eichmann was sent to Vienna with the mission of ridding the city of Jews after the city's annexation in 1938, according to History.com.

'He set up an efficient Jewish deportation center and in 1939 was sent to Prague on a similar mission. That year, Eichmann was appointed to the Jewish section of the SS central security office in Berlin,' the website says.

In January 1942, Eichmann met with top Nazi officials at the Wannsee Conference near Berlin, where he was appointed to organize the identification, assembly, and transportation of millions of Jews from occupied Europe to Nazi death camps where Jews were gassed or worked to death.

It's impossible to know the actual death toll of the Holocaust, but most sources estimate that six million Jews were killed in the massacre, and that a total of

Eichmann's trial began in April 1961 following his capture.

He was convicted in December of 15 counts of crimes against the Jewish people, crimes against humanity, war crimes and membership in a criminal organization, according to the International Crimes Database of The Hague.

He was hanged in May 1962 in prison in Ramla, Israel.
An award winning photographer covering the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was left behind by reatreating Afghan Natonal Army commandos and killed by Taliban fighters who later mutilated his body, according to his company.

Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, 38, was killed at the start of the Taliban's lightning offensive to retake Afghanistan in the southern town of Spin Boldak.

He is now believed to have been injured by shrapnel from a rocket while covering the fighting between Taliban and Afghan commandos in the of Spin Boldak, Kandahar province.

It is believed he was then left behind by the retreating Afghan army, with whom he was embedded as part of his investigation, before falling into the hands of the Taliban.

Mr Siddiqui, an Indian Pulitzer Prize winning photographer and father-of-two, was later killed, his body mutilated and then possibly run over by a car.

Taliban fighters are alleged to have carried out the mutilation, though a spokesperson for the extreme Islamist group say Mr Siddiqui's body was discovered after being mutilated.

In a tribute to the photojournalist, who had asked bosses to allow him to cover the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan, his family said: 'Danish was not only an outstanding professional but also a wonderful human being who captured the truth through his lens.'

Mr Siddiqui, an Indian Pulitzer Prize winning photographer and father-of-two, was later killed, his body mutilated and then possibly run over by a car. Prior to his death, Mr Siddiqui had captured on video the flash and jolt as a grenade struck the side of an armoured vehicle he was travelling in with Afghan forces in July days before his death

Siddiqui also took this photo two days before his death of Afghan Special Forces Humvees being attacked during heavy clashes with Taliban during a rescue mission in Kandahar province in July

Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui is believed to have been injured by shrapnel from a rocket while covering fighting between Taliban and Afghan commandos in the southern village of Spin Boldak. He later died and, it is claimed, his body was then mutilated by Taliban forces

According to Reuters, Deli-based Mr Siddiqui, was sent out to Afghanistan at the beginning of last month after asking bosses: 'If we don't go, who will?'

He arrived on Sunday, July 11 at a base of the Afghan Special Forces in the southern city of Kandahar.

There he embedded with a unit of several hundred elite commandos tasked with flushing out Taliban fighters who in the previous few weeks had been steadily capturing territory.

Two days later Mr Siddiqui joined a successful mission to rescue a policeman who was surrounded by insurgents.

His convoy was returning when it came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades.

The Humvee he was travelling in was hit by one of the RPGs. Three other vehicles were destroyed.

Mr Siddiqui captured on video the flash and jolt as a grenade struck the side of his vehicle, while the commandos up front drove through the barrage.

But on July 16 he was caught in crossfire while trying to take photographs of an Afghan offensive on the town of Spin Boldak, located on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He and two Afghan commandos were killed in the incident. It is believed, from looking at his communications and accounts by other Afghan soldiers, that he was injured by shrapnel from a rocket.

A photo taken by Siddiqui hours before his death of an Afghan soldier holding a gun and looks towards Taliban positions as smoke rises in the distance from clashes on the outskirts of Spin Boldak in Kandahar province on 16 July

Mr Siddiqui was reportedly rushed to a local mosque for treatment. But it appears he was then left there as the Afghan soldiers retreated.

Major-General Haibatullah Alizai, who was the commander of Afghanistan's Special Operations Corps when it hosted Siddiqui in Kandahar, told Reuters it was evident now that, in fierce fighting, his soldiers withdrew from Spin Boldak.

They left behind Siddiqui and two commandos accompanying him, mistakenly thinking they had joined the retreating convoy. 'They were left there,' Alizai said.

According to Reuters, his account was corroborated by four soldiers who say they witnessed the attack.

Afghan security officials and representatives from the Indian government have since reportedly told Reuters that, based on photographs later shared online, that Mr Siddiqui's body was mutilated after his death.

A British ballistics expert consulted by Reuters, Philip Boyce of Forensic Equity, reviewed photos posted on social media soon after the attack and compared them with pictures and X-rays taken after Siddiqui's body was recovered from the Taliban.

Boyce concluded it was 'evident that he was shot multiple further times after he was killed.'

Some reports also have claimed his body was run over by a vehicle; Boyce said the damage observed in the photos was consistent with gunshots and didn't necessarily imply other kinds of post-mortem injury.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Siddiqui's injuries occurred prior to the discovery of the body by Taliban fighters.

Mr Siddiqui shared a Pulitzer Prize for feature photography with colleagues for his iconic images of the Rohingya refugee exodus from Myanmar in 2018.

At home, he gained fame, and drew threats, for images that captured penetrating insights into Indian politics and social tensions, including his haunting shots earlier this year of the funeral pyres of COVID-19 victims.

Last year he captured a Hindu mob beating a Muslim man in Delhi.

According to a report published by Reuters, some journalists at the worldwide press agency have questioned the decision to allow Mr Siddiqui to remain in Afghanistan.

Members of the newsroom familiar with the decision-making say Siddiqui's embed with soldiers in Afghanistan was backed by senior photo editors, vetted by external advisers and newsroom managers who handle security, and reviewed by a group of top editors who regularly meet to consider potentially dangerous assignments.

Reuters, a unit of Thomson Reuters Inc, said in a statement deployment decisions 'are made collectively.'

Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni, in a written statement, said she agreed to Siddiqui's embed with Afghan Special Forces.

'As editor-in-chief, I take full responsibility for the decision,' she wrote.

In an email to staff on July 23, Galloni called Siddiqui 'our brilliant colleague and devoted friend' and praised his unwavering gaze that exposed uncomfortable truths.

She continued: 'I also know many of you want answers. We do too.' The review process that's under way, she said, 'includes a detailed examination of our security procedures.'

Reuters was founded in 1851 by an enterprising German named Julius Reuter who sent financial news by carrier pigeon.

The agency has a long tradition of covering conflict for its clientele of investors and other media organisations that rely on its worldwide reach.
A majority of voters want Dominic Raab to resign after he stayed on holiday as Afghanistan fell, it was revealed yesterday.

In a fresh blow to the Foreign Secretary, a poll found adults think he should go by two to one.

The Mail revealed last week that while on a luxury break at a five-star resort in Crete, Mr Raab had been advised by senior officials to call Afghan foreign minister Haneef Atmar to seek help evacuating translators who worked for UK troops.

A new poll shows majority of voters believe Dominic Raab (pictured) should resign as Foreign Secretary after he stayed on holiday in Crete as Afghanistan fell

But he failed to do this and the task was delegated to the on-duty minister Lord Goldsmith  but the call never actually ended up taking place.

Mr Raab has insisted that he will not step down and the Prime Minister has refused to sack him. However, he is expected to be removed in the next Cabinet reshuffle.

The survey, conducted by Savanta ComRes over the weekend on behalf of Left Foot Forward, found 51 per cent believe Mr Raab should resign, with just 24 per cent who disagree.

One in four of the 2,083 adults polled said they did not know.

Worryingly for the Foreign Secretary, 41 per cent of Conservative voters think he should quit, with only 38 per cent who do not.

Savanta ComRes interviewed 2,083 adults in Great Britain from Friday to Sunday.
A recovering alcoholic in hotel quarantine claims his request to have the temptation removed from his room was denied by staff because it was a human right.

The man aged in his 40s was recently hospitalised after he drank to excess while suffering a panic attack due to being confined to his hotel room 24-7 on the Gold Coast.

He later returned to Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise to complete his mandatory quarantine following his recent arrival from Victoria.

The guest claims he asked hotel staff to remove the alcohol from his room, which was denied.

A recovering alcoholic drank excessively to deal with his panic attacks while being confined to his hotel Quarantine room (pictured)

'She said, "We can't block alcohol to your room because you have a human right to it'"' he told Brisbane Times.

He also claimed doctors and psychologists were not easily accessible and was later told by Queensland Health he would be supplied with booze if he requested it, despite his mental health issues.

He added his exemption to not undergo hotel quarantine was denied, despite his psychologist claiming the man's relapses were triggered by indoor confinement.

A second hotel staff member told him alcohol wouldn't be removed from the room because he had a right to it.

'I said, "You've just told someone who ended up in such a state that they were put in hospital because they were drinking so much  I put steps in place to make sure I can't get it  you've now given me instructions on how to circumvent it ... have you ever met an alcoholic?",' the man said.

He took it upon himself to remove the alcohol from his room himself and is now medication to help with his anxiety attacks.

The man holed up in hotel quarantine at Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise (pictured) claims his request to have booze removed from his room was denied by hotel staff

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Health for comment.

A spokeswoman told the Brisbane Times those isolating in hotel quarantine and required assistance had access to nursing staff and on-site facility manager.

The man's harrowing ordeal comes as Queensland paused its hotel quarantine program for interstate travellers to relieve mounting strain on the system.

It has shut its border to people seeking to relocate or fleeing to Queensland from Covid-ravaged states for the next two weeks.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) says Queensland's hotel quarantine system is being stretched to the limit

'We often do not know from day to day how many people are coming into Queensland from other states, they just turn up, they have their pass and they just turned up, and they're just needing hotel quarantine,' Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters on Wednesday.

'We do not have any room at the moment. We're being stretched to the limit. It's too much pressure, it's putting our workers and our community at risk.'

'We don't want to see Delta coming into our community.'

Exemptions will exist for those accessing medical treatment and other special circumstances including bereavement.
Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that Islamic State terrorists were looking to attack the crowds at Kabul airport - adding new urgency to the evacuations from Afghanistan, and introducing the U.S. public to a terror group not familiar to most people.

The president spoke of growing concern about the threat from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant  Khorasan Province, known as ISIS-K, who are also feared to be trying to target evacuation flights leaving Hamid Karzai Airport.

ISIS announced its expansion to the Khorasan region in 2015, which historically encompasses parts of modern day Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

'Every day we're on the ground is another day that we know ISIS-K seeking to target the airport and attack both U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians,' said Biden on Tuesday, speaking from the White House.

'We are currently on pace to finish by August the 31st. The sooner we finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops.'

A member of the Afghan security forces is seen holding the black and white Islamic State flag in the Afghan city of Jalalabad in August 2020, after ISIS-K launched a 20-hour gun battle to attack the air field and storm a prison, releasing their fighters. Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that ISIS-K posed a significant threat to the evacuation efforts in Afghanistan

Joe Biden on Tuesday evening warned about the growing threat posed by ISIS-K in Kabul

An ISIS-K leader identified as Abu Haidar is pictured with his seven fighters in an undated image. The men were all killed during a clash with the Afghan forces in Nangarhar province, the heartland of ISIS-K

ISIS-K is not allied with the Taliban, and, not bound by its agreements with Washington, poses a fresh and deeply worrying threat.

James Clapper, the former Director of National Intelligence, on Tuesday night described them as one of 'six or seven' ISIS affiliates around the world - and told CNN he could not rule out an alliance between the Afghan Taliban and ISIS-K.

'They are reportedly not allied with the Taliban - although I'm not convinced by that,' he said.

The group first emerged in 2014 as a splinter from another terror group, Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) - often known simply as the Pakistani Taliban.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies say that many of ISIS-K's top leadership came from the TTP - among them spokesman Sheikh Maqbool, and their first emir, Hafiz Saeed Khan.

Khan, a Pakistani citizen, established an early stronghold in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province - on the border with Pakistan.

In 2015 ISIS-K's formation was officially announced by ISIS's leadership in Iraq and Syria, and the terror network's headquarters have funneled money into their Afghan outpost.

ISIS-K published this photo in an effort to project unity and strength just days before hundreds of fighters admitted defeat and surrendered

The State Department designated ISIS-K as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on January 14, 2016.

Khan was killed by a U.S. airstrike in July 2016, and his three successors all suffered the same fate.

ISIS-K's current leader is believed to be Shahab al-Muhajir, also known as Sanaullah.

A United Nations report, published in February this year, said that he took over in June 2020.

'The communique announcing the appointment, written in Arabic and translated into Pashto, referred to al-Muhajir as an experienced military leader and one of the 'urban lions' of ISIL-K in Kabul who had been involved in guerrilla operations and the planning of suicide and complex attacks,' the U.N. said.

Al-Muhajir reports to ISIS's leader, an Iraqi by the name of Amir Mohammed Abdul Rahman al-Mawli al-Salbi - who took over when Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died in October 2019.

Al-Mawla is the current leader of ISIS, having taken over from Baghdadi, who died in 2019

ISIS-K has encouraged international attacks, but is not believed to be operating beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The group released congratulatory videos after the 2016 Islamic State inspired attacks in Orlando, Florida, and Magnanville, France, and subsequently released additional footage pleading for further lone-wolf attacks in the West.

ISIS-K saw its grip on northern Afghanistan loosened in 2018, and was severely challenged in its heartland in 2019.

The group lost most of the territory it controlled, in eastern Afghanistan, following offensives from the Taliban, the U.S. and Afghan forces.

In March 2020, General Frank McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, testified before Congress that the U.S. had worked with the Taliban to attack ISIS-K.

'Over the last several months in eastern Afghanistan, we've watched the Taliban compress and crush ISIS presence on the ground in southern Nangarhar province  and they've been very effective doing that,' McKenzie said.

'It was a bloody mess, but they did it. In fact, ISIS really now no longer holds ground in Nangarhar province.'

Asked directly if the Taliban had any U.S. assistance, he answered: 'There was very limited support from us  and I would characterize that as very limited support.'

CSIS published a map in 2019 showing the concentration of jihadist activity in the Afghan-Pakistan border areas, shown in yellow, where ISIS-K has its stronghold

A close-up of the area in 2019 showing ISIS-K and other jihadi activities

A Department of Defense report from December 2020 said: 'ISIS-K suffered setbacks when a combination of Taliban, Resolute Support, and ANDSF operations forced the loss of its remaining strongholds in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces in 2019.'

The authors warned that ISIS-K still had the ability to launch devastating attacks in Kabul, despite its 'operational capacity' being 'severely degraded.'

The report states that the campaigns against ISIS-K in 2019 weakened its grip on the region.

'Since mid-2019, ISIS-K has taken a less active role in the management of regional ISIS networks following the creation of ISIS-K branches in Pakistan and India,' the report says.

'Its ability to enable or inspire external attacks outside of Afghanistan and Pakistan has been limited.

'Although ISIS continues to develop connections to other networks outside of Afghanistan, it is operationally limited to South and Central Asia.

'There has been no evidence that large numbers of Taliban have defected to ISIS-K in the aftermath of the U.S.-Taliban Agreement.'

ISIS fighters are pictured training in Kunar province in Afghanistan in December 2017

The aftermath of an ISIS-K attack at the University of Kabul is seen in November 2020, with Afghan journalists documenting the scene

By 2020, however, ISIS-K had recovered sufficiently to launch a series of attacks across Afghanistan.

In May 2020, the group attacked a maternity ward in Kabul, killing more than two dozen civilians.

That same day, ISIS-K also carried out a separate attack on a funeral in Nangarhar province, killing more than 30 people.

In August 2020, ISIS-K claimed responsibility for a multi-day complex attack targeting Jalalabad Airfield and a prison on the base.

ISIS-K fighters used a Kamikaze driver to blast open the prison walls, and enable fighters on foot to breach the defenses.

A 20-hour gun battle left 29 people dead and officials scrambling to recapture hundreds of prisoners, including many from the Islamic State and the Taliban.

And three months later, on November 2, 2020, two ISIS-K gunmen stormed Kabul University, killing 18 students, one administrator, and one Afghan soldier, and wounding 28 others.

In May 2021 ISIS-K bombed a girls' school in Kabul, killing 90. A car bomb was detonated in front of the school, and as students rushed out, two more bombs were set off.

The attack took place in a Hazara-dominated area, home to a mostly Shiite group that has been frequent targets of Islamic State attacks.

A burnt-out car is seen in front of Jalalabad prison in Afghanistan after ISIS-K attacked in August 2020

Injured people are put onto stretchers following an ISIS-K bombing of a funeral in Jalalabad in May 2020

The U.S. estimates that ISIS-K currently numbers around 2,000 fighters - down from its peak of 5,000.

The Taliban reportedly executed an ISIS-K leader this month.

'This is indeed part of the ebb and flow of the jihad,' said Bill Roggio, a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, at the time of the U.N. report in February.

'ISKP appeals to the most radical elements of the jihadists, and its penchant for extreme violence without concern for civilian casualties attracts a significant number of followers.'

And, he told Voice of America, their number may grow if the Taliban rule disappoints hardliners.

'They are able to replenish some losses from disaffected Afghan and Pakistani Taliban members, as well as from the pool of radicals in Afghanistan and Pakistan,' he said.
A businessman who gave Scott Morrison a statue of one of the country's most famous diggers is demanding it back because he's furious about Covid-19 lockdowns.

Four years ago Keith Cullen, the director of WT Financial Group, gifted the Prime Minister an effigy of Australian soldier Bull Allen, a brave stretcher-bearer who earned the United States' Silver Star for rescuing countless Allied troops during the Second World War.

The statue takes pride of place on a shelf in Mr Morrison's Parliament House office - but Mr Cullen now wants it back because he disagrees with the government's 'authoritarian' response to the Covid-19 pandemic with millions stuck in lengthy lockdowns.

This photo on the Prime Minister's website shows the statue given to Mr Morrison by Mr Cullen. The statue shows Aussie digger Bull Allen who saved countless lives in WWII

In a letter to Mr Morrison on August 17, he demanded an end to lockdowns which he says have caused 'the destruction of people's businesses, of their life savings and very sense of self-worth'.

'I write this letter in a personal capacity, but I know that I speak for millions of Australians, from all walks of life and of all political persuasions, that are appalled that key principles of a functioning society and of Australian democracy have been betrayed these past 18 months or so,' Mr Cullen wrote.

'That so much could be stolen from the people of this land, and in particular our children, is shameless.'

Mr Morrison receives the gift from Mr Cullen in 2017 when he was Treasurer

The statue, based on an iconic photo of Allen carrying an unconscious American to safety during a battle with the Japanese in New Guinea, was handcrafted by Mr Cullen's artist friend Scott Edwards and given to Mr Morrison after he made a speech to business leaders as Treasurer in June 2017.

According to Mr Cullen, the Prime Minister loved the gift and spent five minutes telling the crowd about the history of Bull Allen and how visited spot where the iconic photo was taken at Mt Tambu, New Guinea on July 30, 1943.

The Prime Minister liked the statue so much that two years later he asked the artist to make a copy which he gave to US President Donald Trump during his visit to the States in September 2019.

'I must admit the thought you had ''regifted'' Bull did cross my mind - until I rang my friend and he confirmed that (on a hush-hush basis) DFAT had requested he supply one with a custom base,' Mr Cullen wrote.

The businessman- who is a strong supporter of 'individual freedom and free enterprise' - told Daily Mail Australia the country is living in a 'health dictatorship' and said Mr Morrison's National Cabinet meetings only 'elevate' the platform of 'power-hungry' premiers.

'I want my statue back. You are neither a worthy recipient nor qualified custodian,' he wrote in the letter in which he accused Mr Morrison of abandoning the Liberal Party's value of personal freedom championed by former Prime Minister Robert Menzies.

Mr Cullen's letter (pictured) included pictures of him with the Prime Minister in 2017

Asked if he believes he will get the statue back, Mr Cullen said: 'I hope so, I deserve it back.

'In 2017 when I saw ScoMo speak to 500 people and then take questions from the floor for 20 minutes with no notice I was impressed and thought ''this guy's got real ability and a real shot at being Prime Minister'',' Mr Cullen said.

'Sure enough, he took his chance but he's been a real disappointment to me.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Prime Minister's office for comment.
A frustrated Sydney couple have each been fined $1,000 for eating noodle soup in a city market even though the pair were holding masks at the time.

James Adcock and his partner Francis were enjoying the hot broth at the open-air markets in Potts Point on Saturday when they were approached by a man in a suit.

The undercover officer from Kings Cross station asked what they were doing and the pair explained they had stopped to eat something before they started shopping.

James Adcock (left) and his partner Francis Voon (right) were each hit with a $1000 fine on Saturday for a breach of the public health orders

The pair (pictured) had stopped to eat some noodles before they started shopping at the open-air markets in Potts Point when they fined by an undercover cop

Mr Adcock told Daily Mail Australia he and his partner had been standing well away from the crowds and had been holding masks at the time of the incident.

'We found a quiet spot away from everyone else to eat while standing. No sitting. Just us two on our own,' he explained.

'As I was finishing and putting my mask back on the police officer in casual clothes approached and asked "what do you think you are doing".

Mr Adcock said the officer had seen his grocery bags were empty and told the pair he didn't believe they were shopping, but instead were standing and eating.

The pair were each hit with a $1,000 fine for a breach of the public health orders, two of six penalties the officer and his colleagues handed out that day.

The same undercover cop was seen approaching another couple enjoying a takeaway coffee while perched on the fringes of the Fitzroy Markets.

The man and his partner were similarly questioned as to what they were doing, before the officer demanded ID and told them to expect a $1,000 fine.

It is unclear whether this couple were carrying masks at the time.

The man vowed to contest the $1,000 fine as he claims he was firmly within the definition of 'outdoor recreation', which is permitted for households outside of Sydney's 12 LGA's of concern.

Mr Adcock (right) told Daily Mail Australia he and his partner (left) had been standing well away from the crowds at the markets and had been holding masks at the time of the incident

Under the new police powers, officers can also order anyone issued with an infringement notice to immediately return home (pictured, residents in Rushcutters Bay)

Deputy Police Commissioner Gary Worboys was asked to clarify the definition of recreation under the public health orders during Wednesday's Covid briefing.

A reporter asked if Sydneysiders eating and drinking outside could be slapped with $1,000 or $3,000 fines.

'I have every confidence in each individual police officer to make a decision around what fits in the public health order and what clearly sits outside it,' he replied.

'Every day I come here and talk about hundreds of infringement notices, 537 in the last 44 hours, those notices issued to people that don't sit in that grey area that clearly sit outside the public health order.

'In terms of food, people need to understand that... the general rule that it is takeaway so if you buy food or coffee, takeaway and consume [it].

'Let's be clear that we are in a pandemic, in a situation that we want people to absolutely comply with the public health orders and police will take action where they think that is appropriate.'

The deputy commissioner failed to answer to a question on if he was worried about resistance when nail salons and hairdressers were finally opened seeing as residents were being fined for simply eating outdoors.



Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys (pictured) said he had every confidence in each individual police officer to make a decision on what fell under the public health orders

NSW Health defines recreation as outdoor leisure activities such as sitting for relaxation, or to eat, drink or read outdoors and states masks can be removed for eating and drinking (pictured, Woollahra residents out in Rushcutters Bay)

The fines handed out to people at the Potts Point markets and Deputy Commissioner Warboys' response both appear to be inconsistent with NSW Health advice.

Under the public health orders, 'outdoor recreation' is legal across NSW, and only banned in the 12 western LGAs under a stricter lockdown.

NSW Health defines recreation as including 'outdoor leisure activities such as sitting for relaxation, or to eat, drink or read outdoors' and exercise as an activity that requires physical effort and is designed to maintain or improve health.

NEW COVID RESTRICTIONS IN NSW FROM MONDAY Wearing masks outside will be mandatory for everyone in NSW, unless they are exercising Those who are exercising will still need to carry a mask with them at all times People will need to put on a mask while exercising if they are in a busy area or cannot socially distance A curfew will apply to residents in Sydney's 12 local government areas of concern They will not be able to leave the house between 9pm to 5am unless they are an authorised worker Outdoor exercise for residents in those LGAs has been limited to an hour a day Sydneysiders travelling into or out of the 12 LGAs of concern for work will also need to carry a permit Advertisement

However, recreation can only be done 5km from home or within the same local council.

Recreation must also only be solo, with members of your household, or the nominated visitor as part of the 'singles bubble'.

Exercise can still involve one other person that you do not live with.

Police seen handing out fines in Sydney's beachside suburbs did so because the people who gathered were from different households.

Instances of bigger groups congregating in parks and on beaches in the eastern suburbs led in part to NSW Police cracking down on the rule.

However, outdoor recreation is much less fun than it used to be as face masks are since August 23 mandatory outdoor except during exercise.

People outdoors for recreation must also carry a proof of address to show they are within 5km of their home or within their local council, as permitted.

Under the new police powers, officers can also order anyone issued with an infringement notice to immediately return home.

NSW Police can issue on-the-spot fines to people of $1,000 or $3,000 for participating in an outdoor gathering that breaks the rules.

Mask rules have sparked intense debate since it was announced wearing them outside would be made mandatory state-wide.

Much of the confusion among NSW residents stems from the wording of the public health order which specifically states 'strenuous' exercise is an exemption.

Deputy Commissioner Worboys strongly advised that masks be put back on when social distancing could not be maintained, such as on a busy street or walking track.

NSW Police can issue on-the-spot fines to people of $1,000 or $3,000 for participating in an outdoor gathering that breaks the rules (pictured, police patrolling in Maroubra)

Mask rules have sparked intense debate since it was announced wearing them outside would be made mandatory state-wide from Monday (pictured, residents exercising in Sydney's east)

Wearing a mask would be mandatory if they stop exercising to engage in another activity, such as picking up a coffee or other goods from a shop.

'In terms of exercising, people do not have to wear a mask but where you are exercising in a place where there are crowds of people or where you think you will end up in a situation where people will be close by,' he told reporters on Sunday.

'You have to carry it so if you feel that your safety, if you feel that people are too close, why not put that mask on?'

Those over 18 who do not wear or carry a face mask can be slapped with a $500 on-the-spot fine, with $80 and $40 penalties in place for younger age groups.

Anyone with an exemption must either carry a medical certificate issued by a doctor, or a statutory declaration.

It wasn't long before residents were stung by the new mandate, with one Balmain woman taking to social media on Monday to vent over a $500 fine her husband received for walking his dog without wearing a mask.

She said police claimed her partners activity wasn't 'strenuous' to warrant his lack of mask but clarified she didn't know if he had been carrying one at the time.

A spokeswoman from NSW Police previously told Daily Mail Australia officers would be enforcing the public health orders which state you must carry a face mask with you at all times when you leave home (pictured, NSW Police patrolling in Bondi)

A second woman shared a similar warning that police were booking dog-walkers not wearing masks on Darling Street in Balmain.

'Do not leave house without wearing your mask. Police are booking people out walking their dogs,' she posted to Facebook.

The woman told Daily Mail Australia she watched a police officer fine a man for not wearing a mask at about 8am on the main road.

Redfern Legal Centre Solicitor solicitor Sam Lee told the Sydney Morning Herald that a number of clients had contacted the service after they were hit with a fine simply for sitting down in a park.

'Some have gone to the park to exercise and stopped while they're exercising and just sit down and were fined $1000 on the spot,' Ms Lee said.

NSW Council for Civil Liberties president Pauline Wright questioned if drinking a coffee outdoors was considered recreation and said it was a hard line to draw.

She also claimed Police Commissioner Mick Fuller's promise to officers that they wouldn't be held accountable for an incorrect issuing of the hefty fines was telling.

'If the police can't be expected to fully understand them, and it's their job, how are ordinary people expected to understand and comply as well?' Ms Wright said.

'That's why we urge the police to use their discretion in a compassionate way when they're dealing with these things.'

'Do not leave house without wearing your mask. Police are booking people out walking their dogs,' a Balmain woman warned residents on Monday after she watched a man cop a fine

NSW Police Minister David Elliott, a proponent of tougher lockdown rules, clarified a face mask was not needed to do a socially-distanced walk as it was considered exercise (pictured, two residents and their dog in Bondi)

A spokeswoman from NSW Police previously told Daily Mail Australia officers would be enforcing the public health orders which state you must carry a face mask with you at all times when you leave home.

'You must wear a face mask in all indoor and outdoor areas of non-residential premises, including workplaces and public transport,' the spokeswoman said.

'The circumstances will be assessed on a case by case basis with the health orders stipulating, a mask can be removed if doing strenuous exercise.'

NSW Police Minister David Elliott, a proponent of tougher lockdown rules, clarified a face mask was not needed to do a socially-distanced walk.

'No, because that's exercise,' he told 2GB radio on Monday afternoon.

'Excessive exercise or strenuous exercise for me is a lot different to my 18-year-old son. Any exercise, you're okay to walk without your mask.'
A crafty Covid-19 loophole which saw a number of people in Sydney's south-west defy lockdown restrictions has been hastily suspended by Service NSW.

Sydneysiders were using the Service NSW website to change their address after prominent NSW lawyer Nathan Buckley publicised the 'tip' online.

After altering their details, Covid-19 restrictions no longer applied for many residents - despite many living or working in virus hotspots.

People who live in the 12 local government areas of concern in Sydney's south-west and west must currently obey a 9pm to 5am curfew each night and are only permitted to exercise for an hour each day.

Solicitor Nathan Buckley (pictured) told his social media followers how to 'get around' LGA rules during lockdown

In recent weeks, users simply had to change their business or residential address online to dance around Covid regulations - Service NSW have since suspended the option (pictured)

Mr Buckley, from G&B Lawyers, encouraged his social media followers last week to alter their business addresses with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

'A tip to get around the LGA rules,' he told members of the closed Facebook group Tradies, Truckies and others v NSW government jabs.

'Log into the ASIC portal and change your registered business address and primary place of business address to an LGA that isn't currently restricted.'

The solicitor, who told Daily Mail Australia he was 'too busy' to field any questions for an interview, is also encouraging his clients to pursue class actions against lockdowns and mandatory vaccinations.

He was booted from Facebook last week and is now reportedly using the Telegram app to communicate with his followers.

A Service NSW spokesman told the Sydney Morning Herald they were aware of Buckley's 'tip' and were closely monitoring any examples of possible fraudulent activity.

Transport for NSW has since requested suspended access to the 'change of address' function on its website to all LGA's under stay-at-home orders in a bid to to boost compliance.

'Customers are advised to delay updating their address until after public health restrictions have eased and will now have three months from the move date to do so,' a spokesman said.

'Affected customers who need to validate their new address are advised to carry alternative proof of residential address such as their council rates notice, a utility bill or rental agreement.'

Before the lockdown was again extended on August 14, some Sydney residents were nominating holiday homes as their main residence to freely travel around some parts of the state.

On Wednesday, Sydney recorded a pandemic record 919 new Covid cases.

New restrictions were introduced across 12 LGA's on August 14 after a spike in Covid cases in southwest and western Sydney (pictured, people lining up for a vaccination at Sydney Olympic Park)
Covid-19 patients battling the virus in Sydney's hospital wards are fighting symptoms including unbearable nausea, diarrhoea and severe migraine-like headaches that cause stiff necks and sensitivity to light, a top doctor has revealed.

Lung specialist Dr Lucy Morgan on Wednesday spoke of the toll the Delta strain was taking on her patients' as NSW recorded another 919 cases of the virus overnight.

Dr Morgan, who works at Sydney's Nepean and Concord hospitals, said initial symptoms of the virus are similar to having a cold or flu but then quickly worsen.

Lung Specialist Lucy Morgan on Wednesday urged NSW residents to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as she revealed the crippling symptoms her infected patients were suffering in hospital

'Symptoms are often so mild not to be noticeable - a bit of a sore throat, maybe a bit of a cough,' she said.

'But some people become breathless and dizzy,' she said. 'These other sorts of symptoms that need urgent medical assistance.'

Dr Morgan said anyone who starts feeling either of those symptoms needs to call an ambulance immediately.

'An ambulance is free, your medical care will be free and there will be people who can care for you even if English is not your first language,' she said.

By the time her patients have reached hospital, she said many of them have such bad nausea they cannot eat or drink.

'Many of my patients have a terrible cough, the sort of cough that leaves you breathless and they can't move or speak without the cough becoming really terrible,' she said.

A Covid-19 patient at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital in July. Dr Morgan said some patients are fighting symptoms including unbearable nausea, diarrhoea and migraine-like headaches

'Lots of patients have diarrhoea. Lots of patients have nausea.'

She said another common symptom was 'overwhelming fatigue' - the kind that leave patients unable to leave their bed at all.

'Some of them become increasingly breathless,' she said.

'Initially, just breathless, walking quickly or making the bed, but as time goes by, they become breathless walking or even talking.

'Many of the patients I've been caring for in the last few weeks have a really severe headache - not just a little bit of a headache - but a really severe migraine-like headache that makes you sensitive to light, a stiff neck and takes more than Panadol to treat it.'

Dr Morgan said some patients 'become breathless and dizzy' after contracting the virus - before symptoms further deteriorate and they cannot leave their bed. Pictured is a Covid-19 patient being cared for at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital

Dr Morgan said she had seen families torn apart by the virus and in some cases seen parents treated for Covid-19 in different hospitals to their children.

She called for Australians to get vaccinated to reduce their chance of ending up in a Covid ward.

'This does not have to be you,' she said.

'Two doses of a Covid-19 vaccination will be your suit of armour. It will protect you from getting sick from the virus, from being admitting to hospital and from ending up in ICU.'

Dr Lucy Morgan (pictured) has previously described the harrowing reality of Covid, with many children being left alone in hospitals to reduce the risk of transmission

The respiratory physician over the weekend made a similarly devastating revelation that infected parents have been forced to leave their young children alone in hospital to avoid spreading the virus to other family members.

'Everyone has a story of family distress,' she wrote on Facebook.

'Several have their partners in other hospitals leaving their small children to be "Covid orphans" in the children's hospital because their grandparents are unvaccinated or sick themselves.

'Please Australia - get vaccinated.'

Dr Morgan has been on the frontlines during the current NSW coronavirus outbreak and has been screening and caring for patients since the beginning of the pandemic.
Rugby league star George Burgess is being investigated by NSW Police and the NRL Integrity Unit after an alleged road rage incident.

The English forward, who is headed to NRL club St George Illawarra next season, is alleged to have left his vehicle in Wollongong south of Sydney after noticing he was being filmed by another person in a truck on Monday night.

Burgess, 29, has reportedly identified the person in the truck as the aggressor in the incident.

The English international allegedly got out of his car, took the phone off the other person and threw it onto the road, resulting in police being notified.

Rugby league star George Burgess is pictured with his wife Joanna, with whom he has three children

Burgess reacts after leaving an NRL Judiciary hearing during the 2019 season

St George Illawarra told the NRL integrity unit after police were informed of the incident.

'St George Illawarra are aware of an alleged road incident involving 2022 recruit George Burgess,' the club said in a statement.

'As the police are currently investigating the matter, the Dragons will be making no further comment at this stage.'

NSW Police have launched an investigation.

'It is alleged a verbal altercation occurred between two men - aged 32 and 29 - before the younger man grabbed the older man's mobile phone and threw it onto the roadway,' police said in a statement.

Burgess arrived back in Australia and went into hotel quarantine in late July, after signing on to play with the St George Illawarra Dragons until 2023.

The 29-year-old British expat arrived with his family after playing for the Wigan Warriors in the English SuperLeague for the past year.

The family, however, had to serve the quarantine period in separate hotels, with George and his son Boston, four, staying in one hotel, while his wife Joanna and their other two children, Birdie and Blainey, were quarantining in another.

The powerful forward had recently undergone surgery for a recurring hip injury as he seeks to revive his career in the NRL.

'Hopefully (I'll) bounce back to my best after the recent surgery by getting super fit again and playing good footy,' he said of his return to the NRL.

Burgess recently arrived back in Australia and went into hotel quarantine after signing on to play with the St George Illawarra Dragons until 2023

George Burgess with son Boston during his quarantine period after returning to Australia. His family were separated during the quarantine period

George's twin brother Thomas plays in the NRL with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, while older brother and former player Sam had recently been seen in the latest series of SAS Australia.

George played 150 games for the Rabbitohs from 2012 until 2019. At one stage his eldest brother Luke, Sam and twin brother Thomas were all at the club at the same time.

The alleged incident follows a scandal-plagued week for the NRL.

Bulldogs forward Adam Elliott asked to leave a Gold Coast venue last Sunday after he went to the toilets with women's rugby league player Millie Boyle.

Centre Curtis Scott was also sacked by the Canberra Raiders after his involvement in a nightclub incident in May.
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Matt Damon has cut $3.1million from the initial $21million asking price in his LA home listing, just weeks after sparking controversy for admitting he had just recently stopped using the word 'f****t' to describe gay people.

The reduction in price comes six month after the Pacific Palisades property, now listed for $17.9million, was first put on the market.

Damon bought the house back in 2012 for $15million and listed it for sale in January after moving to a 6,000sq-ft penthouse in Brooklyn Heights, New York, with his family, The New York Post reported.

The 13,508sq-ft LA property has three floors and boasts seven bedrooms, ten bathrooms, and a hot tub.

Matt Damon has cut $3.1million from the initial asking price of $21million in the listing of his LA home, weeks after coming under fire for admitting he had just recently stopped using an anti-gay slur

The house has an open-plan concept that adds to the spacious common areas decorated with warm and sober tones

The Zen-inspired property has a heated pool and an ultra-private enclosed poolside dining area, enclosed by greenery

With floor to ceiling windows, the light bathes the common areas of the Pacific Palisades property

The reduction in price comes six month after the Pacific Palisades property, now listed for $17.9million, was first put on the market

Matt Damon has since retracted and said he never actually used the f-slur, but pointed out to his daughter how it was commonly used not too long ago

One of the seven bedrooms the property boasts, with carpeted floors, wall-to-wall windows and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling

A walk-in-closet featuring an old-fashioned style, with wood accents and a wood isle with drawers and mirrored closets

The spa room counts with a hot tub and area for relaxation, with see-through curtains that soften the sun-light that filters in the room

The open-plan concept allows for the living room to smoothly transition into the space destined for the dining room

A separate resting area, with furniture mixing soft and comfortable textures with leather chairs

Other amenities in the state include two fireplaces, a private gym, a private screening room, a koi pond, a wine room, a heated pool and enclosed poolside dining

Other amenities in the state include two fireplaces, a private gym, a private screening room, a koi pond, a wine room, a heated pool and enclosed poolside dining.

Initially built in 2004, the Zen-inspired house sits on more than half an acre and is now listed through real estate agent Eric Haskell from The Agency.

The residence features warm accents of wood and stone throughout the common areas, and no major renovations have been made from the original open-plan concept of the house.

With vaulted ceilings and floor to ceiling windows, the ambience of the home is sophisticated yet sober.

The many artful details and curated cabinetry adds to the house's decor.

Interiors transition into the children's play area, Hawaiian-inspired Lanai with a covered lounge and the dining terrace.

Residents will also enjoyed the perks of upscale dining and shopping nearby areas like The Palisades Village, Santa Monica and The Riviera Country Club.

Damon recently came under fire after revealing in an interview to The Sunday Times that he had 'made a joke' that prompted his daughter to write him a persuading essay on why the 'f-slur for a homosexual' was harmful.

Initially built in 2004, the Zen-inspired house sits on more than half an acre and is now listed through The Agency

The house counts with an enclosed in greenery dining space that offers privacy by the side of the pool

The vaulted ceiling and wood accent attribute to the sober and sophisticated ambience of the house

Another walk-in-closet featuring more artificial light, while maintaining a minimalistic concept

The family room is next to the kitchen with custom mahogany cabinetry and pendant lighting

The views from the living room, which is next to the kitchen and the private pool area

One of the seven baths in the house, with wood details and a stone bath tub

The house counts with many singular amenities, like the private screening room

The Pacific Palisades house is now on the market for $17.9millions, but no offers have been made

The Bourne Identity actor later retracted and said he never actually said the slur, and merely shared with his daughter how it used to be a casual and often used word not too long ago, even used in a 2003 movie he starred in.

'I not only agreed with her but thrilled at her passion, values and desire for social justice,' said Damon in a statement after the controversy.

His remarks especially infuriated many because his latest movie, Stillwater, which is based in Amanda Knox's wrongful murder conviction in Italy, featured a queer character.

Damon was cast as the father of Allison, a lesbian woman trying to prove her innocence after being accused of killing her girlfriend while studying in France.

Matt Damon and Abigail Breslin attend the "Stillwater" New York Premiere at Rose Theater
Canberra's Labor chief minister has declared NSW off limits to residents for 'months' - and suggested they should put off any trips to Sydney until 2022.

Andrew Barr says it was unlikely the border to NSW will open anytime soon, with the border to other states likely to open 'from December'.

The ACT recorded nine new cases on Wednesday as NSW recorded 919 new infections, Australia's highest ever daily increase.

Mr Barr said travelling to Sydney will remain off limits while being asked what vaccinated Canberrans will be able to do in the coming weeks and months.

'That is still several months away and Sydney will still be in lockdown for at least another month,' he said.

Canberra residents will remain lockdown until at least September 2. Pictured are residents exercising along Lake Burley Griffin

'But we do not go through what we are going through now with a view to just invite Sydney to bring a virus back into Canberra,

'Put it this way, I would not be planning a trip to Sydney in the next few months.

'Our hope is that the measures we have in place now would allow us to emerge from lockdown ahead of Sydney.'

He foreshadowed more movement across borders in December and into 2022 after vaccinations hit 80 per cent targets.

Of the nine cases recorded on Wednesday, eight are linked and four were infectious while in the community as the list of exposure sites soars past 400 venues.

Residents in the nation's capital have been told to cancel any planned trips to Sydney. Pictured is Bondi this week

Andrew Barr expects the ACT's borders with NSW to remain closed for the next few months

The number of cases in the disability sector now stands at 18.

Health officials remain on high alert case numbers could rise into double digits again in the coming days.

Six cases being treated in hospital, including an unvaccinated woman in her 40s who's in intensive care.

Mr Barr has ruled out ending the ACT's lockdown before September 2 but hinted that restrictions are currently being reviewed.

He wants to see no mystery cases or any one in the community while infectious.

'Now is not the time to be significantly easing restrictions, however some changes are being considered and these changes will seek to balance risk across the community,' Mr Barr said.

'We will come out of this gently, week-by-week as we continue to get our vaccination rate up.'
A long-awaited report commissioned by President Biden into the origins of Covid has come back inconclusive - in part because Beijing refused access to crucial information.

The debate over the origins of the virus that has killed more than four million people and paralyzed economies worldwide has become increasingly contentious.

90 days ago, the President ordered a new investigation into the origins of the virus, hoping to conclusively uncover its source.

However, despite Biden's directive that the intelligence community 'redouble their efforts' to untangle the origin debate, the review brought them no closer to consensus, the officials told the Washington Post.

A long-awaited report commissioned by President Biden (pictured) into whether Covid was released from a lab in China has come back inconclusive - in part because Beijing refused access to information

Part of the problem is a lack of detailed information from China, according to the Wall Street Journal.

'If China's not going to give access to certain data sets, you're never really going to know,' an official told the Journal on condition of anonymity since the report is not public.

The basis for the Biden's investigation stemmed from a report from intelligence agencies saying that they had 'coalesced around two likely scenarios', according to Yahoo News.

The first theory was that coronavirus spread to humans naturally from diseased animals at a wet market in Wuhan, China.

While the other theorized that the virus was leaked from the nearby Wuhan Institute of Virology, where Chinese scientists were experimenting on the virus.

Beijing has rejected calls from the United States and other countries for a renewed origin probe after a heavily politicized visit by a World Health Organization team in January also proved inconclusive and faced criticism for lacking transparency and access.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Hines (pictured) helped oversee the efforts to determine the origins of the virus, but cautioned in June that agencies may not be able to solve the mystery

In the face of China's reluctance to open up to outside investigators, experts are increasingly open to considering the theory that the virus might have leaked out of a lab conducting bat coronavirus research in Wuhan, an idea once dismissed as a conspiracy propagated by the US far-right.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has admitted that the global health body's initial probe into Wuhan's virology labs did not go far enough.

But the WHO's call last month for the investigation's second stage to include audits of the labs infuriated Beijing. Vice health minister Zeng Yixin said the plan showed 'disrespect for common sense and arrogance towards science.'

With the report coming back inconclusive, the Post writes that intelligence agents will seek to declassify certain elements of the document in the coming days.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Hines cautioned in June that the agencies may not be able to solve the mystery.

'We're hoping to find a smoking gun,' she told Yahoo News. But, she said, 'it's challenging to do that' adding 'it might happen, but it might not.'

The Wuhan Institute of Virology is one of only a handful in the world that is cleared to handle Class 4 pathogens  dangerous viruses that pose a high risk of person-to-person transmission

She said she had been closely overseeing the review - which involved dozens of analysts and intelligence officials across multiple agencies - and was regularly briefed by analysts who backed the rival theories.

She deployed 'red cells' or contrarian groups to test analyst assumptions and ensure the intelligence is scrutinized from every angle, she said.

'I don't know between these two plausible theories which one is the right answer,' Hines admitted. 'But I've listened to the analysts, and I really see why it is that they perceive these two theories as being in contest with each other and why it's very challenging for them to assess one over the other.'

Hines had tried to tap into resources across the intelligence community 'to ensure we have as much information and any information that they might have on the table.'

She said her agencies 'are trying to get as much information as possible, new information that could be applied against the challenge, but also just brainstorming about different ways to approach the problem that might reveal new information that you hadn't thought could be relevant might be useful,' but her efforts were stymied by Chinese officials.

Hines said efforts to find out about the origins of the virus were stymied by Chinese officials

Three researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology reported COVID-like symptoms in November 2019, before the virus began to spread around the world

Another official said the intelligence community is 'not necessarily best equipped to sole this problem,' which is fundamentally an issue of science.

Although spy services are 'positioned to collect on a range of foreign actors' they are not necessarily poised to dive into global health datasets.

The president said so himself in July, the Post reports, when he said: 'You're going to have to increase your ranks with people with significant scientific capacity relative to pathogens.'

Many scientists familiar with the origin debate had been skeptical of the 90-day deadline, saying it would take years of research to reach a conclusion about the origins of the virus.

Others have said its true origins may never be known, amid widespread speculation of a huge Chinese government cover-up.

'We should not even be thinking about closing the book or backing off, but rather ratcheting up the effort,' said David Relman, a Stanford University microbiologist who has pushed for a broad investigation of all origin hypotheses.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology kept live bats in cages, Sky News reported

Shi Zhengli, known as China's 'bat woman' for her virus-hunting expeditions in bat caves, releases a fruit bat after taking blood and swab samples from it in 2004

The lab leak theory has gained traction since May, with NIAID head Dr. Anthony Fauci suggesting it is possible and President Joseph Biden joining other world leaders in calling for an investigation into the origins of the virus.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology is one of only a handful in the world that is cleared to handle Class 4 pathogens  dangerous viruses that pose a high risk of person-to-person transmission.

It is located only a few miles from the Huanan wet market, where scientists say the first cluster of infections were officially reported, and scientists in the lab were reportedly conducting experiments on bats before the pandemic began.

Three researchers from the institute sought medical care in November 2019, before the virus began to spread, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper said the report - which provides fresh details on the number of researchers affected, the timing of their illnesses, and their hospital visits - may add weight to calls for a broader probe of whether the COVID-19 virus could have escaped from the laboratory.

It reported that current and former officials familiar with the intelligence about the lab researchers expressed a range of views about the strength of the report's supporting evidence, with one unnamed person saying it needed 'further investigation and additional corroboration.'

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has since said he was 'not convinced' that COVID-19 developed naturally and called for an open investigation.

'I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability what happened,' he said at a PolitiFact event on May 11 entitled: United Facts of America: A Festival of Fact-Checking.

The former head of the Food and Drug Administration also said that the likelihood COVID-19 originated in a lab is growing while the odds that the coronavirus was transmitted from animals to humans grow longer.

'The challenge is that the side of the ledger that suggests that this could have come out of a lab has continued to expand,' Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who served as then-President Trump's FDA commission from 2017 until 2019, told CBS News.

'And a side of the ledger that suggests that this could have come from a zoonotic source, come out of nature, really hasn't budged.'

Gottlieb said that there is enough evidence to rule out the earlier theory that coronavirus originated from a 'wet market' in Wuhan.

Gottlieb added: 'And if anything, you can argue that that side of the ledger has contracted because we've done an exhaustive search for the so-called intermediate host, the animal that could have been exposed to this virus before it spread to humans.
A mother has gone on an extraordinary rant in a quarantine facility after she objected to health workers giving her children a Covid test.

The English woman quarantining in the Howard Springs facility south of Darwin engaged health workers and Australian Federal Police in an extended tirade after she was asked to wake her child up to undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test.

All those who go into mandatory supervised quarantine at Howard Springs in order to enter Australia are required to be Covid-tested via a nose and throat swab twice during their stay, including children.

AFP officers warn the woman she will be fined when she refuses to wake up her child for the test.

'That's coercion, and that's against the law!' The woman yells at the officer in a video uploaded to TikTok by one of her neighbours in the facility.

'It's coercion and intimidation, forcing a parent to do things which they don't want to do for their children and which there was no prior warning about.

'This is against the law and against the Hippocratic Oath, I do know some things about the law.'

The woman argues with health officials and AFP officers as she refuses to wake her child for a Covid-19 test

The woman's neighbour (right) in the opposite cabin tried to play peacemaker

The woman complains that information about testing children at the facility can't be found on any government website, despite the fact the testing regime is easily accessible on the official Northern Territory coronavirus site.

The woman also said the PCR tests are not recommended for children under five by the World Health Organisation.

'It's actually dangerous for children under five,' she said. 'For the record you have no legal right to detain us.

'Can you come up with a solution that is not going to traumatise my child further?'

She said her child had been up until 2am in the morning because he was 'terrified' and was exhausted.

'Why don't you just let him wake up naturally?' She said. 'Why don't you just give him some more time.

'This is impacting on their psychology, this is impacting on their psychological development. Don't you understand they are children?

'I'm not refusing this procedure I'm just asking for more time.'

'You'll get a fine, that's your choice,' warns one AFP officer.

Staff in PPE conducting Covid-19 tests at the Howard Springs quarantine facility

Those who go into mandatory supervised quarantine at Howard Springs are required to be Covid-tested via a nose and throat swab twice during their stay, including children

A woman in the cabin opposite then intervenes to try and mediate the stand-off between the mother and the officials.

The NT government website states that those in mandatory quarantine who do not undergo a test will be required to remain in quarantine a further 10 days at their own expense, while fines apply if the quarantine rules are breached.

People who enter quarantine at Howard Springs are charged for the cost of accommodation, food, medical support, policing and security.

Individuals are charged $2,500 per person, or $5,000 for a family of two or more people, for the 14 days.

Members of Australia's Olympic team returning from the Tokyo Olympics recently did 14 days quarantine at the facility.
A U.S. drone pilot working in Afghanistan mistakenly killed two Afghan civilians and a child, he has admitted, as he questioned the tactics used amid America's ongoing withdrawal.

The pilot was working in Helmand province in 2019, he told the website Connecting Vets. It also shared leaked footage of drone strikes from multiple pilots interviewed, although images of the attack that killed the child were not included.

He and other drone operators told the site of their dismay at the work with Task Force South West, saying they felt their drone strikes served little purpose when the Marines had essentially given up on Helmand.

'The drone strikes were punitive. Killing for the sake of killing,' one of the operators said.

'It's nihilistic, there is no point,' said a second source, one of the drone operators.

'It was clear that we were not making a difference.'

Drone operators told the website Connecting Vets that they felt the 2019 drone attack campaign in Helmand province, Afghanistan, was futile. Leaked footage of one such attack is pictured above

An MQ-9 Reaper, armed with GBU-12 Paveway II laser guided munitions and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles is pictured flying over southern Afghanistan

The killing of the young family was particularly traumatic for the operator.

'My productivity today was derailed,' the drone operator wrote in his journal, obtained by the site.

'We killed two innocent men and a charger.'

A charger is military slang for a child.

The operator said that they were trying to kill an Afghan man on a motorbike who had been using a two-way radio - something which was common in Helmand, after the cell phone towers were taken out, and something which was also, in U.S. military eyes, reasonable grounds for suspicion.

'We were trying to kill a guy with a radio I'd found earlier in the day,' the operator wrote.

'He rode right through the blast and kept going. I watched a passerby load the bodies into a truck and drive them to a hospital. They are all dead.'

One of the drone pilots described a scene from 2019, in which he spotted an Afghan man under a tree speaking into a radio. As the man was walking towards his home, a Hellfire missile struck him.

'An old lady comes running out of the compound. She comes down on her hands and knees next to this dude and you can see the despair, she is pounding on the ground, hitting herself,' he said.

'She was on her knees next to this guy with balled fists out at the sky, shaking her fists at me.'

Footage leaked to Connecting Vets shows a group of Afghans shortly before they were killed by a drone

Another clip showed a strike on a road, with the target erupting in a ball of fire

A group of people crouching by a small walled compound were killed by a drone in another scene

Barack Obama presided over an intense drone program, with 542 strikes killing an estimated 3,797 people, including 324 civilians.

He was strongly criticized for expanding an extrajudicial policy that he inherited from his Republican predecessor, George W Bush.

Donald Trump took the program even further, removing layers of authorization and oversight to make drone usage far easier.

'Obama sought to signal policy constraint, regulation, and layers of internal executive branch oversight for his killing rules; Trump explicitly signaled that the gloves were off to 'further U.S. national security interests,'' according to an ACLU report.

Trump in May 2019 ended a rule requiring the reporting of all deaths from drone strikes. He also removed the requirement that the commanding general for Afghanistan approve the strike, and reduced it to field grade officers, normally at the task force or battalion level.

Donald Trump, seen in July 2018 with his Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, made it easier to use drones

Pompeo is seen in September 2020 meeting Mullah Baradar in Doha - the man seen by some as the most likely Taliban president of Afghanistan

The move was seen, Connecting Vets say, as part of a process designed by the National Security Council, particularly by H.R. McMaster, to use a pressure campaign to force the Taliban to negotiate America's exit from Afghanistan in Doha.

'I think there were two major factors that really drove that change in Afghanistan,' Dr. Jonathan Schroden, Afghanistan and counter-terrorism analyst, told Connecting Vets.

'It became increasingly clear that the Afghan security forces were not going to be capable enough to operate independently in a counterinsurgency type campaign anytime soon and it's arguable whether they would even ever get to that point on timelines that would be relevant.'

The second factor was the 'Trump administration decision to set aside the precondition that had existed before of insisting that the Afghan government be involved in any negotiations with the Taliban, and accepting the Taliban's condition for talks, which was that the U.S. would engage the Taliban directly,' he said.

'That shift in policy, and the subsequent direct engagement in negotiations with the Taliban, led to this idea that the U.S. needed to generate leverage in those talks.

'Part of the way to do that or so that theory went was to increase military pressure on the Taliban.'

The intent was to speed up the pace of the strikes, in order to force the Taliban to the table in Doha.

One member of a drone team told the site that he left to go pick up his laundry during a lull in operations, saying he was absent for less than 15 minutes.

'When I came back my buddy was like, 'we killed a guy,' he said.
A Melbourne woman who was stabbed in the back in a random park attack in broad daylight is glad it happened to her and not someone without the support she had in her recovery.

The 21-year-old was on a walking track in Gowanbrae in September last year when she was set upon by a man she had never met.

She was left with permanent scarring and was afraid to walk alone for a month afterwards, but says without help from family, friends and psychologists someone else might not have been able to return to life as normal.

A woman (above) who was stabbed in a Melbourne park has revealed why she is 'grateful' for the random attack

Police found a knife taped to the bed slats of 19-year-old Dmitri Evangelou after the attack.

He pleaded guilty on Wednesday to intentionally causing injury and recklessly causing serious injury.

The woman had noticed Evangelou watching her from nearby as she followed the winding walking track.

At one point he changed direction and ran away, but when she saw him next he was about 20 metres away looking straight at her.

As she continued along the path he ran across a grassed area and ended up ahead of her. Then as she turned a bend she saw him suddenly pop into her peripheral vision, coming from behind in an aggressive way.

He grabbed hold of her and as she backed away toward some trees she felt something sharp in her back.

Evangelou stabbed her three times with a folding knife.

As she defended herself the knife partially amputated the tip of her little finger, taking off the nail and breaking the bone.

Bystanders came to her aid after hearing her screams.

The woman was set upon by a stranger while jogging in a park in Gowanbrae, Melbourne

The woman had to have her back wound cleaned and stitched in surgery, while she needed to have a wire inserted into her finger to align the bones. The wire was later removed in a second operation.

Police identified Evangelou as the attacker after he dropped his phone at the scene.

They searched his family home later that night, finding the folding knife taped underneath his bed slats.

The woman said the incident left her afraid to walk alone for a month and resulted in nightmares.

But she said she was grateful it had happened to her, and not to someone who didn't have the support that she had to overcome what had happened.

Judge Douglas Trapnell described the incident as 'very bizarre behaviour'.

His lawyer Jessica Willard has asked for a psychiatric evaluation, noting he had been hearing voices since being taken into custody over the incident.

She said Evangelou had a good relationship with his mother but his father had employed a 'tough love' style of parenting which included making Evangelou sit at the table until he'd eaten his broccoli, which he didn't like.

His case will return to court in November, once he has undergone evaluation.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on Tuesday that he believes it is 'likely' that a strain of COVID-19 could emerge that is resistant to vaccines.

However, the pharmaceuticals boss claimed that the company would be able to develop a new shot to tackle a vaccine-resistant strain within 95 days of its emergence, Fox News reported.

'Every time that a variant appears in the world, our scientists are getting their hands around it,' Bourla said.

'And they are researching to see if this variant can escape the protection of our vaccine. We haven't identified any yet, but we believe that it is likely that one day, one of them will emerge.'

He added: 'We have built a process that within 95 days from the day that we identify a variant as a variant of concern, we will be able to have a vaccine tailor-made against this variant.'

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on Tuesday that he believes it is 'likely' that a strain of COVID-19 could emerge that is resistant to vaccines

However, the pharmaceuticals boss claimed that the company would be able to develop a new shot to tackle a vaccine-resistant strain within 95 days of its emergence

In July, Rochelle Walensky - director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - warned that the coronavirus could mutate and potentially evade vaccines soon.

So-called breakthrough infections among people who've had Pfizer's vaccine - as well as shots from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have occurred - although they rarely result in serious illness.

However, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada told The Telegraph that it was unlikely that the coronavirus could mutate into a vaccine-resistant strain.

'It would require so many mutations in the spike protein that this virus wouldn't 'work' anymore,' Angela Rasmussen said.

Other experts recently blasted a 'fear-mongering' article warning of a 'doomsday' COVID-19 variant which could be worse than Delta.

The doctors emphasized the effectiveness of the jab against the virus and noted that vaccine makers can quickly adjust formulas to make vaccines more effective against variants, Fox News reported.

Their comments come in response to an article in Newsweek Magazine which claimed that the Delta variant has 'shattered' optimism that vaccines would help the pandemic wind down.

The Newsweek Magazine article questioned: 'Is there a Doomsday variant out there that shrugs off vaccines, spreads like wildfire and leaves more of its victims much sicker than anything we've yet seen?'

'The odds are not high that we will see such a triple threat, but experts can't rule it out,' the article reads.

A map shows the total number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the United States

A graph shows the total number if coronavirus infections in the United States per day since the start of the pandemic

A graph shows the total number if coronavirus infections in the United States per day in July and August

A graph shows the total number if coronavirus deaths in the United States per day since the start of the pandemic

A graph shows the average and total number of COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States per week

The Newsweek Magazine article appears to draw a number of conclusions, including that the pandemic will continue to get worse and may stick around 'forevermore' - while continuing to mutate.

'The next variant could be Delta on steroids,' warned Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist.

Osterholm, who leads the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, added that - because of the Delta variant - 'the number of intensive-care beds needed could be higher than any time we've seen.'

He said that an analysis from his team shows that every American who has not been vaccinated or had the disease yet, about 100 million people, will likely get it in the coming months.

Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist, warned 'the next variant could be Delta on steroids'

An article in Newsweek Magazine claimed that the Delta variant has 'shattered' optimism that vaccines would help the pandemic wind down, while warning of a possible 'doomsday variant'

Dr. Tracy Beth Heg outright dismissed the Newsweek Magazine article, and condemned the 'dangerous and destructive game' journalists engage in by 'constantly be speculating about the worst possible scenarios.'

Heg - an epidemiologist and associate researcher at University of California, Davis - told Fox News that Americans 'have every reason for optimism.'

'This line 'Delta has now shattered that optimism,' is not appropriate. I would indeed consider this fear mongering,' Heg said.

'Epidemiologists and infectious disease docs should continue to study variants, but it is not necessary (or healthy in my opinion) for the public to go around worrying about the variants getting increasingly worse.'

Pfizer received full approval for its COVID-19 vaccine from the Food and Drug Administration on Monday.

The approval would let the pharmaceutical giant advertise its vaccines, but Bourla told Fox News that advertisements are not a 'priority' for the company at this time.

He told the outlet that the company has instead been focused on trying to manufacture more vaccines quickly to meet global demands.

Bourla's statements came after the World Health Organization called for a two-month moratorium on receiving booster shots in a bid to provide more vaccines globally, which could prevent future variants from emerging.

This summer, the CDC and Pfizer - as well as vaccine maker Johnson & Johnson - made statements expressing that the organizations remain confident that vaccines can protect against COVID-19 variants.

The CDC has noted that all authorized vaccines have shown 65% to 95% efficacy in preventing symptomatic, laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 - and more than 89% effectiveness against the coronavirus severe enough to require hospitalization.

The FDA gave the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine full approval by Monday. Pictured: A nurse hold a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a clinic in Atlanta, Georgia, August 17

The full approval may help convince vaccine hesitant Americans to get the shot. Pictured: A student at California State University Long Beach receives a first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on campus, August 11

President Joe Biden celebrated the news and encouraged Americans to keep getting vaccinated

While some breakthrough cases are possible, health officials have continued to tell Americans that vaccines substantially reduce the spread of COVID-19 - even against the Delta variant.

Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious diseases doctor at University of California San Francisco, conceded to Fox News that COVID-19 could possibly not ever be eliminated because its high transmissibility.

But she noted: 'We can control the virus, which may ultimately cause mild symptoms in a small fraction of vaccinated individuals, and outbreaks of severe disease among those who have yet to receive shots.'

The Newsweek Magazine article noted that the World Health Organization is already keeping an eye on several mutations beyond Delta.

The Eta and Iota variants - as well as the Kappa variant which arose in India like the Delta variant - have all infected numerous countries.

Public health experts are particularly concerned about the Lambda variant and its 'unusual success in infecting fully vaccinated people,' Newsweek Magazine noted.

Dr. Imran Sharief, a pulmonary disease specialist, told Fox News that 'new variants are going to continue to emerge' until the United States reaches herd immunity, predicting that the virus could lose its 'potency' by 'at least 2024.'
One of six men who planned to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last year was sentenced to just over six years in prison after pleading guilty and cooperating with authorities to build cases against his co-conspirators.

Ty Garbin, 25, an airplane mechanic, confessed to his role in the alleged scheme, giving prosecutors an in-depth look at how the six men were going to abduct Whitmer over their frustration with the coronavirus restrictions she enacted during the height of the pandemic.

In his plea agreement, Garbin said the men trained at his property near Luther, Michigan, constructing a 'shoot house' to resemble Whitmers vacation home and 'assaulting it with firearms.'

Garbin also apologized to Whitmer, who was not in court, and her family.

'I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of stress and fear her family felt because of my actions. And for that I am truly sorry,' he told U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker.

Ty Garbin, 25, left, pleaded guilty to his involvement in the alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last year. He was sentenced to just over six years in prison

From the left, Adam Dean Fox, Daniel Harris, and Kaleb Franks were among the six co-conspirators arrested in connection with the assassination plot

Brandon Caserta, left, and Barry Croft were also arrested and charged with conspiracy

Whitmer wrote a victim impact statement to the judge, saying, 'things will never be the same,' saying threats against her have continued even after the failed kidnapping plot.

Garbin, along with Kaleb Franks, Brandon Caserta, Adam Dean Fox, Daniel Harris and Barry Croft, were arrested last October when the FBI learned of their plot. They were charged with conspiracy, which carries a maximum of life in prison.

The government sought a nine-year prison term against Gardbin, but Jonker went lower at 6 1/4 years.

The government, noting Garbins exceptional cooperation, had asked Jonker to give him credit for helping investigators reinforce their case against his co-defendants. Hes likely to testify at any trial.

Garbin 'didnt hold back,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said. 'He would come out and say, `We planned to do this and I was knowingly a part of it. He sat for hours answering all of our questions.'

In this courtroom drawing, five defendants in the Whitmer kidnapping case appear in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on October 13, 2020

Indeed, defense attorney Gary Springstead told the judge that Garbin 'is going to be a star witness' against the others.

'Ty Garbin testified in front of the grand jury in support of the indictment that got him indicted. He is truly, generally and sincerely sorry,' said Mark Satawa, another defense lawyer.

Despite his commitment to help officials in the case, many believe the six-year sentence was too light and not proportional to the amount of anguish he and the five other men have caused Gretchen.

People voiced their disappointment in Ty Garbin's six-year sentence for his involvement in the kidnapping plot of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

When the kidnapping case was filed in October, Whitmer, a Democrat, pinned some blame on then-President Donald Trump, saying his refusal to denounce far-right groups had inspired extremists across the U.S. It added even more heat to the final weeks of a tumultuous election season.

'Threats continue,' she said in June. 'I have looked out my windows and seen large groups of heavily armed people within 30 yards of my home. I have seen myself hung in effigy. Days ago at a demonstration there was a sign that called for `burning the witch.'

Last year, Whitmer put major restrictions on personal movement and the economy because of COVID-19, although many limits have since been lifted. The Michigan Capitol was the site of rallies, including ones with gun-toting protesters calling for the governors removal.

'The plots and threats against me, no matter how disturbing, could not deter me from doing everything I could to save as many lives as possible by listening to medical and health experts,' Whitmer said. 'To me it is very simple: this had to be the priority.'

Armed groups protested outside the Michigan State Capitol on April 30 after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer passed mandates to protect residents from the pandemic

The protest was organized by the Michigan United for Liberty militia group

William Null, standing, joined 13 armed men in parading around the capitol building

Suspect Brandon Caserta's lawyer, Michael Hills, claimed earlier this month that the kidnapping plot was egged on by the FBI, and than one agent, told an informant known as 'Dan' to lie and delete text messages to allegedly cover up the agency's involvement.

In the August 13 filing, Hills argued that the text messages between 'Dan' the informant and two FBI agents indicate that the federal agency 'was pushing their paid agent to actively recruit people into an overt act in furtherance of a conspiracy.'

The government previously refused the defense's request to furnish the requested communications, arguing that lawyers have failed to show evidence of entrapment.

Hills attached screenshots of text messages between 'Dan' and FBI's Henrik Impola, in which the agent instructed the informant to 'delete these,' purportedly referring to their texts.

According to the lawyer, Dan's FBI handler also asked him to lie to Pete Musico, a founding member of the Wolverine Watchmen militia, 'and accuse an innocent individual as being undercover federal agent spying on Mr. Musico.'

In one text message attached to the filing, Agent Impola writes to Dan: 'Copy. Best thing to do is deny and accuse somebody like Trent.'

Attorney Michael Hills provided this screenshot of an exchange between an FBI agent and an informant known as 'Dan'

The agent instructs 'Dan' to delete their communications, then tells him to lie and accuse another person named 'Trent' of being the informant

According to the defense attorney, Trent was on the 'outskirts' of the militia group and was not indicted in connection with the kidnapping plot.

Hills argued that Impola's behavior, as evidenced by his exchanges, 'casts a dark shadow over the credibility of this investigation and demonstrates the need for immediate disclosure as demanded.'

Hills further asserted that FBI's informant was the 'person at the center of all activity' and that the agents pushed him 'to actively recruit and entice people to either enter a conspiratorial agreement or an overt act in support of an agreement.'

The attorney revealed that he is seeking the communications 'for the purposes of entrapment defense.'

Assistant US Attorney Nils Kessler has denied that the agents were encouraging the plot, claiming in a recent court filing the 'defendants were predisposed to join the kidnapping and explosive conspiracies, and therefore will not be able to prove entrapment.'
Fox's Tucker Carlson criticized the Los Angeles Times for printing an editorial that called black politician and California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder 'the Black face of white supremacy.'

Carlson mocked the idea that a black man could be an agent of white supremacy in a sarcastic monologue that outlined Elder's racial identity.

'Elder's father, who was a janitor, was black. So was Elder's mother. So were 80% of the people in their neighborhood and by all appearances, Larry Elder seemed black too... Little did they know that this child of South Central, apparently an African-American in good standing was in fact a secret agent working on behalf of global white supremacy,' Carlson jested on Fox News.

Larry Elder hosts the Larry Elder Radio Show. He is the hopeful to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom should he be recalled on September 14

Carlson lashed out against the LA Times for an editorial piece against Larry Elder

Carlson accused the LA Times of attacking Elder, the radio show host and Republican candidate looking to depose of California Governor Gavin Newsom in a recall election next month, simply because he was the favorite to become the new governor.

While recent polls show that only 48.8% of Californians want to keep Newsom in office, nearly 20% of voters want Elder to replace him, more than double the second-place favorite Kevin Paffrath, according to FiveThirtyEight.

If Newsom is recalled, then Elder, who would have the most votes, would become the new governor.

'Larry elder could actually win. So no wonder the 'L.A. Times' is so upset. No wonder they dispatched a crack investigative team to discover he was secretly a white supremacist,' Carlson said.

The editorial in question came from columnist Erika Smith, who voiced her frustration over Elder's alleged indifference over the difficulties minorities face in California.

The column has drawn backlash from conservatives for its criticism of Larry Elder

Carlson blasted the LA Times with a sarcastic monologue, 'congratulating' the newspaper for outing Elder as the 'Black face of white supremacy'

'Few things infuriate me more than watching a Black person use willful blindness and cherry-picked facts to make overly simplistic arguments that whitewash the complex problems that come along with being Black in America,' Smith wrote.

Smith ultimately called Elder a 'Trump fanboy Republican' who opposes policies that are supported by Black Californian's.

Elder has brushed aside Smith's column, along with other op-ed pieces critical of his policies and stances.

'I anticipated that would happen. This is why a lot of people don't go into politics because of the politics of personal destruction,' Elder told Fox News.

Elder also faced attacks from opponents over a series of allegations that he brandished a gun at a former fiancee during an argument in 2015.

'I have never brandished a gun at anyone. I grew up in South Central; I know exactly how destructive this type of behavior is. It's not me, and everyone who knows me knows it's not me. These are salacious allegations,' Elder said.

California Governor Gavin Newsom faces a recall election on September 14. If he is recalled, he will be the state's second-ever governor to be recalled

California will hold a recall election on September 14 after petitions qualified for the measure to be added to the ballot after receiving more than 1.5 million signatures from voters, state election officials announced in April.

Newsom faced fierce criticism from Republicans relating to the state's response to COVID-19, crime rates and homelessness.

Since 1913, there have been 179 recall attempts of state elected officials in California, according to the office of the California Secretary of State.

Of those, 11 recall efforts collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot and though only six lawmakers have been removed from office.

If the recall effort is successful, Newsom would become only the second California effort to be recalled in the state's history.
A movie stuntman who rode a horse at anti-lockdown protests on the Gold Coast has turned himself in to police and copped a $7000 fine.

Michael Corrigan, 52, was one of thousands of angry demonstrators who protested at the New South Wales-Queensland border on Sunday.

He was filmed riding a white horse through the streets of Coolangatta chanting 'Cross the border. Everyone cross the border, they can't hold all of us.'

The stuntman was filmed riding a white horse through the streets of Coolangatta chanting 'Cross the border. Everyone cross the border, they can't hold all of us' (pictured)

Michael Corrigan, 52, (pictured) was one of thousands of angry demonstrators who protested at the New South Wales and Queensland border around midday on Sunday

Mr Corrigan is a Hollywood stuntman who worked on the Thor: Ragnarok blockbuster on the Gold Coast, the Courier Mail reported.

The 52-year-old surrendered at the Tweed Heads police station on Monday afternoon.

The stuntman has been slapped with a $3000 penalty infringement notice for attending an illegal gathering during lockdown.

He was also handed an additional fine of $4135 for failing to comply with a direction from the Chief Health Officer.

A police spokeswoman said no charges had been laid at this stage but investigations into the incident were continuing.

The stuntman has worked on Hollywood blockbusters Thor: Ragnarok, The Last Samurai and San Andreas over his 25-year career.

Police are using CCTV and mobile phone footage from the protest to identify the attendees, who numbered in the thousands.

Other rally attendees yelled 'who do you work for' at police while others held signs that said 'Open the Border Now' and 'No Vaxx Passport'

An attendee at the NSW and Queensland border rally on Sunday is seen holding a sign reading 'Plandmic'

Ten people were arrested on Sunday and more than 50 fines have been issued.

Up to 2,000 people congregated at Tweed Heads and Coolangatta to hit out at travel restrictions they said were destroying their lives and livelihood.

Some protestors were heard yelling 'who do you work for' at police while others held signs that said 'Open the Border Now' and 'No Vaxx Passport'.

A plane was seen flying overhead the crowds with a banner reading: 'Tweed zero cases. Why lockdown insanity?'.

At Jack Evans Harbour in Tweed Heads, a blockade of protestors who outnumbered police were seen forcing the officers to retreat.

One demonstrator from West Tweed said crossing the border into Queensland was a daily occurrence for the majority of his community.

'To stop people being able to do that  particularly in the situation where there's no cases in our area  is hypocrisy,' he told the ABC.

A plane flew over the protestors with a banner reading: 'Tweed zero cases. Why lockdown insanity?' (pictured)

Another woman from Pottsville in NSW said she worked across the border and had lost her source of income, making her dependent on the government.

'It's really, really distressing and we're angry  we're angry about our government,' she said.

Few attendees at the protest were seen wearing masks, while others kissed and hugged in the tightly packed crowds.

While some protestors argued there were no active cases in northern NSW, Covid-19 particles were detected in Byron Bay's sewage system on Tuesday.

The coastal town was also visited by a Covid-positive man and his two teenage children who travelled from Sydney last month.

Queensland's Deputy Premier Steven Miles described the border protests as 'shameful and reckless'.

Few attendees at the protest were seen wearing masks, while others kissed and hugged

'We've gotten through this because Queenslanders have done the right thing, we've kept each other safe,' he said.

'That's not the kind of behaviour Queenslanders do, it's very un-Queensland like.'

The deputy premier said the border between the two states was one of the riskiest places for unwanted transmission of the virus.

'We have to see the situation in NSW the same way weve seen the situation in other countries throughout this pandemic,' he said.

The rally came just hours after state leaders condemned anti-lockdown demonstrations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns on Saturday and NSW recorded a pandemic-record of 830 locally-acquired cases.
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Vice President Kamala Harris touched down in Vietnam Tuesday night in a show of support against China's 'intimidation' in the South China Sea - but critics have slammed the trip as tone-deaf given the parallels between the superpower's evacuations from Saigon and Kabul at the end of the Vietnam War.

Harris met with the communist country's president in Hanoi on Wednesday, a day after accusing regional giant Beijing of intimidation.

She was pictured smiling next to Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Vice President Vo Thi Ahn Xuan under a bust of the country's former president Ho Chi Minh, a revolutionary who served as president between 1945 and 1969.

The vice president later held a bilateral meeting with President Phuc in the mirror room of Hanoi's presidential palace.

Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, is 1,000 miles north of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, the site of the US's most humiliating military defeat.

The vice president on Wednesday took a moment of silence in the rain and laid flowers at the site in Hanoi where Senator McCain's aircraft was shot down by the North Vietnamese in 1967. Harris's visit to the monument comes as the US evacuates tens of thousands of Afghans from Kabul in scenes eerily similar to the U.S's 1975 defeat in Vietnam.

Harris, who is the first U.S. vice president to visit Vietnam, told the nation's president that 'our relationship has come a long way in a quarter of a century.'

She has vowed to help Vietnam tackle its burgeoning COVID outbreak, but has come under fire over the trip, which has seen her avoid making any meaningful statement on the Afghan crisis.

The visit comes after a two-day stop in Singapore, where Harris took aim at China and sought to shore up US credibility in the wake of the Taliban's stunning return to power.

But the Vietnam leg of the Asian tour has sparked criticism after the chaotic evacuation of Kabul prompted comparisons with the trauma of 1975 Saigon, when US helicopters ferried final evacuees from the embassy roof in the last days of the Vietnam War.

Harris is steering clear of Saigon - now named Ho Chi Minh City - and on Wednesday she will seek to shift the focus from the historical parallels and emphasize Washington's commitment to Southeast Asia as it opens a regional branch of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Hanoi.

The vice president said the U.S. will provide an addition one million coronavirus vaccine doses to Vietnam.

Harris, speaking at the top of a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, said that the doses would begin to arrive within the next 24 hours. That brings the total vaccine donation to Vietnam to 6 million doses from the U.S.

The Vice President, pictured with her Vietnamese counterpart Vo Thi Anh Xuan, said it's time to find ways to 'raise the pressure' on China as it lays claim to vast swaths of the resource-rich South China Sea, parts of which Vietnam also claims

Kamala Harris meets Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, left, in Hanoi Wednesday

Harris and Xuan were snapped standing in front of a bust of Vietnam's revolutionary ex-president Ho Chi Minh

She and President Nguyen Xuan Phuc posed for a photo under another bust of Ho Chi Minh at the presidential palace in Hanoi on Wednesday

Harris and President Phuc, pictured right, held a bilateral meeting at presidential palace's Mirror Room

 Slide me  Images of Chinook helicopters carrying US diplomats from the Kabul embassy to the airport have been compared to scenes from the fall of Saigon in 1975

After her bilateral meetings, Harris took a moment of silence in the pouring rain and laid flowers at the monument where John McCain's plane was shot down by the North Vietnamese in 1967. She noted it was the three-year anniversary of Senator McCain's death

In addition to the new vaccine doses, the U.S. will provide $23 million in American Rescue Plan and emergency funding through the Centers for Disease Control and the United States Agency for International Development to help Vietnam expand distribution and access to vaccines, combat the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future disease threats. The Defense Department is also delivering 77 freezers to store the vaccines throughout the country.

It comes Vietnam is grappling with record high coronavirus infections in Vietnam driven by the delta variant and stubbornly low vaccination rates in the country. The surge in cases prompted a recent lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City, the nation's business hub and the epicenter of the latest outbreak.

After her bilateral meetings, Harris took a moment of silence in the pouring rain and laid flowers at the monument where John McCain's plane was shot down by the North Vietnamese in 1967. She noted it was the three-year anniversary of Senator McCain's death.

In 2018, Senator McCain, who had spent years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam before a 35-year political career that took him to the Republican presidential nomination, died at the age of 81 after battling brain cancer for more than a year.

The new coronavirus aid is part of a wide-ranging set of announcements on new partnerships and support for Vietnam delivered to coincide with Harris' visit to the nation, during her week-long swing through Southeast Asia. The trip, which included a visit to Singapore earlier in the week, is aimed at strengthening U.S. relationships in the Indo-Pacific region to counter Chinese influence there.

John McCain is administered to a Hanoi, Vietnam hospital (left) as a prisoner of war in the fall of 1967 after his plane was shot down. In 2000 (right), late Senator visited the cell in Hanoi where he was held for five years as a POW with his son Jack

The announcements include new investments to help Vietnam transition to cleaner energy systems and expand the use of electric vehicles, a reduction in tariffs on U.S. exports of agricultural goods, and millions in aid to clear unexploded weapons leftover from the Vietnam War.

Harris said on Wednesday the US would find new ways to 'raise the pressure on Beijing', accusing China of bullying in hotly disputed Asian waters for the second time in two days.

On Tuesday, Harris used a speech in Singapore to say Beijing 'continues to coerce, to intimidate' and to make unreasonable claims to large areas of the South China Sea.

China claims almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in shipping trade passes annually, with competing claims from four Southeast Asian states including Vietnam.

'We need to find ways to pressure and raise the pressure, frankly, on Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge its bullying and excessive maritime claims,' Harris said at the start of a meeting in Hanoi with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, adding that the U.S. would 'maintain a strong presence in the South China Sea' to challenge China.

The vice president also offered the deployment of a third U.S. Coast Guard cutter, a fleet of 24 patrol boats, base facilities, piers, law enforcement training and other joint activities that help Vietnam bolster its maritime security.

China hit back at the accusations through its state media on Wednesday, accusing the US of hypocrisy in attempting to 'coerce and intimidate' countries in the region in its 'scheme to contain China'.

'While pointing a finger at China and accusing it of 'coercion' and 'intimidation', Harris wilfully ignored her own hypocrisy in attempting to coerce and intimidate regional countries to join Washington in its scheme to contain China,' the state run China Daily said in an editorial responding to Harris's comments in Singapore.

'It seems that the United States' only commitment to Southeast Asia is its dedicated efforts to drive a wedge between the Southeast Asian nations and China,' it added.

Harris kneels down as she lays flowers on McCain's memorial site in Hanoi, Vietnam on Wednesday

Harris lays flowers at the Senator John McCain memorial site, where his Navy aircraft was shot down by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on Wednesday

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc attend a bilateral meeting at the Mirror Room of the Presidential Palace, in Hanoi on Wednesday

Harris's seven-day trip to Singapore and Vietnam is part of a broader U.S. strategy to take on China globally. China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan lay claim to parts of the disputed waters of the South China Sea, which is crossed by vital shipping lanes and contains gas fields and rich fishing grounds.

China has established military outposts on artificial islands in the South China Sea and objects to foreign warships sailing through what it claims is its sovereign waters.

The U.S. Navy regularly conducts 'freedom of navigation' operations through the disputed waters, which China objects to, saying they do not help promote peace or stability. In 2016, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled against China's claim, but Beijing has rejected the ruling.

On Wednesday afternoon, Harris will join a health security event with the health ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations group and Papua New Guinea, where she'll speak more about the launch of the CDC center.

But even as Harris hopes to keep her focus squarely on those key agenda items in Vietnam, her visit will be shadowed by a recent security scare in Vietnam and the ongoing developments in the U.S. exit from Afghanistan.

Harris' flight to Vietnam was delayed for hours Tuesday afternoon after the vice president's office was made aware of an investigation into two possible cases of the so-called Havana Syndrome in Hanoi, according to administration officials. The Havana Syndrome is the name for a rash of mysterious health incidents first reported by American diplomats and other government employees in the Cuban capital beginning in 2016.

Harris has yet to comment publicly on the developments, but they'll weigh heavily on officials while she participates in a lease signing for the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, with embassy staff attending.

And her swing through Vietnam is certain to draw some unwanted comparisons between the humiliating withdrawal of U.S. troops in 1975 and the tumultuous effort this week to evacuate Americans and allies from Afghanistan.

Pham Quang Vinh, Vietnam's former ambassador to the United States, told AFP the country was watching events in Kabul closely.

'The US has recommitted itself now to this region but if something happens in Afghanistan again, for example if terrorism comes back... will the US continue to focus here?' he said.

The US-China relationship has deteriorated over a range of issues from cybersecurity and tech supremacy to human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

But in Singapore, Harris sought to allay fears that growing tensions could force countries that have strong ties with both of the world's top economies to choose sides.

Vietnam has sought to forge its own path between the two superpowers and on Tuesday Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met the Chinese ambassador, stressing Hanoi would not 'align with one country against another'

The US has rescued 60,000 people from Afghanistan since August 14, a day before the Taliban stormed the presidential palace and sent Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fleeing to the United Arab Emirates.

'There will be no situation where you see people being lifted off the roof in the embassy to the United States from Afghanistan,' Biden pledged before Kabul fell into chaos.

A scene of American Chinook helicopters carrying US diplomats from the Kabul embassy has been compared to Operation Frequent Wind, when 7,000 people were evacuated during the Fall of Saigon in 1975.

'To be fair, the helicopter has been the mode of transport from our embassy to the airport for the last 20 years,' National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan later said. 'That's how we move people back and forth.'

Meanwhile, the US has rescued 60,000 people from Afghanistan since August 14, a day before the Taliban stormed the presidential palace and sent Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fleeing to the United Arab Emirates

About 7,000 people were evacuated during the Fall of Saigon in 1975, less than the 60,000 the US has already rescued from Kabul ahead of the US withdrawal deadline of Aguust 31. Above, fleeing Americans board a US Marina helicopter at an air base in Saigon in April 1975

Vice President Kamala Harris arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Tuesday

The Biden administration has rejected comparisons between Kabul and the Fall of Saigon

U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Tennessee Republican and a former U.S. ambassador to Japan, noted that those images are unavoidable for many Americans as Harris stops in the country.

'She's going to have a challenge from a domestic public relations standpoint, because everyone in America right now is associating the images that they're seeing on TV with the collapse of Kabul, with the images of Americans being lifted from the rooftop of our embassy in Saigon,' he said.

Hagerty also said that Harris will need to reassure the Vietnamese that America remains a 'beacon of liberty and freedom in the world' and a 'strong partner' in the region.

But Gregory Poling, a senior fellow for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, suggested that Vietnam could offer the vice president an opportunity to offer a more optimistic vision for what a relationship with a former foe can become.

'Simply by being there and engaging in this process, it shows the remarkable progress in rapprochement between the U.S. and Vietnam,' Poling said. 'It's possibly marginally good for them to show that - who in 1975 would believe that this is where the U.S. economic relationship would be?'

An estimated 47,434 American soldiers were killed in battle during the Vietnam War, which spanned from 1964 to 1975, according to National Geographic.

The vice president's arrival was delayed due to what US officials called an 'anomalous health incident' in Hanoi, an apparent reference to the so-called 'Havana syndrome' which has afflicted US diplomats in several countries including China and Russia.

The syndrome was first noticed at the US Embassy in Havana, Cuba in late 2016.

Diplomats there complained of a variety of vague symptoms, including sudden vertigo, nausea, headaches and head pressure, sometimes accompanied by a 'piercing directional noise,' according to CNN.

Some have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries and continue to suffer from debilitating headaches and other health issues years later.

A Senate committee said earlier this year that the number of suspected cases appeared to be on the rise.

It is not clear what causes the syndrome and it has led to unproven allegations that Russians or others used sonic or other high-intensity electronic devices to physically harm US diplomats.

Taliban fighters took control of the Afghan presidential palace after the US spent 20 years in the country trying to beef up the military to prevent a Taliban takeover

Smoke rises into the sky as the Taliban and Afghan security forces fought in Kandahar, Afghanistan on August 12, days before the Taliban officially took over the capital of Kabul

Harris is the first US vice president to visit Vietnam. She was greeted by government officials at the airport, including Le Khanh Hai, Chairman of the Office of State President, Nguyen Quoc Dung, MFA Vice Minister and Nguyen Vu Ha Le, Director General of Foreign Affairs

The US vice president's arrival in Vietnam was delayed due to an 'anomalous health incident' in Hanoi, an apparent reference to the so-called 'Havana syndrome'

Beijing has been accused of deploying military hardware including anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles in the South China Sea, and ignored a 2016 international tribunal decision that rejected its historical claim over most of the waters.

'Beijing's actions continue to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations,' she said.

China hit back at Harris, saying the Afghan debacle was an example of 'selfish' US foreign policy and accusing Washington of 'bullying'.

Former The View host Meghan McCain took aim after the Vice President faced a group of reporters as she prepared to depart for Singapore on Friday amidst the growing chaos in Afghanistan.

She cut off a reporter who started to ask her an urgent question on the tarmac.

'Hold on, hold on, hold on,' Harris said before the reporter could finish.

'Slow down, everybody,' she said after a big laugh.

Kamala Harris nervously laughed and cut off a reporter on Friday, before saying that Afghanistan was a priority issue, before she boarded a flight to Singapore

In a tweet, McCain compared the vice president's laugh to that of the Joker in the 2019 movie

'And in particular high priority is making sure that we safely evacuate American citizens, Afghans who worked with us, Afghans at risk, including women and children, and that is one of our highest if not the highest priority right now.'

'And it's a big area of focus for me in the past days and weeks, and will continue to be,' she added.

'This may be some kind of real issue (like Joaquin Phoenix in the Joker), but she's the Vice President and she's [had] ample time and resources to media [to] train herself out of reacting to every SINGLE crisis like she's walking onto a late night show,' McCain tweeted on Monday, adding: 'She comes off so craven.'

Harris is the latest top official from President Joe Biden's team to visit the region as Washington seeks to reassure allies of its steadfastness.

But events in Afghanistan have cast doubts on US claims of reliability.

Pham Quang Vinh, Vietnam's former ambassador to the United States, told AFP the country was watching events in Kabul closely.

'The US has recommitted itself now to this region but if something happens in Afghanistan again, for example if terrorism comes back... will the US continue to focus here?' he told AFP.

The US-China relationship has deteriorated over a range of issues from cybersecurity and tech supremacy to human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

But in Singapore, Harris sought to allay fears that growing tensions could force countries that have strong ties with both of the world's top economies to choose sides.

Vietnam has sought to forge its own path between the two superpowers and on Tuesday Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met the Chinese ambassador and stressed Hanoi would not 'align with one country against another.'
Fox News host Sean Hannity slammed Joe Biden again Tuesday over the president's chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal and refusal to extend his August 31 exit date.

'We are now day 10 of Americans held hostage, trapped behind enemy lines - and clearly the president is letting the Taliban control the shots,' Hannity said to start his show Tuesday night.

'Your commander in chief has now humiliated this entire country and is being bullied by the terrorists, by the Taliban.'

Hannity then railed against the president for not committing to keeping United States forces in Afghanistan past the Taliban's August 31 deadline, and not committing to rescuing every American and our 'Afghan partners that we promised we would get out if this day ever came.'

'Biden, he just signed the death certificates of every Afghan that has helped us in the last 20 years,' Hannity said, 'and apparently they even have access to computer data so that these people will be hunted down, they will be murdered, their families will be murdered.'

He added that women and children in the country have already been gassed, whipped and stabbed, and many evacuees have paid 'tens of thousands of dollars' to hire private military contractors to escort them to the airport in Kabul.

'Joe seems to care less,' Hannity claimed.

FOX News host Sean Hannity railed against President Joe Biden in his latest episode, as thousands of Americans and Afghan allies remain stuck in the country under Taliban rule as the United States prepares to withdraw to meet the Taliban's August 31 deadline to evacuate

He said the situation could have been avoided if Biden reversed course on his plan to take troops out of Afghanistan as the Taliban started to gain control of the country in May, with most of the country under Taliban control by July.

'There was no plan in place whatsoever,' Hannity claimed.

Meanwhile, he said, Dutch, French and British troops have crossed enemy lines to ensure the safety of their residents, even though American forces were ordered 'not to leave the airport.'

US special forces have since conducted rescue missions outside - many using helicopters - although details remain scare, and security officials have stayed tight-lipped to avoid compromising possible future sorties.

'This is utter humiliation on the world stage,' Hannity said, 'and worse, thousands of Americans and thousands of our friends and allies are likely to be murdered soon by the Taliban that are now in full control.'

But, he said, 'the president can still change course,' although he soon expressed doubt that Biden would change his strategy calling him a 'career politician' that only cares about himself and those closest to him making money.

Still, Hannity urged the president to 'grow a spine, answer some basic, pivotal, important questions' and 'be honest for a change.'

'Commit that every American is out before you leave Afghanistan,' Hannity said to Biden. 'Why would you leave one American behind, Joe?

'Will you pledge not to leave a single American behind?' he pressed. 'Do we have Special Forces on the ground? Are you willing to send them to rescue American citizens who are telling the news media they can't get to the airport?

'Will you commit to extracting our Afghan partners, who we promised to get out if this day ever came?'

A worker used an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of an Afghan girl who was evacuated from Kabul and brought to Madrid, Spain

The refugees lined up in Spain after disembarking a rescue flight, as thousands of Americans and Afghani allies remain stuck living under Taliban rule

The Taliban has warned that it would not recognize any extension of the United States' evacuation plans, nor would it ensure that forces that stay beyond August 31 won't be subject to attack.

On Tuesday, the president said the U.S. would stick to its promise to lead Kabul by Aug. 31 if it stuck to its agreement to allow Westerners and vulnerable Afghans free passage to the airport.

Some have estimated there were 10,000 to 15,000 in the country before the evacuations began, but National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the exact number is hard to assess because many Americans did not register with the embassy when they arrived in the country and didn't de-register when they left.

In the meantime, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, the US will continue talks with the Taliban.

'Ultimately, it will be the president's decision how this proceeds, no one else's,' he told the Wall Street Journal on Monday, adding: 'We believe that we have time between now and the 31st to get out any American who wants to get out.'

As of Tuesday, officials report 58,700 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan since August 14, a day before the Taliban entered the Afghan capital of Kabul and US diplomats were ferried out by helicopter

The United States is currently prioritizing the evacuation of American citizens green card holders, their spouses and their children, the Journal reports, with many of the Afghans who were employed by the embassy or other U.S. agencies still waiting to be rescued

As of Tuesday, officials report 58,700 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan since August 14, a day before the Taliban entered the Afghan capital of Kabul and US diplomats were ferried out by helicopter.

A total of 57 coalition flights and 37 US military flights evacuated roughly 21,600 people from Kabul within 24 hours as of 3 am Tuesday, according to White House numbers.

The country is currently prioritizing American citizens, green card holders, their spouses and their children, the Journal reports, with many of the Afghans who were employed by the embassy or other U.S. agencies still waiting to be rescued.

'They're getting very worried,' an unnamed official told the Journal. 'These are the people we could have helped out weeks ago.

'Unless we evacuate within a day or two, it's not going to end well.'

The official added that the Taliban are already screening documents outside the Kabul airport, and there is concern that the group may raise objections when it comes time to evacuate locally-employed Afghan staff in higher numbers.

On Monday, House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff said it was 'unlikely' that the US will be able to evacuate all US citizens and Afghan translators and other US allies by President Joe Biden's deadline of August 31.

'Given the number of Americans who still need to be evacuated, the number of [Special Immigration Visas], the number of others who are members of the Afghan press, civil society leaders women leaders, it's hard for me to imagine all of that can be accomplished between now and the end of the month,' he said.
A group of men have hilariously filmed themselves pretending to operate as a Formula One pitstop for a police car.

The video shows a police station wagon driving through Albert Park in Melbourne as the men dressed in Williams Racing Team polos cheer on the car rolling towards them.

Five run out in to the middle of the road and pretend to change the tyres on the car before ushering the smiling cops through, who are filming from the vehicle.

'When the police love F1 as much as you do,' the men captioned the clip.

A group of men have hilariously filmed themselves pretending to operate as a Formula One pitstop for a police car

The video, which was posted to TikTok, appears to have been filmed before lockdown as the men aren't wearing masks.

The footage was taken in Albert Park, the site of Australia's Grand Prix, which opens the F1 season each year.

The men, dressed in Williams merchandise, cheer in anticipation as the police car turns towards them.

Five men run out into the middle of the road, with four stationed at each wheel and one in front of the car to stop it, reminiscent of a racing pitstop.

In Formula One, cars pull into the pitstop to change worn tyres or fix mechanical and cosmetic damage that may occur during a race.

The footage was taken in Albert Park, the site of Australia's Grand Prix which opens the F1 season each year

In Formula One, cars pull into the pitstop to change worn tyres or fix mechanical and cosmetic damage that may occur during a race

The group replicated a pit team, pretending to change the police car's tyres to the amusement of the officers inside.

The cops can be seen laughing and filming from within the vehicle as the men yell at them to keep moving after the fake pitstop.

'Funnier if they took off the tyres and ran,' one person said.

'Aussie cops, love a good laugh and harmless fun as much as the rest of us,' another commented.
Cornwall tourism bosses have urged visitors to stay away unless they have a booking and to test regularly in a bid to tackle a surge in Covid cases.

The latest figures show a total of 4,430 new cases were recorded across the area in the seven days to August 20 - the equivalent of 770 cases per 100,000 people.

This is up sharply from 384.0 per 100,000 in the previous seven days and comes after 4,700 new cases were linked to the Boardmasters festival in Newquay.

Meanwhile, Cumbria's top health chief issued a similar warning yesterday after the region also saw a spike in cases.

With international travel all but grinding to a halt this summer amid a slew of restrictions, many Britons have instead decided to travel to some of the UK's most desirable locations.

Cornwall tourism bosses urged visitors to stay away unless they have a booking and to test regularly in a bid to tackle a surge in Covid cases. Pictured: Perranporth beach on August 23

Cornwall has seen a sharp increase in cases in the space of one week with the rate rising from 384 to 770 per 100,000 people. Pictured: Tourists on Perranporth Beach on August 23

The top five local authority case rates in England are all in the South West, with Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly followed by Sedgemoor in Somerset, West Devon, Teignbridge in Devon and Torbay, also in Devon.

Due to its small population, data for the Isles of Scilly is combined with Cornwall when presented at local authority level.

The spike has prompted the Cornwall tourism board to warn people against travelling to the area.

Chief executive of Visit Cornwall Malcolm Bell said visitors should aim to 'treble their efforts as much as possible' with the hands, face, space guidance and try to remain outdoors.

Mr Bell said: 'We are asking people not to come unless they have booked ahead and request they take a lateral flow test before, during and after (their) stay so that (people) can be safe and help us to manage the current spike.'

On Monday, health officials said they were investigating 4,700 cases of coronavirus which are suspected to be linked to the Boardmasters festival.

It comes after 4,700 new cases were linked to the Boardmasters festival in Newquay (pictured)

Of the 4,700 cases linked to Boardmasters (pictured) at least 800 are in the Cornwall region

The festival took place two weeks ago in Newquay with cases are spread across the country but around 800 are living in Cornwall, a council official confirmed.

Mr Bell said: 'There is concern and most local residents will be happier in a week or so, when the peak season is over and an older demographic visits as there are too many occurrences of overcrowding in honey pots.

'We are asking visitors to look at visiting other parts of Cornwall. We have over 300 beaches and lovely parts that can cope with visitors.'

He added that the vaccination programme in the county was in 'full flow' and asked people due to arrive to be patient with businesses who are short staffed and to book ahead with activities.

Mayor of Newquay Louis Gardner, who is also the Conservative councillor for Newquay Central & Pentire and owns a deli in the town, said he has been speaking to other businesses this week and they believe the rise in cases is due to a number of different issues.

'We're seeing a spike in Cornwall because we've got the highest number of visitors we've ever had,' he said.

'Our accommodation is at 100 per cent capacity, our hospitality venues are full, there's no social distance in place, but I think those factors all added in all together are having an effect.

'It's a perfect storm.'

A spokesperson for Boardmasters said the festival used the NHS Covid Pass app as a condition of entry to the festival or urged people to show proof of a negative test before entering and asked people to test themselves during the five-day event.

They added that more than 450 people tested positive and left the festival early or did not go in.

'No event is able to eliminate risk entirely and the latest Test & Trace data includes reported infections among the 76,000 people who visited the festival or related activities at Fistral Beach, in Newquay and the wider area during the week of Boardmasters,' they said.

'We will continue to work with our public health partners to understand the extent to which attendance at the festival has contributed to the figures.'

Pictured: Cumbria and the Lake District is a popular destination, with millions of people flocking there every year but is now experiencing a spike in Covid cases in the region

It comes after a top health chief in Cumbria also warned visitors to take a test before travelling to the region after they too experienced a spike in cases.

Colin Cox, director of public health for the region, told BBC Radio Cumbria: 'Please come because it is a beautiful place and you'll have a lovely time in Cumbria. But please do test before you travel.

'Take a lateral flow test to make sure that, as you're coming here, you are clear of the virus. We'd really appreciate it if you did that.'

The region saw a surge in cases in the area, with Cumbria recording 228 new cases of coronavirus on Monday, the most since mid-July and far higher than the 179 recorded the Monday before.

Britain's Covid outbreak continued to grow yesterday as daily infections, deaths and hospital admissions all trended upwards.

The Department of Health said there were another 30,838 infections in the past 24 hours, marking a rise of nearly 15 per cent in a week.

There were also 174 deaths within 28 days of a positive test registered overnight, an increase of 2 per cent and the highest number since March when the country was in lockdown.

Latest data on Covid hospital admissions shows 858 patients were taken ill with the disease on August 20 in a 10 per cent rise week-on-week.

The rising statistics came as separate figures revealed the number of people dying from Covid every week in England and Wales has ticked up to its highest level since March.

A total of 571 people had the virus mentioned on their death certificates last week, according to the Office for National Statistics, which was up eight per cent on the previous seven-day spell.

This was the highest number since the week ending March 26, at the end of the second wave and when the countries were still in lockdown. At that time, the virus was behind 719 deaths.

The latest figures mean Covid was behind one in 18 total fatalities last week. While it marks a near five-month high, the rate at which Covid deaths are increasing appears to have slowed.

The eight per cent rise last week was the lowest in nearly two months. And deaths are still a far cry from the levels seen in previous waves, thanks to the vaccine rollout.
Australia has now evacuated about 2650 people from Afghanistan, but danger in Kabul is growing with a deadline for the rescue operation looming.

Another 955 people on five flights were airlifted from chaos in the capital on Tuesday night.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said the number of people rescued so far had exceeded the government's expectations but advocates warn people left behind could die.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australian officials and troops and officials were dealing with one of the most dangerous situations on earth.

Ms Andrews said the situation was deteriorating by the hour.

Another 955 Afghan refugees (pictured) have touched down in Australian soil as part of Australia's efforts to rescue citizens and visa holders

'Every effort is being made ... our people on the ground in Kabul are working around the clock and supported by people right here in Australia,' she told parliament.

Rural and regional Queensland towns desperate for workers are looking forward to opening their arms to Afghan refugees.

Robbie Katter, Mount Isa-based Member for Trager, is urging the federal government to relocate refugees to regional towns in Queensland.

'We've made contact with the immigration office, and my father, as a federal MP, and other state members will all be putting our shoulders to the wheel on this one,' Mr Katter said.

'Come out to the regional areas where we can welcome them with open arms, and we can appreciate having workers out here.'

Jay Wang, the head of Mount Isa Community Action for a Multicultural Society (CAMS), said struggling businesses in the town would benefit from Afghan refugees being relocated to the area.

'So far, we don't have any Afghan families here in Mount Isa, so I think it would be something exciting and new, and we would be able to learn a lot from a new culture in the community,' she said.

'I have people call me and message me every day just to tell me they really need staff and see if I have any new migrants who are looking for work, or if they could please just drop their resume off, and they'll hire them straight away.'

Rural and remote areas in Queensland are eager to have refugees assimilated into their communities to help boost economic and social benefits (stock image)

Australians, Afghan visa holders and other people from allied nations were extracted in the latest round of flights from the war-torn country.

A third flight of evacuees has landed in Adelaide, taking the total brought from Dubai to Australia after being airlifted out of Kabul to 419.

US President Joe Biden plans to stick to his deadline of next Tuesday to complete evacuations.

Ms Karen Andrews said Australia would continue to lift people out of Kabul for as long as possible.

'The situation there is absolutely diabolical so we will do what we can for as long as we can,' she said.

A migration lawyer and former army officer has warned that Afghans with Australian visas could die if electronic documents continue to be knocked back.

A total of about 2650 people have now been rescued by Australia from the war-torn country

Glenn Kolomeitz, who served in Afghanistan, represents hundreds of Afghans entitled to protection in Australia.

He says people on the ground are being turned away after perilous trips to Kabul's airport because they don't have hard copy visas.

'That is going to cost lives,' Mr Kolomeitz told ABC radio.

'These people have made it to the gate, they're doing everything they're being asked to do and they're being turned away at these chaotic gates.'

He said a breakdown in communications within the Department of Foreign Affairs was causing the problem.

'Getting turned away at that critical juncture is just heartbreaking,' the former officer said.

'One of our families got to one of the gates and they were fired at by Taliban.'

Mr Kolomeitz said the mission was entering a critical juncture and urged Defence chief Angus Campbell to order soldiers to let more people through.

'It's frustrating. This is insane,' he said.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said that the situation in Kabul is swiftly deteriorating by the hour

But he said hundreds of people had been evacuated including interpreters, security guards and others who helped Australian forces.

'We do have some good news stories.'

The home affairs minister said Australia would continue to offer people refuge, after the rescue operation ended, through 3000 humanitarian places.

But she conceded no one knew when commercial flights would resume from the Taliban-controlled nation.

Labor continues to accuse the government of acting too slowly to extract people from Afghanistan, citing multiple warnings leading up to the US troop withdrawal.
The NSW health minister has claimed dozens of Sydneysiders who attended Saturday's anti-lockdown protest are 'no doubt' now in hospital battling Covid-19.

Brad Hazzard lashed out at to those who who flaunted public health orders to attend illegal demonstrations in the city's CBD - and a chilling warning to any who may seek to follow in their footsteps.

'I'll say, you'd have to be reasonably certain that a number of those people have ended up in hospitals who were at those large demonstrations,' he said.

Brad Hazzard didn't hold back as he sent a chilling warning to those who flaunted public health orders to attend illegal demonstrations in the city's CBD on Saturday (pictured, protestors arrested by police at the 'Freedom' Day rally on July 24)

The fired-up politician said to attend a protest in the middle of a lockdown was 'completely wrong' and blasted those who defied the 'safeguards' put in place.

'I have no doubt, no doubt, there are probably some people sitting in a hospital system at the moment requiring our health staff to put their lives at risk to look after them when they thought it was ok to go along to a demonstration,' he said.

Mr Hazzard's comments came after a reporter asked if the protest was a super-spreader event, as the state recorded a record-high of 919 new cases of Covid-19.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed two Covid-related deaths on Wednesday morning - a woman in her 30s and a man in his 80s.

There are 645 people with the virus in hospital and 113 in intensive care - 98 of whom are not vaccinated.

NSW Police arrested 47 people and fined more than 260 in relation to the planned protests in Sydney which were successfully smothered on Saturday (pictured, protestors are arrested by police at Sydney Town Hall on July 24)

The NSW health minister (pictured) has claimed dozens of Sydneysiders who attended anti-lockdown protests are 'no doubt' now in hospital battling Covid-19

Mr Hazzard was also asked whether NSW could cope with up to 4,000 people in hospital, as per some modelling for by the time vaccination rates reach 70 per cent, but he said the system would manage.

'The effective rate according to our own public health advice is about 1.3... NSW Health system is probably the best in the world,' he said.

'All the information given to me from the doctors and nurses and our public health staff is that the system is coping.

'Westmead staff are managing about 1,500 patients in the community and about 121 staff are in their wards. There are about 23 currently in ICU. That is a pressure situation for them.'

He said there were 40 ambulance deliveries to Westmead hospital per day carrying people with Covid-19, and that each of those patients are being 'well cared for'.

'I'm confident that we have maybe a system that is under pressure but a system that works,' he added.

On Saturday, more than 1,500 officers were stationed at various points around the city including train stations and major roads to ensure there wasn't a repeat of the July 24 'freedom' rally.

Authorities suspended all trains running into the city in an attempt to stop people entering the CBD, particularly from Sydney's west and south-west.

Taxis were also shut out of the city between 9am and 3pm, with companies facing fines of up to half a million dollars if they took passengers to the CBD and surrounds.

Deputy Police Commissioner Gary Worboys (pictured) announced on Sunday the constable who was injured during Saturday's anti-lockdown protest would make a full recovery

NSW Police arrested 47 people and fined more than 260 over the planned protests in Sydney which were smothered on Saturday.

They issued 137 tickets after stopping around 38,000 cars approaching Sydney's CBD, while a 32-year-old man who allegedly assaulted an officer was arrested and charges laid.

The constable was taken to hospital for head and neck injuries but will make a full recovery, Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said on Sunday.

That officer will be back at work quickly, which is again an indication of the determination of the NSW Police to be a big part of the solution to the challenging times we have,' he said.

Five people were also charged on Saturday after a small anti-lockdown protest in Albury on the NSW-Victoria border.
When the pandemic hit Australia's biggest cities, shoppers fought over toilet paper in the supermarket aisle for no reason.

When Covid this week hit one of the country's most disadvantaged towns - remote Wilcannia, in the far west of New South Wales - people were at risk of starving in their homes.

The Aboriginal-majority town's estimated 650 residents have long feared a Covid catastrophe and it finally arrived over the past 12 days.

Health officials have recorded 44 cases in Wilcannia, including six reported on Wednesday, after two infected mourners attended a funeral service at a local church on Friday, August 13.

The outbreak has sparked despair and determination among community leaders who are at the centre of Australia's first major outbreak to hit Indigenous people.

Those leaders paint a picture of a lockdown which looks very different to those suffered through by millions of city slickers.

The small town of Wilcannia is some 200km away from the nearest major supermarket in Broken Hill

The riverside town is home to about 650 people and has recorded 44 cases of Covid as of Wednesday

Local resident Monica Kerwin-Whyman claimed that one family ordered into isolation were asked if they could get food delivered to their home via Uber.

'Can you believe what someone was told here - "can't you get UberEats?" the Barkindji woman said. 'We'd love to!'

Wilcannia is 200km away from the nearest major supermarket in Broken Hill - more than a two hour drive.

The town is also to just one small grocery store, which was briefly forced to shut its doors at the weekend after an infectious woman visited.

'Right now, food is one of the scariest things,' Ms Kerwin-Whyman said. 'It's a big mess here.'

Fear becomes reality

Wilcannia residents have long worried about a Covid outbreak. Last year, locals put up signs along the highway in and out of town, urging drivers not to stop there.

What makes the situation even more bewildering is that a fool could have foreseen this disaster before the pandemic even began An editorial about the Wilcannia situation in the local newspaper, The Barrier Daily Truth

The town is notorious for its overcrowded homes - where sometimes up to 10 people may live among family.

Many locals are also particularly vulnerable as they suffer from chronic diseases.

A University of Technology Sydney study in 2009 found the average life expectancy for an Aboriginal man was 36.7 years and for a woman, 42.5 years - one of the worst in Australia.

But Wilcannia managed to avoid a serious Covid outbreak until this month, when the super-contagious Delta variant escaped Sydney.

Residents of the riverside town have long worried about a Covid outbreak

Ms Kerwin-Whyman said governments had long known Covid would be a disaster in small Aboriginal communities - but hadn't managed to stop it.

'We knew the catastrophe that it would cause if Covid got in here, because of that one issue,' she said.

Aboriginal NSW had mostly managed to avoid Covid too. Up until August 7, there had only been 98 Aboriginal people diagnosed with Covid since January 2020.

That is likely to have soared - given the outbreak in both Wilcannia and in nearby Dubbo.

Confusion, hope and rage

In Wilcannia, Ms Kerwin-Whyman said confusion reigns over lockdown rules and the simple necessity of getting food supplies.

There are questions about how to isolate in crowded homes. Some residents are pitching tents in their front yards.

Almost all locals are under pressure - from the police, to the local grocery store operator and health workers who are going door to door with vaccines.

Many residents have stepped up to keep society running.

Teacher Sarah Donnelly, 30, left behind a job at a prestigous eastern Sydney private school to work at the Wilcannia Central School two years ago.

Now the deputy principal, she has been spearheading a volunteer effort to distribute food and sanitary packages to families, so they don't have to leave home.

Teacher Sarah Donnelly has been spearheading efforts to distribute food and supplies to locked down Wilcannia locals

Local heroes: Wilcannia volunteers in full personal protective equipment have been distributing food and sanitation hampers to locked down locals

Ms Donnelly said local police and health workers were stretched, with Defence Force workers trickling in as back up.

'I spend all day on the phone with people calling in what they need,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'It's things you wouldn't think of in the city,' she said - like having to pick up packages from the post office, because parcels aren't delivered door-to-door in Wilcannia.

Amid the disruption there is also fury among locals that the community has been 'blamed' for Covid arriving.

Locals were furious when Health Minister Brad Hazzard spoke about 'selfish behaviour' at a press conference last week, and mentioned a superspreader party in Sydney's Maroubra and the legal Wilcannia funeral in the same breath.

The local newspaper, The Barrier Daily Truth, was scathing about the situation in Wilcania this week, splashing the headline 'Wilcannia abandoned'

Locals erupted in fury after NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard mentioned the funeral in Wilcannia in the same breath as an illegal superspreader party in Maroubra

Mr Hazzard later said he 'regretted' the comment.

But found himself the target of a withering editorial on the front page of the local newspaper, The Barrier Daily Truth.

Under the headline 'Wilcannia Abandoned', Cherie von Horchner wrote that the damage had been done, and the Wilcannia funeral was now part of the nation's Covid folklore.

'What makes the situation even more bewildering is that a fool could have foreseen this disaster before the pandemic even began,' Ms von Horchner wrote.

'Wilcannia has been a public health crisis for years, its claim to national fame being that it has the lowest life expectancy in Australia.

'Is anyone surprised a funeral might've occurred there?'
Parts of New South Wales where Covid cases aren't soaring will reportedly be out of lockdown as early as Saturday.

Premier Gladys Berejikilian could make the shock announcement on Thursday after holding a crisis cabinet meeting on Wednesday afternoon - just hours after record Covid case numbers were reported in the state.

A trio of factors will contribute to the decision to ease restrictions, including a suburb's case numbers, proximity to local councils with high rates of community transmission and if Covid fragments were detected in sewerage, according to Sky News.

Some of areas which fit these criterias are the North Coast of NSW, the Riverina, Wollondilly and the Southern Highlands.

It is expected that children in these regions will head back to the classroom while workers will be able to return to their jobs.

Parts of New South Wales where Covid cases aren't soaring will reportedly be out of lockdown as early as Saturday despite a new spike in cases statewide

Premier Gladys Berejikilian could make the shock announcement on Thursday after holding a crisis cabinet meeting on Wednesday afternoon. Pictured: Byron Bay

Deputy Premier John Barilaro earlier said a decision on whether to extend the lockdown in regional NSW would be made 'sooner rather than later'.

The lockdown in regional NSW will remain in place until at least Saturday and until September 30 at the earliest in Sydney and surrounds.

Ms Berejiklian remains committed to easing at least one restriction for double-jabbed Sydneysiders this week after hitting the milestone six million vaccination target.

Many are tipping the new-found freedom will allow vaccinated hairdressers to reopen to double-dosed Sydneysiders residents living outside of Covid hotspots.

The Premier is set to make the long-awaited announcement as early as Thursday, but it's likely Sydneysiders will not be able to get their locks chopped until September.

While some regional areas may see restrictions lifted, other outback communities are struggling to cope with the surge of new cases.

A trio of factors will contribute to the decision to ease restrictions, including a suburb's case numbers, proximity to local councils with high rates of community transmission. Pictured: A Byron Bay surfer exits the beach

It is expected that under the incoming easing of restrictions children in some NSW regions will head back to the classroom while workers will be able to return to their jobs

It's been two weeks since Dubbo went into lockdown and 35 new cases there have bumped the total close to 300, with many cases in the vulnerable Indigenous community.

NSW notched up another grim record with 919 locally acquired cases to 8pm on Tuesday.

'Western NSW health district is still of great concern, with 49 new cases overnight,' Mr Barilaro said on Wednesday.

As well as Dubbo's 35 cases there were seven in Bourke, five in Orange and one in Narromine and Walgett.

Hairdressers in NSW are waiting to see if they will be allowed to reopen to the vaccinated (pictured, a salon before the recent round of lockdowns)

When asked if the government was poised to extend the state's lockdown for another six weeks, Mr Barilaro said the crisis committee will be considering what happens after Saturday.

'We haven't made any decision around extension of these restrictions of lockdown for regional NSW but as you can see in the numbers - the central west isn't getting better, the far west, Hunter and New England - even though under control still has cases,' he said.

There were 71 new cases in the Nepean Blue Mountains, 49 in western NSW, seven in the far west, eight in the Illawarra Shoalhaven, four from the Hunter New England and one from the Central Coast.

Mr Barilaro said crisis cabinet would take advice from Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant and 'make a decision and will do it sooner rather than later'.

'The reality is, it is about protecting lives and making sure we don't lose control in regional and rural NSW.

The lockdown in regional NSW will remain in place until at least Saturday and at least until September 30 in Sydney and surrounds. Pictured: A woman in Sydney's Bayside LGA

Fully-vaccinated Sydneysiders are likely to have an extra freedom by the end of the week. Pictured: People walking into the Homebush vaccination hub

NSW Health says people in the affected areas throughout western NSW need to be extremely vigilant and get tested at the first sign of symptoms.

NSW Health's ongoing sewage surveillance program has detected fragments of the virus at the sewage treatment plants in Bateau Bay and Toukley on the Central Coast and Merimbula on the South Coast.

Mr Barilaro said authorities were closely monitoring sewerage in Merimbula, because of its proximity to Canberra.

'We know that many people from Canberra have moved to the South Coast.

'It's an area that has been quite clean from COVID for a long time and we are asking the community to come out and be tested immediately, even for the mildest of symptoms,' he said.

Australian Defence Force personnel prepare for the opening of a mass vaccination center on August 20, 2021 in Dubbo, Australia

People wait in line to receive their COVID-19 vaccines at a newly opened vaccination hub on August 21, 2021 in Dubbo, Australia

Meanwhile to ease the financial burden for locked down areas of Sydney, the NSW Government will boost support for vulnerable residents in Covid hotspots with a new emergency relief package worth a record $18.8million.

Minister for Multiculturalism Natalie Ward said the package will focus on the 12 Local Government Areas of concern to give urgent help to those experiencing hardship.

'We know these are incredibly tough times for vulnerable members of our community including recent migrants, young people and seniors,' Mrs Ward said.

'This package responds to feedback from our daily discussions with community and religious leaders who have told us more support is urgently needed.'

To ease the financial burden for locked down areas of Sydney, the NSW Government will boost support for vulnerable residents in Covid hotspots with a new emergency relief package worth a record $18.8million. Pictured: Ashfield in Sydney

The cash splash will predominantly be aimed at helping grassroots organisations deliver emergency food relief, promote vaccination and testing services, and provide culturally appropriate support and care to diverse communities.

This includes support services for organisations already well connected to the community like not-for-profits and multicultural community organisations, as well as local councils.

It also includes $4million for ongoing multicultural communications, including interpreting and translation services who are desperately needed to to deliver critical health messages about the ongoing Covid outbreak.

Under the plan local community groups can apply for grants of up to $30,000 to deliver grassroots projects supporting vulnerable communities.

'Grants of up to $250,000 for the 12 local councils of concern will enable them to deliver tailored programs and services to help build resilience in their communities including translators and case workers,' Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock said.
Almost 200 people across the UK are sick with salmonella with atleast 12 taken to hospital after consuming a bad batch of pork scratchings.

The dodgy Mr Porky products were made at a factory in Bolton, Lancashire which is run by the Tayto Group, Britain's largest snack producer.

The affected people have fallen ill with diarrhoea, vomiting and fever and supermarkets have announced emergency recalls of the products.

Public Health England and the Food Standards Agency have also urged people not to eat packets with a best-before date up to February 2022.

There have been 179 reported cases of salmonella, according to the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland.

The Mr Porky products were made at a factory in Bolton, Lancashire which is run by the Tayto Group, Britain's largest snack producer

Rachael Newberry, 53, of South London, told The Sun: 'A few days after I ate them, my stomach was gurgling and I felt awful.

'I was on the toilet all that night. I have been ill for about a week now and have only just started to feel better.

'I've been completely put off pork scratchings for life.'

Tayto Group said: 'We apologise for any inconvenience.'

Tina Potter, head of incidents at the Food Standards Agency, said the authority was advising consumers not to eat any of the affected products.

She told the Food Safety Network: 'The food business involved has voluntarily suspended its production to put additional controls in place to improve the safety of their products and they have decided on a voluntary basis to withdraw and recall all of the products within shelf-life produced at this site,' she said.

Dr. Lesley Larkin, surveillance lead for gastrointestinal pathogens unit at Public Health England, said: 'Together with Public Health Scotland, Public Health Wales and Public Health Agency Northern Ireland, we have been investigating an outbreak of over 170 cases of Salmonella Infantis that have occurred across the UK,' she said.

'These investigations, together with those carried out by local authorities, have indicated the source of infection is pork scratchings produced by a single company in the UK. The Food Standards Agency has acted on these findings to mitigate any further risk to public health from the contaminated food.'
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Two Covid vaccine doses become noticeably less effective at stopping infections within six months, a major study of Pfizer and AstraZeneca's jabs has found.

Researchers warned Britons prioritised for the vaccines last winter  including the elderly  could see protection plummet to just 50 per cent by winter without boosters.

The real-world study, led by King's College London, analysed PCR results from more than a million people who had been fully vaccinated to look for 'breakthrough' infections.

It found protection after two shots of Pfizer decreased from 88 per cent at one month to 74 per cent at five to six months. For AstraZeneca, effectiveness dropped from 77 per cent to 67 per cent at four to five months.

It's unclear whether the waning immunity against infection also means people are less protected against serious illness, hospitalisation and death.

But Professor Tim Spector, the lead scientist behind the study, said high levels of infection would ultimately lead to more pressure on the NHS. He urged Britain to 'urgently' get its act together on booster vaccines.

Professor Adam Finn, one of the Government's scientific advisers on vaccines, said the jabs are still offering very high levels of protection against serious illness, which is why Covid deaths are still a fraction of the level in previous waves.

It comes on the back of a separate study last night which found four in 10 people who have weakened immune systems show 'low or undetectable' levels of Covid immunity after being double vaccinated.

Both studies will pile pressure on the Government's scientific advisers to green light a booster jab programme for the elderly and vulnerable this autumn.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is expected to approve booster doses for the immunocompromised in the coming weeks.

But Professor Finn, who sits on the JCVI, suggested this morning the group will stop short of recommending them for healthy elderly adults until more evidence of the benefit surfaces.

Scientists at King's College London monitored break-through Covid infections in 1.2million people who had received two doses of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine. They found that immunity wanes over time. For the Pfizer jab (blue line) it dropped from 88 per cent protection against infection to 74 per cent up to six months after the second dose. And for the AstraZeneca jab (pink line) it dropped from 77 per cent to 67 per cent five months after the second dose. Experts suggested the effectiveness could drop to 50 per cent by the winter

It follows a separate study by the Universities of Glasgow and Birmingham which measured antibody levels in 600 immunosuppressed people and compared them to healthy volunteers. About one in 10 in the vulnerable group failed to generate any detectable Covid antibodies four weeks after their second dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca. A further 30 per cent generated a significantly lower antibody response than healthy people, according to the study published as a pre-print in The Lancet

Millions of Britons have been jabbed with either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines. Pictured is Marko Maric, aged 27, receiving a Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at an NHS Vaccination Clinic at Tottenham Hotspur's stadium in north London

Above is a graph from the paper by King's College London scientists and experts at the health data science company ZOE. It showed protection declined over time for both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines. Experts said this was to be expected

Professor Finn told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think the Zoe study [King's College London] and actually, a couple of other studies we recently had, do show the beginnings of a drop off of protection against asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic disease.

'But other studies are showing maintenance of good protection against serious illness and hospitalisation.

'So that's encouraging actually that people who've had two doses are still very much well protected against serious illness, which is our main objective.

But Professor Adam Finn, who sits on the JCVI, suggested this morning the group will stop short of recommending boosters for healthy elderly adults until more evidence of the benefit surfaces

'But we do need to watch out very carefully to see if this waning begins to translate into occurrence of more severe cases because then boosters will be needed.'

He suggested that as evidence accumulated it might be that the elderly need a booster shot.

'I mean they are both the people who receive vaccine earliest, and probably the people whose immunity is most likely to wane.

'So, as evidence accumulates we may well find ourselves moving in that direction as well.'

The study  also by health data science company ZOE  involved more than 1.2million Britons.

There were more than 400,000 tests for Covid carried out on participants who received the Pfizer jab, and more than 700,000 on those who got AstraZeneca.

Participants had been vaccinated by July 3, and were monitored between May 26 and July 31 to see whether they caught the virus.

Britain was hit by a third wave of infections during this period after the more infectious Indian 'Delta' variant sparked outbreaks across the country.

The ZOE app asks users to report daily on whether they are unwell, their symptoms and if they have tested positive for the virus. It also uses this data to monitor the prevalence of the virus in the country.

Professor Spector, who is also the lead scientist on the app, said: 'In my opinion, a reasonable worst-case scenario could see protection below 50 per cent for the elderly and healthcare workers by winter.

'If high levels of infection in the UK, driven by loosened social restrictions and a highly transmissible variant, this scenario could mean increased hospitalisations and deaths.'

He added: 'We urgently need to make plans for vaccine boosters, and based on vaccine resources, decide if a strategy to vaccinate children is sensible if our aim is to reduce deaths and hospital admissions.

'Waning protection is to be expected and is not a reason to not get vaccinated.

'Vaccines still provide high levels of protection for the majority of the population, especially against the Delta variant, so we still need as many people as possible to get fully vaccinated.'

Israel booster vaccines are already cutting Covid transmission Israel's Covid R rate has fallen below one among the over-60s just three weeks after booster shots were dished out, in the clearest sign yet that its booster programme is working. Health Ministry officials say the R rate  which signals how fast the virus is spreading  has dropped below the crucial level, suggesting the outbreak is now shrinking in that age group. Israel became the first country in the world to start rolling out booster shots to over-60s last month  and more than half have already got their third dose. The country has expanded the programme to over-30s, after previously making all over-40s, teachers and frontline medics and carers eligible. Their success has piled pressure on No10's top scientists to also give the green light to booster shots in the UK. But scientists point out that Israel has only used the Pfizer vaccine  unlike the UK where half the doses have been AstraZeneca's jab. The country also gave doses three weeks apart, whereas in the UK they were 12 weeks apart. Studies suggest the longer gap is much more effective against infection, hospitalisation and death. Advertisement

There is a mounting body of data that suggests protection from Covid vaccines wanes over time.

A Pfizer study published last month found protection against infection dipped to 83 per cent six months after a second dose. It was 96 per cent one month after being fully vaccinated.

Israel became the first country in the world to start dishing out third doses last month, and has already administered the shots to more than half of its over-60s.

Britain is under mounting pressure to follow suit, but the JCVI is only expected to approve the shots for the most vulnerable.

Professor Ian Jones, a virologist and vaccine expert at the University of Reading, said: 'Waning immunity has been a concern since the start of the epidemic, based on data from the commonly circulating coronaviruses.

'To date, however, the studies that have followed vaccination have been a bit more sanguine, suggesting the fall off in antibodies may be slower than first supposed.

'This latest study confirms that decline is happening, but it is not yet clear what this means for disease severity, the key aspect of protection afforded by the vaccines.'

He added: 'The worst-case scenario suggested is certainly possible, but a better-case scenario would be that, even at 50 per cent protection from infection, protection from disease remains robust and hospital numbers remain manageable.'

Dr Simon Clarke, a cellular microbiologist also at Reading University, said the ZOE data was likely to be under-reporting as it relies on people developing symptoms, meaning it misses asymptomatic infections thought to make up a third of cases.

It comes amid rising daily cases, deaths and hospitalisations and mounting calls for Britain to launch a booster programme to protect the most vulnerable.

Experts say the return of schools next month is expected to lead to a big bang in cases ahead of another winter.

Yesterday's data showed cases, deaths and hospitalisations all trended upwards.

The Department of Health said there were another 30,838 infections in the past 24 hours, marking a rise of nearly 15 per cent in a week.

Covid vaccines are still offering protection against serious illness, JCVI boss says The Covid vaccines are still offering protection against serious illness, hospitalisation and death, a top scientist has said. A major UK study suggested today that protection against infection in the double-vaccinated wanes just six months after the second dose. But a Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) boss has said there is still no evidence that this leads to more hospitalisations and deaths. Professor Adam Finn said: 'I think the... study, and a couple of other studies we recently had, do show the beginnings of a drop off of protection against asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic disease. 'But other studies are showing maintenance of good protection against serious illness and hospitalisation. 'So thats encouraging actually that people whove had two doses are still very much well protected against serious illness, which is our main objective. 'But we do need to watch out very carefully to see if this waning begins to translate into occurrence of more severe cases because then boosters will be needed.' Studies have suggested that while Covid vaccines drastically slash the risk of hospitalisation and death from the virus, they are less effective at stopping infections. Scientists have always been upfront about this, and said that no jab will be able to block infection in every case. Advertisement

There were also 174 deaths within 28 days of a positive test registered overnight, an increase of two per cent and the highest number since March when the country was in lockdown.

Latest data on Covid hospital admissions shows 858 patients were taken ill with the disease on August 20 in a 10 per cent rise week-on-week.

It came after a major study yesterday showed four in 10 people who have weakened immune systems show 'low or undetectable' levels of Covid immunity after being double vaccinated.

The finding will put pressure on the Government's scientific advisers to green light a booster jab programme for the most vulnerable Britons this autumn.

Researchers from the Universities of Glasgow and Birmingham measured antibody levels in 600 immunosuppressed people and compared them to healthy volunteers.

About one in 10 in the vulnerable group failed to generate any detectable Covid antibodies four weeks after their second dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca.

A further 30 per cent generated a significantly lower antibody response than healthy people, according to the study published as a pre-print in The Lancet.

The scientists stressed that almost all of the people who did not show an antibody response had vasculitis, a condition which causes inflammation of blood vessels.

They added that across almost all patients, the T cell response was similar to healthy adults, indicating that they were at least partially protected against Covid.

While antibodies are the most obvious indicator of immunity, T cells - a type of white blood cell - also play a crucial role in priming the body against the disease.

It comes as it was announced yesterday the vulnerable are receiving a booster jab against Covid as part of a medical trial.

Experts are yet to reveal the details of the rollout of booster vaccines  despite Health Secretary Sajid Javid saying that he is confident this can start next month.

However, those with weakened immune systems are getting their third jab, the Department of Health has announced, in a trial to determine whether it provides a stronger immune response.

Preliminary findings from 600 participants found 40 per cent of the vulnerable produced fewer antibodies to fight off Covid than healthy people.

The figure includes 11 per cent who produced no antibodies at all.
The AFL Grand Final will be held at Optus Stadium in Perth if Melbourne's Covid outbreak can't be brought under control in time, footy bosses have announced.

Chief executive Gillon McLachlan said the AFL was still in talks with the Victorian Government, which would need to give permission, but the alternative Perth venue would be 'amazing'.

McLachlan said his focus was to have as many people in the grandstand as possible and Optus Stadium has a larger capacity than other Covid-safe rivals such as the Adelaide Oval.

He added there have also been initial discussions with Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan about the move.

The 2020 Grand Final was held at Brisbane's Gabba stadium during Melbourne's second wave with 29,707 fans in attendance.

Optus Stadium (pictured) in Perth hosting the 2021 Round 22 match between the Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles on August 15

Dockers and Eagles fans at Optus stadium in Perth on August 15 (pictured)

Melbourne and Geelong are set to travel to Perth after their finals in Adelaide and are preparing to stay there for a potential preliminary and Grand Final, reports The Age.

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said the minor premiers were off to Perth 'win or lose' in Adelaide.

'The information we've got is that we're heading to Perth on Sunday, so that's the plan at the moment,' he said.

The MCG is contracted to host the biggest event on Victoria's sporting calendar until 2058 with the government needing to sign off on the move.

A confirmation is expected early next week to give the teams enough time to get through WA's quarantine requirements.

Optus Stadium has a 60,000 person capacity with 51,692 fans allowed in the stands to watch the August 15 Dockers and Eagles clash (pictured)

Victoria's Health Minister said on Wednesday the state still had a 'lot of work to do' to bring the outbreak under control - making the AFL Grand Final's move to Perth almost a certainty.

Victoria recorded 45 new locally acquired Covid cases, and the state government's vaccination website crashed as thousands of young people try to secure a booking.

Of the latest cases, 36 are linked to known outbreaks, the source of the remaining nine are under investigation and 28 people were out in the community while infectious.

More than 830,000 vaccination bookings over the next four weeks opened from 7am on Wednesday for Victorians aged between 16 and 39, including 450,000 first-dose Pfizer appointments.

Within minutes of bookings opening, the website buckled due to high traffic.

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan (pictured on Wednesday) said his focus was to have a large crowd in attendance for the AFL's Grand Final and Perth's Optus Stadium would be 'amazing'

Many people reported receiving a '500 internal server error' after waiting for up to an hour in the queue to schedule an appointment. Others made it through the queue, only to be told they were ineligible for the Pfizer vaccine.

The health department's Covid-19 response deputy secretary Naomi Bromley said the site received 50,000 hits per minute on Wednesday morning, while 1.3 million people had tried to call the coronavirus vaccination booking line.

She pleaded for people to be patient and kind to staff, with more appointments to be made available over the next week.

Meanwhile WA with its position as one of the most isolated states in the world has remained largely free Covid in 2021.

WA's Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the state's economy is projected to record its strongest annual growth in almost a decade despite the Covid pandemic.

The domestic economy is forecast to grow by 3.5 per cent in the last 12 months.

And unemployment has fallen to 4.6 per cent - its lowest rate since December 2013.
Brazilian authorities have detained two French men who climbed on top of the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue to watch the sunset while the monument was closed.

Clement Dumais, 28, and Paul Roux-dit-Buisson, 27, entered the site of the towering 125-foot monument on Sunday evening and hid until closing time.

They then snuck inside the statue under cover of night, climbed a long spiral staircase and came out through a hatch on one of the arms to enjoy the view of the city and Guanabara Bay. The statue's outstretched arms span 91 feet.

The adventure ended when one of the security guards at the site noticed the men, who had no choice but to surrender to the authorities once they had climbed down.

Clement Dumais, 28, was detained by Brazilian authorities along with Paul Roux-Dit-Buisson, 27 after climbing atop the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro

The men have a history of performing outrageous stunts and climbing to dizzying heights in urban landscapes (pictured: Paul Roux-Dit-Buisson)

The Christ the Redeemer statue is situated on Sugarloaf mountain and overlooks Rio de Janeiro. It is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions and receives over two million visits per year

'The view was nice. Few people get a chance to see that,' Roux-dit-Buisson said. 'We were able to get inside the skin of Christ.'

'We were standing on the arms and the head and a security officer saw us,' Roux-dit-Buisson said.

The two men were detained on Monday and released after posting 10,000 reais (1,390) in bail. The two will now have to appear before a judge.

Tourism police in Rio de Janeiro declined to comment, saying they were looking into the incident.

The two men from Paris, France, have a history of performing outrageous stunts and climbing to dizzying heights in urban landscapes.

They have staged similar feats at iconic architectural sites in locations such as Dubai, New York, and Paris and documented their adventures on social media, where they have gained hundreds of thousands of followers.

Police have confiscated all the photos and videos the men had taken while on top of the Rio statue, but the climbers say they have no regrets.

'The view was nice. Few people get a chance to see that,' Roux-dit-Buisson said. 'We were able to get inside the skin of Christ.'

The Christ the Redeemer statue, which will mark its 90th anniversary in October, was recently renovated with the help of professional climbers, who worked above the void in harnesses. In 1991 and in 2010, the statue was vandalized with graffiti.

Along with the Sugarloaf Mountain, the iconic statue, located at the top of Corcovado Hill, is the most visited site in the tourist capital of Brazil, with nearly two million visits a year.

The Christ the Redeemer statue, which will mark its 90th anniversary in October, was recently renovated with the help of professional climbers, who worked above the void in harnesses

'Urban climbing' or 'rooftopping' has has gained popularity in recent years thanks to social media, where the explorers share their daring stunts and adventures.

Though not always illegal, urban climbers and rooftoppers are well-known for accessing parts of buildings and structures which are off-limits to the general public, typically at a great height, before taking photos and footage of the view.

Many urban climbers have gained hundreds of thousands of followers across their social media accounts, but the possibility of fatal injures is high and recent years have seen dozens of documented cases of the thrill seekers plummeting to their deaths from rooftops around the world.
Seven's roving AFL caller Brian Taylor has been airlifted to hospital after a gas explosion at his rural property in regional Victoria on Wednesday.

The burly, moustached TV star - whose often random, behind-the-scenes, live insights at AFL matches are legendary - suffered minor burns to his face and nose.

Taylor, 59, is also a registered plumber and was said to have been doing maintenance work at his Walhalla farm in Gippsland at the time of the explosion.

The local fire brigade rushed to the scene before Taylor was airlifted to Melbourne's Alfred Hospital for treatment to the burns.

Seven's roving AFL caller Brian Taylor (pictured here with his wife Tania) has been airlifted to hospital after a gas explosion at his farm in regional Victoria on Wednesday

Fire chiefs said the explosion happened when a gas fridge blew up, but 7news reported Taylor was working on the home's hot water system at the time.

Taylor - better known onscreen as BT - is expected to be kept in overnight for observation before he's back behind the microphone again on Friday night.

TV bosses said they expected him to be fit for this weekend's AFL finals matches, starting with the qualifying final between Port Adelaide and Geelong.

Taylor is a former star goalkicker and played 140 games for Richmond and Collingwood between 1980 and 1990.

Brian Taylor, 59, (pictured, right, with AFL veteran Wayne Carey) is a registered plumber and is said to have been doing maintenance work at his Walhalla home in Gippsland at the time of the the explosion
Chinese schoolchildren will be taught 'Xi Jinping thought' as part of the national curriculum to help them 'establish Marxist beliefs'.

Pupils from primary school up to university will have lessons in the political ideology of the current premier.

It is the latest move to indoctrinate the youth into supporting the ruling Chinese Communist Party and Marxism.

Chinese schoolchildren will be taught 'Xi Jinping thought' as part of the national curriculum to help them 'establish Marxist beliefs' through brainwashing

The Ministry of Education said in a statement it aimed to 'cultivate the builders and successors of socialism with an all-round moral, intellectual, physical and aesthetic grounding', the Global Times reported.

Children will learn about President Xi's 'thoughts on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era', they said.

The lessons are aimed at strengthening 'resolve to listen to and follow the Party' and new teaching materials must 'cultivate patriotic feelings', the guidelines said.

These will include labour education to 'cultivate their hard-working spirit' and national security lessons.

Children will learn about President Xi's 'thoughts on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era'

Primary schoolchildren will focus on cultivating love for China, the CCP and socialism, while in middle schools, pupils will learn about political judgements and opinions.

At college level, theoretical thinking about China and its role will be taught to students.

The ministry is also hoping to include themes including party leadership and national defence education in the curriculum.

Since coming to power in 2012, the Chinese President has sought to strengthen the ruling Chinese Communist Party's role in all areas of society, including its businesses, schools and cultural institutions.

It is the latest move to indoctrinate the youth into supporting the ruling Chinese Communist Party and Marxism

'Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism With Chinese Characteristics for a New Era' was formally enshrined in the country's constitution in 2018.

The ideology has 14 main principles emphasising Communist ideals, while also calling for reform, 'absolute authority of the party over the people's army' and 'reunification with the motherland'.

Xi's personal power has also been strengthened by the abolition of presidential term limits.

In a speech to mark the centenary of the Communist Party celebrated in July, Xi vowed to 'enhance' the Party's leadership, uphold his own 'core' leadership and strengthen the unity of the Chinese people.
The Taliban has vowed to tackle climate change and global security as part of the terror group's attempt to rebrand itself and modernise despite reports of civilian executions and the erosion of women's rights under the new Afghan regime.

Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a member of the Taliban's Cultural Commission, says the Islamists want to play a role on the global stage.

He told Newsweek: 'We hope not only to be recognised by regional countries but the entire world at large as the legitimate representative government of the people of Afghanistan who have gained their right of self-determination from a foreign occupation with the backing and support of an entire nation after a prolonged struggle and immense sacrifices despite all odds being stacked against our people.

'We believe the world has a unique opportunity of rapprochement and coming together to tackle the challenges not only facing us but the entire humanity.

'These challenges ranging from world security and climate change need the collective efforts of all, and cannot be achieved if we exclude or ignore an entire people who have been devastated by imposed wars for the past four decades.'

The Taliban has vowed to tackle climate change and global security as part of the terror group's attempt to rebrand itself and modernise

The comments come amid the Taliban's efforts to project a more moderate image, two decades after they were ousted from power in Afghanistan.

During their rule from 1996 to 2001, they committed massacres, eroded women's rights, burned vast areas of fertile land as part of its scorched earth policy, harboured terrorists and sold women into sex slavery as part of its harsh enforcement of Sharia law.

Despite their alleged climate change goals, the Taliban previously carried out heavy deforestation from an illegal timber trade.

Millions of acres of forests were cleared throughout the country to supply wood to the Pakistani markets with no reforestation efforts.

Abdul Qahar Balkhi (pictured), a member of the Taliban's Cultural Commission, says the Islamists want to play a role on the global stage

After seizing power again, the Taliban has now vowed to build a more 'inclusive' society and claimed women's rights will be respected and girls will still be able to go to school.

But the UN has already warned severe rights abuses are being carried out including 'summary executions' of civilians, the recruitment of child soldiers and restrictions on the rights of women and girls.

Meanwhile the country's former interior minister Masoud Andarabi has claimed innocent children are being killed.

Many Afghans are clearly skeptical of the Taliban's new promises and have been racing to the leave the country, leading to the chaos at Kabul's international airport.

Taliban leaders have promised to restore security and tried to project an image of moderation, but many Afghans are skeptical

The new regime has not yet outlined its foreign policy aims other than aggressively seeking investment to ensure their 'stability'.

Spokesmen Suhail Shaheen and Zabihullah Mujahid have claimed women will have a say in their new government in their attempts to woo foreign investors.

But there were chilling reports last week that Islamist militants were stalking cities across Afghanistan for women and girls.

Jihadist commanders were reportedly ordering imams in areas they have captured to bring them lists of unmarried women aged from 12 to 45 for their soldiers to marry because they view them as 'qhanimat' or 'spoils of war' - to be divided up among the victors.

The Taliban has also been accused of preventing foreign citizens from entering Kabul airport.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday that US forces have 'been very clear' with the Taliban 'about what credentials we are willing to accept' for people trying to get to the airport.

'By and large, with caveats' people have been getting through checkpoints, spokesman John Kirby said, adding 'we also have other means to get people in.'

'When we have reports that someone credentialed is not being let in, we are making that clear to Taliban leaders they need to let them in,' Kirby said.

It was also revealed that a military operation recovered 'less than 20 people' from Kabul under cover of darkness and brought them safely to the airport for evacuation.

Members of the GOP said on Tuesday night that Biden has 'blood on his hands' because thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies who helped U.S. troops could be left to die when the final evacuation flights depart - which could even be before midnight on Aug. 31 to ensure a safe evacuation of everyone at the airport.

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, who underwent a secret trip to Kabul to witness the situation at the airport for themselves, challenged President Biden and claimed that 'we won't get everyone out on time'.
Young Australians fighting for their lives in hospital have shared their harrowing experiences of what it's like to be struck down by Covid and separated from loved ones, who in many cases have also fallen ill.

Gasping for breath, alone and terrified, the brave patients at Sydney's Concord Hospital begged Australians to take the virus seriously, declaring 'it's not a game'.

In a series of emotional bedside interviews, a young single mother, a devastated tradie and a construction worker who infected his entire family, including his six children, pleaded with the nation to get vaccinated.

The video from the Sydney Local Health District on Wednesday comes as 645 NSW residents fight for their lives in hospitals across the state, with 113 of them being treated in overwhelmed Covid intensive care units.

Construction worker Fawaz, 50, is seen lying face-down barely able to speak in his hospital bed.

'Today I am really bad: my fever, my headache, my breathing,' he said.

The dad, from Putney in Sydney's north, still has no idea how he contracted the virus which has now spread to his entire immediate family - including his six children.

At the time the video was shot one of his daughters had also been rushed to hospital because her condition was rapidly deteriorating.

'She's getting dizzy, her heart rate is too high and she is finding it hard to breathe,' he said.

'So please get vaccinated. I wish I knew beforehand... It's not a game, it's for real.'

Fawaz had been booked in to get the Pfizer jab for October, before being struck down before the appointment.

Construction worker Fawaz, 50, (pictured) is seen lying face-down barely able to speak in his hospital bed - as he begged Australians to get vaccinated

Young single mum Ramona (pictured at Concord Hospital) said the mental anguish is equally as debilitating as the physical aspects of the gruelling disease

Covid hospitalisations in New South Wales There are currently 645 Covid-19 cases being treated in NSW hospitals. 113 of those are in intensive care. 40 of those in ICU require a ventilator to breathe. Source: NSW Health Advertisement

Single mother Ramona, 30, who needs the assistance of breathing tubes, had received her first dose of the vaccine but is thought to have contracted the crippling respiratory virus while working at a pharmacy in Greenacre, in Sydney's southwest.

She said the community needs to 'wake and realise this is real'.

'You end up in hospital and you can't breathe,' she said fighting back tears.

'All I can think about is my children. I haven't seen them in a very long time.

'I'm an essential worker. I could have contracted the virus from someone who didn't want to get the vaccination.'

Ramona added that the mental anguish is equally as debilitating as the physical aspects of the gruelling disease.

'I've had two kids and a major operation but I've never had to push myself to recover mentally this much,' she said.

Concord Hospital respiratory physician Associate Professor Lucy Morgan said a growing number of her Covid patients are 'really young'.

Concord Hospital respiratory physician Associate Professor Lucy Morgan (pictured) said many of her Covid patients had stories of misinformation prior to falling ill

The video from the Sydney Local Health District at Concord Hospital in Sydney (pictured) comes as NSW reported a record 919 new Covid infections on Wednesday along with two more fatalities

'They are in their 20s, they are in their 30s, they are in their 40s and many have very small children and many have partners who are also in hospital,' she said.

'Many of them had stories of misinformation that they had received prior to falling ill.

'So if ever there was a reason for you to think about getting vaccinated today, I'd urge you to listen.'

Osama, 35, said he was 'close to death' when he first arrived on the ward a week ago.

Sydney tradie Osama, 35 (pictured), said he was 'close to death' when he first arrived on the ward a week ago

'I had shortness of breath and it felt like there was something attacking my lungs. It was harsh,' the tradesman from Lakemba in Sydney's southwest said.

'It was fever, headaches and a combination of things you do not want to experience.'

His young kids are also being treated for Covid at Westmead Children's Hospital and his wife is clinging to life in the intensive care unit of a separate health facility.

'It's separated us, it hasn't been easy,' Osama said.

He is now urging all Australians to get vaccinated.

'Go do it. Don't risk it. Be safe You do not want to go through it,' Osama said.

NSW reported a record 919 new Covid infections on Wednesday along with two more fatalities.
A huge haul of tanks and other military vehicles disgraced British Army major Michael Whatley (pictured) stashed has been pictured

A huge haul of tanks and other military vehicles a disgraced British Army major stashed has been pictured.

Photos show an anti-aircraft gun, a Saladin armoured car and an IKV91 light tank that Michael Whatley had duped foreign governments into sending him.

The former soldier, who served with the Household Cavalry Regiment, was given a suspended prison sentence earlier this month for acquiring 24 vehicles in total.

Whatley tricked authorities in Germany, Belgium and Sweden into giving him the weapons before selling them off and trading them with other collectors.

He fooled a Belgian military museum and the governments of Sweden and Germany into believing they were donating them to the Household Cavalry Museum.

The 65-year-old originally denied any wrongdoing but changed his plea to guilty in July ahead of a scheduled trial in October.

Whatley was branded a 'disgrace' by a judge at Salisbury Crown Court, who handed him a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, for three counts of misconduct in a public office.

Photos show an anti-aircraft gun, a Saladin armoured car and an IKV91 light tank (pictured) that Michael Whatley had duped foreign governments into sending him

Nicholas Haggan QC, prosecuting, said: 'It was a long and difficult investigation which revealed [Whatley], over a period of many years, had abused his rank and the trust and responsibility placed in him, to acquire historical vehicles for his own private collection.

'He did this by falsely claiming to act on behalf of the Household Cavalry Museum... when he was being paid to advance rather than undermine the national interest.

'He knew very well he couldn't have got any of these vehicles if he had told the truth about what he was doing.'

He added he corresponded with embassies using Household Cavalry Division-headed notepaper and used military vehicles to transport his fraudulently acquired collection to an Army depot in Ludgershall, Wilts - 80 miles from the Household Cavalry Museum.

Even the use of this was acquired through forgery, as he had signed a lease on the Ministry of Defence building pretending to have the authority of his regiment when he did not. The offences occurred from January 2001 to December 2011.

The former soldier, who served with the Household Cavalry Regiment, was given a suspended prison sentence earlier this month for acquiring 24 vehicles in total. Pictured: A Saladin armoured car with 76mm gun

A lengthy and complex investigation into his wrongdoing was prompted after military vehicles were flagged at a port in Marchwood near Southampton in 2011.

Following this, search warrants were executed at Whatley's home address and the depot in Ludgershall.

Whatley, who left they Army in December 2014 following a 45-year career with the Household Cavalry, had 23 vehicles and scores of weapons delivered to him.

From a military history museum in Belgium, Whatley acquired a Leopard 1A1 tank, a Gepard anti-aircraft gun, an M108 Howitzer tank, an HS20 Troop transport vehicle, an M41 Walker Bulldog tank and a Saladin armoured car among other vehicles including a Bombardier motorbike.

From the government of Germany, he had four T72 tanks, a Leopard Bargepanzer tank and a Marder tank while from Sweden he had armoured infantry vehicles and an IKv91 tank.

The court heard he kept some vehicles in his collection, while others he sold and others he used to 'sweeten the deal' in exchange transactions.

Three of the T72 tanks he sold for 15,000 each but these were then sold on by the buyer for 122,000 to an American company.

Mr Haggan added a 'large number' of Household Cavalry Division soldiers and officers were interviewed in the probe and while most had no idea what was happening, some had 'raised concerns' and even told him to 'stop what he was doing'.

When interviewed by police, he denied any wrongdoing and claimed he was authorised to source the vehicles.

Judge Andrew Barnett said he 'tried to brazen the lie'.

Barrister Tom Wilkins, on behalf of Whatley, said he rose from the rank of private to become Major in 'one of the most prestigious regiments in the British Army' and was 'highly thought of by those who knew him in the Army'.

The court heard he kept some vehicles in his collection, while others he sold and others he used to 'sweeten the deal' in exchange transactions. Pictured: A Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun with 2x35mm automatic cannons

But the judge told Whatley: 'You are a disgrace. You were a very distinguished man, a Major in one of the oldest regiments in the British Army.

'These charges outline your systemic dishonesty and fraudulent behaviour... when time and time again you held yourself out as representing the Household Cavalry Museum and obtained through three different sources... a great number of tanks, armoured cars and other items.

'All on the pretence that you were entitled to say for them to be shipped over as part of the museum. That was a bare-faced lie and one which you told time and time again.

'You stand there for the first time in this dock and you should be bitterly ashamed of your conduct.

'I don't want to minimise the effect actions such as yours has upon public confidence in the Army.

'If you misbehave to the extent that you have, you not only damage the reputation of the Army but also a very distinguished cavalry regiment.

'That is something you will have to live with for the rest of your life.

'I imagine that you will no longer refer to yourself as Major, you have brought that shame upon yourself entirely through your own conduct, your greed and your criminality.'

The judge handed him a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, adding: 'You may leave this court with your head hanging in shame, knowing that this will be hanging over you for two years.'

Whatley was also ordered to contribute 1,500 towards 'astronomical' prosecution costs and given an order to work 150 hours unpaid.

No compensation was ordered but the judge slapped Whatley with a forfeiture of all vehicles and items obtained by him and these may now be repatriated.
This is the hilarious moment an elephant attacked a huge sculpture at a wildlife park - after mistaking it for a love rival.

Tourists spotted the male elephant searching for food near the tourist centre in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand.

While looking around the bull the found the large sculpture of an elephant and became confused by its likeness.

The elephant can been seen staring down the artwork for a few moments before charging at the inanimate object and knocking it on its side.

One of the model's tusks can even be heard snapping as it hits the ground.

Thinking he was victorious over the sculpture, the elephant walks away triumphantly towards the forest while park rangers looked on from a distance.

This is the hilarious moment an elephant attacked a huge sculpture in a Thailand wildlife park - after mistaking it for a love rival

National Park officer Ple Srichai said the bull is likely to have mistook the sculpture for another male which threatened his breeding rights.

He said: 'I thought it was funny how the wild elephant was trying to attack the statue. Male elephants often fight over females so maybe he thought it was a real elephant he needed to show his dominance over.'

There were also shocked onlookers who watched and screamed as the male jumbo knocked down the statue. When the elephant left, the officers removed the sculpture.

The elephant can been seen staring down the artwork for a few moments before charging at the inanimate object and knocking it on its side

Thinking he was victorious over the sculpture, the elephant walks away triumphantly towards the forest while park rangers looked on from a distance

No one was reported hurt in the incident and officers decided that they should transfer the sculpture into another part of the park to prevent a similar attack happening again.

Male Asian elephants roam alone and only join herds to mate. In contrast, African male elephants remain part of the herds for their whole life.

An estimated 2,000 elephants are living in the wild in Thailand and a similar number in captivity, where they live in sanctuaries, zoos or work privately for hire at weddings and festivals.
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Thousands converged on Kabul airport on Wednesday in a desperate bid to leave Afghanistan amid reports the Taliban are stopping westerners getting in, less than 24 hours after President Joe Biden said he would only pull troops by August 31 if the insurgents allow safe passage.

The U.S. has ramped up its airlifts and has evacuated 19,000 people in the last 24 hours and has already started pulling out military forces with just six days until the deadline, which Biden has promised to stick to.

But the Taliban has ignored the president's threats and is beating up people trying to leave, according to reports, and both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have said there isn't enough time to get everyone out.

Desperate Afghan men, women and children have swarmed the airport in a bid to get out amid fears of an attack from the Islamic State offshoot ISIS-K and 10,000 evacuees are inside the gates waiting to get out.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday that US forces have 'been very clear' with the Taliban 'about what credentials we are willing to accept' for people trying to get to the airport.

'By and large, with caveats' people have been getting through checkpoints, spokesman John Kirby said, adding 'we also have other means to get people in.'

'When we have reports that someone credentialed is not being let in, we are making that clear to Taliban leaders they need to let them in,' Kirby said.

It was also revealed that a military operation recovered 'less than 20 people' from Kabul under cover of darkness and brought them safely to the airport for evacuation.

Members of the GOP said on Tuesday night that Biden has 'blood on his hands' because thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies who helped U.S. troops could be left to die when the final evacuation flights depart - which could even be before midnight on Aug. 31 to ensure a safe evacuation of everyone at the airport.

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, who underwent a secret trip to Kabul to witness the situation at the airport for themselves, challenged President Biden and claimed that 'we won't get everyone out on time'.

The approaching deadline has sparked fears that the desperate men, women and children currently camped outside the military zone could attempt a last-ditch bid for freedom by storming the airport as they attempt to flee the Taliban - who have also set up checkpoints outside the airport.

The U.S. may have to halt evacuation flights before the weekend in a bid to get all American personnel out, after France warned there operation would stop in hours and the former head of the UK armed forces said they would be wrapped up in two days.

Some 300 American soldiers out of the 6,000 that secured the airport in Kabul were flown out from Afghanistan yesterday, with the remaining forces expected to follow suit in the coming days.

Republicans, Donald Trump and members of the Trump administration continued their criticism of Biden's botched evacuation overnight.

Trump said Tuesday night: 'How dare Biden force our military to run off the battlefield in Afghanistan and desert what now have become many thousands of American hostages.'

'We had Afghanistan and Kabul in perfect control with just 2,500 soldiers and he destroyed it when it was demanded that they flee,' he added in an emailed statement.

In a Tuesday podcast interview the former president said his administration had Afghanistan 'so under control, like you wouldn't believe.'

'I'm not sure the way we got out would even allow us to get out,' he said on The Truth with Lisa Boothe, seemingly predicting future U.S. engagement with the war-torn country.

Senator Tom Cotton said 'Joe Biden and his team are letting the Taliban call the shots' on a Fox podcast Wednesday morning.

Senator Lindsey Graham questioned 'How could we create a deadline that is a death sentence to those who fought along our side?'

'There's nobody to blame but Biden here,' Graham said on Fox radio today, adding the U.S. is leaving 'thousands of Afghans, most likely American citizens, and what we're leaving behind is an Al Qaeda on steroids.'

Ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined his boss in heckling Biden, tearing into him in an op-ed Tuesday night.

'President Bidens incompetence has left Americans in harms way and is dishonoring those who serve and our country,' he wrote on Fox.

Desperate Afghans waded through a sewage ditch on the outskirts of Kabul airport this morning while pleading with soldiers guarding the opposite bank to put them on a plane out of the country as time runs out to flee Taliban rule

A lucky man is hauled to safety by a soldier (left) and allowed one step closer to freedom, but most were left wallowing in filth as their pleas fell on deaf ears with as little as 24 hours left until civilian mercy flights top

A man claiming to be an Australian citizen was beaten bloody by Taliban guards at a checkpoint in Kabul today, after the Taliban vowed to block any more people from going to the airport

Ted Cruz accused Biden of 'claiming Afghanistan is some great diplomatic achievement' on Twitter Wednesday.

The White House revealed today that over the last 24 hours, 42 American flights dealt with the bulk of evacuations - transporting 11,200 from Kabul - meaning the U.S. has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of approximately 87,900 people on U.S. military and coalition flights since the end of July.

Major General Hank Taylor announced at the Pentagon briefing on Wednesday that 400 U.S. troops were evacuated from Kabul.

Some of those were part of the 6,000 sent to aid with the evacuation. Taylor said the military withdrawal was 'very much part of the original drawdown plan.' About 5,400 troops are still on the ground in Kabul.

With military personnel required to have retreated from the country by Biden's August 31 deadline, it is feared civilian evacuations could be halted in a matter of days to ensure enough time is left for U.S. soldiers to leave the airport before the cut off.

Roughly 10,000 'vulnerable Afghans' have been evacuated by US-led forces since August 20, Taylor said.

Kirby vowed that 'needed populations' will be evacuated 'all the way to the end' but acknowledged the US will 'have to reserve some time in the last couple of days' for military equipment to be removed.

The Taliban said on Tuesday that all foreign evacuations from the country must be completed by August 31, and asked Washington to stop urging highly skilled Afghans to leave the country.

And speaking later on Tuesday, the President said the U.S. is on pace to finish evacuations from Afghanistan on time, but left open the chance of extending the deadline, saying reaching that goal depends on cooperation from the country's new Taliban rulers.

'The sooner we can finish, the better,' Biden said. 'Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops.'

And the desperate efforts to evacuate as many Americans and allies from Afghanistan as possible have been affected by the Taliban who have banned Afghans from fleeing the country.

There are also reports that Westerners are also currently unable to reach the airport and are being 'blocked from getting to Kabul airport' by Taliban fighters who are seeking to stem the flow of Afghans leaving.

This situation gave rise to comments from President Biden, who continued to stick to his August 31 deadline, but only so long as the Taliban uphold its agreement to allow Westerners and vulnerable Afghans free passage to the airport.

Continued coordination with the Taliban remains crucial to meeting the deadline, he said, but he called it a 'tenuous situation' with a 'serious risk of breaking down as time goes on.'

And Pentagon commanders have warned evacuation efforts are under threat from an Islamic State-offshoot, known as ISIS-K, who are 'targeting' evacuation planes at Kabul airport.

Speaking yesterday, President Biden said the US is on pace to finish evacuations from Afghanistan on time, but left open the chance of extending the deadline, saying reaching that goal depends on cooperation from the country's new Taliban rulers

Fears are growing that crowds could try to storm the airport once civilian mercy flights stop, or that opportunistic terrorists could attack the densely-packed crowd

This was echoed by two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, who said there was growing concern about the risk of suicide bombings by Islamic State at the airport, which has been overwhelmed by Afghans and foreign citizens rushing to leave.

Those concerns are based on 'a very specific threat stream' from the Afghanistan ISIS affiliate regarding possible attacks on crowds outside the airport, a defense official told CNN.

ISIS-K is a sworn enemy of the Taliban, and intelligence officials reportedly believe they are actively planning multiple attacks in a bid to create mayhem at the airport.

More than 100 ISIS-K affiliated inmates escaped from two prisons near Kabul amid the Taliban's advance on the city, the outlet reports.

A regional source told them several hundred ISIS-K members could have escaped.

Asked about the possible escape a Taliban spokesman only said the reports were not confirmed.

'There have been reports that some ill-wishers want to disrupt the security situation there by attacking and harming people and the media. So don't go close to the airport to avoid being hurt,' they told CNN.

One U.S. official said it was no longer a question of if, but when, militants would attack and the priority was to get out before it happened.

The fears that some people won't get out of Kabul will only grow in the coming days as as civilian mercy flights stop and troops begin withdrawing from the airport, with hundreds of American soldiers already thought to have left on flights that departed Tuesday.

There are signs that even foreign nationals are struggling to evacuate. A man claiming to be an Australian citizen was beaten bloody by Taliban fighters as he tried to reach the airport Wednesday.

The man, whose identity is unknown, filmed himself at what appears to be a Taliban checkpoint. Blood can be seen running down his face and onto his shirt while he says in accented English, 'They hit me... I am an Australian citizen.'

He then talks about trying to reach the airport, though his words are partially obscured by the sound of Taliban guards cocking and firing an AK47 rifle over his head - before the footage cuts out.

Biden has committed the US to withdraw by August 31, a decision that western allies warn will mean thousands of Afghans who were promised sanctuary being left behind

The Taliban has said it will now block all Afghan citizens from reaching the airport, meaning that those who are not already outside the gates face little prospect of being able to escape

American troops and their allies have evacuated some 70,000 people from the airport since the Taliban took power on August 14, but the effort falls far short of the more-than 100,000 that western nations had promised to take

A US marine comforts a child at Kabul airport as the evacuation operation nears it end, with US allies saying flights could stop within the next 24 hours

A US marine carries a child towards an evacuation aircraft at Kabul airport as the final mercy flights depart the country

The desperation to get on the last flights is already plain, with people standing in sewage up to their knees on the south side of the airport today while begging soldiers to let them inside.

'We won't get everyone out even by Sept 11': Democrat and Republican lawmakers pay secret trip to Kabul Two US military vets who now serve as congressmen flew unannounced into Afghanistan to monitor the on going evacuation efforts as they called on President Joe Biden to extend the US withdrawal deadline past August 31. Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, flew in and out of Kabul airport on Tuesday, with both men adding that they boarded return flights with empty seats so as not to take away space from fleeing Americans and Afghans. They appeared to condemn Joe Biden over his chaotic withdrawal from the war-torn country, and predicted the US would not be able to airlift everyone eligible to leave Afghanistan on time. In a joint statement, they said: 'It's obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won't get everyone out on time, even by September 11. 'Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban.' Advertisement

Many Afghans fear a repeat of the brutal five-year Taliban regime that was toppled in 2001, and violent retribution for working with foreign militaries, Western missions and the previous U.S.-backed government.

Washington and its allies have been flying out thousands of such Afghans every day on hulking military transports, but it has become an increasingly difficult and desperate task.

Speaking on Tuesday, Biden confirmed that in the past 12 hours, 19 U.S. military flights evacuated approximately 6,400 people and 31 coalition flights carrying 5,600 people have left Kabul.

A White House official told CNN yesterday that the number of Americans remaining in Afghanistan as of August 14 was 'probably lower than most people believe', but declined to confirm exactly how many remain in the country.

Though officials believe that thousands of Americans and their Allies remain in the Afghan capital, the New York Times reports.

The Afghan capital's airport has been gripped by chaos as US-led troops try to maintain a secure perimeter for evacuation flights, surrounded by desperate Afghans.

Some have foreign passports, visas or eligibility to travel, but most do not. At least eight people have died in the chaos.

'Does anyone ... ANYONE ... have a contact inside the airport,' pleaded one American on a WhatsApp group set up to share information on how people can access the airport.

'My guy worked for us 2010-15 and needs to get out with 5 of his family. This is real bad.'

The Taliban have also been accused of blocking or slowing access for many trying to reach the airport, although they denied the charge again late Tuesday.

Biden said the Taliban were taking steps to assist, but there was also an 'acute and growing risk' of an attack by the regional chapter of the Islamic State jihadist group.

Speaking yesterday, the President said he had asked the Pentagon and the State Department to develop contingency plans to push past the deadline should that prove necessary.

The Democratic president, whose administration has been under fire for its handling of the pullout, said U.S. forces had now helped evacuate 87,900 people since Aug. 14.

Sen. Marco Rubio said on Twitter Wednesday morning, 'A President that abandons Americans in order to meet a deadline set by a medieval band of terrorists will forever be disgraced.'

In an earlier post he suggested Biden 'inform' the Taliban that U.S. forces will remain in Kabul until everyone is evacuated, and 'If they get in the way they will be killed.'

Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal also appeared to criticize Biden's Aug. 31 decision, despite not mentioning the president by name.

'Rescuing U.S. citizens & Afghan allies from this humanitarian nightmare is a moral imperative demanding a continued military & diplomatic effort beyond Aug 31. Afghans who put their lives on the line deserve no less,' he wrote on Twitter Wednesday.

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina criticized Biden's 'disastrous decision' to hold firm on his end-of-the-month deadline on Wednesday morning, which he said was 'cemented by his administrations prior ill-conceived timeline agreement with the Taliban instead of the conditions on the ground.'

'We deserve to know the full extent of the agreement with the Taliban, including the arbitrary and inflexible deadline that led us to the humiliating point of the Taliban dictating terms to the U.S. and setting a red line,' the GOP lawmaker wrote on Twitter.

Former Trump campaign aide David Bossie blamed Biden for 'singlehandedly' causing the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan in a Fox News op-ed published Wednesday.

'In his never-ending rush to appease his socialist base, Biden allowed the murderous Taliban to takeover Afghanistan, put thousands of American lives at risk, embarrass our great country, and make us far less secure and respected as a nation,' Bossie wrote.

Nebaska Sen. Ben Sasse said 'Damn the deadline' in a statement on Tuesday.

'Americans want us to stay until we get our people out, and so do our allies. The Biden administration needs to cut the Stockholm syndrome,' he fumed.

Rep. Don Bacon, a veteran who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said there was a 'potential for lots of American hostages' in a Wednesday morning C-SPAN interview.

'This was a colossal disaster, it was avoidable. The president's policy was just a huge mistake. He overruled the military and the intelligence advisers in the White House and did what he thought was right, but it was a political objective if you asked me,' he said.

Rep. Mo Brooks said Biden 'will abandon Americans in Afghanistan' after Aug. 31 on Twitter Wednesday, adding 'We need Donald J. Trump back in the White House.'

Biden said his administration was working to rebuild a system for processing refugees that he said was 'purposely destroyed' by his Republican predecessor.

'We must all work together to resettle thousands of Afghans who ultimately qualify for refugee status. The United States will do our part,' he said.

Biden has also frequently pointed to Trump's peace deal with the Taliban that included a May 1 withdrawal deadline as his reason for pursuing the chaotic drawdown.

But on Tuesday night Pompeo claimed the Trump strategy 'utilized a combination of deterrence and negotiated agreements based on conditions in the country to keep the Taliban in check while we withdrew our forces.'

'We told the Taliban: if you violate the agreements, you will pay a heavy price. And we backed up those threats with action. We pressured the Ghani government to work through the reconciliation process or face serious costs,' he said, despite the Afghan government's notable exclusion from Trump's Taliban negotiations.

During a G7 meeting with other world leaders yesterday, Biden 'point blank' refused pleas from his allies to extend the August 31 deadline, and later said during a press conference he believes the evacuation will be complete on time.

However, concerns have been raised about the security at Kabul airport, where thousands of US troops are currently holding the line, with the Taliban now blocking access to the site.

People on the ground claim that Westerners in Afghanistan are being 'blocked from getting to Kabul airport' by Taliban fighters after the extremist group banned locals from fleeing the country.

The militant group today issued an edict saying only foreigners will be able to access the airport for evacuation.

A spokesperson for the group ordered locals to return home. Roads in the city have been blocked in a bid to stop Afghans from leaving.

Quoting 'multiple sources', Politico's Alex Thompson said: 'The Taliban has now started halting people trying to get in through the airport gates.

Afghan families are pictured boarding a military evacuation flight at Hamid Karzai Airport as the US prepares to withdraw from the country, with other western nations set to follow

Taliban are killing innocent children, former interior minister claims Afghanistan's former interior minister has claimed the Taliban are killing innocent children as they brutally consolidate power. Masoud Andarabi, who was sacked by the now former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani in March, posted shocking photos on Twitter of people, including a small child, who had allegedly been killed by Taliban fighters. He claimed that the group, who now control nearly all of Afghanistan after dramatically marching into the capital Kabul last week, 'are trying to rule over people by terrorizing, killing young children and elderly citizens.' Andarabi added that the Taliban 'cannot govern the nation' using such terror methods. Advertisement

'Not just Afghans but American citizens. Informal groups coordinating need to redirect people on the fly.'

However, in his address yesterday, Bide reiterated his message to the Taliban that the August 31 deadline could only be met if they upheld their agreement not to impede on the operation in any way.

Security concerns have also been raised by Pentagon commanders, who have warned that an Afghan-based Islamic State-offshoot called ISIS-K are 'targeting' evacuation planes flying out of Kabul.

The threat comes from an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan known as ISIS-K, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant  Khorasan Province. ISIS announced its expansion to the Khorasan region in 2015, which historically encompasses parts of modern day Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Joe Biden on Tuesday evening warned of the threat posed by ISIS-K, but Pentagon officials gave more detail in a closed-door briefing to Congress, which was relayed to Politico by three congressional aides and another source familiar with the intelligence.

'Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops,' Biden said.

'ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians.'

Further details on their plots were not shared - but U.S. forces left hordes of powerful weapons behind after withdrawing across Afghanistan, which could now be used against its own personnel.

U.S. planes landing at Kabul Airport earlier this week were also spotted doing steep 'diving combat' landings in a bid to avoid potential attack, and were photographed dropping flares which could draw away any missiles fired at them.

The officials said that the security situation around the airport had significantly deteriorated in recent days, given the new terror threats, and contributed to Biden's decision not to declare an extension of the August 31 deadline for all U.S. troops to leave.

ISIS-K is targeting airport gates - which have seen thousands of people gather in a bid to flee - as well as military and commercial aircraft evacuating people from the capital city, the sources told Politico.

They said the Defense Department officials told the meeting they are trying to mitigate the threats as best as possible.

Gates at the airport were closed because of the security threat, the sources said.

There was also panic after the U.S. embassy reportedly issued a last call for its citizens to leave Afghanistan, only to then recall the warning minutes later.

The Biden administration is under intense pressure to wrap up a chaotic evacuation without leaving Americans or Afghans with visas behind. The president's hurried withdrawal has drawn criticism from all sides: Republicans, Democrats, foreign policy hawks, humanitarian group sand international allies, who said they felt blindsided.

And two U.S. military vets, now serving as congressmen, who flew unannounced into Afghanistan to monitor the on going evacuation efforts have called on President Joe Biden to extend the U.S. withdrawal deadline past August 31.

A US soldier walks two Afghan women towards an evacuation plane on the runway at Hamid Karzai Airport this week

An Afghan woman accompanied by a young child walks towards a US evacuation plane sitting on the runway at Kabul airport

'The Taliban is now fully-armed and in control of the entire country': Former UK commander warns of weapons seized by Taliban during takeover The Taliban's grip on Afghanistan has also been strengthened by the weapons, equipment and vehicles abandoned by the Afghan security forces as the militants swept through the country - that the US had only supplied earlier this year. Among the military haul collected by the Taliban during their offensive, are 61,000 high-explosive rounds, two million AK47 bullets, 10,000 70mm rockets, A-29 light aircraft, and 89,000 brand new combat shirts, the Mirror reports. Speaking to the publication, former commander of UK forces in Afghanistan Colonel Richard Kemp said: 'The ungoverned space of Afghanistan will be used by the Taliban's partners al-Qaeda and the tallies of equipment now being revealed are deeply disturbing. 'It means we are now facing a very well equipped terrorist army in Afghanistan that is being run by the new rulers of Afghanistan and that should concern us all. 'The Taliban is now fully-armed and in control of the entire country  and the west has left this equipment for them to help themselves.' Advertisement

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, flew in and out of Kabul airport on Tuesday, with both men adding that they boarded return flights with empty seats so as not to take away space from fleeing Americans and Afghans.

They appeared to condemn Joe Biden over his chaotic withdrawal from the war-torn country, and predicted the U.S. would not be able to airlift everyone eligible to leave Afghanistan on time.

'We conducted this visit in secret, speaking about it only after our departure, to minimize the risk and disruption to the people on the ground, and because we were there to gather information, not to grandstand,' the two said in a joint statement.

'As veterans, we care deeply about the situation on the ground at Hamid Karzai International Airport. America has a moral obligation to our citizens and loyal allies, and we must make sure that obligation is being kept.'

Later on, they added: 'It's obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won't get everyone out on time, even by September 11.

'Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban.'

Nancy Pelosi was among lawmakers who condemned the trip, although they have continued to defend it.

In a letter seen by Politico, she wrote: 'Given the urgency of this situation, the desire of some Members to travel to Afghanistan and the surrounding areas is understandable and reflective of the high priority that we place on the lives of those on the ground.

'Member travel to Afghanistan and the surrounding countries would unnecessarily divert needed resources from the priority mission of safely and expeditiously evacuating America and Afghans at risk from Afghanistan.'

Both Congressmen insisted their trip was meant to help ensure the U.S. was upholding its promises to evacuate Afghan people who'd aided its fight against the Taliban.

They paid for their own tickets to the United Arab Emirates, then boarded a U.S. military plane bound for Kabul. Further details on how the men managed to get on board that aircraft have not been disclosed.

CIA Director William Burns also, separately, flew to Kabul for a secret meeting with top Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar, U.S. media reported Tuesday, the highest-level meeting so far between the U.S. government and the new rulers of Afghanistan.

The New York Times said the spy chief was not there to negotiate an extension to the pullout deadline, but for general talks on 'evacuation operations and terrorist threats'.

Afghan civilians pack on to a Canadian evacuation flight out of Kabul, as western nations prepare to end the mercy missions

Despite the harrowing scenes at Kabul airport, the Taliban have ruled out any extension to next Tuesday's deadline to pull out foreign troops, describing it as 'a red line'.

'They have planes, they have the airport, they should get their citizens and contractors out of here,' Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday.

European nations have said they would not be able to airlift all at-risk Afghans before August 31.

'Even if (the evacuation) goes on... a few days longer, it will not be enough,' German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Bild TV.

A hard withdrawal deadline presents a further complication that may reduce the number of daily evacuations.

The United States deployed fresh troops for evacuations.

That 6,000-plus contingent, as well as hundreds of U.S. officials, 600 Afghan troops and the equipment, will have to be flown out.

To do that by August 31, the Pentagon said operations would have to start winding down days in advance.

Following their lightning victory that stunned the world, the Taliban have so far been content to allow the U.S.-led operation to continue, focusing instead on consolidating control and forming a government.

They have vowed a softer, more inclusive regime this time around, offering amnesty to opponents and assurances of rights to women.

But many Afghans remain fearful and skeptical.

A US Hercules transport plane waits on the tarmac at Zaragoza Airport, in Spain, as Afghans who already manage to flee Kabul are loaded on board for transport to their next destination

Afghan people, who were evacuated from Kabul, disembark a plane at Torrejon Military Air Base in Madrid, Spain

An Afghan girl carrying a Mickey Mouse doll walks to a bus that will take them to a refugee processing center at Dulles International Airport, Virginia

Afghan families walk to a bus that will take them to a refugee processing center at Dulles International Airport, Virginia

Afghan families walk to a bus that will take them to a refugee processing center at Dulles International Airport

The Taliban are killing innocent children as they brutally consolidate power, Afghanistan's former interior minister, Masoud Andarabi, has claimed as he posted shocking photos of people, including a small child, who had allegedly been murdered by the fighters

In an attempt to assuage fears, the Taliban spokesman on Tuesday urged skilled Afghans to not flee, saying the country needed 'expert' Afghans such as doctors and engineers.

But Zabihullah Mujahid added that women who work for the Afghan government should stay home until the security situation improves.

The Taliban have said women will be able to get an education and work, but within what they consider Islamic bounds.

And Afghanistan's former interior minister has claimed the Taliban are killing innocent children as they brutally consolidate power.

Masoud Andarabi, who was sacked by the now former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani in March, posted shocking photos on Twitter of people, including a small child, who had allegedly been killed by Taliban fighters.

He claimed that the group, who now control nearly all of Afghanistan after dramatically marching into the capital Kabul last week, 'are trying to rule over people by terrorizing, killing young children and elderly citizens.'

Andarabi added that the Taliban 'cannot govern the nation' using such terror methods.

The Taliban's grip on Afghanistan has also been strengthened by the weapons, equipment and vehicles abandoned by the Afghan security forces as the militants swept through the country - that the U.S. had only supplied earlier this year.

Taliban vow to tackle CLIMATE CHANGE: Terror group sets out its eco credentials (presumably by taking Afghanistan back to the Middle Ages) The Taliban has vowed to tackle climate change and global security as part of the terror group's attempt to rebrand itself and modernise despite reports of civilian executions and the erosion of women's rights under the new Afghan regime. Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a member of the Taliban's Cultural Commission, says the Islamists want to play a role on the global stage. He told Newsweek: 'We hope not only to be recognised by regional countries but the entire world at large as the legitimate representative government of the people of Afghanistan who have gained their right of self-determination from a foreign occupation with the backing and support of an entire nation after a prolonged struggle and immense sacrifices despite all odds being stacked against our people. 'We believe the world has a unique opportunity of rapprochement and coming together to tackle the challenges not only facing us but the entire humanity. 'These challenges ranging from world security and climate change need the collective efforts of all, and cannot be achieved if we exclude or ignore an entire people who have been devastated by imposed wars for the past four decades.' The Taliban has vowed to tackle climate change and global security as part of the terror group's attempt to rebrand itself and modernise The comments come amid the Taliban's efforts to project a more moderate image, two decades after they were ousted from power in Afghanistan. During their rule from 1996 to 2001, they committed massacres, eroded women's rights, burned vast areas of fertile land as part of its scorched earth policy, harboured terrorists and sold women into sex slavery as part of its harsh enforcement of Sharia law. Despite their alleged climate change goals, the Taliban previously carried out heavy deforestation from an illegal timber trade. Millions of acres of forests were cleared throughout the country to supply wood to the Pakistani markets with no reforestation efforts. Advertisement

Among the military haul collected by the Taliban during their offensive, are 61,000 high-explosive rounds, two million AK47 bullets, 10,000 70mm rockets, A-29 light aircraft, and 89,000 brand new combat shirts, the Mirror reports.

Speaking to the publication, former commander of UK forces in Afghanistan Colonel Richard Kemp said: 'The ungoverned space of Afghanistan will be used by the Taliban's partners al-Qaeda and the tallies of equipment now being revealed are deeply disturbing.

'It means we are now facing a very well equipped terrorist army in Afghanistan that is being run by the new rulers of Afghanistan and that should concern us all.

'The Taliban is now fully-armed and in control of the entire country  and the west has left this equipment for them to help themselves.'

While much of the attention has been focused on the evacuations in Afghanistan, aid agencies have warned of an impending humanitarian crisis for the population left behind.

'There's a perfect storm coming because of several years of drought, conflict, economic deterioration, compounded by COVID,' David Beasley, the executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme, told Reuters in Doha, calling for the international community to donate $200 million in food aid.

'The number of people marching towards starvation has spiked to now 14 million.'

The EU said this week it was planning a quadrupling in aid and was seeking coordination with the United Nations on delivery as well as safety guarantees on the ground.

The U.N. human rights chief said she had received credible reports of serious violations by the Taliban, including 'summary executions' of civilians and Afghan security forces who had surrendered. The Taliban have said they will investigate any reports of atrocities.

Non-Government organizations have also been working independently from official channels to help special immigrant visa applicants, who have been cut off from the airport by Taliban checkpoints.

Retired Marine Corps Sgt. Ryan Rogers told Fox News: 'Everyone is p****d about this even being necessary,' he said. 'But if the president doesn't want to step up and lead, someone else will.'

While former secretary of state Hillary Clinton has also been reportedly attempted to charter flights out of the country for the countrys at-risk women, the New York Times has reported.

And she has also been in contact with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to the Washington Examiner, to urge Canada to continue its evacuation work.
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A furious row has tonight broken out over an animal rescue flight from Kabul amid claims the Prime Minister's wife intervened to help get approval for the emergency airlift.

Boris Johnson is believed to have personally overruled his Defence Secretary's desire to prioritise human over animal evacuations for Afghanistan.

Ben Wallace had been adamant that the Ministry of Defence would prioritise 'people over pets' as the Government scrambles to evacuate thousands of British nationals trapped at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul - which fell under Taliban control last week.

But Mr Johnson is said to have overruled the policy following a 'huge' swell of public support calling Royal Marine turned charity boss Paul 'Pen' Farthing get 200 cats and dogs out of Kabul - where he runs an animal welfare centre.

Today animal rights campaigner Dominic Dyer, a friend of Mr Farthing, founder of the charity Nowzad, told MailPlus that the u-turn followed an intervention from the Prime Minister's wife Carrie Johnson - a keen supporter of animal welfare issues.

But the claim was quickly dismissed by the Ministry of Defence, with a spokesperson reportedly telling Sky News that they were a 'lie'.

It comes after a Sky News video showed a Vauxhall hatchback entering a military cargo jet prompted a counter-blast from animal rights activists including comic Ricky Gervais and actor Peter Egan, who accused the Ministry of Defence of caring more about a car than 'sentient animals'.

The Defence Secretary then announced in a flurry of tweets at 1.30am this morning that officials would allow Mr Farthing to leave on the chartered flight if he arrived at the airport with his staff and animals.

The U-turn is likely to raise questions about the extent to which Mr Johnson is personally managing the evacuation, and the role his wife - an animal rights advocate who also encouraged the Prime Minister to pursue his green agenda - is playing in the Afghanistan crisis.

Tagging Mr and Mrs Johnson, Mr Wallace, Mr Farthing and the Nowzad charity in a video published on Twitter this afternoon, activist Mr Dyer said: 'Finally, finally the Prime Minister has taken control of the situation with Pen Farthing, his people and his dogs.

'At 1.30 this morning, under huge pressure, after he had seen the media coming through this morning after the G7 summit, after realising we can't extend the airport as (Joe) Biden won't allow it beyond the 31st of August, he has reeled in Ben Wallace.

'And he's also got Ben Wallace now to go out publicly at 1.30 this morning on his social media and confirm three critical issues: that Pen Farthing's people, all his staff and dependents are now approved by the Home Secretary, Foreign Office and Prime Minister to leave the country; that they will be given secure access to the airport; and that if Pen brings his dogs with him they will be allowed to go in with the cats into the airport and we will be allowed to put a plane down on that runway to take them out of Kabul and back to Britain.

'That is a huge, huge victory for common sense, compassion and care for people and animals in this country. Ben Wallace was out by the wings yesterday, and they've just fallen off. He's been told that he's not dictating the policy on this issue in the Government.'

MailOnline has contacted the MoD and Downing Street for comment.

Mr Farthing raised 365,000 so he could charter a plane to rescue hundreds of animals and 69 staff. It is understood that the plane belongs to a US businessman.

Britain is working 'full speed' to rescue thousands of Britons and Afghan allies still stuck in Kabul over the next 36 hours after Joe Biden sparked fury by swatting away demands from Mr Johnson and other G7 leaders to extend the August 31 withdrawal deadline.

It comes as:

Former military chiefs and Tory MPs have urged the Prime Minister to reverse military cuts saying the Afghanistan crisis shows they were a mistake;

Mr Raab denied he was cavorting on a Crete beach while Afghanistan descended into chaos, saying the sea had been closed at his luxury holiday resort due to a 'red notice';

Mr Johnson pleaded with the Taliban to continue to let people out of Afghanistan after August 31 and announced a 'roadmap' for dealing with the regime;

Reports on the ground in Kabul suggested Taliban fighters were stopping Westerners getting to Kabul airport after the extremist group announced a ban on Afghans leaving the country;

President Joe Biden told the Taliban he will stick to the August 31 withdrawal deadline if they allow free access to Kabul airport.

Animal rights campaigner Dominic Dyer (left), a friend of Carrie Johnson, claimed that Boris Johnson 'took control of the situation' after reading media coverage of Nowzad founder Paul 'Pen' Farthing's (right) war of words with Ben Wallace following the G7 summit yesterday

The Prime Minister personally overruled his Defence Secretary's desire to prioritise human over animal evacuations from Kabul after coming under 'huge pressure' to help an ex-Royal Marine trying to get 200 cats and dogs out of Afghanistan, it has been claimed

Yesterday the Defence Secretary insisted that the major problem with evacuations from the Afghan capital has been getting British nationals past Taliban checkpoints surrounding Hamid Karzai International Airport after Kabul fell to the jihadists earlier this month

UK Armed Forces who continue to take part in the evacuation of entitled personnel from Kabul airport

Mr Wallace has now performed a U-turn, announcing in a series of tweets early today that if Mr Farthing arrived at the airport with his staff and animals, officials would allow them to leave on the chartered aircraft

UK is working 'full speed' to rescue 4,000 Brits and Afghans STILL stuck in Kabul with less than 36 hours to get out after Biden sparked fury by 'point blank' refusing to extend deadline - amid claims Taliban are ALREADY blocking access to the airport The UK is working 'full speed' to rescue 4,000 Britons and Afghan allies still stuck in Kabul over the next 36 hours after Joe Biden sparked fury by refusing to extend the deadline for troops leaving. Dominic Raab admitted the evacuation mission is in its final desperate stages after the US president 'point blank' rejected G7 calls for a delay, arguing the risks of attack from the Taliban and ISIS were too high. The decision means the airlift will have to stop tomorrow or Friday at the latest, to give Western forces time to wrap up their deployment. But there are already claims that the Taliban is stopping fleeing Afghans from getting into the airport, and the coming days will see the 'maximum danger' for troops with fears the regime will want to create a 'Saigon' moment and threats of a terrorist 'spectacular'. In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Raab said the UK is working 'as fast as we can' to maximise the number of people who can flee, saying 2,000 were taken to safety in the last 24 hours and almost all single-nationality Britons are now out. 'We will use every hour and day we've got to maximise that throughput to get as many of those residual cases out,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programe. 'We're going to keep going for every day and every hour that we've got left.' Mr Raab declined to say when the last UK flight will be leaving. Advertisement

Mr Dyer added: 'The Prime Minister is in control thankfully, and people across government do want to see these people and these animals home in this country and that's exactly what we're now going to do.

'We're going to get these people, we're going to get these animals, and we're going to get them home. And there's no one in Whitehall, no turf war in the Ministry of Defence, no egos getting in the way of what Pen Farthing is saying or me that is going to stop that happening.

'I want to thank the Prime Minister for taking back control. It was the right thing to do. We're now going to get these people and animals home.'

Dominic Raab this morning admitted that the evacuation mission is in its final desperate stages after the US President 'point blank' rejected calls from Britain, France and Germany for a delay, arguing the risks of attack from the Taliban and ISIS were too high.

The American decision not to extend the deadline for withdrawal means the airlift will have to stop tomorrow or Friday at the latest, to give Western forces time to wrap up their deployment.

But there are already claims that the Taliban is stopping fleeing Afghans from getting into the airport, and the coming days will see the 'maximum danger' for troops with fears the regime will want to create a 'Saigon' moment and threats of a terrorist 'spectacular'.

In response to the anger, an MoD source said yesterday: 'The car was a civilian armoured vehicle (probably part of the UK Embassy fleet).

'Priority on all flights is given to passengers, but flights have to take off in their allocated time-slot to keep traffic moving, so on the flight featured by Sky, there were 134 people processed at the time allocated for take-off, and because that left some room, it was filled with cargo, including the car.'

Mr Gervais wrote in response to the video: '@PenFarthing is brave and kind. Such honour should be rewarded. He's still trying to save others in the face of grave danger. He shouldn't be left behind. And they rescued a f*****g car? Shame.'

Actor Peter Egan added: 'Can it be possible that @BWallaceMP is ok about airlifting a car but not sentient animals!!'

Mr Farthing, 52, has complained about being 'left to fend for myself' after organising the flight for his 25 Afghan staff as well as the charity's dogs and cats. He announced the British Government granted visas for all of his staff and their dependents.

But Mr Wallace - himself a former soldier - told LBC that Mr Farthing's claim about being abandoned by the MoD was 'b******s'.

In a round of interviews, the clearly frustrated politician said that while the animal charity boss had done 'amazing' work, all the plane would achieve if it landed in Kabul was to 'block the airfield' and 'sit there empty'.

'There is a confusion, I am afraid some of the campaigners have latched on to the fact they have chartered a plane, as if this somehow is the magic wand,' he said.

'The magic wand is whether people can get through Kabul through the Taliban checkpoints and then through the 3,000-plus people, some of whom are waiting in front of the queue because they are under real threat, direct threat right now from the Taliban.'

He added: 'I am not prepared to prioritise, for example, pets over people.'

Mr Wallace said that Mr Farthing himself could get through the gates and his staff were entitled to refuge in the UK, but he could not 'guarantee' they would be airlifted 'in this window'.

An MoD spokesman said: 'We are aware of reports around vehicles being loaded onto flights leaving Afghanistan. 'Cleared passengers are always loaded as an absolute priority and any spare capacity is used for operational freight. No flight has left Kabul empty.

'In the last 24 hours, 9 flights have left with over 1800 people on board.'

Celebrities including actor Mr Gervais and Dragons Den star Deborah Meaden, who back the Nowzad charity, today slammed the Government's attitude towards evacuating animals.

Writing on Twitter, Gervais said: 'Dear stupid c**ts saying we shouldn't put animals before people.. 1. The animals go in the hold where people can't go. 2. This is an extra, privately funded plane that will allow MORE people to be saved. #OperationArk'.

Pen Farthing is founder of the Nowzad charity which he set up after befriending a stray dog while serving in Helmand in 2006

Former Royal Marine Commando Pen Farthing has been working with his Norwegian wife Kaisa Helene (above) and their team in Kabul

Mr Farthing with dogs RPG and Jena, who were destined to die from starvation or dog fights in Afghanistan until he stepped in

Celebrities including actor Ricky Gervais and Dragons Den star Deborah Meaden, who back the Nowzad charity, slammed the Government's attitude towards evacuating animals

European fury at Biden: Humiliated Boris Johnson pleads with Taliban to continue to let people out of Afghanistan AFTER August 31 and announces a 'roadmap' for dealing with new Islamist government - amid anger from France and Germany Boris Johnson today pleaded with the Taliban to allow people to leave Afghanistan after the US has completed its withdrawal on August 31. Mr Johnson, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel used a G7 summit to urge Joe Biden to extend the deadline to provide more time for airlifts from Kabul airport to take place. But the entreaties appear to have fallen on deaf ears with the Mr Biden expected to stick to his exit date for US forces. A humiliated Mr Johnson said after the summit that the UK will continue to conduct airlifts from the country 'right up until the last moment' as he called on the Taliban to guarantee 'safe passage' for anyone who wants to leave after August 31. The Taliban today repeated blood-curdling warnings of consequences if there was an attempt to extend the deadline as the group said no-one would be permitted to leave. 'All people should be removed prior to that date,' a spokesman told a press conference in the capital. 'After that we do not allow them. We will take a different stance.' According to Reuters, the Pentagon told Mr Biden the risks to American forces are too high if they defy the Taliban. Advertisement

Meaden added: 'So.. Pete Quentin (Tory candidate for Camberwell and Peckham) why on Earth would you put these lives at risk? Everything arranged and you pull it??? Are we dithering with peoples lives @PenFarthing #nowzad #operationark'.

The comments came after Mr Farthing told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'Today we still do not have anything from the MoD, in fact they cut me off.

'I did have an emergency line that I could call if I was in trouble or needed to report something that's going on but that's been cut so I've been literally left now on my own in enemy-held territory. I just can't get my head around that.

'We've got a privately-funded plane that can take 250 passengers out, 69 of them would be me and the staff, but we've got an empty cargo hold. I don't understand the problems here, I'm not asking the MoD to give me a plane I just need to have a call sign.'

Mr Farthing claimed he had not received documents from the Home Office that would allow his staff to get past Taliban checkpoints and leave the country.

But Mr Wallace told Sky News: 'He could get through the gates as a British passport holder. He was called forward on Friday and I recommend he takes that.

'His workforce have been offered, as entitled personnel, places and they will be able to be called forward, but I can't guarantee in this window they will be processed onto aircraft, all I can say is they qualify.'

He added on LBC radio: 'I have some really desperate people in that queue who are really under threat of life and death, and if we don't get them out their future is very, very bleak.

'I simply have to prioritise those people over pets, very important. It doesn't mean we don't care about animals, we're all an animal loving nation.'

Mr Farthing previously managed to get his 30-year-old wife Kaisa out of the country and shared a shocking image appearing to show her on a near-empty evacuation flight.

In an interview with Sky News, he said: 'I can't get into the airport because the MoD won't talk to me. That is beyond the pale, somebody somewhere is playing with people's lives.'

Mr Farthing goes on to describe the emotional rollercoaster he and his staff were forced to go through today.

He said: 'You've not idea of the elation in our office this morning when our staff knew [they could come to the UK].'

But the joy his staff felt soon turned to despair after Mr Farthing said the Ministry of Defence refused to let his privately funded commercial plane land in the Kabul military airfield.

He said: 'It's a privately funded aircraft, I only want to take out 69 people and the cargo hold is empty so we're going to put dogs and cats into it.

'No taxpayer money will go into this. We've got 130 spare seats on that aircraft we can fill with people entitled to come to Britain.'

He went on to claim the reason his flight had been blocked is that the Ministry of Defence doesn't want people to see animals getting on a flight.

While holding back tears he added: 'I am behind enemy lines now, the Taliban are here. I cannot get into the airport because the MoD won't talk to me. They're playing with people's lives.

'I wasn't frightened because I knew I had this lifeline but that's just been cut off. I am now on my own here.'

He previously managed to get his 30-year-old wife Kaisa out of the country and shared a shocking image appearing to show her on a near-empty evacuation flight (pictured)

Outraged social media users have taken to Twitter to vent their frustrations at the Government's alleged actions

Thousands of Afghans could be left behind in Kabul as ministers push to extend the deadline for the last British evacuation flight beyond Tuesday. Pictured: British citizens catching a flight earlier this week

How a deadly deployment in Afghanistan's Helmand province turned Royal Marine into animal saviour when he realised he couldn't leave his new canine pal behind

By JACK WRIGHT FOR MAILONLINE

Tough guy Paul Farthing arrived with the men of Kilo Company of 42 Commando Royal Marines in the war torn town of 'Now Zad' in Helmand Province - one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan - in 2006.

Tasked with providing stability for the local people in the early years of the Western intervention triggered by the 9/11 attacks in the US, the Marines soon realised it wasn't just local people who needed their help - but stray dogs.

The idea of an animal clinic was first born when Farthing - a Royal Marine Sergeant who goes by the nickname Pen - broke up a dog fight, a popular 'sport' in Afghanistan, taking place outside their remote compound.

Tough guy Paul Farthing arrived with the men of Kilo Company of 42 Commando Royal Marines in the war torn town of 'Now Zad' in Helmand Province - one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan - in 2006

Former Royal Marine commando Paul 'Pen' Farthing, who runs an animal sanctuary in Kabul, has been separated from his wife Kaisa Helene in Kabul

He was befriended by one of the dogs, who became his companion and he was named Nowzad. The Marines built a run and mortar shelter to provide the dogs with some safety and shelter and when the commando force left, Farthing decided he couldn't leave 'those sad big eyes' behind.

With the help of animal lovers Nowzad, several other dogs and 14 puppies befriended by Marines were taken on an epic journey to safety. Within months, the charity was formed with the aim of helping the animals of Afghanistan and educating the local people about the care and treatment of dogs as well as reducing rabies, a major problem in the country.

According to the Nowzad website, the clinic has reunited over 1,600 soldiers with the dogs and cats they rescue and bond with on the frontlines in Afghanistan, and 'continue to be there for the brave men and women who show compassion to animals'.

'The relationships built up between a dog and soldier on bases can be very special,' Farthing said, 'A dog can ease the stress and provide five minutes of normality that is hugely important in that kind of environment, it can provide a bond that is hard to break.

'Dogs have been proven to help post-traumatic stress and the soldiers who adopt them are addressing this.'

Undated handout photo of Pen Farthing, founder of animal rescue charity Nowzad

The US-backed authorities in Kabul undertook a brutal operation of poisoning with thousands of stray dogs on the streets but Nowzad implemented an extensive programme of humane trap, neuter, vaccinate and release as an organised and effective way of controlling the dog population - and countering canine rabies.

In parallel, they helped to educate local Afghan children how to avoid feral dogs and the humane treatment of animals. One dog at the clinic in particular carried the scars of brutality - Atish, brought in by a US aid worker who found him in agony of the streets.

'His back side had been dipped in battery acid, we think,' said Louise Hastie, the former British soldier running Nowzad's operations, 'we amputated most of the tail and he is making a good recovery.'

'We have made real progress here in terms of both care and education and it is thanks to the support of all those people who donate.

'Every penny they give is genuinely helping the lives of Afghan animals and that is something we are proud of. 'For soldiers and others out here that we have helped there has been a special bond built-up with an animal here that they can't give up.
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Drone photographs revealed police searching gravel pits eight miles from Claudia Lawrence's home today, as a family friend said detectives must have been led to the site after a specific tip-off.

North Yorkshire Police's sudden interest in the area at Sand Hutton to the east of York could only have been sparked by new information, the friend said.

Specialist officers and staff, including underwater search teams, and forensic experts are expected to spend days at the site.

It is the latest development in a 22-year-old mystery over what could have happened to Miss Lawrence after she failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009.

Martin Dales, a friend of her late father Peter, told MailOnline: 'The police did everything they could at the time, searching the river, the waters at the university. You don't press the button on an operation like this unless there is a good reason for it.

Undated North Yorkshire Police handout of Claudia Lawrence with her late father Peter

Police search Sand Hutton Gravel Pits in York today - eight miles from where Claudia Lawrence was last seen 12 years ago

North Yorkshire Police are interested interest in the area at Sand Hutton to the east of the city, which is pictured today

Specialist officers and staff, including underwater search teams, and forensic experts are expected to spend days at the site

Police search Sand Hutton Gravel Pits in York today - eight miles from where Claudia Lawrence was last seen 12 years ago

In the 12 years since her disappearance, nine people have been questioned, but no charges have ever been brought.

The case - which is being treated as a suspected murder - has never been closed by North Yorkshire Police

'There must have been some kind of new information about this area. I can think of a lot of places as far away that have not been searched before. I don't know where the decision to search here has come from - nobody knew anything about it.'

In the 12 years since her disappearance, nine people have been questioned, but no charges have ever been brought.

The case - which is being treated as a suspected murder - has never been closed by North Yorkshire Police.

Her father Mr Lawrence - who campaigned tirelessly for Claudia's Law, which allows relatives to control of their missing loved ones' financial matters - died in February aged 74, without finding out what happened to her.

Her mother Joan told ITV: 'It's been the not knowing all along, and it's been carrying on as if everything is normal when it isn't. My lifestyle, what I'm involved in. You put a good face on, but inside it's very different.'

Police continue their search this morning for Claudia Lawrence, 12 years after she vanished

Police cordons are in place as they continue their search for the body of Claudia Lawrence

North Yorkshire police search team at the search site at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits yesterday

Police officers searching the land at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits near York on Tuesday afternoon

Speaking at the new site yesterday, Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox, senior investigating officer in the case, said: 'The searches which have commenced here today at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits are in relation to the disappearance and suspected murder of Claudia Lawrence more than 12 years ago.

'While I cannot say at this stage how long the search may take, I do anticipate that a number of specialist officers and staff, including underwater search teams, and forensic experts are likely to be at this location for a number of days.

'Whilst I am unable to disclose what brought us to this location, I would like to stress that the searches that you will see in coming days are just one of several active lines of inquiry which are currently being investigated and pursued by North Yorkshire Police Major Investigation team in our efforts to establish what happened to Claudia and to identify any person responsible for causing her harm.

Claudia Lawrence, 35, failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009 and was reported missing by her father two days later

Police officers searching the land at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits near York in connection with the disappearance of missing Claudia Lawrence

In the twelve years since her disappearance, nine people have been questioned, but no charges have ever been brought. The case - which is being treated as a suspected murder - has never been closed by North Yorkshire Police. Pictured: Police launching a new search on land at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits

Miss Lawrence, who lived by herself in the Heworth area of York, failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009 and was reported missing by her father Peter Lawrence two days later, after her friends said they had not heard from her

Police have confirmed that an operation has begun to search gravel pits at Sand Hutton, to the east of York

The investigation is one of the largest North Yorkshire Police has ever undertaken, with thousands of interviews, statements and searches, and received extensive media attention

Claudia Lawrence's route home from work and matched by her now missing mobile phone

A CCTV image shows a man walking near the house of murdered chef Claudia Lawrence

This person has never been identified and is still being hunted by investigating officers

'I can confirm Claudia's family are aware this activity is taking place.'

The disappearance of Claudia Lawrence 2009 March 18 - Miss Lawrence speaks with her parents over the phone and, at 8.23pm, sends her friend a text. She has not been seen or heard from since. March 20 - Miss Lawrence's father, Peter, contacts North Yorkshire Police after his daughter fails to keep an arrangement to meet a friend at the Nags Head pub. She also fails to attend work. March 23 - Mr Lawrence describes his daughter's disappearance as a 'living nightmare' during a news conference in York. April 24 - Detectives say that Miss Lawrence's disappearance is being treated as a suspected murder investigation. A 10,000 reward is offered for information that could lead to the conviction of those responsible. 2010 May 6 - Mr Lawrence calls for an urgent independent inquiry into the police investigation of his daughter's disappearance and suspected murder. July 29 - Police confirm they are reducing the number of officers dedicated to the inquiry into Miss Lawrence's disappearance. 2013 October 29 - A new forensic search of Miss Lawrence's home is announced as police launch a fresh review of the case. 2014 March 19 - Five years on from Miss Lawrence's disappearance, officers discover at her home the fingerprints of people who have still not come forward to the investigation. May 13 - A 59-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of murder. He is released on police bail and eventually released without charge on November 17, 2014. 2015 March 23 - A man in his 50s is arrested on suspicion of murdering Miss Lawrence and is released on police bail the following day. April 22 - Three more men, all in their 50s and from the York area, are arrested on suspicion of murder and are released on bail. September 17 - A file of evidence on four men arrested on suspicion of murder is sent by North Yorkshire Police to the Crown Prosecution service (CPS) so it can consider whether to bring charges. 2016 March 8 - Police say the CPS has decided the four men will not face charges. 2017 January 17 - Mr Lawrence says he is 'hugely depressed and disappointed' as the investigation into his daughter's disappearance is scaled down. 2019 March - Nearly a decade on from her disappearance, Miss Lawrence has still not been found. Her father says in an interview that 'it's very difficult' to conceive of her still being alive. July - The Guardianship (Missing Persons) Bill, also known as Claudia's Law, came into force. This followed years of campaigning by Mr Lawrence and allows relatives to take control of their missing loved ones' financial matters. 2021 February 15 - The death of Peter Lawrence in announced. March 18 - Speaking after taking over the police investigation, Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox said it is not too late for people to come forward and stop the 'unrelenting anguish' caused to the chef's loved ones. August 24 - A new search operation is announced at the gravel pits at Sand Hutton, about eight miles from York. Advertisement

The investigation is one of the largest North Yorkshire Police has ever undertaken, with thousands of interviews, statements and searches, and received extensive media attention.

North Yorkshire Police announced new leads had led to the search at Sand Hutton gravel pits involving teams on land and divers.

A team of police officers could be seen working in a line, methodically searching the undergrowth at Sand Hutton gravel pits.

The beauty spot, popular with anglers, is around a mile off the A64 arterial road which leads out of York towards the town of Malton.

The large York Biotech plant, a centre for agricultural and food technology, is nearby having been established 20 years ago.

The spot where the police search is underway is 5.6 miles away from where Claudia was last seen on Wednesday March 18th 2009 near her home in Heworth, York.

Locals described the area as 'a fishing pond' where anglers come all year round.

Earlier this year, Mr Fox repeated North Yorkshire Police's believe that several people know, or have suspicions about, what happened to Miss Lawrence.

He said some of the information received by the force 'appears extremely interesting and sparks a whole new line of investigation', and he urged anyone providing this information to get back in touch with as much detail as possible.

Miss Lawrence's silver Samsung D900 phone and blue and grey Karrimor rucksack have never been found.

Detectives have previously said that they 'strongly suspect key and vital information' which would offer a breakthrough was being 'withheld' and that the answer to her disappearance lies 'locally'.

They have vowed not to quit, saying: 'North Yorkshire Police will never give up on Claudia until it is known who is responsible for her disappearance and suspected murder.'

Miss Lawrence never turned up to her 6am shift at the university's Goodricke College on March 19. The day before, she left work at 2.30pm and started walking the three-mile trek home, which she had been doing for weeks while her car was unavailable.

A friend driving past spotted her on Melrosegate and offered her a lift, which she accepted, and she was then dropped off at her cottage on Heworth Road at around 2.50pm.

A friend later saw Miss Lawrence returning home at 3.05pm and there was a reported sighting in between of her posting a letter nearby.

At around 8pm she texted a friend and then half an hour later she received a call from her mother, who described her as sounding 'cheerful and relaxed'.

The last text Miss Lawrence received was from a male friend in Cyprus who worked in a bar.

After failing to turn up for her morning shift on the 19th, her manager attempted to call her mobile but did not receive an answer. At 12.08pm Miss Lawrence's phone switched off, with later investigations showing that this was done deliberately.

In the evening she was scheduled to meet her friend Suzy Cooper but didn't turn up. Ms Cooper then contacted Mr Lawrence, who went round to the house with a spare key to check on his daughter.

He then reported his daughter to North Yorkshire Police as a missing person.

A man seen standing outside Miss Lawrence's house between 6.45am and 6.55am that day has never been identified by police.

Another male filmed by a CCTV camera in Lime Court, Heworth Road very close to her house has also never been traced.

On June 2, 2009, the case was covered on an episode of BBC's Crimewatch in which Detective Sergeant Ray Galloway, then leading the search, said they were without any strong leads.

After presenter Kirsty Young pushed him to talk about the 'areas of Claudia's life that are delicate to say the least and definitely complex' which had not yet been touched on, Mr Galloway said: 'It's become apparent that some of Claudia's relationships had an element of complexity and mystery to them'.

Amid suspicions that Miss Lawrence had suspicious relationships unknown to her friends or family, her father refuted the claims on the Today Programme.

Mr Lawrence said: 'We really wonder whether, certainly recently, she had time to form any relationships other than those about which we know. She saw her best friend, Suzy, and myself very regularly and she worked in quite a strenuous job. We wonder about it.'

In September 2009, detectives said the search had been extended to Cyprus, with Mr Galloway stating Miss Lawrence 'knew several people who live on the island' and that she may have 'received job offers' while there.

Peter Lawrence at York Police Station for a press conference in April 2009 alongside Superintendent Ray Galloway

Peter Lawrence holding up poster of his daughter outside the Houses of Parliament in 2011

Mr Galloway later stated that interviewees had been 'reluctant and less than candid' when spoken to, and that officers had been sent to Cyprus to interview people whom she had met there.

In March 2010, police began searching various areas of York including Heslington and land near the university, including a children's play area, upon receiving new information.

Claudia's Law Peter Lawrence received an OBE for helping to shape the 2017 Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act, known informally as Claudia's Law. The law, known informally as Claudia's Law, created a new legal status of guardian of the affairs of a missing person, allowing someone to act in their best interests after they have been gone for 90 days or more. The new legislation means families can oversee the financial and property affairs of their missing loved one, if the person has been missing for 90 days - lessening what can be a huge burden at a traumatic time. Advertisement

However, officers did not find any new leads from these searches.

In 2013, North Yorkshire Police set up a new Major Crime Unit, which was established specifically to look into kidnaps, rapes and 'stalled' cases.

Using advanced techniques not previously available, the MCU found additional fingerprints and a man's DNA on a cigarette end in her car. Work surrounding her Samsung D900 mobile phone showed from cell site activity that she was in the Acomb area of York in the weeks leading up to her disappearance and that the phone was deliberately turned off by someone at about 12:10pm on Thursday, March 19, 2009.

A number of arrests were then carried out in relation to the investigation, including six men on suspicion of murder. However, none were charged.

In June 2019, the Government introduced the Guardianship (Missing Person's) Act 2017, informally known as Claudia's Law.

A fresh appeal for answers about Miss Lawrence's case was made in March this year, on the eve of the 12th anniversary of her disappearance.

Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox, Head of the North Yorkshire Major Investigation Team, said: 'In October last year, following the retirement of Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn, I was appointed as the new Senior Investigating Officer in charge of the Claudia Lawrence case.

'I share his determination and sincerely hope that one day we will find Claudia and bring to justice those responsible for her suspected murder.

'In my view, there are likely to be several people out there who either know or have strong suspicions as to what happened to Claudia.

'For whatever reason, they have maintained a silence for 12 years.

'That is an awfully long time to carry such a burden of guilt. The longer you carry it, the greater the anguish you are causing to Claudia's family and friends.

'Please do the right thing, come forward and speak to me.'

Miss Lawrence's mother Joan Lawrence earlier this year said she cried when she heard about the disappearance of Sarah Everard, who was kidnapped and murdered by a Metropolitan Police officer in London.

She told the Mirror: 'It brought back all the memories of the weekend when Claudia went missing. I know exactly how her parents are feeling... It's the worst possible pain'.

Mr Dales added: 'I think these things, the strain of it is palpable. In this case, obviously trying to help people with the legislation side of things, it's not straightforward.

'Most missing people cases are solved, most people come back quite quickly, but you do have people for which that's longer.

'He (Peter Lawrence) was a man of faith, he did practise that and he always said that helped him hugely, as it would be helpful for everybody. The key thing is that this needs closure, for his sister, his mother, his friends, everybody.

'The police can only act on information that is passed to them. We all feel that there is someone withholding information in all of this.'

Mr Lawrence received an OBE for helping to shape the 2017 Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act, known informally as Claudia's Law.

The law, known informally as Claudia's Law, created a new legal status of guardian of the affairs of a missing person, allowing someone to act in their best interests after they have been gone for 90 days or more.

The new legislation means families can oversee the financial and property affairs of their missing loved one, if the person has been missing for 90 days - lessening what can be a huge burden at a traumatic time.

Nine suspects quizzed. A 1.5m cold case probe. Now, hope of an answer at last

By Beth Hale

For 12 long years, the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence has remained one of Britain's most perplexing unsolved mysteries.

During that time, the smiling face of the York University chef has been burned into public consciousness, frozen in time as the woman of 35 who vanished in March 2009.

Hopes of a breakthrough have been raised many times  to date, nine people have been arrested or interviewed under caution, files have been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to several individuals, but no charges brought. No trace of Claudia.

More than 2,500 statements taken, more than 1,700 vehicles checked, dozens of homes and business premises examined, more than 200 items tested for DNA. No trace of Claudia.

Despite an extensive suspected murder investigation and a cold case review costing a reported 1.5million, no one has been able to explain how Claudia simply vanished or tell her heartbroken family where she is. Could that finally be about to change?

For 12 long years, the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence has remained one of Britain's most perplexing unsolved mysteries. Pictured: Joan Lawrence, Claudia's mother

Should yesterday's developments finally lift the veil on what happened to the woman who apparently left the home, on the outskirts of York, where she lived alone, leaving her bed made, dirty plates in the sink and her slippers lined up in the hall, it would be the moment Claudia's loved ones have been waiting for all these years.

Only two years ago, on the tenth anniversary of her disappearance, her mother Joan, 78, spoke about her continuing hope.

'As her mum, I feel no cut-off. I can't believe she is dead,' she told the Mail. 'I am never, ever giving up hope. Someone knows the truth.'

Fresh hope will be welcome. But hopes have been raised and dashed many times before, and this time there is a painful twist in the agonising mystery.

Her father Peter, a solicitor, campaigned tirelessly for answers and spent years arguing for what became the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Bill  also known as Claudia's Law  which allows relatives to take control of their missing loved ones' financial matters.

Peter died in February, aged 74, never knowing what happened to his daughter. So what do we know of what happened to Claudia Lawrence?

Nobody has seen or heard from her since she came home from work on Wednesday March 18, 2009. Close to her family, she'd grown up with her parents and older sister Ali in the pretty North Yorkshire market town of Malton. Her parents were divorced, and she'd spoken to each of them that evening, sounding 'cheerful and relaxed'.

But she never arrived for her early shift at work the following day. It was Peter who reported her missing on the Friday after one of his daughter's female friends alerted him when Claudia didn't turn up to meet her in the pub, as they'd agreed, on Thursday night, and phone calls the next morning went straight to voicemail.

Mr Lawrence's first action was to go to his daughter's house with a spare key to check on her. She wasn't there. He reported his daughter to North Yorkshire Police as a missing person, and the investigation began.

At Claudia's home there was precious little evidence, no signs of a break-in or disturbance.

Her passport, bank cards and jewellery were still there  but her mobile phone, chef's whites and a small Karrimor rucksack were all gone.

Her father Peter, a solicitor, campaigned tirelessly for answers and spent years arguing for what became the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Bill  also known as Claudia's Law  which allows relatives to take control of their missing loved ones' financial matters

Following a TV appeal, one witness came forward to say they had seen a woman matching Claudia's description talking to a left-handed smoker in the street. Another told police they had seen a couple arguing near the campus.

Then, a reconstruction of Miss Lawrence's last known movements and possible witness sightings was screened on the BBC Crimewatch programme. To the distress of the Lawrence family, the course of the investigation suddenly altered.

Under questioning by Kirsty Young, Detective Supterindent Ray Galloway, since retired, who was leading the inquiry described Claudia's love life as 'complex and mysterious' .

Early police inquiries revealed that Claudia, like many attractive single women, had dated a number of men: around 12 over a five-year period. At least one of them was married.

Suddenly Claudia's busy social life, which centred largely on the Nag's Head pub, her local, just a few doors down from her house, was in the spotlight  a source of pain and frustration for her family, who were grieved by the false impression of Claudia.

As Joan put it in a 2019 interview: 'Why is it always the woman who is judged? Everyone who knew Claudia  all her real friends in Malton  didn't recognise her from how she'd been portrayed.'

Detectives have previously said they 'strongly suspect key and vital information' which would offer a breakthrough was being 'withheld' and that the answer to her disappearance lies 'locally'.

Claudia's mobile phone never left the local area and was deliberately switched off some hours after she failed to turn up for work. There have been various theories, various dead ends.

In a Channel 5 documentary called Missing or Murdered, one of Claudia's work colleagues  speaking for the first time  suggested that shortly before her disappearance she had hinted at a new lover whom no one yet knew about.

Then there is the name Christopher Halliwell: he is the taxi driver who is serving a full life sentence for the sexually motivated murders of Becky Godden and Sian O'Callagan in Wiltshire.Could he be responsible?

North Yorkshire Police have investigated the link with Halliwell, who had family connections in Yorkshire, but have not found any evidence to support the theory.

There was speculation she could have been sex trafficked, more speculation about a moonlight flit to Cyprus, despite leaving her passport at home.

But her father Peter Lawrence gave this short shrift. 'She was not a mastermind or a master criminal who would have been able to devise a way of going abroad not using a passport or bank account,' he said.

The police investigation was dramatically scaled back in July 2010, then in 2013, North Yorkshire Police set up a new Major Crime Unit, specifically to look into 'stalled' cases such as Claudia's.

A fresh forensic search of her home was launched, and in early 2014, fingerprints were found of people who have still not come forward.

A series of arrests followed in 2014 and 2015, but all were released without charge.

By 2017, police had announced the investigation, which by this time had cost 1million, was being scaled down. And yet, the hope has steadfastly remained.

Earlier this year, Joan said: 'I have a gut feeling this year will bring something that could lead us to discover what has happened to Claudia. I pray for that each day.'

Whatever this latest police investigation reveals, it may not salve the anguish, but perhaps answers to this heartbreaking mystery may finally be near.
Dominic Raab today denied he was 'lounging around on the beach' while Kabul fell as he defended his delayed return to the UK from a luxury break at a five-star resort in Crete.

The Foreign Secretary arrived home on the evening of Sunday August 15 after he opted to work remotely as the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated.

Mr Raab said he was 'engaged from a hotel room, my family was on the beach, not me' and that he 'checked in on them episodically'.

The Tory frontbencher said 'the stuff about me being lounging around on the beach all day' or paddle boarding is 'nonsense' as he insisted the 'sea was actually closed, it was a red notice'.

Mr Raab remains under pressure to quit over his handling of the crisis and this morning he admitted that 'with the benefit of hindsight I wouldn't have gone away'.

Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, today denied he was 'lounging around on the beach' while Kabul fell

Mr Raab was accused of topping up his tan at the Amirandes Hotel in Crete, a boutique resort which boasts its own private beach, fine dining and 'one of the biggest pools you'll ever see,' according to its website

The Foreign Secretary spoke to Boris Johnson about the situation in Afghanistan on Friday August 13, just 48 hours before the Taliban completed its takeover of Kabul.

Mr Raab told Sky News that 'the scale and pace of the fall of Kabul came as a surprise to everyone around the world' and 'even the Taliban were surprised'.

Asked if he was ordered by Mr Johnson to return to the UK on the Friday or if he had lobbied to work remotely, Mr Raab replied: 'All of those claims and suggestions... we discussed the matter, I agreed to come back on Sunday, I am not going to add further to the speculation around that.

'But the idea, some of the reporting, some of the assertions you have just put to me, are just not true.

'We were focused overwhelmingly on securing the airport, making sure, and I was engaged in meetings, the stuff about me being lounging around on the beach all day is just nonsense.

'There is stuff about me paddle boarding. Nonsense. The sea was actually closed, it was a red notice.'

Mr Raab later told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I'm not going to add any more to the speculation in the media.

'What I can tell you is that from that period I was engaged from a hotel room, my family was on the beach, not me.

'I checked in on them episodically, but the idea that I was lounging on the beach is just nonsense.'

Mr Raab returned from the five-star Amirandes Hotel on the evening of Sunday August 15

A poll conducted by Savanta ComRes over the weekend on behalf of Left Foot Forward found 51 per cent of people believe Mr Raab should resign, with just 24 per cent disagreeing.

Mr Raab has insisted that he will not step down and the Prime Minister has refused to sack him. However, he is widely expected to be removed in the next Cabinet reshuffle.

Responding to the poll, the Foreign Secretary said: 'Self-selecting reader polls in newspapers I am afraid are not a particularly accurate barometer.'

He added: 'Of course with the benefit of hindsight I wouldn't have gone away but that is a luxury of commentators, not politicians.'
** Did you witness any of the attacks? Do you know the attacker? Email katie.weston@mailonline.co.uk **

Officers also informed of fourth victim who has yet to contact police, with enquiries to identify them ongoing

At 8.30pm, a 64-year-old man was left unconscious after being punched in face while walking to a synagogue

Another clip taken shortly afterwards shows boy, 14, being 'assaulted without warning' in same area at 7.10pm

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Did you witness any of the attacks? Do you know the attacker? Email katie.weston@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

This is the shocking moment an Orthodox Jewish man is struck in the face with a bottle in the fourth alleged hate-attack by the same assailant just hours apart in north London.

Footage shows the 30-year-old victim being hit on the head by a man wearing Islamic clothing on a street in Stamford Hill at around 6.40pm last Wednesday.

A separate video taken shortly afterwards shows a 14-year-old boy on a bicycle being 'assaulted without warning' in the same area at 7.10pm.

And at 8.30pm, a 64-year-old grandfather was left unconscious after being punched in the face while walking to a synagogue, suffering facial injures and a broken foot.

All three of the victims are Jewish, said police, who are linking the incidents and treating them as hate crimes.

Officers have also been informed of a fourth victim who has yet to contact police, added the force, with enquiries to identify them ongoing. It is understood that this attack took place on the same evening.

The Met has now released an image of the suspect, who can be seen wearing a white kufi cap, glasses and a green-brown coat in each clip.

No arrests have been made but an investigation is underway.

Footage shows the 30-year-old victim being hit on the head by a man wearing Islamic clothing on a street in Stamford Hill, north London, at around 6.40pm last Wednesday

The 30-year-old victim can be seen standing in the background after being hit on the head by the suspected assailant (front). No arrests have been made but an investigation is underway, said police

The Met has now released an image of the suspect (pictured above), who can be seen wearing a white kufi cap, glasses and a green-brown coat in each clip. The incidents are being linked and treated as hate crimes

A map showing the location of each attack, with the first taking place at 6.41pm on Cazenove Road, the second at 7.10pm on Holmdale Terrace, the third at 8.30pm on Colberg Road and the fourth nearby on the same evening

Neighbourhood watch group Shomrim posted on its Stamford Hill account yesterday: 'Yet another racially motivated assault.

'Wed 6:40pm Orthodox Jew struck in the face with a bottle.

'MPSHackney are urgently trying to identify the assailant who went on a racist rampage assaulting multiple Jews over a three-hour period.'

One of the victims - the 64-year-old - has spoken out since the spate of attacks.

He told ITV News London: 'I went into deep shock, terrible pain for the first two nights after I heard it was an attack.

'Although I didn't see the footage - I was advised not to - I replayed in my mind what I was told happened, as if I saw it. It was nightmarish.'

The grandfather, whose head slammed into a nearby wall due to the force of the punch, also said that he now suffers from memory loss.

In a statement, the Met said: 'Anyone who recognises the man, or who witnessed the assault and is yet to speak with officers, is asked to come forward.

At 8.30pm, a 64-year-old grandfather was left unconscious after being punched in the face while walking to a synagogue, suffering facial injures and a broken foot. The victim said that he now suffers memory loss

Neighbourhood watch group Shomrim's post regarding the attack on the 64-year-old man. The victim said: 'I went into deep shock, terrible pain for the first two nights after I heard it was an attack'

'Please call police on 101 quoting reference 4492/20AUG. To remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.'

It was revealed last month that there were 87 anti-Semitic incidents of physical violence recorded across the capital in May - around four times higher than any point in the past three years.

All other months since May 2018 saw levels ranging between seven and 22 incidents per month, a Freedom of Information request to the Met Police found.

The figures showed 39 of the incidents involved male victims, while 43 targeted women. In one of the incidents, police recorded rocks being thrown at a Jewish home in London.

A separate video shows a 14-year-old boy on a bicycle being 'assaulted without warning' (pictured above) by the same assailant in the area at 7.10pm. The injuries are not life-threatening, said police

It was revealed last month that there were 87 anti-Semitic incidents of physical violence recorded across the capital in May - around four times higher than any point in the past three years. Pictured: the suspected attacker (left)

Dozens of other non-violent incidents were recorded across the capital throughout the month, including one where the word 'Hitler' was written on the ceiling of a communal block of flats.

And in another incident a 17-year-old boy was charged with a religiously aggravated public order offence for allegedly subjecting a Jewish man to a 'torrent of anti-Semitic abuse' on the underground.

The wider figure for anti-Semitic incidents in London, which includes verbal abuse, was 252 over the same period.

The incidents reported to the Met Police resulted in 15 arrests.
The 44-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage

Dramatic footage has captured the moment a man wearing just his underpants was arrested by police after being hauled down from a car roof.

Officers were called to Broad Street in Birmingham following reports of a semi-naked thug assaulting two people, throwing stones and jumping on the top of vehicles.

Footage appears to show the suspect stomping on the roof of a silver Vauxhall as police pull up at the scene outside a hotel on Sunday morning.

He then takes off his shoes and hurls them at the approaching officers who grab him by the legs and drag him from the roof.

The man, who is wearing only a pair of black patterned boxer shorts, is detained by several cops who repeatedly shout at him: 'Get on the floor.'

West Midlands Police said they were called at around 10am after receiving reports of a man screaming and throwing stones.

The 44-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage as well as assaulting a taxi driver and a shop worker.

Witnesses said the man began shouting in the street from as early as 8am and had earlier attacked a member of staff in a Sainsbury's supermarket.

Officers were called to Broad Street in Birmingham following reports of a semi-naked thug assaulting two people, throwing stones and jumping on the top of vehicles

One resident said: 'He had been making a nuisance of himself for a while by all accounts.

'He was apparently chucked out of a casino the night before and attacked someone in a Sainsbury's. He took his shirt off in there and began abusing security.

'Then he was shouting and screaming and hurling stones along Broad Street before police turned up when he starting jumping on cars.

'He was dragged off and arrested, it wasn't what you expect on a Sunday morning.'

The 44-year-old suspect appears to take off his shoes and hurl them at the approaching officers who grab him by the legs and drag him from the roof

A force spokesperson said: 'A man was arrested in Broad Street, Birmingham, this morning for criminal damage.

'It's alleged the bare-chested man was throwing stones at property and jumping on vehicles, including a taxi.

'The man, believed to be aged 44, has also been arrested on suspicion of assaulting a shop worker and a taxi driver.

'He remains in police custody.'
A grieving farmer has used sheep to create a moving masterpiece in a uniquely Australian gesture, paying tribute to his late aunt after Covid restrictions forced him to miss her funeral.

When Ben Jackson from Guyra, on the New South Wales Northern Tablelands, was unable to attend his aunt's funeral in Brisbane due to Covid border closures, the farmer honoured her in his own way.

Using some grain, a drone and a flock of sheep the resourceful farmer managed to orchestrate an incredibly creative heart formation, as he hoped she would 'peep down from heaven' to see it.

I made this for my Aunty Deb. We said goodbye yesterday. I hope you had a peep down from up there and saw this sheep art for you. Bridge over Troubled water by Simon and Garfunkel was one of her favourite tunes. Posted by Benjamin Jackson on Monday, August 23, 2021

NSW farmer Ben Jackson created his own heartfelt tribute (pictured) for his late aunt after he was forced to miss her funeral in Brisbane due to Covid-19 border closures

Mr Jackson had used the grain to create a heart shape pattern on grassy farmland where he then released dozens of hungry sheep and let the drone capture the rest.

The moving gesture was posted to Jackson's Facebook on Tuesday night, accompanied by a heartfelt message captioned alongside the video.

'I made this for my Aunty Deb. We said goodbye yesterday. I hope you had a peep down from up there and saw this sheep art for you,' he wrote.

The Guyra farmer created the video using grain, a drone and a flock of very hungry sheep (pictured)

'Bridge over Troubled water by Simon and Garfunkel was one of her favourite tunes.'

The touching tribute video from Mr Jackson was played at the end of Deb Cowdery's funeral service.

Mr Jackson said the true reality of Covid-19 restrictions didn't hit home until he found himself separated from his family during the time of his aunt's death.

'You hear about people doing it tough and not being able to say cheerio to their loved ones and not being able to be there or have that type of connection that we're used to,' Mr Jackson told The Sydney Morning Herald.

'I was completely and utterly unprepared for how it's affected me, the family and others, of course there are so many people who are doing it tough in Australia and the world.'
A quarter had symptoms the second time, compared to half when first infected

Some 191 people out of 19,467 caught the virus twice since last April

Just 0.98% of participants in an ONS study have been reinfected with Covid

Fewer than one per cent of Britons who previously had Covid caught it a second time, according to official estimates.

The Office for National Statistics found just 191 out of almost 20,000 Covid survivors tested positive again months later.

And the agency believes reinfected people are half as likely to suffer Covid symptoms when compared to those catching the virus for the first time.

It found that almost exactly half of people suffer symptoms within five weeks of testing positive for Covid for the first time.

Just one in four reinfected people (24 per cent) fell ill.

Reinfected Britons also had lower viral loads than first timers, signalling they were less likely to transmit the virus to others.

Experts told MailOnline the data confirms 'immunity is the best way out of the pandemic' and it is most safely achieved through vaccination.

But it comes as a real-world study, led by King's College London, found protection against infection from two vaccine doses drops after six months.

Data from the Office for National Statistics revealed that among 19,467 people who caught Covid between April 2020 and August 2021, only 191 of them went on to catch the virus again - fewer than one per cent of the group

The ONS' figures showed that among the nearly 20,000 people in the survey who caught Covid once since the beginning of the pandemic, around half developed Covid symptoms. But just a quarter of those who caught the virus for a second time developed symptoms

The ONS identified 19,467 people who previously tested positive, so were 'at risk' of reinfection.

To count as a reinfection, someone has to test positive for the virus 120 days after first testing positive and had a negative result before testing positive again.

The ONS also considered a Covid case as a reinfection in 120 days had not lapsed, but a person had tested negative four times after first testing positive, before testing positive again.

Protection against Covid infection after two vaccines falls within SIX months Two Covid vaccine doses become less effective at stopping infections within six months, a major study has found. Researchers warned Britons given the jabs first  including the elderly  could see protection plummet to just 50 per cent by winter without boosters. The real-world study, led by King's College London, looked at more than a million people who had been fully vaccinated. Protection from infection after both Pfizer doses dropped from 88 per cent at one month to 74 per cent at five to six months. And it decreased from 77 per cent at one month after two injections of AstraZeneca's vaccine to 67 per cent after four to five months. It's unclear whether the waning immunity against infection also means people are less protected against hospitalisation and death. But Professor Tim Spector, the lead scientist behind the study, said high levels of infection would ultimately lead to more deaths. He warned effectiveness could drop below 50 per cent by winter, and urged Britain to 'urgently' get its act together on booster vaccines. It comes on the back of a separate study last night which found four in 10 people who have weakened immune systems show 'low or undetectable' levels of Covid immunity after being double vaccinated. Both studies will pile pressure on the Government's scientific advisers to green light a booster jab programme for the elderly and vulnerable this autumn. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is expected to approve booster doses for the immunocompromised in the coming weeks. But Professor Adam Finn, who sits on the JCVI, suggested this morning the group will stop short of recommending them for healthy elderly adults until more evidence of the benefit surfaces. Advertisement

Just 191 people in the group caught caught the virus for a second time, equating to less than one in 10.

Government statisticians also looked at cycle threshold (Ct) values of volunteers, and compared the average scores between the first and second infection.

The Ct value in those who got reinfected was 'significantly lower' compared to the first infection, suggesting a lower viral load and less risk of experiencing illness, the ONS said.

Ct values show the amount of SARS-CoV-2 virus presented in a nose or throat swab sample, with a lower value equating to a higher viral load.

A higher Ct value means scientists had to spend longer looking at the sample before they were able to spot the virus, indicating there is less of it in their swab.

Of the 191 reinfections spotted by the ONS, just 72 (37.7 per cent) had a Ct value below 30 - the benchmark for 'strong positive' Covid tests.

When first infected, the group had an average Ct value of 28.63, but this rose to 31.46 when they were infected a second time, signalling there was less of the virus present in their test samples.

And only 47 of these people (24.61 per cent) experienced any Covid symptoms within 35 days of testing positive for the virus.

This is much less than then 50.26 per cent of reinfected volunteers that reported symptoms when they were first infected.

On average, volunteers got reinfected 172 days - around five and a half months - after first testing positive.

Professor James Naismith, a structural biologist at the University of Oxford, told MailOnline: 'The data confirm that immunity is the best way out of the pandemic. Immunity by vaccination is very safe and effective.

'Immunity by infection is a gamble. Infection can lead to death or serious illness and/or long Covid.

'For everyone 16 or over, I would urge them to get vaccinated. There will be no normality until we vaccinate all those who can be infected and can spread infection.'

Dr Alexander Edwards, an associate professor in biomedical technology at the University of Reading, told MailOnline: 'I think we are still trying to work out exactly how much protection is provided by natural infection.

'Its hard to pin down because it does change over time, it changes with variants, and will vary greatly between different individuals.

'As with vaccines, no-one is completely protected, but its very likely that immunity will mostly protect people from severe disease. Yet we also know people can get very serious illness even on reinfection.'

Meanwhile, a study of 1.1million Brits who received Covid jabs found protection against catching the virus falls within six months.

Researchers found protection against infection after two shots of Pfizer decreased from 88 per cent at one month to 74 per cent at five to six months.

For AstraZeneca, effectiveness dropped from 77 per cent to 67 per cent at four to five months.

It's unclear whether the waning immunity against infection also means people are less protected against hospitalisation and death.

But Professor Tim Spector, the lead scientist behind the study, said high levels of infection would ultimately lead to more deaths. He warned effectiveness could drop below 50 per cent by winter, and urged Britain to 'urgently' get its act together on booster vaccines.

The findings add to the mounting pressure faced by ministers to implement a mass booster rollout.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which advises the Government on the vaccine drive, is expected to only green light third doses for vulnerable adults with suppressed immune systems.

The boosters will almost certainly be offered to the 3.7million Britons classified as 'clinically extremely vulnerable', with diseases such as cancer.

But originally it was hoped that the programme would be open to all over-50s, key workers and sick patients - which would have included as many as 32m people.

Some scientists have said vaccines should be used to administer first doses to people in other countries before third doses are offered in the UK.
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England's 'most remote house' has been put up for sale for the first time in almost 200 years - for 1.5 million.

Skiddaw House is surrounded by mountains in the heart of the Lake District, 3.5 miles from the nearest road with no other building in sight.

Standing at 1,550ft on the flanks of Skiddaw mountain, ten miles north of the town of Keswick, Cumbria, it is accessible only by foot or 4 x 4 vehicle.

The one-of-a-kind, six-bedroom property is out of reach of any mobile signal and is being billed as the 'ultimate, off-grid, escape from it all bolthole'.

Owned by a local farmer, it is being marketed by agents as an 'exciting and unique opportunity to purchase the most remote house in England'.

Found in the heart of the Lake District, England's 'most remote house' is up for sale for the first time in almost 200 years

Skiddaw House sits near Skiddaw Mountain and is the only dwelling located in the 3,000sq ft Skiddaw Forest in Cumbria

The property is so remote it is only accessible by foot or 4x4 and is 3.5 miles from the nearest road. Pictured: the view

The unique home (pictured) has six bedrooms and two large reception rooms as well as a large kitchen dining room

Mitchells Land Agency says: 'If you crave isolation and simplicity, Skiddaw House has it in spades.

'As the only dwelling in the 3,000 acre Skiddaw Forest, Skiddaw House is the ultimate bolthole.

'Possessing endless views, Skiddaw is a source of perpetual inspiration, a place to create art, find peace and live in the sky.'

The property was built in 1829 by the Earl of Egremont of Cockermouth Castle as a lodge for his gamekeeper.

Down the years, it has also been used as a shooting cabin, shepherd's dwelling, school field centre and ramblers' bothy.

Situated in 3.45 acres, it has no mains electricity, TV or internet to distract from the stunning surrounding scenery.

The house was built in 1829 by the Earl of Egremont of Cockermouth Castle as a lodge for his gamekeeper. Pictured: the view

The house is currently being used as a youth hostel for Lakeland walkers. Pictured: One of the hostel's common rooms

The Youth Hostel Association has currently leased the house until 2027. Pictured: the hostel's large kitchen dining area

Famous poets William Wordsworth, John Keats and Samuel Taylor Coleridge all waxed lyrical about the wilderness of the Lake District.

Cockermouth-born Wordsworth's 'Daffodils', beginning 'I wander'd lonely as a cloud', is the quintessential Lake District poem.

The house is powered by the sun via solar panels; watered by a spring; heated by wood-burning stoves; and has stone floors and exposed beams.

It features a large kitchen dining room as well as three spacious reception rooms and six bedrooms.

Mitchells head Andrew Wright said he expects 'a lot of interest' in such an 'inspiring, one-of-a-kind property'.

He said: 'To look at it, it is quite a plain property - because it is on the side of a mountain. You don't look at any other property.

The hostel is made up of 22 bedrooms across four rooms and is considered Britain's highest hostel at 1,550ft in Cumbria

'It is an exceptionally rare opportunity to purchase somewhere as remote and peaceful as this.

'This is the only time the house has ever been sold on the open market since the property was built.

'It has only ever been sold before as part of a much larger farm.'

But anyone keen on buying the house should not plan on packing their bags to move in for a while.

Skiddaw House currently operates as an independent hostel, affiliated to the Youth Hostel Association.

And the hostel - Britain's highest - has a lease to continue welcoming fell-walkers and other adventurous guests until 2027.

Mr Wright said: 'Once the lease is over, it is open to the purchaser to use the house however they want, subject to planning.'
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There are more than 3.7million extremely clinically vulnerable people in England, according to the Office for National Statistics. Of these, around 500,000 are immunosuppressed

Only a few hundred thousand of the most vulnerable Britons will be given booster Covid vaccines next month, MailOnline understands.

The Government's top advisers are expected to recommend third jabs for people with severely weakened immune systems this week or next.

But they have no intention of launching a broader booster programme for all over-50s, and even healthy people over the age of 80 may have to wait.

It comes despite a major UK study of Pfizer and AstraZeneca's jabs finding two doses become noticeably less effective at stopping infections within months.

Protection after two shots of Pfizer decreased from 88 per cent at one month to 74 per cent at six months and for AstraZeneca, effectiveness dropped from 77 per cent to 67 per cent.

Experts are yet to confirm the details of the autumn booster rollout, which is due to start on September 6 and deviate from the original vaccination priority list last winter.

But a source close to the discussions told MailOnline: 'We're only talking about a few hundred thousand people in the first phase.'

There are 3.7million people across England who are classified as 'clinically extremely vulnerable', with diseases such as cancer, vasculitis and organ transplant patients. Half a million are thought to be immunosuppressed.

The source added: 'I'd be surprised if it was more than a fifth of that [3.7m] during the first round. I wouldnt expect all of the extremely vulnerable to be offered a vaccine this autumn because they won't need it.

'In practice, evidence suggests some of those groups make a much better immune response [after vaccination] than others.' As for whether healthy elderly people  who were previously prioritised for a jab  will be eligible for boosters, they added: 'That is still a matter of debate within the JCVI.'

The group has not ruled out opting for a wider approach to boosters if evidence accumulates and shows that they are needed.

It comes as Britain's daily Covid deaths jumped by a third in a week today  while infections and hospitalisations continued to climb.

Department of Health data showed 149 Covid fatalities were registered in the last 24 hours, which was up from the 111 recorded last Wednesday. And infections nudged up by six per cent with another 35,847 recorded.

Latest daily hospitalisations due to the virus also rose week-on-week for the 12th day in a row after 859 admissions were recorded on August 21. There were 779 admissions seven days beforehand.

A study by the Universities of Glasgow and Birmingham published yesterday measured antibody levels in 600 immunosuppressed people and compared them to healthy volunteers. About one in 10 in the vulnerable group failed to generate any detectable Covid antibodies four weeks after their second dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca. A further 30 per cent generated a significantly lower antibody response than healthy people, according to the study published as a pre-print in The Lancet

In a separate study published today, scientists at King's College London monitored break-through Covid infections in 1.2million people who had received two doses of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine. They found that immunity wanes over time. For the Pfizer jab (blue line) it dropped from 88 per cent protection against infection to 74 per cent up to six months after the second dose. And for the AstraZeneca jab (pink line) it dropped from 77 per cent to 67 per cent five months after the second dose. Experts suggested the effectiveness could drop to 50 per cent by the winter

Above is a graph from the paper by King's College London scientists and experts at the health data science company ZOE. It showed protection against infection declined over time for both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines. Experts said this was to be expected, but it is not clear whether this puts people at higher risk of serious disease, hospitalisation and death

Scientists lined up today to call for a broader booster programme after two studies last night suggested even double-vaccinated Britons could be at risk this winter.

The Octave research showed two doses of vaccine do not work as well in up to 40 per cent of those who are immunosuppressed, while the ZOE Symptom Tracking study found immunity against infection in healthy people falls by more than 10 per cent after six months of the second injection.

Britain's daily Covid infections, deaths and hospital admissions have been climbing slowly but steadily for several weeks, raising concerns over a fresh wave when schools return and strengthening the argument for boosters.

UK's daily Covid deaths jump by a third in a week to 149 and infections nudge up 6% to 35,847 Britain's daily Covid deaths have jumped by a third in a week, official data revealed today  while infections and hospitalisations continued to climb. Department of Health data showed 149 Covid fatalities were registered in the last 24 hours, which was up from the 111 recorded last Wednesday. And infections nudged up by six per cent with another 35,847 recorded. Latest daily hospitalisations due to the virus also rose week-on-week for the twelfth day in a row after 859 admissions were recorded on August 21. There were 779 admissions seven days beforehand. The steady rise in Covid statistics comes amid mounting pressure for a large-scale booster vaccine programme this autumn, which is due to start on September 6. Advertisement

But Professor Adam Finn, one of the Government's scientific advisers on vaccines, said the jabs are still offering very high levels of protection against serious illness in most people, which is why Covid deaths are still a fraction of the level in previous waves.

During a Radio 4 interview this morning, he suggested this morning the Joint Commitee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) will stop short of recommending them for healthy elderly adults until more evidence of the benefit surfaces.

The JCVI will make its decision about who should be included in the initial phase of the booster programme in the coming weeks.

Earlier in the summer, the Government drew up plans for the NHS to re-vaccinate 32million people from September 6.

Calls have been mounting for a booster rollout after Israel suffered an unprecedented fourth wave  despite being one of the most highly vaccinated countries in the world.

Pressure grew last night after the Octave study showed two doses of vaccine do not work as well in 40 per cent of those who are immunosuppressed.

More than 2,500 people in the UK signed up to the Octave research, with illnesses including rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer, leukaemia and kidney disease.

Preliminary findings from 600 participants found 40 per cent of the vulnerable produced fewer antibodies to fight off Covid than healthy people. The figure includes 11 per cent who produced no antibodies at all.

A separate study, by King's College London, found two Covid vaccine doses become noticeably less effective at stopping infections within six months.

Researchers warned Britons given the jabs first in winter  including the elderly  could see protection plummet to just 50 per cent by winter without boosters.

The real-world study analysed PCR results from more than a million people who had been fully vaccinated to look for 'breakthrough' infections.

It found that protection against infection after two shots of Pfizer decreased from 88 per cent at one month to 74 per cent at five to six months. For AstraZeneca, effectiveness dropped from 77 per cent to 67 per cent at four to five months.

Protection against Covid infection after two vaccines falls within SIX months Two Covid vaccine doses become noticeably less effective at stopping infections within six months, a major study of Pfizer and AstraZeneca's jabs has found. Researchers warned Britons prioritised for the vaccines last winter  including the elderly  could see protection plummet to just 50 per cent by winter without boosters. The real-world study, led by King's College London, analysed PCR results from more than a million people who had been fully vaccinated to look for 'breakthrough' infections. It found protection after two shots of Pfizer decreased from 88 per cent at one month to 74 per cent at five to six months. For AstraZeneca, effectiveness dropped from 77 per cent to 67 per cent at four to five months. It's unclear whether the waning immunity against infection also means people are less protected against serious illness, hospitalisation and death. But Professor Tim Spector, the lead scientist behind the study, said high levels of infection would ultimately lead to more pressure on the NHS. He urged Britain to 'urgently' get its act together on booster vaccines. Advertisement

But the vaccines are still offering protection against serious illness for vast majority The Covid vaccines are still offering protection against serious illness, hospitalisation and death, a top scientist has said. The King's College study suggested today that protection against infection in the double-vaccinated wanes just six months after the second dose. But a Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) boss has said there is still no evidence that this leads to more hospitalisations and deaths. Professor Adam Finn said: 'I think the... study, and a couple of other studies we recently had, do show the beginnings of a drop off of protection against asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic disease. 'But other studies are showing maintenance of good protection against serious illness and hospitalisation. 'So thats encouraging actually that people whove had two doses are still very much well protected against serious illness, which is our main objective. 'But we do need to watch out very carefully to see if this waning begins to translate into occurrence of more severe cases because then boosters will be needed.' Studies have suggested that while Covid vaccines drastically slash the risk of hospitalisation and death from the virus, they are less effective at stopping infections. Scientists have always been upfront about this, and said that no jab will be able to block infection in every case. Advertisement

On the back of the findings, Professor Tim Spector, the lead scientist behind the study, urged Britain to 'urgently' get its act together on booster vaccines.

But Professor Finn told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think the Zoe study [King's College London] and actually, a couple of other studies we recently had, do show the beginnings of a drop off of protection against asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic disease.

'But other studies are showing maintenance of good protection against serious illness and hospitalisation.

'So that's encouraging actually that people who've had two doses are still very much well protected against serious illness, which is our main objective.

'But we do need to watch out very carefully to see if this waning begins to translate into occurrence of more severe cases because then boosters will be needed.'

He suggested that as evidence accumulated it might be that the elderly need a booster shot.

'I mean they are both the people who received vaccines earliest, and probably the people whose immunity is most likely to wane.

'So, as evidence accumulates we may well find ourselves moving in that direction as well.'

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at Reading University, told MailOnline that the JCVI 'will need to make a decision soon' on whether to roll out the Covid booster shots.

He said: 'If the JCVI are going to meet the Government's interim plan for the rollout of vaccine boosters, they don't have much longer to wait for data and will need to make a decision soon.

'I would hope that the Government has everything more-or-less in place and could "press go" to get the programme up and running pretty quickly.'

He added: 'Any dithering if the glowing embers of Covid do burst into flames could lead to needless hospitalisations and fatalities.'

Meanwhile, Israel's Covid R rate has fallen below one among the over-60s just three weeks after booster shots were dished, in the clearest sign yet that the programme is working.

Health Ministry officials there say the R rate  which signals how fast the virus is spreading  has dropped below the crucial level, suggesting the outbreak is now shrinking in that age group.

Israel became the first country in the world to start rolling out booster shots to over-60s last month  and more than half have already got their third dose.

The country has now expanded the programme to over-30s, after previously making all over-40s, teachers and frontline medics and carers eligible.

Israeli Government adviser and data scientist Professor Eran Segal said infection rates in over-60s are still 'very high' but that the increase in the rate of infections... has diminished'.

'This is likely due to the third booster shots,' he said, 'an uptick in people taking the first dose and the high number of people infected per week who now have natural immunity.'

But Professor Robert Dingwall, a sociologist and former JCVI member, told MailOnline there was reason to be optimistic that Britain would fare better than Israel has.

'They had a short interval between the first and second doses, whereas the longer interval adopted in the UK gave a much stronger level of immunity in the first place.'

Israel, which has relied solely on the Pfizer jab, went with the recommended three-week gap between first and second doses. But Britain decided to widen this to 12 weeks, which studies later showed boosted immunity further.

Professor Dingwall added: 'Because we got more immunity we would expect it to wane more slowly. The JCVI is made up of very experienced scientists and clinicians who are used to operating under public pressure and used to being lobbied about vaccinations.

'It is absolutely committed to basing decisions on best available science and protecting the public.'

Interim advice from the JCVI suggested the booster programme would be carried out in two stages, with the immunocompromised and all over-70s being called for third doses in September.

Once this group had been inoculated they said the programme could then be expanded to the over-50s and those who live with adults vulnerable to Covid.

A flu inoculation programme was set to be run alongside the booster programme, amid warnings Britain faces a particularly bad flu season this year because of a lack of natural immunity on the back of lockdowns.

Fewer than one per cent of Britons who previously had Covid caught it a second time, according to official estimates. The Office for National Statistics found just 191 out of almost 20,000 Covid survivors tested positive again months later

Israel's R rate falls below one in over-60s just three weeks after booster programme began Israel's Covid R rate has fallen below one among the over-60s just three weeks after booster shots were dished, in the clearest sign yet that the programme is working. Health Ministry officials say the R rate  which signals how fast the virus is spreading  has dropped below the crucial level, suggesting the outbreak is now shrinking in that age group. Israel became the first country in the world to start rolling out booster shots to over-60s last month  and more than half have already got their third dose. Israel's Covid cases appear to be plateauing almost four weeks after the booster programme began. Health Ministry data showed the country's infection rate was 842 cases per 100,000 people on August 23, down from 844.5 the day before But Covid deaths in the country are continuing to rise. Deaths lag behind cases by around three weeks The country today expanded the programme to over-30s, after previously making all over-40s, teachers and frontline medics and carers eligible. Israeli Government adviser and data scientist Professor Eran Segal said infection rates in over-60s are still 'very high' but that the increase in the rate of infections... has diminished'. 'This is likely due to the third booster shots,' he said, 'an uptick in people taking the first dose and the high number of people infected per week who now have natural immunity.' Advertisement

It comes after a real-world study, led by King's College London, found two Covid vaccine doses become noticeably less effective at stopping infections within six months.

The team analysed PCR results from more than a million people who had been fully vaccinated to look for 'breakthrough' infections.

They found protection after two shots of Pfizer decreased from 88 per cent at one month to 74 per cent at five to six months. For AstraZeneca, effectiveness dropped from 77 per cent to 67 per cent at four to five months.

It's unclear whether the waning immunity against infection also means people are less protected against serious illness, hospitalisation and death.

But Professor Tim Spector, the lead scientist behind the study, said high levels of infection would ultimately lead to more pressure on the NHS. He urged Britain to 'urgently' get its act together on booster vaccines.

The study  also by health data science company ZOE  involved more than 1.2million Britons.

There were more than 400,000 tests for Covid carried out on participants who received the Pfizer jab, and more than 700,000 on those who got AstraZeneca.

Participants had been vaccinated by July 3, and were monitored between May 26 and July 31 to see whether they caught the virus.

Britain was hit by a third wave of infections during this period after the more infectious Indian 'Delta' variant sparked outbreaks across the country.

The ZOE app asks users to report daily on whether they are unwell, their symptoms and if they have tested positive for the virus. It also uses this data to monitor the prevalence of the virus in the country.

Professor Spector, who is also the lead scientist on the app, said: 'In my opinion, a reasonable worst-case scenario could see protection below 50 per cent for the elderly and healthcare workers by winter.

'If high levels of infection in the UK, driven by loosened social restrictions and a highly transmissible variant, this scenario could mean increased hospitalisations and deaths.

He added: 'We urgently need to make plans for vaccine boosters, and based on vaccine resources, decide if a strategy to vaccinate children is sensible if our aim is to reduce deaths and hospital admissions.

'Waning protection is to be expected and is not a reason to not get vaccinated.

'Vaccines still provide high levels of protection for the majority of the population, especially against the Delta variant, so we still need as many people as possible to get fully vaccinated.'

Meanwhile, a separate study published last night found four in 10 people who have weakened immune systems show 'low or undetectable' levels of Covid immunity after being double vaccinated.

Researchers from the Universities of Glasgow and Birmingham measured antibody levels in 600 immunosuppressed people and compared them to healthy volunteers.

About one in 10 in the vulnerable group failed to generate any detectable Covid antibodies four weeks after their second dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca.

A further 30 per cent generated a significantly lower antibody response than healthy people, according to the study published as a pre-print in The Lancet.

The scientists stressed that almost all of the people who did not show an antibody response had vasculitis, a condition which causes inflammation of blood vessels.

They added that across almost all patients, the T cell response was similar to healthy adults, indicating that they were at least partially protected against Covid.

While antibodies are the most obvious indicator of immunity, T cells - a type of white blood cell - also play a crucial role in priming the body against the disease.
The food firm behind Mr Kipling cakes, Angel Delight, Oxo and Bisto said today 800 office staff can work from home if they want to - but production line employees will still have to go to work.

Premier Foods said staff who were previously based in offices in St Albans, Manchester, Lutterworth, Southampton and High Wycombe can work 'wherever they work best' from this month as part of a new hybrid model.

It follows a trial involving more than 100 employees at the FTSE 250 listed group, with staff concluding that a mix of office work and home-working would offer the 'best of both worlds'.

But the offer will not extend to production staff, who will not get the choice to work from home.

MailOnline understands no formal concessions are being given to factory-based staff, though bosses say employees were offered extra holiday and a cash bonus last year in recognition of their work throughout the pandemic.

The food firm behind Mr Kipling cakes, Angel Delight, Oxo and Bisto said today 800 office staff can work from home if they want to - but production line employees will still have to go to work

The owner of cakes firm Mr Kipling says more than 800 office staff can choose whether to come into the office or log on from home

The company's group human resources director, David Wilkinson (pictured), says 'work is a verb, not a place'

Premier Foods said the new working arrangement will be offered to staff across its offices in St Albans (pictured), Manchester, Lutterworth, Southampton, and High Wycombe

The company's group human resources director, David Wilkinson, said: 'This isn't about getting rid of the office altogether, it's about shifting our mindset on what it means to be flexible.

'Work is a verb, not a place, and, whether it's for a team meeting or just personal preference, our office remains open for anyone who wants to use it.

'What it's not is somewhere colleagues have to be for the sake of showing their face.'

In total, the company employs nearly 4,000 people operating from 15 sites from across the country.

It comes after a study last week warned workers in Britain are suffering from an 'epidemic of hidden overtime' with women 43 per cent more likely than men to be working longer than a standard working week during the pandemic.

Employees are finding they can never quite 'switch off' and so continue to work throughout the evening and weekend amid an expectation to 'stay on' as the day is extended in fragments, the Autonomy think tank said.

Experts say the issue particularly affects those working remotely - with a lack of clear boundaries between work and leisure in the UK meaning workers are more likely to take calls and respond to emails throughout the evening.

The think tank found that women are 43 per cent more likely than men to have increased their hours beyond a standard working week, and for those with children this was even more clearly associated with mental distress.

Some 86 per cent of women who carry out a standard working week alongside childcare, greater than or equal to the UK average, were said to have experienced mental distress during April 2020 when the Covid-19 crisis began.

The prevalence of mental distress linked to changes in working patterns for men and women between April and June 2020

The average working hours across EU countries shows how only the Greeks have a longer working week than Britons

The GDP and annual hours per capita across EU countries are shown in this graph, with the biggest disparity in Greece

New working patterns have placed a greater burden on those carrying out standard caregiving - which again has disproportionately impacted women, according to the study.

Two thirds of workers (65 per cent) whose working week increased beyond a standard 37.5-40 hours and who also carried out active childcare during April at a rate greater than or equal to the UK average reported mental distress.

By June 2020 more than half (51 per cent) of workers keeping up this level of work alongside childcare were experiencing mental distress. The study said the UK average level of childcare giving is 80 minutes a day.
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Holiday firms are turning the screw on struggling families with sky high charges that make British breaks hundreds of pounds more expensive than foreign trips.

The average costs for private holiday accommodation in the UK have increased by 41 per cent on average since 2019, according to research by Which?

Typically, trips to British destinations currently cost much more than travelling to popular European resort destinations - such as Italy, Spain, France - even when the airfare is factored in.

In August 2019, booking private accommodation in Brighton would have typically cost an average of 109 per night, but in August this year that cost has increased by 89 per cent to 206 per night.

Experts at Which? said it is 'hard to avoid the conclusion that some unscrupulous accommodation providers are charging over the odds'.

The chaos around the constantly changing rules on foreign travel, coupled with a failing and expensive coronavirus testing regime for travellers, means millions of people are holidaying at home.

In August 2019, booking private accommodation in Brighton would have typically cost an average of 109 per night, but in August this year that cost has increased by 89 per cent to 206 per night. Prices have increased by 42 per cent in St Ives

According to data from Kayak, the average nightly rate of three-star and four-star hotels in the UK in 2019 was 109 - 21 per cent more than Spain, 35 per cent more than Portugal and 79 per cent more than Malta

This has created a captive and lucrative market for hotels and others offering apartments and holiday cottages.

Research by Which? looking at the cost of seven nights this August in a highly rated hotel in Lake Garda, Italy, found it was nearly a quarter of the price of a comparable holiday in the Lake District.

Seven nights accommodation in Lake Garda cost 631, while the seven nights accommodation for two people in Lake Windermere would cost 2,381.

The consumer champion said the Lake District remained around 1,600 more expensive after factoring in travel costs.

This is based on paying 43 in petrol for a return trip assuming an average mileage of 310 miles versus 171 for two return flights to Italy.

Research by Which? looking at the cost of seven nights this August in a highly rated hotel in Lake Garda, Italy, found it was nearly a quarter of the price of a comparable holiday in the Lake District. Seven nights accommodation in Lake Garda (left) cost 631, while the seven nights accommodation for two people in Lake Windermere (right) would cost 2,381

Which? found that seven nights accommodation in a highly rated hotel in Nice would cost 679, while the same seven nights in Brighton would cost 1,088.

Despite return flights to Nice costing 406, the total cost of the Brighton holiday for two adults was still higher than the Nice holiday, at 1,131 compared to 1,085.

The only holiday that worked out marginally cheaper was a seven night beach break in Tenby, Wales, compared to Estepona, on the Costa del Sol in Spain. Which? put the total cost at 923 for Wales, which was just 10 less than the Spanish option.

The consumer champion found that even before the impact of Covid on travel plans, the UK was among the most expensive holiday destinations in Europe.

According to data from Kayak, the average nightly rate of three-star and four-star hotels in the UK in 2019 was 109 - 21 per cent more than Spain, 35 per cent more than Portugal and 79 per cent more than Malta.

Data from AirDNA shows that across the whole of the UK self-catered accommodation in August 2021 costs 41 per cent more on average than it did in 2019. This works out at roughly the equivalent of an extra 300 per week.

In August 2019, a private accommodation booking in Brighton would have cost an average of 109 each night, but this has gone up by 89 per cent to 206 per night in August this year.

Prices have increased by 42 per cent in St Ives, 63 per cent in Sidmouth, and 74 per cent in Lyme Regis.

Which?'s advice for anyone looking to book a UK holiday is to be flexible with dates and destinations. It said savings can also be made by going directly to a hotel or accommodation owner rather than using booking websites.

The analysis by Which? was carried out in conjunction with the BBC's Panorama, with a programme about the issue due to be shown on BBC One at 7.30pm tonight.

Airbnb, which has been approached for comment, has previously claimed accommodation cost figures from third-party organisations can be misleading.

The editor of Which? Travel, Rory Boland, said: 'Holidaying at home has always been expensive, but the situation has become far worse during the pandemic and it's no wonder many people have felt priced out of a holiday this year.

'The reasons for these higher prices are complex, but it is hard to avoid the conclusion that some unscrupulous accommodation providers are charging over the odds.'

BBC Panorama: The Great British Staycation? is on BBC One at 7.30pm tonight
A young female student trapped in Kabul has made a desperate plea to the world on behalf of Afghan women.

Aisha Ahmad (not her real name), 22, spent four days trying to get into Kabul airport and feared she would be crushed to death as people stampeded.

She posted shocking footage of the crush, sharing clips with shots being heard in the background as people desperately shoved towards the airport.

Now, having all-but given up hope of escaping the Taliban's control as the August 31 deadline looms, the Kabul University student has told MailOnline that the hopes and aspiration of Afghan women in general are about to be trampled into the dust.

In her open letter, Aisha demanded that the nations of the West stand up for her and other women in the benighted nation.

She recalled how a previous generation of women in Afghanistan dared to dream of a 'brighter future' in 2001 as the Taliban's first barbaric regime came to an end.

She highlighted role models such as an all-female orchestra called Zohra, which has toured the world, and the 'Afghan Dreamers' -- a girls' robotics team which flourished in the post-Taliban liberation.

She picked out Niloofar Rahmani, the first woman pilot in the Afghan air force, and Khatol Mohammadzai, the first female general in the Afghan National Army.

But she added: 'We have achieved so much! Sorry  we had achieved so much.

Aisha Ahmad's letter in full Are Afghan women doomed to extinction? Women were among the most deprived and restricted sections of Afghan society for many years, living always under the domination of the patriarchy, tightly constrained by the country's prevailing cultural and societal norms. The defeat of the Taliban in 2001 heralded the possibility of a brighter future; it ignited a spark of hope for a freer and more prosperous life. It breathed empowerment into our souls. The flame of our confidence started to grow. Bigger. Stronger. In the years since, our new generation of women has engaged in a continual struggle to change society's perception of us, and to break our bonds. We've gained considerable latitude, but many sacrifices were made along the way. Defamation, emotional and verbal abuse, cyber bullying, sexual harassment, rape, targeted assassination. These weapons of intimidation and terror were all brought to bear on us, to try to keep us in our place. In spite of these challenges, we have produced pioneers in many areas of life: cultural, political, economic, scientific, artistic, civil and military. Take for instance Zohra, the first ever all-women's orchestra. Unthinkable in the 1990's, it has thrived and toured and played concerts in prestigious venues across the globe. And take the 'Afghan Dreamers'  an all-girl robotics team, which has dismantled gender norms and won international competitions while doing so. Or consider Niloofar Rahmani, the first woman pilot in the Afghan air force. Or Khatol Mohammadzai, the first female general in the Afghan National Army. We have achieved so much! Sorry  we had achieved so much. The Taliban's return to domination of our country has returned pain and hopelessness to the lives of its women. It's struck us like a thunderbolt, reducing our 20 years of achievement to ashes, laid waste to our aspirations. We have been cast back out of sight, alone with only darkness in our future, no window of hope. Our biggest fear is that the world will be deceived by the smooth words of the Taliban, the assurances that things will be different this time, the promises to grant us rights that already belong to us. And that if the world recognises their government, their oppression and barbarism against us will be institutionalized, set in stone for generations. The international community must stick to its moral position and stay faithful to its commitment to universal human rights. It must insist the Taliban restore and uphold the fundamental rights of Afghan women at this critical juncture and lift us from our descent into misery. 10 years ago Hillary Clinton told a group of female Afghan ministers: 'We will not abandon you; we will stand with you always.' If the world and the US fails or abandon its commitments. And reader, please don't forget that we are human, not just pictures on your screen. Afghan women are women. We have hopes and dreams. We think, love, hurt, yearn. Just like your own mother, your own sisters, your own daughters. Just like you. Advertisement

'The Taliban's return to domination of our country has returned pain and hopelessness to the lives of its women. It's struck us like a thunderbolt, reducing our 20 years of achievement to ashes, laid waste to our aspirations.

'We have been cast back out of sight, alone with only darkness in our future, no window of hope.'

Now she worries that the Taliban's recent public-relations effort, telling women that they will be able to study and work under their new government, will be cynically binned as soon as the last NATO jet lifts off from the runway of Kabul Airport next Tuesday.

'Our biggest fear is that the world will be deceived by the smooth words of the Taliban, the assurances that things will be different this time, the promises to grant us rights that already belong to us.

'And that if the world recognises their government, their oppression and barbarism against us will be institutionalized, set in stone for generations.'

She called on the West not to recognise the Taliban unless they restore and protect the fundamental rights of Afghan women.

'The international community must stick to its moral position and stay faithful to its commitment to universal human rights,' she said.

'It must insist the Taliban restore and uphold the fundamental rights of Afghan women at this critical juncture and lift us from our descent into misery. '

She recalled then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's words to a group of female Afghan ministers a decade ago, telling them: 'We will not abandon you; we will stand with you always.'

Closing her moving letter, she wrote: 'Please don't forget that we are human, not just pictures on your screen We have hopes and dreams. We think, love, hurt, yearn. Just like your own mother, your own sisters, your own daughters. Just like you.'

It comes as it was revealed UK troops could 'sneak out' people from Afghanistan up to the very last moment despite warnings there are just 36 hours to get another 4,000 to safety - after Joe Biden sparked fury by refusing to extend the deadline for forces leaving.

Dominic Raab admitted the evacuation mission is in its final desperate stages after the US president 'point blank' rejected G7 calls for a delay, arguing the risks of attack from the Taliban and ISIS were too high.

The decision means the airlift will have to stop tomorrow or Friday at the latest, to give Western forces time to wrap up their deployment. Both America and France are believed to have started pulling out personnel.

Former chief of the defence staff Lord Richards said he believes even after the last official flight the British military will 'sneak others in who arrive late along with their own people'.

But there are already claims that the Taliban is defying Mr Biden by blocking fleeing Afghans from getting into the airport, and the coming days will see 'maximum danger' for troops with fears the regime will want to create a 'Saigon' moment and threats of a terrorist 'spectacular'.

In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Raab said the UK is working 'as fast as we can' to maximise the number of people who can flee, saying 2,000 were taken to safety in the last 24 hours and almost all single-nationality Britons are now out.

'We will use every hour and day we've got to maximise that throughput to get as many of those residual cases out,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programe.

'We're going to keep going for every day and every hour that we've got left.'

Mr Raab declined to say when the last UK flight will be leaving.

Overnight the US President insisted his troops were 'on pace' to leave Afghanistan by August 31, after rebuffing pleas by Boris Johnson and other G7 leaders for America to extend its evacuation timetable.

However, in a live TV broadcast, he warned the Taliban must 'continue to co-operate' with the US evacuation mission.

It comes amid claims from people on the ground in Kabul that Afghans are being prevented by Taliban fighters from accessing the city's airport for evacuation.

Yesterday the extremists issued an edict banning nationals from leaving the country. They also blocked roads and set up check-points around Kabul airport.

Aisha shared a photo of her feet, which she says were injured in the stampede near the airport last week

Young female student Aisha Ahmad (not her real name), 22, spent four days trying to get into Kabul airport to escape the Taliban

She posted shocking footage of the crush, sharing clips with shots being heard in the background as people desperately shoved towards the airport

The student has all but given up on getting out of the country before August 31 and instead shared a passionate plea for help

With an American pull-out now likely to be complete by the end of the month, other countries, such as the UK, which are reliant on the air support from US troops, now face a race against time to complete their own evacuations.

Last night the Pentagon confirmed that several hundred US troops had already started leaving Afghanistan - and allies including the UK will want to have their troops out well before the US leaves.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday that US forces have 'been very clear' with the Taliban 'about what credentials we are willing to accept' for people trying to get to the airport.

'By and large, with caveats' people have been getting through checkpoints, spokesman John Kirby said, adding 'we also have other means to get people in.'

'When we have reports that someone credentialed is not being let in, we are making that clear to Taliban leaders they need to let them in,' Kirby said.

It was also revealed that a military operation recovered 'less than 20 people' from Kabul under cover of darkness and brought them safely to the airport for evacuation.

Members of the GOP said on Tuesday night that Biden has 'blood on his hands' because thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies who helped U.S. troops could be left to die when the final evacuation flights depart - which could even be before midnight on Aug. 31 to ensure a safe evacuation of everyone at the airport.

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, who underwent a secret trip to Kabul to witness the situation at the airport for themselves, challenged President Biden and claimed that 'we won't get everyone out on time'.

The UK could now wrap up its mission within '24 to 36 hours', defence sources said.

Female Afghan journalist forced to change her address daily as she fears Taliban will kill her A female Afghan journalist, 24, has reveled that she has had to move to different hiding places every day to avoid the Taliban - who she fears will kill her. Talking to Fox News in an interview, she said: 'I don't know what will happen to me, because if they find me, they will kill me. 'They are checking for the people who always talked against them. Every day, I'm changing my address to be sure that they can't track me.' The unnamed woman believes she will be a target because she was a frequent critic of the Taliban on air. She said she talked against the Taliban because of the way the group 'killed and burned' the people of Afghanistan. The journalist is staying with friends but has admitted she fears they could turn her in to protect themselves. She added: 'My friends are afraid because they think that they might be targeted because of me. I don't know who is actually my enemy right now.' The Taliban recently killed a relative of a Deutsche Welle journalist while going door to door looking for the reporter. The female Afghan journalist said she fears the same will happen to her friends and family.' Advertisement

Mr Raab said he was unclear how many people will be left behind in Afghanistan.

The Foreign Secretary said the figure depends on 'the window' left in terms of timing and how many people they manage to process over the next few days.

He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'It's also how many want to come, as there are some finely balanced cases.'

Mr Raab said the details of how UK forces will withdraw were still being firmed up. There is speculation the British team will initially withdraw to the airport from the Baron hotel, where they have been processing applications.

The UK contingent is then expected to hand over duties to the Americans, who will be the last to leave.

'The military planners are firming up the details of what the extra  the time they will need at the end to drawdown their own staff, personnel and equipment. We will get the details of that I'm sure, shortly,' Mr Raab said.

'We need to get that clear from the military planners, they are obviously working on that. Ideally we want to limit the period that they need for their drawdown to maximise the period for the civilian airlift, if you like. But that is something that they will need to provide the details on.'

Mr Raab tried to play down concerns about the Taliban obstructing extractions, saying that although trust was at 'rock bottom' there had been 'constructive' engagement.

'They have, so far, in relation to the airport, behaved constructively and engaged constructively more or less.

'There's clearly reports and some of the people on the ground  roadblocks or elsewhere  are not following what the political leadership are requiring. But overall, one of the reasons that we have been able to get the numbers out through the evacuation is because we have engaged and they have lived up to some of the things that they have said.

'We need to then set further tests for them and be very clear about what we are willing to do, if and only if they live up to their assurances.'

Mr Raab also declined to comment on whether British troops would return to Afghanistan in the future.

Meanwhile, a former Royal Marine who claims the Defence Secretary blocked a charter flight to get 200 animals and 69 people working at his Kabul animal shelter out of Afghanistan has been given fresh hope after Ben Wallace gave the green light for the evacuation.

People being taken out of Afghanistan on a Spanish military flight today as the clock runs down on the airlift

Taliban fighters on top of containers near to British troops yesterday. The extremist group issued an edict banning Afghans from leaving the country yesterday

Families fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan board an aircraft at the airport in Kabul yesterday

Paul 'Pen' Farthing, the founder of Nowzad, said Boris Johnson had approved a flight he had crowdfunded to evacuate cats and dogs as well as his staff - but that Mr Wallace had blocked the evacuation by refusing to sign air signs needed for it to land at Kabul airport.

Yesterday the Defence Secretary insisted that the major problem with evacuations from the Afghan capital has been getting British nationals past Taliban checkpoints surrounding Hamid Karzai International Airport after Kabul fell to the jihadists earlier this month.

But a Sky News video of a Vauxhall hatchback entering a military cargo jet prompted a counter-blast from animal rights activists including the comedian Ricky Gervais and actor Peter Egan, who accused the Ministry of Defence of caring more about a car than 'sentient animals'.

Mr Wallace has now announced in a series of tweets that if Mr Farthing arrived at the airport with his staff and animals, officials would allow them to leave on the chartered aircraft.

Britain is working 'full speed' to rescue 4,000 Britons and Afghan allies still stuck in Kabul over the next 36 hours after Joe Biden sparked fury by swatting away demands from Boris Johnson and other G7 leaders to extend the August 31 withdrawal deadline.

'Now that Pen Farthing's staff have been cleared to come forward under LOTR I have authorised MOD to facilitate their processing alongside all other eligible personnel at (Kabul airport). At that stage, if he arrives with his animals we will seek a slot for his plane,' Mr Wallace tweeted.

'If he does not have his animals with him he and his staff can board an RAF flight. I have been consistent all along, ensuring those most at risk are processed first and that the limiting factor has been flow THROUGH to airside NOT airplane capacity.'
Furious locals are fighting an increasingly hostile street battle with mysterious strangers over a new mosque backed by NRL star Sonny Bill Williams.

Residents in Carlton's Botany Street in Sydney's south have lined the road with placards opposing the conversion of a former nursing home into the mosque.

But CCTV footage has caught carloads of unknown men driving into the area to rip down the signs in the dead of night and even in broad daylight.

Now some say they fear for their safety as the row escalates, after Williams branded some critics 'racist' over their opposition to the mosque.

Residents in Carlton's Botany Street in Sydney's south have lined the road with placards (pictured) opposing the conversion of a former nursing home into the mosque - saying they're worried about noise and traffic

But CCTV footage (pictured) has caught carloads of unknown men driving into the area to rip down the signs in the dead of night and even in broad daylight

He posted a photograph on Instagram of him sitting at the site of the new mosque with the caption: 'Racism is well and truly alive in Botany St, Carlton Sydney.'

Williams, 36, added: 'God willing we'll be praying 365 DAYS, 5 TIMES A DAY at our new Masjid very soon. May the most high eradicate racism from our society.'

The former Canterbury Bulldogs and All Blacks hero lives in the area with his South African-born former model wife Alana, 28, and their three young children, Imaan, 5, Aisha, 3, and Zaid, 2.

Kiwi rugby star Sonny Bill Williams (pictured) has lashed out at 'racist fear-mongers' trying to block a new mosque under construction in Sydney's south

The Kiwi converted to Islam in 2009 while playing in France, and his wife, mother and brother have also since converted too.

'There are thousands of Muslim families in the area, and we don't have a place we can go to worship,' Williams said this week. 'Unfortunately this is fear mongering.

'The Muslim community has been here in the Carlton area since 1950s and has never had a mosque.'

A development application is currently going through Georges River Council and says the mosque will hold five prayer meetings a day between 5.30am and 10pm for up to 120 people, seven days a week.

Residents in the area insist their opposition has nothing to do with race or religion, but is instead to avoid a deadly increase of traffic.

Residents seen here are opposing a development application currently going through Georges River Council which says the mosque will hold five prayer meetings a day between 5.30am and 10pm for up to 120 people, seven days a week

The road is already a notorious accident blackspot with at least one fatality, and locals say the mosque - which they claim could attract 2,000 people - will make it even worse.

'I lost my son here, and I've been crying ever since,' resident Rakina, whose son died after being hit by a car in the area, told Nine's A Current Affair.

'It's just totally wrong. I don't want any more mothers crying like me.'

Another resident, Diane, added: 'It doesn't belong here. This is a residential area and nothing more.

'[The campaign] is very much based on a technical argument [about traffic and zoning].

'But the amount of hostility that we've seen, people are now refusing to come out because they're scared.'

She says strangers are driving down the street hurling abuse at residents while sending a disturbing warning.

'Some of the things that we're hearing from people passing by, "We're coming... It's a done deal... You can't stop us",' added Diane.

Another neighbour, Vincent, said they were protesting legally but now felt intimidated by the brazen theft of the signs opposing the increased traffic the mosque will generate.

Former Canterbury Bulldogs and All Blacks hero Sonny Bill Williams lives in the Carlton area with his South African-born former model wife Alana, 28, and their three young children, Imaan, 5, Aisha, 3, and Zaid, 2 (pictured)

'We don't have any racist words [on the signs], we're not against any religion, we want a more diverse community,' he said.

'But it just shouldn't be in a residential zone.'

Residents say they have submitted more than 4,000 objections to the development but fear they have been ignored by the council.

A council report found: 'There is a shortage of Muslim places of worship in the Carlton area.

'The proposed mosque provides a much-needed facility for the local Muslim community to undertake religious practice.'

The application goes before Georges River Council planning panel on Thursday.


The millionaires' playground of Sandbanks is being turned into a Monaco-like racing circuit by so-called bay racers who are holding regular meets there.

The exclusive peninsula - that is often described as Britain's version of Monte Carlo - is being targeted by hundreds of petrol heads after dark.

Up to 40 souped-up motors park up in the main car park on the resort in Poole Harbour, Dorset, to be admired by like-minded people.

The owners take them for a spin on the one-way 'circuit' on the peninsula, passing multi-million pound mansions, reaching speeds of up to 70mph, it is claimed.

The car nuts are also said to be disturbing the peace of the posh neighbourhood by loudly revving their engines and doing doughnuts in the car park.

Now the well-heeled residents of Sandbanks have warned their actions could lead to someone being killed in a tragic accident if the authorities do not take action.

Video footage shot by a local resident shows several modified motors tearing around a roundabout at speed while dozens of fans watch from the kerb.

Up to 40 souped-up motors park up in the main car park on the resort in Poole Harbour, Dorset, to be admired by like-minded people

Now the well-heeled residents of Sandbanks (pictured, the circuit from above) have warned their actions could lead to someone being killed in a tragic accident if the authorities do not take action

David Morley, the chairman of the Sandbanks Community Group, claimed so far the cars are to blame for a smashed planter and a damaged fence by the yacht club.

He said: 'It has been a continuing problem over the last 18 months or so. Between 30 to 40 cars tend to gather in the car park late at night without warning.

'They are souped-up cars with lower suspensions and modified exhausts. They are quite expensive-looking cars, they aren't old bangers.

'They parade their cars and show them off and rev up their engines, do doughnuts and play loud music.

'Then a small number of them will speed around the one-way system around the headland of Sandbanks.

'They speed around Sandbanks, using it like a Monte Carlo race track and it it downright dangerous.

'We have had one car hit the roundabout and smash a planter and one car go through the fencing by the North Harbour Yacht Club.

'At the speeds they are going at, if somebody comes out of their driveway or is walking they dog along the narrow pavements there is going to be a very unpleasant accident.

'I reckon they get up to 70mph there in a completely residential area. It is extremely dangerous.'

The owners take them for a spin on the one-way 'circuit' on the peninsula, passing multi-million pound mansions, reaching speeds of up to 70mph, it is claimed

The car nuts are also said to be disturbing the peace of the posh neighbourhood by loudly revving their engines and doing doughnuts in the car park. Pictured: The road during the day

Matt Moffat, also of the Sandbanks Community Group, said: 'They wait on the straight part of the road and make sure there is no police before racing around the peninsula.

'Somebody will get killed. There are blind bends. Residents used to walk their dogs at night but many of them are too frightened to now.'

Mr Morley said so far the meets have been very sporadic, making it difficult for the police or local council to put a stop to them.

He added: 'There is some degree of coordination going on for them to turn up at the same time.

'The police and the council have been trying to address the problem but it is difficult because it all goes on suddenly

'I got a load of threatening abuse when I started taking photos of them.'

Dorset Police said officers attended the latest 'meet' last Sunday but did not witness any speeding vehicles or motoring offences.

Dorset Police said officers attended the latest 'meet' last Sunday but did not witness any speeding vehicles or motoring offences. Pictured: Sandbanks from the sea

Inspector Dan Cullen, of Poole Police, said: 'Officers from the local neighbourhood policing team continue to patrol this area as part of the Op Sandman multi-agency operation to combat anti-social behaviour.

'We also work with our No Excuse roads policing team and the local authority to prevent issues and take enforcement action where appropriate.

'We understand these issues cause distress and disruption to local residents and we are seeking more community information about any vehicles that drive dangerously or in an anti-social manner.

'If anyone has any vehicle registrations for the vehicles involved then please contact Dorset Police and we will take the appropriate action.

'If offences are identified, they will be investigated or we may use section 59 powers in relation to driving in an anti-social manner.

'This involves us sending a warning notice to owners whose vehicles are reported to be driving in an anti-social manner and if further reports are then received we have the power to seize the vehicle.'

Car fan Matt Blackhurst took to social media to defend the car meets.

He posted: 'I don't normally comment on things like this, but I was down there. There was everything from Lamborghinis, mclarens, skylines, classic Aston martins, Ford mustangs, rx7s and also all the way to fiestas and mx5s.

'It was a relaxed evening with lots of people sharing their hobbies & passions. Maybe 2 or 3 people drove irresponsibly but the police attended, and there was no issues.'
A Washington state tech executive has been sentenced to two years in prison after fraudulently obtaining nearly $1.8 million in federal COVID-19 disaster relief loans.

Mukund Mohan, of Clyde Hill, previously worked for Microsoft and Amazon and was making more than $200,000 a year as the chief of technology for the Canadian e-commerce company BuildDirect when he was arrested in July 2020.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle said he submitted eight fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications seeking $5.5 million for companies he purportedly ran, and he actually received almost $1.8 million.

Washington state tech executive Mukund Mohan (pictured) has been sentenced to two years in prison after fraudulently obtaining nearly $1.8 million in federal COVID-19 disaster relief loans

Mohan's attorneys sought a six-month sentence, noting Mohan had no criminal history and had spent only $16,500 of the money.

They said his actions, possibly triggered by mental health issues, were such an aberration for him that he fainted when federal agents knocked on his door.

Federal authorities were able to seize the money from Mohan's accounts.

He paid back the amount he had spent and was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine.

Mohan previously worked for Microsoft (stock image) and Amazon and was making more than $200,000 a year as the chief of technology for the Canadian e-commerce company BuildDirect when he was arrested in July 2020

As part of the scheme, Mohan submitted fake and altered documents, including phony federal tax filings and altered incorporation documents.

He said one of his companies had dozens of employees when in reality it had none.

In a news release, Corinne Kalve, acting special agent in charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, attributed the crime to Mohan's greed, saying that when people abuse such benefit programs 'they are stealing from those that are most vulnerable.'
Graphic body camera video showing a Louisiana State Police trooper strike a black man with a flashlight 18 times in 24 seconds following a traffic stop has been released after being kept secret for more than two years.

The May 2019 attack left Aaron Larry Bowman, 46, with a broken jaw, three broken ribs, a broken wrist and a gash to his head that required six staples to close.

Trooper Jacob Brown, 31, who is white, defended the beating as 'pain compliance,' although video shows Bowman yelling: 'I'm not resisting! I'm not resisting!'

Investigators argue that Brown intentionally attempted to hide the body camera footage. Bowman's defense attorney, Keith Whiddon, echoed the assertion, saying he was initially told there was no body-camera video of the incident.

The attack on Bowman came less than three weeks after state troopers punched, stunned and dragged another black motorist, Ronald Greene, before he died in police custody.

Federal prosecutors are examining both cases as part of a widening investigation into police brutality and potential cover-ups involving the department.

Graphic body camera video showing a Louisiana State Police trooper strike a Black man with a flash light 18 times in 24 seconds following a traffic stop has been released after being kept secret for more than two years

The video shows trooper Jacob Brown (pictured) strike Aaron Bowman on his head and body with an 8-inch aluminum flashlight that had been reinforced with a pointed end to shatter car glass within two seconds of 'initial contact'

The newly-released video shows Brown exit his vehicle and approach deputies who had forcibly removed Bowman from his vehicle and taken him to the ground during a traffic stop.

Within two seconds of 'initial contact' Brown apparently struck Bowman on his head and body with an 8-inch aluminum flashlight that had been reinforced with a pointed end to shatter car glass.

'Give me your f------ hands! I ain't messing with you,' Brown is heard shouting.

Bowman tried to explain several times that he was a dialysis patient, had done nothing wrong and wasn't resisting.

'I'm not fighting you, you're fighting me,' Bowman told the officers.

Brown responded with: 'Shut the f-- up!' and 'You aint listening.'

The trooper unleashed 18 strikes in 24 seconds, according to the investigative report. Brown claimed Bowman had struck a deputy and that the blows were 'pain compliance' intended to get him into handcuffs.

Bowman, who hadn't seen the footage until recently when prosecutors from the U.S. Justice Department showed it to him and his attorney, said watching the footage was 'like reliving it all over again'.

'I kept thinking I was going to die that night,' Bowman explained. 'By watching it, I broke down all over again. I dont want nobody to go through that.'

Investigators reviewed the video months after the incident and determined Brown's use of force was not reasonable or necessary. They also claimed the trooper failed to report his use of force and mislabeled his footage as a 'citizen encounter' in what investigators called 'an intentional attempt to hide the video from any administrative review.'

The newly-released video shows Brown exit his vehicle and approach deputies who had forcibly removed Bowman from his vehicle and taken him to the ground during a traffic stop

Aaron Bowman (pictured) was left with a broken jaw, three broken ribs, a broken wrist and a gash to his head that required six staples to close

Brown, who resigned in March, had tallied 23 use-of-force incidents dating to 2015 - 19 of them targeting black people, according to state police records.

He was arrested in December 2020 for his role in Bowman's beating. He faces state charges of second-degree battery and malfeasance.

He also faces state charges in two other violent arrests of Black motorists, including one he boasted about last year in a group chat with other troopers, saying the suspect is 'gonna be sore' and 'it warms my heart knowing we could educate that young man.'

Robert Tew, District Attorney of Ouachita and Morehouse Parishes, declined to comment on Brown's case.

'We'll see what the DOJ has to do,' he told reporters.

Brown also did not respond to requests for comment.

Bowman, who has denied hitting anyone and is not seen on the video being violent with officers, also faces a list of charges, including battery of a police officer, resisting an officer and the traffic violation for which he was initially stopped, improper lane usage.

Brown defended the beating as 'pain compliance,' although video shows Bowman yelling: 'I'm not resisting! I'm not resisting!'

Brown was arrested in December 2020 for his role in Bowman's beating. He faces state charges of second-degree battery and malfeasance

Bowman (pictured) also faces a list of charges, including battery of a police officer, resisting an officer and the traffic violation for which he was initially stopped, improper lane usage

Louisiana state police did not launch an investigation into the attack on Bowman until 536 days after it occurred - and after Bowman brought a civil lawsuit.

When questioned about the delayed investigation last winter, Louisiana State Police Superintendent Colonel Lamar Davis told the News Star:

'Upon learning of the allegations, our department began an immediate investigation into the incident. The public trust and responsibility bestowed upon us as law enforcement professionals is of the utmost importance. We owe not only the public we serve, but also the dedicated men and women of our department a just and timely response.'

The investigation into Bowman's attack comes as a secret internal panel launched a probe following the death of Ronald Greene, 49, in police custody in May 2019.

Greene was arrested after he eluded a stop for a traffic violation and led troopers on a chase at speeds topping 115 mph, officials said.

Police initially told Greene's relatives that he died from a crash at the end of the chase.

Video taken from Trooper Dakota DeMoss' body camera shows the violent of arrest of Greene on May 10, 2019. Louisiana State Police initially reported that he had died in a car crash

This image from video from Louisiana state trooper Lt. John Clary's body-worn camera shows trooper Kory York standing over Ronald Greene on his stomach

Ronald Greene (pictured) was arrested in May 2019 after he allegedly eluded a stop for a traffic violation and led troopers on a chase at speeds topping 115 mph

It took 474 days for state police to launch an internal inquiry. For more than two years, officials refused to release body camera video from the incident, which showed officers punching and dragging Greene, as well as using a Taser on him.

The footage also showed Greene leading police on a high-speed chase, then crashing his car. An autopsy revealed that he had alcohol and cocaine in his system. He also suffered multiple injuries from the crash, as well as injuries from a physical struggle.

No troopers have been charged in Greene's arrest.

The seven-member internal panel is investigating whether Louisiana State Police officers are systematically targeting Black motorists for abuse.

Officials are reviewing thousands of bodycam videos from the past two years involving a dozen troopers, at least four a whom were involved in Greene's death, and are looking for signs of excessive force and examining whether troopers showed racist tendencies and whether they used means to hide evidence.

Ron Haley, an attorney for Greene's family, who met with federal authorities last month told the Associated Press the investigation goes 'far beyond just use of force'.

'They're casting a very wide net,' said Haley.
A coroner has offered her 'heartfelt condolences' to the family of a five-year-old Afghan refugee who fell to his death from a hotel window onto the top of a multi-storey car park.

Mohammed Monib Majeedi, who enjoyed playing cops and robbers, was looking from his ninth floor room when he plunged to his death at 2.30pm last Wednesday at the Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel.

The boy had been staying with his mother Shekiba, father Omar Majeedi, two brothers and two sisters since arriving in the UK after fleeing the Taliban weeks ago.

The tragedy has sparked a huge backlash in recent days after it emerged that bosses at the hotel were warned about the safety of its windows two years ago.

Assistant coroner Tanyka Rawden said in a five-minute inquest opening this morning that it had been a 'truly awful time' for the boy's family.

Mohammed Munib Majeedi (pictured) fell from the window of the Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel on August 18 after the boy's family had 'recently' been moved from Afghanistan

She said: 'He was staying with his family at the Metropolitan Hotel, on Blonk Street, in Sheffield.

'On August 18 2021, emergency services were called to a car park adjacent to the hotel following reports of Mohammed having fallen from a window of the hotel on to the top storey of the car park.

'He was taken by ambulance to Sheffield Children's Hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead.'

Ms Rawden told Sheffield Coroner's Court that Mohammed was identified by his father.

She said: 'I would like to offer my heartfelt condolences to Mohammed's family at this truly awful time.'

The coroner told the hearing that the boy was born in Afghanistan in May 2016.

She adjourned the inquest until a further hearing on November 16 and no further details of the incident were given.

Last week, Labour MPs from across the city echoed calls from refugee groups for an urgent investigation into the death, saying 'lessons must be learned from this tragedy'.

It recently came to light that bosses at the hotel were warned about the safety of its windows two years ago.

The hotel was blasted in reviews over how far they opened at the high-rise block.

One even pointed out they were terrified of opening it amid fears their children would fall out.

A senior Home Office official then said yesterday that civil servants will 'feel guilt and responsibility' forever over the death.

It recently came to light that bosses at the hotel (pictured) were warned about the safety of its windows two years ago

Writing in the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, Emma Haddad, director general of asylum and protection at the Home Office, said the boy's family had 'recently' been moved from Afghanistan by her team.

'We are all heartbroken. We have all been in tears,' Dr Haddad said.

But she also criticised some of the media coverage and a 'desire to score political points', and defended her team's work.

She wrote in the Telegraph: 'Some of the media coverage of the death of the little boy has hurt my team a lot.

'It is totally misleading to suggest that the Home Office does not take our responsibilities towards children in our care seriously.

'And more than that - among the desire to score political points are dedicated civil servants who will feel guilt and responsibility for this tragic death forever.

'Many of us are also parents. We are not faceless bureaucrats with no empathy - the emotions are overwhelming us.'

Witnesses told how Mohammed's devastated mother cried 'my son, my son' as the boy fell to his death.

Meanwhile, a family friend said he had gone with the parents to hospital but 'could see Mohammed was dead'.
Australians could be able to jet off to a long list overseas destinations for holidays as early as January 2022, as the government confirms it is considering opening travel bubbles when vaccine targets are met.

Travel is set to reopen for some of the most sought after holiday spots on the globe once 80 per cent of the country has been immunised, federal minister for trade, tourism and investment Dan Tehan told Parliament in Canberra.

'Not only will we have travel bubbles with New Zealand but the Pacific Islands, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, the US, and the UK are all possibilities,' Mr Tehan said on Wednesday.

Australian could be able to travel overseas by January with the government confirming travel bubbles with countries like Japan (pictured) would open at 80 per cent Covid vaccination rates

Those eager to experience a new city would be able to jet off to London (pictured) as travel bubbles are opened when vaccine rates hit 80 per cent

He confirmed in phase C of the government's roadmap out of Covid when 80 per cent of the population has been full-vaccinated some international travel restrictions will be lifted and travel bubbles expanded.

Australia's international border was closed on March 20 last year and while Aussies could still holiday domestically, frequent lockdowns and state border closures have seen the tourism industry struggle.

Mr Tehan said resuming foreign travel would 'mean dollars in tourism businesses and more importantly... security for the 660,000 people who are employed in our tourism industry.'

'The impact that this pandemic has had on the domestic tourism industry and on our international tourism industry has been severe,' he said.

'The national plan which details a way out of this pandemic, which lays out how we can learn to live with this virus, has been extremely welcomed by the tourism industry.'

Tourism minister Dan Tehan said Japan (pictured is Tokyo) was one of the destination being looked at for a 2022 travel bubble

The government's National Plan includes four phases.

The nation is currently in phase A which involves suppressing the virus with restrictions, lockdowns, and early vaccination.

Once 70 per cent of the country aged over 16 is fully vaccinated phase B will kick in which will see an easing of most restrictions and state border closures.

'When we get to phase B, which is 70 per cent vaccination rate, Australians will have more freedom to see their loved ones and go to sporting events, and that means travel,' Mr Tehan said.

South Korea (pictured) was also specifically mentioned by Mr Tehan as an option for holiday-starved Aussies

As was Singapore which has a vibrant street food culture (pictured) and is a short plane flight away

Then phase C will be activated at 80 per cent of people fully vaccinated which will include opening up international travel and short, highly specific lockdowns.

Data collating website covidlive estimates Australia will hit 80 per cent vaccination in early January 2022 based on current vaccination rates.

Phase D is the 'post vaccination' stage in which booster vaccinations will be offered and internationals arrivals uncapped and quarantine eased.

State borders were largely opened in the second half of 2020 but with the Delta variant reaching our shores they are again being closed throughout the country - particularly to New South Wales which is in the midst of a second wave of the virus.

Similarly a travel bubble which was opened with New Zealand in April 2021 was paused for eight weeks last month.

Australia currently has 51.4 per cent of people with one jab and 31.5 have had both vaccinations.

World famous beaches such as Los Angeles' Manhattan Beach (pictured) could once again be visited by Aussies keen to board a plane

Singapore (pictured) was a popular destination for Australians looking for a short holiday
The ongoing 'disaster' in Afghanistan must prompt the UK to spend more on defence, the former head of Britain's armed forces has said as he warned NATO nations are 'totally dependent' on the US.

Lord Richards, who served as the chief of the defence staff from 2010 to 2013, said he had a 'sneaking sympathy' with the US after it decided to withdraw its forces from the country by August 31.

He said other NATO members, including the UK, have 'had their defence and their deterrents on the cheap for a number of years now'.

Lord Richards said budget cuts were now 'coming home to roost', with the UK unable to act unilaterally in the country because it lacks the capability to do so.

He said he hoped that 'one of the good things that comes out of this disaster' is that European nations in NATO 'get a grip of their defence expenditure'.

His comments came as Tory MPs warned that military funding cuts had reduced the UK to a 'very, very small player' on the global stage.

Lord Richards, who served as the chief of the defence staff from 2010 to 2013, said he had a 'sneaking sympathy' with the US over its decision to withdraw its forces from the country by August 31

Boris Johnson had urged US President Joe Biden to extend the withdrawal deadline beyond August 31 to provide more time for airlifts from Kabul airport after the Taliban seized control of the country.

But Mr Biden is sticking to his deadline and the UK now has no choice but to withdraw its forces at the same time as the US.

Lord Richards was asked this morning during an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme if the nature of the exit from Afghanistan will cause damage to NATO.

He replied: 'I think you are answering your own question, self-evidently I think it has been very damaging for Nato and levels of trust... but that said I have a sneaking sympathy with America.

'NATO nations have had their defence and their deterrents on the cheap for a number of years now.

'We are totally dependent on the Americans for true combat effectiveness and it is all coming home to roost.'

Asked whether the withdrawal from the country could prove to be a catalyst for increased defence spending, Lord Richards said: 'It could be and let's hope one of the good things that comes out of this disaster really is that NATO nations, European nations in NATO, do get a grip of their defence expenditure, start to work more closely together and become generally more effective.

'But they have got to decide what their longer term strategy is going to be. We can have another discussion about that.

'I, for example, don't think Nato should be too worried about what China is doing, allow America and her allies in the region to do that, we should focus on our defence and deterrents against a resurgent Russia and do that properly and perhaps in the Mediterranean and obviously the Atlantic.

'But we have got to accept we are more circumscribed than we might like to be and that goes for so-called Global Britain and our protections in the Far East as well.'

Lord Richards said increased interoperability and pooling of resources between NATO allies will be crucial in the coming years.

'At the moment although we have a good alliance often at the political level, at the military level you would be surprised how little interoperability there still is and that needs sorting out,' he said.

'Countries need to decide where they are prepared to put faith in other countries, properly prepared and trained obviously, rather than all spend money on the same capability and that is just one example.'

People being taken out of Afghanistan on a Spanish military flight today as the clock runs down on the airlift

Meanwhile, Sir James Bucknall, deputy commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2011, said the UK must reverse cuts to troop numbers.

He said in a letter to The Telegraph that the situation in the country had demonstrated that 'numbers count' and while 'technology can and must facilitate our soldiers... it cannot replace boots on the ground'.

Tory MPs said Ministry of Defence budget cuts had curtailed the UK's ability to act unilaterally.

Colonel Bob Stewart told MailOnline: 'Let's be quite clear, parliament and the British public have reduced the armed forces of this country to very, very small players, and we cannot do things.

'We should be paying at least three per cent of gross national product on defence.

'People say "why don't we do more?" Well, we can't do more. We haven't got the resources to do more, because they have all gone.

'We don't have the capacity to do more than ally with a stronger military power.'

He added: 'You cannot have your cake and eat it. People are saying we should be protecting more people, but at the same time they are cutting our armed forces.'
A vegan blogger who accused a recruitment firm's CEO of sexual harassment after overhearing him call a female employee a 'sassy minx' has lost her claim after the tribunal ruled he didn't understand what it meant.

Frank Varela directed the phrase towards associate Francesca Vaughan, who regularly used it with another female co-worker as a form of empowerment.

Women at the global recruitment firm had 'reclaimed' the term and used it to suggest they were 'strong, independent and confident women' like 'Beyonce or Kim Kardashian', heard an employment tribunal.

But, after CEO Mr Varela joined in and used the term, he was sued for sex-related harassment by onlooking admin and HR worker Mercedes Cobbing, who claimed he wasn't allowed to use it.

Mr Varela was cleared of the claim after the tribunal concluded he meant it as a congratulatory remark and didn't actually understand what it meant.

However, he was found guilty of racial harassment after he looked at an image of a black partner at a law firm and said: 'Do you think she just has a really good suntan?'

CEO Frank Varela (pictured above) directed the phrase towards associate Francesca Vaughan, who regularly used it with another female co-worker as a form of empowerment

Ms Cobbing, who was a vegan blogger, joined V&P Global in April 2019 as a Executive PA and Operations Manager.

The agency recruits workers for law firms around the world and was founded by Mr Varela in 2006. The City of London office was comprised of 12 women and two men, including Mr Varela.

The phrase 'sassy minx' was used regularly by female workers including Ms Vaughan to compliment each other when they performed well at work.

A tribunal report said: 'They understood it to mean a strong, independent and confident woman, and they used it as a term of endearment to each other.

'They explained to the tribunal that this is an example of where people 'reclaim' a negative word used against them and turn it into a positive meaning.

'However, they felt this was appropriate because they both consented and were talking to each other. They would not use the word about a candidate.'

When a candidate was successfully placed at top law firm Druce's LLP, Ms Vaughan called Mr Varela over to proudly announce it and, having heard her use the 'sassy minx' phrase, he used it in a congratulatory manner.

But this irked Ms Cobbing, the tribunal heard.

The report said: 'Ms Cobbing had no issue with [female workers] using the phrase between themselves, but she felt it should not be used in the professional side of the business.

'Given her role included basic HR, she felt she should make the point. When Mr Varela said "sassy minx", she said "can we not use that phrase?"

Mr Varela was sued for sex-related harassment by onlooking admin and HR worker Mercedes Cobbing (pictured above), who claimed he wasn't allowed to use the phrase

'Mr Varela asked what the phrase meant, which Ms Cobbing found surprising as he had used it, and this led to a general discussion.

'There is a general consensus that there was at some point a general discussion sparked by Mr Varela asking what the phrase meant.

'There is also a general consensus that during this discussion, Ms Vaughan Googled the phrase and read out its different meanings.

'She explained she and [a co-worker] meant it as a bold, spirited and lively young woman, rather like Beyonce or Kim Kardashian.

'Everyone agreed the term "saucy minx" was different and should never be used.'

At the tribunal in central London, a panel presided by Employment Judge Tamara Lewis combed through print outs of various definitions of 'sassy minx'.

Judge Lewis said: 'We were shown definitions of the phrase. The Urban Dictionary defined "sassy minx" as "attractive as they come, ridiculously hot".

'Another dictionary defined "minx" (on its own) as "an impudent, cunning or boldly flirtatious girl or young woman".

'The definition of "minx" accords with our own understanding of the word on its own.

'We haven't come across the phrase "sassy minx" as such, though "sassy" used on its own we would say meant "bold".

The phrase 'sassy minx' was used regularly by female workers including Ms Vaughan (pictured above) to compliment each other when they performed well at work

'We accept this may be a matter of usage by different generations, and some young women may have co-opted the phrase and used it differently of themselves.'

Ms Cobbing accused Mr Varela of using the term in front of her 18 times and directing it towards a candidate, but Judge Lewis said there was no evidence of it.

'It is unlikely that someone of his generation would use or adopt such a phrase', Judge Lewis said as she ruled he did not harass Ms Cobbing on grounds of sex.

However, Judge Lewis ruled he did harass her on grounds of race.

It was heard that in July 2019, while looking at images of workers at a law firm, he said of one black employee: 'So you think she just has a really good suntan?'

Judge Lewis said: 'The comment was made carelessly in an open office, where everyone could hear.

'It was made by the organisation's chief executive. He made the observation to one staff member and then tried to draw in another.

'It was a flippant and offensive remark. We do not think it is acceptable in the 21st century for an employer to be talking about people who are not white and using the term "suntan" when doing so.

'We appreciate the comment was not directed at Ms Cobbing and that she did not think that it was. But [she] is of mixed heritage and she instantly related the comment back to her own skin colour.

'We consider it reasonable for the conduct to have made her feel her dignity was violated.'

Ms Cobbing, whose father is of Asian ethnicity and whose mother is white, will now attend a hearing for compensation with Mr Varela and V&P Global.

The ex-HR worker, who resigned after around three months in July 2019, lost claims of constructive dismissal and disability discrimination as well as other claims for sex and race harassment.

She launched a fundraiser hoping to raise 50,000 for legal fees but reached 10.
Hundreds of residents at two residential towers in Melbourne have been plunged into isolation after Covid-positive cases visited the two sites.

Public health alerts have been issued for a Housing Commission block at 140 Brunswick Street in the inner-northern suburb of Fitzroy and for The Standard Apartment Complex on Bay Street in beachside Brighton.

Anyone who lives in the buildings along with those who may have visited during the times specified by the Victorian health department, are now under strict quarantine orders for up to 14 days.

It comes as a busy emergency ward at the Monash Medical Centre in Clayton was also flagged as an exposure site after an infected case sat in the fast track waiting room on Saturday between 3.20 and 3.35pm.

An urgent public health alert has been issued for a tower block at 140 Brunswick Street (pictured) in Fitzroy, Melbourne, after a Covid case visited the site

An infected Melburnians also visited The Standard Apartment Complex on Bay Street in Brighton (pictured), sending residents into quarantine

Latest Covid exposure sites in Victoria on Wednesday Some individuals will be Tier 1 contacts and required to quarantine for 14 days and the Department will contact them directly with this advice. Others will be Tier 2 and must get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Brighton The Standard - Apartment Complex 209-211 Bay Street Brighton VIC 3186 - Case attended venue from August 20 to 25 all day. Fitzroy Brunswick Street - Residential Towers 140 Brunswick Street Fitzroy VIC 3065 - Case attended venue August 18 to 25 all day. Clayton Monash Medical Centre Emergency Department Clayton - Clinic Waiting Room (Fast Track) 246 Clayton Road Clayton VIC 3168 21/08/2021 3:35pm - 6:30pm Case attended venue - Tier 1 Clayton Monash Medical Centre Emergency Department Clayton - Triage Waiting Room 246 Clayton Road Clayton VIC 3168 21/08/2021 3:20pm - 3:35pm Case attended venue. Some individuals will be Tier 1 contacts and required to quarantine for 14 days and the Department will contact them directly with this advice. Advertisement

Patients and staff who were in the hospital's triage waiting room during the same time have also been informed they must immediately get test and self isolate.

Some residents at the apartment complexes will be subject to Tier one health orders meaning they will be in isolation for 14 days.

Others who were not in close proximity to the infected cases will face Tier two orders and have to urgently get tested and stay at home until they receive a negative result.

Victoria recorded a further 45 new infections on Wednesday with 36 of the new cases are linked to known outbreaks, while the source of the remaining nine infections are still under investigation.

Twenty-eight cases were infectious in the community and weren't isolating while they were deemed positive.

Residents are tested for COVID-19 by health workers in the pop-up testing site outside the Palais Theatre in St Kilda, Melbourne, Friday, August 20, 2021

Victoria recorded a further 45 new infections on Wednesday with 36 of the new cases are linked to known outbreaks, while the source of the remaining nine infections are still under investigation

In another Covid surprise, Victoria's Health Minister on Wednesday said the government will re-directing staff to under-manned supermarkets in virus-hit regional areas.

Martin Foley explained that workers from council, aged care services, school services, civic support groups and food supply groups would be sent out to areas like Shepparton after short-staffed supermarkets saw people unable to access food.

He admitted the state could be forced to use the Australian Defence Force to assist at-risk areas.

'We're working through all of those issues. It's a challenge I know that the people of Shepparton - and the people of Victoria - are up to,' he said.

'If the call is made for further ADF support, it will be provided.'

He also said the Victorian government are not ruling out further border closures with NSW as the risk of spread continues and that the target of an 80 per cent vaccination rate would not immediately spell the end of restrictions.

The health department on Wednesday confirmed 36 cases were linked to known outbreaks, while the source of the remaining nine infections are under investigation

Deputy Premier James Merlino said their priority is now to have all Year 12 students vaccinated before their end of year exams, which start on October 4.

'That is our priority. Everyone 16 and over - but particularly those Year 12 students - we want to make sure that they're vaccinated before their exams start,' he said.

The deputy premier also said they are targeting all children over the age of 12 to at least have their first dose of the vaccine by the end of the year, but that senior school students were the immediate priority.

'Whether that's through the many state vaccination hubs we've got across Victoria, whether it's through GPs, or whether it's through participating pharmacies,' he said on Wednesday.

'We want to see that kids 12 and older are vaccinated at least with their first dose by the end of the year.'

Senior officials inside the Andrews government told the Herald Sun on Wednesday morning the current lockdown - which is due to end on September 2 - could be lifted if there are no mystery cases, even if daily numbers are still double digits.

The health department on Wednesday confirmed 36 cases were linked to known outbreaks, while the source of the remaining nine infections are under investigation

Victoria is on track to reach 80 per cent vaccinations on November 16, but state leaders are quietly confident they will be able to open up faster if they can control mystery cases

Mr Foley however poured water over those suggestions saying there is 'still a lot of work to do' and identified vaccination rates as the key to moving forward.

'It is the trend that the public health officials in particular frame their advice to government and their decisions around,' he said.

'It's our public health officials who still tell us there is a lot of work to do to make sure that as we take vaccination rates up we bring infection levels down.'

Wednesday's additional cases brings the total number of active infections in the state to 538.

Of the 538 cases there are 101 aged between 10 and 19, with 89 in their 20s.

Premier Andrews said on Tuesday he was confident Victoria would 'have options that Sydney won't have' before the September 2 lockdown cut-off

Victoria is on track to reach the 80 per cent vaccination number on November 16, but state leaders are quietly confident they will be able to open up faster.

A figure of 70 per cent vaccination is now being targeted, in accordance with the Doherty Institute modelling, which is being used by state and federal governments.

The state should hit that number on October 13, which could see a number of restrictions lifted.

Premier Andrews said on Tuesday he was confident Victoria would 'have options that Sydney won't have' before the September 2 lockdown cut-off.

'We've got a chance of having some options and some choices to make between now and 70 per cent,' he said.

'That's what we're working towards.'

Health mininster Martin Foley says they are sending workers out to areas like Shepparton after short-staffed supermarkets saw people unable to access food

Victoria's health minister has dismissed claims the state could move out of lockdown on time if they can stop further mystery Covid cases as 45 new infections were confirmed on Wednesday

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has repeatedly referred to the Doherty modelling, saying: 'at 70 and 80 per cent you can reopen safely.'

The state government's vaccination website crashed on Wednesday morning when thousands of young people tried to secure a booking.

Victoria had a record number of vaccinations on Tuesday with 31,629 jabs handed out.

It comes as Pfizer eligibility was expanded to people aged 16 to 39 across Victoria's 55 vaccination hubs on Wednesday morning, as supply ramps up courtesy of 175,000 doses imported from Poland.

Premier Andrews said more than 830,000 vaccination bookings over the next four weeks will be made available from 7am on Wednesday, including 450,000 first-dose Pfizer appointments.

But within minutes of bookings opening, the website appeared to buckle.

Many young people reported receiving a '500 internal server error' after waiting in the queue to book their appointment, while others were told they were ineligible for the vaccine.

Health minister Foley urged Victorians to continue checking back on the website as the state ironed out the small glitches occurring.
A teenage girl has vanished from Queensland's north-east with police holding serious concerns for her welfare due to a medical condition.

The 14-year-old was last seen at around 2.30pm on Wednesday, near Hudson Street at Kirwan, Townsville, with members of the public urged to come forward with any information.

Her family are worried for her wellbeing and safety due to her young age and a pre-existing medical condition which make her vulnerable.

Queensland Police has appealed for information on the whereabouts of a 14-year-old girl (pictured) who went missing in the Kirwan area in Townsville on Wednesday afternoon

Police describe the girl as having a Caucasian appearance with brown hair and brown eyes, standing at 166cm tall.

Anyone who may have information on her whereabouts are urged to contact police immediately, alternatively report information online via Policelink.
Black people are 80 percent more likely to be denied home loans than similarly-qualified white counterparts, a new investigation has found.

Native Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders and Latinos are also being rejected by algorithms at far higher rates than white people in the US.

The findings are at odds with the lending industry's longtime claims that high rejection rates are down to financial characteristics rather than race.

The analysis looked at 17 variables, including race, sex, loan amount, property value and income debt-to-income ratio.

This digital embed shows how many people of each ethnic group would likely be denied if 100 similarly qualified applicants applied for mortgaged in the U.S.

In an analysis of more than 2 million conventional mortgage applications from 2019 for homes reported to the government, The Markup found that, in comparison to similar white applicants, lenders in the US were:

80 percent more likely to reject Black applicants

70 percent more likely to deny Native American applicants

50 percent more likely to turn down Asian/Pacific Islander applicants

40 percent more likely to reject Latino applicants

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were founded by the federal government to spur homeownership and now buy about half of all mortgages in America. As a result, they essentially set the rules from the very beginning of the mortgage-approval process.

They require lenders to use a particular credit scoring algorithm, 'Classic FICO,' to determine whether an applicant meets the minimum threshold to be considered for a conventional mortgage in the first place, currently a score of 620.

Launched more than 15 years ago based on data from the 1990s, Classic FICO is widely considered detrimental to people of color because it rewards traditional credit, to which they have less access than white Americans.

This digital embed shows how many people of each ethnic group would likely be denied if 100 similarly qualified applicants applied for mortgaged in the Los Angeles region of California.

This digital embed shows how many people of each ethnic group would likely be denied if 100 similarly qualified applicants applied for mortgages in the Charlotte region of North Carolina

It doesn't consider, among other things: on-time payments for rent, utilities, and cellphone bills - but will lower peoples scores if they get behind on those bills and sent to debt collectors.

Unlike more recent models, it penalizes people for past medical debt after its been paid.

Yet Fannie and Freddie have resisted a stream of plaintive requests since 2014 from advocates, the mortgage and housing industries, and Congress to allow a newer model. They did not respond to questions about why.

The approval process also requires a green light by Fannie or Freddies automated underwriting software.

Not even their regulator, the FHFA, knows exactly how they decide, but some of the factors the companies say their programs consider can affect people differently depending on their race or ethnicity, researchers have found.

For instance, traditional banks are less likely than payday loan sellers to place branches in neighborhoods populated mainly by people of color. Payday lenders dont report timely payments, so they can only damage credit.

Gig workers who are people of color are more likely to report those jobs as their primary source of income, rather than a side hustle, than white gig workers. This can make their income seem more risky.

Considering an applicants assets beyond the down payment, which lenders call 'reserves,' can cause particular problems for people of color.

Largely due to intergenerational wealth and past racist policies, the typical white family in America today has eight times the wealth of a typical Black family, and five times the wealth of a Latino family. White families have larger savings accounts and stock portfolios than people of color.

In written statements, Fannie said its software analyzes applications 'without regard to race' and both Fannie and Freddie said their algorithms are routinely evaluated for compliance with fair lending laws, internally and by the FHFA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD said it has asked the pair to make changes as a result, but would not disclose the details.

Many large lenders also run applicants through their institutions own underwriting software. How those programs work is even more of a mystery; they are also proprietary.

Crystal Marie McDaniels said buying a house was crucial for her because she wants to pass on wealth to her son

The new four-bedroom house in Charlotte, North Carolina, was Crystal Marie and Eskias McDaniels personal American dream, the reason they had moved there from pricey Los Angeles.

A lush, long lawn, 2,700 square feet of living space, gleaming kitchen, and a neighborhood pool and playground for their son, Nazret. All for $375,000.

Pre-qualifying for the mortgage was a breeze: They had high credit scores, earned roughly six figures each and had saved more they would need for the down payment.

But two days before they were supposed to sign, in August 2019, the loan officer called Crystal Marie with bad news: The deal wasnt going to close.

'It seemed like it was getting rejected by an algorithm,' she said, 'and then there was a person who could step in and decide to override that or not.'

She was told she didnt qualify because she was a contractor, not a full-time employee - even though her co-workers were contractors, too. And they had mortgages.

This digital embed shows how many people of each ethnic group would likely be denied if 100 similarly qualified applicants applied for mortgaged in the Chicago region of Illinois.

Crystal Maries co-workers are white. She and Eskias are Black.

'I think it would be really naive for someone like myself to not consider that race played a role in the process,' she said.

When the AP and The Markup examined cities and towns individually, they found disparities in 90 metros spanning every region of the country. Lenders were 150% more likely to reject Black applicants in Chicago than similar white applicants there. Lenders were more than 200% more likely to reject Latino applicants than white applicants in Waco, Texas, and to reject Asian and Pacific Islander applicants than white ones in Port St. Lucie, Florida. And they were 110% more likely to deny Native American applicants in Minneapolis.

'Lenders used to tell us, `Its because you dont have the lending profiles; the ethno-racial differences would go away if you had them,' said Jose Loya, assistant professor of urban planning at UCLA who has studied public mortgage data extensively and reviewed the methodology. 'Your work shows thats not true.'

McDaniels closed on her home despite the fact was told she didnt qualify because she was a contractor, not a full-time employee - even though her co-workers were contractors, too

The American Bankers Association, The Mortgage Bankers Association, The Community Home Lenders Association, and The Credit Union National Association all criticized the analysis.

In written statements, the ABA and MBA dismissed the findings for failing to include credit scores or government loans, which are mortgages guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs and others.

Black couple say they were denied loan despite good credit scores Crystal Marie and Eskias McDaniels were denied a loan for a four-bedroom $375,000 house in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple say they prequalified for the mortgage, had saved more than they would need for the down payment, and had good credit scores and salaries.

The loan officer told the couple the application had been submitted internally to the underwriting department for approval at least a dozen times, with each one rejected. The pair had spent $6,000 in fees and deposits - all nonrefundable. 'It seemed like it was getting rejected by an algorithm,' she said, 'and then there was a person who could step in and decide to override that or not.' She was told she didn't qualify because she was a contractor, not a full-time employee, even though her boss told the lender she was not at risk of losing her job. Her co-workers were contractors, too, and they had mortgages. Crystal Marie's co-workers are white while she and Eskias are Black. 'I think it would be really naive for someone like myself to not consider that race played a role in the process,' she said. Crystal Marie McDaniels was denied a mortgage Advertisement

Government loans have different thresholds for approval, which bring people into the market who wouldnt otherwise qualify, but generally cost buyers more. Even the Federal Reserve and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency that releases mortgage data, separate conventional and government loans in their research on lending disparities.

It was impossible for the study to include credit scores in their analysis because the CFPB strips them from the public version of the data - in part due to the mortgage industry's lobbying, citing borrower privacy.

While home lending decisions are officially made by loan officers at each institution, they are largely driven by software, most of it mandated by a pair of quasi-governmental agencies.

The president of the trade group representing real estate appraisers recently acknowledged racial bias is prevalent in the industry, which sets property values, and launched new programs to combat bias.

'If the data that youre putting in is based on historical discrimination,' said Aracely Panameno, director of Latino affairs for the Center for Responsible Lending, 'then youre basically cementing the discrimination at the other end.'

Some fair lending advocates have begun to ask whether the value system in mortgage lending should be tweaked.

'As an industry, we need to think about, what are the less discriminatory alternatives, even if they are a valid predictor of risk,' said David Sanchez, a former FHFA policy analyst, who currently directs research and development at the nonprofit National Community Stabilization Trust. 'Because if we let risk alone govern all of our decisions, we are going to end up in the exact same place we are now when it comes to racial equity in this country.'

Crystal Marie and Eskias McDaniels' lender denied race had anything to do with their denial. In an email, loanDepot vice president of communications Lori Wildrick said the company follows the law and expects 'fair and equitable treatment' for every applicant.

The couple refused to give up after the loan officer told them the mortgage fell through and enlisted their real estate agent to help. Crystal Maries employer sent multiple emails vouching for her.

Around 8 p.m. on the night before the original closing date, Crystal Marie got an email from the lender: 'Youre cleared to close.' She still doesnt understand how she got to yes, but she was relieved and elated.

An investigation found that lenders in 2019 were more likely to deny home loans to people of color than to white people with similar financial characteristics

'It means so much to me, as a black person,' said Crystal Marie, who said her family descended from slaves in neighboring South Carolina, 'to own property in a place where not that many generations ago you were property.

'Its meant so much.'

Mixed-race couple blasts home appraiser after value of home went up by $135,000 when they removed all evidence that a black mother and biracial child live there

A mixed race couple was left crushed when their Florida home was appraised for $135,000 more after they removed evidence that a black woman lived there.

Abena and Alex Horton said that when they first had their four-bedroom house in Jacksonville valued, the appraiser told them it was only worth $330,000  which was considerably lower than the couple had expected.

Suspecting that racism might be at play, the couple removed all family photos and books by black authors from the house, and made sure that only Alex, who is white, was home for the second appraisal; lo and behold, this time the appraiser assigned the value at $465,000, over 40 per cent more than the previous estimate.

Suspicious appraisal: Abena and Alex Horton are looking to refinance their four-bedroom house in Jacksonville, Florida and had it appraised in June

Home sweet home: The first appraiser valued it at $330,000  lower than the couple expected and less than other homes in the area

The couple was starting the process of refinancing their home when they scheduled the first appraisal in June.

They estimated that their four-bedroom, four-bath ranch-style house in a predominantly white neighborhood would be appraised for $465,000  and looked to other homes in the area, which were valued at $350,000 to $550,000.

When the appraiser came, however, had different ideas.

'The appraiser came by and he was immediately unpleasant  making one rude comment after another,' Abena wrote in a viral Facebook post.

'He expressed exaggerated surprise when he saw me working at my home office during the walk-through.'

Ultimately, the appraiser valued the home at only $330,000, which Abena called 'laughable.'

'We appraised far lower than neighboring home sales with fewer bathrooms, fewer bedrooms, significantly lower square footage and half the land,' she wrote.

Terrible: Abena removed any photos that showed black people and replaced them with images of white friends; she also stored away books by black authors

Compelling evidence: A second appraisal came back 41% higher at $465,000, which Abena and Alex attribute to racial discrimination

Speaking to ABC News, she said rolled her eyes at the number, calling the original appraiser 'so petty and hateful.'

'Why did I let myself forget that I live in America as a black person and that I need to take some extra steps to get a fair result?' she said.

The Hortons managed to get the bank to agree to a second appraisal, and this time around they made some changes.

Abena, a lawyer, removed the photos of their multiracial family, replacing them with paintings of her white husband and his parents, as well as holiday cards from white friends.

She also put away books by black authors like Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison and made sure Shakespeare was on display instead.

When the second appraiser came, only Alex was home, as Abena and their six-year-old son had gone out.

The experiment worked: The second appraiser valued the home at $465,000  $135,000 and more than 40 per cent more than the original estimate.

'My heart kind of broke,' Abena said. 'To know just how much, me personally, I was devaluing the home just by sitting in it'

Reported: The Hortons said they have filed a complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development

'My heart kind of broke,' Abena told the New York Times.

'I know what the issue was. And I knew what we needed to do to fix it, because in the black community, its just common knowledge that you take your pictures down when youre selling the house. But I didnt think I had to worry about that with an appraisal.'

She said the experience was 'crushing' and was 'ashamed' that her son would noticed that she'd hid their race.

'Im ashamed to say that I really wanted to refinance and pay off my house sooner and have full equity in my home, and so I was willing to put up with that indignity to do it because I knew it was going to be effective,' she told ABC News.

'So it was a combination of pragmatism and deep and profound sadness.

After the second appraiser left, Abena was in tears.

'Because we realize just how much more removing that variable increased the value of our home,' she said.

'Racism silently but conspicuously steals wealth,' Abena wrote on Facebook

Couple says they faced discrimination in home appraisal because of wife's race This report is part of "Turning Point," a groundbreaking series by ABC News examining the racial reckoning sweeping the United States and exploring whether it can lead to lasting reconciliation. https://gma.abc/3jWvVPO Posted by Good Morning America on Wednesday, 14 October 2020

'To know just how much, me personally, I was devaluing the home just by sitting in it. Just by living my life. Just by paying my mortgage. Just by raising my son there. How much [the first appraiser] felt that that devalued my house, devalued the neighborhood.'

In addition to being emotionally crushing for the Hortons, this kind of discrimination is illegal.

The Fair Housing Act of 1968 says that home appraisers cannot discriminate based on race, religion, national origin, or gender. Those who do can lose their license and even go to prison.

The Hortons said they have filed a complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

'Racism silently but conspicuously steals wealth,' Abena wrote on Facebook.

'Racism wastes time. Racism raises blood pressure. Racism makes me hate myself for my calm acceptance of what I had to do, and have always had to do, to achieve a fair result.

'I write this from a place of absolute anguish, to sort through my emotions. I want better for my son.'
A 'gorgeous' two-year-old girl grinned and giggled as she was pictured having fun just hours before she was killed in a horror fire.

Tributes have been paid to little Louisiana-Brook Broadley, who died in a fire on Monday night at a caravan where she was staying with her mother and three siblings.

The youngster's heartbroken grandmother Donna Broadley posted a series of snaps of the youngster, taken on what turned out to be the last day of her life as she enjoyed her time at the Sealands Caravan Park in Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire.

In an emotional Facebook post, she said: 'Our hearts are broken as 'wee wee' was our baby of our family.

'Tash gave her everything, she was her right leg. Our hearts are broken.

'We as a family will be here for Tash and my grandchildren.'

Police are continuing to investigate the 'unexplained' cause of the blaze.

Her mother, Natasha Broadley, and three of the tragic toddler's siblings managed to escape the holiday home as it went up in flames.

Tragic Louisiana-Brook Broadley died following the horror at Sealands Caravan Park in Ingoldmells, near Skegness on Monday night, while mother Natasha and the other children managed to escape

Tributes have now flooded in for the toddler, who was originally from Newark, Nottinghamshire

Police are continuing to investigate the cause of the blaze, which killed the toddler (pictured) earlier this week

The youngster's heartbroken grandmother Donna Broadley posted a series of snaps of the youngster, taken on what turned out to be the last day of her life as she enjoyed her time at the holiday park

In an emotional Facebook post, relatives paid tribute to the toddler, who was known as 'wee wee'

Louisiana-Brook enjoys herself at the holiday park, just hours before her tragic death

A GoFundMe page has been launched to help Natasha - from Newark, Nottinghamshire, and known as Tash - and her family following the tragedy.

Her friend Laurie Selfridge, who started the fundraiser, said: 'Louisiana-Brook was the most beautiful amazing little girl. She was a sweet angel.

'Natasha adored all her children but she was like Natasha's shadow.

'Their worlds have been torn apart in pure tragedy.

'It's soul destroying, we all love Tasha and her children. We're a tight community in Newark.

'It's totally knocked all of us, but the love being shown is unreal.'

Lincolnshire Police, which was called to the blaze at 10.30pm on Monday night, said officers remained on the site today along with Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service and forensic specialists, and the investigation is expected to take 'some time'.

The three siblings, all under the age of 11, and their mother, who is in her 30s, all received medical attention in hospital but were later released.

Officers are trying to establish the cause of the fire, and said they are currently treating the toddler's death as unexplained.

Police said specialist officers are supporting the family following the incident.

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Jo Fortune said: 'Our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of those involved in this tragic incident and I send our condolences.

'We will do everything we can to establish what has happened.

'I would like to pass on my personal thanks to everyone who helped on the evening and has supported the family too. It was a very serious and frightening time.'

The base of the caravan remained intact but the roof and walls were destroyed as charred debris was scattered around the area.

Around 50 people from nearby caravans were evacuated and had to stay in emergency accommodation at the Laver Leisure site.

A woman and three of her children made it out safely but her fourth - the little girl - lost her life

The child passed away at Sealands Caravan Park in Ingoldmells, near Skegness, following the blaze at 10.30pm

The mother and three children received medical attention at hospital and have since been discharged

Leigh Sleafer, whose caravan was a few down from the fire, said the deadly blaze had left her seven-year-old autistic son being sick and traumatised her other children.

She told MailOnline: 'I'm not really sure what happened as I was in the shower and had just settled my children down.

'My friend was outside, we saw what I thought was a heavy cloud of smoke and thought I heard kids shouting.'

She continued: 'Next thing I knew was my friend came in saying there was a caravan on fire.

'One of my children is autistic and was so distraught he was being sick so I had to get them all away from the fire and took them down the road to work out what we was going to do. We are now at home safe but very traumatised from it all.'

She added: 'I'm heartbroken for the family and for all that saw this so tragic. Sleep tight little angel.'

Around 50 people from nearby caravans were evacuated and had to stay in emergency accommodation at the Laver Leisure site

Ms Sleafer said she left the caravan site in the middle of the night with her children and drove them three hours home to Bedfordshire to 'feel safe with their dad'.

Another witness said: 'It was heartbreaking to see, someone ran to me asking me for my fire extinguisher because there were two little ones in van.

'I tried to tell her my little extinguisher wouldn't help.' Another woman said on Facebook: 'My sister was in the van next door but was out at the time.

'She was just walking back to the van when it happened but by sounds it was very very bad. It exploded. That poor women and her five kids.'

And another added: 'So sad, we're staying on this site and didn't know anything about it until just now when we tried to walk out of the site and it was all blocked off.'

One holidaymaker, who was also staying in a caravan close to the fire, said: 'It was scary how quickly it went up.'

Shaun Walker, 54, was on an adjoining caravan site, just yards from the scene, when he became aware of the blaze.

He said: 'Our caravan site sits right next door and all of a sudden I smelt the smoke. I went outside and saw the caravan on fire. The flames were really high and crisping.

'People were running around in panic, I just thought to myself 'I hope dear God that no one is inside, and that all the adults and children got out.'

One holidaymaker, who was also staying in a caravan close to the fire, said: 'It was scary how quickly it went up'

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Jo Fortune said: 'This is a devasting incident for all involved'

'I tried to climb the perimeter fence of our caravan site to go and help. I wanted to go and help, but the fence was just too high and has spikes on the top.

'The firemen arrived and were damping it down, so I went back to my caravan. My neighbour rang 999 and they told us all to get outside in case our gas canisters exploded. It was just awful.'

The Sealands site is owned by Laver Leisure who also own a number of other sites which in total house almost 2,000 caravans in the Skegness and Ingoldmells area.

Crime Scene Investigation staff wearing protective white boiler suits were at the scene today. The area around the caravan was sealed off with yellow and black tape.

Councillor for Skegness North Carl Macey said: 'I feel sorry for those lives that this news is going to touch in such a detrimental way.

'My thoughts are with the family that will now be left with this devastating news.

'I wish the family the very best of luck going forward, as I'm sure they'll need help and guidence with grieving because it is such a horrendous situation.'

He added: 'You wouldn't wish this upon anybody.'

Chief Superintendent Kieran English said the cause of the fire remained 'unexplained'.

He said: 'At this point of time it is unexplained, but hopefully as the day progresses we may have some indication in terms of the causation of the fire.'

Mr English added: 'I've got children. This is absolutely tragic. My thoughts and my prayers go to the family and their friends at this really sad time.'

He urged any witnesses to the blaze to contact his officers.

Mr English said: 'We've a long way to go before we can ascertain the facts in this tragic incident.

'But Lincolnshire Police and Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue are determined to find answers for the family.'

Police said an investigation team would be at the scene throughout the day, carrying out the initial stages of the inquiry

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue added: 'Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue were called to a static caravan on fire in Ingoldmells last night'

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Jo Fortune said: 'This is a devasting incident for all involved.

'We are in the very early stages of our investigations and the circumstances which led to the fire are not yet clear. We will be working closely with specialist teams to understand what happened.

'We would like to appeal to anyone who was there last night and has not yet spoken to police to come forward, and for anyone with video footage to please share that with officers to add to our intelligence of the incident.

'This is particularly harrowing, with a family losing a child, and we'd ask that people remember those victims and not share footage online.'

Police said an investigation team would be at the scene throughout the day, carrying out the initial stages of the inquiry.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue added: 'Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue were called to a static caravan on fire in Ingoldmells last night.

'On arrival our five attending crews found that the fire was already well-established and aggressive firefighting was needed to extinguish it.

'A family had been in the caravan when the fire broke out and whilst the mother was able to escape with three of her children, unfortunately her youngest daughter, aged 2, has sadly lost her life.

Matt King, Divisional Commander for East Division at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: 'Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the family at this time.

'Our Fire Investigation Team will be working with CSI colleagues from Lincolnshire Police to complete a full investigation into the cause of the fire.

'All firefighters have been offered welfare support, and once investigations are complete, local fire crews and our community fire safety team will be on hand to talk to people in the area and address any fire safety concerns, at what will be an upsetting time.'

A spokesman for Sealands Caravan Park said: 'We are deeply saddened by what has happened and we will be assisting police with their inquiries and helping affected families.

'We cannot make any other comment while the investigation is ongoing.'
Hard-left candidate Sharon Graham today defied the odds to snatch the leadership of one of Britain's most powerful unions.

Ms Graham, who was backed by the Socialist Workers Party, will succeed Len McCluskey as general secretary of Unite.

The result is a blow for Mr McCluskey - nicknamed Red Len - who have been campaigning for his ally and former Militant member Steve Turner to take over the role.

Ms Graham is expected to work more closely with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer than Mr Turner would have done.

Sharon Graham, who was backed by the Socialist Workers Party, will succeed Len McCluskey as general secretary of Unite

She has said she accepts the Corbyn era is over and is seen as being more interested in workplace conditions than internal Labour Party politics.

Unite said Ms Graham secured 46,696 votes, ahead of Mr Turner on 41,833 votes. Centrist candidate Gerard Coyne came third with 35,334.

Only around 124,000 ballot papers were returned  a turnout of approximately 12 per cent.

Ms Graham - the first woman to lead the union - said: 'I am honoured to have been elected by our members, and I understand that the trust that they have placed in me brings with it tremendous responsibility.

'Our members expect their union to be in their corner so I was proud to stand on a manifesto that pledged to put our members and our workplaces first. I will deliver on those promises.

'Unite is an incredible force for good in the UK and Ireland but I am fully aware of the huge challenges our members face in the workplace.

'As general secretary, I will put all the power of our union into defending their jobs, improving their pay and protecting their rights.'

Sir Keir tweeted: 'Congratulations to @UniteSharon on her election as General Secretary of Unite  the first ever woman to hold that role.

'I'm looking forward to working together to improve the lives of working people across the country.'

The result would be a blow for Mr McCluskey who has been campaigning for former Militant member Steve Turner (pictured left) to take over the role.

Unite is the country's second largest union, and the biggest donor to the Labour Party.

It has been led for the last 10 years by Mr McCluksey, who was an avid supporter of Jeremy Corbyn during his failed Labour leadership.

More than one million Unite members were eligible to vote in the contest.
Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday thanked embassy staff for their 'extraordinary' work in her first comments regarding two staffers facing possible Havana syndrome.

Harris did not specifically address the incident but made general remarks on the work of Americans overseas. Her arrival in Vietnam was delayed while officials investigated an 'anomalous health incident,' which is what the U.S. government calls Havana Syndrome, the mysterious condition that causes headaches, brain injury and other issues.

'Here's my message to embassy staff: thank you,' Harris said in remarks at a signing ceremony for a lease on a new U.S. embassy location in Hanoi.

'The people who work in our embassies around the world are extraordinary public servants who represent the best of what the United States believes itself to be and aspires to be, which is a good neighbor for our partners and our allies around the globe.'

'And in particular, in this last year and a half, our staff and our embassies around the world have done their work at great personal sacrifice because of COVID, because of the assignments, and restrictions that is placed on their natural desire and ability to be present, to be in community, to engage in the best of what diplomacy can produce,' she added.

U.S. officials have not yet confirmed the two episodes in question involved Havana syndrome, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday. The two staffers are being send to the United States for treatment.

Harris' departure from Singapore on Tuesday was delayed by more than three hours as officials assessed the situation before deciding the trip could safely proceed.

'There was an assessment done of the safety of the vice president, and there was a decision made that she could continue travel along with her staff,' Psaki said.

Vice President Kamala Harris thanked embassy staff for their 'extraordinary' work in her first comments on Havana Syndrome scare

The Vietnam portion of Harris' trip started off under controversy with critics calling her tone deaf for visiting there as American forces struggle to evacuate tens of thousands of people from Kabul.

The crisis in Afghanistan has prompted comparisons with the 1975 evacuation of Saigon, when American helicopters ferried final evacuees from the embassy roof as Viet Cong troops advanced.

On her first day in Vietnam, Harris' meetings and stops included inevitable ties to the war fought there even as she focused her message on the U.S. presence in Asia. She made no major remarks on the Afghan crisis.

She met with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Vice President Vo Thi Ahn Xuan under a bust of the country's former president Ho Chi Minh, a revolutionary who served as president between 1945 and 1969 and who led the effort to expel Americans from Vietnam during the war.

Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, is 1,000 miles north of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, the site of the enduring images that came out of the end of the Vietnam War. Harris will not visit Saigon during her stop in the country.

Harris also made an unscheduled stop to visit the spot where the late Senator John McCain's aircraft was shot down by the North Vietnamese in 1967. McCain spent nearly six years a POW during the war.

She held a moment of silence in the rain at the memorial site and laid flowers at it. It was the three year anniversary of McCain's death from brain cancer.

'John McCain was an extraordinary American hero,' she said. 'I was honored and privileged to serve with him for a short time in the United States Senate. John McCain, he loved our country. He was so courageous and really lived the life of a herothe sacrifices he made that were on every scale imaginable, loved our country and really always fought for the best of who we are. And it turns out today is the anniversary, so there we are.'

Vice President Harris took a moment of silence in the pouring rain and laid flowers at the monument where John McCain's plane was shot down by the North Vietnamese in 1967. She noted it was the three-year anniversary of Senator McCain's death

Harris kneels down as she lays flowers on McCain's memorial site in Hanoi, Vietnam on Wednesday

Harris, who is the first U.S. vice president to visit Vietnam, told the nation's president that 'our relationship has come a long way in a quarter of a century.'

She also called on Vietnam to join the U.S. in challenging China's 'bullying' in the South China Sea, continuing her sharp rhetoric against Beijing that has characterized her trip to Asia.

'We need to find ways to pressure and raise the pressure, frankly, on Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge its bullying and excessive maritime claims,' she said.

The vice president also offered the deployment of a third U.S. Coast Guard cutter, a fleet of 24 patrol boats, base facilities, piers, law enforcement training and other joint activities that help Vietnam bolster its maritime security.

China hit back at the accusations through its state media on Wednesday, accusing the US of hypocrisy in attempting to 'coerce and intimidate' countries in the region in its 'scheme to contain China'.

'While pointing a finger at China and accusing it of 'coercion' and 'intimidation', Harris willfully ignored her own hypocrisy in attempting to coerce and intimidate regional countries to join Washington in its scheme to contain China,' the state run China Daily said in an editorial responding to Harris's comments in Singapore.

'It seems that the United States' only commitment to Southeast Asia is its dedicated efforts to drive a wedge between the Southeast Asian nations and China,' it added.

Harris also announced the U.S. would help with Vietnam's COVID efforts, sending 1 million additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Vietnam, bringing the total U.S. vaccine donation to that country to 6 million doses.

She announced the launch of a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Southeast Asia regional office in Hanoi.

VP Harris and President Nguyen Xuan Phuc posed for a photo under another bust of Ho Chi Minh at the presidential palace in Hanoi on Wednesday

The Vice President, pictured with her Vietnamese counterpart Vo Thi Anh Xuan, said it's time to find ways to 'raise the pressure' on China as it lays claim to vast swaths of the resource-rich South China Sea, parts of which Vietnam also claims

Vice President Kamala Harris arrives in Hanoi, Vietnam, after a three hour delay

What is 'Havana Syndrome'? The mysterious illness that started in the US embassy in Cuba and causes memory and hearing loss The problem has been labeled the 'Havana Syndrome,' because the first cases affected personnel in 2016 at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba. At least 130 cases across the government are now under investigation, up from several dozen last year, according to a U.S. defense official who was not authorized to discuss details publicly. The National Security Council is leading the investigation. A case was reported as recently as last week in Berlin. People who are believed to have been affected have reported headaches, dizziness and symptoms consistent with concussions, with some requiring months of medical treatment. Some have reported hearing a loud noise before the sudden onset of symptoms. Investigators believe there are at least four cases involving Trump White House officials. Advocates for those affected accuse the U.S. government of long failing to take the problem seriously or provide the necessary medical care and benefits. US senators said last month that the government is investigating an apparent increase in the mysterious directed-energy attacks. Symptoms include; -hearing loss -severe headaches -memory issues -dizziness -brain injury Advertisement

Ahead of her trip, at least two U.S. personnel in Hanoi were medevacked out of the country after Havana Syndrome incidents over the weekend, NBC News reported. Hours before Harris' arrival, American personnel in Vietnam were informed the incidents involved strange sounds - a key characteristic of Havana Syndrome.

The incidents occurred at staffers' homes in Hanoi, not at the U.S. Embassy. Most staff are working from home because of the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 200 U.S. officials and personnel around the world have complained of symptoms such as migraines, hearing loss and dizziness in cases believed to be Havana Syndrome. Two U.S. officials stationed in Berlin reported symptoms of Havana Syndrome in mid-August.

Harris was scheduled to head to Vietnam at 4 p.m. local time after wrapping up the first leg of trip in Singapore. But reporters traveling with the vice president were taken back to their hotel rooms without explanation and held there until Harris departed from Singapore's Paya Lebar Air Base at 7:32 p.m. local time.

Harris spokesperson Symone Sanders told reporters before takeoff: 'You saw her get onto the plane. She is well. All is fine.'

Sanders was just as cagey when speaking to reporters traveling with the vice president from Singapore to Hanoi.

'I will note you all saw the Vice President out on the tarmac,' Sanders said after being pressed repeatedly about the delay. 'She is well, all is fine and looking forward to meetings in Hanoi tomorrow.'

Later on the flight she told reporters: 'This has nothing to do with the Vice President's health.'

Havana Syndrome was first reported in 2016 when a staffer at the U.S. embassy in Cuba suffered headaches, hearing loss, memory issues and other symptoms.

People who are believed to have been affected have reported headaches, dizziness and symptoms consistent with concussions, with some requiring months of medical treatment.

Some have reported hearing a loud noise before the sudden onset of symptoms.

Scientists and government officials are not yet certain about who might have been behind any attacks, if the symptoms could have been caused inadvertently by surveillance equipment - or if the incidents were caused by a mysterious sonic weapon.
Dubbed Blue Tesla after car company they are cocktail of MDMA and cocaine

Police have issued a warning about a dangerous version of MDMA pills ahead of the Creamfields music festival tomorrow.

Revellers attending one of the UK's biggest dance festivals in Daresbury, Cheshire, are being urged to take caution over the deadly batch of pills, dubbed 'Blue Tesla' due to their resemblance to the Tesla car logo, that could be circulating at the event.

The urgent warning comes after the pill, which is a lethal cocktail of MDMA and cocaine, was linked to two deaths earlier this year.

In a statement Cheshire Police said: 'We've been alerted to dangerous MDMA tablets, which are believed to be responsible for two UK deaths.

Cheshire Police have warned revellers attending the Creamfields music festival in Daresbury, tomorrow about a deadly batch of MDMA pills

'If you see any like the one pictured below at the event, report it to security. You will never be judged if you/your friend(s) feel unwell so please always seek help if you need it.'

In August, a 21-year-old man died and two others were rushed to hospital after taking a deadly batch of 'Blue Teslas' at The Cause nightclub in Tottenham, north-east London.

Following the incident, Superintendent Simon Crick, said: 'There is no safe way of taking illegal drugs, however the incidents overnight have caused us particular concern.

'We urge anyone who bought drugs in or around the nightclub to dispose of these substances as soon as possible.

'An investigation is continuing to establish where these drugs have come from and I encourage anyone with information to contact police.

'If anyone has taken an illegal substance and becomes unwell then they should seek immediate medical advice.'

And in July, the Bristol nightclub Motion released a warning on its social media pages over the 'extra strength' pills following a death in the city and a spate of incidents linked to the drugs.

They said: 'We are aware of some extra strength pills in Bristol.

The pill, dubbed 'Blue Tesla due to its resemblance to Tesla's car logo, is a lethal cocktail of MDMA and cocaine

'Please be careful wherever you go this weekend - please stay safe and look after each other.'

Meanwhile Christina Gray, Director of Public Health at Bristol City Council, said: 'We're becoming increasingly concerned about reports of a potentially lethal batch of drugs circulating in the city.

'It remains to be seen how widespread the issue is, however the recent hospitalisation of several people and the death of a young person over one weekend, suggests that this is not an isolated incident.

'Whilst I advise everyone against the use of illegal substances I urge anyone who intends to do so to take extra care and be aware of your friends and the help available to you.'

In August 2019, a 19-year-old from Warrington died following a drug overdose at Creamfields.

Police said the teenager had been seen looking unwell by security staff before he was taken to Warrington district general hospital, where he died.

Creamfields, which was cancelled last year amid the coronavirus pandemic, is due to take place from August 26 - 29 and will this year feature artists including DJ David Guetta, Example and Chase & Status.
A Texas father bared his thoughts on mask mandates during a Dripping Springs School District meeting, stripping down to his underwear in defense of the mandates.

The meeting in Dripping Springs - about 25 miles outside Austin - was intended as an agenda review ahead of the regular board meeting next week, but quickly turned into a public debate about masking mandates in schools.

James Akers, 58, spoke during the public forum at the beginning of the meeting Monday listing examples of other inconveniences that he endures for the safety and comfort of others.

Akers approached the microphone and introduced himself as father of a Dripping Springs high school student who has had three other students in the school district.

James Akers, 58, put on a shocking public performance during a Dripping Springs School District meeting as he stripped down to his underwear while defending mask mandates on Monday August 23

'Sometimes I need to push the envelope a little bit and I just decided that I'm not just going to talk about it but I'm going to walk the walk,' the Texas father said as he began removing his clothing

Dripping Springs School District has recommended but did not mandate masks for schools

'I'm here to say that I do not like government or any other entity -just ask my wife - telling me what to do. But sometimes I need to push the envelope a little bit and I just decided that I'm not just going to talk about it but I'm going to walk the walk,' the 15-year Dripping Springs resident announced.

Then he took off his jacket. 'At work they make me wear this jacket. I hate it. They make me wear this shirt and tie. I hate it,' he said, removing the tie and unbuttoning his shirt.

'On the way over here, I ran three stop signs and four red lights,' he continued. 'I almost killed somebody out there, but by God, they're my roads too. So I have every right to drive as fast as I want to, make the turns that I want to.'

'I got over here to the school today, and the parking lot was full, and I decided I was going to park wherever the hell I wanted to  which, in this case, happened to be a handicap [spot],' Akers said, pulling off his shirt to audible shock and some cheers from the crowd.

He then immediately began unbuckling his pants. Three officers started to approach Akers as his last few seconds of allotted time counted down on a screen.

'It's simple protocol, people,' Akers concluded, with his pants at his ankles. 'We follow certain rules for a very good reason.'

The board and the crowd sat in shock as Board President Barbara Stroud calmly requested that the father put his pants back on.

'Mr. Akers, I understand  I believe you're a swimmer  but if you would mind putting your pants back on for a comment, that would be appreciated,' Stroud said.

The Texas Supreme Court recently rejected Governor Greg Abbott's attempt to ban local governments from enforcing covid mandates requiring that Abbott's case be appealed in a lower court first

'It's simple protocol, people,' Akers concluded with his pants around his ankles. 'We follow certain rules for a very good reason'

Board President Barbara Stroud calmly asked Akers to redress before allowing the meeting to proceed. Officers approached him but did not remove him as he began to redress

In 2012, Akers had a short run as a candidate for a seat on the Dripping Springs School Board before withdrawing his name. He is a vocal advocate in his community.

In 2008, he served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Denver representing Senatorial District 25, which encompasses Dripping Springs.

Mask mandates in schools have become a hot button in Texas after Governor Greg Abbott signed an executive order banning local governments from enforcing mask or vaccination mandates.

President Biden warned that the federal government would take legal action against state governments who signed similar orders. This month the Texas Supreme Court rejected Abbott's latest bid to scrap local mandates.

The court rejected Abbott's request for an intervention after several counties defied his emergency ban on masking kids.

But Abbott was refused on the grounds of a legal technicality - it must first be appealed in a lower court - meaning he is almost certain to challenge the ruling.

Dripping Springs School District has recommended, but not mandated masks, for schools. This decision followed Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra's executive order requiring local schools to mandate masks and the Texas Supreme Court's decision.

While local governments are fighting for their rights to dictate their own COVID mandates, the public continues to debate what those protocols should be.

The day after Akers' strip tease, he explained his public performance to KXAN saying that he decided to strip down during the board meeting after jokingly discussing it with a friend at a previous board meeting and seeing his friend's 'freaked out' reaction.

'I stripped in front of the whole board to prove a point about social norms and what we do everyday with each other just as a matter of course,' and then he wished he had done it.

'I stripped in front of the whole board to prove a point about social norms and what we do everyday with each other just as a matter of course,' Akers said

Akers is a 15 year resident of Dripping Springs and currently has one child enrolled in the district's high school

The 15-year Dripping Springs resident realized, 'I can't let it go. I really need to get out there.'

'There are too many voices out there that I think are digging in for political reasons, and absolutely just not thinking about the common sense decisions we make every day to comply with everything from driving down the road and being safe and courteous to other drivers to not parking in handicapped spots,' he said.

'All these rules that we're given every day that we follow, because they make sense for the community.'

The reactions from crowd and the community to Akers' stunt have remained divided. No action regarding masks was taken during the meeting.

As of Monday, Hays County Local Health Department had reported 348 new lab-confirmed COVID cases, along with eight new hospitalizations and 13 new hospital discharges. Hays County had recorded 2,262 active cases, with 41 of the 50 people hospitalized being unvaccinated, according to the San Marcos Daily Record.

Dripping Spring Superintendent Holly Morris-Kuentz told KXAN that there was a call with representatives of the Texas Education Agency on August 19 that provided additional public health guidance.

'When a staff member is considered a close contact, they're recommending now that they quarantine, which previously before and even in their current guidance, they say schools are not required to contact trace.'

Staff are then required to test every other day when returning to work.

Along with most of the country, Hays County, Texas- which encompasses Dripping Springs- is experiencing a spike in COVID cases and deaths

'This was an interesting piece for us, because we don't have in-district COVID testing or a way to test staff every day,' she said. 'The Texas Department of Emergency Management actually was offering public schools rapid test, and at the time, our nurses were not interested in administering rapid tests. That's another big duty to put on them, but because this came out, we went ahead and got online.'

The district has since ordered tests through TDEM, which includes training procedures district personnel are required to undergo. Remaining questions to be addressed include whether DSISD will designate COVID-19 testing hubs at specific campuses, or administer tests across the district as part of nurses' duties.

'Again, it's one of those things that really, they haven't given us a lot of guidance or procedures on,' she said. 'They've just added a line that says 'go do this,' and it wasn't really well timed anyways.'

The call also informed district superintendents that the department will not provide waivers for school closures.

'If schools close, then they are expecting them to have minutes within their calendar or to make up those days,' she said. 'As we're talking about COVID and wanting to keep schools open and wanting to keep kids healthy, we want to keep the kids healthy for all reasons.'
Music festivals and schools returning will lead to a 'significant surge' in Covid-19 infections causing concerns for medics, an expert advising the Government has said.

A rise in cases as a result is 'realistic' and will happen 'despite best efforts' amid the spread of the dominant and more transmissible Delta variant of coronavirus, Professor Ravindra Gupta said.

His comments come as another expert said vaccines should prevent the 'significant wave' of hospital admissions seen last autumn, but added there is uncertainty over how big any rise might be this time.

Music lovers today began arriving at Reading Festival under strict Covid-19 protocols amid fears it could become a super-spreader event.

The famous three-dayer - which is being headlined by acts including Liam Gallagher and Stormzy - kicks off on Friday.

Around 90,000 people are expected over the weekend, which is predicted to boast sunny weather to accompany the sounds.

The festival is taking place after health officials said they are investigating 4,700 cases of coronavirus which are suspected to be linked to the Boardmasters festival, which took place in Cornwall nearly two weeks ago.

Elsewhere it has been reported that more than 1,000 people who attended Latitude Festival at Henham Park in Suffolk last month have tested positive for the virus.

However, Reading's organisers Festival Republic will be hoping the Covid rules it has put in place will avoid repeats of other events this summer, including Latitude and Boardmasters.

Queues of people were seen outside the Reading grounds ahead of camping starting today

Happy music fans were heading to pitch their tents before the music starts on Friday

Reading, which also hosts a sister festival at the same time in Leeds, is allowing campers to pitch up from today ahead of the opening.

Queues of people could be seen with their bags and tents waiting to be allowed in grab a good spot.

Asked today if a surge in cases is inevitable amid summer festivals and the imminent return of schools and colleges, Prof Gupta told BBC Radio Four's World at One: 'Of course there is going to be an associated surge in cases, given that the young people in these events are largely going to be unvaccinated.

'That's just something that is predictable and will happen, despite best efforts.

'We know that Delta is far more infectious, it ramps up very quickly. We know the lateral flow devices are not perfect. So we just have to be realistic and say that this is going to lead to a significant surge in infections.'

The member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), who said he was speaking in a personal capacity, noted that some of the Government's pilot events earlier in the year - which were concluded to have shown 'no substantial outbreaks' - had taken place when the Delta variant was not dominant and community transmission was relatively low.

He said: 'I think if you did a large event now, and did the same study, you may find something different because, of course, the Delta variant is dominant at the moment.'

Prof Gupta said clinicians are 'worried' about the implications of a surge in cases, which will 'cause significant problems for us all'.

Schools in Scotland have already returned after the summer break and the reopening is believed to have contributed to a rise in cases north of the border.

He said: 'Anyone who treats patients and is having to deal with the surge in cases as a clinician is worried because things are already very stretched and conditions are not good.

'So, yes, this is going to happen here, and whilst it may not be visible to many in society, it is going to cause significant problems for us all.'

Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M) which advises the Government, said the true impact on Covid hospital admissions of schools returning in the coming weeks will not be known until around the end of September

He told the PA news agency: 'Probably what we will see is maybe middle of September we might see cases picking up a little bit and it may take a week or two or more for that to spill over into a rise in hospital admissions.

'But to me the biggest unknown, and I think it's very hard for any of us to call this now, is exactly how big that rise is going to be.

Revellers gave a thumbs up as they walked to the grounds ahead of camping opening up

Festival goers walk along the towpath of the River Thames as they arrive for Reading Festival

The entrance to prove Covid status was extremely busy as the camping part of the site opened

'I'm certainly optimistic that we hopefully shouldn't get the same significant wave of hospital admissions that we saw last September but the key thing for me is how big is that going to be?'

Prof Gupta added that he would like to see all children aged 12 and above get coronavirus vaccines and that people who are immune-suppressed and those aged over 80 should get booster jabs.

It comes as studies are showing waning immunity against mild illness some months after vaccination.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is expected to make an announcement in days on whether the UK will press ahead with an autumn booster campaign for 30 million people over the age of 50 and the clinically vulnerable.

The NHS in England has been preparing for such a push to begin on September 6, alongside its annual flu campaign.

Professor Adam Finn, a JCVI member, said the jabs are still warding off serious disease and hospital admissions.

On Wednesday a study concluded that the protection provided by two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines starts to wane within six months - with one reasonable worst-case scenario predicting protection could fall to below 50 per cent for the elderly and healthcare workers by winter.

A separate study found 40 per cent of people who are immunosuppressed - either through medical treatment or by disease - generated a lower antibody response compared with healthy adults.

Government figures showed that more than 1,000 Latitude Festival attendees later tested positive for Covid, where 37,000 attended each day.

Findings from the event concluded 432 people were likely to have been infectious at the time they attended.

Suffolk County Council explained that out of the 1,050 people who tested positive for Covid in the days after, just 175 lived in Suffolk.

And Cornwall-based event Boardmasters - which is not run by Festival Republic - was suspected to be linked to 4,700 coronavirus cases, despite restrictions being in place.

One festival goer looked ready for the weekend with shades and a hat to protect from weather

Reading and Leeds had to be cancelled last year as the coronavirus pandemic ravaged the UK

Eager fans brought everything they might need for a full weekend of music from big acts

Making a point: One festival goer breaks out in a grin as he is pictured heading to the event

he crowd watch as Bill Bailey performs during Latitude Festival 2021 at Henham Park

Thousands attended the Latitude event, which did not require people to wear masks there

Deputy director for public health for the area Ruth Goldstein said of the number: 'These are people who have noted when they have had a PCR test, they have been associated to Boardmasters.

Reading's rules to enter Just like many other festivals and events, Reading festival will ask all ticket holders aged 11 and over to demonstrate their COVID-19 Status before entering the festival by providing either:  Proof of full vaccination  both doses received (with the second at least 14 days prior to the festival) or  Proof of a negative NHS Lateral Flow Test taken prior to travel on the day of arrival at the festival or  Proof of natural immunity based upon a positive PCR test within 180 days of the festival (including 10 days self-isolation following the result). Advertisement

'We don't know whether they have been camping, or to events on the beach, or to parties in the town put on by Boardmasters.'

Reading and Leeds say all ticketholders will have to show their Covid-19 status before they are allowed on site.

Boss Melvin Benn also revealed at a recent council committee meeting there were plans for those who may test positive onsite.

The Yorkshire Evening Post reports he added: 'If someone comes in late at night and the trains have stopped, they can't get home to their family, in order to do that we are talking with one local hotel to see if they would accept Covid positive festival goers on a single night basis.

'We are very much on that. Unfortunately the Covid isolation campsite is a bleak place, obviously because nobody else is in it.

'So we are looking at ways to make that less bleak or less harsh in a way.

'We have full policies on that sort of stuff.'

To get in the festival requires proof of full vaccination with both doses received at least two weeks before the event.

Alternatively proof of a negative NHS Lateral Flow Test taken the day before will also be accepted.

Proof of natural immunity based upon a positive PCR test within 180 days of the festival can also be shown to get in.

Reading and Leeds Festival in February became the first major music event to confirm it will go ahead - sparking hopes that other outdoor shows will go ahead this summer.

Liam Gallagher - seen here at an NHS members' free concert - is one of the festival headliners

Stormzy - pictured here at Glastonbury - is also set to wow crowds at the event this weekend

The surge of sudden interest from excited music fans caused the event's website to crash within minutes.

Those trying to buy passes or read up on the festival were met with a message saying: 'Error establishing a database connection' - but it later came back online.

Mr Benn told NME in January the plans for Reading and Leeds were 'based on the vaccine first and testing second', adding: 'It could be a mix of both.'

He told how 'we can get away with shows purely on testing', continuing: 'It's immensely hard work, but operationally doable and hopefully unnecessary.'

Mr Benn said of their full capacity plan: 'The vaccination and verification that you've had it would give you that safety of knowing that you're not going to get super ill.'

Meanwhile, around 55,000 children across England and Wales are to be removed from the so-called shielding list.

In Scotland around 1,700 children currently on the list will remain on it, while there has not yet been an update for Northern Ireland.
A woman who ran a volunteer network for Grenfell Tower survivors allegedly stirred up racial hatred on Facebook by claiming the victims were 'burnt alive in a Jewish sacrifice'.

Tahra Ahmed, 51, from Tottenham, London, is said to have published two posts to her Facebook account between 26 January 2016 and 26 January 2018.

Ahmed, who ran workshops for those affected by the Grenfell tragedy, appeared at the Old Bailey on Wednesday charged with stirring up racial hatred on Facebook.

The charges alleged Ahmed posted material which was 'threatening, abusive or insulting intending thereby to stir up racial hatred or, having regard to all the circumstances, whereby racial hatred was likely to be stirred up'.

Tahra Ahmed (pictured), 51, from Tottenham, London, who ran a volunteer network for Grenfell Tower survivors, has been charged with stirring up racial hatred on Facebook

She reportedly claimed the 72 victims of the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster were 'burnt alive in a Jewish sacrifice'.

On Wednesday, Ahmed sat at the back of the court wearing a dark blue patterned dress, sleeveless blue cardigan and brown ankle boots.

She did not enter pleas to two charges of publishing written material to stir up racial hatred.

Judge John Hillen fixed a provisional trial date for January 22 next year.

Ahmed was bailed ahead of a further case management hearing on October 22.

The devastating Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 killed 72 people when flames spread through the 24-storey tower via combustible cladding.

Ahmed, who ran workshops for those affected by the Grenfell tragedy, appeared at the Old Bailey on Wednesday but did not enter pleas to the two charges of stirring up racial hatred

The devastating Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 killed 72 people when flames spread through the 24-storey tower via combustible cladding

Speaking at a town hall protest two days after the Grenfell disaster, Ahmed also described the blaze as a 'holocaust'.

She has made other antisemitic outbursts, claiming that the 9/11 terror attack was faked by Jews and describing Hitler's massacre of Jews as the 'holohoax'.

In previous comments, the activist has said: 'Grenfell is owned by a private Jewish property developer just like the Twin Towers.

'I wonder how much Goldman [Sachs] is standing to make in the world's most expensive real estate location, [Kensington].'

Goldman Sachs had no involvement in the disaster apart from donating 100 boxes of children's clothing and books, helping former residents get access to technology and matching employees' appeal donations.

Mark Gardner, of the Community Security Trust, which monitors antisemitism, previously told The Times: 'To describe the appalling Grenfell Tower disaster as a Jewish sacrifice is to reach a new depth of grotesque antisemitic racism.'
A teenager has been found guilty of murdering a boy who was fatally stabbed with a Rambo-style knife after turning up for a 'little scrap' about a mobile phone.

Anas Mezenner, 17, died from a 15cm deep wound to the buttocks following a stand-off between two groups of youths in Haringey, north London, on January 19, the Old Bailey was told.

He had signed up for a 'little scrap' over a friend's missing phone but it escalated as at least three of the opposing group were armed with large knives, jurors heard.

A 17-year-old youth who inflicted the fatal wound had dozens of film clips on his mobile phone of play-fighting and posing with large blades.

While on remand awaiting trial he also let slip in a recorded phone call that he had wanted 'my first little juice (blood) on my blade'.

During his Old Bailey trial, he admitted stabbing Anas but claimed it was self-defence.

Anas Mezenner had been at home all day when friends called him to help retrieve a missing phone. But as they approached the group just yards from Anas's home in Haringey, north London, they were attacked with knives in what friends say was a 'premeditated attack'

Forensic officers next to a police tent on West Green Road in Haringey, north London in January as police launched a murder investigation

He also indicated where he had stashed the weapon - a large Rambo knife - near bins on a local estate.

Two other 17-year-olds and a boy aged 14, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted being nearby when it happened but denied involvement in the pre-arranged meeting.

A jury deliberated for 12 hours to find the teenager who inflicted the fatal blow guilty of murder, while the other two 17-year-old co-defendants were convicted of manslaughter.

The boy wielding the knife was further convicted of wounding with intent against one of Anas's friends, while a second 17-year-old was convicted of a lesser charge of unlawful wounding of the same boy.

The 14-year-old was acquitted of both murder and manslaughter, and of any attack against the second victim.

Judge Sarah Munro QC adjourned sentencing until September 30 to allow for pre-sentence reports to be prepared.

During the trial, prosecutor Tom Little QC said it was a 'senseless murder'.

The defendants 'lived by the knife and they were willing to kill with knives', he alleged.

Earlier on the day of the stabbing, the 17-year-old with the knife was filmed waving two large knives around in front of the others, jurors were told.

Shortly after 7.30pm, the victim and three friends went to Willow Walk in Haringey where they stayed for several minutes.

They returned to the quiet residential area 90 minutes later and were involved in a 'stand-off' with the defendants, who had arrived five minutes before.

Jurors were shown CCTV footage in which it was alleged that words were exchanged before the victim and his friends fled.

Anas died from a 15cm deep wound to the buttocks following a stand-off between two groups of youths in Haringey, north London, on January 19

The 17-year-old college student, who volunteered at his local youth club and had dreams of becoming a pilot, was taken to hospital but died in the early hours. Pictured, police at the scene

Shortly after, Anas re-appeared on CCTV touching the area of his buttock where he was stabbed.

Jurors heard he made a 999 call on his mobile phone before he collapsed.

Anas, who volunteered at his local youth club and had dreams of becoming a pilot, was found slumped against railings and taken to hospital but died from his wounds.

A post-mortem examination found Anas died from a 15cm deep stab wound to the left buttock. He also suffered cuts and bruises and two fractured teeth.

The teenager's grief-stricken family said Anas was 'very academic at school', adding he was a 'respectful quiet and humble boy who did not deserve this.'

Following his death, Anas's three friends were spoken to by police.

Mr Little rejected a claim they had been in Willow Walk to record a video as 'plainly not correct'.

A post-mortem examination found Anas died from a 15cm deep stab wound to the left buttock. He also suffered cuts and bruises and two fractured teeth

Police and Forensic Officers at the crime scene in north London, Haringey

Another reason given for the confrontation was that the people who had taken a phone belonging to one of the friends would be there, jurors heard.

One of Anas's friends told police the idea was to have 'like a little scrap'.

He said one attacker had a Rambo knife and two others had 'bigger ones'.

He told officers that Anas had a hammer in his backpack, although it was not suggested he ever took it out.

Anas's injured friend told police that one of the attackers had shouted 'sauce (stab) him'.

As he ran away he felt one of them 'poke him' in the back, the court heard

Afterwards, he considered whether they had been 'set up' or ambushed, the court was told.

The other friend said the opposing group pulled out knives, one with a blade around 20in long.

Jurors heard police recovered two knives from a Chrysler Voyager parked nearby which was allegedly linked to some of the defendants.

The car keys and a Zombie knife were found at the home of one of the accused teenagers, jurors were told.

In a phone call from prison, the 17-year-old stabber referred to what he had done.

He said: 'Just wanted my first little chinging you get it, my first little juice (blood) on my blade.

'It's just gone in my man's a***... the whole 15 went in down his a***.'
President Joe Biden on Wednesday will host some of the biggest names in business at a White House summit on cyber security issues as he enlists the private sector to help his administration combat malicious online attacks.

JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, Apple's Tim Cook, Google's Sundar Pichai, Amazon's Andy Jassy and Microsoft's Satya Nadella are some those scheduled to attend the meeting, which a senior administration official described as a 'call to action.'

'The federal government can't solve this complex, growing international challenge alone, and we can't do it overnight,' the official told reporters on a briefing call Tuesday night.

Representatives from the tech, financial, energy, education and insurance sectors will be at the event.

President Joe Biden will host some of the biggest names in business at a White House summit on cyber security issues

At the summit, the administration will ask the private industry to help them to address the 'root causes of any kind of malicious cyber activity,' the official said.

The summit comes after several companies have faced ransomware attacks, in some cases extorting multi-million-dollar payments from major corporations. Colonial Pipeline, JBS Holdings and Microsoft have all been subject to malicious cyber attacks in the past year. The SolarWinds attack last year affected several government agencies.

The meeting also comes as Congress is weighing a crack down on Big Tech.

A legislative package approved in June by the House Judiciary Committee is aimed at overhauling U.S. antitrust laws and reeling in the power of the tech companies.

The six bills in the packet would make it harder and more expensive for tech companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google to complete mergers, prevent them from discriminating against other businesses make it easier for state attorneys general to choose where to bring antitrust cases and allow federal regulators to sue to break up companies that operate a dominant platform.

The legislation also prevents platforms from offering a product or service that users must purchase or use in exchange for access to the platform, which could affect the Fulfillment by Amazon service. Amazon is lobbying heavily against the legislation.

The topics at Wednesday's summit will include ransomware, critical infrastructure, supply chain security, cybersecurity education and data breach insurance policy.

One of the people familiar with the event told Reuters they expect the participating companies to make public commitments toward better IT security measures and for additional workforce training.

Top Biden administration officials, including the secretaries of Homeland Security, Energy and Commerce, will attend the summit as with Biden's cybersecurity team.

JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon (left), Apple's Tim Cook (center), Google's Sundar Pichai (right) are among the attendees at the summit, which will include representatives from the tech, financial, energy, education and insurance sectors

The summit will include three breakout sessions that will focus on critical infrastructure resilience; cybersecurity talent and workforce issues; and building stronger technology and insurance solutions.

The meeting is taking place as the White House has been dealing with the American troop withdrawal in Afghanistan and the evacuation there.

White House officials noted the summit was announced last month and is simply going ahead as scheduled, a sign of how important the administration considers cyber issues.

In May, Biden signed an executive order to strengthen government software security, mandate IT service providers to report attacks that could impact U.S. networks, and streamline info-sharing.
A woman who accused an Indian politician of rape has died after burning herself alive in protest at alleged police collusion with the accused.

The 24-year-old claimed she was assaulted by Atul Rai, an MP from Uttar Pradesh, at his home in Varanasi in 2019.

She filed a case with police and he surrendered a month later and has been in jail since.

A woman who accused Indian politician Atul Rai (pictured) of rape has died after burning herself alive

The accuser and a friend doused themselves in flammable liquid before setting themselves on fire while on Facebook Live

But in November, the BSP politician's brother filed a forgery case against his accuser for allegedly submitting wrong proof of age in the rape case.

In March, she filed a plea in the Supreme Court asking to transfer the case from Allahabad to Delhi for a fair trial, claiming she was facing death threats.

But this month, a court issued a warrant for her arrest after police had said she was untraceable.

The accuser and a male friend travelled to Delhi last week and recorded a Facebook Live video in which they discussed the case and the apparent threats she was facing.

The 24-year-old claimed she was assaulted by Atul Rai, an MP from Uttar Pradesh, at his home in Varanasi in 2019. Pictured: charred remains of a bottle at the scene

The accuser and a male friend travelled to Delhi last week and recorded a Facebook Live video in which they discussed the case and the apparent threats she was facing

In the footage, they accuse the police of accusing with the jailed MP and his relatives and said they didn't expect to see any justice.

She said: 'The destination they wanted us in, we have reached it... The efforts they have made for the past two years, we have come here to realise their goal.'

Her friend then adds: 'They have been compelling us since November 2020 to die. We want all you, the people of Uttar Pradesh and the country, to hear this.'

The pair then doused themselves in flammable liquid before setting themselves on fire on the live recording.

The friend, 27, died from his injuries on Saturday while the woman, who suffered 85 per cent burns, died on Tuesday.

Two policemen have since been suspended, including one who was probing the forgery case.
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OnlyFans today dropped plans to ban sexually explicit photographs and videos on its platform later this year in a major U-turn after an intense backlash from creators who said the move had already cost them 5,000.

The online subscription service had said last Thursday that new rules coming into effect in October would prohibit 'any content containing sexually explicit conduct', although non-sexual nudity would still be permitted.

But in a surprise move today, the London-based company reversed the decision hours after chief executive Tim Stokely claimed the change was prompted by 'unfair' banks who were concerned about 'reputational risk'. He named three banks - Metro Bank, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of New York Mellon - but none would comment today.

Some Twitter users speculated that the whole thing had been a huge publicity stunt, but OnlyFans insisted that it had 'suspended' the change having 'secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community'.

The platform is predominantly used by sex workers - many of whom joined during the pandemic when in-person adult venues shut - but a number of celebrities, musicians and comedians also use it for non-sexual content.

Creators receive 80 per cent commission on their earnings, while the remaining 20 per cent goes to the company, covering 'referral payments, payment processing, hosting, support, and all other services'.

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OnlyFans announced the U-turn in a statement on its Twitter page today, although it is not clear if the ban is permanent or temporary. It said: 'Thank you to everyone for making your voices heard.

'We have secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the planned October 1 policy change.

ANALYSIS: OnlyFans now must consider support for cryptocurrency payment By SCARLETT WOODFORD, analyst at Juniper Research who tracks the adult entertainment industry We were surprised to hear about OnlyFans' initial decision to ban adult content, as this genre of creators represents a lucrative revenue stream for the platform. With content creators able to charge up to $50 for exclusive content, and accept up to $100 in individual tips, the initial decision to ban adult content was likely to have serious financial ramifications for OnlyFans. The ability for users to pay for content on OnlyFans via traditional payment providers, such as Discover, Mastercard and Visa, will rely heavily on the attitudes of these providers towards adult content. Given the fact that all three card providers have withdrawn support for Pornhub, it is unclear as to whether support for adult content monetisation will remain. To maintain control over content monetisation and reduce the influence of mainstream payment providers, OnlyFans must seriously consider introducing support for cryptocurrency payments. Advertisement

'OnlyFans stands for inclusion and we will continue to provide a home for all creators.'

Some users of the platform criticised the policy change when it was first announced, with some stating that they intended to look elsewhere following the announcement, while others were anxious about what the future holds.

The company said today that an 'official communication to creators will be emailed shortly', but one user, a 23-year-old who uses the name Hexx Girl, criticised the firm for the U-turn.

She said: 'I think it just shows the cracks in OnlyFans as a company, and to make things worse, they announced on Twitter and have still yet to send any communications to their users.

'It shows that all they care about is their public image and they are desperately trying to hold their company together but it's a sinking ship. I thought surely they were at least gonna stick to it. It's such a joke.'

Hexx Girl said that after the last announcement, she lost 500 subscribers, meaning her income dropped by 4,000 to 5,000 this month. Her earnings vary monthly.

'I have new accounts on new sites and will be actively encouraging all my subscribers to move,' she added.

Initially, the company said the move was being introduced due to pressure from financial partners, leading some to assume payment processors Mastercard and Visa were behind it.

However, Mr Stokely later said in an interview it was 'unfair' banks had prompted the change over concerns about 'reputational risk'.

A spokesperson for OnlyFans said: 'The proposed October 1, 2021 changes are no longer required due to banking partners' assurances that OnlyFans can support all genres of creators.'

OnlyFans had said last Thursday that it would ban explicit content from October 1, blaming policies of banks and payment processors for the policy change.

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New York-based OnlyFans star Ona Artist previously said that it was 'suicide' for the site to ban sexually explicit content

Glamour model Jessie Jo from Warwickshire began posting nude pictures on the OnlyFans website two years ago

The company said in a message to users last week: 'The new rules are necessary to comply with the requirements of these financial institutions and are the only way to help ensure the long-term sustainability of OnlyFans.'

OnlyFans' top 10 highest earners: How celebrities like Bella Thorne and Blac Chyna rake in MILLIONS a month on the site OnlyFans has become a hugely lucrative endeavor for many of its users - particularly celebrities like Blac Chyna, Bella Thorne, and Mia Khalifa who are among its highest-earning creators. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, these A-listers rake in millions of dollars a month, with Blac Chyna topping the list of the site's biggest earners with an estimated monthly income of $20 million. Here, FEMAIL reveals the site's top 10 earners - and their estimated monthly incomes: 1. Blac Chyna: $20 MILLION 2. Bella Thorne: $11 MILLION 3. Cardi B: $9.34 MILLION 4. Tyga: $7.69 MILLION 5. Mia Khalifa: $6.43 MILLION 6. Erica Mena: $4.49 MILLION 7. Pia Mia: $2.22 MILLION 8. Safaree Samuels: $1.91 MILLION 9. Megan Barton Hanson: $1.06 MILLION 10. Jem Wolfie: $900,000 Advertisement

Last week's abrupt change upset the site's creators, many of whom threatened to move to another website. The site has been tremendously lucrative for some people, allowing them to earn thousands every month.

Scarlett Woodford, an analyst at Juniper Research, who tracks the adult entertainment industry, told MailOnline: 'We were surprised to hear about OnlyFans' initial decision to ban adult content, as this genre of creators represents a lucrative revenue stream for the platform.

'With content creators able to charge up to $50 (36) for exclusive content, and accept up to $100 (72) in individual tips, the initial decision to ban adult content was likely to have serious financial ramifications for OnlyFans.

'The ability for users to pay for content on OnlyFans via traditional payment providers, such as Discover, Mastercard and Visa, will rely heavily on the attitudes of these providers towards adult content.

'Given the fact that all three card providers have withdrawn support for Pornhub, it is unclear as to whether support for adult content monetisation will remain.

'To maintain control over content monetisation and reduce the influence of mainstream payment providers, OnlyFans must seriously consider introducing support for cryptocurrency payments.'

OnlyFans says it has 130 million users and 2 million creators who have collectively earned $5billion (3.6billion).

Lacy Lennon, who says she makes tens of thousands of dollars a month from OnlyFans charging $100 (72) a minute for custom videos, remains sceptical on the ban reversal.

She said: 'What's scary is what's the safety on this? How do we know it won't happen again?'

There are other sites where people can pay for porn, and a crop of new ones started trying to lure upset OnlyFans creators.

Rapper Tyga was promoting his plans for a new platform called myystar in media interviews after OnlyFans announced their ban, saying, 'We're not putting a limit to any content that you do.'

'We've been in the adult industry for 20 years and we're tired of seeing sex workers get bullied and exploited by the platforms that make the money off them,' said Mattie McCoy, whose company in Nevada is also developing a site that could offer an alternative to OnlyFans for sex workers, called Naughty Popcorn.

Tim Stokely, the British entrepreneur behind the website OnlyFans, has blamed the decision last week to ban sexually explicit content was the result of pressure from banks

Stokely said Chase, Metro Bank and Bank of New York Mellon were to blame for the change in policy, which has angered many content creators on the site

Advocates had criticized OnlyFans' planned ban, saying they were concerned it would push people into more dangerous street-based sex work. They say taking away a safer virtual space and cutting people's income makes them more vulnerable to the risk of being trafficked.

'Not having the online outlet is going to hinder and harm a lot of people. Online is much safer, particularly for trans and gender nonconforming folks,' said LaLa Zannell, the ACLU's trans justice campaign manager who leads the rights group's effort to decriminalise sex work.

The online porn industry is changing amid concerns about sex trafficking and the exploitation of children.

Two 2018 laws, the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act and the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, were meant to stop sex trafficking online, and led some spaces to shut down.

But many sex workers say these changes have also made their jobs more dangerous.

Elected officials had also raised concerns about OnlyFans. A bipartisan group of over 100 members of Congress called on the Justice Department to investigate OnlyFans earlier in August, saying the site was a 'major marketplace' for sexual videos with children in them.

Some Twitter users speculated that the past week had been a huge publicity stunt, but OnlyFans insisted that it had suspended the planned change having 'secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community'

The letter cited anti-porn group National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which has its origins in the faith-based group Morality in Media, as a source, as well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Sex workers and their advocates say conservative and religious groups are trying to erase sex from the internet under the guise of combating sex trafficking and child pornography.

'The only reason they're going after porn sites is because they're ideologically opposed to sexual content,' said Cathy Reisenwitz, a writer and OnlyFans creator who makes between $1,600 (1,166) and $3,500 (2,550) a month on the site. 'Trafficking and porn are totally different.'

Mr Stokely blamed banks such as Bank of New York Mellon for the planned ban in an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, saying they refuse the site's business.

Adult-content companies have to navigate higher fees and requirements from financial companies beyond what most retailers encounter; others won't touch it.

Both Mastercard and Visa last year began blocking customers from using credit cards on Pornhub after accusations that the site had videos of rape and underage sex. American Express cards, meanwhile, can't be used on online pornography. Stripe won't process adult content.
A vast, informal effort to evacuate thousands of vulnerable people has sprung up in Afghanistan as U.S. military veterans, diplomats and politicians scramble to beat President Biden's August 31 deadline.

The controversial private military contractor Erik Prince is charging evacuees $6,500 to get them safely into the airport and on to flights while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was part of an effort to charter planes to rescue women.

It is all part of an operation to evacuate foreigners and help thousands of Afghans who worked for the U.S. military, foreign governments or charities that fear death at the hands of the Taliban.

'It's just an estimate, but we have probably facilitated 1500 people out of the country,' said Marine Lt. Col. Russell Worth Parker, of Task Force Dunkirk, a hastily assembled group of special operations and CIA veterans.

His figure includes work done with similar coalitions - including Team America, which uses digital expertise to track and advise people on the ground, and Task Force Pineapple, which began with an operation to rescue an Afghan commando being hunted by the Taliban - and the more established non-profit No One Left Behind.

Thousands of people are still waiting outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, many presenting papers they say make the eligible for resettlement overseas

The lucky ones will make it on to a military transport plane for a new life in a safe country

Rescue efforts include former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who was involved in an attempt to charter a plane for vulnerable women, and private military contractor Erik Prince who is offering his company's expertise for a price

They each grew from the same seed.

'Each of us thought: there's one or two guys we have got to get out,' said Parker. 'That is how most of these things started.'

And they are motivated by similar instincts.

'My last time in Afghanistan was supporting Afghan special operators so we have a lot of friends that we feel a deep debt of loyalty to,' added Parker.

That debt fuels an operation that runs on Pentagon contacts, calls to congressional offices and the knowhow of years in Afghanistan.

Their task has taken on added urgency in the past 24 hours.

On Tuesday, the Taliban announced they were closing the airport road for Afghans, who were told they could no longer flee.

Hours later, Biden announced that evacuation efforts were 'on pace' to finish by the end of the month.

The White House said it believed foreigners and Afghans in need could still reach the airport.

The result has been continuing chaos around Hamid Karzai International Airport, where thousands of desperate people are seeking safety.

Biden has stoked the anger of military veterans by refusing to extend the evacuation beyond Aug. 31. They say he is abandoning people who put their lives at risk to help the U.S.

The grizzled veterans leading the informal rescue expressed disbelief at White House claims that the operation was a success and that Afghans could safely get through checkpoints and the crush of thousands of people to reach the airport.

As one put it, it's 'like wading through a 400-yard Metallica mosh pit with five toddlers.'

Expats and Afghans are swapping advice on WhatsApp groups, keeping others informed about the location of Taliban checkpoints or promising leads on flights.

Charities are coordinating with the U.S. military to get charter flights into Kabul, reportedly including one organized by former Secretary of State Clinton.

And congressional offices are fielding hundreds of requests for help, working with the Pentagon and Department of State to reach people on the ground.

'We are working with both congressional offices and networks on the ground in Kabul to facilitate movement and coordinate entry into HKIA, filling in the gaps the State Department has left,' said a spokesman for Rep. Mike Waltz, the first former Green Beret elected to Congress.

Private military contractors are offering their services for those with the money to pay - such as media organizations or private businesses.

Prince, who founded Blackwater, said he could get people into the airport and on to planes for $6500 per person - more if individuals were trapped in their homes.

When the details were published by the Wall Street Journal it triggered accusations of profiteering.

But military experts said it was all just part of the scramble to get people out of a warzone.

'Erik Prince is the press's favorite punching bag,' said Bill Roggio, an Army veteran and editor of the Long War Journal.

'He is making an effort to get people out of country and is taking great risk to do so.'

U.S. soldiers stand guard at the airport tower near an evacuation control checkpoint in Kabul. The Taliban wrested back control of the country 10 days ago as U.S. forces prepared to depart

Taliban fighters search a vehicle at a checkpoint in Kabul. People trying to escape must run a gauntlet of checkpoints to get the airport

The Taliban retook Kabul without a fight last weekend and are now forming a new government

Instead he said veterans were furious at the the Biden administration for potentially leaving behind thousands of Afghan translators, soldiers and other staff by sticking to the Aug. 31 deadline.

And he scoffed at the White House claiming that anyone who needed to get out could still reach the airport.

'The facts speak for themselves. This administration has been spinning the operation as a success,' he said, 'But we know what we are seeing.

'We are hearing story after story from individuals having problems getting to the airport

'I'm aware of families that had to make multiple journeys. Fortunately they got out but only after putting their families lives - we are talking young children - in danger.'

Parker said the work would continue long after August 31, continuing with rescues as well as supporting the evacuees as they arrive in a foreign land.

'The scope of the effort that is going to be required for the people that do get out is going to be enormous,' he said.

'Look at history, people came out of Vietnam for 20 years.

'We are going to have an enormous lift in which we are going to need to support the people who did come out and the people still trying to come out.'
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz on Wednesday claimed Iran is two months away from nuclear weapons capacity.

Gantz made the statements in front of an assembly of 60 ambassadors in Tel Aviv, while calling on the international community to create a new prevention plan separate from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

'Iran is only two months away from acquiring the materials necessary for a nuclear weapon,' Gantz told ambassadors.

Iran entered into the 2015 nuclear deal with the United Nations Security Council which limited their stockpiles of uranium and the number of facilities that could be used to enrich the material, a key step in the development of nuclear weapons.

Iranian authorities largely abided by the terms of the 2015 deal until 2019, when they announced they had exceeded the limitation on their stockpile of low-enriched uranium.

Tehran later declared it would no longer comply with the terms of the deal after Iranian general Qassem Soleimani was killed in an American drone strike in January 2020.

Gantz' comments come just one day before Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is expected to present an alternative plan for Iran's nuclear capabilities to US President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz on Wednesday claimed Iran is is two months away from nuclear weapons capacity

'Iran is only two months away from acquiring the materials necessary for a nuclear weapon,' Gantz told ambassadors and called for an international effort to create a new prevention plan

Bennett has been critical of the existing nuclear accord between Iran and world powers, and said any future agreement must also take into account Iran's regional aggression.

Recent months have seen a string of attacks on Israeli-connected shipping, believed to have been carried out by Iran.

Earlier this week, Bennett told his Cabinet he would tell the American president that 'now is the time to halt the Iranians, to stop this thing' and not re-enter 'a nuclear deal that has already expired and is not relevant, even to those who thought it was once relevant.'

Biden meanwhile has been in favor of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal from which the US withdrew in 2018 during the Trump administration, but indirect talks brokered by the European Union have thus far proved unsuccessful.

Gantz was doubtful that attempts to revive the existing 2015 deal would prove fruitful.

'We do not know if the Iranian regime will be willing to sign an agreement and come back to the negotiation table and the international community must build a viable 'Plan B' in order to stop Iran in its tracks towards a nuclear weapon,' he said.

'At the end of the day, the goal is to reach a longer, stronger and broader agreement than the previous one.

Gantz went on to say a diplomatic remedy would be preferable, but insisted 'the State of Israel has the means to act' and 'will not hesitate' to use military force if necessary.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is expected to present an alternative plan for Iran's nuclear capabilities to US President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday

Some analysts believe it would take Iran two to three years just to produce a viable warhead, assuming they were able to work on it without outside interference (pictured: Iranian nuclear centrifuges)

While little is known for certain about Iran's nuclear capabilities, the regime is not thought to possess the technology needed to encase weapons-grade material in a nuclear core, mount the core on the tip of a missile and successfully launch it.

Some analysts believe it would take Iran two to three years just to produce a viable warhead, assuming they were able to work on it without outside interference.

Iran is also not thought to possess intercontinental ballistic missiles of the kind required to launch a nuclear weapon at the West.

Analysis of its missile stockpile by the International Institute for Strategic Studies published in April estimates the country's largest missiles have a range of around 1,200 miles.

That would allow the regime to fire a weapon as far as Ukraine, India, or Ethiopia, and would mean Israel is easily within reach, but it would not be able to strike western Europe or the United States.

Tehran said in April it would start producing uranium enriched in the 235 isotope - the isotope required for nuclear fission - up to 60 percent.

Though the process of enriching uranium with the 235 isotope is necessary for generating nuclear energy, it is also a key step on the path to making nuclear weapons, most of which utilise uranium enriched to around 90 percent.

Iran announced they would no longer comply with the limitations of the 2015 nuclear deal when Iranian general Qassem Soleimani was killed in an American airstrike in January 2020

Iran agreed to the deal in 2015 with the United Nations Security Council, but in 2019 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran had exceeded the agreed limits on uranium enrichment

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A 6-year-old girl crossing the street with her mother was mowed down by a reckless driver before the mom could pull her to safety in Brooklyn, police said Wednesday.

Qiuhua Zhu, 30, was driving his Lexus southbound on 12th Ave. in Dyker Heights about 8pm on Tuesday when he weaved into another lane, which was going in the opposite direction, before swerving to make a left turn at the intersection at 12th Ave. and 67th St., cops said.

The girl, identified as Hiromi Tamy, was crossing the street with the light ahead of her mom when Zhu blew through a red light and fatally struck the child, the Daily News reported.

NYPD officers responded to an accident in Dyker Heights after 30-year-old Qiuhua Zhu (above) hit six-year-old Hiromi Tamy with his black Lexus

Zhu returned to the scene after driving down 67th St. and was arrested on the morning of August 25 on multiple charges including manslaughter and vehicular assault

Her stunned mother had no time to react before her daughter was struck by the SUV, witnesses said. Her anguished cries as her child's mangled body lay in the street could be heard throughout the neighborhood.

'I was trying to console the mother. The little girl was lying by the fire hydrant. She was covered in blood,' Linda Guerin, 69, told Pix11.

'The mother kept screaming and screaming and screaming. God help her. I wanted God to save this child, but it would have taken a miracle.'

Tamy was unresponsive and sustained head and body injuries when medics arrived, officials said.

She was rushed to Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, where she was pronounced dead.

Tamy was hit by Zhu's Lexus between 12th Ave. and 67th St. in Dyker Heights

Tamy's mother attempted to grab her before she was hit by Zhu after he blew a red light and made a left turn as she was crossing the intersection

Zhu initially fled the scene but returned and was arrested, police said.

The Brooklyn driver was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, vehicular assault, reckless endangerment, motor vehicle failure to yield to pedestrian resulting in injury, failure to yield to a pedestrian, failure to obey traffic device, driving wrong direction one way street and improper left turn on one way road, cops said

A local resident told New York Daily News that the intersection where Tamy was struck is on a dangerous road that has seen many accidents.

'Theres no cameras over here. Im here 18 years, you know how many accidents there have been here?' said the woman, who didn't give her name.

'They drive like maniacs, going through red lights, speeding... Im sick of this,' she added.

Neighbor Christopher Blake told LLN NYC: 'I haven't seen anything like that. This is the first time I've seen a kid getting hit by a car like that.
The window of opportunity to uncover the true origins of Covid is closing and could soon be 'biologically impossible', a report has warned.

World Health Organization experts sent to China to learn of how the pandemic began say studies probing most likely theories 'have stalled'.

The team say vital research would require looking for traces of the virus in blood samples from some of the earliest patients and animals which wane over time.

Four months after their initial whitewashed report, the researchers have asked for scientists to go back and conduct a more thorough investigation.

The communist Government in China has stymied all efforts for independent investigations into how the virus first jumped to humans in epicentre Wuhan.

In an editorial published today in the journal Nature, WHO investigators called on scientists to start looking for data in neighbouring countries to avoid having to rely on transparency from Beijing.

They set out six key avenues for research, including using antibody tests in areas where the first infections were recorded and testing animals and people at farms that supplied Wuhan food markets in a bid to spot earlier Covid cases that have been missed.

The WHO team, which was made up of scientists hand-picked and vetted by China, published its first report in March and could not determine how the virus originated.

It followed a three-week investigation in Wuhan during which the researchers were carefully managed and only given access to certain data.

The investigation was mired in controversy for several reasons, not least the fact its lead scientist was found to have undisclosed ties to the facility at the centre of the 'lab leak' theory.

Since China alerted the world to a mysterious virus circulating in Wuhan in December 2019, a debate has been raging over its true source.

China has repeatedly insisted the virus spilled naturally into humans from bats, with some scientists agreeing Covid most likely had natural origins.

Members of the WHO scientific team collect test samples from a fresh market in China's Shanxi province in January

A woman pushes a cart at the closed wholesale seafood market in Wuhan, China, last January

But some say it's possible the virus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where researchers were conducting controversial research on the world's most dangerous pathogens.

This possibility has not been ruled out and China's refusal to hand over key data from the start of the pandemic has fuelled the theory.

In their article today, the researchers said independent scientists should expedite further research to determine how the virus originated.

'Understanding the origins of a devastating pandemic is a global priority, grounded in science,' they added.

China today said scientists should 'concentrate on other possible avenues that may help trace the origin' of Covid and suggested studies should be pursued in other countries.

Six priorities for studies into Covid's origins A team of scientists were tasked by the World Health Organization in January to travel to Wuhan  where the virus was first detected  to provide information on its origins. They could not determine whether the virus leaked from a lab, or was naturally transmitted to humans from animals, but they said the latter was the most likely. Further research to gain an understanding of the pandemic's beginnings, they said. But since then, no other scientists have been allowed to enter China to carry out tests. The experts have now called for six areas of research to be prioritised to find out how Covid was transmitted to humans. Trace-back studies: researchers should identify the earliest Covid cases that have been reported in all regions inside and outside of China. Antibody surveys: in the regions where the virus was first spotted, experts should test people for Covid antibodies. This would involve taking blood samples to identify people who were infected at the beginning of the pandemic, but were not previously identified. This could provide hints at where the virus came from. Trace-back and community surveys: experts should carry out tests at wildlife farms that supplied animals to markets in Wuhan in the second half of 2019, before human cases were spotted. Some of these farms may be outside of China, the experts said. Risk-targeted surveys of possible hosts: wild bats and other animals that could have carried the virus or transmitted it to humans in China and its neighbouring countries should be examined. Pangolins  long-snouted, ant-eating mammals  have previously been identified as another possible host of the virus. Detailed risk-factor analysis: researcher should analyse pockets of earlier cases spotted from the antibody studies to determine how these people could have been exposed to the virus. Follow-up: investigate any credible new leads about the origins of the virus. Advertisement

It comes as US President Joe Biden yesterday received a classified report from the country's intelligence agencies, which concludes the origins of the virus are still uncertain.

The report noted that Chinese officials are still reluctant to share some raw data, citing concerns over patient confidentiality.

The authors of the letter include Dr Marion Koopmans, head of viroscience at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, and Dr Peter Daszak, president of New York-based EcoHealth Alliance.

They spent four weeks in Wuhan in January to interview key figures involved in the early response to the virus and investigate its origins.

In their report, the scientists concluded that the Huanan seafood market had a 'significant role' in spreading the virus, but the earliest cases had probably been missed, which is 'common for outbreaks of new diseases'.

There was 'no definitive proof for or against' the virus being naturally transmitted to people via animal through infection, handling or eating animals with the virus, or a lab leak, they concluded.

However, they considered that the virus being transmitted naturally was the most likely option.

In their article released today, the experts say their study was 'not expected to provide definitive answers' on the origins of the virus, but instead formed a foundation for a 'longer process of scientific investigation'.

It is now essential that trace-back studies are conducted, they said. This involves looking for the earliest Covid cases inside and outside of China to identify how SARS-CoV-2 came into circulation.

People in regions where the earliest cases of the virus was spotted should be tested for antibodies to find infections that were not previously recorded.

Covid antibodies wane over time, so any delays to collecting new samples and testing people who might have been exposed before December 2019 will lead to less conclusive results, they said.

Researchers should also study bats and other possible animals in China and neighbouring countries that could have transmitted or hosted the virus, including farmed animals, the article states.

Chinese wildlife farms employ around 14million people and supplied live mammals to cities across China, including Wuhan, the scientists said.

But since Covid emerged, many of the farms have been closed and the animals killed, making it 'increasingly difficult' to find early evidence of spillover from animals to humans, they said.

The WHO announced in July that it plans to create a committee to oversee future studies on the origins of the pandemic.

The scientists said they are 'pleased' with the move because it signals that probes into outbreak will happen more routine.

But they said this strategy could delay research into how the pandemic originated by months.

So Government officials must negotiate with China on how to investigate its laboratory practices and nominate teams to examine this, they added.

Biden's long awaited report on the origins of COVID comes to NOTHING A long-awaited report commissioned by President Biden into the origins of Covid has come back inconclusive - in part because Beijing refused access to crucial information. The debate over the origins of the virus that has killed more than four million people and paralyzed economies worldwide has become increasingly contentious. 90 days ago, the President ordered a new investigation into the origins of the virus, hoping to conclusively uncover its source. However, despite Biden's directive that the intelligence community 'redouble their efforts' to untangle the origin debate, the review brought them no closer to consensus, the officials told the Washington Post. Part of the problem is a lack of detailed information from China, according to the Wall Street Journal. 'If China's not going to give access to certain data sets, you're never really going to know,' an official told the Journal on condition of anonymity since the report is not public. The basis for the Biden's investigation stemmed from a report from intelligence agencies saying that they had 'coalesced around two likely scenarios', according to Yahoo News. The first theory was that coronavirus spread to humans naturally from diseased animals at a wet market in Wuhan, China. While the other theorized that the virus was leaked from the nearby Wuhan Institute of Virology, where Chinese scientists were experimenting on the virus. Beijing has rejected calls from the United States and other countries for a renewed origin probe after a heavily politicized visit by a World Health Organization team in January also proved inconclusive and faced criticism for lacking transparency and access. In the face of China's reluctance to open up to outside investigators, experts are increasingly open to considering the theory that the virus might have leaked out of a lab conducting bat coronavirus research in Wuhan, an idea once dismissed as a conspiracy propagated by the US far-right. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has admitted that the global health body's initial probe into Wuhan's virology labs did not go far enough. But the WHO's call last month for the investigation's second stage to include audits of the labs infuriated Beijing. Vice health minister Zeng Yixin said the plan showed 'disrespect for common sense and arrogance towards science.' With the report coming back inconclusive, the Post writes that intelligence agents will seek to declassify certain elements of the document in the coming days. Director of National Intelligence Avril Hines cautioned in June that the agencies may not be able to solve the mystery. 'We're hoping to find a smoking gun,' she told Yahoo News. But, she said, 'it's challenging to do that' adding 'it might happen, but it might not.' Advertisement

Fu Cong, a director-general at China's Foreign Ministry, said it was a 'pity' the search for Covid's origins had stalled but it wasn't China's fault.

'China has always supported and will continue to participate in the science-based origin tracing efforts,' he said.

Mr Cong accused the US of 'hyping the lab leak theory' and trying to shift the blame onto China, and implied the coronavirus might be linked to high-level American research labs, suggesting the US invite WHO to investigate some of its installations.

It comes as President Biden has received a classified intelligence report revealing that the origins of the novel coronavirus are still unknown, as the intelligence community works to determine whether Covid was released from a lab or spread naturally from animals to humans.

Unnamed sources told the Washington Post that the president had received the report on Tuesday, 90 days after he tasked American intelligence agencies to produce a report 'that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion' into the origins of the viral disease.

But the report was inconclusive, the Post reports, with intelligence agents saying they would seek to declassify certain elements of the report in the coming days.

Biden's directive to create a report about the origins of the virus came after he received a report from the agencies saying that they had 'coalesced around two likely scenarios' - that the coronavirus spread to humans naturally from diseased animals at a wet market in Wuhan, China or that it was leaked from the nearby Wuhan Institute of Virology, where Chinese scientists were experimenting on the virus.

A senior official in the Biden administration revealed last month that the lab leak theory was being taken just as

British intelligence sources reached a similar conclusion earlier this year, concluding that it is 'feasible' the pandemic began with a leak from the Wuhan lab.

It comes after an investigation by The Sunday Times revealed earlier this month that the Chinese government used an 'aggressive' influence campaign on the World Health Organisation's response to the initial Covid outbreak which led to it missing its chance to stop the pandemic.

The newspaper said there were efforts by Beijing to control the agency's decision making, sabotage investigations and even install officials.

Its report claims that the health body's independence had been eroded prior to the global spread of the deadly virus in early 2020.

The WHO failed to publicly challenge Chinese misinformation, delayed declaring an international emergency, and discouraged governments from placing travel bans on China to protect its economy, the publication claimed.

It has also been suggested officials agreed a 'backroom deal' with the Chinese to water down the inquiry into the origins of Covid.

This meant steering scientists away from the theory coronavirus actually escaped from a Wuhan laboratory, rather than coming from wild animals in a wet market in the city in December 2019.

The theory was initially dismissed as 'extremely unlikely' by the WHO but now experts say there might have been 'human error' at the lab. Pressure is coming from the US to look into the potential cause.

Covid has since spread around the globe, and to date has killed over 4.3million people, 130,894 of them in the UK.

Central to the paper's claims is that close ties between the WHO's leadership and China had impacted on its ability to challenge the country over the emergence of the virus.

It is suggested China has for some time been using financial leverage over poorer nations to install its preferred figures into key roles at the WHO as well as other UN-governed bodies.

Chief among the decision makers at the WHO is director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is a long-time friend of China. He visited Chinese President Xi Jinping in January 2020, two months before the pandemic began.

The former Ethiopian foreign minister is said to have used his role to make further appointments that were preferable to China, including making Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe a goodwill ambassador.

While China has tried to insist the virus originated elsewhere, academics, politicians and the media have begun to contemplate the possibility it leaked from a high-level biochemical lab in Wuhan - raising suspicions that Chinese officials simply hid evidence of the early spread

Three researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology reported COVID-like symptoms in November 2019, before the virus began to spread around the world

The Wuhan Institute of Virology is one of only a handful in the world that is cleared to handle Class 4 pathogens  dangerous viruses that pose a high risk of person-to-person transmission

Between 2000 and 2012, there were around 130 official Chinese finance projects in Zimbabwe, with some totalling hundreds of million of pounds to build hydroelectric dams and provide agricultural machinery.

In June last year, Zimbabwe was one of 53 countries to back the Hong Kong national security law at the United Nations, derided by Western nations as a clampdown on protestors and free speech by China.

Professor Richard Ebright, a fellow of America's Infectious Disease Society, told the Times that China's efforts had a 'decisive role' in affecting the agency's failure to act.

'There was no scientific or medical or policy justification for the stance that the WHO took in January and February of 2020. That was entirely premised on maintaining satisfactory ties to the Chinese government,' he said.

'Through that process, the WHO actively resisted and obstructed efforts by other nations to implement effective border controls that could have limited the spread, or even contained the spread of the outbreak.'

The support for Tedros especially had a 'remarkably high return on the investment' compared to the funds and influence used to help him get elected.

A spokesperson for the organisation hit back at the claims, saying: 'WHO's top priority is ending the acute stage of the Covid pandemic.'

They later added: 'The Sunday Times piece is riddled with inaccuracies, falsehoods, half-truths, unsubstantiated assertions, willful distortions and the intentional omission of anything that didnt fit the pre-determined premise of the story.

'There have been several independent reviews of the global response to Covid, including the work of WHO, and these reviews note the work of the organisation and the early warnings we issued.

'Frankly, WHO's top priority is ending the acute stage of the Covid pandemic and we are supporting countries to implement comprehensive, evidence-based responses, based on the consistent use of public health measures and the equitable use of life-saving tools including vaccines.

'In particular, we are working to enable all countries to vaccinate health workers, older people and other vulnerable groups, at a time when 75 per cent of vaccinations have taken place in only 10 countries.'
The heartbroken family of a mother-of-three who is the youngest woman in New South Wales to die after catching Covid hope her tragic death will convince some anti-vaxx relatives to get the jab.

Ianeta Isaako, 30, collapsed at her home in Emerton in the city's west on Monday where she lived with her husband Sako - who is now fighting for life in hospital - and their three young children.

The beloved mum had tested positive to the virus only a few days earlier, but her health rapidly deteriorated.

Struggling to breathe and 'very sick', she collapsed in front of her horrified husband and kids on Monday, forcing him to made a desperate call to paramedics.

After losing his beloved wife, the dedicated dad-of-three has vowed to beat the virus himself to stop their children becoming orphans.

Ms Isaako was not against vaccination - but it's understood some members of her extended family dressed in t-shirts with anti-vaccine slogans and joined the massive crowd that marched through Sydney's CBD on July 24.

Ianeta and Sako Isaako with their children AJ, Deon and Mia (pictured), who now face a life without their mother while their father also fights Covid in hospital

'She wasn't at the protest, she did not support anti-vaxxers,' one relative told The Daily Telegraph.

'We understand that there are some people in our circle who are against it, but we have health workers in our family too and we've been encouraging everyone to get vaccinated.'

They added they hoped Ms Isaako's death would be a wake up call for some to reconsider their views.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant confirmed on Wednesday that Ms Isaako was not vaccinated.

'Please do not delay care because we do not want to see consequences from delayed care,' Dr Chant said.

Health officials added that anyone who has a positive Covid test and feels breathless or dizzy should call an ambulance immediately, as it is one of the warning signs that the body is struggling to fight the virus.

Her husband Sako called paramedics after Ms Isaako collapsed, frantically telling them she was not breathing and was 'very sick'.

He is now battling the Delta strain of Covid in Nepean Hospital's intensive care unit.

Tens of thousands of protesters marched in an anti-lockdown rally in Sydney on July 24 (pictured) in what was feared to be a super-spreader event

Police were called to the family's home on Helena Avenue in Emerton around 3pm on Monday, following reports a woman was found unresponsive (pictured, ambulances outside the house)

Covid hospitalisations in New South Wales There are currently 645 Covid-19 cases being treated in NSW hospitals. 113 of those are in intensive care. 40 of those in ICU require a ventilator to breathe. Source: NSW Health Advertisement

'Suko has the biggest heart and loves his family, his three children are everything... He says he will fight the virus... for them,' a close relative said, adding he was too sick to respond to wellwishers.

The couple's children, AJ, Deon and Mia, are being cared for by relatives.

Ms Isaako would frequently be on the sidelines for AJ and Deon's rugby games and Penrith RSL Junior Rugby Club shared their condolences on Facebook.

'Our hearts are breaking and our thoughts are with your beautiful children, loving husband and wider family,' the footy club said.

Her sister Lisa Baker said she was a cornerstone of her large family - who were now relying on each other for support.

Mr Isaako's construction colleagues in the CFMEU also shared a message.

'All at the CFMEU are rocked by the news and we extend our sincerest condolences to Mr Isaako, his family and friends,' the union wrote.

Ianeta Isaako (pictured with her husband Sako) passed away after she was infected with Covid-19 NSW Health confirmed

A GoFundMe page setup on Wednesday has raised almost $40,000 in a matter of just eight hours.

'Condolences to the Isaako family & Baker Family Stay strong Sako for your beautiful kids,' one doner wrote.

'Ianeta, I will always remember you as a kind and happy person. Sending love to you and your family,' another said.

NSW Police said officers were called to a property on Helena Avenue in Emerton, Blacktown, at about 3pm on Monday, following reports a woman was found unresponsive.

NSW Health the mother-of-three, 30, died of Covid-19 at her home in Emerton in Sydney's western suburbs (pictured, PPE-clad emergency workers at the scene)

'Sadly, NSW Health has been notified of the death of a person who had Covid-19,' a spokesperson said at the time.

'A woman in her 30s from Sydney's west died at home.'

Neighbours said they would often see the family in the street.

'There was a few of them in there, I think they might have lived next to their grandparents,' one neighbour said.

'They were a nice young family, you'd always see them playing out the front with their kids... very sad she was in her 30s I think, it's way too young.'

Sydney's outbreak, which swelled by a record 919 cases on Wednesday, is seeing more and more young people infected and even hospitalised.

The family live in Blacktown (pictured) one of the areas being most badly hit by a wave of Covid cases

'Till we meet again my dear sister. Our babies are safe sissy. I love and miss you so much,' another relative said.

'Thank you to all our family and friends who have reached out, this was our final goodbye to our sweet Ianeta, ohh too soon  way too soon,' a relative wrote.

'My heart is broken,' another simply said.

'I know there is nothing in this world matters anymore, when death takes the most beautiful part of your heart. I want you to think of what she would've wanted you to do,' another added.

Her death comes as brave young Sydneysiders fighting the virus in hospital made a similar desperate plea for the nation to get vaccinated.

Young single mum Ramona (pictured, left) is a pharmacist and fears she was infected by an un-vaccinated customer, while Fawaz, 50, (right) begged Australians to get vaccinated

Gasping for breath, alone and terrified, the brave patients at Sydney's Concord Hospital begged Australians to take the virus seriously, declaring 'it's not a game'.

In a series of emotional bedside interviews, a young single mother, a devastated tradie and a construction worker who infected his entire family, including his six children, pleaded with the nation to get vaccinated.

The video from the Sydney Local Health District on Wednesday comes as 645 NSW residents fight for their lives in hospitals across the state, with 113 of them being treated in overwhelmed Covid intensive care units.

Construction worker Fawaz, 50, is seen lying face-down barely able to speak in his hospital bed.

Bright yellow biohazard bags (pictured) were seen tied to the fence outside the property while several ambulances lined the street outside the family's home on Monday

'Today I am really bad: my fever, my headache, my breathing,' he said.

The dad, from Putney in Sydney's north, still has no idea how he contracted the virus which has now spread to his entire immediate family - including his six children.

At the time the video was shot one of his daughters had also been rushed to hospital because her condition was rapidly deteriorating.

'She's getting dizzy, her heart rate is too high and she is finding it hard to breathe,' he said.

'So please get vaccinated. I wish I knew beforehand... It's not a game, it's for real.'

Fawaz had been booked in to get the Pfizer jab for October, before being struck down before the appointment

Single mother Ramona, 30, who needs the assistance of breathing tubes, had received her first dose of the vaccine but is thought to have contracted the crippling respiratory virus while working at a pharmacy in Greenacre, in Sydney's southwest.

Concord Hospital respiratory physician Associate Professor Lucy Morgan (pictured) said many of her Covid patients had stories of misinformation prior to falling ill

She said the community needs to 'wake and realise this is real'.

'You end up in hospital and you can't breathe,' she said fighting back tears.

'All I can think about is my children. I haven't seen them in a very long time.

'I'm an essential worker. I could have contracted the virus from someone who didn't want to get the vaccination.'

Ramona added that the mental anguish is equally as debilitating as the physical aspects of the gruelling disease.

'I've had two kids and a major operation but I've never had to push myself to recover mentally this much,' she said.

Concord Hospital respiratory physician Associate Professor Lucy Morgan said a growing number of her Covid patients are 'really young'.
Two major hospitals are no longer accepting Covid patients as wards overflow with virus-stricken Sydneysiders at the heart of the city's outbreak.

Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals in the virus-riddled western suburbs hit breaking point on Wednesday night, with not a single bed left to treat those suffering from the respiratory disease.

Ambulance drivers with coronavirus patients were instructed not to enter the building and told they would be turned away with resources stretched to the limits, Nine News reported.

The two hospitals are both located within western Sydney's 12 local government areas of concern, where even greater lockdown restrictions are enforced including curfews - but stubborn case numbers refuse to come down.

The shocking development came as New South Wales racked up a grim record of 919 infections on Wednesday, as well as two more deaths.

Westmead (pictured) and Blacktown Hospitals in the western suburbs hit breaking point on Wednesday night and cannot accept a single extra Covid patient

Ambulance drivers with coronavirus patients were instructed not to enter the building and told they would be turned away with resources stretched to the limits (pictured, Blacktown Hospital)

Covid hospitalisations in New South Wales There are currently 645 Covid-19 cases being treated in NSW hospitals. 113 of those are in intensive care. 40 of those in ICU require a ventilator to breathe. Source: NSW Health Advertisement

To assist with massive influx of cases, Wollongong Hospital has been asked to pick up the slack and will begin treating Sydneysiders from the Covid-ravaged west.

From Monday, private hospitals in Greater Sydney will join the public sector in postponing almost all surgeries unless they are considered an 'emergency' procedure.

The drastic measures were announced to free-up staff and resources in anticipation for spiralling numbers of Covid admissions.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian just 24 hours earlier denied claims Sydney hospitals had hit a breaking point when she addressed reporters at her Tuesday morning Covid update.

'Regarding the strain on public hospitals, Westmead Hospital, we've been told by surgeons, their cardiac surgeons, the list has been halved because beds are set aside for Covid,' the premier said.

'They are concerned patients will suffer from heart attacks and potentially die. We need the private sector to get involved like last year to take it over.

'Anybody who needs medical attention in New South Wales will get attention. We know some hospitals have greater pressure on them than others.'

Overworked and overrun health staff at Sydney's Westmead Hospital are pictured on August 17, with patients having to be treated in the ambulance carpark

The Premier has denied claims public hospitals have hit a breaking point on Tuesday and said her government anyone who needs medical attention in NSW will receive it

Ms Berejiklian said her government was in a position where it was managing capacity and challenges brought forth by the virus as best it could.

'Our system is tested in the best of times, least of all in epidemic but all things considered, we are managing the system well and making sure people's public health needs are met.'

There are currently 645 NSW residents fighting for their lives in hospitals across the state, with 113 of them being treated in overwhelmed Covid intensive care units and 40 of them requiring a ventilator to breathe.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to NSW Health for comment.

The influx of patients comes as young Australians fighting for their lives in hospital share their harrowing experiences of what it's like to be struck down by Covid and separated from loved ones, who in many cases have also fallen ill.

Gasping for breath, alone and terrified, the brave patients at Sydney's Concord Hospital begged Australians to take the virus seriously, declaring 'it's not a game'.

Construction worker Fawaz, 50, (pictured) is seen lying face-down barely able to speak in his hospital bed - as he begged Australians to get vaccinated

In a series of emotional bedside interviews, a young single mother, a devastated tradie and a construction worker who infected his entire family, including his six children, pleaded with the nation to get vaccinated.

Construction worker Fawaz, 50, is seen lying face-down barely able to speak in his hospital bed.

'Today I am really bad: my fever, my headache, my breathing,' he said.

The dad, from Putney in Sydney's north, still has no idea how he contracted the virus which has now spread to his entire immediate family - including his six children.

At the time the video was shot one of his daughters had also been rushed to hospital because her condition was rapidly deteriorating.

Young single mum Ramona (pictured at Concord Hospital) said the mental anguish is equally as debilitating as the physical aspects of the gruelling disease

'She's getting dizzy, her heart rate is too high and she is finding it hard to breathe,' he said.

'So please get vaccinated. I wish I knew beforehand... It's not a game, it's for real.'

Fawaz had been booked in to get the Pfizer jab for October, before being struck down before the appointment.

Single mother Ramona, 30, who needs the assistance of breathing tubes, had received her first dose of the vaccine but is thought to have contracted the crippling respiratory virus while working at a pharmacy in Greenacre, in Sydney's southwest.

She said the community needs to 'wake and realise this is real'.

'You end up in hospital and you can't breathe,' she said fighting back tears.

Concord Hospital respiratory physician Associate Professor Lucy Morgan (pictured) said many of her Covid patients had stories of misinformation prior to falling ill

'All I can think about is my children. I haven't seen them in a very long time.

'I'm an essential worker. I could have contracted the virus from someone who didn't want to get the vaccination.'

Ramona added that the mental anguish is equally as debilitating as the physical aspects of the gruelling disease.

'I've had two kids and a major operation but I've never had to push myself to recover mentally this much,' she said.

The video from the Sydney Local Health District at Concord Hospital in Sydney (pictured) comes as NSW reported a record 919 new Covid infections on Wednesday along with two more fatalities

Concord Hospital respiratory physician Associate Professor Lucy Morgan said a growing number of her Covid patients are 'really young'.

'They are in their 20s, they are in their 30s, they are in their 40s and many have very small children and many have partners who are also in hospital,' she said.

'Many of them had stories of misinformation that they had received prior to falling ill.

'So if ever there was a reason for you to think about getting vaccinated today, I'd urge you to listen.'

Osama, 35, said he was 'close to death' when he first arrived on the ward a week ago.

Sydney tradie Osama, 35 (pictured), said he was 'close to death' when he first arrived on the ward a week ago

'I had shortness of breath and it felt like there was something attacking my lungs. It was harsh,' the tradesman from Lakemba in Sydney's southwest said.

'It was fever, headaches and a combination of things you do not want to experience.'

His young kids are also being treated for Covid at Westmead Children's Hospital and his wife is clinging to life in the intensive care unit of a separate health facility.

'It's separated us, it hasn't been easy,' Osama said.

He is now urging all Australians to get vaccinated.

'Go do it. Don't risk it. Be safe You do not want to go through it,' Osama said.

NSW reported a record 919 new Covid infections on Wednesday along with two more fatalities.
An Afghan Army commander accused President Joe Biden of 'disrespect and disloyalty' for saying that his troops did not put up a fight against the Taliban, in a blistering essay published on Wednesday, that concluded the war was doomed when the president announced his withdrawal.

Sami Sadat described how he was a three-star general in the Afghan Army, commander of 215 Maiwand Corps, and led 15,000 men in combat losing hundreds of officers against the Taliban in southwestern Afghanistan.

'Its true that the Afghan Army lost its will to fight,' he wrote in the New York Times.

'But thats because of the growing sense of abandonment by our American partners and the disrespect and disloyalty reflected in Bidens tone and words over the past few months.

'The Afghan Army is not without blame. It had its problems  cronyism, bureaucracy  but we ultimately stopped fighting because our partners already had.

'It pains me to see Mr. Biden and Western officials are blaming the Afghan Army for collapsing without mentioning the underlying reasons that happened.'

In all, Afghan armed forces lost 66,000 people in 20 years of fighting, he said.

Maj Gen Sami Sadat wrote a blistering essay on how politicians in Kabul and Washington failed in the fight against the Taliban as he defended his troops against attacks that they did not fight

Sadat (left) condemned President Trump's peace deal with the Taliban but said 'everything went downhill' when Biden announced his deadline for withdrawal

Maj Gen Sadat said his troops 'fought, bravely, until the end. We lost 66,000 troops over the past 20 years; thats one-fifth of our estimated fighting force.'

The Taliban swept into Kabul 10 days ago after a lightning advance across the country.

Elders negotiated deals in towns and cities as government politicians and troops faced what they believed was inevitable defeat.

Sadat said: 'It was in response to those scenes that Mr. Biden said on Aug. 16 that the Afghan forces collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight.

'But we fought, bravely, until the end. We lost 66,000 troops over the past 20 years; thats one-fifth of our estimated fighting force.'

Western leaders have said they were taken by surprise and Biden has repeatedly shifted blame to Afghan forces.

'American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves,' as he tried to defend the withdrawal after Kabul had been taken.

His comments triggered fury among U.S. veterans who helped train and advise government troops.

And in an essay dripping with dignified fury, Sadat said it was not his troops that were at fault but politicians in both Kabul and Washington.

He laid blame with the corrupt government of President Ashraf Ghani as well as those of President Donald Trump and Biden.

Sadat said it was the withdrawal of 17,000 contractors and the loss of U.S. air support that meant his forces lost their superiority over the Taliban

'Mr. Bidens full and accelerated withdrawal only exacerbated the situation. It ignored conditions on the ground,' wrote Sadat in an essay for the New York Times

'First, former President Donald Trumps peace deal with the Taliban in Doha doomed us. It put an expiration date on American interest in the region,' he wrote.

'Still, we kept fighting. But then Mr. Biden confirmed in April he would stick to Mr. Trumps plan and set the terms for the U.S. drawdown.

'That was when everything started to go downhill.'

They lost U.S. air support and much of their superiority over the Taliban.

Some 17,000 contractors had left by July, he wrote, potentially grounding their Black Hawk helicopters, C-130 transport planes and drones when technical problems arose.

'The contractors also took proprietary software and weapons systems with them,' he wrote.

'They physically removed our helicopter missile-defense system. Access to the software that we relied on to track our vehicles, weapons and personnel also disappeared. Real-time intelligence on targets went out the window, too.'

A highly sophisticated military machine, built on the U.S. model, was hobbled.

A Taliban gunman stands guard outside the office of the movement's spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, in Kabul, as senior figures begin putting together a government

'Mr. Bidens full and accelerated withdrawal only exacerbated the situation. It ignored conditions on the ground,' he wrote.

'The Taliban had a firm end date from the Americans and feared no military reprisal for anything they did in the interim, sensing the lack of U.S. will.

'And so the Taliban kept ramping up.

'My soldiers and I endured up to seven Taliban car bombings daily throughout July and the first week of August in Helmand Province. Still, we stood our ground.'

Corruption and lack of leadership in Kabul worsened the situation, he added. Supply lines failed, food ran out and morale collapsed among men expected to to risk their lives on a daily basis.

'The final days of fighting were surreal,' he continued.

'We engaged in intense firefights on the ground against the Taliban as U.S. fighter jets circled overhead, effectively spectators.

'Our sense of abandonment and betrayal was equaled only by the frustration U.S. pilots felt and relayed to us  being forced to witness the ground war, apparently unable to help us.'

The military defeat, he concluded, was the result of political failure in two capitals.
A great-grandmother has died from the injuries she sustained in a fall during an alleged 'altercation with a nurse' while staying at a Massachusetts hospital.

An investigation was launched after Carol Smith, 77, died after suffering a broken nose and jaw, a skull fracture and a major bleed on the brain.

Daughter Jennifer Shannon, 50, said mum Carol was admitted to hospital after a fall at home, but was well, sitting up in bed and had no major injuries when he went in.

But Jennifer claims she got a phone call the following day to say her mother had injured herself after she 'fell during an altercation with a nurse'.

A family are demanding answers after great grandmother Carol Smith, 77, died from horrific injuries she sustained in hospital in Massachusetts following an alleged 'altercation with a nurse'

Jennifer was horrified when she arrived at hospital, and saw her mother covered in cuts, her face swollen beyond recognition, with a misshapen skull.

Hours later Carol's life support was switched off after a bleed on the brain became too severe for surgery, she said.

Bristol County District Attorney is investigating the incident at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, Massachusetts.

Jennifer said: 'I was in shock and horror over how catastrophic her injuries were.

'She had a broken nose, the entire right side of her face and jaw were broken as well as multiple fractures to her head.

'The doctor called and said she got into an altercation with a nurse and she tried to hit the nurse and fell.

An investigation was launched after Carol died after suffering a broken nose and jaw, a skull fracture and a major bleed on the brain

'How do you fall and break multiple parts of your face and head?'

Mum-of-four Carol was taken to hospital via ambulance after had a fall inside her home on July 30, and injured her back.

She was a victim of a violent attack in 2009 and sustained a head injury which made her unstable and susceptible to falls.

Carol had another fall in hospital while trying to make her own way to the toilet and was scheduled in for an MRI.

Carol's daughter Jennifer claims she got a phone call the day after admitting her into hospital to say her mother had injured herself after she 'fell during an altercation with a nurse'

Daughter Jennifer and granddaughter Makayla, 14, went in to visit Carol on August 1 and said she had no visible injuries.

But the next day, she received a devastating phone call.

Real estate saleswoman Jennifer said: 'We had calls saying things have taken a tragic turn and my mum got into an altercation with a nurse, she tried to hit her and my mum fell.'

Jennifer raced to the hospital from her home in Attleboro to visit her stricken mum, but was horrified by the sight that confronted her.

'When I got there I was in shock, I wasn't prepared for what I was about to see,' she said.

Jennifer was horrified when she arrived at hospital, and saw her mother covered in cuts, her face swollen beyond recognition, with a misshapen skull

Hours later Carol's life support was switched off after a bleed on the brain became too severe for surgery, she said. Pictured: Carol in her hospital bed surrounded by her family

'My mum was crying and I said 'what happened to my mum?'

'I turned to the woman standing there - a staff member - and my mum said 'don't talk to her she will kill you, look what she did to me, she beat me'.'

She asked hospital staff whether any cameras had caught what had happened, but was told there was no CCTV in any of the rooms.

Carol had suffered a brain bleed and transferred to the Intensive Care Unit and scheduled for brain surgery at Boston Medical Center.

The bleed became too severe to operate, and the grandmother-of-seven was taken off life support just after 11pm that evening.

Makayla was heartbroken, as her grandmother had wanted to live to see her graduate high school.

Carol's granddaughter Makayla was heartbroken, saying her grandmother had wanted to live to see her graduate high school. Pictured: Carol during her younger years

The devastated family are demanding to know the truth about Carol died.

Jennifer said: 'She was a beautiful, loving mother with dimples that would light up a room and a laugh that would fill your soul with love.

'We need change in our healthcare system and more people advocating for people who can't advocate for themselves.'

Sturdy Memorial Hospital said: 'Our thoughts and sympathies are with Ms. Smith's family during this difficult time.

'Sturdy completed its own internal investigation and concluded that our staff followed all protocols in the care of Ms. Smith.

'We continue to participate in the ongoing investigation by authorities and anticipate that it will affirm our findings.

'Sturdy's priority is, and will always be, ensuring the health and safety of our patients.'

Bristol County District Attorney confirmed there was an active investigation and they had no further comment to make at this time.
The federal judge overseeing a case against an Infowars host is questioning prosecutors about their compliance with the Department of Justice's updated media policy, in wake of the request to seek an arrest warrant against Owen Shroyer.

Shroyer, host of the daily Infowars talk-show The War Room With Owen Shroyer, was charged last week for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Now, U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui is asking prosecutors to detail their reasoning behind the determination that Shroyer was not at the riot as a member of the news media.

'The events of January 6th were an attack on the foundation of our democracy,' Faruqui wrote Tuesday in an order obtained by the Wall Street Journal. 'But this does not relieve the Department of Justice from following its own guidelines, written to preserve the very same democracy.'

The media policy in question went into effect last month and limits DOJ probes of journalists.

The federal judge overseeing a case against Infowars host Owen Shroyer (pictured) is questioning prosecutors about their compliance with the Department of Justice's updated media policy in wake of their request seeking a warrant for his arrest

Shroyer was charged last week for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. DOJ case files picture the talk-show host at the event

Faruqui argues that while the prosecution has presented enough evidence to put Shroyer on criminal trial, DOJ officials have refused to answer if they had complied with the new media policy.

'The Department of Justice appears to believe that it is the sole enforcer of its regulations. That leaves the court to wonder who watches the watchmen,' the judge wrote, questioning their decision.

Prosecutors responded to Faruqui's order, stating it wasn't appropriate for the court ask how the government implemented its internal policies and that the 'guidelines in question didn't bear on the evidence supporting Mr. Shroyer's arrest'.

Faruqui told the DOJ that their response 'misses the mark,' MSN.com reported.

The judge acknowledged that while the department 'retains the right to do what it wants with these regulations,' prosecutors have in the past 'volunteered such information without any demonstrable harm to its own deliberative process'.

The Department of Justice alleges that Shroyer, circled, entered restricted grounds during the Jan. 6 riots as he accompanied his boss, Alex Jones, holding the microphone

However, Shroyer (circled) maintains his innocence, claiming he never had intentions of violence and was at the Capitol as a journalist covering the event

Faruqui's order comes just one month after Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a new policy restricting DOJ probes of journalists.

'A free and independent press is vital to the functioning of our democracy,' Garland argued at the time.

The policy broadly prohibits prosecutors from subpoenaing reporters' phone and email records.

Garland issued a memo outlining the policy the reads, in part: 'The Department of Justice will no longer use compulsory legal process for the purpose of obtaining information from or records of members of the news media acting within the scope of newsgathering activities.'

The policy does not apply when media members are being investigated for alleged activities that were not within that scope.

The DOJ alleges that Shroyer entered restricted grounds on January 6 and engaged in disorderly conduct.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui (left) is now asking prosecutors to detail their reasoning behind the determination that Shroyer was not at the riot as a member of the news media. He wants proof the DOJ did not violate the policy put in place last month by AG Merrick Garland (right) limiting DOJ probes of journalists.

Authorities say video shows Shroyer marching to the Capitol from the Ellipse shortly before the building was breached, telling the crowd 'today we march for the Capitol because on this historic January 6, 2021, we have to let our Congressmen and women know, and we have to let Mike Pence know, they stole the election, we know they stole it, and we aren't going to accept it!'

Shroyer announced during his show last week: 'I plan on declaring innocence of these charges because I am.'

He asserts that he never had intentions of violence and was at the Capitol as a journalist covering the event.

However, Infowars, the media platform that houses The War Room With Owen Shroyer, does not have White House or congressional credentials, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Additionally, prosecutors assert that Shroyer's riot attendance broke the terms of a deal he made to avoid criminal charges from an arrest in 2019.

Shroyer was arrested in December 2019 for shouting during a House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing. He received a deferred prosecution agreement in that case, in which he agreed to do community service and follow certain conditions, like not engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct on Capitol grounds, according to court documents.

He hadn't completed any of the required community service hours as of Jan. 6, so that agreement was still in effect, authorities said.

Documents compiled by the US Justice Department allege that Owen Shroyer, of Infowars, entered restricted grounds on Jan. 6 and engaged in disorderly conduct

Authorities also argue that Shroyer was outspoken in advance of Jan. 6 about wanting to stop the certification of the Electoral College vote.

During an address at Freedom Plaza the day before the insurrection, he said, according to the court papers: 'Americans are ready to fight. We're not exactly sure what that's going to look like perhaps in a couple of weeks if we can't stop this certification of the fraudulent election ... we are the new revolution! We are going to restore and we are going to save the republic!'

After the insurrection, Shroyer also claimed the several protesters attributed their knowledge of the event to Infowars.

'Most of the people out there said that they had either heard about it through Infowars or Infowars listeners,' Shroyer said after the event.

More than 570 people have been charged with federal crimes in the deadly riot that interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden's victory and nearly 40 people have pleaded guilty so far.

Dozens of people have been charged with assaulting law enforcement officers who were trying to protect the Capitol.

The riots left five dead - including Ashli Babbitt who was shot by a Capitol officer, another died of a drug overdose and three died of natural causes.

Nearly 140 officers were injured and four officers who responded to the riot have killed themselves.

More than 570 people have been arrested in connection with the Capitol riot on January 6
The Red Cross is calling for cash donations to support Afghan refugees arriving in the UK.

British Red Cross teams are supporting hundreds of families, some said to be 'incredibly traumatised' and in need of emotional support.

The charity's staff and volunteers are welcoming arrivals at airports and giving out basic items like warm clothing and hygiene kits.

However they are now calling for more donations, with one manager saying cash is preferred - though they are also asking for clothing and other essentials.

British Red Cross teams are supporting families in Heathrow, Leicester, Chelmsford, Colchester, Hertfordshire, Southampton, Hampshire, Milton Keyes, Sandback, Derby, Cheshire, Birmingham, Brize Norton, and Wrexham in Wales.

The charity said it is ready to support in more areas of the UK as further arrivals are expected.

A fully packed flight of evacuees being taken from Kabul to the UK taken earlier this week

Passengers evacuated from Afghanistan disembark from a British Royal Air Force (RAF) Airbus KC2 Voyager aircraft, after landing at RAF Brize Norton station

Hundreds of items have been donated to the Bushey United Synagogue in Hertfordshire to help newly arrived Afghan families

Edmore Hute, refugee support manager at British Red Cross, said: 'There's hundreds of people who have arrived in the UK with their families fresh from a harrowing journey, leaving behind homes and loved ones in uncertainty.

'First and foremost we are providing kindness and reassurance that they are in a safe place, in a place of safety.

'This is vital, especially these first days, during the first hours and days.'

He added: 'A lot of these people have gone through very difficult journeys and people have left behind their homes and families, and everything they have known, so they are incredibly traumatised and in need of emotional support.'

Mr Hute hailed the public for welcoming Afghans, saying: 'Thanks to the British public for the avalanche of love and warmth and support that the Afghan evacuees have been reporting into us.'

He said the 'warm welcome' from the British public has been incredible and the charity has been 'bowled over' with offers of things like clothing and toys.

Mr Hute said a donation of money is preferred as it can be transferred instantly to areas that need it most.

How will the new resettlement scheme work and who will get priority? The resettlement programme is a new initiative to help Afghans forced to flee their country as refugees. It is separate from the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which grants haven to former interpreters and others who helped Western forces over the past 20 years. The two schemes are explained below: Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy: This is available to any current or former locally-employed staff who worked for the British forces who are assessed to be at a 'serious risk' of being killed. Successful applicants will be offered priority entry into the UK regardless of their employment status, rank or role, or length of time served. Local staff who work or worked in the public eye and who could be at risk as the security situation evolves will be relocated to the UK on a routine basis, and those not eligible to move will be offered other support such as security advice and relocation within Afghanistan. Some 10,000 former Afghan staff and their family members are expected to be relocated to the UK under ARAP. Afghan citizens' resettlement scheme: The government is aiming for the new Afghanistan citizens' resettlement scheme to resettle 5,000 Afghan nationals who are at risk due to the current crisis in its first year, and a total of 20,000 in the long term. Priority will be given to women and girls, and religious and other minorities. There will be a particular focus on whether people are at risk of human rights abuses and dehumanising treatment by the Taliban. The UK can reject cases on 'security, war crimes or other grounds'. The initiative will be modelled on the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme which launched in 2014 in conjunction with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The UNHCR identifies potential cases for the UK to consider and applicants are then vetted by British officials. The government has insisted that the new route will not compromise on national security and any person arriving on the route will have to pass the same strict security checks as those resettled through other schemes. Advertisement

He said that due to having to leave Afghanistan so quickly they do not have many belongings with them, so there is a real need for clothes and other essential items.

'We're also realising increasingly that especially these days when they are watching the news a lot of them are really worried about their family that they have left behind.

'There is a sense of relief that they are here but also still worried about the families that they have left behind,' he said.

Experts from the British Red Cross psychosocial support team have been deployed to support families arriving into airports in recognition of the traumas they may be coming from.

Teams are supporting families staying in hotels, until further housing is secured for them.

The charity said all families have been through the necessary Covid-19 measures, staying in quarantine hotels on first arrival, and have been tested before being moved into other hotels.

Donations have poured in to local organisations in recent days as reported figures suggest almost 2,000 Afghan refugees have arrived in the country following the fall of Kabul.

Charities in Birmingham and Scarborough have shared pictures of thousands of pieces of clothing, toys and toiletries that were provided by generous locals wanting to aid those fleeing persecution in Afghanistan.

The Bushey United Synagogue in Hertfordshire also received supplies for newly arrived Afghan families to the area after a Facebook request was met with 'a tremendous act of love' from the local community.

Many of these organisations posted appeals online and were left stunned by the thousands of bags of items that quickly flooded in.

MailOnline understands that there are approximately 2,000 Afghan refugees already being housed in temporary emergency accommodation - mainly in hotels - across the UK.

Manchester is currently home to approximately 1,000 displaced Afghans, while West and North Yorkshire, Hertfordshire and a handful of other counties are housing hundreds of refugees.

The Home Office did not provide any specific information on the hotel procurement procedure or how refugees are divided across the country when asked by MailOnline.

Hotels across Britain have flung open their doors for arriving Afghans as they flee the clutches of the Taliban in their homeland.

Rooms in Kent, West Yorkshire, Hertfordshire, Warwickshire and more have been prepared as refugees continue to fly into airports including Birmingham and RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

Katie Wilson, who runs Carriers of Hope's clothing scheme in Warwickshire, told the BBC the group was supporting more than 115 refugees living in hotels in Coventry.

'There are over 115 people living the hotel, most of them arrived without even a change of clothes, many of them were in flip flops or barefoot,' she said.

'They just absolutely need everything... and we just can't keep on top of the demand.

'It breaks your heart, I must have helped 100 men with clothes the other day, but the ones you remember are the ones crying by your car saying they have nothing and you feel like you have failed because you can't help everyone.'

Meanwhile, the founder of a 15-year-old refugee centre in Walsall, West Midlands, explained how he has been 'inundated' with requests for help from those fleeing Kabul.

Afghans allowed to come to the UK will be distributed across the country. Pictured: British nationals and Afghan evacuees arrive on a flight from Afghanistan at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire

A civilian charter flight arriving at a Midlands airport from Kabul. The flight carried eligible Afghans under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy Programme and British Nationals who were based in Afghanistan

The Afghan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme will focus on women and girls who fear their rights will be trampled under the 'Islamic Emirate' declared by the Taliban

Fahim Zazai, of Walsall's Afghan Community and Welfare Centre, told Birmingham Live he is lobbying the Government to confirm the status of Afghan refugees already in Britain as he receives hundreds of missed calls from worried relatives in Afghanistan.

'Some are very anxious, desperate, they want to know what they need to do, they just want to leave,' he explained.

It comes are more than 100 local authorities in England and Wales backed plans to rehome displaced Afghans in the wake of the Taliban recapturing Kabul earlier this month.

Local authorities have been asked to support efforts to relocate approximately 3,000 displaced Afghans in the coming weeks.

Downing Street has already received more than 2,000 accommodation promises from 104 councils, the Times reports.

Reported figures suggest almost 2,000 Afghan refugees have already been placed into temporary isolation hotels or 'emergency accommodation' across the country.

Women, girls and those facing persecution will get priority as some 20,000 are granted the right to live in the UK  with 5,000 expected in the first year.
A father demanded his family follow a bizarre five-metre rule to stop confrontations as he and his wife went through a divorce, a court heard today.

Peter Copland, 66, arranged allocated time slots for when his wife and two children could use the large kitchen in their home in Paignton, Devon, as he and his wife divorced.

Copland, now of Coalville, Leicestershire, allegedly set time parameters for which rooms his estranged wife Maria could go into and demanded that she kept specific distances from him, the court heard.

The tense family situation led to Copland assaulting Maria on two occasions within three days last August, Exeter magistrates were told.

The bizarre set-up was revealed when Copland denied two assault charges and a third count of controlling or coercive behaviour in court on Wednesday.

Peter Copland (pictured), 66, arranged allocated time slots when his wife and two children could use the large kitchen in their home in Paignton, Devon, as he and his wife divorced

The court heard Copland introduced a two-metre rule but changed it to five metres to stop him, his estranged wife and children from having confrontations.

Magistrates heard the father would ask his two children - an 18-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman - to knock on the kitchen door to come in.

Copland claimed his family had between four and six hours to use the large kitchen and he had the rest, insisting their were 'plenty' or other rooms in the house.

He continued: 'I only had one room. The master bedroom with a dressing room and en-suite. That was my area. There were plenty of other bedrooms and bathrooms and showers in the house.'

He added that there was another smaller kitchen in the house where the family could have made tea and snacks, the court heard.

Copland admitted to police after he was arrested that he had also sent various emails to his wife asking her to keep her distance from him.

He told police that 'if everybody keeps to the rules everything would be fine'.

When asked by police if this was normal, he replied: 'It's not a normal environment.'

Copland also complained that his family was 'making him leave the house he owns, planning to get him out'.

The bizarre set-up was revealed when Copland (pictured) denied two assault charges and a third count of controlling or coercive behaviour in an Exeter court on Wednesday

Copland denied assaulting his wife at their barn conversion home and said things had become tense as they began divorce proceedings two years ago - a year after a family holiday to Italy where he said he was given no thanks for the trip.

He said he may have brushed past his wife in the kitchen but denied any assaults on her, saying his wife and children tried to provoke him.

But his children told the court he pushed her with both hands and a row ended when the son threw a glass of Fanta over his head which left his father with a 'sinister smile' on his face.

Copland said after the end of their 33-year-marriage, his relationship with Maria had broken down so he sent her the kitchen slots after he went on a trip to South Africa, and she agreed to them.

The father said he did not tell his wife he was going to South Africa saying: 'She is not my keeper.'

Copland said he worked away in tough conditions in Saudi Arabia but when he came home he did not get a welcome or a hug.

He added that his wife wanted the big house with a 5,000 a month mortgage and he said his family wanted for nothing.

Copland also told the court his son was 'extremely abusive' and once spat in his face.

The trial is ongoing.
An estimated 24 students enrolled in the California Cajon Valley Union School District and 16 parents are stranded in Afghanistan after taking a trip to visit extended family in the warzone.

The families, from the El Cajon area near San Diego, are among thousands of Americans still trapped in Afghanistan following a rapid Taliban takeover of the country on the heels of the US pulling out after a 20-year occupation.

'Several of our families over summer break independently decided to go home to Afghanistan and see their extended family. A lot of the families, their nuclear families are here, but all their grandparents and everybody are still in Afghanistan,' said Mike Serban, director of the school board's Family and Children Engagement program, which assists the district's many refugee families, according to CBS8.

'They're still in Afghanistan trying to find their way to the airport or on an airplane', he said.

Fairdoon Hashemi and Mohammad Sarfarez, bilingual community liaisons for the FACE program, first became aware of the problem when reached August 16 by families stuck there.

They contacted the liaisons to tell them they would not be back in time for the first day of school but to hold spots for their students, Howard Shen, the school district's media contact, told DailyMail.com.

Nearly 24 students enrolled in the Cajon Valley Union School District-outside San Diego- and 16 parents have been stranded in Afghanistan after a summer trip to visit extended family. Pictured above: People queue up to board a military aircraft of Germany and leave Kabul at Kabul airport, Afghanistan, Aug. 24

Cajon Valley School Board President Tamara Otero said the families had tickets to fly out of Afghanistan, 'but unfortunately they were not able to get to the airport.'

'The biggest concern is that the Taliban closed the airport,' Otero said. 'We are so worried about our students that are stuck there. We'll do the best we can to get them out.'

Serban is gathering a list of all Cajon Valley students known to be in Afghanistan. They attend different locations among the 28 schools in the eastern San Diego County district.

Further details about the families' identities and their trips have not been released. It is unclear where they are in the country and whether they are together.

But El Cajon resident, Navy veteran, and former intelligence analyst, Amanda Matti is now working with Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, El Cajon Rep. Sara Jacobs, and a group of volunteers to help an El Cajon family of six get into the airport.

Matti, who lives in El Cajon, said last weekend she helped a former El Cajon family of five escape Afghanistan. That family was flown to Washington DC and will head to their current home in Portland, Oregon.

Speaking with DailyMail.com Matti declined to give further information about the family they are currently helping until they are safely inside. 'They are literally stuck at the West gate right now.'

She was first connected to the family a few years ago when her non-profit volunteer group helped them resettle in El Cajon.

Serban insisted that the district is working with officials to connect them with the families 'so that the federal government knows who's there and how they can support them to get them back here to the United States.'

According to Cajon Valley Superintendent David Miyashiro, the families are traveling on special visas for US military service and are considered allies by the Department of Defense.

Miyashiro and several Cajon Valley staff members met with Rep. Darrel Issa, who represents the area and his staff regarding the situation, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The families traveled to the country independently over the summer break to visit extended family but were unable to make it to the busy airport to board their flights that were booked to take off sometime before Aug. 17. Pictured: People take a military aircraft of Germany to leave Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 24

Families then began contacting the California Cajon Valley Union School District after their students missed the first day of school. Pictured: Evacuees board a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 23

Issa shared an LA Times story about the students on social media commenting: 'Im working diligently to determine the best ways to help those trapped return home safely. I wont stop until we have answers and action.'

Jonathan Wilcox, Issa's communications director wrote in an email to the LA Times: 'Congressman Issa and his staff are working diligently to determine the facts on the ground, any bureaucratic barriers that can be removed, and the best ways to help those stranded leave Afghanistan and return home safely. We won't stop until we have answers and action.'

School district officials have been working with the federal government to locate and extract the families from the highly dangerous country as the US aims to evacuate all Americans by the end of the month. Pictured: Evacuees wait to board a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 23

US military officials reported that they have been forced to find alternative routes to Kabul's international airport over the weekend. Pictured: Crowds of people wait outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan Aug. 25

Of the 14 bilingual community liaisons listed on the FACE program's website, 11 speak Arabic or Farsi, pointing to the areas Afghan population.

El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells told DailyMail.com that he is 'sick over whats happening in Afghanistan. This is a shameful chapter for our country.'

He confirmed that Issas office has taken charge of the situation. 'Being the mayor of a city, I have limited ability to help with foreign affairs but I will do anything that I can.'

During Wednesday's press conference Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, was asked about the El Cajon families but referred the question to the State Department.

President Biden announced Tuesday that he plans to stick to his original deadline to have all Americans evacuated from Afghanistan by the end of the month.

Over the weekend, US military officials reported they have been forced to find new routes to Kabul's international airport as the ISIS-K terror group posed a threat to citizens and Afghan allies. The Afghan capital's airport remains the only way in or out of the country.

San Diego County has been hub for refugees since the Vietnam War providing yet another comparison of the Taliban's take over of Afghanistan to the fall of Saigon.

Records show that following the fall of the Vietnam's largest city over 50,000 refugees flocked to San Diego County within six months. Social services were set up in the area to process and aid the influx of people.

This paved a path for other waves of displaced people to come to the area making it a hub for refugees.

From 2016 to 2020 San Diego County saw thousands of Afghan refugees escape to the area. The US Refugee Admissions Program prioritizes relocating people to places where they have established families or communities pushing the current relocation of Afghan refugees to San Diego County.
All US service members must get their Covid-19 vaccine as soon as possible now that the Pfizer-BioNTech jab is fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

More than 800,000 service members out of around 1.4 million still need to get their shots, according to Pentagon data.

Those who haven't gotten a shot face a wide range of punishments if they don't, from sitting down with a doctor to have the 'risks' of refusing explained all the way up to a court martial.

Military law experts say it is possible that a service member who refuses could be dishonorably discharged, but most will likely face a far less significant punishment.

Service members are already required to get up to 17 different vaccines, depending on where in the world they are stationed, including jabs for measles, mumps, diphtheria, hepatitis, smallpox and the flu.

Of active duty forces, 68 percent are fully vaccinated and 76 percent have at least one dose, according to Pentagon press secretary John Kirby. Data is less clear for reserve and National Guard members.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin directed commanders to impose an 'ambitious timelines for implementation' and to provide regular updates on vaccination.

The Army has the lowest vaccination rate, where 40% are fully vaccinated and 57% have one dose. The Navy has the highest, where 73% are fully vaxxed and 79% have at least one dose.

Kirby said the goal was to get the force inoculated 'as soon as possible' but did not lay out a timeline.

The figures come as the Indian Delta variant surges across the United States, with more than 150,000 new infections and 1,408 new deaths recorded across the country on August 24. Other employers have ordered staff to be vaccinated before they return to the office, with investment bank Goldman Sachs the latest to issue such a policy on Tuesday.

Asked what would happen to service members who refused a vaccination, Kirby noted that they could apply for a religious or medical exemption, and if those were denied, would have a chance to sit down with a physician and sit down with the chain of command so they could communicate the 'risks' service members incur in refusing to get vaccinated.

Ultimately, Kirby said, the mandate is a 'lawful order,' and said that commanders have a 'wide range of tools [to encourage forces to get vaccinated] short of UCMJ,' insinuating the matter could be taken up in military court.

'I can't give you an exact answer on every single hypothetical,' Kirby said, refusing to say what direct consequences would be.

The Pentagon has for weeks said such a mandate was in the works.

'To defend this Nation, we need a healthy and ready force,' Austin said in the memo. 'After careful consultation with medical experts and military leadership, and with the support of the President, I have determined that mandatory vaccination against coronavirus diseaseis necessary to protect the Force and defend the American people.'

A total of 34 service members have died from Covd-19 and 1,998 have been hospitalized.

'Mandatory vaccinations are familiar to all of our Service members, and mission-critical inoculation is almost as old as the U.S. military itself,' Austin wrote in the memo.

Austin noted in the memo there will be exemptions for medical reasons and a narrow religious exemption.

Military Law attorney Mike Hanzel said that vaccine requirements exist for operational readiness so troops can be deployed at a moment's notice.

'Historically, militaries don't work if people are not operationally ready and they are not deployable,' Hanzel explained. 'If Pearl Harbor happens, or 9/11 happens, people need to be ready at a moment's notice to deploy. And if they are sick, they're not going to be ready.'

David P. Sheldon, another Military Law attorney, said for those who don't take the vaccine: 'In essence, the charge would be you are violating Article 92 by refusing a direct order,' Sheldon said. 'And the direct order, in this case, would be to get the vaccine

Of those 12 and older who are eligible, 71.2% of the US population has gotten and 60.4% have gotten both jabs.

The Pfizer vaccine was granted final approval by the FDA on Monday after receiving Emergency Use Authorization in December. Moderna has also applied for full approval of its vaccine, and Johnson & Johnson has said it hopes to do so later this year.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said Tuesday Americans can expect many more vaccine mandates now that a jab is fully authorized.

'You're gonna see a lot more [vaccine] mandates because there will be institutions and organizations which previously were reluctant to require vaccinations, which will now feel much more empowered to do that,' Fauci said on MSNBC's Morning Joe.

'That could be organizations, businesses, colleges, universities. We're even seeing it with the military already.'

President Biden, in a speech on Monday, urged companies to now start requiring vaccines.

'As I mentioned before, I've imposed vaccination requirements that will reach millions of Americans,' he said.

Biden signed an executive order requiring federal employees and contractors to either get vaccinated or adhere to a regular Covid testing scheme.

'Today I'm calling on more companies ... in the private sector to step up with vaccine requirements that will reach millions more people.

'If you're a business leader, a nonprofit leader, state or local leader, who has been waiting for FDA approval to require vaccinations, I call on you now to do that, require it.'
was also accused of purposely obscuring the actual number of COVID deaths in nursing homes by nearly 50%

Hochul has made it clear she was distancing herself from her predecessor, who resigned earlier this month after being labeled a serial sex harasser

The lower number favored by Cuomo still appeared in Gov Kathy Hochul's office daily update, but with an explanation about why it was an incomplete count

The death toll used by the Cuomo administration only counted laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 deaths and excluded those who died in homes, hospice, state prisons or at state-run homes

New York State now reports nearly 55,400 people have died of COVID-19, up from about 43,400 that former Gov Andrew Cuomo reported on Monday, his last day in office

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul has acknowledged nearly 12,000 more deaths in the state from COVID-19 than had been publicized by her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo.

On Wednesday, New York quietly updated its COVID death toll to nearly 55,400 based on death certificate data submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This is a 27 percent increase from the 43,415 that Cuomo reported to the public as of Monday, his last day in office.

The reason for the discrepancy is that the count used by the former governor in his news briefings only included laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 deaths reported through a state system that collects data from hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities.

This means the tally excluded people who died at home, hospice, in state prisons or at state-run homes for people living with disabilities.

It also did not count people who likely died of COVID-19 but never got a positive test to confirm the diagnosis. When these missing groups are added to the death toll, it actually stands at 55,395, according to Hochul's administration.

Hochul's office reported that nearly 55,400 people have died of the coronavirus in New York State based on death certificate data submitted to the CDC. That's up from about 43,400 that Cuomo reported to the public as of Monday, his last day in office. The count used by Cuomo (in pink on the chart above) in his media briefings only included laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 deaths

New York Governor Kathy Hochul (pictured left) has acknowledged nearly 12,000 more deaths in the state from COVID-19 than had been publicized by her predecessor Andrew Cuomo (pictured, right)

Hochul made it clear she was distancing herself from Cuomo, who resigned after being labeled a serial sex harasser earlier this month in a report conducted by state Attorney General Letitia James. It upholds the allegations of 11 women who say Cuomo sexually harassed them.

The updated death toll comes as Cuomo's administration is under investigation for its handling of nursing home coronavirus deaths, which were also underreported.

'We're now releasing more data than had been released before publicly, so people know the nursing home deaths and the hospital deaths are consistent with what's being displayed by the CDC,' Hochul told MSNBC on Wednesday.

'There's a lot of things that weren't happening and I'm going to make them happen. Transparency will be the hallmark of my administration.'

The Associated Press first reported in July on the large discrepancy between the fatality numbers publicized by the Cuomo administration and numbers the state was reporting to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That lower number favored by the Cuomo administration still appeared in the daily update put out by Hochul's office on Tuesday, but with an explanation about why it was an incomplete count.

'There are presumed and confirmed deaths. People should know both,' Hochul said during a Wednesday morning appearance on NPR.

'Also, as of yesterday, we're using CDC numbers, which will be consistent. And so there's no opportunity for us to mask those numbers, nor do I want to mask those numbers.

'The public deserves a clear, honest picture of whats happening. And that's whether it's good or bad, they need to know the truth. And that's how we restore confidence.'

The State Assembly launched impeachment proceedings after James' report was released and three district attorneys opened criminal investigations into the allegations.

The impeachment investigating committee also was looking at the nursing home issue and was investigating whether or not Cuomo used state resources to fund his self-congratulating COVID memoir, Lessons in Leadership.

Before any kind of public impeachment trial could get underway, Cuomo resigned and the State Assembly dropped its impeachment inquiry.

Cuomo's administration sent thousands of COVID-19 positive patients into nursing homes by signing a mandate that forced homes to take them.

Officials then obscured the number of COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents by marking them as hospital deaths.

Cuomo used those lower numbers last year to erroneously claim that New York was seeing a much smaller percentage of nursing home residents dying of COVID-19 than other states.

There was no mention of the nursing home scandal as he eulogized his time in office and congratulated New Yorkers for how they handled the pandemic.

'I gave it my best...I tried my best to deliver for you. I want to thank my team, my family for their sacrifice and help in serving you,' he said during his farewell address.
A Covid patient who was left 'unable to talk' has written a harrowing message from her ICU bed begging friends to 'get the dam shot'.

Charlotte Broussard, 72, from Lafayette, Louisiana, penned the handwritten note from her hospital bed in Baton Rouge General.

While being treated for the virus, she was intubated to aid her breathing, and was unable to speak, according to The Advocate.

Charlotte Broussard, 72, who was left 'unable to talk' has wrote a harrowing message from her ICU bed begging friends to 'get the dam shot'

She signalled to nurses that she wanted to write something, and penned a note urging people to get vaccinated.

Photos of the notes the patient wrote, including one that said 'take the dam shot', were shared on Twitter by CBS correspondent David Begnaud.

This comes after an unvaccinated police lieutenant and father-of-three from Baker, Louisiana, died from complications of Covid-19 on August 13  one day before his wedding.

Demarcus Dunn, 36, had planned to wed his fiancee Francine in July 2020, but rescheduled the ceremony to August 14 due to the pandemic, Baker Police Chief Carl Dunn, told ABC News.

She penned the handwritten note from her hospital bed in Baton Rouge General while she was intubated and unable to communicate verbally

Unable to speak, she signalled to nurses that she wanted to write something, and penned a note urging people to get vaccinated

But Dunn tested positive for the virus on July 29 and was put on a ventilator on August 10.

Carl Dunn, who is the victim's cousin, said that he did not know why the police lieutenant wasnt vaccinated and it wasnt a requirement of the department.

His death comes amid ongoing hesitancy about getting vaccinated among black Americans, many of whom say their reason lies in historical health care discrimination.

Louisiana has a wide gap in vaccination rates between black and white residents, with nearly two times as many white people vaccinated (59 percent) as compared to the black population (31 percent).

Demarcus Dunn (left), 36, a police lieutenant from Baker, Louisiana, died from complications of Covid-19 on August 13  one day before his wedding. He is pictured above with his cousin and Baker Police Chief Carl Dunn

Louisiana Covid-19 cases spiked to their all-time highest of the pandemic on August 16, with 13,370 new cases and a seven-day rolling average of 5,386 cases, according to the New York Times.

Deaths also hit their highest number on August 17 with 122 recorded and a seven-day average of 50.

A March 2021 study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information found that about 33 percent of black Americans said they were not sure if they would get vaccinated and about 23 percent said, I will never get the vaccine.

Meanwhile, 23 percent of white Americans said they were not sure if they would get the shot and only about 12 percent said they would never get it.

Louisiana is also one of the states with the lowest vaccination rates with only 40 percent of the population fully vaccinated, according to Our World in Data.

After several weeks of lagging rates, the pace of U.S. COVID-19 vaccinations has come roaring back to life.

More than one million Americans received a COVID-19 vaccine in the last 24 hours, which is highest single-day total in seven weeks.

Of those shots, more than half were people getting their first dose of a two-dose vaccine.

What's more, several states that are seeing the highest uptake in shots are among those with the worst surges in Covid cases, such as Florida and Louisiana.
Matt Gaetz said he and fiancee Ginger Luckey eloped to California because of 'COVID love' and would spend their honeymoon in the political haven of New Hampshire after a whirl-wind romance that led to their marriage.

'It was COVID love,' Gaetz told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview about their decision to elope. 'You know, we start seeing each other during COVID.'

The couple met at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, at the 51st birthday party of Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Trump's oldest son Donald Trump Jr. The event took place in March 2020 as the coronavirus was beginning to spread across the country.

The couple, who got engaged over the holidays at Mar-a-Lago, eloped on Saturday in a small ceremony on Catalina Island.

Gaetz, 38, said the two had been planning a more traditional wedding but found many venues were booked for months because so many weddings had been delayed during the height of the pandemic.

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida eloped to Southern California, marrying his girlfriend Ginger Luckey on Saturday in a small ceremony on Catalina Island

'There was a lot of venues that we looked at for a wedding that were pretty backed up in 2021 because all the 2020 people that wanted to get married and shifted their plans,' he said in an interview that took place Tuesday in the hallway of the Capitol between House votes. Fellow lawmakers congratulated him when they saw him in the hall.

'We went out to Catalina Island and Ginger said it was one of her dreams as a little girl to get married out there. So we had a very small very low key, pitch perfect event,' he said.

Luckey, 26, grew up in Long Beach, California. She works for a company that focuses on extending the life of products made from plant-based materials.

Luckey also announced their union on social media, tweeting a photo from the ceremony captioned #GaetzGetsLuckey

They announced their surprise wedding on social media. Gaetz posted 'I love my wife!' along with a photo of them together - he in a sport coat, she in a white dress.

Luckey also announced their union on social media, tweeting a photo from the ceremony captioned #GaetzGetsLuckey.

Gaetz, a Republican congressman from South Florida, was back in the Capitol this week as the House voted on a budget resolution and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. The House returned to Washington D.C. a week earlier than scheduled after Democratic leaders brought lawmakers back in the wake of the Senate's passing bipartisan infrastructure legislation.

Matt Gaetz said he and fiancee Gineger Luckey eloped to California because of 'COVID love' and would spend their honeymoon in the political haven of New Hampshire

'This was not an expected trip back to Washington,' Gaetz conceded of his presence in the Capitol.

But he acquiesced it was part of political life, which the couple will be embracing in the days to come.

The duo plans to spend part of their honeymoon in the most political of locations, New Hampshire, the home of the first presidential primary.

'On Friday, I'm speaking in Nashua, New Hampshire. So right before we got married, we were in Iowa; right after New Hampshire. It's the life of a political couple,' he said.

Gaetz was in Iowa, which holds the first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, om Thursday with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The two spoke at a rally where they touted the false claim Trump really won the 2020 election.

Gaetz said the trip to Iowa and New Hampshire were part of their support for Donald Trump, who he hopes will return to the White House.

'Oh, yeah. I'm hoping Donald Trump runs for president 2024,' he told DailyMail.com of his trips to the early presidential states.

The couple's elopement came as Gaetz embarked on a congressional tour in the Midwest. Pictured: Rep. Matt Gaetz (left) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (right) speak during the America First Rally in Des Moines, Iowa on August 19, 2021

Gaetz proposed to Luckey, a 26-year-old food analyst from Southern California, at then-president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in December 2020

Gaetz's own political future remains unclear. He's up for re-election next year and raised an impressive $1.45 million in the last fundraising period.

But he's mulled not seeking another term in Congress. And he faces an investigation as part of a probe that led to the arrest and plea deal of his close friend, Joel Greenberg, a former Seminole Count, Florida, tax collector.

Greenberg pleaded guilty last May to six federal crimes, including sex trafficking of a child. His plea agreement requires continued cooperation with an ongoing probe into sex trafficking.

And Gaetz is said to be investigated for a supposed pay-for-sex relationship with a 17-year-old girl.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
This is the shocking moment a rookie PC helped to disarm a knifeman as he was Tasered three times after he robbed a chemist and took the family GP hostage.

Police issued the heart stopping body cam footage today showing PC Alicia Snowden disarm the crazed knifeman who had also threatened medical staff during the terrifying rampage.

PC Snowden, who is in her 20s, was just five weeks into her new job when she and her mentor were assigned to tackle Michael Brannigan who was going berserk at a GP's surgery whilst armed with three kitchen knives and a meat cleaver.

During his noon meltdown Brannigan, 51, who was complaining of a lack of mental health support was seen to clench his teeth before lunging at PC Snowden and her PC Simon Toft whilst carrying a chair base and a metal pole.

PC Snowden (left), who is in her 20s, was just five weeks into her new job when she and her mentor PC Simon Toft (right) were assigned to tackle Michael Brannigan who was going berserk at a GP's surgery

He was eventually overpowered by the officers after PC Toft was forced to taser him three times in 19 seconds to subdue him.

Brannigan, of Woodley Stockport, Greater Manchester, later said he had carried out the attack at Woodley health centre in a bid to kill himself in front of his GP Dr Graham Parker.

The two PCs have since been recognised by police chiefs with the John Egerton Trophy a bravery award which is named after a 20 year old constable killed on duty in 1982.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Brannigan admitted four charges of possession of an offensive weapon, robbery, criminal damage, assault by beating and affray and was jailed for three years and five months.

The incident on March 12 this year began after Brannigan had been into the surgery to demand copies of his medical records.

He became aggressive and left after being told to calm down by staff but he returned later with knives and the cleaver stuffed in his rucksack.

Rookie PC helped to disarm a knifeman as he was Tasered three times after he robbed a chemist and took the family GP hostage

Outside the surgery Brannigan used a walking stick to beat an elderly man who was out doing a food shop with wife before threatening the couple with a knife as they sat cowering inside their car.

He then robbed a nearby pharmacy of prescription drugs at knifepoint before storming over to the surgery itself to berate staff inside.

Miss Verity Quaite prosecuting said: 'He entered the waiting room and loudly demanded to see the "main man". He had a knife in his right hand and his walking stick in his left hand and was described as being menacing towards the receptionist.

'She fled to the back office, where she and colleagues held the door closed as the defendant attempted to open it. Dr Parker ran down the corridor and took over holding the door closed while the receptionists locked themselves in consultation rooms for safety.

'Dr Parker attempted to calm the defendant down, as he was shouting in a 'chaotic' and 'disorganised' manner but the defendant shouted that he was 'coming to get what he wanted', that he wanted a cup of tea, and complained that the doctor had failed to fix an issue with his shoulder.

'When Dr Parker told the defendant he was unable to hear him, the defendant used an office chair to smash the window that separated the office from the corridor. He told Dr Parker that the others could leave, because it was Dr Parker who was the hostage.

He was eventually overpowered by the officers after PC Toft was forced to taser him three times in 19 seconds to subdue him

'The doctor was afraid the defendant was going to climb through the window, but instead the defendant went to the waiting room where he spoke to the manager from another practice. Dr Parker called over to her to keep herself safe, at which point the defendant told Dr Parker that if he saw him again, he would be coming for him.

'The practice manager tried to lock the waiting room door but before she was able to do so, the defendant appeared and put his arm through the door. He was holding a meat cleaver and attempted to hit her with it until she managed to close the door.

'She then observed the defendant pick up a sign and ram one of the other doors with it.'

The two PCs arrived at around 12:45am whereupon Brannigan walked up to them carrying the base of a chair. He was told to drop it but responded by telling them to f..k off.

PC Toft was then said to have 'red dotted' Brannigan with the taser and as the knifeman lunged at them, he opened fire.

Initially Brannigan pulled the taser darts from his body and despite being hit with a second blast continued to try to pull the probes from him before reaching again for the chair base and his rucksack. he was finally overpowered after the taser had to be re-energised again.

As he fell to the floor, PC Snowden observed two knives fall from his back pocket, The two officers subsequently searched the rucksack and found the meat cleaver and a further knife. A box of amitriptyline was recovered and Brannigan's walking stick was found in his car.

The two PCs have since been recognised by police chiefs with the John Egerton Trophy a bravery award

In interview he said he robbed the pharmacy to get medication and then stormed the surgery so he could take a fatal overdose in front of Dr Parker.

His counsel Miss Kay Driver said: 'His intention was to commit suicide in front of his GP. He did not intend to cause any physical harm to anyone else. He is extremely remorseful for his behaviour and acknowledges they would have been greatly frightened.

'He knows his behaviour would have scared those he came into contact with him at the time. He has a history of depression and anxiety and suffers with agoraphobia. He had a lack of support for him when these offences were committed and had made several attempts to call the mental health team but he was given no help. He did not sleep for three days prior to these offences and was feeling utterly anxious.

'He said he was in something of a dream like state as if the floor was going to swallow him up. Officer Toft said he genuinely believed that he needs help and he would like to see him get the available that's available to him.'

Sentencing Brannigan Judge John Potter told him: 'Quite bluntly, you then caused mayhem and harm and this was an extremely frightening series of events. You caused terror and harm to members of the public and your behaviour towards health professionals trying to care for others was planned and utterly deplorable. All of this took place at a time during a health pandemic.

The incident on March 12 this year began after Brannigan had been into the surgery to demand copies of his medical records

'This was planned knife crime towards members of the public, health workers and police. Some people acted with great bravery which could have had grave consequences. There is no excuse for your behaviour.'

Earlier this month PC Snowden recalled the incident and said: 'I'd just finished the first five weeks of my tutor phase with PC Toft. Due to the situation changing so rapidly, there was no time for Simon to fully brief me so my job was to be aware of my surroundings and do what I'd been trained to do whilst keeping myself, my colleague and the public safe.

'The extensive and thorough training we go through as officers gives you every eventuality however until you are faced with a scenario such as this one, you never know how the incident is going to play out.

'I am thankful for the training that I had been given together with the way myself and PC Toft worked together to prevent anyone coming to harm.'

Chief Constable Stephen Watson said 'This incident, whilst shocking, shows the danger that our officers run towards on a daily basis. They put themselves in situations that others would run from, to protect our communities and thanks to their quick actions, this incident ended without harm or injury. I am proud to have two such officers as a part of our force.'
Protestors have blocked lorries trying to dump waste at a landfill site in a bid to stop the 'torture' of the pungent round-the-clock eggy stink created from noxious gas fumes.

About 50 demonstrators arrived at the gates of Walleys Quarry landfill site in Silverdale, Staffordshire, this morning, some settling into camping chairs and tying 'Stop the Stink' banners to fences.

By midday the group, the vast majority of which are locals living within a mile of the site, had succeeded in preventing three lorries getting on site, while police tried to manage the situation.

A hardcore of protestors blocked the landfill's main entrance in Cemetery Road, some carrying placards reading 'Whara pen 'n' ink' and images of superheroes with the caption 'toxic waste does not give you superpowers'.

There was support from passing drivers, who honked horns, or in the case of a passing ice cream van, played its jingle of The Entertainer, in support.

It is the latest move in a long-running campaign by the Stop the Stink campaign group against the site, which protestors have claimed is the cause of a pungent eggy stink, emanating day and night.

An Environment Agency (EA) report found levels of a gas  hydrogen sulphide  recorded at the site had exceeded World Health Organisation guidelines, though it also said any long-term health risks were likely to be small.

Dr Paul Scott, a senior partner at the local Silverdale Village GP surgery, who was at the protest, said the stench was causing 'stress' to many of his 12,500 patients, adding: 'I would almost call it a form of torture.'

Protestors have blocked lorries trying to dump waste at a landfill site in a bid to stop the 'torture' of the pungent round-the-clock eggy stink created from noxious gas fumes

About 50 demonstrators arrived at the gates of Walleys Quarry landfill site in Silverdale, Staffordshire, this morning, some settling into camping chairs and tying 'Stop the Stink' banners to fences

By midday the group, the vast majority of which are locals living within a mile of the site, had succeeded in preventing three lorries getting on site, while police tried to manage the situation

A hardcore of protestors blocked the landfill's main entrance in Cemetery Road, some carrying placards reading 'Whara pen 'n' ink' and images of superheroes with the caption 'toxic waste does not give you superpowers'

'Because if you were told that every second, third or fourth day, you were going to have sleepless nights, and they'd have all the effects from that  any other country in the world, they'd step in.'

Dr Scott, who also chairs North Staffordshire Local Medical Committee (LMC), said he had patients coming in 'daily' complaining of problems caused by the smell.

Although a long-term problem, he claimed the stench  known locally as the Silverdale Stink  seemed to have got stronger since February.

'The mental health side is not going away, we've sorted out inhalers and anti-histamines  you can sort that to a degree,' he said.

'But the mental health (issues) you can't  and that really needs recognising.'

He added: 'In many ways it's a form of stress because it's something that is out of people's control and it's random.'

Dr Scott said the smell was so bad that during a Covid vaccine clinic at his surgery in February staff and patients could 'barely' cope, with people 'coughing and spluttering'.

He said: 'Something has so seriously gone wrong here  and there doesn't seem to be a solution,' adding it was only because 'people weren't dropping dead' that he believed more had not yet been done to tackle the smell.

Dr Scott said: 'We don't really know the long-term effect of this  the problem is we won't really know until five or 10 years down the road.'

Nathan Wint, who set up Stop the Stink, said: 'That smell you can smell now, that really strong eggy smell is what we get in our homes and it sticks in the home, and you cannot get it out.'

It is the latest move in a long-running campaign by the Stop the Stink campaign group against the site, which protestors have claimed is the cause of a pungent eggy stink, emanating day and night

Nathan Wint, 31, said the campaign would continue 'until the problem is solved and the children can go to school and breathe fresh, clean air, and people stop saying it is affecting their mental health

Campaigners are now waiting for a judge to rule on a legal fight over the landfill site, said to be the source of the smell

Mr Wint, 31, said the campaign would continue 'until the problem is solved and the children can go to school and breathe fresh, clean air, and people stop saying it is affecting their mental health'.

To people saying it was 'just a smell', he said: 'It really isn't just a smell, it fills your house, sticks to everything  it's ruining people's lives.'

The protest comes after the issue landed in the High Court in London last week.

Campaigners are now waiting for a judge to rule on a legal fight over the landfill site, said to be the source of the smell.

Lawyers representing five-year-old Mathew Richards, whose home is less than half a mile from the site, say there is a 'public health emergency' in the vicinity of Walleys Quarry.

They have claimed the hydrogen sulphide emissions are affecting 'hundreds and probably thousands' of people and want a judge to order the Environment Agency to take 'effective measures' to remove the risk to Mathew's life.

Mr Justice Fordham finished hearing evidence on Friday and is expected to deliver a ruling in the near future.

Walleys Quarry, which is an 'interested party' in the legal action, says, on its website that it offers a 'safe disposal method' for waste that cannot be otherwise reused or recycled.
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Britain's daily Covid deaths have jumped by a third in a week, official data revealed today  while infections and hospitalisations continued to climb.

Department of Health data showed 149 Covid fatalities were registered in the last 24 hours, which was up from the 111 recorded last Wednesday. And infections nudged up by six per cent with another 35,847 recorded.

Latest daily hospitalisations due to the virus also rose week-on-week for the twelfth day in a row after 859 admissions were recorded on August 21. There were 779 admissions seven days beforehand.

The steady rise in Covid statistics comes amid mounting pressure for a large-scale booster vaccine programme this autumn, which is due to start on September 6.

MailOnline understands that only a few hundred thousand of the most vulnerable Britons will be eligible for a third shot from next month in a watered-down version of the scheme proposed a few months ago.

But scientists lined up today to call for a more broad approach to the programme after two studies last night suggested even double-vaccinated Britons could be at risk this winter.

The Octave research showed two doses of vaccine do not work as well in up to 40 per cent of those who are immunosuppressed, while the ZOE Symptom Tracking study found immunity against infection in healthy people falls by more than 10 per cent within six months of the second injection.

The country's daily Covid cases, hospitalisations and deaths have been slowly climbing for weeks, raising alarms over a fresh wave when schools return and strengthening the argument for boosters.

Experts said today it was 'realistic' schools returning would spark a surge in cases despite 'best efforts' to keep the virus under control.

There are more than 3.7million extremely clinically vulnerable people in England, according to the Office for National Statistics. Of these, around 500,000 are immunosuppressed. Sources have suggested that people who are immunosuppressed are set to receive a booster dose of the Covid vaccine this autumn

A study by the Universities of Glasgow and Birmingham published yesterday measured antibody levels in 600 immunosuppressed people and compared them to healthy volunteers. About one in 10 in the vulnerable group failed to generate any detectable Covid antibodies four weeks after their second dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca. A further 30 per cent generated a significantly lower antibody response than healthy people, according to the study published as a pre-print in The Lancet

In a separate study published today, scientists at King's College London monitored break-through Covid infections in 1.2million people who had received two doses of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine. They found that immunity wanes over time. For the Pfizer jab (blue line) it dropped from 88 per cent protection against infection to 74 per cent up to six months after the second dose. And for the AstraZeneca jab (pink line) it dropped from 77 per cent to 67 per cent five months after the second dose. Experts suggested the effectiveness could drop to 50 per cent by the winter

Professor Ravi Gupta, a microbiologist at Cambridge University, warned it was 'realistic' that music festivals and schools returning would spark a surge in Covid cases despite 'best efforts' to keep the virus under control.

More than 1,000 cases have already been linked to the Latitude music festival in Suffolk, while more than 4,700 infections have been traced to attendees at the Boardmasters festival in Cornwall.

Professor Gupta, who is also a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nertag), told BBC Radio 4's World at One: 'Of course there is going to be an associated surge in cases, given that the young people in these events are largely going to be unvaccinated.

'Thats just something that is predictable and will happen, despite best efforts.

'We know that Delta is far more infectious, it ramps up very quickly. We know the lateral flow devices are not perfect. So we just have to be realistic and say that this is going to lead to a significant surge in infections.'

Only 'a few hundred thousand' to get boosters next month Only a few hundred thousand of the most vulnerable Britons will be given booster Covid vaccines next month, MailOnline understands. The Government's top advisers are expected to recommend third jabs for people with severely weakened immune systems this week or next. But they have no intention of launching a broader booster programme for all over-50s, and even healthy people over the age of 80 may have to wait. Experts are yet to confirm the details of the autumn rollout, which is due to start on September 6 and deviate from the original vaccination priority list last winter. But a source close to the discussions told MailOnline: 'We're only talking about a few hundred thousand people in the first phase.' There are 3.7million people across England who are classified as 'clinically extremely vulnerable', with diseases such as cancer, vasculitis and organ transplant patients. Half a million are thought to be immunosuppressed. The source added: 'I'd be surprised if it was more than a fifth of that [3.7m] during the first round. I wouldnt expect all of the extremely vulnerable to be offered a vaccine this autumn because they won't need it. 'In practice, evidence suggests some of those groups make a much better immune response [after vaccination] than others.' As for whether healthy elderly people  who were previously prioritised for a jab  will be eligible for boosters, they added: 'That is still a matter of debate within the JCVI.' Advertisement

Professor Gupta added that clinicians are 'worried' about the surge in cases, which will 'cause significant problems for us all'.

He said: 'Anyone who treats patients and is having to deal with the surge in cases as a clinician is worried because things are already very stretched and conditions are not good.

'So, yes, this is going to happen here, and whilst it may not be visible to many in society, it is going to cause significant problems for us all.'

Experts are yet to confirm the details of the autumn rollout, which is due to start on September 6 and deviate from the original vaccination priority list last winter.

A source close to the discussions told MailOnline: 'We're only talking about a few hundred thousand people in the first phase.'

There are 3.7million people across England who are classified as 'clinically extremely vulnerable', with diseases such as cancer, vasculitis and organ transplant patients. Half a million are thought to be immunosuppressed.

The source added: 'I'd be surprised if it was more than a fifth of that [3.7m] during the first round. I wouldnt expect all of the extremely vulnerable to be offered a vaccine this autumn because they won't need it.

'In practice, evidence suggests some of those groups make a much better immune response [after vaccination] than others.'

As for whether healthy elderly people  who were previously prioritised for a jab  will be eligible for boosters, they added: 'That is still a matter of debate within the JCVI.'

The group has not ruled out opting for a wider approach to boosters if evidence accumulates and shows that they are needed.

Scientists lined up today to call for a broader booster programme but Professor Adam Finn, one of the Government's scientific advisers on vaccines, said the jabs are still offering very high levels of protection against serious illness in most people, which is why Covid deaths are still a fraction of the level in previous waves.

During a Radio 4 interview this morning, he suggested this morning the Joint Commitee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) will stop short of recommending them for healthy elderly adults until more evidence of the benefit surfaces.

The JCVI will make its decision about who should be included in the initial phase of the booster programme in the coming weeks.

Earlier in the summer, the Government drew up plans for the NHS to re-vaccinate 32million people from September 6.

Calls have been mounting for a booster rollout after Israel suffered an unprecedented fourth wave  despite being one of the most highly vaccinated countries in the world.

Above is a graph from the paper by King's College London scientists and experts at the health data science company ZOE. It showed protection against infection declined over time for both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines. Experts said this was to be expected, but it is not clear whether this puts people at higher risk of serious disease, hospitalisation and death

Israeli data suggests booster shots slash the risk of infection among the double-vaccinated four-fold. Pictured above is a woman receiving her third Pfizer vaccine in Israel

Israel booster vaccines are already cutting Covid transmission Israel's Covid R rate has fallen below one among the over-60s just three weeks after booster shots were dished out, in the clearest sign yet that its booster programme is working. Health Ministry officials say the R rate  which signals how fast the virus is spreading  has dropped below the crucial level, suggesting the outbreak is now shrinking in that age group. Israel became the first country in the world to start rolling out booster shots to over-60s last month  and more than half have already got their third dose. Israel's Covid cases appear to be plateauing almost four weeks after the booster programme began. Health Ministry data showed the country's infection rate was 842 cases per 100,000 people on August 23, down from 844.5 the day before The country has expanded the programme to over-30s, after previously making all over-40s, teachers and frontline medics and carers eligible. Their success has piled pressure on No10's top scientists to also give the green light to booster shots in the UK. But scientists point out that Israel has only used the Pfizer vaccine  unlike the UK where half the doses have been AstraZeneca's jab. The country also gave doses three weeks apart, whereas in the UK they were 12 weeks apart. Studies suggest the longer gap is much more effective against infection, hospitalisation and death. Advertisement

Pressure grew last night after the Octave study showed two doses of vaccine do not work as well in 40 per cent of those who are immunosuppressed.

More than 2,500 people in the UK signed up to the Octave research, with illnesses including rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer, leukaemia and kidney disease.

Preliminary findings from 600 participants found 40 per cent of the vulnerable produced fewer antibodies to fight off Covid than healthy people. The figure includes 11 per cent who produced no antibodies at all.

A separate study, by King's College London, found two Covid vaccine doses become noticeably less effective at stopping infections within six months.

Researchers warned Britons given the jabs first in winter  including the elderly  could see protection plummet to just 50 per cent by winter without boosters.

The real-world study analysed PCR results from more than a million people who had been fully vaccinated to look for 'breakthrough' infections.

It found that protection against infection after two shots of Pfizer decreased from 88 per cent at one month to 74 per cent at five to six months. For AstraZeneca, effectiveness dropped from 77 per cent to 67 per cent at four to five months.

On the back of the findings, Professor Tim Spector, the lead scientist behind the study, urged Britain to 'urgently' get its act together on booster vaccines.

But Professor Finn told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think the Zoe study [King's College London] and actually, a couple of other studies we recently had, do show the beginnings of a drop off of protection against asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic disease.

'But other studies are showing maintenance of good protection against serious illness and hospitalisation.

'So that's encouraging actually that people who've had two doses are still very much well protected against serious illness, which is our main objective.

'But we do need to watch out very carefully to see if this waning begins to translate into occurrence of more severe cases because then boosters will be needed.'

He suggested that as evidence accumulated it might be that the elderly need a booster shot.

'I mean they are both the people who received vaccines earliest, and probably the people whose immunity is most likely to wane.

'So, as evidence accumulates we may well find ourselves moving in that direction as well.'

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at Reading University, told MailOnline that the JCVI 'will need to make a decision soon' on whether to roll out the Covid booster shots.

He said: 'If the JCVI are going to meet the Government's interim plan for the rollout of vaccine boosters, they don't have much longer to wait for data and will need to make a decision soon.

'I would hope that the Government has everything more-or-less in place and could "press go" to get the programme up and running pretty quickly.'

A-level result parties fuel 'astonishing' Covid surge in historic market town in Leicester Students celebrating their A-level results have been blamed for a Covid surge in an historic market town in Leicester. Some 1,875 per 100,000 people aged 17 to 21 are now testing positive for the virus in Harborough - more than twice the national average (876) in that age group. Young people returning from foreign holidays may also be behind high Covid infections, the region's health official has warned. Mike Sandys described cases as 'astonishingly high' and 'a real worry'. He said young people going to A level results parties two weeks ago 'helped to fuel the sharp rise in infections'. It comes as infection rates among all age groups in Harborough jumped 18 per cent in the last week. The local health chief warned half of the intensive care unit beds at Leicester's three main hospital are taken up by Covid patients, nearly a third of which are aged under 45. Advertisement

He added: 'Any dithering if the glowing embers of Covid do burst into flames could lead to needless hospitalisations and fatalities.'

Meanwhile, Israel's Covid R rate has fallen below one among the over-60s just three weeks after booster shots were dished, in the clearest sign yet that the programme is working.

Health Ministry officials there say the R rate  which signals how fast the virus is spreading  has dropped below the crucial level, suggesting the outbreak is now shrinking in that age group.

Israel became the first country in the world to start rolling out booster shots to over-60s last month  and more than half have already got their third dose.

The country has now expanded the programme to over-30s, after previously making all over-40s, teachers and frontline medics and carers eligible.

Israeli Government adviser and data scientist Professor Eran Segal said infection rates in over-60s are still 'very high' but that the increase in the rate of infections... has diminished'.

'This is likely due to the third booster shots,' he said, 'an uptick in people taking the first dose and the high number of people infected per week who now have natural immunity.'

But Professor Robert Dingwall, a sociologist and former JCVI member, told MailOnline there was reason to be optimistic that Britain would fare better than Israel has.

'They had a short interval between the first and second doses, whereas the longer interval adopted in the UK gave a much stronger level of immunity in the first place.'

Israel, which has relied solely on the Pfizer jab, went with the recommended three-week gap between first and second doses. But Britain decided to widen this to 12 weeks, which studies later showed boosted immunity further.

Professor Dingwall added: 'Because we got more immunity we would expect it to wane more slowly. The JCVI is made up of very experienced scientists and clinicians who are used to operating under public pressure and used to being lobbied about vaccinations.

'It is absolutely committed to basing decisions on best available science and protecting the public.'

Interim advice from the JCVI suggested the booster programme would be carried out in two stages, with the immunocompromised and all over-70s being called for third doses in September.

Once this group had been inoculated they said the programme could then be expanded to the over-50s and those who live with adults vulnerable to Covid.

A flu inoculation programme was set to be run alongside the booster programme, amid warnings Britain faces a particularly bad flu season this year because of a lack of natural immunity on the back of lockdowns.
There is a 'very high risk of a terrorist attack' against Western allied evacuation operations in Afghanistan, according to a senior British source.

The security of evacuation operations is already extremely precarious as the UK, US and other allied forces have had to rely on the Taliban to allow evacuees into the airport as their fighters now control the surrounding areas.

The unnamed source told Sky News that an affiliate of the ISIS, the Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), is among the most dangerous of threats to evacuation operations with a history of car and suicide bombings.

Government ministers have raised concerns that ISIS-K could launch a terror attack on allied troops and civilians amid the sea of people at the bottleneck of the airport gates.

The Taliban announced this morning they would begin to block civilians reaching the airport, defying US President Biden's demands of allowing access to the airport 'for those who are transporting out and no disruptions to our operations'.

This, coupled with the August 31 final withdrawal deadline issued by Taliban leaders, means civilian mercy flights will have to stop in the coming hours so that planes can be diverted to evacuate troops.

Biden has committed the US to withdraw by August 31, a decision that western allies warn will mean thousands of Afghans who were promised sanctuary being left behind

President Biden on Tuesday said the US is on pace to finish evacuations from Afghanistan on time, but an August 31 withdrawal would leave thousands of desperate civilians behind

Allied forces are assisting with of people crowded outside the airport in Kabul, but ministers fear an ISIS affiliate could launch a terror attack amid the pandemonium

Tory MP Bob Seely branded the manner of the West's departure from Afghanistan a 'categoric disaster'.

He warned that the idea al-Qaida militants would now take up 'basket weaving in the Hindu Kush' rather than plotting terror attacks was 'for the birds'.

'If this does destroy Biden's presidency, you have to question his fitness for the role,' the MP told MailOnline.

'You have got to question Trump's moral fitness for the role, but you have got to address Biden's intellectual fitness and health fitness for the role.

'I'm sorry, he is just gaga he doesn't have a grip. How many slip ups before people think yep, he can't do the job.'

Former chief of UK defence staff Lord David Richards said British flights will have to stop by Friday. France has said it will stop flights tomorrow, Poland has already stopped flights, and Hungary has signaled that its mission is also drawing to a close.

British foreign secretary Dominic Raab admitted this morning that the mercy missions are now into their final hours with some 4,000 people - 1,250 western citizens and 2,500 Afghans - still left to rescue, though he did not say exactly when the final flight will leave or how many people may be left behind.

That has sparked renewed desperation at the airport, as hundreds of Afghans wanting to get on the planes have taken to wading across an open sewer underneath walls where western troops stand guard - waving papers in the hopes of being picked up.

Fears are now growing that civilians could rush the runway and trigger a deadly stampede in a repeat of the horror scenes from last week, or else opportunistic terror groups such as ISIS could attack packed crowds.

Fears are growing that crowds could try to storm the airport once civilian mercy flights stop, or that opportunistic terrorists could attack the densely-packed crowd

Desperate Afghans waded through a sewage ditch on the outskirts of Kabul airport this morning while pleading with soldiers guarding the opposite bank to put them on a plane out of the country as time runs out to flee Taliban rule

A US marine comforts a child at Kabul airport as the evacuation operation nears it end, with US allies saying flights could stop within the next 24 hours

Mr Raab was also forced to admit that the coming days will present 'maximum danger' for British troops, fearing both a 'Saigon' moment with crowds rushing planes and threats of a 'spectacular' terrorist attack.

But, Mr Raab insisted, Britain will keep flying planes out of the country until the last possible moment in the hopes of getting as many people out as possible.

One British soldier, speaking anonymously to the Daily Telegraph, said his 'biggest fear' is a stampede at the airport and that 'the civilians might try and get in any way they can and potentially put us all at risk.'

'Unfortunately the quantity of civilians arriving is something we cannot control, with the majority of them not being eligible to be evacuated,' he said, adding: 'I and many others have seen a few mentally disturbing scenes. I think there will be more of that.'

Exactly how and when allied forces will leave the airport entirely is being kept a closely-guarded secret, amid fears that the news of a full exit could spark a rush of desperate people at the gates.

Underlining the risks, one defence source told The Telegraph: 'It could be the airfield gets compromised by a massive incursion. It could be that the Taliban have an element that wants to put up a fight in the last days. It could be that ISIS wants to do a 'spectacular'.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday that US forces have 'been very clear' with the Taliban 'about what credentials we are willing to accept' for people trying to get to the airport.

'By and large, with caveats' people have been getting through checkpoints, spokesman John Kirby said, adding 'we also have other means to get people in.'

'When we have reports that someone credentialed is not being let in, we are making that clear to Taliban leaders they need to let them in,' Kirby said.

It was also revealed that a military operation recovered 'less than 20 people' from Kabul under cover of darkness and brought them safely to the airport for evacuation.

Members of the GOP said on Tuesday night that Biden has 'blood on his hands' because thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies who helped U.S. troops could be left to die when the final evacuation flights depart - which could even be before midnight on Aug. 31 to ensure a safe evacuation of everyone at the airport.

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, who underwent a secret trip to Kabul to witness the situation at the airport for themselves, challenged President Biden and claimed that 'we won't get everyone out on time'.

Raab was forced to admit that the coming days will present 'maximum danger' for British troops, but insisted that Britain will keep flying planes out of the country until the last possible moment
An Afghan interpreter who worked for the British Army has paid tribute to the British troops who helped to get him and his family out of Kabul.

Burhan Vesal, arrived at London's Heathrow Airport today following a two-night journey from the Afghan capital.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Mr Vesal, 34, said British soldiers who have worked in horrendous circumstances to process potential evacuees amid desperate crowds at the airport in Kabul 'don't get enough praise'.

He added that his journey out of Afghanistan with his wife and son, aged six, was like going 'from dark to light'.

Mr Vesal, who worked as a 'battlefield interpreter' for British forces, including Gurkha troops, had to wait for four months to be relocated.

An Afghan former interpreter for the British Army has paid tribute to the British troops who helped to get him and his family out of Kabul. Burhan Vesal, arrived at London's Heathrow Airport today following a two-night journey from the Afghan capital. Above: Mr Vesal with his wife Narcis, 29, and son Sepehr shortly after arriving at Heathrow

Mr Vesal, who worked as a 'battlefield interpreter' for British forces, including Gurkha troops, had to wait for four months to be relocated

He was only given his date to fly on Monday, when thousands of desperate people were already surrounding the airport perimeter in the hope of getting on a flight.

The interpreter spoke from Heathrow after his plane stopped off in Dubai.

He said the British troops who helped him were doing the 'hardest job that there is to do in Afghanistan' because they were surrounded by huge crowds of people who were 'not eligible to fly'.

Mr Vesal added that the soldiers also asked if they were hungry or thirsty. 'They don't get enough praise for the work they do,' he said.

'We are so grateful to them and to everyone else from the UK who has allowed us to be here in freedom.'

Mr Vesal will now spend 10 days in quarantine in a hotel with his wife Narcis, 29, and son Sepehr.

Mr Vesal, 34, said British soldiers who have worked in horrendous circumstances to process potential evacuees amid desperate crowds at the airport in Kabul 'don't get enough praise'

He added that his journey out of Afghanistan with his wife and son was like going 'from dark to light'

While still in Afghanistan, Mr Vesal witnessed the murder of a friend who had also worked for Western forces.

He also spent days in hiding away from his family before rejoining them after nightfall.

The interpreter is almost certain to be among the final groups of Afghans and Westerners to be flown out of Kabul before the end of the month - when British troops are set to leave with US forces.

The Taliban has warned that an extension to the deadline will not be granted and US President Joe Biden has 'point blank' refused G7 calls to push back the exit date for US forces.

The UK now has to wrap up its evacuation mission within 24 to 36 hours, meaning time is running out for the remaining 2,000 Afghan interpreters still in the country to escape with British troops.

Mr Vesal (pictured above during his time working for Western forces said the British troops who helped him were doing the 'hardest job that there is to do in Afghanistan' because they were surrounded by huge crowds of people who were 'not eligible to fly'

The interpreter spoke from Heathrow after his plane stopped off in Dubai. Above: his son sleeps at Heathrow after the journey

Almost all single-nationality Britons are now out of the country.

Some 19,000 people were extracted from Kabul yesterday, taking the overall number since the operation began to 88,000, with the UK having brought more than 10,000 individuals - including more than 5,500 Afghans and their families.

Yesterday, Afghan interpreters held a protest to plead for 'humanity' from the British Government to help evacuate their families from Afghanistan before the August 31 deadline.

Some 40 protesters gathered outside of the Home Office in central London on Monday to urge ministers not to 'leave anyone behind' ahead of the Kabul evacuation deadline, when US troops are set to withdraw.

The demonstrators held placards saying the Government had a 'moral obligation' to protect Afghan allies, while others held photos showing graphic images of deaths across 20 years of conflict with the Taliban.
The NYPD is set to hand guns that are easier to shoot to its new recruits as the force looks to improve the accuracy of its officers.

The force claims that the move, which would mean less pressure is required to pull the trigger, is supported by their data, the NY Daily News reports.

According to their data, the NYPD said officers missed half of the 256 shots they fired during 26 separate incidents.

Speaking about the decision, Inspector Marlon Larin said: 'We're building (recruits) up from scratch, so to speak.

The NYPD is set to hand guns that are easier to shoot to its new recruits as the force looks to improve the accuracy of its officers (stock image)

'As we're training them we're assessing them and we can also follow them throughout their careers. We didn't want to go so large. We know this is a very sensitive topic and we wanted to phase it in slowly.'

The first NYPD recruits trained with the easier-firing weapons will graduate in October, and Larin said that officers who hit their targets will fire fewer numbers of bullets.

The new weapons were tested at Rodman's Neck in the Bronx, and recruits firing the new weapons had an average score of 93.7, as opposed to those firing the traditional 12-pound weapons who achieved a score of 88.7.

While 129 officers on the street using the new weapons had also scored higher accuracy ratings.

In recent years, other police departments have equipped officers with handguns featuring a lighter trigger pull.

One such example is the Suffolk County Police Department, whose acting commissioner, Stuart Cameron, said accuracy has improved with no increase in accidental discharges.

Suffolk County Police Department acting commissioner Stuart Cameron (pictured) has said accuracy has improved with no increase in accidental discharges when his officers were armed with guns featuring a lighter trigger pull

Despite this supporting data, Deputy Commissioner John Miller has voiced concerns about the logistics behind switching the entire force to the new weapons.

Meanwhile, Randolph McLaughlin, who represented the family of Mohamed Bah, a mentally ill Harlem man shot dead in his apartment in 2012, said that the new weapons are a mistake because they put more people at risk.

He said: 'It's making the weapon more deadly for more people. And I think at a time when we're questioning the discharging of weapons by police, when we're providing officers non-lethal force devices, such as Tasers, why would you want to make it easier for cops to shoot people?'

Critics have also argued that officers armed with a weapon that can carry 16 bullets instead of the eight found in a revolver, would fire more shots.

The news comes after the New York Police Department commissioner implored the state's new governor to roll back disastrous crime reform laws, calling the 'soft-on-crime experiment' a failure that has led to the city's runaway crime.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea (pictured) says recent criminal reforms have been 'a disaster'

'This city is built on public safety,' NYPD top cop Dermot Shea told NY1 on Tuesday. 'We're probably about two years into this soft-on-criminals experiment.  Show me a New Yorker that thinks this experiment has worked.

'It's been a disaster. By any definition, it's been a disaster.'

Shea made the comments after an innocent bystander was wounded Monday during a 5:42 p.m. shooting near West 31 Street and Seventh Avenue. Police said the gunman meant to strike a man inside Penn Station who he'd been arguing with over food.

'Common sense is what we need,' Shea said. 'Reforms are good, but let's do reforms that are calibrated in such a way with the input of law enforcement. We all work for the same person: the public. These laws over the last couple of years have been a disaster.'
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House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy tore into President Joe Biden on Wednesday and accused him of 'turning his back' on his duties as commander-in-chief, American citizens stranded in Afghanistan and the local allies who helped US troops - with thousands still waiting to be evacuated from Kabul airport.

McCarthy criticized the president for starting his Afghanistan speech on Tuesday by talking about his 'liberal wish list' $3.5trillion budget and walking away without taking any questions from the media following his promise to withdraw all troops by August 31 - after the Taliban threatened consequences for those who stayed.

'He turned his back and walked away - an image that has come to define him and his presidency,' he said.

'He turned his back on our own citizens stranded in Afghanistan, he's turned his back on our allies and partners, he's turned his back on his duties as a Commander-in-Chief.'

About 4,100 American citizens are still actively looking to leave Afghanistan, sources from a State Department congressional briefing told CNN. Roughly 4,400 Americans have been evacuated

McCarthy and a slew of Republicans continued their criticism of Biden as desperate Americans and Afghans surrounded Kabul airport trying to escape the Taliban and the growing threat of an attack from the Islamic State offshoot ISIS-K.

The GOP have accused him of letting the Taliban 'call the shots' amid reports westerners and SIV applicants are getting stopped and beaten at checkpoints - despite Pentagon claims they are telling the insurgents who the 'expect' to be let through.

The U.S. has ramped up their airlifts and have evacuated 19,000 people in the last 24 hours and have already started pulling out military forces with just six days until the deadline, which Biden has promised to stick to.

Desperate Afghan men, women and children have swarmed the airport in a bid to get out amid fears of an attack from the Islamic State offshoot ISIS-K and 10,000 evacuees are inside the gates waiting to get out.

It was also revealed that a military operation recovered 'less than 20 people' by helicopter from Kabul under cover of darkness and brought them safely to the airport for evacuation. It comes in addition to two other operations outside the airport walls confirmed by the Pentagon, including a mission to bring 169 Americans 'over the wall' that Biden announced Monday.

'So last night, during the period of darkness, there was an operation to be able to go out and safely evacuate evacuees back into Kabul. They're at [Hamid Karzai International Airport], and they're safely there preparing to be evacuated,' Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor said at a Pentagon briefing Wednesday.

At least two dozen Americans students and parents are among those still stuck in Kabul. After taking a summer trip to visit grandparents and other extended family, 24 students and 16 parents from the Cajon Valley Union School District are trying to get to the airport with less than a week before the US leaves the country. the LA Times reports.

McCarthy tore into Biden for walking away from a Tuesday speech without taking questions or mentioning how many Americans were still in Afghanistan

Cajon Valley Superintendent David Miyashiro said that officials who work with the school district's FACE program as interpreters and liaisons were contacted by a family concerned its student would lose a seat in the classroom last week when classes began, a local CBS affiliate reports.

The concern was echoed by several other families who missed their scheduled flights home for the first day of school on August 17.

The district said they arrived on special US military visas, and states the trip was not school-sanctioned. Officials at the district just outside of San Diego said the students are safe but that it's not certain when they could return home.

'Joe Biden and his team are letting the Taliban call the shots,' Senator Tom Cotton said on a Fox News radio show Wednesday morning.

His fellow GOP Senator Marco Rubio wrote on Twitter, 'A President that abandons Americans in order to meet a deadline set by a medieval band of terrorists will forever be disgraced.'

Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina criticized Biden's 'disastrous decision' to hold firm on his end-of-the-month deadline on Wednesday morning, which he said was 'cemented by his administrations prior ill-conceived timeline agreement with the Taliban instead of the conditions on the ground.'

Senator Lindsey Graham, who served with Biden on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the Biden and Taliban-mandated deadline will cost lives.

'How could we create a deadline that is a death sentence to those who fought along our side?' he questioned on Fox radio Wednesday.

'There's nobody to blame but Biden here,' Graham said on Fox radio today, adding the U.S. is leaving 'thousands of Afghans, most likely American citizens, and what we're leaving behind is an Al Qaeda on steroids.'

Biden departs after delivering Afghanistan remarks Tuesday

The South Carolina Republican warned Biden's decisions mean 'an increased likelihood of another 9/11' and claimed Biden had 'a political goal to get us all out.'

Graham, who served with Biden on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the president lacks 'critical thinking skills needed to be Commander-in-Chief.'

'He gets something in his mind and it sticks, that makes him very dangerous,' Graham said.

Claiming to have spoken with U.S. allies all week, Graham said they were 'dumbfounded' by Biden's actions.

Thousands converged on Kabul airport on Wednesday in a desperate bid to leave Afghanistan amid reports the Taliban are stopping westerners getting in, less than 24 hours after President Joe Biden said he would only pull troops by August 31 if the insurgents allow safe passage.

But the Taliban has ignored the president's threats and are beating up people trying to leave, according to reports, and both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have said there isn't enough time to get everyone out.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday that US forces have 'been very clear' with the Taliban 'about what credentials we are willing to accept' for people trying to get to the airport.

'By and large, with caveats' people have been getting through checkpoints, spokesman John Kirby said, adding 'we also have other means to get people in.'

'When we have reports that someone credentialed is not being let in, we are making that clear to Taliban leaders they need to let them in,' Kirby said.

Members of the GOP have said that Biden has 'blood on his hands' because thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies who helped U.S. troops could be left to die when the final evacuation flights depart - which could even be before midnight on Aug. 31 to ensure a safe evacuation of everyone at the airport.

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, who underwent a secret trip to Kabul to witness the situation at the airport for themselves, challenged President Biden and claimed that 'we won't get everyone out on time'.

Hundreds of people are still gathering at checkpoints outside Hamid Karzai International Airport looking for a chance to escape after the Taliban announced that Afghan civilians would no longer be allowed to leave on the US-led mission

The Pentagon said a plane left the Kabul airport 'every 39 minutes' in the most recent update on evacuation numbers

US soldiers stand guard at the airport tower near an evacuation control checkpoint. Reports of Taliban violence have surfaced as civilians and Afghans who aided US troops try to leave their country before the August 31 deadline

The approaching deadline has sparked fears that the desperate men, women and children currently camped outside the military zone could attempt a last-ditch bid for freedom by storming the airport

The approaching deadline has sparked fears that the desperate men, women and children currently camped outside the military zone could attempt a last-ditch bid for freedom by storming the airport as they attempt to flee the Taliban - who have also set up checkpoints outside the airport.

The U.S. may have to halt evacuation flights before the weekend in a bid to get all American personnel out, after France warned there operation would stop in hours and the former head of the UK armed forces said they would be wrapped up in two days.

Some 300 American soldiers out of the 6,000 that secured the airport in Kabul were flown out from Afghanistan yesterday, with the remaining forces expected to follow suit in the coming days.

Republicans, Donald Trump and members of the Trump administration also launched criticism of Biden's botched evacuation overnight.

Trump said Tuesday night: 'How dare Biden force our military to run off the battlefield in Afghanistan and desert what now have become many thousands of American hostages.'

'We had Afghanistan and Kabul in perfect control with just 2,500 soldiers and he destroyed it when it was demanded that they flee,' he added in an emailed statement.

In a Tuesday podcast interview the former president said his administration had Afghanistan 'so under control, like you wouldn't believe.'

'I'm not sure the way we got out would even allow us to get out,' he said on The Truth with Lisa Boothe, seemingly predicting future U.S. engagement with the war-torn country.

Ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined his boss in heckling Biden, tearing into him in an op-ed Tuesday night.

'President Bidens incompetence has left Americans in harms way and is dishonoring those who serve and our country,' he wrote on Fox.

Desperate Afghans waded through a sewage ditch on the outskirts of Kabul airport this morning while pleading with soldiers guarding the opposite bank to put them on a plane out of the country as time runs out to flee Taliban rule

A lucky man is hauled to safety by a soldier (left) and allowed one step closer to freedom, but most were left wallowing in filth as their pleas fell on deaf ears with as little as 24 hours left until civilian mercy flights top

A man claiming to be an Australian citizen was beaten bloody by Taliban guards at a checkpoint in Kabul today, after the Taliban vowed to block any more people from going to the airport

Roughly 10,000 'vulnerable Afghans' have been evacuated by US-led forces since August 20, the Pentagon announced in a Wednesday briefing

Ted Cruz accused Biden of 'claiming Afghanistan is some great diplomatic achievement' on Twitter Wednesday.

The White House revealed today that over the last 24 hours, 42 American flights dealt with the bulk of evacuations - transporting 11,200 from Kabul - meaning the U.S. has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of approximately 87,900 people on U.S. military and coalition flights since the end of July.

Major General Hank Taylor announced at the Pentagon briefing on Wednesday that 400 U.S. troops were evacuated from Kabul.

Some of those were part of the 6,000 sent to aid with the evacuation. Taylor said the military withdrawal was 'very much part of the original drawdown plan.' About 5,400 troops are still on the ground in Kabul.

With military personnel required to have retreated from the country by Biden's August 31 deadline, it is feared civilian evacuations could be halted in a matter of days to ensure enough time is left for U.S. soldiers to leave the airport before the cut off.

Roughly 10,000 'vulnerable Afghans' have been evacuated by US-led forces since August 20, Taylor said.

Kirby vowed that 'needed populations' will be evacuated 'all the way to the end' but acknowledged the US will 'have to reserve some time in the last couple of days' for military equipment to be removed.

The Taliban said on Tuesday that all foreign evacuations from the country must be completed by August 31, and asked Washington to stop urging highly skilled Afghans to leave the country.

And speaking later on Tuesday, the President said the U.S. is on pace to finish evacuations from Afghanistan on time, but left open the chance of extending the deadline, saying reaching that goal depends on cooperation from the country's new Taliban rulers.

'The sooner we can finish, the better,' Biden said. 'Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops.'

And the desperate efforts to evacuate as many Americans and allies from Afghanistan as possible have been affected by the Taliban who have banned Afghans from fleeing the country.

There are also reports that Westerners are also currently unable to reach the airport and are being 'blocked from getting to Kabul airport' by Taliban fighters who are seeking to stem the flow of Afghans leaving.

This situation gave rise to comments from President Biden, who continued to stick to his August 31 deadline, but only so long as the Taliban uphold its agreement to allow Westerners and vulnerable Afghans free passage to the airport.

Continued coordination with the Taliban remains crucial to meeting the deadline, he said, but he called it a 'tenuous situation' with a 'serious risk of breaking down as time goes on.'

And Pentagon commanders have warned evacuation efforts are under threat from an Islamic State-offshoot, known as ISIS-K, who are 'targeting' evacuation planes at Kabul airport.

Speaking yesterday, President Biden said the US is on pace to finish evacuations from Afghanistan on time, but left open the chance of extending the deadline, saying reaching that goal depends on cooperation from the country's new Taliban rulers

Fears are growing that crowds could try to storm the airport once civilian mercy flights stop, or that opportunistic terrorists could attack the densely-packed crowd

This was echoed by two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, who said there was growing concern about the risk of suicide bombings by Islamic State at the airport, which has been overwhelmed by Afghans and foreign citizens rushing to leave.

Those concerns are based on 'a very specific threat stream' from the Afghanistan ISIS affiliate regarding possible attacks on crowds outside the airport, a defense official told CNN.

ISIS-K is a sworn enemy of the Taliban, and intelligence officials reportedly believe they are actively planning multiple attacks in a bid to create mayhem at the airport.

More than 100 ISIS-K affiliated inmates escaped from two prisons near Kabul amid the Taliban's advance on the city, the outlet reports.

A regional source told them several hundred ISIS-K members could have escaped.

Asked about the possible escape a Taliban spokesman only said the reports were not confirmed.

'There have been reports that some ill-wishers want to disrupt the security situation there by attacking and harming people and the media. So don't go close to the airport to avoid being hurt,' they told CNN.

One U.S. official said it was no longer a question of if, but when, militants would attack and the priority was to get out before it happened.

The fears that some people won't get out of Kabul will only grow in the coming days as as civilian mercy flights stop and troops begin withdrawing from the airport, with hundreds of American soldiers already thought to have left on flights that departed Tuesday.

There are signs that even foreign nationals are struggling to evacuate. A man claiming to be an Australian citizen was beaten bloody by Taliban fighters as he tried to reach the airport Wednesday.

The man, whose identity is unknown, filmed himself at what appears to be a Taliban checkpoint. Blood can be seen running down his face and onto his shirt while he says in accented English, 'They hit me... I am an Australian citizen.'

He then talks about trying to reach the airport, though his words are partially obscured by the sound of Taliban guards cocking and firing an AK47 rifle over his head - before the footage cuts out.

Biden has committed the US to withdraw by August 31, a decision that western allies warn will mean thousands of Afghans who were promised sanctuary being left behind

The Taliban has said it will now block all Afghan citizens from reaching the airport, meaning that those who are not already outside the gates face little prospect of being able to escape

American troops and their allies have evacuated some 70,000 people from the airport since the Taliban took power on August 14, but the effort falls far short of the more-than 100,000 that western nations had promised to take

A US marine comforts a child at Kabul airport as the evacuation operation nears it end, with US allies saying flights could stop within the next 24 hours

A US marine carries a child towards an evacuation aircraft at Kabul airport as the final mercy flights depart the country

The desperation to get on the last flights is already plain, with people standing in sewage up to their knees on the south side of the airport today while begging soldiers to let them inside.

'We won't get everyone out even by Sept 11': Democrat and Republican lawmakers pay secret trip to Kabul Two US military vets who now serve as congressmen flew unannounced into Afghanistan to monitor the on going evacuation efforts as they called on President Joe Biden to extend the US withdrawal deadline past August 31. Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, flew in and out of Kabul airport on Tuesday, with both men adding that they boarded return flights with empty seats so as not to take away space from fleeing Americans and Afghans. They appeared to condemn Joe Biden over his chaotic withdrawal from the war-torn country, and predicted the US would not be able to airlift everyone eligible to leave Afghanistan on time. In a joint statement, they said: 'It's obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won't get everyone out on time, even by September 11. 'Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban.' Advertisement

Many Afghans fear a repeat of the brutal five-year Taliban regime that was toppled in 2001, and violent retribution for working with foreign militaries, Western missions and the previous U.S.-backed government.

Washington and its allies have been flying out thousands of such Afghans every day on hulking military transports, but it has become an increasingly difficult and desperate task.

Speaking on Tuesday, Biden confirmed that in the past 12 hours, 19 U.S. military flights evacuated approximately 6,400 people and 31 coalition flights carrying 5,600 people have left Kabul.

A White House official told CNN yesterday that the number of Americans remaining in Afghanistan as of August 14 was 'probably lower than most people believe', but declined to confirm exactly how many remain in the country.

Though officials believe that thousands of Americans and their Allies remain in the Afghan capital, the New York Times reports.

The Afghan capital's airport has been gripped by chaos as US-led troops try to maintain a secure perimeter for evacuation flights, surrounded by desperate Afghans.

Some have foreign passports, visas or eligibility to travel, but most do not. At least eight people have died in the chaos.

'Does anyone ... ANYONE ... have a contact inside the airport,' pleaded one American on a WhatsApp group set up to share information on how people can access the airport.

'My guy worked for us 2010-15 and needs to get out with 5 of his family. This is real bad.'

The Taliban have also been accused of blocking or slowing access for many trying to reach the airport, although they denied the charge again late Tuesday.

Biden said the Taliban were taking steps to assist, but there was also an 'acute and growing risk' of an attack by the regional chapter of the Islamic State jihadist group.

Speaking yesterday, the President said he had asked the Pentagon and the State Department to develop contingency plans to push past the deadline should that prove necessary.

The Democratic president, whose administration has been under fire for its handling of the pullout, said U.S. forces had now helped evacuate 87,900 people since Aug. 14.

Rubio suggested on Twitter that Biden should 'inform' the Taliban that U.S. forces will remain in Kabul until everyone is evacuated, and 'If they get in the way they will be killed.'

Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal also appeared to criticize Biden's Aug. 31 decision, despite not mentioning the president by name.

'Rescuing U.S. citizens & Afghan allies from this humanitarian nightmare is a moral imperative demanding a continued military & diplomatic effort beyond Aug 31. Afghans who put their lives on the line deserve no less,' he wrote on Twitter Wednesday.

Former Trump campaign aide David Bossie blamed Biden for 'singlehandedly' causing the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan in a Fox News op-ed published Wednesday.

'In his never-ending rush to appease his socialist base, Biden allowed the murderous Taliban to takeover Afghanistan, put thousands of American lives at risk, embarrass our great country, and make us far less secure and respected as a nation,' Bossie wrote.

Nebaska Sen. Ben Sasse said 'Damn the deadline' in a statement on Tuesday.

'Americans want us to stay until we get our people out, and so do our allies. The Biden administration needs to cut the Stockholm syndrome,' he fumed.

Rep. Don Bacon, a veteran who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said there was a 'potential for lots of American hostages' in a Wednesday morning C-SPAN interview.

'This was a colossal disaster, it was avoidable. The president's policy was just a huge mistake. He overruled the military and the intelligence advisers in the White House and did what he thought was right, but it was a political objective if you asked me,' he said.

Rep. Mo Brooks said Biden 'will abandon Americans in Afghanistan' after Aug. 31 on Twitter Wednesday, adding 'We need Donald J. Trump back in the White House.'

Biden said his administration was working to rebuild a system for processing refugees that he said was 'purposely destroyed' by his Republican predecessor.

'We must all work together to resettle thousands of Afghans who ultimately qualify for refugee status. The United States will do our part,' he said.

Biden has also frequently pointed to Trump's peace deal with the Taliban that included a May 1 withdrawal deadline as his reason for pursuing the chaotic drawdown.

But on Tuesday night Pompeo claimed the Trump strategy 'utilized a combination of deterrence and negotiated agreements based on conditions in the country to keep the Taliban in check while we withdrew our forces.'

'We told the Taliban: if you violate the agreements, you will pay a heavy price. And we backed up those threats with action. We pressured the Ghani government to work through the reconciliation process or face serious costs,' he said, despite the Afghan government's notable exclusion from Trump's Taliban negotiations.

During a G7 meeting with other world leaders yesterday, Biden 'point blank' refused pleas from his allies to extend the August 31 deadline, and later said during a press conference he believes the evacuation will be complete on time.

However, concerns have been raised about the security at Kabul airport, where thousands of US troops are currently holding the line, with the Taliban now blocking access to the site.

People on the ground claim that Westerners in Afghanistan are being 'blocked from getting to Kabul airport' by Taliban fighters after the extremist group banned locals from fleeing the country.

The militant group today issued an edict saying only foreigners will be able to access the airport for evacuation.

A spokesperson for the group ordered locals to return home. Roads in the city have been blocked in a bid to stop Afghans from leaving.

Quoting 'multiple sources', Politico's Alex Thompson said: 'The Taliban has now started halting people trying to get in through the airport gates.

Afghan families are pictured boarding a military evacuation flight at Hamid Karzai Airport as the US prepares to withdraw from the country, with other western nations set to follow

Taliban are killing innocent children, former interior minister claims Afghanistan's former interior minister has claimed the Taliban are killing innocent children as they brutally consolidate power. Masoud Andarabi, who was sacked by the now former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani in March, posted shocking photos on Twitter of people, including a small child, who had allegedly been killed by Taliban fighters. He claimed that the group, who now control nearly all of Afghanistan after dramatically marching into the capital Kabul last week, 'are trying to rule over people by terrorizing, killing young children and elderly citizens.' Andarabi added that the Taliban 'cannot govern the nation' using such terror methods. Advertisement

'Not just Afghans but American citizens. Informal groups coordinating need to redirect people on the fly.'

However, in his address yesterday, Bide reiterated his message to the Taliban that the August 31 deadline could only be met if they upheld their agreement not to impede on the operation in any way.

Security concerns have also been raised by Pentagon commanders, who have warned that an Afghan-based Islamic State-offshoot called ISIS-K are 'targeting' evacuation planes flying out of Kabul.

The threat comes from an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan known as ISIS-K, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant  Khorasan Province. ISIS announced its expansion to the Khorasan region in 2015, which historically encompasses parts of modern day Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Joe Biden on Tuesday evening warned of the threat posed by ISIS-K, but Pentagon officials gave more detail in a closed-door briefing to Congress, which was relayed to Politico by three congressional aides and another source familiar with the intelligence.

'Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops,' Biden said.

'ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians.'

Further details on their plots were not shared - but U.S. forces left hordes of powerful weapons behind after withdrawing across Afghanistan, which could now be used against its own personnel.

U.S. planes landing at Kabul Airport earlier this week were also spotted doing steep 'diving combat' landings in a bid to avoid potential attack, and were photographed dropping flares which could draw away any missiles fired at them.

The officials said that the security situation around the airport had significantly deteriorated in recent days, given the new terror threats, and contributed to Biden's decision not to declare an extension of the August 31 deadline for all U.S. troops to leave.

ISIS-K is targeting airport gates - which have seen thousands of people gather in a bid to flee - as well as military and commercial aircraft evacuating people from the capital city, the sources told Politico.

They said the Defense Department officials told the meeting they are trying to mitigate the threats as best as possible.

Gates at the airport were closed because of the security threat, the sources said.

There was also panic after the U.S. embassy reportedly issued a last call for its citizens to leave Afghanistan, only to then recall the warning minutes later.

The Biden administration is under intense pressure to wrap up a chaotic evacuation without leaving Americans or Afghans with visas behind. The president's hurried withdrawal has drawn criticism from all sides: Republicans, Democrats, foreign policy hawks, humanitarian group sand international allies, who said they felt blindsided.

And two U.S. military vets, now serving as congressmen, who flew unannounced into Afghanistan to monitor the on going evacuation efforts have called on President Joe Biden to extend the U.S. withdrawal deadline past August 31.

A US soldier walks two Afghan women towards an evacuation plane on the runway at Hamid Karzai Airport this week

An Afghan woman accompanied by a young child walks towards a US evacuation plane sitting on the runway at Kabul airport

'The Taliban is now fully-armed and in control of the entire country': Former UK commander warns of weapons seized by Taliban during takeover The Taliban's grip on Afghanistan has also been strengthened by the weapons, equipment and vehicles abandoned by the Afghan security forces as the militants swept through the country - that the US had only supplied earlier this year. Among the military haul collected by the Taliban during their offensive, are 61,000 high-explosive rounds, two million AK47 bullets, 10,000 70mm rockets, A-29 light aircraft, and 89,000 brand new combat shirts, the Mirror reports. Speaking to the publication, former commander of UK forces in Afghanistan Colonel Richard Kemp said: 'The ungoverned space of Afghanistan will be used by the Taliban's partners al-Qaeda and the tallies of equipment now being revealed are deeply disturbing. 'It means we are now facing a very well equipped terrorist army in Afghanistan that is being run by the new rulers of Afghanistan and that should concern us all. 'The Taliban is now fully-armed and in control of the entire country  and the west has left this equipment for them to help themselves.' Advertisement

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, flew in and out of Kabul airport on Tuesday, with both men adding that they boarded return flights with empty seats so as not to take away space from fleeing Americans and Afghans.

They appeared to condemn Joe Biden over his chaotic withdrawal from the war-torn country, and predicted the U.S. would not be able to airlift everyone eligible to leave Afghanistan on time.

'We conducted this visit in secret, speaking about it only after our departure, to minimize the risk and disruption to the people on the ground, and because we were there to gather information, not to grandstand,' the two said in a joint statement.

'As veterans, we care deeply about the situation on the ground at Hamid Karzai International Airport. America has a moral obligation to our citizens and loyal allies, and we must make sure that obligation is being kept.'

Later on, they added: 'It's obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won't get everyone out on time, even by September 11.

'Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban.'

Nancy Pelosi was among lawmakers who condemned the trip, although they have continued to defend it.

In a letter seen by Politico, she wrote: 'Given the urgency of this situation, the desire of some Members to travel to Afghanistan and the surrounding areas is understandable and reflective of the high priority that we place on the lives of those on the ground.

'Member travel to Afghanistan and the surrounding countries would unnecessarily divert needed resources from the priority mission of safely and expeditiously evacuating America and Afghans at risk from Afghanistan.'

Both Congressmen insisted their trip was meant to help ensure the U.S. was upholding its promises to evacuate Afghan people who'd aided its fight against the Taliban.

They paid for their own tickets to the United Arab Emirates, then boarded a U.S. military plane bound for Kabul. Further details on how the men managed to get on board that aircraft have not been disclosed.

CIA Director William Burns also, separately, flew to Kabul for a secret meeting with top Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar, U.S. media reported Tuesday, the highest-level meeting so far between the U.S. government and the new rulers of Afghanistan.

The New York Times said the spy chief was not there to negotiate an extension to the pullout deadline, but for general talks on 'evacuation operations and terrorist threats'.

Afghan civilians pack on to a Canadian evacuation flight out of Kabul, as western nations prepare to end the mercy missions

Despite the harrowing scenes at Kabul airport, the Taliban have ruled out any extension to next Tuesday's deadline to pull out foreign troops, describing it as 'a red line'.

'They have planes, they have the airport, they should get their citizens and contractors out of here,' Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday.

European nations have said they would not be able to airlift all at-risk Afghans before August 31.

'Even if (the evacuation) goes on... a few days longer, it will not be enough,' German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Bild TV.

A hard withdrawal deadline presents a further complication that may reduce the number of daily evacuations.

The United States deployed fresh troops for evacuations.

That 6,000-plus contingent, as well as hundreds of U.S. officials, 600 Afghan troops and the equipment, will have to be flown out.

To do that by August 31, the Pentagon said operations would have to start winding down days in advance.

Following their lightning victory that stunned the world, the Taliban have so far been content to allow the U.S.-led operation to continue, focusing instead on consolidating control and forming a government.

They have vowed a softer, more inclusive regime this time around, offering amnesty to opponents and assurances of rights to women.

But many Afghans remain fearful and skeptical.

A US Hercules transport plane waits on the tarmac at Zaragoza Airport, in Spain, as Afghans who already manage to flee Kabul are loaded on board for transport to their next destination

Afghan people, who were evacuated from Kabul, disembark a plane at Torrejon Military Air Base in Madrid, Spain

An Afghan girl carrying a Mickey Mouse doll walks to a bus that will take them to a refugee processing center at Dulles International Airport, Virginia

Afghan families walk to a bus that will take them to a refugee processing center at Dulles International Airport, Virginia

Afghan families walk to a bus that will take them to a refugee processing center at Dulles International Airport

The Taliban are killing innocent children as they brutally consolidate power, Afghanistan's former interior minister, Masoud Andarabi, has claimed as he posted shocking photos of people, including a small child, who had allegedly been murdered by the fighters

In an attempt to assuage fears, the Taliban spokesman on Tuesday urged skilled Afghans to not flee, saying the country needed 'expert' Afghans such as doctors and engineers.

But Zabihullah Mujahid added that women who work for the Afghan government should stay home until the security situation improves.

The Taliban have said women will be able to get an education and work, but within what they consider Islamic bounds.

And Afghanistan's former interior minister has claimed the Taliban are killing innocent children as they brutally consolidate power.

Masoud Andarabi, who was sacked by the now former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani in March, posted shocking photos on Twitter of people, including a small child, who had allegedly been killed by Taliban fighters.

He claimed that the group, who now control nearly all of Afghanistan after dramatically marching into the capital Kabul last week, 'are trying to rule over people by terrorizing, killing young children and elderly citizens.'

Andarabi added that the Taliban 'cannot govern the nation' using such terror methods.

The Taliban's grip on Afghanistan has also been strengthened by the weapons, equipment and vehicles abandoned by the Afghan security forces as the militants swept through the country - that the U.S. had only supplied earlier this year.

Taliban vow to tackle CLIMATE CHANGE: Terror group sets out its eco credentials (presumably by taking Afghanistan back to the Middle Ages) The Taliban has vowed to tackle climate change and global security as part of the terror group's attempt to rebrand itself and modernise despite reports of civilian executions and the erosion of women's rights under the new Afghan regime. Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a member of the Taliban's Cultural Commission, says the Islamists want to play a role on the global stage. He told Newsweek: 'We hope not only to be recognised by regional countries but the entire world at large as the legitimate representative government of the people of Afghanistan who have gained their right of self-determination from a foreign occupation with the backing and support of an entire nation after a prolonged struggle and immense sacrifices despite all odds being stacked against our people. 'We believe the world has a unique opportunity of rapprochement and coming together to tackle the challenges not only facing us but the entire humanity. 'These challenges ranging from world security and climate change need the collective efforts of all, and cannot be achieved if we exclude or ignore an entire people who have been devastated by imposed wars for the past four decades.' The Taliban has vowed to tackle climate change and global security as part of the terror group's attempt to rebrand itself and modernise The comments come amid the Taliban's efforts to project a more moderate image, two decades after they were ousted from power in Afghanistan. During their rule from 1996 to 2001, they committed massacres, eroded women's rights, burned vast areas of fertile land as part of its scorched earth policy, harboured terrorists and sold women into sex slavery as part of its harsh enforcement of Sharia law. Despite their alleged climate change goals, the Taliban previously carried out heavy deforestation from an illegal timber trade. Millions of acres of forests were cleared throughout the country to supply wood to the Pakistani markets with no reforestation efforts. Advertisement

Among the military haul collected by the Taliban during their offensive, are 61,000 high-explosive rounds, two million AK47 bullets, 10,000 70mm rockets, A-29 light aircraft, and 89,000 brand new combat shirts, the Mirror reports.

Speaking to the publication, former commander of UK forces in Afghanistan Colonel Richard Kemp said: 'The ungoverned space of Afghanistan will be used by the Taliban's partners al-Qaeda and the tallies of equipment now being revealed are deeply disturbing.

'It means we are now facing a very well equipped terrorist army in Afghanistan that is being run by the new rulers of Afghanistan and that should concern us all.

'The Taliban is now fully-armed and in control of the entire country  and the west has left this equipment for them to help themselves.'

While much of the attention has been focused on the evacuations in Afghanistan, aid agencies have warned of an impending humanitarian crisis for the population left behind.

'There's a perfect storm coming because of several years of drought, conflict, economic deterioration, compounded by COVID,' David Beasley, the executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme, told Reuters in Doha, calling for the international community to donate $200 million in food aid.

'The number of people marching towards starvation has spiked to now 14 million.'

The EU said this week it was planning a quadrupling in aid and was seeking coordination with the United Nations on delivery as well as safety guarantees on the ground.

The U.N. human rights chief said she had received credible reports of serious violations by the Taliban, including 'summary executions' of civilians and Afghan security forces who had surrendered. The Taliban have said they will investigate any reports of atrocities.

Non-Government organizations have also been working independently from official channels to help special immigrant visa applicants, who have been cut off from the airport by Taliban checkpoints.

Retired Marine Corps Sgt. Ryan Rogers told Fox News: 'Everyone is p****d about this even being necessary,' he said. 'But if the president doesn't want to step up and lead, someone else will.'

While former secretary of state Hillary Clinton has also been reportedly attempted to charter flights out of the country for the countrys at-risk women, the New York Times has reported.

And she has also been in contact with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to the Washington Examiner, to urge Canada to continue its evacuation work.
US troops have been using helicopters to rescue Americans stranded in Kabul in the middle of the night to try and get citizens and allies out before the August 31 deadline.

'So last night, during the period of darkness, there was an operation to be able to go out and safely evacuate evacuees back into Kabul. They're at HKAIA, and they're safely there preparing to be evacuated,' Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor said at a Pentagon briefing, referencing the crowded airport in Kabul.

Taylor was vague on the precise details of the operation, saying it was 'outside of the airfield, and we were able to bring them back to Kabul safely. 'It was inside Kabul,' Pentagon spokesman John Kirby clarified.

He said it involved 'less than 20' people, but said he was not going to provide additional details, amid a tense security situation around the airport.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the US currently has about 5,400 troops in Afghanistan, and confirmed a night-time helicopter operation to bring fewer than 20 Americans into the airport in Kabul

The operation comes amid continued concerns about getting Americans and Afghan nationals who have applied for special visas beyond Taliban checkpoints before a looming August 31 evacuation deadline.

It comes in addition to two additional operations outside the airport walls confirmed by the Pentagon: one that Kirby mentioned Tuesday, and a mission to bring 169 Americans 'over the wall' that President Biden revealed on Monday.

The operation comes amid persistent threats cited by U.S. officials posed by ISIS-K, an offshoot of the terror group that has clashed with the Taliban.

The Pentagon continues to face questions about how it will choreograph the final exit of U.S. forces by the deadline  which Kerby said the military is still working toward, even while planning for potential extension requests to present to President Joe Biden, after the Taliban spoke against any delay.

'He wants to see this mission complete by the end of the month,' Kirby said of Biden.

He said the military was 'working towards that goal, but we will be drafting up potential documents 'if in fact we believe a conversation needs to be had later.'

Kirby also provided a new total number of U.S. troops still in Afghanistan of 5,400, down from the initial 5,800 dispatched to provide security for the evacuation.

Kirby said the commander of the mission 'didn't need them any more' but tried to put it in the context of the withdrawal already underway when the Taliban seized power. He said evacuations would continue almost until the end of the midnight deadline.

'Time and space are a premium at the airport,' he said. But Kirby said 'we hadn't pushed some button and said: Go retrograde now'  meaning start the final official evacuation of US troops.

Taliban try to test ride a $6million US-made Blackhawk helicopter and another is seen over Kabul with insurgents taking US equipment and weapons CNN captured a US Black Hawk military helicopter flying over Kabul during the chaotic evacuation in Afghanistan last week. Alarming footage has also emerged of the Taliban trying to fly a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in Kandahar amid fears the insurgents will get a handle on and start using weapons and equipment American forces have left behind. The US-made helicopter costs $6million and was used by the Navy SEAL team 6 during the operation to kill Osama Bin Laden. It has been a constant fixture in stealth US military operations since 1978 in a range of battlefields from Somalia to Syria and Helmand Province. The Army's frontline military helicopter is used for air assault, designed to carry 11 troops and is capable of moving a 105-millimeter howitzer and 30 rounds of ammunition. CNN captured a US Black Hawk military helicopter flying over Kabul during the chaotic evacuation in Afghanistan last week It is not clear who was piloting the helicopter over Kabul, but the pictures surfaced last week when the Taliban had already started taking military equipment and helicopters. The insurgents are believed to have billions in dollars worth of US weapons and also have hundreds of Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters in their possession. On Thursday alarming footage emerged showing what appears to be a Taliban test of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The one-minute clip uploaded to Twitter shows a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, described as having been captured from Afghan security forces, moving along the tarmac at a seemingly otherwise deserted location. Alarming footage has emerged showing what appears to be a Taliban test of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter Two men watch the chopper complete a loop of the area, where two cars are also visible in shot. 'Taliban testing a captured Afghan UH-60,' the post accompanying the video read. At no point did the helicopter leave the ground. It is not clear if the UH-60 is the same that was seized by the Taliban on August 14 when images and footage of members of the group operating the $6million piece of equipment were shared on social media. A series of videos also showed insurgents flying captured Russian choppers around the city of Kandahar. It came as evidence emerged that the Taliban had also seized American-made Black Hawk helicopters, made famous in the 2001 Ridley Scott blockbuster Black Hawk Down. The Afghan government pilots who fly the operational Russian helicopters were turned over to the Taliban, while the US helicopters were likely grounded by a lack of spare parts from the United States. The White House has spent billions of dollars on supplying the Afghan military with the necessary weapons and equipment to wipe out the Taliban, but following the collapse of local armed forces, their investment is now effectively being used by the insurgents themselves. Advertisement

A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the city of in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. The Pentagon confirmed a nighttime helicopter mission had brought Americans to the Kabul airport

Taliban fighters search a vehicle at a checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. The Taliban, who are now the 'titular head' of power in Kabul, will assume security control of the airport when the US leaves

Families board a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 24

Afghans try to reach the airport after the Taliban announced they wouldn't allow access any longer, in Kabul, Afghanistan, 25 August 2021. Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said in a press conference on 24 August, that evacuation must be completed by August 31 and they will not allow Afghans to go to the airport from now on

He said the commander on the ground, Rear Adm. Peter Vasely, 'in trying to manage time and space at the airport, determined that it was the prudent thing to do to let several hundred troops leave the airport.'

He also faced operational questions about precisely how the U.S. would get out the final troops at the end of the 20-year military presence, amid threats outside the airport and checkpoints being guarded by the Taliban.

Kirby declined to say the Taliban would be responsible for security at the end. 'No I said the Taliban are responsible for running an airport that's in a city that they are now the titular heads of government there,' he said.

'When we are gone, the airport will no longer be secured by American forces,' he said.

Added Gen. Taylor: 'We will have that ability to secure ourselves through, you know, multiple means to ensure flights are able to take off.'

The U.S. has ramped up their airlifts and have evacuated 19,000 people in the last 24 hours with just six days until the deadline.

According to the White House, since August 14 the US has evacuated 82,000 people, with 88,000 evacuated since July.

Afghan citizens board a Spanish military plane as part of their evacuation, at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 24, 2021
Gatwick Airport is pressing head with plans for a second runway, despite a plunge in demand for air travel during the pandemic.

The Sussex airport, Britain's second busiest, wants to convert its emergency runway into one that can used for regular flights.

Bosses say the work, due to be completed by 2029, will help them reach their goal of increasing passenger capacity to 75million by 2038.

They say the move will align also with the Government's policy of 'making best use of existing runways'.

And they claim it will be delivered in a 'sustainable way which helps to achieve the Government's overall goal of net-zero emissions by 2050'.

But the announcement comes following huge drop in air travel during the Covid pandemic.

Only around one million passengers travelled through Gatwick in the first seven months of this year - the same number that travelled in the first 10 days of 2019.

However the airport's chief executive, Stewart Wingate, insisted that numbers are expected to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2026 at the latest.

Speaking at the launch of the plans today, Mr Wingate said: 'While we are currently experiencing low passenger and air traffic volumes due to the global pandemic, we are confident that Gatwick will not only fully recover to previous passenger levels, but has the potential to continue to grow back into one of Europe's premier airports.'

Gatwick Airport (pictured: The northern runway) is pressing head with plans for a second regular runway, despite a plunge in demand for air travel during the pandemic

The airport's chief executive, Stewart Wingate (pictured), insisted he expects numbers to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2026 at the latest

Bosses say the work, due to be completed by 2029, will help them reach their goal of increasing passenger capacity to 75million by 2038. Pictured: A TUI flight takes off from Gatwick airport today

The airport, located near to Crawley, West Sussex, is launching a public consultation on the plans on September 9.

It first suggested in October 2018 that the emergency runway could be brought into routine use.

The emergency runway is currently used as a taxiway or when the main runway is closed due to maintenance or incidents.

Under the plan, the emergency runway would be used for departures of smaller planes.

Operating as a two-runway airport would enable Gatwick to boost its annual passenger capacity from 62 million to 75 million by 2038, bosses say.

Gatwick lost out to Heathrow in a bid to obtain Government approval to build an additional runway.

The centre lines of Gatwick's main and emergency runways are separated by 650ft (198m).

Operating as a two-runway airport would enable Gatwick to boost its annual passenger capacity from 62 million to 75 million by 2038, bosses say. Pictured: Gatwick Airport's chief planning officer Tim Norwood speaking during a press conference at the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport today

Mr Wingate insisted that 'now is the right time' to launch a 12-week public consultation on using the emergency runway as there will be 'a requirement for airport expansion by the late 2020s'. Pictured: British Airways aircraft at Gatwick Airport today

The plan involves increasing the gap by widening the emergency runway by 39ft (12m) to comply with safety regulations.

Mr Wingate insisted that 'now is the right time' to launch a 12-week public consultation on using the emergency runway as there will be 'a requirement for airport expansion by the late 2020s'.

The airport said its plan would generate approximately 18,400 additional jobs by 2038 and boost its contribution to the region's economy in Gross Value Added by 1.5 billion.

More than 40 per cent of airport staff were made redundant last year due to the coronavirus crisis.

Local campaign group Communities Against Gatwick Noise and Emissions claimed the plan 'flies in the face of the climate emergency, we are all facing'.

It said: 'It is despicable for a company to ignore the emissions that planes in and out of Gatwick produce, that is causing grave danger for future generations that will have to pay the price for today's greed of this leisure airport.'

In order to gain planning permission to routinely use the stand-by runway, Gatwick must follow the Development Consent Order process which culminates in a final decision by the Transport Secretary
A 16-year-old boy who was shot while driving a Mercedes-Benz in Brooklyn died Sunday after clinging to life for a week after the incident.

Jaquan Gause, of Brooklyn, was stopped at a red light in an SUV at Schenck and Atlantic avenues in the East New York section around 12:30am August 16, police said.

A shooter pulled up in another car along the driver's side of Gause's vehicle and opened fire. Gause was hit in the head.

Police responded to multiple 911 calls about the shooting, and he was taken to Brookdale University Hospital. Gause was pronounced dead there six days later.

The two passengers in the Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 with Gause, an 18-year-old boy and 19-year-old girl, were grazed on the arm and shot in the thigh, respectively. Both were stable.

Jaquan Gause of Brooklyn was waiting at a red light in the luxury SUV at the intersection of Schenck and Atlantic Avenues around 12:30 am on August 16, police said, when the shooter pulled up in another car alongside theirs and opened fire.

Gause was shot in the head in the attack at the intersection of Schenck and Atlantic Avenues (pictured)

After police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting the shooting, the New York Police Department wrote in a Wednesday press release, he was transported to Brookdale University Hospital (pictured). He was pronounced dead there six days later.

The department said an investigation is still ongoing, and no arrests have been made. It is unclear what incited the assault.

New York Police Department Commissioner Dermot Shea has called for reform amid a citywide crime surge this year, arguing that the 'soft-on-criminals experiment' has been a disaster.

Throughout New York, crime has increased in almost all categories. 'This city is built on public safety,' Shea said Monday evening in a Spectrum News interview.

'We're probably about two years into this soft-on-criminals 'experiment' if you will, 'let's empty out the jails, and show me a New Yorker that at this point and time thinks this experiment has worked. It's been a disaster.'

Throughout New York, crime has been increasing in almost all categories.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea says recent criminal reforms have been 'a disaster'

Officials are calling on newly-appointed New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to crack down on crime

NYC's 'soft on criminals experiment' has been a disaster: NYPD commissioner blames crime reforms for emptying jails The New York Police Department commissioner implored the state's new governor to roll back disastrous crime reform laws, calling the 'soft-on-crime experiment' a failure that has led to the city's runaway crime. 'This city is built on public safety,' NYPD top cop Dermot Shea told NY1 on Tuesday. 'We're probably about two years into this soft-on-criminals experiment.  Show me a New Yorker that thinks this experiment has worked. 'It's been a disaster. By any definition, it's been a disaster.' Shea made the comments after an innocent bystander was wounded Monday during a 5:42 p.m. shooting near West 31 Street and Seventh Avenue. Police said the gunman meant to strike a man inside Penn Station who he'd been arguing with over food. 'Common sense is what we need,' Shea said. 'Reforms are good, but let's do reforms that are calibrated in such a way with the input of law enforcement. We all work for the same person: the public. These laws over the last couple of years have been a disaster.' New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who was sworn into office Tuesday, has yet to outline her approach to controlling the crime-ridden city. It will be up to her to decide whether to continue New York's state of emergency over gun violence, issued in July by disgraced Governor Andrew Cuomo. Shea said Monday's daylight shooting was just the start of a broken, revolving-door justice system that allows criminals to return to the streets without being adequately punished. Advertisement

Shea said he hopes New York's new governor, Kathy Hochul, will make necessary changes to increase safety.

'Common sense is what we need. Reforms are good, but let's do reforms that are calibrated in such a way with the input of law enforcement,' he argued.

'It's time to fix these laws and get back to where we all need to be.'

According to NYPD data, felony assaults are up 5.2 percent from last year, as of August 22, with misdemeanor assaults up 2.4 percent.

Murders have decreased, from 291 reported during the same timeframe in 2020 to 287 reported thus far in 2021.

There also have been 7.1 percent more shooting incidents, with 4.4 percent more victims.

Grand larcenies have increased 1.6 percent, with grand larcenies from automobiles reaching an increase of 19.3 percent.

Rapes increased 6.1 percent and hate crimes have nearly doubled.

The Brooklyn attack comes amid a growing crime wave in the Big Apple, with more and more assaults happening in broad daylight.

On Saturday, a man bludgeoned a subway passenger with a hammer, purportedly for looking at him 'the wrong way'.

The attack took place at the Union Square station around 9pm.

The suspect, since identified as Jamar Newton, 41, allegedly struck the 44-year-old victim in the back of the head after an argument, causing him to fall onto the tracks.

The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he required seven stitches to close his head wound. He was listed as stable.

Newton was charged with assault, reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a weapon and robbery.

Friday morning a woman was beaten with a metal pole while waiting for the G train.

And earlier in the month another man was randomly attacked by an Iraq War veteran swinging a hatchet outside the Chase Bank in Lower Manhattan.

Police say surveillance footage shows Newton man twirling an object - believed to be a hammer - in his hand as he walks over to a man off-screen on the other side of the platform at Union Square on Saturday night

The suspect was later seen calmly leaving the Union Square station. He was arrested less than 24 hours in Harlem

Surveillance footage from a Chase Bank in lower Manhattan shows the moment an attacker - later identified as Aaron Garcia - suddenly walks up behind Miguel Solorzano, 50, and begins swinging his weapon in the violent attack

Eventually, Solorazano, severely bloodied, flees, and his attacker does not follow. Police say they have the charged Garcia with assault and attempted murder in connection to the attack

The suspect struck the 50-year-old victim three times in the head and once in the leg.

The victim was left bleeding on the sidewalk until paramedics were able to bandage his head and take him to a hospital where he had two surgeries. The man is now stable.

His attacker  believed to be Aaron Garcia, 37, of Yonkers  was arrested and is charged with attempted murder and assault.
The Duchess of Sussex, 40, was among the people who went to the TV regulator after an orchestrated social media campaign spearheaded by his 'woke' critics including several Labour MPs, who accused him of racism, sexism and mocking suicide on Good Morning Britain in March (left). But this morning Mr Morgan was completely cleared of breaching Britain's broadcasting code and Ofcom called attempts to silence the MailOnline columnist a 'chilling restriction on freedom of expression'. Mr Morgan wrote afterwards: 'I'm delighted that Ofcom has so emphatically supported my right to disbelieve the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's incendiary claims to Oprah Winfrey, many of which have since been proved to be untrue. This is a resounding victory for free speech and a resounding defeat for Princess Pinocchios. In light of this decision - do I get my job back?' Hours later ITV revealed they 'have no current plans to invite him to present Good Morning Britain'. A source said: 'Piers decided to leave. We accepted his decision'. Reacting to today's ruling, which will infuriate the Sussexes, ITV News royal editor Chris Ship, who appeared on one of the shows that attracted 57,000 complaints, tweeted (right): 'So what does ITV do about Piers Morgan's job at Good Morning Britain now Ofcom has cleared him and the TV network of a breach of the broadcasting code?' Veteran broadcaster Bill Neely, who has worked for the BBC, ITV and most recently NBC's Chief Global Correspondent tweeted Mr Morgan and said: 'Congratulations. Important ruling for you and for the whole of broadcasting in the U.K. A pillar of our freedom reinforced'. Sky News' Editor at Large Adam Boulton wrote: 'Ofcom is doing a splendid job standing up for freedom of speech and presenters' right to be sceptical of the rich and powerful'.
A BBC Young Composer of the Year who posted doctored photographs of women on porn sites met his victims at Cambridge University.

Alexander Woolf, 26 - who was the 2012 winner of the BBC's Young Composer of the Year - came to know many of his victims whilst he was a student at the university.

Though he was not employed as a teacher, he supervised some students on an occasional basis at one college, which has not been named.

A university spokesperson said: 'The university is appalled by the crimes of Alexander Woolf and extends its full sympathy to his victims.

'A number of the women he targeted came to know Woolf while he was an undergraduate at Cambridge and it is hard to comprehend the sense of shock and betrayal they must be experiencing.

'The university does not tolerate sexual abuse or harassment and urges anyone affected to report it immediately.

Alexander Woolf (pictured), 26 - who was the 2012 winner of the BBC's Young Composer of the Year - came to know many of his victims whilst he was a student at the university

'In the case of Woolf, we were unaware of his crimes until the court case closed on August 18. Woolf was an undergraduate studying Music from 2013 to 2016.

'We can find no evidence that he was employed in a teaching capacity at any stage by the Faculty of Music.

'In the days since the court case, it has come to light that he supervised a few students on an occasional basis at one of our colleges.

'The college strongly supports the university's stance on harassment and sexual misconduct and is in the process of contacting those students to offer support and to ensure that they have not been affected.'

The college in question has not been identified due to concerns that this could lead to the identification of innocent individuals.

The college has been contacting students associated with him and offering support.

Though he was not employed as a teacher, he supervised some students on an occasional basis at one college, which has not been named

Woolf of Over, South Cambridgeshire, was handed a suspended sentence on August 16 after his actions were described as 'severely depraved' by CPS district crown prosecutor, Varinder Hayre.

He downloaded images of 15 women and uploaded them onto Reddit threads with sexually explicit and derogatory comments.

He encouraged users of the online community platform to paste the victims' faces onto the bodies of porn actresses before posting the doctored pictures on adult sites.

The college in question has not been identified due to concerns that this could lead to the identification of innocent individuals. Pictured: Cambridge University campus

None of the original images were pornographic or indecent, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

One of the victims was anonymously alerted to Woolf's actions and helped track down and notify the other victims.

Woolf admitted at Thames Magistrates Court on August 15 to charges of sending messages that were grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing nature over a public electronic communications network.

He was given a 20-week sentence suspended for two years and ordered to undertake a 40-day rehabilitation programme.
Maddow, 48, has reached a new deal that will allow her to develop projects outside of MSNBC while working less days

Rachel Maddow will get a whopping $30 million a year to stay at MSNBC through the 2024 election, despite recent and 'heated' negotiations that landed the longtime host in a cushy weekly format, according to a Daily Beast report.

The multi-year deal will let Maddow, who is said to currently make at least $7 million a year on her current contract, develop new projects at the cable channel and with parent company NBCUniversal, according to Business Insider.

She also will transition in 2022 from her five-day-a-week show to airing just one day a week next year, sources told CNN.

The 48-year-old former Rhodes scholar, who is the highest-rated host for MSNBC, has talked about streaming and podcasting as an alternative to hosting a nightly show, the Daily Beast reports.

Maddow wants more 'freedom, time for her personal life, and for other projects'

Maddow has hosted the show since 2008.

According to insiders close to the new deal, Maddow will step away from The Rachel Maddow Show around spring 2022, and will instead host a broadcast that will run weekly for about 30 weeks per year, the Daily Beast reports.

The outlet reports that NBCUniversal, which is MSNBC's parent company, was forced to make a number of concessions to keep Maddow on board, including significantly less time on-air, which was described as a 'dealbreaker' by some.

Maddow wants more 'freedom, time for her personal life and for other projects,' sources told the website.

Insiders told the outlet that Maddow's cushy new contract was meant to give the network more time to find her eventual replacement.

She was 'seriously' considering leaving for another network or starting her own media company prior to signing the new deal.

In 2013, Maddow was making $7 million a year according to a TV Guide survey, though that figure almost-certainly has grown since.

Meanwhile, her current 9pm time slot competes directly with Fox News' Sean Hannity, the leader of the ratings scoreboard, and fellow liberal Chris Cuomo of CNN. Cuomo has taken a hit after his brother, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's sex scandal led him to resign as governor of New York earlier this month. Maddow is now regularly beating him in the ratings.

For the month of July, she came in second in ratings after Hannity.

The trend held steady on August 19, when the conservative Hannity scored 3.3 million viewers, a full million more than Maddow's 2.28 million, according to AdWeek.

Still, she beat fellow liberal Cuomo's measly 969,000 viewers.

Former MSNBC president Phil Griffin was brought in to advise negotiations for Maddow's contract renewal, which grew 'heated.'

Maddow competes for 9pm ratings with Fox's Sean Hannity (left) and CNN's Chris Cuomo. Hannity beat Maddow by a million viewers on August 19, with Cuomo coming in far behind

Ex-MSNBC head Phil Griffin was reportedly brought in to tame Maddow's 'heated' negotiations

She was represented by agent Ari Emanuel, the CEO of Endeavor, which also represents Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC's Morning Joe.

In a New York Times Magazine article from 2019, Maddow lamented how much she worked while on her way to Raoul's, a French bistro with a $54 steak entree, in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan.

'I'm realizing now - 10, 11 years into this - that it's fine to work long days,' she said.

'But it's not good for you to work incessant long days, five days a week, 50 weeks a year for 10 years.'

At the time, she edged out Fox News' Megyn Kelly, who made $6 million a year. CNN's Chris Cuomo made about $2.5 million a year at the time.

Maddow graduated from Stanford University in 1994 and got her PhD in politics at Oxford in 2001.

Maddow's partner of 22 years got COVID last year, saying she she thought it 'might kill her'

She has been with her partner Susan Mikula since 1999. Maddow was off the air for almost two weeks after Mikula got COVID-19 last year.

'Susan has been sick with COVID these past couple of weeks,' she told her audience while broadcasting from home on November 19, 2020.

'And, at one point, we really thought that there was a possibility that it might kill her. And that's why I've been away.'

She warned her viewers to do their best to avoid contracting the virus.

'It won't necessarily be you. It'll be the person you most care about in the world. And how can you bear that? And all you can do to stop that is move heaven and earth to not get it and to not transmit it.'
In his appeal, Roof's attorneys argued that he was wrongly allowed to represent himself during sentencing. He is pictured in his 2015 booking photo

A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction and sentence of Dylann Roof, who murdered nine members of a black South Carolina church congregation in 2015.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Roof's conviction and sentence in the shootings at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

In his appeal, Roof's attorneys argued that he was wrongly allowed to represent himself during sentencing, a critical phase of his trial.

Roof, who was 21 at the time, opened fire during the closing prayer of a Bible study at the church, firing dozens of bullets at the congregation.

DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Myrah Thompson, Ethel Lance, Susie Jackson, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Daniel Simmons, Clementa Pinckney and Cynthia Hurd were all killed by Roof on June 17, 2015.

DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Myrah Thompson, Ethel Lance, Susie Jackson, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Daniel Simmons, Clementa Pinckney and Cynthia Hurd were all killed by Roof on June 17, 2015

Polly Sheppard, 72, said Roof, who is now 27, spared her so she could 'tell the story'. She and Felicia Sanders, another survivor, testified against him during the trial.

In 2017, Roof became the first person in the U.S. sentenced to death for a federal hate crime.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Roof's conviction and sentence in the shootings at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston

In 2021, Roof and his legal team began making his appellate argument that his conviction and death sentence should be overturned.

In a lengthy brief, Roof's attorneys argue that an appellate court should vacate Roof's convictions and death sentence, or remand his case to court for a 'proper competency evaluation.'

'The federal trial that resulted in his death sentence departed so far from the standard required when the government seeks the ultimate price that it cannot be affirmed,' they wrote, arguing that their client's mental illness should have prevented him from serving as his own attorney during a portion of the trial, and also being sent to federal death row.

Roof successfully prevented jurors from hearing evidence about his mental health, 'under the delusion,' his attorneys argued, that 'he would be rescued from prison by white nationalists - but only, bizarrely, if he kept his mental impairments out of the public record.'

Roof's lawyers said his convictions and death sentence should be vacated or his case should be sent back to court for a 'proper competency evaluation.'

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel held two competency hearings for Roof: one before the start of his trial, and one before its sentencing phase, to determine if Roof could act as his own attorney for that portion of the trial.

In that part of the trial, the self-avowed white supremacist neither fought for his life nor explained his actions, saying only that 'anyone who hates anything in their mind has a good reason for it.'

This, his attorneys wrote, resulted in 'a complete breakdown' of any possible defense, with jurors being 'left in the dark' about any details from Roof's past that could have possibly been used to mitigate the government's 'inflammatory case for death.'

The 4th Circuit found that the trial judge did not commit an error when he found Roof was competent to stand trial and issued a scathing rebuke of Roof's crimes.

The judges wrote: 'Dylann Roof murdered African Americans at their church, during their Bible-study and worship. They had welcomed him. He slaughtered them.

'He did so with the express intent of terrorizing not just his immediate victims at the historically important Mother Emanuel Church, but as many similar people as would hear of the mass murder,' the panel wrote in its ruling.

Dylann Roof, who is on federal death row for the slayings of nine members of a black South Carolina congregation, had argued his conviction and death sentence should be overturned. He is pictured at a hearing in 2015

Law enforcement officials are pictured outsider the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church after the mass shooting at the church in June 2015

People pay their respects in front of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in June 2015

'No cold record or careful parsing of statutes and precedents can capture the full horror of what Roof did. His crimes qualify him for the harshest penalty that a just society can impose.'

All of the judges in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers South Carolina, recused themselves from hearing Roofs appeal; one of their own, Judge Jay Richardson, prosecuted Roofs case as an assistant U.S. Attorney. The panel that heard arguments in May and issued the ruling on Wednesday was comprised of judges from several other appellate circuits.

A jury took just two hours to convict him of 33 federal crimes after a week-long trial in December 2016 in which he was described as a suicidal loner who viewed the nine black parishioners he killed as 'animals'.

After he was given nine consecutive life sentences, Solicitor Scarlett Wilson - who had also been pursuing the death penalty - called the deal 'an insurance policy for the federal conviction,' ensuring that Roof would spend the rest of his life in prison, should the federal sentence not stand.

Wilson also said that she felt more confident a federal death sentence would be carried out under the newly minted Trump administration than it would have been under a Democratic one.

At the time, there was anticipation that then-President Donald Trump might swiftly resume federal executions, following cessation of the practice under several several previous administrations.

Trumps decision to reinstate federal executions didnt come until 2020, however, when his Justice Department ended a 17-year hiatus, going on to oversee a total of 13 federal executions.

Due to his remaining appeals, Roofs case was not eligible for execution at that time.

Although President Joe Biden - who as a candidate said hed work to end federal executions - hasnt spoken publicly about capital punishment in office, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in March that he continues to have 'grave concerns' about it.

The president could instruct his Justice Department not to carry out executions during his presidency.

Roof could now file whats known as a 2255 appeal, or a request that the trial court review the constitutionality of his conviction and sentence.

He could also petition the U.S. Supreme Court or seek a presidential pardon.
Taliban fighters are now feared to have access to up to 200,000 firearms, 20,000 Humvees and hundreds of aircraft the US donated to the Afghan army.

It comes after footage emerged of the Taliban testing a captured $6m US-made Blackhawk helicopter by taxi-ing it around an airfield - and it has also released propaganda footage of body armour-clad 'special forces' with night vision goggles.

Last week, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan admitted the US doesn't have a 'clear picture' of just how much missing $83 billion of military inventory could now be in the hands of the enemy.

But multiple outlets have shared worrying statistics, including 22,000 Humvees given to Afghan forces between 2003 and 2016. Taliban fighters have since been pictured riding atop the vehicles in Kabul.

Equipment given by US to the Afghan Army now likely to be in hands of the Taliban also includes 50,000 tactical vehicles, 1,000 mine resistant vehicles and 150 armored personnel carriers.

Aircraft likely left for the Taliban to use includes over 160 planes and helicopters, including four C-130 transport aircraft, 23 A-29 Super Tucano turboprop attack aircraft, 45 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and 50 MD530 choppers.

Experts say it is unclear if there is anyone within the Taliban's ranks with the knowledge to successfully fly any of them, with fighters seen taking a Black Hawk for a flightless joyride on a runway Wednesday.

The US also donated at least 200,000 firearms to the Afghan army, including M24 sniper rifles, M18 assault weapons, anti-tank missiles, automatic grenade launchers, mortars and rocket propelled grenades.

Between 2003 and 2016, the US bought the Afghan security forces 42,000 'light tactical vehicles' - such as Ford Ranger pickups and cargo trucks - 9,000 'medium tactical vehicles,' and over 22,000 Humvees.

Footage has emerged showing what looks like a Taliban test of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter

Seven Black Hawk helicopters arrived in Afghanistan as late as last month

The Taliban released propaganda footage of body armour-clad 'special forces' with night vision goggles

Taliban fighters are now feared to have access to up to 200,000 firearms, 20,000 Humvees and hundreds of aircraft the US donated to the Afghan army.

Between 2004 and 2016, the US bought the Afghans more than 64,000 machine guns. Above, a Taliban fighter stands guard at a checkpoint in Kabul on Wednesday

Taliban fighters sit on an Afghan army Humvee on August 15. Much of the equipment the US has given Afghanistan has 'fallen into the hands of the Taliban,' according to a US official

The US spent about $2.13 billion in Humvees alone, based on an average price of $96,466 each.

Between 2007 and 2016, the US gave Afghan security forces 110 helicopters and 60 transport cargo airplanes, the according to a Government Accountability Office report published by transparency website Openthebooks.com.

Afghan military officials are believed to have left the country in around 40 different US-supplied aircraft in the days leading up to its fall to the Taliban.

'We don't have a complete picture, obviously, of where every article of defense materials has gone, but certainly a fair amount of it has fallen into the hands of the Taliban,' Sullivan told reporters last week.

Aid to Afghanistan was $3 billion this year alone.

The White House revealed Wednesday that over the last 24 hours, 42 American flights dealt with the bulk of evacuations - transporting 11,200 from Kabul - meaning the U.S. has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of approximately 87,900 people on U.S. military and coalition flights since the end of July.

The Afghan military has four C-130 transport aircraft, seen above. US-provided military equipment is now in danger of falling into Taliban hands as the group takes over Afghanistan

Between 2004 and 2016, the US bought the Afghan military more than 358,000 rifles, including M-16s and AK-47s. Above, Taliban fighters patrol Kabul on August 19

'We don't have a sense that they are going to readily hand it over to us at the airport.'

The Afghan Army also got 18 'intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance' airplanes such as the PC-12, a cargo aircraft made by Swiss company Pilatus.

It goes for $5 million in civilian prices - which would make for a total cost of $90 million to the US military - but prices are often much higher when equipment is sold to the military.

Reports from the Government Accountability Office offer a glimpse into the total costs of the war in Afghanistan, which the US has spent $3 billion on just this year

Seven Black Hawk helicopters arrived in Afghanistan as late as last month, according to Reuters, and some of them may now be in the hands of the Taliban.

They cost about $21 million each, according to Military Machine.

Recent footage shows what appears to be a Taliban test of a captured US-made UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.

The US spent at least $268 million in M-16s and other similar weapons for the Afghan Army between 2004 and 2016. Above, a Taliban fighter patrols Kabul on Wednesday

The one-minute clip uploaded to Twitter shows the $6 million Black Hawk helicopter, described as having been captured from Afghan security forces, moving along the tarmac at a seemingly otherwise deserted location.

Two men watch the chopper complete a loop of the area which is believed to be Kandahar airfield, where two cars are also visible in shot.

'Taliban testing a captured Afghan UH-60,' the post accompanying the video read. At no point did the helicopter leave the ground.

It is not clear if the UH-60 is the same that was seized by the Taliban on August 14 when images and footage of members of the group operating the $6million piece of equipment were shared on social media.

The one-minute clip uploaded to Twitter shows a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, described as having been captured from Afghan security forces, moving along the tarmac at a seemingly otherwise deserted location

Earlier this month, a series of videos also showed insurgents flying captured Russian choppers around the city of Kandahar [File photo]

A Taliban fighter poses with a US-made Afghan air force Blackhawk helicopter at captured Kandahar airfield [File photo]

A series of videos shared on social media showed insurgents flying Russian-made aircraft around the city of Kandahar [File photo]

Sophisticated 'new face' of the Taliban By Glen Keogh TO the head of the British Armed Forces, they are simply country boys. But in camouflage, body armor and sunglasses, these men are the new face of the Taliban  and appear a world away from a disparate collection of tribespeople, as described by General Sir Nick Carter last week. In propaganda footage released on social media, the Taliban have been showing off their own special forces, complete with American weapons and equipment looted from Afghan soldiers as the country was seized. Members of the Badri 313 unit are shown in uniforms, boots and balaclavas with US-made rifles including the M4. Some even have night-vision goggles. It is a far cry from typical Taliban fighters patrolling in traditional salwar kameez outfits, turbans and sandals, carrying old Kalashnikov rifles. The insurgents released slow-motion videos of the elite unit  which they claim could amount to a few thousand soldiers  amid fears of an armed resistance in Afghanistans Panjshir Valley. In one social media post, members of Badri 313 mocked a famed Second World War photo of US Marines hoisting the American flag on the island of Iwo Jima after it was captured from the Japanese. The group created their own version of the image in which they plant a white Taliban flag while dressed in US-style military uniform. They have also posed with captured Humvees and helicopters, although experts say the latter would be difficult for the group to operate and maintain. The Taliban are feared to have plundered millions of pounds worth of military equipment from the US. This year alone, America supplied Afghan forces with more than two million bullets for AK-47 assault rifles and 100,000 70mm rockets. The fundamentalists are also likely to have gained A-29 light attack aircraft worth 17million, according to the Daily Mirror. The haul is likely to be much larger, given the amount of assets supplied to Afghanistan over 20 years. Badri 313 is named after the Battle of Badr nearly 1,400 years ago, when the Prophet Muhammad supposedly defeated his enemies with 313 soldiers. Advertisement

The Afghan government pilots who fly the operational Russian helicopters were turned over to the Taliban, while the US helicopters were likely grounded by a lack of spare parts from the United States.

It came as evidence emerged that the Taliban had also seized American-made Black Hawk helicopters, made famous in the 2001 Ridley Scott blockbuster Black Hawk Down.

The Afghan military has more than 150 aircraft, according to a report published last month by the by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

It includes four C-130 transport aircraft, 23 Brazilian-made A-29 'Super Tucano' turboprop ground-attack aircraft, 45 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, and 50 smaller choppers.

Afghan forces were also given more than 30 military versions of Cessna single-engine fixed-wing aircraft.

Earlier this year, aerospace manufacturer MD Helicopters secured two contracts valued at $43.9 million to support the Afghan Air Force with MD 530F Cayuse Warrior light attack helicopters, according to Airforce Technology.

In 2017, the US military lost $174 million in drones meant for the Afghan National Army. The ANA didn't immediately use the drones and then lost track of them, according to Forbes.

The White House has spent billions of dollars on supplying the Afghan military with the necessary weapons and equipment to wipe out the Taliban, but following the collapse of local armed forces, their investment is now effectively being used by the insurgents themselves.

Afghan security forces are reported to have left valuable equipment behind as they fled incoming Taliban fighters.

Journalist Hollie McKay told NPR that the road out of the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif was littered with US-made armored vehicles that the Afghan military had left behind.

'On that road there is a lot of equipment that has been abandoned,' McKay said.

'It was sort of unclear to me whether (the vehicles) were already destroyed by the soldiers, or that they were functioning and that the Taliban hadn't quite figured out how to use them. But there was certainly a good bunch of them along that single road into Uzbekistan.'

Between 2004 and 2016, the US bought the Afghan military more than 358,000 rifles, including M-16s and AK-47s, and more than 64,000 machine guns.

A common price of a M16 rifle is $749, according to the US Defense Logistics Agency, which handles equipment acquisitions for the military.

That would put the total cost of M-16s purchased for the Afghan military at $268 million for the years listed.

Social media in the lead up to the fall of Kabul was awash with clips of fighters seizing weapons caches, but the taking of such high profile helicopters represented a significant statement of intent.

The latest footage comes as countries continue to scramble to evacuate their citizens and others from Afghanistan before the August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of the United States.

On Tuesday, the Taliban announced it was closing the airport road for Afghans, who were told they could no longer flee.

Hours later, U.S. President Joe Biden said that evacuation efforts were 'on pace' to finish by the end of the month.

The White House said it believed foreigners and Afghans in need could still reach the airport.

The result has been continuing chaos around Hamid Karzai International Airport, where thousands of desperate people are seeking safety.

On Tuesday, the Taliban announced it was closing the airport road for Afghans, who were told they could no longer flee. Pictured: People are evacuated by the U.S. Air Force on Tuesday
A Chicago man has been arrested for allegedly clobbering a train passenger on the head with a hammer this week, and he is also being investigated in connection with nearly a dozen similar attacks.

Curtis Tyler, 30, was taken into custody just after 6am on Tuesday, less than an hour after police said he struck a 50-year-old man on the head while riding the CTA Red Line train in the 1200 block of North Clark Avenue.

Tyler was booked into jail on charges of aggravated battery using a deadly weapon, theft and public indecency. He was also issued a citation for being in possession of weapons on the train.

The victim, who has not been named, was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center to be treated for an injury to his forehead.

Curtis Tyler, 30, has been arrested in Chicago for allegedly bashing a 50-year-old train rider in the head with a hammer

CWB Chicago reported that Tyler was found with a hammer at the Belmont Red Line station.

Photos published by the news outlet purported to show the moment of Tyler's arrest and the hammer that was said to have been found at the scene.

While the Chicago Police Department on Wednesday could not confirm Tyler's involvement in other recent hammer attacks in the area, during his bond hearing this morning prosecutors said he has been tied to no fewer than 11 various offenses on trains and buses, including hammer attacks and robberies, reported CBS Chicago.

Tyler is a convicted felon with an extensive criminal record that dates back to at least 2007.

Tyler, a convicted felon, was apprehended on August 24 (left), an hour after the attack that left the victim with an injury to his forehead. A hammer was said to have been recovered at the scene (right)

Unnamed sources told CWB Chicago that he was the same man who was depicted in a community alert that was issued by the Chicago Bureau of Counter-Terrorist Public Transportation last week.

The alert featured screenshots from three or four different surveillance videos, each of which showed a man in a black du-rag.

One of the images depicted the suspect wearing red sneakers similar to those Tyler had on at the time of his arrest on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department told DailyMail.com on Wednesday that investigators were still looking at Tyler's possible involvement in four previous hammer attacks targeting train and bus riders since July 21. So far, no additional charges stemming from those other incidents have been filed against him.

The first hammer attack listed in the alert was said to have taken place just before 3.30pm on July 21 on a bus along Addison Street.

Police are investigating whether Tyler is the same suspect who was featured in this community alert in connection to four other recent hammer attacks

The next incident took place in late morning on August 6 on the Green Line at West Lake Street.

The hammer-wielding assailant struck again on August 13 on the Red Line platform at State Street, followed by a fourth incident just after 2am on August 18 on the Red Line at West Addison Street.

The community alert did not mention prior incidents involving a suspect armed with a hammer that took place in the Chicago neighborhoods of Lakeview and Boystown in mid-July.

During Wednesday's hearing, a judge set Tyler's bond at $350,000 and ordered him placed on electronic monitoring if he makes bail.
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American citizens trying to get in to Kabul airport and leave the country were told on Wednesday night to immediately leave the area, due to a new and sudden terror threat.

'Due to threats outside the Kabul airport, US citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid airport gates unless you receive instructions to do so,' the State Department tweeted on Wednesday night.

'Those at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately.'

The order to leave the gates was issued at 3:30am local time in Kabul on Thursday morning.

Fears are mounting that the Islamic State affiliate in the region, ISIS-K, could try and launch an attack on the crowds masses outside the airport. Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that ISIS-K were believed to be attempting to target departing jets, as he explained why it was unlikely that U.S. forces will remain in the area beyond August 31.

Up to 1,500 Americans are still trapped in Afghanistan and the U.S. is still relying on the Taliban to allow safe passage to Kabul airport with just six days before the deadline, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a press conference on Wednesday.

Blinken gave his first briefing on the airlift operation and the bid to get all citizens and Afghan allies out amid reports the CIA has joined U.S. troops in helicopter rescue missions outside the airport perimeter.

Thousands of people are still trying to leave Afghanistan as U.S. troops start leaving and evacuation flights begin to wrap up, but are being stopped and beaten by insurgents on their way.

Among those left are 23 school children from California Cajon Valley Union School District and 16 parents who visited the war zone on a summer trip to see extended family and haven't been able to leave.

Blinken blamed Americans still on the ground for not leaving fast enough after first being warned earlier this year to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible, but said there would be 'no deadline' in helping those who still want to leave.

He spoke as a CIA officer told DailyMail.com that American civilians and Afghan allies have just 72 hours before evacuations end and Biden cracked a joke about the evacuation crisis at a cybersecurity summit.

NBC reporter Peter Alexander asked the president what he would do if there were Americans trapped in Afghanistan after August 31.

The microphone was cut before Biden could reply, but he cracked a smile and said 'You'll be the first person I call.'

Blinken said the US has been in 'direct contact' with roughly 500 confirmed U.S. citizens and 'provided specific instructions for how to get to the airport safely.'

The State Department said there are roughly 1,000 other people whose status is still being established.

'We're aggressively reaching out to them multiple times a day,' he said of those 1,000 people, adding they're looking 'to determine whether they still want to leave and to get them the most up-to-date information and instructions for them on how to do so.'

'Some may no longer be in the country. Some may have claimed to be Americans but turn out not to be. Some may choose to stay,' Blinken said

'We'll continue to try and identify the status and plans of these people in the coming days.'

A short time later a journalist covering Afghanistan wrote on Twitter that the Taliban blocked all roads leading to Kabul airport.

Only Afghans 'accompanied by foreigners' are reportedly allowed through.

'Taliban refused to let a friend, a dual Afghan-Australian citizen, from entering airport today,' Frud Bezhan wrote.

Blinken announced Wednesday that up to 1,500 Americans - 500 who are verified US citizens - are still stuck in Afghanistan

About 4,500 U.S. citizens and immediate family members have been evacuated over the last 10 days.

As many as 6,000 Americans who wanted to leave Afghanistan were in the country when the Taliban took Kabul last week.

Biden posted a statement to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon vowing to help people still stuck there but did not provide further explanation.

'We're going to do everything that we can to provide safe evacuation for Americans, our Afghan allies, partners, and Afghans who might be targeted because of their association with the United States,' the president wrote.

The CIA has joined the US military in evacuation efforts, launching clandestine operations to rescue Americans in and outside of Kabul, the Wall Street Journal reports. The military's operations have been more limited in comparison, focusing on US citizen trapped within the Afghan capital.

CIA operations include air and ground missions and use US military helicopters under the agency's control.

At least two dozen Americans students and parents are among those still stuck in Kabul. After taking a summer trip to visit grandparents and other extended family, 24 students and 16 parents from the Cajon Valley Union School District are trying to get to the airport with less than a week before the US leaves the country. the LA Times reports.

Cajon Valley Superintendent David Miyashiro said that officials who work with the school district's FACE program as interpreters and liaisons were contacted by a family concerned its student would lose a seat in the classroom last week when classes began, a local CBS affiliate reports.

The concern was echoed by several other families who missed their scheduled flights home for the first day of school on August 17.

The district said they arrived on special U.S. military visas, and states the trip was not school-sanctioned. Officials at the district just outside of San Diego said the students are safe but that it's not certain when they could return home.

A family of five from the same school district is back in the U.S. after escaping from Afghanistan, 10 News reports.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said today she has 'no additional information' on the stranded students when asked and appeared confused at the report.

'I'm happy to take their information if there's something more detailed,' she said.

The U.S. has ramped up their airlifts and have evacuated 19,000 people in the last 24 hours and have already started pulling out military forces with just six days until the deadline, which Biden has promised to stick to.

Desperate Afghan men, women and children have swarmed the airport in a bid to get out amid fears of an attack from the Islamic State offshoot ISIS-K and 10,000 evacuees are inside the gates waiting to get out.

Hundreds of people gather near an airport evacuation control checkpoint. American civilians and Afghan allies have just 72 hours before evacuations end, a CIA officer told DailyMail.com

Fears of a stampede toward the airport are concerning officials as the withdrawal winds down and people grow more desperate to flee

American troops and the CIA have been conducting rescue missions to get people stranded outside of the airport to safety

'It is hard to overstate the complexity and danger of this effort. We are operating in an hostile environment, in a city and country now controlled by the Taliban, with a very real possibility of an ISIS-K attack,' Blinken said Wednesday.



Asked to take responsibility for the chaos, he responded: 'I take responsibility. I know the president has said he takes responsibility.'

'There will be plenty of time to look back at the last six or seven months, to look back at the last 20 years and to see what we might have done differently, as well as sooner or more effectively,' he said.

Blinken said right now his 'entire focus is on the mission at hand.'

It was also revealed that a military operation recovered 'less than 20 people' by helicopter from Kabul under cover of darkness and brought them safely to the airport for evacuation. It comes in addition to two other operations outside the airport walls confirmed by the Pentagon, including a mission to bring 169 Americans 'over the wall' that Biden announced Monday.

'So last night, during the period of darkness, there was an operation to be able to go out and safely evacuate evacuees back into Kabul. They're at [Hamid Karzai International Airport], and they're safely there preparing to be evacuated,' Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor said at a Pentagon briefing Wednesday.

In a White House briefing the same day Psaki said the administration suspected many of the 1,000 prospective Americans who may be looking to leave are dual-citizens or 'people who may not be ready to leave for a variety of reasons.'

'For many of these Afghans, this is their home. And yes they are dual-citizens, yes it is absolutely our responsibility to make sure we are reaching out to them multiple times. We are providing opportunity, we are finding ways to get them to the airport to evacuate them, but it is also their personal decision on whether they want to depart,' she said.

During the briefing Psaki was asked how the Biden administration will determine whether every American who wants to leave will get to do so by the deadline.

The press secretary clarified that some of those Americans could 'have not yet decided to depart by August 31.'

'We know that is a potential, so therefore we're looking at a range of options for how we can allow them to depart and enable them to depart after that date and time,' she said.

The news comes after days of criticism being hurled at the Biden administration for its handling of the crisis.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy criticized President Joe Biden for starting his Afghanistan speech on Tuesday by talking about his 'liberal wish list' $3.5trillion budget and walking away without taking any questions from the media following his promise to withdraw all troops by August 31 - after the Taliban threatened consequences for those who stayed.

'He turned his back and walked away - an image that has come to define him and his presidency,' he said.

'He turned his back on our own citizens stranded in Afghanistan, he's turned his back on our allies and partners, he's turned his back on his duties as a Commander-in-Chief.'

McCarthy and a slew of Republicans continued their criticism of Biden as desperate Americans and Afghans surrounded Kabul airport trying to escape the Taliban and the growing threat of an attack from the Islamic State offshoot ISIS-K.

The GOP have accused him of letting the Taliban 'call the shots' amid reports westerners and SIV applicants are getting stopped and beaten at checkpoints - despite Pentagon claims they are telling the insurgents who the 'expect' to be let through.

Desperate Afghans waded through a sewage ditch on the outskirts of Kabul airport this morning while pleading with soldiers guarding the opposite bank to put them on a plane out of the country as time runs out to flee Taliban rule

A lucky man is hauled to safety by a soldier (left) and allowed one step closer to freedom, but most were left wallowing in filth as their pleas fell on deaf ears with as little as 24 hours left until civilian mercy flights top

'Joe Biden and his team are letting the Taliban call the shots,' Senator Tom Cotton said on a Fox News radio show Wednesday morning.

His fellow GOP Senator Marco Rubio wrote on Twitter, 'A President that abandons Americans in order to meet a deadline set by a medieval band of terrorists will forever be disgraced.'

Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina criticized Biden's 'disastrous decision' to hold firm on his end-of-the-month deadline on Wednesday morning, which he said was 'cemented by his administrations prior ill-conceived timeline agreement with the Taliban instead of the conditions on the ground.'

Senator Lindsey Graham, who served with Biden on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the Biden and Taliban-mandated deadline will cost lives.

'How could we create a deadline that is a death sentence to those who fought along our side?' he questioned on Fox radio Wednesday.

'There's nobody to blame but Biden here,' Graham said on Fox radio today, adding the U.S. is leaving 'thousands of Afghans, most likely American citizens, and what we're leaving behind is an Al Qaeda on steroids.'

The South Carolina Republican warned Biden's decisions mean 'an increased likelihood of another 9/11' and claimed Biden had 'a political goal to get us all out.'

Graham, who served with Biden on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the president lacks 'critical thinking skills needed to be Commander-in-Chief.'

'He gets something in his mind and it sticks, that makes him very dangerous,' Graham said.

Claiming to have spoken with U.S. allies all week, Graham said they were 'dumbfounded' by Biden's actions.

Thousands converged on Kabul airport on Wednesday in a desperate bid to leave Afghanistan amid reports the Taliban are stopping westerners getting in, less than 24 hours after President Joe Biden said he would only pull troops by August 31 if the insurgents allow safe passage.

But the Taliban has ignored the president's threats and are beating up people trying to leave, according to reports, and both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have said there isn't enough time to get everyone out.

Hundreds of people are still gathering at checkpoints outside Hamid Karzai International Airport looking for a chance to escape after the Taliban announced that Afghan civilians would no longer be allowed to leave on the US-led mission

The Pentagon said a plane left the Kabul airport 'every 39 minutes' in the most recent update on evacuation numbers

The Pentagon said on Wednesday that US forces have 'been very clear' with the Taliban 'about what credentials we are willing to accept' for people trying to get to the airport.

'By and large, with caveats' people have been getting through checkpoints, spokesman John Kirby said, adding 'we also have other means to get people in.'

'When we have reports that someone credentialed is not being let in, we are making that clear to Taliban leaders they need to let them in,' Kirby said.

Members of the GOP have said that Biden has 'blood on his hands' because thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies who helped U.S. troops could be left to die when the final evacuation flights depart - which could even be before midnight on Aug. 31 to ensure a safe evacuation of everyone at the airport.

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, who underwent a secret trip to Kabul to witness the situation at the airport for themselves, challenged President Biden and claimed that 'we won't get everyone out on time'.

US soldiers stand guard at the airport tower near an evacuation control checkpoint. Reports of Taliban violence have surfaced as civilians and Afghans who aided US troops try to leave their country before the August 31 deadline

The approaching deadline has sparked fears that the desperate men, women and children currently camped outside the military zone could attempt a last-ditch bid for freedom by storming the airport

The approaching deadline has sparked fears that the desperate men, women and children currently camped outside the military zone could attempt a last-ditch bid for freedom by storming the airport as they attempt to flee the Taliban - who have also set up checkpoints outside the airport.

The U.S. may have to halt evacuation flights before the weekend in a bid to get all American personnel out, after France warned there operation would stop in hours and the former head of the UK armed forces said they would be wrapped up in two days.

Republicans, Donald Trump and members of the Trump administration also launched criticism of Biden's botched evacuation overnight.

Trump said Tuesday night: 'How dare Biden force our military to run off the battlefield in Afghanistan and desert what now have become many thousands of American hostages.'

'We had Afghanistan and Kabul in perfect control with just 2,500 soldiers and he destroyed it when it was demanded that they flee,' he added in an emailed statement.

In a Tuesday podcast interview the former president said his administration had Afghanistan 'so under control, like you wouldn't believe.'

'I'm not sure the way we got out would even allow us to get out,' he said on The Truth with Lisa Boothe, seemingly predicting future U.S. engagement with the war-torn country.

Ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined his boss in heckling Biden, tearing into him in an op-ed Tuesday night.

'President Bidens incompetence has left Americans in harms way and is dishonoring those who serve and our country,' he wrote on Fox.

A man claiming to be an Australian citizen was beaten bloody by Taliban guards at a checkpoint in Kabul today, after the Taliban vowed to block any more people from going to the airport

Roughly 10,000 'vulnerable Afghans' have been evacuated by US-led forces since August 20, the Pentagon announced in a Wednesday briefing

Ted Cruz accused Biden of 'claiming Afghanistan is some great diplomatic achievement' on Twitter Wednesday.

The White House revealed today that over the last 24 hours, 42 American flights dealt with the bulk of evacuations - transporting 11,200 from Kabul - meaning the U.S. has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of approximately 87,900 people on U.S. military and coalition flights since the end of July.

Major General Hank Taylor announced at the Pentagon briefing on Wednesday that 400 U.S. troops were evacuated from Kabul.

Some of those were part of the 6,000 sent to aid with the evacuation. Taylor said the military withdrawal was 'very much part of the original drawdown plan.' About 5,400 troops are still on the ground in Kabul.

With military personnel required to have retreated from the country by Biden's August 31 deadline, it is feared civilian evacuations could be halted in a matter of days to ensure enough time is left for U.S. soldiers to leave the airport before the cut off.

Roughly 10,000 'vulnerable Afghans' have been evacuated by US-led forces since August 20, Taylor said.

Kirby vowed that 'needed populations' will be evacuated 'all the way to the end' but acknowledged the US will 'have to reserve some time in the last couple of days' for military equipment to be removed.

The Taliban said on Tuesday that all foreign evacuations from the country must be completed by August 31, and asked Washington to stop urging highly skilled Afghans to leave the country.

And speaking later on Tuesday, the President said the U.S. is on pace to finish evacuations from Afghanistan on time, but left open the chance of extending the deadline, saying reaching that goal depends on cooperation from the country's new Taliban rulers.

'The sooner we can finish, the better,' Biden said. 'Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops.'

And the desperate efforts to evacuate as many Americans and allies from Afghanistan as possible have been affected by the Taliban who have banned Afghans from fleeing the country.

There are also reports that Westerners are also currently unable to reach the airport and are being 'blocked from getting to Kabul airport' by Taliban fighters who are seeking to stem the flow of Afghans leaving.

This situation gave rise to comments from President Biden, who continued to stick to his August 31 deadline, but only so long as the Taliban uphold its agreement to allow Westerners and vulnerable Afghans free passage to the airport.

Continued coordination with the Taliban remains crucial to meeting the deadline, he said, but he called it a 'tenuous situation' with a 'serious risk of breaking down as time goes on.'

And Pentagon commanders have warned evacuation efforts are under threat from an Islamic State-offshoot, known as ISIS-K, who are 'targeting' evacuation planes at Kabul airport.

Speaking yesterday, President Biden said the US is on pace to finish evacuations from Afghanistan on time, but left open the chance of extending the deadline, saying reaching that goal depends on cooperation from the country's new Taliban rulers

Fears are growing that crowds could try to storm the airport once civilian mercy flights stop, or that opportunistic terrorists could attack the densely-packed crowd

This was echoed by two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, who said there was growing concern about the risk of suicide bombings by Islamic State at the airport, which has been overwhelmed by Afghans and foreign citizens rushing to leave.

Those concerns are based on 'a very specific threat stream' from the Afghanistan ISIS affiliate regarding possible attacks on crowds outside the airport, a defense official told CNN.

ISIS-K is a sworn enemy of the Taliban, and intelligence officials reportedly believe they are actively planning multiple attacks in a bid to create mayhem at the airport.

More than 100 ISIS-K affiliated inmates escaped from two prisons near Kabul amid the Taliban's advance on the city, the outlet reports.

A regional source told them several hundred ISIS-K members could have escaped.

Asked about the possible escape a Taliban spokesman only said the reports were not confirmed.

'There have been reports that some ill-wishers want to disrupt the security situation there by attacking and harming people and the media. So don't go close to the airport to avoid being hurt,' they told CNN.

One U.S. official said it was no longer a question of if, but when, militants would attack and the priority was to get out before it happened.

The fears that some people won't get out of Kabul will only grow in the coming days as as civilian mercy flights stop and troops begin withdrawing from the airport, with hundreds of American soldiers already thought to have left on flights that departed Tuesday.

There are signs that even foreign nationals are struggling to evacuate. A man claiming to be an Australian citizen was beaten bloody by Taliban fighters as he tried to reach the airport Wednesday.

The man, whose identity is unknown, filmed himself at what appears to be a Taliban checkpoint. Blood can be seen running down his face and onto his shirt while he says in accented English, 'They hit me... I am an Australian citizen.'

He then talks about trying to reach the airport, though his words are partially obscured by the sound of Taliban guards cocking and firing an AK47 rifle over his head - before the footage cuts out.

Biden has committed the US to withdraw by August 31, a decision that western allies warn will mean thousands of Afghans who were promised sanctuary being left behind

The Taliban has said it will now block all Afghan citizens from reaching the airport, meaning that those who are not already outside the gates face little prospect of being able to escape

American troops and their allies have evacuated some 70,000 people from the airport since the Taliban took power on August 14, but the effort falls far short of the more-than 100,000 that western nations had promised to take

A US marine comforts a child at Kabul airport as the evacuation operation nears it end, with US allies saying flights could stop within the next 24 hours

A US marine carries a child towards an evacuation aircraft at Kabul airport as the final mercy flights depart the country

The desperation to get on the last flights is already plain, with people standing in sewage up to their knees on the south side of the airport today while begging soldiers to let them inside.

'We won't get everyone out even by Sept 11': Democrat and Republican lawmakers pay secret trip to Kabul Two US military vets who now serve as congressmen flew unannounced into Afghanistan to monitor the on going evacuation efforts as they called on President Joe Biden to extend the US withdrawal deadline past August 31. Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, flew in and out of Kabul airport on Tuesday, with both men adding that they boarded return flights with empty seats so as not to take away space from fleeing Americans and Afghans. They appeared to condemn Joe Biden over his chaotic withdrawal from the war-torn country, and predicted the US would not be able to airlift everyone eligible to leave Afghanistan on time. In a joint statement, they said: 'It's obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won't get everyone out on time, even by September 11. 'Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban.' Advertisement

Many Afghans fear a repeat of the brutal five-year Taliban regime that was toppled in 2001, and violent retribution for working with foreign militaries, Western missions and the previous U.S.-backed government.

Washington and its allies have been flying out thousands of such Afghans every day on hulking military transports, but it has become an increasingly difficult and desperate task.

Speaking on Tuesday, Biden confirmed that in the past 12 hours, 19 U.S. military flights evacuated approximately 6,400 people and 31 coalition flights carrying 5,600 people have left Kabul.

A White House official told CNN yesterday that the number of Americans remaining in Afghanistan as of August 14 was 'probably lower than most people believe', but declined to confirm exactly how many remain in the country.

Though officials believe that thousands of Americans and their Allies remain in the Afghan capital, the New York Times reports.

The Afghan capital's airport has been gripped by chaos as US-led troops try to maintain a secure perimeter for evacuation flights, surrounded by desperate Afghans.

Some have foreign passports, visas or eligibility to travel, but most do not. At least eight people have died in the chaos.

'Does anyone ... ANYONE ... have a contact inside the airport,' pleaded one American on a WhatsApp group set up to share information on how people can access the airport.

'My guy worked for us 2010-15 and needs to get out with 5 of his family. This is real bad.'

The Taliban have also been accused of blocking or slowing access for many trying to reach the airport, although they denied the charge again late Tuesday.

Biden said the Taliban were taking steps to assist, but there was also an 'acute and growing risk' of an attack by the regional chapter of the Islamic State jihadist group.

Speaking yesterday, the President said he had asked the Pentagon and the State Department to develop contingency plans to push past the deadline should that prove necessary.

The Democratic president, whose administration has been under fire for its handling of the pullout, said U.S. forces had now helped evacuate 87,900 people since Aug. 14.

Rubio suggested on Twitter that Biden should 'inform' the Taliban that U.S. forces will remain in Kabul until everyone is evacuated, and 'If they get in the way they will be killed.'

Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal also appeared to criticize Biden's Aug. 31 decision, despite not mentioning the president by name.

'Rescuing U.S. citizens & Afghan allies from this humanitarian nightmare is a moral imperative demanding a continued military & diplomatic effort beyond Aug 31. Afghans who put their lives on the line deserve no less,' he wrote on Twitter Wednesday.

Former Trump campaign aide David Bossie blamed Biden for 'singlehandedly' causing the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan in a Fox News op-ed published Wednesday.

'In his never-ending rush to appease his socialist base, Biden allowed the murderous Taliban to takeover Afghanistan, put thousands of American lives at risk, embarrass our great country, and make us far less secure and respected as a nation,' Bossie wrote.

Nebaska Sen. Ben Sasse said 'Damn the deadline' in a statement on Tuesday.

'Americans want us to stay until we get our people out, and so do our allies. The Biden administration needs to cut the Stockholm syndrome,' he fumed.

Rep. Don Bacon, a veteran who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said there was a 'potential for lots of American hostages' in a Wednesday morning C-SPAN interview.

'This was a colossal disaster, it was avoidable. The president's policy was just a huge mistake. He overruled the military and the intelligence advisers in the White House and did what he thought was right, but it was a political objective if you asked me,' he said.

Rep. Mo Brooks said Biden 'will abandon Americans in Afghanistan' after Aug. 31 on Twitter Wednesday, adding 'We need Donald J. Trump back in the White House.'

Biden said his administration was working to rebuild a system for processing refugees that he said was 'purposely destroyed' by his Republican predecessor.

'We must all work together to resettle thousands of Afghans who ultimately qualify for refugee status. The United States will do our part,' he said.

Biden has also frequently pointed to Trump's peace deal with the Taliban that included a May 1 withdrawal deadline as his reason for pursuing the chaotic drawdown.

But on Tuesday night Pompeo claimed the Trump strategy 'utilized a combination of deterrence and negotiated agreements based on conditions in the country to keep the Taliban in check while we withdrew our forces.'

'We told the Taliban: if you violate the agreements, you will pay a heavy price. And we backed up those threats with action. We pressured the Ghani government to work through the reconciliation process or face serious costs,' he said, despite the Afghan government's notable exclusion from Trump's Taliban negotiations.

During a G7 meeting with other world leaders yesterday, Biden 'point blank' refused pleas from his allies to extend the August 31 deadline, and later said during a press conference he believes the evacuation will be complete on time.

However, concerns have been raised about the security at Kabul airport, where thousands of US troops are currently holding the line, with the Taliban now blocking access to the site.

People on the ground claim that Westerners in Afghanistan are being 'blocked from getting to Kabul airport' by Taliban fighters after the extremist group banned locals from fleeing the country.

The militant group today issued an edict saying only foreigners will be able to access the airport for evacuation.

A spokesperson for the group ordered locals to return home. Roads in the city have been blocked in a bid to stop Afghans from leaving.

Quoting 'multiple sources', Politico's Alex Thompson said: 'The Taliban has now started halting people trying to get in through the airport gates.

Afghan families are pictured boarding a military evacuation flight at Hamid Karzai Airport as the US prepares to withdraw from the country, with other western nations set to follow

Taliban are killing innocent children, former interior minister claims Afghanistan's former interior minister has claimed the Taliban are killing innocent children as they brutally consolidate power. Masoud Andarabi, who was sacked by the now former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani in March, posted shocking photos on Twitter of people, including a small child, who had allegedly been killed by Taliban fighters. He claimed that the group, who now control nearly all of Afghanistan after dramatically marching into the capital Kabul last week, 'are trying to rule over people by terrorizing, killing young children and elderly citizens.' Andarabi added that the Taliban 'cannot govern the nation' using such terror methods. Advertisement

'Not just Afghans but American citizens. Informal groups coordinating need to redirect people on the fly.'

However, in his address yesterday, Bide reiterated his message to the Taliban that the August 31 deadline could only be met if they upheld their agreement not to impede on the operation in any way.

Security concerns have also been raised by Pentagon commanders, who have warned that an Afghan-based Islamic State-offshoot called ISIS-K are 'targeting' evacuation planes flying out of Kabul.

The threat comes from an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan known as ISIS-K, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant  Khorasan Province. ISIS announced its expansion to the Khorasan region in 2015, which historically encompasses parts of modern day Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Joe Biden on Tuesday evening warned of the threat posed by ISIS-K, but Pentagon officials gave more detail in a closed-door briefing to Congress, which was relayed to Politico by three congressional aides and another source familiar with the intelligence.

'Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops,' Biden said.

'ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians.'

Further details on their plots were not shared - but U.S. forces left hordes of powerful weapons behind after withdrawing across Afghanistan, which could now be used against its own personnel.

U.S. planes landing at Kabul Airport earlier this week were also spotted doing steep 'diving combat' landings in a bid to avoid potential attack, and were photographed dropping flares which could draw away any missiles fired at them.

The officials said that the security situation around the airport had significantly deteriorated in recent days, given the new terror threats, and contributed to Biden's decision not to declare an extension of the August 31 deadline for all U.S. troops to leave.

ISIS-K is targeting airport gates - which have seen thousands of people gather in a bid to flee - as well as military and commercial aircraft evacuating people from the capital city, the sources told Politico.

They said the Defense Department officials told the meeting they are trying to mitigate the threats as best as possible.

Gates at the airport were closed because of the security threat, the sources said.

There was also panic after the U.S. embassy reportedly issued a last call for its citizens to leave Afghanistan, only to then recall the warning minutes later.

The Biden administration is under intense pressure to wrap up a chaotic evacuation without leaving Americans or Afghans with visas behind. The president's hurried withdrawal has drawn criticism from all sides: Republicans, Democrats, foreign policy hawks, humanitarian group sand international allies, who said they felt blindsided.

And two U.S. military vets, now serving as congressmen, who flew unannounced into Afghanistan to monitor the on going evacuation efforts have called on President Joe Biden to extend the U.S. withdrawal deadline past August 31.

A US soldier walks two Afghan women towards an evacuation plane on the runway at Hamid Karzai Airport this week

An Afghan woman accompanied by a young child walks towards a US evacuation plane sitting on the runway at Kabul airport

US Air Force officers load people being evacuated from Afghanistan onto a C-17 jet

'The Taliban is now fully-armed and in control of the entire country': Former UK commander warns of weapons seized by Taliban during takeover The Taliban's grip on Afghanistan has also been strengthened by the weapons, equipment and vehicles abandoned by the Afghan security forces as the militants swept through the country - that the US had only supplied earlier this year. Among the military haul collected by the Taliban during their offensive, are 61,000 high-explosive rounds, two million AK47 bullets, 10,000 70mm rockets, A-29 light aircraft, and 89,000 brand new combat shirts, the Mirror reports. Speaking to the publication, former commander of UK forces in Afghanistan Colonel Richard Kemp said: 'The ungoverned space of Afghanistan will be used by the Taliban's partners al-Qaeda and the tallies of equipment now being revealed are deeply disturbing. 'It means we are now facing a very well equipped terrorist army in Afghanistan that is being run by the new rulers of Afghanistan and that should concern us all. 'The Taliban is now fully-armed and in control of the entire country  and the west has left this equipment for them to help themselves.' Advertisement

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, flew in and out of Kabul airport on Tuesday, with both men adding that they boarded return flights with empty seats so as not to take away space from fleeing Americans and Afghans.

They appeared to condemn Joe Biden over his chaotic withdrawal from the war-torn country, and predicted the U.S. would not be able to airlift everyone eligible to leave Afghanistan on time.

'We conducted this visit in secret, speaking about it only after our departure, to minimize the risk and disruption to the people on the ground, and because we were there to gather information, not to grandstand,' the two said in a joint statement.

'As veterans, we care deeply about the situation on the ground at Hamid Karzai International Airport. America has a moral obligation to our citizens and loyal allies, and we must make sure that obligation is being kept.'

Later on, they added: 'It's obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won't get everyone out on time, even by September 11.

'Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban.'

Nancy Pelosi was among lawmakers who condemned the trip, although they have continued to defend it.

In a letter seen by Politico, she wrote: 'Given the urgency of this situation, the desire of some Members to travel to Afghanistan and the surrounding areas is understandable and reflective of the high priority that we place on the lives of those on the ground.

'Member travel to Afghanistan and the surrounding countries would unnecessarily divert needed resources from the priority mission of safely and expeditiously evacuating America and Afghans at risk from Afghanistan.'

Both Congressmen insisted their trip was meant to help ensure the U.S. was upholding its promises to evacuate Afghan people who'd aided its fight against the Taliban.

They paid for their own tickets to the United Arab Emirates, then boarded a U.S. military plane bound for Kabul. Further details on how the men managed to get on board that aircraft have not been disclosed.

CIA Director William Burns also, separately, flew to Kabul for a secret meeting with top Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar, U.S. media reported Tuesday, the highest-level meeting so far between the U.S. government and the new rulers of Afghanistan.

The New York Times said the spy chief was not there to negotiate an extension to the pullout deadline, but for general talks on 'evacuation operations and terrorist threats'.

Afghan civilians pack on to a Canadian evacuation flight out of Kabul, as western nations prepare to end the mercy missions

Despite the harrowing scenes at Kabul airport, the Taliban have ruled out any extension to next Tuesday's deadline to pull out foreign troops, describing it as 'a red line'.

'They have planes, they have the airport, they should get their citizens and contractors out of here,' Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday.

European nations have said they would not be able to airlift all at-risk Afghans before August 31.

'Even if (the evacuation) goes on... a few days longer, it will not be enough,' German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Bild TV.

A hard withdrawal deadline presents a further complication that may reduce the number of daily evacuations.

The United States deployed fresh troops for evacuations.

That 6,000-plus contingent, as well as hundreds of U.S. officials, 600 Afghan troops and the equipment, will have to be flown out.

To do that by August 31, the Pentagon said operations would have to start winding down days in advance.

Following their lightning victory that stunned the world, the Taliban have so far been content to allow the U.S.-led operation to continue, focusing instead on consolidating control and forming a government.

They have vowed a softer, more inclusive regime this time around, offering amnesty to opponents and assurances of rights to women.

But many Afghans remain fearful and skeptical.

A US Hercules transport plane waits on the tarmac at Zaragoza Airport, in Spain, as Afghans who already manage to flee Kabul are loaded on board for transport to their next destination

Afghan people, who were evacuated from Kabul, disembark a plane at Torrejon Military Air Base in Madrid, Spain

An Afghan girl carrying a Mickey Mouse doll walks to a bus that will take them to a refugee processing center at Dulles International Airport, Virginia

Afghan families walk to a bus that will take them to a refugee processing center at Dulles International Airport, Virginia

Afghan families walk to a bus that will take them to a refugee processing center at Dulles International Airport

The Taliban are killing innocent children as they brutally consolidate power, Afghanistan's former interior minister, Masoud Andarabi, has claimed as he posted shocking photos of people, including a small child, who had allegedly been murdered by the fighters

In an attempt to assuage fears, the Taliban spokesman on Tuesday urged skilled Afghans to not flee, saying the country needed 'expert' Afghans such as doctors and engineers.

But Zabihullah Mujahid added that women who work for the Afghan government should stay home until the security situation improves.

The Taliban have said women will be able to get an education and work, but within what they consider Islamic bounds.

And Afghanistan's former interior minister has claimed the Taliban are killing innocent children as they brutally consolidate power.

Masoud Andarabi, who was sacked by the now former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani in March, posted shocking photos on Twitter of people, including a small child, who had allegedly been killed by Taliban fighters.

He claimed that the group, who now control nearly all of Afghanistan after dramatically marching into the capital Kabul last week, 'are trying to rule over people by terrorizing, killing young children and elderly citizens.'

Andarabi added that the Taliban 'cannot govern the nation' using such terror methods.

The Taliban's grip on Afghanistan has also been strengthened by the weapons, equipment and vehicles abandoned by the Afghan security forces as the militants swept through the country - that the U.S. had only supplied earlier this year.

Taliban vow to tackle CLIMATE CHANGE: Terror group sets out its eco credentials (presumably by taking Afghanistan back to the Middle Ages) The Taliban has vowed to tackle climate change and global security as part of the terror group's attempt to rebrand itself and modernise despite reports of civilian executions and the erosion of women's rights under the new Afghan regime. Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a member of the Taliban's Cultural Commission, says the Islamists want to play a role on the global stage. He told Newsweek: 'We hope not only to be recognised by regional countries but the entire world at large as the legitimate representative government of the people of Afghanistan who have gained their right of self-determination from a foreign occupation with the backing and support of an entire nation after a prolonged struggle and immense sacrifices despite all odds being stacked against our people. 'We believe the world has a unique opportunity of rapprochement and coming together to tackle the challenges not only facing us but the entire humanity. 'These challenges ranging from world security and climate change need the collective efforts of all, and cannot be achieved if we exclude or ignore an entire people who have been devastated by imposed wars for the past four decades.' The Taliban has vowed to tackle climate change and global security as part of the terror group's attempt to rebrand itself and modernise The comments come amid the Taliban's efforts to project a more moderate image, two decades after they were ousted from power in Afghanistan. During their rule from 1996 to 2001, they committed massacres, eroded women's rights, burned vast areas of fertile land as part of its scorched earth policy, harboured terrorists and sold women into sex slavery as part of its harsh enforcement of Sharia law. Despite their alleged climate change goals, the Taliban previously carried out heavy deforestation from an illegal timber trade. Millions of acres of forests were cleared throughout the country to supply wood to the Pakistani markets with no reforestation efforts. Advertisement

Among the military haul collected by the Taliban during their offensive, are 61,000 high-explosive rounds, two million AK47 bullets, 10,000 70mm rockets, A-29 light aircraft, and 89,000 brand new combat shirts, the Mirror reports.

Speaking to the publication, former commander of UK forces in Afghanistan Colonel Richard Kemp said: 'The ungoverned space of Afghanistan will be used by the Taliban's partners al-Qaeda and the tallies of equipment now being revealed are deeply disturbing.

'It means we are now facing a very well equipped terrorist army in Afghanistan that is being run by the new rulers of Afghanistan and that should concern us all.

'The Taliban is now fully-armed and in control of the entire country  and the west has left this equipment for them to help themselves.'

While much of the attention has been focused on the evacuations in Afghanistan, aid agencies have warned of an impending humanitarian crisis for the population left behind.

'There's a perfect storm coming because of several years of drought, conflict, economic deterioration, compounded by COVID,' David Beasley, the executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme, told Reuters in Doha, calling for the international community to donate $200 million in food aid.

'The number of people marching towards starvation has spiked to now 14 million.'

The EU said this week it was planning a quadrupling in aid and was seeking coordination with the United Nations on delivery as well as safety guarantees on the ground.

The U.N. human rights chief said she had received credible reports of serious violations by the Taliban, including 'summary executions' of civilians and Afghan security forces who had surrendered. The Taliban have said they will investigate any reports of atrocities.

Non-Government organizations have also been working independently from official channels to help special immigrant visa applicants, who have been cut off from the airport by Taliban checkpoints.

Retired Marine Corps Sgt. Ryan Rogers told Fox News: 'Everyone is p****d about this even being necessary,' he said. 'But if the president doesn't want to step up and lead, someone else will.'

While former secretary of state Hillary Clinton has also been reportedly attempted to charter flights out of the country for the countrys at-risk women, the New York Times has reported.

And she has also been in contact with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to the Washington Examiner, to urge Canada to continue its evacuation work.
A politics student who danced topless at an Extinction Rebellion protest wearing just knickers and nipples covers has declared she did it to 'draw attention to the climate crisis'.

Laura Amherst, 31 drew startled looks and wild applause from passers-by and fellow protestors as she danced topless with just two Extinction Rebellion stickers covering her naked breasts in the centre of Oxford Circus on Wednesday.

Ms Amherst, who is studying politics at the Open University told MailOnline: 'I did it to draw attention to the climate crisis facing the planet.

'Dancing topless brought a nice energy to the protest and was also a very body positive thing to do. A lot of people congratulated me for doing this, especially women. I'm not getting paid for this or doing it to draw attention to myself but just to save the planet.'

Ms Amherst, who lives in Brighton, revealed that she is a committed member of XR along with her boyfriend.

Laura Amherst, 31 drew startled looks and wild applause from passers-by and fellow protestors as she danced topless with just two Extinction Rebellion stickers covering her naked breasts in the centre of Oxford Circus on Wednesday

Ms Amherst, who is studying politics at the Open University told MailOnline: 'I did it to draw attention to the climate crisis facing the planet

She added: 'Dancing topless brought a nice energy to the protest and was also a very body positive thing to do'

Ms Amherst wore just two Extinction Rebellion stickers over her nipples during the protests today

She posed for pictures during the protest in a bid to 'draw attention to the climate crisis'

Ms Amherst wrote 'Act now' on her buttocks at the protest on Oxford Street in central London today

Extinction Rebellion protesters return to London on day three of their two-week demonstration

Police form a ring around a pink structure the demonstrators erected on Wednesday afternoon in Oxford Circus, central London

The bright pink construction had a protester on top of it as police officers from the Met formed a ring around it this afternoon

Around 500 Extinction Rebellion activists blockaded Oxford Circus on Wednesday, one of several protests that are scheduled to take place for the next two weeks.

Ms Amherst added: 'My boyfriend has been very supportive about my decision to go topless as has my father. But it's got nothing to do with them because this is my body and I'm my own woman.

'They both know how passionate I am about saving the planet. I wasn't nervous about it at all and I felt that it made a lot of people happy.'

She continued: 'If me taking my clothes off can help save the planet then why not. I made the decision on Monday at the start of the protest campaign. It was my own choice, it had nothing to do with anybody else.'

She revealed that she is a vegan, who drives a hybrid car and lives in a home with her boyfriend that has renewable energy.

She added: 'We are doing all that we can to save the planet. Taking my clothes off gets people talking and also brought a smile to their faces.'

Metropolitan Police officers fail to stop the demonstrators from erecting the structure in the middle of the highway, forcing traffic to divert

Officers were pictured standing around in a circle around the structure - not intervening - as the protest clogged up Oxford Circus

Police simply looked on with their arms folded or stood around chatting showing little enthusiasm for breaking up the protest

Police officers carry a climate activist who tries to make it difficult for them by letting her body go limp as they finally start to clear the crowd in Oxford Circus

Eco-warriors from Extinction Rebellion have descended on central London for a third day of disruption over climate change

The protesters rammed the streets in Piccadilly Circus - blocking commuters from getting by - and blurted out rehearsed speeches through a microphone

One heavily tattooed man wore a tea towel over his mouth with the word 'babes' printed on it and the scrawled message: 'Protect indigenous peoples'

Some played dead in the road while others dressed up as trees and pretended they could not breathe during the bizarre stunt (pictured)

Ms Amherst said that she planned to go topless for the remainder of XR's two-week protest campaign in London.

She revealed that on Wednesday, she had been dancing for around six hours and that she was determined to remain topless whatever the weather.

Ms Amherst added: 'I started on Monday, so this is the third day of me going topless. Regardless of if it's sunny, cold or wet I will continue taking my top off. I have had a very positive reaction from both men and women.

'Only one man was negative, but he was a bit of weirdo who was trying to get my number. Apart from that, I've not had any problems.'
President Joe Biden on Wednesday joked with an NBC reporter about the evacuation in Afghanistan as thousands, including many Americans, struggle to get out of the war-torn country as the Taliban takes over.

Biden, after he made remarks at cybersecurity summit featuring several prominent business executives, was asked by NBC's Peter Alexander what he would do if Americans are still in Afghanistan after the August 31st deadline to withdraw U.S. troops.

'You'll be the first person I call,' Biden joked in response.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended Biden's remarks, pointing out the president has given numerous updates and gotten many briefings on the situation in Afghanistan.

'He has also highlighted the fact that we are closely watching closely following the threats from ISIS,' she said at her daily press briefing.

President Joe Biden joked with an NBC reporter about the evacuation in Afghanistan as thousands, including many Americans, struggle to leave

Up to 1,500 Americans are waiting to be evacuated, Secretary of State Tony Blinken said on Wednesday.

He also said there is 'no deadline' on efforts to evacuate American citizens and Afghan allies.

'That effort will continue every day past August 31,' Blinken noted. 'People who want to leave Afghanistan after the U.S. military departs should be able to do so.'

Desperate Afghan men, women and children have swarmed the airport in a bid to get out amid fears of an attack from the Islamic State offshoot ISIS-K and 10,000 evacuees are inside the gates waiting to get out.

About 4,500 U.S. citizens and immediate family members have been evacuated over the last 10 days.

As many as 6,000 Americans who wanted to leave Afghanistan were in the country when the Taliban took Kabul last week.

The administration has been criticized by Democrats, Republicans and the international community for sticking to its August 31 deadline to remove troops with critics worried the evacuation won't be completed in time.

Biden said on Tuesday they were on track to complete it by that date.

His latest remarks came as he enlisted the private sector to help his administration combat malicious online cyber attacks.

'We've seen time and again how the technologies we rely on, cell phones, and pipelines and the electric grid, can become targets of criminals,' Biden said.

'The reality is most of our critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector and the federal government can't meet this challenge alone,' he said.

JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, Apple's Tim Cook, Google's Sundar Pichai, Amazon's Andy Jassy and Microsoft's Satya Nadella were among those attending the meeting in the State dining room at the White House.

A U.S. Air Force guard aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in support of the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul

President Joe Biden hosted a number of prominent business leaders at the White House for a summit on cyber security

Apple CEO Tim Cook, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and Google CEO Sundar Pichai were among the attendees at the cyber summit

A senior administration official described the gathering as a 'call to action.'

'The federal government can't solve this complex, growing international challenge alone, and we can't do it overnight,' the official told reporters on a briefing call Tuesday night.

Representatives from the tech, financial, energy, education and insurance sectors will be at the event.

At the summit, the administration will ask the private industry to help them to address the 'root causes of any kind of malicious cyber activity,' the official said.

The summit comes after several companies have faced ransomware attacks, in some cases extorting multi-million-dollar payments from major corporations. Colonial Pipeline, JBS Holdings and Microsoft have all been subject to malicious cyber attacks in the past year. The SolarWinds attack last year affected several government agencies.

The meeting also comes as Congress is weighing a crack down on Big Tech.

A legislative package approved in June by the House Judiciary Committee is aimed at overhauling U.S. antitrust laws and reeling in the power of the tech companies.

The six bills in the packet would make it harder and more expensive for tech companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google to complete mergers, prevent them from discriminating against other businesses make it easier for state attorneys general to choose where to bring antitrust cases and allow federal regulators to sue to break up companies that operate a dominant platform.

The legislation also prevents platforms from offering a product or service that users must purchase or use in exchange for access to the platform, which could affect the Fulfillment by Amazon service. Amazon is lobbying heavily against the legislation.

The topics at Wednesday's summit will include ransomware, critical infrastructure, supply chain security, cybersecurity education and data breach insurance policy.

Top Biden administration officials, including the secretaries of Homeland Security, Energy and Commerce, will attend the summit as with Biden's cybersecurity team.

The summit will include three breakout sessions that will focus on critical infrastructure resilience; cybersecurity talent and workforce issues; and building stronger technology and insurance solutions.

The meeting is taking place as the White House has been dealing with the American troop withdrawal in Afghanistan and the evacuation there.

White House officials noted the summit was announced last month and is simply going ahead as scheduled, a sign of how important the administration considers cyber issues.

In May, Biden signed an executive order to strengthen government software security, mandate IT service providers to report attacks that could impact U.S. networks, and streamline info-sharing.
Dan Bauman, 50, (pictured) was charged with aggravated child abuse for shoving a student outside Fort Lauderdale High, shortly after protesting the school's mask mandate with his 15-year-old daughter, Isobel.

The father of a Fort Lauderdale teenager was arrested Wednesday, accused of assaulting a student outside his daughter's high school during an argument over mask mandates.

Dan Bauman, 50, was charged with aggravated child abuse for shoving a student outside Fort Lauderdale High, shortly after protesting the school's mask mandate with his 15-year-old daughter, Isobel.

Bauman and his daughter arrived on school property Wednesday morning, accompanied by a small group carrying signs protesting the district's mask mandate.

Isobel, who is a 10th-grader in her first year at the school, refuses to wear a mask and has been denied admittance each day by faculty members.

The sophomore told reporters she 'wants to be able to go to school like everyone does but I can't wear a mask.'

'I can't breathe in it and I want to have that choice,' she said.

As Isobel continued speaking with reporters, a group of students on the school's campus began chanting, 'Wear a Mask, Wear a Mask' toward Isobel and her father.

According to police reports, Bauman pushed the student by the shoulder, and then 'grabbed her hand and twisting her arm in an aggressive manner'

On Wednesday, a student approached Bauman and said "I've had enough for four days" and attempted to grab his cellphone as he was recording when the incident occurred

Police arrived and arrested Bauman immediately after the incident

Dan Bauman insisted to CBS Miami reporters, 'First of all, it's illegal for them to mandate it. It's against the law, it's against the Parents Bill of Rights. Our belief is it doesn't stop the spread of the virus. It doesn't control it, it does more harm than good.'

But Fort Lauderdale High School Class President Raymond Adderly told reporters, 'They say that they stand for kids whereas they're actually distracting them right now.'

At one point, a student approached Bauman and said, 'I've had enough for four days' before attempting to grab his cellphone as he was recording, police said.

According to police reports, Bauman pushed the student by the shoulder, and then 'grabbed her hand and twisting her arm in an aggressive manner.'

Police arrived and arrested Bauman.

More than half of Florida's students are enrolled in public schools that will implement mask mandates this coming school year - ignoring Gov. Ron DeSantis' order to make the face coverings illegal.

Before the incident, Bauman told CBS Miami reporters, 'First of all, it's illegal for them to mandate it. It's against the law, it's against the Parents Bill of Rights. Our belief is it doesn't stop the spread of the virus. It doesn't control it, it does more harm than good.'

Bauman's daughter, Isobel, who is a 10th-grader in her first year at the school, refuses to wear a mask and has been denied admittance each day by faculty members

Indian River and Sarasota counties joined Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough, Leon, Alachua, Palm Beach, Orange and Duval in mandating that students mask up for the coming school year.

According to Florida Department of Education enrollment tallies for 2020-21, the 10 counties combine for about 52 percent of the total school population. There were 2,791,687 students enrolled last year, and the combined enrollment of those counties exceeds 1.45 million, according to The Associated Press.

The Fort Lauderdale school's interim principal, Sean Curran, said the school's hands are tied and that the administration is just following the guidance of the Broward County school district.

Over half of Florida's students are enrolled in public schools that will implement mask mandates this coming school year, despite attempts by Governor Ron DeSantis to make them illegal

As Florida's cases continue to soar, the state reported a seven-day rolling average of 21,706 new cases daily on Saturday

'Our kids are incredible,' Curran said. 'Every single one of them is wearing it and are supportive of what the measures are to keep everyone safe.'

The 10 districts' policies are in defiance of DeSantis' July 30th executive order to protect 'parents freedom to choose' whether or not their children had to wear masks in schools.

'I didn't have to be like, held down by someone and like, tape a mask on my face this morning, I put this mask on my face,' Fort Lauderdale High student, Elena Morabant said.

'We all chose to wear a mask today, to come to school and protect our friends,' she added.

As Florida's cases continue to soar, the state reported a seven-day rolling average of 21,706 new cases a day last week.

The state also recorded an additional 1,071 deaths, a daily average of 153, in the health department's weekly report.

This brings the statewide total to 2,877,214 cases and 40,766 deaths.
A man who was rescued thanks to dolphins after a 12-hour sea ordeal has been revealed as the 'Frostbit boy'.

Ruairi McSorley, 24, became stranded two and a half miles from shore in the icy waters of Tralee Bay and was rescued on Sunday in what an RNLI volunteer called a 'miracle'.

He shot to fame in 2015 in a viral video, which gained more than 3.5million views in a few days, of him being interviewed as a teenager on his way to school making his way through snowy conditions.

His comedically thick Irish accent drew in masses of attention after the interview with UTV aired, in which he explained 'you wouldn't be long getting frostbit' in the hilarious clip.

The Irish Independent revealed the swimmer's identity on Wednesday and explained he is feeling '100%' after the scary ordeal.

Ruairi McSorley, 24, (pictured) became stranded two and a half miles from shore in the icy waters of Tralee Bay and was rescued on Sunday in what an RNLI volunteer called a 'miracle'

The hypothermic and exhausted man said he had attempted to swim over 5 miles off the coast of Castlegregory beach in southwest Ireland to Mucklaghmore Rock

Ruairi was hauled out of the freezing water by a Fenit RNLI lifeboat at 8.30pm on Sunday, aided by a pod of dolphins who lifeboat crew believed 'helped him'.

The hypothermic and exhausted man, from the village of Park in ComDerry, said he had attempted to swim over 5 miles off the coast of Castlegregory beach in southwest Ireland to Mucklaghmore Rock, but he was sorely unprepared.

He was found more than 12 hours after he had set off, wearing nothing but a pair of skimpy swimming trunks and surrounded by dolphins, thanks to RNLI coxswain Finbarr O'Connell's excellent knowledge of the bay's tides and currents.

Speaking about his rescuers, he said: 'Theyre very professional and very slick. Theyre incredible people, I have to say. They arent like doctors or paramedics  paid professionals. Theyre volunteers. Theyre definitely a great group of people, theres no doubt.

Fenit RNLI volunteer Jackie Murphy said it was a 'miracle' the man had survived the ordeal, and credited O'Connell with his rescue thanks to his ability to calculate the swimmer's likely position.

Coxswain Finbarr O'Connell, the man credited with the swimmer's rescue, stands on the left next to colleagues of Fenit RNLI

The man was rescued two and a half miles off the coast of Tralee Bay in southwestern Ireland after spending 12 hours in the icy waters

The man's salvation came after crews from Fenit RNLI and R118 coastguard conducted an intensive search and rescue operation across Tralee Bay, according to the Irish Independent.

A Facebook post by Fenit Lifeboat Station said the Irish coastguard requested a rescue mission as early as 11am after the swimmer's clothes were discovered on the beach.

The search operation was called off after several hours in the afternoon, but was reactivated at 6pm as lifeboats were joined by helicopters to aid the search.

Fenit RNLI said the crew spotted 'a pod of dolphins about two and a half miles off Castlegregory beach', which led them to discover the desperate swimmer.

The crew pulled the man, who was incredibly still conscious, from the water and ferried him back to shore, where he was met by an ambulance and promptly transported to hospital.

RNLI coxswain O'Connell said: 'He was very, very lucky. There is no doubt about it. Another half an hour, and he was a goner.

'It is literally beyond us all (how he survived), he had no wetsuit, nothing.

'His body temperature was so low. It dropped way down. The medics were amazed with him. It's incredible, really.'

Coxswain O'Connell also made a point of noting the dolphins who had reportedly circled the swimmer but were not acting aggressively, perhaps in an effort to protect him or herd him back to safety.

'There were 'a lot of dolphins around,' he exclaimed. 'Maybe they helped him in some way or another - who knows?'

RNLI crew said they spotted a pod of dolphins about two and a half miles off Castlegregory beach, which led them to discover the desperate swimmer

Rescuers who first saw the man when they arrived at the scene thought they had spotted a seal drifting in the water, but the hypothermic and fatigued swimmer managed to raise an arm to signal for help.

'It was a great, great moment for us,' said O'Connell.

'The elation of seeing somebody floating alive in the water, rather than the other way, is so great.

'We have had too many bad outcomes, so it was absolutely fantastic to pick him up.'

'Normally we go out, and it mightn't be that positive. We are all just elated.'

Fenit RNLI lifeboat operations manager Gerard O'Donnell echoed coxswain O'Connell's statements of elation at finding and saving the swimmer, but warned of the dangers of swimming in the sea.

'Even at this time of year, the water can be very cold. When the lifeboat crew found [the swimmer] they were a good distance from the shore and were exhausted.'

O'Donnell advised anyone going for a swim to take all necessary precautions and to let people know where they are going and when they are expected back to avoid being stranded for long periods of time.

Water Safety Ireland is urging people going to the beach or paddling in the sea to swim within their depth following the incident.

'Many people are swimming for the first time this year and have not had swimming classes for more than 15 months.

'Swim at a lifeguarded waterway. Otherwise swimming areas that are known locally as safe and where there are ring-buoys present for rescues.

'Make sure that the water's edge is shallow shelving so that you can safely enter and exit.'
An Asian-American father who scolded his sons while on a walk says he was harassed by a white couple who flagged a public safety officer claiming he was abusing his child and told him to 'go to another town.'

Last Wednesday, 42-year-old Michael Kim was walking back from a hike on Fire Island, New York, with his two sons, ages nine and five, when he claims he was harassed by a couple because he scolded his sons for play fighting and almost getting hit by a truck.

'I was completely shaken and yelled at them out of sheer terror,' Kim told NextShark. 'I stopped on the side of the road to scold them for misbehaving in such a dangerous manner.'

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Kim says a man and woman approached him on their bikes and demanded to speak to him but he refused and the woman flagged down a Public Safety officer

He says that's when the couple approached him on their bikes and demanded to speak to him. He said he refused to engage 'because I was busy dealing with a private family issue, which is my and every parent's responsibility and right.'

But the woman flagged down a public safety officer and told him Kim was abusing his children. Kim says his kids shut down the abuse claims.

'My older son immediately told the officer that the allegation was completely untrue,' Kim said. 'The public safety officer drove away without taking any action  because there was no reason to.'

According to Kim, even after the officer drove away, the woman continued to harass the family, even trying to get passersby to join in.

At one point, Kim said her male companion says, 'This isn't China' and approaches Kim in an 'intimidating fashion', prompting him to pull out his cellphone and record.

'Due to the racist comment, as well as the man's large physical size and body language, I felt threatened, pulled out my phone and began recording the both of them,' said Kim, who is Korean-American.

'At that point the man and woman's aggressive demeanor immediately changed, and stopped approaching me, but continued to harass me and my children.'

In the now viral video posted to TikTok, Kim can be heard saying, 'Please leave me alone, you are harassing me' multiple times. At one point, one of his sons joins in and tells the pair to 'stop.'

In the recording, the woman and man are a few feet away from Kim standing by their bikes.

The man asks Kim where he works and the woman asks him what town he's from and says, 'why are you here?'.

When Kim tells them that is none of their business, they leave, but before she goes, the woman tells him, 'please don't harass your children here, go to another town, I don't want to see you.'

Kim tells her 'thank you, Karen' and they walk away.

The 42-year-old father says he believes his race played a factor in the pair's reaction to him.

'I have zero doubt that had me and my kids looked like them they would have continued on their way without incident,' he told meaww.com

Kim, who is divorced, said the experience has been traumatic for his kids.

'My kids are traumatized and keep asking me if the police will take me away, and why we don't belong in that town because of her (racist ranting) telling us to leave,' he said. 'They love Fire Island, but now they don't want to return because they are uncomfortable and scared of what might happen to me and in turn, them.'

Fire Island is a largely residential barrier island off the south shore of Long Island, New York.

Asian-American Rep. Grace Meng commented on the video, and the 'disgusting smirk' on the woman's face during the encounter.

'So sick of constantly being questioned of where we're from or why we're here,' she tweeted. 'Secret's out: they're letting Asians and other POC onto Fire Island and other nice places too. Disgusting smirk on her face like she thinks she's more American than this family.'

Kim said this incident is not the first time he has faced harassment over his race.

'Being an Asian American male, I have to face all the typical stereotypes of being comical, asexual/weak, and generally a punching bag for those looking to boost their weak self-esteem,' he said. 'I have been called a ch**k/g**ok/slope/Bruce lee unprovoked in previous jobs, school, and even walking down the street minding my own business.'

A Twitter user, who claimed to track down the woman in the video, identified her as 'Kate Shanley' and emailed her about the incident.

She posted Shanley's unverified response in which she denied being racist and said she stepped up because Kim 'mentally abused' his son for half an hour and for Kim to paint the situation as 'Asian hate or racist' is 'pure manipulation.'

Kim replied to Shanley's unverified email statement and denied the abuse allegations. He pointed out she did not refute the claims about trying to get him arrested and her friend's 'go back to China' comment.

'Note how Kate makes no mentions or denials about a) flagging down the trained & impartial public safety officer and unsuccessfully calling on him and others to call 911 to have me arrested b) her friend's 'This isn't China' statement' he tweeted.
The mother of a Kentucky woman who vanished more than six years ago says the FBI has turned its focus to three homes constructed by the missing womans boyfriend around the time of her disappearance.

Crystal Rogers, 35, was last seen July 3, 2015 by her boyfriend Brooks Houck. He told police she was playing games on her phone that evening, but was gone the next morning.

The Bardstown, Kentucky, womans maroon Chevrolet Impala was later found on the side of the Bluegrass Parkway with a flat tire. Her purse, keys, and uncharged phone remained inside the unlocked vehicle.

The FBI announced Tuesday that it was scouring a local neighborhood in connection with Rogers disappearance.

Based on information collected over the last year by the federal investigation into the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, FBI Louisville is now conducting several searches in the Woodlawn Springs subdivision, the agency said Tuesday on Twitter.

Krystal Rogers was last seen July 3, 2005, by her boyfriend, Brooks Houck, who was in the process of building three homes at the time of her disappearance

FBI agents scoured Houck's properties Wednesday as they continued their search for the missing mother-of-five

Investigators focused their efforts on three homes built by Houck around the time Rogers went missing, said her mom Sherry Ballard.

He didnt help build the homes  he built them, Ballard told Dailymail.com. He was the architect.

Search teams have now narrowed its scope down to a single property, she said.

The FBI did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Rogers' boyfriend Brooks Houck is the only named suspect in the case

An agent on the scene Tuesday told The Courier-Journal, a local newspaper, that investigators would search for as long as it takes.

Search teams were aided by a cadaver dog, another Kentucky media outlet reported.

After she disappeared, Rodgers' father Tommy Ballard spearheaded an initiative to bring her home.

But on November 19, 2016, he was fatally shot while preparing for a hunting trip with his 12-year-old grandson. He had been standing on family property, next to Bluegrass Parkway in Bardstown, when someone fired a single shot into his chest.

His murder remains unsolved.

The FBI is also investigating that case, but has not said whether it's connected to Rogers' disappearance.

The FBI took over the missing persons investigation last August, with 150 federal agents executing search warrants on nine properties, including a family farm and Houcks home, where IRS agents were seen removing files, documents and computer hard drives.

The Bardstown, Kentucky, womans maroon Chevrolet Impala was later found on the side of the Bluegrass Parkway with a flat tire. Her purse, keys, and uncharged phone remained inside the unlocked vehicle

Before she went missing, Rogers sent a friend a message saying she and Houck hired a babysitter for their two-year-old son that evening, and planning to go on a date

At the time, his brother Nick Houck's home was also searched by FBI agents with canines who appeared focused on a pickup truck. Investigators collected evidence from the home, and witnesses said Nick Houck was taken away by law enforcement.

Nick Houck was in 2015 fired from the Bardstown Police Department for allegedly warning his brother that cops were coming to question him. He later failed a lie detector test about the case.

Nelson County Sheriff Ed Mattingly officially named Brooks Houck a suspect in October 2015, about three months after the mother-of-five disappeared.

Nick Houck, whose brother is the chief suspect in the case, was fired from the police force for tipping his sibling off when investigators planned to interview him

Police at the time released a video of an interview between a detective and Brooks Houck, which showed him claiming that Rogers went out with friends the night she disappeared.

'They do these fantasy parties,' he told the officer. 'All these girls get together, its not uncommon for them to stay out...the better part of the night if not the whole night.'

The detective then referenced a text obtained from Rogers' phone, where she told a friend that she and Brooks had found a babysitter to watch their two-year-old son that night.

Sixteen months after his daughter disappeared, Tommy Ballard was fatally shot while preparing for a hunting trip. His murder remains unsolved

It's our first time being kid-free for awhile. We're gonna enjoy ourselves,' the detective said while reading aloud the text in footage obtained by WDRB.

'I don't know,' Houck responded.

Shortly after his girlfriend disappeared, Houck said he wasnt concerned because the couple had a 'stressed relationship' at times and Crystal would sometimes 'cope or deal' by spending the night at her cousin Sabrina's house.

The FBI also launched a website to help raise awareness about the case.

The site features a quote from one of Rogers daughters.

My mom is a very special women, the daughter said. The memory that will forever be in my heart is going to DQ and buying my momma lunch. We would always get the chicken strip basket with the toast and gravy to go with it.

Since my moms been missing, life has been really hard. I always wonder what my life would be like if she and my papaw was still here.
A young father visiting Miami Beach from Colorado with his family was shot and killed while shielding his one-year-old son from a crazed gunman, who police say opened fire at diners at an outdoor restaurant, and then celebrated the killing by dancing on top of the victim's body.

Tamarius Blair Davis, 22, of Norcross, Georgia, told investigators he shot Dustin Wakefield, 21, on Tuesday night because he 'was high on mushrooms, which made him feel empowered,' according to his arrest report.

Davis allegedly told police he approached the patio area of the La Cerveceria restaurant just before 6.30pm and randomly decided to shoot Wakefield, who was on vacation from Castle Rock, Colorado with his young wife and their son.

In a short video taken immediately after the shooting and obtained by WSVN-TV, the gunman can be seen dancing while people are heard screaming. The gunman then walks up some steps, the weapon in his hand.

Scroll down for video

This image provided by the Miami-Dade Police Department shows Tamarius Davis Jr (left), police say who fatally shot a tourist, Dustin Wakefield, 21 (right), eating dinner with his family at a Miami Beach restaurant on Tuesday. Family said Wakefield died protecting his son

Video showed Davis celebrating the killing by dancing, reportedly on top of Wakefield's body

The incident took place at La Cerveceria restaurant in Miami Beach on Tuesday

Mike Wakefield, the victims uncle, told the Miami Herald that Dustin Wakefield died protecting his young son.

'This guy came in with a gun waving it, saying its time to die. He pointed the gun at his son and Dustin said, "Hes only a boy,' said Mike Wakefield, who was not in South Beach but heard the account from his family. 'Dustin stood up between the gunman and the baby and he shot him. He shot him multiple times on the ground.'

A witness told CBS Miami that after the shooting, Davis celebrated by dancing on top of Wakefield.

Wakefield was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he died of his injuries.

The victim's uncle said of his nephew, who worked in construction, 'He was the kindest kid. He loved his family. He loved being a dad.'

Davis was arrested in an alley a short time later. He was said to have told cops he shot Wakefield at random because he 'was high on mushrooms, which made him feel empowered'

Davis fled the restaurant, police said, and was captured in a nearby alley. Cellphone video obtained by the Herald shows Davis lying spread-eagle on his back and smiling as three officers approach with their guns pointed towards him yelling commands, warning him that if he touches his gun he will be shot.

Davis then rolled onto his side into a fetal position, before again rolling onto his back as officers approached. Davis screamed 'I give, I give, I give' as officers flip him onto his stomach and handcuff him. The video shows a black handgun lying about 10 feet away.

Tommy Davis, the suspects father, told The Associated Press that his son, who works for UPS, had traveled to Miami Beach with some friends. He said his son has never been in trouble or had mental health issues. No arrest record for the younger Davis could be found.

'This is an unlikely thing,' the senior Davis said. We are trying to find out what happened. You can imagine we were shocked.'

Wakefield was visiting Miami Beach with his wife and young son from their home in Castle Rock, Colorado

According to family, Wakefield worked construction and loved being a dad

He said he didnt know whether his son would ingest mushrooms or other drugs.

'You think you know your kid, but you dont,' he said. 'It is possible someone gave him something. That is something we need to find out.'

Davis is charged with second-degree murder, and also for attempted murder for allegedly shooting at another man while chasing him moments before Wakefield's killing.

Police said the man Davis was chasing escaped unharmed, reported Local 10.

During his initial court appearance, a judge ordered Davis held in the Miami-Dade County Jail without bond, telling him that he killed someone 'in cold blood.'

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support Wakefield's family, including his wife of two years and their son.
The wife of a millionaire water company boss has died suddenly on holiday in Menorca, it emerged yesterday.

Elsie Mogford, 37, had been married for two years to Steve Mogford, the 65-year-old head of United Utilities.

A keen horsewoman and mother of two sons from a previous marriage, she was taken ill at their 1million villa on the south of the Spanish island on Tuesday.

Luxury: The 2m yacht they used to own, second left

An ambulance was called but Mrs Mogford, who is of Greek descent, could not be saved and was declared dead in hospital.

She married Mr Mogford in June 2019 following the death of his first wife, Barbara, 61, from breast cancer in 2016.

He has two daughters who are around the same age as his second wife.

The cause of death has not been confirmed by Spanish officials. Mrs Mogford had posted a number of photographs of their holiday on social media, including ones of her sunbathing on their 2million yacht.

Last night a family member told the Mail: 'I'm in a state of shock. I don't know many details apart from she was on holiday in Menorca and she died on Tuesday morning.

'They have a villa over there and all I know is that they called an ambulance.

'She has two boys and it's so sad for them. She was a very good horse rider and a lovely person. I got on well with her.'

Neighbours living near the couple's 1.5million farmhouse outside Chorley in Lancashire said family and friends were seen sobbing outside the property on Tuesday.

There was no answer yesterday at the gated property, which has its own stables and dressage arena and is situated in beautiful countryside, close to Anglezarke Reservoir.

One local told the Mail: 'It is very quiet around here but there were quite a few people outside the Mogfords' property on Tuesday crying and hugging.

'It's very sad. The rumour is she had a heart attack, but nobody really knows what has happened.'

Mrs Mogford, whose children are aged 15 and 11, has competed in eventing and dressage and was devoted to her horses. She had also posted comments about missing her 'gorgeous' animals after she left England for Menorca a fortnight ago.

Mr Mogford has been at the helm of United Utilities for a decade and earned 2.94million last year in salary, bonus and benefits.

During that time the firm, which provides water and waste services to more than three million households and businesses in the North West of England, has regularly come under fire for paying Mr Mogford's huge wages, while presiding over massive water leaks and the threat of imposing hosepipe bans in hot weather.

The businessman, who has a science background, worked for British Aerospace for many years. He switched to an Italian defence company before moving to United Utilities in 2011.

Mr Mogford was educated at Barking Abbey Grammar School in east London and Queen Elizabeth College, part of the University of London.

A family spokesman said: 'The family of Elsie Mogford announce her death, in hospital in Menorca, on Tuesday 24 August. Elsie was a wonderful, wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend and she will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved her.

'The family request privacy at this very sad time.'
Meghan and Harry considered naming the royal they alleged made a racist remark before their son Archie's birth, it was claimed last night.

An updated edition of a biography of the couple says they weighed up 'sharing this detail' in their bombshell TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.

However Meghan ultimately told Oprah that revealing the individual's identity would be 'very damaging to them'.

A leaked epilogue to the update of Finding Freedom makes a series of dramatic claims about the couple, the state of their relationship with the Royal Family and the fallout from the tell-all interview in March.

It says Prince William was left 'furious' by the broadcast  but that Meghan found it 'cathartic' and 'liberating'. It also quotes a friend of the duchess as complaining that, several months later, 'little accountability' had been taken by the monarchy over her allegations.

Harry and Meghan have repeatedly insisted that Finding Freedom was unauthorised and that they had not offered any co-operation. However, the authors  Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand  are seen as being close to the couple. The updated edition, with a new epilogue, is due to be published next week.

The book says Meghan found the experience of speaking to Oprah 'cathartic' and 'liberating'

Meghan and Harry considered naming the royal they alleged made a racist remark before their son Archie's birth, according to a new chapter of biography Finding Freedom

The sensational claims made in leaks of the epilogue last night included that:

Members of the Royal Family were 'quietly pleased' that the Duchess of Sussex missed Prince Philip's funeral because they feared she would 'create a spectacle' if she attended;

While Harry and his brother have spoken on multiple occasions, Harry and his father Charles were only on 'light speaking terms';

The book alleges that palace courtiers had lied to the media over Meghan and Harry's wishes on the issue of Archie not being made a prince, claiming that the couple did in fact want this option;

It criticises the monarchy after courtiers ordered an inquiry into claims of bullying against the duchess while the couple's allegations of racism did not receive the same treatment;

The book claims Harry was left 'deeply saddened' after he was refused permission to have a wreath laid in his name on Remembrance Sunday last year because he was no longer a 'frontline royal';

The authors also offer a new take on Harry's financial situation in the run-up to 'Megxit', saying the couple 'wouldn't have survived' without his inheritance from his mother Diana;

The epilogue also claims Meghan had no idea that diamond earrings given to her as a wedding present were from Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi prince accused of ordering the murder of a journalist.

The updated edition of the controversial biography is likely to trigger intense debate over the state of Harry and Meghan's relationship with senior royals.

It claims that although emotions within the Royal Family are still 'raw' over the Oprah interview, it quotes a source close to the couple saying 'it will force people to talk in order for the healing to begin'.

In a sign that relations remain frayed, the source tells the authors that 'it will take time to get past the hurt'.

'There has to be some acknowledgement of understanding about what the Sussexes went through in order for there to be progress,' the source is quoted as saying.

The book also suggests that Meghan personally contacted one of the authors to see if they were OK after they allegedly received abuse on social media.

Last night, Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the latest claims.

The new epilogue also suggests that Harry and Meghan feared courtiers were trying to damage them even though they have moved to the United States.

It says that more than a year after their decision to leave their royal roles, the couple felt that 'courtiers inside the institution' were still 'appearing to actively undermine Harry and Meghan by deliberately leaking information to discredit them'.

On the issue of the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral, it says that Meghan hoped to return with Harry but adds: 'In truth, several members of the Royal Family are understood to have been 'quietly pleased' that Meghan stayed in California because they 'didn't want a circus' or, commented a senior royal source, 'the duchess creating a spectacle'.'

The book says emotions within the Royal Family are still 'raw' over the Oprah interview

Pictured: Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Wellington, New Zealand, in October 2018

On the allegations of racism in the Oprah interview, the book criticised the fact that the Buckingham Palace response to the claims contained no condemnation, and that the phrase 'recollections may vary', contained in a statement, meant 'full ownership was not taken'.

The authors claimed that William was 'furious' that family matters had been discussed publicly during the March broadcast.

Shortly after the interview went out, he was asked about the couple's allegation that a senior royal had expressed 'concern' about Archie's skin colour before he was born.

As William left a school he had visited in east London, a reporter asked: 'Is the Royal Family a racist family, sir?' He replied: 'We're very much not a racist family.'

Harry's Remembrance Day wreath was ultimately left in its box at a branch of the Royal British Legion in Kent.

A source close to the prince is quoted in Finding Freeedom saying that 'ten years of service and a lifetime of commitment to the military community and this is how it's been acknowledged by the family'.

Lawyers for Harry and Meghan have distanced themselves from Finding Freedom, describing it as unauthorised, and saying the authors 'do not speak for our clients and seem to rely on unnamed sources'.

Yet more 'truth bombs' from Philip's funeral to Oprah fallout in new chapter of Finding Freedom: Book claims failure to deal with Sussex claims of racism 'could bring down the monarchy'

An updated edition of Harry and Meghan biography Finding Freedom made a string of fresh claims last night that are likely to trigger debate about the state of their relationship with the Royal Family.

A leaked version of the epilogue claimed the couple had considered naming the royal they alleged had made a racist comment about their son, Archie; that some royals were 'quietly pleased' the Duchess of Sussex missed Prince Philip's funeral and that Prince William was 'furious' about their interview with Oprah.

The new edition  due to be released on August 31, the 24th anniversary of Princess Diana's death  also said the Sussexes had 'no regrets' about quitting their royal roles and that Meghan found her explosive Oprah interview 'cathartic' and 'liberating'.

Buckingham Palace did not comment on the book's contents when it first emerged last year and last night a spokesman declined to comment on the latest claims.

Lawyers for Harry and Meghan have distanced themselves from Finding Freedom, describing it as unauthorised, and saying the authors did 'not speak for our clients and seem to rely on unnamed sources'.

The book's authors meanwhile, have said that Finding Freedom is 'independent and unauthorised' and have also claimed that the couple did not speak to them about its contents. Last night, the Daily Mail contacted Harper Collins, the publisher, for comment but did not receive a reply.

OPRAH FALLOUT

Meghan plunged the monarchy into crisis after telling Oprah Winfrey that an unnamed royal had expressed 'concern' about Archie's skin before he was born.

The epilogue reveals that a source told authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand that the Sussexes had considered naming the family member  but had ultimately decided not to.

It also claimed that 'sources close to the Sussexes' had said that the Royal Family's reaction to the allegations made by the couple 'was not positive'.

The source told the authors that there had to be 'some acknowledgment' about what the Sussexes went through for there to be 'progress'.

Meghan (centre) plunged the monarchy into crisis after telling Oprah Winfrey (right) that an unnamed royal had expressed 'concern' about Archie's skin before he was born

The criticism came after a carefully-worded statement from the Queen following the controversial Oprah interview, which expressed concern for the couple but insisted that 'some recollections may vary'.

In the updated edition, the authors write that the 'unaddressed' allegations 'have continued to threaten the Royal Family's image around the world' and 'could no doubt bring down the monarchy'.

Sources told the authors that the Duke of Cambridge was said to be 'furious' after the interview because 'private family matters were being discussed in the public domain'.

Days later, Prince William firmly told reporters that the royals were 'very much not a racist family' but, according to the book, he is 'unlikely' to ever comment on the claims again.

The updated book claimed that although emotions within the Royal Family were still 'raw' over the Oprah interview, it quoted a source close to the couple saying the couple's intervention could 'force people to talk in order for the healing to begin'.

PHILIP'S FUNERAL

The book details how family tensions were put aside after Prince Philip died in April.

The Duchess of Sussex, who was pregnant with daughter Lilibet, was absent from the funeral after doctors refused her clearance to fly.

The book details how family tensions were put aside after Prince Philip died in April. Pictured: The funeral of Prince Philip

Authors Scobie and Durand wrote that Meghan had hoped to return with Harry but added: 'In truth, several members of the Royal Family are understood to have been 'quietly pleased' that Meghan stayed in California because they 'didn't want a circus' or, commented a senior royal source, 'the duchess creating a spectacle'.' They also claimed that the funeral was 'surreal' for Harry.

They cited a source suggesting that saying goodbye to his grandfather was made even more difficult by being with family he hadn't seen in over a year 'while the world watched'.

FAMILY RIFT

The leaked epilogue claimed that Harry and Prince Charles, were only on 'light speaking terms' in the lead up to the funeral but that the pair chatted after the service at a small gathering at Windsor Castle.

The book alleged that though there were many unresolved issues, the funeral had allowed for 'steps forward' in the 'healing process' for the pair.

The book also detailed how Harry and William (pictured at Philip's funeral) had 'at least two further conversations' after the funeral beyond the chat they were seen having as they left St George's Chapel in Windsor

It also detailed how Harry and William had 'at least two further conversations' after the funeral beyond the chat they were seen having as they left St George's Chapel in Windsor.

It added that Harry was also able to spend time with the Queen with a source saying: 'Her life of duty and service is one of the many ways in which she has inspired him to also serve.'

BULLYING CLAIMS

The new version of the book claimed Harry and Meghan felt courtiers were still trying to undermine them after Megxit by leaking information about them, including allegations that Meghan bullied staff.

The book pointed to allegations, which appeared in The Times in March ahead of the Oprah interview, from royal aides claiming Meghan had faced a complaint she bullied staff, driving out two personal assistants and undermining the confidence of a third member.

Pictured: The new version of the book, an unauthorised account of Meghan and Harry's departure from the Royal Family, is due to be released on August 31

The duchess denies the claims and Scobie and Durand said the 'attempt to discredit' Meghan by those who used to be in the couple's inner circle 'served as a reminder' to the Sussexes that they had made the right decision to leave.

The authors wrote: 'What has continued to be troubling for the couple, more than a year after their decision, is knowing that courtiers inside the institution are still appearing to actively undermine Harry and Meghan by deliberately leaking information to discredit them.'

ARCHIE

The book also accused courtiers of lying to the Press over Meghan and Harry's wishes about Archie being made a prince. Meghan had suggested to Oprah that senior royals plotted to ensure Archie would never have a title or adequate security.

The book claimed that Palace aides were actually instructed to brief the Press that the couple did not want a title for Archie. It said that in reality, the couple did want the option, 'given that it would provide their son with a level of security that only comes with a title'.

The book also accused courtiers of lying to the Press over Meghan and Harry's wishes about Archie being made a prince. Pictured: Archie, Meghan and Harry in Cape Town in 2019

The authors added: 'The differential treatment the couple felt had been bestowed upon their son was a major sting to Harry and Meghan.' But long-standing rules, laid down by George V, mean that the title of HRH passes only to the children of a sovereign and their grandchildren through the male line, meaning Archie will be given a title when his grandfather, Prince Charles, becomes king.

NO REGRETS

Despite the fallout from Megxit and the couple's explosive Oprah interview, the book claims that the Sussexes have no regrets.

A friend of Meghan told the authors that she found her interview with Oprah 'cathartic'. The friend added that all the things she had kept to herself or been 'too afraid to say' she felt 'safe to finally share. It was liberating'.

The book also claimed that Harry and Meghan had a low-key second wedding anniversary in May 2020 when lockdown restrictions were imposed in California, and celebrated with a Mexican takeaway.

Despite the fallout from Megxit and the couple's explosive Oprah interview, the book claims that the Sussexes have no regrets. Pictured: Harry and Meghan appear in the official trailer for the documentary series The Me You Can't See, a co-creation of Harry and Oprah Winfrey's

The Sussexes spent the day at their nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom mansion  which they took out a mortgage to buy 'remembering their 2018 nuptials with people who had been involved in the ceremony' and 'exchanged cotton-based gifts, as is traditional for second wedding anniversaries'.

The authors also offered a new take on Harry's financial situation in the run-up to their departure from the UK, saying if the couple had not had Harry's inheritance from his mother, they 'wouldn't have survived'.

Harry told Oprah his family 'literally cut me off financially' in the first quarter of 2020 and he went for the multi-million pound Netflix and Spotify deals to pay for his security.

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

The book also detailed how Harry had been denied permission to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph last Remembrance Sunday because he was no longer a 'frontline royal'.

The Duke of Sussex spent ten years in the military but lost his three honorary military titles including Captain General of the Royal Marines after stepping down as a senior royal last year along with his wife Meghan Markle.

The book also detailed how Harry had been denied permission to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph last Remembrance Sunday because he was no longer a 'frontline royal'. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II during a Remembrance Day ceremony in 2020

Harry commissioned a wreath but it was left in its box at a branch of the Royal British Legion in Kent, which, according to a source, left Harry feeling 'saddened and disappointed.

The source told the authors: 'Ten years of service and a lifetime commitment to the military community and this is how it's been acknowledged by his family.'
Five ministers are being investigated by Parliaments sleaze watchdog after they enjoyed a free night out at the glitzy Brit Awards.

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss and Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey are among the top Tories being probed for allegedly failing to reveal that they were given free tickets worth as much as 900 each to the bash.

Even culture minister Caroline Dinenage is facing questions over whether or not she should have declared her attendance at the star-studded event.

Science minister Amanda Solloway and Foreign Office minister James Cleverly are the other senior Government figures to have been placed under an official probe by Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone.

Five ministers are being investigated by Parliament's sleaze watchdog after they enjoyed a free night out at the glitzy Brit Awards ceremony. Pictured: International Trade Secretary Liz Truss

Tory backbencher Nickie Aiken as well as Labour frontbenchers Chi Onwurah, Alex Sobel and Conor McGinn are also alleged to have breached Parliaments Code of Conduct. This requires them to update the Register of Members Financial Interests within 28 days of receiving gifts, payments or hospitality.

It is the first time that such a large group of ministers has been placed under investigation by the watchdog.

And it risks fuelling resentment towards a one rule for them culture in the Government, as the Brit Awards took place on May 11 when tight Covid restrictions were still in place across most of the country.

At that time, under the reopening roadmap, pubs and restaurants could only serve customers outdoors while only 15 people could attend weddings.

The top Tories are being probed for allegedly failing to reveal that they were given free tickets worth 900 each to the bash. Pictured: Dua Lipa performs during The Brit Awards 2021

Cabinet ministers Therese Coffey (pictured) and Liz Truss, Foreign Office minister James Cleverly, culture minister Caroline Dinenage and science minister Amanda Solloway are all facing questions.

It is the first time that such a large group of ministers has been placed under investigation by the watchdog. Pictured: Foreign Office minister James Cleverly who is included in probe

Although indoor concerts were banned at that time, the music industry bash at Londons O2 Arena was designated as a pilot under the Governments Events Research Programme.

This meant 4,000 could attend without needing to wear face masks or sit apart from each other.

They were treated to the first major live music event for more than a year with performances from stars such as Sir Elton John and Dua Lipa, and guest appearances from Taylor Swift and Little Mix.

Many of the MPs lucky to be invited were given free tickets by industry body UK Music  chaired by Labours former deputy leader Tom Watson  or organisers BPI and enjoyed box seats.

Some of the politicians present were quick to declare their freebies to the Parliamentary authorities.

It is understood the four female ministers under investigatio didnt believe it was necessary as they were invited to the awards ceremony in a ministerial capacity. Pictured: Science minister Amanda Solloway

But others, including Mr Cleverly, Mrs Aiken and Mr McGinn registered their tickets more than a month later, meaning they were technically in breach of the rules.

One MP said that they held their hands up as soon as they realised the declaration was late, admitting: Its just embarrassing.

Mrs Aiken said she wasnt originally advised of the cost but has since explained the situation, apologised and collaborated with the investigation.

Miss Onwurah told the Mail that she has also apologised, saying: It was an administrative oversight, nothing more, and it has now been declared.

However the four female ministers under investigation  Miss Truss, Miss Coffey, Mrs Dinenage and Mrs Solloway  have still not declared their tickets in the Register of Members Interests.

A source said culture minister Caroline Dinenage's (pictured) ministerial brief covers the music industry and so it was not a jolly for her

It is understood they didnt believe it was necessary as they were invited to the awards ceremony in a ministerial capacity. This means their attendance would be declared in the lists of hospitality, which are published every three months.

A source said Mrs Dinenages ministerial brief covers the music industry and so it was not a jolly for her.

Mrs Solloways brief covers intellectual property such as copyright  crucial to showbiz  while Miss Truss was there because pop music is a major export market for Britain.

Some MPs found to have committed serious breaches of the code can be forced to apologise to the Commons  or even face bans from the chamber.

However, there are concerns within Whitehall that the probe has been overzealous. Those who failed to declare their Brits tickets in time are likely to be allowed to simply write an apology to Miss Stone.
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Desperate translators last night told the Mail they feared they were being left to die in Kabul, unable to escape Afghanistan as the evacuation drive headed into its final hours.

The Afghan interpreters  who loyally served Britain on the front line defying threats to their safety  are terrified they are now stranded at the mercy of the Taliban.

Some are unable to reach Kabul airport as the Taliban turned increasingly violent at its checkpoints.

Others, already queuing, could not get through the airport with crowds of up to 10,000 converging ahead of Americas deadline to withdraw by August 31.

Britain said yesterday it still had 2,000 Afghan translators, related workers and their families to get out  and the likelihood is that there are only 36 hours left before its paratroopers have to begin packing up.

Musa, 35, a former supervisor of interpreters for the UK military, said: If we miss the flights and the airport closes, we could be left to die.

Desperate translators last night told the Mail they feared they were being left to die in Kabul, unable to escape Afghanistan as the evacuation drive headed into its final hours. Pictured: Imam Wabab with UK military during a meeting with Afghan village elders

Others, already queuing, could not get through the airport with crowds of up to 10,000 converging ahead of Americas deadline to withdraw by August 31. Pictured: British and American security forces maintain order amongst the Afghan evacuees waiting to leave, in Kabul

Britain said yesterday it still had 2,000 Afghan translators, related workers and their families to get out  and the likelihood is that there are only 36 hours left before its paratroopers have to begin packing up. Pictured: Chaotic crowds on the approach to Kabul airport

We must not leave Our Imam behind A religious leader seen as a top Taliban target because of his key role with British forces has spent two terrifying days with his family outside Kabuls airport waiting to be called for a mercy flight. Imam Wahab was approved for sanctuary in the UK more than two months ago. But last night he was still hiding among crowds at the airport, fearing he may be left behind. British officers who worked with him during his nearly 15 years at the Camp Bastion UK base said he should be saved as a priority. They said Wahab was a key figure advising on religious matters and overseeing 1,000 Afghans employed by the UK. Major James Bolter said: He faces certain death if he remains...Wahab was working for the infidel in religious matters, which to the Taliban is the ultimate sin, and would make him gold dust as a target. To them, he is a traitor to his country and his religion. It is chilling to think what might happen to him. He stressed: Wahab was our religious guide and also our shop steward among more than 1,000 Afghans. His importance to us was massive and he has been sitting outside the airport for 48 hours with his wife and three daughters and two sons waiting to be called. UK-based former translator Hashmat Nawabi, who worked with the imam, said they had been in contact and he was very, very frightened  and did not understand why he was waiting. He told me If the Taliban find me and discover I was a mullah for British forces everyone will know my fate. Mr Nawabi insisted: Wahab was a very well-known figure in Helmand. Please rescue him and his family. The mullah must not be left behind. Advertisement

'The Taliban will want their revenge and those who helped the Western forces are their target. I pray this is not us.

Hussain, 48, who worked on the front lines in Helmand, said: Those who do not escape will have been abandoned to their fate by those they risked their lives for.

'I am very frightened I may be among them.

Campaigners said yesterday 60 interpreters had been blocked on security grounds and 20 were still waiting to hear if they qualified.

Another 40 have not responded to calls from the Afghan team handling their cases, raising concerns they are missing.

Musa, who was approved for sanctuary in Britain, waited yesterday for the phone to ring with instructions to go to the airport.

The father of three, who worked for more than four years with UK troops in Helmand, said: I pray for the message to arrive... Soon it will be too late.

Hussain, who was also approved for relocation here, said he and his family had waited in the crush two days for a flight from Kabul airport.

He said: We have visas but I fear the gate may never open for us.

The Daily Mail has been fighting for the safe relocation of Afghan translators since 2015 through the award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign.

But it was only in April that the Ministry of Defence launched its Afghan relocation and assistance policy scheme which began to bring large numbers of former translators to this country.

But rather than sending a fleet of military planes to Kabul to collect as many interpreters as quickly as possible, defence officials opted instead for weekly flights.

It meant that when the Taliban stormed into Kabul thousands of translators and their dependents were left stranded.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was criticised for not making a call to the then-Afghan foreign minister two days before the capital fell, which, said critics, could have meant more interpreters would have escaped.

UK tells stranded Afghans: Head to the BORDER not the airport due to high threat of terror attack from Isis-K

By Mark Nicol, John Stevens and David Williams for the Daily Mail

Some of those trying to flee the Taliban may be better off heading for the border rather than hoping for a flight out, the Defence Secretary admitted last night.

As evacuation efforts entered their final hours, Ben Wallace appeared to signal in a briefing to MPs that there are few places left on British planes.

Questioned about what Afghans who have been offered student places or fellowships in the UK should do, he said: If they think they can make it to a third country, that may be a better option.

Pressed by a Tory backbencher, Mr Wallace added: I recommend that they try and make it to the border  because it is higher profile going to the airport  that is where the Taliban will be focusing their efforts at the moment.

There was no suggestion however, that Afghans who have been told by western officials to travel to the airport for evacuation should alter that plan.

Some of those trying to flee the Taliban may be better off heading for the border rather than hoping for a flight out, the Defence Secretary admitted last night.

Hundreds of people gather near an evacuation control checkpoint during ongoing evacuations at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul

Pressed by a Tory backbencher, Mr Wallace added: I recommend that they try and make it to the border  because it is higher profile going to the airport  that is where the Taliban will be focusing their efforts at the moment.

The frantic race to rescue the last 2,000 Afghan allies was underway last night as the Daily Mail learned all UK troops must leave Afghanistan by the weekend.

Around 150 flights left Kabul airport yesterday as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab insisted the UK will use every hour left to rescue vulnerable Afghans.

But the grim reality is that many hundreds  including heroic Afghan interpreters  will be left to the clutches of the Taliban after Tuesdays deadline for international troops to leave.

A US order that Britain must pull out its 1,000 soldiers and officials before the US begins its withdrawal has reduced the time available to process the final claims.

US commanders have also insisted on two to three days to conduct a unilateral extraction of their 6,000-strong force, meaning the last UK troops are expected to fly out on Sunday.

The order came as the Taliban further tightened its grip on the airport, using checkpoints to block anyone not holding the necessary paperwork and demanding bribes from those who did.

Afghans and foreign citizens suffered beatings. Video footage showed an Australian with blood streaming down his face from a head wound after he was confronted by Taliban guards.

There were estimated to be 10,000 Afghans crammed outside the gates to the airport. UK commander Brigadier Dan Blanchford said they faced harrowing and extreme conditions.

Since the start of the operation, the RAF has flown out 11,474 people, including almost 7,000 vulnerable Afghans. It has evacuated more than 2,500 UK nationals, 341 British Embassy officials and around 1,000 nationals from 38 nations.

The figure of 2,000 awaiting rescue could rise, with the last freedom flight possibly tomorrow.

There are special cases still to be processed  Afghans to be offered sanctuary in the UK due to the likelihood they will be targeted by the Taliban. British troops face an increased threat of a terrorist attack from jihadis.

Around 150 flights left Kabul airport yesterday as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab insisted the UK will use every hour left to rescue vulnerable Afghans. In this image provided by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Air Force loadmasters and pilots assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, load people being evacuated from Afghanistan onto a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster

There were estimated to be 10,000 Afghans crammed outside the gates to the airport. UK commander Brigadier Dan Blanchford said they faced harrowing and extreme conditions. Pictured: Afghans line up outside a bank to take out cash as people keep waiting at Hamid Karzai International Airport

At the airport, a young Afghan woman told the BBC that Taliban forces were treating the crowds of waiting civilians like animals.

Before she boarded a flight, she said: Today after three days, I finally got into the airport and I have my flight. It took us 18 hours to get through one of the gates .

The airport is completely surrounded by Taliban forces and theyre being as brutal as they can to the people. Theyre shooting at people, theyre beating people.

I have mixed feelings. On the one hand Im travelling to a safer country  anything right now is better than being in a country led by the Taliban.

'On the other, Im leaving behind everything  my life, my work, my dreams, my hopes. I really desperately want to one day come back to Kabul and see Kabul free of the Taliban.

Amid the horror, there was also humanity. A British officer described looking after a baby girl after she child became separated from her mother in the crush.

Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Caesar of 16 Medical Regiment, said: We took her for a walk around our hospital, managed to burp her a few times. She seemed to settle.

At the airport, a young Afghan woman told the BBC that Taliban forces were treating the crowds of waiting civilians like animals. Before she boarded a flight, she said: Today after three days, I finally got into the airport and I have my flight. It took us 18 hours to get through one of the gates.' Pictured: A C-17 Globemaster lll lands on the runway as evacuees from Afghanistan debark a C-17 Globemaster

Two paratroopers assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division conduct security while a C-130 Hercules takes off during a evacuation operation in Kabul

One of the challenges in this sort of environment is never really knowing who is going to come through the door. We have to be prepared for every eventuality.

Fortunately as a recent father myself I have a bit of experience in dealing with small children. She was later reunited with her mother before being evacuated.

A heart-breaking announcement for those who remain is expected imminently, according to political sources. The crowds are expected to be told, perhaps today, that evacuations for civilians are no longer possible.

Raab denies he was 'lounging around' on holiday while Kabul fell Dominic Raab today denied he was 'lounging around on the beach' while Kabul fell as he defended his delayed return to the UK from a luxury break at a five-star resort in Crete. The Foreign Secretary arrived home on the evening of Sunday August 15 after he opted to work remotely as the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated. Mr Raab said he was 'engaged from a hotel room, my family was on the beach, not me' and that he 'checked in on them episodically'. The Tory frontbencher said 'the stuff about me being lounging around on the beach all day is just nonsense' as he insisted the 'sea was actually closed, it was a red notice'. Mr Raab remains under pressure to quit over his handling of the crisis and this morning he admitted that 'with the benefit of hindsight I wouldn't have gone away'. Advertisement

Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Commons defence committee, said: We are down to the last hours. It is vital we communicate with those waiting outside the airport to prevent panic and loss of life, confirming what has happened.

They will have to be told, sadly, that no more evacuation flights are possible ahead of the August 31 deadline and that, as from then, only military withdrawal flights will be taking off.

It comes as US President Joe Biden sparked fury yesterday by 'point blank' refusing G7 calls to push back the exit date for US forces, with Washington of the belief that an extension would leave troops at too great a risk of attack from the Taliban or Isis.

His decision has angered some Tory MPs who have questioned Mr Biden's 'intellectual fitness' to do the job, with one backbencher labelling the US President 'gaga'.

Meanwhile, over in the States, Biden also came under fire today from House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who accused the Democrat president of 'turning his back' on his duties as commander-in-chief, on American citizens stranded in Afghanistan and on the local allies who helped US troops.

McCarthy criticised the president for walking away from a press conference about Afghanistan last night without taking any questions from the media.

'He turned his back and walked away - an image that has come to define him and his presidency,' he said.

'He turned his back on our own citizens stranded in Afghanistan, he's turned his back on our allies and partners, he's turned his back on his duties as a Commander-in-Chief.'

And Biden could now face more backlash, as his Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, appeared in a press conference tonight to blame Americans still on the ground for not leaving fast enough after first being warned earlier this year to leave Afghanistan.

He said: 'For many years we have urged Americans not to travel there. We've repeatedly asked Americans who are in Afghanistan to enroll (at the embassy in Kabul).

'And since March of this year, we've sent 19 separate messages to American's enrolled in the embassy, encouraging them and then urging them to leave the country. We've even made clear we would pay for their repatriation,' he added.

Dominic Raab admitted the evacuation mission is in its final desperate stages after US president Joe Biden (pictured) 'point blank' rejected G7 calls for a delay

Biden (left) departs after delivering Afghanistan remarks Tuesday. He did not answer questions from reporters as he left the room. Blinken (right) announced on Wednesday that up to 1,500 Americans - 500 who are verified US citizens - are still stuck in Afghanistan

Tory MPs join US Republicans in condemning President's Afghanistan 'betrayal' as UK races to get last 2,000 people out in 24 hours - while America BLAMES its citizens for not leaving earlier The UK Government is now in a race against time to airlift nearly 2,000 Afghan interpreters and other staff who worked for Britain out of Kabul amid a growing backlash at Joe Biden over his decision to stick to his August 31 withdrawal deadline. The interpreters are understood to have been deemed eligible to come to the UK and have passed security checks but remain on the ground at Kabul airport. The Pentagon briefed this afternoon that there are currently 10,000 people in total waiting at the airport for a flight out of the capital. Mr Biden sparked fury yesterday by 'point blank' refusing G7 calls to push back the exit date for US forces, with Washington of the belief that an extension would leave troops at too great a risk of attack from the Taliban or Isis. His decision has angered some Tory MPs who have questioned Mr Biden's 'intellectual fitness' to do the job, with one backbencher labelling the US President 'gaga'. Meanwhile, over in the States, Biden also came under fire today from House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who accused the Democrat president of 'turning his back' on his duties as commander-in-chief, on American citizens stranded in Afghanistan and on the local allies who helped US troops. McCarthy criticised the president for walking away from a press conference about Afghanistan last night without taking any questions from the media. 'He turned his back and walked away - an image that has come to define him and his presidency,' he said. 'He turned his back on our own citizens stranded in Afghanistan, he's turned his back on our allies and partners, he's turned his back on his duties as a Commander-in-Chief.' And Biden could now face more backlash, as his Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, appeared in a press conference tonight to blame Americans still on the ground for not leaving fast enough after first being warned earlier this year to leave Afghanistan. He said: 'For many years we have urged Americans not to travel there. We've repeatedly asked Americans who are in Afghanistan to enroll (at the embassy in Kabul). 'And since March of this year, we've sent 19 separate messages to American's enrolled in the embassy, encouraging them and then urging them to leave the country. We've even made clear we would pay for their repatriation,' he added. It comes as last night Mr Biden warned the Taliban that it must 'continue to co-operate' with the US evacuation mission but there are growing fears that a crackdown by the group is already underway. There are claims from people on the ground in Kabul that Afghans are being prevented by Taliban fighters from accessing the city's airport for evacuation. Yesterday the extremists issued an edict banning nationals from leaving the country. They also blocked roads and set up check-points around Kabul airport. Meanwhile, video footage emerged showing a bloodied man who claimed to be an Australian citizen who had apparently been beaten by Taliban guards as he tried to reach the airport. Some 19,000 people were extracted from Kabul yesterday, taking the overall number since the operation began to 88,000, with the UK having brought more than 10,000 individuals - including more than 5,500 Afghans and their families - to Britain. The Pentagon said evacuations will continue 'all the way to the end' but also warned that in the 'last couple of days' leading up to the withdrawal date 'we will begin to prioritise military capabilities and military resources to move out' in order to end the deployment. And today Mr Blinken, went one step further, pledging to continue to support Afghans who wished to leave the country even after US troops had been withdrawn. He admitted up to 1,500 Americans are still trapped in Afghanistan and looking for a way out, including at least 24 students from a California school district. 'While evacuating American is our top priority, we are also committed to getting out as many Afghans at risk as we can, and that starts with our locally employed staff,' he told a press conference in Washington today. He added there was 'no deadline' on the country's work to evacuate those who are eligible and want to leave Afghanistan, before following up on Mr Biden's warning yesterday of the 'very real possibility' of an attack by terrorist group ISIS K. Meanwhile, Dominic Raab, the UK's Foreign Secretary, this morning admitted the evacuation mission is in its final stages. Mr Raab said the UK is working 'as fast as we can' to maximise the number of people who can flee, saying 2,000 were taken to safety in the last 24 hours and almost all single-nationality Britons are now out. He declined to say when the last UK flight will be leaving. Former chief of the defence staff Lord Richards said he believes even after the last official flight the British military will 'sneak others in who arrive late along with their own people'. Mr Biden's decision to stick with the withdrawal date has sparked Tory fury, with MP Bob Seely telling MailOnline: 'If this does destroy Biden's presidency, you have to question his fitness for the role. 'You have got to question Trump's moral fitness for the role, but you have got to address Biden's intellectual fitness and health fitness for the role. 'I'm sorry, he is just gaga he doesn't have a grip. How many slip ups before people think, yep, he can't do the job.' Advertisement

It comes as last night Mr Biden warned the Taliban that it must 'continue to co-operate' with the US evacuation mission but there are growing fears that a crackdown by the group is already underway.

There are claims from people on the ground in Kabul that Afghans are being prevented by Taliban fighters from accessing the city's airport for evacuation. Yesterday the extremists issued an edict banning nationals from leaving the country. They also blocked roads and set up check-points around Kabul airport.

Meanwhile, video footage emerged showing a bloodied man who claimed to be an Australian citizen who had apparently been beaten by Taliban guards as he tried to reach the airport.

Some 19,000 people were extracted from Kabul yesterday, taking the overall number since the operation began to 88,000, with the UK having brought more than 10,000 individuals - including more than 5,500 Afghans and their families - to Britain.

The Pentagon said evacuations will continue 'all the way to the end' but also warned that in the 'last couple of days' leading up to the withdrawal date 'we will begin to prioritise military capabilities and military resources to move out' in order to end the deployment.

And today Mr Blinken, went one step further, pledging to continue to support Afghans who wished to leave the country even after US troops had been withdrawn.

He admitted up to 1,500 Americans are still trapped in Afghanistan and looking for a way out, including at least 24 students from a California school district.

'While evacuating American is our top priority, we are also committed to getting out as many Afghans at risk as we can, and that starts with our locally employed staff,' he told a press conference in Washington today.

He added there was 'no deadline' on the country's work to evacuate those who are eligible and want to leave Afghanistan, before following up on Mr Biden's warning yesterday of the 'very real possibility' of an attack by terrorist group ISIS K.

Meanwhile, Dominic Raab, the UK's Foreign Secretary, this morning admitted the evacuation mission is in its final stages.

Mr Raab said the UK is working 'as fast as we can' to maximise the number of people who can flee, saying 2,000 were taken to safety in the last 24 hours and almost all single-nationality Britons are now out. He declined to say when the last UK flight will be leaving.

Former chief of the defence staff Lord Richards said he believes even after the last official flight the British military will 'sneak others in who arrive late along with their own people'.

Mr Biden's decision to stick with the withdrawal date has sparked Tory fury, with MP Bob Seely telling MailOnline: 'If this does destroy Biden's presidency, you have to question his fitness for the role.

'You have got to question Trump's moral fitness for the role, but you have got to address Biden's intellectual fitness and health fitness for the role.

'I'm sorry, he is just gaga he doesn't have a grip. How many slip ups before people think, yep, he can't do the job.'

With an American pull-out now likely to be complete by the end of the month, other countries, such as the UK, which are reliant on the air support from US troops, now face a race against time to complete their own evacuations.

Last night the Pentagon confirmed that several hundred US troops had already started leaving Afghanistan - and allies including the UK will want to have their troops out well before the US leaves.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday that US forces have 'been very clear' with the Taliban 'about what credentials we are willing to accept' for people trying to get to the airport.

'By and large, with caveats' people have been getting through checkpoints, spokesman John Kirby said, adding 'we also have other means to get people in.'

'When we have reports that someone credentialed is not being let in, we are making that clear to Taliban leaders they need to let them in,' Kirby said.

It was also revealed that a military operation recovered 'less than 20 people' from Kabul under cover of darkness and brought them safely to the airport for evacuation.

Members of the GOP - the Republican Party - said on Tuesday night that Biden has 'blood on his hands' because thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies who helped U.S. troops could be left to die when the final evacuation flights depart - which could even be before midnight on Aug. 31 to ensure a safe evacuation of everyone at the airport.

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, who underwent a secret trip to Kabul to witness the situation at the airport for themselves, challenged President Biden and claimed that 'we won't get everyone out on time'.

McCarthy and a slew of Republicans continued their criticism of Biden today.

The GOP have accused him of letting the Taliban 'call the shots' amid reports westerners and SIV applicants are getting stopped and beaten at checkpoints - despite Pentagon claims they are telling the insurgents who the 'expect' to be let through.

'Joe Biden and his team are letting the Taliban call the shots,' Senator Tom Cotton said on a Fox News radio show Wednesday morning.

His fellow GOP Senator Marco Rubio wrote on Twitter, 'A President that abandons Americans in order to meet a deadline set by a medieval band of terrorists will forever be disgraced.'

Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina criticized Biden's 'disastrous decision' to hold firm on his end-of-the-month deadline on Wednesday morning, which he said was 'cemented by his administrations prior ill-conceived timeline agreement with the Taliban instead of the conditions on the ground.'

Senator Lindsey Graham, who served with Biden on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the Biden and Taliban-mandated deadline will cost lives.

'How could we create a deadline that is a death sentence to those who fought along our side?' he questioned on Fox radio Wednesday.

'There's nobody to blame but Biden here,' Graham said on Fox radio today, adding the U.S. is leaving 'thousands of Afghans, most likely American citizens, and what we're leaving behind is an Al Qaeda on steroids.'

Biden has committed the US to withdraw by August 31, a decision that western allies warn will mean thousands of Afghans who were promised sanctuary being left behind

People being taken out of Afghanistan on a Spanish military flight today as the clock runs down on the airlift

A Canadian soldier walking through an evacuation checkpoint in the chaos of Kabul yesterday

Families fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan board an aircraft at the airport in Kabul yesterday

Today Secretary of State Blinken said officials has been in 'direct contact' with roughly 500 Americans and 'provided specific instructions for how to get to the airport safely.' The State Department said there are roughly 1,000 other people whose status is still being established.

'We're aggressively reaching out to them multiple times a day,' he said of those 1,000 people, adding they're looking 'to determine whether they still want to leave and to get them the most up-to-date information and instructions for them on how to do so.'

'Some may no longer be in the country. Some may have claimed to be Americans but turn out not to be. Some may choose to stay,' Blinken said

'We'll continue to try and identify the status and plans of these people in the coming days.'

The CIA meanwhile has been joining the US military in evacuation efforts, launching clandestine operations to rescue Americans in and outside of Kabul, the Wall Street Journal reports.

It comes as defence sources last night said the UK could now wrap up its mission within '24 to 36 hours'. The UK's Foreign Secretary, Mr Raab, said he was unclear how many people will be left behind in Afghanistan.

McCarthy tore into Biden for walking away from a Tuesday speech without taking questions or mentioning how many Americans were still in Afghanistan

Raab denies he was 'lounging around' on holiday while Kabul fell Dominic Raab today denied he was 'lounging around on the beach' while Kabul fell as he defended his delayed return to the UK from a luxury break at a five-star resort in Crete. The Foreign Secretary arrived home on the evening of Sunday August 15 after he opted to work remotely as the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated. Mr Raab said he was 'engaged from a hotel room, my family was on the beach, not me' and that he 'checked in on them episodically'. The Tory frontbencher said 'the stuff about me being lounging around on the beach all day is just nonsense' as he insisted the 'sea was actually closed, it was a red notice'. Mr Raab remains under pressure to quit over his handling of the crisis and this morning he admitted that 'with the benefit of hindsight I wouldn't have gone away'. Advertisement

The Foreign Secretary said the figure depends on 'the window' left in terms of timing and how many people they manage to process over the next few days.

He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'It's also how many want to come, as there are some finely balanced cases.'

Mr Raab said the details of how UK forces will withdraw were still being firmed up. There is speculation the British team will initially withdraw to the airport from the Baron hotel, where they have been processing applications.

The UK contingent is then expected to hand over duties to the Americans, who will be the last to leave.

'The military planners are firming up the details of what the extra  the time they will need at the end to drawdown their own staff, personnel and equipment. We will get the details of that I'm sure, shortly,' Mr Raab said.

'We need to get that clear from the military planners, they are obviously working on that. Ideally we want to limit the period that they need for their drawdown to maximise the period for the civilian airlift, if you like. But that is something that they will need to provide the details on.'

Mr Raab tried to play down concerns about the Taliban obstructing extractions, saying that although trust was at 'rock bottom' there had been 'constructive' engagement.

'They have, so far, in relation to the airport, behaved constructively and engaged constructively more or less.

'There's clearly reports and some of the people on the ground  roadblocks or elsewhere  are not following what the political leadership are requiring. But overall, one of the reasons that we have been able to get the numbers out through the evacuation is because we have engaged and they have lived up to some of the things that they have said.

Hundreds of people are still gathering at checkpoints outside Hamid Karzai International Airport looking for a chance to escape after the Taliban announced that Afghan civilians would no longer be allowed to leave on the US-led mission

The Pentagon said a plane left the Kabul airport 'every 39 minutes' in the most recent update on evacuation numbers

US soldiers stand guard at the airport tower near an evacuation control checkpoint. Reports of Taliban violence have surfaced as civilians and Afghans who aided US troops try to leave their country before the August 31 deadline

Desperate Afghans waded through a sewage ditch on the outskirts of Kabul airport this morning while pleading with soldiers guarding the opposite bank to put them on a plane out of the country as time runs out to flee Taliban rule

A lucky man is hauled to safety by a soldier (left) and allowed one step closer to freedom, but most were left wallowing in filth as their pleas fell on deaf ears with as little as 24 hours left until civilian mercy flights top

'We need to then set further tests for them and be very clear about what we are willing to do, if and only if they live up to their assurances.'

Mr Raab also declined to comment on whether British troops would return to Afghanistan in the future.

'I'm not going to speculate on that while we're in the middle of withdrawals,' he said.

'The United Kingdom retains the right to exercise self-defence in relation to our nationals in our country. We're not getting into speculating about that.'
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that 'of course' the US policy is still not to negotiate with terrorists, as Biden administration officials say they are relying on the Taliban to allow safe passage of Americans and American allies to Kabul airport.

'Why haven't we heard the president say, 'The United States does not negotiate with terrorists?' Is that still U.S. policy?' Fox News' Peter Doocy asked the press secretary at a daily briefing.

'Well, of course it is, Peter,' Psaki replied. 'But I would also say that there's a reality that the Taliban is currently controlling large swaths of Afghanistan. That is the reality on the ground, and right now our focus and our priority is getting American citizens evacuated and our Afghan partners evacuated.'

'And I would say, given the numbers that we've outlined and briefed for you that we've made a great deal of progress doing exactly that,' she added.

The press secretary noted later in the briefing that there was no quid pro quo for the Taliban allowing Americans to pass to the airport - they hadn't been offered any money or aid in exchange.

'No, this is not a 'quid pro quo,' Psaki said. 'We have laid out clearly what our expectations are about moving American citizens and our Afghan partners, allies, out of the country and that's what we're working to deliver on.'

Taliban fighters stand guard outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport during an evacuation at Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday, August. 24

The US tradition against negotiating with terrorists, or more specifically providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization is illegal under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

But negotiations with the Taliban were formalized under President Trump, when he signed a deal with the group that promised a US exit from Afghanistan and the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners, in exchange for the group not attacking the US or its allies and not harboring other terrorists groups looking to do so.

This week, President Biden sent CIA Director William Burns to Kabul for a meeting with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar, where the pair are rumored to have discussed extending the deadline for a US exit beyond Aug. 31, to give more time to evacuate US citizens and allies.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid scoffed at such and idea, and promised 'consequences' if the US was not gone by then.

Biden, despite pressure at home and abroad, said that he would stick to that date.

'Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops, but the completion by the 31st depends upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate, allow access to the airport for those who are transporting out and no disruptions to our operations,' Biden said.

But the Taliban on Tuesday told Afghans seeking to leave the country to go home, that they'd be blocked from exiting to tamp down the crowds surrounding the airport.

Biden has been pressed repeatedly on whether he trusts the Taliban at their word.

'I dont trust anybody, including you. I love you, but, you know, theres not a lot of people I trust,' Biden told a reporter.

'The Taliban has said  well see whether they mean it or not  theyre seeking legitimacy. Theyre seeking legitimacy to determine whether or not they will be recognized by other countries,' the president continued.

'So far, the Taliban has not taken action against U.S. forces. So far, they have, by and large, followed through what they said, in terms of allowing Americans to pass through, and the like.'

He seemed to dangle future aid on how the Taliban runs the country.

'The Taliban has to make a fundamental decision: Is the Taliban going to attempt to be able to unite and provide for the wellbeing of the people of Afghanistan, which no one group has ever done since before dealing  for hundreds of years.

And if it does, its going to need everything from additional help, in terms of economic assistance, trades, and a whole range of things.'

Meanwhile, the U.S. has ramped up their airlifts and have evacuated 19,000 people in the last 24 hours and have already started pulling out military forces with just six days until the deadline. In an overnight operation, the US said it airlifted 'less than 20' to the airport between Wednesday and Thursday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that the State Department had evacuated 4,500 Americans since the fall of Kabul, was working to evacuate another 500 and was still trying to get in contact with another 1,000 many who might not be returning the agency's calls because they do not want to leave.

Desperate Afghan men, women and children are still swarmed the airport in a bid to get out amid fears of an attack from the Islamic State offshoot ISIS-K and 10,000 evacuees are inside the gates waiting to get out.
Dressed in white coats and carrying stethoscopes, three young men walked unchallenged into Kabul's 400-bed Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan hospital and made their way to the upper floors.

Then, outside the building, situated opposite the heavily fortified US Embassy, there was a loud bang.

The noise, from the detonating suicide vest of a comrade, acted as a signal for the trio to pull a selection of hand grenades and AK-47 assault rifles from beneath their medical clothing, before opening fire.

By the time the chaos had died down, several hours later, more than 30 doctors and patients had been killed and roughly 50 more wounded.

Further casualties included the three attackers, who were shot by Afghan special forces, plus the original suicide bomber, and a fifth member of the terror gang who had detonated a car bomb inside the hospital complex.

A former Pakistani Taliban commander called Hafiz Saeed Khan (middle) led ISIS-K until he was killed by a drone strike in 2016

Their brazen and pitiless attack, which unfolded in broad daylight one afternoon in March 2017, was carried out in the name of ISIS-K, a local branch of the notorious global terror network.

Founded in 2015, its followers aim to establish an Islamic caliphate across Khorasan (hence the initial 'K')  a historic region covering Pakistan and Afghanistan along with parts of Central Asia.

The terror group is now such a threat that fear of an attack by Isis-K is being used to justify the US's refusal to delay its withdrawal from Kabul Airport after the August 31 deadline set by Joe Biden.

In a statement released on Tuesday night, the US President claimed: 'Every day we're on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both US and allied forces and innocent civilians.'

The White House seems to believe ISIS-K (who regard the Taliban as dangerous liberals) is about to organise a wave of attacks in an effort to destabilise its efforts to form a government.

If so, then any foreign troops, including soldiers from Britain's 16 Air Assault Brigade currently guarding Kabul airport, would represent very high-profile targets indeed.

The organisation has already carried out roughly 100 attacks against civilian targets and another 250 involving US, Afghan or Pakistani security services, most of them chronicled via macabre mobile phone videos then gleefully broadcast via the internet.

One particularly vile film, circulated in June 2017, celebrated the work of a group of child recruits to ISIS-K known as the 'cubs of the caliphates'.

Founded in 2015, its followers aim to establish an Islamic caliphate across Khorasan (hence the initial 'K')  a historic region covering Pakistan and Afghanistan along with parts of Central Asia

The film showed two of them  both dressed in black and seemingly under 12 years of age  forcing terrified captives to kneel on the ground.

They proceeded to pull back the heads of the men (who were apparently accused of spying), rant at the camera and execute them via a single shot to the skull.

More recently, in May this year, ISIS-K killed at least 68 Afghans and injured another 165 when they detonated three car bombs outside the Syed Al-Shahda school for girls in Kabul.

The vast majority of the victims were young pupils the Islamist group regard as legitimate targets for the sin of being educated while being female.

The attack, which came after a period in which Western air strikes had killed thousands of the terror network's supporters and at least three of its leaders, served as a bloody reminder of its ongoing ability to bring carnage to the streets of Afghanistan.

ISIS-K published this photo in an effort to project unity and strength just days before hundreds of fighters admitted defeat and surrendered

The very fact that a US President is admitting that his policy is being governed by a perceived threat from ISIS-K represents a major coup for a hitherto fairly low-profile organisation.

It first made headlines in January 2016, when the Pentagon announced that the group had been designated as a Foreign Terrorist organisation.

This made assisting them a criminal offence and allowed US troops on the ground to actively pursue members (under previous terms of engagement they usually had to wait until the group attacked them before responding).

The organisation's chosen first Emir, or leader, was a former Pakistani Taliban commander called Hafiz Saeed Khan.

His foot-soldiers were largely people who had defected from the Taliban as was his canny PR chief, Sheikh Maqbool, who was charged with ensuring that the group's grisly attacks gained worldwide attention.

They were appointed at the behest of ISIS's (then) top dog Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was facing difficulties in his stomping grounds of Syria and Iraq, so began funnelling cash to Khan in order to establish a new stronghold in the East.

Initially, their activities were limited to suicide bombings and small arms attacks targeting civilians, along with the odd kidnapping, but that was enough to prompt close attention from the US, who succeeded in killing Khan via a drone strike in July 2016.

A member of the Afghan security forces is seen holding the black and white Islamic State flag in the Afghan city of Jalalabad in August 2020, after ISIS-K launched a 20-hour gun battle to attack the air field and storm a prison, releasing their fighters. Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that ISIS-K posed a significant threat to the evacuation efforts in Afghanistan

His successor Abdul Hasib masterminded the hospital attack mentioned above, and was famed for both ordering fighters to behead local elders in front of their families, and to kidnap women and girls so they could be forced to 'marry' his fighters, that is, become sex slaves.

He perished in a special forces raid on his compound in which two US troops died in April 2017.

Later that month, the US dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb in its arsenal  a GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) also known as the 'Mother Of All Bombs'  on a key ISIS-K cave and tunnel system in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province. Around 100 of their troops perished.

A series of drone strikes then wiped out both of Hasib's successors, Abu Sayed and Abu Saad Orakzai, and roughly 80 per cent of the group's troops, reducing their estimated strength from between three and four thousand to under 800 followers by the end of 2018.

Yet like so many militant groups in the benighted history of Afghanistan, they have since proved almost impossible to eliminate completely.

The deaths of successive leaders have ended up being largely symbolic, since they have been quickly replaced by experienced peers shipped in from other ISIS strongholds.

New foot-soldiers have been recruited via slick propaganda videos outlining its global aspirations to create an Islamist caliphate across Asia, governed by Sharia law, before eventually '[raising] the banner of al-Uqab above Jerusalem and the White House'.

An ISIS-K leader identified as Abu Haidar is pictured with his seven fighters in an undated image. The men were all killed during a clash with the Afghan forces in Nangarhar province, the heartland of ISIS-K

This ambition equates to the defeat of both Israel and the United States (and therefore the imposition of their twisted view of life on those countries).

The group's current leader is believed to be Shahab al-Muhajir, also known as Sanaullah.

A United Nations report published in February said that he took over in June 2020.

The communique announcing the appointment, written in Arabic and translated into Pashto, referred to al-Muhajir as an experienced military leader and one of the 'urban lions' of ISIL-K in Kabul who had been 'involved in guerrilla operations and the planning of suicide and complex attacks.'

While Sanaullah's reign may be bad news for Afghans, he's currently thought to have little to no capacity for mounting terror attacks in the West.

He is instead focusing on a mission to rid Afghanistan and other parts of its home territory of foreign 'crusaders' who 'proselytize Muslims' as well as 'apostates'.

That in turn may explain why America is so anxious to withdraw from Kabul: once US troops are home, they are no longer in his organisation's firing line.

For the Afghans left behind, escaping ISIS-K's reign of terror will not be nearly so simple.
A Colombian man has been found in a Florida park a month after he disappeared from Miami International Airport when American Airlines refused to allow him on a flight home because he did not have proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

Miguel Angel Roldan had traveled to Los Angeles to get vaccinated against COVID and visit a friend, and had flown on to Miami in order to get a flight home.

He attempted to board the second leg of his return flight home but was refused entry into the Medellin-bound plane because he was unable to produce the proper documentation to confirm he had tested negative for the virus.

He then vanished, and was last seen leaving the airport at around 5pm on July 24.

But he was finally spotted by Felicia Batista and her husband while they were on their way to volunteer at a church in Hollywood, Florida - around 20 miles away from the airport.

The couple recognized the 23-year-old from the photos that had been shared on the news and stopped to talk to him while they waited for the police to arrive.

Roldan was then taken to Memorial Regional Hospital to be treated for dehydration.

Cops alerted Roldan's mother Alejandra Cordoba, who rushed to be at his side.

Miguel Angel Roldan (left), was spotted by Felicia Batista (right) and her husband while they were on their way to volunteer at a church in Hollywood, Florida on Tuesday

Miguel Angel Roldan (left) with his mother Alejandra Cordoba (right) after the pair were reunited in Hollywood, Florida, on Tuesday

'He immediately recognized me, he just cried, he hugged me and told me, 'You're the angel that I was waiting for,' Cordoba told Colombian news magazine Semana.

Roldan told Telemundo 51: '(I felt) all the joy, an explosion of emotions that one cannot describe. I hugged her, cried, just seeing her I felt her, the smell, that's all.'

Both are expected to return in the coming days to the family home in Medellin.

Authorities said he must have spent several days walking from downtown Miami to reach Hollywood, 20 miles away.

Roldan, who previously was diagnosed with mild depression, was advised by his mother to travel to Los Angeles in early July to visit his friend as a way to release some of the stress he had built up as a result of the coronavirus lockdown in Colombia. While there, the college student also got vaccinated for COVID-19.

His trip unraveled when he lost his belongings, including his wallet, personal documents and his cellphone, and on the advise of his friend Luisa Arias and his mother decided it was best if he returned promptly to Colombia.

On July 24, Arias dropped him off at Los Angeles International Airport where Roldan boarded a flight to Miami.

He landed at Miami International Airport around 5pm local time, but was not permitted by American Airlines personnel to continue on to Medellin because he did not have the proper document that indicated he had tested negative for the coronavirus.

Miguel Angel Roldan was hospitalized at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood on Tuesday and was treated for dehydration

Alejandra Cordoba told the press that her son Miguel Angel Roldan recognized her right away and told her she was the angel he had been waiting all along after he had spent an entire month wandering through the streets of Miami and Hollywood, Florida

Surveillance cameras spotted Roldan exiting the airport before he disappeared out of the cameras' view.

Cordoba said it took American Airlines nearly a week to respond to an inquiry about her missing son.

Since she did not have any relatives in the U.S., the Miami-based non-profit 'Zona 33 Colombianos en el Exterior' assisted in the search for Roldan, filed a police report August 14 and also hired a private investigator.

Zona 33 director Beatriz Sierra told Semana that Roldan had been spotted in Miami between the 5th and 8th of August. He had gone inside a hospital due to foot pain, but then left.

At one point he spent at least eight days in front of a restaurant begging for food.

'They gifted Miguel food. We had a detective at the foundation who tried to follow his trail and he saw that they had kicked him from the restaurant where he had been for several days,' Sierra said. 'But he did not know if they had taken him out because he was asking for money at the place or for what reason it may have been.'
Fred Salter, 61, died after a session of kite surfing went wrong and he was lifted by the high winds and crashed into a beach house

A 61-year-old kite surfer who ignored friends' warnings of dangerous weather died after he was picked up by a sudden gust of wind on a Florida beach and slammed into the side of a beach house.

Fred Salter, of Fort Lauderdale, was carried more than 400ft by the air before crashing into the second floor of a house on the block of 2600 North Atlantic Blvd.

He survived the accident and was taken to a hospital around 10am on Wednesday, but died three hours later.

Chief Stephen Gollan, from the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, said Salter was wearing a harness secured to his body.

Fellow surfers told the Sun Sentinel they weren't sure why Salter didn't let go the kite, or why he didn't push the two release buttons on his harness to detach himself from the kite.

Salter was described as an experienced kite surfer.

He devoted his social media to posting pictures of him practicing the sport, which is similar to surfing but a kite is used to take advantage of the wind as fuel, while flips and twists are performed as the surfing board is propelled by waves.

Graham Goodwin, owner of a kitesurfing business in Fort Lauderdale beach and an acquittance of Salter, told the Sentinel that letting go of the kite would have given Salter a 90 percent chance of avoiding the accident.

Salter was described as an experienced kite surfer by friends and fellow surfers

Fellow kite surfers are not sure why Salter didn't let go of the wind that lifted him 400ft up in the air

He crashed into the second floor of this house on the block of 2600 North Atlantic Blvd

Goodwin also said Salter never touched the water, and was above ground the entire duration of the incident.

Salter had been warned by friends that it was going to be specially windy during the day, and a weather advisory from the Broward County had been issued just minutes before.

'He could be a little bit reckless at times,' said Goodwin. 'But he was out there often. He was very experienced.'

'He could be a little bit reckless at times, but he was out there often. He was very experienced,' said Graham Goodwin, the owner of a kite surfing store and acquittance of Salter

Kite surfing is very similar to surfing, but a kite is used so the wind works as fuel to lift the surfing board

Salter had been warned by friends that there would be high winds during the day

Michael Bradley (right), a friend of Salter(left), expressed on Facebook his sadness about the accident

Friends and fellow kite surfers expressed their sadness after the accident on Facebook.

Michael Bradley, a friend of Salter, wrote on Facebook: 'Lost one of my best friends today, love you.'

Bradley dedicated another post to Salter, in which he shared pictures of the late surfer throughout the years.

'Oh Mikey, wish I had the words to comfort you.

'My heart is also broken and I am trying to make sense of the loss of our friend.

'All I can think about is the many wonderful things I learned from having him in my life.

'My deepest condolences to you my friend and to his sweet family. It will be his love and example that will see us through,' replied another friend of Salter.
Porn star Ron Jeremy has been indicted on 30 charges for the alleged sexual assault and forcible rape of 21 women and girls, some as young as 15 years old, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced on Wednesday.

Prosecutors allege Jeremy - born Ronald Jeremy Hyatt - restrained some of the women and raped or sodomized them - and had sex with others who were sleeping or unconscious.

Jeremy, 68, pleaded not guilty to charges including 12 counts of forcible rape, seven counts of forcible oral copulation and six counts of sexual battery by restraint, DA George Gascon said in the press release.

He has been held on a $6.6 million bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles County since his arrest in June 2020, jail records show. He is scheduled to return to court on October 12 for a pretrial conference.

Jeremy was also charged with four counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object and two counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious or asleep person.

Further charges included one count each of lewd act upon a child under the age of 14 or 15, sodomy by use of force and assault with intent to commit rape.

Porn star Ron Jeremy has been indicted on 30 charges for the alleged sexual assault and forcible rape of 21 women and girls, some as young as 15 years old

Jeremy, 68, pleaded not guilty to charges including 12 counts of forcible rape, seven counts of forcible oral copulation and six counts of sexual battery by restraint

Prosecutors allege Jeremy - born Ronald Jeremy Hyatt - restrained some of the women and raped or sodomized them - and had sex with others who were sleeping or unconscious

Gascon said Jeremy's alleged sexual assaults happened over the course of more than 23 years and involved 21 victims ranging in age from 15 to 51.

Jeremy is alleged to have sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl referred to as 'Jane Doe 5' on June 12, 2004, penetrating her with a foreign object, according to the August 19 indictment obtained by DailyMail.com.

Another girl, 17, was allegedly raped in 2008 at a home in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. She was referred to as 'Jane Doe 22' in the court documents.

Among the first allegations against Jeremy, prosecutors claim he raped a 19-year-old woman during a photo shoot in the San Fernando Valley in October 1996.

Later, Jeremy allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman at a party in a nightclub in Los Angeles County in October 2000, officials said.

Jeremy is alleged to have sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl referred to as 'Jane Doe 5' on June 12, 2004, penetrating her with a foreign object, according to the August 19 indictment

The indictment alleges that Jeremy 'unlawfully' had sexual intercourse with 'Jane Doe 19' in 2000 by means 'force, violence, duress, menace or fear of immediate and unlawfully bodily injury.'

Jeremy was also accused of sexually assaulting another woman at a strip club in City of Industry at some point between 2002 and 2003, officials said.

Another woman, 21, went to Jeremy's home where she was allegedly sexually assaulted in 2010. She was referred to as 'Jane Doe 23' in the court documents.

In January 2013, Jeremy allegedly sexually assaulted a 38-year-old woman at a West Hollywood bar he frequented, officials said.

The most recent allegations stem from January 2020 when Jeremy raped and sodomized a woman identified in the court documents as 'Jane Doe 17,' the indictment claims.

'Far too often, survivors of sexual assault suffer in isolation,' Gascon said.

'We must ensure that survivors have all options available to help with recovery, including trauma-informed services for healing and support to report such crimes.'
Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie has revealed the controversial incentives she would consider bringing in for the fully vaccinated as fears grow Australia 'will not be worth living in' if lengthy lockdowns linger.

Ms Lambie is calling for states to follow the federal government's plan to reopen once 80 per cent of Australians over 16 have received both doses of the Covid jab.

The MP said failing to ease restrictions once vaccination rates hit targets would have devastating effects on Australians, and politicians need to weigh up the social and economic damage against the health impacts of the virus.

'We need to find a middle ground and it is happening with mental health issues and suicides and the other damage it is doing,' she told the Today show on Thursday.

Host Alison Langdon said states in the US were offering their residents shotguns, donuts, and even joints to roll up their sleeves.

Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie (pictured) is calling for states to reopen once 80 per cent of Australians over 16 have been fully vaccinated

Asked whether Australia could introduce measures like those in the US, Ms Lambie said she would be enticed to get the jab in exchange for donuts and joints.

'I will have the joint first and then my Krispy Kremes later when I have the munchies,' she said.

The discussion comes amid calls for NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to introduce incentives for residents in her state queuing up to get the vaccine.

Radio personality Chris Smith said Australians should be offered freedoms now, arguing that was the 'point' of getting the jab.

The 2GB host said country needs to reopen soon otherwise the economic impacts of lockdowns will make 'Australia not worth living in'.

'When do we open up? Do we wait six or seven years to open up? We won't have a country. Everyone will lose their jobs. There won't be any commerce. It won't be worth living in,' he told the program.

Ms Lambie said those who have received both doses are becoming frustrated they have to wait for the rest of the nation to catch up before they are granted freedoms.

However, she said it was necessary for the wellbeing of Australians that vaccination rates are high before restrictions are eased.

'I think that we are all getting a bit crabby, the ones that have been lucky to have that second vaccine shot,' she said.

Ms Lambie said the fully vaccinated are becoming 'crabby' they are yet to gain freedoms, but said it was important Australians wait until vaccination rates are high. Pictured: A HSC student receives a vaccine in Sydney

'It is making people really angry coming up to me saying "I have had my two jabs where is my freedoms?" Unfortunately people need to realise because you have had two jabs you don't get your freedoms the next day.'

'We have to wait for people to catch up. We are looking at another two or three months to get to that point. That is unfortunate, but it is the way it is.'

Ms Lambie said it would not be wise to relax restrictions while Covid numbers are 'going through the roof' in NSW, with the state reporting a record high of 919 daily cases on Wednesday.

Ms Berejiklian has promised fully vaccinated NSW residents will have 'at least one' freedom restored by the end of this week after the state hit one of its vaccination milestones.

The premier has long-promised a decision on vaccine incentives would be doled out once the state reached six million Covid vaccine doses, which was accomplished on Tuesday.

But the state's leaders are mulling whether to exclude those living in local government areas of concern - who amount to almost half of Sydney's population - until case numbers drop.

2GB's Chris Smith (pictured) said 'Australia will not be worth living in' if the nation remains closed for too long

Ms Lambie said those who were fully vaccinated were becoming 'crabby' they were yet to see freedoms, but it was important jab rates were high before the country reopened

Also looming is details of a plan to return students to school and how to conduct the HSC amidst the COVID-19 crisis.

The authority in charge of the HSC has suggested to government that the exams - already postponed - be pushed again until early November, according to Nine newspapers.

Also on the table is the cancellation of some public exams, they reported.

Although infections continue to surge, the premier urged people not to panic over Wednesday's record number of cases , which were up by 166 from the previous day.

Instead, Ms Berejiklian has encouraged NSW residents to focus on rising vaccination rates.

'Nearly one third of our population is fully vaccinated,' she told reporters on Wednesday.

'If we keep these rates up we will hit further milestones.'

About 60 per cent of NSW residents aged 16 or older have had at least one shot, with 32 per cent fully vaccinated.

Under the federal government's four-phase plan, Covid restrictions will be relaxed once 70 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, a milestone expected to be hit by November 2.

Later that month, when the vaccination is forecast to reach 80 per cent, state border restrictions will be eased to allow interstate travel for vaccinated Australians.
A jail doctor in Washington County, Arkansas, has been using an animal deworming drug to treat inmates with Covid-19 even though the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has specifically warned against it.

Ivermectin is often used as a dewormer in animals including cows and horses, and is not recommended for treating the virus. The FDA said it 'can cause serious harm'.

During a finance and budget committee meeting for Washington County on Tuesday night the jail's physician Dr Rob Karas asked for a 10 per cent increase in the medical services contract, even after the county sheriff confirmed that the jail health provider had been prescribing the drug.

Dr Karas has faced calls to resign over the revelation.

PICTURED: An ivermectin prescription given to a Washington County employee. A jail in the Arkansas county has been using the anti-parasite drug to treat inmates with Covid-19 even though the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has specifically warned against it

Dr Rob Karas (pictured) asked for a 10 per cent increase in the medical services contract during the meeting after the county sheriff confirmed that the jail health provider had been prescribing the drug

County-elected Justice of the Peace Eva Madison brought the issue back up towards the end of the meeting after jail officials presented their 2022 budget. 'I learned today that Dr Karas is giving ivermectin - cow dewormer - to the inmates at the jail,' she said.

Madison told members of the Washington County quorum court - the county's governing body - that a jail official and county employee, who asked to stay anonymous, told her they had been sent to the jail's clinic to get tested for Covid-19.

When the unidentified person tested negative they told Madison they were given a $76 prescription for ivermectin, as reported by CBS News.

'They were concerned about the prescription, asked their primary care physician about it and the doctor told him to 'throw that in the trash,' she said.

'(The person) tested negative, was given a prescription for ivermectin, was told to go to Dr Karas's pharmacy just off campus to have it filled,' Madison told the committee.

She added: 'He's out $76 because of Dr Karas prescribing dewormer to a county employee for treatment of a condition that he didn't have.

'The employee had the good fortune to have a physician that he could go to and ask for a second opinion. Our inmates do not have that choice.'

Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder did not say how many inmates at the 710-bed facility had been given ivermectin and defended Dr Karas, who has been prescribing the medication.

County-elected Justice of the Peace Eva Madison (left) called on the committee to replace Dr Karas. 'I think we need to reevaluate who we're using,' she said at a finance and budget committee meeting for Washington County on Tuesday night

'Whatever a doctor prescribes, that is not in my bailiwick,' Helder told the committee. He also did not immediately respond to a call from the Associated Press.

Madison called on the committee to replace Dr Karas. 'I think we need to reevaluate who we're using,' she said.

She questioned: 'Are we allowing him to effectively experiment on our detainees at our jail with no oversight?'

Madison spoke to Dr Karas herself and told the committee that the jail's health provider 'was not at all concerned that he was prescribing medication to inmates that is not authorized by the FDA'.

'He cited to me an NIH study which I read - that the NIH did not take a position because they said there was not enough research. In addition, he cited me to some organization that is a little bit suspect,' she added.

When Madison asked Dr Karas, 'So you're going to follow a website over what the FDA says?' he replied by saying 'yes'.

Madison (pictured) said: 'It's very disturbing to me that that's the level of care we're providing to folks down at the jail'

The Justice of Peace told the committee Dr Karas said he was taking ivermectin himself and had members of his family on the drug.

'It's very disturbing to me that that's the level of medical care that we're providing to folks down at the jail,' Madison said before walking off the panel.

Meanwhile, Helder reported at the meeting that the jail has had zero inmate deaths from the coronavirus. Jail officials said inmates have also been offered the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The Department of Corrections denied Madison's claims and said that none of the jail's inmates who were administered ivermectin were state prisoners being held by the facility.

Spokeswoman Cindy Murphy said the department and its medical services provider are not giving ivermectin to any of its inmates.

The FDA has approved the anti-parasite drug in both people and animals for some parasitic worms, head lice and skin conditions. But the agency has not approved its use fo treating or preventing Covid in humans.

'Ivermectin is not an anti-viral drug,' the FDA said, adding that the formula can be 'highly toxic' to humans.

Misinformation and unsubstantiated claims about ivermectin have spread widely on social media

PICTURED: Tablets of Ivermectin. The medicine was authorized by the FDA in both people and animals for some parasitic worms, head lice and skin conditions. But the agency has not approved its use fo treating or preventing Covid in humans

Ivermectin is often used on horses and cows to treat against parasites in livestock

However, misinformation and unsubstantiated claims have spread widely on social media and the FDA said it has received 'multiple reports of people whose use of the drug has required them to seek medical help or hospitalization,' according to CBS News.

The FDA took to Twitter themselves and posted an article titled Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat Or Prevent Covid-19 with a caption that read: 'You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it.'

Merck, the company that makes ivermectin, also said in February that there is 'no scientific basis for a potential therapeutic effect against Covid-19' and that the majority of studies about the drug's potential effect on Covid have a 'concerning lack of safety data,' CBS News reported.

But Dr Karas and his practice Karas Health Care have been promoting the drug for months. On July 16 the practice posted to Facebook: 'If anybody you know test positive send them our way and we'll get them started on doxy, singular, ivermectin, vitamin d, vitamin c and zinc.'

The post was flagged by Facebook with a message that said: 'Some unapproved COVID-19 treatments may cause serious harm.'

Arkansas is not the only state in an ivermectin crisis. In Oklahoma, the drug is flying off store shelves despite multiple warnings from the FDA.

Dr Mary Clarke with the Oklahoma State Medical Association told Oklahoma News 4 that ivermectin could lead to long-term health problems.

She told the local news station that there are two versions of the dewormer. 'One is human grade, but it's for parasite infections,' she said.

'Twenty years ago was the last time that I've used ivermectin on a human,' she added.

Oklahoma News 4 contacted 12 Tractor Supply stores around the state and reported that they were all out of ivermectin and one store even said there was none left in stock even though they had 'please don't eat' signs up.

Since May there have been 10 local poison calls related to the drug, according to Oklahoma News 4. Diarrhea and vomiting are two more common, minor side effects of the many someone could experience.

'It could be dizziness, cardiac rhythm problems, blood pressure issues, primarily low blood pressure. Especially mix with some other medications,' Dr Clarke said.

'There is no dose. Theres no dose for this because theres no evidence that this is going to work,' she added.

Mississippi health officials also released a statement on Friday warning against taking the drug.

'Animal drugs are highly concentrated for large animals and can be highly toxic in humans,' wrote Dr Paul Byers, state epidemiologist.

'Some of the symptoms associated with ivermectin toxicity include rash, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, neurologic disorders, and potentially severe hepatitis requiring hospitalization.'

The medication is purchased at livestock supply centers, where a prescription is not required since it is meant for large animals.

Mississippi's Department of Health reported zero hospitalizations due to the drug, though one person who called was recommended to seek out further treatment.
A maskless man has been accused of launching glass bottles at customers and staff at a chemist after he was turned down for a Covid-19 vaccine.

Police allege the 54-year-old man was trying to get vaccinated at the pharmacy in Newcastle, NSW about 5pm on Friday but was initially refused entry because he was not wearing a face mask.

He returned a short time later with a face covering but then allegedly became verbally aggressive towards staff at the chemist on Blue Gum Road, Jesmond in the city's west when they asked for his details.

A maskless man has been accused of launching glass bottles at customers and staff at a Newcastle, NSW chemist after he was turned down for a Covid vaccine (file image of a vaccination)

Police allege the man became verbally aggressive when asked for his details at the Blue Gum Road, Jesmond pharmacy before he started swinging a plastic bag with glass bottles inside at customers and staff

The man was asked to leave but picked up a plastic bag of glass bottles on his way out and started swinging them towards other customers and staff, police allege.

The incident was reported to police after he finally left, who arrested a man at a house in Jesmond on Wednesday and took him to the Waratah Police Station.

He was charged with affray and failing to comply with a public health order for not wearing a face covering.

He was refused bail and will appear in Newcastle Local Court on Thursday.
An updated edition of Harry and Meghan biography Finding Freedom made a string of fresh claims last night that are likely to trigger debate about the state of their relationship with the Royal Family.

A leaked version of the epilogue claimed the couple had considered naming the royal they alleged had made a racist comment about their son, Archie; that some royals were 'quietly pleased' the Duchess of Sussex missed Prince Philip's funeral and that Prince William was 'furious' about their interview with Oprah.

The new edition  due to be released on August 31, the 24th anniversary of Princess Diana's death  also said the Sussexes had 'no regrets' about quitting their royal roles and that Meghan found her explosive Oprah interview 'cathartic' and 'liberating'.

Buckingham Palace did not comment on the book's contents when it first emerged last year and last night a spokesman declined to comment on the latest claims.

Lawyers for Harry and Meghan have distanced themselves from Finding Freedom, describing it as unauthorised, and saying the authors did 'not speak for our clients and seem to rely on unnamed sources'.

The book's authors meanwhile, have said that Finding Freedom is 'independent and unauthorised' and have also claimed that the couple did not speak to them about its contents. Last night, the Daily Mail contacted Harper Collins, the publisher, for comment but did not receive a reply.

OPRAH FALLOUT

Meghan plunged the monarchy into crisis after telling Oprah Winfrey that an unnamed royal had expressed 'concern' about Archie's skin before he was born.

The epilogue reveals that a source told authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand that the Sussexes had considered naming the family member  but had ultimately decided not to.

It also claimed that 'sources close to the Sussexes' had said that the Royal Family's reaction to the allegations made by the couple 'was not positive'.

The source told the authors that there had to be 'some acknowledgment' about what the Sussexes went through for there to be 'progress'.

The criticism came after a carefully-worded statement from the Queen following the controversial Oprah interview, which expressed concern for the couple but insisted that 'some recollections may vary'.

Meghan (centre) plunged the monarchy into crisis after telling Oprah Winfrey (right) that an unnamed royal had expressed 'concern' about Archie's skin before he was born

In the updated edition, the authors write that the 'unaddressed' allegations 'have continued to threaten the Royal Family's image around the world' and 'could no doubt bring down the monarchy'.

Sources told the authors that the Duke of Cambridge was said to be 'furious' after the interview because 'private family matters were being discussed in the public domain'.

Days later, Prince William firmly told reporters that the royals were 'very much not a racist family' but, according to the book, he is 'unlikely' to ever comment on the claims again.

The updated book claimed that although emotions within the Royal Family were still 'raw' over the Oprah interview, it quoted a source close to the couple saying the couple's intervention could 'force people to talk in order for the healing to begin'.

PHILIP'S FUNERAL

The book details how family tensions were put aside after Prince Philip died in April.

The Duchess of Sussex, who was pregnant with daughter Lilibet, was absent from the funeral after doctors refused her clearance to fly.

The book details how family tensions were put aside after Prince Philip died in April. Pictured: The funeral of Prince Philip

Authors Scobie and Durand wrote that Meghan had hoped to return with Harry but added: 'In truth, several members of the Royal Family are understood to have been 'quietly pleased' that Meghan stayed in California because they 'didn't want a circus' or, commented a senior royal source, 'the duchess creating a spectacle'.' They also claimed that the funeral was 'surreal' for Harry.

They cited a source suggesting that saying goodbye to his grandfather was made even more difficult by being with family he hadn't seen in over a year 'while the world watched'.

FAMILY RIFT

The leaked epilogue claimed that Harry and Prince Charles, were only on 'light speaking terms' in the lead up to the funeral but that the pair chatted after the service at a small gathering at Windsor Castle.

The book alleged that though there were many unresolved issues, the funeral had allowed for 'steps forward' in the 'healing process' for the pair.

The book also detailed how Harry and William (pictured at Philip's funeral) had 'at least two further conversations' after the funeral beyond the chat they were seen having as they left St George's Chapel in Windsor

It also detailed how Harry and William had 'at least two further conversations' after the funeral beyond the chat they were seen having as they left St George's Chapel in Windsor.

It added that Harry was also able to spend time with the Queen with a source saying: 'Her life of duty and service is one of the many ways in which she has inspired him to also serve.'

BULLYING CLAIMS

The new version of the book claimed Harry and Meghan felt courtiers were still trying to undermine them after Megxit by leaking information about them, including allegations that Meghan bullied staff.

The book pointed to allegations, which appeared in The Times in March ahead of the Oprah interview, from royal aides claiming Meghan had faced a complaint she bullied staff, driving out two personal assistants and undermining the confidence of a third member.

Pictured: The new version of the book, an unauthorised account of Meghan and Harry's departure from the Royal Family, is due to be released on August 31

The duchess denies the claims and Scobie and Durand said the 'attempt to discredit' Meghan by those who used to be in the couple's inner circle 'served as a reminder' to the Sussexes that they had made the right decision to leave.

The authors wrote: 'What has continued to be troubling for the couple, more than a year after their decision, is knowing that courtiers inside the institution are still appearing to actively undermine Harry and Meghan by deliberately leaking information to discredit them.'

ARCHIE

The book also accused courtiers of lying to the Press over Meghan and Harry's wishes about Archie being made a prince. Meghan had suggested to Oprah that senior royals plotted to ensure Archie would never have a title or adequate security.

The book claimed that Palace aides were actually instructed to brief the Press that the couple did not want a title for Archie. It said that in reality, the couple did want the option, 'given that it would provide their son with a level of security that only comes with a title'.

The book also accused courtiers of lying to the Press over Meghan and Harry's wishes about Archie being made a prince. Pictured: Archie, Meghan and Harry in Cape Town in 2019

The authors added: 'The differential treatment the couple felt had been bestowed upon their son was a major sting to Harry and Meghan.' But long-standing rules, laid down by George V, mean that the title of HRH passes only to the children of a sovereign and their grandchildren through the male line, meaning Archie will be given a title when his grandfather, Prince Charles, becomes king.

NO REGRETS

Despite the fallout from Megxit and the couple's explosive Oprah interview, the book claims that the Sussexes have no regrets.

A friend of Meghan told the authors that she found her interview with Oprah 'cathartic'. The friend added that all the things she had kept to herself or been 'too afraid to say' she felt 'safe to finally share. It was liberating'.

The book also claimed that Harry and Meghan had a low-key second wedding anniversary in May 2020 when lockdown restrictions were imposed in California, and celebrated with a Mexican takeaway.

Despite the fallout from Megxit and the couple's explosive Oprah interview, the book claims that the Sussexes have no regrets. Pictured: Harry and Meghan appear in the official trailer for the documentary series The Me You Can't See, a co-creation of Harry and Oprah Winfrey's

The Sussexes spent the day at their nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom mansion  which they took out a mortgage to buy 'remembering their 2018 nuptials with people who had been involved in the ceremony' and 'exchanged cotton-based gifts, as is traditional for second wedding anniversaries'.

The authors also offered a new take on Harry's financial situation in the run-up to their departure from the UK, saying if the couple had not had Harry's inheritance from his mother, they 'wouldn't have survived'.

Harry told Oprah his family 'literally cut me off financially' in the first quarter of 2020 and he went for the multi-million pound Netflix and Spotify deals to pay for his security.

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

The book also detailed how Harry had been denied permission to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph last Remembrance Sunday because he was no longer a 'frontline royal'.

The Duke of Sussex spent ten years in the military but lost his three honorary military titles including Captain General of the Royal Marines after stepping down as a senior royal last year along with his wife Meghan Markle.

The book also detailed how Harry had been denied permission to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph last Remembrance Sunday because he was no longer a 'frontline royal'. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II during a Remembrance Day ceremony in 2020

Harry commissioned a wreath but it was left in its box at a branch of the Royal British Legion in Kent, which, according to a source, left Harry feeling 'saddened and disappointed.

The source told the authors: 'Ten years of service and a lifetime commitment to the military community and this is how it's been acknowledged by his family.'
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The UK last night told its Afghan allies who are still trying to get out of Afghanistan to head for the border rather than attempt to get into Kabul airport where US and British forces are winding down their operations.

As evacuation efforts entered their final hours, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace appeared to signal in a briefing to MPs that there are few places left on British planes.

There are also warnings of an increased terror risk from jihadists ISIS-K, with US officials last night saying there was a 'very real risk' of an attack by the terror group who are the Taliban's rivals. .

The US today issued a new alert, warning those wishing to evacuate not to come to the airport amid security concerns. Officials also urged those currently at three of the airport's gates to leave 'immediately'.

Questioned yesterday about what Afghans who have been offered student places or fellowships in the UK should do, Mr Wallace said: 'If they think they can make it to a third country, that may be a better option.'

Pressed by a Tory backbencher, Mr Wallace added: 'I recommend that they try and make it to the border  because it is higher profile going to the airport  that is where the Taliban will be focusing their efforts at the moment.'

There was no suggestion however, that Afghans who have been told by western officials to travel to the airport for evacuation should alter that plan.

Meanwhile, troubling video today showed thousands of Afghans attempting to flee the country via the Pakistan border.

The footage shows a huge crowd of people at Spin Boldak, a southern village on the border with Pakistan, queuing up at the border gates.

It comes amid reports that desperate Britons and Afghans cleared for evacuation are still trapped in Kabul and are being charged more than 5,000 by local 'private security firms' to help them escape the clutches of the Taliban.

The firms are reportedly charging $7,500 dollars (approximately 5,500) to give those willing to pay a safe passage past Taliban fighters and to Kabul airport.

But most of the money is actually being used to pay off the Taliban anyway, say UK defence sources.

It came as:

Tory MPs joined US Republicans in condemning President Biden's Afghanistan 'betrayal' as UK races to get last 2,000 people out in 24 hours;

Shocking video revealed a Australian citizen being beaten and taken away with his family by the Taliban while trying to reach evacuation flight;

A furious row broke out about a Kabul animal rescue flight after MoD denied claims from wildlife campaigners that PM's wife played role in getting approval;

And a former CIA agent claimed the evacuation could be over sooner than the August 31 deadline, adding: 'We're leaving in 72 hours - it doesn't matter who's left on the ground.'

Troubling video today showed thousands of Afghans attempting to flee the country via the Pakistan border. The footage shows a huge crowd of people at Spin Boldak, a southern village on the border with Pakistan, queuing up at the border gates

Meanwhile, crowds of people wait outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday as the evacuation mission continues

Pressed by a Tory backbencher, Mr Wallace added: 'I recommend that they try and make it to the border  because it is higher profile going to the airport  that is where the Taliban will be focusing their efforts at the moment.' Around 150 flights left Kabul airport yesterday as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab insisted the UK will use 'every hour left' to rescue vulnerable Afghans

Some of those trying to flee the Taliban may be better off heading for the border rather than hoping for a flight out, the Defence Secretary admitted last night.

Hundreds of people gather near an evacuation control checkpoint during ongoing evacuations at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul

Private security firms are charging terrified Britons who are cleared for evacuation but trapped in the chaos of Kabul Desperate Britons and Afghans cleared for evacuation are reportedly paying private security firms more than 5,000 to help them escape the clutches of the Taliban, it has been reported. The firms are reportedly charging $7,500 dollars (approximately 5,500) to give those willing to pay a safe passage past Taliban fighters and to Kabul airport. But most of the money is actually being used to pay off the Taliban anyway, UK defence sources have told the Guardian. It comes as yesterday Taliban officials announced a new edict banning Afghans from leaving the country. Roadblocks and check points were set up across Kabul to prevent access to the airport where western forces are carrying out a rapid evacuation. Meanwhile, the UK's Defence Secretary last night warned some of those trying to flee the Taliban may be better off heading for the border rather than hoping for a flight out. As evacuation efforts entered their final hours, Ben Wallace appeared to signal in a briefing to MPs that there are few places left on British planes. Advertisement

The frantic race to rescue the last 2,000 Afghan allies was underway last night as the Daily Mail learned all UK troops must leave Afghanistan by the weekend.

Around 150 flights left Kabul airport yesterday as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab insisted the UK will use 'every hour left' to rescue vulnerable Afghans.

But the grim reality is that many hundreds  including heroic Afghan interpreters  will be left to the clutches of the Taliban after Tuesday's deadline for international troops to leave.

A US order that Britain must pull out its 1,000 soldiers and officials before the US begins its withdrawal has reduced the time available to process the final claims.

US commanders have also insisted on 'two to three days' to conduct a unilateral extraction of their 6,000-strong force, meaning the last UK troops are expected to fly out on Sunday.

The order came as the Taliban further tightened its grip on the airport, using checkpoints to block anyone not holding the necessary paperwork and demanding bribes from those who did.

Afghans and foreign citizens suffered beatings.

Video footage showed an Australian with blood streaming down his face from a head wound after he was confronted by Taliban guards.

There were estimated to be 10,000 Afghans crammed outside the gates to the airport.

UK commander Brigadier Dan Blanchford said they faced 'harrowing and extreme conditions'.

Meanwhile, the US last night issued an order for those evacuating not to come to the airport, due to a security risk.

The order, to US citizens, urged them not to come to the airport gates unless the receive 'individual instructions' to do so.

Those at three of the gates, Abbey, East and North, were also told to leave 'immediately'. The UK also issued similar warnings yesterday.

Since the start of the operation, the RAF has flown out 11,474 people, including almost 7,000 vulnerable Afghans.

It has evacuated more than 2,500 UK nationals, 341 British Embassy officials and around 1,000 nationals from 38 nations. The figure of 2,000 awaiting rescue could rise, with the last freedom flight possibly tomorrow.

Around 150 flights left Kabul airport yesterday as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab insisted the UK will use 'every hour left' to rescue vulnerable Afghans. In this image provided by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Air Force loadmasters and pilots assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, load people being evacuated from Afghanistan onto a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster

There were estimated to be 10,000 Afghans crammed outside the gates to the airport. UK commander Brigadier Dan Blanchford said they faced 'harrowing and extreme conditions'. Pictured: Afghans line up outside a bank to take out cash as people keep waiting at Hamid Karzai International Airport

'We're leaving in 72 hours - it doesn't matter who's left on the ground,' says former CIA agent American civilians and Afghan allies have just 72 hours before evacuations from Kabul end, a former CIA officer and terrorism expert has claimed. Sam Faddis, who served as the head of the Counter Terrorism Center's Weapons of Mass Destruction unit, said sources in the Pentagon, military officers in Kabul and other former intelligence agency officers have told him that flights for civilians out of the Afghan capital will actually end in the next three days. The alleged deadline has not been officially announced or verified, but raises fears that American citizens could be left behind in the Taliban-occupied city. On Tuesday President Joe Biden confirmed that US forces will be leaving the country by August 31, a date agreed with the Taliban - but Faddis claims American civilians currently in the city have a far shorter deadline. 'Biden decided we're pulling out within 72 hours. We're gone, and it doesn't matter who's left on the ground,' the ex-CIA officer told DailyMail.com. Advertisement

There are 'special cases' still to be processed  Afghans to be offered sanctuary in the UK due to the likelihood they will be targeted by the Taliban.

British troops face an increased threat of a terrorist attack from jihadis.

At the airport, a young Afghan woman told the BBC that Taliban forces were treating the crowds of waiting civilians 'like animals'.

Before she boarded a flight, she said: 'Today after three days, I finally got into the airport and I have my flight. It took us 18 hours to get through one of the gates .

'The airport is completely surrounded by Taliban forces and they're being as brutal as they can to the people. They're shooting at people, they're beating people.

'I have mixed feelings. On the one hand I'm travelling to a safer country  anything right now is better than being in a country led by the Taliban.

'On the other, I'm leaving behind everything  my life, my work, my dreams, my hopes. I really desperately want to one day come back to Kabul and see Kabul free of the Taliban.'

Amid the horror, there was also humanity. A British officer described looking after a baby girl after she child became separated from her mother in the crush.

Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Caesar of 16 Medical Regiment, said: 'We took her for a walk around our hospital, managed to burp her a few times. She seemed to settle.

'One of the challenges in this sort of environment is never really knowing who is going to come through the door. We have to be prepared for every eventuality.

'Fortunately as a recent father myself I have a bit of experience in dealing with small children. She was later reunited with her mother before being evacuated.'

A heart-breaking announcement for those who remain is expected 'imminently', according to political sources. The crowds are expected to be told, perhaps today, that evacuations for civilians are no longer possible.

At the airport, a young Afghan woman told the BBC that Taliban forces were treating the crowds of waiting civilians 'like animals'. Before she boarded a flight, she said: 'Today after three days, I finally got into the airport and I have my flight. It took us 18 hours to get through one of the gates.' Pictured: A C-17 Globemaster lll lands on the runway as evacuees from Afghanistan debark a C-17 Globemaster

Two paratroopers assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division conduct security while a C-130 Hercules takes off during a evacuation operation in Kabul

Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Commons defence committee, said: 'We are down to the last hours.

'It is vital we communicate with those waiting outside the airport to prevent panic and loss of life, confirming what has happened.

They will have to be told, sadly, that no more evacuation flights are possible ahead of the August 31 deadline and that, as from then, only military withdrawal flights will be taking off.'

The final betrayal: The Afghan translators who helped Britain but can't make it inside Kabul airport - and fear they are being left to die at the hands of Taliban by Joe Biden

By David Williams and Mark Nichol for the Daily Mail

Desperate translators last night told the Mail they feared they were being left to die in Kabul, unable to escape Afghanistan as the evacuation drive headed into its final hours.

The Afghan interpreters  who loyally served Britain on the front line defying threats to their safety  are terrified they are now stranded at the mercy of the Taliban.

Some are unable to reach Kabul airport as the Taliban turned increasingly violent at its checkpoints.

Others, already queuing, could not get through the airport with crowds of up to 10,000 converging ahead of America's deadline to withdraw by August 31.

Desperate translators last night told the Mail they feared they were being left to die in Kabul, unable to escape Afghanistan as the evacuation drive headed into its final hours. Pictured: Imam Wabab with UK military during a meeting with Afghan village elders

Others, already queuing, could not get through the airport with crowds of up to 10,000 converging ahead of America's deadline to withdraw by August 31. Pictured: British and American security forces maintain order amongst the Afghan evacuees waiting to leave, in Kabul

Britain said yesterday it still had 2,000 Afghan translators, related workers and their families to get out  and the likelihood is that there are only 36 hours left before its paratroopers have to begin packing up. Pictured: Chaotic crowds on the approach to Kabul airport

We must not leave 'Our Imam' behind A religious leader seen as a top Taliban target because of his key role with British forces has spent two terrifying days with his family outside Kabul's airport waiting to be called for a mercy flight. Imam Wahab was approved for sanctuary in the UK more than two months ago. But last night he was still hiding among crowds at the airport, fearing he may be left behind. British officers who worked with him during his nearly 15 years at the Camp Bastion UK base said he should be 'saved as a priority'. They said Wahab was a key figure advising on religious matters and overseeing 1,000 Afghans employed by the UK. Major James Bolter said: 'He faces certain death if he remains...Wahab was working for the infidel in religious matters, which to the Taliban is the ultimate sin, and would make him gold dust as a target. To them, he is a traitor to his country and his religion. It is chilling to think what might happen to him.' He stressed: 'Wahab was our religious guide and also our shop steward among more than 1,000 Afghans. 'His importance to us was massive and he has been sitting outside the airport for 48 hours with his wife and three daughters and two sons waiting to be called.' UK-based former translator Hashmat Nawabi, who worked with the imam, said they had been in contact and 'he was very, very frightened  and did not understand why he was waiting. He told me 'If the Taliban find me and discover I was a mullah for British forces everyone will know my fate'.' Mr Nawabi insisted: 'Wahab was a very well-known figure in Helmand. Please rescue him and his family. The mullah must not be left behind.' Advertisement

Britain said yesterday it still had 2,000 Afghan translators, related workers and their families to get out  and the likelihood is that there are only 36 hours left before its paratroopers have to begin packing up.

Musa, 35, a former supervisor of interpreters for the UK military, said: 'If we miss the flights and the airport closes, we could be left to die.

'The Taliban will want their revenge and those who helped the Western forces are their target. I pray this is not us.'

Hussain, 48, who worked on the front lines in Helmand, said: 'Those who do not escape will have been abandoned to their fate by those they risked their lives for.

'I am very frightened I may be among them.'

Campaigners said yesterday 60 interpreters had been blocked on security grounds and 20 were still waiting to hear if they qualified.

Another 40 have not responded to calls from the Afghan team handling their cases, raising concerns they are missing.

Musa, who was approved for sanctuary in Britain, waited yesterday for the phone to ring with instructions to go to the airport.

The father of three, who worked for more than four years with UK troops in Helmand, said: 'I pray for the message to arrive... Soon it will be too late.'

Hussain, who was also approved for relocation here, said he and his family had waited in the crush two days for a flight from Kabul airport.

He said: 'We have visas but I fear the gate may never open for us.'

The Daily Mail has been fighting for the safe relocation of Afghan translators since 2015 through the award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign.

But it was only in April that the Ministry of Defence launched its Afghan relocation and assistance policy scheme which began to bring large numbers of former translators to this country.

But rather than sending a fleet of military planes to Kabul to collect as many interpreters as quickly as possible, defence officials opted instead for weekly flights.

It meant that when the Taliban stormed into Kabul thousands of translators and their dependents were left stranded.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was criticised for not making a call to the then-Afghan foreign minister two days before the capital fell, which, said critics, could have meant more interpreters would have escaped.

'Biden isn't fit for the role - he's gone gaga': Tory MPs join US Republicans in condemning President's Afghanistan 'betrayal' as UK races to get last 2,000 people out in 24 hours - while America BLAMES its citizens for not leaving earlier

By James Tapsfield, Jack Maidment and James Robinson for MailOnline

The UK Government is now in a race against time to airlift nearly 2,000 Afghan interpreters and other staff who worked for Britain out of Kabul amid a growing backlash at Joe Biden over his decision to stick to his August 31 withdrawal deadline.

The interpreters are understood to have been deemed eligible to come to the UK and have passed security checks but remain on the ground at Kabul airport.

The Pentagon briefed this afternoon that there are currently 10,000 people in total waiting at the airport for a flight out of the capital.

Mr Biden sparked fury yesterday by 'point blank' refusing G7 calls to push back the exit date for US forces, with Washington of the belief that an extension would leave troops at too great a risk of attack from the Taliban or Isis.

His decision has angered some Tory MPs who have questioned Mr Biden's 'intellectual fitness' to do the job, with one backbencher labelling the US President 'gaga'.

Meanwhile, over in the States, Biden also came under fire today from House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who accused the Democrat president of 'turning his back' on his duties as commander-in-chief, on American citizens stranded in Afghanistan and on the local allies who helped US troops.

McCarthy criticised the president for walking away from a press conference about Afghanistan last night without taking any questions from the media.

'He turned his back and walked away - an image that has come to define him and his presidency,' he said.

'He turned his back on our own citizens stranded in Afghanistan, he's turned his back on our allies and partners, he's turned his back on his duties as a Commander-in-Chief.'

And Biden could now face more backlash, as his Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, appeared in a press conference tonight to blame Americans still on the ground for not leaving fast enough after first being warned earlier this year to leave Afghanistan.

He said: 'For many years we have urged Americans not to travel there. We've repeatedly asked Americans who are in Afghanistan to enroll (at the embassy in Kabul).

'And since March of this year, we've sent 19 separate messages to American's enrolled in the embassy, encouraging them and then urging them to leave the country. We've even made clear we would pay for their repatriation,' he added.

It comes as last night Mr Biden warned the Taliban that it must 'continue to co-operate' with the US evacuation mission but there are growing fears that a crackdown by the group is already underway.

There are claims from people on the ground in Kabul that Afghans are being prevented by Taliban fighters from accessing the city's airport for evacuation. Yesterday the extremists issued an edict banning nationals from leaving the country. They also blocked roads and set up check-points around Kabul airport.

Meanwhile, video footage emerged showing a bloodied man who claimed to be an Australian citizen who had apparently been beaten by Taliban guards as he tried to reach the airport.

Some 19,000 people were extracted from Kabul yesterday, taking the overall number since the operation began to 88,000, with the UK having brought more than 10,000 individuals - including more than 5,500 Afghans and their families - to Britain.

The Pentagon said evacuations will continue 'all the way to the end' but also warned that in the 'last couple of days' leading up to the withdrawal date 'we will begin to prioritise military capabilities and military resources to move out' in order to end the deployment.

And today Mr Blinken, went one step further, pledging to continue to support Afghans who wished to leave the country even after US troops had been withdrawn.

He admitted up to 1,500 Americans are still trapped in Afghanistan and looking for a way out, including at least 24 students from a California school district.

'While evacuating American is our top priority, we are also committed to getting out as many Afghans at risk as we can, and that starts with our locally employed staff,' he told a press conference in Washington today.

He added there was 'no deadline' on the country's work to evacuate those who are eligible and want to leave Afghanistan, before following up on Mr Biden's warning yesterday of the 'very real possibility' of an attack by terrorist group ISIS K.

Meanwhile, Dominic Raab, the UK's Foreign Secretary, this morning admitted the evacuation mission is in its final stages.

Mr Raab said the UK is working 'as fast as we can' to maximise the number of people who can flee, saying 2,000 were taken to safety in the last 24 hours and almost all single-nationality Britons are now out. He declined to say when the last UK flight will be leaving.

Former chief of the defence staff Lord Richards said he believes even after the last official flight the British military will 'sneak others in who arrive late along with their own people'.

Mr Biden's decision to stick with the withdrawal date has sparked Tory fury, with MP Bob Seely telling MailOnline: 'If this does destroy Biden's presidency, you have to question his fitness for the role.

'You have got to question Trump's moral fitness for the role, but you have got to address Biden's intellectual fitness and health fitness for the role.

'I'm sorry, he is just gaga he doesn't have a grip. How many slip ups before people think, yep, he can't do the job.'

Dominic Raab admitted the evacuation mission is in its final desperate stages after US president Joe Biden (pictured) 'point blank' rejected G7 calls for a delay

Joe Biden (left) departs after delivering Afghanistan remarks Tuesday. He did not answer questions from reporters as he left the room. Antony Blinken (right) announced on Wednesday that up to 1,500 Americans - 500 who are verified US citizens - are still stuck in Afghanistan

Biden has committed the US to withdraw by August 31, a decision that western allies warn will mean thousands of Afghans who were promised sanctuary being left behind

People being taken out of Afghanistan on a Spanish military flight today as the clock runs down on the airlift

With an American pull-out now likely to be complete by the end of the month, other countries, such as the UK, which are reliant on the air support from US troops, now face a race against time to complete their own evacuations.

Last night the Pentagon confirmed that several hundred US troops had already started leaving Afghanistan - and allies including the UK will want to have their troops out well before the US leaves.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday that US forces have 'been very clear' with the Taliban 'about what credentials we are willing to accept' for people trying to get to the airport.

'By and large, with caveats' people have been getting through checkpoints, spokesman John Kirby said, adding 'we also have other means to get people in.'

'When we have reports that someone credentialed is not being let in, we are making that clear to Taliban leaders they need to let them in,' Kirby said.

It was also revealed that a military operation recovered 'less than 20 people' from Kabul under cover of darkness and brought them safely to the airport for evacuation.

Members of the GOP - the Republican Party - said on Tuesday night that Biden has 'blood on his hands' because thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies who helped U.S. troops could be left to die when the final evacuation flights depart - which could even be before midnight on Aug. 31 to ensure a safe evacuation of everyone at the airport.

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, who underwent a secret trip to Kabul to witness the situation at the airport for themselves, challenged President Biden and claimed that 'we won't get everyone out on time'.

McCarthy and a slew of Republicans continued their criticism of Biden today.

The GOP have accused him of letting the Taliban 'call the shots' amid reports westerners and SIV applicants are getting stopped and beaten at checkpoints - despite Pentagon claims they are telling the insurgents who the 'expect' to be let through.

'Joe Biden and his team are letting the Taliban call the shots,' Senator Tom Cotton said on a Fox News radio show Wednesday morning.

His fellow GOP Senator Marco Rubio wrote on Twitter, 'A President that abandons Americans in order to meet a deadline set by a medieval band of terrorists will forever be disgraced.'

Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina criticized Biden's 'disastrous decision' to hold firm on his end-of-the-month deadline on Wednesday morning, which he said was 'cemented by his administration's prior ill-conceived timeline agreement with the Taliban instead of the conditions on the ground.'

Senator Lindsey Graham, who served with Biden on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the Biden and Taliban-mandated deadline will cost lives.

'How could we create a deadline that is a death sentence to those who fought along our side?' he questioned on Fox radio Wednesday.

'There's nobody to blame but Biden here,' Graham said on Fox radio today, adding the U.S. is leaving 'thousands of Afghans, most likely American citizens, and what we're leaving behind is an Al Qaeda on steroids.'

Today Secretary of State Blinken said officials has been in 'direct contact' with roughly 500 Americans and 'provided specific instructions for how to get to the airport safely.' The State Department said there are roughly 1,000 other people whose status is still being established.

'We're aggressively reaching out to them multiple times a day,' he said of those 1,000 people, adding they're looking 'to determine whether they still want to leave and to get them the most up-to-date information and instructions for them on how to do so.'

'Some may no longer be in the country. Some may have claimed to be Americans but turn out not to be. Some may choose to stay,' Blinken said

'We'll continue to try and identify the status and plans of these people in the coming days.'

The CIA meanwhile has been joining the US military in evacuation efforts, launching clandestine operations to rescue Americans in and outside of Kabul, the Wall Street Journal reports.

It comes as defence sources last night said the UK could now wrap up its mission within '24 to 36 hours'. The UK's Foreign Secretary, Mr Raab, said he was unclear how many people will be left behind in Afghanistan.

McCarthy tore into Biden for walking away from a Tuesday speech without taking questions or mentioning how many Americans were still in Afghanistan

The Foreign Secretary said the figure depends on 'the window' left in terms of timing and how many people they manage to process over the next few days.

He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'It's also how many want to come, as there are some finely balanced cases.'

Mr Raab said the details of how UK forces will withdraw were still being firmed up. There is speculation the British team will initially withdraw to the airport from the Baron hotel, where they have been processing applications.

The UK contingent is then expected to hand over duties to the Americans, who will be the last to leave.

'The military planners are firming up the details of what the extra  the time they will need at the end to drawdown their own staff, personnel and equipment. We will get the details of that I'm sure, shortly,' Mr Raab said.

'We need to get that clear from the military planners, they are obviously working on that. Ideally we want to limit the period that they need for their drawdown to maximise the period for the civilian airlift, if you like. But that is something that they will need to provide the details on.'

Mr Raab tried to play down concerns about the Taliban obstructing extractions, saying that although trust was at 'rock bottom' there had been 'constructive' engagement.

'They have, so far, in relation to the airport, behaved constructively and engaged constructively more or less.

'There's clearly reports and some of the people on the ground  roadblocks or elsewhere  are not following what the political leadership are requiring. But overall, one of the reasons that we have been able to get the numbers out through the evacuation is because we have engaged and they have lived up to some of the things that they have said.

Hundreds of people are still gathering at checkpoints outside Hamid Karzai International Airport looking for a chance to escape after the Taliban announced that Afghan civilians would no longer be allowed to leave on the US-led mission

The Pentagon said a plane left the Kabul airport 'every 39 minutes' in the most recent update on evacuation numbers

US soldiers stand guard at the airport tower near an evacuation control checkpoint. Reports of Taliban violence have surfaced as civilians and Afghans who aided US troops try to leave their country before the August 31 deadline

Desperate Afghans waded through a sewage ditch on the outskirts of Kabul airport this morning while pleading with soldiers guarding the opposite bank to put them on a plane out of the country as time runs out to flee Taliban rule

A lucky man is hauled to safety by a soldier (left) and allowed one step closer to freedom, but most were left wallowing in filth as their pleas fell on deaf ears with as little as 24 hours left until civilian mercy flights top

Furious row breaks out over Kabul animal rescue flight as MoD denies claims from wildlife campaigners that PM's wife played role A furious row has tonight broken out over an animal rescue flight from Kabul amid claims the Prime Minister's wife intervened to help get approval for the emergency airlift. Boris Johnson is believed to have personally overruled his Defence Secretary's desire to prioritise human over animal evacuations for Afghanistan. Ben Wallace had been adamant that the Ministry of Defence would prioritise 'people over pets' as the Government scrambles to evacuate thousands of British nationals trapped at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul - which fell under Taliban control last week. But Mr Johnson is said to have overruled the policy following a 'huge' swell of public support calling Royal Marine turned charity boss Paul 'Pen' Farthing get 200 cats and dogs out of Kabul - where he runs an animal welfare centre. Today animal rights campaigner Dominic Dyer, a friend of Mr Farthing, founder of the charity Nowzad, told MailPlus that the u-turn followed an intervention from the Prime Minister's wife Carrie Johnson - a keen supporter of animal welfare issues. But the claim was quickly dismissed by the Ministry of Defence, with a spokesperson reportedly telling Sky News that they were a 'lie'. It comes after a Sky News video showed a Vauxhall hatchback entering a military cargo jet prompted a counter-blast from animal rights activists including comic Ricky Gervais and actor Peter Egan, who accused the Ministry of Defence of caring more about a car than 'sentient animals'. The Defence Secretary then announced in a flurry of tweets at 1.30am this morning that officials would allow Mr Farthing to leave on the chartered flight if he arrived at the airport with his staff and animals. The U-turn is likely to raise questions about the extent to which Mr Johnson is personally managing the evacuation, and the role his wife - an animal rights advocate who also encouraged the Prime Minister to pursue his green agenda - is playing in the Afghanistan crisis. Advertisement

'We need to then set further tests for them and be very clear about what we are willing to do, if and only if they live up to their assurances.'

Mr Raab also declined to comment on whether British troops would return to Afghanistan in the future.

'I'm not going to speculate on that while we're in the middle of withdrawals,' he said.

'The United Kingdom retains the right to exercise self-defence in relation to our nationals in our country. We're not getting into speculating about that.'

After the setback for the alliance with the US, Mr Raab suggested the UK is looking to 'broaden the group of like-minded countries' trying to rein in Taliban extremism in future.

He told Times Radio: 'I've been speaking to China, Pakistan, India and we'll be trying to convene meetings of the permanent members of the Security Council to agree the contours for the way forward.

'In terms of the leaders, we will use all the leaders at our disposal. Sanctions potentially, access to the international financial institutions If they (the Taliban) want aid going into Afghanistan, it won't go through the Taliban, they'll have to provide a permissive environment for NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and the UN.'

There were grim reports of the growing tensions at the airport today, with one British businessman referred to as Shafiullah telling The Times he had been beaten by the Taliban and sworn at by British soldier.

'In the space of a few hours, after a ten-hour wait without water, I was beaten by the Taliban and told to f*** off by the British army,' the Bromley businessman in his forties said. 'We are desperate here... We know the clock is counting down to the last flights. There's too little time left to evacuate us all.'

It comes after Mr Johnson yesterday faced humiliation with Mr Biden shrugging off his pleas to extend the Kabul evacuation.

The Prime Minister, along with Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, had used a G7 meeting to urge the US President to keep the operation going longer.

But Mr Biden reportedly rejected the request 'point blank'. 'Mr Biden made clear that it wasn't a runner,' a senior government source reportedly told The Telegraph last night.

White House sources said Mr Biden had agreed with the Pentagon that there would be no change to the timeline of the mission. Press secretary Jen Psaki said the Pentagon was 'on pace' to withdraw by the deadline.

And Mr Biden later confirmed this in a TV address at the White House last night, saying the US was now 'on pace to finish by August 31'.

Mr Biden yesterday said more than 70,000 people been evacuated since August 14. And he said 12,000 people had been evacuated by western forces in the last 12 hours alone.

A man claiming to be an Australian citizen was beaten bloody by Taliban guards at a checkpoint in Kabul today, after the Taliban vowed to block any more people from going to the airport

Fears are growing that crowds could try to storm the airport once civilian mercy flights stop, or that opportunistic terrorists could attack the densely-packed crowd

A US marine comforts a child at Kabul airport as the evacuation operation nears it end, with US allies saying flights could stop within the next 24 hours

A US marine carries a child towards an evacuation aircraft at Kabul airport as the final mercy flights depart the country

Afghan families are pictured boarding a military evacuation flight at Hamid Karzai Airport as the US prepares to withdraw from the country, with other western nations set to follow

A US soldier walks two Afghan women towards an evacuation plane on the runway at Hamid Karzai Airport this week

Afghan Army commander tears into Biden for saying his soldiers gave up Maj Gen Sami Sadat wrote a blistering essay on how politicians in Kabul and Washington failed in the fight against the Taliban as he defended his troops against attacks that they did not fight An Afghan Army commander accused President Joe Biden of 'disrespect and disloyalty' for saying that his troops did not put up a fight against the Taliban, in a blistering essay published on Wednesday, that concluded the war was doomed when the president announced his withdrawal. Sami Sadat described how he was a three-star general in the Afghan Army, commander of 215 Maiwand Corps, and led 15,000 men in combat losing hundreds of officers against the Taliban in southwestern Afghanistan. 'It's true that the Afghan Army lost its will to fight,' he wrote in the New York Times. 'But that's because of the growing sense of abandonment by our American partners and the disrespect and disloyalty reflected in Biden's tone and words over the past few months. 'The Afghan Army is not without blame. It had its problems  cronyism, bureaucracy  but we ultimately stopped fighting because our partners already had. 'It pains me to see Mr. Biden and Western officials are blaming the Afghan Army for collapsing without mentioning the underlying reasons that happened.' In all, Afghan armed forces lost 66,000 people in 20 years of fighting, he said. The Taliban swept into Kabul 10 days ago after a lightning advance across the country. Elders negotiated deals in towns and cities as government politicians and troops faced what they believed was inevitable defeat. Sadat said: 'It was in response to those scenes that Mr. Biden said on Aug. 16 that the Afghan forces collapsed, 'sometimes without trying to fight.' 'But we fought, bravely, until the end. We lost 66,000 troops over the past 20 years; that's one-fifth of our estimated fighting force.' Western leaders have said they were taken by surprise and Biden has repeatedly shifted blame to Afghan forces. 'American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves,' as he tried to defend the withdrawal after Kabul had been taken. His comments triggered fury among U.S. veterans who helped train and advise government troops. And in an essay dripping with dignified fury, Sadat said it was not his troops that were at fault but politicians in both Kabul and Washington. He laid blame with the corrupt government of President Ashraf Ghani as well as those of President Donald Trump and Biden. Advertisement

However the President turned the spotlight on the Taliban, who last night reiterated their insistence that western troops to leave by the end of this month, saying it was down to militants to allow the evacuation process to go smoothly.

He said the completion of operations in Kabul 'depends upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate', adding there will be contingency plans to 'adjust the timetable should that become necessary'.

Speaking during the conference, which he left without answering questions from reporters, President Biden said: 'We (the G7) agreed we would continue our close co-operation to get people out as efficiently and safely as possible.

'We are currently on pace to finish by August 31. The sooner we can finish the better. Each added day brings a risk to our troops.

'But the completion by August 31 depends on the Taliban's continued co-operation and allow access to the airport - no disruption to our operations.'

He said the added risk came from a 'very real' threat from terrorist group ISIS K - a self-proclaimed branch of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant active in parts of Afghanistan.

It comes as a humiliated Mr Johnson said after the G7 summit that the UK will continue to conduct airlifts from the country 'right up until the last moment' as he pleaded with the Taliban to let people leave after the deadline.

He said the leaders had agreed that the 'number one condition' that the Taliban must meet moving forward is to 'guarantee right the way through August 31 and beyond safe passage for those who want to come out'.

But last night UK defence sources reportedly told the Guardian that the UK operation could be closed down within '24-36 hours'.

It is understood that the US military needs between two and three days to close down its operations at Kabul airport.

And UK troops will have to be 24 hours ahead of that, in order to get Afghans and then themselves out safely before US troops depart.

Meanwhile, Conservative MPs said the US's decision to turn their back on the UK's pleas mean the 'special relationship' was now over.

One Tory MP told the Guardian that US-UK relations were 'about to enter their lowest point since Suez'.

Tory MP Colonel Bob Stewart said he did not believe that the Afghan episode would do lasting damage to the Special Relationship between US and UK forces.

But the backbencher - who served in Bosnia - warned that it was more evidence of the UK's inability to act independently.

'Let's be quite clear, parliament and the British public have reduced the armed forces of this country to very very small players, and we cannot do things,' he told MailOnline.

'We should be paying at least 3 per cent of gross national product on defence.

'People say ''why don't we do more?'' Well, we can't do more. We haven't got the resources to do more, because they have all gone.

'We don't have the capacity to do more than ally with a stronger military power.'

He added: 'You cannot have your cake and eat it. People are saying we should be protecting more people, but at the same time they are cutting our armed forces.'

Despite the setback, Mr Johnson insisted the G7 nations have 'huge leverage' over the Taliban because of the threat of sanctions as he said funding for the country would only be made available in the future if it meets the West's expectations.

'If those huge funds are going to be unfrozen eventually for use by the government and people of Afghanistan then what we are saying is Afghanistan can't lurch back into becoming a breeding ground of terror, Afghanistan can't become a narco state,' he said.

The comments came after the Taliban repeating blood-curdling warnings of consequences if there was an attempt to cling on, saying no-one will be permitted to leave.

'All people should be removed prior to that date,' a spokesman told a press conference in the capital.'After that we do not allow them. We will take a different stance.'
Bailey was Fucci's classmate at Patriot Oaks Academy in St Johns, Florida, where she was a cheerleader

The mom of a 14 year-old boy accused of brutally murdering his 13 year-old cheerleader classmate was filmed washing blood of her son's jeans hours after the killing, investigators say.

Newly-released footage is said to show Crystal Smith scrubbing her son Aiden Fucci's jeans hours after Fucci allegedly murdered Trystyn Bailey by stabbing her 114 times.

The clip was among a trove of video evidence made public by Florida State Attorney's Office on Tuesday in Bailey's murder case, where Fucci, 14, has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder.

The cache of recordings also included three Snapchat videos that show Fucci and a friend laughing in the back of a cop car while Bailey, 13, was missing, and the last moments Bailey was seen alive.

'We're having fun, in a f***ing cop car,' a smiling Fucci says into the camera. He then addresses Bailey directly, saying: 'Tristyn if you f***ing walk out the damn...' His friend adds that Tristyn would 'see this in a month.'

Prosecutors say Fucci made the comments despite knowing full-well Bailey was already dead - because he had killed her.

In another Snapchat clip, Fucci is alone in the backseat of the patrol vehicle. He says: 'Guess who's in a f***ing cop car... tripping, dude.'

Bailey's body was found on May 9, 2021 with 114 stab wounds - 35 wounds to her head and neck, along with 49 defensive wounds to her arms - in the woods near Fucci's home in St Johns, Florida.

Scroll down for Snapchat video.

Video obtained from Fucci's home purports to show his mother, Crystal Smith, washing blood off of her son's jeans. The teen was being questioned about Bailey at the time

Snapchat videos showed Fucci sitting in the back of a patrol car while cops were searching for Bailey. In one recording, Fucci says: 'Tristyn if you f***ing walk out the damn...'

Police obtained surveillance footage from inside Fucci's home purportedly showing Smith going upstairs and picking up her son's blue jeans, before allegedly scrubbing blood off of them.

Those jeans - as well as the drain in Smith's home, later tested positive for blood, and she was charged with evidence tampering. It is unclear if that blood matched Bailey's.

That was among the videos that Florida prosecutors released on Tuesday was surveillance footage from May 9, 2020; the last time Bailey was seen alive.

Smith has been charged with evidence tampering, a felony, in connection with Bailey's killing

In the video, Fucci is allegedly walking with Bailey the night of her murder toward a wooded area in their neighborhood in St Johns after midnight on the night of the murder.

Less than two hours later - just before 2am - the surveillance same camera caught what is alleged to be Fucci running in the opposite direction, prosecutors said.

According to court documents that were released last month, one of Fucci's friends and classmate at Patriot Oaks Academy, where Bailey also attended, told police that Fucci frequently talked about killing people.

The friend said that within a month of Bailey being killed, Fucci said he wanted to murder someone by dragging them into the woods and stabbing them.

She also said Fucci would 'take his knife out and pretend to stab her with it' and that he would 'draw graphic pictures depicting mutilated bodies'.

The friend also told detectives that Fucci often heard voices when he was angry that would tell him to kill people, according to the report.

Fucci has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder. He is accused of stabbing Bailey, his classmate, 114 times

Prosecutors in Florida on Tuesday released video evidence in the murder case against Aiden Fucci, 14, who is believed to be seen walking with victim Tristyn Bailey above

A neighbor's camera captured what police said was the last time Bailey was seen alive on the morning of May 9, walking with Fucci towards a wooded area in St Johns, Florida

Less than two hours later, a person said to be Fucci was seen running alone in the opposite direction

When detectives searched Fucci's home, they uncovered a notebook filled with 'violent' drawings of women, including one that showed a female with red Xs on her breasts and severed arms with blood pouring out.

Also included in the court documents was an incident report regarding the moment his mother told him in a police interview room that Bailey's body had been found.

According to the report, Fucci replied: 'How is that my problem?'

When police searched Fucci's home, they allegedly found a Buck knife sheath in his room, as well as shoes and a shirt with blood on them.

A knife found discarded in a pond near where Bailey's body was found was consistent with her stab wounds, according to police.

Fucci initially was arrested on a second-degree murder charge and held in a juvenile justice center the day after Bailey's body was found.

Authorities said his DNA was found on Bailey's body.

Prosecutors later upgraded the charge to first-degree murder.

Fucci has pleaded not guilty to murder and remains jailed without bail. Smith was released after posting $25,000 bond. Both mother and son are due back in court for pretrial hearings on September 1.
Millions of New South Wales residents can look forward more freedoms next week, despite growing Covid-19 numbers.

A host of restrictions on funerals and the real estate industry are set to be eased from Monday while the singles bubble will be extended for those struggling on their own at home during lockdown.

Daily Mail Australia understands changes to the public health order were signed off on Wednesday following a crisis state cabinet meeting.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is expected to provide more detail at Thursday's Covid briefing, a day after the state announced a record 919 new cases.

She could also announce more freedoms for fully vaccinated residents in regions where there are few cases, including haircuts and lift those in regional areas not ravaged by Covid out of lockdown this Saturday.

The ease of restrictions come following confirmation from Prime Minister Scott Morrison that businesses are within their rights to turn away anyone who refuses to get the Covid-19 jab.

A host of restrictions will be eased from Monday to provide locked down Sydneysiders more reasonable excuses to leave their homes

Businesses can refuse service to anyone who refuses to get the Covid-19 jab. Pictured is a supermarket at Westfield East Gardens, located in one of the 12 Sydney Covid hotspot LGAs

Funerals services will be permitted in the 12 Sydney Covid-ravaged local government area hotspots under a subclause which allows 'a gathering for a small funeral or memorial service' as a valid reason for an outdoor gathering.

There are no details yet on how many can attend but rules elsewhere in the state dictate that funeral services can have up to 10 mourners.

People living on their own can add a second nominated visitor if their original nominated buddy isn't available.

Those living in hotspot areas will be able leave their homes on compassionate grounds or to meet a friend outdoors for support them through a difficult time.

The real estate industry will be boosted by new rules to allow residents to leave home during lockdown to inspect a property and relocate between properties.

Sydneysiders are in the 10th week of lockdown, which has been extended to the end of September.

Meanwhile, businesses are within their rights to turn away anyone who refuses to get the Covid-19 jab under existing laws, the Prime Minister has confirmed.

Businesses are within their rights refuse to service anyone who isn't vaccinated. Pictured is a fishmonger in Sydney's south-west

Mr Morrison has told federal parliament refusing service is a 'legitimate thing' for businesses to do in order to protect their staff and customers, despite warnings from the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Poll Should businesses and service providers have a right to turn away anyone who refuses to get the jab? Yes No Should businesses and service providers have a right to turn away anyone who refuses to get the jab? Yes 1201 votes

No 864 votes Now share your opinion





Millions of Australians have rolled up their sleeves for the jab on the promise of more freedoms once they've had both jabs.

A business can refuse entry or service to anyone as long as they don't breach anti-discrimination laws based on race, age, gender or disability under existing laws and have the backing of the prime minister to do so.

'That's a legitimate thing for them to do,' Mr Morrison told Parliament on Wednesday.

'They're doing that to protect their own workers, to protect their other clients.

'It's got nothing to do with ideology, or these issues around liberty,

'We all believe in freedom, but we also believe in people being healthy.

'And the simple fact is, if you're not vaccinated you present a greater health risk to yourself, to your family, to your community and others about you.'

The easing of restrictions comes after NSW reached six million vaccinations earlier this week

However, the Australian Human Rights Commission has urged businesses and service providers should be cautious about imposing a blanket rule requiring vaccination as a condition of entry, or for the delivery or provision of goods, services and facilities.

'There are medical reasons why a person may not be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, or may choose not to in their circumstances, including because of protected attributes such pregnancy or disability,' the commission states on its website.

'Additionally, at present, many younger Australians have not been eligible for particular Covid-19 vaccinations at all, or for shorter periods of time than older Australians.'

More half of all Australians aged over-16 have received one vaccine dose while 31.6 per cent are now fully vaccinated.

Australians are flocking to be vaccinated on the promise of more freedoms. Pictured are queues at the Sydney Olympic Park vaccination hub

The National Cabinet will meet on Friday to discuss a proposal to link certain freedoms to a vaccine passport once 70-80 per cent of the population is fully vaccination.

Freedoms could include attending It could be key to going to sporting events, concerts and businesses will have the right to turn away people who aren't vaccinated.

But Mr Morrison is facing resistance from some of his own MPs, who argue a vaccine passport will create two classes of citizens.

A trio of factors has contributes to Ms Berejiklian's decision to ease NSW restrictions, including a suburb's case numbers, proximity to local councils with high rates of community transmission and if Covid fragments were detected in sewerage, according to Sky News.

Some of areas which fit this criteria are the North Coast of NSW, the Riverina, Wollondilly and the Southern Highlands.

It is expected that children in these regions will head back to the classroom while workers will be able to return to their jobs.

The Prime Minister (pictured) says businesses have a right to protect staff and other customers

A trio of factors will contribute to the decision to ease restrictions, including a suburb's case numbers, proximity to local councils with high rates of community transmission and if Covid fragments were detected in sewerage, according to Sky News.

Some of areas which fit this criteria are the North Coast of NSW, the Riverina, Wollondilly and the Southern Highlands.

It is expected that children in these regions will head back to the classroom while workers will be able to return to their jobs.

Many are tipping the new-found freedom will allow vaccinated hairdressers to reopen to double-dosed Sydneysiders residents living outside of Covid hotspots.

The Premier is set to make the long-awaited announcement as early as Thursday, but it's likely Sydneysiders will not be able to get their locks chopped until September.

While some regional areas may see restrictions lifted, other outback communities are struggling to cope with the surge of new cases.
Parents must make their children take Covid tests twice a week this coming term to stop another wave ripping through schools, say ministers.

A new Government campaign stresses that all secondary schools must keep up regular testing or risk another winter of chaos.

Pupils in Year 7 and over will have two lateral flow tests at school, three to five days apart, and afterwards should test at home twice weekly.

But the system will rely largely on trust, with no feasible way for schools to check on each pupil every week.

Ministers are today launching a major advertising drive aimed at parents and teenagers, urging them to do their duty.

Parents must make their children take Covid tests twice a week this coming term to stop another wave ripping through schools, say ministers

Fronting the campaign are Dr Ranj Singh, star of ITV's This Morning, and Olympian swimmer Matt Richards.

Jenny Harries, head of the UK Health Security Agency, said: 'It is vital that we continue rapid testing in schools to help uncover hidden cases of the virus at the start of term.

'We encourage children to come into school to take their first tests in person and then to continue testing twice a week from home.'

Health Secretary Sajid Javid added: 'I urge parents to encourage their children to take regular tests, to help break chains of transmission and stop the virus spreading.'

There are fears the virus could take off again when schools go back over the next two weeks.

The bubble system, which saw whole year groups sent home for one positive case, has been scrapped and face masks are no longer mandatory.

A new Government campaign stresses that all secondary schools must keep up regular testing or risk another winter of chaos

Ministers desperately need the new testing regime to work so emerging cases can be picked up quickly.

However, the Left-wing National Education Union has derided the campaign, which includes radio and social media advertising.

Joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said: 'This charm offensive from the Government to parents relies on the notion that the removal of safety requirements will magically transform school and college life.

'The school community constitutes millions of people and we must expect cases to start to rise when schools return, especially when mitigations have been removed.'

Pupils in Year 7 and over will have two lateral flow tests at school, three to five days apart, and afterwards should test at home twice weekly

Students aged 16 and 17, as well as those aged 12 to 15 in certain vulnerable groups, are encouraged to take up the offer of the vaccine.

There will also be 'proportionate' measures in place, such as ventilation and hand-washing. The Government has also given 25million to schools for carbon dioxide monitors, helping them identify poor ventilation.

And schools can re-introduce their own measures, such as face coverings  but they should last for a 'defined period' and should not have a 'detrimental impact'.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: 'I have every confidence that school and college staff, parents and students will continue to work together admirably, following pragmatic measures like testing and vaccinations to minimise disruption.'
Victoria has recorded 80 new cases of Covid, almost double the 45 it had on Wednesday in a dramatic escalation to its outbreak.

The bad news didn't end there with only 39 in quarantine while infectious, while 13 mystery cases not yet linked to the outbreak.

Victoria beat its previous 2021 record of 71 set last week, and has not had this many new cases in a day since last September as its deadly second wave wound down.

The Shepparton outbreak in regional Victoria has grown to 67 after 18 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours.

Health officials have ramped up support services in the town where 16,000 residents are currently isolating.

Premier Daniel Andrews is frustrated about the high number putting off getting tested after symptoms develop and with some infectious in the community for up to eight days.

He implored Victorians to stop making selfish choices by getting tested as soon as symptoms develop and to follow the rules.

Victoria's outbreak has worsened with 80 new cases on Wednesday

Victoria has recorded 80 new cases for Covid, almost double the 45 it had on Wednesday in a dramatic escalation to its outbreak.

'One of the common sense practical things you can do, if you have symptoms today, get tested today,' the Premier said.

Don't, for heaven sake, wait eight days and literally infect everybody you can't anywhere near in that eight period.

Please, do not be visiting friends and family because the visitor no-one knows about the coronavirus.

'You are taking it with you to the people you love. You do not want them to get sick so do not act in a selfish and irresponsible way.'

Of the 600 active cases in Victoria, 240 are under the age 20.

Of the 36 cases being treated in hospital, 11 are in intensive care, including eight on a ventilator.

The Premier is concerned people are infectious in the community for up to eight days

Around 33,932 Victorians rolled up their sleeves for the jab while thousands more booked their appointment

Almost 56,248 Victorians came forward for testing on Wednesday while 33,932 rolled up their sleeves for the jab.

Another 95,000 made bookings to get their jabs, despite the state government's vaccination website crashing on Wednesday.

More than 830,000 vaccination bookings over the next four weeks be made available from 7am on Wednesday, including 450,000 first-dose Pfizer appointments.

But within minutes of bookings opening at 7am, the website appeared to buckle.

Many young people reported receiving a '500 internal server error' after waiting in the queue to book their appointment, while others were told they were ineligible for the vaccine.

Mr Andrews' teenage daughter was among those who spent all day trying to log on.

An urgent public health alert has been issued for a tower block at 140 Brunswick Street (pictured) in Fitzroy, Melbourne, after a Covid case visited the site

The state's exposure sites list has ballooned past 800, including the emergency department of Monash Medical Centre which is now listed as a tier one exposure site.

Victoria is recruiting 350 overseas doctors and nurses to ease pressure on a hospital system facing hundreds of workers being furloughed due to coronavirus exposure, including at Royal Melbourne Hospital and Goulburn Valley Health.

The Goulburn Valley is battling an outbreak centred in Shepparton with at least 50 cases and 17,000 residents in isolation.

Hundreds of residents at two residential towers in Melbourne were also plunged into isolation after Covid-positive cases visited the two sites.

Public health alerts have been issued for a Housing Commission block at 140 Brunswick Street in the inner-northern suburb of Fitzroy and for The Standard Apartment Complex on Bay Street in beachside Brighton.

Anyone who lives in the buildings along with those who may have visited during the times specified by the Victorian health department, are now under strict quarantine orders for up to 14 days.

It comes as a busy emergency ward at the Monash Medical Centre in Clayton was also flagged as an exposure site after an infected case sat in the fast track waiting room on Saturday between 3.20 and 3.35pm.

An infected Melburnians also visited The Standard Apartment Complex on Bay Street in Brighton (pictured), sending residents into quarantine

Latest Covid exposure sites in Victoria on Wednesday Some individuals will be Tier 1 contacts and required to quarantine for 14 days and the Department will contact them directly with this advice. Others will be Tier 2 and must get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result Brighton The Standard - Apartment Complex 209-211 Bay Street Brighton VIC 3186 - Case attended venue from August 20 to 25 all day. Fitzroy Brunswick Street - Residential Towers 140 Brunswick Street Fitzroy VIC 3065 - Case attended venue August 18 to 25 all day. Clayton Monash Medical Centre Emergency Department Clayton - Clinic Waiting Room (Fast Track) 246 Clayton Road Clayton VIC 3168 21/08/2021 3:35pm - 6:30pm Case attended venue - Tier 1 Clayton Monash Medical Centre Emergency Department Clayton - Triage Waiting Room 246 Clayton Road Clayton VIC 3168 21/08/2021 3:20pm - 3:35pm Case attended venue. Some individuals will be Tier 1 contacts and required to quarantine for 14 days and the Department will contact them directly with this advice. Advertisement

Patients and staff who were in the hospital's triage waiting room during the same time have also been informed they must immediately get test and self isolate.

Some residents at the apartment complexes will be subject to Tier one health orders meaning they will be in isolation for 14 days.

Others who were not in close proximity to the infected cases will face Tier two orders and have to urgently get tested and stay at home until they receive a negative result.

Residents are tested for COVID-19 by health workers in the pop-up testing site outside the Palais Theatre in St Kilda, Melbourne, Friday, August 20, 2021

Victoria recorded a further 45 new infections on Wednesday with 36 of the new cases are linked to known outbreaks, while the source of the remaining nine infections are still under investigation

Victoria's Health Minister on Wednesday said the government will re-directing staff to under-manned supermarkets in virus-hit regional areas.

Martin Foley explained that workers from council, aged care services, school services, civic support groups and food supply groups would be sent out to areas like Shepparton after short-staffed supermarkets saw people unable to access food.

He admitted the state could be forced to use the Australian Defence Force to assist at-risk areas.

'We're working through all of those issues. It's a challenge I know that the people of Shepparton - and the people of Victoria - are up to,' he said.

'If the call is made for further ADF support, it will be provided.'

He also said the Victorian government are not ruling out further border closures with NSW as the risk of spread continues and that the target of an 80 per cent vaccination rate would not immediately spell the end of restrictions.

The health department on Wednesday confirmed 36 cases were linked to known outbreaks, while the source of the remaining nine infections are under investigation

Deputy Premier James Merlino said their priority is now to have all Year 12 students vaccinated before their end of year exams, which start on October 4.

'That is our priority. Everyone 16 and over - but particularly those Year 12 students - we want to make sure that they're vaccinated before their exams start,' he said.

The deputy premier also said they are targeting all children over the age of 12 to at least have their first dose of the vaccine by the end of the year, but that senior school students were the immediate priority.

'Whether that's through the many state vaccination hubs we've got across Victoria, whether it's through GPs, or whether it's through participating pharmacies,' he said on Wednesday.

'We want to see that kids 12 and older are vaccinated at least with their first dose by the end of the year.'

Senior officials inside the Andrews government told the Herald Sun on Wednesday morning the current lockdown - which is due to end on September 2 - could be lifted if there are no mystery cases, even if daily numbers are still double digits.

The health department on Wednesday confirmed 36 cases were linked to known outbreaks, while the source of the remaining nine infections are under investigation

Victoria is on track to reach 80 per cent vaccinations on November 16, but state leaders are quietly confident they will be able to open up faster if they can control mystery cases

Mr Foley however poured water over those suggestions saying there is 'still a lot of work to do' and identified vaccination rates as the key to moving forward.

'It is the trend that the public health officials in particular frame their advice to government and their decisions around,' he said.

'It's our public health officials who still tell us there is a lot of work to do to make sure that as we take vaccination rates up we bring infection levels down.'

Wednesday's additional cases brings the total number of active infections in the state to 538.

Of the 538 cases there are 101 aged between 10 and 19, with 89 in their 20s.

Premier Andrews said on Tuesday he was confident Victoria would 'have options that Sydney won't have' before the September 2 lockdown cut-off

Victoria is on track to reach the 80 per cent vaccination number on November 16, but state leaders are quietly confident they will be able to open up faster.

A figure of 70 per cent vaccination is now being targeted, in accordance with the Doherty Institute modelling, which is being used by state and federal governments.

The state should hit that number on October 13, which could see a number of restrictions lifted.

Premier Andrews said on Tuesday he was confident Victoria would 'have options that Sydney won't have' before the September 2 lockdown cut-off.

'We've got a chance of having some options and some choices to make between now and 70 per cent,' he said.

'That's what we're working towards.'
Qantas is restarting international flights from December 2021 - just in time for Australia's Christmas travel rush.

The flying kangaroo airline announced on Thursday its plans to gradually bring back overseas flights once 80 per cent of the Australian population was fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Qantas said it expected the country to reach that target in December - triggering the re-opening of international borders as part of 'Phase C' of the federal government's path to pandemic normality.

The first available travel routes will be to first-world destinations with high vaccination rates including the United States, Canada, the UK, Singapore, Japan and New Zealand, Qantas told the Australian Securities Exchange.

Scroll down for video

Qantas is on track to restart international flights from the end of 2021, the airline announced on Thursday morning. Pictured a Qantas plane at Sydney International Airport on August 3

Qantas plan for international travel MID-DECEMBER: Singapore, the United States, Japan, United Kingdom and Canada using Boeing 787s New Zealand if travel bubble reopened with Australia Airbus A330s, and 737s and A320s for services to Fiji FEBRUARY 2022: Hong Kong APRIL 2022: Bali, Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City and Johannesburg APRIL 2022: Budget subsidiary Jetstar to resume international flights JULY 2022: Sydney to Los Angeles on A380s NOVEMBER 2022: Sydney to London via Singapore with Darwin instead of Perth as a possible transit point Advertisement

Those routes will be serviced by Boeing 787s, Airbus A330s, 737s and A320s for flights to Fiji.

The resumption of international flights is also based on National Cabinet scrapping caps on returning Australian travellers who are fully vaccinated.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said Australia's rapid vaccination rollout would make international holiday travel possible again for the first time in almost two years, despite lockdowns in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.

'The prospect of flying overseas might feel a long way off, especially with New South Wales and Victoria in lockdown, but the current pace of the vaccine rollout means we should have a lot more freedom in a few months' time,' he said.

'It's obviously up to government exactly how and when our international borders re-open, but with Australia on track to meet the 80 per cent trigger agreed by National Cabinet by the end of the year, we need to plan ahead for what is a complex restart process.'

The airline said flights to cities in Asia and South Africa with low vaccination rates and high Covid-19 case numbers would not restart until at least April 2022.

Those developing world destinations include Bali, Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City and Johannesburg.

Qantas said it also plans to restart flights between Australia and New Zealand from mid-December 2021 as long as the trans-Tasman bubble had re-opened by that date.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern closed the bubble on July 23 following outbreaks of the virus in NSW and Victoria.

Qantas boss Alan Joyce. The airline said it expected to gradually bring back overseas flights once 80 per cent of the Australian population is vaccinated against Covid-19

For London flights, Qantas is also exploring turning Darwin into a transit point instead of Perth with Western Australia's Labor Premier Mark McGowan hinting he would maintain hard border closures even with an 80 per cent vaccination rate.

'Qantas' ability to fly non-stop between Australia and London is expected to be in even higher demand post-Covid, it said.

'The airline is investigating using Darwin as a transit point, which has been Qantas main entry for repatriation flights, as an alternative (or in addition) to its existing Perth hub given conservative border policies in Western Australia.

'Discussions on this option are continuing.'

IG market analyst Kyle Rodda said the international travelling public was likely to pay higher Qantas airfares as its weakened key rival Virgin Australia gave up trying to wrest away market share, as it did before the pandemic.

'If you are looking forward to that trip overseas you're going to be paying a little bit of a premium for it,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Qantas said it expected the country to reach that target in December - triggering the re-opening of international borders as part of 'Phase C' of the federal government's path to pandemic normality

IG market analyst Kyle Rodda said the international travelling public was likely to pay higher Qantas airfares as its weakened key rival Virgin Australia gave up trying to wrest away market share, as it did before the pandemic

'The survivors of this crisis, they do have greater pricing power because there's less competition in the market and there's pent-up demand at a time where supply is really quite disrupted.'

Airfares for destinations like Singapore went on sale on Thursday morning even though the federal government is yet to formally announce the end of the travel ban for overseas holidays.

Prices for a Qantas flight from Sydney just before Christmas, one way, start at $741 for economy.

The Qantas announcement follows the airline revealing plans to make Covid vaccinations mandatory for all its employees.

The 2,000 frontline staff including cabin crew, pilots and airport workers will have until November 15 to get jabbed, while the 20,0000 remaining workers have until March 31 next year.

The first available travel routes will be to destinations with high vaccination rates including the United States, Canada, the UK (pictured is London), Singapore, Japan and New Zealand, Qantas told the Australian Securities Exchange

Airfares for destinations like Singapore went on sale on Thursday morning even though the federal government is yet to formally announce the end of the travel ban for overseas holidays. Prices for a Qantas flight from Sydney just before Christmas, one way, start at $741 for premium economy

The airline said the decision for mandatory vaccinations was made 'as part of the national carrier's commitment to safety'.

Cabin crew, pilots and baggage handlers will need to be fully vaccinated by November 15, with other staff having until March 2022 get two jabs of either AstraZeneca or Pfizer.

'There will be exemptions for those who are unable for documented medical reasons to be vaccinated, which is expected to be very rare.'

Australians have been banned from travelling overseas for a holiday since March 2020, when the pandemic began, and have had to obtain permission to leave the country from Australian Border Force for compassionate or business reasons.

Qantas made a full-year after tax loss of $1.728billion in the year to June 30.

With international holidays banned and state borders closed, the airline relied on its freight business to survive with overseas cargo transport a surprisingly lucrative income earner in fiscal year 2021.

'Demand for air cargo capacity remained extremely strong through FY21 due to a surge in online shopping in the Australian market and the belly space lost due to the cancellation of most international passenger flights,' Qantas said.

Australians have been banned from travelling overseas for a holiday since March 2020, when the pandemic began, and have had to obtain permission from Australian Border Force for compassionate or business reasons. Qantas made a full-year after tax loss of $1.728billion in the year to June 30

'Qantas Freight was able to capitalise on this demand, delivering a record profit that significantly offset the costs of the Groups grounded international operations.'

The airline told shareholders it expected a reopening of Australia's border to see international flight capacity increase in 2022.

Mr Rodda said more Covid outbreaks could disturb Qantas' international flights and described the announcement as one based on optimistic assumptions.

'The company is setting itself a very ambitious target, it's also politically motivated in the sense that it knows that it wants to express its view on the need to be able to get the industry back to normalcy,' he said.

'The virus will be fairly persistent and we'll continue to see disruptions to Covid-sensitive industries like airlines.'
While building an apartment, construction workers have uncovered an 18th century cemetery in northern Poland that contains the remains of plague victims.

The discovery, which happened in Mikoajki in the Warmian-Maurian Voivodeship, includes two cemeteries.

The aforementioned 18th century cemetery is filled with plague victims from the Mazurian region, Polish news outlet First News reports. The second cemetery is dated between the 17th and 19th centuries.

An 18th century cemetery containing plague victims has been discovered in northern Poland

Another cemetery was also found, dating between the 17th and 19th centuries at the site

The discovery happened in Mikoajki, Poland in the Warmian-Maurian Voivodeship

Dajna Foundation vice-president and archaeologist Agnieszka Jaremek told First News that it's likely that there were two cemeteries because there was a need for additional space.

'It is mentioned in sources that there was not enough space in the cemetery by the church and that's why victims were buried by the road leading to Mragowo,' Jaremek said.

'Everything points to the fact that we have uncovered that place.

'Many graves conceal whole families  both adults and children.'

In total, 60 graves have been uncovered, containing the remains of 100 bodies

Construction workers uncovered the cemeteries while building an apartment

In total, 60 graves have been uncovered, containing the skeletal remains of 100 bodies.

The plague broke out during the Great Northern War (1700-1721), which saw Russia and its allies fight against Sweden for the Baltic Sea, Smithsonian Magazine reports.

The epidemic moved throughout Europe, reaching Prussia, Finland, Lithuania and a host of other countries.

Although the height of the plague occurred between 1708 and 1713, the first plague case was recorded in Sweden in 1702, according to Spanish news outlet La Vanguardia.

By 1712, it had reached Hamburg, Germany, the news outlet added.

The plague broke out during the Great Northern War (1700-1721), with the height of the plague occurring between 1708-1713

Several hundred thousand people died from the plague, in some cases, killing as much as 70 percent of an area's population.

Additional burials may have taken place at the other cemetery until the start of the 19th century, officials said, from which additional items were uncovered.

'Among the artefacts which we found are elements of ceramic plates as well as a blue glass bead,' Jaremek added.

The uncovered remains will eventually be tested and analyzed, before being buried in a communal grave, Joanna Sobolewska, director of the Department for the Protection of Monuments in Olsztyn, told First News.

'The issue of the exact burial place is a question for the future', Sobolewska explained.
Elon Musk shared a laughing emoji in response to a tweet suggesting Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin copied SpaceX with its Project Jarvis vertical landing spacecraft.

Project Jarvis was revealed last month, and is designed to be a fully reusable rocket prototype for the Blue Origin New Glenn, that lands vertically, like SpaceX's Starship.

Twitter user SpaceXMasterrace shared a photo of the prototype tanks at the Blue Origin Texas facility, with the caption 'Hey Elon, Can I Copy Your Homework.'

This prompted the SpaceX CEO to reply with a pair of 'rolling on the floor laughing' emoji, indicating he agreed with the suggestion Blue Origin was copying SpaceX.

This is the latest in the spat between the two space billionaires, coming after Blue Origin put out a series of infographics claiming the SpaceX lunar lander was 'unsafe' after NASA awarded the sole contract to SpaceX, rather than to multiple firms.

Musk has also fired his share of barbs at Bezos, including a tweet saying Blue Origin 'Cant get it up (to orbit)' over the firm filing a protest against NASA.

Elon Musk shared a laughing emoji in response to a tweet suggesting Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin copied SpaceX with its Project Jarvis vertical landing spacecraft. Artist impression of New Glenn

Twitter user SpaceXMasterrace shared a photo of the prototype tanks at the Blue Origin Texas facility, with the caption 'Hey Elon, Can I Copy Your Homework'

BLUE ORIGIN NEW GLENN AND SPACEX STARSHIP Blue Origin and SpaceX are set to compete for heavy lift launches with the New Glenn and Starship rockets. New Glenn Manufacturer : Blue Origin

: Blue Origin Height : 98 m (322 ft)

: 98 m (322 ft) Diameter : 7 m (23 ft)

: 7 m (23 ft) Stages : 2

: 2 Payload to LEO : 45,000 kg Starship Manufacturer : SpaceX

: SpaceX Height : 120 m (390 ft)

: 120 m (390 ft) Diameter : 9 m (30 ft)

: 9 m (30 ft) Stages : 2

: 2 Payload to LEO : 100-150 t Advertisement

The feud between two of the wealthiest men in the world goes back to 2004, when they had a disagreement over their space ambitions, and has slowly simmered since.

They have both long-harboured space ambitions, with Bezos founding Blue Origin in 2000 and Musk founding SpaceX in 2002, both to build reusable rockets.

The animosity really came to a head in 2013, when Jeff Bezos led a campaign to block SpaceX from having exclusive use of a NASA launchpad.

Musk called it a 'phoney blocking tactic' and called out Blue Origin for not even creating a reliable suborbital spacecraft 'despite spending over 10 years in development' - something achieved two years later in 2015 with New Shepard.

Over the last decade and a half, Musk has regularly called out Bezos for copying SpaceX - with both firms aiming for similar markets and bidding on the same contracts with NASA and other agencies.

There was a patent battle between the two in 2014 when Blue Origin was granted one for drone ships used for landing rocket boosters, which SpaceX won and forced Blue Origin to withdraw most of the patent claims.

There have also been arguments over hiring practices, with Musk accusing Bezos of stealing talent away.

"Hey Elon, Can I Copy Your Homework?" First images of BO's project Jarvis test tanks #SpaceX https://t.co/cMFX5Nx8S9 pic.twitter.com/GPBXOHoca8  /r/SpaceX Masterrace (@SpaceXMR) August 24, 2021

New Glenn lifts off from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral. Following stage separation, the first stage flies back to Earth and lands nearly 1,000 km downrange on a moving ship, allowing the booster to land in heavy sea-states

Jeff Bezos (left) and Elon Musk (right) have been locked in a spat since 2004, shortly after the pair launched their respective space firms

After NASA announced Space X would be the sole contractor for the lunar lander contract, Elon Musk tweeted that rival Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin 'can't get it up (to orbit)'

The latest tweet from Musk could well further escalate as the two bid to build the biggest rockets.

Blue Origin is developing New Glenn, and recently confirmed it was also building heavier duty, vertical landing stages for that rocket.

The first photos shared of the prototype looked remarkably similar to the early prototypes of the SpaceX Starship, which is what led to Musk 'laughing' at a tweet suggesting Blue Origin was copying SpaceX's homework.

On the lunar lander, in July, Blue Origin claimed NASA had 'moved the goalposts at the last minute' and, 'in NASA's own words... made a 'high risk' selection.'

In protest at SpaceX winning the sole contract, Blue Origin shared a series of infographics suggesting Starship wasn't safe

Blue Origin shared this infographic showing its New Glenn rocket, which will be larger than the SpaceX Falcon 9, although will be smaller than Starship, which is larger than Saturn V

This appeal, that accused NASA of 'moving the goalposts at the last minute,' was denied by officials, prompting Musk to say: 'If lobbying and lawyers could get u to orbit, Bezos would be on Pluto [right now]'

It released an infographic that added that Starship is 'a launch vehicle that has never flown to orbit and is still being designed.'

The first orbital launch is due within the next few months, according to SpaceX.

However, SpaceX has more than 100 successful orbital launches with its Falcon 9 rockets, while Bezos company has yet to reach orbit.

In response to the infographic Musk tweeted: 'The sad thing is that even if Santa Claus suddenly made their hardware real for free, the first thing you'd want to do is cancel it.'

The latest tweet from Musk, sending a jibe at Bezos over the Project Jarvis rocket tanks could well further escalate as the two bid to build the biggest rockets

An illustration of the SpaceX Starship human lander design that will carry the first NASA astronauts to the surface of the Moon under the Artemis program in 2024

When Blue Origin first filed the lawsuit against NASA, Musk tweeted that Bezos would be on Pluto by now 'if lobbying and lawyers could get you to orbit'.

They have very different goals for space, with Musk's primary aim to build a sustainable colony on Mars and Bezos wanting to move humans to space.

In fact, after he travelled to the edge of space in the New Shepard rocket in July, Jeff Bezos said he one day envisioned polluting industry being moved to Earth orbit.

It is unlikely the spat between the pair will end any time soon, thanks to an ongoing court case delaying the SpaceX lunar lander project, and a battle to see who has the biggest rocket.
A 7,200-year-old skeleton of a young female discovered on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi has been identified as a 'new type of ancient human' from a group called the Toaleans, who only died out 1,500 years ago.

An international research team isolated DNA from the ancient homo sapien, who was found in a cave called Leang Panninge ('Bat Cave') on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

Christened Besse, she is the first known skeleton from an early foraging culture called the Toaleans  'seafaring hunter-gatherers' who lived in South Sulawesi from 8,000 to 1,500 years ago.

Besse, who was found buried in a foetal position and partially covered by rocks, was somewhere between 17 to 18 years old at time of death, researchers think.

Stone tools and red ochre  iron-rich rock used to make pigment  were found in her grave, along with bones of hunted wild animals.

Besse is a rare 'genetic fossil', and shares about half of her genetic makeup with present-day Indigenous Australians and people in New Guinea and the Western Pacific islands.

This includes DNA inherited from the now-extinct species of humans called Denisovans  the distant cousins of Neanderthals whose fossils have only been found in Siberia and Tibet.

It remains unclear what happened to the Toalean culture and its people.

Photo shows the jaw and teeth of Besse, who was found buried in a foetal position and partially covered by rocks in a cave called Leang Panninge ('Bat Cave') on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi

Sulawesi, the world's eleventh-largest island, is part of a geographical transition zone called Wallacea

MEET BESSE THE 'GENETIC FOSSIL' Besse, who was found buried in a foetal position and partially covered by rocks. Stone tools and red ochre  iron-rich rock used to make pigment  were found in her grave, along with bones of hunted wild animals. She was somewhere between 17 to 18 years old at time of death, researchers think. Besse shares most genetic drift and morphological similarities with present-day Papuan and Indigenous Australian groups. But what makes her special is the fact she belonged to a group with an ancestral history that was unlike that of any previously known human population. Advertisement

Archaeologists affectionately dubbed her Besse in a nod to a custom among royal families of bestowing this nickname on newly born princesses before they were formally named.

Selina Carlhoff, doctoral candidate at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and lead author of the study, isolated DNA from the petrous bone of the skull.

'It was a major challenge, as the remains had been strongly degraded by the tropical climate,' she said.

Through radiocarbon dating the team was able to determine the age of Besse's remains to be between about 7,300 to 7,200 years old.

The Toalean culture, of which Besse was part, has only been found in a relatively small area on Sulawesi's southern peninsula.

Sulawesi, the world's eleventh-largest island, is part of a geographical transition zone called Wallacea and is one of the 'Wallace Islands'.

The new study, published in the latest edition of Nature, marks the first time ancient human DNA has been reported from Wallacea.

Besse is also the first relatively complete skeleton to be found alongside securely dated artefacts of the Toaleans, according to study co-leader Professor Adam Brumm at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.

Stone arrowheads, known as Maros points, are up to 8,000 years old. They are considered typical of the Toalean techno-complex developed by the people living in the south of the island of Sulawesi

Who were the Toalean people? The Toaleans were early hunter-gatherers who lived a secluded existence in the forests of South Sulawesi from around 8,000 years ago until 1,500 years ago, hunting wild pigs and collecting edible shellfish from rivers. Among the objects manufactured by the people of the Toalean culture are the characteristic stone arrowheads known as Maros points, collected by researchers. Toalean artefacts have only been found in one small part of Sulawesi, encompassing about 6 per cent of the total land area of the island. 'This suggests that this past culture had limited contact with other early Sulawesi communities or people in nearby islands, existing for thousands of years in isolation,' said study co-author Adhi Agus Oktaviana, a researcher at Pusat Penelitian Arkeologi Nasional, Indonesias national archaeological research institute. The research team has found no evidence that the group Besse belonged to left descendants among today's population in Wallacea. It also remains unclear what happened to the Toalean culture and its people. Advertisement

'The Toaleans were early hunter-gatherers who lived a secluded existence in the forests of South Sulawesi from around 8,000 years ago until 1,500 years ago, hunting wild pigs and collecting edible shellfish from rivers,' Professor Brumm said.

Among the objects manufactured by the people of the Toalean culture are the characteristic stone arrowheads known as Maros points, collected by researchers.

Toalean artefacts have only been found in one small part of Sulawesi, encompassing about 6 per cent of the total land area of the island.

'This suggests that this past culture had limited contact with other early Sulawesi communities or people in nearby islands, existing for thousands of years in isolation,' said study co-author Adhi Agus Oktaviana, a researcher at Pusat Penelitian Arkeologi Nasional, Indonesias national archaeological research institute.

The research team has found no evidence that the group Besse belonged to left descendants among today's population in Wallacea.

It also remains unclear what happened to the Toalean culture and its people.

People who live in Sulawesi today seem to largely descend from Neolithic farmers ('Austronesians') who arrived in the region from Taiwan some 3,500 years ago.

The scientists do note, however, that more extensive genomic sampling of Sulawesi's diverse population could reveal evidence for the genetic legacy of Toaleans.

'The discovery of Besse and the implications of her genetic ancestry show just how little we understand about the early human story in our region, and how much more there is left to uncover,' Professor Brumm said.

Like the genome of the indigenous inhabitants of New Guinea and Australia, Besse's genome contained traces of Denisovan DNA.

Photo shows Besse's 'almost completely preserved skeleton' as it was found in Leang Panninge

The Denisovans are an extinct group of archaic humans known primarily from finds in Siberia and Tibet.

'The fact that their genes are found in the hunter-gatherers of Leang Panninge supports our earlier hypothesis that the Denisovans occupied a far larger geographical area,' said study author Professor Johannes Krause of the Max Planck Institutes for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.

It's possible Denisovans and the first modern humans (ancestors of today's indigenous Australians and Papuans) bred in Wallacea.

These ancestors likely entered Wallacea some 65,000 years ago after spreading from Eurasia towards Oceania.

The Leang Panninge cave on the southern peninsula of Sulawesi, Indonesia, in which Besse was found

Excavations at Leang Panninge cave, where ancient rock art depictions of animals have previously been reported

The Wallace Islands were 'stepping stones' in this journey prior to them reaching Oceania around 50,000 years ago.

'The geographic distribution of Denisovans and modern humans may have overlapped in the Wallacea region,' said co-author Professor Cosimo Posth of the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tubingen, Germany.

'It may well be the key place where Denisova people and the ancestors of indigenous Australians and Papuans interbred.'

Analyses also revealed something unexpected in the genome of Besse  a deep ancestral signature from an early modern human population of Asian origin.

Excavations at Leang Panninge cave on Sulawesi, where there's historically been a lack of conservation efforts

This group did not intermix with the predecessors of Aboriginal Australians and Papuans, suggesting it may have entered the region after the initial peopling of the supercontinent known as Sahul.

'It is unlikely we will know much about the identity of these early ancestors of the Toaleans until more ancient human DNA samples are available from Wallacea,' said Indonesian senior author Professor Akin Duli from the University of Hasanuddin.

'But it would now appear that the population history and genetic diversity of early humans in the region were more complex than previously supposed.'

Toalean foragers were the earliest inhabitants of Sahul, the supercontinent that emerged during the Ice Age when global sea levels fell, which exposed a land bridge between Australia and New Guinea.

'To reach Sahul, these pioneering humans made ocean crossings through Wallacea, but little about their journeys is known,' Professor Brumm said.

Pictured, a map of the landmass of Sahul, with modern-day coastlines overlain in white

Ancestors of Besse were among the first modern humans to reach Wallacea, but instead of island hopping eastward to Sahul they must have just remained in Sulawesi.

If so, it may have been the forebears of Besse who created the very old cave paintings recently found in South Sulawesi, recently reported by Griffith University researchers.

This rock art dates to at least 45,500 years ago and includes what may be the earliest known human representations of animals.

Sulawesi is one of a group of islands known as the Wallacean Islands, where there's been a historical lack of investment in conservation, according to Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.
From Kim Kardashian to Victoria Beckham, many celebrities make it look easy to get back in shape after giving birth.

But a new study has confirmed what many women have known for years  it really is difficult to regain your fitness after having a baby.

Researchers from Martin Army Community Hospital in Georgia looked at how quickly female soldiers regained their fitness after giving birth.

Their findings showed that despite being very fit before getting pregnant, just 30 per cent of the women had returned to their pre-pregnancy fitness levels one year after giving birth.

A new study has confirmed what many women have known for years  it really is difficult to regain your fitness after having a baby (stock image)

US Army Physical Fitness Test The Army's Basic Training Physical Fitness Test is a three-event physical performance test used to assess endurance. The three PFT events are: - two minutes of push-ups - two minutes of sit-ups - a timed 2-mile run Advertisement

In the study, the researchers looked at the fitness levels of 460 women who became pregnant while in the military.

The participants all had high levels of fitness as a requirement of being a soldier, and continued a modified training regime during pregnancy.

Most of the women also returned to regular training by 12 weeks after giving birth.

Despite being very fit before they became pregnant, one year after giving birth, only 30 per cent of the participants were able to obtain the same score as they had pre-pregnancy in the US Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT).

In their study, published in PLOS One, the researchers, led by Dr David DeGroot explained: 'The APFT consists of three events: the push-up, the sit-up and the 2 mile run.

'These events test the muscular and aerobic endurance of the soldier.'

Three years after delivery, 75 per cent of the women could match their pre-pregnancy score in the test.

In particular, participants were found to struggle with sit-ups after giving birth  likely due to the fact that abdominal muscles are weaker following pregnancy.

The researchers wrote: 'We demonstrated a lower rate of failure on the push-up event postpartum as compared to the sit-up or run.

'Based on these results it appears that chest, shoulder and upper arm strength is less likely to be adversely affected by pregnancy than is the core abdominal musculature.'

The NHS advises that women wait at least six weeks after birth before starting any high-impact exercise, such as aerobics or running (stock image)

The NHS advises that women wait at least six weeks after birth before starting any high-impact exercise, such as aerobics or running.

It said: 'Your lower back and core abdominal muscles may be weaker than they used to be.

'Your ligaments and joints are also more supple and flexible for a few months after birth, so there's an increased risk of injury if you stretch or twist too much.'
Artificial intelligence (AI) is used by medical facilities to help analyze x-rays and other medical scans, but a new study finds the technology can see more than just a patient's health  it can determine their race with startling accuracy.

The study's 20 authors found deep learning models can identify race in chest and hand x-rays and mammograms among patients who identified as black, white and Asian.

The algorithms correctly identify which images were from a black person more than 90 percent of the time, but also showed it was able to identity race with 99 percent accuracy at times.

However, what is even more alarming is that the team was unable to explain how the AI systems were making accurate predictions, some of which were done with scans that were blurry or low-resolution.

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The study authors found deep learning models can identify race in chest and hand x-rays and mammograms among patients who identified as black, white and Asian

'We emphasize that model ability to predict self-reported race is itself not the issue of importance,' Ritu Banerjee, associate professor of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine and lead author of the study, and collages wrote in the study published in arXiv.

'However, our findings that AI can trivially predict self-reported race - even from corrupted, cropped, and noised medical images - in a setting where clinical experts cannot, creates an enormous risk for all model deployments in medical imaging: if an AI model secretly used its knowledge of self-reported race to misclassify all Black patients, radiologists would not be able to tell using the same data the model has access to.'

The team set out to understand how these deep learning models were able to identify the patient's race.

This included looking at if predictions were based on biological differences such as denser breast tissue.

The algorithms correctly identify which images were from a black person more than 90 percent of the time, but also showed it was able to identity race with 99 percent accuracy at times

However, what is even more alarming is that the team was unable to explain how the AI systems were making accurate predictions, some of which were done with scans that were blurry or low-resolution

Scientists also investigated the images themselves to see whether the AI models were picking up on differences in quality or resolution to make their predictions, perhaps because images of black patients came from lower-quality machines.

However, none of these leads led to an explanation behind the technology's ability.

The team notes that such abilities in AI could lead to further disparities in treatment.

'These findings suggest that not only is racial identity trivially learned by AI models, but that it appears likely that it will be remarkably difficult to debias these systems,' reads the study.

'We could only reduce the ability of the models to detect race with extreme degradation of the image quality, to the level where we would expect task performance to also be severely impaired and often well beyond that point that the images are undiagnosable for a human radiologist.'

The team notes that such abilities in AI could lead to further disparities in treatment

Over the past few years, researchers have been working to expose the bias of AI, specifically those used in the medical field, but have typically found the root of the problem.

One recent study, conducted in 2019, found an algorithm used by hospitals in the US to identify patients with chronic diseases has a significant bias against black people.

The artificial intelligence, sold by health firm Optum, disproportionately advised medics to give more care to white people even when black patients were sicker.

They said the algorithm - designed to help patients stay on medications or out of the hospital - was not intentionally racist because it specifically excluded ethnicity in its decision-making.

Rather than using illness or biological data, the tech uses cost and insurance claim information to predict how healthy a person is.

Scientists from universities in Chicago, Boston and Berkeley flagged the error in their study, published in the journal Science, and are working with Optum on a fix.
The record number of manatees deaths this year isn't due to accidents or disease, but starvation, experts say.

At least 912 manatees have died so far this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), a critical blow for a species estimated to number just 7,500 in the wild in Florida.

In January and February alone, the death toll surpassed 400and the figure could reach 1,200 by year's end, according to News 4 in Jacksonville.

The chief culprit is a dearth of the seagrass the sea mammals subsist on, as algae bloom has suffocated the sea grass the gentle creatures subsist on and pollution has sent their lagoon habitat into biological collapse.

Death by starvation can take months, with bones poking through papery skin, and organs slowly liquefying.

Some exhausted manatees have so little fat they can't remain afloat and drown.

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More than 900 manatees have died in 2021 so far, many from starvation. Red tide, microscopic algae blooms that chokes out sunlight and use up oxygen, have killed off much of the seagrass and seaweed the manatees eat. Pictured: A manatee eats in a recovery pool at ZooTampa on January 19, 2021

Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) are protected as an threatened species by numerous wildlife laws, including the 1978 Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act, but the death toll keeps rising.

A dead manatee was discovered Monday in the Gulf Coast town of Nokomis, the FWC reported, but a cause of death hasn't been determined yet.

'Our marine life is slowly dying off and it's come to this. A large, dead manatee,' local fisherman Noah Dehahn told News Channel 8.

'Seems like we don't get much attention down here when it's just fish dying, so I'm hoping this dead manatee will bring some awareness to what's going on around here.'

Thousands of manatees are drawn to the warm water discharged by the Florida Power & Light Co. generating station (pictured)

Five thousand manatee deaths have been reported in the last half-century, often from boat strikes, poisoning by pesticides and collisions with flood control structures.

However, there's been a sharp increase in recent years: From December 2020 to May 2021, at least 677 manatee carcasses were discovered along Florida's eastern coast.

Cold stress accounts for about 10 percent of those deaths and watercraft collisions less than that, according to News 6.

The COVID-19 pandemic has limited salvage and autopsy efforts, but scientists with the FWC say the bodies they have examined were emaciatedmany had lost half their weight and consumed their own muscle and fat reserves to survive, the Orlando Sentinel reported, causing them to lose their natural buoyancy.

Workers have tried to rescue dozens of starving manatees, but at least 15 have died in transit or while in intensive care.

It can take six to seven months, even up to a year, to rehab a single starving manatee. Workers have tried to rescue dozens this year, but at least 15 have died in transit or while in intensive care

Even for the manatees that survive, the famine will likely devastate their breeding habits for years.

A healthy adult manatee should weigh at least 1,200 pounds, according to the FWC, but some have been rescued weighing barely 800 pounds.

While a manatee hit by a boat or stricken by red tide can recover after several months, SeaWorld Orlando wildlife rescue expert Jon Peterson told the Sentinel it can take six to seven months, even up to a year, to rehab a single starving manatee, 'depending on how quickly I get them.'

A healthy adult manatee should weigh upwards of 1,200 pounds, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, but some have been rescued weighing barely 800 pounds

'They have been eating their body from the inside, trying to stay alive because there is no food,' Peterson said.

'I don't know if it hurts them because I'm not a manatee but I can tell you that if you haven't eaten for a week or two weeks, there is pain.'

'Manatees can eat up to 100 pounds of food or more a day in terms of aquatic plants,' Save the Manatee executive director Patrick Rose told WJXT News 4. 'If you times that by 1,000 or 2,000 manatees, that's a monumental task.'

The dead can leave behind offspring: Peterson said raising an orphaned manatee for release back into the wild can take three years and cost up to $600,000.

Many of the manatee corpses have been found in the Brevard County stretch of the Indian River, a brackish 150-mile lagoon heavily polluted by agricultural runoff, lawn and farm fertilizers, and leaky sewer systems and septic tanks.

Brevard's share of the lagoon doesn't benefit from ocean tidal flushing so pollution just stays there.

An adult female rescued from Indian River earlier this month had bones from her pectoral fin poking out and so little fat 'she can't float easily,' Peterson said.

The cow had to be placed in a special tank with an adjustable base so she could tilt her head and breathe.

Peterson says she has less than a fifty-fifty chance of survival.

'A manatee has the ability to survive what most all other animals would never survive,' he told the Sentinel. 'Tougher than a dolphin all day long. Tougher than turtles. Tougher than most of the birds. Their ability to work through stress and not crash is unbelievable.'

Outbreaks of red tide, microscopic algae that chokes out sunlight and use up oxygen in the water, have killed off much of the seagrass and seaweed the manatees live off of: Nearly 46,000 acres of seagrass, almost 60 percent of the entire crophas died off in the Indian River Lagoon in the last decade.

Lauren Hall, an environmental scientist for the St. Johns River Water Management District, told the Sentinel the lagoon floor should look like a verdant green carpet, but instead resembles a desert floor.

'The prior ecology was a clear-water system where sunlight could get down through the water and get to the seagrass,' Larry Williams, the US Fish and Wildlife Service's ecological director in Florida, told the Sentinel.

'In other parts of the world, they've seen systems like that shift to a new, steady state of murky water dominated by algae,' he said. 'Some of the scientists say that what we are seeing right now is the flickering transition to that new, steady state.'

Undoing the damage would cost $5 billion and 20 years or longer.

Manatees migrate in the summer but many will likely return to Indian River in Brevard in the winter months, suggesting another die-off is likely.

Thousands of manatees are drawn to the warm water discharged by the Florida Power & Light Co. generating station just south of Titusville, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

'If it's a red ride, it comes and goes. If it's a cold kill, it comes and goes,' Gil McRae, director of the state Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, said at an FWC board meeting August 4.

'This one we're uncertain how long the impact's going to be, but we know this forage is not going to come back overnight or even in a few years.'

On August 9, Reps. Vern Buchanan and Darren Soto of Florida introduced legislation to upgrade manatees from 'threatened' to 'endangered' under the Endangered Species Act

If passed, The Manatee Protection Act would free up additional funding and personnel for their protection.
A tree-killing disease is expanding into parts of the Sierra Nevada mountain range where it was previously unable to survive  and climate change and drought are to blame.

A team of scientists at the University of California, Davis, found the first evidence that white pine blister disease has reached higher-elevation forests in the south region, which was an area too cold for it to thrive.

White pine blister rust kills branches, treetops and whole trees of Eastern white pine and causes leaf spots and leaf loss in currant and gooseberry plants.

Data from the study shows there was a warmer, hotter period in the mountain range from 1996 to 2016, allowing the disease to move into higher elevations.

This amounted to an additional area expansion of about 200,000 acres, which exposed most hosts in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.

A team of scientists at the University of California, Davis found the first evidence that white pine blister disease has reached higher-elevation forests in the south region, which was an area too cold for it to thrive

Lead author Joan Dudney, a Davis H. Smith postdoctoral fellow at UC Davis, said in a statement: 'Because pathogens have thermal tolerances, we are seeing expansions and contractions in this disease's range.

'Climate change isn't so much leading to widespread increases in this disease but rather shifting where it is emerging.'

White pine blister rust disease is caused by a pathogen, Cronartium ribicola, and it has led to a major decline of white pine species throughout the US.

This includes whitebark pine, which is in the process of being listed as a threatened species.

White pine blister rust kills branches, treetops and whole trees of Eastern white pine and causes leaf spots and leaf loss in currant and gooseberry plants

Data shows there was a warmer, hotter period in the mountain range from 1996 to 2016, allowing the disease to move into higher elevations

Scientists conducted the study over a five-year period DO WE KNOW WHEN? where they resurveyed long-term monitoring plots in the remote wilderness of Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, measured stable isotope signatures in pine needles and collected observations for over 7,800 individual host trees.

The data also includes two surveys that were conducted 20 years apart.

'What resulted is one of the first clear measurements of an infectious plant disease range shift into higher elevations, the researchers shared in a press release.

Using the data, the team found white pine blister rust disease increased nearly seven percent over previous levels in colder upper elevations.

The team saw the disease travel more than 483 miles higher up the mountain slopes.

This amounted to an area expansion of about 200,000 acres, which exposed most hosts in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks

The team notes that the data shows its overall prevalence had declined in the area, but only because many infected trees in lower elevations died between surveys.

'For white pines, the forests above Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks have long served as a small refuge from white pine blister rust, but the projected expansion of the disease under climate change threatens that refuge,' the study published in the journal Nature suggests.

While the white pine outlook appears grim, Dudney said being proactive about disease prevention could help slow the spread and detect new invasions.

'Once they've experienced an epidemic, we have little recourse but to triage the area,' Dudney said.
A group of researchers are denouncing a recent study they say makes unsubstantiated allegations that a tribe of cannibals invaded the northern Caribbean in 800 AD.

In January 2020, anthropologists from the University of Florida published a study in the journal Scientific Reports that seemed to support tales from Christopher Columbus about the Caribs, whom he called 'cannibal marauders,' terrorizing Hispaniola, Jamaica and the Bahamas when he arrived there in 1492.

The researchers studied the skulls of the earliest inhabitants of the Caribbean and said they found Caribs among them, lending credence to Columbus' story.

'I've spent years trying to prove Columbus wrong when he was right', said co-author William Keegan, a University of Florida anthropologist and senior researcher at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

In a rebuttal published August 20, another group of researchers call Keegan's theories fatally flawed and 'hurtful to indigenous groups.'

'The idea that ancient Caribbeans were cannibals still persists in popular imagination, but there has never been any scientific evidence showing they practiced cannibalism, despite the fact that we have really good archaeological techniques to detect this,' Christina Giovas, an environmental archaeologist at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and co-author of the new rejoinder, said in a statement.

In a 2020 study published in Scientific Reports, researchers said an analysis of the skulls of early settlers in the Bahamas and Jamaica proved the Carib were there as far back as 800AD

In his letters back to Spain, Columbus warned the peaceful Arawaks were being attacked by Carib raiders who 'practiced abduction of women and cannibalism of men.'

The Caribs, also known as the Kalinago, were an indigenous tribe that dominated parts of the Caribbean at the time of Columbus' arrival.

Historically, it was thought the Carib came en masse from South America but more recently, experts have come to believe they emerged after waves of people migrated from the mainland without displacing the existing inhabitants, creating a multicultural community.

Arawaks and Caribs were enemies, but they often lived side by side with occasional intermarriage before blood feuds broke out.

In letters back to Spain, Christopher Columbus (center) warned the peaceful Arawaks were being attacked by Carib raiders who 'practiced abduction of women and cannibalism of men'

According to the 2020 report the Caribs pushed north into Hispaniola and Jamaica in 800 AD and then the Bahamas and were well established by the time Columbus arrived

Columbus' claims have long been doubted by archaeologists who said there's no evidence Caribs ever ventured further north than Guadeloupe, in the eastern part of the Caribbean.

However, last year's study put the tribe's arrival in the northern Caribbean at about 800 AD.



Their presence was evident, the anthropologists said, because the Carib practiced artificial cranial modification, intentionally flattening the skulls of children.

'We're going to have to reinterpret everything we thought we knew', Keegan said at the time.

Ann Ross, a co-author of the 2020 study and a professor of biological sciences at North Carolina State University, used 3D facial landmarks, such as the size of an eye socket and length of nose, to analyze more than 100 skulls dating from about 800 to 1542 AD.

'These landmarks can act as a genetic proxy for determining how closely people are related to one another,' she said. 'The analysis not only revealed three distinct Caribbean people groups, but also their migration routes, which was really stunning.'

Ross and her team confirmed existing theories about the two waves of migration from South America to the Caribbean, but posited there was a third wave not previously known about.

Examining the skulls, they maintain the Caribbean's earliest settlers came from the Yucatan, moving into Cuba and the Northern Antilles.

The report also pointed to a unique form of pottery known as Meillacoid (pictured), which appeared in Hispaniola by 800AD, Jamaica around 900AD and the Bahamas around 1000AD. 'It makes sense that Meillacoid pottery is associated with the Carib expansion,' said co-author William Keegan

An earlier wave came from the Arawak, who expanded up through Cuba and into the Bahamas between 800 and 200 BC.

'I had been stumped for years as I didn't have the Bahama component,' Ross said at the time. 'Those remains were so key. This will change the perspective on the people and peopling of the Caribbean.'

The 2020 study also pointed to a unique kind of pottery, known as Meillacoid, that appeared in Hispaniola by 800 AD, Jamaica around 900 AD, and the Bahamas around 1000 AD.

'Why was this pottery so different from everything else we see?' Keegan said. 'It makes sense that Meillacoid pottery is associated with the Carib expansion.'

The sudden appearance of Meillacoid pottery also corresponds with a general reshuffling of people in the Caribbean after a 1,000-year period of tranquility,' Keegan added, further evidence that 'Carib invaders were on the move.'

The findings drew immediate suspicion from archaeologists, anthropologists and historians.

'It got a lot of people in our circle of scholars pretty interested and agitated,' Scott Fitzpatrick, a University of Oregon archaeologist and associate director of the school's Museum of Natural and Cultural History in Eugene, said in a press release.

'We were disconcerted about the revitalization of the cannibalistic narrative, which is disingenuous and hurtful to indigenous groups.'

A group of 10 scholarsincluding Fitzpatrick, Giovas, and anthropologist Tom Leppard at the Florida State University in Tallahasseepored over the 2020 paper, which they said was filled with flawed methodology and analysis.

A recent rejoinder claims a 2020 study in Scientific Reports uses 'tenuous lines of evidence' to revive the stereotype of ancient Caribbeans being cannibals. ''These old tales have no basis in scientific fact,' the critics claimed. Pictured: A replica of Columbus' ship, the Santa Maria

Their rejoinder, 'Craniofacial morphology does not support a pre-contact Carib 'invasion' of the northern Caribbean' was published in the same journal, Scientific Reports.

The two key pieces of evidence cited by Keegan and his colleagues have 'no basis in scientific fact,' Fitzpatrick said in the release. 'To use tenuous lines of evidence to bring back the idea of cannibalism is pretty ridiculous.'

The main problem in the 2020 report, the researchers say, is that it doesn't account for the number, chronology and archaeological contexts of the skulls.

Some 85 percent of the skulls Keegan's team studied had no direct radiocarbon dates and were only assigned to a 500-700-year range.

'To support the argument of a third wave of migration, the Caribbean skulls and the Venezuela skulls would need to be close in time and space,' the release states.

'But the four skulls from Venezuela in the first study are of unknown age, location and cultural affiliation, and they are unlikely to represent the biological diversity of the region.'

WHO WERE THE CARIB PEOPLE? The Carib people originally inhabited the Lesser Antilles in South America and they gave their name to the Caribbean Sea. They were a warlike and maritime people who would make long distance raids from canoes. The word carib also means cannibal in the Arawakan language. The Arawakan were regularly attacked by Carib raiders who would abduct women and eat the men, according to Christopher Columbus. They were the third wave of migrants from South America to the Bahamas around 800BC. They were eventually displaced by European settlers. Advertisement

They also claim there's no archaeological evidence tying the Meillacoid pottery found in the north Caribbean to the Carib expansion.

Fitzpatrick also dismissed the notion islanders were practicing cannibalism, saying tribes may have said rival groups were man-eaters to curry favor with the Spanish, because it made it easier for them to justify subjugating indigenous peoples,.

'These old tales have no basis in scientific fact, the tools they're using to explain this have no merit, and their erroneous suggestion of cannibalism is harmful to populations living today who are of Carib descent,' he said.

But at the time of the original study's release, Keegan said, 'Whether or not it was accurate, the European perception that Caribs were cannibals had a tremendous impact on the region's history.'

'The Spanish monarchy initially insisted that indigenous people be paid for work and treated with respect, but reversed its position after receiving reports that they refused to convert to Christianity and ate human flesh.'

This led the Spanish crown to say 'if they're going to behave that way they can all be enslaved', Keegan claimed.

In a published response to the rejoinder, Keegan and his co-authors said they were pleased their research 'has generated a much-needed dialogue on the prehistory of the Caribbean,' but claimed the follow-up report misinterpreted their findings.

'Using standard methods, we observed clustering that identified a significant relationship among individuals living in Hispaniola, Jamaica, and The Bahamas,' they wrote.

'The material culture shared by these individuals is represented by Meillacoid pottery. The results highlight a connection between western Venezuela and the Antilles that demands further investigation.'

In an email to Mail Online, Ross said Fitzpatrick's comments in the press release 'were based on gross misconceptions and misunderstanding of the work conducted.'

'Rather than taking a professional and an academic stance regarding the discourse on the peopling of the Caribbean, Dr. Fitzpatrick decided to falsely claim that we portrayed prehistoric Lucayans as 'cannibals,' which we never stated,' Ross said, referring to the residents of the Bahamas before the region's conquest by Europeans

'The original paper is about changing the paradigm of how we think about prehistoric migrations and movements,' she added. 'Unfortunately, this feels very much like 'performative allyship.'

In a follow-up email, Keegan said the issue was not Carib cannibalism but Giovas and her colleagues' 'naive understanding of it.'

'It is ludicrous to believe that Columbus was writing about island Caribs living more than 1,000 miles away while standing on a beach in the Bahamas,' he told Mail Online.

'In fact, Columbus wrote that the Native peoples thought he was a Carib. To the issue, Dr. Neil Whiteheads comprehensive review of Carib cannibalism concluded that island and mainland societies took enemies as slaves, captured brides, and practiced ritual cannibalism. The problem is not with Indigenous practice, it is with those who interpret it.'

Keegan said Giovas and he team's failure to fully consider the evidence 'is further reflected in their rejection, without evidence, of the empirically grounded conclusions of Dominican and Venezuelan archaeologists regarding the possible origins of the people who made Meillacoid pottery.'

'Unfortunately,' he added, 'Caribbean archaeology continues to be a colonial enterprise.'
An endangered amphibian nicknamed the 'scrotum frog' is on display at a the Chester Zoo in the UK as wildlife officials hope to save the species from extinction.

The frog's formal name is Telmatobius culeus, but earned its unfortunate nickname because of the saggy folds of excess skin, which it uses to absorb oxygen from the water at the bottom Lake Titicaca that borders Bolivia and Peru.

Chester Zoo is hosting 20 of the rare frogs, allowing the public to see them for the first time and conservations to monitor their behavior.

Researchers are not sure how many scrotum frogs are left in the world, but estimates suggest populations of the frogs plummeted by as much as 80 percent from 1994 to 2004.

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An endangered amphibian nicknamed the 'scrotum frog' is on display at a the Chester Zoo in the UK as wildlife officials hope to save the species from extinction

The frog's formal name is Telmatobius culeus, but earned its unfortunate nickname because of the saggy folds of excess skin which it uses to absorb oxygen from the water at the bottom Lake Titicaca that borders Bolivia and Peru

In 2016, at least 10,000 of the frogs were found dead at the lake, but researchers have yet to determine the cause.

Chester Zoo has teamed up with the Cayetano Heredia University in Peru and the Natural History Museum's Alcide d'Orbigny in Bolivia to form a union to help save the frogs and secure the future of the lake.

Dr Gerardo Garcia, the zoo's curator of lower vertebrates and invertebrates, told PA Media: 'We're very happy that we can now share our efforts to protect these frogs with the wider public, who will most likely be seeing them for the very first time during their visit the zoo.

'What we need to do now is to build on our knowledge of the species and its biology  by learning all about their life cycle, mating behaviors, favored habitat and ability to tolerate or resist a deadly fungus that is wiping out lots of amphibians, called chytrid.

Scrotum frogs are native to Lake Titicaca, which sits on the border of Peru and Bolivia

'We can then harness that valuable information for conservation action in the wild.'

Dr Garcia said people in Peru and Bolivia have been known to harvest the frogs, despite it being illegal, and use them in smoothies which they believe enhance virility and energy.

He added: 'The planet is facing its biggest ever biodiversity extinction, with thousands of amphibian species at risk of being lost forever.

'Human activity is very much part of the problem, but we won't sit back and let them become extinct because we're also key to the solutions and will play a vital role in reversing the damage.'

Roberto Elias Piperis, coordinator of the wildlife laboratory at the Cayetano Heredia University in Peru, added: 'This species is unique. It is only found in Lake Titicaca and the surrounding areas where it is adapted to the very adverse conditions there.

Scientists are not sure how many scrotum frogs are left in the world, but estimates suggest its populations plummeted as much as 80 percent from 1994 to 2004. This picture, taken in 2016, shows a researcher holding a dead frog. At least 10,000 were found dead at the lake, but experts have yet to determine the cause

'The lake is at extremely high altitude, nearly four times as high as the summit of Mount Snowdon in Wales and, in addition to its ecological importance, there is also a cultural one, because the local inhabitants consider the frogs as a connection between them and the gods so they use them in rituals to call rain.'

The unexplained 2016 mass die off is thought to have been a result of pollution in Lake Titicaca.

Thousands of the large, wrinkly green frogs were found floating on the surface of the Coata river in southern Peru in October 2016, prompting the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (Serfor) to launch an investigation.

Based on local residents' statements and samples taken in the days after the incident, it is believed that more than 10,000 frogs were affected over about 50 kilometers (30 miles), Serfor said in a statement.

Chester Zoo is hosting 20 of the rare frogs, allowing the public to see them for the first time and conservations to monitor their behavior with the hopes of saving the frogs from extinction

The zoo was the first in Europe to give a home to the species, listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and has established a European population by sending 130 frogs to 13 other zoos across the continen

The alert was sounded by an environmental group called the Committee Against the Pollution of the Coata River, which accused the authorities of ignoring the river's severe pollution.

To protest, its supporters brought 100 of the dead frogs to the central square in the regional capital, Puno.

The scrotum frog is the largest fully aquatic frog in the world, with a diameter similar to a dinner plate.

The frog's many folds of skin help them breathe in their high-altitude habitat in the Andes mountains, more than 12,500 feet above sea level.

It is also threatened by the introduction of exotic species such as trout, which feed on its tadpoles, and is even crushed into a drink as a supposed aphrodisiac for humans.
Newly described fossils of a carnivorous dinosaur that terrorized the US's east coast 85 million years ago are deemed to have belonged to a cousin of the Tyrannosaurs rex.

The dinosaur had longer arms, thicker legs and much larger claws than T. rex that roamed the western region of North America known as Laramidia.

The fossils were unearthed in what is now New Jersey, which was part of an isolated land mass on the east coast of North America known as Appalachia that formed 480 million years ago.

The remains of the 'Merchantville tyrannosauroid' were re-examined by a team at Yale University, who also analyzed fossils of what is dubbed a new herbivorous duck-billed hadrosaur.

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Newly described fossils of a carnivorous dinosaur (C, right) that terrorized the US's east coast 85 million years ago are deemed to have belonged to a cousin of the tyrannosaurs rex (C, left). The dinosaur had longer arms, thicker legs and much larger claws than T. rex that roamed the western region known as Laramidia

Yale undergraduate researcher Chase Doran Brownstein, who was involved in the research, said in a statement: 'These specimens illuminate certain mysteries in the fossil record of eastern North America and help us better understand how geographic isolation large water bodies separated Appalachia from other landmassesaffected the evolution of dinosaurs.

'They're also a good reminder that while the western United States has long been the source of exciting fossil discoveries, the eastern part of the country contains its share of treasures.'

Brownstein proudly shared his discovery on Twitter, stating in tweets: ' a fragmentary skeleton from about 80 million years ago in Delaware shares some features with a weird tyrannosaur called Dryptosaurus, which lived in New Jersey just before the asteroid hit and is known for its giant hand claws...'

North America was divided into two separate parts during most of the second half of the Cretaceous, which ended 66 million years ago.

The fossils were unearthed in what is now New Jersey, which was part of an isolated land mass on the east coast known as Appalachia that formed 480 million years ago

The remains, which include bones from its arms and legs, have similar features to the Dryptosaurus (pictured), a tyrannosaur that lived about 67 million years ago in what is now New Jersey

There was Laramidia in the west and Appalachia in the east, with the Western Interior Seaway separating them.

The fearsome T.rex and the triceratops both called Larmaidia home, making this region a focus of many studies in the past.

Not much is known about Appalachia, but Brownstein suspects this may be due to Laramidia's geographic conditions being more conducive to the formation of sediment-rich fossil beds.

The fossils described in the study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science were mostly discovered during the 1970s in what is now New Jersey, but were re-examined by Brownstein to determine their origin.

The remains of the 'Merchantville tyrannosauroid' were re-examined by a team at Yale University, who also analyzed fossils of a what is dubbed a new herbivorous duck-billed hadrosaur (pictured is cranial material)

The newly describe T. rex had thicker hindlegs (pictured) than its cousin that lived in the western US

The remains, which include bones from its arms and legs, have similar features to the Dryptosaurus, a tyrannosaur that lived about 67 million years ago in what is now New Jersey.

'Many people believe that all tyrannosaurs must have evolved a specific set of features to become apex predators,' Brownstein said.

'Our fossil suggests they evolved into giant predators in a variety of ways as it lacks key foot or hand features that one would associate with western North American or Asian tyrannosaurs.'

Although T. rex is the most popular Tyrannosaur, approximately nine others ruled at the end cretaceous that were only found on the island continent of Laramidia and Asia.

The partial skeleton of the aforementioned hadrosaur provided important new information on the evolution of the shoulder girdle in that group of dinosaurs, Brownstein found.

The hadrosaur fossils also provide one of the best records of this group from east of the Mississippi and include some of the only infant dinosaur fossils found in this region.
A new class of 'waterworld' exoplanets have been found by astronomers, who say that despite being hot, ocean-covered and hydrogen-rich - could support life.

They have been dubbed 'Hycean' world's by the team from the University of Cambridge, who say they 'greatly increase our chance of finding alien life.'

In the search for life elsewhere, researchers have mostly looked for planets of a similar size, mass, temperature and atmospheric composition to Earth.

Astronomers now say there may be more promising candidates out there, and these Hycean worlds are more numerous than Earth-like planets.

The habitable exoplanets are hot, ocean-covered worlds with hydrogen-rich atmospheres, and are more observable than Earth-like planets due to their temperature, making them easier to detect with current telescopes.

According to the scientists, the findings could mean the discovery of biosignatures of life outside our Solar System is a real possibility within the next two or three years.

A new class of 'waterworld' exoplanets have been found by astronomers, who say that despite being hot, ocean-covered and hydrogen-rich - could support life

HYCEAN PLANETS: WATERWORLDS LARGER THAN EARTH Many of the prime Hycean candidates identified by the researchers are bigger and hotter than Earth. However, they still have the characteristics to host large oceans that could support microbial life. This is similar to the forms of life that are found in some of Earths most extreme aquatic environments. These planets also allow for a far wider habitable zone, or Goldilocks zone, compared to Earth-like planets. This means that they could still support life even though they lie outside the range where a planet similar to Earth would need to be in order to be habitable. The vast majority are planets between the sizes of Earth and Neptune and are often referred to as super-Earths or mini-Neptunes. They can be predominantly rocky or ice giants with hydrogen-rich atmospheres. Most mini-Neptunes are over 1.6 times the size of Earth: smaller than Neptune but too big to have rocky interiors. A recent study on the mini-Neptune K2-18b found that in certain conditions these planets could support life. The result led to a detailed investigation into the full range of planetary and stellar properties for which these conditions are possible, which known exoplanets may satisfy those conditions, and whether their biosignatures may be observable. Hycean planets can be up to 2.6 times larger than Earth and have atmospheric temperatures up to nearly 200 degrees Celsius (392F). Advertisement

Dr Nikku Madhusudhan from Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy, who led the research, said they open a whole new avenue of search for life elsewhere.

Many of the prime candidates of these planets identified by the researchers are bigger and hotter than Earth.

However, they still have the characteristics to host large oceans that could support microbial life similar to that found in some of Earth's most extreme aquatic environments, researchers suggested.

The planets also allow for a far wider habitable zone, or Goldilocks zone, compared to Earth-like planets.

This means that they could still support life even though they lie outside the range where a planet similar to Earth would need to be in order to be habitable.

Since the first exoplanet was discovered 30 years ago, thousands of other planets have been discovered outside of our Solar System.

The majority are planets between the sizes of Earth and Neptune, often referred to as super-Earths or mini-Neptunes.

They can be predominantly rocky or ice giants with hydrogen-rich atmospheres, or something in between.

Earlier studies of such planets found that the pressure and temperature beneath their hydrogen-rich atmospheres would be too high to support life.

However, a recent study on the mini-Neptune K2-18b by Dr Madhusudhan's team found that in certain conditions these planets could support life.

This prompted detailed investigation into the full range of planetary and stellar properties for which these conditions are possible.

It also looked at which known exoplanets may satisfy those conditions, and whether their biosignatures may be observable in the near future.

The investigation led researchers to identify a new class of planets, Hycean planets, with massive planet-wide oceans beneath hydrogen-rich atmospheres.

Hycean planets can be up to 2.6 times larger than Earth and have atmospheric temperatures up to nearly 200 degrees Celsius (392F).

The astronomers suggest such planets also include tidally locked 'dark' Hycean worlds that may have habitable conditions only on their permanent night sides, and 'cold' Hycean worlds that receive little radiation from their stars.

Size alone is not enough to determine whether a planet is Hycean, and other aspects such as mass, temperature and atmospheric properties are required to confirm.

Dr Madhusudhan said: 'Essentially, when we've been looking for these various molecular signatures, we have been focusing on planets similar to Earth, which is a reasonable place to start.

'But we think Hycean planets offer a better chance of finding several trace biosignatures.'

The habitable exoplanets are hot, ocean-covered worlds with hydrogen-rich atmospheres, and are more observable than Earth-like planets due to their temperature, making them easier to detect with current telescopes

Co-author Anjali Piette, also from the university of Cambridge, added: 'It's exciting that habitable conditions could exist on planets so different from Earth.'

The team has identified a sizeable sample of potential Hycean worlds which are prime candidates for detailed study with next-generation telescopes, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is due to be launched later this year.

These planets all orbit red dwarf stars between 35-150 light years away - close by astronomical standards.

It is thought that planned JWST observations of the most promising candidate, K2-18b, could lead to the detection of one or more biosignature molecules.

Astronomers hope to be able to use the James Webb Space Telescope (pictured), that launches early next year, to find biosignatures in these alien worlds

HYCEAN PLANETS OBSERVED FROM THE EARTH THAT 'COULD' CONTAIN ALIEN LIFE WITHIN ITS PLANET WIDE OCEAN NAME MASS (xEarth) RADIUS (xEarth) TEMPERATURE (K) TEMPERATURE (F) K2-18 b 8.63 2.51 250 -9.67 K2-3 c 2.14 1.74 286 55.13 TOI-1266 c 2.2 1.56 291 64.13 TOI-732 c 6.29 2.42 305 89.33 TOI-270 d 4.78 2.01 327 128.93 TOI-175 d 2.31 1.57 341 154.13 TOI-776 c 5.3 2.02 350 170.33 LTT 1445 A b 2.2 1.38 367 200.93 K2-3 b 6.48 2.12 384 231.53 TOI-270 c 6.14 2.33 413 283.73 TOI-776 b 4 1.85 434 321.53

'A biosignature detection would transform our understanding of life in the universe,' said Dr Madhusudhan.

Adding: 'We need to be open about where we expect to find life and what form that life could take, as nature continues to surprise us in often unimaginable ways.'

Most often, these biosignatures are oxygen, ozone, methane and nitrous oxide, which are all present on Earth.

There are also a number of other biomarkers, such as methyl chloride and dimethyl sulphide, that are less abundant on Earth but can be promising indicators of life on planets with hydrogen-rich atmospheres.

On these planets, life could be supported despite oxygen or ozone not as abundant.

The findings are reported in The Astrophysical Journal.
The US Navy is working on a non-lethal weapon that would render a person unable to communicate.

The handheld Acoustic Hailing And Disruption (AHAD) system records a subject's voice with a long-range microphone then amplifies it and plays it back on two distinct tracks, one nearly simultaneous with the original and another on a slight delay, perhaps a few hundred milliseconds.

Using a parametric speaker, it directs the sound back at the person speaking, with the resulting echo theoretically disorienting the person and impeding their attempts to continue talking.

'Due to the delayed auditory feedback effect, the target speaker's concentration will be disrupted, making it difficult for them to continue speaking,' according to the weapon's patent application, approved in early August.

The chatter would be inaudible to anyone else, New Scientist reports, 'so, as far as any bystanders can tell, the target will seem to have trouble speaking for no obvious reason.'

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The handheld Acoustic Hailing And Disruption (AHAD) system records a subject's voice then amplifies it and plays it back on a slight delay, perhaps a few hundred milliseconds. ''Due to the delayed auditory feedback effect, the target speaker's concentration will be disrupted,' reads the device's patent application, which was approved

The AHAD patent was granted to Christopher Brown, an engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center near Bloomington, Indiana.

It's not clear if the device has been constructed or tested, though the Navy filed the patent in 2019.

Researchers at Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tokyo tested a similar device, called a 'SpeechJammer,' in 2012, saying it was useful for 'controlling discussions.'

'This effect can disturb people without any physical discomfort, and disappears immediately by stop[ping] speaking. Furthermore, this effect does not involve anyone but the speaker.'

A rendering of the AHAD system, submitted by Navy engineer Christopher Brown

A Soundlazer parametric speaker would focus the disorientating audio at the target, so bystanders would think they had trouble communicating for no apparent reason

Acoustic hailing devices (AHD) have been used on ships, at checkpoints, and mounted atop vehicles for years, according to Task and Purpose, though usually to warn individuals if they are getting too close to a restricted area, not to stymie their speech.

The AHAD device is just the latest nonlethal weapon envisioned for military use.

In 2019, Russia outfitted two warships, the Admiral Gorshkov and the Admiral Kasatonov, with an optical interference weapon that can induce vomiting and even hallucinations.

The 5P-42 Filin fires a strobe-like dazzling beam which can induce nausea, vomiting and hallucinations

The 5P-42 Filin releases a dazzling strobe-like beam to disrupt an enemy's eyesight  causing them to miss their targets but also inducing deliriousness and nausea  without causing permanent damage.

Developed by Ruselectronics, the device was tested by volunteers shooting various weapons  including assault rifles, snipers and machine guns  at targets under the Filin's protection.

All the participants saw their accuracy reduced by impaired vision and half noted signs of disorientation, nausea and dizziness, according to state-owned Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

The Filin, which means 'Eagle Owl,' can also suppress infrared lasers and night-vision devices, as well as the guidance systems of anti-tank guided missiles, at a distance of up to three miles.
It's the van that takes 'mobile home' to another level.

Behold the one-of-a-kind 'Chaletvan'  a 'Heidi-style' Alpine chalet on wheels that's available to rent.

The van is a 2008 Fiat Ducato that was converted into the 'Chaletvan' by designer and artist Barry Stimson as a 'one-off functional piece of art'.

Behold the one-of-a-kind 'Chaletvan'  a 'Heidi-style' Alpine chalet on wheels that's available to rent

The van is a 2008 Fiat Ducato that was converted into the 'Chaletvan' by designer and artist Barry Stimson as a 'one-off functional piece of art'

Preston-based campervan enthusiast Lara Hewitt bought the van from Barry through eBay in August 2018.

After starting with family trips to Anglesea, Lara headed out on a six-week adventure across Europe in the Chaletvan. As a filmmaker and writer, Lara decided to make a film of her experience in the van, Goodbye Europe, which is set to be shown at festivals in the UK and Italy.

Then the pandemic hit, and since Lara hasn't been able to travel as much, she wanted to share her whacky mobile companion with others and 'hopefully inspire more adventurers to follow in her footsteps'.

The Chaletvan sleeps two and is available to rent from 65 a day on Camplify  a campervan and motorhome sharing community. The collection point is in Preston.

The Chaletvan sleeps two and is available to rent from 65 a day on Camplify

Preston-based campervan enthusiast Lara Hewitt bought the van on eBay in August 2018

The listing says: 'Heidi's house on wheels! The Chaletvan makes everyone smile. It's like having a puppy or a baby, you'll make lots of friends with her and get lots of waves.

'She's clean, bright and simple on the inside. Just battery-powered lights, a bed, a camping table, camping stove and bbq... a pull-out loo and plenty of space.

'There's also a funky camping shower (for outdoor use only), Bluetooth speakers, books, camping chairs, umbrellas, a washing line and some other fun bits and bobs.

'The bed is 1m 20cm wide by 1m 78cm long (about 5ft 10in long). So, if you're six foot and you like to sleep poker straight, you might struggle, but for those that like to curl and cuddle it's just fine. It's not a king-size bed in a hotel, but that's not the point.'

Amid the UK staycation boom, Camplify has seen an 83 per cent increase in bookings and a 325 per cent increase in owners signing up to share their vans.

Lara, pictured, headed out on a six-week adventure across Europe in the Chaletvan. She made a film of her experience, Goodbye Europe, which is set to be shown at festivals in the UK and Italy
Former Real Housewives of Melbourne stars Lydia Schiavello and Chyka Keebaugh recently got into a vicious feud over a suspiciously edited Instagram photo.

And now the real reason why Lydia edited an image of Chyka to make her look fat has finally been revealed.

According to RHOM star Janet Roach, Lydia may have altered the image in an attempt to get back in the headlines ahead of the show's upcoming fifth season.

The truth? A new theory about why Real Housewives of Melbourne's Lydia Schiavello (left) posted this edited image of co-star Chyka Keebaugh (centre) on Instagram has been revealed

Lydia won't be part of the new season, which leads Janet to believe she may have tweaked Chyka's appearance to try to shift the spotlight back to her.

'I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt that she didn't know,' Janet told the Unpopular podcast.

'But now that there's talk of Housewives [coming back], clearly Lydia has maximum FOMO [fear of missing out] in the world.'

Janet added: 'She's clearly got massive FOMO and she doesn't care if it's good advertising or bad advertising, as long as...'

'I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt': RHOM's Janet Roach (pictured) said Lydia may not have known the image was altered, but suspects the whole thing was a ploy to make headlines

The 62-year-old then launched into an impression of Lydia.

'Someone's talking about me, wow, and taking photos of me when I go for a walk!' she said, referring to how Lydia was papped amid the Photoshop scandal.

Janet added that there's now a strong possibility Lydia will return for the show's sixth season if it gets green-lit by Foxtel.

She also suggested that Lydia may have been unaware she had even edited Chyka to look fatter in the first place.

Mission accomplished? Janet added that there's now a strong possibility Lydia will return for the show's sixth season if it gets green-lit by Foxtel

Sharing her own theory on the saga, Janet said that Lydia may have simply been Photoshopping herself to look slimmer, and as a result stretched out Chyka's midsection without realising it.

'The fact of the matter is that Lydia's a bit of a narcissist,' Janet said, before adding: 'Okay, a lot of a narcissist.'

'What I think happened is Lydia got the photo, she slimmed herself down. I don't think she gave a s**t or looked at anybody else,' she continued.

'She's posted the photo, and in slimming herself down, the repercussions of that are that Chyka looks massive.'

'I thought this was a great photo of us': Lydia denied ever editing the image and said that she had no intention of offending Chyka

Denial: Lydia commented: 'It's an old photo Season 2 no Photoshop. I wouldn't do that after being fat shamed myself x'

Lydia has claimed she didn't maliciously Photoshop the image of Chyka to make her look heavier.

She said she didn't edit the photo herself, but had instead been sent it by someone else and naively uploaded it to Instagram because she thought it 'looked great'.

'Hi Chyka,' she wrote on Instagram. 'I was sent many old photos of previous seasons of Real Housewives of Melbourne.

'I thought this was a great photo of us all and it's something we can't do now. It was never my intention to offend anyone. Sending love.'

'My last post deleted': Lydia went as far as to delete the image after it sparked a media firestorm

After deleting the offending picture from her main grid, she shared another photo of Chyka looking svelte in a leopard-print dress, and captioned it: 'Last post deleted. My apology to all.

'After being fat shamed I would not intentionally do that to any one.'

She then shared one last photo of herself and Chyka looking glamorous, and wrote: 'Oldie but a goodie! I hope everyone in this lockdown are looking after themselves.'

The saga began earlier this month when Lydia shared a throwback photo from 2014 which showed her and Chyka with fellow Housewives Janet and Pettifleur Berenger.

Spot the difference: Chyka has insisted the photo shared by her co-star Lydia on Instagram was edited to make her look heavier. Pictured left: the edited version Lydia posted; and right: a similar photo uploaded in 2014

But eagle-eyed fans noticed Chyka looked larger than usual around the torso, so went through the archives to find the original photo from seven years ago.

In the original photo uploaded in 2014, Chyka was noticeably slimmer, leading fans to conclude that Lydia - or someone else - had used a warp tool to make her look fat.

'Dying at the Photoshop. Poor Chyka doesn't deserve the extra 47kg, Lydia,' one fan commented, while another added: 'Someone please find the original of this photo and bring justice for poor Chyka!'

'How bad is that': In the original photo posted in 2014, Chyka was noticeably slimmer, leading fans to conclude that Lydia - or someone else - had used a warp tool to make her look fat

In a recent statement to Daily Mail Australia, Chyka, 52, maintained Lydia had edited the photo, despite her claims she hadn't.

'Sadly I do know the truth and she did do it, but at the end of the day it says more about her and I feel very supported and loved,' said the events organiser.

'I honestly believe Lydia edited... It was always one of her favourite things to do. Regardless, she still put up the photo knowing it 100 per cent wasn't right.'

Meanwhile, the fifth season of The Real Housewives of Melbourne is expected to return this year with four brand-new cast members.

Janet, Gamble Breaux, and Jackie Gillies will all be back, while Lydia, Gina Liano, Sally Bloomfield, and Venus Behbahani-Clark will not return.
Helen Skelton looked nothing short of sensational as she took to Instagram to share a string of pool-side snaps on Tuesday from her holiday in Malta.

The 38-year-old TV presenter showed off her toned waist in a mint green two-piece as she posed with her son Ernie, six, and Louis, four.

Flashing her toned legs in the waist-high number, the Olympic Games commentator sweetly held the hand of her little one as they stood in front of an idyllic mountain-lined backdrop.

Gorgeous: Helen Skelton set pulses racing as she puts her toned physique on display in a mint green bikini during a family holiday in Malta , which she shared on Instagram on Tuesday

Sun-seeker: The makeup-free Blue Peter host had tied her sandy tresses into a tousled ponytail and framed her face with a pair of black shades for the fun-filled day

Helen's bikini top showcased her ample assets as she soaked up the sun at the swanky Amazonia Complex.

The makeup-free Blue Peter host had tied her sandy tresses into a tousled ponytail and framed her face with a pair of black shades for the fun-filled day.

Her boys, whom she shares with her Rugby player husband Richie Myler, 31, appeared to be having a whale of a time as they splashed around in the idyllic pool.

Having a blast: Her boys appeared to be having a whale of a time as they splashed around in the idyllic pool

Paradisaical: One of her boys sat back to take in the spectacular view

Doting mum: Helen wrote this as the post's caption

Helen wrote in her caption: 'The benefits of having kids that dont sleep is that you get the pool to yourself before anyone gets up. (Swipes)

'But late nights and early mornings have consequences. #summer #holidayvibes #timeout #europewemissedyou #europe #family #pooldays #mumlife #bikini #beachclub #infinitypool.'

It comes after the Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins star said it 'doesn't bother her' when she gets trolled on Instagram for wearing short skirts.

The Countryfile presenter admitted she loves social media but doesn't 'get too hung up on the comments' as the 'whole world isn't reflected online'.

Controversy: It comes after mother-of-two Helen received backlash after wearing short dresses and skirts while presenting the Rio Olympics swimming events in 2016 (pictured)

She received backlash for wearing short dresses and skirts while presenting the Rio Olympics swimming events in 2016.

Speaking to The Sun about dealing with negative online comments she said: 'Maybe I'm too needy but no I don't worry, I know it sounds stupid but I don't have time for that.

'I'll maybe put a picture on but I don't have time to go through the comments - don't get me wrong I love social media, but I don't get too hung up on comments because I don't think the whole world is reflected on social media.

'It doesn't bother me what some random person I'm never going to meet thinks about my skirt,' she concluded.
Chris Hemsworth made headlines this week amid claims he declined to appear in a star-studded advertising campaign promoting the Covid-19 vaccine in Australia.

The Byron Bay local, 38, was reportedly trying to secure himself a Pfizer jab in June, but when the government offered him a 'speedy vaccination' in exchange for featuring in the public health campaign, he turned them down.

While it's unclear why Hemsworth rejected the offer, a new report sheds some light on the circumstances surrounding the Hollywood star's desire to get vaccinated in the first place.

New details: Chris Hemsworth was 'desperate' to get the Covid vaccine in June because he needed it for a big-budget docuseries helmed by Oscar-nominated director Darren Aronofsky

The Thor actor needed the jab as soon as possible so he could star in a National Geographic docuseries called Limitless, which began filming in mid-June, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

The big-budget production was filmed in Armidale, in northern NSW, and involved vulnerable Indigenous communities, making it necessary for the cast and crew to be vaccinated.

Produced by Oscar-nominated director Darren Aronofsky and media executive Jane Root, Limitless will see Hemsworth take part in various challenges exploring different ways to extend the human lifespan.

Offer: The Thor actor is starring in a National Geographic docuseries called Limitless, which began filming in mid-June. Pictured on April 19, 2021, in Sydney

Hemsworth will test six supposedly life-extending techniques: regenerating damage, maximising strength, building resilience, shocking the body, supercharging memory and confronting mortality.

'Basically, I was somehow convinced to volunteer myself as a human guinea pig and endure a series of mental and physical challenges across the globe, all for the sake of science,' Hemsworth said in a statement.

'We're hoping to shed some light on new ideas and emerging science with the focus on extending a healthy lifespan.'

The show must go on: The big-budget production was filmed in Armidale, in northern NSW, and involved vulnerable Indigenous communities, making it necessary for the cast and crew to be vaccinated. Hemsworth is pictured on June 4, 2019, in Paris

The SMH reported on Monday that Hemsworth had been trying to secure himself a jab as quickly as possible so he could start working on a 'secret film project' in June.

He was apparently 'reluctant' to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, yet could not access a Pfizer shot in his home town of Byron Bay, the newspaper alleged.

At about this time Hemsworth was asked by the federal government to take part in a campaign featuring some of the country's most famous figures.

Requirement: Hemsworth (pictured with wife Elsa Pataky) had been trying to secure himself a jab as quickly as possible so he could start working on a 'secret film project'. However, he declined to publicise the jab as part of government campaign and hasn't explained why

In return, the government reportedly agreed to let Hemsworth 'jump the queue' to receive a speedy vaccination of his choice.

However, Hemsworth is said to have turned down the offer and sourced a vaccine 'elsewhere', without promoting the jab as part of a campaign.

It's unclear whether the forthcoming vaccine campaign will be a TV advert, social media drive or some other form of public service announcement.

Hemsworth's representatives did not respond to Daily Mail's request for comment.
Married At First Sight groom Johnny Balbuziente has become the latest reality star to get a smile makeover.

The 31-year-old recently decided to close the gap and tidy up his upper teeth - and the results are very impressive indeed.

Before and after photos obtained by Daily Mail Australia show a dramatic change to his pearly whites, thanks to the help of Invisalign.

He doesn't look like this anymore! Married At First Sight groom Johnny Balbuziente, 31, shows off his smile makeover after years of being insecure about his teeth

Johnny said that after years of being insecure about his smile he decided to get it fixed.

'I actually had braces back in high school, but I was super slack and didn't wear my retainer,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday.

'I thought it was about time to finally correct my chompers - considering my folks forked out the cash way back then,' he laughed.

Smile transformation: Before and after photos obtained by Daily Mail Australia show a dramatic change to Johnny's pearly whites, thanks to the help of Invisalign

Insecure: Johnny said that after years of being insecure about his smile he decided to get it fixed

'I actually had braces back in high school, but I was super slack and didn't wear my retainer,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday

Natural: Unlike his fellow co-stars, Johnny decided to go for dental surgery rather than veneers. Pictured with his partner Kerry Knight in May 2021

Unlike his fellow co-stars, Johnny decided to opt for a more natural solution and get dental surgery, thanks to the help of Dr Nick Kotsomitis rather than get veneers.

It comes just weeks after his fellow MAFS grooms Patrick Dwyer and Jake Edwards revealed their dental makeovers.

Patrick had 12 Picasso Porcelain Veneers installed, worth a whopping $28,000.

'I didn't realise how bad my teeth were until I saw them on TV,' Patrick told Daily Mail Australia at the time.

Veneers: Before-and-after photos show a dramatic change to his smile, with Patrick, 27, telling Daily Mail Australia, 'I didn't realise how bad my teeth were until I saw them on TV'

During his stint on the Channel Nine reality show earlier this year, Patrick was trolled for his appearance, which left him down in the dumps.

Speaking of Jake's transformation, dentist Dr Deepan Duraisamy, a.k.a. Dr Dee said: 'All Jake wanted was natural teeth as if he had no damage to his original ones.

'It was challenging to reconstruct his lost smile, but we were all happy and emotional to see the end result.'
Paddy McGuinness rallied for greater support for parents of autistic children on Tuesday, while revealing an 'ignorant' encounter with a stranger involving his children.

The TV presenter, 48, who is father to three autistic kids with wife Christine, appeared on Sky News to call for greater awareness and education regarding the condition.

During the illuminating discussion, he discussed his family's challenges and used a recent incident in a supermarket carpark to highlight prejudices that still persist.

Candid: Paddy McGuinness rallied for greater support for parents of autistic children on Tuesday, while revealing an 'ignorant' encounter with a stranger involving his children

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterised by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.

Autism is a spectrum, and is not classified as a disease or illness.

He said: 'It's a shame, you're out with your kids with autism, they may have a meltdown, they may be upset about something, and a lot of people... might think, "That child is spoilt, why is the child screaming? Why aren't the parents doing something about it?"

'Unfortunately a lot of parents [with autistic children] become very insular, they won't go out, they won't go on holiday with their kids.

'Just speaking personally, me and my family, we've had one holiday with our children...it was so stressful for the children even taking them through an airport that we, for us... We just had to readjust to that and do things at home with them. And they're very happy.'

'But again I do feel for those parents... And I do understand why they might not want to do something so simple as jump into a car to go to the supermarket for fear of people judging them.'

Good cause: The TV presenter, 48, who is the father to three autistic kids (pictured), appeared on Sky to call for greater awareness and education regarding the condition

Paddy, who shares seven-year-old twins Penelope and Leo, and Felicity, four, with Christine said tolerance and education is the solution to improving misconceptions around autism as he revealed a recent confrontation.

He said: 'You can't always be too hard on people who are ignorant to autism.

'I've been in a disabled parking space with my children and had to educate a bloke there who was clearly being judgemental on why we were parking there, even though we had a blue badge.

'And he said, "well they don't look disabled", and you know...you've got to bite your lip in those circumstances and just take a deep breath.

Confrontation: He said: 'I've been in a disabled parking space with my children and had to educate a bloke there who was clearly being judgemental on why we were parking there, even though we had a blue badge'

'These are the prejudices that you've got to meet head on and I think education is the best way of doing that.'

Detailing hurdles he faces everyday while raising three autistic children, Paddy continued: 'Something simple like going to the supermarket becomes an advanced operation of planning, making sure everything is just right

'Everyday this challenge is thrown up at you, but also as well everyday there's amazing things [that] happen surrounding people with autism.

'I'm constantly learning every single day so the fact that I'm surrounded by autism 24/7 and still learning makes me think [that] a lot of people who aren't aware of autism and the challenges it brings need to be educated a little bit about that.'

Hold his tongue: Paddy continued: 'And he said, "well they don't look disabled", and you know...you've got to bite your lip in those circumstances and just take a deep breath'

The TV presenter also backed the launch of the UKs largest study into autism.

The Spectrum 10K project will recruit 10,000 autistic people from across the UK to boost understanding of how biological and environmental factors impact them, organisers say.

The project will be carried out by Cambridges world-leading Autism Research Centre (ARC) in conjunction with the nearby genetics research body the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

Researchers say the study will examine the different needs of people with autism, many of whom have additional conditions including epilepsy, anxiety and depression.

Motivated: Paddy, who shares seven-year-old twins Penelope and Leo, and Felicity, four, with his wife Christine, 33 (centre) added: 'These are the prejudices that you've got to meet head on and I think education is the best way'

The work is aiming to achieve better levels of support and understanding for autistic people.

Paddy revealed he recently visited Cambridge to find out more about the campaign. He said: 'I was at Cambridge which for me is the only time I'll ever be there.

'I was doing something separate about my family and autism and I was talking to Professor Simon...and it peaked my interest.

'These kind of things...they help families, they help people become more aware of autism, and straight away when he was telling me about it...I wanted to get involved.'

Research: The star also backed The Spectrum 10K project which will recruit 10,000 autistic people to boost understanding of how biological and environmental factors impact them

Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the ARC and study leader, said: 'There is an urgent need to better understand the wellbeing of autistic individuals.

'Spectrum 10K hopes to answer questions such as why some autistic people have epilepsy or poor mental health outcomes and others do not.'

People of all ages, genders, ethnicities and intellectual capacities will take part in the study, completing an online questionnaire and providing a DNA saliva sample by post.

Autistic participants can also invite biological relatives  autistic or otherwise  to participate. Information collected from the questionnaire, DNA saliva sample and health records will be used to increase knowledge and understanding of wellbeing in autism.

Dr James Cusack, chief executive officer of the autism research charity Autistica, and an autistic person, said: 'We are delighted to support Spectrum 10K.

'This project enables autistic people to participate in and shape autism research to build a future where support is tailored to every individuals needs.'

The Spectrum 10K team said it views autism as an example of neurodiversity, and is opposed to eugenics, searching for a cure for autism, or preventing or eradicating the condition.

To find out more, visit www.spectrum10k.org
Megan Barton-Hanson looked effortlessly chic as she arrived at Magic Mike Live's VIP Night at the Hippodrome on Tuesday.

Beaming for onlookers outside the iconic London venue, the former Love Island contestant, 27, cut a little black dress which showcased her bronzed pins.

Putting on an eye-popping display for onlookers in the busty number, she accented her look with a smart white blazer and clutched a black handbag.

Sizzling: Megan Barton-Hanson looked effortlessly chic as she arrived at Magic Mike Live's VIP Night at the Hippodrome on Tuesday

Centre of attention: Megan showed off her pearly white gnashers as she beamed at onlookers while making her way into the venue

The influencer uplifted her bronzed pins with a pair of beige heels which showcased her fiery red toenails, matching her fingernails.

Having tied up her sleek tresses into a bun, the blonde bombshell allowed a selection of strands to loosely frame her visage.

The Celebs Go Dating star sported a pair of full-looking eyebrows and accentuated her lashes with a set of fluttering extensions.

Gorgeous: Megan flashed her bronzed legs in a little black dress as she posed up a storm on the red carpet

Wow! Putting on an eye-popping display for onlookers in the busty number, she accented the her look with a smart white blazer and clutched a black handbag

Chic: The influencer uplifted her bronzed pins with a pair of beige heels which showcased her fiery red toenails, matching her fingernails

Stylish: Having tied up her sleek tresses into a bun, the blonde bombshell allowed a selection of strands to loosely frame her visage

Showstopping: The Celebs Go Dating star sported a pair of full-looking eyebrows and accentuated her lashes with fluttering extensions

She wore a classic gold watch on her left wrist, which she matched with a bangle in the same colour on her left.

Megan's evening out in London follows her social media slamming of OnlyFans, which made the decision to ban sexually explicit content on Thursday.

The Essex born star reportedly earns 800,000 a month from the members only site and took to Instagram on Friday to vent her anger.

Blinged up: She wore a classic gold watch on her left wrist, which she matched with a bangle in the same colour on her left

Beauty: Megan looked radiant as she strutted her way through the city

'To say Im disappointed with @onlyfans choice to stop explicit content is an understatement.

The greed is unreal, using sex workers to make millions and to now cut off the majority of your users, further perpetuating the narrative that sex work is shameful.

I hope all explicit creators arent panicking too much please be safe! There are alternative platforms to work from adult-work and @vuepay safely and securely. Please dont compromise your safety and do things youre not comfortable with.

Incredible: She clutched her phone as she made an even grander exit

I cant believe how they have done this with no apology and proper explanation blaming it on banking partners greedy and irresponsible! she ranted.

OnlyFans has become the go-to place for creators to post explicit photos and videos - and the ban on pornography will begin on 1 October.

The move is to comply with its banking partners and payout providers, but creators can still share nudity - as long as it complies with OnlyFans' policy.

This prohibits specific explicit content like rape, torture and sex trafficking.
Gold Coast influencer Chloe Szepanowski has been slammed by her own fans for not wearing a mask while out shopping.

Szepanowski, 22, and her boyfriend Mitchell Orval documented their visit to a shopping centre in a YouTube video on Sunday, but neither of them was wearing a mandatory face mask.

The couple, who are known to oppose vaccines and Covid lockdowns, are not believed to be medically exempt from wearing a mask during the pandemic.

Szepanowski's own social media followers strongly criticised her in the comments section, with one saying: 'If I can wear a mask for a nine-hour shift... you can wear one around Kmart. Not that hard.'

Slammed: Gold Coast influencer Chloe Szepanowski (pictured) has been slammed by her own fans for not wearing a mask while out shopping

'Yikes guys... the self entitlement is gross,' another commented.

'You can't even do a simple thing like wear a mask in a public place, endangering the lives of others. Do you think you're better and above everyone else that you are exempt from wearing a mask? Absolutely disgusting behaviour from people who are supposed to be "influencers",' a third wrote.

'It is absolutely disgusting that you think it is okay to use a platform like this to literally endanger and risk other people's lives,' a fourth wrote.

The Gold Coast is among 11 Local Government Areas in South East Queensland that are subject to continued restrictions, which include wearing a mask at all times unless you can stay 1.5m away from others.

Rules: Szepanowski, 22, and her boyfriend Mitchell Orval documented their visit to a shopping centre in a YouTube video on Sunday, but neither of them was wearing a mandatory face mask

Restrictions: The Gold Coast is among 11 Local Government Areas in South East Queensland that are subject to continued restrictions, which include wearing a mask at all times unless you can stay 1.5m away from others

It comes after Szepanowski laughed in the faces of former fans who were concerned about the impact her anti-Covid views might have on impressionable fans in a new video telling haters to simply 'ignore' her content.

The Instagram star has lost more than 20,000 followers since outing herself as a Covid denier who does not believe vaccines are needed.

Given her income is based almost solely on her work online, followers were stunned to learn that she seemingly is at peace with her opinions resulting in her losing fans.

She shared a 'snarky' video on Saturday skipping outside her Gold Coast mansion with a caption that read: 'How to continue on with your day even if you don't agree with something'.

Not impressed: Szepanowski's own followers criticised her in the comments section, with one saying: 'If I can wear a mask for a nine-hour shift, you can wear one around Kmart. Not hard'

The video offended legions of her formerly loyal fans, who claim it is the 'final nail in the coffin' and insulting to those who are genuinely concerned about public health.

Some fans have gone so far as to suggest she'll be 'permanently cancelled', while others said they will burn any merchandise they own of hers in a bonfire.

'The whole of Australia is over them at the moment... I've never unfollowed someone so fast', one former fan said.

'They're bleeding followers at this point.'

Others vowed to boycott the mother of one's activewear label and were disappointed when they realised there are no refunds available on any sale items.
Fans of the hit Showtime series Dexter were thrown for quite the surprise when it was revealed in July that Jennifer Carpenter will return as Debra Morgan, the late sister of Michael C. Hall's title character, Dexter Morgan.

Debra was killed by her brother in the series finale of the original Dexter series, which ran for eight seasons between 2006 and 2013.

Carpenter, 41, appeared during the Television Critics Association's summer tour on Tuesday, where she revealed (via TV Line) that she will be playing a 'new and imaginary iteration of Debra.'

Surprise: Fans of the hit Showtime series Dexter were thrown for quite the surprise when it was revealed in July that Jennifer Carpenter will return as Debra Morgan, the late sister of Michael C. Hall's title character, Dexter Morgan

It was revealed that Debra will essentially be 'taking over' as the new version of Harry Morgan (James Remar), Dexter's late adopted father, a Miami cop who taught him how to kill criminals who ultimately slipped through the justice system.

Harry would 'appear' in the show, though he was seen as an externalization of Dexter's inner monologue, a role now being transferred to Dexter's late sister Debra.

'I dont think of her as a ghost (per se, but) more of a link or an echo or an inconvenient truth for Dexter,' Carpenter said.

Echo: 'I dont think of her as a ghost (per se, but) more of a link or an echo or an inconvenient truth for Dexter,' Carpenter said

'(She) comes back to sort of haunt and punish and caretake and provoke and love (him),' Carpenter added.

Her co-star Michael C. Hall added that he thinks Debra represents, 'how far he's fallen... without a compass,' since Debra was considered the 'moral compass' of the original series.

'I was so excited about Jennifer doing this because I knew she would be able to shape shift and come at Dexter from so many different places,' Hall added.

Haunt: '(She) comes back to sort of haunt and punish and caretake and provoke and love (him),' Carpenter added

Hall added, 'it was really fun to crack open our sense of [Dexter]s internal landscape, because its much more pyrotechnic and crazy than it used to be.'

The final moments of the original series saw Dexter dumping Debra's body into the ocean and taking off in his boat towards Hurricane Laura.

His boat is found destroyed and he's presumed to be dead, though the final moments show Dexter living a presumably peaceful life in the Pacific Northwest.

Final moments: The final moments of the original series saw Dexter dumping Debra's body into the ocean and taking off in his boat towards Hurricane Laura

Dexter: New Blood picks up 10 years after the finale, with Dexter now living in the sleepy town of Iron Lake, New York.

The new series also stars Clancy Brown as Dexter's new nemesis, Kurt Caldwell, the de facto 'mayor' of Iron Lake.

The casts also includes Julia Jones as Angela Bishop, Iron Lake's first Native American Chief of Police, Alano Miller as Logan, an Iron Lake PD sergeant and Jamie Chung as Molly Park, a true crime podcaster from Los Angeles.
She frequently turns heads with her colourful outfits.

And Emily Atack didn't disappoint on Tuesday as she slipped into a skintight pink dress for her comedy gig at Clapham Grand in London.

The actress, 31, looked glamourous in her marble print garment as she strutted away from the venue after taking centre stage for The Emily Atack Show.

Vision in pink: Emily Atack slipped into a skintight pink dress on Tuesday for her comedy gig at Clapham Grand in London

Emily boosted her height with fuchsia heels which contrasted against her toned, sun-kissed legs.

She toted a large handbag from the designer brand, Chloe, which boasted a striped print.

The blonde beauty styled her locks in effortless waves while opting for full coverage make-up.

She shared snaps of her outfit to Instagram after her gig and wrote: '2 shows in one night. Currently drinking a pint of wine on my way home - WE GO AGAIN TOMORROW! #TheEmilyAtackShow'.

Turn heads: The actress, 31, looked glamourous in her marble print garment as she strutted away from the venue after taking centre stage for The Emily Atack Show

It comes after Emily and her former fling Seann Walsh were seen enjoying a friendly catch up at a Nando's in Clapham, London, on Monday afternoon.

The TV star and the comedian, 35, are said to have enjoyed a brief romance where they went on a string of dates during the summer of 2016, while he was still in a relationship with his ex Rebecca Humphries - unbeknownst to Emily.

However since then, the duo appear to have remained firm friends, as they were spotted out on a giggly lunch date together this week.

Emily and Seann could be seen chatting and laughing together before heading into a local Nando's, where they tucked into a spot of lunch.

Walk this way: Emily boosted her height with fuchsia heels which contrasted against her toned, sun-kissed legs

Glamourpuss: The blonde beauty styled her locks in effortless waves while opting for full coverage make-up

It appeared to be a working catch-up for the duo, as MailOnline understands that Seann is working as one of the writers on Emily's show - The Emily Atack show.

It was claimed in October 2018 that Seann and Emily enjoyed a 'string of dates' after clicking at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2016.

British comedian Seann - who came under fire for kissing his Strictly co-star Katya Jones - was dating ex-girlfriend Rebecca at the time.

Emily, who is now in a relationship with boyfriend Jude Taylor, was said to be keen to put the 'whole dalliance behind her' after an intimate snap of the two of them in bed together surfaced online.

An insider told the Sun at the time: 'Emily is mortified that this picture has appeared. She had wanted to put the whole dalliance behind her and is keen to forget about it.'

Cheerio! She waved at onlookers as she headed to her taxi

Cloud nine: The actress and comedienne was all smiles following her show

The source went on to explain the I'm A Celebrity star now 'regrets ever using her camera in the bedroom' after the 'personal image' was leaked.

'At the time, she and Seann were totally wrapped up in each other. But she's over it now,' the insider added.

Representatives for Emily and Seann were contacted for comment at the time.

The pair became 'totally wrapped up in each other' and enjoyed 'secret liaisons at pubs and hotels' at the time of their rumoured fling, sources said last year.

Emily reportedly told friends she was 'in love with Seann', who she first met on E4 show Virtually Famous in 2014 before reconnecting in Edinburgh where their 'friendship took off'.

Celebrate: She shared snaps of her outfit to Instagram and wrote: '2 shows in one night. Currently drinking a pint of wine on my way home - WE GO AGAIN TOMORROW! #TheEmilyAtackShow'

Cheese! The blonde beauty leaned forward for a mirror selfie

'That is where they properly clicked,' a source told the Sun. 'She liked the fact that he was a little bit older and more experienced than her, so seemed like a man of the world.'

Sources added that Seann was 'extremely evasive' when asked about his relationships and 'Emily was under the impression he was single'.

The pair were also linked following Seann's kiss with Katya, when pictures emerged of the star putting on a cosy display with actress Emily in a pub in London.

Seann and Emily were pictured flirting and holding hands while enjoying a drink in December 2016 - four months after their Edinburgh trip.

A source told MailOnline: 'I was in a pub in central London and saw him flirting with Emily. I knew he had a girlfriend so thought it was a bit out of order as they were getting very close.'

Catching up: It comes after Emily and her former fling Seann Walsh were seen enjoying a friendly catch up at a Nando's in Clapham, London, on Monday afternoon
Britannia

Rating:

Unbelievable Moments, Caught On Camera

Rating:

Rotten luck for Mackenzie Crook. He must have thought he was set for life, playing a pair of 10,000-year-old twin druids in a hallucinogenic fantasy about ancient Britain.

'The Romans stayed for 400 years,' he said optimistically earlier this year, 'and we're only two years into the invasion. I've got a couple of series left in me!'

Uh-oh. Spoiler alert . . . The last run of Britannia (Sky Atlantic) ended badly for one of his characters, Harka  shot through the head with an arrow the size of a javelin.

But 49-year-old Mackenzie, star of The Office and Detectorists, still had his main role: the high priest Veran, a skeleton wrapped in scar tissue, who walks like a zombie Thunderbirds puppet and gobbles more narcotics for breakfast than Keith Richards could swallow in a whole global tour.

Mackenzie Crook as Veran in Sky Atlantic's Britannia

His old enemy, Roman general Aulus (David Morrissey), didn't seem thrilled to see him. A few obscene insults were exchanged that's probably the only part of this bug-eyed and gibbering show that is historically accurate, because the Romans did enjoy dirty jokes.

But with the reappearance of teenage heroine Cait (Eleanor Worthington-Cox), Veran's immortal luck took a bit of a dip. He might turn out to be fine, of course. You don't get to be 10,000 years old without surviving the occasional fatal injury.

It was a reminder, though, that Jez Butterworth's creation obeys no known laws of storytelling. Everybody betrays everybody else. Major characters are slaughtered on a whim.

Aulus's most trusted bodyguard inexplicably decided to plot against him. Ten minutes later, he was not just dead but roasted on a bed of coals with a side order of vegetables by Aulus's cannibal wife, Ratched.

Ratched (Sophie Okonedo) is a newcomer, who threw herself into the loony spirit by crawling all over her husband's tent, sniffing like a spaniel on a scent.

Soggy moggie of the week: Iblis the lion at Chester hates to get his mane wet and frizzy. He was hiding in his den, putting his head out of doors and vanishing inside, 'like a gopher down a hole', said his keeper on The Secret Life Of The Zoo (C4). We all have bad hair days, Iblis. Advertisement

In flashbacks, we were treated to a vivid CGI vision of Rome, and learned that Aulus had a young son whom he adored. Adored, and then betrayed, sacrificed and ate.

Britannia has always aspired to being the most violent show on TV. Though it avoids the misogyny and gratuitous sex of Game Of Thrones, it is extraordinarily bloody. A massacre in a Roman camp two years ago left a death toll on a thermonuclear scale.

The only way to enjoy Britannia is as demented nonsense, and that's what Morrissey does.

Veering from false bonhomie to mystical fits to foaming furies, he overacts hysterically during his quieter moments and just explodes the rest of the time, like an attention-seeking volcano. The only way to make it more bizarre would be to have Alexander Armstrong doing a voiceover.

The Pointless host narrated a compendium of viral video clips, Unbelievable Moments, Caught On Camera (ITV), and seemed honestly appalled by everything he saw.

'Roads can be dangerous and unpredictable places,' he warned, before showing us dashcam footage of a lorry slewing out of control in Russia. In case we missed the moment when it jack-knifed, he replayed it about eight times.

Alexander also had a dire warning of what might await us if we went canoeing. 'Water can be incredibly dangerous,' he declared. It was for holidaymakers Liz and Julie in California, though the really dangerous thing wasn't the water but the whale that tried to eat their canoe.

If you missed the show, just go to YouTube and click on a random selection of videos. Don't forget to keep saying, 'This can be incredibly dangerous.'
Amazon Prime has dropped the first official trailer for one of Australia's most anticipated reboots, Back To The Rafters.

In it, fans have been given a first look at the loveable Rafter family six years since the show finished up on Channel Seven.

The six-part series will see everyone return to Sydney as they celebrate Dave Rafter (Erik Thomson) and Julie Rafter's (Rebecca Gibney) 35th Wedding Anniversary.

It's back! Amazon Prime has dropped the first official trailer for one of Australia's most anticipated reboots, Back To The Rafters. In it, fans have been given a first look at the loveable Rafter family six years since the show finished up on Channel Seven

However, all is not as fine and dandy as it seems as the visit reignites Julie's zest for life back in the city as Dave continues to stick to his guns in their newfound country home.

Julie is missing out valuable time with the rest of the family in Sydney, while Dave has taken pleasure in his simple Buradeena lifestyle alongside youngest daughter Ruby (Willow Speers).

The storyline also follows the older Rafter children coming to terms with new adult challenges.

Larrikin Ben (Hugh Sheridan) returns as a recently married man to Cassie (HaiHa Le), who hopes to start a family but not without a few hiccups on the way.

Meanwhile, Nathan (Angus McLaren) appears to break down as he tries to juggle life as a single dad to son Edward (Kaspar Frost).

All grown up: Larrikin Ben (Hugh Sheridan) returns as a recently married man to Cassie (HaiHa Le), who hopes to start a family but not without a few hiccups on the way.

Elsewhere, Rachel (played by Georgina Haig, who replaced original cast member Jessica Marais after she pulled out last minute due to health reasons) is living abroad in New York.

As the years have passed, Granddad Ted (played by Michael Caton) feels like he's a lost soul among everyone's busy lives.

Big Apple: Elsewhere, Rachel (played by Georgina Haig, who replaced original cast member Jessica Marais after she pulled out last minute due to health reasons) is living abroad in New York

Ted's lost: As the years have passed, Granddad Ted (played by Michael Caton) feels like he's a lost soul among everyone's busy lives. Pictured: Rebecca Gibney (left), Erik Thomsen (right), Willow Speers (bottom left), and Michael Caton (bottom right)

Speaking to Sydney Confidential in May, Rebecca Gibney promised, 'Yummy, fuzzy feelings' around the upcoming Packed To The Rafters reboot - but admitted the process was 'not without its drama'.

'Just when you get lulled into a false sense of security that it's going to going to be this lovely, happy, everyone is really happy situation, it isn't,' she explained.

The new series will be set in the present time - six years after the show's final season

'The world is a sad place at the minute so I think people want something that is familiar, comfortable and loved,' she added.

The new series will be set in the present time - six years after the show's final season.

The beloved Channel Seven series will return to Amazon Prime on September 17.
Kid Cudi is mourning the loss of his longtime pet dog Freshie.

The rapper, 37, took to Instagram on Tuesday to reveal the sad news, accompanied by multiple images of his beloved late dog.

'Freshie is gone,' the Cleveland native said in the emotional post. 'He left us a few days ago peacefully at home surrounded by people that love him. His family. I held his hand and whispered in his ear to let him know I was there while he slipped away.'

The latest: Kid Cudi, 37, is mourning the loss of his longtime pet dog Freshie, as the rapper took to Instagram on Tuesday to reveal the sad news in an emotional post

Kid Cudi said that in his final moments with Freshie, he told the canine that he was his 'best friend' and 'a special boy' and that he loved him and will 'miss him so so much.

'I loved him and ... I felt his heart stop beating and felt his last breath,' said the musical artist, whose full name is Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi.

Kid Cudi said he originally obtained Fresh in 2010 in preparation for a role on the HBO show How To Make It In America.

'I had no previous interactions [with] dogs prior, other than giving one a pet if my friends had one at their place,' he wrote. 'I was truly nervous around dogs and I wanted to be comfortable onset [with] them so it felt legit.'

Kid Cudi said that in his final moments with Freshie, he told the canine that he was his 'best friend' and 'a special boy' and that he loved him and will 'miss him so so much'

Details: Kid Cudi said he originally obtained Fresh in 2010 in preparation for a role on the HBO show How To Make It In America

He opened up about how the dog had inspired him through difficult times in his life

Kid Cudi said he 'was wayyy more comfortable' around dogs after getting Fresh, but 'at the time ... had no idea I would have such a best friend in my life.'

Kid Cudi said that his life has been 'one hell of a rollercoaster' over the last 11 years, and that his 'guardian angel' Freshie 'was always by [his] side or close by.'

The musical artist, who has past been open about his battle with depression and anxiety, said that when he'd have inclinations toward acts of self-harm, he would see Freshie's 'eyes glaring at me tellin me' not to.

Kid Cudi tweeted thanks on social media to his fans Tuesday, proudly showing how Freshie's name had trended on social media

Kid Cudi, who described Freshie as his 'best f***in friend,' said, 'My life will be a lil more empty with him gone. To anyone that has lost a pet, I feel your pain. I am a complete mess. I cry at random moments of the day. I think of him when I wake up.'

He wrapped up the poignant tribute in saying, 'I love you forever Mr Freshly. Til we meet on the other side my beautiful special boy. Goodbye.'

Kid Cudi tweeted thanks on social media to his fans Tuesday, proudly showing how Freshie's name had trended on social media.

'I wanna thank everyone from my wounded heart for the overflow of love you sent me for Freshie,' he said. 'He would be so happy and wanna meet u all.'
Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell have been settling into life as young parents since welcoming their daughter Grace Warrior back in March.

And on Tuesday, the wildlife warriors celebrated their baby girl reaching five months old with heartwarming Instagram posts marking the occasion.

Bindi, 23, shared a series of photos of Grace smiling in a onesie with a pink bow on her head while strapped into her tiny camping chair next to a river.

'Magic': Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell celebrated their daughter Grace Warrior reaching five months old with heartwarming Instagram posts on Tuesday

'She loves being outside on adventures with us, cuddling up to hear a good story, feeling/grabbing everything around her and giggling,' Bondi wrote.

'Every day she reminds us of the magic in even the simplest of things,' she added.

Chandler, 24, also shared the same photo of his adorable daughter enjoying the great outdoors.

Cute! Bindi, 23, shared a series of photos of Grace smiling in a onesie with a pink bow on her head while strapped into her tiny camping chair next to a river

'Five months of sunshine with our happy girl,' the former pro wakeboarder wrote.

'Recent weeks have been filled with smiles, laughter, rolling around and grabbing everything within reach. We love you, Grace,' he added.

The sweet posts come as the couple enjoy a camping trip at the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve on Queensland's Cape York Peninsula.

Break: The sweet posts come as the couple enjoy a camping trip at the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve on Queensland 's Cape York Peninsula

On Friday, Bindi revealed Grace had started to show signs of teething.

She shared a photo on Instagram of herself smiling with her beaming baby girl sitting on her lap.

In the picture, taken by her husband, the family enjoyed some quality time together on the porch of their cabin.

Bonding: Other photos shared by Bindi on the family trip include one of Grace seated in her tiny camping chair in between her father Chandler (right) and her uncle Robert Irwin (left)

'Time on the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve is incredibly special,' Bindi wrote.

'While we've been here our beautiful girl has started to show teething signs.'

Most babies begin teething at six months old, however some can begin at four months or after 12 months old.

Family: She also posted a snap of herself holding Grace while smiling alongside Robert, Chandler and her mother Terri

'Early mornings and not much sleep for any of us. However, this little sunbeam smile makes it all worth it,' the doting mum added.

Other photos shared by Bindi on the family trip include one of Grace seated in her tiny camping chair in between her father and her uncle Robert Irwin.

She also posted a snap of herself holding Grace while smiling alongside Robert, Chandler and her mother Terri.

Proud parents: In a third picture, Chandler held his daughter and gazed adoringly at his wife, who smiled at their baby girl

Bindi first met Chandler in 2013, when the American former wakeboarder went on a guided tour of Australia Zoo in Queensland.

The pair married in a makeshift ceremony at Australia Zoo in March last year.

They welcomed daughter Grace Warrior in March 2021.
The title for the long-awaited fourth film in the Matrix franchise was recently revealed to be The Matrix: Resurrections.

The name for the forthcoming feature was made known to the public by Warner Bros. at the ongoing CinemaCon event, which is currently being held in Las Vegas.

The upcoming entry in the highly successful science fiction series initially entered the development stage almost a decade ago, and it is currently scheduled to be released later this year.

Letting everyone know: The official title for the upcoming fourth Matrix film was recently revealed to be The Matrix: Resurrections during the ongoing CinemaCon event; Carrie-Anne Moss, Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne are seen in 2003's The Matrix Reloaded

Reporter Aaron Couch tweeted from the event, where The Matrix: Resurrection's trailer was shown, and revealed a detail from the forthcoming feature's storyline.

His tweet partially read: 'Thomas Anderson is in therapy, having forgotten The Matrix. He meets Trinity at a coffee shop. Neither remembers one another'

The original Matrix feature was released in 1999 and was met with much critical praise upon its debut.

The feature was followed up by two further films, which were both released in 2003.

Looking forward: Reporter Aaron Couch revealed a bit of plot information in a Tweet and confirmed that Thomas Anderson, also known as Neo, will reunite with Trinity

Successful franchise: All three of the Matrix films, which were released in 1999 and 2003, were met with critical praise; Reeves is seen in The Matrix Reloaded

The Wachowskis, who directed all of the entries in the series, initially had no plans to continue the franchise after the third picture's debut.

However, rumors about a potential fourth film began to circulate in the early 2010s, although the filmmakers denied that they had any intention of reviving the franchise.

In 2017, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that plans had been set in motion for another entry in the franchise.

The media outlet noted that Michael B. Jordan was being courted to star in the project, which had not been met with approval by the Wachowskis.

Not revealing anything: Rumors about the fourth entry in the franchise began to swirl in the early 2010s, although the franchise's creators initially denied that they would be producing another feature; Lilly Wachowski is seen in 2020

In production: In 2017, The Hollywood Reporter announced that work had begun on a new film in the science fiction franchise; Lana Wachowski is seen in 2017

Zak Penn, who had reportedly been involved in the production of the forthcoming feature, later clarified that he was working on several other projects set in the franchise's universe.

In August of 2019, Variety reported that the fourth Matrix feature was officially confirmed, with several key members of the cast, including Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Jada Pinkett Smith returning.

However, Laurence Fishburne will not be reprising his role as Morpheus, and only Lana Wachowski filled the director's chair during the project's production.

Her younger sibling, Lilly, reportedly gave her blessing to the feature's crew and production team.

Absent: Laurence Fishburne will not reprise his role as Morpheus, and Lilly Wachowski is not co-directing the feature, although she gave her blessing to its crew; Reeves is seen in the first film in the franchise, which was released in 1999

Several new faces have been added to The Matrix: Resurrection's cast, including Priyanka Chopra, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Neil Patrick Harris, among numerous others.

Filming eventually commenced last February at various locations in and around San Francisco, although it was later halted due to the onset of the global pandemic.

Principal photography later picked up in Berlin last August and went on to conclude that November.

Getting to work: Production on The Matrix: Resurrections began last February, although it was later shut down due to the onset of the global pandemic; Reeves and Moss are seen in 1999

The Matrix: Resurrections was originally set to be released this past May, although it was later pushed back as a response to the global pandemic.

The feature was given an April 2022 release date, and it was then pushed forward to its current spot on December 22nd.

The forthcoming film will also be made available on the HBO Max streaming service following its wide premiere.
Radio presenter Kate Langbroek's father, Jan, has died at the age of 89.

The KIIS FM host, 56, had returned to Australia from Italy last year to spend time with her dad, who had been gravely ill for a while.

He died peacefully on Friday, according to a newspaper notice.

RIP: Radio presenter Kate Langbroek's (pictured) father, Jan, has died at the age of 89

'Jan Lambert Langbroek. Late of Melbourne, formerly of Brisbane. Teacher. Passed away peacefully on 20th August 2021. Aged 89,' the notice in the Herald Sun read.

'Beloved husband of Anne, father of John-Paul and Kate, father-in-law of Peter and Stacey, grandfather of Chloe, Bronte, Piers, Lewis, Sunday, Artie and Jan.

'An honorary and much loved member of the family of Bryan and Maree Lewis.'

The Langbroek family ended the notice with: 'To know him was to love him.'

Poor health: The KIIS FM host, 56, had returned to Australia from Italy last year to spend time with her dad, who had been gravely ill for a while. Pictured: Jan with Kates mother, Anne

Notice: He died peacefully on Friday, according to a death notice in the Herald Sun

Kate, who moved to Italy with her family two and a half years ago, said last July she had been granted special approval to visit Australia due to her father's condition.

This kind of international travel is usually not allowed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kate, who was required to spend two weeks in quarantine upon her return, said she was allowed back into Australia because of her citizenship.

Touching: Kate, who moved to Italy with her family two and a half years ago, said last July she had been granted special approval to visit Australia due to her father's condition. Pictured: Kate's son Lewis comforting his grandfather in the hallway of a hospital

Kate and her husband of 17 years, Peter Allen Lewis, relocated to Bologna with their four children, Lewis, Sunday, Artie and Jan, in January 2019.

It was supposed to be a 'family gap year', but they decided to extend the break for an additional 12 months just before coronavirus was declared a pandemic.

In 2019, Kate said her father had 'tried every angle' to prevent her moving to Europe.

She admitted on her Hit Network radio show: 'He said, "I don't think it's good for the children for school, I'm worried about them."'
He became infamous for his increasingly dirty yellow bike shorts during his time on Australian Survivor: Brains vs Brawn.

And now Emmett Pugh has spoken about the controversial garment following his fiery elimination from the reality show on Tuesday.

'They were definitely a secret weapon,' the model and fitness influencer told News.com.au.

Need a wash: Emmett Pugh has spoken about his controversial yellow Lycra shorts following his fiery elimination from Australian Survivor: Brains vs Brawn on Tuesday

He said he kept wearing the skintight Lycra shorts as a good luck charm, given they were what he wore during his 10-hour swim from Perth to Rottnest Island last year.

And he claimed he will continue to wear the once-fluoro shorts, telling the website: 'I don't think they're ever going to be fluoro again. They're looking a bit worse for wear.'

'But I've given them a wash!'

He wore the shorts for nearly 37 days, up until his elimination on Tuesday's episode.

Secret weapon: 'They were definitely a secret weapon,' the model and fitness influencer told News.com.au of the grimy shorts

Familiar: He said he kept wearing the skintight Lycra shorts as a good luck charm, given they were what he wore during his 10-hour swim from Perth to Rottnest Island last year (pictured)

Emmett's co-star George Mladenov delivered a savage blow to the trainer.

The political operative, 31, stunned the camp as he publicly insulted Emmett during tribal council, while he was supposed to be voting for someone to leave in private.

Traditionally, contestants whisper their vote so the rest of the tribe are unaware of their choice - but George sensationally ignored this, instead choosing to dig at Emmett and confirm he was voting him off the show.

Ouch! George Mladenov delivered a brutal blow to Emmett (pictured) on Tuesday's episode

Holding his vote up to the camera, George shouted so everyone could hear: 'Do you know what Emmett?

'If my only talent in life was standing there and looking pretty, I'd be bitter as well. Lucky I'm not!'

The camera then flashed to Emmett, looking clearly surprised while the rest of the tribe gasped in shock.

Not a care in the world: Traditionally, contestants whisper their vote so the rest of the tribe are unaware of their choice - but George sensationally went against this during the tense episode, instead choosing to dig at Emmett and confirm he was voting him off the show

Moments earlier, Emmett had cast his vote for George, softly telling the camera: 'George, we had an alliance, and you voted off my friend. So I had to make some new friends  and hopefully tonight I can get rid of you.'

Despite the votes being extremely close between the duo, Emmett was eventually named as the latest evictee - saying: 'Well done, guys!' as host Jonathan LaPaglia extinguished his torch and sent him packing.

While gutted he won't be continuing in the competition, Emmett told Channel 10 after his departure: 'I was free to go back to my beautiful wife [Johanna Robin] and I felt absolute bliss.

Shook: The camera then flashed to Emmett, looking clearly surprised while the rest of the tribe gasped in shock

'I went in there to play a selfish game and try to win everything, and though I was sent home I took a lot out of it.

'Ive learnt about myself and my life and being grateful for everything I have even though theres a lot more a $500,000 cheque could have provided.'

Australian Survivor: Brains vs Brawn continues Sunday at 7:30pm on Channel 10
Sunrise star David 'Kochie' Koch has revealed what lies beneath the studio desks on the Channel Seven breakfast show.

On Tuesday, David, who co-hosts the show with Natalie Barr, shared some behind-the-scenes photos showing large white heaters under the desk.

David explained that Nat had stolen his heater for herself on the show, joking it is a first-world problem and he was calling 'HR' at Seven.

Mystery solved: Sunrise's David 'Kochie' Koch, 65, (pictured) showed-off his sense of humour as he revealed what is REALLY under the studio desk of the breakfast show. (L) Nat Barr

Elsewhere, David was visibly unimpressed when his colleague Mark Beretta draped a Geelong AFL scarf around his shoulders.

David is the chairman of Port Adelaide, who Geelong are set to face in the first week of the finals this Friday.

'Why are colleagues so mean,' mused the comically annoyed 65-year-old TV host in his Instagram Stories.

'Not happy Jan,' he wrote, adding a picture of himself throwing off the scarf.

Meanwhile, David and Natalie recently rolled up their sleeves to receive the second dose of their AstraZeneca vaccine.

The TV stars documented getting the jabs earlier this month after receiving their first doses in May.

Very hot: David, who co-hosts the show with Natalie Barr, showed some behind-the-scenes photos with large white heaters under the desk

Ambushed: Elsewhere, David was visibly unimpressed when his colleague Mark Beretta draped a Geelong AFL scarf around his shoulders

David, 65, and Natalie, 53, explained their appointment for the second jab was brought forward due to recently updated medical advice from NSW Health.

'With the growing Covid emergency in Sydney, anyone who received the AstraZeneca jab should now get their second shot in four to eight weeks,' Kochie explained.

Doing their bit: Meanwhile, David and Natalie recently rolled up their sleeves to receive the second dose of their AstraZeneca vaccine

The two TV hosts visited NSW AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen, who said that because the presenters were completely 'fine' after having their first dose, they were fit to have their second.

After being fully vaccinated, Dr McMullen told the TV hosts that their chances of side effects or risk of blood clots was minimal and 'ten times less' than when they had their first jab.

'See, very easy. Get vaxxed baby,' Natalie said as the segment ended.

Dose: The two TV hosts visited NSW AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen, who said that because the presenters were completely 'fine' after having their first dose, they were fit to have their second

The coronavirus vaccine is a vital measure being taken to protect the community from the spread of the virus.

Covid-19 can cause serious illness, ongoing health problems and even death.

The Pfizer vaccine is in short supply in Australia and it is not yet available to people under 40. But will be soon.

Instead, younger Australians can get the abundant AstraZeneca vaccine via their GPs because the government is prioritising Pfizer jabs for people aged 40 to 60.
She revealed she felt 'burnt out' with her action-packed singing career before the pandemic forced her to slow down.

And Camila Cabello continued to enjoy her well-deserved time off as she grabbed coffee and lunch with her mother Sinuhe Estrabao in West Hollywood on Tuesday.

The songstress, 24, was the picture of relaxation flashing her legs in a pair of black biker shorts, bright orange sneakers, and a cosy top.

Girl time! Camila Cabello continued to enjoy her well-deserved time off as she grabbed coffee and lunch with her mother Sinuhe Estrabao in West Hollywood on Tuesday

The ladies grabbed a pick-me-up from Verve Coffee before picking up lunch-to-go.

Camila kept it casual with her raven tresses effortlessly pulled back into a messy bun with a trendy blue scrunchie holding the look together.

Her mother went for a similar laid-back look with her black leggings, tank top, and striped duster.

Camila has been embracing her down time ever since the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to slow down her career.

Coffee break! The Havana songstress revitalized her spirits with a warm cup of Joe

In a lengthy message posted to her Instagram account, Camila admitted she felt she 'couldn't do this career anymore' after suffering from major burn-out prior to the pandemic.

But that all changed once Camila started to prioritize her mental health during quarantine.

Posting a photo of herself lazily lounging about with a low-cut blue top, she remarked, 'one of the biggest things i learned during the pandemic was the importance of REST. before I literally had no choice but to stop and stand still, I didn't know what work life balance was.

'I felt guilty during days off because I felt like I wasn't being productive or I could be doing more. At the same time, right before we were forced to quarantine I was completely burnt out and felt like I couldn't do this career anymore.

'I never feel guilty about making time for time off': In a lengthy message posted to her Instagram account, Camila admitted she felt she 'couldn't do this career anymore' after suffering from major burn-out prior to the pandemic

'I didn't know what work life balance was': Cabello, pictured in 2019, says she was over-worked before the pandemic made her shift her priorities

'Then I started seeing how after resting during that period, cultivating new hobbies, prioritizing my mental health, my friendships and relationships, making time for exercise, and also enjoying being lazy again, I started to naturally feel inspired, passionate, and way more creative.

'Nowadays I never feel guilty about making time for time off because I know that without rest, and time for joy, laziness, and play, I will feel burnt out, stressed, sad, and exhausted and I won't be able to do the work I want to put out into the world. In a culture that wears exhaustion and business as a badge of honor, remember we are just animals who were meant to be roaming around the forest eating, pooping; and making babies; and in the way our society is built, overwork is literally killing us.

'Culture constantly makes us feel like we don't do enough and we must be "hustling" and "grinding"... but don't forget that rest is honorable, necessary, and sacred. In returning to the 'new normal', let's instill values in our work environments that prioritize the individual in a holistic way. We are not robots and our brains are not computers.

'For the sake of our health and happiness during our brief time here on earth, the societal structures of work and how it relates to an individual's mental health need an upgrade. Imma go back to doing nothing today.'

Though she has been enjoying some well-deserved time off, fans will be able to catch Camila on small screens as John Legend's battle advisor on The Voice.

She also has been spending quality time with her boyfriend Shawn Mendes since COVID-19 struck the U.S.
Bachelor In Paradise star Alisha Aitken-Radburn has hit back at followers who asked if she was pregnant after she modelled corporate outfits on Instagram.

The former staffer for Opposition leader Bill Shorten shared screen shots of the offending comments on her Instagram story on Wednesday.

One follower asked the the blonde beauty: 'Are you expecting a baby?', to which Alisha replied: 'no just my body shape'.

'It's just my body shape': Bachelor In Paradise star Alisha Aitken-Radburn has hit back at followers who asked if she was pregnant after she modelled corporate outfits on Instagram

A couple of other fans said that they would've been excited for Alisha and her partner Glen if they were expecting a child, writing 'We all have swollen belly days' and 'we all have days like this'.

Alisha responded: 'Ha I'm not "swollen" it's literally just my body'.

A number of fans rushed to the defence of the reality star, saying it was rude to ask a woman if she is pregnant, especially if she hasn't announced it.

Shocked: One follower asked the the blonde beauty: 'Are you expecting a baby?', to which Alisha replied: 'no just my body shape'

Response: A couple of other fans said that they would've been excited for Alisha and her partner Glen if they were expecting a child, writing 'We all have swollen belly days' and 'we all have days like this', to which Alisha responded: 'Ha I'm not "swollen" it's literally just my body'

'If a woman is pregnant AND she wants people to know, she will tell them but you never ever ask,' one wrote.

'WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?! You look amazing! So tired of all the weight BS,' another added.

Alisha wrote on her Instagram Story post: 'I get that people get excited. But I will tell you when I'm pregnant.'

'It's just my body shape, all bodies are different and all are awesome,' she added.

Don't ask! A number of fans rushed to the defence of the reality star, saying it was rude to ask a woman if she is pregnant, especially if she hasn't announced it

Growing a life together: The reality TV star added that she and her boyfriend Glen won't start a family 'for a while' as they are busy 'building our life' at the moment

She also offered future advice for fans, saying: 'I've messed up too sometimes in my excitement for someone so a reminder to let them lead the conversation'.

She explained that she and her boyfriend Glen won't start a family 'for a while' as they are busy 'building our life' at the moment.

Alisha found love with Glen Smith on the last season of Bachelor In Paradise in 2020.

She starred in season six of the Bachelor with Nick Cummins, while Glen starred in season five of the Bachelorette with Angie Kent.
Sunrise host David 'Kochie' Koch took a cheeky dig at Kyle Sandilands when he appeared on The Kyle and Jackie O show this week.

Kochie, 65, told the shock jock he was a little upset that he wasn't invited to Kyle's 50th birthday bash back in June.

'Karl [Stefanovic] was there... I only saw the photos,' Kochie said, as Jackie O and his Sunrise co-host Natalie Barr laughed.

Awkward! Sunrise host David 'Kochie' Koch took a cheeky dig at Kyle Sandilands when he appeared on The Kyle and Jackie O show this week

He added: 'I had a present, I even went to the junk folder in my email [to look for an invite].'

Kyle said he felt bad, but didn't have control of the guest list as the party was planned for him.

'I didn't know the guest list, I wasn't sure and there was plenty of people who were massively offended they weren't invited,' Kyle explained.

Where was my invite? Kochie, 65, told the shock jock he was a little upset that he wasn't invited to Kyle's 50th birthday bash back in June

He added with a laugh: 'How did Ben Fordham get invited, that's what I want to know!'

Back in June, Kyle enjoyed a massive 50th birthday bash on a superyacht on the Sydney Harbour with a star-studded guest list.

Guests included his co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson, Beau Ryan, Guy Sebastian and Samantha Jade.

What a bash: Back in June, Kyle enjoyed a massive 50th birthday bash on a superyacht on the Sydney Harbour

Star-studded: Guests included his co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson, Beau Ryan, Guy Sebastian and Samantha Jade

Kyle even made a dramatic and epic entrance to the party, turning up alongside girlfriend Tegan Kynaston in a private speedboat and jumping on board.

Also at the bash were the likes of Kyle and Jackie O newsreader Brooklyn Ross and Kyle's manager and good friend, Bruno Bouchet.

Kyle was presented with a lavish three-tiered 'King Kyle' cake as he joined guests onboard.

Behind the cake was also an eye-catching gold balloon display and light numbers displaying the big '50'.
Hailey Bieber and Justin Bieber were snapped grabbing dinner in Beverly Hills at Spago on Tuesday.

The supermodel, 24, wore a white skirt with black floral print with black high heels and a green handbag as she stepped out on the late summer night. She wore her wavy blonde locks down and parted, and a necklace on the weeknight outing.

Bieber, 27, donned a patterned Hawaiian print shirt over a sleeveless white undershirt with black pants, and green and white Nike sneakers.

Out and about: Hailey Bieber, 24, and Justin Bieber, 27, were snapped grabbing dinner in Beverly Hills at Spago, beaming as they exited the luxe eatery

The Canadian musical superstar topped things off with a black cap and multicolored necklace on the outing with his stunning spouse, who he celebrates his third wedding anniversary with next month.

Hailey in March told ELLE that at the time they wed, Justin was 'at a stage of his life where he could make decisions like, "Im done with girls, and Im done with fooling around, and Im done with partying."'

Hailey said she and Justin 'were friends first for a really long time before there was anything romantic ... but we always knew that we were aligned on what we wanted in our future.

'We had talked about wanting to be married young and having a family young and building a life. Even before we knew we wanted to be with each other.'

The A-list couple held hands on the dinner outing in Los Angeles

The supermodel wore a white skirt with black floral print with black high heels and a green handbag as she stepped out on the late summer night

Hailey made headlines this week after she took to social media and liked a photo of Bieber's ex Selena Gomez (who Bieber was romantically involved with between 2011 and 2017) on the cover of ELLE's September issue.

Justin has been busy in his musical career as of late, as last week he put out the video for Don't Go, a new collar with Don Toliver that DJ Skrillex produced.

In the clip, Justin is seen with dreadlocks, which comes following a cultural appropriation controversy swirling around the musical artist earlier this year, until he shaved his head this past May.
Warner Bros appear to be looking to the US for inspiration as The Bachelor ratings continue to flop on Channel 10.

A casting call published on the production company's official Instagram reads: 'Seeking diverse couples for a unique opportunity to receive therapy from one of Australia's most highly renowned couples' therapists.'

While the ad didn't reveal much about the new series, they teased that a 'brand new, thought-provoking documentary that follows couples and their genuine struggles' was in the works.

Warner Bros, the production company behind The Bachelor, appear to be looking at the US for inspiration as The Bachelor ratings continue to flop on Channel 10. Pictured: Jimmy Nicholson

A production source told Daily Mail Australia producers have been watching American reality show pilots in hopes of finding the next best show - after this year's season of The Bachelor failed to impress.

'Far from reality-show caricature, it will follow four or five couples as they open up about their marital woes and get professional help,' they said.

A similar series called Couples Therapy, produced by Showtime, proved to be popular in the US after its 2019 premiere.

New show: A casting call published on the production company's official Instagram page reads, 'Seeking diverse couples for a unique opportunity to receive therapy from one of Australia's most highly renowned couples' therapists'

It comes as the production company's dating show The Bachelor is suffering record low ratings.

Season nine starring Jimmy Nicholson is averaging just 421,000 metro viewers, a worrying decline for a show that routinely topped one million viewers a few years ago.

Bachelor franchise star Abbie Chatfield recently offered her thoughts on why this season has performed so badly in the ratings.

The 26-year-old, who was the runner-up on Matt Agnew's season two years ago, was asked about the low ratings on Hit Hobart's Jimmy and Nath on Tuesday.

She insisted Jimmy, 31, wasn't to blame for the failure, and instead suggested the female contestants had turned viewers off.

The problem, she argued, was casting two dozen women remotely via Zoom.

'If I'm being honest - Channel 10 might kill me for this - but maybe it's [because] the casting process was ruined by Covid,' she said.

She also noted that the show was 'slow to start', which may have caused viewers to tune out after the first few episodes.
She is due to give birth next month and Georgia Fowler is still hard at work at her day job.

On Wednesday, the stunning Kiwi model starred in a Louis Vuitton ad on Instagram, posing with a $5500 handbag from the 'OnTheGo' line.

The brunette beauty held the luxury accessory in front of her baby bump.

That's one fashionable bump! Pregnant Georgia Fowler hid her baby bump behind a $5500 Louis Vuitton handbag in an ad for the luxury French label on Wednesday

Louis Vuitton describes the bag as being 'Perfect for travel or a day at the beach'.

The tote is made from Monogram Raffia with leather handles, shoulder strap, and gussets.

Georgia also flaunted her stunning pregnancy figure in a strapless bikini top and baggy green trousers in the online promo.

Her other accessories included a pair of sheepskin slides, a soft felt bucket hat, designer sunglasses and a Cartier nail bracelet from her boyfriend, Nathan Dalal.

Beautiful: Georgia also flaunted her stunning pregnancy figure in a strapless bikini top and baggy green trousers in the online promo

Georgia announced she is expecting her first child with her Fishbowl co-founder boyfriend Nathan, 26, back in April.

At the time, she sweetly shared the news by writing: 'We can't wait to meet you little one.'

'It's been hard to keep this one quiet, but now it's pretty hard to hide,' Georgia continued.

Chic accessories! Her other accessories included a pair of sheepskin slides, a soft felt bucket hat, designer sunglasses and a Cartier nail bracelet from her boyfriend, Nathan Dalal

'Nathan and I couldn't be happier to share our exciting news with you. We cannot wait to meet you little one and begin our next adventure together. The best is yet to come,' she added.

Nathan, a co-founder of the Fishbowl restaurant group, also shared the sweet baby news on his respective Instagram account and revealed they're having a daughter.

The couple had confirmed their romance in February last year, and already share a puppy together, called Chilli.
Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum were seen spending time at a red carpet event for America's Got Talent at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Tuesday evening.

The reality television presenters appeared to be savoring the spotlight as they each posed for a few shots before heading into the venue for the taping of the hit NBC competition series.

The longstanding talent show is currently midway through its 16th season, and a spinoff series focused on high-flying stunts is set to make its debut in the near future.

Showing up: Sofia Vergara put on an eye-catching display as she spent time at a red carpet event with Heidi Klum for America's Got Talent at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Tuesday

Vergara wore a stunning blue dress that clung tightly to her hourglass figure as she spent time on the red carpet.

The 49-year-old actress also wore a pair of eye-catching gold high-heeled shoes during the event.

The Modern Family star added various elements of shine to her outfit with numerous articles of jewelry.

Her lengthy brunette locks gracefully cascaded onto her shoulders and chest as she posed for a few photos.

Stylish star: The Modern Family actress sported a form-hugging blue dress while spending time on the red carpet

Klum opted for a sleek white suit jacket and matching bottoms that showed off her toned legs during her time on the red carpet.

The fashion industry figure, 48, offset the stark color of her clothing with a set of green high-heeled shoes.

She accessorized with several rings and opted to wear emerald-colored eyeshadow as she spent time in front of the cameras.

Her luscious blonde hair fell onto her chest and backside prior to the taping.

Dressed to impress: The fashion industry figure wore a white jacket and matching bottoms. The reality television personality also sported a pair of bright green high-heeled shoes

Staying safe: Howie Mandel notably wore a black facial covering before entering the venue for the show's taping

Howie Mandel also made an appearance at the red carpet event, and sported a sleek burgundy suit and matching pants.

The 65-year-old comedian complemented the deep shade of his outfit with a pair of dark brown loafers.

He also sported a pair of black eyeglasses that added a slight amount of darkness to his clothing ensemble.

The performer wore a facial covering while taking pictures, and at one point he humorously pulled his mask over his eyes.

Joking around: At one point, the comedian humorously pulled his facial covering over his eyes

America's Got Talent is currently midway through its 16th season.

Simon Cowell, who created the program, also serves as one of its judges, and host Terry Crews continues to operate in the same capacity.

Production on the series was greatly affected by the ongoing state of the global pandemic, and numerous changes have been made to the program in an effort to ensure the safety of its cast and crew.

A group Golden Buzzer was used for the first time during the production of the current run of episodes.

Back at it: In addition to the other judges, Terry Crews returned to the show as its host, which he has been since 2019

A spinoff series, entitled AGT: Extreme, was initially ordered by NBC this past May.

The forthcoming talent show will primarily be focused on daredevil acts and other high-flying stunts.

Cowell will serve as one of the series' judges, although no others have been announced as of yet.

A premiere date for AGT: Extreme has not been made available to the public.
Pete Davidson and Kaley Cuoco took a nighttime stroll while filming scenes for their new movie Meet Cute.

The 27-year-old Davidson and 35-year-old Cuoco were spotted walking arm-in-arm during a night scene in Queens, New York City on Tuesday.

Both Davidson and Cuoco joined the cast of the romantic comedy in late June, which puts an inventive spin on the romantic comedy genre.

Out and about: Pete Davidson and Kaley Cuoco took a nighttime stroll while filming scenes for their new movie Meet Cute

Davidson was spotted wearing a cream-colored sweater with horizontal stripes and dark slacks.

The SNL veteran stepped out in navy sneakers and was sporting a pencil-thin mustache with a scruffy goatee.

At one point, he slipped on a blue denim shirt with a white name tag stitched above his chest.

Cuties: Both Davidson and Cuoco joined the cast of the romantic comedy in late June, which puts an inventive spin on the romantic comedy genre

Take a walk: Pete Davidson and Kaley Cuoco took a nighttime stroll while filming scenes for their new movie Meet Cute

Casual night out: The SNL veteran stepped out in navy sneakers and was sporting a pencil-thin mustache with a scruffy goatee

Cuoco was spotted wearing a checkered yellow and white dress which fell past her knees.

The bangs of her blonde hair fell over her forehead, with a thin gold necklace dangling around her neck.

She competed her look with a pair of white velcro sneakers while carrying a bright orange purse.

Make em laugh: The bangs of her blonde hair fell over her forehead, with a thin gold necklace dangling around her neck

Handsy: Things got tense for a moment in one park scene

Kaley's look: Cuoco was spotted wearing a checkered yellow and white dress which fell past her knees

Meet Cute was written by Noga Pnueli, with the script landing on the 2018 Black List, which compiles the most beloved unproduced scripts of the year.

The premise is rather unique, following a woman who finds a time machine in a nail salon, which she uses to fix her partner's past traumas to turn him into the perfect mate.

Alex Lehmann (Paddleton, Blue Jay) is directing from Pnueli's script, with Akiva Goldsman, Gregory Lessans, and Rachel Reznick producing for Weed Road Pictures alongside Santosh Govindaraju and Dan Reardon of Convergent Media.

Black list: Meet Cute was written by Noga Pnueli, with the script landing on the 2018 Black List, which compiles the most beloved unproduced scripts of the year

Coming soon: Davidson most recently starred in The Suicide Squad, and he's also attached to star in an adaptation of Tim O'Brien's Vietnam War classic The Things They Carried

New role: Cuoco is coming off HBO Max's The Flight Attendant and she has The Man From Toronto in post-production, with Woody Harrelson and Kevin Hart

Davidson most recently starred in The Suicide Squad, and he's also attached to star in an adaptation of Tim O'Brien's Vietnam War classic The Things They Carried.

He stars alongside Tom Hardy, Tye Sheridan, Bill Skarsgard, Moises Arias, Martin Sensmeier, Angus Cloud, Ashton Sanders and Stephan James.

Cuoco is coming off HBO Max's The Flight Attendant and she has The Man From Toronto in post-production, with Woody Harrelson and Kevin Hart.

Smoke break: Pete later changed into a blazer and slacks, and was spotted fanning off his co-star in between scenes
Hamish Blake has revealed the hilarious backstory behind his homemade tattoos.

The TV star was a guest on pal Andy Lee's quiz show The Hundred when he was encouraged to explain what one very questionable tattoo depicted.

'Unfortunately it does look a bit like a snake resting on a penis,' said the 39-year-old of two squiggly lines inked on his left arm.

Origin story: Hamish Blake (pictured) has revealed the hilarious backstory behind his homemade tattoos

The Lego Masters host clarified that that wasn't actually what was drawn on his arm.

'We went through a period on our radio show where we started a band, and because I was the drummer I allowed Andy and Jack [Post] to each tattoo one stick on my arm.'

Next to the drumsticks were stick figure portraits of Andy and Jack.

NSFW: The TV star was a guest on pal Andy Lee's quiz show The Hundred when he was encouraged to explain what one very questionable tattoo depicted

Explanation: 'We went through a period on our radio show where we started a band, and because I was the drummer I allowed Andy (pictured right) and Jack [Post] to each tattoo one stick on my arm'

'They're portraits of them that I drew myself, which is pretty touching,' admitted the comedian.

The funnyman was adamant he had no regrets about the very basic inkings on his arm however.

'I think it's possible to regret [tattoos] - not a familiar feeling for me, but I am sure there are people out there that unfortunately [regret theirs],' Hamish joked.

No Ragrets: The funnyman was adamant he had no regrets about the very basic inkings on his arm however

It comes after Blake rolled up his sleeve for the Covid vaccine and urged fans to get vaccinated too.

Hamish took to Instagram earlier this month with a passionate and amusing plea to his followers to get the jab, along with a photo of himself setting the example at Homebush's vaccination hub.

The Hamish & Andy star began his caption, 'Jabba Dabba Done. Tried to get my vaccine right through the Olympic Rings, but understand correct needle placement overruled symbolic photo op.'

For his country: Hamish Blake has become the latest Australian celebrity to urge fans to get vaccinated

The photo showed Hamish with sleeve rolled up, exposing a series of tattoos, including one of the Olympic rings.

He continued, 'To be honest, I feel immensely grateful to live in an age where super smart people are able to do incredible things like make a vaccine for something that has ground the world to a halt.'

'Just as I do any time science solves something that could have easily killed you 100 years ago (or any time I use a phone, drive a car, have water come out of a tap, have a roof not fall on me etc, you know, #science).'

'Now, I know I'm going to get heaps of comments like 'Oh my god! Your tatts are amazing! Where did you get them!?' which is super flattering, thank you, but it's not why I'm posting this.'

Good humoured: The Lego Masters host, 39, took to Instagram on Thursday with a passionate and amusing plea to his followers to get the jab

He then issued his plea, writing, 'What I REALLY hope is that by posting this, it lands in front of the eyes of someone who is quietly unsure about getting vaccinated.'

'And if that's you sweet reader, my request is this: don't take medical advice from me.'

'I didn't go to medical school, I'm not a doctor. But you know who is a doctor? Your doctor.'

Respect: He continued, 'To be honest, I feel immensely grateful to live in an age where super smart people are able to do incredible things like make a vaccine for something that has ground the world to a halt'

'Talk to them. And only them. Have a discussion with someone who has studied medical science for years and years and years about this, then see how you feel about participating in this effort. That's all. Good on you.'

'Gotta say hats off to the staff of NSW Health, watching the massive effort being run and thousands of people out at Homebush fills you with hope.'

'Thanks to everyone who's working so hard at the front line. Go Australia.'
Emmerdale star Paige Sandhu has admitted she struggled with anxiety before landing the role of killer nurse Meena Jutla.

The actress, who joined the soap in September 2020, revealed she struggled to find work for three years which left her battling with insomnia, before turning to self-help books to help her 'focus on the positive.'

Paige added that bosses even rang her twice to check she still wanted the part after she discovered that Meena would actually become one of the village's most prolific murderers.

Candid: Emmerdale star Paige Sandhu has admitted she struggled with anxiety before landing the role of killer nurse Meena Jutla (pictured in character)

Speaking to The Mirror, Paige said: 'When I left drama school I was a very anxious person. I wasn't getting any jobs and I was struggling.

'The anxiety took the form of insomnia. Life was hard and a struggle.'

The actress said she turned to turned to tapping therapy, or Emotional Freedom Technique, to help her to overcome her anxiety, and she's 'trained her brain to focus on the positive' by reading self-help books.

Battles: The actress revealed she struggled to find work for three years which left her battling with insomnia, before turning to self-help books to help her 'focus on the positives'

Before being offered the role of Meena, Paige had only appeared in an episode of Endeavour and two of Doctors, and the actress was told by bosses she had to keep Meena's true nature a secret from her co-stars.

She added: 'She has no empathy for anyone. If killing again was the best way for her she would do it in the blink of an eye. Shes only just begun her reign of terror in the village and she could certainly kill again.'

Since arriving in the village, and sparking up a romance with David Metcalfe, Meena's murderous ways have left viewers gripped, with the villain killing teen Leanna Cavanagh to hide her killer past.

Terrifying: Since arriving in the village, and sparking up a romance with David Metcalfe, Meena's murderous ways have left viewers gripped

Now she's set her sights on Victoria Sugden after learning of her illicit kiss with David, with fans fearing for her life after Meena convinced her to join their pals for a girls trip.

To help prepare for the role, Meena spent hours watching Killing Eve, Killer Women with Piers Morgan and films such as American Psycho and Nightcrawler, and said she found it 'really helpful' to understand the character.

While Meena's killer behaviour has shocked viewers, Paige said she's received many positive messages from fans on social media.

Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7pm on ITV. An extra episode airs on Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm.
They've been engaged for over a year and regularly flaunt their romance on social media.

And on Wednesday evening, Nicola Peltz, 26, passionately kissed fiance Brooklyn Beckham, 22, as the couple put on a loved-up display during a funfair date.

The heiress took to Instagram to show off their night out on Tuesday, posting a snap of their smooch and shots of herself enjoying sweet treats.

Kisses from LA! Nicola Peltz passionately smooched fiance Brooklyn Beckham as the couple put on a loved-up display during a funfair date in Malibu on Instagram on Tuesday

Happy couple: The pair shared lots of social media snaps from their night out together

Nicola looked edgy in a biker jacket and furry animal print hat, while carrying her belongings in a Chanel bum-bag worn cross-body.

Brooklyn kept things simple in a black T-shirt while supporting his wife-to-be with a cap bearing the name of her debut film, Lola James.

Clearly in high spirits, the eldest son of David and Victoria Beckham flashed a smile for a cosy couple's shot as his fiancee wrapped her arm around him.

Brooklyn - who is the oldest of David and Victoria Beckham's four children - popped the question to Nicola last June.

Yum: Nicola uploaded shots of herself enjoying sweet treats

Edgy: Nicola looked edgy in a biker jacket and furry animal print hat

Exactly 12 months after he got down on bended knee, he shared a gushing Instagram post, telling his followers how Nicola made him 'a better person'.

Brooklyn wrote: 'This exact day 1 year ago I asked this gorgeous woman to marry me.

'She makes me a better person everyday and is my best friend. I can't imagine my life without you because you continuously make me laugh and smile x happy 1 year baby.'

Brooklyn confirmed the news he'd proposed to Nicola with a sweet Instagram post at the time.

Pretty lady: The actress showed off her flawless visage, enhanced with a simple eye-look

Joker: Nicola showed that she doesn't take herself too seriously

Designer diva: Nicola carried her belongings in a Chanel bum-bag worn cross-body

Sharing a stunning snap of the couple, he wrote: 'Two weeks ago I asked my soulmate to marry me and she said yes.

'I am the luckiest man in the world. I promise to be the best husband and the best daddy one day. I love you baby xx.'

In October it was claimed that the pair planned to exchange vows in two celebrations on both sides of the Atlantic.

It's thought that Brooklyn will have his brothers Romeo, 18, and Cruz, 16, as his best men for the ceremony.

Proud mum Victoria is said to be designing Nicola's wedding gown.
She regularly turns heads in designer ensembles.

And, Nicky Hilton ensured all eyes were on her in a canary yellow gown as she attended the Clash de Cartier event in Los Angeles, on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old businesswoman commanded attention in the vibrant floor-length frock which boasted a cinched in waist and subtle front opening.

Wow! Nicky Hilton, 37, ensured all eyes were on her in a canary yellow gown as she attended the Clash de Cartier event in Los Angeles, on Tuesday

The heiress teamed her statement dress with a sparkling silver handbag and coordinating shoes, while draped in dazzling jewels.

Nicky's mother Kathy Hilton, 62, looked equally elegant in an off-the-shoulder floral gown, with a pashmina in her arm for extra warmth.

Finneas, 24, also attended the bash with girlfriend Claudia Sulewski, 25, and Dove Cameron, also 25.

Schitts Creek star Dan Levy, 38, was also at the star-studded event, as well as British actress Ella Balinska, 24.

Sensational: The businesswoman commanded attention in the vibrant floor-length frock which boasted a cinched in waist and subtle front opening

Divine: The heiress was draped in dazzling jewels

Finishing touches: She teamed her statement dress with a sparkling silver handbag and coordinating shoes

Glam: Nicky's mother Kathy Hilton, 62, looked equally elegant in an off-the-shoulder floral gown, with a pashmina in her arm for extra warmth

Nicky has been married to husband James Rothschild, 43, since 2015, and they share two daughters Lily Grace, five, and Teddy Rothschild, three.

Earlier this month, the younger sister to Paris Hilton told Retreat Magazine's city issue that she feels a certain responsibility with her new shoe line Nicky Hilton X French Sole.

'We all have to do our part to leave this world a better place for our children and our children's children,' she said.

Gorgeous: Claudia Sulewski and Dove Cameron, both 25, looked amazing in form fitting frocks

Black and gold: Dove slipped into a metallic gold bandeau number while Claudia donned a slinky black dress with distressed lace detailing

Dapper: Finneas, 24, wore an angular black suit with a statement oversized polka dot shirt

Happy to stand aside: Although there with girlfriend Claudia, Finneas didn't seem to mind her spending time with Dove

When big sister Paris came up Nicky gushed about their love of taking trips. 'We love to travel together. I would say one of our favorites is Las Vegas,' she shared.

She added, 'We just were in Vegas for the Resorts World Opening that she deejayed. Vegas is always a fun time.

'If we're looking for something more relaxing, Hawaii. Maui. We've been going there every year since we're babies, and it's just such a nice, relaxing, beautiful place to visit.'

David!!! Schitts Creek star Dan Levy, 38, was also at the star-studded event

Incredible: British actress Ella Balinska, 24, flaunted her slim pins in a black mini dress and knee high boots
He is now married to third wife Penny Lancaster, with whom he shares two young sons, Alastair and Aiden.

And on Tuesday, Rod Stewart's ex-wives Rachel Hunter, 51, and Alana Stewart, 76, reunited for blended family snaps with the children they co-parent with the musician, 76, and enthusiastically shared the photographs to social media.

Also at the get-together was Kimberly Stewart's daughter Delilah, 10, who she shares with former fling Benicio del Toro, 54.

'The extended clan! On Tuesday, Rachel Hunter, 51, and Alana Stewart, 76, reunited for blended family snaps with the children they co-parent with ex-husband Rod Stewart, 76 (Pictured L-R: Renee, 29, Delilah del Toro, 10, Kimberley, 42, Ruby, 34, Liam, 26, and Sean, 40)

New Zealander Rachel shares daughter Renee, 29, and son Liam, 26, with Rod.

Model Alana shares son Sean, 40, and daughter Kimberly, 42, with the rocker, and is also mother to Ashley Hamilton, 46, from her first marriage to George Hamilton, 82.

Rod's first child - Sarah Streeter, 57, from his romance with then-art student Susannah Boffey - was given up for adoption after he fathered her at age 18.

The rock star is also father to Ruby Stewart, 34, from a relationship with model Kelly Emberg, 62.

Blended family: Rachel shares daughter Renee (left) and son Liam (second right) with Rod, while Alana shares son Sean (right) and daughter Kimberly (centre left) with the rocker

Reunited: Rod is also father to Sarah Streeter, 47, from an affair with Susannah Boffey when he was just 18, as well as to Ruby Stewart (centre right) from a relationship with Kelly Emberg, 62

Rachel posted the shot to Instagram and wrote: 'Connected' while, Alana shared another happy photograph and captioned it: 'Mothers and daughters and sons...the extended Stewart clan.'

Kimberly uploaded a version and wrote: 'Stewart clan reunited.'

Renee shared a sweet snap of the siblings to her Instagram Stories and wrote: 'A much needed sibling reunion. Love you all so much.'

Rachel's sister Jacqui Hunter-Monk was also tagged in some of the photos, indicating that she was the photographer.

Cheers to that! Rod and third wife Penny Lancaster, 50, wed in 2007 in La Cervara, Italy, in an intimate ceremony (Pictured earlier this year)

Rod and third wife Penny Lancaster, 50, wed in 2007 in La Cervara, Italy, in an intimate ceremony.

The couple share sons Alastair, 15, and Aiden, 10.

Rod was previously married to Alana for five years from 1979 until 1984, and was married to Rachel from 1990 until 1999 before eventually divorcing in 2006.
Kim Kardashian is known for her dedicated fitness regimen and striking beauty.

And the billionaire, 40, got candid with her Instagram fans on Tuesday, revealing that she's undergoing a series of microneedling treatments on her face to treat 'sun spots'.

Filming from inside celebrity plastic surgeon Dr Ashkan Ghavami's Los Angeles clinic, the mother of four said she's 'excited' to show off the results of Potenza Radio Frequency Microneedling, that can cost on average $2,300 USD (1,670).

In the expert's hands: Kim Kardashian, 40, visited celebrity plastic surgeon Dr Ashkan Ghavami for microneedling on Tuesday, as she reveals concerns over 'sun spots'

Kim put her famous curves on display for the session, opting for a skintight black top tucked into edgy elasticised pants and white Yeezy sneakers.

Her extra long dark tresses fell effortlessly around her face and shoulders, and she arrived in full glam, drawing attention to bold brows, bronzer and a matte nude lip.

With Dr Ghavami by her side, who has been visited by stars including Iggy Azalea and Amber Rose, Kim revealed why she sought his services.

Latest treatment: The beauty mogul revealed on Instagram that she's undergoing a series of Potenza Radio Frequency Microneedling sessions, that can cost on average $2,300 USD ((1,670)

Concerns: 'I'm so excited because I do have sun spots and dark spots, and it really takes it all away. So I'm really excited to continue my treatment. I know I have makeup on now, but I will take it off and we will get a treatment started,' Kim told her legion of followers

'I'm so excited because I do have sun spots and dark spots, and it really takes it all away. So I'm really excited to continue my treatment. I know I have makeup on now, but I will take it off and we will get a treatment started,' she told fans on Instagram.

What is Potenza? * Microneedling to 'tighten and improve the appearance of blemishes on the skin' * The treatment assists in 'regeneration of elastin and collagen production' * Ultra fine needles and radio frequency energy is used to 'puncture the top layer of the skin' * This 'triggers the body's natural healing process' and 'stimulates new collagen and elastin production' * The procedure can cost around $2,300 USD (1,670) Source: Cynosure Advertisement

The future law graduate revealed she's undergoing a series of Potenza Radio Frequency Microneedling sessions, that can cost on average $2,300 USD.

Potenza is said to aid in 'tightening and improving the appearance of blemishes on the skin, through regeneration of elastin and collagen production,' according to Cynosure.

Ultra fine needles and radio frequency energy is used to 'puncture the top layer of the skin'. This 'triggers the body's natural healing process' and 'stimulates new collagen and elastin production'.

Kim has always been honest with fans, particularly when it comes to setting the record straight on claims she's gone under the knife.

In 2019, the reality star spoke candidly about the appearance of her nose while getting her makeup done by Mario Dedivanovic at The Master Class in Los Angeles.

'I never had my nose done,' she said. 'Everyone thought I did, and I said, "Wait until I have kids because your real features come out".'

Mario explained that Kim has a 'small bump on her nose,' but he uses a contouring technique to hide it.

Honest: Kim has been honest with fans, when it comes to setting the record straight on claims she's gone under the knife. 'I never had my nose done,' she said in 2019. 'Everyone thought I did, and I said, "Wait until I have kids because your real features come out"'

Younger years: Kim is pictured during her much younger years with sisters Khloe (centre) and Kourtney Kardashian (right)

While she strongly denies ever having a nose job, she agrees with some of her fans that her face does look different.

'Pictures, I swear, I look at them and would be like, "Wow, the bump looks so much bigger in some pictures than in others",' she admitted.

The public has watched Kim's every move for more than a decade, so it's no surprise she has faced ongoing speculation about the changes in her appearance.

Kim has long denied getting butt implants to give her famous backside a boost. She was so adamant about shutting down the rumours that she had an X-ray done in season six of Keeping Up with the Kardashians to prove her critics wrong.

Natural: Kim has long denied getting butt implants to give her famous backside a boost. She was so adamant about shutting down the rumours that she had an X-ray done in season six of Keeping Up with the Kardashians to prove her critics wrong

However, her curvaceous backside has inspired a legion of fans to get Brazilian butt lifts, a procedure in which fat from other areas of the body is transferred to the derriere to make it fuller.

She is widely considered the driving force behind the upswing in the procedure in recent years, but she has never admitted to having one.

Kim has also spent more than a decade denying claims that she has had a breast augmentation, a procedure that her sister Kourtney has openly spoken about having when she was just 21.

Kim is known for using gaffer tape to give her chest a boost when she can't wear a bra, but she has firmly denied ever having a boob job.

Rumour mill: Kim has also spent more than a decade denying claims that she has had a breast augmentation, a procedure that her sister Kourtney has openly spoken about having when she was just 21. Pictured in February 2020

'I have not ever had plastic surgery. I hope after seeing this you guys will never ask me a plastic surgery question again!' she wrote on her now-defunct blog in 2008.

The businesswoman went on to point out that she has had large breasts from a young age, explaining: 'I have had a size C since I was 11 years old.'

However, she noted that she wasn't entirely opposed to giving her breasts a boost after she had children.

'One day I will definitely get a lift, but I am waiting until after I have kids,' she said. 'Until then, I rely on a great supportive bra!'
She was linked to Jack Maynard back in 2017 after they went on a date following their stint on I'm A Celebrity.

And Georgia Toffolo reunited with her former flame as she enjoyed a boozy night out in Chelsea, London on Tuesday.

The reality star, 26, seemed in great spirits as she enjoyed a Mexican meal and tequila shots before she finished off the evening at Reign nightclub with restaurateur Michael Pearce.

Pour it up: Georgia Toffolo reunites with former flame Jack Maynard on a boozy night out in London on Tuesday

Two's company: The reality star, 26, seemed in great spirits as she enjoyed tequila shots before she finished off the evening at Reign nightclub with restaurateur Michael Pearce

Toff looked radiant on the outing as she slipped into a pair of white denim hotpants that showed off her tanned and toned pins.

She teamed the garment with a nude crop top and layered up with a white blouse that she tied across the front to accentuate her small waist.

The former Made In Chelsea star completed the look with a pair of black mule heels and a python print Chanel handbag.

Reunited: Toff recently returned from a sunny getaway in Croatia and was delighted to be back in London, taking to Instagram to gush about being reunited with her nearest and dearest

Toff recently returned from a sunny getaway in Croatia and was delighted to be back in London, taking to Instagram to gush about being reunited with her nearest and dearest.

Alongside a sweet snap with Jack she penned: 'Honey Im home! And reunited with my besties what a treat'.

Toff and Jack were the subject of romance rumours after they met on I'm A Celebrity - which Georgia went on to win.

Out and about: Toff and Michael seemed in great spirits as they chatted outside with pals before heading home hand in hand

Cosy: The pair wrapped an arm around each other as they waited outside the nightclub

In with the crowd: Former YouTuber Michael is friends with the MIC crowd and recently opened Clean Kitchen Camden with castmember Verity Bowditch

Jack's appearance on the show was only fleeting, as just three days into the programme, the vlogger was axed after resurfaced tweets that saw him using the N-word and homophobic slurs.

Jack - the younger brother of British pop sensation Conor Maynard - was subsequently accused of sending 'inappropriate messages to a female fan'.

Despite having only spent three days together, Jack and Toff tested out their chemistry as they spent plenty of time together and shared a slew of cosy Instagram snaps.

Legs eleven! Toff looked radiant on the outing as she slipped into a pair of white denim hotpants that showed off her tanned and toned pins

That's a wrap: She teamed the garment with a nude crop top and layered up with a white blouse that she tied across the front to accentuate her small waist

Finishing touches: The former Made In Chelsea star completed the look with a pair of black mule heels and a python print Chanel handbag

Speaking to MailOnline at the time, Toff: 'We weren't really ever together, we just went on a date. I think on social media it looked like we were really, really together, so yeah.

'We're so close, I DM him most days, I adore him, but it's just not, you know, in the romantic sense.

'Nothing has changed, he still comes over most days, everything is really good.'

Tactile: Later in the evening Toff was seen cuddling up to a male pal while out having a smoke

Puffing away: The reality star stepped out to light up a cigarette during her evening

The former Queen Of The Jungle was last linked to Nigel Farage's former aide George Cottrell in 2019.

She also dated Survival Of The Fittest star James Middleton, 25, in 2017 and enjoyed a brief romance with MIC co-star Richard Dinan in 2016.

Speaking to Hello! magazine about her love life, Toff previously shared: 'It doesn't faze me. I love going on dates.

'They're like social experiments and it's an excuse to get dressed up. Even if you don't get on, it's a funny experience to tell the girls.'

Laugh a minute: Toff seemed in great spirits as she laughed and chatted away with a friend

Huddle: Toff was flanked by her pals as they waited on the curb outside the club

Ahoy there! She was greeted by another male friend who was dressed in a nautical theme

Meanwhile, Jack recently celebrated his one year anniversary with Lily Mackie, who is related to Pippa Middleton.

The YouTuber is said to be 'completely smitten' with the millionaire heiress, who is related to Pippa, 37, through her husband James Matthews - Lily's half brother.

Jack is believed to have met his new girlfriend - who is also the niece of former Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews - through cast member of the E4 series, Miles Nazaire.

Campmates: Toff and Jack were the subject of romance rumours after they met on I'm A Celebrity - which Georgia went on to win

While Jack didn't join Toff later in the night for her visit to Rise nightclub, the reality star was still in good company as she joined friend Michael for the outing.

Former YouTuber Michael is friends with the MIC crowd and recently opened Clean Kitchen Camden with castmember Verity Bowditch.

The pair seemed in great spirits as they chatted outside with pals before heading home hand in hand.
Olympic snowboarder Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin's widow Ellidy has spoken out about her 'bittersweet' pregnancy following the athlete's tragic death at age 32.

The 29-year-old model became pregnant via IVF following his shock passing last July, which occurred when he suffered a shallow water blackout and drowned while spearfishing at Palm Beach, Queensland.

On Wednesday, Ellidy told Vogue Australia that 'nothing is ever going to tie a neat bow around my grief', before explaining Alex would have been a 'natural' father to their child.

Heartache: Olympic snowboarder Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin's widow Ellidy has spoken out about her 'bittersweet' pregnancy following the athlete's tragic death at age 32

'I feel a deep-seated sadness that Chumpy wont get the chance to play dad, a role that would have come so naturally to him,' she said in the interview.

'On the one hand I feel overwhelmed with happiness, while also knowing Chump's not hear to share it.'

The couple had been trying for a baby before his death, prompting her to seek out IVF treatment in the hope of keeping his memory alive.

Ellidy announced her pregnancy in June this year.

In a post shared to Instagram on Wednesday, she wrote: 'Pregnancy, birth and motherhood will likely create secondary losses and fresh shoots of grief in the myriad "I wish you were here" pangs that shoulder everything I do.

'One might think that on the other side of grief lies joy, but Ive learned grief, hope, strength and happiness can co-exist.'

Mother-to-be: 'I feel a deep-seated sadness that Chumpy wont get the chance to play dad, a role that would have come so naturally to him,' she said in the interview

Bittersweet: On Wednesday, Ellidy told Vogue Australia that 'nothing is ever going to tie a neat bow around my grief', before explaining Alex would have been a 'natural' father to their child

She poignantly added she will continue to 'carry the torch of our future', saying that soon 'a little piece of Chumpy will be back in my arms again'.

Ellidy announced the news of her pregnancy sharing a heartwarming post on Instagram confirming the news.

'Bubba Chump coming this October', she captioned the post, receiving well-wishes from pro-surfers Mick Fanning and Alana Blanchard in the comments.

'When my love had his accident, we all held onto hope that I'd be pregnant that month. We'd been trying for a baby', the model captioned the image.

'IVF was on our cards but it wasn't something I ever imagined I'd be tackling on my own. Bittersweet like none other, I've never been more certain or excited about anything in my entire life.'

Ellidy recently spoke about retrieving sperm from her late partner in the hours after his death on her podcast, Darling, Shine!

Journey: Ellidy recently spoke about retrieving sperm from her late partner in the hours after his death on her podcast, Darling, Shine!

Under Queensland legislation, sperm can be removed posthumously when a designated officer declares their belief that the deceased wouldn't object.

The consent of the immediate family - including Chumpy's parents - is also required before any sperm can be retrieved.

An IVF specialist assists with the retrieval, with a recommended removal timeframe of between 24 and 36 hours after death.

Ellidy admitted it was quite an undertaking, with everyone having to sign off on legal documents, while also dealing with coroners, lawyers and doctors.

'[It was] incredibly fortunate we had the resources and the means to make this happen in such crucial time,' she added.

Heartache: Ellidy said her pregnancy is 'the most bittersweet thing in the world', but added that she was determined to parent a child with Chumpy

Ellidy said her pregnancy is 'the most bittersweet thing in the world', but added that she was determined to parent a child with Chumpy.

'I'm not saying it's going to be easy or a walk in the park. I have a lot ahead of me, I've got big shoes to fill,' she continued.

'I've got to be a dad and a mum in one, and not just any dad, I've got to be a Chumpy dad.'

She added: 'I go through a lot every day and I will forever grief, that never leaves you, but I was always so sure of one thing - that I was always going to have this bub.'
They missed out on winning 50,000 when they finished in fourth place.

But Love Island's Kaz Kamwi and Tyler Cruickshank were still in high spirits as they prepared to jet back to the UK from Mallorca on Wednesday.

The couple shared a video to Instagram Stories after boarding their flight back to London, as furious fans complained they were 'robbed' of the prize money.

Heading home! Love Island's Kaz and Tyler boarded their plane back to the UK from Mallorca on Wednesday after viewers claimed they were 'ROBBED' when they finished in fourth place

Kaz shared a short video of herself and Tyler waiting for their flight to take off, with the pair both donning white masks in accordance with Covid safety guidelines.

They joined many of their Love Island co-stars flying back to Stansted Airport after the series' conclusion on Monday.

Kaz and Tyler finished in fourth place during the final earlier this week, with Millie Court and Liam Reardon crowned series champions.

Not quite: The pair missed out on 50,000 in prize money after gaining just 12.27% of the votes

Ready for takeoff! Kaz shared a short video of herself and Tyler waiting for their flight to take off, with the pair both donning white masks in accordance with Covid safety guidelines

Chloe Burrows and Toby Aromolaran were in second place as runners-up, while Faye Winter and Teddy Soares were in fourth place.

Many fans were furious to see Kaz and Tyler finish in fourth place, and shared their raging reactions on Twitter.

One wrote: 'Kaz and Tyler in fourth place? Behind Faye and Teddy? The UK will always UK,' while another added: 'I hope Kaz and Tyler get the brand deals but mostly, I hope they find peace of mind when they come out and find love with each other and prosper.'

A third penned: 'Kaz and Tyler have been ROBBED,' while one fan also posted: 'HOW HAVE FAYE AND TEDDY BEATEN KAZ AND TYLER WHEN FAYE LED TO 24,000 OFCOM VOTES!?? WHAT THE HELL?'

'Mrs 24,000 Ofcom complaints has beaten Kaz and Tyler??? Surely not SURELY NOT,' a fan also tweeted.

It comes after viewing figures for the final were revealed with Liam and Millie scoring an impressive 42.02% of the public's votes, made via the show's mobile app, while Chloe and Toby, who placed second, earned 30.85% of votes.

Fuming! Many fans were furious to see Kaz and Tyler finish in fourth place, and shared their raging reactions on Twitter

2021 final voting figures - Liam and Millie received 42.02% of the public's votes - Chloe and Toby earned 30.85% - Faye and Teddy received 14.85% - Kaz and Tyler, received 12.27% Advertisement

Faye and Teddy saw 14.85% of users voting for them, landing them in third place. Kaz and Tyler, who were the first of the four finalists to be booted from the villa, received 12.27% of the votes.

Love Island's voting system has faced criticism this year, with viewers as well as previous contestants branding it 'pointless'.

The series saw a string of public votes take place, but the final decision as to who leaves the villa was always down to the contestants - resulting in them opting to save their friends.

Earlier in August, contestants Abi, Mary, Kaz, Dale, Tyler and Jake were voted the least popular by the public, with host Laura Whitmore announcing that the safe islanders would decide which two would be dumped.

Amber Gill - who won the show in 2019 - took to Twitter to ask why this was the case, penning: 'Why would they leave the decision to the islanders AGAIN makes it too obvious!'

Paige Turley, the reigning champion, agreed: 'Why allow the public to vote yet continually let the islanders decide who stays?'

2018 contestant Samira Mighty chimed in with: 'I don't see the point of a public vote ???? When they always just ask the islanders to choice  like every time!!! I'm shook tbh!'

The final of this year's Love Island aired on ITV2 on Monday night and saw Liam and Millie's very rocky journey end in glee as they won 50k, and split the money between them, with Liam asking Millie to be his official girlfriend during their live exit interview.

The remaining couples of the series were whittled down bit-by-bit as they waited to find out who would be crowned the series' winners.

Leading couple: Liam and Millie were crowned the winners of Love Island on Monday, and ITV has now released the show's voting figures, with the couple earning 42% of the public's votes

Seconds place: Chloe and Toby, who placed second in the competition, earned 30.85% of votes

Third place: Faye and Teddy saw 14.85% of users voting for them, landing them in third place
She recently revealed she's expecting her second child.

Yet Dani Harmer kept her blossoming baby bump under wraps as she got to work filming Tracy Beaker spin-off, The Beaker Girls, on Wednesday.

The actress, 32, is reprising her beloved CBBC role for the new series, and didn't let her pregnancy slow her down as she joined her on-screen daughter Emma Maggie Davies on the streets of Bristol.

Blooming lovely: Pregnant Dani Harmer kept her blossoming bump under wraps as she filmed new series The Beaker Girls in Bristol on Wednesday

It is not known whether Dani's pregnancy will be worked into the storyline of the series or not, but the star ensured her bump was hardly visible as she filmed scenes in a flowing red top and cropped yellow jacket.

The former child star teamed the garment with a pair of black culottes and sandals as she walked animatedly down the street.

Dani began playing the iconic role of Tracy Beaker in 2002 when she was just 12-years-old, reprising the role in 2012's Tracy Beaker Returns and earlier this year in My Mum Tracy Beaker.

Out and about: The actress, 32, didn't let her pregnancy slow her down as she joined her on-screen daughter Emma Maggie Davies on the streets of Bristol

Under wraps: It is not known whether Dani's pregnancy will be worked into the storyline of the series or not, but the star ensured her bump was hardly visible as she filmed scenes

A five-part CCBC and BBC iPlayer series The Beaker Girls was confirmed this week following the success of the reprisal earlier this year.

Some familiar faces will be returning including Jordan Duvigneau as Sean Godfrey, Lisa Coleman as Cam, Montana Thompson as Justine, and Danielle Henry as Mary.

And newcomers are also set to join the cast including Chi-Megan Ennis McLean, who will play Jordan, and Alibe Parsons, who is to portray junk shop owner Flo.

Picking up where the last series left off, The Beaker Girls will begin with Tracy and Jess enjoying their new responsibilities running a seaside junk shop called The Dumping Ground.

Its back! Dani is set to reprise her role as Tracy Beaker once again following the success earlier this year of My Mum Tracy Beaker

Tracy, who grew up in a children's care home, will also face a full-circle moment when she meets runaway teen Jordan, who has been repeatedly failed by the care system, and she contemplates becoming a foster parent.

Tali Walters, of BBC Children's in-house drama department, said: 'The enduring affection of our audiences for the character of Tracy Beaker was clear in the reaction to My Mum Tracy Beaker.

'The Beaker Girls promises to touch the hearts of our audiences and we're tremendously excited to work with such a talented cast and crew to bring this captivating mother and daughter back to the screen to unveil their next chapter.'

Iconic: Dani began playing the iconic role of Tracy Beaker in 2002 when she was just 12

It comes after Tracey took to Instagram last week to announce the happy news that she's pregnant with baby number two.

Posting a sweet snap of herself, partner Simon Brough and their daughter Avarie-Belle, five, the pregnant actress confirmed she is due to give birth in February.

In the snap, her daughter could be seen holding up a roll of ultrasound snaps while standing between her mum and dad.

Dani wrote: 'Han Solo had Chewie. Frodo had Sam. Shrek had Donkey.

'Now be prepared for the adventures of Avarie-Belle and as of yet unnamed bump, coming February 2022.'
She's been busty shooting scenes for her new period drama in Ireland after filming kicked off earlier this month.

And Florence Pugh appeared in great spirits as she shared a giggle between takes on the set of film The Wonder in Wicklow on Wednesday.

The actress, 25, got into character by donning an elegant long blue dress, which was left filthy as the she waded through mud while filming scenes.

Fun times: Florence Pugh appeared in great spirits as she shared a giggle between takes on the set of film The Wonder in Wicklow on Wednesday

Despite in being seemingly a busy day, the beauty kept her spirits up by larking around with her co-stars and director Sebastian Lelio.

She was pictured dancing about in the mud and flashing a broad smile as she relaxed when the cameras stopped rolling.

While filming was paused, the Midsommar star followed coronavirus safety precautions by donning a white face mask.

On set: The actress, 25, got into character by donning an elegant long blue dress, which was left filthy as the she waded through mud while filming scenes

It was a busy day it seemed as the set was full of cast and crew, while a crowd gathered on the outskirts to watch the action behind barriers.

At one point, Florence was seen yawning as a make-up artist touched up her face in between scenes.

Florence looked radiant in her period costume, while she radiated natural beauty by wearing very little make-up.

While her brunette locks were swept back into an elegant braided style in fitting with the time period.

Good times: Despite in being seemingly a busy day, the beauty kept her spirits up by larking around with her co-stars and director Sebastian Lelio

Filming fun: She was pictured dancing about in the mud and flashing a broad smile as she relaxed when the cameras stopped rolling

Style: Florence looked radiant in her period costume, while she radiated natural beauty by wearing very little make-up

Lovely: While her brunette locks were swept back into an elegant braided style in fitting with the time period

The Wonder is based on the 2016 Emma Donoghue novel of the same name which follows an 11-year-old girl who is perfectly healthy though she has not eaten for months.

Florence is playing an English nurse, Lib Wright, who is sent to the small village to investigate the situation and care for the child.

The film is a period piece, taking place in 1862, which plays right into the star's wheelhouse with Florence having played Amy March in Little Women, a role that garnered her critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination.

Leading lady: Florence certainly stole the show on the set of the period film

Onlookers: It was a busy day it seemed as the set was full of cast and crew, while a crowd gathered on the outskirts to watch the action behind barriers

Tired? At one point, Florence was seen yawning as a make-up artist touched up her face in between scenes

Fair lady: Florence was the picture of elegance in her long, blue costume as interacted with her co-star on set

Girl's best friend: Florence was seen on set with a four-legged co-star

Her new film will also feature Tom Burke of Mank fame and First Man actor Ciaran Hinds among many more talented actors.

The actress appears to have found the experience a joy, and thanked the people of Ireland last week for being 'so generous and welcoming'.

It seems that the film crew were keen to show their appreciation, too.

The onlooker told The Mail on Sunday: 'Nearby there is a large holiday site for tents and caravans.

Safety first: While filming was paused, the Midsommar star followed coronavirus safety precautions by donning a white face mask

Plot: The Wonder is based on the 2016 Emma Donoghue novel of the same name which follows an 11-year-old girl who is perfectly healthy though she has not eaten for months

'The crew actually moved the barriers to allow local residents and holidaymakers to come and watch the evening filming. Normally, it's the other way round  they try to keep away spectators.'

The Netflix psychological drama is set in 1862, so bark and soil were spread on local roads to make them look authentic.

It's a distinct change from Florence's current Avengers film Black Widow, in which she plays Russian spy Yelena Belova opposite Scarlett Johansson.

Role: Florence is playing an English nurse, Lib Wright, who is sent to the small village to investigate the situation and care for the child
Paris Hilton is enjoying the last days of summer.

On Wednesday, the hotel heiress was pictured living her best life and she struck a series of poses while onboard a luxury catamaran in Corsica.

Paris, 40, shared the snaps herself to her 15.6million Instagram followers with the playful caption, 'Captain Paris in Paradise.'

'Captain Paris in Paradise!' Paris Hilton shows off her taut tummy while lounging on luxury yacht in Corsica on Wednesday

She tagged Sunreef Yachts in the post, described as being the world's leading designer and builder of luxury custom made catamarans and catamaran-superyachts.

Paris has been enjoying her break in the mountainous Mediterranean island alongside fiance Carter Reum.

On a recent appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, the former reality star admitted that she has some opulent plans for her upcoming wedding to Carter.

Luxury: On Wednesday, the hotel heiress was pictured living her best life and she struck a series of poses while onboard a luxury yacht in Corsica

Dreamy: Paris, 40, shared the snaps herself to her 15.6million Instagram followers with the playful caption, 'Captain Paris in Paradise'

Designer: She tagged Sunreef Yachts in the post, described as being the world's leading designer and builder of luxury custom made catamarans and catamaran-superyachts

Idyllic: Paris has been enjoying her break in the mountainous Mediterranean island alongside fiance Carter Reum

Bride-to-be: Paris is set to marry her man soon and has hinted that it will be an opulent affair

Although she admitted the creative process for the big day has been 'very stressful' she also insisted that she is 'not a bridezilla at all.'

She said: 'It's gonna be like a three-day affair. We have a lot happening.'

In a previous post this week, Paris shared a loving snap with her husband-to-be as she captioned the picture, 'Lovers in Paradise.'

Time to rest: Paris has admitted that the creative process for the big day has been 'very stressful' she also insisted that she is 'not a bridezilla at all'

Looking out to sea: Paris appears to be enjoying the last days of summer

Stretch: The socialite showed off her toned body while posing for pictures

Meanwhile, The Simple Life star has vowed to fans that she will record more new music 'soon'.

Earlier this month, Paris celebrated the 15th anniversary of her debut album, Paris, that she said was 'so life-changing'.

Alongside the album cover, she wrote on Instagram: "Happy 15th Anniversary to my debut studio album #Paris. Thank you to everyone who has supported these songs, and continue to listen to them today!'

Good times: The Simple Life is on another vacation with her fiance, businessman Carter Reum

Last days of summer: The purse designer was seen pulling out her skirt to flow in the wind

'Making this album was so life-changing and Im so proud of how these songs have transcended the years. Cant wait to continue to make more music for all of you soon! #Iconic #PopStarParis.'

The socialite released her debut single Stars Are Blind - which helped launch her current DJ career - in 2006, and while fans have been waiting for her second album since the release of eponymously titled Paris that same year, she previously said that she's 'focused on singles'.

Asked in 2018 if she was recording another album, Paris said: 'I'm mostly focused on just singles, I think that's just how it is nowadays with the music industry.'

'It's not really about albums. So yeah I've been working on my second album forever, but I'm also running a huge business and doing a million other things.'
Bethenny Frankel is not returning to the Real Housewives of New York.

The reality star addressed the issue herself on Wednesday, following rumors she was in 'diva negotiations' to rejoin the Bravo franchise that made her famous.

'The leak is desperate for attention,' Bethenny wrote, denying the rumor.

The Skinnygirl founder explained that she originally posted the denial on Instagram, but decided to delete it and re-post on Twitter, saying she wanted to give more space to her charity efforts raising money Haiti.

Denial: Bethenny Frankel has said she is not in talks to make her third comeback in Season 14 of Real Housewives of New York

Frenkel wrote: 'I posted on Insta that my being in talks w @BravoTV is (100%) false. I deleted there & took here Bc Haiti is whats important & I don't want to clutter msgs w false gossip.'

She also explained that is not something she has discussed with her friend and executive producer of the show Andy Cohen.

'I haven't spoken to bravo since leaving & @Andy & I don't discuss rhony,' Frankel tweeted.

Firm no: The ex-RHONY star took to Twitter to issue the denial

More important things to worry about: The Skinnygirl founder recently showed off her buff physique on Instagram earlier this week

The denial comes after reports suggested she was in talks to make her third comeback in Season 14, as well as rumors about having 'diva demands' wanting a executive producer credit and more money.

The rumors appeared on gossip site Deuxmoi that claimed she also wanted the luxury of just filming three times a week.

'They're in real talks but she wants an executive producer credit and to shape the show (ie who stays, who goes, she only films 3 times a week etc),' a source had claims.

Adding that Bravo apparently didn't know 'if they wanna give her that power, so they're trying to see what they can do.'

Hitting back too: Eboni K. Williams also denied rumors that were lobbied at her on Wednesday

Over it: Eboni, 37, is also hitting back against rumors about her return to RHONY

Frankel wasn't the only one issuing a denial on Wednesday either.

New RHONY recruit Eboni K. Williams hit back at a story online that claimed she had looked into taking legal action against Bravo after they were planning to drop her from the show.

Williams wrote on Instagram: 'Lies. Your "sources" are either liars or idiots. There is no legal cause of action for not being renewed. So thirsty for clicks and raggedy hateful comments. "Allegedly" my ass.'

The denials come after it was revealed the next season is in such turmoil as its ratings nosedive that the cast members have been informed the reunion filming has been delayed from August 5 until at least September and the show won't begin filming for next season until 2022.

An insider recently told DailyMail.com exclusively: 'All hell is breaking loose behind the scenes at the Real Housewives of New York. While the cameras are down, the drama is continuing.'

In chaos: The Real Housewives Of New York will be delaying reunion filming and pushing back the start of next season's shooting amid dismal ratings

Five different production sources reached out to DailyMail.com to say that Shed, the production company, is in a panic and have written to the women to say that the reunion has been moved from August 5 to a date to be determined in September.

And the cast  which currently features Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan, Leah McSweeney and Eboni K. Williams - has been informally advised that taping of a new season will not occur until early in 2022 rather than late 2021 as planned.

A spokesperson for Bravo had no comment when contacted by DailyMail.com at the time.

The insider continued: 'The cast is completely divided and the women are not getting along with each other.

'Filming ended with all of the women as friends, but as soon as the show started airing, Eboni K. Williams went to war against her cast mates  particularly Ramona and Luann and the audience is switching off week after week.'
She's starting off the school year like many parents.

And Reese Witherspoon celebrated her children being back in classrooms after more than one year of online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 45-year-old actress was positively delighted for some quiet time as she danced around her kitchen at her new $11.9million Brentwood mansion.

Party time: Reese Witherspoon celebrated her children being back in classrooms after more than one year of online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Reese rocked a bright yellow sweatshirt with matching pants for the routine set to Junior Senior, Move Your Feet.

The Legally Blonde star poured herself a cup of hot coffee before looking around to find an empty house.

'When the kids go back to school and you have the house to yourself,' she captioned the clip with a string of cartwheel emojis.

Mom mode: The 45-year-old actress was positively delighted for some quiet time as she danced around her kitchen at her new $11.9million Brentwood mansion

Making plans: Reese rocked a bright yellow sweatshirt with matching pants for the routine set to Junior Senior, Move Your Feet

She tagged TikTok extraordinaire Kelli Erdmann and her husband, Freeman Butler, in the choreographed clip.

At one point, Reese used her hand to shovel cake in her mouth as she tapped her toes to the beat.

Reese had lots of room to move around as her new home boasts six bedrooms and eight bathrooms across 8,652 square feet of living space.

In April, the Little Fires Everywhere star sold her 10,000 square-foot Pacific Palisades mansion for $17 million, having bought it unfinished in 2014 for $12.7 million.

'When the kids go back to school and you have the house to yourself,' she captioned the clip with a string of cartwheel emojis

Helping hands: She tagged TikTok extraordinaire Kelli Erdmann and her husband, Freeman Butler, in the choreographed clip

The home had long been the main residence of Witherspoon and her second husband Toth, who she married in 2011.

Reese and Jim were first reported to be dating in 2010, four years after she split from her first husband Ryan Phillippe, with whom she shares her lookalike daughter Ava, 21, and son Deacon.

The couple got engaged in December 2010 and married in March of the following year at a ranch in Ojai, California. In 2012, they welcomed a son, Tennessee.

Jim worked as a talent agent for over 20 years and rose to the position of co-head of motion picture talent at the high-profile Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

There, he personally represented clients including Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx and Neil Patrick Harris.

Toth left the agency in 2019 to work at the 10-minute streaming service Quibi, though it folded last year after failing to establish that viewers actually want exclusively short programs.
Margot Robbie was seen with her husband Tom Ackerley walking down an alley in Beverly Hills on Tuesday evening.

The lovebirds were headed to a late night dinner with Bohemian Rhapsody actor Rami Malek.

Earlier the blonde beauty, 31, was spotted on set of her Babylon movie as she was in character as Clara Bow. Also on set were Tobey Maguire and Brad Pitt.

90210-OH! Margot Robbie was seen with her husband Tom Ackerley walking down an alley in Beverly Hills on Tuesday evening

During her dinner date with her husband of five years Margot wore a black coat over a cropped top and high-waisted denim jeans.

The beauty also had on clunky sneakers.

Her blonde hair was worn down after she took off the red wig she had on earlier to play Bow. And she had on a white face mask.

Dinner for three: The lovebirds were headed to a late night dinner with Bohemian Rhapsody actor Rami Malek

Tom, 31, wore a black top and slacks with black sneakers as he had his blonde hair back.

Also with the couple was Malek who will appear in the next Bond film, No Time To Die. He has the role of villain Lyutsifer Safin.

Rami wore a gray jacket with black shorts and socks. His sneakers were multi colored and he had on a mask.

Margot and Rami are working on David O. Russell's next film which does not yet have a title; Christian Bale and Taylor Swift are also in the cast.

The film she is now making, Babylon, has a large cast.

In addition to Margot it stars Brad Pitt, Olivia Wilde, Spike Jonze, Phoebe Tonkin and Tobey Maguire.

No glam needed: During her dinner date with her husband of five years Margot wore a black coat over a cropped top and high-waisted denim jeans. The beauty also had on clunky sneakers

The group will feature in an all-star ensemble for Damien Chazelle's ode to Hollywood's golden age, with Diego Calva, Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li and Katherine Waterston also in the cast.

Max Minghella, Lukas Haas, Flea, Rory Scovel, Samara Weaving, Eric Roberts, P.J. Byrne and Damon Gupton are also set to star.

Chazelle has also written the movie, which is set in the late 1920s as the movie industry transitions from silent films to talkies. Babylon explores the rise and fall of a number of characters and has been described as The Great Gatsby on steroids, according to Deadline.

In demand: The film she is now making, Babylon, has a large cast. In addition to Margot it stars Brad Pitt, Olivia Wilde, Spike Jonze, Phoebe Tonkin and Tobey Maguire. Seen in 2020

Character details are being kept tightly under wraps and it's currently unclear whether any of the new cast members will be portraying fictional or historical characters.

Olivia Hamilton, Matt Plouffe and Marc Platt are producing the star-studded project, while Tobey - who previously played Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's trilogy - will executive produce alongside Helen Estabrook and Adam Siegel.

Paramount is planning to release the film on Christmas Day 2022 before a worldwide launch in January 2023.
Dog The Bounty Hunter's daughter Bonnie Chapman has blasted her father in a lengthy statement accusing him of racism, homophobia, and cheating on his late wife Beth 'all the time.'

Bonnie, 22, took to Facebook on Tuesday after receiving a text message from her father's fiancee Francie Frane, allegedly confirming she had not been invited to their wedding due to her activism work and failure to condemn the streaming platform that allegedly fired her father over the use of 'epithets'.

The text message was sent after Bonnie spoke with TMZ, where she claimed her involvement with Black Lives Matter led to a falling out with her father.

In the lengthy post, Bonnie accused her father of being unfaithful to Beth, even 'when she was sick in the hospital'. Beth was married to Dog from 2006 until her death at age 51 in 2019.

Dog The Bounty Hunter's daughter Bonnie Chapman has blasted at her father in a lengthy statement accusing him of cheating on his late wife Beth and using 'racial and homophobic epithets' towards cast members on her show The System

Bonnie also claimed Francie traveled on a plane 'knowing' she was infected with COVID-19.

She also alleged her life had been threatened by 'QAnon wackos' but her father refused to speak out against them. Instead, he only offered 'excuses' as to why he remained silent.

'On the morning of August 22, TMZ released the following story about my sister and me not being invited to my dad's wedding. Later in the morning, I received a text from Francie Frane, my dad's fiance. Francie's text message confirmed that the reason I wasn't invited to my dads wedding is my choice to participate in social justice and BLM protests with 'The System', and not condemn the streaming platform when they fired my father for using epithets. I'm sorry, but I can't defend my Dad's racism.

'Considering the text I received today, I have just a little bit more to say about this entire subject.

Bonnie took to Facebook on Tuesday after receiving a text message from her father's fiancee Francie Frane

'When it comes to 'The System' on UnleashedTV, my father was fired by the platform for using racial and homophobic epithets toward my fellow cast members on the show, which is about social justice advocacy and protesting violence and racial bias by police. I have expressed time and time again my ever-growing disappointment in my father's progression into his old racist ways.

'I had forgiven my father after my mother's death for countless actions that I shouldn't have. He would cheat on my mom all the time, and I hated him every time he did it, but I forgave him for that because I wanted a relationship with my dad. I thought I had only one parent left. I was left with the racist and homophobic parents. I can't begin to fathom how some of my mother's fans may feel. I say my mother's fans because everyone watched for Beth. My mother was a shining light in the void. I can no longer watch someone diminish her light with his hatred. I can no longer sit and be quiet about these things.

'My mom was a true leader, and believe it or not; she kept my dad focused on his career. We all know of his missteps, but my mom always stood by him. She also kept him in line! My mom was loyal, and she was fiercely protective of her family. She loved my father and did her best to make him the best man he could be. All too often, that job consisted of dealing with his near-constant infidelity with her friends and strangers while trying to teach him to be a better man. I don't think that work was in vain; I think mom did change my dad. But that change vanished when my mom died.

In the lengthy post, Bonnie accused her father of cheating on his late wife Beth 'all the time'

'Since my mom died, my dad ran away from the person she inspired him to be. He began to do that when she was sick in the hospital, and he began to have an affair with a friend of my mom's.

'As a child, I was always silenced by him, threatened with physical violence, and I will no longer back down. I stand for what I believe in firmly, and I think my mother deserves the honor. My father has dishonored my mother in countless ways since her passing. He's associated himself with people like right-wing megachurch pastor Greg Locke, who mock crucified his own son for religious propaganda and spews hate toward LGBTQ people almost constantly in his social media.

'My life has been threatened on several occasions by QAnon wackos, and my father has sat and made excuses for why he won't say anything. I'm sorry to speak about the real Duane Chapman for those who loved my mother and loved the man she loved. I know this may be a shock to some of the public, but you deserve the truth. I'm sorry for those who looked up to my father growing up. I'm sorry to those who truly thought he was a good man; I thought so too at some point. Growing up, we have to take the people we idolize off a pedestal.

'I believe my father, at some point, was making his best efforts to be a good man, which is why I've publicly ALWAYS defended him. I followed my mom's lead. I followed the strongest woman I've ever known. I was scared my only parent would hate me. I was scared of not being invited to family gatherings. However, I know my mom would never stand for this, and it is in honor of her legacy that I speak out.

She also alleged her life had been threatened by 'QAnon wackos', but her father refused to speak out against them. Instead, he only offered 'excuses' as to why he wouldn't 'say anything'

'He has embraced old prejudices and doubled down on racist and homophobic stereotypes. For example, my dad hates BLM and called BLM protestors who I proudly stand with each and every day 'thugs.' He has used horrific epithets against LGBTQ people, and he has further aligned himself with right-wing extremists who believe in QAnon theories. In December 2020 Francie told me she had Covid-19, but that she slept with my father because God told her too. She also told me she flew to speaking events knowing she had covid. She didn't seem to care about the thousands of people she could have infected.

'If my dad and his new wife want to travel to right-wing churches attacking gay people and advancing QAnon theories, he can certainly do that, but I'm going to stand by the memory and legacy of my mom, Beth Chapman. Her memory, and the values she stood for, are worth fighting to advance.

'That's why I joined the cast of 'The System'. We stand against police corruption every day, and every day I stand and fight against the kind of racism and bias that I saw come from my father growing up. I know I'm exactly where my mom would want me to be, fighting to protect the weak and standing up for the inherent worth of every single person.

Heartbreaking: Beth died at age 51 after a battle with cancer in 2019

'I said before that I really didn't know why I wasn't invited to my dads wedding. While I knew he was mad about being fired, he has only himself to blame. I thought my dad would be man enough to put family first, but it appears that man died with my mother.'

A representative for Dog denied Beth's allegations in a statement obtained by E!: 'Bonnie's allegations are false and a misguided attempt to derail our wedding.'

Despite the drama, Dog struck an optimistic note while speaking with Us Weekly about his upcoming nuptials on Tuesday.

'I have a large family and most of them are going to be here for it. I love all my kids and it's going to be great to have so many people here to celebrate,' he told the site.

'We've spent so long on this to ensure it's going to be just perfect and believe me, nothing is going to get in the way of us,' he added.

Disagree: Dog The Bounty Hunter's daughter Bonnie claims her support of Black Lives Matter was part of what lead to her falling out with her father

The reality star added it was sad his daughters Cecily and Bonnie Chapman, who both said they were not invited to the wedding, were attempting to 'bring a cloud over our wedding.'

Bonnie's statement came after she spoke with TMZ, explaining she believed she had not been invited to her father's wedding due to her activism along with her connection to dad Duane Chapman's former network UnleashedTV sparked the rift.

According to Dog's daughter, UTV fired the reality star for using racial and homophobic epithets. She also claims he called BLM protesters 'thugs.'

Bonnie still works with UTV on their own show The System, which focuses on dismantling systemic racism.



Better times: The Chapmans are seen together in 2019

And that connection seemed to make things tense between the family this weekend when Chapman's fiancee Francie Frane texted Bonnie to accuse her and step-sister Cecily of betraying their father by working with the network.

'Bonnie, First I'd like to say that playing dumb does not suit you AT ALL, You are WAY WAY SMARTER than that,' Frane wrote in a text given to TMZ.

'And Cecily's statement is absolutely INCORRECT !!!! We Love How the two of You in different ways are like your mom.

'So let's not beat around the bush, You & Cecily both known you haven't been invited to the wedding because your living under the same roof with the people who stabbed in the back, robbed, lied, manipulated, smeared his name and tried to ruin his career.

Late wife: Beth died at a hospital in Hawaii after a long battle with cancer on June 26, 2019. She was 51. Seen in 2017 above

'You and Cecily have chosen to align yourselves with this and my job is to AT ALL COSTS protect you dad !!! I Love You Bonnie, And I truly hope with all my heart that You and Cecily find what your searching for and find happiness, true happiness in your life.'

Dog - who is a father of 13 - denied his daughters claims he was fired over using racist/homophobic language, calling the accusations a 'false' attempt to mess with the wedding.

He also told TMZ his daughters are being 'groomed' by his shady former associates, pleading: 'Please pray for Bonnie and Cecily to be released from whatever hold these people have on them.'

'Despite the sadness, we feel at this rift in our family, Francie and I are looking forward to celebrating our wedding next week with the rest of our family and close friends.'

The day earlier Bonnie and Cecily told TMZ a slightly different story, saying they think they have not been asked to attend the nuptials and they think it is because they resemble his late wife Beth and the star perhaps does not want to be reminded of her.

Dog and Francie responded that they 'love Cecily and Bonnie very much' but they 'wish to keep any family issues private.'

Other reasons: The day earlier Bonnie and Cecily told TMZ a slightly different story, saying they think they have not been asked to attend the nuptials and they think it is because they resemble his late wife Beth and the star perhaps does not want to be reminded of her

Beth died at a hospital in Hawaii after a long battle with cancer on June 26, 2019. She was 51.

She and Dog had been married since 2006 and she co-starred alongside her husband on Dog the Bounty Hunter, Dog and Beth: On the Hunt and Dog's Most Wanted.

Chapman has been married five times and has 13 children.

His first child is Christopher Michael Hecht, whose mother is Debbie White.

He two children with his first ex-wife, La Fonda Sue Darnell: they are sons Duane Lee Chapman, II (born in 1973) and Leland Blane Chapman (born in 1976).

The family: Duane 'Dog' Chapman (C) and family arrive at Nickelodeon's 26th Annual Kids' Choice Awards at USC Galen Center in 2013 in Los Angeles, California

With second ex-wife Ann Tegnell, Dog welcomed three children: Zebadiah Chapman (born in 1980, but is deceased) Wesley Chapman (also born in 1980), and James Robert Chapman (born in 1982).

With third ex-wife, Lyssa Rae Brittain, he had daughter Barbara Katie Chapman (born 1982; she is deceased), son Tucker Dee Chapman (born 1983) and Lyssa Rae Chapman (born 1987).

Dog had two children with Beth: Bonnie (born 1998) and Garry (born 2001).

He adopted Cecily Barmore-Chapman (born 1993) who Beth had with her ex-husband.

The 68-year-old reality television star - who has been married five times previously - will be marrying 52-year-old rancher Francie next week.





He said this summer: 'I'm getting married. We went to the venue, picked it out yesterday, looked at it. Man, it costs a lot to get married.'





They began dating in March 2020 which was 10 months after his wife Beth died.
That winter of 1965, the Rolling Stones had just released Satisfaction, seemingly the most smutty single ever.

It wasnt actually smutty at all  the most suggestive thing about it was the title  but they were at a peak of notoriety encouraged by their manager, Andrew Oldham, who realised that fans wanted something edgier than the family-friendly Beatles.

Soon afterwards they did a gig at the ABC Cinema in Stockton-on-Tees and thats where I first met Charlie Watts, interviewing him and the rest of the band backstage as a cub reporter for a northern newspaper.

With the press depicting them as scruffy and dirty, I expected to be greeted by a bunch of grunting Neanderthals, but Charlie was the most hygienic, fragrant and well-dressed pop musician you could wish to meet.

The others were more wacky but even Brian Jones, the prototype rock star, washed his hair twice a day and they were all perfectly nice to me, even signing a page of my notebook.

I first met Charlie Watts, interviewing him and the rest of the band backstage as a cub reporter for a northern newspaper, in 1965

When Charlie, a former art school student, added his name, he put a little decorative border around all the signatures, together with the name of the band in case I should forget who they were.

No one thought then that they would still be going even six months later, let alone more than 50 years.

Charlie, who was then 24, had not long given up a regular job working for an advertising agency, and he was still living with his parents in North London.

A girl I knew had been out with him some time earlier and told me how, every Friday night, he brought his mum home a coffee-and-walnut cake. He got one for this young woman as well, only hed take the walnut off the top of her cake and put it on his mums so that she would have two.

By the time I met him he was married to Shirley Shepherd, a sculpture student at the Royal College of Art. They were together right up until his death and he famously attributed the success of their 57-year marriage to the fact that I wasnt really a rock star.

Throughout his life he remained faithful to Shirley, once explaining that on tour everybody is sleeping with everybody else but I have nobody to sleep with so I talk to people and draw.

Once, when the Stones visited Hugh Hefners original Playboy Mansion in Chicago, he ignored all the orgies going on around him and just sat there sketching people, a little oasis of innocence amid all the depravity.

As for talking, I was one of the people he often fell into conversation with when I accompanied the Stones on various of their tours.

With the press depicting them as scruffy and dirty, I expected to be greeted by a bunch of grunting Neanderthals, but Charlie was the most hygienic, fragrant and well-dressed pop musician you could wish to meet. Pictured: Rolling Stones in 2018

In those days, before rock became industrialised and PRs hung around limiting you to half-hour interviews, you really could get to know the musicians, and Charlie made himself available far more than most.

It would take ages for the others to come out of their hotel suites each morning, but he would always be up early, prowling around in his knickerbockers or whatever stylish outfit hed chosen for the day.

I knew that it was pointless trying to chat to him about the band because he was tired of people trying to get him to say something compromising.

Instead he loved talking about things like the American Civil War and The Buffalo Bill Wild West Annual, a 1950s childrens book we had loved as youngsters.

We both remembered the hero Wild Bill Hickok being shot in the back by a two-bit gambler called Jack McCall. Charlie told me how, as a little boy, he had carefully covered his copy of the annual in brown paper to keep it in pristine condition.

Apparently he did this with all his books, a telling detail which wouldnt have made good newspaper copy at the time but told you everything you needed to know about how far he was from being rock n roll.

He really was the reluctant Rolling Stone. His first love was jazz and his publicist once told me that, wherever they were in the world, Charlie was always longing to catch the next flight home.

Neither did he have time for the politics within the Stones.

The others were more wacky but even Brian Jones, the prototype rock star, washed his hair twice a day and they were all perfectly nice to me, even signing a page of my notebook. Pictured: The Rolling Stones in 1968

They were worse than the Borgias, forever falling out with each other, but they all liked Charlie because he wasnt a competitor and he wasnt an attention-seeker.

In a world where everything is about image and facade and pretence, he was always resolutely himself. To have stayed so triumphantly not a Stone while in the Stones was pretty amazing, as was his lack of ego.

The length of some of their gigs meant that a chamber-pot had to be placed on the stage so that they did not have to go back to their dressing-rooms during shows. This was placed near Charlies drums and it cant have been nice to have your band members relieving themselves out of sight of the audience but directly in your eye-line.

You cant imagine big characters such as Ginger Baker and Keith Moon, drummers with Cream and The Who, putting up with that, but it was typical of Charlie that he did.

Hearing of his death, after all these years with the Stones, its as if one of the great stone images of the American presidents has been removed from Mount Rushmore.

And thats an appropriate image because Charlie really did have a stone face, seeming to me like a rock and roll version of Buster Keaton, the unsmiling silent film comedian. His humour was so dry that you really had to be tuned into it, but there was something ironic about his whole manner which suggested that he never really took things seriously.

On one of their tours, the Stones played in Orlando, Florida, and I accompanied them around Disney World, where the attractions included a Wild West ride.

By the time I met Charlie (pictured in 1968) he was married to Shirley Shepherd, a sculpture student at the Royal College of Art

You would have thought that was right up Charlies street, but as always it was hard to tell whether he was enjoying himself or not. That said, he wasnt always so impassive.

When news came through that Brian Jones had been found dead in his swimming pool in 1969 after being fired from the band that he had started and even named, Charlie could not stop crying.

When he did finally reach the limits of his tolerance, it was in typically Charlie fashion. Wild Bill Hickok himself would have been proud of the way he handled that incident in 1984 when he famously punched Mick Jagger for calling him my drummer.

What most accounts of that contretemps miss out is that Charlie stormed out of the room, leaving a shaken Mick Jagger trying to make sense of what happened and suggesting he would soon be back to apologise.

Sure enough, Charlie did reappear, but only to wallop Mick again: Just so you dont forget.

That came at a difficult time in Charlies life. As has been reported in many obituaries, there was a two-year period when, with the future of the band in question and family problems including his daughter Seraphina being expelled from school for smoking dope, he began hitting the bottle and developed a heroin habit.

I was surprised by this. Many musicians are slightly needy and empty people for whom drink and drugs fill the gaps in their lives when they are not on stage, but Charlie always seemed very self-sufficient.

Wild Bill Hickok himself would have been proud of the way he handled that incident in 1984 when he famously punched Mick Jagger for calling him my drummer' (pictured together in 2014)

There was plenty going on for him at the estate in Devon where Shirley bred Arabian horses and he collected vintage cars. This perhaps explains why his lost period was relatively brief, lasting only two years, before a fall down his cellar stairs when he was fetching a bottle of wine resulted in a broken ankle and a realisation of all that he was in danger of losing, his marriage included.

In the farming community of which he became part, he was a highly regarded and much-respected local figure, supporting the local hunt with generous cheques, and known in his local pub, the Duke of York in the village of Iddesleigh, as the Drummer Boy.

Of course, life was not without challenges, including his successful treatment for throat cancer in 2004.

Earlier this month it was announced that because of surgery for an unspecified illness he wouldnt be joining the Stones on their forthcoming 13-date tour of the U.S.

His death, like his life, was far from rock n roll. Dying peacefully in a London hospital, he was surrounded by his family  a cherished husband, father and grandfather, one of the greatest drummers of his generation.

And still the kind and courteous man who drew in my notebook all those years ago.
Dancing On Ice star and former Scottish rugby international Max Evans has become a dad for the first time, welcoming a daughter with girlfriend Debora Casimiro.

Debora gave birth to baby girl Diana-Sofia at 7:58pm on Tuesday, August 24 and the couple looked the picture of happiness as Debora cradled their newborn girl in the hospital bed in their first family snap posted to Instagram.

Max, 37, wrote a note to his newborn online saying: 'Dear Diana-Sofia, you entered our beautiful World at 19.58pm on Tuesday 24th August 2021.

Cute: Dancing On Ice star and former Scottish rugby international Max Evans has become a dad for the first time, welcoming a daughter with girlfriend Debora Casimiro

'I've been looking forward to kissing you for a very long time! Singing to you as I held you in my arms for the 1st time, will forever be the most joyful moment of my life.

I promise to love & protect you with all my heart & soul. You have your Mothers grace in abundance, thank you @deboracasimiro for giving our Family the greatest blessing we can dream of, we are all eternally grateful. All my love, Max #babygirl #welcomedianasofia'

A delighted Max also told his fans on Instagram: 'New addition to the Evans family.'

Showing off a picture of him exercising in the hospital he added: 'Welcome baby girl. Still crunching 100 push ups a day! Five sets 20 reps'

Doting: Max, 37, wrote a note to his newborn online saying: 'Dear Diana-Sofia, you entered our beautiful World at 19.58pm on Tuesday 24th August 2021

His brother Thom Evans also posted a message on his Instagram stories referring to himself as 'Uncle Thommy' and adding 'Alright alright alright. Love you you Debora Casimiro Max Evans' while his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger also sent well-wishes.

Max got together with Debora in May 2020 following a messy split with fiancee Lauren Jamieson, the sister of Scots Olympic swimmer Michael Jamieson, who he dated for eight years

Max, who was previously married to glamour model Katy Johnson in 2014, also hit the headlines with Debora in August 2020 when he shared a video of himself groping her breasts as she drove at 70mph down the motorway.

Cute: Max's brother Thom Evans and his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger sent their well wishes alongside Vernon Kay

Delivery room: Thom posted a candid snap of Max holding his baby girl

Fun: Max did some exercise in the delivery room in a fun video

Max later deleted the video while road safety experts branded his behaviour 'incredibly irresponsible'.

He met Debora while meditating on the beach.

Back in February Max announced he was going to be a dad with his dancer girlfriend of less than a year - making his brother 'uncle Thom' and Nicole Scherzinger 'aunt Nicole'.

A thrilled Max, who won forty four caps for Scotland as a Rugby Union player, announced the news to friends as he posed alongside his girlfriend.

Max got together with Debora in May 2020 shortly after his messy split with fiancee Lauren Jamieson, the sister of Scots Olympic swimmer Michael Jamieson, who he dated for eight years.

Delighted: Back in February Max announced he was going to be a dad with his dancer girlfriend of less than a year - making his brother 'uncle Thom' and Nicole Scherzinger 'aunt Nicole'

Over the moon: A thrilled Max announced the news to friends oas he posed alongside his girlfriend

Banter: Max also teased brother Thom, who is set to be an uncle to the couple's first child

Addressing Instagram followers, he wrote: 'Baby Girl in August Overjoyed My Valentine @deboracasimiro #hotmumma #happyvalentinesday.'

Below the post, his rugby playing brother brother Thom who is dating Nicole Scherzinger after taking part in Strictly and Celebrity X Factor said: 'Amazing news. Uncle Thom is overjoyed.'

Max then replied: 'Uncle Thommy, son' while a fan joked: 'Congrats uncle Thom and aunt Nicole.'

Reaching out: Amongst those to congratulate her were Max's friends John Terry and Dragon's Den star Peter Jones

Special lady: Debora was presented with croissants and roses for a romantic breakfast as the couple celebrated Valentine's Day on Sunday

Max also teased Thom: 'Let's have a chat uncles.'

Debora, who was presented with croissants and roses for a romantic breakfast, posted a picture of her with Thom touching her pregnant tummy and said: 'I'm so happy! We're waiting for you baby girl my love @maxevans13.' #love #weloveyoudaddy #babygirl.'

Amongst those to congratulate her were Max's friends John Terry, Love Island's Laura Anderson and Dragon's Den star Peter Jones.
The Rolling Stones are reportedly planning on paying an emotional tribute to Charlie Watts on stage during their tour next month.

The group were left devastated by Charlie's passing on Tuesday aged 80 but they are said to believe he would have wanted them to carry on with the shows.

A source told The Sun: 'The band want to make the show a celebration of his life.

Plan: The Rolling Stones are reportedly planning on paying an emotional tribute to Charlie Watts on stage during their tour next month (pictured L-R Ronnie Wood, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts)

'He was like a brother to them but they know he would have hated the thought of them cancelling shows.

'Charlie had given them his blessing to tour without him following his operation, so they will honour his wishes.'

The group, made up of Mick Jagger, 78, Keith Richards, 77, and Ronnie Wood, 74, will resume their No Filter tour on September 26 in St Louis, Missouri.

Charlie previously pulled out of the tour after undergoing a medical procedure last month.

Heartbreaking: The group were left devastated by Charlie's passing on Tuesday aged 80 but they are said to believe he would have wanted them to carry on with the shows

MailOnline has contacted representatives for The Rolling Stones for comment.

The death of the London-born drummer was announced on Tuesday - with a statement saying he had 'passed away peacefully in hospital surrounded by his family'.

The band lead an outpouring of grief following the news, with Ronnie sharing a picture of the pair with the caption: 'I love you my fellow Gemini ~ I will dearly miss you ~you are the best'.

Rolling Stones frontman Mick shared a poignant photo of a smiling Charlie on both Twitter and Instagram, without a caption, while guitarist Keith posted a Twitter photo of the Rolling Stones' drum kit with a 'closed' sign hanging from it.

Career: The London-born drummer (left) joined the then-fledgling band in 1963 after meeting Mick, Keith and Brian Jones while playing in rhythm and blues clubs

Ronnie's wife Sally, 43, shared a slew of throwback pictures of the drummer that she captioned: 'We love you Charlie. The whole world will miss you xx '.

Fearne Cotton, who is married to Ronnie's son Jesse, took to Instagram to express her upset at the 'biggest and saddest loss'.

Alongside prayer hand emojis, she wrote: 'Charlie. An era defining drummer with an abundance of style and class. The biggest and saddest loss to the world of music.

'Musicians of this standard dont come around often. Someone who creates a sound that is emulated by so many others for decades.

'I will dearly miss you': Mick, Ronnie and Keith shared poignant tributes to Charlie after the Rolling Stones rocker passed away

'He was always so kind and funny whenever I saw him. Prayers and love to Charlies family. '

Charlie joined the then-fledgling band in 1963 after meeting Mick, Keith and Brian Jones while playing in rhythm and blues clubs.

Along with Jagger and Richards, Watts featured on every one of the band's studio albums. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest drummers of all time.

Watts was due to tour the US with the band later this year. But it was announced earlier this month he would not feature due to a recent emergency surgery.

Poignant: Keith shared a poignant Twitter photo of the Rolling Stones' drum kit with a 'closed' sign hanging from it

His London publicist, Bernard Doherty, said in a statement this evening: 'It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts.

'He passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family.

'Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also as a member of The Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation.

'We kindly request that the privacy of his family, band members and close friends is respected at this difficult time.'

Earlier this month, it was announced that Watts was to miss the band's forthcoming US tour.

History: Alongside frontman Sir Mick and guitarist Keith, Charlie (pictured centre) was among the longest-standing members of the Stones, which has seen a shifting line-up of musicians including Mick Taylor, Ronnie and Bill Wyman

Session and touring musician Steve Jordan was previously announced as Watts' temporary replacement on drums.

Watts said at the time that 'For once my timing has been a little off. I am working hard to get fully fit but I have today accepted on the advice of the experts that this will take a while.'

A spokesperson said then that Watts' procedure had been 'completely successful' but that he needed time to recuperate.

Following the news, Mick welcomed Jordan, who will join the band when the tour starts, with dates also scheduled for Pittsburgh, Nashville, Minneapolis, Dallas and more

Alongside frontman Sir Mick and guitarist Keith, Watts was among the longest-standing members of the Stones, which has seen a shifting line-up of musicians including Mick Taylor, Ronnie Wood and Bill Wyman.

Tour: Charlie previously pulled out of the tour after undergoing a medical procedure last month (pictured in 2012)

In 2004, Watts was treated for throat cancer at London's Royal Marsden Hospital and he was given the all-clear after a four-month battle with the disease, involving six weeks of intensive radiotherapy treatment.

Watts was diagnosed after discovering a lump on the left side of his neck.

Doctors performed a biopsy which confirmed the tumour was malignant and he was diagnosed with throat cancer in June that year.

His spokesman said at the time that Watts' treatment had 'not interfered with any tour or recording plans for the group, who have been 'relaxing between work commitments''.

Following his recovery, the band began work on their 22nd studio album, A Bigger Bang.

Watts, who reportedly gave up smoking in the 1980s, said during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine at the time that he felt 'very lucky' doctors had caught the cancer early.
Lil' Nas X is pointing out a double standard after skateboarding legend Tony Hawk pulled a similar stunt to him this week that involved using his own blood.

In March, the rapper - real name Montero Lamar Hill - caused a huge backlash after releasing unofficial 'Satan' Nike sneakers containing human blood.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Hawk teamed up with the beverage Liquid Death to release a limited edition $500 skateboard with his blood infused into the paint.

Where's the outrage? Lil Nas X has called out a perceived double standard after Tony Hawk pulled a similar blood-infused stunt to his 'Satan Shoes' that caused 'no public outrage'

Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, Lil Nas said there had been 'no public outrage' over Hawk's marketing trick, adding: 'Are y'all ready to admit y'all were never actually upset over the blood in the shoes? and maybe u were mad for some other reason?'

One fan replied highlighting the difference in reaction between a 'gay black man selling blood shoes' and a 'white dude selling blood skateboards.'

The rapper's controversial sneakers sold out under a minute back in March, while Hawk's limited edition skateboard line sold out within 20 minutes.

Not as controversial? Hawk teamed up with the beverage Liquid Death to release a limited edition $500 skateboard with his blood infused into the paint

However, Hawk's team-up with sparkling water brand Liquid Death was part of a pre-agreed marketing strategy, while Lil Nas got into hot water with Nike as his sneakers were unofficial merchandise.

The black-and-red sneakers were part of a collaboration between the performer and New York-based art collective MSCHF and were made using Nike Air Max 97s.

Their design included a pentagram pendant, and an upside down crucifix, and 666 pairs were made.

Good point: Lil' Nas X said that maybe his critics were 'mad for some other reason' over his blood stunt

They quickly sold out at $1,018 a pair, but Nike later slapped a lawsuit on the company MSCHF over trademark infringement, following the public outcry.

The suit was later settled, and Lil Nas was not a defendant.

At the time, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem slammed the rapper for promoting the sneakers - and his raunchy demon-themed new music video - during Holy Week.

Sell out: Despite the steep price tag, many just had to own the novelty item as all 100 decks were sold out within a mere 20 minutes of the item being posted

His accompanying Satanic themed music video for Montero (Call Me By Your Name) raised more than a few eyebrows in the conservative community.

In April, Nike announced that it had reached a settlement with the Brooklyn-based art collect MSCHF Product Studio Inc. for creating 'Satan Shoes' in collaboration with the star.

The shoe giant said that MSCHF had agreed to a voluntary recall on the sneakers, which were designed with input from the rapper.
ABBA are set to break their 39-year hiatus as they will reportedly release brand new music next Friday.

The tracks will be the first new music from the Swedish group made up of Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad in almost four decades.

According to The Sun, the Dancing Queen hitmakers are gearing up to launch a show called Abba Voyage which will see 'ABBAtars' of their younger selves beamed on stage to perform their songs.

They're back! ABBA are set to break their 39-year hiatus as they will reportedly release brand new music next Friday (Bjorn Ulvaeus, back left, Benny Andersson, back right, Agnetha Faltskog, front left, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad pictured in 1974)

A source said: 'ABBA are finally making their comeback and plan to release their first new music in 39 years next Friday  it's huge.'

The Abba Voyage will follow the group's comeback and the creation of a purpose-built theatre in East London for their hologram show, reportedly set to open next month.

The insider added: 'Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid will all be there on the opening night. And they will finally unveil their Abba-tars, which are like holograms of themselves.

'The show will feature the Abba-tars performing and speaking to the audience. It will be like taking a step back in time for those watching.'

Comeback: The tracks will be the first new music from the Swedish group in almost four decades (a mock up of the hologram tour is pictured)

Comeback: The group is made up of Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (pictured together in 2016)

ABBA are said to have teamed up with Pop Idol creator Simon Fuller to bring the show to life.

Plans for the comeback have been in place since 2019 but were delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for ABBA for comment.

It comes after reports surfaced on Tuesday that the group were set to hold a press conference in Stockholm, leading to a flurry of speculation that a huge announcement could be on the cards.

The Swedish quartet announced in 2018 they were planning to record new tracks for the first time in 35 years, and it was confirmed last year that they have more songs than originally planned.

Show: According to The Sun , the Dancing Queen hitmakers are gearing up to launch a show called Abba Voyage which will see 'ABBAtars' of their younger selves beamed on stage to perform their songs

Despite the news, ABBA have had to delay the releases, which includes I Still Have Faith In You and Don't Shut Me Down, as well as their ABBAtar hologram tour.

Band member Bjorn Ulvaeus - who is joined by Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Frida Lyndstad in the chart-topping group - told journalist Geoff Lloyd as such.

Speaking on an episode of his podcast Reasons To Be Cheerful, the radio presenter explained: 'I got to spend an hour with Bjorn Ulveaus from ABBA via Zoom. They've recorded five new songs.

'They should have been out at the end of last year. They're going to get these holograms out on tour.

Premise: The Abba Voyage will follow the group's comeback and the creation of a purpose-built theatre in East London for their hologram show, reportedly set to open next month

'Because of technical difficulties and the pandemic, it's delayed things. But he promised me that the new ABBA music will be out in 2021.'

In a statement announcing the new songs, ABBA said at the time: 'The decision to go ahead with the exciting ABBA avatar tour project had an unexpected consequence.

'We all four felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go into the recording studio.'

Major announcement: The Swedish quartet announced in 2018 they were planning to record new tracks

Bjorn later explained the plans had been delayed until at least 2020 due to the complex technical nature of the show they are creating.

The Waterloo group went their separate ways in 1982 at the height of their career, and during their final years Bjorn divorced bandmate Agnetha whilst Benny and Frida split up, too.

They performed together for the first time in decades in 2016 at a private event, which marked the 50th anniversary of the first meeting between songwriters Bjorn and Benny.
Older workers might choose to delay their retirement if offered the option of continuing to do their jobs from home after the pandemic, new research has indicated.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found those in their 50s and 60s who were working from home during the coronavirus crisis said they were planning to retire later than those who were still travelling to their workplace.

It could have a positive knock-on effect for those who are able to work remotely, and grow the economy.

Our new article looks at the impact working from home has on older workers.



In June and July 2020, older workers working entirely from home were more likely to say they planned to retire later than workers who didnt work from home https://t.co/WegafHQNIs pic.twitter.com/UxwKXPmYJ0  Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) August 25, 2021

The age at which a person retires has implications for their financial security, the ONS said.

It added that more than 5% could be added to UK gross domestic product (GDP) if those aged 50 to 64 were employed at the same level as 35 to 49-year-olds.

However, not everyone is able to work from home, and the circumstances of those unable to do their jobs remotely during the pandemic make them more likely to stop working early.

Millions were forced to work from home during the pandemic (Joe Giddens/PA)

They are more likely to live in deprived areas, be in poor health, have lower or no qualifications, and experience lower wellbeing.

If home-workers are able to stay in the labour market longer, it could entrench these inequalities, the ONS said.

Working from home has not been possible for everybody.



While it may help some older workers stay in the labour market for longer it may also highlight existing inequalities https://t.co/BvcEq0cRvR pic.twitter.com/hOdJ95aFB4  Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) August 25, 2021

However, remote working offers huge benefits for those able to do so.

In a 2018 poll commissioned by the Government, 78% of over-50s said employers should introduce flexible working.

And when asked in May and April this year, workers aged 50 to 69 reported that it improved their work/life balance and wellbeing, the ONS said.

Millions of employees switched to home-working during the pandemic, to slow the spread of Covid-19 across the world.

For those who could not do their job from home, and who did not work for an organisation which was allowed to stay open, the Government paid up to 80% of their salaries through the furlough scheme.

Louise Ansari, at the Centre for Ageing Better, said: Its vital that the move towards more flexible working for some doesnt entrench inequalities.

These figures highlight the importance of Government bringing forward measures in the Employment Bill to give all workers the right to flexible working so no-one is forced out of work early due to health conditions or caring responsibilities.
Treading lightly on Tanna We go on a new ecotourism adventure tour in North Tanna
Linda Caldwell is the former executive director of the Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association. She has served on numerous regional, state, and national boards for organizations that focus on history, preservation, community arts, and rural economic development. She can be reached at lindacaldwell1942@gmail.com
Following a unique season in which it went 3-1 in front of an empty stadium, the No. 20 Washington football team is back with fans in the stands. The Huskies have a full schedule ahead, including a premier nonconference matchup in week two when they travel to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan.
The recent pronouncements that Vybz Kartel is inclined to take the COVID-19 vaccine, and should be commissioned by the Jamaican Government to play a lead role in urging Jamaicans to take the jab, has not gone down well with many Gaza Nation fans.

On Sunday, Professor Carolyn Cooper had said Vybz Kartel was Howard Mitchells, top pick for the Ministry of Healths Every Vax Counts campaign. Mitchell, who is Chairman of Jamaicas National Health Fund, had even advised Minister of Health Dr. Christopher Tufton to go and reason with Vybz Kartel in prison to see if he would compose a song to encourage people to get vaccinated.

A day later his attorney, Isat Buchanan had concurred that Kartel should be considered by the Government, which is seeking to get 65 percent of Jamaicans inoculated against COVID-19 by March 2022.

Buchanan had also suggested in a television interview that the Cake Soap artist was open to being vaccinated.

He later told the Star that Kartel was ready and willing to take the vaccine if it were available and when all inmates have it available to them, Mr Palmer would be happy to take it.

But on Monday, many of Vybz Kartels fans reacted in disbelief on the Stars IG page.

If Kartel do that I will never say Gaza again to bloodclaat, chappalaw said, while bowlegged_kelly added: Know the Gaza fans dem nuh believe that, cah trick wi.

Think uno can trick we fi tek that bloodclaat ,

bizzle__usetothings wrote.

Some fans expressed horror, and urged him not to take the jab claiming that here was a plot afoot to get rid of him once and for all, by way of the vaccine.

They planning to kill u off baby , __shordie_ wroe, while

gwollagrumpzqq eeeched: No mi DJ dont do it them want kill u off.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!! no tek it vybz kartel a kill dem want kill u off, destiny.choppa5 id, while i.am_gabby_ wiled:  kill unuh wa kill off mi artist.

Some argued that any government official proposing that Kartel be the face of the campaign was being duplicitous, and opportunistic.

Tek kartel out unuh mouth yall only love this man for beneficial reasons kmfrct, kartel__baby said.

Lmfao government a real play ground enuh. This man Inna lock up. Yall make sure lock him up enuh because yall wanna get rid of him because he influential NOW YALL WANT KARTEL FI MAKE PEOPLE TAKE VACCINE ??? WANT THE MAN DO OONU DIRTY DEEDS government ya very mixy. Never see a government so bare face and dry eye enuh, ms_ixlandchick wrote.

Everything unuh use kartel name it goes to show say a true di influence weh di man have weh even bigger than the prime Minister mek unuh lock up di man now unuh want try use di man influence fi convince people fi take vaccine di man fi just sue unuh fi a use him name without authorization, jd_daddii declared.

Others said it was an affront to Jamaicans intelligence for anyone to think Kartel controls his fans minds and decision-making, noting that they cannot be convinced against their will.

Them really think kartel control a large percent of Jamaicans mind, what a insult , shawn_boss876 jeered, while

joeladams._, imilrly mued added:  kartel a our artist not our doctor .

idk about the other gaza fan but I aint taking it.Kartel get bout 7 pickney already enu me nahh mek my penis die den next ting me cya cum off a the gelding truck , ty.ler.gaza said.

Vybz Kartel only can give us advice about taking it. Like same how him give advice inna him music .better them say them ago ask him if him can give advice about covid 19 them mek it sound like Kartel control we nope he dont, faith.hope.blessing.prayer declared.

Others said they were hard core Gaza fans, but made it clear that they would not get inoculated, even if the World Boss did.

Gaza me seh but all if a Kartel mek it me nah tek it, west_side_256 said.

All if me say Gaza 1000 more me naa take it  RESPEC TEACHA SAME WAY BUT ME NAA BE NO PUPPET,

chadrich876 noted, while tavii_legend added: True we did guh bleach true him not this time

As the discussion continued, some fans contended that there was trickery afoot to coerce people into getting vaccinated, by associating Kartels name with the inoculation thrust.

@vybzkartel mad dem a tell lie pon you bout you ago tek vaccine , joeladams._ wrote, while tagging Kartel.

Would love to see resent picture and him telling us that, Kartel not that mad, morgann379 while a.j.a.e_ rubbished he notion pointing out: Unuh already spread F-ckry about him wanting to get baptized. Dont badda widdit.

There were others who said they followed Kartel on Instagram and since he did not make the statement there, they did not believe.

We wah hear it from Vybz Kartel page. Not from unuh,

richjamaicans wrote, while toocute.ariel added: Mi wan hear kartel seh dis outta fi him mouth fuss den mi will believe but fi now bye.

Affi hear that from kartel him self and all when me hear it from kartel me nah take it, kellyy_unbreakable added.
Jamaican record producer Rvssian has announced the death of his father, Michael Micron Johnston at age 81.

In a heartbreaking Instagram post today, the 33-year-old producer honored the life of his father, detailing the honorable man, that he was.

Rvssian, as Founder of Head Concussion Records, followed in his dads footsteps as an entrepreneur and a promulgator of the culture and music. Rising to popularity after producing Vybz Kartels Life Sweet in 2010 and Straight Jeans and Fitted, Rvssian has since then worked with international acts such as Shaggy, Demarco, Juice Wrld, Post Malone, French Montana, Tyga, among many others.

Always crediting his father for his love of the music, Rvssian told the Jamaica Observer in 2014 that it was his old man who influenced him to enter the business. My father played guitar and the piano. He allowed me to use his equipment until I saved and bought mine, Rvssian said.

In the Instagram post, Rvssian shared a video of his father on a hospital bed along with a tracklist for an album produced by his father and throwback family pictures of a young Johnston and Rvssian.

Mourning his loss, the producer wrote, Daddy I love you you were the best i could ever ask for. I will miss those phone calls from you telling me to buy candles for the hurricanes .. i learned all my good traits from you & wish to be more like you. The simplest person I know, the most humble and most connected to earth.

You were 25 years + ahead of everything. From raising me a vegetarian to preaching about solar houses & electric cars.. i wouldnt be who I am today without you you influenced me musically & gave me tough love. But the right love I needed to go & get it myself without help, the right support mentally, he added.

Rvssian continued, There isnt enough tears for how I feel you are Strongest man I know  I saw you lose my brother a few years ago and that was first time I ever seen you down. but to lose you now so unexpected has killed me inside. I know you would want me to cherish our good moments but its not as easy as they say it is. Thank you for being by my mommy 50 years, now I will try & fill your footsteps. I will share your words to everyone for your latest release  swipe to read words from my dad.. these words will explain the type a man he was 81

Michael Johnston had a legacy career in the music industry. Rising to fame in the 1970s through the production company he operated jointly with Ronnie Burke known as Micron Music Ltd. His last release was in 2011, titled, Jamming with Mikey J, a 16-track instrumental album. Rvssian was also instrumental in the making of the album as he played the bass and wrote Dancehall Rhapsody.

Micron Musics biggest project was Negril, produced by Johnston, an instrumental album by acclaimed American Jazz guitarist Eri Gale.

Supporters and some of Dancehalls biggest acts poured out their condolences in the comments.

Shenseea wrote,  so sorry youre going through this. God got you

Tarrus Riley responded, Sincerest Condolences T More Strength Bredda

Dancehall superstar, Shaggy commented, Condolences mi G 

One supporter, wata invasion boss, attesting to Johnstons character commented Your daddy was a great man. Will surely miss him picking up the grocery at loshusan supermarket for your mom. My condolences to you and the family.
Well-known Reggae artist Ijahman Levi has contracted SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, and his family is asking for prayers from his fans and supporters at this time. He is reportedly under medical supervision and is convalescing at a facility in France.

Ijahman had performed at the No Logo festival in France, and he did a COVID-19 test and returned a positive result. He deteriorated and we are asking the public for prayers for him to pull through. He is conscious now, and he has great family support and a team of dedicated medical professionals around him 24-7, manager Cabel Stephenson told DancehallMag.

Ijahman Levi, who is 75 years old, is known for the reggae cult classic, Jah Heavy Load. Hes a top-tier touring reggae act who has been on the cutting edge of the music business for four decades. He did three shows recently in France including the No Logo Festival, where he was expected to record and film a live performance album. However, he was ailing and could only manage to perform at the show.

Born June 21, 1946, in Christiana, Manchester, Levi, whose real name is Trevor Sutherland, was mentored by musician and vocal teacher, Joe Higgs. He became Ijahman Levi after a religious conversion to Rastafari when he was in prison between 1972 and 1974.

In 1975, Levi recorded Jah Heavy Load for the Concrete Jungle subsidiary of Dip Records. Levi was signed to a recording contract by Island Records labels owner Chris Blackwell. His two albums on Island  Haile I Hymn, released in 1978, and, Are We A Warrior, released in 1979  were produced by late Jamaican producer Geoffrey Chung.

In 1985, Levi released I Do, a duet he recorded with his second wife, Madge which became his best internationally known hit as it performed well on the British reggae charts, hitting number one for several weeks.

Levi has continued to influence Reggae and Ska vocalists with his eclectic approach and songs of spirituality, love and humanity. In the reggae world, Ijahmans most famous composition is the aforementioned Jah Heavy Load.
Editors note: The audio clips included in this story are only a small sample of the 40-plus calls made to 911 the night of the shooting at the Danbury Fair mall. They include examples of callers describing the scene, looking for instructions and providing tips about the shooting. One call has been edited to protect the identity of the caller.

DANBURY  Newly released 911 calls show shoppers, employees and their families fear as they hid from a shooter at the Danbury Fair mall earlier this month.

Dozens of people called 911 on the evening of Aug. 11 after at 15-year-old girl was shot outside Macys. The release of the 911 recordings follows a Freedom of Information Act request from Hearst Connecticut Media.

Just get here fast, Danbury mall, Macys said one caller, who said she heard a gunshot and then saw everyone run.

The calls, at least 40 in total, provide further insight into the leads police had the night of the shooting. They ranged from store workers who locked themselves and patrons in back rooms to family members seeking information so that they could relay it to their loved ones who was trapped inside. Others gave tips to the dispatcher about the shooting and some were looking for direction on what to do while inside the mall.

One caller reported seeing someone run out of the mall, throw something into a bush by Macys, jump in a black Ford or Chevy, and drive away in the direction of Pier 1 Imports.

He kept on looking back and he tucked something into his waistband, the caller said. And then once he got close enough to the bush, he threw it into bush, and sprinted and got into the truck.

The dispatcher took down the callers information, told her and her group to wait, and that a detective would call.

Police have said the teenage girl was shot in the upper chest. She was part of two groups who were in an altercation prior to the shooting. Police described video surveillance footage as showing eight members of one group and an unknown number in another.

A 14-year-year-old boy has been charged with the shooting and further information, including his name, is sealed due to his age. It was unclear whether the 15-year-old girl was the intended target of the shooting, but did state the target may have been a person wielding a hammer.

One caller reported finding a hammer near her car. The dispatcher took down her contact information so police could follow up on scene.

I saw the person was running off with a hammer, and they dropped it off in front of my car, said the caller, who told the dispatcher she was going to Macys with her husband and saw people running out of the store.

A few people called to report an active shooter in the mall.

Others described hiding in the back of stores or what they heard to the dispatchers.

We thought we just heard a gunshot, said a caller who identified himself as the supervisor at the LEGO store. All the other stores closed around us.

OK, just shelter in place, the dispatcher said. Did you see anybody? Did you see anybody run or anybody do the shooting?

I didn't see any shooting, the supervisor said. But I saw everybody running. Pfoof, I just had to take a breath.

OK, just shelter in place, OK, the dispatcher said. We have officers on the way.

A couple callers told the dispatcher in whispers they were hiding behind the Disney store. Dispatchers told shoppers and employees to stay put and wait for the directions of officers, who eventually evacuated people from the mall.

One caller asked the dispatcher what she should do.

I just heard something really loud outside and all the doors started closing, she said. Should I close my store, too?

Yes, close your store and wait and take shelter, the dispatcher said.

Do you know what happened? the employee asked.

No miss, he said.

Do you know what happened? she said.

Do what I told you, he said.

Can I go outside or can I stay in the store? she said.

No, the dispatcher said. Shut the store and remain in the store.

Im in the store, she said. Im just really scared right now.

Okay, the dispatcher said.

So my sister is going to come pick me up. Should I  she began.

Miss, no one is going to go in the mall now, he said. I have to go. I have to take other emergency calls. Just take shelter.

Family members who had loved ones in the mall called to ask for information, but dispatchers had little to give.

Theres an active incident going on, the dispatcher told one caller. Just tell your wife to shelter in place.

The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing and police recently said it is possible more arrests will be made.
DARIEN - The Darien Rotary Club has awarded a $500 grant to the towns Human Services Department for its Back to School program.

The department will use the funds to obtain 10 $50 gift cards to Target for distribution to clients, according to the department Director Ali Ramsteck.

Last year, we started distributing gift cards to Target rather than give out specific items such as backpacks and other school supplies, Ramsteck said. The $50 gift cards will allow clients to select exactly what they need for their specific circumstance.

The Rotary Clubs President Jeremy Ginsberg said that when he mentioned the program to the Rotarys Club members, the Rotary Club enthusiastically, and unanimously embraced the idea.

This is the type of program where our Club can make a difference in peoples lives, and the fact that it will assist school-aged youngsters in their education was a bonus beyond that, Ginsberg said.

We are appreciative of the Rotary Club for assisting us in providing this much-needed program to the community. Their timing was perfect, as school is about to begin, and our families definitely need the help immediately, Ramsteck said.

For information about the department call 203-656-7328 or visit http://www.darienct.gov/. People can also consider reaching out to their neighbors in need by donating a Target gift card to the cause. Gift cards may be mailed in or dropped off at the Darien Town Hall, Mondays through Thursdays, from 8 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.

The Rotary Club meets for their meetings at the Goose restaurant, 972 Post Road, in Darien for lunch on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. Guests are welcome to join for lunch, and find out more about the Rotary Club.
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We are looking to promote environment-friendly vehicles. We came up with FAME-I, and after it received good response, we announced FAME-II scheme with an enhanced outlay of Rs 10,000 crore, Pandey said. (Representational Image: AFP)

New Delhi: Union Heavy Industries Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey on Wednesday said the government is working on establishing charging infarstructure across the country in order to promote faster adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country.

Speaking at industry body SIAM's 61st Annual Convention, Pandey said various ministries and government departments are collaborating to set up charging infrastructure on highways and in cities.

"We are looking to promote environment-friendly vehicles. We came up with FAME-I, and after it received good response, we announced FAME-II scheme with an enhanced outlay of Rs 10,000 crore," Pandey said.

He added that while promoting electric vehicles, the government is keen to establish charging infrastructure as well.

"We are working in a way so that the EVs become a public movement. That's how we are going ahead with this," Pandey noted.

The minister lauded the role played by the automotive sector in generating goods and services tax (GST) as well as providing employment opportunities to over three crore people in the country.

"We understand the importance of this industry. The automotive sector contributes 6.4 per cent to the country's GDP," Pandey said.

The sector accounts for 50 per cent of the entire GST collections, he added.

He noted that the country has now become the fourth-largest auto market in the world, and it is therefore an important part for achieving the goal of a USD 5-trillion economy.

Pandey said that in order to encourage the industry, the government has come out with Rs 1.5 lakh crore production-linked incentive scheme.

He said that under the Atmanirbhar Mission, the country not only wants to cater to its domestic demand but also wants to export good-quality products to various international markets.

"There are countries who dump poor-quality stuff in other countries, I dont want to name such countries, but we are looking to supply better products to global markets," Pandey said while adding that his ministry is ready to support the automotive industry in any kind possible.
The Economic Offences Wing of Cyberabad Police said around 200-300 depositors would benefit. The beneficiaries would be decided after proper auditing.  DC file photo

Hyderabad: If everything goes well, the Cyberabad police will be auctioning the movable and immovable properties seized from the Sun Pariwar group. The money from the auction will be distributed among the duped depositors.

The Sun Pariwar group was the brain-child of Methuku Ravinder, a government teacher in Siddipet district. The racket was busted by the economic offences wing (EOW) of Cyberabad in 2018. In the last four years, the police have arrested 15 of its functionaries including Ravinder.

The group had lured depositors by promising 9 per cent interest per month on deposits. Those depositing Rs 1 lakh were promised Rs 2,08,000 at the end of 12 months. Ravinder used to attract customers with a slogan of Kalisthe Gelustham (Together we win) and reportedly collected Rs 150 crore, in total, from thousands of investors.

The Cyberabad police booked them under the AP Protection of Depositors of Financial Establishments Act, 1999, (APPDFE Act, 1999). This Act has a leverage that benefits the depositors even before the court trial ends.

According to the APPDFE Act, the court has the power to transfer the 'absolute' control over the properties attached in connection with fraud cases to a 'competent authority'; in this case Cyberabad police chief V.C. Sajjanar.

In the first week of August, the Cyberabad police got directions from the court to auction the properties attached and ensured equitable distribution of the auction money among the depositors.

"We have got the green signal from the court to conduct the auction of the properties of Sun Pariwar group which they obtained using the cheated money. In the next few days, we will be holding a committee meeting with all the stakeholders and prepare a plan of action for auctioning of the properties," Sajjanar said.

The Cyberabad police attached immovable property of seven plots and movable property of six vehicles and around Rs 60 lakh in cash in the bank account. The total worth would be around Rs 50 crore.

The money acquired from the auction of properties will be distributed among the depositors who invested in Sun Pariwar group and got duped.

The Economic Offences Wing of Cyberabad Police said around 200-300 depositors would benefit. The beneficiaries would be decided after proper auditing.

"We have defended the contention that the property the accused had acquired is from the money the firm has taken from depositors. The court thus gave an order in favour of us," said Kavitha Dara, additional deputy commissioner of police, crimes, Cyberabad.

She said that, hopefully, all the depositors who got cheated will in future get their money back.
Nellore: Nellore rural sub-division police on Tuesday arrested four persons in the `60 crore land scam, in which 15.47 acres of government land abutting national highway was converted as patta land, by tampering land records online. Venkatachalam tahsildar I. Srinivas Prasad lodged a complaint on August 3 about the tampering of records.

In his statement, he said some persons logged into the government portal related to land records - webland - and transferred 15.47 acres of land belonging to the government in Kumkumpudi and Kakuturu villages in Venkatachalam mandal on July 30. The land was transferred in the name of various persons by using two logins and digital signatures.

Both the YSRCP and the TDP have been blaming each other for the scam after the incident created a flutter in the district.

Based on the complaint, Venkatachalam police registered a case and launched an investigation.

A team of police led by Venkatachalam CI Jaganmohan Rao and SI Karimullah arrested four persons identified as Nallagatla Koteswar Rao, Katta Penchala Bhaskar, Borugadda Geetha and Gurubrahmam in Ongole on Monday after thorough investigation. The team seized a laptop and other equipment used for tampering the records from Geetha, a computer operator. A detailed technical investigation was underway in the case, said DSP Y. Harinath Reddy.

Harinath Reddy said Geetha, who worked as a computer operator in Podalakur mandal in Nellore district some time ago, played a major role in tampering the land records after she was transferred to Gudlur mandal of Prakasam district. Geetha was acquainted with one of the accused Bhaskar of Podalakur mandal while working at Podalakur.

On his request, the woman created land records for 1.16 acres on the name of another accused in the case Nallagatla Koteswar Rao as he had no documents for the land though it was in his possession.

Koteswar Rao paid Rs2 lakhs for changing the land records through Bhaskar then. On July 30, when Gudlur tahsildar was on leave due to health issues, Geetha transferred 15.47 acres of land to Koteswar Rao using biometric and digital signatures of the deputy tahsildars of Vinukonda mandal in Guntur district and Gudlur mandal of Prakasam district. The accused transferred the land in the names of Boddu Bujjamma, Boddu Masthanaiah, Manemma, and N. Koteswar Rao of Venkatachalam mandal.

Harinath Reddy appealed to the people to call on his mobile number 94407 96317 if they had any information on such land scams while assuring to maintain secrecy with respect to their identity.
HYDERABAD: Earlier this year in May, Bharat Biotech claimed that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) did not contribute or do anything much for the development of Covaxin, Indias first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, other than providing a virus strain from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune. The Hyderabad-based pharma company also said the ICMR had assisted with animal tests of Bharat Biotechs vaccine candidates that actually made the development of Covaxin possible.

Both the claims of Bharat Biotech, one of Indias major pharma and vaccine giants, to put it charitably, are disingenuous, prove research into documents, and conversations with people in both the government-owned institutions and other sources.

During a panel discussion organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry and private television channels in May 2021, Dr Suchitra Ella, a top official of Bharat Biotech (holding the position of joint managing director), however, did acknowledge that NIV and ICMR collaborated with the company for animal studies because private industry does not have access to such animals. But she denied on behalf of her company that there was any technology transfer involved from the NIV to Bharat Biotech.

Research shows that on the contrary, Bharat Biotech was completely dependent on the Indian Medical Research Council-National Institute of Virology, Pune, for animal testing of its candidate vaccines and all tweaking required in the vaccines to make them effective against the SARS-CoV2 virus.

The private sector vaccine maker headed by the Ella couple was also dependent on the ICMR when it requested for a special delivery of 30 pairs of Golden Hamsters to the RCC Laboratories, an associate company of Bharat Biotech, ostensibly to undertake toxicology studies of the vaccine.

Incidentally, it was another city-based research facility, the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), also an ICMR lab, for the supply of Golden Hamsters, a rodent popular for animal testing studies of vaccines and drugs developed for human use. It was the NIN, Hyderabad, which supplied around 100 pairs of these animals to NIV, as well an additional 30 pairs to the Bharat Biotech-owned RCC Laboratories.

Following the delivery of Golden Hamsters to the RCC Laboratories, there were fears within the ICMR network that the animals could be bred and resold to other research labs. Such was the worry that the prized lab testing animals could be bred and sold without permission from the ICMR, that the issue was flagged up the ICMR chain of command to reiterate that no such activity could be permitted.

It was reliably learnt that nothing more was heard about the fate of the 30 pairs of Golden Hamsters or the studies for the purpose for which they were specially requisitioned.

Sources said Bharat Biotechs near dismissive attitude towards NIVs contributions to the development of Covaxin hides the fact that the company was at no time, in any position, to carry out either in vitro or in vivo tests on the SARS-CoV2 virus, a facility that only NIV, Pune, holds and has owing to its Bio-Safety Level 4 lab, which is mandatory for conducting any studies, or tests, on highly contagious organisms such as the Covid-19 causing virus.

It was at the NIV that scientists and researchers first established whether SARS-CoV2 multiplies in Golden Hamsters. The NIN scientists then proceeded to studying the virus in what are called challenge studies of the virus and the vaccine candidates in mice, the hamsters, and finally in Rhesus Macaques  a common monkey in India  which were caught in Maharashtra and then rushed to NIV for studying the virus in primates, the final step before starting human trials of a vaccine.

Sources said the worst of it all was how events at NIV unfolded, following the ICMR lab getting into the act to collaborate with Bharat Biotech, was that a substantial number of the NIV staff contracted Covid-19 during the testing phase. There is total silence on whether the company that prompted and sought collaboration with NIV  in this case Bharat Biotech  provided compensation for the Covid-19 hit NIV staff.

There has also been no clarity so far from ICMR whether Bharat Biotech, as per standing rules  revised ICMR guidelines for sponsored and collaborative R&D - has borne the 50 per cent of all cost incurred by an ICMR lab in such collaborations, has been adhered to by the private sector partner.

The ICMR, previously in reply to an RTI query from a news magazine, said the estimated cost incurred by ICMR towards development of Covaxin was `35 crore. However, sources said the figure put out by ICMR was a conservative estimate and the actual cost  when calculated properly in terms of NIVs human resources, intellectual investment, time and establishment costs  would be much more.

When contacted with seven specific queries relating to its collaboration with Bharat Biotech, the NIV responded saying a lot of the information is there from the publications that have come out of this venture.

Prof. Priya Abraham, lab director, did not elaborate any further.

The NIV also did not respond to a query on the number of its technicians and staff involved in the Bharat Biotech sought study of the SARS-CoV2 virus, or how many of its staff contracted Covid-19 during animal trials, or whether there were any fatalities among the staff in the process, and who compensated for the treatment costs of such individuals.
Hyderabad: Union culture and tourism minister G. Kishan Reddy said the Centre was interested in developing historical monuments and forts across India. He said Golconda fort would be developed by GMR Group which would sign an agreement in the days to come.

Addressing the media at the BJP state office at Nampally in Hyderabad on Tuesday, the minister said the Red Fort was being developed by Dalmia Group using CSR funds and the same company was also doing development works of Gandikota fort in Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh.

He said that only 40 structures were recognised by the Unesco, of the 3,700 historical monuments in the country. Only eight structures in Telangana were enlisted to be protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) whereas Andhra Pradesh has 68, and Karnataka 600.

Kishan Reddy said he had fixed a target for himself to develop historical places and tourist spots under the guidance of the Prime Minister. He disclosed his plans to conduct a meeting with national archaeology and state departments to develop the road connectivity and facilities for international tourists to visit the world heritage structure of Ramappa temple in Mulugu district.

The minister said as the tourism sector incurred huge losses due to Covid effect, he had held meetings with travel companies, hotel associations and guides associations to restart tourism. He said mostly India would reopen tourism from January next, and a majority of people would be vaccinated before December 2021.

Kishan Reddy alleged that the earlier governments neglected tourism, adding that the country wanted to encourage tourism for employment generation and investments also. He said the Modi government was connecting every place with national highways and providing railway connectivity.

He said that the Centre had a clear agenda to develop Buddhism and was going to conduct an international conference on Buddhism under the ministry of culture.

Reacting to state finance minister T. Harish Raos remarks against the Centre on the economy, Kishan Reddy said Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had announced several times in the Assembly that the state had a surplus budget and asked why the government was taking loans and why there was a debt situation.

He advised leaders not to compare the states in economy and said Adilabad and Hyderabad did not have the same revenue.
Mumbai: Maharashtra government on Wednesday told Bombay High Court that it will not take any coercive action against Union Minister and BJP leader Narayan Rane in the Nashik Cyber Police FIR against him for his statement against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The next hearing is scheduled for September 17.

Meanwhile, soon after the verdict, Rane while speaking to media said, "The verdict in all cases (by Shiv Sena) filed against me in Bombay High Court has come in my favour. This is an indication that the country is run by laws."

Rane, who was arrested on Tuesday evening, was granted bail a few hours later by the local Court in Mahad of Raigarh district on Tuesday.

While granting conditional bail, the magistrate in his written order termed Rane's arrest as 'justified' but stated that custodial interrogation was not necessary in the case as the statement was allegedly made before the media.

Rane was arrested in Ratnagiri district after several FIRs were registered against him at many places including Nashik and Pune, based on the complaints filed by Shiv Sena leaders for his remarks against Thackeray. Rane on Monday accused Thackeray of ignorance about the year of India's independence at an event and said "I would have given (him) a tight slap."
VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation, in its online meeting on Identification of Potential Sites and Monuments in Andhra Pradesh for World Heritage Tag on Tuesday, suggested to the state government five sites in AP for being included in UNESCOs World Heritage List.

The sites, decided in consultations with leading experts and senior officials of AP Tourism, are Lepakshi Temples, Gandikota Grand Canyon and Fort, Belum Caves, Guntupalli Buddhist Site and Buddhist monuments of Salihundam.

Ch. Babji Rao of Pleach India Foundation spoke about Potential Cultural and Natural Heritage of AP, Journey Towards World Heritage Tag  Process and Preparedness. He pointed out that a total 1,154 sites in the world have so far been listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, including 40 from India. 32 of the Indian sites are cultural, seven natural and one is a mixed property. No site from AP is on this list.

Sthapathi and archaeologist E. Siva Nagi Reddy described the uniqueness of each of the five potential sites in AP for acquiring the World Heritage Tag.

Those who participated in the meeting included AP Chambers office bearers K.V.S. Prakash Rao, president, Pydah Krishna Prasad, president-elect, and Potluri Bhaskara Rao, general secretary, apart from AP Chambers tourism committee chairman K. Lakshminarayana.
The land consists of two plots measuring 550 square metres each. The physical handing over of the land took place on November 4, 2020.  By arrangement

Hyderabad: TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is said to be planning a grand show in the national capital on September 2, when he will lay the foundation stone for the construction of the party office in Delhi.

The event will be attended by all 15 party MPs, 27 MLCs and 103 MLAs, and senior leaders.

This has triggered speculation about Rao attempting to revive his national political plans after two attempts to forge a Federal Front before and after 2018 Assembly polls did not materialise.

Asked about these plans, TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, during his press conference at Telangana Bhavan, said, "Right now, we are just sowing the seed and only starting an office in Delhi. I can't predict what will happen in future."

The TRS was allotted land in the national capital last year to set up its office.

The land and development office of the Union urban affairs ministry handed over the allotment letter for 1,100 square metres of land in Vasant Vihar in New Delhi to TS roads and buildings minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy on October 10 last year. The land consists of two plots measuring 550 square metres each.

The physical handing over of the land took place on November 4, 2020.

Earlier it was planned to lay foundation in December 2020 when Chandrashekar Rao visited Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah soon after GHMC polls. The event was postponed without citing any reason. This will be his first visit to Delhi in 2021.
Mumbai: Union minister Narayan Rane has sparked off a row over his remarks about slapping Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for what he claimed as the latter's ignorance of the year of India's independence.

There is speculation that Rane may be arrested over the remarks against the chief minister. Some reports said a team of Nashik police has left for Chiplun in Konkan region, where Rane is present now, after a complaint against the Union minister over the remarks. There is no word yet from the police on these developments.

It is shameful that the chief minister does not know the year of independence. He leaned back to enquire about the count of years of independence during his speech. Had I been there, I would have given (him) a tight slap, Rane said during his Jan Ashirwad Yatra in adjoining Raigad district on Monday.

The BJP leader and former Shiv Sena chief minister claimed Thackeray forgot the year of independence during his August 15 address to the people of the state. Thackeray had to check the year of independence with his aides midway during the speech that day, Rane said.

Rane's remarks drew sharp reactions from Shiv Sena, whose workers put several posters in Mumbai and other places, calling him a kombdi chor' (chicken stealer), a reference to the poultry shop he ran in Chembur five decades ago, during his initial stint with the Bal Thackeray-led party.

Shiv Sena's Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg MP Vinayak Raut said Rane has lost his mental balance.

To impress BJP leadership, Rane has been attacking Shiv Sena and its leaders. He lost his mental balance after his induction into the Modi-led ministry. Modi should show him the door, Raut said.

Rane flagged off his political life in Mumbai with the son-of-the-soil party led by Bal Thackeray in the late 1960s. He entered the Maharashtra Assembly in 1990 as a Sena MLA.

In February 1999 he was sworn in as Maharashtra's 13th chief minister. That stint was short as the then Shiv Sena-BJP combine lost the state Assembly elections held later that year.

In 2005, Rane parted ways with the Shiv Sena following irreconcilable differences with the Thackerays.

After quitting the Sena, he joined the Congress and was made state revenue minister. He quit the Congress in 2017, saying he had joined it on assurance of being put in the state's top position in six months.

He founded the Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha with his two sons Nilesh and Nitesh as his key generals but later merged it with the BJP.

Over the years, Rane's rivals have linked him to several incidents of violence, claiming his involvement in the murder of a Sena worker and some other crimes in Konkan's Sindhudurg district.
The new director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, Katikithala Srinivas, has a new and rather important task. In a first, non-IAS officers will receive mid-career training along with IAS officers in October this year, under Prime Minister Narendra Modis Mission Karmayogi plan. Inspired by the changes brought in babudom by the government, the new plan will see non-IAS officers rub shoulders with their IAS counterparts at this formerly exclusive Mussoorie venue.

The recent empanelment of 26 officers of the IRS, IRTS and IRPS cadres into joint secretary or equivalent posts is another sign of the gradual equation of the heaven-born with other all-India cadres. Some naysayers predict the end of exclusivity is near.

The inaugural programme will bring together IAS and non-IAS officers from two batches of the civil service. So far only IAS officers routinely went to Mussoorie for a mid-career session at three stages of their service. IPS officers, similarly, went to the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad, for their mid-career training.

These changes have been underway for some time now. Two years ago, the foundation course at the Mussoorie academy, solely intended for the IAS cadre, was opened up to include other Central Group A services. So, the current decision further strengthens the governments common pool of babu talent idea, rather than the silos that exist today.

Faulty smartphones spark a stir

A mobile wapasi andolan is underway in Maharashtra, where anganwadi workers are protesting the substandard and faulty cellphones provided to them by the state government. Many have returned the phones to their respective panchayat samiti officers. They are also demanding better smartphones.

From what DKB hears, the Maharashtra Minister of Women and Child Development Yashomati Chandrakant Thakur and the department Secretary I.A. Kundan are in touch with the Centre for instructions. Babus in several states too are alerting the government about similar complaints. It is still an incipient movement, but the agitation has clearly sent the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) babus into a huddle. Secretary Indevar Pandey has ordered his babus to investigate who ordered the phones and why the Poshan tracker app being used by the anganwadi workers to enter crucial nutrition data has snags.

Apparently, the protesting anganwadi workers have written directly to WCD minister Smriti Irani about the issue though it isnt clear whether the issue has been brought to her attention. However, it is quite likely that officials in the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) may pick on this because it has the potential to become a major issue. There are around 1.4 million anganwadi workers in the country, and all are mandatorily using the app under instructions from the ministry.

Extension dashes hopes of aspirants

Cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba, who was slated to retire at the end of the month, has been granted an extension of service for one year. This seems to be in line with the recent precedent of the government giving extensions to cabinet secretaries. Mr Gaubas predecessor P.K. Sinha held the post well beyond his two-year tenure thanks to several extensions. Shortly after, the government announced that home secretary Ajay Bhalla has also been given a years extension.

Some senior bureaucrats in New Delhi are stung but silent that their hopes of reaching the pinnacle of their career have been dashed by the announcements. Very often bureaucrats aim to finish off their 30-35-year career at the top. After all, these are among the two most powerful positions and there are usually several people waiting in the wings to step up.

However, hopes couldnt have been too high because normally there is a period in which an understudy is placed under the incumbent before being formally appointed to make for a smooth transition. But this time no one of that sort was sighted. Perhaps this is how things are done now.

Share a babu experience! Follow dilipthecherian@Twitter.com. Lets multiply the effect.
Markets regulator Sebi on Wednesday ordered defreezing of bank accounts as well as share and mutual fund holdings of Rana Kapoor, former MD and CEO of Yes Bank.

Kapoor is currently in judicial custody after being arrested in March 2020 in the alleged Yes Bank fraud case.

The regulator, in March, had attached bank accounts, share and mutual fund holdings of Kapoor to recover dues of over Rs 1 crore. The decision was taken after Kapoor failed to pay the fine imposed on him.

Sebi, in September 2020, had levied a fine of Rs 1 crore on Kapoor for not making disclosures regarding a transaction of Morgan Credit, which was an unlisted promoter entity of Yes Bank.

By not disclosing about the transaction to Yes Bank's board of directors, Kapoor created an opaque layer between him and stakeholders and violated the provision of the LODR (Listing Obligations and Dislcosure Requirements) Regulation, Sebi had said in the order.

The Lead: The Yes Bank story

The release order came after Supreme Court, on August 2, stayed the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) order which had upheld a penalty of Rs 1 crore on Kapoor. The stay was subject to payment of Rs 50 lakh by Kapoor.

In compliance with the Supreme Court's interim order, he has deposited the amount, the regulator noted.

Accordingly, Sebi on Wednesday asked all banks in the country and depositories  NSDL and CDSL "to release the bank accounts /locker, demat accounts and mutual fund folios of defaulter (Kapoor) attached if any pursuant to... the notice of attachment".

In February, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) issued a demand notice to Kapoor, although he did not pay any dues.

The pending dues, totalling Rs 1.04 crore, included an initial fine of Rs 1 crore and an interest of Rs 4.56 lakh and a recovery cost of Rs 1,000.
Oil prices fell on Wednesday, taking a breather after a strong rally this week spurred by the loss of a quarter of Mexico's production and signs that China, the world's biggest importer, has curbed a recent coronavirus outbreak.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 25 cents, or 0.4 per cent, to $67.29 a barrel by 0151 GMT, while Brent crude futures dropped 22 cents, or 0.3 per cent, to $70.85.

Both benchmark contracts rose by about 8 per cent over the previous two days, erasing most of the slump from a seven-day losing streak. Prices mainly climbed because of the loss of more than 400,000 barrels per day of supply in Mexico after a fire on an oil platform.

Last week's losses were driven by fears that the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus in Asia would slow the region's economic recovery.

Demand in the United States, the world's biggest oil consumer, appears to be holding up well, according to the latest data from industry group The American Petroleum Institute.

API data showed crude inventories fell 1.6 million barrels for the week ended Aug. 20, while gasoline stockpiles fell 1 million barrels, according to sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Analysts were expecting crude stockpiles to fall by 2.7 million barrel and gasoline stocks to drop by 1.6 million barrels, according to a Reuters poll.

Official data from the US Energy Information Administration is due to be released on Wednesday at 1430 GMT.

In a promising sign that the spread of Delta infections was easing in China, the country on Wednesday reported just 20 new confirmed coronavirus cases for Aug. 24, down from 35 a day earlier.

ANZ commodity analysts pointed to a pick-up in traffic in Beijing and Shanghai as evidence of the Delta variant being "stamped out".

"Nevertheless, improvements in the airline industry may lag amid some ongoing restrictions," ANZ Research said in a note, adding that the loss of Mexican supply is equal to planned output increases in August from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies.
With the gradual easing of Covid-19-related restrictions and an increase in movement, over 50 per cent jump in demand for blue-collar workers is likely in the second half of this year across four major industrialised states  Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, according to a report.

There is likely to be seven million new blue-collar jobs (50 per cent jump as compared to the first half of this year) in the second half of 2021 in Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to drive demand, according to a report by technology platform for blue-collar workforce management BetterPlace.

Maharashtra is expected to be the largest contributor, accounting for 17 per cent of the demand, it added.

The report is based on data from the first six months of 2021 and spans hiring trends and projections across more than 1,500 customers, 10 million employees and 20,000 PIN codes.

"Since the onset of the pandemic, the country has witnessed a steep fall in employment. The worst-hit was the blue-collar workforce, which struggled to retain jobs or secure opportunities," BetterPlace CEO Pravin Agarwala said.

Agarwala said the report shows that the impact of the second Covid-19 wave on jobs was not as severe as the first with the overall job demand rising marginally. In time, the demand is likely to reach pre-Covid-19 levels, which was 104 per cent by 2019," BetterPlace CEO Pravin Agarwala said.

During the second wave, segments like drivers and security personnel were affected badly, he said.

Agarwala added that the drivers, facility workers and security segments shrank quarter-on-quarter by 40 per cent, 25 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively, during the second wave.

"The delivery segment, meanwhile, grew 175 per cent quarter-on-quarter. Logistics, healthcare, e-commerce and retail are witnessing a hiring pick-up," he added.

He also said that if there is a third wave, the transportation, facility workers, security and retail segments will be negatively impacted by as much as 25-50 per cent. "We don't expect any impact on the delivery segment."

The report also showed that with increased mobile and internet penetration, blue-collar workers are adopting digital tools to find jobs that match their skills and desired locations.

The pandemic has also accelerated the adoption of technology by employers looking at large-scale applications to make informed decisions through smarter data analytics, it added.
US officials have approved license applications worth hundreds of millions of dollars for China's blacklisted telecom company Huawei to buy chips for its growing auto component business, two people familiar with the matter said.

Huawei, the world's largest telecommunications equipment maker, has been hobbled by trade restrictions imposed by the Trump administration on the sale of chips and other components used in its network gear and smartphones businesses. The Biden administration has been reinforcing the hard line on exports to Huawei, denying licenses to sell chips to Huawei for use in or with 5g devices.

But in recent weeks and months, people familiar with the application process told Reuters the US has granted licenses authorizing suppliers to sell chips to Huawei for such vehicle components as video screens and sensors. The approvals come as Huawei pivots its business toward items that are less susceptible to US trade bans.

Auto chips are generally not considered sophisticated, lowering the bar for approval. One person close to the license approvals said the government is granting licenses for chips in vehicles that may have other components with 5g capability.

Read | Huawei will return to smartphone 'throne' despite crippling sanctions, chairman says

Asked about the automotive licenses, a US Department of Commerce spokesperson said the government continues to consistently apply licensing policies "to restrict Huawei's access to commodities, software, or technology for activities that could harm US national security and foreign policy interests."

The Commerce Department is prohibited from disclosing license approvals or denials, the person added.

A Huawei spokeswoman declined to comment on the licenses, but said: "We are positioning ourselves as a new component provider for intelligent connected vehicles, and our aim is to help car OEMs (manufacturers) build better vehicles."

Citing threats to US national security and foreign policy interests, the US has gone to great lengths to slow the growth of Huawei's key communications-related business.

After placing Huawei on a US Commerce Department trade blacklist in 2019, which banned sales of US goods and technology to the company without special licenses, the US last year ratcheted up restrictions to limit the sale of chips made abroad with US equipment. It also campaigned to get allies to exclude Huawei from their 5G networks over spying concerns. Huawei has denied the allegations.

Huawei reported its biggest ever revenue drop in the first half of 2021, after the US restrictions drove it to sell a chunk of its once-dominant handset business and before new growth areas have fully matured.

Underscoring the shift into smart cars, the company's rotating chairman Eric Xu announced pacts with three state-owned Chinese carmakers, including BAIC Group, to supply "Huawei Inside", a smart vehicle operating system, at the Shanghai Auto Show earlier this year.

In another sign of Huawei's ambition in the space, after suppliers have received licenses authorizing the sale of tens of millions of dollars of chips to Huawei, the company has requested they apply again and request higher values such as one or two billion, one source said. Licenses are generally good for four years.

Richard Barnett, chief marketing officer at a global electronics consultancy called Supply Frame, said Huawei is in the "early innings" of trying to invest in the $5 trillion automotive market that has large potential growth both inside and outside of China.

"Cars and trucks are now computers on wheels," said Barnett, "That convergence is what's driving Huawei's strategic focus to be a bigger player in that area."
Actor Samantha Akkineni, who became a pan-India sensation following the success of The Family Man season two, says she has never picked up roles based on her perceived image as a star.

Taking up Amazon Prime Video's The Family Man, a predominantly Hindi web series directed by Raj and DK, was just another attempt at doing something she hasn't done before, she said.

"I don't think any of my decisions have been made based on my star image. I never made such calls. I don't even know what exactly my star image is. I'm just an actor who wants to excel.

"I'm a very greedy actor who wants to be offered everything, to constantly try evolving, trying to better my craft. Generally, I pick roles I don't think I can pull off. There's great fun in that," Akkineni told PTI in an interview.

The second season of the critically acclaimed show saw Akkineni in the role of Raji, a Sri Lankan Tamil liberation fighter, who faces off against the intelligence agent Srikant Tiwari, played by series lead Manoj Bajpayee.

Samantha whose credits include Telugu and Tamil films like Eega, Mahanati, Mersal, and Super Deluxe, also addressed the controversy around The Family Man.

Ahead of the release of the new chapter in June, there were calls for a boycott of the series in Tamil Nadu, including IT Minister T Mano Thangaraj, over its alleged depiction of Eelam Tamils.

While the show mostly received favourable reviews, especially for Sam's performance, many also slammed the makers for 'brown facing' the rather fair-skinned actor.

All in all, the Chennai-born star said she looks back on the experience "only with love".

"I did not play Raji as a villain. She was just on the wrong side of history. She was loyal to her cause and that was it. I did not even for one moment think of her as a villain.

"I just gave my 100 per cent. When the backlash and the trolling happened... a lot of people were asking me to comment. But I just wanted to wait for the show to come out and for people to see what we've done."

Akkineni said though her portrayal came from "a place of honesty", she apologised to those who took offence.

"If some of them still have any resentment I sincerely apologise for anything that I did that offended them. I wasn't trying to offend anyone," she said.

Last week, Akkineni won the best actress award (series) for "The Family Man 2" at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2021. Bajpayee was named best actor (series) at the movie gala.

"This is my first award for my performance. This just feels very special," she said.

After The Family Man, the quality of Hindi content being offered to her has improved "very much", the actor said.

"I'm very happy with the kind of content that is now being offered. Actors can dream of being offered such varied content and I'm extremely grateful for everything 'The Family Man' has given me and opened new doors for me. Thankful to the team and to everyone who thought of me to play this role."

The star is on a break for a month or two, after which she plans to take on new scripts and challenges.

"I'm so happy that after 11 years I can finally say that I have nothing in the pipeline! I'm content where I am and now I'm just looking for what can surprise me next," she said.

The actor will next be seen in Shaakuntalam (Telugu) and Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kaadhal (Tamil).
Twenty years later and they still talk regularly: 9/11 survivors and relatives of victims have formed strong friendships through support groups that have proved effective antidotes to their trauma.

Jelena Watkins, a Londoner of Serbian origin, lost her only brother -- a financial software engineer -- in the ruins of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

She struggled for years to find support until in 2004 she joined a group of four or five grieving siblings like her who spoke first by phone and then by Skype.

"It really did start a great friendship," Watkins told AFP.

"Siblings are usually not the first in line in the hierarchy of loved ones. Our needs were very profound."

Initially, they talked a lot about the difficulties of grieving when their departed had not been formally identified.

"It was kind of a conversation killer to talk about identification of body parts" with regular friends, she recalled.

The group met for the first time at the inauguration of the 9/11 memorial in New York on the 10th anniversary of the attacks in 2011.

Their meetings then became scarce, before the group finally dissolved. But Watkins remains in contact with two members in California and spoke to them throughout the pandemic.

Matt Winter's life was also turned upside down by the attacks -- he lost 87 colleagues in the Twin Towers.

The then-33-year-old financial services worker was heading to work for business meetings after a trip to California when the planes crashed into the towers.

Winter was so traumatized -- colleagues stuck in the towers left him notes and he suffered guilt for not being able to help -- that he canceled his engagement scheduled for a few days later. He has never really worked again.

It wasn't until last year that Winter, who lives in San Francisco, found a suitable group in which he said he could finally say "things that even therapists or best friends don't know."

For Winter, who devoured books on other tragedies in history, the experience is comparable to that of the survivors of Hiroshima or the Holocaust.

"It's a common mistake for survivors of that kind of trauma to minimize their experience because some people had it worse," he told AFP.

Annie Witlen, who worked close to the Twin Towers and volunteered at Ground Zero after the attacks, only recently joined a support group but is already feeling the benefits.

She said that after 20 years people outside of the group say things like "aren't you over it now?"

"People don't understand, to see something like that go to the ground unless you were there and witnessed it," Witlen explained.

"It's like being an alcoholic and somebody being drunk and falling down and you not being able to understand it if you are someone who is not an alcoholic."

Witlen, like others, would like to see these groups receive funding so they can continue.

The Voices of 9/11 association, created after the attacks to help the families of the victims, has been relaying that message, according to founding director Mary Fetchet.

The association has organized more than 2,100 groups, including those of Watkins and Winter.

Before her son Bradley was killed in the Twin Towers, Fetchet was already sensitive to the psychological repercussions of terrorist attacks.

The social worker had heard the mother of a victim of the Oklahoma City bombing, in which 168 died in 1995, recount an outbreak of depression, domestic violence and drug addiction in the city following that attack.

In October 2001, Fetchet brought together relatives of victims of 9/11 at her home in Connecticut and formed the first formal groups at the end of 2002.

Designed to maximize their shared experience, the groups of parents, spouses, siblings and mothers of firefighters who died each had a dedicated social worker.

Most have ceased formal meetings but the ties between its members have remained, she said. Those relationships tighten as every anniversary approaches or when news rekindles trauma, such as the pandemic or the January 6 storming of the US Capitol.

All of the experience accumulated since 2001 -- from information sharing and psychological support to how to pursue compensation -- is also used to support victims of other attacks around the world.

Voices works particularly close with Invictim, an international organization supporting victims of terrorism, and the Canadian government to help families of people caught up in attacks.

"I think we have a long way to go before people working in the field really understand what victims' families and responders and survivors need after a tragedy," said Fetchet.
More than 70,700 people had been evacuated from Afghanistan as of Tuesday evening. Nearly 6,000 US troops are protecting the international airport in Kabul, the capital. And additional US flights are leaving every 45 minutes.

The Biden administration has provided a stream of updates about its airlift of Americans, Afghans and others since Aug. 14, when the Taliban closed in on Kabul. Yet US officials are reluctant to offer an estimate of the one number that matters most: How many people ultimately need to be rescued.

That tally has never been more critical, with the US government preparing to wind down evacuations as the US military begins its final withdrawal from Afghanistan. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden reaffirmed his plan to remove all US troops by Aug. 31, although he left room to adjust the timeline should that become necessary.

But US officials believe that thousands of Americans remain in Afghanistan, including some far beyond Kabul, without a safe or fast way to get to the airport. Tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the US government over the last 20 years, and are eligible for special visas, are desperate to leave.

Read | Afghans race to flee Taliban after Biden confirms airlift deadline

And refugee and resettlement experts estimate that at least 300,000 Afghans are in imminent danger of being targeted by the Taliban for associating with Americans and US efforts to stabilize Afghanistan.

Recounting his conversations with other world leaders, Biden said Tuesday evening at the White House that they had agreed to continue our close cooperation to get people out as efficiently and safely as possible.

Were currently on a pace to finish by August the 31st, Biden said. The sooner we can finish the better.

But other senior US officials doubt the evacuations will be complete by then.

Americans want us to stay until we get our people out, and so do our allies, Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said Tuesday. Biden, he added, should tell the Taliban were getting our people out however long it takes.

Administration officials say the numbers are changing on an hourly basis, if not minute-to-minute, especially since other countries have their own evacuation operations.

But the American effort is unquestionably the largest. Given the resources and risk the United States is putting into the evacuation, how can the government not know how many people it is planning to fly out?

Very good question! We are wondering the same, said James Miervaldis, the chairman of No One Left Behind, a nonprofit that advocates the relocation of Afghan interpreters to the United States.

Here is what we know.

Doesnt the US government track the number of Americans who are in Afghanistan?

Sort of.

The US Embassy in Kabul is contacting Americans who are believed to be in Afghanistan  officials say there may be thousands  and offering them safe passage to the airport in Kabul to fly out. But the alerts are going only to Americans who provided the government their location before Kabul fell or in the week since.

The situation has led to US officials combing through databases that may be vastly outdated or undercount the number of US citizens in the country. One Biden administration official said most Americans in Afghanistan are dual citizens, and may have never registered with the embassy or otherwise advised the US government of their whereabouts.

Its our responsibility to find them, which we are now doing hour by hour, Jake Sullivan, Bidens national security adviser, said Monday. In the days remaining, we believe we have the wherewithal to get out the American citizens who want to leave Kabul.

More than 4,000 US citizens, plus their family members, have been evacuated so far, a senior State Department official said Tuesday. Thousands more remain: A day earlier, a congressional official put the total number of US citizens still in Afghanistan at 10,000. It was not clear how many of the 4,000 who have been evacuated were included in that tally.

Read | All Afghans must travel to India only on e-visa: MHA

Why has it been so difficult to estimate who qualifies for a Special Immigrant Visa? Doesnt the United States have payroll records or staff lists that track this?

First, some history on the so-called SIV program.

In 2009, Congress approved special refuge for Afghans who had worked for the US military and US Embassy as interpreters, translators, advisers and other jobs during the war, and who could be targeted by the Taliban or other extremists for assisting the United States.

The International Rescue Committee estimates there are tens of thousands of Afghans who are eligible for the special visas. But only about 16,000 Afghans have received the special visas since 2014, and the State Department faced a backlog of more than 17,000 applications when Biden took office in January.

Between mid-July and Aug. 14, the State Department evacuated about 2,000 Afghans who qualified for the visas. After a several-day pause last week while the Biden administration focused on evacuating US citizens and embassy staff, flights have resumed for the former Afghan employees; the first plane load of special immigration visa holders since Kabul fell departed Ramstein Air Base in Germany early Monday and headed to the United States.

One congressional aide said the Biden administration had identified about 50,000 special visa applicants, and their families, to be evacuated. But the aide said far more were eligible.

Sunil Varghese, the policy director for the International Refugee Assistance Project, said it was not clear how many Afghans qualified for the program  largely because the Pentagon and State Department had done a poor job of coordinating and communicating with each other about who had worked for each agency.

And without a centralized US government database to track former employees in Afghanistan, it fell to the Afghans to prove they had worked for the United States, Varghese said.

So once Americans and SIV holders are evacuated, is that it?

Far from it. The administration acknowledges that there are hundreds of thousands of Afghans who are considered at high risk of being targeted by the Taliban  former Afghan security forces, government officials, journalists, judges and prosecutors, and women rights advocates among them.

The State Department said it had accelerated its referrals of Afghans at high risk to the US Refugee Admissions Program. That program, however, would generally require Afghans to apply through the United Nations refugee agency and await approval  a process that can take years.

As of Friday, the State Department was planning to accept up to 50,000 Afghans into the United States under a humanitarian parole  meaning they would be temporarily settled at military bases until their visas were processed, according to a memo provided by a resettlement worker.

This caseload would be separate from  and additional to  the Afghan refugee or SIV cases who will also continue to be admitted, according to the memo, which was confirmed by a person familiar with it who said even 50,000 was a vast undercounting of those in need. The State Department declined to comment.

One administration official said the number of people who needed to be evacuated could be more than 100,000. The International Rescue Committee has a much higher estimate: 300,000 Afghan civilians alone.

Read | Afghan resistance leader vows 'no surrender'

Is it even possible to get that many people out in time?

Not likely. The evacuation mission is widely expected to slow to a trickle once the US military exits. Without the protection of the 6,000 US troops in Kabul, the military airlift will end, and State Department charter flights will slow, and could altogether cease. Additionally, some other foreign governments have said they would have little choice but to also depart.

The Biden administration is warning the Taliban, which wants international aid to Afghanistan to continue, to allow Afghans to leave the country  a commitment that Ned Price, the State Departments chief spokesman, said did not have an expiration date.

So it certainly stands to reason  and we will hold the Taliban to this; the rest of the world will as well  that individuals who seek to leave after the US military is gone will have an opportunity to do so, Price said Monday.

But on Tuesday, the Taliban said they would block Afghans trying to leave the country from traveling to Kabuls airport.

I am pleading for the United States to help my family  the family that has been teaching English, working on military posts and are now in imminent danger for having helped America, said Fatima Jaghoori, a naturalized US citizen who was born in Afghanistan and served in Iraq with the US Army. Her husband, who also served in the US military, was killed in Afghanistan.

Please let my service and sacrifice act as a token to bring my family to safety, she wrote in a letter to US officials. My family does not have a chance at life if they are left to the Taliban rule.
With the August 31 deadline for a US withdrawal from Afghanistan rapidly approaching, the Pentagon has sharply ramped up the speed of evacuations from the Kabul airport, flying out 21,600 people in 24 hours, Defense Department officials said Tuesday. But bottlenecks in the system, and President Joe Bidens insistence that all troops leave the country by the end of the month, may prevent the military from keeping that pace.

The race against time means that the 5,800 Marines and soldiers at Hamid Karzai International Airport must try to evacuate thousands more Americans and Afghan allies, and then get themselves out, somehow erasing the detritus of 20 years of war in Afghanistan in the next seven days.

That process began Tuesday, as John F. Kirby, the Pentagon spokesperson, said that several hundred headquarters, maintenance and other support troops who were not essential to the escalating evacuation operation had left the country.

Defense officials have been loath to say publicly, though, what seems increasingly clear: Some people will be left behind.

Read | Taliban issue new warning against airlift extension as deadline looms

Since August 14, when Kabul fell to the Taliban, more than 70,700 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan as of Tuesday evening, Biden said.

That is well below the number of US citizens, foreign nationals and Afghan allies who are trying to get out. Were trying to get as many out as we can, Kirby said. He also said the US troops at the Kabul airport want to continue this pace as aggressively as we can.

But for all of Bidens insistence on sticking to his withdrawal deadline, neither the Department of Homeland Security nor the State Department has been able to ratchet up the vetting and processing times to the levels needed to meet demand.

A US official said it was taking as long as 12 hours for immigration officers at Al Udeid Air Base outside Doha, Qatar, to check arriving Afghans against the National Counterterrorism Centers watch list. The official said that vetting and screening processes needed to move faster to prevent the evacuee pipeline from clogging up again at Al Udeid, the largest base receiving Afghans, as it did for several hours last week.

The Taliban have warned of consequences if the US military stays beyond the deadline. And on Tuesday, a Taliban spokesperson said the groups fighters would physically block Afghans from going to the airport.

The Pentagon has opened military bases in Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin and New Jersey to provide temporary housing for Afghan refugees, and will probably add more in the coming days, officials said.

Kirby said Afghan allies of the United States, who fear reprisals from the Taliban, are still being processed at the Kabul airport, although the gates of the airport have been shuttered several times over the past week because of the surge of people.

Read | Can India and the world trust the US after its Afghan debacle?

The United States will continue to evacuate Afghans until the last couple of days of its drawdown of troops and equipment, when flights are expected to be filled mostly with military troops and equipment, as well as any Americans desiring to leave. Dozens of Afghan commandos  trained by the United States  are also at the airport and must be evacuated.

For the military, part of the problem is the sheer scale of moving so many people so quickly, with so little advanced notice. For instance, the C-17 military planes, which are transporting 400 people per load, have one or two bathrooms on them, and the flight from Kabul to Qatar is four hours.

Once the flights arrive at Al Udeid in Qatar and other intermediate bases in the Middle East and Europe, evacuees are vetted by Homeland Security and State Department officials, who determine if they qualify to enter the United States.

The military is treating the Talibans red line on August 31 seriously in part because, despite tough talk from Taliban spokesmen, some of the groups commanders have been cooperating with the US military and allowing many people to get to the airport. In addition, the US military and the Taliban have cooperated against the threat of attacks from the Islamic State group.

But after August 31, all bets are off, a senior US official said.

With so many people at the Kabul airport, in Doha and at other bases, concerns are rising about sanitation, food and water. The C-17 planes taking refugees out of Afghanistan are turning around and bringing in extra dumpsters, portable hand-washing stations, refrigerated trucks to keep water cool, and food and water.

Read | This is what Afghan evacuation looks like on the inside

Over the past four days, Defense Department officials said, three babies were born to evacuees. One woman went into labor Saturday during a flight landing at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, Air Force officials said. The aircraft commander descended to a lower altitude to increase air pressure in the jet, a decision that officials said saved the mothers life because she had low blood pressure. When the plane landed, medics rushed aboard and delivered the baby  a girl  in the cargo bay. All three babies are in good condition, Kirby said Tuesday.

After receiving a classified briefing Monday night, Rep. Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., who heads the House Intelligence Committee, said the August 31 deadline for withdrawing US troops from Kabul was unrealistic.

I think its possible, but I think its very unlikely, Schiff told reporters. Using the abbreviation for special immigrant visas, he added, Given the number of Americans who still need to be evacuated, the number of SIVs, the number of others who are members of the Afghan press, civil society leaders, women leaders  its hard for me to imagine all of that can be accomplished between now and the end of the month.
Afghans aboard a convoy of buses that was given a Taliban escort to Kabul's airport spoke Sunday of the heartbreak of driving past huge crowds desperate to join them.

Tens of thousands of people are gathered around the airport north of the capital in the hope of getting a flight out of the country as an evacuation run by the US military continues in chaos.

People have been crushed to death in the melee, while images of a family handing a child over a wall to a soldier -- and of young men clinging to the side of a military plane as it rolled down the runway for takeoff -- have shocked the world.

A journalist aboard the convoy that left a downtown hotel early Sunday told AFP a huge crowd was camped at an intersection close to the airport -- many sleeping in the open.

Families hoping for a miracle escape were crowded between the barbed-wire boundaries of an unofficial no man's land separating Taliban fighters from US troops and the remnants of an Afghan special forces brigade helping them.

Read | This is what Afghan evacuation looks like on the inside

"As soon as they saw our convoy they got up and ran towards the buses," he said.

"They were showing us their passports or other documents... One man came to my window with wife and child and waved his passport saying 'I have a British visa, but can't get in. Please let us on the bus'."

There have been reports of the Taliban stopping, harassing and even detaining Afghans trying to flee, but the reporter said his convoy passed largely without incident.

"The didn't care about us," he said.

The United States -- and other nations -- had plans to offer sanctuary this year to tens of thousands of Afghans following Washington's decision to withdraw all its troops from the country.

Those offered the chance of a new life abroad mostly included Afghans who had worked for foreign forces during the 20-year occupation that followed the ousting of the Taliban in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

But those plans were thrown into disarray by the Taliban's devastating rout of Afghan forces, and their return to power last weekend.

"Everybody had a reason to leave," the journalist on the convoy told AFP.

"Some were journalists, others women university students... then there were those who worked with foreigners."

One girl was in tears at the hotel before the convoy set off.

"The day the Taliban came, I knew life was over for me in Afghanistan." she said.

"Living under their rule would mean burying all my ambitions in life."

Those on the convoy were now waiting for their turn to be evacuated to the West -- via a coronavirus isolation camp in Qatar.

"My children are crying because they are exhausted, but I am telling them hang on a bit more for the flight to come and then we are saved," said Haji Hamid, with his wife and four youngsters in tow.

"Death and oppression would be stalking us if we stayed," he said.

"I keep telling them 'one day, you'll thank me'."
Veteran politician Sultan Mahmood on Wednesday took oath as the new president of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Mahmood became the 28th president of the region after he was elected by the legislative assembly on August 17. He was nominated for the top post by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) which won the election held on July 25.

He had secured 34 votes against his rival joint opposition candidate Mian Abdul Waheed, who got 16 votes.

He succeeded Sardar Masood Khan whose tenure ended on August 24.

Mahmood also served as the prime minister of PoK between July 1996  July 2001. He is the PTIs regional president and was elected as a member of the legislative assembly from LA-3, Mirpur-III.

India has rejected the recent elections in PoK, saying the "cosmetic exercise was nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to "camouflage its illegal occupation" and that it has lodged a strong protest over the issue.

Reacting strongly on the elections in the PoK, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that Pakistan has "no locus standi on these Indian territories" and it must vacate all Indian areas under its illegal occupation.

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Afghans on Wednesday faced an increasingly desperate race to escape life under the Taliban after President Joe Biden confirmed US-led evacuations will end next week.

More than 70,000 people have already been evacuated, but huge crowds remain outside Kabul airport hoping to flee the threat of reprisals and repression in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

Biden said Tuesday the United States would stick to his August 31 deadline to completely withdraw its troops despite warnings from European allies that not all vulnerable Afghans would be able to leave by then.

"The sooner we can finish, the better... each day of operations brings added risk to our troops," Biden said Tuesday.

"We are currently on the pace to finish by August 31."

Many Afghans fear a repeat of the brutal five-year Taliban regime that was toppled in 2001, and violent retribution for working with foreign militaries, Western missions and the previous US-backed government.

Washington and its allies have been flying out thousands of such Afghans every day on hulking military transports, but it has become an increasingly difficult and desperate task.

The Afghan capital's airport has been gripped by chaos as US-led troops try to maintain a secure perimeter for evacuation flights, surrounded by desperate Afghans.

Some have foreign passports, visas, or eligibility to travel, but most do not. At least eight people have died in the chaos.

"Does anyone ... ANYONE ... have a contact inside the airport," pleaded one American on a WhatsApp group set up to share information on how people can access the airport.

"My guy worked for us 2010-15 and needs to get out with 5 of his family. This is real bad."

The Taliban have also been accused of blocking or slowing access for many trying to reach the airport, although they denied the charge again late Tuesday.

Biden said the Taliban were taking steps to assist, but there was also an "acute and growing risk" of an attack by the regional chapter of the Islamic State jihadist group.

CIA Director William Burns flew to Kabul for a secret meeting with top Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar, US media reported Tuesday, the highest-level meeting so far between the US government and the new rulers of Afghanistan.

Also read: Voice of jihad: Taliban spokesman in spotlight after shadowy fight

The New York Times said the spy chief was not there to negotiate an extension to the pullout deadline, but for general talks on "evacuation operations and terrorist threats".

Despite the harrowing scenes at Kabul airport, the Taliban have ruled out any extension to next Tuesday's deadline to pull out foreign troops, describing it as "a red line".

"They have planes, they have the airport, they should get their citizens and contractors out of here," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday.

European nations have said they would not be able to airlift all at-risk Afghans before August 31.

"Even if (the evacuation) goes on... a few days longer, it will not be enough," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Bild TV.

A hard withdrawal deadline presents a further complication that may reduce the number of daily evacuations.

The United States deployed fresh troops for evacuations.

That 6,000-plus contingent, as well as hundreds of US officials, 600 Afghan troops and the equipment, will have to be flown out.

To do that by August 31, the Pentagon said operations would have to start winding down days in advance.

Following their lightning victory that stunned the world, the Taliban have so far been content to allow the US-led operation to continue, focusing instead on consolidating control and forming a government.

They have vowed a different, more inclusive regime this time around, offering amnesty to opponents and assurances of rights to women.

An aid worker in Khost, a deeply conservative region in the southeast that fell to the Taliban shortly before they seized Kabul, told AFP the attitude of the former insurgents has so far been "much softer" than people expected.

"But the people are afraid of a bad economic situation," he added.

Many Afghans, however, remain fearful and sceptical.

In an attempt to assuage fears, the Taliban spokesman on Tuesday urged skilled Afghans to not flee, saying the country needed "expert" Afghans such as doctors and engineers.

But Zabihullah Mujahid added that women who work for the Afghan government should stay home until the security situation improves.

The Taliban have said women will be able to get an education and work, but within what they consider Islamic bounds.
A classified US intelligence report delivered to the White House on Tuesday was inconclusive on the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, in part due to a lack of information from China, according to US media reports.

The assessment, ordered by President Joe Biden 90 days ago, was unable to definitively conclude whether the virus that first emerged in central China had jumped to humans via animals or had escaped a highly secure research facility in Wuhan, two US officials familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

They said parts of the report could be declassified in the coming days.

The debate over the origins of the virus that has killed more than 4 million people and paralysed economies worldwide has become increasingly contentious.

When Biden assigned the investigation, he said US intelligence agencies were split over the "two likely scenarios" -- animals or lab.

Former president Donald Trump and his aides had helped fuel the lab-leak theory, using it to deflect blame for their administration's handling of the world's biggest outbreak and instead finger-point at Beijing, which strongly denies the hypothesis.

China on Wednesday urged the WHO to visit the US military biolab Fort Detrick, after rejecting the health organization's calls for a second stage of the Covid-19 origins probe focusing on Chinese laboratories last month.

"If (the United States) want to baselessly accuse China, they better be prepared to accept a counter-attack from China," Fu Cong, head of the foreign ministry's arms control department, told reporters.

"If the US thinks China is guilty, they need to come up with evidence to prove that China is guilty. You don't blame a victim for not providing information to incriminate himself."

WHO's emergencies director Mike Ryan later called the Chinese comments a "contradiction", as Beijing has fiercely pushed back against the lab-leak theory.

"I find that difficult to understand but am very willing to engage with our Chinese colleagues to understand what exactly they mean by that statement," Ryan told reporters.

Despite Biden's directive that the intelligence community "redouble their efforts" to untangle the origin debate, the 90-day review brought them no closer to consensus, the officials told the Post.

Beijing has rejected calls from the United States and other countries for a renewed origin probe after a heavily politicized visit by a World Health Organization team in January also proved inconclusive, and faced criticism for lacking transparency and access.

Pressure has meanwhile increased to evaluate the lab-leak theory more thoroughly.

At the outset of the pandemic, the natural origin hypothesis -- that the virus emerged in bats and then passed to humans, likely via an intermediary species -- was widely accepted. But as time has worn on, scientists have not found a virus in either bats or another animal that matches the genetic signature of SARS-CoV-2.

In the face of China's reluctance to open up to outside investigators, experts are increasingly open to considering the theory that the virus might have leaked out of a lab conducting bat coronavirus research in Wuhan, an idea once dismissed as a conspiracy propagated by the US far-right.

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Pakistan on Wednesday expressed hope that the Taliban would stay true to their word and not allow Afghanistan's soil to be used against any country.

Talking to the media in Islamabad, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid also said that Prime Minister Imran Khan will speak to the world on the evolving situation in Afghanistan.

He, however, did not elaborate about Khans address nor did he share at what forum the premier will speak to the international community.

The minister said that Islamabad will not allow the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to carry out subversive activities in Pakistan.

"I watched (Taliban spokesmen) Suhail Shaheen and Zabihullah Mujahid's interviews. They guaranteed that Afghanistan's soil will not be used against any other country in the world," said the minister.

Sheikh Rashid also alleged that Indias discomfort over the turn of events in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover was obvious. "Defeat is written on their faces," he added.

His remarks came a day after the Pakistan Cabinet stressed "India should stay clear of interference in Afghanistan because it has no border with Afghanistan."

Briefing the media about the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Khan, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday alleged that India had used Afghanistan's land against Pakistan during the previous government in Kabul.

India has in the past strongly trashed as "baseless propaganda" Pakistan's claim and asked Islamabad to take "credible and verifiable" action against terrorism emanating from its soil instead.
The Taliban stopped an Afghan United Nations staff member as he tried to reach Kabul airport on Sunday. They searched his vehicle and found his UN identification. Then they beat him.

On Monday, three unknown men visited the home of another UN staff member who was at work at the time. They asked his son where his father was, and accused him of lying: "We know his location and what he does."

The incidents are among dozens contained in an internal UN security document seen by Reuters that describes veiled threats, the looting of UN offices and physical abuse of staff since August 10, shortly before the Taliban swept to power.

While the Islamist militant movement has sought to reassure Afghans and Western powers that they will respect people's rights, reports of reprisals have undermined confidence, not least among those associated with foreign organisations.

The Taliban did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the UN incident list.

Also read: 'Taliban a Pakistani project, not going to be a permanent phenomenon in Afghanistan'

The group has said it would investigate reported abuses, and has also encouraged aid organisations to continue their work. It said this week that aid was welcome, as long as it was not used as a means of political influence over Afghanistan.

The United Nations said it did not comment on leaked security documents.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric added: "The authorities that are in charge in Kabul are responsible for the safety and security of UN staff and premises. We remain in touch with them in that regard."

The United Nations has relocated about a third of the 300 foreign staff it had in Afghanistan to Kazakhstan. It has also stressed that it wanted to maintain a presence to help the Afghan people.

There are around 3,000 Afghan UN staff still in the country. A UN spokesman has said the world body was in contact with other countries to urge them to provide visas or support temporary relocation of some of them.

Also read: Pak project is to submerge Af in a larger radical Islamist identity

Thousands of people have fled Afghanistan since the Taliban entered Kabul on August 15, boarding military and commercial flights from the capital where the airport has been the scene of deadly chaos.

Some fear a return to the Taliban's brutal enforcement of strict Islamic law last time they ruled, when they banned women from work and girls from school.

Others, including those who work in advocacy and human rights, believe they could be the target of reprisals after scores of people were killed in suspected targeted Taliban attacks in the last year.

'We are in danger'

An Afghan woman, who has worked for the United Nations for several years, told Reuters she felt abandoned.

"Every woman I know has the same fear as I do. What will now happen to our children if we are punished for our work? What will happen to our families? What will they do to us as women?" she said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In a video message to staff in Afghanistan on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was distressed by reports that some had experienced harassment and intimidation.

"We are doing everything in our power, namely through the permanent engagement with all relevant actors, and will continue to do so to ensure your safety and well-being, and to find external solutions where they are needed," Guterres said.

An August 21 UN risk assessment, reported by Reuters on Tuesday, said there was "no coherent command and control" within the Taliban.

The speed of their military victory, which coincided with US-led foreign troops withdrawing after 20 years of war, has left a power vacuum, and the group is scrambling to form a government in Kabul and the provinces to run the country.

Also read: Kolkata teacher surprised with Talibans 'polite' behaviour; doesnt want to return to Kabul

An Afghan UN worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters he knew of at least 50 Afghan staff warned or threatened by the Taliban, adding: "UN national staff who are under serious direct threat of the Taliban must be evacuated."

He said the threats were not all necessarily linked to people's status at the United Nations, but were a function of the Taliban's push to impose control over Kabul.

A second Afghan woman who works at the United Nations has been moving houses with her husband and 3-year-old daughter in the past 10 days. Some of her neighbours knew she worked at the United Nations, and she worried they might inform on her.

She has a visa for a neighbouring country, but is frustrated that the United Nations has not helped her evacuate.

"We were expecting the entire UN system to help us. We were honestly expecting that," the woman said. "We are in danger. And if we cannot work, who is going to reach the people?"
The remains of thousands of people believed to be victims of Stalin's Terror have been discovered in Ukraine's southern city of Odessa, local authorities said on Wednesday.

The bones of between 5,000 to 8,000 people were found in over two dozen graves close to Odessa's airport, making it one of the largest mass graves unearthed in Ukraine so far.

Sergiy Gutsalyuk, the head of the regional branch of the National Memory Institute, believes they were executed in 1930s by Stalin's notorious NKVD secret police unit, a precursor to the late Soviet-era KGB.

Gutsalyuk told AFP that the number of victims may increase as the excavations continue.

The remains were discovered after exploratory works started as part of plans to expand the airport's territory, he said.

Some mass graves had already been unearthed in the area in previous years, he added.

The prisoners' nationalities and the crimes for which they were sentenced to die remain unknown.

But the historian said that the executions date back to 1937-39, the time known as Stalin's Great Terror.

Gutsalyuk said it would be impossible to identify the victims as documents of that era are classified and kept in Moscow.

"These documents will never be handed over to us under the current government in Russia," he said.

Ties between the ex-Soviet countries have deteriorated sharply since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and threw its weight behind armed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

According to estimates made by Ukrainian historians, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians were imprisoned or executed in Gulag camps during the Stalinist repressions in the 1930s.

One of the best-known execution sites is the forest near the village of Bykivnia on the outskirts of Kiev, where tens of thousands of victims were buried in 1937-1941.

Millions of Ukrainians also died in the great famine of 1932-1933, which Ukraine regards as a genocide orchestrated by Stalin.
China will introduce President Xi Jinping's political ideology in its national curriculum for schools and colleges, in the latest effort to consolidate the ruling Communist Party's grip on power for the future.

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era will be incorporated into Chinas textbooks for students at all levels, the countrys Ministry of Education announced on Tuesday.

The guideline, issued by the National Textbook Committee, said textbooks reflect the will of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the nation and directly impact the direction and quality of talent cultivation, state-run China Daily reported on Wednesday.

The ideology will be integrated into the curriculum covering basic, vocational and various subjects of higher education, Han Zhen, a member of the National Textbook Committee said.

As per the new curriculum, the primary schools will focus on cultivating the love for the country, the CPC and socialism.

Also Read | China to ban karaoke songs deemed 'national security' threats

In middle schools, the focus will be on a combination of perceptual experience and knowledge study, to help students form basic political judgments and opinions.

In colleges, there will be more emphasis on the establishment of theoretical thinking, state-run Global Times reported.

Billed as the most powerful leader after the CPC's founder Mao Zedong, Xi is widely expected to continue in power for an unprecedented third term beginning late next year.

Xi, 68, who heads the CPC, the military and Presidency will be completing his second five-year term as head of the party next year.

But unlike his predecessors, he is expected to buck the mandatory retirement rule of two terms following the amendment to the Constitution which removed the term limit for the President.

As a result, Xi, who was pronounced as core leader by the party  a title that put him on a higher pedestal in the CPCs leadership structure -- has the prospect of continuing in power for life.

Since he took over the reins of the CPC in late 2012, Xi had consolidated his grip on power with the high-intensity anti-corruption campaign in which over a million officials including several top military personnel were punished.

He has also launched several political initiatives including the realisation of the Chinese dream broadly defined as reclaiming the lost greatness of the nation, making China a moderately prosperous society, elimination of absolute poverty, consolidation of the CPC's power over the military and integration of Hong Kong and Taiwan with the mainland, etc.

As he set for his third term, he recently launched a new initiative called common prosperity for all Chinese, which is widely reported to be a new policy of redistribution of wealth, ending the era of billionaires in the country.

The new policy shift came as the government has mounted unprecedented crackdowns on Alibaba and other top corporate firms from various sectors to tackle widening income inequality, rising debt levels and slowing consumption.
Tajikistan will not recognise an Afghan government that is not inclusive and representative of all its ethnic groups, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon said on Wednesday, accusing the Taliban of failing to fulfil their promise of inclusivity.

Rakhmon, whose government has close ties with Russia, made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who is touring Central Asia amid instability in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US-trained troops and the fall of the Kabul government.

Follow live Afghanistan news updates here

"Facts clearly show that the Taliban are reneging on their earlier promises to form an interim government with broad participation of the country's other political forces and are preparing to create an Islamic emirate," Rakhmon's office said in a statement.

"Tajikistan will not recognise any other government that would be established in that country through oppression and without taking into account the position of all the people of Afghanistan, especially all of its ethnic minorities."

Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan, hosts a Russian military base and is a member of a Moscow-led post-Soviet security bloc.
Afghanistan's Taliban have appointed senior veterans to the posts of finance minister and defence minister, two members of the group said, as it switches focus from a stunning military conquest to how to run a country in crisis.

The movement's unexpectedly swift victory has left it struggling to govern, and alongside established Taliban names at the top, it has turned to several lower-level administrators to keep Kabul running.

The Taliban have not formally announced the appointments, which a commander said were provisional, but Afghanistan's Pajhwok news agency said on Tuesday that Gul Agha had been named as finance minister and Sadr Ibrahim acting interior minister.

Former Guantanamo detainee Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir was named acting defence minister, Al Jazeera news channel reported, citing a Taliban source.

Also Read | Taliban shows off 'special forces' in propaganda blitz

A Taliban official in Kabul confirmed the key ministerial appointments made this week, after the Islamist militant group wrested control of all government offices, the presidential palace and parliament.

The official, who has been attached to the group as a senior political strategist, added that provincial governors would be selected from among some of the most experienced commanders from the 20-year war just ended.

A Taliban commander also confirmed the key ministerial choices, but stressed they had not yet been made official.

"Last night we had meetings in the presidential palace, we discussed these things but have not appointed or announced any of them," said the commander, who declined to be named because the details of the discussions had not yet been made public.

'Familiar names'

According to some experts, others named to government positions appeared to be mostly military Taliban leaders from the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar.

"They are familiar names," said Ashley Jackson, co-director of the Centre for the Study of Armed Groups at the Overseas Development Institute in Oslo, referring to the appointments.

"They (the Taliban) are not exactly showing a lot of diversity or demonstrating the desire for a civilian government."

Gul Agha would appear to be Gul Agha Ishakzai. The head of the Taliban's financial commission, he has been designated as a target of UN sanctions.

He was a childhood friend of late Taliban founder Mullah Omar, a UN/Interpol sanctions notice said.

Also Read | How many people in Afghanistan need to be rescued? The number remains elusive

"At one time, no one was allowed to meet Mullah Omar unless approved by him," the note said.

Jackson said the appointment made sense, because Gul Agha would be stepping into a parallel role to that which he played when the Taliban was fighting an insurgency, just in government.

Zakir is a veteran Taliban battlefield commander and also a close associate of Omar.

He was captured when US-led forces engaged in Afghanistan in 2001 and was incarcerated at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba until 2007, according to media reports.

He was released and handed over to the Afghan government.

Also Read | 'Like a zombie apocalypse': Fear grips Kabul under Taliban rule

Sadr, the interior ministry appointee, is believed to be a powerful and trusted figure within the Taliban.

Last week, the Taliban appointed Haji Mohammad Idris as acting head of the central bank.

A senior Taliban official said Idris, from the northern province of Jawzjan, had long experience working on financial issues with the previous leader of the movement, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, who was killed in a drone strike in 2016.

While appointing loyalists to senior positions, the Taliban have also ordered mid-level officials at the finance ministry and central bank to return to work.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters in Kabul on Tuesday that it "was time for people to work for their country".
The Taliban has been showing off its own "special forces" on social media, soldiers in new uniforms equipped with looted American equipment who contrast sharply with the image of the usual Afghan insurgent.

Pictures and videos of fighters in the so-called "Badri 313" unit have been posted online for propaganda purposes to underline how the Taliban have better equipped and trained men at their disposal than in the past, experts say.

The soldiers are shown in uniforms, boots, balaclavas and body armour similar to those worn by special forces around the world -- and unlike the shalwar kameez, turban and sandals of the traditional Taliban fighter.

Rather than a battered Russian-designed Kalashnikov rifle slung over their shoulder, the men of Badri 313 hold new US-made rifles such as the M4, sometimes with night-vision goggles and advanced gunsights.

Badri 313 "likely represents some of the best trained and equipped fighters within the Taliban more broadly, although as you would expect there is a degree of sensationalising in propaganda coverage of the unit by the group," Matt Henman from the Janes defence consultancy told AFP.

Also Read | Afghans race to flee Taliban after Biden confirms airlift deadline

A Western weapons expert who writes anonymously on Twitter under the pseudonym of Calibre Obscura said the unit would be no match for Western special forces, or those of India or Pakistan.

But "they are more effective than normal Taliban and certainly more than standard Afghan national army troops from a couple of weeks ago," he told AFP.

Named after the battle of Badr 1,400 years ago, when the Prophet Mohammed supposedly vanquished his enemies with only 313 soldiers, the Taliban unit could number up to several thousand men, experts say.

The amount of equipment at their disposal is unclear, but multiple pictures online show jubilant Taliban fighters posing with captured armoured Humvees, aircraft and weapons abandoned by the defeated US-equipped Afghan national army.

Experts say the most sophisticated equipment, especially the helicopters, will be difficult to operate and near-impossible to maintain.

"There is certainly a degree of propaganda, but we saw during the final offensive since May that the Taliban special forces have been critical in the taking over of Afghanistan," said Bill Roggio, managing editor of the US-based Long War Journal.

"When they began to overrun the Afghan forces, they progressively integrated Western supplies. The US in effect armed the Taliban army," he added.

In previous days, the unit has been in charge of security outside Kabul international airport, bringing them nearly face-to-face with American troops inside who are overseeing the airlift of thousands of civilians.

In a social media post, Badri 313 troops even mocked their US counterparts by recreating the famed picture of American soldiers raising the Stars and Stripes on the island of Iwo Jima in 1945.

The Taliban figures in uniforms are seen raising their black-and-white flag.

Badri 313 is also seen as having benefited from training from the Haqqani network, Afghanistan's most ruthless and feared militant group which has been responsible for multiple suicide attacks on civilian targets.

Mainly based in eastern Afghanistan -- with alleged bases across the border in Pakistan's northwest -- the group has become more visible in the Taliban leadership in recent years.

They have also long been suspected of links with the Pakistani military establishment -- US Admiral Mike Mullen described them as a "veritable arm" of Islamabad's intelligence in 2011.

Pakistan denies the allegations.

"There is a strong likelihood of Pakistan having provided at least a vestige of training to the unit," said Henman from Janes, who specialises in terrorism and insurgencies.

Gilles Dorronsoro, an expert on Afghanistan at the Sorbonne University in Paris, said the emergence of the new Taliban commandoes was part of a larger trend.

"We've seen a remarkable professionalisation of the Taliban since the middle of the 2000s," he told AFP.

"The war they are fighting is not the same as the one their parents fought against the Soviets. They've learned from the ground and they are very good technically," he added.

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The search for the origins of the Covid pandemic that has killed millions and crippled economies is at a standstill even as time is running out, scientists charged with the task by the UN warned Wednesday.

An initial report by the World Health Organization (WHO) team based on a January mission to Wuhan, China -- ground zero of the global pandemic -- concluded that the SARS-CoV-2 virus probably jumped from bats to humans via an intermediate animal.

A competing hypothesis that the virus leaked from a specialised virology lab in Wuhan was deemed "extremely unlikely".

But in a comment in the journal Nature, the scientists said that mission was only intended as a "first step in a process that has stalled."

"The search for the origins of SARS-CoV-2 is at a critical juncture," they wrote.

"The window of opportunity for conducting this crucial enquiry is closing fast."

Tracing the biological trail back to the earliest pockets of the disease becomes more difficult as evidence disappears or becomes corrupted.

The statement comes less than two weeks after the WHO, in a bid to revive the probe, urged China to hand over information on the earliest Covid-19 cases.

This should include Covid data for 174 infections identified in December 2019 that China failed to share during the initial investigation, the WHO experts said.

WHO investigators said "it was agreed" at the time that a second phase of research would fill in this gap.

But China pushed back against the WHO request earlier this month, saying the January investigation should suffice and that calls for further data were motivated by politics, not science.

Beijing has especially bridled at the suggestion that the virus might have escaped from the Wuhan virology lab.

On Tuesday US intelligence agencies presented President Joe Biden with a report looking at both the animal transmission and "lab-leak" hypotheses. The findings were described as inconclusive.

In its comment, the WHO team notes that current data does not support the lab-leak scenario.

None of six priorities for further research alluded to this possibility.

Rather, the scientists emphasised the need to trace the earliest cases of Covid through disease reporting and antibody surveys, inside and outside China.

They also called for further investigation of wildlife farms and wild bats.

"As SARS-CoV-2 antibodies wane, so collecting further samples and testing people who might have been exposed before December 2019 will yield diminishing returns," they said.

It added that many of the wildlife farms of interest for study have been closed and their livestock killed.

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A total of sixteen out of 78 evacuees who landed at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport from Kabul on Tuesday has tested positive for Covid-19. The infected evacuees also include the three Sikhs who brought back with them Guru Granth Sahib from Afghanistan Gurdwaras.

Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and V. Muraleedharan received the Guru Granth sahib brought from Afghanistan at the Delhi airport from the Sikhs and came in contact of the infected people.

However, Union Ministers coming into contact with infected people have not been officially confirmed yet.

Also Read  Puri receives holy books from Kabul; 44 Afghan Sikhs flown in from Afghanistan

All the positive people have been admitted to LNJP Hospital and the rest are quarantined at an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp in south-west Delhi's Chhawla.

All the evacuees coming from Afghanistan will have to undergo quarantine for 14 days at the ITBP quarantine centre at Chhawla in southwest Delhi, according to the guidelines of the Health Ministry.

"As the Covid-19 immunisation status of these individuals is unknown, and the exact extent of COVID-19 transmission (including circulation of variants) in Afghanistan is unclear at present, so as a matter of abundant precaution, it has been decided that the arriving persons shall undergo a mandatory minimum 14 days' institutional quarantine at Sector Headquarters Logistic and Communications, Indo Tibetan Border Police, Chhawla Camp," the Union Health Ministry's office memorandum said.

Earlier on Tuesday, 78 people, including 46 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, flew into Delhi from Kabul via Dushanbe on an Air India flight along with three copies of Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib.
India on Wednesday cancelled all visas issued to Afghan nationals who are presently not in India.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said that all Afghan nationals willing to travel to India must do so only on e-visa.

Keeping in view some reports that certain passports of Afghan nationals have been misplaced, previously issued visas to all Afghan nationals, who are presently not in India, stand invalidated with immediate effect, a Home Ministry spokesperson said.

Also Read  16 of 78 Afghanistan evacuees, who landed yesterday, test positive for Covid-19

He asked Afghan nationals wishing to travel to India to apply for e-visa at www.indianvisaonline.gov.in.

Last week, India had introduced a new category of e-Visa for Afghan nationals to fast track their applications for travel to India.

The e-Emergency X-Misc visa, introduced on August 17, will be valid for six months and will be granted only after security clearance. Owing to the prevailing security situation in Afghanistan and streamlining of the visa process by introduction of the e-Emergency X-Misc visa, it has been decided that all Afghan nationals henceforth must travel to India only on e-Visa, the Home Ministry spokesperson said.

Earlier, India granted long-duration visas to Afghan nationals facing persecution in that country. A large number of Afghans who left the country during the first Taliban takeover and during the two decades of war after that continue to live in India.
A 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death allegedly by two minors in a government school in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh city, police said on Wednesday. The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon in the school premises in Rambhatha area under City Kotwali police station limits, and police suspect a love affair could be the reason behind it, they said, without divulging any further details.

The two accused boys, both aged 17, were detained on Tuesday night, a police official said. The deceased, a Class 9 student, was in the school premises during the lunch break when the two accused reached there and got into an argument with him, the official said.

Suddenly, one of the accused allegedly stabbed the boy in his abdomen with a knife, he said. Before escaping from the spot, the duo also brandished the knife at school staffers, he said. The victim was immediately rushed to a local hospital where doctors declared him dead, the official said.

The deceased's sister, who also studies in the same school, informed police that the two accused had in the past also allegedly thrashed her brother in the school premises. After the incident on Tuesday, Raigarh Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena immediately constituted four police teams to trace the absconding accused and they were held at night, the official said.

"The exact reason behind the attack is yet to be ascertained, but preliminary investigation suggests it could have been because of a love affair, he said. A case was registered against the accused under Indian Penal Code Sections 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention). They will be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board later in the day, he added.
Former Meghalaya MLA Julius Dorphang was sentenced to 25 years in jail by a special court in Ri-Bhoi district for raping a girl in 2017 when he was a legislator.

Special Judge (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences  POCSO) Febroneous Silkam Sangma also imposed a fine of Rs 15 lakh on Dorphang, who was the founder-chairman of insurgent group Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC).

He surrendered in 2007 as HNLC chairman, and in 2013, won the election from the Mawhati seat as an Independent candidate.

The court had convicted Dorphang on August 13 and announced the punishment on Tuesday.

"Julius Dorphang was sentenced to 25 years in jail. He was also asked to pay a fine of Rs 15 lakh," an official of the special court told PTI on Wednesday.

The court also sentenced to life imprisonment three handlers of the girl, besides imposing fines of Rs 1 lakh each, he said.

Darisha Mary Kharbamon, Mamoni Parveen and her husband Sandeep Biswa were accused of getting the girl for the crime and inducing her to prostitution.

Dorphang's lawyer Kishore Ch Gautam said he will move the Meghalaya High Court against the order.

"As you are aware, he (Julius) is unwell. I will be filing a miscellaneous application to suspend the sentence, seeking bail for him," Gautam said.

Dorphang was arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged against him by the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) with the East Khasi Hills district police in December 2016, alleging his involvement in an illicit act with a minor.

In January 2017, the SCPCR had filed another complaint in Ri-Bhoi, alleging that Dorphang had committed a similar offence against the same minor at a resort in the district.

On the basis of the complaints, two separate cases were registered against Dorphang, following which he went missing.

He was arrested on January 7 from a bus terminus in neighbouring Assam.

Dorphang was convicted and sentenced by the POCSO court in the case filed against him on January 5, 2017.

The trial in connection with the other case is underway at a special court in Jowai.

Dorphang was lodged at the Nongpoh district jail since his arrest before the high court granted him bail on medical grounds last year.

The former legislator was re-arrested on August 13 after being convicted.
West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is in a hurry for holding assembly by-polls as she wants to cling on to the chair.

Ghosh told reporters here that when the assembly election was underway in March-April this year she had urged the chief election commissioner to halt it midway fearing spread of Covid-19 infection across the state.

"So why is the chief minister in such a hurry asking the CEC's office to hold the by-polls now? At the same time why are elections to the 118-odd municipalities of the state not being held till now? People residing in areas under these municipalities are facing civic problems as there are no councillors," he said.

Banerjee, who had contested the assembly poll from Nandigram, had lost to BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari. She is required to win from another seat through a by-poll within six months of announcement of the results. Municipal polls are held by the state election commission.

"We have given our opinion on this to the chief electoral officer in Kolkata," Ghosh said.

On the suicide attempt by five teachers on Tuesday, Ghosh said, "There is complete anarchy in education sphere in the state. Five women contractual teachers of primary schools allegedly consumed poison on Tuesday while demonstrating before Bikash Bhavan, the West Bengal education department headquarters, seeking immediate fulfilment of their job-related demands.

Also read: Poll campaigns: The new king-makers

"It is unfortunate that those who impart education to children are being forced to take such drastic steps. They are feeling deprived," the BJP leader said.

Ghosh said people living in villages in the state are not getting Covid vaccines and alleged that most of the vaccination are concentrated in the city.

The saffron party announced the launch of its programme to distribute ration bags among the people with pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dilip Ghosh printed on them.
Two more accused persons have been injured in police encounters in Assam's Nagaon and Goalpara districts, senior officers said on Wednesday.

The leader of an armed gang was injured in a cross-fire at number 1 Kandhulimari village in Nagaon district early on Saturday when he was leading the police to his accomplices, Superintendent of Police Anand Mishra said.

The gang leader, who was nabbed at Ahomgaon in Dhing area on Tuesday, was shot at his leg by one of his accomplices, who opened fire on seeing the police team and managed to escape from the spot, he said.

"This gang operates in a militia-style and is very ruthless. Its members are accused in many crimes including opening fire on common people and injuring several of them on August 22," Mishra told PTI, adding that the gang leader is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

Read | 12 accused gunned down in 2 months in Assam; Opposition calls police 'trigger happy'

In another incident, three members of an armed kidnapping gang accused in several cases were nabbed in Belpara area of Rongjuli in Goalpara district on Tuesday night and one 9 mm pistol, three cartridges and addictive pills were seized from their possession, Additional Superintendent of Police Mrinal Deka said.

While being taken to a police station, the gang leader tried to escape forcing law enforcers to shoot at his leg, the officer said, adding that he is being treated at Goalpara Civil Hospital and his two accomplices are in custody.

With the latest incidents, at least 21 suspected militants and criminals have been shot dead and 33 others injured in police encounters while either trying to snatch service firearms or escape from custody since the Himanta Biswa Sarma government assumed charge in May.

The rising number of police encounters has whipped up a political furore with the opposition alleging that the Assam Police has turned "trigger happy" and is indulging in "open killings" under the second BJP government in the state.

Also Read | Attacks on Assam Police will be retaliated: CM Himanta on encounters

Unfazed by criticism, Sarma had said in Assam Assembly on July 15 that the state police has "full operational liberty" to fight criminals within the ambit of law.

In the first face-to-face meeting with the officers in-charge (OCs) of all police stations in the state on July 5, Sarma had said that shooting at criminals "should be the pattern" if they attempt to escape from custody or try to snatch firearms from law enforcers.

Taking suo moto cognisance, the Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) on July 7 asked the state government to institute an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the death and injury of the accused in police encounters.

Earlier, a New Delhi-based lawyer from Assam, Arif Jwadder, had filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) against the Assam Police for the series of encounters.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot lashed out at the Centre on Wednesday over its asset monetisation programme, saying the central government should help the poor and the middle class instead of giving away the assets created in the past 70 years to the private sector at throwaway prices.

The former Rajasthan deputy chief minister also accused the BJP of misleading people and doing divisive politics.

"The government should help poor and middle-class people instead of handing over the assets of the country to select people," he told reporters in Dausa.

He claimed that the Centre wants to give the assets, be it railways, airports or big institutions, to its acquaintances at throwaway prices.

Pilot said despite the rise in fuel prices and unemployment, Union ministers are taking out 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra'.

Read | Modi govt can take asset monetising lessons from Australia

"The price of petrol is above Rs 105, a gas cylinder is for Rs 900, there are no jobs, lakhs of people have died due to coronavirus. There was an oxygen shortage during the second wave of the pandemic but still the ministers are seeking blessings," he said.

During his Dausa visit, the Congress leader exuded confidence that the Congress would win the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections.

The elections will be held in Bharatpur, Dausa, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur and Sirohi districts.

Polling will be held in three phases on August 26, 29 and September 1, and counting of votes will take place on September 4 at the district headquarters.
His family is under threat and living in fear but determined to fight on, says the grieving grandfather of the woman who had accused a BSP MP of rape and died in Delhi days after she set herself on fire outside the Supreme Court.

Mourning the untimely death of his 24-year-old granddaughter, who breathed her last in a Delhi hospital on Tuesday, the elderly gentleman alleged that BSP MP Atul Rais men had threatened to kill his family.

"Henchmen of the MP used to come to our place and threaten to kill us. We are living in fear," he told reporters.

Rai has been in jail since 2019, when the rape allegations were first made.

The woman and a friend had immolated themselves outside the apex court on August 16 when they were barred from entering the premises. The man, 27, suffered 65 per cent burns and died on Saturday. The woman had 85 per cent burns.

"A lot of pressure was mounted on my granddaughter. She faced it all and continued her fight (against the MP). We are economically weak but we will continue the fight. We never thought that we have to see such days," her grandfather said.

The woman's father had died following a cardiac arrest four years ago, he said.

"The MP fielded my granddaughter in student politics in Varanasi and later ruined her life. We will decide our future course of action when her mother and brother return from Delhi," he said.

The woman's grandparents live in a village here.

Her body was handed over to her family after a post-mortem following which they cremated her at Nigambodh Ghat in the national capital, Delhi Police officials said.

Rajkaran Naiyar, Superintendent of Police, Ballia, said the family will be provided security.

The woman had been summoned by a Allahabad court on charges of forgery and other charges. Allegations were also levelled against her for forging her birth papers by Rai's brother.

In August, a local court in Varanasi issued a non-bailable warrant against her in the forgery case based on the complaint.

According to Delhi Police officials, before attempting suicide, the woman, along with her male friend, had recorded a Facebook Live video. She disclosed her identity in it and said she had filed the rape case against Rai in 2019.

She also alleged in the video that a few senior Uttar Pradesh police officers were supporting the accused.

Earlier, a senior police officer had said the man and the woman took the extreme step as a court had issued a non-bailable warrant against them in the case of forgery for allegedly submitting wrong proof of age in the rape case.

In her Facebook video, the woman had mentioned the warrant and said she had been summoned by the judge, police said.

The woman had filed a plea in the Supreme Court in March, seeking transfer of her case from the Allahabad court to Delhi for a fair trial, claiming that she faced a threat to her life.

Two Varanasi policemen -- Varanasi Cantt SHO Rakesh Singh and investigation officer Girija Shankar -- who were probing the case of forgery were suspended and an inquiry was initiated into the matter after she attempted suicide on August 16, police had said.
The Congress crisis in the Punjab unit is back to square one a month after the party high command named Navjot Singh Sidhu as PCC chief and Captain Amarinder Singh as the party's face for 2022 Assembly polls to broker peace between the warring factions.

With the Sidhu camp stoking a fresh rebellion against Singh and seeking his immediate replacement, a rattled party high command asserted to the dissenting leaders that as far 2022 Assembly polls in Punjab is concerned, Amarinder Singh will remain the face.

"We will contest 2022 Punjab elections under the leadership of Captain Amrinder Singh," was the categorical response of AICC in-charge for Punjab Harish Rawat.

In the midst of the banner of revolt by around 30 MLAs against Singh, Rawat also asserted there is "no threat to the Amarinder Singh-led government in Punjab" and the party's victory prospects for the upcoming Assembly elections.

The remarks are being seen as a snub to the dissenters and a clear signal that the party wants the state Congress to put up a united front in the state polls, which is just eight months away.

Rawat's remarks came after the four rebel Punjab ministers  Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Charanjit Singh Channi  who led the move  had a meeting with him in Dehradun. They are also trying to meet Sonia Gandhi in Delhi.

Read | 34 MLAs of Punjab Congress want Amarinder out: Report

Hitting out at Sidhu, the Chief Minister's wife and Lok Sabha MP MP Preneet Kaur blamed him for the current crisis a day after four ministers of Punjab government and around two dozen MLAs sought replacement of the chief minister, saying they have lost faith in him and accused him of not fulfilling poll promises.

Slamming the disgruntled leaders over seeking the CM's removal, Kaur held Sidhu responsible for the current situation in the party's state unit and reminded how Captain had shown largeness of heart in accepting the party high command's decision of appointing the former as PPCC chief.

Once the decision had been taken by the high command, the CM said he would abide by it as the Congress president's decision," Kaur recalled as she talked at length about how Captain led Congress to victory in Punjab and the state on the path of development and battled Covid-19.

She also asked the party high command to take note of the fact for four-and-half-years, it was ok" and "see what is actually going on on the ground and do what is best for the party.

First ask them if they were happy during the last four-and-a-half years. This is not the time to say such things...it is damaging the party," she said when asked about the dissenters' dissatisfaction with the government's performance.

She was addressing the media persons a day after the Punjab chief minister faced an open revolt with the four ministers and around two dozen legislators meeting at the residence of his known detractor Bajwa on Tuesday and calling for "drastic" steps including a change of guard in the state.

Also Read | Punjab CM warns Sidhu's advisers against assertions that do 'more damage to India's interests'

Asked whether she holds Sidhu responsible for the current situation, she said, Of course he is. He is the one who started (with) his advisers.

On Sunday, the Chief Minister had slammed the purported remarks of Pyare Lal Garg that Captain's criticism of Pakistan was not in the interest of Punjab and that of Malwinder Singh Mali who said if Kashmir was a part of India, then what was the need to have Articles 370 and 35A. Both Garg and Mali are advisers of Sidhu. Singh had told them that tersely not to speak on matters "of which they clearly had little or no knowledge and had no understanding of the implications of their comments".

A day after he was asked by Captain to rein in his advisers, Sidhu on Monday hit out at the party-ruled government over prices of crops saying assured prices in Punjab are too low as compared to Haryana/UP /Uttarakhand (all three BJP-ruled states).

On Tuesday, the rebellion broke out with the demand of the Chief Minister's ouster. Bajwa, Channi, Randhawa and some MLAs had on Tuesday also met Sidhu.

The Congress high command, which feels that Captain is still the best bait for the party in 2022 polls, has not taken kindly to this open rebellion and is in a mood to consider the demand for "immediate change" there.

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Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday said Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have entrusted him with the responsibility of running the state government and he will quit the moment they ask him to do so.

On his return to Raipur, a day after meeting Rahul Gandhi in Delhi, he also said that those seeking rotation of the CM's post are creating political instability in the state.

Baghel was accorded a rousing reception on his arrival at the Raipur airport by a large crowd of supporters who had gathered there, displaying a show of strength.

Chief Minister Baghel and Chhattisgarh Health Minister T S Singh Deo on Wednesday morning separately met All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K C Venugopal amid an on ongoing power tussle between them.

Sources said that Bhagel and Deo held consultations with Venugopal over the alleged differences between them, besides development issues in Chhattisgarh.

The two Chhattisgarh Congress leaders are likely to hold further deliberations with the AICC leadership in the near future, they added.

Also Read | Rahul Gandhi meets Baghel, Singh Deo after internal rumblings in Chhattisgarh

"I have said in the past that when the high command orders, I will quit the post. No one should have any doubt. Those who are talking about two and a half years, they are trying to bring political instability and they will never succeed," Bhagel told reporters at the airport.

"As far as the incumbent state government is concerned, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have entrusted the responsibility to a farmer like me. I am happy about it. This government is of farmers, tribals, labourers and 2.8 crore people of the state. The government is functioning well," he said.

Deo has claimed that according to an agreement made after the Congress came to power in Chhattisgarh in 2018, he should have got the the chief minister's post after 2.5 years. Bhagel has denied the claim.

According to sources in the Congress, the differences between Baghel and his rival, Deo, would be soon resolved.

Earlier at the aiport, slogans such as 'Chhattisgarh ada hua hai, CM Bhupesh Baghel ke sang khada hua hai' (Chhattisgarh is adamant, it is standing with Chief Minister Baghel) were raised by his supporters as he arrived.

Bhagel said he met Rahul Gandhi, party general secretary Venugopal and Congress' Chhattisgarh in-charge P L Punia and held discussions on the "state government's schemes, development and political situation" and "they were apprised of the situation in Chhattisgarh".

"Punia ji has already clarified (about the rumours of leadership change). After his statement, is there anything more left to be said?" the chief minister asked.

After Rahul Gandhi's meetings with Baghel and Deo in Delhi on Tuesday, Punia had told reporters that they discussed development issues and not the leadership change.

Asked about opposition BJP's demand for clarification on the issue of rotation of the chief minister's post, Baghel said it was worried because there was a "farmers' government" in Chhattisgarh.

"The son of a farmer is the chief minister, whom they (BJP) consider as their biggest challenge.. The BJP has no answer to the culture of Chhattisgarh," he said.

The BJP was in power from 2003 to 2018, but now it is reduced to 14 seats in the 90-member state assembly, he said.

Asked about the slogans in his favour at the airport, Baghel said everyone was raising slogans in favour of "Sonia-ji, Rahul-ji and the Congress party".

When the Congress opted for Baghel for the top post following its victory in the 2018 assembly polls, there was speculation that Deo, another contender in the fray, would be allowed to take over after half the term.

Baghel completed two and a half years in office in June 2021.
The turmoil and infighting in Punjab Congress do not seem to be settling anytime soon.

Even a month after the appointment of Navjot Singh Sidhu as Punjab chief a fresh revolt seems to be brewing in the state party. As per a report by The Indian Express, 34 MLAs of the party met with other leaders of the party in Chandigarh.

However, Sidhu and the four working presidents appointed by him were not present for the meeting held at Cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwas official residence. But it was reported that some of the MLA's went and met Sidhu at Congress headquarters.

Also Read | Amid Punjab's power tussle, four rebel ministers to meet Harish Rawat in Dehradun

A day after raising a banner of revolt against Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, four cabinet ministers on Wednesday are also set to hold a meeting with AICC general secretary Harish Rawat in Dehradun.

The CMO also released a statement regarding this stating that "seven of the 20-odd Punjab Congress MLAs and ex-MLAs present at the meeting had distanced themselves from claims of a festering revolt and vowed support to Amarinder  including, MLAs Kuldeep Vaid, Dalvir Singh Goldy, Santokh Singh Bhalaipur, Angad Singh, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Gurkirat Singh Kotli, and former MLA Ajit Singh Mofar.

Raja Warring told the publication, I was a part of the meeting but neither do I want to say I was a part of the resolution seeking the CMs ouster, nor that I was not a part of that resolution. Also, I do not want to say whether I am in favour of the demand, or I am not in favour of that demand.

Bajwa, however, claimed that they had the support of not 34 MLAs but 46. We got calls from many MLAs today, but they were stuck The DGP is Captains man Some people do not want any action against them for being seen with us, he told the daily.

There is a quid pro quo between the Chief Minister and the Akalis. No work is being done, no promises fulfilled. We have no option but to seek his replacement. We will bring to the notice of the high command that the CM has lost our trust, he added.

Another minister, Channi, said, The MLAs have lost confidence in the CM and his working. We are going to seek his replacement.

(With inputs from agencies)
A day after raising a banner of revolt against Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, four cabinet ministers on Wednesday are set to hold a meeting with AICC general secretary Harish Rawat in Dehradun.

The four ministers-- Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Charanjit Singh Channi -- are on way to Dehradun in Uttarakhand to meet the All India Congress Committee general secretary and Punjab affairs in-charge, sources said.

After meeting Rawat, they are expected to go to Delhi, the sources said.

Also Read | Punjab bothers Congress again; rumblings in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan as well

These ministers, known detractors of Amarinder Singh, and around two dozen legislators on Tuesday had held a meeting and sought replacement of the chief minister, saying they have lost faith in him over the issue of unfulfilled promises.

They had questioned the ability of the CM in honouring the unfulfilled poll promises such as delay in justice in desecration of a religious text in 2015, arrest of "big fish" involved in drug rackets and scrapping power purchase agreements.

They also said that they would meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi to apprise her of the sentiments prevailing in the party.

They had held a meeting amid severe criticism of two advisers of Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu for making controversial remarks on sensitive issues like Kashmir and Pakistan.

The demand for seeking replacement of the CM has pushed the Punjab Congress into a fresh crisis. It also indicated that the party's recent efforts to quell dissent in the state unit with Sidhu's appointment have come a cropper.

Bajwa, who is leading the disgruntled group of leaders, on Tuesday, had said they would seek time to meet the Congress president and apprise her of the political situation.

He had also said "drastic" steps need to be taken and if there is a need to change the chief minister, then it should be done.

When asked if an attempt was being made to oust the chief minister, Bajwa had told reporters it's not an attempt but the demand of people.

Bajwa had alleged that a perception has gained ground in Punjab that Amarinder Singh and the Shiromani Akali Dal have "colluded" with each other.

Bajwa, Channi, Randhawa and a few legislators on Tuesday had also met Sidhu.
Regional PDP president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said that Jammu and Kashmir had acceded to India of Gandhi and Nehru and if Congress would not have been there the erstwhile state would not have been part of the country.

J&K had acceded with the secular India of (Mahatma) Gandhiji, Pandit Nehru and Indira Gandhi, where there was brotherhood. Congress had a big role in making J&K part of India. If there would have been no Congress and secular culture, which is being eroded gradually now, J&K wouldnt have been part of India, she said while addressing party workers in south Kashmirs Shopian district.

The firebrand president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) advised the people of J&K to not have any regrets about the BJP government.

They are arresting politicians, activists and students who dare to speak against them across the country and arresting Hurriyat leaders is no big deal for them, she said.

The PDP chief said she told Prime Minister Narendra Modi in their June 24 meeting in New Delhi that if the policy of suppression and oppression continues in Kashmir, its consequences wont be good.

Also read: PAGD adopts resolution to restore J&Ks special status

Mehbooba, whose PDP was in alliance with the BJP from 2015-2018, continued praising the Congress leadership and criticizing the saffron party. Whatever had been created by the leadership of the country, especially Congress, in the last 70 years, is being sold out by the present regime. They are selling roads, bridges, petrol pumps, airports, railway stations and power projects, she claimed.

On Saturday, the former CM had asked New Delhi to draw lessons on how the Taliban threw out the powerful USA from Afghanistan and asked the Modi government to restore Article 370 and resolve Kashmir through dialogue.

This evoked a sharp reaction from the BJP who sought an apology from Mehbooba and demanded an investigation to ascertain whether she has any links with the Taliban.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Delhi High Court to decide within two weeks a plea challenging the appointment of Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana as Delhi Police Commissioner, just four days before his retirement as chief of the Border Security Force (BSF).

A bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant said since a plea has already been filed in the High Court, let it give its judgement on the subject.

The top court said it would prefer to await final judgment on the subject by the High Court while deciding to keep a PIL filed by advocate Prashant Bhushan on behalf of NGO CPIL pending before it.

At the outset, the CJI said there were two issues, one was about his participation and formation of views on Asthana on the selection of CBI director and second, the High Court was seized of a petition about Asthana's appointment as Delhi police commissioner. The CJI had then objected to Asthana's name to the post of CBI head.

Advocate Bhushan, for his part, said the CJI could still hear the matter.

He said, "Every rule was thrown to the vents just to accommodate this person. It is an egregious case. I have never seen such a case where Government shows such a brazen violation of rule of law. He is given an extension in violation of each and every rule. Just four days before retirement, he was appointed police chief," he said.

With regard to the petition before the High Court, he said it was an ambush plea filed in collusion with the government to get a genuine petition dismissed.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta asked what fundamental right of the petitioner has been taken away with the appointment.

So far as the allegation of petitions in collusion was concerned, he submitted that the less said is better, as there are professional PIL litigants who filed such surrogate pleas at the behest of people who lost out in the race.

On Tuesday, the High Court had adjourned a hearing on a plea by Sadre Alam against July 27 order allowing inter-cadre deputation and extension of service of Asthana. The High Court had noted a similar plea has already been filed before the top court.
Nearly one-third of Indian men and women suffer from hypertension but surprisingly more women get treatment for their high blood pressure compared to men, says a new study published in The Lancet on Tuesday.

Quoting 2019 data, the study shows that an estimated 30 per cent of women and 32 per cent of men suffer from elevated blood pressure that can lead to heart diseases. But when it comes to the treatment of hypertension, 35 per cent of women get it as compared to 25 per cent of men.

"This is a surprise as in India the menfolk generally get more medical care. A difference of 10 per cent in treatment between the two genders is significant, said Avula Laxmaiah, co-author of the Lancet study and a scientist at the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad.

The Lancet study analysed blood pressure measurements from more than 10 crore people taken over three decades in 184 countries.

Hypertension was defined as having systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or greater, diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or greater, or taking medication for high blood pressure.

Read | Understanding waiting  and survival period in health insurance

The probable reason behind more women getting the hypertension treatment is that a large number of them are checked for their blood pressure during the pregnancy and are treated in case doctors or health workers find an elevation, explains K Srinath Reddy, president, Public Health Foundation of India, not associated with the study.

"Also, hypertension is the predominant reason for stroke in elderly women. Globally, women are more prone to stroke because of which they may (of their family members) be checking their blood pressure. Moreover, women with high blood pressure are more prone to auto-immune diseases, Reddy, a former professor of cardiology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi told DH.

The prevalence of hypertension in India has marginally increased over a period of 30 years, from 28 per cent in women and 29 per cent in men in 1990 to 32 per cent in women and 30 per cent in men in 2019.

But a significant improvement in the diagnosis was observed from 12 and 19 per cent in 1990 to 32 and 42 per cent among men and women, respectively, said Laxmaiah.

Globally, the number of adults (aged 30-79 years) living with hypertension has doubled  rising from an estimated 33 crore women and nearly 32 crore men in 1990 to 62.6 crore women and 65 crore men in 2019, with most of such increase occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

Despite being straightforward to diagnose and relatively easy to treat with low-cost drugs, nearly half of people (41 per cent of women and 51 per cent of men) with hypertension worldwide in 2019 were unaware of their condition; and more than half of women (53 per cent) and men (62 per cent) with the condition werent treated.
The Supreme Court Wednesday agreed to hear the petitions filed by three former Congress MLAs who have challenged the Manipur High Court verdicts upholding the order of the Assembly Speaker disqualifying them from being members of the House.

The apex court issued notices and sought responses from the office of Assembly Speaker and others on three separate petitions filed by the disqualified MLAs who have challenged the June 2, 2021 verdicts of the high court which had said there was enough material before the Speaker to draw inference that they had voluntarily given up their membership of Indian National Congress (INC).

The three MLAs were disqualified by the Speaker on June 18 last year after disqualification petitions were filed alleging that they had voluntarily given up their membership of the INC and given their support to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

It was also alleged in the disqualification petition that they had participated in political works and programmes hosted by the BJP.

A bench comprising justices U U Lalit and Ajay Rastogi, while asking the respondents to file their affidavits within two weeks, posted the matter for hearing on September 29.

The top court was hearing three separate petitions filed by Kshetrimayum Biren Singh, Yengkhom Surchandra Singh and Sanasam Bira Singh who were elected as MLAs as Congress candidates in the March 2017 Assembly election.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the petitioners, told the bench that the high court order be stayed.

The bench said it was issuing notice on the petitions and the matter would be heard on September 29.

Rohatgi told the bench that petitioners have approached the apex court as the high court had upheld their disqualification and the alleged ground of disqualification is that they have voluntarily given up the membership of the Congress party.

He argued there were procedural as well as substantial flaws in the disqualification proceedings and the case has been built allegedly on the basis of media reports and photographs that these MLAs were seen with BJP leaders.

The MLAs have completely denied the allegations and have said they are still with the INC, he said.

In one of the verdicts passed on the petition filed by Kshetrimayum Biren Singh, the high court had said, "On examining the photographs/videos and newspaper reports filed in connection with the disqualification cases, the existence of which was never denied by the writ petitioner, we are of the considered view that there were enough materials before the Speaker to draw an inference that the writ petitioner had voluntarily given up his membership of the Indian National Congress (INC)".

"In view of the ongoing discussion and findings, we are of the opinion that the orders of the Speaker are in accordance with the provisions of Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India and do not call for any interference by this court in exercise of the power of judicial review under Article 226 of the Constitution of India. The writ petition, therefore, fails and is accordingly dismissed," the high court had said.
Yuva Sena members, who protested outside Union minister Narayan Rane's residence in Mumbai over his remarks against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, met the CM here, a leader from the party's youth wing said on Wednesday.

The meeting took place on Tuesday night at Thackeray's official residence 'Varsha', said Yuva Sena leader Varun Sardesai, who led the team during the protest.

State cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray, who is the CM's son and heads the Yuva Sena, was present in the meeting.

Sardesai, who is the nephew of CM Thackeray, had on Tuesday asked whether senior BJP leaders approved of the language used by Rane against the chief minister.

Activists of the Shiv Sena's youth wing and the BJP clashed with each other near Rane's residence on Juhu Tara Road in Santacruz (West) on Tuesday in the wake of his comments against the CM, police earlier said.

Also read: Shiv Sena gets a booster dose but Narayan Rane will hit back

Stones were pelted from both sides, following which police used cane-charge to disperse the agitators, an official had said.

The clash took place during a protest organised by activists of the Yuva Sena against Rane, he had said.

Later, additional police force was deployed in the area. Rane, during his 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' at Raigad in Maharashtra on Monday, sparked off a row over his remarks about slapping Chief Minister Thackeray for what he claimed as the latters ignorance of the year of Indias independence.

He was arrested on Tuesday in Ratnagiri district and later granted bail by a court at Mahad in Raigad.

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday rejected as baseless claims by AIADMK that a building in Madurai where British Colonel John Pennycuick lived was being razed down to build a world-class library in memory of late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi.

In reply to the issue raised by AIADMK MLA from Madurai Sellur K Raju, Stalin said there was no evidence to show that John Pennycuick, a revered figure in southern Tamil Nadu for his pivotal role in the construction of the Mullaperiyar Dam in Keralas Idukki district, lived in the British-era building, which is now a staff quarters of the Public Works Department (PWD).

The DMK government has decided to raze down the staff quarters to construct a world-class library in honour of Karunanidhi at a cost of Rs 70 crore. AIADMK and other opposition parties had raised the issue in early August, but the PWD said there was no evidence to establish that Pennycuick lived in the building.

Also Read | Grand memorial set to be built for Karunanidhi on Marina beach

This issue has been spoken outside the Assembly. The PWD minister has given a detailed explanation. If there is any proof (to establish Pennycuick lived there), we will certainly look into it. If there is proof, we are ready to shift the location. But there is no proof whatsoever, Stalin said in his intervention in the Assembly.

The Chief Minister said he was intervening in the issue and making a clarification only because wrong propaganda should not be recorded in the House proceedings. Earlier, Finance Minister P T R Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, who also hails from Madurai, told Raju in the Assembly that his claims were wrong.

That house does not belong to John Pennycuick. It is evident that Pennycuick passed away in 1911. The house was built between 1912 and 1915. Hence this house could not have belonged to Pennycuick, Thiaga Rajan said in his reply, adding that he had to clarify because the legislator is trying to record false information.

John Pennycuick was behind the construction of the Mullaperiyar Dam, maintained by Tamil Nadu despite being in Kerala, is the lifeline of lakhs of farmers in Theni, Madurai and other districts in the region. The library to be constructed at a cost of Rs 70 crore will have eight floors and a collection of over six lakh books.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the criminal proceedings against Telangana Rashtra Samiti MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah in a vote-for-note case related to offering a bribe of Rs 5 crore to a nominated member in the biennial MLC polls in the state in 2015.

A bench of Justices Vineet Saran and Dinesh Maheshwari also issued notice to the Telangana government on a petition filed by Veeraiah, against the High Court's order of December 8, 2020.

Senior advocate Kavin Gulati and advocate Devina Sehgal, representing the petitioner, challenged the validity of the HC's order dismissing his revision petition against the Hyderabad court's decision to dismiss the discharge application.

The plea contended the High Court failed to appreciate that the trial court primarily relied upon alleged call recordings between the petitioner and the other accused, Bishop Harry Sebastian. Such electronic evidence can be admissible only when it is accompanied with a certificate of authenticity by the user of the device and other accused cannot be compelled to disclose documents which are self-incriminatory and based upon his knowledge under Article 20(3) of the Constitution, the plea said.

It also contended that the complainant was a nominated MLA and was not bound by any party whip to cast his vote. Secondly, the petitioner and other accused were TDP MLAs at that time. Two SMSs sent to the de facto complainant, Elvis Stephenson by the other accused cannot make the petitioner a party to any conspiracy.

According to the prosecution, Sandra and Udayasimha along with other accused persons A Revanth Reddy, Congress MP and TPCC chief, Harry Sebastian and Mathias Jerusalem, were liable for the offences punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code.

Senior advocates Sidharth Luthra and Siddharth Aggarwal along with advocate Kumar Vaibhav, appearing for Reddy, MP from Malkajgiri constituency questioned before the top court dismissal of his plea challenging the jurisdiction of the special court Hyderabad. The apex court put his plea for consideration on September September 7.
The Madras High Court on Wednesday declined to grant a total stay against the 10.5 per cent Vanniyar quota but held that admission in higher educational institutions and appointment in government services will be subject to the outcome of the batch of petitions challenging the same.

Declining the interim plea of the petitioners to grant a total stay on the operation of the GO, providing 10.5 per cent exclusive reservation to Vanniyars in Tamil Nadu, the second bench of Justices M M Sundresh and S Kannammal said the admissions and appointments shall be subject to the final orders to be passed later.

The bench was passing interim orders on a batch of writ and PIL petitions from individuals and caste-outfits challenging the reservation of 10.5 per cent to Vanniyars within the 20 per cent reservation for the BCs, MBCs and other DNCs.

Earlier, Advocate-General R Shanmugasundaram vehemently opposed grant of any interim orders and justified the enactment. The batch of PIL petitions from individuals and some caste-based outfits challenged the legislation passed by the then AIADMK government, headed by K Palaniswami, just before the model code of conduct came into force in February this year ahead of the April 6 polls.

The petitioners alleged that if the reservation was allowed to be implemented, Vanniyars and other sub-castes coming under "Vanniyakula Kshatriya" community would enjoy 10.5 per cent exclusive reservation in admission to higher education and government services while other 25 castes under MBC and 68 castes under DNC will have to share a meagre seven per cent of the remaining reservation.

In its counter, the government had submitted that the internal reservation of 10.5 per cent to Vanniyars would not affect the prospects of other communities falling under the most backward class communities. The Tamil Nadu Act 8 of 2021 was enacted in compliance with the Constitution and other applicable laws and on the basis of adequate data disclosed by the reports of the Tamil Nadu Backward Classes Commission. As such, implementation of the impugned Act was not barred in any manner, the counter-affidavit filed by the State Chief Secretary, Law Secretary and the secretary of the BC, MBC Welfare department said.
A court at Mahad in Raigad district of Maharashtra on Tuesday night granted bail to Union minister Narayan Rane, arrested over his controversial remark against state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray which triggered a political row and protests.

The BJP leader faces four FIRs across Maharashtra over his remark that he would have slapped Thackeray over the latters `ignorance' of the year of Indias independence. Rane was produced before Judicial Magistrate Shaikhbabaso S Patil at 9.45 pm following his arrest in the afternoon. Government pleader Bhushan Salvi sought seven-day police custody for the BJP leader to conduct further investigation.

It was important to investigate if there was a conspiracy to tarnish the reputation of the chief minister, he said. Opposing the application, Rane's lawyers Aniket Nikam and Bhau Salunkhe argued that his health condition was serious as he was 69 years old and suffered from sugar and blood pressure issues. Nikam further argued that the offenses under IPC for which Rane was arrested were all punishable with less than seven years and hence his custody was unnecessary.

Also read: Congress-NCP condemn Narayan Rane's 'slap' slur against CM Thackeray

Nikam also argued that Rane's arrest was illegal as no summons was issued to him under Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure before his arrest. Court, after hearing both the sides, denied the police the Union minister's custody. It instead remanded him in judicial custody and then, on the plea moved by his lawyers, granted Rane bail on a surety of Rs 15,000.

Rane was also asked to mark his presence at the Mahad police station on August 30 and September 13. If the police wanted to collect Rane's voice sample, they will intimate him and he shall cooperate, the court said. He was arrested on Tuesday afternoon by the Ratnagiri police and taken to Mahad in Raigad district.

The FIR at Mahad was registered under IPC sections 189 (threat of injury to public servant), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of public peace) and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief).
A bitter dispute has broken out in the Rajkot royal family of Gujarat over the ancestral property worth hundreds of crores with one of the members moving court. Ambalika Devi, the sister of Mandhatasinh Jadeja, who is the 17th king of the over 400-year-old erstwhile princely state of Rajkot in Gujarat, has filed a suit in the city civil court against the release deed and the will of her father Manoharsinh Jadeja, her lawyer Ketan Sindhava said on Wednesday.

She has challenged the release deed which construed that she had relinquished her right on inheritance property. Ambalika Devi, who lives in Jhansi, has claimed she was made to sign a release deed by her brother Mandhatasinh Jadeja in 2019 when she visited Rajkot following her father's death, "by keeping her in the dark and ill-informed", he said.

She has challenged the 2013 will of her father, that her brother produced before deputy collector in 2019 to allegedly mutate the entry in revenue records, and has sought a direction from the court to declare the release deed as null and void, Sindhava said.

Based on the will and the release deed, which are under challenge, the petitioner's brother had allegedly initiated mutation entry in the revenue department to make him the sole owner of the property, the lawyer said. The will of her father Manoharsinh Jadeja, the former finance minister (of Gujarat), is unregistered. The opposing party even tried to tamper with the will," he claimed.

"A year after Manoharsinh passed away in 2018, his son duped my client by making her sign a release deed in the name of an ancestral temple. We have challenged this as well, the lawyer said.

On Tuesday, Rajkot Deputy Collector Charansinh Gohil rejected the mutation entry on the basis of the objection raised by Ambalika Devi. As per her lawyer, the deputy collector said the order of the civil court will be binding on both the parties. However, Mandhatasinh Jadeja's advocate Nirav Doshi claimed his client's sister was paid Rs 1.5 crore as per the will which she had accepted in the presence of her husband and two sons.

She had signed a registered release deed that she will have no right on the ancestral property which was duly signed by her, Doshi said. Her husband and two sons are also witnesses to the deed that she signed in 2019, he claimed.

We have produced all the documentary evidence in the court, and the matter is next likely to come up for hearing in the court of additional senior civil judge L D Wagh on August 31," he said.

Mandhatasinh Jadeja was last year crowned as the 17th king of the erstwhile princely state of Rajkot. He runs a chain of heritage hotels. Manoharsinh Jadeja, the previous king, was a five-time Congress MLA and had served as Gujarat finance minister.
A day after Narayan Rane was arrested for unpalatable remarks against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the BJP continued to mount pressure on Shiv Sena with the Union MSMEs Minister and Rajya Sabha member saying that he was not afraid of anyone.

Rane and his son Nitesh Rane, who is a BJP MLA, indicated that they would hit back politically.

You can't do anything to me and I don't fear anyone, the senior Rane said, adding that he has been in politics for over five decades and spent around four decades in Shiv Sena.

I have contributed to the growth and expansion of Shiv Sena, said Rane, a former Chief Minister and ex-Leader of Opposition.

The junior Rane posted part of a scene from the film Rajneeti that shows actor Manoj Bajpayee warning "karara jawab milega (strong answer will be given).

Without repeating the tight-slap slur, Rane maintained that he had not spoken anything wrong.

Also Read | Won't take coercive action against Narayan Rane on Nashik FIR till Sept 17: Maharashtra govt to Bombay HC

"I am not backing out in any way... my statement was an expression of anger (against the Chief Minister) who forgot the year of India's independence... how can it be a crime," he said.

He also alleged that Thackeray had used unpalatable words while referring to senior BJP leaders -- Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Uddhav Thackeray himself had in the past ordered his party workers to "break the jaws" of people attacking the Sena's headquarters, said that Adityanath should be beaten up with sandals, and called Union home minister Amit Shah "shameless", Rane alleged.

If I was a gangster according to the Sena, that party made me the chief minister. Was it OK with the party then? asked the BJP leader, who quit the Thackeray-led party in 2005.

Rane and other senior BJP leaders including state President Chandrakant Patil and Ashish Shelar said that the Jan Ashirwad Yatra will resume from Friday.

Two courts, the Raigad Court and the Bombay High Court have ruled in my favour, said Rane.

Hours after he got bail from the court in Mahad, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted protection to him till September 17 and asked police not to take any coercive action.

Rane pleaded to quash the Nashik FIR and all other cases that may be lodged in future, and interim protection from arrest.

The matter was heard by a division bench comprising Justice SS Shinde and Justice NJ Jamdar.

Ranes counsel Satish Maneshinde and lawyer Aniket Nikam sought protection from all the cases related to Ranes statement against the Chief Minister.

Maharashtra governments senior counsel Amit Desai said that no coercive actions will be initiated against Rane in the Nashik FIR till the next hearing. His immediate concern is this FIR, I am willing to make this statement, Desai submitted.

Rane takes a dig at Fadnavis

Rane also took a dig at Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. I have not said anything wrong. But if Devendra Fadvanis says it is wrong, then I will accept it, as he is our margdarshak, said Rane.

Probe Anil Parab, demands BJP

The BJP demanded a CBI probe into the alleged complicity of the states Transport Minister and senior Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab, who is a close aide of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

A video clip of Parab ordering Ranes arrest went viral on social media platforms. BJP MLA and former minister Ashish Shelar said Parab was heard telling someone on the phone that Ranes bail plea would be rejected hours before it actually happened.

That was before noon when he was chairing a meeting of Ratnagiri District Planning and Development Council, he said.

We demand a CBI enquiry as Parab exerted pressure and heard telling somebody that the Rane's bail appeal would be rejected. How did he know about something before the process started in the sessions court? All the phone calls of Parab and IPS officials should also be exposed, Shelar demanded.
The Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that it would not take any coercive action against Union minister Narayan Rane in an FIR registered in Nashik over his controversial remarks against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar was hearing a petition filed by Rane, seeking to quash the FIR lodged in Nashik and all other cases that may be lodged in future. Rane in his plea, submitted before the HC on Tuesday, also sought interim protection from arrest.

Also Read | Shiv Sena gets a booster dose but Narayan Rane will hit back

Senior counsel Amit Desai, appearing for the state government, said no coercive action will be taken against Rane in the FIR registered in Nashik till September 17, when the plea would be heard. Rane's advocate Satish Maneshinde sought protection in all cases that may arise out of the alleged statement. Desai, however, said a blanket statement of protection cannot be made as the petition only mentions the Nashik FIR.

The court agreed and posted the matter for further hearing on September 17. Rane was arrested on Tuesday afternoon from Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra following his remarks that he would have slapped Chief Minister Thackeray for what he claimed as the latter's ignorance of the year of India's independence. He was later granted bail by a court at Mahad in Raigad district.

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By Arash Azizzada

The day our lives fell apart, Sunday, August 15, I received a call from a close friend in Kabul. Usually cool and confident, vital skills for a community leader in a complex, conflict-ridden place like Afghanistan, my friend now whispered in desperation. I need to get out, he said. Help me. In the background, I could hear the city bustling nervously as millions of people absorbed the fact of the Talibans conquest.

My friend, a vocal activist who has spoken out against the Talibans oppressive rule, is one of the thousands of Afghans currently fighting to find a way to escape the country. For the past week, Ive been working from Los Angeles, where I live, to support and coordinate their efforts. Together with a coalition of Afghan American organizations, many community members and I have been trying our hardest to evacuate our friends and family.

Its fiendishly difficult. A network of veterans, private sector workers, human rights activists and other volunteers, were coordinating on different platforms and languages, often all at once. Were figuring out what Taliban checkpoints to avoid and what gate at the airport is the most accessible, if any are. Were raising money, millions of dollars overnight, to charter planes. Were endlessly compiling spreadsheets with information about Afghans who are under threat from the Taliban.

Were doing this because the American government isnt. United States officials claim theyre presiding over an orderly exit, but the chaos on the ground suggests otherwise. Those evacuated in the past 10 days  approximately 58,700 people, according to American officials  appear to be mostly American citizens and the situation, fluid and frenzied, is far from under control. Friends and family weve tried to evacuate have been shot and beaten up by the Taliban, despite American promises of security at the airport. In the absence of guidance, it has fallen to us, using our phones and laptops, to figure out how to rescue Afghans scrambling for their lives.

Also read: Taliban say want Afghans not to leave, expects foreign evacuations to end by August 31

When Afghans speak to me now, they all whisper like my friend, hoping desperately to avoid detection. Their workplaces and homes are being raided by armed men, as the Taliban search for journalists, activists, prominent figures  anyone who has spoken out against their brutality. It goes far beyond critics: In some areas of Kabul, the Taliban are reportedly compiling a list of the houses belonging to members of the Hazara and Shia minority communities, whom they consider heretics. While in front of international TV cameras, the Taliban speak of amnesty for all who fought against them, the reality for Afghans on the ground is completely different.

The people Im talking to sometimes go silent. All of a sudden, their Twitter and Instagram accounts stop: no posts, no stories, no tweets. Some have switched to encrypted messaging, their communication ever more frantic. For those who venture outside  bravely pouring onto the streets, for example, to celebrate Afghanistans Independence Day last week, waving now banned Afghan flags  bullets await. The attempt to flee is perilous: Many, including American citizens, have reached the airport only to be stopped, beaten and turned away. Their homes are now marked by the Taliban.

The Afghan people have been all but abandoned to their fate. Despite its promises to evacuate thousands of at-risk Afghans who assisted the United States, the Biden administration has effectively left the job to Afghan-American community organizers, operating from overseas with minimal resources. That must change immediately. The Biden administration needs to establish security in and around the airport, beyond the Aug. 31 deadline for final withdrawal, and make certain that everyone who needs to can actually make it onto an evacuation flight.

The administration must drop its onerous immigration regulations  for example, asking Afghans to present threat letters or insisting they first travel to a third country before their cases are processed  and provide family reunification applications, which should be expedited and prioritized.

It should go further still. In the aftermath of American intervention in Cuba and Vietnam, refugees from both countries were granted refuge: The same should happen now. The United States has a clear role in causing the humanitarian disaster slowly unfolding in Afghanistan today. For those millions of Afghans whose lives have been turned upside down by two decades of American military action, ending in a poorly organized withdrawal, nothing less than a complete humanitarian parole offered to any Afghan whose life is in danger  will do.

My friend, along with his family, is now in hiding. They live minute to minute, hour to hour, fearing the knock on the door. Im so exhausted, he said when we last spoke after yet another failed attempt to enter the airport. I am losing hope.

His life, and countless others, is at stake. Mr. Biden must act, before its too late.
A 12-year-old boy died after a water tank collapsed on him, while his elder brother sustained injuries at Manuganahalli, under Bilikere hobli, Hunsur taluk, Mysuru district, on Tuesday evening.

The brothers, sons of one Manjunath of the same village, were seated under the tank in Kaveri Enclave, a private residential layout, in Manuganahalli, when the mishap occurred. They had come with their parents, who were harvesting groundnuts, on nearby farmland. While Sudeep came under the debris of the tank, his elder brother Pradeep sustained injuries.

The villagers staged a protest and demanded that the developers of the enclave Suresh and Mohan should come to the spot. Police personnel retrieved the body of Sudeep, with the help of Fire and Emergency Services personnel. MLA H P Manjunath and Devagalli Somashekar of the JD(S) visited the spot and consoled the family members. Bilikere Police have registered a case.
A college student, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, was allegedly gang-raped in Mysuru, late on Tuesday and the incident came to light on Wednesday. The survivor and her male friend are undergoing treatment at a hospital.

According to the police, the survivor was allegedly gang-raped by a gang of four to five persons, near Thippayana Lake, at the foot of Chamundi Hill, after her male friend was assaulted. The incident took place at 7 pm.

The girl was returning home along with her friend when the gang waylaid them. A police officer said, the gang assaulted the friend with a boulder and sexually assaulted the girl. All the miscreants were allegedly in an inebriated condition when they allegedly committed the crime.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Dr Pradeep Gunti, ACP Shashidhar visited the crime scene.

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Aiming at becoming the first state to double farmers' income by 2023-24, Karnataka will constitute a committee to prepare a report on the matter, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.

The government has also decided to set up a 'secondary agriculture directorate' which will focus on food processing and agro products.

Bommai spoke to reporters following a presentation on the Government of India's strategy for doubling farmers income (DFI) by Ashok Dalwai, CEO, National Rainfed Area Authority and chairman of the empowered body on DFI under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.

"We had a detailed discussion on the report submitted by the Centre. Karnataka has taken a keen interest in doubling the farmers' income," Bommai said, adding that the government was working to ensure that Karnataka becomes the first state to double farmers' income by 2023-24.

The committee will consist of farmers from the state, who will be in touch with the Central government officials to prepare a comprehensive Karnataka specific report on farmers' income. The report will be implemented by the state, Bommai said.

The CM added that another committee was being constituted under Agriculture Minister BC Patil to focus on seeds, pest and fertiliser management, and improving the fertility of the soil with the help from Agriculture Universities.

The second agriculture directorate will be a task force constituted to improve food processing and the agriculture products sector. The directorate will also focus on agriculture allied activities such as sericulture, animal husbandry, dairy farming, pisciculture and others.
The Centre on Wednesday issued an order asking the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) to procure green gram and black gram grown during the Kharif 2020-2021 season in Karnataka.

Total 30,000 tonne of green gram and 10,000 tonne of black gram should be procured under the price support scheme. The State Government will decide the state of procurement, said the order issued by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar issued the order following a request from the state government, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said. The procurement will help a large number of farmers in the state who have grown green and black gram.
Diana Farzans dreams for a future in her country, where she enjoyed 20 years of freedom, were crushed the day the Taliban took over Afghanistan. She has no hopes left to be part of the nation-building process. To be a free and empowered woman in Afghanistan has turned into a mirage under the Taliban.

The 28-year-old came to India seven months back to do her post-graduation in Journalism and Public Relations at Bengaluru University. Like any other Afghan woman, she lives in a state of fear now, concerned for her family back home. I am worried that my family back in Herat province will be harmed by Taliban as I taught Public Relations at Herat University in Afghanistan, she says.

Even while I was working there, our faculty at the Herat University used to receive threats from the Taliban because there were women faculty and women students, Diana recollects.

Taliban knocking doors in search of those who worked with the US and NATO, and the former Afghan government has magnified Dianas concerns. Her brothers are working in companies, which were run by the US and the UK, and her sister also has graduated from Herat University.

Two weeks back, the Taliban had destroyed all the network and I couldnt communicate with my family, she says. But the network has been restored now and she is at least able to check on the safety of her family.

Read | All Afghans must travel to India only on e-visa: MHA

With the new regime saying that all foreign evacuations from the country must be completed by August 31, Diana hopes for an exit for her family from Afghanistan. I want to take my family out of my country, she says.

Talibans stifling of freedom and education for women and girls has been leaving women of Afghanistan choked. These days when I speak with women back home, they tell me that life is not going to be the same anymore, she said

All their motivation for their future -- for women to work and girls to study -- has gone after the taking over of the country by the Taliban.

My friends who were working at the university dont want to be in Afghanistan anymore, she said.

The escape to freedom has been hazardous, to say the least. People of Afghanistan does not feel it is a country to be living in anymore, she said. Many people have been waiting for days together to reach the airport from their homes.

As the threat of a humanitarian crisis looms large, she says, we need support from other countries.

As 20 years of development in Afghanistan falls, Dianas ambitions have taken a deep dive.

Their return has shattered our dreams. We dont want to make the mistake of living under them anymore.

Diana recollects how has been through a lot to reach where she is today, but the way forward looks blurred.

I overcame a whole lot of obstacles to be a lecturer, to be where I am now. I do not want to go back to Afghanistan, where I will have to sit at home without working," she said.
As the Taliban mayhem continues in Afghanistan, students from the war-torn country who have come to Bengaluru to study are facing challenges on multiple fronts. Most will be out of accommodation facilities by next month and they have no clue on whether they will get financial support from their parents.

Those who are giving their final semester exams are worrying that they will have backlogs, while juniors are concerned about paying exams fees. Meanwhile, the landlords in Bengaluru have started asking for rents and the young Afghans do not know where to go. The Afghan students are struggling to pay an exam fee of Rs 800 to Rs 3,000. Many landlords have warned them if they are not giving rent they will have to vacate.

Most of them who have come on self-financing and scholarships are facing the challenge of survival. The worrying factor has been they will have to survive without any support from their homes.

The Federation of International Students Association (FISAB) has been writing to universities in Bengaluru and the government to address the problem, but they are yet to respond.

Sudanese national Montaser Mohamaden, the President of FISAB and also an MBA student in Krupanidhi College of Management in Bengaluru, explained that there are about 250 students from Afghanistan studying in the city.

Most of them used to get $300 (Rs 16,000 to Rs 18,000) per month from their families. They would spend it on paying rents, food, education fee and other basic necessities, he said.

Read | 'Our dreams are shattered': Afghan woman in Bengaluru fears for her family back home

Since then, the nation has sunk into a crisis; the parents who are facing the challenge of survival back at home will not be able to send their children money. Unfortunately, Afghan students are not in a position to return to their country, Montaser says.

The Afghan students are starting to worry about expenses on food and the owners have already started asking them for rents.

"Now, they don't know where to go. As an organisation we are looking forward to help from organisations and individuals who can support them at this juncture," Mohamaden added.

"We are requesting universities to sympathise with Afghanistan students. They are fearful that they will have backlogs which will compel them to study one more year. At least final semester students must be helped."

Afghan students are getting scholarships from Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), a wing of the External Affairs Ministry.

Many students who are under this programme will get scholarships until they are studying the course. But the ones who will complete their courses next month will stop getting the scholarships.

"We request the government to extend their study programmes by providing an opportunity to take up internship programmes or supporting them to take up higher studies," Mohamaden said.

Also Read | Twin worries grip Afghan students in Karnataka

Atifa Omid, a student from Afghanistan and Joint Secretary of Federation of International Students Association, explained that after examinations hostels don't allow students to stay.

Back in Afghanistan everything is closed and the student community is not able to pay their rents, examination fees, she noted.

"They are finding it difficult to pay an examination fee of Rs 800 to Rs 3,000. The Afghan students will be out of accommodation from next month. Our friends are meeting philanthropists and politicians seeking help. Hope it is coming.

"It is very hard for us to prepare for exams and attend. The education department should consider giving grace marks on humanitarian grounds, as many are living in uncertain conditions. They don't know what is going to happen to their parents and families," she said.

Mysuru University has announced that it will act as a caretaker of Afghan students and discuss visa problems with the government for them to stay back in India until things settle down in Afghanistan.

Congress President D K Shivakumar has stated that Afghanistan students must be taken care of and supported.

Mohamaden has made an appeal to help them. Donors can contact him and get in touch with the Afghan student community.
Oh, how the mighty fall.

Instead of being the public face of New Yorks response to Tropical Storm Henri, Gov. Andrew Cuomo was reduced to packing up and moving on after resigning under immense pressure. As Henris remnants dissipated into nothingness, so too did the last vestiges of Mr. Cuomos storied political career.

But like every other issue today, important aspects are being overlooked.

Consider:

1) Andrew Cuomo was a preeminent Democratic rising star. The son of another famous New York governor, Mr. Cuomos resume included stints as HUD Secretary under Bill Clinton and state Attorney General before taking the reins of the Empire State. His gubernatorial accomplishments earned him accolades from both progressive and centrist Democrats.

But the guvs national stock skyrocketed when he started delivering daily coronavirus updates. Cuomos demeanor  calm and collected, empathetic and resilient, and yes, the steamrolling New Yorker when necessary  earned him praise from most Americans. His popularity even generated political chatter that he might replace Joe Biden on the presidential ticket.

But what goes up usually comes down. In Mr. Cuomos case, it didnt just rain. It poured.

What began as a whisper of sexual harassment by the governor morphed into a cacophony of allegations so loud that it couldnt be ignored. Numerous women  some publicly, some anonymously  leveled allegations against Mr. Cuomo, ranging from inappropriate comments and gestures to physical touches bordering on assault. If that wasnt enough, his administration was (and still is) being investigated for possibly under-reporting coronavirus deaths in New York nursing homes. Additionally, Mr. Cuomo faces allegations that he used state employees to help write his memoir, and that he arranged for close friends and family to jump the line for difficult-to-access COVID testing last year.

Despite overwhelming obstacles, Mr. Cuomo repeatedly defied calls to resign. Eventually, however, under the weight of enormous pressure and facing impeachment, he bowed out  albeit defiantly by proclaiming his innocence.

2) In the time since the first allegations were made public, politicians, up to and including the president, demanded that Mr. Cuomo resign  the very antitheses of what elected office holders should do. Given the importance of calling out the cancel culture, the following needs to be shouted from the rooftops.

Politicians should never call on elected officials to step down. And there are two critically important reasons why:

A) It is not their place. Sure, what they perceive as political baggage may hurt their party, but politics should be irrelevant. An elected official is accountable to only two entities: the electorate, and him/herself. And it is they, not political leaders, who decide whether theyre still fit for office.

The Founding Fathers came up with an ingenuous mechanism for removing officials from office  elections, where voters decide whether their leaders have earned a return ticket. Its high time that self-righteous politicians re-learn Civics 101 and stop usurping power from the people.

B) Theres a thing called due process. Since when are Americans guilty before being proven innocent? Thats not how its supposed to work. Yes, its hard to prove and disprove sexual harassment allegations, but thats why God made objective investigations, where evidence is collected  emails, texts, video, testimony, witnesses  and charges are either brought, or not. At that point, the court of public opinion can rightfully exert pressure for someone to resign  be they a film producer, news anchor, celebrity chef, or elected official. But to make such a demand before all facts are collected is simply wrong.

3) In general terms, cavalierly engaging in what has been, at times, a witch hunt for high-profile individuals accused of wrongdoing is seriously misguided. Worse, some accusations are based on accounts of alleged events that occurred ten, twenty, even 30 years ago, and often for things that, while possibly not appropriate, should not rise to levels of such extreme retribution. Some are losing their reputations and livelihoods for things that many of both sexes did decades ago while in college or on the dating scene. That in no way excuses bad behavior, but a racy joke, suggestive language, an inappropriate gaze, or even putting an arm around another at a far-in-the-past party, should not become a life sentence, replete with a scarlet-letter harasser label forever defining people.

Humans are, by definition, flawed. But we also have the unique ability to sincerely apologize, forgive, and learn from mistakes  imparting that wisdom on future generations. Lets keep that in mind rather than playing God.

4) We should never  repeat never  utilize litmus tests to decide whom to support, and whom to throw under the bus. Instead, all people should be given the presumption of innocence. But that value continues to diminish.

Over the years, this column has defended people from all walks of life, and all political persuasions, who were demonized and declared guilty before facts emerged and investigations completed: former U.S. senators Larry Craig (R) and Al Franken (D), former Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Daylin Leach, Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, the Duke University mens lacrosse team, Tom Brady (Deflate-gate), Alex Rodriguez (accused of steroid use), Covington, Kentucky Catholic high school students accused of bigotry at the Right to Life march, the Philadelphia Starbucks barista accused of racism, and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, to name just a few.

Thats not a self-aggrandizing sentiment, but adherence to a value system that is not just rooted in fairness, but our collective self-interest. After all, if something unjust happens to your neighbor or political opponent, it can certainly happen to you.

Many on the left gleefully engaged in the attempted take-down of Justice Kavanaugh solely to avoid a conservative on the bench  behavior that was anathema to the GOP. Yet many Republicans cheered for the downfall of Mr. Cuomo simply because he was a high-profile Democrat  declaring him guilty with absolute certainty  while conveniently forgetting that just three years earlier, they had automatically presumed Mr. Kavanaughs innocence.

So much for the concept of What goes around, comes around.

4) Many Democrats turned on Mr. Cuomo since, in their view, he had expended his usefulness. It was simply easier to jettison him than defend his right to be heard. But in real life, the result was that a mans reputation was decimated without his day in court  before he could tell his version of events by responding to the Attorney Generals sexual harassment report released on Aug. 3 (let alone address other investigations not yet completed).

Yes, Andrew Cuomo is from a different era, where gestures such as affectionate touches were far more commonplace. Yes, he had a sense of humor that, in todays hyper-sensitive world, could be perceived as offensive. And yes, as an Italian, he often engaged with people physically. According to the Cultural Atlas website: Italians are generally tactile people and quite affectionate. It is common to see hugging, kissing, back-slapping and hand holding in public. People may touch their conversation partner to show their engagement in the discussion  for example, nudging them or touching their arm when pointing something out.

Do any of these things imply that Mr. Cuomo is innocent of the allegations? Absolutely not. Just as this column never stated that Kavanaugh accuser Dr. Blasey-Ford was lying, or that her version of events never happened, neither can Mr. Cuomos accusers be disregarded. They have every right to be heard, and have their cases further investigated. But so does the now-former governor, who took significant issue with much of the aforementioned Attorney Generals report. Yet he never had the chance to fully rebut it while still in office.

In the end, Mr. Cuomo reluctantly decided to resign, because in such a frenzied circus, he was incapable of performing the job for which he was elected. But unlike many accused who use canned press release mea culpas simply to appease the masses and get on with their lives, Mr. Cuomo strongly maintained his innocence.

Time will tell if that is true, but in the meantime, Andrew Cuomos political career is over, and his reputation lay in tatters.

The destruction of livelihoods, families, reputations, and hopes, solely on the basis of allegations, is the territory of banana republics. We are better than that, and must resist the urge to condemn before discovering the truth.

Otherwise, it will be arrivederci to Americas unique rights.

Chris Freind is a columnist and commentator whose column appears every Wednesday. He can be reached at CF@FFZMedia.com Follow him on Twitter @chrisfreind.
Chehre director Rumi Jaffery tests positive for coronavirus; says it wont affect the films release

In the first week of August, filmmaker Rumi Jafferys daughter Alfia Jaffery got married to Hyderabad based businessman Amir Mohammed Haq. She tied the nuptial knot in a star studded ceremony which was attended by many celebrities including Neetu Kapoor and Randhir Kapoor. Actress Rhea Chakraborty, who will be seen in Rumis upcoming film Chehre, was also a part of the pre-wedding festivities. Well, it has now been revealed that the filmmaker contracted coronavirus soon after her daughters big day.

In a chat with ETimes, Rumi shared that he is grateful about contracting the virus after the wedding. He explained, I was in Hyderabad for my daughter's wedding and all my friends including Neetu Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor and many other friends attended the wedding which was held in the first week of August. I thank God that I contracted the disease only on August 15. All those who came to the wedding went home safe.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rumi Jaffery (@rumijaffery)

He further shared that this will not interfere with the release of his film Chehre, which is all set to premiere on the big screen this Friday. The filmmaker stated that the work around the film was completed earlier as it was originally slated to release in April. Talking about watching the film himself, Rumi shared, If I test negative I will be able to come to Mumbai or else will watch the film in Hyderabad on its release day. He is currently in quarantine and will get tested again this week.

Chehre stars Amitabh Bachchan as a lawyer and Emraan Hashmi as a business tycoon.
Manoj Bajpayee files criminal defamation complaint against Kamaal R Khan; records his statement in court

Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee on Tuesday filed a criminal defamation complaint against actor Kamaal Rashid Khan alias KRK in an Indore court for posting an alleged derogatory tweet against him, his lawyer said.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Manoj Bajpayee (@bajpayee.manoj)

Bajpayee filed the criminal complaint in the court of judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) against Khan (46) under IPC section 500 (punishment for defamation). He urged the court to register a criminal defamation case in the matter, Bajpayee's lawyer Paresh S Joshi said in a press release.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by KRK (@kamaalrkhan)

The tweet in question was posted by Khan on July 26 and it defamed the 52-year-old actor and tarnished his image among his fans, Joshi said. Bajpayee personally appeared before the court to record his statement, he added.
Statement by Ambassador Byrne Nason at the UNSC Briefing on Iraq

Statement

Thank you very much Mr. President, and I want to welcome and say a special thanks to the Special Representative Jeanine for your trademark frank and excellent briefing. Id also like to welcome our Iraqi colleague with us today.

I will begin by extending my deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of those who tragically lost their lives in the fire at al-Hussein hospital on 12 July.

And also I wish to extend our condolences on the loss of life from the heinous terrorist attack carried out in Baghdad just one week after that. Ireland strongly condemns this attack and others carried out by ISIL, which highlight the volatile security situation that persists right across the country.

The continued malign behaviour of such actors, threaten Iraqs stability at a crucial time, just ahead of elections which are so important to Iraqs future and the security of the entire region. I want to reiterate Irelands full support for Iraqs sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Mr President,

We look forward to the planned elections proceeding on time, in transparency, and in safety, on the 10th of October. Weve previously underscored our strong belief that women, young people, and minority communities should be included in the electoral process. Recognizing challenging circumstances, not least the COVID-19 pandemic, Ireland welcomes continued progress in the preparations towards free and fair elections, in particular the work undertaken by the Higher Committee to promote and monitor womens meaningful electoral participation.

Id like now to strongly echo the Special Representatives earlier appeal today to the Iraqi people themselves to come out on the day and to exercise their rights at the ballot box.

We are pleased that the European Union will deploy electoral observers to Iraq, bolstering the expanded role of UNAMI in monitoring elections, as we mandated here at this Council in May. These will be important elections, and we want to do all we can to build confidence around their delivery.

A vibrant civil society is vital to a thriving democracy as we know, and to any credible electoral process. Any national effort to promote and protect human rights requires ensuring that international human rights obligations are incorporated into domestic legislation and delivered on the ground, implemented in practice. Ireland therefore welcomes Iraqs recent adoption of a five-year Human Rights National Action Plan.

However, we remain deeply concerned by developments on the ground in terms of shrinking civic space, with disgraceful attacks on activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and womens groups.

We are very concerned also that accountability for such serious crimes and human rights violations remains very limited.

Strong and coherent action on human rights is critical. We call for the full implementation of the Human Rights National Action Plan, for justice, and an end to impunity, and for fair-trial guarantees for all.

Earlier this month, we marked seven years since ISIL brutally targeted Yazidis in Northern Iraq. We take this opportunity to call on the Iraqi Government to deliver accountability for the brave survivors of ISIL crimes, mostly women and children, by swiftly putting into practice the provisions of the Yazidi Survivor Law. We welcome the establishment of the General Directorate of Yazidi Affairs and the appointment of a Yazidi female lawyer as Director General to take forward this work.

Mr. President,

We regret that the humanitarian situation remains dire for many Iraqi people. Internally displaced persons are very vulnerable. We commend the Government of Iraq in securing the safe return of ninety-three families from Al-Hol camp in Syria in May. This is the beginning. It is important to follow up by ensuring the resettlement of these families, and to work on the return and resettlement of others across the country, in a safe, voluntary and of course a dignified manner.

Finally Mr. President,

We know the stability of Iraq is inextricably linked to that of the region more broadly. With that in mind, I would like to note the commendable role played by Iraq in facilitating and indeed encouraging regional dialogue in recent months. We look forward to hearing the outcome of the proposed Iraqi-led regional summit later this month.

I conclude by echoing the comments of others today in commending also the efforts of the Governments of Iraq and Kuwait with regard to missing persons, and we welcome the progress weve seen on that over recent months, bringing closure to many families.

Thank you Mr. President.

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A passenger's Samsung Galaxy A21 reportedly burst into flames inside an Alaska Airlines flight at the Seattle-Tacoma International airport. According to a tweet by the airport's official handle, the phone was located in the Alaskan Airlines Flight 751's cargo hold in the cargo section. Reports note that the phone spontaneously burst into flames after the flight had landed.

The crew initially used a fire extinguisher and battery containment bag to put out the fire, but it resulted in enough smoke to force the crew to initiate the evacuation and deploy inflatable slides. Luckily none of the 128 passengers on board was seriously injured, but the airport tweeted that some minor injuries and burns were reported.

The owner of the device confirmed the phone's make and model to the authorities. According to the report, the phone was badly damaged and visual confirmation for the same wasnt possible. The cause of the fire hasn't yet been ascertained.

Perry Cooper, a spokesperson for the Port of Seattle, said in an email to The Seattle Times, After much digging, I can tell you that the phone was burned beyond recognition. However, during an interview with one of our Port of Seattle Police officers, the passenger volunteered the phone was a Samsung Galaxy A21. Again, we could not confirm it by looking at the remains of the device.

The Alaska Airlines Flight 751 was towed to a gate and there was no further impact on any other scheduled flight from the airport.

Reminiscent of the Galaxy Note7 fiasco

Its not uncommon for lithium-Ion batteries to catch fire and Galaxy A21 users or other Samsung-phone-owners dont have any reason to worry just yet. The is reminiscent of the Galaxy Note7 fiasco where the phone was banned by several airlines globally following multiple incidents of the phone catching fire. Samsung had to later recall all units that were sold.

Via
A variety of experts will hold workshops at the Jiva Yoga Festival in Ocean Park, Washington this weekend.
Rice Fergus Miller

Parsons

Caoagas

Ritter-Lopaowski

Webber

Blake Webber AIA is a new Associate Principal at the firm. Webber joined Rice Fergus Miller in 2019 with over a decade of experience working as a healthcare architect throughout the country. Blake has worked in the healthcare design field as both an owners representative and a traditional design consultant. He has worked on a wide range of Rice Fergus Millers medical projects including rural clinics, assisted living facilities, Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) facilities and renovations within large hospitals. Webber and interior designer Gena Lee now oversee the firms healthcare studio. Jason Ritter-Lopaowski LEED AP BD+C has been promoted to Associate Principal. Ritter-Lopaowski is an architect in the firms hospitality and fire and emergency services studios and has nearly 15 years of professional experience. At RFM, he has worked on projects including the 7 Cedars Hotel & Casino expansion, various Tulalip Casino & Resort improvements, and is currently working on four different fire stations for Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue. In addition to project work, he has played an active role in firm management and the adoption of new technology and tools. Kimberlyn Caoagas LEED Green Associate has been promoted to Associate. Caoagas is an architectural designer with a passion for fully-integrated architectural and interior design solutions. She is currently designing and managing the development of two private aircraft terminals for Modern Aviation, a fixed-base operator (FBO) based in New York. Outside of the office, she serves as a board member of NOMA NW, a professional organization which advocates for the advancement of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the AEC industry. Susie Parsons NCIDQ has been promoted to Associate. Parsons is an interior designer working in the firms senior living and hospitality studios, with over 8 years of experience. Most recently, Susie has worked on improvements at the Panorama senior living community in Lacey, WA, various projects with Emerald Heights in Redmond, and an expansion at the Eliseo senior living community in Tacoma. In addition to project work, Susie is active in the firms charitable contributions and equity committees. Rice Fergus Miller is a 52-person architecture, interior design, planning, and vizlab firm located in Bremerton.




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KENNEWICK (AP)  Staff at a jail in south-central Washington state have come up with an inexpensive, but effective, way to encourage inmates to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Since the first of the month the Benton County Jail has been giving away one of its most popular commissary items to inmates who sign up for their first COVID shot  ramen noodles, the Olympian reported.





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SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Waymo, the Google self-driving vehicle spinoff, is expanding its autonomous ride-hailing service to San Francisco.

Selected trusted tester customers in the city by the bay will be able to hail a ride in self-driving Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles, the company said.





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The site isnt polluted, but its small for such a high-rise plan.





The Jiffy Lube at 2033 Fourth Ave. sold in March for $6.2 million to a new ownership group associated with New York investors and local firm Ariel Development. Now there' a new redevelopment plan from Third Place Design Co-operative, which had previously worked with the prior owner, Silver Cloud, on a 23-story hotel-apartment scheme.





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The Arctic is warming much faster than other parts of the world. Among other things, permafrost is thawing in regions north of the Arctic Circle and releasing methane, a greenhouse gas that has a much greater effect than carbon dioxide. Subpolar wetlands also emit methane. The international research campaign MAGIC 2021 (Monitoring of Atmospheric composition and Greenhouse gases through multi-Instrument Campaigns) is taking place from 14 to 27 August 2021. Based in Kiruna, Sweden, approximately 80 researchers will record climate gas sources and sinks in Scandinavia. Three measurement aircraft, 20 balloons and three Earth observation satellites are providing data about the region. The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is participating with in-situ measurements using their Cessna Grand Caravan and a newly developed airborne lidar instrument for methane and carbon dioxide detection. A space-qualified version of this lidar will also be used from 2027 onwards in the Methane Remote Sensing Lidar Mission (MERLIN) for global methane detection from space. The demonstrator being used during MAGIC 2021 supports the preparations for this German-French mission. A total of 17 research teams from seven countries are involved in the MAGIC 2021 campaign under the leadership of the French space agency CNES (Centre national d'etudes spatiales) and A total of 17 research teams from seven nations are involved in the MAGIC 2021 campaign under the leadership of the French space agency CNES (Centre national d'etudes spatiales) and French National Centre for Scientific Research CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique).

Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) are the two most significant anthropogenic greenhouse gases. In particular, the input of methane into Earths atmosphere has still not been sufficiently researched. In Scandinavia, there are various methane sources that either originate from human activities (extraction and distribution of gas and oil) or are of natural origin (wetlands, peat bogs, lakes). In these wet regions, organic degradation processes take place in the absence of air, producing methane naturally.

"These data are extremely important for climate research. Because these emissions are insufficiently quantified," explains Susann Gro, Head of DLRs Space Research and Technology Division. "Continuous measurements in the region are rather rare due to the low population density, the long winter and the weather conditions. The researchers want to understand the influence of the natural methane sources and how they change with global warming."

In addition, the high latitudes are considered a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. Here the researchers are interested in whether the uptake of carbon dioxide in the biosphere is reduced by the strong warming of the Arctic and whether the Arctic ecosystem is changing from a sink to a source.

From the boundary layer near the ground to the stratosphere

The scientists are recording the climate-influencing gas concentrations from the boundary layer near the ground up to the stratosphere at three levels. As part of the campaign, they will launch balloons into the stratosphere up to altitudes of 40 kilometres, which will record the concentrations with remote sensing and in-situ instruments. A French ATR-42 research aircraft is flying at altitudes of around six kilometres and is carrying the DLR CH 4 Atmospheric Remote Monitoring (CHARM-F) lidar on board for the first time. This measures methane and carbon dioxide concentrations by means of laser backscatter underneath the aircraft. Flying low along the boundary layer near the ground, DLRs Cessna directly measures the concentrations at an altitude of around 500 to 1500 metres. A Twin Otter operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) complements these measurements by surveying the land surface and its temperature, using a passive remote sensing instrument from NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The coordinated measurements will be jointly evaluated within the framework of the Arctic Methane and Permafrost Challenge (AMPAC) initiative.

Smallest differences in concentration reveal methane sources

We want to find out where the methane emissions in northern Scandinavia come from and where they are transported to, explains Andreas Fix from the DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics. At the same time, we are testing our high-precision lidar. Its technology will be used on the German-French climate satellite MERLIN for continuous methane monitoring from space. This technology makes it possible to measure methane and carbon using its own light source, a laser, independently of solar illumination, from a great distance and with high accuracy. The first-time combination of the greenhouse gas lidar with a lidar from the French research organisation ONERA, which simultaneously measures the wind field from on board the ATR-42, is particularly interesting. In this way, the researchers hope to be able to directly determine greenhouse gas fluxes from the aircraft.

A common challenge in measuring greenhouse gases is their extremely small concentration differences, because even close to strong sources, the values are usually only less than one percent higher than the background concentration. An extremely sensitive and precise measurement is made possible by in-situ methane measurements close to the ground. Via the air intakes of the DLR Cessna, we record the concentration of the climate gases methane and carbon dioxide with our instruments directly at the location of the aircraft, explains Anke Roiger from the DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics. At the same time, we measure the three-dimensional wind field. This allows us to link increased concentrations and sources on the ground, as well as to estimate their source strength.

The DLR Cessna can be used within a radius of 300 kilometres around Kiruna in northern Sweden. For the measurement flights under visual flight rules over the vast forest areas of northern Scandinavia, we need a sufficiently high cloud base and good visibility to fly in coordination with the other aircraft in the research campaign, says test pilot Marc Puskeiler from DLRs Flight Experiments Facility. Challenges for flight planning are the flight patterns, which are often modified at very short notice, sometimes while still in flight, and the few airfields for diversionary landings and refuelling stops in this very sparsely populated area. Weather conditions permitting, the DLR Cessna is flying in coordination with the French ATR-42 and the British Twin Otter. The first results from the mission are expected in 2022.
They say diamonds are formed under pressure. But what does that have to do with Michael B. Jordan?

Well, we reckon the 34-year-old actor and current sexiest man alive (according to People magazine) must be under immense pressure to make sure hes worthy of that lofty title. I mean, he was a diamond before he was dubbed the sexiest man alive, but hes definitely become even sexier since.

Part of the Black Panther stars sex appeal comes from his dress sense. Hes always got his finger on the pulse when it comes to the most innovative new style trends but he has a certain sense of tact; a je ne sais quoi about how he jumps into them. Hes got a real gentlemanly touch when it comes to fashion.

His latest outfit is emblematic of his impeccable sartorial taste. Out on the town last week in Los Angeles with his girlfriend Lori Harvey (daughter of game show host Steve Harvey), Jordan looked slick and summery in a patterned rayon shirt over a white tank top, gold chain, chunky black army boots and the piece de resistance  some high-waisted, exceptionally crisp chinos.

Its an unconventional look: military officer meets beach bum? But we have to say, it works. The summery, light tones of his shirt and pants contrast in a satisfying way with his boots And the earthy-toned fit contrasts even better with his light blue Ferrari (which you can see in the background).

It also shows that you can rock some traditional, high-waisted chinos without looking like your grandfather or a sex offender.

RELATED: David Beckham Rocks Once Ridiculed Fashion Trend In Stunning Style During Maserati Shoot

Jordans approach to summer fashion in 2021 is a rather refreshing one. Take this short-sleeve knitted shirt he rocked earlier last week, too  the worlds sexiest cardigan  an eclectic choice that demonstrates Jordans Midas touch.

It all goes to show that the most important element of mens fashion is confidence. Jordan takes these looks from a 9 to a 10 out of 10 thanks to his confidence. I mean, if people call you the sexiest man alive, youd have no choice but to radiate confidence

Like Michael B. Jordans style? Wait until you see his fitness. Watch the following video to see how he keeps himself in shape.

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(The Center Square)  White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is taking growing criticism for comments she made suggesting that Americans are not stranded in Afghanistan, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

The comments came in a heated exchange at Monday's White House press briefing with Fox News reporter Peter Doocy and have given Bidens opponents a point to latch onto as the difficult withdrawal drags on.

"Does the president have a sense that most of the criticism is not of leaving Afghanistan? he asked. It's the way that he has ordered it to happen by pulling the troops before getting these Americans who are now stranded. Does he have a sense of that?"

Psaki responded by calling the question irresponsible.

"I think it's irresponsible to say Americans are stranded. They are not. We are committed to bringing Americans who want to come home, home."

Doocys quick response set up the ensuing criticism of Psaki.

There are no Americans stranded' is the White House's official position on what's happening in Afghanistan right now?" Doocy said in an exchange that has gone viral.

Psaki tried to clarify her position, but it was not enough to stop the pushback to her statement.

"I'm just calling you out for saying we are stranding Americans in Afghanistan when we have been very clear that we are not leaving Americans who want to return home," Psaki said. "We are going to bring them home and I think that's important for the American public to hear and understand."

Several media outlets have used the word stranded when referring to Americans in Afghanistan. The same day as the exchange, Politico reported that the Pentagon had confirmed another mission to rescue stranded Americans in Kabul.

Whats most troubling about Psaki flatly and unequivocally lying about people being stranded  does this mean the US government is not going to rescue them? said Erielle Davidson, senior analyst at The Jewish Institute for National Security of America.

The comments sparked major pushback for Psaki as both parties have become increasingly critical of the Biden administrations handling of the withdrawal, the Talibans increasing demands to the U.S., and the logistical issues of evacuating Americans from Afghanistan

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., shared a photo of the word stranded on Twitter with its definition, left without the means to move from somewhere.

By definition, Americans are stranded in Afghanistan, Blackburn said.

Psaki released a statement on Twitter Tuesday to follow up on her comments.

"We are committed to bringing Americans, who want to come home, home, she said. We are in touch with them via phone, via text, via e-mail, via any way that we can possibly reach Americans to get them home if they want to return home

Regardless, the criticism is not letting up as Biden continues to deflect attacks on his Afghanistan policy.

Jen Psaki is either a liar or as clueless as Biden on how dire the situation in Afghanistan has become, Blackburn said.
Together for Hospice and Bewleys have launched a fundraising campaign for hospices around the country, with North Louth Hospice Homecare set to receive funds.

Bewleys Big Coffee Morning Social for Hospice was launched by RTE journalist and broadcaster Miriam OCallaghan, who is calling on the people of Louth to get involved and host a socially distanced or virtual coffee morning on September 23rd.

The 2020 event raised over 1 million for local hospices and palliative homecare across the country.

According to Bewleys, funds raised in local areas will go to local hospices.

Launching the campaign earlier this week, Ms OCallaghan said that it was a pleasure to be involved.

By getting together with family, friends, and colleagues for a coffee morning social we can support the vital work hospice and specialist palliative care services do for families and communities every day, said Ms OCallaghan.

This year we really want to see people in Louth get creative with their events and coffee creations and take time together with loved ones to help make this the best year yet.

Ann McMahon of North Louth Hospice said that she was delighted to see the fundraising event kicking off again this year to support hospice care in Louth.

The funds raised each year by the Irish public ensure we continue to provide vital support to individual patients and their families every day, said Ms McMahon.

We are incredibly grateful to the continued generosity of the coffee morning hosts, donors ambassadors and Bewleys for their longstanding support.
A Louth Fine Gael Senator has called for the permanent pedestrianisation of parts of towns and villages to revitalize them after successful trials took place over the summer.

Senator McGahon has said that the support of both the government and the public is needed to help urban areas be restored and for businesses to stay on their feet after the summer season.

We need to see the positive changes put in place in our towns and villages over the past number of months not only continue, but expanded further to ensure that we place local businesses, communities and people at the heart of our urban and rural centres, said McGahon.

Not only should these pedestrianisation projects be made a permanent feature of our town and city centres, but they should be expanded to streets in as many towns across the country as possible.

Senator McGahon called for more financial support for more permanent outdoor dining facilities, saying that more people than ever want to have that experience.

People actually want to eat and drink outside now, its a completely different way of dining than anything weve ever had in Ireland before and given the benefits from a public health point of view, we need to ensure that outdoor dining can continue into the cooler and wetter months.

He added that some businesses are growing concerned as the summer season begins to end, and that some are worried about what the next several months will look like for the survival of their businesses.

Many owners are still feeling the negative financial consequences of the pandemic closures, and unfortunately the good business theyve had over the summer wont be enough to sustain them if they dont continue to do well as we head into the quieter months.

Senator McGahon called for people to continue to support local businesses, and that people should continue this trend as Ireland moves beyond the pandemic so businesses can secure a long-term future.
Claremont, NH (03743)

Today

Rain. Low 56F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Rain. Low 56F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.
North Andover, MA (01845)

Today

Periods of rain. The rain will be heavy at times. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected..

Tonight

Periods of rain. The rain will be heavy at times. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
Xcel Energy names Bob Frenzel as new CEO

MINNEAPOLIS  Xcel Energy has named Bob Frenzel as its new president and CEO, according to a company release.

Frenzel joined the company in 2016 as chief financial officer, and was promoted in March 2020 to chief operations officer.

Bob is an outstanding leader, and I am confident he will champion Xcel Energys strategic priorities including leading the clean energy transition and enhancing the customer experience while keeping customer bills low, said Ben Fowke, Frenzels predecessor as CEO. Fowke will remain with Xcel as chairman of the board of directors.

The company also named Tim OConnor as executive vice president and chief operations officer.

The corporate levels did not impact the Texas-New Mexico jurisdiction based in Amarillo, where David Hudson remains as president.

Business Digest is compiled by the staff of The News. Contact Editor Kevin Wilson at 575-763-3431, ext. 320, or by email:

[email protected]
The Afghanistan pullout may be the most nonpartisan issue in years.

Not that its without its partisan pundits and politicians.

When it comes to Americas failure to win this war, it seems that Trump is blaming Biden, Biden blames Trump, and the talking heads are blaming whoever is in their crosshairs already. Such is the circus of our body politick.

But for two-thirds of Americans, according to at least one poll, its no longer a war worth fighting.

Every president since we entered Afghanistan deserves at least a piece of the blame for this messy pullout and long lost war. We may have gone in with good intentions  to root out Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden and to save Afghanistans girls and women from brutal oppression in the hands of the Taliban.

George W. Bush took us in, Obama and Trump kept us in, and Biden is getting us out in a manner so messy that its drawing comparisons to our exit from Vietnam in 1975.

In many ways, Afghanistan turned out to be another Vietnam. We went in with overwhelming force but couldnt defeat the enemy. At best, we sent them into hiding, but they were never really defeated, and now that were leaving the country has quickly fallen into the hands of our longstanding enemy.

We did, however, accomplish a few things while there.

We finally got rid of bin Laden, even though he was in Pakistan, not Afghanistan, at the time of his death. And we did manage to keep the terrorists busy over there instead of here (and grew our own terrorists for the home front).

Perhaps our greatest accomplishment, however, was that we liberated Afghan girls and women from a brutal oppressor  although that may unravel as we withdraw our forces. When the Taliban were last in control, girls werent even allowed to go to school, but now theres an entire generation of girls who are educated. Whats going to happen to them after were gone?

One of our failures was in building a government and military that worked for the Afghan people. Corruption permeates the landscape, and loyalty in the ranks disappeared when the Taliban started to advance.

If were going to be honest with ourselves, we should recognize that few of us really care about the mess we helped create over there. Its not like Vietnam in that theres been no draft, so only a volunteer force had to fight in Afghanistan. That leaves the rest of us with the luxury of not really caring.

Clearly, those who have fought in this war see it from a very different perspective. Many of them care deeply about the Afghan people, so they hate to see such a messy withdrawal. But I doubt their objections will make much of a difference politically for Biden.

Tom McDonald is editor of the New Mexico Community News Exchange. Contact him at:

[email protected]
Ballymaloe Foods has joined with Cook Architects as part of Design POP Cork, an architecture, design and food festival that runs from August 27 to 29.

The event celebrates creativity and collaboration in Cork city and will see Ballymaloe Foods located in Elizabeth Fort for three days.

Architects Dermot Harrington and Paul Carpenter have designed and created a special pavilion that captures and represents Ballymaloe Foods that will be located within the grounds of the 17th-century star-shaped fort for the three days.

The festival is Ballymaloe Foods first opportunity to meet customers face-to-face since 2019, before the pandemic hit with product sampling giveaways from midday until 2pm each day for visiting customers.

General Manager of Ballymaloe Foods, Maxine Hyde, said she is delighted to be meeting customers in person again after so long.

We really missed travelling to festivals and shows over the last 18 months. Its wonderful to be able to do that again. Weve really enjoyed partnering with Cook Architects on this project.

Their design brings the story of Ballymaloe Foods and our Great Taste Award Winning products - Ballymaloe Original Relish, Ballymaloe Pickled Irish Beetroot and Ballymaloe Irish Mayonnaise to life. I hope that members of the public will get as much enjoyment out of it as we have, she said.

Ms Hyde said that architecture is as important to the family-run business as food is and that they are delighted to be partnering with Cook Architects to celebrate the arts in Cork.

Ballymaloe Foods began with a single recipe created by my grandmother, Myrtle Allen. Her family were prominent architects in Cork for generations and designed many well-known churches, homes and buildings throughout the 19th century.

We are delighted to be able to honour that tradition in some way by partnering with Cook Architects to celebrate and support the arts in Cork, she said.

Elizabeth Fort will be open on Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4.30pm and on Sunday from 12pm to 4pm with activities taking place between midday and 2pm each day.


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Consumer privacy champion DuckDuckGo on Tuesday announced that it's rolling out a beta version of a feature in its mobile and desktop applications that will strip trackers from its users' incoming email.

Called Email Protection, the feature will be initially distributed through a waiting list that anyone can add their name to.

Consumers chosen from the list will be able to create a free, personal @duck.com email address. Email sent to the @duck address will be denuded of trackers before being forwarded to a consumer's primary email address.

"Reading your email should be a private activity," DuckDuckGo declared in its Spread Privacy blog.

"You may be surprised to learn that 70 percent of emails contain trackers that can detect when you've opened a message, where you were when you opened it and what device you were using," it explained.

"If that isn't creepy enough," it added, "this email data can be used to profile you, including to target you with ads, and influence the content you see online."

Disposable Email Addresses

According to DuckDuckGo, its approach to removing trackers from email has some advantages over competing services. For example, users don't have to switch email services to use it, nor do they have to lose all the images in an incoming email.

A personal Duck address can be used anywhere a consumer would use an email address on the internet. That can be handy for withholding a primary address from a website that's suspected of generating spam or sharing addresses with marketers.

"Since it's common for sites to upload your email address to Google and Facebook for ad targeting, or for your email to be leaked in a data breach, this extra level of identity protection is now unfortunately necessary," DuckDuckGo blogged.

"You can think of it as similar to not reusing the same password everywhere," it added.

Duck addresses don't have to be reused because new ones can be created on demand, and they can be deactivated just as easily.

DuckDuckGo emphasized that it will never save any user's email being processed by Email Protection. As mail passes through the company's servers, it's stripped of trackers and sent directly to its destination without being saved.

Fairly Innocuous

Email trackers are often used by marketers to measure the effectiveness of their email campaigns.

"They provide marketers with visibility on who's opening their emails, when they're being opened, the device being used, where and whether users are engaging with links or attachments," explained Greg Sterling, vice president of market insights at Uberall, a maker of location marketing solutions based in Berlin.

"Email tracking can be used for ad retargeting as well," he told TechNewsWorld.

"Along with commercial use cases, organizations can use trackers or read receipts to see if employees, customers or partners are paying attention to important messages and announcements," added Charles King, the principal analyst with Pund-IT, a technology advisory firm in Hayward, Calif.

"The value to end users is less clear," he told TechNewsWorld.

Liz Miller, vice president and a principal analyst at Constellation Research, a technology research and advisory firm in Cupertino, Calif. explained that trackers are primarily used to track performance and not obtain sensitive data.

"They allow marketers to see tracking details about the fundamentals of an email campaign's performance," she told TechNewsWorld. "They haven't been a way for marketers to pull in information in the same way that cookies or other solutions pull in behavioral data," she continued.

"They're fairly innocuous, but in a world where DuckDuckGo is looking to increase its share of the search market, stripping trackers is another enhancement that tells consumers there's one less privacy thing to worry about in DuckDuckGo," she added.

Privacy Threat?

Miller maintained that DuckDuckGo is taking aim at trackers because privacy is part of its brand. "It sees email tracking as a malicious attack against privacy so it's going to block it," she said.

King noted that enabling blocking by default is a product differentiator for DuckDuckGo. "It means users have one less thing to think about," he observed.

"That said," he continued, "there are numerous other ways to block trackers so I'm not sure how valuable it will be to the company's business."

Sterling added, "DuckDuckGo new feature may attract new users and further associates their brand with consumer privacy, which is their broad value proposition."

Are trackers a threat to privacy?

"In some cases, yes," Sterling said, "by capturing user data and then potentially disseminating it."

Broadly speaking, King added, trackers qualify as a sort of personalized surveillance tool which some users consider invasive.

"Additionally," he continued, "many trackers utilize HTML which often plays a role in privacy leaks. The Electronic Freedom Foundation recommends disabling the use of HTML in inboxes, which also effectively disables most trackers."

Miller maintained, however, that whether email trackers are a threat to privacy depends on whom you ask.

"For the average DuckDuckGo user who sees anything pulled in about them as a threat to privacy, they're absolutely a threat," she said.

"But by and large, if they are a threat, they're a minor one, if anything," she contended. "I haven't seen any implementations of email tracking that is truly privacy alarming."

"There are those people who think any intrusion is chipping away at the fabric of privacy," she continued, "and the industry has to be sensitive to that reaction. That's where you see applications like DuckDuckGo making a name for themselves."

"Do I think email tracking is an invasion of my privacy? No," she added. "Does my husband, who is a DuckDuckGo user? Absolutely."

Marketers Remain Resilient

DuckDuckGo's Email Protection feature is just the latest move by some industry players, such as Apple, to give consumers more tools to protect their privacy at the expense of marketers. However, those expenses don't seem to be too high yet.

"The negative impact doesn't appear to be sizable, let alone huge," King observed.

"For years, various vendors have developed impediments to protect end users," he continued. "So long as marketers and other interests find value in users' sentiments and behavior, they will find ways over, under or around those barriers."

"This is part of an arms race," said Russell Newman, associate professor at the Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts & Interdisciplinary Studies at Emerson College in Boston.

"As soon as an entity like DuckDuckGo creates a wall, folks start constructing ladders to get over the wall." he told TechNewsWorld.

"We're all being given these new tools that kind of give us a bit of control," he added, "but it's a form of control that's really quite minimal and not really the answer to the broader question about privacy that we're facing right now, which is should this data be collected in the first place."

John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.




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Podcasts provide advertisers with microtargeted pitches that engage listeners more effectively than other outlets, observed Maury Rogow, CEO and creative director of Hollywood's Rip Media Group in an exclusive interview with the E-Commerce Times.

Most podcast listeners are educated, have disposable income, and are open to hearing advertising. Microtargeting of a podcast-streamed ad insertion is delivered in real time and provides trackable data on the number of listens.

Podcast streaming can be audio or video format. The video element often consists of a single static image or a video recording of the podcast hosts and guests.

This advertising format offers marketers an effective way to deliver focused messaging to a tightly defined audience that shares a commonality. They have a high similarity in tastes and interests compared to the audiences provided by other media outlets.

The most effective podcast advertising is delivered by the host. This makes many marketers extremely uncomfortable. But such risks can pay off incrementally because the targets will listen and remember the message, Rogow countered.

Capitalizing on podcast listeners' strong relationships with their favorite hosts is the primary benefit to the advertiser. Host-read advertising copy produces the best results, he said.

"Let the hosts be themselves. Let them do their things. That is why people are listening," he added.

Newer Ad Medium

Podcasts became a new outlet in the early 2000s. They now are reaching a mass market audience. This widespread audience growth has made advertising on podcasts a very viable opportunity to broaden vendors' e-commerce footprints.

Numerous reports by Reuters, The Podcast Consumer, Podcast Trends Report, Nielsen Marketers Guide to Podcasting, and IAB Podcast Ad Revenue Study show that podcasting is a growth medium with steadily expanding audiences.

According to various industry reports, about 25 percent of all listeners started in the past six months. Podcasts continue to attract new listeners to their existing audience of 90 million people monthly. Nearly 63 percent of respondents said they listen to more podcasts now than they did a year ago.

Edison Research in February announced the top 50 most listened to U.S. podcasts of 2020. This list ranks the podcasts based on audience size as determined by the Podcast Consumer Tracker, a service that measures the relative audience size and demographics of all podcast networks.

The methodology employed by Edison was to continuously collect data by surveying weekly podcast consumers ages 18 and older. The survey tracked which podcasts participants listened to in the previous week, along with demographic, psychographic, and purchase behavior information.

Rogow remarked that "Podcasts are just ubiquitous. A podcast is this weird thing hidden inside your computer or smartphone. You can hear them on Amazon Prime, download them from Audible, and Spotify. Every music platform is picking up podcasts."

Podcast advertising satisfies two primary goals. It provides a highly effective means for podcasters to monetize their programs. It also offers e-commerce merchants a way to advertise to targeted listeners to expand the advertising reach, he said.

Podcast Popularity Overview

The ongoing industry surveys sampled over 10,000 podcast listeners and tracked which shows they listen to, what they buy, and the demographic profiles for every leading network and top podcast, according to Edison Research senior vice president Tom Webster. His organization's published report lists these top 10 podcast offerings:

1. The Joe Rogan Experience

2. The Daily

3. Crime Junkie

4. This American Life

5. My Favorite Murder

6. Stuff You Should Know

7. Office Ladies

8. Pod Save America

9. Planet Money

10. Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!



The top 10 podcasts for 2021 tracked by Podtrac ranks many of the same shows as other lists, although not in the same order:

1. The Daily -- The New York Times

2. NPR News Now -- NPR

3. Up First -- NPR

4. Dateline NBC -- NBC News

5. The Ben Shapiro Show -- Daily Wire

6. Stuff You Should Know -- iHeartRadio

7. This American Life -- This American Life

8. Call Her Daddy -- Barstool Sports

9. Pardon My Take -- Barstool Sports

10. CNN News Briefing -- WarnerMedia



TopPodcast also presents a collection of (you guessed it) top podcasts. The website additionally offers tabs listing top networks, top podcast apps to download, top influencers, and more.

The Balance Small Business website provides a list of their best business podcasts.

Podcast Advertising Cheat Sheet

The industry average rates for podcast advertising are $15 CPM for a 10-second ad, according to AdvertiseCast. CPM as applied here is the price of an ad insertion in 1,000 podcast downloads.

A 30-second advertising spot averages $18 CPM. A 60-second ad spot averages $25 CPM.

Anchor sponsors pay on a CPM or "cost per mille" basis as well. Ad rates can extend to $50 CPM.

There are three primary types of podcast ads, with the following durations and placements:

Pre-roll ads, which are usually 15 to 30 seconds long and run before or after the show's intro;

Mid-roll ads are 30 to 90 seconds and are placed about halfway through an episode; and

Post-roll ads, which last 15 to 30 seconds and play right before or after the closing credits.

Depending on the skills set of the entrepreneur, self-written content is the least costly to create. Otherwise, producing professionally crafted content complete with voiceovers and sound effects is the domain of advertising agencies and media companies, noted Rogow.

A related strategy is obtaining sponsorships. Podcast sponsors provide a revolving door of recurring financial backing.

Advertising and sponsorships can go a long way to monetize a podcast. Improve Podcast claims that two million podcasts are available globally. They draw regular recurring audiences of 90 million people monthly. The trend of podcast ad revenue is on the rise, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

Be proactive in finding advertising and sponsorship opportunities for your podcast, Rogow recommended. One of the most effective ways of finding advertisers and sponsors is to work through podcast ad networks.

These networks are a collection of podcasts that are produced, distributed, or made available to advertisers through a single company or network. They can handle all the tasks from finding advertisers and negotiating rates to getting the script. Another approach they use is to seek an offer from the podcast host.

Making Ad Content Matter

Rogow applies two sets of strategies to his advertising content. Both approaches are good guides for the do-it-yourselfer.

His first ad-writing formula is a four-step process he calls the epic story. It starts with engaging the audience with empathy. That is the introductory story he tells to set the tone for a problem his product can solve.

"For instance, get engaged with some empathy problem. Then go into the details and the solution," he explained.

The next part of his system to create a podcast ad involves story-telling the details to make the situation believable. Next, talk about the integrity of the product as a solution. The last step is the call to action.

"Remind the listeners how this product or solution can impact them. Provide the website, the contact details, where to get it, etc," he offered.

Rogow's second formula is far more creative and abstract. He includes in his ad content as many of the five human emotions as he can draw from to engage the audience. He uses the acronym STUF to explain his approach:

S is for something sexy or engaging;

T is for touching the heart;

U brings in something unique or totally unexpected about the product or solution;

F gets the audience to take action out of fear of missing out on the product or its solution.

Base ROI on the KPI

So how do you know when your podcast ads have hit the ROI sweet spot and not just cost you a whole lot of time and wasted money?

Rogow's answer was short and direct. "Just watch the KPI or Key Performance Indicators," he said. "They are different across industries. The funding needs and goals are different for everybody too."

So that response brought our discussion to the last question in our discussion about monetizing podcasts. What should somebody getting into this business expect as an advertisement return?

Don't Expect a Sudden Windfall

Financing your podcast through advertising works as part of a viable business plan, Rogow replied. But starting out, do not expect to strike it rich, at least right away.

"It is the long game that works reliably," he cautioned. "The income dollars are a lot less at first. But the really cool thing is you can microtarget. It is all about microtargeting."

For instance, if you advertise a business tool for SMBs, find a podcaster who attracts small business people. That gives you access to an audience where 80 to 90 percent of the listeners are really interested. The others are browsers.

Focus on the common theme of the listeners. Are they entrepreneurs? What is their connection to the podcast content?

"Knowing your audience lets you target the folks that are listening to the podcast and the hosts that are the best fit for your product line or your message. You really need to focus on the long game and not the short game," Rogow advised.

Jack M. Germain has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His main areas of focus are enterprise IT, Linux and open-source technologies. He is an esteemed reviewer of Linux distros and other open-source software. In addition, Jack extensively covers business technology and privacy issues, as well as developments in e-commerce and consumer electronics. Email Jack.




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Hackers aren't the only ones evading security measures of many organizations. So are their remote workers.

In a report on remote workforce security released Monday, 52 percent of the U.S. IT and cybersecurity professionals surveyed revealed they experienced remote workers finding workarounds to their organizations' security policies.

The report, prepared by Cybersecurity Insiders and sponsored by Axiad, a trusted identity solutions provider in Santa Clara, Calif., also found that the top three security policies and protocols remote workers were most resistant to comply with were multifactor authentication (35 percent), mobile device managers (33 percent) and password managers (26 percent).

"This means that even if a company has invested in strong authentication technology like MFA, they are still at risk unless they can encourage employees to comply with their policy," the report noted. "This is even more challenging with a remote or hybrid workforce, as employees are not in the office to work with their IT team to deploy and utilize new technologies," it added.

Ease-of-Use Issue

Employees circumventing security policies don't do it, typically, with malicious intent, explained Axiad COO Jerome Becquart.

"They want to do their work in the most efficient way possible, and they perceive security as getting in their way," he told TechNewsWorld.

Most employees don't want to intentionally circumvent security policies, added Jen Kraxner, strategic advisory director at SecZetta, a third-party risk management company in Fall River, Mass.

"Sometimes it's because they don't know how to do something correctly," she told TechNewsWorld. "Other times, they know how to do it, but it's too hard."

"Security policies don't always make it easy for end users," she continued. "When it becomes too hard for them to do it the right way, they choose to do it however they can."

She cited the way two-factor authentication could be implemented as an example. One way is to be sent a notification that allows you to authenticate with a click. Another way is to require entering a code. The one-click approach has ease-of-use for the user in mind more so that the entering a code approach.

Oliver Tavakoli, CTO of Vectra AI, a provider of automated threat management solutions in San Jose, Calif., explained that in organizations that take security seriously fewer employees generally think about circumventing security policies.

"But when there is poor user experience -- for example, needing to enter a second factor for authentication every time your laptop comes out of hibernation mode; the percentage of non-compliance. such as running software to ensure your laptop never hibernates even when you're away, tends to rise," he told TechNewsWorld.

Good Intentions

In some employees' minds, they may think they need to overcome their organization's security to be more productive.

"An employee may be used to having access to files and applications that aren't available remotely," said Saryu Nayyar, CEO of Gurucul, a threat intelligence company in El Segundo, Calif.

"A worker may try in those cases to subvert network restrictions to gain access they were used to having in the office," she told TechNewsWorld.

Erich Kron, security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, a security awareness training provider in Clearwater, Fla., explained that if an employee does not understand the reason for a security policy, or if the organization has a weak security culture, employees will often look to sidestep policies.

"They may believe it is just extra steps they must take to do their job, or needless hurdles interfering with production," he told TechNewsWorld.

"If the extra work is significant enough, they may even begin to resent the policy or the organization," he added.

"Employees often do not understand just how significant the modern threat landscape is," he said, "or may believe that they, or their organization, is too small to be targeted by cyber criminals, a common misconception that often leads to big problems."

Lemons Into Lemonade

It shouldn't surprise that employees are finding workarounds to security policies, observed Sounil Yu, CISO of JupiterOne, a Morrisville, N.C.-based provider of cyber asset management and governance solutions.

"We want our employees to be clever and creative, therefore it's no surprise that employees find ways to skirt security controls," he told TechNewsWorld.

He recommended organizations tap into the creativity that's circumventing security controls.

"What is important is that employees share those circumvention methods with the security team, not so that the security team blocks those methods outright, but so that the security team can work to find or build safer, paved paths that enable employees to be even more productive," he said.

"To build trust across the company so that employees feel willing and safe to disclose how they circumvented a security control, the security team needs to keep security simple, open and collaborative, enabling and rewarding by embracing one of the core principles stated in the Manifesto for Modern Cybersecurity, which is to favor transparency over obscurity, practicality over process, and usability over complexity," he added.

Insider Threats Increasing

Not all employees, however, have their employer's best interests in mind when they end-run security policies and protocols.

"Remote work has significantly increased insider threats from employees taking risks with company assets, such as stealing sensitive data for personal use or gain, as employers have less visibility into what employees are accessing," observed Joseph Carson, chief security scientist at Thycotic, a Washington D.C.-based provider of privileged account management solutions.

"Employees have company devices that were dependent on network security -- such as email gateways, web gateways, intrusion detection systems or firewalls -- to protect those devices," he told TechNewsWorld

"Now, most of those protections are pretty much useless because the devices have been moved to the public internet," he said.

Discouraging Bad Behavior

How can organizations discourage employees from evading security policies?

"Utilization of security policies which have minimal friction is the best way to achieve the goal," said David Stewart, CEO of Approov, of Edinburgh, UK, which performs binary-level dynamic analysis of software.

"If the security is invisible, then the employee has no incentive to bypass it," he told TechNewsWorld.

Chris Clement, vice president of solutions architecture at Cerberus Sentinel, a cybersecurity consulting and penetration testing company in Scottsdale, Ariz. recommended using incentives.

"Find ways to make security easy or even transparent to your users and compliance with your policies will be high," he told TechNewsWorld.

"Still, there are always people with malicious intent that need to be guarded against," he added. "Regular monitoring and auditing of user activities is necessary to be able to quickly identify and respond to malicious behavior."

John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.


Hundreds of Afghans protested outside United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) office here on Wednesday, demanding refugee cards.

The Afghan refugees have been demonstrating in front of the UNHRC office for the past three days. They were sloganeering against the non-issuance of refugee cards by UNHRC  "No more silence, we want answers UNHRC", "We want Justice. We want future." One of the protestors said, "We demand refugee cards for the Afghans. We thought we will go back to Afghanistan but the situation has worsened there. Taliban has taken over Afghanistan. We want to be established in a third country by the UNHRC."

"We will continue to protest until United Nations fulfil our demands. For the last three days, we have been protesting, but the officials have not even come to the gates of the office. They have not answered us anything," added the protestor. "Our future is bleak, even our children cannot study, youngsters don't get jobs," said the protestor. The Taliban took over the war-torn country last week. Since then hordes of Afghans have been leaving the country in the hope of a better future elsewhere.




Agreement signed to boost food processing in Isabela, Philippines

A technology business incubation agreement aiming to boost the food processing industry in the province of Isabela, the Philippines, has been signed, the country's Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said.

The agreement was signed by officials of the Isabela State University-Cagayan Valley Small Ruminants Research Center (ISU-CVSRRC), Provincial Science and Technology Center (PSTC) of Isabela and the Sagittarian Agricultural Philippines, Inc. this month.

During his weekly report on August 20, DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Pena said the ISU's Agri-Aqua Technology Business Incubator (ATBI) under the National ATBI programme of the DOST-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) inked the incubation pact with Sagittarian Agricultural Philippines, Inc. "to expand the company's product line."

He noted that the company started its poultry production, hog-raising, fish production and grains trading in July 2016 and after two years, set up its Sagittarian Meat Processing.

"To promote the products, food counter outlets under the trade name "The Chicken Place" were installed initially within the city of Ilagan, and expanded in the provinces of Isabela and Cagayan," he said.

"Despite the pandemic, the company managed to respond to the need for fresh and affordable products by establishing Juicy Delight in December 2020. Juicy Delight carries locally produced products such as Hotdog, Hungarian Sausage, Longganisa, Embotido, Burger Patty, Nuggets, Ham and other chicken marinated products."

The DOST chief said seeing the need "to innovate and capture a bigger market", the company enrolled in the ISU-ATBI incubation programme managed by ISU's CVSRRC in partnership with PSTC.

With the signing of the agreement, the company will be assisted in developing canned chicken products utilising the developed meat canning technology of ISU-CVSRRC, ISU said.

"The canned products will be sold as ready-to-eat products and designed to be responsive to the present needs of the consumers. The company will utilise its own locally produced meat; hence, cost of production will be lower as compared to other food processors.

"Aside from developing canned products, ISU-ATBI will also provide services in brand marketing, e-commerce and financial management."

"With this partnership, we hope that the technology-based food processing will be adopted and hopefully, will boost the food processing industry in the province, utilising locally produced raw materials and soon will make Sagittarian Agricultural Philippines, Inc. one of the leading integrated agricultural companies in the country," ISU said.

- Manila Bulletin
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
NEW YORK (AP)  Half of American workers are in favor of vaccine requirements at their workplaces, according to a new poll, at a time when suc
Tyler Lee Loyd, 33, of Washington has been charged with one count of first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, a Class D felony, and one count of first-degree unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor.
FSA appoints next Chief Executive Officer

The Isle of Man Financial Services Authority has announced the appointment of Bettina Roth as its next Chief Executive Officer.

Mrs Roth brings a wealth of international experience to the role having served in a number of senior positions during a distinguished 29-year career.

She will head the Islands financial services regulator at a pivotal stage in its development, taking over as CEO from Karen Badgerow who retired in July after six years at the helm.

Mrs Roth, who currently works for the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, will relocate to the Isle of Man in the autumn with her husband David.
Athens, AL (35611)

Today

Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. High near 85F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Low 63F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Bobby Leo Dean, 78, of Athens passed away August 26, 2021, at his residence. A celebration of life service will be held 3 p.m. Sunday, September 5, 2021, at the Elk River Mills Memorial Cemetery, with Bro. Jim Clutter officiating. The family asks that you please wear a mask if you are in clo
Following a meeting with President Joe Biden today, Google and Microsoft promised to invest a total of $30 billion in cybersecurity advancements over the next five years. Google pledged $10 billion, while Microsoft pledged $20 billion.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said on Twitter that $150 million of that money will be used to expand Microsoft's training network and help US government agencies upgrade their digital security systems. The White House described that particular investment as follows: "Microsoft ... will immediately make available $150 million in technical services to help federal, state, and local governments with upgrading security protection, and will expand partnerships with community colleges and non-profits for cybersecurity training."

Google, meanwhile, will focus on extending the zero-trust security model, securing the software supply chain, building out open-source security, and offering more training opportunities to Americans. Specifically, Google said it will help 100,000 Americans over the next three years earn Google Career Certificates in cybersecurity fields.

Today, President Biden met with technology companies and cybersecurity thought leaders to discuss threats like the recent SolarWinds attack and how the US can better defend its digital systems. In addition to Google and Microsoft's financial infusion, Apple will establish new, widespread supply-chain protocols in the name of tighter security, and Amazon will offer its internal cybersecurity training to the public at no charge. Other organizations, including IBM, Girls Who Code and Code.org, made plans to expand cybersecurity defenses across government, society and industry.

It was unclear what would actually shake out of today's White House cybersecurity meeting, and $30 billion (and then some) certainly isn't a bad place to start.
If you're a Discord user, there's a good chance you've benefitted from Groovy Bot, which lets people jam together with music from YouTube, Spotify and others. But it turns out Google didn't appreciate its ability to rip music out of YouTube. The company has sent a cease and desist letter to Groovy Bot's owners, The Verge reports, asking them to shut down within seven days. They're not putting up a fight: Groovy Bot will officially go offline on August 30th.

A YouTube spokesperson noted that Groovy Bot violated its terms of service, particularly because it modified the way YouTube worked and charge for the privilege. If Groovy Bot were merely free, it may have been able to live on. But it also offers a premium subscription starting at $3.99 a month, which unlocks a slew of useful features.

The bot is currently installed on over 16 million Discord servers and has reportedly amassed more than 250 million users. Groovy Bot owner Nik Ammerlaan tells The Verge that around 98 percent of played tracks came through YouTube (naturally, because it's free). With one bot down, there's a good chance Google is also targeting the more popular Rhythm music bot. While the owner of that service claims it's not shutting down, its days are clearly numbered.
Kanye West is no stranger to dabbling with technology (he discussed a Teenage Engineering collaboration in 2019), but now there's a device you can buy for yourself. The rapper and electronics design firm Kano have introduced a Donda Stem Player that, as the name implies, lets you remix music from Kanye's upcoming album Donda (plus your own tunes) using song stems.

The puck-like gadget reportedly lets you isolate song parts and control aspects like bass, drums, samples and vocals. You can reportedly split "any" song into stems. We've asked Kano how this works, but it's unlikely that it will perfectly separate song elements  that's a difficult feat for a full-fledged PC, let alone something as portable as this.

The Stem Player also includes familiar tools including effects, four-channel audio mixing, live sampling and real-time loop and speed controls. You navigate much of the interface through four touch-sensitive "light sliders" with haptic feedback and customizable colors, and you can save and share your creations with othrs.

You can pipe audio through the built-in speaker, Bluetooth or a 3.5mm headphone jack through a variety of lossy and lossless formats (including AAC, AIFF, MP3 and WAV). You'll have just 8GB of storage to work with, though  minus the bundled Donda stems.

You can order the Stem Player now for $200. That's not a trivial outlay if you're eager to tinker with songs, but it's relatively affordable as far as electronic music-making devices go. Just be aware that it's really just one part of a larger creative toolset, not your ticket to stardom.
Lucid is giving prospective owners of its $169,000 luxury electric sedan the choice between two variants. The Air Dream Edition will be available in a "Performance" or "Range" version that ultimately leaves you to decide between speed and real-world driving range. The former promises 1,111 horsepower, which rivals the Tesla Model S Plaid, and can hit 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds.

The Dream Edition Range, meanwhile, will deliver 933 horsepower and take 0.2 seconds longer to go from 0-60 mph. Both have a top speed of 168 mph, cost $169,000 (before factoring in federal tax credits or other incentives) and are expected to ship later this year. You'll be able to identify each variant with the "P" or "R" letter on their respective badges. The company previously revealed that it only planned to build about 500 units of the Dream Edition.

Notably, Lucid is still in the process of confirming the cars' official range with the US Environmental Protection Agency. In real-world tests, the company says a pair of Dream Edition Range models travelled 445 miles on a single charge. The journey saw the cars venture from LA to San Francisco at highway speeds via central California, and then back across the San Francisco Bay to Lucids global headquarters. Upon arrival, Lucid claims the the cars displayed 30 miles and 72 miles of charge remaining (for totals of 475 and 517 miles).

The EV maker is currently reaching out to those who put down $7,500 to reserve the Air Dream Edition to confirm their chosen configuration. Lucid said in June that it had received over 10,000 reservations across all Air models, which  along with the top-of-the-range Dream Edition  includes the base edition, the Air Touring and Air Grand Touring.
Don't unlock your new Samsung Galaxy Fold 3's bootloader if you don't know what you're getting into, or you may just regret it. According to XDA-Developers, the foldable device shows a warning when you attempt to unlock its bootloader, telling you that doing so "will cause the camera to be disabled and may cause your phones and apps to stop working correctly." Indeed, that's exactly what happens when you do go through with the process to gain root access and modify the device's software.

After unlocking the bootloader, you'll notice that the stock camera app will fail to operate. You'll no longer be able to fire it up to take photos, and the apps on your phone that use the camera won't be able to access it, as well. Those apps  yes, including third-party camera apps  just remain dark or time out after a while, so there's no workaround. In fact, all camera-related features will cease to function, including facial recognition.

We've reached out to Samsung for a statement and were told that the company has nothing to share right now. As the publication notes, Samsung has always made it difficult to root its phones: Modifying the device's software already voids your warranty and kills Samsung Pay. This is next level protection, though  and perhaps a most effective one  considering most people at this point in time frequently use their phones as cameras. XDA says re-locking the bootloader will also re-enable the Galaxy Fold 3's camera, so all won't be lost if you do decide to try it out and poke around for a solution yourself.
Autonomous cargo hauling won't be limited to a handful of trucks and aircraft. As CNN reports, Yara International now expects to sail the first autonomous, fully electric cargo ship in Norway by the end of 2021. The Yara Birkeland will travel from Herya to Brevik with only three remote control centers keeping watch over the journey.

Yara first developed the concept in 2017 and had planned to set sail in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the trip. It's not the first crewless ship of any kind to venture forth (a Finnish ferry launched in 2018), but it is the first all-electric model.

It's a slow vessel with a 13-knot top speed from its two 900kW propulsion systems (container ships typically travel at 16 to 25 knots), and it's safe to say the giant 7MWh battery will take a while to charge. However, Yara believes it will be worthwhile for the environmental gains. The firm estimated the Yara Birkeland would replace about 40,000 truck trips per year, dramatically reducing CO2 and nitrous oxide emissions in a country that already relies heavily on hydroelectric power. The ship could also alleviate traffic congestion on land, not to mention keep humans out of danger (albeit at the possible expense of jobs).

It may still be a long while before you see autonomous cargo haulers making trips elsewhere. Even if range isn't an issue, docks are  it would be harder for a self-sailing ship to navigate a busy port like Durban or Shanghai. There are also legal issues. Different countries have their own rules for the sea. As with self-driving cars, there's also the matter of liability. Who's to blame if an autonomous ship runs aground? While it's easy to see a day when autonomous electric ships are commonplace, that day likely isn't close at hand.
Graveside services for Rennie Jones, 78, of Meno, will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, September 4, 2021, at the Carmen City Cemetery, with Rev. Kirk Board officiating. Interment is under the direction of Wentworth Mortuary, LLC, of Carmen.
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The Court shut down Chadwick Boseman's widow as she tries to be compensated back for funeral costs for the actor.

According to court documents obtained by Radar Online, Taylor Simone Ledward is back in court claiming she needs to be paid $71,000 from the estate. This time around, she's armed with evidence so that the Court would not reject her case once more.

Back in April, Taylor brought her own claim to the Court requesting for reimbursement of Boseman's burial expenses. The amount $71,613.74 reportedly covered these items: $9,500 for the venue, $8,500 for the funeral services, $2,631 for the beverages served, and $1,275 for the flowers that adorned the sad event. She is also requesting $7,495 to be reimbursed, as this is allegedly the amount she had to pay for a mausoleum crypt at McDougald Funeral Home in South Carolina.

The Court however refused to entertain her claims, claiming these should be first supported by paper trail by the claimant. The order read, "support for claim is unclear based upon the partial payments, transferred account, and documents provided." The court said it wanted additional paperwork to verify the amounts given the size and complexity of the claim.

ALSO READ: Jimmy Hayes Dead at 31: Events Leading Up To Untimely Death Make It Even More Tragic

Taylor appears undeterred since she's now back and providing what the court asked for - receipts, check stubs, and financial documents that can serve as evidence of how the money was spent. To show how serious she is to get her money back, she even obtained declarations from Boseman's close friends who paid for particular expenses and were reimbursed by Taylor.

A hearing has been set for November. This is the time when the judge will decide ultimately whether Taylor gets reimbursed or not.

The "Black Panther" star died on August 28, 2020 after four years of fighting for colon cancer he bravely kept a secret from many. It was impossible to tell, since he was still filming for so many movies before his death. Turns out he was also getting treatments on the side in a bid to stay alive.

Unfortunately, Chadwick had not left a will. He did marry his longtime girlfriend Taylor months before. As a result, his wife was given the responsibility to handle his fortune.

Boseman and his longtime love married just months before he passed away, according to his family. They were already dating for five years, but were very private about their relationship. They were spotted together at many events though.

READ MORE: Prince Philip Predicted His Death? Late Royal Did NOT Want to Live Until 100
Charlie Watts, popularly known for being the drummer of the renowned rock band "The Rolling Stones" for over six decades, has passed away at 80.

According to TMZ, the music legend died peacefully in Royal Marsden Hospital in London as his wife of 57 years, Shirley, stood beside him.

At the time of this writing, the cause of his death was not released to the public; however, earlier this month, the band announced that Watts wouldn't be joining them for their upcoming tour as he needed to heal from an unknown procedure.

The band, consisting of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood, took to their social media accounts to release a statement regarding the matter.

"Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather, and also as a member of The Rolling Stones, one of the greatest drummers of his generation," the statement reads.

Aside from his recent surgery, the legendary drummer was also diagnosed with throat cancer in 2004, but a successful operation was done to recover. He was able to join the band again for a tour at the time.

Music Industry Mourns The Loss of a Legend

After the news of Watts' tragic death circulated, a handful of celebrities took online to pay tribute and express their sadness over the icon's passing.

"He was a lovely guy, condolences to the Stones. A huge blow to them because Charlie was a rock, fantastic drummer, steady as a rock. Love you, Charlie, will always love you. Beautiful man, and great condolences and sympathy to his family." Paul McCartney of "The Beatles" said in a video on Twitter. (via AP News)

Paul on Charlie Watts  pic.twitter.com/rn2elK6cFE  Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) August 24, 2021

Elton John took to Instagram to post a photo of him beside Watts with the caption, " very sad day. Charlie Watts was the ultimate drummer... My deepest condolences to Shirley, Seraphina and Charlotte. And of course, The Rolling Stones."

READ NOW: Chadwick Boseman's Widow Returns to Court After Claims Were Rejected, Armed with Evidence

"A monumentally sad day learning my personal hero Charlie Watts has died. I'm devastated and my soul aches for Shirley, Serafina, the extended Watts family, and of course his band mates. I don't know what to say really. Charlie Watts Rest In Peace my friend..." Max Weinberg, drummer of "E Street," wrote.

Drummers are the most ensnared individuals. Though they are loudest, they are the last to be heard. They have insecurities due to the fact that everyone has their back turned on them. Herein lies the bands secret; there is no greatness- without a great drummer. RIP Charlie Watts pic.twitter.com/sAcE7SYiBY  Perry Farrell (@perryfarrell) August 24, 2021

How Charlie Watts Changed The Sound of 'The Rolling Stones'

Dubbed as "rock's ultimate drum god," Watts changed the sound of rock music, especially for his band. According to Rolling Stone, the five-second drum intro from the song "Let It Bleed" defines Watts' mystique for the band.

Other band members revealed in a 1981 interview that the drummer wasn't impressed by himself despite his peers being dazzled by his skills.

"There's nothing forced about Charlie, least of all his modesty. It's totally real. He cannot understand what people see in his drumming." Keith Richards told the magazine.

READ ALSO: Nastya of 'Like Nastya' Announces Massive Surprise: YouTube Kid Superstar To Launch Own Toy Line After NFTs
LeapFrog buys stake in Ghana bank to promote financial inclusion

LeapFrog Investments has acquired a 16.94% stake in Fidelity Bank Ghana, in a move it says will help the impact investor promote "financial inclusion and digital transformation" across the African nation.

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2021-08-25

Maeci

The Italian company GCF - Generale Costruzioni Ferroviarie SpA has been awarded the tender contract for the second lot of the Kosovo railway line upgrading (section from Fushe Kosova to Mitrovica), worth EUR47.9 million. The same company is the assignee of the first tranche of works for 78.6 million (section from Fushe Kosova to Elez Han, on the border with North Macedonia), currently underway and scheduled for completion by the end of 2022. The third and last lot (section from Mitrovica to Lesak, on the border with Serbia) is likely to be tendered out by next year.
The Pound (GBP) is seeing little movement against the Canadian Dollar (CAD) this morning as both currencies are rangebound on a lack of significant data. Direction is instead being driven by oil dynamics and the latest coronavirus developments.

At the time of writing, GBP/CAD is trading at CA$1.7310, virtually unchanged from todays opening levels.

Canadian Dollar (CAD) Exchange Rates Pressured by Teetering Oil Prices

The Canadian Dollar has sustained some minor losses against the Pound this morning as oil prices come under pressure. WTI prices have edged lower following the previous two sessions upside momentum.

On the daily chart, WTI has been under intense pressure since the high of $76.40 made on July 6. Having flopped to $61.80 on Sunday, prices retraced back to highs of $67.50 in the first half of this week.

A risk-on market attitude supported WTIs recovery, alongside expectations of an accelerating vaccination drive in America. The US Food and Drug Administration has now granted full approval to the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

Subsequently, WTI has lost support as investors trim their open interest positions and the volume of contracts decreased yesterday by 156.4K. Erratic data from the CME Group has inspired bearish trading.

In addition to oil pressures, the Canadian Dollar is facing headwinds over the latest Covid-19 data. Doctors are worried that Canadas fourth wave of Covid could be the biggest yet, as case numbers shoot up in Ontario, Alberta and British Colombia.

Dr. Allison McGeer, an infectious disease physician in the Sinai Health System in Toronto, issued a bleak warning on Monday: if we dont do something about the increasing number of cases, were going to push our health care system over the limit again. And many people are going to die.

Pound (GBP) Exchange Rates Clinging On To Gains Despite Major Headwinds

The Pound is resisting downside pressure against the majority of its peers this morning despite a slew of worrying data. The UKs supply chain crisis is deepening as fresh statistics show vaccinations weakening efficiency over time.

Yesterdays CBI data revealed that major retailers stock levels are at their lowest levels since at least the 1980s, due to global supply chain disruption triggered by the pandemic and worker shortages, compounded by Brexit disruption as the UK emerges from lockdown.

Meanwhile, statistics reveal that Covid-19 is claiming one hundred lives a day across the UK, on average. Health experts are calling for an urgent need for booster injections, as the Zoe COVID Study finds that Covid protection from two doses of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines begins to wane within six months.

In a reasonable worst-case scenario, protection could fall to below 50% for the elderly and healthcare workers by winter, analysis from the Zoe COVID study found.

Despite these updates, the Pound is holding out as US Dollar weakness lends support. USD investors are concerned ahead of the Jackson Hole Symposium, which begins tomorrow.

GBP/CAD Exchange Rate Forecast: Oil and Covid News to Drive Movement

A lack of significant data in the remainder of the week leaves both the Pound and Canadian Dollar open to losses against their peers.

CAD movement is likely to be directed by oil prices, which in turn are affected by perceived demand. Political tensions, as well as renewed Covid restrictions, have potential to threaten demand for crude oil.

Meanwhile, domestic and international cases of coronavirus will surely impact GBP/CAD, with rising cases in either country exerting downside pressure. If cases rise globally, a risk-off mood will likely ensue, supporting safe-haven currencies at the expense of the risk-on Pound.
Tuesday, August 24, 2021

BRING BACK HARRY & LOUISE! COVID ADS DIP; CASES SPIKE

Independent Advertising to Encourage Vaccines Dives;

Pres. Biden and Federal Agencies Urged to Take Action

Brian Hampton

It's time to bring back Harry and Louise! They would be the married couple in the iconic commercials that shaped the dialogue about health care for a decade and a half.

There are now more COVID cases than any time since February, about 140,000 new cases a day. At the same time, the amount of paid advertising to convince Americans to get vaccinated is 1/5th of what it was in May.

People can say the federal government is doing a lot to encourage people to get vaccinated, but it is clearly not working well at all. Current efforts are not effective or enough.

Meanwhile, "they" are putting lives in grave peril. The 30% of those ignorant people in the U. S. who are eligible for the vaccine and have not gotten it, are putting the fully vaccinated at risk. This category is a staggering 90,000,000 people.

Ignorant of course does not mean stupid, it means uninformed. How is it that these people "did not get the memo" how efficacious the vaccines are?

They are Persuadable Because They Just Don't Know

A common belief is that the remaining unvaccinated people can not be persuaded. Believing such nonsense and failing to take effective action could bring 100s of thousands of more unneeded deaths. People can be persuaded if they are approached in the right way with the right information.

A truly creative and comprehensive communications campaign can stamp out much of the ignorance. For example, a vast number of the unvaccinated are hesitating because they can not afford the vaccine. They do not know they are all free.

Many people think the vaccines have been rushed into production. Of course, they have, but they are all vetted and approved. Many fear the side effects; there are almost none. Many don't trust the government or other institutions. That is very understandable, but not a defensible reason for not getting the vaccine.

Many people are taking a wait and see approach. Wait for what? Some feel their fertility will be compromised. Wrong again. Many feel they are young and healthy and have nothing to fear. Think again.

Many people believe their faith will protect them. Faith is an incredible attribute for a good life, but not to prevent catching a virus. In a far different category are those who believe that the government is using vaccines to microchip the population. Really.

Governments, officials and media types at all levels have been urging people for months and months to get vaccinated. We don't need the talking heads on TV to tell us yet again what we already know; with the variants and the need for booster shots, we need far more people to be persuaded to get vaccinated. But how? Bring back Harry and Louise!

About the most impactful series of commercials of all time portrayed a fictional middle-class married couple who discussed various healthcare issues at their kitchen table.

Meet Up Again: Harry & Louise

Harry and Louise first hit the airways in September of 1993 and were so persuasive, they were reprised for various healthcare issues for 15 years, including a parody at the Academy Award in 2006.

In 2009 the couple appeared in yet another commercial supporting the health-care initiative of President Obama. The ad was sponsored by Families USA and a pharmaceutical trade group.

Of course, Amendment X of our constitution says that the powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved for the states.

But the "Vesting Clause" Article II Section 1 of the Constitution says that "The executive power shall be vested in the President of the United States."

Within the Executive Branch, the President has broad powers to manage national affairs and the priorities of government. Few disagree with the concept of a "Unitary Executive" who has vast powers to direct executive officers, to issue Executive Orders to create rules, regulations and instructions.

The President has the right in law and conscience to take bold and organization actions during this seemingly endless rolling national health energy.

Take Bold Action; Save Many Thousands of Lives

Others have stepped up with paid advertising, notably the Ad Council with "It's Up to You," Budweiser (free beer), the NFL, Walmart, among many, and even Mitch McConnell has bought radio ads in Kentucky urging people to get vaccinated.

But those efforts have been almost imperceptible. Do you suppose anyone at the White House has called up any large advocacy organization or political action committee to make the case to roll out a real heavy-duty campaign?

Do you think they have brought their full power and influence to bear? They should be making the call with the message: "Consider helping save an untold number of lives by producing and paying for some kitchen table commercials that explain in everyday terms why everyone should get vaccinated"

If the White House had really weighed in, we would have seen a raft of persuasive commercials to convert those who don't know what they don't know.

Still 30% are unvaccinated and in some states, it is as high as 60%.

The federal government can and should be doing plenty. When I was at the Federal Trade Commission, I directed an earned media consumer education campaign.

They Work for Us; Get to Work, Save Lives!

We have 15 Cabinet Executive Departments that employ 4 million people. A few of these departments have issued various mandates for vaccines and testing of federal workers, which helps, but not remotely enough. To use a "Washington speak" term, all these Departments employ "robust" communication departments.

The President does not have to even issue an Executive Order or even convene a full Cabinet meeting, he barely has them anyway.

He merely communicates with every Cabinet Secretary.

1.) He tells them all he wants them to roll out an all -encompassing earned media campaign making the many educational arguments why people should get the vaccines.

Each of these communication departments should have 100s of these direct email journalist contacts. These releases can be in a myriad of categories: news updates about those new cases of COVID and what percent are vaccinated and how many are not. They can be feature stories about human interest stories. They can relate all the reasons people should be vaccinated.

Can and should Cabinet Departments be conducting such campaigns? Of course. But where these "free media" campaigns exist, they are about the departments' efforts to "contain and mitigate" COVID within their departments

Have You Seen This Commercial? Anyone?

Health and Human Services sponsors a "vaccine education live services." Have you seen it? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?

The Department of Education for example can help to frame and repeat the issues to educators nationwide and through their multiplier channels. The Department of Labor can especially help various categories of workers.

The Department of Commerce is ideal to reach people employed by businesses. HUD? Yes. Transportation? Yes. Interior? Yes. Energy? Yes. Agriculture? Yes. Treasury? Yes. Veterans Affairs? There are 20 million veterans in the U. S, all reachable by the VA.

Should any Department be exempted? DHS? DOD? State? Maybe, but probably not.

2.) Then another earned media angle, is the long neglected Public Service Announcements that are especially suited for radio and TV stations. After all, the Federal Communications Commission strongly encourages that such stations report such public service come renewal time.

3.) Finally, the actual paid commercials. But paid advertising has nearly disappeared by earlier standards; it was five times more prevalent in May than it is now.

Too Much of a Good Thing is Wonderful!

It is overtime for the federal government to join the parade with paid commercials. Unseemly? Can't do that? The Texas Department of State and Health Services has run low budget ads. Florida has joined in as well, among other states.

The nay-sayers will say but we are already doing a lot. Of course, we are, but not enough when Over 1,000 people a day are dying of COVID. Still about 30% of eligible Americans are not vaccinated. Educating and persuading even 10% of the population to get vaccinated is doable and could make a huge difference.

The nay-sayers will say but we are already doing a lot. Of course, we are, but not enough. As Mae West, the Silver Star Siren of yesterday said, "Too much of a good thing, could be wonderful!"

Brian Hampton 703-742-9349
Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Author: Chris Coffman

Publisher: ODYSSEUS PRESS

ISBN: 978-1-7367391-0-5

Chris Coffman, the authorof Crisis Deluxe, knows a thing or two about themystery and confusion surrounding the world of mergers andacquisitions. Stakes are high, and you need nerves of steel to putthrough many of these deals, especially when dealing with sharks thathave no qualms in cutting your throat. He is an expatriate Americanwho has perfected his expertise as an investment banker in Europe,the UK, the United States, Asia, and Australia.





In the opening chapter ofthe novel, readers are introduced to Alexander "Dusty"Street. Dusty is an investment banker employed by Coldstream Holdingsof New York. While stationed in Buenos Aires, Dusty receives a callfrom one of his superiors in New York, Jim Walmsley. He is ordered toimmediately hop on a plane and fly to Hong Kong. His assignment wasto complete the deal whereby Coldstream would acquire the investmentbank TransPac, an international company based in Hong Kong.

TransPac's principalattraction is its potent presence in the Asian market and its bondportfolio, headed by a dynamic bond trader, Sebastien Nin. For almosta year, Coldstream negotiated with TransPac as part of its strategicexpansion into the Asian markets.

At the same time Dusty isgiven his assignment, he witnesses Asian markets in turbulence, andTransPac is in serious trouble. His directives are to cutColdstream's offer to TransPac by twenty-five percent and cram itdown the throats of their shareholders. Dusty realizes that lettingthe TransPac deal fail would mean that traders will move everythingthey can get their hands on, stocks, bonds, and currency. This maylead to the eventual bankruptcy of Asian markets in places likeIndonesia, the Philippines, and Korea. Not a pretty picture!

Nothing is kept back whenDusty first meets with the executives and principal shareholders ofTransPac. They are told that their equity may have been roughly onebillion US dollars at the outset of the negotiations. However, withrecent developments, it is now worth less than half of that. You caneasily imagine the backlash of these shareholders when it is pointedout to them that the value of their immense holdings is rapidlydropping down the toilet! They had counted on Coldstream stepping inand reversing the devastation as it affected their personal wealthand positions. And as we will learn, this is merely the beginning ofa stormy few days of discussions, which requires severalrestructuring of the assessment model by Coldstream's experts.

Dusty is pleasantlyastonished when he first meets Nin. He discovers that Nin is thelittle brother of a schoolgirl he had a platonic relationship withover twenty years ago in Hong Kong. Nin and Dusty recount theirformer conflicts and some of the bad blood between them as kids. Willthis enter into play with the negotiations? And Jacqueline, who, bythe way, reappears in Hong Kong. How will she fit into the narrative?Supposedly, both Jacqueline and Dusty are happily wed to theirrespective spouses, but both have the hots for each other.

Dusty is not assured thatColdstream should move forward with the acquisition, even though hecontinues working his creative skills to figure out a plan to closethe transaction. Not simply is the Asian market tanking, but he findsout from an acquaintance in Hong Kong that Nin's venture seems to befounded on gaining new Asian borrowers. These are characters whocould not borrow money before and who may not be delightful people.

Dusty also realizes thatif he cannot culminate the deal, it will mean the end of his career,not only for his old friend Nin but likewise for himself. They wouldboth be stripped of their reputations and the hard-earned equity theyhad developed in their partner's accounts with their companies. `

Coffman takes his time tocapture the chilling world of high finance that is replete withuncertainty. He effectively captures bewilderment, hope, and greed,brought about by economic catastrophe, all of which will keep youturning the pages until the end. Above all, the suspense in this yarnlies in character development, which is tricky to pull off in anovel. We are concerned for Dusty and wonder whether he will be ableto pull it off or will he fail and end up with his tail between hislegs.
Wednesday, August 25, 2021

The Stevie Awards, organizers of the worlds premier business awards programs, have announced the winners of six Grand (best in show) Stevie Award trophies in The 2021 (18th Annual) International Business Awards, the worlds leading omnibus business awards competition.

Nominees in the 2021 IBAs were not able to apply for Grand Stevie Awards directly. Winners were determined by a points system based on the total number of awards won in the IBAs with a Gold Stevie win counting for three points, a Silver Stevie win for two points, and a Bronze Stevie win for 1.5 points, as well as having the highest average score in selected categories.

This years Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners in The International Business Awards were announced on 16 August. They and the winners of the Grand Stevies announced today will be recognized during a virtual awards ceremony on 8 December.

Winners of the 2021 Grand Stevie Awards are:

Highest-rated COVID-19 Response Nomination: Telkom Indonesia, a state-owned information and communications technology enterprise and telecommunications network in Jakarta, won the Grand Stevie for their nomination "NVDS to Ensure Vaccine Authenticity Traceability, Quality and Accountability, winner of the Gold Stevie for Most Valuable New Service During COVID-19. The nomination, which received an average score from the judges of 9.11 out of a possible 10, outlines the organizations efforts to create a national vaccine distribution program for Indonesia, and the results of those efforts. Telkom Indonesia is no stranger to the best of circle at Stevie Awards programs: this is the 11th Grand Stevie Award won by the organization in one or more Stevie Awards programs since 2015.

Highest-rated New Product or Service: Google, the multinational technology company headquartered in Mountain View, California USA, has won its first-ever Grand Stevie Award, for Google Maps Live View. The Gold Stevie-winning nomination for Best Emerging Technology received an average score of 9.44 out of 10 from the judges.

Highest-rated Nomination of the Year: LLYC, the global communications and public affairs consulting firm headquartered in Madrid, Spain, won the Grand Stevie for the highest-rated nomination in the entire 2021 IBA competition (9.67 / 10), for The Last Straw  winner of the Gold Stevie Award for Marketing Campaign of the Year  Restaurants, for McDonalds.

Most Honored Marketing Agency: Business Awards Consulting of Istanbul, Turkey, which specializes in researching and writing awards-competition nominations for its clients, earns the Grand Stevie Award for Most Honored Marketing Agency with 120.5 points, earned for Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie wins on behalf of clients including BURSALI, HALKBANK, Mayen, OPET, Sabanci Holding, TISK, and Zer Central Services and Trade A.S.

Most Honored Public Relations Agency: LLYC is the first company to ever win two Grand Stevie Awards in the same program in the same year. In addition to their win for Highest-rated Nomination of the Year, the agency accumulated 77 award points for their Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards on behalf of themselves and clients including Deoleo, EY, Multopticas, and TOUS, among others. The agency has won eight Grand Stevies in Stevie Award competitions since 2013.

Organization of the Year: Ayala Land Inc. of Makati City is the Philippines leading developer of sustainable estates, offering a diverse mix of properties such as residential, retail, office, hotels, and leisure developments. They earned 69 points for their Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards for nominations submitted in their own name, and thus will receive the Grand Stevie Award trophy for Organization of the Year.

These six best-of-show Grand Stevie winners are emblematic of the breadth and quality of nominations we welcomed to the IBAs in 2021, said Maggie Gallagher Miller, president of the Stevie Awards. COVID-19 continues to test economic conditions in many parts of the world, but those challenges have been met and overcome in myriad ways by our 2021 Stevie Award winners. We look forward to honoring and celebrating them during our virtual awards ceremony on 8 December.

The International Business Awards feature a wide variety of categories to recognize achievement in every facet of work-life, including management awards, new product awards, marketing awards, PR awards, customer service awards, website awards, and more.

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements in the 2021 IBAs were determined by the average scores of more than 260 professionals worldwide in the three-month judging process. Winners were selected from more than 3,700 nominations submitted by organizations in 65 nations.

The nomination process for the 2022 IBAs will open in February. For more information about The International Business Awards, including a complete list of all Stevie Award winners in the 2021 competition, visit www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.
From: Arnold Sanow -- The Business Source Vienna , VA Wednesday, August 25, 2021



Keynote for Elected Officials on Getting Along with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere Arnold Sanow, MBA, CSP, will be the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Nevada Association of Counties. Arnold will share best practices for elected officials on how to get along better with anyone, anytime, anywhere to improve rapport, relationships, and connections with constituents and team members. The meeting will be held on September 29, 2021, at the Fallon Convention Center in Fallon Nevada. Arnold Sanow, MBA, CSP, works with Leaders and Teams to help them get along better with anyone, anytime, anywhere. He is the author of 7 books including "Get Along with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere" and has appeared on the CBS evening news, ABC world news, and others. He has delivered over 2,500 presentations and is a former adjunct professor at Georgetown University - www,arnoldsanow.com - speaker@arnoldsanow.com


A New York firm has bought four San Antonio apartment complexes for nearly $109 million, part of a recent flurry of multifamily purchases by companies based outside the area.

Sun Equity Partners acquisition includes Park Vista at 5470 W. Military Drive near Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland; Pearl Park at 5100 N.W. Loop 410 near the South Texas Medical Center; and Merida at 2167 N.E. Loop 410 and La Silva at 3903 Barrington St., both near Northeast Baptist Hospital.

The properties were built in the 1960s, 70s and 80s and encompass 1,230 rental units, according to Rosewood Realty Group, which represented both the the buyer and the seller, San Antonio-based Kairoi Residential.

Sun Equity Partners, a privately-held real estate investment and development firm, owns residential, office and retail properties in the Northeast as well as San Francisco, according to information on its website.

This transaction indicates a strong confidence in the rapid growth of San Antonio by out-of-state investors, Matt Yeckes of Rosewood Realty said in a statement.

San Antonios swelling population, strong demand for apartments and real estate prices that are lower than in many other major cities are drawing more investors to the area.

There were 24 reported sales of multifamily complexes in the three-month period ending June 30, most of which were located in northwest San Antonio, according to a report by ApartmentTrends.com by Austin Investor Interests. Thats a 50 percent increase from the previous quarter, a sign that investor interest continues to flood into the San Antonio market, the firm noted.

Among the transactions: Lawrence, N.Y., based River Rock Capital earlier this month bought apartments at 7714 Louis Pasteur Drive and 7403 Wurzbach Road near the South Texas Medical Center, according to Newmark Group, which represented seller Alliance Residential.

Those sales were part of a four-property portfolio that included two complexes within the Texas Medical Center in Houston, which were purchased by a different company.

This portfolio provided investors the opportunity to acquire sizable footprints in two major medical centers, accessing economies of scale. These properties were sought-after by both institutional and private family office investors, said Newmark vice chairman Patton Jones. With the immense projected growth of the health care industry, multifamily assets proximate to medical hubs will benefit from a steady stream of renters for years to come.

Also this month, Churchill Forge Properties bought the 300-unit Celeste at La Cantera from an affiliate of USAA Real Estate. Churchill Forge has offices in Boston, San Antonio and Charleston and owns nine apartment complexes locally, according to its website.

Another recent deal: SPI Advisory purchased Birwood Heights off of Loop 1604 near N.W. Military Highway and Southtown Flats near the Blue Star Arts Complex.

The acquisitions were the Dallas private equity firms first in San Antonio and it is seeking to buy more local complexes.

We are very bullish on San Antonio multifamily and believe its a great time to enter the market, said Michael Becker, principal and co-founder of SPI. The supply/demand fundamentals are in excellent shape, and we project many years of solid economic growth ahead.

madison.iszler@

express-news.net
A tallying of the financial costs is not the only lens  or the most important one  for viewing our nation-building project in Afghanistan and its aftermath. While a Smart Money approach is not the only way to analyze it, its certainly a valid means of doing so.

What was the financial cost of the Afghanistan war? Government and academic reports shed some light on that.

Special inspectors general are set up by Congress to track large financial expenditures. Their mission is to reduce waste, fraud and abuse. This month, the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction released Lessons from Twenty Years of Afghanistan Reconstruction.

The 140-page report tallies a cost of $148 billion for 20 years of Afghanistan reconstruction. It also quotes Department of Defense expenditures of $837 billion for war-making. The combined price tag of nearly $1 trillion to utterly break then attempt to rebuild Afghanistan is horrifying.

One of the many lessons the report highlights is that the U.S. frequently spent money as quickly as possible in efforts to declare short-term success without a plan for the long term  and the consequences be damned. The result was unsustainable infrastructure, corruption and very little to show for massive expenditures. The world has just witnessed the ineffectiveness of the $83 billion spent to build the Afghan armed forces, for example.

Of course, this simple accounting very likely undercounts the cost of the Afghanistan conflict in financial terms. Another report published this month adds to the war-making and nation-building cost total by estimating the next three decades worth of human services costs for U.S. veterans who served there.

Linda Bilmes is a Harvard professor who estimates the future costs of conflicts. In this months report, she updates the expected costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Bilmes writes, The majority of the costs associated with caring for post-9/11 veterans has not yet been paid and will continue to accrue long into the future.

The total bill for veterans care will be between $2.2 trillion and $2.5 trillion over the next 30 years, she says. Bilmes combines costs for both Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, but we could use these combined estimates to intuit that, at the very least, another trillion will be owed for the Afghanistan conflict.

Forty percent of veterans since 9/11 have qualified for some form of disability. Of those, nearly 60 percent have a disability rating of 60 percent or more, meaning future expenses for care will be high compared to previous wars and will continue climbing in the future.

The same report estimates Veterans Administration disability payments alone  not counting medical costs or general VA administrative costs  will add up to between $1.2 and $1.5 trillion by 2050. The medical costs will total about $900 billion.

The price paid in human terms  pain and suffering  is obviously even higher. But I dont have a good way of measuring or expressing that except to acknowledge it.

Images from the lightning-fast takeover by the Taliban were horrible for many reasons. One was that we cant be fooled into thinking the high price paid by soldiers and taxpayers actually got us, or the Afghan people, good results. We paid and paid and paid, and got nothing. Now, we will keep paying for decades.

On ExpressNews.com: Why are taxes so high? Maybe look to Afghanistan

The Biden administration requested an additional $3 billion in the coming year for further Afghanistan reconstruction despite the troop withdrawal. The swift Taliban takeover presumably puts that request in doubt.

When it began, and even as it continued past the one-decade mark, Afghanistan was supposedly the good war compared with Iraq, which was launched on false pretenses. The Taliban was clearly bad. It gave safe haven to Osama bin Laden. We had good democratic and humanitarian intentions for rebuilding the country. The stunning reversal this month exposed our inability to remake a country in an image that pleases us. History will look at the result and force a tough reconsideration of a good war.

After spending our blood and treasure in overseas multidecade military engagements  with a side helping of humanitarian assistance  can we not learn from the past?

In 1776, two foundational documents of the United States were published: the Declaration of Independence by the Virginian Thomas Jefferson and The Wealth of Nations by Scotsman Adam Smith. A third book published that same year, The History of the Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire by Englishman Edward Gibbon, instilled in people on both sides of the Atlantic the true idea that empires are fragile.

Gibbon taught that wars at the barbarian fringe of the empire depleted the Roman treasury, hollowing out the core of the successful society upon which the empire was built. Please note: I am not calling the Afghan people barbarians, I am making a historical analogue with Gibbons original thesis, which referenced barbarians.

Paul Kennedys 1987 book The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers expanded on Gibbon, tracing the life cycle of empires from economic rise to ultimate financial ruin through excessive military expenditure in the name of maintaining the imperial peace.

Recent events will give future historians plenty of evidence for the continuity of this view.

Back in 2001, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee offered the sole dissenting vote in Congress on going to war in Afghanistan. For a wide variety of reasons  including financial  lets hope for more courage from more leaders when the next overseas military adventure beckons.
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a new executive order on Wednesday clarifying that no localities or school districts can require their employees to get the COVID vaccine, after the federal approval of the Pfizer doses earlier this week muddied his previous directive on the matter.

Abbotts new order, like the previous one, prohibits public institutions  including state agencies, universities, local governments, public schools and any other entities that receive public funding  from compelling employees to get the shots or asking people who use their services for proof of vaccination.

While the old order applied only to vaccines authorized for emergency use, Wednesdays directive puts a blanket ban on the practice, regardless of approval status granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo expressed dismay at Abbotts move. Im incredibly disappointed with the state executive order today banning vaccine requirements, just as the vaccine received full FDA approval. Once again, just as a new weapon becomes available in this fight, its taken away. We deserve better.

But his order is only intended to be a temporary fix. Abbott said the Texas Legislature should make the final call on vaccine mandates and is adding the topic to the list of agenda items for the ongoing special session of the Legislature in Austin.

Vaccine requirements and exemptions have historically been determined by the Legislature, and their involvement is particularly important to avoid a patchwork of vaccine mandates across Texas, Abbott said in a release.

EARLIER THIS WEEK: FDA approval opens door for Texas schools, local government to mandate employee vaccines

His executive order notes that while the Pfizer vaccine has been granted full approval, the same status hasnt been given to the other two available vaccines manufactured by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Moderna has already applied for full approval; J&J plans to do the same later this year.

The order will have an immediate impact for San Antonio Independent School District, which appears to be the only public entity in Texas that has required vaccines for its employees. After the FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine on Monday, the district said it intended to move forward with that policy, which stipulates that workers must have both shots by Oct. 15.

A district spokeswoman reiterated that stance shortly after Abbott issued his new executive order.

We strongly believe that the safest path forward as a school district is for all staff to become vaccinated against COVID-19, SAISD spokeswoman Laura Short said. We are moving forward with our request to have all staff vaccinated by Oct. 15, unless they have a medical or religious exemption.

Attorney General Ken Paxton had previously sued the district over the requirement, but he suggested Monday that he would drop it after SAISD clarified that it would not force employees to get a vaccine that wasnt fully approved by the FDA. The updated designation for the Pfizer vaccine came the same day.

Abbotts new order makes it likely that Paxton will revive the lawsuit against SAISD. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the meantime, the governors decision to double down on the vaccine mandate ban immediately riled health experts and political opponents. State Rep. Donna Howard, an Austin Democrat and former critical care nurse, said Abbott was moving the goalposts after the FDA approval came.

Deaths are on the rise, Howard said in a release. Our vaccination rate is plateauing. We are second only to Florida in highest case averages. And, again and again, Gov. Abbott squanders every opportunity to protect the health and safety of Texans.

cayla.harris@express-news.net
You know that thing about dogs reflecting their owners? That tends to go for their neighborhoods, too.

Take the resident dogs at the Pearl. The culinary and retail district positively teems with pooches as urban and urbane as their resident owners and surroundings. But even though one doggo gets driven 2 1/2 hours every six weeks for a special grooming appointment and another pair of dogs like to play chess with their owners, theyre still dogs, and they like to beg for treats and belly rubs just like any other.

Heres their guide to the best spots at the Pearl to score some free pets and snacks, plus the best places to chill out and have fun  intel sure to make any Pearl visitor and their furry friend feel right at home.

Jessica Phelps /Staff photographer

Sir Henry Templeton

Miniature schnauzer, age 5, at Cellars at Pearl

An old soul in a young body. Henrys owner Julio Lujano said his dogs stately name comes from his usually reserved demeanor. His attitude is very calm like an old man, a 90-year-old just taking naps, said Lujano, who teaches nursing at the University of the Incarnate Word.

Henry goes to Laredo every six weeks to get groomed. Lujano takes Hendy to the same groomer in Laredo hes been going to since he was was 6 months old.

On ExpressNews.com: How to treat and prevent heat exhaustion, heat stroke in dogs

Henry prefers sticking close to home. Unlike other Pearl dogs that yank their owners all over the grounds, Henry tends to stay close to Cellars, though sometimes they will explore a northern stretch of the San Antonio River along the Museum Reach.

He has a perimeter, Lujano said. If we go past the perimeter, hell just sit down.

Henrys idea of a welcome mat isnt very welcome. He likes to poop in front of the entrance to the apartments as if to tell everyone, This is my apartment,  Lujano said. Its the most overt way of saying, Youre coming in here but its my place. 

Henrys Pearl tip: Chill out under a bridge. When Henry and his human need a break from all the Pearl hustle and bustle, they head to a quiet spot on the San Antonio River under the East Grayson Street bridge by La Gloria or up river under the West Josephine Street bridge.

Jessica Phelps /Staff photographer

Kiwi and Nassau

English yellow Labradors, Kiwi age 12 and Nassau age 18 months, at Cellars at Pearl

Some of the Cellars first dwellers. Kiwi and his late canine brother Aussie moved to Cellars with Whitney Solcher and her husband Joe Miller in 2017, soon after the luxury apartments opened. After Aussie died last year, Nassau joined the family from the same breeder.

They are like the mascots of the building, said Solcher, who works in private wealth management.

Nassau landed in San Antonio with Miller flying the plane. Miller is a private pilot. So when it came time to pick up Nassau as a puppy from a breeder in Iowa, Miller borrowed a Cirrus SR22 to make the more than 1,000 mile trip to the nearest airport in Wisconsin. Solcher joined him and sat in the back seat with Nassau for the return flight.

On ExpressNews.com: Snakes, toads and skinks: Wildlife encounters along the 'soul' of San Antonio

Theyve really got a thing for Hotel Emma. Kiwi and Nassau often drag Miller to the hotel front desk for a quick dog treat and a cuddle. The young one gets so excited, he generally tinkles on himself, Solcher said.

Theyll go for a splash in the San Antonio River. Speaking of splashes, Kiwi and Nassau love to frolic in a shallow lagoon along the river behind the Pearl during their walks, especially in summer.

Kiwi and Nassaus Pearl tip: Hit the central park for scraps. The main park at the Pearl is a great place for dropped food if youre a dog. And plenty of pet-loving kids often have food on their fingers just begging to be licked.

Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer

Newton

Pembroke Welsh corgi, age 8, at Southline Residences

Newton has more Instagram followers than his owner. Newton has around 800 fans on the gram to owner Kristen Browns 530. No wonder she refers to herself on her Instagram account (@kris_newt) as Bossed around by @corgi.convos.

Hes the boss of the Pearls main park, too. Newton often flutters about the Pearls central park area like a social butterfly, charming folks for nuzzles and scraps.

His all-time favorite thing to do is just walk around the little turf area, Brown said. He thinks its his job to greet every group thats out there. And if he can, he likes to talk them out of their French fries and eat any taco meat thats on the ground.

The Pearl life is the life for Newton. Newtons never too pooped to pop about the Pearl grounds he calls home. So I end up dragging him or carrying him back home, because he never wants to go home, Brown said.

Newtons Pearl tip: Bark for Bakery Lorraine. The French bakerys flagship location at the Pearl is bound to have at least one little sweet treat for your dog. And even if your dog doesnt get scraps from over the counter, pastries are really flaky, so theres a lot of crumbs, Brown said.

Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer

Noodle

Goldendoodle, age 2, at Southline Residences

Thats F1B to you. Noodle is classified as a F1B Goldendoodle, which means shes 75 percent poodle and 25 percent golden retriever, meaning shes hypoallergenic and rarely sheds  perfect for owner Oliver McGuires partner, who has a pet allergy.

Noodle helped one of her dads land a job. McGuire works in social media marketing, a gig he got in part thanks to Noodles Instagram account @2dudesandadood, which he created when she was just 8 weeks old. It pretty much helped me get my job, McGuire said.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio shelter dogs to help veterans with PTSD

Noodle knows her Pearl watering holes. She has two favorite Pearl sites where everybody knows her name: the outdoor bar at Southerleigh Fine Food and Brewery and the counter at Local Coffee.

Noodle and Newton are BFFs, as in best furry friends. She loves all the dogs at the Pearl, but has a special place in her heart for her Southline corgi neighbor, Newton. Shes all over his face licking him, McGuire said.

Noodles Pearl tip: Hydrate for free. The water fountain at the San Antonio Bike Share station between Southerleigh and Botika is great for humans and dogs.

Rene Guzman /Staff

Winston

Miniature Labradoodle, 5 months old, at Can Plant Residences at Pearl

Winstons literally at home at his owners work. His owner Aaron Rodriguez is both a Can Plant leasing professional and a Can Plant resident, so Winston sometimes pops into the office, though he spends most of his indoor time inside their apartment.

Winston has an Instagram account, too. Like Noodle, Winston also shares his Pearl adventures with his two dads on Instagram. Check them out at @winston_at_thepearl.

Winston has his own kind of retail therapy. He also likes to pop into many of the Pearls shops and takes even longer walks whenever theres a farmers market. Hes super sociable, Rodriguez said. He loves his belly rubs by random strangers.

But hes not so neighborly when it comes to Cellars. He loves to mark right in front of the Cellars, Rodriguez said. He loves to do his daily business there.

Winstons Pearl tip: Try a refreshing doggy margarita. La Gloria at Pearl offers dogs an alcohol-free Puppyrita, a serving of chicken stock and ice with its own paper lime wedge.

rguzman@express-news.net | Twitter: @reneguz
PARIS (AP)  An Afghan evacuee under surveillance in France for possible indirect links to the Taliban was convicted and given a suspended sentence Wednesday for leaving the hotel where he was restricted and traveling to Paris.

The man, identified only as Ahmat M., was among five evacuees suspected of direct or indirect links with the Taliban, but not the principle suspect. He was arrested Monday in Paris after leaving the hotel east of the capital where all five men were confined along with family members.

Ahmat M. was given a 10-month suspended prison sentence at the urgent court hearing Wednesday, just days after his arrival in France.

The prosecutor had sought a 12-month sentence with six months suspended for failing to respect an administrative surveillance order. The maximum possible sentence was three years in prison and a 45,000-euro ($52,875) fine if convicted, the prosecutor's office said.

During the hearing, the 30-year-old, who arrived in France last weekend, claimed he had been a prosecutor in Afghanistan and went to Paris on Monday with another person to buy medication for headaches, according to French media. The other man said the defendant wanted to buy a telephone card.

This isn't the file of a Taliban on his own in France, his lawyer, Alice Ouaknine, was quoted as saying. It's the file of a man who fled his country with his wife and 3-month-old daughter.

Four of the five placed under surveillance after arriving in France were close to a man suspected of links to the Taliban, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has said. That man, who has remained in the restricted zone, admitted belonging to the Taliban. He bore arms at a blockade in Kabul, the interior minister said this week, but also helped in the evacuation of the French Embassy, assisting the French army, citizens and journalists.

French intelligence agents were tracking the five via geopositioning and saw on Monday that one of them had left his restricted zone, Darmanin said on Tuesday.

He arrived in Paris last weekend and was immediately placed under watch, along with the four others, at the hotel east of Paris, and ordered not to leave.

The interior minister, who ordered the special surveillance for the five, insisted in an interview Tuesday with France Info that there were no slip-ups in checking evacuees.

The main suspect slipped through the cracks in the chaotic evacuation last weekend, but Darmanin said he was identified during a thorough identity check at the French air base in Abu Dhabi, used by France as a transit point for evacuees.

By Wednesday night, France had evacuated more than 2,000 Afghans and more than 100 French, authorities said.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Tropical Storm Fred swept into the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, then weakened to a tropical depression after nightfall while dumping heavy rains that forecasters warned could cause dangerous flooding and mudslides there and in neighboring Haiti.

Some 300,000 customers were without power in the Dominican Republic and more than a half million were affected by swollen rivers that forced part of the aqueduct system to shut down, government officials reported.

After a quiet month of no named storms in the region, Fred became the sixth of the Atlantic hurricane season late Tuesday as it moved past the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on a forecast track that would carry it toward Florida over the weekend.

Government crews with megaphones walked through impoverished neighborhoods in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo ahead of the storm urging those in low-lying areas to evacuate. Hours later, the government reported flooding in one courthouse.

Tropical storm warnings were discontinued in the U.S. territories after pelting the islands with rain, leaving some 13,000 customers without power in Puerto Rico.

Fred was centered 65 miles (105 kilometers) south southwest of Great Inagua Island on Thursday morning and moving west-northwest at 16 mph (26 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph).

Forecasters said Fred would not strengthen much as it moved across the southeastern Bahamas on Thursday, then move along or just north of eastern and central Cuba later in the day and on Friday, and be near the Florida Keys and south Florida on Saturday. A slow strengthening was expected Friday and into the weekend. People in Florida were urged to monitor updates.

Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi had closed government agencies on Tuesday at noon and officials noted that some gas stations had shut down after running out of fuel.

More than a month had passed since the last Atlantic storm, Hurricane Elsa, but this time of summer usually marks the start of the peak of hurricane season.

The storm was expected to produce rainfall of 3 to 5 inches (7 to 12 centimeters) over the Dominican Republic with up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) in some areas.
The Alamo Colleges District said it has cleared unpaid tuition balances owed by more than 4,300 students  totaling more than $2 million  using federal emergency funds.

The hope is to lessen the burden created by the coronavirus pandemic and encourage students to return to campuses this fall.

Our entire Alamo Colleges District family has demonstrated great resilience over the last 18 months, Alamo Colleges Chancellor Mike Flores said, according to a news release. With the support of this federal emergency aid, our goal is to remove any barriers that may be keeping students from continuing their pursuit of higher education and a brighter future.

The students who qualified for this latest round of debt forgiveness were those with unpaid balances that accumulated between March 23, 2020 to June 8, 2021. Applications were not required, and students began to receive notifications on Tuesday.

In all, $2,280,726 in debt was discharged from the accounts of 4,389 students across all five Alamo Colleges. It was covered by the more than $90 million in federal aid received by Alamo Colleges under the second and third phases of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund created by Congress that are being allocated to respond to pandemic-related needs.

Enrollment this fall is slightly down so far this year compared to past years, Shayne West, chief budget officer at Alamo Colleges, said.

Last year the colleges saw a slight increase in enrollment despite the pandemic, going from 68,553 in the fall of 2019, to 69,307 students enrolled for the fall of 2020. Officials declined to give an estimate of the 2021 enrollment since registration is still ongoing.

With plenty of time open for enrollment hopefully there may be a student out there that now has the opportunity to enroll that otherwise they wouldnt have, West said.

On ExpressNews.com: Alamo Colleges see overall enrollment gains despite pandemic, recession

Students who receive notification of the clearing of their balances are being encouraged to register for any of the colleges 14-week Start II term, which begins Sept. 7, and the Fall Flex II program, an eight-week session that begins October 18.

All higher ed institutions have seen that students drop out or delay their post-secondary journey because of balances they have with their institutions, Priscilla Camacho, Alamo Colleges director of government and community relations, said. We know COVID has hit our community college students tremendously. We know they have had to work multiple jobs, or find another job, to try to continue on to their education.

Earlier this summer, the colleges awarded a $200 grant to all students who registered for the fall by Aug. 5, Camacho said. In coming weeks, officials will announce another round of emergency aid grants for more than 12,000 students who qualify for Pell grants.

Overall, the colleges have allocated more than $5.9 million in federal emergency funds for additional student aid. The debt forgiveness program is part of a $29.8 million outlay that also will go toward tuition loss recovery and funding additional student support positions.

The last two rounds of federal emergency aid must be spent by June 2022. In the meantime, officials continue to identify needs that can be addressed using these funds, which have limitations as to how they can be spent.

The overall goal, Camacho said, is to remove as many barriers as possible to allow students to stay and return to the classrooms - even if those classrooms are online, for now.

Its not only about reminding them that we provide a great source for academic learning and workforce training, but we have supports to help them, Camacho said. Students who have a need can certainly come and reach out to our advocacy centers We have aid and we are willing and able to help students.

danya.perez@express-news.net | @DanyaPH
A man stripped down to his underwear during a Dripping Springs ISD school board meeting Monday night as he urged the board of trustees to make face masks mandatory in its schools.

James Akers, who is a parent of a student in the school district, removed one item of clothing at a time while explaining his opinion on the controversial matter until he was only wearing his underwear during the public comment portion of the meeting.

In recent weeks, there has been heated debate at school board meetings across the country about whether school boards should force students to wear a face mask in response to the pandemic.

On ExpressNews.com: Metro Health sets date to roll out COVID-19 vaccine boosters; $100 gift cards may be on the way

Akers is among those parents who want the Austin-area district to change its mask-optional policy to a mandate. During the recent surge of COVID-19 cases from the highly contagious delta variant, many more children have gotten the virus than at any other point during the pandemic. Children under the age of 12 also have not been authorized for the vaccine.

"It's simple protocol, people. We follow certain rules for a very good reason," Ackers said as he stood in just a pair of briefs in front of the school board.

Dripping Springs ISD YouTube

During the 90 seconds Akers addressed the board, he spoke about the different laws and expectations society has in place.

On ExpressNews.com: Abortion restrictions, alcohol-to-go, critical race theory: These Texas laws go into effect Sept. 1

At work, they make me wear this jacket. I hate it. They make me wear this shirt and tie. I hate it," he said as he removed his jacket, shirt and tie.

"On the way over here, I ran three stop signs and four red lights, he continued. I almost killed somebody out there, but by God, theyre my roads, too. So I have every right to drive as fast as I want to, make the turns that I want to. I got over here to the school today, and the parking lot was full, and I decided I was going to park wherever the hell I wanted to  which, in this case, happened to be a handicap spot.

He then took off his pants. Akers drew a mixed reaction from the crowd as he stood in the Dripping Springs High School auditorium in a pair of black briefs.

On ExpressNews.com: Left for dead, this Texas Ranger walked 120 miles to San Antonio 177 years ago this month

"Mr. Akers, if you would mind putting your pants back on for comment that would be appreciated," said Board President Barbara Stroud as two district police officers approached him.

Akers then fist bumped one of the officers before returning to his seat.

He told KXAN Austin that he stripped in front of the board to prove a point about social norms and that it was "an easy message."

"All these rules that were given every day that we follow, because they make sense, Akers told the TV station.

No action on the face masks was taken by the board Monday night.

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net
A man suspected in the disappearance of his wife, who has been missing for more than two years, was arrested Tuesday.

Reyes Gallegos, 36, was arrested on suspicion of murder in the case of Cecilia Huerta Gallegos, whom police presume is dead. She was 30 years old when she disappeared.

On Tuesday afternoon, Reyes Gallegos was arrested near Hemphill Drive, police said.

As he was taken to a police vehicle, he told reporters that he was innocent.

Officer Alisia Pruneda, a San Antonio police spokeswoman, said cases like that of Cecilia Gallegos are complex and that a great many small pieces gathered via tips led to Tuesdays arrest.

Police did not say whether any remains had been discovered.

Its just one of those portions of details that were not able to give much conclusiveness to, Pruneda said.

She said the case remains under investigation, but that police do not anticipate any further arrests.

Reyes Gallegos previously was convicted of making a false police report regarding his wifes disappearance in January 2020, according to court records.

An affidavit in that case said home security camera footage captured the last time Cecilia Gallegos was seen alive  entering a bedroom she shared with Reyes Gallegos at their West Side home on the evening of July 7.

Police say Reyes Gallegos can be seen in the video footage making sure his two children and two stepchildren  who were 6, 7, 12 and 14 at the time  did not enter the bedroom.

About 2 a.m. July 8, police said security cameras were turned off for nearly two hours. When the video resumed, Reyes Gallegos can be seen going in and out of the bedroom. He also is seen walking to his white Chevrolet Tahoe multiple times.

He left the home for short periods of time, the affidavit states. Upon his return, he was seen unloading two shovels, a chainsaw, contractor-duty trash bags and cleaning supplies. His shirt was wet with sweat, police said.

Gallegos took a shower and then called police about an alleged cutting, telling them that the incident happened about 30 minutes before the police arrived. He told police he and his wife had gotten in an argument about infidelity and that she cut his finger with a knife before leaving the house on foot.

Police said Reyes Gallegos had injuries to his face and a large scratch on his chest. He also had a small superficial cut to his index finger, the affidavit states.

A detective said the formal statement contradicts what investigators saw in the security camera footage.

Cecilia Gallegos brother reported his sister missing three days after she was last seen. Family members said it was unusual for her to go that long without talking to her children.

jbeltran@express-news.net
A woman was removed from a Northside ISD school board meeting Tuesday before it even started because she refused to wear a mask, according to Barry Perez, a school district spokesperson.

Perez said the woman arrived wearing a face mask but decided to take it off in the meeting room. He said she was asked by district officials and police officers to comply with the mask mandate.

After she did not put the mask back on, she refused to leave the building. Two officers then lifted the chair she was sitting on and carried the woman out of the meeting, according to Perez.

On ExpressNews.com: Dripping Springs man strips down to underwear during school board face mask debate

In a video originally posted on Facebook, a man appears to have attempted to block the officers from carrying the woman out of the meeting. Perez said the woman was eventually removed from the building.

The video was also shared on Tiktok and has received over 160,000 views as of Wednesday morning.

Classes at Northside ISD, San Antonio's largest school district, began Monday. Last week, the district approved a mask mandate for students, staff and visitors.

Tuesday's incident is one of many that have occurred at school board meetings across the country in recent weeks as school districts debate whether to mandate masks to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

There has been a rise in cases among children during the summer surge of the virus. Children under 12 are still not allowed to take the vaccine.

Malak.Silmi@express-news.net
Poor Ron Klain.

Its not a good sign when a White House chief of staff to a Democratic president wants to retweet favorable news coverage and all he can find is the least credible and most slavishly loyal commentators on the internet.

The Afghanistan fiasco has created that most disorienting and discomfiting experience for a progressive administration  a serious bout of critical media coverage immune to White House spin and determined to tell the unvarnished story of an ongoing debacle.

The White House and its allies have lashed out at what they are portraying as an insular, pro-war media ignoring its many successes in the Afghan evacuation.

This, like Ron Klains tweeting, is a sign of desperation and of a feeling of outraged betrayal that usually dependable allies have, on this story, switched sides. Say its not so, CNN.

On ExpressNews.com: Editorial: In Afghanistan, a tragic ending years in the making

The White House is unfamiliar with what its like to be on the receiving end of the kind of media feeding frenzy that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis experiences every other day (almost always involving spurious storylines).

But on Afghanistan, President Joe Biden in effect set out to test how much shameless incompetence and dishonesty the media would accept. The answer? Not nearly enough.

The press is blatantly biased and has become even more so over time, repeatedly propagating false narratives that have shredded its credibility. Still, there are limits beyond which even it cant be pushed.

Biden said that the Afghan withdrawal wouldnt be another Saigon within weeks of Saigon-like scenes of a hasty evacuation of the U.S. Embassy, of terrified Afghans clinging to a U.S. transport plane, of desperate Afghans passing their infants over the barbed wire to Western soldiers guarding the Kabul airport.

No number of look-on-the-bright-side briefings are going to overcome these indelible images, and even a journalist who tilted heavily toward Biden in 2020 and supports his agenda was going to be hard-pressed to look away.

The contradiction in Bidens case for withdrawal was also too stark to ignore. He originally justified his pullout because the Afghan government and military were capable of defending the country without us, then he justified his exit because the government and military collapsed so quickly. Which was it?

Much of what Biden has said in his remarks and press conferences has been vulnerable to instant fact checks. When he said that Americans werent having trouble getting through to the airport, reporters could immediately attest that it wasnt true.

Who to believe? Bidens misleading assurance or CNN reporter Clarissa Wards compelling report from outside the Kabul airport that she was threatened with a whip for not covering her face and her producer nearly pistol-whipped? Ward said it was mayhem and a miracle that more people havent been very, very seriously hurt.

The plaints from the administration and its most committed journalistic supporters that the coverage has been unfair and the product of a press biased toward interventionism ring hollow.

It is certainly true that East Coast media have more cosmopolitan attitudes than the rest of the country, but its hardly full of committed foreign policy hawks. The press didnt notably dissent from President Barack Obamas pullout from Iraq in 2011 or his nuclear deal with Iran. It has steadfastly favored the so-called peace process in the Middle East.

On ExpressNews.com: Commentary: For the U.S., it's full circle in Afghanistan

Its not as though only the American media has noticed Bidens ineptitude, either. If anything, our foreign allies have been harsher about the humiliating mess Biden has stumbled into (former British Prime Minister Tony Blair called it imbecilic) than journalists here at home.

Since he won the Democratic nomination last year, Biden has been the subject of relentless favorable press coverage forgiving his lapses and enthusiastic about his alleged accomplishments. It was hard to see what he could do to lose media support, even for a time, and then he botched his withdrawal.
Jessica Christian /The Chronicle

Cut through the political noise around masks and schools, and this is a simple issue: The delta variant is far more contagious than previous variants of COVID-19. Our hospital system is on the brink. Infections for children are up significantly. Children younger than 12 cannot be vaccinated. Vaccines and masks are our best tools to slow the spread.

For these reasons, every school district should be mandating masks regardless of Gov. Greg Abbotts absurd order banning local mask mandates, which the Texas Supreme Court has held in abeyance.
Correction: An earlier version of this editorial incorrectly spelled the name of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.

Even before this delta chapter of the pandemic, we were grateful to health care workers. They have courageously and selflessly cared for the sick and dying while risking their own lives. Their burden in this crisis is unmatched, and they deserve gratitude and support.

That also means an apology. We have failed health care workers. This latest surge is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. And thank goodness we have vaccines. Just imagine the hospitalization numbers without any protection from the delta variant.

Doctors, nurses and emergency medical workers are arguably more stressed now than at any point in the pandemic. That burden is made heavier by this simple reality: It didnt have to reach this level of crisis  again. Rampant misinformation has fueled distrust of vaccines and masks, science-based tools proven to help mitigate this deadly virus.

In Sundays Express-News, reporter Marina Starleaf Riker, who has extensively covered the COVID battle, chronicled a harrowing night in the emergency department of Childrens Hospital of San Antonio, where Dr. Jendi Haug said there is a shortage of nurses due to burnout and more lucrative travel nursing jobs.

Health care workers deserve support from all leaders. Gov. Greg Abbott announced last week the state would deploy more medical personnel and open more COVID-19 antibody infusion centers. It is reactive, too little and too late, and hypocritical given his stance on mask and vaccine mandates.

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for people 16 and older. For those who have waited for this to get vaccinated, the time is now. As President Joe Biden said Monday, Vaccination is free. Its easy, its safe, and its effective. And its convenient.

The onus is on all of us to do our part. Its no burden to get vaccinated and wear a mask. But it is a burden to care for COVID-19 patients. Our health care workers need and deserve our help.
WASHINGTON  The U.S. Supreme Court this week struck another major blow to President Joe Bidens efforts to build what he calls a more humane immigration system, courtesy of Texas Republicans who have been fighting Bidens border policies since he took office.

The court on Tuesday night ordered the Biden administration to reinstate a Trump-era policy requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are adjudicated, which Biden scrapped soon after taking office.

While the White House has vowed to vigorously challenge the ruling, immigration advocates see it as the latest sign that the conservative Supreme Court majority may be prepared to block much of Bidens immigration agenda.

The ruling was at least the second time this month that the courts have sided with Texas as the GOP-led state challenges Bidens immigration policies. A federal court in Texas earlier this month blocked the presidents efforts to narrow his administrations targets for deportation.

Texas continues to be the leader of the opposition, said Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute. I think Texas larger-than-life role in the political dimension in this has to be understood. This is becoming the new battleground for federalism in our country.

Its also a big win for the states Republican leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, who have sought to keep the border front and center as U.S. Customs and Border Protection continues to report record numbers of encounters with migrants.

ABBOTTS LATEST ORDER: Abbott again bans vaccine mandates, adds issue to special session agenda

Abbott has sought to position himself on the frontline, ordering state troopers to arrest migrants for trespassing and rolling out plans to strip state licenses from shelters housing migrant children. He touted the Supreme Court ruling as a major victory in a statement on Wednesday.

Texas will continue to fight back against President Bidens disastrous open-border policies while working to secure the border and keep our communities safe, Abbott said.

While the immediate effects of Tuesdays Supreme Court ruling are still unclear, a key component of Bidens immigration plan is very much in question.

The administration earlier this month proposed an overhaul of the nations asylum system intended to speed it up, in part by hiring hundreds of new asylum officers who could decide cases quickly, bypassing deeply backlogged immigration courts.

That is part of a broader effort to expand legal immigration options and followed a 21-point plan the White House released this summer it said would create an orderly, secure, and well-managed border while treating people fairly and humanely.

The administration has also added facilities to house unaccompanied children crossing the southern border and worked to more swiftly find permanent sponsors for them. And it has expanded visas and reinstated a program that allows children in some Central American nations to apply for asylum there, instead of traveling to the U.S.

The Biden administration said earlier this year it would allow some 25,000 migrants waiting in Mexico under the program to enter the U.S. It had let in more than 12,500 of them by last month.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement it would comply with the Supreme Courts order, which it is appealing.

The Biden administration could try again to end the remain in Mexico policy in a way that would meet the high courts approval, which advocates say they expect will happen.

Immigration experts, meanwhile, say the remain in Mexico program had essentially been dormant since former President Donald Trump issued a public health order at the beginning of the pandemic under which most migrants are immediately expelled from the U.S.

Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Biden has left that order in place and is still expelling most migrants at the border, though the administration has allowed unaccompanied children and a growing number of families into the country. The policy never applied to children and its unclear to what extent the administration will begin to require families to wait in Mexico that it was otherwise allowing into the U.S.

Its also unclear whether Mexico will be willing to let the U.S. keep asylum seekers south of the border again. The Trump administration had threatened tariffs to pressure the Mexican government into going along with the plan. DHS said it has begun to engage with the Government of Mexico in diplomatic discussions surrounding the Migrant Protection Protocols.

At some point the court will likely have to grapple with an argument about Mexico and its at that point the rubber is really going to hit the road, said Leon Fresco, a D.C.-based immigration attorney. If the Biden administration says its because Mexico isnt taking back these third-country families who arent Mexican, is the court going to throw Joe Biden in jail? Is the court going to throw Mayorkas in jail? Whats it going to do to enforce this?

Still, advocates say the repeated rulings against Biden are a bad sign for his agenda moving forward.

It should raise alarms for all of us beyond the reinstatement of this egregious policy, said Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, an immigrants rights group. This really puts at risk Bidens entire progressive agenda.

ben.wermund@chron.com
Jeff Bezos may have stalled NASA's contract with Elon Musk to get to the Moon, but many key employees are abandoning the Blue Origin ship (in this case, the rocket).

Outlets such as CNBC and Gizmodo have reported that more than a dozen high-ranking engineers have resigned from the Amazon founder's space exploration company in recent weeks, with some joining the ranks of rival companies such as SpaceX .

According to these reports, among the main defectors is Nitin Arora, who was the principal engineer of the lunar landing program of Blue Origin and has just announced on LinkedIn that he is joining the team of Elon Musk's space company. Another major outlet is that of former NASA astronaut Jeff Ashby, one of the directors of the New Shepard launch program. For her part, Lauren Lyons announced her entry to the Unicorn Firefly Aerospace team.

Others who have left the company include Steve Bennett, senior vice president of New Shepard; Scott Jacobs, National Security Sales Director; Bob Ess, Senior Director of New Glenn; Tod Byquist, New Glenn First-Stage Senior Director; Bill Scammell, Senior Finance Manager for New Glenn; Christopher Payne, Senior Manager of Production Testing; Nate Chapman, New Shepard technical project manager; Dave Sanderson, senior propulsion design engineer; Rachel Forman, HLS Senior Human Factors Engineer; Jack Nelson, Lead BE-4 Controller Integration and Test Engineer, among others.

Bezos's company sued NASA for awarding a key contract to SpaceX in what it said was uneven competition. Prior to this, Bezos had written an open letter to NASA administrator Bill Nelson saying that his company would pay billions of dollars in exchange for the contract to develop a lunar lander for the Artemis program.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Some 'sell imaginary friends' and others put a cryptocurrency mining operation in their garage. Without a doubt, the time to sell sweets or lemonades is behind us, today's children bring a shark's mind.

Two American brothers learned how to earn money through an ethereum (ETH) mine that they established in their home garage. Ishaan and Aanya Thakur , aged 14 and 9 respectively, have generated monthly earnings of $ 35,000 (approximately 707,390 Mexican pesos), according to The Dallas Morning News .

According to the local newspaper, the little ones who live in Frisco, Texas, began with the dream of having their own mining operation after their father told them a story about the growth of bitcoin before they went to sleep.

You may be interested: This family bet everything on bitcoin when it cost $ 900. Now he keeps his fortune in secret vaults on 4 continents

At first they thought of trying the highest value cryptocurrency on the market (bitcoin), however, they did not have the money to invest in it, they still decided to buy the necessary equipment for crypto mining.

In this way, in March of this year, the brothers began mining through an old gaming computer that allowed them to generate earnings of a thousand dollars (approximately 20,219 Mexican pesos) in their first month.

We want to continue growing

The youngsters had a desire to expand their crypto mining. However, they ran into a problem: the shortage of graphics cards used for such activity. But, they looked for a solution: They signed up to receive updates on supplies from various electronics stores and when they received them they quickly went for the necessary instruments.

Self-taught

The brothers reported that they learned to mine cryptocurrency in a self-taught way through YouTube videos, and their father helped them through a loan to buy the necessary equipment.

Now small entrepreneurs use their money on inputs to continue growing their farm, paying for electricity from renewable energy, and also seek to save for their university studies.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media

HARTFORD  A city man pleaded guilty in federal court to an escape from custody charge after fleeing his halfway house, where he was supposed to reside to complete his prison term for a drug-related conviction, according to federal authorities.

Jose Sostre, 41, waived his right to be indicted Tuesday before Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven. He pleaded guilty to escaping from the custody of the attorney general, the prosecutor said.
Cigar diplomacy is backand once again it is clouding the landscape for an American president.

As the Cold War raged in 1962, a trade embargo against Fidel Castros communist government in Cuba was an easy political call for John F. Kennedy. The president had a personal conflict-of-interest, however: JFK loved a good smoke. So he quietly secured 1,000 of his soon-to-be-contraband favorite, H. Upmann Petit Coronas, for his personal humidor before taking necessary actions to promote national and hemispheric security.

As a nonsmoker, President Biden has a clear conscience as the feds prepare to take on the tobacco industry of Latin America. Its politics alone that put him in a bind: Does he back policies that would hinder premium cigar imports from Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic to appease the antismoking lobby, or let them be, to promote economic growth and help staunch the current massive flow of migrants to the U.S.?

Since the Food and Drug Administration took the reins of tobacco regulation from the states under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009, it has imposed rules on a wide range of nicotine products, from cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to vaping products.

Now the FDA has decided that what this country doesnt need so much anymore is a good $10 cigar, and its preparing to impose new rules on premium stogies, the main source of which is Central America.

The action comes as the Biden administration has taken on the migration problem by pledging $4 billion in aid to Latin countries to help them rebuild their economies. The number of migrants seeking entry to the U.S. has nearly tripled since January compared with the previous year. In July, U.S. Customs and Border Protection apprehended 212,672 people at the southern border, the most in 20 years.

With that human outflow in mind, regional advocates say that if the FDA gets its way, it may undermine one of the regions most vibrant industries and prompt out-of-work people to leave.

To impose more restrictions on the premium cigar industry now would disrupt the economy in these countries, at the least, said Pedro Gomez, who was born in in Nicaragua and worked as a saddle maker as a youth. After getting an education in the U.S., he returned home, determined to join the countrys energized cigar economy.

Gomez now lives in Miami where he is employed as a brand representative for Drew Estate, a cigar industry giant that grows its tobacco in Central America.

There would be lost jobs, and those people would head to the U.S., where the better jobs are, Gomez said. He recalls the tail end of the U.S. embargo on Nicaragua in the late 1980s, which produced long lines of people waiting for food or cooking oil, the same things that send people from Latin America fleeing for a better life.

Gomez noted that premium cigars represent a small portion of tobacco sales in the U.S.  between 3% and 5%  but are crucial to the countries that produce them.

What would be the point of over-regulating such a small industry? he said. It would hurt the economy in countries that cant afford that kind of damage.

Ambassadors from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Honduras have repeatedly sent letters to the feds since the FDA tobacco takeover, warning that onerous regulation would result in lost jobs and revenue for the cash-strapped countries.

Some of the regulations that are proposed by the agency would prove disastrous to the centuries-old cigar industry that provide for over 300,000 jobs among our three nations and represents millions of dollars in export revenue, a 2015 missive reads.

Politics have already ended the sale of Cuban cigars in the U.S., once a vaunted treasure among cigar smokers. Sanctions were eased by the Obama administration, which allowed unlimited quantities of Cuban cigars into the U.S. for personal consumption. President Trump then reimposed the ban on Cuban products, which still stands.

In their place are smokes from the three Latin nations, considered by many to be superior to the Cuban brands, whose biggest markets are China and Spain.

The FDAs anti-smoking efforts have until now focused on the smoking sectors that appeal mainly to youth, including e-cigarettes and other vaping devices.

In April, the agency declared that flavored smoking materials, including menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, are on the table to be banned.

The FDA wants to get rid of all inhaled nicotine, said David Gortler, who served at the FDA under the Obama administration as a medical officer, then worked as a senior adviser to FDA chief Stephen Hahn during the last two years of the Trump administration.

They are supposed to be protecting Americans, but lately there has been a very political influence behind everything they do, said Gortler, who is now a fellow with the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center.

Lawyers, Smoke, and Money

Yet the FDAs battle with premium cigars has not gone as smoothly as it hoped.

Records reviewed by RealClearInvestigations show that of the 4,452 citations and warning letters issued by FDA agents for alleged violations of underage sales laws between August 2019 and August 2021, over 90% were issued to convenience stores, liquor hubs and other general retailers that sell inexpensive cigars. Fewer than 20 citations went to cigar stores with a humidor, an indicator that the shop deals in high-end cigars.

The FDAs press office did not respond to an interview request.

Associations representing the premium cigar industry have stalled significant FDA progress in court. In August, a federal judge ruled that the FDA must seek more science on the issue to determine if the premium cigars represent enough of a hazard, particularly to youth, to warrant the FDAs costly oversight and rules.

Both sides accept the FDAs definition of premium cigars: They are wrapped in whole tobacco leaf, contain a 100% leaf tobacco binder, are handmade or hand-rolled and do not have a characterizing flavor other than tobacco.

As part of the legally mandated pursuit of the science on premiums, the FDA has solicited the input of a committee of scientists and academics composed almost exclusively of tobacco critics.

It is a whos who of tobacco control scientists, said Drew Newman, general counsel for J.C. Newman Cigar Co., a Tampa-based family operation that has produced and sold cigars since 1895. In 2011, the company built a tobacco plantation in Esteli, Nicaragua, employing over 800 locals.

Today, Newman is the last large-scale cigar producer in the U.S, with 150 employees kicking out 12 million sticks a year. Once an importer of Cuban tobacco, its a largely symbolic remnant of a past that ended with the 1962 embargo.

An unfavorable report from the committee would result in an exorbitantly expensive nightmare for all of us, Newman said, noting that higher costs from taxes, registrations and ingredient verifications would knock out most small cigar producers both in the U.S. and south of the border, costing many jobs.

To be sure, the 14-member National Academy of Sciences committee is not deliberating in a smoke-filled room, but most of its work has proceeded in closed sessions via Zoom beginning in March.

In its few public meetings, it has heard mostly from antismoking factions, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the FDA, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Center for Environmental Health.

It is also hearing from anti-tobacco doctors, who deny the existence of the panels focus.

There is no such thing as a premium cigar,aHasmeena Kathuria, a physician who directs the Tobacco Treatment Center at Boston Medical Center, told the committee in one of its first meetings. The premium cigar is a concept developed by the tobacco industry to escape FDA regulation of all tobacco products.  [The committee] should not adopt the fraudulent concept of a premium cigar.

Several appointees have previously put their name on reports condemning smoking, including one report with a contribution from panel member Maciej Goniewicz, who declared that high exposure to harmful constituents among cigar smokers is a continuing health issue.

The premium cigar committee will present its findings in March.

* * *

The Finck family produced cigars for 122 years in its downtown San Antonio, Texas, manufacturing facility, the longest-operating cigar factory in the U.S. When taxes increased from four cents a cigar to 52.75% of the wholesale price in 2009, the family did its best.

By 2014, though, as the FDA promised more scrutiny of premium cigars, Bill Finck Jr., whose great-grandfather Henry started the company in 1893, closed production. That left 100 people without work  all older Latino women with limited job prospects.

That first big federal tax increase really hurt us, increasing our costs almost 50% overnight, Finck said. Part of the reason we kept going after that was pride. This was what my family has done for five generations.

Finck contracted out the production of his cigars to Latin America. He continues to operate three cigar stores in San Antonio.

The FDA has now focused [itself] against premium cigars, said Gortler, the former FDA official, They are the federal government, and they see themselves as their own entity with an unlimited amount of money to spend on attorneys and unlimited funding to conduct studies to demonstrate their narrative. They answer to no one, and can do anything they want, even if its not science. And its easy for them to say they are doing this for public health.

This article drew on reporting for an article in the July/August issue of Cigar Snob magazine, which is edited by Steve Miller.
(The Center Square)  President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that federal disaster relief funds would be available to Tennessee residents, declaring a major disaster after flooding in Humphreys County left at least 21 residents dead.

Federal disaster funds can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster, the White House said.

Federal funding is also available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protective measures in Humphreys County," the White House said. "Lastly, Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee sought the disaster declaration Monday in a detailed request to the president.

"I appreciate the dedication and hard work of the local first responders and volunteers, many of whom are also flood victims, to protect lives in their community, Gov. Bill Lee said. Our state and federal emergency partners will continue to pursue options to provide more relief for Tennesseans as they begin the recovery process.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, which assessed the damage in Dickson, Hickman, Humphreys, and Houston counties along with FEMA as part of the declaration process, said up to 15 inches of rain fell over a six-hour period on [Saturday] resulting in catastrophic and deadly flash flooding in Middle Tennessee. Flash flooding in Humphreys County alone inundated more than 700 homes.

In his request for assistant, Lee noted seven significant weather events in Tennessee between August 2020 and May 2021 when the state did not request federal assistance.

The State of Tennessee expended well over $7.5 million in managing response and recovery activities for larger events, refraining from seeking Stafford Act assistance, Lees request said. This figure is a conservative estimate, as most counties and cities do not have the staffing or resources to be able to perform simultaneous cost accounting on continuous response activities. These extraordinary state and local expenditures have reduced our capacity to recover from this current event.

The request estimated more than 10,000 homes lost power because of the storms and many are expected to be without power for days or weeks. More than 202 residents have sought shelter at area shelters set up between TEMA and the American Red Cross.

Lees request also highlighted that the flooding affected some of the most economically challenged counties in the state. Humphreys County has a median household income of $45,667 with 13% below the poverty line.

Businesses were flooded in downtown Waverly while about 700 homes were inundated with flood water and 300 homes are expected to suffer major to destroyed damage, according to estimates in Lees letter. Two schools suffered major damage, and six others suffered moderate or minor damage, while 40-50 school buses were damaged and schools will be closed for the week.

Humphreys County residents can request assistance through DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362 between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. CDT.
On this date in 1875, a band of Apache Indians battled a unit of Texas Rangers near the Concho River. The indecisive skirmish was one of hundreds of lethal 19th century encounters between Plains Indians and white soldiers, civilians, or paramilitaries. This one had a footnote, however. It seems that James B. Gillett, who had joined the Texas Rangers earlier that year, had one of the warriors in his gunsights when he froze. This Apache, whom he estimated to be 15 or 16 years old, had bright red hair. "To my surprise," Gillett later wrote in his memoir, "he was a white boy."

Gillett was right about that, although if the situation had been reversed the fair-haired brave -- who escaped that day -- would not have hesitated to pull the trigger. We know this because he later wrote his own memoir. By that time, he was no longer an Apache; he was a Comanche. Or rather, an ex-Comanche, although that's a bit like saying "ex-Marine."

After the Civil War, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman eschewed electoral politics to continue his career in the U.S. Army. Six years later, Sherman was camped in the Texas Hill Country on his way to a garrison called Fort Mason, when a "respectable-looking woman," as she was described by one of Sherman's men, approached the encampment alone.

Gen. Sherman was at that time the most feared man in the South, but this woman, a German immigrant named Augusta Buchmeier, saw him as a potential savior. A year earlier, her two sons had been plucked out of a field by raiding Indians, strapped to a horseback, and carried off. The younger boy, 8-year-old Willy, had been rescued, but 11-year-old Herman was still out there. Please, she beseeched Sherman in her accented English, can the Army find him?

Sherman listened attentively and probed for details, starting with the most basic: Which Indians took him?

"I suppose they were Comanches," his mother responded. "He is still in their hands."

Herman Lehmann was the boy's name (his father, who had died, was Mrs. Buchmeier's first husband). His mother was half right about Herman's whereabouts. He'd originally been kidnapped and kept by Apaches and adopted their language and customs. But after a falling out, he had been taken in by Comanches, the sworn enemy of the Apache tribe and the unparalleled horsemen of the Southern Plains.

As he grew into manhood, Herman rode with the Comanches, learning their ways and their tongue, forgetting the German and English languages -- and eventually his christened name name. As a brave named Montechema, Herman Lehmann raided with Comanches, married into their band, and became a formidable warrior.

For two centuries, whites had viewed these kinds of abductions as the worst kind of outrage, especially when it was white women and girls who were taken. What awaited female prisoners was sometimes gang-rape or murder. Or the story could go the other way, to the type of assimilation Herman Lehmann underwent, which in the case of stolen girls meant taking a warrior for a husband and having Indian children. Some whites had even more trouble with this outcome.

As author Glenn Frankel noted in "The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend," real-life tales of Indian captivity dominated American bookshelves for the better part of a century. "But it was the novels of James Fenimore Cooper in the early 19th century," he wrote, "that most openly focused upon the sexual obsession underlying the captivity narrative."

Unlike the beautiful sisters in "The Last of the Mohicans," Herman Lehmann was real. So was Cynthia Ann Parker, abducted during a bloody 1836 Comanche raid on the Texas frontier. In recent years, two excellent books -- Frankel's authoritative one and S.C. Gwynne's "Empire of the Summer Moon," have centered on Cynthia Ann Parker's saga. The lessons found there are anything but tidy.

Cynthia was not harmed in captivity and, like Herman Lehmann, found a life to her liking among the Comanches. One of her two sons, Quanah, would become an acclaimed warrior and a chief, and is probably the man most responsible for preserving what is left of Comanche culture.

It was Quanah Parker, ultimately, who agreed to bring in the last of the Comanche warriors, a tiny band that Herman Lehmann, who was one of them, dubbed "the famous fifteen." Two years after he was nearly shot by a Texas Ranger, Montechema was persuaded to ride into the white man's fort by Quanah, the only person who could have done so.

All these years later, it's not quite right to say that the anger fueled by stealing children like Herman Lehmann and Cynthia Ann Parker was manufactured. But it can be said that the whites' horrified reaction to these abductions, and their obsession with rescuing or avenging the hostages, was a convenient rationalization for the fact that whites were overrunning and killing Indians in nearly every corner of this continent.

One man who saw that clearly was Herman Lehmann himself. "I have always found the Comanches to be my most devoted friends," he told an interviewer in 1906. "Don't you believe that the Comanche is a bad man. You hate him  but the Comanches don't keep books and their side of history has never been written."

Lehmann, who was eventually reunited with his mother and original siblings, also wrote this:

It will be remembered that Texas had refused to make a treaty with the Comanches, but by force had driven them from the land of their inheritance. For this cause many hundreds of white families, men, women and children, had come to a horrible death, while on the other hand many a brave Comanche with his wife and children had gone to the happy hunting ground. Even the old chief, Quanah's father, had died in battle, and his mother, sisters and brothers had been carried off into captivity, never more to enjoy the blessing of Quanah's companionship or to drink of the free air on which an Indian lives. What would have been the outcome if instead of doing evil to the Indian the white man had done good, we can only conjecture.

Carl M. Cannon is the Washington bureau chief for RealClearPolitics. Reach him on Twitter @CarlCannon.
Nine Highland cows have been gifted to a Dorset farmer following the death of his pregnant cow, an incident which triggered a UK-wide campaign to keep dogs on leads when near livestock.

The Gladis Law campaign was started by Cameron Farquharson following a recent dog attack which killed his pregnant Highland cow.

Gladis had been grazing at Eggardon Hill near Bridport when she was chased to death on the evening of 26 May.

Mr Farquharson said at the time of the attack that it 'should never have happened' as it was an 'act of complete negligence'.

The farmer's campaign has drummed up support and attention from the public, the farming community, the MP for West Dorset and from faming minister Victoria Prentis.

And now in another show of support, Mr Farquharson received last week nine Highland cows from fellow farmer Stan Sadler, who was devastated after reading his plight.

The new herd consists of three cows, three calves, two heifers and a bull. Mr Farquharson said the gift was 'amazing' to himself and his family.

"When I received a call and was offered these cows, it reduced me and my family to tears, and was overwhelmed by the gesture," he added.

Mr Sadler, who farms in Scotland, told Bridport News that the story 'really resonated' with him.

"Bringing up my own animals I could completely identify with the man's loss," the farmer told the paper.

"I wanted to do something to support him as I was overcome by the need to try to track him down, make contact and explain my circumstances."

And thanks to the publics support and backing from ministers and MPs, Gladis Law could now become a reality.

Mr Farquharson said: I could never have anticipated the response weve had from the public and members of parliament.

"People have even asked if they can donate money to help us. Although we really appreciate the gesture, losing Gladis and her calf was such a dark time for me and my family.

"We felt it was only right to redirect these generous offers to charities helping other people in similar situations."

Those who want to support the campaign can still add their signature to the online petition.
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For the past 17 months, its been my great honor to serve on the local Covid Task Force. Local leaders from all walks of life  health care, business, government, non-profits, churches, first responders, and more  work together so that we can better respond to the real world effects of the 


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Theres plenty to do on the beautiful islands of Hawaii  just stay away from the monk seals



Hawaii is one of the most photogenic archipelagos across the planet and offers beaches, corals and volcanoes, and, of course, that amazing island life vibe. Theres plenty to engage you here  surfing, visiting volcanoes, hiking through lush forest, lounging around waterfalls, or just serious beach bumming. Hike nine kilometres to the summit of Mauna Kea, the highest and holiest spot on Big Island; it is thought of as a hangout of the gods. Or hike down cliffs and past waterfalls in the Pololu Valley in North Kohala. If youre a surfing enthusiast, head to Hapuna Beach on the Kohala Coast, or immerse yourself in the waters off Kaunaoa Bay or Mauna Kea Beach. Eat your weight in extremely good food  try loco moco  rice topped with a hamburger, fried egg and gravy  and teriyaki and Japanese bento at Hilos Cafe 100 diner. If youre looking for local-meets-Pan Asian, the place to go is Kaleos Bar & Grill in Pahoa; dont miss out on trying the poke. This is just a sampling of the many experiences you can seek out, and the many things you can do in Hawaii  what you must not do is disturb the monk seals.

Hawaiian Seals Are Off Limits

Image: Shutterstock



Classified as a critically endangered species, Hawaiian monk seals are off limits. Only about 1,400 seals remain in the wild, and about 30% of these are alive because of conservation efforts on the part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and partners such as The Marine Mammal Center, which has rehabilitated and released 35 Hawaiian monk seals since 2014

The endangered animals are easily stressed when approached by humans or dogs. This is especially true of nursing mothers and pups who can get separated when distressed.

Recently, two tourists were reportedly fined for touching the seals - the TikTok video showing them engaging in this misdemeanour on a beach in Kauai went viral. Hawaiis governor David Ige has since taken to Twitter to issue a warning to visitors, advising them to stay away from monk seals. Anyone who disturbs or touches the seals will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law I want to be clear that this behaviour is absolutely unacceptable. Visitors to our islands  youre asked to respect our people, culture, and laws protecting endangered species that are found nowhere else in the world.

Just to prevent further distress to the seals, it is worth noting that Hawaii can impose a fine of up to $50,000 on anyone who harms a monk seal, and that harassing, harming or killing any endangered or threatened species is a felony under state law.

Heres What You Can Do

Monks seals are endearing animals, and you will want to see them when you visit Hawaii. Just keep your distance from them, and use a zoom lens to take photos or even to admire them.

Also see: 3 Bird-watching destinations in Karnataka


Fountain Hills, AZ (85268)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy with late night showers or thunderstorms. Low 73F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
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Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - August 24, 2021) - Atacama Copper Corporation (formerly 1246773 B.C. Ltd., the "Resulting Issuer") and 2311548 Alberta Ltd. ("Target Co") are pleased to announce the completion of the three-cornered amalgamation (the "Amalgamation") between TargetCo and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Resulting Issuer ("SubCo") to form a subsidiary of the Resulting Issuer ("Amalco") as well as the receipt of conditional approval to list the common shares of the Resulting Issuer (the "Resulting Issuer Shares") on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange").

"This is an historic day in the short evolution of Atacama Copper Corporation, and we are truly excited by the closing of our going public transaction. We are now well positioned as an emerging Chilean focused junior copper company; the required working capital to advance exploration of the Placeton project; and an extremely strong and proven management and board, with a view to exploring the inherent potential of the Placeton project over the next 12 months," said Gino Zandonai, Chief Executive Officer.

A Listing Statement in respect of the Resulting Issuer has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Exchange and is anticipated to be filed under the Resulting Issuer's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. It is anticipated that the Resulting Issuer Shares will commence trading on the Exchange under the symbol "ACOP" on or about August 30, 2021, subject to the Exchange providing final approval of the listing of the Resulting Issuer Shares.

Summary of the Amalgamation and the Concurrent Financing

Pursuant to the Amalgamation: (i) all of the outstanding common shares of TargetCo ("TargetCo Shares"), being 20,000,000 TargetCo Shares, were cancelled and in consideration therefore holders thereof received Resulting Issuer Shares on the basis of one Resulting Issuer Share for every one TargetCo Share (the "Exchange Ratio"); (ii) all of the outstanding common shares of SubCo ("SubCo Shares") were cancelled, being 100 SubCo Shares, and in consideration therefore holders thereof received Resulting Issuer Shares based on the Exchange Ratio; and (iii) Amalco became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Resulting Issuer. The Amalgamation was an arms' length transaction. Upon closing of the Amalgamation, the Resulting Issuer is continuing the business of TargetCo.

After giving effect to the Amalgamation, the prior shareholders of TargetCo collectively exercise control over the Resulting Issuer. Pursuant to the Amalgamation, all securities of Target Co convertible into Target Shares ceased to represent a right to acquire TargetCo Shares and provide for the right to acquire the same number of Resulting Issuer Shares at the same exercise price per share, reflecting the Exchange Ratio.

Prior to completion of the Amalgamation, the Resulting Issuer completed the name change from "1246773 B.C. Ltd." to "Atacama Copper Corporation".

Prior to the completion of the Amalgamation, the parties completed a private placement (the "Concurrent Financing") of subscription receipts (the "Subscription Receipts") at a price of $0.50 per Subscription Receipt for aggregate gross proceeds of $4,111,578. Each Subscription Receipt entitled the holder thereof to acquire one TargetCo Share, which was ultimately exchanged for one Resulting Issuer Share pursuant to the Amalgamation.

It is anticipated that the proceeds of the Concurrent Financing (after deduction of costs of fees incurred) are anticipated to be used for advanced exploration of the Placeton project and for general corporate purposes following completion of the reverse take-over. Although the Resulting Issuer intends to use the proceeds of the Concurrent Financing as described above, there may be circumstances where, for sound business reasons, a reallocation of funds may be necessary for the Resulting Issuer to achieve its objectives or to pursue other opportunities that management believes are in the interests of the Resulting Issuer.

Pursuant to the policies of the Exchange, all common shares and warrants held by officers, directors, promoters and 10% shareholders were deposited into escrow for a period of 36 months. In total, 23,375,000 Resulting Issuer Shares and 7,000,000 Resulting Issuer warrants are subject to escrow with TSX Trust Company as escrow agent prior to completion of the listing.

At the time of listing, the Resulting Issuer will have 34,373,156 Resulting Issuer Shares issued and outstanding.

New Board of Directors

The Resulting Issuer's board of directors has been reconstituted to include, Gino Zandonai, Martyn Buttenshaw, Scott Hicks and Richard Reinert. Please see below for a brief biography on each recently added proposed director:

Gino Zandonai, Director and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Zandonai has more than thirty years of experience in international mining consulting in over 40 countries and was the South American Managing director of Behre Dolbear Inc., a mineral consulting firm. Mr. Zandonai is a competent person and has been the main geostatistician for NGEx Resources Inc (Lundin Mining) activities in Chile among other listed companies. He is fluent in Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese and holds a MSc degree in Mining Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, and a minor in Mineral Economics.

Martyn Buttenshaw, Director

Mr. Buttenshaw is a senior mining executive and experienced non-executive director with over 20 years of mining experience, and is currently Chairman & CEO of Melior Resources Inc. Most recently, he was Managing Director with Pala Investments, a mining focused investment company. Previously, Mr. Buttenshaw has held senior roles with Anglo American in business development and as a senior mining engineer with Rio Tinto. Mr. Buttenshaw is a chartered mining engineer and holds an MBA with distinction from the London Business School and a MEng (First Class) in Mining Engineering from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, London.

Scott Hicks, Director

Mr. Hicks is a former investment banker working with RBC Capital Markets and BMO Capital Markets on their respective mining teams. He also served as VP Corporate Development and Communications of Anfield Gold Corp., which was acquired by Equinox Gold Corp. He currently serves as the CEO of Strategic Resources Inc. and as VP Corporate Development and Communications of Lumina Gold Corp. and Luminex Resources Corp. Over the last decade he has worked on a variety of equity, debt and advisory assignments while working in Canada and Australia. Mr. Hicks holds a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours from the University of British Columbia.

Richard Reinert, Director

Mr. Reinert is the Managing Partner of Citation Capital Management Limited, an FCA authorised and regulated company, and is also a non-executive director of a number of Alternative Investment Funds since 2001. He began his career in 1978 at Compagnie des Metaux Precieux (CMP) in Paris and moved to Gerald Metals Ltd in London in 1979 as a physical base metals trader. In 1980 he became an Account Executive at Drexel Burnham Lambert SA. 1983 saw him move to Refco SA Paris as a Founding Director. In 1989 he was transferred to London to become the Managing Director of Refco Overseas Ltd until September 1999. In October 1999 Mr. Reinert formed Citation and in 2002 became a Board Member of OTEKO the largest independent rail transporter of oil within the FSU. During his time at Refco Overseas Ltd he was appointed Chairman of the International Petroleum Exchange and the Futures Industry Association and a director of the board of the London Metal Exchange Ltd. and the London Commodity Exchange.

Eddy Yu, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary

Mr. Yu currently works with Corex Management Inc. Mr. Yu is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CMA) with over 20 years of experience in business and financial management. For the past several years, Mr. Yu has been providing financial management and reporting services to publicly-traded companies listed in the TSX Venture Exchange. In addition, Mr. Yu also provides strategic planning and management services to companies who want to improve their overall business performance.

About Atacama Copper Corporation

Atacama Copper Corporation is a resource company focussing on the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties in Chile. It is committed to advancing the exploration and development of the Placeton and El Cofre projects, while concurrently looking to increase its asset portfolio through the acquisition and development of other high-value copper exploration, development and production opportunities in Chile. Atacama Copper Corporation is currently focussing on the exploration of its Placeton project with the objective of defining an effective drill program.

The Resulting Issuer's head office is located in Alberta and the Resulting Issuer is a corporation existing under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia).

Additional Information

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the listing statement prepared in connection with Amalgamation, any information released or received with respect to the Amalgamation may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, Inc. nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the polices of the TSX Venture Exchange) has in any way passed upon the merits of the Amalgamation and associated transactions and neither of the foregoing entities accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release or has in any way approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release.

For further information, please contact:

Atacama Copper Corporation

Gino Zandonai, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Email: gino.zandonai@atacamacopper.ca

Phone: +56997915596

Cautionary Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, filing of the listing statement, timing and listing of the Resulting Issuer Shares on the Exchange, the use of proceeds from the Concurrent Financing and details with respect to the business of the Resulting Issuer. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: the timing for receipt of final Exchange approval may not be received on the timelines expected or at all; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, the Resulting Issuer assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94319
GUANGZHOU, China, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The 44th Jinhan Fair for Home & Gifts will be held in both offline and online format this October. The on-site fair is expected to open its door from 22-25 October 2021 at PWTC Expo Guangzhou, while the virtual fair is scheduled on 11-27 October 2021.

Jinhan Fair will display with expected area of 85,000? covering 9 categories of products for home decoration and gifts as usual. As China's premier platform, the fair brings 900 of the Chinese manufacturers together, buyers will enjoy competitive price and cutting edge design.

The online exhibition will continue to be held in a three-phase format, with each phase lasting four days via i.jinhanfair.com. The fair will feature with a series of customized virtual sourcing meetings, enabling global buyers to talk face to face with selected Chinese manufacturers easily and effectively. Last season, over 50 sessions of online sourcing meetings held successfully in a row.

Hereby we sincerely invite global buyers to join in this online and offline sourcing event this October: www.jinhanfair.com

Contact: Yongyi Xu, xuyongyi@jinhanfair.com, +86-18927506411

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1600457/JINHAN_FAIR.jpg
The implant was performed at UofL Health Jewish Hospital by University of Louisville physicians within the framework of the U.S. Early Feasibility Study

Regulatory News:

CARMAT (FR0010907956, ALCAR), the designer and developer of the world's most advanced total artificial heart, aiming to fulfill an unmet medical need by providing a therapeutic alternative to people suffering from end-stage biventricular heart failure, announces the second center implanting its bioprosthetic artificial heart, Aeson, in the United States within the framework of the Early Feasibility Study (EFS).

The implant procedure was performed by a team led by Dr. Mark S. Slaughter, Professor and Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at the University of Louisville and UofL Physician at Jewish Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky. UofL Health and the University of Louisville are known for ground-breaking cardiovascular innovation research, especially in circulatory support technologies. Jewish Hospital is the second U.S. hospital to implant Aeson within the framework of the EFS. Three additional U.S. centers are fully trained and are currently screening patients for the study.

In accordance with the study protocol approved by the FDA, 10 transplant-eligible patients are expected to be enrolled in this trial. The primary study endpoint is patient survival at 180 days post-implant or a successful cardiac transplantation within 180 days post-implant. It is a staged study with a progress report of the first 3 patients after 60 days, before the enrollment of the next 7 patients.

Mark S. Slaughter, MD, heart surgeon at UofL Health Jewish Hospital and University of Louisville, and principal investigator of the study, stated: "We are pleased to be part of the first U.S. centers to investigate this new artificial heart technology. This clinical study will help us determine whether the device's distinguishing features such as hemocompatibility and blood flow autoregulation are beneficial to critically ill patients suffering from biventricular heart failure who currently have very limited treatment options."

Stephane Piat, Chief Executive Officer of CARMAT, concluded: "We are honored that our device is implanted at UofL Health Jewish Hospital and University of Louisville, which is recognized throughout the United States for its quality of care and cardiovascular research. I would like to congratulate the teams at the hospital, as well as our technical and medical staff, on this exceptional milestone for both patients and our company."

About CARMAT: the world's most advanced total artificial heart

A credible response to end-stage heart failure: CARMAT aims to provide a response to a major public health issue associated with heart disease, the world's leading cause of death: advanced heart failure. Thanks to its total artificial heart, Aeson, composed of an implantable bioprosthesis and its portable external power supply system to which it is continuously connected, CARMAT intends to overcome the well-known shortfall in heart transplants for the tens of thousands of people suffering from irreversible end-stage heart failure, the most seriously affected of the 20 million patients with this progressive disease in Europe and the United States.

The result of combining two types of unique expertise: the medical expertise of Professor Carpentier, known throughout the world for inventing Carpentier-Edwards heart valves, which are the most used in the world, and the technological expertise of Airbus Group, world aerospace leader.

The first physiologic heart replacement therapy: given the use of highly biocompatible materials, its unique self-regulation system and its pulsatile nature, the Aeson heart constitutes a new therapeutic class Physiologic Heart Replacement Therapy (PHRT) and could save the lives of thousands of patients every year without risk of rejection and with a good quality of life. Aeson is commercially available in the bridge-to-transplant indication in Europe and other countries that recognise the CE mark. Aeson is also currently being evaluated in an Early Feasibility Study in the United-States.

For more information: www.carmatsa.com

Name: CARMAT

ISIN code: FR0010907956

Ticker: ALCAR

Disclaimer

This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe to, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to, shares in CARMAT ("the Company") in any country. This press release contains forward-looking statements that relate to the Company's objectives. Such forward-looking statements are based solely on the current expectations and assumptions of the Company's management and involve risk and uncertainties. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, whether the Company will be successful in implementing its strategies, whether there will be continued growth in the relevant market and demand for the Company's products, new products or technological developments introduced by competitors, and risks associated with managing growth. The Company's objectives as mentioned in this press release may not be achieved for any of these reasons or due to other risks and uncertainties.

No guarantee can be given as to any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements, which are subject to inherent risks, including those described in the Universal registration document filed with the Autorite des Marches Financiers on February 24, 2021 under number D.21-0076 as well as changes in economic conditions, the financial markets or the markets in which CARMAT operates. In particular, no guarantee can be given concerning the Company's ability to finalize the development, validation and industrialization of the prosthesis and the equipment required for its use, to manufacture the prostheses, satisfy the requirements of competent authorities, enroll patients, obtain satisfactory clinical results, perform the clinical trials and achieve commercial objectives.

Aeson is an active implantable medical device commercially available in Europe ONLY, CARMAT SA., CE0344. The Aeson TAH is intended to replace ventricles of native heart and is indicated as a bridge to transplant in patients suffering from end-stage biventricular heart failure (INTERMACS classes 1-4) who are not amenable to maximal medical therapy or LVAD and are likely to undergo heart transplant in the 180 days following device implantation. The decision to implant and the surgical procedure must be executed by Health Care professionals trained by the manufacturer. Carefully read the documentation (clinician manual, patient manual alarm booklet) for characteristics and information necessary for patient selection and good use (contraindications, precautions, side effects).

In the USA, Aeson is currently exclusively available within the framework of clinical trials.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210824005793/en/

Contacts:

CARMAT

Stephane Piat

Chief Executive Officer

Pascale d'Arbonneau

Chief Financial Officer

Tel.: +33 1 39 45 64 50

contact@carmatsas.com

Alize RP

Press Relations

Caroline Carmagnol

Tel.: +33 6 64 18 99 59

carmat@alizerp.com

NewCap

Investor Relations

Strategic Communication

Dusan Oresansky

Quentin Masse

Tel.: +33 1 44 71 94 92

carmat@newcap.eu
Regulatory News:

Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies (ISIN: FR0013451044, Ticker: ALHGR) (Paris:ALHGR) ("Hoffmann Green Cement" or the "Company"), a pioneer in clinker-free low-carbon cement, announces the appointment of Stephanie Bondoux as Director of Certification and Accreditation.

In France, the construction sector has to comply with numerous and ever-changing technical norms and standard practices. In order to ensure that Hoffmann Green continues to meet the highest industry standards, the Company has decided to appoint Stephanie Bondoux as Director of Certification and Accreditation.

The aim of this appointment is thus to assess the performance, the sustainability of solutions and the safety of the various applications while fostering the policy of innovation that is ingrained within Hoffmann Green's DNA. To do this, Stephanie Bondoux will work in close collaboration with the test labs and accreditation bodies, and notably the Centre Scientifique et Technique du Batiment (CSTB, France's scientific and technical center for building), and will undertake the necessary trials to obtain the appropriate certifications and accreditations. The experience she has acquired throughout her career at Hilti within a context of ground-breaking innovation represents an additional asset for the Company.

Stephanie, who is 36, has a master's degree in Marketing from Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne Universityand has considerable experience in the field of accreditations, technical assessments and regulations applicable to the construction sector. She began her career asa fastening product manager at Hilti, a global leader in anchoring solutions and fire protection systems for construction, building and industry professionals.

Prior to joining Hoffmann Green Cement, since 2016 Stephanie was in charge of accreditations and the regulatory framework for Hilti's subsidiaries in Western Europe (France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg).

Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann, co-founders of Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies, say: "We are delighted to welcome Stephanie Bondoux to Hoffmann Green. Thanks to her experience and expertise, Stephanie will enable us to reach a further milestone in terms of certification and accreditation. Beyond the environmental benefits of our disruptive offer, Stephanie will help us obtain the certifications and accreditations we need to provide construction players in France, in Europe and around the world with reliable information on the performance levels, sustainability and safety of our applications. Following the launch of our PHARE calculator, this appointment is another step in our transparency and quality approach, the aim being to provide tangible information regarding our solutions for decarbonizing the construction industry

About Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies

Founded in 2014, Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies designs, produces and distributes innovative clinker-free low-carbon cement with a substantially lower carbon footprint than traditional cement. Fully aware of the environmental emergency and the need to reconcile the construction sector, cement manufacturing and the environment, the Group believes it is at the heart of a genuine technological breakthrough based on altering cement's composition and the creation of a heating-free and clean manufacturing process, without clinker. Hoffmann Green's cements, currently manufactured on a first 4.0 industrial site with no kiln nor chimney in western France, address all construction sector markets and present, at equivalent dosage and with no alteration in the concrete manufacturing process, higher performances than traditional cement.

For further information, please go to: www.ciments-hoffmann.fr

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210824005084/en/

Contacts:

Hoffmann Green Cement

Jerome Caron

Chief Financial Officer

finances@ciments-hoffmann.fr

+33 (0)2 51 46 06 00

NewCap

Pierre Laurent

Thomas Grojean/Quentin Masse

Investor Relations

ciments-hoffmann@newcap.eu

+33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

NewCap

Nicolas Merigeau

Media Relations

ciments-hoffmann@newcap.eu

+33 (0)1 44 71 94 98
VC firm to add a fourth partner; to continue to invest in early-stage technology startups

BENGALURU, India, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Prime Venture Partners , today announced its fourth fund of US$100 million, with a first close of$75 million (INR 556 crore). Prime had raised its last fund of $72M in 2018, a second fund of $46M in 2015 and a $8M first fund in 2012. It will continue to focus on being the first institutional investor, maintaining its high-conviction and deep-support investing model in early-stage technology startups. In addition to existing focus areas of Fintech, EdTech, HealthTech, Consumer Internet and Global SaaS, the firm expects to expand into new areas, notably Decentralised Finance (DeFi)/Crypto, Electric Vehicle and Gaming infrastructure platforms. Prime also announced that it is actively looking to expand its leadership team by adding a fourth partner.

Amidst the pandemic, the entire fund raise was done virtually and reflects the continued interest and support that Prime is drawing from institutional investors globally. Fund Four investors include the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, a top-tier university endowment, several returning family offices and institutions, and numerous global technology entrepreneurs, reflecting the team's strong network of relationships across the industry in both the US and South East Asia.

Founded in 2012 by Shripati Acharya andSanjay Swamy, Prime added Amit Somani as a partner in 2015. With a view of bringing Silicon Valley style professionalism to venture investing, Prime's mission is to partner early with entrepreneurs and help build world-class technology companies that are addressing some of India's most important problems. Prime is typically the first institutional investor and focuses on companies with an innovative approach to solving fundamental problems through technology. The firm follows a model of being highly selective and invests in only 5-6 companies a year, after building deep conviction in entrepreneurs and their startups through a rapid yet thorough diligence process. A common theme among Prime portfolio companies is strong product and technology teams with unique insights and an ability to iterate rapidly. Portfolio companies work closely with all partners during the formative phase of the business, collaborating through the Product-Market Fit phase and establish early growth. The firm actively supports entrepreneurs with business and product strategy, refining operating metrics, hiring, partnerships, marketing, finance, all the way through raising subsequent capital.

Prime has a strong track record of investing in early-stage startups in India. As per the Cambridge Associates benchmarks, all of Prime's funds are in the top decile of all global VC funds of their respective vintages. Funds I to III are committed across 32 companies spanning sectors such as fintech, healthcare, SaaS, education and logistics. Most of these companies have gone on to raise strong follow-on rounds of investment from other leading institutional investors in India, Silicon Valley and Asia. While most of Prime's portfolio companies are focussed on the booming Digital India opportunity, Prime also has several companies that target the US, Middle East and other International markets, or that initially start in India and expand from India to other geographies.

Some of the notable Prime portfolio companies include the interactive learning startup Quizziz which is used by teachers in 120 countries and is backed by marquee investors such as Tiger Global, Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang and others. MyGate provides security software solutions for apartments that are being used across 20,000 societies and in 3.5 million households. Digital Health startup MFine is backed by SBI Holdings (Japan) & Heritas & clocks 12,000 daily consultations with more than 600 hospitals as partners. Remote Patient Monitoring startup Dozee which is transforming the Indian public healthcare infrastructure, India's leading universal neobank NiYO, Pay-after placement management program Sunstone Eduversity are some of the other category-creating, high-growth startups in the Prime portfolio.

Supporting Quotes:

Shripati Acharya, managing partner, Prime Venture Partners

"We have had the privilege of partnering with many of the category defining companies in India from their early stages such as Quizizz, MFine, MyGate, NiYO, KredX, and WheelsEye. We couldn't be more optimistic about the depth of the entrepreneurial talent and the level of ambition among the founders in India, as they bring disruptive innovation, not only in India but to the world."

Sanjay Swamy, managing partner, Prime Venture Partners

"We are humbled by the unambiguous support we received from several of our long-time LPs, and the interest by the select new long-term LPs who have joined us. While the last decade was laying the foundation, the next decade is going to be spectacular as we witness the transformation of India to a digital superpower. We're privileged to partner with some of the finest entrepreneurs in India and are super excited to work with many more founders of category-creating technology startups in the coming years."

Amit Somani, managing partner, Prime Venture Partners

"As India marches towards becoming a top-5 global economy by 2030 and leapfrogs the world through digital leadership, we believe the entrepreneurial ecosystem will drive this change. Prime has both the conviction and competence in early-stage investing and we aim to back companies that will lead this once-in-a-generation transformation. We see ourselves continuing to build Prime as the top-choice partner for early-stage entrepreneurs who are building category-defining companies and seek not only financial capital but also an active investor with deep conviction."

About Prime Venture Partners

Prime Venture Partners is an early-stage VC fund managed by partners with deep experience both as entrepreneurs and operators. Led by Amit Somani, Sanjay Swamy and Shripati Acharya, the fund is focused on building disruptive product companies out of India, and addresses a much needed gap in the Indian startup ecosystem - by bringing a combination of first-hand entrepreneurial experience, operating expertise and meaningful capital. Prime is a low volume, high conviction, high support investor and believes in backing star teams with differentiated ideas. Prime has a rich portfolio of category creating companies including Quizizz, MyGate, MFine, MyGate, Dozee, NiYO, Sunstone Eduversity, KredX, WheelsEye and others. For more information, please visit www.primevp.in .

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1601538/Prime_Venture_Partners.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1601537/Prime_Venture_Partners_Logo.jpg
LONDON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Phaidon International, the business backed by Quilvest Capital Partners is delighted to announce that David Silver has joined its TopCo Board as a Non-Executive Director.

After practising as a lawyer in London, David spent over 23 years in investment banking, the last 9 years of which were as Head of European Investment Banking for a US investment bank. David has completed over 100 M&A transactions globally, working principally with services and tech-enabled services companies, owned by entrepreneurs and private equity firms. Many of these transactions have involved US and European companies focused on talent acquisition, management and engagement, which is how he first met Phaidon.

Harry Youtan, Chief Executive Officer at Phaidon International commented, "We are delighted that David is joining Phaidon. He brings valuable experience in areas that will be instrumental in strengthening our offering as we continue to scale our business globally and deliver better value to our clients and candidates."

Andy McRae, Non-Executive Chairman at Phaidon stated "We are thrilled that David has accepted our invitation to join the board. David has significant knowledge and experience of the international staffing industry having acted as lead adviser to many of the largest M&A transactions within the staffing sector in recent years and we look forward to working with him as we continue to execute on our ambitious growth plans."

David Silver said "I am excited to be joining Phaidon International. The business has a fantastic reputation in its markets and a phenomenal management team. I am looking forward to working with Harry, Andy and Quilvest to support Phaidon's growth and the continued creation of value for all stakeholders."

Jay Takefman, Co-Head Lead Private Equity at Quilvest Capital Partners added, "Phaidon continues to deliver exceptional results, consistently outperforming the industry and it is great to have someone of David's calibre join the board."

Phaidon International operates from 12 offices across North America, Europe and Asia. It has been recognised as one of the Largest Direct Hire Firms Globally in addition to One of the Fastest Growing.

For media enquiries or interview arrangements, please contact:

Global Kirsty Garner

Group Marketing Director

Tel: +44 20 3879 0770

Email: Kirsty.garner@phaidoninternational.com APAC Katrina Chui Head of Marketing, APAC Tel: +852 3008 0338 Email: Katrina.chui@phaidoninternational.com Europe Veronique Martial-Gritter Marketing Manager, EMEA

Tel: +44 20 3667 8359 Email: veronique.martial-gritter@phaidoninternational.com America Stephanie Cavanagh Marketing Manager, America Tel: +16467595613 Email: stephanie.cavanagh@phaidoninternational.com

About Phaidon International:

Phaidon International is the leading global Professional Search Business which focuses on delivering business-critical talent for hard to fill roles across Financial Services, Life Sciences, Supply Chain, Technology and Engineering. From Phaidon's 12 offices across North America, Europe and Asia it employs 800 staff and delivers talent solutions to clients in over 60 countries. Its clients range from the Fortune 500 through to venture funded startups. Phaidon is backed by Quilvest Private Equity.
Epazz, Inc.

Epazz's StreamPay Technology to Revolutionize CBD Blockchain From Farmer to the Consumer as Smartcontracts for Greenheart CBD Token Price Up 600% Expected to Accelerate



25-Aug-2021 / 09:00 CET/CEST



Epazz's StreamPay Technology to Revolutionize CBD Blockchain From Farmer to the Consumer as Smartcontracts for Greenheart CBD Token Price Up 600% Expected to Accelerate CHICAGO, IL. - via NewMediaWire -- Epazz Inc. (OTC: EPAZ), a mission-critical provider of blockchain cryptocurrency mobile apps and cloud-based business software solutions, announced today Greenheart CBD Limited in Ireland will be using Epazz StreamPay technology to manage their loans and payments. Greenheart CBD will lend money to hemp farmers. Hemp farmers will repay the loans with their hemp production. StreamPay will trace the raw materials from the hemp farms into the final goods. This level of traceability enables Greenheart to reduce fraud and provide detailed information on their CBD oil products. Consumers will be able to use a QR code on the back of the CBD oil bottle to see a picture of the farmer who grew the hemp. Epazz StreamPay was started in 2018 as the first blockchain project the company is developing. The company launched the beta version of the app in 2020. Now the company is ready to launch the blockchain app with Greenheart CBD to manage loans on raw materials. Please visit streampay.io for more information on the service. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgM2ZxqKVz8 StreamPay app is a solution for companies to monitor their supply chain for risk of fraud using blockchain smart contract technology to trace raw materials to finished goods. In this case the raw materials are the hemp plants and the finished good is the CBD oil in the retail store. Please visit https://www.streampay.io StreamPay enables parties of a transaction to make policy decisions, and its smart contracts issue payments to suppliers when goods or services have been delivered, based on the terms of the smart contracts. The parties can pay in USD, Euros, or Cryptocurrencies, and the StreamPay wallet maintains the current local exchange rate. This provides users a worry-free payment experience that allows them to pay for small items without needing to buy and sell cryptocurrencies. Epazz worked with Greenheart to help launch their IEO Token on their dex at www.greenheartcbd.io. Over the past week, the Greenheart token has increased by 600% as Greenheart gets closer to launching their mobile app by ZenaPay Wallet. Greenheart has over 6000 token holders and customers that could potentially use their mobile app. "StreamPay is a great application for next generation farming. It is important during a breakout to find out which farmer produce the raw materials," said Epazz CEO Shaun Passley. Future Featured Releases Point of Sale ZenaPay is developing an iPad POS app to integrate with the Merchant App, and Epazz will release the app's POS version. The new system has been designed to integrate seamlessly with merchants' store flow. Vendor and Payroll Payment Solution ZenaPay's development team is working on a vendor payment solution that will allow merchant businesses to pay vendors and employees using cryptocurrencies. Future features will include an e-commerce store, seed-to-sale tracking, and sales reporting and compliance. About StreamPay (www.streampay.io) StreamPay gives companies the ability to monitor their supply chain to determine whether it faces any risks. StreamPay features a risk index that alerts users on their dashboards to any supply chain problems that could arise. In addition, StreamPay manages quality assurance to ensure the finished goods meet the requirements the customers set. It also allows inspectors to issue certifications to suppliers and partners. Finally, StreamPay enables parties of a transaction to make policy decisions, and its smart contracts issue payments to suppliers when goods or services have been delivered, based on the terms of the smart contracts. The parties can pay in USD, Euros, or Cryptocurrencies, and the StreamPay wallet maintains the current local exchange rate. This provides users a worry-free payment experience that allows them to pay for small items without needing to buy and sell cryptocurrencies. About Epazz Inc. (www.epazz.com) Epazz Inc. is a leading cloud-based software company that specializes in providing customized cloud applications to the corporate world, higher-education institutions, and the public sector. Epazz BoxesOS v3.0 is the complete business web-based software package for small to midsize businesses, Fortune 500 enterprises, government agencies, and higher-education institutions. BoxesOS provides a combination of many of the web-based applications that an organization would otherwise need to purchase separately. Epazz's other products are DeskFlex (a room scheduling software) and Provitrac (an applicant-tracking system). SAFE HARBOR The "Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Certain statements contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking language, such as "may," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe" and "continue," the negative thereof or similar terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from future results or those implied by such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Epazz Inc. assumes no obligation and has no intention of updating forward-looking statements. It has no obligation to update or correct information prepared by third parties that is not paid for by Epazz Inc. Investors are encouraged to review Epazz Inc.'s public filings on SEC.gov and otcmarkets.com, including its unaudited and audited financial statements and its OTC Markets filings, which contain general business information about the company's operations, results of its operations and risks associated with the company and its operations. Contact:

For more information, please contact



Investor Relations



mailto:investors@epazz.net



(312) 955-8161



www.epazz.com

Dissemination of a CORPORATE NEWS, transmitted by EQS Group.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.




VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2021 / Commerce Resources Corp. (TSXV:CCE)(FSE:D7H0)(OTCQX:CMRZF) (the "Company" or "Commerce") is pleased to announce that it has completed its 2021 diamond drill program at the Ashram Rare Earth and Fluorspar Deposit, located in northern Quebec.

A total of 2,814 m of NQ size coring was completed over 12 drill holes at the Ashram Deposit, targeting further delineation of the mineralized body. The Company is happy to report that the drilling advanced faster than anticipated, allowing for additional meterage to be completed beyond that planned while remaining within budget. In addition, the Company benefited from sharing support costs such as drill rig mobilization and camp operation from the overlapping drill program of Saville Resources Inc. on the proximal Niobium Claim Group, where it holds an Option from the Company. Both programs were managed by Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd. of Edmonton, AB, with drilling operations being carried out by Logan Drilling Ltd. of Stewiacke, NS.

The Company's drill program largely focused on the central areas of the deposit, within the preliminary pit shell being considered for the ongoing Prefeasibility Study (PFS), and where the neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) contents are highest. Depending on the location within the deposit, the NdPr distribution typical varies from 21-24+% with monazite being the dominant carrier of the rare earth elements (REEs). Drill hole depths ranged from 152 m to 302 m core length. Due to the depth of the pit shell being considered for an initial 25-year mine-life as part of the PFS, the drill holes were terminated at pre-determined depths and commonly ended in A-Zone, which is the most well-mineralized rock type in the deposit.

The drill core is currently being processed on site and is anticipated to be shipped to Activation Laboratories in Ancaster, ON, shortly for analysis with results to be released as received. In addition to the drill program, this fall the Company plans to carry-out hydrology studies on site in support of the PFS, as well as complete several Qualified Person site visits.

The Ashram Deposit ranks as one of the largest REE (and fluorspar) deposits globally, consisting of a single mineralized body outcropping at surface, and has a mineralized footprint approximately 600 m along strike, over 350 m across, and 600 m deep, remaining open in several directions. The deposit hosts a measured resource of 1.6 million tonnes (Mt) at 1.77% rare earth oxide (REO) and 3.8% F, an indicated resource of 27.7 Mt at 1.90% REO and 2.9% F, and an inferred resource of 219.8 Mt at 1.88% REO and 2.2% F, at a cut-off grade of 1.25% REO. Note, mineral resources are not mineral reserves as they do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that all or any part of the Mineral Resources will be converted into Mineral Reserves.

The Company notes that it continues carry-out its field programs while adhering to all federal, provincial, and regional restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company has successfully navigated the process to enter Nunavik and obtained authorization to complete its planned field activities. Mineral exploration has been recognized as an essential service in Canada and the Province of Quebec.

NI 43-101 Disclosure

Darren L. Smith, M.Sc., P.Geo., Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., a Permit holder with the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.

About Commerce Resources Corp.

Commerce Resources Corp. is a junior mineral resource company focused on the development of the Ashram Rare Earth and Fluorspar Deposit located in Quebec, Canada. The Company is positioning to be one of the lowest cost rare earth producers globally, with a specific focus on being a long-term supplier of mixed rare earth carbonate and/or NdPr oxide to the global market. The Ashram Deposit is characterized by simple rare earth (monazite, bastnaesite, xenotime) and gangue (carbonates) mineralogy, a large tonnage resource at favourable grade, and has demonstrated the production of high-grade (>45% REO) mineral concentrates at high recovery (>70%) in line with active global producers. In addition to being one of the largest rare earth deposits globally, Ashram is also one of the largest fluorspar deposits globally and has the potential to be a long-term supplier to the met-spar and acid-spar markets.

For more information, please visit the corporate website at www.commerceresources.com or email info@commerceresources.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

COMMERCE RESOURCES CORP.

" Chris Grove "

Chris Grove

President and Director

Tel: 604.484.2700

Email: cgrove@commerceresources.com

Web: http://www.commerceresources.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information which is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements in this press release include our plans to carry-out hydrology studies on site in support of the PFS, as well as complete several Qualified Person site visits; and that we could become a long term supplier of mixed rare earth carbonate and/or NdPr oxide. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Risks that could change or prevent these statements from coming to fruition include that the methods proposed don't work as well as expected, the studies may not go as planned or start when expected, we may experience difficulties in drilling and carrying out environmental work; changing costs for mining and processing; increased capital costs; the timing and content of upcoming work programs; geological interpretations based on drilling that may change with more detailed information; potential process methods and mineral recoveries assumption based on limited test work and by comparison to what are considered analogous deposits that with further test work may not be comparable; testing of our process may not prove successful and even it tests are successful, the economic and other outcomes may not be as expected; the availability of labour, equipment and markets for the products produced; and despite the current expected viability of the project, conditions changing such that the minerals on our property cannot be economically mined, or that the required permits to build and operate the envisaged mine can be obtained. The forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

SOURCE: Commerce Resources Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/661192/Commerce-Resources-Corp-Completes-Summer-Drill-Program-at-the-Ashram-Rare-Earth-and-Fluorspar-Deposit
Pre-Stabilisation notice

25 August 2021

Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

Nederlandse Watershapsbank NV

 1 billion senior, unsecured Notes due 2031

Pre-Stabilisation Notice

Commerzbank AG (contact: Daniela Olt-Farrelly; telephone: +49 69 13620) hereby announces, as Stabilisation Coordinator, that the Stabilising Managers named below may stabilise the offer of the following securities in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU Regulation 596/2014).

The security to be stabilised: Issuer: Nederlands Watershapsbank NV (NWB) Guarantor (if any): Government owned, No Guarantee Aggregate nominal amount: EUR 1,000,000,000 Description: senior, unsecured, fixed rate Offer price: tbc Other offer terms: Settlement 6th September 2021, maturity 8th Sep 2031, denoms 100k/1k, DIP Stabilisation: Stabilisation Coordinator:

Stabilising Managers: Commerzbank

BofA Securities

Danske Bank

Nomura Stabilisation period expected to start on: 25th August 2021 Stabilisation period expected to end on: no later than 30 days after the proposed issue date of the securities Existence, maximum size and conditions of use of over-allotment facility. The Stabilising Managers may over-allot the securities to the extent permitted in accordance with applicable law. Stabilisation trading venue: Luxembourg

In connection with the offer of the above securities, the Stabilising Manager(s) may over-allot the securities or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the securities during the stabilisation period at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. However, stabilisation may not necessarily occur and any stabilisation action, if begun, may cease at any time Any stabilisation action or over-allotment shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and rules.

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction.

This announcement is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any other jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

END
World's only robot capable of cleaning freely on curved surfaces. Over 30 patents registered in 16 countries including the US

Selected as government project supervising company-started 'developing technology for processing organisms attached on a ship's hull'

Most highlighted maritime SME, CEO Kim Yusik, "contributing to environment-friendliness of the maritime industry"

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "We have commercialized an economical and environment-friendly underwater robot cleaning system for the first in the world." Awarded the new technology representative certification in the mechanics field by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy the next year after its establishment, Tas Global, led by CEO Kim, is showing solid technological strength.

The hull cleaning robot of Tas Global attaches strongly and softly on ships underwater and on the water surface. It is the only robot capable of cleaning while moving freely on curved surfaces. The robot is operated by various sensors and 8 cameras facing all directions. While the robot's body weighs 200kg, it moves smoothly by maintaining positive buoyancy. An in-house developed portable filtration system of Tas Global, connected to the robot's body, can clean microorganisms and microparticles in 3 stages.

Selected as supervising company for government project of 'ship hull attached organisms processing technology development'

With the world's first and best technology, Tas Global was selected as the supervising company of this year's government project 8 years after its establishment.

The company was selected as the supervisor of the research project 'Development of Technology for Processing Organisms Attached on Ship's Hull" executed for the 'clean sea, rich fish field' national policy assignment of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

In this project, supported with 16.3 billion KRW during 5 years, institutions including Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering(KRISO), Korea Register(KR), Korea Maritime Institute(KMI), Korea Testing & Research Institute(KTR), Korea Marine Equipment Research Institute(KOMERI), Snsys, Proxy Healthcare, Safetech Research, etc. jointly participated.

The commissioned institutions are Korea Maritime University, Changwon University and Gyemyeong University, while the beneficiary organization is HMM.

Additionally, as an international treaty on cleaning ships in water using new technologies would be drafted and enacted jointly by International Maritime Organization(IMO), United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) and Global Environment Facility(GEF) within 3 years, the successful performance of this assignment has become crucial than ever.

Prior to this, Tas Global joined the international industry association of IMO's The GloFouling Partnerships Project as the first in East Asia to set its environment-friendly robot technology as an international standard.

When the international treaty established, maritime shipping companies must have organisms attached to the underwater body of ships removed and maintain the organism attachment at a state below a certain level (minor seaweeds).

Tas Global is evaluated as the most competitive, being the only company that has developed and commercialized a robot technology that attaches on the ship's surface and moves without slipping. It registered over 30 patents in 16 countries, namely the US and Europe.

Safety of industrial divers of highest priority, "will prepare an environment-friendly ship cleaning standard"

Tas Global is attentive to the safety of industrial divers. Robot work emerges on large areas and standardized works, but underwater repairs occur on small areas and are of irregular nature. Thus, divers focus on works requiring precision.

Tas Global prepared an internal safety guideline exceeding the safe diving equipment and complementing the manpower structure specified in the occupation safety and health acts. Its another goal is to consistently invest in the procurement of highly-priced industrial diving equipment to normalize the Korean industrial diving system, which has not been sensitive enough to safety so far.

Based on such technological capability, Tas Global has signed a contract with HMM on robotic underwater ship cleaning and diving works in 2020 and has continued until today. Tas Global is also closely working with international major shipping companies such as CMA CGM, and Inchcape.

Mr. Kim, CEO, stated: "to contribute in the environmental friendliness of maritime industries, we have completed the world's best-class economical and environment-friendly underwater robot cleaning system" and that "Tas Global will contribute to the development of shipping industries by providing the standards for environment-friendly underwater ship cleaning in the future as well".

Angela, +82 51 416 8702, sales@usmtas.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1599462/1.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1599756/2.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1599463/3.jpg
LONDON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In the city of Kitzbuhel, an Austrian court refused Victor Baturin the claim against his sister Elena Baturina, a Forbes-listed entrepreneur and philanthropist.

The anti-defamation claim was filed by Viktor Baturin in 2017, shortly after his release from Russian prison in 2016. According to the claimant, the content of a press statement issued back in 2010 by company INTECO where he had been employed, damaged his business reputation, since it included the word "theft" to describe the reasons for his dismissal from the company.

After more than 4 years of proceedings, the Land Court of Kitzbuhel refused to satisfy the claims laid by Viktor Baturin against Elena Baturina, having found them unsubstantiated.

Elena Baturina's lawyers noted, "The court came to the conclusion that the evidence and testimony submitted by Elena Baturina clearly showed that Elena Baturina was under the applicable Russian law not liable at all. Obviously, no single argument presented by Viktor Baturin seemed to be convincing to the judge."

Elena Baturina's spokesperson added, "From the very start, we reported that this claim as well as the series of others filed against Elena Baturina by Viktor Baturin and his representatives, was unfounded; his claims against her in Russia and other jurisdictions, along with the ones voiced by Viktor Baturin in media are insolvent.

"We are satisfied with the verdict of Austrian court, which just as well as the previous verdicts in similar proceedings, has proved and supported the validity and legitimacy of Elena Baturina's position in this dispute."

In Russia, Viktor Baturin has been convicted and jailed for financial crimes, in particular for forging promissory notes with a total face value of more than EUR 110 million in the name of INTECO, and property fraud. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in respect of these crimes.

Over the years Viktor Baturin and his representatives have made multiple attempts at suing Elena and her business entities for money by initiating legal proceedings on various grounds. They have not succeeded in any of the proceedings, with the most recent one finalised in May in the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow.
LONDON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Kingdom remains the lead growth market for revolutionary zero markup online retail app, Wholee Prime (www.wholeeprime.com), which marks its one-year launch anniversary this month.

Since its launch amidst the pandemic last August, the ethical e-retail disruptor has broken its own growth forecasts with over 4 million downloads globally, of which 1.5 million were from the UK alone. The UK also accounts for over 50 per cent of the app's membership base, followed by the USA, Australia and EU.

The figures correlate with data published by Wholee Prime this month revealing new insights into consumer shopping trends across several of its key markets over the course of the pandemic.

Exploring trends across the UK, USA, Canada and Australia, the findings reveal online retail's share of sales in the UK grew from 19 per cent pre-pandemic to a record high of 36 per cent in November 2020. In contrast, the US, Canada, and Australia each saw the greatest proportional increase in online sales occur at the start of the first lockdown.

The UK was also more reactive to changes in pandemic restrictions with online sales rising and falling more significantly compared to the other markets as restrictions were imposed and lifted.

Most notably, the report compared online clothing sales in the USA to those of the UK. It shows both markets saw a rise and fall in online sales as the first lockdown began and ended. However, in the UK this was followed by a sustained increase in the share of online clothing sales, while in the USA the opposite was true with online clothing sales stagnating.

Commenting on the figures, Eleanor Thomas, spokesperson for Wholee Prime, said:

"The last year has been one of huge upheaval for the global retail industry, both on and offline. Wholee Prime's launch last year has brought with it much needed disruption, both to the previously unrivalled dominance of players like Amazon, eBay and Wish, but also to the outdated physical retail presence of the high street. The world of consumer retail is changing, and Wholee Prime is leading the charge.

"The pandemic has accelerated the shift online, but our arrival has provided online consumers with greater choice and even more competitive pricing. Our unique platform connects our members with over 100,000 manufacturers across the globe giving them access to millions of fashion and lifestyle products across a range of categories.

"With membership starting at as little as 0.50 a month we are urging consumers to embrace the future of retail. Our free-to-download app offers users access to a radical new zero-mark-up pricing model where users only pay for the production cost on millions of products.

"We're looking forward to the next 12 months as we continue to game change the world of online retail".
- StoreDot has filed a patent for technology that will rapidly increase the crucial 'miles per minute' of charging ratio that is currently a major barrier to electric vehicle adoption

- Revolutionary battery advancement developed by StoreDot experts combines hardware and software and will be open-source, available to any other technology provider

- New patent pending technology allows batteries in electric vehicles to accept higher currents, charging them faster, safely, and can also be used to improve the charging rates in existing electric infrastructure

- StoreDot is a pioneer and leader of extreme fast charging battery technologies, enabling a 50% reduction in charging time at equivalent cost

- StoreDot gives automotive manufacturers a clear technology roadmap for seamless and rapid transition to electrification to help create a cleaner world

HERZELIYA, Israel, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- StoreDot, the pioneer of extreme fast charging (XFC) battery technology for electric vehicles (EVs), is underpinning its leadership in XFC technologies with a patent for revolutionary systems that will decrease EV charging times. These systems are set to significantly improve the rate of miles per minute of charging, which remains a major barrier to EV ownership for many potential buyers.

The new breakthrough technology covered by the patent will be accessible to the entire market, marking a first for an advanced automotive battery company. StoreDot is making the technology available to other organizations to help expand current charging infrastructure, speed up the global adoption of electric vehicles and create a zero-emissions world in the future.

The patent pending technology incorporates hardware and software advances that create a "booster" feature, allowing the battery to analyze the capability of the charging station in real time and to adjust the battery's ability to carry high current rates. This communication between a vehicle's XFC battery and charging system means that cells can be charged faster, safely accepting a higher current without overheating. It also has the ability to immediately boost existing infrastructure systems, enabling faster charging, and thus optimizing future fast-charge technologies without the need to upgrade to newer equipment in the near future.

Dr Doron Myersdorf, StoreDot CEO "This is an important step for the EV global community as it will allow all of us to charge faster with very minimal changes to the current infrastructure and future deployment process. That is why we believe it's critical to offer this world-leading innovation to other organizations on an open-source basis.

"The global uptake and appeal of electric vehicles is crucial if we want to live in a cleaner, zero-emissions world and by sharing this novel approach StoreDot aims to play a pivotal role in helping to achieve this objective. We want to work with and support the global community, including automotive manufacturers and infrastructure providers in their missions as well, especially when the industry is facing a number of charging infrastructure deployment challenges, not least the global semiconductor shortage."

This is the latest development in StoreDot's rapid advancement in extreme fast charging lithium-ion batteries for use in the automotive sector. The Company is in advanced talks with many global car makers and remains firmly on track to deliver mass-produced XFC batteries, which deliver a 50% reduction in charging time at the same cost, by 2024. The Company has a clear roadmap where it is already working on next generation XED, extreme energy density solid state technologies which will enter mass production in 2028.

About StoreDot:

StoreDot is a pioneer and leader of extreme fast charging (XFC) batteries that overcome the critical barrier to mainstream EV adoption - range and charging anxiety. The company has revolutionized the conventional Li-ion battery by designing and synthesizing proprietary organic and inorganic compounds, making it possible to fully charge an EV in just five minutes - the same time it takes to refuel a conventional combustion engine vehicle. StoreDot's battery technology is optimized for best driver experience with XFC in Li-ion batteries, as well as future technologies for extreme energy-density (XED).StoreDot's strategic investors include BP, Daimler, Samsung Ventures and TDK. In 2019, the company achieved a world first by demonstrating the live full charge of a two-wheeled EV in just five minutes. In 2020, the company demonstrated the scalability of its XFC batteries for other industries, by fully charging a commercial drone in five minutes in another world first. Moving XFC battery technology from the lab to a commercially-viable product for the first time, StoreDot has launched engineering samples of its first-generation batteries that are designed to be manufactured at scale on traditional Li-ion production lines.

For more information see: www.store-dot.com

Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1601088/StoreDot.jpg

Logo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1556045/StoreDot_Logo.jpg
WARSAW, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Poland's largest national park, the Biebrza National Park is a natural treasure on the map of Europe and one of the last valleys in Europe not destroyed by man. Meanwhile, approximately 40% of the land does not belong to it.The Polish Zubr brand is working towards securing this priceless area - in cooperation with the park authorities, Zubr is helping to buy land that should be actively protected.

This is also a brands response to the postulates of the European Union and the United Nations calling for giving lands back to nature in order to stop the climate and environmental crisis. In keeping with this trend and with reference to the alarming United Nations report from August of this year, the Polish Zubr beer brand decided to help the authorities of the Biebrza National Park to protect areas that are priceless for endangered species of animals. That is why Zubr has embarked on long-term cooperation with the Biebrza National Park, in order to recover plots of land that are lying on its territory.

Approximately 500 million m of water has accumulated in the wetlands of the Biebrza Valley, one of the last valleys in Europe not destroyed by man.The marshes cool the climate, are islands of biodiversity, act as natural air conditioners and, in addition, constitute a unique habitat for protected species of birds that are admired by the whole of Europe. However, more than 40% of the Biebrza National Park still belongs to private owners and the park staff are unable to conduct appropriate nature conservation activities there, such as protecting habitats, regulating tourist traffic and preventing the destruction of nature as a result of the development of agriculture or construction.

"The protection of habitats is the most effective measure for nature, and not the protection of species. The protection of habitats is critical for an endangered species of birds to remain in the given area. Because it not only nests there, but also feeds, brings its chicks to the water and rests during migration. While farming is not appropriate protection of these habitats, namely appropriate de-bushing, mowing, etc. This will ONLY be possible if we acquire these lands for the Park and protect them properly" says Wlodzimierz Wroblewski, Deputy Director of the Biebrza National Park.

Buying land is the priority for the Biebrza National Park, but it is a long and costly process. The involvement of the Zubr brand means this process can be accelerated. The first of the planned plots has already been purchased with funding from the brand and thus has enlarged the Biebrza National Park's ownership of the area.

The activities of the Zubr brand take place at a time when no new national park has been established in Poland for 20 years. The average area of national parks in the European Union is approximately 3.4% of the country's area, whereas they only constitute 1.1% in Poland. Meanwhile, more than 70% of Poles surveyed are in favour of increasing the area of national parks.

The activities in the Biebrza National Park are a part of consistent implementation of the mission of Zubr brand belonging to Asahi Europe, which is based on the active support of wildlife species by reinvesting some of its profits in them. It pursues this mission in the most valuable natural regions of Poland. It supports various nature conservation initiatives - long-term initiatives, such as cooperation with the Bialowieza National Park, and those that require quick action, such as assistance during fire in the Biebrza Valley.

"The Zubr brand was created 18 years ago around the symbols of Polish nature. In the brand's advertisements, the brand hero - Zubr (representative of the European bison) - plays the role of the Guardian of the Forest, who cares for all of its inhabitants. As our brand draws from the world of Polish nature, we feel responsible for actively supporting its protection," says Urszula Czerniawska-Kapeluch, Senior Brand Manager of the Zubr brand.

In 2019, the Zubr brand donated a million zlotys to the protection of endangered species; in 2020 it funded specialist equipment worth 1 million zlotys for the Bialowieza National Park, while a further million will be donated this year to the battle for the preservation of wildlife in its most natural form.

For more information on the Fund's activities please visit: www.funduszzubra.pl

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1601609/Zubr_and_Biebrzanski_Park_Narodowy.jpg
Around 2 GW of new PV capacity were deployed in the Latin American country over the past five months.From pv magazine Latam Brazil has reached about 10 GW of installed photovoltaic power, according to the country's solar association ABSOLAR. "We reached the 10 GW milestone of solar energy nationwide!," the trade body stated on its Twitter account. "This victory is a reflection of the effort and dedication of all those who fight and believe in a more sustainable future. To celebrate, we brought together part of the ABSOLAR team to present the 10 benefits of solar energy!" Atingimos o marco de ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
DGAP-News: Ferratum Oyj / Key word(s): AGM/EGM

Ferratum Oyj: NOTICE TO CONVENE MULTITUDE SE'S EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS (news with additional features)



25.08.2021 / 10:30

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





NOTICE TO CONVENE MULTITUDE SE'S EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

Notice is given to the shareholders of Multitude SE (Company) that the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Company is to be held on 16 September 2021 at 10:00 a.m. (EEST / Finnish time) at the offices of Castren & Snellman Attorneys Ltd, Etelaesplanadi 14, Helsinki, Finland.

In order to limit the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Company's Board of Directors (de: Verwaltungsrat) has decided to adopt the exceptional meeting procedure provided for in the Finnish Act 375/2021, which temporarily deviates from some of the provisions of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act (the so-called temporary act). The Board of Directors has decided to take the measures permitted by the temporary legislation in order to hold the General Meeting in a predicable manner while also taking into account the health and safety of the Company's shareholders, personnel and other stakeholders.

The Company's shareholders can participate in the meeting and exercise their rights only by voting in advance and by presenting counterproposals and questions in advance. Instructions for shareholders are provided below in Section 3 (Instructions for the Participants in the General Meeting of Shareholders).

It will not be possible to participate in the meeting in person, and no video link to the meeting venue will be provided. The Company's Board of Directors, the CEO and other management will not be present at the meeting venue.

1 MATTERS ON THE AGENDA OF THE GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

At the General Meeting of Shareholders, the following matters will be considered:

(1) Opening of the Meeting

(2) Calling the Meeting to Order

Attorney Janne Lauha will serve as the chairperson.

If Janne Lauha is prevented from serving as the chairperson for a weighty reason, the Board of Directors will appoint a person they deem most suitable to serve as the chairperson.

(3) Election of Person to Scrutinise the Minutes and to Supervise the Counting of Votes

Attorney Teresa Kauppila will serve as the person to scrutinise the minutes and to supervise the counting of votes.

If Teresa Kauppila is prevented from serving as the person to scrutinise the minutes and to supervise the counting of votes for a weighty reason, the Board of Directors will appoint a person they deem most suitable to scrutinise the minutes and to supervise the counting of votes.

(4) Recording the Legality of the Meeting

(5) Recording the Attendance at the Meeting and Adoption of the List of Votes

Shareholders who have voted in advance within the advance voting period and who are entitled to participate in the General Meeting in accordance with chapter 5, sections 6 and 6 a of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act will be deemed shareholders participating in the meeting.

Recording the attendance at the meeting and the adoption of the list of votes will take place based on information provided by Euroclear Finland Oy.

(6) Transfer of the Registered Office of the Company from Finland to Germany

The Extraordinary General Meeting of Multitude SE (at that time Ferratum Plc) has on 10 June 2021 decided to approve the Draft Terms of Conversion of Ferratum Plc into a European Company (SE) (Terms of Conversion) and a related report concerning the contemplated conversion of the Company from a Finnish public limited liability company (Plc) into a European public limited liability company (Societas Europaea, SE) (Conversion), decided on the Conversion in accordance with the Terms of Conversion and decided to amend the Articles of Association as set forth in the Terms of Conversion. The Conversion was registered in the Finnish Trade Register on 15 June 2021.

Pursuant to Article 8 paragraph 1 of the Council Regulation (EC) No 2157/2001 of 8 October 2001 on the Statute for a European Company (SE) (SE Regulation), the registered office of an SE may be transferred to another Member State in accordance with paragraphs 2 to 13 of said Article. Such a transfer shall not result in the winding up of the SE or in the creation of a new legal person.

Multitude SE has on 9 July 2021 announced that the Board of Directors has decided to approve a transfer proposal for the transfer of the registered office of Multitude SE from Helsinki, Finland to Hamburg, Germany (Transfer) in accordance with the SE Regulation (Transfer Proposal) and a related report (Report) explaining and justifying the legal and economic aspects of the Transfer and explaining the implications of the Transfer for the shareholders, creditors and employees.

The Transfer Proposal and the Report have been enclosed to this notice as Appendix , and they are also available on the Company's website.

The Transfer Proposal has been registered in the Finnish Trade Register on 14 July 2021.

The Board of Directors proposes that the Extraordinary General Meeting approves the Transfer Proposal (including, without limitation, the proposed new Articles of Association (New Articles of Association) which will replace the current Articles of Association of the Company upon the registration of Multitude SE with the commercial register (de: Handelsregister) of the local court (de: Amtsgericht) of Hamburg, Germany) and resolves on the Transfer in accordance with the Transfer Proposal.

Shareholders, who have voted against the Transfer in the General Meeting and whose shares are registered on their personal Finnish book-entry account on the record date of the meeting, i.e. 6 September 2021, have the right to demand redemption of their shares as set forth in the Transfer Proposal by making a written demand to that effect. The demand must be made by delivering the form available on the Company's website at https://www.multitude.com/investors/annual-general-meeting/egm2 upon the start of the advance voting at the latest, or corresponding information, to the Company either by email to ir@multitude.com or by post to Multitude SE, "EGM 2021", Ratamestarinkatu 11 A, 00520 Helsinki, Finland, and the demand must be received by the Company by 10:15 a.m. (EEST / Finnish time) on 16 September 2021, if delivered by email, or by 7:00 p.m. (EEST / Finnish time) on 15 September 2021, if delivered by post.

(7) Transfer of Company Shares to German Central Securities Depository Clearstream Banking Aktiengesellschaft and Removal from the Book-Entry System Maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy

Provided that the Extraordinary General Meeting approves the proposals of the Board of Directors on the transfer of the registered office of the Company from Finland to Germany under item (6) above, the Board of Directors proposes that the Extraordinary General Meeting decides to transfer the Company shares to the securities depository system maintained by the German central securities depository Clearstream Banking Aktiengesellschaft and, consequently, remove the Company shares from the book-entry securities depository system maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy.

The Board of Directors proposes that the above-mentioned transfer and removal enters into force on the date when the Company will be registered in the commercial register of the local court of Hamburg (i.e. on or about 31 December 2021), or on another date as decided by the Board of Directors.

(8) Authorised Capital

a. Authorised Capital 2021

Provided that the Extraordinary General Meeting approves the proposals of the Board of Directors on the transfer of the registered office of the Company from Finland to Germany under item (6) above and subject to the condition precedent of the registration of the Company with the commercial register in Germany, the Board of Director proposes that the Board of Directors will be authorised to increase the registered share capital of the Company until 30 June 2025 on one or several occasions by up to EUR 6,020,034 (in words: Euro six million twenty thousand thirty-four) by issuing up to 3,258,594 new registered non-par-value shares against contribution in cash and/or non-cash contributions (Authorised Capital 2021). The new shares must be offered to shareholders for subscription. The new shares can be underwritten by one or more banks or companies operating in accordance with section 53 para. 1 sentence 1 or section 53b para 1 sentence 1 or para. 7 of the German Banking Act designated by the Board of Directors with the obligation to offer them to the shareholders for subscription.

The Board of Directors shall be authorised to exclude the shareholders' subscription right in the following cases

i. to avoid fractional amounts (de: Spitzenbetrage);

ii. in the case of capital increases against cash contributions, if the issue price of the new shares issued under exclusion of the subscription right pursuant to section 186 para. 3 sentence 4 of the German Stock Corporation Act (de: Aktiengesetz, AktG) is not significantly lower than the stock exchange price of the shares of the same class and with the same rights already listed and the total proportionate amount of the share capital attributable to the new shares issued under exclusion of the subscription right pursuant to section 186 para. 3 sentence 4 AktG does not exceed 10% of the share capital existing at the time this authorisation becomes effective or - if lower - at the time this authorisation is exercised. Shares issued or sold in accordance with sections 71 para. 1 no. 8 sentence 5 and 186 para 3 sentence 4 AktG during the term of this authorisation until the time of its exercise shall be counted towards this limit of 10% of the share capital; shares issued or still to be issued by the Company on the basis of convertible bonds or bonds with warrants shall also be counted towards this limit, provided that the convertible bonds or bonds with warrants were issued during the term of this authorisation until the time of its exercise in accordance with sections 221 para 4 and 186 para. 3 sentence 4 AktG;

iii. to the extent necessary to grant holders or creditors of conversion or option rights and/or holders or creditors of bonds with conversion or option obligations issued or to be issued by the Company or by a domestic or foreign company in which the Company directly or indirectly holds a majority of votes and capital, subscription rights to the extent to which they would be entitled after exercising the conversion or option rights or after fulfilment of the conversion or option obligations;

iv. in case of an issue of shares against contributions in kind, in particular for the acquisition of companies, parts of companies or participations in companies; and

v. to issue shares within the framework of share participation or other share-based programmes against cash and/or non-cash contributions to members of the Board of Directors of the Company, members of the representative body of a company affiliated with the Company or to employees of the Company or a company affiliated with the Company, whereby the employment relationship or executive body relationship with the Company or a company affiliated with the Company must exist at the time of the commitment to issue shares.

The Board of Directors shall be authorised to determine the further details of the capital increase and its implementation, in particular the content of the share rights and the terms and conditions of the share issue, including a profit participation deviating from Section 60 para. 2 AktG. The Board of Directors shall be authorised to amend the Articles of Association of the Company accordingly after full or partial utilisation or the timing of the authorised capital, in particular with regard to the amount of the share capital and the number of existing no-par value shares.

b. Amendment of the Articles of Association

Subject to the condition precedent of the registration of the Company with the commercial register in Germany, the New Articles of Association shall be amended to include the following new article 4 para. 4

"The administrative board is authorised to increase the registered share capital of the Company until 30 June 2025 on one or several occasions by up to EUR 6,020,034 (in words: Euro six million twenty thousand thirty-four) by issuing up to 3,258,594 new registered non-par-value shares against contribution in cash and/or non-cash contributions ("Authorised Capital 2021"). The new shares must be offered to shareholders for subscription. The new shares can be underwritten by one or more banks or companies operating in accordance with section 53 para. 1 sentence 1 or section 53b para 1 sentence 1 or para. 7 of the German Banking Act designated by the administrative board with the obligation to offer them to the shareholders for subscription (indirect pre-emption rights).

The administrative board shall be authorised to exclude the shareholders' subscription right in the following cases

i. to avoid fractional amounts (Spitzenbetrage);

ii. in the case of capital increases against cash contributions, if the issue price of the new shares issued under exclusion of the subscription right pursuant to section 186 para. 3 sentence 4 of the German Stock Corporation Act is not significantly lower than the stock exchange price of the shares of the same class and with the same rights already listed and the total proportionate amount of the share capital attributable to the new shares issued under exclusion of the subscription right pursuant to section 186 para. 3 sentence 4 AktG does not exceed 10% of the share capital existing at the time this authorisation becomes effective or - if lower - at the time this authorisation is exercised. Shares issued or sold in accordance with sections 71 para. 1 no. 8 sentence 5 and 186 para 3 sentence 4 AktG during the term of this authorisation until the time of its exercise shall be counted towards this limit of 10% of the share capital; shares issued or still to be issued by the Company on the basis of convertible bonds or bonds with warrants shall also be counted towards this limit, provided that the convertible bonds or bonds with warrants were issued during the term of this authorisation until the time of its exercise in accordance with sections 221 para 4 and 186 para. 3 sentence 4 AktG;

iii. to the extent necessary to grant holders or creditors of conversion or option rights and/or holders or creditors of bonds with conversion or option obligations issued or to be issued by the Company or by a domestic or foreign company in which the Company directly or indirectly holds a majority of votes and capital, subscription rights to the extent to which they would be entitled after exercising the conversion or option rights or after fulfilment of the conversion or option obligations;

iv. in case of an issue of shares against contributions in kind, in particular for the acquisition of companies, parts of companies or participations in companies; and

v. to issue shares within the framework of share participation or other share-based programmes against cash and/or non-cash contributions to members of the administrative board of the Company, members of the representative body of a company affiliated with the Company or to employees of the Company or a company affiliated with the Company, whereby the employment relationship or executive body relationship with the Company or a company affiliated with the Company must exist at the time of the commitment to issue shares."

(9) Change of the New Articles of Association

Provided that the Extraordinary General Meeting approves the proposals of the Board of Directors on the transfer of the registered office of the Company from Finland to Germany under item (6) above, the Board of Directors proposes to clarify in the New Articles of Association that the German version of the New Articles of Association shall prevail and to therefore include the following new article 19 to the New Articles of Association:

" 19 Language

The English version is provided for information purposes only. In case of inconsistencies between the German version and the English translation, the German-language version of this articles of association shall prevail."

(10) Appointment of the Auditor

Provided that the Extraordinary General Meeting approves the proposals of the Board of Directors on the transfer of the registered office of the Company from Finland to Germany under item (6) above and subject to the condition precedent of the registration of the Company with the commercial register in Germany on or before 31 December 2021, the Board of Directors proposes - on recommendation of the Audit Committee - that PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH Wirtschaftsprufungsgesellschaft is elected as the auditor of the Company and Multitude group for the financial year 2021.

For the avoidance of doubt, as set forth in the Report, the Company's current auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy will audit the final accounts to be prepared after the Transfer.

(11) Closing of the Meeting

2 MEETING MATERIALS

The above proposals of the Board of Directors relating to the agenda of the General Meeting of Shareholders as well as this notice, the Transfer Proposal and the Report are available on Multitude SE's website at https://www.multitude.com/investors/annual-general-meeting/egm2.

Copies of these documents and of this notice will be sent to shareholders upon request.

The minutes of the meeting will be made available on Multitude SE's website no later than on 30 September 2021.

3 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

A shareholder may participate in the General Meeting and exercise his/her rights at the meeting only by voting in advance and by presenting counterproposals and questions in advance in accordance with the instructions provided below.

It will not be possible to participate in the meeting in person.

3.1 Shareholders Registered in Shareholders' Register

Each shareholder who is registered in the shareholders' register of the Company held by Euroclear Finland Oy on 6 September 2021, has the right to participate in the General Meeting of Shareholders. Shareholders whose shares are registered on his/her personal Finnish book-entry account are registered in the shareholders' register of the Company. Shareholders can participate in the General Meeting only by voting in advance and by presenting counterproposals and questions in advance as described below.

Shareholders, who are registered in the shareholders' register of the Company, and who wish to participate in the General Meeting, must register for the meeting by giving prior notice of participation and by delivering their votes in advance as instructed below. Both the notice of participation and votes have to be received by the Company no later than on 9 September 2021 at 3:00 p.m. (CEST / Frankfurt time).

In connection with the registration, shareholders are required to provide certain information such as their name, personal identification number/business ID, address and telephone number. Personal data disclosed by shareholders to Multitude SE will only be used in connection with the General Meeting and the processing of the related registrations.

Shareholders with a Finnish book-entry account can register and vote in advance on certain matters on the agenda during the period 31 August 2021 - 9 September 2021 at 3:00 p.m. (CEST / Frankfurt time) by delivering the advance voting form available on the Company's website at https://www.multitude.com/investors/annual-general-meeting/egm2 or corresponding information to the Company either by email to ir@multitude.com or by post to Multitude SE, "EGM 2021", Ratamestarinkatu 11 A, 00520 Helsinki, Finland.

If a shareholder participates in the General Meeting by delivering votes in advance in the manner set forth above, the delivery of the votes before the end of registration and the advance voting shall constitute due registration for the General Meeting, provided that the information required for registration has been given.

The advance voting form as well as further instructions concerning voting are available on the Company's website at https://www.multitude.com/investors/annual-general-meeting/egm2 upon the start of the advance voting at the latest.

3.2 Holders of Nominee Registered Shares

Holders of nominee registered shares have the right to participate in the General Meeting by virtue of shares, based on which they would be entitled to be registered in the shareholders' register of the Company held by Euroclear Finland Oy on the record date of the General Meeting, i.e. 6 September 2021. In addition, the right to participate in the General Meeting requires that the holders of nominee registered shares be temporarily entered into the shareholders' register held by Euroclear Finland Oy based on these shares by 13 September 2021 at 9:00 a.m. (CEST / Frankfurt time), at the latest. This registration constitutes due registration for holders of nominee registered shares wishing to participate in the Extraordinary General Meeting. Changes in shareholding after the record date do not affect the right to participate in the meeting or the number of votes.

Holders of nominee registered shares are advised to ask their custodian bank without delay for the necessary instructions regarding registration in the Company's temporary shareholders' register, the issuing of proxy documents and registration for the General Meeting of Shareholders. The account management organisation of the custodian bank must register holders of nominee-registered shares in the Company's temporary shareholders' register at the latest by the time stated above and arrange advance voting on behalf of the holders of nominee registered shares.

Further information on these matters is also available on the Company's website at https://www.multitude.com/investors/annual-general-meeting/egm2.

3.3 Proxy Representatives and Power of Attorney

Shareholders may participate in the General Meeting of Shareholders and exercise their rights at the meeting by way of proxy representation. Proxy representatives of shareholders are also required to vote in advance in the manner instructed in this notice.

Proxy representatives must produce a dated proxy document or otherwise reliably demonstrate their right to represent the shareholder. If a shareholder participates in the General Meeting of Shareholders by means of several proxy representatives representing the shareholder with shares in different securities accounts, the shares by which each proxy representative represents the shareholder must be identified in connection with the registration for the General Meeting of Shareholders.

A form of proxy is provided on Multitude SE's website at https://www.multitude.com/investors/annual-general-meeting/egm2. The form of proxy is provided for the shareholders' convenience and it is not necessary to use the form provided on the website.

Any proxy documents are requested to be delivered to the Company either by email to ir@multitude.com or by post to Multitude SE, "EGM 2021", Ratamestarinkatu 11 A, 00520 Helsinki, Finland before the end of registration on 9 September 2021 at 3:00 p.m. (CEST / Frankfurt time) by which time the proxy documents must be received.

3.4 Other Instructions and Information

Shareholders who hold at least one one-hundredth of all the shares in the Company have the right to make a counterproposal concerning the proposed decisions on the agenda of the General Meeting to be placed for a vote. The counterproposals must be delivered to the Company to the e-mail address ir@multitude.com at the latest by 30 August 2021 at 3:00 p.m. (CEST / Frankfurt time). In connection with the counterproposal, the shareholders must present a statement of their shareholding in the Company. The counterproposal is admissible for consideration at the General Meeting if the shareholders who have made the counterproposal have the right to attend the meeting and represent at least one one-hundredth of all shares in the Company on the record date of the General Meeting. If a counterproposal is non-admissible, votes cast for such counterproposal will not be recorded at the meeting. The Company will publish the counterproposals eligible for voting on the Company's website at https://www.multitude.com/investors/annual-general-meeting/egm2 on 31 August 2021 at the latest.

Shareholders have the right to pose questions and request information with respect to the matters to be considered at the meeting pursuant to chapter 5, section 25 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act by e-mail to the address ir@multitude.com at the latest by 2 September 2021 at 3:00 p.m. (CEST / Frankfurt time). The Company will publish the shareholders' questions along with the management's and the Board of Directors' responses as well as any counterproposals not eligible for voting on the Company's website at https://www.multitude.com/investors/annual-general-meeting/egm2 on 7 September 2021 at the latest. Posing questions and counterproposals requires the shareholder to present an adequate statement of their shareholding in the Company.

On the date of this notice to the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, dated 25 August 2021, the total number of shares in Multitude SE is 21,723,960 and each of these shares carries one vote. Multitude SE holds 146,200 of its own shares as treasury shares. Accordingly, the number of voting rights carried by the outstanding shares is 21,577,760.

-------------------------

In Helsinki on 25 August 2021

MULTITUDE SE

The Board of Directors

APPENDIX

Transfer Proposal and Report of the Board of Directors concerning the Transfer
Oversubscribed round enables late-stage clinical development of lead candidate, a micro-RNA-132 inhibitor, in heart failure and further accelerates pipeline expansion

Cardior Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biotech company developing non-coding RNA (ncRNA)-based therapeutics for patients with cardiac diseases, announced today the closing of a 64 million ($76 million) Series B financing round. The round was led by Inkef Capital, supported by fellow new investors Fund+, Sunstone, Hadean Ventures and Coparion with participation from existing investors including LSP, BioMedPartners, Bristol Myers Squibb and High-Tech Grunderfonds.

"We believe ncRNAs can fundamentally change the treatment of heart disease by preventing, repairing and reversing damage to cardiac tissue. We thank our new and existing investors for their support and their confidence in our ability to achieve our goal," said Dr. Claudia Ulbrich, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Cardior. "This substantial funding, provided by leading biotech investors, validates the strength of our RNA approach and our team. We welcome our new directors and look forward to working closely with our board as we continue our rapid progress toward the start of the Phase 2 trial with our lead program CDR132L, which has the potential to demonstrate clinical proof-of-concept as a transformative heart disease treatment and to set the stage for the emergence of a new class of medicines."

In conjunction with the financing, representatives from Inkef Capital, Fund+ and Sunstone will join the Company's Advisory Board. The full composition of the Board can be found under the following link.

The Series B proceeds will be used to fund the late-stage clinical development of Cardior's lead program and the expansion of the company's earlier-stage pipeline. Lead candidate CDR132L is an oligonucleotide-based ncRNA inhibitor targeting micro-RNA-132. micro-RNAs are endogenous molecules that function as cellular regulators and their dysregulation contributes to the development of many diseases including cardiovascular diseases. Cardior's lead program is intended to block the abnormal cardiac levels of micro-RNA-132 in heart failure patients thereby triggering a concerted therapeutic effect against key hallmarks of heart disease including cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, impaired contractility and reduced vascularization. Cardior's approach is applicable to a broad range of heart diseases as represented in its development pipeline, which addresses large cardiac indications as well as rare diseases such as hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathies.

"Heart diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, causing a massive burden on patients, their families and global healthcare systems," added Dr. Simone Botti, Junior Partner at Inkef. "Cardior's RNA approach has shown an encouraging safety and efficacy profile in its initial clinical read-out and has the potential to provide a true disease modifying therapy to patients. We are excited to support Cardior on its continued progress advancing the first ncRNA-therapeutic towards commercialization."

"Cardior is on an exciting trajectory which is reflected in the Series B syndicate. I look forward to working with the incoming investors as we leverage the current momentum in the RNA therapy field to position Cardior for success," said Dr. Karin Kleinhans, Partner at LSP.

About CDR132L

CDR132L is a highly stable water-soluble oligonucleotide ncRNA inhibitor directed to block aberrant micro-RNA-132 levels and thereby reverses the cellular pathology and restores normal function in cardiomyocytes, contributing to improved cardiac systemic and diastolic function in patients with heart failure (HF). CDR132L has completed Phase 1b development demonstrating a favorable safety profile and beneficial cardiac effects in 28 HF patients. Cardior is currently initiating a Phase II clinical trial of the antisense drug.

About Cardior

Cardior Pharmaceuticals is a leading clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery and development of RNA-based therapeutics designed to prevent, repair and reverse diseases of the heart. Cardior's therapeutic approach uses distinctive non-coding RNAs as an innovative platform for addressing the root causes of cardiac dysfunctions. The company aspires to bring transformative therapeutics and diagnostics to patients and thereby make a lasting impact on the treatment of cardiac diseases worldwide.

About INKEF Capital

INKEF Capital is a venture capital firm based in Amsterdam, backing promising early-stage companies in Europe. INKEF takes pride in being a patient, long-term investor with the ability to support companies through several rounds of funding. From the early stages of a technology or life science venture, INKEF Capital supports entrepreneurs building their ideas into successful international businesses. For more information, please visit: https://www.inkefcapital.com/.

About LSP

LSP is one of the largest European investment firms providing financing for life sciences and health care companies. LSP's management has raised over 2.7 billion ($3.2 billion) and supported the growth of 300 companies since it started to invest in 1988, including signature deals such as argenx, Crucell and Neuravi. With offices in Amsterdam, Munich and Boston, LSP currently has the possibility to invest through five strategies, each having a distinctive investment scope and a dedicated team: LSP 6 invests in private early- to late-stage drug development and medical technology companies; LSP HEF 2 focuses on private late-stage medical technology companies; the LSP Dementia Fund invests in companies targeting neurodegenerative diseases; LSP Public targets public healthcare companies; and EBAC is the first healthcare SPAC to exclusively focus on European biotech. LSP is an active contributor to the global life sciences industry and the European life science eco-system by assuming for-profit and not-for-profit roles as initiators, founders and board members in various private and public bodies and organizations, for example being founder and board member of the Oncode Institute. For more information: lspvc.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005314/en/

Contacts:

Cardior

Dr. Claudia Ulbrich Barbara Gaertner-Rupprecht

Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH

Tel: +49 511 33 85 99 30

Media Inquiries

Trophic Communications

Dr. Stephanie May or Charlotte Spitz

Phone: +49 (0) 171 35 12 733

cardior@trophic.eu
ATLANTA, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allbound, a world-leader in partner relationship management technology, has announced the debut of its innovative European-based PRM hosting capabilities based on changes in data privacy related to Schrems II & Privacy Shield. The Germany-based data center was opened to further establish Allbound's dedication to data security for its European customers.

Allbound is one of the few major global PRM companies to give its customers the option of a US or European-based data center. These highly secure data hubs ensure customer data compliance in accordance with global data privacy laws.

The installation of Allbound's EU-based PRM hosting capabilities allows customers' IT teams the option to keep their data in Europe. This integration will establish further compliance and increased privacy protection.

Allbound's hosting capabilities are backed up by the company's full infrastructure of international customer success, integration, and implementation teams. Allbound looks forward to its European instance of PRM to allow even further secure data growth for its global customers in the channel.

About Allbound, Inc.

Allbound's next generation partner portal platform simplifies and accelerates a business's ability to onboard, train, measure, and grow indirect sales partners. The innovative software encourages collaboration among channel vendors and their partners to improve the performance of their indirect sales channels by automating the delivery of marketing content, sales tools and training at each stage of the pipeline. For more information, visit www.allbound.com.

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EquityStory.RS, LLC-News: PJSC Mechel / Key word(s): Half Year Results

PJSC Mechel: MECHEL ANNOUNCES THE 1H 2021 FINANCIAL RESULTS RELEASE DATE



25.08.2021 / 12:00 MSK

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





MECHEL ANNOUNCES THE 1H 2021 FINANCIAL RESULTS RELEASE DATE

Moscow, Russia - August 25, 2021 - Mechel PAO (MOEX: MTLR, NYSE: MTL), one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, announces that it intends to release its operational and financial results for the first six months period ending June 30, 2021, on Friday, August 27, 2021.

***

Mechel PAO

Alexey Lukashov

Phone: +7 495 221 8888

e-mail: alexey.lukashov@mechel.com

***

Mechel is an international mining and steel company. Its products are marketed in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa. Mechel unites producers of coal, iron ore concentrate, steel, rolled products, ferroalloys, heat and electric power. All of its enterprises work in a single production chain, from raw materials to high value-added products.

***

Some of the information in this press release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of Mechel, as defined in the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. We do not intend to update these statements. We refer you to the documents Mechel files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Form 20-F. These documents contain and identify important factors, including those contained in the section captioned "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in our Form 20-F, that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements, including, among others, the achievement of anticipated levels of profitability, growth, cost and synergy of our recent acquisitions, the impact of competitive pricing, the ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals and licenses, the impact of developments in the Russian economic, political and legal environment, volatility in stock markets or in the price of our shares or ADRs, financial risk management and the impact of general business and global economic conditions.

25.08.2021 MSK Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EquityStory.RS, LLC - a company of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The EquityStory.RS, LLC Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.dgap.de


Total population of all countries where Sputnik V is approved for use now exceeds 4 billion people, which is more than half of the global population

MOSCOW, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund) announces the approval of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus in the Republic of Indonesia.

Indonesia has become the 70th country in the world to register the Russian vaccine. Sputnik V was granted an emergency use authorization. Total population of all countries where Sputnik V is approved for use now exceeds 4 billion people, which is more than half of the global population.

Real world data obtained during vaccination with Sputnik V in a number of countries (Argentina, San Marino, Serbia, Hungary, Bahrain, Mexico, UAE and others) demonstrate that Sputnik V is one of the safest and most effective vaccines against coronavirus. The Russian vaccine ranks second among coronavirus vaccines globally in terms of the number of approvals issued by government regulators.

Sputnik V has also been approved in Russia, Belarus, Argentina, Bolivia, Serbia, Algeria, Palestine, Venezuela, Paraguay, Turkmenistan, Hungary, UAE, Iran, Republic of Guinea, Tunisia, Armenia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Republika Srpska (entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina), Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Mongolia, Bahrain, Montenegro, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Gabon, San-Marino, Ghana, Syria, Kyrgyzstan, Guyana, Egypt, Honduras, Guatemala, Moldova, Slovakia, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Sri Lanka, Laos, Iraq, North Macedonia, Kenya, Morocco, Jordan, Namibia, Azerbaijan, Philippines, Cameroon, Seychelles, Mauritius, Vietnam, Antigua and Barbuda, Mali, Panama, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Turkey, Albania, Maldives, Ecuador, Brazil, Nigeria and Chile.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF),said:

"Indonesia is one the most populated nations in Asia and inclusion of Sputnik V in the national vaccine portfolio will provide for using one of the safest and most effective vaccines in the world. Sputnik V is based on a proven human adenoviral vectors platform and is successfully used in over 50 countries. Approval in Indonesia is based on the results of a comprehensive assessment of the vaccine and will make an important contribution in country's fight against the pandemic."

Sputnik V has a number of key advantages:

Efficacy of Sputnik V is 97.6% based on the analysis of data on the coronavirus infection rate among those in Russia vaccinated with both components of Sputnik V from December 5, 2020 to March 31, 2021 .

The Sputnik V vaccine is based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors, which cause the common cold and have been around for thousands of years.

Sputnik V has pioneered the use of heterogeneous boosting (two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination among COVID vaccines). This approach provides for immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots.

The safety, efficacy and lack of negative long-term effects of adenoviral vaccines have been proven by more than 250 clinical studies over two decades.

There are no strong allergies caused by Sputnik V.

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is Russia's sovereign wealth fund established in 2011 to make equity co-investments, primarily in Russia, alongside reputable international financial and strategic investors. RDIF acts as a catalyst for direct investment in the Russian economy. RDIF's management company is based in Moscow. Currently, RDIF has experience of the successful joint implementation of more than 80 projects with foreign partners totaling RUB 2.1tn and covering 95% of the regions of the Russian Federation. RDIF portfolio companies employ more than 1 mn people and generate revenues which equate to more than 6% of Russia's GDP. RDIF has established joint strategic partnerships with leading international co-investors from more than 18 countries that total more than $40 bn. Further information can be found at rdif.ru.

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BEIJING, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from CCTV+:

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday inspected a major forest farm in Chengde City of north China'sHebei Province, hearing reports on ecological conservation and forestry management, and checking the growth of forest woods.

At the Saihanba Mechanical Forest Farm, Xi observed the natural landscape, listened to the introduction about Hebei's overall plan to protect mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grassland and sand system, and to manage the forest farm. He also visited local rangers during the inspection.

Later, Xi went to the Shanghai Memorial Forest, the farm's first man-made forest, to see the growth of trees, learn about how the forest farm has managed to promote the Saihanba Spirit and high-quality development.

Established in 1962, the Saihanba Forest Farm is the world's largest man-made forest, a 750-square kilometer barrier situated 300 kilometers north of Beijing, saving the Chinese capital from desertification.

The Saihanba Spirit is defined as a combination of dedication and entrepreneurship, a scientific and realistic approach, and green development.

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r32nCVWt5Ak
Entry into German Market Increases Essence SmartCare's Global Footprint to 25 Countries Across 5 Continents

HERZLIYA, Israel, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Essence SmartCare, a leader in remote care monitoring solutions, today announced it has surpassed the deployment of one million digital devices in the senior care sector, and anticipates further rapid growth through the remainder of 2021 and beyond.

"I am delighted to see how, in a relatively short period of time, Essence SmartCare has established itself as a leading provider of remote care monitoring and senior care solutions," said Dr. Haim Amir, Founder and CEO of Essence Group. "As we continue to expand into new global markets, we can affirm our commitment to providing seniors with reliable and efficient solutions that provide peace-of-mind to them and their families.

Essence SmartCare has rapidly established a reputation for introducing market-leading remote care monitoring solutions for the senior care and assisted living sectors. With the recent establishment of its German operations, the company now operates in 25 countries across North America, Latin America, Asia, Oceania and Europe.

"We started Essence SmartCare to answer the needs of a growing senior population by providing complete, yet unobtrusive, monitoring and protective solutions," said Barak Katz, General Manager for Essence SmartCare. "With the addition of remote patient monitoring (RPM) solutions to our portfolio, we believe that we can truly allow senior citizens to live safely and independently. We are grateful to all our global partners for their support and trust, which enables us to continue introducing solutions that improve the provision of care."

In September 2020, Essence SmartCare launched MDsense, the award-winning multi-dimensional fall detection solution for elderly and vulnerable populations. In May 2021, the company expanded into the remote patient monitoring (RPM) space with the launch of VitalOn, a comprehensive health monitoring platform for seniors and individuals living with chronic conditions. Essence SmartCare has also led the way in introducing LTE-enabled senior care gateways, while establishing itself as a leader in personal safety solutions.

About Essence SmartCare

Essence SmartCare, part of the Essence Group, develops pioneering Health & Care platforms for market-leading healthcare and senior care providers, enabling smart preventive care and emergency response so seniors can live life to the fullest -with total peace of mind. Partnering with Essence SmartCare helps position companies as progressive, forward-thinking and in touch with the need to enable elderly and vulnerable people to lead more independent and safer lives. For more information: www.essencesmartcare.com

Follow Essence Group on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook

Media Contact:

FINN Partners for Essence Group

Danny Sudwarts

danny.sudwarts@finnpartners.com

(+1) 469-297-2515

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YICHANG, China, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Angel Yeast Co., Ltd ("Angel Yeast")(en.angelyeast.com), a listed high-tech yeast company in China, has recently announced it has established a joint venture company to invest RMB 100 million ($15.4 million) to acquire Shandong Bio Sunkeen Co, Ltd ("Bio Sunkeen"). In doing so, the company seeks to optimize its production capacity and further consolidate and strengthen its position in the industry.

Angel Yeast has partnered with Shandong Lufa Holding company ("Shandong Lufa") to establish Angel Yeast (Jining) Co., Ltd. Angel Yeast (Jining) will acquire the relevant assets of Bio Sunkeen's yeast product production, while simultaneously transforming and upgrading its technological capabilities.

"Angel Yeast will utilize Bio Sunkeen's existing facilities, with further expansion plans in the future. This joint venture project is in line with Angel Yeast's 2025 strategy focusing on yeast biotechnology, nutrition and health products, and food ingredients," said Chen Hongwei, General Manager of Angel Yeast (Jining).

As a national high-tech enterprise, Bio Sunkeen currently has an annual capacity of 15,000 tons of yeast and yeast extract (YE) through its production facilities. Its main products include yeast and YE, edible sweet potato starch, feeding products, compound seasoning, and other yeast augmented products. Angel Yeast will acquire Bio Sunkeen's yeast and yeast extract-related assets group in order to implement technological transformation and upgrade its processes and facilities. Eventually, the company hopes to build it into an important production base for its yeast products and related raw materials for food, organic feed, and organic fertilizer.

Angel Yeast's acquisition of Bio Sunkeen will help the company rapidly address potential capacity gaps as the market continues to grow. According to analysis and predictions of the period between 2021 to 2025, there will be an increasingly prominent gap between the growth rate of the yeast market and the available supply based on the group's annual production capacity. By acquiring Bio Sunkeen's biological products, Angel Yeast can rapidly increase its production capacity by 15,000 tons for yeast and YE- reducing its construction period by nearly two years and increasing the ratio of input to output when compared to building a new factory.

At the same time, the acquisition will assist in consolidating the yeast industry and enhancing China's position on the global stage. Angel Yeast's acquisition of Bio Sunkeen's assets will strengthen its position in the industry as it reduces market competition by converting competitors into partners. Together with the capabilities of Bio Sunkeen, Angel Yeast (Jining) will also be able to expand its channels for the production of yeast from hydrolyzed corn glycogen, in order to fully leverage the abundance of local corn resources and address the industry's molasses shortage.

Angel Yeast has contributed RMB 60 million ($9.2 million) to the acquisition costs and Shandong Lufa has contributed RMB 40 million ($6.2 million). After the acquisition goes into effect, Angel Yeast has guaranteed employment in principle for all of Bio Sunkeen's current on-the-job employees related to the operation of its underlying assets.

About Angel Yeast

Founded in 1986, Angel Yeast Co., Ltd specializes in the production of yeast and yeast derivatives. Its product range includes baker's yeast and ingredients, Chinese dim sum solutions, yeast extract-savory, human health, animal nutrition, plant care, brewing & biofuels, microbial nutrition, and enzymes. At present, Angel Yeast has 11 international advanced production bases in China, Egypt, and Russia, and provides products and services for more than 150 countries and regions globally.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1601556/image_1.jpg

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Central Global executive chairman Dato' Faisal Zelman

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - Central Global Berhad's ("Central Global" or "Company") wholly-owned subsidiary, Central Global Technology Sdn. Bhd. ("CGTSB") has signed a memorandum of understanding ("MoU") with Smart Sabah Corporation Sdn. Bhd. ("Smart Sabah") to discuss the set-up of a joint venture ("JV") for the construction of a dashboard for Sabah's Ministry of Finance.The MoU, which is valid for six months from the signing, will be the framework from which CGTSB and Smart Sabah explore collaboration leading to a JV for the dashboard's planning, design, development, implementation and maintenance.Central Global is a producer of industrial masking tapes and label stocks as well as general building contractor while Smart Sabah is a state-owned company offering information, communication and technology services as well as other related management and security consultancy services.Executive Chairman of Central Global, Dato' Faisal Zelman said: "We welcome the discussions on the feasibility of working with Smart Sabah for the construction of the dashboard for the state's Ministry of Finance. We look forward to having fruitful discussions on this project and will announce accordingly if there are any updates or progress"."We continue to explore business opportunities for the Company's construction arm while finalising the purchase of machinery that will increase our masking tapes production capacity by 250%. These initiatives and discussions are ongoing and will ensure the sustainability of our business despite the challenges of the past year-and-a-half."Contact:Hakim JuraimiEmail: h.juraimi@swanconsultancy.bizSource: Central Global BerhadCopyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Ten 50 MW projects will be developed in four states after a tender held last year.Malaysian state-owned electric company Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has signed 21-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with 10 solar power plants to be commissioned across four states. The solar projects, each with a generation capacity of 50 MWac, were awarded under the fourth-round tender of the national Large Scale Solar procurement program held by regulator Surchanjaya Tenaga in the second half of last year, according to an article in Malaysian newspaper The Star, which reported the signing of the first nine PPAs ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.


Benjamin Chau, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director, Philip Lau, Co-chairman, HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair Organising Committee 2021 (L) and Daisy Mok, Co-chairman, HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair Organising Committee 2021 (R)



Models at the press conference showcase selected timepieces, including winning timepieces from the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Design Competition



The results of the 38th Hong Kong Watch & Clock Design Competition were announced at the press conference. Gary Lau (Second from left), President of the Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Ltd, is pictured with winners in the Open Group.

HONG KONG, Aug 25, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - The special edition of the 40th HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and ninth Salon de TE, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association and The Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades and Industries, return next month. The fairs will run in physical and online formats for the first time. The physical fairs run from 8 to 12 September at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), while the online version will run until 19 September, helping global watch traders to explore business opportunities through both physical and online formats. The five-day fairs at the HKCEC will be open to industry buyers and, for the first time, to the general public, offering local watch lovers the opportunity to shop for precious timepieces.Exports recovery is seen with optimistic prospect of watch & clock industryThe Watch & Clock Fair has long been regarded as an effective business platform for manufacturers and buyers, while Salon de TE introduces some of the best-known branded watches. The fairs are bringing together over 150 exhibitors, showcasing a wide array of watches from high-end designs to trendy day-wear watches.Benjamin Chau, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director, said: "Hong Kong's total exports of watches and clocks were valued at HK$27.8 billion from January to June this year, representing a year-on-year growth of 45.4%. The export index for timepieces was 21.6 for the third quarter of 2020 but had rebounded to 44.6 for the second quarter of this year, indicating that watch exporters are now more optimistic about the industry outlook. This year's fairs will give exhibitors and buyers the chance to explore more business opportunities through the physical fairs and online platform. What's more, Asia's fashion spotlight, CENTRESTAGE will be held concurrently from 10 to 12 September, enabling visitors to see the latest collections from more than 240 watch and fashion brands."International exquisite brands featured at World Brand PiazzaThe Salon de TE will feature a series of top-tier international designer brands. Sponsored by Prince Jewellery & Watch for the 11th consecutive year, the World Brand Piazza will present 12 renowned international brands, including Blancpain, Breguet, Chopard, CORUM, FRANCK MULLER, Glashutte Original, Jacob & Co, Jaquet Droz, Juvenia, PARMIGIANI FLEURIER, Piaget and SARCAR Geneve.Wide array of luxury and fashion watches in different product zonesShowcasing watches of different designs, the Salon de TE will comprise various thematic zones including Craft Treasure, Chic & Trendy and Renaissance Moment. The Craft Treasure zone will feature high-end functional mechanical watches and jewellery watches. Among them is the Six Steeds in the Tang Dynasty from Hong Kong brand Memorigin - the company's first manual-winding watch with a central tourbillon and free sprung balances. The watch features the stunning scenery of the Yangtze River, Yellow River, China's famous sacred mountains and a vivid 18K golden horse sculpture, showcasing exquisite micro-engraving skills requiring 260 hours of intricate craftsmanship. This artistic timepiece is a collectable item for watch lovers.The Chic & Trendy zone highlights a series of fashionable watch brands, including a solar-powered watch from Belgium brand Ice-Watch. Users simply need to expose it to natural or artificial light to operate without the need to change the battery, making it easy to use and eco-friendly. The Roulette Master Skeleton Automatic from Swiss brand Romago features a dial with a roulette design and a transparent case back exposing the open-worked rotor through the sapphire-crystal. This is a watch with inner and outer beauty, which has water resistance up to 50 metres.A series of classic and elegant watches are showcased in the Renaissance Moment zone. The Iza Collection from Swiss brand COINWATCH is an elegant lady's watch with 16 diamonds and a rose gold bezel, complemented by stylish double-wrap leather straps. Many more international famous brands are featured in this zone, including DOXA, Leonard Montres and more. In addition, visitors can visit the Pageant of Eternity, which is a premium zone for original equipment manufacturing (OEM) and original design manufacturing (ODM) high-end watches.Click2Match enables business matching, seminars offer business insightsThe HKTDC has mobilised its network of 50 offices worldwide to invite overseas buyers to connect and maintain contact with exhibitors through video conferencing. The AI-powered online business matching platform, Click2Match will help to bring exhibitors together with the most suitable buyers. Participants can also use the tool to enjoy functions such as a meeting planner, live chat and e-business card exchange, helping them to overcome barriers and build business connections around the world.Industry participants are also invited to join a series of forums and seminars that will provide first-hand market information and insights into the latest business trends. The Hong Kong International Watch Forum will be broadcast online on 6 September, featuring sharing from representatives of watch associations from Mainland China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and Switzerland. They will share the latest market insights and discuss the future direction for development in the global watch manufacturing sector. Under the theme "Redesigning the Future of Luxury Watches", the Asian Watch Conference (9 September) will invite representative from iClick Interactive to share her views on online and offline marketing strategies for luxury watch brands in the mainland, while Dayton Industrial representative will offer insights into the latest developments in the watch industry.Events, lucky draws and attractive shopping offers for public visitorsA selection of public activities will be held during the fairs including watch parades, "Watch X CENTRESTAGE" crossover parade and product launches, with the participation of local celebrities such as Cheung Tat-ming, Nelson Cheung and Chan Wing-luk. There will also be watch craftsmanship demonstrations and introductions to valuable collections, helping the public to get a deeper understanding of the art of watchmaking.Lucky draws will be held during the fairs with prizes such as trendy watches, jewellery pieces, fashion items and more. Visitors can also participate in the Smart Bidding Game to bid for their favourite watches starting at low prices. Public visitors can download electronic coupons ( https://bit.ly/2W7eWU7 ) to enjoy discounts of up to 40% when buying watches. In addition, key opinion leaders will conduct livestreaming shows during the fairs to introduce selected watches at the onsite studio.Design competition to promote local creativityTo raise design standards for the Hong Kong watch industry and nurture budding local designers, the HKTDC has joined together with the Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Ltd and the Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades & Industries Ltd to jointly-organise the 38th Hong Kong Watch & Clock Competition. This year's competition was divided into two categories - the Open Group and Student Group - under the respective themes of "Minimalism" and "Live Fully". The creations of the competition winners and finalists will be on display throughout the Watch & Clock Fair to showcase the best of Hong Kong's creativity to visitors.Organised by the HKTDC, CENTRESTAGE, Asia's premier fashion event will be held from 10 to 12 September at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), featuring designer brands from around the world. The concurrent fairs will create synergies and new business opportunities for both industries.Export performance for Hong Kong watches and clocks- 2020 (total value): HK$46.4 billion- YoY change: -27.8%- Jan-June 2021 (total value): HK$27.8 billion- YoY change: +45.4%Websites:- Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair: https://hkwatchfair.hktdc.com- Salon de TE: https://hkwatchfair.hktdc.com/te- Photo download: https://bit.ly/3zibQuXAbout HKTDCThe Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedInMedia enquiries:HKTDC's Communications & Public Affairs DepartmentJanet Chan, Tel: +852 2584 4369, Email: janet.ch.chan@hktdc.orgAngel Tang, Tel: +852 2584 4544, Email: angel.hc.tang@hktdc.orgSource: HKTDCCopyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.


Photo of the HYFOR direct reduction pilot plant for iron ore fines developed by Primetals Technologies and located at the voestalpine site in Donawitz, Austria. By joining the Heavy Industry Low-Carbon Transition Cooperative Research Centre, MHI Australia and Primetals Technologies will help Australia's iron and steel sector to decarbonize.

Sydney/London, Aug 25, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Australia and Primetals Technologies, a member of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, have joined Australia's Heavy Industry Low-Carbon Transition Cooperative Research Centre (HILT CRC) as key partners. The Centre, a not-for-profit entity with significant government funding, aims to develop technologies to decarbonize Australia's heavy industrial sector, leverage the country's natural endowments in mineral and clean energy resources and seize the opportunity of growing export markets for certified low-carbon products. Over the next 10 years, Primetals Technologies and MHI Australia will be contributing financially as well as with their decades-long experience in iron and steel production to this effort. The companies will focus on research and development of hydrogen-based direct reduction of iron ore. This includes the novel HYFOR (hydrogen-based fine-ore reduction) technology currently being piloted by Primetals Technologies in Europe.Australia has the world's largest iron ore deposits and is the leading exporter of iron ore. Since the iron and steel sector is responsible for 7-10% of greenhouse gas emissions globally, Australia has a key role to play in the decarbonization of the industry--an effort which needs to be accelerated. Switching from traditional coal and coke-based ironmaking processes to hydrogen-based production methods is the only way for the industry to fully decarbonize. Deploying these technologies at scale in Australia could move producers up the value chain and turn the country into a major exporter of low-carbon, direct-reduced iron. This would help Australia meet its obligations under the Paris Agreement and make it easier for the global iron and steel industry to reach net-zero by 2050.Primetals Technologies brings an extensive portfolio of iron ore beneficiation, pelletizing, sintering and iron ore reduction technologies to the table. It has been involved in the deployment of one third of the global fleet of MIDREX DRI plants -- the now predominant natural gas based direct-reduction technology, which can be operated on 100% hydrogen. Earlier this year, Primetals Technologies commissioned a pilot plant for its novel HYFOR (Hydrogen-based Fine Ore Reduction) technology at a site of Austrian steelmaker voestalpine. The technology builds on the company's extensive experience with the FINMET process, first introduced by Primetals Technologies in Australia (BHP Port Hedland) in the late 1990s. The next step -- building an industrial-scale HYFOR prototype - will be decided by the end of the year.Dr. Alexander Fleischanderl, Technology Officer Upstream and Head of Eco Technologies, Primetals Technologies, said: "Australia has large deposits of iron ore, great potential for green energy, and boasts a dynamic academic and business environment. This puts the country in a unique position in the quest for net-zero by 2050 as a supplier of clean metallics. The HILT-CRC, with its wide range of partners from across the energy, hydrogen, mining, and cement industries, will form a great ecosystem for innovation."Through MHI Group's advanced technologies and strong collaborations with the Australian government and universities, MHI Australia is an active partner in Australia's sustainable development efforts with a focus on energy and decarbonization. MHI is partnering with the Government of New South Wales to propose a comprehensive development plan for the Western Sydney region. MHI is also working with H2U to support the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) study for H2U's Eyre Peninsula Gateway project in South Australia, a greenfield development for the production of green hydrogen and ammonia planned to commercially operate from early 2023. It is anticipated that MHI Australia's involvement with the HILT-CRC will expand and evolve over time - further contributing to Australia's industrial development.Shigeru Nakabayashi, Managing Director, MHI Australia, said: "There is an urgent need to decarbonize the industry sector which is currently responsible for a significant portion of carbon emissions. MHI Group's advanced technologies allows us to partner with Australia - a country where iron ore and iron manufacturing are key industries - in efforts to reduce emissions. We are on track to achieving gas turbines fueled by 100% hydrogen and ammonia by 2025, and we look forward to contributing to HILT-CRC's aim to decarbonize Australia's heavy industry sector with our innovative, low-carbon solutions, including Primetals Technologies' HYFOR technology."This partnership will contribute to MHI Group's aim to realize a carbon neutral future - one of the most critical challenges faced today - by helping to establish a robust hydrogen solutions ecosystem in Australia and around the world.Source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Copyright 2021 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
With their submission to the 42PLUS1 Pitch Award numerous participants have already taken the first step to winning 1,500,000 USD funding for the most innovative business ideas. The winners of the 42PLUS1 Pitch Award will be elected from a renowned jury of industry experts and investors at the grand finale at the DxPx Conference EU, November 16th in Dusseldorf, Germany. The DxPx Conference is an established Industry Investor Partnering Conference for executives of the Diagnostics, Digital Health, Precision Medicine and Life Science Tools industry.

"We are pleased about the large number of pitch submissions, which suggests that there are many innovative startups with a pipeline of ideas and break-through technologies out there. Our mission is to support young companies as well as to promote novel solutions in Diagnostics, Digital Health, Precision Medicine and Life Science Tools", says Lena Ehrenpreis, initiator of the DxPx Conference and the 42PLUS1 Pitch Award.

8 satellite finalists pitched live at the DxPx Conference US on July 27th and the jury chose one winner, getting a Wildcard for the finale at DxPx Conference EU: Alertgy, presented by CEO Marc Rippen. Alertgy developed a 100% non-invasive, real-time, real blood glucometer that lasts a long time. As a cutting-edge biotech company, they're working to revolutionize the way diabetics and pre-diabetics manage their disease. The organizer SLS Partnering is inviting Marc to the DxPx Conference EU, November 16th, to pitch with 7 other finalists for 1,500,000 USD funding. The other seven finalists still need to be found. So, entrepreneurs can submit their pitches online on www.42plus1.com starting September 6th

Pitches were not the only interesting agenda point at the first DxPx Conference US (July 27th 31st), connecting leaders of the industries as well as renowned investors and startup founders with a locally driven approach and a focus on the US. Even as an all-digital format, due to the pandemic, the organizers successfully achieved almost 500 streams, 800 meetings, 200 participants from 13 countries with a strong American focus 50% from the US and Canada. With renowned Knowledge Partners like Brown Gibbons Lang Company, McDermott Will Emery and Hologic and a versatile conference program followed by 4 days of digital partnering, it became a key date for the professionals. The conferences panels addressed burning topics such as IPOs and SPACs, precision medicine as the future of novel cancer treatment, regulatory and reimbursement hurdles for digital diagnostic companies in the US, and the use of AI in medical diagnostics with side notes from great speakers like Uplaksh Kumar (GRAIL), Alissa Lynch (Google) and Debbie Lin (Boehringer Ingelheim).

SLS Partnering is now looking forward to its flagship the DxPx Conference EU, parallel to MEDICA on November 16th at the Maritim Hotel in Dusseldorf, Germany. To ensure maximum flexibility and outcome the participants will be able to use the digital partnering platform for 8 full days from November 12th 20th

About 42PLUS1

With a prize funding of 1,500,000 USD, 42PLUS1 is the highest-prized industry dedicated Pitch Award in Europe and one of the biggest worldwide dedicated to the DxPx Galaxy of Diagnostics, Digital Health, Precision Medicine and Life Science Tools. It underlines SLS Partnering's commitment to support startups and growth companies and can now make an even bigger difference for the DxPx startup galaxy. www.42plus1.com

About DxPx:

DxPx was first hosted in 2019 as an international Industry Investor Partnering Conference for executives from the Diagnostics, Digital Health, Precision Medicine Life Science Tools industry to explore financing, licensing and M&A opportunities. The annual flagship conference takes place each November in Dusseldorf, Germany and is accompanied with satellite conferences in the US and China throughout the year.

About SLS Partnering:

SLS Partnering is an event marketing agency that tailors its services to the specific needs of the Life Science industry. Built by scientists and marketeers, SLS Partnering is your trusted partner to translate technology and scientific content into high-quality marketable stories that trigger interest and emotion with customers and investors.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005381/en/

Contacts:

Dagmar Metzger

+49-89-3577579-0

info@wordstatt.de
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2021 / Element79 Gold Corp. (CSE:ELEM) ("Element79 Gold", the "Company") announced that it has signed a binding Letter of Intent ("LOI") to acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding shares in Plutus Gold Corp. ("Plutus Gold"), which holds the option to acquire the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project.(1)

The Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project consists of 2,726 hectares across ten mineral claims located in Central British Columbia approximately 20 kilometers west of Fort St. James. The claims sit at low elevation with access via dirt roads that allows them to be drilled year-round (Figure 1.).

President and CEO of Element79 Gold, James Tworek commented, "The entire team has been hard at work developing our M&A pipeline and today we are pleased to announce the first of several potential acquisitions. Over the coming months, we intend to pursue an aggressive development strategy aimed at significant value-creation for our shareholders and the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project is a perfect complement due in large part to its expansive potential."

Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project: 2,700+ Hectares of Untapped Potential

First discovered in the 1920s, the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project's original owners completed limited underground development in the 1930s and 1940s. A total of 226 shallow drill holes (both percussion and diamond) representing 19,580 meters have been completed on the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project, the bulk of which occurred in the 1980s, with a total of 40 diamond drill holes (6,993 meters) drilled since 2017, including 9 holes for which results are pending.(1)

The Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project includes two significant mineralized veins: the "Main Vein" and the "Peg-leg Vein." Underground sampling on the Main Vein in the 1940s produced weighted averages of 10.5 g/t (cut to 30 g/t) and 357.7 g/t (uncut) over 0.6 meters with an individual sample up to 5,074 g/t(2) (Table 1.). Historical drilling has returned up to 8,508.34 g/t gold and 2,899.88 g/t silver (Hole X86-06 by X-Cal Resources Ltd.) over 0.15 meters.(3) Historical trench sampling along 66m of the Peg-leg vein yielded gold assay values of 13.03 g/t across an average width of 0.8m.(4)

Geology Parallels Some of the World's Largest Gold Districts

The Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project is a structurally controlled mesothermal deposit with geology that is analogous to the famed Mother Lode District of California, and the Bralorne Mine Complex of British Columbia which produced 4.2 million oz of gold before closing in 1971.(6) It also holds similarities to deposits in several other significant multi-million oz producing mining camps, including the Timmins Camp in the Abitibi Subprovince of Ontario which has produced over 70 million oz of gold to date.(7)

Kilometers of Depth Potential

Unlike shallow epithermal deposits, mesothermal deposits can have significant depth extent measured in kilometers. The gold system at the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project has only been tested to a maximum depth of 400 meters (one hole) with the vast majority of the drilling being shallower than 200 meters. Gold mineralization is hosted by stockwork quartz-carbonate veins (Figure 2) associated with fuchsite, pyrite, stibnite and arsenopyrite along the sheared contact between altered ultramafics and metasediments. The alteration associated with the sheared contact forms a magnetic low, which allows for delineation of the favourable contact using detailed magnetic surveys (Figure 3).

Table 1. 1940s underground sampling. Individual samples were collected along the ribs of the Main Vein.(2)

Hole Gold g/t Width* X86-06 8,508.34 0.15 P87-29 13.29 1.52 88-13 10.94 6.12 Inc. 29.00 2.00 SB17-04a 9.10 2.02 Inc. 16.20 1.00 SB18-06 11.32 1.32 Inc. 22.00 0.82 SB19-06 18.30 0.50 And 19.30 0.56

Table 2. Select Historic drill hole Intersection from the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project(1,2,3,4,5)

*Widths are drilled widths

Figure 1. Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project property map.

Figure 2. A. Example of Quartz-carbonate vein stockwork near the Peg-leg Vein located southeast of the Main Vein exposed by trenching.(2,5) B. Close up of the same quartz-carbonate vein stockwork. C. Hole SB19-06, high grade intersections from 37.70 to 38.20 returning 18.30 g/t over 0.50m and 41.44 to 42.00 returning 19.25 g/t over 0.56m highlighted in red. D. Hole SB17-03 closeup of quartz-carbonate stockwork veining hosted in listwanite (carbonate altered ultramafic) showing clusters of massive stibnite (antimony) which returned 1.44 g/t over 0.94 meters from 42.56-43.50 meters.

Figure 3. Total field magnetic map of the of the core area of the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project showing pre 2017 historic drill holes and structural trends.(2)

The LOI carries exclusivity until October 31, 2021 and requires the parties to use best efforts to negotiate and execute a definitive agreement. Element79 Gold intends to acquire 100% interest in Plutus Gold for a $200,000 cash payment, and 8,000,000 common shares of Element79 Gold. As the final obligation remaining under the Option Agreement between Plutus Gold and Gitennes Exploration Ltd., Plutus Gold is committed to completing further work on the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project with expenditures totaling $1,000,000 on or before June 30, 2022 in order to exercise its option to acquire the claims.

Investor Relations

The Company is also pleased to announce an update on its engagement of CorpComm Services Limited ("CorpComm") for ongoing investor relations and public awareness campaigns for a 12-month period. CorpComm is actively working on campaigns to increase the general market awareness of Element79 Gold and its developing business. Further details may be found in the original disclosure on SEDAR, in the final prospectus filed on July 19, 2021.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this release has been reviewed and verified by Neil Pettigrew, M.Sc., P. Geo., Director of Element79 Gold and a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Element79 Gold

Element79 Gold is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of mining properties for gold and associated metals. The Company has an option to acquire 100% interest in the Dale Property which consists of 90 unpatented mining claims located approximately 100 km southwest of Timmins, Ontario, Canada in the Timmins Mining Division, Dale Township.

Contact Information

For more information, please contact:

James C. Tworek- Chief Executive Officer

E-mail: jt@element79gold.com

Investor Relations: +1 (604) 200-3608, investors@element79gold.com

Sources

(1) Gitennes Exploration Ltd., May 4, 2021, News Release https://www.gitennes.com/site/assets/files/5689/snowbird_high_grade_gold_project_drilling_update.pdf

(2) Booth K. and Mallalieu D. March 2, 2018. Report for Omineca Gold Ltd. on the Geological, Geochemical and Geophysical aspects of the 2018 Work Programme by Gitennes Exploration Inc. on the Snowbird Property, Ft. St. James, B.C. Omineca Mining Division. Omineca Mining Division NTS 093 K/07, K/08, K/10 UTM Zone 10, NAD 98, 400 000 E, 6 035 000N Claims 238304, 239107, 239108, 239109, 243491, 243492, 243518, 511922, 1050040, 1050041, 1050042 Internal Gitenne Exploration Inc. Company Report

(3) British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, MINFILE Record Summary 15853 https://aris.empr.gov.bc.ca/ArisReports/15853.PDF

(4) British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, MINFILE Record Summary 093K 036 https://minfile.gov.bc.ca/Summary.aspx?minfilno=093K%20%20036

(5) Booth K. and Mallalieu D. February 13, 2018. Report for Omineca Gold Ltd. on the Geological, Geochemical and Geophysical aspects of the 2017 Work Programme by Gitennes Exploration Inc. on the Snowbird Property, Ft. St. James, B.C. Omineca Mining Division NTS 093 K/07, K/08, K/10 UTM Zone 10, NAD 98, 400 000 E, 6 035 000N Claims 238304, 239107, 239108, 239109, 243491, 243492, 243518, 511922, 1050040, 1050041, 1050042 Internal Gitenne Exploration Inc. Company Report

(6) https://taliskerresources.com/discover-bralorne-our-flagship/

(7) Timmins Camp Gold Production: DigiGeoData, June 2021 Map https://digigeodata.com/area/timmins/

Element79 Gold makes no warranty as to the completeness, accuracy, verifiability, or suitableness of any of the information contained on the following third-party links and expressly undertakes no obligation to update the following links.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Technical Disclaimer

This news release and related maps contain information about adjacent properties and properties with similar characteristics on which the Company has no right to explore or mine. Readers are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties or properties that share similar characteristics are not indicative of mineral deposits on the Company's properties. Readers are also cautioned that this news release contains historical technical information which is based on prior data prepared by previous property owners. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to confirm such information; significant data compilation, re-drilling, re-sampling and data verification may be required to do so.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press contains 'forward-looking information' and 'forward-looking statements' under applicable securities laws (collectively, 'forward-looking statements'). These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance, business prospects or opportunities that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management made in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the Company's business strategy; the entering into of a definitive agreement with Plutus Gold; the acquisition of Plutus Gold; the terms of the acquisition of Plutus Gold; future planning processes; exploration activities; the timing and result of exploration activities; capital projects and exploration activities and the possible results thereof; acquisition opportunities; and the impact of acquisitions, if any, on the Company. Assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Consequently, forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed. As such, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, assumptions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as 'seek', 'anticipate', 'plan', 'continue', 'estimate', 'expect', 'may', 'will', 'project', 'predict', 'forecast', 'potential', 'target', 'intend', 'could', 'might', 'should', 'believe' and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be 'forward-looking statements'.

Actual results may vary from forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to materially differ from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the duration and effects of the coronavirus and COVID-19; risks related to the integration of acquisitions; actual results of exploration activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; commodity prices; variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; actual performance of plant, equipment or processes relative to specifications and expectations; accidents; labour relations; relations with local communities; changes in national or local governments; changes in applicable legislation or application thereof; delays in obtaining approvals or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities; exchange rate fluctuations; requirements for additional capital; government regulation; environmental risks; reclamation expenses; outcomes of pending litigation; limitations on insurance coverage as well as those factors discussed in the Company's other public disclosure documents, available on www.sedar.com . Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included herein should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date hereof. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

SOURCE: Element79 Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/661251/Element79-Gold-Signs-Letter-of-Intent-to-Acquire-100-Ownership-of-Plutus-Gold-Corp
25 August 2021

Acron (Veliky Novgorod) Announces Extraordinary General Meeting

Acron's Board of Directors resolved to convene an extraordinary general meeting as an absentee vote on 29 September 2021 to consider distribution of Acron's retained earnings for previous years (including declaration/payment of dividends).

The record date for attending the general meeting is 6 September 2021 (close of business).

All information to be provided to persons entitled to attend the general meeting, including the Board of Directors' recommendations on dividend amount, will be made available on the corporate website, submitted to the central depositary, and posted to shareholders' personal accounts on the Registrar's website at https://lk.rrost.runo later than 8 September 2021. The information will also be available at the Company's domicile address.

Media contacts:

Sergey Dorofeev

Anastasia Gromova

Tatiana Smirnova

Public Relations

Phone: +7 (495) 777-08-65 (ext. 5196)

Investor contacts:

Ilya Popov

Sergey Smirnov

Investor Relations

Phone: +7 (495) 745-77-45 (ext. 5252)

Background Information

Acron Group is a leading vertically integrated mineral fertiliser producer in Russia and globally, with chemical production facilities in Veliky Novgorod (Acron) and Smolensk region (Dorogobuzh). The Group owns and operates a phosphate mine in Murmansk region (North-Western Phosphorous Company, NWPC) and is implementing a potash development project in Perm Krai (Verkhnekamsk Potash Company, VPC). It owns transportation and logistics infrastructure, including three Baltic seaport terminals and distribution networks in Russia and China. Acron subsidiary North Atlantic Potash Inc. (NAP) holds mining leases and an exploration permit for ten parcels of the potassium salt deposit at Prairie Evaporite, Saskatchewan, Canada. Acron also holds a minority stake (19.8%) in Polish Grupa Azoty S.A., one of the largest chemical producers in Europe.

In 2020, the Group sold 7.8 million tonnes of its main products to 74 countries, with Russia, Brazil, Europe, and the United States as key markets.

In 2020, the Group posted consolidated IFRS revenue of RUB 119,864 million (USD 1,661 million), with EBITDA of RUB 35,311 million (USD 489 million). Acron's shares are traded on the Moscow Exchange, and its global depositary receipts are traded at the London Stock Exchange (ticker AKRN). Acron employs over 11,000 people.

For more information about Acron Group, please visit www.acron.ru/en.
Highlights

Favorable geophysical results correlate with known surface gold showings.

Doyle Property covers an area of over 2,365 hectares and is in a geological providential area.

Historic drillhole results intersected 49.58 g/t gold over one meter and drill hole intersected 17.49 g/t gold over one meter.

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - Advance United Holdings Inc. (CSE: AUHI) (FSE: 9I0) (the "Company" or "Advance United") is pleased to report on the results of the airborne geophysical surveys completed on its Doyle Property located in the Batchewana area of Ontario.

The airborne geophysical survey, comprising VLE-EM and Magnetics, was completed on the Doyle Property by Terraquest Airborne Geophysics Ltd of Toronto, Ontario. The resulting data was interpreted and reported by independent senior geophysical consultant Mr. Jeremy Brett, P. Geo, a summary of which is presented below with a full report to be published on the Company's website, www.advanceunited.com, in the coming weeks.

The data collected by Terraquest was found to be of excellent quality and Mr. Brett was able to complete detailed interpretation of the resulting data. To facilitate the interpretation, government aeromagnetic data was also obtained, as was detailed elevation data from the SRTM Digital Elevation Model.

The interpretation report identified structural and geologic controls on gold mineralization on the Doyle Property, which can be utilized to focus and direct further exploration of the property.

The results of the interpretation indicates that there are at least two directions of structures on the Doyle Property which trend NNW-SSE and NW-SE with a dihedral angle of approximately 20 to 40 degrees between them. These can be identified on the regional scale (Figure 1) and on the property scale (Figure 2).

The shallow angle of intersection of the two main structural trends had been cited in the past as a favorable area for gold mineralization and concentration, and the curvilinear nature of the structures suggest they wrap around the Grey Owl Lake Pluton.

Interpretation of the VLF-EM data shows a resistivity high which is associated with the main gold occurrences found on surface which may be related to possible alteration by silica (quartz). In addition, the two divergent structural trends can be seen (Figure 3 and 4). Note that the known gold occurrences are associated with the edge of the high resistivity areas. These associations may indicate further areas of potential for gold mineralization on the Doyle Property.

The VLF-EM anomalies also follow the general structural trends. It is noted that the main gold mineralization discovered to date lie along VLF-EM anomalies pointing to the potential for other discoveries along these trends.

Advance United CEO Jim Atkinson states, "We are pleased with the excellent results and the potential of the property and the work that Jeremy has completed on the interpretation of the Terraquest airborne results. We are very excited to now to be developing a follow up program for these promising results and we are confident this will generate new drill targets for 2022. This work program further exemplifies the value of the Company's business model to re-work data to document quantifiable resources and reserves using current standards and modern technology, thus increasing the value."

About the Doyle Property

The Doyle Property is located approximately 92 kilometers southeast of Wawa, Ontario within the Batchewana Volcanic Belt of the Abitibi Province. The structural and geological architecture of the Batchawana Greenstone belt is conducive to a variety of gold depositional environments similar in nature and significance to other gold bearing deposits in Archean-aged greenstone belts hosted within the Superior Province. Noteworthy, these typically fall into the category of "orogenic gold deposit" types in brittle-ductile structurally related regimes similar to the Timmins Gold Camp, the Hemlo Gold Deposits, and the gold deposits of the Doyon-Bousquet Camp in Quebec. Orogenic gold deposit types would be the focus of future exploration activities on the Doyle Property.

The Doyle Property lies within the Batchawana Greenstone Belt of the Wawa-Abitibi Terrane. Both these Terranes are well known for hosting Orogenic Gold Deposits.

Three styles of orogenic gold mineralization occur on the Property. These are, but not limited to:

Gold-enriched semi-massive to massive sulphide horizons in a felsic tuff volcanic pile Lode gold auriferous quartz veins, and Disseminated gold in silicified and pyritized shear zones.

The entire Doyle Property consists of a total of 109 unpatented mining claim cells and covers an area of approximately 2,365 hectares.

The most significant and recent exploration on the Doyle Property was carried out by Tri-Origin Exploration which included drilling programs from 1990 - 1995. These programs are deemed significant, and their geological observations support deposit model types being sought. The Focus of the Tri-Origin work was on a model of similarity of the Doyle property geology and mineralization to the Hemlo deposit, which has produced over 21 million ounces of gold1. Tri-Origin completed geological, geophysical, and geochemical programs and drilled a total of 37 drill holes for 8,053 m. Anomalous gold values were intersected in numerous drill holes and visible gold was observed in two holes. Drill hole T94-22 intersected 49.58 g/t gold over one meter and drill hole T95-34 intersected 17.49 g/t gold over one meter.

Further details of the Doyle Property will be available in the Technical Report on Sedar and the Company's website in the coming weeks.

Qualified Person

James Atkinson M.Sc., P. Geo., a Qualified Person ("QP") as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the geological information reported in this news release. The Qualified Person has not completed sufficient work to verify the historic information on the Doyle Property, particularly with regards to historical sampling and regional government-mapped geology. However, the Qualified Person assumes that sampling and analytical results were completed to industry standard practices. The information provides an indication of the exploration potential of the Doyle Property but may not be representative of expected results.

About Advance United

Advance United, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, is traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange in Canada under the symbol "AUHI" and the Borse Frankfurt Stock Exchange in Germany under the symbol "9I0."

We are a different kind of Canadian junior mining company, one designed to succeed where other junior mining companies fail. We are involved exclusively in the acquisition and advancement of past producing gold mines - with no intent to bring them back into production or to mine them ourselves. Our expertise is in identifying and acquiring undervalued gold properties with significant historical work, which were uneconomic at the time, but we believe have economic value at today's price of gold.

We fund the development of re-working historic data and applying modern technology to underwrite new qualified reports, document quantifiable resources and reserves to current standards, thereby recognizing the current value.

Our purpose is to bring immediate and long-term value to our partners and shareholders while seeking to eliminate exploration risk, so that we can all advance united in the shortest possible time frame.

For additional information about us, our projects, or to find out how you can get involved please visit www.advanceunited.ca.

Contact Information

James Atkinson P. Geo., CEO

Email: jim.atkinson@advanceunited.ca

Tel: (647) 278-7502

Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to trading on the CSE and the focus of the Company's business. Any such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "contemplates", "believes", "projects", "plans" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the Company's ability to increase the value of its current and future mineral exploration properties and, in connection therewith, any long-term shareholder value, the Company's ability to mitigate or eliminate exploration risk, and the Company's intention to develop a portfolio of historic gold properties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the Company will continue its business as described above. Readers are encouraged to refer to the Company's annual and quarterly management's discussion and analysis and other periodic filings made by the Company with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances or actual results unless required by applicable law.





Figure 1: Regional Scale Structural Interpretation. The property is situated between the Regional Batchawana and Montreal River Fault systems and is influenced by the Grey Owl Lake Pluton.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8072/94245_f4e0845d24beeb61_001full.jpg





Figure 2: Property Scale Structural Interpretation Doyle Property. The property occurs in the wedge-shaped intersection of two regional structures. Note the curvilinear nature of many of the interpreted structures in the northern part of the property.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8072/94245_f4e0845d24beeb61_002full.jpg





Figure 3. Resistivity depth slice at -25 m based on VLF Inversion. The areas of high resistivity are shown in White along with the major structures in blue.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8072/94245_f4e0845d24beeb61_003full.jpg





Figure 4: VLF-EM Conductor Axes. The two general trends are noticeable. Also note that the main gold occurrences are related to VLF-EM anomalies.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8072/94245_f4e0845d24beeb61_004full.jpg

1 https://www.barrick.com/English/operations/hemlo/default.aspx

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94245
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (CSE: EMH) (OTCQX: EMHTF) ("Emerald") today announced that it will report its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021, after the market close on Monday, August 30, 2021. The company will host a conference call on Tuesday, August 31, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. ET.

To access the audio broadcast, please dial (866) 652-5200, or via the internet at:

https://services.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=BaOdjlDg

An archived version of the presentation will be available for 90 days on the "Investors" section of Emerald's website:

https://emeraldhealth.ca/investors/events-and-presentations/

About Emerald Health Therapeutics

Emerald is committed to creating new consumer experiences with distinct recreational, medical and wellness-oriented cannabis products, with an emphasis on science-based innovation and product excellence.

Please visit www.emeraldhealth.ca for more information or contact:



Jenn Hepburn, Chief Financial Officer

(800) 757 3536 Ext. #5

Emerald Investor Relations

(800) 757 3536 Ext. #5

invest@emeraldhealth.ca

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94337
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BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - German business confidence weakened for the second straight month in August mainly due to significantly less optimism in companies' expectations, survey results from ifo Institute showed on Wednesday.



The business climate index fell to 99.4 in August from 100.7 in July. The score was expected to ease moderately to 100.4.



Expectations among companies deteriorated to a six-month low in August. By contrast, companies assessed their current situation as somewhat better than in the previous month.



The current situation indicator advanced to 101.4 from 100.4 in the previous month. The expected level was 100.8.



On the other hand, the expectations index declined to 97.5 in August from 101.0 a month ago and also remained below economists' forecast of 100.0.



Supply bottlenecks for intermediate products in manufacturing and worries about rising infection numbers are putting a strain on the economy, Clemens Fuest, ifo President said.



The second successive decline in the confidence index provides further evidence that Germany's recovery is losing some momentum, partly due to supply chain difficulties in the manufacturing sector and the Delta variant, Andrew Kenningham, an economist at Capital Economics, said.



That said, GDP should still increase sharply in the third quarter, the economist said.



In manufacturing, the business climate weakened notably in August. Assessments of the current situation declined but stayed in positive territory. Meanwhile, the outlook for the coming months, took a clear dip, as the expectations indicator fell to its lowest level since November 2020.



The business climate indicator in the service sector also dropped in August. The optimism with regard to future business development has faded. However, companies still assessed their current situation as much better than in July.



The sentiment index fell in trade also. Companies were less satisfied with their current business situation, and their expectations also turned more pessimistic.



However, in construction, the business climate index rose from July. Companies were somewhat more satisfied with their current business, and their expectations were also much brighter.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
AMSTERDAM (dpa-AFX) - LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LYB) on Wednesday said its Chief Executive Officer Bhavesh V. Patel intends to retire from the company as of December 31, 2021. Bhavesh Patel (Bob) will also resign from the company's Board, which has set up a sub-committee to look for a new CEO both from inside and outside the company. 'We are extremely proud of his commitment to driving sustainability at LyondellBasell, where we have set an ambitious goal to produce and market two million metric tons of recycled and renewable-based polymers by 2030. Bob's leadership in this area is exemplified by the Company's actions as a founding member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, an organization which helps address plastic waste in the environment,' said Jacques Aigrain, Board Chair. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Swiss Re Group (SSREY.PK) announced Wednesday that it is partnering with Climeworks, a specialist in carbon dioxide air capture technology, to combat climate change. The companies signed the world's first long-term purchase agreement for direct air capture and storage of carbon dioxide, worth $10 million over ten years. Swiss Re said the collaboration marks a milestone towards its goal of reaching net-zero emissions in its own operations by 2030. The companies also agreed to collaborate on developing risk management knowledge and risk transfer solutions, as well as to explore future investment and project finance opportunities. Climeworks works to reverse climate change by permanently removing carbon dioxide from the air. Climeworks' technological carbon removal solution offered in Iceland filters carbon dioxide or CO2 from ambient air using geothermal energy. The captured CO2 is then sent for permanent storage in nearby rock layers. It is dissolved in water and pumped deep underground, where it reacts naturally with the surrounding basalt rock to form stable carbonate minerals - the CO2 literally turns into stone. According to the companies, this is considered the safest, most durable form of all carbon removal solutions that are commercially available at present. Swiss Re noted that it has committed to achieve net-zero emissions in its insurance and investment business by 2050, and in its own operations already by 2030. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - VIVO Cannabis Inc. (TSX: VIVO) (OTCQX: VVCIF) ("VIVO" or the "Company"), a leading provider of premium cannabis products and services and holder of licenses under the Cannabis Act through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Canna Farms Limited ("Canna Farms") and ABcann Medicinals Inc. ("ABcann Medicinals" or "ABcann"), today provides some additional information for its shareholders regarding the Company's future strategic focus.

As reported earlier on July 5, 2021, the date of VIVO's recent AGM, the Company elected a new slate of Board Directors and announced the appointment of Ray Laflamme as CEO and Chairman of the Board, and since that time VIVO's Board and management have been actively reviewing its business strategy. The Board of Directors met to review management's proposed strategy as well as to assess alternative options and is pleased to announce that it will be sharpening its focus to support its medical patient business and will maintain its focus on its retail business as it pertains to health and wellness. This approved strategic direction will be implemented immediately.

As shareholders are aware, the Company has many assets that position it as a strong player in the medical cannabis market currently, as detailed below. By developing these assets, the Company intends to establish itself as a global medical leader focused on enhancing the lives of its patients.

Canna Farms and ABcann Medicinals



Since Canna Farms was established in 2013, as the first licensed producer in British Columbia, it has established deep roots in the medical cannabis community, and it is now a respected and recognized cannabis brand with thousands of positive patient outcomes. Today Canna Farms is one of the top 5 health and wellness brands in Canada.



Canna Farms and ABcann Medicinals together have more than fifteen years of experience supporting cannabis medical patients with a wide range of conditions and symptoms and together they have amassed a deep understanding of patient motivations.



Canna Farms has many thousands of clients who have tracked themselves and self-reported their outcomes using the Strainprint app on 73 different Canna Farms products in over 200,000 sessions. Due to being the first licensed producer partner with Strainprint, Canna Farms has the largest data set within the mobile app, and the efficacy of specific strains used for various conditions have been published in several independent academic peer-reviewed articles.



EU-GMP Certification



It is with great pride that ABcann's Vanluven facility recently received its EU-GMP certification and is now approved to produce, handle, store and package cannabis at globally-recognized EU-GMP standards. Beacon Medical's German office has received its first import permit for product sales in Germany. EU-GMP certification places the Company ahead of its competitors and represents a necessary foundation for growth into Europe and other international markets.



Harvest Medicine



The Company purchased its Harvest Medicine ("HMED") operations in 2018 and since the acquisition has leveraged clinical insights from thousands of HMED patient interactions to research patient outcomes, to publish observational clinical studies, to educate and increase health care prescriber adoption, to improve market access, and to direct future product development within its medical channels. Harvest Medicine utilizes a virtual platform, "HMED Connect" and has recently added pharmacy consultations as a service for patients as part of their medical cannabis care offering.



Patient Care Expertise



The Company has provided service in over 125,000 patient interactions. Canna Farms' best-in-class, award-winning, Patient Care Team has been providing patient services since 2014 and has firsthand expertise in educational consultations, dosage guidance, product ordering, and long-term medication management. With patient-centricity at its core, the Company is committed to widening its product offerings and providing best-in-class support programs including Compassionate Care, Veterans, First Responders, so that all patients have access to affordable quality cannabis as medicine.



Australia, Germany and other International Markets



The Company currently has a strong medical brand established in Australia and leverages its Canadian knowledge base to accelerate product efficacy, cannabis experiences, and sales growth in that market. With the Company's recent EU-GMP certification, it is now in a position to repeat its Australian success in Germany and other worldwide markets, all of which are exclusively medically focused. The Company's products and brands are proven in Canada first, and then replicated in international markets, as regulations allow.

VIVO Path to Profitability and Leadership

The Company expects to achieve profitability by targeting the goals that have been obtained as feedback from its medical channel stakeholders including, most importantly, its patients; by reduction of operating expenses wherever possible; and by further integration of its legacy business units and operating systems.

"We have recognized our strengths and are committed to providing value to our patients and shareholders by leveraging those strengths. We will continue to work collaboratively with, and listening to the needs of all patients, health care professionals, payors and advocacy groups in both the domestic and international medical markets. With a renewed and enhanced focus on our core values in the medical channels, we re-commit to helping people as our top priority." commented Ray Laflamme, Chief Executive Officer of VIVO Cannabis.

"Canna Farms started as a patient-first company from the beginning. This is a natural progression to re-focus our efforts given the success we have had during the last 6 years."

The Company will continue to maintain recreational sales on core products in order to support health and wellness consumers who purchase across these channels.

Mr. Laflamme is the passionate co-founder of Canna Farms Limited, a very successful and established provider of premium craft medical cannabis products and services. He is also the Company's largest shareholder with interests very much aligned to those of all of VIVO's shareholders. Mr. Laflamme brings to VIVO a successful track record of focusing on customer satisfaction, quality products, and affordability as the route to revenue and profitability.

About VIVO Cannabis

VIVO Cannabis is recognized for trusted, premium cannabis products and services. It holds cultivation, processing and sales licences from Health Canada and operates world-class indoor and seasonal cultivation facilities. VIVO has a collection of premium brands, each targeting different customer segments, including Canna Farms, Beacon Medical, Fireside, and Lumina. Harvest Medicine, VIVO's client-centric, scalable network of medical cannabis clinics, has serviced over 150,000 patient visits. VIVO is pursuing several partnership and product development opportunities and is focusing its international efforts on Germany and Australia. For more information visit: www.vivocannabis.com.

For further information:

VIVO Investor Relations

+1 416-848-9839

ir@vivocannabis.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivo_cannabis/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vivocanna/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vivo_cannabis

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vivo-cannabis-inc/

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information



Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements, which are statements that are not purely historical, including statements regarding the beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions of VIVO and its management regarding the future. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding: the change in Company focus, future strategy, focus on medical patient business, implementation of the new strategy, international expansion, Harvest Medical's offerings, expanding patient care product offerings, achieving profitability, reduction of operating expenses, integration of operating systems. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including that the medical cannabis market may not grow to the extent, within the time, or for the reasons expected by the Company; that the COVID-19 pandemic may last longer and have a more significant impact on the Company's operations, the Canadian cannabis industry, or the global economy generally, than currently expected; that the Company faces competition against new market entrants and participants; that the Company may not be able to launch new products in the time expected or at all and that patients may not receive the expected benefits therefrom; that the Company may not be able to achieve competitive margins; that new products, if launched, may not be accepted by the market or may become subject to product liability claims; that the Company may not be able to obtain necessary licences; that demand for the Company's products may not meet management's expectations; that the Company may be unable to retain its key talent; that the Company may not be able to execute on its strategic partnerships; that the Company may not obtain any other necessary regulatory approvals as required from time to time; that the Company may be unable to protect its intellectual property; and other factors beyond the Company's control. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. Readers are urged to consider these factors carefully along with the more extensive risk factors included in the Company's most recent management's discussion and analysis available on SEDAR, in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained in this news release, and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94330
Natuzzi S.p.A. (NYSE: NTZ) ("Natuzzi" or the "Company") will disclose second quarter and first half 2021 financial results on Friday September 24, 2021, after the market closes.

The Company will host a conference call on Monday September 27, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (4.00 p.m. Italy time, or 3.00 p.m. UK time) to discuss financial results.

To join the live conference call, interested persons will need to click on the following link:

https://www.c-meeting.com/web3/join/3PQUFXRW48XTKQ

Once the meeting is officially opened on the day of the event, participants will be given the option to join the event by video or by telephone

A replay of the call will be available from Monday September 27, 2021, 1:00 p.m. ET until Wednesday October 27, 2021. To access the replay of the conference call, interested persons need to dial +1-844-512-2921 (toll-free) for calls from U.S. and Canada, and 1-412-317-6671 for calls from other countries. The access code for the replay is: 13722697

_______________________________________________________________________________

About Natuzzi S.p.A.

Founded in 1959 by Pasquale Natuzzi, Natuzzi S.p.A., Natuzzi is one of the most renowned brands in the production and distribution of design and luxury furniture. With a global retail network of 577 mono-brand stores as of June 30, 2021, in addition to galleries, Natuzzi distributes its collections worldwide. Natuzzi products embed the finest spirit of Italian design and the unique craftmanship details of the "Made in Italy", where a predominant part of its production takes place. Natuzzi has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since May 13, 1993. Always committed to social responsibility and environmental sustainability, Natuzzi S.p.A. is ISO 9001 and 14001 certified (Quality and Environment), ISO 45001 certified (Safety on the Workplace) and FSC certified (Forest Stewardship Council).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005436/en/

Contacts:

NATUZZI INVESTOR RELATIONS

Piero Direnzo tel. +39.080.8820.812 pdirenzo@natuzzi.com

NATUZZI CORPORATE COMMUNICATION

Vito Basile (Press Office) tel. +39.080.8820.676 vbasile@natuzzi.com
Following successful growth in North America, WeWork has launched its pay-as-you-go offering in the UK, Ireland, Singapore, and Australia

WeWork, one of the leading global flexible space providers, has announced that WeWork On Demand, the company's pay-as-you-go offering to access workspace and meeting rooms, is now available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, and Australia.

As businesses around the world implement hybrid work strategies, flexibility, optionality and convenience have emerged as key pillars of the new workplace. WeWork On Demand offers the flexibility to book workspace by the day and meeting rooms by the hour through its iPhone and Android apps. Since its initial launch in New York City just one year ago and growth to now more than 200 locations across North America, this expansion takes WeWork On Demand to nearly 300 locations across 47 major cities globally, including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Dublin, Singapore, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, and Perth.

Samit Chopra, President COO, International, WeWork, said: "Now more than ever, flexibility is of utmost importance to both businesses and individuals as they navigate a new world of work. Leveraging our expansive portfolio of inspiring spaces in sought-after locations, WeWork On Demand fulfills the need for flexibility through accessible, convenient workspace in the era of hybrid work. With the expansion of pay-as-you-go access to spaces in major markets across the UK, Ireland, Singapore, and Australia, we're providing more workers with the choice and tools to decide how, where, and when they want to work, right from their phones."

WeWork On Demand meets the growing interest in alternative workspaces, whether as a third space for employees to leverage in between their home and office or for fully remote teams to come together. The international expansion follows strong growth and positive user feedback in North America, where monthly On Demand bookings for a workspace has quadrupled and room bookings more than doubled since March 2021. With nearly 70,000 bookings to date, users are utilising WeWork On Demand to quickly arrange in-person meetings, find a dedicated workspace while traveling in another city, or secure rooms to collaborate with their teams.

To learn more about WeWork On Demand, visit https://www.wework.com/solutions/wework-on-demand.

About WeWork:

WeWork was founded in 2010 with the vision to create environments where people and companies come together and do their best work. Since opening our first location in New York City, we've grown into a global flexible space provider committed to delivering technology-driven flexible solutions, inspiring spaces, and unmatched community experiences. Today, we're constantly reimagining how the workplace can help everyone, from freelancers to Fortune 500s, be more motivated, productive, and connected. For more information about WeWork, please visit us at wework.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005270/en/

Contacts:

For Media Inquiries:

Sarah Mann

press@wework.com



Ng Keng Wee (Singapore)

kengwee.ng3@wework.com



Tanya McCloy (Australia)

tanya.mccloy@wework.com
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2021 / Viva Gold Corp. (TSXV:VAU)(OTCQB:VAUCF) (the "Company" or "Viva") is pleased to announce that it has appointed Mr. Andrew ("Andy") Bolland to its Board of Directors. Andy is a highly qualified and experienced senior mining executive with a long and illustrious career, primarily with Barrick Gold, in positions including Manager of Processing and Open Pit Mining at Barrick Goldstrike and then as Director Technical Services and Director Operations for Barrick Gold of North America with operational and technical oversight responsibilities for Barrick's mines and joint ventures in North America. After leaving Barrick in 2016, Andy joined Hatch LTD as Director of Mining and Mineral Processing where he directed metallurgical plant activities and established an office in Salt Lake City. He has a strong background in Nevada in all aspects of mine permitting, feasibility study, development, and operations, with a particular focus on processing and plant operations. Andy has a degree in Chemical Engineering from Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland.

"We are very honored to have an individual with Andy's exceptional qualifications join Viva's Board. His acceptance of a position on our Board speaks highly to the strong potential of Viva and its Tonopah gold project. He brings a skillset that is highly complementary to our existing Board and will help to provide strong guidance as Viva moves its Tonopah project forward into feasibility study and permitting", states James Hesketh, President & CEO.

About Viva Gold Corp:

Viva Gold is a gold exploration and project development company with a focus on Nevada. Viva holds 100% of the advanced Tonopah Gold Project, a large land position of approximately 10,500 acres with demonstrated high-grade measured, indicated and inferred gold resources, located on the prolific Walker Lane gold trend in Nevada, about 30-minutes' drive south-east of the Round Mountain mine of Kinross Gold and 20-minutes' drive from the Town of Tonopah. Viva's management team has extensive experience in mineral exploration, mine development and production and are supported by a Board of Directors and advisors who are proven mine finders, deal makers and financiers. Viva trades on the TSX-V as "VAU", on the OTCQB in the US as "VAUCF" and on the Frankfurt exchange under "7PB". For additional information on Viva Gold and the Tonopah Gold Project, please visit our website: www.vivagoldcorp.com.

For further information please contact:

James Hesketh, President & CEO

(720) 291-1775

jhesketh@vivagoldcorp.com

Valerie Kimball, Director Investor Relations

(720) 933-1150

vkimball@vivagoldcorp.com

SOURCE: Viva Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/661233/Viva-Gold-Appoints-Mr-Andrew-Bolland-to-Board-of-Directors
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - PharmaDrug Inc. (CSE: PHRX) (OTC Pink: LMLLF) ("PharmaDrug" or the "Company"), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of controlled-substances and natural medicines such as psychedelics, cannabis and naturally-derived approved drugs, is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into a Clinical Trial Agreement with The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) to conduct a clinical study comparing acute and enduring psychological and neural effects of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and an undisclosed, potently active comparator molecule. The principal investigator, Dr. Frederick S. Barrett, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, will be supported by Co-investigators Dr. Sandeep Nayak and Dr. Roland Griffiths; all from the JHU Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research.

The potential of psychedelic drugs to treat various neuropsychiatric indications is currently being explored in several human clinical trials. The dramatic mind-altering effects of these drugs is well known, and as such, a study volunteer's expectancy may contribute to clinical outcomes. Such effects are considered classic study confounds and can lead to misinterpretation of efficacy signals. For example, this phenomenon was recently noted in a large, placebo-controlled study of LSD which found that those receiving LSD or placebo showed significant improvements in mood, anxiety, creativity and energy1. To address this common study design limitation and to assess the neuropsychiatric impact of DMT more fully, the Company has sponsored the submission of an Investigational New Drug ("IND") application to the U.S Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") which aims to compare the effects of DMT with another potently psychotropic drug.

The first part of the planned study will examine dose effects of DMT and the other test article. During the second part of the study, healthy subjects will be exposed to a maximum tolerated dose of each drug (as defined in part 1 of the study). During both parts of the study, investigators will carefully characterize any acute and persisting subjective, affective, cognitive, and neural dose-dependent effects for both drugs being evaluated. Much debate exists around the relative potential benefits of micro vs macro-doses for psychedelic compounds. Using a highly controlled approach, the currently planned clinical trial will go some way to answering this important question. Employing an extensive battery of psychological assessment tools, coupled with state-of-the-art functional MRI and EEG the JHU researchers endeavour to develop a more fulsome understanding of how DMT acts in the brain of healthy volunteers; with the ultimate goal of being able to apply this knowledge in tailoring the treatment of serious neuropsychiatric conditions.

This clinical research collaboration builds upon PharmaDrug's existing strategy of focusing on establishing a better understanding of the basic mechanisms by which DMT exerts its effects in the brain and elsewhere in the body. By supporting world class talent with distinct expertise in early discovery and clinical use the Company will be optimally positioned to identify novel applications for DMT and unlock its full therapeutic potential. The Company intends to become a leader in advancing DMT as a prescription pharmaceutical, and as previously reported, is the first organization to receive orphan drug designation by the U.S. FDA for DMT in the prevention of ischemia-reperfusion injury in patients undergoing solid organ transplantation, which includes the liver, kidney, heart, and lungs. As a further example of PharmaDrug's commitment to DMT development, the Company recently entered into a sponsored research agreement with the Terasaki Institute to evaluate the potential of novel DMT delivery systems for the treatment of primary open angle glaucoma, one of the leading causes of vision loss worldwide.

Daniel Cohen, CEO of PharmaDrug commented: "We are excited to collaborate and support Dr. Frederick Barrett to better understand DMT and its potential. The JHU Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research is a global leader in psychedelics clinical research, and we are very grateful to partner with them to achieve our objectives in expanding our pharmaceutical product pipeline for novel uses and delivery forms of DMT to treat unmet medical needs."

Under the terms of the agreement, the Company has an exclusive option to obtain worldwide, royalty-bearing commercialization license to all rights, title, and interest that JHU may have or obtain in any invention that results from the clinical study.

About PharmaDrug Inc.

PharmaDrug is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of controlled-substances and natural medicines such as psychedelics, cannabis and naturally-derived approved drugs. The Company owns 80% of Pharmadrug Production GmbH, a German medical cannabis distributor, with a Schedule I European Union narcotics license and German EuGMP certification allowing for the importation and distribution of medical cannabis to pharmacies in Germany and throughout the EU. The Company also owns 100% of Super Smart, a Dutch company building a modern adult use psychedelic retail business with an elevated and educational focus. PharmaDrug recently acquired Sairiyo Therapeutics, a biotech company that specializes in researching and reformulating established natural medicines with a goal of bringing them through regulatory and research driven clinical trials.

For further information, please contact:

Daniel Cohen, Chairman and CEO

dcohen@pharmadrug.co

(647) 202-1824

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information:

THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED NOR DOES IT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

This press release contains 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated", "potential", "aim" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on PharmaDrug Inc. (the "Company") current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions that have been made by the Company at the date of the information and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Given these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, you should not unduly rely on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof, and Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in Company's management's discussion and analysis for the period of March 31, 2021 ("MD&A"), dated May 31, 2021, which is available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state, province, territory or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state, province, territory or jurisdiction.

The Company's securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or "U.S. Persons", as such term is defined in Regulations under the U.S. Securities Act, absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

References:



1) Szigeti B, Kartner L, Blemings A, Rosas F, Feilding A, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris RL, Erritzoe D. Self-blinding citizen science to explore psychedelic microdosing. Elife. 2021 Mar 2;10:e62878. doi: 10.7554/eLife.62878. PMID: 33648632; PMCID: PMC7925122.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94230.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - Harvest One Cannabis Inc. (TSXV: HVT) (OTCQB: HRVOF) ("Harvest One" or the "Company"), a uniquely positioned global cannabis-infused and non-infused consumer packaged goods ("CPG") leader, announced today that its Dream Water brand launched a new line for sleep gummies in the American market, which will hit Company distributors and retailers in September.

The launch of Dream Water TM Sleep Gummies will increase growth in the Company's traditional distribution and retail channels, and improve overall channel penetration by leveraging the Company's expertise in branding, marketing, and distribution. Gummies are a rapidly growing functional format across vitamins, infusions and other natural health products. The global gummy vitamins market size was valued at $5.7B in 2018 and is expected to grow to $9.3B by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate ("CAGR") of 6.5%.(1) The U.S., the highest contributor to the North America gummy vitamins market, had a gummy vitamins market size of $2.3B in 2018, which is expected to generate revenues of $3.45B towards the end of 2026.(1) In addition, sleep products remain a growing category with North American sleep aids sales expected to increase to over $1.2B in the U.S. by 2024(2) and to $120M in Canada by 2023(3), with a 3% CAGR across these markets.(2)(3)

"We are pleased to launch our Dream Water TM line of Sleep Gummies, which is a natural extension of our portfolio of health and wellness products, and a significant opportunity for us to grow our market share in the sleep aid market," said Gord Davey, President and Chief Executive Officer of Harvest One. "Our innovative Dream Water TM product and brand, with its differentiated market position, has resonated well with consumers and has established itself as a strong leader in the sleep aid category. We will continue to innovate, commercialize and educate the market on this category and look to build on this success in future years with new innovative product formats and line extensions."

Responding to changing consumer needs, the Company will start shipping the Dream Water TM Sleep Gummies to grocery, drug, and mass retailers in September and also make them available on e-commerce websites, such as Amazon. This extension into a new functional format will allow the brand to satisfy more consumer occasions and appeal to a broader array of consumers across North America. The gummy format also provides a strong platform for future line extensions and cannabis infusions.



Figure 1

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2413/94273_cd75bdf51443d92f_001full.jpg.

Notes

1. Data cited is based on: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/press-release/gummy-vitamins-market.html.

2. Data cited is based on: Passport, Sleep Aids in the US, Euromonitor International October 2019.

3. Data cited is based on: Passport, Sleep Aids in Canada, Euromonitor International October 2018.

About Harvest One

Harvest One is a global cannabis infused and non-infused CPG leader that develops and distributes premium health, wellness and self-care products with a market focus on solutions for sleeplessness and pain, resulting in the reduction of fatigue and anxiety. Harvest One is a uniquely positioned company in the cannabis space which is commercializing both cannabis-infused and non-infused products. Harvest One has established an impressive track record in product innovation, branding, marketing and distribution through its portfolio of CPG brands. Harvest One and owns and operates two subsidiaries; Dream Water Global and LivRelief. For more information, please visit www.harvestone.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates, and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements with respect to the anticipated benefits of the Dream Water Sleep Gummies, the magnitude of growth of the Dream Water Sleep Gummies amongst distribution and retail channels, the potential size and growth of the gummy market, future expansion plans, initiatives and strategies of the Company, and the Company's performance, growth initiatives, profitability, production capacity and gain in market share.

These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's operations; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; expectations regarding the size of the cannabis markets where the Company operates; changing consumer habits; the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives; plans for expansion; political and social uncertainties; inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; employee relations and the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on cultivation, production, distribution, and sale of cannabis and cannabis-related products in the markets where the Company operates. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

Additional information regarding this and other risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's business are contained under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form dated as of March 2, 2021, for the year ended June 30, 2020, and under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis dated October 28, 2020, for the year ended June 30, 2020, filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Neither TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Investor Relations:

Jack Tasse

Investor Relations

IR@harvestone.com

1-877-915-7934

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94273.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - ScreenPro Security Inc. (CSE: SCRN) ("ScreenPro" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has joined the CSE Composite Index, under Life Sciences sector.

The CSE Composite Index is a broad indicator of market activity for the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"). With approximately 75% coverage of all equities listed on the CSE, it is a uniquely positioned gauge of the Canadian small cap market. The index provides a distinctly different risk/return profile than the broad Canadian equity market.

The Company's board and management and all the front-line medical staff are pleased to receive this public acknowledgment of its accomplishments to date in the North American capital markets.

Andrew Ryu, CEO of the Company commented: "It is a great honour for ScreenPro to be added to any major index at an early stage in its growth having only listed six months ago. The CSE Composite Index comprises some of North America's most innovative companies and we are proud to be among leading firms in life sciences. Management is committed to providing a growth opportunity for shareholders as we continue to expand our life sciences business."

About ScreenPro

ScreenPro is a Screening and Medical Technology company. ScreenPro provides turnkey screening solutions with alerting software, GoStop. ScreenPro's unique access to multiple manufacturers of high-quality test kits and its strategic partnership with Labs in Vancouver and Ontario allows ScreenPro to be a nationwide provider of a full-service testing solutions across Canada. In addition, ScreenPro has its own nursing professionals, and access to high quality PPEs to ensure that its clients are protected in all aspects of their testing needs. GoStop's passport was developed with a privacy preserving approach that will enable individuals to use the alerting software and downloadable app with authentication certificates. The alerts can be scheduled on an on-demand, daily, weekly, or monthly basis and can be used also for vaccine scheduling.

For additional information on ScreenPro and other corporate information, please visit the Company's website at www.screenprosecurity.com.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") nor it's Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information please contact:

Jamie Hyland, Director

Email: info@screenprosecurity.com

P. (604) 442-2425

Forward-Looking Statements:

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information, including statements relating to expectations regarding the future development of ScreenPro's business. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. The actual results of ScreenPro could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which ScreenPro operates, prevailing economic conditions, changes to ScreenPro's strategic growth plans, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of ScreenPro. Management of ScreenPro believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information herein are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents ScreenPro's expectations as of the date hereof and is subject to change after such date. ScreenPro disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation.

###

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94294
Dr. David Erritzoe to provide guidance on psychopharmacological research

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - Entheon Biomedical Corp. (CSE: ENBI) (OTCQB: ENTBF) (FSE: 1XU1) ("Entheon" or the "Company"), a biotechnology company focused on developing psychedelic medicines to treat addiction, is pleased to announce that Dr. David Erritzoe, the current Clinical Director of the Imperial College's Center for Psychedelic Research, has been appointed to Entheon's Advisory Board.

Dr. Erritzoe has significant experience in psychiatry, neuropsychopharmacology and psychedelic research. He is currently leading a new National Health Service (BHS) based research clinic, the CIPPRes Clinic, a collaborative, multidisciplinary research initiative between the Imperial College in London and the St. Charles Hospital.

Dr. Erritzoe conducts research using brain imaging techniques including PET and MRI scans and has conducted research into the neurobiology of addictions and depression.

"We continue to research the links between dopamine neurotransmitters and addictions, including the role that functional imaging studies can play in looking at various substance use disorders," said Dr. Erritzoe. 'As we continue to advance our knowledge in this area, I look forward to working with Entheon as they work to clinically advance DMT."

"Dr. Erritzoe's extensive hands-on experience in the realm of clinical research and his focus on substance-use disorders is a significant addition for Entheon and its Advisory Board as we work to further develop DMT through regulatory channels," said Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Ko. "I would like to extend a warm welcome to David and look forward to the insight a researcher of his caliber brings to the Company."

About Entheon Biomedical Corp.

Entheon is a biotechnology research and development company committed to developing and commercializing a portfolio of safe and effective N,N-dimethyltryptamine based psychedelic therapeutic products ("DMT Products") for the purposes of treating addiction and substance use disorders. Subject to obtaining all requisite regulatory approvals and permits, Entheon intends to generate revenue through the sale of its DMT Products to physicians, clinics and licensed psychiatrists in the United States, certain countries in the European Union and throughout Canada.

About Dr. David Erritzoe

Dr. Erritzoe is Clinical Senior Lecturer in General Psychiatry in Centres for Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychedelic Research at Imperial College, London, and is Consultant Psychiatrist at St Charles Hospital, CNWL Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. From early 2021 heading a new NHS-based research clinic at St Charles Hospital, the CIPPRes Clinic.

David was trained in PET imaging at Columbia University in New York and later undertook a PhD at University Hospital Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen and is qualified as a medical doctor from Copenhagen University Medical School.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

Timothy Ko, CEO

For more information, please contact the Company at:

Entheon Biomedical Corp.

Joseph Cullen, Investor Relations

Telephone: +1 (778) 919-8615

joe@entheonbiomedical.com

https://entheonbiomedical.com/

For media inquiries, please contact Crystal Quast at:

Bullseye Corporate

Crystal Quast

Telephone: +1 (647) 529-6364

quast@bullseyecorporate.com

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements and information relating to the engagement and advisory services of Dr. David Erritzoe as " Advisor", the development of the Company's clinical program, and other matters. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information since no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct.

Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward-looking statements and information 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. These include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to raise further capital and the Company's ability to obtain regulatory and exchange approvals. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Neither the CSE nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94316
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - Leveljump Healthcare Corp. (TSXV: JUMP) (OTCQB: JMPHF) (FSE: 75J) ("Leveljump" or the "Company"), a Canadian leader in B2B telehealth solutions, is pleased to announce today it has reported financial results for the second fiscal quarter ended June 30th, 2021. All amounts are expressed in Canadian dollars.

Financial and Operational Highlights

Revenues from Canadian Teleradiology Services, Inc. ("CTS") operations hits record level with $1,639,913 in revenues for the second quarter.

Gross profit from CTS operations was $331,891 for the quarter, a 20.2% margin.

Year over Year Q1 revenue increase of $468,655, an increase of 40%.

Q2 revenue increase compared to Q1 of 5%

Revenue increased despite Covid 19 lockdowns that continued to limit hospital activity during the quarter.

Clean balance sheet with no long-term debt

2021 Q2 Financial Results for Leveljump

Revenues of $1,639,913 in Q2 and $3,131,771 for the six months ended June 30, 2021

CTS net operating profit of $114,000 in Q2. $201,216 for the six months ended June 30, 2021.

Adjusted EBITDA of $(323,000) for Q2 and $(523,000) for the six months ended June 30, 2021.

Management Comments

"Our operating subsidiary CTS had a strong second quarter and demonstrated a net profit position. Our negative EBITDA is primarily due to administrative costs for the parent company, and we are hopeful that those costs will be reduced in future quarters and with the revenue stream from future acquisitions and the growth of CTS, profits from the operating businesses will overshadow the costs of maintaining the public company." Rob Landau, CFO.

"We are very pleased with our Q2 results that demonstrate our continued growth. We had another record quarter with increased demand for our radiology services." said Mitch Geisler, CEO. "We continue to increase our gross margins, one of our main financial goals for this fiscal year, while also decreasing operating expenses. The Company continues to have a strong cash position with almost no debt, providing us flexibility to grow in a variety of ways."

Non-IFRS Financial Measures

This news release contains financial terms (such as adjusted EBITDA) that are not considered in IFRS. Such financial measures, together with measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, provide useful information to investors and shareholders, as management uses them to evaluate the operating performance of the Company. The Company's determination of these non-IFRS measures may differ from other reporting issuers, and therefore are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Further, these non-IFRS measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance or cash flows prepared in accordance with IFRS. These financial measures are included because management uses this information to analyze operating performance and liquidity.

Adjusted EBITDA & Annual Revenue Run Rate

Management believes adjusted EBITDA is a useful supplemental measure to determine the Company's ability to generate cash available for working capital, capital expenditures, debt repayments, interest expense and income taxes.

EBITDA refers to net income (loss) determined in accordance with IFRS, before depreciation and amortization, net interest expense (income) and income tax expense (recovery). The Company defines adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA, plus stock-based compensation expense, restructuring, fair value adjustments, listing expense and transaction costs, impairment and finance income.

A reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss) is as follows:

Three Months ended ($ in thousands) 30-Jun 31-Mar Net income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss) (569) (709) Add back: Depreciation and amortization 8 8 Net interest expense 3 3 Stock-based compensation 210 393 Misc and foreign exchange (10) - EBITDA (358) (305) Add back: One timeProfessional Fees related to Listing and fundraising 35 95 Adjusted EBITDA (323) (210)

For further details on the results, please refer to Leveljump's Interim Management, Discussion and Analysis and Unaudited Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements for the quarter ended June 30, 2021, which are available on the Company's website (www.leveljumphealthcare.com) and under the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

About LevelJump Healthcare

Leveljump Healthcare Corp., (TSXV: JUMP) (OTCQB: JMPHF) (FSE: 75J) is building a national medical diagnostic imaging company and brand, primarily by providing teleradiology (remote radiology) services to its client hospitals and imaging centers. Additionally, JUMP plans to expand through the acquisition of independent healthcare facilities focused on diagnostic imaging as well as acquiring new disruptive imaging technologies.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF

LEVELJUMP HEALTHCARE CORP.

Mitchell Geisler, Chief Executive Officer

info@leveljumphealthcare.com

(833) 840-2020

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the Company's business plans and the outlook of the Company's industry. Although the Company believes, in light of the experience of its officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release and the Company assumes no responsibility to update them or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances other than as required by applicable securities laws. The Company undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third-parties in respect of the Company, Canadian Teleradiology Services, Inc., their securities, or their respective financial or operating results (as applicable).

Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94331
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - Cross River Ventures Corp. (CSE: CRVC) (FSE: C6R) (the "Company") is pleased to update shareholders on the progress of the 2021 exploration work at its portfolio of gold projects, located in NW Ontario, Canada.

Phase one summer exploration programs at the Company's Manitou, Shabu and Dent-Jackson projects have been completed. Rock samples from outcrop, float, and historic mine dumps on all properties returned high-grade gold, including:

Shabu: 126 grams-per-tonne ("g/t") gold ("Au"), 8.28 g/t Au, and 2.73 g/t Au

Dent-Jackson: 17.8 g/t Au, 13.2 g/t Au, and 8.43 g/t Au

Manitou: 26.7 g/t Au, 24.6 g/t Au, and 15.5 g/t Au

The mineralization is associated with open-ended prospective structures that remain under explored. The Cross River technical team are currently evaluating these results including proposed work plan for follow up exploration.

Manitou - Phase 1 Summary & Results

Bayside Geoscience Inc. of Thunder Bay was contracted by Cross River Ventures to complete the reconnaissance mapping, prospecting, and sampling work at the Manitou property located in the Eagle-Wabigoon-Manitou Lakes greenstone belt, 40km south of Dryden. The field team completed a 16-day program at the recently expanded Manitou Gold property (6,750 Ha), focussing on assessing gold-bearing structures identified through the Company's data compilation process. The field campaign targeted the south-western portion of the property hosting the Reliance Shear Trend and Queen Alexandria-Bird Island trend (see Company news release dated May 13, 2021).

A total of 83 rock samples were sent to ALS Laboratories for analysis, returning gold values ranging from nil to 26.70 g/t Au. Table 1 shows assay results for rock samples containing >0.1 g/t Au. The field program was successful in locating and assessing all historic showings of interest, most notably the Queen Alexandria Shaft, which has recorded minor historic gold production from 1904 (MDI52F07SW00008). The Company's Phase 1 sampling identified high-grade gold in the area with float samples collected from rubble surrounding the historic shafts returning 26.70 g/t Au, 24.60 g/t Au, and 15.50 g/t Au. There is no record of historic drilling in the vicinity of the Queen Alexandria Shaft. Field work also confirmed the presence of open-ended NE trending shear zones associated with gold and identified numerous areas of interest for follow-up. See Table 1 and Figure 1 for a sample locations and select assay results.





Table 1: Select assay results for Manitou Gold property 2021 field work. Only results with >0.1 g/t Au are listed here.

To view an enhanced version of Table 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7276/94338_a20419072414aa52_002full.jpg





Figure 1: Manitou Gold Property - 2021 field program sample locations

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7276/94338_a20419072414aa52_003full.jpg

Shabu - Phase 1 Summary & Results

Bayside Geoscience completed a 14-day prospecting, mapping, and sampling campaign on the Shabu Gold property located within the Birch-Uchi Greenstone Belt, 70km northeast of the town of Red Lake. The program was designed to assess historic showings, enhance property-scale mapping, and prospect areas of the property with no documented historic data. The crews were able to cover a lot of ground and successfully located all known historic showings and occurrences, as well as finding new areas of gold mineralization.

A total of 191 rock samples were sent to ALS Laboratories for analysis, returning gold values ranging from nil to 126 g/t Au. Table 2 shows assay results for rock samples containing >0.1 g/t Au. Highlights of the program include: 1) Identifying a new area of mineralization that has not been previously documented, including 2.73 g/t Au and 1.51 g/t Au hosted in strongly foliated, ankerite altered conglomerate, and 2) Follow-up of the high-grade Flint Rock Mines vein returned 126 g/t Au, 8.28 g/t Au, and 1.61 g/t Au in EW trending quartz veins. Significant assay results are listed in Table 2, and sample locations are plotted in Figure 2.





Table 2: Select assay results for Shabu Gold property 2021 field work. Only results with >0.1 g/t Au are listed here.

To view an enhanced version of Table 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7276/94338_a20419072414aa52_004full.jpg





Figure 2: Shabu Gold Property - 2021 field program sample locations

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7276/94338_a20419072414aa52_005full.jpg

Dent-Jackson - Phase 1 Summary & Results

Bayside also completed a 7-day prospecting, mapping, and sampling campaign on the Dent-Jackson Gold property located within the Birch-Uchi Greenstone Belt, 60km northeast of the community of Ear Falls. The program was designed to follow-up historic high-grade showings and extend the strike of known mineralization, particularly at the Cariboo Vein and East Little Woman Lake ("ELWL") gold occurrences (discussed in New Release dated January 28, 2021). Field crews discovered evidence of extensive historic surface work in the area (stripping, trenching, pits, etc.).

A total of 113 rock samples were sent to ALS Laboratories for analysis, returning gold values ranging from nil to 17.8 g/t Au. Table 3 shows assay results for rock samples containing >0.1 g/t Au. Highlight samples collected during the program include 13.2 g/t Au, 3.99 g/t Au, and 1.57 g/t Au sampled in outcrop and local float boulders at the Cariboo Vein, and 17.8 g/t Au, 2.66 g/t Au, and 1.63 g/t Au sampled in outcrop and local float boulders at the ELWL showing. Mineralization at both locations is open-ended. Significant assay results are listed in Table 3, and sample locations are plotted in Figure 3.





Table 3: Select assay results for Dent-Jackson Gold property 2021 field work. Only results with >0.1 g/t Au are listed here.

To view an enhanced version of Table 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7276/94338_a20419072414aa52_006full.jpg





Figure 3: Dent-Jackson Gold Property - 2021 field program sample locations

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7276/94338_a20419072414aa52_007full.jpg

Continuing Work

Bayside has now completed four weeks at the 12,000-ha McVicar project, sample results/assays are pending. Follow up will include a 60-day GeoProbe program at McVicar. Lidar data has been received and is being used for interpretations. Next field program will be conducted at Maskootch starting late August, followed by the Ear Falls field program that will commence in the fall.

For more detailed area maps of the Cross River Ventures project portfolio, please visit www.crossriverventures.com.

Analytical Procedure

All 2021 samples pertaining to this release were sent to ALS Geochemistry Laboratories in Thunder Bay, Ontario, for analysis. Samples were prepared using PREP-31 standard rock/core package and analyzed for gold using standard Fire Assay and ICP-AES (ALS Code: Au-ICP21). Samples returning over 10.0 g/t Au were then analyzed using Fire Assay - Gravimetric finish methods (ALS Code: Au-GRA21).

Note: Grab samples are selective by nature and may not be representative of the average grade or style of mineralization but will be used to help guide additional exploration on the properties.

The technical content disclosed in this press release was reviewed and approved by Dr. Rob Carpenter, P.Geo., Ph.D., a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. Historical assay results contained in this press release were not verified by the Company, however, the historical reports referenced were authored by experienced geoscientists and copies of laboratory assay sheets were commonly inserted in the reports.

About the Company

Cross River is a gold exploration company that is focused on the development of top tier exploration properties in premier mining districts. The Company controls a multiple project portfolio in NW Ontario, Canada, with highly prospective ground in and among prolific, gold bearing greenstone belts. The Company also owns an option to acquire a 100% undivided interest in the Tahsis Property, an early-stage gold exploration property located on Vancouver Island, in the Nanaimo Mining Division, British Columbia. Cross River's common shares trade under the symbol "CRVC" on the CSE.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

CROSS RIVER VENTURES CORP.

Alex Klenman

CEO

604-227-6610

aklenman@crossriverventures.com

www.crossriverventures.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the Canadian Securities Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

References:

http://www.geologyontario.mndm.gov.on.ca/mndmfiles/mdi/data/records/MDI52F07SW00008.html

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94338
The Janus Henderson Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Janus Henderson Investors, recently finalized a grant of more than $182,000 to long-term partner Innovations for Learning so it could expand its flagship TutorMate program in the United States and the United Kingdom, to combat learning loss caused by the global pandemic.

Educational philanthropy has been core to the Janus Henderson Foundation's mission since its inception in 1994. Trusted partners like Innovations for Learning enable the foundation to channel its resources into proven, scalable education solutions that can positively impact student outcomes around the globe. With new educational challenges arising from the pandemic, the partnership is more important than ever.

Tiphani Krueger, President of the Janus Henderson Foundation, said, "Global organisations are uniquely situated to support global crisis responses. Our focus at the Janus Henderson Foundation has always been on improving education. The challenge of today is addressing learning loss from the pandemic and we're confident that our continued support of the great work at Innovations for Learning will help students in the U.S. and UK find success in their studies and, in turn, futures."

After seeing the success of the TutorMate program in the U.S., the Janus Henderson Foundation helped Innovations for Learning expand its operations to the UK in 2018, and it's now serving nearly 1,000 students in London, Leeds, Doncaster and Bradford. The latest grant will help Innovations for Learning provide more hours of focused tutoring to Denver area students through High Dosage tutoring with paid paraprofessionals, specialized education professionals who assist in classrooms to enhance learning for students. It will also help create easier access to tutoring for students in the UK through TutorMate at Home, a virtual version of the tutoring program.

Seth Weinberger, Executive Director of Innovations for Learning, said, "Innovations for Learning is thrilled that Janus Henderson Investors is expanding our partnership by supporting intensive early literacy instruction and parental engagement. As we continue our mission to increase beginning reading abilities in the students we serve globally, corporate investment is vital in making this a reality. Thanks to Janus Henderson for their commitment to improving communities and children's literacy."

Since 2005, approximately 50,000 volunteers have participated in the TutorMate program and served 50,000 children. More than 80% of students in the program are from low-income households, and nearly all U.S. students attend Title 1 schools, where more than 75% of students receive free or reduced lunches.

The new funding will provide Early Literacy Interventionists in 10 Denver Public Schools, ensure an additional 300 UK students receive in-home tutoring and help Innovations for Learning measure the effectiveness of both to further improve the programs.

Notes to editors

Janus Henderson Group is a leading global active asset manager dedicated to helping investors achieve long-term financial goals through a broad range of investment solutions, including equities, fixed income, quantitative equities, multi-asset and alternative asset class strategies.

At 30 June 2021, Janus Henderson had approximately US$428 billion in assets under management, more than 2,000 employees, and offices in 25 cities worldwide. Headquartered in London, the company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

About Innovations for Learning

Innovations for Learning is a global non-profit corporation founded in late 1992 with a laser focus on assuring that primary grade students learn to read at grade level with enthusiasm. Grounded in the belief that learning to read is a basic civil right with the power to transform lives, Innovations for Learning's programs and services fuse technology, corporate volunteerism and intensive support enabling meaningful human interaction. This powerful combination of human-led instruction supported by technology is proven to improve literacy outcomes, promoting equity for all young children. IFL works to realize a world in which all children, regardless of background, are confidently reading to learn, grow, and thrive throughout life.

This press release is solely for the use of members of the media and should not be relied upon by personal investors, financial advisers or institutional investors. We may record telephone calls for our mutual protection, to improve customer service and for regulatory record keeping purposes.

Issued by Janus Henderson Investors. Janus Henderson Investors is the name under which investment products and services are provided by Janus Capital International Limited (reg no. 3594615), Henderson Global Investors Limited (reg. no. 906355), Henderson Investment Funds Limited (reg. no. 2678531), Henderson Equity Partners Limited (reg. no.2606646), (each registered in England and Wales at 201 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3AE and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) and Henderson Management S.A. (reg no. B22848 at 2 Rue de Bitbourg, L-1273, Luxembourg and regulated by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier). Henderson Secretarial Services Limited (incorporated and registered in England and Wales, registered no. 1471624, registered office 201 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3AE) is the name under which company secretarial services are provided. All these companies are wholly owned subsidiaries of Janus Henderson Group plc. (incorporated and registered in Jersey, registered no. 101484, with registered office at 13 Castle Street, St Helier, Jersey, JE1 1ES).

[Janus Henderson, Janus, Henderson, Perkins, Intech, VelocityShares, Knowledge Shared, Knowledge. Shared and Knowledge Labs] are trademarks of Janus Henderson Group plc or one of its subsidiaries. Janus Henderson Group plc.

C- 0821-39418 08-30-2022

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005241/en/

Contacts:

Janus Henderson Investors

Jeremy Osheim

Corporate Communications and Media Relations Manager

T: +1 (720) 635-3912

E: jeremy.osheim@janushenderson.com
The Luxury is proud to announce the launch of its new global non-profit charitable foundation, the Luxury Foundation, which took place on August 19. The foundation aims to make a difference in the lives of communities in Eastern Europe by fostering educational initiatives that overcome the cyclical impact of generational child poverty in the region.

LONDON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Luxury is proud to announce the launch of its new global non-profit charitable foundation, the Luxury Foundation, which took place on August 19. The foundation aims to make a difference in the lives of communities in Eastern Europe by fostering educational initiatives that overcome the cyclical impact of generational child poverty in the region.

The Luxury Foundation has already raised 800,000 TLB from its own charitable budget alongside contributions from employees and partners. The foundation will use these funds to help some 2,000 people in need in Eastern Europe through its 400-strong volunteer army by the end of 2021. The Luxury Foundation has also promised further poverty-beating initiatives in 2022 and beyond, saying that this is only the beginning.

"Unfortunately, it is a sad reality in the cryptocurrency industry that many in the space only think about themselves and their own gain. Cryptocurrency is not just a wealth-making investment frontier - it is also an innovative space that promises to redistribute wealth more equitably. Those who have benefited from cryptocurrency should, in our belief, be the first to use their wealth to help those in need," said Catalin Dascalu, CEO of The Luxury.

"At The Luxury, we put our money where our mouth is and lead by example. With the launch of the Luxury Foundation, we have taken on a great responsibility as a leader in this space. In the next few weeks and months, you will see the fruit of these actions - and I promise you that this is only the beginning."

The Luxury Foundation's charitable focus is on education, which it views as a tool to break the cycle of poverty. This approach is backed by the UNICEF, which calls on child education as a critical method of breaking the cycle of disadvantage through enhancing earning potential and employment opportunities in adulthood. In doing so, The Luxury Foundation is giving some of Europe's most impoverished families the financial tools and assistance they need to give their children a bright future.

According to the World Bank, some 60 million people in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet bloc live in poverty. The Luxury Foundation will directly allocate necessary funds to Eastern European families in need, enabling them to access quality education with enhanced learning outcomes and strong skills development.

"Poverty doesn't just affect the poor: it affects all of us. Some of tomorrow's greatest minds are living in poverty today. This poverty prevents them from accessing an education that allows them to reach their full potential for society's benefit," added Dascalu. "Our aim is to break the cycle of poverty for the benefit of everyone - and it all starts with The Luxury Foundation."

Anyone can volunteer with The Luxury Foundation to help the needy in their country, abroad, or online. The application to become a volunteer with The Luxury Foundation can be done through this form. Volunteers can join regular events and activities organized by the foundation and scheduled on its website; these activities will take place across Eastern Europe and directly help needy families.

The launch of The Luxury Foundation is the latest initiative of The Luxury, an elite concierge group that is also behind the launch of The Luxury Bank (TLB). The Luxury Bank is a utility-based cryptocurrency that aims to make using cryptocurrency for everyday purchases as easy as using a credit card. The Luxury Bank has already donated 800,000 TLB ($40MM) to the foundation, enabling The Luxury Foundation to start its charitable mission immediately.

For more information about The Luxury Foundation and its charitable mission and educational initiatives in Eastern Europe, please visit https://luxury.foundation/. For all general and media inquiries, please contact Samer Fatoum at +44 330 808 6781 or email pr@theluxurybank.com.

About The Luxury

The Luxury, founded in 2014, is a global concierge group that provides a luxury lifestyle management service for its clients via its network of six offices around the world. In addition to its concierge services, The Luxury brand also includes an influencer talent agency, retail, The Luxury Academy, The Luxury Bank, and The Luxury Foundation. For more information about the company and its services, please visit The Luxury's website .

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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - Getchell Gold Corp. (CSE: GTCH) (OTCQB: GGLDF) ("Getchell" or the "Company") is pleased to present the results from FCG21-08, the second drill hole of the 2021 drill program at the Company's flagship Fondaway Canyon Gold Project in Nevada ("Fondaway" or "Project").

Key Highlights

FCG21-08 intersected the Colorado SW Zone for over 200 metres with mineralized intervals that included: 4.2 g/t Au over 27.5m , 2.8 g/t Au over 24.5m, 1.4 g/t over 30.7m and 1.3 g/t Au over 16.8m ;

, ; The high-grade Juniper zone was also intersected by FCG21-08 returning 4.7 g/t Au over 25.9m , that included 11.4 g/t Au over 5.5m , within 100 metres of the surface; The FCG21-08 Colorado SW intercepts are greater than 40 metres distance from FCG20-02 (1.9 g/t Au over 43.5m) and 55 metres on strike to the NW from hole FCG20-06 (1.5 g/t Au over 37.7m and 1.1 g/t Au over 38.3m). The Colorado SW Zone remains open along strike and to depth; and

, that included , within 100 metres of the surface; The FCG21-08 Colorado SW intercepts are greater than 40 metres distance from FCG20-02 (1.9 g/t Au over 43.5m) and 55 metres on strike to the NW from hole FCG20-06 (1.5 g/t Au over 37.7m and 1.1 g/t Au over 38.3m). The Colorado SW Zone remains open along strike and to depth; and Hole FCG21-08 is the seventh consecutive hole in the Central Area that has intersected substantive gold mineralization by the Company.

"The unfolding story at the Fondaway Gold Project just keeps getting better. We continue to hit significant grades of mineralization over considerable widths, with our latest drill hole reporting one of the most outstanding series of gold intercepts in the forty-five-year history of gold exploration on the Project." stated Mike Sieb, President, Getchell Gold Corp.

The Company is currently drilling its Phase One 4,000 metre 2021 drill program at the Fondaway Canyon Gold Project as announced on June 1, 2021. Three holes have now been completed (Figure 1) totaling 1,230 metres with assay results released for the initial two holes, FCG21-07 (Company news release dated Aug. 10, 2021) and FCG21-08.

2021 Drill Program Results - Colorado SW Extension Zone

Hole FC21-08 was drilled from the same drill pad as FCG21-07 and was designed to test the Colorado SW Extension Zone down-dip, and to the west, of FCG20-02. The hole produced highly impressive results from the Colorado SW Extension Zone, spanning a distance greater than 200m downhole. The highlighted gold grade intervals are shown in Table 1 and along the drill hole trace in Figure 3. The Colorado SW Zone remains open laterally and to depth.

Four notable and adjacent drill intercepts grade:

4.2 g/t Au over 27.5m from 223.4 to 250.9m, including 13.0 g/t Au over 4.3m from 243.9-248.2m; 2.8 g/t Au over 24.5m from 261.5 to 286.0m; 1.4 g/t Au over 30.7m from 323.5 to 354.2m; and 1.3 g/t Au over 16.8m from 374.0 to 390.8m.





Figure 1: Fondaway Canyon Central Area Plan Map showing 2021 drill hole locations.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3941/94326_6704b59f34be1a88_001full.jpg





Figure 2: Fondaway Canyon 3D Gold Domain Model - Colorado Pit to Pack Rat (NE-SW) Section*



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3941/94326_6704b59f34be1a88_002full.jpg

President Mike Sieb has recorded an accompanying video augmenting this news release. The narrated video can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/SrEQ7wo3daw





Figure 3: FCG21-08 Drill Hole Trace with Gold Intervals, Looking NW



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3941/94326_6704b59f34be1a88_003full.jpg

2021 Drill Program Results - Juniper Zone

Hole FCG21-08 also tested the Juniper Zone, located within 100 metres of surface, with a 10m vertical step out from FCG20-02 (Figure 2). FCG21-08 intersected the Juniper Zone between 104.0-129.9m returning 4.7 g/t Au over 25.9m that included 11.4 g/t Au over 5.5m (Figure 3).

The Juniper Zone was discovered last year by FCG20-02 that intersected 6.2 g/t Au over 21.9m that included 20.4 g/t Au over 3.2 m (Company news release Jan. 27, 2021). The new Juniper zone represents a significant high-grade gold zone proximal to surface, remains open in most directions, and will be followed up by additional drilling.





Table 1: FCG21-08 Gold Grade Interval Highlights



To view an enhanced version of Table 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3941/94326_6704b59f34be1a88_004full.jpg

2021 Fondaway Canyon Drill Program Update

Drill hole FCG21-09 was collared approximately 300m to the SE of FCG21-07 and targeted the down-dip extent of the thick North Fork Zone that was discovered in 2020. The hole was completed to a drill depth of 507 metres and has been shipped to the lab for core cutting and assaying. The gold results are anticipated in 5 to 6 weeks.

The drilling of hole FCG21-10, situated on the same pad as FCG21-09, has commenced. FCG21-10 is designed to test the North Fork Zone up-dip from the gold interval intersected by the highly successful FCG20-04 (2.5 g/t Au over 58.0m), drilled in 2020 (Figure 1 and refer to Company news release dated Feb. 10, 2021). Of note, FCG20-04 ended in mineralization returning 2.6 g/t over 14.5m.

After completing a planned series of holes in the Central and Pediment target areas, the drill will mobilize 60kms to the north for the maiden drill program at the Company's high-grade Star Cu-Au-Ag project. After the completion of the Star drill program, the drill will return to Fondaway Canyon for the balance of the year.

Fondaway Canyon 3D Gold Domain Model - Colorado Pit to Pack Rat (NE-SW) Section*

The modelled gold domain highlights areas where gold intervals have been geologically linked and projected. The modelled gold domain is solely for exploration planning purposes and does not indicate a mineral resource. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify a current mineral resources estimate at Fondaway Canyon.

Scott Frostad, P.Geo., is the Qualified Person (as defined in NI 43-101) who reviewed and approved the content and scientific and technical information in the news release.

Highlighted drill intervals are based on a 0.25 g/t Au cut-off, minimum interval lengths of 10 feet (3.3 metres), and a maximum of 10 feet of internal dilution, with no top cut applied. All intervals are reported as downhole drill lengths and additional work is required to determine the true width.

The 2020 and 2021 drill core was cut at Bureau Veritas Laboratories' ("BVL") facilities in Sparks, Nevada, with the samples analyzed for gold and multi-element analysis in BVL's Sparks, Nevada and Vancouver, BC laboratories respectively. Gold values were produced by fire assay with an Atomic Absorption finish on a 30-gram sample (BV code FA430) with over limits re-analyzed using method FA530 (30g Fire Assay with gravimetric finish). The multi-element analysis was performed by ICP-MS following aqua regia digestion on a 30g sample (BV code AQ250). Quality control measures in the field included the systematic insertion of standards and blanks.

Shareholder Update Sept 17, 11am PST

The Company invites all interested investors and media to join the next Getchell Gold Corp Shareholder Update, which will provide an operational update on each of Getchell Gold's Nevada projects, a detailed review of all 2021 drill results to date, and a live Question and Answer session.

Registration is available here:

https://app.livestorm.co/getchell-gold/getchell-gold-shareholder-update-sept-17-2021?type=detailed

About Getchell Gold Corp.

The Company is a Nevada focused gold and copper exploration company trading on the (CSE: GTCH) and (OTCQB: GGLDF). Getchell Gold is primarily directing its efforts on its most advanced stage asset, Fondaway Canyon, a past gold producer with a significant in-the-ground historic resource estimate. Complementing Getchell's asset portfolio is Dixie Comstock, a past gold producer with a historic resource and two earlier stage exploration projects, the Star high-grade Cu-Au-Ag project and Hot Springs Peak. Getchell has the option to acquire 100% of the Fondaway Canyon and Dixie Comstock properties, Churchill County, Nevada.

The Company reiterates that its near-term strategy to advance its assets is not impacted by the COVID-19 Corona virus. The Company continues to monitor the situation and is in compliance with all government guidelines.

For further information please visit the Company's website at www.getchellgold.com or contact the Company at info@getchellgold.com.

Mr. William Wagener, Chairman & CEO

Getchell Gold Corp.

647.249.4798

info@getchellgold.com

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including: the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. Although management of Getchell have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94326
Presentation will highlight positive biomarker data that corroborates the positive efficacy data from two Phase 2 studies of ANVS401

Dr. Maccecchini to present virtually, Thursday, August 26, at 1:00 p.m. ET

Berwyn, Pennsylvania--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - Annovis, Bio, Inc. (NYSE American: ANVS), a clinical-stage drug platform company addressing Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that Maria Maccecchini, PhD, Founder, CEO and President of Annovis Bio, will present at the Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease Summit 2021, held on August 25 and 26, 2021.

Dr. Maccecchini's presentation, "Positive Biomarker Data Corroborates the Positive Efficacy Data in Two Phase 2 Studies with ANVS401", will take place virtually at 1:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, August 26, 2021.

A copy of Dr. Maccecchini's slide presentation is available on Annovis Bio's website here.

About Annovis Bio Inc.

Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, Annovis Bio, Inc. is a clinical-stage, drug platform company addressing neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's in Down Syndrome (AD-DS). We believe that we are the only company developing a drug for AD, PD and AD-DS that inhibits more than one neurotoxic protein and, thereby, improves the information highway of the nerve cell, known as axonal transport. When this information flow is impaired, the nerve cell gets sick and dies. We have two ongoing Phase 2 studies: one in AD patients and one in both AD and PD patients. In the AD/PD study our drug improves memory loss and dementia associated with AD, as well as body and brain function in PD. For more information on Annovis Bio, please visit the company's website: www.annovisbio.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release contain "forward-looking statements" that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "expect," "believe," "will," "may," "plan," "should," "estimate," "project," "outlook," "forecast" or other similar words, and include, without limitation, statements regarding the timing, effectiveness, and anticipated results of ANVS401 clinical trials. Forward-looking statements are based on Annovis Bio, Inc.'s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the section titled "Risk Factors" in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and Annovis Bio, Inc. undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

Contacts

Investor Relations:

Dave Gentry, CEO

RedChip Companies Inc.

407-491-4498

Dave@redchip.com

Media:

Susan Roberts

sr@roberts-communications.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94345
DGAP-News: Mangrove LuxCo III S.a r.l. / Key word(s): Quarter Results

Mangrove LuxCo III S.a r.l.: Invitation Q2 2021 Investor Conference Call



25.08.2021 / 15:00

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





NOTICE

Mangrove LuxCo III S.a r.l.

Societe a Responsabilite Limitee

Registered Office: 2, rue Edward Steichen,

L-2540 Luxembourg

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

R.C.S. Luxembourg B236258

7.775% Senior Secured Notes due 2025

ISIN Code: XS2059543921 / XS2059544655 / XS2059545389

Luxembourg - 3.00 pm, 25 August 2021

We are pleased to invite you to the Q2 2021 investor conference call of Mangrove LuxCo III S.a r.l.

Thursday, September 9, 2021

4.00 pm CEST (Central European Summer Time),

3.00 pm BST (British Summer Time),

10.00 am EDT (Eastern Daylight Time)



On the conference call, Mangrove LuxCo III S.a r.l. will discuss the bondholder reports for quarter ended June 30, 2021 and the results of operations of Mangrove LuxCo III S.a r.l. and its subsidiaries (the "Mangrove Group") in respect of such period. In addition, Mangrove LuxCo III S.a r.l. will discuss the noteholder presentation. The conference call will also include a discussion of the operational performance of the Mangrove Group and its subsidiaries, including Kelvion and ENEXIO, on a pro-forma basis for Q2 2021 and six months ended June 30, 2021.

The conference call will be hosted by Mr. Marcus Mayer, Chief Financial Officer of Kelvion Group.

The Group's bondholder reports will be released on August 27, 2021 at the investor website of the Mangrove Group at Syndtrak.



At the same website the information how to access the investor conference call will be released on September 6, 2021 and the noteholder presentation on September 7, 2021.

Holders of the Senior Secured Notes, prospective investors, broker dealers and securities analysts that do not yet have access to the investor website of the Mangrove Group at Syndtrak may contact Mangrove Investor Relations (info@mangrove-investor-relations.com) .



The Mangrove Group is a leading global manufacturer of heat exchangers and provides a full range of solutions for almost every industrial application, specializing in customized solutions suitable for extreme environmental conditions. The Mangrove Group is among the leading manufacturers in many of its core products. The Mangrove Group's main end-markets are power, heating, ventilation and air conditioning and refrigeration technology, oil and gas, food and beverages, chemicals, water and wastewater and marine. In those markets, the Mangrove Group services a broad, diversified and long-standing customer base in more than 130 countries.

****************

Disclaimer

This press release has been prepared by the Mangrove Group solely for informational purposes and does not constitute, and should not be construed as, an offer to sell or issue securities or otherwise constitute an invitation or inducement to any person to purchase, underwrite, subscribe to or otherwise acquire securities in any Mangrove Group entity.

Certain statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, any statements preceded by, followed by or including the words "targets," "believes," "expects," "aims," "intends," "may," "anticipates," "would," "could" or similar expressions or the negative thereof, constitute forward-looking statements, notwithstanding that such statements are not specifically identified. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) statements about future financial and operating results; (ii) statements of strategic objectives, business prospects, future financial condition, budgets, projected levels of production, projected costs and projected levels of revenues and profits of the Mangrove Group or its management or boards of directors; (iii) statements of future economic performance; and (iv) statements of assumptions underlying such statements.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict and outside of the control of the management of the Mangrove Group. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. We have based these assumptions on information currently available to us, and if any one or more of these assumptions turn out to be incorrect, actual market results may differ from those predicted. While we do not know what impact any such differences may have on our business, if there are such differences, our future results of operations and financial condition, could be materially adversely affected. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which such statements are made. The Mangrove Group expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

No representation, warranty or undertaking, express or implied, is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, the fairness, accuracy, completeness or correctness of the information or the opinions contained herein. Neither the Mangrove Group nor any of its advisors or representatives shall have any liability whatsoever (in negligence or otherwise) for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this press release or its contents. The information contained in this press release does not constitute investment advice.

This press release is not for publication, release or distribution in Canada, Japan or Australia. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of securities laws. This press release and the information contained herein are not an offer of securities for sale in the United States or to U.S. persons. Any securities referred to herein have not and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. persons. Any public offering of securities to be made in the United States would have to be made by means of a prospectus that would be obtainable from the Mangrove Group and would contain detailed information about the Mangrove Group, of any securities and its management, as well as financial statements. No money, securities or other consideration is being solicited, and, if sent in response to the information contained herein, will not be accepted.
LONDON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CleanEquity Monaco 2021, the forum for sustainable technology innovation, hosted by Innovator Capital and the Monaco Economic Board, closed on Friday, 23rd July with the Awards Ceremony in the presence of His Excellency, Monsieur Bernard Fautrier.

An independent panel of industry expert judges selected Conamix, Inc. to receive the award for Excellence in the Field of Environmental Technology Research.

Mungo Park, Chairman of Innovator Capital commented: "We were honoured to be the chosen platform hearing the full Conamix story for the first time as Charlotte, CEO, launched the company out of 5 years of stealth mode at CleanEquity Monaco 2021. The judges recognised clearly the tremendous potential of the company and its research to make a real difference in the world."

Conamix is working to dramatically lower the price of batteries for transportation in order to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles world-wide. Based in Ithaca, New York, USA and led by CEO Charlotte Hamilton and CTO Bart Riley, the company is using multiple breakthroughs in material science to unlock the potential of sulfur as an ultra-low-cost cathode material for lithium-ion batteries. Conamix has over 28 families of intellectual property and exclusive license to technology from Cornell University, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Stanford University. The company has been operating in stealth mode to improve battery performance with support from Volta Energy Technologies, Hegemon Capital and New York Ventures since 2016. More information can be found at www.conamix.com.

Charlotte Hamilton, CEO of Conamix said: "CleanEquity Monaco was a fantastic event to finally launch Conamix onto the world stage. The venue was just right to share our work with a likeminded audience who are all seeking to make a dramatic difference in the world through technology. The partner companies presenting, and the industry representatives in attendance, were all top notch change agents moving innovation and sustainability forward on a global stage. We were honoured to be a part of the event."

CleanEquity thanks, in particular: The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, Cision, Covington & Burling, Cranfield University, MIT Solve, the Monaco Economic Board, Parkview and Taronis Fuels.

CleanEquity Monaco will be returning to the Principality of Monaco in 2022.

Follow CleanEquity on Twitter and LinkedIn to keep up to date with the news.

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"IDMP Software Vendor Readiness and Capability" Report Highlights ArisGlobal as Most Prepared Vendor

MIAMI, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ArisGlobal , the leading provider of software that automates core product development functions for over 300 global life sciences companies, today announced that it has been recognized for requirement readiness in Gens & Associates' August 2021 "IDMP Software Vendor Readiness and Capability" report.

Gens & Associates led an IDMP (Identification of Medicinal Products) software vendor readiness and capability review that identifies planned offerings and timelines of software solutions required for European Medicine Agency's (EMA) IDMP/SPOR compliance. Gens recognizes that the requirements are a significant event for life sciences companies and issued the report to help the industry prepare for upcoming key milestones. Gens completed an objective evaluation of all vendors' current and planned IDMP product offerings from April to July 2021.

ArisGlobal was the most prepared vendor for IDMP readiness based on 22 capabilities, outperforming other leading vendors. Gens' industry report is a benchmark for IDMP vendors as they determine their cross-functional approach, improve automation as a core organizational goal and achieve IDMP/SPOR compliance.

IDMP choices often determine whether an organization pursues a unified platform or strategy along with an information management strategy. Vendors must connect to systems beyond regulatory compliance including safety, enterprise resource planning, quality, clinical and publishing systems. IDMP data proves regulatory information management (RIM). ArisGlobal is ideally positioned to address this complication by increasing efficiencies, simplifying the client's regulatory approach and achieving regulatory departmental goals beyond just compliance with the upcoming IDMP regulations.

Gens surveyed the industry's leading vendors for IDMP/SPOR readiness across 22 core requirements with five specific capabilities.

While all vendors will have the required capabilities in place by Q3 2022, only three vendors will have all the capabilities by the end of 2021.

ArisGlobal LifeSphere IDMP ranked at the top of all industry vendors on requirement readiness, with the second-place vendor three requirements behind.

LifeSphere Regulatory is the most efficient and user-friendly compliance platform in the industry. It is the industry's only unified end-to-end RIMS platform with IDMP, publishing, labeling, and content management.

About ArisGlobal

ArisGlobal is transforming the way today's most successful Life Sciences companies develop breakthroughs and bring new products to market. Our end-to-end drug development technology platform, LifeSphere, integrates our proprietary cognitive computing engine to automate all core functions of the drug development lifecycle. Designed with deep expertise and a long-term perspective that spans more than 30 years, LifeSphere is a unified platform that boosts efficiency, ensures compliance, delivers actionable insights, and lowers total cost of ownership through multi-tenant SaaS architecture.

Headquartered in the United States, ArisGlobal has regional offices in Europe, India, Japan and China. For more updates, follow ArisGlobal on LinkedIn and Twitter .

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The global ethylene vinyl acetate resins market is estimated to witness massive growth in forecast period, due to increased demand for EVA-resins based material in packaging industry globally. The Asia Pacific region to foresee robust growth by 2028.

NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Research Dive in its latest published report estimates that the Global Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Resins Market will generate $15,300.3 million and exhibit a CAGR of 6.9% from 2021 to 2028.

Market Dynamics

Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) resins-based are hugely utilized in the packaging and paper industry due to its various advantages such as crack resistant, flexible, chemical resistant, resistance to UV radiation, and high friction coefficient. In addition, there is an increasing utilization of bio-based EVA as they are environment friendly and various leading companies are introducing novel products in the market. These factors are predicted to propel the growth of the global ethylene vinyl acetate resins market in the analysis period. However, the availability of low-cost substitutes such as linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPEs) is projected to be a restraining factor for the global market growth.

Download PDF Sample Report of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Resins Market

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Resins Market

The COVID-19 outbreak has positively impacted the global ethylene vinyl acetate resins market during the pandemic. The increase in the growth rate of the market is majorly attributed to growing demand for ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) resins-based packaging material in sectors such as food & beverages. In addition, the increasing utilization of new technologies such as IIOT (industrial internet of things) that enables virtual control and real-time monitoring of production is driving the global market growth.

Access our comprehensive analysis of the IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON ETHYLENE VINYL ACETATE RESINS MARKET

Key Segment Findings of the Market:

The research report segments the global ethylene vinyl acetate resins market into type, application, end-user, and region.

Based on type, the thermoplastic ethylene vinyl acetate sub-segment is expected to hold a dominating market share and grow at a CAGR of 7.1% during the forecast period. This is mainly due to increasing construction activities of buildings and development in infrastructure around the world.

Based on application, the foam sub-segment accounted for $5,276.8 million in 2020 and is projected to hold largest market share over the forecast period. This can be majorly owing to the rising demand of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam in the footwear and medical industry across the globe.

in 2020 and is projected to hold largest market share over the forecast period. This can be majorly owing to the rising demand of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam in the footwear and medical industry across the globe. Based on end user, the footwear sub-segment is expected to have a dominating market share in the global industry and generate $5,967.5 million by 2028. The significant growth of the sub-segment is owing to the rising demand for both the traditional as well as the fashionable footwear.

by 2028. The significant growth of the sub-segment is owing to the rising demand for both the traditional as well as the fashionable footwear. Based on region, the Asia Pacific market for ethylene vinyl acetate resins valued for $4,422.9 million in 2020 and is expected to dominate in the global industry during the forecast period. The dominance of this region is mainly due to the increasing demand for photovoltaic panel-based electricity production and growing construction activities in various countries such as China and India .

Get Additional 20% OFF on Report Customization: Grab PROMO CODE

Top 10 Key Players of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Resins Market

The prominent players of the global ethylene vinyl acetate resins industry include

Ineos Group Holdings S.A. Exxon Mobil Corporation Honeywell International Inc. The Dow Chemical Company Eastman Chemical Company DuPont de Nemours, Inc. Celanese Corporation China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation Arkema S.A. LyondellBasell Industries Holdings B.V.

-Inquire and Get Quick Access to Top Companies Development Strategies Summary Report

These players are focusing on mergers, collaborations, product development, and launches to gain a competitive in the global market.

For instance, in November 2019, Repsol, a Spanish energy and petrochemical company, entered into a strategic collaboration with the American engineering firm Engineers & Constructors International in order to license ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), low-density polyethylene (LDPE) production technologies (ECI), and ethylene butyl acrylate (EBA) copolymer. This collaborative agreement serves as a differentiating factor in positioning Repsol's chemicals business in the EVA/EBA copolymer and petrochemical industry.

They are focusing on advanced product developments and merger & acquisition. These are some of the strategies conducted by the startups as well as established business organizations.

More about Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Resins:

Global Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Resins Market to Experience Accelerating Growth by 2028, Due to Increasing Use of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Resin-based Materials in the Packaging Sectors Across the World

Explained: EVA Foams and Their Applications

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About Research Dive:

Research Dive is a market research firm based in Pune, India. Maintaining the integrity and authenticity of the services, the firm provides the services that are solely based on its exclusive data model, compelled by the 360-degree research methodology, which guarantees comprehensive and accurate analysis. With an unprecedented access to several paid data resources, team of expert researchers, and strict work ethic, the firm offers insights that are extremely precise and reliable. Scrutinizing relevant news releases, government publications, decades of trade data, and technical & white papers, Research dive deliver the required services to its clients well within the required timeframe. Its expertise is focused on examining niche markets, targeting its major driving factors, and spotting threatening hindrances. Complementarily, it also has a seamless collaboration with the major industry aficionado that further offers its research an edge.

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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - OCIM Precious Metals SA ("OCIM") is pleased to announce it has granted a second financing facility in the amount of US$6 million to Inca One Gold Corp. (TSXV: IO) (OTCQB: INCAF) (FSE: SU92) ("Inca One") following a first round of US$2.5 million, signed in March 2021.

Listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, Inca One operates two gold ore processing units, Chala One and Kori One, located in Peru and duly authorized by local authorities. An exemplary firm in terms of social responsibility and strong environmental practices, Inca One sources its gold from small artisanal producers and sells its production of gold dore bars to European refining companies.

On March 15, 2021, OCIM provided Inca One US$2.5 million in secured financing, redeemable in gold bullion to increase Inca One's supply of ore from local small-scale producers and to raise usage of its processing units to 100% of capacity. Halfway through the financing's term, Inca One has fully deployed the funds, making it possible to boost supply and production-both of which attained record levels in May-and allowing the company to make its first repayment ahead of schedule.

Building on this success, OCIM and Inca One have entered into discussions to arrange an additional financing facility structured as a prepayment to be reimbursed in gold bullion. The new facility will be significantly larger with a longer term, and will support the continued ramp-up of Inca One's two processing facilities. "We are pleased to consolidate our partnership with this key player in the Peruvian gold sector, with whom we have rapidly built a trusting relationship. This second financing round also confirms the relevance of this type of recurring facility, which is both non-dilutive and better suited to the business model of the industry," explains Laurent Mathiot, CEO of OCIM.

ABOUT INCA ONE

Inca One Gold Corp is a TSXV listed gold producer operating two, fully permitted, gold mineral processing facilities in Peru. The Company produced nearly 25,000 ounces of gold from its operations in 2019 and has generated over US$100 million in revenue over the last five years. Inca One, now in its sixth year of commercial production, is led by an experienced and capable management team that has established the Company as a trusted leader in servicing government permitted, small scale miners in Peru. Peru is the world's sixth-largest producer of gold and its small-scale mining sector is estimated by government officials to be valued in the billions of dollars annually. Inca One possesses a combined 450 tonnes per day permitted operating capacity at its two fully integrated plants, Chala One and Kori One, and is targeting a fourth consecutive year of increased production and sales growth.

To learn more, visit www.incaone.com.

ABOUT OCIM

The OCIM group of privately held companies has a long and successful history as a Trader and Financier of Strategic Assets. Established in Paris in 1961, OCIM is headed by a third-generation member of the founding family. Besides its core historical business in Real Estate, OCIM has diversified into other strategic tangible assets such as coinage Precious Metals via its Geneva-based subsidiary. As a Merchant, OCIM trades physical metals across the full value chain, from producers to end users. As a Financier, OCIM invests in a wide variety of instruments and provides financing to the value chain with equity, debt, and alternative investments.

To learn more, visit the OCIM website: www.ocim.eu

CONTACT

Miranda J. Werstiuk

+1 (647) 299-1778

miranda.werstiuk@ocim.eu

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94346
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 26, 2021 / CMC Metals Ltd. (TSXV:CMB)(FRA:ZM5N)(OTC PINK:CMCZF); (the "Company") announces that initial positive soil geochemical results demonstrate validation of airborne geophysical targets at its flagship Silver Hart project in Yukon.

CMC has significantly extended previous soil geochemical surveys at Silver Hart as a part of validating targets identified by its property wide airborne SkyTEM geophysical survey completed earlier this year. The airborne survey identified eight new targets areas on the property (T1 to T8, see Figure 1) and initial results of soil geochemical surveys over T1 and T4 are highly encouraging. Results in the remainder of these target areas and the six other target areas are pending.

Existing mineralization in known mineralized veins in the Main Zone occur along northeasterly structures in an area characterized with low magnetic features, moderate conductivity, and in close proximity to the geological contact between volcanics of the Cassiar Batholith with overlying meta-sedimentary sequences including limestones and schists. These polymetallic veins are known to have strike extent up to 1.35 kilometers with above average grades of silver, lead, zinc with minor copper and gold.

T1 was a target located within the KW zone in the northwestern portion of the property. Previous surveys had indicated geochemical anomalies in the northwestern corner of this zone. Current results (see figure 2) have identified a stronger anomalous area extending further to the northeast over an area of possible strike length of 400-750 meters with a width of over 200 meters depicting northeasterly trends. The silver soil anomaly is also coincident with lead and zinc soil anomalies. The anomaly remains open in all northerly directions and is associated with key setting features including low magnetism, moderate conductivity, and in close proximity to the Cassiar Batholith-sedimentary contact.

T4 was a target located within the northernmost portion of the South Zone. This zone now comprises of a significant anomalous area (see Figure 3) extending over 2.5 kilometers in possible strike length with concentrated anomalies in both the southernmost portion and now defined in the northeastern area.

The recent results show a strong anomaly of silver in soils coincident with lead and zinc soil anomalies. Like T1, the anomalies in the T4 area, and within the South Zone, are now known to be associated with low magnetism, moderate conductivity and in close proximity to the Cassiar Batholith-sedimentary contact. The current anomaly remains open to the east, north and west and is northeasterly trending.

Kevin Brewer, P.Geo. President and CEO notes, "The SkyTEM airborne geophysical survey identified several attractive drill targets new areas for us at Silver Hart and Blue Heaven in areas that prior to this field season had never been explored. Subsequently, we have completed geochemical surveys, mapping and prospecting over these areas to help further delineate the potential of these zones. With the current validation we will then evaluate those areas which merit drilling in 2022 and beyond. We are now more confident in the two targets (T1 and T4) where we have now received geochemical results as they serve to verify the validity of our property wide 3D modelling and our geophysical analysis. T1 and T4 are very prominent targets with large spatial areas that if mineralized could significantly increase the current resources of high-grade silver, lead and zinc at Silver Hart. In addition, if you compare the extent of known polymetallic veins in the Main Zone (see Figure 1) to the areas of prospectivity it is evident that there is a lot of exploration upside potential on this project and we still feel we have not yet identified all areas with potential for high grade polymetallic veins and possibly carbonate replacement style deposits."

John Bossio, Chairman notes, "We are very pleased with these preliminary results from our 2021 program. Since 2019 our overall strategy has been to implement a systematic property wide exploration effort to undertake an evaluation of the true exploration potential of Silver Hart which has never been undertaken in its 35-year history. What is giving us confidence in this project is that every survey and work effort has added value to the project and contributed significantly to our understanding of the high-grade polymetallic vein system. We feel this will aid us in identifying future drill targets outside of the identified structures in the Main Zone. We also understand that our shareholders and others are interested in receiving news on our current drilling program focussed on expanding our resources in the Main Zone. To date we have completed 13 holes and we are on target to complete Phase 1 of our planned drill efforts which will continue into 2022. We expect results soon."

The Company is continuing its efforts to seek a partner for our Bridal Veil and Terra Nova Projects in Newfoundland. As previously noted the Company is planning to undertake further exploration of these properties in October. Bridal Veil is known to host high grade copper-lead-silver +/- gold mineralization in veins and a unexplained geophysical anomaly. Only a small portion of the property to date has been explored. Bridal Veil is located in central Newfoundland in the Gander Zone, approximately 20 kilometers east of the Newfound Gold Queensway Gold discovery, 10 kilometers east of Gander and is transected by the Trans Canada Highway and the Trans Canada trail system. Terra Nova is also located in Central Newfoundland near the community of Terra Nova. At this property high grades of silver-copper-gold and tungsten have been identified in several showings in an alteration area of 12 square kilometers.

Kevin Brewer, President and CEO notes, "I am personally looking forward to finally getting to examine these promising properties in Newfoundland in October so that we can develop an exploration strategy for 2022. These two properties comprise a total of 197 claims and include several high-grade mineral occurrences. They are polymetallic in nature with both good base and precious metal content from outcrop samples over large areas of alteration. Bridal Veil is of possible orogenic origin and Terra Nova is thought to have the potential to host mesothermal gold -polymetallic deposits. We are glad to have a solid position in one of the best jurisdictions to be operating in the world - Newfoundland - and on a personal note as a Newfoundlander I am looking forward to doing work in my home province."

Qualified Person

Kevin Brewer, a registered professional geoscientist in BC, Yukon and Newfoundland, is the Company's President and CEO, and Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101). He has approved the technical information reported herein. The Company is committed to meeting the highest standards of integrity, transparency and consistency in reporting technical content, including geological reporting, geophysical investigations, environmental and baseline studies, engineering studies, metallurgical testing, assaying and all other technical data.

About CMC Metals Ltd.

CMC Metals Ltd. is a growth stage exploration company focused on opportunities for silver in Yukon and British Columbia and polymetallic deposits in Yukon and Newfoundland. Our silver-lead-zinc prospects include the Silver Hart Deposit and Blue Heaven claims (the "Silver Hart Project") and the recently acquired Rancheria South, Amy and Silverknife claims (the "Rancheria South Project"). Our polymetallic projects with potential for copper-silver-gold and other metals include Logjam (Yukon), Bridal Veil and Terra Nova (both in Newfoundland).

On behalf of the Board:

"John Bossio"

John Bossio, Chairman

CMC METALS LTD.

For further information concerning the CMC Metals Ltd., or its exploration projects, please contact:

Investor Inquiries:

Kevin Brewer, P. Geo., MBA, B.Sc Hons, Dip. Eng

President, CEO and Director

Tel: (604) 670 0019

kbrewer80@hotmail.com

Office:

Suite 110-175 Victory Ship Way

North Vancouver, BC

V7L 0B2

To be added to CMC's news distribution list, please send an email to info@cmcmetals.ca or contact Mr. Kevin Brewer.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

"This news release may contain certain statements that constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law, including without limitation, statements that address the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles and exploitation activities and developments. In this release disclosure regarding the potential to undertake future exploration work comprise forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions. While such estimates and assumptions are considered reasonable by the management of the Company, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive and regulatory uncertainties and risks, including the ability of the Company to raise the funds necessary to fund its projects, to carry out the work and, accordingly, may not occur as described herein or at all. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, the timing and receipt of government and regulatory approvals, the impact of the constantly evolving COVID-19 pandemic crisis and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. Readers are referred to the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators for information on these and other risk factors, available at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and, accordingly are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of such statements. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation."

SOURCE: CMC Metals Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/661550/CORRECTION-CMCs-Positive-Geochemical-Survey-Results-Further-Validate-Airborne-Geophysical-Targets-At-Silver-Hart-Project-Yukon
Cannabis banking leader hires David Bagley and Matt Fitzgerald to key executive roles

BONITA SPRINGS, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2021 / Green Check Verified (GCV), the leading fintech provider of compliant cannabis banking solutions and services, today announced David Bagley as executive vice president and chief growth officer and Matt Fitzgerald as vice president of engineering as part of a larger company expansion. The company also recently promoted Co-founder Mike Kennedy to chief strategy officer.

Bagley joins GCV with over thirty years of experience as a C-Suite growth executive serving the fintech and regulatory technology (regtech) industries in roles for both Fortune 500 companies and equity backed SaaS/PaaS organizations. Most recently, David served as chief revenue officer at Continuity, a notable provider of regtech solutions to the financial services industry. He previously served in a senior leadership role at Fiserv, as well as chief executive positions at One Point Financial, Nancy Creek Capital, and Specialty Caseworks among other private equity backed companies.

"I could not be more pleased to join Green Check Verified at this exciting time," said Bagley. "There is a wave of financial institutions entering this line of business - as clearly demonstrated by Green Check's growth over the past eight months - and the company is uniquely positioned to be the leading provider of compliant cannabis banking solutions for institutions that want to bank this market in an impactful way."

Fitzgerald joins GCV with more than two decades of experience in technical alignment strategies in complex environments, enterprise road maps, integration and information processing from data sources, data visualization and reporting, database administration, and delivery of high-end solutions. He previously served as vice president of data platform for Dynata, the world's largest first party platform for insights, activation, and measurement.

"GCV is both a pioneer and the leading innovator in cannabis banking," said Fitzgerald. "When I look at what's been accomplished to date, as well as the ambitious product roadmap for the next six months and beyond, I know the team is laser-focused on offering a truly special, continually-improved solution to the market. I'm proud to help guide that."

The hiring of Bagley and Fitzgerald is part of a larger company expansion to support the growing number of financial institutions adopting GCV's end-to-end cannabis banking platform. Recent hires include:

Cherie LaFlamme, director of product - LaFlamme has over 15 years experience working in product management and marketing, specializing in SaaS-based security and compliance solutions for financial institutions.

Julie Mott, lead relationship manager - Mott has more than two decades of experience working for banks and credit unions in operations, retail, and lending. Prior to joining GCV, Julie was the vice president and deposit operations manager for a $1.3 billion financial institution based in Rhode Island.

Leigh Vadas, director of customer success - Vadas's background is in working with enterprise-level customers to achieve return on investment (ROI), and she has built and managed world class customer success teams. Over her 15 years of experience in software and technology services, she has served in key customer success roles at DarkOwl, MJ Freeway, and Ping Identity.

Micah Fields, customer success engineer - Fields has successfully implemented compliant cannabis banking programs for financial institutions across the U.S and managed business portfolios exceeding $100 million. Prior to joining GCV, Micah served as assistant vice president and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) officer at an Arkansas-based financial institution.

Milena Paz, QA engineer - Paz has over a decade of expertise in software engineering. She has achieved ISTQB certification, exhibiting her extensive knowledge in software. Prior to joining GCV, Milena served as a software engineer for companies in a variety of industries.

"Bringing on this new wealth of banking, technology, and customer success talent allows us to continue to lead the market and build on our unprecedented growth in 2021," says Kevin Hart, founder and CEO. "It also gives us the resources to continue to innovate and provide our partners with the cutting edge of what's possible in compliant cannabis banking solutions."

GCV is now providing technology and advisory services that enable financial institutions to develop compliant, efficient, and successful cannabis banking programs across 34 states. In July, the company also announced that it had raised a total of more than $8 million, following the closing of an oversubscribed $3 million in Convertible Note Financing.

###

About Green Check Verified

Green Check Verified (GCV) offers a suite of compliant regulatory banking technology solutions and advisory services for financial institutions. Founded in 2017 by a team of technology, banking, and regulatory experts, we focus on the intersection between community banking and the emerging legal cannabis industry. Our goal is to provide the services and technology needed to connect these two industries in compliant and profitable ways. For more information about Green Check Verified, visit www.greencheckverified.com

Contact Information

Kyle W. Kempf

Caliber Corporate Advisers

kyle@calibercorporate.com

888.550.6385 ext.19

SOURCE: Green Check Verified

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/661290/Green-Check-Verified-Adds-Banking-and-Tech-Veterans-to-Leadership-Team-Amidst-Company-Expansion
HAMPSHIRE, UK / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2021 / Tungate, the leading company in the fraud-preventing industry, is proud to announce the launch of its latest system, which will help clients prevent, detect, and investigate fraud online.

Cryptocurrencies usually exist only in electronic form. Transactions involving cryptocurrencies are usually conducted online without the involvement of third parties such as banks. These transactions rely on blockchain technology, which provides some form of anonymity and makes the system difficult to hack. Blockchain technology is more secure than ordinary electronic transactions. However, as with anything else involving money, scams exist. Fraudsters take advantage of every opportunity to cash in and steal money. Their greatest tool remains the ignorance of unsuspecting people.

As the cryptocurrency space continues to grow, scammers have come up with more sophisticated ways to scam. Here are some crypto scams to watch out for:

Investment Opportunity Scams: Investment scams are more common. Some scammers advertise investment opportunities with promises of higher returns in a short period without any financial risk. Sometimes they promise recruitment rewards paid in cryptocurrency.

They often require a constant flow of new people to make more money. Typical examples are Ponzi or pyramid crypto schemes. Remember that 'if it sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true'.

Fraudulent Giveaways: Some scammers post screenshots of false messages promoting a giveaway. Usually, the 'winners' are required to 'confirm' their location by sending a certain amount of cryptocurrency first. Of course, after this, users will discover the giveaway was false, but there is no hope of retrieving the money sent. False airdrops may also be advertised with links to fraudulent websites where their personal information is collected

'Rug Pulls' /Pump and Dump Schemes: In some cases, scammers pool money to purchase a coin in massive amounts. This causes the price of the coin to shoot up, drawing the attention of potential investors and resulting in Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). Once the price shoots up to a substantial value, the scammers sell all their coins, causing a massive slump in the price.

In some cases, a malicious individual creates a coin and promotes it aggressively, then abandons efforts to promote the coin or withdraws everything from the liquidity pool, driving its value to zero. These result in investors losing their money.

How to Avoid Getting Scammed?

Research and research. Always do proper research before purchasing new coins or tokens.

Contact a Recovery Company. There are companies that can retrieve their investments and funds lost to cryptocurrency and forex scams, such a company is Tungate Capital www.capitalTungate.com

Avoid FOMO and FUD. Scammers capitalize on Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt, and the Fear of Missing Out to get users to buy malicious coins for their profit. Users should stay calm and do their research. The crypto market is here to stay, there's no need to rush into something users don't understand.

Confirm the Correct Website or App. When attempting to use/login to a crypto-exchange, wallet or crypto-related service, watch out for spelling and grammatical mistakes. Ensure they're using the right website or app, rather than a phishing site. Phishing scams are used to trick victims into handing over login credentials or sensitive data.

Avoid sending cryptocurrencies to unknown external wallets or for giveaway 'verification'.

Be careful about websites or individuals promising unrealistic or high returns in a short period.

Use two-factor authentication (2FA) on their accounts and don't share their vital information, or log in on entrusted devices.

Ensure they're buying crypto from or selling to a trusted source/ vendor.

Use malware protection on their devices and avoid clicking on links from unknown email sources or on malicious websites or social media as this can be malware sent by scammers to access their wallet

As a rule, avoid following a crypto trend blindly. Ensure to do their research before users choose to 'buy the dip' before their money ends up deep in a 'stranger's' pocket.

About Tungate

Tungate is an international investigative firm that was founded for the purpose of retrieving funds and payments with the aim of protecting creditors and every individual who has invested their wealth in these unregulated but seemingly legal forex and binary option trading platforms.

Media Contact

Company: Tungate

Contact Name: Media Team

E-mail: contact@capitalTungate.com

Website: https://www.capitalTungate.com

Address: 16 Riverside Omega Park, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 2UF, UK

SOURCE: Tungate

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/661289/Tungate-Introduces-the-System-Avoiding-Online-Frauds
SEOUL, KOREA / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2021 / BMS Engineering (CEO: Donald Kim) speeds up its overseas expansion. It aims to expand to the global market with its own technologies and outstanding competencies of its employees.

BMS Engineering is a company manufacturing its products according to the standards of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS), and Deutsche Industric Norman (DIN).

It has been receiving attention by exporting Differential Pressure Flow Meter, Pressure Vessel, Pressure Piping, and Heat Exchange to worldwide markets, including the US, Canada, Europe, Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

Recently, it has approved its market competitiveness with the Gas Turbine Cooling Air Cooler and Fuel Gas Heater used for the Gas Turbine Plant. Also, it is acknowledged as a technology- centered company with a welding technology to achieve low-temperature toughness related to the high-temperature Chrome & Molybdenum materials.

In addition, BMS Engineering manages various industrial boiler design and manufacturing businesses as a certificate holder of ASME Code (SUPPSTAMP), which is the standard for designing, manufacturing, and inspecting the technologies of boiler and pressure vessels authenticated by ASME.

On top of its outstanding technical professionals, several in-house professional engineers with experiences and differentiated skills lead the company's competitiveness. Above all, it secures the certified professionals by the International Professional Engineers Agent (IPEA) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and exhibits the unrivaled technology know-hows.

The official from BMS Engineering commented with an emphasis that "BMS Engineering has hired the Authorized Piping Inspector (API), Authorized Pressure Vessel Inspector (API), Certified Welding Inspector (CWI & CSWIP) and International Welding Engineer(IWE) and it is expanding its capacity that manages the quality satisfying the outstanding technological requirements. Also, it will continuously invest in R&D to expand its influence on the global market in the future."

Media Contact

Company: BMS ENGINEERING CO., LTD

Contact: DONALD KIM

E-Mail: do_kim@bms-eng.co.kr

Telephone: +82-51-931-0105

Address: 18, 17th street, Garise1-ro, Gangseo-gu, Busan-si, Republic of Korea

Website: www.bms-eng.co.kr

SOURCE: BMS ENGINEERING CO., LTD

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/661291/BMS-Engineering-Expands-the-Global-Business-and-Strengthens-Its-Technology
IT, operations, and process professionals share how they rapidly map, automate and optimise business processes leveraging the Nintex process management and automation platform

LONDON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nintex, the global standard for process management and automation, today announced a new season of Workflow Wonders webinars featuring leading organisations in a variety of industries across the globe sharing automation best practices to improve the way people work.

Learn more and sign up for the next episode of Workflow Wonders on 22 September 2021 at 10 a.m. Pacific with the City of Garland Fire Department by visiting https://www.nintex.com/workflow-wonders/

Nintex launched its Workflow Wonders webinar series in August 2020 to celebrate digital transformation successes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar series provides real-world examples of how people have turned to the process management and automation capabilities of the Nintex Process Platform to drive productivity, digitally transform, and to successfully navigate COVID-19 challenges.

"Nearly half the Fortune 500 already utilise Nintex to manage and automate processes that improve the way people work," said Nintex Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Dustin Grosse. "We are delighted to share innovative and inspiring ways leading organisations are solving business challenges, driving greater efficiencies, eliminating paper and achieving digital transformation goals with the Nintex Process Platform."

Today more than 10,000 organisations are already digitising business processes with the powerful, easy-to-use and complete automation capabilities of the Nintex Process Platform. Over the last 16 months, digital business initiatives have become more important than ever as enterprises and public-sector agencies look to improve customer experiences and worker productivity during pandemic-driven work-from-home challenges.

The webinar series features customer organisations in a variety of major industries leveraging Nintex technologies like Nintex Promapp, Nintex Forms, Nintex Workflow, Nintex Drawloop DocGen for Salesforce, Nintex RPA, Nintex Mobile and App Studio, Nintex Analytics and more. More than a dozen episodes of Workflow Wonders are available to watch on-demand and feature industry leaders and non-profits like New Belgium Brewing Company, Flight Centre Travel Group, Lands' End, Meals on Wheels of CentralTexas, and more.

To learn more and to register for the next Workflow Wonders webinar, visit https://www.nintex.com/workflow-wonders/.

Media Contact

Kristin Treat Nintex kristin.treat@nintex.com

cell: (215) 317-9091



About Nintex

Nintex is the global standard for process management and automation. Today more than 10,000 public and private sector organisations across 90 countries turn to the Nintex Platform to accelerate progress on their digital transformation journeys by quickly and easily managing, automating and optimising business processes. Learn more by visiting www.nintex.com and experience how Nintex and its global partner network are shaping the future of Intelligent Process Automation (IPA).

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1601375/Workflow_wonders_social_June_2021_UK.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/700078/Nintex_Logo.jpg
New Geological Setting Discovered East of Beauregard Lake on Pakwash

Silicified Sediments Similar to Dixie Property Discovered Next to Basalt Marker

Intense Albite Alteration Overprints All Previous Textures

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - Golden Goliath Resources Ltd. (TSXV: GNG) (OTC Pink: GGTHF) (FSE: GGZ)

Golden Goliath Resources is pleased to update the progress made during the second and third phases of the drill program on the Kwai property, which commenced in early July. Phase 1 of the 2021 drill program was completed in late March, targeting IP anomalies identified on the south side of Beauregard Lake. Phase 2 started in early July with four drill holes completed around hole K21-21 on the south side of Beauregard Lake where anomalous gold values of 864 ppb were encountered over one metre in an altered shear zone south of the main Pakwash break (see NR of May 25, 2021). The new holes, K21-25, 26, 27 & 28, all encountered narrow shears with quartz-epidote-albite alteration and assays are pending.





Figure 1: Red Lake District Properties including the Kwai and SLF properties of Golden Goliath

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4761/94327_image1.jpg

Phase 3 was initiated in late July when the drill was moved just east of Beauregard Lake, along the main Pakwash break, targetting IP anomalies in deep overburden up ice of gold in till anomalies identified on the south side of Beauregard Lake in early 2020. To date three holes K21-29, 30 & 31 have been completed. These three holes appear to cross the metamorphic boundary between the highly metamorphosed English River rocks to the south and the greenshist phases Uchi rocks to the north. At the boundary and on the Uchi side the holes encountered a new sedimentary zone 100 to 170 metres wide in contact with a regional basalt marker. The interval contains three bands of intensely silicified bedded sediments, which are overprinted with albite, epidote and potassic alteration with disseminated pyrite. This interval is similar in appearance to units discovered on the Great Bear Dixie property. The sediment package on the Dixie property occurs between a basalt to the south and the LP zone and contains gold values (see GBR NR with cross sections).

The drill has now moved a further 200M eastward to line 34E where hole K21-32 is underway. Further eastward stepouts are planned to lines 36E, 39E and 41E for a strike length of 1300 metres.

Drill hole K21-32 is now in progress with a target depth of about 200m. There are approximately 1400 metres remaining to be drilled in this 3,000 metre program.

Assays are pending for all holes with assay labs being jammed to capacity during these active times. All samples are being assayed with a 30 gm Fire Assay for gold. Multi element analysis is also being done to search for pathfinder elements.





Figure 2: Update of Completed and Proposed drill holes with IP anomalies and local features

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4761/94327_33357d24c47b09ee_004full.jpg

Golden Goliath CEO Paul Sorbara PGeo comments: "We are excited about finding alteration and similar stratigraphic units that occur on the GBR Dixie property. For some time we have felt that the Kwai property covers the south flank of a regional fold that repeats the geology of the Dixie property."

QAQC

All the gold values reported in this round of drilling were obtained by fire assaying 30 gm samples. Blank and standards were inserted into the sample stream alternating at 25m intervals.

This news release has been reviewed by R.S. Middleton P.Eng who is acting as QP for this phase of the exploration under the NI 43-101 requirements.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Paul Sorbara, MSc, PGeo

CEO, Golden Goliath Resources Ltd.

About Golden Goliath

Golden Goliath Resources Ltd. is a junior exploration company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (symbol GNG). The Company is focused on exploring and developing the gold and silver potential of properties in the Red Lake District of Ontario. The Company also holds a 100% interest in the San Timoteo property, located in the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains of northwestern Mexico, as well as NSR royalties on several other nearby properties.

To find out more about Golden Goliath visit our website at www.goldengoliath.com.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information

Certain statements included herein may constitute "forward-looking statements". All statements included in this press release that address future events, conditions or results, including in connection with exploration activity, future acquisitions and any financing, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "must", "plan", "believe", "expect", "estimate", "think", "continue", "should", "will", "could", "intend", "anticipate" or "future" or the negative forms thereof or similar variations. These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by management in light of their experiences and their perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors they believe are appropriate in the circumstances. These statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those mentioned in the Company's continuous disclosure documents, which can be found under its profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Many of such risks and uncertainties are outside the control of the Company and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In making such forward-looking statements, management has relied upon a number of material factors and assumptions, on the basis of currently available information, for which there is no insurance that such information will prove accurate. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements set forth above. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Golden Goliath Resources Ltd.

J. Paul Sorbara, M.Sc., P.Geo

President & CEO

Phone: +1(604) 682-2950 Email: jps@goldengoliath.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94327
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - Aquarius AI Inc. (CSE: AQUA) (the "Company" or "Aquarius") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a letter agreement (the "Purchase Agreement") pursuant to which it may purchase (the "Acquisition") 500 next generation Bitmain Antminer S19 Pro 110 TH/s Bitcoin Mining Rigs (the "MINERS") for CAD$5,000,000, subject to securing financing and to completing the Acquisition by November 23, 2021. Under the Purchase Agreement, the Company may also acquire sufficient Carbon Neutral power to power the MINERS, at a price of US$0.05 per kW/h, to be supplied in a purpose built, fully-managed Bitcoin Mining approved data center.

The Company has been researching opportunities related to Bitcoin Mining for over six months and is very pleased to have secured the rights contained in the Purchase Agreement.

The Company developed extensive experience in managing enterprise scale technology and in performing high volume algorithmic transactions when it was focused on customer acquisition of consumer products and services through the development of a programmatic marketing platform (the "Marketing Platform") to intelligently connect digital advertisers to consumers across online display, mobile and video advertising channels, and solve the key challenges that digital advertisers face. The Company expects that this experience would transfer well to Bitcoin Mining.

The Company believes that certain market forces have come together to make the Bitcoin Mining opportunity a timely next step:

-Strong Margins: the value of Bitcoin has been rising and stands at approximately US$48,000 per coin (C$60,500), with a typical gross cost of around US$4,500 per coin to mine (90% margin approximately) (https://www.cryptocompare.com/mining/calculator/btc?HashingPower=110&HashingUnit=TH%2Fs&PowerConsumption=3250&CostPerkWh=0.05&MiningPoolFee=1)

-Strong Demand: Macroeconomic changes in China have meant that Bitcoin mining is in high demand in North America and miners are being rewarded with higher Bitcoin payments than has been typical (https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202106/1226598.shtml)

New Team Members



The Company is also delighted to welcome to the team Owen Sagness, as Director of Operations. Owen is a seasoned Senior Executive who led Microsoft MSN for 9 years, where he was responsible for driving sales by more than 300%. Later, App Nexus enjoyed similar results led by Owen and eventually exited via AT&T with a purchase price of US$2 Billion, quickly followed by a further sale of a B2B subscription business for US$180MM. Owen is recognized as one of the top on-line marketing & sales experts in the world today.

The Company is also delighted to welcome to the team Ryan Trasolini, as Head of Bitcoin Mining. Ryan is a Canadian entrepreneur and an early mover in the Cryptocurrency Mining and Technology sectors. Ryan began Bitcoin mining in 2013 and has consulted for multiple cryptocurrency mining companies on best practices and hardware build-outs. More recently, Ryan co-founded and built Flagship Endeavors, a Los Angeles based incubator focusing on innovative technology-based companies. Ryan has been an integral component connecting capital market partners and merchant banks to medical and technology-based companies, having advised, and consulted for several pioneering public companies.

The Company intends to provide further information regarding the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement in due course.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release, including statements which may contain words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", or similar expressions, and statements related to matters which are not historical facts, such as statements regarding the contemplated completion of the Acquisition pursuant to the Company exercising the Acquisition Right, all of which are subject to securing financing, are forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's expectations and are based on certain factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct, nor that the financing required to complete the Acquisition will completed as contemplated or at all, nor that the Acquisition will be completed as contemplated, or at all, nor that the expected benefits of the Acquisition will be realized as contemplated, or at all. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly any future revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as expressly required by law.

The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this press release

For Further Information:



Aquarius AI Inc.

Melissa Adams

Investors@AquariusAI.ca

(604) 265-7511

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94354
Accedian Skylight addresses the top 7 trends affecting NPM market

MONTREAL, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Accedian, a leader in performance analytics and end user experience solutions, is thrilled to have been recognized as a "Value Leader" by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) in their 2021 Radar Report: Network Performance Management (NPM). The needs of enterprises vary greatly depending on their digital transformation strategies and network evolution to adopt cloud applications. More organizations are shifting to measure not just traditional network performance characteristics but the successful delivery of customer experiences. EMA's report comes at a crucial time, as organizations recover from the initial impact of COVID-19 and accelerate digital transformation for financial impact and competitive differentiation.

The NPM Radar Report aims to assist IT organizations' procurement of NPM solutions for operational monitoring, troubleshooting, and capacity planning. With the report, buyers gain insights to best choice solutions based on their organization's maturation, budget, direction and vision, and their current mix of network technologies. "While an extremely competitive and crowded market, NPM vendors offer a wide range of capabilities that enterprises need to evaluate to choose tools that will help them today and tomorrow," comments Shamus McGillicuddy, Vice President of Research for Network Management at EMA. "Accedian is a vendor that differentiated itself not only with the long-term customer relationships it has built while helping them solve their network challenges and evolve their networks, but with high ratings in Product Strength, and ease of deployment and administration, all at competitive pricing."

The EMA report highlights the top seven trends affecting the NPM market:

Evolving cloud requirements; Solution flexibility where licenses reflect the evolving nature of networks; New data requirements with varying needs driving streaming telemetry; Adoption of SD-WAN hybrid networks; AIOPS to measure the business; Convergence of NetOps and SecOPs teams; Work for Anywhere.

Accedian is committed to keeping up with the pace of change in the NPM market. "Accedian is extremely proud of the 'Value Leader' rating," says Tom Footit, Vice President of Product Management for Accedian. "The NPM market is constantly evolving as IT organizations embark on their journey towards a fully digital future. As the IT environment becomes increasingly more complex, we strive to continuously empower our customers to control and manage their digital infrastructure, no matter how complex their network is."

Accedian Skylight is a SaaS NPM solution that provides both active and passive monitoring in real time from Layers 2 - 7 across the network stack with granular analytics and insightful performance reporting. Accedian offers sensors that generate metadata based on traffic and can be deployed on-premises or as embedded agents in various systems, and are cloud agnostic. During EMA's evaluation of Accedian, customers commented, "Customer service is flawless. They do what it takes to get it done. Hard charging."

Additional Resources:

EMA NPM- Radar Report Summary: Accedian Highlights

The full report 2021 Radar Report: Network Performance Management is available from EMA

CONTACT:

Pragya Goel

SourceCode Communications

accedian@sourcecodecomms.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
BEIJING, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Atsaphangthong Siphandone, Mayor of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, recently issued an honorary certificate to Beijing Applied Biological Technologies (XABT) for the donation of 2019-nCoV Nucleic Acid Detection Kits to support Vientiane's efforts at epidemic prevention and control in 2021. At the same time, the deputy director of the Vientiane's foreign affairs office, sent a letter of thanks to XABT on behalf of the Vientiane Municipal Government and Epidemic Prevention and Control Committee.

During the last coronavirus outbreak in Laos in April this year, XABT donated 5,040 Multiple Real Time PCR Kits for Detection of 2019-nCoV and provided full technical service support to Vientiane to help the city control the spread of the disease through in-depth international cooperation.

Virus knows no borders, but the worst of times reveals the best in people. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, XABT has undertaken corporate social responsibility with practical actions and donated nucleic acid detection and extraction kits to Italy, Iran, Malaysia, Thailand, Peru and Bangladesh to support their fights against the epidemic. The company will continue to make positive contributions to continue the effort at controlling the epidemic worldwide.

Nucleic acid detection is an important testing and screening method for 2019-nCoV used by the World Health Organization (WHO) and national health authorities. XABT, among all the companies that have obtained the registration certificate from the National Medical Products Administration of China for the coronavirus nucleic acid detection reagent, is one of the few high-tech companies producing the rapid detection technology covering three genes, ORF1ab, N and E. The company's 2019-nCoV nucleic acid detection kit (fluorescence PCR method) can achieve up to 99.9% accuracy due to the specific binding at the molecular level and was included in the WHO Emergency Use Listing in May 2020. The company has received the ISO13485 system certification, and its products, all of which conform to the EU's CE certification standards, are being adopted by more and more countries as a tool to control and prevent the further spread of the virus as well as being recognized as the most effective solution by more and more organizations.

For more information:

Company website: http://www.x-abt.com/en/

LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2021 / In light of recent news stories, Netcoins.ca has renewed its efforts to provide the most secure cryptocurrency transactions. Multiple news stories, including this Newsweek article, tell the story of the theft of over $600 Million in cryptocurrency. In response, Netcoins will be working with its partners, BitRank & QLUE, to make sure their customers are safe using the latest in blockchain analytic and forensic tools.

In addition to their active security measures, Netcoins continues to bring its customers the latest information on cryptocurrency security advances. For example, the first story on their Blog is about Ethereum starting the process to upgrade to version 2.0 and offer more security and ease of use. Netcoins sees no reason to not buy Bitcoin as part of a diverse portfolio. As mentioned in the article about the theft, the hackers are already being forced to return the stolen assets using security features built into cryptocurrency. At Netcoins, they offer real human beings you can get in touch with easily. Customers can get an answer in minutes during business hours through live chat, phone, email or our help center.

Netcoins.ca President Mitchell Demeter responded to news of the theft, "Safe transactions for our customers has always been our first priority. Our security measures continue to exceed industry standards. We are grateful that none of Netcoins customers were affected by these hacks, but not surprised. We will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure that every transaction is safe and secure."

ABOUT NETCOINS.CA

Founded in 2014, Netcoins started out by providing a Virtual Bitcoin ATM solution to over 170,000+ stores across 3 continents, and also operated a private brokerage service for institutional and larger scale crypto investors. As the crypto industry evolved, we've since pivoted to a cryptocurrency trading platform, which users can access online 24/7 through a web or mobile browser at Netcoins.app. Our leadership team has been strengthened by diverse experience - including that of our president, Mitchell Demeter, who founded the world's first Bitcoin ATM.

Now, we've also made significant investments in technology, offering a simple and streamlined onboarding process, tight security and 24/7 instant trades. We understand that what you do with your money matters. We also know that cryptocurrency can seem like a complicated process. That's where we come in. We build trust by taking the guesswork out of crypto and by delivering results.

We're excited to be part of your crypto journey. From education, to innovation, to our zealous customer service, we are here to be your trusted resource for all things crypto. We can't wait to bring you onboard!



Media Inquiries: media@netcoins.ca

SOURCE: Netcoins.ca

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/661179/Netcoinsca-Renews-Commitment-to-Security-in-Wake-of-Major-Bitcoin-Theft
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - American CuMo Mining Corporation (TSXV: MLY) (OTC Pink: MLYCF) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that International CuMo Mining Corporation ("ICMC"), the Company's subsidiary, has closed the initial tranche (the "Initial Tranche") of the sale of silver units (the "Units") in the amount of US $1,089,00 pursuant to the previously announced silver unit financing (see the Company's news release dated April 7, 2021) (the "Financing"). Of this Initial Tranche,1,000 Units were subscribed for by the Company, and the subscription price was credited again the intercompany loan owed by ICMC to the Company.

The Financing involves the sale of up to 12,500 Units by ICMC at a price of US $1,000 per Unit, with each Unit consisting of a secured note in the principal amount of US $1,000 (a "Note") and a right (the "Silver Purchase Right") to enter into a silver purchase and sale agreement with ICMC. The Notes are secured against certain assets of ICMC; bear interest at a rate of 7.5% per annum payable semi-annually on June 30 and December 31; and have a term expiring May 31, 2028. With the consent of the holder of the Note, ICMC could prepay all or any portion of the principal amount outstanding under such Note at any time, provided that any prepayment in whole or in part of the Note would cause the Silver Purchase Right to immediately expire. Computershare has agreed to act as trustee for the Notes. The Notes are tradable on the Vienna Stock Exchange and identified as Collateralized Silver Purchase Right Bond CUMO S3 with ISIN AT0000A2R0R7.

Proceeds from the sale of the Units will be used to further develop the Company's flagship asset, the CuMo Project, a large molybdenum, copper, and silver property located in Idaho, including: updating the resource calculation, updating the economic analysis, expanding metallurgical testing, conducting in-fill drilling and conducting environmental base-line studies, as well as to reduce current trade payables as disclosed in the Issuer's consolidated financial statements, and for general working capital purposes. Proceeds may also be used to initiate the data gathering and exploration work to be conducted at the Bleiberg project in Austria.

The Company continues to be encouraged by the recent rise in metal prices since the start of 2021;

molybdenum is up 48 %, copper is up 31 % and silver is up 6 % since the start of 2021.

Concurrently with closing of the Initial Tranche, Acepac Holdings Inc. ("Acepac") and the Company have agreed to settle their ongoing lawsuit. The Company is to assign to Acepac the 1,000 Units it acquired from ICMC and, in return, Acepac will renounce all claims against the Company.

In other news , ICMC has submitted applications for US government grants tied to the development of US based critical minerals. The current grants applied for involve partnerships with various academic institutions involving the use of Rhenium in the capturing and sequestering of carbon dioxide and the development of high temperature jet and rocket engines. The applications have been received and ICMC is awaiting to find out notification of their status. The approval process is expected to take several months.

The Board of Directors have decided to terminate the Calida Option Agreement signed in October 2016 and, as per the agreement, all claims owned at Calida are assigned to the original owners. Calida was a grassroots project that did not fit with the Company's objectives and its disposal will allow the Company to focus on its two main projects, CuMo and Bleiberg.

At Bleiberg, now that the Covid-19 restrictions are slowly being reduced, the Company has initiated dialog with the various Austrian government agencies to begin the process of gaining access to the historic mine records, in particular drill results, historic mining resources and reserves, mine production, targets and ore body development in the 20 kilometer long mining complex.

About American CuMo Mining

CuMoCo is focused on advancing its CuMo Project towards feasibility and developing its zinc-germanium-lead-cadmium-fluorite deposit in Austria. Management is continuing to build an even stronger foundation from which to move the Company and its projects forward. For more information, please visit www.cumoco.com, www.icumoco.com and www.cumoproject.com.

For further information, please contact:

American CuMo Mining Corporation

Shaun Dykes, President and Chief Executive Officer

Tel: (604) 689-7902

Email: info@cumoco.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this new release.

Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation including, but not limited to, statements that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, such as the Company's closing of the remainder of the Financing, the use of proceeds from the Financing, further development of and ability to move its CuMo Project to feasibility and production, and the approval process and timing for certain government grant applications . Forward-looking information is based on a number of material factors and assumptions, including the result of exploration activities, the ability of the Company to raise the financing for a feasibility study and to put the CuMo project into production, that no labour shortages or delays are experienced, that plant and equipment function as specified that the Court will not intervene with the Company's proposed exploration activities at the CuMo Project, and the ability of the Company to obtain all requisite permits and licenses to advance the CuMo Project and eventually bring it into production. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, future events, conditions, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future prediction, projection or forecast expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others, the interpretation and actual results of current exploration activities; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; future prices of molybdenum, silver and copper; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's publicly filed documents, including the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the period ended March 31, 2021. There may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94315
CHICAGO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report "Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis, by Offering (Network as a Service and Security as a Service), Organization Size (SMEs and Large Enterprises), Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, in the post-COVID-19 scenario, the global Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Market size is projected to grow from USD 1.2 Billion in 2021 to USD 4.1 Billion by 2026, recording a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 26.4% from 2021 to 2026.

Key factors that are driving the market growth include the growing preference for remote working in the wake of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the rising need for a unified network security architecture with the capabilities of SD-WAN, FWaaS, SWG, CASB, and ZTNA solutions.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Market"

144 - Tables

43 - Figures

192 - Pages

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=220384224

By offering, Security as a service segment is expected to grow at a higher CAGR than the Network as a service (NaaS) segment during the forecast period.

According to Zscaler, Security as a service is a way to deliver security technologies, which are traditionally found in enterprise data centers or regional gateways, as a cloud service. Security as a service has become an important enabler of business in the world because it provides secure access to applications and services, no matter where they are hosted or where users connect. NaaS services can range from managed software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) and network access, including wireless to security, unified communications services, and more, either in a public cloud or on virtualized customer premise equipment (vCPE).

Based on Vertical, BFSI segment is estimated to lead the market in 2021.

The BFSI vertical has been at the forefront in adopting SD-WAN, as it enables the banking institutions to provide a broad spectrum of services to customers at sustainable costs. The BFSI vertical is facing bandwidth and security issues while connecting regional offices such as branch offices and data centers. The SASE platforms have built-in security features that secure hybrid networks for widespread use.

Request a Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=220384224

By region, North America is expected to account for the largest market share during the forecast period.

The North American region has the presence of several prominent market players delivering advanced solutions to all the industry verticals in the regions. Apart from the geographical presence, strategic investments, partnerships, and significant R&D activities are thereby contributing to the hefty deployments of SASE solutions. North America is considered the most mature market in terms of adopting SASE solutions, due to factors such as the rise in cloud security measures and authentication frauds.

Market Players:

The Secure Access Service Edge Market comprises major providers, namely, include Cisco Systems Inc. (US), VMware Inc. (US), Fortinet, Inc (US), Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (US), Akamai Technologies, Inc. (US), Zscaler, Inc. (US), Cloudflare, Inc. (US), Cato Networks (Israel), Versa Networks, Inc. (US), Forcepoint (US), Broadcom, Inc. (US), Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Israel), McAfee, LLC (US), Citrix Systems, Inc. (US), Netskope (US), Perimeter 81 Ltd. (Israel), Open Systems (Switzerland), Aryaka Networks, Inc. (US), Proofpoint, Inc. (US), Secucloud Network GmbH (Deutschland), Aruba Networks (US), Juniper Networks, Inc. (US), Verizon Communications, Inc. (US), SonicWall (US), Barracuda Networks, Inc. (US), and Twingate (US).

Browse Adjacent Markets: Information Security Market Research Reports& Consulting

Related Reports:

Security as a Service Market by Component (Solution and Service), Application Area (Network Security, Endpoint Security, Application Security, and Cloud), Organization Size, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/security-as-a-service-market-132531603.html

Network as a Service Market by Type (LAN and WLAN, WAN, Communication and Collaboration, and Network Security), Organization Size (Large Enterprises and SMEs), Application, End User (BFSI, Manufacturing, Healthcare), and Region - Global Forecast to 2026

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/network-as-a-service-market-94208411.html

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Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

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DETROIT, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Metropolitan Detroit Chapter of the Society for Information Display (SID) has announced that the 28th Annual Vehicle Displays & Interfaces symposium and exhibition will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, September 28 and 29, 2021, in Livonia, Michigan, as a hybrid event (in person for people able to travel and remote/virtual for those who are not). The 2020 Vehicles & Interfaces event was held virtually due to the pandemic.

The annual symposium is designed for the sharing of information among designers, engineers, scientists, technologists, researchers, and system integrators of land, air, sea, and space vehicle displays and display components.

As displays of all kinds have become the primary user interface in vehicles, designers must continually elevate their products in terms of performance (sunlight and ruggedization), technology (augmented reality, including head-up displays), and general usability. Vehicle Displays & Interfaces has become the primary venue for information exchange among experts in the automotive display industry.

"We are back to in-person meetings, reviews, and networking," says Silviu Pala, chair of the Vehicles & Interfaces symposium and exhibition. "The event is returning to its open forum for industry, which will include manufacturers and integrators, as well as customers and members of academia, with a focus on vehicular interfaces, including HMI and automation. Of course, we will be respecting each other by wearing protective masks to help prevent the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus."

The 2021 technical program features presentations from the global display, HMI, vehicle systems, photonics, academic, and vehicle OEM communities. Peer-reviewed papers will provide in-depth knowledge and insights on the latest scientific advances, most recent breakthroughs, and potentially revolutionary applications. Symposium session topics include New Display Solutions; Display Metrology; Touch HMI and Driver Interface; Projection and Head-Up Displays; and Materials, Films, and Coatings.

Other highlights include a keynote address from Kai-Han Chang and Thomas Seder of the Vehicle Systems Research Lab at General Motors Research and Development, who will address the topic of "Automotive Augmented Reality: User Experience and Enabling Technology."

The event's traditional special automotive market session will be chaired by Pala, who is from Automotive Display, and also by Michael Boyd from Yazaki North America. Expert market analysts who will speak include Kyle Davis of IHS Markit, Jennifer Colegrove of Touch Display Research, Inc., and Bob O'Brien of Display Supply Chain Consultants.

Also not to be missed is a panel discussion on Future Displays for Future Electric Vehicles, with participants from government, academia, and industry. Last but not least, there will be an exhibition featuring companies from the vehicle display industry, with a block of time dedicated to exhibitor presentations.

Note: In the interest of safety for all Vehicle Displays & Interfaces participants, event management will be observing health guidelines from the State of Michigan. All participants will be required to wear masks while attending event functions indoors.

Links:

To review the symposium program and exhibitor list, go to www.VehicleDisplay.org

To register, go to www.VehicleDisplay.org

To secure an exhibitor booth, contact Danielle Rocco at drocco@pcm411.com.

About SID Vehicle Displays & Interfaces Detroit Symposium and Exhibition:

Vehicle Displays & Interfaces is presented by the Metro-Detroit Chapter of SID (Society for Information Display) www.SID.org. By exclusively focusing on the advancement of electronic display and visual information technologies, SID provides a unique platform for industry collaboration, communication and training in all related technologies while showcasing the industry's best new products. The organization's members are professionals in the technical and business disciplines that relate to display research, design, manufacturing, applications, marketing and sales.
Financial instability and work flexibility amongst some of the reasons why respondents are looking for income opportunities outside of their traditional employment

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - Today, the Direct Sellers Association of Canada (DSA Canada) published research recently completed by Abacus Data, painting an intriguing picture of Canadian's interest in pursuing additional income opportunities, outside of traditional employment.

The survey found that 31% of Canadians pursued opportunities to make additional income over the COVID-19 pandemic. This significant portion of the population sought out these opportunities for reasons including being laid off and underemployed, or because they were re-evaluating their financial and personal aspirations.

Furthermore, as the economy recovers, 3 in 5 survey respondents intend to pursue opportunities to make additional money to support their income over the next 12 months. Major demographic groups in this figure include young Canadians of 18-29 years old at 75% and students at 83%.

"This research points to the fact that, whether by choice or necessity, Canadians see value in income opportunities that would not be considered part of a traditional employment arrangement", said Peter Maddox, President of DSA Canada. "This could include participating in the gig economy, becoming an independent representative for a sales-based company or creating their own, small start-up business."

"The economy is changing, and this has been intensified by the pandemic," continued Maddox. "As a positive, many people, especially younger Canadians, are looking for flexibility and work-life balance as they earn, and this is being made possible by technology and market-innovation. People are finding ways to participate in entrepreneurial activity, such as direct selling, in a manner that suits them".

Further outcomes from the research include: data showing that a significant percentage of Canadians find it important for businesses to have a commitment to consumer protection and ethics; as well as measurable year-on-year growth in positive impressions of the direct selling channel.

An executive summary of this research can be viewed at here.

-30-

Since 1954, the Direct Sellers Association of Canada has established and upheld rigorous standards, ethics and good business practices, as the recognized voice of our industry. We are a family of competitors, using our combined strength to ensure fairness in regulations and to gain credibility and respect with Canadians. As an industry that connects 1.2 million Canadians to entrepreneurial opportunity and enrichment, we provide assurance of member company integrity and a foundation of trust for independent sales consultants (ISCs) and consumers.

The survey was conducted with 1,500 Canadian adults from July 9 to 14, 2021. The data were weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Canada's population according to age, gender, educational attainment, and region.

Media Contact:

Cathy Sampaio-Lepiane, Manager, Communications & Research

647-281-0597

cathy@dsa.ca

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94364
Regulatory News:

The AKKA Group (Paris:AKA) (BSE:AKA) (ISIN:FR0004180537) announces the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) with PFW Aerospace GmbH, a global leader in aviation andRosenbauer international AG, the world's leading manufacturer of systems for firefighting and disaster protection, entering into a strategic partnership with the intention to commercialize quick-change firefighting kits compatible with various cargo aircraft.

As announced in June 2021, AKKA has designed and patented a turnkey conversion solution to repurpose grounded military transport aircraft featuring a rear Cargo Door into firefighters.

This Plug Play solution kit can be fitted, within one hour and without any structural modification, to numerous military aircraft types, such as the A400M, the C-130 Hercules, the CASA C-295 and CN-235, the C-27J Spartan, or the Embraer KC-390 (non-exhaustive list), bestowing an additional firefighting function to these traditionally military aircraft.

In this partnership AKKA will stay the sole patent holder of the solution, in charge of further developments and upgrades. PFW Aerospace GmbH will handle the manufacturing of the kits, while Rosenbauer, will be in charge of the kits' commercialization.

Jean-Franck Ricci, AKKA's Group Managing Director in charge of business development and sales, commented: "We are extremely pleased to be signing this Letter of Intent and continuing this journey alongside two global players such as PFW Aerospace and Rosenbauer, in the fields of aviation and firefighting respectively. Wildfires across the world are a clear concern, posing a threat to human lives, significant damage to biodiversity and to the entire ecosystem. This underscores the environmental importance and economic relevance of our solution, which allows States to provide ad hoc support to firefighters without having to build or buy new aircraft.".

Stefan Zimmermann, CEO of PFW Aerospace, added:

"We are delighted to be part of this trilateral team approach together with AKKA and Rosenbauer to provide a new innovative solution for effective aerial firefighting. With our manufacturing experience of thousands of fuselage held fuel tanks, we are confident to offer the necessary expertise to produce the convertible water tank kit in the future.".

ABOUT AKKA

AKKA is a European leader in engineering consulting and R&D services. Our comprehensive portfolio of digital solutions combined with our expertise in engineering, uniquely positions us to support our clients by leveraging the power of connected data to accelerate innovation and drive the future of smart industry. AKKA accompanies leading industry players across a wide range of sectors throughout the life cycle of their products with cutting edge digital technologies (AI, ADAS, IoT, Big Data, robotics, embedded computing, machine learning, etc.) to help them rethink their products and business processes. Founded in 1984, AKKA has a strong entrepreneurial culture and a wide global footprint. Our 20,000 employees around the world are all passionate about technology and share the AKKA values of respect, courage and ambition. The Group recorded revenues of 1.5 billion in 2020. AKKA Technologies (AKA) is listed on Euronext Paris and Brussels segment B ISIN code: FR0004180537.

For more information, please visit: https://www.akka-technologies.com/

Follow us on: https://twitter.com/AKKA_Tech

ABOUT PFW AEROSPACE

Hutchinson PFW AEROSPACE GmbH and aviation have been inseparably connected to each other for over 100 years. The product portfolio of the long-established German company is made up of complete pipe systems for conveying fuel, water, oxygen, hydraulic fluid or bleed air, complex structural components such as pressurized floors, fuselage coverings, APU compartments, Inner Board Flaps and support constructions, as well as fuel Tanks.

For more information, please visit: https://www.pfw.aero

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005578/en/

Contacts:

Stephanie Bia

Group Communications Investor Relations Director

Tel: +33(0) 6 47 85 98 78

Stephanie.Bia@akka.eu

Nadine Eichberger

PFW Aerospace Marketing

+49 6232 616 4649

Nadine.Eichberger@pfw.aero
Cristiana Dell'Anna, John Lithgow, David Morse & Rolando Villazon Star in the Powerful True Story of an Unknown American Legend, Frances Xavier Cabrini

Jonathan Sanger Leo Severino Are Producing for Francesca Films

Principal photography is underway on TIFF's "People's Choice Award" winning director Alejandro Monteverde's The Untitled Cabrini Film in Buffalo, NY. Production will conclude in Rome, Italy in the early Fall.

The Untitled Cabrini Film, based on a story by Alejandro Monteverde (Sound of Freedom, Bella) and Rod Barr, with a screenplay by Rod Barr (Little Boy, Sound of Freedom). The project is the brainchild of the late Mary Louise Sullivan, MSC, who asked her dear friend, Philadelphia businessman Eustace Wolfington, to do a movie about Francesca Cabrini. Sullivan became the academic dean at Cabrini College in 1971. After 10 years as president of the Cabrini College she revised her doctorate dissertation topic as a look at the life and impact of Mother Cabrini. The work resulted in a book about the saint called "Mother Cabrini Italian Immigrant of the Century," published in 1992.

Mr. Wolfington's passion for Francesca Cabrini's story began over 60 years ago. "As a pioneer of human rights long before today, her story will be an inspiration to today's pioneers of human rights, which makes her story and unprecedented accomplishments as relevant today as ever."

Co-producer and entrepreneur, Jeff Sica has a talent for connecting the right people with the right opportunity for great synergy and successful outcomes. It was during a meeting with Eustace Wolfington where Mr. Wolfington expressed his intense desire to tell the story of Francesca Cabrini. Sica, as the father of twin daughters entering the business world, strives to provide them with inspirational role models. He completely embraced the intention of bringing this inspirational story to the screen. Given Jeff's history with producer Jonathan Sanger and knowing the kinds of movies and messages that he excels at conveying, he told Eustace there could be no better person to produce this movie than Jonathan.

The film stars Cristiana Dell'Anna (Gomorrah, Mr. Happiness), Montserrat Espada le (Crescendo, Little Boy), Romana Maggiora Vergano (Gli Anni Belli, lmaturi), David Morse (The Green Mile, The Hurt Locker), Patch Darragh (Succession, Boardwalk Empire), John Lithgow (The Crown, Bombshell), Jeremy Bobb (The Outside, Russian Doll, Virginia Bocelli (Unici, Andrea Bocello: Believe in Christmas), Andrew Polk (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Billions, House of Cards), Giampiero Judica (All The Money In The World, Boardwalk Empire) and Rolando Villazon (Mozart in Prague: Rolando Villaz6n on Don Giovanni, La Bohemme, La Traviata).

Joining Monteverde behind the camera are Academy Award and BAFTA Award-winning producer Jonathan Sanger (Marshall, The Elephant Man) and producer Leo Severino (Bella, Sound of Freedom), associate producer Michael "MJ" Jones (Marshall, D Is for Detroit), production designer Carlos Lagunas Hernar (Colombiana, Belzebuth), director of photography Gorka Gomez Andreu (House of Others, Seagull), costume designer Alisha Silverstein (Stargirl, Adam Ruins Everything), music supervisor Mary Ramos (Marshall, The Hateful Eight), composer Gene Back (Cowboys, Holler), second unit director Pepe Portillo (Little Boy, This Is the Year), editor Brian Scofield (Suicide Squad, The Tree of Life), sound mixer Paul Pouthier (Uncle Frank, Between Two Ferns), special effects coordinator Fred Kraemer (John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, The Forgotten), stunt coordinator Scott Burik (In the Heights, The Trial of the Chicago 7),visual effects supervisor Brian Battles (Star Trek Beyond, The Irishman) and UPM/line producer Lukas Behnken (American Skin, Sound of Freedom).

The film tells the story of Francesca Cabrini, one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the 19th Century. She began with nothing and created the largest multinational charitable empire the world had ever known. Her accomplishments equaled the likes of Vanderbilt and Rockefeller. Remarkably, Cabrini accomplished all of this and just happened to be a woman, an Italian immigrant, and a nun without a penny to her name.

The Untitled Cabrini Film charts the meteoric rise of an astonishing and audacious woman who through her relentless perseverance and business skill overcame the sexism and virulent anti-Italian bigotry of 19th century America, to build schools, orphanages and hospitals that transformed the lives of immigrants worldwide.

The film is a gripping, inspirational story about one of the great unknown figures of American history, and a powerful exploration of two of today's biggest issues: immigration and the empowerment of women. Cabrini speaks to our time a time that more than ever needs the wisdom and example of this unstoppable woman who triumphed magnificently against all odds.

"As an immigrant myself, I am honored to be able to shine a light on the astonishing story of a true warrior for social justice who transformed the lives of immigrants worldwide. Cabrini was a pioneer of women's empowerment, making her story as relevant today as in the 1890's. This picture like Cabrini herself is surprising, courageous, gritty... and deeply inspirational," said director Alejandro Monteverde.

Producer Jonathan Sanger adds: "In a time when the achievements of women in every sphere of life have inspired a new generation, it is fascinating to contemplate the work of Francesca Cabrini, an Italian immigrant who came to New York in 1889. She would fit perfectly as a leader in today's world."

Construction began in April on the massive sets that recreate Five Points, a 19th Century neighborhood in Lower Manhattan which was especially cold, unwelcoming, and impoverished; an area where immigrants got their first impression of the land that promised to offer new hope and fulfilled promises. That construction includes a dilapidated orphanage, an Italian hospital, a brothel, a main street, slum dwellings, and many other edifices that look as if they came right from the pages of Jacob Riis' "How the Other Half Lives."

Filming is planned to take place on many Buffalo and neighboring locations to double for other iconic New York City sites circa 1890 including the West Park neighborhood north of Manhattan and what is now the posh Upper East Side, before completing principal photography in Rome, Italy in the early Fall.

The Untitled Cabrini Film is a Francesca Films production.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005618/en/

Contacts:

Peter J Silbermann/Unit Publicist

Pjspete@me.com

818.519.8784
TUCSON, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2021 / Liberty Star Minerals ("Liberty Star" or the "Company") (OTCQB:LBSR) an Arizona-based mineral exploration company, is the sole holder of Arizona State Land Department Mineral Exploration Permits (MEPs) over its Red Rock Canyon Gold Prospect. The Prospect lies within the Company's larger Hay Mountain Project in southeast Arizona that may possess commercially important metals associated with porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum geologic structures. The Company is pleased to announce the execution of a $1,000,000 common stock purchase agreement (the "Purchase Agreement") and a $1,000,000 warrant agreement (the "Warrant Agreement," together "the Agreements") with Triton Funds LP ("Triton") of San Diego, California.

Under the Common Stock Purchase Agreement, the Company has a "put" right pursuant to which it may require Triton to purchase a total of up to $1,000,000 of its common stock. The Company may exercise its put at any time after the Registration Statement to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is declared effective and prior to December 31, 2022. It may require Triton to purchase not less than $25,000 or more than $250,000 per month of its common stock at a purchase price equal to 75% of the lowest daily volume-weighted average price of the Company's common stock during the 5 business days immediately prior to the date of closing of each separate purchase installment. Under the Common Stock Purchase Warrant, Triton has the right for a period of 5 years to elect to purchase up to an additional $1,000,000 of shares of the Company's common stock at a purchase price per share based upon an assumed $20,000,000 market capitalization of the Company's outstanding shares from time to time. The provisions of the Agreements will be on the SEC website, SEC.gov.

Liberty Star independent director Bernard J. Guarnera, a Qualified Professional/Person, authored the latest Red Rock Canyon technical report finding that, "significantly, each geochemical and drilling program revealed gold was present at grades that would now be considered as economic." [Technical Report, Red Rock Canyon Gold Property p.1]

With funding, the Company will follow the recommendations of Mr. Guarnera's technical report calling for a phased program of continued geophysical work, geochemical sampling and limited drilling. The drilling program will be conducted to confirm the results previously reported by other gold exploration companies noted in the technical report. "Should Phase 1 be successful, follow up work would primarily consist of further drilling with the intent to develop a Mineral Resource." [Technical Report p.40]

Drilling mobilization will begin immediately upon completing prerequisite State of Arizona archeological and vegetation surveys, which Liberty Expects to be complete in October. A diamond core and reverse circulation drill rig will be active as soon as possible. The first round of drilling will begin as early as the next three months.

Board Director Boyd Gordon commented, "Execution of the Agreements with Triton is our first step toward development of Red Rock Canyon in which we will first seek to confirm the results previously reported by other gold exploration companies, and if we are able to confirm those results, to then take steps toward development of a Mineral Resource. If our work on development of Red Rock Canyon is successful, it would be expected to result in an increase in the value of the Company's assets and help to put the Company in position to seek the financing necessary to begin additional exploration and development work on potential copper deposits at our Hay Mountain Project."

Brett Gross, Liberty Star's CEO added, "We've taken the necessary steps to advance the Hay Mountain Project to the exploratory drilling stage. As director Barney Guarnera notes, the science and historical data take us to Red Rock Canyon where there is gold. The presence of visible jasperoid structures and other data point to gold perhaps near the surface, and at depth. We've done the research, put in the work, and now we have an advantageous funding vehicle. I look forward to working with Triton, whose representatives are bullish on the mining industry involved in future technological advances. Over the next few months, I look forward to sharing what we believe will be positive reports about expanded drilling programs, and, of course, metals discoveries."

"Brett I. Gross" Brett I. Gross

CEO/President

Liberty Star Minerals

About Triton Funds LP "Triton Funds is primarily focused on investments that will have a lasting positive impact on the millennial generation with a portfolio of both public and private companies."

About Liberty Star Liberty Star Uranium & Metals Corp. (LBSR:OTCQB), d/b/a Liberty Star Minerals, is an Arizona-based mineral exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Arizona and the southwest USA. Currently the company controls properties which are located over what management considers some of North America's richest mineralized regions for copper, gold, silver, molybdenum (moly), and associated metals. The Company's premiere property is the Hay Mountain Project (exploration stage) for porphyry copper, gold, moly and other commercially important minerals. Specific targets have been selected to explore for near surface and deep-seated ore bodies, of which there are numerous analogs nearby. Contiguous with the primary Hay Mountain porphyry exploration target, and part of the overall Hay Mountain Project, is an increasingly attractive area of exploration stage gold mineralization denominated Red Rock Canyon. Red Rock Canyon exhibits what we believe are extensive, promising hydrothermal associated gold-bearing structures that are documented in historical public and Company records (see associated press and social media releases for more information). The Hay Mountain Project is in Cochise County (southeast) Arizona, USA.

Visit lbsr.us or more about Liberty Star Minerals & the Hay Mountain Project, including images, maps and technical reports

Follow Liberty Star Minerals on Facebook , LinkedIn & Twitter@LibertyStarLBSR

Forward Looking Statements Certain information contained in public release may contain "forward-looking statements," as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934, as amended. All statements contained herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and other factors which are unforeseeable and beyond the Company's or management's control, that could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements may include but not be limited to the business strategies for the Company, assumptions of management, pending or future transactions, future estimated mineral resources or grades, investments, asset valuations, anticipated permits and approvals and other information that may be based on forecasts of future exploration, operational or financial results or estimates of matters not yet determinable. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance using words or phrases like the following may be forward-looking statements: "estimate", "intend", "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "potential," "continue" "may", "might", "could", "would" or similar words or expressions. Important factors that could differ materially from the expectations of the Company and management include, among other things, risks related to unsuccessful exploration results, metals prices, fluctuations in currency prices, international markets, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as changes in the availability of funding for mineral exploration and development and general economic conditions.

Additional information about these factors, risks and uncertainties on which forward-looking statements are based is discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2021, as updated from time to time in Company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company is not responsible for updating the information contained in this public release beyond the presentation date or published date, or for changes made to this document by wire services or Internet services. Risk factors for the company are set out in the 10-K and other periodic filings made with the SEC on EDGAR (ref. Liberty Star Uranium & Metals, Corp.).

Regulation S-K 1300 Matters On October 31, 2018, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission adopted Subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K ('Regulation SK-1300') to modernize the property disclosure requirements for mining registrants, and related guidance, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All registrants are required to comply with Regulation SK-1300 for fiscal years ending after January 1, 2021. Accordingly, the Company must comply with Regulation SK-1300 for its fiscal year ending January 31, 2021. Regulation SK-1300 uses the Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards ('CRIRSCO') based classification scheme for mineral resources and mineral reserves, that includes definitions for inferred, indicated, and measured mineral resources. Liberty Star is an "Exploration Stage Issuer" as defined in Subpart 1300. It currently has no exploration results, mineral resources or mineral reserves to report, accordingly, no information, opinions or data included in the website or in any public releases includes any information or disclosures regarding exploration results, mineral resources or mineral reserves as defined in Regulation SK-1300. As a result, the Company is not required, at this time, to obtain or provide a Technical Report Summary as defined in Regulation SK-1300. U.S. Investors are cautioned not to rely upon or assume for any purpose that any part of the mineralized real property of the Company in these categories will ever be converted into inferred, indicated, and measured mineral resources or probable or proven mineral reserves within the meaning of Regulation S-K 1300.

UNLESS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY STATED ON THE FACE OF ANY SUCH INFORMATION, NOTHING CONTAINED IN THIS PUBLIC RELEASE IS, NOR DOES IT PURPORT TO BE, A TECHNICAL REPORT SUMMARY PREPARED BY A QUALIFIED PERSON PURSUANT TO AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF SUBPART 1300 OF SECURITIES EXCHANGE COMMISSION REGULATION S-K.

SOURCE: Liberty Star Minerals

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/661326/Liberty-Star-Executes-a-Financing-Agreement-for-Drilling-Red-Rock-Canyon-Gold-Project-in-Cochise-County-Arizona


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - With 135245 new cases of coronavirus infections reporting in the United States on Tuesday, the national total has increased to 38,077,523, as per the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.



1405 additional casualties took the national COVID death toll to 630,838.



Texas reported the most number of cases - 21,065 - and most COVID-related deaths - 210.



A total of 30,618,644 people have so far recovered from the disease in the country.



CDC reported an increase of nearly 12 percent in cases from the prior seven-day average.



The seven-day average of daily deaths has increased to 739 per day, an increase of 23 percent from the previous seven-day period. Seven-day average of hospital admissions is about 11,000 per day, similar to the previous seven-day period.



In CDC's MMWR report published on Monday examining data from Los Angeles County between May and July, it has been found that people who were unvaccinated were nearly five times more likely to be infected and about 29 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID compared with people who are vaccinated.



Meanwhile, the White House claimed that the number of people getting their first vaccine shots has dramatically increased each day, and that in the face of the Delta variant, more and more Americans are stepping up to get vaccinated.



'Back in mid-July, we were averaging 260,000 first shots in arms per day. Today, we're getting 450,000 first shots a day - more than a 70 percent increase. And we're seeing the greatest increases in states that had been lagging on vaccinations, ' COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said at a routine press conference Tuesday.



In Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, more people got their first shots in the past month than in the prior two months combined. This is critical progress, he told reporters.



Nationwide, a total of 6 million people were vaccinated in the last seven days. That's the highest seven-day total in over a month and a half.



As per the latest data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 171,367,657 people in the United States have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.



This includes 81.2 percent of people above 65.



A total of 202,041,893 people, or 60.9 percent of the population, have received at least one dose.



A total of 363,915,792 vaccine doses have been administered so far nationally.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2021 / Core Assets Corp., ("Core Assets" or the "Company") (CSE:CC)(Frankfurt:5RJ WKN:A2QCCU)(ISIN:CA 21871U 10 5) is pleased to announce that it has completed its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Offering"), as described in its News Release of August 13, 2021, pursuant to which it has issued an aggregate of 11,012,000 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.055 per Unit for gross proceeds of $605,660.00. Each Unit is comprised of one common share (each, a "Share") in the capital of the Company and one-half of one transferable share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional Share (each, a "Warrant Share") in the capital of the Company for a period of 24 months from the closing date at an exercise price of $0.25 per Warrant.

The Company also announces that it has completed its previously announced non-brokered flow-through private placement (the "Flow-through Offering"), as described in its News Release of August 25, 2021, pursuant to which it has issued an aggregate of 4,465,000 Shares, issued on a "flow-through basis" pursuant to the Income Tax Act (Canada) and the Taxation Act (British Columbia), at a price of $0.08 per Share for aggregate gross proceeds of $357,200.00. The Offering was oversubscribed by $37,200.00.

The Company did not pay any cash finder's fees in connection with the Offering or the Flow-through Offering.

The aggregate gross proceeds from the sale of the Offering and the Flow-through Offering will be used for working capital and for an expanded exploration program on the Company's Atlin Mining District project.

The securities issued under the Offering and the Flow-through Offering, and the shares that may be issuable on exercise of the Warrants, are subject to a statutory hold period expiring one year from the date of closing.

Nicholas Rodway, the Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company, was issued 2,050,000 Units under the Offering and 1,560,000 Shares under the Flow-through Offering, Scott Rose, a director of the Company, was issued 1,460,000 Units under the Offering and Sean Charland, a director of the Company, was issued 910,000 Units under the Offering and 625,000 Shares under the Flow-through Offering, each of which constitutes a "related party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The issuance to the insiders is exempt from the valuation requirement of MI 61-101 by virtue of the exemption contained in section 5.5(b) as the Company's shares are not listed on a specified market and from the minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 by virtue of the exemption contained in section 5.7(a) of MI 61-101 in that the fair market value of the consideration of the securities issued to the related parties did not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization.

Additionally, Core Assets has engaged TDM Financial to provide the Company with marketing solutions beginning August 25th, 2021. The marketing solutions will include content creation and distribution, press release distribution, video production, a social media presence and more. Since 2007 TDM Financial has helped over 400 private and public companies raise millions of dollars and attract new, educated stakeholders via its flagship SECFilings.com property and network. The promotional activity in this contract will take place though various social media platforms including SECFilings.com and other web-based channels. TDM financial is located at 600E 8th St. Whitefish, MT, USA 59937. Tel. 1-800-210-6793.

In consideration for the services provided by TDM Financial, Core Assets has agreed to pay $30,000 USD upon execution of the agreement, with the agreement in effect until January 15th, 2022. The Company is at arm's length from TDM Financial.

About Core Assets Corp.

Core Assets Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of mineral projects in B.C., Canada. The company currently holds the Blue Property, that covers a land area of 26,100 Ha (261 km). The project lies within the Atlin Mining District, a well-known gold mining camp. The Property hosts a major structural feature known as the Llewellyn Fault Zone ("LFZ"). This structure is approximately 140km in length and runs from the Yukon border down through the property to the Alaskan Panhandle Juneau Ice Sheet in the United States. Core Assets believes that the south Atlin Lake area and the LFZ has been neglected since the last major exploration campaigns in the 1970's. The LFZ plays an important role in mineralization of near surface metal occurrences across the property. The past 50 years have seen substantial advancements in the understanding of porphyry, skarn, and carbonate replacement type deposits both globally and in BC's Golden Triangle. The company has leveraged this information at the Blue Property to develop an exploration model and believes this could facilitate a major discovery. Core Assets is excited to become one of Atlin Mining District's premier explorers where its team believes there are substantial opportunities for new discoveries and development.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

CORE ASSETS CORP.

"Nick Rodway"

Nick Rodway

President & CEO

Tel: 604.681.1568

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Core Assets Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/661367/Core-Assets-Announces-Closing-of-Private-Placement-and-Oversubscribed-Flow-through-Private-Placement-for-Gross-Proceeds-of-96286000
- The Hepatorenal Syndrome Market dynamics are anticipated to change in the coming years owing to the expected launch of emerging therapies such as Terlipressin (Mallinckrodt) and BIV201 (BioVie) during the forecasted period 2021-2030.

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's " Hepatorenal Syndrome Market " report provides a thorough comprehension of the Hepatorenal Syndrome historical and forecasted epidemiology and the Hepatorenal Syndrome market trends in the 7MM [the United States, EU5 (Germany, Spain, Italy, France, and United Kingdom) and Japan]. The Hepatorenal Syndrome market report also proffers an analysis of the current Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment algorithm/practice, market drivers, market barriers, and unmet medical needs.

Some of the necessary takeaways from the Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Research Report

Currently, there are no FDA-approved medications explicitly indicated for Hepatorenal Syndrome. Several key pharmaceutical companies, including Mallinckrodt , BioVie, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, and others, are developing novel products to improve the Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment outlook.

are developing novel products to improve the Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment outlook. Hepatorenal Syndrome Market to grow since there has been an increase in the R&D programs related to indication in recent years. Future research focuses on elucidating Hepatorenal Syndrome pathophysiology and searching for an appropriate treatment that can positively impact disease courses. In addition, there has been an increase in Hepatorenal Syndrome incidence, for which initiatives and funding for treatment have surged.

related to indication in recent years. Future research focuses on elucidating that can positively impact disease courses. In addition, there has been an for which for treatment have surged. Nonetheless, the growth of the Hepatorenal Syndrome Market is hampered by the late and inaccurate diagnosis, high mortality, and nonresponse to pharmacological therapy . Its exact cause and rate of occurrence are still unknown ; also, the novel kidney biomarkers that can predict progression and mortality in patients are lacking .

. Its ; also, the that can predict progression and mortality in patients are . With the Fast Track and Orphan Drug designation to Terlipressin and BIV201, respectively, the Hepatorenal Syndrome market is expected to increase during the forecast period 2021-2030

For further information on Market Impact by Therapies, visit: Hepatorenal Syndrome Drugs Market Analysis

Hepatorenal Syndrome (HRS) is a unique form of renal failure due to decreased renal blood flow, typically in histologically normal kidneys. It is a severe complication of advanced liver disease and characteristically infects patients with cirrhosis and ascites.

DelveInsight estimates that the total Hepatorenal Syndrome incident population in 7MM was estimated to be 282,616 cases in 2020. Females and males are equally affected by this disease.

The Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Analysis Report provides historical as well as forecasted epidemiological analysis segmented into:

Total Hepatorenal Syndrome Incident Cases

Total Diagnosed Prevalent Cases of Hepatorenal Syndrome

Type-specific Cases of Hepatorenal Syndrome

Get a complete epidemiological segmentation breakdown @ Hepatorenal Syndrome Epidemiological Analysis

Hepatorenal Syndrome Treatment Market

The mainstay of Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment remains vasopressor therapy with albumin to reverse splanchnic vasodilation and improve renal blood flow (RBF). Vasoconstrictor therapy causes constriction of splanchnic vessels, raising the effective circulating blood volume that increases renal perfusion and glomerular filtration. Vasoconstrictors are often combined with albumin to enhance their clinical benefits. Vasoconstrictors used for Hepatorenal Syndrome management are terlipressin, noradrenaline, and the combination of midodrine + octreotide.

Terlipressin is the most common vasopressor used and acts on the V1 receptors on vascular smooth muscle cells. Despite the increasing evidence supporting its use, terlipressin has not been approved in the United States yet. It is currently marketed in Europe for the treatment of Hepatorenal Syndrome.

Other vasoconstrictors like norepinephrine, midodrine, and octreotide, are used to treat Hepatorenal Syndrome. Norepinephrine, a catecholamine with predominantly alpha-adrenergic activity, is an inexpensive alternative and widely used as an infusion for Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment. Midodrine (an a1-agonist drug) is usually administered in combination with octreotide (a somatostatin analog) and albumin, and it represents the current standard of care in the United States.

The administration of norepinephrine plus albumin has been investigated in the treatment of Hepatorenal Syndrome. It was shown to be as effective as terlipressin in the Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment in several trials. Currently, norepinephrine in treating the disease is limited by the need for a central venous line and continuous monitoring, thus rendering the Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment unfeasible outside intensive care units.

Currently, there are no FDA-approved medications explicitly indicated for Hepatorenal Syndrome. In the US, albumin is frequently used to control Hepatorenal Syndrome symptoms. In cases where these treatments cannot be used or are not effective, beta-blockers, rifaximin, and somatostatin are administered.

Other interventions such as renal replacement therapy, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), and artificial liver support systems have a minimal role in improving outcomes in Hepatorenal Syndrome. Liver transplantation remains the definitive Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment.

Future of Hepatorenal Syndrome Treatment Market

With increased knowledge regarding liver cirrhosis, portal hypertension, ascites, and Hepatorenal Syndrome, new pharmacological treatments such as administration of terlipressin and albumin have proven helpful in improving the short-term outcome of Hepatorenal Syndrome. The future treatment will likely target the multiple aspects of the Hepatorenal Syndrome pathophysiological process.

Recent developments in Hepatorenal Syndrome have created a state of flux, which is already a confusing and very challenging diagnostic and therapeutic arena. It remains unclear how to best practically assess glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in patients with cirrhosis. Serum Cr alone is limited but remains the best practice assessment of renal function. While newer models such as the Cr-Cystatin GFR equation for cirrhosis are promising, it remains to be seen whether they will have widespread acceptance and application. With a better understanding of the pathophysiology and advances in therapeutic strategies, there is hope to reduce its Hepatorenal Syndrome incidence and improve patient outcomes.

Hepatorenal Syndrome Emerging Drugs

Companies are developing therapies for the Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment. Drugs such as Terlipressin (Mallinckrodt) and BIV201 (BioVie) are being assessed as potential therapies available in the Hepatorenal Syndrome market in the coming future.

With the launch of these therapeutics, the Hepatorenal Syndrome market will witness significant growth by providing valuable assets to the Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment landscape. Further, their approval may attract more investors in this space, which will eventually predict positive shifts in the future R&D activities in the forecast period (2021-2030).

Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Dynamics

The diagnostic criteria for Hepatorenal Syndrome have been revised throughout the years, with recent revisions to improve earlier diagnosis and treatment. Liver transplantation remains the only definitive treatment for hepatorenal syndrome. The mainstay of treatment remains vasopressor therapy with albumin to reverse splanchnic vasodilation and improve RBF.. Currently, there are no FDA-approved medications explicitly indicated for HRS. In the US, albumin is frequently used to control HRS symptoms. In cases where these treatments cannot be used or are ineffective, beta-blockers, rifaximin, and somatostatin are administered.

The Hepatorenal Syndrome Market will observe growth since, in recent years, significant progress has been made in the management of Hepatorenal Syndrome, along with a newly proposed guidelines algorithm for diagnosing and managing acute kidney injury (AKI) in cirrhosis. Moreover, potential new treatments may be proven as effective novel treatments for reversing Hepatorenal Syndrome symptoms, increasing overall survival, and improving quality of life. Researchers and clinicians are studying combining structural biomarkers such as cystatin C, NGAL, IL-8, L-FABP, and KIM-1. These biomarkers may help understand the Hepatorenal Syndrome etiology and may develop new diagnostic techniques for the disease.

Although Hepatorenal Syndrome can occur in people with advanced liver disease, its exact cause and rate of occurrence are still unknown. There is a dearth of novel kidney biomarkers, which can predict progression and mortality in AKI patients and diagnose AKI earlier. Also, the high mortality rate, misdiagnosis of Hepatorenal Syndrome may be a risk. A proportion of patients do not respond to therapy because they do not have Hepatorenal Syndrome but other causes of AKI, particularly Acute tubular necrosis (ATN) or intrinsic nephropathy. These factors may impede the growth of the Hepatorenal Syndrome Market.

Scope of the Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Insight Report

Geography Covered: The United States , EU5 ( Germany , France , Italy , Spain , and the United Kingdom ), and Japan.

, EU5 ( , , , , and the ), and Japan. Study Period: 3-year historical and 11-year forecasted analysis (2017-2030).

Hepatorenal Syndrome Markets Segmentation: By Geographies and By Hepatorenal Syndrome Therapies (Historical and Forecasted, Current and Upcoming)

Dominant Market Companies investigating its candidates for Hepatorenal Syndrome: Mallinckrodt , BioVie, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, and several others.

, BioVie, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, and several others. Analysis: Comparative and conjoint analysis of emerging therapies.

Case Studies

KOL's Views

Analyst's View

Request for a Webex demo of the report @ Hepatorenal Syndrome Therapeutics Market

Table of Contents

1 Hepatorenal Syndrome Key Insights 2 Hepatorenal Syndrome Report Introduction 3 Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Overview at a Glance 4 Executive Summary of Hepatorenal Syndrome 5 Hepatorenal Syndrome Disease Background and Overview 6 Hepatorenal Syndrome Epidemiology and Patient Population 7 Country Wise-Epidemiology of Hepatorenal Syndrome 7.1 The United States 7.2 EU5 Countries 7.2.1 Germany 7.2.2 France 7.2.3 Italy 7.2.4 Spain 7.2.5 The United Kingdom 7.3 Japan 8 Hepatorenal Syndrome Treatment and Management 9 Hepatorenal Syndrome Unmet Needs 10 Hepatorenal Syndrome Organizations 11 Hepatorenal Syndrome Patient Journey 12 Hepatorenal Syndrome Emerging Therapies 12.1 Terlipressin: Mallinckrodt 12.2 BIV201: BioVie 13 Hepatorenal Syndrome Other Potential Therapies 13.1 Ifetroban: Cumberland Pharmaceuticals 14 Hepatorenal Syndrome 7MM Market Analysis 14.1 The United States Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Size 14.2 EU-5 Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Size 14.2.1 Germany Market Size 14.2.2 France Market Size 14.2.3 Italy Market Size 14.2.4 Spain Market Size 14.2.5 The United Kingdom Market Size 14.2.3 Japan Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Size 15 Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Drivers 16 Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Barriers 17 Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Access and Reimbursement 18 Hepatorenal Syndrome SWOT Analysis 19 Hepatorenal Syndrome Case studies 20 Appendix 21 DelveInsight Capabilities 22 Disclaimer 23 About DelveInsight

Browse full report with detailed TOC with charts, figures, tables @ Hepatorenal Syndrome Diagnostics Market Report

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BERLIN, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Many renowned protagonists of the National Socialist art scene continued working in the Federal Republic as full-time visual artists after 1945. They produced works to be displayed in public spaces, received lucrative commissions from government, industry and church organisations, taught at art academies, submitted proposals to art competitions and were represented in exhibitions. Their designs for statues, reliefs and tapestries on public squares and facades or in theatre and cinema foyers have left their mark to this day on the face of many city centres. They were able to profit from the anti-modernist climate in the early post-war decades.

In an exhibition opening on 27 August 2021, the Deutsches Historisches Museum takes the "Divinely Gifted List" as the point of departure for a study of the largely neglected topic of the post-war careers of such "divinely gifted" artists as Arno Breker, Hermann Kaspar, Willy Meller, Paul Mathias Padua, Werner Peiner, Richard Scheibe and Adolf Wamper. The list was first compiled on behalf of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels in August 1944: 378 artists, among them 114 sculptors and painters, were considered "indispensable" and were exempted from military duty and work assignments.

The exhibition "'Divinely Gifted'. National Socialism's favoured artists in the Federal Republic" shows for the first time the strong presence of these artists in public spaces, but also in the institutions of political, economic and cultural life in post-war Germany. It also examines their networks, the choice of their motifs, and the reception of their works as well as the related questions of continuity and adaptation to the new circumstances. Reinforced by the parallel exhibition "documenta. Politics and Art" (18.6.2021 - 9.1.2022), the idea of a supposedly radical, cultural-political new beginning in the young Federal Republic has thus had to be revised.

The exhibition is supported by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes

Long Version Press Release:

https://www.dhm.de/en/press/press-release/how-national-socialist-artists-continued-their-careers-after-1945

Media Contact:

Deutsches Historisches Museum

Abteilungsdirektor Kommunikation

Dr. Stephan Adam

Unter den Linden 2

10117 Berlin



Presse- und Offentlichkeitsarbeit

Daniela Lange

T +49-30-20304-410

presse@dhm.de

www.dhm.de
Business immigration veteran integral to strategic growth of firm's DC office

NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fragomen is pleased to announce that leading Washington, DC immigration lawyer Monique van Stiphout has joined the firm as a DC-based partner, effective today.

"Monique's experience dovetails perfectly with our practice, including our ambitious expansion plans and goals as the preeminent global immigration law firm, and our vision for the future," said Andrew Greenfield, managing partner of Fragomen's DC office and member of the firm's executive committee.

van Stiphout's career as a business immigration attorney spans more than 20 years, including the last 10 years with DC immigration firm Maggio & Kattar, where she has built her practice and deep expertise with clients in the financial services, financial technology, hospitality, higher education, and aviation sectors.

"Monique has all the exceptional qualities we seek in a lateral partner and that we cultivate in Fragomen lawyers-passion for our field, commitment to client service, hard-won insight, and a creative approach to her practice," Greenfield said. "It's a perfect fit, and we're excited to work with her."

van Stiphout is especially experienced in helping her clients' legal, HR, and Global Mobility departments navigate and comply with frequent regulatory and policy shifts implemented by federal immigration agencies. This includes her command of a broad range of immigration sponsorship strategies and her successful track record of advising and defending clients facing I-9 and other government compliance audits.

The daughter of Dutch immigrants, van Stiphout maintains longstanding ties to The Netherlands and looks forward to collaborating with her new colleagues in Fragomen's Amsterdam office, which opened earlier this year.

"My whole career has been dedicated to client service," said van Stiphout. "That's why I am thrilled to join Fragomen. As the preeminent firm for business immigration, Fragomen offers a unique platform that opens new opportunities for my clients-and exciting possibilities for collaboration with talented colleagues."

She is accompanied in the move by several team members, including associate Basim Kamal, who brings several years of business immigration experience and the same commitment to providing clients with excellence in service delivery and legal knowledge.

About Fragomen

Fragomen is a leading firm dedicated exclusively to immigration services worldwide. The firm has more than 4,500 immigration professionals and support staff in more than 50 offices across the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific. Fragomen offers immigration support in more than 170 countries.

Fragomen's professionals are respected leaders in the immigration field, and the firm is regularly recognized as a leading firm for its percentage of minority and female attorneys.

The firm also supports all aspects of global immigration for both corporate and private clients, including strategic planning, quality management, reporting, and case management and processing, compliance program counseling, representation in government investigations, government relations, complex matter solutions, and litigation.

These capabilities allow Fragomen to work in partnership with individuals and corporate clients across all industries to facilitate the transfer of employees worldwide. For detailed information about Fragomen, click here.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - LeanLife Health Inc. (CSE: LLP) (FSE: LL1) (OTCQB: LHLNF) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that demand for its Mike Tyson branded Iron Energy drink has accelerated across all geographic sales regions across the United States, and management is placing an order for an additional 100 containers of Iron Energy from Foodcare Group.

Stan Lis, CEO and Director of LeanLife, states: "All initial products from our first containers have been pre-sold. Further orders are coming from our distribution partners across the US. The pace of orders has increased the past couple of weeks, and we anticipate that we will need to order an additional 100 containers in the next couple of months. Some of these new orders are from nationally known retailers, and we will provide an update once these retailers launch these products throughout the United States."

The Company intends to provide further updates on details of retail distribution as major retailers launch this product across in the United States.

About LeanLife Health and its Brand Positioning in the Marketplace

FoodCare Group, the supplier and manufacturer of Iron Energy, by Mike Tyson, is a market leader in Poland's energy drink market and is a leading brand in the Middle East. We believe, Iron Energy will also appeal to North American consumers and will quickly gain retail and consumer acceptance and trial.

The annual market value of the combined U.S. and Canadian energy drink markets is estimated at over $14 billion (USD). According to Allied Market Research, the global energy drinks market size was valued at $53.01 billion in 2018, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.20% to reach $86.01 billion by 2026.

Capitalizing on the opportunity, LeanLife now first offers Iron Drink, a Mike Tyson branded energy drink to the consumers in the United State. LeanLife will be aggressively priced and shelf positioned, to appeal to a broad consumer base. A good market shares growth will be expected.

Consumer preference and the increased occasions for energy drink consumption are growing the category. Iron Energy will participate in this phenomenon through category and organic growth. The broad base of health and sport oriented consumers will be attracted to this unique product alternative. Iron Energy is enjoying great success in the European market. We believe Iron Energy will offer a similar success story in North America due to its compelling brand attributes, product taste and energy benefits.

For more information, please contact:

Stan Lis, CEO

604-764-0518

SLis@LeanLifeHealth.com

Forward-Looking Information

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control including, the Company's ability to compete with large food companies; sales of any potential products developed will be profitable; the ability to complete sales under the sales agreement. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

THE CSE HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94389.
PENTICTON, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2021 / EastWest Bioscience Inc. ("EastWest" or "Company") (TSXV:EAST), reports that it will not be proceeding with the business combination agreement with 2747524 Ontario Inc. o/a Cylix Data Group ("Cylix Data"). The definitive agreement dated March 24th, 2021 that would have constituted a reverse takeover of a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, being 1264136 B.C. Ltd. ("SpinCo"), by Cylix Data (the "Transaction"), has been terminated in accordance with the conditions precedent to the closing of the agreement. As a result of this termination the business combination will not proceed.

The Transaction was described in a news release on April 12, 2021 and was conditional on, and would have been effected after, EastWest effected a strategic reorganization, whereby the Company would spin out its interest in SpinCo to the Company's shareholders by way of a statutory plan of arrangement (the "Spin-Out") pursuant to the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia). The strategic reorganization has not completed and therefore SpinCo has not yet been created.

EastWest will provide further details in respect of the strategic reorganization in due course by way of press releases. EastWest will make available all information including financial information as required by applicable regulatory authorities and will provide, in a press release to be disseminated at a later date, any required disclosure.

Investors are cautioned that any information released or received with respect to the Transaction in this news release may not be complete and should not be relied upon.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities, in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About EastWest Bioscience Group

EastWest Bioscience is a vertically integrated wellness company with a multitude of business units and assets that allow for seed-to-sale supply chain management. We source our raw material, process, manufacture, test, brand, market, and distribute our products to our customers in Canada, the United States, and beyond. The Company owns and operates retail and manufacturing subsidiaries.

The Company's retail subsidiary is the award winning, Canadian, natural health retail franchise - the Sangster's Health Centre's - with over 40 years of legacy in the health and wellness industry. Sangster's goal is to provide natural choices through quality products and educated advice for a healthy lifestyle. Sangster's Health Centres occupies a unique position in the industry, the stores provide vast knowledge and safe natural remedies for the prevention and treatment of disease and ailments. Sangster's introduction and development of over 202 exclusively labeled products (vitamins, mineral, herbs, proteins, natural body care and organic foods) catapulted Sangster's name and product into a large number of Canadian households. From a solid base in Saskatchewan, Sangster's has become a national brand name with franchise stores located across Canada.

Orchard Vale Naturals is the Company's manufacturing arm that is certified with a Health Canada Site License and has GMP Certified NHP Manufacturing capabilities. Orchard Vale Naturals specialize in custom blends and production runs of all sizes, small to large, for top-quality products with quick turnaround times. Orchard Vale Naturals operate out of the 34,000 sq Health Canada licensed facility in Penticton, British Columbia that is owned by EastWest Bioscience and is the Head Office for all its Canadian operations.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF

EASTWEST BIOSCIENCE INC.

"Rodney Gelineau"

Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Director

For Further Information:

Company Website: www.eastwestbioscience.com

Contact: Rodney Gelineau on 1-800-409-1930 or investors@eastwestscience.com

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the matters disclosed herein. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; and delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE: EastWest Bioscience Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/661385/EastWest-Bioscience-Reports-that-it-Will-Not-Proceed-with-the-Business-Combination-Agreement-Distributed-on-April-12-2021
AMSTERDAM (dpa-AFX) - Auto group Stellantis N.V. (STLA) and Taiwanese electronics giant Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., or popularly known as Foxconn, Tuesday announced a new joint venture, called Mobile Drive. Mobile Drive will focus on making 'smart cockpit' for vehicles that will feature navigation, voice assistance and payment services. Mobile Drive will be equally owned by Stellantis and Foxcon. The partnership has combined Foxconn's capabilities in ICT industry and smart solutions, with Stellantis' expertise in the automotive sector, ensuring the growth of Mobile Drive. 'Its roadmap of software innovations will include artificial intelligence-based applications, navigation, voice assistance, e-commerce store operations, and payment services integration, amongst others,' the companies said in a joint statement. Foxconn, whose key business is assembling Apple's iPhones, are trying to expand its portfolio by investing in the auto business. Meanwhile, Stellantis, the Dutch automotive group formed in 2021 with the merger of Italian-American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the French PSA Group, plans to invest 30 billion euros in electric vehicles and new software over the next four years. The group plans to have 39 electrified vehicle models available by the end of 2021. There are four EV platforms planned to be developed by the end of the 2020s. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Coquitlam, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - Captiva Verde Wellness Corp. (CSE: PWR) (OTC Pink: CPIVF) ("Captiva") announces that further to its news release of June 14th, 2021 where Captiva proposes to purchase all of the issued and outstanding shares of Crypto One Corp ("C1") through a Plan of Arrangement as discussed below, the Company has the following dates outlined by its legal team for effecting the transaction:

Friday, Aug. 27, 2021 Computershare to file NOMRD Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 Record Date Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021 Print Date Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021 Mailing Date - all mailhouses (including Broadridge US) Friday, Oct. 8, 2021 Legal Mailing Date Friday, Oct. 29, 2021 AGM

In summary, existing shareholders of Captiva Verde, at no cost, will receive 1 new share of C1 for each block of 10 shares they hold in Captiva Verde. For greater clarity, a shareholder who owns 100,000 shares of Captiva Verde will own 10,000 shares of C1. The conversion will have an escalation bonus where every 10 cents increase in the price of Captiva Verde above $0.40 will amount to a conversion increase of 10% so that at $1.40 per share for Captiva Verde, the conversion will be 1 new share of C1 for each 5 shares held of Captiva at the above record date.

At the completion of the Plan of arrangement C1 will issue 150 million shares to the shareholders of record of C1. At the current share price, the capital stack on the proposed listing of C1 will look like this:

14,349,107 Existing shareholders of Captiva Verde 150,000,000 Shareholders of Crypto One Corp 164,349,107 Total pre-IPO financing

C1 plans to IPO approximately 10,000,000 shares subject to CSE approval at the date of the IPO.

About Crypto One

Crypto One Corp will introduce crypto-mining operations with fully optimized renewable energy performance through "never off-line" monitoring - called Advantage Performance Monitoring". This allows cost optimization during higher traffic mining events and the natural seasonal changes that impact the green power output. Every hour and minute matters when mining while the sun is shining and the unique de-regulated energy market in Alberta enables Crypto One to negotiate grid tied supply contracts to best rates. State of the art HVAC with 24/7 monitoring allows optimized hardware performance and the lowest operational costs in the industry together with available power capacity to scale up mining hash power and leverage fixed-costs to maximize the green energy mining window. Dependable and high-performance mining hardware operates non-stop to capitalize on time before the next halving scheduled for 2024. Crypto One will produce the highly rewarded and very coveted "certified green energy cryptocurrency" that the environmentally conscious market is demanding.

Crypto One Corp is a private company in the cryptocurrency space dedicated to bringing digital assets onto the clean energy grid. Its Bitcoin mining sites have a zero-carbon footprint and the company's long-term strategy is to be the largest vertically integrated crypto miner with a wholly owned, 100 percent renewable energy supply.

Plan of Arrangement Proposal

Captiva Verde is a public company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange. It wholly owns processing facilities and organic farmland in New Brunswick and owns a brand-new pharmaceutical laboratory in Mexico. Captiva Verde also has interest in large-scale sustainable housing in California and owns other consumer assets. Captiva Verde owns all these assets debt-free and was listed on the CSE on October of 2018.

The purpose of the Arrangement is to restructure the Company by creating one new company, Spinco, (Crypto One Corp) which will become a reporting issuer in the Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario upon completion of the Arrangement. The Company believes this will be beneficial to the shareholders of the Company, as it is intended that Spinco will enter into a definitive agreement to acquire the Crypto One Assets upon completion of the Arrangement. Management also believes that by creating this new company and providing Captiva Shareholders with interests in this company, shareholder value will be significantly enhanced.

In this regard, Captiva Verde entered into an LOI whereby, subject to completion of the Arrangement, Spinco will acquire the Assets of Crypto One. The Proposed Acquisition is subject to completion of the Arrangement. Should the Arrangement be completed, the Proposed Acquisition would be subject to the execution by Spinco of a definitive agreement. It is anticipated that the Proposed Acquisition will be subject to standard closing conditions, including requisite corporate, judicial and regulatory approvals, financing and due diligence.

By creating a subsidiary, Spinco, which will acquire Captiva's LOI and become a separate reporting entity, Spinco (Crypto One) will be better able to pursue different specific operating strategies directly on its own without being subject to the financial and different interests of Captiva Verde. Some of the attributes are:

Spinco provides the Company's shareholders with the opportunity to participate in a new corporate vehicle. After the separation, Spinco will also have the flexibility to implement its own unique growth strategies, allowing Spinco to refine and refocus its business strategy and plans. Additionally, because the resulting business will be focused in its respective industry, being renewable energy driven crypto-mining, Spinco will be more readily understood by public investors, allowing Spinco to be in a better position to raise capital and align management and employee incentives with the interests of shareholders.

Pursuant to the Arrangement, Captiva will transfer to Spinco all of Captiva's interest in and to the Crypto One LOI in exchange for 14,349,107 Spinco Shares, which shares will be distributed to the Captiva Shareholders who hold Captiva Shares on the Share Distribution Record Date. Each Captiva Shareholder as of the Share Distribution Record Date, other than a Dissenting Shareholder, will immediately after the Arrangement, hold the proposed pro-rata number of New Shares in the capital of Spinco (Crypto One) plus the exact number of shares of Captiva Verde that it currently owns to be distributed under the Arrangement for each currently held Captiva Share.

Jeff Ciachurski, CEO of Captiva Verde, states: "Crypto One has always been at the leading edge of this major disruptive financial theme of renewable energy crypto-mining. Crypto One understands the present need of public shareholders and investors who require direct and tangible access to clean energy policy, and the new paradigm of green energy engagement is paramount to the new generation of well educated, e-connected, and socially conscious investors."

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

"Jeff Ciachurski"

Jeffrey Ciachurski

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Cell: (949) 903-5906

E-mail: westerwind@shaw.ca

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94400
LOUISVILLE, KY / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2021 / Charah Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:CHRA) ("Charah Solutions" or the "Company") announced today the closing of its previously announced public offering (the "Offering") of senior unsecured notes due 2026 (the "Notes"). On August 20, 2021, the underwriters exercised their option to purchase an additional $5,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes for a total offering size of $135,000,000. The Notes mature on August 31, 2026 and bear interest at a rate of 8.50% per year.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering, along with cash from the sale of equity to B. Riley Securities, Inc., to fully repay and terminate the Company's credit facility, dated September 21, 2018, by and among the Company, the lenders party thereto from time to time and Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent, with any remaining proceeds to be used for general corporate purposes, including funding future acquisitions and investments, repaying indebtedness, making capital expenditures and funding working capital. The Notes will be issued in minimum denominations of $25.00 and integral multiples of $25.00 in excess thereof.

In connection with the Offering, the Company has applied to list the Notes on the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") under the symbol "CHRB." If approved for listing, trading on the NYSE is expected to commence within 30 days after the Notes are first issued.

B. Riley Securities, Inc., Boenning & Scattergood, Inc., Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc. and William Blair & Company, L.L.C. acted as joint book-running managers for the Offering. EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC acted as lead manager for this offering. Aegis Capital Corp., B.C. Ziegler & Company, Colliers Securities LLC, Huntington Securities, Inc. and Newbridge Securities Corporation acted as co-managers for the Offering. Houlihan Lokey served as financial advisor to the Company.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The Notes may only be offered and sold under the Company's registration statement on Form S-1, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and is effective. A copy of the registration statement related to the Offering is on file with the SEC, was declared effective on August 20, 2021 and is available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Copies of the prospectus related to the Offering may be obtained from the offices of B. Riley Securities, Inc. at 1300 North 17th Street, Suite 1400, Arlington, VA 22209, by calling (703) 312-9580 or by emailing prospectuses@brileyfin.com.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "may," "expect," "estimate," "project," "plan," "believe," "intend," "achievable," "anticipate," "will," "continue," "potential," "should," "could," and similar terms and phrases. These statements are based on certain assumptions made by the Company based on management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, anticipated future developments and other factors believed to be appropriate. Such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those implied or expressed by the forward-looking statements. See the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 and other periodic reports as filed with the SEC for further information regarding risk factors. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

About Charah Solutions, Inc.

With 30 years of experience, Charah Solutions, Inc. is a leading provider of environmental services and byproduct sales to the power generation industry. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Charah Solutions assists utilities and independent power producers with all aspects to sustainably manage and recycle ash byproducts generated from the combustion of coal in the production of electricity. The Company also designs and implements solutions for ash pond management and closure, landfill construction, fly ash sales, and structural fill projects. Charah Solutions is the partner of choice for solving customers' most complex environmental challenges, and as an industry leader in quality, safety, and compliance, the Company is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions for a cleaner energy future. For more information, please visit www.charah.com/ or download our 2020 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report at charah.com/sustainability.

Investor Contact

Roger Shannon, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Charah Solutions, Inc.

(502) 245-1353

ir@charah.com

Media Contact

Tamara Davis

PriceWeber Marketing

(270) 202-8516

media@charah.com

SOURCE: Charah Solutions, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/661324/Charah-Solutions-Inc-Completes-135000000-Senior-Unsecured-Notes-Offering
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2021 / Golcap Resources Corp. (CSE:GCP)(OTC PINK:GCRCF) (the "Company" or "Golcap") is pleased to announce that Justin Corinella and Rod Husband have been appointed as directors of the Company, replacing Alan Tam and Stephen Diakow. Alan Tam will remain with the Company as the Chief Financial Officer. Golcap wishes to thank the former directors for their contribution to the Company.

Justin Corinella - Director

Mr. Corinella has a broad background in public markets and corporate financing. His focus is on early-stage venture companies with potential for large growth, scalability and value creation. He is on several private company boards as well as currently serving as a Director of Rain City Resources Inc., a CSE listed exploration company. Mr. Corinella was the Head of Technology for Squire Mining Ltd., listed on the CSE, and as part of the executive team, he participated in raising $28M CAD in financing and developed strategic partnerships with key stakeholders in North America, Europe and Asia. Mr. Corinella is the inventor and Co-founder of Dahrwin LLC, founded in 2012, a wireless technology company based out of New York and raised venture funding, spearheaded software & hardware development and received five issued patents. His endeavors have positioned him as a lead in multiple R&D and Engineering departments working on various US military and government-based technologies.

Rod Husband - Director

Economic geologist with over 30 years experience in the resource sector. Experienced public company director and officer with expertise in management and corporate development, including the evaluation, financing, development of numerous resource projects including the development of a 3M oz gold mine. Founding partner of Cipher Research and President of Zola Minerals Inc. where he has spent the last seven years conducting research and analysis on hundreds of companies and projects and helping develop detailed valuation models used to assess prospective investment.

The Company has granted 75,000 options to an officer. Each option is exercisable at a price of $0.17 per share for a period of five years, vesting immediately.

Exploration Update

Golcap's exploration team has conducted follow-up work at its Redcap and SBGB properties and the optioned Otter Lake tenures located in the Spences Bridge Gold Belt north of Princeton, British Columbia. Work included rock sampling and mapping in areas with elevated silver-in-soils that were identified in earlier programs. Analyses will provide data that will be used in planning additional exploration.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Gordon Lam

President and Chief Executive Officer

Email: info@golcapresources.com

Telephone: (604) 675-2011

Website: www.golcapresources.com

The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, the Company's proposed use of the proceeds of its offering. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward looking statements or otherwise.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Golcap Resources Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/661405/Golcap-Announces-Director-Changes-and-Exploration-Update
VANCVOUER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2021 / Usha Resources Ltd. ("Usha" or the "Company") (TSXV:USHA)(OTCQB:USHAF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Adrian Smith as a director of the Company, effective immediately.

Mr. Smith is currently the CEO of ArcPacific Resources Corp. and President and director of M3 Metals Corp. Mr. Smith is a professional geologist with over a decade of experience in the capital markets and mineral exploration and development sector. He has successfully executed multiple exploration programs and corporate strategies, including the acquisition, development and optioning of the Mohave Gold project in Arizona, USA during his time as CEO of M3 Metals Corp.

The Company also announces the resignation of Brian Moore as a director of the Company. The Company wishes to thank Mr. Moore for his contributions to the Company and wishes him the best in his future endeavors.

Mr. Smith will assist in the development of USHA's Lost Basin gold-copper project (the "Lost Basin Property") in Mohave County, Arizona and the Green Hills copper-cobalt project (the "Green Hills Property") in Silver Bow and Madison Counties, Montana.

About Green Hills

The Green Hills Property is located within Silver Bow and Madison Counties, 32 kilometres south of Butte, Montana and is comprised of 65 Federal Unpatented Lode Claims that total over 1,342 acres.

The various claims comprising the Property have over 10,000 metres of historical drilling, including by majors such as BHP, Cominco, Homestake, Phelps Dodge and Rio Tinto. Significant drill and trench results include:

1.2% copper, 0.036% cobalt, and 200 ppb gold over 11.7 metres of massive sulfides in DH WCC-4

0.15% to 0.3% cobalt and up to 1.14% copper over 96.3 metres in DH K-1 (note, only 1 ft was assayed for every 10 ft)

1.8% copper and 450 ppb gold over 1.25 metres in DH PD-1

19.0% zinc over 0.7 metres in DH M-1

19.8% zinc over 0.4 metres in DH 79-1

Up to 4.7% copper, 0.07% cobalt, and 2.3 g/t gold in trenches advanced by BHP-Utah

Recent airborne geophysical survey work (Geotech's Helicopter Borne VTEM) has delineated a series of high-priority electromagnetic anomalies within the Property (often indicative of sulphide mineralization), and numerous major and minor structures, which require follow-up exploration and possibly drilling. The Company's plan over the coming months is to build on the geophysical work completed through further geophysical mapping and interpretation, sampling, and other techniques in order to launch a comprehensive drill program with the goal of completing a maiden resource at one or more areas.

About Lost Basin

The Lost Basin Property is located within the Lost Basin Mining District in Mohave County, Arizona and is comprised of 133 mineral claims that total over 5,000 acres. Recent work completed by the Company has identified the following:

Red Basin: Highly anomalous soil samples were identified with 10 samples assaying over 0.2 g/t Au and as high as 11.134 g/t Au.

Copper Blowout: 4 chip samples assayed above 1% Cu and as high as 1.53% Cu over 2 m.

Mallory's Trench: Chip samples yielded gold values as high as 2.6 g/t Au over 2 m.

The Company's plan over the coming months is to build on the existing work by completing a trenching program over a period of four weeks that will also include soil sampling, geologic mapping, and rock sampling of these areas and other areas of interest at Lost Basin, including the Ideas Lode West vein where grab samples assayed as high as 45.4 g/t Au.

The primary objective of exploration will be to further develop USHA's understanding of the nature of the gold mineralization at Lost Basin as it continues to develop targets for a follow-up core drilling program in 2021.

About Usha Resources Ltd.

Usha Resources Ltd. is a Canadian mineral acquisition and exploration company based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Usha is exploring for commercially exploitable mineral deposits and is currently focused on deposits located in North America. Usha increases shareholder value through the acquisition and exploration of quality precious and base metal properties and the application of advanced state-of-the-art exploration methods. Usha's portfolio of strategic properties provides diversification and mitigates investment risk.

USHA RESOURCES LTD.

"Deepak Varshney" CEO and Director

For more information, please phone James Berard, Investor Relations, at 778-228-2314, email jberard@usharesources.com,or visit www.usharesources.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Usha Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/661396/Usha-Resources-Announces-Change-in-Directors
HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 2021 / Cub Energy Inc. ("Cub" or the "Company") (TSXV:KUB), a Ukraine-focused energy company, announced today its unaudited financial and operating results for the interim six months ended June 30, 2021. All dollar amounts are expressed in United States Dollars unless otherwise noted. This update includes results from Kub-Gas LLC ("Kub-Gas"), which Cub has a 35% equity ownership interest, Tysagaz LLC ("Tysagaz"), Cub's 100% owned subsidiary and CNG LLC ("CNG"), which Cub has a 50% equity ownership interest.

Patrick McGrath, CEO of Cub said: "We are pleased to report $1,488,000 in profit from our gas trading business during the six months ended June 30, 2021 which resulted in the Company reporting net income of $746,000 for same period. This was the best net income growth in over two years. Other significant accomplishments during the current period include the commencement of commercial production of the new power generation business and entering into an agreement to divest its non-core western Ukraine licence for proceeds of up to approximately $1 million."

Operational Highlights

Achieved average natural gas price of $6.50/Mcf and condensate price of $68.12/bbl during the six months ended June 30, 2021 as compared to $2.77/Mcf and $33.01/bbl for the comparative 2020 period. The increase in commodity prices is due, in large part, to a colder European winter, the lessening global impacts of COVID-19 and geopolitical events.

The Company's two Jenbacher power units were installed and commenced commercial production in the second quarter of 2021. The power generation units produced 2,253 megawatts an hour ("MWh") for the period of commencement in mid May 2021 to June 30, 2021 at an average price of $73/MWh.

Production averaged 532 boe/d (97% weighted to natural gas and the remaining to condensate) for the six months ended June 30, 2021 as compared to 648 boe/d for the comparative 2020 period.

On April 30, 2021, the Company announced it had entered into a share purchase agreement ("SPA") to sell its 50% interest in CNG Holdings, which indirectly owns the Uzhgorod licence in western Ukraine. In consideration, the Company is to receive 800,000 (US $970,000) for its 50% interest in CNG Holdings. The consideration consists of 600,000 (US $728,000) in cash on closing and 200,000 (US $242,000) is a contingent payment on certain future events including a commercial discovery. The closing is subject to certain conditions including Ukraine regulatory approval and is expected to close in Q4 2021.

Financial Highlights

The gross profit on the Company's gas trading business increased to $1,488,000 during the six months ended June 30, 2021 as compared to $332,000 in gross profit in the comparative 2020 period.

The Company reported net income of $746,000 or $0.00 per share during the six months ended June 30, 2021 as compared to a net loss of $1,900,000 or $0.01 per share during the 2020 comparative period.

Netbacks of $19.17/boe or $3.20/Mcfe were achieved for the six months ended June 30, 2021 as compared to netback of $3.77/Boe or $0.63/Mcfe for the six month comparative period in 2020.

(in thousands of US Dollars) Three Months Ended June 30, 2021 Three Months Ended June 30, 2020 Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 Petroleum and natural gas revenue 97 43 191 109 Pro-rata petroleum and natural gas revenue(1) 1,265 792 2,409 2,054 Revenue from gas trading 1,829 923 3,482 3,127 Revenue from sale of electricity 178 - 178 - Net income (loss) 483 (1,194) 746 (1,900) Income (loss) per share - basic and diluted 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 (0.01) Funds generated from (used in) operations 1,068 (443) 1,084 (93) Capital expenditures(2) 218 - 352 - Pro-rata capital expenditures(2) 321 44 455 895 Pro-rata netback ($/boe) 21.16 2.16 19.17 3.77 Pro-rata netback ($Mcfe) 3.53 0.36 3.20 0.63 June 30, 2021 December 31, 2020 Cash and cash equivalents 5,137 4,424

Notes:

(1) Pro-rata petroleum and natural gas revenue is a non-IFRS measure that adds the Company's petroleum and natural gas revenue earned in the respective periods to the Company's 35% equity share of the KUB-Gas natural gas sales that the Company has an economic interest in.

(2) Capital expenditures includes the purchase of property, plant and equipment and the purchase of exploration and evaluation assets. Pro-rata capital expenditures are a non-IFRS measure that adds the Company's capital expenditures in the respective periods to the Company's 35% equity share of the KUB-Gas and 50% equity share of CNG Holdings capital expenditures that the Company has an economic interest in.

(3) For purposes of the pro-rata netback calculation, the Company's profit from gas trading is added to the revenue of Kub-Gas to better reflect the true natural gas price achieved and field netback.

Reader Advisory

With the current cash resources, negative working capital, fluctuating commodity prices, currency fluctuations, reliance on a limited number of customers, the Company may not have sufficient cash to continue the exploration and development activities. These matters raise significant doubt about the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern and meet its obligations as they become due.

Supporting Documents

Cub's complete interim reporting package, including the unaudited consolidated interim financial statements and associated Management's Discussion and Analysis, have been filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and has been posted on the Company's website at www.cubenergyinc.com.

About Cub Energy Inc.

Cub Energy Inc. (TSXV:KUB) is a power and upstream oil and gas company, with a proven track record of exploration and production cost efficiency in Ukraine. The Company's strategy is to implement western technology and capital, combined with local expertise and ownership, to increase value in its undeveloped land base, creating and further building a portfolio of assets within a high commodity price environment.

For further information please contact us or visit our website: www.cubenergyinc.com

Patrick McGrath

Chief Executive Officer

(713) 577-1948

patrick.mcgrath@cubenergyinc.com

Oil and Gas Equivalents

A barrel of oil equivalent ("boe") or units of natural gas equivalents ("Mcfe") is calculated using the conversion factor of 6 Mcf (thousand cubic feet) of natural gas being equivalent to one barrel of oil. A boe conversion ratio of 6 Mcf: 1 bbl (barrel) or a Mcfe conversion of 1bbl: 6 Mcf is, based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead and is not based on either energy content or current prices. While the boe ratio is useful for comparative measures, it does not accurately reflect individual product values and might be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. As well, given that the value ratio, based on the current price of crude oil to natural gas, is significantly different from the 6:1 energy equivalency ratio, using a 6:1 conversion ratio may be misleading as an indication of value. The disclosure in this press release is prepared in accordance with NI 51-101 standards.

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Cub believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable; however there can be no assurance those expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information.

Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in Ukraine, the Black Sea Region and globally; political unrest and security concerns in Ukraine; industry conditions, including fluctuations in the prices of natural gas, power and foreign currency; governmental regulation of the natural gas industry, including environmental regulation; unanticipated operating events or performance which can reduce production or cause production to be shut in or delayed; failure to obtain industry partner and other fourth party consents and approvals, if and when required; competition for and/or inability to retain drilling rigs and other services; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; volatility in market prices for natural gas; liabilities inherent in natural gas operations; competition for, among other things, capital, acquisitions of reserves, undeveloped lands, skilled personnel and supplies; incorrect assessments of the value of acquisitions; geological, technical, drilling, processing and transportation problems; changes in tax laws and incentive programs relating to the natural gas industry; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions and dispositions; and the other factors. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive.

This cautionary statement expressly qualifies the forward-looking information contained in this news release. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Cub Energy Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/661399/Cub-Energy-Announces-Second-Quarter-Results
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2021) - Tembo Gold Corp. (TSXV: TEM) ("Tembo" or the "Company") announces that further to its news releases dated June 23rd, 2021 and August 3rd, 2021, the Company has completed the second and final closing of its non-brokered private placement financing (the "Financing") by issuing an additional 706,666 common shares (the "Shares") of the Company, at a price of $0.15 per Share. The Company has issued a total of 14,810,031 Shares pursuant to the Financing, for gross proceeds of $2,221,505. All Shares issued are subject to a four month hold period from the date of closing.

The proceeds will be used for general working capital and project related costs including drilling and operational field expenses to complete the drilling proposed for 2021.

About Tembo Gold Corp.

Tembo is a Canadian publicly-listed mineral exploration company with a 100% interest in the Tembo Gold Project which is located adjacent to African Barrick's 14Moz Bulyanhulu Gold Mine in the prolific Lake Victoria Greenstone belt in Tanzania. Tembo's focus is the discovery and development of gold projects in Africa. The Company has assembled a highly experienced team with a proven history of developing, financing, and operating mining projects in Africa. The Company's exploration strategy is to discover mineral resources as well as continue to look for additional opportunities that can bring value to the Company and shareholders.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of Tembo,

David Scott

President & CEO

For more information please contact:

Simon Benstead

Director & VP Corporate Development

Phone: 604-685-9316

Email: investors@tembogold.com

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information set out in this news release constitutes forward-looking information. Forward looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate; "plan", "continue; "estimate; "expect", "may, "will", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions. This news release contains forward-looking statements in respect of certain anticipated goals and expectations in connection with the Financing, including, without limitation, the use of the net proceeds from the Financing, the receipt of applicable shareholder approval in connection with the change of control of the Company, the anticipated lock-up and voting arrangements to be entered into by the Investor Group, the anticipated reconstitution of the board of directors of Tembo, the anticipated approval of the TSXV for the Financing and the expectation that Tembo will remain a public company following the change of control. Forward-looking statements are based upon the opinions and expectations of management of the Company as at the effective date of such statements and, in certain cases, information provided or disseminated by third parties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, and that information obtained from third party sources is reliable, they can give no assurance that those expectations will prove to have been correct. The forward-looking statements contained herein after provided for the purpose of providing readers with the Company's expectations and goals in connection with the Financing, and may not be suitable for other purposes. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/94442
Knock, a New York-based residential leasing platform, raised $5M in seed funding.

The round was led by Accomplice and Boston Seed with participation from angel investors in the cybersecurity space and Hippo co-founder Eyal Navon. In conjunction with the funding, Nicole Stata, General Partner at Boston Seed Capital, joined Knocks board of directors.

The company intends to use the funds to to grow their team globally and expand their NYC portfolio.

Led by co-founder and CEO Erez Cohen, Knock combines AI bots, self-touring, big data machine learning, and cybersecurity in an end-to-end residential leasing solution. Its real-time stats on inquiries, tours, feedback, and applications enable property managers to adjust pricing and make any additional changes to a listing. The company has additional research and development in Israel.

FinSMEs

24/08/2021
SIMPLi, a Baltimore-based ingredients brand delivering ethically-sourced food, secured an initial seed round of funding.

The round was led by the Abell Foundation with additional backing from Seth Goldman, co-founder of Eat the Change and Honest Tea, and Chair of the Board of Beyond Meat.

The company intends to use the funds to strengthen its national presence for B2B relations through additional organizational support and marketing initiatives, and recruit and scale their operations, sales, and marketing departments.

Founded in 2020 by Sarela Herrada and Matt Cohen, SIMPLi is an ethically-sourced ingredients company that works directly with the communities in Peru, Greece and other countries to bypass all the middle parties to bring single origin, nutrient-dense ingredients straight to consumers directly. The regenerative organic red, white and tri-colored quinoa products will be available in 49 Whole Foods locations across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, New Jersey, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

FinSMEs

25/08/2021
A Johnson County man was arrested and charged with the Aug. 18 robbery of a Floyd County bank.

According to court records, Jeffery Mullins, 61, of Bluegrass Drive, Hager Hill, was arrested on a charge of first-degree robbery in connection with the incident at the Community Trust Bank branch at Allen.

According to police statements and court documents, at approximately 9:42 a.m. on Aug. 18, Mullins entered the bank and showed a teller a handgun tucked into his waistband. The warrant in the case said that Mullins also handed the teller a note demanding money and said that, if the tellers accessed the alarm, he would kill them.

The warrant said Mullins obtained $16,000 from the bank. Police said the suspect then fled the bank on foot.

The following day, police said, Kentucky State Police Det. Ryan Hamilton, along with the Floyd County Sheriffs Office, obtained vital evidence that identified Mullins as the suspect.

Mullins was lodged in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Paintsville.

The case remains under investigation by Kentucky State Police.
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Transcript:

Sabine Vollmer: How much should board members know about integrated thinking principles, the integrated reporting framework  which I think both come from the IIRC and sustainability accounting standards  and why should they know this?

Jeremy Osborn: Integrated reporting and integrated thinking have always gone together. We reference integrated thinking in the integrated reporting framework. Essentially, integrated thinking can be thought of as a management philosophy in which value creation, preservation, and erosion is thought of in the round rather than with a sort of rather narrow perspective focus on financial accounting value.

The rules for financial accounting value have been long established. They've been around since the great heyday of the Victorian engineers who built all the railways in the UK and were first codified in the 20s and the 30s. But they take rather a narrow view. They only focus on value creation as defined by the financial accountancy profession.

In the 100 years or so since they've come into being, not just accountants but regulators, governments, citizens  everybody's become conscious that value creation, preservation, or erosion is a very complicated affair and value can be created in one area, such as financial accounting value, at the expense of another, such as natural capital.

Society is best served where value creation is approached in the round and businesses and organisations do the best they can to optimise value creation across as many capitals as possible in the hope that if a value is put on all of them, the net value created would be north of zero rather than south of zero.

Businesses are getting much better at doing that. Integrated thinking is really a management philosophy in which businesses and particularly those charged with the leadership of businesses and the oversight of those leaders approach what their organisation  their business  does, how it's organised, how it manages its supply chain and its value chain in a way to think about or manage resource use in order to create value across as many capitals as are relevant to the business model of the particular organisation, not to only focus on financial value creation.

If I may, I've got a wonderful quote. Last week, we launched a new report on integrated thinking based on case studies from 11 very significant European companies. In conversation with the CEO of Leonardo, which is one of Italy's largest defence companies, the CEO, who is a great fan of integrated thinking, said that the only route to sustainable value creation was through integrated thinking.

We didn't prompt him to say that, but I think it's very telling when a CEO with whom I've had no relationship  so this is his own experience that he's reflecting on  talks so clearly about the benefits from his perspective as a leader of a very large organisation from embedding integrated thinking into the way Leonardo goes about doing business.

Vollmer: Can you give me a quick example of how this works and how it is different from not using it?

Osborn: It can be helpful to think about where there's change within a business. Perhaps an organisation is considering a major capital investment or it's considering branching into a new type of service. What we've seen and others have seen from case studies is when businesses approach decisions like this, perhaps it's an investment decision around siting a factory in location A versus location B. When it's done purely on the basis of what we might think of as sort of rather a traditional approach to accounting, the answer might be that we should be located in region X.

But when the same decision is put through a slightly different set of calculations and the organisation looks at what would the impacts of this decision be, for example, on natural capital erosion. What benefits would we create for the society that will help staff and service this factory and what employment might we create, etc., or in the value chain? What will this do for our reputation in terms of society at large? Rather than leading necessarily to the same conclusion that it should be located in region X, the answer might be region Y.

It may be that the financial  the immediate to short-term financial value calculation is less strong in region Y, but when looked at in the round, in terms of long-term sustainable value creation, that might be the right answer. Case studies  this has got a lot of case studies now of organisations that said, Weve looked at both and have actually gone with the second approach, because it's given us a more informed picture of where we can best use our resources in the interest of long-term sustainable value creation, not only for us as an enterprise and for our shareholders, but also for society at large.

Vollmer: What is a sustainability committee, and how does it work?

Osborn: This is something that is relatively new. I would suggest that in my experience, sustainability committees have really come to the fore over the last five years or so. They tend to be the route by which the governance arrangements of an organisation hold those who are responsible for the sustainability strategy to account. Typically, a sustainability committee would be a board-level committee or would report through to the board. It would be chaired by a member of the board, although the operational aspect  the actual doing of the committee's activities  would most likely be left to what's now often referred to as the chief sustainability officer.

Again, these are relatively new terms.

I think we're at a point of development now where a well-informed sustainability strategy is intertwined with the core business strategy and is mutually reinforcing.

Vollmer: What can integrated reporting do that enterprise risk management cannot do?

Osborn: Enterprise risk management is an aspect of integrated reporting, but again, it's a subset.

Risk management is still an integral part of integrated reporting and integrated thinking, but it often tends to be rather defensive. It's a defensive move to ensure that the organisation has covered its back in terms of potential risk, and it can demonstrate to those charged with governance that it's been through a formal process to assess the risks.

There can be a tendency for the risk to be a little bit anodyne at times and less company-specific than I think is helpful for investors and stakeholders. What integrated thinking I think adds to this is, number one, it asks the question, what are the opportunities? Risk management and opportunity management are two sides of the same coin. Climate change is a very good example of this. There can be an assumption that climate change is a risk to be managed. That's not necessarily the case for all businesses.

For some businesses, climate change is also a huge opportunity. If one thinks about the transition, for example, that the most advanced economies are working through or will be working through in the coming years from a high-carbon intensity in terms of energy production to a lower-carbon intensity  these are largely political decisions because they affect the energy security of a country. But much of that low-carbon energy is going to come from alternative energy sources. If you're in the business of making wind turbines, the economic upside of that is gigantic.

Also, if you were a traditional carbon-based energy producer, the opportunity to gain competitive advantage, first-move advantage, etc., from transitioning out of fossil fuels and into alternative energy sources is also not just significant but it's an integral part of surviving the global transition to a low-carbon economy.

Integrated thinking and integrated reporting would also look at opportunity management. Risks tend to be stuff that can be viewed and quantified in the here and the now. Often, when a company goes through its risk management process, it might be looking really over the next 12 to 36 months of the key things that are likely to affect its ability to operate successfully. That's a fairly narrow time scale in the scheme of things.

So, what are the major issues which an organisation or its industry or the environment that sustains it  the society that sustains it  is likely to have? That tends to look at macro issues. These might be  I don't know  urbanisation, or perhaps as we've seen in the last year  I live in London  for example, it's something like half a million people have left London during the pandemic and nobody knows if they're going to return. Some will have gone back to their home countries because of Brexit.

Others will be temporarily living in second homes outside London and some under the impact of changing working passes will probably not return. That's quite a significant proportion of London's population. If you're a business that's centred around selling products and services to densely populated urban environments, what impacts might that sort of quite seismic change have on your business?

That just sort of brings to life the difference between a risk  the risk is the temporary absence from city centres of office workers  and the issue of whether that creates long-term changes to working patterns. And therefore a business model which may have been fit for purpose prior to March 2020 may not actually be suitable from the summer of 2021 onward.

Vollmer: Why would external auditors recommend that a company adopt integrated reporting?

Osborn: The external auditors, as part of the management feedback that they provide at the end of the annual auditing process, will advise management and counsel them on significant changes which are occurring within the external reporting environment. The audit firms, particularly the big six audit firms, have been very integral to the integrated reporting movement going right back to the beginning of this in the aftermath of the great financial crash of 2008 and 2009.

The simple answer is that they have a responsibility to help the clients for whom they work understand what changes are going on within the external auditing environment. I think the more substantial answer, though, is it really comes back to this question of value and whether the auditing profession itself feels that the way things have been, by and large without a great deal of change in substance for the last 100 years or so, albeit it with the movement of the last 20 years towards the internationalisation of financial accounting standards, but whether that is a sufficient approach as we head through the third decade of the 21st century.

Really what it comes down to is a recognition that resources are not necessarily infinite. Again, if we think back to  we are working with frameworks with a social construct which stems from a time when the idea that there might be resource constraints would have been anathema. If one had asked a Victorian industrialist whether steel was going to run out or whether one day coal-fired trains, or trains powered by fossil fuels, would no longer be acceptable, he would have had no idea what you were talking about.

Perhaps the constraint then might have been on financial capital. In the 2020s, we're very conscious that resources can't be  resource abundance can't be taken for granted. We're all aware of the inherent constraints imposed by the world's population and the increasing wealth of the middle classes that are scarce. For many years as well, there's been a sense of  it's often given militaristic terms which I think are perhaps not entirely appropriate  the war for talent and this idea that there's a limited supply of talented people to work for an organisation.

I think any business leader would recognise that reputation and the social networks that sustain a business can never be taken for granted, because reputations, as we know, take years  decades  to create and they can be lost overnight. Business leaders would be very aware that there are resource constraints and therefore, if we only think about accounting for one element of that, which is what the auditors are currently looking at, which is the financial aspect  the financial accounting aspect  it's missing that bigger picture.

Vollmer: What's the relationship between the Value Reporting Foundation and country regulators like the Financial Reporting Council in the UK or the US Securities and Exchange Commission? What we've been talking about, none of this is mandatory, correct?

Osborn: It's not yet, but things will change.

The likes of the ISSB [International Sustainability Standards Board] will come to its own view of what the appropriate governance arrangements are and what the appropriate standards should be. We know they are going to start with what's called a building-blocks approach. They're going to start with climate change, which clearly is appropriate when the ISSB is going to be  the launch for it will be announced during the COP26 [2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference] meetings in Glasgow.

The regulators in each country will come to their own view as to whether those standards should be adopted.

Vollmer: What are the trends in climate reporting?

Osborn: The big impact here has been from something that's referred to as TCFD, the Task Force for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures. Mark Carney and Michael Bloomberg were the original chairs of this. TCFD is a set of recommendations on how businesses should think about what impact climate change is likely to have on them as an entity.

Prior to that, the question was flipped the other way around, which was what impact will you, as an entity, have on climate change. TCFD's recommendations revolve around four areas. The governance of how to assess the impact of climate change on the business, the business strategy, risk management, and metrics and targets.

It has been very successful. It's been adopted globally by organisations. It's like a rolling stone gathering speed rather than moss over time. The quality of disclosures which relate to TCFD, which the TCFD secretariat assess each year, is still not great, but it is forcing businesses to think about how climate is going to affect their future operations and performance.

It goes back to that earlier point that this is not only about risk. It could also be about opportunity. Basically, it asks businesses to think about the three different scenarios of changing global average temperatures that are the basis for the global policy decisions which are made around how to respond to climate change  the Intergovernmental Climate Change Committee.

It's gathering momentum and I think paves the way, effectively, for a standard for how organisations should report this. All of the underlying elements  the governance, the strategy, the risk management  will remain as important whatever happens when the ISSB comes up with its first climate change-related financial disclosure.

But I think what the launch of the ISSB in November and the subsequent publication of its standard, whenever that may be, will do is it will provide businesses with very clear information on what type of metrics, what type of things they should be measuring in terms of the impact of climate change on their business, and what format to report that in.

The key takeaway here is that standardisation of approach will provide investors, first and foremost, with the same quality of information about a business's perspective on the impact of climate change on its future performance and prospects that investors currently have when it comes to financial-related disclosures, again because of that standardisation of how the information is prepared  audited externally.

Given what a significant impact  some ill, some good  that climate change will have on just about every business and organisation in the world, it's essential that there is a standardised approach with how to do this.

So, everybody is experiencing something to do with climate change over the course of a year. It's clear that this is going to be a central focus of government policy, and therefore businesses have to respond to that and the ISSB and its climate change or climate-related financial standards will play a key role in basically shining a light on what businesses are doing in response to that  how they're doing their bit to minimise the impacts of climate change or adapting if necessary if the impacts of climate change are unavoidable and decarbonising  decarbonising their business model, decarbonising their supply chain, their value chain, which requires innovation, which in turn creates opportunity.

One must think of this from both sides of the coin. It's not just risk to manage. It's also opportunity to seize, depending of course on the business.
Details about the upcoming vivo X70 series, successor to the existing X60 series, started surfacing a few weeks back. Now the CAD-based render of the X70 Pro has surfaced, thanks to @OnLeaks. This reveals a 6.56-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2376 pixels) punch-hole screen, which is expected to be an AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. It also shows quad rear cameras with ZEISS optics and triple LED flash.

It also shows that the USB Type-C port, speaker grille, microphone and SIM card slot are located at the bottom. The phone is said to measure 160.4 x 75.5 x 7.7~10mm. Based on earlier Geekbench listing, the model V2105 is said to be the vivo X70 Pro that is said to be powered by MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC with 12GB of RAM, and it should run Funtouch OS 11.1 based on Android 11. It is also expected to come in 8GB RAM version.

Both the X70 and X70 Pro are said to be powered by Dimensity 1200 SoC, and the top-end X70 Pro+ is expected to be powered by the latest Snapdragon 888+ Mobile Platform. Earlier rumours said that the phone with come with 50MP Sony IMX766 main camera, and 44W fast charging, while the X70 Pro+ is rumoured to support 66W charging.

The vivo X70 series is expected to be announced sometime in September, and we should know the exact date soon.

Source
Google, one of the largest sources of information on the internet, faces many challenges, such as the mammoth task of protecting their users from online risk. To help improve the experience, Google has committed to investing more in their Trust and Safety teams, introduced an updated Google Safety Center, and more.

For the Trust and Safety teams in India specifically, Google has added product policy analysts, security specialists, and user trust experts, covering more than 10 vernacular Indian languages. This should help tackle misinformation, fraud, threats to child safety, violent extremism, phishing attacks, and malware, among other abuse areas.

The Google Safety Center will receive an update that adds support for Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, and Telugu, along with three more Indian languages in the coming months. This platform will help users discover helpful resources and easy tips, and identify the digital habits that are right for them and their families, all in the language of their choice.

Lastly, Google launched the Be Internet Awesome program in India, which will help children, families, and educators learn about staying safe online, starting with English and Hindi. The company has also partnered with popular Indian comic book publishers, Amar Chitra Katha, to help kids discover these critical internet safety lessons through their favourite characters, in eight Indian languages
Time to Upgrade?

Hey all! I've been going back and forth in my mind for about a year or so on whether it's time to upgrade to new a truck or keep throwing money at my old ones. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I want to hear your stories, good and bad, that might help me in my decision. Some more details regarding my decisions below.



I currently run a 2001 F150 5.4 as my daily driver that I've owned for over 10 years and is creeping up on that 200k mile mark and I know some expensive repairs are surely on their way. I also have a 1999 F250SD with the V10 gasser in it that I use for towing my trailer (10k lbs fully loaded) and for hauling other crap around. The SD has over 270k miles on it. Thankfully the previous owner put a remanufacatured engine in the SD about 60k miles ago, but the transmission is still original. I've already asked the dealership how much a new transmission would be, about $5k parts/labor, as this one had lots of debris in the last transmission flush I had done earlier this spring.



Here's my question to everyone, should I stick with the trucks I have and pay for the new transmission in the SD? Or, do I bite the bullet and but a new, or slightly used, SD to replace both trucks all together? If I bought a new truck, that would be my daily and my tow rig until I can look into getting a better commuter car. But I like the idea of replacing the transmission in the SD because; 1, its cheaper, and 2, I really like these generation of trucks and the way they look. But I'm also leaning towards a new truck to have the benefits of better gas mileage, modern conveniences, and increased towing/payload capacity. And if I go the route of a new 250SD, would I be able to get buy with the gas engines or should I make the jump to diesel?



What's all of your thoughts on this? I really appreciate any input. Thanks in advance!



- Jared


MOBILE, Ala. (WALA)  In one night, Fred Richardsons nearly quarter-century political career came to an end Tuesday.

Richardson has served 24 years on the Mobile City Council  the longest continuous tenure of anyone current on the council.

He gave up his safe seat to challenge two-term incumbent Mayor Sandy Stimpson, with whom he has clashed on a variety of issues. The mayor, though, proved to be a fundraising juggernaut. He hauled in more than $1.5 million and buried his opponents in an avalanche of TV ads.

According to uncertified returns, Stimpson had 62 percent of the vote.

Richardson said he heard echoes of the city election four years ago, when Stimpson rode high turnout in the majority-white areas of the city that former Mayor Sam Jones could not match in the majority-black sections.

What happened in 2021 was almost a duplication of what happened in 2017, he told supporters gathered at the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion. The vast majority of the voters stayed home.  There are more than enough voters out there for Fred Richardson to win. There was more than enough voters. But the voters didnt show up.

During his time in city politics, Richardson cast himself as a champion of Mobiles minorities and low-income neighborhoods. It was fitting for a man who moved to the Port City in 1958 from his native Conecuh County and quickly got involved in the burgeoning civil rights movement in the 1960s. He joined the then-prominent Neighborhood Organized Workers organization.

Richardson ran for and won the District 1 seat in 1997 and quickly established himself as an outspoken representative who rarely shied away from a controversial issue  or a fight.

Richardson also has been a passionate advocate for the citys low-income residential neighborhoods east of Interstate 65 and accused the current administration of shortchanging those areas for road and drainage improvements in favor of the commercial areas and the faster-growing areas in west Mobile.

In an interview with FOX10 News, Richardson said Stimpsons massive financial advantage enabled him to avoid engaging with his opponents on the campaign trial

It allowed him not to debate me, he said. He put his message right to TV.

Richardson said it is hard to fault his opponent. It could have been a wise strategy, he said.

Still, the outgoing councilman said, it was ironic that Stimpson used those TV ads to brag about all the roads he paved and drainage pipes he fixed. That money, Richardson noted, came from a controversial 1 percentage point sales tax increase that the City Council passed in 2013. Stimpson, shortly after taking office, vetoed that measure. Richardson helped override it.

You dont even believe in that, he said, directing his comments at the mayor. You told us you didnt believe in that. But then hes off campaigning about the results that those taxes produced.

While issues of race and poverty often animated Richardson, at times, he delved into lighter issues. For instance, he conceived of the idea of emulating New York Citys famous ball drop on New Years Eve. That vision because reality, and a Moon Pie drop has become a regular stable of downtown New Years Eve celebrations.

Richardson joked about it during his concession speech.

Im gonna go down with the Moon Pie as my legacy, he said.

But Richardson later told FOX10 News that the Moon Pie had a serious result. He said it has generated more than $5 million in economic impact.

On the campaign trail, Richardson pledged to bring back the BayFest music festival that the city dropped several years ago amid concerns over the events cost. He also pledged to clean up blight and crime.

Richardson said he plans to attend Wednesdays City Council meeting. But soon, he will not be a member of the body for the first time in nearly a quarter century. The 81-year-old councilman said he will not have trouble finding other things to do. He said he has three unfinished books that he has been writing and probably will write about his council tenure.

Im a historian, he told his supporters. Im more than a politician. So I can pursue the other avenue of the life of faith, which is outside of being a council member.
(Meredith) -- Inmates at a Washington state jail can stock up on free packs of ramen noodles if they get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Earlier this month, the Benton County Jail in Kennewick announced it would give inmates 10 free packs of the popular commissary item as a vaccine incentive.

Fliers posted on the jail walls advertise the deal with the slogan: "SOUPS FOR SHOTS," the Olympian reported.

To encourage and support COVID vaccination efforts, the Benton County Department of Corrections will be providing each inmate that starts their vaccination series with 10 FREE RAMEN NOODLE SOUPS!!! the posters read.

So far, the jail has given out 900 packets of ramen to 90 inmates, Benton County corrections chief Scott Souza told the Olympian.

Were doing everything we can do to incentivize vaccination, and we are getting [an] outstanding response, Souza said.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexico accepted its first group of refugees from Afghanistan on Tuesday as five women and one man arrived in Mexico City.

They were welcomed by Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, who told the group, Welcome to your home.

The young women, who had to travel through six countries to reach Mexico, have competed in robotics competitions. They fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country earlier this month. The Taliban have been hostile to women working or going to school after a certain age.

Ebrard said Mexico would grant them whatever legal status they consider best. That could include giving them asylum or refugee status.

One member of the group thanked Mexico, saying the country had saved their lives.
FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2019, file photo people rally outside the Supreme Court over President Trump's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), at the Supreme Court in Washington. A Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020 federal court hearing in Houston over a U.S. program shielding immigrants brought to the country illegally as children highlights the peril the program still faces even under an incoming Democratic president who has pledged to protect it. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
Group of 7 leaders will discuss on Tuesday whether or when they should jointly recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's government.
Morocco Made Even Sweeter: Baskin-Robbins Opens First Moroccan Location

August 25, 2021 // Franchising.com // Baskin-Robbins is bringing fun and flavor to Morocco with its first-ever restaurant in Casablanca City opening this Tuesday, August 24. One of the brands largest franchisees, Galadari Ice Cream Company, will own and operate the new restaurant  adding to their portfolio of nearly 1,000 Baskin-Robbins around the world.

More than ever before, people are craving the joy and comfort of ice cream. To meet that need, Galadari Ice Cream Company is excited to open our first Baskin-Robbins in Morocco, said Ahmed Osman, CEO of Galadari Food and Beverage Division. With extensive experience operating across the region, we feel confident Baskin-Robbins unique flavors and fun atmosphere, coupled with our strong operations experience and customer-first centric focus, will resonate with local guests as we continue to open new locations around the country.

Our strategic roadmap has enabled us to embrace forward-thinking business practices & seize key market opportunities to bring the best global brands to the MENA region. While we aggressively expand throughout the markets where we currently operate, we are also taking Baskin-Robbins to new counties as part of our divisions growth strategy, shared Osman.

Located in Morocco Mall, Baskin-Robbins unveiled its newest location with a special ribbon cutting event on Tuesday, August 24, with doors officially opening to the public at shortly after. As a special treat, the first 100 guests in line received free ice cream for a year.

The Casablanca City location will offer Baskin-Robbins extensive product lineup, including ice cream cones, cups, sundaes, shakes and cakes. Designed to help guests discover the joy of a life lived with variety, the new restaurant features contemporary decor with bright colors to create a premium ice cream experience. Flexible and comfortable seating gives guests the option to savor their sweet treats in-restaurant, while guests on the go can enjoy Baskin-Robbins through carryout and delivery.

We are thrilled to support Galadari Ice Cream Company as they officially introduce Baskin-Robbins to the Moroccan market. Throughout our four decades of working together, Galadari has truly brought that unique brand experience to life across the Middle East, Australia, and now Africa, said Michael Haley, President and Managing Director of International for Inspire Brands.

SOURCE Inspire Brands

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FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2021, file photo speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters at the Capitol in Washington. House Democrats are poised to pass legislation Tuesday, Aug. 24, that would strengthen a landmark civil rights-era voting law weakened by the Supreme Court over the past decade, a step party leaders tout as progress in their quest to fight back against voting restrictions advanced in Republican-led states. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Galveston, TX (77553)

Today

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. High around 90F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy. Low 83F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing has filed an update to its lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, accusing the company of stonewalling the state regulator and shredding documents relevant to its investigation.

The court filing, first spotted by Axios, includes a broad swath of notable updates to the State of Californias case. Most notably, it includes new accusations about Activision Blizzards conduct both after the suit was first filed, and its practices for handling paperwork and e-mails that relate to alleged instances of harassment or discrimination.

Firstly, the DFEH is accusing Activision Blizzard of using law firm WilmerHale to stonewall the department and prevent it from talking to employees.

The firm has apparently been hosting listening sessions with employees to hear their complaints, but the DFEH claims that this practice directly interferes with the DFEHs ability to investigate, prosecute, and remedy workplace discrimination and harassment violations on behalf of employees and contingent or temporary workers."

How does WilmerHales presence interfere with the DFEHs process? The DFEH claims that employees who speak with WilmerHales representatives are treated as having spoken confidentially to an attorney.

Activision Blizzard then allegedly turned around and told the DFEH that, because the WilmerHale investigators are attorneys, work related to receipt or investigations of discrimination or harassment complaints is privileged.

The amended claim also states that the department was made aware that that documents and records have not been maintained as required by law or by the DFEHs Document Retention Notice, including but not limited to documents related to investigations and complaints were shredded by human resource personnel and emails are deleted thirty (30) days after an employees separation.

The DFEH claims this violates California State law, which states that its unlawful for employers to not maintain and preserve employment records for a minimum of two years after their creation.

Todays filing also includes good news for current and former temporary Activision Blizzard employees as wellthey are now included as a represented class in the States lawsuit.

An Activision Blizzard spokesperson provided the following statement in response to our queries about the DFEH's filing today. It does not directly acknowledge the new accusations.

Throughout our engagement with the DFEH, we have complied with every proper request in support of its review even as we had been implementing reforms to ensure our workplaces are welcoming and safe for every employee. Those changes continue today, and include:

Several high-level personnel changes;

Revamped hiring and recruiting practices requiring diverse interview panels;

Greater transparency on pay equity;

Expanded and improved training and investigative capabilities for human resource and compliance staff;

Created investigation teams outside of business units to support greater independence;

Restructured divisions to support greater accountability;

Enhanced review processes to include evaluation of managers by employees;

Clear boundaries on workplace behavior with a zero-tolerance approach to harassment and other actions that diminish or marginalize.

We strive to be a company that recognizes and celebrates the diverse talents and perspectives that lead to the creation of great, globally appealing entertainment. We have provided the DFEH with clear evidence that we do not have gender pay or promotion disparities. Our senior leadership is increasingly diverse, with a growing number of women in key leadership roles across the company.

We share DFEHs goal of a safe, inclusive workplace that rewards employees equitably and are committed to setting an example that others can follow.

Update: An Activision Blizzard spokesperson has also pushed back against the allegations that the company destroyed information relevant to the lawsuit by shredding documents.

"With regards to claims that we have destroyed information by shredding documents, those claims are not true. We took appropriate steps to preserve information relevant to the DFEH investigation," they said.

If you are an Activision Blizzard employee and wish to share your story confidentially with Gamasutra, you can e-mail the site here, or contact us securely using ProtonMail here.
The Gamasutra Job Board is the most diverse, active and established board of its kind for the video game industry!

Here is just one of the many, many positions being advertised right now.

Location: Champaign, IL

Volition is looking for a Senior Environment Artist to help us build the world for the next Saints Row title! You will work with a tight, collaborative team of artists and designers to create environments that are both beautiful and fun to play in. You will be making major contributions to our world using our unique approach to world building with our proprietary world editor.

Responsibilities:

Create environments from initial rough layout to completed polished spaces

Build urban, interior, and natural spaces using our in-house world editor

Author game ready assets that work well within given technical limitations

Collaborate closely with designers to create spaces that support and enhance the player experience

Focus on the "big picture." Understand when details matter, and when broad strokes are more important

Qualifications:

5+ years of experience in game development creating environments

Strong communication skills. Must be able to be a master collaborator

Ability to work with a library of assets to build visually interesting, dynamic gameplay spaces

Strong understanding of form, shape, structure, and silhouette in regards to scene composition

A keen eye for developing a visual mood as it relates to storytelling

Comfortable working within technical limitations such as vertex and object counts, materials (draw calls), streaming conditions, etc.

Fluent knowledge of at least one major 3d package (3dsmax preferred)

Experience building environments in a game engine (Unreal4, Unity)

Well-versed in PBR workflow

Pluses:

Strong foundation in the traditional arts, including but not limited to figure drawing, environmental development and/or architectural illustration

Familiarity with procedural content authoring tools (Substance Designer, World Machine, Houdini)

Basic Level Design Knowledge

Sample Work Required:

Portfolio should demonstrate ability to build fully realized environments. Fully fleshed out spaces are more helpful than examples of individual assets.

At Deep Silver Volition we believe in fostering an open, collaborative and diverse environment, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We will consider all qualified applicants without attention to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, veteran status, or military status.

Interested? Apply now.

About the Gamasutra Job Board

Whether you're just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what's out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers.



Gamasutra's Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A.



Looking for a new job? Get started here. Are you a recruiter looking for talent? Post jobs here
gamescom 2021: Thunderful and Headup to attend with five titles at gamescom now, with more surprises in store across the event





[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press.]

Cologne, Germany - August 25th - gamescom is happening digitally this year, and Thunderful as well as Headup are going to be part of the show. Expect to see five of their upcoming titles showcased on gamescom now. Free demos for White Shadows and Crowns & Pawns will also be available on Steam, so keep an eye out on their respective game pages.

In Firegirl youll chop through obstacles and extinguish dastardly pyro-monsters, use your hose to boost your jumps and reach normally inaccessible places to rescue trapped civilians (and cats!). Hang out at the Firehouse between missions to upgrade your equipment and hire new staff. Youll need all the help you can get to prepare for the next fire outbreak!



youll chop through obstacles and extinguish dastardly pyro-monsters, use your hose to boost your jumps and reach normally inaccessible places to rescue trapped civilians (and cats!). Hang out at the Firehouse between missions to upgrade your equipment and hire new staff. Youll need all the help you can get to prepare for the next fire outbreak! Source of Madness is a side-scrolling dark action roguelite set in the Loam Lands, a twisted Lovecraftian inspired world powered by procedural generation and AI machine learning which offers ever-changing landscapes to explore and new monstrosities to face on every run. Choose a class, upgrade your skills, and unlock all manner of magic abilities as you collect loot and items left behind by those who came before you.



is a side-scrolling dark action roguelite set in the Loam Lands, a twisted Lovecraftian inspired world powered by procedural generation and AI machine learning which offers ever-changing landscapes to explore and new monstrosities to face on every run. Choose a class, upgrade your skills, and unlock all manner of magic abilities as you collect loot and items left behind by those who came before you. White Shadows is a modern fable about escaping a dark, weird and violent world. With its striking black and white visuals, deep allegorical story and satisfying puzzles, this 2.5 platformer is a truly unique proposition.



is a modern fable about escaping a dark, weird and violent world. With its striking black and white visuals, deep allegorical story and satisfying puzzles, this 2.5 platformer is a truly unique proposition. INDUSTRIA is a surreal, narrative-based first-person shooter. Set in 1989 upon the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall, you play as a scientist named Nora who is searching for her missing loved one, Dr. Walter Rosendal. Her efforts to find him take her to a mysterious parallel dimension that merges East Berlins brutalist architecture with futuristic robots and mysterious apparatuses. Where are you? When are you? And what has befallen the missing Dr. Rosendal?



is a surreal, narrative-based first-person shooter. Set in 1989 upon the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall, you play as a scientist named Nora who is searching for her missing loved one, Dr. Walter Rosendal. Her efforts to find him take her to a mysterious parallel dimension that merges East Berlins brutalist architecture with futuristic robots and mysterious apparatuses. Where are you? When are you? And what has befallen the missing Dr. Rosendal? Last but not least, pack your bags and escape to Eastern-Europe with Crowns and Pawns, a beautifully hand-painted adventure game reminiscent of the classic Broken Sword franchise.

All of these games and some more will also be showcased at this weeks AHEAD gamescom live stream event, which is taking place on Thursday and Friday at 9 AM PST / 12 PM EST / 6 PM CEST. Tune in to AHEAD on Twitch, YouTube, or FB Gaming and share some indie love via Twitter!  Press kits for all games can be found here:

https://bit.ly/gamescom2021_Presskit_TF_Headup

About Thunderful Publishing

Thunderful Publishing is a games publishing company founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2017. Part of the Thunderful Group, which also includes development studios Zoink Games and Image & Form, and publisher Rising Star Games, Thunderful Publishing focuses on premium PC and console games for a worldwide audience and is the publisher behind award-winning games such as Steamworld Quest: Hand of Gilgamesh, Lonely Mountains: Downhill and Curious Expedition 2. Please find more information at thunderfulgames.com.



About Headup



Headup is a hybrid games publishing and development company providing players worldwide with the best content in the independent gaming sector. Established in 2009, it is active on all major platforms such as consoles, mobile devices and PC, and was awarded as "Best Publisher" at the German Developers Awards in 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2019. With over 80 million customers served on mobile and further several million players on the PC and consoles, Headup is always looking to raise awareness and commercial success for developers thinking outside the box. More information can be found at headupgames.com and twitter.com/headupgames.



For further inquiries please contact:

Gregor Ebert

[email protected]

+49 2421 48 68 703 (Germany)

Headup GmbH | Thunderful Publishing



Copyright  2021 Thunderful, All rights reserved.

Copyright  2021 Headup GmbH, All rights reserved.




[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press.]

In the shadow of the Zagros mountains a US military unit comes under fire from Iraqi forces. The resulting firefight causes an earth tremor where both sides fall into the ruins of a buried Sumerian temple. With all communication severed, our protagonists are trapped and must navigate a way to escape - unaware that something ancient and evil has awakened in the shadows and is hungry for blood.



In this terrifying underworld, ask yourself who your real enemy is. The monsters hiding in the shadows or the other people trapped with you? Will you set aside your rivalries to face a common enemy? Tough decisions will have to be made and the consequences could be deadly.



Check out our House of Ashes latest trailer here: https://youtu.be/vc4Q8qsTMbg





Eagle-eyed fans may notice a hidden message in the trailer leading to a special website filled with the lore and secrets behind House of Ashes!



House of Ashes will release on October 22, 2021 on PlayStation4, PlayStation5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC and is available for pre-order now.



The Dark Pictures Anthology is a series of stand-alone, branching cinematic horror games, designed to present a new terrifying experience on a regular basis. Each game is unconnected and will feature a brand-new story, setting and new cast of characters. Experience moments of tension and terror alone in single player mode, with your friends through 2 player online shared story or with up to 5 players in the couch-friendly movie night mode.
When will mainstream Democrats start fighting back? When will they stop playing nice with a left fringe that regards them, not Republicans, as the opposition, if not the enemy?

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's threat to kill President Joe Biden's hard-fought infrastructure deal should have been a last straw.

"Good luck tanking your own party's investment on childcare, climate action, and infrastructure while presuming you'll survive a 3 vote House margin," she blustered. "Especially after choosing to exclude members of color from negotiations."

The great irony in this racial game-playing is that Ocasio-Cortez and her allies in the Democratic Socialists of America work tirelessly to destroy the careers of powerful Black and Hispanic political leaders who disobey their orders.

Early in her career, Ocasio-Cortez reportedly weighed backing a primary challenge against Hakeem Jeffries, a Black congressman representing parts of Brooklyn and Queens. High in the Democratic House leadership, Jeffries would be deemed a "progressive" by any set of standards other than those of the Democratic Socialists of America.

In 2020, an Ocasio-Cortez staffer tried to knock off Rep. Gregory Meeks, the Queens party boss who is also Black. Meeks survived the challenge.
RABAT, Morocco (AP)  Morocco regrets the completely unjustified" decision of neighboring Algeria to break off diplomatic relations, the country's Foreign Affairs Ministry said Wednesday, calling some of Algeria's reasons absurd.

Algeria cited a series of alleged hostile acts for the cutting of ties when it announced the decision on Tuesday,.

The move was expected...in view of the logic of escalation observed in recent weeks, the Moroccan ministry said in a statement released overnight.

"Morocco categorically rejects the fallacious, even absurd, pretexts underlying it, the statement read.

Morocco and Algeria are allies of Western nations, and their break in relations could complicate diplomacy in the region and beyond. The two countries are important in the fight against extremism in the nearby Sahel region.

France, once the colonial power in both Algeria and Morocco, chose a balanced tone to offend neither side.

Algeria and Morocco are two friends and two essential partners of France, the French Foreign Ministry said. "France remains naturally attached to deepening ties and dialogue between nations of the region to consolidate stability and prosperity.
On Tuesday (24 August) Airbnb announced that they would be providing accommodation to around 20,000 Afghan refugeesall around the world. Through the company and their nonprofit, Airbnb.org, they will match refugees with hosts who will be offering their homes up for free, or at a discounted price. Airbnb hosts will be able to present both short and long-term stays to refugees and the cost will be covered by the company, CEO Brian Chesky, and the contributions given to Airbnb.org.

Afghan refugees fleeing the country

Meanwhile Airbnb is working with resettlement agencies that are in contact with Afghans who are looking for a place to stay. So far, thousands of Afghans have fled the country and the capital, Kabul, after the Taliban took over Afghanistan.

According to White House officials, the United States has already evacuated, or facilitated the evacuation of 37,000 people since 14 Augustthe day before the Taliban entered Kabul. However, the number of Afghan nationals was not specified. Thousands more are at Kabul airport still trying to flee the country.

On 16 August, the Pentagon said that the US would accept between 20,000 to 22,000 Afghans and The Independent reported that that number could increase in the future.

Airbnb resettlement fund

CEO Brian Chesky has said that the company, along with donors of Airbnb.org Refugee Fund have already allocated funds that will be used specifically for the resettlement project. Last week, money went to several resettlement agencies, including the International Rescue Committee (IRC), to resettle 1,000 Afghan refugeesof which 165 arrived in the US.

So far, refugees have been accommodated in properties across the country, including Sacramento, Northern Virginia, Cleveland, Dallas, Washington, D.C, and New Jersey. An Airbnb spokesperson told Insider:

Over the past week, it has become abundantly clear that the displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees here in the US and elsewhere is a significant humanitarian crisis

In the face of this need, our community is ready to step up once again.

Airbnb.org will work closely with resettlement boards and partners to go where the need is, and evolve this initiative and our support as necessary.

This is not the first initiative that Airbnb has taken to house refugees. Theyve also given accommodation to people displaced by hurricanes, forest fires, along with a shooting. More recently, the company has been providing housing and tools to frontline health workers during the COVID pandemic.
Gettysburg, PA (17325)

Today

Showers and a possible thunderstorm during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Potential for flooding rains. Low 57F. Winds N at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Showers and a possible thunderstorm during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Potential for flooding rains. Low 57F. Winds N at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Remembering September 11

We pledged on Sept. 11, 2001, that we would never forget. As if we could. The tragedy and loss we felt 20 years ago is forever imbedded in our memories. We remember where we were, what we felt. We remember the loss of innocence. What do you remember about 9/11? Please share your memories with us that we can include in a special edition on Sept. 11. Send emails to aturner@gillettenewsrecord.net.
Towpath Selects Cyren Inbox Security to Defend Against Phishing and Fraud

August 2021 by Marc Jacob

Cyren announced Towpath Credit Union, an 85-year-old organization offering a wide variety of financial services and products to its members, selected Cyren Inbox Security and has deployed the anti-phishing solution to protect its operations from advanced phishing, fraud, and other email threats.

Towpath Credit Union is a community-based credit union serving northeast Ohio, with a clear vision and commitment of People Helping People both in their community and in their workplace. Towpath is dedicated to serving its 25,000 members in their financial needs from everyday banking, like checking accounts, to the purchase or refinancing of their homes. Towpath prides themselves on bringing the best member service forward with a strong, dynamic team built on values of inclusion, accountability, friendliness, equity, and reliable service.

It is this commitment to their members and community that drives Towpath to constantly improve their cybersecurity capabilities. Fighting back the tide of business email compromise and other fraud attempts is a high priority for their small, but dedicated Information Technology team. Despite deploying a secure email gateway and implementing security awareness training, Towpaths employees and Director of IT continued to be frustrated by the volume of threats getting through. While the security awareness training improved the cyber resilience of Towpaths employees, the same employees expected IT to solve the phishing problem. Whats more, their secure email gateway, and a specialized anti-phishing option for it, became less effective after Towpath migrated their email to Office 365. Phishing, business email compromise, and other fraud attempts continued to evade detection.

Towpath replaced the secure email gateway with Microsoft Defender for Office 365 as part of their cloud first initiative. They recognized the need for a complementary anti-phishing solution with the intelligence and adaptability to address the unique and targeted threats they were dealing with. Towpath also recognized the importance of engaging users to help them identify and avoid suspicious messages  in other words, apply in practice the concepts taught during the regular security awareness training.

After migrating to and properly configuring Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Towpath still needed detection and incident response for evasive phishing and fraud. On the recommendation of their trusted IT services partner, Towpath evaluated Cyren Inbox Security. They were immediately struck by the effectiveness of the solution.

Cyren provides a unique layer of protection to our employees inboxes, said Ed Schmuhl, Director of Information Technology at Towpath Credit Union. Adding this artificial intelligence tool to our cybersecurity arsenal has already proven its value by catching emails that have made it past our other layers of defense which had the potential to cause harm to our business. Schmuhl also realized significant time savings associated with the automated remediation and user engagement capabilities of Cyren Inbox Security, adding, it eliminated the time we used to spend tracking down malicious messages and trying to train our employees to be experts in phishing detection.

Cyren Inbox Security perfectly aligns with Towpaths digital transformation and its goal of protecting employees and members from fraud and other risks associated with phishing, said Lior Kohavi, Chief Strategy Officer & EVP Advanced Solutions at Cyren. Our shared success with Towpath further proves the simplicity of Cyren Inbox Security and the immediate value it provides in the form of reduced risk, increased productivity, and user engagement.

As businesses continue to migrate to the cloud, it changes the nature of phishing threats and how to detect and respond to them. Cyren Inbox Security easily integrates with Office 365 to complement the native security capabilities of Microsoft Defender for Office 365. The result is less reliance on users to provide the last line of defense against phishing without impacting or delaying email delivery and the business services, like home mortgages, that rely on efficient and safe email communication.
Atlanta, Aug. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rheumatic diseases are lifelong conditions that affect over 54 million Americans, often during their childbearing years. Rheumatic diseases disproportionately impact women and certain rheumatic diseases are more prevalent in minority populations than they are in the general population.

On Tuesday, September 14, 2021, at 7pm EDT, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and its Simple Tasks campaign will host a FREE webinar for patients, health care professionals, media and the general public on reproductive health and rheumatic disease. Attendees can expect discussion and resources from a panel of leading experts in rheumatology care, reproductive health, and parenting.



To register for the webinar, please visit rheum4you.org.



During the 90-minute webinar, experts will cover:

Family planning with rheumatic disease , including fertility, contraception, male reproductive health, treatment considerations for men and women, and medication compatibility.

, including fertility, contraception, male reproductive health, treatment considerations for men and women, and medication compatibility. Pregnancy and rheumatic disease , including the impact of pregnancy on rheumatic disease, the role of the rheumatology provider in your care during pregnancy, genetic factors, and medication compatibility.

, including the impact of pregnancy on rheumatic disease, the role of the rheumatology provider in your care during pregnancy, genetic factors, and medication compatibility. Parenting with rheumatic disease , including tips for managing the treatment of a child with rheumatic disease, parenting while managing a chronic disease, breastfeeding, compatible medications, and occupational and physical therapy tips for caring for your child.

Panelists:

Dr. Lisa Sammaritano  Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, Attending Physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery, and Director of the Rheumatology Reproductive Health Program at the Barbara Volcker Center

Dr. Arthur Kavanaugh  Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego

Dr. Megan Clowse  Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology & Immunology, Director of the Duke Autoimmunity in Pregnancy Clinic

Rebecca Gillett  Occupational Therapist, MS OTR/L, Arthritis Foundation Director of Content Strategy & Planning and Live Yes with Arthritis Podcast Host

Mariah Leach  Founder of Mamas Facing Forward

Webinar Moderator:

Cheryl Crow  Occupational Therapist, OTR/L and Founder of Arthritis Life multi-media platform and Podcast Host

# # #

Founded in 1934, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is a not-for-profit, professional association committed to advancing the specialty of rheumatology that serves over 7,700 physicians, health professionals, and scientists worldwide. In doing so, the ACR offers education, research, advocacy and practice management support to help its members continue their innovative work and provide quality patient care. Rheumatology professionals are experts in the diagnosis, management and treatment of more than 100 different types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases.
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Ride Hailing Services Market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of around 17% from 2021 to 2028 and forecasted to reach around US$ 127.8 Bn by 2028.



COVID-19 impact on the global ride hailing services market

Ride-hailing services grew in popularity during the pre-pandemic period due to benefits such as lower travel costs, traffic congestion, and emissions. However, as a result of the impact of COVID-19, the ride hailing market has seen a drop in its share of an uprising as a mode of transportation. According to a Scholastica research report, ride hailing travel dropped dramatically during the pandemic. The drop in ride-hailing trips was significantly greater than the drop in overall traffic volumes. Second, non-shared trip distances were much longer during the pandemic, though travel times were not necessarily longer due to overall traffic network congestion. Third, as the distance between census tracts increased, the number of inter-census tract short trips decreased. This study found that pre-pandemic travelers were more likely to use ride hailing for short trips, but that such trips decreased during the pandemic.

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North America records dominating share; Asia Pacific to register fastest growing CAGR for ride hailing service market

North America dominated the ride hailing services market in 2020 and is expected to do so throughout the forecast period. The presence of key players in this region is one of the key factors influencing the growth of the regional market. According to the ICCT report, one company, Uber, controls over 65% of the US market. Other major players, such as Lyft, account for nearly all non-Uber trips in the United States. Aside from that, rapid growth in the provision of such services had a wide-ranging impact on cities, hastening protests, lawsuits, and regulations. According to a report released by the Inter-American Development Bank, ride hailing services have made significant improvements, with the proportion of the adult US population reporting using internet-connected mobile apps that match them with individual drivers at least once increasing from 15% to 36% between 2015 and 2018. Such factors contribute to the overall growth of the ride hailing services market.

VIEW TABLE OF CONTENT OF THIS REPORT@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/ride-hailing-services-market

In contrast, Asia Pacific is expected to have the fastest growing CAGR in the ride hailing services market in the coming years. The growing trend of electrification of ride-hailing services supports the growth of the APAC regional market. Electric vehicles are becoming more appealing for ride hailing as a result of the influence of charging infrastructure. Such noteworthy developments fuel the growth of the regional market, which in turn contributes to the overall market growth.

Road ahead for Latin America's ride hailing services market

According to an Inter-American Development Bank report, digitization can improve the functioning of markets characterized by problem coordination and high levels of fragmentation in the transportation market. Currently, Latin America's adoption of digital platforms, particularly in ride hailing services, is commendable. Such significant advancements increase the availability of better job opportunities for workers in this region. Based on these notable developments, it leverages ride-hailing platforms to improve the lives of drivers in Latin America, including facilitating the participation of women and migrants as drivers, promoting financial inclusion and financial literacy, and other initiatives.

Segmental Analysis

The global ride hailing services market is segmented based on offering. Based on offering, the market is segmented as E-hailing, car sharing, and rental.

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Competitive Analysis

The global players of the ride hailing services market involve Uber Technologies, Inc., Lyft, Inc., Via.com, Gett, Grab Holdings Inc., Bolt Technology OU,

Curb Mobility, and among others

In April 2021, Gett announced a partnership with Curb to boost post-pandemic business travel. The collaboration between the two companies will allow it to offer corporate customers local taxi, limousine, and ride hailing services such as Lyft on its platform.





In June 2021, Hyundai Motor Group and Grab Holdings Inc. (Grab) announced a mobility services strategic partnership. The next phase of the collaboration will hasten EV adoption in South East Asia. Through this collaboration, both the Group and the delivery partners will develop new pilots and initiatives that will lower the barriers to entry for delivery partners by lowering total cost of ownership and reducing range anxiety.



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BRISBANE, Australia, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orocobre Limited (ASX: ORE, TSX: ORL) (Orocobre or the Company) is pleased to advise that the scheme of arrangement (Scheme) in relation to the merger of Orocobre and Galaxy Resources (Galaxy), has been implemented today.



Scheme Consideration

In accordance with the Scheme, all Galaxy shares have now been transferred to Orocobre and eligible Galaxy shareholders have been issued the Scheme consideration of 0.569 Orocobre shares for each Galaxy share held on the Scheme record date. The 292,598,572 newly issued Orocobre shares are expected to commence trading on ASX on a normal settlement basis from Thursday, 26 August 2021.

Orocobre has also issued the Orocobre shares otherwise payable to "Ineligible Shareholders" (as defined in the Scheme Booklet) to a nominee who has been appointed to sell those shares so that the net proceeds of sale can be distributed to applicable Galaxy shareholders in accordance with the process set out in the Scheme Booklet.

Changes to Orocobre Board Composition

Orocobre has appointed the following Galaxy Directors to the Orocobre Board with effect from today.

 Martin Rowley, as Non-Executive Chairman

 Florencia Heredia, as Non-Executive Director

 John Turner, as Non-Executive Director

 Alan Fitzpatrick, as Non-Executive Director

Rob Hubbard will continue as the Deputy Chairman and Richard Seville, Fernando Oris de Roa and Leanne Heywood will continue in their current roles as Non-Executive Directors. Martin Perez de Solay will continue in the role of Managing Director and CEO.

With effect from today John Gibson, Masaharu Katayama and Patricia Martinez retire from the Orocobre Board. Mr Gibson joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director in March 2010, Mr Katayama joined in April 2018 and Ms Martinez joined in December 2020.

Orocobre Deputy Chairman Rob Hubbard said that he welcomed Mr Rowley, Ms Heredia, Mr Turner and Mr Fitzpatrick to the Orocobre Board and looked forward to working with them. He also said, that each of the retiring directors has made unique and valuable contributions throughout the Orocobre journey that has led to today's merger.

I would especially like to thank John Gibson who has been a member of the Board for more than 11 years and has overseen the extraordinary achievements of the company, Mr Hubbard said.

Newly appointed Chairman Mr Rowley said, It is a pleasure to join the Board of Directors of Orocobre as the merger of Galaxy and Orocobre is successfully completed. The new Orocobre starts with world-class assets, an industry leading skills base and unparalleled growth potential. I very much look forward to working with the newly constituted Board to realise the benefits of the merger for all stakeholders.

Delisting of Galaxy

An application has been made to remove Galaxy from the official list of ASX, which is expected to take effect on and from Thursday, 26 August 2021.

Authorised by:

Rick Anthon

Joint Company Secretary

For more information please contact:

Andrew Barber

Chief Investor Relations Officer

Orocobre Limited

T: +61 7 3871 3985

M: +61 418 783 701

E: abarber@orocobre.com

W: www.orocobre.com

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Click here to subscribe to the Orocobre e-Newsletter
New York, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Gunshot Detection Systems Market Analysis & Trends - Industry Forecast to 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06127668/?utm_source=GNW

6% from 2020 - 2028 timeframe.



Some of the prominent trends that the market is witnessing include adoption of advanced infrared and sound detection technologies, development of cost-effective gunshot detection systems, and growing concern over individual self-defense.



Global Gunshot Detection Systems Market: Market Dynamics



The gunshot detection system is employed by urban safety & protection companies in order to improve core services. Municipalities turn to smart cities that incorporate some safety and innovative features that enhance and ensure citizens livability and a better lifestyle. With little modification in the system, it might become possible for the manufacturers to help authorities and forces identify criminals and detect unlawful entry in the absence of gunshots. The rising adoption of gunshot detection systems by law enforcement agencies, due to increasing security concerns and minimizing enemy gunfire casualties in war zones is fueling the growth of the gunshot detection systems market across the globe. The growing incidences of shootings at public places are one of the key factors contributing to the growth of the market.



For instance, in 2018, ShotSpotter expanded its product infiltration across Chicago. It has covered more than 100 square miles beneath coverage as the region has an wide base of consumers. The companys gunshot detection solutions are highly utilized by the people in Chicago in order to battle the problems connected to urban gun crime.



On the other hand, the high installation cost of the gunshot detection system in cities is likely to obstruct the profit boundaries. In addition, the development of cost-effective gunshot detection systems and their installation in smart cities will further boost the gunshot detection systems market.



Impact of COVID-19 on Gunshot Detection Systems



The outbreak of COVID-19 has a negative impact on the gunshot detection systems market is comparatively low as the procurement tactics of law enforcement agencies and martial forces to introduce gunshot detection systems have remained on track. Thus, the global defense industry was impacted severely as numerous product deliveries were either canceled or delayed. It is likely to decline the demand for gunshot detection systems in the upcoming years. The rapid spread of COVID-19 in Europe, the US & Asia Pacific has led to a significant drop in demand for GDS globally, with a corresponding reduction in revenues for various GDS suppliers and service providers across all markets owing to late delivery, manufacturing shutdown, the limited staff at manufacturing facilities, and limited availability of equipment. For instance, ShotSpotter, Inc., an acoustic gunshot detection company, put in place a mandatory and complete travel ban during the pandemic. The travel ban suspends all installation and project management activities. It resulted in delayed installation projects that were planned in March and April. Furthermore, due to these travel restrictions, scheduled deployments were delayed at the request of customers as they were dealing with their response to the pandemic.



By Installation



Fixed/Ground Installations Segment Dominate the Market



The fixed/ground installations segment is expected to have largest share in the predict timeframe, due to the up-gradation in the safety system of current infrastructures such as universities, schools, and military infrastructures. Fixed gunshot detection systems use the acoustic sensor node detection technology to detect a gunshot event. Fixed/ground installations are carried out at a specific height from the ground. High security areas such as restricted military infrastructures are high potential fixed installation sites for gunshot detection systems. Military installations use fixed installations on walls, poles or border crossings. Fixed electro-optic systems are used by military personnel for enemy sniper localization.



By Geography



North America Region is Leading in the Global Market Place



North America region is likely to have a huge demand in the forecast period due to the high number of firearm-related deaths in the region, especially in the US where firearm-related death rate is 25 times higher than other countries, rising number of shooting incidents in public places, concerts, schools, banks, etc. in this region, and growing availability of various types of gunshot detection systems to different law enforcement agencies, owing to presence of key manufacturers. Major US cities are planning to install indoor gunshot detection systems at universities, corporate office locations, and financial facilities, among others, over the next five years. The United States has been witnessing an increase in gun violence over the past few years due to which the law enforcement authorities have installed gunshot detection systems.



List of the Key Players Profiled in the Market Include:



 Tracer Technology Systems Inc.

 Raytheon Technologies Corporation

 Databuoy Corporation

 Thales Group

 Rheinmetall AG

 ACOEM Group

 Elbit Systems Ltd

 Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd

 Shooter Detection Systems, LLC.

 ShotSpotter Inc.

 QinetiQ Group

 Louroe Electronics

 Safety Dynamics, Inc.

 Microflown AVISA



List of the Regions/Countries Profiled in the Market Include:



North America

 US

 Canada

 Mexico

Europe

 Germany

 U.K

 Italy

 France

 Spain

 Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

 China

 Japan

 India

 Australia

 New Zealand

 Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle East

 Saudi Arabia

 UAE

 Rest of Middle East

Latin America

 Argentina

 Brazil

 Rest of Latin America

Rest of the World (RoW)

 South Africa

 Others

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06127668/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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New York, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Satellite Command and Control System Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Application, End User, Solution, Satellite Mass, Frequency Band, Orbit and Country - Analysis and Forecast, 2021-2031" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06130512/?utm_source=GNW



The global satellite command and control system market has been segmented based on application, including satellite attitude control, satellite monitoring and tracking, satellite telemetry, and ground equipment monitoring and control. The satellite telemetry application segment is expected to dominate the global satellite command and control system market on account of critical data that requires to be processed received from satellites.



Satellite Command and Control System Market by End User



The global satellite command and control system market has been segmented based on end users, including commercial, military, and government.The commercial end user segment is anticipated to dominate the global satellite command and control system market.



The factors contributing to this growth are the increasing number of partnerships and contracts that government agencies are forming with commercial players for satellite monitoring as well as controlling the space assets.



Satellite Command and Control System Market by Solution



The global satellite command and control system market has been segmented based on solution including hardware and software.The hardware solution further includes space-based solution, and ground-based solution.



The hardware solution segment is expected to lead the satellite command and control system market. The growth of this segment is attributed to the critical satellite command and control hardware solutions that are used for monitoring spacecraft health and safety, manage a single satellite, multiple satellites, or constellation, provide satellite telemetry and commanding, as well as ground equipment monitoring and control.



Satellite Command and Control System Market by Region



The regions discussed in this report include North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest-of-the-World.North America is expected to dominate the global satellite command and control system market during the forecast period.



The factor attributing to the growth of this region is the high presence of the key companies highly engaged in developing and providing satellite command and control system solutions. The continuous technology advancement by key players in the satellite industry is another factor contributing to the growth of the market.



Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis



Airbus S.A.S, BALL CORPORATION, GMV, Honeywell International Inc., Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Indra, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, L3Harris Technologies, Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, NanoAvionics, Northrop Grumman, NewSpace Systems, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, TERMA



The companies that are profiled in the report have been selected post undergoing in-depth interviews with experts and understanding details around companies such as product portfolio, annual revenues, market penetration, research and development initiatives, and domestic and international presence in the space industry.



Countries Covered

 North America

 U.S.

 Canada

 Europe

 Germany

 France

 U.K.

 Rest-of-Europe

 Asia-Pacific

 China

 Japan

 India

 Rest-of-Asia-Pacific

 Rest-of-the-World

 Latin America

 Middle East and Africa (MEA)

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06130512/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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New York, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Plastic Rigid Intermediate Bulk Container Market Analysis & Trends - Industry Forecast to 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06127652/?utm_source=GNW

Based on our analysis the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.2% from 2020 - 2028 timeframe.



Some of the prominent trends that the market is witnessing include, advances in plastic rigid containers that provide anti-microbial environment, growing e-commerce sector, and increasing demand for plastic containers in food industry.



Global Plastic Rigid Intermediate Bulk Container Market: Market Dynamics



Cost-effectiveness of plastic rigid intermediate bulk containers is a major factor driving the growth of the global market. Moreover, expansion of commodity trade especially in developing regions is expected to fuel the demand for rigid intermediate bulk containers. Urbanization and increase in international trade are also contributing to the growth of the market.



However, lack of consumer awareness and higher initial costs are hampering the growth of the global rigid intermediate bulk container packaging market. In addition, increasing popularity of aesthetic packaging are expected to provide ample opportunities for the market.



Impact of COVID-19 on Plastic Rigid Intermediate Bulk Container



There has been a rising demand for plastic containers even after the pandemic spread around the world. Medicinal as well as food & beverages applications are contributing mainly to the demand for rigid IBC. Although the manufacturing facilities have faced some challenges related to global shut down, the market has several opportunities to benefit from the pandemic scenario.



By End User



Food & Beverages Segment Dominate the Market in 2020



Food & beverages segment is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period. The food and beverages industry is undergoing rapid developments. Owing to the growing demand for storage and transportation of bulk food products and various beverages across long distances from the manufacturing units, plastic rigid IBC is having huge demand from the food sector all over the world.



By Geography



Asia Pacific Region is Leading in the Global Market Place



Asia Pacific is likely to have a huge demand in the forecast period. Notable growth in industrialization and various manufacturing activities are the major driving factors of the regional market growth. Major economies like China, Japan, India, and Singapore are contributing to the market growth in this region. Increasing need of transportation of various products is boosting the market in Asia Pacific.



List of the Key Players Profiled in the Market Include:



 Schutz Container Systems

 Snyder Industries, Inc

 Maschiopack GmbH

 Mauser Group

 Greif, Inc

 Bulk Handling Australia

 Time Technoplast Limited

 Myers Industries

 Pyramid Technoplast

 Sintex Industries

 Sotralentz

 Hoover Ferguson Group, Inc

 WERIT Kunststoffwerke W. Schneider GmbH & Co.KG

 NOVAX

 Jielin



List of the Regions/Countries Profiled in the Market Include:



North America

 US

 Canada

 Mexico

Europe

 Germany

 U.K

 Italy

 France

 Spain

 Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

 China

 Japan

 India

 Australia

 New Zealand

 Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle East

 Saudi Arabia

 UAE

 Rest of Middle East

Latin America

 Argentina

 Brazil

 Rest of Latin America

Rest of the World (RoW)

 South Africa

 Others

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06127652/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Renovacor, Inc. (Renovacor), an earlystage biotechnology company developing adeno-associated virus (AAV)based gene therapies for devastating cardiovascular and central nervous system diseases resulting from BAG3 gene variants, today announced the appointment of Matt Killeen, Ph.D., as chief scientific officer (CSO), effective as of September 1, 2021.



Matts extensive experience discovering, researching and developing AAV-based gene therapies for cardiovascular diseases makes him an ideal fit as Renovacors CSO, said Magdalene Cook, M.D., chief executive officer of Renovacor. He has an impressive track record of successfully establishing R&D capabilities, advancing therapeutic candidates, and building an early-stage pipeline, which positions him well for success in his new role. We are thrilled to welcome him to the team and look forward to working together to advance REN-001 into the clinic and further develop our broader pipeline of innovative gene therapies.

Dr. Killeen added, Leading the early development of Renovacors pipeline presents a transformative opportunity to positively impact the lives of patients living with BAG-3 associated dilated cardiomyopathy and broader patient populations. I believe the companys unique therapeutic approach has broad applicability and the potential to yield the first FDA-approved therapeutic intervention addressing the underlying genetic cause of BAG3-associated familial dilated cardiomyopathy. Its impressive preclinical data sets strongly support this belief and highlight how REN-001s validated capsid, one-time payload and monogenic target indication position it for success. I am looking forward to working with the Renovacor team and its respected scientific and clinical advisors to build on these data as we seek to deliver transformative treatments to patients living with devastating diseases.

Dr. Killeen is joining Renovacor from BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. where, as head of cardiovascular research, he led the discovery and early development of novel AAV-based gene therapies for a range of inherited heart diseases. At BioMarin, Dr. Killeen founded the Cardiovascular Therapeutic Area and scaled it into a dedicated R&D unit, built a pipeline of potential precision therapies for genetic heart diseases, and forged multiple R&D partnerships across industry and academia. In earlier roles at BioMarin, he led R&D portfolio strategy initiatives for the companys early pipeline and spearheaded the development of its R&D strategy. Prior to his time at BioMarin, Dr. Killeen led efforts to support the commercialization and launch of new therapies for multiple sclerosis at Biogen. He also advised pharmaceutical companies on R&D and commercialization strategies for multiple pipeline therapies for cardiovascular diseases at Decision Resources Group, now Clarivate.

Dr. Killeen holds a Ph.D. in cardiac electrophysiology from the University of Cambridge, where he specialized in genetic heart rhythm abnormalities and identified potential novel therapeutic approaches for these diseases. He was subsequently a research fellow at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in the laboratory of Calum MacRae, researching the disease biology of rare and common heart diseases. He has published more than 20 peer-reviewed papers on topics spanning genetic cardiac diseases, cardiac electrophysiology, arrhythmias and drug safety, and is the sole author of a textbook on the role of cardiac electrophysiology in pharmaceutical R&D. Dr. Killeen is a member of the Board of Directors for the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation and has been elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB) and a fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC).

About Renovacor

Renovacor is a preclinical stage gene therapy company developing a pipeline of innovative and proprietary AAV-based gene therapies for BAG3 gene mutation-associated diseases in areas of high unmet medical need. Renovacors therapeutic focus is initially on cardiovascular disease, with a lead program in BAG3 mutation-associated dilated cardiomyopathy. For more information, please visit www.renovacor.com. No part of Renovacors website is incorporated by reference into or otherwise deemed to be a part of this press release.

Renovacor previously announced that it had entered into a merger agreement with Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp. (CHAQ), a special purposes acquisition company. Completion of the proposed merger is subject to approval by the stockholders of CHAQ and certain other conditions. The proposed merger is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021.

About Chardan Healthcare Acquisition Corp.

CHAQ is a special purpose acquisition company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, acquisition, or similar business combination. CHAQ raised approximately $86.0 million in April 2020 for the purpose of combining with a public or privately-held operating business. CHAQ was founded and sponsored by affiliates of Chardan Capital Markets LLC. CHAQ is Chardans sixth publicly traded acquisition vehicle.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

This communication is being made in respect of a proposed transaction between Renovacor and CHAQ. This document does not constitute an offer to sell or exchange, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or exchange, any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, sale or exchange would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. CHAQ intends to file a proxy statement, which will be sent to all CHAQ and Renovacor stockholders. CHAQ also will file other documents regarding the proposed transaction with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF CHAQ AND RENOVACOR ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT, AS MAY BE AMENDED OR SUPPLEMENTED FROM TIME TO TIME, AND ALL OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR THAT WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND THE PARTIES THERETO.

Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the proxy statement and all other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC by CHAQ through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition, the documents filed by CHAQ may be obtained free of charge from CHAQs website at https://www.chardanhealthcarespac.com/ or by written request to CHAQ at Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp., 17 State Street, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10004.

Participants in Solicitation

CHAQ and Renovacor and their respective directors and officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from CHAQs stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Information about CHAQs directors and executive officers and their ownership of CHAQs securities is set forth in CHAQs filings with the SEC, including CHAQs Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, which was filed with the SEC on March 4, 2021. To the extent that holdings of CHAQs securities have changed since the amounts printed in CHAQs Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, which was filed with the SEC on March 4, 2021, such changes have been or will be reflected on Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC. Additional information regarding the interests of those persons and other persons who may be deemed participants in the proposed transaction may be obtained by reading the proxy statement regarding the proposed transaction when it becomes available. You may obtain free copies of these documents as described in the above paragraph.

Forward-Looking Statements Legend

This communication contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including statements regarding the anticipated timing of the transaction and Renovacors products under development. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words believe, project, expect, anticipate, estimate, intend, strategy, future, opportunity, plan, may, should, will, would, will be, will continue, will likely result, and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this communication. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in the Risk Factors section of CHAQs Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and proxy statement discussed above and other documents filed by CHAQ from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Renovacor and CHAQ assume no obligation and do not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Neither Renovacor nor CHAQ gives any assurance that either Renovacor or CHAQ will achieve its expectations.

Investor Contact:

John Mullaly

LifeSci Advisors

617-429-3548

jmullaly@lifesciadvisors.com

Media Contact:

Patrick Bursey

LifeSci Communications

646-970-4688

pbursey@lifescicomms.com
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Macarthur Minerals Limited (ASX: MIO) (TSX-V: MMS) (OTCQB: MMSDF) (the Company or Macarthur) is pleased to announce that the progress towards completion of the Feasibility Study for Macarthurs high grade magnetite Lake Giles Iron Project is continuing to build pace with a further site visit undertaken this week by its key consultants Stantec, at the Port of Esperance, to inspect the site and facilities.



Highlights Esperance Port visit conducted by Stantec engineers and consultants.





In February 2021, Macarthur signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Southern Ports Authority which provides a pathway for agreeing a potential access and operating solution for the export of Macarthurs high grade magnetite iron ore product via the Port of Esperance. (See TSX-V announcement: here).





Geotechnical drilling programme of works to support mine planning work continues at site.





Feasibility Study remains on track for delivery.





This week, the Companys lead consultants (Stantec) visited the Port of Esperance to undertake a formal site visit. Stantec are advising the Company on the design of the non-process infrastructure requirements for the Companys planned high grade magnetite project in Western Australia, including the design and construction requirements for new rail unloading infrastructure and associated supporting infrastructure such as a planned 300kt storage shed.

The site visit at the Port of Esperance in Western Australia (located approximately 500 km south of the Companys high grade magnetite project at Lake Giles), was conducted under guidance by representatives of Southern Ports Authority. Macarthur management team representatives accompanied Stantec on the visit, which took in all relevant aspects of Esperance Port that will be necessary to support the engineering design works for on-port infrastructure that will also inform capital and operating cost outputs for the Feasibility Study.

The visit by the Stantec team to the Port of Esperance follows on from a detailed site visit that was completed by the Stantec team at Lake Giles last week (see 19 August 2021 announcement here). The previously announced geotechnical diamond core drill programme at Moonshine and Moonshine North is continuing to progress (see the 12 August 2021 announcement here).

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c569ca19-620e-4147-9740-f3bb89fe8335

Andrew Bruton, CEO of Macarthur Minerals commented:

This weeks visit to the Port of Esperance is an important milestone in the development of the Feasibility Study for Macarthur. We are grateful to the Southern Ports Authority for facilitating the site visit and for extending their cooperation and assistance to the Macarthur and Stantec study teams.

The site visit to the Port of Esperance will help inform engineering design works for potential new on-port infrastructure and will also help underpin realistic capital and operating cost assumptions and outputs for the Feasibility Study.

We are pleased to be working with Stantec and the Southern Ports Authority. This weeks positive and collaborative activity between our study team and our future partner at the Port brings us another week closer to the completion of the Feasibility Study.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, Mr Cameron McCall, Chairman

For more information please contact: Joe Phillips Managing Director +61 7 3221 1796 communications@macarthurminerals.com Investor Relations  Australia Investor Relations - Canada Advisir Investor Cubed Alex Bunney, Manager Client Services Neil Simon, CEO alex.bunney@advisir.com.au +1 647 258 3310 info@investor3.ca

Company profile

Macarthur is an iron ore development, gold and lithium exploration company that is focused on bringing to production its Western Australia iron ore projects. The Lake Giles Iron Project mineral resources include the Ularring hematite resource (approved for development) comprising Indicated resources of 54.5 million tonnes at 47.2% Fe and Inferred resources of 26 million tonnes at 45.4% Fe; and the Lake Giles magnetite resource of 53.9 million tonnes (Measured), 218.7 million tonnes (Indicated) and 997 million tonnes (Inferred). The JORC reporting tables and Competent Person statement for the magnetite and hematite mineral resources have previously been disclosed in ASX market announcements dated 12 August 2020 and 5 December 2019. Macarthur has prominent (~721 square kilometre tenement area) gold, lithium and copper exploration interests in Pilbara region of Western Australia. In addition, Macarthur has lithium brine Claims in the emerging Railroad Valley region in Nevada, USA.

This news release is not for distribution to United States services or for dissemination in the United States

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Certain of the statements made and information contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements herein, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including but not limited to statements regarding expected completion of the Feasibility Study; conversion of Mineral Resources to Mineral Reserves or the eventual mining of the Project, are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release reflect the current expectations, assumptions or beliefs of the Company based upon information currently available to the Company. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct as actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include but are not limited to: unforeseen technology changes that results in a reduction in iron or magnetite demand or substitution by other metals or materials; the discovery of new large low cost deposits of iron magnetite; the general level of global economic activity; failure to complete the FS; inability to demonstrate economic viability of Mineral Resources; and failure to obtain mining approvals. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. Such statements relate to future events and expectations and, as such, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and except as may otherwise be required pursuant to applicable laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BetterLife Pharma Inc. (BetterLife or the Company) (CSE: BETR / OTCQB: BETRF / FRA: NPAU ), an emerging biotechnology company primarily focused on developing compounds to treat neurological conditions, is pleased to announce initiation of in vitro studies of its recombinant human interferon alpha-2b (rhIFN2b or AP-003) against the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2. The studies are being conducted at Dr. Stephen Barrs Laboratory at the state-of-the-art ImPaKT Facility at Western University (UWO). AP-003s first proposed target indication is for people at higher risk to develop severe COVID-19 disease.



These in-vitro anti-viral studies of AP-003 against the Delta variant are a follow on to earlier in-vitro studies conducted at UWO which have shown potent and similar anti-viral activity of AP-003 against the COVID-19 Wuhan reference strain (EC 50 =0.51), Alpha (B.1.1.7, UK, EC 50 =1.26) and Beta (B.1.351, South Africa, EC 50 =0.25) variants. The Company expects to release the results on the of rhIFN2b /AP-003 activity against Delta variant in the next two weeks.

Ahmad Doroudian, CEO of BetterLife, said, COVID-19 is very much still a threat to the global population and its variants are the key challenge when developing therapeutics to protect against it. The broad mechanism of action of interferon is such that our scientists hypothesized it could be equally effective against different variants. We are very pleased to see that early preclinical data confirms this as this takes us one step closer to the potential result of reducing overall hospitalization rate, long-term tissue damage and death by reducing the overall severity of the disease.

The global vaccine roll-out is making headway; however, there are still several reasons why there is a need for an effective, easy to administer, non-invasive treatment, such as AP-003. This includes the time it will take to vaccinate the global population; not knowing the duration of protection afforded by the current vaccines; emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants; and emergence of possible totally new coronavirus pandemics in the future. AP-003, being a Type I interferon, is a broad acting anti-viral agent, and therefore potentially could be effective in all these scenarios.

About BetterLife Pharma

BetterLife Pharma Inc. is an emerging biotechnology company primarily focused on developing and commercializing two compounds, TD-0148A and TD-010, to treat neurological disorders.

TD-0148A, which is in Preclinical and IND-enabling studies, is the only non-hallucinogenic and non-controlled psychedelic candidate on the market and it is unique in that it is unregulated and therefore can be self-administered. BetterLifes synthesis patent for TD-0148A eliminates regulatory hurdles and its pending patent for method of use covers treatment of depression, migraines, post-traumatic stress disorder and other neuro-psychiatric disorders. The global depression drugs market reached US$12.41 billion in 2019 and projected to reach near US$25 billion by 2030. According to the WHO, depression is one of the leading causes of disability, impacting approximately 265 million people in the world.

TD-010, which is in Preclinical and IND-enabling studies, is based on Honokiol, the active anxiolytic ingredient of magnolia bark. BetterLifes patented formulation improves bioavailability by 2x and formulations covered include oral capsules, tablets and sub-lingual delivery. BetterLifes pending method of use patent covers treatment of benzodiazepine dependency, anxiety, insomnia, etc. The global benzodiazepines market is expected to grow to US$4.15 billion in 2017 (from US$3.48 billion in 2019) at a CAGR of 2.25%.

BetterLife also owns a drug candidate for the treatment of viral infections such as COVID-19 and is in the process of seeking strategic alternatives for further development.

For further information please visit www.abetterlifepharma.com.

About Western University - Dr. Stephen Barr Laboratory

Dr. Stephen Barr, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at Western University. His research focuses on the complex virus-host interactions of emerging viral pathogens, with a focus on the host interferon response. His team studies Containment Level 2 and Level 3 viruses such as HIV, Ebola-like viruses, and SARS-CoV-2, in the new state-of-the-art ImPaKT Facility featuring barrier-enclosed imaging scanners and instrumentation. This high-tech equipment allows Dr. Barr and his team to develop tools and methods to better understand the progression of emerging infectious diseases (in vitro and in vivo), identify/test novel antiviral agents, develop diagnostic reagents to characterize hidden reservoirs of pathogens, and for the early and accurate detection of infections. Dr. Barr is also part of Canadas Coronavirus Variants Rapid Response Network (CoVaRR-Net), whose goal is to rapidly answer critical and immediate questions regarding SARS-CoV-2 variants, such as their increased transmissibility, likelihood to cause severe cases of COVID-19, and resistance to vaccines.

For more information, please visit the Barr Lab ( https://publish.uwo.ca/~sbarr9/ ) and CoVaRR-Net (https://covarrnet.ca).

Contact Information



BetterLife Pharma:

Ahmad Doroudian , Chief Executive Officer

Email: ahmad.doroudian@blifepharma.com

Phone: 1-604-221-0595

Media enquiries:

Buchanan Henry Harrison-Topham / Jamie Hooper / Ariadna Peretz Phone: +44 (0) 20 7466 5000 betterlife@buchanan.uk.com www.buchanan.uk.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

No securities exchange has reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to product development, licensing, commercialization and regulatory compliance issues and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as will, may, should, anticipate, expects and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Companys expectations include the failure to satisfy the conditions of the relevant securities exchange(s) and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable law.




New York, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wind Power Market Overview: According to a comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Wind Power Market Information, by Application, by Installation, by Turbine Capacity and by Region - Forecast till 2028 the market size is projected to reach USD 214.65 Billion by 2028, with a CAGR of 11.37% from 2021 to 2028 with the annual installation expected to cross 120 GW during the forecast period.

Key Players

Eminent players profiled in the global wind power industry report include 

Vestas (Denmark)

General Electric (US)

Senvion SA (Germany)

Wind World Limited (India)

Orient Green Power Company Limited (India)

Indowind (India)

DNV GL (Norway)

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA (Spain)

Goldwind (China)

Bergey Wind Power (US)





Get Free Sample PDF Brochure https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1511





The global wind power market is fragmented and also competitive for the presence of different international & domestic key players. These players have incorporated innovative strategies to remain at the vanguard and also suffice the burgeoning demand of the customers including collaborations, contracts, partnerships, joint ventures, geographic expansions, & new product launches, and more.

Industry Updates

Horisont Energi and St1 Nordic have signed into an agreement for using output from Norwegian farms for producing green ammonia.



COVID-19 Analysis

The global economy faced an unprecedented crisis during the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global wind power market revenues too have suffered. The global shutdown had created a massive shortage of skilled manpower needed for the wind farms to function. This together with the lack of raw materials has delayed most wind farm projects that have moderately slowed down the wind power market growth. Supply chain disruptions, economic situations, fluctuations in demand share, as well as long-term & immediate effect of the COVID-19 pandemic possessed a negative effect on the density meter market growth. The pandemic has slowed down economic activity and pushed the economy into a steep recession. With the roots being in China, the supply chains in the world are facing shutdown and unprecedented disruption. Besides, the initial setback, the industry is likely to return to normalcy during the forecast period and continue growing much beyond also.



Browse In-depth Market Research Report (185 pages) on Wind Power

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/wind-power-market-1511





Drivers



Increasing Demand for Clean Energy to Boost Market Growth



The ever-increasing demand for clean energy will boost market growth over the forecast period. The increasing emphasis to reduce the carbon footprint of humankind is adding market growth. Thus people are investing into technologies that can efficiently and effectively harness the massive wind power potential and reduce and nullify the dependence on non-renewable energy sources.

Opportunities



Government Regulations Emphasizing on Tax Rebates to offer Robust Opportunities



Government regulations and policies emphasizing on tax rebates and other such encouraging policies may offer robust opportunities for the wind farms market in the forecast period.

Restraints



High Installation Cost to act as Market Restraint



The high cost of installing wind farms may impact the global wind power market growth over the forecast period.

Challenges



Unpredictable Weather Conditions to act as Market Challenge



Unpredictable weather conditions may act as market challenge over the forecast period. Besides, the wind turbines create a lot of noise and aesthetic pollution that may also impede the global wind power market value over the forecast period.



Share your Queries https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/1511



Market Segmentation



The global wind power market is segmented based on type and application.

By type, the onshore segment will lead the market over the forecast period. The onshore wind power has emerged as a highly appreciated renewable energy source across regions for its low cost over offshore wind power. Reduction in greenhouse gases and easy installation process are also adding to the segmental growth. The offshore wind power generation is also gradually gaining significance in boosting the wind energy installations in the world.

By applications, the industrial segment will dominate the market over the forecast period for increase in demand for renewable energy sources. Wind power has growing need in isolated and rural areas where grid power is not available. The demand and price of wind energy is highly volatile for its high dependency on government incentive schemes.

Regional Analysis



North America to Precede Wind Power Market

North America will precede the market over the forecast period. Rapid technological advances in the region, growing need for sustainable energy technologies, governments introducing strict regulations to curb the carbon footprint, increasing domestic system production, declining component prices, falling component costs, growing expenditure, and strict emission standards are adding to the global wind power market share in the region.

APAC to have Admirable Growth in Wind Power Market

The APAC region will have admirable growth over the forecast period and at a healthy CAGR. Ongoing initiatives & investments undertaken via the government of China, steady increase in the onshore wind power industry especially in China, and the government encouraging the expansion of renewable infrastructure for reducing the stake of thermal power and reduce pollution are adding to the global wind power market growth in the region.

Segmentation of Market covered in the research:

Wind Power Market Research Report: Information, by Application (Residential, Commercial and Industrial), by Installation (Onshore and Offshore), by Turbine Capacity (<100 KW,100 KW to 500 KW,500 KW to 1 MW,1MW to 3 MW and > 3 MW) and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East & Africa and South America) - Forecast till 2028



To Buy: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=1511



About Market Research Future:

Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions.

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WABASH, Ind., Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FFW Corporation (OTC PINK: FFWC) (08/24/2021 Close: $46.00), parent corporation of Crossroads Bank, has approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.26 per share of common stock. The dividend is payable September 30, 2021 to shareholders of record on September 16, 2021.



The book value of FFW Corporation stock was $47.10 per share as of July 31, 2021. The last reported trade of stock at the close of business on August 24, 2021 was $46.00 per share and the number of outstanding shares was 1,146,045 as of the same date. On July 31, 2021, the corporation had assets of $493.0 million and shareholders' equity of $54.0 million. The Board of FFW Corporation and Crossroads Bank will continue to evaluate the payment of a dividend on a quarterly basis.

Crossroads Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of FFW Corporation providing an extensive array of banking services and a wide range of investments and securities products through its main office in Wabash and six Indiana banking centers located in Columbia City, North Manchester, Peru, South Whitley, Syracuse and Warsaw. The Bank also provides leasing services at each of its banking centers. Insurance products are offered through an affiliated company, Insurance 1 Services, Inc. The Corporations stock is traded on the OTC Markets under the symbol FFWC. Our website address is www.crossroadsbanking.com. Crossroads Bank, Member FDIC.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Emily Boardman

Treasurer

(260) 563-3185

SOURCE: FFW Corporation
STMicroelectronics Collaborates with Xilinx to Power Radiation-Hardened FPGAs using ST Space-Qualified Regulators

Geneva, Switzerland, August 25, 2021  STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, announced it is collaborating with Xilinx, Inc. to build a power solution for the Xilinx Kintex UltraScale XQRKU060 radiation-tolerant FPGA, leveraging QML-V qualified voltage regulators from STs space-products portfolio.

The programmability of the Xilinx XQRKU060 revolutionizes the economics of equipment like space-research instruments and commercial satellites. The device delivers a combination of high compute density and integration that historically required an application-specific IC (ASIC), which typically involves custom design with associated engineering expenses and turnaround time. Unlike an ASIC, the XQRKU060 FPGA can be reconfigured in orbit, allowing bug fixes and updates to be applied cost-effectively at any time to protect the mission.

ST worked closely with Xilinx to design a power source that ensures reliable operation of the XQRKU060 by providing excellent fixed-point voltage accuracy as well as stability in the event of transients due to normal FPGA operation and radiation events. The solution uses STs RHRPMPOL01 rad-hard point of load 7A monolithic synchronous step-down regulator and RHFL6000A linear voltage regulator, all SEL immune and QML-V qualified. These devices meet the requirement for an input voltage up to 12V and output voltage down to 0.8V. Both exhibit high fixed-point accuracy with radiation performance that ensures high resistance to Total Ionizing Dose (TID) thereby minimizing any output-voltage drift.

With their fast-transient response, the RHRPMPOL01 and RHFL6000A maintain the regulated output in the event of large and rapid changes in current demand as the FPGA continuously activates and deactivates internal circuitry during normal operation. Their radiation hardness also resists disruption due to single-event transient (SET) radiation encountered in space.

This power solution helps simplify and shorten the development time for next-generation flexible, reprogrammable space systems that leverage the Xilinx XQRKU060 FPGA to benefit from faster project completion, lower mission costs, and greater reliability and fault resilience.

The RHRPMPOL01 (SMD 5962R20208) is a complete point-of-load (PoL) converter that contains an N-channel power MOSFET, bootstrap diode, and system protection. By supporting synchronization and current sharing it can handle demanding loads such as FPGAs, as well as microprocessors and ASICs. The device is Radiation Hardness Assured (RHA) up to 100krad(Si), and Single Event Latch-up (SEL) and Single Event Snap-Back (SESB) free up to 70Mev.cm2/mq. Single-event upset (SEU) and single-event functional interruption (SEFI) are characterized at 7V operating voltage.

The RHFL6000A (SMD 5962F15216) is a low-dropout regulator with adjustable output voltage, built-in protection, and circuitry for remote sensing and external inhibit control. Dedicated internal circuitry for absorbing transients ensures SET below 3.3% of Vout at 120MeV, and the device is SEL-free up to 120Mev.cm2/mq.



Radiation reports for both ST devices are available upon request.

For more information please visit www.st.com/space.

Power estimations will vary greatly with each application. Use Xilinx Power Estimator for accurate power estimations.

About STMicroelectronics

At ST, we are 46,000 creators and makers of semiconductor technologies mastering the semiconductor supply chain with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. An independent device manufacturer, we work with more than 100,000 customers and thousands of partners to design and build products, solutions, and ecosystems that address their challenges and opportunities, and the need to support a more sustainable world. Our technologies enable smarter mobility, more efficient power and energy management, and the wide-scale deployment of the Internet of Things and 5G technology. Further information can be found at www.st.com.

For Press Information Contact:

Michael Markowitz

Director Technical Media Relations

STMicroelectronics

Tel: +1 781 591 0354

Email: michael.markowitz@st.com

Attachment
New York, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Solar Water Pumps Market Overview: According to a comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Solar Water Pumps Market Information by Solar water pumps (Submersible Pumps and Surface Pumps), Application (Agriculture, Drinking Water, and Others), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and South America)Forecast till 2028 the market size is projected to be worth USD 2.17 billion by 2028, registering a CAGR of 10.85% during the forecast period (2021 - 2028), The market was valued at USD 1.04 billion in 2020.

Key Players

Eminent industry players profiled in the global solar water pumps industry report include-

Lorentz (Germany)

C. R. I. Pumps Private Limited (India)

Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd (India)

Shakti Pumps (India) Ltd (India)

Wenling Jintai Pump Factory Limited (China)

Bright Solar Limited (India)

Grundfos (Denmark)

Symtech Solar (Oman)

PhotonSolar.com (Australia)

Urja Global Limited (India)

Kavita Solar Energy Private Limited (India).

The global solar water pumps market is fragmented and highly competitive for the presence of different international & domestic industry players. These players have encompassed innovative strategies to stay ahead and sufficing the customers & surging requirement that comprises contracts, partnerships, geographic expansions, collaborations, joint ventures, novel product launches, and more.





To Buy: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=3980





COVID-19 Analysis

The solar pump market is being affected, as the market is dependent highly on import/export wherein international trading is restricted highly owing to lockdown of manufacturing facility and also supply chain management restrictions.

The outbreak has disrupted the solar industry by halting the operations. The solar industry at present imports about 80% of its key solar panel materials from China. The crisis has impacted the manufacturing capacities of China, as every fundamental ship container organizations had stopped working out of Chinese ports and transporting items to other countries including India from China. As the Chinese production is likely to head again in the right direction, it is likely that the resumption of China-originated deliver chain will restart the solar industry in India.



Browse In-depth Market Research Report (185 pages) on Solar Water Pumps

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/solar-water-pumps-market-3980





Solar Water Pumps Market Drivers/Solar Water Pumps Market Trends

Growing Need for Solar Power to Boost Market Growth

Solar power is widely utilized as this is a cost-effective source of electricity that helps to reduce energy bills and also cut down the carbon dioxide emissions which impact the environment. This will boost the need for solar water pumps as they are widely used to offer water for irrigation of crops and offer portable water.

Solar Water Pumps Market Opportunities



Growing Need for Clean Energy to offer Robust Opportunities



The growing need for clean energy across the globe will have a positive impact on the global solar water pumps market value. Most countries are shifting towards clean energy sources. With the provision of tax rebates and government initiatives over the installation of solar panels, the use of solar water has increased.

Solar Water Pumps Market Restraints and Challenges



High Initial Investment Cost to act as Market Challenge



The high initial investment cost will impede the solar water pumps market share over the forecast period.



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Market Segmentation



The global solar water pumps market has been segmented based on product and application.

By product, the submersible pumps will lead the market over the forecast period for the increasing subsea operations, increasing deep water exploration activities, increasing investments in the construction industry for rapid growth in urbanization, and growing need for submersible pumps in the agriculture field for irrigation system and deep well pumping.

By application, the agriculture segment will dominate the market over the forecast period and at a high CAGR. To offer support and also encourage large-scale use of solar pumps in the future, the government of India is offering farmers with interest-subsidy and reduced capital-subsidy. Besides, several NGOs with combined investments by farmers have undertaken initiatives for installing solar pumps in various parts of India. This is boosting market growth.

Regional Analysis



APAC to Command Solar Water Pumps Market



The APAC region will command the market over the forecast period. Growing industrialization, immediate need for fulfilling the electricity demand for water and wastewater treatment and agriculture, enormous population in China, increasing infrastructure sector to cater to the massive population, increasing use of solar energy to generate electricity for standalone systems and rural electrification, increase in government initiatives like Akshay Urja that includes electrification of rural areas, governments distributing solar pumps in rural areas, and largest installation of solar PV are adding to the global solar water pumps market share in the region. Besides, China being the largest producer of photovoltaic energy and solar panels, governments of China and India promoting the use of solar PV, increasing use of solar-powered pumps for irrigation, extensive agriculture activities, less electric grid connectivity for these activities, and supportive government schemes for solar pump manufacturers and farmers are also adding to the solar water pumps market growth.

Segmentation of Market covered in the research:

Solar Water Pumps Market Research Report: Information by Solar water pumps (Submersible Pumps and Surface Pumps), Application (Agriculture, Drinking Water, and Others), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and South America)Forecast till 2028

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Update regarding SalMar's voluntary cash offer to acquire all outstanding shares in Norway Royal Salmon

Frya, 25 August 2021

Reference is made to the stock exchange announcement dated 20 August 2021 regarding a voluntary cash offer by SalMar ASA ("SalMar" or the "Offeror") to acquire all outstanding shares in Norway Royal Salmon ASA ("NRS", or the Company) for NOK 270 per share (the Offer).

The Offeror has today submitted to the Oslo Stock Exchange an offer document (the Offer Document) for the Offer. The offer period for the Offer will commence following approval of the Offer Document by the Oslo Stock Exchange, which is expected to be obtained during the week commencing 6 September 2021.

The offer period will be four weeks (the Offer Period), subject to any extensions. Settlement of the Offer will be made within two weeks after announcement that the closing condition relating to the minimum acceptance level of more than 50% of the issued and outstanding shares and voting rights of the Company on a fully diluted basis has been satisfied or waived, provided that the other closing conditions remain satisfied until such completion or are waived by the Offeror.

Completion of the Offer will not be conditional upon any financing or due diligence conditions, or any condition relating to approval from competition authorities.

For further information, please contact:

Trine Sther Romuld, CFO & COO

trine.romuld@salmar.no , +47 991 63 632

Hakon Husby, Head of Investor Relations

hakon.husby@salmar.no , +47 936 30 449

About SalMar

SalMar is one of the world's largest and most efficient producers of farmed

salmon. The Group has farming operations in Central Norway, Northern Norway and

Iceland, as well as substantial harvesting and secondary processing operations

in Norway, at InnovaMar in Frya and Vikenco in Aukra. SalMar also owns 50% of the shares in Scottish Sea Farms Ltd.

See www.salmar.no (http://www.salmar.no) for more information about SalMar.

Important information:

The release is not for publication or distribution, in whole or in part directly or indirectly, in or into Australia, Canada, Japan or the United States (including its territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the District of Columbia). This release is an announcement issued pursuant to legal information obligations, and is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. It is issued for information purposes only, and does not constitute or form part of any offer to sell or purchase, or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities, in the United States or in any other jurisdiction. The securities mentioned herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act"). The securities may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the US Securities Act. The Offeror does not intend to register any portion of the offering of the securities in the United States or to conduct a public offering of the securities in the United States. Copies of this announcement are not being made and may not be distributed or sent into Australia, Canada, Japan or the United States. The Offer, if made, will be subject to specific legal or regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. Neither the Company nor any of its advisers assume any responsibility in the event there is a violation by any person of such restrictions. The distribution of this release may in certain jurisdictions be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this release comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No adviser of the Company or the Offeror is acting for anyone else than the Company or the Offeror, respectively, and will not be responsible to anyone other than such party providing the protections afforded to their respective clients or for providing advice in relation to any other matter referred to in this release.

Forward-looking statements:

This release and any materials distributed in connection with this release may contain certain forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they reflect current expectations and assumptions as to future events and circumstances that may not prove accurate. A number of material factors could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.


Portland, OR, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the Middle East modularization market was estimated at $492.1 million in 2020 and is expected to hit $747.1 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of 5.3% from 2021 to 2030. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the top investment pockets, top winning strategies, drivers & opportunities, market size & estimations, competitive scenario, and wavering market trends.

Growth in exploration and drilling activities in the Middle East, increase in use of pipes, fittings, and pipe racks in end-user applications, and surge in adoption of stainless-steel pipe spools and racks drive the growth of the Middle East modularization market. On the other hand, fluctuations in raw material prices, fluxes in foreign currencies, and its influence over profit margins restrain the growth to some extent. However, high-end technological advancements in modularization system are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the industry.



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COVID-19 scenario-

The outbreak of the pandemic gave way to extended lockdown in the region, and the production and manufacturing activities of pipe racks, pipe skids, and pipe spools got hampered to a significant extent, thereby impacting the Middle East modularization market negatively.

However, with the mass vaccination drive on board, the situation is getting better altogether, and the market is anticipated to revive soon.

The Middle East modularization market is analyzed across service, end-user industry, and country. Based on service, the prefabricated pipes spools segment accounted for more than two-fifths of the total market share in 2020, and is expected to rule the roost by 2030. The process and pipe rack modules segment, on th;e other hand, is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 6.1% from 2021 to 2030.



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Based on end user industry, the oil & gas segment contributed to more than two-thirds of the total market revenue in 2020, and is projected to dominate by 2030. The petrochemicals & chemicals segment, on the other hand, would cite the fastest CAGR of 6.5% from 2021 to 2030.

Based on country, the market across Saudi Arabia garnered the major share in 2020, generating more than half of the total market. Simultaneously, Bahrain would register the fastest CAGR of 6.9% during the forecast period.

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Leading Players:

The leading market players analyzed in the Middle East modularization market report include SHV Holdings N.V. (Mammoet), Arabian International Company for Steel Structures, Larsen & Toubro Limited (L & T Piping Center), Fluor Corporation, ENKA INSAAT VE SANAYI (CIMTAS PIPE FABRICATION AND TRADING CO. LTD.), ChelPipe Group, YENA ENGINEERING B.V., PROSAIC STEEL AND ALLOYS, Metal Forge India, and Honeywell International Inc (Honeywell UOP). These market players have incorporated different strategies including partnership, expansion, collaboration, joint ventures, and others to brace their stand in the industry.



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About Allied Market Research:

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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Sea Island, GA, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Young Women In Bio (YWIB) is proud to announce the newest class of YWIB Ambassadors. This group of 24 high school students identify as female, have a passion for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and are excited to use their vision, creativity and enthusiasm to further YWIBs efforts to inspire and encourage other young women, both in-person and online.

We are excited to announce this diverse group of young women joining us for the 2021-2022 school year, said Sarah Odeh, Young Women In Bio National Chair. As we continue to expand and grow the YWIB Ambassador Program, we want to ensure we engage with young women from a broad range of backgrounds, giving them the tools and support to grow their leadership skills and empower them to bring STEM initiatives to their communities and beyond.

Following in the footsteps of the inaugural 2020-2021 class, the YWIB Ambassadors selected to participate in the 2021-2022 school year will work with YWIB to raise awareness in STEM. They will also encourage girls locally and nationally to pursue their passion for STEM in each of the 14 YWIB chapters, creating educational and leadership opportunities.

Follow our YWIB and WIB Instagram accounts for more information about our newest YWIB Ambassador class:

YWIB-Atlanta: Kieu P

YWIB-Capital Region: Neha C , Aditi M

, YWIB-Chicago: Rachel Z

YWIB-Connecticut: Addison S

YWIB-Greater Boston: Marian C

YWIB-Greater Montreal: Maria B, Jessica H, Mia S

YWIB-Metro New York: Alexa D , Annabelle E

, YWIB-Philadelphia Metro: Katrina B

YWIB-Pittsburgh: Madeline N , Chapin W

, YWIB-RTP (Research Triangle Park): Jordan E, Ellie K

YWIB-San Francisco Bay Area: Nicole C , Ashley S

, YWIB-Seattle: Alessandra A, Shivani J

YWIB-Southern California: Nathalie C, Joselyn T-A

YWIB-Texas: Marith LDC, Swara K

YWIB Ambassadors will attend Nationally led virtual events and when possible, in-person events and programs hosted by their local YWIB chapters. They will also receive a scholarship for their effort to exemplify YWIB's mission to empower today's young women to become tomorrow's leaders, helping them affect positive change in the world of STEM.

To learn more about WIB, YWIB and the YWIB Ambassador Program, visit https://www.womeninbio.org.

ABOUT YOUNG WOMEN IN BIO (YWIB)

Young Women In Bio (YWIB) gives girls today the inspiration and support they need to become tomorrows leaders in science, technology, engineering, and math. We strive to provide education and hands-on experience in STEM, as well as share our passion for all scientific fields. Through 14 chapters across the United States and Canada, YWIB partners with leading companies, universities, hospitals and other organizations to host highly engaging, educational, and motivational programs for young girls interested in STEM. To learn more, visit www.womeninbio.org/ywib.

ABOUT WOMEN IN BIO (WIB)

Founded in 2002 to support all women employed in the field of life sciences from the classroom to the boardroom, Women In Bio (WIB) is a multifaceted organization with 14 chapters across North America and Montreal. It offers an array of professional educational programs, peer-to-peer learning, mentoring and networking opportunities, and is the only organization for women that integrates all career levels and life sciences fields. WIB is funded by sponsors and partners dedicated to supporting women of all ages in their lifelong journey in the life sciences and beyond. Please visit https://www.womeninbio.org.

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Healdsburg, CA, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sonoma Countys Rodney Strong Wine Estates has announced changes to its Winemaking and Winegrowing Teams, led by Justin Seidenfeld being named Director of Winemaking. In his new role, Seidenfeld will oversee all aspects of winemaking, vineyard operations, and production. He becomes just the fourth head winemaker in the over sixty-year history of the winery, following Sonoma County pioneer Rod Strong, Richard Arrowood, and Rick Sayre, who has transitioned to the role of Winemaker Emeritus.

Justin came to Rodney Strong in 2010 from Robert Mondavi Winery in the Napa Valley, where he distinguished himself working with small lot Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir from some of the best vineyards in the world, including Hyde and To-Kalon. He made an early impact with his hard work, organizational skills, and passion for continual improvement. In 2013, Justin took on the large project of converting The Boneyard, an underutilized winery storage area, to the state-of-the-art Square Tanks Cellar, which has set a new bar for innovative, sustainable winemaking and resource conservation. Justins wines continue to amaze for their bold flavors, extraordinary balance, and precision.

Olivia Wright joined Rodney Strong in 2018 after stints at Mumm Napa, Isabel Estate in New Zealand, and Dierberg & Star Lane Vineyards. Through her hard work and passion for making wines that are elegant and timeless, she has been promoted to Winemaker. In addition to working across all varieties and brands, Olivia is the winemaker for the new Knotty Vines brand.

Ryan Decker is a fifth-generation farmer from the Alexander Valley. He started in the Rodney Strong Tasting Room in 2002, and after returning to Fresno State to earn his degree in viticulture, he returned as viticulturalist and to oversee sustainable winegrowing. Ryan managed grower relations for the past 6 years and has now been promoted to Director of Estate Vineyards, where he is overseeing an ambitious replanting program of Rodney Strongs top vineyards.

I am excited and humbled to be able to lead our team and winery into the future. Our young team works collaboratively on all our wines, and our primary goal in both the vineyard and winery is to craft wines of balance. By understanding our sites better and embracing the use of cutting-edge technology, we can make wine that are pure and true to place, states Seidenfeld. Our focus on balance also drives our passion for sustainable farming with less impact, leading to wines that are fuller, richer, and ultimately more balanced.

About Rodney Strong Wine Estates

Rodney Strong Wine Estates is a family-owned wine company that includes Rodney Strong Vineyards, Davis Bynum Wines, Knotty Vines, Upshot Wines, and ROWEN Wine Company. Rodney Strong sustainably farms 11 estate vineyards and produces wines from Sonoma Countys finest appellations. The winery was founded in 1959 by Sonoma County pioneer Rod Strong as the 13th bonded winery in the county. For over 30 years, RSWE has flourished under the leadership of the Klein Family, 4th generation California farmers. The Klein family is committed to protecting and preserving the environment in both the vineyards and at the winery through sustainable and innovative practices. Rodney Strong Vineyards is a family of passionate people committed to crafting premium wines, meaningful experiences, and sustainable leadership in Sonoma County.

Learn more at www.RodneyStrong.com

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NASHVILLE, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bone McAllester Norton PLLC, one of Nashvilles largest law firms and one known for its deep commitment to clients and the community, announced it will combine with Spencer Fane, an Am Law 200 ranked law firm with offices in 20 cities nationwide. The combination will become effective October 1 and position the firms to expand both in terms of size and geography to meet the growing needs of their clients.

In addition to a cohesive business model, Bone McAllester Norton and Spencer Fane share a commitment to cultural values that center on humility, community, collaboration and an unwavering ambition to achieve success for their clients.

The culture of our firm, our commitment to give back to the community, and our strong track record of retaining top legal talent, has fueled our success. We found those same values in Spencer Fane, said Bone McAllester Norton President and CEO Charles Robert Bone. After years of telling one national firm after another no, we felt there was something decidedly different about Spencer Fane. Ultimately, being a part of their platform will enable us to expand and continue to attract first-rate attorneys, better serve current and future clients, and strengthen our commitment to the Nashville community.

As both firms have realized significant growth in recent years, Spencer Fane and Bone McAllester Norton have a shared vision for expanding the reach of their practices to align with the simultaneous growth of their clients.

As law firms contemplate combining businesses, its important to consider two critical factors  whether the combination will drive more value to our clients and whether there is a strong cultural fit between the firms, Spencer Fane Chair Patrick J. Whalen said. In this case, the answer to both of those questions is an emphatic yes.

While our firms certainly share strengths in terms of legal practice, the excitement about our combination stems from a mutual realization that our firms are aligned culturally around a similar set of core values, Whalen added. Spencer Fane is also excited to join Bone McAllester given its exceptional reputation in the rapidly growing Nashville market, as well as its leadership and success building a law firm comprised of a team of incredibly talented and diverse attorneys with unique perspectives and experience.

Recognized as a firm that takes immense pride in its commitment to community, Bone McAllester Norton and its attorneys lead numerous charitable organizations and causes throughout Nashville. For instance, the firm has hosted an annual MLK Fellowship Breakfast for 20 years, which brings hundreds of civic leaders together to kickoff Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Nearly all of the firms attorneys serve in a leadership capacity for non-profit organizations throughout the community.

Members of the firm have also taken on several high profile criminal justice cases, including being credited with the successful release of Cyntoia Brown Long. In addition, Bone McAllester is one of the regions most diverse law firms, with a deep and longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts  an area both firms are dedicated to bolstering.

When Bone McAllester Norton started 20 years ago, we saw an extraordinary opportunity in Nashville. By combining with Spencer Fane, I believe that opportunity is exponentially better, with more opportunity than ever before  for both firms and the clients we serve, Bone said.

About Bone McAllester Norton

Bone McAllester Norton PLLC is a midsized Nashville law firm located in downtown Nashville, Sumner County and Williamson County. The firm approaches each case with a thorough understanding of clients objectives, and a focus on building creative and strategic solutions. Bone McAllester Norton functions under a commitment to accessibility, responsiveness, cost-effectiveness and professionalism.

About Spencer Fane

Spencer Fane is a full-service business law firm focused on providing results that move clients and their businesses forward. With direct access to firm leadership and a different approach to client engagement, its attorneys instill confidence and certainty that the clients interests are the firms priority. The firm has offices in Phoenix, Arizona; Colorado Springs and Denver, Colorado; Tampa, Florida; Overland Park, Kansas; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Cape Girardeau, Jefferson City, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Springfield, Missouri; Omaha, Nebraska; Las Vegas, Nevada; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Dakota Dunes, South Dakota; and Austin, Dallas, Houston, and Plano, Texas. For more information, visit spencerfane.com or follow @spencerfane on Twitter.

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Houston, Texas, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the advent of the 2021-2022 Back-To-School season arriving, parents of students across the country express a desire for full school safety for their children as they go about their daily academic pursuits. With more and more instances of at-school violence being reported across the country, more and more parents are looking for a means of encouraging proper school safety for their children.

Karya Kares, a Houston-based nonprofit organization designed to provide charity-based resources and financial relief, participated in its 2021 All Smiles, No Guns event. Members of its Marketing Team gathered together to generate special school supplies to be distributed to children in need across the Houston area. These supplies include backpacks, hand sanitizer, childrens face masks, notebooks, pencil pouches, rulers, stress balls, colored pencils, highlighters, and water bottles. All supplies contain the message of All Smiles, No Guns to spread the awareness of peace and non-violence in the school environment.

As a subset of Karya Property Management, Karya Kares utilized their Back-To-School event to administer school supplies via Karyas on-hand apartments. A total of 5,500 backpacks were distributed across 35 participating apartment properties respectively, reaching out to members of the Houston community looking to engage in the organizations focus on school safety and consideration for child welfare.

Various properties additionally featured different themes for their event to add to the festive atmosphere including circuses, the world of Willy Wonka, and more. Turnouts were highly favorable at most properties, with many young children receiving school supplies along with fun education on school safety. On-site law enforcement services were also present to welcome guests as part of Karyas partnership with local sheriff departments.

The event marked an exemplary means of fostering academic engagement as well as allowing for properties to openly provide a message of compassion and support for all students entering school this Fall season. Karya Kares has previously engaged in several school-focused charity programs, as well as previous incarnations of All Smiles, No Guns. During the 2017-2019 seasons, a total of about 25,000 clear backpacks and school supplies were handed out across the Houston, Austin, Dallas, Utah, and Kansas regions. With the arrival of the school season even more pressing following the 2020 impact of Covid-19, the All Smiles, No Guns program was even more eager than ever to engage with the community so that students had what they needed for a safe school experience.

The organization hopes to continue bolstering a sense of hope, security, and positivity for future generations of students across the Houston community, adding to an increased level of mindfulness as students and parents prepare for the new school year.

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New York., Aug. 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Border security Market: Key Insights

According to our new research study on Border security Market Forecast to 2028  COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis  by Environment, System, and Geography, the Border Security Market is projected to reach US$ 69,750.9 million by 2028 from US$ 44,271.2 million in 2020; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.21% during 20212028.

Border security Market: Competitive Landscape and Key Developments

Lockheed Martin Corporation; Thales SA; Flir Systems, INC.; Bae Systems Plc; Elbit Systems; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Saab AB; Leonardo; Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.; and Safran are among the key players in the global border security market. The leading companies are focusing on product development and innovation as prime growth strategies.

In 2021, Safran Corporate Ventures invested in SkyFive as a part of its Series A investment round. The investment round was led by Safran Corporate Ventures together with STAR Capital, a European private equity fund manager with a track record of developing emerging infrastructure businesses.

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Increasing threats of aerial attack are highlighting the need of integration of advanced weaponry with laser, RADAR, and advanced camera systems. Countries such as China, the US, the UK, and Russia are strengthening their weapon systems against UAVs, rockets, artillery, and mortar projectiles. Laser-based weapon systems are becoming preferred solutions owing to their ability to provide enhanced protection with high-precision techniques. The US military almost doubled its spending for directed energy weapons such as high-powered microwaves and lasers during fiscal years 20172019.

In 2019, the US Army awarded a contract worth US$ 130 million to Dynetics Inc. and its partnersLockheed Martin and Rolls-Royceto develop an advanced weapon system. Under this contract agreement, Dynetics Inc. developed a 100-kW-class laser weapon system called High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator (HEL TVD). Similarly, in July 2019, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) of the UK invested significant amounts in the revolutionization of the defense sector; the efforts mainly focused on the strengthening of its military weapons such as laser weapons. The ministry invested ~US$ 162.00 million for the creation of a new joint program office to manage the program and personnel. The country expects to announce new laser and radiofrequency technology-based weapon systems in the armed forces by 2023.

In 2020, North America led the border security market with a 36.97% revenue share. Countries in this region are characterized by high adoption of advanced border security systems with high precision, high power, and high range. Acceptance of advanced border security systems by the US government encourages manufacturers to provide more innovative security solutions the country. With the strong presence of border security system manufacturers and significantly annual high military spending, the border security market in North America is expected to grow at a high CAGR during the forecast period.

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The demand for laser weapon systems in high in countries such as the US, China, Russia, and India, which are worlds prime military powers. Surge in the development of advanced weapons system and increasing adoption of drones or unmanned vehicle for military operations are creating enormous demand for advanced defensive weapons. As several drones and advanced weapons lead to severe damage, which is driving the demand for high-precise laser weapon systems. The self-protect high-energy laser demonstrator (SHiELD) initiative of the US opens new application areas for laser weapon systems. Lockheed Martin developed a laser weapon system for fighter jets, thus bringing a new level of advancement for war fighters. The use of laser weapons in fighter jets is intertwines the ability to shoot down missiles in flight.

The airborne laser weapon systems assist in defending friendly aircraft, destroying enemy aircraft, and improving ground targets during combats. As per the People's Liberation Army (PLA) news, the military sector of China has made an announcement regarding the procurement and development of airborne laser pods. The country is trying to integrate airborne lasers in their defense fleet for both attack and defense purposes.

Order a Copy of Border Security Market Shares, Strategies and Forecasts 2021-2028 Research Report at https://www.theinsightpartners.com/buy/TIPRE00019352/

Border security market: System Overview

The global border security market, based on system, is segmented into laser systems, radar systems, camera systems, perimeter intrusion detection systems, unmanned vehicles, wide-band wireless communication systems, command and control (C2) systems, biometric systems, and others. The unmanned segment held the largest market share in 2020. The military robots are a product classification of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). These vehicles are used for surveillance, reconnaissance, and visual imaging applications, and they also exhibit common features required by the US military forces. Majority of the military forces across the world working on ways to decrease the number of human soldiers and deploy large units of robots in military operations in the coming years, which would enhance the human soldier capabilities, thereby increasing the smaller lethal agile forces in the army which are readily deployable. Also, the rising conflict among countries and states is encouraging various governments are robustly focusing on modernizing their militaries and keeping them updated as per the new automated modern warfare methods and systems.













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Tactical Communications Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Platform (Airborne, Shipborne, Land, Underwater); Type (Soldier Radio, Manpack Radio, VIC (Vehicular Intercommunication Radio), High Capacity Data Radio (HCDR), Others); Technology (Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM), Next-Generation Network (NGN)); Application (ISR, Communications, Combat, Command and Control, Others) and Geography - https://www.theinsightpartners.com/reports/tactical-communications-market















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New York, US, Aug. 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Market Overview:

According to a comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Global Automated Breach and Attack Simulation Market information by Deployment, by Components, by Application and Region  forecast to 2027 market size to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 27.6%; will surpass USD 3.5 billion revenue by 2026.

Competitive Landscape

The global automated breach & attack simulation market is expanding rapidly, owing to a growing need for the transformation of customer experiences for the solutions and services offered. To strengthen their market positions and meet end-user expectations, major firms have chosen partnerships, acquisitions, and product innovation as their primary organic growth tactics. Furthermore, industry participants are fighting over the benefits provided by automated breach and attack simulation.

Dominant Key Players on Automated Breach & Attack Simulation Market Covered Are:

Elasticito Limited (UK)

XM Cyber (Israel)

Cymulate (Israel)

Aujas (US)

SafeBreach Inc. (US)

Optiv Security Inc. (US)

Traxion (Netherlands)

Larsen & Toubro Infotech Limited (India)

Marlabs Inc. (US)

Layer 8 Solutions (Canada)

Guardicore (Israel)

Carbonsec (Slovenia)

Netsecuris LLC (US)

eSafe IT (Ethiopia)

AttackIQ (US)

To Buy:

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=10377

Market USP Exclusively Encompassed:

Market Drivers

Breach and attack simulation allows for the simulation, validation, and remediation of potential vulnerabilities and methods used by unethical hackers to access organizational resources. The red and blue teams run manual security tests on a regular basis. However, since they do this on a regular basis, they establish a gap between two tests, which is regarded as sufficient to attack and get access to significant organizational assets. To address this shortcoming, cybersecurity firms have automated the same key functions as those of red and blue teams in a continuous and automated way, hence the name automated breach & attack simulation.

The market for automated breach and attack simulation is being pushed by an increase in cybersecurity challenges as well as the usage of digital platforms and services. Furthermore, the benefits of the automated breach and attack simulation, such as consistent attacks with the use of an automated system, at par attack methods and tools, and a fully controlled environment, are likely to add to the worldwide market's growth.

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Segmentation of Market Covered in the Research:

The worldwide automated breach & attack simulation market has been segmented based on component, deployment, application, and end-user.

By component, the worldwide automated breach & attack simulation market has been divided into solution and service.

Based on deployment, the worldwide automated breach & attack simulation market has been divided into on-premise and cloud-based.

By application, the worldwide automated breach & attack simulation market has been divided into configuration management, patch management, credentials management, threat intelligence, and others.

Based on end-user, the worldwide automated breach & attack simulation market has been divided into data centers, security teams, enterprises, managed service providers, and others.

Browse In-depth Market Research Report (100 Pages) on Automated Breach & Attack Simulation Market:

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/automated-breach-attack-simulation-market-10377

Regional Analysis

North America to Capture the Greatest Market Share

Due to the rise in demand for automated breach & attack simulation solutions and services in this area, North America is predicted to hold the greatest market share. Due to factors such as the presence of competitors such as Aujas (US), SafeBreach Inc. (US), Netsecuris LLC (US), Optiv Security Inc. (US), Marlabs Inc. (US), and AttackIQ, the US is likely to lead the market in North America.

Europe to Hold the Second Spot

The European market for automated breach and attack simulation is predicted to rank second over the study period, owing to fast economic growth in nations such as the United Kingdom and Germany. Furthermore, the growing number of enterprises implementing automated solutions for breach and attack simulation drives market expansion in the region.

APAC to Witness Fastest Growth

The Asia Pacific is divided into China, India, Japan, and the rest of Asia Pacific, and it is predicted to be the fastest-growing region, owing to the digital revolution occurring in cybersecurity across industrial verticals and the rapid growth of rising countries such as China and India. Furthermore, China is likely to maintain its lead, while India is expected to be the fastest-growing country during the forecast period. The Chinese market is predicted to have the largest market share, owing to rapid advances in artificial intelligence, the increasing usage of internet of things (IoT) devices, and worldwide connectivity, which raises the potential risk of cyberthreats.

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COVID-19 Impact on the Global Automated Breach & Attack Simulation Market

The global automated breach & attack simulation industry has reported an increase in demand for automated breach & attack simulation solutions and services, primarily as a result of a large number of organizations shifting their workforce to work from home, increasing the demand for digital solutions and increasing the risk of cyberattacks from unethical hackers. The use of automated breach and attack simulation platforms has aided various industry verticals in making their operations run more smoothly while closing the gap between existing security infrastructure and cyber-attacks utilizing advanced methods to penetrate organizational resources. For example, automated breach and attack simulation using red teaming services provided by industry participants has automated attacks that were previously carried out manually.

About Market Research Future:

Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis regarding diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions.

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OXFORD, Conn., Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) toured Connecticut-based EV charger manufacturer JuiceBar on Tuesday and hailed the companys decision to build a Made in America product with over 70% of its components made in the United States.



JuiceBar is leading the country as the only manufacturer of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations made and assembled in the U.S. I was glad to tour their facilities and learn about their mission to help build a sustainable future  and Im going to keep pushing for more federal funding for EV infrastructure. Teddy Roosevelt became the first American president to publicly ride in an automobile when he drove through Hartford in an electric car 119 years ago. JuiceBars work will make sure that EVs are a part of not only Connecticuts past but also our future, said Murphy.

We were honored to host Senator Murphy at our facility, said JuiceBar CEO Paul Vosper. We take great pride in being a Made in America manufacturer of the worlds fastest, safest, and most reliable commercial EV charging stations.

With the rapid increase in electric vehicle sales and growing demand for EV charging stations, JuiceBar has tripled its work force in the state over the past year and anticipates creating at least 100 more engineering and advanced manufacturing jobs in Connecticut by 2023.

The federal Infrastructure Bill, which passed the House on the same day as Murphys tour, calls for $7.5 billion in charging infrastructure to be installed over the next 5 years as well as millions allocated for the purchase of EV school buses and other fleet vehicles. JuiceBar recently announced that its charging stations meet Made in America provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Senator Murphys support for federal investment in infrastructure will likely create the largest manufacturing boom in over a hundred years and will accelerate the transition to a low carbon transportation sector, critical to address pollution and climate change, added Vosper.

Building American jobs has helped us avoid the supply chain problems of many of our competitors, Vosper said. We can deliver our chargers within two to three weeks of an order in contrast to delays of 6 months or more with other manufacturers who source their components abroad.

About JuiceBar

JuiceBar is a pioneer in EV charging. Since 2009 when its first charger was deployed at the Denver Airport, its chargers can be found in over 200 cities in North America. JuiceBar chargers are manufactured in America and come with a money-back guarantee in addition to its standard warranties. Its Level 2 chargers deliver charging speeds that are 60 to 250-percent faster than the industrys standard chargers and include unique safety features and open communications architecture that allows customers to connect to the network of their choice. To learn more visit: www.JuiceBarEV.com.

Media Contact

Nicole Robinson

Skyya PR for JuiceBar

nicole@skyya.com

ph: (763) 229-1739

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9c3461c7-c749-42f5-8bee-3027fc814315
CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acceleware Ltd. (Acceleware or the Company) (TSX-V: AXE), a leading developer of technologies targeting low-cost and clean extraction of heavy oil and bitumen, today announced its financial and operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 (all figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted). Accelewares second quarter results reflect contributions from the Companys two business units, comprised of radio frequency heating technology (RF Heating), which supports a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) for the extraction of heavy oil and bitumen through its proprietary RF XL heating technology, along with high-performance scientific computing applications (HPC). This news release should be read in conjunction with the Companys unaudited interim condensed financial statements and the accompanying notes for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, and managements discussion and analysis (MD&A) thereto, together with the audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020, notes and MD&A thereto, all of which are available on Accelewares website at www.acceleware.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

HIGHLIGHTS

Acceleware continued to advance the development of its patented RF heating technology through the second quarter of 2021. This progress builds on the Companys previously announced key accomplishments including the following highlights from the past twelve months:

New funding of $5 million from Alberta Innovates for the RF XL Pilot at our site in the Cold Lake Oil Sands region near the town of Marwayne, Alberta (RF XL Pilot);

A successful full-power test of two modules, or 500 kW, of the Clean Tech Inverter (CTI) prototype;

Receipt of all required regulatory approvals from the Alberta Energy Regulator for the RF XL Pilot;

Grant of a key RF XL patent in the United States;

Confirmation from the first major oil sands producer of ongoing support for RF XL Pilot;

Commitment from a second major oil sands producer for support of the RF XL Pilot; and

Creation of Acceleware | Kisastwew, a limited partnership, with Saa Dene Group.



During the three months ended June 30, 2021 (Q2 2021) the Company made a significant addition to its leadership team and overall industry expertise with:

The election of Jim Boucher to Accelewares board of directors: A highly respected Indigenous leader, executive and philanthropist, Jim Boucher is a champion for sustainable and environmentally responsible development, social prosperity, and economic inclusion for Indigenous peoples. In 2020, he cofounded the Saa Dene Group of Companies. In his role as President, Jim is working with a variety of partners to pursue opportunities in multiple sectors with one clear vision: to increase diversity and inclusive opportunity through meaningful economic and social participation in the global economy.



The RF XL Pilot is fully funded based on current costs estimates, which range between $16 and $20 million. As of June 30, 2021, total direct funding committed to the RF XL Pilot included $5 million from Alberta Innovates, $5.5 million from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), $5 million from Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), and $4 million provided by two major oil sands producers. During the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company received an additional payment of $262,500 from SDTC in response to ongoing challenges arising from the global pandemic, increasing their total commitment up to approximately $5.5 million from $5.25 million.

Effective July 5, 2021, a third major oil sands producer signed as a consortium member of the RF XL Pilot and committed up to $2 million in funding and technical expertise. In exchange for this funding, Acceleware will provide exclusive access to detailed technical data and test results, prioritized rights to host a subsequent test, preferred pricing on pre-commercial products and preferred access to RF XL products. Accelewares three oil sands partners now represent well over one million barrels of oil sands and heavy oil production per day and a commitment of up to $6 million of funding.

The current status of the RF XL Pilot is summarized as follows: drilling and completions program is now underway at Marwayne; industry-standard and proprietary well completion materials have all been received and are either ready for deployment or are in the final stages of testing protocols; surface equipment and facilities have been received or are in final stages of construction at suppliers facilities; and service company partners have been selected and contracted. Barring unforeseen delays, construction at the site is scheduled to be complete at or shortly after the end of Q3 2021, with power up and heating commencing shortly thereafter. While the initial heating phase is planned for approximately six months, this period may be extended to allow Acceleware to capture additional information on the efficiency and operation of the technology.

There are 10 patents granted or allowed to protect various proprietary technologies related to Accelewares RF Heating research and development (R&D), and 25 patent applications pending or under development. The Company continues to work closely with the patent offices and its intellectual property advisors.

Acceleware also continues to focus on driving external awareness of the Company and on positioning its RF Heating technology more prominently within both the oil and gas and clean-tech communities. Several new blog posts and videos have been released via social media recently which feature discussions on the RF Heating technology by Accelewares engineering team. The collection of videos is available for viewing here: Acceleware Vlog Posts .

FINANCIAL SUMMARY

In addition to securing additional RF XL Pilot funding from Alberta Innovates as noted above, the Company continued to complete engineering de-risking, lab testing and procurement, manufacturing and construction of materials and equipment for the RF XL Pilot, all of which contributed to an increased level of R&D spending in the period. Cumulative RF XL Pilot expenses as at June 30, 2021 were approximately $11.2 million (December 31, 2020 - $7.6 million). The remaining cash committed but not yet received from SDTC, ERA and Alberta Innovates, including holdbacks receivable is approximately $5.6 million as at June 30, 2021 (December 31, 2020  approximately $4.2 million) and amounts committed but not yet received from two major oil-sands producers is approximately $2.2 million as at June 30, 2021 (December 31, 2020  approximately $3.2 million). Effective July 5, 2021, a third major oil sands producer signed as a consortium member of the RF XL Pilot and committed up to $2 million in funding and technical expertise bringing the total committed but not yet received from all three major oil-sands producers to $4.2 million.

QUARTER IN REVIEW

Revenue of approximately $0.1 million was generated in Q2 2021 compared to approximately $0.6 million in the three months ended June 30, 2020 (Q2 2020). Revenue of approximately $0.3 million was generated in the previous quarter ended March 31, 2021 (Q1 2021). Revenue in all three periods is mainly attributable to software and maintenance sales with a smaller amount attributable to service revenue in Q2 2021. The decrease in Q2 2021 compared with Q2 2020 is attributable to a significant contract in the HPC software segment for which revenue was recognized in Q2 2020. The decrease in Q2 2021 revenue compared to Q1 2021 is the result of a $0.2 million contract that was closed in Q2 2021 but not yet completed.

Total comprehensive loss for Q2 2021 was approximately $0.7 million compared to a comprehensive loss of approximately $0.1 million for Q2 2020 and a comprehensive loss of approximately $0.5 million for Q1 2021. The higher comprehensive loss in Q2 2021 compared to Q2 2020 is due to an increase in spending for R&D in Q2 2021 and also due to lower revenue in Q2 2021 for the significant software contract noted above. The higher comprehensive loss in Q2 2021 compared to Q1 2021 is also due to lower revenue as noted above.

Gross R&D expenses incurred in Q2 2021 were approximately $1.8 million compared to gross R&D expenses in Q2 2020 of approximately $0.4 million and approximately $1.6 million in Q1 2021. The increase in Q2 2021 and Q1 2021 over Q2 2020 is due to significant investment in the RF XL Pilot activities in 2021. During the first half of 2021, manufacturing and assembly of the CTI prototype was completed with many of the downhole and surface equipment and components ordered and received in preparation for drilling and completion construction activity scheduled for the last half of 2021. Federal and provincial government assistance of approximately $1.4 million was recognized in Q2 2021 compared to approximately $0.3 million in Q2 2020 and approximately $1.3 million was recognized in Q1 2021 offsetting gross research and development costs.

General and administrative (G&A) expenses incurred in Q2 2021 were similar to those in other periods, at approximately $0.4 million compared to approximately $0.4 million in Q2 2020 and approximately $0.4 million in Q1 2021. The Company continues to prioritize cost control given uncertain economic conditions and to benefit from the CEWS government subsidy program.

YEAR TO DATE IN REVIEW

Revenue of approximately $0.4 million was generated from the Companys software, maintenance and services revenue streams for the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to approximately $0.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The lower revenue in the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2020 is due to the aforementioned HPC software revenue contract slightly offset by increased demand for software in the oil and gas sector in early 2021. In addition to recognized revenue, Acceleware has also received non-refundable milestone cash payments of $0.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 (six months ended June 30, 2020 - $0.3 million) which are recorded in deferred revenue. Data revenue equal to the amount recorded in deferred revenue will be recognized as revenue at the end of the RF XL Pilot or when the data contracts are terminated, whichever is earlier. Total deferred revenue recorded on the statement of financial position as at June 30, 2021 is $1.65 million (December 31, 2020  $0.75 million).

Total comprehensive loss for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was approximately $1.2 million compared to approximately $0.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 due to higher R&D spending for the RF XL Pilot.

Gross R&D expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2021 were approximately $3.4 million compared to approximately $1.2 million incurred during the six months ended June 30, 2020 due to increased R&D activity noted above. Federal and provincial government assistance of approximately $2.7 million was recognized in the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to approximately $0.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020.

G&A expenses incurred during the six months ended June 30, 2021 were approximately $0.8 million compared to approximately $0.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 a decrease of approximately $0.1 million due primarily to lower payroll and professional costs. The Company continues to prioritize cost management.

As at June 30, 2021, Acceleware had negative working capital of approximately $0.2 million (December 31, 2020  approximately $0.03 million) including cash and cash equivalents of approximately $3.3 million (December 31, 2020  approximately $1.9 million). The decrease in working capital and cash is attributable to timing of receipt of funding and R&D spending for the RF XL Pilot. Increasing the deficit is deferred revenue of $1,650,000 as at June 30, 2021 (December 31, 2020  $750,000). Despite receiving non-refundable cash payments for these amounts, the milestone payments have not met all requirements for revenue recognition under IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. These amounts will be recognized as revenue and increase shareholders equity when RF XL Pilot heating is complete or the data revenue contracts are terminated, whichever is earlier.

In the interests of matching cash requirements with a combination of cash generated from operations, external funding, and capital raising activities, the Company actively manages its cash flow and investments in new products. Acceleware intends to maximize cash generated from operations through several initiatives which include continuing to focus on higher gross margin software products that are marketed through a combination of direct and reseller models; minimizing operating expenses where possible; and limiting capital expenditures. As the Company continues to develop its RF Heating technology, new R&D investments will be financed through a combination of internal cash flow from the HPC business, project funding agreements, government assistance and external financing, when available.1*

RF HEATING BUSINESS SEGMENT SUMMARY

RF XL is Accelewares patented and patent-pending RF Heating technology, designed to improve the extraction of heavy oil and bitumen, with a cost effective and environmentally friendly alternative to SAGD. When applied, RF XL has the potential to reduce both capital and operating costs, while offering significant environmental benefits, including:

immediate GHG emission reductions;

a substantial decrease in land use;

the elimination of external water use;

no requirement for solvents; and

substantial elimination of water treatment facilities and no need for tailings ponds.



The Company believes that its RF XL heating technology, as an electrically-driven process, can provide a clear pathway to zero-GHG production of heavy oil and oil sands and provide optimal alignment with industry and government goals to recognize innovation as a meaningful solution in the oil and gas industrys overall emission reduction plans.

Q2 2021 RF Heating Results Summary

RF Heating revenue was $nil in Q2 2021 and Q2 2020 compared to $85,000 in Q1 2021 due to a sale of AxHeat RF heating simulation software in connection with a data revenue agreement to a major oil sands producer in Q1 2021. Since 2018, the Company has been successful selling data revenue agreements to major oil sands producers which provide the customer with the right to access and use data obtained from the RF XL Pilot. Under IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers, these contracts do not meet all requirements for revenue recognition over-time, therefore revenue recognition defaults to the end of the contract. As at June 30, 2021, deferred revenue of $1,650,000 (December 31, 2020 - $750,000) has been recorded under these contracts for amounts that have been received in cash, and will be recognized as revenue once heating is complete or the contracts are terminated, whichever is earlier.



RF Heating expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2021, were $675,484 or 58% higher than in Q2 2020 and 9% higher than in Q1 2021. R&D expenses were higher compared to both Q2 2020 and Q1 2021 due to higher contractor and materials costs related to the significantly increased activity for the RF XL Pilot in preparation for drilling and completion work. G&A expenses were lower compared to Q2 2020 and relatively unchanged compared to Q1 2021 as management continues to manage overall administrative costs and to benefit from the CEWS government program.



HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING BUSINESS SEGMENT SUMMARY

Acceleware's HPC business segment helps customers meet their oil and gas exploration needs with seismic imaging software that provides the most accurate and advanced imaging available for oil exploration in complex geological zones and formations. While the Company is focusing on energy markets, it continues to develop and sell its electro-magnetic (EM) simulation software FDTD (or finite difference time domain) solution, AxFDTD, to end users primarily through independent software vendors that have integrated Accelewares solution into their software architecture.

Q2 2021 HPC Results Summary

HPC revenue decreased to $97,408 in Q2 2021 from $611,712 in Q2 2020 and $186,106 in Q1 2021 due mainly to lower software revenue. Due to the change in the software revenue model in 2018, the Company now expects fewer overall sales transactions with higher overall revenue per transaction, which could potentially lead to increased volatility in quarterly revenue. This was evident in Q1 2021 and Q2 2020 as revenue fluctuated relative to Q2 2021.



HPC expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2021 were $119,108 or 23% lower than in Q2 2020 and 17% lower than in Q1 2021. Cost of revenue is related to software sales in Q2 2021 with no similar sales in either Q2 2020 or Q1 2021. G&A expenses were lower compared to both Q2 2020 and Q1 2021 due to lower payroll and payroll related expenses. R&D expenses were minimal in Q2 2021 and lower than in Q2 2020 as the Company focuses the majority of all R&D on the RF XL Pilot in 2021.



ABOUT ACCELEWARE:

Acceleware (www.acceleware.com) is an innovator of clean-tech oil and gas technologies comprised of two business units: Radio Frequency (RF) Enhanced Oil Recovery and Seismic Imaging Software.

Acceleware is developing RF XL, its patented and patent-pending low-cost, low-carbon production technology for heavy oil and oil sands that is materially different from any heavy oil recovery technique used today. Acceleware's vision is that electrification of heavy oil and oil sands production can be made possible through RF XL, supporting a transition to much cleaner energy production that can quickly bend the emissions curve downward. Further, Accelewares RF XL technology could be a key component of an end-to-end integrated carbon management system that can eliminate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with heavy oil and oil sands production, whether for fossil fuels, or for future clean bitumen by-products such as petrochemicals, carbon fibre, and blue or green hydrogen production. RF XL uses no water, requires no solvent, has a small physical footprint, can be redeployed from site to site, and can be applied to a multitude of reservoir types. In shallow oil sands implementations, no tailings ponds will be required.

Acceleware has partnered with Saa Dene Group (co-founded by Jim Boucher) to create Acceleware | Kisastwew to raise the profile, adoption, and value of Acceleware technologies. The shared vision of the partnership is to improve the environmental and economic performance of the energy sector by supporting ideals that are important to Indigenous peoples, including respect for land, water, and clean air.

The Companys seismic imaging software solutions are state-of-the-art for high fidelity imaging, providing the most accurate and advanced imaging available for oil exploration in complex geologies. Acceleware is a public company listed on Canadas TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol AXE.

NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND OTHER ADVISORIES

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information generally means information about an issuers business, capital, or operations that are prospective in nature, and includes disclosure about the issuers prospective financial performance or financial position.

The forward-looking information in this press release can be identified by terms such as believes, estimates, plans, potential, and will, and includes information about the expected cost of the RF XL pilot at Marwayne, t he timing of the execution of the Pilot, and the anticipated benefits of the RF XL technology. Acceleware assumes that current cost estimates are accurate, current timelines will not be delayed by either internal or external causes, that research and development effort including the commercial-scale test plans will result in commercial-ready products, and that future capital raising efforts will be successful.

Actual results may vary from the forward-looking information in this press release due to certain material risk factors. These risk factors are described in detail in Accelewares continuous disclosure documents, which are filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Acceleware assumes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information in this press release, unless it is required to do so under Canadian securities legislation.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described in this release in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

DISCLAIMER

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For more information:

Geoff Clark

Tel: +1 (403) 249-9099

geoff.clark@acceleware.com

Acceleware Ltd.

435 10th Avenue SE

Calgary, AB, T2G 0W3

Canada

Tel: +1 (403) 249-9099

www.acceleware.com

________________________________________________

* this paragraph contains forward looking information. Please refer to Forward Looking Statements and Risk Factors and Uncertainties for a discussion of the risks and uncertainties related to such information.
Gloucester, MA (01930)

Today

Rain. High 71F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Periods of rain and becoming windy. Rain may be heavy late. Low 61F. Winds NE at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
TOPEKA [mdash] Ervin H. Fry, 82, Topeka, died at 12:10 p.m., Monday, Aug. 30, at his residence after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born on April 2, 1939, in Yoder, Kansas, to Harvey and Elizabeth (Miller) Fry. On Dec. 13, 1962, in Topeka, he married Barbara Ellen Frey. She survives
NEW YORK (AP)  How long is too long to take in the bathroom? That, believe it or not, is a 
California Climate Investmentsa program designed to put billions of dollars to work to reduce greenhouse gas emissionsis funded with proceeds from the States Cap-and-Trade GHG emissions reduction program and is administered by the California Air Resources Board (ARB). Since 2013, the California Legislature has appropriated $15.4 billion in California Climate Investments funds for projects statewide, $9 billion of which are either underway or completed.

Approximately $4.5 billion of all implemented funds directly benefit Californias priority populations, which include disadvantaged and low-income communities and low-income households statewide.

California Climate Investments will provide about 70 million metric tons of GHG emissions reductions, the equivalent of taking 14 million cars off the road for a year. This does not include expected GHG emissions reductions attributable to the High-Speed Rail project.

More than 20 state agencies manage investments in more than 70 programs. New investments since December 2020 total 53,800 projects, including 51,000 rebates for the purchase of zero-emission vehicles and 697 affordable housing units.

Background. California Climate Investments began in 2013 and received guidance specifically for disadvantaged communities from the Legislature through Senate Bill (SB) 535 (2012). It set minimum investments for projects that benefit disadvantaged and low-income communities and projects that are located within disadvantaged communities.

In 2016, AB 1550 (2016) amended the investment minimums for disadvantaged communities created by SB 535 to require that a minimum percentage of projects be located within and provide a benefit to disadvantaged communities. AB 1550 also established new investment minimums for low-income communities and low-income households. To date, California Climate Investments is meeting and exceeding these minimum levels while providing more than a half-million projects in communities statewide.

Californias cap-and-trade program has raised $15.8 billion dollars since compliance began in 2013. The program requires an annual 4% reduction in GHG emissions from the states major electricity generators and industrial emitters of GHGs. These reductions apply to Californias 2030 goal of reducing GHGs 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.

The California Air Resources Board has released the 2021 California Climate Investments Mid-Year Data Update, which describes the progress of the program over time and provides highlights from the past six months. It includes estimates of GHG emission reductions and other project benefits.

The California Air Resources Board will also release an updated interactive map including each implemented project in the state. The map includes filters for programs, counties, or legislative districts, and displays additional project-level information for each investment. Additionally, the California Air Resources Board has released an update to the interactive data dashboard, which enables users to easily explore California Climate Investments data.

The 2021 California Climate Investments Mid-Year Data Update materials, map, data dashboard, and project list provide project data as of May 31, 2021, and are available at California Climate Investments.
Raven SR, a renewable fuels company, is collaborating with Republic Services Inc. to convert organic waste to produce green hydrogen at a site in Richmond, California.

Raven SRs first commercial systems will divert a blend of green waste and food waste from the landfill, thereby reducing methane emissions and will have a negative carbon intensity generating a California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credit for fueling stations.

Unlike competing technologies like gasification or incineration, Raven SRs process involves no combustion, as previously confirmed by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, avoiding the creation of toxic pollutants and particulates. (Earlier post.)

The Raven SR Steam/CO 2 Reformation process also presents a valid alternative to electrolysis converting waste rather than precious and limited water resources for green hydrogen production.

Raven and Hyzon Motors previously announced a partnership to build up to 250 hydrogen hubs. The Richmond facility will be co-developed by the partners, with Hyzon investing up to 75% in the equity and offtake from the waste-to-hydrogen hub.

Raven, a renewable fuels company, expects initially to process up to 99.9 tons of organic waste per day at the landfill, producing up to 2,000 metric-tons per year of renewable hydrogen as well as power for its operations. Hyzon, a global supplier of zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial vehicles, will provide offtake through its vehicle customers.

In connection with this partnership, Hyzon has acquired a minority interest in Raven.
Aiming to gain a competitive advantage in the global EV market, Vietnam-based EV maker VinFast has been developing a number of partnerships with developers of advanced battery technologies.

VinFast is collaborating with Israeli StoreDot, a company developing extreme fast charging (XFC) technology that allows the battery to charge to 80% of capacity in only 4-5 minutes. (Earlier post.) StoreDots technology has been shown to work effectively on cellphones, drones and e-scooters.

StoreDots FlashBattery takes a holistic approach to battery design for fast charging that includes:

Cathode: proprietary organic polymer-based compound for enhanced safety and stability;

Anode: layered nanoparticles based on metalloids, including tin, silicon, and germanium, that are embedded within an organic conductive matrix;

Electrolyte: high-voltage capability and enhanced safety by preventing dendrite through an ionic organic liquid-based electrolyte;

Data science: machine learning and artificial intelligence, along with the automated optimization of material compounds;

Cell structure: optimized thin layer coating for thermal management during fast charging; and

Electronics: dynamic charging with real-time voltage management

The company is targeting 300 Wh/kg in the Si-rich, fast-charging cell.

VinFast may become an early adopter of the StoreDot technology for EV applications.

VinFast is also partnering with Taiwan-based ProLogium (PLG)a developer of 100% solid-state lithium ceramic batteries (earlier post). Earlier this year, the two companies signed an MOU to set up a joint venture to produce automotive solid-state battery (SSB) packs for Vinfast EVs.

The JV will have priority to purchase PLGs SSB product and will be licensed to use PLGs patented SSB pack assembly technology, MAB (Multi-Axis Bipolar+), to produce CIM/CIP SSB pack (cell is module/cell is pack) locally in Vietnam.

PLG will produce SSB inlays (semi-finished battery cell composed of cathode, solid state electrolyte and anode layer) for the JV at one of its Asian manufacturing centers (expected to reach 1-2 GWh capacity in 2022), which will support mass production schedule of Vinfast EVs in 2023-2024.

VinFast earlier announced a partnership with Gotion High-Tech for LFP battery technology. (Earlier post.) The LFP battery can be produced at a low cost and is suitable for mid-range electric cars.

Vingroup also is carrying out R&D activities on its own in addition to seeking external resources.

VinFast plans to establish battery production facilities in Europe and the US, as well as their factory in Vietnam.
Rangers Roundtable is written by Leslie Morgan, District Ranger, Unaka Ranger District, Cherokee National Forest, Greeneville. She can be reached at Leslie.morgan@usda.gov.
Greensburg, IN (47240)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 54F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 54F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Two members of Congress flew unannounced into Kabul airport in the middle of the chaotic evacuation stunning State Department and U.S. military personnel who had to divert resources to provide security and information to the lawmakers, U.S. officials said.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., flew in and out on charter aircraft and were on the ground at the Kabul airport for several hours Tuesday. That led officials to complain that they could be taking seats that would have otherwise gone to other Americans or Afghans fleeing the country, but the congressmen said in a joint statement that they made sure to leave on a flight with empty seats.

As Members of Congress, we have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch,' the two said in their statement. We conducted this visit in secret, speaking about it only after our departure, to minimize the risk and disruption to the people on the ground, and because we were there to gather information, not to grandstand.

The two lawmakers are both military veterans, with backgrounds in the region. Moulton, a Marine who has been outspoken critic of the Iraq War, served multiple tours in Iraq. Meijer was deployed as part of the Army Reserves and later worked in Afghanistan at a nongovernmental organization providing aid. Moulton serves on the House Armed Services Committee and Meijer is on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Three officials familiar with the flight said that State Department, Defense Department and White House officials were furious about the incident because it was done without coordination with diplomats or military commanders directing the evacuation.

The U.S. military found out about the visit as the legislators' aircraft was inbound to Kabul, according to the officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing military operations.

One senior U.S. official said the administration saw the lawmakers' visit as manifestly unhelpful and several other officials said the visit was viewed as a distraction for troops and commanders at the airport who are waging a race against time to evacuate thousands of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others as quickly as possible.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement Tuesday evening taking note of the desire of some legislators to visit Afghanistan and saying she was writing to reiterate that the Departments of Defense and State have requested that Members not travel to Afghanistan and the region during this time of danger. Ensuring the safe and timely evacuation of individuals at risk requires the full focus and attention of the U.S. military and diplomatic teams on the ground in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon has repeatedly expressed concerns about security threats in Kabul, including by the Islamic State group. When members of Congress have routinely gone to war zones over the past two decades, their visits are typically long planned and coordinated with officials on the ground in order to ensure their safety.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he is sticking to his Aug. 31 deadline for completing the risky airlift as people flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

The two congressmen said they went into their visit wanting to push the president to extend the August 31st deadline. After talking with commanders on the ground and seeing the situation here, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we wont get everyone out on time, even by September 11.

___

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that Rep. Peter Meijer serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, not the House Armed Services Committee
MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Tough-talking Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has confirmed rumblings that he will run next year for vice president, in what critics say is an attempt at an end-run around constitutional term limits.

Duterte, who is notorious for his vulgar rhetoric and crackdown on illegal drugs, which has killed thousands of mostly petty suspects, said in comments broadcast Wednesday that he will run for vice president to continue the crusade.

I will run for vice president, he said. "Im worried about the drugs, insurgency. Well, number one is insurgency, then criminality, drugs.

The Philippines has been struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic, with rising infections and death rates and a slow vaccination rollout, but Duterte's popularity ratings have remained high.

Polls suggest that running Duterte in tandem with his daughter, Sara Duterte, currently the mayor of Davao City, as the presidential candidate would be a strong pairing, said Manila-based political analyst Richard Heydarian.

The idea of the two running together has been discussed since 2019, he said, though Duterte advisers have reportedly said that he has suggested he might not run for vice president if his daughter decides to announce a bid for president.

The campaign for Sara Duterte has more or less kicked off, it seems, almost irrespective of what Dutertes position will be, Heydarian said. A Duterte/Duterte tandem is increasingly looking like the formidable team to beat in the next years elections.

Further muddying the waters, however, Sara Duterte posted on Facebook later Wednesday that her father had told her he would run for vice president with his former aide, Senator Christopher Bong Go running for president.

She did not address her own aspirations, but said her father and Go should announce publicly that they would run together if they have made that decision.

I respectfully advise them to stop talking about me and make me the reason for them running or not running, she wrote.

Philippine presidents are limited by the 1987 Constitution to a single six-year term. At least two former presidents, Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, have made successful runs for lower public offices after serving as president, but not for vice president.

If Duterte goes ahead with his run, it will likely face court challenges from the opposition, though Heydarian noted the Supreme Court has strongly supported the president's moves in the past.

A new opposition coalition, 1Sambayan, whose name means One Nation, said Dutertes decision came as no surprise, and made the coalition more determined in unifying the democratic forces in responding to the challenge.

It shows a clear mockery of our constitution and democratic process, the group said. The candidacy is both legally and morally wrong, and we trust that the Filipino people will realize his brazen, selfish and self-serving motives.

Duterte, 76, had previously hinted that he may run for vice president, and his confirmation Wednesday came after a senior official of his PDP-Laban party on Tuesday said that the president had agreed to run as its candidate.

Duterte agreed to make the sacrifice and heed the clamor of the people to run in the May 9 national elections, said Karlo Nograles, PDP-Laban's executive vice president.

The vice president is elected separately from the president under Philippine law. Those who serve in the post could potentially be propelled to the top role if the president dies or is incapacitated for any reason.

If elected vice president, the move would be reminiscent of the machinations of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Duterte once called his favorite hero," to hold on to power despite being constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term as president in 2008.

Instead, Dmitry Medvedev was elected president and Putin assumed the nominally subservient position of prime minister from 2008 to 2012. Putin was then reelected president in 2012, and Medvedev slid into the prime minister role.

This is not to say that, should Sara Duterte become the president, that she will be essentially proxy for the president, Heydarian said. In Davao the two were together in charge (and) there were significant divergences in approaches and policy differences ... so we may see some iteration of that, if ever the tandem makes it to the presidency.

After the news broke that Duterte said he would run, opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros warned that electing Duterte as vice president would mean a continuation of his authoritarian policies.

Next year a lot is really at stake, she said on the ABS-CBN News Channel.

"The president started his presidential run with a lot of drama, and it looks like hell be leaving us the same way, trying to confuse us, and we the Filipino people still searching for a true leader.

In June, the International Criminal Court's outgoing chief prosecutor said that a preliminary examination found reason to believe crimes against humanity had been committed during Dutertes anti-drug crackdown, and the shadow of that and the discussion of possible sanctions against him also likely factor into Duterte's calculus, Heydarian said.

Still, he said, if the past is any guide, Duterte's true intentions might not be known for some time.

Let's not forget that President Duterte is known for, or notorious for, his strategy of hedging until the 11th hour, or even past the 11th hour, Heydarian said.

___

Rising reported from Bangkok.
Mystic Aquarium says that a second of the five beluga whales it imported in May from a marine park in Canada is in failing health.

Tuesday night's revelation comes three weeks after a male beluga, who was also part of the group that arrived from Marineland in Niagara Falls, died at Mystic, an aquarium that specializes in beluga research.

This female whale is suffering from several health issues including a low white blood cell count and gastrointestinal issues, the aquarium said in a Facebook post.

The veterinarian team is monitoring the (female) beluga around the clock and is exploring every treatment option available to help her recover, Mystic said in its social media post. Mystic Aquarium has additionally reached out to beluga experts from across the country who are making the journey to the facility to assist with the situation.

The whales were imported from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario, after a lengthy battle to obtain permits from both the United States and Canada.

The male whale, which died on Aug. 6, had arrived with a preexisting gastrointestinal condition, the aquarium said at the time.

Connecticut-based Friends of Animals and other activists had sought to block the transport of the whales in a lawsuit last fall against the U.S. Commerce secretary and National Marine Fisheries Service, which had approved the research permit.

The group claimed the U.S. permit violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the National Environmental Policy Act because government officials did not adequately address the potential harm to the belugas from being moved to Mystic.

A federal judge in March declined to issue an injunction.

Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist with the Animal Welfare Institute, which was not part of the original lawsuit, said Mystic has had a very good reputation when it comes to beluga care and research, but said that is quickly deteriorating.

She is calling for an investigation of Mystic by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the federal Animal Health and Plant Inspection Service. She said she wants the remaining whales to be examined by an independent marine veterinarian and will be asking for health certificates and other documentation from the move.

When (the male whale) died, Mystic said the other four were in good health she said. Well, three weeks later, one of them is probably dying. And if its something that happened in the last three weeks, well what the hell is that? And if it's something that she was already suffering from when she came from Marineland, than she wasn't healthy three weeks ago, so they just outright lied.

The whales, which range in age from 7 to 12, were born in captivity and left an overcrowded Canadian habitat with about 50 other whales, Mystic said. In Connecticut, plans are for them to be at the center of important research designed to benefit belugas in the wild, aquarium officials said.

There is widespread agreement among all parties concerned about beluga whales, including many animal rights groups and Marineland, that some of the belugas need to be moved out of that facility, the aquarium said Tuesday. The belugas brought to Mystic were all born under human care, and therefore would not survive if released into the wild.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP)  A man upset over state-ordered coronavirus restrictions was sentenced to just over six years in prison Wednesday for planning to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a significant break that reflected his quick decision to cooperate and help agents build cases against others.

Ty Garbin admitted his role in the alleged scheme weeks after his arrest last fall. He is among six men charged in federal court but the only one to plead guilty so far. It was a key victory for prosecutors as they try to prove an astonishing plot against the rest.

Garbin apologized to Whitmer, who was not in court, and her family.

I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of stress and fear her family felt because of my actions. And for that I am truly sorry, the 25-year-old aviation mechanic told the judge.

In his plea agreement, Garbin said the six men trained at his property near Luther, Michigan, constructing a shoot house to resemble Whitmers vacation home and assaulting it with firearms.

The government, noting Garbins exceptional cooperation, asked U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker to give him credit for helping investigators reinforce their case against his co-defendants.

The Constitution is designed to ensure that we work out our fundamental and different views peacefully, not at the point of a gun, not with some other blunt force threat or a kidnapping conspiracy," the judge said.

Prosecutors recommended a nine-year prison term. But Jonker went shorter, at 6 1/4 years, saying he was convinced that Garbin was an excellent prospect to stay out of trouble when released from prison.

The government and Garbin's lawyers took turns praising his willingness to admit guilt even before investigators revealed all the evidence following his arrest.

Garbin "didnt hold back, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said. He would come out and say, We planned to do this and I was knowingly a part of it. He sat for hours answering all of our questions.

Indeed, defense attorney Gary Springstead told the judge that Garbin is going to be a star witness against the others. He later told reporters that Garbin "can tell what was in his mind at the time, which is that this wasnt some fanciful plot. This was real. And he can tell the government why he believes other people had the same intent that he did and show them where to look.

Ty Garbin testified in front of the grand jury in support of the indictment that got him indicted. He is truly, genuinely and sincerely sorry, said Mark Satawa, another defense lawyer.

When the kidnapping case was filed in October, Whitmer, a Democrat, pinned some blame on then-President Donald Trump, saying his refusal to denounce far-right groups had inspired extremists across the U.S. It added even more heat to the final weeks of a tumultuous election season. Trump had earlier urged supporters to LIBERATE Michigan from stay-at-home mandates.

Whitmer wrote a victim impact statement to the judge, saying, things will never be the same.

Threats continue, she said in June. I have looked out my windows and seen large groups of heavily armed people within 30 yards of my home. I have seen myself hung in effigy. Days ago at a demonstration there was a sign that called for burning the witch.

Last year, Whitmer put major restrictions on personal movement and the economy because of COVID-19, although many limits have since been lifted. The Michigan Capitol was the site of rallies, including ones with gun-toting protesters calling for the governors removal.

Some of those accused in the plot, including defendants charged in state court, joined the protests. Prosecutors have said the ringleader initially talked of recruiting 200 men to storm the building, take hostages and execute tyrants.

The plots and threats against me, no matter how disturbing, could not deter me from doing everything I could to save as many lives as possible by listening to medical and health experts, Whitmer said. To me it is very simple: this had to be the priority.

___

White reported from Detroit.
Samsung introduced the Galaxy M32 with Helio G80 SoC in June, and today the company followed up with its 5G version - Galaxy M32 5G.

Unlike its 4G counterpart, the Samsung Galaxy M32 5G is powered by the Dimensity 720. It comes in 6GB/128GB and 8GB/128GB configurations and supports storage expansion by up to 1TB via a microSD card.

On the software front, the Galaxy M32 5G boots Android 11-based One UI 3.1 and comes with the promise of two years of OS upgrades. You also get Samsung's Knox Security suite and the Alt Z mode. The latter allows you to quickly switch between main and private mode by double-pressing the side button.

The Galaxy M32 5G is built around a 6.5" HD+ Infinity-V display, which is a downgrade from the M32's 90Hz FullHD+ screen. The screen has a notch for the 13MP selfie camera, and around the back is a quad camera system consisting of 48MP primary, 8MP ultrawide, 5MP macro, and 2MP depth units.



Samsung Galaxy M32 5G

Fueling the entire package is a 5,000 mAh battery that charges at up to 15W. It's a downgrade if you compare the smartphone with the Galaxy M32's Indian variant, which packs a 6,000 mAh cell but charges at the same speed. The international M32, on the other hand, ships with a 5,000 mAh battery but goes faster at 25W.

The rest of the Galaxy M32 5G's highlights include a side-mounted fingerprint reader, support for 12 5G bands, and two color options - Slate Black and Sky Blue.

The Samsung Galaxy M32 5G might look familiar to you because it's a rebranded Galaxy A32 5G unveiled in January. You can read our detailed written review of Galaxy A32 5G here to learn more about the Galaxy M32 5G or watch the video review attached below.

The 6GB/128GB variant of the Galaxy M32 5G is priced at INR20,999 ($280/240) in India and the 8GB/128GB at INR22,999 ($310/265), and you'll get an instant discount of INR2,000 ($27/23) on purchasing the smartphone using the ICICI Bank's credit or debit cards.

The Galaxy M32 5G will go on sale in India starting September 2 through Samsung's official website and Amazon.in, but its availability in other markets is unknown.

Source
Samsung introduced the Galaxy A52s 5G on August 17, but back then it only revealed its cost in the United Kingdom. One week later, the German division of the company posted a press release, revealing the price in Europe.

The Galaxy A52s 5G is 449 for the 6/128 GB version, while 8GB/256GB units cost 509.

The phone is already listed on Samsung Germanys online shop, revealing consumers in Europe will get a choice of all four Awesome color options - Mint, Violet, White, and Black. Highlights of the phone include a Snapdragon 778G chipset, a 4,500 mAh battery and a 64MP camera with OIS as the start of the quad setup on the rear.

Source (in German)
Local artist Yeon Sook Park has been quietly brightening the lives of Guam residents using art for years. She is a generous force of nature, finding ways to bring art to those who need its healing properties most, but who lack access.

In light of our current circumstances, her latest work Art Strengthens Communication: Part II is available to the public in a virtual exhibition through Aug. 31.

Park, originally from South Korea, holds a bachelors degree in visual art from Ewha Womans University where she also studied for a masters degree in Industrial Design in ceramic art before her marriage brought her to Guam 34 years ago.

She stepped away from art to raise her family, but in recent years has been back in full force. In addition to making her own art Park has been volunteering by teaching art to manamko at St. Dominics Senior Care Home since 2015, always with the goal is to facilitate social interaction and awaken their memories.

When COVID-19 struck, Park had been working with manamko at the Adult Daycare Center in Macheche, Dededo.

The Art Strengthens Communication: Part I project is helping the seniors there recall some of the events and people in their lives and illustrate them, bring their memory back ... Now during pandemic, I dont want to give up that, Park said.

Faced with the reality that she could not continue physically working with the manamko and knowing that now everyone was facing a lack of access to the arts, Park found a new way to the community by creating an online gallery  Art Strengthens Communication: Part II.

Once we get hurt physically we are visiting a clinic or hospital to see who? Doctors ... It is a similar concept. And it is my passion that I help heal hearts and minds with my colorful artwork. Likewise, I hope to provide community service for seniors and the public through art as therapy, Park said.

As much as Park believes that art can heal when it is viewed, she knows how deeply it can work as therapy for the artist. Her heart for supporting manamko extends to her personal life, as she is the caregiver for her aging parents and in-laws.

The chaos that the pandemic has brought to my life, I had to take some time to sit, reflect and meditate. And so much going on with my manamkos around me, and they are 94-years old, 80, 80, over 85  they all need me every time. So, they even can not speak English, Im the one translate whenever we go to the meeting, the doctor, the hospital and getting the medicine and check-up on their physical needs, Park said. I needed to do some self care. And my self care is to immerse myself in art.

Parks paintings, made with acrylics and mixed media, are vivid depictions of marine life in a style she calls surrealistic expressionism. Her work, she says, is deeply connected to Guam, and specifically to CHamoru culture.

I have also noticed signs that point to the unique CHamoru way of life here, very unique style. Without a conscious effort to preserve their culture, however, it would be lost with the passage of time, Park said. I want to be a part of the effort to preserve the CHamoru culture. My artwork, like the Tropical Marine Expressions, attempts to depict the unique CHamoru nature, way of life, in a style intended to appeal to modern taste.

The bright paintings are robustly textured and nearly leap off the screen, while Parks short descriptions of each piece help viewers engage with the series as they move through the gallery.

The virtual exhibition is supported in part by the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities, an organization that has worked with Park several times over the years. Director Sandy Flores echoes Parks belief that access to art in this moment is crucial.

Its always a danger when theres hard times to pull back on things that you think are not essential. But I hope that artists like Yeon, you know, can really demonstrate how important it is to have this resource for people at a time that theres so much stress  . Flores said. Art is therapy, art is healing, art is creativity and finding solutions for problems that are new to us.
A walkout of government of Guam employees to protest mandatory COVID-19 vaccines and weekly tests is being planned, but it is unlawful for any GovGuam employee to participate in a strike against the government, according to the Guam Code Annotated.

GCA Title 4 Chapter 9 sets out the prohibition, and anyone found in violation of it is subject to being dismissed, suspended, or reduced in rank or compensation. It is also unlawful to try and instigate or incite others into violating the prohibition on GovGuam strikes.

The call for a walkout has been making the rounds on social media, following new requirements for employees of the executive and judicial branches of GovGuam. Sandra Reyes Seau, who made a bid for the Guam Legislature in 2020 as a Republican candidate, called for it in a Facebook post created on Aug. 17. The post has received 69 likes or loves and has been shared 55 times as of Wednesday morning.

If you are a GovGuam employee or know of any please pass this post to them. Help get the word out! Reyes Seau wrote in the post.

The walkout will take place at 8 a.m. on Aug. 30, in front of Adelup. The former legislative candidate specifically calls on GovGuam employees and Guam Department of Education teachers who have not yet been vaccinated.

Dont put this experimental vaccine in your body, she said, adding that there should be no weekly testing required if a person is not sick.

It is a personal choice and should remain that way! she said.

In the post, Reyes Seau also notes that the administration is hurting for lack of teachers, and would be unable to do anything. If a large number of people arrive for the walkout it would create a large impact, she said.

A strike, under the 4 GCA Chapter 9 is defined as the temporary stoppage of work, slowdown or retarding work or services by the concerted action of employees.

The Pacific Daily News made several attempts to speak with Reyes Seau about the matter but received no response as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday. She has not made an official campaign announcement for the coming election year, but her cover photo on Facebook reads Sandra Reyes Seau 2022.

The PDN also asked the Department of Administrations Personnel division on Wednesday whether a person who took leave to attend the walkout would still be subject to disciplinary action. No response was received as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

Richard Koss, field representative for the Guam Federation of Teachers, said he couldnt recommend that anyone walk out of their post. The federation is a union that represents government teachers, nurses, firefighters, police officers, bus drivers and other employees.

Anyone who did attend the walkout should take leave and remain peaceful, Koss advised.

The federation had no official position on the governors order, but any union member who suffered any sort of disciplinary action as a result of the rally could count on the union defending them, he said.

Concerns from government employees about the mandate were flooding the union.

The calls and complaints come in from early morning to late at night, Koss stated. About 80% of people were fine, but the remaining 20% were very strong in their opinions, he added.

The union had found that there was no legal avenue to have the vaccine requirement for GovGuam overturned in court, and that a change in local law would be required.

Anyone who has concerns about the way things are being done, is encouraged to call the Honorable Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero at 472-8931 through 6, Koss said, or to contact a senator.

The National Labor Relations Act passed in 1935 and guaranteed the right of workers to strike against their employers.

The term employer under the act, however, does not include the United States or any wholly owned government corporation ... or any state or political subdivision thereof, and public sector employees do not have the right to strike under the act.

The Superior Court of Guam ordered an injunction against the Guam Federation of Teachers in 1981 over a months-long teachers strike. The federation was ordered to cease the strike, which led to the dismissal of hundreds of local teachers.
More citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia are being repatriated from Guam and other areas, and COVID-19 vaccination rates are increasing in the country, according to an announcement from the FSM Information Service.

Recently, the government mandated that all FSM citizens living in the country be vaccinated against COVID-19. Citizens returning from abroad also have to show proof of full vaccination before returning.

The state of Yap recently repatriated 18 people from Palau on Aug. 18. The citizens were fully vaccinated and tested negative for COVID-19 prior to the trip and upon arrival in Yap. They remain in Yap States quarantine facilities, where they will continue to be tested for COVID-19.

A repatriation flight from Guam to Yap is scheduled for Aug. 29, according to the release.

The state of Kosrae recently repatriated 20 people from Guam on Aug. 23.

The returning citizens were fully vaccinated and tested negative for COVID-19 prior to and upon arrival in Kosrae. They remain in Kosrae States quarantine facilities, where they will also undergo additional COVID-19 testing.

The state of Pohnpei is planning for the repatriation of 69 people from Guam on Aug. 26.

The flight, originally scheduled for Aug. 23, was delayed to allow state and national medical officials time to ensure the continued safety of nationwide repatriation efforts.

An additional repatriation flight to Pohnpei state is scheduled for Sept. 16.

On Sept. 30, essential workers such as engineers, health professionals and educators are scheduled to arrive.

The FSM national government is not able to publicly commit to a date to begin repatriation flights to the State of Chuuk, according to the news release. However, officials expect to make an announcement in the coming weeks and months.

Vaccination ratesAs of Aug. 24, approximately 57% of the adult population of the Federated States of Micronesia was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the release.

While historically the two COVID-19 vaccines available in the FSM were the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, the FSM recently received the Pfizer-BionTech COVID-19 vaccine, which carries full U.S. Food & Drug Administration approval and is suitable for vaccinating adolescents aged between 12 to 17 years old.

The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, which are equally safe and effective, are presently being used under an emergency use authorization. The FSM national government expects the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines to receive full U.S. FDA approval in the coming weeks.

The state of Kosrae, with assistance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, has already begun vaccination efforts targeting adolescents between 12 to 17 years of age.

The national government intends to extend vaccination efforts for citizens in this age range in the coming weeks in the Yap, Chuuk, and Pohnpei.

In addition to the 33,400 adults who are fully vaccinated in the FSM, another 5,287 adults have received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and are awaiting their second dose.

In Yap, 77% of the adult population is fully vaccinated.

In Chuuk, 50.5% of the adult population is fully vaccinated.

In Pohnpei, 56.8% of the adult population is fully vaccinated.

In Kosrae, 67.2% of the adult population is fully vaccinated.
Dr. Hoa Nguyen is no longer is chairman of the Physicians Advisory Group, a position he held during most of the pandemic.

Dr. Nguyen has stepped aside to pay full attention to his practice and will serve Gov. Leon Guerrero and the people of Guam in a different capacity, the governors office stated.

The governor has consulted the group before announcing decisions to tighten or ease restrictions during the pandemic.

Leon Guerreros latest executive orders limit activities of unvaccinated residents.

Nguyen this week said he disagrees with the governors order requiring restaurant patrons and employees to be fully vaccinated.

The Physicians Advisory Group and the State Surgeon Cell were not consulted before the order was issued, according to Nguyen, who said the policy is inconsistent with data about where the virus is being transmitted.

I will continue to move forward with members of the PAG as a private physician, Nguyen said Wednesday. Although Nguyen no longer is chairman of the group, he said he has the option to participate if he has time away from his practice.

I will try to work with private sectors in immunization and testing, including reaching out to GDOE if I can be of any assistance to them. We are still in an uphill battle with this pandemic, he said.

Nguyen said he has received requests from businesses to vaccinate their employees, either on-site or at his clinic. We are also planning with Triple J to reach out to the FSM community for vaccination, he said.

Nguyen said he believes the current surge in cases will continue. I ask the community to go back to the basics of prevention, he said.
Kwong Yau Lam entered a plea of guilty to selling Virus Shut Out Cards on Guam in March 2020.

Lam appeared before Magistrate Judge Michael Bordallo at the District Court of Guam, where he pleaded guilty to distribution and sale of an unregistered pesticide and conspiracy to sell an unregistered pesticide, both as misdemeanors.

He faces a maximum sentence of no more than one year in prison for each charge.

Lam also pleaded guilty to the charge of making a false statement to a government agency, which has a maximum sentence of no more than five years in prison.

Selling

On March 20, 2020, Lam sold 100 pieces of Taomit Virus Shut Out cards to a merchant in Yigo after explaining it protected people from viruses, although it was not registered and authorized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be distributed. In addition, he sold to two other vendors, court documents state.

It was later discovered Lam ordered three boxes of 900 pieces of the Taomit Virus Shut Out cards from a relative in Hong Kong. Two of those boxes were seized in Hawaii by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to the plea agreement.

Lam told investigators in an interview he did not sell any Virus Shut Out cards in Guam, which was found to be a lie, documents state.

In May, a search of Lams residence and vehicle caused authorities to seize $36,690 and eight Virus Shut Out Cards.

Lam was released following his guilty plea and is scheduled to appear for sentencing on Nov. 30.(tncms-asset)0f374889-e865-5392-a2e1-276b244f8f00[2](/tncms-asset)
Angelica Camacho-Paulino is a member of the board of the Guam Womens Chamber of Commerce. She serves as chair of the GWCC Education Committee, Business Advisor and Women in Business Program Coordinator of the Guam Small Business Development Center.




Haiti - News : Zapping...





Spain : Mandatory transit VISA for Haitians

The Embassy of Spain in Haiti announces that from September 1, 2021, Haitian nationals will need a transit visa to make stops in Spain. Please take this detail into account during your next stopovers. For info : emb.pprincipe.vis@maec.es



UDMO member accused of rape

Me Jean-Marie Alexandre, the Government Commissioner of Jeremie issued a warrant was issued yesterday against the policeman Old Sterling alias "Sans-Souci," member of the Departmental Unit of Maintenance of Order (UDMO) accused of having raped a young 18-year-old girl in the "Gebeau" neighborhood.



200 churches destroyed, 150 damaged

200 Catholic churches were destroyed and 150 others damaged by the August 14 earthquake in the 3 most affected departments, revealed Loudger Mazile, spokesperson for the Haitian Bishops' Conference.



70.6% of foreign detainees in the DR are Haitians

According to a report from the General Directorate of Dominican Prisons, out of the 27,047 detainees in Dominican penitentiaries, 2,029 are foreign nationals of which 1,434 (70.6%) are of Haitian nationality. 214 10% (10.5%) are American, 104 (5.1%) are European and the other foreigners of various nationalities.



Some of the passengers released against ransom

Release yesterday against ransom of several of the 30 passengers of a bus who had been hijacked on the night of August 22 to 23, 2021, in Gros Morne by unidentified armed individuals https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34575-haiti-news-zapping.html . The freed hostages are those whose relatives have paid a ransom. The kidnappers detain other passengers pending ransom...



Transfer of prisoners

155 Anse a Veau detainees out of 223 were transferred to the police stations of Petit-Goave and Miragoane.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Romney, WV (26757)

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Rain showers this evening with mostly clear conditions overnight. Low 51F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

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By William Schwartz | Published on 2021/08/24

So apparently Seon-ah being a former child maid for Yo-han's family is considered a horrible secret with the risk of disastrous consequences for the Social Responsibility Foundation chairwoman if made public. At least, Seon-ah's furious reaction to Attorney General Cha's threat gives that impression. Personally I'm not that clear on why this is such a big deal. If this secret is so dangerous, why did Seon-ah reveal it to Yo-han when he didn't recognize her?

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This seems like it would be a bigger scandal for Yo-han. What kind of family employs child maids, even thirty years ago? Also, child Yo-han made child Seon-ah jump out the window. Even if she was a petty thief, the relevance of that would seem rather questionable compared to the revelation that an orphan under the employ of Yo-han's household had suffered severe injuries requiring hospitalization. Attorney General Cha could easily prove this much had happened.

Instead Attorney General Cha brings a metaphorical knife to a gun fight with Yo-han. Following that humiliation, we watch her role in the story collapse, with Cha ultimately becoming a pathetic woman who has undeniably lost. For all her shortcomings, Cha was the closest thing Yo-han had to a professionally competent rival. While the rest of her Social Responsibility Foundation allies seem happy enough to watch Cha go, I'm not really sure who else presents a credible threat at this point.

Seon-ah would seem to take that position. Unfortunately her characterization has gotten too weird for its own good, as her scenes with Yo-han are now so erotically charged it's unclear whether they actually have an antagonistic relationship at all. This impression is further muddied by the scene where Yo-han brings her home for dinner. Maybe he's just manipulating her. But Yo-han is starting to seem increasingly into their bizarrely psychopathic affection for each other.

Once again I'm left in the spot of not being sure how much credit I should be giving "The Devil Judge" for its worldbuilding. A pivot into making Yo-han the actual villain, completely validating Ga-on's initial suspicions, would be legitimately dynamic and interesting. Yet the cliffhanger here feels like its yet another contrivance meant to make Yo-han look like the bad guy despite his not technically being at fault. It's unclear to me whether "The Devil Judge" will ever actually acknowledge that to a man of Yo-han's intelligence, the fate of Attorney General Cha under his searing emotional pressure was actually quite predictable.

Review by William Schwartz

___________

"The Devil Judge" is directed by Choi Jeong-gyoo, written by Moon Yoo-suk, and features Ji Sung, Kim Min-jung, Jinyoung, Park Gyu-young, Ahn Nae-sang, Kim Jae-kyung. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2021/07/03~Now airing, Sat, Sun 21:00 on tvN.
Published on 2021/08/24 | Source

New stills added for the Korean movie "Hostage: Missing Celebrity" (2021)

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Directed by Pil Kam-sung

With Hwang Jung-min, Kim Jae-bum, Lee Yoo-mi, Ryu Kyung-soo, Jung Jae-won, Lee Gyu-won,...

Synopsis

After a VIP movie premiere, Korean top movie star Hwang Jung-min gets kidnapped by strangers. Jeong-min first thinks that someone is playing pranks, but the kidnappers' cruelty helps Jeong-min realize that the abduction is no joke. Jeong-min tries to find his way out, while the kidnappers demand him a huge amount of ransom within 24 hours.

Jeong-min encounters a real brutality that is way different and more extreme than the ones he has seen in the movies.

Release date in Korea : 2021/08/18
Ferriday, LA (71334)

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Hastings, NE (68901)

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One by one, the reasons to not receive a coronavirus vaccine are going away. The F
Last updated 8/25/2021 at 8:44am

From U.S. Department of Agricultre

WASHINGTON  Organic producers and handlers can now apply for U.S. Department of Agriculture funds to assist with the cost of receiving or maintaining organic certification.

Applications for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program are due Nov. 1.

People can visit https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/occsp/index .
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Elbert Coffee, Jr., 83, of Dallas, passed away Aug. 29, 2021. Visitation will be noon to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, at Cozine & Tarver Funeral Home in Greenville, Texas. His funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 3, at New Hope Baptist Church in Greenville, and burial will be in
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Uniontown, PA (15401)

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Uniontown, PA (15401)

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Appointment

25 August 2021

The Five-Star Mandarin Oriental, Boston is delighted to announce the appointment of Courtney Forrester to the position of Director of Marketing as the newest member of the hotel's executive team, and she will develop and manage all strategic marketing activities.

Forrester is a marketing, entrepreneurship, brand development, special events and public relations industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience. Forrester's previous roles include founding and managing Boston-based bakery Sweet, which grew to six retail locations, as well as launching and operating her own marketing and PR firm. She began her career with Continental Cablevision and followed with marketing, special events and public relations positions at PR Newswire, Winston Flowers, Boston Ballet, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston.

Forrester graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Boston University. She is a former longtime resident of the hotel's own neighborhood, Back Bay, and currently resides in Brookline with her husband and two children, a 12-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter, and her two beloved beagles.
Press Release

25 August 2021

London, UK -- The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is calling upon the U.S. government to urgently speed up approval of the UKs AstraZeneca vaccine to help restore vital transatlantic travel.

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The Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the main health authority in the U.S., this week approved the Pfizer vaccine, however it still does not currently recognise AstraZeneca as an approved COVID-19 vaccine.

Even if the Biden Administration allows borders to reopen, the CDCs non-recognition of AstraZeneca will be a significant barrier to transatlantic travel between the UK and the U.S.

WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, says America will effectively remain off-limits to the majority of Brits  and many millions more around the world  who are vaccinated with the AstraZeneca drug.

AstraZeneca has the largest global reach of all current vaccines and has currently been administered across 176 countries and territories, highlighting the importance of its approval in the U.S.

WTTC says CDC non-recognition will continue to seriously depress consumer demand and prevent any meaningful revival of transatlantic travel from the UK to the U.S.

It will also continue the serious knock-on effects throughout the Travel & Tourism sector on both sides of the Atlantic.

U.S. carrier JetBlue recently launched its first transatlantic flights from New York to London, while Aer Lingus, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and American Airlines are all due to add new routes or extra capacity to cater to increased demand from the U.S. to the UK.

According to travel and data analytics expert Cirium, UK-U.S. flights scheduled for the last week of August have plunged by 73% compared to the same period in 2019, before the pandemic.

Total seats available over this period have collapsed from a high of 287,000 in 2019 to a mere 78,000 in 2021.

Virginia Messina, WTTC Senior Vice President, said: Its crucial the U.S. authorities step forward to formally approve the AstraZeneca vaccine as a matter of urgency to enable cross-border mobility and the return of transatlantic travel between the UK and U.S.

Unless it gives it the green light, then the U.S. will effectively remain closed to the vast majority of UK visitors and the many millions around the world who are double-jabbed with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

This will leave airlines, cruise lines, tour operators, hotels and the entire Travel & Tourism infrastructure, which depends upon transatlantic travel, in significant trouble for the foreseeable future.

Neither the U.S. nor the UK economy can afford this vaccine vacuum to continue a day longer, and every day which passes, and transatlantic travel remains off limits, it leaves the Travel & Tourism sector sinking deeper into the red.

WTTC warns that the current CDC approval process could take months to give AstraZeneca the all clear.

It also fears that if the U.S. rounded on a policy which only approved the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccines, this would prevent millions of travellers from visiting America, the third most popular destination for travellers in the world.

Just this week the City of New York included AstraZeneca to its list of vaccines which would be accepted as proof of inoculation to enter many indoor venues.

WTTC expects other U.S states to follow New Yorks lead and calls upon the federal government to include all World Health Organization (WHO) and FDA approved vaccines.

In addition, WTTC has grown increasingly concerned that more layers of complexity around vaccine requirements are increasing barriers to mobility and cross-border travel, with Austria recently announcing a 270-day expiry date for COVID-19 vaccine certificate.

The global tourism body believes such a move could significantly delay the recovery of the countrys Travel & Tourism sector, deterring travellers from visiting, causing further damage to the Austrian economy.

WTTC recently warned that the restart of international travel could be seriously delayed without worldwide reciprocal recognition of all approved COVID-19 vaccines

Vaccine inequality could become an increasing barrier to international mobility and continue to inflict damage upon economies around the world.

WTTC has also recently pressed the UK government to bear the cost of hugely expensive and unnecessary PCR tests for fully jabbed citizens, which continues to deter Britons from travelling.

WTTC has helped to spearhead the coordinated international response to the impact of the pandemic upon the global Travel & Tourism sector - which has so far cost 62 million jobs in the sector and suffered a loss of almost US$4.3 trillion.

Download the press release.
Opinion Article

25 August 2021

Rich culture, history and culinary experiences: Morocco has it all. Along with Egypt and South Africa, it is one of the most visited countries across the continent. In 2019, Morocco recorded a high of 13 million international visitor arrivals to the country on the back of steady annual growth of 5 percent from 2012 to 2019. With tourism receipts representing one of the main sources of foreign currency and contributing to 7 percent of GDP, there is a strong push by the government to revive the industry from the effects of the pandemic.

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Growing Source Markets

Akin to most developing countries, tourism receipts in Morocco are driven largely by international tourism. Foreign arrivals accounted for just under 70 percent of annual tourists before the pandemic. France, Germany and UK have traditionally been the top source markets. In fact, in 2012, the French market represented a larger share of overnight stays when compared to the domestic market. Since then, domestic overnight stays have grown by an annual rate of 6.8 percent  faster than the international market at 4.7 percent  representing 31 percent of the market in 2019. This trend is testimony to the growth of Morocco as a nation, one that most African economies are trying to emulate, especially taking account of the pandemic.

Impact of COVID-19 and Outlook

As per the World Banks 2021 Economic Prospects report, Moroccos GDP growth declined from 2.5 percent in 2019 to an estimated -6.3 percent in 2020. However, the rebound is expected to accelerate quickly compared to other major regional economies and has been estimated to reach 4 percent in 2021 and 3.7 percent in 2022. Even though recovery in tourism suffered early setbacks in 2021, due to continuing infection waves in source markets, Moroccos vaccination drive is among the fastest across the continent and is keeping pace with the vaccination drive in Europe. As of April 20, about 13 percent of the population had received at least one dose and 11.5 percent had been fully vaccinated. The hotel market in 2020 saw a 78.5 percent decline in tourist arrivals to Morocco.

Marrakech, Casablanca and Agadir accounted for about 70 percent of the international market in terms of arrivals and suffered the biggest impact as a result of Covid-19. Marrakech and Casablanca saw a decline in occupancy of 70 percent and 58 percent respectively. Marrakechs reliance on the meetings and events segment led to it witnessing the sharpest decline in occupancy among the North African gateway cities, though the average room rates improved by 15 percent.

Casablanca and Tangiers (predominantly business destinations) saw a decline in rates, while Agadir  which has historically relied on international tour operators  saw a rise in average rates as domestic tourism replaced some of the demand. With the challenges of new waves in source markets, evolving travel restrictions and seasonality trends, we expect Agadir to experience some peaks and troughs, even though it promises to become the first market in the country to recover from the pandemic.

The business destinations relying on domestic demand are also likely to witness steadier recovery as vaccinations are administered and travel resumes. Domestic and regional markets are expected to drive the recovery initially, followed by low-risk source markets in the short term.

In response to the pandemic, the government has taken various steps to support and revive the sector. Allowing the hospitality sector to retain deposits in lieu of future bookings, deferring taxes, loan moratoriums and providing cash support to furloughed employees were some of the short-term measures adopted. In the long run, the country is trying to create an environment for investment, new business and development through reform projects. The Mohammed VI Investment Fund aims to support investment projects in public-private partnerships and to contribute to the growth of SMEs. The Ministry of Tourism is working on developing new markets in Asia and the Americas, understanding and adapting to evolving consumer patterns.

Opportunities

Most of Moroccos current active pipeline (around 4,000 rooms under development) consists of luxury and upscale hotels concentrated in traditional markets and the development of branded hotels, including the likes of Hilton, Accor and Marriott expanding to Taghazout. Within the luxury space, there is opportunity to develop landscape/nature-based projects with a wellness ideology. There is also scope for lifestyle hotels that promote a work, play, stay culture, which could even extend to a midscale positioning and urban metropolitan/business destinations. Millennials and Gen-Alpha are increasingly driven by experiential tourism and base their decisions on authentic, user-generated content and social media. Brands such as Equinox, Latitude Hotels and Selina are examples of concepts that are challenging the traditional hospitality landscape across price points.

The growth of domestic tourism, targeting some of the biggest outbound markets in the Americas and Asia, and evolving traveler expectations present a great opportunity for Morocco to fill the gaps in its product offering by building for a variety of experiences and positionings. It is important to understand and evolve with the needs of the new growth markets while consolidating traditional sources. With millennials redefining the boundaries between work and play, remote working is another segment that could be exploited, especially given Moroccos popularity and connectivity with European markets.

Conclusion

Moroccos strategic location in North Africa, good connectivity, abundant and varied landscapes, pro-tourism strategies and experiential tourism prospects offer advantages for the country to expand its hospitality offerings in line with anticipated travel patterns. With favorable long-term policy and continuous vaccination drives, Morocco is envisaged to keep growing its tourism and hospitality sector.

hospitalitynewsmag.com retains the copyrights of this article. Article cannot be republished without prior written consent by hospitalitynewsmag.com

View Article on https://www.hospitalitynewsmag.com/magical-morocco/
Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Hemp retailers and manufacturers are breathing easier after a district court judge snuffed out the states attempts to ban smokable hemp products.

In a Monday ruling, Travis County District Court Judge Lora Livingston called state policies attempting to prohibit smokable hemp products unconstitutional, invalid and unenforceable. The ruling is part of a lawsuit filed by hemp company Crown Distributing LLC against the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Tens of thousands of Afghan refugees will soon land at U.S. military bases, offering cities a chance to recruit new Americans who will start more businesses, work longer hours and perform harder labor than any other group, native-born or otherwise.

Businesses needing reliable and loyal workers should be lining up at refugee-assistance centers, posting job openings and handing out business cards. Cities that invite refugees will see their upfront investment repaid tenfold in greater economic activity within a few years, according to a dozen academic studies.

Within the first few years of resettlement, refugee labor market participation rates and incomes increase substantially while reliance on government assistance drops, one study of 4,518 refugees in Cleveland between 2001 and 2012 found. Moreover, studies indicate that second-generation refugees are high-achievers in both education and employment.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Immigration reform should focus on employers, end black market labor

Refugees are not typical immigrants who come to the United States for an education, a new job or live closer to family. They have fled war or persecution for their ethnicity, religion, politics or other personal characteristics. Most would stay home if they could safely.

Most immigrants with official refugee status have undergone careful screening to confirm they fled their homeland based on a legitimate fear for their safety or their familys. Most have experienced trauma along the way to the United States, and very few take the opportunity for granted.

Before World War II, the U.S. had no refugee policy. President Franklin Roosevelt turned away a ship carrying 937 Jews trying to escape the Nazis because he feared they might be German infiltrators. Anne Franks father applied to immigrate to the U.S. but never received a response.

Many ended up in death camps. Hundreds of thousands died because they could not seek refuge in other countries.

Since World War II, the United Nations and the U.S. have instituted procedures for protecting refugees. Millions have immigrated to the U.S., and despite persistent discrimination, most have proven invaluable additions to their communities.

The U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement works with nonprofit agencies to find homes for new arrivals. They carefully choose locations that can handle an influx of large groups. Refugee families do better when they can start a Chinatown or a Little Saigon. They do badly when families live isolated from other members of their group.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

Thousands of Vietnamese arrived in Houston in the 1970s, where protestors that included the Ku Klux Klan tried to scare them away. Today, Vietnamese make up the largest segment of Houstons Asian population, with almost 100,000 residents making up an integral part of the regions economy and culture.

Refugees from other nations have done equally well in other American cities. A study of more than 21,000 Iraqi and Syrian refugees who settled in Detroit found that the $8.7 million spent to aid resettlement in 2016 generated between $12.2 million and $15.7 million in economic activity annually since then.

Iraqi refugees quickly found jobs in manufacturing, food service, retail, transportation, hospitality, health services and construction, the fields most often associated with immigrants.

Refugee workers boosted the economy in Southeast Michigan by between $164.3 million and $211.3 million, an analysis of Census data by Global Detroit found.

A researcher at MIT compared different kinds of immigrants and found that a decade after their arrival, refugees earned 20 percent more, worked 4 percent more hours, and improved their English skills by 11 percent relative to economic immigrants.

City leaders and managers have long known a small investment in refugee resettlement can have a considerable economic impact. More than 500 state and local leaders from both political parties wrote the Trump administration to complain about slashing refugee visas by 90 percent.

Refugees bring immense value to our communities as we have seen firsthand the dividends of refugee contributions for generations, the groups letter said. They have invigorated our economies, brought innovation to our towns, and made our communities stronger through their contributions to our public life and cultural institutions.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Immigration, health care and energy are THE issues

Immigrants have long been the key to our nations economic growth. Without them, the U.S. population would have gotten smaller and older every year since 1974. They are crucial to our vitality.

The Texas economy relies on the 4.6 million immigrants living in the state and their 4.5 million children. They makeup 20 percent of the workforce and pay $12.3 billion in taxes. A third of all immigrants are also entrepreneurs who start new businesses and employ hundreds of thousands of native-born Texans.

Refugees are historically the highest-performing immigrants, and every community should welcome them with kindness and charity. Lending a helping hand is the moral thing to do, and in this case, also an economically smart move.

Chris Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and politics.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
One of Houston's most familiar landmarks will soon be a thing of the past.

Over the weekend, Reddit user u/astrosdude91 spotted crews razing one of the historic grain silos at 1140 Lumpkin Road near the northeast quadrant of Interstate 10 and Beltway 8.

Houston's newest megachurch, Hope City, purchased the 17-acre industrial warehouse property, which was previously used for RV and boat storage, in 2019 for nearly $20 million under an entity called Shadowdale LLC.

With this acquisition, the church plans to transform the industrial property into its first, permanent home. The property will serve as its broadcast campus, according to a 10-page online brochure of the project.

Locations have always been an issue for the church, which has grown exponentially since its founding in early 2015, Pastor Jeremy Foster said in a YouTube video. The non-denominational church currently operates four small, satellite campuses with three across Houston including West Houston, The Woodlands and Cinco Ranch, many of which hold services in local high schools.

At the new campus, Hope City plans to redevelop some of the existing warehouses into an auditorium that would seat up to 2,500 congregants and have designated indoor and outdoor spaces for conferences and informal gatherings, and areas for childrens and youth group gatherings.

The new campus is being developed by Duncan Dodds of church consulting firm Big Vision Advisors. Dodds, who attends Hope City, was executive director at Joel Osteens Lakewood Church and was involved in the redevelopment of the former Compaq Center on the Southwest Freeway in the mid-2000s.

MORE ON LAKEWOOD: Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church opens doors during bitter-cold weather

Some users on Reddit shared childhood memories and were sad to see the historic grain elevators shred to pieces.

"Honestly kind of sad to see them go," wrote user u/snezel. "I grew up there in Spring Branch and swam at the pool right across from the silos as a kid. Always was a neat little landmark I thought."

Another user, who grew up in the area near the silos, wasn't too happy about a megachurch coming to town.

"My wife says I've gotten crotchety about the area getting more popular, and the last thing I feel like we need is a mega church drawing hundreds of people into the area every weekend," user u/RompBox wrote.

But the silos' legacy isn't completely lost.

The church is dubbing the new campus Hope City Silos and offering branded merchandise, including t-shirts and hats.

Foster shared "the story of the Silos" and how their vision came to fruition in a YouTube video describing it as God's plan for their ministry.

"If you look at the silos, those things have been here since before I-10," Foster said in the eight-minute video.

"They held grain, they held seed and they sent seed all over the United States of America and they would ship it all over the world. So its a no-brainer that for years, I'm talking decades, this piece of property held seed and I believe that it held seed and God held this place. It didnt become apartments, it didnt become a high-rise and God said okay now the harvest is coming home."

The Chronicle previously reported that the new campus could open by early 2022. Hope City Church did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the demolition or the opening of its new campus.
With Rosh Hashana looming, coinciding as it does this year with Labor Day, lets talk about kosher wine.

Its important that everybody understands the kosher designation signifies nothing about a wines quality and everything about how the wine was made. The crushing of the grapes, bottling and corking must have been overseen by Sabbath-observant Jews and no nonkosher finings or additives may be included. Though its not true that kosher wines must receive a rabbis blessing, many do and it cant hurt, right?

Rabbis in ancient times who set up the rules for kosher wines wanted to make sure their Jewish flocks never got a glass of wine that had been associated with an idolatrous offering. It seems pagans used wine to placate their gods, pouring it out onto the ground as a way of saying thanks for something good happening or for simply not having been smote on any given day. The rabbis then took it a step further, requiring kosher wines be boiled in order to make them unacceptable as pagan offerings.

Said cooking gave us the word mevushal, a major subset of kosher wine. The good news today is that the process can be done through flash pasteurization or flash detente, in which the grape must is quickly heated at a high temperature  up to 180 degrees for reds  then quickly cooled to limit the damage the heat might do to the nuanced flavors of the wine. Its a process also being routinely used around the nonkosher wine world to help compensate for under-ripe grapes. One of Texas best wineries, Bending Branch in Comfort, was the first in the state to utilize a flash detente machine.

In the 21st century, mevushal wine is most frequently served at events where non-Jews will be doing the pouring and serving of wine. Its strictly required, in fact, among Orthodox Jews. Manischewitz, to be sure, is the most famous, but kosherwine.com  an excellent source of information on this fascinating albeit complicated topic  has more than 500 mevushals on offer, many of them from producers Ive singled out today.

One that jumped out was the Contessa Annalisa Silver Sky Sparkling Rose from Italy. Eight reviewers gave these Italian bubbles almost five stars (the highest possible score), and the price is just $13.99.

An easy, interesting way to taste-test a cross-section of mevushal wines locally would be to visit Jason Goldsteins Genesis Steakhouse & Wine Bar (genesissteakhouse.com) in Meyerland because every wine on Genesis eclectic list is both certified kosher and mevushal. Some of the producers he features follow here. Nonetheless, the vast majority of the 4,000-plus kosher wines now on the market arent mevushal. Through a variety of sources, Ive cobbled together a few cant-miss options at all prices.

Gabriel Geller is the manager of wine education for Royal Wine, the worlds largest importer of kosher wines and also the owner of the Kedem Winery in upstate New York and Herzog Wine Cellars in Oxnard, Calif. Geller is high on the Herzog Special Reserve Methode Champenoise Russian River Valley NV, Herzogs first high-end champagne-method sparkling wine. Made from only chardonnay grapes, its $54.99 at kosherwines.com, which ships to Texas.

Two more intriguing Geller recommendations are the 2018 Syrah-Carignan from Raziel ($56.99), a winery that has in the past earned a 97-point score from James Suckling, and the 2016 Terra di Seta Chianti Classico Riserva, a steal at $31.99 given that it received a 97-point score of its own and a platinum medal from Decanter magazine.

Meanwhile, a longtime friend swears by anything from Napa Valleys Hagafen Cellars, which became Californias first kosher winery in 1979. Given Houstons current heat index, Id go straight to Hagafens 2019 Sauvignon Blanc, a mevushal.The price is right at only $22.99 on kosherwines.com.

Specs offers an ample array of kosher wines, particularly at the Midtown store. One that caught my eye was the barrel-fermented and -aged Baron Herzog Jeunesse Chardonnay, a bargain for about $12. And, although its on the other end of the price spectrum, the 2017 Tulip Black Tulip ($65.99) way over-delivers as well, having earned 95 points from Decanter.

sportywineguy@outlook.com
The end of summer and beginning of school normally means a decrease in donations for the Salvation Army East Harris County.

While its a familiar occurrence, the continuing impact of the pandemic is creating a new kind of drought for the nonprofit charity organization, according to the chapters Lt. Luis Villanueva.

With people coming back from vacations and kids starting school, this normally happens at this time of the year, but never in this situation with such a high demand, he said.

The groups pantry is low on food and requests are coming in daily for school supplies and school uniforms. Under ordinary circumstances, the group stocks up during the year for such times.

Normally, we can plan and put things aside throughout the year for the dry periods, but with COVID, things are different, Villanueva said.

Because of the continuing threat from the pandemic, several Salvation Army initiatives for senior adults are on hold, and a lack of enough volunteers has postponed the restart of the organizations Boys and Girls Club.

The community can help the group meet current needs through monetary donations, Villanueva said.

How to help The Salvation Army East Harris County, 2732 Cherry Brook Lane, Pasadena, is seeking monetary donations to meet community needs. Website: https://bit.ly/2WoqZvV To make monetary donations: https://bit.ly/3D7C9pQ To schedule a drop off of items: https://bit.ly/389kv6K For more information: 713-378-0020 See More Collapse

Out biggest need right now is providing school uniforms and school supplies, he said. Were seeing increased phone calls from different families even though school has already started; so there are still kids who dont have these things.

The East Harris County chapter serves an area including the Pasadena, Deer Park and La Porte ISDs. With monetary donations, the organization can purchase needed sizes for students in grades 1-8.

People can designate (monetary donations) for uniforms, Villanueva said. 

School supplies, which can be dropped off at the East Harris County location at 2732 Cherry Brook Lane, Pasadena, also need to be continually replenished, Villanueva said.

Our shelves are pretty bare

Nonperishable foods like canned goods, beans, rice and bread are in constant demand as the Salvation Army continues to distribute to the needy Monday through Friday, and according to Villanueva, the lines are longer than ever.

Were seeing more people coming to the food pantry to get help (to feed their families), and our shelves are pretty bare, he said.

Part of the reason, said Villanueva, is that costs have gone up everywhere, even for the organizations usual resources. The process of distribution has slowed down, too.

The orders are not coming in as fast as normal because the major distributors that we depend on are having a hard time sourcing product we would normally get, he said. They may not be getting the deals; so theyre not able to acquire those things. There is not as much product to deliver the way were used to.

In the past year, the cost for staples such as bread and milk have risen, said Villanueva.

People who were barely making ends meet before are struggling to adjust (to the increased costs), he said.

I know this situation may seem hopeless, but the Salvation Army is going to continue to help and will do our best to keep providing because were here for the community, Villanueva said. If the community is willing to help us and work alongside of us, thats even better.

yorozco@hcnonline.com
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Grace B. McGowan, Boston University

(THE CONVERSATION) It isnt often that a pop star releases a music video that aligns so well with my academic research.

But thats exactly what Lizzo did in her new song, Rumors. In it, she and Cardi B dress in Grecian goddess-inspired dresses, dance in front of classically inspired statuary, wear headdresses that evoke caryatids and transform into Grecian vases.

Theyre adding their own twist to whats called the classical tradition, a style rooted in the aesthetics of ancient Greece and Rome, and theyre only the most recent Black women artists to do so.

White supremacists wield the classics

The classical tradition has been hugely influential in American society. You see it in the branding of Venus razors, named after the Roman goddess of beauty, and Nike sportswear, named for the ancient Greek goddess of victory; in the names of cities like Olympia, Washington, and Rome, Georgia; in the neoclassical architecture found in the nations capital; and in debates over democracy, republicanism and citizenship.

However, in the 19th century, the classical tradition started being wielded against Black people in a specific way. In particular, pro-slavery lobbyists and slavery apologists argued that the presence of slavery in ancient Greece and Rome was what allowed the two empires to become pinnacles of civilization.

Even though ancient Greece and Rome traded with, fought against and learned from ancient African civilizations such as Egypt, Nubia and Meroe, the presence and influence of these societies have tended to be downplayed or ignored.

Instead, ancient Greek and Roman aesthetics were held up as paragons of beauty and artistic sensibility. Classical statues such as the Venus de Milo and the Apollo Belvedere are often considered the apex of human perfection. And because marble statues from antiquity have, over time, lost their painted colors, its influenced the widespread belief that all the deities were imagined as white.

For these reasons, Black women have rarely appeared in classical depictions and reproductions.

When they did  and especially in Western neoclassical art  it was usually in the form of mischaracterization or mockery.

For example, in Thomas Stothards 1801 engraving Voyage of the Sable Venus from Angola to the West Indies, he depicts a Black woman in the style of Botticellis Birth of Venus romanticizing the harrowing trauma of the slave trades Middle Passage. In the mid-19th century, Sarah Baartman, a Black South African woman, was paraded around Europe and put on display due to her large buttocks. She was derisively dubbed the Hottentot Venus.

Black artists push back

At the turn of the 20th century, however, Black women started reclaiming classical deities of beauty, such as Venus.

Pauline Hopkins, a writer working in Boston for The Colored American Magazine, played a pivotal role. A 1903 issue of the magazine published an editorial with no byline, though theres scholarly consensus that Hopkins penned the piece.

The editorial controversially argued that the models for two paragons of classical beauty had actually been enslaved Ethiopians.

Authorities in the art world demonstrated that the most famous examples of classic beauty in sculpture  the Venus de Milo and the Apollo Belvedere  were chiselled from Ethiopian slave models, Hopkins wrote. Although it is difficult to know for sure, her editorial proposes an exciting set of possibilities around how African people and civilizations influenced classical beauty standards.

During her time with the magazine, Hopkins also wrote several serialized novels, including Of One Blood, which was published over the course of 1902 and 1903.

In it, the protagonist discovers a hidden African civilization called Telassar that has retreated from the world and so was able to escape the ravages of colonialism and the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The protagonist discovers that he is the heir to Telassar and should join forces with Queen Candace to bring the country out of hiding and take its place in the world. Hopkins frequently describes the great beauty of all the women in the novel in terms of their likeness to the classical deity Venus.

In both the editorial and the novel, Hopkins questions the very idea that the classical tradition can be deemed white or European. She calls on her readers to consider if these aesthetics and beauty ideals were, in fact, rooted in African traditions, only to be corrupted and co-opted by white supremacists.

Other artists have followed Hopkins lead. Toni Morrisons fiction has reworked stories from the classical tradition, including Euripedes Medea and Ovids Metamorphoses. In Morrisons novel Tar Baby, the protagonist is a model whos depicted as the Copper Venus in a magazine spread.

More recently, Beyonce announced the birth of her twins, Rumi and Sir, by adapting Botticellis 1480 painting Birth of Venus. Meanwhile, artist 3rdeyechakra has inserted Black female artists, such as Beyonce, Megan Thee Stallion and Lizzo, into paintings of classical deities like Venus and Aphrodite.

An old tradition with a new twist

Which takes me to Lizzos joyful and gleeful reclamation of the classical tradition in her new music video with Cardi B.

In a song that focuses heavily on female empowerment and body positivity, Lizzo and Cardi B deploy the visual imagery, fashion, art and architecture of the classical era, while also populating it with people and bodies that have so long been excluded.

Lizzo and her dancers perform their choreography atop classical columns, positioning themselves as the muses  an allusion, perhaps, to the Black muses in Disneys animated film Hercules.

The bodies of the statues in Lizzos video are not the chiseled physiques youre accustomed to seeing in museums, while the various Grecian-style vases are painted with images of women in bondage gear, performing on poles and twerking. Lizzo and Cardi B also perform in front of statues that are deliberately centered on the buttocks. Its an allusion not just to classical statues like the Venus Callipyge  which translates to Venus of the beautiful buttocks  but also a playful dig at a culture that historically has hypersexualized the bodies of Black women.

Id never suggest reading the comments section of any YouTube video. But with Rumors you dont have to scroll for very long before coming across a heated debate around cultural appropriation in the music video. Some say that its Greek and Roman art thats being pilfered and sullied.

But to me, its just another example of Black women trying to stake their own claim to the beauty, joy and power of this tradition.

When Lizzo and Cardi B touch their acrylics in a gesture reminiscent of Michaelangelos famous Creation of Adam painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, theyre transfigured into a Grecian vase in a flash of lightning.

Just like that, the centrality of Black women to the classical tradition is no longer just a rumor.

Its true.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/in-rumors-lizzo-and-cardi-b-pull-from-the-ancient-greeks-putting-a-new-twist-on-an-old-tradition-166318.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  More than 6,000 Afghan refugees have arrived in Virginia and more are expected, Gov. Ralph Northam said Tuesday.

Northam said he appreciates all of the humanitarian work being done in Virginia right now, according to video from a WWBT-TV reporter.
SALEM, Ore. (AP)  The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has authorized the killing of two more wolves in eastern Oregon, several weeks after the state fatally shot two young wolves from the same pack.

The Lookout Mountain pack was suspected of injuring or killing five cows over two weeks in July, and the state on Monday authorized ranchers to kill up to four of the wolves, excluding the breeding pair. Another cow was attacked Friday, and the state approved an extension of the original permit, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

The pack consists of the breeding pair, both of whom are fitted with radio tracking collars, two yearlings and five 4-month-old pups. Their territory is primarily in Baker County, near the Idaho and Washington borders.

Two of the packs seven pups were shot by state officials using a helicopter earlier this month.

Officials said the amount of time between attacks showed their strategy worked.

We had five dead cows on the landscape over 14 days, said Derek Broman, a carnivore biologist for the state, who noted the pack moved some 15 miles (24 kilometers) after the two wolves were killed. We took action, and then we had no dead animals for 18 days.

Wolf conservation advocates say they are shocked that the state agency wants even more wolves dead.

Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement that the assertion that the pups death resulted in a greater lag time before the next conflict occurred is not credible.

Any scientist knows that correlation is not causation, he said.

Ranchers grazing livestock near the Lookout Mountain pack previously tried nonlethal ways to prevent their animals from being attacked by wolves, including moving their animals farther from the wolves and using radio sensors that set off bright lights and loud sirens when the wolves' collars were detected, according to Broman.

Because none of those methods prevented further attacks on livestock, Broman said the state was forced to consider other ways to change the packs behavior.

This tool is not retribution, he said. Its a tool to prevent conflict.

Broman said the extreme drought affecting Oregon, along with recent heat waves, could be pushing the canids to seek out easier prey, a point echoed by Sristi Kamal, senior Northwest representative for Defenders of Wildlife. Kamal strongly disagrees with the states solution, however.

Instead of killing wolves (the state) should be prioritizing coexistence tools and methods, especially as our vulnerable wolf population is already facing threats from the ongoing drought and water crisis, Kamal said in a statement.

As of April, the state had 173 wolves in 22 identified packs.

Gray wolves were removed from the federal Endangered Species list in January, allowing Fish and Wildlife to take over the management of their population.

A coalition of 70 groups filed a formal petition to re-list the gray wolf as an endangered species throughout the West. Last week, however, attorneys for the Biden administration asked a federal judge in California to reject the lawsuit from wildlife advocates.

Gary Frazer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assistant director for Ecological Services, suggested last week the federal government could still take steps to restore protections if population declines put wolves back on the path to extinction.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Arik Burakovsky, Tufts University

(THE CONVERSATION) As Russia struggles with its third wave of COVID-19, the authorities have adopted new measures to contain the coronavirus. But pervasive vaccine hesitancy has put a massive strain on the Kremlins pandemic response.

While the delta variant helps explain the latest spike in daily infections, sluggish vaccination rates  about 24% of the population is fully vaccinated  are perhaps the biggest culprit.

Russia has registered around 20,000 new COVID-19 cases daily during July and August 2021. And the Ministry of Health reported in August that more than 98% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients were unvaccinated.

The official death toll rose in August to roughly 800 per day, an all-time record. But some demographers argue that COVID-19-related fatalities are significantly undercounted.

In my research on Russian society, I have found that Russians remain largely unconvinced that vaccines are safe.

The worsening epidemological situation has undermined public health  hospital beds in COVID-19 hotspots are filling up again  and threatens economic recovery. But Russians deep-rooted mistrust in institutions will hamper the countrys efforts to move past the pandemic.

Government efforts to curb COVID-19

With the coronavirus  and vaccine skepticism  running rampant across Russia, public campaigns to promote vaccination have recently gained more prominence.

During his annual call-in television special, Direct Line, in June, President Vladimir Putin revealed that he had received the Sputnik V vaccine, one of the four vaccines available in the country. (The others are EpiVacCorona, CoviVac and the single-dose Sputnik Light.) Putin stressed that all of them are safe.

The Kremlin supports increased immunization among Russians  it has announced a lottery that will give 1,000 winners the equivalent of US$1,350  but it has refused to introduce a nationwide vaccine mandate.

And though Putin has occasionally announced non-working periods, where people do not need to go to work, in order to prevent COVID-19 surges, he has mostly employed a hands-off approach to the virus, often delegating tough action to Russias 85 regional governments.

Regional governments across Russia have launched several efforts to boost vaccinations, mostly to mixed results.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin has announced that the city will give away five cars every week to vaccinated residents. He also deployed a QR-code system to keep the unvaccinated from indoor restaurants and bars.

But the requirement was later canceled due to technical hiccups and noncompliance from business owners and customers alike.

Most regional governments have recently made vaccinations mandatory in the service, trade, health care and transportation industries, imposing harsh punishments on employers who fail to have at least 60% of workers vaccinated.

And popular tourist destinations such as Sochi, a beach resort city on the Black Sea, have also introduced travel restrictions. The city now requires travelers to prove their vaccination status or to arrive with a negative COVID-19 test.

Although the latest surge in infections has prompted an uptick in jabs, Russia still has a long way to go before life can return to normal. The Kremlin recently admitted it has failed to reach its target of vaccinating at least 60% of Russians by the autumn of 2021.

Widespread vaccine skepticism

Mounting evidence has confirmed the effectiveness of the two-shot Sputnik V vaccine.

Russia has the highest vaccine hesitancy rates in the world. A recent survey shows that 54% of Russians are unwilling to get vaccinated, a level of reluctance that has remained almost unchanged in the past year. Most vaccine detractors say they would refuse to get inoculated under any circumstances or until there are no proven side effects.

In response to the new regional vaccine mandates, many Russians have turned to the black market for fake vaccination records, risking fines and even criminal prosecution.

More than 500 websites were launched in June offering fabricated vaccination certificates and QR-codes. Prices for the certificates range between $14 and $406, according to Forbes Russia.

Vaccine hesitancy should not come as a surprise. Russians have a longstanding distrust of institutions, including the government, the media and the state-run health care system.

A 2019 poll showed that 41% of Russians do not trust medical professionals. And nearly half of respondents said they would go to another physician to verify an initial diagnosis or prescription.

[3 media outlets, 1 religion newsletter. Get stories from The Conversation, AP and RNS.]

Economic recovery concerns

Following a moderate contraction in 2020, Russias economy was one of the first globally to return to its pre-pandemic size this summer. In the second quarter of 2021, the countrys GDP rose by 10.3% year-on-year and narrowly exceeded a pre-pandemic peak.

The reasons for Russias economic growth are manifold. They include rising oil prices, growing consumer demand and state support of small and medium-sized enterprises through tax reductions and the deferral of loan payments.

Since the crisis began, the government has spent the equivalent of billions of dollars to support businesses and provide Russians cash handouts.

However, some economists warn that Russias economic rebound could be short-lived.

The central bank has hiked its key interest rate four times since March to combat inflation. But if the coronavirus continues to spread, regional governments may have no choice but to revert to lockdowns, stifling an economic reopening.

A recent international study found that Russians are the most pessimistic about post-pandemic economic life. The survey shows that 66% of respondents think it will take more than three years for the economy to recover. And 25% believe it will take at least two years.

Government attempts to mitigate the pandemic and its economic fallout have proved increasingly challenging without institutional trust. Confidence in health care providers influences how people use services and follow instructions, making it indispensable to pandemic management and prevention.

Until now, the Russian government has had limited success increasing vaccination rates. That is unlikely to change, barring a major shift in tactics. If the authorities want to reduce vaccine hesitancy, they will need to work diligently to restore trust in institutions.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/russias-covid-19-response-slowed-by-population-reluctant-to-take-domestic-vaccine-165925.
Rick Perry has high hopes for an air filtration device that can kill COVID-19, and he wants all Texans to know about these virus-zapping machines.

This is potentially one of the most important press conference that I ever was engaged with in my life, the former Texas governor and U.S. energy secretary said Monday during a press conference at his own stomping grounds, the Texas Capitol.

My life has kind of been this continual education process, if you will, Perry mused, reminiscing that he had been governor when the Ebola virus was identified in Dallas in 2014.

The longtime Texas leader was less effusive when asked by reporter John C. Moritz of the USA Today network about his dealings with Integrated Viral Protection, which makes the products that were on display on the dais.

I am part of the company, Perry acknowledged.

He declined to elaborate.

Thats none of your business, said Perry, a Republican who served as governor from 2000 to 2015. Im not a public official anymore.

Oh, come on.

There was something almost charming about this blatant display of good-ol-boying. It was a reminder of the quaint olden days in American life, when former public officials glibly traipsing through the revolving door that leads to the lucre of industry was something that would raise a few eyebrows  even in business-friendly Texas.

Our outrage meters are probably broken from overuse these days, but still. There was something unseemly about Perrys decision, amid the delta variants spread, to wade into the ongoing debate over school safety to hawk a commercial product, surrounded by state Rep. Phil King, a Weatherford Republican, and several other state representatives.

As it happens, Houston-based IVP does seem to have a good sales pitch. Its units use heat to blast airborne pathogens to smithereens, without affecting the air temperature of the rooms in which theyre installed. Testimony from a couple of school officials on the subject was striking.

Im proud to say we did not close school one day last school year, nor did we quarantine any group of students due to campus spread, said Taylor Williams, the superintendent of Slidell ISD.

THE LATEST NUMBERS: Interactive maps, charts show spread of COVID across Houston

Were a year into this and I can honestly say I cant imagine starting school last week without these machines in our buildings  the confidence that it gave our teachers and our parents, especially now that this new variant is impacting kids a little differently, she continued.

Kelli Moulton, who stepped down as superintendent of Galveston ISD in January, said elementary schools in that district had, similarly, been able to forestall campus spread after installing the machines.

This is something that the school can do that doesnt require anybody to make an additional personal decision, Moulton added, explaining why the boards interest in the product was piqued.

You can see the appeal to school leaders who want to protect their students, teachers, and staff. But its those tried and trusted measures  getting vaccinated if youre eligible, masking up if youre not  that public health experts are advocating, as COVID hospitalizations spike. Statewide, more than 20 percent of hospital beds are now occupied by COVID-19 patients, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

These low-tech interventions didnt get much promotion at the press conference. But perhaps that goes without saying.

Clearly what were doing aint working, said Ken Thorpe, a professor of health policy and management at Emory University, referring to the fourth wave of COVID-19. We need something else in addition to that. Why limit ourselves in terms of strategies when we have a solution sitting right here that provides clean air and would be a major public health policy win?

Heres the thing: no one is preventing anybody from buying and installing IVPs air filtration devices in the hopes of slowing the spread of COVID-19.

In fact, Texas consumers have nearly limitless latitude when it comes to buying any of the various products being pitched along these lines  although some feed stores have, apparently, started putting limits on sales of ivermectin, usually used to deworm livestock, due to a spike in demand from Americans who believe it has the potential to treat this disease.

You are not a horse, the Food and Drug Administration tweeted over the weekend. You are not a cow. Seriously, yall. Stop it.

COVID LIVE UPDATES: Keep up with the pandemic and its impact on Houston

Really, the only thing limiting Texans, in terms of strategies, is Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts July executive order banning local jurisdictions, including school districts, from imposing new COVID-19 restrictions, including mask requirements for students.

That order is still held up in court, while its being litigated. In the meantime, it would be nice if state leaders  and Perry certainly qualifies, even though hes no longer in office  would lend their influence to urging Texans to exercise personal responsibility.

erica.grieder@chron.com
One Houston-area suburb has seen an explosion in population growth over the last decade, with several other northern and western cities also climbing to the top of the list of fastest-growing areas in Houston.

Fulshear is the fastest growing city in the Houston area and in Texas, according to 2020 Census data released earlier this month. The western suburb saw its population grow by 1,386.42% from 2010 to 2020.

The top five cities for growth include Fulshear at No. 1, followed by Magnolia at 69.35%, Shenandoah at 63.96%, Conroe at 60.04% and Katy at 55.25%, according to a Houston Chronicle Census data analysis of 21 Houston-area cities. See below for a look at the Houston-area cities that saw the most growth:

Fulshear officials previously told the Chronicle they credit the city's school districts, commitment to helping businesses thrive, transportation projects that have eased commutes, proximity to energy industry jobs and the area's small-town feel" as reasons why it has boomed in population.

These Houston suburbs far outpaced the city itself, which saw a nearly 10 percent increase in population growth. Of the 21 cities analyzed, only one saw a decrease in population growth: Stafford recoded a 1.5% decrease. Houston remains the fourth-largest city in the U.S., still trailing behind Chicago.

HOT TAKE: Why Houston, not Chicago, deserves to be third in the Census

The Asian population contributed the most to Fulshear's growth, with a 9,848% increase. The Hispanic population saw a 1,586% increase.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

Conroe saw a 554% increase in its Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population. See below for a breakdown of the population growth in these cities by race and ethnicity:

It's important to note that due to COVID and other reasons, this year's Census may be under-representing some marginalized groups that could be at risk of losing federal funding for assistance programs, schools, infrastructure repairs and fair government representation. About 59% of Houston households responded to the Census; 63% responded across the state and 67% responded nationally, the Houston Chronicle reported.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Stage set for redistricting fight as Texas adds 4 million people in census count

rebecca.hennes@chron.com
A man was fatally shot by a security guard during an altercation outside of a Walgreens in east Harris County on Tuesday night as the man's 12-year-old daughter shopped inside, authorities said.

The incident occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m. outside of a store at 388 Uvalde Road. EMS pronounced the man dead at the scene.

Sgt. Jason Brown of the Harris County sheriff's office said the Walgreens security guard was involved in a verbal altercation that escalated to a physical one just before the shots were fired.

"The individual that was shot was here shopping with his -- I believe she's his 12-year-old daughter," Brown said, according to video released by the sheriff's office. "She was inside the store, he was outside the store. He became involved in some kind of altercation with the security guard. Right now we're not really sure what the actual altercation was about. That's one of the things we're trying to determine during our interview. But at some point during this altercation the security guard does shoot and kill this individual in the parking lot."

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez identified the shooting victim as Michael Luna in a tweet Wednesday morning. He was in a truck outside as his daughter went in, talked to a security officer and then got out and started to strike the officer, who was knocked to the ground, according to Gonzalez. The officer fired at the man, who was hit multiple times, Gonzalez wrote.

"The security officer is licensed by the State of Texas," Gonzalez wrote. "Following the investigation, the case will be presented to Grand Jury."

The fight was captured by surveillance video. The security guard was being interviewed by investigators and cooperating.

"He is a licensed security guard as far as we know at this time - he's employed by a security guard agency," Brown said. "He was working here at the Walgreens as a security guard."

Brown said deputies would turn over the results of their investigation to the Harris County district attorney's office, which will decide whether any charges are warranted.

This scene is developing and updates may follow.

Joel.Umanzor@chron.com
Barbers Hill ISD, the Houston-area school district that made national headlines last year when it ordered two students to cut their dreadlocks or face suspension, sent 36 male students to in-school suspension on the first day of school for violating its controversial policy on hair length.

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which help represent the two teens last year in a federal lawsuit, sent a letter to the district earlier this week demanding it stop enforcing the legally infirm hair policy.

The letter claims 60 to 100 students were suspended on Aug. 18, the first day of school, and that in some cases staff approached boys with curly hair, pulled it taut to straighten it and then suspended the teens for violating district policy forbidding boys from having hair that extends past their eyebrows, ear lobes or touches their shirt collars.

It also said a mother reported that a teacher had cut her sons hair, and that at least one preschooler was told to not return to school until his hair was cut.

A district spokesperson Tuesday evening denied the letters specific claims in an email and said 36 students had not been suspended, but were consigned to in-school suspension. She also denied the allegation that staff had straightened students curly hair and disciplined them.

District officials were unaware of any employees cutting a students hair and had not received any such report, Director of Community Relations Jami Navarre wrote. The allegations about the hair pulling and preschooler were found to be respectively unfounded and untrue, she said.

Parents were advised prior to the start of the school year that students needed to ensure they were in compliance with the grooming code as of the first day of school, Navarre wrote. The vast majority of students were in compliance on the first day. The district has an approximate enrollment of 6,587. Only 36 high school students were found to be in violation of the districts hair length policy on the first day. By the second day, only eight students were reported to be in violation.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

The disciplining of students over their hair length is the latest to command a response from lawyers this week in the Houston area. Civil rights groups on Monday urged Magnolia ISD to end a grooming policy there they say is discriminatory, arguing the rule forces students to conform to gender stereotypes.

One of the reasons that we are extremely concerned with what is happening is that the research shows that suspensions are negatively correlated with academic achievement, said Michaele N. Turnage Young, one of the lawyers who signed the letter to Barbers Hill administrators. If you are going to remove a child from their classroom, you are also removing them from their lesson. And that makes it less likely that they are going to be able to keep up with their classmates in terms of comprehending the lesson they were supposed to have learned.

In the letter, the lawyers demanded the school board stop enforcing the policy. Young said they were considering legal action.

The letter came as a federal lawsuit challenging the districts policy remains in the courts. The suit was filed in May 2020 after students Kaden Bradford and deAndre Arnold complained their hair, which they wore in dreadlocks, had been scrutinized repeatedly by administrators. The teens received in-school suspension when they refused to cut their hair.

The young men, who are cousins, garnered support from across the country while drawing attention to the districts policy. A federal judge a year ago granted a preliminary injunction, stopping the district from enforcing the policy.

The students parents ultimately withdrew them from the district and enrolled them in Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District, where Arnold graduated. Bradford returned to Barbers Hill after the judge granted the preliminary injunction last year.

In June, the district and its board members filed a motion to dismiss numerous claims in the case, prompting the federal government to file a statement of interest in July to ask the court not grant the motion.

The United States has a significant interest in ensuring that all students can participate in an educational environment free of unlawful discrimination and in the proper application of the Equal Protection Clause, Title IX, and Title VI, the governments filing read.

It appeared the district had no intention of changing its policy.

In a tweet posted Aug. 6, an account listed as the official one for Barbers Hill High School shared a policy update, set to take effect on the first day of school, that students in grades 9 through 12 who violate the dress and grooming policy will be assigned to in-school suspension.

A dress and grooming code posted on the districts website includes the same line. The tweet said there would be no grace period for violations of the policy as there had been in the past and that any student who violates the policy will automatically be assigned to ISS for the day, no exceptions.

Attention all students! Make sure you are aware of this dress code update! the tweet read.

alejandro.serrano@chron.com
Harris County is opening up new COVID-19 vaccination sites as the delta variant, incentive programs and federal regulators recent full approval of the Pfizer shot push up demand across the state.

The new sites, announced Tuesday by County Judge Lina Hidalgo, come amid a nearly 530 percent increase in daily vaccination rates that Hidalgo credited in part to the countys recent decision to dole out $100 gift cards to those who receive their first dose of the vaccine.

Hidalgos announcement came one day after the Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine for adults and teenagers.

FDA approval is the culmination of many, many months of demonstrating the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, said Dr. James Versalovic, pathologist-in-chief at Texas Childrens Hospital. Its the final capstone to the process.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Not ordinary times: Texas Medical Center leaders come together to urge new school COVID guidelines

The new FDA designation was the last thing standing between Maria Navarro, 53, and the vaccine.

She was among the steady stream of cars Wednesday that snaked through the parking lot of Sheldon Independent School District, which was turned into a vaccine hub at Hidalgos direction.

The main thing is that it was approved, Navarro said of the FDA decision. Im going to have to get it, so I figured, Why not?

Arcadia Chirinos hadnt heard about the news from the FDA by the time she walked into a pop-up vaccine clinic at a Food Town in north Houston on Tuesday. The 42-year-old mother said she decided to get vaccinated to protect her children, but upon learning about the FDA decision she said it added to her comfort level after months of misinformation about vaccines.

A lot of people havent gotten one, and its because theyre afraid, she said.

For some, the FDA approval only strengthened their vaccine skepticism.

On HoustonChronicle.com: COVID Help Desk: Whats up with COVID-19 and erectile dysfunction?

This is disgusting and sick, said Jennifer Bridges. How could the FDA actually approve this? I cannot even fathom that.

Bridges was a nurse at Houston Methodist Hospital until this summer, when she and more than 150 other employees resigned or were fired over their refusal to comply with a mandate that all hospital employees be vaccinated by late June.

Bridges and 116 other Methodist employees unsuccessfully sued the hospital, alleging it was improper for them to be required to take a vaccine that was still under emergency use authorization, a rare designation that allowed the vaccines to be fast-tracked for approval.

Bridges now works for a private health care provider, and said the FDAs rubber stamp does nothing to change her belief that vaccines are unsafe.

I will die before I get vaccinated, she said.

Kira Ganga Kieffer, a Boston University researcher who is writing a book about vaccine skepticism, health care and religious groups, said she was happy the FDA cleared the Pfizer vaccine but is not confident it will do much to convince those who are opposed to vaccines because they distrust the government.

For those who are afraid of government corruption, I dont believe this will move the needle, she said. So many hesitant people are afraid of the governments role in science and medicine, whether its the FDA or the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). There is an entrenched fear that those authority structures are not on the side of the people.

Like Bridges, Stacy Williams is a nurse. And, like Bridges, she said her time as a nurse has made her skeptical of the broader health care system.

Most people who work in health care are aware of systemic issues that can place profit over patient needs, which can lead to reservations about vaccine rollout, she said.

For her, the FDA approval carries considerable weight.

It finally got approved, and I just felt like all the Ts had been crossed and all the Is have been dotted, so Im here, she said.

robert.downen@chron.com

twitter.com/robdownenchron
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Tuesday accused Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle of lying about an $11 million contract to conduct vaccine outreach, an accusation that spurred the ugliest public exchange since the pair began serving together and transformed a typically routine session into a forum for personal attacks.

By the time the spat ended, each had accused the other of unethical behavior: Hidalgo, a first-term Democrat, claimed Cagle was fomenting conspiracy theories that led to threats against her while the Republican said her administration was not being transparent.

Democrats have held a 3-2 majority on Commissioners Court since 2019, and the group has been divided over how to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, the biweekly meetings had a veneer of collegiality even as Hidalgo has been outspoken in advocating for a more aggressive response than Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, drawing praise from public health experts but often scathing attacks from the right.

Now Playing: Hidalgo, Cagle spar over $11M million vaccine outreach contract as Commissioners Court exchange gets personal Video: Harris County Commissioners Court

Tuesdays back and forth left little doubt about how the two factions feel about one another: Hidalgo believes the two Republican commissioners sow distrust in the countys COVID-19 pandemic response by feigning an interest in open government. They believe she deflects legitimate questions as politically motivated and lumps all criticism in with racist and sexist comments made by radio hosts and online commentators.

The tinderbox Tuesday evening was the $11 million vaccine outreach contract that the court awarded in July to Elevate Strategies after a bidding competition. The Houston firm is run by Felicity Pereyra, whom Cagle noted also ran the 2015 Houston mayoral campaign of Democrat Adrian Garcia, the current Precinct 2 commissioner. Pereyra, who previously helped Harris County with census outreach, also assisted Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign and other liberal causes.

More from Zach Despart: Harris County approves $30 million for more nurses to ease latest COVID-19 surge

The vaccine outreach contract requires Elevate to hire more than 50 canvassers and staff to conduct a door-do-door campaign encouraging residents to be inoculated.

Cagle questioned how a one-person firm could manage such a large contract; Hidalgo interjected, calling that a bold-faced lie.

Cagle, a county commissioner since 2011, was incensed.

I am not lying, Your Honor! he shouted. I pay you respect. I may have a different perspective from you, but I am not lying.

Cagle was correct; Pereyra is the firms only principal. Hidalgo countered that he was spreading a false narrative that the county had foolishly given $11 million to a single woman to complete the work. She suggested that Republicans were behind media reports on the contract that she argued were misleading.

The county judge said these falsehoods lead misguided residents to make threats against her, referencing a heated discussion hours earlier when Precinct 3s Tom Ramsey, the other Republican commissioner, asked about Hidalgos security detail.

But she was not finished.

Instead, Hidalgo abandoned her strategy of avoiding personal disputes with her colleagues. She touted her pledge not to accept political contributions from county vendors, which she has mostly stuck to, and noted that Cagle and Ramsey have accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from firms that receive county contracts.

More from Zach Despart: Harris County to offer $100 shot in the arm for, well, a shot in the arm

Spare me the outrage, Hidalgo said. Bring it on, yall. Because there is nothing here other than an appropriate COVID response and someone who has gone to lengths to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.

She did not mention that the two Democratic county commissioners, Garcia and Rodney Ellis, also rely on county vendors for most of their campaign contributions.

Garcia acknowledged as much minutes later, but cautioned, That doesnt mean that anything inappropriate took place.

He drew a distinction between political contributions and the vaccine outreach contract, and asked County Purchaser DeWight Dopslauf to confirm that all the regular processes and procedures were followed in awarding the job to Elevate Strategies.

Dopslauf replied: My staff handled the contract as normal as any other.

zach.despart@chron.com
In a sweltering shopping center parking lot off Interstate 45 Thursday morning, Houston Fire Department paramedic Josh Walls tried to find a hospital to take his patient.

Negative, came the reply on the radio. All of TMC is on divert.

The six hospitals in the Texas Medical Center with emergency departments were asking ambulances to take patients elsewhere because they were at capacity.

The patient, a 29-year-old construction worker with chest pain, asked to be taken to HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest. The dispatcher said it, too, was on divert status. Walls and his partner Valentin Beau Beauliere took him there anyway.

As local hospitals are strained with people ill with COVID-19, ambulance crews face long delays in emergency departments to deliver patients. Houston Fire Department medics have waited an average of 29 minutes at ERs in August, longer than in any month of the pandemic, according to department logs. The average wait time was 16 minutes in 2019.

The waits are astronomically longer, Walls said. We let the patients know what to expect; some change their minds when they realize theyre going to be in an ER for 12 hours with COVID patients.

The lag affects not just patients exhibiting COVID symptoms, but those with a variety of maladies, including heart attacks, strokes, allergic reactions and broken bones. It extends the time ambulances are out of service, forcing other crews to respond to calls outside their normal territories.

And the delays may get even worse. The Houston region on Tuesday set an all-time record for COVID-19 hospitalizations, with more than 4,000. In those 25 counties, 747 patients were stuck in emergency departments waiting for an open general or ICU bed, according to the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council.

Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena said the number of ambulance transports has increased 25 percent during this surge. He urged residents to get vaccinated, which research has shown greatly decreases the likelihood that a COVID-19 case will require hospitalization.

A 10-, 15-, 20-minute delay for us to transfer our patients from the ambulance to the ERs has a domino effect on the system, and our ability to service the next emergency call, Pena said. This issue is not just affecting those sick or symptomatic with coronavirus; its affecting all our patients and calls for service.

Austin-Travis County EMS also reported a longer ER wait time of 30 minutes this month compared to 26 minutes in 2019. The Dallas and San Antonio fire departments did not immediately provide their wait times.

At HCA Thursday morning, Walls and Beauliere were able to admit the construction worker in about 20 minutes. A nurse took the mans vital signs in a hallway and then dropped him off in the lobby, crowded with masked patients, until a doctor could see him.

The ambulance crew had caught a break  Walls recounted having several hours-long waits at hospitals in recent weeks  but the fact that a call had taken them outside of city limits showed how strained the department is by this latest COVID-19 wave.

Walls and Beauliere are assigned to Station 17 in the East End, one of 94 in the Houston Fire Department. They already had responded to a call by Hobby Airport that morning.

We shouldnt be making calls this far out, Beauliere said. Were being stretched beyond our territory.

Over the next few hours, the pair responded to a car wreck on I-10, a nursing home in Midtown and a man with heart trouble in Spring Branch.

As dusk fell, they were dispatched to a possible stroke at an apartment complex by NRG Stadium. Firefighters already on scene helped Walls and Beauliere transport the 86-year-old woman to the back of the ambulance.

Her distraught daughter asked where her mother would be taken; she had read that Houston hospitals were full. Beauliere took the womans blood pressure and administered an electrocardiogram; all appeared normal. He coaxed the woman to drink water and eat a few bites of bread. After a few minutes, she said she felt better and did not need to be taken to the hospital.

The Texas Medical Center hospitals, less than two miles north, remained on divert status. The medics would not have been able to offer a reliable estimate about how long the woman would wait for care.

Sometimes thats not bad, Walls said. Sometimes its pandemonium and youre waiting on the wall for two hours.

zach.despart@chron.com
Thousands of Afghans en route to U.S. cities like Houston will face robust security processing in locations in Europe and Asia before they are brought to Fort Bliss in El Paso, or one of the other designated U.S. military bases for Afghans, according to a senior Biden administration official.

Afghans with pending visas related to their work with the U.S. military, or Special Immigrant Visas, and other Afghans without visas in hand will be subject to biometric and biographic security screenings by intelligence personnel, the senior official said.

The official called it an adapted process, adding that only Afghans who pass the screening will then be transported to U.S. military bases to undergo full medical screenings and access health care services. All evacuees, including U.S. citizens, are subject to COVID-19 testing when they arrive in the country.

The official would not specify how many people are currently at Fort Bliss.

It will be a constantly evolving number across any one site, the senior official said. They added that accommodations could be made for approximately 25,000 people at four bases: Fort Bliss; Fort Dix, N.J.; Fort Lee, Va.; and Fort McCoy, Wisc.

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, an El Paso Democrat, tweeted that as of Aug. 21, more than 650 Afghans had arrived at Fort Bliss.

Maj. Gen. Hank Williams, the Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations, told reporters there are now about 1,200 Afghans at the four military installations.

Since Aug. 14, the U.S. has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of more than 58,000 people.

An estimated 18,000 Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants and thousands more of their immediate family members are in the process of securing visas that would allow them to live in the United States. Many are among the crowds of Afghans at the Kabul airport, desperate to board an evacuation flight for fear of the Taliban.

President Joe Biden has decided to stick with his Aug. 31 deadline for completing the U.S.-led evacuation from Afghanistan, according to an administration official on Tuesday. The decision reflects in part the U.S. militarys concern about heightened security threats to the massive airlift that began ten days ago.

Refugee advocates have condemned the choice not to extend the deadline.

Most Afghans in danger, including IRAPs (International Refugee Assistance Project) Afghan ally clients, have not been evacuated and remain either unable to get into the airport or stranded across Afghanistan without safe passage to Kabul, said Sunil Varghese, policy director of the International Refugee Assistance Project in a written statement.

Historically, around 18 percent of Special Immigrant Visa holders, who are from Afghanistan and Iraq, are resettled in Texas, according to the South Texas Office for Refugees. Houston area refugee agencies are expecting to resettle hundreds of Afghans in the coming weeks.

In an email, Refugee Services of Texas  one of five refugee agencies in Houston  said it will be resettling an additional 81 Afghans in Houston between Tuesday and the end of September.

Four staff members from another Houston-area refugee agency, The Alliance, have been sent to help process incoming Afghans at Fort Bliss. In a written statement, the agency said the total number of Afghans they will resettle is still being determined.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Houston refugee agency estimates 1,500 to 2,500 Afghans will come to Houston over the next six to nine months through a discretionary humanitarian designation called parole and will not initially be eligible for public benefits.

Many parolees will be Afghans who were in the process of obtaining a Special Immigrant Visa, but hadnt completed the process, according to Ali Al Sudani, chief programs officer for Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston. Special Immigrant Visas are for Afghans who worked with the U.S. military and their immediate family members, though the immigration process is notorious for long delays, sometimes lasting more than a decade.

The refugee agency is also expecting an additional number of Afghan Special Immigrant visa holders  aside from the parolees  in the next six to nine months, but did not provide an estimate. Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston has resettled around 50 of these Afghan visa holders since mid-July.

Citing information shared by the U.S. State Department, Al Sudani said there are about 50,000 Afghan parolees expected to be coming to the United States who will first wait in third countries such as Germany and Qatar. Unlike Special Immigrant Visa holders and refugees, these Afghans will not be eligible for public benefits until they adjust their immigration status, said Al Sudani.

A parolee wouldnt be eligible when it comes to public assistance, wouldn't be eligible for food stamps, wouldn't be eligible for Medicaid, wouldn't be eligible for refugee cash assistance, said Al Sudani.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

He added that paroled Afghans, with unfinished Special Immigrant Visa applications, will likely go through an expedited asylum process once they have arrived in their final destination cities.

Al Sudani also said the families should have the opportunity to apply for work authorization prior to arriving in Houston or other resettlement cities.

Unlike refugees and Special Immigrant Visa holders, parolees will also not be eligible for certain services that refugee resettlement agencies provide that are funded through the federal government. However, private donations can be used to support these Afghan families.

I expect within the next six months, the biggest need is going to be monetary donations, because we don't know yet the needs of these individuals. But we know one fact: they won't be eligible for basic services, which is the food stamps and medical care, said Al Sudani.

Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston has an initial goal of raising $550,000 to meet the needs of incoming Afghans. Houstons four other refugee resettlement agencies are also accepting donations.

How to help fleeing Afghan allies who are headed to Houston (houstonchronicle.com)

Afghans with pending visas will face robust security processing in third countries in Europe and Asia before they are brought to one of four U.S. military bases, according to a senior Biden administration official. Theyll be subject to biometric and biographic security screenings by U.S. intelligence personnel, the senior official said.

The official called it an adapted process and that only Afghans who pass the screening will then be brought to either Fort Bliss, Texas, Fort Dix, N.J., Fort Lee, Va., or Fort McCoy, Wisc. where they will undergo full medical screenings and have access to health care services.

An estimated 18,000 Afghan SIV applicants and thousands more of their immediate family members have been in the process of securing visas that would allow them to live in the United States. Many are among the crowds of Afghans at the Kabul airport, desperate to board an evacuation flight for fear of the Taliban.

Historically, around 18 percent of Special Immigrant Visa holders, who are from Afghanistan and Iraq, are resettled in Texas, according to the South Texas Office for Refugees.

Elizabeth.Trovall@chron.com
A man stripped down to his underwear during a Dripping Springs ISD school board meeting Monday night as he urged the board of trustees to make face masks mandatory in its schools.

James Akers, who is a parent of a student in the school district, removed one item of clothing at a time while explaining his opinion on the controversial matter until he was only wearing his underwear during the public comment portion of the meeting.

In recent weeks, there has been heated debate at school board meetings across the country about whether school boards should force students to wear a face mask in response to the pandemic.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Hidalgo, Cagle spar over $11M million vaccine outreach contract as exchange gets personal

Akers is among those parents who want the Austin-area district to change its mask-optional policy to a mandate. During the recent surge of COVID-19 cases from the highly contagious delta variant, many more children have gotten the virus than at any other point during the pandemic. Children under the age of 12 also have not been authorized for the vaccine.

"It's simple protocol, people. We follow certain rules for a very good reason," Ackers said as he stood in just a pair of briefs in front of the school board.

Dripping Springs ISD YouTube

During the 90 seconds Akers addressed the board, he spoke about the different laws and expectations society has in place.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Interactive maps, charts show spread of virus across Houston, rest of Texas

At work, they make me wear this jacket. I hate it. They make me wear this shirt and tie. I hate it," he said as he removed his jacket, shirt and tie.

"On the way over here, I ran three stop signs and four red lights, he continued. I almost killed somebody out there, but by God, theyre my roads, too. So I have every right to drive as fast as I want to, make the turns that I want to. I got over here to the school today, and the parking lot was full, and I decided I was going to park wherever the hell I wanted to  which, in this case, happened to be a handicap spot.

He then took off his pants. Akers drew a mixed reaction from the crowd as he stood in the Dripping Springs High School auditorium in a pair of black briefs.

On HoustonChronicle.com: TEA reverses course, now says schools must notify families when kids are exposed to COVID

"Mr. Akers, if you would mind putting your pants back on for comment that would be appreciated," said Board President Barbara Stroud as two district police officers approached him.

Akers then fist bumped one of the officers before returning to his seat.

He told KXAN Austin that he stripped in front of the board to prove a point about social norms and that it was "an easy message."

"All these rules that were given every day that we follow, because they make sense, Akers told the TV station.

No action on the face masks was taken by the board Monday night.

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net
UPDATE (10:06 a.m., 8/26): A tropical depression formed in the Caribbean Sea Thursday, and it's headed for the Gulf of Mexico, the Chronicle's Andrea Leinfelder reports.

ORIGINAL STORY: A disturbance in the Caribbean Sea is expected to become a tropical depression or tropical storm later this week or over the weekend.

Its too soon to know if this storm will affect Houston, but forecasters urged area residents to be prepared.

FORECAST: This season's hurricane forecast from NOAA just got a little bit worse

Although track details remain highly uncertain, it is important for all to review hurricane preparedness plans and kits now, according to an email from the National Weather Services Houston/Galveston office. Also, please stay weather aware over the coming days as the forecast evolves.

According to the National Hurricane Centers 1 p.m. update, the system is expected to move over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and near or across the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico on Friday. It could then move into the Gulf of Mexico this weekend, where conditions are expected to be favorable for additional development.

Regardless of this systems development, portions of Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula could receive heavy rainfall and flooding through the weekend. The coasts of Louisiana, Texas and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas could see storm surge, wind and heavy rainfall late this weekend and early next week.

NOAA National Hurricane Center

Exactly where these impacts will occur will depend strongly on track and this remains highly uncertain since the system has yet to form, the National Weather Services Houston/Galveston office said.

There have been eight named storms in the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting 15 to 21 named storms this year. Between seven and 10 of those could become hurricanes and three to five could be major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.

Wednesday marked the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Harvey making landfall in Texas, a storm that would bring catastrophic flooding to the Houston region.

This article has been updated with the correct date, Aug. 25, 2017, that Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas.
Nestled between new midrises, townhomes and a medical center, and abutting White Oak Bayou  an old, relentless vexation  lies Olivewood Cemetery.

It is easy to drive past the citys first and oldest incorporated African American burial grounds without noticing it; I did for years when my husband and I lived nearby, unaware of its significance, its struggles and its richness.

On a steamy, partly cloudy day last month, I toured the cemetery with my guide and de facto historian Paul Jennings (just a white guy from Oklahoma whose volunteer stint became a calling of sorts) and Margott Williams, guardian and co-founder of the Descendants of Olivewood, a group looking to restore the long-neglected cemetery.

As one of 40 recipients of The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a National Trust for Historic Preservation program, the group got some help last month thanks to a nationwide effort to preserve African American landmarks.

Welcome to our home away from home, Jennings greeted me as I joined Williams and stepped through the gates of the cemetery  and through a portal in time.

THE DESCENDANTS OF OLIVEWOOD: A charge bring city's oldest African-American cemetery back to life

Olivewood is an oasis amid urban bustle; the sleepy trees and dense foliage whisper centuries of secrets and pride. The tombstones, many disheveled and weathered, are testaments to remarkable lives once lived in the fraught period before, during and after the Civil War. The last burial on the grounds is believed to have happened in the 1980s.

Our first stop was at the stately marker of Lucy Farrow, the niece of famed abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass. She was a unique force in her own right. Born enslaved in 1851, Farrow was an instrumental founder of the Pentecostal movement and brought the Holiness gospel to Los Angeles and Houston, dying of tuberculosis in 1911.

Our trio then wandered to a patch of barely legible headstones, one of which read Tenolia Edwards. Records indicate that Edwards (who theyd once believed was a woman) was brought from Africa, presumably enslaved, to the U.S. The headstone lists 1776 as his year of birth and the date of death as June 25, 1891  just days after what would have been the citys 25th annual Juneteenth celebration. Edwards, the oldest resident of Olivewood, was found listed in the 1867 voter registration rolls.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

Though some may question the date of his birth, imagine being brought against your will to a nation on the cusp of liberty while not having autonomy of your own. Imagine living nearly a century before being able to witness the nightmare giving way to what was once a dream of freedom.

There are more than 500 buried here that would have been born into slavery, many of whom were some of the first celebrants of Juneteenth, Jennings said. You wonder, what was their life like? Look what they did in that transition from enslaved to emancipated. The history in this corner of Houston is sometimes hard to wrap your mind around.

His musings were interrupted by Williams, who expressed some exasperation while clearing what appeared to be a makeshift altar of neatly stacked stones near Edwards tombstone. Apparently, ever since some folks found out Edwards was originally from Africa, some late-night visitors brought beer and cigars into the gravesite, often leaving them behind and displacing stones from other gravesites to make their nondescript shrines.

We dont mind worship of the ancestors, she said, wiping sweat from her brow, but she wishes they wouldnt litter or desecrate other graves by taking stones.

In truth, Olivewood should have always been a place of veneration. The doctors, lawyers, pastors, pioneers and activists buried there were prominent members of the Black community who thrived in the Reconstruction era and beyond, carving out prosperity in a Southern city that offered none. But, like many Black cemeteries in Texas, Olivewood has seen years of neglect and overgrowth as time and erosion devour it.

MORE: Houston Freedmen's Town, Olivewood receive funding to preserve landmarks

Williams grandfather and other relatives are buried in Olivewood. Since the late 1990s, she has spent inexhaustible reserves of energy and time in keeping up the gravesites. This years soggy summer has stalled a lot of maintenance progress, but willing and rugged volunteers are urged to join her on first and third Saturdays to fight off the foliage.

My hours-long history lesson ended toward the back of the cemetery, where a ravine gapes, created by the bayous overflow and flooding. (Climate change is no friend when 100-year floods become twice-a-year floods, Williams said.) Headstones and remains have already been swallowed up by watery encroachment and runoff from commercial development. Olivewoods guardianship plans to use the recently awarded $50,000 grant to address flooding and infrastructure issues that have long threatened the cemeterys souls and soil.

Williams and Jennings are ecstatic about the promise of funding, but for different reasons. For Jennings, its about Olivewood history and the stories buried like treasures throughout. For Williams, she is protecting the past.

After all, she said, the first generation knows; the second generation remembers; the third generation forgets.

Williams, however, is laying a path for the next generation to find some peace under the ancestors gazes.

Clay is a copy editor and the HouWeAre newsletter editor at the Houston Chronicle.
People who get their COVID-19 vaccines from the city now can receive up to $150 in gift cards, after City Council on Wednesday approved increased incentives for the shots.

Beginning Thursday, the city will offer $100 for the first dose and $50 for the second to those who get their vaccines from certain Houstons Health Department sites. The council voted 15-2 to approve the incentives. At-Large Councilmember Mike Knox and District A Councilmember Amy Peck opposed the measure.

Earlier this month, Houston began offering $25 gift cards for the shots, but the rush of cases, hospitalizations and deaths associated with the delta variant has motivated city leaders to up the ante.

It is anticipated that an expanded incentive program  will increase the number of people who choose to get vaccinated and motivate people to get the vaccine sooner than they otherwise would have, the Turner administrations request for council action reads. In so doing, the vaccine incentive program will save lives, reduce the spread of COVID-19, and decrease hospitalizations.

The city is following the lead of Harris County, which began offering $100 gift cards for the first dose last week. The county has reported a bump in vaccinations as a result: It administered 914 first doses on the first day of incentives, up from an average of 431 in the three weeks prior.

Where to get the vaccine  and a gift card Acres Home Multi-Service Center, 6719 W. Montgomery Rd Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m Hiram Clarke Multi-Service Center, 3810 W. Fuqua St Tuesdays: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. La Nueva Casa de Amigos Health Center, 1809 North Main St. Mondays/Thursdays: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m Magnolia Multi-Service Center, 7037 Capitol St. Thursdays: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturdays: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Northside Health Center, 8504 Schuller Rd Mondays/Thursdays: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Sharpstown Health Services, 6201 Bonhomme Rd. Mondays/Thursdays: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Southwest Multi-Service Center, 6400 High Star Dr Saturdays: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sunnyside Health Center, 4605 Wilmington St. Mondays/Thursdays: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m See More Collapse

It is working, Mayor Sylvester Turner said of the countys effort.

The city already has seen an increase in people eager to get vaccinated as the delta variant has surged. More than 2,000 people got their first shots in each of the first two weeks of August, up from an average of 515 per week in July, according to the Health Department. The number dipped to 1,040 in the third week of August.

Several council members and Turner said they were hesitant to offer incentives, viewing it as a reward for bad behavior. They were convinced, they said, by the countys success.

City officials hope for a similar boon. It offers vaccines at more than 20 sites every week, and eight of them will offer the gift cards. The city said it could add more sites to the rewards program in coming days and weeks. A map of active sites is available on the citys website.

Those receiving a third booster shot in Houston will not reap the rewards. Turner said there are limited dollars available and the city is trying to maximize their impact, focusing on people hesitant to get the inoculations.

The incentives have proved effective elsewhere, as well, and the Biden administration has called on states and cities to offer them. New York City saw a 40 percent uptick in vaccinations after introducing a gift card incentive late last month, according to the New York Post. States such as Minnesota and Colorado also have implemented them.

Houston ISD is offering workers a $500 stipend for vaccinated workers, and colleges across the U.S. are giving them to motivate students.

Turner hinted at a potential mandate, or another incentive, for city workers Wednesday, saying: Ive got city employees, for example, that havent gotten vaccinated. Now, I will tell you, in short order they will. They will.

Houston plans to spend up to $3.1 million on the incentive effort, which could cover more than 20,000 people. It is using federal COVID-19 relief money for the effort.

District J Councilmember Ed Pollard said he initially did not think 20,000 people would move the needle enough in a city of more than 2 million. Then, an official from Houston Baptist University said the countys program has helped motivate students to get the shot. That made it worthwhile, he said.

Its the 20,000 people who feel invincible, its the young college kids who may feel short on cash, Pollard said.

Knox said he was worried the program would result in a bidding war with the county, with each raising the incentives against the other. He said it also is unfair to people who already have received their vaccines without incentives.

I think people should do the right thing because its the right thing to do, Knox said.

Turner said both the city and county are offering $100 for the first shot, and the county could join the city in offering $50 for the second shot.

Its not a competition, he said.

For the most part, the city will hand out MasterCard gift cards. Some will get gift cards to retailers, such as Walmart, Walgreens or Metro, for the second dose.

Starting Thursday, people who receive a first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will get the $100. Those who got their first dose on or after Aug. 2 and complete their second dose within 42 days will get the $50.

As of Tuesday, 70.5 percent of Harris County residents 12 and over have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 57.9 percent are fully vaccinated. The city numbers are 71 percent and 58.1 percent, respectively.

dylan.mcguinness@chron.com
The city on Wednesday launched a 25-person womens commission to examine gender disparities in Houston and recommend policies to address them.

The council voted unanimously to approve the commission and name its first 25 members. They include Chau Nguyen of the Houston Area Womens Center, former Congressional candidate Sima Ladjevardian, and LGBT Chamber of Commerce President Tammi Wallace. Beth Merfish, who chairs the Department of Liberal Arts College at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, will chair the commission.

Most female council members  who for the first time make a majority at City Hall  wore pink to celebrate the effort. District C Councilmember Abbie Kamin, who spearheaded the project, said progress has been made on some disparities, but much work remains.

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Whether it is a mother who raised a mayor, or a young girl sitting in class who will one day be mayor, its important to the success of government and business alike that women are represented at every level of leadership and decision-making in Houston, Kamin said.

The commission is charged with making recommendations to the mayor and council to address disparities in health care, wage and employment issues, safety and security, and quality of life, among other issues.

Kamin pointed to a slew of disparities in arguing for the commission. Women earn 80 cents for every dollar a man makes, according to research from the University of Houston Institute for Research on Women, Gender and Sexuality. The poverty rate in Harris County is 50 percent worse for women than men, and women account for a disproportionate amount of unemployment numbers.

The commission will explore those issues with an eye toward what the city can do, Kamin said.

Itll be looking through the lens of what the city can do about it, but it also means bringing business to the table, Kamin said. It needs to be a collective effort, it cant just be the city of Houston.

Those measures could include expanding leave policies, or how the city can target wage gaps with certain incentives, she said.

The commissions first year will focus on the ground lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. About 2.6 million women left the workforce from March to September, compared to 1.7 million men, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Meanwhile, domestic violence rates have grown significantly during the pandemic.

The commission members will serve staggered four-year terms, and they will not be paid.

Its first meeting is scheduled for Monday.

dylan.mcguinness@chron.com
WASHINGTON  The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation bolstering the federal Voting Rights Act as Texas Republicans in Austin work to swiftly advance new voting restrictions the bill is aimed at preventing.

The federal legislation, which passed along party lines, would again require states with a history of discrimination, including Texas, to get federal approval to make changes to voting laws.

It comes as the GOP-controlled Texas Legislature hurries to pass a new elections bill that Democrats say is designed to make it more difficult for Black and Latino Texans to vote. The state bill includes measures that would limit voting by mail and drive-thru voting and expand the oversight of partisan poll watchers, while restricting elections officials ability to deal with those they believe are out of line.

LATEST FROM THE LEGE: More House Democrats return as hearings on GOP bills begin

The Texas GOP have made it absolutely clear that they do not really want communities of color, seniors and Latinos to vote, U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Houston Democrat, said before the vote. The original Voting Rights Act was designed to stop this very kind of behavior.

Republicans have called the measures essential to guarding against potential voter fraud and said Democrats are exaggerating their effects on people of color.

Under the legislation that passed the House on Tuesday, the federal government would decide whether future elections bills would suppress the votes of minorities. The federal bill, named after former U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon who died last year, would restore sections of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court has chipped away at, including pre-clearance provisions that required Texas to get approval from the U.S. Department of Justice before enacting new voting laws.

No Republicans supported the bill, which they argued would amount to a federal government takeover of elections.

U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington, a Lubbock Republican, said the bill would steal the states right to safeguard the integrity of its elections.

We shouldnt be doing this, U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Tyler Republican, said. Lets let states and local governments do the job the Constitution gave them.

Democrats, meanwhile, cast the bill as a rejection of Republicans claims of widespread voting fraud despite no evidence.

It will protect us against such a delusion, said U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston.

FACT CHECK: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's false claim that Black Texans are driving COVID surge

The vote kicked off Democrats latest effort to pass new voting rights laws, which party leaders have said is a top priority as Republican-led state legislatures have pushed a slew of voting restrictions after record turnout in the 2020 elections.

Texas Democrats, who spent much of the summer in D.C. pushing Congress to pass new voting laws as they boycotted the state Legislature to stall the elections bill, took credit for keeping it at the front of the national partys to-do list.

We were directly told by the Congress members, Your being here has moved this from being considered next year to being considered now, said state Rep. Penny Morales Shaw of Houston.

Before the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a round of applause for the Texas Democrats who she said are fighting the fight for voting rights.

But how much further that fight will go remains uncertain. The latest vote comes just weeks after U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz blocked Senate Democrats efforts to advance a series of other voting bills that the Texas Republican denounced as a massive power grab by Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed at the time that voting rights would be the first order of business when the Senate returns in September.

Texas Democrats said they were hopeful the John Lewis Act will fare better than the last bill, though that appears unlikely given the bill narrowly passed the House on a party-line vote.

They said key members of Congress, including U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin  a moderate West Virginia Democrat  told them the bill might actually gain bipartisan support in the Senate. It would need the support of at least 10 Republicans to pass the chamber, and Texas senators are unlikely to be among any who would vote for the bill.

Still holding out

The last time Congress reauthorized the Voting Rights Act, in 2006, it passed the Senate on a 98-0 vote. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, voted for it then and it was signed into law by another Texas Republican, former President George W. Bush.

Democrats including Pelosi stressed that history of the bill on Tuesday, calling it as bipartisan as anything that has come to the floor.

I would hope that it would be some level of bipartisanship on that, as well, Pelosi said.

The Supreme Court has weakened the Voting Rights Act with a number of rulings on its applications, including a 2013 decision that ended pre-clearance. Since then, Texas has enacted a series of new voting laws, including voter ID laws. A 2019 law prohibits temporary polling locations, which had often been used by Texas counties during early voting, especially on or near college campuses.

The new version of the Voting Rights Act reworks the formula that determines which states would be required to get federal approval to pass new voting laws. Those new formulas were written with an eye toward surviving future scrutiny from the high court.

Cornyn has suggested he still doesnt think it would pass muster, tweeting a Wall Street Journal op-ed opposing the bill and writing: A House bill that would revive the preclearance requirements of the 1965 Voting Rights Act is likely unconstitutional.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

A handful of Texas Democrats were back in Washington on Tuesday for the House vote and urged the Senate to act swiftly.

Any bills passed by the Legislature in the coming weeks would likely take 90 days to go into effect  a short window in which Texas Democrats argue the federal government could still step in.

Its a race to the finish, said state Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Dallas Democrat. We obviously want the feds to get there first, and obviously the governor wants to get there first because Texas has been found to be intentionally discriminatory over and over and over again.

In the meantime, they said, they are urging their Democratic colleagues who returned to Austin to consider leaving again if the voting bill does make it to the floor of the Texas House this week.

We are hopeful that when they see the dynamic, that theres nothing that outweighs the importance of the rights that are going to be jeopardized with these bills and that they will choose to not recreate quorum, Morales Shaw said.

Others said they remained frustrated and bewildered by those who decided to return to the House after twice killing the GOP voting restrictions earlier this year  especially by those from Harris County, which expanded voting options during the pandemic that many of the new restrictions would target.

Why did you ever leave? It seems like we made a decision that July was not a good month to pass this bill, but August is, said state Rep. Joe Deshotel, a Beaumont Democrat. We were so close to killing this bill again and then I believe they would have dropped the issue and jumped to redistricting, because thats much more important to the Republicans.

ben.wermund@chron.com
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Today

Rain. Potential for flooding rains. High 66F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch..

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Rain likely, heavy at times in the evening. Low 56F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
How to quit your record deal and go independent

You wouldnt be the first artist to decide a record contract just wasnt for you. Fortunately, we have a few solutions for how you can cut loose and go independent.

Guest post from Disctopia

Interested in how to quit a record deal? You are about the make the best decision of your music career.

In 2017, Chance The Rapper made history by winning a Grammy. No one would have ever imagined that the Chicago rapper would climb that high without being signed to a record label.

It all started with being the first artist to be nominated from such a background, an artist whose album was exclusive to a streaming platform. His album, Coloring Book, does not even fit into the definition of an album due to the lack of a digital download or physical album.

Chance went all the way to the top without ever signing the dotted lines of a record label.

While artists have earlier realized the exploitative intent of record labels, the heroic move of Chance further opened the eyes of artists to the numerous reasons why not be a record label artist, or quit your current record label deal.

You wont be the first to pull the boss move of putting your record label contract in a paper shredder. In 2010, Paul McCartney dealt E.M.I. a huge blow by transferring distribution rights to an independent record company. Madonna also did earlier by turning down what was supposed to be a juicy deal by leaving Warner.

So you see, you can pull the move also and do it like a boss. While some of the ideas well be proposing may seem unorthodox, but these are your best bet on how to quit

1. Filing For Bankruptcy

Sounds nonconformist, right? Thats what everyone thought when Toni Braxton and T.L.C. did it to get themselves out of the record deal with Dallas Austin.

Under the United States law, an individual can file for Chapter 7, and you dont have to complete out to file for bankruptcy. Your angle will be that the record deal contract impedes you financially.

This has proven to work incredibly, have an excellent bankruptcy lawyer to argue your case better.

2. Activate a Key-man Clause

This might require a bit of planning, but with patience, you can pull it through. During your next contract negotiation, you have to find a way to slip in key-man clause.

Heres why; in every few years, major record labels often go through what might be called right-sizing. Its more like letting go of anyone who they believed have underperformed.

This means if whoever signed you leaves, you may become an orphan at the label, no one representing your cause in the board room. Theres no better way to leave than this.

3. Push Out Multiple Albums

More often than not, your record label will never want to promote multiple albums at once. If you are ready to force your way out of a record deal, then get into the studio and start recording.

By giving the record label more than what they can chew, you are charting your exit.

In the 70s, we saw what Frank Zappa did with Warner Bros Records. It was meant to be a four record boxed set that was intended to be released in 1977. However, Frank had to disassemble it into Studio Tan, Sleep Tan, Orchestral Favorites and Live in New York.

Since Warner Bros was not ready to release, Zappa took matters into his hands by playing the work on Pasadenas KROQ radio station and instructed the listeners to tape.

4. Negotiate An Exit

This will be less torturous but a bit expensive. It may involve a buyback and, of course, serious legal fees. You may find yourself paying back a portion of the advance and lose your recording ability for a while. The good news is that youll be released from the recording contract.

The year was 2002 when Mariah Carey decided to buy out her contract at $28m with E.M.I.s Virgin Records, a year after it was signed. She went on to sign with Island Def Jam later that year.

In 1991, Dr Dre also went at loggerheads with N.W.A., the record label he was signed to at that time. He requested a release from the label; this he did by securing the services of Suge Knight.

5. Unintentionally Violating an Act

Know that you will be sued if they realize that you are violating the act as a means of getting out of your record label contract. However, if theres a way, you can prove the unintentional reason behind your behaviour.

By violating the moral clause unintentionally, you are likely to be released by the record label. The concern here is the media uproar this is likely to generate for you.

Wrap Up

Lets be frank, quitting a record label deal is an expensive headache, but one that will be worth it in the end. Theres nothing like a good deal with record labels; regardless of how profitable it appears, you are being fleeced terribly.

Remember, none of this will matter if you are unable to make something out of your music after getting out.

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Daniel Connerton speaks during hearing of visitors on Smart Growth Zoning at Tuesday's City Council meeting. Connerton and others who spoke said it was important that citizens understood the changes to be able to support them.

North Adams Passes Smart Growth Zoning

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The City Council passed Smart Growth zoning 7-1 on Tuesday night despite some calls for delaying the process.

The zoning ordinance has been in the works for nearly two years and was first presented to the Planning Board in early 2020.

"I truly believe this is a beneficial important and necessary community development, economic development housing development project for the city, it does reflect the priorities identified in our Vision 2030 plan," said Mayor Thomas Bernard. "This has been carefully vetted, not just at the local level, but by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development. ...

"This will help to realize our priorities and our goals, and the needs of our vision plan and our housing assessment."

The proposal, under the state's 40R legislation, would allow for high-density residential and mixed use development in the area from Center Street south toward American Legion Drive and eastward along Union Street to past the Eclipse Mill, with dodge onto East Main to cover the Notre Dame property. These would comprise two subdistricts within the overlay.

The existing underlying zoning would remain but the overlay would offer the opportunity for development of high-density housing with a minimum of 20 percent remaining as "affordable." The entire overlay would have a maximum of 60 percent with the balance as market rate. Any project would still have to go through the Planning Board and permitting process.

The presentation prepared for the preliminary public hearing can be found here.

Adoption of the law puts the city in line for $600,000 in state funds to ameliorate any impacts from growth and another $3,000 for every unit built. There is the potential for about 563 units in these areas although officials are doubtful that that many will ever be constructed.

Councilors quizzed the Community Development Office's Zachary Feury on aspects of the zoning, much of which had been gone over in previous meetings. The number of units could be no less than 20 and no more than 30 per acre; current property owners in the overlay did not have to use smart zoning; projects would have to go before the Planning Board and emulate existing buildings in look; the city could have to pay back state monies if no units were built in a certain period; and affordable was based on up to 80 percent of family median income for the county, not the city.

But several residents asked for more time to understand the ramifications during hearing of visitors.

"I don't feel that the public has had an opportunity to be heard," said Diane Parsons, a former city councilor. "I know vaguely what it covers. But I don't know the exact parameters, I don't know who's in charge, and I don't know who will benefit exactly,"

She said she was somewhat familiar with what Adams had done to adopt 40R, which had included several public meetings. But she was unclear of how this would affect close to 30 acres of the downtown area.

"I would urge that as we set out on this new course that we get a lot more support in the city, and let people think about all the various manifests," said Daniel Connerton.

Alice Cande, Jennifer Barbeau and Stephanie Tatro felt there was a rush to pass the zoning and not enough transparency. There were missing minutes and recordings, said Barbeau.

"I and many other residents I've spoken with would agree that we are saying that we are not for, or that we are for or against this proposal, we just have very little information on a project this size that would create, beneficially or negatively, on the taxpayers in the city," said Tatro.

Several in the audience complained about the use of Zoom, feeling that there should be in-person meetings. Twice they had to be chastised for talking loudly while council was deliberating.

Councilor Marie T. Harpin argued strongly against moving ahead with the vote.

"I didn't hear anybody say that they were against it. I haven't heard any councilor say that they were against. I haven't heard anybody in this room say that," she said. "However, I did hear people come on and say that they weren't aware and they got a letter two weeks ago and they're trying to scramble to figure out what it's all about.

"Some said that they felt as though it's being rushed to be put in and it has not been pushed out to the public enough."

Councilors and the administration pointed out that there had been at least seven public meetings during which the zoning had been discussed, including a preliminary public hearing, a joint public hearing and a recent update. Information on the zoning was posted on the website and meetings had been posted and had been held over Zoom. There had also been coverage in the local news.

Harpin said she had been getting questions from citizens that she could not answer about the overlay district and that there were people who were having trouble trying to understand it.

"If we can just sit down and have a discussion with some boards and some drawings and some maps that aren't as big as this, trying to figure out what's happening," she said. "I don't think that's asking too much, I really don't think that's asking too much."

The councilor said she could only find about three hours worth of time spent on the zoning change during meetings and just over a dozen residents who attended the Zoom meetings.

"I would love to vote for this but I cannot vote for this knowing that there's community members in North Adams, some abutters, some that are going to be in the district, that don't understand it," she said.

Councilor Benjamin Lamb said the first meeting in February 2020 had been in person and that a "thorough overview" had been presented during a Zoom meeting in October of that year that lasted nearly two hours. He also thought an attendance of 14 at that meeting was a good turnout, based on his eight years as a councilor. The effort had been made to get minutes and presentations online, he said.

"I think it's important to note that this has not been fast tracked, so to say," he said. "This started at the beginning of this term, so it's coming up on almost two years of public facing work, let alone the work that's happened in the actual department, which I don't know how far back that goes."

He also took exception to the notion that using Zoom somehow meant they couldn't do anything. Fortune 500 companies and Congress kept working virtually, he said.

"I think that it is our duty and our responsibility to continue doing the work and not just pause because we're scared of Zoom as a group," Lamb said. "You cannot necessarily require people to pay attention at a given point. You just hope it gets out there enough that they can pay attention to it and understand it over the duration we've been distributing it."

No one suggested that the zoning change go to committee and the ordinance was passed to a second reading with Harpin the only no vote. Councilor Jessica Sweeney was absent.
Adams Community Bank Supports Financial Literacy in Local High Schools

ADAMS, Mass  Charles P. O'Brien, President and CEO of Adams Community Bank, announced that the bank has developed strategic relationships with 11 high schools across Berkshire County to offer a multifaceted financial literacy program this school year.

The program is offered through Ramsey Solutions and provides a curriculum to students titled Foundations in Personal Finance. Dovetailing with the bank's goals of increasing financial literacy across Berkshire County, the philosophy of this program is that every student in America should graduate from high school knowing basic money management principles.

"We frequently hear from customers seeking ideas and tools to help them better manage their finances," O'Brien said. This series of modules covers topics ranging from saving, budgeting, managing credit and debt, understanding insurance, and paying taxes, and will provide training on many relevant topics. As a champion of education, the bank will underwrite the entire cost of this program at these 11 high schools."

According to a Federal Reserve Board report, 40 percent of Americans can't afford a $400 emergency expense. The bank views financial literacy in high schools as essential because it equips students with the knowledge and skills to emerge as independent adult consumers.

Students who receive financial education are more likely to make sound financial decisions and live a lifetime of healthy personal finance.

The bank will deploy its resources to help provide the next generation with the financial education necessary for lifelong financial empowerment. This offering is part of a broader initiative by Adams Community Bank to increase the financial

knowledge of the residents and businesses of Berkshire County through outreach and charitable giving.
North Adams School District Accepted Into MSBA Feasibility Phase

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The school district has been accepted into the feasibility stage for a potential project with the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

It will continue to be called the "Greylock School Project" as that was the initial proposal.

The focus, however, isn't on the nearly 70-year-old Greylock School building but on the estimated 500 children enrolled in Grades kindergarten through 8 at both Greylock and Brayton Elementary School.

Superintendent Barbara Malkas said the study will be "exploring what the options are for the city in regard to serving all the students in the west side."

Greylock School had been on the priority list before being invited in 2019 into the MSBA's eligibility phase to begin consideration of how to address the dated school. But the potential renovation or rebuild of Greylock was abandoned this past April.

The decision came after feedback from the MSBA, which raised serious concerns about the city's projected enrollment over the next decade and the taxpayers' appetite to fund a new school.

Instead, the district was encouraged to look at updating the much newer Brayton School, and the city submitted a letter of interest to be considered for the feasibility stage.

Both Malkas and Mayor Thomas Bernard attended the MSBA Board of Directors meeting remotely Wednesday.

"We told them it was about creating equity of access and equity of facilities on both sides of the city," Malkas said. "Colegrove [Park Elementary School] elevated how we address the needs of students for the next 50 year and we need to to do the same on the west side of the city."

The $30 million Colegrove project  in what had been Drury High and later Conte Middle  was completed in 2015.

"The feasibility study will carefully examine potential solutions to the issues identified at the school's facility and will help us develop the most cost-effective plan to address those issues," said State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg. "We look forward to partnering with the district to move the potential project forward."

Bernard, chairman of the School Committee, said one of his takeaways from Wednesday morning's meeting was a deep appreciation to MSBA for supporting the project and inviting them into the feasibility stage.

"I really got a sense of, you know, enthusiasm, from the folks at MSBA, especially Chair Goldberg, that they understand why this project, and why a school project is so important for North Adams," he said. "We've really benefited from good partners on the MSBA team through this whole through this whole process."

MSBA officials had helped the School Building Committee look "critically at enrollment, and our capacity, and really to ask us to consider what the data was telling us," he said.

The mayor said the MSBA's enrollment projects and an independent study in 2019 by the New England School Development Council were only off by one student.

Both studies projected a 10-year enrollment of about 625 students in Grades kindergarten through 6. Brayton and Colegrove Park currently have a capacity for 716, leading to the decision to once again consolidate schools. Conte Middle School (now Colegrove) was closed a decade ago and its students shifted to Drury High.

Malkas said the MSBA's addition of the "eligibility" phase allowed for a better decision-making process rather than the old way of jumping directly into feasiblity.

"The eligibility phase gave us a good amount of information to clarify what is the most feasible and cost-effective things about the project, what is the 10-year enrollment and what is the city able to bear in regard to the cost of a building project," Malkas said. "I like that there's an approval process along the way  you can kind of fumble around before getting a shovel in the ground. It really ensures the community is have a strategic and mindful process."

Bernard said the School Building Committee, dissolved in April, would be reconstituted to take into account the shift toward Brayton and to ensure the entire school community is involved. Several spots, however, are prescribed to individuals with specific backgrounds, such as construction, finance and education.

"We're into feasibility and so we will really get to determine what is, you know, what is feasible," he said, but the committee will have broad conversation on "what does the future look like, because it does become in that sense, more than just a conversation about a building. More than just brick and mortar, you know, and classrooms and smart boards but it really is, 'how do we serve the students of North Adams for the next 20, 30, 40 years?'"

The feasibility study has been estimated to cost $750,000; the MSBA will be covering part of that cost.

The MSBA board also voted on Wednesday morning to accept Abbott Memorial School in Florida into the accelerated repair program. The K-8 school is planning to replace windows and doors at an estimated cost of $1,656,391, with the MSBA picking up $1,059,829.


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Raj Burman is CEO of international non-profit, Techfugees. This social purpose organisation mobilises the digital tech sector and volunteer community to empower displaced inclusion, including refugee digital skills/entrepreneurship, responsible digital innovations and redefining how companies work with displaced people.

Burman joined Techfugees in November 2020, having worked in both the commercial digital technology and social venture spaces. Having worked with refugees in the past, the organisations agenda was one very close to his heart.

The Techfugees movement began back in 2015, at the height of the refugee crisis. Burman recalls the haunting images of three-year-old Alan Kurdis body washed up on a Turkish beach, which are what spurred Techfugees founder and TechCrunch editor-at-large Mike Butcher to put out a call to action on Facebook. This galvanised technologists around the world to come together and look for ways to help the refugee community, and Techfugees was born.

We look at innovations that empower inclusion and break down barriers for refugees, says Burman, and have a mandate to bring the unheard voices from displaced communities to the forefront. Were changing the narrative around refugees and showing how they can be a positive contribution to society, rather than a burden.
Alibaba secured first place in the latest global VQA (Visual Question Answering) Leaderboard, better than a humans performance in the same context. This is the first time that a machine has outperformed humans in understanding images for answering text questions, with Alibabas algorithm recording an 81.26% accuracy rate in answering questions related to images, comparing to humans performance of 80.83% (in test-standard part).

Alibaba earned top spot in global visual question answering leaderboard

The Challenge, organized annually since 2015 by the worldwide leading visual conference CVPR, attracts global players including Facebook, Microsoft and Stanford University. The evaluation presents an image and a related natural language question, to which participants are asked to provide an accurate natural language answer. This year, the challenge contained more than 250,000 images and 1.1 million questions.

The breakthrough of machines intelligence in answering image-related questions was made possible thanks to the innovative algorithm design from Alibaba DAMO Academy, the global research and development initiative of Alibaba Group. By leveraging its proprietary technologies - including diverse visual representations, multimodal pretrained language models, adaptive cross-modal semantic fusion and alignment technology, the Alibaba team was able to make significant progress in not only analyzing the images and understanding the intent of the questions, but also in answering them with proper reasoning while expressing it in a human-like conversational style.

The VQA technology has already been widely applied across Alibabas ecosystem. For example, it has been used in Alibabas intelligent chatbot Alime Shop Assistant, which is used by tens of thousands of merchants on Alibabas retail platforms.

We are proud that we have achieved another significant milestone in machine intelligence, which underscores our continuous efforts in driving the research and development in related AI fields, said Si Luo, Head of Natural Language Processing (NLP) at Alibaba DAMO Academy. This is not implying humans will be replaced by robots one day. Rather, we are confident that smarter machines can be used to assist our daily work and life, and hence, people can focus on the creative tasks that they are best at.

VQA can be used in a wide range of areas, Si Luo added. For example, it can be used when searching for products on e-commerce sites, for supporting the analysis of medical images for initial disease diagnosis, as well as for smart driving, as the auto AI assistant can offer basic analysis of photos captured by the in-car camera.

This is not the first time Alibabas machine-learning model has eclipsed others. Alibabas model also topped the GLUE benchmark rankings, an industry table perceived as the most-important baseline test for the NLP model. Alibabas model significantly outperformed the human baselines, marking a key milestone in the development of robust natural language understanding systems.

In 2019, Alibabas model exceeded human scores when tested by the Microsoft Machine Reading Comprehension dataset, one of the artificial-intelligence worlds most challenging tests for reading comprehension. The model scored 0.54 in the MS Marco question-answer task, outperforming the human score of 0.539, a benchmark provided by Microsoft. In 2018, Alibaba also scored higher than the human benchmark in the Stanford Question Answering Dataset  also one of the most-popular machine reading-comprehension challenges worldwide.
Everyone wants to work from home. Everyone wants flexible schedules.

This seems to be the zeitgeist, but that doesn't mean punctuality isn't a necessary characteristic. Or perhaps a skill. It is certainly something that you can learn and change about yourself.

When everyone who possibly could work at home went home, businesses felt pressured to allow remote work for just about everyone. And with that remote work comes flexibility that people can't find in the office. But being able to literally work while sitting in bed doesn't mean you can ignore the clock. Here's why.

Lots of professional jobs require punctuality.

We accept that a physician needs to be at the office at a specific time every day, as patients are waiting. A lawyer needs to show up in court prepared and on time, regardless of traffic. A schoolteacher can be the best teacher in the entire world, but if she isn't there when the first bell rings, no school wants to hire her.

But what about a marketing professional who works from home? Does she need to be on time?

Yes. Absolutely. Being on time doesn't mean clocking in at a specific time, it means showing up (physically or virtually) when people expect you. Behaving otherwise is not only rude, it may also lose you business.

The Curious George syndrome is fiction.

Remember Curious George? An adorable little monkey who always did bad things, but then got away with them because he would make someone smile or do something nice at the very end. This is a common theme in fiction--the rogue cop who breaks all the rules but still captures the criminal, the rude but brilliant doctor who solves the case at the end of the day--it's everywhere.

But it's not reality. Sure, star players get more latitude, but it doesn't matter if you're the best lawyer in the entire world, if you show up late for court--even virtual court--your client and your firm will drop you. These things matter.

Sure, there are some people who manage to make it through life on charm alone, but you're not one of them. Show up on time.

You live and work in a certain culture.

Different cultures value punctuality in different ways. That's absolutely true. If you live in Switzerland and invite your Swiss neighbors to dinner at 7 p.m., they'll show up at 6:45. If you live in Utah and invite your Utah neighbors to dinner at 7 p.m., they'll show up at 7:15. But swap that and you're rude--either way.

You need to be sensitive to the culture in which you live. It would be ridiculous for me to announce to my Swiss colleagues that I will be late because I'm from Utah. Instead, I need to adjust my habits to the local culture.

The culture may vary from city to city and even business to business, but go against the cultural norms at your own peril.

Your best bet is to be punctual until you confirm the local culture. Unless you come to Switzerland, where you should be early. (Trust me on this one.)

Virtual meetings should increase your punctuality.

You didn't get caught in traffic unless your cats were winding around your legs on your trip to the kitchen. If your last meeting went over, you're already at your computer, so it's easy to send a quick message to your next meeting that you'll be five minutes late. The other participants probably won't even notice. And if they do, just explain. You're being polite.
The Matrix 4 trailer is being hyped up as something to behold.

Cinema exhibitors and select members of the press gathered for a Warner Bros panel at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where they were shown the films trailer. It revealed the title to be The Matrix: Resurrections.

To date, leaks of the new Lana Wachowski film have, thankfully, been kept to a minimum, but fans will be happy to hear that it sounds like it will be a wild ride.

I just saw the trailer for The Matrix: Resurrections at CinemaCon and it looks so bada**, Scott Menzel wrote. I was so worried that it wasnt going to WOW me but I was totally wrong. The only thing that shocked me is that a few of the main characters dont appear in the trailer.

The Matrix 4 trailer is absolutely stunning, Rebecca Murray added, with James Preston Poole stating: Extremely impressive footage, truly brought the house down.

Brandon Davis stated: Keanu Reeves looks fantastic as Neo. Neo & Trinity were WRECKING SH!T by the end!!! Motorcycles, helicopters, rocket launchers, jumping off buildings in incredible slow-mo.

Warner Bros has a history releasing the trailer shortly after its CinemaCon debut  The Independent has contacted the studio for comment.

Keanu Reeves is returning as Neo in 'The Matrix: Resurrections' (Warner Bros/Village Roadshow Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock)

Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are returning as Neo and Trinity for the first time since 2003s The Matrix Revolutions alongside Jada Pinkett Smith, Neil Patrick Harris and Jonathan Groff.

Watchmen and Candyman star Yahya Abdul Mateen II and Priyanka Chopra Jonas will also appear.

The Matrix: Resurrections was shot in Berlin and San Francisco and, in October 2019, Reeves was spotted on set showcasing a completely different look for Neo.

It will be released worldwide on 22 December 2021.
In recent years at the end of a Rolling Stones gig, when it was the moment to name-check the band, Mick and Keith would turn round to the morose-looking man behind the drum kit, and Jagger would yell Char-Lee-Watts! Then he and Keith would both prostrate themselves on the floor before the chap, whose hang-dog expression showed a man oblivious to the praise.

But from Mick and Keith, it was acknowledgement, perhaps belated acknowledgement, that Watts was the rock on which their sound was built.

Charlie Watts is the biggest anomaly in rock history: the drummer of the greatest rock band in the world who didnt much care for rocknroll. When pressed in the early days to name a rocknroll hero, he could only come up with Fats Domino. He quickly added that his real heroes were Charlie Parker and Miles Davis.

Charlie Watts was a jazzman, initially reluctant to join Brian Jones and Mick Jaggers new band in 1963, but was somewhat attracted by their bluesy approach (his previous two bands had been blues bands). He still thought of them as an interval band. But they were impressed by his extensive wardrobe, if puzzled by his day job in an advertising agency and the fact that he still lived at home with his parents. On stage, the dapper drummer described as being immaculately dressed and barbered, presented a contrast with the studiedly rebellious attitude of his bandmates. What also stood out was the complete lack of emotion he was to show on stage for the next half century. And there was reason for that detachment. Charlie never fully understood why he was seated behind The Rolling Stones at some stadium rather than a genuine jazz outfit in a smoky Soho dive.

The love of his early years was American jazz from the swing and bebop eras, and he could bring swing to the Stones, propelled by a clean, uncomplicated backbeat.

More than that, though, he could take the lead where necessary. Watch him in concert on 1969s massive hit Honky Tonk Women. Before Keiths hypnotic guitar is Charlie setting the atmosphere on a cowbell with his following, arresting drum riff, invariably getting the crowd dancing, and forming everlasting memories.

One Stones concert I attended opened to everyones surprise with just Mick and Charlie on stage for their very early hit Not Fade Away. At first, it was just Charlie, his driving beat finally forcing Mick to retaliate with those still snarling vocals. For that minute or so, it seemed they didnt need anyone else to join them. The jazzman could always be the supreme rock drummer if that was what was demanded.

Watts on stage with the Stones in Montevideo, Uruguay, 2016 (AFP via Getty Images)

In the Sixties, Charlie had a persona, long, actually, before Keith developed his now familiar persona. Charlie, unsmiling, almost bored looking, drew the audiences gaze, because he was so unlike the rest of the band.

And he was unlike other rock stars of the era. For a start, he was happily married. One memorable statistic in bassist Bill Wymans autobiography was (tediously) how many girls each member of the band had slept with. The numbers varied, but only Charlie had a zero next to his name.

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When the exhibition about the Stones career opened at the Saatchi gallery in 2016, I experienced the persona myself. One room showed some of the Stones more outlandish fashions: the multicoloured, circus-like costumes from the hippy era. Frankly, they didnt really suit any of the Stones. They certainly didnt suit Charlie. I looked at them with him. Do you remember those, Charlie? I asked. The riposte came in his best Eeyoreish tone. I remember them. I didnt always like them.

He was Eeyore, too, whenever a new tour was announced. Charlie was detached. Mick once said to me: Charlie always makes out that he is dragged kicking and screaming on tour. But if he didnt want to come, he wouldnt come. And its true: some of that bored persona was for effect.

It wasnt until the late Seventies that Charlie succumbed to one of the worst rock star habits: heroin. And it was Keith who literally pulled him off the floor and told him to pull himself together. Perhaps it was the gobsmacking irony that made Charlie focus and rediscover his old self. But it was never quite his old self. For years regarded as part of the second division of the band, with nothing able to break through his patience and stoicism, he snapped, memorably in 1984. Mick had telephoned him to attend a band meeting, saying, perhaps jokingly, Wheres my drummer?

Charlie entered the room, picked Mick up and punched him in the face. Dont ever call me your drummer again, he said, Youre my f***ing singer. He exited the room, returning after a few minutes, to hit his singer again.

Charlies death will hit Mick and Keith very, very hard. Sure, The Rolling Stones will continue, eventually, to tour, and under the bands name. Only the loss of Mick or Keith would change that. But they know it will never be quite the same. Its not just that their bandmate of 58 years has gone. Gone too is the glue that bound them together.
Dexter star Jennifer Carpenter has addressed her characters return in the forthcoming revival series New Blood.

Carpenter played Dexters sister, Debra Morgan, in the original serial killer drama, though her character was killed off near the end of the eighth and final season.

However, it was recently reported that Carpenter would be returning for the new sequel series alongside Michael C Hall (as Dexter) and John Lithgow (as The Trinity Killer).

While Lithgow will feature only as a guest star, Carpenter has reportedly been signed on as a series regular, leading some to question how her deceased character will feature.

Speaking to press during a Q&A at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, Carpenter revealed she will be play a new and imaginary version of Debra.

Per Digital Spy, the actor said: I dont think of her as a ghost, more of a link or an echo or an inconvenient truth for Dexter.

[She] comes back to sort of haunt and punish and caretake and provoke and love [him].

Hall also chimed in, explaining: As much as [Deb] is an internalised character for Dexter, I think [she] represents how far hes fallen without a compass. I was so excited about Jennifer doing this because I knew she would be able to shape shift and come at Dexter from so many different places.

Dexter: New Blood will premiere on 7 November on Showtime in the US, and will air on Sky Atlantic in the UK this autumn.
Michael Corn, a former veteran producer on Good Morning America, allegedly sexually assaulted a staffer and fostered a toxic work environment, a new lawsuit has claimed.

According to The Wall Street Journal, which broke the news on Wednesday, a producer on the show alleges that Mr Corn assaulted her in 2015 during a business trip to Los Angeles.

In a statement to The Wall Street Journal, Mr Corn vehemently denied the claims and any allegation of improper sexual contact, and said he would defend himself vigorously.

The complaint was filed on Wednesday in New York and also alleges that another staffer was sexually assaulted by Mr Corn when they worked on the same programme about a decade ago, the newspaper reported. That second staffer isnt a plaintiff in the lawsuit but is supporting the other producers claims.

ABC is also reportedly named as a defendant in the suit, which claims that the company failed to take disciplinary action after receiving several complaints from women about Mr Corns alleged conduct. According to The Wall Street Journal, the complaint alleges that officials at ABC learned of the plaintiffs allegations in 2017 but only launched an investigation after the plaintiff and the other staffer filed formal complaints in February of this year.

ABC News told The Independent: We are committed to upholding a safe and supportive work environment and have a process in place that thoroughly reviews and addresses complaints that are made. ABC News disputes the claims made against it and will address this matter in court.

Mr Corn was a top producer at Good Morning America. He abruptly left the show in April this year.

Michael Corn no longer works for ABC News, the company told Variety in a statement at the time. The publication reported that many [staffers] were taken aback by the move.

Last month, Variety reported that ABC was nearing a decision as to Corns replacement and was considering both internal and external candidates.
Linda Tripp was a key figure in the event that led to Bill Clintons impeachment in 1998.

Tripp is portrayed by Sarah Paulson in Impeachment: American Crime Story, FXs forthcoming dramatisation of Clintons affair with Monica Lewinsky and its fallout.

Tapes secretly recorded by Tripp during phone conversations with Lewinsky played a role in Independent Counsel Ken Starrs investigation and Starrs subsequent report, which he delivered to Congress in September 1998.

Tripp befriended Lewinsky when the former White House intern was reassigned to a position at the Pentagon in 1996. At that time, Tripp was a career civil servant in her forties. Having taped some of her phone conversations with Lewinsky in which she discussed the affair, Trapp delivered almost 20 hours of recorded conversations to Starr.

The Starr Report led to Clintons impeachment by the House of Representatives in December 1998 on charges of perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice. The Senate acquitted Clinton on both counts in February 1999, and the 42nd US president remained in office until the end of his second mandate in January 2001.

Linda Tripp leaves the US District Courthouse in Washington, DC on 30 June 1998 (JOYCE NALTCHAYAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Some criticised Tripp for what they perceived as her betrayal of Lewinsky, others celebrated her role as a whistleblower.

Tripp died in April 2020. A cause of death wasnt officially announced, but some news reports mentioned at the time that Tripp had been treated for cancer.

When reports of Tripps illness surfaced earlier that month, Lewinsky had tweeted: No matter the past, upon hearing that linda tripp is very seriously ill, I hope for her recovery. I cant imagine how difficult this is for her family.

Impeachment: American Crime Story airs on FX in the US on 7 September. A UK date has yet to be confirmed, but seasons two of the show were broadcast on BBC Two shortly after airing in the US.
A 24-year-old woman from India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, who had accused a lawmaker of rape, succumbed at a Delhi hospital, a week after she set herself ablaze outside the apex court.

The deceased and her male companion had set themselves on fire outside the gates of the Supreme Court, alleging that the police were working for rape-accused jailed lawmaker Atul Rai.

"The woman succumbed to her injuries during the course of treatment on Tuesday, Deepak Yadav, deputy commissioner of police told news agency PTI.

While the woman was rushed to a hospital with 85 per cent burns, the 27-year-old man with 65 per cent burns succumbed on Saturday.

In 2019, the woman had filed a case against the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) lawmaker alleging that he had raped her at his residence in the northern city of Varanasi. A month later, Mr Rai surrendered to the police and has been in prison since.

Mr Rai's brother Pawan Kumar in 2020 filed a forgery case against the woman. Mr Kumar accused her of forging documents to hide her date of birth while filing the complaint.

Earlier this month, a court issued a non-bailable warrant against the woman after local police claimed that she was untraceable.

The victim had alleged that Mr Rai's family and associates have been repeatedly harassing her over the years. Prior to the suicide bid on 16 August, the woman, in a Facebook live, accused the Uttar Pradesh police of working at the behest of Mr Rai, NDTV reported.

"The destination they wanted us in, we have reached it. The efforts they have made for the past two years, we have come here to fulfil their goal," she said in the video. Her friend was then seen saying, "they have been compelling us since November 2020 to die. We want all you, the people of Uttar Pradesh and the country, to hear this."

Following the immolation incident, two Varanasi police officers probing the forgery case against the woman were suspended from duty.

The body of the woman was handed over to her family after a post-mortem and her last rights were conducted at national capital Delhis Nigambodh ghat.
A Muslim bangle seller has been charged with molestation and fraud a day after he was beaten up in central India by a mob which destroyed his wares and accused him of working in a Hindu-majority area under false pretences, in the latest incident of targeted violence against a minority community.

The incident took place on Sunday in the city of Indore in Madhya Pradesh state where the man, identified by his first name Tasleem, was beaten mercilessly by a mob consisting of men from the majority Hindu community. The men accused Tasleem of assuming a fake Hindu name, suggesting that he was hiding his identity, presumably for a nefarious purpose.

The video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, triggered widespread outrage. It showed the 25-year-old being beaten up by the group in a crowded street in the Banganga area in Indore. Unidentified men are heard using communal slurs at him as people around him watched.

Take whatever you want. He should not be seen in this area anymore, a man is heard saying as he takes out Tasleems stock of bangles from his bag. The man then asks people around him to come and thrash the victim, who is then pulled up by his T-shirt by a man from behind. Later, three or four men come forward and start thrashing him.

The accused first asked my name and started beating once I revealed it. They also robbed Rs 10,000 (almost 100) that I was carrying and broke the bangles and other material that I had, the victim said in his complaint to the police, quoted by Indian media outlets.

Three men have been held by the police and a case of rioting, assault, robbery, intimidation and trying to disturb communal harmony was registered against the men who thrashed Tasleem. However, that only happened after hundreds of people reportedly gathered outside the police station demanding action.

The police later on Monday also booked the victim on charges of molestation, based on the complaint of a minor. A case of fraud was also registered against Tasleem for carrying two identity cards  one with a Hindu name and the other with his Muslim name. The victim was later seen on a video shared on social media saying that his identity card had his village address and his alias on it, not a fake name.

Old ID had my village name as Bhoora. In the new ID card, it is my actual name Tasleem. Both these IDs are genuine, neither are fake, Tasleem is heard saying.

In a statement, the states home minister Narottam Mishra reiterated the accusations of the men who thrashed the Muslim man, saying: If a man hides his name, caste and religion then bitterness comes in. At the same time he claimed that the incident should not be given communal colour.

He was using a Hindu name, though he belonged to a different community. He also had two different Aadhaar cards ... he was selling bangles which our daughters wear and apply henna during Sawan (monsoon)... thats how the altercation started, the minister said.

The incident was met with widespread outrage as it comes after several such attacks on the minority community. Recently a Muslim man was thrashed in northern Indias Kanpur city by a Hindu mob, while the daughter of the victim was seen pleading for mercy. The man was accused of trying to convert a woman to Islam.

A Human Rights Watch report from 2020 said: Muslims in India have been increasingly at risk since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was first elected in 2014.

Since the Modi administration first took office, BJP leaders have repeatedly made Hindu nationalist and anti-Muslim remarks in their speeches and interviews, the report said.

Mobs affiliated to the BJP have, since 2015, killed and injured scores of members of religious minorities amid rumours that they traded or killed cows for beef, the report said. Cows are held sacred by many Hindus and consumption of beef, a meat that is eaten by a number of minority communities in India, is considered sacrilege.
The coronavirus state of emergency in Japan was extended for the second week in a row on Wednesday, bringing eight more prefectures under restrictions in a bid to keep a check on the disease outbreak driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant.

The increasing pressure to control surging infections comes as the island country is hosting the Paralympics Games that involve the participation of thousands, despite mounting criticism of its handling of the disease outbreak.

The Covid-19 induced emergency was extended until 12 September by the authorities last week, expanding the restrictions to 13 prefectures from the six that include national capital Tokyo. While eight prefectures like Hiroshima, Okayama, Aichi and Hokkaido have been shifted from quasi-emergency to full emergency status, four new prefectures have also been added to separate quasi-emergency status.

A total 33 of Japans 47 prefectures are now under either complete or quasi state of emergency measures, according to the Associated Press. Japan imposed an emergency on 12 July, once cases started surging.

Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga said the state of emergency has been expanded to aid the countrys healthcare system, which remains at risk of getting overwhelmed.

In order to protect the peoples lives, the priority is to maintain the health care system, said Mr Suga. He also sought cooperation from everyone to overcome the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, pushing daily cases to a record-high in Japan.

The state of emergency in Japan  a lockdown-like measure  requires eateries to close by 8pm and follow Covid-19 safety protocols like social distancing, use of masks and remote working to avoid public spaces. These measures, however, are largely not adhered to, with many continuing to defy the rules.

Daily Covid-19 infections have surged by at least 10 times since last month to 25,000 cases across the country, of which 5,000 cases have been reported in Tokyo, according to AP.

Officials have repeatedly denied any connection between the surge and the Paralympics Games. One Covid case was reported from the Paralympics village last week, with two more infections emerging on Wednesday, according to The Guardian.

Already battered by the surge after the recently concluded Olympics, the situation is worsening on the ground in Japan as Paralympics organisers have said the event will be held under very difficult circumstances.

Hospitals in Tokyo are reportedly under immense pressure, with citizens being asked to recover at home and adopt self-isolation measures to not burden the health infrastructure.

The Paralympics Games will run until 5 September, and organisers hope to rely on the same Covid-19 safety protocols used during the Olympics.
A former minister in Afghanistan has now reportedly taken up a job delivering food in Germany.

Syed Ahmad Shah Saadat, Afghanistans former minister of information and communications, was spotted by a local journalist in Germanys Leipzig city when he was on his way to make a delivery on his bicycle.

Mr Saadat had joined the government of the now-exiled president Ashraf Ghani as a cabinet minister in 2018. After serving for two years, however, Mr Saadat resigned and left the country for Germany last December.

The former minister began working as a delivery executive for food delivery company Livrando after his money ran out, reported Sky News. Mr Saadat said his story should serve as a catalyst to change the way high-ranking people live their lives in Asia and the Arab world.

Photos of Mr Saadat have gone viral on social media amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country once the US announced it was pulling out. Mr Ghani had abruptly left the country just before the capture of national capital Kabul and is now reportedly in the UAE.

Reacting to the situation back home, Mr Sadaat said he never thought a civilian government would fall so fast.

He reportedly holds two master's degrees in communication and electronic engineering from Oxford University. With a career spanning over 23 years, Mr Sadaat has worked with at least 20 companies in 13 countries, including Saudi Arabia.

Prior to his stint as a minister, he served as a technical adviser to Afghanistans communication and information technology ministry from 2005 to 2013. He was also the chief executive officer of Ariana Telecom in London from 2016 to 2017.
Afghans are facing a dark and dangerous future after Boris Johnson and other leaders failed to persuade the US to extend its deadline for evacuation flights, while the Taliban said citizens would no longer be allowed to go to the airport.

With the window of escape rapidly shutting, there is deep apprehension among those who fear persecution by the Talibs that they will be abandoned, trapped in the country isolated from the outside world.

It was reported last night that both Britain and the United States could withdraw even sooner than 31 August because of the need to drawdown troops  perhaps in as little as 36 hours.

Several G7 leaders  believed to include French president Emmanuel Macron and the European Commissions Ursula von der Leyen as well as the prime minister  voiced concern that thousands will be left behind because of Joe Bidens self-imposed 31 August deadline.

But the US president would not budge, citing the growing threat of a terror attack at Kabul airport. The sooner we can finish the better, he said later  though he did leave the door open for the Pentagon to adjust the timetable for withdrawal should that become necessary.

It leaves Mr Johnson calling foer guarantees from the Taliban of safe passage for those trying to flee after the deadline, threatening unspecified economic, diplomatic and political measures if the new rulers of Afghanistan return to harbouring terrorists and flouting the human rights of women and minority groups.

Mr Johnsons failure to persuade the president to grant a few more days for the airlift was branded a dark moment for the UK government and for Afghans by Labour, while Conservative former defence minister Tobias Ellwood told The Independent it should trigger soul-searching over waning British influence in Washington.

Those with foreign passports will still be allowed to go for flights, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at a press conference in Kabul. However, this means that Afghan passport holders with US special visas issued for the airlift will be stopped at checkpoints.

The travel restrictions for Afghan nationals were ostensibly imposed to reduce the overcrowding. Mr Mujahid asked the more than 20,000 people who had gathered in and around the airport to go home, saying your safety is guaranteed. He accused the Americans of trying to orchestrate a  brain drain of educated professionals, saying: Dont encourage Afghans to leave. We need their talent.

In a clear warning to G7 nations hours before their video summit, the spokesman said the Taliban  which has so far cooperated to a degree with evacuation efforts  would take a different stance if foreign forces attempted to continue them beyond the end of the month.

In a Washington briefing which took place while G7 leaders were still talking, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said: Theres been no change to the timeline of the mission, which is to have it done by the end of the month. Mr Biden is reported to have agreed to prepare contingency plans for getting people out beyond the deadline if required, but no further details were given and it remains unclear whether this means the use of military force.

Boris Johnson addresses fellow G7 leaders via a secure video link from 9 Downing Street (Simon Dawson/10 Downing Street)

Mr Johnson refused to discuss whether he had tried and failed to persuade Mr Biden to extend the timeline. Instead, he said the G7 had agreed on an roadmap for future engagement with the Taliban on condition that the fundamentalist group meets obligations on preventing terrorism, respecting human rights and fostering an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan.

The number one condition were setting as G7 is that they have got to guarantee, through 31 August and beyond, safe passage for those who want to come out, said Mr Johnson. Some of them will say that they dont accept that and some, I hope, will see the sense of that because the G7 has very considerable leverage, economic, diplomatic and political.

In a joint communique, the G7 countries  the UK, US, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Japan  pledged a renewed humanitarian effort for the people of Afghanistan and warned that the Taliban will be held accountable for its actions. But the statement contained no specific pledges to supply aid or resettle refugees and no proposals for sanctions against the militant group which seized power in a lightning military push 20 years after being toppled in 2001.

The only immediate announcement of new assistance came from the EU, which offered to quadruple humanitarian aid to Afghanistan from 50m to 200m.

In a joint letter to MPs and peers, foreign secretary Dominic Raab, defence secretary Ben Wallace and home secretary Priti Patel promised that the full might of government is being brought to bear on increasing numbers evacuated, but acknowledged: This window of opportunity at Kabul airport for military evacuation will shortly come to a close

It is the sad reality that many of those who are screened and declared eligible for evacuation may not make it to the airport before our flights end.

Recommended Boris Johnson demands Taliban guarantee of safe passage for people fleeing Afghanistan after 31 August pullout of US troops

Describing himself as demoralised by the outcome of the emergency summit, Mr Ellwood  a military veteran who chairs the Commons defence committee  told The Independent: We see that the most powerful nations in the world cant even keep a single airport open.

History will decide whether this is a turning point for the wests ability to influence world affairs but at the moment this is a very dark day indeed  Terrorist groups will be buoyed by the defeat of a superpower, the migration crisis will be colossal and the humanitarian problems ahead will be very great indeed.

He added: I wouldnt say it was a personal failure for the prime minister, but there is certainly some soul-searching to be done by Britain about our relationship with the US and our not being able to prevent the decision-making in the White House, which was based on appeasing voters at home.

Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said: The prime minister has failed to persuade President Biden to agree to an extension to evacuation efforts and the painful reality is that people will be left behind  thats appalling and unconscionable. With 18 months to prepare for this, we are left with a desperate scramble, with heroic soldiers and diplomats on the ground trying to move mountains while the clock keeps ticking.

And Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: Boris Johnson has come out from this summit with nothing. Britain should stand tall in the world, but this prime minister falls short at every turn.

He has failed on the global stage once more, and the consequences could not be more devastating.

In their first press conference since seizing Kabul and the country, the Taliban pledged, among other things, that they will not seek revenge, those who wanted to leave the country could do so, and women would have equal rights under sharia law.

Since then, however, people have been arrested at home as well as at checkpoints on the way to the airport. Together with a number of killings, the ban on Afghan nationals going to the airport and an order for women to stay at home, it showed how quickly the Islamists are introducing draconian regulations.

What has unfolded has been shattering for those Afghans who had believed that the US and its allies would rescue them from Islamist repression. Benesh Allaiwal, a 28-year-old human rights activist now living in hiding, said: I am no longer surprised that the Taliban and the American president would both harm us so much in one day. I suppose something like this was always going to happen when Mr Biden announced he was going to take away the soldiers, which was a signal for the Taliban to attack.

The Americans and the Europeans encouraged women like me to become educated, to get a career, to express our views. These are the things which make me a target for the Taliban now.
Donald Trump, Joe Biden, former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani  these are just a few of the people who betrayed Afghanistan and doomed the country to Taliban rule, according to a scathing post-mortem of the war effort from a former top general in the Afghan military.

We were betrayed by politics and presidents, Sami Sadat, a three-star general who once commanded Afghanistans special forces, wrote in an opinion piece in The New York Times on Wednesday. This was not an Afghan war only; it was an international war, with many militaries involved. It would have been impossible for one army alone, ours, to take up the job and fight. This was a military defeat, but it emanated from political failure.

The fall of Afghanistan began long before the Taliban overran Kabul in recent weeks, according to the general. First, he wrote, there was the Trump administrations February 2020 peace agreement with the hardline group, which doomed the country because it set the terms for an American withdrawal without any concrete power sharing between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

That, according to Mr Sadat, put an expiration date on the US presence in the country, allowing the Taliban to lie in wait and retake the country once they left.

Next, the general argued, the Biden administration continued to go through with the Trump administrations general plan, pulling back troop levels as well as the thousands of military contractors essential to maintaining supplies for troops and technology like helicopters and drones that gave the Afghan army advantages over the Taliban.

It pains me to see Mr Biden and Western officials are blaming the Afghan Army for collapsing without mentioning the underlying reasons that happened, the general added in his article. Political divisions in Kabul and Washington strangled the army and limited our ability to do our jobs.

Joe Biden has defended his exit from the country, arguing the US could not fight its way to a stable Afghanistan.

 American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves, he said during remarks last week.

The Afghan army has suffered mightily during the war in Afghanistan, with about one fifth of its total fighting force, 66,000 people, dying over the last 20 years. That would be the equivalent of 260,000 American troops dying , given the relative sizes of the two military forces.

Finally, the top commander blamed former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani and his government for a culture of corruption that really is our national tragedy.

Mr Ghani fled the country as the Taliban approached Kabul, defending his decision as necessary to keep the peace.

If I had stayed, countless of my countrymen would be martyred and Kabul would face destruction, he wrote on social media.

He is now staying in the UAE on humanitarian grounds.
Malala Yousafzai has revealed that the skull bone fragment doctors removed after the Nobel Peace Prize winner was shot by a Taliban militant nine years ago still sits on her bookshelf as a reminder of the atrocity she survived.

The 24-year-old Pakistani activist wrote in a new blog post on Podium  released as the Taliban retakes control of Afghanistan  about how she is still receiving treatments related to the shooting when she was 15 years old.

She wrote: Two weeks ago, while US troops withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban gained control, I lay in a hospital bed in Boston, undergoing my sixth surgery, as doctors continued to repair the Talibans damage to my body.

She described the events that unfolded nine years ago when she was shot in the head by a Taliban militant.

In October 2012, a member of the Pakistani Taliban boarded my school bus and shot one bullet into my left temple. The bullet grazed my left eye, skull and brain  lacerating my facial nerve, shattering my eardrum and breaking my jaw joints, she wrote.

Yousafzai claimed that her life was saved because of the quick action taken by emergency surgeons in Peshawar, Pakistan. But soon my organs began to fail and I was airlifted to the capital city, Islamabad, she wrote. During this time, I was in an induced coma. I dont remember anything from the day of the shooting until the moment I woke up at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, UK. When I opened my eyes, I was relieved to realise I was alive.

In the post, she described her scars  both physical and emotional.

I touched my abdomen; it felt hard and stiff. I asked the nurse if there was a problem with my stomach, Malala recalls. She informed me that when the Pakistani surgeons removed part of my skull bone, they relocated it in my stomach and that, one day, I would have another surgery to put it back in my head.

However, UK doctors then decided to perform a cranioplasty by fitting a titanium plate in place of her skull bone to reduce the risk of infection.

They took the piece of my skull out of my stomach. Today it sits on my bookshelf, she revealed. The post includes an image of the mounted piece of bone.

Yousafzai said that she was waking up to go for her latest surgery on 9 August when she found out Kunduz had become the first major city to fall to the Taliban advance. The Islamist group would go on to enter Kabul on 15 August.

Malala was treated at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital after she was shot by the Taliban in Pakistan in 2012 (Getty Images)

In the following days, the Peace Prize winner wrote letters to different state heads, and womens right activists around the world, she said, trying to find safe places for people stranded in Afghanistan. But I know we cant save everyone, she wrote.

Nine years later, I am still recovering from just one bullet. The people of Afghanistan have taken millions of bullets over the last four decades, Malala added. My heart breaks for those whose names we will forget or never even know, whose cries for help will go unanswered.

The US has agreed a deal with the Taliban to withdraw all its remaining forces from Afghanistan by the 31 August. It and other foreign powers are racing to evacuate at many allied Afghans and their own citizens as they can before the deadline, after which the US has said it will give up control of Kabul International Airport.
Ramin Rahman rushed to the airport just as the Taliban was spreading out across Kabul. The 27-year-old Afghan journalist joined thousands of others who had done the same, fearful that they would be targeted by the militant group. They crowded onto the runway and waited for a way out.

It was total chaos in the airport. Everyone was so desperate, they were so scared, he told The Independent.

You could see women crying everywhere, men worried about their family. A lot of people were with kids and had no food for them, he added.

The Taliban moved closer to the airport. Mr Rahman could hear gunfire and shouting from behind the perimeter walls. There were false starts when he thought they would leave, and an agonising wait. After more than ten hours on the tarmac, Mr Rahman made it onto a plane packed with hundreds of others.

When they locked the doors there was no water. It was hard to breathe. It was the hardest moment. Everyone was so ready to leave and the plane was not leaving and no one was saying anything, he said.

The plane finally took off and flew more than four hours to Qatar, but the ordeal for Mr Rahman and the tens of thousands of Afghans who were spirited away from Kabul on emergency flights was close to the beginning than the end.

The US has overseen the evacuation of approximately 58,700 people from Kabul since 14 August, according to the White House, many of whom will now be processed at temporary holding facilities around the world.

Mr Rahman, a photographer by trade, has been waiting at a US military base in Qatar for more than a week. Information is scant  he was told he would be leaving on a flight to Germany, but it has not yet arrived. Many others are in the process of applying for visas, but the process has been facing backlogs in the thousands.

Life is hard here. They are doing their best, but people are facing difficulties  if you want to get food you need to stay in line for four hours, sometimes you dont get food because people are taking food two or three times, Mr Rahman said.

The weather is really hot and inside the rooms are really cold because the air is always on. For those who had nothing and just jumped on a plane to save their lives, its not an ideal life but they are happy. But for people like us who had a life back there, its really hard. For me, its really hard. I was not supposed to be here, I never imagined I would land here, he added.

A satellite image shows groups of people waiting on the tarmac at Kabul Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, 23 August 2021 (EPA-EFE)

Mr Rahmans account of difficult conditions at the camp has been corroborated by officials on the ground. The Al Udeid base has been described as a living hell  by US embassy officials in a leaked diplomatic cable, Axios reported.

"We are aware of and as concerned as anybody about what had been some terrible sanitation conditions at Qatar that were facilitated by the sheer numbers and the speed with which those numbers got there," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters during a news briefing Tuesday.

He added that conditions were improving now, but that additional locations were being sought to temporarily house the refugees as more are evacuated from Kabul.

While the US has overseen the evacuations from Kabul, not all of those who were rescued will go to the Qatar base. The UK is planning to set up offshore asylum centres in countries such as Pakistan and Turkey.

The US and its allies are in a race against time to evacuate their own citizens, as well as potentially tens of thousands of Afghans who worked alongside Nato forces, and who are now at risk of Taliban reprisals. Among them are interpreters, journalists, soldiers and embassy guards. Advocacy groups estimate there could be as many as 20,000 Afghan nationals who worked with the US, along with 53,000 of their family members, eligible for special immigrant visas.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday committed to a deadline of 31 August to complete the evacuation, and the Taliban has ruled out any extensions. US officials are reportedly concerned about the volatile security situation at the airport beyond that deadline.

A handout photo made available by the US Central Command Public Affairs shows service members prepare a warehouse with generators and air condition for evacuees at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, 22 August 2021. (EPA)

Speaking to G7 leaders on Tuesday, Mr Biden said there was "added risk" to keeping US troops in Afghanistan beyond the deadline, citing a threat from an Islamic State affiliate, the White House said.

The Biden administration has faced heavy criticism for the way it has handled the US withdrawal. Although the timeline was set into motion by his predecessor, Donald Trump, many US veterans and aid agencies have for months called for a greater sense of urgency from Washington over processing special visas for Afghans. Biden officials have blamed the Trump administration for delaying applications during his tenure.

Officials are now warning that not all those Afghans who want to leave will be able to. Mr Rahmans own family is still in Afghanistan.

My whole family except my wife is in Afghanistan. My parents, my brothers, my sister. I am worried about their safety and lives, he said.

An unknown number of Afghan interpreters are still in hiding, unable to pass through Taliban checkpoints to reach the airport.

Muhammad, a former interpreter for US forces for 13 years who spent two days at the airport with his wife and five children trying to flee, called the situation  disgrace in an interview with The Independent.

Special Immigrants from Afghanistan walk through the in-processing building after their evacuation at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, August 20, 2021. (via REUTERS)

He said he has conducted hundreds and hundreds of missions with the US military, only to be left stranded as they exit.

Mr Rahman has spent the last week contemplating his familys fate, and his own future.

I feel really sad and disappointed. I knew this was gonna happen if the US withdrew their soldiers from Afghanistan, but I was not expecting it this fast, he said.

What can I say? Its my country, Im really sad for my people, for whats happening.

He hasnt had a chance to make plans yet, but he does know that he wants to continue with his work.

The ideal scenario for me is that someone comes and takes me to Germany or somewhere. Just get me out of here first. The life I always imagined is that I become a professional photographer.

Honestly I dont know what is gonna happen next because I am in this base and they are not telling us anything. Im just waiting.
As many as 1,500 American citizens could still be in Afghanistan, the State Department has revealed, but the exact figure is still unknown.

With six days remaining until the US is due to withdraw all of its forces from the country, secretary of state Anthony Blinken said there were around 6,000 Americans who wanted to leave when evacuations began on 14 August. Since then, roughly 4,500 people have been evacuated. He added that the department was still trying to determine the precise number, and of that number, how many still wanted to leave.

The Biden administration has been under pressure to reveal how many American citizens are still in the country as the 31 August deadline for a complete US withdrawal approaches.

Mr Blinken said there were delays in attaining the numbers because some may no longer be in the country, some may have claimed to be Americans, but turned out not to be. Some may choose to stay.

We will continue to try to identify the status and plans of these people in the coming days, he added.

The Pentagon said earlier on Wednesday that more than 80,000 people have been evacuated since 14 August, including thousands of Afghans who worked with US forces during the 20-year conflict.

Mr Blinken said State Department officials have been working to safely process the evacuations of Americans who want to leave, and tracking down those who have been out of contact.

Over the past 24 hours we have been in direct contact with approximately 500 additional Americans and provided specific instructions on how to get to the airport safely, he said in a press conference.

For the remaining roughly 1,000 contacts we had, who may be Americans seeking to leave Afghanistan, we are aggressively reaching out to them multiple times a day, through multiple channels of communication  phone, email, text message  to determine whether they still want to leave and to get the most up to date information and instructions to them for how to do so, he added.

The massive US airlift from Kabuls international airport began when Taliban forces reached the capital on 14 August.

Joe Biden had committed to honouring a deal brokered by his predecessor, Donald Trump, to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of August. But the withdrawal was thrown into chaos when the Afghan army collapsed.
Britains decision to appoint a new ambassador to Myanmar in July has alarmed European allies who fear the move will result in a de facto recognition of the military regime that seized power on 1 February.

High-ranking diplomatic sources told The Independent that the UK has submitted credentials to the sanctioned junta, conceding to pressures from the Myanmar side to rewrite a request that had already been sent before the coup, when a civilian government was still in power.

The letter of credentials for an ambassador-designate is normally addressed from one head of state to another, bringing with it an implicit mutual recognition despite not being an official acknowledgement of any particular government. The self-appointed prime minister of Myanmar, General Min Aung Hlaing, is known for having a soft spot for flashy official ceremonies. To avoid taking this formal step and granting a possible photo opportunity to the commander-in-chief, other western embassies have decided to nominate a lower ranking charge daffaires  a formality to signal an unwillingness to deal with the junta, while continuing diplomatic activity with a head of mission.

Embassies which underwent a turnover of staff in the past months, such as Germany, Denmark and Finland, have all opted to nominate a charge daffaires and could not comprehend the decision of the UK to step up the recognition of the military so far, a senior diplomat in Yangon said. Other countries had been considering a similar move but there is now fear within the EU that the example set by Britain will push other countries to follow suit.

Myanmar had been under military rule for over 50 years prior to a partial shift towards democracy in 2015, with the first free elections in decades won by Nobel Peace Prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi. But six months ago the military returned, ousting the countrys elected leaders and quashing subsequent protests with violence, with victims including children and many of the generation Z that grew up under democratic rule. With the economy and health system on the verge of collapse, the country is now suffering a deadly wave of Covid-19.

The UK has publicly condemned the decision of the military to seize power and reject the overwhelming electoral victory in November 2020 of Suu Kyis National League for Democracy, whose civilian government had been in a strained power-sharing agreement with the generals since 2016.

Britain has put pressure on the junta at the UN Security Council, calling for meetings to discuss the situation in Myanmar and consistently condemning the actions of the military, which has killed over 1,000 people since the coup and arrested thousands, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an NGO based in Thailand.

Its latest decision comes just as a parallel National Unity Government (NUG), formed by the ousted lawmakers, is pushing to secure a place for its own ambassador at the United Nations. The parallel government was created through online meetings to challenge the military coup and support nationwide protests that highlighted the extent of the unpopularity of the junta. The current representative to the UN is Kyaw Moe Tun, who has expressed explicit support for the pro-democracy protests. Since then, two men have been arrested in the US for an alleged plot to kill him.

This is a crucial moment, the diplomat in Yangon told The Independent. In September it will be decided who will represent Myanmar at the UN and if the military wins, then it is the end for the NUG, theyll just become a clandestine movement.

We Europeans really dont understand why Britain went this far, he added.

A tweet by the new ambassador Pete Vowles announcing his appointment in July was followed by similar comments by Burmese citizens.

The people of Myanmar may be wondering who the new British ambassador to Myanmar will present his credentials to, if its the National Unity Government or the Myanmar military, a Twitter user posted in July.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office declined to comment on the issue when approached by The Independent.

Vowles took up his appointment in Myanmar this month, according to the Foreign Office. He was previously Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office director for Asia, Caribbean and Overseas Territories, and held earlier posts in Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and India.

In April, while the UK was requesting credentials, Myanmars ambassador to the UK, Kyaw Zwar Minn, was locked out of the embassy by pro-junta staff after expressing support for the protest movement, and then substituted by a new ambassador. The Foreign Office acknowledged the receipt of a communication by the junta announcing the appointment of a charge daffaires at the helm of the Myanmar embassy to the UK.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: The UK remains steadfast in its opposition to the coup and the brutal violence against innocent people.

We will continue to pursue justice for the Myanmar people and work with our international partners to push for a return to democracy.
 Close Extinction Rebellion descend on London for day two of protests

Extinction Rebellion protesters have descended on Oxford Circus, where they blocked traffic with a giant pink table, danced peacefully and heard speeches, as climate demonstrations in London continue.

Earlier, the environmental movement gathered outside the Brazilian embassy to protest deforestation and attacks on indigenous people on the third day of its Impossible Rebellion protests in the capital, due to last for two weeks.

XR is aiming to disrupt business as usual in London with its latest set of demonstrations as the climate crisis unfolds.

More than 100 people have been arrested since Sunday, the day before the start of the official action.
Blue whales have been returning to Spains Atlantic coast after a decades-long absence as whaling industries led the species to near extinction in the region.

A blue whale was spotted near Ons Island, off the coast of Pontevedra in Galicia, in 2017 by marine biologist Bruno Diaz, who runs The Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute in O Grove, Galicia.

In 2018, scientists spotted another near the Rias Baixas estuarine inlets, and another in 2019. And then in 2020, two whales returned to the region.

Just over a week ago, another blue whale was spotted off the Islas Cies, near O Grove.

The research institute been carrying out the Baleanatur research project that monitors the blue whales migration patterns and behaviour within the region, with an objective of gaining a greater understanding of blue whales and other threatened whale species and working towards conservation efforts.

Dr Diaz said it was unclear whether the return of the large mammals is due to the climate crisis, but suggested that it could be a factor, whilst proposing an alternative hypothesis, that the whales migration is driven by memory rather than environmental conditions.

It is true that the data we have points to this trend [climate change] but it is not enough yet, he told Publico news.

I believe the moratorium on whaling has been a key factor. In the 1970s, just before the ban was introduced, an entire generation of blue whales disappeared. Now, more than 40 years later, were seeing the return of the descendants of the few that survived.

For hundreds of years, Galicia was home to a whaling industry, and Spain did not ban the practice until 1986  20 years after the International Whaling Commission banned all blue whale hunting. By the time whaling stopped in Spain, blue whales were all but extinct in the region.

In recent years its been discovered that the blue whales migration is driven by memory, not environmental conditions, Dr Diaz said.

This year there hadnt been a notable increase in plankton, but here they are. Experiences are retained in the collective memory and drive the species to return, he added.

But others believe that climate is a major factor in the whales reappearance on the Galician coast, and say it is not a cause for celebration.

Alfredo Lopez, a marine biologist at a Galician NGO told newspaper La Voz de Galicia: Theres a high possibility that climate change is having a major impact on the blue whales habitat.

Firstly, because they never venture south of the equator, and if global warming pushes this line north, their habitat will be reduced.

And secondly, if it means the food they normally eat is disappearing, then what were seeing is dramatic and not something to celebrate.

Mr Lopez backed up his hypothesis drawing on recent beachings of whales in the Bay of Biscay. He said that a number of the whales that have become stranded on the beaches have been skeletal in nature.

If it were a single animal, he said, we could say that it was sick. But there are many. And they are starving.

The blue whale is the worlds largest mammal at 20-24 metres in length, weighing between 100 and 120 tons  the equivalent of about 16 elephants. The sea giants are estimated to live between 80 and 90 years, and feed mostly on krill and plankton.
Nigella Lawson has renamed a raspberry and Chardonnay dessert that was previously called S*** Red Raspberries in Chardonnay Jelly, as the connotation of the word s*** has became more cruel over the years, she has said.

The celebrity food writer replaced the offending word with ruby to describe the colour of the fruit, but said it is the same dessert of dreams. The recipe first appeared in her 2002 book, Forever Summer.

Lawson posted a link to the recipe on her Twitter account, which prompted fans to ask why she chose to rename the dessert.

One person asked: Wonderful recipe (as always!) but it makes me wonder what has happened to this country when we cant even call that recipe by its hilarious original name.

What has happened to our free speech, humour and a sense of fun? I love your turn of phrase Nigella!

Lawson replied: I feel that the word has taken on a coarser, more cruel connotation, and Im not happy with that.

Earlier this month, Lawson changed the name of another dish to remove the word s***. Her version of the Italian spaghetti dish, pasta alla puttanesca, was formerly known as S***s Spaghetti.

But on 10 August, she tweeted: New name; same gorgeous store-cupboard standby: Slatterns Spaghetti  aka Pasta alla Puttanesca - is Recipe Of The Day.

She explained in the description of the dish on her website: Although you will often see its Italian name explained as meaning w****s pasta in English, the general consensus seems to be, however, that this is the sort of dish cooked by slatterns who dont go to market to get their ingredients fresh, but are happy to use stuff out of cans and jars.

I recently had a Twitter conversation with one Jim Hewitt about the new name for this, and I gratefully end with this fabulous message of his: On those days when my mum couldnt be bothered to brush her hair and cooked dinner using whatever was in the cupboard she would say: Hush. Im slatterning! This is perfect for a slatterning day.
A Los Angeles fire captain is under investigation after he posted an online rant against vaccine mandates for first responders  repeatedly likening mandates to tyranny and appearing to make an imitation Nazi salute.

Capt Cristian Granucci, railing against city and union officials, urged other first responders to take the battle to them any way you can  and you assemble all the numbers that you can, as many people as you can.

Take the fight to them. We outnumber them.

Capt Granucci, who says in the video that he is a 31-year department veteran, did not explain why so many first responders were allegedly opposed to the vaccine itself. A mandate set to be enacted in October will require all Los Angeles city employees, including first responders, to either prove theyve been vaccinated or get tested twice a weekly. Failure to comply would lead to termination.

According to LAFD data, 54.26 per cent of sworn members are fully vaccinated and 61.6 per cent have received at least one dose, NPR reported.

This is not about politics ... this isnt even about vaccinated versus unvaccinated, said the captain, wearing an LAFD-branded hat and shirt. This is tyranny. This is about freedom of choice.

He continued: The vaccinations will come, and then after that it will be a booster and another booster and another booster  and when will this end? When will this tyranny stop?

Ill tell you where its gonna stop  its gonna stop right here, right now. And Im putting my administration and my union on blast. You had the opportunity to get in front of this and you didnt.

An LAFD spokeswoman told NPR that the department has launched an internal personnel investigation into the captain, who could face disciplinary action.

While we respect the individuals right to his opinion, he is not authorised to speak on behalf of the department, Cheryl Getuiza said. The individual is in uniform and appears to be on duty, thereby giving the impression that he is speaking in an official capacity.

The president of the firefighters Local 112 union, Freddy Escobar, told NPR in an email that it encouraged vaccination but we do not support any city policies that make it a condition of employment.

The majority of our firefighters have voluntarily been vaccinated and more are choosing to do so each week, he said.

In his video, Capt Granucci warned that he had hundreds of others supporting him and theyd hired a shark lawyer on retainer while considering a lawsuit.

And it wouldnt be the first such suit across the country as fire departments seem particularly opposed to vaccine mandates.

In Hawaii, a captain tearfully left the department this month over his refusal to get vaccinated  and approximately 1,200 first responders in the state have filed a class action suit in federal court in an attempt to block a mandate being brought in.

The issue has become so contentious in departments across the country that the International Association of Fire Fighters issued a press release last week saying it was continuing to closely monitor the rapidly evolving situation relating to Covid-19 vaccines and concerns regarding potential vaccine mandates, as well as fielding inquiries from IAFF members who are opposed to the vaccine for various reasons.

A spokesman for the IAFF on Wednesday declined to elaborate when contacted by The Independent.

According to last weeks release, the IAFF executive board position is that we strongly encourage all members to get vaccinated and to talk with their primary care or fire department physician regarding the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine, as well as to address any concerns.

The release continues: The IAFF continues to monitor the status of pending legislation; however, because some state and local governing bodies include exemptions for first responders and healthcare providers, we recommend that affiliates confer with their legal counsel.

The refusal of firefighters and first responders to comply with vaccine mandates in various cities  resulting in their termination  could cause a major predicament with short-staffed departments.

We are in discussions with the city because our highly skilled and experienced LAFD Firefighters and Paramedics team cannot be easily replaced  especially in a department that is already understaffed, Mr Escobar, the Los Angeles union official, told NPR.

The unexpected departure of even a small percentage of our workforce would have a devastating impact on public safety in Los Angeles.
Domestic homicides could rise as violent and controlling perpetrators lose control following the end of lockdown restrictions, policing bodies have warned.

In a first-of-its-kind study, the National Police Chiefs Council and the College of Policing said killings in the home remained an entrenched and enduring issue.

Researchers discovered there were 163 domestic homicides between 31 March 2020 and the end of March 2021.

This was only marginally higher than the previous years figure of 152  and in line with the 15-year average  suggesting the number of domestic killings stayed fairly stable during the Covid crisis, despite fears they would skyrocket.

Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, said: Any death from domestic abuse is a death too many. The number of families bereaved by domestic abuse is not changing, and it is critical that we learn from every single death in order to prevent future tragedies.

This report demonstrates the continued need for the life-saving work of frontline domestic abuse services. Services remain hugely stretched and have been herculean in their efforts to support victims throughout the pandemic, often on a shoestring. We must, and we can, do more to learn the lessons from these tragedies and prevent future deaths.

The research recommended that police and other agencies become prepared for an increased risk of domestic killings, particularly intimate partner homicide, as some abusers control was taken away by eased restrictions, and other abusers regain access to victims.

Ms Jacobs warned emergency funding the government gave to cash-strapped domestic abuse services had now largely ceased, but that demand for help was as high as ever.

The police research, the first carried out by the Domestic Homicide Project, also unearthed 38 suspected victim suicides involving people with a known history of domestic abuse.

Ms Jacobs added: The number of perpetrators of domestic abuse who are charged following their victims suicide is woefully small, and the 38 cases reported to the project are likely to be the tip of the iceberg.

I strongly welcome recommendations that would increase criminal investigations of perpetrators of domestic abuse where a victim has taken their life.

Recommended These are the names of all the women killed in the last year

She noted that although lockdowns compounded the risk to victims, Covid-19 restrictions did not create patterns of abuse by themselves. The greatest risk factor was a prior history of domestic abuse.

Researchers said domestic homicide was a gendered crime, with women at graver risk than men, who are more likely to be homicide suspects. About half of all suspects had previously been reported to the police for alleged abuse.

Meanwhile, 90 per cent of deaths took place in urban areas, and the most common cause of death was by a sharp instrument.

Between two and three women are murdered each week by their partners or ex-partners in England and Wales, while one in four women will suffer domestic abuse at some point during their lives.

Dr Lis Bates, the reports lead author, said: For too long, a relationship between domestic abuse and victim suicide has been suspected but not systematically documented.

This report shows for the first time that there are at least three apparent suicides every month with a history of domestic abuse, and these are only the cases where the history was known to police.

She added that domestic homicides remain far too high, with an average of 14 adults or children dying at the hands of a partner or family member each month.

Researchers discovered the pandemic was an escalator and intensifier of existing abuse in some cases, with victims less able to seek help because of lockdown rules.

The report also warned the pandemic had been weaponised by some domestic abusers as a new mechanism to exert control over their victims. The reports evidence also backs previous studies that have found coercive and controlling behaviour is linked with a higher risk of homicide.

Victoria Atkins, the minister for safeguarding, said the government was trying to give victims and survivors greater protection through its Domestic Abuse Act.

Anyone who requires help or support can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, which is open 24/7 365 days per year on 0808 2000 247 or via its website nationaldahelpline.org.uk
A fascist teenager attempted to make a 3D gun and drew up plans for a storage bunker as part of a far-right terror plot, a court has heard.

Matthew Cronjager, 18, is accused of preparing acts of terrorism and running a social media channel that encouraged attacks.

He denies the charges but on the first day of his trial on Tuesday, he admitted four separate offences of possessing information useful to a terrorist.

Prosecutor Alistair Richardson told the Old Bailey that Mr Cronjager held fascist beliefs and hated Jews, Muslims, non-white people and the LGBT+ community.

He wanted to bring about his own revolution, based on his own racist ideology, Mr Richardson told jurors.

To that end, he sought to produce a firearm using a 3D printer, he made plans for storage of firearms in preparation for his violent acts, and he provided instructions and funds to others in order to secure the manufacture of a firearm.

The court heard that Mr Cronjager was unknowingly communicating with an undercover police officer, and was arrested in December.

Mr Richardson said that examinations of the defendants iPhone, laptop and USB devices showed that he had been obtaining manuals to help him prepare and had downloaded a large volume of extreme right-wing propaganda.

Material found on his devices including the footage of the Christchurch mosque shootings, where Brenton Tarrant murdered 51 Muslim victims in March 2019.

Mr Cronjager also possessed material containing instructions to create improvised explosives, incendiary devices, homemade guns, ammunition and silencers.

The jury was shown a video downloaded in September 2019, which showed ammunition being loaded and had subtitles saying the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

Tributes to the victims of the Christchurch mosque shootings, who were filmed being shot by gunman Brenton Tarrant (Getty Images)

When its all said and done you will be asked what you did in this time of peril. Youll be able to rejoice that you did it for them, the future of our race, the subtitles continue. We will not sit idly by while we are dismantled and replaced.

Mr Richardson said the material found clearly demonstrated the defendants support for the extreme right-wing cause, and his commitment to violence to bring about his ideology.

In furtherance of his cause, he set up an online library where he and those of a like mind could store their propaganda and their terrorist manuals, he added.

The alleged library was a channel on the encrypted Telegram messaging application, which the court heard provided a service to others that enabled them to obtain terrorist documents and encouraged attacks.

Mr Cronjager, of Ingatestone in Essex, denies preparing acts of terrorism and disseminating terrorist publications. The trial continues.
A neo-Nazi teenager said he wanted to execute an Asian boy because he had sex with a white girl, a court has heard.

Matthew Cronjager, 18, is accused of preparing acts of terrorism by attempting to make a 3D-printed gun and drawing up plans for a storage bunker that could be used for attacks.

The Old Bailey was shown online messages where he told an undercover police officer he wanted to murder a former friend, who was Asian, and told him he was having sex with a white girl.

Ive found someone I want to execute, Mr Cronjager allegedly wrote. Hes a sand n*****r that f**ked a white girl. In fact I think three of them.

The court heard that the defendant discussed using a conventional shotgun, or manufacturing 3D-printed firearms for himself and the rest of the lads.

I want it to be a message, he allegedly wrote. Do you know whats weird, I was friends with him for ages and I can just kill him like that. I have no hang-ups about doing it. He crossed the line.

A prosecutor said that Mr Cronjager called people of different races having sex a violation of nature, and had also said: Were not supposed to mix race.

Alistair Richardson previously told the Old Bailey that Mr Cronjager held fascist beliefs and hated Jews, Muslims, non-white people and the LGBT+ community.

He wanted to bring about his own revolution, based on his own racist ideology, he told jurors.

To that end, he sought to produce a firearm using a 3D printer, he made plans for storage of firearms in preparation for his violent acts, and he provided instructions and funds to others in order to secure the manufacture of a firearm.

The defendant, of Ingatestone in Essex, denies preparing acts of terrorism and disseminating terrorist publications that encouraged attacks through a library on the encrypted Telegram app.

He has admitted four separate offences of possessing information useful to a terrorist.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. 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The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty UK news in pictures 5 August 2021 A protester places flowers on a photograph of an executed man during a demonstration organised by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to protest against the inauguration of Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 4 August 2021 England's Joe Root looks on as India's KL Rahul doesn't make it to a catch during day one of Cinch First Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham PA UK news in pictures 3 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny with their silver medals for the Women's Team Pursuit and Mens Team Sprint during the Track Cycling at the Izu Velodrome on the eleventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2021 Great Britains Charlotte Worthington competes during the Womens BMX Freestyle Final at the Tokyo Olympics PA UK news in pictures 1 August 2021 EPA UK news in pictures 31 July 2021 James Guy, Adam Peaty and Kathleen Dawson celebrate winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics AP UK news in pictures 30 July 2021 Great Britain's Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte celebrate their Gold and Silver medals respectively for the Cycling BMX Racing at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the seventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2021 Team GB's Mallory Franklin during the Womens Canoe Slalom Final on day six of the Tokyo Olympic Games. 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On Wednesday, the trial heard that police who searched his home after he was arrested in December found knuckle dusters, body armour and plans for a storage bunker.

Handwritten notes said the facility would be in a secluded area and masked with vegetation, and that inside there would be sections for keeping rifles, pistols and ammunition, as well as food, water and clothes.

Mr Cronjager initially told police that he was part of antifa and had been trying to sabotage the neo-Nazi groups he was part of online.

But the court heard that in later interviews he said he had joined far-right groups that would make change through violence and voiced their wishes on Telegram.

Mr Cronjager allegedly admitted setting up an online library of documents, including a manual for making explosives and improvised firearms, and becoming the UK leader of an online neo-Nazi group.

He told police that the international leader, based in Spain, was intending to bring genuine firearms to the UK and that they both believed committing acts of terror, like bombing bus stations, was justified action.

Mr Cronjager said that the bunker designs were for a gun arsenal that could be used to commit future terror attacks.

He [told police] he wanted far-right, fascist change, Mr Richardson said. Targets included powerful Jewish figures in banks and stuff, the classic far right targets of blame.

The defendant said he wanted to get rid of incorrect forms of lifestyle, including gay people, Muslims, that sort of thing.

The trial continues.
The Church of England has apologised for its role in the suicide of a former priest, who spent a year under investigation over unfounded rumours of child abuse.

Rev Alan Griffin killed himself in November and a coroners report into his death included stinging criticism of the Church for how it handled a safeguarding inquiry into what turned out to be untrue rumours.

The allegations Griffin used male prostitutes as well as his HIV-positive status, which stemmed from a retiring Church official passing on unsubstantiated gossip in a brain dump final meeting with colleagues, were even passed on to the Roman Catholic Church, where the priest had served after quitting the C of E in 2012.

The allegations against Father Griffin passed on to the Roman Catholic Church were supported by no complainant, no witness and no accuser ... And yet on this basis, Alan Griffin found himself to be under investigation for over a year, without ever having the allegations and their source plainly set out for him, the coroner Mary Hassell wrote in a prevention of future deaths report.

He killed himself because he could not cope with an investigation into his conduct, the detail of and the source for which he had never been told.

Fr Griffin did not abuse children. He did not have sex with young people under the age of 18. He did not visit prostitutes. He did not endanger the lives of others by having sex with people whilst an HIV risk.

Now, both the Diocese of London and Lambeth Palace, the archbishop of Canterburys office, have issued a statement responding to the criticisms from Ms Hassell.

Both bodies expressed their deep regret and sorrow at the death of Fr Alan Griffin and accepted there were poor processes or systems, or mistakes, that led to unreasonable pressures on Fr Alan and we take responsibility for what went wrong.

We accept that the concerns raised in respect of Fr Griffin were unsubstantiated, the Church said in its submission. We accept that good practice around evidence gathering, verification, and evaluation of information prior to action was lacking.

Almost all of the coroners specific condemnations are accepted by the Church, which includes in its response a detailed list of actions it is taking to correct its safeguarding processes and mitigate the risk of any future suicide by someone who is the subject of such concerns within the Church of England.

It also has launched a formal lessons learned review which will examine the case of Griffin in detail, has hired a new head of safeguarding who has 30 years of policing experience, and created a new case management system which includes assessing any risks to mental health for those under investigation.

The coroner also criticised what she saw as an effort by the Diocese of London to suppress criticism of its clergy for passing on the allegations about Griffin to their safeguarding officers.

In its initial submission to the inquest, a senior diocesan official urged Ms Hassell not to say anything in her report which might have the effect of stopping vicars and others from handing over safeguarding disclosures, however hazy or lacking in evidence, to the relevant team at the diocese.

The Church of England has been wrestling with a string of child abuse scandals over the past decade, many of which have exposed senior vicars and bishops being told about abusers and failing to report the allegations to the authorities.

Despite the coroners remarks, the Church has continued to insist its rules, which today order anyone who comes across a potential safeguarding issue to always pass it on without considering whether it is true or not, are essential to protect vulnerable people.

Although elements of our response to and handling of the concerns about Fr Griffin fell well short of good practice and need improvement, the principle of reporting, without investigation or filtering, of safeguarding concerns to qualified professionals, is one which is well established and one which we defend, the response stated.
The return of music festivals and schools will lead to a significant surge of coronavirus cases, a scientific adviser to the government has predicted.

Professor Ravindra Gupta, who is a member of advisory group Nervtag, told BBC Radio 4 that it was realistic to expect such gatherings to result in an uptick in Covid-19 cases.

His comments came after reports that more than a thousand attendees of Latitude Festival, a government pilot scheme for big events, tested positive after the event.

Meanwhile, more than 4,000 Covid-19 cases are thought to be connected to Boardmasters, a music festival held in Cornwall earlier this month.

Asked if a surge in cases is inevitable, Professor Gupta said: Of course there is going to be an associated surge in cases, given that the young people in these events are largely going to be unvaccinated. Thats just something that is predictable and will happen, despite best efforts.

We know that Delta is far more infectious, it ramps up very quickly. We know the lateral flow devices are not perfect. So we just have to be realistic and say that this is going to lead to a significant surge in infections.

Professor Gupta also noted that some of the governments large events pilots that returned no substantial outbreaks were carried out before the Delta variant took hold in the UK.

I think if you did a large event now, and did the same study, you may find something different because, of course, the Delta variant is dominant at the moment, he said.

Although coronavirus cases are rising across the majority of England, the current increase in cases has not yet been met with a similar increase in hospitalisations and deaths, likely because of the vaccination programme.

There is also typically a time lag between a rise in infections and hospitalisations because of how long it takes for a person to develop severe symptoms.

On 25 August, 35,847 lab-confirmed cases were recorded in the UK, as well as 149 further deaths.
OnlyFans forthcoming ban on sexually explicit content is the fault of banks such as Metro Bank and JPMorgan Chase, the online subscription services founder has claimed.

Tim Stokely told the Financial Times that the increasingly unfair actions of banks are to blame for the ban  and that he would otherwise absolutely support sex workers continued use of the service.

Onlyfans announced last week that pornographic content would be banned on the site from October, sparking backlash from the adult content creators whose use of the service is fundamental to its popularity.

Speaking to the FT, Mr Stokely, the companys chief executive, accused the UKs Metro Bank of disrupting the service by shutting down Onlyfans corporate account on short notice in 2019.

He also claimed that Bank of New York Mellon flagged or rejected money associated with Onlyfans and that JPMorgan Chase is particularly aggressive in closing accounts of sex workers.

The ban, then, was necessary to safeguard their funds and subscriptions from increasingly unfair actions by banks and media companies, Mr Stokely said, adding: we had no choice.

Initially, OnlyFans said that the move was the result of pressure from financial partners, prompting speculation that payment processors such as Visa and Mastercard were behind it.

The platfom later said in a statement addressed directly to sex workers that it was necessary to secure banking and payment services to support you.

Despite this, some of the content creators remained dissatisfied with the company and accused it of back-pedalling.

Questions also remain as to how OnlyFans will differentiate between sexually explicit content and non-sexual nudity, which will still be allowed.

The banks Mr Stokely accused of pushing the company into imposing the ban have been contacted for comment.
Two wind farm firms have admitted breaking health and safety laws which resulted in an employee freezing to death after becoming stranded in severe weather on a building site in Scotland.

Ronnie Alexander, 74, died at the Afton wind farm near New Cumnock, East Ayrshire in January 2018 after being left without heat or electricity in heavy snow.

His employer, Glasgow-based CSM Facilities and Belfast firm Farrans Construction, which was building the wind farm, admitted breaches that resulted in his death to Ayr Sheriff Court. Failings included a lack of a reliable source of heating and no adequate system of communication for staff to contact the emergency services.

A sentencing hearing will be held on 30 September.

Mr Alexanders widow, Mary, said that losing her husband was the hardest thing our family has experienced.

Describing him as loving, hard-working and kind-spirited, she added that Mr Alexander was still working in his 70s because he wanted to spoil his family.

"My husband died in January 2018 and November of that year would have been our 50th wedding anniversary, the 81-year-old said.

"To have lived through so much together and have him taken because his boss failed on basic, common sense procedures is just beyond us all.

On 21 January 2018, the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for snow. An alarm was raised after Mr Alexander failed to return home from a 12-hour shift.

Police Scotlands Mountain Rescue Team found him in deep snow at around 1am nearly a mile from his security cabin where the generator had failed and left him without heat or electricity. It is likely he left the cabin to reach another just over half-a-mile away.

Mr Alexander was airlifted to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary but died later that morning from hypothermia.

Farrans is a trading division of Northstone (NI) Limited. The company said in a statement: "Northstone accepts that on this occasion at Afton Windfarm we did not meet the high health and safety standards that we seek to achieve to protect our employees, customers, clients, subcontractors and communities.

"We deeply regret that this resulted in the death of Mr Ronald Alexander. Our thoughts and sincerest sympathies remain with his family and friends.

"We took immediate action on the Afton Windfarm project to prevent a re-occurrence.

"As part of our internal investigation and the subsequent findings of this investigation, we have reviewed and improved our risk control processes across the business."

A spokesperson for CSM said: "We are deeply saddened by this incident and would like to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt thoughts and condolences to Ronnie's family."
A young man who has lived in Britain since he was a child has described his terror of being deported to a country he hasnt lived in for 20 years, hours before his removal flight is due to leave the UK.

Bruce Mpofu, 29, who is facing deportation on the basis of a crime he committed in 2010, for which he spent 11 months in jail, told The Independent he did not know what would happen to him on arrival in Zimbabwe, a country he left aged nine.

His friends meanwhile shared fears he would take his own life, warning that, with no family or support network, he would struggle to cope.

Mr Mpofu, from Bradford, is one of dozens of Zimbabwean nationals whom the Home Office has rounded up in recent weeks and placed in immigration detention centres in order to forcibly remove them on a charter flight on Wednesday night.

The Independent revealed on Tuesday that men who were deported to Zimbabwe on a separate charter flight last month are now homeless on the streets of Harare and Bulawayo and living in fear of the authorities.

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Charities and unions, including the TUC, have called for the flight to be halted, describing the deportation system as a cruel double punishment that tears people away from their homes, families and communities and places them at risk of persecution, isolation and poverty.

Before this summer, no mass deportation flights had left for Zimbabwe for years, but it is believed the UK has agreed a deal with the countrys new government which enables removals of Zimbabwean nationals who have served prison sentences in the UK of more than 12 months.

He committed a crime when he was a kid. When he came out of prison, he changed his life around. He hasnt committed any offence since. Hes an absolute diamond. To say hes a threat is appalling Daniel Priestley, best friend

Ahead of the flight, which is due to leave at around 10pm on Wednesday, charity Detention Action launched a legal challenge over poor phone signal in two of the removal centres, which it says has meant deportees have had difficulties contacting their legal representatives a day before the flight. It is not yet known what the outcome of this legal action will be.

The Independent understands that a considerable number of deportees have had their removal directions cancelled in the days and hours leading up to the flight. However, Mr Mpofus legal argument was rejected.

Speaking to The Independent on Wednesday afternoon as immigration officers prepared to transport him and other Zimbabwean nationals from Brook House removal centre to Heathrow ahead of the flight, the 29-year-old said: Im feeling emotional, but Im trying to keep my head. Im terrified. I dont know whats going to happen.

Mr Mpofu, who is a keen rugby player and whose rugby club, in Wibsey, raised 3,430 to pay for his legal fees, said previously: Ive learnt from my mistake over 10 years ago. If Id been in and out of prison I might understand, but Ive changed. Its not fair for them to judge me on a mistake I made 10 years ago.

Mr Mpofu plays rugby for Wibsey Rigby Club (Facebook)

The Zimbabwean nationals best friend, Daniel Priestley, 28, who also lives in Wibsey, told The Independent he was heart-broken that Mr Mpofu was being deported, adding that he was worried he would take his own life due to the struggle he would face alone in Zimbabwe.

Mr Priestley, who works for Kirkleys Council, said: Hes like my brother. Weve got a really strong bond. Hes a Yorkshire lad through and through. If he goes over there, I think thats going to be it. I just know he wont live there. Hell do something to himself. Hes said this to me.

Responding to claims by Priti Patel that all deportees have a history of serious and persistent offending in the UK and are dangerous criminals, Mr Priestley said the idea that his friend could be described in this way was an absolute joke.

Mr Priestly said he and Mr Mpofu had been close friends for 10 years (Daniel Priestley)

He committed a crime when he was a kid. When he came out of prison, he changed his life around. He hasnt committed any offence since. Hes an absolute diamond. To say hes a threat is appalling, he added.

Hes brilliant, hed do anything to help you out. If you rang him up and asked for anything, hed be the first person knocking on your door with his big cheesy smile. Hes such a loveable lad. If you spoke to anyone in the village, they would say the same.

Bella Sankey, director of Detention Action, said the hallmarks of mass deportation flights were cruelty, incompetence and chaos.

She added: Phone masts down preventing vital access to justice, torture survivors trying to represent themselves, children facing a lifetime in care because parents are being ripped away.

A Home Office spokesperson said: Foreign criminals who abuse our hospitality should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them. Since January 2019 we have removed 7,985 foreign national offenders from the UK.

We only ever return those who we and, where applicable, the courts are satisfied do not need our protection and have no legal basis to remain in the UK.

All people in IRCs are provided with a mobile phone and have access to landline telephones on request, fax machines, email and video calling facilities which can be used to contact legal representatives. We check the signal regularly and no issues have been recorded.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
More than a third of Englands most deprived areas have been locked out of funding aimed at addressing inequality across the country, new research has revealed.

Boris Johnsons government is facing a legal battle over whether it has been funnelling money from its 4.8bn Levelling-Up Fund into Conservative-held areas to give it a political advantage.

The High Court will decide whether the fund unlawfully sent cash to areas considered to be of political benefit to the Tory Party following a challenge brought by the Good Law Project.

A new study by the Salvation Army shows 45 deprived communities  mostly in Englands coastal and rural areas  have been denied access to the precious funding.

The charity urged ministers to rethink how they calculate urgent need or risk leaving some of the countrys most deprived communities to spiral further into poverty.

The 4.8bn earmarked for levelling up is a bold move by the government  but we are worried that this investment is missing many key areas in serious decline, said Rebecca Keating, the Salvation Armys director of employment services.

She added: We want to encourage the government to listen to the communities who need their help. Look up from the spreadsheet and see what we are seeing on the ground.

There are too many areas of severe deprivation that have been overlooked. We must ensure investment reaches these people; its the only way to truly level up the country.

Although the government has prioritised 93 areas for levelling-up funding, the Salvation Army said there were 116 areas which met the criteria for acute deprivation and merited urgent investment.

The charity said the governments analysis did not look at labour market data into sufficient detail  meaning pockets of deprivation in otherwise affluent areas had not been prioritised.

The charity wants the government to boost accessible childcare to help more people access work and training opportunities by extending 30 hours per week of free childcare to 52 weeks.

It comes as minister prepares for High Court battle over an unusual funding formula that critics have accused of amounting to pork barrel politics.

Campaigners cited an investigation by the National Audit Office which found that the governments list of targets for the cash had been published without supporting information to explain why they had been chosen.

The Tory Partys 2019 manifesto promised Mr Johnsons government would set about levelling up every part of the UK in order to address regional wealth disparities.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said in response to the suit at the time: The 4.8bn Levelling Up Fund is open to all places in Great Britain and will play a vital role in helping to support and regenerate communities.

The published methodology makes clear the metrics used to identify places judged to be most in need. It would not be appropriate to comment on potential legal action.
In an unexpected result, Sharon Graham has won the election to become the next leader of Unite, one of the country's most powerful unions and the Labour Party's biggest source of funding.

Born and raised in London, Ms Graham, 51, replaces Len McCluskey as general secretary after beating his favoured candidate Steve Turner and Gerard Coyne, the candidate most sympathetic to Keir Starmer's leadership and who vowed to maintain funding to Labour.

Ms Graham is a leftwinger whose victory has been enthusiastically welcomed by Momentum, the hardline campaign group that backed the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.

And while Labour moderates and allies of Mr Starmer insist they are "relaxed" about the result, Ms Graham's leadership of Unite is likely to be less than straightforward for the current leader of the opposition.

Ms Graham, who has previously accused Mr Starmer of "failing workers", has said she is prepared to work with the Labour leader, but issued a stark warning to him in the same breath: there will be "no more blank cheques for the party.

Labour relies heavily on Unite for funding and has, according to the Daily Mirror, received 131,000 from the union between January and March this year alone, although those figures pale in comparison to the roughly 500,000 given to the party during Mr Corbyn's leadership from 2018-2020.

The 51-year-old has said that funding for the party will be conditional and based on results, which - apart from Batley and Spen - haven't been going well for Mr Starmer, although recent polls show the gap between Labour and the Conservatives is closing somewhat.

Throughout her campaign, Ms Graham, whose mother is Irish and whose father is from northeast England, has promised that her leadership will focus on Unite's members and pivot away from the rough and tumble of Westminster politics and Labour's internal disputes. But future events could well change that.

Her leadership comes at a time when Mr Starmer is being accused of jobs "hypocrisy" after it emerged that party staffers are facing redundancy and are being replaced by workers on insecure contracts as the party attempts to repair its battered finances.

Following confirmation of the result, outgoing general secretary Mr McCluskey congratulated Ms Graham, saying: "I thoroughly congratulate Sharon on her victory, which reaffirms her as the most formidable campaigning force in our movement.

"I have every faith that she will run our union in a manner true to its fighting-back spirit."

He added: "Sharon comes into office at a time of great uncertainty for our members and a challenging political environment. From assaults on workers' rights to the fear that the end of furlough will bring with it increased and needless unemployment, the in-tray is full."

Ms Graham, 51, was born and brought up in Hammersmith, west London, where she now has her family home.

Her mother is from County Limerick and her father is from Newcastle. They met when working in the hotel industry. She has two sisters and a brother.

Her mother is fond of saying she always knew Ms Graham would end up fighting for her rights because at the breakfast table in the battle for the cream from the milk, she almost always won against her siblings.

Ms Graham went to the local Hammersmith comprehensive and left school at 16 to work as a waitress.

She had her first experience of union work aged just 17 during an unofficial strike when she led her first successful walkout, about wages and working hours.

Ms Graham said: "I'll never forget that. I was 17. How I got away with it I don't know but I did. You can't persuade employers just by weight of argument. The restaurant owner ignored us for months but did a deal after the walkout."

After 20 years in Unite - firstly in the Transport and General Workers' Union before the merger to create Unite - Ms Graham became executive officer heading up its organising, or "leverage", department.

It has been described as the industrial action wing of Unite, and has been credited with 15 major victories using strategies and tactics that go well beyond the traditional approach of strike action.

In last year's "fire and rehire" dispute with British Airways, Ms Graham said she won concessions by using MPs to support motions against the airline's tactics and then going face to face with the executives of IAG - the parent owners of BA now - in their Europe HQ, to tell them they were about to lose landing slots at Heathrow.

Ms Graham is now leading a campaign against Amazon for union recognition after setting up a hotline for its workers.

She said: "These workers need a union to defend their rights."

Other campaigns she has led have covered illegal closures, victimisation of union leaders, and the preservation of national wage bargaining.

Colleagues say that under Ms Graham's leadership, one of the most sophisticated pay bargaining tools has been developed, giving local union officials company information to help with pay claims.

A monthly bulletin provides information about companies, prices and other economic variables which are vital to local bargaining.

Ms Graham said she has "simple beliefs" that trade unions exist to fight bad employers and the way to do that is to build the strength of the union at the workplace first.

She said: I have built Unite through the organising department, at the workplace, across industries, fighting bad bosses.

"It's time the whole union, the whole machine of the union, was dedicated to fighting for a better deal, better pay and conditions for all union members, at the workplace."

She has said the fight for jobs, pay and conditions is what it says "on the union tin".

Asked recently about Unite's involvement in the internal wrangles of the Labour Party, Ms Graham said: "As far as I know the Parliamentary Labour Party has never won a wage rise for a group of workers, never got a sacked shop steward reinstated, never led a strike.

"My priority is to build the union as never before and to make sure the government has to listen to the voice of ordinary workers. Besides, the mathematics are clear. There are 363 Tory MPs in the government and 199 Labour MPs in opposition. Why are we obsessing about the Labour Party? It's the government we need to shift."

Additional reporting by PA
A man charged with taking part in the 6 January US Capitol riots claimed his addiction to the internet led him to violate his release agreement.

Iowa-based Doug Jensen, 42, was released from prison in July on the condition that he stays away from the internet, including not having access to his familys internet-connected devices.

However, Mr Jensen's lawyer Christopher Davis wrote in a court filing on Sunday that the accused conceded he violated the terms of his release by accessing a video-sharing website that features misinformation about Covid-19 vaccinations and the 2020 presidential election.

Mr Davis equated Mr Jensens situation to that of a relapsed drug addict.

If a drug abuser relapses, there is typically a sanction protocol in place to help the person deal with substance abuse issues. Mr Jensen requests that this honourable court treat his violation in a similar matter, he said.

On 13 August, the Trump supporter was caught viewing videos on Rumble, a far-right video streaming platform, when pretrial services authorities showed up at his door, according to the prosecutors. An officer caught him in his garage streaming news from a far-right website through a wifi-enabled iPhone.

The prosecutors claimed that Mr Jensen, when confronted about the violation, provided his pretrial service officer with one excuse after another.

Jensen eventually admitted that in the previous week, he had spent two days watching Mike Lindells [founder and CEO of MyPillow] Cyber Symposium regarding the recount of the presidential election, the filing read.

Following the incident, US attorney Channing Phillips wrote in a court filing seeking Mr Jensens return to prison as his alleged disavowal of QAnon was just an act.

Mr Jensen, a follower of the QAnon conspiracy theory, was seen chasing Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman while wearing a shirt with Q emblazoned on it. He faces charges including civil disorder, assaulting, resisting or impeding a law enforcement officer.

During his release after spending six months in prison, Mr Jensen's attorney claimed he had renounced his previous beliefs in the QAnon conspiracy and promised he would abide by whatever terms the court set.

Mr Jensen had told the court that he had been duped by QAnon conspiracy theories, where he bought into a pack of lies.

Mr Jensen is likely to undergo a mental health evaluation scheduled for Friday.
People who were not vaccinated against Covid-19 were nearly five times as likely to be infected and 29 times more likely to be hospitalised than people who were inoculated from the disease, according to research from Los Angeles published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The evidence follows the release of several similar studies revealing the vaccines ability to significantly reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalisation and death, while underscoring the alarming impacts of infections and transmission among the unvaccinated as the more-contagious Delta variant becomes dominant.

Another report released from the CDC on Tuesday also illustrated the waning efficacy of vaccines against the surge in Delta infections, which US health officials signalled earlier this month following several weeks of climbing rates of severe illness that have overstressed health systems and warnings to Americans that vaccines remain the best defence to keep people out of hospitals.

Research from the US, Israel and the UK has shown a partial decline in vaccine efficacy against mild to moderate to severe infections, though it is unclear whether that decline has followed dropping levels of immunity, a rise in transmissions amid dropped restrictions and less-stringent health guidelines like wearing masks, or the Delta variants dominance, or a combination of all three factors.

In the latest CDC study, focusing on a cohort of frontline health workers, vaccine effectiveness was reduced to 66 per cent in recent months, compared to 91 per cent in months that preceded Deltas dominance.

Results from the Los Angeles study  reviewing infections from 1 May through July, when the Delta variant was predominant  are similar to those from recent studies indicating that Covid-19 vaccination protects against severe infections with increasing prevalence of the Delta variant, the report says.

Efforts to increase Covid-19 vaccination coverage, in coordination with other prevention strategies, are critical to preventing hospitalisations and deaths, according to the CDC.

White House health officials have pointed to a rise in vaccination efforts, now averaging roughly 450,000 shots per day, with 6 million shots within the last seven days, the highest seven-day total in more than a month, according to chief coronavirus adviser Jeff Zientz.

The way to end this pandemic is more vaccinations, he told reporters on 24 August.

Still, rates of infections and deaths from Covid-19 continue to climb, according to CDC director Rochelle Walensky.

Following rising rates of hospitalisations for coronavirus, the seven-day average of daily deaths from the disease is now 739, marking an increase of 23 per cent from the previous seven-day period, she said.

Dr Walensky told reporters on 18 August that officials are concerned that the current strong protection against severe infection, hospitalisation and death could decrease in the months ahead, especially among those who are at high risk or who were vaccinated earlier, which has prompted health officials to recommend booster shots for vaccinated Americans eight months after their second dose of the two-dose drugs from Moderna and Pfizer.

The overall purpose of vaccines is to keep us out of the hospital, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy added last week.

More than 171 million eligible Americans ages 12 and older are fully innoculated from Covid-19, according to CDC data as of 23 August.

Following Pfizers full approval order from the Food and Drug Administration on Monday, several large companies and institutions have issued requirements that employees be inoculated from the disease, which is likely to trigger more requirements in healthcare and other frontline work and elsewhere.

Requirements were issued for federal workers, service members through the US Department of Defence, healthcare workers at the departments of Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services. Universities across the US have also issued requirements for students and staff.

Drugstore chain CVS Health, which operates nearly 10,000 retail pharmacies, will require staff and nurses to be fully vaccinated by 31 October.

The Louisiana health system Ochsner, one of the largest employers in the state, also is requiring its employees to be vaccinated.

Unionised employees at Walt Disney World in Florida also must be vaccinated by 22 October.

Oil and gas giant Chevron also will require vaccines for workers travelling abroad, offshore rig workers and other personnel.

Recommended Final UK troops pulled out of Kabul

Businesses and institutions must step up and follow their lead, Mr Zientz said on Tuesday.

You have the power to protect your communities and end the pandemic through vaccination requirements, he added.
A man in a fake US Border Patrol uniform and car has been arrested in Arizona for attempting to smuggle migrants into the US, according to authorities.

The man and 10 other people, who are believed to be migrants he was smuggling into the country, were arrested by Homeland Security Investigations and Border Agents in Tucson, near the border with Mexico. It is not known where the migrants were originally coming from.

The car was painted to resemble a vehicle used by the Tucson division of the Border Patrol, according to John R Modlin, the Interim Chief Patrol Agent. The driver was reportedly wearing a fraudulent Border Patrol outfit.

No additional information about the driver or the others was released on 24 August. However, Mr Modlin shared a photograph of the car on his social media page.

He tweeted: This is not a Border Patrol vehicle. @HSIPhoenix and #BorderPatrol agents from #Tucson Station foiled a smuggling attempt using a cloned vehicle and a fake uniform. The driver and 10 migrants were taken into custody.

This incident comes after the states governor, Doug Ducey, condemned the federal response to US-Mexico border issues. In light of this, he renewed his policy of keeping National Guard officers at the border for an additional year.

The Biden-Harris administration has utterly failed to secure the border, he said in a statement about his decision. Its clear that this White House has neither the ability nor the desire to address the border disaster  a crisis of their own making.

The White House is dealing with one of the most serious situations at the border in over 20 years, due to a backlog of immigrants awaiting entry at the US-Mexico border due to Trump policies that Mr Biden has not removed, despite election promises to do so.

Mr Bidens government is facing a serious challenge at the border, according to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas at a press briefing on 13 August. Some 212,672 people were arrested by the US Customs and Border Protection in July, which was up from the previous month, according to CNN.
Newly released footage shows some of the last moments captured on camera of murdered newlyweds Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner, who were shot to death at a Utah campsite last week.

The footage, taken in Woodys Tavern in Moab, pictures the semi-regulars smiling, chatting and hanging out with friends. There has been local discord regarding when the women were last in the bar, with police initially claiming it was on 14 August. But Woodys owner publicly posted on Facebook that it was a night earlier  while railing against authorities.

The bodies of the women, aged 38 and 24, were discovered by a friend after theyd been missing several days  and after theyd allegedly told friends and family that a creepy man was camping near them in the La Sal mountains.

The FBI and state authorities have been called in to help locals with the investigation, which has left residents of Moab and surrounding areas in fear  and not entirely encouraged by law enforcement efforts so far.

In a Facebook post on 22 August, the owner of Woodys wrote that the bar had turned over footage to the police  but had found the process incredibly frustrating.

It didnt matter how many times we told the police they had the wrong day and therefore the wrong timeframe on their last days it did not matter, the owner posted. We provided the footage from when the women were actually in there and the day they keep saying they were to prove it was Friday not Saturday ... We dont care about the cameras or the footage what we care about is that while they are wasting time looking at video that is completely irrelevant to anything the killer is getting further and further away.

The post continued: Have you caught the killer? Do you have even a clue as to who did this? NO, you dont ... when two women were just murdered for no reason.

On the same day of the post, locals held a vigil for the murdered women, whod gotten happily married in April.

It was sombre, for sure, Maggie Keating, one of Kylens co-workers and a vigil attendee, told The Independent. It was nice. I think it was just a nice space for people to express themselves and express their thoughts and offer to hear from other people whose lives they touched ... I think were all probably feeling some of the same emotions.

Ms Keating, who had worked on a regular basis for two and a half years with Kylen, said of her late co-worker: She was one of our main cashiers, just there every morning, just the friendliest person you could ever imagine.

She was always the sweetest to every person she interacted with.
A man charged with threatening to detonate explosives from a truck parked outside the Library of Congress will return to court in September following psychiatric evaluations and a new medication regimen.

Floyd Ray Roseberry, who was charged with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction following his arrest after an hours-long standoff with US Capitol Police last week, returned to court on Wednesday for a mental competency hearing.

At his initial court appearance on 20 August to present him with the charges, Mr Roseberry told Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui that he had not had access to his blood pressure medication and mind medicine for several days and had difficulty understanding the proceedings and what day it is.

My memory isnt that well, sir, he said.

During a virtual mental competency hearing on 25 August, Dr Teresa Grant told the court that she believes Mr Roseberry requires further screening under her care while he his jailed in Washington DC; as he is in federal custody, he cannot be held in the districts St Elizabeths Hospital for mental health services.

Following a medication regimen and additional evaluations under her care, Mr Roseberry will complete his mental competency hearing next month.

He will return to court on 22 September.

Capitol Police arrested Mr Roseberry after he allegedly parked his truck near the Library of Congress and streamed an anti-government diatribe to thousands of viewers on Facebook, which has since removed the video and his profile from the platform.

In his livestream, which was also shared widely across other social media platforms, Mr Roseberry held a barrel in his lap while discussing a revolution and warning that other patriots had joined the cause.

Capitol Police reported that a bomb was not recovered from the truck but but possible bomb-making materials were collected after Mr Roseberrys arrest.

He reportedly told a Capitol Police officer at the scene that he had a bomb, and the officer noticed what appeared to be a detonator in the mans hand, according to a statement from Capitol Police.

On his livestream, Mr Roseberry indicated his truck contained explosives and issued a warning to President Joe Biden against shooting him to prevent sound-sensitive detonators from igniting them.

In an unsealed indictment, federal prosecutors point to threats reportedly made by Mr Roseberry on the livestream.

The f****** revolution starts today, Joe Biden, he said, according to prosecutors. And before you go crackin any pop on me, you better get your military experts out, ask them mother******* what a 7 pound keg of gun powder will do with 2.5 pound of tannerite on that mother*******.

He added: If you want to shoot me and take the chance of blowing up two-and-a-half city blocks, cause that tool box is full, ammonium nitrate is full.

Police recovered a rusted drum with one to two inches of an unknown powder in the bottom with a fabricated trigger attached to the top of the can, according to the indictment. The can has been sent to an FBI laboratory, according to prosecutors.

Mr Roseberrys Facebook account frequently referenced Donald Trump, including posts from the Million MAGA March on 14 November, which undermined the results of the 2020 presidential election and backed the former presidents baseless claims of election fraud.

During his livestream, he falsely claimed that Mr Biden had not been legitimately elected, echoing the persistent lie that the 2020 presidential elections was rigged against Mr Trump and his supporters.

He also claimed this aint about politics.

I dont care if Donald Trump ever become president again. Dont matter to me, he said. I think all you Democrats need to step down. You gotta understand the people dont want you there.
New Yorks first-ever woman governor Kathleen Hochul promised to usher in a new era of civility and consensus in state government following the exit of her predecessor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned after allegations of sexual harassment.

In a video address, Ms Hochul, who was sworn in on Tuesday, outlined her administrations top priorities for New York. It included combating the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, and efficiently sharing pandemic relief funds. She also vowed to foster a dramatic change in culture in Albany.

She said: Ive been in the trenches with local health leaders and officials battling the pandemic day after day after day. Your priorities are my priorities, and right now, that means fighting the Delta variant.

The former congresswoman was sworn in at the State Capitol at 10am in a ceremonial event that followed an official swearing-in at a private ceremony just after midnight.

Ms Hochul also said that she wanted New Yorks government to be focused, without distractions.

And that begins with a dramatic change in culture, accountability, and no tolerance for individuals who cross the line, she added.

Governor Hochul said that she will also be ordering an overhaul of New Yorks sexual harassment and ethics policies, starting with requiring that all training be done live, instead of allowing people to click their way through a class.

Ms Hochul, 62, vowed to focus on open, ethical governing that New Yorkers will trust.

The former New York governor had said that Ms Hochul will step up to the challenge.

Ms Hochul said that her immediate goal as the governor was to ensure a safe transition back to school next month. She said that she would direct the Health Department to create a statewide policy requiring universal masking for anyone entering our schools.

During her video address, she said: Today, for the first time in New York history, a woman will enter that arena as governor and added that she is willing to be bloodied and marred in the pursuit of doing whats right for the people of this great state.
A Michigan woman has become a millionaire after participating in the states lottery, open to all residents who have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Christine Duval, of Bloomfield Township, Michigan, won $2m (1.5m) in the Shot to Win Sweepstakes on Monday.

The states Protect Michigan Commission, which was created in January to educate the public about Covid vaccines and combat vaccine hesitancy, announced that Ms Duval had won the grand prize, as several young people were awarded college scholarships.

Ms Duval, who has lived in Michigan for 13 years with her husband and three children, was vaccinated in April. Upon winning, she said that the money would help us achieve all of our dreams, as she plans to use the funds to pay for her childrens college education and to renovate her home. She added that she plans to donate some of her winnings to support mental health care.

We are really lucky, and we want to give back to those in need, Ms Duval said.

The pandemic was tough on everyone and we believe the need for providing services that promote positive mental health care is more important now than ever. Its why well be donating some of our grand prize to improve mental health services in our community.

Its a cause very close to my heart, she added.

The lottery-style sweepstakes was set up to encourage more people in Michigan to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and included nearly $5m (3.6m) in cash and scholarship prizes. It was paid for using some of the states federal coronavirus relief dollars.

Adult Michigan residents who had received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine were eligible to enter the draw during the month of July, and were entered to win grand prizes of $2m or $1m. Those who received a first-dose vaccine during the month of July were also entered to win daily draws of $50,000. Vaccinated 12-17-year-olds were also encouraged to participate, with nine opportunities to win four-year college scholarships valued at $55,000 each.

The ultimate goal of the lottery was to reach the states target of 70 per cent of Michiganders receiving at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. While the state remains just shy of that goal, at 65 per cent, authorities say the sweepstakes were successful in ramping up vaccinations over the summer.

At a press conference on Monday, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer said: Thanks to the efforts of so many, and every Michigander who got their shot, the MI Shot to Win Sweepstakes has been a success.

Every public health expert will tell you the middle of the summer always shows lower vaccination rates than any other time of year  whether its for chickenpox, measles, or Covid-19. In June, for example, we saw our vaccinations declined week-over-week for that whole month. But the sweepstakes helped Michigan reverse that trend, she said.

In July, first dose vaccinations increased steadily, climbing from 28,770 in the first week of July to 41,150 in the last, with proportional increases of at least 5 per cent per week.

Were going to keep making efforts to reach people where they are, answer their questions and help people get their shots, Ms Whitmer said.

Our lottery was just one strategy we use to promote vaccinations. The work ahead is harder still, but we will get there.
The National Rifle Association has been mocked for cancelling its annual meeting because of Covid-19.

The gun rights group announced that it would not longer be holding its AGM because of a surge in the virus in the host state of Texas.

We make this difficult decision after analysing relevant data regarding Covid-19 in Harris County, Texas. We also consulted with medical professionals, local officials, major sponsors & exhibitors, and many NRA members before arriving at this decision, the group said in a statement.

The NRA Annual Meeting welcomes tens of thousands of people, and involves many events, meetings, and social gatherings.

The move came after a string of gun manufacturers told the organisation, which has been hit by a string of lawsuits and investigations, reportedly urged them to cancel.

And social media and gun violence prevention activists were quick to ridicule the NRA for its decision and point out its hypocrisy, as nearly 20,000 people were killed by guns in the US in 2020.

Sending thoughts and prayers, tweeted Harris County Judge Linda Hidalgo.

Weak trash. In my day, the NRA would insist the solution to widespread Covid deaths is to make sure everybody had a Covid of their own, wrote author Peter Sagal on Twitter.

And lawyer Bradley Moss tweeted: NRA cancels annual meeting over COVID spread in Texas. Rather surprising, as I assumed you could just shoot the virus to death. Or kick it with your boot while yelling Murica!

And gun violence prevention advocate Shannon Watts, wrote: The NRA claims to have analyzed data and consulted with local medical professionals and elected officials about the dangers of the pandemic in Texas, but completely ignored this exact process when it pushed permitless carry through the states legislature two months ago.

BREAKING: The NRA has canceled its 150th Annual Meeting, tweeted Kris Brown, president of gun violence prevention group Brady.

Theyre pretending its b/c of COVID-19 concerns. But lets be clear: the NRA has *never* put the health & safety of Americans over gun industry profits. The real reason? Most major gun companies dropped out.
ISLAMABAD  Pakistan on Wednesday reported 141 deaths from COVID-19, one of its highest tallies since May.

According to Pakistans National Command and Operations Center, more than 4,000 new coronavirus infections were also reported in the past 24 hours.

The surge comes amid widespread violations of social distancing and new rules regarding vaccinations.

Pakistan announced Tuesday vaccinations will be required of teachers, professors, school staff and students older than 17 and unvaccinated people will be barred from entering educational institutions starting Oct. 15.

Unvaccinated people also will not be allowed to use public transport or enter shopping malls from Oct. 15.

Pakistan, with a population of about 220 million, has reported more than 1,134,000 infections and 25,220 deaths in the pandemic.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 In visit to Hanoi Harris says US will provide Vietnam with 1 million vaccine doses

 Virus disrupts more Florida classrooms as governor's lawyers argue against mask mandates

 Flurry of employers requiring workers to get vaccinated after Pfizer got full FDA approval

 Japan to further expand virus emergency areas as cases surge

 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

SEOUL, South Korea  South Korea has reported 2,155 new coronavirus cases, nearly matching a record daily increase set earlier this month amid an alarming spread of infections.

With Wednesdays report, the country has tallied more than 1,000 new cases for 50 consecutive days, including a record 2,221 on Aug. 11.

The virus has shown no signs of slowing despite officials enforcing strong social distancing restrictions short of a lockdown in Seoul and other large population centers where private social gatherings are banned after 6 p.m.

The Health Ministry is concerned that transmissions could further increase during next months Chuseok holidays, the Korean version of Thanksgiving when millions of people travel across the country to meet relatives. It is considering measures to reduce travel during the period, such as limiting train occupancy.

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SYDNEY  Australias New South Wales state has recorded another new daily high of 919 coronavirus infections. It also has had two more deaths related to COVID-19.

New South Waless previous high for a 24-hour period was 830 infections reported Sunday.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said Wednesday that the health system in Australias most populous state is under pressure but is coping.

The COVID-19 death toll has reached 76 in New South Wales since the outbreak of the delta variant was first detected in Sydney on June 16.

Neighboring Victoria Australia second-most populous state, reported 45 new infections Wednesday.

Both states are locked down.

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JACKSON, Miss.  Mississippis top health official says he has received threats from people who are spreading lies accusing his family of receiving payments for him urging the public to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Mississippi has seen a rapid increase in cases since early July, driven by the highly contagious delta variant of the virus and the states low vaccination rate. State health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs has been imploring people for months to get vaccinated.

On Tuesday, Dobbs wrote on Twitter that he has gotten threatening phone calls from people repeating unfounded conspiracy theories involving him and his family.

Dobbs says one lie is that his son, who is also a physician, receives a World Bank-funded kickback whenever Dobbs urges people to get vaccinated. In Dobbs words: I get zero $ from promoting vaccination.

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MONTGOMERY, Ala.  A poison control hotline in Alabama is fielding increasing calls about possible poisoning with ivermectin poisoning, an animal de-wormer that doctors are warning people not to try as a home remedy for COVID-19.

The Alabama Poison Information Center at Childrens of Alabama has fielded 24 ivermectin exposure cases so far this year, of which 15 were related to COVID-19 prevention and treatment. It says there have been five other calls seeking information about ivermectin.

By comparison, the center had six total calls involving the de-wormer in 2019 and 12 in 2020.

Federal regulators have approved ivermectin to treat people and animals for some parasitic worms and for head lice and skin conditions, but the drug is not approved for COVID-19. The human and animal formulations are not the same, and doctors say it is dangerous for people to self-dose, particularly with the large quantities given to animals.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has excoriated Erik Prince , the billionaire US military contractor, for reports he is allegedly charging $6,500 per ticket for flights out of Afghanistan on a chartered plane.

I dont think any human being who has a heart and soul would support efforts to profit off of peoples agony and pain as theyre trying to depart a country and fearing for their lives, Ms Psaki said at Wednesdays White House press briefing.

Mr Prince is the founder of Blackwater, a military contractor that earned billions from the United States wars in Iraq and Afghanistan . Now, as the war in Afghanistan ends with an American defeat, The Wall Street Journal has reported Mr Prince is selling seats on chartered flights out of the country.

Tens of thousands of Afghans, Americans, and foreign nationals are currently evacuating the country as the authoritarian Taliban regime returns to power. President Biden has pledged to meet a 31 August deadline to remove almost all American troops, and despite pressure from other G7 leaders to allow more time for evacuations, the president shows no signs of budging.

Im determined to ensure that we complete our mission, Mr Biden said on Tuesday.

In the past 24 hours, the US and other countries have flown 19,200 people out of the international airport in Kabul, bringing the total number of evacuees so far to 82,300.

But many more, including hundreds of American citizens and tens of thousands of Afghans who qualify for special visas, remain in the country.

Mr Prince has allegedly offered a privileged few of those people a way out  for a steep price. According to The Wall Street Journal , the financier has advertised his flights at $6,500 a head, plus additional costs if the passenger needs help escaping their home and getting safely to the airport.

Journalists and other observers have condemned the effort.

After making millions of dollars off the Afghanistan war, Erik Prince is back at it, exploiting peoples desperation for cash, tweeted New York Times editor Maria Abi-Habib.

Erik Prince sees a crisis for his fellow Americans and allies, and the billionaire uses it to charge $6,500 per person for a plane seat out, activist Amy Siskind wrote . What a guy!

The Independent has reached out to Mr Prince via his current company for comment, but has not yet received a response.
Joe Biden joked about the evacuation with an NBC News reporter as thousands of Americans and Afghans still wait to escape the country.

The president, who has strongly defended his administrations response to the crisis, was asked by Peter Alexander what he would do if Americans are still in Afghanistan after the 31 August deadline to withdraw US troops.

And the smiling Commander-in-Chief told Alexander, Youll be the first person I call.

The question was shouted at Mr Biden as he attended a White House cybersecurity summit with business leaders, and the audio on the White House feed cut off as the president responded.

Mr Bidens press secretary Jen Psaki later defended Mr Bidens remark in her daily briefing with reporters, pointing out that he had given the country a string of updates on the situation in Kabul.

He has also highlighted the fact that we are closely watching closely following the threats from ISIS, she said.

But the presidents joke did not go down well with Republican lawmaker Mark Green of Tennessee, who told Fox News, It incenses me to no end.

Representative Green, an Afghanistan veteran, added: I was in the military, I live by that code now: leave no person behind.

The fact that they are so flippant about leaving Americans. I cant believe this. There is no excuse for pulling out because the Taliban says we have to be gone by 31 August.

Earlier, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that there were 1,500 Americans who had not yet been evacuated from Afghanistan.

He told reporters that 500 Americans are trying to leave the country, while the other 1,000 may want to stay behind.

There are also tens of thousands of Afghans who qualify for special immigration visas waiting to be put on flights out of the country.

Mr Blinken said that 4,500 Americans have been evacuated from Afghanistan since 14 August, and that the State Department has sent more than 20,000 emails and made 45,000 phone calls to identify and locate US citizens ahead of the withdrawal.

US officials say that over the past 24 hours the US military and allied planes have flown 19,200 people out of Kabul.

And as of Wednesday morning the US had removed a total of 82,300 people since the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban swept back into power.
 Close Biden vows to hunt down US enemies after suicide bombers kill US servicemen in Kabul

Following a suicide bombing at Kabul airport that left 13 American service members dead and 18 wounded, among dozens of others killed, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett extended condolences and deep sadness for the loss of American lives during a meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday.

After pledging to hunt down those responsible for the attack, the president was briefed by military officials on Friday on the likelihood of another terror attack and the maximum force protection measures underway at Hamid Karzai International Airport.

Military officials also updated the president and vice president on plans to develop Isis-K targets, according to statement from White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

The next few days of this mission will be the most dangerous period to date, the statement said.

Injured US service members have been transported to the US Armys Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

Isis-K, a sworn enemy of the Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Ms Psaki told reporters on Friday that the president has made clear that he does not want them to live on earth anymore.

A number of Republican lawmakers have called on the president to resign over the ongoing crisis. GOP House leader Kevin McCarthy said there will be day of reckoning.

Ms Psaki dismissed calls from GOP lawmakers, adding that the backdrop of their calls is the men and women of the US military deployed on the ground are bravely continuing to implement a mission to save lives on the ground.

Yesterday they lost 13 of their own and the president made absolutely clear that were going to hunt down, go after and kill the terrorists who are responsible, she said. Everyone should be supportive of that.

US military officials have stressed that the attack has not stopped evacuations, which will continue until the end of the month as planned. US forces have evacuated roughly 12,500 people over a 24-hour period into early Friday morning, according to the White House. Since the end of July, the US has relocated approximately 110,600 people, the White House said on Friday.

Follow live updates as they happenened
NBC News will air Lester Holts interview with the US Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt during a riot inside the halls of Congress on 6 January.

The interview will air on the networks NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt at 6.30pm EST on 26 August.

It marks the officers first public appearance, revealing his identity for the first time following the attack, which was fuelled by Donald Trumps baseless stolen election narrative to disrupt the certification of millions of Americans votes.

NBC announced that the interview will include the officer sharing his perspective on the events of that day, including the aftermath of the deadly insurrection and the threats he received.

Ms Babbitt, who was filmed in a crowd climbing through a broken window into a House chamber, was fatally shot.

An internal investigation reported that the officer will not be facing internal discipline after determining his actions were lawful and within Department policy, according to Capitol Police.

The US Attorneys Office in Washington DC has also declined to pursue charges.

Who shot Ashli Babbitt? has emerged as rallying cry and meme among some congressional Republicans, Donald Trump and his allies and on the far-right, which has downplayed the violence and narrative that inflamed the riot or deflected attention away from their liability, while lifting up Ms Babbitt as a martyr in their cultural and political cause.

In April, the US Department of Justice called her death a tragic loss of life but ruled that the officer fired in self-defence and in the defence of lawmakers and staffers who were evacuating the House chamber, as it was surrounded by a mob that called for the deaths of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, among others.

The former president  who has repeatedly mentioned Ms Babbitt  has said he spoke with her family, as they plan to submit a $10m wrongful death lawsuit against the officer who killed her. Terry Roberts, a lawyer for the family, said she was ambushed by the officer, who warned rioters to stand back.
Lawyer John Pierce, who is representing more than a dozen 6 January rioters, is reportedly on a ventilator in hospital with Covid-19 after saying that he would never get vaccinated.

Mr Pierce didnt appear at a hearing for Capitol riot suspect Shane Jenkins on Wednesday, instead sending a lawyer from his firm who is not barred in Washington, DC.

Mr Jenkins previous attorney, Public Defender Maria Jacob, started the hearing by saying that she suspected her client had replaced her with Mr Pierces firm. Mr Pierces colleague Ryan Marshall, a lawyer not barred in DC but who still handled Mr Pierces appearance in DC court the day before, confirmed this version of events, independent journalist Marcy Wheeler reported on her blog.

Mr Marshall added that the notice of appearance he believed to have been filed the previous evening had not yet appeared on the docket.

Judge Amit Mehta asked where Mr Pierce was.

Mr Pierce is in the hospital, we believe, with Covid-19, on a ventilator, non-responsive, Mr Marshall told the judge, who then scheduled a hearing for next Thursday.

According to Ms Wheeler, Mr Pierce now represents 18 accused 6 January rioters.

On 17 August, Mr Pierce tweeted: The entire 82nd Airborne couldnt make me get an experimental government vaccine stuck in my arm.

On 4 July, he wrote on the platform that an army vaccine mandate was a final-phase designed-purge of Patriotic Americans from the Army. Prepare for anything and everything at this point. This goes deeper than anything I thought even a few months ago. No one should be taking any of these vaccines, least of all the military.

On 23 March, he tweeted: I personally think anyone who trusts the government to shoot some vague, unknown 'vaccine' in their arm for a virus with origin of a CCP biological weapons lab is taking a very big risk.

The Daily Beastreported earlier this month that Mr Pierce had turned himself into a lawyer representing clients whose alleged offences had caught the conservative zeitgeist as he faces increasing financial difficulties.

Previously a civil attorney, he was fired from representing Kenosha, Wisconsin shooting suspect Kyle Rittenhouse because of a financial disagreement, but now represents more clients accused of crimes in relation to the 6 January riot than any other attorney.

We are going to take every one of these cases to trial, we are going to seek full acquittals, and in that process, we are going to find out what actually happened on January 6, Mr Pierce said at a rally in June.

He said during a Capitol riot hearing that he intended to use the public authority defence, pitching an argument that the government, in this case, then-President Donald Trump, had legally greenlit their crimes.

Hes not a defence attorney, and therefore hes not an especially good defence attorney and it would take a tremendously good defence attorney to make a good public authority defence, Ms Wheeler told The Daily Beast.Thats why nobody else is trying it.
Far-right Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is embroiled in yet another social media furore over a tweet in which she insisted Islam is not a religion of peace.

The GOP congresswoman, who has previously been sanctioned by the House of Representatives over her long history of racist, incendiary and sometimes violent statements, offered her thoughts on the implications of the withdrawal from Afghanistan in an typically unambiguous post.

Pray for American missionaries in Afghanistan, she tweeted. There are reports that some families may have been killed. Islam is not a religion of peace.

While many of Ms Greenes supporters and ideological fellow travellers backed up her claims, many on the other side were enraged and disturbed.

Every time you think she cant say something worse, she does, wrote one user. One hit back by drawing a parallel between conservative Christians and conservative Muslims, while another pointed out: Yea, the Taliban totally represents all of Islam. Thats why there are Muslims hanging off of planes trying to escape their rule.

It is unlikely Ms Greene will face any formal consequences for her tweet, whether from Twitter or in Congress. She has repeatedly indulged in racist conspiracy theories and violent rhetoric directed not just at Muslims but at Jews, as well as her myriad political opponents, but she remains in office.

Ms Greene has been leading calls for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and everyone involved to resign over the withdrawal from Afghanistan, even introducing articles of impeachment. Paradoxically, removing the president and vice president would elevate the congresswomans sworn enemy Nancy Pelosi to the Oval Office.

Ms Greene also recently had her Twitter account locked for a week for disseminating disinformation about Covid-19 and vaccines designed to fight it, in particular a post in which she falsely claimed the vaccines are failing.

Inaccurate broadsides against public health measures have become part of her stock-in-trade since she was elected, and she has more than once laced them with threatening anti-government rhetoric.

In a recent appearance in Alabama, a state whose low vaccination rate has contributed to a spike in cases and hospitalisations, she suggested that if her audience were visited by government door-knockers promoting the vaccine, they should frighten them away with guns.
Democrats in the House of Representatives have passed a bill, named in honour of late civil rights leader and congressman John Lewis, to revive and strengthen the 1965 Voting Rights Act against racially discriminatory voting laws after a pair of US Supreme Court rulings undermined key elements of the landmark civil rights law.

HR 4, known as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act  in tandem with the For The People Act, a sweeping elections and campaign finance reform proposal  follows years-long attempts among Republican lawmakers to restrict ballot access, consolidate power and dilute votes from largely Black and brown communities.

It also recognises a growingly conservative judiciary and a Supreme Court that has repeatedly stripped vital constitutional protections on voting rights  leading up to once-a-decade redistricting sessions that for the first time in decades will be drawing up congressional and local election districts without those guardrails.

The bill targets how the courts determine rules for deciding election cases that involve discrimination, and would restore and rebuild parts of the Voting Rights Act that provide some of the most powerful enforcement arms against voter suppression.

It passed the House along party lines, 219 to 212, on 24 August. No Republican voted in favour.

Mr Lewis  whose skull was crushed by police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama during 1965s Selma-to-Montgomery marches  was instrumental to the passage of the Voting Rights Act, which aims to enforce voting rights guaranteed by the 14th and 15th Amendments with broad protections against racially discriminatory election laws and procedures.

He was arrested at least 45 times in defence of the rights he sought to protect and would return to the Edmund Pettus Bridge throughout his life to recognise the anniversary of the Selma crossing. He died on 17 July, 2020.

The law was amended five times since its passage, but the latest version  with every House Democrat signing on as its co-sponsor  faced near-universal opposition from congressional Republicans, who have dismissed claims of nationwide voter suppression attempts while endorsing efforts to roll back ballot access.

Democrats passed a version of the John Lewis bill in 2019, but it languished under a then GOP-controlled Senate. The current version will likely meet a similar fate in the Senate unless Democrats can overcome a filibuster.

As John Lewis would say, when you hear something or see something that is not right, that is not just, that is not fair, we have a moral obligation to do something about it, said US Rep Terri Sewell, whose district encompasses Selma.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called contemporary GOP attempts to undermine the right to vote a brazen and partisan campaign to deny Americans the ballot.

This campaign is anti-democratic, it is dangerous and it demands action, she said.

The Supreme Courts 2013 ruling in Shelby v Holder struck out federal preclearance guidelines that required federal approval from states with histories of racial discrimination at the polls before implementing new elections laws.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote against preclearance provisions for the courts 5-4 opinion, arguing that things have changed dramatically following the Voting Rights Acts passage, and suggesting that discriminatory laws were a thing of the past.

But the court also invited Congress to update the formula for how to review discrimination, one that should be grounded in current conditions and target jurisdictions where discriminatory election laws and their impacts are pervasive.

In the biggest proposal under the bill named for Mr Lewis, Congress would do exactly that  a new rolling coverage formula would continuously move to keep up with current conditions.

The Supreme Court said that if Congress wants some states to fall under preclearance, but not others, it must identify those jurisdictions to be singled out on a basis that makes sense in light of current conditions.

Under the John Lewis Act, preclearance would fall on states with 15 or more voting rights violations within the previous 25 years, or that have committed 10 violations if at least one of which was committed by the state itself.

States that have repeated and persistent violations will be covered for a period of 10 years, but if they establish a clean record moving forward, they can come out of coverage, according to a bill summary.

After passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the US Department of Justice rejected more than 1,000 proposed changes to voting laws to prevent discriminatory outcomes.

But after the high courts ruling in 2013, states closed hundreds of polling places, disproportionately targeting areas with voters of colour, while GOP lawmakers filed scores of restrictive voting laws  culminating in a massive, right-wing lobby-backed campaign to roll back ballot access and consolidate power.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, who has vowed to challenge new restrictive voting laws, wrote in The Washington Post that the Justice Department has been unable to stop discriminatory practices before they occur without federal protections that have been gutted by the Supreme Court. Instead, the department is left with costly, time-consuming tools that have many of the shortcomings that plagued federal law prior to 1965.

Within the first few months of 2021, GOP lawmakers  emboldened by former president Donald Trumps persistent lie that the results of the election were stolen or manipulated  filed nearly 400 bills in nearly every state to roll back voting by mail, impose strict voter ID requirements, cut back on early voting hours and criminalise handing out food and water in long lines at polling places, among other measures.

By mid-July, at least 18 states enacted 30 new laws that restrict access to the ballot, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law.

A parallel effort from GOP lawmakers has seen more than 200 bills in 41 states that would give themselves more authority over the electoral process, according to the States United Democracy Center.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court dealt a crucial blow to the Voting Rights Acts Section 2, which prohibits election laws that deny or abridge the right to vote based on race, which Congress has defined as policies that are either intentionally discriminatory or have had discriminatory outcomes.

The Justice Department and civil rights groups have relied on Section 2 to challenge discriminatory laws using the so-called results test. The agency recently sued Georgia for violating Section 2 over the states latest elections laws.

But in July, the Supreme Courts ruling in Brnovich v Democratic National Committee upheld a pair of Arizona laws that critics argued have disproportionately hurt minority voters, with a majority decision that also made up its own new guideposts that voting rights advocates have argued will make it more difficult to challenge discrimination in court.

Justice Elena Kagan criticised the majority opinion for issuing its own set of rules, limiting Section 2 from multiple directions.

The John Lewis-named legislation takes aim at the Brnovich ruling by prohibiting courts from relying on those elevated standards in reviewing Voting Rights Act cases, an apparent effort to roll back the Supreme Courts guideposts that could set a precedent in fighting future discrimination.

The bill also instructs courts to consider other discriminatory factors when hearing such cases, including the history of discrimination in the state and the impacts of racism across impacted jurisdictions, from education and employment to health disparities.

Following a wave of election litigation dismissed by the courts in 2020 and the high courts reliance on the so-called shadow docket that has pushed through emergency applications in election cases, the John Lewis bill also undercuts the courts, arguing that they must give substantial weight to the concerns of voters, and that proximity of the action to an election shall not be a valid reason to reject voting rights cases.
Meghan McCain took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday after the latter lay flowers for her late father, Senator John McCain, at a memorial for him in Hanoi, Vietnam, marking the location where he was shot down during the Vietnam War.

The conservative talk show host, who left The View earlier this year, told Ms Harris in a tweet on Thursday that the way to honour her fathers passing would be to ensure that every single American and Afghan who aided US forces during the nearly 20-year occupation were safe from the Taliban.

If you want to honor my dads legacy on this anniversary of his death  you would spend every second making sure every single American and Afghan ally is out of harms way, tweeted Ms McCain.

He was nothing if not someone who understood sacrifice and loyalty to the people he served with, she added.

Her remark, which did not specifically mention Ms Harris, nevertheless came just hours after Ms Harris was seen in videos laying flowers on the ground at the memorial in a pounding rainstorm while an aide held an umbrella overhead.

If you want to honor my dads legacy on this anniversary of his death - you would spend every second making sure every single American and Afghan ally is out of harms way.



He was nothing if not someone who understood sacrifice and loyalty to the people he served with.  Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) August 25, 2021

As Washington has devolved into a polarised, partisan battleground over the past two presidencies (at least), Mr McCain emerged as a maverick who would often buck his own party to vote for compromise legislation, most notably in 2017 when he famously ended GOP hopes to repeal the Affordable Care Act alongside Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins.

His and former President Donald Trumps mutual animosity also led to his wife, Cindy McCain, endorsing President Joe Biden in his bid to unseat Mr Trump last year.

At the site of the monument commemorating Mr McCains capture during the war, which led to his imprisonment for five and a half years, Ms Harris offered praise for the Republican senator.

"He was an extraordinary American. A hero, Ms Harris said. He loved our country. He was so courageous and really lived the life of a hero, the sacrifices that he made that were on every scale imaginable ... and he always fought for the best of who we are."

.@VP Harris lays flowers at Hanoi memorial where John McCains plane was shot down.



"He was an extraordinary American. A hero...he loved our country. He was so courageous and really lived the life of a hero...always fought for the best of who we are." pic.twitter.com/9KgZJ9GWCm  CSPAN (@cspan) August 25, 2021

For the past week and a half, the Biden administration has been the target of criticism from many over his handling of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, and from Mr McCains wing of the Republican Party in particular for withdrawing US troops at all, a position that is at odds with the majority of the US public according to most recent polling.

The president faces underwater approval ratings on the issue as descriptions and images of the evacuations have caused many to question why flights out of the country did not begin weeks earlier, before the capital was in the hands of the Taliban.

The US has also faced questions over why the White House was taken by surprise regarding the speed of the Talibans takeover, as evidenced by Mr Biden saying one month ago that US intelligence had not indicated that it was likely Kabul would fall within weeks.

Thousands of Afghan citizens are still waiting in and around Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul hoping for a seat on a flight out of the country, while the Taliban has urged Afghan nationals to stay and in some cases attempted to prevent some from reaching the airport.
Federal prosecutors in Mexico said Wednesday that an opposition politician who fled the country over the weekend allegedly took a $525,000 bribe.

The Attorney Generals Office outlined the accusation that led it to try to obtain an arrest warrant fort former presidential candidate Ricardo Anaya.

Anaya ran for the conservative National Action Party in the 2018 presidential election, which was won by Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and he has been contemplating a second bid. Anaya says he is the victim of political persecution.

Prosecutors said evidence indicates the former head of the state-owned oil company, Emilio Lozoya, had received bribe money from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Lozoya has told prosecutors he gave $525,000 to Anaya, then a legislator, in 2014 to vote in favor of an energy reform bill that opened the industry to the private sector.

Anaya said in a video posted on social media over the weekend that he was leaving Mexico. He did not say where he was going, but said he feared being jailed for 30 years on the charges.

In the era of autocrats like Lopez Obrador, exile is the only alternative to continue fighting, Anaya said. Allowing yourself to be jailed by an autocrat often means losing the battle.

Anaya had been criticized in the past for his long sojourns in the United States He had recently been touring Mexico in an apparent bid to ignite another run for the presidency in 2024.

Lopez Obrador denied Monday that the government is persecuting Anaya, but has never liked him much. The two sparred angrily in debates for the 2018 election, with Lopez Obrador dubbing Anaya with a nickname that means little rich kid.

The president said accusations that the charges are a political vendetta are a lie, a falsehood.

However, many Mexicans have expressed concern that Lozoya, the ex-official who has accused Anaya and others of accepting bribes, has himself been allowed to stay out of prison for alleged corruption because he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Some fear Lozoya, the former head of Petroleos Mexicanos, may avoid prosecution in exchange for smearing the presidents opponents.

Lozoya has acknowledged bribery, but said he was ordered to commit the offenses during the 2012-2018 administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto.

On Wednesday, Anaya posted another video, claiming that Lopez Obrador is using Lozoya to attack him.

The accusations against me are your invention, put in the mouth of Lozoya, Anaya said, referring to the president.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized Democratic Rep Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Republican Rep Peter Meijer of Michigan for visiting Afghanistan.

Ms Pelosi criticized the two members, both veterans, for visiting the airport in Kabul.

It was not in my view a good idea, the speaker said in her weekly news conference on Wednesday.

Ms Pelosi said she learned about the visit shortly before the trip was made public but didnt want to make it public because it would be dangerous for Mr Moulton and Mr Meijer.

But the speaker said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken have expressed concern about members being in the region because of the risk that they faced and the resources it would require.

Its not just about them going to Afghanistan, but them going to the region because theres a call on our resources diplomatically, military and the rest in the region as well, she said. So this is deadly serious. We do not want members to go.

Shortly after the visit was announced, Ms Pelosi sent a letter telling members not to visit Afghanistan or the region, since it would divert resources from the efforts to evacuate as many people as possible.

Given the urgency of this situation, the desire of some Members to travel to Afghanistan and the surrounding areas is understandable and reflective of the high priority that we place on the lives of those on the ground, Ms Pelosi wrote in the letter. However, I write to reiterate that the Departments of Defense and State have requested that Members not travel to Afghanistan and the region during this time of danger. Ensuring the safe and timely evacuation of individuals at risk requires the full focus and attention of the U.S. military and diplomatic teams on the ground in Afghanistan.

Mr Moulton and Mr Meijer both have histories of bucking their party leadership. Mr Moulton had previously tried to oust Ms Pelosi as Speaker, though in the most recent Congress, he supporter for speaker. Mr Meijer for his part was one of only a handful of Republicans who voted to impeach former president Donald Trump earlier this year.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby has criticised US congressmen Seth Moulton and Peter Meijer for their surprise trip to Afghanistan, saying it diverted resources.

Mr Kirby said that the Department of Defense was not aware of the visit by Mr Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Mr Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, before it happened.

We were not aware of this visit and we are obviously not encouraging VIP visits to a very tense dangerous and dynamic situation, he said.

Mr Kirby added he thought Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin would have appreciated an opportunity to speak with the congressmen before the visit.

To say there wasnt a need to flex and to alter the days flow, including the need to have protection for these members of Congress, that wouldnt be a genuine thing for me to assert, he said.

They certainly took time away from what we had been planning to do that day.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi similarly criticized the two members, both of whom are veterans.

Its not just about them going to Afghanistan, but them going to the region because theres a call on our resources diplomatically, military and the rest in the region as well, she told reporters during her weekly news conference on Wednesday.

So this is deadly serious. We do not want members to go.

Accordingly, Ms Pelosi sent a letter to her colleagues telling them not to go to the region.
Poland's government said Tuesday that it sent tents, blankets, power generators and other items to help a group of refugees and migrants who have been stuck at the country's border with Belarus for more than two weeks.

Polish officials insisted the group of some 30 migrants from Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere remain on Belarusian territory. They said an aid transport the government sent was waiting at the border for permission to enter Belarus.

Poland and the Baltic states that also border Belarus have accused the government in Minsk of encouraging migrants to cross into their countries as retaliation for the European Union imposing sanctions on Belarusian officials.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki planned to visit border guards in the area later Tuesday.

Opposition politicians and humanitarian organization have criticized Poland's right-wing government for not helping the stranded migrants who were sleeping in the open.

The U.N.'s refugee agency has appealed to Poland to let the group in and to provide medical and legal assistance.

Poland has barred the group from crossing its border, which forms part of the EUs external border, alleging that Belarus' government is trying to destabilize Poland and the EU in response to the sanctions. The EU sanctioned Belarus over the government's crackdown on dissent following the disputed reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko in Aug. 2020.

If we accept this group, the next moment we will have not 10 or 20...but 1,000, 2,000 and 10,000. Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said.

We must not forget that this is an element of hybrid activity, intentionally directed at Poland, somewhat in the spirit of revenge for our assistance to the civic society in Belarus, Przydacz said.

Poland previously allowed in a group of dissidents who fled Belarus.
A member of the far-right Proud Boys street gang is pleading with authorities to release him from jail on health grounds.

Christopher Worrell has been held since April on charges of pepper spraying a police officer during the 6 January riot at the US Capitol. But authorities have twice denied his petitions for pretrial release, arguing his claims that hes not getting cancer treatment for his are misleading.

"I have another court hearing coming up soon, and were hoping the courts are going to see, but, you know, theyre just, theyre mistreating me," the 49-year-old said in a jailhouse phone interview with Newsmax host Greg Kelly on Tuesday. "They promised me treatment way back in April, and yet here I am, still 166 days later with no treatment, so thats our plan and our hope that the courts have a little bit of compassion, let me go home to get some medical urgent medical treatment that I need."

Mr Worrell, who was arrested in March in his East Naples, Florida, home, has non-Hodgkins lymphoma cancer, and claims he hasnt gotten proper treatment in jail. He also contracted Covid while in detention, and claims that the cancer leaves him immunocompromised and at higher risk of health problems.

"Given the pandemic and acute danger to Mr Worrell, his continued detention amounts to impermissible pretrial punishment," his attorney, Allen Orenberg, wrote earlier this year. "The Governments interest in securing his appearance at trial does not outweigh his liberty interest in remaining alive and free from harm."

Mr Worrell has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, telling Mr Kelly they were completely false and fabricated.

But courts have twice denied the Proud Boys requests to be released, citing the fact that he didnt wear a mask to the riot itself, as well as noting that he has received cancer treatment while behind bars.

"Contrary to defendants characterizations, the record reflects that he has received attentive medical care for his non-Hodgkins lymphoma, COVID-19, and other ailments while in custody," US District Court Judge Royce Lamberth wrote in June, denying one of the petitions for release.

Authorities have also noted that Unity Healthcare, the healthcare provider inside Washington, DC jails, hasnt noted that Mr Worrells condition is deteriorating, and prosecutors have previously argued that the Proud Boy isnt getting his meds because his doctor wasnt responding to messages from his prison health providers to authorise the treatment.

Prosecutors also argued for his continued detention ahead of trial because he allegedly threatened a witness in the case, posting a message on social media that read , SO WHOMEVER CALLED THE FEDS ON ME REST ASSURED I KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND WE WILL BE DISCUSSING THIS SOON!!"
Donald Trump launched a scathing attack against the Joe Biden administration and its handling of Afghanistan in a latest advert, labelling the president Surrender-in-chief, and once again mocking the moment Mr Biden fell on the stairs of Air Force One.

The one and a half minute-long advert launched on Saturday contained sustained attacks on Mr Bidens presidential term so far, including calling Americas retreat from Afghanistan the greatest foreign policy humiliation in US history.

Joe Biden promised Americans a future of growth, strength, diplomacy, and power. He told us America was back, the supporting text on Mr Trumps website said. Instead, he withdrew troops from Afghanistan before removing our weapons, our allies, or even our own citizens.

Joe Biden has backed down to our enemies and failed to protect our allies. Under Joe Biden, the Taliban is back  not America, the text further said.

The ad begins with news coverage of Afghanistan and Covid-19 infections and features Mr Bidens fall while getting into the Air Force One, something Mr Trump has repeatedly made fun of. The video goes on to use clips from Mr Biden and his associates speeches of not seeing any imminent threat in Afghanistan. It also shows Taliban members laughing and beating people up as they seize Afghanistan.

Mr Trump, who is expected to contest for presidency again in 2024, has repeatedly targeted his opponent, Mr Biden, and accused him of giving away Afghanistan to the Islamist group. However, his own plan was to withdraw troops in May, earlier than Mr Bidens withdrawal of July.

Bidens botched exit from Afghanistan is the most astonishing display of gross incompetence by a nations leader, perhaps at any time, Mr Trump recently said at a boisterous rally near Cullman, Alabama.

Mr Bidens handling of Afghanistan is not just under fire from the former president, but also from rights activists and war veterans who have raised questions on Americas preparedness in evacuation as thousands of Afghans rush through airport to flee the country while the deadline of 31 August remains.

Even a recent meeting between CIA chief William Burns and Talibans de-facto leader Abdul Ghani Baradar - the highest level of person-to-person meet so far - did not bring any favourable result for the US which was under pressure from allies like the UK, France and Germany to extend the deadline.

Taliban leaders in Afghanistan are forming a framework for their new government after seizing power as western troops began their drawdown and Kabul fell on 14 August.
During his Monday night broadcast, Tucker Carlson delivered a harsh, lengthy diatribe against an unusual target: Patagonia .

Is there a corporation in America faker than Patagonia? the Fox News host seethed. Its a marketing company that poses as a mountaineering expedition in order to sell shoddily-made plastic clothing to non-profit executives who rarely go outside.

Why was Carlson so furious at the puffer vest manufacturer? Days earlier, the company had announced it was boycotting a ski resort , Jackson Hole in Wyoming, that hosted a Republican fundraiser featuring Reps Marjorie Taylor Greene , Jim Jordan , and other pro-Trump politicians.

We join with the local community that is using its voice in protest, a spokesperson for Patagonia told the Associated Press . We will continue to use our business to advocate for stronger policies to protect our planet, end hate speech and support voting rights and a strong democracy.

The announcement left Carlson incensed.

Patagonia may be the single most audacious scam in all of American business, and thats saying something, the pundit said.

As Twitter soon pointed out, however, Carlson hasnt always so staunchly opposed the brand. Soon after his broadcast, the anti-Trump group the Lincoln Project tweeted a photo of the smiling pundit wearing a Patagonia puffer vest.

This you, @TuckerCarlson? the group tweeted.

Patagonia quickly retweeted the photo, adding a giggling emoji.

An uncropped version shows that it was a selfie the Fox News host took in 2018 with Barstool Sport writer Francis Ellis.

Some Twitter users responded by pledging not to buy Patagonia products. Many others, however, said theyd buy as many as possible.

When @TuckerCarlson does a hit piece on your brand, its a badge of honor and it means youre doing something right, one wrote . Keep it up!

I love Patagonia more every day, another commented .
Two congressmen have come under fire for going on an unannounced trip to Kabul airport to conduct oversight of the evacuation process.

Democrat Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Republican Peter Meijer of Michigan said in a joint statement that as members of Congress they have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch.

We conducted this visit in secret, speaking about it only after our departure, to minimize the risk and disruption to the people on the ground, and because we were there to gather information, not to grandstand, they added.

Former CIA analyst and FBI Senior Intelligence Adviser Philip Mudd told CNN that the congressmen, without the support of their leadership, decided to bypass Disneyland and take an Instagram trip to Afghanistan because they want some eye candy for a bunch of constituents, urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to remove Mr Moulton and Mr Meijer from their committees and calling the visit reprehensible.

US officials said the State Department and the US military had to use some of their resources to ensure their security and to provide information to Mr Moulton and Mr Meijer, the AP reported.

The congressmen stayed at the airport for several hours, flying in and out on charter aircraft.

President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that his administration would be sticking to its self-imposed 31 August deadline for US troop withdrawal and that evacuations of Americans and some Afghans would be finished by then.

Mr Moulton tweeted that he and Mr Meijer, both veterans of the Iraq War, came to Kabul wanting, like most veterans, to push the president to extend the deadline.

We did this visit in secret to reduce risks and impact on the mission and we insisted on leaving in a plane that was not full, in a seat designated for crew so that we didnt take a seat from someone else, Mr Moulton added.

After talking with commanders on the ground and seeing the situation here, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we wont get everyone out on time, even by September 11. Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban, Mr Moulton said.

After meeting Marines, soldiers, [and] dedicated State [Department] officials on the ground  we want the world to know first [and] foremost we have never been prouder to be Americans, he added.

Washington should be ashamed of the position we put our service members in, but they represent the best in America, the representatives said in their statement.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday that the Biden administration is advising against any Americans, whether elected or not, attempting to travel to Kabul right now.

After requests from the departments of Defence and State, Ms Pelosi wrote a letter to colleagues on Tuesday urging them not to go to Afghanistan.

Member travel to ... Afghanistan and the surrounding countries would unnecessarily divert needed resources from the priority mission of safely and expeditiously evacuating America and Afghans at risk from Afghanistan, she said.

Mr Moulton, a former US Marine, has been a vocal critic of the Iraq War. Mr Meijer was sent to Iraq as a part of the Army Reserves and later did humanitarian work in Afghanistan with an NGO.

State Department, Defense Department and White House officials were infuriated by the trip because of its lack of coordination with diplomats and military commanders, according to three officials familiar with the matter, the AP reported.

The officials said the members of the military on the ground were informed of the lawmakers visit as their flight was about to arrive.

Administration officials said the visit was seen as unhelpful and a distraction for troops on the ground trying to get people out.

Ms Pelosi said in her statement that she wanted to reiterate that the Departments of Defense and State have requested that Members not travel to Afghanistan and the region during this time of danger. Ensuring the safe and timely evacuation of individuals at risk requires the full focus and attention of the US military and diplomatic teams on the ground in Afghanistan.

Tim Biba, a spokesman for Mr Moulton, said the representatives paid out of pocket for flights to the United Arab Emirates and took military flights from there to Kabul, Politico reported.

House Foreign Affairs Committee member and former State Department official Sara Jacobs, a California Democrat, tweeted: Whether it is Haiti or Afghanistan, taking up space in a disaster zone for your own ego helps no one.

The Independent has reached out to Mr Moulton and Mr Meijer for comment.
Turkey remains stuck on the UKs travel red list following the latest update to the international travel rules, announced yesterday afternoon.

There were high hopes in the industry that the holiday favourite would go amber, with the Turkish Embassy saying earlier this week that the country expected to be upgraded from red in the next review.

Turkey has reported around 135,000 new infections over the last seven days, compared to the UKs 236,000.

Only seven new countries - including Canada and Denmark - moved to the green list, with two moving down from amber to red.

The next review of the red, green and amber travel lists is expected to be announced on 15 or 16 September.

In other travel news, train ticket sales to UK seaside towns are reported to have surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

Industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said demand is more than double compared with last years August bank holiday, and up 17% on the same weekend in 2019.

Follow below for the latest travel updates:
The next tri-weekly review of the UKs traffic light system for travel is fast approaching.

An update is expected on 26 August, with the potential for more countries to be added to the governments red list of unsafe holiday destinations.

A total of 60 countries and territories are rated red at present. But which destinations are most at risk of being downgraded from amber to red this time around? Heres what we know so far.

Which countries are on the red list right now?

There are currently 60 territories on the red list. Arrivals from these countries still need to quarantine in a managed quarantine hotel at their own expense - 2,285 per solo traveller - where they will also take a package of two PCR tests on days two and eight of self-isolation.

Follow travel news live: Green list update expected today

This is on top of completing a Passenger Locator Form and taking a pre-departure test before travel to the UK.

Anyone who fails to arrange and stick to the hotel quarantine and testing procedure could be fined up to 10,000, or imprisoned for up to 10 years.

During the last update, announced on 4 August and implemented on 8 August, four countries and territories moved from the amber to the red list: Georgia, Mexico, Mayotte and Reunion (the latter two are overseas departments of France, in the Indian Ocean).

Five destinations were also removed from the red list, becoming amber - India, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and France.

Red list in full

Afghanistan

Angola

Argentina

Bangladesh

Bolivia

Botswana

Brazil

Burundi

Cape Verde

Chile

Colombia

Congo (Democratic Republic)

Costa Rica

Cuba

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt

Eritrea

Eswatini

Ethiopia

French Guiana

Georgia

Guyana

Haiti

Indonesia

Kenya

Lesotho

Malawi

Maldives

Mayotte

Mexico

Mongolia

Mozambique

Myanmar

Namibia

Nepal

Oman

Pakistan

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Reunion

Rwanda

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Somalia

South Africa

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Suriname

Tanzania

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Uganda

Uruguay

Venezuela

Zambia

Zimbabwe

When will the red list be updated?

The lists are being updated every three weeks. That timeframe indicates that the next list review will be on Thursday 26 August, with changes coming into effect within a week after that date.

Amends to the lists will be informed by public health advice, including the Joint Biosecurity Centres assessment of the latest data.

These regular review points will allow the government to balance helping the public to understand Covid requirements when travelling to England while allowing us to constantly evaluate the risk for different countries, according to the Department for Transport (DfT).

Which countries might be added to the red list?

Anything can happen on traffic-light day  no forecaster has so far been anywhere near completely accurate when making predictions on this score.

But some analysts and experts have made their best guesses based on current infection rates.

Three Caribbean islands - Jamaica, St Lucia and Dominica - are at risk of joining the red list, according to analysis by the PC Agency.

Morocco could also slide into the high-risk red category according to the assessment, published on 22 August.

However, The Independents own travel correspondent, Simon Calder, believes it is extremely unlikely that Jamaica will be shunted onto the red list at the upcoming review.

I think it extremely unlikely that Jamaica will go red at the next change, requiring everyone arriving to the UK from the island to go into 11 nights of hotel quarantine, he said.

While infection rates on the island have risen six-fold in the past month, they remain well below half of those in the UK. Variants of concern do not appear to be a significant issue.

Meanwhile, Morocco, Jamaica and the Caribbean island of Aruba are all candidates for moving from the amber list to the red list, Covid data analyst Tim White has predicted.

Looking at the figures across Africa, White commented: Here are the six [countries] in Africa in most danger of being moved to red based purely on infection rates: Gambia, Djibouti, Morocco, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana.

That doesnt mean they will go red, he added, and some are small sample numbers so the first two may escape.

White also predicted the following destinations might be pushed down to the red list: Montenegro, Uzbekistan, Kosovo and Kyrgyzstan.

Both Charles and White have predicted that, despite rising cases, Spain will not join the red list this week.

White suggested that there will be no movement of EU countries - mentioning Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus - from amber to red.

To my mind no EU destination is in danger, he said. There are no data to support putting any on the red list.

Much of Europe wont change because the government would create utter chaos at our borders during the bank holiday weekend and week if they chose to turn some of the most popular countries red, such as Balearics or Spain, and force so many people into hotel quarantine, said Paul Charles.

Which countries might be removed from the red list?

In terms of countries being upgraded from red to amber, Tim White identified the Maldives, Turkey, Oman and Dominican Republic as destinations that should be bumped up.

The move would mean arrivals from these destinations could swerve quarantine altogether if they have been fully vaccinated in the UK, US or EU.

Otherwise, travellers would be subject to a 10-day self-isolation period at home.

Turkeys embassy has made its own case for being upgraded from red to amber this week, telling Sky News that it expects to be removed from the red list in the next review.

What about holidaymakers who are fully vaccinated?

The red list restrictions will not be affected by a persons vaccination status. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers must still follow the red list rules outlined above, including an 11-night hotel quarantine at their own expense.
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Indiana, PA (15701)

Today

A few showers early, then clear overnight. Low near 50F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

A few showers early, then clear overnight. Low near 50F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
MAM | Media And Advertising Nipun Jain takes charge as RapiPay CEO Homegrown assisted payments fintech company RapiPay on Tuesday announced the appointment of Nipun Jain as chief executive officer. The leadership rejig at RapiPay is with an objective to gain a foothold in the neo-banking domain and thus expand the company's business further. Read More...

MAM | Media And Advertising Optimise Media India elevates Shaan Raza as CEO Optimise Media India, a performance marketing solutions provider has elevated deputy managing director Shaan Raza to the position of CEO of the company. Raza has taken over from managing director and founding CEO, LD Sharma, who will remain as managing director and will play a leadership role in taking performance marketing to the next level in India. Read More...

MAM | Media And Advertising Radico Khaitan Ltd onboards Motivator India as media partner Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) manufacturer, Radico Khaitan Ltd (RKL) has awarded their integrated media mandate to Motivator India. Motivator, belonging to Group M set of agencies part of the WPP group, will manage the brand's traditional and digital media duties including media strategy & planning, media investment, media activation, and content. Read More...

MAM | Marketing IndusInd Bank's latest campaign celebrates the spirit of para-athletes IndusInd Bank, in collaboration with GoSports Foundation, has launched a brand new campaign to commemorate the achievements of its supported para-athletes across various sport disciplines. Christened 'Phirse #JeetKaHalla', the campaign speaks about the rigour of the preparation undertaken by our para-athletes, as they gear up to compete with the best in the world at an international arena. Read More...

MAM | Media And Advertising Saif Shaikh elevated as COO, Madison Media Pinnacle Homegrown media agency Madison Media on Tuesday announced that it has elevated Saif Shaikh to the position of chief operating officer (COO), Madison Media Pinnacle. The unit will house the agency's first and leading account, Godrej Consumer Products for traditional and digital media, it said in a statement. Read More...

MAM | Media And Advertising Grapes Digital bags integrated marketing & communications mandate for Luxury Ride Multi-brand pre-owned luxury car player, Luxury Ride has assigned its first-time integrated marketing and communications (PR) mandate to Grapes Digital. The digital-first agency will service the account from its New Delhi office. As per the mandate, the agency will be responsible for executing integrated marketing duties of the brand such as marketing and branding strategies. Read More...
At a place like Kashmir, where there are no job opportunities due to lack of private sector, women here are breaking the social taboos and choosing unconventional careers. The most trending career they have chosen is in the beauty and wellness sector. They have become professional make-up artists and set-up their own start-ups.



Studying medicine or engineering is no longer the only option for the youth in the valley as they try their luck in other careers too.

Many young women in Kashmir have taken advantage of the boom in changing trends and ventured into the Industry. Indiatimes decided to feature at least five top female faces from the valley who have been in the field and have set a benchmark. They may have faced a backlash but their spirit to do best and achieve new heights of success keeps them going.

Munisa Mehraj Zargar

Munisa Mehraj Zargar

Popularly known by her social media name glamupbyanu, the 30-year-old Munisa is the most sought celebrity make-up artist in Kashmir. It has been truly a great experience to make-up the film stars visiting the valley for the shoots. We also get to learn a lot, she says.



She got her first break in 2019. I got the make-up of TV actor Sunny Sachdeva done in Delhi. Later it was followed by music composer duo Sachin-Jigar, Salim Merchant, Prince Narula and others in Srinagar, Munisa told Indiatimes.

Munisa who has studied cosmetology said that it was really challenging to enter into the film line for this work. When you have so many make-up artists in the valley and one needs to show its presence, naturally one has to choose something different. I got in touch with the local line producers who helped me. Before going for the celebrity make-up, I had to show them some trail work, she said.

She said that her husband and in-laws have been very supportive to allow her to pursue this career. My mother-in-law is a working woman and she also wanted me to be working. I didnt have to put much effort to motivate my family, she said.

Saba Shafi

Saba Shafi

Having her origin from north Kashmirs Sopore town but born and brought in Srinagar, Saba is a known name in the valley. She has one lakh and forty nine thousand followers on photo-sharing app Instagram by the name Makeup by Saba. She is being considered the first female make-up artist from the valley who has set this trend rolling.



In 2012, I went to London to meet my brother and sister who live there. After staying there for some ten days, I felt bored and decided to pursue a course in make-up as I already had an interest in the subject. After coming back to Kashmir, I started dolling my friends and cousins up on their wedding days but later I started receiving the orders for the make-up. Thats when I decided to choose this as a career, says Saba who is in her early thirties.

I shifted to Delhi for freelance work later. In the beginning, I got to do the make-up of some 35 guests in a Non Resident Indian (NRI) wedding at Udaipur. It was an amazing experience, says Saba.

Saba opened her Instagram and Facebook page after receiving the positive response and now she takes the new orders on her Instagram handle.

Saba believes that parents in Kashmir are now allowing their girls to choose this profession. Since they found that other girls in the field are doing well, they have given liberty to their kids, she said.

She says that people in the valley are too shy to spend a penny on make-up. They can create memories that will be cherished forever, she added.

Sami Khankashi

Sami Khankashi

30-year-old Sami believes in giving quality work to her customers. We should value the peoples money in these tough times and give our best services, says Sami, a native of Srinagar.



As of now Sami is taking her orders on Instagram. Studio is in progress. Hopefully, it will be thrown open by next year, she said.

Sami is available on Instagram with the name makeupstorybysami.

Sami says that this is such an important work and artists need to learn professionally. In many cases, I have seen people taking the basic lessons from YouTube and getting into the profession which is totally wrong and is degrading the profession, says Sami who does celebrity, bridal, pre-wedding and other make-ups.

Sami started her career some four years back as a freelance make-up artist in Delhi but came back after pandemic broke out.

She says that there is a section of people who are still making the attempts to pull them down but it wouldnt deter their spirits.

Sami has done the make-up for several stars like Mahira Sharma, Miel and A Kay in Srinagar.

Sabinaa Shafi

Sabinaa Shafi

Isnt this the love for make-up, when one can leave their well paid aviation job? This is the story of Srinagar based professional make-up artist Sabinaa Shafi who is well known by her Instagram name makeupbysabinaa. She has over one lakh and twenty two thousand followers.



Brought up in Delhi and having served as cabin supervisor at a private jet, Sabinaa knows well to carve her own niche. I always had love to decorate things and wanted to do it in an innovative way. Having spent over ten years in the field of aviation took me to different parts of the world where I got to see their lifestyle and culture. This is also a factor that inspired me to choose this career, she said.

When I used to go out of the country, I used to buy make-up, do trials with my friends and family, they started loving it and I got involved into the profession, says Sabinaa who has done a make-up artistry course from the UK in 2016.

She said it was very tough to motivate her father to choose the aviation sector. That was totally a different field. But for the make-up, everyone went smoothly as they had been impressed by the respect I had achieved so far, says Sabinaa who is an expert in bridal makeover.

Diya Umar

Diya Umar

Diya is considered as the valleys second make-up artist. She started her career back in 2015 with a passion to look for innovative ideas to boost the profession. I was skeptical about this work in the beginning as there were not many make-up artists. I was confused about whether this profession would work or not but finally I took the risk and got into it. I have loved my work, says Diya who has done a make-up course from a London based academy in Delhi.



She started her own studio in 2016. We also expanded the work to jewellery, bridal attires and other stuff, she says.

Diya believes that the profession has a lot of scope if the work is done in the right way. If someone is investing in you, they want the best services and we need to ensure this. One definitely needs to study the courses if they are looking for the jobs in this field, says 35-year-old Diya who has organised various tutorials for the girls.

The artist recalls the time last year when the pandemic was on peak and they lost their business. We used to take 80-85 brides in a season but after COVID, it has become tough to hardly get 30 brides, she says.

The writer is a Srinagar based freelance contributor.
Mohit Goel, who in 2016 shocked the world by announcing a smartphone that would cost only Rs 251 has been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police in connection with a fraud case.

Goel was arrested from Greater Noida on Monday by the Indirapuram Police, on a complaint filed by one Vikas Mittal who accused him of cheating him of Rs 41 lakh.

BCCL

He had cheated Vikas Mittal of Rs 41 lakh and when the victim confronted him, he was threatened. On August 19, the accused tried to run Mittal over by a car. Mittal was injured and on the same day, he lodged a police complaint against Goel, said Sanjay Pandey, SHO, Indirapuram told The Times of India.

Goel has been booked under IPC sections 420(cheating), 384 (extortion), 386(extortion by putting a person in fear of death), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach), 506 (intimidation), 307 (attempt to murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

This is the second time this year, Goel has been arrested on charges of fraud.

BCCL

In January, he and his associates were arrested by the Noida Police for defrauding some dry fruit traders.

According to the police, Goel and his associates had set up several companies dealing in dry fruits and spices across NCR and defrauded several traders by placing large orders with them, paying only the advance amount.

During the probe, it was revealed that the accused had duped traders in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu to the tune of Rs 200 crore.

According to the police, there are more than 35 cases of fraud against Goel.

BCCL

However, his most notorious scam still remains Freedom 251. This company Ringing Bells, had made global headlines after claiming to launch the world's cheapest smartphone costing just Rs 251.

In a matter of days, the company got lakhs of online orders, but the customers never got the devices. Eventually was exposed as a scam and Goel was arrested.

Other than the three cases, the 41-year-old MBA graduate has also been accused of many more criminal activities.

In 2018, around a year after the Freedom 251 scam, Goel had resurfaced with Master Freedom Company and offered a mobile for Rs 2,399 and an LED TV for Rs 9,900.

This too turned out to be another fraud and he was subsequently arrested.

He also faces several extortion and fraud cases across Delhi and NCR.
The COVID-19 situation in Kerala is going from bad to worse as the state on Wednesday recorded 31,445 new cases in the state in the past 24 hours. 215 COVID deaths were also reported in the state during the same time.

The test positivity rare (TPR) in Kerala has also shot up to 19.03.

This was the third time the daily COVID-19 tally has crossed the 24,000 mark after May 26 when the state had recorded 28,798 cases.

On Tuesday Kerala had reported 24,296 fresh infections, and registered 173 Covid fatalities.



BCCL

On May 27, the state had recorded 24,166 fresh COVID-19 cases.

Since then the state twice came close to the 24,000 mark on May 29 -- 23,513 -- and then on August 3 -- 23,676.

While COVID-19 cases came down across India since mid-May, in Kerala it had not fallen below the 10,000 except for weekends when the number of tests is low.

And in the past few weeks, despite the best efforts by the government to control the spread, it has shown an increasing trend.

BCCL/ File

In fact, Kerala could see another major spike in daily COVID-19 numbers in the next few weeks and the state government estimates there could be 30,000-35,000 cases in a day.

Onam spike too?

Last week was Onam, the biggest festival in the state and there is a fear that the celebrations could lead to another spike, the full extent of which will only be known in the coming weeks.

This is despite the fact that the Onam celebrations were largely muted this year, due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation.

BCCL

The government had banned mass gatherings and other public celebrations in the wake of the pandemic.

Another worry for the Kerala government is the high number of breakthrough infections, where people including those who have been fully vaccinated or were infected by COVID-19 getting reinfected.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan directed those district administrations which have administered the first dose vaccination to 70 per cent population to complete the vaccination process within next two weeks.

BCCL

"Wayanad, Pathanamthitta, Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam Districts have a high rate vaccination and hence only those with symptoms will be tested there. Testing will be increased in other districts," Vijayan said in a release.

The chief minister also directed the local self-government bodies to submit a report on vaccination in their jurisdiction.

Vijayan said the rate of breakthrough infections in Idukki, Palakkad and Kasaragod districts are more than five per cent and directed the Health Department to conduct genetic studies in these districts.
'Starting today, Airbnb will begin housing 20,000 Afghan refugees globally for free,' read co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, Brian Chesky's tweet.



This one tweet by the billionaire gave hope to people that despite the devastating situation in Afghanistan, there is a glimpse of humanity somewhere in the west.

Starting today, Airbnb will begin housing 20,000 Afghan refugees globally for free.  Brian Chesky (@bchesky) August 24, 2021

The short-term accommodation company will provide shelter to some 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan where the Taliban has taken over for the second time. Afghans are fleeing the country as they do not want to live under the barbaric rule of the militant organisation who believe in the ideologies of Sharia Law.

The project started yesterday and the company will cover the costs of their stays.

Chesky's Twitter thread further mentioned that: 'While we will be paying for these stays, we could not do this without the generosity of our hosts.'

He added, 'To make this happen, we are working closely with http://Airbnb.org, NGOs, and partners orgs on the ground to support the most pressing needs.'



Twitter

He welcomed others to come and support the refugees from Afghanistan: 'If youre willing to host a refugee family, reach out and Ill connect you with the right people here to make it happen!'

The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the US and elsewhere is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time. We feel a responsibility to step up,' he wrote on the microblogging website.



I hope this inspires other business leaders to do the same. Theres no time to waste,' he concluded.



I hope this inspires other business leaders to do the same. Theres no time to waste.  Brian Chesky (@bchesky) August 24, 2021

This is not the first time the firm has come to the rescue of those in need. Airbnb has provided temporary housing to more than 25,000 refugees over the past four years as well as welcoming people affected by natural disasters and the ongoing pandemic.

Earlier this year, the company launched the $25 million Refugee Fund to extend support to refugees and asylum seekers worldwide.

Mr Chesky added: As tens of thousands of Afghan refugees resettle around the world, where they stay will be the first chapter in their new lives. For these 20,000 refugees, my hope is that the Airbnb community will provide them with not only a safe place to rest and start over, but also a warm welcome home.

A statement from Airbnb said: In this past week, it has become abundantly clear that the displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees here in the United States and elsewhere is a significant humanitarian crisis  and in the face of this need, our community is ready to once again step up.'

'Airbnb recognises the situation on the ground is fast evolving. Airbnb.org will closely collaborate with resettlement agencies and partners to go where the need goes, and evolve this initiative and our support as necessary,' it added.

Airbnb

In addition, given the tremendous need, Airbnb urges fellow members of the global business community to join efforts to provide immediate support to Afghan refugees.




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Woodbridge, VA (22192)

Today

Showers with the chance of some thunder this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low near 60F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers with the chance of some thunder this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low near 60F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Virginia is now experiencing a significant increase in the number of deaths related to COVID-19 as all indicators of the spread of the virus c
Woodbridge, VA (22192)

Today

Thunderstorms with locally heavy downpours. Isolated tornadoes possible. High 78F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Rain, heavy at times, in the evening. Rain ending with partial clearing overnight. Low near 60F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
On my inaugural visit to The Landing last week, the sister restaurant of the nautical-themed Finis Landing, it was clear that Chef Ryan Jones values his home on the range as much as his time on the dock of the bay.
Residents across the waterlogged Northeast began clearing mud and tearing out sodden carpets Monday after deluges dropped by Tropical Storm Henri, whose remnants threatened further flooding in New England as the system made a slow trek back to the sea.

The smell of sewage filled the air as residents of Rossmoor, a retirement community in central New Jerseys Monroe Township, returned to soaked homes and ruined possessions after Henri turned their streets into rivers.

Roseann and John Kiernan said theyd have to likely toss their appliances, tear up walls and carpets and replace their car after their house filled with nearly 2 feet of water on Sunday.

This is what we were left with. Nothing, nothing, lamented Roseann Kiernan. They told us that everything has to go.

A few miles away from Monroe, the whirring of portable pumps split the air on the main street in Jamesburg, another hard-hit New Jersey community.

Luke Becker, who operates the Four Boys ice cream stand along with his three brothers  one of six the family owns  said nearly 4 feet of water rushed into the shop, dislodging a tall cooler and leaving 3 inches of mud behind.

We were initially hoping to be back open by Labor Day, but now it looks like weve got to go through all the plumbing and rip out a ton of electrical because we dont know how much of that was affected, he said. Right now theres really no timetable.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy toured the storm-ravaged towns Monday, which remained under a flood warning until midnight.

Henri spared coastal areas of New York and New England major damage when its center made landfall Sunday in Rhode Island. But its size and slow speed led to deluges in areas from Maine to Pennsylvania.

On Monday, Henris remnants, now considered a post-tropical cyclone, were moving eastward over New England at a leisurely 9 mph but were expected to accelerate later, prompting flood watches or warnings across swaths of the Northeast.

In the Catskills region of New York, Hunter Town Supervisor Daryl Legg believed his mountain community, which was devastated by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, would be able to weather the slow-moving storm.

I think we escaped any kind of danger so far only because of the length of time it took for the storm to move through, he said. This has been a 24-hour period, so its not really the same storm, thank goodness.

But downpours, flooding and even tornadoes were still possible in New England, where officials fretted that just a few more inches would be a back-breaker following a summer of record rainfall.

The ground is so saturated with water that every inch of rain creates immediate floods and flash floods, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday after seeing damage in the community of Canterbury, where nearly every home lost power Sunday amid heavy winds.

No deaths have been attributed to Henri, but thousands remained without power across the region as crews scrambled to remove toppled trees and power lines through Monday.

President Joe Biden has declared disasters in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont and Connecticut, opening the purse strings for federal recovery aid to those states.

Annette Landry, a resident of Manchester, Connecticut, a Hartford suburb some 40 miles inland, hoped Mondays rains wouldnt be a repeat of the deluge that left three units in her condo complex under a few inches of water Sunday.

Firefighters said they helped evacuate 18 homes and made several rescues after Henri dumped about 5 inches of rain.

It was a tragedy that this happened, because the people who live here are people who can ill afford to live anywhere else, said Landry, a 72-year-old retiree whose second-floor home was spared.

In central New Jersey, Dolores Hebert was still shaken Monday after being ferried to safety by boat with her dog and cat as 8 inches of rain fell and water surged through the streets in Rossmoor.

I was sleeping and when I woke up, it was up to my knees, the 76-year-old said as she stood by a front door bearing 18-inch-high watermarks. I didnt know what to do. I panicked.

Associated Press writers Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, Michael Hill in Albany and Philip Marcelo in Boston contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
ELEMENT, the Berlin-based insurtech, announced a partnership with managing general agent, Parametrix Insurance, launching parametric cloud outage insurance for companies in Germany.

The product is designed to cover financial losses due to downtime of third-party IT and cloud infrastructure providers.

Parametrix developed this unique insurance solution based on its proprietary monitoring technology that analyzes the global performance and availability of cloud service providers down to the millisecond level. The highly advanced parametric system ensures an accurate and precise overview of risk accumulation and concentration across different IT-services and regions.

Also, the monitoring system detects insured events in real time and triggers compensation with waiting periods as short as only one hour. This new insurance solution in the field of cyber and tech-related insurance is an innovative answer for companies to financial losses due to cloud outages.

ELEMENT acts as risk carrier and is responsible for all claims settlement. The product is reinsured by a leading reinsurer with a Standard & Poors AA- rating which is present on all continents.

Currently, the downtime insurance is available for companies that have a registered office in Germany and can be bought directly on Parametrixs website or via leading insurance brokers.

After a successful launch in the U.S., for us the partnership with ELEMENT opens the possibility to become active in Europe  one of the biggest insurance markets in the world. A product like ours does not exist in the European market, but with the changes due to the digital transformation most businesses will need an insurance cover for downtime events in case of cloud-based outages, said Sharon Haran, vice president Europe of Parametrix. We are confident that the product will have a successful launch and attract attention from many companies.

Eric Schuh, deputy CEO and chief operating officer of ELEMENT, commented: The parametric downtime insurance solution is not only a first-of-its-kind, but it will also set new standards in the market. Together we will bring this solution to several European countries and expand ELEMENTs business operations to new levels.

The new downtime insurance shows that parametric solutions will play a key role in the future of the insurance industry, said ELEMENT.

Policyholders will benefit from the parametric nature of the product, including minimal waiting periods, fast pay-outs, complete transparency of insurance terms, and the possibility to insure a previously uninsurable or almost uninsurable risk, the company continued.

Information on the product follows:

The product covers all financial losses (e.g., revenues, service level agreement (SLA) liabilities, etc.), caused by the cloud services outage event

All monitoring services are provided by Parametrix

The total and hourly sum insured is tailored to the specific financial risk associated with an outage event

About Parametrix and ELEMENT

Parametrix Insurance, a licensed MGA in the U.S. and Germany, provides cloud downtime insurance solutions, ensuring that companies with mission critical services in the cloud can quickly recover financially from downtime events. Based on the data generated by its monitoring technology, Parametrix provides parametric policies with fast payouts, short waiting periods, no usage restrictions, and hassle-free processes. The company is backed by some of the biggest insurers and reinsurers including certain underwriters at Lloyds of London. Parametrix offers its insurance products in the U.S., Europe, and Japan through its offices in New York, Tel Aviv, London, and Dusseldorf.

ELEMENT Insurance AG is Germanys only 100% cloud-based insurtech and holds a license from the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) as a primary insurer for property/casualty insurance. ELEMENT can therefore operate as a risk carrier in all EU countries and is a completely independent insurance company  without any restrictions due to a group affiliation.

ELEMENT has the capabilities to create P/C solutions along the entire B2B2X insurance value chain, including claims settlement.

Source: ELEMENT

Topics InsurTech Europe Tech Insurance Wholesale
This edition of International/Reinsurance People Moves details appointments at three brokers: Howden, BMS Re and Aon with roles in the Netherlands and the U.S.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Howden Appoints Willis Everling as CEO Netherlands, Corporate

Howden, the London-based insurance broker, announced Jeroen Everling has been appointed chief executive officer Netherlands, Corporate.

He will build a specialist team to bring choice to mid and large domestic and international clients. Howden already has a leading specialist marine operation with a corporate portfolio in Rotterdam, led by Jan Oosterom.

Everling will join Howden from Willis, where he has held the role of head of Benelux Corporate Risk and Broking for the last seven years and chair of the statutory board. He previously held senior roles with Aon and Marsh, leading teams delivering cross-class solutions for major international, industrial and agricultural clients.

Dolf Balink also will join from Willis, where he has spent the last 15 years of his career, latterly as director of Placement and Claims, Netherlands. Prior to that, he spent 13 years with Marsh in claims leadership roles, having begun his career with Sedgwick in 1993.

Everlings and Balinks appointments follow the recent announcements of the appointments of Luigi Sturani, CEO Europe; Enrico Nanni, CCO Europe; Felix Jenny, CEO Switzerland; Holger Schaefer, CEO Germany; the acquisition of Scagliarini in Italy; and the acquisition of ARTAI in Spain. They will join Howden subject to fulfilment of their contractual obligations.

After nearly 25 years in this market it is a new beginning for both of us, said Everling referring to his and Balinks appointments.

The opportunity to build a business with a different outlook is an incredibly exciting one for me and a new dynamic for a market that I love, he added. Howdens combination of an empowered culture, a commitment to developing deep specialty capabilities, and international scale mean that we can build a values-led business that is better for corporate clients and a breath of fresh air for talent. I am looking forward to starting that journey in a group where there is freedom to thrive.

***

BMS Re Strengthens Catastrophe Analytics with Guy Carpenters Christian

BMS Re, the London-based independent reinsurance broker, announced the appointment of Scott Christian as executive vice president, Catastrophe Analytics.

Based in Atlanta, Ga., Christian will report to Kirk Conrad, global head of Analytics at BMS.

Christian is a highly knowledgeable risk management professional and brings to BMS Re over 19 years of catastrophe and risk management experience. He joins from his most recent position as senior vice president, Catastrophe Team lead at Guy Carpenter, where he was responsible for leading the analytics function for the southeast region and supporting clients across multiple lines of business.

He has held a number of senior roles in the industry, including as vice president, Predictive Analytics at Tower Hill Insurance Group, and as vice president, head of Accumulation at AXIS Insurance. Christian began his career as a risk analyst at Aon Benfield in 2002, where he held several roles in the risk management division and was promoted to director in 2010.

***

Aon Reinsurance Solutions Names TigerRisks Jackson as Senior Managing Director in U.S.

Aon plc announced that Joe Sergio Jackson has joined the U.S. team of Aons Reinsurance Solutions as a senior managing director.

Based in New York, Jackson will focus primarily on key property accounts both regionally and globally, with additional responsibilities across segments of casualty and retrocession business. Reporting to Greggory Clark, executive managing director within Reinsurance Solutions, and Randy Stanco, senior managing director, Reinsurance Solutions, Jackson will also be involved in the expansion of existing and new business.

Jackson joins Aon from TigerRisk, where he was a reinsurance broker. He brings 15 years experience to his new role, having worked across many lines of business, with a primary focus on property, both regionally and globally. Jackson began his career at reinsurance broker Benfield in 2006, which later became Aon Benfield and then Aons Reinsurance Solutions.

Topics USA Aon
A Milwaukee, Wis., man accused of drag racing and causing a crash that killed two people has been charged with reckless homicide.

According to a criminal complaint, witnesses told police it appeared a car driven by 25-year-old Michael Howard was racing another vehicle when he struck a third vehicle, killing its two occupants on Aug. 15.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiners Office identified the victims as 66-year-old Neil McCarthy and 21-year-old Danielle Jefferson, both of Milwaukee.

Investigators say Howard was going about 55 mph in a 35 mph speed zone.

Hes charged with four felonies, including two counts of second-degree reckless homicide and two counts of knowingly operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, causing death.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 30.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Abuse Molestation Wisconsin
Insurtech Joyn Adds Schoberth as Chief Distribution Officer

Insurance technology company Joyn Insurance announced the addition of Uwe Schoberth as chief distribution officer. The role will focus on developing broker relationships.

Uwe brings a background in commercial insurance, having held global, international, and domestic marketing roles developing. Most recently, he was the global head of Distribution at Lloyds and has held distribution roles at Blackboard Insurance, QBE Group, XL Group, Winterthur International Insurance Co. and Gerling.

Seraina Macia, CEO of Joyn, said Schoberth joins at the same time as the companys offering to small and medium-sized companies is being expanded. Joyn began offering excess and surplus property coverage on July 1 and will offer E&S general liability coverage starting September 1.

Joyn Insurance Services Inc. is a Delaware-domiciled, licensed producer and general agent that operates as an insurtech enterprise underwriting commercial insurance in the small and middle markets.

Crum & Forster Names Lubin as President, Surety Division

New Jersey-based Crum & Forster has named Matthew Lubin, president of its surety division. The appointment is effective September 20.

Lubin joins C&F after more than three decades at Chubb Limited, the last five years as Executive Vice President for Construction Surety, where he was responsible for oversight of the insurers North American construction surety portfolio.

Lubin will report to CEO Marc Adee.

TransRe Promotes OGwen to CEO of FAIRCO

TransRe has promoted Christopher OGwen to chief executive officer of its U.S. insurance subsidiary, Fair American Insurance and Reinsurance Co. (FAIRCO). In his new role, he will lead FAIRCOs growth in the property/casualty insurance markets.

OGwen joined TransRe in 2013 and has been involved in the creation and growth of FAIRCO since its inception. He was previously promoted to president in March 2020. In his new position, he will report to Ken Brandt, president and CEO of TransRe.

FAIRCO focuses on specialty insurance opportunities in both the admitted and excess and surplus markets. In addition to its own underwriting operations, FAIRCO will continue to build partnerships with program administrators in the U.S.

TransRe is a reinsurance organization headquartered in New York and the brand name for Transatlantic Holdings and its subsidiaries including Fair American Insurance and Reinsurance Company) . TransRe is wholly owned by Alleghany Corp.

AXA XL Adds Klimczaks Marine Insurance Expertise in the U.S.

AXA XLs Marine insurance business is enhancing its marine risk control expertise in the U.S. with the addition of Jarek Klimczak as senior risk consultant. Klimczak is transferring to AXA XLs New York City office from Singapore.

Prior to relocating to the U.S., Klimczak supported the growth of AXA XLs Cargo and Bluewater Hull books in Asia and Australia. To his new role, Klimczak brings more than 32 years of maritime, logistics, Insurance, and risk management expertise. He has experience within the shipping and logistics industry with a focus on loading security, heavy-lift operations, and towage as well as kills in cargo security and risk management.

Before joining the insurance industry, Klimczak served as a port captain in Singapore, a cargo superintendent in Germany, among other maritime industry roles.

Topics USA InsurTech Tech Chubb AXA XL
Jennifer Carnevales yard can hold 23 inches of water before her house floods.

She knows because her family has seen the water cross that all-important threshold, twice.

Weve measured it, the 46-year-old mom of three said.

Their home in Country Living Estates, a neighborhood near Scott, first flooded in 2012, six years after they bought it. They came home to 6 inches of water inside _ just enough to mess up the walls and have to have them all redone, Carnevale said.

Four years later, history repeated itself. This time, they were there when the water began to penetrate their home. They lifted the furniture onto cinderblocks and hoped for the rain to stop while they watched their neighbors homes flood as well.

The 2016 flood was much like 2012, which Carnevale said was just a regular rainstorm before water inundated their house and sent all five of them to live in a camper for six months.

This time, 7 inches of water entered the house, and the Carnevales ripped up their wet flooring and began the process of repairing their home again.

It was just a hot mess, she said.

Five years later, theyre still in the same house _ their first family home _ bracing for the peak of hurricane season and the anniversary of the August 2016 flood that devastated thousands of families across South Louisiana.

On Friday, Aug. 12, 2016, a typical rainy morning turned into a once-in-a-lifetime storm that would become a benchmark for catastrophic flooding and a constant threat in the minds of residents.

In just two days, Lafayettes worst rain event in 75 years dumped more than 20 inches of rain across the parish, flooding hundreds of homes and pushing the Vermilion River to its highest level since 1940.

The unnamed storm has dominated Lafayettes priorities and its politics in the five years since and has become a permanent part of local history and discourse.

Rain had been quietly falling for hours before the parishs first 911 call came in for a storm water rescue. Thirteen minutes later _ at 6:35 a.m. _ the National Weather Service in Lake Charles issued a flash flood warning for Lafayette.

At 6:45 a.m., the Lafayette Parish School System announced schools would close for the day because of the flooding, briefly stranding some students on campuses. Schools wouldnt reopen for 10 days.

Rescue calls came into 911 nonstop during the two-day storm. At one point, dispatchers faced a backlog of 200 calls.

It started raining, and just kept raining, then-Mayor-President Joel Robideaux said.

All of a sudden, we were like, OK, guys, were gonna have to do something. Were gonna have to shut the city down, and were gonna have to start putting these disaster plans in place.

It seemed surreal at the time because you just kept thinking the rain was gonna stop as soon as you did all of that. But thankfully we did it, because the rain didnt stop. And so we had the teams out there rescuing folks and blocking off flooded streets. It was pretty chaotic in the first 18 hours, thats for sure.

Susan Connor, 57, watched the Ashland Park neighborhood where she lived, near Ovey Comeaux High School, fill up with water over those few days.

Dozens of homes in her neighborhood took on water. But as the water inched closer, she remained confident her home wouldnt have any issues, because it had not flooded before in the 25 years since it was built.

The very last rain on Sunday, it came in, Connor said. She remembers the time: 3 p.m. That put it over the edge.

She was standing in her home, watching as water came through her windows and door.

Theres nothing you can do but watch, she said. So she made herself leave. She and her then-husband evacuated in their truck with two Jack Russell Terriers, a suitcase and an ice chest of food.

With water above their knees, they got help from a neighbor with a boat to make it the hundred yards from their driveway to the truck parked on a higher road nearby.

I could not walk, Connor recalled. Id made this walk hundreds of times, and I couldnt make it that far.

The rain had stopped that Monday morning. Flood water sat in her home for about four hours.

Some of her neighbors homes held water for days.

Connor returned to mud and worms in the house, and they started removing ruined furniture and drying out walls and cabinets.

You do what anybody else does; you start pulling stuff up, she said.

She put a call out on Facebook for friends old towels.

You never have enough towels, she said. People answered her call. Its just the little things, she said.

After the storm, Connor stayed in Ashland Park for four more years, feeling anxious every time it rained. She would leave work to check on her house each time.

You never knew what rain was going to be the one that gets in, she said.

She moved to Florida a year ago for a job opportunity, but she wanted to leave her house in Ashland Park well before that.

It definitely was time for me to get out of that house, she said. I knew I couldnt go through that again.

Connor believes the flooding hurt the sale of her house.

People were just afraid of the rain, she said.

The Carnevales still want to stay in their home outside Scott, but theyre looking at options for the future. Through the Flood Mitigation Assistance program, FEMA could either buy their home for 10% less than market value or pay 90% of the cost to elevate it.

Hoping to stay, Carnevale got a quote for the second option and submitted her paperwork about eight months ago. She hasnt heard back yet.

Its very frustrating, she said.

In the meantime, I just wish they would do something about the drainage out here. There is a ditch that runs behind our subdivision that is full of trash, debris and trees.

The damage from the 2016 flood prompted a sea change in local political priorities and at Lafayette Consolidated Government, and redefined local policy from there on, Robideaux said.

That was a significant pivot, he said.

It went from (drainage in the) top five to drainage first, then well figure out if we can do any new roads and development. That comes second, he added.

We had to make some changes as it relates to drainage. We had to dedicate more money to drainage projects. And we had to try to get this stuff done as quickly as possible, because everyone was struggling so much every time there was a rain event.

Among the first strategies to become top priorities after the storm were cleaning out the parishs miles and miles of ditches and buying out homes that flooded more than once, like the Carnavales.

The year after the flood, Lafayette adopted a regulation requiring new developments to reduce the rainfall runoff of the land they are built on by 15%.

The parish also implemented rules that prohibited new construction from increasing the overall volume of dirt on a property, called no net fill, to prevent new buildings from worsening drainage issues, though that has its limitations.

The way the regulations for no net fill read is its only the new stuff that goes to the Planning Commission and Hearing Examiner. So if someone was platted prior to November 2017, and they come and they build a house, they can bring fill in. Theres no issue at all, former LCG Floodplain Administrator Stephanie Weeks said.

But the 2016 flood prompted more than just regulatory changes in Lafayette. It redefined the parishs political priorities and prompted millions of dollars in spending on drainage maintenance and improvement projects.

After running on a drainage-first platform and taking office in January 2020, Mayor-President Josh Guillory has spent or earmarked tens of millions of taxpayer dollars for drainage maintenance and projects, including a new emphasis on constructing detention ponds around the parish to take storm water pressure off Lafayettes hundreds of miles of coulees.

The effects of those and other projects will eventually be included in a parish-wide storm water plan that his administration is contracting out to Baton Rouge engineering firm CSRS, but Guillory said in the meantime getting ahead of drainage needs is key.

Were building a foundation so that were not reactive, Guillory said. Its changing the way that weve done things internally. I want our guys to be proactive, to go fix it before it happens.

Even as the 2016 storm has come to define conversations about flooding in Lafayette during the years since, its salience and political importance have made it an unrealistic benchmark for drainage expectations in the parish.

If your benchmark is a 500- to 1,000-year flood, youre not gonna get too much done because its gonna cost a lot of money, and it might not be practical, Guillory said.

Ultimately, a flood like 2016 sticks in peoples minds precisely because of how much it overwhelms an areas tools for controlling it. Despite Lafayettes five years of response to what happened in August 2016, Robideaux said, a storm of that scale would likely still overload the parish.

The reality that some folks may not want to hear is, even five years later with a ton of work being done, if 20 to 30 inches of rain drops again, most of the places would flood again. Its just the topography. The Vermilion (River) makes it almost impossible for that level of storm to be dealt with, Robideaux said.

The detention ponds will help. The drainage work that was done over the last five years will all help. And it may reduce the number of homes flooded from what that final count was, around 4,000 or 5,000.

Maybe therell be 800 homes less that are flooded, and some places may not get 4 or 5 feet of water. They may get a foot. But at that level of storm, in this part of the country, youre going to have flooding.

The story first appeared in The Daily Advertiser. Reporting by Leigh Guidry, Ashley White and Andrew Capps.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Louisiana Flood
The Coastal Windstorm Insurance Coalition in Texas is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Established originally as the Windstorm Action Committee in Galveston, the coalition has expanded in recent years to include representatives from coastal communities along the Texas Coast.

As part of their annual banquet this month, Galveston Insurance Agent Henry Freudenburg passed the leadership gavel to Terrilyn Tarlton-Shannon, who spent 25 years as chairman. Freudenburg has been a member of the group since its establishment 50 years ago, and was elected chairman emeritus at the banquet.

The coalition has worked for responsible controls of rate increases by the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, the insurer of last resort for windstorm protection in Texas.

The group released some of its highlighted activities to tout its 50 years in existence. Those accomplishments include:

CWIC advocacy efforts have resulted in almost no rate increases over the last five years. Over the last six years, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) board has only voted for a rate increase once, and it was the minimum 5% increase in 2018. TWIA did not raise rates in 2017, 2019, 2020, or 2021.

CWIC advocacy efforts produced legislative victories. In the 2021 session, CWIC worked to pass SB 1448, which enables the legislature to study and make recommendations on how to change the funding structure for TWIA so that they do not perennially try to raise rates every year on coastal Texas policyholders. CWlC also worked to pass HB 769. The board structure is statutorily dictated, and includes three coastal members. HB 769 states that TWIA cannot vote to raise rates if there has been a coastal vacancy on the board for at least 60 days.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Texas Windstorm
A Thurston County, Wash., man who reportedly tried to pass off a barroom brawl injury as a workplace accident has pleaded guilty to stealing state workers compensation insurance benefits.

Chuck Wayne Riccio, 40, of Yelm, pleaded guilty Tuesday to third-degree theft. Thurston County Superior Court Judge Sharonda Amamilo ordered Riccio to pay court costs and reimburse L&I for his medical care.

The case resulted from a Washington State Department of Labor & Industries investigation.

Riccio filed an L&I claim in October 2018, stating he injured his right hand at his new job at a bathtub and shower manufacturer. But someone who knew Riccio reportedly told L&I he actually hurt his hand in a bar fight in Yelm in August 2018, according to charging papers.

The acquaintance provided investigators with a text Riccio sent when he was at a clinic around the same time he filed the L&I claim. He reportedly texted that his hand hurt from the fight, but that he told the clinic i kinda said it happened at work.

Later that day, he texted photos of an L&I form and himself holding up his bandaged hand and the words, Now L&I will cover it.

L&I investigators also interviewed several of Riccios co-workers, who disputed he was injured at work, and a man who said he was reportedly punched by Riccio in the Yelm bar fight.

The Washington State Attorney Generals Office prosecuted the case based on L&Is investigation. If Riccio is not convicted of any other crimes and follows other conditions of his sentence for one year, he can ask the court to allow him to change his plea and to dismiss the case.

L&I administers the state workers comp insurance system.

Topics Workers' Compensation Washington Talent
Personal information from students at a California college who requested a religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine has been posted online after an apparent data breach.

The records from about 130 students at California State University, Chico were dumped on an anonymous internet message board, the Sacramento Bee reported.

A commenter on the site linked to a spreadsheet with detailed explanations from students who had asked to be exempted from receiving the vaccine in order to attend the college. Student names and phone numbers were included in many of the entries.

The original post provided tips on how to file a religious exemption to a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to the Bee. State purely religious reasons only, the anonymous tip read. Do not mention anything else.

The CSU system requires its 56,000 faculty and staff and nearly 500,000 students on campus to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. The policy allows for medical and religious exemptions.

The spreadsheet shows that roughly half of the requests in the leaked document were approved. Many of the denied requests were resubmitted for another chance at approval.

We are aware of the documents posted online and circulated among the media. We are investigating this incident, while also taking a number of proactive steps to protect students confidential information, Andrew Staples, CSU Chicos public relations manager, said in a statement.

Most of the exemption requests were filed by students citing their Christian beliefs, some of them quoting Biblical scripture. Another student who was approved called the vaccine unclean and analogous to what non-kosher food is to Orthodox Jews.

Students who asked for a religious exemption included several NCAA athletes, incoming students, and residents of university dorms, the newspaper said. Students who stated they believed in healing through prayer were approved for exemption, and many referred to their bodies as a temple.

My religious beliefs follow natural healing through Gods divine power and faith healing, read one NCAA athletes exemption request that was approved. My beliefs question the necessity of modern medicine including vaccinations.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics California Cyber Education Universities
A firefighter died this week while battling a wildfire southeast of Eugene, Oregon, officials said.

Bryan Cutchen, Oakridge city administrator and acting fire chief, said the death is suspected to have been caused by a tree falling on the firefighter, The Register-Guard reported.

Cutchen said the victim was a young man.

The Lane County Sheriffs Office said in a news release that deputies along with partners from numerous other agencies were on scene investigating. Authorities were also working to notify the mans family, according to the agency.

No other injuries were reported.

The man was working on the eastern edge of the Gales Fire at the time of the incident, according to Larry Nickey, deputy incident commander liaison for Pacific Northwest Team 13.

We dont have any information we can release right now because of the investigation, Nickey said on Monday afternoon.

The Gales Fire is within the Middle Fork Complex of fires that started in the Willamette National Forest the week of July 26. More than 500 personnel are working at the complex.

The fires are about 9 miles north of Oakridge and have burned about 24 square miles and have prompted evacuations.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Oregon
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Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020
The husband of a Derry woman who died with the coronavirus shortly after giving birth is encouraging everyone to get a Covid-19 vaccine.

Josh Willis was speaking after his wife, Samantha, 35, died with Covid-19 in hospital after giving birth to their fourth child.

She was buried in her home city in a moving ceremony this week while her two-week-old daughter, Eviegrace was baptised in the same service.

The grieving widower told RTEs Today show that his wife Samantha has not been vaccinated - as in the early stages of her pregnancy that had been the public health advice.

When that public health advice changed, Samantha Willis was 28 weeks pregnant and she and her husband thought it was safe not to get the vaccine.

We were so close to the end and we had been so careful, said Josh Willis who had already been doubly vaccinated. He said the couple had decided to wait until after the baby was born for Samantha to get the vaccine.

Mr Willis said it was his wife's choice not to get the vaccine as it was her body and she was carrying the baby. We thought that we were all relatively safe, he said.

New figures published this week showed almost one in 10 (9.5%) Covid-19 patients in Intensive Care Units in Irish hospitals since the end of June are pregnant women.

Maternity hospitals have reported vaccination levels as low as one in three among pregnant in-patients.

It had been hoped up to 60% of pregnant women would get vaccinated.

The low rate of vaccine uptake in pregnant women has been described as a concern compared with the high levels of vaccination rates in other parts of the population.

Describing how his family contracted the virus, Mr Willis said he tested positive for the virus on August 1, while their four-year-old daughter Liliana tested negative twice that week.

The couple thought that Samantha had picked up a bug from Liliana when she began to display flu-like symptoms.

He had no symptoms at first, but within a week he had lost his sense of taste and smell. Sam was worried about me because I have asthma. She was the type who worried about everyone else, said Mr Willis.

'All the signs were positive'

However, on the morning of August 3, Samantha became breathless and he brought her to the doctor who sent her to hospital. Later that week she delivered Eviegrace, and all the signs were positive.

Sadly, within days she took a dip and was sent back to ICU where she passed away a week later, said Mr Willis. The family had communicated via Facetime and text and Mr Willis had thought that his wife was getting better as she looked healthier.

She didnt tell me she was scared, but she told her mother that she had been afraid she was going to die (when she was first admitted to ICU)

Mr Willis had just visited a church with Liliana who wanted to light a candle for her mother when he received the call that she had taken a turn for the worse.

Liliana was in the car with him as he tried to talk with a doctor and he had to tell her: Mammy might die.

Her face dropped, she was on the verge of crying. She asked who will be my Mammy then? I told her shes always going to be your Mammy'.

The couples two older children Holly and Shay were obviously devastated but the family was fortunate to have a wide support network of family and friends, he said, who have set up a GoFundMe campaign to help Josh and his children through their ordeal.

By the time Mr Willis got to ICU, his wife was in a coma and lying on her stomach, but he continued to speak to her, holding her hand and telling her that "we all loved her.

As it became obvious to him that his wife was not going to recover, he said that he promised her that we would do our best to make her proud. Mr Willis said that he hoped that his familys story would help people, whether pregnant or not, to make the decision to get vaccinated.

I hope our story can help, that we can make Samantha proud, that we can save even one person, he said.

Mr Willis said he did not think that the medical professionals would be recommending a vaccine if it was not safe, so as far as he was concerned there was no choice, people should get vaccinated.

The family had a lot of good memories of Samantha, he said, and he hoped she was now looking down proud of how weve coped so far.
French president Emmanuel Macron is to spend the day in Dublin on Thursday, his first visit to Ireland since entering office.

Mr Macron had pledged during his election campaign to visit all 27 EU states, with Ireland just one of four he is yet to tour. Mr Macron will meet with President Michael D Higgins during his visit, taking part in an academic discussion at Aras an Uachtarain.
Over 700 apartments are planned on lands of the former CMP dairy on the Kinsale Road in Cork under new plans announced by Dairygold.

Watfore, the property management and development subsidiary of the Mitchelstown-based dairy co-operative, has applied to An Bord Pleanala for a pre-application consultation for the proposed development of 706 apartments as well as a childcare facility on the site of the former dairy which closed 15 years ago.

The process is the preliminary stage in seeking planning permission under the fast-track planning process for strategic housing developments.

It provides for Watfore to consult with Cork City Council and An Bord Pleanala with the latter issuing a decision on whether the plans constitute a reasonable basis for the submission of a formal application for planning permission.

Members of the public are not allowed to participate in the pre-application consultation phase of the process but can make submissions once a formal application is made.

The latest plans for the two-hectare site at the junction of the Tramore Road and Kinsale Road follows the withdrawal in October 2017 by Dairygold of its proposal to redevelop the former dairy site with the construction of a large retail warehouse and showroom and cafe/restaurant as well as a primary healthcare centre and pharmacy.

Concerns about the previous plans had been expressed by Musgrave Retail Partners, because of their potential impact on the operations of its logistic and supply chain hub on an adjoining site, although the company stressed it was supportive of the principle of redeveloping the former CMP facility.

The former dairy site was rezoned from light industrial to residential, local services and institutional uses by Cork City Council in 2019 which would facilitate the latest proposed development.

The site has remained largely idle since the CMP dairy closed in 2006, although it has been used occasionally to host a temporary funfair.

A decision by the board on whether the documents provided by Watfore constitute a reasonable basis for a formal planning application is due by mid-October.
A British Army surgeon has told of how he used his experience as a new father to settle a baby passed over a wall to troops in Kabul, amid an unexpectedly high number of children handed over to troops.

Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Caesar, a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon from 16 Medical Regiment, Royal Army Medical Corps, has been working in a hospital set up for injured personnel and Afghans going through the evacuation process at Kabul airport.

And he said the injuries he had been treating ranged from gunshot injuries, flashbang injuries, and people who have been crushed in the crowd, to those who had run out of medication and those suffering in the heat.

There have also been an unexpectedly high number of children being passed to us and being dealt with by the hospital, Lt Col Caesar said.

The baby that was handed over the wall to the US Marines ended up here at the Role 2 hospital, and amongst many other children that were separated from their parents, were looked after by the staff here in the Role 2.

Viral images have shown babies and young children being handed over to troops, often over walls topped with barbed wire at Kabul airport.

Both the Norwegians, the US and ourselves took turns taking care of those children and offering them the pastoral care that they needed while they waited to be either shipped on to a safe destination or reunited with their parents, Lt Col Caesar said.

Ministry of Defence handout photo of passengers disembarking a Royal Air Force Voyager after arriving at RAF Brize Norton from the Middle East. (SAC Samantha Holden RAF)

And he said the baby who had been passed over the wall to US Marines had struggled to settle while being fed by a colleague.

He said: As a recent father of a 14-month-old, I have a little more experience of dealing with small children, and so we took her for a walk, walked around the hospital, managed to burp her a few times. She seemed to settle, and she then sat with me for another half an hour.

So while she gently settled down, and she was handed on to one of the nursing staff who managed to rock her off to sleep.

That baby I believe has now been reunited with her mother, and she was moved on to a safe location outside of Afghanistan.

Lt Col Caesar said although he never knew what was going to come through the door  and the numbers of people coming through were much higher than expected  he felt it was absolutely necessary that troops were in Afghanistan.

I dont think anyone foresaw the crushing sea of humanity at the gate and how they were going to be affected by the situation. There was also the unpleasant situation where people got onto the runway.

We were very concerned at that point that we will be dealing with large numbers of casualties that could have overwhelmed this facility.

He said success for the troops would mean no coalition forces significantly injured or left behind, no injured UK service personnel, and as many Afghan nationals who wish to leave being brought to safety.
Burma Karen Rebel Army Braced for Myanmar Juntas Major Offensive

Junta troops at a camp inside Karen National Liberation Army territory in Papun Township, Karen State. / Salween Press

Fighting between Myanmars military and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) is being reported across Karen State since junta troops reinforcements arrived.

The military activity has increased this month with 81 times of clashes reported by August 20 by KNLA Brigades 1, 2, 3 and 5 in Thaton Township in Mon State, Taungoo and Nyaunglebin townships in Bago Region and Papun Township in Karen State, according to the Karen National Union, the KNLAs political wing.

Fighting has been reported almost every day this month in KNLA-controlled areas in Thaton, Paan and Papun townships, according to the armed group.

On Monday and Tuesday, brief clashes were reported in at least two separate places on the Salween River in Papun within the KNLA Brigade 5s territory, according to its spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Saw Kler Doh. Mondays clash was between the KNLA and the military-backed Karen Border Guard Force (BGF).

On Monday afternoon, fighting occurred between Brigade 6 and BGF troops in Kawkareik and Kyainseikgyi townships in Karen State.

A Brigade 6 source said: The militarys activity has increased. We told them we will not allow them to enter our territory.

Following the February 1 coup, some KNLA brigades have been sheltering striking civil servants and providing combat training to civilians volunteering to fight the junta.

KNLA troops inflicted heavy casualties on the military, in addition to seizing at least five military camps near the Salween along the Thai border between March and May.

Rising BGF activity has led some sources to expect military attacks on the KNLA.

Padoh Mahn Mahn, a KNU spokesman in Papun District, said there are rumors of major military attacks against KNLA Brigade 5 in an attempt to crush public demands for the National Unity Government to launch attacks on the junta.

They are planning for the Karen BGF to attack to start fighting within Karen communities, said Mahn Mahn.

Major Saw Tin Win from the BGF said the organization was not involved in plans to attack Brigade 5. He said the troop deployments were regular.

The deputy junta chief, Vice Senior General Soe Win, reportedly visited Thaton, where the regimes Brigade 44 is stationed, on Aug. 19 and ordered offensives against the KNU, according to the Salween Press.

The junta denied the visit.

But junta attacks on the KNLAs Brigades 5 and 1 are imminent, according to a military source.

We have heard that the military is planning to launch operations against the Peoples Defense Forces and areas sheltering striking civil servants. If this is true, everyone will have to defend themselves, said Padoh Mahn Mahn.

The military has recently increased security on roads and is checking peoples movements in Karen State.

They check motorbikes and anyone who refuses to cooperate risks being shot, said a KNLA Brigade 1 source, in reference to two residents of Moe Kaung village tract in Thaton who were killed on Aug. 14. Soldiers shot at four young men on two motorbikes who did not stop for troops. Two were killed and the other two were detained.

Tensions are high but there has not been recent fighting, said the KNLA source.



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Burma Myanmar Seizes Around 150 Civilians in 10 Days

Junta soldiers seize young activists in Yangon. / CJ

Myanmars junta detained around 150 civilians, including young activists, elected National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmakers and striking civil servants, over 10 days this month as it continues its crackdown on the opposition.

According to a report by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which monitors fatalities and detentions since the coup, at least 143 people were detained between August 14 to 24.

Among those detained are 15 NLD members, including those who won parliamentary seats in the 2020 general election, the results of which the junta annulled; four teachers who joined the civil disobedience movement (CDM) against the regime in Kalay Township, Sagaing Region, a striking teacher who joined the CDM in Yangon Region, dozens of young activists and relatives of civilians in hiding.

An elected lawmaker for Mingaladon Township in Yangon Region Daw Khin Myat Thu was detained with her husband on August 23 at a hideout. Five other NLD members were also detained in Yangon before the MPs abduction.

U Htay Win, MP for Tilin Township in Magwe Region, was also detained on August 22. On the same day, Ko Kyaw San Htoo, an Aunglan Township executive committee member, who is reportedly sick, was also seized at his home.

Ko Kyaw Soe Win, another Aunglan Township executive committee member, was also detained.

NLD supporter Aung Myo Thant in Taungdwingyi Township, Magwe Region, was beaten and detained by junta troops at his home along with his wife, son and daughter on August 17.

Despite international condemnation of the collective punishment of taking the relatives of those facing arrest warrants, the junta continues to arrest the families of activists.

On Wednesday, the junta detained the wife and son of Yangons former social affairs minister U Naign Ngan Lin when they brought supplies to him in Insein Prison, Mizzima News reported.

Over 10 days, the junta has seized at least 24 relatives when they failed to find the targeted individuals, including NLD members, pro-democracy activists and striking civil servants, according to the AAPP.

On August 18, the wife, child and younger brother of U Win Myint Aung, an MP and NLD member in Sai Pyin village, were detained after troops failed to find him at his home.

On the same day in Sai Pyin village, Depayin Township, Sagaing Region, the brother, nephew and a female relative of NLD member U Moe Min Win were detained after troops failed to him, the activist group said.

The AAPP reported the detention of the father, mother, wife, and two daughters of a police sergeant from Yinmabin Township who joined the CDM and took weapons from a police station.

Tun Win in Muse, Shan State, who contracted COVID-19, was detained at his home by junta troops after they did not find his son.

Young people and other residents were seized during night raids in Yangon and Mandalay regions.

While the exact number of detainees cannot be independently verified, around 12 young people were reportedly detained per day.

In Mandalay, a philanthropic group supplying food and oxygen, said four of its members were detained on Tuesday night for helping those in need at night.

Three young people were also reportedly detained in Thaketa Township on Tuesday evening. Residents said junta troops opened fire in their neighborhood during their raid. It was alleged that one detained youngster was shot and badly injured.

On Monday, five people, including a couple who owned a noodle shop, were detained during a night raid in Sanchaung Township in Yangon.

Residents said troops had a list of suspected People Defense Forces volunteers and those with alleged connections with the shadow National Unity Government.

A private teacher Ko Soe Paing, also known as Kyaw Khaing Win, who participated in anti-regime protests, was also detained in Thaketa Township, Yangon Region, by soldiers on Sunday. He died overnight in detention and his family was asked to collect his body on Monday, according to his former teacher. Details of the death are unknown.

According to the AAPP, the junta has detained more than 7,470 people since the Feb. 1 coup, of which 5,851 were still behind bars. Around 2,000 civilians still face arrest warrants.



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Over 400,000 Myanmar Civil Servants Still on Strike Against Military Regime
Burma Over 400,000 Myanmar Civil Servants Still on Strike Against Military Regime

Anti-regime protesters show their solidarity with CDM staff in Yangon in February. / The Irrawaddy

Over 400,000 civil servants have been on strike against the military regime since February, according to Myanmars shadow National Unity Government (NUG).

The NUGs Planning and Finance Minister, U Tin Tun Naing, said on Tuesday that almost 410,000 government staff have steadfastly joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) so far.

The exact number of civil servants in the country is unknown. Some estimates suggest that there are over one million government staff. By those figures, almost half of all state employees are on strike in protest at military rule.

Since the juntas February I coup, government workers ranging from directors to junior officers and clerks, and even some police and soldiers from the Home Affairs and Defense Ministries, have refused to work for the regime, preventing the junta from running the country properly. Many of the civil servants who are on strike have been sacked or threatened with arrest. Others are in hiding.

The NUG, which was formed by the countrys elected lawmakers from the ousted National League for Democracy government and their ethnic allies, is trying to fund salaries for civil servants participating in the CDM, especially junior staff.

The regimes ability to govern has been hit hard by the CDM. At the end of February, coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing decried the fact that nearly one-third of Myanmars 1,262 public hospitals had been unable to function for nearly three weeks because so many healthcare workers were on strike.

In July, as the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the country, hospitals were overwhelmed because of the shortage of medics and the devastated coup leader ordered them to hire doctors and nurses on a contract basis.

The banking sector has also been paralysed by the CDM, with both private and government banks barely able to operate due to striking staff.

It is believed that the actual number of government workers on strike is higher than the figure reported, in part because many civil servants have been forced to return to work by the regime in the last few months. At the same time, there has been an increase in the number of soldiers and police deserting their units. As of this month, nearly 2,000 of them have joined the CDM since the coup.

Make no mistake, the striking workers have joined the CDM not for the NUGs financial assistance to them but for the sake of a brighter future for the next generation, said U Tin Tun Naing.

We (the NUG) are fully responsible to support them, he added.

The NUG has tried to assist striking civil servants since its formation in April, but with intermittent success.

In order to raise more funds for them, the NUG launched an online lottery this month. 70 percent of the proceeds from the lottery will go to support people on strike. The lottery has proved hugely popular, with all tickets sold out in just over an hour on the day of its launch, despite threats from the regime that it will punish anyone who plays it.

As of Tuesday, almost 250,000 tickets had been sold in just five days. The lottery is currently on hold for system management.



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Burma Vice President Harris Says US Committed to Supporting People of Myanmar

US Vice President Kamala Harris with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore on Monday. / Kamala Harris Facebook Categories: News, Burma

The US vice president, who is now on a Southeast Asian tour, said Washington is committed to supporting the Myanmar people in their attempts to restore democracy in the country, while calling on other nations in the region to join the US in the effort.

Referring to the Southeast Asian countrys ongoing bloody and deadly struggle to topple the military regime that seized power in February, Vice President Kamala Harris said in Singapore on Tuesday that the United States remains deeply alarmed by the military coup in Burma, using the countrys former name.

We condemn the campaign of violent repression. And we are committed to supporting the people there as they work to return their nation to the path of democracy, she said.

We do hope that nations throughout the Indo-Pacific will join us in that effort, she added.

Since the coup, the regime has killed 1,014 people and detained more than 5,800 across the country in its crackdowns against anyone who opposes its rule, according to monitoring groups.

More than six months on, the junta is struggling to rule the country, as it faces nationwide popular opposition ranging from flash-mob protests to deadly armed resistance, both in urban and rural areas, nearly every day.

The US, along with other democracies in the West, has condemned the coup in Myanmar since the beginning. It has also encouraged the regional bloc, ASEAN, to take initiatives to resolve Myanmars crisis, as the country is a member of the bloc.

Apart from its support for ASEANs effort, the US has also engaged with Myanmars shadow National Unity Government (NUG), which was formed by elected lawmakers of the ousted National League for Democracy government and their ethnic allies.

Early this month, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke with Daw Zin Mar Aung, the NUGs foreign minister, making the first official contact between a senior US official and Myanmars parallel government.

The State Department said at the time that the two discussed ongoing efforts to return Myanmar to a path to democracy, including continued US support for the pro-democracy movement, as well as efforts to combat rising COVID-19 infections in Myanmar and to provide critical humanitarian assistance to the people.

Then, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced that Washington would provide more than US$50 million in critical humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar including those forced to flee violence and persecution.

This month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged his ASEAN counterparts to take joint action to urge the military to end the violence.

He welcomed the blocs appointment of Bruneis second minister for foreign affairs, Erywan Yusof, as special envoy to Myanmar. However, ASEAN has been criticized for its failure to reach out to any relevant parties concerning the Myanmar issue.

On Tuesday, the NUGs deputy foreign minister said ASEAN had yet to engage with the shadow government.



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Equinix Australia has attained the Commonwealth Governments Certified Strategic Hosting Provider status, the highest-level assurance required of data centre providers to host Commonwealth Government data, based on requirements defined in the Hosting Certification Framework managed by the Digital Transformation Agency.

This new certification applies to several of Equinixs International Business Exchange (IBX) data centres in key metros across Australia.

Commenting on the certification, Equinix Australia managing director Guy Danskine said, Equinix understands and welcomes the need for clear and transparent whole- of- government outsourcing arrangements in respect of data centre service providers, whilst ensuring Australia remains a competitive, global digital economy.

Equinix has many certified, densely connected, highly secure IBX facilities in key metros across Sydney, Canberra, Perth and Melbourne and has been a data centre provider to the Commonwealth and State governments for many years under previous hosting panels.

Equinix said it works with most of the major managed service providers, cloud providers and network providers who provide services to the Commonwealth Government. Combined with Defence Industry Security Program (DISP), Australian Cyber Security Committee (ACSC) membership and various ISO and SOC certifications, this latest certification ensures that Equinix meets the highest standards to continue supporting its partners capabilities to serve the Australian public sector.
The Australian Government has passed into law a bill to enable the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission to obtain three new warrants so they can tackle serious criminal acts online.

The Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2020 amends the Surveillance Devices Act 2004 (SD Act), the Crimes Act 1914 (Crimes Act) and associated legislation to add the new powers. It was introduced into Parliament in December last year.

The bill was passed by the Senate on Wednesday, after incorporating some changes suggested by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.

Labor voted with the government to pass the legislation.

Among proposed changes which were not incorporated was a higher bar for authorising a warrant.

The three new warrants are:

Data disruption warrants to disrupt data by modifying, adding, copying or deleting in order to frustrate the commission of serious offences online;

Network activity warrants to allow agencies to collect intelligence on serious criminal activity being conducted by criminal networks, and;

Account takeover warrants to give security agencies the ability to take control of a persons online account to gather evidence to further a criminal investigation.

On Tuesday, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews outlined a number of changes to the original bill, including the expiry of the new powers after five years and more robust criteria for issuing the warrants.

In the Senate, South Australian Senator Rex Patrick expressed surprise at the sudden dropping of the bill. He proposed a couple of amendments including having magistrates or judges authorising the warrants and not members of the administrative appeals tribunal.

But his amendments were shot down by Attorney-General Senator Michaelia Cash.
Australian scientists have modelled a way to determine how many cases of COVID-19 could be travelling on any international flight, based on data from the first six months of the pandemic, which they say could help Australian authorities make decisions about incoming international travel.



Developed by Australia's national science agency the CSIRO, and Queensland University of Technology, the tool can forecast the number of potential infections on each flight using the number of incoming travellers and the rate of disease in the countries theyre arriving from.



Researchers evaluated the travel bans implemented by the Australian government at the start of the pandemic showing they lowered the number of COVID-19 cases brought into the country by 88%.



CSIRO research scientist Dr Jess Liebig, said the model gives governments another tool to aid complex decisions on travel restrictions and the opening of borders.



The model is a flexible framework that can be used to quantify the effects of travel restrictions and to evaluate proposed relaxations, Dr Liebig said.





It also enables us to pinpoint the groups of travellers most likely to be carrying the virus, so authorities can more efficiently direct healthcare and biosecurity control strategies.



The scientists say they applied the model to two scenarios - one with open borders and another which reflects the actual travel restrictions implemented by Australia between January and June 2020.



During this period Australia introduced travel bans on China, Iran, South Korea and Italy due to their high rates of COVID-19 disease before a full travel ban on all foreign nationals commenced on 20 March 2020 to curb the spread of the virus.

Summary of the effect of individual travel bans

Country Date of Ban Estimated % reduction in imported cases of COVID-19



China 1 February 2020 94.45%

Iran 1 March 2020 32.81%

South Korea 5 March 2020 94.41%

Italy 11 March 2020 77.9%

Our modelling shows that without travel restrictions, over 48,000 COVID-19 cases were likely to have been imported to Australia from January to May 2020, Dr Liebig said.



However, all of Australias travel bans successfully lowered imported cases into Australia by 88%, to an estimated 6,000 cases over the studied period.



Queensland University of Technologys Professor Raja Jurdak said the model is the first to quantify the expected number of COVID-19 importations from all countries globally into a particular country.



The effectiveness of travel bans on individual countries varies widely and depends heavily on the behaviour of returning residents and citizens, Professor Jurdak said.



If we can better understand and forecast the likely spread of COVID-19 through air travel, we can make more informed decisions about when and how to reopen international borders.
Australian-listed communications software and cloud infrastructure provider MNF Group has continued to grow recurring revenue on the back of strong demand from long-term customers in its global wholesale business.

Reporting its results for the FY21 on Wednesday, MNF Group (ASX:MNF) CEO, Rene Sugo said: After a strong start to the year, I am pleased to report we have ended the 2021 financial year at the top end of market guidance, achieving solid performance across all metrics, including record EBITDA of $43.1 million and a 29% growth in phone numbers.

Recurring margin now accounts for 67% of our total gross margin, reflecting the results of our sustained efforts to increase high-quality, recurring revenue.

We continued to grow recurring revenue in our business, resulting in a 12% increase on prior year, due to strong demand from long-term customers in our Global Wholesale business.

MNF lists highlights of the FY21 as:

Recurring revenue rose 12% to $113.2 million, as a result of organic growth from long-term wholesale customers

Recurring Gross Margin up 14% to $68.1 million making up more than two thirds of the Gross Margin of $102.2 million

EBITDA increased 13% to $43.1 million (FY20: $38.2 million), at the top end of market guidance

Underlying NPAT-A increased 16% to $19.2 million (FY20: $16.6 million)

Earnings per share up 24% to 18.43 cents per share (FY20: 14.88 cents per share)

Dividends increased by 25% to 7.6 cents per share (FY20: 6.1 cents per share)

Strong balance sheet with over $100 million made up of cash and undrawn debt

Sugo also said that MNF is targeting 80% recurring revenue over the long-term.

Im particularly proud of the progress we have made against our strategy during the year, as we build MNF into a world-class software company, Sugo said.

We completed the divestment of parts of our Direct business, aligning our business to wholesale revenue and the multi-billion-dollar opportunity we see ahead of us.

To reflect the new, simplified business, we are restructuring our reporting lines to align with the opportunities in our target market. Going forward, the business will be structured into three software-as-a-service divisions: Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS), Telecom as a Service (TaaS) and Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS).

We also made substantial progress on our long-term strategy to grow market share across the Asia-Pacific region. This year marked a significant milestone in our expansion, as we officially launched our Symbio CPaaS product suite in Singapore. We are now set to deliver next-generation communications and unlock the growth benefits of an entirely new unified communications capability in a sought-after market.

We are a more streamlined, robust business with a strong focus on our people, culture and sustainability. Looking ahead, we are well placed to continue to execute our strategy and growth objectives, supported by a strong balance sheet, cash position and sustained demand from our customers.

MNF lists operational highlights as:

Record phone number growth, up 29% to 5.8 million (FY20: 4.5 million)

Net Revenue Retention (NRR) rate across top 10 customers was 115%

Officially launched in Singapore, marking a significant milestone in MNFs growth strategy to expand into Asia-Pacific

Divestment of Direct business in line with MNFs strategy to simplify the business and focus on recurring revenue

Refreshed strategy including realignment of business to maximise opportunities driven by global megatrends of CPaaS and UCaaS

MNF also reports that phone numbers in its network - the key performance indicator for future growth - reached 5.8 million as at 30 June 2021, growing by a record 29% on the prior year.

The strong growth of phone numbers drove the Groups total recurring revenue, which increased 12% to $113.2 million on FY20, largely from long-term wholesale customers, and supported a 5% increase in recurring margin to 67% of total margin, MNF notes.

Despite the strong performance and continued demand for MNFs services, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and travel has had an impact on financial results.

Overall revenue declined 5% during the period to $218.7 million, as a result of lower global roaming and audio-conferencing usage.

Record EBITDA was also achieved in the period, up 13% to $43.1 million (FY20: $38.2 million), at the top end of market guidance of $40.0 million - $43.0 million.

MNFs gross margin increased by 6% to $102.2 million and underlying NPAT-A was up 16% to $19.2 million, as MNFs high-quality product mix delivered higher margin and more efficiencies in the cost base.

During the period, the company delivered a cash conversion of 99%, supported by a strong focus on cash collection.

The balance sheet remains strong, with net cash of $22.7 million as at 30 June 2021, providing the ability to leverage our streamlined and focused business to maximise growth opportunities provided by the rapid shift to cloud communication in the APAC region.

MNF said it had refreshed its strategy for FY22 to focus on three areas to build the company into a world-class software company and that the new strategy seeks to simplify the business, build best in-class software capability and network, and scale and expand throughout Asia-Pacific both organically and through acquisition, driving short term revenue and margin growth and medium term EBITDA.

Enabled by the most experienced industry professionals, a strong culture and a genuine commitment to sustainability, MNFs refreshed strategy underpins its new strategic goal: to reach 100 million numbers on network by 2030, the company said.

MNF reported on a number of other key activities during the 2021 FY and the strategy going foward:

Divestment of Direct business

During the year, MNF decided to sell the non-core parts of the Direct business to Vonex. The divestment is in line with MNFs strategy to simplify the business and drive growth in its CPaaS and UCaaS voice services. Funds from the sale will be reinvested into growing the wholesale business and expansion offshore



A new operating structure to execute global growth

In FY22, MNF will realign its business structure to support global growth. Going forward, the business will be segmented and reported on in three software-as-a-service (SaaS) divisions: Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS), Telecom as a Service (TaaS) and Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS). Each division is aligned to a key target market, with a distinct product set and geography. This structure more clearly communicates MNFs value proposition to customers and can easily be scaled globally.

Singapore and expansion into APAC

MNF successfully launched its CPaaS product suite in Singapore, following regulatory approval and successful completion of customer trials. The focus will now be on building sales pipeline in the region as well as additional features to extend total addressable market and replicating the technology stack to enter additional regions.

In line with the groups strategy to expand in South-East Asia, MNF appointed a General Manager for South East Asia, Mr See Kiat Yeo. Mr Yeos deep experience in technology and business development across a number of different APAC regions will further support MNFs expansion into additional Asia-Pacific regions. Additional local and international business development staff have been recruited.

Acquisitions

Acquisitions form part of MNFs expansion strategy both domestically and offshore. MNF applies disciplined criteria for assessing potential acquisitions, including strategic fit and earnings contribution. With a strong balance sheet and undrawn debt, MNF is well placed to take advantage of opportunities in the market.

Outlook:

Commenting on the outlook for MNF, Sugo said: Our business looks markedly different compared to 12 months ago. As we move into FY22, we will focus on further simplifying our business, building best in-class software capability and network and growing our business throughout Asia-Pacific.

Our new strategy will support MNF to achieve its new 2030 vision, and sets a clear path for global expansion, with the goal to reach 100 million numbers on our network by 2030.

This will be achieved by increasing our market share and expanding our presence across Asia- Pacific. Singapore provides the stepping-stone into more opportunities in APAC. Now, supported by a strong balance sheet, we will further invest in our three business divisions, to capture further market share and expansion across the region.

MNF continues to benefit from the increased utilisation of collaboration and communications software applications due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The business has had no immediate impact due to current lockdowns and July 2021 trading showed continued growth.

Further information on MNF Group's results is available in its 2021 Annual Report.
IT consultancy CPT Global has just had its best year since listing on the ASX in 2000.

CPT Global was founded in 1993 to provide IBM mainframe capacity planning, performance tuning, and testing services.

Over the years it expanded into other platforms, to international markets such as North America and Europe, and into additional practice areas, notably IT management consulting.

The company's focus is now on transformation, assurance and optimisation.

CPT has bounced back strongly after reporting a loss in 2020.

"FY2021 was a year of records: the $3.4m profit after tax, 33% revenue growth and 10.2% net profit margin were our best results as an ASX listed company," said founder and managing director Gerry Tuddenham.

These results, he noted, were achieved without government support in the form of JobKeeper or the US's Paycheck Protection Program.

The company declared a $0.03 per share fully franked dividend, to be paid on 30 September 2021. This brings the full year dividend to $0.05, giving a yield of 10.4% including franking credits (based on a share price of $0.65  at the time of writing it had slipped to $0.61).

In his letter to shareholders, Tuddenham said CPT had invested in a digital marketing capability, and had demonstrated its remote delivery capability.

"We expect a new equilibrium between onsite and remote delivery to emerge in the coming months, and CPT is well positioned to meet our clients, staff and business needs," he said.

Tuddenham also pointed to CPT's five-year plan to develop software to automate, enhance and scale the company's business; to licence those tools to clients; and then sell the software on a SaaS basis to third parties.

This "could be a genuine game changer", he said.

Tuddenham reminded shareholders that he will be stepping down as managing director on 1 November 2021. Luke Tuddenham will take over as CEO.
Companies that are using CentOS 8 have three options open to them as they contemplate their next move in view of the fact that only a few months of support remain for this Linux distribution.

Javier Perez, an open-source expert who has worked both with IBM and Red Hat in the past, is helping customers of his current employer, Perforce Software, to plan for a move by the end of the year.

CentOS is more or less the same as the Red Hat Enterprise Linux distribution, but with the trademarks stripped out so that it can be used without a licence.

It was created by independent developers but was bought by Red Hat in January 2014, reportedly due to fears among the Red Hat top brass that Oracle would pick up the project.

But those who were using CentOS had to reset their plans in December last year, when Red Hatthat it would be killing off CentOS, decommissioning it at the end of this year.

At the time, Red Hat's Rich Bowen said: "The future of the CentOS Project is CentOS Stream, and over the next year well be shifting focus from CentOS Linux, the rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, to CentOS Stream, which tracks just ahead of a current RHEL release."

This meant that CentOS would no longer be a stable distribution, but instead would serve as a testing ground for Red Hat. The announcement also said support for CentOS 7 would continue, but support for CentOS 8 would end on 31 December 2021.

Perez said companies using version 6, 7 or 8 of CentOS could take one of the following paths:

"Migrate to CentOS Stream to stay with a similar open source distribution, or migrate to RHEL for a commercial version. Either approach requires moving to version 8 for those environments on CentOS Linux 6 or 7.

"Migrate to a recent fork of CentOS 8; aside from Oracle Linux, there are new open source projects intended to continue advancing CentOS. Recently launched distributions include Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, and NavyLinux.

"Migrate to another open source or commercial Linux distribution altogether. Depending on the applications, these migrations could certainly be more challenging as each Linux distribution could have different kernel and subsystem updates, plus additional or different packages (libraries). Examples include openSUSE and Ubuntu."

He said there were support options available for those who wanted to continue using CentOS 8, though only one was a long-term option.

First, there was CentOS 8 vendor support. "When CentOS 8 reaches community support end of life in December, CentOS users who want commercial support from Red Hat will need to migrate to a supported RHEL version. For those who migrate or "convert" to RHEL, the most common paths are horizontal, (e.g. CentOS 8 to RHEL 8," Perez said.

"For those undertaking a migration, RHEL advises users to book consulting services. For many organisations who left RHEL for CentOS due to pricing concerns, a move back to RHEL may not be in the budget  and paying Red Hat for the pleasure of getting there may upset some stomachs.

"For those who need to move back to RHEL and don't want to pay Red Hat for consultancy on the migration, find a vendor who can provide consultative guidance and migration services. Vendors (like OpenLogic) are offering extended support through 2026."

Limited support could also be found within the CentOS community. "Community release support with new releases and patches, would normally include the 'Full Updates' and 'Maintenance Updates'," Perez pointed out.

"This community release support will end in December 2021. Of course, the community itself isn't going away. People who have worked on CentOS Linux in the past will still exist and will still be around.

"Will they still answer questions related to CentOS Linux? Considering many of the CentOS contributors work for Red Hat, probably not. The CentOS community is effectively moving on to CentOS Stream. Regardless, relying on un-defined community support isn't feasible for most organisations unless they have an internal team with the expertise needed to backport or create patches and bug fixes."

And the third option was to locate CentOS 8 commercial technical support. "For those who want to remain on CentOS 8 beyond December 2021, finding extended commercial technical support that provides backported patches and bug fixes is the best option," Perez said.

"This isn't a permanent solution, of course. But for companies who have just performed a costly and/or time-consuming migration, performing another migration so soon may not be in the picture. For them, supporting their CentOS implementations until they can plan for a migration will be the more cost-effective, albeit temporary, solution."
The majority of Australian businesses are open to hiring people from across Australia and having them work remotely, following a 283% spike in remote work job postings since the beginning of the pandemic, according to research by one recruitment company.

Research by recruiter Robert Half found that while lockdowns across the country accelerate the move towards remote work for the professional sector, Australian bosses are embracing the Anywhere Workforce trend in order to access a wider talent pool and address the fierce talent gap facing the Australian market.

The research coincides with the launch of Robert Halfs Demand for Skilled Talent report, produced alongside labour market analytics firm, Burning Glass Technologies, aimed at providing an in-depth analysis of current employment market trends, in-demand roles and the rise of the Anywhere Workforce.

According to the Demand for Skilled Talent report, the increase in remote job postings between March 2020 and March 2021 (compared to compared to the pre-COVID period of June 2019-February 2020), was driven largely by business support roles (+394%), followed by finance and accounting roles (+279%) and technology roles (+227%).

And for those looking to explore remote work, the job titles with the greatest remote work growth by sector are:

Business Support Finance Technology Office Administrative Assistant (+708%) Accounts Payable/Receivable Manager (+1924%) Helpdesk Support (+471%) Customer Service Representative (+701%) Payroll Specialist (+976%) Computer Systems Engineer (+328%) Executive Assistant (+537%) Compliance Manager (+637%) Database Engineer (+317%)

Robert Half says the rise in remote work has catalysed a revised approach to remuneration packaging and, as well as assessing the traditional metrics including employee skills and seniority, employers are now assessing the applicants location to determine salary based on cost-of-living factors.

The Robert Half survey found that more than almost one-in-four (38%) businesses are likely to remunerate according to the location the team is headquartered while 34% would consider a hybrid of the two locations  office location and remote worker location  to set the appropriate salary benchmark. One-in-four (25%) hiring managers say they would use the location of the remote worker when considering salary. Merely 3% remain unsure.

Robert Half says salaries between states can vary by up to 16% for the same role and experience level[1], which represents a significant opportunity for employees to boost their earning potential through remote work arrangements.

When looking at remuneration intent, New South Wales (45%) and Victorian (47%) organisations are more likely to remunerate a remote employee based on headquarter location than their Queensland (27%) and Western Australian (30%) counterparts.

At the same time, the research reveals that Victoria and New South Wales generally offer higher average salaries per equivalent role to their Queensland and Western Australian counterparts.

Based on Robert Half remuneration data, Victorians pay the highest salaries for finance and accounting professionals, up to 13% higher than their Queensland counterparts for median experience levels.

In technology, businesses in New South Wales can pay up to 16% more for median experience levels, compared to their West Australian peers.

For employees securing remote work, Robert Half says this suggests that the most lucrative positions are with New South Wales or Victorian businesses who pay according to their headquarter location.

Remote work presents new opportunities for employees and employers alike. For employees, the rise in remote work has created the potential for professionals to secure work with a remote employer who may pay more than a local organisation as well as save on living costs by moving away from the big cities, said David Jones, Senior Managing Director of Robert Half Asia Pacific.

For instance, an employee based in a city with a lower cost-of-living while working remotely for an organisation who pay a higher salary based on their location may be able to increase their discretionary income.

As a deepening skills shortage puts pressure on Australian businesses, remote work offers employers the ability to tap into new talent pools outside of their geography.

To successfully attract remote workers, remuneration strategies will need to be abreast of national salary trends in order to offer a competitive package to out-of-state applicants.

For businesses looking to attract remote talent based in higher-paying states, they should be prepared to at least meet the remuneration standards of the applicants location or risk losing the candidate to a local role, Jones concludes.
Today

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 100F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 76F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.

Tomorrow

A mainly sunny sky. High 102F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
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Services for Robert Kesinger, 67, of Alto Will be Thursday August 26th at 10am at the O.T. Allen and Son Chapel. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the funeral home. Interment will follow services at Old Palestine Cemetery in Alto. Robert Kesinger was born May 18th, 1954 in Rus




Donate Now As a public service during this pandemic, the Jewish News is providing free, unlimited access to all articles. Jewish News is a nonprofit publication that is owned by the community and relies on community support.
Alexander has reported on courts and crime since June 2021. A fan of all things outdoors, he came to Teton County after studying journalism at Northwestern University.
Mike has reported on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's wildlife, wildlands and the agencies that manage them since 2012. A native Minnesotan, he arrived in the West to study environmental journalism at the University of Colorado.
Evan Robinson-Johnson covers issues residents face on a daily basis, from smoky skies to housing insecurity. Originally from New England, he has settled in east Jackson and avoids crowds by rollerblading through the alleyways.
Paul W. Hansens Common Ground column appears about twice a month. Columns are solely the opinion of their authors. Contact him via columnists@jhnewsandguide.com.
Hoback resident Robert Frodeman writes on technology and the environment. He can be reached at robert.frodeman@gmail.com. Guest Shots are solely the opinion of their authors.
Since moving to Jackson Hole in 1992, Richard has covered everything from local government and criminal justice to sports and features. He currently concentrates on arts and entertainment, heading up the Scene section.
NEOSHO, MO - Paul Dean Hughes, 89, passed away Saturday, August 28, 2021. Services will be at 11:00 a.m. Saturday at McQueen Funeral Home, Wheaton, MO. Visitation is 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
Opinion Columnist

Chris Powell has worked for the Journal Inquirer since 1967, first as a reporter, then as an editor, and now as a columnist. He was managing editor from 1974 until retiring from that position in 2018.
TROPICAL STORM IMPACT

 At least 5 inches of rain fell in Manchester on Sunday and Monday.

 Manchester Fire-Rescue-EMS helped with 16-20 evacuations, the fire chief said.

 Many yards and basements flooded.
Jailed and tortured, Jean Noyoma Kovounsouna was one of the tens of thousands of victims of former Chadian president Hissene Habres brutal reign.

The ex-leader died aged 79 from Covid on Tuesday in Senegal, where he was serving a life sentence for crimes inflicted under his eight-year dictatorship.

But his death has failed to resolve the issue of compensation for those who suffered. So far, not a penny out of millions of expected dollars has been paid.

Habres rule from 1982 to 1990 was marked by brutal crackdowns on dissent, including torture and executions of opponents.

It was a time of terror  the police were extremely harsh, Noyoma, now 60, told AFP.

As soon as there were any doubts about your opinion, they came for you, day or night. And nobody was told  neither your family, nor your friends nor anyone else.

In 1989, he recalled, I was taken from my place of work and brought to one of NDjamenas worst prisons. There were six of us in a cell measuring four square metres (yards). I was tortured several times.

Some 40,000 people are estimated to have been killed under Habre, who earned the nickname of Africas Pinochet.

He was eventually arrested in 2013, tried by a special tribunal set up by the African Union under a deal with Senegal.

In May 2016, he was handed a life term for war crimes, crimes against humanity and torture  a sentence upheld the following year.

The former dictator was also ordered to pay the equivalent of up to $33,000 (30,000 euros) to each of victims, who suffered rape, arbitrary detention and imprisonment during his rule, as well as to their relatives.

But victims groups say they have not been paid, while suspecting that Habre has left behind a considerable fortune.

 Lacking political will 

In 2015, a Chadian court sentenced 24 former members of the Habres DDS secret police to terms in jail and ordered them to pay compensation to the 7,000 recorded victims. The Chadian state was to pay half of the sum, which amounted to the equivalent of $134 million in total.

We have been waiting six years to be compensated, said Ousmane Abakar Tehir, the national coordinator for the victims of Habres regime association.

Its not because hes dead that we are going to give up the fight to obtain our rights, he told AFP.

Abakar also spent time in jail during Habres regime. He remembers sleepless nights when he would watch fellow prisoners be taken away  and never come back.

Fatime Oumars husband went to work one day in 1988. He spent the day there and left to come home. He never made it, and no one ever saw him again.

I found out my husband was dead when Habre left power. I never saw his body in order to grieve, she told AFP.

Even if Habre is dead, we will fight until our last breath for compensation. Its a decision of the law.

The African Union leaders set up a trust fund for victims in 2017 and allocated $5 million to it.

The political will to properly set up and activate the trust fund is simply lacking, said Jacqueline Moudeina, a lawyer who represents Habres victims.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement following Habres death that the fund had yet to become operational.

Victims have not received a penny of reparations, the rights group added.

The African Union, Chad and Senegal have to do all they can to compensate us, said Noyoma.

Habre is dead but the struggle goes on, and we will not give up.
Emergency file

go through Amy How





9:38 p.m.

In 2018, an asylum-seeking woman arrived at the US border in Tijuana, Mexico with her newborn baby. (Daniel Arauz, from Flickr)

On Tuesday night, the Supreme Court rejected the Biden administrations request to suspend the implementation of the district court order, which required it to restore the Trump-era stay in Mexico policy, which required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico during the waiting period. The U.S. Immigration Court holds a hearing. The court was divided on its decision to refuse relief. The three liberal judges of the court-Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan-said they would approve the governments request and shelve it The order of the district court.

The decision means that the Biden administration must resume the implementation of the policy in good faith, while litigation in lower courts continues.

Order for tuesday night This is the second time that a judge has taken urgent action on the Stay in Mexico policy (formally known as the Immigration Protection Agreement) announced by the Trump administration in 2018. In March 2020, the court allow After being blocked by a federal district judge in California, the Trump administration began to implement the policy.Supreme Court Later agreed Review the ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The ruling found that the policy may be inconsistent with federal immigration law and international law, but the judges Dismiss the case Earlier this summer, the Biden administration ended this policy. Critics of the policy say it forces asylum seekers to live in dangerous and unsanitary camps in Mexican border towns.

After the Biden administration ended the policy, federal courts from Texas and Missouri to Texas challenged the decision. The states argued that the decision to terminate the policy violated federal immigration laws and federal laws of procedures that must be followed by federal agencies. They also argued that without this policy, a large number of immigrants could enter the United States based on suspicious asylum applications, thereby incurring costs to the states.

The federal district judge agreed that the states and order The Biden administration will resume this policy before August 21.U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Refusal to set aside the ruling Give the government time to appeal.

Biden Administration Went to the Supreme Court on Friday, Asking the judge to intervene. Acting Deputy Attorney General Brian Fletcher defended the decision to terminate the policy after careful consideration. He warned that the district courts order for the government to immediately restore the policy would interfere with US-Mexico relations and threatening of border chaos.

Judge Samuel Alito, who handled the urgent request from Texas, temporarily suspended the district court order to allow the judge to consider the request. Alito shelved the order until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday night and ordered the states to respond by 5 p.m. Tuesdaya sign that the court will act quickly.

In the documents filed on Tuesday afternoon, the states played down the Biden administrations complaint that district court orders interfered with U.S. foreign policy. The states stated that the government only expressed vague concerns in the trial, and in any case almost any major immigration policy may have collateral effects on diplomatic relations. The states rejected the governments argument that asking it to reinstate the policy would lead to border chaos as a scarecrow: [T]A humanitarian emergency at the border is happening, the states wrote, and the situation has only gotten worse since the Biden administration suspended the policy. In fact, the states pointed out that news reports indicate that the Biden administration itself has discussed privately due to The policy was restored due to border issues.

The states also told judges that the memorandum that the Department of Homeland Security officially terminated the policy on June 1 was neither reasonable nor reasonable, as required by federal law. The states emphasized that, among other things, the DHS memorandum did not consider the benefits of the policy or the extent to which states depend on it.

In a brief unsigned order issued shortly before 8pm on Tuesday, the court explained that the Biden administration is unlikely to succeed  one of the criteria for obtaining such emergency relief requests  indicating its decision to terminate the request. The policy is not arbitrary and capricious-that is, a reasonable and reasonable explanation.The order cited the courts 2020 ruling Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, It rejected the Trump administrations efforts to terminate the childs deferred return program, an Obama-era policy designed to protect people who were brought to the United States as children without authorization.exist regent, The court held that the Trump administration did not correctly explain its decision to terminate DACA.

In the order on Tuesday night, the court added that its decision not to suspend the district court order should not be interpreted by the Fifth Circuit as affecting the construction of the order. The Fifth Circuit had emphasized that the district court did not order the government to Restoring the MPPs infrastructure overnight, but only asking it to implement and implement the policy in good faith.

The three liberal judges of the court made it clear that they would agree to the governments request, although none of them wrote a formal objection. There is no way to know whether their colleague also voted for government relief; if there is any justice, he or she did not publicly notice the vote.

This article is Originally published in Howe on the Court.
Sign up for myFT Daily Digest and be the first to learn about German economic news.

Data released on Wednesday showed that German business expectations fell sharply in August due to supply chain disruptions and concerns about the re-emergence of Covid-19 infection weighing on the euro zones largest economys recovery from the pandemic.

A widely watched business climate index developed by the Ifo Institute in Munich dropped from 100.8 last month to 99.4 in August. This is the second consecutive month of decline after steady improvement since the beginning of this year.

Especially dragged down by business expectations for the next six months; the index fell from 101.2 in July to a six-month low of 97.5. Economists surveyed by Reuters had expected the number to drop slightly to 100.

The supply bottleneck of intermediate products in the manufacturing industry and concerns about the increase in the number of infections are putting pressure on the economy, said Clemens Fuest, director of the ifo Institute.

He added that because of concerns about the possibility of a new lockdown, worries in the hotel and tourism industry are increasing.

Combined with the recent weakness in the German Zew sentiment index and Purchasing Manager SurveyCarsten Brzeski, global head of macroeconomics at ING Bank, said the data showed that Germany lost momentum in the second half of the year.

If the hard data stabilizes with the soft indicators, the economic recovery to pre-crisis levels will be delayed, he warned.

In contrast, companies reported a strong improvement in current conditions, and the corresponding index rose to the highest level since May 2019.

Capital Economics chief European economist Andrew Kenningham said that this shows that the German economy is still strong and that the third quarter GDP is expected to grow very strongly compared to the previous three months. About 3%. The German economy grew by 1.6% in the second quarter.

However, supply chain difficulties will continue to hinder manufacturing, and the Delta variant will inhibit the prospects of the hotel industry, he said. Although he previously predicted a GDP growth rate of 4% in 2021, he has lowered it to 3% in light of the recent deterioration in sentiment data.

The decline in sentiment in the manufacturing industry has been particularly pronounced. Although companies report that demand has weakened, they are basically optimistic about the current situation. But their outlook for the next few months has fallen sharply; the corresponding index hit its lowest level since November last year.

Fuest said that companies in the service industry are reporting better conditions than in previous months, but their optimism about the future has faded.

Construction bucked the trend; the company reported better current business and improved expectations.Like many other advanced economies, Germany is experiencing Strong housing demand And rapid housing price growth.
Sign up for myFT Daily Digest and become the first person to learn about the UKs inbound investment news.

Lord Grimstone, the British Secretary of State for Investment, insisted that Britain has not become more protectionist, arguing that as long as Chinese investment is good for us and defending the private equity industry against British companies, Chinese investment is welcome.

The UK will launch a comprehensive New national security law Covering foreign acquisitions, while ministers are seeking to reduce Chinese companies Nuclear energy sector.

But Griston told the Financial Times that foreign investment has increased productivity and created high-paying jobs; the new rules for screening foreign bids for domestic companies will set clear and effective basic rules.

Grimstone is preparing for the Global Investment Summit with the theme of green after Brexit in October, and will see the largest investable capital we have at any time in the UK.

The minister boasted that Britain is the most attractive place for foreign investment in the world, but he said that a new National Security and Investment Act Will ensure that it is always in the national interest.

Grimstone, former chairman of Barclays Bank, said that the new law will clarify the basic rules for acquiring British companies, similar to screening in the United States, France, Germany and Australia.

China Telecom Corporation Huawei The use of the UKs 5G mobile phone network has been banned, and ministers are exploring ways to exclude Chinese state-owned nuclear energy companies from participating in future projects in the UK.

But Griston said that Britain still hopes to invest from China. Yes, if this is a good investment for us, it is definitely welcome, he said. We are not so stupid and want to make investments that are not good for us.

British concerns Too open policy In terms of foreign acquisitions, the National Security and Investment Law will take effect in January next year.

The new bill will cover 17 business sectors It will also investigate any investment in more than 25% of a UK company that has attracted attention. Crucially, it can be used retrospectively to fine companies.

If we want to get a lot of new investment [the] The UK has a responsibility to ensure that we have the system to ensure that the investment we receive is beneficial to us, Grimstone said. It is more effective, not interventionist. 

He also made a full defense of foreign investment, saying that British companies with overseas investors are more productive, creating more jobs and higher-paying jobs than pure domestic counterparts.

When asked about so-called sales of undervalued British companies  some of which are targeted by foreign private equity buyers  Grimstone admitted that Brexit uncertainty has helped depress share prices.

But he said that Britains departure from the European Union on January 1  a new trade agreement  ended the uncertainty and allowed people to revisit the UK. It provides a difficult environment for people to judge investment, he said.

He also defended foreign private equity investors who target companies including supermarket chains MorrisonHe said: Gone are the days when private equity was all related to divestitures. The best private equity firms want to build, not go bankrupt.

Grimstone stated that the London Investment Summit in October will be an opportunity to roll out the green carpet and showcase the attractiveness of the UK as a green economy investment destination.

He said that about 200 of the worlds largest investors will participate in the event, which will be held before the United Kingdom hosts the United Nations. COP26 The Climate Change Summit in Glasgow in November.

Foreign investment is also crucial to boosting growth in regions such as the central and northern regions; opportunities in areas such as electric vehicles and renewable energy are multiplying.

He said that this is the best time to invest in the UK, partly because the governments policy is also focused on decarbonizing the economy and trying to upgrade the economy.

He said: There is such a coincidence between investment opportunities in the new economy and the countrys investment priorities.
BATON ROUGE, La - The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program has been awarded a grant of $998,778 for a new initiative to improve the overall achievement of the state's youth by educating them on the financial, legal and emotional responsibilities of parenthood.

DCFS was one of nine child support agencies in the nation to receive a grant from the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to develop programs under the three-year demonstration Charting a Course for Economic Mobility and Responsible Parenting - Cohort 2.

"OCSE is committed to helping parents take care of their children, both financially and emotionally," said Linda Boyer, Acting Commissioner of OCSE. "One way we can help parents be the providers their children need is by helping youth and young adults prepare for parenthood. These projects support state and tribal innovations to help a new generation of parents understand and navigate the rights, realities, and responsibilities."

"This initiative provides a great opportunity for us to educate our youth on the difficulties young parents can experience and the impact these decisions can have on their futures," said DCFS Assistant Secretary for Family Support Shavana Howard. "We are grateful to OCSE for funding this program around the state and look forward to seeing the positive impact education about the child support system can have on our youth."

DCFS CSE's new Educate, Stimulate, Graduate Initiative (ESGI) will help teens and young adults gain the knowledge, skills and access to resources likely to lead to success in their pursuit of life goals, economic mobility and responsible parenting.

Partnering with Louisiana State University and Southern University New Orleans, ESGI will work with university students to serve as peer educators in 8-weeklong programs for teens on the benefits of delayed parenthood. Discussions will focus on the challenges and hardships young parents face and educate them on the services provided by the Child Support Enforcement program.

ESGI will also partner with community-based organizations to reach youths who are already disconnected from education and provide ongoing support through the program to promote economic mobility, build healthy relationship skills, teach parenting skills, reduce unplanned pregnancies, prevent relationship violence and enhance life skills.

The first year of this three-year initiative will be devoted to refining the program design, evaluation plans and curricula; formalizing collaborative partnerships with public and private agencies serving teens and young adults; and pilot testing. Years two and three will be devoted to implementing, tracking, evaluating and refining program activities.

For more information about Louisiana's Child Support Enforcement program, visit www.dcfs.la.gov/cse.

For additional information about the OCSE grant, including a full list of awardees, visit www.acf.hhs.gov/css/grants/current-grants/responsible-parenting.
It's been five long years since the last episode of the highest-rated drama series "Reply 1988" aired on the small screen of South Korea.

A lot of things happened in the "Reply 1988" cast's lives. In August 2017, Ryu Jun Yeol and Girl's Day's Hyeri confirmed their happy and romantic relationship to the public with delight.

In 2020, Girl's Day's Hyeri, Ryu Jun Yeol, Park Bo Gum, Go Kyung Pyo, and Lee Dong Hwi rekindled their friendship through a mini reunion.

But where is the Ssamungdong Squad now? Here's the rundown of the projects of the "Reply 1988" cast after the drama ended.

Lee Hyeri

Girl's Day's Hyeri received praise and appreciation after her impactful portrayal of "Reply 1988" main protagonist, Song Duk Seon.

After starring in the series, she continued to land female lead roles in television dramas such as "Entertainer," "Two Cops," and "Miss Lee."

She eventually made her debut on the silver screen with the historical action film "Monstrum."

In the year 2021, Hyeri worked with "Sweet & Sour" actor Jang Ki Yong in the recently concluded fantasy romance drama "My Roommate Is a Gumiho".

Hyeri is set to star in the 2021 drama "When Flowers Bloom, I Think of the Moon" with actors Yoo Seung Ho, Byun Woo Seok, and Kang Mi Na.

Check out Lee Hyeri and Jang Ki Yong in "My Roommate Is a Gumiho" here:

Park Bo Gum

South Korean heartthrob actor Park Bo Gum rose to popularity after starring as the innocent Go player Choi Taek.

After "Reply 1988" closed its curtains, he took on the role of the crown prince Lee Yeong in the historical romance comedy drama "Love in the Moonlight" with Kim Yoo Jung, B1A4's Jinyoung, Chae Soo Bin, and Kwak Dong Yeon.

He received numerous nominations and awards at the Baeksang Arts Awards and KBS Drama Awards for his excellent performance in the historical rom-com drama.

Park Bo Gum took a two-year break from acting and came back in 2018 as Kim Jin Hyuk in tvN's drama "Encounter," opposite "Descendants of The Sun" actress Song Hye Kyo. "Encounter" ended in early 2019.

In August 2020, he enlisted in the military but he left the fans and viewers something to look forward to while he was away. His new drama "Record Of Youth" aired on Netflix in September 2020.

He also starred in the sci-fi action film "Seo Bok" with Gong Yoo, which Park Bo Gum stars as the titular first human clone.

Finally, his new film "Wonderland" with Miss A's Bae Suzy depicts the story of a virtual world where the deceased and the living may see each other once again.

Watch the mind-boggling teaser of "Seo Bok" here:

Ryu Jun Yeol

Who could ever forget the timid and reserved Jung Hwan? After "Reply 1988", he led the rom-com drama series "Lucky Romance" with actress Hwang Jung Eum.

As he honed himself as an excellent actor, he continued to appear on the big screen with various roles in films "A Taxi Driver," "Heart Blackened," "Little Forest," "Hit-and-Run Squad," and "The Battle: Roar to Victory".

The 35-year-old actor is set to come back to the small screen after five years of inactivity with "Lost" alongside "The Good Wife" actress Jeon Do Yeon. The new melodrama is slated to premiere on September 4 on JTBC.

Check out Ryu Jun Yeol and Jeon Do Yeon's melancholic friendship in "Lost" latest teaser:

Go Kyung Pyo

Go Kyung Pyo, who played the role of the gentle and reliable Sung Sun Woo, continued to grace the small screen with talents and good looks.

In the year 2016, he appeared in "Don't Dare to Dream" with actors Gong Hyo Jin, Jo Jung Suk, Lee Mi Sook, Park Ji Young, Lee Sung Jae, and Seo Ji Hye.

He also diversified his acting roles as he starred as a chaebol in "Jealousy Incarnate" and portrayed a ghostwriter in fantasy romance "Chicago Typewriter" with Yoo Ah In and Im Soo Jung.

Actor Go Kyung Pyo finally got his much-deserved main acting role in the 2017 romance comedy drama "Strongest Delivery Man" with Chae Soo Bin.

He also starred in the medical thriller "Cross" and crime drama "Private Lives".

Go Kyung Pyo is set to appear in the upcoming Netflix films "Seoul Vibe" and "6/45".

Don't forget to check Go Kyung Pyo and Chae Soo Bin's chemistry in "Strongest Delivery Man" here:

Lee Dong Hwi

Lee Dong Hwi starred as the much-loved neighborhood clown Dong Ryong who left not only funny and memorable moments but also words of wisdom that impacted the viewers' lives.

Even after the drama ended, he continued to make the public laugh as he starred in several romantic comedy dramas "Entourage," "Radiant Office," "Pegasus Market," and films such as "The Bros," and "New Year Blues".

He is not only a comedic genius but also an excellent actor. Lee Dong Hwi, who is known for his funny roles, tried out different genres in the past years with thriller action drama "SF8" and films "Confidential Assignment," "One Line," "New Trial," "Extreme Job," and "The Call".

Lee Dong Hwi is expected to appear in mystery thriller Netflix drama series "Glitch" with Jeon Yeo Been, Ryu Kyung Soo, and After School's Nana. It is slated to premiere in the later part of 2021.

Watch Lee Dong Hwi in "The Call" here:

Who is your favorite "Reply 1988" character? Share it with us in the comments!

Follow KDramastars for more Kdrama, KMovie, and celebrity news updates!

KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
September is just around the corner, but there are many reasons to look forward to this week before August ends.

Interestingly, two new highly anticipated series are set to debut that would surely get the K-drama fanatics hooked every night.

In addition to this, our favorite shows that are currently airing will also be releasing much-awaited follow-up episodes.

Without further ado, here is the rundown of current and forthcoming K-dramas premiering from August 22 to 28, 2021, that you should not miss.

'Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha'

After the confirmation of lead stars, "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" is making waves in social media as fans gush over the new team-up of Kim Seon Ho and Shin Min Ah.

Netizens even dubbed them as the "dimple couple" due to their charming features.

Not only did the tvN rom-com series capture the hearts of the public with their stellar cast but also the jaw-dropping location of the series.

The upcoming K-drama "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" follows the story of two individuals who unexpectedly met in the seaside village of Gongjin.

Hallyu star Shin Min Ah plays the city-based dentist Yoon Hye Jin, who left the hustle and bustle of Seoul after she felt that her life was falling apart.

Little did she know that her life would turn upside down when she crossed paths with the village boy Hong Doo Shik portrayed by the "Start-Up" star.

Amid his charming persona, Doo Shik is also popular among the neighbors because of his skill in doing odd jobs.

"Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" release date is slated on August 28, airing every Saturday and Sunday on tvN and Netflix.

'I'm Watching You'

Another upcoming series that is set to air this week is tvN's "I'm Watching You."

The new crime factual series stars Kim Bo Ra, who is best known for her performance in the revenge drama "SKY Castle."

"I'm Watching You" follows the story of real-life crimes discovered through security camera footage. This is set to take the mystery crime genre to a whole new level as it illustrates the violence through the eyes of society rather than the viewpoint of the suspects and their victims.

In addition, several netizens also pointed out that the tvN drama is similar to BBC's real-life crime program "Crimewatch."

Kim Bo Ra's new drama "I'm Watching You" release date is scheduled on August 26 and will be the newest Thursday drama.

'Penthouse 3: War in Life'

Of course, the week will not be complete without the endless revenge from lead stars So Yeon, Uhm Ki Joon, Lee Ji Ah, Park Eun Seok, and more.

Based on SBS' teaser, "Penthouse 3" episode 12 hints at the comeback of Joo Dan Tae, played by Uhm Ki Joon.

In addition, the trailer also featured Shim Su Ryeon and Logan Lee's grand wedding which will be ruined by the Hera Palace chairman.

IN CASE YOU MISSED: 'Hospital Playlist 2' Remains Unbeatable as Most Buzzworthy Drama + 'The Devil Judge' Lead Stars Dominate the Actor Rankings

KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Geca Wills
MEDFORD, Ore. -- The FBI begins its hate crime awareness campaign for Oregon on September 1.

Special Agent in Charge of the Portland Field Office Kieran Ramsey spoke to Ashland City Council about the initiative.

Ashland City Councilor, Gina DuQuenne is active with social justice groups throughout the Rogue Valley and told Newswatch 12 during the meeting with SAC Ramsey that she made her own suggestions to get other community members behind the campaign.

DuQuenne suggested the FBI reach out to Jefferson Public Radio about the campaign because of its broad audience. She also hoped the hate crime awareness campaign would reach Southern Oregon University in Ashland.

DuQuenne told Newswatch 12 she is now on the SOU president's search committee. She said it is time that hate crimes in Southern Oregon get addressed so that they will no longer happen.

"One of my questions when we get to that interview process is, 'how will you handle these situations? How are you going to use these as a teachable moment, and step out and bring it to the forefront?' We do not tolerate and accept this behavior."

She is one of many people in the Rogue Valley who have taken a stance on social justice issues in southern Oregon and has stood behind the Southern Oregon Coalition for Racial Equity as they have pushed more people to report hate incidents.

In March of this year, SO Equity launched it's bias reporting system.

This launch followed the murder of 19-year-old Aidan Ellison whose killing has still yet to be deemed a hate crime.

Newswatch 12 went out into the community to hear from locals about their take on the FBI stepping in to support reporting hate crimes both saying they fully support the effort.
ASHLAND, Ore.  A head-on collision caused by an apparent wrong-way driving incident on I-5 near Ashland on Tuesday morning claimed two lives, according to Oregon State Police, including that of a local man.

OSP said that state troopers and emergency crews responded to reports of the two-vehicle crash on I-5 southbound near milepost 15 just after 5:30 a.m.

According to OSP's initial investigation, 59-year-old Angela Chin-Hugh of Kent, Washington, was driving a Chevrolet Malibu northbound in the southbound lanes of the freeway. She collided with 25-year-old Cesar Beltran of White City as he drove southbound in a Kia Spectra.

Both Chin-Hugh and Beltran were killed in the crash.

Friends of Beltran have started a GoFundMe to support his young family, saying that Beltran's wife is involved with LIFE Art Studio & Cultural Center in Medford.

"She has been with Life Art from the beginning as a participant and has transitioned to become an inspiring mentor on her own time and professionally," organizer Yolanda Ortega wrote. "Karla will need our help moving forward as she is now a single parent to a beautiful 2-year-old daughter named Kitzia. She is also in the process of starting her Masters in Education to become a teacher, so she has a lot on her plate."

As of Wednesday morning, the GoFundMe had already surpassed its $10,000 goal.
MEDFORD, Ore.  Jackson County saw a new high for daily coronavirus cases on Wednesday, with public health officials reporting 614. The case count easily broke the record 416 cases posted less than two weeks earlier.

Hospitalizations also rose on Wednesday over the day prior, reaching 221 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and 60 patients in an intensive care unit (ICU). This includes both Jackson and Josephine counties, organized as Oregon's Hospital Region 5.

The county also reported two more deaths attributed to the virus, bringing the county death toll to 192 since the pandemic began. A 69-year-old woman died August 23 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical center, and a 65-year-old man died August 23 at Providence Medford Medical Center. Both had underlying health conditions.

"Governor Kate Brown and Oregon Health Authority leaders enacted an indoor masking mandate in response to surging COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations on August 13," public health officials said in a statement. "Cases and hospitalizations continue to rise, reaching all-time record highs in Oregon and specifically in Jackson County. Yesterday, the Governor announced that the new rule would extend that mask requirement to outside areas."

The expanded mask requirement begins Friday, and means that masks will be required in most public outdoor settings where physical distancing is not possible, regardless of vaccination status.

"Jackson County Public Health and the hospital systems are encouraging the community to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and provide relief to the hospital system. The best way to stop the spread of the Delta variant is to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear masks," the agency said.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine received full FDA approval earlier this week for people 16 and older, with emergency use approval still in place for those between the ages of 12 and 15. Moderna announced this week that it has completed submission to the FDA for full approval of its vaccine for people 18 and older.
SALEM, Ore.  Governor Kate Brown announced Wednesday that healthcare facilities in the hardest-hit areas of the state will soon receive an influx of staff to help face the COVID-19 surge. The deal includes nurses, paramedics, and other health professionals currently needed at Oregon's overwhelmed hospitals.

Brown's office said that it has finalized a contract with medical staffing company Jogan Health Solutions to deploy "hospital crisis teams" to the tune of 500 healthcare staff to hospitals in central Oregon, southern Oregon, and long-term care facilities around the state. Oregon has also contracted with AMN Healthcare for at least 60 more nurses and clinical staff.

"Specific positions are still being determined, as are the locations for their deployment," Brown's office. "The additional personnel will bolster medical staff capacity to help manage hospitalizations that have jumped more than 990 percent since July 9."

The Jogan Health Solutions teams are heading to the St. Charles Health System in the Bend and Redmond areas; the southern Oregon area to support Asante hospitals in Medford, Ashland, and Grants Pass; as well as Providence-Medford Medical Center and Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg.

The hospital crisis response teams will be supported by up to 300 registered nurses in medical-surgical, emergency departments, and critical care; 20 paramedics; 61 certified nursing assistants; 34 respiratory therapists; and 5 medical technicians. Brown's office said that these teams will also be ready to move to other hospitals if needed.

The deployment of crisis response teams should provide some welcome relief to our hospitals, particularly in Central and Southern Oregon, that are overwhelmed given the recent surge in hospitalizations among mostly unvaccinated individuals," said Governor Brown. The hospital crisis we are facing isnt just about bedsits about having enough trained health care professionals to treat patients. I am so pleased that we will be able to provide these resources to help our hospitals and long-term care facilities meet increased demand and can continue to provide vital health care to Oregonians.

Ten long-term care crisis response teams will each be made up of three registered nurses and five certified nursing assistants, and are slated to go to facilities around the state so that they have capacity to accept discharged hospital patients.

This is a much-needed infusion of qualified medical personnel that can help us get through this critical time in the COVID-19 pandemic, said OHA Director Patrick Allen. These crisis teams will be completely re-deployable. We will be working with the Regional Resource Hospitals and Incident Management Team to move hospital crisis teams to other hospitals and long-term care crisis teams to other long-term care facilities, where the need is greatest.
FILE - In this Tuesday, July 23, 2019, file photo, Michael Avenatti makes a statement to the press as he leaves federal court, in New York. A California judge has declared a mistrial Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, in the embezzlement trial of attorney Avenatti, who is charged with stealing millions in settlement money from his clients. Judge James Selna ruled on technical grounds that federal prosecutors failed to turn over relevant financial evidence to Avenatti. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
"Our citizens are desperate for something to look forward to," Kelowna city councillor Gail Given said last December when she voted in favor of setting aside $50,000 for a post-pandemic celebration in Kelowna. It was to have taken place this summer but has not been indefinitely postponed.
Children in Grades 4 and up, and all school staff, will have to wear masks when classes resume in B.C. after Labour Day, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced Tuesday.
Provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, puts on her protective mask after releasing details about a COVID-19 vaccination card that will be needed by anyone wanting to eat in restaurants, visit theatres or go to other events. She made the announcement at a news conference at the B.C. legislature in Victoria on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
On the day of its 100th birthday celebration, it was Snap-on Inc. that gave the Kenosha community a gift.

CEO and Chairman Nick Pinchuk ended his presentation to a packed house Wednesday afternoon at the companys Kenosha headquarters, 2801 80th St., with the announcement of a new facility right where the stage stood for the celebration that included current employees, their families, retirees and many special guests.

The expansion plans call for a new 90,000-square-foot building and what is approaching a $10 million investment, according to a company statement. Work at the site is planned to begin once the parking lot to the east is cleared. It is expected to be concluded by the summer of 2022.

Pinchuk, who highlighted the event that included a video tribute to the company from its past 100 years, along with comments from past and current employees, told those in attendance that even though Snap-on is strong now, its only going to get even better.

Snap-on people today are what they have always been, enlisted in a cause that is greater than themselves, he said. Its a special place to be. This company is only going to get better because theres so many capabilities. Today, we celebrate who we are.
Thats how deep the pride runs in the now 101-year-old company.

The family believes the first thing the baby touches will influence their life for better or worse, he said.

And its not even at the start of life that the pride is felt, it even comes at the end, Pinchuk said.

I have people ask me for mini tool boxes for urns for their ashes, he said with a laugh. And Im not kidding.

Theres more than one reason why the average employee has 15 years with the company, Pinchuk said.

A corporation is a place where individuals come together to create a value for themselves and others that are greater than what they could create individually, he said. We do well, so our people well, but also they see how much people depend on this.

You could see it (during) COVID. We went right through it. We were here every day. Our factories never closed. How can I face the factory workers if theyre working a day and Im not here?

Pinchuk said there wasnt any choice but to keep running during the pandemic, because the transportation system across the globe depended on it.
News

Motion to dismiss indictments in N. Kentucky Ave. murder case denied

A motion to dismiss the indictments against the two suspects accused to be involved in the North Kentucky Avenue murder case was denied by Christian Circuit Judge Andrew Self Tuesday morning.

However, as an alternative, the judge did grant a motion to quash a motion of intent to seek the death penalty against the two suspects.

Larayna Manning, 48, and Anthony Manning, 25, are accused in the homicide of Calvin Taylor, 70, on Oct. 12, 2020, at a home on North Kentucky Avenue. Anthony is accused as an accomplice to the murder, while Larayna is accused of the murder.

The Mannings defense attorneys Shannon Powers and Jason Pfeil argued on their clients behalf for the dismissal of their indictments based on prosecutorial vindictiveness by Christian County Commonwealths Attorney Rick Boling.

In the alternative of dismissal, the defense made a motion to quash the notice of intent to proceed as capital case with aggravating circumstances as the notice to seek the death penalty was not timely filed.

Pfeil explained that two days after the court had scheduled the Mannings jury trial after invoking their Fifth Amendment rights, Boling filed a notice he would be seeking the death penalty in the case.

Pfeil argued that was done in an untimely manner as he had since January to file that notice and that it was only done so to slow the case down and keep the Mannings in custody for as long as possible. Pfeil also asserted that Boling had violated their clients right to a speedy trial based on those actions.

Pfeil referenced and provided copies of an email from Boling indicating that he allegedly filed the notion to seek the death penalty as a result of the defenses invocation of their Fifth Amendment rights.

In this email, Mr. Boling basically admits to filing the notice as a result of my seeking a fast and speedy trial, Pfeil said. He also indicates that he believes that the DNA evidence that hes requested in this case will not be ready  until February of 2022.

The DNA evidence Boling had sent for testing pertained to duct tape that was wrapped around the victims hands and mouth.

Both Pfeil and Powers added that Boling provided evidence to the defense on Aug. 10, but the evidence had shown that it had previously been completed on Mar. 9, roughly five months prior. On that same Aug. 10 date, Boling shared that there would be additional supplemental evidence to be provided to the defense in the future.

Pfeil argued that Boling made no mention of that additional evidence between the five months of the commonwealth completing its evidence and eventually providing it to the defense.

Additionally, Pfeil also stated that on May 19, during a pretrial conference hearing, the court discussed mediating the case, to which Boling and the defense agreed to do in court that day.

However, Pfeil said that shortly after, Boling refused mediation.

After that main pretrial date, Mr. Powers received an email from Mr. Boling  he received that email on July 16th and forwarded a copy to me the next day, July 17th and in that particular email, Mr. Boling indicates that he is  his exact words are I have no interest in mediating this case,  Pfeil said to Self.

I believe that he has been playing for time as we have alleged in our motion in an attempt to get either Larayna or Mr. Manning to disclose the names of the other unindicted individuals that Mr. Boling believes are involved here.

Pfeil explained to the court at the last pretrial hearing that he believed Boling took these alleged actions in an attempt to get both Mannings to give up names on two other unidentified individuals who were alleged to have been at the scene of the murder and have also been alleged to have possibly been the actual murderers in this case, rather than Larayna.

In summation of all of his points, Pfeil asserted that Boling took all of those actions in order to intentionally slow the progress of the case and as a response to the defenses motion for a speedy trial.

This all to me suggests that the commonwealth is playing for time here and that the notice that they filed is purely in response to the fast and speedy trial motion, because they want to continue to have Mr. and Ms. Manning sitting in jail until they decide they want to start naming names, Pfeil said.

Boling argued that his intent to seek the death penalty was contingent upon the result of the DNA testing, if the results indicated as belonging to either Anthony or Larayna.

He stated that the commonwealth only gave the notice of intent after the defenses motion to a speedy trial, because he originally wanted to wait until the results of the DNA testing.

The commonwealth had no intention of filing its notice of intent until we had the DNA back from the lab that showed exactly whose DNA was on the (duct tape), Boling said. Those were the two most important things we were waiting on before we filed our notice of intent.

Boling added that since the trial is scheduled in October, he would not be able to receive the results of the DNA testing and that he did not intend to seek the death penalty, but instead wanted to seek aggravated penalties, which include a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years before being parole eligible or life without the possibility of parole.

Self added that Boling willingly agreed to the October trial date and did not advise the court of his intentions regarding the death penalty or its contingency on the DNA results.

Self then ultimately chose to deny the motion to dismiss the indictments against the Mannings, but did grant the motion to quash the notice of intent to seek the death penalty based on its timing.

Certainly, there is no way that a death penalty case could have been properly prepared in time for an October the 4th trial date, Self said based on when Boling filed his notice of intent.

The court doesnt believe that even the enhanced penalties could be properly prepared for the October trial date. So, for the court to allow the commonwealth to move forward with the intent to pursue the aggravated circumstances for the purpose of enhancing the possible penalties, it would effectively deprive the defendants of their constitutional rights to a fast and speedy trial.

Self ended the hearing by stating that the court does intend to move forward with the trial on Oct. 4.

Larayna is charged with murder and first-degree robbery while Anthony is charged with complicity to murder and complicity to first-degree robbery.

According to New Era archives, Larayna was driven to Taylors home by her son, Anthony and had allegedly intended to obtain drugs at the home.

Larayna allegedly entered the home while Anthony stayed in the vehicle. While Anthony was waiting inside, he heard gunshots and entered the home to find Taylor shot and Larayna inside a bathroom.

Larayna allegedly asked Anthony if Taylor was dead and if they should call the police.

Archives state that Anthony allegedly told her not to call the police.

Taylor was later found by HPD officers with gunshot wounds to his head and abdomen and his mouth and wrists had been duct-taped, indicating there may have been a robbery.

Drugs, cash and a safe were reportedly missing from the home, according to the archives.

Also according to archives, another vehicle had also arrived at Taylors home around the same time the Mannings arrived.

It is not clear if Larayna had fired any shots and police are continuing to investigate the other vehicle and suspects.
Ketchikan, AK (99901)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High around 65F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low 52F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Ketchikan, AK (99901)

Today

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. High around 65F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low 52F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
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In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to uphold its current Communist government. Opposed to the foreign invasion of their country, many rebel groups, collectively known as the Mujahideen, rose up in arms to fight the Soviets. Since it was the height of the Cold War, the American government saw an opportunity. Using the CIA and other intermediaries, the United States supplied the Mujahideen with weapons and finances, which worked to drive out the Soviet Union in 1989. With the fall of the Soviet Union two years later, America thought they had accomplished their mission.

However, fighting in Afghanistan continued within the Mujahideen until 1996, when the Taliban wrested control. Originally formed from remnants of the Mujahideen that flourished under American assistance, the Taliban implemented strict laws concerning religion, women, and social rights. Despite the Talibans numerous human rights violations, America rarely stepped in to help groups rebelling against the hardline group.

Then, 9/11 happened. With an axe to grind, America gave ultimatums to the Taliban government to give up al-Qaeda leaders (surprise, another group whose leader America debatably may have assisted during the Soviet invasion), or they would invade. Operation Enduring Freedom launched in 2001, ousting the Taliban and ushering in an Afghani democracy. However, America did not have a route of stabilization. The Taliban insurgency continued, the American-led presence contributed to thousands of deaths, with no plan to let the Afghani people lead without any assistance.

OK, this is a tragic history. But youre a health care provider in America. Why does it pertain to you? Well, lets look at how the United States has dealt with COVID-19.

On January 21, 2021, the first COVID-19 case was reported in Washington state. Lockdowns ensued 2 months later as cases skyrocketed due to inadequate public health protections because, well, America politicized a virus. Instead of leading a coordinated effort with mask mandates and social distancing, the United States opened up at different times, leading to confusion and recurrent disease waves lasting into 2021. I really do not need to tell you the rest: more than 600,000 people currently lay dead in the United States from this devastating disease.

When vaccines arrived, there was a glimmer of hope. Now, at least, there was a chance at a sense of normalcy. With the rapid increase in vaccinations in 2021, cities and states alike began opening up, grasping at the notion of a pre-pandemic America. At the same time, the Delta variant was beginning to ravage India, leading to calls to open up vaccine patents to assist vulnerable populations globally. American companies, such as Pfizer and Moderna, resisted, worrying about the loss of profit that could ensue. Despite the U.S. government supporting a vaccine patent waiver, highly effective vaccines still lay protected under patents.

This August, we have seen the direct consequences of short-sighted American exceptionalism. Did we beat the Soviets and oust the Taliban out of power? Yes. Did we, through American companies, develop highly effective vaccines to fight a deadly disease? Yes. Both these accomplishments were widely heralded at the time, and seen as an example of why America could complete the goals it set out to achieve.

However, after 20 years of war and nearing the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the Afghani government has fled, and the Taliban is in control again after an American withdrawal. Panicked civilians are rushing to the Kabul airport attempting to flee the advance of the feared militant group, while America has simply evacuated its personnel/civilians and offered little to no protection to the native population.

In addition, the Delta variant, uncontrolled due to a lack of vaccinations and treatment abroad, is in full swing in the United States, affecting vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals alike, though more severely in unvaccinated populations. Despite these conditions, there are governors threatening to withhold funding to school districts that pursue mask mandates. Anti-vaccination propaganda is stronger than ever, firm-rooted in the American tradition of every person for themselves. Health professionals, including probably yourselves, have urged Americans to be vaccinated, only to fall on deaf ears of conspiracy-minded individuals.

Overall, America has shown that it is great at making Band-Aids, especially when it directly affects us. There was a chance to provide the Afghani people a transition to democracy with a system that would not rely on foreign nations for assistance. Instead, the continued American presence led to more than 150,000 deaths overall, displacement, and little trust in the newly-formed Afghani government, as our interests were focused on eliminating terrorism to stop affecting American interests, rather than the conditions that bred terrorism in the first place. We have left Afghanistan in a state of complete disarray and a cornucopia of health inequities, including unexploded ordnance, destroyed infrastructure, and no support system for any government to run the country.

Similarly, vaccines were a great accomplishment. Cases were dropping significantly. However, the individualism that America fosters backfired, both domestically and internationally. Individuals refused to get vaccinated, and in addition, refused to adhere to mask mandates, leading to a surge in negative outcomes. Texas ICU beds are nearing capacity, and my alma maters hospital, at Vanderbilt University, is completely full, as they plead for individuals to get vaccinated. Vaccine patents are still not open for wide, global use, and the lack of availability of efficacious vaccines during Indias surge likely led to the Delta variants easy insertion into the United States. In summary, we see how America has always prided itself on accomplishing its objectives, but seldom understands how its actions and philosophies will translate in the future.

Right now, we cannot reverse the past. The least we can do in Afghanistan is contribute to campaigns to assist Afghans fleeing the Taliban advance and provide assistance to those who cannot flee. Our moral obligation is to fight for an increase in our refugee cap to assist Afghanis who risked their lives for a better future only to be rewarded with the same situation in which they began. If you hear of Afghan refugees coming into your community, welcome them, set them up with health care, and assist them in achieving the future we promised them 20 years ago.

With regards to COVID-19, continue encouraging individuals to get vaccinated, and wear masks to prevent the spread of the disease. Follow public health guidelines yourselves. Lastly, in regards to both crises, lets push America to stop only thinking about its own interests, but rather, those of humanity. If we do not, another Afghanistan or COVID-19 is just around the corner, and our country is running out of excuses to prevent catastrophes.

Adithya Sivakumar is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
LANE COUNTY, Ore. -- Community members are responding to the recent outdoor mask mandate brought down by Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday.

This applies to most outdoor public settings, when one cannot keep six feet of distance.

RELATED: GOV. BROWN ANNOUNCES OUTDOOR MASK MANDATE

Wearing a mask outdoors is something Lane County Public Health officials brought down as a recommendation just days ago.

RELATED: LANE COUNTY ISSUES NEW EMERGENCY COVID-19 GUIDANCE



Liane Cordes is immunocompromised from a kidney transplant, so shes at high-risk for COVID-19. She said she only goes out when she needs to.

We need to be considerate of others and protect them -- as well as ourselves, Cordes said. Whatever the rules are, I will follow them. I get frustrated with those who refuse to wear masks and think it's all about them and not other people.

Others shared the importance of doing your part in the community -- even if that means wearing a mask in crowded spaces. Eugene resident Peyton Finney said shes vaccinated and works in a nursing home.

I think its a small thing that we can do to help, Finney said. So it's worth it, if it does help. Its just such a tiny thing we can do to make a big change.

KEZI spoke with Oregon State Senator James Manning who shared his thoughts about masking up and vaccination rates.

Those that are in a state of denial -- eventually I hope that they will see the light one day, Manning said. If they don't care about themselves, do it for the family. Do it for others.

Sen. Manning said the high spread of COVID-19 is concerning.

People are dying, Manning said. Regardless of what people want to believe, this virus is real. What they should look at are all the actual facts. They should look at how there are no spaces in our hospitals. I was thinking the other day, suppose someone had a heart attack? With what is available -- how what do you do when there are no emergency room beds or any ICU beds?

Eugene resident Jim Westcott weighed in.

Its clear that the vaccination works, Westcott said. The numbers prove it. If people would just get vaccinated -- it's not a big deal. Its easy to do. It doesn't make any sense to keep making a fuss about it.

Other shared vaccination should be a choice. Oakridge resident Patty Lee said people do need to educate themselves.

When they do, I think they'll be more into following healthy habits, Lee said. If you're at risk, get the shot for crying out loud. Do it, even if it just makes you feel more comfortable.

While the requirement will go into effect this Friday, the State says Oregonians are strongly encouraged to immediately start wearing masks outdoors.

CLICK HERE for more information and for a list of exceptions.
EUGENE, Ore. Officials have identified the firefighter who was killed Tuesday while battling the Gales fire near Oakridge.

Frumencio Ruiz Carapia, 56, a Medford resident, died on the scene when he was struck by a falling tree.

Frumencio Ruiz Carapia Frumencio Ruiz Carapia

The investigation revealed that the accident was not a result of an active tree-cutting operation. Officials said it appears the tree unexpectedly snapped and crashed to the ground.

Battalion Chief Wayne Morris of Eugene Springfield Fire said wildland firefighting is extremely hazardous.

Firefighters have a very dangerous job -- there is a lot of uncertainty in the calls that we go into and so a firefighter has to be prepared to go into basically any situation and try to break the problem, Morris said. We are problem solvers in hazardous areas sometimes."

According to OSHA, one firefighter died in 2018 and another in 2020.

Morris said they really work hard in the academy to give firefighters the training that they need to be safe out on the job, but it doesn't stop there.

"The training doesn't stop once they get through the academy. Every shift we try to go out and try to prepare so that when that call comes up, we are prepared to take it on," Morris said.

Marcus Kauffman of the Oregon Department of Forestry said safety is incorporated into everything they do.

"That means we identify the hazards, we mitigate the hazards, we assess the hazards as best we can and then we avoid them if we can't mitigate them, Kauffman said.

Kauffman said they train every shift so that they can best be prepared. He said they meet every morning and map out safety zones and escape routes.

"It's not uncommon to be up on the fire line and have a safety patrol officer driving around, Kauffman said.

He said they take every injury and fatality and learn from it to better protect their crews who are risking their lives to help save others.
In the last year we've lost thousands of family members, friends and co-workers to COVID-19. We'd like to give you a chance to honor their memory.

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Nearly twenty years ago, Davey Long was given a book by his father.

Last Train to Memphis was written by Peter Guralnick, and it painted for Long an intimate picture of the life of the young artist.

Years later, he is ready to share the song which the book inspired.

Last Train to Tupelo is the second single from Davey Longs upcoming debut solo album Eitilt. The single goes on digital release on September 3, 2021 ahead of the album release in October 2021.

Eitilt features contributions by many fine Irish musicians including Sara Ryan, Dave Gough, Rob Larkin, Kealan Kenny, Shane ODwyer, James Delahunty and others.

Last Train to Tupelo impressively straddles the genres of folk, rock, blues, country and Americana, and is evocative of artists from J.J. Cale and Jason Isbell, to Muscle Shoals and Eric Clapton.

The track is named after Elvis hometown, Tupelo. In Longs words, its a love song to Elvis, really.

Fiery and energetic, the composition is laced with gorgeous guitars and hearty piano solos, while Longs vocal performance is effortlessly infectious and feel-good.

In fact, the positivity of the track belies the drama in its lyrics, which make an appeal to the early Presley not to make the mistakes that will undo him.

We hear of a young Elvis, who is led along a road through "Beale Street suits" and "pink automobiles", before going down to Hollywood, where he makes "all the B-movies, paid in blood".

Long ultimately insists that - despite the pressures placed on him from all sides - Elvis at heart is "just a country boy."

He places him touchingly on a Mississippi-bound train, headed back to his birthplace. A man returning to his youth; a star returning to boyhood anonymity and innocence.

Asked about what it is that resonates with him in Elvis' story, Long says, "Yeah - at a micro level, I do feel I can relate. He was led on paths that weren't artistically good for him, through Hollywood, and he had to fight to find his way back. And I feel he succeeded in that before he died. So yeah - I want to be artistically true to myself, just like I wanted that for Elvis, reading that book, seeing his story unfold."

Last Train to Tupelo was produced by Davey Long, with mixing and mastering by the late Martin O'Neill, and final work by Richard Dowling (WAV Mastering).

Davey will perform at the September Sounds Festival 2021 at Ballykeeffe Amphitheater, organised by Kilkenny County Council and The Watergate Theatre. This performance will coincide with his debut album release.

Davey Long Bio:

Davey Long is a songwriter and a multi-instrumentalist who is well known in the Irish music scene. He has appeared on several albums including Celtic Womans GRAMMY nominated Destiny, The Fundamentals Past and Present Collide, Edisons Little Bohemia, The Kilkennys The Colour Of Freedom, Emma Langfords Sowing Acorns and The Barnets forthcoming LP. Davey co-wrote On The Carousel for Drops Of Green and the song went on to win an ASLR Celtic Music Award.

As a member of The Kilkennys, Davey wrote for the band and toured extensively worldwide. He has performed at many prestigious music festivals including Milwaukee Irish Fest, Zwarte Cross, Temple Bar Tradfest and Smithwicks Source in support of Bob Dylan. Daveys poetry has been shortlisted for the Kilkenny Arts Office 2021 Poetry Broadsheet. His song Lampedusa has been featured by the charity OPEN ARMS in their social media campaigns highlighting the urgent migrant crisis in the Mediterranean.
Students from across the country are invited to turn their creative ideas into project entries for the 2022 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE).

Renowned nationally and internationally as a brilliant platform for young people to showcase their STEM ideas, the exhibition is open for project entries until the 27th September 2021.

Entries can be made in any one of four categories: technology; social and behavioural science; biological and ecological science; and chemical, physical and mathematical science. An individual or group must submit a simple, one-page proposal outlining their project idea.

BT Ireland, organiser of the BTYSTE, has waived the project entry fees for the second year running, with the exhibition being delivered in a virtual format in 2022 due to Covid-19. This builds on the success of the 2021 virtual exhibition, which attracted over 105,000 visitors from 77 countries.

The exhibition, now in its 58th year, opens up huge opportunities with many young people who take part going on to have successful careers in STEM. In addition to over 200 prizes (worth more than 35,000 in total) up for grabs, the BTYSTE offers young minds a fun and exciting way to share their ideas with an international audience, with the winner going on to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists.

BT Ireland is committed to further education in the areas of STEM and senior category winners of the BTYSTE receive a bursary for entry into one of seven third-level institutions in the Republic of Ireland in partnership with the Irish Universities Association. Additionally, each year more than 30 students are chosen to take part in the BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp, a commercialisation course that can help convert ideas into enterprise.

Speaking on his BTYSTE experience, Abdul Abubakar, former participant and overall winner in 2007 said: Entering the BTYSTE was a once in a lifetime opportunity and a proud moment for me, my school and my local community. Presenting my project to the judges and then being chosen as the winner was a really exciting time. Entering the exhibition solidified my passion and interest in STEM, which lead me to pursue a career within STEM.'

Abdul went on to represent Ireland and won top prize at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists following his win at the BTYSTE and has since forged a successful career in software engineering.

Interested students can visit www.BTyoungscientist.com for more information on how to enter. Qualifying students will have the opportunity to present their projects to the judges remotely during the virtual exhibition on January 12-14, 2022.
Nursing home residents and their families have told Sage Advocacy that they are growing increasingly concerned about the rise in the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in nursing homes and the impact this is having on visiting arrangements.

Members of Sage Advocacys Nursing Home Residents - Family Forum  have told the national charity, which provides a support and advocacy service for vulnerable adults, older people and healthcare patients, that some nursing home providers are not adhering to the current HSE guidelines and have introduced new restrictions.

Sarah Lennon, Executive Director, Sage Advocacy said: We are aware from our advocacy work and through members of our Forum that some nursing home providers have introduced certain visiting restrictions - without confirming a Covid-19 outbreak in a facility and without providing a risk assessment to nursing home residents and their families.

We have also been informed that some nursing home providers who are experiencing a confirmed Covid-19 outbreak have reverted to window-only visiting and are only permitting residents to speak through a closed window to family

members.

Nursing home residents and their families have repeatedly told us that they are frustrated by the lack of clear communication from some nursing home providers around the issue of visiting and also in relation to residents outings from a nursing

home.

Sage Advocacy believes it is vitally important, following the experiences of Covid-19 in nursing homes in the last 12 months, that nursing home providers now focus on the right of residents  particularly their right to see or refuse visitors and their right to maintain meaningful relationships with people who are important to them.

The national charity has contacted the Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler TD, to ask her to issue a further direction to nursing home providers and urge them to restore the right to visiting, in line with public health guidance, as completely and quickly as is practically possible in the context of the assessed level of risk at the time.

Sarah Lennon said: Nursing home residents and their families have made enormous sacrifices throughout the pandemic, and for a very long period of time had very limited or no contact at all with their loved ones.

We need to learn from our experiences during the worst days of the pandemic, particularly in relation to nursing home residents and how we can better support residents and their loved ones in the future.

Thats why today Sage Advocacy is calling on the Government to waste no more time in establishing the Commission on Care for older people and enable it to urgently start examining care and supports for older people in Ireland. The Government pledged to set up the Commission in the Programme for Government nearly 14 months ago  as a country we cannot wait any longer for action on this.
The oldest priest in the diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, An tAthair Sean O Laoghaire, died on August 14 in the Abbey Nursing Home, in Gowran. He was 97.



Known to friends and family as Jack, he worked from 1949 to 1955 in Clane; and from 1955 to 1978 as a priest in Carlow Cathedral parish, the last four years as its administrator.

He was Parish Priest in Paulstown from 1978 to 1996 and worked on there for six years as curate until his formal retirement in 2002. He was the last survivor of his Maynooth class of 1949.



Born in 1923, he was the youngest of 10 children of Johanna and John OLeary of Main Street, Graignamanagh. His father was the local baker.



When he went to Maynooth to study for the priesthood, he decided to study Irish, as well as Greek and Latin, for his degree.



His family, though they played Irish traditional music, were not fluent Irish speakers. However, Jack said he chose Irish because he loved it and but also because he wanted to be different. That, he said, is what baby brothers do!



He took a keen interest in the activities of Gael Linn and in their singing competitions and he spoke Irish whenever he could.

Indeed in the very last few days of his life he reverted to speaking Irish only. His last words to visitors before he died were: Ta me sasta.



His first years in Clane parish included saying Mass for the big influx of Bord na Mona workers at their temporary church in the Dining Hall of their camp in Timahoe. This was replaced by the new Church of Christ the King, Cooleragh in 1963.



His first decade in Carlow saw the big changes that the second Vatican Council had brought about in church ritual.



As the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, The Right Rev Denis Nulty, said at the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Jacks ordination, it wasnt an easy time. Priests like Jack had to bridge the gap between the older Tridentine rite and the new post-Vatican 11 move to bring the Mass nearer to the people. This involved turning the altar and priest around to face the congregation and replacing Latin with the vernacular.

Above: Family and friends gathered to celebrate the platinum anniversary of Fr OLearys ordination in 2019



In February 1968, Jack celebrated the first High Mass facing the congregation on a new Austrian oak altar in Carlow Cathedral. He was also heavily involved in the building of the new church at Askea.

Carlow people will remember his work in the community, particularly with young people. An enthusiastic supporter of the Scouts movement, he helped build a Scouts Den in Carlow in the 1960s from old telegraph poles, a Canadian design he had come across.



A keen swimmer, he was involved in raising the money which built Carlows outdoor swimming pool. The then Environment Minister, Bobby Molloy, who was a swimming champion, dived in with Jack and swam a length of the pool to mark its opening.



Jack, as his nieces and nephews can confirm, was pretty cool. He was involved in the Film Society in Carlow. He loved performances by the Carlow Musical Society and was always there with his panstick and kohl stick to help with make-up. He was friendly with Captain Dennis Mellerick of the Curragh Camp, under whose direction the South Kildare Musical Society was established and he helped out with their shows too.



Hed come to the beach with family and dive off the rocks with the rest and share a picnic and then hed announce he was going off to put the missus to bed. This meant he was going off alone to read the Divine Office. Family mattered greatly and he was at almost every family gathering and was the celebrant at almost every baptism, wedding and funeral.



His sermons were to the point. Once in Carlow Cathedral, he was emphasising the duty of trades unionists to consider the people who might suffer if they went on strike. Take me, for example. Im a priest, he said. What if the priests went on strike and let you all go to hell?



One family boating holiday with his brother Ned, and nephews and nieces, brought them to Ithica, Odysseuss island. Up at the local cafe, Jack was introduced to the villages Greek Orthodox priest.

Using his classical Greek, Jack managed to communicate with him. They called one another Papas, Father in Greek, and the whole family were invited to a months mind mass next morning in the little white Orthodox church on the hill.



Almost high on incense and Kyries by the time Mass was over, they joined the procession around the graveyard to remember the dead, and ate the almond cake which was traditionally given to each guest. Thats the sort of thing that happened on holiday with Jack.



His parish in Paulstown and Goresbridge became home from 1978 and it was clear to everybody how dear it was to him.

He loved the beautiful old Church in Paulstown, dating back to the end of the 18th Century, and he had good friends among the Brigidine community there. He took a particular interest in the schools in his parish in Goresbridge as well as Paulstown. He was involved with the GAA teams in Paulstown and, in trainer Paddy Mullins day, would go to Goresbridge to give a blessing to the horses before major race meetings!



When it was time to go into a nursing home, the Abbey home in Gowran was the one he chose, though there was some good humoured teasing that it was in the diocese of Ossory, and just outside his own diocese of Kildare and Leighlin. But he chose it partly because he would be near his beloved Paulstown,and parishioners could visit.

He lived there in the excellent care of the staff and Director, Mairead Byrne, and her predecessor, Brigid Kirwan, until his death.

In the nursing home, he still had a role saying Mass and distributing communion and giving blessings to residents of all faiths. Hed always reassure them it was an ecumenical blessing. He was a priest, a pastor to the end.



The youngest of his family, he helped to bury or scatter the ashes of all the rest. They were his sisters, Sister Michael (Betty) of the Mercy Convent in Carlow who was for years Principal of St Leos College; Dr Molly OLeary Coyle, Blackrock, Dublin; Mrs Nessie Murphy, Graignamanagh; Mrs Kitty Clarke, Canterbury; Mrs Peggy OBrien, Somerset; his brothers Ned, Derry; Michael, Graignamanagh; Paddy, Borris and Colm, Graignamanagh. He is survived by his many nieces and nephews, nieces-in-law and nephews-in-law, grandnieces and grandnephews.



His funeral mass was concelebrated at his old Parish Church, the Church of the Assumption, Paulstown on Monday, August 16 by the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, the Right Rev Denis Nulty, by Very Reverend James Kelly PP Paulstown, and priests of the diocese.

An tAthair Sean was buried, as he wished to be, in the church graveyard.

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis.

- O OL
FOREST CITY, Iowa  A prison sentence has been cut short for the driver in a crash that seriously injured six people.

Michael Scott Olsen, 22 of Lake Mills, was sentenced to five years behind bars on May 25 after pleading guilty to three counts of serious injury by vehicle.

Law enforcement says Olsen crashed his pickup truck into a car on January 1, 2019, about five miles northwest of Forest City. The collision seriously injured Maya Barrientes, Taylor Pattison, Alex Fritze, Kayla Kittleson, Carter Hammervold, and Cole MIllsap.

As part of Olsen's plea deal, his five-year sentence would be reconsidered by the judge after 90 days. A judge on Tuesday did reconsider and suspended Olsens prison term, ordering him instead to serve five years on supervised probation.
AMES, Iowa (AP)  Police have identified a woman found dead inside an Ames apartment last week.

Police say in a news release that the body of 32-year-old Maria Hanian, of Des Moines, was found Thursday evening by officers sent to the apartment to check on the welfare of a person there.

Police have not said how she died, but ruled her death a homicide.

Prosecutors have charged 26-year-old Oscar Chavez with first-degree murder in Hanian's death.

Chavez was arrested late Thursday night near Auburn, when he was stopped on suspicion of a traffic violation in Sac County.
CHARLES CITY, Iowa  A man has been arrested for repeated break-ins at the Charles City Dairy Queen.

Rene Hernandez, 33 of Charles City, is facing two counts of third-degree burglary. Police say Hernandez broke into the Dairy Queen on Monday and Tuesday after it was closed, tearing off a roof vent to get inside. Court documents state Hernandez went through drawers and money bags in the restaurant, getting away from around $3,000 in cash and checkbooks on Monday and about $63 in rolls of coins on Tuesday.

Hernandez was arrested Tuesday afternoon after a search in the 1000 block of South Grand Avenue in Charles City turned up items related to the Dairy Queen burglaries. Investigators say some drug related items were also found.

Police say Hernandez was identified on security video by tattoos and clothing he was wearing.
MASON CITY, Iowa  A former school bus driver is sentenced for driving drunk with children on board.

Rebecca Anne Spencer, 44 of Forest City, was given 14 days in jail, a $1,875 fine, and two years of supervised probation Wednesday in Cerro Gordo County District Court.

Spencer pleaded guilty to OWI-2nd offense and child endangerment after being arrested on March 12 while driving a van for the Forest City Community School District. Authorities say Spencer was pulled over for speeding in Cerro Gordo County with three young students in the van.

Court documents say a breath test showed Spencer had a blood alcohol content of .244 percent, just over three times the legal limit.

Spencer resigned as a Forest City school bus driver shortly after her arrest.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - More than 2,000 students in Olmsted County will be going back to school with brand new book bags full of school supplies.

United Way of Olmsted County gave supplies to students from 40 different school districts through its Running Start for School Program. The non-profit met nearly 70% of its goal.

Last year, staff with the United Way of Olmsted County switched up how they operate the program. Everything was done online, which made a dollar donation go further and that allowed them to serve more students.

Grace Pesch with the United Way of Olmsted County, said while many things have changed throughout the pandemic, the one thing that didn't change is the fact that the supplies will benefit students however they learn. "You're always needing notebooks. You're always needing pencils. Whether you're doing your work from home or you're doing your work in the classroom," she explained. "Our supplies didn't change from year to year. But it is nice to be able to show up to school with everything that you need."

Pesch explained being able to offer this program every year, especially during a pandemic, gives parents and caregivers the opportunity to take a deep financial breath. "They know that when they show up to pick up the schedule or to meet the teacher for the first time, there's less of a worry there knowing that there is a resource where they can utilize and get those supplies for their students and spend their time working on other things that are just as important to provide for their family," she said.

The Running Start for School Program has already closed this year, but the United Way of Olmsted County has an education fund you can donate to year-round if you're wanting to help out.
BYRON, Minn.- The City of Byron is growing. On Tuesday, Black Swan Real Estate broke ground on a new collection of townhomes in the Stone Haven neighborhood. Employees from the real estate company joined people from Altra Federal Credit Union and Key Builders for the groundbreaking.

"We've got the builder, the lender, the whole team here that made everything possible so we're here to celebrate," says Black Swan Real Estate owner Nick Stageberg.

The company chose to build more homes in the Byron neighborhood because of what the community has to offer.

"Byron is an amazing community to live in. There's a huge amount of demand for housing and we're just grateful for that opportunity to meet that demand."

The Stone Haven neighborhood will soon have 30 new townhomes to meet Byron's growing population.

"I think we're pushing close to 6,000 right now. A lot of towns around us are holding steady but it seems like Byron is taking a nice trajectory on the homes and the population," explains Mayor Daryl Glassmaker.

With the new townhomes on the way and more to come, Glassmaker is predicting the population of Byron to be near 7,000 in the next five years. He also thinks a lot of people are moving to the community because of the quality school district and is optimistic growth will continue to enhance the schools.

Phase two of the townhomes is expected to be complete by Spring 2022.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.  Rochester City Administrator Alison Zelms testified Tuesday at a U.S. Senate hearing on Minnesotas transit priorities.

The hearing was held in downtown Minneapolis and chaired by U.S. Senator Tina Smith.

Zelms expressed her thanks for the federal pandemic relief and for money included in the federal budget for Rochesters rapid transit project.

This once-in-a-generation project will have a broad impact in our community, advancing important foundational principles and strategic priorities including environmental sustainability, economic health, and, social equity, said Zelms. I ask the members of this committee to support continued federal resources for local transit agencies that will help us emerge healthy and build our infrastructure for the future... to implement sustainable and equitable mobility that encompasses congestion management, social equity, affordable housing, economic development, and climate action.

Other witnesses at the hearing included The Honorable Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Transportation; Mr. Charlie Zelle, Chair, Metropolitan Council; The Honorable Irene Fernando, Commissioner, Hennepin County Board of Commissioners; Ms. Grace Waltz, Vice President of Public Policy, Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce; and Ms. Cassandra Belyeu Johnson, Transit Rider, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

Minnesotans, like all Americans, need reliable, efficient, affordable options to get around. This is true whether you live in big cities, the suburbs, regional centers like Rochester, Duluth and Moorhead, or small towns and rural places, said Senator Smith. From dial-a-ride services in small towns and rural areas, to intercity bus services connecting rural and urban areas, to light rail, bus rapid transit, and the bus service that folks rely on every day, transit makes it work for countless Minnesotans. Transit options are essential for people to get to work or school or to the doctor; to buy groceries or fill a prescription. It connects people to jobs and opportunity. Transit is the engine that drives regional economies.
Healing Rhythms and the Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. to celebrate the former's new location.

Guests were invited to the open house-style event with full access to the new location.

A live guitar player, food, and refreshments were available for guests.

Healing Rhythms is a therapeutic company that works with healthcare facilities to administer music therapy, which can be used for a range of patients.

Owner and Executive Director Christina Wood said patients can choose their preferred method of music therapy.

"We really strive to meet our patient's needs and their preferences with live music, primarily guitar and voice but certainly with other instruments as well," Wood said.

Healing Rhythms has over 20 locations in southeastern Minnesota.
Daniel Smith is the president and CEO of the Cooperative Network, an association of cooperatives based in Madison, Wisconsin, and St. Paul, serving cooperatives with government affairs, advocacy, communications and support. Prior to joining the Cooperative Network, Smith served as the administrator for the Division of Agricultural Development at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, as well as CEO of Midwestern BioAg, a national farm-supply company based in Wisconsin. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Smith owned and operated a dairy farm in northwestern Illinois for 30 years.
ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) - St. Louis Alderman John Collins-Muhammed is asking the federal government to investigate the issues at the City Justice Center (CJC).

Today; Im sending a letter to @TheJusticeDept asking for a formal investigation into the City of St. Louiss Corrections Division. Detainees are revolting for a reason. We must listen. We must respond. #stl pic.twitter.com/uq3Ipi6TuM  John Collins-Muhammad Jr. (@JohnMuhammadJr) August 24, 2021

Collins-Muhammed says he can hardly believe the images from the CJC from the past nine months, where several disturbances have broken out; broken windows and fires, faulty locks allowing detainees to run loose and destroy property, and even recently, beatings.

Surveillance video shows detainees beating other detainees at City Justice Center News 4 has obtained surveillance video showing detainees beating other detainees at the City Justice Center (CJC) in downtown St. Louis Friday night into Saturday.

"What that tells me is that these are not isolated incidents, we are seeing a continuing pattern or misconduct," Collins-Muhammed said.

Tuesday, Collins-Muhammed wrote a letter to the federal Department of Justice (DOJ) asking for a formal investigation into the city's Corrections Division.

"I am hoping we fix the problem in a transparent way," he said.

Aldermanic President launching investigation into City Justice Center's ongoing problems St. Louis Aldermanic President Lewis Reed is planning to launch an investigation into the conditions at the City Justice Center and Medium Security Institution, also known as the Workhouse.

Mayor Lyda Krewson launched a task force that made recommendations, but since then, issues have persisted. Collins-Muhammed now places responsibility on current Mayor Tishaura Jones.

"I think its quite evident that the City of St. Louis not doing all that it should to fix these problems," Collins-Muhammed said.

In response to Collins-Muhammed, Jones' office issued the following statement:

Our administration has prioritized transparency around the issues related to CJC with the public and the press, and will continue to do so while we upgrade the locking systems, push for fair and speedy trials as guaranteed by the Constitution, and emphasize restorative justice programs to help our returning citizens who have served their time from reentering the carceral system.

News 4 asked the DOJ for comment, but have not heard back.
Vice President Kamala Harris' departure for Vietnam was delayed Tuesday afternoon after her office was informed of a "report of a recent possible anomalous health incident" in Hanoi. Harris here arrives in Singapore on August 22.
President Moon Jae-in and his Colombian counterpart Ivan Duque pose after exchanging medals before their summit in Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday. Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



President Moon Jae-in and his Colombian counterpart Ivan Duque agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in national defense, as part of their efforts to expand the two countries' relations to a comprehensive and future-oriented partnership, upon the latter's state visit to Seoul.



During their summit, Wednesday, the presidents adopted a joint statement containing their visions on the future direction of bilateral relations, and both governments signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on medical cooperation, excavation of the remains of deceased Colombian soldiers who took part in the 1950-53 Korean War, cultural exchanges, an ecosystem for startups and agricultural cooperation.



"Colombia and Korea will celebrate the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic ties next year," Moon said. "Through reciprocal economic cooperation, the two countries have walked the path of mutual prosperity and became strategic partners to each other in 2011, which paved the way for future-oriented and comprehensive cooperation."



Colombia is the only Latin American country to have fought in the Korean War, and stands as a traditionally friendly nation to Korea sharing the values of democracy and peace, Cheong Wa Dae said.



Duque's state visit came as the two countries are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership and the 70th anniversary of Colombia's entry into the Korean War. Upon the occasion, the two countries evaluated and agreed to develop their diplomatic ties, which mark their 60th anniversary next year.



"Seventy years ago, we joined forces to protect the common principles the two countries share, and today we are making efforts to provide more opportunities to both people through cooperation for development, innovation and creativity," Duque said. "Upon other agendas, I would like to thank Korea for its support for Colombia's national security. By donating out-of-commission warships and transferring related technologies, Korea has made a big contribution in Colombia's defense capability."



Korea donated a patrol combat corvette, the ROKS Iksan, to Colombia last year, and in 2014 it donated the ROKS Anyang.



In the joint statement, the two leaders agreed on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of national defense. On the occasion of the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition 2021, which will takes place in October, the two countries will resume a joint committee on national defense, and further enhance their cooperation in the defense infrastructure and war supplies.



The leaders agreed to intensify bilateral cooperation in rewarding veterans who fought in the Korean War. In the joint statement, both sides decided to enhance support programs for Colombian veterans and their descendants, and expand projects to commemorate deceased soldiers.





President Moon Jae-in and his Colombian counterpart Ivan Duque inspect the honor guard at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday. Yonhap
By Hwang Ki-chul





Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Hwang Ki-chul / Courtesy of Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs
By Andrew Hammond





With the eyes of much of the world on Afghanistan, Angela Merkel completed the last big foreign policy trip of her chancellorship on the weekend to one of the world's other major flashpoints  Russia and Ukraine which has become the bloodiest European conflict since the wars over the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.



To be sure, much of the fighting ended with a 2015 ceasefire. Yet, deadly exchanges of fire continue, and fighting between Ukraine and Moscow-backed separatists in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, alone, have killed around 14,000 people, with some 2 million people having fled their homes.



There is also a clear economic dimension to the crisis. The conflict is at the heart of wider U.S.-Germany discord over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline; the now near-complete 764-mile pipeline under the Baltic Sea will double Russian gas exports to Germany.



Ukraine says Nord Stream 2 threatens its security  indeed that it fears a full-scale Russian invasion once it is fully operational  plus losses of about $3 billion a year in gas transit fees.



Under the terms of the U.S.-German deal last month to smooth tensions over these issues, Ukraine will reportedly get a guarantee of repayment for the gas transit fees through to 2024, plus $50 million in green energy technology credits.



While military tensions between Ukraine and Moscow have cooled somewhat in recent weeks, the border remains one of the most dangerous flashpoints in the world.



Earlier this year, Moscow built up an estimated force of some 100,000 troops in a major show of force, with former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak warning of a potential armed intervention to help citizens in eastern Ukraine. Russia also restricted airspace near Crimea and the Donbas region, and it blocked parts of the Black Sea.



The buildup worried the West, with former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steve Pfifer asserting the situation was "one step from war." To this end, the United States put its forces in Europe on a higher level of alert with President Joe Biden, who previously served as the U.S. point person on Ukraine during the Obama administration, re-affirming his support for Ukraine's "sovereignty and territorial integrity."



This commitment is important given international fears about the viability of the Ukrainian state. In Donetsk and Luhansk, Russian-backed separatists have seized significant portions of the regions with heavy weaponry.



With Volodymyr Zelensky traveling to Washington to see Biden next week, the first time a Ukrainian president has visited the White House in over four years, Merkel sought to calm tensions on the weekend. She has often cited her own experience of growing up behind the iron curtain in East Berlin during the Cold War, and has repeatedly said that there is no military solution to the conflict.



On several occasions in recent years, leaders such as ex-Ukrainian Prime Minister Petro Poroshenko and former French President Francois Hollande have warned of "full-scale war" and "total war" respectively.



While Merkel has used more restrained rhetoric, her relationship with Putin has been strained for some time, most recently because of the nerve-agent poisoning of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.



The fundamental question shaping the future of the conflict is likely to remain the risk tolerance of the Russian leadership, with Putin potentially remaining in power into the 2030s.



Previously, Moscow had hoped that sustained economic, military and political pressure could lead to significant loss of support within Ukraine for the pro-Western orientation of the Kiev government.



That scenario has not fully come to pass yet, and a key question now is the degree to which the U.S. and wider West will continue to support Ukraine. At his meeting with Biden, Zelensky is likely to request that top U.S. officials assist with peace negotiations given that the current Normandy Summit and Trilateral Contract Group have stalled.



It is also possible he will request further clarity on Ukraine's relationship with NATO. Since the start of the conflict, Ukraine has undergone a series of defense reforms to become interoperable with the Western military alliance becoming the first partner nation to participate in NATO's Response Force, and is also one of six non-members to hold "Enhanced Opportunities Partner" status.



If tensions rise again, international debate could reignite not just about U.S. and European sanctions in place in 2014, but also intensified military support for Kiev.



It is also possible this would reopen debate in Washington over enhanced U.S. bilateral military support for Kiev following Obama's consideration toward the end of his term of office of a range of potential options, including so-called "non-lethal" equipment such as reconnaissance drones and radar screens.



However, the West is divided on this issue, with some, including Merkel, especially concerned that provision of extensive tranches of such equipment could be used by Ukraine not just to secure military balance on the ground between its own and separatist forces, but that it could potentially become a means to achieve riskier military goals that could see the crisis potentially spiraling out of control again with Moscow potentially raising the stakes too.





Andrew Hammond (andrewkorea@outlook.com) is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.


Once again Haiti finds itself on the tragic side of the world's disaster divide and its need for help is urgent.



A 7.2-magnitude earthquake, more powerful than the whopper that killed more than 200,000 in the capital, Port-au-Prince, in 2010, has rocked the country's more remote southern peninsula, killing more than 2,100, leveling thousands of homes and leaving hundreds more missing and presumed trapped under rubble.



And, barely three days later, while Haitians still were searching for loved ones and trying to dig their neighbors out of the rubble with bare hands, Tropical Storm Grace lashed into the island, causing mudslides and floods that damaged temporary shelters for people displaced by the quake.



And all of these horrors rained down  during the COVID-19 pandemic  on the heels of the assassination of President Jovenel Moise last month, which left the government without a president, a functioning parliament or head of its Supreme Court.



Few in the quake zone were surprised when promised government rescue help largely failed to show up.



International aid groups, including the United Nations, and the United States mobilized to send help. But, struggling to get through severe flooding, blocked roads and armed gangs, aid convoys with relief supplies barely could get through.



The new prime minister, Ariel Henry, toured the devastation a day after the quake offering little more than kind words. His government lacks experience, money and, in the eyes of most Haitians, legitimacy. In further humiliation to Haiti's national pride, he had to travel on an airplane borrowed from the neighboring Dominican Republic.



"It is as if we are cursed," the Rev. Lucson Simeon lamented to a Washington Post reporter at his devastated church in L'Asile, a small farming community 11 miles from the epicenter. "We just keep getting beaten down. I ask myself, how can this be?"



He's hardly alone in that sentiment. The Rev. Pat Robertson, a Republican presidential candidate in 1988, sparked a backlash of criticism on his CBN broadcast after the 2010 quake by citing a spiritual pact that Haiti's founders supposedly made with the devil in 1791 to help win their liberation from France.



With its dubious, unconfirmed origins and co-option by Robertson as a racist trope, that legendary story of a satanic deal sounds morbid amid Haiti's latest chain of disasters. In reality, Haiti's tragedies have less to do with supernatural deal-making than a combination of natural and human-caused calamities.



In nature, Haiti sits on two major fault zones in the middle of the Caribbean hurricane belt. Climate change has only accelerated the ferocity of the weather. Erosion from storms and clear-cutting deforestation policies dating back to the French colonizers hampered agriculture.



Infrastructure and construction policies are weaker than in wealthier nations. Slavery under the Spanish, then the French, marked centuries of exploitation, including by Americans.



Southern politicians and the planter class feared Haitian slave revolts might spread to these shores. Instead, the United States occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934 and helped prop up the murderous Duvalier dictatorship to prevent the island's becoming the next Cuba.



The well-intended creation of the nongovernmental organization (NGO) system in the 1960s led to a weakening of Haitian institutions, which critics say made it easier for foreign companies and NGOs to bypass Haiti's central government, further weakening self-governance by Haitians.



Considering its turbulent history, the people of the island and their relatives in the Haitian diaspora, particularly in Miami, deserve praise for their often tireless efforts to help their fellow Haitians. In recent years, the money sent back to Haiti in remittances  a record high of $3.8 billion last year, according to the Haitian Times  accounts for at least a third of the island's economy.



Now, once again, the island looks to the outside world for help, although with great reluctance, considering its long history of corrupt and corrupting outside influences.



In the short term, as social service and religious groups mobilize to deliver food, medicine and other supplies, relief organizations like (among others) UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, Hope for Haiti and the American Red Cross especially deserve the support of U.S. onlookers.



In the longer term, thousands of Haitians left without homes, churches and other physical resources desperately need assistance after decades of struggling on the tragic side of the disaster divide.



The United States, among other nations with a long, not-always-glorious history with the island, should turn to credible and reliable leaders outside of government to help Haitians build a better future for themselves.





This editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune and was distributed by Tribune Content Agency.


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Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 49F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

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Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 49F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
PORTLAND, OR (KPTV)  COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are continuing to spike in Oregon, especially in smaller counties and rural areas. Some funeral homes in these places have reached their limit and are now asking for help from the state to help store bodies. Both Tillamook and Joseph
POCATELLO, Idaho (KPVI) - "As we saw the last four years, we had low gas prices, a stable Afghanistan and other things," said Bannock County Commissioner Terrel Tovey, who believes the new presidency has gone off the path. Read more
(ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) A fresh group of students arrived on campus Wednesday to move-in to the residence halls at Missouri Western.

Incoming freshmen and their families spent the day arranging their new rooms for the fall semester.

"Move-in day was actually really nice. I thought it was going to be way more chaotic and stressful, but it wasn't," said incoming freshman Serena Springer. "It's been fun. I like the dorms. It's looking like it's going to be a fun time here and I'm excited to meet new friends," said another freshman, Brenden Baclay.

Masks are required for the time being in indoor facilities on campus.

"However, we're not sure it's going to last all semester. We're reevaluating every two weeks," said Marissa Garza, a resident assistant on campus. "But right now everybody who is inside is required to wear a mask even though we're not pushing social-distancing this year. It's going to be a little bit different but we're still sanitizing everything and being very COVID aware."

As COVID-19 still looms over the students, the incoming class is ready to take on a new chapter of their life.

"Well it's kinda like a hard transfer right now because I only took two classes my senior year. So I worked full-time my whole senior year so now it's back into school and readjusting and everything," said Baclay. "I'm really excited to meet friends and get to know the campus more and I'm also excited to learn more about what I'm majoring in," added Springer.

Classes begin on Monday, August 30.
If you are someone who works as a server in a restaurant, what keeps you in the job? If youve recently left that line of work, why did you leave?
ROME, AUG 25 - COVID emergency commissioner Francesco Figliuolo has said 80% of Italians over the age of 12 will be vaccinated by the end of September. Meanwhile the government's CTS technical committee will examine on Friday a request to extend the Green Pass vaccine passport for up to a year. Health Minister Roberto Speranza said he was convinced the CTS will say yes and said he thought the third COVID dose will also start being given starting with the most vulnerable categories: the immuno-depressed, those who have had transplants and the over 80s. The national bioethics panel said yes to making vaccines obligatory, at least for people carrying out public services. "If you want to be in society and not stay shut up at home you need to get vaccinated," panel chair Maurizio Mori told ANSA. There have been 6,076 new cases of COVID-19 in Italy in the last 24 hours, and 60 more victims of the virus, the health ministry said Tuesday. That compares to 4,168 new cases and 44 more victims Monday. The positivity rate is down from 4.11% to 2.28%. Conductors are to return to Italian buses to check that people are wearing face masks and respecting other COVID rules, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Enrico Giovannini told Rainews24 Tuesday. He said enforcing the virus safety rules was "crucial". The conductors will also have to make sure that people are socially distancing and that buses are only 80% full, at most. On vaccine passports for drivers, the minister said this was a "complex matter that is being discussed". Giovannini is set to meet regional officials on the issue Thursday morning. (ANSA).
ROME, AUG 25 - A Czech fell runner died in a fall while racing between Italy and France on Tuesday-Wednesday night, officials said Wednesday. The 35-year-old died of the injuries sustained in the fall while on the 145km "Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie" (TDS) mountain run with its altitude differential of 9,100 metres, between Val d'Aosta and Haute Savoie. The accident happened shortly after midnight at the Passeur de Pralognan descent in Savoy. The runner, who has not yet been named, was rushed to hospital but doctors failed to save his life. The competition, part of the Mt Blanc Ultra Trail (UTMB), has been suspended. (ANSA).
MILAN, AUG 25 - An Italian local TV host and actor was arrested for getting around a litre of the rape drug precursor GBL from the Netherlands, local sources said. Ciro Di Maio, 46, had the drug delivered to his Milan home, police said. He was arrested for drugs possession and pushing. The drugs were seize. GHB "precursors" gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol (BD) are commercially available industrial substances that are not intended for human consumption. When ingested, these substances are converted by the body into GHB. GBL and BD are also used to manufacture GHB, known as the rape drug. Di Maio has been presenting a travel programme on the Marcopolo channel since 2009. (ANSA).
ROME, AUG 25 - The Italian school system is still "all at sea" over enforcing Green Pass vaccine passports by students, the head of the national association of head teachers told ANSA Wednesday. Mario Rusconi, told ANSA that schools were "all at sea over the green pass and schools will have to start at midday if teachers have to check all their students' vaccine passports". Schools are set to reopen next month after spending most of last year in distance learning. The national bioethics panel has said yes to making vaccines obligatory, at least for people carrying out public services. "If you want to be in society and not stay shut up at home you need to get vaccinated," panel chair Maurizio Mori told ANSA. The government's CTS technical committee is set to examine on Friday a request to extend the Green Pass vaccine passport for up to a year. Health Minister Roberto Speranza said he was convinced the CTS will say yes and said he thought the third COVID dose will also start being given starting with the most vulnerable categories: the immuno-depressed, those who have had transplants and the over 80s. (ANSA).
ROME, AUG 25 - Wildfires have claimed an area equal to Rome, Naples, and Milan put together since the start of this year, the Europa Verde party said in a new report Wednesday. Some 158,000 hectares of forest and woodland has been claimed by the mainly arson-caused fires in 2021, it said. The report was published by the European Commission's European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), which has been providing information on wildfires since 2008. 2021 has so far been Italy's new 'annus horribilis' for forest fires, surpassing the previous record worst year of 2017, EFFIS said last week. In the whole of 2017 some 141,000 hectares burned down in mostly arson fires, it said, a mark that has been far surpassed already this year. In 2018 14,00 hectares were torched, 37,000 in 2019 and 53,000 in 2020. (ANSA).
ROME, AUG 25 - Another 277 people arrived in Rome on two flights from Afghanistan Wednesday as Italy's airlift of Afghans at risk of Taliban reprisals continued. Some 104 came on an Italian air force KC767 (K12) and another 173 on an ALBASTAR (A4). Some 3,741 Afghans have been evacuated from Kabul, on 44 flights, and 2,659 of them are already in Italy, Defence Minister Lorenzo Guerini told a joint session of the parliamentary foreign and defence committees on Tuesday. The airlift is now in its last few days as United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday rejected G7 pleas to extend an August 31 deadline for its troop pullout. (ANSA).
ROME, AUG 25 - The famed quarries in Italy's northwestern Apuan Alps, from which Michelangelo got his the marble for his immortal works, do not constitute damage to the environment, the Council of State said Wednesday. Italy's highest administrative court rejected a suit filed by environmental groups who argued that the quarries had despoiled the local mountain landscape. Quarry company Henraux hailed the "historic sentence that restores the fundamental and incontrovertible value of the marble quarries for the economic sustenance of the local people...and which declares in a clear and precise way that the quarries do not create any environmental damage". Local Carrara marble was used for some of the most remarkable monuments of ancient Rome as well as by Renaissance genius Michelangelo and by the British Empire in its trademark works including London's Marble Arch. (ANSA).
ROME, AUG 25 - Sampdoria boss Massimo Ferrero has been fined 700 euros for anchoring his luxury yacht off a protected island in the Tuscan Archipelago Nature Preserve. Film producer Ferrero, 71, stopped the Astondoa a few metres off the island of Pianosa on August 15, police from the island of Elba said. Environmentalist group Legambiente congratulated the police and said fines for such violations should be stiffened. Former actor Ferrero has been Samp owner and president since 2014. Known for his flamboyant personality, he is one of Serie A's most colourful characters. (ANSA).
ROME, AUG 25 - One of Italy's most wanted drug traffickers, 32-year-old Camorra boss Raffaele Mauriello, was arrested in Dubai on August 14, police said Wednesday. He faced three arrest warrants for murder, mafia association and drug trafficking, police said. A fugitive since September 2018, he is wanted for the double murder of Andrea Castello and Antonio Ruggiero at Casandrino near Naples in 2014 and that of Fabio Cafasso at the drugs-ridden Naples district of Scampia in 2011 - all in the so-called "third Scampia vendetta". Maurellio has been importing huge quantities of cocaine for the Amato-Pagano clan, police said. He was reportedly close to the notorious Camorra narco trafficker Raffaele Imperiale, arrested in similar circumstances a few weeks ago, police said. The extradition process has been initiated, the interior ministry said. Imperiale, 46, was arrested in Dubai on August 4, sources said Thursday. He had been on the run since 2016 and reportedly been living a lavish life in the UAE capital. Imperiale had an older brother who died in 1996 and left him a coffeeshop in Amsterdam from where he began his criminal career. In his coffeeshop Imperiale sold soft drugs and was reportedly involved in large-scale cocaine trafficking with the Dutch drug trader Rick van de Bunt. In the 1990s he was introduced by Antonio Orefice, a member of the Neapolitan mafia's Moccia clan, to Elio Amato, brother of Raffaele Amato, at the time one of the top drug traffickers of the Di Lauro clan. Imperiale began to earn millions of euros, becoming the pointman of the Di Lauro organization that dealt directly with the drug trafficking cartels in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. According to Italian authorities, Imperiale was living high on the hog in Dubai and spending 400,000 a month to maintain his lavish lifestyle. In 2016, two Van Gogh paintings stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in 2002 were recovered in a villa in Castellammare di Stabia, his hometown near Naples, owned by him. DEA documents sent to Dutch police exposed an alleged super drug cartel headed by Imperiale, Ridouan Taghi (former Dutch most wanted criminal, now in jail), Daniel Kinahan (Irish reputed gang boss) and Edin Gacanin (Bosnian drug trafficker). The group was observed by the DEA having meetings in the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, the base of the alleged cartel in 2017. The DEA regards this as one of the world's fifty largest drug cartels, with a virtually monopoly on Peruvian cocaine. (ANSA).
MONZA, AUG 25 - A 35-year-old Italian man has been cited for stabbing a woman who refused to have sex with him after an evening together at Seregno near Monza on August 16, police said Wednesday. The man, who has a record for petty theft and a history of psychiatric problems, went home and got a knife and returned to the woman's home in the dead of night to stab her in the arms, chest and legs, police said. The woman, who also suffered a concussion, has now been discharged from hospital. (ANSA).
CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo.  A former Osage Beach Police Officer is facing a felony and misdemeanor charge, after authorities say she sent nude photos to and had a sexual relationship with a student at School of the Osage during the 2019-2020 school year.

Jenna Jackson, an Osage Beach Police officer in her mid-20s, was a School Resource Officer for School of the Osage High School, when a student reported to a school official that Jackson had been attending parties with students and was allegedly involved in a sexual relationship with a student who was a senior at Osage High School. According to a probable cause statement written by an investigator with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, school administrative staff conducted an investigation regarding the allegations, interviewed four students, including the [student] who was allegedly involved in the sexual relationship with Jackson. School of the Osage concluded their investigation, and determined the allegations were rumors with no substantiating evidence.

Then, Osage Beach Police Chief Todd Davis asked the MSHP Division of Drug and Crime Control to investigate the allegations.

The Patrol investigator says multiple students acknowledged speaking with Jackson regularly through Snapchat and text messages. More than one student said theyd heard rumors Jackson was romantically involved with a male student.

Then, in a Feb. 3, 2021 interview, multiple male students who were friends of the student with whom Jackson allegedly had a relationship told the investigator they had seen nude photos of Jackson on his phone. Then the teen with whom authorities say Jackson had a relationship told the investigator about it, according to the document. He said it began with a friendship and escalated into something sexual, the court document says. When Jackson was asked about the relationship, authorities say she denied it at first, and then admitted it. Jackson reportedly told the investigator she had sent nude photos to the teen because of her deteriorating relationship with her fiance. The court document also describes an intimate encounter Jackson reportedly admitted to having with the teen. She reportedly said the relationship ended when school let out (due to Covid), in March of 2020.

Jenna Jackson is charged with Misdemeanor Furnishing Pornographic Material to a Minor, and Felony Sexual Contact with a Student.

Multiple Lake of the Ozarks area schools have faced the problem of adult personnel's sexual abuse of children. LakeExpo's coverage of the issue, below.

+2 Camdenton Teacher Sues District Over Handling Of Masturbating Janitor A Camdenton R-III School District teacher is suing the district over its handling of a janit
Main events

The village of Fontana fireworks display was scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 28, at 9 p.m.

But it was postponed because of weather until Sunday, Aug. 29.

See the display on the west end of Geneva Lake, at Fontana Beach.

Several months ago, village officials decided to postpone the communitys traditional Fourth of July fireworks display to August. There was lots of uncertainty at the time when officials needed to make a decision on if and when to continue with the display.

It has been said that the display draws around 20,000 spectators each year.

Even the U.S. National Guard comes in to help with traffic control.

Visit villageoffontana.com for more about Fontana and the fireworks display.

More events

Thursday, Aug. 26
A former airline pilot from Kenosha County was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in federal prison for conducting what federal prosecutors allege was sextortion with several underage girls from across the United States, as well as the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Wisconsin on Tuesday reported 21 COVID-19 deaths, the highest daily total in six months, as the number of patients hospitalized with the coronavirus increased to 804, more than double the total from early this month.

The state Department of Health Services also reported 2,170 new COVID-19 cases, the highest since mid-January.

The 21 deaths, which occurred within the past month, matched the total reported on Feb. 23, bringing the current daily average of fatalities to eight, up from one as recently as Aug. 4.

Of the 804 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, 244 were in intensive care, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association. Thats well below a peak of 2,277 patients in the hospital with COVID-19, and 456 in intensive care, in mid-November.

But the states surge in COVID-19 cases, which health officials say is fueled by the delta variant of the coronavirus, is showing no signs of letting up. The daily average is now 1,369 cases, more than 18 times greater than it was on the Fourth of July.
Jacque, 40, said on Aug. 16 that he was at the hospital with pneumonia but he was largely asymptomatic with the exception of fatigue. The last update on Jacques health was provided a week ago, when his office said Jacque was tired but in good spirits.

Jacques office also has not answered questions about whether he has been vaccinated.

One of the Legislatures most conservative members, Jacque has been a vocal opponent of mask and vaccine mandates and has sponsored legislation that would have barred government officials or business owners from requiring proof of vaccination. The bills were ultimately vetoed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Like other Republicans, Jacque also has opposed the statewide mask mandate that was ultimately struck down by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in March.

As a human being I have every hope that Jacque recovers quickly, I dont want anyone sick from COVID and thats the whole point, Roys said. Thats why I got vaccinated, thats why I wear a mask, thats why I encourage others to do so.
Spring fed Geneva Lake is known for its clean, beautiful water. Its a treasure for our community, the entire region and beyond.

Lake Geneva was even named one of 26 most beautiful towns in America by travel magazine, Conde Nast Traveler.

But the lagoon filled with weeds located east of the Riviera along Wrigley Drive that enters into Geneva Lake has become quite an eyesore.

Harbormaster Steve Russell said possible reasons for the growing number of weeds could be because of the low amount of rain this summer, recent high temperatures or low boat usage in the citys lagoon.

A representative from Geneva Lake Level Corporation currently cleans the lagoon once a week, but that person is not expected to return after this summer.

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So now Lake Geneva officials are looking for volunteers to help remove weeds from the citys boat pier lagoon.

While volunteers are great and always encouraged, this is a job that shouldnt be left to volunteers. The city needs to look at other options and can have the slip renters help share the cost as needed.
Transferring ownership of a farm can be an overwhelming process, freighted with legal, financial and emotional complexity.
The IDFA reports that dairy supports over 3 million jobs nationwide and generates over $41 billion in direct wages. Dairys overall impact on the U.S. economy is about $753 billion annually. Where do dairy exports fit into all of this?
Pentagon announced that it would soon require all U.S. troops to get their COVID-19 vaccine shots. As of the moment, the United States is one of the countries that are greatly affected by the new appearing variants, such as Lambda and Delta.

The U.S. Defense Department also confirmed this information after it announced that military personnel and other similar service members would have mandatory Pfizer vaccines jabs.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently released a memo stating that the required vaccination would begin by mid-September. He added that around 1.3 million U.S. service members would be participating in the massive vaccination program.

However, the estimated launch date could still be changed as CBS News reported that Pentagon also plans to start it once FDA approval for Pfizer is released.

On the other hand, the agency's spokesperson, John Kirby, explained on Monday, Aug. 23, that they would also release further updates as the planned launch schedule nears. These include the exact timeline for the U.S. troops' vaccine jabs, as well as updated guidance.

Pentagon Release Vaccine Status of US Troops

Pentagon released its data to show the vaccine status of the U.S. service staff. As of the moment, the agency said that around 68% of the active-duty force personnel are already fully vaccinated.

READ MORE: Bolivia's Former President Jeanine Anez 'Stable' and Back in Prison After Suicide Attempt

On the other hand, more than 76% of the U.S. troops were able to receive their first doses.

"We will also be keeping a close eye on infection rates - which are on the rise now due to the Delta variant - and the impact these rates might have on our readiness," said Austin.

Pentagon has already encouraged the nation's soldiers to have their vaccine jabs ever since the development of emergency-authorized anti-COVID-19 medicines.

Together with the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, Lloyd attended virtual meetings to push hesitant troops and their families to receive their first medicine jabs.

U.S. President Joe Biden Would Stick To His Afghanistan Evacuation Date

According to Independent U.K.'s latest report, U.S. President Joe Biden is strong on his stand to complete the U.S. troops' evacuation from Afghanistan.

The current American leader said that he refuses to extend the evacuation deadline this coming Aug. 31. Express U.K. also reported that although many people are criticizing Biden, he still continues to reduce the presence of his soldiers in the chaotic country.

READ NEXT: Taliban Warns Pres. Joe Biden of 'Consequences' If U.S. Extends Aug. 31 Afghanistan Withdrawal Deadline
Hollywood actress Sofia Vergara confirmed that she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at a very young age. If you have no idea what this medical complication is, it is a non-fatal type of cancer.

Doctors also said that it is currently highly curable, thanks to various medical advancements from different public and independent agencies. However, this illness could still spread across your organs, bones, and even lungs. Now, Vergara shared how she cured herself by understanding her disease. According to International The News' latest report, the artist shared her experience during the 2021 Stand Up to Cancer event. The 49-year-old "Modern Family" actress said that her doctor found out about her condition at the age of 28. Although some people would be stressed because it is still cancer, the Hollywood icon said that she educated herself even more instead of feeling bad about it. Sofia Vergara Shares How Her Thyroid Cancer Was Cured The People reported that Vergara's doctor identified a lump in her neck when she was on her regular medical visit. "They did a lot of tests and finally told me I had thyroid cancer. When you're young and you hear that word 'cancer,' your mind goes to so many places but I tried not to panic and I decided to get educated," she shared.

READ MORE: Vanessa Bryant Writes Heartfelt Note to 'Eternal Love' Kobe Bryant on His 43rd Birthday

"I read every book and found out everything I could about it. I was fortunate to have caught it early and to have the support of my doctors and most importantly, my family," added Sofia.

The artist explained that her doctor did a lot of tests before confirming that it is really thyroid cancer, as reported by Yahoo Life.

Aside from understanding her illness, the actress also proudly shared that she realized how important it is to have people, standing together during rough times.

On the other hand, she also explained that she did not publicize her medical status since suffering from cancer is no joke, adding that it would be more difficult to deal with if other things would add up as problems.

You Have Thyroid Cancer If These Symptoms Appear

Identifying thyroid cancer is somehow an easy task since its symptoms are quite noticeable. These signs include the following:

Difficulty swallowing

A lump in the front of the neck, near the Adam's apple

Difficulty breathing

Pain in the throat or neck

A cough that persists and is not caused by a cold

Hoarseness

Swollen glands in the neck

If you discovered some of these symptoms, it is still highly advised not to panic and avoid making any conclusion. The best thing you can do is still visit your doctor as soon as possible.

READ NEXT: Charlie Watts Dies at 80-Elton John, Paul McCartney, and Other Iconic Musicians Pay Tribute To The Rolling Stones Drummer
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) urged Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to rename Fort Hood in Texas after General Richard E. Cavazos, the Mexican American four-star general in the U.S.

The request was sent by the Hispanic Caucus on Monday through a letter addressed to Austin, The Hill reported. The lawmakers highlighted Cavazo's military accomplishments and cited other options to rename the said army base in Texas.

READ NEXT: Hispanic Lawmakers Urge Pentagon to Avoid Enlistment of Individuals Who Have Connections to Extremists

Hispanic Caucus Urges Lloyd Austin to Rename Texas Army Base

The call to rename Fort Hood in Texas was headed by the caucus' chairman, Representative Raul Ruiz from California. Ruiz called on the defense secretary to pick on a Hispanic name to rename the army base, given the size of Texas' Hispanic population.

According to the latest census, the population of Latinos in Texas has near parity with the White population in the state, NBC News reported.

"The CHC's advocacy is focused in particular on ensuring that Fort Hood in Texas... is named after a Latino or Latina Hero," the letter said.

Initially, the CHC recommended Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez's name to be adopted in Fort Hood. However, the caucus argued that Benavidez's background in special forces makes his name more suited to Fort Bragg.

"For this season, the CHC supports renaming Fort Bragg after MSG Benavidez," the group said, adding that they "strongly" wish for Fort Hood to be renamed after a Latino or Latina.

Apart from suggesting names, the caucus and Democratic members also asked the commission to change the criteria for naming army bases, so that enlisted personnel can also be considered instead of high-ranking officials only.

The letter sent by the CHC on Monday comes after the caucus sent a different letter in April, asking to rename bases and other army properties named after confederates.

Mexican Americans Considered to Replace Army Base Fort Hood's Name

The lawmakers want to rename Fort Hood after Richard Cavazos, the Army's first Hispanic four-star general. Cavazos was appointed to that position in 1982.

Before he died in 2017, Cavazos had many accomplishments while in the Army. He became a platoon leader during the Korean War and assumed command of the United States Army Forces Command in 1982-1984.

Richard Cavazos was also known to be the first Hispanic to reach the rank of brigadier general when he became one in 1976.

Apart from Cavazos, the CHC gave other options to the defense secretary. The CHC also wanted Fort Hood to be named after Pfc. Vanessa Guillen. The Mexican American soldier tragically died when another army member killed her after reporting sexual abuse at the base.

"For generations, Latinos have fought for our nation with valor, but rarely have been recognized for their contributions," the CHC said. The group noted that renaming Fort Hood would commend the Latinos who sacrificed their lives for the U.S. and honor Texans with Mexican American heritage.

Apart from Cavazos and Guillen, Staff Sgt. Macario Garcia and Pvt. Marcelino Serna was also suggested by the lawmakers to be renamed for the Texas army base. Both Garcia and Serna were Mexican immigrants who were decorated veterans of World War II and World War I, respectively.

READ MORE: Congressional Hispanic Caucus Proposes Latino Films For National Film Registry

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Fort Hood Could see Name Change Soon - From 25 News KXXV
A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study showed that the effectiveness of the COVID vaccines against the highly transmissible Delta variant has dropped.

The study published Tuesday noted that the vaccine has reduced its effectiveness from 91 percent to 66 percent against the Delta variant that now accounts for most COVID cases, KSLA reported.

However, the study also showed that the vaccine still cuts your risk by two-thirds against the Delta variant. Thus, vaccinated people are still less likely to get infected and far less likely to get severely ill if they contract the virus.

The study, known as HEROES-RECOVER, includes more than 4,000 health care workers, first responders, and other frontline workers in eight areas through six states. All of them were tested weekly for COVID infection. More than four in five were vaccinated, and most of them received the mRNA vaccines from either Pfizer or Moderna.

During the initial study period from December 14, 2020 to April 10, 2021, vaccine effectiveness was estimated at 91 percent. But during weeks in the run-up to August 14, when the Delta variant became dominant, the effectiveness fell to 66 percent.

READ NEXT: U.S. Pres. Joe Biden Urges Private Companies to Impose COVID Vaccine Mandates After Pfizer's Full Approval

COVID Vaccines Effectiveness

According to a Stat News report, other studies trying to show the effectiveness of the vaccines in preventing infections have also generally shown reduction against the Delta.

CDC earlier advised vaccinated people that they no longer needed to wear masks. However, the spread of the Delta variant was causing breakthrough infections.

Scientists had concluded that vaccinated people who have been infected with Delta could spread the virus to others, though not as infectious as unvaccinated people.

The spread of Delta has prompted CDC to recall their decision on mask requirement, encouraging even vaccinated people to wear masks.

Ashley Fowlkes, an epidemiologist on the COVID-19 response team at the CDC, said they're trying to determine if it is Delta variant or waning effectiveness. But Fowlkes said they concluded that they could not really tell. Fowlkes noted that 66 percent effectiveness is a really high number, The New York Times reported.

Those who had been hospitalized despite being vaccinated were older on average. At the same time, the death rate was also lower among the vaccinated, with 0.2 percent compared with 0.6 percent among the unvaccinated.

The Delta Variant

The Delta variant is identified to be more than twice contagious as previous variants. Some data also showed that the variant might cause more severe illness than previous strains in an unvaccinated population, according to the CDC.

Vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant also appear to be infectious for a shorter period. The Delta variant also seems to have the same high amount of virus in both unvaccinated and vaccinated.

However, fully vaccinated people's infections go down faster than infections in unvaccinated people. Symptoms of Delta variant among vaccinated people include headache, sore throat, and loss of smell.

The symptom of coughing or shortness of breath has been missing with vaccinated people. However, Dr. Jack O'Horo, a critical care and infectious diseases specialist at the Mayo Clinic, said the symptoms still really remained the same.

O'Horo noted that they are still looking at initially cold-type symptoms like cough and fever.

READ MORE: Moderna Booster Shots Work Well Against Variants: Early Data

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Delta Variant Fuels Surge Of New Cases Across U.S. - From NBC News






President Joe Biden told other G7 leaders Tuesday that the United States is on pace to complete the pullout from Afghanistan by August 31.

In a statement released on Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that during the meeting with the G7 leaders, Joe Biden confirmed that the U.S. is currently on pace to finish the evacuation and withdrawal of U.S. troops by August 31.

Psaki noted that the president said the completion of the U.S. mission in Kabul, Afghanistan "depends on continued coordination with the Taliban, including continued access for evacuees to the airport."

She added that Joe Biden asked the Pentagon and the State Department "for contingency plans" to adjust the timeline if it becomes necessary," USA Today reported.

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Jen Psaki Claims Joe Biden's Afghanistan Evacuation' A Success'

In a press conference on Tuesday, Jen Psaki said that Joe Biden's evacuation efforts in Afghanistan were a success.

Psaki called the ongoing evacuation in the South Asian country to be the "biggest airlift in U.S. history." She said that American citizens, as well as Afghan partners, were pulled out from the country.

"That is bringing American citizens out. It is bringing our Afghan partners out. It is bringing allies out. So, no, I would not say that is anything but a success," the White House press secretary noted.

To date, more than 70,000 people have been removed from Afghanistan in the past 10 days. According to the president, the U.S. has already evacuated at least 75,900 people from Afghanistan.

In a statement released on Tuesday night, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the U.S. military operation to evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghans from Afghanistan continues despite removing "several hundred U.S. troops."

Kirby noted that "several thousand" Americans have been evacuated, but he failed to give a more specific figure. He added that he was unable to provide the percentage of Americans in Afghanistan who have now been evacuated.

On Saturday, hundreds of Afghan refugees arrived at Fort Bliss in El Paso as part of the Operation Allies Refuge, with more flights expected to arrive this week.

Senator John Cornyn earlier said the big military complex is prepared to receive up to 10,000 refugees from Afghanistan.

Kirby said the August 31 deadline set by Joe Biden remains unchanged. However, he noted that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and commanders are drawing up plans if the deadline is changed.

Taliban Warns Joe Biden About Extending August 31 Deadline

The Taliban has warned the U.S. that there would be consequences if the evacuation and withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan would go beyond the August 31 deadline.

Taliban spokesperson Dr. Suhail Shaheen has called the August 31 withdrawal deadline "red line." Shaheen argued that if the U.S. extends it, "that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that."

The Taliban spokesperson then warned that if the U.S. or even the United Kingdom were to seek additional time to continue evacuations, "the answer is no or there would be consequences."

Shaheen said: "It will create mistrust between us. If they are intent on continuing the occupation, it will provoke a reaction."

READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden Wants to Get Every American Out of Afghanistan by August 31

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: U.S. on Afghanistan Withdrawal Deadline: Only Biden Decides - From Al Jazeera English
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the Biden administration's request to put a hold on a lower court decision ordering to revive the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" immigration policy.

According to Associated Press, the policy forces people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the United States. It was suspended at the start of President Joe Biden's term and formally terminated months later.

The high court said the Biden administration likely violated federal law in its efforts to remove the Trump-era policy. The lower court ruling noted that the Biden administration must make a "good faith effort" to restart the program, formally called the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP).

The Supreme Court did not offer much explanation for its action. However, it cited its opinion from last year in rejecting the Trump administration's attempt to end another immigration program called the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

The Supreme Court has decided at the time that ending DACA was "arbitrary and capricious," violating federal law. On Tuesday, the high court said in an unsigned order that the Biden administration has failed to show "a likelihood of success on the claim that the memorandum rescinding the Migrant Protection Protocols was not arbitrary and capricious."

The three dissenting justices, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan, did not write an opinion to express their views of the case.

In a petition filed with the Supreme Court last week, the Biden administration said the order reviving the MPP program "would result in irreparable harm."

The Biden administration argued that the president has "clear authority to determine immigration policy." The administration added that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has the authority to decide whether to return these people seeking asylum to Mexico.

READ NEXT: Supreme Court Says Some Illegal Immigrants Are Not Entitled to Bond Hearings for Release Into U.S.

The 'Remain in Mexico' Immigration Policy

Joe Biden has sought to reverse the immigration policy since taking office in January, Reuters reported. Democrats and immigration advocates said the MPP is subjecting migrants to dangerous conditions in Mexican border cities.

Omar Jadwat, a lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union, noted that the Biden administration must take all steps available to fully end the "illegal program."

According to Mayorkas, the most obvious consequences, in this case, are whether thousands of asylum seekers will be forced to live without stable access to housing, income, and safety, Vox reported.

The MPP was implemented in early 2019. The Biden administration officially ended the program in June amid the migration influx.

DHS on the Supreme Court Ruling

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it disagreed with the lower court's decision and "regrets that the Supreme Court declined to issue a stay." It added in its statement that it has appealed the district court's order and will continue to challenge it.

The department further noted that as the appeal process continues, it would comply with the order in good faith, Fox News reported. The DHS said it has started to engage with Mexico's government in diplomatic discussions surrounding the MPP.

The policy has allowed sending back migrants to Mexico instead of releasing them into the U.S. as their asylum proceedings were heard. It has resulted in court tents being installed along the border of places like Laredo, Texas.

Last week, a federal judge in Texas ordered that the program be reinstated. Both the judge and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused the Biden administration's request to put the order on hold.

When the Biden administration paused the policy, Missouri and Texas had filed a lawsuit against the administration. The states claimed that ending the policy was illegal in the way it was done. They further noted that it harmed both border states and the states deeper in the interior.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said last month that they are hopeful for a favorable ruling since it was clear that the Biden administration did not consider anything relevant to how it was working.

READ MORE: U.S. President Joe Biden Officially Scraps Former President Donald Trump's Remain in Mexico Policy

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WATCH: Judge Orders Reinstating 'Remain in Mexico' Border Policy - From Fox Business






Tijuana cartel boss Eduardo Arellano Felix was deported from the United States back to Mexico on Monday after serving most of his 15-year sentence. However, the Mexican drug cartel leader was promptly rearrested when he arrived in his country to face criminal charges.

According to The Yucatan Times, Eduardo Arellano Felix was handed over to Mexican authorities at a border crossing in Matamoros, near Brownsville in Texas. He was then sent to the maximum-security prison, El Altiplano.

The Tijuana cartel boss is facing organized crime and drug trafficking charges in Mexico. Eduardo was one of the notorious Arellano Felix brothers who founded the Arellano Felix cartel in Tijuana.

He has been nicknamed "The Doctor" because he holds a medical degree. Eduardo was the chief financial officer for the Tijuana cartel or Arellano Felix Organization that sent tons of cocaine and marijuana into the U.S. for nearly two decades.

Eduardo Arellano Felix was arrested at his Tijuana home in October 2008 and extradited to San Diego in August 2012 to face the U.S. charges against him.

The Tijuana cartel boss pleaded guilty in 2013, and a San Diego judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison for drug smuggling and laundering millions of dollars in illegal drug proceeds. The U.S. earlier offered a reward of up to $5 million for his capture, Reuters reported.

Eduardo was the last of the notorious Arellano Felix brothers to be sentenced. The attorney general's office (FGR) in Mexico said the Tijuana cartel boss cooperated with U.S. authorities, so he only served part of the sentence.

RELATED ARTICLE: Tijuana Cartel Boss Eduardo Arellano Felix Soon to Be Freed From Prison, But Where He Goes Next Is Unclear

The Arellano Felix Brothers of The Tijuana Cartel

Eduardo's brother, Benjamin Arellano Felix is serving a 25-year sentence in a U.S. prison. The U.S. and Mexican authorities believed that Benjamin was the Tijuana cartel's mastermind.

He was arrested in 2002 after he was extradited from Mexico. Their fourth brother, Ramon, who was the cartel's top enforcer, died in a shoot-out in Mexico in 2002.

Their oldest brother, Francisco Rafael, was convicted in 2008 of six years in prison for selling drugs to an undercover agent, BBC reported. However, U.S. authorities had set him free as he had already served time in Mexico.

Drug traffickers being freed has always been an issue for Mexico, especially after the release or near-release of several old-guard drug cartel bosses, Aljazeera reported.

Reports said that Mexico's current administration is earning a reputation for releasing more drug lords than it has captured.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has ordered the release of Ovidio Guzman in 2019 to avoid further violence. Ovidio is one of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's sons.

The Tijuana Cartel in Mexico

The Tijuana cartel is one of the most well-known organizations trafficking drugs in the United States in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Its founding members were Sinaloans who worked closely with Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, who started moving marijuana and heroin in the U.S. in 1960, InSight Crime reported.

When Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo was arrested, his nephews, the Arellano Felix brothers, led the cartel. The Tijuana cartel and the Sinaloa cartel had a violent rivalry in the early 1990s, marking Mexico's first major narco war.

A truce was formed between the Tijuana cartel and Sinaloa cartel in 2010, following the arrest and absence of the Arellano Felix brothers.

READ MORE: El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel Continues to Thrive Despite the Drug Lord's Absence: Report

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WATCH: Deportan a Mexico al lider narco Eduardo Arellano Felix - From Noticias Telemundo






The Taliban has gotten hold of a U.S.-made surveillance system and is now using it. Taliban reportedly utilizing biometric scanners paid for by Americans to track civilians who worked and fought with the U.S.

Reports said that Taliban fighters manning checkpoints in Kabul are using biometric scanners. Daily Beast reported that around 80 percent of the country or about 25 million people were targeted for inclusion in the U.S. military's biometric database.

The Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment can scan Afghan's fingerprints, faces, and irises to reveal biographical information.

The device can also tap into a much bigger national database of information on millions of Afghans that the U.S. collected over two decades of war.

Last week, the Taliban released a propaganda video showing its fighters in full U.S. tactical gear, with Humvees and other American equipment being spotted on the streets of the war-torn country, Independent reported.

One senior member of a Taliban group was seen holding an M4 rifle made by the U.S.

READ NEXT: Pres. Joe Biden Does Not Regret Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan, Says Afghans Must Fight Taliban 'For Themselves'

U.S. Weapons Left in Afghanistan

The Taliban reportedly have taken possession of more than 2,000 armored vehicles and up to 40 aircraft, including helicopters and drones.

Social media images showed fighters armed with everything from M4, M18, M24 sniper, and night vision goggles. One U.S. official said that everything that has not been destroyed is owned by the Taliban now.

Elias Yousif, deputy director of the Center for International Policy's Security Assistance Monitor, said an armed group getting their hands on American-made weaponry is considered a status symbol. Yousif said that it is a "psychological win."

Aside from the stockpile of weaponry from the U.S., the Taliban also seized Russian-made weapons and aircraft.

Yousif said that despite the Taliban getting sophisticated weapons, the group still does not have sufficient knowledge of how to use the systems and weapons.

He added that without long-term maintenance, it would not be a useful military capability.

Taliban Take Over Afghanistan

The militant group was forced to close the Kabul airport if the U.S. extends the deadline further on August 31. The warning came from United Kingdom Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, according to a Business Insider report.

The Taliban also warned that there would be consequences if the U.S. decides to extend the deadline when U.S. troops are set to leave the country.

Wallace noted that not everyone would be able to get out of Afghanistan by August 31. Spain's defense minister also echoed this.

As the deadline nears, the U.S. also tracks particular threats from ISIS against Kabul's airport and against Americans trying to leave Afghanistan.

A defense official said the U.S. military is working on an alternative to bring people safely to the airport. NBC News reported that senior Taliban leaders have also arrived in Kabul to choose a new government and a commander with the militant group.

Reports said Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is likely to become the new president in the next few days.

READ MORE: U.S. Military Launches Airstrikes Against Iran and Syria, Targets Militia Groups Behind Drone Attacks on U.S. Personnel

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WATCH: Taliban Seize Billions of Dollars' Worth U.S.-Supplied Military Equipment | Afghanistan News - From WION News






A Florida mom allegedly killed her 15-month-old girl and stabbed her husband and another daughter on Monday.

The incident had taken place in Miami-Dade County. Police said they started receiving calls from neighbors about screaming coming from their home, Crime Online reported.

Police said they had received calls inside the residence, where the crime had taken place. One neighbor, Thelma Sloan, said the 38-year-old Florida mom knocked on her door earlier that day while carrying a toddler on her hip.

Sloan said the woman had warned her about COVID vaccinations, adding that the Florida mom asked her if she had taken a dose of the COVID vaccines.

Sloan reported that the woman told her that she got a vision from God, who told her that anybody who took the COVID vaccines was "going to hell."

READ NEXT: Florida Mom Kills Daughter With Special Needs by Crushing Her Under Table Inside Hospital Room

Florida Mom Attacked Family Members

Police said that the woman killed her 15-month-old daughter seven hours later and stabbed her 16-year-old daughter and 38-year-old husband, who are now in a hospital, Local 10 reported.

Authorities noted that they do not know yet how the toddler was killed. Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said they are still waiting for the medical examiner to submit a report on the cause of the toddler's death.

When police reached the residence, they found the suspect's husband on the front lawn with stab wounds, while the suspect was inside the home with self-inflicted wounds.

The other children of the couple had managed to escape and ran to the neighbor's home, according to Miami Herald. The children were all under 11. None of the children who ran to the neighbor had been harmed.

Zabaleta said the suspect was taken into custody without incident and had appeared to have injuries that seemed self-inflicted. The suspect was transferred to Jackson Trauma Center for treatment.

Zabaleta noted that it was a sad day to have lost the 15-month-old's life. He added that it could have been much worse, considering there were six children inside the residence.

Neighbors had described the suspect as a loving mother to her children, adding that they did not expect it from her. The sidewalk in front of the home was covered in blood, while other neighbors did not answer door knocks.

Other relatives of the family had asked for privacy. The Florida mom has been reported not to be facing any charges against her for now.

COVID Vaccine Hesitancy

White evangelicals are among the least vaccinated American population, with the skepticism from the vaccine reaching nearly three centuries back, Los Angeles Times reported.

Public health officials are being encouraged to address faith communities regarding the COVID vaccines. Around 363 million vaccine doses have already been given in the United States, with 171 million being fully vaccinated.

READ MORE: 13-Year-Old Boy Arrested for Shooting Younger Sister to Death

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WATCH: Mother Accused of Killing Daughter, Stabbing 2 Other Relatives at Northwest Miami-Dade Nome - From WPLG Local 10






After the Taliban takeover, Mexico has accepted its first group of refugees from Afghanistan on Tuesday. All five members of the internationally recognized Afghan all-girls robotics team and one man arrived in Mexico City.

According to ABC News, Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard welcomed the group of Afghan refugees. "Welcome to your home," Ebrard said. Ebrard added that Mexico would grant them "whatever legal status they consider best."

The grant includes possibly giving them asylum or refugee status. One member of the robotics group thanked the country of Mexico, saying the country saved their lives.

The young women, who were members of the known all-girls robotics team, traveled across six different countries to reach Mexico. The group has competed in numerous robotics competitions.

They fled their country, Afghanistan, after the Taliban took control of the country earlier this month. They were worried as the Taliban have been hostile to women working or going to school after a certain age.

READ NEXT: Taliban Warns Pres. Joe Biden of 'Consequences' If U.S. Extends Aug. 31 Afghanistan Withdrawal Deadline

Scholarships for The Afghan All-Girls Robotics Team

Several members of an internationally recognized all-girl robotics team from Afghanistan received help from a 60-year-old Oklahoma mother who found a way to escape their country. The mother said that the group members were feeling "so grateful" to be out of Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, 10 members of the so-called "Afghan Dreamers," who were at the age 16 to 18, were able to leave the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, via a commercial flight to Doha, Qatar, after several flights failed to leave the country.

One of the individuals who helped the Afghan Dreamers get out was Allyson Reneau, a mother-of-11 from Oklahoma. Reneau first met the girls in May 2019 during the Humans to Mars summit in Washington DC.

"They left everything behind to pursue their dreams and to be free and educated," Reneau told Insider.

Reneau shared that she kept in touch with the team since meeting them at the conference. The 60-year-old mother noted that the girls had been texting her about the situation in Afghanistan already for weeks, and that one early morning in August, she woke up with a feeling that something was really wrong in their situation.

Reneau revealed that she tried to speak to a senator and other local officials in order for them to get out of the situation. However, after hitting many roadblocks in her quest, she decided to take matters into her own hands and traveled to Qatar herself.

When she got the news that some of the girls got out safely earlier this week and received a text from one of the girls that they did it, Reneau said she felt relief after two weeks of work.

READ MORE: Oklahoma Mom Helps 10 Members of All-Girls Robotics Team in Afghanistan to Get Out of the Country

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WATCH: Afghan Girls Robotics Team Recounts Escape From Kabul, Desire To Continue Education - From NBC News
Vice President Kamala Harris safely arrived in Vietnam early Wednesday after her flight from Singapore was delayed due to a potential "Havana Syndrome" case in Hanoi.

Kamala Harris' trip to Vietnam is part of her Southeast Asian tour, marking her second foreign trip while in office. It was the first time a U.S. vice president has visited Vietnam.

Despite the emergence of Havana Syndrome in Vietnam, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said a safety assessment was conducted before Harris flew to Hanoi.

According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam, the decision was made to continue with the vice president's trip after careful assessment.

The Daily Mail reported that Kamala Harris' flight from Singapore was delayed by more than three hours because of an "anomalous health incident" in Hanoi.

READ NEXT: Pres. Joe Biden Won't Finish His Term, and Most Say Kamala Harris Will Replace Him Even She's Not Qualified

Havana Syndrome Cases Delayed Kamala Harris Flight to Vietnam

The U.S. government referred to the anomalous health incident as the Havana Syndrome. Reports said that at least two U.S. personnel in Hanoi were stricken with the mysterious condition over the weekend. They will be medevacked out of the country.

"We, of course, take any reported incidents of Havana Syndrome seriously," said Psaki in a press briefing on Tuesday.

When asked whether there were concerns Kamala Harris was a target, the White House press secretary noted it had not been assessed, adding that the incident occurred in Vietnam before the vice president's arrival.

Kamala Harris' office did not provide a reason for the vice president's flight delay. When pressed by reporters before the vice president departs from Singapore, Harris' spokesperson, Simon Sanders, simply said the vice president is "well" and looking forward to her meetings in Hanoi.

Later on the flight, Sanders noted that the flight delay has nothing to do with Harris' health.

The Havana Syndrome cases in Vietnam came less than a week after news emerged that multiple officials from the U.S. Embassy in Berlin sought treatment for the said condition.

The said affected diplomats were reported to be involved in Russia-related issues such as cybersecurity and gas exports. To date, more than 200 U.S. officials and personnel from around the world complained about the symptoms of Havana Syndrome.

What is Havana Syndrome?

Havana Syndrome is a series of unexplained medical symptoms first experienced by U.S. State Department personnel stationed in Havana, Cuba in late 2016.

Those affected experienced similar symptoms, including headache, dizziness, fatigue, anxiety, nausea, cognitive difficulties, and memory loss, consistent with concussions. Before the sudden onset of symptoms, some have reported hearing a loud noise.

The condition's cause was still unclear, but experts said it might be a result of a mechanical device that emits ultrasonic or microwave energy.

The long-term effect of Havana Syndrome includes migraine, squinting, recurrent vertigo, nosebleed, and problems with distant vision.

Experts said Havana Syndrome could be managed through art therapy, acupuncture, breathing exercises, and meditation.

READ MORE: Joe Biden Laughs When Confronted With New Poll Showing Majority No Longer Believe He's Competent in the Job

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WATCH: Havanna Syndrome Scare Delays Harris Vietnam Trip - From Associated Press
Former President Donald Trump lashed out at President Joe Biden on Tuesday for "surrendering to terrorists" after Biden decided to keep his August 31 deadline for a full U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In a statement, Donald Trump said: "Biden surrendered Afghanistan to terrorists and left thousands of Americans for dead by pulling out the military before our citizens."

The former president pointed out that out of the 26,000 people who have been evacuated, only 4,000 are Americans, the Daily Mail reported.

Donald Trump noted that "the Taliban, who are now in complete control," surely did not allow "the best and brightest to board these evacuation flights."

Donald Trump Slams Joe Biden Over Afghanistan Withdrawal

Donald Trump has also accused the Biden administration of bringing terrorists to the U.S. by evacuating Afghan refugees.

"We can only imagine how many thousands of terrorists have been airlifted out of Afghanistan and into neighborhoods around the world," the former president said.

He added: "What a terrible failure. NO VETTING. How many terrorists will Joe Biden bring to America? We don't know!"

Politico journalist Alex Ward tweeted the 4,000-figure cited by Trump. Out of the total 26,582 evacuees, Ward wrote that a total of 4,407 Americans, 642 third-country nationals, 21,533 Afghans had been evacuated from Kabul since the evacuation efforts started.

Ward added that at least 128 evacuation flights were planned for the next 48 hours and that around 13,000 individuals are currently at Hamid Karzai International Airport.

The Taliban has announced blocking Afghan citizens from accessing Kabul after allowing evacuations for nearly more than a week. The Taliban's move complicates the efforts rescuing Afghans who worked with the U.S. military.

READ NEXT: Taliban Warns Pres. Joe Biden of 'Consequences' If the U.S. Extends August 31 Afghanistan Withdrawal Deadline

Taliban Warns Joe Biden of 'Consequences' If August 31 Withdrawal Deadline Will be Extended

On Tuesday, Joe Biden told other G7 leaders that the U.S. is "on pace" to complete the pullout from Afghanistan by August 31. But the president also asked the Pentagon and the State Department "for contingency plans" to adjust the timeline if it becomes necessary."

Joe Biden has received a warning from the Taliban that there would be consequences if the evacuation and withdrawal operations of the U.S. troops in Afghanistan would go beyond the August 31 deadline.

Taliban spokesperson Dr. Suhail Shaheen has called the August 31 withdrawal deadline "red line." Shaheen noted Joe Biden has already set August 31 as the deadline to withdraw all the U.S. military forces, so if the U.S. extends it, "that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that."

"It will create mistrust between us. If they are intent on continuing the occupation, it will provoke a reaction," Shaheen said.

READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden Tells G7 Leaders U.S. 'On Pace' to Withdraw From Afghanistan by August 31, but Asks Pentagon for Contingency Plans

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WATCH: Trump Calls on Biden to Resign Over unfolding Crisis in Afghanistan - From WION
A Portarlington company has been given the go ahead for an extension adjoining its factory on the Laois Offaly border.

Polar Ice Ltd has been granted permission for the development at its premises at Portarlington Industrial Estate.

The development will consist of the construction of a proposed two storey factory type building containing office accommodation, packaging area with canopied truck loading to rear, truck wash and a canopied link to the existing Polar Ice factory facility.

Permission was granted with 13 conditions attached. One condition states that prior to work commencing, a section of the L-5015-1 at the proposed entrance will be upgraded with another stating that a Development Contribution of 24,480 will be paid to Offaly County Council which is the planing authority.

Polar Ice provide a full range of dry ice solutions for applications such as transportation of chilled items, dry ice blasting and cold storage.

The firm has played a key role in the battle against Covid-19 as its product was vital in keeping vaccines and tests stable during distribution.

Polar Ice began as a family business established in 1996, with only two employees and with what it describes as a vision to develop the dry ice market in Ireland. Initially manufacturing wet ice and importing dry ice from the mainland UK, the company says it has focused solely on dry ice manufacturing since 2002.

Today, Polar Ice employs a team of 18 people. With a dedicated production plant based in the midlands and depots in Dublin, Cork, and Portadown, Polar Ice claims to be is the leading manufacturer and supplier of Dry Ice in Ireland.

The company says dry ice is the common term for carbon dioxide in a solid-state. It is so-called because it does not melt into a liquid. Instead, it gradually reverts to its original gas form.




Ireland's Chief Medical Officer has urged people to 'avoid crowds' a day after saying the Electric Picnic could go ahead if all 70,000 scheduled to attend were vaccinated against Covid-19.

Dr Tony Holohan made the comments on a day when more than 2,000 new cases of the disease were confirmed in a NPHET statement in which he said 'significant concerns' remain about the coronavirus Delta variant.

The National Public Health Emergency Team reported on Wednesday, August 25 that the Health Protection Surveillance Centre was notified of 2051* confirmed cases of COVID-19. As of 8 am Wednesday, 323 COVID-19 patients were hospitalised, of which 56 are in ICU.

It was also confirmed that there has been a total of 5092 deaths related to COVID-19 notified in Ireland.

Dr Holohan commented on the latest figures.

While we have increasing levels of vaccination across the population, we continue to have significant concerns over the Delta variant and the increase in the incidence of disease across a range of factors. Unfortunately, this variant is still circulating widely," he said.

He pointed to the importance of vaccination.

Over 70% of cases are in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people and we are seeing a high incidence of COVID-19 in adults and teenagers aged 16-29. If you havent yet registered for your vaccine or have delayed receiving your second dose, please do so as soon as possible. We know that vaccines work. They are about 80% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 disease and they provide approximately 95% protection against hospitalisation," he said.

While he made clear in his Tuesday comments that vaccination means that the public events such as the Electric Picnic could happen, he said on Wednesday that vigilance remains important.

It is very important that we remain vigilant and continue to follow the public health measures that we are all so familiar with. This is especially important for anyone who is soon to return to school and college.

Continue to wear a mask, wash your hands properly and often, maintain a social distance, manage your contacts and avoid crowds, he said.

Laois County Council has said it the public health advice has not changed that prevents the Electric Picnic happening in Stradbally in late September.
Nearly 2,000 people are on waiting lists for treatment that can be carried out in one day at three midlands hospitals with more than 550 of these on the Portlaoise hospital list.

So says Laois Offaly Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley who insists nearly a 1 billion should be spent across the country to tackle the problem.

The hospitals in Laois and Offaly have the longest waiting lists and are part of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group.

"HSE waiting lists in Laois / Offaly show that the number of patients waiting for day procedures in Portlaoise hospital are 555, while in Tullamore Hospital the figure is 995. Mullingar Regional Hospital have 468 on their list. Patients are waiting longer than ever to receive care. Across the State the total number waiting for day procedures is at 80,283.

"National hospital waiting lists have reached a total of over 819,000 for the first time. While waiting lists were over 700,000 before Covid-19, it has contributed further to growing lists. Covid has exposed a healthcare system which does not have enough beds, consultants, nurses or other health professionals. The health service is at crisis point and it is not fit for purpose. With another winter emerging there will be further pressure on the already overstretched services. Action is needed now," he said.

The Laois Offaly poll topper says his party has a plan.

Sinn Fein is proposing a fully costed 914 milion package, including one-off capital investment of 568m, to turn the tide in favour of patients and healthcare workers.

This includes 600 more beds above the Governments current plans, filling more than 600 consultant posts and hiring 4,000 additional hospital staff, and 430 critical care beds by 2025.

This also includes 150m for theatre capacity expansion and equipment to deliver more treatment in public hospitals, and a fund of 100m for equipment upgrades and patient management and waiting list system modernisation," he said.

The Chairman of the Dail Public Accounts Committee which monitors public sending said specific cash must be spent on Information Technology (IT).

"Everywhere we look in the health service, from waiting lists to Covid-19 to the cyber-attack, there is a fire to be put out and an emergency to be tackled. It is limping from crisis to crisis. We are also proposing a fund of 100m to upgrade the IT infrastructure for better patient and waiting list management. This would also include investment in IT equipment to deliver modern care in modern hospitals," he said.

While many plans and strategies have been launched over the years, he believes a road map is urgently needed for the health service.

We need an urgent plan to catch up on missed care, reduce waiting lists, and deliver a top class, universal public health service. We need a fresh start with a system which is fair for health workers, equitable for patients, efficient, and modern. Above all else, we need to tackle waiting lists now, he said.
Laois and Offaly residents are being offered the chance to have their voice heard and contribute to national policymaking through Fine Gaels new Better Ireland initiative and win a meeting with Leo Varadkar if they have the best idea, according to Laois/Offaly TD Charlie Flanagan.

Deputy Flanagan said people across the constituency have the opportunity to contribute their ideas on how we can make Ireland a better place for everyone. He said his party, Fine Gael is asking people to submit their ideas for a better Ireland, with the winning entrant securing a virtual meeting with An Tanaiste Leo Varadkar to discuss the proposal.

Entries are open now and the entry process couldnt be any easier; just log onto Finegael.ie/BetterIreland, describe your idea in 250 words or less and submit via the website. Anyone over the age of 18 who is a resident in Ireland is eligible to submit their idea.

We would like to hear from as people as possible, from a diverse range of backgrounds, occupations, areas etc, to share their ideas with us on how we can improve life for residents in towns and cities across Laois and Offaly.

Tell your friends, families and neighbours about the initiative and encourage younger people in your life to have a think about it as well, he said.

Speaking at the launch of the Better Ireland initiative this week, An Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said, Im looking forward to hearing from people across the country on how they think we can make Ireland a better place to live, work, raise children, receive an education, start a business and grow old.

It might be a major policy initiative that will be completely transformative and change our country for the better, but it could also be something smaller; an idea that would make a real difference at a local and community level.

Whatever your idea is, we want to hear it. I look forward to reading your submissions and meeting with the winning entrant where they will have the chance to pitch the idea to me over a video call  and youre welcome to bring your friends and colleagues along as well, An Tanaiste concluded.
Fifteen houses and apartments in Portlaoise have been bought, refurbished and fully kitted out, down to new childrens toys, ready to take families out of direct provision centres.

However they are sitting idle for nearly a year over delays by the Government in closing the centres, including that at the former Montague hotel.

The houses and an integration support service for residents offered with them, are the pilot project of a new company called Didean, funded by a Laois based philanthropist.

Edward Dunne is the founder of Nua Healthcare, now the largest provider of residential social care which he sold on in recent years. He has also helped fund the BloomHQ centre that is helping to revitalise Mountrath.

In an interview with RTE radios Drivetime, he explained why he founded Didean and volunteers as its chairman.

As an Irish person Ive been particularly distraught and upset by the experience of people in our country who have children, living in direct provision. The idea of children growing up in hotels and being segregated. I think this is the next scandal of our time. Im ashamed of it and I wanted to do something about it, he said.

The 13 houses and two apartments are scattered throughout Portlaoise he said, all within 1km of the town centre, with a drop-in support centre on Main Street.

Didean say they can accommodate 82 asylum seekers in family units, with a vision for buying more, limited at 200 people for a town the size of Portlaoise, with 22,000 people.

He says the Portlaoise model can be replicated in every county , and in the long run, will save the Government money.

The vast majority of people who come out of congregated settings are dependent, institutionalised, not able to perform as functioning members of society. If they instead become independent they are less of a burden on the state because long term supports are cheaper, Edward Dunne said.

Colleen Wall is Director of Operations.

Laois has over 90 nationalities, speaking over 50 languages, and practicing 22 religions. We have proven that we can welcome a multicultural community. We want to integrate them, our staff will come out and help them, she said.

She said the houses being idle is heartbreaking.

We have them empty almost a full year now, were ready, were waiting on the green light, she said.

Lye Ogunsanya is the CEO of Didean, and himself a former asylum seeker, arriving in Ireland from Nigeria 20 years ago. He had to wait to get citizenship before he could go to university, and he went on to work to end direct provision in other European countries.

There is a massive return on investment when you integrate people, he said.

If Id lived in a community I would have been able to bring my friends home, I would have been able to watch tv like other children, watch my mum cook, study with friends. Just changing whats there right now would really impact them positively, he said.

The houses were offered to the department a year ago but must wait while the Government forms a new tender document to seek alternative accommodation to direct provision centres. It has committed in a White Paper to shut down all centres by 2024, after decades of criticism over how they are run.

Dideon's staff continue to be paid while they wait for residents.

"I set it up in the belief of doing the right thing, they are ready to go in the morning. But there is a cash burn, I have staff to pay and I will have to move on at some stage.

"We have to motivate social enterpreneurs to come forward and offer a solution, to do this differently and treat people with dignity and respect and integrate them properly," Edward Dunne said.
A Kildare councillor has strongly criticised a report by an independent review group into the involvement of Irish troops in the Siege of Jadotville in the Congo in 1961.

The review group began examining the case after a lengthy fight by campaigners for recognition for all the troops in the battle.

The review group made findings that only the commanding officer of the Irish troops, Commandant Pat Quinlan, should receive a medal despite a campaign to honour 33 other soldiers.

Cllr Michael Coleman, of the Celbridge/Leixlip Municipal District, who served in the Defence Forces with 43 years service, said all the soldiers should be suitably honoured for their bravery and said the findings of the report should not be accepted.

He said: "These veterans were treated as outcasts and suffered unjust reputational damage and sadly many never recovered."

He added: "Justice delayed is justice denied and if the State accepts this report, it would be once again implicit in not righting the wrongs of Jadotville in good faith.

"I respectfully implore that this report should not and cannot be accepted."

The findings of the report have also been described as very disappointing by politicians with a military background - Kildare TD Cathal Berry and Senator Gerard Craughwell.

In September 1961, the troops from the 35th Battalion in Congo-Leopoldville were involved in a battle with 5,000 Kantanganese troops and mercenaries.

The troops fought as their supplies of ammunition, food and water dwindled over the course of five days. None of the Irish fighters were killed but they were forced to surrender and were held as prisoners of war for approximately one month.

Several of the soldiers were in their teens, and the event had a huge impact on the men, some of whom said later they suffered from PTSD and depression.

The Department of Defence acknowledged the lack of personal welfare supports given to the men following the Siege of Jadotville, their period in captivity and upon their return home.

The Siege was the subject of a 2005 book by Declan Power and a 2016 movie starring actor Jamie Dornan.
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The opening of 15km of new dual carriageway on the N4 between Collooney and Castlebaldwin in Co Sligo has provided motorists with a much better and safer route on journeys between Dublin and Sligo and has been described as one of the most significant road projects ever built in the North West region.

A section of the new N4 between Castlebaldwin and Collooney.

With a poor section of the national primary route taken out of the equation, the focus now once again turns to Carrick-on-Shannon which remains the last major bottleneck on the N4.

The emotive issue of a proposed bypass of the town is now certain to be placed back into sharp focus. A bypass, in itself, is not seen as an ideal solution with various communities in and around the town voicing their concerns about its impact.

Traffic problems through the county town are compounded at the moment by the ongoing public realm works in the town centre which have caused chaos at times for locals and visitors.

The ongoing public realm works in Carrick-on-Shannon. Picture: Willie Donnellan

Currently two roads within the town are temporarily closed to traffic, Quay Road and Summerhill, and this led to extraordinary tailbacks last weekend with reports of chaotic scenes on approach roads into and out of the town on Friday in particular.

Leitrim County Council has stated that the works being undertaken in those two locations will be completed by this Sunday, August 29, and both roads will be open before the schools reopen.

The length of time it is taking for the public realm works to be completed is a bone of contention locally.

The Council states the project has been significantly and adversely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and projections indicate that the works will be completed early in quarter 4 of this year.
Sinn Fein TD Kathleen Funchion has accused the government of failing third-level students as college costs continue to spiral out of control and many are struggling to find accommodation.

She has called on the government to act urgently and end this cycle, which unfairly and increasingly excludes students who are from families on low incomes.

Speaking today, Teachta Funchion said: The cost of going to university is far too high and students from families on ordinary incomes are being priced out. This is appalling. Education should not be a luxury for the privileged few whose families can afford it.

New research published today shows that the average cost of going to college is now as high as 14,000 per year for students who are living away from home in some areas. One of the main reasons is the ongoing housing crisis which the government is failing to act on. For families on ordinary incomes the cost of college is becoming increasingly unaffordable.

I am being contacted by students here in Carlow Kilkenny who are anxious and stressed about securing accommodation in time for the new academic year. Students and their families feel abandoned by this government and left to navigate the housing crisis alone.

On Fine Gael and Fianna Fails watch, university costs have spiralled out of control. Enough is enough. I am urging the government to act now and reduce these costs urgently so that students here in Carlow Kilkenny and across Ireland get a fair chance.

"We are in danger of driving towards a situation where students who arent from wealthy backgrounds are excluded from certain third level institutions. This is compounded by the fact that SUSI rates have not increased since 2012 and University fees here are the highest in the EU.

The government can no longer turn a blind eye to this issue and must act. As a matter of urgency, the Government must make capital grants available for Higher Education Institutions to build public owned student accommodation on campuses and on public land. Local Authorities should also be provided with funding to build student specific accommodation.

Technological Universities must be enabled to borrow money to build accommodation to meet the growing demands of their student population.

Students need fit for purpose student accommodation at an affordable cost. Affordable Accommodation is a key component of third level education for most students. Investment in higher and further education must include investment in accommodation that meets the needs of low and middle-income families.

Facilitating developers to build high end expensive accommodation to attract wealthy international students will do nothing to ensure equality of access to third level education for struggling families. The real problem of affordability and supply must be tackled without any more excuses.

Every August, these issues return as the government fails each and every year to tackle the housing crisis. Students from families with low incomes are paying the price for this governments inaction on the dysfunctional housing market.

I am urging the government to act and address the housing crisis so that students can access decent housing which allows them to pursue their education. It should shame us all to think that in 2021, students are being shut out of higher education due to their families inability to pay extortionate sums of rent.

There can be no more rhetoric or vague promises from the Minister, action is needed now to deliver the real change that students and their families urgently need.
A SERIES of walk-in vaccination clinics for adults and children aged over 12 are to be held in Limerick this weekend.

Clinics for both the first and second dose of the Pfizer jab, and the second dose only of Astra Zeneca and Moderna will take place from Friday, August 27 to Sunday, August 29.

Walk-ins at the Limerick Racecourse will take place as follows:

Friday August 27, Pfizer dose 1 and 2 4pm to 7pm

Saturday, August 28, Pfizer dose 1 and 2 8.15am to 7pm

Sunday, August 29, Pfizer dose 1 and 2 9am to 4pm

Sunday, August 29, Moderna dose 2, 8.15am to 12.30pm

Sunday, August 29, AstraZeneca dose 2, 1.30pm to 4.30pm

Anyone attending for their second dose is asked to bring their vaccine record card with them.

They are also asked to note that with the Pfizer vaccine, a minimum of 21 days must have elapsed since the first dose before a second can be administered.

The second dose of Moderns must be given at least 28 days after the first.

Those who wish to attend the clinics do not require an appointment, and do not need to register in advance on the national vaccine registration portal. Please note that children under 16 years must be accompanied to the centre by a parent or guardian.

For identification purposes, anyone attending these clinics for a vaccine should bring with them their birth certificate, or a photo ID.

Those with queries may contact the local HSE approved helpline number on 087-9681240.

Outside of these walk-in clinics, parents or guardians of children aged 12 to 15 can continue to register children on the HSE website via https://vaccine.hse.ie/#register

More than 300,000 doses of the vaccine have been delivered to date by the UL Hospitals Group vaccination teams.

Last week, to close of business on Sunday August 22, a total of 12,883 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were dispensed across the vaccination centres at Limerick Racecourse, Ennis and Nenagh.

This brings to 327,425 the total vaccinations delivered under the UL Hospitals Group vaccination programme, which began on January 4.
Bishop Brendan Leahy has urged parishes across the city to explore how they can do more for migrants in response to crises such as the Afghan situation.

Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeting Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the nation.

At the weekend, Bishop Leahy asked parishes, in particular, if they could engage more with the community sponsorship programme - a collaboration between government, the UN refugee agency, non-governmental organisations and civil society.

The programme seeks that, rather than the State trying to provide integration services directly, groups such as parishes might become the face of welcome in their local community and to take on the responsibility for providing a range of integration supports to a refugee family.

Bishop Leahy said he now finds himself asking how we in Ireland can do more for those forcibly displaced from their homelands.

He said: The State provides considerable resources, but the parish would be the human face of welcome. Its a model of resettlement that was pioneered in Canada in 1979 and has seen very positive outcomes since then, transforming the lives of both refugees and volunteers. I know of parishes in Canada, England and here in Ireland that have taken this project on and have discovered the truth of the Gospel  it is in giving we receive. The message of eternal life that Jesus gives us is not just for our personal consolation but is a call to follow him also as a community.

Bishop Leahy said that we are hearing Jesus call to care for refugees and we have choices to make. It is, he said, Gods call reaching us.

Weve been watching almost in disbelief many scenes from Afghanistan. We know that hundreds of thousands have been internally displaced in the past week alone. We dont know yet what will be the extent of the exodus out of the country. But we know its a major crisis. All of this raises the question for us of how we in Ireland want to be a country that welcomes migrants. While we have our own many problems, the fact is that we are still one of the worlds wealthiest nations, he said.

Bishop Leahy pointed out that it is some years now since Pope Francis called on every European church parish to take in one refugee family in a gesture of solidarity.

He probably didnt mean literally every parish, but certainly his point was clear. Where possible, yes. Its something that as Bishop I often ask myself how we might achieve that. I appreciate there are difficulties and complexities.

I know that in personal contacts many Catholics do a lot. I know parishes have been active in reaching out to migrants. But I wonder can we do more, he concluded.
AFTER more than 18 months, the popular Irish Film Institute film nights at the Belltable are to return to Limerick.

The venue in OConnell Street will play host to a weekly screening of a new, independent film each Monday from September 6.

It will be the first time the event has taken place since March 2020 when the unfolding Covid-19 pandemic forced its suspension.

The first film is Summer of Soul (...or when the revolution could not be televised), with two screenings, one at 5pm, the other at 8pm.

It takes us back to 1969, during the same summer as Woodstock, when a different music festival took place 100 miles away. More than 300,000 people attended the summer concert series known as the Harlem Cultural Festival. It was filmed, but after that summer, the footage sat in a basement for 50 years. Until now.

Tickets can only be purchased online and are 8.

Next on the agenda, the following week is the Danish black comedy Another round.

Capacity in the Belltable will be limited to facilitate social distancing.
Owing to the prevailing security situation in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday said all Afghan nationals will have travel to India only on e-Visa.

The Centre said it has streamlined the visa process by introduction of the e-Emergency X-Misc visa.

Keeping in view some reports that certain passports of Afghan nationals have been misplaced, previously issued visas to all Afghan nationals, who are presently not in India, stand invalidated with immediate effect. Afghan nationals wishing to travel to India may apply for e-Visa at indianvisaonline.gov.in," the union government said.

78 people, including, children arrived from Afghanistan yesterday. Of total evacuees, 24 are Indians and 54 Afghan nationals that include 53 males, 14 females, and 11 children.

All the evacuees went through the COVID-19 test at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) and have been reported negative.

India has evacuated hundreds of Sikhs, Hindus, and Afghan nationals from Afghanistan in the past one week as people rush to leave the nation after the Taliban seized control last week. On August 15, the country's government fell soon after President Ashraf Ghani left the nation.

India has been allowed to operate two flights per day from Kabul to evacuate its nationals stranded in Afghanistan.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the unfolding of events there and its implications for the region and the world.

In a tweet, PM Modi said,"Had a detailed and useful exchange of views with my friend President Putin on recent developments in Afghanistan. We also discussed issues on the bilateral agenda, including India-Russia cooperation against COVID-19. We agreed to continue close consultations on important issues".

The Russian embassy said both sides noted the importance of coordinated efforts to "establish peace and stability" in Afghanistan and to ensure security in the region as a whole.

So far, 626 people including 228 Indian citizens have been evacuated from Afghanistan till now, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said. He also informed out of them, 77 were Afghan Sikhs.

The number of Indian citizens evacuated does not include those working in the Indian Embassy, Puri added.

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Papua New Guinea banned flights from India indefinitely on Tuesday and accused the South Asian country's diplomats of "deception" over apparent breaches to Covid-19 travel rules.

The Melanesian nation's top Covid-19 official said in an act of deliberate "deception" India's High Commission helped dozens of unauthorised travellers -- some Covid-positive -- to arrive in Papua New Guinea.

A repatriation charter flight from India arrived in Papua New Guinea via Indonesia early on Tuesday with 111 people on board, 30 more than the original number approved, according to officials.

The flight had been the subject of intense negotiations between officials in both countries and was rejected four times by Papua New Guinea over virus fears before an agreement was reached to allow 81 passengers to enter.

Police Commissioner David Manning said "India's High Commission in Port Moresby deliberately participated in the deception" to bring more than that number in.

"As a consequence of this deliberate show of disrespect against the people and Government of Papua New Guinea, there is now an indefinite ban on any further repatriation flights from India," he said.

Indian government officials in Port Moresby and New Delhi did not immediately comment on the allegations.

Airline operators CapaJet and Garuda Indonesia were also banned from entering Papua New Guinea airspace "until further notice," he added.

The travellers were Papua New Guinean, Indian, and Indonesian nationals, with four testing positive for Covid-19.

Papua New Guinea has introduced rigid travel restrictions to prevent the spread of the Delta variant -- which originated in India -- and protect its chronically strained public health system.

Officials and humanitarian experts have warned the country's hospitals were already struggling with endemic disease, underfunding, and an acute shortage of doctors before the pandemic hit.

Papua New Guinea has recorded around 18,000 Covid-19 cases. Hospitals have already been overwhelmed and makeshift facilities had to be created with foreign help.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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Nashik: Nashik Police has sent notice to Union Minister Narayan Rane in connection with the FIR lodged against him for his alleged 'derogatory' remarks against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray .

As per the information shared by the police, Rane has been asked to appear at the police station on September 2.

Rane was arrested in Ratnagiri district after several FIRs were registered against him at several places including Nashik and Pune, based on the complaints filed by Shiv Sena leaders for his remarks against Thackeray.

Rane had on Monday accused Thackeray of ignorance about the year of India's independence at an event and said "I would have given (him) a tight slap".

Hours after his arrest, Rane was granted bail by the Magistrate Court in Mahad in Raigad district.

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Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that all states will be provided with over 2 crore additional COVID-19 vaccine doses in August.

Taking to Twitter, the Health Minister said that the Central government has requested all the states to try to vaccinate all school teachers on priority before Teachers' Day, September 5.

"Besides the scheme of providing vaccines to every state this month, over 2 crore additional doses of vaccine are being made available. We have requested all the states to try to vaccinate all school teachers on priority before Teachers' Day, which is celebrated on 5th September," Mandaviya tweeted.

            2           



        5                      Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) August 25, 2021

According to the health ministry, more than 58.07 crore Covid vaccine doses have been provided to states and union territories so far.

Meanwhile, India's cumulative vaccination coverage crossed the 59-crore landmark on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the country reported 37,593 new cases of Covid-19 and 648 fatalities in the last 24 hours.

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A growing number of diplomats and other government personnel, mostly based abroad, have experienced a strange and often debilitating set of symptoms, prompting a series of government and scientific investigations into what some officials have called anomalous health incidents and others refer to as attacks. The syndrome was first reported in diplomats stationed in Cuba in 2016, but the phenomenon appears increasingly global. Cases were reported in Asia in 2018 and in central Europe in the last few months. Heres a primer on what is and isnt known.

What is Havana Syndrome and what are the symptoms?

Havana Syndrome is a series of unexplained medical symptoms first experienced by U.S. State Department personnel stationed in Cuba beginning in late 2016. At the time, those diplomats had been dispatched to Cuba as part of the rapprochement between the two countries begun under President Barack Obama, after decades of severed diplomatic relations between them. The emergence of the ailments on Cuban soil strained those developing ties.

Since the initial cases, diplomats and intelligence officers stationed around the world have experienced similar symptoms. Those affected report a range of conditions including dizziness, headache, fatigue, nausea, anxiety, cognitive difficulties and memory loss of varying severity. In some cases, diplomats and intelligence officers have left active service due to complications from the condition.

Where have Americans gotten Havana Syndrome?

The first cases emerged in U.S. and Canadian personnel stationed in Cuba in late 2016. The State Department also reported potential cases in China in 2018, evacuating State Department employees and their families from the city of Guangzhou after cases were reported there. Diplomats and intelligence personnel in Russia, Poland, Georgia and Taiwan have also reportedly been affected. A number of U.S. officials stationed in Washington may have been affected, including one who was reportedly struck while near the White House.

On Aug. 24 Vice President Kamala Harris temporarily delayed a flight from Singapore to Vietnam after the State Department informed her office about a possible anomalous health incident" in Hanoi, using a term U.S. officials have applied to instances of the Havana Syndrome. After an assessment, the decision was made to continue the trip, the State Department said.

The State Department and the Austrian government have said they are investigating possible cases in Vienna that have emerged in the past few months, and the Central Intelligence Agency tapped a veteran of the hunt for Osama bin Laden to head its own task force looking into the matter. In August, at least two U.S. officials stationed in Germany reported symptoms.

There are probably a couple of hundred incidents across the U.S. government and across the globe," CIA Director William Burns said in an interview with National Public Radio published on July 22. Of those couple of hundred, theres probably about 100 in which my colleagues, my officers and family members have been affected."

What are the leading theories as to what causes the syndrome?

Initially, investigators believed the syndrome was the result of an attack by a sonic or acoustic weapon. However, a comprehensive analysis by a U.S. scientific panel in December theorized that exposure to a type of directed energy was the most likely culprit. The paneltasked by the State Department and organized by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicineidentified directed, pulsed radio frequency (RF) energy" as the most likely cause of the symptoms. A different medical assessment in 2018 similarly concluded that exposure to microwaves, a type of radio frequency energy, were the most likely culprit for the syndrome. An examination by the University of Pennsylvania of the brains of 40 people affected by the syndrome found some evidence of brain damage.

Directed energy has been tested by numerous countries as a weapon, but has other potential applications as well. The New Yorker reported in May that a working theory by investigators is that a foreign intelligence agencypossibly Russias GRU military intelligence servicewas aiming microwave devices at U.S. officials with the aim of collecting data from their computers and cellphones.

What has been the U.S. government reaction?

Former President Donald Trump publicly blamed Cuba for the initial wave of incidents, an accusation Havana denied. The emergence of subsequent cases around the world has renewed attention within the U.S. government to the issue. Both the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency have set up internal task forces to investigate.

The bipartisan leadership of the Senate Intelligence Committee has also said it plans to investigate the matter and dedicate resources to protecting the victims. In Congress, a bill called Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks (HAVANA) Act passed the Senate unanimously last month. The bill would authorize additional medical and financial support for intelligence officers and diplomats affected by the bill. It has been introduced in the House as well.

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An illustration of the semiaquatic "god of death" whale that lived more than 43 million years ago. (Image credit: Illustration by Robert W. Boessenecker)

A semiaquatic whale that lived 43 million years ago was so fearsome, paleontologists have named it after Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of death.

The newly discovered 10-foot-long (3 meters) species, dubbed Phiomicetus anubis, was a beast; When it was alive more than 43 million years ago, it both walked on land and swam in the water and had powerful jaw muscles that would have allowed it to easily chomp down on prey, such as crocodiles and small mammals, including the calves of other whale species.

What's more, the whale's skull bears a resemblance to the skull of the jackal-headed Anubis, giving it another link to the death deity, the researchers observed. "It was a successful, active predator," study lead author Abdullah Gohar, a graduate student of vertebrate paleontology at Mansoura University in Egypt, told Live Science. "I think it was the god of death for most animals that lived alongside it."

Related: Photos: Orcas are chowing down on great-white-shark organs

Although today's whales live in the water, their ancestors started out on land and gradually evolved into sea creatures. The earliest known whale , the wolf-size Pakicetus attocki, lived about 50 million years ago in what is now Pakistan. The new discovery of P. anubis sheds more light on whale evolution , said Jonathan Geisler, an associate professor of anatomy at the New York Institute of Technology who was not involved with the study.

"This fossil really starts to give us a sense of when whales moved out of the Indo-Pakistan ocean region and started dispersing across the world," Geisler told Live Science.

Paleontologists discovered the fossil remains of P. anubis in 2008, during an expedition in Egypt's Fayum Depression  an area famous for sea life fossils, including those of sea cows and whales, dating to the Eocene epoch (56 million to 33.9 million years ago). The expedition was led by study co-researcher Mohamed Sameh Antar, a vertebrate paleontologist with the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, making this the first time that an Arab team has discovered, scientifically described and named a new species of fossil whale, Gohar said.

A map detailing the Fayum Depression in Egypt, where paleontologists found the fossil whale. (Image credit: Gohar A.S. et al (2021))

By analyzing the whale's partial remains  pieces of its skull, jaws, teeth, vertebrae and ribs  the team discovered that the 1,300-pound (600 kilogram) P. anubis is the earliest (or most "primitive") whale in Africa from a group of semiaquatic whales known as the protocetids.

P. anubis's remains revealed that the protocetid whales had evolved a few new anatomical features and feeding strategies. For instance, P. anubis had long third incisors next to its canines, "which suggests that incisors and canines were used to catch, debilitate and retain faster and more elusive prey items (e.g. fish) before they were moved to the cheek teeth to be chewed into smaller pieces and swallowed," the researchers wrote in the study.

Moreover, big muscles on its head would have given it a powerful bite force, allowing it to capture large prey through snapping and biting. "We discovered how [its] fierce, deadly and powerful jaws were capable of tearing a wide range of prey," Gohar said.

Egyptian paleontologists sit around the fossils of the new whale, Phiomicetus anubis, at Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology center. From left: Mohamed Sameh Antar, Abdullah Gohar and Hesham Sallam. (Image credit: Abdullah Gohar)

P. anubis wasn't the only fossil whale from the middle Eocene of Egypt. Its fossils came from the same area as a previously discovered Rayanistes afer, an early aquatic whale. This finding suggests that the two early whales lived in the same time and place, but likely occupied different niches. It's even possible that P. anubis hunted R. afer calves, making its "Anubis" name all the more appropriate, Gohar said.

Granted, to some animals, P. anubis was prey. The ribs of the newly described whale have bite marks that "suggest it was once bitten severely by sharks," Gohar said. However the marks indicate that the sharks were small, and likely not large enough to kill the whale; rather, these sharks were likely scavenging its carcass.

Gohar and colleagues analyzed the fossils in the lab of Hesham Sallam, founder of the Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center and the study's senior author. The study was published online Wednesday (Aug. 25) in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences .

Originally published on Live Science.
The glacial slopes of Mount Rainier might seem lifeless at first glance. That is, until the ice worms emerge.

As if on cue, billions of black, threadlike worms wriggle their way to the surface of the snow every summer, when the sun directly strikes the glaciers. And scientists still don't know why.

If they want the answer to that question or any other related to this mysterious creature, scientists have to act fast. Black ice worms (Mesenchytraeus solifugus) are the only worm species known to science that spend their entire lives in ice. As glaciers in the region shrink due to global warming , these worms risk becoming extinct alongside them.

Related: Study of nearly every glacier on Earth shows ice loss is speeding up

To beat the ticking clock, Scott Hotaling, a biologist at Washington State University, makes sure that as soon as ice worms appear on the mountain's Paradise Glacier, so does he. Hotaling is one of the few people who actively studies this species.

"I saw my first ice worms when I was working [a summer job] in Olympic National Park," in Washington State, Hotaling told Live Science. He had been a student of ecology at the time, but the ice worms made him realize that he could carve a unique niche for himself as a scientist. "It was cool because I would ask these questions  like, 'Where do they live?' and 'How do they reproduce?'  and I realized that actual scientists were still asking those same questions," said Hotaling.

The worms were first described in 1898, but few people studied them in the intervening century. As a result, not much is known about them despite the fact that they seem to be the most abundant species living inside glaciers.

For instance, we don't know why they emerge in the summer, or why they spend most of their lives buried deep in ice. Further, what they do underneath the ice for so long is a complete mystery.

However, what little we do know about them suggests these worms are amazing.

For example, they live for months in ice, but they cannot tolerate freezing. "It's wild, but they basically survive at the very edge of their tolerance," said Hotaling. These are worms that spend most of the year buried under ice, only to emerge briefly in the summer. Paradoxically, being exposed to wind on the surface puts them most at risk of freezing solid. They keep warm enough to survive by being buried in ice. "Think of it like living in an igloo," he said. "It's negative 40 degrees [Celsius, or minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit] outside, but it's probably zero degrees Celsius [32 F] on the inside."

Ice worms live in the ice for months. (Image credit: Scott Hotaling)

Hotaling thinks the worms' summer behavior resembles that of their distant cousins, earthworms. They crawl through the ice, eating the bacteria and algae in front of them and excreting waste behind. But what they do all winter is "the ultimate ice worm mystery," he said. He would love to know the answer, but these elusive worms are buried beneath dozens of feet of snow for much of their lives, making them hard to study.

Despite being widespread throughout Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, these worms are limited to very specific glacial habitats where they can exist on the fringes between alpine forests and frozen mountain peaks. But it likely wasn't always that way. "Our limited genetic evidence suggests that ice worms probably covered the landscape during the last glacial period," Hotaling said. When the glaciers retreated at the end of the Pleistocene, around 20,000 years ago, the worms were left on isolated peaks, where they have thrived ever since.

They are not alone up there, either. Hotaling noted that ice worms are likely an important food source for bird species that brave the cold. Among these are gray-crowned rosy finches, the highest-elevation nesting bird species in North America. Gray-crowned rosy finches build nests directly on the ice and forage in the snow for the hidden bounty of ice worms, suggesting the worms are a crucial food supply for the finches.

Even though not much is known about ice worms, it's clear that they are a key part of an imperiled ecosystem. As glaciers recede, they risk taking the worms and everything that relies on those worms with them, and Hotaling is acutely aware that his research is time-sensitive. "These are some of the most rapidly changing habitats on Earth , yet we know so little about them," said Hotaling.

Originally published on Live Science.
The skull and jaw of the ancient Toalean woman, whose remains were found in a cave in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. (Image credit: Hasanuddin University)

A woman buried 7,200 years ago in what is now Indonesia belonged to a previously unknown human lineage that doesn't exist anymore, a new genetic analysis reveals.

The ancient woman's genome also revealed that she is a distant relative of present-day Aboriginal Australians and Melanesians, or the Indigenous people on the islands of New Guinea and the western Pacific whose ancestors were the first humans to reach Oceania, the researchers found.

Like the Aboriginal Australians and New Guineans, the woman had a significant proportion of DNA from an archaic human species known as the Denisovans, the researchers found. That's in sharp contrast with other ancient hunter-gatherers from Southeast Asia, such as in Laos and Malaysia, who do not have much Denisovan ancestry, said study co-leader Cosimo Posth, a professor at the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tubingen in Germany.

These genetic discoveries suggest that Indonesia and the surrounding islands, an area known as Wallacea, was "indeed the meeting point for the major admixture [mating] event between Denisovans and modern humans on their initial journey to Oceania," Posth told Live Science in an email.

Related: Denisovan gallery: Tracing the genetics of human ancestors

Researchers have long been interested in Wallacea. It's estimated that ancient humans traveled through Wallacea at least 50,000 years ago (possibly even before 65,000 years ago ) before they reached Australia and its surrounding islands.

This map shows Wallacea, which includes parts of Southeast Asia, with an insert image of the province of South Sulawesi. (Image credit: Kim Newman)

Researchers found the mysterious woman's burial in Leang Panninge cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi in 2015. "This was an exciting discovery, as it was the first time a relatively complete set of human skeletal remains had been found in association with artifacts of the 'Toalean' culture, enigmatic hunter-gatherers who inhabited the southwestern peninsula of Sulawesi between around 8,000 to 1,500 years ago," study co-lead researcher Adam Brumm, a professor of archaeology at Griffith University in Australia, told Live Science in an email.

Image 1 of 10 The entrance to Leang Panninge cave in South Sulawesi. (Image credit: Leang Panninge research team) Image 2 of 10 The fragmented remains of the Toalean woman's head (Image credit: Hasanuddin University) Image 3 of 10 The ancient Toalean woman's pelvis (Image credit: Hasanuddin University) Image 4 of 10 The ancient woman had been placed in a flexed position for her burial. (Image credit: Hasanuddin University) Image 5 of 10 Excavations at Leang Panninge cave in South Sulawesi, Indonesia (Image credit: Leang Panninge research team) Image 6 of 10 Researchers excavate the 7,200-year-old burial at Leang Panninge cave. (Image credit: Leang Panninge research team) Image 7 of 10 Toalean stone arrowheads (Image credit: Basran Burhan) Image 8 of 10 Toalean stone arrowheads with pressure-flaked serrations (Image credit: Yinika L Perston) Image 9 of 10 A stone arrowhead from the ancient Toalean culture (Image credit: Shahna Britton and Andrew Thomson) Image 10 of 10 A digital 3D model of the ancient Toalean woman's burial discovered in Sulawesi. (Image credit: David P. McGahan)

To learn more about this woman  who died at about age 18, an anatomical analysis revealed  the researchers studied her ancient DNA, which was still preserved in her inner ear bone. "This is a major technological achievement, as we all know ancient DNA does not preserve well in tropical regions," said Serena Tucci, an assistant professor of anthropology at Yale University and principal investigator of the Human Evolutionary Genomics lab there, who was not involved in the new study. "Only a few years ago we didn't even imagine this could be feasible."

The analysis marked the first time researchers have studied an ancient human genome in Wallacea, the researchers added.

The woman's genome showed that she was equally related to present-day Aboriginal Australians and Papuans, Posth said. "However, her particular lineage split off from these populations at an early point of time," Brumm noted.

Moreover, this woman's lineage doesn't appear to exist today, making it a "previously unknown divergent human lineage," the researchers wrote in the study. In other words, this ancient Toalean woman has a genome "that is unlike that of any modern people or groups that are known from the ancient past," Brumm said.

As such, the researchers found no evidence that the modern people of Sulawesi descend from the Toalean hunter-gatherers, at least based on the genome of this woman.

Perhaps this Toalean woman carried a local ancestry from ancient people who lived on Sulawesi before Australia and its surrounding islands were populated, the researchers said.

In all, the study is "very exciting and fascinating," Tucci told Live Science in an email.

"We are learning that there was a previously unknown population that migrated throughout this region, probably at about the same time as the ancestors of present day populations in Papua or Australia," she said. Even though this woman's lineage disappeared, "all these populations did coexist until relatively recently, which opens up to lots of questions about population interactions from a genetic but also from a cultural perspective," Tucci said.

The study was published online Wednesday (Aug. 25) in the journal Nature .

Originally published on Live Science.
Scientists have developed a new method to identify and trace the origins of hundreds of uranium cubes that went missing from the Nazi atomic weapons program.

More than 600 "Heisenberg cubes"  vital components of the Nazis' plans to build both a nuclear reactor and an atomic bomb and named after Werner Heisenberg, one of the German physicists who created them  were seized from a secret underground laboratory at the end of World War II and brought to the United States. Over 1,200 uranium cubes were believed to be created across Nazi Germany. But today, researchers only know the locations of roughly a dozen.

The new technique, tested on a cube that mysteriously found its way to the researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Washington state, was presented Tuesday (Aug. 24) at a meeting of the American Chemical Society and could help track down illegally trafficked nuclear material.

Related: The 22 weirdest military weapons

Alongside their own cube, the researchers have access to a few others held by research collaborators. They hope their new technique will be able to not only confirm the cubes' provenance in Nazi Germany, but also tie them to the specific labs where they were first created.

"We don't know for a fact that the cubes are from the German program, so first we want to establish that," Jon Schwantes, a senior scientist at the PNNL, said in a statement . "Then, we want to compare the different cubes to see if we can classify them according to the particular research group that created them."

Brittany Robertson holding the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's cube, which is enclosed in a protective case. (Image credit: Andrea Starr/PNLL)

When Adolf Hitler first came to power, German nuclear experiments were at the cutting edge of research. In 1938, German radiochemists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strasserman were the first to split the atom to release enormous amounts of energy. During World War II, German scientists competed to find a way to transform cubes of uranium into plutonium  a key ingredient in early nuclear bombs  using prototype reactors.

German scientists hung the cubes, just 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide on each side, on cables and submerged them in "heavy" water, in which hydrogen is replaced by a heavier isotope called deuterium. The German scientists hoped their reactors would trigger a self-sustaining chain reaction, but their designs failed.

Two prominent physicists led these experiments: Kurt Diebner, who ran experiments at Gottow, and Werner Heisenberg, who conducted them first in Berlin and later in a secret lab below a medieval church in Haigerloch to better hide from Allied troops. Heisenberg, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who was once called a "white Jew" by a rival physicist, Johannes Stark, for his open admiration of Albert Einstein's work on relativity and quantum mechanics, nonetheless worked to build an atomic bomb for Nazi Germany.

After discovering Heisenberg's lab in 1945, U.S. and British forces retrieved 664 of the cubes that were buried in a nearby field and shipped them to the U.S. Some may have been used in the American nuclear weapons effort, while others found their way into the hands of collectors.

British and American investigators examining the nuclear reactor in Heisenberg's secret lab, before dismantling it. (Image credit: Brookhaven National laboratory/Emilio Segre Visual Archives/Goudsmit Collection)

The chaotic collapse of the Nazi nuclear program likely means that many of the cubes could still be out there. Hundreds of the cubes from Diebner's laboratory disappeared. Reports abound of physicists who acquired cubes handing them out as souvenirs, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. even has a cube that was discovered in a drawer in New Jersey. Another cube, retrieved from a German creek, was said to have been tossed in by Heisenberg himself during his desperate flight from advancing Allied forces.

The PNNL researchers suspect they have a Heisenberg cube, but they aren't sure. To test the cube's origins, the team is relying on radiochronometry, a technique geologists use to date samples of ancient rocks and minerals based on the presence of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes. The technique could reveal the age of the cube and, potentially, where the original uranium was mined. This technique might not just be useful in finding the origins of the Heisenberg cubes, but in tracing the provenance of other smuggled nuclear materials.

Because different Nazi laboratories applied different chemical outer coatings to their cubes to limit oxidation, a second technique the team is developing could also trace the cubes to the scientists who created them. The researchers have already discovered that their cube, believed to be from Heisenberg's lab, actually has the styrene-based coating from Diebner's lab. This finding means the cube could be one of those that Diebner reportedly sent to Heisenberg, who was trying to gather more fuel for his new reactor, Schwantes said.

Despite being essential applications in developing tracing techniques for nuclear material today, the cubes are an unsettling reminder of how close we came to an altogether different history.

"I'm glad the Nazi program wasn't as advanced as they wanted it to be by the end of the war," said Brittany Robertson, a doctoral student at PNNL. "Because otherwise, the world would be a very different place."

Originally published on Live Science.
The baby  now man  who appears on the cover of Nirvanas Nevermind has filed a lawsuit against the band and others involved in the photograph, claiming the image constitutes child pornography.

Spencer Elden, now 30, claimed in a suit that the defendants involved knowingly produced, possessed, and advertised commercial child pornography, that they failed to take reasonable steps to protect Spencer and prevent his widespread sexual exploitation, that theyve continued to benefit from their participation in Spencers commercial sexual exploitation, and that Spencer has suffered and will continue to suffer lifelong damages.

The defendants in the case include the two surviving members of Nirvana, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, the three people who oversee Kurt Cobains estate (Courtney Love, Guy Oseary, and Heather Parry), photographer Kirk Weddle, art director Robert Fisher, and various record companies and distributors. Nirvanas former drummer Chad Channing is also listed as a defendant, even though he was not involved in Nevermind. Elden is seeking $150,000 damages from each defendant, plus other legal costs.

The defendants and their representatives did not immediately return Rolling Stones request for comment. Courtney Love did seem to nod to the lawsuit in an Instagram post, writing in a caption, I dont even hate the legal profession in LA county Ive got nothing much on my mind. Except weird lawsuits and the sad passing of Charlie Watts. (As an added flourish, Love separated weird and lawsuits with a facepalm, sparkle and pizza emoji.)

Elden was four months old at the time he appeared on the Nevermind cover, with the photograph taken at a pool in Pasadena, California. While non-sexualized photos of infants are typically not considered child pornography under law, the suit argues that the images of Elden are sexualized.

For instance, the suit claims that Weddle, the photographer, tried to ensure the cover would trigger a visceral sexual response from the viewer by activating Spencers gag reflex before throwing him underwater in poses highlighting and emphasizing Spencers exposed genitals. It also claims that pairing the nude portrait with a dollar bill on a fish hook makes it look as if Spencer is being depicted like a sex worker.

The suit also compares the Nevermind cover to other controversial album covers depicting a child or outright child pornography like Scorpions Virgin Killer, Blind Faiths self-titled, and Van Halens Balance. It claims, Like other controversial album covers, the Defendants sought to garner attention with an explicit image which intentionally focused on Spencers carefully positioned enlarged genitals.

After noting the global success of Nevermind, the suit mentions that Spencer never received any compensation for the photo and that neither he, nor his guardians, ever signed a release authorizing the use of any images of Spencer or of his likeness, and certainly not of commercial child pornography depicting him. (Eldens father, Rick, who was friends with Weddle, told NPR in 2008 that the parents were paid $200 for the shoot.)

While Elden has repeatedly re-created the Nevermind cover as an adolescent and adult (though not nude), the suit ends by saying, Spencer has been and will continue to suffer personal injury by the distribution and possession of child pornography depicting him. It goes on to state that Elden has suffered extreme and permanent emotional distress with physical manifestations, interference with his normal development and educational progress, lifelong loss of income earning capacity, loss of past and future wages, past and future expenses for medical and psychological treatment, loss of enjoyment of life and other losses to be determined at trial.
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The BBCs chief content officer, Charlotte Moore, tackled a number of subjects at the Edinburgh TV Festival including the potential privatization of Channel 4, doing more for freelancers to report harassment and bullying, and improving diversity.

I think its in the interests of every British creative to want public service broadcasting [PSB] to continue and for there to be really great competition in that market as well, Moore said regarding the potential privatization of Channel 4.

I absolutely want to make sure that we have a really strong PSB ecology in this country because I think its critical [] and the BBC cant do it all, she added. Its really important that there is a kind of collaborative process across the industry. Its good for audiences.

Speaking shortly after the BBC signed up to a new charter to improve working conditions for freelancers, Moore also re-stated her commitment to ensuring an environment at the BBC where workers are not afraid to speak out about bullying and harassment.

Freelancers are the lifeblood of our organization, arent they, the lifeblood of all of our industry, said Moore. So we would be oh such fools if we didnt make sure theyre being treated exactly the same as any other member of staff.

I mean if you think how much the #MeToo movement has brought out, and yet every year theres still more to come, she continued. I think weve made vast improvements and I like to feel that people feel they really can come to us and they really can come to commissioning and they can call out anybody, any of the people that I work with, but I can still see that people are still fearful.

Moore also echoed His Dark Materials and Enola Holmes writer Jack Thornes MacTaggart Lecture, in which he said disabled people had been utterly failed by the industry. I think it makes all of us say, We know were changing but my God weve got to change faster,' she said of Thornes speech.

In terms of the BBCs strategy, Moore explained, Were not commissioning purely for channels anymore. We are commissioning a portfolio strategy, in order to ensure license-fee payers  including those moving to iPlayer over linear  are catered to, especially as the broadcaster approaches its centenary next year.

Ultimately, however, she was cheerful about the Beebs future. All streamers, or SVODs, would die to have the channel impact that we have and build to reach those audiences on a daily basis, she said.

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Using a manhole cover to disable a tank works well if you can get it into the treads, but Molotov cocktails are more effective against trucks  such are just a couple of the discoveries unearthed by Czech filmmaker Jan Sikl in his docu Reconstruction of Occupation, a granular look at the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia based on never-before-seen footage. The documentary premiered at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival on Saturday.

The Soviet-led crackdown, ordered in response to the reforms of hardline communism ushered in by Alexander Dubcek during the Prague Spring of that year, marked a historic turning point that brought citizens of Czechoslovakia who had hoped for a lessening of brutal repression back into line for another 20 years. Its been thoroughly studied and was remarkably well documented by filmmakers at the time, many having escaped to the West with film reels hidden in wheel wells of cars, much as things transpired in movies such as The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

But what Sikl found over three years of gathering forgotten material  from both official footage locked up in vaults and amateur 8mm stock  illustrates scores of small, heroic moments as ordinary people stood up to tanks and troops while others made careful calculations about the risk of confronting the invading armies.

I didnt want to make a moral judgment, Sikl says, explaining that it was important to him to interview both those who collaborated and those who resisted.

While he admits none of the footage caused him to reconsider the fundamental facts and events of Aug. 20-21, 1968, he says the material he found has other qualities that bring to life the appalling realities of witnessing a peaceful European capital overrun without warning by presumptive allies.

The official Moscow line, that the invasion was an emergency response to some manner of urgent threat from Western imperialists, convinced no one at the time but the hand drawn signs waved in Prague and other nearby cities expressed the clear sense of betrayal: Dear to us yesterday  murderers today, reads one.

While the Soviets certainly signaled that leadership was not happy with Czechoslovak First Secretary of the Communist Party Dubceks Socialism with a Human Face policies  including new press and political freedoms  army and air bases in Bohemia were caught completely off-guard by the massing of troops from the East bloc on local roads. Footage in Sikls docu shows MiG fighters waiting on the ground as fretful officers stand on high alert, awaiting instructions.

There was terrible confusion among the Czechoslovak military, Sikl says  and it wasnt limited to the victims of the occupation. Another discovery was perplexing footage of a Soviet tank hopelessly entangled in the wreckage of a small bridge, half immersed in stream water.

The scene does not depict a forgotten battle  rather, the tank crew apparently misunderstood the Czech warning sign on the bridge reading 5T, signifying the five-ton weight limit. They must have thought it meant five tanks, Sikls ironic voiceover intones in the film.

Images of young people in Prague gathered around tanks  often those operated by conscripts from the East who only vaguely understood where they were or what their mission was  is a common sight in historic accounts of the events of that summer. But few up to now have seen the more perplexing images of surprised army officers in Hradec Kralove trying to work out how to minimize bloodshed while retaining a shred of their dignity.

Sikls compilation, accompanied by eye-witness oral accounts and an eerie soundtrack composed by Sikls son Jan Sikl Jr., also shows an inspiring account of protesters in Pilsen fighting to keep the radio station there from being shut down as Czech Radio was in Prague. In another segment, a woman who witnessed a young man shot down for waving a Czechoslovak flag describes picking it up and carrying on marching down the street, hoisting the now blood-stained tricolor standard.

Indeed it was the eyewitnesses and those who recognized themselves or their family members from the footage Sikl believes are the greatest treasure trove, he says. The biggest bulk of footage, 35 boxes of high-quality 35mm film, were found in the garage of a man who says it was left there by a mysterious friend. Beyond that, its origins are never clearly established.

That main find was definitely shot by professionals, likely military or security camera crews, Sikl says, though none has until now been released to the public. After making the discovery, Sikl appeared on Czech TV, appealing to viewers to help identify people and events in the footage.

Over 1,000 responded, many handing over new amateur footage from their own attics and storerooms.

The authenticity of the 35mm reels  and the reason so much of it was locked away for over five decades  is clear the moment its threaded into a projector. Some reels show the aftermath of the Warsaw Pact invasion as Czechoslovak security forces are trained in suppressing protests with water canons and weapons  techniques they learned well enough to deploy decades later against protesters during the 1989 Velvet Revolution.

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Bachelor in Paradise, a Bachelor franchise offshoot that gives contestants a second chance at love, is back this summer. Along with casual hangouts and one-on-ones between really gorgeous people, one contestant is sharing some of the racist rhetoric that followed her stint on The Bachelor earlier this year.

Jessenia Cruz, a 28-year-old who lives in San Antonio, competed for Bachelor lead Matt James' heart in January. She was sent home during a one-on-one date as James felt they didn't have a romantic spark. During the season, Cruz became a fan favorite for her honesty and for standing up for herself. She received lots of love from Bachelor Nation fans, but also hate.

While on a one-on-one date with Bachelor in Paradise fan-favorite Ivan Hall, Cruz shared in the Monday, August 23 airing how the racism she experienced after the show overshadowed the journey. Last season was especially chaotic after former Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, was seen in photos attending an antebellum-themed college party in 2018. The fallout of the photos included Chris Harrison stepping down as host after nearly 20 years, and two former Bachelor contestants filling in as hosts during this season's Bachelorette.

"It was difficult, I guess, to see myself through that lens," she says to Hall. "I'm aware I've always been a person of color, but to then go home and have to face all of these really scary, really nasty messages online where people were just outright racist towards you."

"And, granted, there was some support that I did get, like, being Latina and being portrayed on screen, a lot of women reached out to me about that," Cruz continued. "But I had never experienced that type of racism until after the show. And it hurt. It really hurt."

Cruz brought up the racism she received to communicate how skeptical she had been to go on another Bachelor show. She describes it as, "if I'm going to go share my heart to someone, just to be torn apart, why would I want to do that again?"

However, Cruz told Hall she's glad she decided to put herself out there again, adding she feels safe on Bachelor in Paradise island with Hall, who's from the Tayshia Adams season of The Bachelorette. He was born in Chicago, but grew up in Plano (it's the Texas tie for me).

Fans appreciated watching the two share an intimate and serious conversation about racism, as many can't help to ship and stan.

Scroll below to see cute tweets of fans loving Cruz and Hall, and some sticking up for Cruz:
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)  For some Asian Americans, the dim sum cookie at Sunday Bakeshop here will taste like childhood.

It looks like a typical sugar cookie except with sesame seeds on top. But bite into the creamy, red bean center and it's reminiscent of the fried, filled sesame balls served at a Chinese dim sum restaurant.

The concoction is pastry chef Elaine Laus nod to her grandmother, who would often make them. The baked goods that Lau's team churns out  like hojicha chocolate croissants and Chinese White Rabbit candy cookies  aren't going to be found in any bakery in Asia. There's an intrinsic American sensibility at the nearly 3-month-old shop.

"Talking to some of the Asian Americans and other people that have tried some of our pastries, we get a lot of comments where theyre just like... Oh this took me back several years, when they were growing up, said Lau, 35, who was born in Oakland.

For us, its kind of nice we can evoke some positive memories and feelings with our pastries.

From ube cakes to mochi muffins, bakeries that sweetly encapsulate growing up Asian and American have been popping up more in recent years. Their confections are a delectable vehicle for young and intrepid Asian Americans to celebrate their dual identity.

Ingredients they found embarrassing as children are being blended with European or traditional American pastries into something new. Some of the bakers welcome the chance to dispel culinary and societal misconceptions, especially given months of anti-Asian hate.

The experience of being an immigrant kid in between two very different cultures is what inspired the name and concept behind Third Culture Bakery, a few miles away from Sunday Bakeshop, in Berkeley. Open since 2018, it's the brainchild of husbands Wenter Shyu, 31, and Sam Butarbutar, 32. Nine months into their courtship, they decided to open a bakery together and expand Butarbutar's mochi muffin business beyond wholesale and pop-ups. The mochi muffin, still a signature item, is influenced by Butarbutar's Indonesian roots and made with California-grown mochiko rice flour.

The operation has blossomed, with two locations in Colorado and a second San Francisco Bay Area store planned. Their menu includes mochi brownies and butter mochi doughnuts with glazes like matcha, ube and black sesame.

Shyu said many non-Asian patrons have never been exposed to some of the ingredients.

Its a lot of educating. Even when you educate and share where it comes from, people are judging it. Its a very mixed bag. Its also very rewarding because then you get to see their reaction trying this new thing theyve never had in their life, he said.

Shyu recalls some awkward situations, such as one in May when Third Culture was featured on a Denver TV station as part of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The finished segment included Oriental music that Shyu, who was born in Taiwan, described as cringe-y and uncomfortable."

I told the news station, if you guys did a piece on Black History Month and added tribal African music, there would be an outrage, Shyu said. Somehow for Asian Americans, thats OK. Thats the exact thing were trying to fight against."

For these bakeries, integrating Asian flavor profiles isnt a gimmick. Its what feels natural and authentic, said Deuki Hong, 31, whose Sunday Family Hospitality Group launched Sunday Bakeshop, and who loves Lau's outside-the-pastry-box thinking.

When I was running a Korean barbecue, we were known also for corn cheese, a little melty side dish... She took that and was like, Im gonna make a pastry out of it, said Hong, co-author of Koreatown: A Cookbook. Wow, this came from our conversation that was very personal to me and it also tastes really delicious.

Rose Nguyen, a 34-year-old former nurse, switched careers and opened Rose Ave Bakery inside The Block Foodhall in Washington, D.C., in March 2020, just before a pandemic shutdown. Nguyen was peddling Instagrammable morsels like strawberry lychee rose donuts, ube cake and matcha chocolate cookies. She won over enough foodies to keep going with online orders until fully reopening this June.

Born in Rhode Island to Vietnamese immigrants, Nguyen said it sometimes hurt when, growing up, her white friends thought her food from home was weird or gross. So, it's gratifying now to showcase Asian flavors unapologetically.

It was never about trends or satisfying other people, Nguyen said. Its just me, basically. The business goes hand in hand with who I am.

As fixtures in their neighborhoods, these bakery owners all felt compelled to do something when racist attacks against Asians tied to the COVID-19 pandemic started. Third Culture Bakery raised donations at its locations to pay for and distribute 21,000 safety kits for Asian seniors. Sunday Bakeshop and Rose Ave Bakery have donated pastries and profits to anti-Asian hate organizations.

The bakers felt a disconnect between that hatred and the joyful connection that their food can make across cultures.

Its so unfortunate that its happening, and still happening, because people say they love Asian food and Asian American food," Nguyen said. "Yet, they dont even realize you love the food and dont love the people."

Older, traditional Asian bakeries started out as a means of replicating something immigrants missed back in their home country. The new bakeries' bolder assertion of identity is a natural evolution, said Robert Ji-Song Ku, an Asian American studies professor at Binghamton University and author of Dubious Gastronomy: The Cultural Politics of Eating Asian in the USA."

Chefs like Roy Choi and David Chang came to fame in the early 2000s embracing their Korean heritage. But the baking world is still "a real frontier, Ku said.

It goes against stereotypes of Asians as math geeks. Its sort of the artistic side of Asian American identity thats often ignored, Ku said. Theyre instead really trying to fuse things together  create this mixture.

These first- and second-generation Asian American bakery owners seem passionate about bringing visibility to the Asian American community, which often feels invisible, Ku added.

They're showing that an ube snickerdoodle or a black sesame muffin is as American as any apple pie.

There's nothing wrong with apple pie, Hong said. "But theres a lot more interesting things being done... there's a lot of Asian creators and entrepreneurs, and gradually they'll be more vocal.

___ Terry Tang is a member of The Associated Press Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ttangAP
U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered a group of migrants covered in clay and rescued several others found in railcars, authorities said.

During the mid-morning of Wednesday, agents conducting train inspections near Hebbronville apprehended 15 migrants. Agents noticed that the migrants were covered in powdered clay and assisted with the decontamination of the individuals.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  A woman who was acquitted by reason of insanity of slashing a Hartford police officer with a knife in 2018 was committed Wednesday to a maximum-security psychiatric hospital for 38 years.

Chevoughn Augustin had faced attempted murder and assault charges for the attack on Officer Jill Kidik, who was stabbed in the neck and suffered lacerations to her jugular vein and trachea while responding to a landlord-tenant disturbance at an apartment building. Police officials said she nearly died and they credited maintenance workers with saving her life.
Beth D. Ramage, formerly of Lockport, NY, passed away August 21, 2021 in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Beth was born May 17, 1931, daughter of Howard H. Dobbins and Almeda T. Dobbins. Beth was a graduate of Lockport High School and Queens College in Charlotte, NC. Predeceased by her husband of 6
Teachers and students at Mean Scoil Mhuire have welcomed the approval by the Department of Education of five new classrooms for the school as student numbers breach the 600 mark this September.

School Principal, Aoife Mulrennan said that, while the approval of the new classrooms is good news, student numbers are continuing to increase and a more permanent solution is needed in the form of a new school building.

The Board of Management welcomes the news of approval for the new classrooms for Mean Scoil Mhuire, Ms Mulrennan told the Longford Leader this week.

The student population is growing at a steady rate and will continue to do so for years to come. The new classrooms are a short-term solution for us.

We look forward to engagement with the Department for a new school building for Mean Scoil Mhuire as a permanent solution for our increasing numbers, she added.

Local Fianna Fail TD Joe Flaherty (pictured) last week welcomed the news that five extra classrooms would be provided at the Longford town school, confirming that the additional classrooms will be located in the former Turners building.

He also confirmed that moves are underway to secure a new site for the school, which is now at full capacity.

After 18 months of discussions with the Department, it is great to confirm that they have now completed a preliminary assessment of a site for a proposed new building on a greenfield site, he said.

The Longford TD added that this is a major breakthrough for the iconic Longford town school, confirming that plans for the site will progress over the coming months.

Meanwhile, another of Longford towns secondary schools, St Mels College, received 6.3 million from the Department of Education earlier this summer, which will go towards the refurbishment of the iconic 1865 building.

The planned refurbishment project will include a two special classroom Autism Unit, two general classroms, a Home Economics room and textile room, a Science lab, a Music room, and a Design Communications Graphics Room.

The project will involve the use of all three floors of the building and bring the college to a new level for future generations.
On Saturday, August 28 next at 2pm, Francis Duffy, Bishop of Ardagh & Clonmacnois will lead a ceremony of dedication, at the Bishop William OHiggins statue, that was unveiled in Drumlish in September of last year under very restrictive Covid 19 regulations.

The statue of OHiggins was sculpted by the internationally acclaimed Dublin born artist, Dony McManus.



William OHiggins was born at Barragh Beg, Drumlish on the 1st August 1794 four years before the Battle of Ballinamuck. He died on the 29th January 1853. His remains were buried in Ballymahon and fifteen years later on 11th February 1868 were transferred to Longford and reburied in the crypt of the cathedral.

The actual place of interment was not marked and there is no explanation except that one writer says that possibly it had been the intention that a monument worthy of the founder would be erected but never was - St Mels Cathedral A Glorious Undertaking, May 2015.

The major issues of the time were the Tithes and the Repeal of the Act of Union. Tithes were by law to be paid by tenants, most of them Catholics, for the support of the clergy of the Established Church, the Church of Ireland. Religion combined with politics led to nation-wide resistance and the Bishop threw himself wholeheartedly into the fray, preaching, writing, and petitioning the British Parliament. The law was changed in the late 1830s to impose the charge on the landlord class, but he had made many enemies and was not forgotten by them.

The other issue was the movement set up by Daniel OConnell to repeal the Act of Union, which had made Ireland part of the United Kingdom, without a Parliament of its own. He took a full part in this movement also, making fiery speeches in support of OConnell.

I for one defy any Minister of England to put down the agitation in the diocese of Ardagh. we will prepare our people for those circumstances and if for that they string us to the scaffold  in dying for the cause of our country we will bequest our wrongs to our successors."

His words attracted outrage in the British press of the time and were remembered by them up to the date of his death and long afterwards. The Repeal movement was peaceful, but the British government were alarmed at its growth and strength  and took measures to suppress it.

At the same time, he was going ahead with his plans for a Cathedral for the Diocese and its foundation stone was laid in 1840 in the presence of an estimated 40,000 people.

In 1846 the potato crop, often the only food available to the rural poor, was struck by blight, his dioceses being one of the poorest and least able to bear the burden of it meant that work on the cathedral ceased and the monies collected for it had to be diverted toward feeding the hungry. In 1847, when the Famine was at its peak, extracts from a letter he wrote to the Irish College in Rome showed the plight of the people and the strain he was under.

Of course, you have some idea from the papers of the state of the poor in IrelandIt would sicken your heart to see those of our people who, up to this have escaped death.  We have in this Diocese five Poor Houses and the average deaths in a week are beyond 100 persons in each. In some instances, particularly in Leitrim, whole families arediscovered to be dead in their cabins.

He was also a leading light in a fight by the Irish Bishops to prevent the British Government from establishing a University system in Ireland to be known as the Queens Colleges.

The project was part funded by Longford Local Community Development Committee, Longford Community Resources Clg., and Longford County Council through the Rural Development Programme (Leader) 2014  2020 which is part financed by the EU, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas and the Department of Rural & Community Development and by generous contributions by many local sponsors.



On Saturday, August 28, the people of Drumlish and surrounding parishes can come together safely to celebrate and dedicate with Bishops Francis Duffy and Colm OReilly this great Churchman and Leader of men 

Light refreshments will be provided on the day and all are welcome -.
Peter McVerry Trust, the national housing and homeless charity, has launched a new five-year strategic plan which will see the charity deliver 1,200 new social housing units before the end of 2025.

The charity, which operates a number of homeless services and provides social housing across the Midlands, said the region will be one of the primary target areas for delivery under the new plan.

The strategic plan was launched by An Taoiseach, Micheal Martin TD, at Peter McVerry Trusts new southern regional office in Cork City.

Pat Doyle, CEO of Peter McVerry Trust, said We were delighted to launch our strategic plan for 2021-2025 with An Taoiseach, Micheal Martin. This plan sets ambitious targets to significantly grow our delivery of new homes and also ensures that the organisation remains well-governed, innovative and continues to deliver each and every day for those on the margins of Irish society.

This plan will see Peter McVerry Trust deliver homes on a nationwide basis. Our focus is very much on small-scale, scattered-site social housing and the Midlands is one of the priority areas that we are looking to quickly ramp up our social housing delivery in. The challenge is to secure opportunities which are value for money and can be delivered quickly.



Housing First

Mr Doyle said he hoped the plan would allow for the continued growth of Housing First across Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath, a programme designed to tackle rough-sleeping and long-term homelessness.

In particular, the plan sees Peter McVerry Trust set the largest target yet by an AHB for homes through the Housing First model in Ireland, as we set out to deliver 600 additional Housing First units by the end of 2025. Working in partnership with Westmeath, Offaly, Laois and Longford County Councils, we are growing the Housing First numbers in the Midlands all the time, meaning more rough sleepers are getting housed and supported to maintain their housing. We are also growing the number of units we can deliver for care leavers and other complex-need families.

Our goal here is to ensure we offer as many sustainable housing pathways for people out of homelessness as we can. If we are successful in delivering our target we will become a leading voluntary provider of one-bedroom social housing units in the State over the next 5 years. This is very important for the people we work with and the wider homeless population, as the vast majority of homes needed to tackle homelessness are one-bedroom homes.



Building on Core Services

Mr Doyle said that growing the charitys housing provision will continue to go hand-in-hand with delivery of its traditional services and supports.

The strategic plan is about ensuring that, as an organisation, we remain agile, innovative and most importantly, deliver on our ethos and on the needs of the people with whom we work. We will continue to respond as best we can by delivering a range of services and supports in the areas of homelessness, addiction, Under 18s residential care and education and employment. We are working closely with key stakeholders in all those areas to identify new initiatives that can respond to current or future needs.



Partnership Approach

Mr Doyle said the strategic plan would only be successfully delivered through a partnership approach.

While Peter McVerry Trust may secure some of the headlines for our work, all that we do is enabled and supported by the State, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and other Government Departments and various State Agencies, as well as Peter McVerry Trusts own donors and supporters. At the outset of this new plan I want to acknowledge all those bodies and individuals who work with us to achieve our joint objectives and, in particular, thank Westmeath County Council, Offaly County Council, Laois County Council and Longford County Council for their support.

Peter McVerry Trusts strategic plan 2021-2025 is the charitys fourth strategic plan to date. The new plan sets out 8 high-level objectives, 30 key drivers and 52 outcomes. The charity is now active in 28 of Irelands 31 local authorities.
Judy Van Dyck stands by a collage of photos chronicling 60 years of support by the El Camino Hospital Auxiliary. The auxiliarys founding predates the opening of the hospital, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary next week.
FreeFlight aims to encourage students to explore their curiosity and interests while building their self-esteem and critical-thinking skills.
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(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of London-listed company director and manager changes announced on Wednesday and not separately reported by Alliance News:







Clinigen Group PLC - Staffordshire-based pharmaceuticals and services provider - Says Nick Keher stepping down as a director with immediate effect, and as chief financial officer following a handover, to "pursue other business interests". Richard Paling, Clinigen's financial controller since April 2017, will assume the role of interim CFO. External search for a new, permanent CFO is underway, company says.







Edenville Energy PLC - operates the Rukwa coal project in Tanzania - Appoints Franco Caselli as a non-executive director, effective immediately. He has more than 40 years of experience in the energy sector. He founded Terracon Resources Srl, which was involved in energy and mining projects in south Europe and Africa. "We look forward to benefitting from his skills, advice and guidance, particularly as we review additional opportunities following our recapitalisation earlier this year," says Non-Executive Chair Jeff Malaihollo.







Polar Capital Technology Trust PLC - technology-focused investment trust - Appoints two new independent non-executive directors. First is Jane Pearce, who is currently a non-executive director at Shires Income PLC and has a "strong and recent understanding" of corporate governance and current accounting standards. The other hire is Catherine Cripps, currently a non-executive director of Goldman Sachs International, Goldman Sachs International Bank and the Nuclear Liabilities Fund Ltd. Both join Polar Capital Technology on September 6.







Aquis Exchange PLC - London-based operator of Aquis Stock Exchange - Appoints Daniel Lopez to the board of its subsidiary, Aquis Stock Exchange, as a non-executive director. Appointment receives approval from the UK Financial Conduct Authority. "Danny brings a deep knowledge of next-generation technology to AQSE, with significant experience across financial services and cyber security technology," firm says. He is chief executive of Glasswall, a cyber security company, as well as a non-executive director of Innovate Finance, an independent industry body that "champions the global FinTech community" in the UK.







Greatland Gold PLC - Havieron gold and copper project in Western Australia - Says Paul Hallam to join board as a non-executive director. "Paul is a senior mining industry professional with more than 40 years of Australian and international resource experience across a range of commodities including both surface and underground mining," it says. He appointment is effective Wednesday next week.







By Lucy Heming;A lucyheming@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Iconic Labs PLC - London-based media and technology company - Creditors agree with joint administrators over funding proposals.

Company notes administrators make reference to claims that the company may have against various parties and associated counter-claims.

"The joint administrators do not currently know whether the potential claims previously publicised by the directors or counter-claims have any merit, or if they have merit, whether if successful the claims would entitle the company to recover any or any material damages. The joint administrators also note for the record, that whilst the company had issued letters to a number of parties threatening to issue proceedings, they are not aware of any proceedings which had actually been commenced," company says.

Current stock price: 0.016 pence

Year-to-date change: down sharply from 1.00p

By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Sharecast News) - London stocks nudged higher in early trade on Wednesday amid a lack of catalysts, with all eyes on Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's speech at the Jackson Hole symposium at the end of the week.

At 0845 BST, the FTSE 100 was up 0.2% at 7,137.36.



CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said: "While it's not surprising that the focus is very much on Fed chair Jay Powell's speech and a possible framework for a tapering of asset purchases by the end of the year, recent events could well see this pushed out to the September Fed meeting.



"The last-minute decision to hold this week's meeting virtually appears to be a tacit admission by the Federal Reserve that the surge in the delta variant is still a clear and present danger to the US recovery, and while cases may well be starting to top out now, that may well reverse when the schools go back next month."



Hewson said this week's rebound in stocks has been largely predicated on last week's shift in tone by Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan, in suggesting he could shift his position on a taper if the economic data deteriorated, "a not unreasonable position to take".



In equity markets, Rank Group rallied after the bingo hall and casino operator said UK tax authorities have decided not to appeal against a tribunal ruling over value added tax on slot machines.



Rank said the first-tier tribunal had agreed a 60-day extension to allow Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Rank to agree the exact size of the claim, with the gambling firm still expecting to receive around 80m.



Elsewhere, building materials group Grafton gained as it reported record profits and reinstated its dividend following a strong performance from its Woodies business in Ireland.



Market Movers



FTSE 100 (UKX) 7,137.36 0.16%

FTSE 250 (MCX) 23,958.72 0.30%

techMARK (TASX) 4,827.88 0.32%



FTSE 100 - Risers



Weir Group (WEIR) 1,688.00p 2.58%

British Land Company (BLND) 531.20p 2.08%

Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 120.00p 1.45%

Scottish Mortgage Inv Trust (SMT) 1,374.00p 1.40%

Ocado Group (OCDO) 2,017.00p 1.26%

BHP Group (BHP) 2,263.50p 1.23%

Smith & Nephew (SN.) 1,424.00p 1.21%

B&M European Value Retail S.A. (DI) (BME) 575.40p 0.98%

Just Eat Takeaway.Com N.V. (CDI) (JET) 6,999.00p 0.86%

Entain (ENT) 1,887.00p 0.83%



FTSE 100 - Fallers



Sainsbury (J) (SBRY) 319.90p -1.11%

Smith (DS) (SMDS) 437.80p -0.84%

Rio Tinto (RIO) 5,365.00p -0.83%

United Utilities Group (UU.) 1,064.00p -0.75%

Severn Trent (SVT) 2,812.00p -0.71%

Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 3,009.00p -0.69%

Fresnillo (FRES) 839.60p -0.69%

Antofagasta (ANTO) 1,461.00p -0.68%

WPP (WPP) 975.80p -0.63%

Anglo American (AAL) 2,975.00p -0.55%



FTSE 250 - Risers



Cineworld Group (CINE) 68.00p 2.72%

Virgin Money UK (VMUK) 207.80p 2.21%

Reach (RCH) 400.50p 1.91%

Wood Group (John) (WG.) 237.40p 1.84%

Micro Focus International (MCRO) 437.60p 1.70%

Grafton Group Ut (CDI) (GFTU) 1,331.00p 1.68%

888 Holdings (888) 413.80p 1.67%

Redrow (RDW) 703.40p 1.62%

Helios Towers (HTWS) 168.80p 1.56%

Hiscox Limited (DI) (HSX) 941.20p 1.55%



FTSE 250 - Fallers



Petropavlovsk (POG) 20.28p -2.22%

Harbour Energy (HBR) 359.40p -1.91%

Genuit Group (GEN) 764.00p -1.67%

Baillie Gifford US Growth Trust (USA) 341.50p -1.30%

Pantheon International (PIN) 2,710.00p -1.28%

Indivior (INDV) 190.30p -1.25%

HGCapital Trust (HGT) 400.00p -0.99%

The Renewables Infrastructure Group Limited (TRIG) 128.20p -0.93%

JPMorgan Emerging Markets Inv Trust (JMG) 131.00p -0.91%

Sirius Real Estate Ltd. (SRE) 121.40p -0.82%
(Sharecast News) - London stocks were set to edge down at the open on Wednesday amid a lack of catalysts, as we head closer to the Bank Holiday weekend and to Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's speech at the Jackson Hole symposium.

The FTSE 100 was called to open 14 points lower at 7,110.



CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said: "Today's Asia session has been a subdued one with little in the way of drivers one way or the other, and as such today's European open looks set to start slightly on the back foot.



"While it's not surprising that the focus is very much on Fed chair Jay Powell's speech and a possible framework for a tapering of asset purchases by the end of the year, recent events could well see this pushed out to the September Fed meeting.



"The last-minute decision to hold this week's meeting virtually appears to be a tacit admission by the Federal Reserve that the surge in the delta variant is still a clear and present danger to the US recovery, and while cases may well be starting to top out now, that may well reverse when the schools go back next month."



In corporate news, building materials group Grafton reported record profits and reinstated its dividend after a strong performance from its Woodies business in Ireland.



The company said adjusted pre-tax profits soared 340% to 148.6m on revenues up 46.1% to 1.02bn. A dividend of 8.5p a share was declared.








(Alliance News) - Nostrum Oil & Gas PLC on Wednesday announced the sale of its interest in the Rostoshinskoye field in Kazakhstan.

The exploration and production company said that the sale was the most cost-effective option. It didn't provide the name of the buyer nor the price received.

Shares were untraded in London on Wednesday morning, last quoted at 10.27p.

The exploration period under the contract for the field is due to expire on August 16, 2022, Nostrum noted. Reserves of 31.3 million barrels of oil equivalent in respect of the field were classified as contingent resources at the end of last year.

In October last year, Nostrum sold its rights and obligations for the Darinskoye and Yuzhno-Gremyachenskoye fields, also in the pre-Caspian basin.

By Will Paige; willpaige@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Sanne Group PLC, after the London market close on Wednesday, said it has come to an agreement with Apex Group Ltd, potentially bringing to an end a tense bidding war.

Apex has been battling with Cinven Ltd for the signature of Sanne, and finally came to an agreement at 920 pence per share - a figure which was put forward by Apex in early August.

The 920p deal values Sanne's entire issued share capital at GBP1.51 billion.

Shares in Sanne, a FTSE 250-listed asset management services provider, closed at 932.33p in London on Wednesday, but was trading at 603p the day before Cinven's first offer back in May.

Sanne's shares have more than quadrupled since the company's 2015 initial public offering at 200p.

Speaking to Alliance News on Wednesday, Apex Founder & Chief Executive Peter Hughes said the deal represents a "strong strategic fit" to combine the businesses, believing aSanne's clients cover a "really high quality base," and noted it is an "ideal compliment" to Apex.

Hughes said Sanne is a company he has been "following for a long time" and pointed to its "good reputation" and "great management team" as to why his company was so eager to get a deal over the finishing line.

"Sanne is extremely complementary to the business we've built at Apex," Hughes added. He also pointed to the "complementary jurisdictions" of Sanne's client base that Apex does not currently have.

Turning to the price that was able to seal the deal, Hughes said it was a "competitive process" but said to be "compelling" they had to be "well ahead" of the competing bidder.

Sanne entered talks with private equity firm Cinven over a 875p offer in June, after rejecting a string of lower offers.

Sanne has rejected four previous unsolicited offers from Cinven. Most recently, in May, it rejected an 850p per share offer.

A previous offer in May of 830p per share was rejected by Sanne as significantly undervaluing the company as the economy recovered and called the approach "opportunistic". Sanne noted that as a stand alone company it benefits from high margins, unique technology and high demand for its services.

Apex's Hughes said the Sanne board have been "very clear" in what they expected from Apex during the back and forth bidding process, with Hughes noting his firm has "delivered as it promised it would", which has been "well received" by Sanne.

He also noted Sanne is "keen for this to come to a conclusion," noting it can be "distracting".

Asked if he feels Sanne's shareholders should heed the Sanne board's unanimous recommendation of his firm's takeover bid, Hughes said Apex's offer is "really compelling".

Looking to the future, Apex is looking to combine with Sanne "to be a market leader," believing the combined business is "strategically, a really good alignment".

In a statement on Wednesday, Sanne Chair Rupert Robson said: "Sanne has a bright future ahead of it as a leader in its industry, which is entirely due to the tremendous effort of the management team and employees of the business over the past several years for which the board of Sanne would like to express their gratitude.

"Sanne has delivered substantial value creation to its shareholders since IPO and today's acquisition ensures that our investors are compensated for the future potential of the business, at what we believe is a compelling 28.8x EV/EBITDA and 40.7x P/E for 2020."

Cinven has until the end of August to either announce a firm offer for Sanne or walk away.

By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Wednesday and not separately reported by Alliance News:







James Latham PLC - timber and panel products distributor - Says revenue in four months to July 31 comes in at GBP127 million. " This represents an increase in sales per working day of 34% compared with the three months ended 31 March 2021," company adds. Notes demand for timber "remains high", driving price growth but also unprecedented shortages. James Latham adds: "We continue to see large increases in container rates which have caused significant increases in the costs of our imported products. Volumes per working day are up 11% from the three months ended 31 March 2021, demonstrating that we have been able to meet the demands of our customers." It says overheads are being controlled and levels of bad debts are low.







Contango Holdings PLC - natural resource development company - Notes recent stock price growth, company's shares rallied 27% on Wednesday. Also notes press reports on potential offtake deal with Afrochine, Zimbabwean subsidiary of Tsingshan Holding Group Co Ltd, a stainless steel producer based in Zhejiang province of China. Contango adds: "Non-disclosure agreements limit Contango's ability to directly comment on individual discussions but the company can confirm it is in discussions with two of the largest stainless-steel producers in the world, as well as several other interested parties, and expects to be in a position to provide a full update in the near term."







nmcn PLC - Sutton-in-Ashfield, England-based construction engineering company - Agrees extension to GBP10.0 million convertible bridging facility by one month until November 1. "The extension will provide the company with the necessary time to finalise and announce its audited results for the financial year ended 31 December 2020 and publish its annual report and accounts along with its unaudited interim results to 30 June 2021," NMCN says. Will apply for lifting of trading of shares once financial statements are released.







Bradda Head Holdings Ltd - lithium explorer with assets in Nevada and Arizona - Says assay results from BCE21-01 and BCE21-02 holes at Burro Creek East deposit show "potential for higher lithium grades", in comparison to 2018 drilling programme. "This increase in grade is highly encouraging and may indicate that some mineralisation was previously missed due to zones of low recovery during the 2018 RC programme, which can be the case with RC drilling. If so, this may have positive implications for resource grades in some areas," Bradda head says.







Altus Strategies PLC - mining royalty company - Begins induced polarisation geophysical survey at Agdz copper and silver project in Morocco. "Survey is designed to identify and prioritise targets for follow up trenching and drilling," Altus says.







Thor Mining PLC - exploration and development company in Australia and the US - Completes initial drilling programme at Alford East copper-gold project in Australia. Thor says copper and gold intercepts were "significantly above the mineral resource estimate cut-off grade". Nine diamond drillholes were completed with assays for two received. "The new geological model and drill targeting is paying off," Managing Director Nicole Warland says.







Resolute Mining Ltd - gold miner with assets in Africa - Reports "numerous high-grade sulphide gold results" from Tabakoroni project. Also says Syama North asset "returns positive results". "The ongoing resource drilling program at Tabakoroni Underground continues to deliver outstanding results with high-grade sulphide gold intersections from infill and extensional diamond drilling undertaken this calendar year," Resolute adds.







Scirocco Energy PLC - investor focused on sustainable energy sector - Completes GBP1.2 million investment in Energy Acquisitions Group Ltd and takes 50% stake. EAG will use the funds to acquire Greenan Generation Ltd, which owns an anaerobic digestion plant in Northern Ireland. Anaerobic digestion plants break down animal materials without using air.







Lexington Gold Ltd - gold exploration and development company operating in North and South Carolina, US - Signs deal with Canada-based drilling firm FTE Drilling for a 5,000 reverse circulation programme. "Drill rig and crew currently scheduled to arrive on site during the week commencing 20th September 2021," Lexington adds. Drilling to be conducted at Carolina Belle and Jones-Keystone-Loflin projects. Also notes Pivot Mining Consultants Pty Ltd completes geological interpretation and data verification for the Loflin deposit. Lexington adds: "A maiden resource estimate for the south-western (Loflin) side of the JKL project is expected to be received from Pivot in the coming weeks once their resource and 3D modelling process has been completed."







Tern PLC - investor focused on the internet of things - Portfolio firm Wyld Networks AB secures further funding through loan agreement with lender Formue Nord Fokus AS worth SEK12 million, about GBP1 million. Wyld to also issue warrants to lender as well as other existing shareholders. Tern will net 717,275 warrants.







By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
In this Aug. 9, 2021, photo, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster talks about the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic at a news conference in Columbia, S.C. The ACLU, representing parents of children with disabilities and disability rights groups, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021 against a South Carolina law that bans school districts from imposing mask mandates, arguing that the ban effectively excludes vulnerable students from public schools. Gov. McMaster has said parents should have the choice of whether or not children should wear masks in schools.
Marysville, KS (66508)

Today

Plenty of sunshine. High 82F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low 67F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph.
Allen Dean Semeski, Sr., 50, of Norman, formerly of Hartshorne, passed away Wednesday, Aug. 25, at his home in Norman. The family will welcome friends for visitation on Thursday, Sept. 2, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Brumley-Mills Funeral Home in Hartshorne. Graveside funeral services will be F
Atlanta, GA (30303)

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Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 67F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph..

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Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 67F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
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Thornton Kennedy is the president of PR South, a public relations firm and a former news editor of this paper. He can be reached at thornton@prsouth.net .
Aug. 20The number of COVID-19 cases in Cobb County schools has more than doubled in a week. The district reported Friday it now has documented 1,764 cases among its students and staff since school began August 2, up from 822 seven days ago. Every Cobb County school but one  the South Cobb Early Learning Center  has now reported a coronavirus infection this school year. Thirteen elementary ...
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR SERVICES

LRPS-2021-9169263

25 August 2021

UNITED NATIONS CHILDRENS FUND (UNICEF)

Wishes to invite you to submit a proposal for

Consultancy to conduct the Summative Evaluation of UNICEF DRC Multisectoral approach to public health emergencies

Offers should be sent by:

E-mail to: rdctenders@unicef.org

IMPORTANT  ESSENTIAL INFORMATION

The reference LRPS-2021-9169263 must be indicated in the offer in accordance with the instructions provided in this document. The Request for Proposal for Services (RFPS) Form on page 2 must be used when replying to this RFPS.

Offers must be received at the above E-mail by latest 14:00 hours (GMT) on Thursday 7 September 2021. Offers received after the stipulated date and time will be invalidated.

It is important that you read all the provisions of the RFPS, to ensure that you understand UNICEFs requirements and can submit an offer in compliance with them. Note that failure to provide compliant offers may result in invalidation of your bid.

Tenderers are invited to confirm their intention to participate by e-mail to rdcinfoprocurement@unicef.org to enable sharing any information/clarifications/amendment to tender documents. Clarifications will also be posted on the UNICEF DRC Pona Bana website at the following link: https://www.unicef.org/drcongo/agir/devenir-fournisseur

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The researchers used the principals of "frugal innovation" to design and develop the breathing aid, to ensure the device remains simple while being both robust and able to meet clinical demands in poorer-resourced health settings.A key innovation was to generate the required air flow using a simple electric fan to overcome the lack of access to high-pressure air and oxygen supplies.The device was developed by a team of engineers, scientists and doctors from the University of Leeds, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Medical Aid International and the Mengo Hospital in Uganda.Nikil Kapur, Professor of Applied Fluid Dynamics at the University of Leeds and the supervising academic on the project, said: "By adopting the approach of frugal innovation, we have been able to redesign an important piece of medical equipment so it can function effectively in poorer resourced healthcare settings."We have stripped away unnecessary complexity and ensured the device will work in settings where oxygen supplies are scarce and need to be conserved. The prototype is an important step in developing a device that will create greater access to critical-care technology and help save lives."The device parts cost around 150 ($207 US). Conventional CPAP machines can cost from around 600 - and a ventilator used in an intensive care unit can cost more than 30,000.Dr Tom Lawton, Consultant in Critical Care and Anaesthesia at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and a member of the research team, said: "In the UK, CPAP has been effective as the mainstay of respiratory treatment for severe covid-19 and helps to keep patients from needing advanced ICU care such as ventilators."In many countries, resource limitations mean that even CPAP is difficult to come by and more severe disease frequently leads to death. Simple CPAP devices, designed to operate in a resource-limited setting, can help reduce global healthcare inequality and save lives both now with covid-19 and potentially with other diseases in the future."The Recovery-RS Trial has highlighted how CPAP can provide effective intervention for COVID-19 and the World Health Organization is encouraging low-cost breathing aids.For this, the devices must operate with low pressure oxygen systems.Dr Pete Culmer, Associate Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Leeds and the study's lead author, said: "The Leeds prototype has been specifically made to work with oxygen concentrators, which have a low flow of oxygen and at low pressure."The fan or CPAP blower is connected to what is known as a breathing circuit. That circuit is made up of a filter to catch viruses and bacteria in the air flow, tubing, face mask, a valve which controls the flow of oxygen from the oxygen concentrator, and an expiration outlet."Electrical fan system provides a safe air flow supply without required complex - and costly - control systems or a high-pressure air source. The oxygen concentrator is used to enrich this airflow with oxygen, conserving valuable supplies.The device can generate four levels of air pressure dependent on clinical need. The desirable oxygen saturation levels in the blood were maintained in the healthy volunteers taking part in the trial. The CO2 range at the end of exhalation was between 3.6 and 4.9 pKA, again within accepted healthy limits.Professor David Brettle, Chief Scientific Officer at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and a member of the team that developed the device, said: "The innovation at the heart of this device is the simplicity of its design, the low production cost and how it efficiently makes use of scarce oxygen supplies."In the UK access to the necessary health technology can be taken for granted, but even relatively simple technology is sometimes not available in low-and middle-income countries. This innovative device aims to level the playing field."Clinical trial involving sick patients is planned to begin at the Mengo Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, next month.Dr Edith Namulema, an epidemiologist in Uganda involved in the research project, said there is a desperate need for CPAP machines in low to middle income countries.Dr Namulema added: "It is only the regional referral and the national referral hospitals that have access to CPAP. Yet patients first present to the lower-level facilities when they have breathing difficulties and by the time they arrive to the regional referral centers, in some cases, it is too late. The ability to hook a patient onto ventilation when they need it potentially saves many lives and reduces the hospital stay."Also, as a country we have about 500 ICU beds for 42 million Ugandans which is very few."The paper - The LeVe CPAP System for oxygen-efficient CPAP respiratory support: Development and pilot evaluation - is published inSource: Medindia
When the need to focus the mind on a certain activity, such as studying, reading, or solving problems; do become totally aware of the buzz followed by the constant flow of irrelevant, useless, or distracting thoughts. This is the character of mental noise.

The inner chatter constantly goes on in everyones mind. Be aware of the mental noise, because it does become a deeply embedded habit. It is considered as natural and an inseparable part of life. The mental noise is a background noise that never does cease, from the moment accountable to waking up in the morning and rightup to the moment of falling asleep at night. Often, it moves to prevent falling asleep.

One of the innate characteristics of the mind is the habit of repeating the same thoughts over and over again, as in a loop, like a video or audio that has got stuck. Once there are positive thoughts it is fine. However, too often, these are negative thoughts that do intensify stress, worry, anger, or more so frustration. These are thoughts that are not needed.

Thinking of the sun, the first thought might be about the possible damage it can do. Too much sun exposure can propagate towards causing several kinds of serious health issues. When it is early in the day before it is the brightest, the small amounts can be good in some possible ways.

The human mind does have much capacity to concentrate, also it is observed the more intelligent the mind is, the more it remains distracted and inattentive. This indicates that the mind needs training throughout the day to comply with utmost discipline. There is nothing wrong with thinking, so we have to direct the thinking in the right direction. It is all about controlling the mind and then progressing towards governing the thoughts.

Become highly conscious of the mental noise. Many of us are in fact not even aware that the mind is constantly thinking. Do pause and then arrest the thoughts. Do believe that we are in charge of our mind and not vice-versa. Learn to filter thoughts like a gatekeeper. Do allow only those in need to be a part of the present. Engage the mind to move towards getting involved in an activity that does hold the attention. This will divert the energy on what has been done and then will leave no space to entertain the monkey mind. Be present, do live in the moment and the now! As all we do have is now, so do enjoy every moment. Practice meditation regularly. In fact, with all the common practices and more so awareness, we can certainly train the mind to focus on the positives. Practices such as Trataka (a form of yoga) indicating gazing at one fixed point, encourages the mind in doing the activities that are going on around us.

Zen Buddhists imply the constant chatter to be the monkey mind.

The Buddha has reminded us that the human mind is about being filled with drunken monkeys flinging themselves from the tree branches, jumping around, and then chattering away non-stop. Buddha indicated that our minds are in fact in constant motion.

Typically the mind chatter sounds like:

Recalls hurtful things that have happened in the past

Judges the present

Creates all the catastrophic what-if scenarios of the future

Reads off a laundry list of all the to-do items

Lists down the fears that are both real and imaginary

A monkey mind does hamper the ability to concentrate; it has a negative impact on the behavior; and it often does interfere with the ability to have any positive interactions with others. It does become stressful and more so draining to bear a bunch of monkeys screeching within our heads all day long. The good news is that there are ways to get the monkey mind to calm down completely.

Taming the monkey mind will:

Improve the quality of the sleep

Increase the very sense of calmness along with the well-being

Make a person happier

Give the clarity of mind

Allow focusingon the present and the task at hand

It is interesting to note that this concept is part of early Eastern philosophy. Meditation teachers have coined the term monkey mind because before the mind is trained in meditation our attention wanders and all our internal dialogues do chitter like an excitable monkey. It is said this is the natural state.

The goal of meditation is to enable us to be quiet and mindful. The relationship of the body towards the ground, the sounds we hear, the feeling of the clothes against the very skin and the movement of the breath in its very rhythm.

This all moves way down to the thoughts we are having moment by moment, by acknowledging the sensation of the thought and letting it pass on mindfully.

Mind chatter entails the grievances that have occurred quite a long time ago. Permitting to let go of the past does hurt. The choice is to forgive and move on, or then dwell in the past.

Mental chatter means to have a normal brain. The brain makes noise, never stopping itself for long. It is all about remembering that chatter must not take over ones life.

Then do remember most of the mental chatter is nothing but the random noise. The best thing you can do is recognize what it is and then let it go.

Lastly, do apply all the appropriate steps which are indicated in the article to quieten the mental chatter.
Bollywood definitely has lost a lot of its shine because of the numerous drug scandals that actors have been hit with, in the last two years. Many notable and popular actors have faced allegations about using recreational drugs. Some have even been under thorough investigations for the same.



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During such times, people would often give examples of the south Indian film industries and how simplistic and non-controversial their stars are. Well, as it turns out, they too are plagued with the same issues.



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The Kannada film industry was shaken to its core last year when there were reports of rampant drug usage in the industry, and of drug parties being organised.



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The CCB or the Central Crime Branch had actually arrested 12 people after conducting raids on said parties, which included a few local politicians, and actresses Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjana Galrani. Dwivedi & Galrani were given bail after their blood and urine tests were inconclusive.



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A hair follicle test of both the actresses, however, has confirmed that they indeed consumed drugs. In a statement to ANI, Kamal Pant, City police commissioner said, This is the first time a hair follicle test was used and I am proud of the CCB team for their relentless effort and impartial investigations in gathering scientific evidence in a drug-related case.



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He also said, CCB and the evidence gathered by the team painstakingly has resulted in a positive report from the Forensic Science Laboratory in Hyderabad.



Investigative authorities also stated that, unlike blood & urine samples, drug traces can be found in hair samples for up to one year after consumption.

 BCCL

This also opens up the possibility of these tests being used in other areas of the country. There is a very strong possibility that the pending investigations on Bollywood celebrities will make use of this test to further the investigations.



Meanwhile, Bengaluru Police, who were investigating Sanjana Galrani, Ragini Dwivedi, party organiser Viren Khanna, former minister late Jeevaraj Alvas son Aditya Alva in the drug scandal will now summon all the parties involved and carry on with the investigation.

It will be interesting to see how this investigation affects other high profile cases and ongoing investigations in the country.
The thing about social conditioning is, it is deep-rooted and is hard to shake off like an obsessive lover who just can't get the meaning of a no.

It moulds you and your action at such a subconscious level, that most of the time you dont even realise having been influenced by societal norms and stereotypes.

One of the most common one being men expected to pay for food on a date.

You see, the time when such an unspoken rule was set was probably one where men would be out and about earning a livelihood while women were still constrained to their houses. It became natural for the guy to offer to pay, considering he would be the one earning and asking her out.

via GIPHY

But from then to now, a lot has changed. Women are now working and earning just as much as (in most cases, even more than) men and with progressive dating apps at our disposal, even making the first move at asking a guy out.



Which is why, if today a guy contemplates over buying a woman dinner or going dutch for it, we dont blame him. Instead, we encourage him.

While the entire act of paying for a date when youre a man is passed off as an act of chivalry, it wont take away from your manhood or manners if you choose not to. However, having said that, it might still be a good idea to consider expressing the same in a manner that comes off as neither offensive, nor miserly.

Here are 3 ways to ask your date to go dutch with you:

1. Bring It Up Before The Actual Date

 iStock

The easiest way to go about it would be to bring it up early in the conversation before the two of you settle on going on a date.



It wont just make things less awkward on the actual date, but would also help you both understand which school of thought you follow and where one comes from.

Last we checked, its never too bad to know more about your date!

2. Offer To Pay Half Upfront

 iStock

A rather direct approach but one that will set a precedent for the times to come.



When I say be upfront and offer to pay your half, be mindful to not sound condescending but polite. It may or may not take your date by surprise, but regardless of it, be sure to keep your half of the bill on the table promptly to send a message across.

3. Alternate Paying

 iStock

Another way could be to take care of the entire bill the first time, while also establishing how your date could take you out the next time around.



This way, there wont be a tussle of two people paying at the same time and your intentions would come across as much less offensive.

Also, second date guaranteed!
A smartphone caught fire in the cabin of an Alaska Airlines flight that landed in Seattle last night. Passengers on the plane were forced to evacuate as soon as the fire was discovered. According to a spokesperson for the Port of Seattle, the smartphone was a Galaxy A21.

 Samsung

After much digging, I can tell you that the phone was burned beyond recognition, Cooper said in an email to The Seattle Times. However, during an interview with one of our Port of Seattle Police officers, the passenger volunteered the phone was a Samsung Galaxy A21. Again, we could not confirm it by looking at the remains of the device.



There was enough smoke and fire in the flight that the flight crew had to initiate an emergency evacuation. The cause for the smartphone bursting is not known, however, it could be possible that the pressurisation in the cabin may have caused the lithium-ion battery to explode.

Just talked with a passenger on Alaska Airlines flight 751, where a fire broke out in the plane after landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. A passengers cell phone caught on fire, an Alaska Airlines official tells @KIRO7Seattle . Were live at SeaTac at 11. pic.twitter.com/qeNHq4g17Z  Kevin Ko (@NewsWithKevin) August 24, 2021

The incident happened right after the flight landed in Seattle where the phone caused a small fire in the plane. The flight crew had to use fire extinguishers to contain the fire and evacuated the plane soon after via the evacuation slides. The passengers were evacuated due to hazy conditions inside the cabin. One of the passengers on the plane described the smoke as if it was coming out of a smoke machine.



 Unsplash/miguel-angel-sanz

The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport said in a tweet that passengers from the plane were transported to a bus terminal. Some passengers have reportedly suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scrapes. As of now, there have been no serious injuries reported and it has not affected airport operations.



This particular situation may remind people of the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco where devices were unexpectedly exploding all over the world. The incident forced the company to cancel the phone as it was deemed unsafe by most airlines. Samsung later found out that the explosions were caused due to overheating and faulty batteries.

Source: The Seattle Times
Funeral services for Mrs. Lizzie Mae Evans Archie will be Thursday at 10:30 a.m., at Stephens Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Rock Hill Missionary Baptist Church. Visitation 9-10:30 a.m., Thursday. Friends may sign at www.stephensfunerals.com.
As the COVID-19 Delta variant continues to rage through Mississippi, the City of Meridian is helping residents stay safe by distributing masks and hand sanitizer throughout the area.

Three distributions sites are planned for 9-11 a.m. Saturday, where masks and hand sanitizer will be distributed to residents on a first come first serve basis.

The distributions will be at North Hills Shopping Center, 4521 35th Ave., the Sammie Davidson Complex, 1617 College Dr., and the Velma Young Community Center, 2400 16th Ave.

In a news conference Friday, Mayor Jimmie Smith urged residents to wear masks to slow virus transmission as cases threatened to overwhelm local hospitals.

Its imperative we realize our Meridian hospitals are at capacity, he said. If someone gets ill, has a heart attackthe hospitals capacity to treat them is gone.

Smith had earlier announced a mask mandate for city workers, and all visitors to city-owned buildings would need to wear masks while inside. Though not mandatory, city officials encouraged residents to wear masks in public places and get vaccinated if possible.

The citys efforts come as coronavirus cases reach record highs, with the state reporting 133 deaths Tuesday and Wednesday.

We are still seeing a whole lot of cases, State Epidemiologist Paul Byers said in a press conference Wednesday. We are nowhere out of this.

Deaths from coronavirus continue to disproportionally be older Mississippians, Byers said, but data show cases climbing in children ages 5 to 17. About half of the deaths reported, Byers said, were people over the age of 65. However, he said, MSDH was reporting its sixth pediatric death Wednesday.

We are sadly reporting out today a death in a child less than five years of age, he said.

Although cases remain at peak levels, Byers said there was cause for cautious optimism in the data, which appeared to show cases beginning to level out.

We have begun to see some flattening out of our hospitalizations, he said, adding it was still too early to know if the trend would hold, A couple of days does not a trend make.

The Mississippi Department of Health reported 341 new cases in Lauderdale County for the week of Aug.7-14. The county has seen 10,219 cases of coronavirus and 262 deaths since the pandemic began in January 2020.

In a Facebook post Tuesday, Anderson Regional Medical Center reported 46 coronavirus patients in the hospital, with 22 patients in the ICU and 10 on ventilators. The hospital reported 97 percent of patients were not vaccinated.

Statewide, data from MSDH show 1,646 Mississippians were hospitalized Tuesday with confirmed coronavirus infections. Of those cases, 484 patients were reported to be in the ICU and 342 patients were on ventilators. An additional 52 patients were hospitalized with suspected coronavirus infections.

Unfortunately, Byers said, Mississippi Poison Control had also seen an increase in calls related to Ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug commonly used to deworm livestock. Some Mississippians, he said, appear to have been self-medicating with the medicine in an attempt to cure themselves of COVID-19.

Please do not self-medicate with animal medicines, he said.

Additional healthcare personnel

Mississippi Emergency Management Executive Director Stephen McCraney announced Tuesday that Rush Foundation Hospital and Anderson Regional Medical Center were two of the 61 hospitals throughout the state to request additional healthcare personnel to help alleviate the strain on the states healthcare system.

Medical staffing provided by the state is for the COVID-19 mission to address the surge of patients due to the Delta Variant. Our staff has worked tirelessly to give our hospitals the relief they need and deserve. We are working with FEMA to secure reimbursement for these contracts worth roughly $10 million a week statewide for eight and a half weeks. MEMA stands ready to coordinate any additional resources needed, McCraney said.

MEMA has contracted with four vendors  H&S, Snapnurse, GQR and Maxim  to provide more than 1,000 medical personnel to increase capacity in Mississippi hospitals. The requested staff include 808 nurses, 193 respiratory therapists, 22 nurse practitioners, three certified registered nurse anesthetists and 20 paramedics. Medial staff deployed to 50 hospitals on Tuesday, with staff arriving at 11 additional locations by the end of the week.

Our top priority is to ensure that every Mississippian who can get better with quality care receives that care, Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday. We are grateful for those that are answering the call to alleviate the pressure on our healthcare workers. To the current healthcare staff in the state, we thank you for your continued dedication to our fellow Mississippians.

Health officials and community leaders continue to urge residents to protect themselves by getting vaccinated against the coronavirus. As of Tuesday, 37 percent of Lauderdale County residents are fully vaccinated, and 45 percent have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Mississippi, however, continues to lag behind the national vaccination rate of 52 percent, with MSDH reporting 38 percent of residents had been fully vaccinated.

Byers said the state has seen an increase in Mississippians receiving the vaccine over the past few weeks. MSDH reported 81,510 shots  first, second and third doses combined  were given last week, the highest weekly number the state has seen since April 17.

Additionally, Byers said he hoped the FDAs approval of the Pfizer vaccine Monday would encourage more residents to get the vaccine.

For folks whove been on the fence about that approval, now is the time to do something about that, he said.

For those that do contract the coronavirus, the state has ramped up its ability to offer monoclonal antibody treatments, which have been shown to reduce the severity of the virus and decrease hospitalizations.

Currently, monoclonal antibody treatments are offered at 170 locations throughout the state. In Lauderdale County, both Anderson Regional Medical Center and Rush Foundation Hospital are able to give monoclonal antibody treatment.

We know that monoclonal antibodies, if given early in the course of the infection, do significantly reduce the severity of the virus, Byers said.

Mississippians needing monoclonal antibody treatments can call the MSDH hotline to be connected to treatment providers at 877-978-6453.

For more information about COVID-19, vaccination locations or monoclonal antibody treatments, visit msdh.ms.gov.
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Ambassador of Belarus P.Vziatkin presents copies of the Credentials at the Foreign Ministry of Tanzania

On August 25, 2021 the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Kenya and Tanzania non-resident, Pavel Vziatkin, met with the Acting Permanent Secretary in the status of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of Tanzania, Anisa Mbega. During the meeting, Belarusian Ambassador presented copies of his Credentials.

The sides noted a significant potential for the development of bilateral relations in a number of spheres with a special emphasis on the expansion of economic ties and trade between Belarus and Tanzania. The parties also outlined the necessity of creating a legal framework for the cooperation between the two countries.



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Miami, FL (33127)

Today

Isolated thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low around 75F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Isolated thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low around 75F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Although Miamis tourism-dependent economy seemed to be on the rebound this summer, not every business recovered. Beloved Overtown bed-and-breakfast, The Copper Door B&B, somberly announced that it would be shutting its doors for good via social media in early August. Its last operating 
AG Nessel Joins Local Kalamazoo Expungement Efforts

AG Nessel Joins Local Kalamazoo Expungement Efforts

Lynsey Mukomel agpress@michigan.gov Attorney General

August 20, 2021

LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today joined organizers - including the City of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Defender, Legal Aid of Western Michigan, Michigan Works! Southwest, Kalamazoo Prosecutor Jeff Getting, local courts and others - to provide residents with resources to expunge their criminal records.

The event was held at Bronson Park from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to help individuals navigate the state expungement process. More than 100 residents who were screened and registered in advance met with volunteer attorneys from local organizations to pursue expungement of their criminal records.

"I'm thrilled to be here today to support the efforts of local community organizations to assist residents in pursuing expungement of their records," Nessel said. "My department has seen a significant increase in the number of applications submitted for expungement under the law. I believe our role in reviewing and processing expungement applications is so important because clearing a criminal record can make a real, measurable difference in the life of an individual."

Michigan's new expungement law - known as the Clean Slate law - took effect on April 11, 2021. The law created a specific process to expunge certain offenses that are no longer crimes in the wake of the passage of Proposal 1 in November 2018 that legalized the possession and use of recreational marijuana for adults in Michigan. Qualifying misdemeanor marijuana convictions may be expunged by individuals who complete a required application process.

The new expungement law also expands the number of other misdemeanor and felony convictions a person may expunge. An individual convicted of up to three felonies, except life offenses and other serious felonies, and an unlimited number of certain misdemeanors can, with some exceptions, file an application with the convicting court to expunge all his or her convictions. Individuals with more than three felony convictions on their criminal record are not eligible to seek expungements under the new law.

Information regarding Michigan's Clean Slate law and the expungement process is available via the Department of Attorney General website.

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AG Nessel Responds to Proposed FCC Fine against Wohl, Burkman

AG Nessel Responds to Proposed FCC Fine against Wohl, Burkman

Attorney General

Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746

Public inquiries: 517-335-7622



August 24, 2021

LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following statement in response to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) proposed $5.1 million dollar fine against Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl:

"This massive fine properly reflects the seriousness of the allegations these two political operatives face. Mr. Burkman and Mr. Wohl allegedly orchestrated a series of robocalls aimed at suppressing the vote in the November general election. While my office will continue to pursue the criminal case against these men, I applaud the FCC for its action today."

According to the FCC, the proposed fine is the largest Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) robocall fine ever proposed by the Commission.

Burkman and Wohl are awaiting trial in Wayne County Circuit Court after a failed dismissal attempt, which was announced in May.

The two face the following: election law - intimidating voters, a felony punishable by up to five years;

conspiracy to commit an election law violation, a felony punishable by up to five years;

using a computer to commit the crime of election law - intimidating voters, a felony punishable by up to seven years; and

using a computer to commit the crime of conspiracy, a felony punishable by up to seven years.

Their next court date is Sept. 21 for a final conference before the Hon. Margaret Van Houten.

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Attorney General Nessel Supports Protections Against Housing Discrimination

Attorney General Nessel Supports Protections Against Housing Discrimination

Attorney General

Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746

Public inquiries: 517-335-7622



August 25, 2021

LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general across the country to urge the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to reinstate a rule on disparate impact liability that would protect people from discrimination in housing.

The disparate impact rule, originally established in 2013 under the Fair Housing Act, protects consumers against housing and lending practices that end up harming people based on their race, color, religion, national original, sex, disability, and familial status. HUD is proposing to re-establish the 2013 rule and revoke an unlawful 2020 replacement that had serious legal defects, failed to provide specific protections for people who were being discriminated against, and made it more difficult for many valid legal claims to proceed.

Attorneys general rely on the disparate impact rule to combat discrimination, challenge housing policies that have a discriminatory effect, and ensure more equal housing opportunities. In their comments, the attorneys general contend that the reinstated rule better aligns with the Fair Housing Act and judicial precedent. The attorneys general also suggest that HUD should consider further strengthening the rule in the future and consider the additional discriminatory effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic hardships on people across the country.

"I join my colleagues in asking HUD to reinstate the disparate impact rule, especially as our country continues to navigate its way out of the COVID-19 pandemic," Nessel said. "Countless people have faced housing hardships as a result of this pandemic. It is imperative this rule be reinstated to ensure that hardship is not compounded by discriminatory policies."

Joining Attorney General Nessel in sending these comments to HUD are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
Governor Whitmer Proposes $2.1 Billion Investment to Grow the Middle Class, Support Small Businesses, and Invest in Communities

Governor Whitmer Proposes $2.1 Billion Investment to Grow the Middle Class, Support Small Businesses, and Invest in Communities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 23, 2021

Contact: Press@michigan.gov

Governor Whitmer Proposes $2.1 Billion Investment to Grow the Middle Class, Support Small Businesses, and Invest in Communities

Governor lays out proposals to continue Michigan's ongoing economic jumpstart by utilizing historic influx of federal resources to make critical, long-term investments in families, communities, small businesses.

LANSING, Mich. -- Today, joined by business leaders and public officials in Lansing, Governor Gretchen Whitmer laid out a $2.1 billion proposal to grow Michigan's middle class, support small businesses, and invest in communities by tackling several underlying issues. As Michigan's economic jumpstart continues, Governor Whitmer's proposals will tackle underlying issues faced by families, communities, and small businesses and take advantage of the historic influx in federal resources to deliver meaningful change that makes a real difference in people's lives.

"Since day one, I have been laser-focused on putting Michiganders first and tackling kitchen-table issues with real, tangible solutions." said Governor Whitmer. "As we emerge from the once-in-a-century pandemic, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to use billions in federal resources to grow Michigan's middle class, support small businesses, and invest in our communities. With the $2.1 billion in proposals I have laid out, we can raise wages, give people paths to high-skill jobs, grow start-ups, build clean energy infrastructure, and do so much more. I'm utilizing every resource and ensuring that we continue to take bold action to help families, communities and small businesses thrive. Together, we can usher in new era of prosperity for Michigan."

Michigan's economic jumpstart is underway. The state had the fastest growing economy in the Midwest over the first three months of this year, a lower unemployment rate than the national average, a $3.5 billion surplus up from a projected $3 billion deficit, and two boosted credit rating outlooks. Michigan's manufacturing industry continues to soar, leading the country in automotive manufacturing and appearing near the tops of several lists on job creation, business climate, and foreign direct investment.

But the state faces several economic challenges too. There are too many jobs that do not pay enough, not enough workers to fill open jobs, not enough workers with the skills necessary to fill high-skill jobs, a lagging entrepreneurial sector, and a lack of affordable, attainable housing.

The proposals Governor Whitmer is laying out today address these challenges under three key pillars: $722 million to grow the middle class and educate more workers, $651 million to support small businesses and create better jobs, and $800 million to build housing and invest in communities. There are several proposals under each of these three pillars.

To grow the middle class and educate workers, the Governor is calling for a $215 million expansion of Michigan Reconnect and Future for Frontliners, $70 million investment to growing the pipeline of talented workers to industry, a $100 million influx for the Going Pro credential program, and further investments in programs that offer work experience to Michiganders earning their GEDs and help those reentering society after incarceration transition into the workforce.

To support small businesses and create better jobs, the Governor is building on her $300 million Michigan Mainstreet Initiative, which offers grants to restaurants, place-based businesses, and microenterprises with further dollars to attract more start-ups. She outlined a $200 million investment to create a more conducive business environment for high-tech, high-growth start-ups and create jobs of the future in Michigan. The Governor put forward $40 million to speed up electric vehicle charging infrastructure and $100 million to prepare manufacturers and the workforce for opportunities of the future. Finally, she proposed an $11 million investment into the STEM Forward program, which places STEM students in internships in Michigan and improves talent attraction and retention.

To invest in our communities, Governor Whitmer expanded on her previous proposal to put $100 million towards building 2,000 units, create 1,600 jobs, and house 6,000 Michiganders. She's proposing a further $50 million to create a healthier, cleaner, and more energy efficient homes, $100 million to rehabilitate vacant buildings, and $200 million to redevelop brownfield sites. She also proposed $100 million to build development-ready sites conducive to business investment.

Today's economic announcement will build on Governor Whitmer's Michigan's Economic Jumpstart Plan she unveiled in June. The plan would invest in working people and small businesses in Michigan by increasing incentives to boost wages and attract applicants, provide grants to small businesses to ramp up hiring, and expand access to childcare for families with young children who want to return to work but cannot. Together, today's proposal and the jumpstart plan will help Michigan's families, communities, and small businesses thrive.

"Local businesses and economic development contribute to the growth of a city. It's vital that we continue to support and invest directly into communities like Lansing. I am proud to stand by Governor Whitmer's side to support her proposal to use federal funds to help small businesses and families - the lifeblood of thriving communities," said Lansing Mayor Andy Schor.

"We're thankful for the Governor's willingness to address the biggest challenge facing our Michigan manufacturers, that being a large and talented workforce," said John Walsh, President and CEO of the Michigan Manufacturers Association. "The proposed investments in training and education will create opportunities for our citizens and growth in manufacturing. We look forward to working with the Whitmer Administration and the legislature as they finalize their recommendations."

"Michigan has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in talent development, entrepreneurship, and job creation to help us emerge from the pandemic as a stronger, more competitive state," said Jeff Donofrio, Business Leaders for Michigan CEO. "The Governor's proposed investment would help to close the skills gap, remove barriers to work, keep and attract talent, increase entrepreneurship, and create jobs in Michigan. We look forward to working with the Governor and legislative leadership on these and other transformational investments."

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Governor Whitmer Lowers Flags for Identified MIA Korean War Soldier

Governor Whitmer Lowers Flags for Identified MIA Korean War Soldier

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Aug. 22, 2021

Contact: Press@Michigan.gov

Governor Whitmer Lowers Flags for Identified MIA Korean War Soldier

LANSING, Mich. -- Governor Gretchen Whitmer has ordered U.S. and Michigan flags to be lowered to half-staff throughout the state of Michigan on Monday, August 23 to honor the life and service of Corporal Dale W. Wright.

"I am lowering flags throughout the state to honor Cpl. Wright's service and the sacrifices he made for our country," Governor Gretchen Whitmer said. "I am grateful that his remains have finally returned home to Michigan. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and all those who were fortunate enough to know him."

Cpl. Wright served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War as a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.

He was reported missing in action along with Army Sgt. Jesse "Johnnie" D. Hill, after their unit was attacked near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea on Dec. 2, 1950. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered. After nearly 70 years, Cpl. Wright's remains have been found and identified.

Cpl. Wright will be buried in Holly, Michigan.

The State of Michigan recognizes the duty, honor and selfless service of Corporal Dale W. Wright by lowering flags to half-staff. Michigan residents, businesses, schools, local governments and other organizations also are encouraged to display the flag at half-staff.

To lower flags to half-staff, flags should be hoisted first to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The process is reversed before the flag is lowered for the day.

Flags should be returned to full-staff on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2021.

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Gov. Whitmer Lowers Flags in Honor of Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan J. Proxmire

Gov. Whitmer Lowers Flags in Honor of Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan J. Proxmire

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 20, 2021

Contact: press@michigan.gov

Gov. Whitmer Lowers Flags in Honor of Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan J. Proxmire

LANSING, Mich. -- Governor Gretchen Whitmer has ordered U.S. and Michigan flags to be lowered to half-staff throughout the state of Michigan on Sunday, August 22 in honor of Deputy Ryan J. Proxmire who died in the line of duty. The flag honors will coincide with the date of his funeral.

"We all strive to make the kind of lasting impact that Deputy Proxmire had in his nine years with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's department," said Governor Whitmer. "Deputy Proxmire was a staple in Kalamazoo County, and his passing leaves a tremendous hole in the hearts of so many people who had the chance to know him personally. The Michigan and United States flags will be lowered across the state to honor Deputy Proxmire's memory and serve as a reminder of the incredible sacrifices that men and women in uniform make every day. My heart goes out to his family, friends, fellow officers, and the entire Kalamazoo community."

Deputy Ryan J. Proxmire served at the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office for nine years, first as a Court Security Deputy, then advanced to Corrections Deputy, and when there was a need for a temporary Sergeant, he fulfilled that role as well. Deputy Proxmire transferred from the Jail Division to the Operations Division to serve Kalamazoo County in the capacity of a road patrol office. He passed away last week during a police pursuit.

The State of Michigan recognizes the duty, honor, and selfless service of Deputy Ryan J. Proxmire by lowering flags to half-staff. Michigan residents, businesses, schools, local governments, and other organizations also are encouraged to display the flag at half-staff.

To lower flags to half-staff, flags should be hoisted first to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The process is reversed before the flag is lowered for the day.

Flags should be returned to full-staff on Monday, August 23, 2021 unless otherwise notified.

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On August 5, 2021 a fire began around 2 p.m. CST at Superior Cedar Products, Inc. in Nadeau Township, county of Menominee, near the Michigan/Wisconsin border. The fire quickly escalated and has claimed one fatality. More than 100 firefighters throughout the region responded to the out-of-control blaze. Although firefighters have now established a perimeter and contained the blaze, it remains active and this emergency will demand an ongoing response for many hours.

Section 1 of article 5 of the Michigan Constitution of 1963 vests the executive power of the State of Michigan in the governor. Under the Emergency Management Act, 1976 PA 390, as amended, MCL 30.403(4), "[t]he governor shall, by executive order or proclamation, declare a state of emergency if he or she finds that an emergency has occurred or that the threat of an emergency exists."

Moreover, under the Interstate Emergency Management Assistance Compact, 2001 PA 247, as amended, MCL 3.991, and 2001 PA 248, as amended, MCL 3.1001, the State of Michigan may request mutual aid from another member state upon declaration of a state of emergency by the governor.
BIG RAPIDS  One local resident is putting the wheels in motion to potentially bring a new skatepark to the Big Rapids area.

Its really hard to skate around town. Theres really nowhere to go, 24-year-old Brittani Brill said.

Brill is originally from Zephyrhills, Florida, but has spent the last three years living in the Big Rapids area before settling in Canadian Lakes. Brill, along with her fiance and their 3-year-old son, enjoy skateboarding, rollerblading, and most recently, riding scooters.

Brill recently returned to Michigan from a three-week vacation in her Florida hometown. While she was there, she discovered a new skatepark  one that originated from the ground up by a committee led by local residents. The park was also partially funded by The Skatepark Project, which was created by iconic skateboarder Tony Hawk.

It has everything you could want in a skatepark, Brill said, including half-pipes, bowls, handrails, and much more.

Now, Brill wants to duplicate the efforts she saw in Florida and bring them to Big Rapids. She recently spoke with the Big Rapids Parks & Recreation Department, who informed her theres been interest from others for a new skatepark as well.

Brill also talked to Big Rapids city manager Mark Gifford, who told her the city will look into Hemlock Park as a potential site for the skatepark.

From there, Brill took her interest to social media. In a Facebook post, in the Ask Big Rapids group, Brill asked the community for their feedback on the possibility of bringing a skatepark to Big Rapids.

I was really nervous to ask because its been brought up before in that group and people were very negative about it, she said.

With over 150 comments, Brill was very surprised with the responses.

Everyone was so supportive of it, she added.

Brills next task was creating a Facebook group  BR Project Skatepark Team  to help form a committee of like-minded individuals. With nearly 100 members in the group already, Brill is encouraging those from the public with knowledge in local government to join.

Once a committee is formed, it will begin the process of preparing layouts, designs and other information to present to Big Rapids officials.

To contact Brill on how you can get involved, email her at brittanibrill11@aol.com. Or, you can join the Facebook group by searching "BR Project Skatepark Team" and offer your assistance there.

It was just a thought that turned into this really big thing, which is super exciting for me, she said.
TRAVERSE CITY  A new survey from Housing North of more than 200 employers and workers across northwest Michigan shows housing continues to be a challenge to growing the regional economy  but also indicates solid support for public and private initiatives to expand housing options.

More than three quarters of the survey respondents across the 10-county region said they knew of someone who couldnt relocate to northern Michigan because of the difficulties in finding housing. Almost half said it was very difficult to secure housing, with the greatest challenges in Charlevoix, Emmet and Grand Traverse counties.

We decided we wanted to learn more about the housing needs in our region by hearing directly from employers and workers, said Yarrow Brown, executive director of Housing North. Housing is one of the biggest challenges facing our region and impacts so many of our businesses. We wanted employers and their employees to know that we hear them and are working toward solutions.

The survey idea resulted from a stakeholder event for business and community leaders hosted in June by Housing North. Housing North also asked for the survey to be shared with the employees and associates of the participants of this stakeholder event.

When employers were asked for the biggest challenges to creating more housing for their employees the top three responses were the shortage of affordable housing, the competing demand from short term rentals, and lack of housing options.

Brown said the group was able to agree on a collective vision statement for tackling the regions housing challenges seeking: A pool of available housing options at a variety of price points that are affordable for the average working person and full-time residents, including retirees.

A common theme was that we need to focus on solutions and actions that move the needle on housing in our region, Brown said.

Brown was encouraged by the level of support shown in the survey for collaborative and legislative efforts to expand the housing market. Some 58% of respondents said they would consider investing in community-based housing collaboratives, while only 7% said they would not. Almost 50% said they would consider investing in a regional housing fund to help their workers secure housing.

Another 45% said they would consider investing in housing through tax credits included in the Employer Housing Tax Credit legislation introduced earlier this year in the Michigan Senate and House of Representatives. That legislation and other related housing bills are supported by the Michigan Housing Coalition, a state-wide group of housing advocacy organizations that includes Housing North. The bills were passed by the Senate this summer and are pending in the state House.

More than half of the employers that responded indicated the lack of affordable housing options is the biggest housing challenge in their service area. Survey results also showed that respondents in Charlevoix, Emmet and Antrim counties encountered the longest commutes from home to work, led by Antrim County residents with an average of 25 miles.

Housing North is committed to working with private and public partners on initiatives that can help to bring more housing to our region, including opportunities for employers to invest in housing if they so choose, Brown said. Were also committed to continuing our work with local units of government to become more housing ready and offer clear guidance on what they can do to help with housing solutions.

If employers want to dive deeper into their own employees housing needs or for a copy of the survey results, they are encouraged to contact Housing North. They have custom surveys they can provide for companies.

Founded in 2018, Housing North is a nonprofit organization that works to build awareness, influence policy, and grow capacity and resources for housing solutions in Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee and Wexford counties. More information is available online at housingnorth.org.
MANISTEE  A Kalkaska County man was arraigned for possession of methamphetamine in Manistee Countys 85th District Court after a traffic stop last week.

According to a Michigan State Police news release issued on Wednesday afternoon, a Cadillac post trooper stopped a vehicle at about 10:25 p.m. on Cadillac Highway near Marilla Road in Cleon Township for a moving violation on Friday.
MECOSTA COUNTY  The Mecosta County Sheriffs Office responded to the following calls.

All calls may not be reported.

Monday, Aug. 23

 A complaint was taken from the Mecosta County Jail involving a bond violation and child pornography.

 A woman was evicted from her home  in the 5000 block of 19 Mile Road in Fork Township  by a court officer, but she was refusing to leave.

 A larceny of tools and a car jack from a vehicle parked behind Paris Auto Sales was reported.

 Fraudulent activity was reported in the 16000 block of Monroe Road in Deerfield Township. The complainant sold a trailer on Craigslist and the buyer sent him a fake check.

 Fraudulent activity was reported in the 19000 block of 10th Avenue in Fork Township. A man was scammed out of $1,800 worth of Ebay cards between Aug. 16-21 in attempts to purchase a quad.

 A civil complaint was made in the 6000 block of Bantry Bay Court in Morton Township. A man chained a semi truck trailer to a tree. He was upset that the company didnt finish putting trim and soffit up.

 A domestic assault was reported in the 12000 block of 3 Mile Road in Deerfield Township. A brother assaulted his sister and also violated a PPO order for his wife.

 Child neglect was reported in the 17000 block of 205th Avenue in Big Rapids Township. Two children, ages 4 and 6, were out in the parking lot unsupervised. The complainant attempted to get ahold of the mother, but she would not come to the door and sat with her kids for an hour. The mom was sleeping on the couch and stated she worked third shifts. CPS was notified.

 A larceny was reported in the 11000 block of 5 Mile Road in Hinton Township. Victim had his chainsaw stolen from the back of his truck sometime between Aug. 21-22.

 An aggravated assault was reported in the 20000 block of Jefferson Road in Aetna Township. Two men got into a fight. Both went to hospital on the own for their injuries. A neighbor/witness tried to break it up, but left prior to arrival of police due to having a probation warrant out of Kent County.

 A traffic stop was performed in the 16000 block of Derby Lane in Martiny Township. The complainant was upset about a black Chevy pickup tearing up the road. Sheriffs deputies made contact with the driver, who stated he would slow down.

 Domestic violence was reported in the 5000 block of 10 Mile Road in Morton Township. A woman was slapped on her head and had her hair pulled from her scalp by a man. He was gone upon the deputies arrival. DHS was advised for poor living conditions for the kids she had with her.

 A harassment complaint was made in the 300 block of Deerpath Lane in Fork Township. A man reported he is being threatened by his neighbor

 An assault/juvenile runaway was reported in the 16000 block of 135th Avenue in Colfax Township. A mother reported coming home to find her 14-year-old daughter in bed with a 15-year-old boy from Midland. The two ran out of the house, shoving the mother down on their way out. The two were said to be in a stolen dark blue Chrysler Town and Country, which was reported stolen out of Midland.

 Suspicious activity was reported in the 10000 block of Northland Drive in Mecosta Township. A man reported that an unknown vehicle dropped off a McDonalds bag on his porch and then left. Prior to our arrival the unknown vehicle then returned, picked up the bag and left.
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP)  Uganda's government said that 51 people evacuated from Afghanistan arrived in the East African country Wednesday at the request of the United States.

Authorities said in a statement that the group, transported to Uganda on a chartered flight, included men, women and children. No further details were immediately given on the evacuees' identities.

Ugandan officials said last week that the country would shelter up to 2,000 people fleeing the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. They said the Afghans would be brought to Uganda in small groups as a temporary arrangement before they are relocated elsewhere.

The decision to host those in need is informed by the government of Uganda's consistent policy of receiving refugees and persons in distress as well as playing a responsible role in matters of international concern," the statement said.

The evacuees will stay at hotels in a lakeside city outside the Ugandan capital, Kampala. Ugandan officials have repeatedly said the United States would pay the cost of caring for people evacuated from Afghanistan, and groups such as Mercy Corps are offering to help.

The U.S.-based humanitarian group said it would support Ugandan authorities to respond to the most immediate needs of the evacuees.

These civilians, mainly women and children, are searching for safety. Ugandas commitment to welcome Afghan evacuees should be applauded and supported by the international community, Allison Huggins, a Mercy Corps official in Africa, said in a statement. But the task is enormous, and we must stand in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, who need support now more than ever.

Uganda has long been a ally of the U.S., especially on security matters in the region.

But some activists and opponents of President Yoweri Museveni, who was reelected in January, say the U.S. arrangement with Uganda is problematic because it appears blind to allegations of rights abuses and bad governance in a country that has never had a peaceful transfer of power.

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Follow APs Afghanistan coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Two conservative hoaxers face a record $5.1 million fine for allegedly making illegal robocalls to wireless phones without the owners' consent in the 2020 election.

The Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday that the proposed fine for Jacob Wohl, Jack Burkman and Burkman's lobbying firm would be the largest ever for violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

The men already face criminal charges in multiple states over allegedly organizing 85,000 robocalls that falsely warned people in predominantly Black areas of New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan that information gleaned from mail-in ballots could lead to their arrest, debt collection and forced vaccination.

The FCC said federal law prohibits making prerecorded calls to cellphones without the permission of those receiving the calls. The agency, which determined 1,141 calls went to mobile phones on Aug. 26 and Sept. 14, proposed a $4,500 fine for each one.

Regulators launched their investigation following consumer complaints and concerns raised by a national civil rights group, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

The FCC said it worked with the Ohio attorney general's office to obtain subpoenas from two dialing service providers showing emails from Burkman and Wohl, including ZIP codes to target and the tape we want to go out. They will have an opportunity to respond before the commission takes action.

In emails to The Associated Press on Wednesday, Wohl and Burkman said the Biden administration is looking to distract from the U.S. pullout of Afghanistan and other woes.

We will not be deterred or discouraged, Wohl said. Burkman called the proposed fine sad.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, whose office is prosecuting the men, said this massive fine properly reflects the seriousness of the allegations these two political operatives face.

The FCC said it was the first time it issued notice of a fine without first issuing a citation, citing a 2019 change in the law.

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Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
Even as the pandemic shut down Huron County for a time, the countys road commission did not stop with its work of maintain roads and other facilities.

The road commission presented an annual report to the Huron County Board of Commissioners last month that covered the countys roads, parks, airport, and drains for 2020.

Road commissioner Alan McTaggart said that in the first quarter of 2020, the road commission did not know what was going to happen regarding COVID-19. Since a large part of the commissions funding comes from the Michigan Transportation Funds gas and registration taxes, it wondered how things would be handled.

As soon as we saw what was happening, we went into defense mode, McTaggart said. We cut back projects in preparation and it paid off. We tightened up our belt enough to be able to increase our fund balance by $1.9 million.

The county is in the second year of a five-year primary road millage that produced $2.192 million for asphalt resurfacing and/or bridge construction. The road commission was able to resurface 17 miles of asphalt roads, chip seal 5 miles of roads, improve one rail crossing, and install 24 culverts. Federal funds covered about $750,000 of the cost of these projects.

For local road construction programs, townships contributed $5.27 million of the $5.78 million spent, which covered 133 projects that included 1.5 miles of reconstructed roads, 12 miles of resurfaced asphalt, 74 miles of resurfaces gravel, 2 miles of resurfaced chip seal, and 42 installed culverts.

One county bridge in Caseville over the Pigeon River was selected to receive Local Citizen Bridge Grant funding, which will start construction in 2022. The road commission paid about $35,000 in engineering costs for this bridge.

Two other local bridges, on Moller Road in Huron Township and on Rapson Road in Sigel and Bloomfield townships, were paid for out of pocket with a combined cost of $674,655.

The 2021 road budget has a revenue projection of $18.3 million and expenditures of $17.8 million, with MTF projected to increase by $288,000.

For the Huron County Memorial Airport, it saw an increase of revenue in 2020 due to more hangar and land rent revenue and a federal CARES Act grant of $30,000. The airports major project is rehabilitating runway 17/35, which has been funded entirely through federal dollars due to the pandemic.

When it came to the county parks, the road commissioners were not sure what to do, whether to follow the same guidelines or allow camping. They made up their minds to open the parks on June 22 of last year since there were too many other shoreline businesses that rely on income coming from the campers.

It paid off, that was the thing to do, McTaggart said. Everyone went camping. After that point the campgrounds were full every weekend.

With the increased revenue and increased costs of running the parks, the road commission ended up having a $143,821 surplus in 2020 and increased its park fund balance to $1.1 million. It also conducted work at Stafford Park to improve the parks electrical system and drainage.

Projections for 2021 include a surplus of $81,500, which would allow the road commission to pursue capital improvement projects.

In the countys drain report, the drain commission carried out $1.2 million in assessments in 2020, down about $260,000 from 2019. It completed one project, the Shier & North Branch drain in Bingham and Sheridan townships, and is in the final planning stages for the South Fork Intercounty drain in Bingham and Paris townships.

Another drainage project along the Pigeon River is halfway complete. It affects 11 townships along with the city of Caseville and villages of Owendale and Pigeon and has a cost of $408,813.

McTaggart said the drain commissioners have done a good job in keeping the drains in check, keeping them maintained so they do not have to do larger projects.

We dont work on sympathy, McTaggart said, we make sure it makes sense for the public. Not everyone will be happy, but we spend money as wisely as we can for the county.
LONDON (AP)  The international scientists dispatched to China by the World Health Organization to find out where the coronavirus came from said Wednesday the search has stalled and warned that the window of opportunity for solving the mystery is closing fast.

Meanwhile, a U.S. intelligence review ordered up by President Joe Biden proved inconclusive about the virus's origin, including whether it jumped from an animal to a human or escaped from a Chinese lab, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

In a commentary published in the journal Nature, the WHO-recruited experts said the origins investigation is at a critical juncture requiring urgent collaboration but has instead come to a standstill. They noted among other things that Chinese officials are still reluctant to share some raw data, citing concerns over patient confidentiality.

Earlier this year, WHO sent a team of experts to Wuhan, where the first human COVID-19 cases were detected in December 2019, to probe what might have triggered the pandemic now blamed for nearly 4.5 million deaths worldwide, with more than 10,000 people a day succumbing despite more than 5 billion doses of vaccine administered.

In their analysis, published in March, the WHO team concluded the virus probably jumped to humans from animals, and they described the possibility of a laboratory leak as extremely unlikely.

But the WHO experts said their report was intended only as a first step and added, The window of opportunity for conducting this crucial inquiry is closing fast: any delay will render some of the studies biologically impossible.

For example, they said, Antibodies wane, so collecting further samples and testing people who might have been exposed before December 2019 will yield diminishing returns."

China said Wednesday that officials should concentrate on other possible avenues that may help trace the origin of COVID-19 and suggested studies should be pursued in other countries.

Fu Cong, a director-general in Chinas Foreign Ministry, agreed it is a pity the search for COVID-19s origins has stalled but said it wasnt Chinas fault. China has always supported and will continue to participate in the science-based origin tracing efforts, he said.

He accused the U.S. of hyping the lab leak theory and trying to shift the blame onto China, and implied the coronavirus might be linked to high-level American research labs, suggesting the United States invite WHO to investigate some of its installations.

Marion Koopmans and her WHO-recruited colleagues listed a number of priorities for further research, including conducting wider antibody surveys that might identify places where COVID-19 was spreading undetected, both in China and beyond, testing wild bats and farm-raised animals as potential reservoirs of the virus, and investigating any credible new leads.

Some other scientists fear the best opportunities to collect samples might have been missed during the first few weeks after some of the earliest human cases appeared linked to a Wuhan seafood market.

Chinese researchers collected hundreds of environmental samples immediately after the coronavirus was found, but it is unclear how many people or animals were tested.

Once you have wildlife traders shifting over to other kinds of employment because theyre worried about whether theyll be able to do this anymore, that window starts to close, said Maciej Boni, a Pennsylvania State University biology professor who has studied virus origins and was not part of the WHO team.

Still, Boni said scientists might be able to pinpoint COVID-19s animal source by hunting for closely related viruses in species like raccoon dogs, mink or ground squirrels. But he said it could take about five years to do the kind of extensive studies necessary.

The search for COVID-19s origins has become a bitter source of dispute between the U.S. and China, with increasing numbers of American experts calling for the two Wuhan laboratories close to the seafood market to be investigated, something China has flatly rejected and branded scapegoating.

Biden in May ordered a 90-day review by U.S. intelligence agencies of both the animal-to-human hypothesis and the lab leak theory. In July, even WHOs Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus said it was premature to have rejected the lab theory, adding that research accidents are common.

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Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A Republican-ordered investigation into Wisconsin's 2020 election could cost taxpayers at least $680,000, more than nine times the original cost of contracts signed earlier this summer, according to Reince Priebus, the former state and national head of the Republican Party.

Priebus revealed details about the expanded cost of the probe during an appearance on a podcast hosted by Steve Bannon, a former adviser to former President Donald Trump. Priebus briefly served as Trump's chief of staff.

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos hired former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman to conduct the probe. Under the original contract, Gableman was to be paid $44,000 over four months and three investigators were to get $9,600 each. One of the investigators was never hired and the other two quit last month.

Priebus told Bannon that the investigation would cost about $680,000, at least to start. He did not specify whether the money would come from taxpayers, donations or both.

Vos, who is close friends with Priebus, met with Trump at an Alabama rally on Saturday and promised to keep him updated on the investigation.

Vos said in a statement Wednesday that Assembly Republicans were working with Gableman to conduct a swift, complete and thorough investigation. Part of that discussion, Vos said, included hiring independent contractors to help. He did not detail who or what their job would be.

We believe a cyber-forensic audit is necessary to ensure issues did not happen in 2020, Vos said. "We have allocated additional resources to Justice Gableman to ensure this investigation gets to the truth.

Vos did not release a copy of the contract with Gableman or immediately respond to a request for the contract.

Priebus and Gableman did not immediately return messages seeking comment Wednesday.

This is all about trying to appease a guy who lost and a base thats crazy," said Democratic state Sen. Jon Erpenbach. "Its disgusting, all of its disgusting.

Erpenbach called it a waste of taxpayer money that could be better spent in Wisconsin communities.

Vos hired Gableman to examine the outcome of the election won by President Joe Biden by nearly 21,000 votes in Wisconsin. Gableman last week traveled to South Dakota to attend an event hosted by MyPillow executive Mike Lindell that included advocates of conspiracy theories. He previously traveled to Arizona to talk with those involved with a widely discredited Arizona election audit there.

Democrats and other critics of Gableman's investigation have said his time would be better spent in Wisconsin talking with election officials and those with direct knowledge about how elections are run in the state.

Gableman has said a thorough investigation into Wisconsin's election was warranted and the intention was not to attempt to overturn the results. Biden's victory has withstood recounts in two counties and multiple state and federal lawsuits, but Republicans passed a series of bills that would toughen absentee voting rules, all of which were vetoed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

The investigation Gableman is leading is one of several in the state.

The nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau is conducting a review of the election as ordered by Republicans. That is expected to be done in the fall. And Republican Rep. Janel Brandtjen, chairwoman of the Assembly Elections Committee, issued subpoenas earlier this month to election clerks in Milwaukee and Brown counties seeking voting machines, ballots and other records but legislative attorneys have said they're not valid unless Vos signs them.

The clerks in both counties said the subpoenas are being reviewed. Vos has said if Gableman determines that subpoenas are necessary, he will "look into making sure those can happen.

Priebus said he was told that subpoenas would be issued in the next week or two. He did not specify whether they would be new subpoenas or if Vos was signing the ones issued by Brandtjen.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)  Just over half of Floridas 2.8 million public school students now face mandates to wear masks in classrooms as a courtroom battle continues over efforts by Gov. Ron DeSantis to leave such decisions up to parents.

A majority of school board members in Orange County told the superintendent on Tuesday to require most students to wear masks, and agreed with her recommendation to keep the mandate through Oct. 30.

The district began its school year this month with a parental opt-out, but a surge in students across the Orlando area testing positive for COVID-19 has disrupted classes. Through Tuesday, the district reported 1,968 positive cases among students since school began, with 1,491 people under active quarantine, according to the district's dashboard.

At least 10 school boards making up some of the largest districts in Florida are now defying the governor's attempt to ban local mandates on masks in schools. The Orange County board also said it wants to challenge the legality of a Florida Department of Health rule enforcing the ban.

In Fort Lauderdale, the Broward County School Board told the Department of Education on Tuesday that it won't back down on its mask policy, which gives parents a medical opt-out for students. The board said it believes that complies with the governor's order and the department's mask rule.

Parents, the board said, don't have an unlimited right to send their kids to school unmasked, infringing on the rights of other parents who want their children kept safe.

DeSantis is not backing down. Ar a news conference Wednesday, the governor warned of additional consequences for defiant schools districts, but didn't elaborate. DeSantis contends those boards are violating the Parents Bill of Rights, signed into law this summer. It gives parents authority to direct their children's education.

Those schools districts are violating state law and they are overriding what the parents judgment is on this, he said, stressing repeatedly that cloth masks dont prevent the spread of aerosols.

If these entities are going to violate state law and take away parents rights . theres consequences for that, DeSantis added.

The state had given Broward and Alachua counties until Tuesday to end their mask mandates. Broward's students began school a week ago with a mask policy in place. State officials have threatened to withhold funding equal to school board salaries if a district doesnt comply. Those funds make up less than 1% of each districts budget.

The debate over masks has gotten heated.

On Wednesday morning, police said the father of a student who tried to enter Fort Lauderdale High School without a mask was arrested after he forcefully pushed another student who tried to grab his cellphone. A police report said the father was recording video of students at the schools front gate and the student didnt want to be filmed.

The father was charged with one count of aggravated child abuse.

School board members from Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties held a virtual news conference Wednesday to discuss the possibility of suing DeSantis and the state. All three said theyve received online threats over the mask issue.

We will not be pressured by the governor or the state Board of Education when the safety and health of our students is involved. We have a constitutional duty to protect our students, said Miami-Dade school board member Lucia Baez-Geller. Governor DeSantis has made this issue divisive with his rhetoric and threats.

Later Wednesday, the Palm Beach County school board voted unanimously to allow the districts general counsel to work with outside attorneys to potentially file or join a lawsuit against the state.

Monroe County's board decided Tuesday to require masks rather than strongly encourage them, but with a parental opt-out that should comply with the DeSantis order.

In Tallahassee on Wednesday, testimony ended in a three-day hearing that pits pro-mask parents against the DeSantis administration and state education officials. Circuit Judge John C. Cooper said he would hear closing arguments Thursday and rule Friday.

The state contends that parents, not schools, should choose whether their children cover up in classrooms.

I take my rights and my freedom very seriously, testified Jennifer Gillen, who supports the governor's order and has two sons in Lee County schools where there is no strict mask mandate. Our rights are actually being threatened.

Dr. Jay Battacharya, a Stanford University medical professor and researcher who also supports the governor's approach, said he typically masks up only when required to, or to make others feel at ease  not because he believes they prevent coronavirus exposure. I dont believe there is high-quality evidence to show masks are effective in stopping disease spread, he testified Wednesday.

The highly contagious delta variant led to a surge in cases around Florida and record high hospitalizations just as schools reopen. By mid-August more than 21,000 new cases were being added per day, compared with about 8,500 a month earlier. However, new cases and hospitalizations have leveled off this past week. There were 16,820 people being treated for the disease in Florida hospitals Tuesday, U.S. Health Department figures showed, down from a record high above 17,000 last week.

About 6 in 10 Americans say students and teachers should be required to wear face masks while in school, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

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Associated Press writers Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee and Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale contributed to this story.
MADRID (AP)  A Spanish judge in a decision cheered by environmentalists has put a halt to backup plans for the construction of a giant telescope in the Canary Islands  eliminating at least for now the primary alternative location to the preferred spot in Hawaii, where there have been protests against the telescope.

Construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope, or TMT, on Hawaiis tallest mountain, Mauna Kea, has been stalled by opponents who say the project will desecrate land held sacred to some Native Hawaiians.

Telescope officials had selected the alternate location near an existing scientific research facility on the highest mountain of La Palma, one of the Spanish islands off the western African coast, in the Atlantic Ocean.

But an administrative court in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital of the Spanish archipelago, ruled last month that the 2017 concession by local authorities of public land for the tentative project was invalid. The ruling was dated on July 29, but only became public this week after local media reported about the decision.

In the ruling obtained by The Associated Press, Judge Roi Lopez Encinas wrote that the telescope land allocation was subject to an agreement between the Canary Astrophysics Institute, or IAC, and the telescopes promoter, the TMT International Observatory (TIO) consortium.

But the judge ruled that the agreement was not valid because TIO had not expressed an intention to build on the La Palma site instead of at the Hawaii site.

The judge also sided with the plaintiff, the environmental group Ben Magec-Ecologistas en Accion, in rejecting arguments by TIOs legal team and the islands government that the land concession was covered by an international treaty on scientific research.

An official for the Canary Islands High Court said questions about the ruling could not be answered because other court officials in a position to answer the questions were on vacation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to be named in media reports.

The island's local elected government chief, Mariano Zapata, said it was sad that advocacy groups are so occupied by administrative matters instead of environmental issues.

I wish we were all in the same boat with the intent of creating jobs in the La Palma island so it can keep being an international reference on scientific research, Zapata said. His government estimated last year that the telescope would generate 500 permanent jobs and at least 400 million euros ($470 million) in investment.

Scott Ishikawa, a spokesperson for the consortium hoping to build the telescope, said that the consortium plans to appeal the ruling.

While we respect the courts ruling in La Palma, we will pursue the legal process to retain La Palma as our alternative site. Hawaii remains our preferred location for TMT, and we have renewed our efforts to better connect with the Hawaii community in a meaningful and appropriate way," he said in an email to The Associated Press.

Pablo Batista, a spokesman of the Ben Magec-Ecologistas en Accion group, hailed the decision as a big setback for what he called a fraudulent project that he said made fake promises of new jobs for the island.

The whole idea of offering the island as a back-up was nothing else but as a strategy to put pressure on the Hawaii plans, Batista said.

In a statement, the group also said that the five years that the TIO consortium has lost on La Palma should make it reflect on the arrogant and disrespectful strategy that they have carried out both in Hawaii and in the Canary Islands, emboldened by institutional support and despising the arguments of the opposition to the TMT.

The group's concerns echo some of the concerns expressed by those fighting the telescope in Hawaii, said Kealoha Pisciotta, one of the leaders seeking to keep the project off Mauna Kea.

Im glad that they challenged it, because like here, the challenge helps bring awareness to TMT's not only lack of following the process, but caring for the environment and Hawaiians sacred site, she said.

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Associated Press writers Audrey McAvoy and Jennifer Sinco Kelleher contributed to this report from Honolulu.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  A lawsuit filed on behalf of a New Mexico nurse and an agricultural worker challenges the constitutionality of recent public health orders requiring people with certain jobs to get COVID-19 vaccinations and restricting admittance to the state fair.

The lawsuit filed last week in federal court asks a judge to block enforcement of an order requiring health workers, teachers and certain other workers to get vaccinated. The lawsuit also seeks to block a state mandate that requires anyone attending the New Mexico State Fair to be fully vaccinated.

The suit, which was filed against Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and acting Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase, calls Lujan Grisham a tyrannical governor willing to punish children and destroy livelihoods.

Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett told the Santa Fe New Mexican that the administration does not comment on pending litigation but that state actions to protect the public's health and safety have been repeatedly upheld by courts.

Attorney A. Blair Dunn filed the suit on behalf of Jennifer Blackford, a registered nurse at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, and Union County Extension Agent Talisha Valdez,

Many employers already are requiring vaccinations, with Los Alamos National Laboratory among the latest to do so.

Under the lab's policy, full vaccination will be mandatory for all regular employees and on-site contractors and subcontractors. It also will apply to all employees working on-site as well as those working remotely.

"To meet our laboratorys critical mission requirements amid rising COVID-19 case rates in northern New Mexico and beyond, we must protect the entire workforce from the spread of this potentially severe disease. The best tool we have is vaccines, Director Thom Mason wrote in a memo.

More than 85% of lab employees and contractors already are fully vaccinated.

Statewide, nearly 67% of people 18 and older are fully vaccinated, according to the latest data from the New Mexico Department of Health.
The number of coronavirus cases in the Upper Thumb took a significant jump Wednesday, when the state reported an increase of 54 new cases.

Leading the region was Huron County with 24 new cases, double the increase from Monday, and bringing the county to a total of 3,196 confirmed cases and 77 deaths. An increase in cases has also caused an increase in the test positivity rates. Huron County saw a test positivity rate of 25.7%, based on 19 positive tests out of 74 processed.

Tuscola County also saw a significant increase, with 17 new cases being reported since Monday, bringing the county to 5,068 confirmed cases and 164 deaths. The positivity rate in Tuscola County was nearly 10%, based on eight positive tests out of 85 processed.

Sanilac County saw the smallest increase in the region with 13 new cases. However, one new death was reported in the county, bringing totals to 3,817 cases and 119 deaths. Sanilac County's positivity rate was nearly 14%, based on six positive tests out of 44 processed.

Statewide there was an average daily increase of 2,163 new cases between Tuesday and Wednesday, or a total of 4,326. In the same timeframe there were 28 new deaths reported, along with 10 additional deaths identified by the state during a review of vital records, bringing the total to 38 deaths. Since the start of the pandemic there has been 937,720 confirmed COVID cases and 20,161 COVID deaths.

According to the state's hospital capacity report, hospitals in Preparedness Region 3, which includes the Upper Thumb, have 2,292 of 2,875 inpatient and 339 of 353 intensive care unit beds occupied as of Aug. 25.

Hospitals in the region reported treating 161 patients for COVID, including one pediatric patient, 12 patients on ventilators and 43 in ICU.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all but one state in the U.S. is listed as being a high level of community transmission, which the CDC identifies as having more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days. Nationwide there has been 297.5 new cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days. Maine is the only state listed at the substantial level, based on 83.8 per 100k.

Based on the high levels of community transmission, the CDC recommends even vaccinated people wear face masks when in public.

The CDC lists Florida the state with the highest number of new cases in the last seven days with 148,544 and Texas is second with 117,299. In the same timeframe Michigan has seen an increase of 12,438.

For more information on the coronavirus visit www.michigan.gov/coronavirus.
Screenshot/Dominic Mallory

Dominic Mallory, who is visiting family in the area, captured video of a storm rolling in near Hamlin Lake on Tuesday afternoon.

Hamlin Lake is located just north of Ludington, Michigan.
MIDDLETOWN  Chicago bluesman Studebaker John with drummer Liviu Pop are scheduled to give a popup concert at the Buttonwood Tree Performing Arts Center, 605 Main St., Middletown, Sept. 15 at 7;30 p.m. Seating is limited, reservations are requested. Masks are required.

Searing slide-guitar and howling electrified harp are the hallmarks of Chicago Blues, and Studebaker John is a home-town boy who is taking that tradition into the future. Inspired by Hound Dog Taylor and JB Hutto, John can thrash out a boogie while playing a lead-guitar line on top; he has a light but penetrating voice; he writes great songs, and his tone on the Mississippi Saxophone has a spacious feel, reminiscent of Shakey Horton, according to a statement.

Liviu Pop is a versatile drummer who plays a wide variety of genres, including blues, soul, funk, jazz, electronic and experimental. He was inducted into the Connecticut Blues Hall of Fame in 2018. He has played much of New England, the United States, and Europe. He has performed with a variety of blues artists, including Hubert Sumlin, Sam Lay, Lucky Peterson, Debbie Davies, Lil Dave Thompson, and Toni Lynn Washington, according to the statement.

Art show opening

"Standing on the Shoulders" Art Exhibit at The Buttonwood Tree, featuring works by David Chorney, runs from Sept. 1-30.

Middletown, CT: The Buttonwood Tree is excited to announce their September Art Exhibit will be "Standing On The Shoulders" by David Chorney.

"Working in both, representative and non-representative abstract, and with paintings homed by private collectors throughout the country, I am constantly pushing myself into new areas of exploration. While I create art that is solely representative of something deeper within me, my hope is that it will make you pay attention, affecting you emotionally in some way. The end results are one-of-a-kind paintings that most certainly reside outside of expectations, Chorney said in a statement. The title of my exhibit, Standing On The Shoulders is a nod to all the artists Ive ever experienced, learned from, viewed, and have taken the time to guide me, whether knowingly or not. I would not be where I am today without them, and everything I do as an artist, I do while standing on their shoulders."

Twenty percent of all profits from Chorney's art during 2021 will be donated to The Jed Foundation, a non-profit charity dedicated to preventing suicide in American teens and young adults; and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, a non profit charity that funds scientific research to find cures for mental illnesses ranging from addiction to schizophrenia.

A reception for the exhibit will be held Sept. 12. See www.Buttonwood.org for details and gallery hours or call 860-347-4957 / email: TheButtonwoodTree@gmail.com
NEW YORK (AP)  One of the year's most anticipated debut novels, Honoree Fanonne Jeffers' The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, is now an Oprah Winfrey book club pick.

Published Tuesday, Jeffers' novel traces centuries of Black history through a family in the American South and its contemporary narrator, young Ailey Paul Garfield. The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois," named for the canonical Black scholar and activist, has received advance praise from Angie Thomas, Jacqueline Woodson and Stephanie Powell Watts among others.

I was so enraptured by the story of this modern Black family, and how author Honoree Fanonne Jeffers wove the larger fabric of historical trauma through the familys silence through generations, Winfrey said in a statement. Its a combination of historical and modern and it consumed me. I look forward to discussing with our community of readers and speaking with Honoree herself to discuss the themes that run throughout this special novel.

Tuesdays announcement continues Winfreys history of selecting debut fiction; her previous book club choice was Nathan Harris The Sweetness of Water.

Jeffers, 54, is already an acclaimed poet whose The Age of Phillis was on the long list in 2020 for a National Book Award. A professor of English at the University of Oklahoma, she has championed the stories and achievements of Black women, including Winfrey.

I first encountered the beauty, brilliance, and empathy of Ms. Oprah Winfrey from afar, by watching her talk show on my television in the 1980s, Jeffers said in a statement. She made me believe that so many great things were possible for a young, African American woman like me. That I could do anything if I just set my hands, mind, and spirit to the task. As a creative writer, it was my secret dream that I would one day write a book that this phenomenal woman  to quote from the great poet, Dr. Maya Angelou  would read, enjoy, and present to the members of her book club."

Winfrey founded her book club in 1996 and has partnered with Apple since 2019. Her interview with Jeffers will air Sept. 24 on Apple TV+.
Connecticut Childrens, a network of pediatric care providers, announced Wednesday it is expanding its services into the network of health care centers run by Nuvance Health.

The organization runs seven hospitals in western Connecticut and nearby New York, including Danbury, Norwalk, New Milford and Sharon hospitals.

Im pleased to announce today that Nuvance Health has expanded its collaboration with Connecticut Childrens to make it easier for parents to get the care they need for their children in both western Connecticut and throughout New Yorks Hudson Valley, Nuvance President and CEO John Murphy said during a Wednesday news conference.

Through this new pediatric alliance, Childrens experts will provide care to infants and children of all ages across the entirety of Nuvance Healths system, he said. The news conference was held over Zoom and simultaneously livecast to Nuvance Healths Facebook page.

Murphy said Nuvance has worked side-by-side with Connecticut Childrens in Danbury and Norwalk, a partnership he described as fruitful and productive.

Jim Shmerling, president and CEO of the Hartford-based Connecticut Childrens Medical Center, said he was excited about the expansion, and said it would give families greatest access to our pediatric expertise.

It means that families will hopefully find it easier than ever to make appointments, find physicians or go into an intensive care unit if they need it he said.

The two organizations highlighted the case of Tanya Madrigal, who received care through the partnership after her son arrived in June  three months early. Madrigal said she received an emergency cesarean section after doctors told her it was necessary to save her life and the life of her son.

All the doctors and nurses from Connecticut news conference. The first day she saw her son, he was connected to machines by wires.

I was so scared, Madrigal said. The first thing that came to my mind was he was not going to make it.

After blood transfusions, brain ultrasounds and a hernia removal, her son was able to come home Wednesday, Madrigal said.

Hes an amazing baby, she said. Every single day hes smiling  he has a smile for mommy every day.
MIDDLETOWN  The site of a future 17-unit housing development off Washington Street is on the market for $375,000.

The special exception for a multifamily attached-home development in a mixed-use zone was approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission in February.

Agent/owner Jeffrey R Del Favero, of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, at 955 Washington St., listed the property on the commercial real estate site LoopNet as a shovel-ready project. The two-plot parcel is just under 2 acres in size.

The appeal of the complex is easy access to Washington Street/Route 66, as well as Wesleyan University, Del Favero said Tuesday.

A lot of the particulars will be up to the new owner, including whether these will be rental or individually owned units, as well as their price point, he said.

It will clean up the area, said Del Favero, who added that development, on West Street, near the intersection with Middlefield Street, will serve as a transition from residential to area businesses, including Aldi, CVS and Walgreens.

Middletown Fire Department crews are using the house at 61 West St. for safety training before its demolished.

The parking area part of the site has been vacant for some time, Del Favero said.

He rented the land to the state Department of Transportation two years ago for equipment storage for the 2019 bridge replacement project nearby. The structure runs over the Providence and Worcester Railroad.

For 50 years, the lot was the property of an electrical company, he said.

During the public hearing in February 2020, some residents expressed concerns about it being in a flood plain, as it abuts the Coginchaug River. Others were curious about there being enough parking, and the lack of sidewalks.

Attorney Dennis Ceneviva said during the hearing that whatever is necessary to protect the river would be included in the final rendition of the plan, according to the meeting minutes. The site is approximately 21 feet above the 100-year flood elevation, he said.

Only environmentally friendly fertilizers will be used, and there will be 34 parking spaces instead of the required 27, which leaves seven extra spaces for guests, Ceneviva said.
MIDDLETOWN  Scientists have already discovered more than 3,500 planets orbiting around stars in the universe, with the number continually expanding.

By using Wesleyan Universitys new 24-inch telescope, student Kyle McGregor, 24, is on the hunt for more, specifically systems involving two planets. To find them, he measures the light from stars over time, noting that the light will decrease when an exoplanet passes in front of a star, blocking the radiated light to Earth.

The measuring of this change in light, known as the transit method, allows us to detect the presence of these distant worlds and to study their properties, McGregor said. Its really cool, and I love using the new telescope to do it!

McGregor shared his research project, Building a Predictive Model for the Detection of Possible Outer Planets in Known 2-body Resonant Systems, late last month.

The astronomy, physics, and Italian studies major shared his exoplanet studies during the 2021 Summer Research Poster Session, where students showcase their projects with peers, faculty, and the public. The annual event brought together more than 180 student researchers  half of whom worked remotely this summer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Were still very interested in celebrating our students work, and emulating the excitement and activity of the in-person poster session, said event coordinator Ishita Mukerji, Wesleyan Fisk Professor of Natural Science, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, and director of the College of Integrative Sciences.

McGregor has spent the past year conducting research meetings over Zoom.

During this time, he developed a predictive model that can be applied to all known two-planet systems. That [remote research] process went well and helped me prepare for a proper summer doing research in person. Now that Im [back on campus], Im most excited about continuing my use of the new telescope and developing this model further to make it more robust and more accurate.

Computer science major Schuyler Sloman, 22, and biology and psychology double major Rachel Hsu, 23, shared their collaborative research on diversity within the H3N8 serotype of avian influenza. Their results suggested that there are at least seven lineages of H3N8 that appear specialized to different waterfowl species. They note that these ecological differences among H3N8 virus lineages could impact the likelihood of spillover to humans.

Sloman and Hsu will contribute their findings to the Global Virome Project, a strategic response to better predict, prevent, and respond to future viral pandemic threats. GVP estimates that more than 500,000 undiscovered animal viruses are capable of transmission to people.

Editors note: Olivia Drake works for Wesleyan University. This article excerpt has is reprinted with permission from the News @ Wesleyan blog.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)  The coronavirus is disrupting more classrooms in Florida while lawyers for Gov. Ron DeSantis argue against school mask mandates in a Tallahassee courtroom. Three more school districts held hearings Tuesday to discuss stricter mask policies to avoid more disruptions as more staff and students are sent home due to COVID-19 infections and exposures.

School boards in Orange, Pinellas and Monroe counties were discussing whether to join at least eight other districts in defying the Republican governor, whose executive order gave parents the power to decide whether a child wears a mask to school. Together the three districts have more than 3,000 students who were abruptly told not to come back to their classrooms after positive tests or exposure.

School board members in Orange County, where Orlando is located, didn't vote on a policy change but directed their superintendent to impose a 60-day mandate under the districts existing mask policy. Starting Monday, all students will be required to wear a mask unless they have a medical exemption. With nearly 200,000 students in Orange County, more than 1.4 million of Florida's 2.7 million students will be under a mask mandate.

Meanwhile, the school board in Pinellas County, where St. Petersburg and Clearwater are located, voted 4-3 against scheduling an emergency meeting later this week to consider a 90-day student mask mandate. Dozens of people spoke on both sides of the mask issue before the vote.

Pinellas board member Bill Dudley cited several studies indicating little difference in coronavirus infection spread among children whether they wore masks or not.

If it doesn't make a difference, why do it? Dudley said. We have a mandate, and that mandate is choice. Do what you think is best for your child.

The three-day hearing that started Monday before Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper pits pro-mask parents against the DeSantis administration and state education officials who contend that parents, not schools, should choose whether their children cover up in classrooms.

The highly contagious delta variant led to an acceleration in cases around Florida and record high hospitalizations just as schools prepared to reopen classrooms this month. By mid-August more than 21,000 new cases were being added per day, compared with about 8,500 a month earlier. The state said 16,820 people were hospitalized on Tuesday, down from a record of more than 17,000 last week.

Dr. Mona Mangat, a St. Petersburg physician who specializes in pediatric immunology, testified Tuesday on behalf of the lawsuit plaintiffs that face coverings remain essential in classrooms because children 12 and under aren't yet eligible to get their shots.

That leaves us with vaccination where we can and masking everybody, Mangat said. Masking of any sort that you can get your hands on is better than no masking.

Other testimony Tuesday featured a Stanford University medical professor and researcher who supports DeSantis and state education officials in contending there's little science to warrant a mask requirement for all students.

I don't think the evidence exists," said Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who has appeared on several DeSantis roundtable discussions and advised the governor about the virus. Children are inefficient transmitters of this disease."

Testimony in the court hearing resumes Wednesday.

Some districts, such as the one that covers Jacksonville area schools, began the semester with a parental opt out for masks. The board agreed late Monday to adopt a stricter, 90-day mask policy beginning Sept. 7. That's in keeping with recommendations of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to wear masks at all times when indoors among groups of people.

State education officials have vowed to financially punish districts that dont comply with the governor's executive order, contending they are violating state law unless they allow parents to opt-out their children for any reason. A lawyer for the defendants  DeSantis, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, the state school board and education department  said the order heeds the state constitution and the Parents Bill of Rights law that took effect in July.

Orange County's board has been pressured by pro-mask parents and teachers to follow the federal health guidance. The board in Pinellas County faced calls from a coalition of groups for a 60-day mask mandate. And in the Florida Keys, Monroe County's board began discussions about a mask policy Tuesday.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Minnesotans who get their first COVID-19 vaccine dose at the Minnesota State Fair can walk away with a $100 Visa gift card.

Gov. Tim Walz announced the State Fair edition of the state's $100 reward program Wednesday. The first 3,600 Minnesotans to get their first dose at the fair can claim their gift cards immediately afterward.
GREENWICH, Conn. (AP)  A key player in a stock fraud scheme that cheated about 12,000 investors out of $19 million has died in a car crash on I-95 in Greenwich.

Christian Meissenn, 49, of Suffield was convicted in 2018 of conspiring with others to defraud investors, many of them retirees, through a stock pump and dump scheme that ran from 2009 until 2016.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  A Connecticut man was charged Tuesday with firing multiple gunshots at the state Capitol in late May, one of several shooting incidents police believe he was involved in around the same time. No one was injured in any of the shootings.

State police said they arrested 74-year-old Floyd Gollnick of Southington, who already was detained in connection with shootings in Southington and Bristol. He was charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief in connection with the Capitol shooting.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Federal prosecutors in Mexico said Wednesday that an opposition politician who fled the country over the weekend allegedly took a $525,000 bribe.

The Attorney Generals Office outlined the accusation that led it to try to obtain an arrest warrant fort former presidential candidate Ricardo Anaya.

Anaya ran for the conservative National Action Party in the 2018 presidential election, which was won by Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and he has been contemplating a second bid. Anaya says he is the victim of political persecution.

Prosecutors said evidence indicates the former head of the state-owned oil company, Emilio Lozoya, had received bribe money from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Lozoya has told prosecutors he gave $525,000 to Anaya, then a legislator, in 2014 to vote in favor of an energy reform bill that opened the industry to the private sector.

Anaya said in a video posted on social media over the weekend that he was leaving Mexico. He did not say where he was going, but said he feared being jailed for 30 years on the charges.

In the era of autocrats like Lopez Obrador, exile is the only alternative to continue fighting, Anaya said. Allowing yourself to be jailed by an autocrat often means losing the battle.

Anaya had been criticized in the past for his long sojourns in the United States. He had recently been touring Mexico in an apparent bid to ignite another run for the presidency in 2024.

Lopez Obrador denied Monday that the government is persecuting Anaya, but has never liked him much. The two sparred angrily in debates for the 2018 election, with Lopez Obrador dubbing Anaya with a nickname that means little rich kid.

The president said accusations that the charges are a political vendetta are a lie, a falsehood.

However, many Mexicans have expressed concern that Lozoya, the ex-official who has accused Anaya and others of accepting bribes, has himself been allowed to stay out of prison for alleged corruption because he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Some fear Lozoya, the former head of Petroleos Mexicanos, may avoid prosecution in exchange for smearing the presidents opponents.

Lozoya has acknowledged bribery, but said he was ordered to commit the offenses during the 2012-2018 administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto.

On Wednesday, Anaya posted another video, claiming that Lopez Obrador is using Lozoya to attack him.

The accusations against me are your invention, put in the mouth of Lozoya, Anaya said, referring to the president.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit Tuesday that seeks to stop school districts from enforcing mask mandates, requirements aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19.

The action drew a rebuke from President Joe Biden, who finds such lawsuits unacceptable, his press secretary said Tuesday.

The lawsuit names Columbia Public Schools along with the district's Board of Education and board members, but is a class action lawsuit that would apply to school districts across the state that have a mask mandate for schoolchildren, said Chris Nuelle, a spokesman for Schmitt.

The new school year began Monday in several districts across the state, and with the delta variant causing a big spike in cases, hospitalizations and deaths, more than four dozen districts are requiring students, teachers and staff to wear face coverings. The lawsuit filed by Schmitt, a Republican, cites the low death rate among school aged children.

We filed this suit today because we fundamentally dont believe in forced masking, rather that parents and families should have the power to make decisions on masks, based on science and facts," Schmitt said in a news release.

President Joe Biden's believes lawsuits such as Schmitt's put more children at risk, press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.

The president thinks thats completely unacceptable and he has asked his secretary of education, directed I should say, his secretary of education to use all of his authority to help those school districts doing the right thing to ensure every one of their students has access to a fundamental right of safe in-person learning, Psaki said. This could include a number of considerations but Ill let the secretary to speak to them.

Columbia school district spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark said the district is extremely disappointed that Schmidt filed the lawsuit. She said the mask mandate is not a forever decision" but is currently necessary to keep students safe.

The decision to file suit against a public school district after a local decision is made in the interest of safety and keeping students in school will waste taxpayer dollars and resources, which are better spent investing in our students. Columbia Public Schools intends to aggressively defend its decision to keep its community and its scholars safe.

Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, a Springfield Democrat, said in a statement that schools may be forced to close if Schmitt's lawsuit is successful and outbreaks occur. She also noted that Schmitt is running for U.S. Senate in 2022.

This lawsuit might help Schmitt win a Republican U.S. Senate primary, but it puts the lives and education of Missouri children in jeopardy, Quade said.

Schmitt successfully sued to stop St. Louis County's mask mandate. He has also filed suits against mask requirements in St. Louis city, Kansas City and Jackson County.

Southwestern Missouri has been the epicenter of this summers outbreak of COVID-19. But since the delta variant of the virus began its rampage in June, cases have spread across the state. Now, the Bootheel region of southeast Missouri is under siege.

Information on Missouri's COVID-19 dashboard shows that six of the 12 counties with the highest seven-day rates of new cases are in the southeast  Scott, New Madrid, Mississippi, Madison, Jackson and Perry counties.

Cape Girardeau's two hospitals are treating a combined 76 COVID-19 patients, including 24 in intensive care units, according to information from St. Francis Medical Center and Southeast Hospital.

The death toll continues to rise with another 170 deaths reported by the state health department. Of them, 143 were the result of a weekly review of death certificates. One of those deaths was in May, two were in June, 35 were in July and 105 were earlier in August. The state also cited 27 new deaths, and 1,770 newly confirmed cases. Missouri has reported 618,022 COVID-19 cases overall.

A central Missouri mayor meanwhile pushed for his friend to be given an anti-parasite drug not approved for treating COVID-19.

The Kansas City Star reported that Lake Ozark Mayor Dennis Newberry wrote on Facebook Monday that the friend should be allowed to take ivermectin in a last-ditch effort to save him.

Please pray for cooperation from his caregivers and hospital admin to allow his loved ones and friends to step in and assist with his life. If we do nothing his life will surely be taken from his 18 year old son, his family and friends, Newberry wrote.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved ivermectin to treat some parasitic worms and for head lice and skin conditions in humans, and other preparations of the drug are used to treat and prevent parasites in horses. The FDA has not approved ivermectin for treating or preventing COVID-19.

By Tuesday morning, Newberry's post had been removed. A phone message left with Newberry wasn't immediately returned.

An estimated 300,000 people attended the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia over the 10-day period that ended Sunday, but just 53 took advantage of an on-site COVID-19 vaccination clinic, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Obviously wed love to have vaccinated 1,000 people, Pettis County Health Administrator JoAnn Martin told the Post-Dispatch. But we are glad we made the effort.
MEXICO CITY  Mexico has accepted its first group of refugees from Afghanistan.

The five women and one man arrived Tuesday in Mexico City, where they were welcomed by Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard. Ebrard told the group, Welcome to your home.

The refugees belong to a group involved in the field of robotics. They had to travel through six countries to reach Mexico. They fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country earlier this month.

Ebrard says Mexico will grant them whatever legal status they consider best. That could include giving them asylum or refugee status.

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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:

 Taliban insist on airlift deadline amid new report of abuses

 Biden decides to stick with Aug. 31 final pullout from Kabul

 G-7 grapples with Afghanistan, an afterthought not long ago

 UN rights chief warns of abuses amid Talibans Afghan blitz

 Taliban takeover prompts fears of a resurgent al-Qaida

 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden says forces are on track to leave Afghanistan by his self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline but it will depend on Taliban cooperation.

In an address to the nation Tuesday, the president said he is pushing U.S. forces to leave the sooner the better due to increasing threats from ISIS-K and other terror groups in Kabul. Biden says the threats are real and significant challenges that we also have to take into consideration.

Biden says more than 70,000 people have been evacuated since Aug. 14. But there is tumult and violence outside Kabuls airport making it difficult for Americans and their Afghan allies to reach safety.

The president says that in a virtual Group of 7 meeting with world leaders, the nations were resolved to stand shoulder to shoulder to get people out of Afghanistan. But Bidens decision to pull out forces by the deadline has received sharp criticism from at home and abroad

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MOSCOW  Russias defense minister has voiced concern about the Taliban seizing a large number of weapons, including air defense missile systems, after sweeping over Afghanistan.

Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday the Taliban has captured hundreds of combat vehicles along with a number of warplanes and helicopters.

He expressed a particular worry about the Taliban obtaining more than 100 man-portable air defense missile systems.

Shoigu noted that Afghanistans refugee problem is a cause for grave concern.

The Russian defense chief voiced hope that the Taliban would move to form an inclusive government that would include all groups in the country.

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ROME  Italy will offer Afghan citizens evacuated to Italy from their homeland the opportunity to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Premier Mario Draghis office said Tuesday he has asked the Italian army general in charge of the national vaccination program to work out a plan so evacuees of recent days can receive the vaccine. If they want a vaccine they will receive them at locations around the country.

Right after they arrive in Italy, evacuees are issued humanitarian visas and are tested for COVID-19. Earlier in the day, Italian ministers told lawmakers that 2,659 Afghans have already reached Italy, and nearly 1,100 more were at Kabul airport awaiting Italian flights.

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MADRID  Spain is receiving a new batch of 290 Afghan refugees on a commercial airplane that has flown from Dubai to a military airbase in the outskirts of Madrid.

At least 130 more people are expected to travel later on Tuesday in two separate flights operated by the Spanish Air Force, the Defense Ministry said.

The latest arrivals bring to more than 1,200 the number of people that Spain has evacuated from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

They come as Defense Minister Margarita Robles acknowledged that Spain wont be able to aid all the people it had planned to despite the ongoing frantic efforts to evacuate as many as possible.

In an interview with Spains Cadena SER radio, the minister said that controls by Taliban forces and increasing tensions in Afghanistan were making it even more difficult for Afghans who worked for Spanish troops in the western city of Herat to travel to the Afghan capital, Kabul.

We are going to take out all the people that is possible. But there will be people that will remain for reasons that dont depend on us, due to the situation there, she said.

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BRUSSELS  European Council President Charles Michel says a number of G-7 leaders raised concerns with U.S. President Joe Biden about the Aug. 31 deadline for getting their nationals and Afghan helpers out of Kabul.

Michel says that several leaders expressed concerns about the timing of August 31, during Tuesdays G-7 summit. He declined to tell reporters after the meeting what response Biden gave the leaders.

According to an administration official, Biden plans to stick with his deadline for completing the U.S.-led evacuation from Afghanistan. The decision reflects in part the U.S. militarys concern about heightened security threats to the massive airlift that began 10 days ago.

Michel says the EU remains concerned about European citizens and Afghan people who worked with them being able to safely reach Kabul airport.

Michel says the EU raised this issue with our American friends and partners notably the need to secure the airport, as long as necessary, to complete the operations; and second, a fair and equitable access to the airport, for all nationals entitled to evacuation.

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MOSCOW  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Moscow is strongly against any U.S. troops presence in the ex-Soviet Central Asian nations and also opposes American attempts to persuade them to host Afghan refugees.

Speaking during Tuesdays visit to Hungary, Lavrov noted that Russia and some of the Central Asian countries are members of a security pact stipulating that any foreign military presence in the region requires their common agreement.

He added that the presence of U.S. troops in any of the regions countries would expose it to a potential retaliatory blow.

Hosting troops from the U.S. which has openly declared an intention to keep Afghanistan in cross hairs and launch strikes if necessary means immediately turning itself into a target, Lavrov said. I strongly doubt that any country, in Central Asia or elsewhere, would be willing to become a target to help the Americans pursue their initiatives.

Russias top diplomat predicted that Washingtons efforts to persuade Central Asian nations to host the Afghans who worked with the U.S. and its NATO allies would prove equally futile.

Lavrov charged that the U.S. has asked the countries of the region to host the Afghans for a couple of months before it gives them them American visas, the offer he scathingly criticized.

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BRUSSELS  European Council President Charles Michel says the sweeping Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the chaos that has followed are proof that the European Union must boost defense cooperation to handle security challenges itself.

Taliban militants took control of Afghanistan in just a few weeks as the NATO-trained national security forces withered after the Biden administration announced its intention to leave the conflict-ravaged country.

European NATO allies rely on U.S. airpower, transport and logistics to operate in Afghanistan and were forced to pull out too.

Michel says these events show that developing our strategic autonomy, while keeping our alliances as strong as ever, is of the utmost importance, for the future of Europe.

Twenty-two EU countries are members of the U.S.-led 30-nation military alliance, NATO.

Michel told reporters Tuesday after the G-7 summit that he plans to put the question up for debate at Europes top table.

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BRUSSELS  European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the European Union is ramping up its aid to Afghanistan amid a widening humanitarian crisis in the strife-torn country.

Von der Leyen says the EUs executive commission will propose to almost quadruple the humanitarian aid coming from the EU budget.

She says Brussels will now increase it to over 200 million euros ($235 million) this year to help meet the urgent needs of Afghans inside Afghanistan and those being sheltered in neighboring countries.

Von der Leyen told reporters after Tuesdays G-7 summit that the 27-nation bloc has frozen development assistance to Kabul and will only resume payments if the Taliban meet several conditions, including on human rights and forming an inclusive government

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MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticized the United States and its allies for leaving Afghanistan in chaos that raises potential security threats for Russia and its allies in Central Asia.

Addressing Tuesdays meeting of the main Kremlin party, United Russia, Putin noted that militants could use the turmoil to destabilize the ex-Soviet Central Asian nations bordering Afghanistan.

There is a danger that terrorists and different groups that found a refuge in Afghanistan will use the chaos left by our Western colleagues and try to launch an expansion into neighboring countries, Putin said. That will pose a direct threat to our country and its allies.

At the same time, Putin noted that Moscow has learned the lessons of the 10-year Soviet war in Afghanistan and will stay away from turmoil in Afghanistan.

We have drawn the necessary lessons, Putin said. We dont have any intention to interfere in Afghanistans internal affairs and, moreover, let our military forces be drawn into the all-against-all conflict.

He added that a possible rise in drug trafficking and the exacerbation of problems with migration could also pose threats to Russia.

Moscow, which fought a 10-year war in Afghanistan that ended with the Soviet troops withdrawal in 1989, has made a diplomatic comeback as a mediator over the past few years, reaching out to the Taliban and other feuding Afghan factions.

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BERLIN  The German military says it is concerned by the growing risk of attacks by the Islamic State group in Kabul.

Germanys top military commander, Gen. Eberhard Zorn, told reporters Tuesday that the threat has further increased.

We have signals both from American sources as well as our own assessment, that there is an increase of (IS) suicide bombers (slipping) into the city, he said.

Thats increasing and leads to heightened precautions, he added.

German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said she takes seriously the Taliban threat not to allow any foreign troops to remain beyond Aug. 31.

I think one needs to take very, very seriously the announcement that they wont agree to a further delay, she said. She added the threat could also be an attempt by the group to drive up the price in negotiations with foreign officials.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The Dutch military is halting shooting exercises at one of its firing ranges because the facility will be used to house Afghans evacuated from Kabul.

The Defense Ministry said Tuesday that shooting training at the Harskamp military base is suspended until further notice.

The first Afghan evacuees are expected to arrive later Tuesday in Harskamp, a large military base in the forests of the Veluwe region of the central Netherlands.

Military exercises are continuing near the first Dutch army base opened to house Afghan evacuees, in a northern village, but shooting has been suspended there, too.

The military says that evacuees will hear almost nothing of the exercises at the base in the northern village of Zoutcamp.

The Defense Ministry has opened three barracks to evacuees. So far, around 1,000 people have been brought to two accommodation centers, which are already nearly full.

The Harskamp base will house a further 800 Afghans.

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A Taliban spokesman says the U.S. must complete its evacuation of people from Afghanistan by the Aug. 31 date the Biden administration set for the withdrawal of all American troops.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday his group will accept no extensions to the deadline. He says life is returning to normal in the country but chaos at the airport remains a problem. Many Afghans are desperate to flee the Taliban takeover of the country.

Mujahid says he is not aware of any meeting between the Taliban and the CIA, but he did not deny that such a meeting took place. An official says the director of the U.S. agency met with the Talibans top political leader in Kabul on Monday.

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ANKARA, Turkey  Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says Turkey has so far evacuated 1,404 people from Afghanistan  1,061 of them Turkish nationals and 343 nationals of various countries.

Because of our (troops) presence at the airport, many countries, international organizations or NGOs have asked our help in evacuating their personnel, Cavusoglu told reporters Tuesday. We have been providing assistance to them together with the United States and Britain.

Cavusoglu said that there were some 4,500 Turkish nationals in Afghanistan but only around 200 are still waiting to be evacuated.

We have contacted each one of them. ... An important number of them said they did not want to return, Cavusoglu said, explaining that they included people who had businesses or jobs in Afghanistan or were married to Afghans.

We of course, respect their decision but we have also made the necessary suggestions and warnings, he said.

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ROME  Italys foreign minister is warning allies against concentrating on blaming the U.S. administration for the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told Parliaments foreign affairs and defense commissions on Tuesday that while such finger-pointing is coming into fashion in European public opinion, it risks weakening the traditionally solid trans-Atlantic alliance. Those engaged in assigning blame should be aware that if this alliance ends, there is no other to replace it, Di Maio said.

After the Americans leave Kabul airport  the date hypothesized for now is at the end of the month  it wont be in any case possible, not for us, nor for any country in the Alliance, to maintain any kind of presence in Afghanistan, Di Maio said.

Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini told lawmakers that so far 2,659 Afghan citizens, about a third of them children, have been evacuated by Italy. Another 1,000 people were waiting inside the airport for flights to Italy.

Italy is using its current leadership of the G-20 grouping to involve world powers, especially China and Russia, to try to build consensus on strategy toward Afghanistan.

The rapidly unfolding crisis in Afghanistan has forced Italy to suspend aid cooperation agreements. But we dont intend to interrupt humanitarian aid where conditions permit, Di Maio said. He said assistance would be funneled through the International Red Cross and U.N. agencies, especially for women and other vulnerable people.

At the request of the United States, Italy is also allowing temporary transit of evacuees on U.S. flights through military bases in Sicily and northern Italy.

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BUDAPEST, Hungary  Russias foreign minister says he opposes the placement of any U.S. military forces in countries neighboring Afghanistan in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from the country and its subsequent takeover by the Taliban.

Speaking at a press conference in Hungarys capital, Budapest, Sergei Lavrov said the presence of U.S. soldiers in Central Asian countries bordering Afghanistan would create instability in the region, and make those countries a target for potential attacks.

This is not the right way to preserve stability in those countries, Lavrov said.

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HELSINKI  Finland says it has now evacuated over 200 people from Afghanistan, including permanent staff and locally hired employees working for the Nordic countrys embassy in Kabul with their families.

Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto tweeted on Tuesday that Finlands most recent evacuation on Monday included also 40 persons from the European Union delegations in Afghanistan.

He said that the majority of those evacuated from Afghanistan were women and children, and that the evacuation effort was continuing this week.

On Friday, Finland sent a few dozen of its special unit soldiers to Afghanistan to help safeguard evacuations at the airport in Kabul.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto urged the international community in a speech in Helsinki on Tuesday to take notice of the acute human distress unfolding in Afghanistan. He expressed concerns over the situation of women and girls and other groups in a vulnerable position in the country, including locally hired employees of foreign embassies.

We have a specific responsibility for the security of the locally hired people who have enabled our (Finlands) own operations in Afghanistan over the past years, the Finnish head of state said.

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SEOUL, South Korea  South Korea says it has sent three military aircraft to Afghanistan and an unspecified nearby country to evacuate Afghans who worked for its embassy in Kabul and other South Korean-run facilities.

South Koreas Foreign Ministry on Tuesday did not confirm how many people will be evacuated. On Sunday, Song Young-gil, lawmaker and leader of South Koreas ruling Democratic Party, said the Seoul government should evacuate some 400 Afghans who were involved in South Korean rebuilding projects in Afghanistan.

Apart from embassy staff and their families, the South Korean planes will pick up Afghans who worked for a South Korean-run hospital at the U.S. militarys Bagram Airfield before the facility closed in 2015 and a South Korean-run job training center, the ministry said.

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BERLIN  A German army officer trying to help Afghans at risk from the Taliban to flee their country has launched a blistering attack on Germanys evacuation efforts.

Cpt. Marcus Grotian told reporters in Berlin on Tuesday that he was overwhelmed by disbelief at the way Germanys governing parties and politicians disregarded warnings about the Taliban advance and accused Chancellor Angela Merkels office of failing to step in when needed.

Grotian, who heads a network of volunteers trying to help locals who worked for German institutions in Afghanistan, said some 6,000 Afghans are still waiting to be evacuated and many likely wont make it.

There will be many, too many human tragedies to come, he said. Thats absolutely clear.

Grotian accused German officials of creating a dysfunctional bureaucracy that is making incomprehensible decisions about who can board evacuation flights and who cant.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. Sometimes a person who was never on a list is let through, sometimes a person who has been on our lists or those of the military command for six weeks is still turned away, he said.

Grotian recounted one incident earlier Tuesday in which an Afghan woman who had worked for Germanys foreign development agency four years ago was barred from entering Kabul airport.

He said the mixed messages being sent to Afghans by German bureaucrats would likely mean some will miss other opportunities to leave the country because they are still waiting for Germany to evacuate them.

Everyone who has worked for Germans must now be let through, because there wont be many more chances, said Grotian. Theyve been rejected three times, some of them four. There may not be a fifth when the planes dont fly anymore.

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PARIS  French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said an Afghan evacuated from Kabul to Paris and suspected of links to the Taliban was detained by French police on Tuesday.

The man is one of five Afghans placed under strict surveillance by Frances intelligence agency for possible links to the Taliban. The five men were required to stay in a hotel in the Paris region for a quarantine, as are all evacuees who arrive in France without having been fully vaccinated.

One left the place where he was asked to stay and police arrested him, Darmanin said on news broadcaster France Info.

Of the other four men, one was obviously linked to the Taliban, Darmanin said. But he helped the French army a lot, the French (nationals), your fellow journalists, more than a hundred Afghans who had visas and could not get out from the embassy. The French Embassy has served as a shelter for hundreds of people before they were transferred to the Kabul airport, where the French ambassador and a reduced staff now work.

The man admitted to belonging to the Taliban and to bearing arms at a blockade in Kabul that was under his responsibility.

Darmanin said the security checks were done in Abu Dhabi, where the French have transferred evacuees before the onward journey to Paris.

There was no breach, he said.

Darmanin said France has evacuated over 1,000 Afghans from Kabul over the past week, including a large majority of Afghans who worked with the French government or French groups in the country.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  A second person who had been deported from Denmark to Afghanistan, and who returned to the Scandinavian country on an evacuation plane from Kabul, has been arrested.

Danish police said Tuesday on Twitter that the man faces preliminary charges of violating an entry ban. Preliminary charges are one step short of formal charges.

On Sunday, a 23-year-old man was recognized by police for being member of an outlawed criminal gang when he tried to sneak back into Denmark. He too arrived on an evacuation plane from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of the country.

Because of the situation in Afghanistan, Denmark is no longer deporting people to that country.

Denmarks Defense Minister Trine Bramsen said another 50 persons have been evacuated out of Kabul. A Danish Hercules C-130 flew them out Tuesday, with Bramsen saying that so far a total of about 850 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan.

In neighboring Sweden, Foreign Minister Ann Linde said on Monday evening that 55 people  mainly Swedish Embassy employees and their families  had been flown out of Kabul, bringing the total number of evacuees to 225.

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WARSAW, Poland  Officials say that Poland has evacuated over 750 people from Afghanistan and a few dozen more are waiting at the Kabul airport for the air transport to Poland, but time is running out on the possibility of evacuation.

A deputy foreign minister, Marcin Przydacz, said on Tuesday that majority of those who cooperated with Polands diplomatic mission have been evacuated and the waiting list is getting shorter. However, there are still a number of families and mothers with children whom the authorities want to bring to Poland for security reasons, Przydacz said.

But the logistics and the conditions of the evacuation are challenging, he added.

Top government official, Michal Dworczyk, tweeted an appeal for help in locating the family of 13-year-old Fawad who got separated from his relatives during an attempted evacuation from Kabul. It was not immediately clear if Fawad has been brought to Poland. Fawads photo was posted on Dworczyks Twitter account.

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BEIJING  China says the international community should support chances for positive developments in Afghanistan rather than impose sanctions on the Taliban.

The international community should encourage and promote the development of the situation in Afghanistan in a positive direction, support peaceful reconstruction, improve the well-being of the people and enhance its capacity for independent development, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters at a daily briefing on Tuesday.

Imposing sanctions and pressure at every turn cannot solve the problem and will only be counterproductive, Wang said.

China, which shares a narrow border with Afghanistan, has seized on the ugly scenes at Kabul airport to redouble its harsh criticism of U.S. actions in the country, particularly its attempt to install a Western-style democracy. Beijing has kept open its embassy in Kabul and sought to maintain friendly relations with the Taliban.

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KABUL  Afghanistans Hazaras, a Shiite minority, are calling on the Taliban to set up an inclusive government in which all ethnic groups would have a voice.

Shiite leader Sayed Hussain Alimi Balkhi said the countrys Shiite clerics have issued a declaration stating that a future parliament in Afghanistan should include members of different sects of Islam.

He asked for freedom of religion under an Islamic government and asked that there be separate courts for Shiites that follow Jafari jurisprudence, in accordance with the provisions of law.

The Shiite concerns come as the Taliban negotiating team in Qatar has been was insisting on implementation of Islamic law, and specifically Hanafi laws which are a major school of Sunni jurisprudence, in the laws and the constitution of Afghanistan.

The Taliban are a Sunni militant group.

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LONDON  Britain says it has evacuated 8,600 U.K. citizens and Afghans from Kabul in recent days, 2,000 of them in the last 24 hours.

But Defense Secretary Ben Wallace conceded that were not going to get everybody out of the country before the U.S.-led mission ends on Aug. 31.

Britain and other allies are pressing President Joe Biden to extend the evacuation past the end-of-the-month date agreed with the Taliban. But Wallace told Sky News its unlikely Biden will agree.

The government said one of the evacuees on a British plane turned out to be a person on a U.K. no-fly list. Wallace said the individual was identified on arrival in Britain was investigated and judged not a person of interest to security services.

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BERLIN  Prominent Afghan womens rights activist Zarifa Ghafari has arrived in Germany together with her family members.

Ghafari landed at Cologne/Bonn airport late on Monday after fleeing Afghanistan to Pakistan last week.

Armin Laschet, the governor of Germanys North Rhine-Westphalia state who met Ghafari, said it was important to help as many women as possible to leave Afghanistan in the coming days, Germanys dpa news agency reported.

Ghafari became the mayor of the Afghan town of Maidan Shahr in 2018, at the age of 26.

She was a recipient of the the U.S. State Departments 2020 International Women of Courage award. According to the State Department, she has survived at least six assassination attempts.

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GENEVA  Switzerlands foreign affairs office says a charter flight has arrived in Zurich with 219 people who were evacuated from Afghanistan on board.

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs says the flight from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, landed early Tuesday, carrying 141 Afghans who worked with the Swiss department of development and cooperation in Afghanistan or their families and relatives.

Another 78 people from Afghanistan, Germany and Sweden were also on the flight.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  Since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital on Aug. 14, more than 82,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan in one of the largest U.S. airlifts in history. While the pace has picked up in recent days, its still a chaotic scramble as people seek to escape. Afghans trying to reach the Kabul airport face a gauntlet of danger, and there are far more who want to leave than will be able to do so. Those who do make it out will face the many challenges of resettlement, either in the U.S. or somewhere else.

Time may also be running short. President Joe Biden set an Aug. 31 deadline to complete the U.S.-led evacuation, but the president has also asked for contingency plans in case the U.S. still needs to get people out beyond that date.

Heres a look at where the situation stands:

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

President Donald Trump signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February 2020 as part of an effort to end what he called the endless wars in the Middle East. He agreed to a May 1 deadline to have all troops out of the country. Biden, who says he no longer wants to risk American lives in a civil war among Afghans, kept with the withdrawal plan but extended the deadline to September. The Taliban quickly seized control of most of the country as the U.S. withdrew air support to the Afghan military. Afghans, fearing retribution and the harsh rule of the Taliban, rushed to the airport in hopes of getting out of the country.

WHO IS GETTING FLOWN OUT OF THE COUNTRY?

The 82,300 evacuees flown out so far have included about 4,500 American citizens  out of an estimated 6,000 who were known to be in the country and wanted to leave  as well as Afghans who have obtained a limited number of special immigrant visas, which are for people who have worked for the U.S. or NATO as interpreters or in some other capacity. The U.S. is also evacuating Afghans, along with their immediate families, who have applied for the visas but not yet received them, and people who face particular danger from the Taliban. That includes people who worked for the government, members of civil society, journalists and human rights activists.

WHERE ARE THEY GOING?

American citizens and people who already have legal U.S. residency, including those who have been approved for the special immigrant visa, can proceed to the U.S. after a stopover, typically in Qatar or another Gulf nation. Afghans who have applied for but not yet received the special visa, or who are seeking to enter the U.S. as refugees, must first go to a transit hub in Europe or Asia for security vetting by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement authorities, according to the White House.

After they are screened, they can be flown to the U.S. and housed at military bases in Virginia, New Jersey, Texas and Wisconsin until their applications are completed and they can be resettled. The White House says everyone will be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival in the U.S. It's unclear how long it will take to process people at military bases.

In addition, at least 13 countries, including Uganda, Rwanda, Costa Rica and Albania have agreed to temporarily house Afghan refugees until they can be resettled.

The critical issue now is evacuation, and then you can sort out resettlement to the United States, said Bill Frelick, director of the refugee and migrant rights division at Human Rights Watch.

HAS ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPENED BEFORE?

The scale and speed of this airlift are unprecedented, but the U.S. has a history of taking in refugees from overseas conflicts. The U.S. airlifted about 7,000 people with the fall of Saigon in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War and ultimately took in more than 100,000 refugees from Southeast Asia. In 1996, the U.S. evacuated about 5,000 Kurds and other Iraqi minorities from northern Iraq after then-President Saddam Hussein regained control of the region.

In 1999, about 20,000 victims of Yugoslavian "ethnic cleansing against Albanians in the province of Kosovo were brought to the United States as refugees and temporarily housed for processing in Fort Dix, New Jersey. The U.S. has admitted more than 3.1 million refugees since 1980.

HOW DO AFGHANS GET SETTLED INTO THEIR NEW LIVES IN THE U.S.?

Nine nonprofit resettlement agencies, including the International Rescue Committee and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, oversee a network of affiliates that work to help refugees. Once they are placed in their new cities, they typically get food and housing assistance for the first 90 days but are expected to become self-sufficient. They are greeted at the airport and taken to their new home, generally an apartment.

The nonprofit groups  which operate with a combination of government grants and private donations  help them find a job and get acclimated. People are intimidated and nervous and all of those emotions. But theyre also, I think, excited. People come in just feeling safe again," said Mark Hagar, the Dallas-area director for Refugee Services of Texas. Refugees are expected to reimburse the government for their flight to the U.S.

HOW CAN PEOPLE HELP?

The groups that help resettle refugees not only need donations, but also volunteers to meet families at the airport, help set up their apartments and help them get oriented to the new culture.

The International Rescue Committee, for instance, says that in addition to financial contributions, it can use donated furniture, groceries and items for babies.

Hagar said the agency has been heartened to see an influx of volunteers in response to events in Afghanistan. He said a volunteer training session over the weekend that would normally involve about 50 people had about 300.

SHOULDN'T THIS PROCESS HAVE STARTED EARLIER?

Members of Congress and others have long complained about the length of time and the bureaucratic hurdles required for former interpreters and others who worked for the U.S. to get visas. The process slowed further under Trump, whose administration also cut the number of refugees allowed into the U.S., and it came to a virtual halt with the outbreak of COVID-19.

This summer, as the U.S. withdrawal approached, the U.S. held off on a mass evacuation at the request of the Afghan government, which feared it would trigger a panic that would make it even harder to hold off the Taliban, according to Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security adviser. But he said even starting earlier would not have avoided the chaos at the airport.

This operation is complex. It is dangerous. It is fraught with challenges  operational, logistical, human. And its produced searing images of pain and desperation, he told reporters this week. But no operation like this, no evacuation from a capital that has fallen in a civil war, could unfold without those images.

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Stengle contributed to this report from Dallas.
MILFORD - A signature ice cream flavor made in honor of slain teen Maren Sanchez is bringing joy to her mom and others and will be shared in honor of what would have been Sanchezs 24th birthday.

Sachezs mother, Donna Cimarelli, asked Jay Ice Man Piccirillo , owner of Micalizzis Italian Ice, to create a signature ice cream for the birthday  and to mark the passing of the torch from the Maren Sanchez Home Foundation to the Boys & Girls Club of Milford.

He picked blue raspberry because nautical blue was Sanchezs favorite color, but it was widely believed after her death that her favorite was purple and most memorials and gestures from fellow students were in that color, Cimarelli said. The purple honors that and the edible glitter is because Sanchez sparkled.

Contributed photo

Sanchez, 16, a popular junior at Jonathan Law High School, was fatally stabbed in April 2014 in a stairwell at the school by a fellow student. Her killer, Christopher Plaskon, is serving 25 years in prison.

Cimarelli said Piccirillo has been there every step of the journey since her daughters death, heavily supporting fundraisers and serving on committees.

Piccirillo came up with blue raspberry Italian ice swirled in vanilla ice cream and mixed with edible purple glitter, a Cimarelli request.

The flavor, Marens Swirl of Strength, was named by Megan Altomare, executive director of Boys & Girls Club of Milford, and it tastes like a blue raspberry creamsicle, Piccirillo said.

Its a perfect combination of color and flavor - perfect for what it stands for, he said.

Contributed photo

In honor of Sanchez, the ice cream will be given away for free Saturday from 1. to 4 p.m. at Micalizzis Italian Ice in downtown. Her actual birthday is Thursday.

The signature flavor will be served at all future events involving Sanchez, said the owner of the iconic Italian ice business headquartered in Bridgeport.

,

After the ice cream was made, Piccirillo, Altomare and Cimarelli had an unusual experience.

Piccirillo said that, after it was pointed out by Sanchezs mother, he also saw what she saw in a container of the ice cream: what they believe was an image of the slain teen.

He insists he didnt put the image there.

It freaked me out, he said. Her face and smile are in the ice cream.

I said, Oh my God, thats Marens face, did you do that on purpose? Cimarelli said she asked him. She didnt receive a clear answer that day.

The next day when Piccirillo showed them the ice cream in person she asked again if he put it there and Cimarelli said he said, Maren was with him when he made it, she tasted it and she gave it her stamp of approval.

Altomare said she, too, saw Sanchezs face too when Cimarelli pointed it out and that since shes been working with Cimarelli shes seen a bunch of signs of Sanchez.

I think Donna is very open be aware to look for these types of signs, Altomare said. One thing I am confident of is that Maren is with Donna all the time, guiding her and influencing her, giving her everything she needs to be able to move forward and share the positive beautiful light that Maren exemplified.

Donna Cimarelli / Contributed photo

Piccirillo has been friends with Cimarelli for 40 years, but he wasnt ready for faces in ice cream - so he went with his gut interpretation.

Its her (Marens) way of saying, Youre doing a good job (with the flavor) and I cant wait to celebrate my birthday with you guys, he said.

Cimarelli said she and others who knew Sanchez often see the image of her face in places when they least expect it, especially at times of celebrations and milestone events.

I was not surprised at all, just joyous, Cimarelli said.

.

I think Marens energy is very strong and at certain milestones, its stronger, Cimarelli said.

Its a special birthday, Cimarelli said, because its the last event to be held officially by the Maren Sanchez Home Foundation.

The foundation was formed to teach young girls and women how to spot and deal with psychological control and manipulation and to defend themselves.

Although the money now will be used to fund scholarships at Boys & Girls Club of Milford, the missions are aligned in helping young people, Cimarelli said.

Sanchez is forever a part of Milford history, she said, and the girl loved the city, her friends here, and the beach.

Cimarelli will be at Micalizzis Italian Ice that day to be part of the party and said if Sanchez were around she probably would be behind the counter volunteering to work.

She probably would have been telling everyone how great it is, Cimarelli said. I think its a light and fun way to celebrate and I hope we have a sunny day.

The ice cream is made in 2.5-gallon containers and there are 100 servings in each - plenty for everyone who comes by and the more the merrier.

Piccirillo said Saturdays celebration at his popular ice/ice cream shop will be a happy, bright family activity, not dark and gloomy.

Cimarelli said the ice cream is pretty.

We wanted to do something relaxed so we could involve children, Cimarelli said. We couldnt be more excited about Marens legacy being carried on in the Boys and Girls Club of Milford.
President Joe Biden said in a White House news conference Tuesday that the U.S. has evacuated a total of 75,900 people since the end of July, with the vast majority of them, 70,700 people, evacuated in the last 10 days.

"These numbers are a testament to the efforts of our brave service women and men, to our diplomats on the ground in Kabul, and to our allies still standing with us," he said.

Biden emphasized the pace of the evacuation by noting that U.S. military and coalition flights had evacuated about 12,000 people in the previous 12 hours.

One after another, massive C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules transport aircraft have flown in and out of Hamid Karzai International airport in Kabul, nearly around the clock.

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Biden said that the government is "on pace" to hit its Aug. 31 deadline for pulling all troops out but noted that that assessment "depends upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate, allow access to the airport for those who are transporting out, and no disruptions to our operation."

As of Tuesday, the military said about 4,000 Americans have been evacuated, not including their families, though thousands more remain. But officials have not detailed how many Americans are still in Kabul, which has effectively become a Taliban stronghold.

The airlift includes the effort to evacuate tens of thousands of remaining Afghans -- some who served the U.S. in jobs such as interpreters over the last 20 years, and some who are otherwise endangered by Taliban rule -- and their families.

Last week, Biden left the door open to an extension of the mission if all Americans were not out of the country by the end of the month. But the Taliban called that a "red line" that should not be crossed, and warned of consequences if the U.S. presence continues into September.

Biden confirmed that the Pentagon and State Department are drawing up contingency plans to stay. However, he said, "Every day we're on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport to attack both U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians."

An Islamic State affiliate, ISIS-Khorasan or ISIS-K, is seen as a threat by U.S. officials but is an enemy of the Taliban as well.

"The sooner we can finish, the better," Biden said. "Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops."

The Taliban also said this week that it would not allow any more Afghan nationals to travel to the airport, saying their skills are needed in Afghanistan.

Biden said that the G-7 chiefs, the leaders of the European Union, and the United Nations "agreed the legitimacy of any future [Taliban] government depends on the approach it now takes to uphold international obligations, including to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a base for terrorism."

"We agreed that none of us are going to take the Taliban's word for it -- we will judge them by their actions," he added.

-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at steve.beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: Top US Commander in Afghanistan Hands Over Command
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro on Tuesday named a temporary replacement for the branch's No. 2 civilian leader, according to a statement.

Meredith Berger will take over Wednesday for James Geurts, the man who is currently performing the duties of the undersecretary of the Navy.

Geurts, who has held the post since February, posted a letter earlier this month announcing his retirement from government, effective Aug. 28.

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Like Geurts, Berger has not been confirmed by the Senate to hold the position officially and so will "perform the duties" of the role. She was sworn in as the assistant secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations & Environment on Aug. 5.

When Geurts announced his retirement, the Navy was without confirmed leadership in either of its top two posts. However, Del Toro was confirmed a few days later and sworn in on Aug. 10.

The service did not immediately reply to questions about when a permanent undersecretary will be named.

Previously, Berger served as the deputy chief of staff to the secretary of the Navy from 2014 to 2017 before becoming a senior manager for Microsoft's Defending Democracy Program. Having grown up in Florida, she is also the sponsor of the Fort Lauderdale, an amphibious transport dock ship.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: Senate Confirms Del Toro as Secretary of the Navy
Pentagon officials appear furious over an unannounced visit by two lawmakers to Afghanistan this week, saying that their presence took precious resources away from a precarious situation as the deadline to evacuate thousands of Americans and Afghan allies nears.

Reps. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Peter Meijer, R-Mich., said in a joint statement Tuesday that they "have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch."

Both lawmakers are veterans who have been highly critical of the chaotic U.S. exit from Afghanistan, particularly the fact that the majority of U.S. troops were pulled out before civilian evacuations began.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters Wednesday that the Defense Department was not aware of the visit ahead of time, adding that forces on the ground had to scramble to offer security accommodations for the lawmakers.

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"They certainly took time away from what we had been planning to do that day," he said, adding that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would have "appreciated the opportunity to have had a conversation before the visit took place."

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Neither Moulton nor Meijer's office immediately returned a request for comment.

Moulton said via Twitter that the pair traveled in secret "to reduce the risks and impact" on the mission. He added that they rode in seats in the crew area of the plane so as not to take a place away from anyone fleeing the country.

High-profile officials -- in this case, lawmakers -- can be a huge logistical burden for the military, and visits to war zones are almost always scheduled in advance to make arrangements, such as a personal security detail.

The situation at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul is tense, with thousands of Afghans pressing to get into the facility for an escape flight, desperately trying to avoid what is expected to be a reckoning from the Taliban government. That could include the executions and torture of those who worked with the U.S., coalition partners and the recently collapsed Afghan government, and there have been early reports of threats and warnings from the Taliban.

The U.S. is trying to complete its withdrawal by Aug. 31, but President Joe Biden has ordered the Pentagon to draw up contingency plans in case the mission must be extended. However, if coalition troops stay past the deadline, the Taliban has threatened to break what is effectively a cease-fire.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Wednesday condemned the lawmakers' trip, saying their visit was an "opportunity cost" diverting resources and attention away from the evacuation effort.

"This is deadly serious. We do not want members to go," she told reporters at a press conference. "We don't want anyone thinking this was a good idea."

Kirby told reporters 88,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan so far, including 19,000 in the last 24 hours. That includes American civilians, Afghan allies and their families.

But the Biden administration doesn't know how many more need to be evacuated. Given the U.S. plans to withdraw early next week, it is unclear whether the airport will need to be closed off to new passengers ahead of that deadline. It's also unknown how long the U.S. will be able to secure the airport, given it is surrounded by the Taliban and it's likely that fewer troops will be on the ground as the deadline gets closer.

The Taliban control the city of Kabul and have established checkpoints on the streets. There have been reports of Afghans being beaten as they attempt to flee. The U.S. has conducted at least two missions outside the airport, evacuating roughly 180 people by helicopter.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: 2 US Lawmakers' Kabul Trip Prompts Biden Administration Fury
Some 1,500 Americans could be in Afghanistan, with only about one-third in contact with the U.S. government as the window is closing quickly for U.S. troops to pull out by Aug. 31 or risk a direct confrontation with the Taliban.

The Biden administration does not know exactly how many Americans want to be or even can be evacuated by next week's deadline. The Taliban temporarily have ceded Kabul's airport and agreed to a cease-fire with coalition troops.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters Wednesday that "it's hard to overstate the complexity and danger" of the situation in Kabul, which effectively has become a Taliban stronghold after the group conquered Afghanistan with minimal resistance.

Read Next: Pentagon Scolds Lawmakers Who Made Surprise Visit to Afghanistan, Saying It Interfered with the Mission

The Taliban, which the U.S. has been fighting for 20 years, have agreed to give safe passage to Americans attempting to flee. But federal officials have no way of verifying whether Taliban fighters on the ground are complying.

So far, more than 4,500 Americans have been evacuated, according to Blinken. He added that his agency has made 45,000 phone calls and sent more than 20,000 emails and text messages trying to communicate with the remaining U.S. citizens. A few already had left the country by the time the State Department reached out to them, he said.

He also cited cases of people trying to escape Afghanistan by falsely posing as Americans.

At least two military operations have been conducted to rescue Americans outside the perimeter of the airport, where coalition troops have dug in. Troops flew into Kabul and moved roughly 180 U.S. citizens to the airport via helicopter. Those are the only such operations the Pentagon has publicly acknowledged.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters Wednesday the U.S. has the capability to extract Americans outside of Kabul, suggesting such action would be taken only in the area immediately outside the city. He offered no further details but said there are no plans to extend such missions across Afghanistan.

While Americans are getting priority for evacuations, thousands of Afghans also are seeking a route out. At least 88,000 people have been flown out of the country, including three babies born as their parents were being evacuated. One mother gave birth during a C-17 Globemaster III flight to a base in Germany; the baby was named "Reach" after the plane's call sign.

Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, head of U.S. European Command, told reporters he hopes that the newborn girl will become an American citizen one day and serve in the military.

"If you can well imagine, as an Air Force fighter pilot, it's my dream to watch that child grow up and be a U.S. citizen and fly United States fighters in our Air Force," he said.

President Joe Biden has ordered the Pentagon to plan for a possible extension to what may end up being the largest evacuation the U.S. has ever organized.

But failing to leave by Aug. 31 likely would trigger a potentially deadly standoff between U.S. troops and Taliban fighters, who have the airport surrounded and control the city.

"There is no deadline on our work to help any remaining American citizens who decide they want to leave to do so, along with the many Afghans who have stood by us over these many years and want to leave and have been unable to do so, Blinken said. That effort will continue every day past Aug. 31.

In addition to the Taliban threat, U.S. officials are concerned over the possibility that ISIS-K, an Islamic State affiliate, could take advantage of the chaos on the ground and launch an attack. ISIS-K is a rival to the Taliban; the groups have been fighting in rural parts of Afghanistan for years.

"Every day we're on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians," Biden said Tuesday.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: Troops in Qatar Running on Fumes as Bases Continue to Take in Afghan Evacuees
Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among veterans declined significantly in the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for those under age 65, a study published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry found.

However, while the group of veterans who contracted COVID-19 during the course of the study period was small, they reported more than twice the frequency of suicidal thoughts, something the authors described as needing "future research to examine the potential link between COVID-19 infection and suicidal behavior."

The study, which surveyed more than 3,000 veterans in November 2019 and again a year later -- 10 months after the pandemic was declared -- found that suicidal ideation, defined as suicidal thoughts or ideas, decreased for the entire group by about one-fifth, from 10.6% of those surveyed to 8%.

The declines were most significant -- by approximately one-third -- in the 18 to 44 age group, which saw suicidal ideation drop from 22% to 15.4%, and the 45 to 64 age group, which dropped from 15.7% to 10.3%.

Older veterans were the cohort that saw little change, according to the study "Prevalence and Trends in Suicidal Behavior Among U.S. Military Veterans During the COVID-19 Pandemic."

Read Next: 'Cheated and Guilty': The Struggle for Troops Who Missed Out on Combat

Mental health professionals have had concerns about the strain of the pandemic on veterans, who are at a higher risk for suicide due to factors such as chronic physical and mental health conditions and loneliness.

The adjusted suicide rate among veterans has risen nearly 30% since 2010. Experts feared that the pandemic, which has led to social isolation and decreases in veterans seeking medical care, would create an unprecedented spike in suicides, the authors, many of whom are university researchers who treat patients at the Department of Veterans Affairs, noted.

Instead, they found that suicidal ideation increased in just 2.6% of those surveyed, or 82 veterans.

"These results suggest that despite grim forecasts about the COVID-19 pandemic possibly creating a perfect storm for suicidal behavior, the prevalence of suicidality did not appear to increase among military veterans nearly 10 months into the pandemic," the authors wrote.

The study found that, among the 82 veterans who reported an increase in suicidal thoughts, most reported having lifetime post-traumatic stress disorder, low social support and issues with alcohol.

The highest risk factor for developing suicidal thoughts during the pandemic was having previously attempted suicide. Notably, the third-highest risk factor was whether the veteran had contracted COVID-19, according to the survey.

That finding prompted the authors, led by Brandon Nichter, with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California-San Diego, to call for more research on the relationship between COVID-19 and suicidal ideation.

The study authors noted that, of those respondents who had COVID-19 and reported suicidal thoughts, most characterized their illnesses as "not severe," raising the possibility that even asymptomatic to moderate COVID-19 infection may be associated with elevated suicide risk.

But, the researchers said, it is possible that those who reported increased suicidal ideation and also contracted COVID-19 may have had unrecorded or unmeasured health conditions that put them at risk for both.

The majority of those surveyed for the data set used by researchers were male -- nearly 92% -- and 79.3% were white. They had an average age of 63. However, enough younger veterans responded for the researchers to conclude that the decline was significant in their age groups.

They theorized that younger veterans may have been able to better garner social support during the pandemic than seniors and may be more resilient to stressors and adversity as a result of their military service.

The study is significant because it is the first to look at veterans' suicidal tendencies during the pandemic. It also is the first to suggest that having COVID-19 may be associated with suicide attempts or thoughts.

More than 307,000 veterans in the VA health care system have tested positive for COVID-19, including 13,472 who have died.

The authors also cautioned that their conclusions may be tempered because of several constraints on the data: the survey likely underestimated suicidal ideation, given possible reluctance to speak up by those surveyed; that suicidal ideation may have emerged later in the pandemic and has yet to be studied; and that the cohort was mostly older, male and white, requiring more research to determine whether the findings apply to the more general veteran population.

During the survey, eight respondents attempted suicide. The research did not note whether any of them had COVID-19.

If you are a veteran seeking assistance with mental health issues, the Veterans Crisis Line is available at 800-273-8255, press 1, or by text at 838255. Help also is available through Vet Centers or the VA's website at www.MentalHealth.va.gov.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Related: Since 9/11, Suicide Has Claimed Four Times More Military Lives Than Combat
The head of an animal rescue clinic in Kabul that has helped American troops bring home cats and dogs from Afghanistan after their deployments is racing to evacuate staff and hundreds of animals by the end of the month.

Charlotte Maxwell-Jones, an American who founded Kabul Small Animal Rescue in 2018, was recently told by the Taliban to leave Afghanistan. But she doesn't intend to go until she's secured the departure of about 125 people, including her employees and their family members, and as many as 250 animals, she said.

"We're not going to leave them," Maxwell-Jones said in a phone interview Tuesday.

She acknowledged that she has little time left to organize the exit. U.S. forces are scheduled to leave Afghanistan by Aug. 31 and it's unclear how many civilians will be able to leave at the very end, when U.S. and foreign forces fly themselves out.

The rescue has received some $700,000 in donations over the past week through online sites, grants and smaller fundraisers. The money is intended to pay for a chartered flight or flights, but logistical challenges remain that make coordinating with the U.S. military and the Taliban necessary.

The biggest hurdle is finding a third country that will allow a plane carrying animals to land. All the animals Kabul Small Animal Rescue is trying to evacuate have paperwork to enter the U.S., but all of its Afghan staffers have applied for P1 visas, which require applicants to be vetted in a third country.

"We need a landing permit for our animals," Maxwell-Jones said in an impassioned video message posted on Twitter on Monday. "We need a landing permit because I think it's going to continue to get more difficult."

The video was posted the same day that a group of about a dozen Taliban officials, including one holding a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, showed up at Maxwell-Jones' Kabul residence and told her to leave the country, she said.

"I'm not armed. They just came into my house," she said.

"They said NGOs would be allowed to stay," she added, referring to a previous statement on the status of nongovernmental organizations by the group. "I think everybody believes that's a lie."

Maxwell-Jones told the Taliban she was in the process of leaving with her staff and needed more time. Taliban guards have been stationed at her house since then and the group has agreed to escort her and the staff to the airport in the coming days, she said.

Tens of thousands of Afghans desperate to leave the country have surrounded the Kabul airport since the Taliban's lightning takeover of the city Aug. 15. The crowds make entry difficult and pose another obstacle to the rescue group's evacuation.

Yet another hurdle is getting permission from the U.S. military to land a chartered flight at the airport.

Maxwell-Jones said that when she first called U.S. officials and told them she wanted to evacuate animals, they dismissed her.

"Now people in the U.S. are getting their senators and state [representatives] to go through it for us, so we're getting a bit more traction," Maxwell-Jones said.

But as of Wednesday afternoon, permission still hadn't been granted and time was running out.

Despite the chaotic scenes at Kabul's airport and fears that some Americans and at-risk Afghans may be left behind, President Joe Biden has ruled out any extension of the deadline, The Associated Press reported Tuesday. The Taliban also were adamant that the U.S. withdraw by the deadline date at a press conference Tuesday.

Even as they prepare to leave, staffers at Kabul Small Animal Rescue have been collecting dogs and cats left behind by others forced to flee.

Maxwell-Jones founded the animal rescue group in 2018 as a side project while working with the Heart of Asia Society, a think tank working toward sustainable peace in the country.

Her organization rescues strays, provides veterinary services and helps ship animals abroad for adoption.

Maxwell-Jones said in an April interview that two-thirds of the dogs she had shipped to the U.S. in the previous week had been for service members, who befriended the animals while deployed in the country.

Kabul Small Animal Rescue isn't the only organization trying to evacuate animals from Afghanistan amid the Taliban takeover.

Nowzad, a Kabul shelter founded by British former Marine Paul Farthing, has been campaigning to have its employees, their families and 200 dogs and cats brought out in what has been dubbed "Operation Ark."

Some have criticized the operation for putting "pets before people," but Farthing has said the animals will travel in a hold where people can't go, meaning that the main section of Nowzad's privately funded plane will be able to carry more people out of the country.

Maxwell-Jones responded to similar criticisms about her organization's aim to help cats and dogs.

"I realize that it's not everybody else's passion, but these are private donations," she said. "I think that their lives matter, and I have put blood, sweat and tears into this organization that's specifically for saving animals. And I don't intend to stop now."
The GI Bill is an awesome benefit of military service, and the ability to transfer Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to eligible dependents means a more diverse group of students going to school with that financial assistance.

In addition to tuition payments, the Post-9/11 GI Bill offers a monthly housing allowance tied to the ZIP code of the school. In many cases, this monthly housing allowance is enough to pay for a dorm room or apartment and a meal plan or groceries.

One aspect of the monthly housing allowance payment that surprises students, and their parents, is the fact that on-campus dorm and meal plans usually need to be paid upfront. However, the monthly housing allowance portion of the Post-9/11 GI Bill is paid out at the end of each month. This time of year, I often hear from students and parents who didn't realize that they'd have to pay for the room and board, and are scrambling to cover that bill.

How does a student or parent pay that dorm and meal plan bill if they haven't received the monthly housing allowance payments yet and they don't have cash on hand?

You have a couple of options.

College Payment Plans

Most colleges have a payment plan, often handled by an outside company. There is usually a fee: My kids' colleges both charge $50 a semester, and break the payments up over the semester. The exact payment dates may vary from school to school.

Another option is to ask whether the school will just make a note on your account that you're waiting on benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and let you pay monthly without enrolling in the payment plan. I have heard of a few schools doing this, but I would consider it to be an exception rather than expected. The schools do have a way to code a balance as waiting for payment because that's what they do while they are waiting for the tuition payment to be paid. Most schools are not willing to do this, but it doesn't hurt to ask!

Student Loans

Almost all students are eligible for federal student loans -- $5,500 the first year, $6,500 the second year, and $7,500 the third year and beyond. Based upon the family's financial situation, the loans may be subsidized (the federal government pays the interest while the student is in school) or unsubsidized (interest accrues while the student is in school). Either way, no payments are required while the student is still in school at least half-time.

The student can borrow the money for the first semester's room and board, and then save each month's payment to cover the following semester. If the numbers work out, the student also can make payments along the way to pay off that loan while still in school.

There is a loan fee of just over 1% of the loan amount, so be sure to figure that into your calculations to see whether this option makes sense for you.

Use a Credit Card

Another option, if you have the available credit, is to pay the college bill using a credit card, and then make payments on the credit card balance as you receive the housing allowance each month.

Most colleges will charge a fee, perhaps 2%-3%, to pay with a credit card, and you'll be charged interest from the credit card company. This is not the least expensive option, but it may be the easiest, depending on your specific situation.

Preparing for Next Semester

Once you've covered this first semester's bill, work out a plan to have the money upfront to pay next month's bill. Save each month's housing allowance payment (if you don't need to repay it right now), add a few hours a week to your part-time job, search for scholarships that will cover room and board, or apply for an on-campus position that will pay for your housing.

No one knows how to use the GI Bill until they use it, and the need to pay room and board in advance surprises a lot of people. Thankfully, you do have options to get that bill covered until you start receiving the monthly housing allowance payments.

Keep Up With Your Education Benefits

Whether you need a guide on how to use your GI Bill, want to take advantage of tuition assistance and scholarships, or get the lowdown on education benefits available for your family, Military.com can help. Subscribe to Military.com to have education tips and benefits updates delivered directly to your inbox.
There has never been a United States Secretary of Defense that has been so universally beloved. Retired Gen. Jim Mattis was confirmed in 2017 by a landslide vote of 98 in favor and 1 opposed, despite being on a waiver to circumvent the seven-years-since-retirement requirement to be appointed Secretary of Defense.

Long before he rose to the highest position in the Armed Forces, second only to the President, he earned several monikers, each from a different aspect of his ability to lead.

4. Mad Dog Mattis

Then-Lt. Gen. Jim Mattis speaks to Marines in Al Asad, Iraq in 2007. A Marine private first class once ''hacked'' the general's computer to send an email from the account to a woman the young enlisted man had a crush on, Mattis told a crowd at a regional Chamber of Commerce luncheon. (U.S. Marine Corps photo/Zachary Dyer)

For the record: He is not a fan of the name, Mad Dog Mattis. So, you probably dont want to go saying it to a man that has admitted that the max effective range on his knife hand is hundreds of miles.

It dates back to a 2004 Los Angeles Times article saying that U.S. troops in Fallujah called him Mad Dog behind his back and that it was high praise in Marine culture.

The Mad Dog label stuck following a series of intimidating quotes, such as, be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet and a good soldier follows orders, but a true warrior wears his enemys skin like a poncho.

At Gen. Mattiss confirmation hearing, former Maine Senator and the Secretary of Defense from 1997 to 2001, William Cohen, joked that its a misnomer and the nickname Braveheart would have been much more accurate.

3. Warrior Monk

Then-U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis speaks at an event honoring the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., Nov. 28, 2018. (DoD photo/Lisa Ferdinando)

The most accurate of his nicknames has to be The Warrior Monk. Another beautiful Mattisism is, the most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.

Gen. Mattis is well known for his intelligence, extensive book collection, and giving his troops required reading lists that range from cultural studies to Marcus Aurelius Meditations. For his complete reading list, broken down by rank and region of deployment, click here.

2. CHAOS

U.S. Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis addresses cadets from the Class of 2019 during his visit to the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., Nov. 30, 2018. (U.S. Air Force/Joshua Armstrong)

His preferred nickname is the call sign he used as a Colonel, Chaos. He joked at a conference that hed like to tell people that it was for some dignified reason, but its not.

When he was a regimental commander at Twentynine Palms, he was leaving the S-3 office and noticed the words CHAOS written on the whiteboard. He asked someone what it meant and got, Oh, you dont need to know about that which, of course, only piqued his interest more.

Finally, they broke it to him that it meant, Colonel Has An Outstanding Suggestion. It was a joke at his expense that he took in stride, so he wore it as a badge of honor.

1. Patron Saint of Chaos

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis stands with Marines before a sunset parade at the Marine Barracks Washington in Arlington, Va., June 30, 2017. (DoD/U.S. Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith)

Secretary of Defense Mattis legendary status among the troops has earned him the title, Saint Mattis of Quantico. Patron Saint of Chaos.

The meme has spread far and wide from Terminal Lance to t-shirts to the sidebar of the USMC subreddit to even being posted by the MARSOC official Facebook page.

So, if youll join us in a quick reading,

Hail Mattis, full of hate. Our troops stand with thee. Blessed art thou among enlisted. And blessed is the fruit of thy knife hand. Holy Mattis, father of War. Pray for us heathen, Now and at the hour of combat. Amen.

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Being laid off is an emotional event that can leave you feeling wronged. Knowing the difference between an illegal layoff and an unfair layoff can help you decide whether to fight or move on.

"It's difficult for employees to see layoffs from an objective perspective," says Marilyn Conyer, vice president of Accord Human Resources, an Oklahoma City HR consulting firm. "Many times when employees lay out the facts of a layoff, we don't think it's fair either, but there's nothing illegal about what the company did."

Employment in most states is "at will," meaning you can quit or the company can fire you without cause. However, companies still have to follow federal and state employment laws covering issues such as discrimination, whistleblowing and layoff notices.

Five major federal laws protect laid-off employees. States have their own laws about employment, so to be sure your layoff wasn't illegal, check with a local attorney.

Discrimination Laws

How can you tell if your layoff was discriminatory? Consider all the reasons you were laid off, says Sarah Beth Johnson, an attorney at Fox Rothschild LLP in Atlantic City. If there's even one other explanation for why you were let go, the discrimination charge likely won't stick.

"If you're the worst employee ever and you're older, that's not enough," she says. "It really has to be that you were told you're too old for the job, or you're a black woman who can point to a white male who's your peer in every way and you got laid off and he didn't."

It is legal to lay off a highly paid older worker. "If I can fire you and hire two people for your salary who do twice the work, I'm allowed to do that," Johnson says.

If you think discrimination played a part in your layoff, contact a lawyer or the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC). The EEOC will listen to your story, question your former employer, make a finding and issue a right-to-sue letter you can take to an attorney, Conyer says. You can sue regardless of whether the EEOC finds in your favor.

Federal laws that prohibit discrimination include:

* Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits companies from making employment decisions based on race, religion, sex (but not sexual orientation), pregnancy or national origin, explains Neil Patrick Parent, an attorney with Reavis Parent Lehrer LLP in New York City. * Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, which prohibit employment discrimination against those with disabilities.

* The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, which protects workers 40 and older.

* The Older Workers Benefit Protection Act, which covers workers over 40 caught in a group layoff. The law gives you extra time to consider any severance waiver your employer offers and a week to change your mind after signing a waiver.

Big Company Layoffs

If your employer is large, The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which sets rules for notifying workers about large layoffs and plant closures, may cover you.

Handbooks, Severance Not Binding

Employee handbooks typically cover layoffs, severance, pay for unused vacation and your duty to return company equipment, Johnson says.

However, an employer can change the rules and then do a layoff under the new rules. "If an employer has reserved the right to change [the handbook] -- and most do that -- they can change it," says Karen McLeese, vice president of CBIZ, a Kansas City, Missouri, HR consulting firm.

A company can also say it's broke so no one gets severance. "Severance [is] an unsecured promise to pay unless they've funded it into a trust," McLeese says.

Severance Releases

When severance is offered, you may have to sign a waiver releasing the company from future claims. When helping clients decide whether they should sign, Julia Murphy, an attorney with Outten and Golden LLP, a Stamford, Connecticut, firm that represents only employees, discusses the circumstances surrounding the layoff.

"Why were you picked? Did they eliminate your whole department? Do you feel like you're being singled out because you just had a baby or took a disability leave?" she says. If you want to fight the decision or ask for a better severance package, "that's when you need some legal leverage, and that comes from the facts surrounding the termination," she says.

Layoff Lawsuits

Even if you were illegally laid off, it may be tough to pursue your case in court. Johnson warns: If your salary was low, finding an attorney willing to take your case may be difficult.

A lawsuit found in your favor could result in back pay, damages and attorneys' fees. However, those come with a cost. "You have to have the stomach for litigation," Johnson says. "It will take two to four years, unless you have slam-dunk evidence."

During the litigation process, be prepared to talk about topics like your work history and whether you've ever been convicted of a crime. If you claim emotional distress, your medical records will be brought up. Claim lost income, and your employer's attorney will get to see your tax return and your spouse's return, Johnson adds.

In the end, an attorney can tell you whether your layoff appears to be legal or illegal, but only you can determine whether the cost of going after your former employer is worth the effort it will take.
In 2004, in Al Anbar Province of Iraq, Marine Captain Brent Morel found his recon Marines in the center of a well-planned enemy ambush. A host of 40 to 60 insurgents rained fire down upon his column. Morel did what was obvious to him.

Charge into Enemy Fire Ordering the remaining vehicles to take up a flanking position, Captain Morel led the charge straight into the face of the enemy ambush. Shocked by the aggression of the Marines, some of the enemy attack was broken up and retreated. However, with his Marines still taking heavy fire from the significant number of enemy that remained, Morel knew he needed to act once again.

Leaving the relative safety of his new position, he set out again to lead his Marines through the ambush. It was during this final assault to relieve his Marines that Morel was struck by a withering burst of machine gun fire. For his actions that day, Captain Brent Morel was awarded the Navy Cross for selflessly sacrificing his life to lead his Marines.

Such leadership is needed not only in the streets of Iraq and the valleys of Afghanistan, but also once you return stateside in the boardroom.

Adapt, Improvise, Overcome In the military, we learned to adapt, improvise, and overcome to be successful on the battlefield. Transferring those skills to the business world is also a key to success. By outmaneuvering the competition you can put their business in your dust trail and continue on mission. Sometimes a straight assault is the best tactic, sometimes it is not. But it is always advantageous to protect your flanks.

Build Your Team To protect your flanks, veterans can support one another through mentoring, referrals, and networking with other veterans, like with Bunker Labs, a national non-profit that provides educational programming, access to resources, and a thriving local network to help military veterans and their spouses start and grow businesses.

Use your network as a recon team and know what adjustments your competition may be making so that you can continue to stay ahead. By expanding your network you will have the ability to see more of the battlefield and maintain your forward assault.

Business Is a Battlefield While it may seem easy to achieve these goals, if walk into the business world expecting it to treat you better because you are a veteran, you are in for a rude awakening. Business is a battlefield that will be as unforgiving to you as the enemy was overseas. The market will show you zero mercy. You have to fight for every deal and every dollar, each and every day.

The Bottom Line Captain Brent Morel died in combat doing one thingtaking care of his Marines.

Transitioning to the civilian workplace can seem daunting. But you have the skill set to thrive. To be a catalyst for change, you first have to believe that the skills you learned in the military make you well equipped to succeed in business, just dont go it alone.

Connect with other veteran entrepreneurs and industry leaders. If veterans work together to protect our flanks, we will all move forward and continue to be successful both in the boardroom and the sandbox.

About Andy Williams, Founder

Andy Williams has been passionate about real estate since his days in Iraq. He says Real Estate was my safe haven from the war. Mr. Williams most recent venture included an entrepreneurial position with B2R Finance, a Blackstone Tactical Opportunities venture launched in 2013 to create value add to residential real estate investors. Mr. Williams is a former U.S. Marine and passionate social entrepreneur. Williams seeks to create positive change within his ranks as he pursues his passion to add value to the real estate industry. God, Country, Family are his core values. After serving his country, he is beyond blessed to have a family, which drives him daily to add value within the communities he invests.
Spending on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in India has crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore milestone, just seven years after it was made mandatory, according to an analysis by CRISIL.

As much as 40% of this is estimated to have been incurred in the past two fiscals as companies rolled up their sleeves to fight the Covid-19 pandemic that set in towards the fag-end of 2020 fiscal, an analysis by the the ratings agency showed.

As per the estimates based on the data disclosed in annual reports, overall CSR spending in fiscal 2020 stood at Rs 21,231 crore, with 1,387 listed companies accounting for Rs14,431 crore (26% more than in fiscal 2019), and 19,962 unlisted ones accounting for Rs6,800 crore (7% less than 2019 fiscal).

In the 2021 fiscal, again, assuming the spend was around the mandated mark of 2 per cent of average profit of the preceding three fiscals, eligible companies would have spent Rs 22,000 crore on CSR, including Rs14,986 crore by more than 1,700 listed companies and Rs7,072 crore by the unlisted entities.

While the actual spending for the two fiscals can be corroborated only once the annual reports for the last fiscal become available and are analysed in the coming months, one trend is clear: Covid-19 has gobbled up a chunk of the money.

Crisil undertook two separate exercises to say this with certainty, based on data sourced from company websites, public disclosures and articles/features on reliable websites, including top newspapers, business magazines and financial portals.

In the first exercise, it took the top 500 companies by CSR spending in fiscal 2020 and calculated their expenditure on Covid-19 relief since 23 March 2020, when it became eligible for CSR calculation. This showed them spending Rs11,000 crore as of June 2021.

For the second exercise, the ratings agency considered the top 100 companies by revenue and by CSR spending in fiscal 2020.

Of these, 70 companies appeared in both the lists, while 60 appeared in only one, leaving 130 unique companies. These 130 have spent Rs8,500 crore (including support through corporate groups) on Covid-19 across the two waves as of June 2021.

According to Maya Vengurlekar, Chief Operating Officer, CRISIL Foundation, "The successive waves of Covid-19 have been a litmus test of corporate altruism - with companies having to balance employee well-being initiatives, business imperatives and their social contract. Given the expectations of a third wave, the probability of diverting more funds during this fiscal seems imminent. Thus, it remains to be seen how long the momentum holds."

Among sectors, manufacturing, energy and financial services accounted for over 60% of the spendings.

Public sector companies (accounting for 7% of the total eligible companies) contributed 32% of the total CSR spending, while private entities (accounting for 87% of total eligible companies) spent 63%.

In both, around two-thirds met the mandate of spending 2% or more of their net profit for the preceding three fiscals. Also, in keeping with the recent trends, most companies preferred to implement their CSR mandate through non-governmental organisations or trusts.

Most of the money (53% of total CSR spending) continued to flow towards education and skill development, and healthcare and sanitation, while rural development got 9%. Yet, the cumulative spending into these three sectors was down to 61% in fiscal 2020 from 75% in fiscal 2019, as the pandemic spawned a change in priorities.

In fiscal 2021, the share of pandemic-related CSR spending is estimated to have climbed to 62%, leaving little for other causes.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
ICICI Bank has filed a case against Karvy Stock Broking Ltd (KSBL) and its founder promoters C Parthasarathy and Meka Yugandhar Rao for allegedly defaulting the Bank to the tune of Rs563 crore.

According to a statement released by Cyberabad police, a case is registered under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420, read with Section 34 (cheating) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Gachibowli Police station against the three for cheating and criminal breach of trust.

According to the police, the case was booked after a manager from ICICI Bank approached them with a complaint alleging cheating and criminal breach of trust by the brokerage and its top executives.

Karvy Stock Broking had raised the funds by pledging shares of its six bankers. These funds were then supposedly transferred to the firms personal bank account instead of the stock broker client account.

This move was in contravention of the guidelines put in place by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), according to the release. Additionally, all the pledges on securities were closed without approval and securities were transferred to the end clients of Karvy Stock Broking. This severely impacted the security of all lenders involved, including ICICI Bank, the press release said.

In its circular, SEBI had directed that clients securities lying with trading members or clearing members cannot be pledged to banks or non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) for raising funds. SEBI also specified that the broker should maintain clear segregation of client beneficiary account and its beneficiary account.

It has been contended that KSBL, with the alleged dishonest and fraudulent intent of cheating and criminal conspiracy, had misappropriated the financial assistance for their personal benefit, causing a breach of trust and wrongful loss to ICICI Bank and wrongful gain to the company and its management.

A case has been registered and transferred to the economic offences wing (EOW), Cyberabad following the complaint and a special team has been formed to investigate the case.

Meanwhile, Mr Parthasarthy was arrested on 19th August by the Hyderabad Police for allegedly defaulting on a loan taken from IndusInd Bank.

In 2019, IndusInd Bank had granted a loan of Rs185 crore to KSBL on depositing securities and guarantees. However, the broking company failed to repay the loan. It was alleged that KSBL illegally transferred Rs138 crore to other companies.

Two other banks had also complained KSBL but, for now, the police have taken action only in connection with the case registered on IndusInd Bank's complaint.

HDFC Bank, in its complaint, alleged that KSBL defaulted on the loan taken in 2019. The stockbroking company had taken a loan of Rs350 crore against shares but only repaid Rs142 crore. HDFC Bank says the remaining balance loan amount of Rs208 with Rs38 crore interest remains unpaid.

As reported by Moneylife in September last year, a set of lendersHDFC Bank, ICIC Bank, Indusind Bank and Bajaj Finance Ltd had allowed Karvy to borrow money by pledging clients shares, putting the investment of over 90,000 investors at risk.

Last month, during the monsoon session, while responding to a question on the Rs2,500 crore Karvy scam, Pankaj Chaudhary, minister of state for finance had said, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has already passed orders in the matter of Karvy Stock Broking and initiated action against directors and key management personnel (KMP) of KSBL.

"In addition, adjudication proceedings have been initiated against both NSE and BSE for violating provisions of SEBI circulars. This is in addition to the criminal complaints filed by the NSE and its declaration of the broker as a defaulter. Claims of investors have been invited through a public notice.

In November 2019, the market regulator SEBI banned KSBL over client defaults worth Rs2,000 crore. The company was banned from taking on new clients and executing trades for existing customers.

This followed an investigation by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) which found that Karvy had allegedly sold client stocks pledged with it through associated entities. The regulator had told depositories not to act upon any instructions by KSBL based on powers of attorney given to the brokerage house to prevent further misuse of client securities.

However, as reported by Moneylife, even several months after its expulsion, there was no legal action against Karvy by retail or institutional investors. Mr Parthsarathy has been assuring people that the brokerage was close to selling its data management business, Karvy Data Management Services Ltd (KDMSL) and expected to raise almost Rs1,000 crore.

Some large investors contemplating litigation against Karvy were told that litigation and any coercive action would scuttle the deal and eliminate any chances of investors getting their money back.

Responding to Moneylife query about Karvy negotiations to sell the data management company, NSE had said, "Karvy has, for more than a year, claimed that they have finalised a deal with UK-based non-resident Indian (NRI) to gain full control of KSBL associate, subsidiary company KDMSL but we are not aware of the current status. However, NSE and other exchanges have monetised trading and demat accounts of Karvy. NSE, jointly with other MIIs (market infrastructure institutions), completed the transfer of the trading and demat accounts of Karvy to another stockbroker and depository participant, through a formal bidding process.

Karvy Stock Broking Company, located in the financial district at Gachibowli, and promoted by C Parthasarathy, M Yugandhara Rao and MS Ramakrishna, was a member of National Stock Exchange (NSE), Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) and Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India (MSEI) and a depository participant registered with National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) and Central Depository Services (India) Ltd (CDSL).
Nandalal Kesar Singh, chairman of the Phenomenal group of companies, has been sent to police custody till 2 September 2021 by a court in Latur. Mr Singh, the brain behind a Rs684 crore Ponzi scam, was arrested on Sunday by Mumbai Polices crime branch Unit VII from a city hotel.

Balaji Mohite, deputy superintendent of police (economic offences wing-EOW) at Latur, informed that the chairman of the Phenomenal group is wanted in several cases in the district. Mr Singh, who claims to be a businessman from Nepal, is booked under section 3 of Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (MPID) Act, as well as under section 420, 468, 471, 409 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He is most likely to remain in the custody of the Latur police for few more weeks.

Mr Singh is accused of luring people to invest in several schemes of his group companies with promises of lucrative returns. Many people from Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka and Gujarat had invested money in Phenomenal Housing Finance Ltd, Phenomenal Plantation Ltd, and Phenomenal Healthcare Services.

He started one of the Ponzi schemes in 2015 and lured people to invest Rs7,500 every month for three years (total Rs2.70 lakh over three years) with an assured returns of Rs8.10 lakh after nine years. Under the Phenomenal group, Mr Singh also launched several schemes including health insurance, to make people invest more in his Ponzi schemes. He has a Nepali passport.

This company's Chairman NK Singh has made enormous wealth by running away from this to that https://t.co/5he2XXg1uq's name is running in https://t.co/2drL9Gnzom in Surat is closed @CM Gujarat#Phenomenal Health Care Services LTD.  Ashok kumar Sharma (@Ashokku76881877) February 27, 2018

Speaking with the media, an official from Mumbai Police says, the chairman of Phenomenal group was absconding since 2018 and was changing his location across states to evade arrest. Mr Singh had also stayed in the US and UK over the past two years, as well as in his native Dhangadhi in west Nepal. He then shifted to Noida and was staying in hotels in Mumbai and Delhi by booking it in various names, including that of his wife Asha Sonar, the official says.

From Nepal, Mr Singh entered India under another identity and opened a hospital in Kerala. However, here too, he cheated many people under a fake scheme for health insurance. In January 2018, the Kochi Police issued a look out notice against seven, including Mr Singh, for cheating people for about Rs120 crore. Others named in the lookout notice included, KO Rafael, TMS Nair, Sebastian Maliekkal, Binoy Rafael, Ranjan Chunnilal, and KA Jiffry.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has ordered unfreezing bank accounts as well as shares and mutual fund holdings of Rana Kapoor, former managing director (MD) and chief executive (CEO) of Yes Bank. Mr Kapoor is currently in judicial custody after being arrested in March 2020 in the alleged Yes Bank fraud case.

In March this year, the market regulator had attached bank accounts, share and mutual fund holdings of Mr Kapoor to recover dues of over Rs1 crore. The move followed when he failed to pay the fine imposed on him.

In September 2020, SEBI levied a penalty of Rs1 crore on the former MD of Yes Bank for not making disclosures regarding a transaction of Morgan Credit, which was an unlisted promoter entity of Yes Bank.

SEBI had said in the order that by not disclosing the transaction to Yes Banks board of directors, Mr Kapoor created an opaque layer between him and stakeholders and violated the provision of the LODR (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulation.

The release order came after Supreme Court, on 2nd August, stayed the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) order which had upheld a penalty of Rs1 crore on Mr Kapoor. The stay was subject to payment of Rs50 lakh by Mr Kapoor.

In compliance with Supreme Courts interim order, he has deposited the amount, the market regulator noted.

Accordingly, SEBI issued an order asking all banks in the country and depositories  NSDL and CDSL to release the bank accounts and locker, demat accounts and mutual fund folios of the defaulter (Mr Kapoor) attached if any pursuant to the notice of attachment.

In February, SEBI issued a demand notice to Mr Kapoor, although he did not pay any dues. The pending dues, totalling Rs1.04 crore, including an initial fine of Rs1 crore and an interest of Rs4.56 lakh and a recovery cost of Rs1,000.
In a big relief, a Raigad Magistrate late on Tuesday granted bail to arrested Union MSME Minister Narayan Rane in a case pertaining to his 'slap slur' against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The development came around 8 hours after Rane's dramatic arrest by a police posse from his camp in Sangameshwar, Ratnagiri, from where he was whisked off to a Raigad court late in the evening.

The Central minister was nabbed - a first ever for the state - after multiple cases were filed against him in various districts for his 'slap slur' targeting Thackeray.

Leader of Opposition (Council) Pravin Darekar and other leaders welcomed the verdict and said it was on expected lines as Rane's arrest was illegal and it was a politically motivated case.

BJP ex-minister Sudhir Mungantiwar termed it as a victory of democracy and a defeat of the 'Talibani mentality' of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

"The state government will have to pay a price for insulting the constitutional tenets of B.R. Ambedkar," Mungantiwar said.

Meanwhile, Rane is expected to walk out free a short while later after completing the legal formalities, much to the relief of his wife Neelam, sons Nilesh and Nitesh, besides a large number of supporters.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
Lansdale, PA (19446)

Today

Showers and thundershowers this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Potential for flooding rains. Low 59F. ESE winds shifting to N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Showers and thundershowers this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Potential for flooding rains. Low 59F. ESE winds shifting to N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected.
August 25, 2021 Russian And U.S. Prison Tales The very scary prison life the New York Times once envisioned for the criminal Aleksei Navalny seems to differ from the reality he now describes. New York Times - March 1 2021 Your Personality Deforms: Navalny Sent to Notoriously Harsh Prison

by Andrew E. Kramer and Steven Erlanger Aleksei A. Navalny, the Russian opposition politician, is going to serve his prison sentence in a penal colony notorious for disciplinary measures considered harsh even by Russian standards, Russian news outlets reported on Monday.

...

The site, Penal Colony No. 2 and also known by its initials IK2, is in the Vladimir Region in European Russia east of Moscow, indicating Mr. Navalny will not serve his sentence in the countrys harshest prisons in Siberia or the Arctic. But the colony is known for strict enforcement of rules and for making extensive use of a separate, harsher, punishment facility within its walls where inmates are not allowed to mingle or even talk among themselves, according to former inmates and lawyers.

...

While guards oversee the prison, fellow prisoners maintain discipline within the brigades, either in cooperation with guards, a group known as activists, or as criminal gang leaders, known as thieves in law. Penal Colony No. 2 is controlled by activists in cahoots with the warden, according to former inmates, an arrangement that will allow the prison administration to strictly control Mr. Navalnys life at all times. Activist-controlled prisons are called red zone facilities, in Russian prison parlance.

...

All the same, at Penal Colony No. 2, activists command fellow prisoners to perform meaningless tasks such as making beds multiple times a day, or undressing and then dressing again, according to accounts of former convicts. Dmitri Dyomushkin, a nationalist politician who served time in the colony, described conditions in the separate punishment brigade, where Mr. Navalny could wind up for infractions as minor as failing to button his jacket, as psychologically harrowing.

...

Inmates spend hours standing with their hands clasped behind their backs, looking at their feet, forbidden from making eye contact with the guards, Mr. Dyomushkin said in an interview on the Echo of Moscow radio station. Some four month later the above propaganda collided with reality. New York Times - August 25 2021 In First Interview From Jail, an Upbeat Navalny Discusses Prison Life

By Andrew E. Kramer Russias most famous prisoner, the opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny, spends much of his time sweeping the prison yard, reading letters in his cellblock and visiting the mess for meals, with porridge often on the menu. But perhaps the most maddening thing, he suggested, is being forced to watch Russian state TV and selected propaganda films for more than eight hours a day in what the authorities call an awareness raising program that has replaced hard labor for political prisoners.

...

Mr. Navalny described five daily sessions of television watching for inmates, the first starting immediately after morning calisthenics, breakfast and sweeping the yard. After some free time, theres a two-hour spell in front of the screen, lunch, then more screen time, dinner, and then more TV time in the evening. During one afternoon session, playing chess or backgammon is an acceptable alternative. We watch films about the Great Patriotic War, Mr. Navalny said, referring to World War II, or how one day, 40 years ago, our athletes defeated the Americans or Canadians.

...

Everything is organized so that I am under maximum control 24 hours a day, Mr. Navalny said. He said he had not been assaulted or threatened by fellow inmates but estimated that about one-third were what are known in Russian prisons as activists, those who serve as informants to the warden.

...

He said he gets along well with other inmates in his cellblock, whom he described as shaven-headed men wearing prison uniforms. Sometimes, they cook snacks in a microwave. 'I am forced to watch TV,' claims the notorious liar Navalny while preparing his snacks in a microwave. Those are really bad conditions the convicted criminal has to live in. Just compare those to the excellent life presumably innocent people experience in New York City while waiting for their trials: A detainee was stabbed. A correction officer was slashed. And another person who was incarcerated at Rikers Island had scalding water thrown on him, causing second-degree burns all over his body. The episodes were included in a letter that a federal monitor filed with a court on Tuesday that described unreasonably high levels of violence this summer at Rikers, New York Citys vast jail complex.

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Most of those being held at Rikers, as well as those in other city jails, are awaiting trial. There are currently close to 6,000 people in custody in the citys jails; more than three-quarters of them have yet to be tried, and are presumed innocent.

...

Mary Lynne Werlwas, the director of the Prisoners Rights Project at the Legal Aid Society, whose 2011 lawsuit led to the federal monitor, said in an interview that the citys jails were more dangerous today than they had been at any time in the past 50 years. The city has completely lost control and as a result, people are not being protected from violence and are locked in the housing areas for days with no food, showers, access to lawyers or medical visits, she said. But Russian prisons are baaaad! Posted by b on August 25, 2021 at 18:10 UTC | Permalink Comments
Pioneer Natural Resources Co., the largest oil producer in the Permian Basin, is requiring new hires to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as inoculation and mask mandates proliferate across the economy.

Amid surging caseloads that are stressing medical facilities in West Texas, Pioneer also is offering employees a one-time vaccine incentive of $1,000, the company said in an email. Devon Energy Corp. is offering $500 to workers that show proof they took the jab by Oct. 15.

Meanwhile, Occidental Petroleum Corp. is extending a work-from-home option for some office staff through the end of October, and taking steps to prevent viral spread on offshore platforms. Valero Energy Corp., the second-biggest U.S. fuel maker, is compelling new hires at some refineries to get vaccinated.

None of the countrys top shale drillers have implemented across-the-board vaccine mandates but the requirements for new hires and cash incentives show the level of concern about the delta variants spread. Vaccination rates in some of the Permian regions biggest oil-producing counties are much lower than state and national averages, government data show.

Permian crude production has been soaring for most of this year as rising oil prices spurred companies to activate suspended wells. Output in the region has increased 32 percent since the end of February and the latest wave of COVID-19 has yet to show any disruptive impact.

Permian Hospitals

About 35 percent of Pioneers field workers were vaccinated, compared with 80 percent at corporate headquarters, Chief Executive Officer Scott Sheffield told Bloomberg TV earlier this month.

Virus hospitalizations are creeping higher in the Permian region and the number of intensive-care beds available for the sickest patients has dwindled to 20 for a population of more than 525,000, state health department figures showed.

About 17 percent of all hospital beds in the trauma service area that includes most of the Texas side of the Permian Basin are occupied by COVID-19 patients, up from 14 percent a week ago.

Serious Strain

Pioneer is concerned about the low vaccination rates in the Permian, the company said. The Permian area health care system is under serious strain and we continue to encourage everyone that is eligible to get the vaccine.

Occidental is requiring non-vaccinated employees to quarantine for additional days before they fly out to oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, the company said in a statement. Its also offering shots at heliports. Chevron Corp. and Hess Corp. have implemented vaccine mandates for Gulf crews.

Valero, which operates refineries from Louisiana to California, is requiring unvaccinated workers at some facilities to mask up and submit to weekly testing. TotalEnergies SE, meanwhile, has reinstated a mask mandate at its massive refinery in southeast Texas, according to a person familiar with operations.
Midland ISD Superintendent Angelica Ramsey said there have been more than 1,000 students and staff test positive for COVID since the beginning of the school year.

Ramsey said the numbers as of Wednesday morning were 1,017 cases, 552 of which were currently active. That makes this period the most impactful on the district during the pandemic, she added.

Ramsey said that the district is seeing an average of 300 to 400 absent staff members a day, which creates challenges for face-to-face learning because of the lack of willing substitutes and a smaller district support center (formerly the central office). Staff members also can include bus drivers, janitors and nutritional support, she said.

Ramsey said there is resistance with some substitutes that are older (specifically the retired teachers) and those fearful about coming into the schools because of a lack of universal mask wearing. Ramsey also credited the teachers that she said are working hard, calling the teaching staff amazing.

So, the prevalence of COVID-19 in our schools and our community is challenging our ability to continue to operate our schools safely, Ramsey said. So, we continue to ask everyone to please send their children to school wearing a mask.

She added that conversations continue among MISD and campus leaders about other mitigation efforts and other solutions to the COVID crisis. She said district leaders dont want to be forced to make the difficult decision of closing a campus because the district is unable to keep staff healthy.

As far as solutions like Paris ISDs decision to make the mask part of the dress code, she said district leaders are talking about all possibilities with legal counsel.

Ramsey appreciates the support that the district has received from the community and if more want to reach out to campuses, there may be specific opportunities for volunteers.

Working together as a community is the only way were going to beat this delta variant, she said.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP)  A gunman fatally shot a tourist eating dinner with his family at a Miami Beach restaurant as the man protected his 1-year-old son, police and a family member said.

Tamarius Blair Davis, 22, of Norcross, Georgia, told investigators he shot Dustin Wakefield, 21, on Tuesday night because he was high on mushrooms, which made him feel empowered, according to his arrest report.

Davis allegedly told police he approached the patio area of the La Cerveceria restaurant just before 6:30 p.m. and randomly decided to shoot Wakefield, who was on vacation from Castle Rock, Colorado. In a short video taken immediately after the shooting and obtained by WSVN-TV, the gunman can be seen dancing while people are heard screaming. The gunman then walks up some steps, the weapon in his hand.

Mike Wakefield, the victims uncle, told the Miami Herald that Dustin Wakefield died protecting his young son.

This guy came in with a gun waving it, saying its time to die. He pointed the gun at his son and Dustin said, Hes only a boy, said Mike Wakefield, who was not in South Beach but heard the account from his family. Dustin stood up between the gunman and the baby and he shot him. He shot him multiple times on the ground.

He said of his nephew, who worked in construction, He was the kindest kid. He loved his family. He loved being a dad.

Davis fled the restaurant, police said, and was captured in a nearby alley. Cellphone video obtained by the Herald shows Davis lying spread-eagle on his back and smiling as three officers approach with their guns pointed towards him yelling commands, warning him that if he touches his gun he will be shot.

Davis then rolled onto his side into a fetal position, before again rolling onto his back as officers approached. Davis screamed I give, I give, I give as officers flip him onto his stomach and handcuff him. The video shows a black handgun lying about 10 feet (three meters) away.

Tommy Davis, the suspect's father, told The Associated Press that his son had traveled to Miami Beach with some friends. He said his son has never been in trouble or had mental health issues. No arrest record for the younger Davis could be found.

This is an unlikely thing, the senior Davis said. 'We are trying to find out what happened. You can imagine we were shocked."

He said he didn't know whether his son would ingest mushrooms or other drugs.

You think you know your kid, but you don't," he said. It is possible someone gave him something. That is something we need to find out.

Davis is charged with murder and was being held without bond Wednesday at the Miami-Dade County Jail. Jail records do not indicate if he has an attorney. Police incorrectly listed his last name as David in their original arrest report.

___

This story corrects the last name of the suspect to Davis, not David. The last was name given wrongly in the original police report. ___

Spencer reported from Fort Lauderdale.
LEXINGTON, Neb. (AP)  Law enforcement officers recovered 11 pounds of fentanyl during a traffic stop on Interstate 80, the Nebraska State Patrol said Tuesday.

A trooper stopped a car late Monday on the interstate about 2 miles west of Lexington because it had defective lighting, the patrol said.

The trooper and a Dawson County Sheriff's deputy saw marijuana in the car and found the fentanyl during a search, according to the patrol.

The driver, Alexis Murillo Godoy, 27, of Long Beach, California, was arrested and held in Dawson County on possible counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver, and other charges.

The patrol said the Drug Enforcement Administration estimates 11 pounds of fentanyl contain about 2.5 million lethal doses.
It was interesting to read that state Rep. Brooks Landgraf of Odessa is again bringing a nuclear waste ban in front of the Texas House.

The Texas Tribune and Dallas Morning News were among those reporting on the issue this week, and it, of course, involves Andrews County, where the Texas Tribune noted, Waste Control Specialists has been disposing of the nations low-level nuclear waste  including tools, building materials and protective clothing exposed to radioactivity  for a decade. The company, with a partner, is pursuing a federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission license to store spent nuclear fuel on a site adjacent to its existing facility, the article noted.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission released its final environmental impact statement in July for a proposed nuclear waste site in Andrews County, and with it, NRC staff recommended that the commission grant a license to the company seeking to store high-level nuclear waste.

The license still needs review by the federal commissioners.

It goes without saying that it is hard to find anyone around the Permian Basin that wants the waste. The Reporter-Telegram reported in mid-July that Andrews County commissioners passed a resolution opposing high-level nuclear waste in county. Oil companies, business organizations and Republicans and Democrats alike have stated their opposition to the storage of high-level nuclear waste.

Landgraf attempted to bring legislation before the House during regular session, but the bill that Texas Republican Party labeled as a Bad Bill! fortunately died. The bill was criticized correctly for reductions in taxes and fees for Waste Control Specialists, among other items.

Is Landgrafs nuclear waste bill 2.0 any better. On the surface, it appears to be. Could it be improved? Definitely.

Heres an example.

The bill states a person may not transport, or arrange for the transportation of, high-level radioactive waste on the highways or railways in this state.

The fix here is to redefine "person" to include those organizations (corporations, LLC, etc) included in the Business Organizations Code. The current definition is improper and doesnt apply to any of the entities who would violate the statute.

Other fixes include:

- A high-level waste, spent nuclear fuel and reactor-related greater-than-class-C waste in the ban;

- Prohibit the TCEQ from ever granting a permit for construction, not just for applications submitted after the effective date/passage of the legislation;

- Add penalties and fines for enforcement and deterrence of potential violations;

- Call for a constitutional amendment to put a high level nuclear waste ban on the ballot. Texans would overwhelmingly support it, and it would complicate attempts to get permits for TECQ.

Gov. Greg Abbott put Radioactive Waste on the second special session agenda, specifically calling for Legislation reforming the laws governing radioactive waste to protect the safety of Texans, including by further limiting the ability to store and transport high-level radioactive materials in this state. The Republican governor needs to tell Landgraf and other state leaders to put these fixes in and give what is otherwise a water-downed bill needed specificity and teeth. It makes a bill about more than well-intentioned symbolism.

One more thing, Rep. Landgraf, this really isnt just your bill, and it doesnt just affect the residents of Andrews County. It affects all of us in the Permian Bason. Also, changes made arent going to create regulation but provide protections for a region.

Landgrafs performance over the past couple legislative sessions hasnt warranted rave reviews, which is concerning to me. While he doesnt represent Midland, residents of Midland County need the person representing Odessa, Ector County and the surrounding area operating in lock step with what is best for the region. Sometimes it is difficult to see if that is what is happening with Landgraf.

It would be easy to go into more detail about the past, but the goal really is to look forward and take care of this nuclear waste bill. Its time to get it right.
Founded over 30 years ago, Galen College of Nursing is one of the largest private nursing schools in the United States. For more information about Galen College of Nursing, visit galencollege.edu. (PRNewsfoto/Galen College of Nursing)
JEFFERSON CITY  Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit Tuesday that seeks to stop school districts from enforcing mask mandates designed to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The lawsuit alleges the rules are arbitrary and capricious, that mandates applying to kids are unlawful, and that districts imposing the mandates must abide by new rules lawmakers approved this spring placing limits on public health orders.

The move by the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate drew sharp criticism from the White House. A spokeswoman for Columbia Public Schools, the district being sued by the state, said school officials were extremely disappointed by the lawsuit.

Although it names the Columbia school system, a spokesman for Schmitt described the lawsuit as a reverse class action, targeting multiple defendants. If Schmitt prevails, an eventual ruling will apply across the state.

If our class is certified, the ruling will bind other public school districts that have mask mandates, spokesman Chris Nuelle said. So essentially, we filed the reverse class action against all public school districts in the state that have mask mandates.

The lawsuit says more than 50 districts have initiated masking rules. St. Louis Public Schools and every district in St. Louis County have masking requirements.

I am committed to fighting back against this kind of government overreach, Schmitt said in a statement. Americans are free people, not subjects.

According to the Columbia Public Schools website, the current masking requirement took effect Aug. 16 and requires students to mask when inside or on school buses.

Wearing masks indoors is one mitigation strategy that will provide an additional layer of protection to keep all students and staff safe and in school, the district said. We know not everyone will agree with this decision. We have listened closely and intentionally to many voices and opinions. This decision is not a forever decision, but it is a decision that is currently necessary.

A spokeswoman for Columbia Public Schools said the district was extremely disappointed by the lawsuit.

Columbia Public Schools is extremely disappointed to learn that the Missouri Attorney General has chosen to pursue litigation against the school district for providing safety measures for its scholars, teachers, and staff members, said Michelle Baumstark, district spokeswoman, in a statement. Numerous school districts across Missouri and across our country made the same safety decision based on what is needed in their communities during this period of time. The decisions made are based on guidance and recommendations from local, state and national health experts, including the CDC.

Schmitt's lawsuit drew criticism at the White House, which called the effort to block school mask mandates as completely unacceptable.

Weve seen, including recently I think today or yesterday in Missouri, additional steps taken that in our view put more kids at risk. The president thinks thats completely unacceptable, Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said during a briefing.

Schmitt has also targeted St. Louis Countys mask order, obtaining a preliminary injunction last week against the mandate.

Schmitt is one of five well-known Republicans seeking the GOP nomination for Senate. Other candidates include U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, U.S. Rep. Billy Long, former Gov. Eric Greitens and St. Louis attorney Mark McCloskey.

Updated at 5:55 p.m. with reaction from the White House and Columbia Public Schools.
The Town of Surfside Beach will take a new approach to planning and building.
BAYLIS  More than 125 people were on hand Tuesday when ground was broken ahead of the construction of Orr Multipurpose Agriculture Facility at John Wood Community Colleges Agricultural Center.

The multi-organization partnership project is intended to improve education for those interested in agriculture business.

Today is a defining moment for our region, JWCC President Michael Elbe said. This new facility will expand the offerings and present more opportunities to bring in other agencies and organizations to make a greater impact in our rural communities and the agricultural industry.

The facility is part of a 44-year partnership among Orr Corp., the University of Illinois and JWCC that offers research and education to serve west-central Illinoiss agriculture industry.

Groundbreaking on this facility epitomizes the Orr Corp.s 40-plus years of dedication to agriculture research and education, said Matt Bradshaw, board chair for Orr Corp. We look forward to John Wood Community College, University of Illinois and numerous other local and state groups use of this facility to improve our rural communities.

The privately funded project has reached $1.7 million of its targeted $2.2 million funding goal.

Construction of the 24,000-square-foot facility at the JWCC Agricultural Education Center and the University of Illinois Agricultural Research and Demonstration Center in Baylis is set to begin in September.

The facility will house offices and classrooms, an exposition and arena space, and an animal care unit designed for short-term or temporary housing for the welfare of animals. The building also will address multiple agricultural education and development issues in west-central Illinois and will enhance research, teaching and activities throughout the region, according to JWCC.

Reaching the groundbreaking stage on the multipurpose building is a true cause for celebration, said Kim Kidwell, dean of U of Is College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Its also a shining symbol of how important partnerships are for serving west-central Illinois and beyond. Im certain agricultural, consumer and environmental science students, who are just starting an exciting new school year, also will celebrate how this next phase of decades-long partnerships around the Orr Center mean even more opportunities to expand teaching, research and outreach efforts in agriculture.

Key stakeholders from across the region also participated in the groundbreaking ceremony.

This new facility will increase and enhance educational opportunities for ag students and community members, said Shelby Crow, U of I Extension director for Adams, Brown, Hancock, Pike and Schuyler counties. We look forward to many more years of this incredible partnership and the potential for Illinois Extension programs this new facility provides.
ROCKPORT  Two people were being held Tuesday in Pike County Jail after authorities said a stockpile of drugs and weapons were found inside a car at Ralphs Landing on the countys southern edge.

A deputy saw the car about 12:42 a.m. Saturday and thought it was suspicious. A search resulted in finding more than 50 grams of methamphetamine as well as psilocybin mushrooms and heroin. There also were small plastic baggies, digital scales, 14 smoking devices, hypodermic syringes, several rounds of ammunition, and three handguns inside, according to a Pike County Sheriffs Department report.
Overnight reports from Jacksonville police:

 Nicholas LaKamp, 29, homeless, was arrested at 11:50 a.m. Tuesday on an aggravated domestic battery charge. He was accused of beating his 88-year-old grandmother during an altercation in Community Park, according to a police report. She required treatment at Passavant Area Hospital for severe injuries, police said. Her condition Wednesday was unavailable.
SEOUL, South Korea  South Korea has reported 2,155 new coronavirus cases, nearly matching a record daily increase set earlier this month amid an alarming spread of infections.

With Wednesday's report, the country has tallied more than 1,000 new cases for 50 consecutive days, including a record 2,221 on Aug. 11.

The virus has shown no signs of slowing despite officials enforcing strong social distancing restrictions short of a lockdown in Seoul and other large population centers where private social gatherings are banned after 6 p.m.

The Health Ministry is concerned that transmissions could further increase during next months Chuseok holidays, the Korean version of Thanksgiving when millions of people travel across the country to meet relatives. It is considering measures to reduce travel during the period, such as limiting train occupancy.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 Georgia Gov. Kemp orders National Guard to overwhelmed hospitals

 US outbreaks force early reversals on in-person learning at schools

 ACLU sues over South Carolina ban on school mask mandates

 Dr. Fauci recommends hospitals, doctors use more antibody treatments

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Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

SYDNEY  Australias New South Wales state has recorded another new daily high of 919 coronavirus infections. It also has had two more deaths related to COVID-19.

New South Waless previous high for a 24-hour period was 830 infections reported Sunday.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said Wednesday that the health system in Australias most populous state is under pressure but is coping.

The COVID-19 death toll has reached 76 in New South Wales since the outbreak of the delta variant was first detected in Sydney on June 16.

Neighboring Victoria, Australia second-most populous state, reported 45 new infections Wednesday.

Both states are locked down.

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BOISE, Idaho  State leaders in Idaho are urging people to volunteer at hospitals to help health workers who are being swamped by a rising number of COVID-19 cases.

Idaho Public Health Administrator Elke Shaw-Tulloch says hospitals need help with everything from housekeeping to delivering care, which could be provided by retired health workers.

The director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare says volunteer help is badly needed to keep the states medical facilities operating.

Dave Jeppesen says that their level of capacity is so strained that we are talking about crisis standards of care  were dangerously close to that as this point in time.

As of Friday, the number of coronavirus infections statewide had increased 31% compared to the previous week, and hospital admissions for COVID-19 were up about 30%, according to data from the CDC.

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JACKSON, Miss.  Mississippis top health official says he has received threats from people who are spreading lies accusing his family of receiving payments for him urging the public to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Mississippi has seen a rapid increase in cases since early July, driven by the highly contagious delta variant of the virus and the states low vaccination rate. State health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs has been imploring people for months to get vaccinated.

On Tuesday, Dobbs wrote on Twitter that he has gotten threatening phone calls from people repeating unfounded conspiracy theories involving him and his family.

Dobbs says one lie is that his son, who is also a physician, receives a World Bank-funded kickback whenever Dobbs urges people to get vaccinated. In Dobbs words: I get zero $ from promoting vaccination.

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MONTGOMERY, Ala.  A poison control hotline in Alabama is fielding increasing calls about possible poisoning with ivermectin poisoning, an animal de-wormer that doctors are warning people not to try as a home remedy for COVID-19.

The Alabama Poison Information Center at Childrens of Alabama has fielded 24 ivermectin exposure cases so far this year, of which 15 were related to COVID-19 prevention and treatment. It says there have been five other calls seeking information about ivermectin.

By comparison, the center had six total calls involving the de-wormer in 2019 and 12 in 2020.

Federal regulators have approved ivermectin to treat people and animals for some parasitic worms and for head lice and skin conditions, but the drug is not approved for COVID-19. The human and animal formulations are not the same, and doctors say it is dangerous for people to self-dose, particularly with the large quantities given to animals.

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JACKSON, Miss.  More than 1,000 out-of-state medical workers are starting to deploy to 50 Mississippi hospitals to help with staffing shortages as the state deals with a surge of COVID-19 cases.

Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday that 808 nurses, three certified nurse anesthetists, 22 nurse practitioners, 193 respiratory therapists and 20 paramedics have been hired under 60-day contracts that could be extended if needed.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency awarded contracts to four companies of the 19 that submitted proposals when the state sought medical workers earlier this month.

Mississippi will pay $80 million for the contracts, and Reeves says he expects the federal government to reimburse the state for the entire expense.

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DALLAS  Texas hospital systems are increasingly closing off-site emergency rooms and moving their staff to hospitals to help with a flood of COVID-19 cases.

Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston closed three suburban emergency rooms in Kingwood, Spring and Sienna to help ease the burden on its hospital staffs. St. Lukes Health in Houston closed its Conroe ER to help meet surging admissions at its hospital in nearby The Woodlands.

Texas Health Hospital Rockwall near Dallas has moved the staff at its satellite ER to the hospitals ER, and it also put up an air-conditioned tent outside to accommodate 10 to 15 overflow patients.

Of the 7,258 ICU beds in Texas hospitals, 6,746 were filled Wednesday. Of those, 3,592 were COVID-19 cases.

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HOUSTON  The National Rifle Association has canceled its annual meeting, which had been set to be held next month in Houston, due to concerns over the pandemic.

The NRAs meeting had been set for Sept. 3 through Sept. 5 and would have been attended by thousands of people taking part in social gatherings and other events on acres of exhibit space.

The organization said Tuesday it made the decision after analyzing relevant data regarding COVID-19 in Harris County, where Houston is. Houston, like other Texas cities and communities, has seen a jump in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations due to the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.

The NRA says impacts from the virus could have broader implications for those attending if the event went forward.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif.  A summer coronavirus surge driven by the delta variant is again straining some California hospitals, particularly in rural areas, but the trend shows signs of moderating and experts predict improvement in coming weeks.

The pattern is similar to the infection spikes California experienced last summer and much more severely over the winter, when intensive care units were overflowing. But this time the surge has come without the shutdown orders that previously hobbled Californias economy, businesses and schools.

The state epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said Tuesday that were hopeful, definitely. Pan says the states latest projection does look encouraging that we are plateauing and or peaking.

More than 8,200 people are hospitalized for COVID-19 across California, with nearly 2,000 in intensive care. Deaths have begun increasing and state models project nearly 2,000 people will die within the next three weeks.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio  Ohio State University will require all students, faculty and staff to complete the full coronavirus vaccination process by Nov. 15.

School President Kristina Johnson said Tuesday that the requirement is based on the decision by the Food and Drug Administrations decision to grant full approval to the Pfizer vaccine.

Ohio State is one of the countrys largest universities and a major employer in the state capital, Columbus.

Johnson says the vaccination requirement coupled with Ohio States mask mandate provides the best chance of continuing to enjoy the traditions that we love throughout the academic year with higher vaccination rates in our campus community.

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OFALLON, Mo.  Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has filed a lawsuit seeking to stop school districts from enforcing mask mandates, requirements aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

A spokesman said Tuesday that the lawsuit names Columbia Public Schools along with the districts Board of Education and board members, but is a class action lawsuit that would apply to school districts across the state that have a mask mandate for schoolchildren.

The new school year began Monday in several districts across the state, and with the delta variant causing a big spike in cases, hospitalizations and deaths, more than four dozen districts are requiring students, teachers and staff to wear face coverings.

The lawsuit cites the low death rate among school aged children.

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SALEM, Ore.  People in Oregon, regardless of vaccination status, will once again be required wear masks in most public outdoor settings  including large outdoor events where physical distancing is not possible  beginning on Friday.

The outdoor mask mandate, which was announced Tuesday by Gov. Kate Brown, is part of a growing list of statewide measures implemented in Oregon in an attempt to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19. There was already an indoor mask mandate.

Over the past month coronavirus cases, fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant, have overwhelmed hospitals in the Pacific Northwest state.

Health officials say part of the reasoning for the new mandate is because they are seeing instances where cases are clustering around outdoor events, such as music festivals.

On Monday there were just 47 adult intensive care unit beds available in the state, with 937 COVID-19 patients hospitalized. Currently more than 90% of the states ICU and hospital beds are full.

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MILWAUKEE  Milwaukees mayor has ordered mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for city employees. Mayor Tom Barrett made the announcement Tuesday afternoon. The requirement applies to general city employees as well as temporary employees and interns.

We have an obligation to provide a safe workplace for all employees, and a vaccinated workforce is part of that, Barrett, a Democrat, said in a news release.

The mandate will go into effect Sept. 1. Unvaccinated employees will receive up to two hours of paid leave to get vaccinated and will have until Oct. 29 to produce proof of vaccination. Workers who wont comply will face 30-day unpaid suspensions. Workers who continue to refuse to get the shots will be fired. The city will provide exemptions from the shots based on medical or religious reasons.

The mandate doesnt apply to unionized city workers. The mayors office says the city is negotiating with the unions on how the requirement will apply to members.

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OMAHA, Neb.  The health department for Nebraskas most populous county has asked the state for approval to issue a countywide mandate requiring people to wear face masks indoors.

If approved, the order would apply not only to businesses, but to schools within the countys borders, as well.

Douglas County Health Director Lindsay Huse told the County Board on Tuesday that she had sought the approval for the mask order from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Huse said the order, if approved, would require masking until community transmission drops below the substantial category and until eight weeks past the time a COVID vaccine is approved for children between the ages of 5 and 11.

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WASHINGTON  Dr. Anthony Fauci is urging hospitals and doctors to make greater use of antibody treatments for people infected with COVID-19 as hospitalizations and deaths rise due to the spread of the delta variant.

Infusions of antibody drugs can keep patients who are experiencing mild-to-moderate symptoms from getting so sick they need hospitalization, the governments top infectious disease specialist said at Tuesdays White House coronavirus briefing. They also can serve as a preventive treatment for people exposed to someone with a documented infection.

Three antibody products are available under emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, and theyre free thanks to taxpayer support. But Fauci says they remain a much-underutilized intervention.

However, demand for the drugs increased five-fold last month to nearly 110,000 doses, with the majority going to states with low vaccination rates. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has been among the patients treated with antibodies.
Morocco regrets Algerias decision to cut diplomatic ties View Photo

RABAT, Morocco (AP)  Morocco regrets the completely unjustified decision of neighboring Algeria to break off diplomatic relations, the countrys Foreign Affairs Ministry said Wednesday, calling some of Algerias reasons absurd.

Algeria cited a series of alleged hostile acts for the cutting of ties when it announced the decision on Tuesday,.

The move was expectedin view of the logic of escalation observed in recent weeks, the Moroccan ministry said in a statement released overnight.

Morocco categorically rejects the fallacious, even absurd, pretexts underlying it, the statement read.

Morocco and Algeria are allies of Western nations, and their break in relations could complicate diplomacy in the region and beyond. The two countries are important in the fight against extremism in the nearby Sahel region.

France, once the colonial power in both Algeria and Morocco, chose a balanced tone to offend neither side.

Algeria and Morocco are two friends and two essential partners of France, the French Foreign Ministry said. France remains naturally attached to deepening ties and dialogue between nations of the region to consolidate stability and prosperity.

Voices in the Middle East also expressed regret over the rupture in ties.

Saudi Arabia called on the two countries to prioritize dialogue and diplomacy, saying it hoped for a turnaround as quickly as possible. The general secretariat of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation, based in Saudi Arabia, called for shared interests and good neighborly relations to take precedence. It suggested dialogue to resolve differences between Algeria and Morocco.

The Algerian governments decision culminated a period of growing tension between the North African countries, which are mired in a decades-long feud, with their borders closed to each other.

The Algerian foreign minister notably denounced massive and systematic acts of espionage by Morocco, a reference to allegations that the kingdoms security services used Israeli-made Pegasus spyware against its officials and citizens, official Algerian news agency APS reported. Morocco adamantly denies the allegations.

Algeria also objected to reported remarks by Moroccos U.N. ambassador in mid-July and comments by Israels foreign minister during a historic visit to Morocco as part of the countries normalization of ties.

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Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed.
Tuolumne Public Health reports four new COVID-19 deaths, a woman in her 90s who was vaccinated, and three who were not vaccinated, a woman in her 80s, a woman in her 60s, and a man in his 40s. Two of the deaths were from a local care facility. Public Health epidemiology and infection prevention staff are coordinating with facilities and organizations to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in high-risk settings.

Tuolumne Public Health reports 63 new cases identified since yesterday including one inmate case. There are 274 active community cases including 20 who are hospitalized. The total current case rate, a 14-day rolling average for Tuolumne County is up to 64.5 per 100,000 population from a previous high of 62.8 yesterday. Of the 62 new community cases 2 were vaccinated with Moderna.

The new cases include 16 cases age 11 or under and 12 cases age 60 and older. The gender and age breakdown is; 8 girls and 4 boys age 0-11, 2 girls and 2 boys age 12-17, 8 women and 5 men age 18-29, 5 women and 6 men age 30-39, 2 women and 4 men age 40-49, 4 women 50-59, 5 women and 1 man age 60-69, 3 women age 70 to 79, 1 woman and 1 man age 80-89, and 1 woman age 90 or older.

A total of 22,564 Tuolumne residents are fully vaccinated and 4,046 are partially vaccinated. The vaccination rate is 53% of eligible people in Tuolumne, those age 12 and older. The California department of corrections reports 12 active cases at the Sierra Conservation Center (SCC). A total of 1,554 inmate cases have been resolved which includes all southern fire camps.

Tuolumne Public Health and Adventist Health Sonora put out a joint statement detailing the increase in patients due to Covid, Exhaustion is an understatement at this point, said Dr. Philip Clarkson. Both entities are strongly encouraging vaccination as detailed here. Full federal approval of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for those 16 years and older was detailed here, Moderna and J&J have emergency use approval. Tuolumne Public Health states the vaccine is the most important step to reduce the spread of disease, prevent serious illness and death, and reduce the impact to the healthcare system. In addition, they recommend the continued practice of other preventive actions like wearing a mask in public, keeping your distance, avoiding crowds, washing hands, and staying home when sick will help slow the spread of the virus.

Calaveras County Public Health Calaveras reported 28 new Covid cases since yesterday. Active cases decreased to 56 from 97 active cases yesterday. There are four active Covid hospitalizations. There are 10 new cases age 0-17 and two new cases in individuals 65 years and older. Since the pandemic began Calaveras has had 325 Covid-19 positive people who are 17 and under and 511 Covid-19 positive people 65 and over.

Mariposa County Public Health reports 9 new cases since yesterday, including 2 cases under 11, 2 age 12 to 19, and 2 cases age 60 and older. There are 104 active cases and 11 individuals hospitalized. Six of the nine new cases were unvaccinated, one cases vaccination status is currently under investigation.

As detailed in yesterdays report here, Mariposa is experiencing its biggest surge in Covid cases. Today they recognized their Case Investigation and Contact Tracing team. Mariposa health officials state the team works tirelessly every day to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. They know it is about much more than just picking up the phone and asking about symptoms and vaccination status. They provide guidance and resources and help to alleviate fears. They arrange for grocery or medication pickups. They can direct individuals to financial resources for missing work. Some days can be emotionally exhausting for our team. They rejoice with people when they are feeling better. They grieve when a death is reported. They listen, they care, and they love this community. By cooperating with our team, you help them to keep our community safe, but also help them to help your friends and loved ones that are close contacts. We appreciate the support and cooperation we are receiving and we remind everyone that cooperating will help us move past this phase that much faster. Together, we can slow the spread. It takes a village, but we can do it.



COVID-19 Testing The State testing site is at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora and plans to be open every day from 7 AM to 7 PM. Due to increased demand, appointments should be made rather than walking in. Appointments can be scheduled at www.lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123. Testing is also available through Rapid Care or the hospital emergency department if you are experiencing any symptoms, or contact your healthcare provider.

COVID-19 Vaccines in Calaveras, Tuolumne or Mariposa can be made at local pharmacies and through myturn.ca.gov or by calling 833-422-4255. Current guidance was issued for a third COVID vaccination dose for those who are moderately to severely immunocompromised. For details on those criteria, please look here: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/ThirdVaccineDoseQandA.aspx Individuals who meet the criteria should check with their healthcare provider to confirm appropriate administration and timing of a third dose of the COVID vaccine. A vaccine can then be scheduled through their provider, a pharmacy, or another vaccination clinic.

Anyone 12 and older is eligible for the COVID vaccine, Pfizer is approved for anyone over age 12. If you have questions about MyTurn and the registration process, call Tuolumne Public Health at 533-7440 or email Health@tuolumnecounty.ca.gov

The California Department of Public Health and local County Health Department issued masking guidance for universal masking indoors as detailed here. Information and guidance on isolation and quarantine is available at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Guidance-on-Isolation-and-Quarantine-for-COVID-19-Contact-Tracing.aspx Guidelines for self-care and more tips from the CDC are here.

County/Date

Tier Color Active

Cases New Cases

Total Cases COVID

Deaths Amador 8/23 163 25 2,443 41 Calaveras 8/24 56 28 2,688 61 Mariposa 8/24 104 9 749 10 Mono 8/24 65 1 1,168 5 Stanislaus 8/24 2,564 289 64,706 1,120 Tuolumne 8/24 274 63 5,403 82
The Latest: US, others issue security alert at Kabul airport

The Latest: US, others issue security alert at Kabul airport View Photo

CANBERRA, Australia  Australia on Thursday advised its citizens in Afghanistan not to travel to Kabuls airport, where there as a very high threat of a terrorist attack.

Australians in the airports vicinity were advised to move to a safe location and await further advice.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the travel advice was consistent with revised British and New Zealand advice. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul warned American citizens away from three specific airport gates over an unspecified security issue.

Australia has helped evacuated around 4,000 people from the airport since Wednesday last week including 1,200 overnight, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

That was triple the number that Morrison said he thought was possible last week.

It remains a highly dangerous environment, Morrison said.

That danger and those risks have been increasing each and every day as we always knew they would, and thats why weve been moving with the haste that we have, he added.

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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:

 Poland, Belgium end Afghan evacuation as clock ticks down

 US says 1,500 Americans may still await Kabul evacuation

 2 US lawmakers Kabul trip prompts questions, criticism

 Immigrant families from San Diego area stuck in Afghanistan

 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON  The head of the U.S. militarys European Command says that so far more than 7,000 evacuees from Afghanistan have been flown to eight locations around Europe, mainly in Germany and Italy.

Gen. Tod Wolters said Wednesday that 55 evacuation flights from Afghanistan have flown into Ramstein Air Base in Germany and three into Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy. He says the flights brought nearly 5,800 evacuees from Kabul to Ramstein and 662 to Sigonella.

Smaller numbers of flights and people have gone to six other European locations, largely bases in Germany. Flights will soon be going into the base at Rota, Spain.

Wolters says there have been few medical or security problems. He says fewer than 100 individuals have needed additional medical screening, and of those fewer than 25 needed medical attention at the military hospital. More than half of them have already returned to Ramstein for further processing and travel onward to more permanent destinations.

He says just 52 people have required additional security screening, and all of them were eventually cleared.

Wolters says evacuees are spending three to four days at the Europe transit stops before they move on. He says the plan is to move 1,500-1,800 people per day on to Dulles International Airport outside Washington.

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LONDON  The British government is warning its citizens in Afghanistan to stay away from Kabul airport, citing the ongoing and high threat of a terrorist attack.

The Foreign Office says anyone in the area of the airport should move away to a safe location and await further advice.

It is unclear how many Britons remain in Afghanistan. U.K. military flights have evacuated more than 11,000 people in recent days, including several thousand British citizens and more than 7,000 Afghans.

Britain is planning to end its evacuations before U.S. forces depart at the end of the month.

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WASHINGTON  The Afghan baby girl born on a C-17 military aircraft that made an evacuation flight from Afghanistan will forever carry that experience with her. Her parents have named her after the planes call sign  Reach.

The head of U.S. European Command told reporters Wednesday that officials had spoken to the newborns parents. Gen. Tod Wolters says the parents decided to name her Reach because the transport aircrafts call sign is Reach 828.

She was born Saturday, and members of the 86th Medical Group helped in her birth as the plane flew from Kabul to Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

European Command says the mother went into labor during the flight and began experiencing complications due to low blood pressure. The pilot descended in altitude to increase air pressure in the aircraft, which helped stabilize the mother. Military medical personnel delivered the baby in the planes cargo bay.

Wolters says the baby and family are all in good condition. Two other babies whose parents were evacuating from Afghanistan have been born over the past week at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the U.S. military hospital in Germany.

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BRUSSELS  Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo says the country has ended its evacuation flights carrying people from the Afghan capital of Kabul to Pakistan.

De Croo tweeted Wednesday that the federal government took the decision to bring an end to evacuations from Kabul airport given the evolution of the situation in Afghanistan and in agreement with its European partners.

He says five flights operated between Kabul and Islamabad on Wednesday and all personnel involved in the operation and those evacuated are now in Pakistan.

De Croos says that Belgium will continue to repatriate to our country those people evacuated in the days ahead. More than 1,100 people have been flown to Belgium in recent days.A

Belgium and other European countries have been obliged to wind down their operations as U.S. troops running Kabul airport prepare to leave by Aug. 31.

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WASHINGTON  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the administration believes about 1,500 American citizens remain in Afghanistan, 12 days into a massive U.S. military airlift.

Blinken said at a news conference Wednesday that another 4,500 Americans have been evacuated in a U.S.-run, round-the-clock operation since the Taliban reached the capital Aug. 14, completing a sudden rout of the U.S.-backed Afghan government and military.

Blinkens count comes after days of pressing for official estimates of how many Americans remain to be safely gotten out of the country, ahead of a planned U.S. troop withdrawal Tuesday.

American officials are in contact with about 500 American citizens to try to get them safely out of the country, the U.S. official said.

Blinken described ongoing efforts to reach the final 1,000 Americans, ahead of the U.S. withdrawal.

Were aggressively reaching out to them multiple times a day, through multiple channels of communication  phone, email, text-messaging  to determine whether they still want to leave, he said.

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WASHINGTON  Germanys top military commander says 21 German citizens were picked up during an overnight helicopter mission in Afghanistan that was flown by U.S. forces.

Gen. Eberhard Zorn said Wednesday that U.S. troops flew the helicopter and German forces picked up the evacuees.

The Pentagon acknowledged that there was a U.S. military helicopter flight into Kabul overnight to gather evacuees and take them to the airport to be flown out of the country. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby and Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor said this was the third such helicopter rescue flight done by the military during the ongoing evacuation. They declined to say who the passengers were or provide any other details.

The U.S. and other nations are under increasing pressure to get people out before the Aug. 31 deadline for the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

U.S. officials have said there have been ongoing efforts to collect Americans, at-risk Afghans and other NATO or allied individuals from Kabul and get them through the chaotic perimeter into the airport. They wont say how these rescues are being done, but say the helicopter missions have been rare.

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ISTANBUL  Turkey has begun to evacuate its troops from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years in the country.

The Defense Ministry made the announcement Wednesday.

The Turkish Armed Forces are returning to our homeland with the pride of successfully fulfilling this task entrusted to them, the ministry said in a statement. The current situation and conditions were evaluated and the evacuation of TAF elements has started.

Turkish soldiers have been helping evacuate people from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul since the Taliban took the city more than a week ago. The ministry said Turkish military aircraft evacuated 1,129 people.

Prior to the Taliban taking Kabul, NATO member Turkey had offered to secure and operate the airport following the U.S. withdrawal.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted: Turkey will continue to work for the peace, security and prosperity of our Afghan brothers and sisters.

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MILAN  Italian military planes have transported nearly 1,000 Afghans out of Kabul in the last 24 hours, bringing to 4,400 the number of Afghan nationals who worked with Italian institutions and charities flown to safety. The Defense Ministry made the announcement Wednesday.

A total of 3,959 Afghans have been flown onward to Rome during the air bridge, comprised of 63 flights since June.

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MEXICO CITY  Mexico has welcomed a group of 124 Afghan media workers and their families after the group fled their country because of the Taliban takeover.

The group arrived Wednesday aboard a Qatar Emiri Air Force flight to Mexico City in the pre-dawn hours. The Foreign Relations Department said the Afghans had worked for various media outlets and had requested humanitarian visas because of the Talibans hostility toward journalists.

The New York Times reported that a group of its journalists had been taken in by Mexico and arrived Wednesday.

Mexico accepted its first group of refugees from Afghanistan on Tuesday, when five women and one man arrived in Mexico City.

The young women, who had to travel through six countries to reach Mexico, have competed in robotics competitions. They fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country earlier this month. The Taliban have been hostile to women working or going to school after a certain age.

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MOSCOW  The Russian Defense Ministry says four planes sent to evacuate more than 500 people from Afghanistan have taken off from Kabul and are en route to Russia.

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday the planes would carry the nationals of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine from Kabul. The flights marked the first such airlift for Russia since evacuations from Kabul began.

Teams of medical workers are present on each plane to provide assistance to the evacuees if necessary.

The evacuations will be carried out upon orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Separately, a representative of the Afghan community in Russia said Wednesday the Russian Embassy in Kabul has allowed more than 1,000 Afghan citizens to come to Russia once the Kabul airport reopens for regular flights. The Interfax news agency quoted Ghulam Mohammad Jalal as saying they include Afghan citizens of Russian origin, Afghan students studying in Russian universities and those who hold Russian residence or work permits.

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ROME  The World Food Program says more than half a million Afghans are displaced inside the countrys borders after they sought to escape conflict  and many of them need food aid.

The U.N. organization with a 450-person team has managed to distribute food to some of those in need as much of the worlds attention focuses on Kabuls airport and the frantic bid by countless Afghans to flee their country.

The agencys deputy country director for Afghanistan, Andrew Patterson, said in Kabul on Wednesday that all four main border crossings that it uses to transport food remain open and goods are flowing through.

But Patterson worries about the possibility that international funding will be frozen, including for the WFP humanitarian operation, in the wake of the Taliban taking power.That, he said, would precipitate catastrophe for Afghanistans people.

Last week, Patterson in separate comments had noted that closure of banks in the country complicated the ability to distribute cash to purchase food locally for those at risk of going hungry.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The Dutch defense ministry says that two evacuation flights have landed Wednesday in Amsterdam carrying a total of 299 people.

The ministry says that among the arrivals were 54 Dutch nationals. It has not given details of the nationalities of the other evacuees.

The Dutch government has conducted 16 evacuation flights out of Kabul to countries in the Afghanistan region. Nine flights have brought evacuees to the Netherlands.

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STOCKHOLM  Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde says that another 227 people have been evacuated from Kabul, adding they were citizens of the Scandinavian country, people with permanent residency permits and local hires.

She made the announcement Wednesday. A total of 771 persons have been evacuated to Sweden from Afghanistan.

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PARIS  A French government spokesperson says France will continue its evacuation operation in Kabul as long as possible ahead of American Aug. 31 withdrawal date.

Gabriel Attal on Wednesday did not provide a date for the end of the French operation, saying only we will likely need to anticipate a few hours, maybe a few days ahead of the American forces departure from Kabul airport.

We will continue as long as possible, he said. Due to extreme tension on the ground  and the scheduled departure of American forces, these evacuations are a true race against time.

Attal declined to elaborate on how many people are still waiting for evacuation by France in Kabul.

A 10th flight carrying evacuees landed in Paris on Wednesday, with 21 French and 220 Afghan nationals, including 130 children onboard, according to the French Office of Immigration and Integration.

In total, at least 1,720 Afghans and a hundred French people have been evacuated by France since the beginning of the operation last week.

French President Emmanuel Macron promised France would evacuate Afghans who worked for the country as well as activists and others under threat.

___

BERLIN  Germanys foreign ministry says it believes that more than 200 citizens of the country are still in Afghanistan.

Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said Wednesday that the figure is higher than that previously given in part because people are continuing to report to us.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas had said Tuesday that about 100 Germans and their families were still on the ground, and Burger acknowledged that there was a certain fuzziness about the figure because some of the relatives are also German citizens.

Burger said that 540 Germans have been flown out so far. In all, more than 4,600 people have been flown out of Kabul on flights operated by the German military.

It isnt clear when Germanys evacuation effort will end. Chancellor Angela Merkel told parliament on Wednesday that it will continue as long as possible.

___

BUDAPEST, Hungary  Hungary will soon cease its evacuation operations in Afghanistan after the country extracted more than 500 people from Kabul in recent days, the countrys foreign minister told a news conference Wednesday.

The exact timing of the end of rescue operations will be announced by the commander of the Hungarian Army, which could happen today, Peter Szijjarto said.

Hungary transported more than 500 evacuees at the request of its allies, including the United States and Austria, Szijjarto said, as well as Afghan citizens and their families who assisted Hungarian military forces in Afghanistan.

Hungary is only willing to accommodate those Afghan asylum seekers that assisted Hungary, Szijjarto said. He urged Hungarys allies to ensure the safety of Afghans who are in danger after assisting NATO operations in Afghanistan.

___

SOFIA, Bulgaria  Bulgaria says it will grant asylum to some 70 Afghan citizens and their families.

The countrys caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Yanev told reporters on Wednesday that the Afghan nationals have previously worked at the Bulgarian Embassy in Kabul or within the Bulgarian military missions in Afghanistan.

He did not elaborate about the timing and the route of the evacuation.

Their evacuation from Afghanistan will be a challenge, but with the arrangements in place I hope that we will be successful, Yanev said.

Bulgaria, a member of the European Union and NATO, has already announced that it is going to shelter Afghans who worked for the Balkan country.

But it is hesitant to invite larger groups of refugees, saying that all temporary accommodation centers are already overcrowded with migrants from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.

Bulgaria was used as a transit route for hundreds of thousands of migrants on their way to western Europe during the height of the migrant crisis. Since then, Bulgaria erected a razor-wire fence along most of its 269-kilometer (167-mile) border with Turkey and has pledged to deploy hundreds of army troops to support border police.

___

THE HAGUE, Netherlands  Protesters have burned car tires outside a military base in the central Netherlands where Afghans are being housed after being evacuated from Kabul.

Police dog handlers broke up the demonstration Tuesday night outside the base in the village of Harskamp, 85 kilometers (52 miles) east of Amsterdam.

A police spokeswoman said Wednesday that officers did not arrest or hand on-the-spot fines to anybody at the demonstration Tuesday night.

Hundreds of Afghans have arrived in the Netherlands in recent days after being flown out of Kabul. They are being housed in three military bases.

The base in Harskamp can house 800 evacuees.

___

VILNIUS, Lithuania  A plane carrying the first group of Afghan interpreters who had worked with Lithuanian forces in Afghanistan has touched down in the Baltic country.

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that a total of 50 people were flown from Kabul via Warsaw, Poland.

They are the first of 115 interpreters who worked with Lithuanian forces in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2013, and Lithuania plans to bring all of them out of the country. The second group is expected to land in Vilnius later in the day.

Meanwhile in Norway, two planes from Afghanistan with a total of 278 passengers landed in Oslo, Norwegian news agency NTB reported.

___

MOSCOW  Russia is preparing to evacuate more than 500 people on four military planes from Afghanistan  its first airlift operation since evacuations from Kabul began.

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that it will airlift the nationals of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine from Kabul.

Teams of medical workers will be present on each plane, the ministry said, should any of the evacuees require medical attention.

The evacuations will be carried out upon orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ministry noted.

___

KAMPALA, Uganda  Ugandas government says 51 people evacuated from Afghanistan have arrived in the East African country at the request of the United States.

Authorities said in a statement that the group, transported to Uganda in a chartered flight, arrived early Wednesday. That statement said they included men, women and children. No more details were given on the identities of the evacuees.

Ugandan officials said last week the country will shelter up to 2,000 people fleeing the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan. They said the Afghans would be brought to Uganda in small groups in a temporary arrangement before they are relocated elsewhere.

Uganda has long been a security ally of the U.S., especially on security matters in the region.

By The Associated Press
Masks ordered for most Florida students, defying DeSantis View Photo

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)  Just over half of Floridas 2.8 million public school students now face mandates to wear masks in classrooms as a courtroom battle continues over efforts by Gov. Ron DeSantis to leave such decisions up to parents.

A majority of school board members in Orange County told the superintendent on Tuesday to require most students to wear masks, and agreed with her recommendation to keep the mandate through Oct. 30.

The district began its school year this month with a parental opt-out, but a surge in students across the Orlando area testing positive for COVID-19 has disrupted classes. Through Tuesday, the district reported 1,968 positive cases among students since school began, with 1,491 people under active quarantine, according to the districts dashboard.

At least 10 school boards making up some of the largest districts in Florida are now defying the governors attempt to ban local mandates on masks in schools. The Orange County board also said it wants to challenge the legality of a Florida Department of Health rule enforcing the ban.

In Fort Lauderdale, the Broward County School Board told the Department of Education on Tuesday that it wont back down on its mask policy, which gives parents a medical opt-out for students. The board said it believes that complies with the governors order and the departments mask rule.

Parents, the board said, dont have an unlimited right to send their kids to school unmasked, infringing on the rights of other parents who want their children kept safe.

DeSantis is not backing down. Ar a news conference Wednesday, the governor warned of additional consequences for defiant schools districts, but didnt elaborate. DeSantis contends those boards are violating the Parents Bill of Rights, signed into law this summer. It gives parents authority to direct their childrens education.

Those schools districts are violating state law and they are overriding what the parents judgment is on this, he said, stressing repeatedly that cloth masks dont prevent the spread of aerosols.

If these entities are going to violate state law and take away parents rights . theres consequences for that, DeSantis added.

The state had given Broward and Alachua counties until Tuesday to end their mask mandates. Browards students began school a week ago with a mask policy in place. State officials have threatened to withhold funding equal to school board salaries if a district doesnt comply. Those funds make up less than 1% of each districts budget.

The debate over masks has gotten heated.

On Wednesday morning, police said the father of a student who tried to enter Fort Lauderdale High School without a mask was arrested after he forcefully pushed another student who tried to grab his cellphone. A police report said the father was recording video of students at the schools front gate and the student didnt want to be filmed.

The father was charged with one count of aggravated child abuse.

School board members from Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties held a virtual news conference Wednesday to discuss the possibility of suing DeSantis and the state. All three said theyve received online threats over the mask issue.

We will not be pressured by the governor or the state Board of Education when the safety and health of our students is involved. We have a constitutional duty to protect our students, said Miami-Dade school board member Lucia Baez-Geller. Governor DeSantis has made this issue divisive with his rhetoric and threats.

Later Wednesday, the Palm Beach County school board voted unanimously to allow the districts general counsel to work with outside attorneys to potentially file or join a lawsuit against the state.

Monroe Countys board decided Tuesday to require masks rather than strongly encourage them, but with a parental opt-out that should comply with the DeSantis order.

In Tallahassee on Wednesday, testimony ended in a three-day hearing that pits pro-mask parents against the DeSantis administration and state education officials. Circuit Judge John C. Cooper said he would hear closing arguments Thursday and rule Friday.

The state contends that parents, not schools, should choose whether their children cover up in classrooms.

I take my rights and my freedom very seriously, testified Jennifer Gillen, who supports the governors order and has two sons in Lee County schools where there is no strict mask mandate. Our rights are actually being threatened.

Dr. Jay Battacharya, a Stanford University medical professor and researcher who also supports the governors approach, said he typically masks up only when required to, or to make others feel at ease  not because he believes they prevent coronavirus exposure. I dont believe there is high-quality evidence to show masks are effective in stopping disease spread, he testified Wednesday.

The highly contagious delta variant led to a surge in cases around Florida and record high hospitalizations just as schools reopen. By mid-August more than 21,000 new cases were being added per day, compared with about 8,500 a month earlier. However, new cases and hospitalizations have leveled off this past week. There were 16,820 people being treated for the disease in Florida hospitals Tuesday, U.S. Health Department figures showed, down from a record high above 17,000 last week.

About 6 in 10 Americans say students and teachers should be required to wear face masks while in school, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

_____

Associated Press writers Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee and Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale contributed to this story.

By CURT ANDERSON

Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  A summer coronavirus surge driven by the delta variant is again straining some California hospitals, particularly in rural areas, but the trend shows signs of moderating and experts predict improvement in coming weeks.

The pattern is similar to the infection spikes California experienced last summer and much more severely over the winter when intensive care units were overflowing. But this time the moderation is coming without the shutdown orders that previously hobbled Californias economy, businesses and schools.

Were hopeful, definitely, Dr. Erica Pan, the state epidemiologist, said Tuesday.

The states latest projection does look encouraging that we are plateauing and or peaking, Pan said in an interview with The Associated Press. But she added that the one thing weve learned about COVID-19 is its unpredictability.

Serious cases are still climbing, with more than 8,200 patients in hospitals and nearly 2,000 in intensive care across California. One of the highest daily spikes in new hospital admissions was just last week, Pan noted.

Deaths have begun increasing and state models project nearly 2,000 people will die within the next three weeks, adding to Californias death toll that is approaching 65,000, the most in the nation.

The states epidemiological models show the rate of hospitalizations leveling off, with a peak of about 9,300 hospitalizations around Labor Day before numbers start declining. ICU admissions are projected to follow the same pattern, peaking just below 2,200. During the worst of the pandemic in January, hospitalizations topped out at nearly 22,200 and ICU admissions at almost 5,000.

Importantly, the statewide infection rate has dropped 25% in the past three weeks, from a high of 7% of those tested to 5.2%

Were hopeful that things are kind of leveling out and that were going to be on the other side of this particular surge relatively soon, Pan said.

San Francisco and other areas with high vaccination rates are seeing a definitive decrease, while Los Angeles County is starting to improve, said Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at University of California, San Francisco.

That tracks a UCSF epidemiological model that predicted the current surge would peak in mid-August and that the state will be back to low case numbers by mid- to late September, she said.

While various locations re-imposed indoor masking requirements after briefly lifting them last spring, this time health officials avoided reinstating capacity limits or shutting down businesses. Yet California remains in much better shape than states like Florida and Texas that have seen hospitals overwhelmed by delta variant cases.

Gandhi said higher immunity levels in the state, rather than broad lockdowns, made the difference this time.

Vaccinations were just starting as the winter surge ebbed, but natural immunity also is increasing as the unvaccinated get sick and recover.

All of that immunity is bringing down our cases in California, Gandhi said.

She and other experts expect vaccination rates to increase as more employers mandate the shots and proof of vaccination is required to participate in more activities.

The experts also expect some people will be more comfortable with getting the shots after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday gave full approval to the Pfizer vaccine for people 16 and older.

About two-thirds of eligible Californians 12 and over are fully vaccinated, and another 10% have gotten their first shots. Areas with higher numbers of new cases and hospitalizations tend to be areas with lower immunization rates.

In Del Norte County, in the states far northwest, only 44% of eligible people have received at least one shot, and it averaged 170 new COVID cases per 100,000 residents in the last week, a rate nearly triple any other county. Tuolumne, Kings, Yuba and Sutter counties all had rates above 50 new cases per 100,000. The state average is 28. All those counties have vaccination rates well below the state average.

But statewide, the rate at which each infected person spreads the disease, known as the R-effective, has been dropping steadily since mid-July. In many counties including Los Angeles and San Francisco, it has dropped below one, meaning the number of infected persons will decrease.

The agricultural San Joaquin Valley remains a key concern largely because the current surge started there later and is still increasing, said Pan, but were also hopeful that the rate of rise is not quite as steep as it was before.

To help in hard-hit areas, the state is again requiring hospitals with ICU space to accept patients from those with less capacity. It is also still waiving rules for out-of-state health care workers who help in California on a contract basis.

Pan and California Hospital Association spokeswoman Jan Emerson-Shea said exhaustion is an increasing issue for medical staff who have been fighting the pandemic since early last year, particularly with a smaller pool of traveling doctors and nurses because of the surge in other states.

Some counties are seeing more hospitalizations now than they did during either of the two previous surges.

For instance, Tuolumne County, near Yosemite National Park, had 22 hospitalized patients, double its peak in December. Lake County had double the number of patients, 20, as it did previously.

The spread in rural areas reflects both the low vaccination rates and that many had remained relatively untouched during earlier surges, said Dr. Rajiv Bhatia, an affiliated professor of medicine at Stanford University.

In the larger counties youre not seeing a significant increase or a challenge  the hospitals are not being challenged right now, he said. For me, the only interpretation of that is the vaccine is effective at preventing severe disease, regardless of the variant.

By DON THOMPSON

Associated Press
Joshua Harris/For The Herald

The Plainview Hale County Health Department will host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Saturday at 111 E. 10th Street.

The clinic is set from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. First and second doses of the Moderna vaccine will be available. The vaccine has been authorized for individuals 18 and older.
Years after its official breakthrough in 2017, the Aperol Spritz has cemented itself as a go-to cocktail in the US, appearing on more and and more bar menus (and Instagram posts) each year. Part of it is undoubtedly how easy it is to make: It has just three ingredients: Aperol, Prosecco, and soda water. Luckily, none of these are terribly expensive if youre looking for a drink to prepare for a group.

But while it might only have recently started gracing cocktail lists in the U.S., its been an aperitif of choice in Europe for around 120 years, with roots that go even further back. The spritz was born in the 1800s, when Austrian soldiers in northern Italys Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions (under Austrian rule at the time), were getting tipsy a little too quickly.

Aperol Aperotivo Liqueur

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The Austrian soldiers were not used to drinking wines and found them too strong, says Corinthia London bar operations manager Alena Cagnato. Thats why they requested some water to be poured into the wine to make it more drinkable. Spritzen is a German verb [to splash], and thats where the name spritz has its origin.

Like all recipes, the spritz evolved: Still water was swapped for sparkling, and other liqueurs were added to the combo for a little something extra. In the 1900s new bitters like Aperol came on the scene, says Cagnato, and the resulting union was perfection: Prosecco is the most known and consumed wine in Veneto and Aperol was born in Padua [a city in Veneto]  The marriage between the two was just inevitable  I think we can say it has been one of the longest and most successful marriages ever!

These days, there are a few ways to go about making one: According to Aperols website, the International Bartenders Association-approved recipe for an Aperol Spritz is three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol, and one part soda, and an orange slice (of course). If you want more Aperol flavor, Daniel Warrilow, the Italian Portfolio Ambassador for Campari Group (which produces Aperol), suggests equal parts Aperol and Prosecco, plus a splash of soda water and orange.

The best Prosecco to use come with the Designation of Controlled Origin (DOC) label, a distinction of excellence that kind of sets out the rules for a proper Prosecco: in this case, its produced from grapes grown in the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions of northeast Italy, says Michelle Erland, certified sommelier. It should also use a minimum of 85% Glera grapes and be produced through a specific method that uses secondary fermentation. If you want to level up, though its not necessary by any means, theres also Prosecco Designation of Controlled Origin and Guaranteed (DOCG), which is made in accordance with the Italian government and adheres to rules even more stringent than DOC.

But there are a ton of different kinds of prosecco, which range from something a little sweeter to

extra-extra dry, and they have more impact on the flavor of an Aperol Spritz than you might think. Although some proseccos might drink perfectly on their own, once paired with Aperol, they can completely bury the spirits flavor or taste flat against it. And one things for sure: Be sure to avoid any wines that are off-dry or sweet, says Warrilow. The beauty of Prosecco is that its perfectly balanced to complement the herbaceous and floral notes of Aperol as to not have an overly sweet cocktail.

All said and done, the best Proseccos for pairing with an Aperol Spritz make the Aperol sing without making the drink too sweet or too dry. But which ones are those?

In the interest of saving you from disappointing Aperol Spritzes, this writer once again assembled a crew of seven dedicated, regular-people tasters to give a few proseccos a go and see how they measured up in an Aperol Spritz. One clear winner emerged, but in the name of variety, we spoke with a few other experts (including an Italian bartender and a sommelier) to see which prosecco theyd pair with the Aperol.

The Group Favorite

Mionetto Prosecco Brut DOC  $14.99, Wine.com

Mionetto Prosecco Brut 750ml wine.com $14.99 Shop Now

During an evening of tastings (five proseccos in all), the Mionetto stood out as the obvious favorite among the seven of us, each bringing our own fair share of Aperol Spritz-swilling history to the tasting table. It was juicy and vibrant in the glass without being overwhelmingly sweet, and the fizz balanced the soda waters carbonation perfectly. I love the Mionetto, said taster Carlos Alvarado. It didnt taste too sweet  there was a nice bubbly feeling on the tongue. It tasted like a classic Aperol Spritz.

Cindy Brzostowski, also on the tasting committee, echoed Alvarado: Its a classic, signature Aperol, she said. Theres not a lot of sweetness, but its also not too bitter.

But it was perhaps volunteer Adam Hurly who summed it up best: Its great that a cocktail I made tastes exactly like one I would pay good money for at the bar.

The Sommeliers Picks

Valdo Marca Oro Prosecco DOC  $14.99, Wine.com

Valdo Prosecco Valdo wine.com $14.99 Shop Now

Made from 100% Glera grapes, this Prosecco is one of Erlands top picks for an Aperol Spritz. Using high-quality ingredients for your Aperol Spritz like Valdo Marca Oro Prosecco DOC will certainly elevate the classic cocktail with this bottles versatility, fine perlage, and crisp, fruity palate, she says. Perlage, by the way, refers to the bubbles, or pearls, that keep rising up from the bottom of the glass  if its a Prosecco where there arent bubbles rising up for long, thatll result in an Aperol Spritz that goes flat fast.

La Gioiosa Prosecco DOC Treviso  $16.99, Wine.com

La Gioiosa Prosecco wine.com $16.99 Shop Now

Also a favorite of this writer and the Italian in the tasting committee, this prosecco comes sommelier-recommended for an Aperol Spritz. While its on the pricier side, its a great pick not just for drinking alone, but for balancing out the flavors of the Aperol: La Gioiosas Prosecco DOC Treviso serves an Aperol Spritz well with its dry, fresh and flavorsome sensation on the palate and fine, persistent perlage, says Erland. Like the Valdo Marco Oro above, its made from 100% Glera grapes.

The Bartenders Pick

Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco Superiore  $19.99, Wine.com

Nino Franco Prosecco Rustico 750ml wine.com $19.99 Shop Now

This DOCG (fancy fancy) Prosecco is at the top of the list for Cagnato. It boasts a very fine perlage and its quite creamy and with character, she says. It comes from Valdobbiadene DOCG, in the heart of the Prosecco hills, and it contains all the typical aromas and notes: green apple, pear, a flower bouquet and some freshness  which balances perfectly to complement Aperol.
MERIDEN  The 20-year-old man whom police identified Tuesday as the victim of a downtown shooting this weekend was himself best friends with another man murdered almost three years ago.

Jyineez Cruz, who was found shot several times just before 2 a.m. Sunday at 55 West Main St., often had his friend Aaron Ormsby over to his house at 130 Foster St., said Cruzs aunt, Brandy Williams.

The 21-year-old Ormsby was shot several times behind that house and later died at MidState Medical Center on Jan. 17, 2019. Joseph Stokes, 21, of Hartford, was arrested last month in connection with the murder, police have said.

Williams said that she didnt know Ormsby very well, but knew that he liked to often visit the home and talk to Cruzs father even when Jyineez wasnt around.

Both, Williams suggested, were victims of the chaotic violence that often swirls around, and sometimes claims, some of the youth of Meriden.

Cruz was trying to grow up in a small town. I am not going to say that he was an angel, but none of us are, especially at that age when you are trying to find yourself, said Williams, who has almost completed her college studies in psychology.

You make all kinds of mistakes and hang out with the wrong people, but as far as me and my family go, he was always respectful, Williams, a Meriden native, said during the telephone interview from Anchorage, Alaska, where she moved in 2020 to help her daughter with newborn twins.

Police found Cruz amid several people when they arrived. Officers were responding to a report of gunshots fired at nearby 55 Grove St. Paramedics arrived at the scene, but Cruz was pronounced dead, Lt. Darrin McKay said in a statement.

Cruz had recently enrolled to study auto mechanics at a local school and did construction work for family friends. A big man, at an inch or two taller than 6 feet, Cruz had a booming laugh, an infectious smile and some backbone, Williams said.

He was fearless. Fearlessness runs in our family, Williams said. He was not a troublemaker but he did not let anybody take advantage of him or bully him. He protected himself.

More than a decade older than she is, Cruz was the softest of soft touches to his youngest sister, Legacy, and babysat her often, Williams said.

She was the only one who could boss him around. She was the only one who could get away with talking junk to him, Williams said. She was a girl, she was his sister. You know what I mean? She was the baby.

Cruz would have celebrated his 21st birthday today, Williams said.

If he was given another chance, I know it would have worked out for him, she said.

Police are asking anyone with any information about the incident to contact Detective Ben Pellegrini at 203-630-6297 or bpellegrini@meridenct.gov.

lsellew@record-journal.com203-317-2225Twitter: @LaurenSellewRJ
At first glance, Viva Vegeria looks like a traditional San Antonio stop for Tex-Mex: images of the Virgen de Guadalupe and other Catholic saints cover the walls, Mexican flags are present and there's even a sign promoting tamales by the dozen.

Even the menu looks pretty on par with what you'd get at nearby Tito's or Piedras Negras de Noche. There's flautas, enchiladas verdes, mole, tacos, pozole, and tortilla soup. Crispy dogs, otherwise known as delicacies of the Southside, also make an appearance. The only difference: Viva Vegeria is entirely vegan.

The vegan and gluten-free is celebrating 10 years in a city that can be skeptical about any tweaks made to its beloved Tex-Mex cuisine. Admittedly, when I first heard of the restaurant opening in my neighborhood, which is big on front yard asadas and taco trucks, I questioned how long it would last.

Madalyn Mendoza, MySA.com

My first trip there was a solo date somewhere around 2015. I had chalupas, I think. Years passed before I returned. I'm not vegan and I'd still prefer chalupas compuestas. Then, Aly, one of my best friends, committed to a vegan lifestyle in June 2018. Viva Vegeria, which is a short drive from both of us, became our usual meet-up spot for chisme and enchiladas de calabacita, nachos or flautas. It's a place where vegans and non-vegans can walk away full and satisfied.

Owner Gabriela Estrada says creating a menu with everyone in mind is important to Viva Vegeria's success. She says selling San Antonio on vegan Tex-Mex wasn't as difficult as one might assume. The restaurant was opened by original owner and chef Fred Anthony Garza at a location on Broadway and Loop 410 in August 2011. Garza moved the restaurant to 1422 Nogalitos in 2015, before selling the business to Estrada about four years ago. Estrada and manager Fernando Luna says the restaurant has grown with the Alamo City as residents explore more options. They're also proud to provide a healthy alternative for the inner Southside, which is often considered a food desert. The leadership says their clientele spans the city, and has included some international travelers interested in tasting the take on Tex-Mex.

Madalyn Mendoza, MySA.com

As for one Southside girl (speaking) and a Westsider (Aly), we always know what we want. I pivot between the enchiladas de calabacita, a take on the usual with juicy zucchini doused in vegan cheese. Lately, I've been into the classic nachos. I get the half-order, which for $7.99 is a steal, and is enough to feed at least two people. The chips are piled high with beans, rice, quinoa, pico de gallo, guacamole and homemade avocado ranch. I often say I'd still order the nachos even if a meat option was on the menu. The ultimate taste-tester is my finicky mom. Her vote? I had leftovers for myself, she assumed the box was saved for her and didn't leave a crumb.

Aly usually gets the flautas or pozole, if it's cold out. For a drink, I ask for a glass with half sandia aguas fresca and half lemonade for a perfect, refreshing mix to wash it all down.

While I enjoy the calabacita enchiladas, Luna says it's the mole variation that's the best-seller, along with my favorite nachos and street tacos.

"The only secret from Viva Vegeria is we cook the food with love," Estrada says. "Like you were cooking for your family member."

Madalyn Mendoza, MySA.com

Madalyn Mendoza, MySA.com
On Sunday, September 5, Southtown Music Studio, a new music and wellness center in the heart of town, will officially begin operating out of the Mercury Project Contemporary Art Space.

The studio, run by Olivia De Jesus and Pamela Martinez, is set to offer standard music lessons, however, its intentions are a bit more holistic than your average music space.

After both serendipitously returning to their hometown of San Antonio in 2018 after attending music school, De Jesus and Martinez met, and realized that their experiences, goals and intentions were aligned. They each desired to use their love of music and sound to help others heal.

Kim Beechner

Martinez, who has traveled all over the world, is a violinist and harpist, but also practices reiki, a form of Japanese energy healing, and leads "sound baths" or meditative experiences colored by immersing the participant in waves of sound. De Jesus, who plays a variety of instruments and studied early childhood music education, carries out "somatic experience sessions," a form of trauma therapy.

Tuning In: Music & the Nervous System  An Introduction to Sound Meditation and Somatic Experiencing, the first workshop out of Southtown Music Studio on September 5, will explore some of these wellness themes. The session will run from 2 to 4 p.m.

Music is for everyone, humans are intrinsically musical beings. Ive met a lot of people who have had trauma around their voice or around their ability to make music," De Jesus tells MySA.

A primary objective of classes and sessions is to help the community get back to music in a positive and joyous way that feels like play, even those who don't feel like they have a relationship with it beyond their Spotify playlists.

"Theres a lot of discussion around whether music is an inherent talent or something we can cultivate, and it's both, but its so much more cultivatable than I think most people are taught."

Southtown Music Studio offers online and in-person music lessons and wellness workshops, including reiki, sound baths and somatic experience sessions. The studio will open six days a week, and be available for private music lessons and one on one sessions.

Kim Beechner

When asked about what she's most excited about, De Jesus mentions the community building aspect.

"Being a female and Latinex-led organization in Southtown, in the heart of town where Latinx people are living, and inviting everyone into that space to be together with music," De Jesus tells MySA.

"It really feels like that could be something that's very helpful at this time when everything feels as divided as it can possibly feel, [we want to provide] a gentle place to land that feels as inclusive as we can make it to come together through music."

Tickets for the studios grand opening session start at $35, masks are required.

Kim Beechner

This week

Narrowhead

Indie band Narrowhead will take the stage at Paper Tiger this Friday, with special guests, Clear Acid and Warstories. Tickets start at $13.

Dellview Music Little Stage Series

One of the oldest music shops in town will be hosting the second anniversary of their "Little Stage Series" online this Wednesday, August 25 from 7 p.m to 9 p.m, featuring local artists John Hernandez, Foster Pettit and Julian M. Tune in on Instagram.

Marc Anthony

The Latin pop legend will grace the AT&T center this Friday, August 27. It will be the first stop in his 23 city North American Pa'lla Voy Tour. Tickets are still available.
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. (AP)  Police and fire investigators say a fire at a northeast Missouri law firm's office is being investigated as an arson.

The fire was reported early Sunday at the Frick and Cundiff law office in Kirksville.
Nearly 11 months after Attorney General Ken Paxtons former top aides accused him of accepting bribes, Paxtons office on Tuesday published a 374-page internal report that concludes he's innocent of the allegations.

Last October, seven former employees told authorities that they believed Paxton was using his power as attorney general to aid Nate Paul, a campaign donor and Austin real estate developer, who whistleblowers have said helped Paxton remodel his home and gave a job to a woman with whom Paxton allegedly had an affair. All of those employees were either fired or left the office under pressure after their complaint. Four of the employees filed a whistleblower lawsuit saying Paxton used his position to help Pauls business interests, investigate his foes, and help settle a lawsuit.

But in Tuesdays report, Paxtons office said there was no basis for a criminal complaint against their boss, a second-term Republican.

AG Paxtons actions were lawful, and consistent with his legal duties and prior actions taken by Attorneys General of Texas, the report said. AG Paxton committed no crime.

The report also said it found no evidence that Paxton had taken a bribe or that there was a quid pro quo relationship between Paxton and Paul. And it accuses three of the Paxton aides who reported him of breaking the law.

In a statement, attorneys for the whistleblowers, said the takeaway from this internal report is that, although Ken Paxton remains under active federal investigation, the people who still work for Paxton say he did nothing wrong. The FBI is reportedly investigating the claims by Paxtons former employees.

Notably, whoever in Paxtons office wrote this report was not willing to put their name on it. Of course, the one-sided internal report is full of half-truths, outright lies, and glaring omissions, the statement read. It is a half-baked self-exoneration by Paxton, who continues to use taxpayer dollars to delay and hide from simple document requests and depositions and pay private lawyers to keep the federal investigation quiet. The truth will come out, but you wont get it from Ken Paxton.

Alejandro Garcia, a Paxton spokesperson, did not respond to a question about who had worked on the report and what level of independence the person or persons had from the attorney general. The report states it is rooted in documents, third-party interviews and the application of Texas law.

But it also states that the report is limited to events that occurred before Oct. 5, 2020, when the internal investigation began, and the office reserves the right to update and modify the report and its conclusions.

The report does not impact the whistleblower lawsuit, which is currently awaiting a hearing at the 3rd Court of Appeals after Paxton asked the court to throw out the case. The four whistleblowers  Ryan Vassar, Mark Penley, James Brickman and David Maxwell  have asked the court to reinstate them and compensate them for lost wages, future loss of earnings and damages for emotional pain and suffering.

Paxton has denied wrongdoing and said he fired the whistleblowers because they had gone rogue and made unsubstantiated claims against him.

The report claims that the former employees who reported their concerns to authorities ignored facts and sometimes willfully obfuscated them. It also pushes back against claims that Paxton accepted bribes and accuses some of the former employees of illegally sharing grand jury information with a private lawyer and getting rid of evidence.

The criminal complaint by former employees alleges that Paxton pressured staff to help Pauls attorney get information through records requests he had filed with other state agencies. The attorney general is charged with resolving disputes on open records laws. Paul was seeking information related to an August 2019 raid by state and federal authorities on his home office.

The employees also alleged that Paxton took an interest in a routine lawsuit between an Austin charity, the Roy R. and Joann Cole Mitte Foundation, and Pauls real estate firm. The attorney generals office had already declined to get involved in the case, but Paxton directed the agency to reverse itself and intervene. The effort, according to the whistleblowers and an attorney for the charity, was intended to help Pauls interests at the expense of the philanthropic group.

Last July, Paxton directed top aides to issue a legal opinion on foreclosure sales during the COVID-19 pandemic that the whistleblowers said would help Paul stave off foreclosure sales of some of his properties.

And most troubling for the whistleblowers, Paxton hired a 34-year-old Houston defense attorney named Brandon Cammack to investigate claims by Paul that he had been mistreated during the 2019 raid of his home and office.

Two Paxton aides at the time, Maxwell and Penley, had been charged with looking into Pauls claims but had found no credible evidence existed to support any state law charges. Penley tried to close the investigation but Paxton, Paul and his attorney pushed back. Paxton eventually hired Cammack.

The internal report addresses each of the concerns presented in the criminal complaint, saying the attorney generals office ruled against people connected to Paul in open records disputes multiple times. The report says the office also took a position in the lawsuit involving the Mitte Foundation that was adverse to Nate Paul who would have had to pay a higher settlement under its guidance.

The report states that the foreclosure opinion was in response to a request for guidance from state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But it does not state that Hughes has publicly said he filed his request for an attorney general opinion at Paxtons behest, with the attorney generals office even providing the wording for it.

The report also said Cammack legally and properly exercised authority given to him by the attorney generals office and the Travis County District Attorneys office, even though some of the employees who filed a complaint against Paxton said they had no knowledge of the hiring of Cammack as an outside counsel for the office. The report says some of the employees signed off on the hire and should have known about Cammacks work for the office.

The report alleges that Penley, who the report says should have known about the hire because he had signed off on it, misinformed the district attorneys office that Cammack was not working for the attorney general and violated Texas law. It also alleges that Vassar committed a crime when he shared information about subpoenas Cammack had filed with a private lawyer who previously worked as a state and federal attorney. The report says Penley also shared subpoena information with the lawyer.

In an email included in the report, Penley asks the lawyer to forward the subpoenas to a law enforcement agency.

The attorney Penley asked previously served as a federal prosecutor, and the internal report says that because Cammack was investigating the raid of Pauls home by federal authorities, he could have had personal and professional relationships with possible defendants. The whistleblowers statement Tuesday did not directly address the allegations made by Paxtons in the report.

Separately, Paxton has been indicted for felony securities fraud. He is seeking a third term in office in 2022 and has already drawn two Republican opponents in Land Commissioner George P. Bush and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman.

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
As readers may recall, last March, former board member JJ Jelincic sued CalPERS over alleged failures to disclose information as required under Californias version of FOIA, its Public Records Act.

Jelincic was pursuing two issues. One was CalPERS had discussed the abrupt and embarrassing resignation of Chief Investment Officer Ben Meng in a board closed session when there was no legal basis for conducting this meeting in secret. The second was failing to produce records related to nearly $600 million of real estate write-downs.

CalPERS looks to have committed a huge own goal via publicly posting about 80% of the transcript that Jelincic has been fighting to have released.1 We have embedded a searchable version at the end of the post.

This redacted version demonstrates:

CalPERS has engaged in a flagrant violation of the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act in holding this meeting in secret Redacting any of the document is an insult to Judge Michael Markhman and confirms that CalPERS believes it is above the law

Theres a lot more to be gleaned from this transcript, which we will address in future posts. Well give some background for the benefit of those of you who are not yet CalPERS junkies, then well turn to the two issues listed above.

Background

California has strong open government laws. The centerpieces are the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (and a local government counterpart, the Brown Act), and the California Public Records Act.

California requires that all official business be conducted in public. The few exemptions include personnel matters and pending litigation, and the litigation has to be ripe, not general or potential exposure.2

Similarly, the Public Records Act requires that government bodies provide records promptly and give specific reasons when they dont, citing relevant statute.

The Public Records Act also stipulates that a requestor who has to go to court to obtain records and receives them after lodging the suit is entitled to recover attorneys fees.

As we have documented, CalPERS regularly flouts Public Records Act requests, even when there is case law contradicting their position in closely parallel cases. Despite being clearly in the wrong, the giant fund knows attorneys will not take a Public Records Act case fully on spec, and the cost of fronting a legal action can add up quickly.

Conversely, CalPERS quickly folds when up against a deep pocket. For instance, Bloomberg threatened to sue CalPERS when it refused to produce a closed session presentation by BCG on its eventually scuppered four pillars private equity scheme. CalPERS caved and produced most of the document.

Transcript Confirms Jelincic Case: Multiple, Flagrant Violations of Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act and Resulting Impermissible Withholding of the Meng Transcript

Recall that Chief Investment Officer Ben Meng resigned with immediate effect on August 5, 2020, a mere three days after we documented that he had approved a $1 billion investment in a Blackstone fund when he also held stock in Blackstone, a clear cut violation of Californias conflict of interest laws. Two individuals almost immediately petitioned the California Fair Political Practices Commission to investigate.

Recall this was a self inflicted wound. CalPERS knew Meng held stakes in Blackstone, Carlyle, and an Ares credit fund as of when he filed his first financial disclosure form on January 31, 2019, more than a full year earlier. Given how regularly CalPERS invests with Blackstone and Carlyle, Meng was bound to get himself in hot water if he didnt dump those shares. Yet no one at CalPERS insisted he do so.

CalPERS damage control only made matters worse. The giant fund admitted it had known of Mengs rule-breaking investment shortly after hed approved it, in April 2020. Rather than telling the board and taking corrective action, CalPERS went into cover-up mode, keeping most of the board in the dark about the fact that it had hired a law firm to investigateand did not have them complete the report as of August.3

State Controller and board member Betty Yee was particularly disturbed at the board having been frozen out of such an important development. Yee demanded a special board meeting after Meng resigned:

regarding potential violation of laws, adequacy of existing policies, safeguards that could prevent a recurrence of the situation, and the Chief Executive Officers oversight and implementation of policies and safeguards.

Bear in mind that potential violation of laws isnt even close to what California deems necessary to invoke the pending litigation secrecy cloak. General policy discussions are clearly open session matters.

CalPERS agenda for its board meeting on August 17 listed only one topic for the closed session, and it had precious little to do with what Yee and presumably other board members wanted to talk about:

Note that any personnel exemption for Meng is extremely narrow and not applicable. CalPERS cited Section 11126(a)(1), which is a general personnel carveout, but it is superseded by later section which CalPERS also invoked but ignored. From Jelincics lawsuit:

Government Code  11126(a)(1) allows public bodies to hold closed sessions to discuss a range of topics relating to personnel matters. However, this provision does not apply to discussions relating to the CalPERS CIO, which are expressly governed by a more-specific subdivision,  11126(g)(1). This subdivision applies only to the CEOs and CIOs of CalPERS and of the Teachers Retirement Board. As relevant here, this statute allows the Board to meeting in closed session only when considering matters pertaining to the recruitment or removal of the Chief Investment Officer of  the Public Employees Retirement System.. The agenda for the Boards August 17 meeting listed as its sole substantive item the Chief Executive Officers Briefing on Performance, Employment, and Personnel Items, which was to be closed to the public under Government Code  11126(a)(1), (e), and (g)(1). Subdivision (a) (1) allows the Board to discuss certain topics relating to employee performance in closed session. Subdivision (e) allows it to discuss certain matters relating to litigation in closed session, and also requires that a litigation memorandum be prepared if this occurs. The reference to subdivision (g)(1) indicates that the Board was to consider matters relating to the CIO or CEO.

Since Meng had already quit, there could be no discussion of his removal in closed session.

During the meeting, as you can see from the transcript below, CEO Marcie Frost and her staff tried to exhaust the board into numbed silence with a long and almost entirely irrelevant discussion of the how CalPERS compliance function works (which the board ought to know full well) and what CalPERS duties were in getting covered staff to complete the so-called Form 700, the annual financial disclosure filing. There was absolutely no basis for holding that discussion in secret.

And this presentation also shows the contempt in which staff holds the board. Staff was trying hard to sell the idea that CalPERS had done nothing wrong because theyd complied with FPPC requirements for Form 700 filings. But there was nothing wrong with Mengs Form 700. Going on about that was a deliberate diversion.

Fortunately board member Stacie Olivares managed to stay awake despite CalPERS having the fog machine turned on high and objected:

There have been a couple comments regarding compliance. And I wanted to make comments on this. The FPPC is not responsible for investment compliance. CalPERS is. We are as a Board. These are two separate things. One is looking at political practices and trying to ensure that there is not a conflict of interest. But public entities engaged in investments should have their own processes  actually, must have their own processes for preventing conflicts of interest. There is significant precedent for this with the Treasury Department, with the Federal Reserve Bank. And within the State of California, I led an investment fund and we had that So again, this is the responsibility, I believe, to be of CalPERS and not the FPPC There is significant risk to the fund on these conflicts of interest. I sold my shares when I joined the Board. To me, thats standard practice, right, because I cant recuse myself from the Investment Policy and the investment decisions. I cant as a Board member. I say the same for the CIO. And again, Im also sorry to see Ben leave, but he cant recuse himself for the decisions made by his staff.

Mind you, this is one of the most pointed parts of what we can see of the transcript. Its about policy, process, and procedure, like the next steps for hiring a new CIO. Nada about anything even remotely rising to the level of closed session treatment, including the whinging about blogs.

If you skim the transcript, youll notice General Counsel Matt Jacobs mention that Meng has hired an attorney with an eye toward potential action of some sort. The next paragraph is redacted.

This redaction (as is certainly true of the others but we have less basis for guessing what they are about) is impermissible. Since Meng up and quit, its hard to think how he could sue. The bar for defamation is extremely high in the US, and even more so for public figures. As we indicated above, the litigation exemption under Bagley-Keene is only for pending litigation. That is not theoretically someone could sue us. Under Bagley-Keene, that translates into a suit has been filed or is so close to being filed that disclosing our discussions about it might reveal our litigation strategy. A vague threat from a year ago that has gone nowhere does not begin to cut it.

It should come as no surprise that theres no discussion of any particulars about Meng, not that those could legitimately be relegated to closed session. Because Frost and Jacobs thought they could successfully cover up Mengs violation of California law, the last thing they want to go into is who knew what when, because that would put the focus on their culpability for this fiasco.

The one item could have justified a closed session is that State Controller Yee, in her letter, had demanded a frank discussion of Frosts screw up. But not only did the closed session agenda on its face indicate that Frost was not being examined (you cant be the party conducting a briefing if you are in the hot seat) but CalPERS spokescritters also said at the time Frosts conduct was not under review.

And there was an additional Bagley-Keene violation not included in the Jelincic suit because he could not possibly have known about it. The board held a vote during this closed session on a motion by board member Jason Perez, that board members be able to read the full investigation report (the Olson report) at CalPERS Sacramento office. Any vote taken during closed session must later be reported out in open session. But this vote instead was impermissibly kept secret.

CalPERS Defies Judge Markman

Weve said repeatedly that CalPERS regards itself as above the law. This new example should settle any doubt. CalPERS has defied the court by refusing to provide a full transcript of the closed session and presumably the full audio.

The whole point of an in camera review of documents and evidence is for a judge to determine if the party asserting attorney-client or some other basis for confidentiality, like trade secret status, is actually entitled to it. For instance, from the National Institute for Trial Advocacy:

The United States Supreme Court has held that a trial court is responsible for determining, through in camera review, if each individual document presented by the party claiming privilege is actually privileged material.[20] As this article demonstrates, judges are the only people who will review potentially privileged material. It is difficult to find language in any case law or statute that sets forth any limitation on the principle of the judge acting alone.

CalPERS willy-nilly withholding material is a slap in Judge Markmans face. At most, CalPERS should have presented the complete transcript and perhaps also one with the redactions it sought and have made its case as to why each was warranted.

The only sort of redaction that might be permissible here are the ones carved out for truly personal information. From the First Amendment Coalition on resignation letters, which are required to be disclosed save for truly personal information like home address and Social Security numbers. A key section of this discussion:

Under the California Public Records Act, the exemption set forth in Government Code 6254(c) is specifically designed for [p]ersonnel, medical, or similar files, the disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Govt Code  6254(c) (emph. added). Section Government Code 6254(c) was  developed to protect intimate details of personal and family life, not business judgments and relationships.

Even though Meng had already resigned and this board meeting could never constitute part of his personnel file, Meng claimed when he resigned that it was for health reasons. If Frost or Jacobs had offered details, like Meng having sought treatment for depression or anxiety, I doubt that Judge Markman would object to having that kept secret. But theres far too much blacked out for it to be about Mengs condition.

We tried giving some advice to CalPERS attorney, Ragesh K. Tangri of Durie Tangri, in March:

Someone should pull Tangri aside and advise him that outside the CalPERS bubble, the Matt Jacobs style of lawyering, which is a combo plate of making shit up and bullying, not only isnt very successful but it also tends to reflect badly on the attorney who has been persuaded to attempt it.

We anticipate that Judge Markmans order will prove us correct. It is hard to imagine he will view CalPERS antics in a favorable light.

____

1 We dont see how exposing this document was an accident on purpose. CalPERS has been trying to drag this case out beyond the board elections underway. Resolution of this case in favor of Jelincic would favor the challenger to David Millers seat, Tiffany Emon-Moran, particularly since the transcript shows Miller in a very poor light, and reformer/board member incumbent Margaret Brown. Conceivably, CalPERS could have been trying to establish facts on the ground with this publication, that most of the transcript was now out there, so why not just dismiss the case so the judge could clear his docket? Having the case dismissed with the most CalPERS (really Matt Jacobs) damaging parts staying hidden would also keep the judge from delivering on one of the findings by Jelincics attorney Michael Risher: ruling that CalPERS had violated the Bagley-Keene Open Meetings Act. This outcome would not merely be a black eye for Marcie Frost and Matt Jacobs, but would also facilitate other lawsuits to have impermissible closed session discussions made public.

The reasons we think CalPERS cant have meant to have exposed this transcript are:

1. This revelation does nothing to address the other half of Jelincics compliant, for records involving the $583 million write-down of real estate assets. So it does not provide a path for getting the case off Judge Michael Markmans docket materially faster, which would be his main motivation for cutting CalPERS a break. 2. In the one past Public Records Act case we know of where a government body at the 11th hour posted most of the records at issue and asked the judge to dismiss the case, it backfired. The judge was enraged and in a harshly worded order, stipulated that all records at issue be made public.

2 The relevant sections. See (2):

ARTICLE 9. Meetings

11126(e) (1) Nothing in this article shall be construed to prevent a state body, based on the advice of its legal counsel, from holding a closed session to confer with, or receive advice from, its legal counsel regarding pending litigation when discussion in open session concerning those matters would prejudice the position of the state body in the litigation.

(2) For purposes of this article, all expressions of the lawyer-client privilege other than those provided in this subdivision are hereby abrogated. This subdivision is the exclusive expression of the lawyer-client privilege for purposes of conducting closed session meetings pursuant to this article. For purposes of this subdivision, litigation shall be considered pending when any of the following circumstances exist:

(A) An adjudicatory proceeding before a court, an administrative body exercising its adjudicatory authority, a hearing officer, or an arbitrator, to which the state body is a party, has been initiated formally.

(B) (i) A point has been reached where, in the opinion of the state body on the advice of its legal counsel, based on existing facts and circumstances, there is a significant exposure to litigation against the state body.

(ii) Based on existing facts and circumstances, the state body is meeting only to decide whether a closed session is authorized pursuant to clause (i).

(C) (i) Based on existing facts and circumstances, the state body has decided to initiate or is deciding whether to initiate litigation.

(ii) The legal counsel of the state body shall prepare and submit to it a memorandum stating the specific reasons and legal authority for the closed session. If the closed session is pursuant to paragraph (1), the memorandum shall include the title of the litigation. If the closed session is pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B), the memorandum shall include the existing facts and circumstances on which it is based. The legal counsel shall submit the memorandum to the state body prior to the closed session, if feasible, and in any case no later than one week after the closed session. The memorandum shall be exempt from disclosure pursuant to Section 6254.25.

(iii) For purposes of this subdivision, litigation includes any adjudicatory proceeding, including eminent domain, before a court, administrative body exercising its adjudicatory authority, hearing officer, or arbitrator.

(iv) Disclosure of a memorandum required under this subdivision shall not be deemed as a waiver of the lawyer-client privilege, as provided for under Article 3 (commencing with Section 950) of Chapter 4 of Division 8 of the Evidence Code.

3 Keeping the investigation in an incomplete/advanced draft state was presumably seen as an insurance policy: the main actors could claim they had Done Something even though they hadnt, and not finalizing the draft would allow them some freedom as to final edits, assuming events broke so they needed to complete the document. But the Meng situation unravelled so quickly that the fact of a mere draft report months after factually simple misconduct worked against the cover-up crew.

Confirming our view, board member Lisa Middleton zeroed in on the fact that there were no new developments after May, yet the staff had sat on the report. Her remarks:
Yves here. I have to confess I dont eat crunchy snacks, so I cant get worked up about matters Doritos. But despite that, as a result of now often being in a room with a TV on, even with my back nearly always to it, I have discovered how absolutely dreadful TV advertising is. And the one salty munchie promo to which I am subjected is a total fail. Yes, it is memorably in how lame it is. Its a bad acting exercise without even letting the audience know its a bad exercise. Two performers compete to demonstrate what the spiciness of this junk food is like.

Mind you I have heard this ad 20 times if Ive heard it once. The commercial does not state the name or the product or even the manufacturer. What is the point about of an irritating commercial without having the irritation serve to drill the product name into your brain?

By Jared Holst, the author at Brands Mean a Lot, a weekly commentary on the ways branding impacts our lives. Each week, he explores contradictions within the way politics, products, and pop-culture are branded for us, offering insight on whats really being said. You can follow Jared on Twitter @jarholst. Originally published at Brands Mean a Lot

If youre someone whose mundane existence has led you to stick to the edges at grocery stores, you may not know that Doritos has centerpiece flavors, Cool Ranch and Nacho Cheese.

Over time, Doritos has experimented with a range of supporting flavors: (my beloved) Sweet Spicy Chili, Buffalo Ranch, and even Mountain Dew. The newest of this ilk to hit shelves is Tangy Ranch.

Youve mightve noticed Tangy Ranch is similar to Cool Ranch since it also contains the word Ranch. Two different kinds of Ranch and one of them isnt even spicy? To clear up any confusion, Doritos assigned the bag of the newer flavor a different color scheme. The existence of a second ranch flavor implies Doritos wasnt content with its existing penetration of the ranch-flavored tortilla chip market.

Being the greasy lil chip disciple I am, I tried Tangy Ranch as soon as I saw it and guess what? It tastes a lot like Cool Ranch. Leading me to wonder, whats the point of this shit? Is it possible the team running Doritos is creatively bankrupt such that the best it could come up with is a marginally different flavor of Ranch in different packaging?

These sorts of efforts render words meaningless. Tangy, Cool, Tangy n Cool. Blue bag, teal bag, translucent bag. Whatever. Words dont matter. The chip inside is the same and the only thing rendered for the consumer is disappointment.

Paradoxically, words used in the same fashion can have an opposite effect. Consider school districts in Texas incorporating masks into dress codes as a means to circumvent state bans on mask mandates.

Instead of an indistinguishable chip flavor, the end product is still a mask mandate. Both efforts involved a change in wording, and both wrought an end product not dissimilar from the original. Both efforts yielded different results, yet both employed similar thinking from the teams tasked with delivering them.

Mostly, these efforts come down to two driving organizational behaviors:

Arrogance: A belief that those devising the product are smarter than those consuming it. Doritos failed where the school districts succeeded. Doritos believed its reign over the flavored tortilla chip market was proof enough of its brilliance and thus ranch with a different adjective in front was a good idea. Texas school districts knew its customersthose unwilling to adorn their progeny in masks before homeroom and the state executives enacting policy in supportwere ignorant of an obvious loophole and the districts were confident in their position.

Contempt for the customer: Although not overt, an attempt as brazenly hollow as Tangy Ranch Doritos indicates corporate decision makers views its customers as too dense to notice this insult to their taste buds and intelligence. Because of this, decision makers viewed the potential rewardsthe successful launch of a new chip and its attendant profitas greatly outweighing the risksthe consumer picking up on the insult to their intelligence implied by Tangy Ranch and any ensuing fallout. Conversely, the school board disdains state executives and mask-adverse parents for the lack of a codified mask mandate. In addition to obtaining its desired outcomemasks worn in schoolit achieved the result by refusing to take into an opinion it considered idiotic.

How Tangy Ranch and Texas wielded arrogance and contempt highlight how crucial the ends are in constructing the means. In the case of Tangy Ranch, and most consumer products in general, its served Doritos poorly. In the case of Texas school districts, arrogance and contempt can be wielded in service of positive outcomes.

Sorry to readers in Texas.

Of course, its only in hindsight that arrogance and contempt can be divined from the experience of theTangy Ranch Dorito. That isnt to say that an organization still cant employ backwards thinking when considering its goals. If an organization knows its endsa different flavor of Ranch chipit can work backwards to audit itself for these adverse behaviors. As an org, Doritos can reflect on its history to realize it has a willing and open consumer base and ask itself the following:

How should such a group be treated? Hows it been treated historically?

Does the arrival of a mildly different Ranch flavor insult their intelligence, or does it challenge them with a wholly new experience in the same way Sweet Spicy Chili or Tangy Pickle?

The ends for the school districts were different, because the audience was different. In the context of working towards the cessation of a deadly disease, hostile parents and elected officials dont deserve the same benefit of the doubt as Doritos customers. A sentence I never imagined Id type.
(Natural News) Tens of thousands of Aussies have taken to the streets in protest of their countrys latest Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) restrictions, and area police are responding like tyrants.

Video footage shows masked enforcers unleashing the full force of medical fascism on anti-lockdown protesters, spraying them with mace and battering them with sticks.

The protests started out peacefully until Australian police showed up to blast pepper spray at protesters and erect roadblocks. Some protesters were also arrested for making their voices heard against the repeated imposition of stay-at-home orders.

New South Wales (NSW) deputy police commissioner Mal Lanyon announced in Orwellian fashion that his officers response to the protests is not about stopping free speech, but about stopping the spread of the virus.

State police minister David Elliott went even further by threatening the protesters with the full force of the NSW police, the suggestion being that even worse tyranny is soon on the way if Aussies refuse to obey their Fauci Flu orders.

In the central business district of Melbourne, protesters were seen setting off flares on Lonsdale Street while helicopters hovered overhead. Similar scenes were captured in Sydney, where more than 1,500 officers reportedly descended upon the area to quash public outcry.

Sydney police block travel in and out of city to stymie free speech protest

As we reported, tensions rose in Melbourne after officials demanded that everyone wear a mask at all times, even when consuming alcohol outdoors.

Apparently, the only way to safely consume alcohol outside amid the delta variant scare is to pour it through the mask mesh, according to Premier Daniel Andrews, who threatened punishment for anyone caught violating his order.

Such lunacy, along with another round of lockdowns, caused the pot to boil over and thousands to flood the streets in angry protest of their governments ridiculous behavior in response to the Chinese Virus.

In Sydney, Australias capital, police announced that all public transport routes and ride shares to downtown would remain blocked during the planned protest. Trains were forced to skip their major stops and both taxis and rideshare companies were threatened with massive fines if caught taking people to the central business district.

Officers also reportedly held up traffic on major roads to try to stop protesters from getting to their destination, issuing 137 tickets after stopping some 38,000 cars. Free speech, in other words, is no longer permissible in Sydney.

In a statement, the NSW police department warned that allowing people to gather in protest would spread the delta variant, putting public safety at risk. Thus, it is not to be allowed.

Public safety is our first priority and you will be fined or arrested if you turn up, the department wrote in a statement on Twitter.

The protest still took place, though, and police were seen chasing and arresting people near Victoria Park. Forty-seven people were reportedly charged with breaching public health orders, resisting arrest and committing other violations.

More than 260 people were also issued fines ranging from $35 to $2,139, depending on the alleged infraction.

In the end, about 250 people successfully made it to Sydney for the protest, despite police officers doing everything in their power to prevent them from getting there.

Tyrants always justify their power grabs as being for the greater good and public safety, wrote one Zero Hedge commenter about one of the most common excuses used to push tyranny.

A matter of internal security. The age-old cry of the oppressor! wrote another, quoting Captain Picard from the Star Trek television series.

To keep up with the latest news about the governments Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) tyranny, visit Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Its becoming clearer by the day that governments that used to be considered democracies are descending into authoritarian states under the guise of protecting the people from COVID-19 because the leftists who run them have always been tyrants, apparently.

One of those countries is Canada, surprisingly enough. But Australia is another.

Several impounded dogs due to be rescued by a shelter have instead been shot dead by a rural council in [New South Wales] under its interpretation of COVID-19 restrictions, alarming animal activists and prompting a government probe, the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported this week.

Bourke Shire Council, in the states north-west, killed the dogs to prevent volunteers at a Cobar-based animal shelter from traveling to pick up the animals last week, according to councils watchdog, the Office of Local Government, the paper added.

In other words, because the country is currently being locked down right now due to COVID, the council decided to shoot the dogs to avoid having anyone break the law by venturing out of their homes to rescue one of them.

OLG has been informed that the council decided to take this course of action to protect its employees and community, including vulnerable Aboriginal populations, from the risk of COVID-19 transmission, a spokesman from the government agency said.

We are deeply distressed and completely appalled by this callous dog shooting and we totally reject councils unacceptable justifications that this killing was apparently undertaken as part of a COVID- safe plan, Lisa Ryan, the regional manager for the animal rights group Animal Liberation, said.

And for the record, the paper said that one of the dogs killed was a new mother, though no doubt her pups have been disposed of as well.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson slammed the Aussie government and, in a way, ordinary Australians for allowing their government to become so authoritarian without any resistance.

During a Monday evening segment, Carlson noted that nearby New Zealand recently locked down the entire country too  over a single COVID-19 case.

Dont talk to your neighbors, stay in your bubble. Thats New Zealand, Carlson said. But its freer than Australia. In Australia, the government has implemented total lockdowns nationwide and then imposed martial law to enforce those lockdowns. Whats the justification for this? he asked.

Tucker then went on to note the killing of the rescued dogs. In one recent case, which really does say it all, authorities executed rescue dogs, shot the dogs to death, to prevent Australian dog lovers from traveling to adopt the dog, noted the host. Leaving your home is no longer allowed. So they just killed the dogs and the population put up with it. They were told they had to, he added.

The Post Millennial added:

The Australian government, he said, has gone to extreme lengths to enforce the lockdowns, including a nationwide manhunt for a 27-year-old man who is COVID-19 positive who left his house, arresting and fining teenagers for being outside past curfew, and labeling churchgoers selfish and arrogant.

No one in Australia is laughing at this. No one can stand back far enough to see the lunacy on display. Theyre too far gone. This has been in the works for a long time, by the way, a situation like this does not happen overnight, Carlson noted.

Long before COVID in 2016, the government of Australia ended almost all legal protections for public protests and at the time people tolerated it. They trusted their government. They didnt think it was necessarily a big thing, said the host.

So on Saturday, this weekend as protestors gathered in Millburn the government used this new authority to silence them, he said  they had gathered to protest COVID lockdowns. Carlson showed footage of Australian police beating and tackling citizens who violated the law by being outside.

What we thought was a rules-based society, What law did I break? you heard the protester asked as hes being beaten and handcuffed, Carlson said. That mightve been a good question to ask a few years ago, but of course now its too late and you can see what happens when a nation tolerates authoritarianism, even for a moment.

So you can either rebel immediately and say, Were not putting up with this. Im sorry. Were free people in a free country. San Francisco did that in 1918, when hypocrisy of their leadership became obvious, or you can sit back and watch it accelerate in the end. Youll wind up like Australia and theyll shoot your dog, he added.

Sources include:

PostMillennial.com

SMH.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) According to published reports, it appears as though the Biden regime has done the unthinkable: supplied weapons to the new Taliban government in Afghanistan by default, if not on purpose outright.

Reuters reported last week that even though President Biden announced in April that the U.S. would be withdrawing, the U.S. continued to supply Afghan National Army forces though it was clear to many within the intelligence community that they would not stand and fight the Taliban  that they would run away, thus leaving all of that weaponry to the the same militant group American and NATO forces have been fighting for 20 years.

The newswire service even quotes the top U.S. military official as saying so:

About a month ago, Afghanistans ministry of defense posted on social media photographs of seven brand new helicopters arriving in Kabul delivered by the United States.

Theyll continue to see a steady drumbeat of that kind of support, going forward, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters a few days later at the Pentagon.

In a matter of weeks, however, the Taliban had seized most of the country, as well as any weapons and equipment left behind by fleeing Afghan forces.

Video showed the advancing insurgents inspecting long lines of vehicles and opening crates of new firearms, communications gear and even military drones.

Everything that hasnt been destroyed is the Talibans now, an American military official told the newswire on condition of anonymity.

We have already seen Taliban fighters armed with U.S.-made weapons they seized from the Afghan forces. This poses a significant threat to the United States and our allies, Representative Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, told Reuters via email.

Now, heres the kicker: U.S. officials and intelligence officers knew that the Afghan military would never stand up to the Taliban, but our government  the Biden regime  continued to move weapons and military gear and aircraft into the country anyway, with much of the more advanced equipment being taken to neighboring Pakistan, where that government, which American taxpayers fund, will hand it over to their pals, the Chinese.

All of this was verified by investigative reporter Lara Logan last week in an interview that aired on Fox Nation, the networks new streaming network.

In an interview for Tucker Carlson Today, Logan, host of Lara Logan Has No Agenda on the same network, laid out all of the details.

She said that whoever is pulling the strings in the Biden regime, including deep state types behind the scenes, wanted the Afghanistan situation to develop into a crisis and for it to get worse despite saying that there wasnt anything anyone could do to stop it.

Logan noted that American officials have known for years, for example, that the Taliban was operating from areas inside Pakistan, with the full knowledge and support of the Pakistan government, military and intelligence service  which the U.S. funds.

What they want you to believe is that Afghanistan is complicated. Because if you complicate it, its a tactic in information warfare called ambiguity increasing, Logan told Carlson.

It always comes down to one thing, one or two things. And in this case, in Afghanistan, this comes down to the fact that the United States wants this outcome, she added. Whoever is in power right now, whoever is really pulling the strings  and I dont know that  they could do anything they want to change this. And theyre not.

Every time you try to address this issue, the immediate response for 20 years of this war has been, youre advocating for war in Pakistan. No, youre not. What they know is there are many things the United States could do right now to change what has happened and is happening in Afghanistan. And theyre not doing it, she added.

Pakistan is the most important country in that region to the U.S. because it is nuclear-armed, Logan added.

They have pushed through the Bush administration, through Clinton, through Obama, through Trump, and now to Biden that because Pakistan is a nuclear nation, they are the only country in that region that actually matters. In fact, Joe Biden told Afghans president  when it was Hamid Karzai still in power exactly that, she said.

The outcome in Afghanistan, like the chaos along the U.S.-Mexico border, was planned, as was leaving the Taliban billions in new weapons.

Sources include:

BizPacReview.com

Reuters.com

NewsTarget.com
(Natural News) The forced mass vaccination of Americans will be regarded as one of the most deadly and costly medical mistakes in history, renowned pioneer in the early treatment of COVID-19, Texas cardiologist and internist Dr. Peter McCullough, has said.

(Article by Celeste McGovern republished from LifeSiteNews.com)

Citing recent data from U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and from Israel and Britain, where COVID cases are multiplying among the vaccinated, McCullough, who is editor-in-chief of two medical journals and author of over 600 peer-reviewed studies, including 46 dedicated to COVID-19, said he is deeply worried about the future of America.

Americans are going to bear the brunt of what invariably is going to be a failed mass vaccination program that will go down as one of the most deadly, one of the most injurious and costly in human history, McCullough said in a recent podcast.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in April that it has stopped tracking COVID cases among the vaccinated that do not result in hospitalizations or deaths. The agency is now assuming that new cases are among the unvaccinated unless otherwise advised, which skews numbers to paint the unvaccinated as spreaders of disease.

This intentional misinformation and propaganda scheme has been used to drive an incredible fury of vaccine mandates for government agencies, veterans administrations, and hundreds of schools and colleges, even though here have been no outbreaks in these places, McCullough said.

Israel was the first country to mass vaccinate its population under an agreement with Pfizer to exchange vaccine supply for public health data in an experiment on the people to evaluate whether herd immunity protection is observed during the Product vaccination program rollout.

Eighty percent of adults are fully vaccinated there, yet COVID cases and serious hospitalizations have risen 20-fold since early July. The media has highlighted that most serious new cases have been among the unvaccinated, while neglecting to report that the majority (more than 80 percent) of new cases reported by the Israeli Health Ministry are among vaccinated individuals.

In response, Israel introduced a third booster shot of Pfizers vaccine which has been administered to more than one million people as of August 16.



In the United Kingdom, more than three-quarters of the adult population (76 percent) have received two doses of vaccine and almost 90 percent of adults have received at least one dose. Yet, the number of COVID patients hospitalized has soared sevenfold since early June this year.

The most recent U.K. report on variants of concern revealed that 54 percent of COVID deaths are among the fully vaccinated. A further 12 percent of deaths are among the partially vaccinated who have received one dose.

Nonetheless, citing the new, circulating Delta variant, the Biden administration is expected to follow Israels example and introduce a third booster shot for all nursing home residents and healthcare workers for September.

The vaccines were never tested for the Delta variant, and their protection has lasted only months. Its clear we cant vaccinate our way out of this, McCullough said.

COVID-19, no matter what the variant, is easily treatable at home with simple, available drugs, according to McCullough, who has stated that about 88 percent of hospitalizations and deaths can be avoided with early treatment.

Since he came out publicly advising early treatment of COVID patients where the government protocol is to send them home and wait for them to get sick, McCullough has found himself targeted by public health institutions and academia.

A graduate of Baylor University who worked as a Vice Chair of Internal Medicine at Baylor University Medical Center from January 2014 until February 2021, he recently addressed?the Texas Senate Health and Human Service Committee about early COVID-19 treatment protocols.

His contract was then cancelled, and he was recently sued by the Texas-based health system Baylor Scott & White after his affiliation with the system was noted during a public interview.

The lawsuit coincides with a decision by BSWH to mandate vaccination for its 40,000 employees.

Im deeply worried concerned regarding the future of America and also deeply afraid of loss of freedom of speech and of scientific discourse, McCullough said.

There are deep threats out there to doctors who are really doing their bestto help patients and save lives, he said

He cited a July 29 statement from the Federation of State Medical Boards which threatens doctors who spread medical misinformation about vaccines with losing their medical license. The federation defines scientific information as consensus-driven for the betterment of public health.

McCullough openly criticized the totalitarian nature of vaccine mandates and pointed to government vaccine adverse event data noting that already 11,221 declared disabled due to the vaccine. That number has since grown to 16,044.

These safety events are way out of line. This vaccine is nowhere close to be safe. Every person who takes the needle is thinking about the scoreboard.

Instead, he said, Americans are flying blind. They dont know which vaccine is the safest.

Americans are given no information on this. It is basically impossible for them to navigate this vaccine decision. They say simply: Take the vaccine, and it doesnt matter which one.'

None of this makes sense in terms of the program being about COVID-19; it almost seems like its about submissiveness, or coercion, or control. The population is basically being forced into mass vaccination.

Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com and Vaccines.news.
(Natural News) A Brazilian media outlet with similar online readership to CNN.com is claiming that at least 32,000 people in Brazil have died thus far as a result of getting vaccinated for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19).

Right now, Brazil has authorized the use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford shot, as well as Pfizer-BioNTech, Coronavac (also known as Sinovac), Johnson & Johnson (J&J)-Janssen, and Butanvac. Over the course of about five months, these injections have ended tens of thousands of lives.

The 32,000 number being reported is likely an undercount, experts say, because much like how the VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System) operates here in the United States, many cases of injury and death are never officially logged into the system.

We are always alerting people to wear masks, wash their hands, use alcohol gel, and avoid crowds, announced Brazils health secretary, still sticking to the script. Even if we are vaccinated, we can acquire the virus and have complications.

Officials are warning Brazilians that getting injected for the Fauci Flu does not prevent infection or spread. At best, the needles might cause a person to get less sick than if relying on natural immunity, though this is unproven.

Even so, the media outlet that reported all this is encouraging Brazilians to get injected, claiming that this is still the best way to control the disease. There is no evidence, of course, to back this erroneous but widely circulated claim.

Millions in the U.S. have been injured or even killed by covid shots

The situation here in the United States is not much different.

At least 2.6 million people living in the U.S. have been reported to have symptoms caused by Fauci Flu shots, while more than half a million now have full-blown cases of the Chinese Virus post-injection.

The figures in the official VAERS database continue to climb with each passing week, showing that as vaccination rates increase, so are cases of injuries and deaths stemming from the shots.

Still, the official government line, both among Democrat and Republican politicians, is that the unvaccinated are causing this surge in new disease and death cases because they refuse to get injected with experimental gene therapy drugs from Big Pharma.

Even though the latest data shows that the jabs are causing a massive spike in hospitalizations, Joe Biden and others in his regime are blaming the non-jabbed for this growing phenomenon.

VAERS, it is important to remember, only accounts for a very small percentage of actual cases of injury and death. Some estimates say the system tracks as little as one percent of the total number of cases.

What this suggests is that millions of people living in the U.S are now suffering or dead, thanks to the shots provided to them via Donald father of the vaccine Trumps  these are his own words, by the way  Operation Warp Speed program.

Health Impact News has put together an extensive list of news reports about injuries and deaths caused by Fauci Flu shots. Check it out to see the carnage that has been ignited by this mass depopulation scheme.

I personally know a lady who was fully vaccinated and ended up in the hospital for over a week, one of our own commenters wrote. She almost went on the ventilator.

Im hearing a lot of vaccinated people are getting sick. This is a virus and all viruses mutate, so how are you really going to vaccinate when the strain keeps changing? Its not possible. Doctors are being told by their medical groups not to say anything negative about the vaccines.

To keep up with the latest, visit ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

VaccineImpact.com

HealthImpactNews.com

NaturalNews.com

HealthImpactNews.com
(Natural News) An Australian Member of Parliament, Victor Dominello has been diagnosed with Bells Palsy after AstraZeneca vaccine (branded as Covishield in India) after viewers noticed his droopy eye during the states live COVID-19 update press conference.

(Article republished from GreatGameIndia.com)

NSWs Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello got himself checked out after viewers tuning into the states daily COVID-19 press conference commented on his droopy eye, with some suggesting he was winking at the camera and others thinking he had a stroke.

Victor Dominello appeared at the press conference on Wednesday to discuss business grants as the state recorded a staggering 633 local infections.

In an update later that night, Mr Dominello issued a thank you to the viewers who sent him messages of concern after tuning into the press conference.

At this mornings press conference  a number of people commented on my droopy eye, he wrote on social media.

Some people thought  I was winking at the cameraman. Some thought I had a stroke.

I have actually been diagnosed with Bells palsy.

Mr Dominello explained he began to feel a pain in his skull, behind his right ear, about 48 hours earlier.

On Wednesday morning, he woke up with pins and needles on the right side of his tongue but failed to notice any droopiness around his eye.

I only took it more seriously this afternoon  after a number of people sent me a screenshot of the press conference and others contacted my office prompting me to seek urgent medical advice, he said.

Thanks to everyone who reached out.

Although, Mr Dominello was vaccinated with AstraZenecas vaccine (branded as Covishield in India), no media bothered to mention it in their reports.

Mr. Dominello received his first AstraZeneca vaccine dose at the Homebush Vaccination Centre on 27th May.

Interestingly, he was to receive his second AstraZeneca dose on the very same day of the press conference when he was spotted with Bells Palsy.

He posted on his Instagram, My second AstraZeneca dose is scheduled for 19th August.

Recently, Health Canada, the department of the Government of Canada responsible for national health policy added Bells Palsy as a warning to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine labels.

Symptoms after vaccination may include temporary weakness or paralysis on one side of the face, according to an advisory issued by the department.

Other symptoms include, uncoordinated movement of the muscles that control facial expression; loss of feeling in the face; headache; tearing from the eye; drooling; lost sense of taste on the front two-thirds of the tongue; hypersensitivity to sound in one ear; or inability to close an eye on one side of the face, according to the advisory.

Earlier, a mysterious illness stopped the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine trials. It was reported to be an inflammatory syndrome known as transverse myelitis which may also lead to paralysis.

Read more at: GreatGameIndia.com and VaccineInjuryNews.com.
(Natural News) There appears to be a whole lot of confusion out there about which vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) was actually approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Aug. 23, 2021.

While many mainstream media outlets quickly ran with the story that Pfizers existing mRNA injection for the Fauci Flu was given the official green light from the FDA, supposedly making it easier to mandate, others are saying that the FDA issued approval specifically to BioNTech, a German vaccine corporation, for a Chinese Virus injection that does not exist yet.

BioNTech, as you may recall, partnered with Pfizer to produce the current Fauci Flu shot that is being administered under an emergency use authorization (EUA). It turns out, however, that this is technically a different shot than the Comirnaty branded one referenced in the FDAs recent approval announcement.

It would seem as though there is a mass mind control con taking place right now in which the usual suspects are peddling a confusing, if not false, narrative that the current Pfizer injection has received full approval from the FDA. So, what is the actual truth?

According to Dr. Robert Malone, the inventor of messenger RNA technology, the official FDA documents do not indicate, based on his own reading, that full approval for the Pfizer injection currently in use has arrived. That, he says, is coming around 2023  be sure to watch the multi-part interview below to learn more:

So are the Pfizer jabs really approved, or are they not?

In case you are unfamiliar with Dr. Malone, he recently blew the lid on the dangers of administering mRNA injections in the middle of a pandemic, fearing that he might be assassinated for coming forward with this information at a time when the government and media are aggressively pushing the shots as the final solution.

Now, Dr. Malone is taking issue with the government and medias latest claim that the Pfizer shot has been fully approved by the FDA when that may not actually be the case based on the wording of the approval.

On the flip side, Pfizers own labeling suggests that its current jab authorized under EUA is the same as Comirnaty, and that the two are basically interchangeable.

The FDA-approved COMIRNATY (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) and the EUA-authorized Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine have the same formulation and can be used interchangeably to provide the COVID-19 vaccination series, the Pfizer document states.

At this point, it is uncertain exactly what is going on, but we wanted to bring this conflicting information to your attention. By all appearances, it would seem as though the medical fascists are trying yet again to pull a fast one on the masses in order to justify mandatory vaccination schemes designed to enslave the world under Big Pharma rule.

An FDA release on August 23 further suggests that the agency considers Comirnaty and the current Pfizer injection being administered to be one and the same, and that the name is merely changing because the drug has received full approval.

The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older, the agency says, seemingly supporting what the media is claiming about the approval.

The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals.

As more news develops on this issue, we will keep you informed about the latest at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

RumorMillNews.com

Twitter.com

Twitter.com

NaturalNews.com

Pfizer

FDA.gov
(Natural News) Various insect species have declined by around one-third in the last 10 years, according to a survey conducted by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany. The decline mainly affects grasslands located near intensively farmed land but also applies to forests and protected areas.

The survey researchers collected more than one million insects at grassland and forest sites in various German states between 2008 and 2017. They found that about a third of the investigated species are in decline, and certain rare species are no longer found in some regions.

A decline on that scale over a period of just 10 years came as a complete surprise to us  it is frightening but fits the picture presented in a growing number of studies, said Wolfgang Weisser, a TUM professor of terrestrial ecology and co-initiator of the survey. The findings of the study were published in the journal Nature.

Insect species in decline

Many studies previously demonstrated that the insect species in the German meadows declined in the last 25 years ago. But these studies either focused exclusively on insect biomass  that is, the total weight of all insects  or on individual species or species groups, according to Sebastian Seibold, a scientist at TUMs Terrestrial Ecology Research Group and the main initiator of the survey.

The fact that a large part of all insect groups is actually affected has not been clear so far, said Seibold. It was also unclear whether and to what extent forests were affected by the insect decline, he added.

To that end, the researchers surveyed nearly 2,700 insect species in 150 grassland and 140 forest sites in the German states of Brandenburg, Thuringia and Baden-Wurttemberg. They estimated that the insect biomass in grasslands decreased to one-third of its former level while the insect biomass in forests decreased by around 40 percent.

The researchers noted that all types of forest and grassland sites were affected, including sheep pastures, meadows mowed and fertilized three to four times every year, forestry-dominated coniferous forests and even unused forests in protected areas. The biggest losses were in grasslands surrounded by intensively farmed land, where the most affected species were those unable to travel far. In the forested areas, the hardest-hit insect groups were those that travel long distances. (Related: While everybody panics about coronavirus, insects are heading for extinction in both the U.S. and Europe  No insects means no food.)

Survey co-author and insect specialist Martin Gossner of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research said that further study is needed to determine whether the insect trends in forests were due to increased agricultural activity or the living conditions in the forests themselves.

In the meantime, the challenge is to unite conservation efforts to effectively curb insect losses. Seibold noted that the majority of current initiatives operate independently of one another and are overly concerned with the cultivation of individual plots of land.

To stop the decline, however, our results indicate that more coordination is needed at the regional and national levels, said Seibold.

Insect extinction can bring ecological collapse

In a 2019 review, Australian researchers warned that the worlds insects can vanish within a century at the current rate of insect losses, threatening a catastrophic collapse of natures ecosystems.

The researchers reviewed 73 historical reports of worldwide insect declines and assessed the underlying drivers of these decreases. Their findings, published in the journal Biological Conservation, show that more than 40 percent of insect species are declining and a third are endangered. Intensive agriculture is the main contributor to these declines, especially the heavy use of pesticides, according to the researchers.

They noted that the global insect biomass is dropping by a rate of 2.5 percent a year, which is eight times faster than the rates for mammals, birds and reptiles. They warned that insects could go extinct within a century at that rate, with dire consequences for the environment as they are essential for the proper functioning of all ecosystems.

Read more reports about species declines at Ecology.news.

Sources include:

Phys.org

Nature.com

TheGuardian.com
(Natural News) When the CDC changed their guidance in May to say that vaccinated individuals no longer needed masks, many in the general public thought that it signaled the end of the pandemic. The majority of politicians quickly dropped most COVID-related restrictions, because, as many of us had been saying for a year, masks were the visible reminder that the country was in the middle of a pandemic. As weve seen afterwards, that was, unfortunately, wildly incorrect.

(Article by IM republished from IanMSC.Substack.com)

Testing, inescapable media panic, and the incompetence of public health officials results in an unending pandemic, under current definitions. The CDCs devotion to pseudoscience and the organizations apparent predisposition to irrational fear, impossibly poor risk analysis, and their recent expressions of doubt on the long-term efficacy of the vaccines have made it abundantly clear that they have no end game for COVID.

Their decision to return to recommending mask mandates for all, the death of science, as it were, has been followed by many corporations, cities and several states. And there is no vaccine on the horizon to provide an easy way out. What possible justification can there be for them to revert back to their guidance on vaccinated masking? Theyve now downplayed the efficacy of the vaccines theyve relentlessly pushed, and refuse to acknowledge the reality that COVID cases will always exist, especially with how hard we look for them. What is the end game?

While we have no way to predict how far down the anti-science rabbit hole the CDC will continue to sink, we can look at how their guidance, their recommendation to wear masks is faring in a number of areas in the US and beyond that have followed their evidence-free advice.

Louisiana

One of the greatest gifts the CDC unwittingly gave us with their habitual flip flopping is the opportunity to compare areas with and without mask mandates. They provided us the ability to have some semblance of a control group, which is obviously quite valuable when examining the possible impact of masks. With many governors or local politicians reluctant to return to mask mandates, the True Believers in The Science have created an easy comparison point.

One such state is Louisiana, where Governor John Bell Edwards, a True Believer, mandated masks again out of desperation at his states rising case rate. Nearby, Arkansas and Mississippi did not mandate masks, despite Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinsons best efforts.

Unsurprisingly, theyve followed the same trends regardless:

In fact, case growth in Arkansas appears to have slowed earlier and might be reaching a plateau.

The complete context of cases in these three states clearly showcases the futility of masks and their associated policies, does it not? Theyve had nearly identical curves for the entirety of the pandemic, regardless of mask policy or timing. Cases go up and down at identical intervals, despite the states removing their mandates at wildly different times.

Its the same story that plays out everywhere. Masks go in, masks go off, cases rise and fall regardless, government, experts and media ignore it.

Nevada

In late July, just a few days after the CDCs dramatic reversal, Governor Steve Sisolak of Nevada mandated that 12 counties, comprising most of the population of the state, return to mask wearing.

Lets see how it went!

Cases continued to rise and remained at much higher population adjusted levels than the small counties without mandates.

Its a consistently astonishing phenomenon that politicians have convinced themselves that something thats already failed to prevent the most substantial wave of infections will somehow work this time.

It does not work. Anywhere. Ever.

Georgia

Unsurprisingly, given that the current wave is disproportionately affecting the South, Georgias seen a significant increase in cases recently too.

Equally unsurprising is that a few major cities in the state have responded by mandating masks, while the rest of the state hasnt followed suit.

Naturally Atlanta mandated masks just a day after the CDCs new guidance:

And in a truly shocking turn of events, it did not stop cases from rapidly rising.

But they werent the only ones, Savannah and Athens also caved to desperation and mandated masks

with the same complete lack of success compared to the rest of Georgias counties.

California

It will come as no surprise that a number of counties in California have mandated masks; few states are as committed to pseudoscience as the Golden State.

Weve already seen how completely ineffective masks were in Los Angeles:

https://ianmsc.substack.com/p/los-angeles-just-showed-masks-dont?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web

But, not to be outdone, the state capital in Sacramento mandated masks in late July as well:

It did not work. And, three weeks later, hospitalizations have continued to increase as well:

Its remarkable how committed the groupthink is to continued failure due to cowardice, fear and desperation to avoid media criticism.

Hawaii

And then theres Hawaii.

Hawaii never removed their mask mandate, the only state to keep a mask requirement for everyone, regardless of their vaccination status. Theyve had overwhelming compliance throughout the pandemic, and are rapidly approaching a year and a half of consistent mask wearing rules.

Yet cases have reached new highs:

Its not just cases, hospitalizations are well above previous peaks too:

The more masks fail, the more we need them.

International

The mask failure isnt just limited to the United States either. Other countries and areas are experiencing the same thing. Most importantly, Israel, where masks, previously credited with lowering the curve, were brought back after only nine days:

Despite the aggressive push for N95 masks by some experts, German states with N95 mandates have fared no better than those without a requirement for the supposedly more effective masks:

More importantly though, Saxony became the first German state to remove their mask mandate on July 13th. This creates a compelling comparison point to Bavaria and Berlin, with regards to their N95 mandates. So whats happened?

Saxonys doing BETTER. Not just the same, better. Two states requiring N95s, one state not requiring masks at all, and not only has it not made a difference, the N95s are doing worse.

Failure. Constant, unending failure. Everywhere you look.

Meanwhile, in Japan, pandemic records are falling nearly every day, as their outbreak continues to worsen:

Over 25,000 cases were reported on August 19th, a rate of 200 per million, despite much lower testing rates than in the US. For context, 200 per million is roughly equivalent to the rate of new cases in places like Spain or South Africa, higher than current rate of Denmark, Mexico, Brazil, and double that of Sweden. Many mask proponents will admit that Japan has been unable to prevent outbreaks with universal masking, but defend their results by referencing that their population adjusted rates are low. That argument is no longer valid.

Japan was the media darling due to their mask usage, their mask culture, their willingness to comply  and its all come crashing down.

Speaking of Denmark, they removed the last of their mask requirements recently, after previously removing the mandate in indoor environments in June.

Cases dropped for several weeks afterwards, before rising again in July, although to levels far below those seen in the UK or other European countries.

The push for masking, as always, boils down to a combination of incompetence, cowardice, fear, and political pressure.

Experts enjoy the ability to be seen as doing something, and must never appear to be anti-mask, since it would immediately discredit them in the eyes of their peers, the greater scientific community and their ideological compatriots.

Politicians want the get out of jail free card that masking provides; the opportunity to blame others for poor results. The it would have worked if youd all just listened to me line of defense. The media simply outsources all critical thinking to like-minded ideologues and refuses to acknowledge or take seriously the few brave experts willing to tell the truth.

And as a result, corporations, whose decision makers are exclusively influenced by the same media sources, like The New York Times, follow right along. Regardless of the anti-science, despicable pieces regularly appearing in those outlets, such as suggesting that actually, masking kids is good for their learning ability.

But everywhere you look, the cultural groupthink is dramatically failing. Counties and states following the CDCs new guidance are not succeeding, and those ignoring it are faring no worse. Locations that never removed masks, such as Hawaii and Japan, are seeing their highest numbers of the pandemic, but manage to escape the vitriol and hatred leveled at Ron DeSantis because theyre following orders and implementing what the hive mind of acceptable opinion mandates.

The dramatic, predictable failure resulting from the CDCs science-ending reversal would, in a sane world, be cause for intellectually honest experts to revisit their guidance and accept that their efforts to control infections is always doomed to fail. But naturally, were seeing the exact opposite. The more masks fail, the more we need them.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott wouldnt have tested positive for COVID if hed worn a mask, states that ban mask mandates in schools could face retaliation from the federal government, and in perhaps the clearest indication of futility, indoor masking in Los Angeles has failed so comprehensively that outdoor masks are now required too.

And all of this is in direct contradiction to the inevitable outcome, as acknowledged by more moderate COVID experts:

The reality is we will get infected w/ covid at some point in our lives & likely multiple times throughout our lives. 2 doses reduce the risk of worse outcome pretty well. I understand boosting elderly & immunocompromised, but there is nothing to justify boosters for all.  Muge Cevik (@mugecevik) August 18, 2021

These supposed mitigations and interventions are supposed to prevent cases when that is a complete impossibility, given the reality that everyone will be exposed and infected, perhaps multiple times.

But of course, the theater must continue. The more it fails the more we need it.

Read more at: IanMSC.Substack.com and BadMedicine.news.
(Natural News) New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has extended the countrys unpopular and extremely repressive national Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown to give her government more time to give more people the experimental vaccines that can cause deadly side effects.

The announcement to extend the lockdown was made on Monday, Aug. 23, just as the countrys Ministry of Health announced it had detected 35 new local infections of the fast-spreading vaccine-borne delta variant of COVID-19. This is the highest number of daily coronavirus cases in New Zealand since April last year.

The current post-vaccine COVID-19 outbreak has grown to 107 cases since the beginning of the lockdown. Ardern said the lockdown will continue until at least the end of the month in the Auckland Metro. This is the countrys most populated metropolitan area and where most of the delta variant cases have been found.

We do need more information. We need more certainty. We dont want to take any risks with delta, said Ardern. If the world has taught us anything, it is to be cautious with this variant of COVID-19.

According to the current lockdown regulations, the entire nation will remain at alert level four until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 27. For the Auckland Metro, the alert level four status will remain in place until at least the end of the month. (Related: COVID-19 insanity: Jacinda Ardern locks down entire country of New Zealand over ONE case of covid by this standard, the people will never taste freedom again.)

Alert level four is the countrys highest level of lockdown. Under this level, everybody in New Zealand, regardless of vaccination status, is required to stay at home. They are only allowed to make physical contact with people in their household. Schools and businesses are shut down, and only essential services are allowed to remain operational.

We dont yet believe that we have reached the peak of this outbreak or necessarily the edge of it, said Ardern during a press briefing. The prime minister was attempting to justify keeping the extreme lockdown in place and extending it. That does mean the safest option for all of us right now is to hold the course for longer.

There is great opposition to the extreme lockdown rules, especially among the countrys legislators. But Ardern has successfully shut down all debate regarding the matter by suspending regular parliament sessions until the end of the lockdown.

At a time when New Zealanders have the harshest lockdown in the world and have lost our freedoms because of the governments failure  this move by Jacinda Ardern is unfathomable, said Leader of the Opposition Judith Collins.

But during Arderns latest briefing with the public, she acted like her policies were not being questioned.

For now, everyone is in agreement  elimination is the strategy, she claimed. There is no discussion or debate amongst any of us about that because that is the safest option for us.

New Zealand speeds up vaccination during lockdown

New Zealand has a relatively low vaccination rate. As of Aug. 19, only around 23 percent of the country of five million is fully vaccinated. But the lockdown has provided Ardern and her government the opportunity to speed up the vaccination process, endangering more of her citizens.

On Sunday, Aug. 22, Arderns government announced that it had administered a record-high 56,843 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. This increased the countrys vaccination rate by a full percentage point in just one day.

New Zealand is now vaccinating at a rate comparable to other Western nations. An analysis has found that at the current rate of vaccination the roll-out of vaccines would finish by early Jan. 2022, with around 90 percent of the countrys eligible population receiving at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines by November of this year.

But even despite the high vaccination rate, Ardern has so far avoided promising that vaccinating more New Zealanders would lead to a quick end to the lockdown. She has instead continued to call on citizens to get vaccinated.

Astrid Koornneef, the Ministry of Healths vaccination operations manager, even said the government plans to increase its vaccination record.

Between 50,000 and 60,000 a day is what were aiming for, she said.

If the vaccinations in New Zealand continue, it is unlikely that the discovery of new delta variant COVID-19 cases will cease. If this occurs, Ardern will have all the justification she needs to keep the lockdown in place.

Learn more about the New Zealand governments tyrannical response to the coronavirus by reading the latest articles at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

APNews.com

Reuters.com

Stuff.co.nz
(Natural News) Biden is a treasonous foreign agent. There is no other explanation for what is happening.

(Article by L Todd Wood republished from CreativeDestructionMedia.com)

What we are seeing unfold in Afghanistan was intentional, and planned.

Biden gave away Bagram Air Base in order to prevent the U.S. military from being able to support an orderly withdrawal. He wanted the U.S. military humiliated. He wanted Americans to be trapped and held hostage in Kabul.

He got what he wanted, or should I say what Xi Jinping, the head of the Chinese Communist Party, wanted.

Stop being surprised. This is what treasonous foreign agent presidents do.

Yes, Mike Lindell is right  China hacked our election, in order to install treasonous Joe Biden into The White House.

He is not done surrendering to our enemies.

The invasion of Taiwan is coming  Biden will do nothing.

Whats after that? Who knows? Hawaii? Our electric grid? Another virus? Joe and Fauci will facilitate its introduction to kill more Americans.

It is time to stop bitching on Twitter. It is time to get involved.

We are not calling for violence. But, we are calling for massive civil disobedience. We are calling for people to stop wearing masks, stop getting the shots, stop following Beijing Joes orders.

He is not our president.

Get in your state legislators faces. They have the power to remove the CCP plant. Picket their offices. Force a full forensic audit of all 50 states.

Or get ready to live as a slave.

Read more at: CreativeDestructionMedia.com and JoeBiden.news.
(Natural News) Taliban propaganda channels are now openly mocking the West with ISIS-style videos depicting them showing off stolen American military items.

According to Fox News, propaganda videos were posted this week on channels that are linked to the Taliban showing soldiers in a fighting unit known as the Badri 313 Battalion carrying weapons and gear made by Americans and their allies that appear to have been stolen from allied militaries while their forces were patrolling Kabul.

The special commando unit is named after the battle of Badr, which the Koran says involved the Prophet Mohammed successfully defeating an enemy force with an army of just 313 men 1,400 years ago.

In one photo, Badri 313 Battalion members can be seen hoisting up a Taliban flag in a very similar way to the famous image of six U.S. marines raising an American flag in the battle of Iwo Jima on Mount Suribachi in 1945.

The special unit involved stands apart from typical Taliban fighters because they dress more like American soldiers, complete with body armor, combat boots and camouflage. According to reports from the Sinclair broadcasting group, they are also carrying M4 carbines and driving armored Humvees.

India Today Senior Editor Shiv Aroor noted the shift being seen in these special units. He stated: This has only been recently revealed, is a militia, a special operations unit of the Taliban that is being deployed not just in Kabul but elsewhere as well that has provided a completely different picture. No more just the sons of farmers and shepherds, a ragtag bunch of religious terrorists, but a special operations group comparable, perhaps, with the best in the world.

He added that now that the Taliban is in power, it wont be surprising to see the militia strengthen and the Badri 313 taking on an increasingly prominent role.

Fighters decked out in American gear, holding American weapons

A different image posted to social media shows Taliban members standing near a pickup truck that is decked out in camouflage. One man is wearing camo, sunglasses and combat boots and standing in front of the truck in a stark contrast from their typical turbans, robes and AK-47s.

In other images, Taliban fighters can be seen with protective ear wear, military helmets equipped with mounts for night vision goggles, body armor, camouflage, U.S. M4 rifles and sophisticated tactical radios on their backs. In a video, the Taliban warns that their squadron will be guarding the presidential palace and the streets of Kabul.

Previously released videos show the insurgents inspecting a long line of vehicles and opening up crates filled with new firearms, military drones and communications gear.

Between 2002 and 2017, the U.S. gave Afghan forces roughly $28 billion worth of weaponry. While some of that has been destroyed, what remains is now in the Talibans hands, according to U.S. officials. Seizing American advanced aircraft is more of a propaganda tool than anything else because it is difficult to operate this type of aircraft without proper training. Experts say that the Talibans possession of American-made weaponry feels like a psychological win for them as it is seen as a status symbol.

The Biden administration is reportedly so concerned about the possession of these weapons that air strikes against bigger pieces of equipment, like helicopters, have not been ruled out, although concerns about antagonizing the Taliban while so many Americans still need to be evacuated from the country are weighing heavily.

Intelligence assessments show that the Taliban may control more than 2,000 armored vehicles at the moment. They are believed to have several American Humvees and 40 aircraft that may include UH-60 Blackhawks, ScanEagle military drones and Scout Attack helicopters in their possession.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Reuters: We have already seen Taliban fighters armed with U.S.-made weapons they seized from the Afghan forces.

This poses a significant threat to the United States and our allies.

Sources for this article include:

The-Sun.com

FoxNews.com
(Natural News) The California legislature has put forth a bill that would make it a crime to protest outside of vaccination sites, including at hospitals and doctors officers where vaccines are administered.

Senate Bill 742 threatens to jail anti-vaccine protesters for up to six months, as well as stick them with fines, for making their voices heard about the dangers and ineffectiveness of Big Pharma injections, including those for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19).

Freedom protesters have been seen as of late gathering outside of clinics and other facilities where the jabs are being administered. These gatherings are peaceful, but they are apparently triggering pro-vaccine fanatics who believe that all vaccines are safe and effective.

On August 19, SB 742 was placed in the California legislatures Suspense File, meaning it will be considered at a later date in a rapid-fire process alongside other bills that have also been lumped into this category.

The purpose of the Suspense File, it would seem is to hide controversial legislation under the radar until it can be sprung up and resurrected suddenly in order to be quickly passed without too many people knowing what happened.

Included in the bill: (a) It is unlawful to knowingly approach within 30 feet of any person while a person is making the approach within 100 feet of the entrance of a vaccination site and is seeking to enter or exit a vaccination site, or any occupied motor vehicle seeking entry or exit, for the purpose of obstructing, injuring, harassing, intimidating, or interfering with that person or vehicle occupant in connection with any vaccination services, Section 594.39 of Section 1 of the bill would add to Californias Penal Code.

(b) A violation of subdivision (a) is punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment.

Big Pharma tyrants want to make speaking out against vaccines a crime

Intimidation, as defined by the bill, includes making a true threat towards a person or group of people that puts that person or group in fear of bodily harm or death.

Since some deranged vaccine lovers actually believe that not getting vaccinated, or not allowing a child to get vaccinated, is a form of violence, this section of the bill could be applied in such a way as to criminalize merely publicly voicing an opposition to vaccines.

The bill goes on to define a true threat as a statement where the speaker means to communicate a serious expression of an intent to commit an act of unlawful violence to a particular person or group of persons regardless of whether the person actually intends to act on the threat.

This, too, could easily be redefined to include free speech that calls into question the safety and efficacy of an injection. As you may recall, this has long been the excuse as to why vaccine studies never include a true control group: because to deprive one group of the experimental injection would be inhumane, we are told.

The real kicker in the bill is the obstructing section, which is defined as rendering ingress to or egress from a vaccination site, or rendering passage to or from a vaccination site, unreasonably difficult or hazardous.

Just think of the many ways that this section could be applied to any and all forms of free speech and physical presence in and around buildings or other facilities where vaccines are administered. One angry pro-vaxxer willing to file a complaint is all it would take to ruin an anti-vaxxers life.

The latest news about the relentless government assault against free speech can be found at FirstAmendment.news.

Sources for this article include:

BigLeaguePolitics.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Something terrifying is happening in Australia. Officers of the law are dutifully carrying out the plans of the globalists and enforcing insidious rules that violate the very people they are supposed to serve. Australia has turned into a prison camp, with draconian lockdowns, bodily requirements and travel restrictions. Medical martial law has become a normal way of life, and Australians are being held down until the majority are inoculated with bioweapon vaccine experiments.

Australian governments continue to prescribe tyranny for endemic infections, and the result is always the same. As more people are locked up, the case numbers skyrocket. Australians have followed the science to a tee, but the population is getting sicker, more depressed and more violent than ever before.

Is the science wrong? Of course, it is.

Lockdowns make people sick, but Australia continues to abuse people

Lockdowns put many people in a state of fight or flight, as their careers and livelihoods are threatened. Lockdowns put more stress on people who are trying to make ends meet, limiting their opportunities and ability to interact. As rights are stripped, people are threatened to comply with bodily demands at every turn, raising blood pressure, increasing stress hormones. Grieving people need other people there for them; isolation can kill. Children and adolescents need human interaction; a lack of friendship and stability can cause depression and anxiety which can lead to suicide. All these government-generated problems break down the psychology of people and weaken their ability to adapt to the world around them. In this tyrannical environment of suppression, people get sicker in the mind and in the body.

Australia continues to set new daily records for infection, despite adhering to strict, ongoing lockdowns. From Victoria and Queensland, to New South Whales and Greater Brisbane, to South and Western Australia and the Greater Sydney region, Australia is locking people in their homes, restricting human interaction and isolating people like never before. But the nation is getting sicker and hospitalizations continue to climb. Australia beat its daily record with 914 recorded infections, and the curve never seems to flatten. The lockdowns have not worked since the beginning, and infections spike as soon as the tyranny is enacted, but governments continue on the same path, never learning, never relinquishing their ill-gotten power. In fact, Victoria is on its sixth lock down and hundreds of thousands of people are in revolt.

Vaccines cannot protect against the problems caused by vaccines, the medical system and the government

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has considered an end to the lockdowns but told the media that cannot happen until 70 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. What does it mean to be fully vaccinated anyway? Coronavirus vaccine programs continue to fail across the world and new boosters are now being forced onto people who were already considered protected.

You cant live with lockdowns forever and at some point, you need to make that gear change, and that is done at 70%, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a television interview on the Australian Broadcasting Corps Insider program. Morrison believes that the rights of people are actually privileges granted by the government. In this way, the population can be subjugated into perpetuity. The Australians are beginning to learn that their rights are inherent, sovereign, that they come from God and are enforced through noncompliance and faith.

The level of coercion being used to force vaccinate people in Australia is inhumane; as it has been around the world. The world cannot be sterilized from respiratory infections, especially when the vaccines shed spike proteins and cause new mutations to manifest.

There will be no eradication of COVID because the source of transfection continues to be injected into people, weakening the population and killing off a certain percentage. Vaccines do not protect against medical error. Vaccines do not protect people against ventilator-associated pneumonia and lung damage caused by the machines. Vaccines do not help anyone lose weight, improve respiratory function or increase nutrition uptake in the cells. Vaccines do not protect against hospital-acquired super-bug infections and the failure of antibiotics. Vaccines do not protect people against the immune suppressant drugs and masks, which only weaken the body and set it up for severe disease. Vaccines do not protect against medical systems that refuse early treatment, and have never been proven to generate durable, long-lasting immunity.

The science will not save anyone from COVID because the science of today looks a lot like tyranny and genocide.

Sources include:

Zerohedge.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Shadowy international forces seek to use Facebook as a means to establish official narratives and control what people can read across the social media network. After spending years adjusting algorithms to remove fake news and misinformation, Facebooks upper echelon of fact checkers, information controllers, and narrative pushers have admittedly overplayed their hand in the war to control information.

In a strange twist of fate, Facebook just announced that the The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) manufactured a faulty narrative without any evidence targeting twelve individuals who were repeatedly defamed and stereotyped as the disinformation dozen. This fraudulent and forceful CCDH report, authored by CEO Imran Ahmed, was even used by the Biden regime for political harassment purposes to pressure Facebook into taking further punitive action against innocent Americans who were repeatedly defamed, stripped of their First Amendment rights, and denied due process. Joe Biden, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki even said these individuals are killing people and accused Facebook of mass murder. The Department of Homeland Security took this dangerous narrative a step further on August 13, with a terrorism bulletin that targets Americans who spread false narratives.

CCDH antivax witch hunt is backfiring

Facebook and the Big Tech oligarchy have spent months accusing twelve individuals for being super spreaders of misinformation. Facebook claimed that these individuals use the platform to cause serious harm to public health. Now Facebook is reversing course and going after the fraudulent report that started the witch hunt against the Disinformation Dozen. Even though extensive damage has already been inflicted on these twelve brave people and their associates, Facebook now says that the CCDH report has no real factual basis. The fraudulent CCDH hit-job led to 16,000 defamatory news reports and 84,700 pieces of defamatory material that was spread across Google and the social media landscape. The international press has multiplied CCDHs fraudulent narrative, word for word, with over 16,000 news stories parroting lies and false claims against innocent people.

These targeted individuals are informed choice advocates who present well-cited scientific resources about vaccines and current medical dogma. These individuals are beneficial for public health because they raise important safety questions and sound the alarm on human rights violations in regard to the rollout of experimental COVID-19 vaccines and the manipulated and inflated COVID case and mortality statistics.

Facebook is still engaged in predatory, anti-competitive censorship tactics against antivaxxers, but is now trying to save face by rebuking the CCDH and their witch hunt crusade to purge the internet of these so-called antivaxxers. Facebook revealed that there are millions of people speaking out online about these unlawful vaccine mandates and vaccine injuries, not just twelve people. Facebook wrote, The report upon which the faulty narrative is based analyzed only a narrow set of 483 pieces of content over six weeks from only 30 groups, some of which are as small as 2,500 users. They are in no way representative of the hundreds of millions of posts that people have shared about COVID-19 vaccines in the past months on Facebook.

Shadowy organizations exploit Facebook from the top-down to brainwash the public, control policy

Well-funded organizations like CCDH exploit Facebook from the top-down, inundating the social media platform with false narratives and propaganda. These false narratives take advantage of Facebooks misinformation policies to establish official narratives that cannot be questioned. These faulty narratives of propaganda are then used to weed out any dissenting information, to control what people can read across the Facebook ecosystem. These acts of censorship are defamatory and lead to real world harassment, segregation and threats.

Facebooks hierarchy has been repeatedly exploited by the CCDH, a well-funded group operating out of the United Kingdom, with coercive influence in Washington D.C. The CCDH believes their beliefs and their speech are of highest virtue. Anyone who disagrees with the CCDH agenda is accused of spreading hate speech and disinformation. The board members strategize on the best ways to stop disinformation by targeting and slandering certain individuals and organizations. This slander is then multiplied across the internet and the media landscape due to CCDHs extensive connections in D.C., the mainstream media and Big Tech. These acts of ideological stereotyping, censorship, slander, defamation and harassment are a means to brainwash the public and control public policy, and this coercion is doing extensive damage to peoples lives, the American democracy and the rule of law.

Sources include:

GreenMedInfo.com

Counterhate.com

GreenMedInfo.com

Counterhate.com [PDF]

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) After the FDA fully approved the Pfizer COVID vaccine, Anthony Fauci immediately issued a decree via his permanent CNN propaganda platform that it is time for nationwide vaccine mandates.

(Article by Steve Watson republished from InfoWars.com)

Fauci declared that There was some poll that showed about 30% of people who are not anti-vax, they were just waiting to get what they felt was the real final stamp of approval, which we just got today with the Pfizer product.

He continued, And those 30% are saying when that occurs, they will feel very, very comfortable about getting vaccinated. So right away, youre talking about 30%. I hope they come through with what the survey said.

Fauci added Theyre going to give a lot of incentive and backing for a lot of institutions and organizations and places of employment to mandate, and that could be colleges, university, the military, organizations that employ a lot of people, some of the big corporations are going to say if you want to work for us in person, youve got to be there and get vaccinated.

Fauci then dismissed freedom as an after thought, noting I know I respect peoples freedom, but when youre talking about a public health crisis that weve been going through for well over a year and a half, the time has come. Enough is enough. Weve just got to get people vaccinated.

If we keep lingering without getting those people vaccinated that should be vaccinated, this thing could linger on, leading to the development of another variant which could complicate things. Fauci further proclaimed.

Watch:

"It's up to us," Dr. Anthony Fauci says about the effort to control Covid-19. "If we keep lingering without getting those people vaccinated that should be vaccinated, this thing could linger on, leading to the development of another variant which could complicate things." pic.twitter.com/gcQhQvdlpg  CNN (@CNN) August 24, 2021

Faucis comments come after Joe Biden called for more private companies to implement mandates:

Read more at: InfoWars.com and MedicalTyranny.com
(Natural News) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced its approval for a Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine, which will now be marketed under the name Comirnaty. This is not the same as the Pfizer vaccine, which the media is widely reporting as having received full approval. See full details in this story.

All individuals 16 years of age and older now qualify for injection with the experimental jab from Pfizer-BioNTech, which contains mRNA gene therapy chemicals that do not prevent disease  this means it is not a true vaccine  but rather helps to minimize symptoms, supposedly.

The agency has also indicated that the Pfizer injection continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals.

A letter from the FDA explains that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued U.S. License No. 2229 to BioNTech, a German pharmaceutical giant, to manufacture and sell its Comirnaty injections in the United States with agency approval. Comirnaty injections are not yet being manufactured or produced in the United States.

Under this license, you are authorized to manufacture the product, COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA, which is indicated for active immunization to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 16 years of age and older, the letter goes on to explain.

The released package insert for the drug explains that each dose contains 30 micrograms (mcg) of a nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (mRNA) encoding the viral spike (S) glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. Each injection vial also contains the following ingredients:

 0.43 milligrams (mg) (4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate)

 0.05 mg 2-(polyethylene glycol 2000)-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide

 0.09 mg 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine

 0.2 mg cholesterol

 0.01 mg potassium chloride

 0.01 mg monobasic potassium phosphate

 0.36 mg sodium chloride

 0.07 mg dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate

 6 mg sucrose

Covid mRNA injections deliver spike proteins directly into healthy cells

The newly released package insert further explains that the nucleoside-modified mRNA in Comirnaty is formulated in lipid particles, which enable delivery of the mRNA into host cells to allow expression of the SARS-CoV-2 S antigen.

The vaccine elicits an immune response to the S antigen, which protects against COVID-19, the company further claims.

It is important to keep in mind that the injection has not yet even entered Stage 3 trials, despite its approval and despite the fact that it has already been administered more than 200 million times.

Meanwhile, as increasingly more injections have been administered, new cases of covid are skyrocketing. Cases of Chinese Germs are reportedly up more than 600 percent since July 1, which is when the government really started aggressively pushing the jabs.

Beginning on September 20, the federal government is planning to unleash a third dose of both the Pfizer and Moderna injections.

If vaccines are fully authorized, that would take that excuse [for not getting vaccinated] off the table, chided William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

If fully licensed, he added, I think that movement of [vaccine] mandates would accelerate and generate lots of vaccinations.

With full approval, vaccine manufacturers can also market their shots directly to consumers  meaning television commercials and billboards will be littered with ads for the Operation Warp Speed abominations.

Reading the FDA letter dated Aug. 23, 2021, it is a full approval, but continues under an extension to the EUA Emergency Use Authorization, noted one commenter at the DailyMail Online. Sounds like a legal fudge to me.

How can it be approved when it doesnt prevent covid? asked another. They arent giving us the full story.

Trusting a company that has been fined millions of dollars with your health is like trusting Jeffrey Epstein around your children, wrote another. Pfizers criminal history raises a huge red flag in my eyes. No company with good intentions gets fined 2.3 billion dollars for no good reason.

The latest news about deadly and ineffective Chinese Virus injections can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

FDA.gov

FDA.gov

FDA.gov

DailyMail.co.uk
(Natural News) Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a biologics license application for the Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine.

(Article by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. & Meryl Nass. M.D. republished from ChildrensHealthDefense.org)

The press reported that vaccine mandates are now legal for military, healthcare workers, college students and employees in many industries. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has now required the vaccine for all teachers and school staff. The Pentagon is proceeding with its mandate for all military service members.

But there are several bizarre aspects to the FDA approval that will prove confusing to those not familiar with the pervasiveness of the FDAs regulatory capture, or the depths of the agencys cynicism.

First, the FDA acknowledges that while Pfizer has insufficient stocks of the newly licensed Comirnaty vaccine available, there is a significant amount of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine  produced under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)  available for use.

The FDA decrees that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine under the EUA should remain unlicensed but can be used interchangeably (page 2, footnote 8) with the newly licensed Comirnaty product.

Second, the FDA pointed out that both the licensed Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine, and the existing vaccine are legally distinct, but proclaims that their differences do not impact safety or effectiveness.

There is a huge real-world difference between products under an EUA compared with those that FDA has fully licensed. EUA products are experimental under U.S. law.

Both the Nuremberg Code and federal regulations provide that no one can force a human being to participate in this experiment. Under 21 U.S. Code Sec.360bbb-3(e)(1)(A)(ii)(III), authorization for medical products for use in emergencies, it is unlawful to deny someone a job or an education because they refuse to be an experimental subject. Instead, potential recipients have an absolute right to refuse EUA vaccines.

U.S. laws, however, permit employers and schools to require students and workers to take licensed vaccines.

EUA-licensed vaccines have an extraordinary liability shield under the 2005 Public Readiness and Preparedness Act. Vaccine manufacturers, distributors, providers and government planners are immune from liability. The only way an injured party can sue is if he or she can prove willful misconduct, and if the U.S. government has also brought an enforcement action against the party for willful misconduct. No such lawsuit has ever succeeded.

The government has created an extremely stingy compensation program, the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program, to redress injuries from all EUA products.

The programs parsimonious administrators have compensated under 4% of petitioners to date  and not a single COVID vaccine injury  despite the fact that physicians, families and injured vaccine recipients have reported more than 600,000 COVID vaccine injuries.

At least for the moment, the Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine has no liability shield. Vials of the branded product, which say Comirnaty on the label, are subject to the same product liability laws as other U.S. products.

When the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices places a vaccine on the mandatory schedule, a childhood vaccine benefits from an generous retinue of liability protections.

But licensed adult vaccines, including the new Comirnaty, do not enjoy any liability shield. Just as with Fords exploding Pinto, or Monsantos herbicide Roundup, people injured by the Comirnaty vaccine could potentially sue for damages.

And because adults injured by the vaccine will be able to show that the manufacturer knew of the problems with the product, jury awards could be astronomical.

Pfizer is therefore unlikely to allow any American to take a Comirnaty vaccine until it can somehow arrange immunity for this product.

Given this background, the FDAs acknowledgement in its approval letter that there are insufficient stocks of the licensed Comirnaty, but an abundant supply of the EUA Pfizer BioNTech jab, exposes the approval as a cynical scheme to encourage businesses and schools to impose illegal jab mandates.

The FDAs clear motivation is to enable Pfizer to quickly unload inventories of a vaccine that science and the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System have exposed as unreasonably dangerous, and that the Delta variant has rendered obsolete.

Americans, told that the Pfizer COVID vaccine is now licensed, will understandably assume COVID vaccine mandates are lawful. But only EUA-authorized vaccines, for which no one has any real liability, will be available during the next few weeks when many school mandate deadlines occur.

The FDA appears to be purposefully tricking American citizens into giving up their right to refuse an experimental product.

While the media has trumpeted that the FDA has approved COVID vaccines, the FDA has not approved the Pfizer BioNTech vaccines, nor any COVID vaccines for the 12- to 15-year age group, nor any booster doses for anyone.

And FDA has not licensed any Moderna vaccine, nor any vaccine from Johnson & Johnson  so the vast majority of vaccines available in the U.S., if not all, remain unlicensed EUA products.

Heres what you need to know when somebody orders to get the vaccine: Ask to see the vial. If it says Comirnaty, its a licensed product. If it says Pfizer-BioNTech, its an experimental product, and under 21 U.S. Code 360bbb, you have the right to refuse.

If it comes from Moderna or Johnson & Johnson (marketed as Janssen), you have the right to refuse.

The FDA is playing bait and switch with the American public  but we dont have to play along. If it doesnt say Comirnaty, you have not been offered an approved vaccine.

Read more at: ChildrensHealthDefense.org and Lies.news
(Natural News) Governments around the world resorted to lockdowns to address the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). However, these draconian mandates only caused more harm than good as businesses were forced to close and workers lost their jobs. But aside from the economic impact, children bore the brunt of these lockdowns as the latter impaired an important stage of childrens mental development.

A group of researchers from Rhode Island looked at the intelligence quotient (IQ) scores of around 605 children born before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to their study posted in medRxiv on Aug. 11, babies born pre-pandemic had IQs ranging from 98.5 to 107.3. However, those born during the COVID-19 pandemic had IQ scores lower by 27 to 37 points.

The study by the Rhode Island researchers pointed to lockdown policies implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19 as a key factor behind the lower IQ scores. These included mask mandates, social distancing, stay-at-home orders and suspension of in-person learning. The effects of these mandates on the first 1,000 days of a childs life  the most crucial phase in childrens development  contributed to the lower IQ points the researchers found.

We found that children born during the pandemic have significantly reduced verbal, motor and overall cognitive performance compared to children born pre-pandemic, the researchers wrote in their Aug. 11 study. They continued that even without children catching and falling ill from COVID-19, the environmental changes associated [with the] COVID-19 pandemic is significantly and negatively affecting infant and child development.

Furthermore, the researchers found that male children had been more affected by the lockdowns than female children. Both male and female children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds born after January 2020, which were mostly from Black and Hispanic families, had a steeper dip in IQ scores than their White counterparts on average.

Nevertheless, the study authors wrote that while socioeconomic factors appear to mitigate against the negative consequences of the pandemic, the primary factors underlying our observed trends remain unknown. (Related: Lockdowns, masks destroying mental health of children and young people.)

Coronavirus lockdowns also drove young people to commit suicide

While younger children suffered from lowered IQs, older children were affected with mental problems that ended up with some taking their own lives. A June 2020 study published in QJM highlighted this phenomenon. It acknowledged the COVID-19 pandemics profound psychological and social effects  [that] will probably persist for months and years to come. (Related: Extended coronavirus lockdowns having severe negative effect on mental health of children  report.)

True enough, the QJM study noted that COVID-19 survivors may also be at elevated suicide risk. The study also pointed out that a spike in suicide rates may occur during and after the pandemic. It mentioned that suicide prevention hotlines in the U.S. experienced a huge increase of calls.

The June 2020 study remarked that social distancing, which was espoused as one of the main approaches to fight COVID-19, played a big role in the increase of suicides. Social isolation contributes to  psychiatric disorders and suicidal behavior, the study authors wrote. They added that the reliance on social distancing to address the pandemic was troubling  from a suicide prevention perspective.

The suicide of 15-year-old Kian Southway last year served as strong proof of the negative effects of COVID-19 lockdowns. Back in March 2020, the Welsh teen posted a Snapchat story that said goodbye, everyone before hanging himself. Despite his familys intervention and medical treatment, Kian died on March 31  four days after his suicide attempt on March 27.

Kians mother Jolene described him: [He] was bright, he was popular and he was a joy to teach. However, the British government ordered the closure of schools on March 18  which took a toll on the outgoing teenager. Nine days after that, Kian posted the Snapchat message. Friends then alerted his younger sister Darcey about the message, which led to his parents rushing into the room to check on Kian.

The teen was rushed to the hospital, but his condition worsened and he eventually died. During an inquest held at the Welsh town of Pontypridd, it was revealed that Kian had been missing school and his friends due to the lockdown. Coroner Thomas Artherton ruled Kians death a suicide, saying: Its tragic when a young person dies, but this is a greater tragedy when you take into account the circumstances of a young man with a loving family and close friends.

Pandemic.news has more articles about the negative effects of lockdowns on childrens mental health.

Sources include:

AllNewsPipeline.com

MSN.com

medRxiv.org

Academic.OUP.com

DailyMail.com
(Natural News) The 1st Appellate District in the Court of Appeals for California rejected a bid from Bayer-owned Monsanto to overturn its decision, indicating that Monsanto acted with reckless disregard against its cancer-causing weed killer, Roundup.

The appeals court in San Francisco refused to overturn the 2019 verdict, in which a jury awarded over $2 billion to a couple who claimed to have fallen ill after using the herbicide for more than three decades. The couple was said to have developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma after years of using the products.

The court stated in its decision: We find that substantial evidence supports the jurys verdicts. Monsantos conduct evidenced reckless disregard of the health and safety of the multitude of unsuspecting consumers it kept in the dark. This was not an isolated incident; Monsantos conduct involved repeated actions over a period of many years motivated by the desire for sales and profit.

A judge later lowered the Monsanto payment to $87 million.

Monsanto claimed that there was insufficient evidence to support the case and that their claims violated federal law. However, the California appeals court rejected the companys pleas, stating that the company acted with willful and conscious disregard for the safety of others. The court also said that the company failed to conduct adequate studies on glyphosate and Roundup, thus impeding discouraging or distorting scientific inquiry concerning glyphosate and Roundup.

Since purchasing Monsanto in 2018, Bayer said it would set aside at least $11 billion to settle around 100,000 existing cases due to Roundup.

A fourth Roundup trial has already started in the state court in San Bernardino, California.

Bayer said that it plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a separate case that it lost in 2019 and rule that the company be absolved of wrongdoing as federal regulators have found glyphosate is not a carcinogen. (Related: Monsanto nation: Exposing Monsantos minions.)

Bayer CEO admits pulling Roundup from shelves to prevent the company from being sued

In a separate article, Bayer CEO Werner Bauman was quoted saying that the decision of the company to pull out Roundup from shelves is exclusively geared at managing litigation risks and not because of any safety concerns.

He also noted that Bayer is engaging with EPA regarding the labeling options for glyphosate-based formulations, and providing more information about the science surrounding the chemical. This will serve as a guide in more informed purchasing and application decisions. Bayer also plans to launch a new website in the fall with scientific studies that can shed more transparency on the safety of glyphosate use.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under former president Donald Trump ruled that the chemical did not pose any risk to human health; however, the current administration admitted to the review being flawed, saying that it needed to be redone.

While short-term exposure is not something to be worried about, other sources link glyphosate not only to cancer but to liver and kidney damage, as well. Studies of dairy cows eating soybeans with high levels of glyphosate had higher risks of liver and kidney damage.

Other risks include reproductive and developmental issues, and risk for pregnant women and children. Scientists are concerned that pregnant women and children may have higher risks because developing fetuses may be more susceptible to carcinogens.

Glyphosate products will be replaced with different active ingredients by 2023 following reviews by the EPA and other state regulatory bodies. The date was the earliest that Bayer could reasonably implement the changes, said Bayer Crop Science Division president Liam Condon. This is from a regulatory and logistical point of view [of whats] possible, he said.

Read more about the adverse effects of glyphosate at Environ.news.

Sources include:

NaturalHealth365.com

ArkansasOnline.com

AgricultureOnline.com

Ecowatch.com
(Natural News) Despite the number of studies that indicate COVID-19 vaccines are a distinct health threat to younger people as well as a warning that forcing Americas military personnel to take the jab is a massive national security risk, the Biden Defense Department is ordering all uniformed personnel and military contractors to take it anyway.

I will seek the presidents approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon licensure by the Food and Drug Administration, whichever comes first, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a memo to all military personnel this month, in warning all of them them to prepare for the requirement.

I will not hesitate to act sooner or recommend a different course to the President if l feel the need to do so, he added.

BREAKING: Pentagon will now mandate all troops be vaccinated against Covid-19, following the FDA's full approval of the Pfizer shot, says @PentagonPresSec  Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) August 23, 2021

Whats more, enlisted personnel and officers dont have any choice: They must take the vaccine because the Pentagon isnt asking them to, its ordering them to.

We have every expectation that once the vaccines are made mandatory the troops are going to do the right thing, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters at a Pentagon news conference earlier this month. But, without speaking to the future, its treated, certainly, like any lawful order, and there could be administrative and disciplinary repercussions for failing to obey that order.

Commanders have a range of tools, short of using the UCMJ [Uniform Code of Military Justice] available to them to try to help individuals make the right decisions, Kirby added.

The order comes amid the Food and Drug Administrations approval of the vaccines  in record time, by the way, given that vaccine approval generally takes at least five years and sometimes longer (recall that the COVID jabs were all experimental and approved under an emergency order).

But since the government has been pushing and pushing Americans to get the vaccine (or else live life as a second-class citizen), the approval cameway early.

Full approval is more psychological than anything else, Dr. Paul Offit, a voting member of the agencys Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, said. I mean you already have more than 320MM doses administered. The vaccines already have an enormous safety and efficacy profile.

The FDA will do what it thinks it needs to do to make sure that the American public is safe, he said.

But earlier this month, Navy CDR. J.H. Furman warned that mass inoculation of U.S. military personnel is liable to turn into a catastrophe if there is mass negative reaction to the vaccine, such as inflammation of the heart muscle, known as myocarditis, which is caused by at least one of the vaccines.

The forced vaccination of all military personnel with the present COVID-19 vaccines may compromise U.S. national security due to the unknown extent of serious vaccine complications, writes Furman, according to Revolver.news. Further study is needed before committing the Total Force to one irreversible experimental group. Initial reports leave more concern for the COVID-19 vaccinations than the virus itself for the (at present) exceptionally healthy military population.

There is reason to believe severe or even fatal side-effects from existing COVID-19 vaccines are more common than reported, and could even prove deadlier to otherwise-healthy servicemen than COVID-19, Revolver News went on to report, citing available research indicating that young people suffer from outsized negative COVID vaccine reactions.

Furman also added that the incidents of COVID-19 among the 2.2 million U.S. military personnel is minuscule; only 24 out of 2.2 million U.S. military personnel have died because of the virus, which is less than 1 per 91,000 members.

There is no good reason to force our troops to take these vaccines and potentially harm tens or even hundreds of thousands of them, thereby creating a massive national security crisis.

Sources include:

NaturalNews.com

ZeroHedge.com
(Natural News) Many public and private entities have mandated their customers to present proof of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination. However, several restaurant owners have refused to assume the role of vaccine police by implementing such mandates. Restaurant owners said the vaccine mandates added another burden to an industry already hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Major cities in the U.S., such as Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City (NYC), ordered restaurant owners and employees to check if their patrons are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. However, many slammed the vaccine mandates by saying they only hurt businesses even more. Other entrepreneurs said they received accusations of infringement of personal rights and discrimination against unvaccinated customers.

Restaurateur Massimo Felici was among the business owners who expressed concern over the new requirements. He told the BBC that business was not happening at all for 15 to 16 months at his three restaurants in the Staten Island borough of NYC. In one [restaurant], I had to get rid of 80 percent of my staff. We barely survived. I thought I was definitely going to lose my restaurants, Felici said.

While business in Felicis restaurants subsequently bounced back, NYCs order to enforce the COVID-19 vaccine mandate posed a serious challenge to the restaurant owner. This could destroy my business; there are too many people who are unvaccinated, Felici said. He continued: Right now its summer, so its not too bad to eat outside. But soon, it will be really cold. A lot of people are going to get fed up and leave.

Another restaurateur, Rob DeLuca, also voiced out his concerns regarding the vaccine passport mandate. The owner of DeLucas, also in Staten Island, told the BBC: Whats going to happen when you ask somebody for their [vaccination] papers and they dont want to show them to [you?] What are we supposed to do? Were privately owned businesses, I dont know why this is our job. (Related: NYC restaurants REFUSE to enforce vaccine passport mandate and become vaccination police.)

Restaurants putting targets in their backs through the vaccine mandates

On Aug. 16, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order requiring customers to show proof of vaccination before dining indoors. He called the mandate a necessary step to tackle vaccine hesitancy, given that only 60 percent of New Yorkers completed their COVID-19 vaccination schedules.

It is time for people to see vaccinations as literally necessary to living a good, full and healthy life. If youre unvaccinated, unfortunately, you will not be able to participate in many things, de Blasio said during a recent press conference. (Related: France threatens to imprison restaurant owners who serve the unvaccinated.)

Despite the COVID-19 vaccine mandates negative effect, some restaurant owners were forced to adhere to the law. These entrepreneurs argued that checking customers vaccination status will keep their businesses running  after lockdowns took away a large chunk of their potential revenue. They added that mandating vaccine passports will help them avoid huge fines from authorities.

California restaurateur Dean Lavine, who owns the Blackbook bar and restaurant in Palm Springs, gave a short answer as to why his establishment complied with the citys vaccine passport mandate. We dont want to get shut down again. Its that simple, he told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Blackbook started verifying customers COVID-19 vaccination status earlier in August 2021.

Many customers have canceled reservations and raised objections to vaccine passports because of the new mandates. Meanwhile, other customers left negative reviews online to express their outrage over discrimination and the violation of their civil liberties. One restaurant in south Seattle shared with WSJ its experience after it announced such mandates.

Back in late July 2021, the Off Alley restaurant started requiring diners to prove that they were inoculated against COVID-19. According to the restaurants co-owner Meghna Prakash, customers were generally supportive of their new rule. However, Off Alley was not spared from negative reviews online.

Prakash told WSJ that online users who had not even dined at Off Alley lobbied negative remarks toward her restaurant. These same users also called her discriminatory for implementing the vaccine passport rule. Making these policy decisions by ourselves is putting targets on our backs, Prakash said.

HealthFreedom.news has more articles about restaurants standing up against COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Sources include:

HumansAreFree.com

DailyExpose.co.uk

BBC.com

WSJ.com
(Natural News) At his most recent rally in Cullman, Ala., President Donald Trump was booed by his fans for once again trying to twist their arms into getting vaccinated for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19).

The self-proclaimed father of the vaccine was forced to quickly change the subject after he was met with loud disapproval over his stance on the Operation Warp Speed injections, of which he has repeatedly taken ownership.

I believe totally in your freedoms, Trump stated. I do. Youve got to do what you have to do. But I recommend: take the vaccines. I did. Its good. Take the vaccines.

These words prompted the crowd to switch from lighthearted cheering to boos, prompting Trump to joke about how if the vaccines do not work, youll be the first to know.

Ill say, hey, you know what? But [the vaccine] is working, Trump responded to his audience. But you do have your freedoms you have to keep. You have to maintain that.

This would be the umpteenth time that Trump has told his supporters to get the jab, pushing the same propaganda as Joe Biden and other politicians. The only difference is that Trump claims to support the right to choose.

The problem with this, of course, is that now that Trump has unleashed the jabs, the next regime is trying to mandate them. None of this would have been possible had Trump not created Operation Warp Speed in the first place.

Why is Trump still pushing covid vaccines long after leaving office?

Diehard Trump supporters continue to claim that the former president had no choice in promoting Operation Warp Speed. Had he not, they often say, then he would have faced the ire of the deep state for not cooperating.

Truth be told, Trump was a constant target of the deep state, or so it seemed, for the entirety of his presidency and even beforehand. He is also no longer president, and has no reason to still be paying lip service to the plandemic if that is really all he was ever doing.

The fact that Trump continues to double down in support of the vaccines speaks volumes as to his true character. Was he really just controlled opposition all along? Does he still have some 4-D chess moves up his sleeves?

Some of his now-former supporters believe that Trump was a pied piper Trojan Horse all along, and that his purpose was to string along conservatives to get Operation Warp Speed into place.

Had Hillary Clinton been installed instead of Trump, the plandemic certainly would have played out a whole lot differently. Leftists would have gotten jabbed regardless, but it would have been a much tougher sell for conservatives.

With Trump at the helm, at least some conservatives went along with the ruse, believing Trumps rhetoric about getting the injections to the world at warp speed when it otherwise would have taken years, supposedly lengthening the plandemic even more.

Incredible. And still so many worship at his feet as if he is the Savior, wrote one commenter at WND about Trumps latest vaccine push in Cullman. The Donald is not the man they believe he is. Mr. Flip-Flop, the former Caver-in-Chief. Just a big mouth, thats all. And all about me, me, me.

The true treasonous scumbags and proponents of crimes against humanity must first be caught in the act, responded another, offering a counter point of view.

The vaccination effort is a genocide. There is no pandemic. Trump returns in 2021. We will tire of watching execution for treason and crimes against humanity.

The latest news about Fauci Flu shots can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

WND.com

Archive.is

NaturalNews.com
Extreme temperatures and serious wildfires getting to extreme proportions were recorded this summer in the northern hemisphere.

Firestorm

An unusual number of these have blazed through the threshold disconnecting regular flames from the far more severe class referred to as firestorms, or pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCbs).

Creating their own weather and penetrating the upper limit of the troposphere with massive plumes of smoke, firestorms are very frightening, and their unexpected spike in ubiquity brings about fears that they could start occurring more often in time to come.

A meteorologist with the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) whose name is Mike Fromm explained to IFLScience: "We've seen 75 to 80 pyroCbs this year in the northern hemisphere summer season, and this does seem to be a number which is exceeding previous seasons for which we have data. I have to state pretty emphatically though that we can't call this a trend. We don't know if we have enough data to give trend information."

This lack of information is mostly because, in spite of their unsteady intensity, recognizing pyroCbs is difficult. It's just in the last two decades or thereabout that scientists have been successful in detecting them from satellite measurements of smoke in the stratosphere.

Also Read: Wildfires Are a Real but Undisclosed Risk for Millions of Areas and Homes

Smoke in the Stratosphere

Fromm said when he began to work at NRL in the middle 90s the word pyroCB wasn't in existence. And in the work that they did, they came across smoke in the stratosphere. They now had to get very good at identifying and quantifying pyroCbs to know if their frequency is increasing.

As their second name "firestorm" suggests, a pyroCb is basically a thunderstorm that a wildfire generates. When massive fires release hot air up into the atmosphere, it condenses into clouds. When the atmosphere is not stable, the smoke plume can keep rising, thereby generating strong updrafts as cold air is taken in to fill the vacancy below.

These winds trigger the fires, bringing about a feedback loop leading to more hot air being sent to the sky, making the entire system to snowball.

Lightning Storm

If the smoke plume succeeds in getting to the stratosphere, it can prompt a lightning storm. At this stage, it is said that the fire is generating weather instead of the other way round. Immediately this happens, a wildfire gains the name pyroCb and becomes very hard to forecast or control.

Australian New Year Super Outbreak (ANYSO) owns the greatest wildfire smoke plume ever recorded and it burned violently between December 2019 and January last year, releasing smoke 21.1 miles (34 kilometers) into the atmosphere and ozone layer.

Winds that pyroCbs generates and are of this size can surpass 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour), throwing firebrands far more than the front of the fire, where they can trigger fresh fires.

Related Article: Ravaging California Wildfire Produces its Own Lightning as it Doubles in Size

For more news, updates about firestorms and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
A new study suggests that a certain type of bacteria in the Canadian Arctic can break down diesel and oil, which could 'respond well to an oil spill' in the region.

Scientists at the University of Calgary said these 'mysterious' microbes can be found in the icy waters of the Arctic, 'capable of biodegrading' the fossil fuels present in the Labrador Sea.

The scientists believe that these types of bacteria known as Paraperlucidibaca, Cycloclasticus, and Zhongshania, can give solution to growing oil spill problem and long-term effects on surrounding Indigenous communities, specifically the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Sean Murphy, student of Dr. Casey Hubert, coauthor and Associate Professor of Geomicrobiology at the university, alerted the professor of the growing problem.

Murphy grew up in the region and initiated the project with hopes to ensure that the people of Newfoundland and Labrador continues to gain benefit from the offshore oil in the form of fuel and "help inform future oil spill mitigation strategies at cold temperatures in the region."

Oil Spill Remediation Simulation

To begin with, researchers simulated oil spill remediation inside of bottles filled with mud of Arctic seabed, artificial seawater, and diesel or crude oil, performed at 4C, to approximate the temperature in the Labrador Sea.

After several weeks, the team found marine bacteria in the Canadian Arctic that can eat up oil and diesel in the ocean.

"Our simulations demonstrated that naturally occurring oil-degrading bacteria in the ocean represent nature's first responders to an oil spill," says Dr. Hubert.

In addition, their findings suggest that these microbes are capable of oil and diesel fuel degradation even in frigid waters off the Labrador coast.

"Most of the studies that look at oil-eating bacteria are from lower latitudes," Dr. Hubert added. "It's not new that bacteria eat oil, but it's interesting to start to learn about how they would do that in Arctic environments where the temperature is really cold."

Also read: A Deadly 'Brain-Eating' Disease is Spreading Among Animal Population in Texas

Future Oil Spill Strategies

The study implies pre-spill strategies and early prevention of massive oil spill cleanup in case of future oil spill in the Arctic or elsewhere.

Since the indigenous people on Labrador coast relies on the ocean for food, it is crucial to keep the region and its people safe, especially given that these 'permanently cold waters' have been increasing its industrial activity related to maritime shipping and offshore oil and gas.

"As climate change extends ice-free periods and increasing industrial activity takes place in the Arctic, it is important to understand the ways in which the Arctic marine microbiome will respond if there is an oil or fuel spill," Dr. Hubert continues.

The fossil fuel-eating bacteria is deemed worthy of representing an 'especially significant' role in the response to Arctic marine oil spills.

"We like to say that microbes are nature's first emergency responders ... they start cleaning up the oil if they have the ability to degrade."

Also read: Chinese Scientists Develop Anti-Mosquito Technique Using Nuclear Technology
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Oregon will deploy crisis teams of hundreds of nurses, respiratory therapists, paramedics and nursing assistants to regions of the state hardest hit by a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations that have stretched hospitals to the limit, Gov. Kate Brown said Wednesday.

The state has finalized a contract with a medical staffing company that will send up to 500 health care providers to central and southern Oregon, where hospitals have been slammed by a surge in coronavirus patients, most of them unvaccinated. Smaller teams will also head to long-term care facilities around the state.

COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased 990% in Oregon since July 9, according to health officials.

The personnel from Jogan Health Systems will head to Bend, Redmond, Medford, Ashland, Grants Pass and Roseburg and can move as conditions required, Brown said. The plan also calls for 60 additional nurses and clinical staff from provider AMN Healthcare, but plans for where those medical workers will be have not been finalized.

The deployment of crisis response teams should provide some welcome relief to our hospitals, Brown said. The hospital crisis we are facing isnt just about beds  its about having enough trained health care professionals to treat patients."

Under the contract, response teams will head to central Oregon to support the St. Charles Health System in Bend and Redmond areas, and to southern Oregon to support Asante hospitals in Medford, Ashland, and Grants Pass, as well as Providence-Medford Medical Center and Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg.

The teams will be supported by up to 300 registered nurses in medical-surgical, emergency departments, and critical care; 20 paramedics; 61 certified nursing assistants; 34 respiratory therapists; and five medical technicians, according to a statement.

In addition, 10 emergency teams will head to long-term care facilities around the state. They will be made up of three registered nurses and five certified nursing assistants.

The state will spend a maximum of $100 million on the Jogan Health Systems contract and a maximum of $19.6 million on the AMN Healthcare contract, said Charles Boyle, the governor's deputy communications manager. The contracts are for 13 weeks and can be extended if needed, he said.

The state will seek reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the costs.

Oregon, long upheld as a pandemic success story, has been clobbered by the virus this summer.

It's one of a handful of states with an indoor mask mandate in effect and was the first on Tuesday to reinstitute a statewide mask requirement for outdoor public areas where people are close together.

Coronavirus cases, fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant first detected in India, have overwhelmed hospitals in the Pacific Northwest state over the past month. As of Wednesday 1,080 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized, beating the record set the previous day by 80 people. More than 90% of Oregons adult hospital and ICU beds are currently full.

Prior to this month, the states record of hospitalizations during the pandemic was 622 in November, which occurred during a winter surge and when vaccines were not yet available.

The governor has also instituted a vaccine mandate for staff and volunteers in K-12 schools, a mask mandate in schools and a requirement that health care workers and state employees be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18.

There were fewer than 50 intensive care unit beds available statewide this week. Many hospitals have canceled elective surgeries, and some patients are housed in hallways instead of rooms.

In addition to the medical crisis teams announced Wednesday, Brown has dispatched about 1,500 National Guard troops to hospitals around the state to help with logistics and nonmedical tasks.
About 20 anti-mask protesters confronted top state officials at an annual back-to-school event Wednesday in a Cheshire elementary school, abruptly shutting down the discussion, with at least one protester heckling Gov. Ned Lamont right to his vehicle.

The event was billed as a round table discussion at Highland Elementary School with a group of top state education and public health officials to address the start of the 2021-22 school year.

The meeting was supposed to focus on ways to safely maintain in-person instruction for students and faculty amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The protesters grumbled through the first half-hour, holding anti-mask signs and allegedly calling out Dr. Deidre Gifford, acting commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, but stayed in their seats in the cafeteria.

Witnesses said that about a half-hour into the discussion, the confrontation escalated and the event, featuring Lamont, state Department of Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker and other education and health officials from throughout the state, was abandoned. At least one protester singled out Lamont, who was escorted out of the building by his state police security detail.

One witness said the protester allegedly shoved one of the security detail and went up to the window of Lamonts car.

Later in the afternoon, at a Hartford vaccination center, Lamont said health and education professionals have the best interests of school children and their families at heart. He did wonder about the role models displayed in the loud, expletive-laced confrontations.

I was surprised to see young mothers with two 7-year-olds, one in either hand, shouting vulgarities and being as rude as they were, Lamont told reporters, admitting some shock. Were all sitting there. Were trying to keep their kids safe. Were trying to do it in the best way we can possible. Its not Connecticut.

Lamont said he has received support from academic professionals for his order, which requires all school children and staff to wear masks until at least Sept. 30.

Theres no kid under the age of 12 whos been vaccinated and its really important to keep these kids safe, Lamont said. So every superintendent that was there at the roundtable said Thank you for stepping up and making sure that our kids can be safe in the classroom, so that Connecticut will not be like Florida. Theyre in the classroom. We dont have to quarantine. We dont have to go home. They can keep learning and they can keep playing football.

About 40 minutes after the discussion started, it abruptly ended when the group of protesters became louder.

Cheshire Police Chief Neil Dryfe said the crowd of about 20 protesters dispersed once the governor left and no arrests were made.

I received a text from a town official who was in attendance, saying that things were getting a little heated. By the time I walked to the school, which is right behind the police station, the governor was in his car and pulling away from the building, Dryfe said.

There were no complaints made by anyone in attendance and the CPD took no action of any kind against anyone present. Once the governor left, the crowd of approximately 20 people dispersed.

Throughout the first half-hour, calls could be heard from the back of the room, asking panelists, who had microphones, to to speak louder. As Gifford spoke about close contact and COVID quarantine procedures, the crowd became more disruptive.

If I could ask that we could show a little decorum, said the events moderator, Jeff Solan, the superintendent of Cheshire Public Schools.

Solan wrapped up his questions and turned the discussion over to the media for questions. About 40 minutes into the meeting, Solin brought the event to a close as protesters shouts grew louder.

We all kind of recognized there wasnt going to be a good, productive conversation at that point, said Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association, the states largest teachers union.

When the round table ended, Dias said she spoke with one of the protesters, who expressed distrust in the COVID-19 vaccines. The union president said she explained to the individual that while she did not agree, she could hear her fears and concerns.

Before the meeting spiraled, Gifford tried to address questions about vaccine and mask mandates.

Asked what happens after Lamonts executive order expires on Sept. 30, the commissioner said her department is monitoring other states where school districts have already reopened.

Were seeing that in schools where masks were not required at the beginning of the school year, and there was lots of COVID in the community, weve seen very significant disruptions to in-person learning, she said.

Gifford said the states priority is to keep kids in classrooms and adjust mitigation strategies as the conditions merit.

Democrats were quick to criticize the protesters takeover of the back-to-school event.

The Connecticut Republicans like to say they are past the extremism of the Trump era, Democratic State Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo said. But mask protests like todays in Cheshire are happening across the state. Disagreeing on policy is part of our process. But this behavior, and similar protests at recent Board of Education meetings in Bristol and Fairfield, has no place in political discourse.

Conservative state Sen. Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott, whose district includes Cheshire, posted a photo of the cafeteria on Facebook and wrote: God bless these parents for fighting for their freedoms, their rights as parents, and the rest of us who reassert our rights as free citizens.

State Sen. Tony Hwang, R-Fairfield, who as the top Republican on the legislative Public Health Committee and attended the round table, said he did not feel threatened by the crowd, which should have given more deference to Lamont and the other agency heads.

They were in the back, but they were very, very loud, Hwang said of the protesters. You could sense their frustration. There may be a perception that they might be vocal elements and not reflective of the general population. But the presentation didnt offer a lot of benchmarks data and medical data points. That was frustrating for me.

He said the disruption eclipsed the testimony of the state officials. It kept escalating, Hwang said in a late-afternoon interview. I sat in the front and all I kept hearing was the peanut gallery comments. They got increasingly numerous and persistent. I understood why they just picked up with 20 minutes to go, and the people followed the governor outside. These are parents who felt a tremendous disconnect.

State Rep. Kathleen McCarty, R-Waterford, ranking member of the legislative Education Committee, said later Wednesday afternoon that the rhetoric is getting too hot and theres a need for some kind of way to get all sides working together on addressing the health and educational challenges the delta variant is creating.

On Wednesday, the state reported a daily positivity rate of 3.28 percent as hospitalizations declined by 13 to 378 statewide.

The No. 1 priority is getting all our children back to school to kind of mitigate the learning lost last year and to get their educational, social and emotional needs met, said McCarty, who did not attend the Cheshire event. I, for one, follow science. One of the strategies we are hearing from our medical professionals is to have masks, especially for those who have not been vaccinated. Everyone has a right to be heard, but we also need to listen to our medical professionals. In a way, I was very disappointed to read it was such a volatile and difficult session today.

Hwang said he wants to work harder to encourage more people to get vaccinated. I believe in the science even though I believe in choice, Hwang said.

Columnist and Associate EditorDan Haar and Assistant Managing Editor for Breaking News Nicholas Rondinone contributed to this report.
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An article on Sunday about the prices hospitals negotiate with private insurers erroneously included a hospital among those that had posted little or no data about their negotiated rates or cash prices. Methodist Hospital (San Antonio) has posted some required information. The article referred incorrectly to the hospitals response for a request for comment; the requests for comment were mistakenly sent to another hospital with the same name.

An article on Monday about flooding in Tennessee misspelled the given name of a relative of Lily Bryant, a girl who has been missing since the flood. She is Tarri Lynn Gillinger Holderman, not Tarry.

An article on Monday about a decision by the United States in 2001 to ignore the Talibans offer to surrender misstated Donald Rumsfelds cabinet position at the time. He was secretary of defense, not secretary of state.

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Because of an editing error, an article on Aug. 18 about racial inequities in health care described incorrectly the journals that Dr. Phil B. Fontanarosa, interim editor in chief of JAMA, said had published more than 850 articles related to racial disparities. They were published in a variety of journals associated with JAMA, not only in JAMA itself.
Were still concerned about a lot of the fiscal issues, said Ms. Dooley, the Tea Party activist. But then Covid struck, and that just turned everything upside down because youve got people out there that are hurting and youve got to help them.

The transformation of the Republican Party since 2009 offers another possible explanation. The rise of the Tea Party marked the beginning of a mainstreaming of right-wing resentment politics that helped pave the way for Mr. Trumps presidency, said Rachel Blum, a political scientist at the University of Oklahoma.

Its very success in remaking the G.O.P. might have made a new grass-roots resurgence on the right unnecessary. There doesnt need to be another Tea Party because Trumpism is the downstream representation of it, Professor Skocpol said. Trump is leading himself, front and center, a much more personality-centered embodiment of the same urges. Where Mr. Obama commanded activist attention in 2009, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project has documented more than four times as many pro-Trump demonstrations as anti-Biden ones through July 20.

In some cases, Mr. Trumps influence has fueled opposition to fellow Republicans rather than against Democrats. A lot of the anger is focused on Republicans that betrayed Trump, that threw Trump under the bus, Ms. Dooley said, mentioning Representative Liz Cheney, Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia and the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell. Thats what a lot of people are focused on versus 2009.

Trump-aligned Republicans are certainly emulating the Tea Party in some ways: transforming local party committees, taking over school boards and running for office. A recent surge of protests against critical race theory has drawn comparisons to the Tea Party, although the number of demonstrations so far has been far smaller.

Not having a Biden-era version of the Tea Party may not hurt Republicans much politically. The party needs to flip only a handful of seats next year to retake Congress. Bidens approval rating has fallen in recent weeks, and the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan may depress it further. And a broad grass-roots backlash could emerge if Mr. Bidens legislative agenda becomes less popular.
Covid Updates: Biden Receives Preliminary Report on Virus Origin The report, which the president had requested, did not definitively conclude how the outbreak started. Some of the findings may be declassified this week.

U.S. intelligence agencies delivered a report to Biden on the viruss origins. Security personnel standing guard outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, in February. Credit... Hector Retamal/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images The director of national intelligence delivered a report to President Biden on Tuesday on the origins of the coronavirus epidemic, according to U.S. officials, but the nations spy agencies have not yet concluded whether the disease was the result of an accidental leak from a lab or if it emerged naturally in a spillover from animals to humans. Mr. Biden had ordered the nations intelligence agencies three months ago to draft a report on the origins of the virus, which has been the subject of an intensifying debate, in part to give the agencies a chance to examine a trove of data that had not been fully exploited. But the inquiry, which examined data collected from a virology research institute in Wuhan, China, the city where the virus first spread, has yet to answer the biggest outstanding question about where it came from. Its absence of conclusions underscores the difficulty of pinpointing the source of the virus, particularly given Chinas refusal to continue to cooperate with international investigations into the origin the coronavirus. In the months after the pandemic began, intelligence agencies began looking into how it started. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pushed the agencies to look into the theory that the virus was created inside a Chinese lab and accidentally leaked. Mr. Pompeo formed his own research group to study the question. During the Trump administration, intelligence agencies ruled out theories that the virus was deliberately leaked. But they said they could not make a conclusion about what was more likely: an accidental leak from a lab researching coronaviruses or a natural development of the virus. While many scientists were initially skeptical of the lab leak theory, at least some became more open to examining it this year. And some criticized a World Health Organization report in March that found the lab leak theory unlikely. After that report, Biden administration officials became frustrated with a decision by the Chinese government to stop cooperating with further investigations by the World Health Organization into the origins of the pandemic. In the face of what they called Chinese intransigence and a divided American intelligence community, Biden administration officials then ordered a 90-day review of the intelligence, resulting in the report delivered to the president on Tuesday. Current and former officials have repeatedly warned that finding the precise origins of the pandemic may be more of a job for scientists than spies. Under Avril D. Haines, the director of national intelligence, the agencies have stepped up cooperation with scientists, hoping to better understand the current pandemic and possible future ones. Officials also warned that the 90-day review was probably too brief to draw any definitive conclusions. The report remains classified for now, and officials would not discuss its findings. But officials said that Ms. Hainess office would most likely declassify some information later this week. I cant obviously speak to a classified briefing, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said when reporters asked her about the report on Wednesday. I know you are eager to receive an unclassified summary, that is something the intelligence community has been working to produce and as soon as that is available it will be put out publicly. Asked whether the president would be satisfied if the inquiry ended inconclusively, Ms. Psaki said that he was doing everything possible to uncover the truth. I can assure you the president wants to get to the bottom of the root causes of Covid-19, that as you noted has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, and wishes that there had been more done earlier on to get to the bottom of it, and to of course save more lives, she said. Daniel E. Slotnik contributed reporting.

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Ohio State University announces a vaccine mandate for students and employees. Ohio State University students and local residents filled bars in June as Covid restrictions were lifted. Credit... Gaelen Morse/Reuters Ohio State University announced on Tuesday that all students, faculty and staff would be required to be vaccinated against Covid-19 during the fall semester, becoming one of the first large state universities to issue a vaccine mandate that extends beyond students. The university is taking this step because vaccines are the safest and most effective form of protection against Covid-19, Kristina M. Johnson, the president of the university, said in a statement on Tuesday. This step will increase our ability to support our students in continuing their educational experiences as well as help protect our current and the states future work force. The decision from the university, which has more than 66,000 students and 30,000 employees, comes after the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for those 16 and older. Thats given schools and companies room to announce similar mandates. Louisiana State University said on Tuesday that all its students would have to either submit proof of vaccination or be tested for Covid on a regular basis. The University of Minnesota also issued a mandate for students to be vaccinated following the F.D.A.s approval. And in New York, all in-person students in the state and city university systems are required to be vaccinated. Staff, faculty and students at Ohio State University have until Oct. 15 to receive their first dose and until Nov. 15 for their second, Ms. Johnson said. More than 73 percent of the universitys community has received at least one shot, she added. A limited set of exemptions will be approved on a case-by-case basis, Ms. Johnson said, adding that the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, as well as others approved by the World Health Organization, would also meet the universitys vaccine requirement. WBNS 10 reported that hundreds of people went to the Ohio Statehouse on Tuesday to voice support for a Republican-backed bill that would prohibit employers from requiring workers to be vaccinated.

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Oregon brings back an outdoor mask mandate for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. An I.C.U. nurse treats a Covid-19 patient at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland last week. Credit... Pool photo by Kristyna Wentz-Graff Oregon is restoring a statewide mask mandate, ordering both vaccinated and unvaccinated people to wear masks when gathering indoors or out. Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, said on Tuesday that masks  which will be required starting on Friday  were needed to fight rising coronavirus cases fueled by the Delta variant. She called face coverings a simple yet critical tool to help keep Oregonians safe. The Delta variant is much more contagious than previous variants weve seen, and it has dramatically increased the amount of virus in our communities, Ms. Brown said in a statement. Masks have proven to be effective at bringing case counts down, and are a necessary measure right now, even in some outdoor settings, to help fight Covid and protect one another. Oregon is the first state to reintroduce an outdoor mask mandate for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people since the Delta-driven surge took hold in the early summer, and among a handful to reimpose an indoor mask requirement statewide. In California, Los Angeles County announced earlier this month that it would require masks to be worn at large outdoor concerts and sporting events that attract more than 10,000 people. Under Oregons new rule, masks will be required in most public outdoor settings, including large outdoor events, when physical distancing is not possible. The rule does not apply to fleeting encounters, like passing someone on a hiking trail. Though masks will not be required for outdoor gatherings at private residences, Oregon health officials recommended face coverings in those settings when they include people from different households. While more than half of Oregon residents are fully vaccinated, new cases have surged in the state to a daily average of 2,114 as of Tuesday, from 339 a month ago, according to a New York Times database. Hospitalizations have more than quadrupled in the past month, to an average of more than 940 patients.

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The Philadelphia School Board passes a vaccine mandate for staff. A Philadelphia classroom in March. Credit... Hannah Beier/Reuters The school board in Philadelphia approved a resolution on Tuesday to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations for all its school district employees, joining a number of other school districts across the country. It is the boards duty to protect the health and safety of our children, many of whom cannot get vaccinated, and being vaccinated is the best protection against the virus, said Joyce S. Wilkerson, the school board president. We believe that preventing Covid-19 infections through vaccines will lead to fewer missed school days, more in-person learning days, and ultimately, to improved student achievement. The resolution, which will affect more than 20,000 people, was approved unanimously by the board at the Tuesday night meeting, but a vaccination deadline was not set. Jerry Jordan, the president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said in a statement that this union has been very clear from the start  we support vaccines, and we have been urging every member to get vaccinated. Los Angeles and Chicago, the second- and third-largest districts in the nation, recently announced that educators and school staff would have to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday that all Department of Education employees must have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine by Sept. 27. California and Illinois are also both requiring everyone to use masks inside schools when they reopen. And in defiance of Gov. Ron DeSantiss ban on mask mandates, the Broward County School Board in Florida imposed a mask mandate earlier this month for students, staff members and visitors.

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Vaccines prevented fewer infections as Delta emerged, federal researchers find. A registered nurse preparing to see a Covid-19 patient at a hospital in Miami last month. Credit... Scott McIntyre for The New York Times Coronavirus vaccines provided strong protection against infection for essential workers earlier this year, but became less effective as the highly contagious Delta variant became the dominant form of the virus, according to a study published on Tuesday by federal health officials. It was not clear whether the decline in protection was caused by the emergence of the Delta variant or the lengthening period of time since the inoculations were begun. Vaccine effectiveness showed possible signs of decline starting four months after vaccinations were first rolled out. What we were trying to figure out is: Is this Delta, or is this waning effectiveness? said Ashley Fowlkes, an epidemiologist on the Covid-19 response team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the studys lead author. Our conclusion is that we cant really tell. Researchers followed thousands of first responders, health care workers and others who could not work remotely in eight locations in Arizona, Florida, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Minnesota. The participants were tested for coronavirus infection every week for 35 weeks, as well as any time they developed Covid-like symptoms. Most of the vaccinated workers received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine; one-third received the Moderna vaccine and 2 percent the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Overall, the vaccines reduced infections among vaccinated workers by 80 percent from Dec. 14, when the U.S. vaccination campaign began, to Aug. 14, compared with unvaccinated workers. (The results were adjusted for factors including occupation, demographic characteristics, frequency of close social contact and mask use.) But while the shots reduced infections by 91 percent before the emergence of the Delta variant, their protectiveness dropped to 66 percent as the variant became dominant in each region. We really wanted to let people know that we were seeing a decline in the effectiveness of the vaccine in protection against any infection, symptomatic or asymptomatic, since the Delta variant became dominant, Dr. Fowlkes said. But we also want to reinforce that 66 percent effectiveness is a really high number, she added. Its not 91 percent, but it is still a two-thirds reduction in the risk of infection among vaccinated participants. The drop-off in effectiveness should be interpreted with caution, however, because the observation period during which Delta was dominant was short, Dr. Fowlkes said, and the overall number of infections was small. Another C.D.C. study released on Tuesday analyzed infections and hospitalizations in Los Angeles County from May 1 to July 25 of this year. While vaccinated people did become infected, the researchers concluded that among the unvaccinated, infection rates were 4.9 times as high, and the hospitalization rate was 29 times as high. Of 43,127 known infections in Los Angeles County among residents 16 and older, 25 percent were in fully vaccinated people, 3.3 percent in partly vaccinated people and 71.4 percent in unvaccinated people. (The proportion of fully vaccinated Los Angeles County residents increased to 51 percent on July 25, from 27 percent on May 1.) Three percent of vaccinated individuals were hospitalized, 0.5 percent were admitted to intensive care units, and 0.2 percent required mechanical ventilation. The comparable rates for unvaccinated individuals were 7.6 percent, 1.5 percent and 0.5 percent, the study reported. Those who were hospitalized despite vaccination were also older, on average, than the unvaccinated who were hospitalized. The death rate among the vaccinated was lower: 0.2 percent, compared with 0.6 percent among the unvaccinated. The median age at death was also higher among the vaccinated, at 78, compared with a median age of 63 among the unvaccinated.

Palestinian officials struggle to vaccinate residents. Palestinians receiving a shipment of coronavirus vaccine donated by the United States in the West Bank on Tuesday. Credit... Mohamad Torokman/Reuters For months, the Palestinian Authority struggled to inoculate many residents of the West Bank for want of vaccine supplies. Now the government has a large quantity of doses in its stockpile, but it lacks something else: enough recipients. Weve got vaccines, but we urgently need people to get vaccinated, said Shadi al-Liham, the top health ministry official in the Bethlehem district. As of Tuesday, about 35 percent of West Bank residents had received at least one dose of vaccine and about 22 percent were fully vaccinated, according to data from the health ministry. By contrast, Israel has fully vaccinated about 60 percent of its population and is now administering booster shots to vulnerable people. Several Palestinian officials declined to say exactly how many vaccine doses the ministry had on hand. But they noted that a shipment of 500,000 doses from the United States government had arrived on Tuesday by way of the Covax global vaccine-sharing initiative, with 300,000 intended for the West Bank and 200,000 for the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority is now facing a challenge familiar to many governments around the world: trying to persuade a skeptical segment of society to get vaccinated. Health officials said they hoped the vaccine drive would gather steam, especially after the authoritys cabinet decided on Monday that public-sector employees who do not get vaccinated would be placed on unpaid leave until the end of the pandemic.

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Global roundup Indonesia is relaxing restrictions as Covid cases decline, and other news from around the world. An empty shopping mall in Bogor, Indonesia, this month. Credit... Adi Weda/EPA, via Shutterstock Indonesia, where cases of the coronavirus surged last month, will gradually ease restrictions in the capital, Jakarta, and elsewhere as reports of new cases decline. Places of worship and restaurants will be allowed to operate at 25 percent of their capacity, while shopping centers may stay open until 8 p.m. at up to 50 percent of their capacity, President Joko Widodo said. On Tuesday, restaurants, malls and places of worship were set to reopen in the densely populated island of Java, which includes Jakarta and has a population of about 140 million, and Bali, a popular resort island, as well as other regions. Cases in Indonesia peaked in mid-July but have since declined by 78 percent, Mr. Widoo said at a virtual news briefing on Monday. He added that the number of people recovering from the virus is now higher than the number of people testing positive for it. But while the governments official tally shows a drop in cases, the World Health Organization warned that the data might be inaccurate because the rate of testing has also slowed. Urgent action is needed to address the continuing surge of cases, the W.H.O. said in a statement released last week, noting continued outbreaks in parts of Indonesia. On average, more than 1,000 people in Indonesia continue to die every day from the virus, down from around 1,500 a day in early August. So far, just 12 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, according to data from the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford. In other news from around the world: The Philippines largest public hospital has been so overwhelmed by a continuous stream of coronavirus patients that it temporarily stopped accepting patients at its emergency room on Tuesday. The Philippine General Hospitals decision came a day after the health department reported 18,332 new cases on Monday, a new daily high for the country.

After a drop in 2020, the number of student visas granted by the U.S. to international students has recovered to prepandemic levels, according to data from the U.S. State Department. Eduardo Medina contributed reporting. Livia Albeck-Ripka and

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Goldman Sachs mandates vaccines for its workers and visitors. Goldman Sachs is the most prominent Wall Street bank to make a broad vaccine requirement. Credit... Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters Goldman Sachs told employees on Tuesday that it will require anyone who enters the banks U.S. offices, including clients, to be fully vaccinated starting on Sept. 7, making it the most prominent Wall Street bank to issue such a broad requirement. The announcement, in a memo obtained by The New York Times, came a day after the Food and Drug Administration gave full approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, a move that many large corporations had been seeking before making mandates. President Biden seized on the F.D.A.s approval, urging private businesses to protect their workers through vaccinations. If youre a business leader, a nonprofit leader, a state or local leader, who has been waiting for full F.D.A. approval to require vaccinations, I call on you now to do that, the president said on Monday. Require it. Companies have been consulting with advisers for months about whether to mandate vaccines, but have been wary of employee pushback and potential litigation. The quick spread of the highly contagious Delta variant and prominent first moves by large corporations like Walmart and the Walt Disney Company helped to expedite those talks. Now, the F.D.A. approval on Monday has finally given them some assurances they need to move forward. Goldman Sachs told employees on Tuesday that anyone in the United States who is not fully vaccinated by Sept. 7 must work from home. It will also require fully vaccinated employees to undergo weekly coronavirus testing. The bank, which employs roughly 20,000 in the United States, is reinstating mask requirements throughout office common areas as of Wednesday. At offices in San Francisco and Washington, masks will be required at all times, except while someone is eating or drinking. Other Wall Street banks have similar requirements. Citigroup said this month that it would require vaccinations for employees returning to its corporate offices in the New York area this fall, and Morgan Stanley said in June that it would require all employees and visitors to its New York offices to be vaccinated. JPMorgan Chase has so far strongly encouraged, but not required, vaccinations for its work force. The Goldman Sachs announcement followed several others this week. On Monday, Chevron said it was mandating vaccines for expats and employees who travel internationally, as well as for the offshore work force in the Gulf of Mexico and for some onshore support personnel. CVS Health said its pharmacists have until Nov. 30 to be fully vaccinated, while others who interact with patients, and all corporate staff, have until Oct. 31. Disney Cruise Line said Tuesday that it was requiring passengers over 12 years old to be fully vaccinated for sailings to the Bahamas. The F.D.A. approval also gives industry groups grounds to encourage vaccinations from their members  and lobby against legislation that may hinder those efforts. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced this month that it would mandate vaccines for its work force once the F.D.A. fully approved them. The Business Roundtable, an influential lobbying group, said Monday that it supported mandates. Many companies have made the decision to mandate vaccines for some or all of their employees, and we applaud their decision, the group, led by the Walmart chief executive Doug McMillon, said in a statement. We also encourage policymakers, including at the state and local levels, to support  not impede  companies ability to make such a decision. At least three states  Montana, Texas and Utah  that had banned vaccine requirements by law or executive order did so specifically because the three vaccines used in the United States were being administered under emergency-use authorizations, not full approval. Some companies, like Norwegian Cruise Line in Florida, have resisted such prohibitions, but most have largely stayed out of the fray so far. Over the past month, there have been signs that companies are showing an increased appetite for vaccine mandates. Earlier this month, United Parcel Service said that any employee returning to an office that serves a support function must be fully vaccinated, or have received one shot with a second scheduled, by Oct. 1. The policy does not apply to workers in operational roles, though they are being encouraged to get vaccinated. As of Aug. 7, the share of job postings requiring vaccinations was up 90 percent from a month earlier, according to the job search company Indeed. Those that require vaccinations, though, are still a small fraction of the overall listings. F.D.A. authorization could also simplify negotiations with unions, whose mixed stance toward mandates has contributed to a class divide among workers. On Monday, Disney World said unions representing more than 30,000 employees had agreed to a mandate, citing the F.D.A.s full approval, that would require workers to be vaccinated by Oct. 22. But the United Food and Commercial Workers International, a union that represents around 1.3 million workers in grocery stores, pharmacies and meatpacking plants, warned on Monday against mandates that did not take employees concerns into consideration. With more employers considering vaccine mandates after this new F.D.A. approval, U.F.C.W. continues to urge all businesses to negotiate any vaccine requirements with their frontline workers, the unions president, Marc Perrone, said. The union had previously cited concerns about lack of regulatory approval in its negotiations with Tyson Foods over the meatpackers decision to require its entire work force to get vaccinated. Unions and other industry groups are grappling with continued hesitancy about the shot. In a recent poll, three out of 10 unvaccinated people said they would be more likely to get a fully approved F.D.A. shot, but some experts believe that this figure could be exaggerated. Some companies that previously cited approval status for the vaccines had no updates to share as of Tuesday. Its very difficult for us to come in and mandate a vaccine that isnt even federally approved yet, the chief executive of Delta Air Lines, Ed Bastian, told CNBC this month. So stay tuned. A spokesman for the airline told The Times that the airlines plans were status quo: mandating vaccines for new hires and strongly encouraging them for existing employees. More regulatory action that could make vaccines easier to mandate is coming. Modernas application for full approval of its vaccine was filed in June, a month after Pfizers. Johnson & Johnson is expected to apply for full approval soon. The F.D.A. is also weighing whether to authorize booster shots for the fully vaccinated, another twist for corporate vaccine mandates. Niraj Chokshi and Daniel E. Slotnik contributed reporting

global roundup Swamped by Covid patients, the Philippines largest public hospital closes the doors to its E.R. One of Manilas other hospitals  Quezon City General Hospital  has turned its chapel into a Covid-19 ward in response to rising infections. Credit... Eloisa Lopez/Reuters The Philippines largest public hospital has been so overwhelmed by a continuous stream of coronavirus patients that it temporarily stopped accepting patients at its emergency room on Tuesday. The Philippine General Hospitals decision came a day after the health department reported 18,332 new cases on Monday, a new daily high for the country. On Tuesday, 12,067 were recorded, with the countrys total number of reported cases exceeding 1.8 million. We ask for your understanding, the hospital said in its in a statement. It said more than 100 of its 230 Covid-19 patients were in intensive care and needing high-flow oxygen and ventilators. It said admitting more patients at this stage would place both patients and hospital workers in danger. The hospital serves more than half a million patients a year, providing health care services to majority of the countrys poor. Hospitals designated for Covid-19 have been reporting high caseloads since the beginning of August, fueled by the more infectious Delta variant. The government said on Monday that it had detected 466 new cases of the Delta variant, bringing to 1,273 the total number of those known to be infected with this variant. It had also detected community transmissions of Delta in the capital, Manila. On Tuesday, the presidential spokesman Harry Roque again appealed to the public to have themselves vaccinated as more shots arrive in the country. While cases are going up, it is true that we are now in the critical warning stage, Mr. Roque told an online press forum, adding that the intensive care unit beds available in Manila were now nearly full. 72 percent of all I.C.U. beds in Metro Manila are now in use, he said, adding that the same trend was happening nationwide, with nearly half of available ventilators also in use. It is understandable given the Delta variant, but we need to increase the use of masks, to wash hands and if possible, get vaccinated. In other news from around the globe: Greece announced new measures meant to push more people to get vaccinated and to head off a renewed spike in infections from the Delta variant. Among them: People who have neither been vaccinated nor show proof that they recovered from a Covid-19 infection will be barred from barred from restaurants, cafes, clubs and sporting venues, the countrys health minister announced. Unvaccinated workers, especially in the tourism industry, will have to undergo frequent testing at their own expense, paying 10 euros ($12) a test  a sizable amount in a country where the average worker earns about $1,300, a month. About 52 percent of Greeces population has been vaccinated so far. The new measures take effect Sept. 13.

The health watchdog in France has recommended a third vaccine dose for immunocompromised people and those 65 or older. They will be eligible for the booster shot beginning in September, but must be at least six months away from their last vaccination. New reported cases in the country are averaging more than 20,000 daily, but have been falling in recent days. The United States and Israel are already implementing booster vaccination campaigns. Leontine Gallois and Niki Kitsantonis contributed reporting.

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But the American effort is unquestionably the largest. Given the resources and risk the United States is putting into the evacuation, how can the government not know how many people it is planning to fly out?

Very good question! We are wondering the same, said James Miervaldis, the chairman of No One Left Behind, a nonprofit that advocates the relocation of Afghan interpreters to the United States.

Here is what we know.

Doesnt the U.S. government track the number of Americans who are in Afghanistan?

Sort of.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul is contacting Americans who are believed to be in Afghanistan  officials say there may be thousands  and offering them safe passage to the airport in Kabul to fly out. But the alerts are going only to Americans who provided the government their location before Kabul fell or in the week since.

The situation has led to U.S. officials combing through databases that may be vastly outdated or undercount the number of U.S. citizens in the country. One Biden administration official said most Americans in Afghanistan are dual citizens, and may have never registered with the embassy or otherwise advised the U.S. government of their whereabouts.

Its our responsibility to find them, which we are now doing hour by hour, Jake Sullivan, Mr. Bidens national security adviser, said on Monday. In the days remaining, we believe we have the wherewithal to get out the American citizens who want to leave Kabul.

More than 4,000 American citizens, plus their family members, have been evacuated so far, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday. Thousands more remain: A day earlier, a congressional official put the total number of U.S. citizens still in Afghanistan at 10,000. It was not clear how many of the 4,000 who have been evacuated were included in that tally.

Why has it been so difficult to estimate who qualifies for a Special Immigrant Visa? Doesnt the United States have payroll records or staff lists that track this?

First, some history on the so-called S.I.V. program.

In 2009, Congress approved special refuge for Afghans who had worked for the American military and U.S. Embassy as interpreters, translators, advisers and other jobs during the war, and who could be targeted by the Taliban or other extremists for assisting the United States.
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, said in a series of interviews on Tuesday that he hoped the F.D.A. would soon be able to move forward to give full approval to the next vaccine.

I dont think its too far away, Dr. Fauci said on the CBS program This Morning.

I think its a temporal issue, he continued. I dont think theres anything different necessarily about the process, its just that they submitted or are submitting their material a bit later or after Pfizer did.

Full federal approval could make vaccines more palatable to the more than 80 million people around the country who have not been vaccinated yet, Dr. Fauci said on Morning Joe on MSNBC, citing a survey that found that about a third of them were waiting for the F.D.A.s imprimatur before getting a shot.

Dr. Fauci also said that he thought advertising for the vaccine, which is allowed now that it has been approved, might increase uptake, and that approval would spur more vaccine mandates from businesses, colleges and local governments.

President Biden encouraged such mandates in an address on Monday. The Pentagon announced that it would require all 1.4 million active duty troops to be vaccinated, New Jersey said that all teachers would need to get shots or weekly testing, and the State University of New York announced a vaccination requirement for its students.
Republicans, who once enthusiastically supported expansions of the Voting Rights Act, dismissed that concern as hyperbolic and self-serving. Democrats, they argued, were ignoring the nations racial progress as justification to allow the federal government to run roughshod over the states and rewrite election rules in a way that would benefit their political candidates.

Not only is our country not facing a new era of Jim Crow voting laws, as many of my Democrat colleagues have claimed, it is incredibly offensive to lie to the American people to advance a political agenda, said Representative Rodney Davis, Republican of Illinois.

He cited statistics showing record turnout among Black voters during the 2020 election, a far cry from the small percentages that were able to vote in many Southern states the 1960s.

We should celebrate this progress, not ignore it, Mr. Davis said.

Much of the present conflict can be traced to 2013, when a conservative majority of the Supreme Court effectively struck down a crucial provision of the Voting Rights Act in the case of Shelby County v. Holder. The provision required states and jurisdictions with a history of discriminatory voting practices  mostly in the South  to clear any changes to their election rules with the federal government before carrying them out.

It had been highly effective, blocking more than 3,000 proposed electoral changes found to be discriminatory during the half century it was in effect and contributing to the statutes reputation as one of the clearest legislative successes of the civil rights movement. But the justices ruled that the formula used to determine which entities should be subject to such requirements was outdated given the countrys progress, and said Congress would have to update it for it to be constitutional.

In the absence of any so-called federal pre-clearance requirement, more than half of states have enacted laws making it harder to vote over the last eight years. Voting advocates have been just as concerned that in its absence, state lawmakers will be able to use the once-in-a-decade redistricting process that is underway to marginalize voters of color.

Then, last month, the Supreme Court in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee took aim at a separate section of the statute and made it harder to win court challenges against election rules on the grounds that they are discriminatory.
The House voted on Tuesday to restore federal oversight of state election laws, beginning a push by Democrats to strengthen the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 amid a national fight over access to the ballot box.

The legislation, named after the late civil rights icon Representative John Lewis of Georgia, is a linchpin in Democrats strategy to combat voting restrictions in Republican-led states. It would reverse two Supreme Court rulings that gutted the statute, reviving the power of the Justice Department to bar some discriminatory election changes from taking effect and easing the path to challenging others in court.

Up against urgent deadlines ahead of next years midterm elections, Democrats adopted the measure 219 to 212 along party lines during a rare August session, just days after the bill was introduced. But stiff Republican opposition awaits in the Senate, where a likely filibuster threatens to sink the bill before it can reach President Bidens desk.

That outcome is becoming familiar this summer, as Democrats on Capitol Hill try to use their partys control of Congress and the White House to lock in watershed election changes  only to be blocked by their Republican counterparts. In the meantime, more than a dozen G.O.P.-led states have already enacted more than 30 laws making it harder to cast votes.
WASHINGTON  A horse-drawn caisson with a flag-draped coffin passed slowly through the gates of Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, a hushed tableau against a city loud with recriminations about the lost war in Afghanistan.

The cortege carried Donald H. Rumsfeld, the hard-charging, two-time secretary of defense and one of the wars chief architects, whose burial on a sweltering August afternoon served as another coda to the 20-year conflict.

Mr. Rumsfeld died on June 29, at 88, of complications related to multiple myeloma. The date for his interment and an earlier private funeral service on Monday at Fort Myer, Va., had been set long before, but the timing meant that Mr. Rumsfeld was laid to rest during the same kind of shell shock as on Oct. 7, 2001, when the United States launched its first airstrikes in Afghanistan.

And yet, the ceremonies seemed to take place in a contained, parallel universe, sealed off from the strife of Washington. This was very much about the man and his times, and not any particular issue of the day, said Larry Di Rita, a top deputy to Mr. Rumsfeld at the Pentagon during the George W. Bush administration.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to block a ruling from a federal judge in Texas requiring the Biden administration to reinstate a Trump-era immigration program that forces asylum seekers arriving at the southwestern border to await approval in Mexico.

The courts brief unsigned order said that the administration had appeared to act arbitrarily and capriciously in rescinding the program, citing a decision last year refusing to let the Trump administration rescind the Obama-era program protecting the young immigrants known as dreamers.

The courts three more liberal members  Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan  said they would have granted a stay of the trial judges ruling. They did not give reasons. The case will now be heard by an appeals court and may return to the Supreme Court.

The challenged program, known commonly as Remain in Mexico and formally as the Migrant Protection Protocols, applies to people who left a third country and traveled through Mexico to reach the U.S. border. After the policy was put in place at the beginning of 2019, tens of thousands of people waited for immigration hearings in unsanitary tent encampments exposed to the elements. There have been widespread reports of sexual assault, kidnapping and torture.
The Pentagon has opened military bases in Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin and New Jersey to provide temporary housing for Afghan refugees, and will probably add more in the coming days, officials said.

Mr. Kirby said Afghan allies of the United States, who fear reprisals from the Taliban, are still being processed at the Kabul airport, although the gates of the airport have been shuttered several times over the past week because of the surge of people.

The United States will continue to evacuate Afghans until the last couple of days of its drawdown of troops and equipment, when flights are expected to be filled mostly with military troops and equipment, as well as any Americans desiring to leave. Dozens of Afghan commandos  trained by the United States  are also at the airport and must be evacuated.

For the military, part of the problem is the sheer scale of moving so many people so quickly, with so little advanced notice. For instance, the C-17 military planes, which are transporting 400 people per load, have one or two bathrooms on them, and the flight from Kabul to Qatar is four hours.

Once the flights arrive at Al Udeid in Qatar and other intermediate bases in the Middle East and Europe, evacuees are vetted by Homeland Security and State Department officials, who determine if they qualify to enter the United States.

The military is treating the Talibans red line on Aug. 31 seriously in part because, despite tough talk from Taliban spokesmen, some of the groups commanders have been cooperating with the U.S. military and allowing many people to get to the airport. In addition, the American military and the Taliban have cooperated against the threat of attacks from the Islamic State.
People are going to die, and they are going to be left behind, Mr. McCaul said.

Mr. Biden has emphasized that he was taking the threats to the safety of Americans in Kabul seriously. In a closed-door meeting with leaders of the Group of 7 nations on Tuesday, the president told them that the danger of a terrorist attack was very high, according to a senior American official.

A deadly attack against American and Afghan civilians by ISIS-K would be a disaster not only for the United States, but also for the Taliban, who are moving to consolidate control over Kabul. The Taliban and the Islamic State have been enemies, fighting each other on the battlefield for control of parts of the country.

ISIS-K refers to the Islamic States Khorasan affiliate in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain, who led the meeting, sought to put a good face on the discussions, saying the evacuation had been remarkably successful. He said leaders had agreed on a road map for dealing with the Taliban in the long term, vowing to use Afghan funds held in Western banks as a lever to pressure the Taliban.

The No. 1 condition is that theyve got to guarantee, right the way through to Aug. 31 and beyond, safe passage for those who want to come out, Mr. Johnson said to the BBC after the meeting.

But Mr. Johnson failed in his effort to persuade Mr. Biden to extend the evacuation beyond Aug. 31, and it was not clear what other options the allies had to protect their own citizens and Afghan allies without American military might.

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said that plans were being made to find a way to ensure that afterward we can still get as many local employees and people needing protection to be allowed to leave the country. But her downbeat tone laid bare the sense of futility felt by Western leaders about Afghanistan.

How can it be that the Afghan leader left the country so quickly? Ms. Merkel said. How can it be that Afghan soldiers who we trained for so long gave up so quickly? We will have to ask these questions, but they were not the most pressing today.
The explanation was that the security was not good, and they were waiting for security to be better, and then women would be able to have more freedom, she said. But of course in those years they were in power, that moment never arrived  and I can promise you Afghan women hearing this today are thinking it will never arrive this time either.

Brian Castner, a senior crisis adviser at Amnesty International who was in Afghanistan until last week, said that if the Taliban intended to treat women better, they would need to retrain their forces. You cant have a movement like the Taliban that has operated a certain way for 25 years and then just because you take over a government, all of the fighters and everyone in your organization just does something differently, he said.

But, Mr. Castner said, there is no indication that the Taliban intend to fulfill that or any other promises of moderation. Amnesty International has received reports of fighters going door to door with lists of names, despite their leaders public pledges not to retaliate against Afghans who worked with the previous government.

The rhetoric and the reality are not matching at all, and I think that the rhetoric is more than just disingenuous, Mr. Castner said. If a random Taliban fighter commits a human rights abuse or violation, thats just kind of random violence, thats one thing. But if theres a systematic going to peoples homes and looking for people, thats not a random fighter thats untrained  thats a system working. The rhetoric is a cover for whats really happening.

In Kabul on Wednesday, women in parts of the city with minimal Taliban presence were going out with normal clothes, as it was before the Taliban, said a resident named Shabaka. But in central areas with many Taliban fighters, few women ventured out, and those who did wore burqas, said Sayed, a civil servant.

Ms. Barr, of Human Rights Watch, said that in the week since the Taliban said the new government would preserve womens rights within the bounds of Islamic law, the Afghan women she has spoken to offered the same skeptical assessment: Theyre trying to look normal and legitimate, and this will last as long as the international community and the international press are still there. And then well see what theyre really like again.

It might not take long, Ms. Barr suggested.

This announcement just highlights to me that they dont feel like they need to wait, she said.
Indonesia, where cases of the coronavirus surged last month, will gradually ease restrictions in the capital, Jakarta, and elsewhere as reports of new cases decline.

Restaurants, malls and places of worship are set to reopen on Tuesday on the densely populated island of Java, which includes Jakarta and has a population of about 140 million, and Bali, a popular resort island, and other regions.

Places of worship and restaurants will be allowed to operate at 25 percent of their capacity, while shopping centers can stay open until 8 p.m. at up to 50 percent of their capacity, said President Joko Widodo.

In Indonesias most recent outbreak, cases peaked in mid-July but have since continued to fall, Mr. Widodo said. They are now down by 78 percent, he said at a virtual news briefing on Monday, adding that there were now more people recovering from the virus than were being diagnosed with it.
Passing the time is a social form in the paintings of Elias Mungora, a Kenyan artist with his eye and emotions tuned to the texture of daily life in Nairobi. Each of his recent paintings functions as a social vignette: A sidewalk seamstress, with no customers in sight, has a friend sitting beside her, keeping her company. Four men converse, perched on furniture of convenience  a wood trestle, mismatched blue plastic chairs. Small crowds wait in line for some purpose outside the frame, or cluster to peer into a doorway. Indoors, two men on a rounded sofa lean close in, their chat more compelling than their cups of tea.

Mungora, born in 1992, is largely self-taught, a product of a dynamic scene in Nairobi that is gradually gaining international attention. His first solo show in the United States, Gathering of Small Fires, is now on display in the Africa-oriented Montague Contemporary gallery in Chelsea. He grew up in a provincial town, and upon moving to Nairobi, first studied real estate. His paintings brim with curiosity about the metropolis as a large, ever-shifting organism, and the ways in which ordinary people navigate its obstacles and make their lives amid its inequalities.

At times in past work, Mungora has gone for maximal urban scenes that are chaotic and sometimes bleak. These new paintings, made during the pandemic, gain from their embrace of the lulls in big-city life, and the emergence of his figures as realized character studies. Working in brilliant acrylics, with a fine command of bold, contrasting colors, he now also incorporates photo transfers from archival images in Kenyan history. Highly layered, often finely balancing careful detail and with blur in both the figures and their settings, Mungoras canvases become distillates of the city itself, as much as generous portraits of its people.

SIDDHARTHA MITTER
Mr. Sadigh has pleaded not guilty to charges of scheming to defraud, grand larceny, criminal possession of a forged instrument, forgery and criminal simulation.

Among the people he sold to, according to prosecutors, were undercover federal investigators who bought a gold pendant depicting the death mask of Tutankhamen and a marble portrait head of an ancient Roman woman  paying $4,000 for each. Those sales became the basis for a visit to the gallery in August by members of the district attorneys office and Homeland Security investigations, who said they found hundreds of fake artifacts displayed on shelves and inside glass cases. Thousands more, they said, were found in the rooms behind the gallery  including scarabs, statuettes and spear heads in differing stages of preparation.

Matthew Bogdanos, the chief of the district attorneys Antiquities Trafficking Unit, said in an interview that the visit revealed a sort of assembly-line process that seemed designed to distress and otherwise alter mass-produced items of recent vintage so they would appear aged. Investigators, he said, found varnish, spray paints, a belt sander and mudlike substances of different hues and consistencies, among other tools and materials.

Gary Lesser, a lawyer for Mr. Sadigh, declined to comment on Tuesday.

The district attorneys office said that Mr. Sadigh appeared to be among the biggest purveyors of fake artifacts in the country based on the longevity of his business, the number of items seized from his gallery and his substantial financial gains.
When Lonnie G. Bunch III, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, announced last year that the organization had received a $25 million gift from Bank of America, he envisioned an initiative that would create safe spaces in communities across the nation where Americans could gather to discuss the countrys racial past.

The result, Our Shared Future: Reckoning With Our Racial Past, a two-year series of online and in-person events, will kick off Thursday in Los Angeles with a virtual summit meeting that will focus on income and health care inequality and include subjects ranging from early race science to vaccine distribution. The initial event will be livestreamed at oursharedfuture.si.edu, starting at 7 p.m. Eastern.

We cant solve the problems of race in America ourselves, Bunch said in a phone conversation on Monday. But we can give the public the tools to stimulate those conversations to help people understand race beyond Black and white.

The organization is planning conferences, town halls and immersive pop-up experiences in communities across the country to allow people to share their experiences and increase their understanding of the legacy of race and racism. Bunch said the goal is to encourage conversations among people who might not otherwise cross paths.
Well, guys, as I mentioned, today the report on the origins of Covid was completed, and an unclassified version will soon be released to the public. And like everything with this pandemic, Im sure Americans will fully accept the truth and theyll put all conspiracy theories to rest.  JIMMY FALLON

Yep, the unclassified report will come out in a few days, or sooner if Sony accidentally leaks it early.  JIMMY FALLON, referring to the leaked Spider-Man trailer

President Biden yesterday encouraged Americans who have been waiting for the F.D.A. to approve the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine to go out and get the shot. But I dont know, something tells me theyre going to find a way to move the goal posts again: [imitating anti-vaxxer] Sure, its F.D.A.-approved, but is it farm to table, something thats suddenly very important to me?  SETH MEYERS

Following the announcement that the F.D.A. has officially approved the Pfizer vaccine, President Biden is now calling on companies in the private sector to adopt a shot mandate. If you ask me, this is just further proof of a giant conspiracy between the government and the corporate elite to infringe on Americans God-given right to get infected by a deadly virus.  JAMES CORDEN
Pushing for further investigations of Sept. 11 has been a longtime goal of the so-called truther movement. The movement, which used the internet as an organizing tool and rallied behind low-budget web films like Loose Change, has never had much political success. But it did succeed in sowing doubt about the official Sept. 11 narrative. A 2016 study by Chapman University found that more than half of Americans believed that the government had deliberately concealed information about the attacks.

The success of 9/11 conspiracy theories also paved the way for more recent internet-based misinformation campaigns, such as QAnon and the anti-vaccine movement, many of which adapted the tools and techniques that had been used by Sept. 11 conspiracists years earlier.

Mr. Lee seemed to cast doubt on the official explanation of the collapse of the buildings, including 7 World Trade Center, which investigators determined was brought down by fire. They concluded that heat from the fire caused girders in the steel floor to expand, and steel beams underneath the floors that provided lateral support for the towers structural columns began to buckle or put pressure against the vertical structural columns.

The amount of heat that it takes to make steel melt, that temperatures not reached, Mr. Lee told The Times, echoing a popular conspiracy theory. And then the juxtaposition of the way Building 7 fell to the ground  when you put it next to other building collapses that were demolitions, its like youre looking at the same thing. But people going to make up their own mind. My approach is put the information in the movie and let people decide for themselves. I respect the intelligence of the audience.

Mr. Lees series received a boost from Mayor Bill de Blasio, who featured Mr. Lee at a news conference last week, announcing that parts of it would been screened before its official release as part of NYC Homecoming Week, a cultural festival intended to celebrate the citys progress as it tries to emerge from the pandemic.

What he has created  absolutely unbelievable, Mr. de Blasio said at the news conference, and its about us and its a time to appreciate who we are.
Here is how Einat Nathan describes babies: Think of them as tourists in a country where they dont understand the language, not even the noises or the lights. If that doesnt make you feel tenderly towards the little buggers, nothing will. MY EVERYTHING: The Parent I Want To Be, The Children I Want to Raise (Hachette Go, 304 pp., $28) is a series of short, often funny essays that beautifully capture the micro and macro meanings of being a parent. The constant annoyances that cant be separated from the pleasures (They go on and on about things, making me want to die of boredom). The anxiety that is so counterproductive, because it usually makes us concentrate on ourselves, not them. The critical importance of failing, because frustration and disappointment  starting with not getting more Gummy Worms and perhaps ending with not getting that big job or big love  is vitally important to growth. We are there, she says, to plant the seeds of optimism, to give children a workaround so that when life gives us a No, we know that there are still many Yeses in our future. Or, as she puts it, Im not getting you an ice cream right now, but you can have some watermelon.

That watermelon is still pretty great, and besides, theres ice cream and cake in your future.
NAARDEN, the Netherlands  Midway through The Sisters of Auschwitz, Roxane van Iperens book on two Dutch Jewish sisters who aided dozens of people during World War II, there is a moment of merriment that one doesnt usually expect from a Holocaust narrative.

In a neighborhood crawling with fascists, she writes, the sisters, Janny and Lien Brilleslijper, organized a celebration of Yiddish culture at their countryside estate in Naarden, about 30 minutes from Amsterdam.

There is dance, music, song and recitation, van Iperen writes. Simon drums, Puck plays the violin and Jaap builds Kathinka a little piano. Lien uses the death mask for a Yiddish story. The attendees quietly dissolve into the night  without a single Nazi, German soldier or overzealous neighbor even noticing they were there.

How did this take place in 1943, during the most lethal phase of Jewish deportations from the Netherlands to extermination camps? Luck, I guess. A lot of luck, van Iperen said in an interview. For a short while, nothing was very public, and after a while, people knew, the milkman and the baker knew, but for one reason or another they chose to keep silent.
A rush to evacuate from Kabul

Time is the enemy for those trying to evacuate people out of Afghanistan before the Aug. 31 deadline.

U.S. and allied planes have flown 19,200 people out of Kabul in the past 24 hours, officials said on Wednesday. But about 1,500 U.S. citizens remain, the secretary of state said. Tens of thousands of Afghans who qualified for special visas are also waiting.

Experts estimate that hundreds of thousands of Afghans will be targeted by the Taliban if they stay, including Afghan security forces, government officials and womens rights advocates. We have photos from the airport this week.

The biggest immediate threat as the U.S. steps up its evacuation operation comes from the Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K.
The president finds himself at a perilous moment seven months into his term. His withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan has devolved into a chaotic race to evacuate tens of thousands of people from the country by the months end. After throwing a July 4 party at the White House to declare independence from the coronavirus pandemic, he has seen the Delta variant rampage through unvaccinated populations and send hospitalizations and death rates from the virus soaring in states like Florida.

Mr. Bidens approval ratings have dipped in recent months, even on an issue that has been an early strength of his tenure: the economy, where some recent polls show more voters disapproving of his performance than approving it.

The country is enjoying what will most likely be its strongest year of economic growth in a quarter century. But consumer confidence has slumped in the face of rapidly rising prices for food, gasoline and used cars, along with shortages of home appliances, medical devices and other products stemming from pandemic-fueled disruptions in the global supply chain.

Understand the Infrastructure Bill One trillion dollar package passed. The Senate passed a sweeping bipartisan infrastructure package on Aug. 10, capping weeks of intense negotiations and debate over the largest federal investment in the nations aging public works system in more than a decade. The final vote. The final tally in the Senate was 69 in favor to 30 against. The legislation, which still must pass the House, would touch nearly every facet of the American economy and fortify the nations response to the warming of the planet. Main areas of spending. Overall, the bipartisan plan focuses spending on transportation, utilities and pollution cleanup. Transportation . About $110 billion would go to roads, bridges and other transportation projects; $25 billion for airports; and $66 billion for railways, giving Amtrak the most funding it has received since it was founded in 1971. Utilities . Senators have also included $65 billion meant to connect hard-to-reach rural communities to high-speed internet and help sign up low-income city dwellers who cannot afford it, and $8 billion for Western water infrastructure. Pollution cleanup : Roughly $21 billion would go to cleaning up abandoned wells and mines, and Superfund sites.



While unemployment has fallen to 5.4 percent, workers have not flocked back to open jobs as quickly as many economists had hoped, creating long waits in restaurants and elsewhere. Private forecasters have marked down their expectations for growth in the back half of the year, citing supply constraints and the threat from the Delta variant.

White House economists still expect strong job gains through the rest of the year and a headline growth rate that far exceeds what any forecasters expected at the start of 2021, before Mr. Biden steered a $1.9 trillion stimulus plan through Congress. But the White House economic team has lowered informal internal forecasts for growth this year, citing supply constraints and possible consumer response to the renewed spread of the virus, a senior administration official said this week.
A producer at the ABC News program Good Morning America accused Michael Corn, a former senior executive producer of the show, of sexually assaulting her and creating a toxic work environment in a lawsuit filed Wednesday against Mr. Corn and ABC.

Kirstyn Crawford said in the lawsuit that Mr. Corn sexually assaulted her in 2015 during a work trip to Los Angeles to cover the Academy Awards. Mr. Corn denied the allegations in a statement on Wednesday.

In the suit, which was filed in New York State court, Ms. Crawford said Mr. Corn had assaulted her during an Uber ride and in a hotel. The assaults traumatized Ms. Crawford, a producer for George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America, and caused her career to stall, according to the complaint.

The suit also names ABC, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company, because its executives knew or should have known that Corn had a propensity to sexually harass female colleagues and that he perpetuated a hostile work environment at ABC, according to the filing.
We looked at this request not as foreign policy between Mexico and the U.S., he continued. Instead, its a common position between someone who was a New York Times reporter in Kabul several years ago and myself, who was in the position to make some decisions.

Mr. Ebrard wrote back to Mr. Ahmed around 6:30 p.m. to say Mexico was ready to help by providing assurances  to a charter airline, or another government  that it would accept a list of Afghans.

As the Taliban closed in on Kabul, however, the situation changed. The commercial airport shut down, and for a time only American military flights would depart. Qatar, where the U.S. jets landed, would usually accept Afghans only if officials there could be assured that they would move on to a third country.

Many of the details of the Afghans passage are being kept confidential by news organizations, in part for fear of flooding the narrow channels of escape. The Times did not promote its arrangement with Mexico. After it was reached, Mexico extended its invitation to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. The editor in chief of The Journal, Matt Murray, said the paper planned to send its team, now in Qatar and Ukraine, on to Mexico. A spokeswoman for The Post declined to comment on its plans.

While the United States has ramped up its evacuation flights, the politicized and bureaucratic American immigration system has struggled to meet the crisis. Processing the special visas that are available to journalists often requires them to spend at least a year in a third country, presumably to satisfy the forces warning that Muslim immigrants may be terrorists working under extremely deep cover.

So governments around the world are stepping in, as they did when Syrian journalists fled that countrys war  most of them to find homes in Europe. Many others went to Turkey, which has also scrambled to provide lifelines to Afghan journalists. Uzbekistan, too, has accepted refugees and offered itself as a short-term destination for Times journalists, a senior Times editor said.
TOWNER, N.D.  Darrell Rice stood in a field of corn hed planted in early June, to be harvested in the fall and chopped up to feed the hundreds of cows and calves he raises in central North Dakota.

It should be six, seven, eight foot tall, he said, looking down at the stunted plants at his feet, their normally floppy leaves rolled tight against their stalks to conserve water in the summer heat.

Like ranchers across the state, Mr. Rice is suffering through an epic drought as bad or worse than anywhere else in this season of extreme weather in the Western half of the country.
With a little bit of irreverence and, dare I say, insouciance, Ananyas pieces define this attitude, she added. You can stack them, layer them and even wear them with pajamas.

Ms. Malhotra grew up around design and fashion; her parents, Atul and Tina Malhotra, run the popular multidesigner store Evoluzione. But she gravitated toward jewelry and learned her craft while earning a Bachelor of Arts in jewelry design from Central Saint Martins and studying gemology at the British headquarters of the Gemological Institute of America, both in London. I also learnt about gemstone healing from a private tutor in Chennai during my university breaks, she said.

Her interest in harnessing the spiritual properties of gemstones  a widely held belief across India  became the foundation of her brand, introduced in 2016 as Naya, which means new birth. (It was rechristened Ananya the next year.)

In 2016, she felt there was a blockage in her root chakra, the first of the bodys seven chakras, or energy centers, so she created a ruby bracelet inlaid with a black onyx bar to remedy the problem (both gemstones are said to be linked to the root chakra). The idea of making fine jewelry that also had a deeper purpose may have been a little ahead of its time as no one really understood what I was trying to do, she said. Investing in fine jewelry was limited to weddings and special occasions in India back then. It took some time for interest to build.

The chakra bracelet has become synonymous with her brand, and now is available in more than 50 combinations of stones and beads, with prices ranging from $3,900 to $9,300. Some clients consult their healers on the stones before coming to us, she said. For others, we have a comprehensive glossary or can source recommendations from a healer, too.

Ms. Malhotra said that she had been working on a rainbow moonstone chakra bracelet with a gold bar for Gwyneth Paltrow, whose wellness and lifestyle website, Goop, now sells Ananya jewelry. Thread Styling added the brand in February, and Net-a-Porter, Farfetch and Moda Operandi followed.
For independent makers who dont have a street-level display window like Mr. Newman, word of mouth is especially important. Kate Smith, 43, whose first workbench was in her parents garage but whose studio is now one floor above Mr. Newmans, specializes in nature-inspired designs for alternative wedding, engagement and eternity rings.

We are tucked away behind the scenes, so you wouldnt necessarily know we are here, she said, but I kind of like it that way. It makes a clients visit extra special for them.

She couldnt imagine not working in the quarter, she said. This is the busiest year Ive had. Weve got a lot of my gemstone suppliers and metal dealers here so its massively convenient. It has changed, but it still feels like you are part of the fabric of the area.

For couples who want to make their own wedding bands, theres the Quarter Workshop, run by Victoria Delany, 39. Held in a studio inside a former coffin factory and now museum, the daylong course costs 480 plus materials, which can vary from around 65 for a thin 9-karat gold band to more than 600 for a chunky one in 18-karat gold.

Her workshop is on a street busy with new construction and, she said, There is an underlying feeling that perhaps some of the trades are going to be pushed out of the area and its becoming something else.

And the environment already has changed in some ways, she said. When you walk around the quarter, you can also see a lot of storefronts selling very similar things, she said, with a sort of well beat any price kind of style which doesnt give you the full story of the quarter and the artisans who are here.
Along with lavish screenings of new films starring Oscar winners like Penelope Cruz and Olivia Colman, the 2021 Venice Film Festival will feature a different type of premiere: the debut of Cartier as a new main sponsor.

The festival has elegance. It has exclusivity. It has glamour, said Arnaud Carrez, Cartiers chief marketing officer. And thats exactly what we want to build on.

As part of a three-year agreement, the festival, scheduled to begin on Sept. 1, will present the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award annually. This years recipient, chosen by the festival director Alberto Barbera, will be Ridley Scott, whose new film, The Last Duel, is scheduled to be shown at the festival on Sept. 10. (The award is to be presented immediately before the films screening.)

The trophy  which will feature a panther, one of the houses recurring motifs  is being made at the Cartier Creation Studio in Paris.
KOFU, Japan  To most Japanese, the Yamanashi prefecture, just southwest of Tokyo, is known for its vineyards, hot springs and fruit, and for being home to Mount Fuji. But what about its jewelry industry?

Visitors come for the wine, but not so much for the jewelry, said Kazuo Matsumoto, chairman of the Yamanashi Jewelry Association. Yet, Kofu, the capital of Yamanashi, with a population of 189,000, houses around 1,000 jewelry-related companies, making it the most important jewelry producer in Japan. Its secret? The presence of rock crystal (tourmaline, turquoise and smoky quartz, to name three) in its northern mountains, part of a generally rich geology. It is all part of a tradition that goes back two centuries.

Located just one and a half hours away by express train from Tokyo, Kofu is surrounded by mountains on all sides, including the southern Japanese Alps and the Misaka range, with spectacular views of Mount Fuji (when it is not hidden behind clouds). Just a few minutes walk from the Kofu train station sprawls the Maizuru Castle Park; the castle tower is gone, but the original stone walls remain.
Hardly a day goes by now without some new promotional photo or online reference to the Sex and the City reboot so, as Carrie Bradshaw herself would say, I couldnt help but wonder: What will be the new Carrie necklace?

For those of you who dont remember  or were too young for the original series that ran from 1998 to 2004  Carrie, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, had a gold necklace displaying her name in flowing script.

It cost, like, nothing, the character said in one episode when she thought she had lost the piece. But the nameplate necklace became one of the shows enduring product links, like Manolo Blahnik stilettos  and even symbolized Carries rediscovery of self when, in the series finale, she found it in her vintage Dior purse.
I think its important to realize that Brian is talented, and he is also Black, Mr. Blake said.

People are always paying attention to talent even when there is no success, Mr. Blake added. He ran for city comptroller  I think he was the most qualified  and lost, but at the end of the day, God had bigger plans for him.

The competitive Democratic primary for comptroller included Corey Johnson, the speaker of the City Council, and Councilman Brad Lander, who emerged victorious as the standard-bearer of the partys left flank. Mr. Benjamin finished fourth, behind Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a former CNBC anchor.

During the primary, Mr. Benjamins campaign relinquished nearly two dozen donations after The City raised questions about their authenticity.

Mr. Benjamins poor showing in the primary could raise questions about how many votes from New York City he could help Ms. Hochul attract as a running mate, especially if the governor faces a primary challenge from a person of color.

Jumaane Williams, the citys public advocate, has said he is actively exploring a run for governor and Letitia James, the state attorney general, is considered a strong candidate, although she has given no indication that she intends to run.

Brian did not have a successful run citywide, but that doesnt mean he wont have a successful run statewide, said Christina Greer, an associate professor of political science at Fordham University. He has a financial background and could galvanize Black voters. He would translate well upstate.

Mr. Benjamin is a close friend of Keith L.T. Wright, the chairman of the Democratic Party in Manhattan, who backed Mr. Benjamins Senate candidacy. On Wednesday, Mr. Wright praised Ms. Hochuls choice.
In one of her first acts as governor, Ms. Hochul said the state was conducting a rapid review of the programs work flow, and reassigning 100 contractors to help landlords complete the paperwork required for payments to be disbursed.

She also said the state would spend an additional $1 million on outreach, specifically focusing on areas where the state was not receiving as many applications as expected.

We want to reimburse the landlords, make people whole, she said on MSNBC on Wednesday. People dont know about this, so Im going to be working at the local level to get the message out.

Assemblywoman Linda B. Rosenthal, who chairs the social committee and held a hearing earlier this month on the rent relief program, said she was very, very happy with Ms. Hochuls urgent moves on rent relief.

There are a million issues she could have picked, Ms. Rosenthal said.

Median rents are on the rise

Zumper used data from more than one million active rental listings  from other rental listing services as well as through the companys own platform  to calculate the asking median one-bedroom rent in New York City and San Francisco, both infamously expensive cities.

In March 2020, that figure in San Francisco was $3,500, compared with $2,850 in New York City, according to Zumper. After the pandemic hit, and many people with means to relocate and ability to work remotely left their homes in the cities, rents dropped. By January 2021, the median rent in San Francisco had fallen 23.4 percent to $2,680, and the median rent in New York City had fallen 17.5 percent to $2,350.

Then as the vaccines became more available, and cities started relaxing their pandemic restrictions, people began returning to the cities, and rents began rising again, though they were rising much faster in New York City, said Jeff Andrews, the author of the Zumper report.
For the past three and a half months, I fought day and night, nonstop, in southern Afghanistans Helmand Province against an escalating and bloody Taliban offensive. Coming under frequent attack, we held the Taliban back and inflicted heavy casualties. Then I was called to Kabul to command Afghanistans special forces. But the Taliban already were entering the city; it was too late.

I am exhausted. I am frustrated. And I am angry.

President Biden said last week that American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves.

Its true that the Afghan Army lost its will to fight. But thats because of the growing sense of abandonment by our American partners and the disrespect and disloyalty reflected in Mr. Bidens tone and words over the past few months. The Afghan Army is not without blame. It had its problems  cronyism, bureaucracy  but we ultimately stopped fighting because our partners already had.

It pains me to see Mr. Biden and Western officials are blaming the Afghan Army for collapsing without mentioning the underlying reasons that happened. Political divisions in Kabul and Washington strangled the army and limited our ability to do our jobs. Losing combat logistical support that the United States had provided for years crippled us, as did a lack of clear guidance from U.S. and Afghan leadership.
jane coaston

Today on The Argument  do vaccine mandates maybe make things worse? [MUSIC PLAYING]

archived recording You will soon have to show proof of full vaccination if you want to go almost anywhere indoors in the city. 56 percent of Americans strongly or somewhat support vaccination mandates, and the divide is largely political. A lot of restaurant owners say this puts them in an impossible position   because we know that this will encourage a lot more vaccination. Weve seen it already.

jane coaston

Just over 50 percent of the United States is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 at this point. So to many people, vaccine mandates in cities like New York and San Francisco seem like the best move to get people vaccinated and keep the virus at bay. Im Jane Coaston, and I get why these mandates are coming into play. Im fully vaccinated. I want more people to get fully vaccinated, so I can understand how making spaces available only to people who are fully vaccinated might make people get, you know, vaccinated. But I also dont think these mandates are going to solve low vaccination rates. In fact, I think they could actively turn some people off, especially when getting vaccinated has a lot more to do with access and context than it does trying to make you, a vaccinated person, mad. Like, can you take two days off work if you have symptoms post vaccine, or even, do you trust the medical establishment giving you the vaccine if youve had a rough time with doctors before? Today, Im talking with two guests about the pros and cons of mandates. Angie Rasmussen is a virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization  VIDO  at the University of Saskatchewan. And Marcella Tillett is the Vice President of Programs and Partnerships at the Brooklyn Community Foundation, an organization thats helping locals get vaccinated. [MUSIC PLAYING] I want to start out by asking  Angie, what is a vaccine mandate?

angie rasmussen

A vaccine mandate is just a requirement that you get a vaccine in order to do something. That might be something like travel internationally, and thats a vaccine mandate for which theres a lot of precedence. Theres a yellow card that the W.H.O. provides that was originally to prove your yellow fever vaccination status to travel internationally. And now, that yellow card is used to prove vaccination status for any number of different vaccines. And then theres school vaccine mandates. Those also have quite a lot of precedent. This is basically the requirement that students get a particular type of vaccine before being allowed to enter class in person. You can get a medical exemption for a school vaccine mandate. You can get a religious exemption, or a philosophical exemption. These are really implemented differently in different places. What were also seeing now are some really new types of vaccine mandates, where you are going to be required to get vaccines, potentially, to go to restaurants, to go to businesses, to go to movie theaters. And that really isnt as precedented. Weve never had to prove that youve had your MMR  measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine  to go see a movie.

jane coaston

Right. And you think, that  Angie  that this is generally a positive idea. In what ways do you think that is useful?

angie rasmussen

You know, I was born in the late 70s. I didnt grow up with all of my classmates dealing with polio outbreaks and things like that. But one of the reasons that I didnt was because of vaccine mandates and vaccine requirements. Overall, this has had, historically, a really net positive result for public health. The reason for that is that vaccine mandates, especially for things that are essential, like going to school, really do encourage people to get immunized. And theres been a lot of focus during this pandemic on the individual benefits of vaccination. But really, vaccines are at their most powerful at the population level. One thing people need to understand is that a majority vaccinated population is going to have less disease transmission. That is how you will end the pandemic, sustainably, for good. Now, where I have some buts is people have been focusing a lot on unvaccinated people, and talking about them as though all of them are unvaccinated by choice. And that is just simply not the case. Essential workers  for example  who may not be able to take time off of work, should they have side effects from their vaccine, may not get vaccinated because they cant afford to. People who cant get child care, people who dont have transportation  and also, I should add, too, that its not always easy for people to prove that theyve been vaccinated. We have a paper card, but what happens if you lose that card? A vaccine mandate is no good if the vaccine itself is punitive for the people who you want to get it.

jane coaston

Marcella, I saw you nodding to some of the concerns about folks who arent getting vaccinated  and I think that too often, weve had conversations about people who are unvaccinated that I think are more focused on what I would determine to be vaccine resistance. Like, the people who are, like, no way, no how, never going to do it  that type of resistance, where I would say that a lot of folks might be vaccine hesitant. What are your concerns, Marcella, about mandates  especially because of the work that you do on vaccination?

marcella tillett

Yeah, so I was nodding aggressively to Angies comments, because I think the equity perspective  when we look at mandates, we have to put a lens of how does this impact different demographic groups  racially, gender, income, type of work, neighborhood  right, we have to have a more nuanced assessment of how were rolling out public health interventions. And at Brooklyn Community Foundation, we work with a network of nonprofit organizations throughout the borough of Brooklyn here in New York City, where theyre taking all sorts of different approaches to engaging with community members, to understand what are those barriers, empathize with whatever the source of that hesitation is. I think the introduction of a mandate in New York City, as were seeing now, is an interesting additional element to the conversation. Because I think the other issue that were not talking about is who enforces these mandates. We saw the situation that emerged when we had essential workers who became enforcers of mask mandates, and had to succumb to all manners of verbal and sometimes physical violence.

jane coaston

Right, there have been several people who were killed attempting to enforce mask mandates. I think thats a really good point.

angie rasmussen

The reason that Ive been thinking about this the last couple of days is really hearing about the vaccine mandate in New York City, hearing that its going to be on the business owners and the people operating those businesses to enforce those mandates. And if they dont, they can actually be punished. And I think that just means fines, but that can be a huge hurdle for, especially, a small business owner to try to overcome. I havent worked in an essential worker role. I was a cocktail waitress way back when and things like that, but I havent done that in a long time. I cant even imagine, though, how I would enforce that. If somebody came into the bar that I worked in 20 years ago and ordered a drink, and I was required to ask them for proof of vaccination, and then make them leave if they couldnt show it to me, to my satisfaction? I mean, how are those employee is going to be trained to enforce that. In theory, its a good idea. But it really is, I think, a larger issue that everybody has to buy into.

marcella tillett

Yes, in theory, it is a good idea to incentivize or have other negative reinforcement for people adopting this new practice of using this biomedical intervention as prevention, in addition to masking and social distancing and those other things. But youre missing the middle. Youre missing all of the other pieces of the puzzle that you have to take into consideration. When you think about implementation, theres a whole conversation about the very simple C.D.C. vaccination cards that can honestly be reproduced  its cardstock, and can print one out. So what is a business owner supposed to do if they suspect it is counterfeit? Right  this isnt the same as checking a license for drinking alcohol. Its a 

jane coaston

We still have  people still get fake IDs for that, too.

marcella tillett

Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely.

jane coaston

And importantly, bartenders  and servers, again, depending on the state  are actually trained and required to go through, like, a fake ID spotting class. And youre actually trained, too, on how to refuse service to people, how to abide by the alcohol laws to make sure that youre not over serving or serving minors. And in this case, it doesnt look like theres going to be any sort of training, at least in New York City.

marcella tillett

Its customers, but its also your staff. Theres also the conversation about how vaccination mandates are being introduced in different workplaces. Right, I think its very ironic if a business that does not provide adequate coverage for paid time off, for them to mandate a vaccination for their workers. I think theres an equity and access  and just, like, a human rights conversation to be had about how people are enabled to take care of themselves and their health and their family. The conversations that we have now are very much ones that are rooted in blame and shame instead of wellness.

jane coaston

We have just pointed out a number of really important issues with a hypothetical vaccine mandate. Given all of this, does it seem like a good idea, right now to have vaccine mandates? Or is this an idea that seems good in theory, but might not actually be practical?

angie rasmussen

I think its a very good idea for some things. For example  again, some schools, they are not requiring people to come back to campus if they dont want to. So you dont have to get a vaccine. And you can still take classes. So I think that it is wise to provide options for people. There needs to be provisions for people who cant get vaccines. There needs to be a system of allowing people to get exemptions fairly. We still dont really know what are some contraindications for getting mRNA vaccines, or for getting Johnson & Johnson. We know some of them. Vaccine mandates are good if they incentivize people to get vaccinated, but also provide options for people to comply with them.

jane coaston

I think that thats an interesting point here, because if the goal here is to get people vaccinated, states with a hard mandate tend to see a higher number of people vaccinated. So if you have a harder mandate, wouldnt that increase vaccination rates based on the argument that many people who arent vaccinated simply arent vaccinated yet? What do you think, Marcella?

marcella tillett

I dont agree with that. I think these hard mandates will get us to a certain point, because there are some people who are hesitant  and it is a yet, right. Weve heard from folks that they have a belief that the vaccination was created too quickly. Some of those folks, you can talk to them about pre-existing vaccinations, and other scientific knowledge that helped to inform the development. And that could persuade them to make the move sooner rather than later. With others, they are just going to wait. I dont know what theyre waiting for. They may not even know what theyre waiting for, but theres something in them thats telling them  not yet. I think what is difficult for many people is that we are living through something that is in development right  and so information is changing. You have agencies and individual people who might be seen as, or might assert themselves, as authorities in this area. And they have historically  like, if we look at the 18 month period  contradicted themselves in ways. Right, we started in New York City with  you know, you can wrap a t-shirt around your face if you cant get a mask, because it was difficult to find masks, right. And so to then hear new information, it can feel to an individual  like, OK, these folks who are giving me these mandates, and these folks that are supposed to be the experts, dont know what theyre doing. So if you were wrong then, you might be wrong about this. And Im not sure. And I dont feel comfortable taking your advice if it might change in a few months, right. The nonprofit organizations we work with, they come from that place of empathy and understanding why someone might feel that way. And then they come with accurate information about what we know now, how the vaccinations were developed. And some of those folks will move, right  enough conversations from people they trust, from organizations in their community that didnt just come to talk to them about a vaccine. But nine months ago, they checked on them and their families, and made sure they had food, and made sure that the children were supported in virtual learning. And that idea of a credible messenger isnt just about the message, its about the relationship. We live in communities. We live relational lives, right? And a lot of good can come from that. We can help each other through these difficult moments. A mandate has a place in that, but the implementation is critical, and the infrastructure is critical. And we just dont have that at this stage.

jane coaston

Angie, whats your perspective on Covid messaging over the past year  because I tend to be extremely sympathetic to the scientific community on this particular issue, and Ill tell you why. Science is hard. Science is really hard to explain to other people. It is inherently difficult to basically build the plane youre flying while explaining how its working to other people who might be distrustful of you. And I think weve seen that time and time again with public health messaging. There have been examples of scientists attempting to learn about something, then tell people about the thing, and then realizing  oh, no, no  thats not what its from. Thats not how it happens. Thats not who is vulnerable to it  then they have to shift that messaging. So Im inherently sympathetic to that  but how do you think that that messaging, and that shifting of messaging, of masks arent useful, to masks are useful. That is confusing to many people. What do you think about that messaging, Angie?

angie rasmussen

You know, I think about this all the time, because back in April 2020, I was tweeting about how I didnt think masks were necessary. And I completely, obviously changed my mind on that. I think its really important for scientists to communicate and to let people see the decision making process as it occurs. I think that it is really helpful for people to understand that science is a process. It is not the instantaneous  you know, the light bulb goes off and you suddenly have realized an unimpeachable truth. Scientists are wrong all the time, and its only when you cant prove yourself wrong that you conclude that you must be on to something, and youre right. Even for viruses that are well studied, that weve known about for a long time  influenza, for example  there are still huge unknowns. You know, thats why we all still have jobs in the virology community. Were not going to figure everything out about all the viruses in my lifetime, or my kids lifetimes, or their kids lifetimes, or really ever. I mean, theres just too much information out there. Somebody who wants to know the scientific underpinnings of how a vaccine works will probably benefit a lot from talking to me. But I mean, somebody who just doesnt want to hear about it any more  they just want to get back to their normal life. Theyre not probably going to respond as well to a conversation with me. And thats why the relationship, as Marcella was saying, is so crucial to these conversations that are going to win hearts and minds. One of the biggest mistakes about the messaging and the policy is that it really treats unvaccinated people as sort of one monolithic group that all think the same things. And theres differences, even with people who are reluctant to get vaccines because theyve heard misinformation. Some people have heard that the vaccines will ruin your immune system. Actually, one of my mothers friends texted me the other day to make sure that wasnt true. Shes very pro vaccine. She still was like  is this  I just wanted to run this by you, because it was pretty scary. So we really need to make sure that our messaging is nuanced. And the challenge here, I think, is that that means a lot of one on one conversations. And that means recruiting a lot of people to have those conversations  so somebody who is distrustful of scientists might trust their church leader, or a leader of a community group that theyre a part of. We need to get those people on board, too. Its a huge messaging challenge.

marcella tillett

Yeah. I mean to that point, Angie, something weve seen in Brooklyn is a number of community based organizations and houses of faith having those powerful messengers bring along medical professionals  right, because they can rally people. They can motivate. They have that trust. But when those very specific questions come, you really do need a medical professional or someone who can break down the science and reassure  but having that person side by side with the figure that you know is very effective.

jane coaston

Marcella, when you talk to people in Brooklyn  who are parts of different communities  because something that I think is interesting is how I am disposed to trust scientists. When a vaccine was introduced, I was like, I will go get the vaccine. I recognize that that is not a mindset that many people come from. I have had good interactions, personally, with medical establishment. I find, for instance going to the dentist very relaxing. Many people do not have that 

marcella tillett

I dont share that.

angie rasmussen

Me neither.

marcella tillett

Not at all.

jane coaston

But I am curious, Marcella  based on your work, what are the reasons people are saying that theyre not getting vaccinated? Im very curious as to what you are hearing on the ground.

marcella tillett

Yeah. And Ill be clear, that  Ill give you some examples from my personal life and some of the other examples Ill take from some of the organizations we work with, who work directly with people. And I think you touched on a really important point  some of the kind of medical incidents in our history that have pointed to either discrimination of a particular group of people, or medical violence towards a particular group of people based on sexual orientation, race, socioeconomic, status, et cetera. And something that I think its still coming up a lot in these conversations is Tuskegee, though there are a lot of people  a lot of Black people  who know about the Tuskegee experiment and may have people in their families that were impacted by that. And so that is the root of some of their issues with the medical field. You dont have to look back so far to meet people who are Black or brown who are not treated well when they go to the hospital, who are not believed. And weve seen many studies about, in particular, Black women and Black people, and reports of their pain and how thats received by medical professionals.

jane coaston

Right.

marcella tillett

We see the outcomes of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity for Black women. And so that is happening now. That is an experience that people have right now. And that can 

jane coaston

And then they are asked to get a vaccine, and they have been disbelieved about their pain 

marcella tillett

Right, you cant disconnect that from 

jane coaston

They may have lost a baby because they werent believed when they were dealing with a hemorrhage. And then theyre asked  like, go get a vaccine.

marcella tillett

Or they may just be disrespected when they go to the clinic, right? And so anything that has to do with health care  I personally know people who want to try it on their own first. If there are ways that I can prevent getting sick or needing health care, Im going to do everything I can do on my side, because I dont want to have to go to the hospital  because I believe if I have to go to the hospital, I will not be treated well. I will not get quality services. I will not be believed. It will be an unpleasant experience all around. I think thats why its really important that we have very accessible vaccination sites, ones that pop up in their communities. Again, ones that are staffed by people that look like them, who as a physician or as a nurse will tell them  yes, I understand that you are not always treated well. Or there is kind of a norm in some Black communities that the last place you want to go is to a hospital, because youre not coming home. Right  and so we cant pretend like those things dont exist. What we cant do is just say, you know, thats ridiculous, youre ill informed, youre irresponsible, and youre dangerous. And so were just going to discard you, and try to strong arm you into getting a vaccine. Otherwise, you cant participate in society.

dawn Hi, this is Dawn from Fort Worth, Texas. The thing that I find myself arguing about is whether to move to a majority minority neighborhood. As a white woman married to a white man, I have a lot of conflicting thoughts around if Im contributing to gentrification, or if its just a desire to be a part of a more diverse community. OK, bye.

jane coaston

Hi, Dawn. Yeah, thats a complicated question  one that Ive dealt with myself, living in Washington D.C.  because the answer is both. Yeah, you want to live in a diverse community. So do I. And yeah, youre contributing to gentrification, and so am I. But fortunately, were going to be doing some upcoming episodes on housing, gentrification, YIMBYs, and NIMBYs, including my old friend Matthew Yglesias. So stay tuned, because this is really not a question I can answer. Its one Im dealing with myself. What are you arguing about with your family, your friends, your frenemies? Tell me about the big debate youre having in a voicemail by calling 347-915-4324, and we might play an excerpt of it on a future episode. Im curious  for you, Angie, based on the work that youve done, how do you think that Covid differs from other illnesses in terms of how we view it  as either something you should get vaccinated against, or something that you could hypothetically hold off with clean living and a good diet. How do you think Covid differs from that  or does it, in your view?

angie rasmussen

Covid differs a lot. I mean, Covid  so this is one of, I think, the hardest things to communicate to people as a scientist. Covid, of course, has some things in common with other viruses. Its a respiratory virus. Respiratory viruses, like influenza, like common cold viruses, including other coronaviruses, infect the respiratory tract. In many people, they cause mild illness. In a smaller number of people, they cause more severe illness. But Covid is also nothing like those other viruses, because for starters, we havent seen the consequences of the entire world basically getting infected with those other viruses in many cases. We know what happens when a lot of people get infected with seasonal influenza. We know roughly, during a flu season, how many people are going to die from that. I think were starting to appreciate that death is not the only negative consequence of having a viral infection for many people. But I think its really tough to communicate this to people, because first of all, a lot of people think  and often, this is really dependent on the community, and unfortunately, really dependent, sometimes, on peoples political beliefs  but they really think sometimes that they are, for sure, 100 percent in that group of people that is not going to get sick and die from this. And I dont think that many of those people do understand that maybe theyre not going to die. But you know, you dont just get off of a ventilator and go back to living your life the way that you were living it before you got sick. Also  because we dont a lot about some of the long term consequences. Long Covid is definitely a thing. And this, I think, really, really impacts a lot of people, because long Covid patients do tend to be women. They tend to be similar to chronic fatigue syndrome patients in that theyre often difficult to diagnose. Theyre often disbelieved by their medical providers. And so theres a whole community of patients that we dont really understand who have this huge variety of different long term conditions that can be really, really debilitating. Weve seen entire groups of people basically saying that theyre right to get Covid is, like, an unimpeachable freedom that they have, and that we should all just deal with that. And whats different about Covid  its not that its the most deadly virus. And you know what? Thank God, because if this had the mortality rate of SARS classic, or MERS coronavirus, wed be seeing a lot more dead people. But SARS Coronavirus 2 is particularly challenging just because of the numbers game. It infects a lot of people. Its very transmissible. It was very transmissible to begin with, and now the Delta variant is even more transmissible than that. I think that people are all over the map with how they perceive the risk of Covid. This gets even worse when you start talking about schools and vaccinating kids. And essentially, there was a group of scientists  who I dont have much respect for, who wrote a document called the Great Barrington Declaration  that essentially argued that young people should just let it rip through the population. And well get to herd immunity that way, and well somehow magically shield the vulnerable. Well, the vulnerable is at least probably half of the U.S. population, if you count all the different risk factors. Its not just age. So how do you decide which life is worth saving? And I think that competent public health people would say that all lives are worth saving. And thats why you need to have a different approach for each community.

jane coaston

Before we end, Im interested in talking about what happens next. And I am curious  for you, Marcella  because I know Angie brought up the flu. And less than half of the adults in the United States get the flu shot. And Ill make an admission here, Ive never gotten the flu shot. What makes the Covid vaccine different from a flu shot?

marcella tillett

That is such a good question. Since you were so brave in disclosing that, I will also share that I have never had a flu shot. And my mother was a nurse. I think we have lived with the flu for a very long time. And were two examples of how every year, we see every local pharmacy pop up with, its time to get your flu shot. And some people say, you know, that message is not for me, because that is not something I do. Personally, with Covid, I wasnt the first person in line to get vaccinated, but I did. And I think for some people, it is about this becoming part of our everyday life  right, it has landed on us in 2020. And its continued to be with us. At some point, hopefully, its going to kind of exist as one of these viruses that just exists along with us as we live our lives, like the flu. And I dont know how we necessarily get there, but I do think that youre going to have people that fall on either side of the coin of  Im someone who vaccinated every year. Were talking about boosters. And the introduction of boosters for people who have been vaccinated, I would not say its a foregone conclusion that everybody thats been vaccinated will line back up to get a booster. Again, if the message was  you know, were living with science, science is dynamic. Its changing, were learning, we have to accept that. That is true. And the way people experience  OK, well, you told me to go get vaccinated. I went and got vaccinated. And now youre telling me I need to get another shot. And youre telling me that, possibly, Im going to have to line up and get these shots on somewhat of a regular basis. Thats not what I signed up for. I do think that thats going to be a hurdle were going to have to face.

angie rasmussen

Yeah  so, I get my flu shot every year. Part of the reason for that is actually, when I was a kid, I was hospitalized with influenza. And the one time when I was in my 20s I had influenza, I wasnt hospitalized with it, but I was so sick. And it was so much worse than just having a cold that I said, well, I dont want to deal with this. It also makes it easier for me, because where I work, theres flu shots all over the place. And its very easy for me to get a flu shot. I dont even have to go to the pharmacy. Its true that many people dont get severe flu. Part of the reason for that  and this is one thing thats very different from the Covid vaccine  we all have prior immunity to influenza, because weve all been exposed to influenza viruses throughout our lives, whether we get flu shots or not. So that pre-existing immunity, that will provide some protection against disease severity, depending on how good  you know, how much cross reactive immunity you have. But I think that part of the problem with the booster thing  and I have to lay out some of this at the feet of these pharmaceutical executives who engage in wishful thinking every time they have an investor call, and say that were going to start needing boosters every six months  I think that thats incredibly unlikely. This is not influenza. The reason why we need an influenza shot every year is because theres a bunch of different influenza viruses circulating. We do have variants of concern. They are a little bit different, but essentially, all SARS Coronavirus 2 is SARS Coronavirus 2. You might need boosters that at different intervals, but theyre not going to be as close together as every six months. That to me is just ridiculous, and it also is a little bit obscene  just because right now in the U.S., we have doses expiring on shelves, so I dont have a problem with boosters. But we havent done our share in terms of making people around the world get vaccinated. And the definition of a pandemic is an epidemic thats occurring on multiple continents. So by definition, it does impact the entire world. We can keep vaccinating and boosting the American people, but this isnt going to be over until we get vaccines out to the entire world. Right now, the data shows  the vaccines are actually holding up very well at protecting against severe disease and hospitalization and death caused by Delta.

jane coaston

But that actually gets me to my last question, which  Marcella  given the timeline of the virus, what should we be doing to encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated? And I always say this, whenever we talk about this  if youre listening to this podcast right now and you are not vaccinated, please get vaccinated. But what should we be doing to get as many shots in the arms as possible?

marcella tillett

Yeah, you know, I think the community based approach is most effective at this stage, because if you just needed a bulletin to get vaccinated, youre already vaccinated. We have community organizations here in Brooklyn that run pantry services, and theyre giving vaccine messages to people who come to collect food every week in the pantry. So we are seeing a slow increase in vaccinations in different demographics. But there has been an increase overall in Brooklyn in vaccinations.

jane coaston

Weve talked about a lot of the problems with mandates, but at a baseline level, do you think mandates could be a part of that effort to get as many people to get vaccinated as possible?

angie rasmussen

So I absolutely do, provided  again, that they meet the criteria that we were talking about earlier. But theres going to be a lot of people who are going to really struggle to both enforce mandates like that and to comply with them. And well, we can say, oh, you dont have to go to a bar. You dont have to go to a restaurant. You dont have to go to a movie theater. You dont. But I mean, it is not a great thing if we have whole communities that are being excluded from our lives.

jane coaston

Right a bifurcated society.

angie rasmussen

And, I mean, you can make a conservative argument, too, that thats a real economic problem as well.

marcella tillett

People who do not want to get vaccinated are not going to stop gathering. Right  they wont gather at that movie theater, they wont gather at that particular restaurant or bar thats checking them, but they will continue. There is going to be  and I think we saw this during the pandemic  underground parties, underground gatherings. People did not stop and I think even  there was this underbelly, some of it because small businesses were closed, and some business owners really saw that their incomes and revenue streams were strangled. And I think some people started to have these gatherings and others  they were just collections of people who, for mental health reasons, for other reasons, they needed to be with other people and they needed to share that space. We have to be prepared for that. So thinking through the implications of a mandate like this  what do we do when this public health strategy leads to other social phenomenon that then you have to figure out how to address.

jane coaston

This has been such a helpful conversation. And I really appreciate both of your time. Marcella, Angie, thank you so much.

marcella tillett

Thank you for having me, its been great.

angie rasmussen

Its my pleasure, Jane.

jane coaston
This essay has been updated to reflect news developments.

The heartbreaking scenes at the Kabul airport should make one thing painfully clear: We cant airlift the whole country to some safe haven. Although the United States has a moral responsibility to evacuate the Afghans we put in harms way, the evacuation and the tragedies associated with it will soon be in the past. The most consequential decisions in the days and weeks ahead involve how we will help the millions of Afghans who will be left behind and how we will relate to their new leaders.

The Biden administration faces a choice: try to thwart any government the Taliban create or use whatever shred of leverage America has left to encourage them to govern as inclusively and moderately as possible. If we care about the people of Afghanistan, we will try the latter  and do so with as little of the hubris and heavy-handedness that helped get us into this mess in the first place.

For many ordinary people across Afghanistan, this is a moment of cynicism and even despair about politics and the long game for their country. The sight of Afghan political and military leaders escaping in American planes is a betrayal, plentiful proof of whose bidding they had been doing all along.

But not everyone caught a cargo plane out of town. The former Afghan president Hamid Karzai and the longtime leader and chairman of Afghanistans National Reconciliation Council, Abdullah Abdullah, have been sitting down with Taliban leaders in an attempt to form a new and more inclusive government.
If Elders victory is a liberal nightmare, though, it is just the nightmare Newsom needs us to be thinking about. Elders record is so far beyond the California mainstream that he functions as a one-man cattle prod for energizing the Democratic base. No wonder Newsom has made Elder the star of his recent ads. Some say hes the most Trump of the candidates, Newsom said of Elder recently. I say hes even more extreme than Trump in many respects.

He could be. Elder opposes the minimum wage, abortion rights, and vaccine and mask mandates, and in 2008 called climate change a crock. (He now says climate change is real but hes not sure if its playing a role in Californias wildfires  given the scientific evidence, thats little different from denying climate change altogether.) He has a long history of breathtaking misogyny. In 2000, he argued that women tend to vote for Democrats over Republicans because, bless their hearts, theyre just not as well informed as men.

Women know less than men about political issues, economics and current events, he wrote. Good news for Democrats, bad news for Republicans. For the less one knows, the easier the manipulation.

In the 1990s, Elder, who is Black and grew up in South Central Los Angeles, rose to national prominence largely for his paternalistic attitudes on race. He has called Black people victicrats for painting themselves as victims of racism. In the year 2001, racism is not our major problem, he once said. Personal responsibility is.

An audio clip recently surfaced of Elder performing a political stand-up act in an L.A. comedy club in the mid-1990s. He is heard doing an apparent impression of F. Lee Bailey, one of O.J. Simpsons defense attorneys, practicing saying the N-word  a slur Elder repeats several times with cringey, theatrical gusto.

Its possible that the attention Newsom and the news media are now heaping on Elder will burn up his budding candidacy. Last week Elders former fiancee, Alexandra Datig, told Politico that during an argument in 2015, Elder waved a gun at her while he was high on cannabis. This week Jenner and another Republican vying to replace Newsom, the former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, called on Elder to drop out. Elder has denied Datigs claim and rejected his opponents counsel; late last week, he shook up his campaign staff.

But anyone who was alive in 2016 ought to appreciate the danger of Newsoms focus on Elders extremism. Like Donald Trump, Elder has a keen understanding of the utility of outrage; when the left attacks him, he goes on Fox News and wears the criticism as a badge of purity, helping him further stand out from the Republican pack. Perhaps thats why Elders standing in the polls has only gone up amid the onslaught of criticism. By making him the face of the recall, Newsom is cementing Elders lead, all but guaranteeing him as a successor should Newsom fail to win a majority. Its a frightening strategy, even if its Newsoms best play.
For three decades, though, Congress has cut this funding, slashing it to roughly a quarter of its levels in the late 1970s, leaving cities and towns struggling to close the gap.

The wastewater problem has been especially acute in majority Black communities like Mount Vernon. And it shows environmental injustice isnt limited to Southern areas like Houston and Baton Rouge, La., where industrial waste sites and refineries are concentrated in majority Black neighborhoods. In Oakland, Calif., giant container shipping facilities, and the air pollution they generate, are adjacent to Black and Hispanic communities. And infamously in Flint, Mich., aging lead pipes have contaminated drinking water supplies in the predominantly Black city for years.

Environmental injustice unfortunately has many manifestations, all of them baked into the nations social and economic order. Its an injustice that shows up as redlined urban neighborhoods that get hotter in summer because they lack green spaces. We can see it in rural communities hard hit by toxic landfill sites and raw sewage or coal ash impoundments. Were beginning to see it in the disproportionate price people of color will pay for climate change.

The latest United Nations report on the climate crisis makes clear the kinds of storms and the flooding we are experiencing now, and the worsening stress water systems can expect, which makes reform evermore urgent. President Bidens agenda to Build Back Better would increase desperately needed federal funds to help cities cope with a widening wastewater crisis impacting rural and urban areas alike, from Centreville, Ill. to Lowndes County, Ala.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill that recently passed the Senate would make a down payment, dedicating roughly $12.7 billion to address the issue. And a separate package of infrastructure investment recently approved by the House would provide $40 billion instead. But both fall short of the $110 billion needed over the next 10 years to adequately address this crisis.

As congressional leaders work toward a common package, they must approve funding at levels that meet the need rather than focusing on the price tag.

The ordeal Linda McNeil has endured for the past two decades is a reminder of why this mission is so urgent, and why advancing environmental justice is a core part of what we have a right to expect from our government.
The couple are residents now, but the appeal of those sunset views hasnt faded, Ms. McMenamy said: I will be in my pajamas and Brian will say, Youve got to come to the corner and see this!

Getting a closer view wasnt easy. The couple had been scoping out Douglas Manor properties since before they married in 2014. But the narrow point of land has only about 600 houses and little turnover, with many homes remaining in the same family for generations.

Demand in the affluent area never seems to wane, said Ms. McMenamy, an executive in the pharmaceuticals industry. The couple lost out to higher bidders several times before successfully offering $950,000 for a 1931 Tudor-style house with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room with a vaulted ceiling and plenty of space for their two pet boxers to run around.

A brilliant sunset also lingered in the mind of Siavash Ghazi, 38, after he and a friend drove to Douglas Manor one night in 2017. Parked along the estate-lined Shore Road, in front of bobbing sailboats, we were feeling a little insecure, like we had stumbled into The Great Gatsby, said Dr. Ghazi, who was a medical student at the time and renting a one-bedroom apartment in Forest Hills, Queens. But I just fell in love with the neighborhood.
Yet it comes up again and again in times of trauma. In Afghanistan, fashion, with its low barriers to entry, is not so much a symbol of self-indulgent indolence as a lever of advancement. Its a way toward financial self-sufficiency, especially for women who have been excluded from the formal academic and professional ladder. Its participation in the global conversation and reframing of a cultural narrative.

And there, its essential role as an expression of self and antidote to horror is manifest. The drive to create beauty in even the worst of times is a universal human impulse  a statement of belief in what is possible.

As Ms. Rahimi said in an interview with The New Humanitarian newsletter in 2017, Fashion in a way helps our women come out of their shells and tell society, I am here. See me. Hear me.

So it was, for example, in Ukraine in 2014, when fashion week was held in Kyiv as Russian forces loomed at the border. In Israel and Gaza, where graduate fashion shows went on during the bombings the same year.

And so it was over the last 10 years in Afghanistan, as NGOs and private entrepreneurs turned to fashion as a path forward. In part that is because it is work many women could do at home while tending to their families and their traditional roles (even in areas already controlled by the Taliban).

And in part it is because of the countrys legitimate history and heritage as the center of the Silk Road, with its associated textile and embroidery artistry, and later the Paris of Central Asia  a moniker bestowed on Afghanistan in the stable period from 1930 to 1970 when the afghan coat became a Western fashion staple. (Indeed, in 1969 Vogue ran a fashion shoot titled Afghan Adventure.)
After months without business, designers and boutique owners have had a hard time turning down work. Stephanie White, the designer and founder of the Los Angeles-based bridal line Odylyne the Ceremony, has made dresses in less than a month. Its a lot, but were dying for the business, she said. You want to help everyone but you cant.

For the designer Sareh Nouri, If I have the fabric, if I have the lace, we dont say no. She described the recent situation as madness, adding, Were happy about that, right? The deluge of business has allowed her to hire back every staffer laid off in 2020, and even open a flagship store in Short Hills, N.J., in June.

Many brides coming into stores and ateliers are so thrilled to finally celebrate  or so emotionally spent from multiple postponements  that they have been just grateful to find any white dress to wear. I get the sense that brides are just way less particular overall, said Marteal Mayer, the founder of Loulette Bride in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Its a shift in priorities, completely. Ms. White felt the same way: As much as brides want to have that fairy tale, weve learned that the most important thing is to share that special day with the people you love, and look as beautiful as you can.

Among the postponements are the brides who gave birth in the time between their two celebrations. May 22, we had three brides who were pregnant and married on that date, said Susan Ruddie Spring, the owner of the alteration service The Wedding Dresser, which operates in Brooklyn and Baltimore. Her teams typical routine in such a situation is to open all the side seams. Then, she said, We wait and do all of the work ten days before the wedding.

Kayleigh Hyde, a speech language pathologist in West Belmar, N.J., postponed her big Catskills wedding by a year but still married David Hyde, who works for the Teamsters union, on her original date, in September 2020, in her mother-in-laws backyard with just 15 guests. In July, the couple welcomed a baby girl. Ms. Hyde had bought a dress from Loulette Bride originally, rented another Loulette dress for the microwedding, and is now having her first dress entirely altered by Ms. Mayer to become A-line. I emailed her when I found out I was pregnant like, Can you resell the dress that I bought and I pick a different one? she said. Instead, the Loulette designer is just making it work. I wasnt going to purposely try to not have a baby just because of one day next year, Ms. Hyde said.
Micki Grant, who in the early 1970s became the first woman to write the book, music and lyrics of a Broadway musical, Dont Bother Me, I Cant Cope, a soulful, spirited exploration of Black life, died on Saturday in Manhattan. She was 92.

Her death, at Mount Sinai Morningside hospital, was announced by Joan Allen, a family spokeswoman.

Ms. Grant, an actress, composer, playwright and musician, had developed Dont Bother Me for two years with the director Vinnette Carroll, taking it to small theaters in New York, Philadelphia and Washington before opening on Broadway in April 1972.

She would also be known for her work on another Broadway musical, Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, and for her seven years on the NBC soap opera Another World.

Set in New York City, Dont Bother Me explored topics like ghetto life, Black power, feminism and student protests with an all-Black cast performing songs  all by Ms. Grant  that drew from rock, jazz, funk, blues calypso and other musical genres.
LOS ANGELES  Although he is mired in a political crisis about the withdrawal from Afghanistan, President Biden still plans to campaign for Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is facing a recall election in California, Mr. Bidens press secretary said on Wednesday.

The president had previously indicated he would try to help Mr. Newsom retain his job. But some political activists had wondered whether Mr. Biden would back out of the trip because of the turmoil in Afghanistan.

Jen Psaki, the press secretary, said Mr. Biden still planned to go to California. I dont have a date for you at this point in time, she said, but that is still certainly his plan.

Mr. Newsom, the Democratic governor of the nations most populous state, is fending off an effort to remove him from office that began as a long shot initiated by Republicans dissatisfied with his policies on immigration and the death penalty. But as the coronavirus pandemic wore on and frustration built over prolonged restrictions, the recall gathered steam and, thanks in part to an extended deadline, enough signatures to trigger an election.
PALMDALE  The light was fading on what had been a breezy 101-degree afternoon by the time the two women with clipboards approached Ashley Reyes, who sat watching her son and his cousins play in her gated driveway.

Had she heard, the women wondered, about the election coming up on Sept. 14?

No, Reyes replied, a look of puzzled curiosity crossing her face. What election?

I saw this scene and many similar ones play out this month when I tagged along with Karen Diaz, 27, and Tanairy Guzman Reyes, 22, as they knocked on doors in Palmdale, a city north of Los Angeles. They were hoping to bolster support for Gov. Gavin Newsom as he faces an attempt to recall him from office.

Voters, who by now should have gotten their ballots by mail, will be asked two questions: Should Newsom be recalled from office? And if so, who should replace him?
A 53-foot waterfall in Minneapolis has been reduced to a trickle. Utahs biggest reservoirs are about half full, and dropping. Almond growers in California are abandoning their dying trees as water grows increasingly scarce.

Nearly half of the land mass of the contiguous United States  47 percent  is experiencing drought conditions, according to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, and its getting worse in the Northern Plains and everywhere west of the Rocky Mountains.

The monitor, a collaboration of several federal agencies and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, ranks the severity of drought conditions from moderate to exceptional, and its latest report moved parts of Minnesota into the worst category for the first time. Eight percent of land in the state now falls under that description, and about 50 percent is in extreme drought, the next level.
The only defendant to plead guilty to taking part in a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan was sentenced on Wednesday to six years and three months in prison.

Ty G. Garbin, 25, an airplane mechanic, was the first defendant to be sentenced for what prosecutors have described as an extremist plot driven by anger at the governors efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The 14 men arrested in October face charges in federal and state courts in one of the most significant domestic terrorism plots ever to come to trial in the United States. The defendants, many of them members of an antigovernment paramilitary group in Michigan called the Wolverine Watchmen, coalesced around protests against Covid-19 lockdown measures.

After initially weighing storming the State Capitol in Lansing, they decided to abduct Governor Whitmer from her vacation home, according to prosecutors. Their efforts were seen as a precursor to the violence unleashed at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
REYNOSA, Mexico  For nearly three years under the Trump administration, a makeshift camp of migrants from all over the world operated in the Mexican city of Matamoros. It was effectively the first refugee camp on the U.S.-Mexico border, packed with people hoping to win asylum in the United States but forced to wait in Mexico while their cases were being considered.

The camp, a painful sign of the human cost of the previous administrations hard-line immigration policies, was bulldozed in March. With the election of President Biden, many of its residents were allowed into the United States; others were housed safely in shelters in Mexico. Its demise seemed to signal an important move toward what Mr. Biden promised would be a new, more humane era along the border.

But within weeks, a new camp sprang up about 55 miles farther west, in the Mexican city of Reynosa, and this one, aid workers say, is far worse than the one at Matamoros ever was. Overcrowded already, with more than 2,000 people, it is filthy and foul-smelling, lacking the health and sanitation infrastructure that nonprofit groups had spent months installing at Matamoros. Assaults and kidnappings for ransom are commonplace.
To speed things up, Treasury announced another round of changes to the program, including a directive to local officials that they allow tenants to use self-reported financial information on aid applications as a first, rather than a last, resort, while granting permission for states to send out bulk payments to landlords and utility companies in anticipation of federal payouts to tenants.

They are also expanding existing initiatives to prevent evictions at properties funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Agriculture Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Mr. Bidens domestic policy staff has mapped out policy contingencies if the Supreme Court strikes down the moratorium, which is the administrations principal safeguard for hundreds of thousands of low-income and working-class tenants hit hardest by the pandemic. White House lawyers expect a court decision this week.

Mostly, the response will entail doubling down on existing efforts to speed up flow of the aid. But officials are likely to switch to a triage model, focusing on a handful of states and cities that have weak tenant protections, high backlogs of unpaid rent and low use of the federal rental assistance fund.

The moratorium was initially put into effect by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September under President Donald J. Trump. Mr. Biden extended it several times this year, but allowed it to briefly expire earlier this month. He reinstated it, in a slightly modified form, on Aug. 3 under pressure from congressional Democrats.

That final 60-day extension, enacted over the objection of White House lawyers, was intended to buy more time to distribute the emergency rental assistance.

The program is administered by the federal government, but it is up to states to build out a system to deliver aid to struggling renters and landlords, and that has been the main source of its problems.
WASHINGTON  The select committee scrutinizing the Jan. 6 Capitol riot demanded detailed records on Wednesday about Donald J. Trumps every movement and meeting on the day of the assault, in a series of requests to federal agencies that suggested it was focusing on any ties the former president may have had to the attacks planning or execution.

The committees demands, sent to the National Archives and Records Administration and six other agencies, show that as they ramp up their inquiry, investigators are looking closely at efforts by the former president to overturn the results of the 2020 election and any connections he or his administration had to the rioters.

They are also looking into the potential involvement of at least one top aide to a Republican member of Congress who helped publicize the Stop the Steal rallies, which drew Mr. Trumps supporters to Washington on Jan. 6 to protest the election outcome.

The panel sought communications among top Trump administration officials about attempts to place politically loyal personnel in senior positions as Mr. Trump sought to invalidate President Bidens victory in the run-up to the attack. Investigators are also focused on the planning, organization and funding of pro-Trump rallies on Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 and other attempts to stop or slow the process of Mr. Trump handing over the presidency to Mr. Biden.
WASHINGTON  The Republican Party is united in its criticism of President Bidens chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan. But the crisis has also exposed a deep internal divide between party leaders over relocating Afghan refugees at home.

Many Republican lawmakers have accused Mr. Biden of abandoning the Afghan interpreters and guides who helped the United States during two decades of war, leaving thousands of people in limbo in a country now controlled by the Taliban.

But others  including former President Donald J. Trump and Representative Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader  have sought to fold the issue of Afghan refugees into the anti-immigrant stance of the partys far right. They are criticizing Mr. Biden not simply for leaving the Afghans behind, but for opening the United States up to what they characterized as dangerous foreigners.

Well have terrorists coming across the border, Mr. McCarthy said last week on a call with a group of bipartisan House members, according to two people who were on the call, where he railed against the Biden administrations handling of the withdrawal. He also brought up the issue of migrants entering the country along the U.S.-Mexico border in his discussion of Afghans being evacuated.
You have said you tried to minimize disruption to people on the ground. But do you really think that having two members of Congress show up unexpectedly during a perilous time in Kabul did not distract and divert resources from the mission at hand?

Mr. Meijer: We had planned to have no requirement for any support by any governmental entity.

We had hoped  and were successful  in briefly talking with a number of leaders on the ground, but also wanted to talk to individuals who werent in the highest leadership positions, to get that sense of ground truth.

Mr. Moulton: We actually apologized to people for showing up unexpected, and several people said, This is great, because we didnt have to do anything to prepare for it.

We said, We do not want to take any resources away from you. So we were assigned to people to take us to the gate, both of whom we were told were not doing anything because their work is during the night. And so we did that during the daytime, and at night, we sat in an office in the headquarters, so that we wouldnt be a burden.

At the end of the day, the impact of our visit on ongoing operations, I believe, will pale in comparison to the impact of the visit.

Walk me through what you saw when you first got to the airport.

Mr. Meijer: There were I think close to 20,000 individuals who were waiting on flights out a day or two before we arrived. When we were there, the Air Force and the other personnel on the ground had so efficiently moved those individuals to intermediate staging locations that there were some people there, but it was by no means an overwhelming number waiting for flights. It was probably in the few hundreds.
Investigators with the National Institute of Standards and Technology are still in the early days of examining the buildings collapse, with ongoing examinations of the integrity of the foundations and the strength of the materials used to support the building. The investigation will include a review of how the building was designed and constructed, including the buildings modifications, the agency said on Wednesday.

Troubled pasts

By the late 1970s, Surfside was still a humble corner of South Florida, so popular with Canadian snowbirds looking for a discounted slice of paradise that the town dedicated a week to celebrating the connection. Winners of the festivals beauty pageant could receive a trip to Canada.

One of the Canadians with an eye on the town was the lead developer of Champlain Towers, Nathan Reiber, who brought a grand vision to reshape Surfsides waterfront at a time when the town was eager to find new sources of tax revenue to keep taxes low for full-time residents. As Mr. Reibers team filed for the first Champlain Towers permits in August 1979  with no 13th-story penthouses  city officials were struggling with serious inadequacies in the water and sewer systems that had led to a moratorium on new development.

The Champlain Towers developers came up with a plan: They would provide $200,000 toward the needed upgrades  covering half the cost  if they could get to work on construction. The town agreed.

It was exciting, said Mitchell Kinzer, who was the mayor at the time. Here we are, little Surfside, a tiny town getting first-class luxury buildings.

Mr. Reiber pursued the project even as he was dealing with legal troubles in Canada. A lawyer from Ontario who had ventured into real estate, Mr. Reiber and two partners were accused by Canadian prosecutors of dodging taxes in the 1970s by plundering the proceeds of coin-operated laundry machines in their buildings in a scheme to lessen their taxable income. The prosecutor also accused the group of using the expenses of a fake building project to avoid taxes on some $120,000 in rent payments.

Image Nathan Reiber

After court proceedings that dragged on for years, Mr. Reiber pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion in 1996. Family members of Mr. Reiber, who died in 2014, did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Q: Do I have a right to a flexible schedule because Im a parent?

The employer doesnt have to allow flexible work for a caregiver, said Liz Morris, an employment law expert and deputy director at the Center for WorkLife Law at UC Hastings Law. But employers must offer parents the same workplace flexibility they afford to non-parents under family responsibilities discrimination laws that are on the books in 195 U.S. state and local jurisdictions, she said.

She offered an example for the pandemic: If a mother is being told they cant stay home, but other people are being allowed to continue working from home, that could be illegal, especially if its based on unfounded assumptions that mothers are going to put their jobs second, and they cant be trusted to do their work if their children are around.

Q: How do I make sure my career and authority arent sidelined while Im working remotely?

Be very explicit about your career goals and aspirations, Dr. Cooper said. When women are of childbearing age or have children, for example, theres often an assumption theyre going to de-prioritize their career to focus on their family, she said. One way to counteract those assumptions and biases is to say: Heres my plan for the next three years, and Im eager to work on these kinds of projects. This is a way to push back on assumptions people may not even realize they have about you.

Q: Im allowed to work from home, but most of my team will be in the office. How do I show that Im working hard?

What you are trying to prevent is a perception that you are contributing less, which can happen when youre working flexibly, Dr. Cooper said. To counteract that, keep a list of what youre working on and regularly communicate that to your team members and manager. If managers have your accomplishments top of mind, thats what theyre going to filter into their assessments.

Q: If my children have to quarantine at home, or school closes, whats the best way to ask for a schedule change?

Say it straight, Dr. Cooper said: This is a public health emergency beyond my control, so heres what I can do given these constraints, and lets work together to figure out a way through it.

Remember that theres nothing wrong with asking for flexibility, especially if you lay out the facts. At the same time, be mindful of how your employer may respond, and document your conversations when possible in time-stamped emails. Laws in only three U.S. states and six cities provide protection against retaliation when an employee requests a schedule change, Ms. Dinan said. And a recent survey conducted by A Better Balance and the New York City Comptroller found that caregivers earning less than $50,000 per year were twice as likely to experience retaliation after requesting flexibility from their employers as those making more than $100,000.

Q: Am I entitled to time off if I or my child gets sick?

In addition to any sick leave you have, the Family and Medical Leave Act gives eligible workers 12 weeks of job-protected unpaid leave if they or a family member has a serious health condition. You cannot use F.M.L.A. time to stay home to avoid contracting Covid-19 or to care for healthy children affected by school closures.
The American Psychological Association recommends a number of grounding exercises you can do at your desk, including a quick body scan and a simple breathing practice. You can also home in on a straightforward task, such as counting backward by three in your head, to focus your brain and untangle racing thoughts.

Small sensory hits can help anchor you in the present moment, too. Dionne Hart, a psychiatrist based in Minneapolis, suggested heading to the bathroom and splashing cold water on your face, or placing an ice pack on your wrist, if you have access to the office freezer.

Cognitive strategies are a useful framework for dealing with anxiety, Dr. Brewer added. You can remind yourself that panic attacks are not dangerous  and that youve always gotten through them in the past.

Help may be at hand.

If you find yourself struggling at work, you may benefit from asking for an adjustment to make the transition back to the office more manageable. The Americans With Disabilities Act offers protections for workers with physical and mental impairments, and grants you the right to ask for a reasonable accommodation if you have a mental health condition.

The word reasonable is key, and it can be tricky to identify, said Darcy Gruttadaro, director of the Center for Workplace Mental Health at the American Psychiatric Association Foundation. Its a process of negotiation, Ms. Gruttadaro said. If an employer believes the accommodation request is not reasonable, they have to make the case for why that is; the onus is on the employee to prove they can perform their job duties with the accommodation.

Its not just anything goes, she said. If the employer believes it will be an undue burden, it will be costly, and they can make that case, then they dont have to provide that accommodation.
Wary of independent scrutiny, Beijing has tightly controlled efforts by the World Health Organization to investigate the origin of the outbreak, and it rejected the health agencys recent call for a second phase of an inquiry that would look more closely at the lab theory.

China has been ramping up its disinformation campaign ahead of the results of an investigation by American intelligence agencies, ordered by President Biden. The agencies delivered their report on the origin of the pandemic to the president on Tuesday but have not yet concluded whether the virus emerged naturally or was the result of an accidental leak from a lab.

The point is to really saturate the airwaves with all of this, which most average Chinese will not be able to see behind, said Dali Yang, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. A lot of it is anticipating and trying to fend off, pre-emptively, this potential American study by the intelligence community.

The Chinese government has argued that Beijing has done its part in the search for the origin of the pandemic by facilitating a visit by experts from the W.H.O. earlier this year, and that scientists should now look at other countries, including the United States. Beijing accuses those pushing for a lab investigation in China of trying to undermine the countrys image at home and abroad.

Wang Wenbin, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, has used routine news briefings this week to air baseless speculation that the virus had emerged in the United States before the first cases were reported in China. He cited an outbreak of lung disease in July 2019 in Wisconsin that American health authorities have already connected to vaping, not Covid. On Wednesday, he said the W.H.O. should investigate labs in Fort Detrick and elsewhere in the United States that research coronaviruses.

The United States has been accusing China of being opaque on the issue of tracing the origins of the virus and falsely accusing China of using false propaganda, Mr. Wang said on Tuesday. Yet it has been making excuses, carefully concealing secrets, avoiding problems passively and constantly setting up obstacles.

Dr. Michael Ryan, a W.H.O. official, criticized China at a news conference on Wednesday for pushing such unproven ideas. It is slightly contradictory if colleagues in China are saying that the lab leak hypothesis is unfounded in the context of China, but we now need to go and do laboratory investigations in other countries for leaks there, Dr. Ryan said.
A Chinese citizen journalist who was imprisoned for exposing the failures of the governments initial response to the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan is seriously ill from a hunger strike, according to messages from her family shared by her former lawyer and a friend.

The journalist, Zhang Zhan, 37, had traveled to Wuhan from her home in Shanghai and spent the early days of the outbreak documenting the citys strict lockdown and the severe impact it had on residents livelihoods and freedoms.

Ms. Zhangs reports challenged the governments efforts to portray its response as competent and caring. She was convicted last year of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, a vague charge often used to target dissent, and sentenced to four years in prison after a three-hour, closed-door trial.

Ms. Zhang began a hunger strike after her arrest in May of last year. Her lawyers previously said that the authorities had used a feeding tube to feed her and restrained her hands. Her mother, Shao Wenxia, described it as a partial hunger strike, with Ms. Zhang eating fruit and cookies but not meat, rice or vegetables.
Five young women who are part of a famed Afghan robotics team  which had been a symbol of opportunities for women and girls in a post-Taliban Afghanistan  have arrived in Mexico as part of the first group of evacuees to land there.

They will be received with great affection by the people of Mexico, Marcelo Ebrard, Mexicos foreign minister, said at a news conference at Mexico Citys international airport late on Tuesday. They are bearers of a dream: to show that we can have an egalitarian, fraternal and gender-equal world.

Mr. Ebrard has led Mexicos efforts to evacuate people from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover this month, cutting through a typically lengthy immigration process to provide immediate protection. A group of Afghans who worked for The New York Times, along with their families, also arrived safely in Mexico on Wednesday.
KABUL, Afghanistan  In his first sit-down interview with a Western media outlet since the Taliban took full control of Afghanistan, one of the groups leaders on Wednesday offered a portrait of a group intent on rebuilding a country shattered by decades of war.

We want to build the future, and forget what happened in the past, the spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in an interview with The New York Times. He rejected widespread fears that the Taliban are already exacting vengeance on those who opposed them and want to reimpose the harsh controls on women that made them notorious when they ruled the country 20 years ago.

The interview came just a day after Mr. Mujahid warned the women of Afghanistan that it might be safest for them to remain home until more rank-and-file Taliban fighters have been trained in how not to mistreat them.

It was a notable acknowledgment of the many changes to Afghan society that greeted the Taliban when they re-entered a city they had not controlled for two decades.
In an interview with The New York Times, the Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny discusses life in Penal Colony No. 2 in Pokrov, Russia, where he is being held; President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia; international sanctions imposed on Russia; the upcoming elections for the Duma, Russias lower house of Parliament; his poisoning with the chemical weapon Novichok; being tailed by the Federal Security Service, or the F.S.B., the successor agency to the K.G.B.; and a host of other issues. These excerpts have been edited for space and clarity.

How have you been treated in prison?

Before, my zone was famous for fearsome beatings of inmates. Now, nobody is beaten, or at least I havent heard about it. But as they say, At first you work for your reputation, and then your reputation works for you. And that is true of this prison. People who have the poor fortune of being told they will serve in Pokrov arrive noticeably subdued and afraid. The zone specializes in psychological violence.

This is far and away more sophisticated. They wont beat you  quite the opposite, with continual provocation, they will put you in a position where you have to beat up somebody else, hit somebody, threaten somebody. And then the deed is done  there are video cameras everywhere, and the administration with great pleasure will open a new criminal case against you on charges of assault, adding a few years to your sentence. To not succumb to provocation, this is the most important thing to learn here.

The first few months, I was really good at this, and now things became calmer. I just decided this would become an excellent Christian practice. We continually talk about loving thine enemy, but really, just try to understand and forgive people you literally couldnt stand at all just a little while ago. But Im trying.
The approach of lengthy, enforced television watching, while taken to extremes at Penal Colony No. 2, is not unique to the site, where inmates in politically hued cases have been incarcerated before.

It sprang from a penal reform in Russia begun in 2010 to boost guards control over inmates through their day and to reduce the sway of prison gangs. The intent is not so much brainwashing as control, experts on the Russian prison system say.

Everything is organized so that I am under maximum control 24 hours a day, Mr. Navalny said. He said he had not been assaulted or threatened by fellow inmates but estimated that about one-third were what are known in Russian prisons as activists, those who serve as informants to the warden.

During his first weeks in the penal colony, Mr. Navalnys limbs numbed, either from lingering effects of the poisoning or from a back injury from riding in a prison van. He also went on a 24-day hunger strike, raising alarms about his health.

His neurological symptoms eased when guards stopped waking him hourly at night, ostensibly to ensure he wasnt plotting an escape.

I now understand why sleep deprivation is one of the favorite tortures of the special services, he said. No traces remain, and its impossible to tolerate.

He said he gets along well with other inmates, and that they sometimes cook snacks in a microwave.

When we cook, I always remember the classic scene from Goodfellas when the mafia bosses cook pasta in a prison cell, he said. Unfortunately, we dont have such a cool pot, and pasta is forbidden. Still, its fun.
Zara Rutherford, 19, was about 20 minutes into a flight from Iceland to Greenland when her tiny plane lost radio contact with the outside world.

As she flew about 1,500 feet above the Denmark Strait, staying low to dodge clouds, she listened to a podcast in which a YouTube celebrity argued that the only certainty in life is death.

I was like, well, thats kind of what Im anxious about, Ms. Rutherford said. That was quite funny and it made me laugh. If only she knew!

Ms. Rutherford, who is Belgian and British, began her journey in Europe last week and entered United States airspace on Thursday morning. She plans to return to Belgium on Nov. 3 after soaring over 52 countries on five continents.
You should also keep checking your flight status before heading out, in case there are any delays or changes to your flight. It may be helpful to download the application for the airline youre flying with so you can more easily track your flight and any schedule changes.

What should I do if my flight is delayed?

Under federal law, airlines are obliged to provide a full refund to customers if a flight is significantly delayed and the passenger chooses not to travel. What constitutes a significant delay is determined by the airline, but Mr. Keyes said that two hours is usually a good rule of thumb. You should check your airlines website for its contract of carriage, which outlines the policies, for more specific information.

If you choose to travel, you should get in line to speak with a gate agent to discuss your options. Youll typically be placed on the next flight with available seats. You can also call the airline, but considering the long wait times on a lot of U.S. customer service lines, Mr. Keyes recommends trying one of the airlines international numbers, which are listed on their websites contact us pages and might have a shorter wait.

You want to make sure you know what the cellphone rates are, he said, but if youre calling Canada, its like two cents a minute. Its going to be a 20-minute call versus a three-hour wait if youre calling a U.S. hotline. I think its worth 40 cents.

If you booked through an online travel agency, such as Expedia or Orbitz, you will need to call it directly to resolve your issue. The airline generally wont want to deal with you, Mr. Keyes said.

If you choose to keep traveling, you are not entitled to compensation under federal law, but some airlines may offer it if the delay is their fault, such as if its caused by a mechanical or staffing issue.

American Airlines, for instance, will arrange an overnight stay for customers whose flight is delayed and does not board before midnight on the scheduled arrival day, said Andrea Koos, a spokeswoman for American Airlines.
Over the weekend, record-breaking rainfall in Middle Tennessee caused catastrophic floods, killing at least 20 people. Seventeen inches of rain were recorded on Saturday in McEwen, Tenn., topping the states 24-hour record of 13.6 inches and triggering flash flooding in lower elevations as rainwater flowed downhill.

Record levels of rain at higher elevations around McEwen caused a flash flood to sweep through the valley, inundating Waverly. McEwen 17 inches TENNESSEE RIVER Waverly Trace creek blue creek 16 inches of rainfall HURRICANE creek New Johnsonville duck river 12 inches 8 inches TUMBLING creek 4 inches 2 inches 0.5 inches sugar creek PINEY RIVER 5 MILES Record levels of rain at higher elevations around McEwen caused a flash flood to sweep through the valley, inundating Waverly. TENNESSEE RIVER McEwen 17 inches Waverly Trace creek blue creek HURRICANE creek 16 inches of rainfall New Johnsonville duck river 12 inches 8 inches TUMBLING creek 4 inches 2 inches sugar creek 0.5 inches PINEY RIVER 5 MILES Record levels of rain at higher elevations around McEwen caused a flash flood to sweep through the valley, inundating Waverly. TENNESSEE RIVER McEwen 17 inches Waverly 16 inches of rainfall 12 inches duck river 8 inches 4 inches 2 inches 0.5 inches 5 MILES Record levels of rain at higher elevations around McEwen caused a flash flood to sweep through the valley, inundating Waverly. McEwen 17 inches Waverly 16 inches of rainfall 12 in. duck river 8 in. 4 in. 2 in. 10 MILES Source: NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory MRMS Program

The flooding struck a hilly rural area crisscrossed by rivers and creeks in and around Humphreys County, about 70 miles west of Nashville.

The flash floods in the county were largely a result of the immense quantity of rain and how quickly it fell, said Krissy Hurley, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Nashville.

Hourly rainfall on Saturday in McEwen, Tenn. 3.3 inches 3 inches 2 1 8 p.m. 2 a.m. 8 a.m. 2 p.m. 3 inches 2 1 2 a.m. 8 a.m. 2 p.m. 8 p.m. 3.3 inches 3 inches 2 1 8 p.m. 2 a.m. 8 a.m. 2 p.m. Source: Tennessee Valley Authority

Its unprecedented for three to four inches of rain per hour to fall for three straight hours, Ms. Hurley said.

Flooding is a result of both heavy rainfall and of the way water is managed  through dams, levees or retention ponds  as well as the local hydrology, or the way that water flows, collects and runs off the land.

The catastrophic flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall caught many by surprise in Waverly last weekend. Brandon Dill for The New York Times

Much of the rain that fell near McEwen flowed down to Waverly, a community of 4,100 people that sits several hundred feet lower. There, entire neighborhoods were washed away by the floodwaters.

Ms. Hurley explained that the water had been funneled into Trace Creek, which runs downstream through Waverly.
An Englishman dubbed Silent Man has caused numerous traffic jams in his home city of Swansea over the last seven years by simply standing in the middle of traffic. Because he never says a word, no one has any idea why he does it.

Ever since 2014, David Hampson has repeatedly hindered traffic by standing in the middle of the road, in the exact same spot. The 51-year-old is subject to a criminal behavior order which forbids him from obstructing any public highway in England and Wales, but judging by his past action, he doesnt care much about such accusations. In 2018, Hampson was sentenced to three years in prison for blocking the road in exactly the same spot as always, just outside the Swansea Central Police Station. And just as always, he refused to offer any explanation, or say anything else for that matter. The same thing happened the last time he decided to block the road, in December of 2020. Now he faces criminal charges.

Photo: Minkus/Unsplash

Because Silent Man has never once talked to anyone about his motives for constantly blocking traffic in the exact same place every few months, no one has any idea why he does it. Witnesses, including police officers, recently told a Swansea court that Hampson can 100% talk, and one even described him as a very polite man who would say thank you after getting what he had asked for.

David Hampson has already been jailed nine times for causing repeated traffic jams with his antics over the last seven years, but he continues to do it. Even when he eventually gets handcuffed and arrested, he refuses to offer any kind of motive for his actions.

David Hampson has been doing the same thing since 2014 outside Swansea Central police station, and no one knows why https://t.co/bqhxsVWJeL  Metro (@MetroUK) August 19, 2021

Either Mr Hampson is going to spend the rest of his life in prison or something is done to help him with what are clearly deep-seated problems, Judge Paul Thomas said during a recent hearing. The court wants to help him rather than punish him  whether he is willing to help us do that is another matter.

The judge ordered a psychiatric report of Hampsons action, but the accused refused to speak to the doctors. He also asked for his medical records to be handed over to doctors, in the hopes of finding answers to the two enigmas  why he consistently blocks traffic in the same spot, and why he refuses to speak about it.

Photo: Kristina Flour/Unsplash

During a recent hearing, the court heard that David Hampson can talk, he just refuses to do so. His sentence is scheduled for August 31.
Derris is handling media for the public listing of Warby Parker Inc., which on Aug. 24 filed a Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the public listing of the stock.

Following completion of the SEC review and approval, Warby Parker will trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

Launched in 2010 as direct-to-consumer marketing of high-quality prescription eyeglasses, the New York-based company now has 145 retailer outlets.

Warby Parker, which is organized as a public benefit corporation, recorded a 52.9 percent jump in first-half revenues to $270.5M. Net loss narrowed to $7.3M from $10M.

Lena Griffin, managing director of Derris, represents Warby Parker.

Derris, which has offices in New York and London, fashions itself as a brand consultancy. It has worked with Harrys, Everlane, Oscar, Reformation, Glossier, Hims and Hudson Yards.
THE Covid-19 vaccination centre for county Offaly will move to Mucklagh Community Centre from the Tullamore Court Hotel on Monday next.

The contract for use of the hotel has expired and last vaccinations will be administered there on this Friday, a spokesman for the HSE said.

The centre opened at the hotel on May 3 last and reached a milestone on Tuesday, August 10 when the 50,000th vaccine was administered there.

The centre had the capacity to vaccinate 1,000 people a day and Mucklagh Community Centre will have the same capacity with a similar number of vaccination bays.

Meanwhile, the Covid-19 vaccine is now available from participating Offaly pharmacies for people aged 12 and over

For people wishing to avail of this service, they can simply make contact with their nearest pharmacy offering the ervice and book an appointment.

Des OFlynn Chief Officer, Midlands Louth Meath Community Healthcare Organisation said: Support from pharmacies is instrumental in ensuring access to vaccines for people in the community who may not be in a position to get to one of our HSE vaccination centres.

We would encourage people to take up a vaccination at a participating pharmacy, or at a HSE centre, if they have yet to receive a vaccine. Please be assured that all those participating in the vaccine rollout have received dedicated training to ensure the safe and effective administration of the vaccine.

The HSE thanks the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) and our local participating pharmacies for their continued support to ensure we can roll out the vaccine in as safe and timely a manner as possible.

Darragh OLoughlin, Secretary General of the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) said: Vaccines are the most effective way to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the effects of Covid-19 and pharmacists are delighted to be playing their part in the COVID-19 National Vaccination Programme.

Weve been administering vaccinations in pharmacies for over ten years so people are used to being vaccinated by their local pharmacist. Vaccination centres have done a great job in rolling out the vaccine but were aware that some people may feel more comfortable getting the vaccine in a local pharmacy, often from someone they know.

Over 740 community pharmacies are administering the Covid-19 vaccination around the country so people should not have to travel far to get vaccinated. Supplies and deliveries of vaccines will vary from week to week depending on demand.

People looking to register for pharmacy vaccination should contact their local participating pharmacy. The list of pharmacies administering the Covid-19 vaccine can be found on the HSE website.
It was a great week for Offaly greyhounds with 11 winners in total including a tremendous day in Mullingar on Sunday where seven Offaly trained dogs crossed the line in first place.

Early Week Racing

There were two Offaly winners in Mullingar on Monday evening week. In an S5 330 yard sprint, Killeshill Oscar made all to win, by three lengths in 18.62 (40 slow), at 5/2 for Croghan owner Vincent Lynch. Camas Special won an A3 525 for Nuala Lynch in 29.41(50 slow) by three lengths at 2/1.

In Shelbourne Park, on Tuesday, in an A4 grade, Kilbride Dan won for Geashill trainer Margaret Bolton, in 29.11 by four lengths, at a well supported 2/1. In Newbridge, on Thursday, Beechgrove Lady showed a massive amount of stamina to out stay a decent field in an A4 contest in 29.15 by five lengths at 2/1.

Offaly dogs in Derby

Only two Offaly dogs remained in derby after the first round. Unfortunately Glenquain Pat was eliminated on Friday in a very tricky heat as he missed the break and finished down the field in a fast time. Our last remaining dog is Amidus Luke for Cappincur owners Charlie and Justin Colgan who once again showed great finishing power to just get up for third and qualify. This dog has the speed and stamina to get through another few more rounds but probably needs to trap a little better. If hes in contention down the back straight he will take a lot of stopping. Hoping for a favourable trap.

Sundays Racing

A great day for the Offaly dogs in Mullingar at the matinee meeting with seven winners, all in fine style. Moneygall owner Mary Jones got us off the mark as Lingrawn Elody won an A3 550 contest in 31.30 by one length at 2/1. Next up was Supersonic Buzz for Daingean owner Oliver Etches in an A5 race in 29.92 by two lengths at 4/1 with Deirdre Barry training.

Banagher owner Mary Moran had a double as Ollys Mary won an A4 contest in 29.82 by five lengths at 11/2 and Ollys Rodick won an A3 race in 29.64 by one length at 4/1.

There was also a double for Paddy McCormack as Fahy Dream won an A3 grade in 29.79 by two lengths at a decent 11/2 with Fahy Jim winning an A4 race in 29.93 by a short head at 9/2. Our final winner of the week was Lahinch Millie who had her third win from eleven career starts in an A5 race in 29.42 for Clara owner P.J. Cleary by one length at 5/2. All races in Mullingar were rated .50 slow.

Upcoming Events

Saturday, semi-finals of the Greyhound and Petworld A1 in Cork, final of the Slippy Cian unraced in Limerick and of course the third round of the Boylesports Irish Derby in headquarters.

For the second week in a row Amidus Luke gets the vote having qualified for the third round of the Boylesports Irish Derby for Cappincur owners Charlie and Justin Colgan. The standard this dog is competing in is of a serious high quality. Hopefully it continues.

Fridays Racing

Clonmel hosted the final of the Epic Hero A2 Bitch stake. The winner of the 1.1k purse was Coolanga Lady (Droopys Sydney- Princey Beag), in 29.21 by one length, for local owner Michael Lowry.

In Kilkenny, in the final of the Boylesports A3 bitch stake, Karlow Lark (Droopys Jet- Karlow Ming) justified favouritism when winning the 4.8k first prize for Henry Kelly by a head in 29.12 (30 slow) at 7/4 fav.

In Tralee, in the final of the Kingdom Greyhound Supplies Rose Of Tralee A4 sweepstake, Millrose Willow (Droopys Sydney - Sign On Katie) took the right night to win his only heat when crossing the whitewash first, in 28.95 (10 slow) by one length, at 6/1 with the 2.5k cheque going to Caoimhe OMahony.

Saturdays Racing

In Curraheen Park in Cork, in the quarter-finals of the Greyhound and Petworld A1 525, Glowing Exile was fastest of the four in 28.68 (10 fast) by one length at 3/1 for local owner Andrew Lynch.

Some top class racing in Limerick culminating in the semi-finals of the Slippy Cian @ stud ON3 unraced stake. Two good winners here as Jerrys Stag won the first for Pat OConnor in 28.55, by nine lengths at 5/4, and Lubagh Range the second for John OSullivan in 29.14 by four lengths at even money.

Boylesports Irish Derby

Eight second round heats on both Friday and Saturday with he cream of Irish dogs battling to qualify for next round. Friday, as is the norm, some terrific racing, eight great heat winners, all in exceptional times. Fastest on the night was Jennifer ODonnells brilliant bitch Scooby Princess in 29.40 by three lengths at 3/1. A double on the night for Graham Holland with all other leading trainers having a winner.

Saturday, the racing here even surpassed Fridays, the eight heat winners here had already won over 280k between them. 2020 English Derby winner Deerjet Sydney got the ball rolling for Pat Buckley when winning in 28.56. Sporting Press Oaks winner Susie Sapphire then won for Owen McKenna in 29.50. Produce Stake winner Explosive Boy showed why hes favorite for the derby crossing the whitewash in 29.40 for Pat Guilfoyle. Champion Open 550 winner Deadly Destroyer was first past the line for Karol Ramsbottom in 29.56, but the one who really caught the eye was 2020 Puppy Stake winner, Ballymac Ariel, who won for Liam Dowling in 29.40. The daughter of Ballymac Bolger will take a lot of beating with her early pace if she stays sound.

The real money in greyhound racing is in the stud dogs, of the forty eight dogs remaining, twenty three different stud dogs are represented. Droopys Jet is leading the way with eleven representatives, Droopys Sydney has seven and Laughil Blake has five. These three dogs have dominated Irish racing for some time now but are now quite old, one new dog who has two left is Out Of Range ASB and he may become the new sire of champions in time with Ballymac Bolger surely having a big future too.

Offaly winners

Eleven Offaly winners this week. Congratulations to all concerned.
AN Afghan family living in Tullamore have issued a plea to the Government here to provide political asylum for three female relatives trapped in the war torn country.

Abdul Hakim's sister and two daughters, aged 16 and 12, are living in dread since the Taliban's whirlwind takeover of Afghanistan.

"We are so fearful of what will happen to my nieces as the Taliban are attempting to forcedly marry young girls, Abdul Hakim told the Tribune.

He added: First they kill the men of the family and then sexually abuse girls and young women.

Abdul Hakim, whose surname has been withheld by the Tribune in order to protect his family, has been financially supporting his family in Afghanistan and ensuring his nieces receive an education.

But since the Taliban dramatically seized power his two nieces have been unable to attend school.

The Afghan native and his wife and two children have been living in Tullamore for the past eight years having come here under a refugee resettlement programme.

He has now called on the Government to issue humanitarian visas for his sister and nieces so they can begin a new life in Ireland.

If it's not possible to help the whole family we would be more than happy if the Government helped our two young cousins, Abdul Hakin's son explained.

The Tullamore based section of the family have been in regular contact with their relatives in Afghanistan in recent days but expect these lines of communication to be cut once the Taliban consolidate their hold on power.

The Taliban do not want people talking to the outside world, pointed out Abdul Hakim.

A letter sent from the family to the Department of Justice and Equality seeking asylum has yet to receive a response.

Abdul Hakim has first-hand experience of rule by the Taliban as his father, a university lecturer in Kabul, was murdered by the Islamic extremists when they last held power in the 1990s.

He said that despite assurances from the Taliban he expects them to target teachers and people who worked in the deposed Government.

No one is safe from them, he stressed.

The Taliban are not just bad for Afghanistan, they are bad for the world.

Abdul Hakim's son and daughter will graduate next year from Trinity College in Dublin with masters degrees in computer science and pharmaceutical science.

I am so happy that my children have had educational chances in Ireland, he added.

They will start serving Ireland and the people who saved their lives, he outlined adding: I can truly say that my nieces will work so hard to shape beautiful careers in the future in Ireland as well.

He said he and his family were so grateful for the love, peace, security and hope they enjoyed every day since they came to Ireland eight years ago.

I truly respect that Ireland has policies that accept refugees . . . you are showing the world that people here really do care about what is happening to people in Afghanistan, he stressed.
HSE waiting lists in Laois-Offaly show that the number of patients waiting for day procedures in Tullamore Hospital is 995, the highest of the Midland hospitals.

The number waiting for procedures in Portlaoise Hospital is 555, while in Mullingar Regional Hospital it is 468.

Sinn Fein TD for Laois-Offaly Brian Stanley has said the waiting lists in Tullamore, Portlaoise and Mullingar Hospitals need to be tackled.

"Patients are waiting longer than ever to receive care. Across the State, the total number waiting for day procedures stands at 80,283.

"National hospital waiting lists have reached a total of over 819,000 for the first time. While waiting lists were over 700,000 before Covid-19, it has contributed further to growing lists. Covid has exposed a healthcare system that does not have enough beds, consultants, nurses or other health professionals. The health service is at crisis point and it is not fit for purpose. With another winter emerging there will be further pressure on the already overstretched services. Action is needed now," Deputy Stanley added.

Sinn Fein is proposing a fully costed 914m package, including one-off capital investment of 568m, to turn the tide in favour of patients and healthcare workers," he said.

This includes 600 more beds above the Governments current plans, filling more than 600 consultant posts and hiring 4,000 additional hospital staff, and 430 critical care beds by 2025.

This also includes 150m for theatre capacity expansion and equipment to deliver more treatment in public hospitals, and a fund of 100m for equipment upgrades and patient management and waiting list system modernisation.

"Everywhere we look in the health service, from waiting lists to Covid-19 to the cyber-attack, there is a fire to be put out and an emergency to be tackled. It is limping from crisis to crisis. We are also proposing a fund of 100m to upgrade the IT infrastructure for better patient and waiting list management. This would also include investment in IT equipment to deliver modern care in modern hospitals.

We need an urgent plan to catch up on missed care, reduce waiting lists, and deliver a top-class, universal public health service. We need a fresh start with a system that is fair for health workers, equitable for patients, efficient, and modern. Above all else, we need to tackle waiting lists now.
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In yet another incident that exposes the Talibans claim of being generous towards women this time, the Islamist terror outfit has warned the women of Afghanistan to stay indoors, since the Taliban terrorists are not taught how to respect women. "We are worried our forces who are new and have not been yet trained very well may mistreat women," spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said. "We don't want our forces, God forbid, to harm or harass women." But he called it a "temporary" policy intended to protect women until the Taliban could ensure their safety.



Contrary to their regime from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban has been trying to project itself as a liberal force. But the early signs are not promising.



Responding to the Afghan situation, Ms Heather Barr, the associate director of women's rights at Human Rights Watch, said, The explanation was that the security was not good, and they were waiting for security to be better, and then women would be able to have more freedom. "But of course in those years they were in power, that moment never arrived - and I can promise you Afghan women hearing this today are thinking it will never arrive this time, either."
Nirendra Dev

The country is in turmoil, and it has all the potential to influence and disturb the entire region and the global polity.



New Delhi: Foreign interference is an oft-heard phrase in diplomacy. Generally, the country that faces foreign interference has grievances and serious complaints; but the table seems to have turned with Afghanistan. The reasons beingAfghanistan itself has been the scene of foreign power actions for over a century now.



If Indias role in development diplomacy is also taken into account, the Afghan story has been that of anecdotes of a loose alliance between dispensation(s) in Kabul and communist Russia, Islamic religious moneyed-Saudi lobby, occasional games by Iran and the powerful US.



There are bigger issues at stake in the region. Will the region become the next ground for conflicts between Taliban and IS? IS considers Shias as infidels, and this never went down well with Iran. The Taliban-Al Qaeda link is, of course, one area of concern. Iran is a well known Shia powerhouse and Talibana monopoly of Sunnis, so how would things progress here? In the 1990s, the Taliban faced problems from Iran when the latter helped US forces to topple the Taliban in 2001. Will the ongoing tension between the US and countries such as Iran, Russia and China worsen further? Iran has, over the years, mobilized Shia communities throughout the Middle East for the protection of the Assad regime. In the past, too, the Iranian security agencies have recruited a large number of Afghan and Pakistani Shias to fight in Syria.



All eyes may be now on Beijing, Moscow and Tehran and whether they form any lasting axis to take on Washington. The Quad formed by the US, India, Japan and Australia has already been a pain in the neck for Russia and China.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his chief foreign policy aides, Dr S Jaishankar and Ajit Doval are aware of how things could turn.

Thus, they have taken the right initiatives through interactions at the highest level between PM Modi and President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.



In the 20th century, the British and Russian empires played so-called intervention roles. Subsequently, the United States chipped in and provided arms and logistic support to eject Russians. This happened in the 1980s, and this was also the period when Pakistan was the blue-eyed boy of Uncle Sam. Much later, the terrorism thrived with support from the Saudi lobby, and then Al-Qaeda made the region the base to strike with their infamous misadventure of all time - the 9/11.



Yet again, the country is in turmoil, and it has all the potential to influence and disturb the entire region and the global polity.

In the new circumstance, as the US and its NATO partners make a retreat rather sheepishly, Afghanistan could soon again turn a theatre of international games by a few neo and old players, namely Pakistan, China, Iran and Russia.



But in all these changing games and so on, one thing is permanent. The mistrust remains the biggest player in more ways than one.

Pakistan has put all its eggs in the Taliban basket to create a possible fighting cushion against India. But what would happen if the monster they have created gets it on its neck.



China, Russia and Iranall have their respective interests and games. From the sidelines, but importantly, India needs to be careful that the next round of Mujahideen and radical Islamic games do not get a kickoff in Kashmir. New Delhi has started exploring the possibilities by starting to ban Hurriyat.
Trudeau announced that his government would pressurise the Taliban to allow the people to leave Afghanistan and assured that he will work with other G7 nations to rescue as many people as possible.

On Tuesday (August 24), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada would keep its military personnel in Afghanistan despite the deadline of August 31 set by the Taliban.

Trudeau announced that his government would pressurise the Taliban to allow the people to leave Afghanistan. The Canadian Prime Minister has assured that he will work with other G7 nations to rescue as many people as possible.

"Our commitment to Afghanistan doesn't end when this current phase, this current deadline, comes. We will continue to put pressure on the Taliban to allow people to leave the country," Trudeau said.

"We're going to continue to work every single day to get as many people out alongside our allies. The commitment by our fellow G7 nations is clear: we're all going to work together to save as many people as possible," he added.
Zarifa Ghafari became the mayor of Maidan Shahr, the capital city of Wardak province, has fled to Germany after the Taliban took over Afghanistan.

New Delhi: Zarifa Ghafari, a former Afghan mayor on Tuesday (August 24), said that Pakistan has a significant role behind the Taliban seizing control of the war-ravaged country, adding that the international community is responsible for the prevailing situation in the country.



She blamed the Afghan people for not raising their voices against terrorism.



"The role of Pakistan is very clear, every child of Afghanistan knows this," Ghafari, who at 26 became the country's first woman mayor of Maidan Shahr city that lies west of Kabul, told ANI.



Ghafari, who at 26 became the mayor of Maidan Shahr, the capital city of Wardak province has fled to Germany after the Taliban takeover. Several former government officials and Afghan experts also accused Pakistan of helping the Taliban in capturing Afghanistan.



"For whatever Afghanistan is facing today, everyone is to be blamed including local people, politicians, children, and the international community. The local people never raised their voices unitedly against all wrong, including terrorism," she added.



Zarifa Ghafari is now considering meeting high-ranking officials, politicians and women of different countries to draw attention to the crisis in Afghanistan.



"My aim is to meet high-ranking officials, politicians and women of different countries to make them aware of the real situation in Afghanistan, and ask them to join me for the start of a movement."



Recounting her last few days in Afghanistan, Ghafari said the Taliban, who landed up at her home searching for her, beat up her house guard.



"I can not forgive anyone as today I have lost all achievements of the past 20 years. I have nothing left today. I only have the soil from my land with me today," she said.



She claimed the Taliban was killing "one-by-one" those who spoke against them.



"Taliban have a list of people who took a liberal approach during the earlier internationally recognized regimes, Ghafari said while recalling that the Taliban searched for her at her residence in Afghanistan and thrashed the security guards deployed there.



"Just around nine or 10 am Taliban have been to my house, they were asking for me, and they grabbed my car away they beat my guards. They were all searching for me. And those people who have been always speaking against them against their resistance and everything, and they're killing them one by one, they kill too many people," she said.



"Everyone is to be blamed, including local people, youth, politicians, for the current situation of Afghanistan," said the former mayor of Maidan Shahr, Kabul.



When asked whether the Taliban will face resistance from Afghans, Ghafari urged Afghans to raise their voice against the Taliban: "Yes, definitely. Do you know why they (Taliban) are killing people like me? Because they don't want other people to know what they are. They don't want Afghans to stand against them".



"Afghanistan was ours and it'll remain ours no matter who comes. If women like me are now not there it's because... Just like a tiger who takes two steps back to come back with more force...We have to show to the world the real face of Taliban in Afghanistan."



Following the forceful takeover by the Taliban, fear and panic have engulfed Afghanistan, and many people are trying to flee the country in order to escape the terror group.



On Tuesday, Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said she has received harrowing and credible reports of serious violations of and human rights abuses in Afghanistan under the Taliban, including executions of civilians.



During a UNHRC session on Afghanistan, she has received harrowing and credible reports of serious violations of and human rights abuses in Afghanistan under the Taliban, including executions of civilians.



Courtesy: ANI
Cumulative recoveries rose to 3,17,54,281 after 34,169 fresh recoveries in the last 24 hours and the recovery rate has gone up to 97.67 per cent.

New Delhi: India reported 37,593 fresh cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, with Kerala contributing to a majority of 24,296 fresh infections.



As per the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday, 648 new fatalities pushed the cumulative toll to 4,35,758.



The total caseload in the country climbed to 3,25,12,366, including 3,22,327 active cases. Active cases now account for less than 1 per cent of the total cases and is currently at 0.99 per cent.



Cumulative recoveries rose to 3,17,54,281 after 34,169 fresh recoveries in the last 24 hours. With this, the recovery rate has gone up to 97.67 per cent.



A total of 51,11,84,547 samples were tested up to August 24. Of which, 17,92,755 samples were tested yesterday, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).



The weekly positivity rate currently stands at 1.92 per cent, less than 3 per cent for the last 61 days, whereas the daily positivity rate at 2.10 per cent, less than 3 per cent for the last 30 days.



Meanwhile, Kerala recorded 24,296 COVID-19 positive cases, the highest single-day spike by any state/Union Territory in the country on Tuesday. The state also registered 173 Covid fatalities.



Earlier on August 16, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya visited Kerala and discussed the public health response to COVID-19 in the state with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Health Minister Veena George.



As a part of the ongoing vaccination drive in the country, the total beneficiaries vaccinated across the country reached 59,55,04,593, including 61,90,930, who received shots in the last 24 hours.



Courtesy: ANI
Pankaj Jayaswal

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been playing a pivotal role in space exploration, bringing glory to our great nation and helping our defence forces, government, society, and industry.



Humankind is interested to know everything in the universe. The curiosity to know the unknown scientifically resulted in exploring every aspect of space through various space missions by various organisations like ISRO, NASA.The imperceptible longing to explore and challenge the confines of what we know and where we have been has provided benefits to our society for periods.

Benefits, which are ignored by many:

New technologies that can be used in other industries and society (such as the development of communications satellites) Improved knowledge of space and the origin of the universe Cultural benefits.

The advance of artificial satellite technology was an unswerving outcome of space exploration. Since the USSR launched the first artificial satellite (Sputnik 1) on October 4, 1957, thousands of satellites have been positioned into orbit around the Earth by more than 40 nations.

These satellites are used for various applications, including observation (by both military and civilian agencies), communication, navigation, biomedical research, and weather monitoring.

Communications satellites are used for various purposes, including television, telephone, radio, internet, and military applications. Space stations, space telescopes and spacecraft in orbit around the Earth are also regarded as satellites.

How is India faring in space exploration?

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been playing a pivotal role in space exploration, bringing glory to our great nation and helping our defence forces, government, society, and industry. In the 1970s, Indian space missions with USSR assistance initiated the launching of the first two satellites.

After assuming office in 2014, the Modi government increased the budget to 6000 crores, 50% more than the 2013-14 budget. Every passing year the budget is being increased; this years budget is almost 14000 crore. Significant increase in budget over the last seven years augmented payload capacity with improved reliability, better launch frequency, and many firsts in this decade had made the Indian space program far more evident to the world with substantial coverage from global media. The last launch of the decade was marked with the accomplishment of 50 launches of PSLV rocket. In the last seven years, 58 satellites have been launched by ISRO out of total 128 satellites (8 failed) launched in 50 years, the highest ever. The plan is even bigger. Though NASA is far ahead of us in space exploration, it cannot be ignored that a big pool of Indian engineers and scientists contributes to their programs.

While India had to face failure in launching relatively heavier satellites earlier, it ended up launching 27 geosynchronous/geostationary satellites (17 with indigenous and 10 with European launchers). It managed to launch most of its geosynchronous/geostationary satellites efficaciously on its own. This period also saw India enter the elite club of nations capable of launching probes to Mars. ISRO also enhanced upon its student/university outreach by launching multiple pico-, nano- and mini-satellites from various Indian universities. The last few years were also marked by multiple bilateral collaborations with foreign universities and research organisations. We have seen the completion of NAVIC, Indias regional navigation system.

Private players increased subcontracting across the nation enhanced launch frequency by a factor of more than two. India was able to fix glitches and operationalise its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle with an indigenous upper stage and operationalise next-generation launch vehicle GSLV Mk III with nearly double payload capacity, enabled the country to launch nearly all of its communication satellites. India launched its delayed Moon mission Chandrayaan-2 in 2019, which, however unsuccessful to conduct a soft landing on the lunar surface. India also established and demonstrated the capability to destroy enemy satellites in orbit. Increased application of Indias space capabilities in consolidation to its national security was witnessed.

ISRO aims to conduct 50 launches by 2024. Besides increasing the launch frequency to 12+ a year, a number of extraterrestrial exploration missions including Aditya L1, Chandrayaan-3, Lunar Polar Exploration Mission, Shukrayaan-1 and Mars Orbiter Mission 2 are planned for this decade. A mission to Jupiter after Shukrayaan and a mission to explore beyond Solar System have also been proposed. PSLV is expected to undergo its 100th flight mission in the middle of the decade. Indias new low-cost Small Satellite Launch Vehicle is expected to make its maiden flight by the end of 2021, while SCE-200, which is expected to be the powerplant of Indias upcoming heavy and super-heavy launch systems, is expected to make first flight sometimes in the middle of the decade. Conducting a human orbital spaceflight before August 2022 is the highest priority for the agency, while the long-term goals of the programme include manned space stations and crewed lunar landing. (Source: List of Indian Satellites, Wikipedia).

Lets wish for the entire team of ISRO and related agencies for the success of upcoming space missions. Let our programs unite nations for the betterment of society, nation, world and environment.
In yet another incident that exposes the deep-rooted hatred Islamists have for nationalist leaders, these anti-national elements have slammed the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) for condoling the demise of former UP CM Kalyan Singh.

The posters, put up by students of Aligarh Muslim University, said that Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor's act condoling the death of Kalyan Singh was an 'unforgiving crime'. It is criminal to condole a criminal, a poster read.

"The condolent words of the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University on the demise of ex-chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Singh is not only a matter of shame but also hurting religious sentiments of our community since it is against the ethos, culture and tradition of AMU. Kalyan Singh is not only the main culprit in the demolition of Babri Masjid but also an offender of disdain with regard to the Supreme Court order," the notice displayed on the walls of the university read.
The much-hyped Kerala healthcare model has collapsed, with the COVID-19 cases increasing day by day. Kerala recorded 24,296 cases and 173 deaths on Tuesday (August 24). TPR rate has risen to an alarming level of 18.04 Per cent.

India logged in 37,642 fresh cases on Tuesday, the highest single-day count since August 13. As per reports, the state of Kerala attributed to nearly 65 per cent of the Covid tally. Tuesdays count of 24,296 was the highest single-day tally of cases in the state since it recorded 28,798 on May 26.

24,296 COVID cases were reported while 1,34,706 samples were tested.
International countries and institutions have stopped their aid to Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the country.

Afghanistan, which is already going through a tough phase because of the Taliban takeover, might face starvation if the world leaders don't act fast.



Millions of Afghans could soon face starvation because of a combination of conflict, drought, and the coronavirus pandemic, the executive director of the World Food Programme, David Beasley, told Reuters on Tuesday (August 24). He said, "There's a perfect storm coming because of several years of drought, conflict, economic deterioration, compounded by Covid. The number of people marching towards starvation has spiked to now 14 Million," said the executive director.



Afghanistan is facing economic as the world countries and institutions started to withhold aid and monetary reserves after The Taliban insurgents took over Afghanistan on August 15.



The WFP is warning of a human catastrophe looming in Afghanistan if the United Nations agency cannot raise US$200 million by September. Beasley said he was worried about whether the food agency could raise the US$200 million and hoped Qatar, Gulf Arab states, United States would contribute. He said the Afghanistan citizens need aid, and the number of people needing the WFP help could double if the international community turn their back on Afghans. He said the Taliban had provided assurances to the WFP to allow its aid to continue to reach the people unimpeded and were not taxing their aiding vehicles.



His warning comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) said it has enough supplies in Afghanistan that could last only a week after the medical equipment deliveries from abroad were blocked in Kabul because of restrictions. The agency also raised its concerns that the current upheaval could spike Covid-19 cases in the country. EU official announced on Tuesday said they ramped up the Afghan aid programme and would seek safety guarantee on the ground and coordination with the UN to deliver, as the bloc's executive and G-7 leaders prepare to discuss the crisis in the country.
Nirendra Dev

A principal communist protagonist Pushpa Kumar Dahal, also known as Prachanda, was virtually toying with the idea of quitting politics and dedicating future time to "writing books".

New Delhi: Just around the time mainland Asia and the world were debating the rise of radical Islam and Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, in another corner in South Asia, there was a debate on the growing irrelevance of communism.

In Nepal, a principal communist protagonist Pushpa Kumar Dahal, also known as Prachanda, was virtually toying with the idea of quitting politics and dedicating future time to "writing books".Reportedly, this is what he had told a closed-door meeting of party leaders, according to a report in Nepals leading English daily The Kathmandu Post.

Prachanda was so upset with the situation in the last few years that he went on to remarkCommunist parties in the world have fallen. He also warned: If we continue with our current activities, our party will be of new use. Dahal got the first shocker in terms of a bitter mandate when his party was reduced to a third party position in 2013within five years of emerging as the single largest party in 2008. For some years, Prachanda and his loyalists did not get their importance in Kathmandus high-drama power politics, too.

But now, on August 19, 2021, Nepals major Leftist political player CPN-UML has split; and observers in the Himalayan nation say this would help the Maoist Centre (of Dahal/Prachanda) to get some relevance as the split would have serious ramifications electorally.

The breakaway UML faction led by former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal is expected to extend support to the incumbent Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. However, Lok Raj Baral, a political scientist, has told the media that A split in the UML was Dahals interest, rather than Deubas.

Baral also shared the grim view that communism under Prachanda was losing its sheen in Nepal. He said: "There is a realisation in Maoist Centre (party) that its relevance is over and it does not have any good agenda to sell during the elections. It remains to be seen whether the formation of splintered groups would help Dahal get back his relevance in Nepal politics.

China connection:

But developments in communist parties in Nepal have some bearing on China as well. Around 2017-18, China had played a role in quick-fix trying to bring two communist parties CPN-MN and CPN-UML, together.

K P Sharma Oli dominated the government's CPN-UML scene, but nothing much was done or achieved in terms of communist penetration in rural Nepal politically. As Olis position strengthened, his detractors Prachanda (Dahal) and Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal got together to target Oli and demand his resignation.

Finally, the Nepal Communist Party (formed by united the rival factions in 2018) also split after Oli had dissolved the House of Representatives in December 2020. Nepals politics seemed to have little interest in political stability.
The World Bank has frozen the aid to Afghanistan, saying it is "deeply concerned" by the situation there, particularly women's rights, after the Taliban took over the country, a spokesperson said.

"We have paused disbursements in our operations in Afghanistan, and we are closely monitoring and assessing the situation. We are deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan and the impact on the country's development prospects, especially for women, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson further added that the World Bank "would continue to consult closely with the international community and development partners. Together with our partners, we are exploring ways we can remain engaged to preserve hard-won development gains and continue to support the people of Afghanistan."
Elizabeth (Liz) Marie Dean died peacefully surrounded by family at the age of 88 on July 13, 2021 at the family farm near Knoxville, Iowa, where she had been receiving home hospice care. Liz was born on October 16, 1932 to Alvin and Frances Sheldon Johnson of Kanona, Kansas. She was preceded
Randy Evans is executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, a 43-year-old nonprofit education and advocacy organization that works for improved government transparency and citizen accountability. He can be reached at IowaFOICouncil@gmail.com.
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For Lisa Miner, beauty is much more than skin deep. The Midland resident and salon owner recently participated in the American Royal Beauties (ARB) pageant system and is eager to share her experiences with aspiring contestants.

Miner became interested in pageantry two years ago as she was working on a journey to self-improvement. She had always wanted to participate in a pageant but realized there were very few opportunities in the area  and that there was much more preparation work involved than she anticipated.

One of the draws to pageants for Miner was the opportunity it gives to contestants to highlight causes that are near and dear to them. Eventually she learned of ARB and was impressed by its emphasis on community service and a well-rounded focus on beauty.

They dont like their contestants to be overly made up. Theyre like a natural beauty pageant, Miner said, adding the pageant directors encourage contestants to be comfortable with their appearance. They look at the beauty within.

As a naturally shy person, Miner set two personal goals for herself as she entered the pageant: become a better public speaker and gain more self-confidence. Over the next few months, Miner realized the ARB pageant system provided much more than expected, as it helped her discover more about herself, gain confidence in her abilities and build courage to pursue her ambitions.

Pageants push you out of your comfort zone and out into what I call the growth zone because thats where all the growth happens, Miner stated.

In addition to the values of communication and the focus on community, Miner valued the friendships she made with fellow goal-driven women. She described how contestants both in her own division and other categories regularly complimented each other. She explained most contestants understood an individuals journey was more important than whether or not they won the competition.

Beauty is the feeling you get when you reach outside of yourself to give to another person, Miner said.

At the state pageant held March 27-28 in Frankenmuth, Miner was named Ms. Michigan Elegant and received awards for Best Eyes, Best Smile, Best Personality and Best Personal Introduction. She also received an award for Adult Achievement for the pageant and Overall Best Introduction.

Miner was named first runner up for Top Model at the national competition July 29-Aug. 1 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and she took fourth place in the overall competition. Her proudest accomplishment, however, was receiving a second Achievement award, which represents a persons commitment to community involvement.

Their whole mantra is Crown to Serve and thats what Im all about. Thats my way of life, my commitment to community. I really feel like I found my home in that pageant, Miner said.

The national pageant ended Aug. 1, but the work never stops for Miner. As a ARB pageant queen, she continues to participate in local community service activities. Back at her salon, Lisas Natural Nails and Spa, which she has operated for 16 years, she has hosted six apprenticeship programs to teach skills that better lives. Miner is also a 16-year member of the Zonta Club of Midland, which works to enrich the lives of women in the area and around the world. More recently, she has become a member of Self Love Beauty, a local nonprofit that works to empower individuals by promoting self-love and confidence.

I feel as a business owner whos been born and raised here, I have a responsibility to give back to the community in a positive way, Miner said.

Miner will host an American Royal Beauties Information Night from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, at Lisas Natural Nails and Spa, 607 Ashman St. Midland. The event is geared to ages from infants to 60. Miner has invited a handful of national queens to answer questions about pageantry, including Masie Marnie Bo, Faithann Brubaker, Kristen Finkbeiner, Mia and Jaci Moore, Samantha Smiley and China Stockbarger. Pamala Foster will join via Zoom.

I want to be the one who gives them that mustard seed of strength to know that they can do anything they set their mind to, because I did it, Miner said.

For more information about American Royal Beauties, visit www.arbpageants.com.
BIG RAPIDS  A group of Michigans sheriffs have a message for human traffickers: We are united, and were coming for you.

On Wednesday, Genesee County Sheriff Christopher R. Swanson led a news conference at the Big Rapids Department of Public Safety regarding human trafficking in the state of Michigan and details on a recent sting.

To his sides were sheriffs from Mecosta, Osceola, Isabella, Montcalm, and Newaygo counties, as well as authorities from Big Rapids and Ferris State police departments.

Human trafficking is the movement of humans for the sex slave industry, Swanson said. Anybody who comes to have sex with an underaged boy or girl is engaging in human trafficking.

Swanson and the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team, GHOST, use a number of undercover officers online pretending to be underaged children in order to catch predators.

Swanson said GHOST has offered its knowledge to better assist other sheriffs departments in Michigan. Together, Swanson and Mecosta County Sheriff Brian Miller worked together to perform a sting operation in the area last month.

Through that operation that we did  we arrested three individuals through this sting, Miller said.

The three suspects arrested July 15 are: Quinn Lee Rasmussen, 46, of Big Rapids; Sonage Azard, 30, of Grand Rapids; and Joshua Webb, 37, of Lakeview.

All three men came to the Mecosta County area looking to have sex with a 14- to 15-year-old girl, Miller said.

Its sad that this goes on, but we are all looking to make that difference here, he said.

Millers team also provided assistance to a nearby law enforcement agency with a similar operation.

Newaygo County Sheriff Bob Mendham said his team performed a sting operation Tuesday, Aug. 24, which lead to the arrest of three individuals. However, because the suspects are currently awaiting arraignment, no further details could be released.

At one point, I was told there were 18 people all working together in one hotel room, Mendham said of the sting. No one got hurt, and three bad guys went to jail.

In relations to the sting in Mecosta County, all three suspects were arraigned in Mecosta Countys 77th District Court on July 16.

Rasmussen, Azard, and Webb were each charged with single counts of accosting children for immoral purposes, and using a computer to commit a crime. Azard was also charged with one count of delivery of marijuana.

Rasmussen, who remains lodged in the Mecosta County Jail, was bound over to Mecosta Countys 49th Circuit Court and is scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing Aug. 30.

Future court dates for Azard and Webb have not been set. Both men remain free on bond.

Watch the full video of the press conference below:
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Gov. Ralph Northam's administration received notification Wednesday that the Department of Defense had authorized the use of Marine Corps Base Quantico to house Afghan refugees, as well as a national guard installation in central Virginia.

Fort Lee, an Army training site in Virginia, was already housing immigrants who recently fled Afghanistan. Over the coming weeks, capacity at Quantico and Fort Pickett in Nottoway County will build to support about 5,000 and 10,000 people, respectively, according to an email a senior Northam administration official received and shared with The Associated Press.

We welcome these refugees, no matter how long or short they are here," said Billy Coleburn, the mayor of Blackstone, which neighbors Fort Pickett.

An email seeking further comment from the Department of Defense wasn't immediately returned.

U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, whose district includes Fort Pickett, said her office was requesting additional information from Biden administration officials about the plans and how they will impact the area.

Since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital on Aug. 14, about 82,000 people have been airlifted from Afghanistan.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that as many as 1,500 Americans may still be awaiting evacuation. And untold thousands of at-risk Afghans are struggling to get into the Kabul airport.

As of Wednesday morning, more than 8,600 evacuees have arrived in the U.S. through Virginia's Washington Dulles International Airport, according to figures provided by Grant Neely, a communications advisor for Northam.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said at a community event Wednesday that officials were looking for additional airports to serve as entry points because Dulles was getting overwhelmed," according to a transcript of his remarks provided by his office.

At the airport Wednesday, a steady trickle of evacuees made their way from a holding area, where their papers were processed and they were tested for COVID-19. They were then put on waiting buses that would take them to the Dulles Expo Center or other temporary sites. Some said they had been waiting a day or more at the airport. In contrast with other international arrivals passing through customs with loads of luggage on carts, the evacuees often have had few or no belongings at all.

Neely wrote in an email that military flights and buses were providing transportation to take evacuees who are not U.S. citizens or green card holders to military installations for further processing toward their final destination. U.S. citizens were passing through immigration and customs and being offered assistance for such things as temporary lodging and travel, he said.

Virginia agencies and local governments were helping with the logistical efforts.

The Virginia Department of Health was testing everyone arriving without documentation of a negative COVID test in the last 72 hours, Neely said.

Of the more than 900 tests done Tuesday, 11 people tested positive, he said. Fairfax and Loudoun counties were providing isolation and quarantine space for U.S. citizens who test positive as needed, according to Neely. The state and defense departments were handling those accommodations for noncitizens.

The evacuees were also being offered vaccines against the coronavirus and taking them at a higher rate than Virginians, Warner said.

Northam said in an interview Wednesday that he was proud of the state's efforts.

Northam and his wife, Pam, also described the conditions at Fort Lee, where they both recently visited but press access has not been allowed.

They said the refugees were being provided adequate, culturally sensitive accommodations with access to medical care and space for recreation and worship.

"As you might imagine, logistically, its a major challenge. But they're handling it well," Northam said of the efforts at Fort Lee.

____

Associated Press writer Matthew Barakat contributed to this report.
HANOI (AP)  Vice President Kamala Harris called on Vietnam to join the U.S. in challenging Chinas bullying in the South China Sea, continuing her sharp rhetoric against Beijing as she met with Vietnamese leaders on Wednesday.

We need to find ways to pressure and raise the pressure, frankly, on Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge its bullying and excessive maritime claims, she said in remarks at the opening of a meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Harris also expressed support for sending an additional U.S. Coast Guard cutter to Vietnam to help defend its security interests in the disputed waterway, and pledged that the U.S. would maintain a strong presence in the South China Sea to challenge China.

During remarks in Singapore on Tuesday, Harris said Beijings actions to press its territorial claims in the South China Sea amount to coercion and intimidation.

The vice president's rebuke of China comes in the middle of her weeklong tour of Southeast Asia, a trip that brought her to Singapore and Vietnam in a bid to strengthen U.S. ties to the Indo-Pacific region to counter China's growing military and economic influence there.

In addition to her commitment to defend the South China Sea against Beijing advances, Harris unveiled an array of new partnerships and support for Vietnam in areas including climate change, trade and the coronavirus pandemic.

She announced that the U.S. will send 1 million additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Vietnam, bringing the total U.S. vaccine donation to Vietnam to 6 million doses.

The U.S. will also provide $23 million to help Vietnam expand distribution and access to vaccines, combat the pandemic and prepare for future disease threats. The Defense Department is also delivering 77 freezers to store vaccines throughout the country.

Vietnam is grappling with a new coronavirus surge driven by the delta variant and low vaccination rates. Only about 2% of the country's 98 million people are fully vaccinated, and the surge in cases prompted a recent lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City, the nations business hub and the center of the latest outbreak.

The new U.S. aid to Vietnam includes investments to help the country transition to cleaner energy systems and expand the use of electric vehicles, and millions in aid to clear unexploded weapons left over from the Vietnam War.

That U.S. war has returned to the spotlight over the past week as the U.S. struggles with a similarly messy end to the Afghanistan War. Images of the evacuation of Kabul, as the Taliban took full control of Afghanistan, evoked similar shots of U.S. helicopters lifting off from the U.S. Embassy in Saigon decades prior, prompting comparisons between the two failed wars.

On Wednesday in Vietnam, however, Harris referenced the progress the two former foes have made, telling Vietnams president that our relationship has come a long way in a quarter of a century.

She also embraced elevating the relationship with Vietnam from a comprehensive partnership to a strategic partnership, a diplomatic designation that would reflect the deepening ties between the two countries.

After her bilateral meetings, Harris took a moment of silence in the pouring rain and laid flowers at the monument where John McCains plane was shot down by the North Vietnamese in 1967. She noted it was the three-year anniversary of Sen. McCains death.

For Harris, the focus this week has been on developing U.S. ties in the region to offer a strong contrast to China, which has also sought to woo Singapore and Vietnam with economic support and vaccines. While she emphasized during remarks in Singapore on Tuesday that the U.S. policy in the region is not merely about countering any one nation, the Biden administration has made confronting China globally a centerpiece of its foreign policy.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin responded to Harris Wednesday comments by accusing Washington of simply seeking to defend U.S. hegemony and its own interests, rather than standing up for the rights of small countries.

China firmly rejects the U.S. deployment of law enforcement forces in the South China Sea, meddling in regional affairs and disrupting regional peace and stability, Wang said at a daily briefing.

In the afternoon, Harris announced the launch of a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Southeast Asia regional office. The new office will be one of four regional CDC offices globally, and is focused on collaborating with regional governments on research and training to deal with and prevent global health crises. She said that while combating the current pandemic is a priority, we must be, if we are honest, better prepared for the next one.

But even as Harris aimed to keep her focus squarely on those key agenda items, her visit was shadowed by a recent security scare in Vietnam.

Harris flight to Vietnam was delayed for hours Tuesday afternoon after the vice presidents office was made aware of an investigation into two possible cases of the so-called Havana Syndrome in Hanoi, according to administration officials. The Havana Syndrome is the name for a rash of mysterious health incidents first reported by American diplomats and other government employees in the Cuban capital beginning in 2016 that have since affected diplomats across the globe.

Asked about the incident Wednesday, Harris didn't specifically address the possible cases, but instead expressed her gratitude for the work done by America's diplomatic corps.

The people who work in our embassies around the world are extraordinary public servants who represent the best of what the United States believes itself to be, and aspires to be, which is a good neighbor to our partners and our allies around the globe, she said after a lease signing for the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi.
Midland County added 40 new COVID-19 cases between Tuesday, Aug. 24, and Wednesday, Aug. 25.

COVID-19 numbers reported from Aug. 24-25

Midland County: 40 cases were added; pandemic total is 7,196 cases, 724 probable, 97 deaths and three probable deaths.

Bay County: 24 cases and one death were added; pandemic total stands at 10,990 cases, 701 probable, 347 deaths and 14 probable deaths.

Gladwin County: 14 cases were added; pandemic total stands at 1,993 cases, 391 probable, 57 deaths and four probable deaths.

Isabella County: 24 cases were added; pandemic total stands at 5,589 cases, 976 probable, 97 deaths and five probable deaths.

Saginaw County: 98 cases and one death were added; pandemic total stands at 21,067 cases, 1,452 probable, 616 deaths and 21 probable deaths.

The state added 4,326 cases and 138 deaths between Tuesday and Wednesday. Overall, Michigan is at 937,720 cases and 20,161 deaths.

Recovered

According to the Midland County Health Department website, which was updated Aug. 23, 7,047 Midland County individuals have recovered from COVID. The state reported that as of Aug. 20, a total of 878,031 persons have recovered.

Testing

Midland Countys seven-day rolling positivity rate on Aug. 23 was listed at 8.1%, and Gladwin County's was listed at 10.8%. Our 12-county region is listed at 10.5% and Michigan is at 8.7%.

MidMichigan Health statistics

As of Aug. 23, MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland was listed as having a 80% bed occupancy, with 18 COVID patients and four in the ICU. MidMichigan Medical Center in Gladwin was listed as having a 39% bed occupancy, with one COVID patient.

Both medical centers reported having at least 15-30 days worth of personal protection equipment (N95, surgical masks, gowns, gloves and eye protection) on hand.

School

Below is a report provided by Midland Public Schools on the presence of COVID-19 in local schools. The Daily News doesn't have readily available access to reports from Bullock Creek, Meridian or Freeland school systems.

As of Wednesday, Aug. 23, MPS reported 27 staff/students are in quarantine, 18 staff/students are close contacts to an individual who was confirmed COVID-19 positive and nine staff/students are currently tested positive for the virus. Schools with one or more staff/student confirmed positive for COVID-19 include Dow High, Midland High, Adams Elementary, Plymouth Elementary and Siebert Elementary.

Midland County vaccinations

In Midland County, 40,635 people  48.75% of Midland County's population  have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Aug. 18, according to the CDC. Currently, the vaccines are not authorized to be given to those under age 12. Local data provided from the Midland County Health Department shows a slightly higher vaccination rate for Midland County (50.6%).

Midland County Health Department is hosting a weekly walk-in vaccination clinic from10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every Tuesday on the second floor of the Midland County Services Building, 220 W. Ellsworth St., Midland.

The health department will also host a clinic from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8 at Dow High School.

Future COVID-19 vaccine clinics in Midland County are listed at www.co.midland.mi.us/HealthDepartment/COVIDVaccineInformation.aspx. Those with questions may call 989-832-6380 or email MCDPH@co.midland.mi.us.
Agrolytics Corp, a Midland-based company developing vertical farming technology, has partnered with the Saginaw Youth Development Corporation (YDC) to build an automated indoor farm pilot. The pilot will be the basis for a future, and much larger scale indoor farm, to be built for YDC's Food Scarcity Initiative.

Our technology allows growers to operate closer to the consumer, in secured locations, urban food deserts and extreme climate with a vision to enable any crop to be grown anywhere, stated Bob Cummer, president and CEO of Agrolytics. We are excited to use our skillset to make an impact on our community and will be using the specialized services to enable our software technology while assisting us with a scaled demonstration of the farm.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Andrew Mullin.

Saturday, Aug. 21:

9:44 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Edenville Township location for a be on the lookout for a silver sedan driving recklessly. Deputies patrolled the area but were unable to locate the suspect vehicle and cleared the scene without incident.

9:26 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Mills Township location in reference to a 49-year-old male stating someone is hacking his property. The male stated his water, electric, and phone are all not working and have been hacked.

8:40 p.m.  A deputy was dispatched to a Larkin Township residence in reference to a domestic between a 48-year-old female and her 53-year-old husband. It was reported the husband slapped his wife then left the scene. There were no injuries, and a report is being sent to the Midland County Prosecuting Attorneys Office for review.

8:09 p.m.  Deputies conducted a traffic stop at a Larkin Township location. Deputies contacted the 51-year-old female driver. Upon further investigation, it was discovered the vehicle didn't have any insurance. The female was cited for no insurance and a report is being sent to the prosecutor's office.

7:39 p.m.  Officers responded to a case of domestic violence and obstruction of justice on North Saginaw Road.

6:54 p.m.  Officers responded to a missing person on Ivy Lane.

3:44 p.m.  Deputies responded to Larkin Township for a report of a female sitting on the shoulder of the road. Deputies searched the area but did not locate the female.

2:07 p.m.  A 39-year-old female reported her family was threatened while tubing the Pine River. Deputies later contacted a 58-year-old male who denied making any threats. The Michigan DNR assisted and spoke to the male regarding tubers rights to the waterway/river.

4:18 a.m.  Deputies responded to a Homer Township location reference a vehicle hanging out into the roadway, with no one around. The vehicle was towed and entered Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) as impounded.

3:16 a.m.  A 42-year-old Sanford man crashed his motorcycle in Lincoln Township. He was transported to an ER for minor injuries. A search warrant was obtained for his blood.

2:06 a.m.  Officers responded to an operating while intoxicated incident on East Ellsworth Street.

12:07 a.m.  A deputy was dispatched to a Greendale Township location for a report of a vehicle lane weaving and crossing the fog line. The deputy initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and contacted the 71-year-old Saginaw male driver. The driver wasn't intoxicated and was spoken to about the traffic violations.
Sammy Wade Ball Jr. was born May 16, 1966 in Bakersfield, CA. He died August 18, 2021 in Shreveport, LA. at age 55 from Covid-19. He was preceded in death by his father, Sammy Wade Ball Sr. He is survived by his wife of 27 years Angela Ball and his 3 children, Bernard, Christian, and Melissa
Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has called for a fresh sovereign debt profile of African countries, which has accumulated over 60 per cent of the debt-to-the-Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio, saying the reasons for the debt piling should be better understood
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity, Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba, has stressed the importance of setting up parliamentary committees which will monitor government activities
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Difficulties encountered by the Libyan government in the exercise of its functions, because of the delay in the approval of the general state budget by the parliament, were the main focal point in discussions between the President of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Manfi, and the Prime Minister of the government of national unity, Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba
Editor's note: This is a weekly Pantagraph series featuring local restaurants and bars. Know someone we should talk to? Email Olivia Jacobs at ojacobs@pantagraph.com.

The restaurant at 4 Currency Drive in Bloomington was created and is owned by Adam Elpayaa, who co-owns Windy City Wieners in downtown Bloomington and uptown Normal with Steve Marifjeren. Pizza Payaa opened in December, but started marketing by giving away free pizzas in March 2020.

"It's a style and quality of pizza they can't get anywhere else," Elpayaa said. "We keep classics on our weekly menu and rotate exciting new specials every few weeks to give customers a variety of different toppings and flavor profiles."

Elpayaa grew up in Chicago, but was inspired to create the pizza after taking a trip to New York. He chatted with multiple pizza chefs and after several years of testing, he finally had a recipe that he wanted to share. He had a restaurant lease ready to go, but a leak sprang which caused delays, and then COVID hit.

Pizza Payaa eventually found its home after Mass VR, a local Virtual Reality business sampled the pizza and asked Payaa to partner up and use their kitchen. COVID caused that business to shut down, but gave Payaa and the former VR business owner an opportunity to work together and open a business in the middle of a pandemic.

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"Our dough takes three days to make and our customers consistently tell us that our crust is the best they've ever had," Elpayaa said. "We use the highest quality ingredients available and source them locally from restaurants and farms when we can. We consistently have specials that are unique to Pizza Payaa and we have a new one coming next week."

The Honey Badger pizza with pepperoni, sausage, hot honey and basil is the most popular, as well as the specials. This week's specials were the Hot Hawaiian with Canadian bacon, roasted pineapple, house pickled jalapenos and the Truffle Double Mushroom pizza with white garlic sauce.

Pizza Payaa has several gluten-free pizza options as well, including three cheese with basil, pepperoni-the good kind, three cheese with white garlic and the special payaa of the week. They mix their gluten-free dough with a special flour from Italy. They also have rotating specials of vegetarian pizzas and two types of cheese pizza, one red and one white garlic.

"I love seeing the smiles on customers' faces when they come back week after week and say it's the best thing they've ever eaten," Elpayaa said. "It's very hectic, but very rewarding owning three local restaurants."

Pizza Payaa is open 4-8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Fridays. They will expand hours in the fall.

"I'm passionate about food and bringing people joy. I'm very lucky that I get to do something I love every day," Elpayaa said. "I am beyond grateful to serve Bloomington-Normal and I look forward to the years to come. Pizza is our love language."

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Michael Williams wife pleaded with him to remember their fishing trips with the grandchildren, how he used to braid her hair, anything to jar him back to his world outside the concrete walls of Cook County Jail.
NORMAL  The "granddaddy" of Corvette car shows is returning to its roots for a 50th annual celebration.

The Bloomington Gold Corvettes USA car show, started in 1973 at the McLean County Fairgrounds, will be held June 10-11 at Illinois State University, it was announced Tuesday.

"This is the best I've felt about a community welcoming us, and that's been very important in our decision in coming here," Guy Larsen, president and owner of Bloomington Gold Corvettes USA, told The Pantagraph on Tuesday. "It's going to be lively; it's going to be exciting. We're looking forward to being back."

As many as 15,000 people are projected for the event. A Corvette parade along historic Route 66 also in in the works.

The event, which has been billed as the world's largest Corvette show, started as the Bloomington Corvette Corral, with 125 Corvettes and 30 vendors. For 19 years, Bloomington-Normal served as a hotspot for Corvette owners and fans to gather and buy and sell auto parts. Bloomington Gold also held the Guinness World Record for the longest tour of any single marque with 2,223 Corvettes lined up in a row.

For one week, thousands of corvettes would come into town and tens of thousands of attendees would come for the show," Larsen said during a Tuesday press conference to announce the event. "The hotels were full, the restaurants were busy, Veterans Highway was like a Corvette thoroughfare for cars all over.

Springfield, St. Charles, Champaign and, most recently, Indianapolis also have hosted the event.

Normal Mayor Chris Koos, Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe and ISU President Terri Goss Kinzy joined Larsen and Crystal Howard, president and CEO of the Bloomington-Normal Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Tuesday for a press conference announcing the return.

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"Really, it's recognizing too that we are a resource for our community, not just a university," Kinzy told The Pantagraph. "I think our students are going to be really excited, and I think we're going to have a lot of our students here participating."

"This is going to be a great gift for us," Howard said.

Despite a return of festivals and activities, attendance has not fully reached pre-pandemic levels, according to local officials.

"We've been doing a lot of great things for outdoor events," Howard said. "It's the indoor events that have been lagging behind."

Howard said it is promising to see the car show incorporate both indoor and outdoor elements for people to enjoy.

Koos and Mwilambwe said they remember when the car show was held in Bloomington-Normal. Mwilambwe, a student at the time, recalled thinking how he wished to own a Corvette himself one day.

Koos said, In the '70s and early '80s, it was an incredible event for the community. No matter where you went, you were aware that this Corvette show was going on."

He added, "The fact that its coming back here just adds additional excitement to the show and gives it some new life by returning to its roots. Now with Illinois State University facilities available to them, I think its going to take off again.

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SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP)  A California judge declared a mistrial Tuesday in the embezzlement trial of attorney Michael Avenatti, who is charged with stealing millions in settlement money from his clients.

U.S. District Judge James V. Selna ruled on technical grounds that federal prosecutors failed to turn over relevant financial evidence to Avenatti, who has been representing himself in the case with assistance from advisory counsel. Another hearing in the case was set for Sept. 2, and Selna scheduled a tentative new trial date for Oct. 12.

This was obviously important stuff that they knew about and didnt turn over, said H. Dean Steward, Avenattis advisory counsel, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Federal prosecutors declined to comment about the ruling.

It was the second trial in recent months for the 50-year-old lawyer who once represented porn actress Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against then-President Donald Trump.

Avenatti was sentenced in July to 2 1/2 years in prison in a $25 million extortion case in New York.

Legal experts said declaring a mistrial is rare, and it might have little effect on the trial's outcome. Thaddeus Hoffmeister, a University of Dayton law professor, said prosecutors typically have the upper hand in securing a conviction, but Avenatti got a win, at least for now.

Any time you have stopped that conviction or you have overturned that case, it's a victory, he said.

Federal prosecutors in Southern California have accused Avenatti of cheating five of his clients out of nearly $10 million by negotiating and collecting settlements on their behalf and funneling the payments to accounts he controlled while lying to them about what happened to the money.

In one instance, prosecutors alleged Avenatti collected $4 million from Los Angeles County for a man who suffered injuries in custody and was left paraplegic after a suicide attempt, paying out much smaller amounts that he told the man were advances.

Avenatti, who is suspended from practicing law in California, had pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of wire fraud in connection with the allegations spanning from 2015 to 2019. He denied embezzling money and said his law firm was entitled to recoup expenses if settlements were reached.

The mistrial related to a database used by the firm. Lawrence Rosenthal, a Chapman University law professor, said fully understanding large, complex databases can be challenging when they're created by someone else.

The mistrial was first reported by the legal news service Law360.

In addition to these counts, Avenatti faces charges of bankruptcy, bank and tax fraud in California. He is expected to be tried on those allegations at a later date after Selna split a 36-count indictment into two trials.

Avenatti also faces another criminal case in New York in which he is charged with cheating Daniels out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Avenatti represented her in 2018 in lawsuits against Trump and often appeared on cable news programs to disparage the Republican president.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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CHICAGO  An 18-year-old man was shot dead in a drive-by late Friday afternoon in the Cragin neighborhood, and at least 11 others were wounded in separate city shootings, said Chicago police.

Police said the fatal shooting happened about 5:15 p.m. in the 5100 block of West Fullerton Avenue. The victim was in the middle of the street when someone fired shots from a vehicle, striking him to the leg, chest and back. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was identified as Nikko Mercado of the same block where he was fatally wounded, according to the Cook County medical examiners office.

The latest shooting occurred around 2:45 a.m. Saturday in the Little Village neighborhood in the 2400 block of South Trumbull Avenue. Police said a 19-year-old man was in his vehicle at a stop sign when he heard several shots and felt pain.

He was shot in a shoulder and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where his condition was stabilized.

Less than 15 minutes after the Little Village shooting, a 21-year-old woman was wounded while she was standing outside in 4500 block of South Wood Street in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

The woman told police she heard several shots and felt pain to her thigh. There was no immediate information available about where she was taken for treatment, or about her condition.

Shortly before 11:30 p.m. Friday, two men, 42 and 34, were both shot while they were driving in the Brighton Park neighborhood in the 3400 block of South California Avenue, police said.

The men were southbound on California when they heard shots and felt pain. The older victim suffered a leg wound, and the other man was shot below the eye and in a shoulder. Both got themselves to Mount Sinai Hospital where the younger man was listed in critical condition, and the other mans condition was stabilized, police said.

In other attacks Friday afternoon into Saturday morning:

Shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday, a 28-year-old man suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the back in the Lawndale neighborhood in the 1800 block of South Harding Avenue. He was taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, police said.

Shortly before 11 p.m. Friday in the 2900 block of West Marquette Road in the Marquette Park neighborhood, a 42-year-old man was shot during an attempted robbery, police said. The man was walking through the park when he was approached by someone who pulled out a handgun and told him to empty his pockets. The man refused and reached for the gun and the robber shot him and took off running. The victim was taken in good condition to theLittle Company of Mary Hospital with a gunshot wound to the hand.

About 7:10 p.m., a 14-year-old girl was shot when she got into an argument with someone while she was walking down the street in the 3000 block of South State Street in the Bronzeville neighborhood. Police said she was involved in a verbal altercation when someone pulled out a gun and fired shots, striking the girl to the right shoulder and wrist, She was taken in good condition to Comer Childrens Hospital, police said.

About 6:10 p.m., a 40-year-old victim was shot in the Englewood neighborhood in the 500 block of West 61st Street. Police said the victim was walking when someone inside a dark-colored SUV opened fire, striking the victim to the upper right leg. The victim was taken in good condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center.

About 5:30 p.m., a 35-year-old man was shot in the same neighborhood in the 6300 block of South Honore Street. Police said the man was on a front porch of a residence when unknown gunmen approached on foot and opened fire, striking him in the head and chest. He was taken in critical condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center.

About 3:30 p.m., two 36-year-old men were shot in the 3100 block of West Polk Street in the Lawndale neighborhood. Police said both men were outside when they heard shots, and felt pain. One of them suffered wounds to the upper left chest and side, and was taken in good condition to Mount Sinai Hospital. The other man was hit in the leg, and taken in serious condition to the same hospital, police said.

No one was in custody in any of the shootings, and detectives were investigating.

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An alleged scheme to lavish benefits on longtime House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for his influence on Commonwealth Edison legislation in Springfield clearly meets the criteria of the bribery statute even if there was no explicit agreement between the parties, federal prosecutors argued in a motion this week.

In June, lawyers for Michael McClain, Anne Pramaggiore, John Hooker and Jay Doherty asked U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber to toss several of the key elements of the bombshell case against them, arguing that there was no quid pro quo agreement and that jobs, contracts and other payments to chosen Madigan political operatives constituted legal lobbying.

But in a 74-page response filed late Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu wrote the federal bribery law does not require a quid pro quo, and even if it did, the allegations in the indictment make clear that Madigan  identified only as Public Official A  was in on the scheme.

Over an eight-year period, Bhachu wrote, ComEd provided at least $700,000 in benefits to key Madigan political operatives that did not consist merely of lobbying and proved to be an effective means to gain influence at the Capitol.

The stream of benefits defendants conferred on Public Official A are alleged to have had the desired resultComEds substantial legislative success in Springfield, Bhachu wrote.

The filing marked the latest in a legal tussle that has had a familiar ring in Chicago, where attorneys representing accused politicians have long argued that the U.S. Attorneys Office is using the bribery statute to criminalize legal political logrolling.

In their June filing asking for the bribery conspiracy charges to be dismissed, attorneys for McClain and the other defendants cited the case against former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who famously argued that his efforts to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama in 2008 were not tied directly to things of value, and therefore did not constitute a bribe.

The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals did grant Blagojevich a narrow victory on that point, tossing out charges alleging Blagojevich had attempted to negotiate a cabinet secretary position for himself in exchange for the Senate appointment.

But Bhachu wrote there is no correlation between that scenario and the allegations in the ComEd scheme.

Here, the charges are not based on political logrolling, but rather, on private benefits in the form of jobs, contracts, and payments offered to be paid by a private company in order to influence and reward a legislator in carrying out his official duties, the motion stated.

Bhachu also blasted arguments by the defendants that some of the bribery charges should be dismissed because they could not be tied to a specific official act, citing former Republican Gov. George Ryans corruption conviction.

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Bhachu said the 7th Circuit ruled in the Ryan case that a stream of benefits was provided to the governor over time, more like a meal plan in which you dont pay for each item on the menu. The indictment in the ComEd case alleges a similar scenario, he said.

The 50-page indictment filed last November alleged that beginning in 2011, McClain, a former legislator and lobbyist, and the other defendants arranged for various associates of Madigan  including his political allies and campaign workers  to obtain jobs, contracts and monetary payments from ComEd even in instances where they did little or no actual work.

McClain and the other defendants also conspired to have ComEd hire a Madigan-favored law firm and lawyer, previously identified in public testimony as Victor Reyes of Reyes Kurson, and to accept into ComEds summer internship program a certain number of students who lived in Madigans 13th Ward, according to the charges.

Pramaggiore, the onetime CEO of ComEd, and McClain also allegedly took steps to have Juan Ochoa, the former head of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority of Chicago, appointed to ComEds board of directors at the request of Madigan and McClain, the indictment stated.

All four defendants have pleaded not guilty to the indictment. Another former ComEd executive, Fidel Marquez, pleaded guilty to bribery conspiracy last year and is cooperating with prosecutors in the probe.

Madigan, who stepped down from his role as speaker in January and later resigned his legislative seat, has not been charged in the case and has denied wrongdoing.

One key element of the indictment alleged the scheme to bribe Madigan played a big role in winning approval of laws in 2011 to put in place ComEd smart-grid technology and in 2016 to bail out Exelon power plants.

In Mondays filing, Bhachu specifically mentioned a little-noticed 2013 law that overruled the Illinois Commerce Commissions interpretation of the key provisions in the 2011 smart-grid law, a lucrative move for ComEd that a Tribune report highlighted in May.

The 2013 law allowed ComEd to use a series of accounting techniques the ICC rejected, a move that would help the utility bottom line. The Public Interest Research Group, known as PIRG, has estimated the 2013 law cost electricity users $600 million over the past seven yearsa figure ComEd disputes.

Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell has said the 2013 provisions are part and parcel of a controversial formula rate structure that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has worked to eliminate in the long-running negotiations to reach consensus on a new energy statute in Springfield.

Public Official A played a critical role in the passage of legislation in the Illinois House of Representatives that affected ComEds interests, Bhachu wrote.

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SPRINGFIELD  Former state Sen. Kirk Dillard, a two-time candidate for governor and a one-time chief of staff to former Gov. Jim Edgar, made a statement last week that most Illinois political observers would probably agree with: if the gubernatorial election were held today, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker would likely win.

It isnt just that Pritzker is the Democratic governor of a deep-blue state. Or that he has unlimited resources to draw from. Its also the field of candidates who have lined up to take him on.

So far, the three Republican candidates for governor have shown either to have views far more conservative than the rest of the state, have little to no name recognition, have scant financial resources or some combination of the three.

These concerns were on display last week at Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, where the various factions met ahead of the 2022 campaign season.

State Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, speaking to reporters, refused to say whether President Joe Biden won the 2020 election legally. And businessman Gary Rabine again falsely suggested that thousands of people have died from taking the COVID-19 vaccine, doubling-down on an earlier claim despite no evidence to support it.

And former state Sen. Paul Schmipf, though striking a more constructive tone, has raised little money and has yet to raise his profile to the level needed to be competitive in a statewide primary.

Despite projecting unity in their mission to defeat Pritzker next year, there was a clear divide last week on how Republicans can accomplish the task, many believing the current field of candidates is not up to it. At the very least, many are unsure.

I think all of them have their hearts set in the right place, said state Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, who is also mulling a run for governor. They're doing what they feel they're driven to do and we appreciate people at all levels who are willing to put their neck forward and run for office. Whether they have the ability to unite and grow the party is a big question right now that I don't think there's an answer to yet, but that's the threshold issue. Can they do that?

Some members of Chicagos moderate business community are so concerned that theyve asked Dillard to consider a third run for governor, something he appeared hesitant to do but has not dismissed outright. U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, also hasn't ruled out a run, depending on whether redistricting works out in his favor.

Dillard, the chairman of the Chicago Regional Transportation Authority, finished just 193 votes behind former state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, in the 2010 GOP gubernatorial primary. In 2014, he finished three points behind Bruce Rauner in the GOP primary.

Had Dillard, a moderate in the mold of Edgar, won either primary, its conceivable that hed be governor today. But, thats not how things shook out. And now, Republicans are locked out of all six statewide constitutional offices and toiling away in the superminority of the General Assembly.

But defeat in 2022 isnt inevitable, with some arguing that the right candidate with the right message and enough financial support can defeat a Democratic governor in a year where Republicans are poised to do well nationally.

We certainly need money because that's the mother's milk of politics and you're running against a billionaire, Dillard said. But you want to run somebody that can win, that can unify the party as well as win in areas like the minority community and get back suburban women into the Republican Party.

On the money end, all eyes are on billionaire Ken Griffin, Illinois richest man who has bankrolled various conservative causes and candidates over the years. He sank millions of dollars into Rauners warchest and was the main patron of the successful effort to defeat Pritzkers fair tax proposal last year.

Column: Chicago Bears have a lot to work on the next 3 weeks Germain Ifedi finally was cleared to practice for the first time Monday, coinciding with the first full practice for Jason Peters. That gives 

Money can amplify a message. Its undoubtedly part of the equation.

But at the same time, it will not do any good without a winning message or overarching theme. Illinois Republicans are still searching for what works.

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But it isnt rocket science. In fact, there are several examples of Republicans winning in places they have no business winning. Take Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont  all deep-blue states that elected and re-elected Republican governors in recent years.

Though circumstances are slightly different in each case, a common thread is political moderation, especially on social issues. You won't see these Republican governors participating in the culture wars of our time.

And once in office, these governors showed a willingness to compromise and work constructively with Democratic-controlled legislatures.

And while U.S. Senate races now essentially mirror the presidential election results of each state, there is still room for statewide candidates to keep elections local and avoid the topics that polarize the national discourse.

Beyond the governors race, Republicans will have an opportunity to show if they can do this in the open race for Illinois Secretary of State. Though long a stepping-stone to higher office, the secretary of states office is above all else a customer service-based institution.

Two Republican candidates linked to the race  state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, and state Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon  have each emphasized improving the functions of the office when discussing their potential future plans.

I think you really have to talk about listening to what people care about, what they think is important, and try to respond to those needs, Demmer said. Sometimes, I think that there can be some complacency from Democrats who think 'well, this is what got us here, so let's stick with it.' And the reality is, more people  Republicans, independents and Democrats  are looking for something different out of state government. And so I think that's the opportunity that we have.

If anything, last week showed that Republicans still have some obstacles to overcome. But, they also have opportunities.

I think the question is whether our candidates can unite and grow our base, Barickman said. And the answer to that question evolves. That's why people campaign. I don't think we're there yet. I think the potential exists from the party.

Democrats also face challenges

Illinois Democrats have done a lot of winning in the past few elections. That solves a lot of internal problems.

And as long as they keep it up, things should be fine.

But, it's worth noting that it's not all one big happy family, with lingering divisions on full display last week over the future of the structure of the state party.

U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Matteson, was elected chair in March, defeating Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris, who was backed by Pritzker. Kelly had the backing of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.

Kelly, due to her status as a federal officeholder, cannot raise or control funds for non-federal races, essentially rendering her a figurehead.

Pritzker was noticeably absent from the Illinois Democratic County Chair's Association brunch last week while Durbin skipped the Governor's Day rally at the state fair.

Both had their reasons, but the optics speak for themselves.

Again, any internal issues will likely remain just that as long as the party keeps winning elections.

Pritzker is likely to spend millions on his own race and to help elect other Democrats up and down the ballot. House Speaker Chris Welch and Senate President Don Harmon are likely to do the same.

As was said above, the party controls everything in Illinois. If a family fight is the biggest worry, then I suppose that's a good thing.

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Pundits and journalists have expressed doubts about the future of the For the People Act since it was introduced, and continue to label it "dead" in article after article. The reality is that the landmark voting rights bill has never been closer to getting passed  but the window to do so is quickly closing.

Of course, we're well aware of the main hurdles in the way. It's true that not a single Republican senator supports the bill. And yes, because of that, we face the obstacle of the filibuster. But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is laying the groundwork to bring along hesitant colleagues and break the logjam.

You see, a complicated game of chess is playing out in the Senate. In the wee hours of the night earlier this month, Schumer introduced three pieces of legislation: the For the People Act, as well as a stand-alone anti-gerrymandering bill and a stand-alone dark money "disclosure" bill. Republican Ted Cruz immediately filibustered the bills. At 4:30 a.m., just before adjourning for August recess, Schumer declared, "Republicans have formed a total wall of opposition against progress on voting rights. That's what we have come to: total Republican intransigence."

Let's step back for a second. In the last two months, Republican senators on four occasions have blocked debate from starting on legislation to set common-sense baseline voting standards, end gerrymandering and get big money out of politics. These are issues that all have overwhelming bipartisan support in the country  particularly gerrymandering, which 89 percent of voters oppose.

Prior to the latest filibuster of the bills, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin tried to win Republican support for a compromise bill that set a national voter ID standard. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called that good-faith negotiation attempt "comic relief."

But Schumer is moving the pieces into place to pass the For the People Act, despite Republican opposition. He is forcing his Democratic colleagues to realize an unfortunate truth: Republicans in the Senate have shown us time and time again that there is no proposal  no matter how popular or how historically bipartisan  that they're willing to support.

By bringing voting rights to the floor again, Schumer sent a message before leaving town. If passing popular standalone pieces of legislation like the Redistricting Reform Act won't get 10 Republicans, if passing reasonable voting protections that includes a voter ID standard won't get 10 Republicans, Democrats in the Senate must come to terms with the reality that there is nothing of value in the democracy space that will get Republican support. So they must take the only alternative route forward: filibuster reform.

Manchin and others continue to voice concerns about ending the filibuster, but they must now see they have no other options. Democracy depends on Democratic senators figuring out how to end gridlock on voting rights and enact filibuster reform.

There is no time to waste. The Census Bureau delivered population data to states this month, kicking off the redistricting process that could see unprecedented gerrymandering aided by powerful supercomputers and the blessing of the Supreme Court.

With the Senate in recess, now is the time to call and write your senators and urge them to support the For the People Act. Because Schumer said that when the Senate comes back next month, the bill will be first on the agenda. Make no mistake: Democratic senators know how to move this bill forward reforming the filibuster. They know they have no other choice.

Damon Effingham is director of federal reform for RepresentUs, a right-left anti-corruption group.

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Photo: (Photo : CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Some fully vaccinated parents are experiencing breakthrough COVID infections in the U.S. as their children return to school, while a highly infectious Delta variant is causing a surge in cases.

Data from the Children's Hospital Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that over 121,000 U.S. kids got a positive test result for COVID-19 between August 5 to August 12, when some schools started in-person classes. It has prompted the agencies to warn families that they could be exposed to the virus whether they are unvaccinated or not.

The experts said that all COVID-19 vaccines are not 100 percent effective against virus transmissions, but it is highly effective in preventing hospitalization, severe symptoms and even death for the vaccinated. In the small chances that vaccinated parents have caught the virus from their kids, the usual protocols should still be observed, according to CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen.

Read Also: Best Face Mask for Kids: What Parents Need To Know Before Buying

Isolation and Limit Close Household Contact

Every household member with a breakthrough infection must get tested for COVID-19 within three to five days of learning about the infection.

According to Wen, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised that patients of breakthrough COVID cases need to isolate and limit their close contact with other members of the household. If they have symptoms, they should remain isolated for seven to 10 days or until their symptoms have improved and they no longer have fever for more than 24 hours.

The doctor said that isolation is still a crucial process because even vaccinated individuals can be contagious to others. Isolation means that vaccinated individuals with breakthrough COVID infection shouldn't go out in public nor go to work.

Some vaccinated parents who have been exposed to the virus but are asymptomatic might still go to work and opt to wear a face mask. However, Wen said it would be better to stay at home while waiting for their test results.

"Would you be comfortable sitting shoulder to shoulder with a work colleague around a conference table if you knew that this person's spouse was just diagnosed with Covid-19," she reasoned.

Wen reminded families to remain cautious even if they've had a vaccination as an extra layer of protection. She said that the level of virus infection is "so high that the vaccine alone may not be enough to protect you."

Breakthrough Cases Remain Low

The CDC's monitoring of patients hospitalized with breakthrough COVID infections, or have been fatal, has been significantly low. Overall, of the 9,716 patients with breakthrough COVID infections as of mid-August 2021, 88 percent of deaths involved people over 65 years old but 20 percent of these cases were not even COVID-related sicknesses.

Dr. Barbara Ferrer of the Los Angeles Public Health, one of the states with high Delta variant cases, acknowledged an uptick in infection among the fully vaccinated. She said that more people would come into contact with the virus because of Delta, but she observed that despite the high rates of transmission, most vaccinated people "don't end up hospitalized or tragically lose their life."

Related Article: Melissa Joan Hart Has Breakthrough COVID From Her Son Who Wasn't Masked in School
Photo: (Photo : JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

A bipartisan coalition in Congress has sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking the agency about the status of its authorization for COVID vaccines for kids below 12 years old.

Led by Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Katie Porter of California, the lawmakers said that the rise in pediatric cases have been "alarming for parents" as children in the ages of 2 to 11 years old are attending schools and daycare sessions while vaccine continues to be unavailable for this age group.

One of the key questions the lawmakers asked from the FDA was about the length of time it will take for the agency to review the data expected from vaccine makers like Pfizer and Moderna. The representatives also want to know if the studies by these pharmaceutical companies include "recommended childhood vaccination schedules for non-COVID illnesses" and if this will impact safe vaccine distribution. The lawmakers want the FDA to provide them a briefing.

It comes as the FDA has asked Pfizer and Moderna to enroll more children in their vaccine trials for 5 to 11 years old, which will essentially delay the release of their trials' findings. Before this request to increase the number of participants, both vaccine makers have expressed that the results should be ready by September.

Read Also: Parents Fake Kids' Age for COVID-19 Vaccine Under 12 Years Old, Doctors Say It's Risky

On August 12, the American Academy of Pediatrics learned that pediatric cases made up 14.4 percent of all COVID-cases in recent months. The experts also found out that the number of cases in schools is gradually increasing as in-person classes have resumed all over the country.

FDA Full Approval for Pfizer

On Monday, August 23, the FDA announced that Pfizer had received the first full approval for the COVID-19 vaccine, which will be commercially known as Comirnaty. This vaccine will be eligible for individuals 16 years old and older.

Pfizer's vaccine for individuals ages 12 to 15 will continue with an emergency use authorization (EUA) while administering a third dose or booster shot for immunocompromised individuals is also still under EUA.

As a commercially viable vaccine, Comirnaty will carry the same formulation as the Pfizer vaccine with EUA, which has been administered to individuals in two doses in a span of three weeks.

Pfizer said that it will still require a longer duration for follow-up studies on the vaccine's safety and effectiveness for children below 16 years old before full approval. Together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the FDA said that it would continue to conduct safety monitoring of the vaccine outcomes, especially for covid vaccines for kids.

No Cominarty for Younger Children

Meanwhile, Pfizer's phase one trial for the COVID vaccine for kids below 12 years old comprised a lower dose. While adults and teens received 30 micrograms of the vaccine, kids in the ages of 5 to 11 years old will be given ten micrograms, and it's three micrograms for kids below five years old until six months.

According to the company's researchers, low doses in smaller bodies will mean fewer side effects. In the trials among adolescents, the researchers have also learned that children develop side effects more frequently than adults because of their immune systems.

With Comirnaty ready for commercial use, FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock warned that the vaccines must never be given to children under 12 since there are no proper dose recommendations or complete data from the pharmaceutical company's trials.

Related Article: COVID-19 Antibody Treatment Approved for Unvaccinated Family Members With Weak Immunities
Photo: (Photo : OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

The challenges in the U.S. education system continue as some schools experience a bus driver shortage, prodding school officials to enlist parents to drive their kids for $700 or $4,000.

As children return to in-person classes, a school in Montana has invited eligible parents and adults to test drive their big yellow school bus and be paid to drive for $4,000 a month. A Delaware school district has offered parents $700 per child if they drive and pick up their kids from school using their own transportation.

Some schools are also offering hiring bonuses and an increase in hourly payments for people willing to work as bus drivers, while other schools said they would provide training for commercial licenses for interested job seekers.

Read Also: Breakthrough COVID Infections Impact Vaccinated Parents; What To Do, According to Experts

A bus driver shortage is not an unusual problem in U.S. schools, but it's another pile to the challenges that learning institutions have to deal with as in-person classes resume during a Delta variant surge.

'Empowering Parents the Best Solution'

School officials of the EastSide Charter School in Delaware, with 500 students, said they believe the incentive will empower parents and bring the best solution to this common problem. In July, they launched a survey among parents who could sign up for the program. Those who agreed are expected to stick to the arrangements for the whole school year even if school buses become available for other kids who will still need transportation.

Philadelphia's school district has a similar solution, dubbed the Parent Flat Rate Program, that provides a $150 monthly payment per child for a maximum of $1,500.

In May, Montana joined other states in inviting parents and other adults to practice driving the school buses to be familiar with the barriers and then help out with the bus driver shortage. Despite the cash incentives, the number of participants wasn't many, but it has led to some applications.

On the other hand, officials of the Pittsburgh Public Schools' solution is to delay the school opening by two weeks due to the bus driver shortage. As the Pittsburgh school officials are still working out the solutions, some 70 parents and kids have protested in the streets. Superintendent Anthony Hamlet said during a virtual press conference that they are going through "some difficult decisions," but they are trying their best to ensure that the students will be able to come to school once classes start.

Cause of Bus Driver Shortage

According to Time Magazine, the country is experiencing a labor shortage across many sectors due to the pandemic. However, bus drivers are especially at risk because half of this workforce is the vulnerable over 65-year-old individuals.

Joanna McFarland, the founder of HopSkipDrive that tracks issues surrounding school buses, told the news outlet that 80 percent of school districts are having problems hiring bus drivers. She said that the current situation is at a breaking point, especially with COVID adding to the equation.

Related Article: Parents Sinking in Debt on School Supplies Despite Two Child Tax Credit Payments: Survey
Like everything else in high school sports, attendance and spectating were affecte
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From August 31 through to October 2016 Patently Apple posted a string of reports regarding Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 smartphones exploding while charging (01, 02, 03, 04, 05 and 06) which led to this model of phone being banned by Airlines and Samsung eventually recalling that model from the market. It was a disaster for Samsung.

Yesterday a flight to Seattle was evacuated after a passenger's Samsung Galaxy A21 caught on fire which must have Samsung executives scrambling for details.

The Seattle Times reported that "A passengers cellphone caught on fire inside the cabin of an Alaska Airlines flight from New Orleans to Seattle that had landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Monday evening.

It was a Samsung Galaxy A21, according to Perry Cooper, a spokesman for the Port of Seattle.

After much digging, I can tell you that the phone was burned beyond recognition, Cooper said in an email. However, during an interview with one of our Port of Seattle Police officers, the passenger volunteered the phone was a Samsung Galaxy A21.

The crew on Flight 751 extinguished the fire with a battery containment bag, but smoke forced the deployment of evacuation slides, a spokesperson for Alaska Airlines told KOMO-TV.

One passenger sent a video into KIRO7Seattle News via Twitter as presented below.

Passenger sent @KIRO7Seattle this video following the plane evacuation. Per @flySEA: Passengers were transported by bus to the terminal, some with minor injuries. Passenger credits flight attendants for acting fast throughout the entire incident. pic.twitter.com/y0UGMVP73w  Kevin Ko (@NewsWithKevin) August 24, 2021

The Samsung Galaxy A21 was introduced back in April 2020 and shipped in May along with a series of other A-Series phones. This is the first known major incident with the A21 model. Samsung is likely to downplay this as a one-time incident and only time will tell if that's the case.

Lithium-ion batteries have issues from poor smartphone designs to defective battery chargers and more.
The Police at the Kasoa New Market have arrested two suspects for impersonating officials of Electricity Company of Ghana.



Emmanuel Kwesi Ahiagbe, 48; and David Nkrumah, 38, were apprehended by some residents of Avornyo located in the Kasoa North District.



According to report by the police, the suspects posed as disconnection officers of the Electricity Company of Ghana in the community, extorting money from customers who owe in order not to disconnect their power.

The Kasoa North District office of the ECG was hinted and with the help of some residents, the suspects were apprehended.



The police said further investigations were being carried out on the matter. That strict sanctions were being put in place to clamp down on such unscrupulous persons who pose as a threat to the society.



Mr. Samuel Techie-Menson, District Manager for Kasoa North advised customers to inspect the Identity Cards of ECG officials who visit their premises.



Additionally, he said customers should not hesitate to visit the office for any enquiry.



Mr. Techie-Menson indicated that his team was readily available to offer the needed assistance in order to enhance service delivery.

Source: Michael Akrofi









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has warned that any false information about the ongoing WASSCE will be detrimental to the integrity of the outcome and can hurt the future of the candidates.

The examination body has, therefore, called on any person or entity that wants to put out information regarding the exam to check their facts thoroughly and also involve WAEC.



The Head of National Office at WAEC, Mrs Wendy Enyonam Addy-Lamptey, made this call at a press conference to react to a report issued by African Education Watch (Eduwatch) on its social media platform.



She said the report was false and needed to be condemned.



The Eduwatch on August 20 this year, alleged in a post on social media the leak of the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) practicals.



Reckless



However, reacting to the report, Mrs Addy-Lamptey said: Reckless circulations like that create needless pressure on WAEC, candidates, parents and our various stakeholders.



Local and international institutions may doubt the credibility of our certificates, making the Ghanaian child the ultimate loser, she said.



Reputation



Mrs Addy-Lamptey said if care was not taken, the reputation of institutions and the nation as a whole could be irreparably damaged in the eyes of the international community.



She said while the council was open to receiving feedback from stakeholders to help it take corrective actions to improve, issuing any false report on the conduct of the examination had the tendency to mislead the public, cause unnecessary anxiety and undermine the credibility of the examination.



Rogue platforms



Speaking on the operation of rogue websites, Mrs Addy-Lamptey cautioned candidates to be wary of activities of rogue websites as they would deceive them and turn their attention from their books.



We advise all candidates who have joined such platforms to exit from them immediately and concentrate on their studies, she added.



Mrs Addy-Lamptey noted that so far, WAECs attention had been drawn to a platform called Smart WASSCE Hub which was asking candidates to join for assistance.



She said WAEC, together with the security operatives, was on the alert and was working to bring the perpetrators to book.



Again, she said the council had received tip-offs from some concerned persons about plans being hatched and money being collected to enable candidates to cheat during the examination.



She, therefore, cautioned the schools against such acts, adding that  we will follow up with the necessary actions.







Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the National Cathedral Project, Apostle Professor Kwadwo Nimfour Opoku Onyinah, has assured Ghanaians that the monies they'll contribute towards the construction of the project will be accounted for.



President Akufo-Addo was criticized after the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta appealed for Ghanaians to contribute GHC100 a month, for the construction of the Cathedral during his presentation of the 2021 Mid-year Budget Review on the 27th of July 2021.



Critics don't understand why they should contribute when the project was a pledge Nana Akufo-Addo made to God.



However, Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah says it's for a good course.



Speaking in a one-on-one interaction with Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', the former Chairman of the Church of Pentecost said, "we plead for everyone to calm down and back us with their prayers. Indeed it was the President who had that vision but he's handed it over to the church".



Apostle Opoku Onyinah further stated that the monies will be handled by the Board of Trustees and not the government and that soon there will be a mechanism for people to track the amount of money they've donated.



" . . your monies will be well accounted for; so donate GHC100 a month for this course," he added.



Listen to him in the video below





Meanwhile, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has urged Ghanaians of all religious persuasions to voluntarily contribute to the construction of the project."As you all know, there are efforts to build a National Cathedral. It is very important that we build the Cathedral. It is a voluntary exercise; anybody who wants to contribute can contribute. I have contributed, and I will contribute some more. So I encourage everybody to think about it and lets build it. It is not for anybody. It is for Ghana and for the glory of God, he said.The National Cathedral will be a unifying monument around which to elevate shared conversations on faith and on national transformation. It will also serve as a rallying platform to promote deep national conversations on how to move Ghana forward.It is set to be the nation's ceremonial landmark where all denominations are welcomed to gather, worship and celebrate in spiritual accord.

Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has charged the media to be partners in Ghanas efforts to rebound the economy from the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic.



According to him, the media in this post-crisis recovery era should be partners in highlighting the opportunities and amplifying successes of government and businesses in order to complement efforts being made to revive the economy from the economic downturn.



We are at the most critical time in the recent economic history of our continent. Therefore, this is the time to rally around the flag and indeed rally around the continent-wide effort to recover. This requires common purpose from policymakers, private sector players, and from the media. It is the only way to guarantee our common success.



On the part of the government, we will continue to provide support for the industry through fair regulation, capacity enhancement programs, and support to the general economy which should, in turn, help the industry. However, in return, the media should also help in projecting the country to the outside world, he added.



He was giving the keynote address at the Graphic Business and Stanbic Bank Breakfast Meeting on Tuesday, August 24, 2021, under the theme: Media and Marketing Communication post-COVID: A catalyst for Africas Socio-Economic Resurgence.



The Minister said the role of the media particularly in these times is to eschew all forms of sensational and misleading publications that will deter investors, both foreign and local from investing in critical sectors of the economy.



Organized by the Graphic Business and Stanbic Bank Ghana, the main speakers for the Breakfast Meeting were the Chief Executive Officer of ABN Holdings, Mr. George Twumasi, Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr. Ato Afful, and Digital Marketing Communication expert, Mr. Stephen Naasei Boadi.



Medias role in economic recovery



Touching on the medias role in recovering the economy, Mr. Nkrumah said the media plays a critical role in helping to recover the economy from the shocks of the COVID-19. He said for any set of interventions to be successful, the media needs to trumpet it for these interventions to gain the goodwill and support of the Ghanaian people.



He said, while the media is encouraged to report infractions in the public and private sector, the media should see itself more as a role player is also highlighting the opportunities and the good in these sectors to fire up the countrys recovery efforts.



On his part, Mr, Afful called on the media to use innovative means in producing attractive content that will give a mileage to businesses to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). He said the media must always make it a point to sell the numerous businesses opportunities available in the country to make it attractive to foreign investors.



Mr. Twumasi underscored the relevance of the media and marketing communication industry in the country. However, he said the post-COVID-19 recovery efforts mean the media must assume a more central role in promoting trade, commerce, and investment in a way that will help set the Ghanaian economy back in motion.



Marketing and Communications expert, Mr. Boadi also challenged the media to embrace new ideas as a means of advancing their interests while remaining relevant in the marketplace. He charged them to be proactive in responding to the global crisis.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Private Legal Practitioner, Lawyer Gary Nimako Marfo says the lawyer at the centre of the US$5 million alleged bribery scandal involving the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana sounds unserious.



He claimed lawyer Kwasi Afrifa has till now not been able to provide any factual evidence to back his wild allegation against the Chief Justice.



To him, the lawyer's allegation is only based on hearsay.



"He should prove his allegation before the committee, I hear say, I hear say doesnt work in court. No, we are not joking here, he should prove his allegation, he told NEAT FMs morning show, Ghana Montie.



Kwasi Afrifa is now facing a 9-count charge leveled against him by the General Legal Council on his allegation against Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah



He is at the moment, fighting a legal battle in the High Court after the Council in its initial hearings concluded that he (Kwasi Afrifa) was cited for misconduct.



Listen to the interview.





Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Peacefmonline.com is reliably informed that a personal assistant to the education minister has been named to head the ministrys Corporate Affairs department.



Mr. Kwasi Abankwas role is to assist the ministers agenda of reforming Ghanas education system to attain a 4th industrial revolution as a country.



The Corporate Affairs Manager will serve as the antennae of the education ministry, its listening station, monitoring everything from stakeholder opinions and expectations, the political landscape and specific policy issues to societal trends to competitor activity and reputation issues



Some bigwigs at the ministry told Peacefmonline.com that Mr. Abankwa also known as Col. Abankwa best fit the position.



A role like Managing Corporate Affairs in the Education Ministry requires someone who strongly believes in the ideologies, principles and clearly understands the concepts of the education minister. And he is the right person. Our source said



Mr. Abankwa aka. Colonel Abankwa recently attained Executive Masters in Business Administration with Specialisation in Strategic Management and Consultancy and also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Science from the University of Ghana - He is a product of Opoku Ware School



He has recently been spotted in the media space creating awareness on Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) education in Ghana.



He is the 2nd Born of Late Hon. Ben Abankwa (Fmr DCE and Special Assistant to Chief of Staff)

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Ghana Police Service has been able to retrieve some other parts of the murdered children at Abesim.



They were found at a cocoa farm behind the suspects house.



The parts which were found according to the CID personnel at the Bono Regional police headquarters include the stomachs of the murdered children.



However, their genital parts were not found and thus compelled the Police to empty the septic tank in the house but they were not found either.



Meanwhile, the bodies of the deceased children have been sent to the Police Hospital at Accra for autopsy.



The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, has directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Headquarters to provide technical support to Bono Regional CID to investigate the murder of three persons at Abesim in the Bono Region.



The murder case involves Richard Appiah, a 28-year-old surveyor, who is suspected to have murdered 12 and 15-year-old young men and a yet-to-be-identified man whose bodies were found in his living quarters at Alaska near Abesim on Friday, August 20, 2021.



The Police in collaboration with members of the community arrested the suspect, Richard Appiah who is currently in Police custody assisting the investigation.



The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare has also commended the police and the community for the swift response in arresting the suspect, and entreated that civil-police collaboration should be deepened to promote peace and security in the society.



Police in a statement indicated that on August 20, 2021, one Thomas Adjei aged 56, reported that at about 5:30 pm on the same day, his stepson Richard Appiah came in for his12-year-old son, Louis Agyemang Junior, who has since not returned.



That same day around 2300 hours the complainant and his four brothers called for the arrest of his 28-year-old stepson, Richard Appiah, an architect/Surveyor on suspicion of knowing the whereabouts of his son.



Police together with the complainant and suspect proceeded to the house where the suspect resides in Alaska near Abesim. Surprisingly police found the deceased lying in a supine position in one of the rooms.



The Crime Scene Mgt team led by the Regional Crime officer Supt. Kennedy Adusei and the Sunyani District Commander, Dsp Francis Humado after conducting a thorough search in the house found another dead body cut into pieces and kept in a double door fridge in one of the rooms.



The second deceased was identified to police as Stephen Sarpong aged 15 years.



The bodies have since been sent to the Mentukwa private mortuary for preservation and autopsy as regional and Municipal mortuaries are full, the statement added.





Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Authorities in Nigerias central Plateau state have imposed a 24-hour curfew in the state capital Jos after gunmen killed at least 18 people during a raid on Tuesday night on a mainly Christian community.



Some reports suggest the death toll is well over 30.



Officials say 10 suspects have been arrested in connection with the latest violence on the outskirts of the city.



The state has seen years of frequent deadly communal clashes and there has been growing tension in recent weeks following the killing of dozens of Muslims in the state capital.



Witnesses and officials say the attackers stormed Yelwan-Zangam community in the night, moving from house-to-house, shooting and hacking people to death as well as setting homes ablaze.



The authorities say the attack appeared carefully planned because a bridge linking the community with Jos city was destroyed before the killings. Its not yet clear why the community was targeted.



But Plateau state has suffered years of deadly ethnic and religious violence as well as clashes between farmers and herders.



The killing of dozens of Muslim travelers by a mob in a Christian-dominated neighbourhood earlier this month has also fuelled tension in and around the state capital.



This is happening as Nigerias security situation continues to worsen with various armed groups unleashing violence.



On Tuesday, gunmen attacked the countrys top military training academy killing two officers and abducting another.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The long awaited SSNIT report on the electrifying brouhaha between the Lighthouse Chapel International (LCI) and its 6 renegade Ex-Pastors is out. It has been a long journey filled with suspense, emotion, tension and a fiery social media war.



The six pastors are Bishop Larry Odonkor, Bishop Oko Mensah, Rev. Edward Laryea, Pastor Seth Duncan, Pastor Edem Amankwah and Pastor Faith Makafui Fiakojo.



Alleged 58 Cummulative Years of Unpaid SSNIT Contributions



Their complaint to SSNIT was that the LCI had neglected to pay their SSNIT contributions while they were in the employment of the church. Bishop Larry claimed the church owed him 15 years of unpaid SSNIT contributions, Rev Edward Laryeas was 3 years while Pastors Seth Duncan, Edem Amankwah and Faith Makafui Fiakojo were 9 years, 11 years and 6 years respectively. Bishop Oko Mensah was claiming over 14 years of unpaid SSNIT contributions. This makes 58 years of alleged non-payment of SSNIT contributions.



Complaint to SSNIT and Writs Went Simultaneously



While SSNIT was investigating their complaints, the complainants surprisingly sued LCI on the same complaints. One averment that runs through all the six statements of claim is as follows: Defendant refused, neglected and or failed to pay his social security contributions as required by law, as a result of which he has been constrained to file a complaint with the appropriate authorities to deal with the social security contribution issue.



The SSNIT held several meetings with both parties to determine whether or not there existed an employer/ employee relationship between LCI and the complainants during the respective periods in contention. Then again, in case there was an employer/employee relationship, whether LCI had indeed neglected to discharge its obligation under The National Pensions Act 2008 (Act 766), which obligates employers to pay SSNIT contributions for the employees.



LCIs Defence



The Churchs defence to the allegations of non-payment of SSNIT contribution was in two fold;



1. That for Pastors Seth Duncan, Faith Fiakojo, and Edem Amankwah they were volunteer pastors like thousands of LCI pastors who signed consent forms to be volunteers and never become employees. The same argument went for Edward Laryeas 3-year period in contention. LCI however paid Edward Laryeas 9 years SSNIT contributions uninterrupted from August 2008 to March 2017 (9 years). LCI also said that Bishop Larry Odonkor was a volunteer pastor from 2001 to 2005.



2. The Churchs second argument was that, LCI Ghana is a legally, financially, administratively and governmentally independent organization from other LCI churches outside the borders of Ghana and only shares a spiritual relationship with the others. LCI churches worldwide share a common vision of propagating the gospel worldwide and training leaders and pastors to take the gospel to the four corners of the Globe. The Church added that pastors who leave LCI Ghana to serve in other jurisdictions were considered not to be in the employment of LCI-Ghana.



On this basis, the church submitted that, Larry Odonkor while in South Africa and Madagascar from September 2010 to December 2019 was not in the employment of LCI Ghana but in the employment of LCI South Africa and LCI-Madagascar respectively. All his salaries and allowances were paid in South Africa and Madagascar and not from Ghana and therefore LCI Ghana does not owe him any SSNIT contributions for that period. He was however in the employment of LCI Ghana from June 2005 to June 2010 and from January 2020 to April 2020 during which period LCI paid his SSNIT contributions in full.



This same argument of legal separation was LCI-Ghanas defence in respect of Bishop Oko Mensah for the period, December 2018 to April 2019 when he was in Burkina Faso and being paid by LCI Burkina Faso. For the remaining 16-year period for Bishop Oko Mensah, LCI maintained that the church fully paid all of Bishop Oko Mensahs SSNIT contributions and wondered why Bishop Oko Mensah would claim 14 years of unpaid SSNIT contributions when his SSNIT statement was always readily available to him at his request.



NOW THE VERDICT



After several months of weighing the evidence from both parties find below in verbatim a portion of the verdict of SSNIT dated 20th August, 2021 which exonerates the Lighthouse Church:



Bishop Larry Odonkor



Records currently available to us indicate that there was an employer/employee relationship between LCI Ghana and Bishop Lawrence Odonkor for the period June 2005 to June 2010 and January 2020 to April 2020. During these periods, social security contributions were paid on his behalf, based on the available employment history records.



From our independent investigations and records currently available to us, we could not establish an employer/employee relationship between LCI Ghana and Bishop Lawrence Odonkor for the periods September 20 IO to September 2017 and April 2017 to December 2019. This was because he was in the employment of LCI South Africa and Madagascar respectively; and not LCI Ghana.



For the other period under contention, (November 2001 to May 2005), we could also not establish an employer/ employee relationship, based on records provided and our own investigations.



Rev. Edward Laryea



From our independent investigations, we could not establish an employer/employee relationship between Rev. Edward Laryea and LCl Ghana during the period July 2005 to July 2008. Rev. Edward Laryea also failed to provide us with evidence of being in your employment for the period under contention. We were therefore unable to establish an employer/employee relationship for that period and by extension, any salaries earned on which social security contributions were not paid.



Ps. Seth Duncan



Ps. Seth Duncan failed to provide evidence of being in the employment ofLCI Ghana. Our independent investigations also could not establish an employer/employee relationship between LCI Ghana and Ps. Seth Duncan, during the period under contention and by extension, any salaries earned on which social security contributions were not paid.



Ps. Edem Amankwah



Ps. Edem Amankwah failed to provide evidence of being in the employment of LCI Ghana. Our independent investigations also could not establish an employer/employee relationship between LCI Ghana and Ps. Edem Amankwah, during the period under contention and by extension, any salaries earned on which social security contributions were not paid.





Ps. Faith Makafui Fiakojo



Ps. Faith Makafui Fiakojo, failed to provide evidence of being in the employment of LCI Ghana. Our independent investigations also could not establish an employer/employee relationship between LCI Ghana and Ps. Faith Makafui Fiakojo, during the period under contention and by extension, any salaries earned on which social security contributions were not paid.



Bishop Emmanuel Oko Mensah



Bishop Emmanuel Oko Mensah was employed and worked as a full time Pastor for LCI Ghana from August 2003 to November 2018 during which period his contributions were paid. We did not find any employment document contrary to what was available to us, for the period under contention apart from May 2019 where his name was cited on your PA YE records. On the basis of that, you are requested to submit a contribution report to the nearest SSNIT Branch for validation and subsequently, pay the contribution amount and any accrued penalty for the period May 2019.



One Month Out of 58 years



Upon examining the over 58 year period of the alleged non-payment of SSNIT contributions in contention, the SSNIT found that it was only in respect of one month that LCI had failed to pay SSNIT contributions. LCI says it was a normal administrative lapse since that month was the complainants first month in a new branch of the LCI and he was being moved unto a new payroll.



We have all waited with bated breath for this report. Finally, it is out and the Lighthouse Church has been exonerated by SSNIT which according to the complainants in their own statements of claim is the appropriate authorities to deal with the social security contribution issue.

















































Source: The Ghanaian Publisher









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The owner of the fufu joint being operated along the Pokuase interchange has been arrested.



A video which has been widely circulated on social media shows how a section of the Pokuase interchange has been turned into a food joint.



Other vendors have also reportedly evaded the place.



Media personality, Afia Pokua, disappointed, took to her Instagram page with the caption: "Fufu on Pokuase Interchange? A nation that wants Ghana to be fixed but pounds fufu on an interchange. Is there hope for this country?"



Ahmed Arthur, former Member of Parliament for Okaikwei South in the Greater Accra Region, Ahmed Arthur told Kwami Sefa Kayi in a text message that the trader has been arrested.



Ahmed Arthur who is currently the Director of operations at the Greater Accra Regional Ministry personally went to the Pokuase interchange to ensure the trader was arrested and taken to the Police station for prosecution.















Happening live on the pavement of the new pokuase interchange. #FixYourself was a right call after all

pic.twitter.com/rQTraqw2v2







 Richard   (@real_Richard21) August 24, 2021

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A Zimbabwean lecturer has declined a senior lecturer post at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in the Department of Physiotherapy and Sport Sciences over poor salary.



In a letter declining the offer by the university, Dr Matthew Chiwaridzo stated that the annual salary of Ghc55, 104.05 (USD 760.00 per month) is not comparable to a monthly basic salary of a Lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe (ZWL 1, 293, 708.00 per annum: USD 1.283 per month).



Please note that I am currently in the Senior Lecturer grade (ZWL 1, 561 248.00 per annum; USD 1.500 per month) at the University of Zimbabwe by virtue of having a doctorate degree specialising in Physiotherapy, 35 publications, 2 awarded grant projects and 7 years of satisfactory teaching, industrialisation, innovation and research experience. It is for this economical reason a.e that I decline the offer of employment at KNUST and will want to explore other opportunities.



The decision by the Zimbabwean lecturer comes days after the University Teachers Association of Ghana called off their two-week strike over poor conditions of service and the failure of the government to resolve long-standing grievances.



The 2012 conditions of service pegged the Basic plus Market Premium of a lecturer at $2,084.42 but the government has since failed to implement that condition of service for lecturers in the country. According to the President of UTAG, Professor Charles Marfo, the current arrangement has reduced its members basic premiums to $997.84.



He added that the entry-level salary of a lecturer is less than Ghc 2000 while a professor earns less than Ghc 5000 monthly.







Source: starrfm.com.gh









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The family of the late social media activist, Ibrahim Muhammed, alias Kaaka, has appealed to the Office of the National Chief Imam to intervene in investigations into the death of their relative to speed up the process and ensure that justice is served.



The family said they were unhappy with the delay in the ongoing investigations, saying that two months after the murder, the police had failed to provide proper updates on the state of investigations conducted into the case and, therefore, wants the intervention of the Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu.



We have been denied our voice and we, therefore, appeal to the Chief Imam to use his authority to bring us justice. This is because the law court cannot give the justice that his voice can provide, the spokesperson for the family, Mr. Nafiu Mohammed, said when the family visited the Chief Imam at his residence in Accra yesterday to discuss the death of their relative and the events that followed, with him.



They also used the opportunity to commend Sheikh Sharubutu for visiting Ejura to ensure peace when tension was brewing in the area.



Background



Kaaka was killed in Ejura in the Ashanti Region on June 26, this year, for what many have attributed to his social activism which made the government unpopular, especially the agitation by the #FixTheCountry movement.



According to a police report, unknown assailants attacked him at his family house with clubs.



His murder sparked widespread agitation and protests, which saw the killing of two more indigenes during a confrontation with a joint police and military team, amid the firing of gunshots.



No update



We have avoided saying anything publicly about this whole investigation because we wanted to believe that justice would be done and that the police would take their time to do their work properly.



We never saw that happen. Till date, no one in the Ghana Police Service has called the family of Kaaka to update us on the work being done to bring us justice. It is almost as if we are not humans. We have had to find out everything from the media, Mr. Mohammed said.



He further complained that there was a calculated attempt to misdirect the public and cause them to conclude that Kaakas brother, Mr. Iddi Mohammed, was involved in the murder.



That, he said, had compounded the familys grief and made them lose hope that the police were committed to truth and justice in the case.



Calm



The National Chief Imam expressed his condolence to the family for the loss and urged them not to inflame passions but rather remain calm and allow the law to take its course.



He prayed to Allah to ease their pain and replace whatever the family had lost.



He assured them that he would let his advisory board get involved in the matter to ensure that justice was served.



The Chief Imam also urged the family to present an official petition to the office for it to be referred to the advisory board, so that it could start probing into the case.







Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Omanhene of Sefwi Anwhiaso, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, has urged the government to find a strategic investor to take over the 80 per cent shares of the Chinese investor in the Ghana Bauxite Company (GBC) Limited to ensure the livelihood of the workers of the mine.



He said the local economy evolved around the existence of the mine and to ensure that the community survived the exit of the Chinese investors, Bosai Minerals Group.



According to him, every mining company depended on the people around and in the community for its workforce and as such played a very significant role in the local economy.



He, therefore, called on the government and other agencies related to the mine to come together to find ways of reviving the operations of the mine to ensure that the people have something to do.



Satisfaction



The Omanhene, who is also the President of the National House of Chiefs, made the call yesterday at his palace when the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. George Mireku Ducker and the Western North Regional Minister, Mr. Richard Obeng, paid a courtesy call on him.



The deputy minister was in the region to visit the Ghana Bauxite Mine at Awaso to hold discussions with the workers over the fears of losing their work with the non renewal of the lease of the Bosai Minerals Group from China, the investor.



Ogyeahoho expressed his satisfaction at the governments decision not to renew the mining lease for the investors as the latter had not been of help to the community.



He said until Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) came on board to manage governments interest, the mine had always declared losses.



However, he said when GIADEC came on board, from 2019  they started declaring profits and wondered what had happened overnight for them to start declaring profits.



According to him, the Chinese investors also collapsed the business of the local haulage sector who were carting the commodity to the ports with the excuse that the commodity was losing its value on the work market and thus paying them less for the haulage.



Turn around



Ogyeahoho said the investors rather imported larger trucks with as many as 32 wheels to do their own carting.



They did not only collapse the local industry but also destroyed our road networks and those who were supposed to enforce the law also looked on unconcerned, he stated.



The Omanhene insisted that the establishment of a bauxite refinery should be part of the requirements for the renewal of the mining lease.



Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi also called on the government to be proactive in protecting the interest of the country and not to allow these foreign investors to rip off the country.



Minister



For his part, Mr. Ducker assured the Omanhene of the governments resolve to protect the interest of the government and that of the country at all times.



He said it was in furtherance of that the sector minister delegated him to come to the ground to acquaint himself with the issues.













Source: graphiconline.com









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There are poor harvest prospects in communities downstream the White and Black Volta following Burkina Fasos imminent opening of the spill gates of the Bagre and Kompienga dams on Friday.

Farmers in the communities are yet to harvest their produce, and the possibility of another destruction of farms looms.



SONABEL, the agency that manages the Bagre and Kompienga dams in Burkina Faso, has announced that the annual spillage of the dams would take place from Friday, August 27 to Monday, August 30, this year.



In a notice to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and its partners, SONABEL said it had decided to begin opening the valves of the dams in the coming days due to the rapid rate of rise in the water levels.



It, therefore, urged residents of communities downstream the White and Black Volta to move to higher grounds for safety.



The level of the Kompienga Dam as of last Monday was 174.05 metres with the rate of rise at 49.12 per cent as against 42.74 per cent for the same period last year.



The upstream level of the Bagre Dam has also risen to 233.99 metres, with the rate of rise at 86.51 per cent as against 101.16 per cent same period last year.



Bracing for flooding



Within the White Volta enclave at the weekend, residents appeared to brace themselves for the annual ritual of flooding even as NADMO intensified measures to save lives and properties.



A resident of the West Mamprusi Municipality, Mr. Amadu Osman, said he had been informed about the imminent spillage of the dams but lamented that his 15-acre maize farm had not matured yet.



If the floods come these days, it will be a disaster for me because all my crops are not matured yet; what my family will survive on will be a challenge, so I am appealing to the government and various supporting agencies to rush to our aid should the floods occur, he said.



Another farmer, Mr. Salifu Awudu, observed that this years flood would cause more havoc because many people had not recovered from last years disaster and also farm crops were not matured yet.



Sensitisation exercise



Meanwhile, NADMO has begun sensitising residents living in flood prone areas along the White Volta to what to do to save lives.



As of the weekend, however, residents along the lake were yet to adhere to the advise to move to higher grounds.



The North East Regional Director of NADMO, Mr. Alhassan John Kweku, told the Daily Graphic that our officers are on the ground sensitising the residents to stay safe during the flood to avoid casualties.



He indicated that a team would also be deployed from Accra to join the regional team in the coming days to commence preparatory works ahead of the spillage.



Flood Relief Assistance



Last week, NADMO launched the ECOWAS Flood Relief Assistance in Tamale to provide support to flood victims ahead of the floods.



The ECOWAS Flood Relief Assistance is a humanitarian intervention by the regional body to support flood victims within the member countries.



The five regions of the north would benefit from food aid and non-food items.



Background



Last year, six persons lost their lives, with about 78,371 persons displaced in the North East and Northern regions by the floods, which was occasioned by the spillage of the Bagre Dam and torrential rains.



About 31,447 acres of farmlands were also swept away by the flood, with food crops such as maize, rice, millet and sorghum destroyed.













Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The maiden edition of the Africa Digital Forum (ADF), organised by AIDEC Consultancies International Limited is primed for tomorrow, 25 August 2021, at the prestigious Best Western Premier Hotel, Airport Residential, in Accra.



Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretary-General, Wamlele Mene and Minister of Communication and Digitalisation, Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful; who will deliver the keynote address, will grace the occasion as guests of honor, with Africas father of the internet - Prof. Nii Narku Quaynor, as Chairman.



Dubbed the Accra Edition and with the theme: The Digital Challenge: Africas Opportunity Under AfCFTA, the Forum will bring together key stakeholders in policy, regulation, industry, and academia converge to deliberate on the necessity, challenges, and opportunities of digitalisation in fulfilling the potential presented by the continent-wide free trade area.



The Forum will also review policy directions that can bring about an economic turnaround, project timelines for these policy directions to begin to yield visible results, and advice on how Ghana, and other countries under AfCFTA, can avoid policy pitfalls that adversely affect impact the economy.



Offering further insights into the rationale for the Forum and its expected outcomes, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AIDEC Consultancies International Limited, Mr. Ambrose Yennah stated that Accra was chosen as the destination for the maiden edition as it currently serves as home to the AfCFTA Secretariat.



This gathering of regulators, academics and businesspeople; from Club 100 companies to budding Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and even Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) will ensure that the most pertinent issues confronting all stakeholders would be discussed and solutions proffered, he explained.



Continuing, he said: We are quite concerned about applying digitalization to ensure that goods and services meet the prerequisite standards, particularly for the anglophone and francophone markets  which represent the biggest on the continent  as well as other markets.



On a similar tangent, the Chairman of the Board at AIDEC Consultancies International Limited, Prof. Robert Yennah stated that the Forum would serve as a platform for regulators to sensitize players in their respective spaces on the matters of policy. It will also provide indigenous institutions that focus on digital solutions for businesses, a ready platform to showcase their products and services.



We have been able to pool together some of the best indigenous human resources in the area of ICT, who can provide solutions to big multinational corporations, as well as small businesses who are struggling to be part of the digital world.

The maiden edition of the Africa Digital Forum (ADF), which will be streamed across all major platforms, will have in attendance stakeholders in the manufacturing, financial, fintech, and real estate sectors, as well as start-ups, entrepreneurs and retail investors.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former President John Dramani Mahama has said that even though the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is not happy with the conduct of the 2020 elections, it still maintained a level head because the peace of Ghana is more important than anyone in the country.



He said there were many countries, where disputed elections led to civil wars, but for the grace of God Ghana continue to remain peaceful after elections since 1992 because the country cherished peace.



Former President Mahama said this at the palace of Wa Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, during his visit to the Upper West Region as part of his nationwide thank you tour.



He thanked both Traditional and Religious Leaders in the country for their contribution to peace in the country, adding that anytime they were heading into an election, they continued to counsel them to maintain the peace.



He said this had yielded results and that it was his prayer that Ghana would continue to remain peaceful.



He said the PNDC led to the creation of the Upper West Region and that both the PNDC and the NDC had since been principally responsible for most of the infrastructure in the region.



So Im not surprised that in the last elections, if you take all the five regions of the north, the Upper West Region had the highest percentage of votes for the NDC in the Presidential elections with 67 per cent.



We won the Presidential elections in all the 11 constituencies in the region and increased the number of our Parliamentary seats from six to eight seats, he said.



Former President Mahama said this contributed to the partys vote rise nationally from a little above four million in the 2016 elections to almost 6.3 million in the 2020 elections.



He said the party also increased the number of Parliamentary seats from 106 in 2016 to137 in the 2020 elections.



According to the Former President, but for the arm twisting by the military in some constituencies against the NDC, they would have had a clear majority in Parliament.



On the recent floods that destroyed some major roads and cutting off six districts and several communities in the Upper West Region, Mr Mahama called on government to deploy the 48 Engineer Regiment with some emergency action to allow free flow of vehicular traffic.



On the deplorable nature of the Sawla-Wa road, the former President expressed disappointment in the failure of government to maintain the road, adding that when the NDC was in government every year they used to maintain the bad road.



If we dont do anything about it, that road will completely be destroyed and we will have to spend money to construct it again.



Former President Mahama also raised concerns about the failure of government to give the Upper West Regional Hospital seed money to enable it operate at full capacity, and called on government to do so for the hospital operate to full capacity.



Whilst we think about building new hospitals, the capacities of existing ones must be fully utilized, he said.



Wa Naa Pelpuo on his part commended former President Mahama for maintaining statesmanship after the December 2020 elections, noting that his peaceful nature contributed to the peace the country was enjoying.



The Most Reverend Richard Kuuia Baawobr, the Bishop of the Wa Catholic Diocese, thanked Mr Mahama for his contribution to peace in Ghana and indicated their willingness to work with political parties that demonstrated the fear of God and the love for humanity.



The former President was accompanied by his running mate in the 2020 elections, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, Ofosu Ampofo, National Chairman of the NDC, Peter Boamah Ottukono, NDC Deputy General Secretary, some Members of Parliament (MPs) from the region and regional and constituency executives among others.











Source: GNA









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US Vice President, Kamala Harris has blasted China during a speech made in Singapore on the first leg of a South East Asian tour, her very first trip to Asia since becoming VP.



Harris accused China of coercing and intimidating other countries in the South China Sea, which has been a regional flashpoint for years.

Ms Harris criticised China's claims "to the vast majority of the South China Sea," which she said were based on "intimidation and coercion"



"These unlawful claims have been rejected by the 2016 arbitral tribunal decision and Beijing's actions continue to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations," she said.

Harris was talking about a landmark legal victory the Philippines won over China, concerning territorial incursions in the South China sea in 2012.



Since 2012, and despite the tribunal ruling, there has been a constant Chinese Coastguard presence there -with Filipino fishermen reporting harassment by the Chinese authorities.

In recent years, China has been increasingly assertive, rapidly building up its military presence to back up those claims.

Several other countries including Japan claim ownership of various small islands and reefs that line the sea and the to resources in it.



She said the US would "stand with our allies in the face of threats".



Harris' trip is seen as an attempt to reaffirm US commitment to the region.















Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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THE OPPOSITION National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Volta Region is politicizing the COVID-19 vaccination in the country.



According to them, government has adopted biological strategy to reduce the population in the Volta Region hence the absence of COVID-19 vaccination in the area.



The Volta NDC said there is no vaccination ongoing in the region, despite the fact that the vaccination is taking place in other regions of the country.



A statement issued by Sorkpa K. Agbleze, NDC Volta Regional Communications officer put the blame on the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Letsa for unavailability of vaccination in the region.



They are wondering why although the Volta Region has been declared by the Ghana Health Service as a hotspot with worryingly rising cases, yet no vaccination is currently taking place.



Read a press release issued by the Volta NDC on Sunday August 22, 2021



Absence of Covid19 Vaccination in Volta Region: Is it a Biological Strategy by Government to reduce the population of Volta Region?



The NDC in the Volta Region wants to draw the attention of the government to the absence of vaccination in the Volta Region, despite the fact that the vaccination is taking place in other regions of the country.



The Volta Region has been declared by the Ghana Health Service as a hotspot with worryingly rising cases.

Available data show that there are over 1,000 reported cases of the delta variant infection and 241 active cases within the past four weeks in the region.



The NDC in the Volta Region is wondering why a region which has recorded the highest rate of infection, is the region in which no vaccination is currently taking place. Vaccination is taking place in other regions of Ghana, except the region with the highest level of infection. This is absolutely incredible and unacceptable.



The Volta Region has a medical doctor in the person of Dr. Archibald Letsa as its Regional Minister at this time that the novel covid19 virus is ravaging the world. However the no vaccination scenario in the region at this critical moment, provokes the following questions for Dr. Letsa and the Nana Addo government to answer:



1. Is it the case that the Volta Region is not a stronghold of the NPP that is why vaccination is not taking place in the region despite recording the highest infection rate?



2. Is it the case that the deployment of the military and police to the region to suppress Votes in the 2020 elections failed hence the government now wants to allow a biological strategy to reduce the population in the Volta Region?



We do not want to believe that the absence of vaccination in the region is deliberate. For any doubts we have to be put to rest, the government should as a matter of urgency deploy vaccines to the Volta Region to get our people vaccinated. Such a gesture we believe will reduce the growing suspicion of the people of the Volta Region about government intentions towards the region.



Signed



Sorkpa K. Agbleze



Volta NDC Regional Communication officer











Source: Daily Guide









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Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has raised concerns over President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's decision to keep under wraps the outcome of investigations into a petition filed by the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) that sought to remove the Chief Justice from office.



ASEPA's petition comes on the heels of a bribery allegation against the Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah.



The Chief Justice has been accused by a private legal practitioner, Kwasi Afrifa that he had demanded a $5 million bribe to deliver a favourable judgment in a case involving his client.



Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah denied the allegation and called on the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to investigate the matter.



However, the President constitutionally referred the issue to the Council of State which held investigations in camera and on Friday presented their findings to the President.



The Council of State findings were not made public but President Akufo-Addo, after studying the report, threw out the petition saying it is "devoid of any basis warranting the setting up of a committee under Article 146 (6) to undertake the very serious business of removing a Chief Justice from office.



" . . the Supreme Court in interpreting article 146 (6) had in mind unmeritorious and unwarranted petitions such as the instant one. The petition is dismissed accordingly, the statement dated August 20, 2021, added.



Kwesi Pratt, discussing the petition on Peace FM's morning show ''Kokrokoo'', wondered why the Council of State findings were not made public.



He, therefore, called for legal interpretations on why the contents of the report were concealed, trying to find out whether it is lawful or unlawful.



"It's enshrined in the constitution that investigations into a matter of such magnitude is not publicized. It is done in camera but that also raises other issues. If you hold investigations in camera, does it mean the report should not be made public?'', he questioned.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ghana is systematically rising to become an influential player in the affairs of the global community, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said.



We do want, and we shall work, to take Ghana to where she deserves to be  a prosperous and dynamic member of the world community which is neither a victim nor a pawn of the world order, he stated. The President made the declaration in a speech delivered in Dusseldorf, Germany, last Monday as part at the 75th anniversary celebration of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germanys number one industrial region and most populous state.



President Akufo-Addo is in Germany for a seven-day state visit at the invitation of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.



Addressing the gathering, which included Chancellor Merkel and the Minister-President for North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet, President Akufo-Addo said Ghana was determined to participate fully in the global marketplace as an exporter of manufactured goods, not raw materials.



Inspiration



President Akufo-Addo added that the country was drawing inspiration from the success stories of North Rhine-Westphalia and Germany because, likewise, we want to build a progressive and prosperous country.



He said with Germany being a major exporter of industrial products and technology, led by North Rhine-Westphalia, Ghanas relationship with Germany was of utmost importance and must be hinged on that.



The recent establishment of a Volkswagen assemblying plant in Accra is a welcome development, and we are encouraged by the fact that more and more German companies have expressed their willingness to set up shop in Ghana, he said.



Trade and investment



The President said one of Ghanas priority was to increase trade and investment co-operation with Germany because that could develop into economic relations with Germany and the rest of the world, thereby helping put Ghanaian products at the high end of the global value chain.



That, he explained, would lead to the creation of jobs for the teeming masses of Ghanaian youth.



Transparency and inclusiveness



Thirdly, Ghana and Germany must co-operate to ensure the promotion of transparent and inclusive policy and decision-making processes at local, national, regional, continental and global levels.





This will include, recognising as key stakeholders, the state to help provide direction and facilitation; the private sector to drive the creation and management of markets, agriculture, industry and decent jobs, and civil society to help ensure accountability within the body politic, he said.



President Akufo-Addo reiterated his commitment to renew and deepen relations with Germany, with North Rhine-Westphalia at the centre, for the mutual advantage of the two countries.



ECOWAS



The President extended the best wishes of the governments and the peoples of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the people of North Rhine-Westphalia.



He also conveyed his deep sympathies on the recent flooding tragedy that befell some parts of Germany.



History



Recounting the events that had led to the formation of North Rhine-Westphalia in 1946, President Akufo-Addo noted that there were many residents who would have seen for themselves the destruction of their homes and businesses as a result of the Second World War.



I am certain many moved on in search of greener pastures elsewhere, and I am equally certain that many more stayed to help in the rebuilding efforts that followed on from 1946.



The founding residents of this state will be proud of the transformation that has taken place here since those difficult, dramatic days, he added.



He said with North Rhine-Westphalia being Germanys greatest industrial region, and consistently, for several decades, being one of Europe's most important economic centres, these laudable accolades did not happen by chance.



It took creativity, determination, enterprise, hard work and innovation, and credit for these goes to successive generations of North Rhine-Westphalians and their leaders, President Akufo-Addo added.





Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Two opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) have petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate some seven deaths and eight injuries that occurred during the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.



The MPs, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the representative of North Tongu constituency and Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the representative of the Ellembelle constituency, in their petition presented to CHARJ today lodged a complaint against the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Defence as well as the Inspector General of Police of the Ghana Police Service and the Chief of Defence Staff of Ghana Armed Forces.



The MPs want disciplinary action as well as the prosecution of the officers that caused death and injuries during the polls. They are also seeking compensation for the victims or their representatives.



Complaint



Their complaint is restricted to the Techiman South, Odododiodio, Ablekuma Central, and Savelugu constituencies in the Bono East, Greater Accra and Northern Regions of the Republic of Ghana respectively.



It relates to the manner in which the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Armed Forces discharged their constitutional and statutory mandates in the constituencies.



"In the case of the Ghana Armed Forces, their conduct in furtherance of the purpose of the National Election Security Taskforce (NESTF) did not promote the development of Ghana as prescribed by article 210(3) of the 1992 Constitution, as their conduct caused damage to life, limb and property," the petition reads.



"Regarding the Ghana Police service, the manner in which they carried out their functions to further the purpose of the NESTF undermined their constitutional obligation under article 200(3) of performing their traditional role of maintaining law and order".

Source: graphiconline.com









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William Tomas Torres, 63, of Elkton, Md., is escorted to a Montgomery County courtroom where he is on trial on charges of first- and third-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of 57-year-old Jeanne Edwards, of Lower Moreland.
Caroline Buchanan needs little introduction. The eight-time cross-discipline World Champion has made a name for herself across BMX, pump track, dirt jumping, and more. After two trips to the Olympics in London and Rio and countless elite podiums, she recently announced that she is moving away from her full-time BMX focus and will primarily chase down mountain bike progression.



This week, Caroline joins eight other women at Audi Nines to make history at an event that has historically only invited men. After that, she plans to fly over to Crankworx Canada. To help her progression, she rebuilt her backyard "compound" with large dirt jumps and has shared several videos of big hits including both front- and backflips.



At this exciting turning point in her trajectory, we figured it's a good time to take a look at the bike Caroline will be riding at her upcoming events. We've already seen her putting it through its paces both on the ground and in the air, and can't wait to see more.



Caroline Buchanan

Age: 30

Hometown: Canberra, Australia

Height: 163cm / 5'4"

Weight: 67kg / 147lb

Instagram: @cbuchanan68

30Canberra, Australia163cm / 5'4"67kg / 147lb

The Trek Ticket DJ is Caroline's bike of choice for dirt jumping.

Details

Frame: Trek Ticket DJ

Fork: RockShox 110mm DJ Pike, 130psi, LSC 3, rebound 6

Wheels: 26" Stan's NoTubes Flow

Tires: Maxxis 2.3 Pace F (40psi) & R (36psi)

Drivetrain: SRAM XO1 Dub 170mm cranks, singlespeed with 32t chainring

Brakes: SRAM Level Ultimate

Cockpit: Deity Ridgeline Bars 650mm width, 25mm rise, Copperhead Stem 35mm

Weight: 13.08kg / 28.84lbs

More info: trekbikes.com

Trek Ticket DJRockShox 110mm DJ Pike, 130psi, LSC 3, rebound 626" Stan's NoTubes FlowMaxxis 2.3 Pace F (40psi) & R (36psi)SRAM XO1 Dub 170mm cranks, singlespeed with 32t chainringSRAM Level UltimateDeity Ridgeline Bars 650mm width, 25mm rise, Copperhead Stem 35mm13.08kg / 28.84lbs

The inspiration? "Rose gold jewelry meets beauty salon vibe," Caroline said.

We'll see the full gamut of bikes at Audi Nines this week, from dirt jumps to downhill bikes.

The bike is spec'd with a Deity saddle and cockpit, with 650mm bars and a comfortable 35mm rise.

Stan's and Maxxis keep her rolling, and her preferred tire pressures of 40psi in the front and 36psi in the rear make sure she's rolling fast.

"Beauty and the bike," she said. Caroline can add glamor to dirt jumping like no other.

Since she was five years old, Caroline said, she has run her rear brake on the right side. On this bike, however, she chose to change it up and swap the brake to the left side for dirt jumping and tricks. She's right handed, so tends to grab the bars with her right hand first and take that hand off the bars more often, and she would rather have the brake lever out of the way on the left.
Thirteen levels of 40 minutes each were played on Day 1 of Event #2: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em here at the Super High Roller Bowl Europe in the beautiful Merit Royal Hotel, Casino and Spa in Cyprus. With 46 unique players and 35 reentries during the first six levels of the day, 81 entries were collected to get to a prize pool of $2,025,000.

Ten of those players have made it through to Day 2 and it is Johan Guilbert who claimed the chip lead. The Frenchman, also known as "YoH ViraL" on the YouTube and Twitch streets, will come back for the final day with 1,920,000 in chips. He scored most of those chips at the end of the night when he doubled up with a set of nines over the set of sixes of Christoph Vogelsang.

Joining Guilbert in the top three are the current PokerGo Tour leader Ali Imsirovic with 1,805,000 and Christoph Vogelsang with 1,150,000. But hot on their heels are David Stamm, Seth Davies, and Vladi Chaoulov' with over a million in chips.

Event 2: $25,000 NLH Day 2 Seat Draw

Table Seat Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds 1 1 Empty 1 2 Vladi Chaoulov Romania 1,050,000 35 1 3 Christoph Vogelsang Germany 1,150,000 38 1 4 Saman Nakhjavan i Iran 230,000 8 1 5 Johan Guilbert France 1,920,000 64 1 6 Empty 1 7 Empty 2 1 Seth Davies United States 1,100,000 37 2 2 Pascal Lefrancois Canada 525,000 18 2 3 Stephen Chidwick United Kingdom 335,000 11 2 4 Empty 2 5 Ali Imsirovic United States 1,805,000 60 2 6 Selahaddin Bedir Turkey 895,000 30 2 7 David Stamm United States 1,100,000 37

Michael Addamo had doubled through Shao Hua Zhan to leave the latter short with a mere 5 big blinds but Addamo still busted before Zhan when Imsirovic took him out with pocket kings. Several rounds of hand-for-hand play took place before Zhan was down to his last 20,000 in the big blind and Imsirovic and Stamm were also all-in with Imsirovic having both of them covered. None of them hit the board for Stamm to hold with the ace-king to burst the bubble and double through Imsirovic.

Shao Hua Zhan Bubbles Event #2

Sergio Aido was the first player to cash when Vogelsang took him out. Vogelsang continued making the right moves and scored a big pot but then doubled Guilbert up. As the day came to an end and players were bagging up on Table 2. Hing Yang Chow busted to Chaoulov with ace-king versus ace-five when a five completed the board.

The ten remaining players will return at 1 p.m. local time to play down to a winner and that first-place prize of $506,250 while they have already secured $60,750 each. The PokerGO stream will be live too but the exact details of that stream are to follow.

Remaining Payouts

Place Prize 1 $506,250 2 $364,500 3 $243,000 4 $202,500 5 $162,000 6 $121,500 7 $101,250 8-9 $81,000 10 $60,750

The PokerNews live reporting team will be on hand to bring you all the action again, so see you then!
Itemizer-Observer

DALLAS  A former Dallas School Board member has become the new face on the board.

Lu Ann Meyer, who served on the board for 12 years ending in 2017, was appointed Monday night to replace Luis Garibay, who had to resign shortly after being sworn in in July. He has moved out of state.

Meyer, who was appointed on a 3 to 1 vote, will serve two years and will need to run for election if she wishes to stay on the board.

The board interviewed candidates for the position at its Aug. 9 meeting, but decided to delay the appointment to allow the Dallas Education Association, the districts teachers union, to interview the candidates.

In her letter of interest for the position, Meyer emphasized her experience in teaching, her familiarity with the districts policies and procedures, and understanding of the financial difficulties the district faces.

I welcome the educational challenges and opportunities that exist in the Dallas School District, and I look forward to producing meaningful results that benefit our students and our community, Meyer wrote in her letter. I am committed to making a difference and recognize the importance of being forward-thinking and knowing how to think outside the box.

The vote took place without deliberation at the meeting Monday and Meyer took the oath of office immediately after the vote took place.

Board Chairman Mike Bollman urged the other five students to stay involved in the school district.

I would like to just really say thank you, as we had six members of our community step forward when they saw that there was a need to fill a vacancy, Bollman said. I would have to say in my years participating in board work, that Ive never seen such a turnout. I commend all six who submitted to their name, and I would encourage you to continue to stay connected to Dallas School District. I know a number of you are volunteers in individual and you serve on various committees, and I would encourage you to continue your work. It is greatly appreciated, and that is what makes our district, is volunteers like you.

DSD From Page A1

Mondays meeting ended with a work session with Kristen Miles , the board development specialist with the Oregon School Boards Association, about the boards duties and responsibilities

When asked why she wanted to serve on the board and what shes excited about  and what gives her pause  Meyer said: I think all of us are here to focus on students and what is best for students.

She said that its critical that the district not only bring students back to in-person classes, but making sure they are caught up after online and hybrid learning.

What excites me is just the challenges that I know were facing in the next couple years, she said, adding that those include choosing a new superintendent and dealing with the ongoing safety measures for COVID-19.

She said the magnitude of the difficulties students face academically and mentally are still undefined.

I dont know how big of a challenge our teachers will have, and its going to be so important the everyone in the district is supportive in doing what is best for our students, she said.
Itemizer-Observer

DALLAS  The Polk County Board of Commissioners approved on Aug. 10 $100,000 over a four-year period to fund a full-time position for the Polk County Tourism Alliance to bolster the all-volunteer organization.

Shawn Irvine, who works with the city of Independence and advocates for the PCTA, said there was a lot of opportunity when the alliance was formed in 2014.

But to take advantage of it we needed a person whose job was to organize, convene, chase down the details, do a lot of the work that is difficult when its an all-volunteer organization, Irvine said.

He said over the years, the three cities of Dallas, Independence and Monmouth teamed with the county to pay for additional manpower. But with COVID budgets became uncertain and that position had to be discontinued, causing a drop in productivity within Tourism Alliance.

Previously the PCTA had a total funding of $50,000, which Irvine called good enough for an entry-level position.

We had someone in position for year who moved on to greener pastures. This is the kind of role that needs someone to be here an extended amount of time, build relationships, get to know people well and know the lay of the land, he said. Were looking for someone who can come in and hit the ground running. We need to fund this at a higher level.

For the new position, the PCTA secured a commitment from the three cities to contribute $20,000 each per year toward position for three-year cycle. He asked the BOC for an additional $40,000 to round off the position funding at $100,000 a year.

He said this would allow them to offer a salary up to $60,000 to attract a good, experienced person and also give project budget of roughly $18,000.

Initially, the commissioners were not buying in at contributing that much seed money for the new position.

One thing Id like to see is the private sector. Theres huge advertising revenue for our local communities and businesses. When you go to hotel room get that little flier to promote themselves. I can see them bringing in another $20,000, Lyle Mordhorst said. For the county partnership, I think we need to be an equal partner, but not a double partner.

He and Chair Craig Pope were initially for a $20,000 investment, with Jeremy Gordon leaning toward supporting the full amount.

Then Amy Bernard from Travel Salem, which would oversee the new hire working out of its offices, recommended a compromise. She suggested Polk County start at the $40,000 for one year, putting stipulations for sponsorships and other funding to come the following year, then whittle it down to where its nothing within three years.

The commissioners were on board with the suggestion that weaned the PCTA from relying on county money.

Mordhorst then proposed starting with $40,000 in a four-year commitment, reducing the amount to $30,000 the second year, $20,000 in year three and $10,000 for the fourth year.

So that way you get your startup money to get going, then get out there and reach the private sector to raise more money, so that as we phase out as your private partnerships are coming in, Mordhorst said.

The suggestion was amenable to County Administration Officer Greg Hansen, who tracks the countys purse strings and prefers phasing out revenue streams.

Because Ive been involved in too many, this is going to be a great project, but at the end of three years, were just not quite there, Hansen said. And then we continue and continue and it becomes a constant funding requirement or were the bad guys and pull the string.

The key for Pope was he wanted the person hired to understand part of the job is going out and raising money, securing grants to perpetuate the funding not only for regional tourism but for the position itself.

The next step will be deciding how to transfer the funds.

There is a difference where money comes from with counties and cities, Pope said. Cities are using transient occupancy tax dollars. The county doesnt have any of those dollars. So whatever funding we would use would come from emergency funds, like we might be talking about here, the general fund, which I hope we dont do, or our video lottery dollars, which are small and almost always overcommitted here in the county.

He added the business community needs to help the governments when it comes to rejuvenating tourism.

We want to get the stork to drop this baby then have the business community pick up the parenting part, Pope said.
On August 16, Reuters reported that the communist-led Nicaraguan government had canceled permits for six foreign non-governmental organizations operating in the country. The groups promote democracy and offer development and humanitarian aid.

The groups have failed to comply with their obligations under the laws that regulate non-profit organizations, the governments official register reported.

The allegation is unsubstantiated.

A more likely explanation: The move advances President Daniel Ortegas aggressive clampdown on journalists, opposition leaders, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and rights groups in the run-up to November elections.

In July, the Nicaraguan parliament voted 70-16 to shut down 24 NGOs, most of them working in health care. The Ministry of Government (MIGOB) similarly alleged that the organizations hadnt provided detailed accounts of their financial dealings.

Medical groups, including the Nicaraguan Medical Association and the Nicaraguan Society of General Medicine, were most affected. Several of these groups claimed the action was retaliation for criticism of the Ortega governments coronavirus pandemic response.

The government has been widely condemned for a cavalier approach to virus containment and for underreporting COVID-19 cases. The July legislation also transfers the groups assets to the state, according to news reports.

During the month of July, Vice President and First Lady Rosario Murillo amped up the pressure, issuing what were perceived by some as threats to medical professionals. You pay for everything in life, and if we do harm, harm will reach us, she said.

Vilma Nunez, president of the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH), said harassment of health care workers has led some to stop practicing and others to flee. Three doctors were questioned by the Ministry of Health about their media statements.

Rights groups and Ortegas opponents see a systematic campaign of suppression.

As of late July, 22 opposition leaders had been arrested or detained, including seven potential presidential candidates, the Associated Press reported. Many of those arrested are being held incommunicado, at undisclosed locations and with no access to lawyers or family visits, the AP said. Agence France-Presse put the number of critics arrested at 32 as of August 10.

Last week, Soraya Rodriguez, a member of the European Parliament from Spain, told VOA that the number of political prisoners is 140. Citing an August 14 raid on opposition newspaper La Prensa, the arrests of opponents and attacks on civil groups, she said the election has become a farce.

We can say that in Nicaragua there is not the slightest, the slightest possibility of a free exercise of civil rights, of political rights, Rodriquez said.

Ortega, 75, is seeking a fourth consecutive term as president, backed by his communist Sandinista National Liberation Front.

Carmella Rogers, head of the opposition Citizens Alliance for Liberty party, decided to leave the country on August 10. Officials have canceled her passport and identity card and disqualified the party from the upcoming election.

In early August, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Nicaraguan election lost all credibility after the Citizens Alliance for Liberty party was banned.

This autocratic maneuver follows the detention of seven presidential candidates and 24 other opposition figures, human rights activists, business leaders, students, and NGO workers over the last two months, Blinken said.

The United States views the regimes latest undemocratic, authoritarian actions  driven by Ortegas fear of an electoral loss  as the final blow against Nicaraguas prospects for a free and fair election later this year.



On August 2, the European Union sanctioned eight Nicaraguan individuals, including Vice President Murillo, citing serious human rights violations. These sanctions subject the named individuals to travel bans in EU designated territories.

A few days later, the United States issued visa restrictions on 50 people who allegedly profited from Ortegas presidency. This list includes relatives of government officials as well as members of the judiciary.

Without strong and sustained international pressure, the Ortega government will have no incentive to curb the crackdown and eventually allow free and fair elections, New York-based Human Rights Watch said.

The six foreign organizations whose licenses were revoked are Danish NGO Oxfam Ibis, Spain's Oxfam Intermon Foundation, Sweden's Diakonia, the U.S. National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, The International Republican Institute (U.S.) and Helping Hands The Warren William Pagel, MD Foundation (U.S.).
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Disability rights groups in South Carolina filed a federal lawsuit Aug. 24 against state leaders and local school districts that challenges the June 2021 budget proviso barring districts from using state funds for mask mandates.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of nine parents claiming the health of their minor children with disabilities may be compromised by enforcement of the mask ban, as well as Disability Rights South Carolina and Able South Carolina.

It names Gov. Henry McMaster, state Attorney General Alan Wilson, state Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman, all Republicans, and the school boards of Greenville, Horry, Lexington, Oconee and Pickens counties as defendants. None of those school districts has instituted a mask requirement this school year, citing the state budget proviso.

It was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of South Carolina, South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center, Disability Rights South Carolina, Wyche, P.A., and Arnold and Porter.

The parents and disability rights groups argue in the lawsuit that student rights are violated under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. Their children's disabilities, including underlying health conditions such as asthma, congenital myopathy, Autism, Renpenning Syndrome and weakened immune systems, make them particularly susceptible to severe illness from COVID-19, and that the ban on mask mandates effectively excludes the students from public schools, the complaint contends.

The suit comes a week after a similar federal lawsuit was filed by disability rights groups against Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott over his ban on local school districts ability to institute mask mandates in Texas schools.

Prohibiting schools from taking reasonable steps to protect the health of their students forces parents to make an impossible choice: their childs education or their childs health, said Susan Mizner, director of the ACLUs Disability Rights Program. This is a disability rights issue. Students with health conditions or disabilities that make them vulnerable to COVID have a right to attend school without endangering their health or safety. Schools who have children with these conditions have legal obligations under federal disability rights laws.

The school districts named in the suit are called indispensable but not adverse parties.

The suit comes as South Carolina experiences an unprecedented wave of COVID-19 cases in children that has seen childrens hospital wards fill to the brink. The School District of Pickens County temporarily moved to virtual instruction for a week after two weeks of classes resulted in hundreds of new COVID-19 cases or quarantines among teachers and students.

In June 2021, state lawmakers put a proviso in the budget that barred school districts from using any state funds to enforce a mask mandate. The proviso came as cases dwindled and schools prepared reopening plans for the fall semester.

Some lawmakers have pushed for a special session to reverse the ban, but the Legislature has not been called back. McMaster has repeatedly insisted parents should have a right to choose whether their children wear a mask and Wilson vowed to challenge any mask mandates in court.

Last week, Spearman said she disagreed with McMasters position on mask mandates and that she wanted the Legislature to revisit the issue.

"I have been very clear. I do believe that issue is best handled by local school boards," Spearman said. "We have two ways to make that happen. Either the Legislature comes back in, and I have asked them to do that continually, or this ends up in the courts and the courts resolve this.

Spearman, through her spokesman Ryan Brown, said she looks forward to the court bringing finality to this issue.

Spearman has been clear in her support for empowering South Carolinas locally elected school leaders, with the input from parents and their communities, to make decisions impacting the health and well-being of the students they serve, Brown said.

McMaster and Wilson could not immediately be reached for comment.

The ADA and Rehabilitation Act prohibit outright exclusion, denial of equal access, or unnecessary segregation for students with disabilities in public education, according to the lawsuit. The proviso interferes with a schools ability to comply with its obligations under federal disability rights laws and illegally forces parents of children with underlying conditions to choose between their childs education and their childs health and safety, according to the lawsuit.

The suit, filed in Columbia, includes parents of children with disabilities in Greenville, Pickens, Oconee, Dorchester, Horry, Lexington and Charleston.
RICHMOND, Va.  A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld the conviction and sentence of a man on federal death row for the 2015 racist slayings of nine members of a Black South Carolina congregation.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond affirmed Dylann Roof's conviction and sentence in the shootings at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

In 2017, Roof became the first person in the U.S. sentenced to death for a federal hate crime. Authorities have said Roof opened fire during the closing prayer of a Bible study at the church, raining down dozens of bullets on those assembled. He was 21 at the time.

In his appeal, Roof's attorneys argued that he was wrongly allowed to represent himself during sentencing, a critical phase of his trial. Roof successfully prevented jurors from hearing evidence about his mental health, "under the delusion," his attorneys argued, that "he would be rescued from prison by white-nationalists  but only, bizarrely, if he kept his mental-impairments out of the public record."

Roof's lawyers said his convictions and death sentence should be vacated or his case should be sent back to court for a "proper competency evaluation."

The 4th Circuit found that the trial judge did not commit an error when he found Roof was competent to stand trial and issued a scathing rebuke of Roof's crimes.

"Dylann Roof murdered African Americans at their church, during their Bible-study and worship. They had welcomed him. He slaughtered them. He did so with the express intent of terrorizing not just his immediate victims at the historically important Mother Emanuel Church, but as many similar people as would hear of the mass murder," the panel wrote in is ruling.

"No cold record or careful parsing of statutes and precedents can capture the full horror of what Roof did. His crimes qualify him for the harshest penalty that a just society can impose," the judges wrote.

All of the judges in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers South Carolina, recused themselves from hearing Roof's appeal; one of their own, Judge Jay Richardson, prosecuted Roof's case as an assistant U.S. Attorney. The panel that heard arguments in May and issued the ruling on Wednesday was comprised of judges from several other appellate circuits.

Following his federal trial, Roof was given nine consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty in 2017 to state murder charges, leaving him to await execution in a federal prison and sparing his victims and their families the burden of a second trial.After the ruling, the South Carolina U.S. Attorney's office issued a statement from Assistant U.S. Attorney and Criminal Chief Nathan Williams, who served as one of the lead prosecutors on the case.

The Mother Emmanuel AME Church massacre committed by the hate-filled murderer Dylan Roof is one of the worst events in not only South Carolinas history but also our nations history, he said. Our office is grateful for the decision of the court, a decision that ensures, as the Court stated, that the harshest penalty a just society can impose is indeed imposed. Moreover, our office is grateful that justice will be served for the victims, survivors and their families.

The Court of Appeals decision read in part: Dylann Roof murdered African Americans at their church, during their Bible-study and worship. They had welcomed him. He slaughtered them. He did so with the express intent of terrorizing not just his immediate victims at the historically important Mother Emanuel Church, but as many similar people as would hear of the mass murder. He used the internet to plan his attack and, using his crimes as a catalyst, intended to foment racial division and strife across America. He wanted the widest possible publicity for his atrocities, and, to that end, he purposefully left one person alive in the church 'to tell the story.' When apprehended, he frankly confessed, with barely a hint of remorse."

The ruling added "No cold record or careful parsing of statutes and precedents can capture the full horror of what Roof did. His crimes qualify him for the harshest penalty that a just society can impose. We have reached that conclusion not as a product of emotion but through a thorough analytical process, which we have endeavored to detail here. In this, we have followed the example of the trial judge, who managed this difficult case with skill and compassion for all concerned, including Roof himself."

Kinnard reported from Houston.
Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 70F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 70F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
A family-owned home furnishings and decor store in West Ashley is moving into a bigger space and plans to reopen tentatively by month's end.

Scandanavian-inspired housewares shop Hausful will occupy 8,000 square feet in the former Pier 1 Imports space at 1909 Sam Rittenberg Blvd. after signing a 10-year lease and remodeling the interior.

The shop opened nearly five years ago in a 2,000-square-foot space across the street at 1890 Sam Rittenberg in the retail center that also houses Outback Steakhouse and Men's Warehouse.

Hausful has been renovating the former Pier 1 space for about five months, including refacing the building's exterior.

"We worked really hard to get away from the look of Pier 1," owner Becky Hoppmann said.

Hoppmann closed the previous location at the end of June when the lease expired, and she has been trying to get the new location open as soon as possible.

"We have had delays from vendors and manufacturers," Hoppmann said. "We have been waiting on a lot of stuff, but we we are getting to the point where we are going to open no matter what."

The retail space will be set up in about 6,000 square feet while the back of the shop will be used for inventory, offices and filling online orders.

Helping Hoppmann in the business are her husband, Carl, and her mother-in-law, Janice Hoppmann.

Pier 1 Imports filed for bankruptcy last year and closed all of its stores. It continues to have an online presence after Dallas-based Retail ECommerce Ventures acquired the brand name last year.

On the way

A new store focusing on Apple Inc. technology products is coming to Mount Pleasant.

Simply Mac plans to open Sept. 4 at 675 Johnnie Dodds Blvd., near Sesame Burgers & Beer.

Available Apple services will include repairs for iPhone screens and Mac computers, battery replacement, data recovery, trade-ins and other offerings.

When the shop opens, walk-ins are welcomed but the store prefers that appointments be made via store.simplymac.com. Click on locations to find the Mount Pleasant store.

Other South Carolina stores opened in early August in Columbia and Myrtle Beach.

Serving soon

A new restaurant will soon open in Goose Creek.

Blue Tequila Tacos & Grill can be found at 121 Plantation North Blvd. near Walmart.

The Mexican eatery's Facebook page says it is now hiring and "Coming soon." A restaurant representative said a September opening is planned.

On the way

A new children's clothing shop is coming to Mount Pleasant Towne Centre.

Little Palmetto Pearl, part of Lexington, Ky.-based Beaufort Bonnet Co., plans to set up shop in 1,003 square feet at 1601 Palmetto Grande Drive next to CycleBar, across from Hyatt Place Hotel. A fall opening is planned.

The retailer offers a mix of baby and childrens apparel, in addition to its signature bonnets and bucket hats.

Charleston residents Neil and Nicole O'Hara are the proprietors of the company's first signature store in South Carolina and fourth overall from Beaufort Bonnet Co.

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The parent firm's hallmark bonnet originated from a generations-old pattern in Beaufort on the South Carolina coast.

The "Little Palmetto Pearl" name stems from one of The Beaufort Bonnet Co.s signature colors and the local regions abundance of palmetto trees and oysters.

"Were always looking to bring more local concepts to Mount Pleasant Towne Centre, and Little Palmetto Pearl reflects the luxury of Lowcountry living to a tee, said Kathleen Herrmann, the retail center's marketing director.

Beaufort Bonnet Co.'s products can be found in about 400 retail locations, including a half-dozen specialty shops in the Charleston area.

Beauty spot

A new salon and shop recently opened on James Island.

Jae Space at 2041 Wappoo Drive offers hair care as well as a technician for eyelashes and eyebrows. On the retail side, it carries jewelry, soaps, children's wear and crafts along with cold brew coffee, local food, exotic plants and a few mind and body items.

Getting pampered

A new place to get pampered is coming to the Charleston area.

Los Angeles-based The NOW Massage plans to open its first South Carolina location during the winter at 1421 Shucker Circle in Oyster Park off Ben Sawyer Boulevard in Mount Pleasant.

"The NOW was founded on the principle that in todays fast paced society self-care is a necessity, not a luxury, said Gara Post, cofounder and chief creative officer. "We designed the boutiques to feel like an oasis for recovery and relaxation and look forward to introducing Charleston to our inspiring wellness brand."

Incorporating the scent of its signature Jasmine Coconut candles, each massage boutique uses canvas draping to separate therapy spaces.

Different massage options are available along with customized enhancements.

NOW-branded products and custom jewelry also will be available to purchase.

New leases

Two new businesses recently rented space in a North Charleston shopping center while another is opening a recently renovated Ladson retail site.

In Mark IV Shopping Center at 5131 Dorchester Road, 7, Quick Stop Convenience Store will move into 1,200 square feet while a Mexican grocery store plans to open in a 1,200-square-foot space, according to the commercial real estate firm Avison Young.

Changing places

Charleston Balloon Co. is now in a new and larger location in West Ashley. The business can be found at 1559 Sam Rittenberg Blvd.

Owned by Jill Shortreed, the shop features floor-to-ceiling balloons and displays, a customization wall and station, a selfie wall and a balloon decor fabrication area in the back. It offers items for all occasions including themed balloons and balloon columns, arches and garland and all kinds of custom orders.

Adieu

A French bistro in Mount Pleasant has closed its doors after more than seven years in operation.

Bistro Toulouse, which occupied 1220 Ben Sawyer Blvd. in Sea Island Shopping Center alongside Harris Teeter and Goodwill and served escargots and bouillabaisse, announced the news on social media.

"We would like to thank everyone who supported and championed our restaurant over the years," the post reads. "We are so honored to have been a go-to spot for so many wonderful people in our community. We will miss the laughs and the love you have shared. To the best team in hospitality we thank you for your hard work, good humor and dedication in making our lifelong dream a reality. We know it wasnt always easy! Wishing everyone happiness and success in the next chapter!"

The post was met with over 80 comments expressing sadness to see the strip mall Parisian restaurant go.

One patron expressed dismay at losing the "best steak and frites, charcuterie and souffles" in town. Another was at a loss for what restaurant they would now recommend to visitors. And, reminiscing on the French onion soup, frisee salad and chocolate souffle, yet another was "DEVASTATED!!!!"

Bistro Toulouse owners Candice Mahala and Matthew Schulz opened the business in 2013.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Clear to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.
COLUMBIA  The U.S. Labor Department has sanctioned BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina over what it called discriminatory processes in a student training program.

The insurance provider and data company agreed to pay more than $225,000 in lost wages and benefits to 117 applicants to an entry-level training program in late 2015.

The company did not live up to federal standards on racial discrimination, and the 117 people due compensation are Black, Hispanic, Asian and multiracial applicants to the program, according to a July 21 statement from the federal agency.

BlueCross BlueShield had no comment Aug. 25 on the agreement it reached with the department to settle the issue.

The agreement stipulates that the company must ensure that its selection processes are free from discrimination and provide additional training to staff at its student training program.

It also requires the company to offer jobs to five people who were part of the interview process for the student training program as positions become available.

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The agreement comes after the Labor Department conducted a routine investigation of the company's compliance over a one-year period beginning Sept. 1, 2015.

BlueCross BlueShield receives this level of scrutiny because it does substantial business with the federal government as a contractor.

"The U.S. Department of Labor will hold federal contractors accountable when they fail to provide equal employment opportunities to all," Carmen Navarro, Midwest regional director of the agency's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, said in a statement.

This is the only such agreement that BlueCross BlueShield has had to reach with the Labor Department since 2010, according to a search of the agency's website.
COLUMBIA  A state lawmaker is raising the alarm over a Midland's Technical College proposal to name a classroom after a businessman and NASCAR team owner with a felony criminal record for tax fraud.

The Midlands Technical College Commission, the school's governing board, met Aug. 26 to discuss naming a classroom within its Northeast Columbia campus after Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation, a company that makes computerized tools, like mills and lathes. Hass is also the founder of the NASCAR team Haas CNC Racing and the Formula One team Haas F1 Team.

No action was taken and the naming will be discussed again in committee on Oct. 7.

But it's the California businessman' $34 million federal tax fraud conviction in 2007 that has Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, concerned.

"In South Carolina, we take people's names off buildings because of these kinds of charges," Shealy said. "We don't put them on."

The classroom, an advanced manufacturing shop where students learn to operate the types of machines Haas makes, has for years borne the name of Haas' eponymous company, college President Ron Rhames said.

Following a $250,000 donation from the Gene Haas Foundation earlier this year, the school proposed changing it to Gene Haas Center for Advanced Manufacturing, to reflect the full name of the founder and not just his company.

The Gene Haas Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

If approved, the classroom at Midlands Tech would not be the only place on a South Carolina college campus bearing Haas' name.

Greenville Technical College, in 2016, cut the ribbon on its Gene Haas Center for Manufacturing Innovation following a $2 million donation from Haas' foundation.

Haas, born in Ohio and educated at California State University-Northridge, has no direct connection to Midlands Tech or South Carolina. But he has a history of donating thousands of dollars to technical colleges across the country, including in the Palmetto State.

That includes $60,000 in tuition assistance to Midlands Technical College in 2018 and $10,000 to Sumter's Central Carolina Technical College in 2019. Trident Technical College in the Lowcountry has a standing scholarship named after him.

But Shealy said South Carolina agencies have removed people's names from roads, bridges and buildings when they're convicted of crimes, like that of former Sen. John Courson's from an Interstate 126 interchange after he was accused of pocketing $160,000 in campaign cash, as well as renaming the John N. Hardee Expressway to the Columbia Metropolitan Airport following the former state Department of Transportation officials guilty plea for obstructing a federal bribery investigation and subsequent arrest for soliciting a prostitute.

In these cases, the crimes of the roads' namesakes did not come out until much later.

"If you know it ahead of time, why would you do it?" Shealy said of the Midlands Tech proposal.

It was August 2007 when Haas pleaded guilty to a felony conspiracy charge for claiming fake business expenses as tax write offs. Haas paid a $5 million fine and more than $70 million in back taxes and restitution.
Imagine someone so confident in their vast knowledge of infectious disease that theyre willing to gamble their own childs health  and yours, too.

They ignore the warnings of medical experts in favor of their own expertise, which they garnered from the internet, their neighbors cousin on Facebook and some insidious, pandering politicians. They are so arrogantly self-assured that they throw a fit in public when they dont get their way.

Yeah, its even more obnoxious than it sounds.

But thats what Charleston County School District officials heard Monday, when a bunch of angry parents got their first shot at board members since a new school mask mandate passed last week.

You knew it would be bad, especially after the maskless mob showed their behinds in front of City Council last week. At that meeting, one guy went viral for stomping around and goading council to bring it. Then some women chased a medical professional into the parking lot, calling her obscene names and spitting on her.

The school board was told that the districts mask mandate violates the critics constitutional rights (education isnt mentioned in the U.S. Constitution), that children are being harmed because others cant see their smiles (puh-leeze) and that kids are resilient (although masks are their Kryptonite) and build up immunity quickly.

Tell that to the seven grade-schoolers in MUSC right now with COVID-19, three of whom are in the ICU  one on a ventilator. And ask these people the same question some state lawmakers need to be asked: How many sick kids and dead teachers are an acceptable sacrifice for our convenience?

Because the virus affects everyone differently.

These folks, which polls suggest make up a very loud quarter of the population, need to worry about the rest of us getting mad. You know, the people who have done the right thing for a year and a half yet are still dealing with this hellscape in part because some people refuse to do anything to help stem the spread of a virus thats killed more than 630,000 in this country.

That includes three or four staffers in Dorchester School District 2 who just succumbed to COVID-19.

The Medical University of South Carolina says it saw more local cases of the coronavirus this past week than at any other point since this nightmare began. That includes last fall, when we didnt have a vaccine.

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Still, one parent complained the school board had told them they only needed to mask up for a couple of weeks last year, ergo this is an unfair overreach meant to control people.

Sorry, this isnt a Broadway show  theres no set time for how long it takes a wildly contagious disease to run its course.

Especially when it has so many accomplices.

Youd think an expert would know that. But even the real experts failed to calculate just how many unempathetic, selfish people would screw this up.

The school district didnt set up a virtual learning option for this year, naively assuming people would get vaccinated and quit passing the virus around. Obviously, it was too much to ask.

How many more ICU bed proclamations from former virus deniers, begging people to take the shot, do we need to see before things change? Thats a trick question, because some people apparently dont understand anything until it happens to them.

These folks proudly proclaim they arent sheep while reciting verbatim the propaganda they hear on talk radio or Fox News. Where, by the way, everyone has had their shots  and need vaccine passports to work.

They will continue to show up at public meetings as long as there are mask mandates, but the school board needs to worry more about the 70%-plus of parents they have infuriated by caving to these folks. On Monday, the board said no one will face any consequences for not sending their kids to school in masks.

Which means this isnt really a mandate, and practically ensures more outbreaks in local schools before the delta variant subsides.

Charleston Countys school board defied the state Legislature to keep kids safe, and its ready to defend its actions in court. Yet the board also is kowtowing to a minority of folks who cant make their point without breaking into a shivering rage.

Those people are mad, but they dont realize theyre in the minority here. Because the vast majority of people are completely fed up with their temper tantrums ... and their role in prolonging this madness.
Georgetown, SC (29440)

Today

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 70F. W winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 70F. W winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.
GREENVILLE  By the beginning of the second week of the school year, Greenville County had more than 1,500 students absent from its public schools due to COVID-19.

That number includes more than 250 positive tests and 900 quarantined students. Another 400 were awaiting test results or had incomplete information. By comparison, the peak number of known virus-related absences last school year was 1,712, according to data presented to the Greenville County Schools Board of Trustees during its Aug. 24 meeting. About 140 employees were also positive for the virus or quarantined after exposure as of Aug. 23.

The latest numbers were part of the board's ongoing, and often complicated, conversations surrounding the effects of the pandemic on the district's 94 schools and centers. Information on the spread of the virus among students and staff is also available on the district's improved COVID-19 dashboard.

All students and employees who are confirmed positive must isolate for at least 10 days regardless of vaccination status. For quarantine, those who can show proof of vaccination after an exposure do not have to quarantine unless they show symptoms.

While some school districts across the state have defied state law that essentially bans enforcement of mask mandates in school buildings, Royster reiterated Greenville will continue to take its guidance from the provisos set forth by the state legislature.

"We do not intend to issue a mandate, nor do we intend to recommend to the board until, unless, and perhaps if the court rules that the mandates are legal," Royster said. He added changes might also be considered if the legislature changes the law.

During public comment, 36 county residents voiced a wide range of opinions, many on both sides of the debate over mask mandates.

Michelle Simpson, a Five Forks resident for 15 years, shared that she had never previously felt compelled to speak in front of the board.

"At this time, short of going back to fully virtual schooling, masking is the best option you can offer, "Simpson said. "It's a mask. It's a simple piece of cloth. Is it comfortable to wear for long periods? No, it is not. It is not about a little discomfort. This is literally about life and death. You think it's unhealthy to wear a mask? Try being on a ventilator."

Jeff Magg, father to a high school student, told the board: "You guys are doing the right thing. Keep on it. I appreciate that, big time. I have a 17-year-old, and I love the fact that you guys are not requiring masks. Do not do that."

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The board previously convened on Aug. 3, two weeks before the start of school, and outlined the protocols each school and center is to follow, including not mandating masks be worn on state-owned buses or in school buildings.

Royster announced that the district closed one kindergarten Aug. 24, but did not specify which one. The district previously said closures would be decided on a school-by-school basis. Royster subdivided that further, stating it could be just one class or grade level, depending on the nature of the spread.

"I think what might most cause an entire school to be closed is if we can't provide enough adults to adequately, safely supervise the students," Royster said.

The board also approved special COVID-19 federal funding to go toward hiring more substitutes to mitigate that potential problem. It approved other uses for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, as well.

Enrollment in Greenville County is almost back to pre-COVID levels, with more than 76,000 students. Before the pandemic, almost 77,000 students attended.

More than 3,000 students, 3.95 percent of the total enrollment, are currently in the county's virtual learning program. That falls below the 5 percent virtual learning cap outlined in a state budget proviso.

The school district currently has 17 teacher vacancies  13 regular education and four special education. The open positions are being covered by either long-term substitutes or current teachers who are being compensated for the additional workload.

More than 80 bus drivers  62 regular and 22 floating  are still needed to serve the district's 25,500 bus riders. Despite the short staff, 97 percent of routes are on time for school compared to 83 percent of routes during the 2019-2020 school year.
Another hospital system in the Lowcountry will soon mandate that workers get a COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment.

Roper St. Francis alerted its approximately 6,000 employees of the impending requirement on Aug. 24. The announcement comes a day after the federal Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine for people 16 and older and comes amid a new surge of COVID patients flooding hospitals and intensive care units across South Carolina.

"We are proceeding with this requirement because we care about you and our patients," Roper St. Francis wrote in an email to employees. "This mandate is unanimously supported by the RSFH Board of Directors, senior leadership and our medical staff."

Roper St. Francis staff who are not fully vaccinated must get their first dose by Oct. 1 and their second dose by Nov. 1. Employees who intend to file medical or religious exemptions to the mandate must do so by Sept. 17. Roper St. Francis spokesman Andy Lyons said the details of those exemption forms are still being finalized and he did not yet know if employees who developed natural immunity through a previous COVID-19 infection would qualify for a medical exemption.

Lyons said approximately 1,500 of the system's 6,000 employees have not been vaccinated yet.

The Medical University of South Carolina and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston already require employees to be vaccinated. In July, MUSC fired five employees who declined to be vaccinated. Vaccines for Trident Health employees remain optional, but encouraged.

In the letter to employees, Roper St. Francis leaders said more than 3,600 health care workers across the country died during the first year of the pandemic and explained that unvaccinated hospital and health care employees create more risks for patients.

According to the latest hospital census, across all four Roper St. Francis hospitals, all but 14 of the 107 COVID-19 inpatients are unvaccinated. None of the vaccinated patients who are hospitalized are on ventilators.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
MOUNT PLEASANT  Lauren Hill's husband, a C-17 pilot at Joint Base Charleston, was given four hours notice before flying out for his deployment, and she didn't know where he was headed.

But after she turned on the news, it didn't take long for the 32-year-old mother of three to realize he was helping evacuate refugees in Afghanistan.

Shortly after his arrival, her husband messaged her to tell her that there was a need for supplies, especially for all the babies aboard many of the flights.

Hill rallied her friends and took to social media. Before long, a Venmo account she made to raise money was filled with $9,000. After clearing the shelves at Target and Walmart in Mount Pleasant, she had a garage filled with diapers, blankets, baby wipes, formula and clothes.

"It was really touching, and I was moved to tears," Hill told The Post and Courier. "When there is a need, people want to step up."

Donations have been flooding into Joint Base Charleston and the supplies have been gathered and organized by a group of Air Force wives at the base.

Chief Master Sgt. Charmaine Kelley, the 437th Airlift Wing command chief, said on Facebook that a group of spouses got together to collect and donate more than 10,000 pounds worth of supplies that the base "palletized" and shipped to Afghanistan evacuees.

"With everything going on, our team havent lost sight of humanity," Kelley said on Facebook. "The First Sergeants Spouses saw a need and jumped on the first opportunity to collect and get needed supplies out to help out Afghan evacuees."

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Joint Base Charleston is not soliciting public donations, but some private organizations have partnered with the base to get supplies in the hands of pilots.

Crews at Joint Base Charleston have helped transport Army soldiers and vehicles to Afghanistan to assist with evacuations following the Taliban takeover earlier this month.

And Joint Base Charleston has been at the forefront of the missions.

Images dated Aug. 14 and released by the Department of Defense show soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in North Carolina preparing to load onto buses to head to Joint Base Charleston.

Later that day, paratroopers made it onto the runway at Charleston Air Force Base and began loading up in C-17s to fly out to Hamid Karzai International Airport.

Images dated Aug. 16 show airmen from the 437th Aerial Port Squadron directing vehicles into the back of C-17s in Charleston. That unit has also been helping to ship the donations overseas.

Hill said she still has money leftover from the donations she received and plans to see what the need is in Afghanistan when more pilots return.

She knows that being an Air Force wife isn't easy, and she worries for her husband's safety overseas, but Hill said it's nice to know that women can help their men in uniform from far away.

"As an Air Force wife, you don't have a lot of control," Hill said. "I felt like this was something we could control and this was our mission we could accomplish."
CONWAY  Brandon Council, a North Carolina man who killed two employees while robbing a Conway bank in 2017, tried suing attorneys and judges in his federal case claiming they attempted to have him executed and unconstitutional racial discrimination, among other things.

U.S. District Judge James Hanlon dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice until Sept. 17.

Council's suit sought $400 million and he wanted to be removed from death row.

Council murdered manager Katie Skeen and teller Donna Major on Aug. 21, 2017 during a robbery at Conway's CresCom Bank branch. He stole $15,000 and Skeen's SUV. He was arrested in a North Carolina hotel several days after the killings.

He was convicted and sentenced to death in 2019.

"It was an event that certainly ripped at the fabric of our city because we are very peaceful," Conway Police Chief Dale Long told multiple news outlets in 2019.

Now, as Council awaits execution in a high-security federal prison in Indiana, he was hoping to get off death row.

On Aug. 2, Council filed the suit in Indiana's District Court against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, U.S. District Court Judge Bryan Harwell and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan William, Everett McMillan and Derek Shoemaker. He was seeking damages for the following allegations: attempting to have him executed and murdered; unconstitutional racial discrimination; use of slavery; malicious and sadistic torture; and willful participation in blind justice.

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Additionally, Council wanted to be released from federal custody.

The suit alleged Council has been "housed in malignant, punitive and mentally abusive confinement cell of isolation 24 hours per day," since Nov. 4, 2019.

But Council's lawsuit was denied Aug. 17 by Hanlon because the defendants in the suit cannot be held liable for sentencing Council to death as they were acting within the constraints of their jobs.

Hanlon added Council did not name any defendants who caused him harm within the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind.

And finally, while Council lists current U.S. Attorney General Garland within the lawsuit, he doesn't detail any facts against him.

Council can file an amended lawsuit, but it has to be done by Sept. 17.
CONWAY  After much discussion on spending $69 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding, Horry County is looking to prioritize two areas: affordable housing and roads.

While a final decision hasn't been made, officials presented a plan on how the funding would break down during an Aug. 24 Administration Committee meeting, an arm of county council.

Initially, plans called for about $6.9 million of the funding to be used toward affordable housing in disproportionately impacted communities.

But after residents spoke up during the public comment period, the county adjusted the funding, as almost half of the residents asked for an increase in funding toward affordable housing.

The money is part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan signed into law in March.

Now, Horry County plans to offer $16.25 million in funding for affordable housing, an increase close to 2 times the initial recommendation.

Beth Tranter, deputy director of Horry County Community Development, said the idea is to allow local nonprofits to apply for funding on a per-project basis.

One organization, Oak Tree Farm, could be tremendously impacted if the funding plan gets final approval from Horry County Council.

Oak Tree Farm, which is run by Advocates of SOS Care, a nonprofit for people with autism and intellectual disabilities, is the first affordable housing community in Horry County for people with developmental disabilities. In March, the first facility was created, which houses five men.

SOS Care CEO Sarah Pope and other advocates and current and future residents of Oak Tree Farm spoke up to county officials Aug. 12 during a public hearing on how the county should spend its federal funding.

The nonprofit is close to finalizing the second phase of the housing community, including two apartment buildings, which will house about 50 individuals. Ultimately, the plan would accommodate about 130 people, which Pope said they would have no issues filling.

Overall, Pope said Oak Tree Farm needs around $6 million to finalize all the apartment buildings, but any amount the county could provide helps.

"One of my goals is to live as independently as I can," said Liam Pope, Sarah Pope's son who has autism. "Now, I'm living with my family, but I would like to have my own apartment. I am learning to cook and take care of myself, so I'll be ready to move out someday. The problem is that there's a shortage of affordable, safe housing for people with disabilities."

And Horry County Chairman Johnny Gardner expressed a desire to help the affordable housing community Aug. 12.

"I certainly hope that with my heart that we can help those, and those situated similar to those," Gardner said about possibly funding the housing community.

Though it's looking like disproportionately impacted communities will be getting more money, the county has not outlined how every dollar of the $16.25 million will be spent as council will make further recommendations.

More Information These are the categories and amounts the county is proposing to spend the COVID relief money in: COVID-19 Extra Pay: $4.25 million

Beach Bathrooms:1.5 million

Beach Parking: $2.5 million

Road Improvements: $25.78 million

Coast RTA Operations: $750,000

Disproportionately Impacted Communities & Infrastructure: $16.25 million

Touchless payment system (Coast RTA): $440,000.00

Accessible Playgrounds: $500,000

Cyber Security: $2.8 million

Remote Working Capability: $1 million

ROD Digitization: $1.5 million

Land for Economic Development: $1 million

DHEC South Strand: $100,000

COVID Impacts Waste Management: $700,000

Online Payments Fees: $100,000

Facilities Information Technology Enhancements: $100,000

PPE & Other Direct Expenses: $673,575.35

County Facilities Upgrades: $1 million

Administrative Expense: $1 million

Additionally, the county is looking to spend more than $25 million on road improvements, which was not a category the county was looking at previously.

The exact roads that will be improved is not clear just yet, but it's well-known Horry County has quite a few roads that could be widened, paved and improved, like S.C. 90.

COVID relief pay was another area of funding that came after a push from residents and council members.

So, Assistant Administrator Barry Spivey said the county is looking to offer a one-time payment of $1,500 for all employees regardless of pay, with some modifications for new hires.

The county is proposing to budget about $4.25 million for those one-time payments.

"COVID is not over. We are still in the middle of it," Spivey said. "Our team normally works hard. Since March 1, 2020, it's been a harder effort on our entire team, no question in that regard."

Tranter confirmed about $6.9 million would be held for contingency purposes, which would be used for any unforeseen needs or if any of the planned categories needed extra monies.

The funding plan will now be presented to Horry County Council Sept. 7 for its final approval.
MOUNT PLEASANT  Board members of a high-performing charter school are appealing findings from its sponsoring district amid a back and forth that could threaten the future of the institution.

That decision came at the end of an Aug. 24 board meeting in which worried Oceanside Collegiate Academy parents called for more information as board members of the school urged patience.

The move was in response to a corrective action plan sent just days earlier from the Charter Institute at Erskine, which sponsors the school. The plan listed 13 requirements, including board member training and ensuring contracts follow conflict-of-interest policies.

The Charter Institute said the school must follow those steps to get itself back in good standing.

Earlier this month, The Post and Courier reported how this year could be the last for Oceanside due to concerns raised by the Charter Institute. Those included questions about $1.8 million in spending and ties to side ventures by the for-profit business that runs the school.

The school's board has pushed back against questions raised by the Charter Institute and has threatened to sue the district if the inquiry continues. It previously called for the district to withdraw any and all negative findings.

The decision to appeal was unanimous after board members met in a closed-door session for more than an hour. Before that occurred, roughly three dozen people packed into a classroom at the school. More joined via a video conference. And some shouted questions to board members and an attorney representing them. Many seemed eager for the board to resolve the dispute and end the uncertainty surrounding the school's future.

Marvin Arnsdorff, the chair of Oceanside's board, choked up at one moment as he recounted the history of the school during the meeting.

Oceanside is one of 90 charter schools in the state. It opened in 2016 and features a dual enrollment program, which allows students to earn college credits while they are still in high school.

Arnsdorff told attendees that the Charter Institute's current Superintendent Cameron Runyan had been supportive of the school. But, he said, things changed last year.

We still havent really been told what the hecks going on, he said. Theres two sides to this story, and I really dont know if its a personal or political agenda thats going on here.

Runyan has contended that the school's board let Oceansides management company, Pinnacle Charter Academies, improperly run things, rather than board members controlling its contract with the Florida firm.

The superintendent recently told The Post and Courier that he had no intentions of dropping the Charter Institute's query into payments made to and by Pinnacle between 2015 and 2020.

Unlike traditional public schools, charters are largely autonomous, with each governed by a school board elected by parents. Each school must also have an overseeing sponsor.

The corrective plans 13 requirements also include cooperating with any state or federal investigation into a company Pinnacle created to raise money to construct the building for another charter high school it runs: Gray Collegiate Academy in West Columbia.

Also at the meeting, attorney Tyler Turner, who is representing the board, defended its actions. And he rebutted questions raised by the Charter Institute.

The issue before them is that theyre being accused of wrongdoing," he said of the school's board members. "And they believe findings are being made that are not consistent with the facts or the law."

After parents peppered board members and Turner with questions, co-chair Gary Nestler urged patience.

We hear what each one of you are saying, he said. You must give us the opportunity to do what is our right and our commitment as a volunteer board to do.

He added that the board had done its homework and has faith in Turner, their attorney. The board then went behind closed doors for an hour-long meeting that was attended, in part, by Pinnacle CEO Mike DAngelo.

When board members emerged to vote after the closed-door meeting, none of the parents who attended the session remained.
NORTH CHARLESTON  Calvin Whitfield's contracting business has been successful over the years.

CCCS International's portfolio includes contracts for logistical and construction work with Boeing Co. in North Charleston, the Medical University of South Carolina's Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital in downtown Charleston and Myrtle Beach International Airport, to name a few.

Whitfield, who is African American, is well aware of the historical disadvantages that have long affected Black-owned businesses. He said he feels his company sends the message that minority-owned companies can do the work if given the opportunity.

But Whitfield said his progress might be threatened. His company rents a building at 3436 Rivers Ave., the southern portion of a rapidly changing corridor where fears loom about potential displacement due to rising land costs and rents. Next door to his office sits the old Charleston Naval Hospital, where there are plans to transform the building into apartments.

"Literally at our office the chain-link fence that goes around the hospital is right in our parking lot," Whitfield said. "We're going to stay as long as we can."

North Charleston has a wide variety of Black-owned businesses  barbershops, bakeries, construction companies, restaurants. Despite systemic and historical barriers that have longed hindered minority entrepreneurs, the companies were established by people trying to better provide for their families and communities, and to also show Black youths what's possible.

These businesses are popping up within a city that is transforming as new development, rising land costs and rents threatens to displace the city's African American population. Leaders at many of the city's newest Black-owned businesses say more attention and support are needed to help ensure these entities also don't suffer from the negative impacts of gentrification.

Downtown Charleston is an example of what could happen in the North Area if not enough is intentionally done to protect these businesses. North Charleston has become a home for African American entrepreneurs fleeing gentrification on the peninsula where the lack of minority-owned businesses along the city's bustling King Street is noticeable.

It's really clear that the gentrification in Charleston has been devastating to Black-owned businesses," said Bernie Mazyck, president of the S.C. Association for Community Economic Development. "To some degree, North Charleston has benefited from that. Black-owned businesses have migrated to North Charleston and beyond, to Summerville ... Goose Creek. ... Now, those areas are also at risk."

Inspiring the next generation

Nonprofits in the city have been working for years to ensure Black businesses maintain a presence in neighborhoods targeted for new development.

A program by Lowcountry Local First aimed at supporting Black businesses, along with retail space provided by Metanoia at a discounted rent cost, paved the way for Daddy's Girls Bakery to set up shop at 2021B Reynolds Ave., where the desserts company moved in January.

Nate Brown, who started the company with his wife, Chasity, said he appreciates the efforts being made to maintain an African American business presence. He realizes the bakery likely couldn't have afforded the commercial space without Metanoia's support.

"I do appreciate the effort to keep a Black presence in the area, especially since (Reynolds) is about to boom," he said. "I think it needs Black presence. It would be easy for the same thing to happen in North Charleston that happened downtown.

Business has been good for the sweets shop. Daddy's Girls sees about 40 customers a day.

The company has also put the Browns in a better financial position. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Nate Brown was a public school teacher, struggling to make ends meet with a teacher's salary, he said.

The business not only provides more money for his family but also brings in enough revenue for the company to hire a part-time employee as well as a Black-owned cleaning company.

"I do see how having a business can create income in the Black community," Brown said.

But its not just about the money. Brown said his school-aged children want to become entrepreneurs.

"Our kids see the grind," he said. "They already said they want to be bosses.

Metanoia owns three buildings on Reynolds Avenue, and the nonprofit wants to see minority-owned businesses in those spaces. That's because the strip in the Chicora-Cherokee neighborhood is threatened by gentrification. Already, it's common for homeowners in the community to get postcards from developers offering to buy their houses.

The situation gives a glimpse into the slow transformation shaping up in the city, which is about 46 percent White and 45 percent Black.

Some success is being made for minority companies.

Next door to Daddy's Girls is an event-planning company operated by a Black woman. Metanoia is working to identify a Black-owned cafe to set up shop on the corridor, CEO Bill Stanfield said.

Part of the goal is to also inspire children in the neighborhood.

"We want (youths) to be able to look around to see entrepreneurs that look like them," Stanfield said.

The city of North Charleston has been working to support its Black-owned companies by way of a minority business program established in 2018. The program identifies small businesses that can be awarded contracts on city projects.

The focus, however, extends beyond just African American-owned businesses. It aims to build relationships with companies also owned by veterans and women.

So far, 50 companies have registered with the program and 10 have been awarded contracts on various projects.

COVID-19 has somewhat hindered the program, but the city is getting the initiative back up and running.

"We are trying to start back advertising and holding small-business fairs and reaching out to small businesses to help them become registered with the city to do business with us," said Denise Badillo, the city's procurement director.

The city has also partnered with a number of Black-owned organizations in establishing the new Opportunity Center off Rivers Avenue, which will house minority-led nonprofits and is also geared toward supporting minority-owned businesses with the Business Success Center and Womens Business Center.

The centers will focus on helping women and communities of color establish, grow and sustain their operations.

The Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce hopes to also be a partner in the effort to support Black-owned businesses from a regional perspective. The chamber is establishing a minority business accelerator program that will partner minority entrepreneurs with financial and business advisers to help small businesses excel.

"It's something that this region was missing," said Kenya Dunn, the chamber's diversity, equity and inclusion executive fellow.

Dunn was recently hired to give more attention to minority businesses. One of her initial tasks is leading a study examining the region's minority-owned businesses, and what could be done to support them.

Additionally, the chamber has created a minority business directory that pools together companies from different local municipalities. That list is available at lowcountryminoritybiz.com.

The right relationships

To better appreciate the need to support Black-owned businesses, consider the legacy of marginalization African Americans have experienced as it relates to having access to financial resources needed to start a company.

Columbia-based Optus Bank was formed in 1921 in recognition that Black people have not been afforded the same level of economic opportunities as Whites, including access to bank loans to fund businesses, said Dominik Mjartan, CEO of Optus Bank.

But Blacks haven't only lacked the financial capital to fund business ventures. They also haven't always had the necessary relationships with individuals in the banking industry, or in local governments, to help them navigate the red tape in financial sectors and in municipal governments to open up new businesses, he said.

Having the financial capital and the human capital is typically the issue for business that have been excluded for 400 years from accessing fair opportunities, Mjartan said.

What's needed is for financial institutions that, in addition to being focused on generating profit, are also mission-driven with the desire to help communities that have largely been excluded from accessing the American Dream, he said.

That's what Optus has been working to do, especially amid the pandemic.

The bank dished out 1,300 Paycheck Protection Program loans during the crisis. Sixty percent of the clients were African American, Mjartan said. Many of the clients came to the bank because of its reputation for serving minority entrepreneurs.

"The pandemic has been a perfect manifestation of that 400-year legacy," he said.

A community space

Still, some Black-owned businesses have managed to thrive.

Feidin Santana, who filmed former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager shooting Walter Scott to death as Scott fled in 2015, opened his barbershop Change Up Cuts in 2016. The business relocated from Reynolds to a larger space at 5900 Rivers Ave., Suite D-4, this year.

Santana, who identifies as Afro-Latino, has a vision of bringing together people of different cultures to promote diversity, unity and love. He wants the shop to be a space where the community can come and talk about important issues, such as racial justice.

So far, the shop has lived up to that mission. At 7 p.m. on the last Wednesday of each month, Change up Cuts hosts community meetings that have featured attorneys, principals, community leaders and residents. The shop also hosted a back-to-school event, where it distributed 1,000 bookbags to students.

"This is a business that cares about the community," Santana said.

Santana also values the importance of circulating money within the Black community. Like the Daddy's Girls Bakery, Santana supports other minority businesses. He buys shop materials from local beauty suppliers.

"I wish more Black shops would do the same," he said.

Santana, a native of the Dominican Republic, sold his car and some other items back home to save up about $15,000 to fund his businesses. When it still wasn't enough, two partners invested in the business.

Santana would like to see more financial support from local governments for minority businesses, as he knows firsthand how many entrepreneurs of color struggle to get started.

Santana's point of view is especially important as North Charleston transforms. The city's growth and transformation shouldn't come at the expense of the city's Black-owned businesses, many of which have already had to overcome so many obstacles.
MOUNT PLEASANT  Rumors have rippled through Lowcountry social media posts and national news outlets about a man who wrestled an alligator to save his dog from becoming its lunch.

Some say he ripped open the alligators gamy jaws to pull out the pooch. Others say the owner jumped into a pond to grab the dog himself.

Bruce Savage, dog owner and suspected gator wrestler, wants to set the record straight: He did not touch the alligator when he saved his dog Hannah. If anything, he and the alligator had a tug of war over Hannahs leash. He happened to win.

At about 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 11, Savage took the 10-year-old Terrier mix and his other dog Tucker, an 11-month-old Labradoodle, for a walk.

Savage has taken the dogs on a walk twice a day, every day in Belle Halls Hibben neighborhood since he moved there in June, he said.

Savage would always take the dogs on the gravel trail alongside the pond on Barbadian Way. Its quiet there, with a picturesque view of tall Lowcountry-style homes all lined in a row. Savage said it was the best place in the neighborhood to watch the sunrise.

That August morning, Hannahs extended leash trailed behind Savage and Tucker, following the two on their walk.

Savage heard a woosh sound. Was it the wind? It could have been the sound of water plopping at the surface, Savage said, though he was unsure. Savage remembered it startled him, knocking him off his feet.

When he turned around, Hannah was gone. All he could see was her leash, which was being pulled deeper into the water. He immediately scrambled up onto his feet, in a panic.

I was in full fight-or-flight, shock mode here, Savage said. All I remember is what I saw, and I don't remember hearing anything. I dont know if Hannah even barked.

Savage started pulling on the leash and backing up away from the water. Almost immediately, Hannah's head came out of the pond, with an absolute look of terror on her face, he said. As the alligator opened its mouth to get a better grip on Hannah, Savage yanked her onto dry land. He rescued most of Hannah, but the gator kept her tail.

The alligator then came out onto the bank, squarely facing Tucker, a puppy with a roaring bark, eager to make another friend. Savage walked up to Tucker to grab his leash. About 5 or so feet away from the alligator, Savage, Hannah and Tucker then turned around and sprinted home, not looking back.

Savage, who recently moved from Virginia, knew there were alligators in the neighborhood pond. In the months since he moved to Mount Pleasant, he would find himself looking at the pond to see whether he could spot the gator on walks.

Sometimes he would see one in the distance. He just did not anticipate that one day it would try to eat his dog.

Ron Russell, owner of Gator Getter Consultants, was hired by the neighborhoods homeowners association to remove the alligator. The company is based in Bonneau.

Russells team received a depredation permit from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, Russell said. This permit allows people to kill an alligator if it is a nuisance or aggressive.

The team killed a gator on Aug. 14 in the very pond the day after Hannah was grabbed, Russell said.

It is unclear if Russells team killed the infamous gator that tried to get Hannah, though. There may be multiple gators in that pond, according to DNR.

Three people have died from alligator encounters in the state since 2016, according to the departments records. All of those cases happened in the Lowcountry.

The first alligator-related fatality on record in the state was the death of a 90-year-old woman in July 2016 in a pond outside a West Ashley extended-care facility, according to the department.

In August 2018, South Carolinas second fatal alligator attack in two years occurred when a 45-year-old woman was killed at a resort community on Hilton Head Island.

A 58-year-old woman who was a Johns Island resident died in the attack near Salt Cedar Lane on Kiawah Island in May 2020.

In June 2019, the body of an elderly man who had been reported missing was discovered in a pond on Kiawah Island with bite marks. Alligators were known to be active in that area. Investigators later determined the man died of natural causes before the alligator came upon his body.

Savage said he thinks the alligator that attacked Hannah is still in the pond. He hoped Russell and his team would find it.

Other neighboring residents are concerned about the alligator, he said. Many have been looking to see whether they can spot an alligator and are calling authorities if they think they see one in the pond, he said.

There are a lot of kids in this neighborhood, some who go by the pond, he said. And alligators are apex predators  it's not like Hannah was attacked by a fox.

Besides losing her tail, Hannah got a couple of stitches after the attack, Savage said. She's currently wearing a cone around her neck.

In the days after the incident, Savage changed his Facebook profile to be a picture of Hannah, with a watermark that writes: I am a warrior.

As he walks around his neighborhood, some people will ask how Hannah is doing, or run up to Hannah if she is outside. She is her happy, normal self, he said, adding that she loves the attention.

This past week Hannah began to walk near the pond again, though they now keep away from the trail on the other side of the road.

She will have her stitches removed on Aug. 26. Savage said she would be ecstatic when the cone finally comes off.
South Carolina Department of Revenue agents arrested an Aiken County attorney Monday.

Randall Dewitt Williams, 51, of North Augusta, was charged with four counts of failure to file and pay taxes.

Williams, attorney and owner of Williams Law Firm, "failed to file South Carolina Individual Income Tax Returns for tax years 2015  2018," according to a release from the SCDOR.

A SCDOR investigation found "the defendant knew he was required to file state income tax returns and pay any taxes due, but he failed to do so," according to arrest warrants.

For tax years 2015 through 2018, Williams earned over $2.6 million in gross income but failed to pay $14,165 in individual income tax to the state.

If convicted, Williams faces a maximum sentence of up to one year in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000 per count.

"The SCDOR is committed to the fair administration of tax laws. By taking enforcement action against noncompliant taxpayers, the Department seeks to prevent unfairly increasing the tax burden on those who do comply," SCDOR said in the release.
If youve been vaccinated, the FDAs decision Monday to grant full authorization to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine might not seem like a big deal. After all, the agency has allowed the drug to be administered since December, and Americans already have received 200 million doses of it  along with 150 million shots of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, and almost 5 billion vaccinations delivered worldwide.

Combined, the vaccines have been miracle drugs, allowing more than half of the U.S. population to return largely to normal lives  still taking precautions as the delta variant sends total infections skyrocketing, but with our chance of becoming seriously ill or dying diminished dramatically. While less than half the people in this country are unvaccinated, they continue to account for between 80% and 90% of COVID deaths.

Those numbers  both the too-low level of vaccinations and the devastating toll COVID is taking on those unvaccinated  are precisely why the Food and Drug Administrations decision to replace its emergency use authorization with full approval has so much potential to be a game changer.

Yes, some people simply are not going to be vaccinated: either because they dont believe COVID is real or they dont think theyre really at risk or theyve bought into all sorts of crazy conspiracy theories about vaccines in general or the COVID vaccines in particular.

But for many reasonable people, it just seemed like too big a risk to receive a vaccine that hadnt cleared all the hurdles of Americas gold-standard drug review process. The FDAs unflinching approval on Monday should begin to change that.

U.S. enthusiasm for the vaccine stretching back to its initial emergency authorization means the FDA had far more evidence about effectiveness and safety than its ever had before when considering a drug  allowing it not only to look at the 44,000 people who participated in the initial trials last year but also to consider the real-world record thats been compiled from those 200 million doses of Pfizer's vaccine given since December.

The delta variant already was increasing the appetite for vaccinations before Mondays announcement. The Associated Press reports daily U.S. vaccinations, which had dropped to a half a million after peaking at 3.4 million vaccinations in April, had risen to 1 million last week as the delta assault starting filling up our hospitals and shutting down our schools.

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Let's hope that number climbs much higher.

Its true that we dont know what long-term effects the vaccines will have, but we do know that some people who survive COVID have developed complications that will be with them for the rest of their lives. We also know that while the short-term effects of the vaccine are irritating at best, the short-term effects of COVID are devastating, up to and including death. And we know that the risk of being infected is higher than ever right now, thanks to the delta variant.

The CDC reports that as of Aug. 16, out of the 168 million Americans fully vaccinated, only 7,887 had been hospitalized and another 1,829 had died from COVID. Even if you grade on a curve  compare those 1,829 deaths to the total U.S. deaths just since May 1  you'll find 24 unvaccinated people died for every 1 vaccinated person who did. Pretty good odds for the vaccinated  and awful for anyone who hasn't been vaccinated.

Please dont become part of those awful unvaccinated numbers. The vaccine is safe, effective and has passed the most rigorous regulatory approval process in the world. It's also free and available near you, probably at your nearest drug store, probably with no wait.

Please, get vaccinated today.
The DHEC boards welcomed vote last week to recommend mask requirements in South Carolina's public schools was as significant as it was surprising.

Significant because most of the board members were appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster, who so adamantly has opposed school mask mandates, and confirmed by state senators, who allowed the law to pass prohibiting those requirements. For both political and legal reasons, the boards unanimous decision puts more pressure on the Legislature to rewrite the current law and, absent that, actually encourages schools to violate the law, since it means most schools are now out of compliance with the guidelines they must follow to be protected from liability from COVID-related lawsuits.

Surprising because the board of the Department of Health and Environmental Control has never been known to buck the prevailing politics of the governor or the Legislature.

Even more surprising  and significant  is that the board apparently was considering the whether it had the legal authority to invoke DHECs emergency health powers to enact a statewide school mask requirement itself. A spokesman confirmed that the board received legal advice to evaluate the applicability of those powers given the current situation.

We have no idea how serious board members were about that option, or precisely what their lawyer told them about whether it was an option, because the legal advice was delivered during a 42-minute closed-door session, after which the board gave no hint about what was discussed. Once back in open session, it spent just two minutes approving a motion to direct DHEC Director Dr. Edward Simmer to amend his agencys guidelines for schools to recommend mask requirements and to direct Dr. Simmer and Chairman Mark Elam to ask the Legislature to amend the law that prohibits such requirements.

As encouraged as we are by the boards commitment to protecting the public health instead of bowing to an anti-public health political agenda, we are concerned by its secret session.

The states open meetings law has such a broad exemption for legal advice  it includes any discussion covered by the attorney-client privilege, which any competent lawyer can argue includes saying hello to a client  that it probably was legal to kick the public out. But it certainly violated the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act, which the Legislature passed to ensure that the public knows not only what our government is doing but also why.

Except in extraordinary cases, where the mere discussion could tip people off to information that urgently needs to be kept private, we dont see how it's appropriate for a board to meet in executive session to receive a legal briefing about what the law does and doesnt allow it to do. Thats the very definition of information the public has a right to know.

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In this bizarre moment, when a number of elected officials are determined to limit what government can do to fight a pandemic, the primary public policy question often isnt whether a given action is a good idea. Its whether the action is legal and, if not, whether officials want to violate the law. That needs to be a public discussion.

DHEC certainly isnt alone in hiding behind closed doors to discuss COVID-19 matters that ought to be discussed in public. Only a few days earlier, both the Charleston County and Richland 1 school boards shut out the public to receive legal advice before voting to require masks in school, in violation of state law. The Richland 2 board did the same but ended up only directing district staff to explore legal options.

The Charleston County board compounded its problem by also receiving what it described as medical advice in the secret session  which state law doesnt even hint at allowing. Of course, maybe we shouldnt expect better since the board members took their vote without even mentioning the conflict with state law.

That decision soon came back to haunt the board; days later, the chairman announced to confused parents and teachers that no one would be denied entrance to the schools for refusing to wear a mask. That means the mandate isnt really a mandate, and therefore might or might not violate state law  all of which might have been clear had the legal advice been discussed in public.

DHECs closed-door COVID meeting, by contrast, came nowhere near violating state law. And unlike the Charleston County School Board, DHEC allowed the public to hear the medical advice, which seemed to have been pulled together as much for the public's consumption as the boards. Its public delivery illustrated why its in everyone's interest to hold such briefings in public: Two well-respected physicians discussed numerous studies documenting both the effectiveness and the safety of masks  the very type of information that mask opponents say doesnt exist. And the presentations  now available on DHECs website  include links to those studies for anyone who wants more information.

The problem with these closed-door executive sessions isnt confined to COVID. Its just more problematic here, because some of the main public health problems we face are misinformation and a lack of trust in public health officials. Beatrice King was the only member of the four boards who objected to receiving legal advice about COVID rules in a secret session. As she argued before the Richland 1 board voted to kick out the public: "This needs to be a really, really transparent and open discussion so that the public knows exactly what were facing."
The cost to fix flooding in Charleston has bloomed to some $3 billion in total, city officials say  a price tag for solutions from cleaning out plugged drainage systems to new, deep tunnels and a wall that could deflect hurricane waves from the downtown peninsula.

In 2017, The Post and Courier asked city officials how much it might cost to fix flooding in the face of a climate that is supercharging flooding rains and pushing sea levels higher. At the time, the estimate was $2 billion, including several hefty projects that were already under way.

But now that number is rising, in large part because of an Army Corps of Engineers proposal to wall off the downtown area from the water. If the project, still in early planning stages, reaches the finish line, the city would have to pay a portion that's estimated at around $500 million.

In the meantime, a slew of other work in other neighborhoods in the city is ongoing, chewing up the city's fund for drainage work and sending staff on time-consuming efforts to secure federal grant funds. In all, the city plans to spend almost $58 million, including grant money, on stormwater and drainage efforts in 2021, CFO Amy Wharton said.

These projects, Director of Stormwater Management Matt Fountain said, mostly aren't aimed at preparing for the 2- to 3-feet of sea level rise the city expects in the next 50 years. They're an effort to fix the severe flooding problems already existing, which have resulted, in part, from years of poor development decisions about where and how to build in the region's low topography.

In an interview with the paper, Fountain ticked off a list of 20 major water management projects somewhere in the pipeline from design to construction, including:

Engineered wetlands on the former sites of flooded homes in far-flung West Ashley.

Outfall cleaning around the city, in neighborhoods like the historic Byrnes Downs.

Plans to divert water around the Barberry Woods neighborhood on Johns Island.

New pipes and eventually pumps to evacuate water from the flood-prone King and Huger streets intersection.

As far as work that will fend off the water of the future, "I think we just haven't quite gotten there yet. We're still so buried into the things that we need to fix that are currently causing problems," Fountain said.

The one exception, he said, is the proposed seawall, which has proved controversial since its inception. The city hasn't officially voted to move forward with it and hasn't put together a funding plan for its share of the project. But they will have to certify to the Corps by the end of the year that the city will pay the 35 percent match of the total project cost. There will be time after that point to come up with those funding sources, said Mark Wilbert, the city's outgoing chief of resilience, because the Corps itself will spend several months internally reviewing the wall plan.

"We're looking under every rock," Mayor John Tecklenburg said. "You just kind of ask for everything, and at the end of the day, see where you land."

Ultimately, the many needs of Charleston put it in competition for state funds with communities around South Carolina, and for federal funds with many cities nationally. There are several communities in the Southeast that are also working with the Army Corps on climate adaptation plans, and who may be in contention when Congress decides who deserves funding.

"This is something the city of Charleston and all coastal communities will be dealing with for eternity," Wilbert said. "We will be adapting forever."

Finding funds

Right now, Charleston cobbles together its money for flooding improvements from a variety of sources  a fee on water and sewer bills that covers smaller projects and the budget for the stormwater department, a small portion of property taxes for a dedicated drainage fund, special tax districts and a bevy of various grants.

The tax districts in particular, usually abbreviated as TIFs, have come to a particular importance in recent years. These TIFs rely on rising property values. When they are put in place, they freeze the amount of money sent to school district, county and city coffers. If the lots inside become more valuable over time, that additional tax money is set aside in a special fund that the city can borrow against or use to pay directly for certain projects.

Take the example of a particularly successful tax district along King Street, which Wharton said has raised $123.6 million since it was established in 1998. It has helped to pay for significant portions of the deep-tunnel drainage system the city is building under the Septima P. Clark Parkway, also known as the Crosstown. When that complex project, known as Spring-Fishburne, encountered a $43 million cost overrun a few years ago, the city was able to rely on this well-performing district to cover some of the difference.

These arrangements don't last forever. The King Street district is set to expire in 2023, removing that as a source of future funds. They also require buy-in from schools who are essentially foregoing revenue. Charleston County School District declined entirely to participate in a much newer tax district around flood-prone Church Creek, Wharton said. That fund is devoted entirely to water management projects.

In other cases, there's disagreement on whether to use these proceeds for drainage at all, as has happened in a special district that covers Charleston's Eastside neighborhood. Some wanted to use the money for the upcoming Lowline park; Councilman Keith Waring prefers the money help pay for drainage fixes in the historically Black and rapidly gentrifying Eastside neighborhood.

In a meeting at the beginning of June, Waring bemoaned the fact that for years the city didn't dedicate much money for drainage at all, and now the Eastside has needs that will probably range between $15 million and $20 million. A city consultant is studying the area now to decide exactly what projects should be done there, Fountain said.

"We've got a lot of good ideas sitting on the shelf," Waring said, "but the elephant in the room is funding."

City Council hasn't made a final decision on how to use the money from the district that covers the Eastside. But Wharton said there may be other options if they do opt to pay for the park, like finding grants to pay for it.

Grant funding has gone a long way in helping the city design new approaches for the Church Creek basin and Johns Island. Those federal dollars come with a cost, though. It could take months of staff time to fully prepare an application, with no guarantee they'll be awarded.

A smaller approach

Fountain said his strategy of late has been to aim for smaller-in-scope projects that offer relief now, so residents don't feel ignored while larger, multi-year efforts are under way.

In one case, that means working on several smaller efforts first in the drainage basin that was next projected for deep drainage tunnels: Calhoun West, which covers the southwest corner of the Charleston peninsula, one of the lowest and most flood-prone areas of the city.

The area is a wealthy one, with historic homes worth millions, and picturesque Colonial Lake, an engineered waterbody the city drains before storms to ensure it does not spill over. Charleston has already done conceptual engineering on a tunnel system there, but isn't moving forward on the design or permits yet because of many other, smaller efforts.

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One, a single shaft tunneling down from Ehrhardt Street, will replicate a portion of the system and connect it to existing tunnels to the north. The city is also working on cleaning out historic brick-arch drains and potentially raising the sidewalk along low-lying Lockwood Drive to block high tides, Fountain said.

"We need to get those things to their next step ... to kick out more project work behind them," Fountain said. "Each thing we can do that moves water out of the basin more efficiently reduces the size and scope of the tunnel work."

The Corps' wall proposal would also affect where and how the city would build Calhoun West's deep tunnels and a pump to drain them.

Just the Ehrhardt Street shaft alone costs north of $10 million, and the money wasn't easy to find. Officials for the three large medical providers in the hospital district and Tecklenburg lobbied state government officials for years before funding was included in a round of Housing and Urban Development money the state started to parcel out earlier in 2021.

In the past, the city relied on large-scale projects like Spring-Fishburne, the more expansive tunnel system north of the area where Calhoun West would be installed. But Spring-Fishburne encountered significant delays in its construction timeline, in part because it was difficult to secure funding in the first place. Fountain said he doesn't want to leave people waiting for years without smaller relief.

He also urged that the deep-tunnel design will have to fit with other projects in the basin that are being designed or built now.

Councilman Mike Seekings, who represents that part of the city, said the Calhoun West tunnel project is still an essential one. With spring thunderstorms this year dumping water that piled 2- or 3-feet deep in that zone, "It's an unsustainable quality of life and public safety model we have to remedy," he said.

The problem, Seekings said, is that the city needs to more clearly define what projects to do, and in what order. Fountain said the city does have a rubric developed by consultant AECOM to prioritize projects based on economic benefits, environmental impacts, social needs and future maintenance costs, but the stormwater department hasn't finished scoring all the proposed projects yet.

Local share

The seawall project, if the city decides to pursue it, would be covered 35 percent by Charleston and 65 percent by a federal appropriation for the Corps. The most recent estimate pegs the total cost at some $1.4 billion.

That projection is likely to change, and might have to if the project is ever to get federal funding. Right now, its ratio of benefits to costs, as counted by the Corps, is 2.2. In other words, every dollar invested has a $2.20 value in avoided damage. Federal reviewers usually favor projects with a ratio of 2.5 or higher for funding, a Corps spokeswoman said.

If it does move forward, the project is a pay-as-you-go affair: money would only be due as the design or construction happens. Project leaders have already said the wall construction would happen in four phases.

"That (local) price tag is not something thats due next year or in five years. It could, in fact, be due over 20 years," said Dale Morris, a longtime flooding consultant to the city who is becoming its next chief resilience officer in the fall.

City officials have said the state has a role to play in funding this because of Charleston's economic impact on the rest of the state. But if the much smaller $10 million bill for the Medical District's Ehrhardt shaft is any indication, it could be hard to make that argument. An earlier attempt to include that line item in the state's 2020 budget failed.

Dana Beach, a founder of the Coastal Conservation League who has since retired from that environmental advocacy group, worried whether the city's political leadership would really be able to convince lawmakers to put up the money.

It's not as if legislators are unwilling to pay for large construction projects in the region; the State Ports Authority, Beach argued, secured a vote in favor of borrowing $550 million for an expanded rail yard and barges in the Charleston Harbor.

But in Charleston, "We just have this hope that the Corps of Engineers will do something, will put the money in, and well somehow come up with the 35 percent match," Beach said. "Hope is not a strategy."

Tecklenburg said he's already talking to state and federal officials about how to fund the city's share.

"You're not going to find one funding source that's going to pay for a big project," he said. At the state level, "I think we can be successful getting a piece at a time, but maybe not get the whole enchilada like the Ports Authority has."

The first pieces of a potential strategy could come in the next few months. An advisory group reviewing the wall plan is also focusing on possible funding ideas, Wilbert said, as is the city itself. More special tax districts or fees could be part of the picture, he said. The state has also set aside almost $50 million for flood projects, distributed by a new Office of Resilience, but communities around the state will compete for that low-cost loan fund.

Morris was optimistic. He pointed to the federal American Rescue Plan funds that are coming to South Carolina, $2.5 billion in all, which can be used for infrastructure projects. Additional funding through HUD, he said, will also help cities and towns pay for projects to fix flooding before disasters instead of after  a longtime blind spot in federal funding.

"It's more positive right now for federal resources to support communities than I've seen for a long time," Morris said.

That may be limited help in the case of the wall project; if Congress funds the Corps' share, the city generally can't use federal funds to pay for its own portion without special permission, a Corps spokeswoman said.

But first, the city will have to decide this fall if it actually wants to move forward with a wall at all.
Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System continues to experience a resurgence in patients being treated for COVID-19, with more than 225 patients at area hospitals.

SRHS reported during a news conference held Aug. 25 the number of patients being treated in the system has increased to 225, up from 90 earlier in the month. Of those patients, 213 had not been vaccinated. SRHS Chief Medical Officer Chris Lombardozzi expressed frustration with the resurgence of COVID-19 cases and the unwillingness of some residents to get vaccinated.

"It feels like it (COVID-19) will not go away," Lombardozzi said. "The reason it will not go away is people are not getting their shots. Vaccines are safe and effective."

As of Aug. 25, there were 52 patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care units in SRHS facilities of which 30 were on ventilators, Lombardozzi said. SRHS primarily serves Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union counties. The resurgence in cases has created some delay in serving patients with medical issues other than COVID-19, creating longer waiting times in emergency rooms.

"It is causing all kinds of disruption in our ability to deliver care to our community, not just people who have COVID," Lombardozzi said. "The beds are full, ICUs are full and we are struggling."

A new COVID-19 testing site opened Aug. 23 at the old Spartanburg Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership at 1035 N. Church St. in Spartanburg. During the first two days, the site tested 1,500 people. The testing site is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Testing is free and no appointment is required.

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Kandi Fredere, Upstate administrator for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), said during the news conference that the site was opened to provide improved access to testing in Spartanburg. She said the vaccination rate in Spartanburg County is 39 percent, which places the county 30th in the state for vaccination rate.

"For the last few weeks, we have looked at improving access to testing in Spartanburg," Fredere said. "We have seen an increase in cases, and deaths and hospitalizations here locally and throughout the state."

In partnership with DHEC, Dorman High School at 1050 Cavalier Way in Roebuck will host a COVID-19 vaccination event from 9 a.m. to noon on Aug. 28. No appointment is necessary. Fredere said Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, which received full FDA approval this week, will be offered at the site. She encouraged social distancing and the use of masks.

On Aug. 24, the City of Spartanburg implemented a policy requiring city employees to wear masks at work and in public when interacting with residents. Visitors to city buildings and facilities are also required to wear masks. This includes City Hall at 145 W. Broad St. The city is also offering a $200 incentive for employees who haven't been vaccinated to get vaccinated over the next six weeks, according to City Marketing and Communications Manager Christopher George.

City Manager Chris Story told City Council during a meeting held Aug. 23 that four employees tested positive for COVID-19 and are under quarantine. George told The Post and Courier the city will continue to require masks to be worn at the city's facilities until the hospitalization rates decline.

"It's unfortunately a setback and we are encouraging employees to get vaccinated," George said. "Getting the vaccination is the only way to get out of this."
Writings on the Wall

In one of Aesops famous fables, the ant works hard during the summer saving up for the winter. The grasshopper fiddles the summer away in a c Read more
@montcocourtnews on Twitter

Carl Hessler Jr. is a multi-media reporter who writes about crime and justice from the Montgomery County Courthouse for 21st Century Media Newspapers Greater Philadelphia area publications. Follow Carl on Twitter: @MontcoCourtNews
"I'm not a big believer in masks, but if we keep masks on, we get to keep kids in school."

 Robert Lindgren, Pottsgrove School Board President

Pull Quote
On his way out the door in Albany, Andrew Cuomo gave the finger to at least three major interest groups. It was a fitting departure for this nasty, discredited figure.

Cuomo derided the lengthy, thorough report alleging that he sexually harassed 11 women. He whined that the report was designed to be a political firecracker on an explosive topic and that it was based on an unfair and unjust investigation. He did not apologize to any of the 11 women, nor did he even mention any of them. But he challenged them implicitly by stating that he had been condemn[ed] without facts.

Cuomo thus flipped off the me too movement.

Turning his attention to New York City, Cuomo stated that Eric Adams will be its next mayor. He added that Adams will bring a new philosophy to the position which can give New York City residents hope for the future.

Cuomo thus flipped off Bill de Blasio, with whom he reportedly is obsessed.

Finally, in one of his final official acts as governor, Cuomo granted clemency to five murderers, including a former member of the Weather Underground who is the father of San Franciscos ultra-leftist district attorney, Chesa Boudin. Cuomo thus flipped off the law enforcement community and those who back it.

Chuck Ross reports:

David Gilbert is serving a 75-year sentence for second-degree murder for his role in the 1981 robbery of a Brinks security truck in Nyack, N.Y. Two police officers and a security guard were killed during the heist, which Weather Underground members carried out along with members of the Black Liberation Army. Gilbert was driving a getaway car with his partner, Kathy Boudin. Cuomos grant of clemency will allow Gilbert to appear before the state parole board prior to his potential release from jail. Chesa Boudin lobbied Cuomo last year to grant clemency to his father. . . .

As I understand it, Gilbert must still persuade the parole board that he should be released. But Cuomos clemency paves the way for Gilbert to seek his release.

The same is true for the other four murderers to whom Cuomo granted clemency. Ed Morrissey discusses these cases. One was sentenced in 1983 to serve 50 to life for the 1980 robbery-murder of a Queens couple. Another received the same sentence for shooting a man to death in a 1992 robbery. Another was convicted of second-degree murder, attempted murder, and weapons possession after shooting and killing a 17-year-old at a block party in 1980.

In announcing these commutations, Cuomo noted that some of the recipients had done good deeds while in prison. I believe the saying virtue is its own reward should apply when it comes to subsequent good deeds by murderers.

Theres something for almost everyone to dislike in Cuomos parting shots  feminists, leftists, and law-and-order conservatives. Cuomo reportedly does not plan to run for office ever again, and thats how he is behaving.
Until today, Joe Biden has held firmly to his commitment to be out of Afghanistan as of August 31, even though our alliesto my knowledge, unanimouslyhave urged him to extend that deadline. The problem, of course, is the Taliban, which controls Kabul and has insisted on sticking to August 31. But this afternoon, Biden opened the door to staying longer, saying that he has asked defense officials to put together contingency plans for keeping American forces on the ground in Afghanistan beyond the end of this month.

Importantly, the August 31 deadline was to get not just civilians out of Afghanistan, but our troops and whatever equipment can be salvaged, as well. So realistically, civilian evacuations would have to cease some days prior to the end of the month. Meanwhile, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed today, following the leak of a State Department cable, that only around 4,000 American passport holders have been evacuated, out of 10,000 to 15,000 who are believed to have been in Afghanistan when the withdrawal began.

Further, in another concession to reality, Jen Psaki acknowledged today that there could be some Americans left behind when the administrations retreat is complete.

So it is easy to understand why Biden, along with the leaders of all other countries whose nationals are trapped in Afghanistan, would like to continue the evacuation into September. What is not clear is whether Bidens reference to contingency plans represents a real change in strategy, and if so, what prompted it. Maybe Biden and his handlers are simply appalled at the idea of thousands of Americans left to the mercies of the Taliban, which is the course we are on now. Or maybethe most optimistic possibilitythe administration has negotiated, but not yet announced, an extension of time with the Taliban. (For negotiated, read bought.)

At this point, pretty much all possibilities are on the table, as the tragedy of Bidens botched withdrawal continues to unfold.
Yes, no matter what

Yes, but it depends on variety

No, for medical reasons, uncertainty

No, principle

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Nigerians on Tuesday lamented the national power grid collapse that has yet again resulted in epileptic power supply and poor business operations.

On Monday, the national power grid collapsed for the second time in a period of one month, throwing many households and businesses in parts of Nigeria into darkness.

The collapse occurred around noon on Monday, according to information sourced from the electricity distribution companies.

Earlier on July 28, the grid had suffered a total collapse, which the Transmission Company of Nigeria attributed to the loss of 611 megawatts at two power stations.

Jude Okonkwo, a Lagos-based business owner, lamented the impact of the collapse on his business, calling on the government to find a lasting solution to the incessant grid collapse.

This is almost becoming a monthly occurrence and it is not good for business and the economy at all, he told PREMIUM TIMES in an interview Tuesday morning.

Another Lagos resident who declined to have his name in print lamented the impact of the blackout on households and business operations in parts of the country.

This is very bad. The power is poor already now its a complete blackout, he said.

The national grid is managed by Transmission Company of Nigeria, but suffers incessant system collapse due to what experts described as poor infrastructure.

Discos beg customers

Meanwhile, against the backdrop of the blackout and complaints from customers, many of the power distribution countries sent messages to customers pleading to them to exercise patience.

Kaduna Electric, for instance, explained the cause of the blackout and assured customers that power would be restored.

We sincerely apologise for the power outage in our franchise states which is due to a system collapse from the national grid, the company said.

Supply shall be restored as soon as the grid is back up.

Eko Electricity Distribution Company, in a message to its customers on its Facebook page, said that it is working with the Transmission Company of Nigeria to restore supply.

We regret to inform you of a system collapse on the national grid thats causing outages across our network, it said.

We are working with our TCN partners to restore supply as soon as possible. Please bear with us.

TCN restores power grid

Meanwhile, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says it has restored the national power grid.

TCNs General Manager Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

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Mrs Mbah said the incident followed a sudden drop in system frequency from 50.18Hz to 47.63Hz which caused system instability and consequently the collapse of a part of the national grid.

She said: However, the partial system disturbance did not affect parts of the grid such as Afam Complex, Alaoji, Ikot Ekpene, Odukpani, and Calabar axis.

This means that electricity supply to these areas was not interrupted by the incident.

According to reports from the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) readings and some substations, control panel readings by System Operators showed that some units from a particular generating station tripped suddenly.

The general manager said the tripping caused an initial loss of 402 megawatts (MW) of electricity from the grid network.

This caused a destabilising imbalance which further caused the pulling out a total of 3,560MW from the grid that finally collapsed part of the national grid, she stated.

Mrs Mbah said that TCN commenced the immediate recovery of the grid at 1:19p.m. through Shiroro Generating Station and almost immediately restored electricity to Abuja axis.

She said the AlaojiOnitsha axis was restored at about the same time as Abuja, while the Shiroro-Mando axis, on the other hand, was restored by 3:42p.m.

According to her, by 6.57p.m. on Monday, the national grid was fully recovered and operational.

TCN appreciates the kind understanding of government and electricity consumers within the affected areas as it is consistently executing projects geared towards putting in place a very robust grid.

It is equally pursuing a nationwide SCADA implementation that would further contribute to grid stability, she added.
The Nuts and Bolts series  by the Abuja Writers Forum, focuses on the craft of poetry for the August 29 edition, via Zoom from 6-8pm Nigerian Time, with four notable poets: Amina Aboje (Nigeria), Patricia Keeney (Canada), Vivek Narayanan (India) and Archie Swanson(South Africa).

Born in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, Amina Aboje had her primary education in the beautiful city of Buguma, one of the many towns in the Kalabari Kingdom. She holds a first degree in Biochemistry and concluding work on a post-graduate degree at the Nasarawa State University ,Keffi . Her interest in writing was birthed when she discovered the delight of reading as a little girl. Amina expresses herself in both poetry and prose.

Her short stories have featured in some online literary journals like Dugwe and Lunaris Review. Her poems and short stories have severally topped the Abuja Writers Forum Writing Challenge series. In 2016, she won the Mandela Day Poetry Prize. Shes also the third place winner (in the poetry category) of the maiden edition of the Communicators League writing contest. Amina is one among several poets featured in the Best New African Poets 2017 Anthology. She is the author of Promises on Sand, a collection of poems focused on the many intricacies of life and the disturbing issue of corruption in politics.

Ms Aboje who is an independent editor, also finds pleasure in teaching poetry. She works and lives in Abuja, Nigeria.

Patricia Keeney is an award-winning poet, novelist, theatre and literary critic. The author of ten books of poetry and two novels, her writing has been translated into French, Spanish, Bulgarian, Chinese and Hindi. Her latest poetry volume, Orpheus in Our World (NeoPoiesis) connects ancient Greek lyrics with contemporary theatrical dialogue.

Her latest novel One Man Dancing (Inanna) is a story of Africa, politics, art and personal survival set on the world stage. She describes her next novel, Emptiness and Angels as a fusion of Biblical mystery, feminist satire and spiritual quest. Keeney is a longtime professor of Literature, Humanities and Creative Writing at Torontos York University. Website: wapitiwords.ca

Vivek Narayanan was born in India in 1972 to Tamil-speaking parents; since then, he has lived, worked and studied in a number of countries, including Zambia, South Africa, and the U.S. where he currently teaches at GMU.

Vivek Narayanans two full-length books of poems are Universal Beach and Life and Times of Mr S. His honors include fellowships in poetry at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University and at the Cullman Center for Writers and Scholars at the New York Public Library. A collection of his selected poems was published in Swedish in 2015 by the Stockholm-based Wahlstrom & Widstrand. He is co-editor of Almost Island, a nine-year-old India-based journal, literary organization, and publisher. He has also been an Associate Editor for the poetry annual Fulcrum.

Apart from his published poetry, Narayanan has conducted experiments with performance, technology, physical space, movement, site-specific poetry and audience interaction, through collaborations with other artists. He is the Co-editor of Almost Island and has worked in Delhi with Sarai-CSDS

Archie Swanson is a South African poet with three collections of poems to his credit the stretching of my sky(2018), the shores of years(2019) and beyond a distant edge (2021).

His poems have been published in the long standing South African poetry publications, Stanzas and New Contrast as well as the Best New African Poetry Anthologies (2015-2020), Experimental Writing: Africa vs Latin America (2017), Vol. 1&2 of Africa vs North America (2018; 2019) and Writing Robotics: Africa vs Asia Vol 2 (2020).

In 2017 his poems were listed for the South African Sol Plaatje Award and the United Kingdom based Bridport Prize. His poetry has been included in the Patricia Schonstein curated anthologies, Absolute Africa! (2018), Naturally Africa! (2020) and the McGregor Anthologies (2014-2020). His poem deja vu was the inspiration for Grant McLachlans composition for clarinet, violin, and piano, from the direction it should depart, performed at the Baxter Concert Hall in Cape Town (2019).

He also wrote the words for a choral piece composed by Grant McLachlan and entitled Intombazana, to be performed at the 2020 World Choir Games. Poems, translated into Spanish, were published in the South American literary journal Libero America (2020) and Afourer was selected for Clemengold Poetry Writing (2020).

His poem, my Guernica placed second in the South African AVBOB Poetry Competition (English/2019) which receives more than 30,000 entries per year. The poem dogs sleeping will be published in the September 2021 issues of Calabash, the online bi-annual literary writing magazine of the National Writers Association of South Africa (NWASA). He has been a regular guest poet at the weekly open mic Off the Wall Poetry gathering in Cape Town, the monthly Cape Town Central Library Poetry Circle as well as the annual McGregor Poetry Festivaland the Prince Albert Lees Fees festivals, in South Africa.

He serves on the Board of the SA Literary Journal which publishes the South African quarterly creative writing magazine, New Contrast. He lives in George in the Western Cape of South Africa. He has a Masters Degree in Agri-Management from the University of Stellenboch. He has four daughters, is a keen surfer and is involved in fruit exports. www.instagram.com/poetarchie

Kabura Zakama who is a poet, veterinarian, international development and humanitarian practitioner, will be the anchorman.

The Zoom details for the event are 

Meeting ID: 898 4069 7086

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Passcode: 741848

Meeting Link : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89840697086?fbclid=IwAR2pnKpL9havO4MoCIBBXh1GXuNvf8XEeuTC0xzaMjqWMX523PRM8FH_oVs#success

A.D.Dabra,

Publicity Secretary,

08023117473,

abujawriters@gmail.com
Internet trolls have kept the social media abuzz all year long and have spared no one, not even Nollywood bad boy, Jim Iyke, who always has the perfect clapback for them.

Internet trolling is something many have experienced at some point and it is the premise upon which Iyke premiered his latest movie, Bad Comments, at the Filmhouse IMAX Cinemas over the weekend.

Bad Comments is Iykes latest and debut movie production that addresses the impact of cyberbullying.

He said whether we have been victims of online trolling or have witnessed people become victims, it is clear that the internet has encouraged an appetite for trolling.

Through the star-studded movie, the actor says he is creating awareness about the dark world of cyberbullying, something he has experienced firsthand.

The movie premiered at the Filmhouse IMAX Cinemas with an elaborate red carpet event on Sunday.

The best of old and new Nollywood were present to show support toward Jim Iykes incredible effort and to advocate against cyberbullying.

Gracing the beautifully decorated red carpet were Uche Jumbo, Ini Edo, Jidekene Achifusi, Deyemi Okonlawon, Toyin Abraham, Phyno.

Others were the cast members Osas Ighodaro, Sharon Ooja, director Moses Inwang, and many more.

Inspiration

Speaking about the movie, Iyke said: Its a conversation that I think is lagging behind in our society and we did extensive research before putting out this movie.

The social media space isnt being utilised positively and this is tragic. Social Media is supposed to be a space where people can find their dreams and shortcuts to exhibit what they really are.

Its become cool to project cruelty and hatred online and Bad comments speak to this, we hope to show some of the perils of social media, we worked hard on a powerful production which has something for everyone.

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There were indeed several noteworthy outfits and moments on the red carpet, however, Jim Iykes grand entrance stole the show!

The superstar actor, who is famous for his show-stopping acts, arrived at the venue with a motorcycle escort whilst he sat in a Rolls Royce.

After the movie, attendees of the premiere had a lot of positive reviews to give.

Bad Comments will be officially released in cinemas on Friday.
A senior lecturer in the Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Adebayo Mosobalaje, has been found guilty of sexual misconduct by the schools authorities.

The lecturer was specifically accused of breaching the provisions of the universitys Code of Conduct in the manner he related with a student of the department, Rachel Momoh.

A verdict passed by the universitys joint committee of council and Senate noted that in the process of its deliberations, the Committee FOUND Dr Mosobalaje culpable and was deserving of the highest punishment of dismissal.

But in its recommendations, many feel the committee was lenient with the lecturer as his punishment included a warning letter, and forfeiture of cumulation of half of his salaries which have been continued to be held by the university since he was suspended.

The committee also said he should not be allowed to hold any management position on the campus for the next five years.

Also, he will not be promoted for two years.

These recommendations, which formed a subject of debate at the Senate meeting of the university last week, led to a division among members in attendance.

While some endorsed the recommendations, others queried the reasons behind the committees alleged inconsistency.

They asked why the committee allegedly bent the rule when it already concluded that Mr Mosobalajes culpability was deserving of the highest punishment of dismissal.

The critics cited other similar cases in the past and how the offenders were sacked.

But the universitys public relations officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, confirmed that the recommendations were endorsed by the Senate and would be passed to the universitys governing council for final approval whenever it reconvenes.

The Senates decision is still subject to the ratification or modification by the governing council. So it is not the final decision. And until then, I think it will be preposterous to make any comment on this, the universitys spokesperson said.

The embattled lecturer has also refused to speak on the matter, saying it is a decision for the university to make.

Alleged influence

Meanwhile, some of the concerned individuals who are unhappy with the development have accused the university management of succumbing to pressure from unnamed quarters.

According to these sources, the accused only surrendered himself to the universitys probe after some influential figures intervened.

After he was indicted by the investigative panel, the embattled lecturer sued the university and the pending matter barred the joint committee of the council and the Senate from sitting over the case when it attempted to do so on February 11, 2019.

Multiple sources both within and outside the campus, who do not want to be mentioned due to what they described as the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed what they described as undue pressure being put on the university by the alleged influencers.

Yes, he withdrew the case only after he got the assurance that he would not be dismissed. You know, while the matter was in court, he was enjoying half of his salary without working because he had been suspended. So, it is the councils decision he must be waiting for now, one of the sources said.

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Background

According to the details of proceedings of the meeting of the joint committee of council and Senate, which held on November 18, 2020, a copy of which PREMIUM TIMES obtained, the universitys vice-chancellor, Eyitope Ogunbodede, received a written report of sexual harassment bordering on unsolicited, unwelcome and subtle sexual overtures recorded in an audio device against Dr Mosobalaje.

The report, which was passed to the vice-chancellor through an internal memorandum, was dated July 5, 2018.

Based on the report and his subsequent responses, an investigative panel was set up by the vice-chancellor to probe the matter.

The lecturer, who was then a member of the universitys governing council representing the convocation, was forced to resign from the council and also suspended by the management.

The panels report, which reportedly indicted the embattled lecturer, was again referred to the joint committee of the universitys council and Senate.

The joint committee of the council and Senate, which was chaired by Felix Madubuike, a professor, also has as members, Kunle Sanni and Oluyemisi Obilade while the director of the universitys directorate of council affairs, identified simply as A. Ajibola, served as the committees secretary.

Mr Sanni, the chairman of the Muslim community in Oyo State, was an external member of the council while Mrs Obilade, a professor and former vice-chancellor of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State, represented the Senate on the council.

Revelations

Findings by PREMIUM TIMES revealed that sometime in 2017, Ms Momoh, with matriculation number, EGL/2013/216, visited Mr Mosobalajes office for further instructions on her final year project work, but the lecturer allegedly requested a date with her.

The conversations were recorded by the student who reportedly submitted them at the universitys gender unit as evidence of the allegation of sexual harassment and misconduct.

The universitys chief law officer, Yinka Ayantola, a deputy registrar, told the committee that a review of the matter indicated that Mr Mosobalaje related with Miss Momoh in a manner inconsistent with his role as lecturer and as such related with Miss Momoh in a manner inconsistent with his role as an academic staff(er).

He said; Asking a student on a date by her supervisor was an outright breach of the Code of Conduct for University Community; and the conversation between Dr Mosobalaje and Miss Momoh had sexual connotations and pressure.

The audio recording of Dr Mosobalaje pressurising Miss Momoh did take place as admitted by Dr Mosobalaje himself. Dr Mosobalaje got Miss Momoh alone in his office by sending her to buy food for him; Dr Mosobalaje had power over Miss Momoh at that particular time.

The recorded conversation where Dr Mosobalaje stated that I cant rape you showed that the situation had sexual undertones which implied that if Miss Momoh did not succumb to his sexual advances, it may affect her project.

He added that the lecturers explanation that he wanted to marry Miss Momoh was an afterthought, saying his conduct brought disrepute to the university.

Mosobalaje defence

According to the document obtained by this newspaper, the lecturer denied culpability, saying he had planned to marry the student, and that they were both adults.

The lecturer, who appeared before the joint committee of the council and Senate with his lawyers, Olufemi Akintomiwa and Oluwakunlewa Okediran, said since there was no letter of complaint from Miss Momoh, there was no case to answer before the committee.

But the committee insisted that the lecturer had a case to answer.

Would proposition a student who came to discuss a project with her supervisor not put undue sexual pressure on her? Would there not be a negation of roles for an examiner who was also in loco parentis asking the same student on a date? What was going on when you (Dr Mosobalaje) said  I cant rape you. Why did you (Dr Mosobalaje) have to propose to a student when she came to him for supervision?

All eyes on governing council

Meanwhile, attention has now shifted to the newly inaugurated governing council of the university.

The immediate past governing council which was led by a former lecturer of the university and renowned journalist, Yemi Ogunbiyi, had initiated the probe but could not conclude it.

Meanwhile, the new governing council, which is chaired by a popular businessman and boardroom guru, Oscar Udoji, is expected to sit and review the Senates submission in September.

OAU and sex scandals

Since 2018 when the story of sexual harassment allegations against a professor of accounting at the universitys faculty of administration, Richard Akindele, went viral, the institution has regularly been in the news for the same reason.

Mr Akindele, who was dismissed by the university, was also eventually found guilty and sentenced to two years imprisonment following his prosecution by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC). He has since been released.

There is the unresolved case of a lecturer of International Relations, Bisi Olaleye, and another at the schools centre for distance learning, Monday Omo-Etan.

The universitys spokesman could not give an update on the two lecturers cases when asked.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported the suspension of the two lecturers at different times when they became public, and the universitys restated commitment to rid the campus of those it described as sexual predators.
The Deputy National Chairman (North) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Suleiman Nazif, has declared himself the acting national chairman of the party further deepening the crisis rocking the main opposition party.

This follows an order of a Rivers High Court restraining Uche Secondus from parading himself as the occupier of the position.

Mr Nazif, a former senator from Bauchi State, declared himself national chairman at the partys headquarters hours after his southern counterpart, Yemi Akinwonmi, laid claim to the position.

The court sitting in Port Harcourt had on Monday issued the order restraining Mr Secondus not only from parading himself as national chairman but also from taking part in any activity of the party while the order lasts.

Relying on Section 45 (2) of the PDP Constitution, Mr Akinwonmi had declared himself national chairman pending the determination of the restraining order on the embattled Mr Secondus.

Being from the south as Mr Secondus, Mr Akinwonmi is next in line to the national chairman, going by the partys constitution.

Our attention was drawn yesterday evening to a court order which purports to restrain our National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus from summoning and presiding over the meetings of the organs of the party.

In the foregoing circumstances, as Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party, after the consultations and in exercise of the aforesaid powers, hereby deem it fit and proper to postpone the National Working Committee meeting earlier scheduled for today until further notice to allow for broader consultations in the overall interest of our party, a statement by the office of the national chairman, said.

New twist

However, a few hours later, relying on Section 47 (4) of the PDP Constitution, Mr Nazif convened a meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) which was attended by seven out of the 18 members of the organ.

The section states: In the absence of the National Chairman and the Deputy National Chairman from the region part of the country where the National Chairman originates from, the other Deputy National Chairman shall act as National Chairman without prejudice to 47 (6) of this Constitution.

At the meeting, the former senator pronounced himself the national chairman, explaining that Mr Akinwonmi had been ill and incapacitated as a result of which he (Akinwonmi) would not be able to carry out the duties of national chairman.

Mr Nazif also said Mr Akinwonmi had not attended the NWC meeting and other party activities in the last nine months.

On this note, distinguished NWC members, I hereby take full charge of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as Chairman in an acting capacity, he said.

We have waited this morning for the Deputy National Chairman (South) who has been incapacitated, who has not been attending NWC meeting in the last nine months and I believe there was a communication between the deputy national chairmen (south).

Mr Nazif also announced that the National Executive Committee (NEC) will meet on 27 August by 10 a.m. during which it would discuss matters affecting the main opposition party.

According to him, Like you know, in the absence of the deputy chairman south, I take full charge, so I am hereby calling for an emergency NEC meeting on the 27th August, 2021, 10 am prompt to deliberate on matters affecting the party.

ALSO READ: Court restrains Uche Secondus from parading self as PDP chairman

And I believe all the leaders of this party, the owners of this party, that will be in attendance are our governors, former presiding officers will be part of the NEC meeting to deliberate all pending issues.

Mr Nazif overruled Mr Akinwonmis earlier declaration that the NWC meeting had been suspended until further notice.

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My position- Nazif

Speaking with journalists, Mr Nazif explained why he took over as acting national chairman.

Let me make this very clear that this meeting was called for 2 p.m, he said.

As I said, the Deputy National Chairman (South) has been incapacitated and did not attend any meeting in the last nine to 10 months as far as NWC is concerned.

He (Akinwonmi) has not been in communication with any member of the NWC for the last 10 months. And like I said, this party must continue its process.

And if I am not available, someone else will take over. If the national chairman is not available, someone will take over. If the deputy national chairman south is not available, the deputy chairman, north will take charge.

This is the resolution that was passed by the expanded caucus. And this was the resolution passed by the NWC in our last meeting and we all agreed that there will be a meeting today.

The meeting was supposed to be presided over by the National Chairman. Unfortunately, the court order came from a competent court and stopped the chairman from acting as chairman of the party.

Ruptured by crisis

The leadership crisis in the main opposition party deepened a few weeks ago when some members of the party demanded the exit of Mr Secondus.

Members of the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives led by Kingsley Chinda (Rivers) were among who asked him to resign.

The crisis took a new dimension when seven deputy officers of the NWC resigned their positions and demanded Mr Secondus exit for alleged incompetence. But the embattled national chairman vowed to hold on to his position.

At the height of the crisis, some party organs, including the Governors Forum and the Board of Trustees (BoT) held meetings to wade into the crisis.

At one of the joint meetings of the governors, BoT members and other senior members of the party at its national secretariat in Abuja, it was decided that the national convention should be moved from December to October this year to calm frayed nerves.

New members of the NWC are expected to be elected at the convention.

Mr Secondus-led NWC was elected in December 2017 and should round off their tenure by December this year.

There are allegations that governors elected on the platform of the party are divided over demands for Mr Secondus exit.
The Presidency has again condemned the promotion of ethno-religious politics and divisive utterances by Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue.

The condemnation comes amidst sporadic and strident lamentations and criticisms of the president by Mr Ortom whose state over the years has become wracked with wanton killings mostly allegedly carried out by armed herders.

Hundreds of residents of the state now live in Internally Displaced Camps across the state due to their displacement from their ancestral lands by armed groups.

This is not the first time the president and the governor would be sparring over rising insecurity in the state.

But Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, chose to condemn Mr Ortom on Wednesday in Abuja over what he termed divisive utterances.

The statement read in part: Governor Samuel Ortom has few political principles. We can see this from the fact that he has changed political party five times during his undistinguished career.

Every time he feels the wind may be blowing in a certain direction, he follows it.

Unfortunately, for the good citizens of Benue State, the most dangerous direction he blows in today is that of sectarianism and ethnicity.

In an attempt to boost his sinking political fortunes, Ortom takes the cheapest and lowest route possible by playing on ethnic themes  and in doing so knowingly causes deaths of innocent Nigerians by inciting farmers against herders, and Christians against Muslims.

Specifically, Ortom stirs up hatred by targeting one single ethnic group in Nigeria  using language reminiscent of the Rwandan genocide.

As was the case in Rwanda where the then Hutu leaders of the country incited their countrymen against each other, claiming there was a secret Tutsi agenda over the Hutu.

Ortom claims there is a secret Fulanization agenda over other ethnic groups in his state and in Nigeria.

This is a copy of the language of Hutu Power  which falsely, and intentionally, accused the Rwandan Tutsi of plans to dominate the country.

This wicked talk is aimed at giving cover to his so-called policy on the Ranches Establishment Law  which in reality is purely an act of denial of the law  intended to withhold rights and freedoms from one ethnic group alone, whilst inciting race hatred against them, amongst all others.

According to the presidential aide, who did not address the heightened insecurity across Nigeria, these are not the actions of a man who should be trusted with running public services or holding public office.

He said for the governor of a major state in Nigeria to be politically driven by ethnic hatred is a stain on the country.

The good and fair-minded people of Benue State deserve more than this, and we look forward to the next elections when they have an opportunity to restore its greatness, he added.

Hundreds of Nigerians have been killed by armed groups across the nation while thousands more have been displaced in recent years.

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Kidnapping for ransom has become the order of the day in recent months while these armed groups have also been known to attack security facilities.

Tackling insecurity was one of the promises Mr Buhari, a retired general, made to Nigerians before they voted him and his party, the APC into office in 2015 but the situation has worsened since then.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, says his recent trip to the U.S. was fruitful and successful despite deliberate and sponsored fake news by detractors.

The minister said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) before he departed Washington, DC, for Lagos.

NAN reports that the minister engaged with international media organisations and think tanks on the achievements of President Muhammadu Buharis administration and the efforts made so far in tackling insurgency, banditry and all forms of criminality.

We had a very hectic three-day engagement in Washington, DC, and I am very satisfied with the outcome of the engagements.

We have been able to achieve our objective which is to come and tell our own stories, to give an account of our stewardship to the global media and think-tanks and I am very glad that we met both, he said

The minister said contrary to an unspecified fake online report, he did not sneak out of the country and his mission to the U.S. was never to meet with Twitter officials and he never did.

NAN reports that the minister had described as fake and irresponsible the media report that he sneaked out of Nigeria to meet with the Twitter executive.

On Wednesday, Aug. 18, we had an interview session with the BBC Radio and Television, Bloomberg and Politico, a U.S. based journalism company that covers politics and policy in the U.S. and internationally.

We opened our programme on Thursday with an interview with Reuters, followed by Washington Post and another (live) interview with Bloomberg Quicktake.

On Friday, we had an interview session with VOA Radio and TV and met with Dr Peter Pham, a Fellow of the Atlantic Council, a think-tank, and former President Trumps Special Envoy to the Great Lake Region of Africa.

We had a very useful discussion with Pham and we were able to put across to him our narratives on security, COVID-19, Twitter ban, Economy and how well we are doing in the area of infrastructure.

We were also able to debunk the negative and fake stories about the persecution of Christians and he made very useful suggestions which we are going to follow up, he said.

On the same day, the minister said he had a closed-door meeting with Mathew Lussenhap, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Education and Culture and Ambassador Johnnie Carson, a Senior Advisor at the United States Institute for Peace.

The closed-door meeting with Mr Lussenhap, according to the minister, focused on a bilateral agreement between Nigeria and the U.S., on how to stop illicit trafficking in cultural property and artefacts.

We agreed on the final draft of the MoU which will be ready after vetting by our Ministry of Justice, and anytime soon, there will be a signing in Nigeria.

The agreement is to prevent artefacts and cultural property that people want to illicitly ship to the U.S.

In addition to artefacts, the agreement also extends to illicit drug trafficking and the FBI is involved, he said.

Mr Mohammed said his engagement with Mr Carson, an American diplomat who had served as his countrys ambassador to several African nations, was frank and fruitful and they exchanged ideas on a broad number of issues.

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He said there was a discussion on how Nigeria could explore the U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) in sourcing funds for its infrastructural development.

In my brief, I explained to Ambassador Carson that it will appear most of the infrastructural development in Nigeria today is being funded by either a loan or facility and I can see that the U.S. is missing out.

He responded that there is good news because the last administration approved the DFC which guarantees loans for developing countries.

He said DFC also go further to make funding available for certain projects in developing countries and even allow them to take equity in funding of some projects.

So, I told him we are going to pursue this and I will discuss this with my colleague, the minister of finance because what the ambassador is saying is that this is another opportunity we need to explore, he said.

He reiterated that the meeting with Mr Carson allowed him to present several social, economic and security issues.

He said after a hectic but successful and fruitful trip, he was surprised over another fake report by the same online publication attempting to write off the trip.

He said the online report with the headline Buharis Minister, Lai Mohammed Returns To Nigeria After Fruitless U.S. Trip, Shunned By Twitter Executives, American Media, is fake, irresponsible and falls short of media ethic standards.

The two reports, according to the minister, were examples of the danger that fake news and unregulated social media portend for the country.

He said the reports also formed the position of the Federal Government to regulate social media. (NAN)
The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari, has said the decision to buy the 20 per cent stake in the Dangote refinery was to ensure the plant buys crude from Nigeria.

Mr Kyari, who appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Finance on Wednesday at the interactive session on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) in Abuja, said the refinery had no obligation to buy crude from Nigeria prior to that decision.

He explained that the 20 per cent stake valued at $2.6 billion is tied to the refinery buying crude oil from Nigeria, adding that without the equity, Dangote refinery could buy cheap crude from Venezuela and import it to the country.

The GMD disclosed that the country had no strategic storage and this equity stake would ensure that the country had a seat on the board of the company.

He also disclosed to the committee that Aliko Dangote, the billionaire owner of the refinery, was against the 20 per cent equity.

He (Dangote) has the right to buy oil from anywhere. So you cant force him to buy. We structured our equity participation that this refinery must buy at least 300,000 crude from us. This guarantees your market, Mr Kyari said.

Today, every country is struggling to secure market for their crude oil. This refinery does not owe us any responsibility if we dont have this arrangement. That is why we tied our participation to the fact that this refinery must buy from us.

This refinery is a very complex refinery, complex in our industry because it can crack any crude. So, it can buy any cheap crude from anywhere, and bring it into this country and leave you to your crude.

We simply saw this opportunity, we said are not going to take any government money to put into this. We are borrowing money from the AfriExim consortium to pay for our initial payment and also tied his subsequent payment to him buying from our production.

Mr Kyari hailed the decision, describing it as a conscious one.

Our decision to take equity in the Dangote refinery was a very calculated and conscious decision. First, there is no resource-dependent country like ours anywhere and with a national oil company will have a venture of this size and magnitude with its very clear security implications that is situated in a free trade zone. Literally, this refinery is not in this country.

Today, we import 100 per cent of our refined products into this country. You now have a venture that will produce close to 50 million litres of petroleum products in this country where energy security is an issue in this country. From my personal knowledge, the U.S. keeps stock on the ground that government owns it and that government pays for it and keeps it.

As we speak today, we dont have any strategic storage or arrangement. So no country will allow any venture of this nature to exist without having a seat on its board.

Secondly, this company is situated in the free trade zone. The meaning of this is that there are several incentives granted to this business. If you look at our investment, total investment, of about $2.7 billion, not $5 billion, the total stake of 20 per cent is $2.7 billion, if you are to build 20 per cent of that capacity, which will be around 130 barrels per day capacity refinery.

It is simply impossible to build a refinery of that capacity with that amount of money. This is not just a refinery, but a refinery with a petrochemical component. So somebody has done all the jaki work (grunt work) for us, and we are taking a stake in it.

Mr Kyari said further to the committee that the decision to have a stake at the refinery was at the instance of the NNPC, adding that Mr Dangote may not be excited with it.

He said, I can confirm Mr Chairman, taking stake was at the instance of the NNPC.

I believe up to this moment, Mr Dangote does not want us to take equity in this plant.

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This is a very informed policy decision that will guarantee security because we will have a seatwe will have right to 20 per cent of the production from this facility.

While reacting, the Chairman of the Committee, James Faleke (APC, Lagos), said the National Assembly would consider creating a law to protect Nigerias assets.
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The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi, has said it was working with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) to eliminate fake drivers licences.

Mr Oyeyemi, while appearing before the House Committee on Finance at the ongoing interactive session on the Medium Term Expenditre Framework (MTEF) on Wednesday, said the corps had achieved 99 per cent success rate in eliminating fake licences.

He said it will only take seven days to get a licence after capturing and that drivers do not need to go to the licencing office to renew their expired licences.

When I came on board, we observed that there are fake licences. We developed a verification portal. This has eliminated the issue of fake licences.

We have a linkage with all the banks, under the NIBSS. We have about 99 per cent proof of the genuineness of licences because people now know, if you dont go for capturing, your licence is fake. Before, people will stay at home and get licence.

It takes one week to get your licence anywhere in the country. We encourage people, when your licence expire, you dont need to go to the licencing office, you can pay with your ATM online and renew your licence. The money goes to the account of the state governments.

Mr Oyeyemi was queried on the expenditure of N102 million on dispatch of documents in 2020.

James Faleke, the chairman of the committee, said the Corps could have used electronic mail in to send documents instead of sending physical mail.

In 2019, you spent about 20 million on postage, in 2020 you spent about N102 million, Mr Faleke asked.

We have 1,380 formations nationwide, and because of COVID-19 last year, most of the documents were sent by courier, EMS, NIPOST and DHL.

Not all documents can go by email. When it comes to materials, during covid-19 we had to send a lot of materials. We have to ensure the dispatch of this. We are in all the local governments, not all documents you can send via mail.

A member of the committee, Sada Soli (APC, Katsina), also flagged the budget line of N70 million for software licences renewal.

Mr Soli said, I need the road safety to tell me, from this soft ware acquisition, if you look at the budgetary provision, 70million, if you convert it 10million has been released to them. What kind of software are you using? If you divide it by 410, you have $170,000, when you can get software online for $10,000.

Just educate us, what kind of software you are using and how has it improved your efficiency so that we can cut cost. You may shake your head, but it is true. There is no agency of government where you will not see software acquisition. Check the budget. We go to these offices, and we dont see any evidence of any software. All ministries, all MDAs have this line items, yet you have to use courier services.

Responding, Mr Oyeyemi said, We are running the Corps on 24 software applications as per federal government circular. We are working with galaxy. Galaxy is providing connectivity with the bandwidth. We pay Galaxy an average of N100 million every year. Also, we pay the subscription fees of the 24 applications yearly. And I cannot go online and download a random application.

As a paramilitary organisation, we cannot just go online and download applications, that is piracy. We must get the correct licences. It is like the microsoft. If I do that, they will burn us. It is a serious rule. You can use it for testing, but when it comes to usage, you must get the licence.
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A mobile police officer was allegedly shot dead after robbers attacked a bullion van in Ore, Ondo State, on Wednesday.

One other person was killed in the attack.

Witnesses said the incident occurred at Costain area, few kilometers from Ore in Odigbo Local Government of the State.

The armed robbers, who had laid an ambush, opened fire on the bullion van and the escort van while heading towards Ore.

The attack occurred two weeks after some armed robbers attempted to rob a bullion van at Owo in the state.

Last May, suspected armed robbers attacked a bullion van at Elemosho Village along the Akure-Ondo Expressway in Ondo East Local Government Area of Ondo State, making away with an undisclosed sum of money.

Confirming Wednesdays incident, Yetunde Aina, the police spokesperson in the state, said the bullion van was heading from Benin, Edo State, towards the Araromi Ago area before it was attacked.

She said the robbers carted away the sums of money being conveyed, adding that she could not confirm the amount taken away.

She also said the police were on the trail of the robbers and information gathering was ongoing to enable the police to make the necessary arrest.
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The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Tony Ojukwu, has condemned the attack by gunmen on the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna.

Mr Ojukwu described the attack as an affront on Nigerias security, a statement by the commissions spokesperson, Fatimah Mohammed, stated on Wednesday.

Describing the military academy as a pride of Nigeria, Mr Ojukwu said: The invasion of the institution with high international repute where very intelligent military officers are produced is most unfortunate, unexpected and condemnable.

Speaking further, he said the attack on the military institution was bad in itself, and that the killing and abduction of some soldiers were the worst form of human rights violations of our time.

He called on the military to leave no stone unturned in its efforts to rescue the abducted military officer and apprehend the abductors to face the wrath of the law.

He commiserated with the families of the gallant men of the Nigerian military Lieutenant Wulah and Flight Lieutenant Okoronkwo, who were killed during the attack, saying they paid the supreme price of serving their fatherland.

While calling the Federal government to beef up security in the state and other parts of the country, Mr Ojukwu noted that Kaduna State was fast becoming the epicenter of banditry and kidnappings in recent times.

He recalled the mass abductions of students the state, lamenting that education of pupils had been stalled in Kaduna due to schools closure by Governor Nasir el-Rufai.

How gunmen attacked, killed, abducted officers

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how bandits reportedly came to the NDA campus in large numbers in the early hours of Tuesday.

A statement by the Academys spokesperson, Bashir Jajira, a major, said gunmen carried out the attack.

However, almost 48 hours after the bandits perpetrated the daring attack, the Nigerian military authorities were yet to rescue the abducted officer and apprehend the perpetrators.

This paper reported that aside from the officers killed and kidnapped, some others sustained gunshot injuries and are currently receiving treatment at the NDA hospital.
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Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have convened an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the partys lingering leadership crisis.

This was made known by the Director-General, PDP Governors Forum, C.I.D Maduabum, in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.

Mr Maduabum said the emergency meeting was at the instance of the Forum Chairman and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, after consulting with his colleagues.

The meeting, he said, will hold at 5p.m. in Abuja to deliberate on the recent developments in the main opposition party.

The forum urged all PDP members and supporters to remain calm as efforts were on to ensure the stability of the party in the coming days.

Unconfirmed reports indicated that the governors are divided over demands for Mr Secondus resignation.

The tenure of Mr Secondus-led NWC expired in December having been elected in December 2017.

It is the second time the governors are meeting this month to discuss the lingering leadership crisis.

They met on 9 August at the Akwa Ibom State Governors Lodge, Asokoro District, Abuja.

They also held a meeting with the partys members of the Board of Trustees, National Working Committee and other senior members recently over the crisis.

At the meeting held at the national secretariat of the party, it was resolved that the national convention should hold in October instead of December to elect new members of the NWC.

Fresh twist to crisis

Remarkably however, the governors are meeting on Thursday after the resurgence of the crisis following a restraining order by a Rivers State High Court restraining Uche Secondus from parading himself as the national chairman.

The crisis took a new dimension on Tuesday when the two deputy national chairmen, North and South, claimed leadership of the main opposition party.

The Deputy National Chairman, South, Yemi Akinwonmi, and his northern counterpart, Suleiman Nazif, cited portions of the PDP constitution to justify their claim to the position of the partys national chairman.

Mr Nazif, a former senator, fixed a meeting of the National Executive Committee of the party for Friday.
President Muhammadu Buhari met behind closed doors with Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Speaking to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the governor said he updated the president on the security developments in Plateau.

He said President Buhari pledged that support would be given to victims of the violent clashes in the state.

I also made a request to the President about relief materials and also still re-echoed the issue of resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

We have a lot of IDPs in my State, we have a lot on our hands already and when such happens, you expect the state to seek support for relief materials.

We are doing our best but the president said he will talk to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, so that attention would be given to those who are displaced as a result of this crisis.

For over six years now, we have been enjoying peace in Plateau State so, anybody that wants to take Plateau back to those old days of crisis, it is not only me as governor but all Plateau people will resist that.

They have said  we dont want to go back to the crisis again, we are enjoying peace, and we want to continue to enjoy our peace, he said.

On recent killing of travellers at Rukuba, near Jos, and other violent clashes in the state, the governor vowed that all those implicated would be prosecuted irrespective of their background or connections in the society.

According to him, the security situation in the State has greatly improved and very soon, the curfew imposed on troubled areas will be further relaxed.

He said: What we are doing is to ensure that there is proper investigation and prosecution.

You know, both the Soldiers and Police are controlled by the Presidency and right now they are diligently working in my state on a daily basis.

That is why on the first day, I announced a 24-hour curfew but I kept on relaxing it. The curfew would further be relaxed, so that people can carry out their normal activities.

We are the only state that has a peace building agency set up by the State government and it is the only state that for now has established an interreligious council.

These are all the efforts that we have done and within a short time, peace has returned to Plateau state.

The governor also appealed for calm and restraint, adding that those calling for reprisals did not mean well for the state.

Again, I want to appeal to people because most of those who are outside the state calling for reprisal are not people from Plateau.

I am yet to see one cleric coming out to say I want reprisal. I have set up an interreligious committee, which comprises all top religious leaders in Plateau State, both Muslims and Christians and when things like this happen, they address it.

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So for people to call from outside the state for reprisal, I say no because they are crying more than the bereaved; leave us. We are handling our issue; we are doing reconciliation and consultations.

If you want to do a reprisal, you are on your own. We have agreed with the religious leaders and all of them are doing their best, they are cooperating with the State and we are also doing our best, he said.

According to him, the state government has since given support to survivors of the skirmish that occurred at Rukuba, near Jos, on Aug. 14, when over 24 travellers from Ondo State were killed.

When this happened, we had to go to Ondo. But in so many places that is unusual, but we took all of them that we rescued and treated and went there with a powerful team led by the Deputy Governor of Plateau with all religious leaders to Ondo to sympathize with the State, he added.
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President Muhammadu Buhari says the Tuesday attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), will not dampen the morale of the security agencies in ending banditry and criminality in the country.

The president stated this in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, on Wednesday in Abuja.

He noted that the attack, which led to loss of lives, came at a time that the military had put insurgents, bandits, kidnappers, and other types of criminals on the retreat.

The president said the heinous action would accelerate the total uprooting of evil in the polity, which members of the Armed Forces are solidly resolved to accomplish in the shortest possible time.

The retired general commiserated with the families who lost their loved ones, and praying God to comfort them.

The president vowed that the deceased would not die in vain, as the degenerate act would have consequences that would eventually clean the country of vermin, and emancipate the polity from deliberate, targeted and contrived atrocious acts.

He thanked all Nigerians who value and appreciate the efforts of the military, and urged those playing hateful politics with the dastardly act to desist.

According to the president, rather than recriminations, this is the time for all patriots and people of goodwill to support and encourage those who are in the vanguard of the battle against wickedness in the land.

An attack on the military facility by suspected bandits which claimed the lives of two officers and abduction of one has stunned Nigerians and adds to the growing insecurity across the country. (NAN)
A former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has condemned Zamfara State Deputy Governor, Mahdi Gusau, over his refusal to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a Twitter post on Tuesday, the former minister, who is a PDP stalwart, said the official was disloyal for not joining his principal, Bello Matawalle, to decamp from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling party.

The Zamfara Governor, alongside the state, lawmakers and commissioners officially joined the APC in July, months after the defection of Governors Ben Ayade of Cross River State and David Umahi of Ebonyi State.

When a Governor decamps from one party to another, shouldnt his Deputy go with him? Is that not what loyalty is all about?, Against his better judgement @Bellomatawalle1 picked you as his running mate & made you Deputy Governor & now you undermine & betray him?

Shame on you!, he said, throwing many of his followers on the platform off balance.

Mr Fani-Kayode is a prominent member of the PDP.

The former Minister, a strong critic of APC and President Muhammadu Buhari, has on different occasions denied speculations of him joining the ruling party.

With the court injunction restraining Uche Secondus as the chairman of the main opposition party, the former minister expressed doubts that the main opposition party could resolve its leadership crisis before the 2023 general elections.

Secondus restrained from being National Chairman of @OfficialPDPNig by court order?

Even if the order is lifted in a few days the leadership crisis in the party just does not seem to want to go away.

For how much longer can the centre hold?

Looks like a meltdown to me!, Mr Fani-Kayode said in another tweet posted on Tuesday morning, hours before the party crisis took a worsening turn.

PDP leadership tussle

While the ex-aviation minister posts were still attracting torrent of criticisms from his followers in his comment section, two national deputy chairmen of the PDP, declared rights to Mr Secondus seat following the court order.

Relying on Section 45 (2) of the PDP Constitution, the Deputy National Chairman (South), Yemi Akinwonmi, postponed the partys NWC meeting indefinitely as he declared himself national chairman pending the determination of the restraining order on the embattled chairman.

In defiance of the other, Deputy National Chairman (North), Suleiman Nazif, declared himself national chairman at the partys headquarters hours after, citing the health condition of Mr Akinwonmi.

On this note, distinguished NWC members, I hereby take full charge of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as Chairman in an acting capacity.

We have waited this morning for the Deputy National Chairman (South) who has been incapacitated, who has not been attending NWC meeting in the last nine months and I believe there was a communication between the deputy national chairmen (south), PREMIUM TIMES reported him, saying.

Mr Nazifs Tuesdays declaration arguably fit into Mr Fani-Kayode adjudged comments on the PDP leadership vis-a-vis his recent visits and outings with some key members of the ruling APC.

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Controversial FFK

The former minister was reported in February by the Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, to have dumped the PDP following his meeting with him and the APC interim National Chairman, Mala Buni.

Although Mr Bello took credit for Mr Fani-Kayodes alleged defection, the latter denied ever making such a decision. He said his meeting with the duo was borne out of national concerns other than personal property.

It is right and proper for us to talk and to attempt to join hands across political, religious and regional lines to save Nigeria.

The fact that I am in talks with leaders from a cross-section of political parties, including the ruling party, does not in any way derogate from this and does not mean that I will ever change those from views, he explained.

Aside his more recent meetings with other members of the ruling party, the ex-aviation minister was again trolled on social media giant, Twitter, for attending the wedding ceremony of Mr Buharis son in Kano last week.

Flanked by governors and lawmakers from the APC, pictures of Mr Fani-Kayode at the ceremony ruled the Twitter space as more Nigerians question his credibility and political leaning.

Months earlier, he had attracted public criticism when he insulted a Daily Trust correspondent who had asked at a press conference who was bankrolling his frequent trips across the nation to meet political figures across party lines.

The vocal politician later apologised publicly to the reporter.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has advised the federal government to meet the demands of the striking National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) members, cautioning against the impression that a court stopped the doctors ongoing industrial action.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria said in a statement on Wednesday that the National Industrial Court in Abuja did not grant the order of interim injunction stopping the strike, contrary to the governments claim and some media reports.

He said instead of granting the interim order sought by the government to stop the strike, the court in its ruling delivered on August 23 directed parties  the federal government and NARD  to suspend all forms of hostilities forthwith pending the hearing and determination of motion on notice.

Mr Falana, who attached a copy of the enrolled order of the court to his statement, therefore, advised the federal government to meet the demands of the resident doctors without any further delay so as to pave way for the suspension of all forms of hostilities in the health sector.

He described as unfortunate that the federal and state governments despite spending billions of naira to train medical personnel and other professionals allow them to troop out to serve other countries where conditions of service are qualitatively better that what obtain in Nigeria.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the court refused to order the striking members to order the striking members of NARD to resume work, amid many news platforms misleading reports that the court ordered the association to suspend their strike.

The judge, John Targema, rather ordered the two parties locked in the industrial dispute members of NARD and the federal government  to suspend all forms of hostilities.

Governments false claim

Shortly after the pronouncement of the court on Monday, the ministry of labour and employment had issued a statement announcing that the court already ordered the doctors to resume work.

The statement, which was signed by the ministrys spokesperson, Charles Akpan, said the presiding judge granted the order of interlocutory injunction, compelling all members of the Defendants/Respondents in all the states of the Federation to suspend the said industrial action, a claim the certified true copy of the order has now shown to be patently false.

This newspaper reported that the Mondays ruling asking the parties in the case to suspend hostilities came as a vague answer to the governments application, which specifically sought an order of interlocutory injunction compelling the resident doctors across the country to suspend their industrial action they started on August 2.

Our report also indicated that it was the second time the judge would be refusing to order the resident doctors to resume work. His Mondays ruling comes bout four days after rejecting a similar call by a civil society organisation, Rights for All International, last Thursday.

The ongoing industrial action by the resident doctors, who constitute the largest number of physicians across Nigerias tertiary hospitals, has continued to take its toll on the countrys already overstretched healthcare facilities.

The doctors grievances are contained in a Memorandum of Action (MOA), endorsed in April by both the striking doctors and the government representatives, including labour and employment minister, Chris Ngige.

They demanded, amongst others, payment of COVID-19 inducement allowances and medical and life insurance for frontline doctors.

Read Femi Falanas full statement

In a move designed to end the industrial action by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) the Federal Government filed an ex parte motion at the National Industrial Court seeking to restrain the doctors from further continuing with the strike.

The court did not grant the order of interim injunction but directed both sides to suspend all forms of hostilities forthwith pending the hearing and determination of motion on Notice.

In view of the intervention of the National Industrial court in the dispute the Federal Government should meet the demands of the resident doctors without any further delay so as to pave way for the suspension of all forms of hostilities in the health sector. Since the Federal Government has continued to toy with the health of the people foreign medical treatment for public officers should be banned.

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It is unfortunate to note that the Federal Government and State Governments which spend billions of Naira to train medical personnel and other professionals allow them to troop out to serve other countries where conditions of service are qualitatively better that what obtain in Nigeria. The dangerous trend must be halted by the governments.

Femi Falana SAN

Interim Chair,

Alliance on Surviving Covid 19 and Beyond (ASCAB)
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The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has been directed by the House of Representatives Committee on Finance to reconcile its account with the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) over alleged unaccounted N5.1 billion.

The Chairman of the Committee, James Faleke, gave the directive at the ongoing interactive session on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) on Wednesday.

During the Wednesdays session, the FRC Director of Planning and Standard, Alex Alekwo, told the committee that the FRSC was yet to remit N5.1 billion to the Consolidated Revenue Account since 2016.

But in a swift response to the claim, the Corps Marshall of the FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi, who attended the session, said the Corps had never defaulted with remittance to the government coffer.

He said the Corps had remitted the said amount.

He also asked the committee to give the Corps time to provide evidence of remission from the Office of the Accountant General.

If you give us time, we can submit the proof of remittances to this committee, Mr Oyeyemi said.

We are a law abiding organisation. As of August. we are very relieved when it comes to remittance. The committee can inquire directly from the Accountant General of the Federation of the monthly receipts. The records are there. I think there is an issue with the FRC.

The Chairman of the Committee, James Faleke (APC, Lagos), therefore, directed the Corps to reconcile with the FRC and give us feedback tomorrow. Go to their office and reconcile with them.

The committee recently commenced an interactive session with Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the federal government on MTEF.
A yet undisclosed number of people have been killed by suspected herders in an attack Tuesday night in Yelwan Zangam in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

A resident of the area said vigilante members had reported recovering 37 bodies, with many of them burnt beyond recognition.

Governor Simon Lalong has expressed his fury at the failure to avert the attack, which he said security reports indicated had been carefully planned by the attackers, who first took down the bridge linking the area, before striking.

The community is near the permanent site of the University of Jos, which was closed last week as a result of unrest in Jos, the State capital.

The governor totally condemns this barbaric act and directs security agencies who have already arrested 10 suspects in connection with the attack to intensify efforts in tracking down the other assailants and their sponsors in order to bring them to justice, a statement by the governors spokesperson, Makut Macham, said.

Lalong is furious over the incident which security reports indicate was carefully planned as the bridge linking the village was said to have been destroyed in order to deny security forces access to the area during the attack.

He sympathises with the affected people and calls for calm, assuring them that they will get justice.

Governor Lalong again warns criminals that they will be pursued, arrested and dealt with, no matter how long it takes, as his administration will not allow the reign of terror to persist and rubbish all the investments made in restoring calm in the State, the statement stated.

According to a resident: The attackers are Fulani terrorists who came in a large number, despite the ongoing curfew, a witness, who said he was among those lucky to escape the attack, told PREMIUM TIMES.

He said the community has been deserted but vigilantes had reported recovering over 37 bodies.

More bodies are being discovered and everyone in the community has fled to neighbouring villages for fear of further attacks, the resident said, refusing to be identified.

He said residents of the neighbouring communities also do not feel safe as five bodies were also discovered by the vigilantes around Farin Gada.

According to him, the casualty figure cannot be determined yet as many who ran into the bush and are unaccounted for.

Our correspondent reports that there is rising tension across Jos as many shop owners, commercial businesses, and banks are closing as people are rushing home for safety.

Meanwhile, the governor has praised the gallantry of security forces that successfully engaged and neutralised six criminals that belong to a syndicate that specialises in kidnapping innocent people in Mangu Local Government area of Plateau State.

The troops from Operation Safe Haven and the Nigerian Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) engaged the bandits in response to distress calls.

The Governor expressed his deep condolences to the Nigeria Police and families of the Police Officer and Member of the Vigilante who lost their lives during the operation and assured them of Government support. He vows to make Plateau uncomfortable for criminals.

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Read the statement by the Plateau governor.

GOVERNOR LALONG CONDEMNS YET ANOTHER ISOLATED ATTACK ON YELWA ZANGAM VILLAGE, JOS NORTH LGA

Governor Simon Bako Lalong is appalled by yet another isolated attack which took place at Yelwa Zangam village of Jos North Local Government Area on Tuesday night where properties were destroyed and some persons killed.

The Governor totally condemns this barbaric act and directs security agencies who have already arrested 10 suspects in connection with the attack to intensify efforts in tracking down the other assailants and their sponsors in order to bring them to justice.

Lalong is furious over the incident which security reports indicate was carefully planned as the bridge linking the village was said to have been destroyed in order to deny security forces access to the area during the attack.

He sympathises with the affected people and calls for calm, assuring them that they will get justice.

Mr Lalong again warns criminals that they will be pursued, arrested and dealt with, no matter how long it takes, as his administration will not allow the reign of terror to persist and rubbish all the investments made in restoring calm in the State.

Meanwhile, the Governor has praised the gallantry of security forces that successfully engaged and neutralised 6 criminals that belong to a syndicate that specialises in kidnapping innocent people in Mangu Local Government area of Plateau State.

The troops from Operation Safe Haven and the Nigerian Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) engaged the bandits in response to distress calls.

The Governor expressed his deep condolences to the Nigeria Police and families of the Police Officer and Member of the Vigilante who lost their lives during the operation and assured them of Government support. He vows to make Plateau uncomfortable for criminals.

Dr. Makut Simon Macham

Director of Press and Public Affairs to the Governor of Plateau State.

25th August 2021.
These hot temperatures will likely stick around for a while. Do you still enjoy the outdoors when it gets this hot, or do you prefer to stay indoors in the air conditioning?

You voted:
LEWIS [mdash] Richard A. "Corky" Griffin, 71, of Lewis, passed away unexpectedly, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, at his home. He was born in Lewis on Oct. 7, 1949, son of the late Benjamin Hastings and Evalina Griffin. Corky worked for Cornwright's Lumber Mill for many years. He is survived by his c
Southbury, CT (06488)

Today

Showers and thundershowers this evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. Potential for flooding rains. Low 61F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Showers and thundershowers this evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. Potential for flooding rains. Low 61F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected.
2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Prince William community has proven resilient. The Prince William Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning --

4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS.

We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover.

We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Prince William Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come.
OSLO, Norway, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Photocure ASA (Photocure, PHO: OSE) announces that it has reached agreement with BioSyent Pharma Inc. ("BioSyent") to reacquire the marketing and distribution rights to Cysview in Canada. The parties entered into a final agreement today, stipulating that commercial rights will transfer to Photocure on January 1st, 2022. The reacquisition of marketing and distribution rights enables Photocure's direct management of the Cysview brand in Canada and consolidates the territory into Photocure's existing U.S. business to form its North America sales segment.

"We are very pleased to integrate the Canadian territory into our U.S. business to form Photocure's North America commercial segment, expanding the direct market opportunity for Cysview by approximately 10%", said Daniel Schneider, President and CEO. "Our agreement to regain rights from BioSyent supports our strategy to leverage our commercial infrastructure and consolidate our brands in major markets. BioSyent has made great strides introducing Cysview into Canada. We are thankful for their efforts and look forward to leveraging the recently strengthened Canadian treatment guidelines and continuing the work to improve reimbursement in the region so that more bladder cancer patients have access to blue light cystoscopy (BLC) with Cysview."

In 2015, Photocure entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with BioSyent for the commercialization of Cysview in Canada. Photocure has since grown its U.S. operations and executed on its global expansion strategy by reacquiring the commercial rights to its Hexvix brand and business in continental Europe in October 2020. BioSyent has served as a strategic partner in the Canadian market, building awareness and creating interest in the treatment of bladder cancer using BLC with Cysview. BLC is included in the Canadian guidelines, and reimbursement processes are at advanced stages in the main provinces of British Columbia and Ontario. Each year, there are approximately 35,000 TURBT* procedures performed in Canada and 12,000 new bladder cancer patients diagnosed5.

Based on the new agreement, BioSyent will continue to support Cysview customers in Canada and will facilitate the start-up of new accounts during a transition period. Simultaneously, the process for market authorization (MA) transfer to Photocure will take place. BioSyent will continue active customer support and secure uninterrupted product distribution and book sales up until the MA transfer is complete.

Photocure will immediately begin the processes of setting up product distribution and fulfilling regulatory obligations and will also begin assembling the personnel needed for Canadian operations. Photocure will also begin leveraging BioSyent's market and customer insight and integrating these insights with its own expertise in market access and sales and marketing. After the MA transfer is complete, Photocure will assume all Cysview rights and obligations in Canada and start booking sales.

*TURBT: trans-urethral resection of bladder tumors

Note to editors:

All trademarks mentioned in this release are protected by law and are registered trademarks of Photocure ASA

About Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer ranks as the seventh most common cancer worldwide with 1 720 000 prevalent cases (5-year prevalence rate)1a, 573 000 new cases and more than 200 000 deaths annually in 2020.1b

Approx. 75% of all bladder cancer cases occur in men.1 It has a high recurrence rate with an average of 61% in year one and 78% over five years.2 Bladder cancer has the highest lifetime treatment costs per patient of all cancers.3

Bladder cancer is a costly, potentially progressive disease for which patients have to undergo multiple cystoscopies due to the high risk of recurrence. There is an urgent need to improve both the diagnosis and the management of bladder cancer for the benefit of patients and healthcare systems alike.

Bladder cancer is classified into two types, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), depending on the depth of invasion in the bladder wall. NMIBC remains in the inner layer of cells lining the bladder. These cancers are the most common (75%) of all BC cases and include the subtypes Ta, carcinoma in situ (CIS) and T1 lesions. In MIBC the cancer has grown into deeper layers of the bladder wall. These cancers, including subtypes T2, T3 and T4, are more likely to spread and are harder to treat.4



1 Globocan. a) 5-year prevalence / b) incidence/mortality by population. Available at: https://gco.iarc.fr/today, accessed [April 2021].

2 Babjuk M, et al. Eur Urol. 2019; 76(5): 639-657

3 Sievert KD et al. World J Urol 2009;27:295300

4 Bladder Cancer. American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/bladder-cancer.html

5 Photocure internal patient-based model built on Globocan 2019, Canadian Urological Association guideline on the management of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer: https://cuaj.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/7367/4867

About Hexvix/Cysview (hexaminolevulinate HCl)

Hexvix/Cysview is a drug that preferentially accumulates in cancer cells in the bladder making them glow bright pink during Blue Light Cystoscopy (BLC). BLC with Hexvix/Cysview improves the detection of tumors and leads to more complete resection, fewer residual tumors and better management decisions.

Cysview is the tradename in the U.S. and Canada, Hexvix is the tradename in all other markets. Photocure is commercializing Cysview/Hexvix directly in the U.S. and Europe, and has strategic partnerships for the commercialization of Hexvix/Cysview in China, Canada, Chile, Australia and New Zealand. Please refer to https://photocure.com/partnering-with-photocure/our-partners/ for further information on our commercial partners.

About Photocure ASA

Photocure: The Bladder Cancer Company delivers transformative solutions to improve the lives of bladder cancer patients. Our unique technology, making cancer cells glow bright pink, has led to better health outcomes for patients worldwide. Photocure is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE: PHO). For more information, please visit us at www.photocure.com, www.hexvix.com, www.cysview.com

All trademarks mentioned in this release are protected by law and are registered trademarks of Photocure ASA. This press release may contain product details and information which are not valid, or a product is not accessible, in your country. Please be aware that Photocure does not take any responsibility for accessing such information which may not comply with any legal process, regulation, registration or usage in the country of your origin.

Important information

This announcement is not and does not form a part of any offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, any securities of Photocure ASA (the "Company"). The distribution of this announcement and other information may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions. Copies of this announcement are not being made and may not be distributed or sent into any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful or would require registration or other measures. Persons into whose possession this announcement or such other information should come are required to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions.

Matters discussed in this announcement may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and may be identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "strategy", "intends", "estimate", "will", "may", "continue", "should" and similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond its control.

Actual events may differ significantly from any anticipated development due to a number of factors, including without limitation, changes in investment levels and need for the Company's services, changes in the general economic, political and market conditions in the markets in which the Company operate, the Company's ability to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel, changes in the Company's ability to engage in commercially acceptable acquisitions and strategic investments, and changes in laws and regulation and the potential impact of legal proceedings and actions. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in this release by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not provide any guarantees that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements in this announcement are free from errors nor does it accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this announcement or any obligation to update or revise the statements in this announcement to reflect subsequent events. You should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this announcement or any of its attachments.

The information, opinions and forward-looking statements contained in this announcement speak only as at its date and are subject to change without notice. The Company does not undertake any obligation to review, update, confirm, or to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that arise in relation to the content of this announcement.

This announcement is for information purposes only and is not to be relied upon in substitution for the exercise of independent judgment. It is not intended as investment advice and under no circumstances is it to be used or considered as an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a recommendation to buy or sell any securities of the Company.

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements of section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

CONTACT:

For further information, please contact:

Dan Schneider

President and CEO

Photocure ASA

Email: ds@photocure.com

Erik Dahl

CFO

Photocure ASA

Tel: +4745055000

Email: ed@photocure.com

David Moskowitz

Head of Investor Relations

Tel: +1 202 280 0888

Email: david.moskowitz@photocure.com

Media and IR enquiries:

Geir Bjrlo

Corporate Communications (Norway)

Tel: +47 91540000

Email: geir.bjorlo@corpcom.no

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/photocure/r/photocure-regains-rights-to-cysview-in-canada-further-consolidating-its-bladder-cancer-franchise,c3402859

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE Photocure
- 'Everything as a Service' already providing value to Vodafone Ghana and GCB Bank.

ACCRA, Ghana, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Raycom Technologies, a leading ICT provider, has launched 'Everything as a Service', a transformational offering that delivers cloud-based Unified Communications and Contact Center services powered by Avaya (NYSE: AVYA) across Ghana.

The offering, which equips Ghanaian businesses to contend with fast-moving digital transformation requirements, is already providing value for leading organizations in the country, including Vodafone Ghana and GCB.

"We need to be flexible enough to add agent capacity at times of peak demand; flexible enough to enable agents to work from anywhere at times of reduced travel; and flexible enough to quickly spool up new services that will add value to the customer journey. RayCom and Avaya have given us this flexibility with 'Everything as a Service'," said Mildred Abbey, BSS Manager at Vodafone Ghana.

GCB Bank, meanwhile, is leveraging 'Everything as a Service' to create a unified communications environment, which standardizes the customer and employee experience and puts subject-matter experts at the heart of the customer experience.

"When our customers contact us, they expect timely information and action, and we want to leverage our experts to enable this. We are unifying the technology through which both our customers and employees communicate to make it easier for front-line agents to get the support and insights they need when dealing with customer requests. 'Everything as a Service' has helped us to quickly roll out the advanced technologies needed to realize this vision, where anyone at the company can solve customer challenges," said Muniru Muktar, Head - Customer Service at GCB.

'Everything as a Service' leverages Avaya OneCloud, an AI-powered experience platform that includes CCaaS, UCaaS and CPaaS, and which completely redefines how organizations empower an on-demand workforce to deliver optimal experiences for today's "everything customer."

"Everything as a Service provides the agility for organizations to scale their communications technology deployments as they need, add new features and functionalities with ease, and benefit from predictable pricing models," said Ben Atitsogbui, Solution Consultant & CEO at RayCom Technologies.

Fadi Hani, Vice President  Middle East, Africa & Turkey, Avaya, said: "This significant agreement with Raycom Technologies meets our joint customers' demands for greater flexibility and faster time to market as they aggressively pursue their digital transformation strategies."

Learn more at http://www.avaya.com

Contact:

Hazem Beshr:

+97150 260 1541

Related Links

https://www.avaya.com



SOURCE Avaya
SINGAPORE, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Milken Institute today announced that the 8th annual Milken Institute Asia Summit will convene from 15 to 16 November, as a physical event with virtual components. A dynamic society that seeks to provide accessible opportunities for all has always been characterized by strong bonds among everyone living in it. This year's Asia Summit casts a spotlight on The Power of Human Connection, bringing together high-level business executives, government leaders, philanthropists, subject-matter experts, academia, and futurists from all over the globe to amplify the efforts building a sustainable, equitable future for all people in the Asia-Pacific region.

The event is slated to take place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Singapore, hosting up to 250 participants in-person. Attendees are expected to follow safe distancing guidelines and rules established by the Singapore government. Similar to the 2020 Asia Summit, participants can anticipate an interactive event format with in-person sessions, virtual content, and several topic-specific private roundtables. The Milken Institute is also a network partner for the inaugural Philanthropy Asia Summit and a knowledge partner for the Singapore Fintech Festival which will take place during the Singapore Week (November 15  19).

Last year's Asia Summit was the first large-scale international event hosted in Singapore amidst the pandemic, with the Milken Institute Asia Center named as 'Outstanding Event Organizer' by the Singapore Tourism Board at the 2021 Singapore Tourism Awards. The 2020 Asia Summit hosted global leaders such as Heenam Choi, CEO, KIC; Paulo Guedes, Minister of Economy, Brazil; Peter Babej, CEO, Asia Pacific, Citi; Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education & Minister-in-charge of the Public Service, Republic of Singapore; Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo, Japan; Julie Sweet, CEO, Accenture; Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud; Salil Parekh, CEO and Managing Director, Infosys Limited; Rt. Hon. Elizabeth Truss, Secretary of State for International Trade, President of the Board of Trade, Minister for Women and Equalities, United Kingdom; Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., Secretary, US Department of Commerce, and more.

"As the global economy emerges from the pandemic, our connections with one another have never been more critical to fast-tracking the re-emergence of a robust and thriving society," said Laura Deal Lacey, Executive Director of the Milken Institute Asia Center. "At the 2021 Asia Summit, we aim to serve as a nexus to convene participants to discuss collaborative solutions by highlighting the power of human connection in rebuilding an equitable and just society."

"As we've seen over the past year, it is crucial for governments, businesses, and private organizations to remain connected and collaborate with each other to overcome challenges presented by the pandemic crisis," said Richard Ditizio, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Milken Institute. "The 2021 Asia Summit will convene top experts, leaders, and innovators from Asia and around the world to exchange ideas and insights for a solution that will help us return to normalcy."

For information about the 2021 Milken Institute Asia Summit, please visit www.asia-summit.org .

About the Milken Institute

The Milken Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that helps people build meaningful lives in which they can experience health and well-being, pursue effective education and gainful employment, and access the resources required to create ever-expanding opportunities for themselves and their broader communities. For more information, visit www.milkeninstitute.org .

About the Milken Institute Asia Center

The Milken Institute Asia Center extends the reach and impact of Milken Institute programs, events, and research to the Asia-Pacific region. We identify opportunities to leverage the Institute's global network to tackle regional challenges, as well as to integrate the region's perspectives into the development of solutions to persistent global challenges.

Milken Institute Asia Summit

The Milken Institute Asia Summit brings the ambitious spirit of the Milken Institute's flagship Global Conference to Singapore. The Asia Summit brings together over 1,800 CEOs, senior government officials, high-level finance executives, institutional investors, and philanthropists from around the world to address challenges and propose workable solutions.

SOURCE Milken Institute
Along with COVID management, this year's Innovation Challenge will focus on awareness and treatment of cardiovascular, renal, neuro, cancer and lung diseases

BENGALURU, India, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre, a collaboration between the Swedish Trade Commissioner's Office, AIIMS Delhi and AIIMS Jodhpur, virtually launched its second edition of the healthcare innovation challenge. The innovation challenge is an opportunity for startups to collaborate with partners on the Innovation Centre platform to help solve some of the problems in the healthcare delivery landscape of India. This year's healthcare innovation challenge focuses on solutions within COVID management and solutions for awareness and treatment of cardiovascular, renal, neuro, cancer and lung diseases.

The application is open from 16 August 2021 till 10 October 2021. All the applications will undergo a rigorous evaluation process by a panel of experts and include partners like AIIMS Delhi, AIIMS Jodhpur, ICMR, AstraZeneca, NASSCOM, CCamp, AIM, Invest India and various funding entities.

Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS Delhi, said, "Frugal innovation to develop cost-effective and efficient ways of healthcare delivery is the key need for Indian healthcare market. Innovators developing these solutions could leverage this platform and avail mentorship and guidance from our institute as well as the partners of the center to develop solutions that would benefit our country."

Dr. Sanjeev Misra, Director, AIIMS Jodhpur, said, "Healthcare systems in India are undergoing a rapid transformation post the pandemic. Early screening and awareness tools, wearable tracking devices, remote monitoring solutions and digital tools are critical in creating a more strong and sustainable healthcare system in India. Innovators in these areas can avail the incubation facility, expert mentorship and validate the solutions at our campus through India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre to further enhance their products and scale-up of solutions."

Cecilia Oskarsson, Swedish Trade Commissioner to India, said, "COVID has emphasized the need to have robust healthcare infrastructure across the countries and this could be achieved only through innovation. Therefore, the challenge would focus on innovative Digital Tools/Platforms - Med-Tech, Artificial Intelligence-backed solutions that support new ways of working and improve the efficiencies of healthcare systems."

The selected startups will collaborate with the India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre to enable faster scale-up, cross-country mentorship, access to state-of-the-art incubation centre located within AIIMS Jodhpur and NASSCOM Bangalore campus, lab facilities, guidance on funding, and the ability to ideate with like-minded innovators from across India and beyond.

Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Managing Director, AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited, said, "It is our pleasure to partner with India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre to support the ecosystem. We hope that this platform will really help innovators, who are working hard to impact patients' lives, to further develop their products/solutions to provide affordable and accessible healthcare to people in these difficult times."

The first edition of the healthcare innovation challenge had seen an overwhelming response of 450+ applications from innovators and startups last year. Post a rigorous evaluation process by a panel of doctors, venture capitalists and industry leaders, 14 compelling solutions submitted by innovators are selected for centre. The announcement of these winners was made in the presence of the health minister and key government and private stakeholders. These 14 startups are currently being mentored and are validating their products at the partner hospitals of innovation centre.

The Innovation Centre is built under strategic guidance from the Government of India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Government of Sweden's Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and the Embassy of Sweden in India. It also has a strong network of ecosystem partners - Atal Innovation Mission, Invest India, Startup India, CCamp, Bangalore Bio-innovation Centre, Vision Zero Cancer and knowledge partners  AstraZeneca and NASSCOM.

About India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre

The India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre is a tripartite collaboration between AIIMS Delhi, AIIMS Jodhpur and Swedish Trade Commissioner's office (Business Sweden). The platform is envisioned to develop an ecosystem of open innovation that startups and the healthcare delivery stakeholders can use to collaborate and address current and future challenges in the healthcare sector in India. This platform will enable the development and scale-up of solutions through frugal innovation for affordable and accessible healthcare in line with the objectives of the Government of India. For more information, please visit: www.indiaswedenic.com

About AIIMS Delhi

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (AIIMS, New Delhi) is a public hospital and medical research university based in New Delhi, India. The institute is governed by the AIIMS Act, 1956 and operates autonomously under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

About AIIMS Jodhpur

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur (AIIMS Jodhpur; IAST: Akhil Bharatiya Aayurvigyan Sansthan Jodhpur) is a medical college and medical research public university based in Jodhpur, India. It is Institute of National Importance. Like five other All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), it was established in 2012 and operates autonomously under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

About Business Sweden

Business Sweden is jointly owned by the Swedish state and the Swedish business sector with a mandate and a mission to help international companies gain access to the Swedish market and help domestic ones utilize it as a platform for expansion

About AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapy areas - Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism and Respiratory. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.

AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited (AZPIL) was established in 1979 and is marking its 40th year of long-standing commitment to patients in India. It is headquartered at Bengaluru, Karnataka. AstraZeneca India has a workforce of over 1400 employees across the country committed to deliver great medicines to patients through innovative science and global excellence in development and commercialization. For more information, please visit: www.astrazeneca.com/india

SOURCE India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre
On Friday, Humble Design will provide charitable services to its 2,000th client emerging from a homeless shelter. With the help of passionate volunteers, Humble Design does this by transforming empty residences into clean, dignified and welcoming homes through its free professional design services and the repurposing of gently used furnishings donated by the community.

Humble Design Cleveland is celebrating this milestone with a special home "deco" and reveal on Aug. 27, which will benefit two future occupants. Humble Design teams in Chicago, Detroit, San Diego and Seattle  where it also operates  will hold events as well to mark 2,000 clients.

U-Haul, a national partner of Humble Design since 2016, will serve as the 2K Family Sponsor. Media is encouraged to attend.

CLEVELAND 2,000th CLIENT EVENT

WHAT Reveal of a furnished duplex renovated by partner agency Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries for two families emerging from homelessness WHEN 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27 WHERE 6717 Edna Ave., Cleveland, OH 44103 DETAILS While the future occupants are still in the application process and won't be on site for this big day, LMM representatives will be on hand to celebrate and discuss their initiative, and volunteers from national sponsor U-Haul and city sponsor Progressive Insurance will be working side by side to decorate and make our Humble magic happen. MEDIA RSVP Debbie Eastburn at (216) 990-3263 or [email protected]

"Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries' Breaking New Ground campaign has the ability to advance efforts to end family homelessness in Cleveland for our city's most underserved," said Debbie Eastburn, Director of Humble Design Cleveland. "This initiative fits beautifully with our mission of turning empty houses into welcoming homes. We are excited and honored to be a part of this effort for two amazing families because we know the impact of creating a space where these families thrive can be life-changing."

Humble Design furnished its 1,000th home in early 2019, nearly 10 years after the project began. Demand and impact have increased dramatically since then as the charity served its second 1,000 clients in two years thanks to expansion and local sponsorships that have ensured sustainability in more markets. Progressive Insurance proudly serves as the city sponsor for Humble Design Cleveland.

Families take a personal stake in their newly furnished homes, leading to a remarkable success rate  99 percent to receive Humble Design's services have escaped the cycle of homelessness. Clients are referred by designated services that work with local shelters.

"U-Haul is proud to sponsor the 2000th family served by Humble Design because we recognize what it means for a family to move forward towards a new life," stated Sebastien Reyes, U-Haul Vice President of Communications and Humble Design Board Chair. "Every one of us associated with this mission believes in the power of a bed and a roof overhead to change lives."

To learn more about volunteer opportunities, corporate sponsorships, furniture donations or making a financial gift, please visit humbledesign.org.

About Humble Design

Humble Design is a Detroit-born nonprofit that helps families transitioning out of homeless shelters by providing furnishings and design services. The organization turns empty houses into clean, dignified and welcoming homes  a very simple idea that can change a family's future. Founded in 2009, the organization primarily serves single parents with children and veterans. Humble Design has brought nobility to nearly 2,000 families nationally through its chapters in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, San Diego and Seattle. humbledesign.org

About Progressive

The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies makes it easy to understand, buy and use auto insurance. Progressive offers choices so consumers can reach us whenever, wherever and however it's most convenient - online at progressive.com, by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, on a mobile device or in-person with a local agent. Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes. Home insurance is underwritten by select carriers, including our majority owned subsidiaries, American Strategic Insurance Corp. and its affiliates (ASI). Progressive is the third largest auto insurer in the country; a leading seller of motorcycle and commercial auto insurance; and through ASI, one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers.Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price, Snapshot and HomeQuote Explorer. The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, trade publicly at NYSE.

About U-Haul

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 23,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 176,000 trucks, 126,000 trailers and 46,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 812,000 rentable storage units and 70.5 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S., and continues to be the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. U-Haul has been recognized repeatedly as a leading "Best for Vets" employer and was recently named one of the 15 Healthiest Workplaces in America. uhaul.com

Contact:

Jeff Lockridge

Sebastien Reyes

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 602-760-4941

Website: uhaul.com

SOURCE Humble Design

Related Links

https://www.humbledesign.org/


EIGHTY FOUR, Pa., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 84 Lumber, the nation's largest privately held building materials supplier, is launching a recruitment effort to fill immediate openings in Tempe, AZ. The company will host a Hiring Event on September 2nd from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the 84 Lumber Company Western Office (8950 South 52nd Street, Suite 208, Tempe, AZ 85284).

At the event, job seekers will learn more about the company culture and get the opportunity to be interviewed for open positions in the area including warehouse and forklift associates and non-CDL truck drivers. Qualified job seekers may receive an offer of employment during the event.

"84 Lumber is seeking to fill open positions at our Tempe retail store to add to our team of more than 50 employees in the area," said Jorge Espinoza, divisional vice president at 84 Lumber. "We're growing along with the growth in the construction industry  here in Tempe and across the nation. We're looking for people seeking a fresh start."

Espinoza went on to detail the openings in the region:

Warehouse and forklift associates need no prior experience and perform essential functions behind the scenes  from the management of supply shipments to the operation of forklifts and other equipment. These associates can expect a starting pay of up to $15 per hour.

need no prior experience and perform essential functions behind the scenes  from the management of supply shipments to the operation of forklifts and other equipment. These associates can expect a starting pay of up to per hour. Non-CDL truck drivers load trucks and deliver materials to customer job sites. Drivers are responsible for building loads for deliveries; maintaining a safe, clean, and well-organized lumber yard; and loading and unloading lumber and building supplies. Hourly pay for drivers is up to $16 per hour.

Espinoza added that 84 Lumber expects it might find the right fit from all types of candidates  an individual with no construction experience, military veterans ready to embark on their next career challenge, or people with some previous work experience who seek to redirect their career.

"We are a family-owned company, which means we are committed to helping our employees build and cultivate a career with us. In fact, 95% of our store managers started in our manager trainee program," Espinoza said. "As we see it, 84 Lumber recruits individuals with a can-do attitude, a willingness to work hard, and a desire to learn. Once we find these people and they join the company, we teach and train them and find ways for them to grow with us."

Candidates interested in participating in the Hiring Event are asked to pre-register. To sign up, go to 84 Lumber's Hiring Page and complete the form. Once you are registered, you will receive an email from 84 Lumber with the link to apply for the desired position. To save time, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for positions online before they attend the event.

NOTE: 84 Lumber continues to follow CDC safety guidelines with regard to COVID-19. We ask that those attendees who are not yet fully vaccinated wear a mask and maintain social distancing.

To learn more about 84 Lumber, follow the company on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

ABOUT 84 LUMBER

Founded in 1956 and headquartered in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, 84 Lumber Company is the nation's largest privately held supplier of building materials, manufactured components and industry-leading services for single- and multi-family residences and commercial buildings. The company operates nearly 250 stores, component manufacturing plants, custom door shops, custom millwork shops and engineered wood product centers in more than 30 states. 84 Lumber also offers turnkey installation services for a variety of products, including framing, insulation, siding, windows, roofing, decking and drywall. A certified national women's business enterprise owned by Maggie Hardy Knox, 84 Lumber was named by Forbes as one of America's Largest Private Companies in 2018 and one of America's Best Large Employers in 2019. For more information, visit 84lumber.com or join us at Facebook.com/84lumber and linkedin.com/company/84-lumber .

Contact: Jeff Donaldson, BLD Marketing

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (412) 347-8039

Photos: https://www.bldpressroom.com/84lumber/tempe-hiring-event

SOURCE 84 Lumber

Related Links

http://84lumber.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zumper , the largest privately owned rental platform in North America, and Mint Mobile , owned by Ryan Reynolds and one of the fastest growing wireless brands in the United States, today launched a campaign aimed at offering renters a fresh start amid the largest-ever rent increases coast-to-coast.

From August 25 through September 29, 2021, consumers can enter for a chance to win the grand prize of one year's worth of free rent (valued at $36,000). The tiered sweepstakes will also award five second-place winners $2,000 towards upcoming moving expenses and ten third-place winners a free year of Mint Mobile service. All winners will be notified by October 13, 2021.

"At Zumper, our mission is to take the stress out of renting. We're creating opportunities for everyone to live better, from one fresh start to the next," said Anthemos Georgiades, Co-Founder and CEO of Zumper. "By partnering with Mint Mobile, we're excited to be tapping into a new consumer base--but, more importantly, standing true to our commitment of easing the hassle and confusion of renting."

With more than 15 million visitors per month, Zumper currently supports over 90 million people a year and helps one in three Americans find their next place. The sweepstakes offers winners three ways to make their lives easier: cash toward one year's rent, money to cover moving costs and access to Mint Mobile's premium wireless services.

"Zumper and Mint Mobile are two like-minded companies, both on a mission to simplify and eradicate the outdated hassles of our respective industries," said Aron North, CMO at Mint Mobile. "Rents, like wireless bills, are unnecessarily high. Our promotion highlights this and will give a few lucky winners cash toward their rent and the most affordable premium wireless service around."

To enter to win, visit: https://www.mintmobile.com/fresh-start. Terms and restrictions may apply.

About Zumper

The largest privately owned rental platform in North America, Zumper supports over 90 million people a year and helps one in three Americans find their next place. Zumper is on a mission to change renting forever. By making it easier, faster, and more human, we're creating opportunities for everyone to make a fresh start.

Named a 2021 Best Startup Employer by Forbes and a 2021 Best Place to Work and Company with the Best Benefits by BuiltIn SF, Zumper is headquartered in San Francisco with hubs in Los Angeles, Scottsdale, Chicago, Miami, and Providence. To date, Zumper has raised over $150 million from Kleiner Perkins, Goodwater Capital, Headline, Dawn Capital, and the Blackstone Group. Learn more at www.zumper.com or email [email protected]

About Mint Mobile

Mint Mobile is the easiest and most affordable premium wireless service in America. Launched in 2016 and owned by actor and entrepreneur Ryan Reynolds, Mint Mobile is a D2C wireless brand running on the T-Mobile network, the nation's largest 5G network, with no contracts or overages. With unlimited talk and text, nationwide coverage, and plans available for as little as $15/month, Mint Mobile offers incredible value for a premium service. Learn more at www.mintmobile.com .

SOURCE Zumper

Related Links

https://www.zumper.com


Cameron will oversee $30 billion assets under management through the company's investment portfolio and MEMBERS Capital Advisors, the registered investment advisor affiliate of CUNA Mutual Group, to deliver long-term financial strength.

"Our responsibility as a mutual company and a long-term investor is to deliver financial strength and peace of mind to the many credit unions and members we serve," said Cameron. "I'm grateful for the support I've had from Dave Brown and so many leaders at CUNA Mutual Group over the past ten years, and I'm looking forward to helping our company continue to support our customers and grow for many years to come."

In addition to serving as managing director for investments at CUNA Mutual Group for the past decade, Cameron has held positions at Allianz of America, GE Asset Management and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. She holds a master's degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut and a bachelor's degree in economics from the Villanova School of Business. Cameron is a CFA charterholder.

The company has also named Anne Finucane as deputy chief investment officer, a new role to support the company's growing portfolio. Finucane will support day-to-day management of the company's investment efforts and will also begin her role September 13.

"Anne brings a strong track record as a results-oriented leader investment leader," Trunzo said. "Her broad based strategic and tactical acumen will be critical in moving this work forward."

Finucane currently serves as senior managing director and head of public asset classes at CUNA Mutual Group. Finucane graduated from the University of Chicago  Booth School of Business, with a master's degree in accounting and finance. She also holds a bachelor's degree in economics from New York University. Prior to joining CUNA Mutual Group in 2016, Finucane held positions at Genworth Financial, Allianz of America, Citigroup and Schroders.

Brown will retire after six years at CUNA Mutual Group, and will continue in an advisory role through his retirement in January.

"We are grateful for many contributions that Dave has made to grow our business and allow us to invest in customer experience. Our company is stronger because of his time here," Trunzo said.

About CUNA Mutual Group

Built on the principle of "people helping people," CUNA Mutual Group is a financially strong insurance, investment and financial services company that believes a brighter financial future should be accessible to everyone. Through our company culture, community engagement, and products and solutions, we are working to create a more equitable financial system that helps to improve the lives of those we serve and our society. For more information, visit www.cunamutual.com .

CUNA Mutual Group is the marketing name for CUNA Mutual Holding Company, a mutual insurance holding company, its subsidiaries and affiliates. Corporate headquarters are located at 5910 Mineral Point Road, Madison, WI 53705.

***Editor's Note: Please use "CUNA Mutual Group" in its entirety if possible, and "CUNA Mutual" if the company name must be shortened. Please do not use "CUNA" alone to avoid confusion with similarly named organizations.

CORP-3728499.1-0821-0923

 2021 CUNA Mutual Group, All Rights Reserved

SOURCE CUNA Mutual Group

Related Links

www.cunamutual.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Location data company Arrivalist is predicting slightly lower travel volume this Labor Day holiday due to the impact on travel from the Delta variant of Covid-19. Labor Day weekend road trip volume will be 10 percent lower than 2019 and will miss 2020 numbers by 1 percent. Arrivalist predicts the impact will be larger on air travel than road trips. Still, an estimated 42.9 million Americans will hit the road over the holiday, according to data from Arrivalist's Daily Travel Index.

Labor Day weekend road trip volume will be 10 percent lower than 2019 and will miss 2020 numbers by 1 percent.

"Road trips remain the most resilient form of travel in the pandemic," says Arrivalist Founder and CEO Cree Lawson. "Considering the increased case count, it's surprising how resilient travel by private car has been. Americans are still hitting the road to have fun, see attractions, and visit family and friends at the same rate as last year, when cases were falling."

The Daily Travel Index is a daily measure of road trip activity taken by residents of all 50 U.S. states, with volume indexed against the average daily volume of 2019 travelers. It was designed as a free online resource available on Arrivalist's website to provide the travel industry with insights to help plot its path to recovery during the Covid-19 pandemic. Site visitors can compare visitation in 2021 to activity from the same period in 2019, not just the timeframe when travel slowed to a virtual standstill in 2020. Additionally, a customized Daily Travel Index is available to clients, which allows them to compare activity in their market to a nationwide index.

How the Data is Calculated

Arrivalist's methodology is based on a representative balanced panel of GPS signals representing road trips taken specifically in cars (excluding travel by air). A trip is measured as one where the user has traveled a minimum of 50 miles and spent a minimum of two hours at the destination. Commuter travel or other frequently repeated tripsi.e., cargo deliveries or other reoccurring activitiesare excluded from the Daily Travel Index.

About Arrivalist

Arrivalist is the leading location intelligence platform in the travel industry. The company uses multiple location data sets to provide actionable insights on consumer behavior, competitive share, media effectiveness, and market trends. Over 200 travel marketers, including 100 cities, 40 U.S. states, and four of the top 10 U.S. theme parks, use these insights to inform media strategy, operations, and destination development. Arrivalist is headquartered in New York City, with offices in San Francisco and Toronto.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jacquelyn Gozdowiak

[email protected]

(414) 247-3866

SOURCE Arrivalist
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Having just successfully launched the cruise brand's first ship, World Navigator, Atlas Ocean Voyages today unveiled the inaugural season for its second expedition ship, World Traveller. Launching on July 15, 2022, at Lisbon, Portugal, World Traveller promises to deliver more exciting experiences and captivating destinations, for which Atlas is known. For her inaugural season, World Traveller will sail 11 voyages, ranging from six- to- 12-nights, and visit a combination of chic and historic destinations throughout the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Ionian and Aegean seas. In nearly all destinations, World Traveller's small size allows her to dock in or closer to port centers for guests' greater convenience. Additionally, travelers can enjoy early booking savings of up to 20 percent for World Traveller's inaugural season with deposited bookings by September 30, 2021.

"World Traveller's construction is very well along in our Portugal shipyard. We look forward to the timely launch of our second small, luxury expedition ship," said Alberto Aliberti, President of Atlas Ocean Voyages. "With World Traveller, Atlas Ocean Voyages will have two small, luxe-adventure ships, covering more of the globe and twice as many compelling destinations, allowing new and returning guests to experience more authentic cultures and breathtaking locales."

Travelers can enjoy up to 20 percent savings when they book World Traveller's inaugural summer season. For all bookings made with deposit by September 30, 2021, travelers will receive 10 percent savings on all World Traveller itineraries and can receive an additional 10 percent savings, for a total of 20 percent, when they pay in full by October 7, 2021.

World Traveller departs Lisbon on July 15, 2022, for a nine-night inaugural voyage, visiting Spain's Costa del Sol and Balearic Islands. Guests will call at Portimao, Portugal; Gibraltar, U.K.; and Spain's Seville (Cadiz), Puerto Banus, Malaga, Formentera and Ibiza. The inaugural voyage concludes at Palma de Mallorca. A shorter, seven-night voyage, departing September 27 from Malaga to Lisbon, showcases the historic side of the region and features the surrounding cities of the Straits of Gibraltar: Gibraltar, U.K.; Cueta, Spain; and Tangier, Morocco.

Following her inaugural voyage, World Traveller charts her course to the chic beach and resort destinations of France's Cote d'Azur and the Italian Riviera. On the July 24 voyage, guests combine the Balearic Islands and the Cote d'Azur on a seven-night itinerary from Palma de Mallorca to Nice, France, while the subsequent nine-night itinerary from Nice to Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, concentrates on the Italian Riviera and features an overnight in Monte Carlo, Monaco, and Rome.

Two voyages combine Greece and Italy's southern Mediterranean coast. The August 9, 10-night itinerary departs Rome (Civitavecchia) for Athens (Piraeus) and connects the Amalfi Coast, Sicily and Greece, and features two nights in Positano, Italy, while the September 7, 11-night voyage charts westward from Athens (Piraeus) to Malta and focuses on the Greek Isles and Sicily. On the following September 18 voyage that departs Malta, World Traveller combines the Balearic Islands with Sardinia, Italy; features a call at Tunis, Tunisia; and concludes with an overnight at Malaga.

Traveler can also choose among two Greece and Dalmatian Coast voyages. The two voyages alternate departures from Athens (Piraeus) or Venice; transit the Corinth Canal; and call at UNESCO World Heritage destinations of Kotor, Montenegro and Dubrovnik and Hvar, Croatia. The 10-night, northbound itinerary, departing August 19, features an overnight at Hvar and adds calls at Delphi (Itea), Olympia (Katakolon), and Corfu, Greece; Butrint (Saranda), Albania; and Korcula, Croatia. The August 29, nine-night southbound voyage includes a call at Rovinj, Croatia, and Gaios, Greece.

World Traveller concludes her inaugural season in the Atlantic, with a six-night Madeira and Canary Islands voyage, departing October 5, from Lisbon to Tenerife. The ship then charts west to Brazil's Rio de Janeiro, calling at Cape Verde's Santiago Island and Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.

Atlas Ocean Voyages is a luxe-adventure expedition cruise brand designed for discerning, fun-seeking travelers to immerse in unique and awe-inspiring moments in remote and captivating destinations. World Navigator, Atlas' first ship, has begun service and is sailing Egypt and Greek Isles itineraries for summer 2021; Caribbean, South America and Antarctica for winter 2021/22; and the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Arctic, and Central and South America in summer 2022. The cruise brand's second ship, World Traveller, launches in July 2022, with three additional sister ships, World Seeker, World Adventurer and World Discoverer, to join the fleet by the end of 2023. At 9,930 GRTs, Atlas Ocean Voyages' ships are Polar Category C- and Ice Class 1B-certified.

Atlas' signature All Inclusive All The Way provides all guests a complete and seamless experience by including complimentary round-trip air travel, choice of a shore excursion at every port, unlimited premium wine and spirits, international beers and coffees, prepaid gratuities, polar parkas, emergency medical evacuation insurance, WiFi and L'OCCITANE bath amenities. In every stateroom, guests enjoy robes, slippers and binoculars to use on board, personalized coffee, teas and bar service, and butler service in suites.

The luxe-adventure cruise brand welcomes travelers to 'come back to something brand new' in its ongoing marketing campaign "At Last Atlas" (www.AtlasOceanVoyages.com/itstime.) For more information about Atlas Ocean Voyages, please visit www.AtlasOceanVoyages.com. Travel Advisors can call 1.844.44.ATLAS (1.844.442.8527) to book their clients on an unforgettable luxe-adventure expedition.

SOURCE Atlas Ocean Voyages

Related Links

www.atlasoceanvoyages.com


LONDON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In the city of Kitzbuhel, an Austrian court refused Victor Baturin the claim against his sister Elena Baturina, a Forbes-listed entrepreneur and philanthropist.

The anti-defamation claim was filed by Viktor Baturin in 2017, shortly after his release from Russian prison in 2016. According to the claimant, the content of a press statement issued back in 2010 by company INTECO where he had been employed, damaged his business reputation, since it included the word "theft" to describe the reasons for his dismissal from the company.

After more than 4 years of proceedings, the Land Court of Kitzbuhel refused to satisfy the claims laid by Viktor Baturin against Elena Baturina, having found them unsubstantiated.

Elena Baturina's lawyers noted, "The court came to the conclusion that the evidence and testimony submitted by Elena Baturina clearly showed that Elena Baturina was under the applicable Russian law not liable at all. Obviously, no single argument presented by Viktor Baturin seemed to be convincing to the judge."

Elena Baturina's spokesperson added, "From the very start, we reported that this claim as well as the series of others filed against Elena Baturina by Viktor Baturin and his representatives, was unfounded; his claims against her in Russia and other jurisdictions, along with the ones voiced by Viktor Baturin in media are insolvent.

"We are satisfied with the verdict of Austrian court, which just as well as the previous verdicts in similar proceedings, has proved and supported the validity and legitimacy of Elena Baturina's position in this dispute."

In Russia, Viktor Baturin has been convicted and jailed for financial crimes, in particular for forging promissory notes with a total face value of more than EUR 110 million in the name of INTECO, and property fraud. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in respect of these crimes.

Over the years Viktor Baturin and his representatives have made multiple attempts at suing Elena and her business entities for money by initiating legal proceedings on various grounds. They have not succeeded in any of the proceedings, with the most recent one finalised in May in the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow.

SOURCE Press office for Elena Baturina
NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AXA XL's Marine insurance business is enhancing Marine risk control expertise in the US with the addition of Senior Risk Consultant Jarek Klimczak. Mr. Klimczak is transferring to AXA XL's New York City office from Singapore, effective September 1, 2021.

Commenting on the addition, Anne Marie Elder, Global Chief Underwriting Officer for AXA XL's Marine insurance business, said: "Our risk consultants play a vital role in helping clients mitigate business risks while at the same time supporting our underwriters' risk selection and assessment. Thanks to his broad skillset, Jarek will provide valuable loss prevention guidance for our customers and our marine business lines including ocean cargo, blue and brown water hull, marine liabilities, and aligned inland marine products."

Ms. Elder added: "Jarek will help us build and leverage internal and external resources to address our customers' loss prevention needs and support of our underwriters risk selection and underwriting decisions across the US."

Prior to relocating to the US, Mr. Klimczak supported the growth of AXA XL's Cargo and Bluewater Hull books in Asia and Australia. To his new role, Mr. Klimczak brings more than 32 years of maritime, logistics, Insurance, and risk management expertise. He has extensive experience within the shipping and logistics industry with a focus on loading security, heavy-lift operations, and towage as well as deep skills in cargo security and risk management.

Before joining the insurance industry, Mr. Klimczak served as a port captain in Singapore, a cargo superintendent in Germany, among other maritime industry roles. He holds a Masters in Nautical science and Marine Transportation from Poland's Gdynia Maritime University.

AXA XL's Global Marine business provides insurance for clients with special coverage needs for their marine exposures, including Inland Marine, Ocean Cargo, Blue and Brown Water Hull, P&I, as well as Excess and Primary Marine Liabilities. Risks are written on both a primary and an excess of loss basis.

Follow AXA XL on Twitter and on LinkedIn.

ABOUT AXA XL AXA XL, the property & casualty and specialty risk division of AXA, provides insurance and risk management products and services for mid-sized companies through to large multinationals, and reinsurance solutions to insurance companies globally. We partner with those who move the world forward. To learn more, visit www.axaxl.com ABOUT AXA XL INSURANCE AXA XL Insurance offers property, casualty, professional, financial lines and specialty insurance solutions to mid-sized companies through to large multinationals globally. We partner with those who move the world forward. To learn more, visit www.axaxl.com

SOURCE AXA XL
CHICAGO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Barchart, a leading provider of data, tools, and software to agribusinesses around the world, has announced a partnership with Fastmarkets, the industry-leading cross-commodity price reporting agency.

Through this partnership, Fastmarkets will join the cmdty Pricing Network (CPN), and make benchmark prices from Fastmarkets available in cmdtyView, Barchart's leading trading and analytics platform for global Agriculture and Energy markets.

Fastmarkets is the widely recognized leader in price discovery for animal fats, vegetable oils, and biodiesel. This data will also be made available to users via API distribution or through an enterprise data solution from Barchart.

"Fastmarkets is trusted to provide reliable prices, news, and analytics across global commodity markets, and having them join our growing list of price contributors enhances our global data platform even further," says Barchart CEO Mark Haraburda. "Fastmarkets has been the recognized leader and benchmark for many key agriculture and energy markets for a long time, and this partnership will help extend their distribution even further."

"We understand how important it is for businesses to have a consolidated view of the markets," said Fastmarkets CEO Raju Daswani. "This is why we provide our customers with access to our benchmark prices and data through the world's leading delivery companies like Barchart. Put simply, the Fastmarkets-Barchart partnership allows customers to access the insights needed to secure a competitive advantage, all in one place."

To learn more or to subscribe to Fastmarkets price data, please click here .

To unlock access to Barchart's distribution through the cmdty Pricing Network, please click here .

Visit our website to learn more about how Barchart is becoming the leader in commodity data .

About Barchart

Barchart is a leading provider of market data and services to the global financial, media, and commodity industries. Our diversified client base trusts Barchart's innovative Solutions across data, software, and technology to power their operation from front to back office, while our Media brands enable financial and commodity professionals to make decisions through web content, news, and publications. For more information, please visit www.barchart.com/solutions .

About Fastmarkets

Fastmarkets is the industry-leading Price Reporting Agency (PRA) for global commodities, providing price data, news, analytics, and events for the metals and mining, forest products, and agriculture markets. Fastmarkets' data is critical for customers seeking to understand and predict dynamic, sometimes opaque markets, enabling trading and risk management. Fastmarkets is a global business with a 130-year history built on trust and deep market knowledge. Its team of more than 450 people are located in global offices including London, Boston, New York, Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Brussels and Sao Paulo. Fastmarkets is part of Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC (LSE:ERM), a listed company on the London Stock Exchange. Euromoney is a leading international business-to-business information group focused primarily on the global commodities, banking and asset management markets.

Contact:

Colleen Sheeren

Barchart

Head of Marketing

[email protected]

312.283.2375

SOURCE Barchart

Related Links

https://www.barchart.com


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Contact

BizVibe

Jesse Maida

Email: [email protected]

+1 855-897-5880

Website: https://www.bizvibe.com/

SOURCE BizVibe

Related Links

http://www.bizvibe.com


PROVO, Utah, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BYU Law, a global law school focused on leadership in legal theory and practice, today announced a new opportunity to provide students with insights on international conflict and Middle Eastern studies. Co-sponsored by BYU Law and the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, the Jerusalem Initiative will allow students to engage with some of the most vexing international and domestic law issues surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"BYU Law is committed to preparing influential professionals," said D. Gordon Smith, Dean, BYU Law. "This program will provide students with both a theoretical understanding of a longstanding international conflict and with practical skills for dealing with complex problems. We hope to prepare and inspire our students to make the world a better place."

BYU Law Professors Eric Talbot Jensen and Ben Cook will serve as faculty co-directors of the program, which is open to 2L and 3L students who have demonstrated their interest in international law. The experiential learning model will expose students to a balanced look at both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the longest, most entrenched conflicts in the world," said Professor Cook, who teaches conflict resolution. "This initiative will afford our students an unmatched opportunity to gain instruction from both global and local experts on different sides of the issues, to see places where conflict is happening, and to acquire valuable conflict resolution skills."



During the program, 12 students will have the opportunity to learn from local experts, including government and academic leaders in the region; visit local sites; and engage in negotiations relating to the following issues: 1) property ownership and rights in contested territories, 2) balancing security and human rights, including the freedom of movement, and 3) political representation and equality. The students will prepare for their study in Jerusalem by completing a semester-long preparatory course to ensure that participants understand the history and political, religious, and cultural sensitivities surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The program will culminate with a three-week trip to Jerusalem and the Holy Land sites in late April / early May 2022.

"While international conflict is not unique to this region, the layered and complex issues will challenge our students to gain a deep understanding of the peoples of the region and their histories," said Professor Jensen, who teaches international law. "BYU Law is uniquely positioned to offer this opportunity thanks to its strong international network and focus."

Brigham Young University, which is affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has a presence in the area with its Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies located in the heart of Jerusalem near the Old City. Additionally, more than 80% of BYU Law students speak more than one language, and 70% have lived abroad, many of whom have shown a keen interest in expanding their international training and skills.

BYU Law anticipates offering the Jerusalem Initiative annually following its successful inaugural launch.



About BYU Law School

Founded in 1971, the J. Reuben Clark Law School (BYU Law) has grown into one of the nation's leading law schools  recognized for innovative research and teaching in social change, transactional design, entrepreneurship, corpus linguistics, criminal justice and religious freedom. The Law School has more than 6,000 alumni serving in communities around the world. In its most recent rankings, SoFi ranked BYU Law as the #1 best-value U.S. law school in their Return on Education Law School Ranking. For more information, visit https://law.byu.edu.



About The BYU Jerusalem Center

The Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies is Brigham Young University's home base for study in the Holy Land. Current BYU undergraduate students apply to one of three semester-long programs held each year, and upon acceptance, live in the Center while studying a core curriculum focused on the Old and New Testaments, ancient and modern Near Eastern studies and the Hebrew and Arabic languages. Classroom study is integrated with field trips spanning the length and breadth of the Holy Land, as well as travel to Jordan and to either Egypt or Greece. For more information, visit https://jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu/home.

Thatcher+Co.

Kristin Brocoff

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE BYU Law
NAPERVILLE, Ill., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Calamos Investments, a global investment management firm managing over $40 billion in AUM, announced today that it has hired Environmental, Social, and Governance investing pioneers Anthony (Tony) Tursich and James (Jim) Madden to lead the development of focused sustainable investment products. Tursich and Madden helped set industry standards for ESG focused investing at Portfolio 21 where they developed one of the first sustainable research platforms in 1999, combining environmental criteria with fundamental research to identify companies positioned to thrive in an evolving environment. They co-managed portfolios until 2018, when Tursich founded Pearl Impact Capital LLC (PIC), an investment boutique offering sustainable investment strategies in US, International and Global equities. PIC, including its composite track records, will be acquired by Calamos Investments as a part of this initiative.

Investor interest in ESG based funds continues to soar. According to the Investment Company Institute (ICI), assets in '40 Act funds that apply exclusionary, inclusionary or impact investing ESG criteria rose 45% in 2020, totaling $465 billion at year end.i Calamos has been a UNPRI signatory since 2018 and will begin developing ESG focused offerings for clients later this year.

"We are thrilled to reunite Jim and Tony and bring their caliber of ESG capabilities to Calamos," said John Koudounis, President and CEO of Calamos Investments. "John Calamos founded our firm based on his pioneering work in convertible securities and we welcome these pioneers in the field of sustainable investing to our platform. Our goal is to provide clients with high-quality, unique investment solutions and this team's depth, talent, and experience in ESG investing will help us continue that tradition."

John P. Calamos, Sr., Chairman and Global CIO of Calamos Investments, stated, "John Koudounis continues to execute on our long-term growth strategy, focused on meeting client needs with superior investment talent and innovative products. Tony and Jim are excellent additions to our team, bringing decades of proven portfolio management experience as trailblazers in the ESG arena."

Tony Tursich stated, "For more than 20 years, Jim and I have strived to identify high quality, sustainable growth companies and deliver outstanding returns for our clients." He continued, "Joining Calamos enables us to fully focus on ESG investing while leveraging the world class platform at Calamos." Jim Madden added, "We feel Calamos is a great home for us as we were drawn to the organizational capabilities and to the talented people who embody a culture that values collaboration, innovation, integrity, and client focus."

About Calamos

Calamos Investments is a diversified global investment firm offering innovative investment strategies including alternatives, multi-asset, convertible, fixed income, and equity, currently managing more than $40 billion in assets under management. The firm offers strategies through separately managed portfolios, mutual funds, closed-end funds, private funds, and UCITS funds. Clients include major corporations, pension funds, endowments, foundations and individuals, as well as the financial advisors and consultants who serve them. Headquartered in the Chicago metropolitan area, the firm also has offices in New York, San Francisco, Milwaukee and the Miami area. For more information, please visit www.calamos.com.

About Tony Tursich and Jim Madden

Tony Tursich and Jim Madden worked together at Portfolio 21 in the 1990s and helped develop, launch, and together co-manage one of the first global ESG public equity mutual funds from its inception in September of 1999.The fund was acquired by Trillium Asset Management in December of 2014 where Tony served as a co-portfolio manager with Jim until July of 2018 and Jim served as portfolio manager until April 2021. In 2018, Tony Tursich founded ESG-based investment boutique Pearl Impact Capital LLC.

i Source Investment Company Institute -

SOURCE Calamos Investments

Related Links

http://www.calamos.com


EVANSVILLE, Ind., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: CNP) today announced its Indiana-based electric and natural gas business, CenterPoint Energy Indiana South, has filed a request for approval from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to enter into two power purchase agreements (PPAs) for an additional 335 megawatts (MWs) of solar energy as part of the next component in the company's long-term electric generation transition plan.

The company is requesting approval to purchase 185 MWs of solar power, under a 15-year PPA, from Oriden, which is developing a solar project in Vermillion County, Ind., and 150 MWs of solar power, under a 20-year PPA, from Origis Energy, which is developing a solar project in Knox County, Ind. Subject to necessary approvals, both solar arrays are expected to be in service by 2023. The total 335 MWs from these developments is expected to supply enough power to meet the needs of more than 70,000 homes or 12,000 commercial customers per year.

"These additional renewable resources would serve our local electric customers, providing a cost-effective, stable energy option," said Steve Greenley, Senior Vice President, Indiana Electric Operations for CenterPoint Energy. "We look forward to partnering with Oriden and Origis Energy as they bring these projects to fruition."

In addition to the proposed PPAs, the company has filed and is awaiting an order on two other components of its electric generation transition plan. In February, the company filed a request with the IURC seeking approval to acquire a 300 MW solar array and an additional 100 MW PPA. In June, the company filed an application requesting approval to construct two natural gas combustion turbines to replace portions of its existing coal-fired generation fleet.

"Oriden is proud to support CenterPoint Energy's efforts to diversify their electric generation portfolio and contribute to the future of cleaner energy for its customers," said Masahiro Ogiso, President and CEO of Oriden. "It really takes a team effort with our stakeholders to develop a successful renewable energy project like this. We would like to thank the leadership team at the Vermillion Rise Mega Park and our partners in Vermillion County for supporting this important initiative."

The PPAs totaling 335 MWs represent the next component of the company's Smart Energy Future Plan to meet stakeholder sustainability goals and implement a cost-effective, well-balanced energy mix for its 145,000 customers in southwest Indiana as outlined in last summer's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). In June 2020, CenterPoint Energy presented the IRP results, which illustrated a preferred portfolio including nearly two-thirds of energy generated from renewable resources and includes flexible generation to meet seasonal peak loads. The portfolio seeks to maintain continued reliability, while saving electric customers an estimated $320 million over the 20-year planning period.

Johan Vanhee, Chief Commercial and Procurement Officer with Origis Energy said, "We thank CenterPoint Energy for partnering with Origis Energy to acquire clean power from our solar project in Knox County. We look forward to the completion of the project to assist CenterPoint Energy in meeting the future energy needs of its southwestern Indiana electric customers."

Greenley added, "The additional energy obtained through the power purchase agreements will further CenterPoint Energy's Smart Energy Future strategy. We're pleased to be working with trusted developers in pursuit of continued renewable generation to support the communities we serve."

CenterPoint Energy delivers electricity to approximately 145,000 customers in southwest Indiana in all or portions of Gibson, Dubois, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties. Programs and services are operated under the brand CenterPoint Energy by Southern Indiana Gas and Electric Company d/b/a CenterPoint Energy Indiana South.

Forward Looking Statement

This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "goal," "intend," "may," "objective," "plan," "potential," "predict," "projection," "should," "target," "will" or other similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions of management which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Any statements in this news release regarding future events, such as the entry into and proposed regulatory approval of the two PPAs and timing thereof, the Company's long-term electric generation transition plan and expected timing, benefits and generation mix resulting therefrom, expected timing of completion and power to be generated from the solar projects related to the two PPAs, anticipated cost savings and other benefits to customers, and any other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement contained in this news release speaks only as of the date of this release. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the provided forward-looking information include risks and uncertainties relating to: (1) the impact of COVID-19; (2) financial market conditions; (3) general economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory and legislative decisions; (5) effects of competition; (6) weather variations; (7) changes in business plans; and (8) other factors, risks and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, CenterPoint Energy's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021 and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

About CenterPoint Energy

As the only investor-owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. As of June 30, 2021, the company owned approximately $36 billion in assets and also owned 53.7 percent of the common units representing limited partner interests in Enable Midstream Partners, LP, a publicly traded master limited partnership that owns, operates and develops strategically located natural gas and crude oil infrastructure assets. With approximately 9,500 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

About Oriden

Located in Pittsburgh, Oriden develops, constructs, finances, owns and operates renewable energy projects throughout the United States. As local governments, public institutions and corporations prioritize cleaner sources for their energy needs, they want a developer with the ingenuity, the agility and the speed of a start-up  a fearless pioneer. But they also want to mitigate risk with a proven veteran that has the financial strength and experience to develop, commercialize, operate and own a highly complex project. Oriden is an authorized provider of the power solutions brand of Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc., which has more than a century of experience manufacturing, servicing and providing power and energy solutions globally. For more information, visit the Oriden website and the Mitsubishi Power Americas website.

About Origis Energy

Origis Energy is bringing clean and cost effective solar and energy storage solutions within reach for utility, commercial and industrial as well as public sector clients. The Origis team has worked to ensure the interests of all stakeholders are upheld in 170 projects worldwide totaling more than 4 GW to date of developed solar and energy storage capacity. Headquartered in Miami, FL, Origis Energy delivers excellence in solar and energy storage development, financing, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and operations, maintenance and asset management for investors and clean energy consumers in the U.S.

For more information, contact

Media Relations

[email protected]

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.centerpointenergy.com


Chubb is the fifth largest surety underwriter in the U.S., representing more than 70 of the Engineering News Record top 400 contractors. The business offers a wide variety of surety products and specializes in underwriting both commercial and contract bonds and has the capacity for bond issuance on an international basis.

Based in Whitehouse Station, N.J., Mr. Barnett will report to Stephen Haney, Vice President, Chubb Group, and Division President North America Surety, and Chief Underwriting Officer, Global Surety.

"Rich has close to four decades of global surety experience, with 35 years of them being at Chubb," said Mr. Haney. "Having someone of his caliber and global underwriting experience in this role will help us continue to provide qualifying firms the surety capacity needed to support a wide range of projects."

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Barnett served as Surety Director of Engineering and Construction, where he had underwriting responsibility for Chubb's large construction clients. He began his career at Chubb in 1986 as a Surety Underwriter, and throughout his tenure at Chubb has held a number of leadership roles with increasing responsibilities in North America and internationally. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and economics from Wartburg College, Waverly, IA, and holds a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation.

About Chubb

Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: chubb.com.

Chubb Insurance Company of Canada has offices in Toronto, Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver and provides its products and services through licensed insurance brokers across Canada. For additional information, visit: chubb.com/ca.

SOURCE Chubb

Related Links

www.chubb.com


COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Being named to The Best Lawyers in America is an achievement few lawyers ever achieve in their careers. Being selected year after year for over a decade is an even more elusive accomplishment earned by attorneys who've solidified themselves at the top of their fields.

For Columbus Attorney Brad Koffel, that's exactly the case.

With his latest inclusion in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, Koffel has now been named to the prestigious attorney rating publication for 15 consecutive years. He's been recognized for his defense work every year since 2008.

Respected by Peers

Best Lawyers is a "purely peer-review" attorney rating service that recognizes attorneys who have excelled in their areas of practice. To compile its annual list, Best Lawyers solicits nominations and exhaustive peer evaluations from fellow leading lawyers who are best positioned to assess the knowledge, skill, and accomplishments of candidates.

Nominated attorneys who earn the highest scores are ultimately included in the final Best Lawyers publication  a feat achieved by a very small percentage of all lawyers in active practice. For attorneys like Koffel, it's a glowing endorsement of his unparalleled knowledge and success, and a testament to the respect he's garnered from his colleagues.

Attorney Brad Koffel's 15th consecutive year of selection to Best Lawyers speaks volumes about a career spent protecting the rights, freedoms, and futures of the criminally accused.

As Managing Partner of Koffel Brininger Nesbitt, Koffel has grown his practice into one of Ohio's leading 100% privately retained criminal law firms. Over the course of his career, he has successfully represented thousands of men, women, and juvenile defendants in matters ranging from DUI and drug crimes to serious felonies, sex offenses, professional licensing hearings, and Title IX violations.

In addition to fighting for clients facing serious allegations, Koffel is also a respected leader in his field. He often serves as a guest speaks at CLE seminars and as a legal commentator for various media outlets. Koffel also hosts "For the Defense"  a weekly radio show on 610 WTVN.

Visit www.koffellaw.com to learn more.

Media Contact

Brad Koffel

[email protected]

SOURCE Koffel Brininger Nesbitt

Related Links

http://www.koffellaw.com


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Air Strike, the leading consumer engagement technology company, announced today it has joined the Fortellis Automotive Commerce Exchange as a new contributor on the platform. Fortellis is the world's first open, agnostic platform for developing and marketing API-based automotive solutions. Digital Air Strike's integration on the Fortellis platform allows for a more user-friendly back-end experience, ultimately providing a more seamless experience for dealers. Clients can provide qualified lead responses and rapidly reactivate prospects with pricing, payment, and deal detail, along with customer-desired information critical to converting a shopper to a buyer. The platform increases Digital Air Strike's automotive partner integrations to 149.

"Digital Air Strike is always looking for ways to partner with leading automotive vendors to help our dealerships streamline processes and improve engagement with consumers," said Alexi Venneri, co-founder and CEO, Digital Air Strike. "We are excited to be the first-to-market with Fortellis and Elead to offer our patented technology. We see a lot of potential for additional expansion of our solutions on the Fortellis platform. Our patented Response Logix Engagement Platform leverages AI and advanced inventory matching technology to help dealers rapidly respond to consumer vehicle inquiries."

As a new contributor, Digital Air Strike has published its patented Response Logix technology on the Fortellis platform to support the integration between the lead response technology and CDK Global-owned Elead CRM software. Our large dealer body relies on Response Logix to streamline and automate responses to consumer leads, increase the visibility of dealership promotions, and deliver customer experiences that sell more vehicles. Dealerships using Response Logix can realize a 56% increase in cars sold through highly targeted and effective lead nurturing communications. *

The Digital Air Strike platform offers an enhanced response cadence that sends multiple personalized responses to every prospect on behalf of the dealership's designated sales representatives. This is completed seamlessly without the need for human intervention. However, dealership staff is alerted when consumers engage, and they can jump in at any time. Emails are sent to each lead linking to a customized website that is dynamically built in real-time for every prospect, along with AI-driven vehicle suggestions and payment options. Continued email and text communications automatically nurture each opportunity, all tailored to each dealership's existing sales process.

Multiple vehicles of interest are showcased to the prospect based on the initial vehicle inquiry paired with lease and finance payments. Dealer personnel are notified each time the consumer engages with the email or micro-website built for every prospect, giving them an incredible advantage to do additional proactive outreach at the exact time a consumer is in the market to buy, before they defect to a competitor.

Recent enhancements to the lead response technology include the ability for dealers to cross-promote alternative vehicle options from across all stores within a dealer group, not just the website or showroom for the store the consumer inquired initially. This gives dealers within their group the ability to showcase an expanded inventory, which is crucial during these times of limited stock.

Recent examples of dealerships successfully seeing great results with Response Logix include Carson Nissan. The Nissan dealership near Long Beach, California, had 52 new leads reactivated and 532 new custom prospect sites built in one month for interested car buyers before their Elead integration. With the integration, Digital Air Strike was able to data-mine their CRM and send additional custom prospect communications that resulted in activating 20 other leads. This was considerably higher than previous similar periods despite inventory challenges. The reactivated leads mean Carson Nissan was able to re-engage 52 customers who previously were interested in a vehicle but stopped interacting with the dealer, resulting in increased sales without any additional marketing spend.

Lexus of Orange County in the Hudson Valley region of New York, another satisfied Digital Air Strike client, explained the value by saying, "Digital Air Strike's automatic, custom, 180-day lead follow-up is a reactivation machine! My team consistently receives more than 20 notifications every week of older, non-responsive consumer leads that have been turned into hot prospects and are back in the sales funnel after engaging with Response Logix's custom quote and personalized consumer website. Thank you, Digital Air Strike, for helping us generate and close more leads!"

Fortellis is designed to connect automotive retail processes with seamless ease and transparency. Thousands of dealerships have trusted Response Logix because it's the fastest, most innovative, and comprehensive automotive lead response solution available. Additional details on the Elead and Response Logix integration are available on the Fortellis platform for dealerships, OEMs, and independent software vendors in North America.

"We're very pleased to introduce Digital Air Strike as the newest contributor on the Fortellis platform," said Sandy Orlando, Senior Vice President, Data and Fortellis. "Digital Air Strike is a welcome addition to Fortellis and joins a growing number of companies creating products that are shaping the future of our industry."

*Based on a study of dealer results.

About Fortellis Automotive Commerce Exchange Platform

Fortellis is a technology platform that enables the automotive industry to leverage, build, innovate and integrate solutions and workflows to transform business. The Fortellis platformwith its Developer Network and Marketplaceconnects software developers, OEMs, and dealers so they can create new and unique experiences efficiently and seamlessly. Visit fortellis.io to learn more.

About CDK Global

CDK Global is a leading provider of integrated data and technology solutions to the automotive, heavy truck, recreation, and heavy equipment industries. Focused on enabling end-to-end, omnichannel retail commerce through open, agnostic technology, CDK Global provides solutions to dealers and original equipment manufacturers, serving nearly 15,000 retail locations in North America. CDK solutions connect people with technology by automating and integrating all parts of the dealership and buying process, including the acquisition, sale, financing, insuring, parts supply, repair, and maintenance of vehicles. Visit cdkglobal.com.

About Digital Air Strike

Digital Air Strike is the leading social media, intelligent lead response, and consumer engagement technology company helping over 7,800 businesses increase consumer response and conversions leveraging patented AI-powered digital technology that generates measurable ROI. A pioneer in digital response, social media marketing technology, and online reputation management solutions, Digital Air Strike deploys industry-specific mobile apps, software, intelligent messaging, and consumer engagement platforms to monitor, respond, improve, and convert more consumers into customers for thousands of businesses in the United States, Canada, and 32 additional countries, including working with seven of the largest automotive manufacturers. More information on the company is available at www.digitalairstrike.com and www.facebook.com/digitalairstrike.

Media Contact:

Hayley Ringle

(480) 421-5959

[email protected]

CDK Global

Tony Macrito

(630) 805-0782

[email protected]

SOURCE Digital Air Strike
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statements were issued by Dan Stein, President of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), and Mark Morgan, former Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and FAIR Senior Fellow, in response to last night's Supreme Court ruling requiring the Biden administration to reinstate the highly effective Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program

Dan Stein, President of FAIR

"MPP was the most successful tool in stemming the flood of migrants attempting to reach the United States and defraud our asylum system. It deterred those with specious claims from attempting to abuse our asylum system by sending a clear message that they would not succeed  which is precisely why the Biden administration, driven by radical left extremists, put an end to it.

"It is now up to the Judiciary to make sure that the Biden administration complies with both the letter and the spirit of the Supreme Court's ruling. Given the magnitude of the crisis this administration created by canceling MPP, and ominous warnings by the Pentagon of increased threats from international terrorist organizations in the aftermath of the administration's debacle in Afghanistan, it is imperative that the Biden administration comply fully and hastily with the Court's ruling."

Mark Morgan, former Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and FAIR Senior Fellow

"The evidence of MPP's effectiveness was the 75% reduction in the flow of illegal alien families crossing our southern border. The message was clear - no longer would a child be exploited to be used as a passport to gain entry into the US.

"Deterrence is the most effective and humane form of law enforcement. The number of people making the trek to our border began to increase exponentially immediately after the Biden administration arbitrarily canceled MPP. This politically-driven  and, in the eyes of the Supreme Court, illegal  act has resulted in needless deaths in the wilderness, the exploitation of children, the enrichment of criminal cartels, and growing threats to the health and safety of the American public.

"Based on this administration's track record, there is every reason to believe they will invent countless reasons to drag their feet in response to the Court's order that they reinstate MPP. Having been part of the team that created MPP in 2019, I can attest to the fact that it can be restarted quickly with the cooperation of our partners in Mexico who have as much reason as we do to want to end the chaos that the Biden administration has created at the border.

"Many of us who were involved in the creation of MPP have served in both Republican and Democratic administrations. All Secretary Mayorkas needs to do is call us if he needs our help again. This is not a political issue. Ending the chaos at the border is in the interests of the United States, Mexico, and those who truly deserve political asylum in our country."

Contact: Matthew Tragesser, 202-328-7004 or [email protected]

ABOUT FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)

Related Links

http://www.fairus.org


Dream Edition Performance will feature a powertrain optimized for speed and acceleration, with 1,111 horsepower. Dream Edition Range will deliver 933 horsepower while embodying Lucid's exacting focus on maximizing range 1 . EPA range certification is currently in process and will be announced for each version of the Dream Edition when complete. Although the official EPA ranges are not yet available, Lucid recently completed a real-world evaluation drive with Motor Trend. During the drive, a pair of Dream Edition Range cars drove from Los Angeles to San Francisco at highway speeds via central California, and then back across the San Francisco Bay to Lucid's global headquarters, traveling 445 miles on a single charge. Upon arrival, the cars displayed, respectively, 30 miles and 72 miles of charge remaining (for totals of 475 and 517 miles).

"As a technology company, we seek to exceed expectations and this is clearly evident with our Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance and Range variants," said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Group. "I'm delighted to provide our Dream Edition customers with this additional choice and breadth of capabilities."

Lucid will be contacting Dream Edition reservation holders shortly to update their configuration with their preferred version, both of which remain at the fully-equipped price of $169,000 ($161,500 after potential $7,500 US federal tax credit)2. In September, Lucid will begin hosting media tours of its factory in Casa Grande, Arizona, ahead of customer deliveries. Deliveries of both versions of the fully reserved Lucid Air Dream Edition will begin later this year, with Lucid Air Grand Touring following shortly thereafter.



Dream Performance Dream Range Motors Dual Motor, AWD Dual Motor, AWD Power (total, F&R) 1,111 hp 933 hp Torque (total, F&R) 1000+ Nm 1000+ Nm 0-60 mph 2.5 sec 2.7 sec Top speed 168 mph 168 mph Tires Specially developed Pirelli P-Zero:

245/35 21" (F) and 265/35 21" (R) 19" optional Specially developed Pirelli P-Zero:

245/45 19" (F&R) 21" optional System voltage 924V 924V

About Lucid Group

Lucid's mission is to inspire the adoption of sustainable energy by creating the most captivating electric vehicles, centered around the human experience. The company's first car, Lucid Air, is a state-of-the-art luxury sedan with a California-inspired design underpinned by race-proven technology. Featuring luxurious interior space in a mid-size exterior footprint, select models of Air are expected to be capable of a projected EPA estimated range of over 500 miles. Customer deliveries of Lucid Air, which will be produced at Lucid's new factory in Casa Grande, Arizona, are planned to begin in the second half of 2021.

Media Contact

[email protected]

Trademarks

This communication contains trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights of Lucid Group, Inc. and its affiliates (the "Company") and other companies, which are the property of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "estimate," "plan," "project," "forecast," "intend," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "seek," "target," "continue," "could," "may," "might," "possible," "potential," "predict" or other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical facts. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's expectations and timing related to the start of production and deliveries of the Lucid Air and the performance, range, and other features of the Lucid Air. These statements are based on various assumptions, and actual events and circumstances may differ. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including factors discussed in the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-1,, the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2020 and the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021, in each case, under the heading "Risk Factors," as well as other documents of the Company that are filed, or will be filed, with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If any of these risks materialize or the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that the Company does not presently know or that the Company currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect the Company's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this communication. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this communication.

1 500+ projected range for Dream Edition Range based upon manufacturer's projected EPA estimated range when equipped with 19" wheels. Actual range will be dependent on many factors, including battery age, driving habits, charging habits, temperatures, accessory use, and other factors.

2 Final specifications will be confirmed prior to sale.

SOURCE Lucid Motors

Related Links

http://www.lucidmotors.com


CARLSBAD, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted pre-market approval to Thermo Fisher Scientific's Oncomine Dx Target Test as a companion diagnostic (CDx) to identify patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) mutated cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) who may be candidates for Servier Pharmaceuticals' TIBSOVO (ivosidenib tablets). TIBSOVO is an IDH1 inhibitor that is approved for the treatment of adult patients with previously treated, locally advanced or metastatic CCA with an IDH1 mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test.

CCA is a rare, aggressive cancer of the bile ducts within and outside of the liver. IDH1 mutations occur in up to 20 percent of CCA cases in the Unites States and are not associated with prognosis.1 Prior to the approval of TIBSOVO on August 25, 2021, there were no approved targeted therapies for IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma and limited chemotherapy options are available in the advanced setting.2

TIBSOVO is also approved in the U.S. as monotherapy for the treatment of adults with IDH1-mutated relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and for adults with newly diagnosed IDH1-mutated AML who are 75 years old or who have comorbidities that preclude the use of intensive induction chemotherapy. The approval of TIBSOVO in previously treated IDH1-mutated CCA is supported by data from the ClarIDHy study, the first and only randomized Phase 3 trial for previously treated IDH1-mutated CCA.

"Prior to today, patients with IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma did not have an approved targeted therapy treatment option," said Susan Pandya, M.D., vice president, clinical development, head of cancer metabolism global development, Servier Pharmaceuticals. "The FDA approval of TIBSOVO (ivosidenib tablets) for patients with previously treated IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma is a major milestone for the cholangiocarcinoma community. I'd like to acknowledge and thank all the patients, their families and the investigators and research teams who took part in the ClarIDHy study, as well as Thermo Fisher Scientific for their partnership."

The Oncomine Dx Target Test is a next-generation sequencing (NGS) based test that delivers robust and reproducible results in the IDH1 gene clinically associated with CCA. The FDA first approved the test as a CDx in 2017, and it is now approved for four targeted therapies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and one targeted therapy for CCA in the U.S. The test is currently approved and reimbursed by government and commercial insurers in over 15 countries, including U.S., Europe, Japan, South Korea and the Middle East, covering more than 550 million lives globally.

"With the FDA approval of Oncomine Dx Target Test as a companion diagnostic for TIBSOVO, healthcare providers across the U.S. can now match patients with this critically needed therapy," said Garret Hampton, president of clinical next-generation sequencing and oncology at Thermo Fisher Scientific. "Advances in genetic profiling through NGS have enabled identification of an increasing number of cancer-driving genomic variations, opening the door for the development of more targeted treatment options. By continuing to work with our pharmaceutical partners to co-develop diagnostics for these life-changing therapies and expanding the clinical utility of our tests, we hope to help more cancer patients around the world receive more targeted and effective treatment."

Thermo Fisher also has an agreement with Servier to develop and commercialize a CDx leveraging the Oncomine Precision Assay* to identify low-grade glioma (LGG) patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 (IDH1 and IDH2) mutations who may be eligible for vorasidenib (AG-881). The Oncomine Precision Assay runs on the Ion Torrent Genexus* System, the first fully integrated NGS platform featuring an automated specimen-to-report workflow that delivers results economically in a single day.

*This assay and instrument are currently For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $30 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 80,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.

1 Boscoe, A., Rolland, C., & Kelley, R. (2019). Frequency and prognostic significance of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 mutations in cholangiocarcinoma: a systematic literature review. Journal Of Gastrointestinal Oncology, 10(4), 751-765. Available at: https://jgo.amegroups.com/article/view/28868

2 American Cancer Society. Key Statistics for Bile Duct Cancer. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/bile-duct-cancer/about/key-statistics.html.

Media Contact Information:

Mauricio Minotta

Phone: 760-805-5266

Email: [email protected]

Jen Heady

Phone: 617-275-6547

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific

Related Links

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DEERFIELD, Ill., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FoodChain ID, one of the world's leading food safety, testing and sustainability organizations, now offers organic certification for products sold in Mexico via its subsidiary Agricert MX. This is in response to the Mexican Organic Products Regulation (LPO), which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

The service meets the needs of food manufacturers who currently sell products with a USDA NOP certification in Mexico.

FoodChain ID

"The Mexican Secretariat recently announced a mandatory compliance requirement equivalency for organic products sold in Mexico. The organic products regulation (LPO) requires that all products imported into and sold in Mexico must be certified by an organic agency accredited under the LPO by the Mexican government," said Nate Ensrud, general manager of FoodChain ID.

As of Jan. 1, 2022, all organic products imported to and destined to be sold in Mexico must be certified by a SADER/SENASICA approved certification body. Foodchain ID's subsidiary Agricert MX is among a handful of approved certifiers in Mexico.

To help facilitate the process for U.S. companies seeking Mexican Organic Certification, FoodChain ID is offering an educational webinar on Sept. 9, 2021 at 2 p.m. EST. Webinar registration is open at https://www.foodchainid.com/lpo-web-2109/.

FoodChain ID's services offer clients across the entire food supply chain higher levels of transparency, safety and sustainability. A certification pioneer for 33 years, FoodChain ID is a global leader in organic certification, with its Bioagricert division having certified over 1,000 operators under USDA NOP and over 13,000 operators in Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

Widely recognized for its Non-GMO Project Verification and USDA organic and vegan/plant-based certification services, many of FoodChain ID's clients find significant value in consolidating their certifications, saving both time and money.

"Obtaining and maintaining organic program certification can feel like a full-time commitment," said Mark Dabroski, senior vice president, commercial services. "Add in the idea of managing multiple certification programs - with their overlapping documentation requirements - and the stress level goes up while speed and efficiency go down.

Foodchain ID's SupplyTrak software - the leading compliance and supply chain solution for certification - goes far beyond an electronic paper trail. SupplyTrak enables users to share data from all organic and Non-GMO Certifications for streamlined efficiency, up-to-the-minute status, overall visibility, and reduced cost.

About FoodChain ID

Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, FoodChain ID has a global presence and provides technology-enabled food safety, quality, and sustainability solutions that address challenges and opportunities in the rapidly evolving food industry. Serving more than 30,000 customers in over 100 countries with a market-leading portfolio of testing, inspection, certification, and compliance solutions, FoodChain ID helps companies navigate the increasingly regulated global food economy with greater levels of transparency, accountability, safety, and sustainability. A pioneer of the GMO food identification industry, the company's services now include clean labels, food safety, sustainability claims; food safety certifications; regulatory compliance solutions; and testing. FoodChain ID is a portfolio company of Berkshire Partners.

CONTACT: Ann Willets/(908)433-7821/[email protected]

Related Images

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SOURCE FoodChain ID
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Students in Georgia and California will each have an opportunity this week to hear from astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The Earth-to-space calls will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency's website.

On Monday, Aug. 30, NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide will answer prerecorded video questions from students at The Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia, beginning at 10 a.m. EDT. The Lovett School is a K-12 independent school that counts Kimbrough among its alumni. Students from Breakthrough Atlanta, a study-skills initiative for underserved students in Metro Atlanta at Lovett, will also participate in the event.

The event will be held virtually. Media interested in more information about Lovett, the questions submitted to astronauts, or other details should contact Janie Beck at 404-262-3032 x1334 or [email protected].

On Tuesday, Aug. 31, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet will answer prerecorded video questions from students of the William S. Hart Union High School District in Santa Clarita, California, beginning at 1:25 p.m. The downlink is facilitated by the La Mesa Junior High School, with an overarching educational theme of "Your future will be out of this world!"

The event will be held virtually. An in-person celebration will be held at La Mesa Junior High School to coincide with the live downlink. Media interested in in more information about LaMesa, the questions submitted to astronauts, or other details of the event should contact Dave Caldwell at 661-312-2590 or [email protected].

Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student learning, performance, and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Astronauts living in space on the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through the Space Network's Tracking and Data Relay Satellites.

For more than 20 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked on the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Through Artemis, NASA will return astronauts to the Moon, with eventual human exploration of Mars. Inspiring the next generation of explorers  the Artemis Generation  ensures America will continue to lead in space exploration and discovery.

Follow NASA astronauts on social media at:

https://www.twitter.com/NASA_astronauts

See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


DUBLIN, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cervical Cancer Diagnostics Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Growth and Change to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global cervical cancer diagnostics market is expected to grow from $7.227 billion in 2020 to $7.663 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6%. The market is expected to reach $9.687 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 6%.



Major players in the cervical cancer diagnostics market are Abbott Laboratories, Becton, Dickinson and Co., Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Hologic Inc., QIAGEN NV, Quest Diagnostics Inc., Siemens Healthineers AG, Zilico, and Guided Therapeutics.



The cervical cancer diagnostics market consists of sales of cervical cancer diagnostic devices and related services by entities (organizations, sole traders and partnerships) that produce cervical cancer diagnostics devices. Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that occurs in cells of the cervix. These devices are used for the diagnosis of cervical cancer.



The increased adoption of HPV home testing kits is expected to be the new trend in the market. The home-based HPV testing kits help women in collecting samples and getting the results conveniently on their own without going to the lab for screening. Therefore, companies are focusing on providing convenience to patients.



The rising adoption of cervical cancer diagnostic tests for the early detection of cervical cancer is expected to drive the market for cervical cancer diagnostics. Increasing awareness among women about cervical cancer along with the emphasis by worldwide cancer organizations and governments on early testing for detecting cervical cancer and preventing it contributes to the growth of the market. The rising adoption of cervical cancer diagnostic tests and emphasis on early diagnosis propels the market.



The increased use of HPV vaccination is anticipated to hinder the cervical cancer diagnostics market. According to the World Health Organization, the 2 HPV types (16 and 18) cause 70% of cervical cancers and pre-cancerous cervical lesions, thereby giving human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is effectively reducing the numbers of cervical pre-cancerous lesions that may develop into cervical cancers. The increased use of HPV vaccination is predicted to hinder the cervical cancer diagnostics market.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Cervical Cancer Diagnostics Market Characteristics



3. Cervical Cancer Diagnostics Market Trends and Strategies



4. Impact of COVID-19 on Cervical Cancer Diagnostics



5. Cervical Cancer Diagnostics Market Size and Growth

5.1. Global Cervical Cancer Diagnostics Historic Market, 2015-2020, $ Billion

5.1.1. Drivers of the Market

5.1.2. Restraints on The Market

5.2. Global Cervical Cancer Diagnostics Forecast Market, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

5.2.1. Drivers of the Market

5.2.2. Restraints on the Market



6. Cervical Cancer Diagnostics Market Segmentation

6.1. Global Cervical Cancer Diagnostics Market, Segmentation By Diagnostic Test, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

Pap Smear Test

HPV Test

Colposcopy

Biopsy and Endocervical Curettage

Other Diagnostic Tests

6.2. Global Cervical Cancer Diagnostics Market, Segmentation By End User, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

Hospitals

Specialty Clinics

Cancer and Radiation Therapy Centres

Diagnostic Centres

6.3. Global Cervical Cancer Diagnostics Market, Segmentation By Age Group, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

Below 21

Age between 21 to 29

Age between 30 to 65

Above 65

7. Cervical Cancer Diagnostics Market Regional and Country Analysis

7.1. Global Cervical Cancer Diagnostics Market, Split By Region, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

7.2. Global Cervical Cancer Diagnostics Market, Split By Country, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion



Companies Mentioned

Abbott Laboratories

Becton

Dickinson and Co.

Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc.

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

Hologic Inc.

QIAGEN NV

Quest Diagnostics Inc.

Siemens Healthineers AG

Zilico

Guided Therapeutics

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/pj0yhm

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

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DUBLIN, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market Research Report by Product, by Application, by Region - Global Forecast to 2026 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market size was estimated at USD 128.59 Billion in 2020 and expected to reach USD 143.76 Billion in 2021, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) 12.13% to reach USD 255.62 Billion by 2026.



Market Statistics:

The report provides market sizing and forecast across five major currencies - USD, EUR GBP, JPY, and AUD. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2018 and 2019 are considered historical years, 2020 as the base year, 2021 as the estimated year, and years from 2022 to 2026 are considered the forecast period.

Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Market Share Analysis:

The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market, including Abundant Solar Energy Inc., Adani Group, Akuo Energy SAS, ALSA Solar System LLC, Bechtel Corporation, BELECTRIC GmbH, Canadian Solar Inc., Citizen Solar, Conergy Inc., Enerparc AG, Enviromena Power Systems LLC, Farella Braun + Martel LLP, First Solar, Inc., GreenSpark, Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd, Hild Energy Private Limited, juwi AG, Kaval Power Private Limited, Plethora Power Pvt. Ltd, Saur Energy, Sterling and Wilson Pvt. Ltd., STRATA SOLAR, LLC, SunPower Corporation, Swinerton Builders, Inc., TBEA Co., Ltd., Topsun Co., Ltd, Trina Solar Limited, and Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:



1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments



The report answers questions such as:



1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market?

6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market?

7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market?



Key Topics Covered:



1. Preface



2. Research Methodology

3. Executive Summary



4. Market Overview

4.1. Introduction

4.2. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19



5. Market Insights

5.1. Market Dynamics

5.1.1. Drivers

5.1.1.1. Growing environmental concerns along with strict regulatory mandates

5.1.1.2. Restructuring & refurbishment of existing electrical infrastructure

5.1.1.3. Decrease in price of photovoltaic modules for a solar construction

5.1.2. Restraints

5.1.2.1. Conversion efficacy of PV system technology

5.1.2.2. Fluctuation in exchange rates puts pressure

5.1.3. Opportunities

5.1.3.1. Rising government support and encouragement in the emerging countries

5.1.3.2. Value-added services provided by a solar EPC

5.1.4. Challenges

5.1.4.1. Issues related to land acquisition, engineering, supply chain, site operations, and liaising

5.2. Porters Five Forces Analysis

5.2.1. Threat of New Entrants

5.2.2. Threat of Substitutes

5.2.3. Bargaining Power of Customers

5.2.4. Bargaining Power of Suppliers

5.2.5. Industry Rivalry



6. Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market, by Product

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Ground Mounted

6.3. Rooftop



7. Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market, by Technology

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Concentrated Solar Power

7.3. Photovoltaic



8. Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market, by Application

8.1. Introduction

8.2. Commercial

8.3. Industrial

8.4. Residential

8.5. Utility



9. Americas Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market

9.1. Introduction

9.2. Argentina

9.3. Brazil

9.4. Canada

9.5. Mexico

9.6. United States



10. Asia-Pacific Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market

10.1. Introduction

10.2. Australia

10.3. China

10.4. India

10.5. Indonesia

10.6. Japan

10.7. Malaysia

10.8. Philippines

10.9. Singapore

10.10. South Korea

10.11. Thailand



11. Europe, Middle East & Africa Solar Engineering, Procurement & Construction Market

11.1. Introduction

11.2. France

11.3. Germany

11.4. Italy

11.5. Netherlands

11.6. Qatar

11.7. Russia

11.8. Saudi Arabia

11.9. South Africa

11.10. Spain

11.11. United Arab Emirates

11.12. United Kingdom



12. Competitive Landscape

12.1. FPNV Positioning Matrix

12.1.1. Quadrants

12.1.2. Business Strategy

12.1.3. Product Satisfaction

12.2. Market Ranking Analysis

12.3. Market Share Analysis, By Key Player

12.4. Competitive Scenario

12.4.1. Merger & Acquisition

12.4.2. Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership

12.4.3. New Product Launch & Enhancement

12.4.4. Investment & Funding

12.4.5. Award, Recognition, & Expansion



13. Company Usability Profiles

13.1. Abundant Solar Energy Inc.

13.2. Adani Group

13.3. Akuo Energy SAS

13.4. ALSA Solar System LLC

13.5. Bechtel Corporation

13.6. BELECTRIC GmbH

13.7. Canadian Solar Inc.

13.8. Citizen Solar

13.9. Conergy Inc.

13.10. Enerparc AG

13.11. Enviromena Power Systems LLC

13.12. Farella Braun + Martel LLP

13.13. First Solar, Inc.

13.14. GreenSpark

13.15. Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd

13.16. Hild Energy Private Limited

13.17. juwi AG

13.18. Kaval Power Private Limited

13.19. Plethora Power Pvt. Ltd

13.20. Saur Energy

13.21. Sterling and Wilson Pvt. Ltd.

13.22. STRATA SOLAR, LLC

13.23. SunPower Corporation

13.24. Swinerton Builders, Inc.

13.25. TBEA Co., Ltd.

13.26. Topsun Co., Ltd

13.27. Trina Solar Limited

13.28. Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd.



14. Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/loyvfj

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

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"We cannot wait to introduce these girls to all the potential career opportunities in aviation and enjoy a great day learning about airplanes," says Jessie Naor, Chief Operating Officer at Grandview Aviation. Registered guests will receive a complimentary GIAD2021 Backpack Kit, a display and photo opportunity with a Phenom 300 private jet and Sikorsky 76D executive helicopter, multiple activity stations including a "Meet a Pilot" booth, and interactive learning activities like paper airplane races.

"Since WAI's first annual international Girls in Aviation Day in 2015, the annual WAI event has grown every year since its first gathering of 32 events and 3,200 participants. In 2019, GIAD met more than 20,000 attendees participating in 119 events in 18 countries. In 2020, WAI launched the Aviation for Girls App, and thousands of girls from nearly 60 countries participated throughout the year." (WAI)

Event attendance will be capped to ensure social distancing, and tickets are required. Complimentary tickets can be reserved here: EventBrite Registration.

About GrandView Aviation

GrandView Aviation operates a fleet of Phenom 300 private charter jets and helicopters giving access to departure points across the United States from the company's bases in Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Atlanta, Austin, Phoenix, and Denver. GrandView Aviation is a FAA Part 135 certificated aircraft operator & carries the elite Wyvern Wingman safety rating. For more information about GrandView Aviation, please visit www.flygv.com .

About Women in Aviation International:

Women in Aviation International is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing networking, mentoring and scholarship opportunities for women and men who are striving for challenging and fulfilling careers in the aviation and aerospace industries. www.wai.org

SOURCE GrandView Aviation

Related Links

flygv.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hazel Health, the national leader in school-based telehealth, today announced the addition of Dr. Travis Gayles as Chief Health Officer, Andrew Post as Chief Innovation Officer, and the promotion of Jeannie Chen to Chief Clinical Operations Officer, furthering the company's commitment to transforming access to quality healthcare for all.

Dr. Travis Gayles and Andrew Post join Jeannie Chen and the Hazel Health team at a momentous time for the company amid exponential growth and increased customer need. Hazel has increased the number of partner schools 25x over the last year and continues to expand its reach. As the country continues to battle a public health crisis with COVID-19 and an alarming rise in pediatric mental health cases, expert leadership across the organization is paramount to continue meeting growth demands.

Prior to joining Hazel Health, Dr. Gayles served as the Health Officer and Chief of Public Health Services for Montgomery County, Maryland, where he oversaw the county health system and was integral in leading the COVID-19 pandemic response. Prior to this, Dr. Gayles was the Chief Medical Officer of the District of Columbia Department of Health. Dr. Gayles brings significant pediatric clinical experience, having worked as a primary care provider and a pediatric hospitalist in community-based settings. Dr. Gayles has also been a published researcher on topics such as the impact of exposure to bullying and interpersonal violence on adolescent risk-taking behavior. He received his BA in Public Policy and African American Studies from Duke University, his Ph.D in Community Health and his MD from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Gayles holds faculty appointments at NYU, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland.

"At no time in any of our lives has access to meaningful health services been more important for children," said Gayles. "Hazel Health has established itself as the leader in providing telehealth services to children across the country. This platform has enormous potential to change the way pediatric physical and mental health care is delivered and close the significant gaps that remain in access to care for children. I am excited to join the team to continue the tremendous growth and inspire even more innovation."

Andrew Post recently joined Hazel Health as Chief Innovation Officer, where he helped launch Hazel's integrated physical and mental health service offering. In this new role, Post will both grow Hazel's partnerships with school districts and work with health plans to develop and implement innovative care delivery models. Prior to Hazel, Post served as Chief Innovation Officer of Invo Healthcare, overseeing his brainchild, the Invo Multidisciplinary Program to Address Childhood Trauma (IMPACT), complex school district and agency initiatives, and the company's value based care initiatives for their applied behavior analysis (ABA) business. IMPACT was successful at infusing ABA into a mental health delivery system that helped to mitigate and eradicate the effects of childhood trauma, or Adverse Childhood Experiences, in thousands of youth nationwide. Prior to joining Invo, Andrew served as a classroom teacher and school site administrator in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, an Assistant Superintendent in Duval County Public Schools, and as the President of Catapult Academy.

"Having served previously as a district administrator, I empathize with the school districts' need, and desire, to further address student wellness at a time when the challenges are both wider and deeper than they have ever been. The volume of students with physical and/or mental health needs has exceeded the capacity available through traditional interventions, and requires innovation, and where possible, trusted partnerships, that can expand that clinical capacity and access to coordinated care; and we at Hazel are uniquely positioned to be that trusted partner," said Post.

In addition to external hires, Hazel has promoted Jeannie Chen to Chief Clinical Operations Officer. In her new role, Chen provides leadership to the clinical and corporate teams at Hazel. She is responsible for the operationalization of Hazel's health programs to improve health equity by ensuring families, communities and providers are coordinating care. Chen brings deep knowledge to her post from holding multiple roles throughout the organization since its inception, including account management and implementation. Chen has nearly two decades of executive-level healthcare strategy experience in both delivery and clinical quality capacities, and is a passionate advocate for mental health and making interventions early in a child's life. She received her undergraduate degree from Duke University (with honors) and her MBA from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.

Josh Golomb, CEO, "We are thrilled to have these three individuals joining the leadership of Hazel Health. Each has dedicated their career to improving the health and well-being of young people from a different perspective. Each has made increasing health equity and building community capacity cornerstones of their career. They will help us ensure that all young people are seen, heard and cared for."

About Hazel Health:

Hazel Health is committed to eliminating barriers to quality healthcare for children. As the national leader in delivering pediatric telehealth care, Hazel Health partners with school districts across the U.S. and currently serves almost 2 million children. Hazel's team of experienced pediatricians, therapists, educators, and best-in-class engineers are passionate about ensuring all children receive the best care in school or at home. Hazel is based in San Francisco, California. For more information, please visit http://www.hazel.co .

SOURCE Hazel Health

Related Links

http://www.hazel.co


The event advocates practicing on a competitive basis and facilitating progress through competitions. The i-VISTA Grand Challenge is held not only to display the new technologies and new achievements, but also to find solutions to the key issues that currently constrain the development of this industry by pooling resources from all parties. On the scene of the award ceremony, Jiang Xueqian, second-level inspector of Chongqing Economic and Information Technology Commission, said, "Since recent years, the intelligent auto industry has been in the ascendant, but it is also facing many policy barriers, quite a few technical bottlenecks, and product application limitations. Therefore, adequate testing and verification are a must for the commercialization of self-driving technology. Chongqing's complex and diverse road scenes provide the perfect conditions for self-driving vehicle testing and competitions. Therefore, she firmly believes that the i-VISTA Grand Challenge will get better.

The main venue of this session of the competition was moved to Chongqing Liangjiang Collaborative Innovation Zone. The advanced hardware facilities and complete supporting services there ensured the successful holding of the event. Li Jie, Deputy Director of Liangjiang New Area Administrative Committee, attended the award ceremony and said, "In this year's competition, the performance of Chinese auto brands is eye-catching, especially the representatives of Chongqing's intelligent manufacturing  Changan Automobile and Jinkang Seres, with excellent results in several competitions. It also verifies that sci-tech innovation is driving national brands and that intelligence will become the breakthrough point for China's auto industry to grow."

Intelligent driving will create a better future. Although this year's competition has ended, the exploration of intelligent vehicles and smart transport will continue. Everyone is looking forward to the i-VISTA Grand Challenge next year!

SOURCE iChongqing

Related Links

www.chinaforgingtooldesign.com


"We're seeing a lot of displaced families who are stranded far from home and unsure of what they are returning to once they get back," Sohail said. "So, we're providing food staples, basic hygiene supplies, cash assistance and bus transportation to help them get back on their feet."

Wafa Parwana, a director with the Education and Occupation Coalition, said the situation is dire for Afghan families who fled the fighting, explaining that "children are baked by the sun during the day and eaten by mosquitoes throughout the night."

A donation of $180 will provide one family with the total emergency aid package of food staples, hygiene supplies, cash assistance and bus transportation. Donors can also fund different parts of the aid package as follows:

$50 for bus transportation

for bus transportation $60 for cash assistance for basic necessities lost during the unrest

for cash assistance for basic necessities lost during the unrest $70 for up to a month's worth of food staples and basic hygiene supplies

However, donors can give any amount to the Baitulmaal Afghanistan Aid and all funds collected will be used to provide emergency aid packages to displaced Afghan families. People interested in helping can contribute at https://baitulmaal.org/donate.

The Education and Occupation Coalition is a humanitarian organization established to assist in the development of sustainable, grassroots programs that provide education services and income-generating projects in Afghanistan.

Baitulmaal is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides lifesaving, life-sustaining and life-enriching aid to people in need around the world. With headquarters in Dallas, Texas, the charity has offices in: Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Nairobi, Kenya; Mogadishu, Somalia; Amman and Al Ramtha, Jordan; and Karachi, Pakistan.

Click here to watch Elizabeth Sohail of Baitulmaal speak with Wafa Parwana of the Education and Occupation Coalition about their joint emergency humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan.

Media Contact:

John M. Janney, APR

[email protected]

(972) 823-0136

Faces in photo blurred to protect the identities of beneficiaries.

SOURCE Baitulmaal, Inc.

Related Links

https://baitulmaal.org


PITTSBURGH, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "While observing the back of UTVs we discussed ways to modify and enhance them," said inventors from Eagle Mountain, Utah. "This inspired us to develop LED taillights that could display illuminated figures and messages."

They developed the patent-pending ADDICTED DESIGNS TAILLIGHTS that display an attractive appearance and interesting design as they feature figures, names and symbols. The adjustability of the design would allow the owner to display his outlook while eliminating dull and utilitarian taillights. Additionally, this easily installed invention could be adaptable to different UTVs.

The original design was submitted to the Salt Lake City sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 19-STU-2426, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

Related Links

http://www.inventhelp.com


SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Invest Puerto Rico (InvestPR) continues to make significant progress in its mission to attract capital investment to the Island. The economic development organization launched Impeller, your hub for investment opportunities in Puerto Rico, a proprietary online destination that provides a growing list of business opportunities for issuers and companies looking to access on- and off-Island investment deals. The resource eases the flow of capital via a valuable tool with the momentum to greatly impact Puerto Rico's economic transformation.

"Impeller is an undertaking of significant value to individuals and companies looking to do business in Puerto Rico. Historically, it has been challenging from a business perspective for off-Island investors and companies in Puerto Rico to identify value-added partnerships and strategic opportunities for investment. Impeller helps bridge this gap with access to user-friendly technology and business intelligence. A large part of our work is to enable connections that lead to investment, and this new tool achieves that," said Rodrick Miller, CEO of Invest Puerto Rico.

From the investor perspective, Impeller provides a wide-ranging list of investment deals seeking recapitalization and economic growth for the benefit of the Island. Opportunity sectors available on Impeller run the spectrum from healthcare and tech to clean energy, visitor economies and commercial real estate. The tool's intuitive interface can provide a wealth of information about issuers, including financials, company background, executive leadership, performance, needs, and more.

From the issuer perspective, Impeller helps companies increase awareness of their operational footprint among credible investors looking to close capital investment transactions in Puerto Rico.

Miller noted that, "With the ability to surpass the boundaries of traditional outbound and inbound deal sourcing and marketing, investors and issuers are better able to connect at scale, better leveraging opportunities with the most relevant industry pairing."

Impeller is now available at the Invest Puerto Rico website: https://www.investpr.org/impeller, and impeller.investpr.org

About INVEST PUERTO RICO

Invest Puerto Rico is the economic development organization created by law with the purpose of promoting Puerto Rico abroad as a competitive jurisdiction for investment, focused on attracting new businesses and capital to foster economic growth on the Island. Our vision is to be an entity focused on results, that accelerates Puerto Rico's transformation and generates more and better jobs on the island.

Contacts: Carolyn Artman, Mort Crim Communications (MCCI) for Invest Puerto Rico, [email protected], 313.269.4729

Jennifer Conde, Invest Puerto Rico, [email protected], 646.221.2085

SOURCE Invest Puerto Rico
"Jeff demonstrated the true spirit of a leader in the height of the pandemic," said Katie Cullen, chief strategy and innovation officer for Wipfli Financial, who nominated Pierce. "He worked tirelessly, and with great heart, to connect with our associates and bolster their confidence in a time of great disruption."

Pierce had personal conversations with roughly 100 employees, reaching every member of the Wipfli Financial team. Additional touchpoints included virtual coffee chats and monthly town halls that continue today.

Despite the challenging year, he championed new firm benefits, including expanded family leave (including paternity leave) and a shift to flexible paid time off, including mechanisms to ensure employees actually take time away.

Wipfli Financial did not reduce staff or pay as a response to the pandemic. Rather, the firm continued to grow, opening new Wipfli Financial offices in Denver, Colorado, and Boseman, Montana.

About Wipfli Financial Advisors

Wipfli Financial Advisors (Wipfli Financial) works with individuals, families and businesses to help them navigate their financial future with confidence. In collaboration with its affiliate and majority owner, Wipfli LLP (Wipfli), one of the nation's leading accounting and consulting firms, Wipfli Financial offers full-spectrum advice that integrates clients' financial, tax, insurance and investment needs into a cohesive, long-term plan.

To be eligible for ThinkAdvisor's Luminaries Award, leaders must have demonstrated achievements in diversity and inclusion, thought leadership, executive leadership or dealmaking/growth. Wipfli Financial did not pay for Mr. Pierce to be considered. For the full ranking, please see ThinkAdvisor's Luminaries Class of 2021. The award discussed herein is not indicative of future performance or representative of any client experience (positive or negative) with Wipfli Financial.

Wipfli Financial Advisors, LLC ("Wipfli Financial") is an investment advisor registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); however, such registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training and no inference to the contrary should be made. Wipfli Financial is a proud affiliate of Wipfli LLP, a national accounting and consulting firm. Information pertaining to Wipfli Financial's management, operations, services, fees and conflicts of interest is set forth in Wipfli Financial's current Form ADV Part 2A brochure and Form CRS, copies of which are available from Wipfli Financial upon request at no cost or at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Wipfli Financial does not provide tax, accounting or legal services.

Media inquiries:

Teresa Schmedding, Public Relations Manager

Phone: 312.341.0100

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Wipfli Financial Advisors

Related Links

http://www.wipfli.com


NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) (the Company) today announced data supporting the use of its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster shot for people previously vaccinated with the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

In July, the Company reported interim Phase 1/2a data published in the New England Journal of Medicine that demonstrated neutralizing antibody responses generated by the Johnson & Johnson single-shot COVID-19 vaccine were strong and stable through eight months after immunization.

In anticipation of the potential need for boosters, the Company conducted two Phase 1/2a studies in individuals previously vaccinated with its single-shot vaccine. New interim data from these studies demonstrate that a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine generated a rapid and robust increase in spike-binding antibodies, nine-fold higher than 28 days after the primary single-dose vaccination. Significant increases in binding antibody responses were observed in participants between ages 18 and 55, and in those 65 years and older who received a lower booster dose. The study summaries were submitted to medRxiv on August 24.

"We have established that a single shot of our COVID-19 vaccine generates strong and robust immune responses that are durable and persistent through eight months. With these new data, we also see that a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine further increases antibody responses among study participants who had previously received our vaccine," said Mathai Mammen, M.D., Ph.D., Global Head, Janssen Research & Development, Johnson & Johnson. "We look forward to discussing with public health officials a potential strategy for our Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, boosting eight months or longer after the primary single-dose vaccination."

The Company is engaging with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), European Medicines Agency (EMA) and other health authorities regarding boosting with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Johnson & Johnson continues to diligently generate and evaluate data from ongoing trials as well as emerging real-world evidence.

The Phase 1/2a clinical trials (VAC31518COV1001 and VAC31518COV2001) have been funded in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), under other transaction authority ("OTA") agreement No. HHSO100201700018C.

For more information on the Company's multi-pronged approach to helping combat the pandemic, visit: www.jnj.com/covid-19.

Authorized Use

The Janssen COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for use in the U.S. under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for active immunization to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 18 years of age and older.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WHAT SHOULD YOU MENTION TO YOUR VACCINATION PROVIDER BEFORE YOU GET THE JANSSEN COVID-19 VACCINE?

Tell the vaccination provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

have any allergies

have a fever

have a bleeding disorder or are on a blood thinner

are immunocompromised or are on a medicine that affects your immune system

are pregnant or plan to become pregnant

are breastfeeding

have received another COVID-19 vaccine

WHO SHOULD NOT GET THE JANSSEN COVID-19 VACCINE?

You should not get the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine if you:

had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient of this vaccine.

HOW IS THE JANSSEN COVID-19 VACCINE GIVEN?

The Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine will be given to you as an injection into the muscle. The Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine vaccination schedule is a single dose.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF THE JANSSEN COVID-19 VACCINE?

Side effects that have been reported with the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine include:

Injection site reactions: pain, redness of the skin, and swelling.

General side effects: headache, feeling very tired, muscle aches, nausea, fever.

Severe Allergic Reactions

There is a remote chance that the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine could cause a severe allergic reaction. A severe allergic reaction would usually occur within a few minutes to one hour after getting a dose of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. For this reason, your vaccination provider may ask you to stay at the place where you received your vaccine for monitoring after vaccination. Signs of a severe allergic reaction can include:

Difficulty breathing

Swelling of your face and throat

A fast heartbeat

A bad rash all over your body

Dizziness and weakness

Blood Clots with Low Levels of Platelets

Blood clots involving blood vessels in the brain, lungs, abdomen, and legs along with low levels of platelets (blood cells that help your body stop bleeding), have occurred in some people who have received the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. In people who developed these blood clots and low levels of platelets, symptoms began approximately one to two-weeks following vaccination. Reporting of these blood clots and low levels of platelets has been highest in females ages 18 through 49 years. The chance of having this occur is remote. You should seek medical attention right away if you have any of the following symptoms after receiving Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine:

Shortness of breath,

Chest pain,

Leg swelling,

Persistent abdominal pain,

Severe or persistent headaches or blurred vision,

Easy bruising or tiny blood spots under the skin beyond the site of the injection.

These may not be all the possible side effects of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. Serious and unexpected effects may occur. The Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine is still being studied in clinical trials.

Guillain Barre Syndrome

Guillain Barre syndrome (a neurological disorder in which the body's immune system damages nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis) has occurred in some people who have received the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. In most of these people, symptoms began within 42 days following receipt of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. The chance of having this occur is very low. You should seek medical attention right away if you develop any of the following symptoms after receiving the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine:

Weakness or tingling sensations, especially in the legs or arms, that's worsening and spreading to other parts of the body

Difficulty walking

Difficulty with facial movements, including speaking, chewing, or swallowing

Double vision or inability to move eyes

Difficulty with bladder control or bowel function

WHAT SHOULD I DO ABOUT SIDE EFFECTS?

If you experience a severe allergic reaction, call 9-1-1, or go to the nearest hospital.

Call the vaccination provider or your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.

Report vaccine side effects to FDA/CDC Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). The VAERS toll-free number is 1-800-822-7967 or report online to https://vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.html. Please include "Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine EUA" in the first line of box #18 of the report form. In addition, you can report side effects to Janssen Biotech Inc. at 1-800-565-4008.

Please read Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine (Vaccination Providers) including full EUA Prescribing Information available at www.JanssenCOVID19Vaccine.com/EUA-factsheet

About Johnson & Johnson

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe good health is the foundation of vibrant lives, thriving communities and forward progress. That's why for more than 130 years, we have aimed to keep people well at every age and every stage of life. Today, as the world's largest and most broadly-based healthcare company, we are committed to using our reach and size for good. We strive to improve access and affordability, create healthier communities, and put a healthy mind, body and environment within reach of everyone, everywhere. We are blending our heart, science and ingenuity to profoundly change the trajectory of health for humanity. Learn more at www.jnj.com. Follow us at @JNJNews.

About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson

At Janssen, we're creating a future where disease is a thing of the past. We're the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, working tirelessly to make that future a reality for patients everywhere by fighting sickness with science, improving access with ingenuity, and healing hopelessness with heart. We focus on areas of medicine where we can make the biggest difference: Cardiovascular & Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases & Vaccines, Neuroscience, Oncology, and Pulmonary Hypertension. Learn more at www.janssen.com. Follow us at @JanssenGlobal.

Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding development of a potential preventive vaccine for COVID-19. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: challenges and uncertainties inherent in product research and development, including the uncertainty of clinical success and of obtaining regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; manufacturing difficulties and delays; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges to patents; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of health care products and services; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2021, including in the sections captioned "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Item 1A. Risk Factors," and in the company's most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. None of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.

SOURCE Johnson & Johnson

Related Links

www.jnj.com


ATLANTA, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

What: Fearless Venture Capital Week is Sponsored by Steve Madden and JP Morgan Chase & Company. It is an initiative offered both in-person and virtually via live stream featuring over 50 expert speakers, grant initiatives, giveaways, pitch competitions and more. The week will offer programming and sessions tailored to building financial literacy within the following demographics: Kids, Teens, HBCU Collegiates, Women Entrepreneurs, Women Investors and Families. Fearless Venture Capital Week is a full day of opportunities!

Who: Women of Color-Led Venture Capital Firm Fearless Fund the first VC fund build by women of color, for women of color. Steve Madden, JP Morgan Chase & Company,

When: Wednesday, August 25, 2021, 10:00 a.m.

Where: Clark Atlanta University

Davage Auditorium

223 James P. Brawley Drive

Atlanta, GA 30314

Details: A Fireside Chat with renowned fashion designer Steve Madden, a Fearless VC Week x Daring to Disrupt Dialogue Discussion hosted by media legend Katie Couric, and an HBCU Pitch Competition presented by DJ Envy of the iconic radio show The Breakfast Club. Fearless Venture Capital Week stops at Clark Atlanta University and will also offer networking activities for event participants.

MEDIA ADVISORY

Clark Atlanta University

UREECA | Communication Department

www.facebook.com/ClarkAtlantaUniversity/

Twitter: @cau

Instagram: @cau1988

SOURCE Clark Atlanta University

Related Links

www.cau.edu


CHICAGO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Keller Lenkner LLC Partners Zina Bash, Ashley Keller, Travis Lenkner, Seth Meyer, Warren Postman, Ben Whiting, and Jason Zweig have been honored as 2021 Lawdragon Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers. The list recognizes the best lawyers in the nation who represent plaintiffs in consumer, antitrust, data privacy, and complex financial litigation matters.

These Keller Lenkner partners are leaders in some of the country's most complex, high-stakes cases. Their most notable representations in the space include:

Zina Bash (Partner): In De Coster et al. v. Amazon.com Inc., serves as interim co-lead counsel on behalf of Amazon customers who paid inflated prices because of 'most favored nation' pricing restrictions imposed on third-party merchants. Also represents the plaintiff States in Texas v. Google and spearheads Keller Lenkner's Public Institutions practice.

Ashley Keller (Partner & Co-Founder): In Texas v. Google, represents six States alleging that Google monopolized products and services used by advertisers and publishers in online-display advertising.

Travis Lenkner (Managing Partner & Co-Founder): Helps lead the firm's resolution efforts in multi-party litigation, including securing results for more than 100,000 individual clients to date through its arbitration practice.

Seth Meyer (Partner): Represents the State of Arizona, 18 municipalities, and thousands of insurance ratepayers across 41 class actions in litigation related to the opioid crisis. Also represents plaintiffs in data breach actions throughout the United States.

Warren Postman (Partner): Leads Keller Lenkner's arbitration practiceincluding the firm's representation of more than 74,000 individuals who were recorded by Amazon through Alexa devices without consent. As a result of Postman's work, Amazon recently abandoned its arbitration clause altogether.

Ben Whiting (Partner): Leads the firm's representation of more than 125,000 customers who were deceived by Intuit into paying for tax-preparation services when they were eligible for a free version of Turbo Tax that was required by the IRS.

Jason Zweig (Partner): Has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors, including in In re LIBOR-Based Financial Instruments Antitrust Litigation, in which he is co-lead counsel representing a class of derivative instrument purchasers who purchased from certain non-defendant financial institutions.

"As society grows ever more complex, consumers rely on a robust plaintiffs' bar to police markets and pursue corporate wrongdoing," Lenkner said. "We are grateful to Lawdragon for recognizing our partners who work tirelessly every day to pursue these matters."

ABOUT KELLER LENKNER: Keller Lenkner LLC represents plaintiffs in complex litigation matters in federal and state courts throughout the nation. The firm acts for clients in many types of cases, including class and mass actions, arbitrations, and multi-district litigation matters. Its team includes four former law clerks at the Supreme Court of the United States and former partners and associates from the country's leading law firms. Since its founding in 2018, the firm has secured results for more than 100,000 clients.

SOURCE Keller Lenkner LLC

Related Links

http://www.kellerlenkner.com/


DOWNINGTOWN, Penn., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, known for its award-winning, hand crafted cheese steaks, turkey subs and more, is debuting a new location in Downingtown at 1086 E. Lancaster Ave. on Aug. 30. Capriotti's brings the Downingtown community its 40-year tradition of slow-roasting whole, all-natural turkeys in-house and hand-pulling them every morning and other favorites like the made-from-scratch meatballs using premium, fresh ingredients.

Capriotti's is known for its wide array of sandwiches including The Bobbie, made with our fresh oven-roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mayo, the Capastrami, made with hot pastrami, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and homemade coleslaw and the cheesesteak is made with premium steak, wagyu, chicken or Impossible plant-based meat. The Downingtown Capriotti's will offer a convenient order-ahead option, in addition to third-party delivery services. The new shop will bring 15 new jobs to the Downingtown community.

The Downingtown location is locally owned and operated by Heath Mitchem. After a career in business planning and strategy, Mitchem wanted to enter into the restaurant business to be a local fixture in the community. He tried Capriotti's and knew it would be the perfect way to make that dream a reality.

"I am so eager to bring the people of Downingtown the quality of Capriotti's amazing hoagies," said Mitchem. "I want this to be a place that provides residents with a consistently joyful experience that keeps them coming back. I can't wait to see it be a hit in the community."

Downingtown Capriotti's fans can download the CAPAddicts Rewards app on iOS and Android to earn and redeem rewards and score free food. The restaurant also features online ordering. Capriotti's in Downingtown offers catering for any event from corporate events to birthday parties with items such as party trays with cold subs, box lunches or a hot homemade meatball bar.

Capriotti's is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. For additional information, visit www.capriottis.com or call the location at 610-222-6655.

About Capriotti's Sandwich Shop

Founded in Wilmington, Del. in 1976, Capriotti's Sandwich Shop is an award-winning national franchised restaurant chain that remains true to its 40-year tradition of slow-roasting whole, all-natural turkeys in-house every day. Capriotti's fresh ingredients, homemade subs and unique menu items have won numerous accolades including being named one of the "10 Great Places for a Surprising Sandwich" by USA Today and many "Best of" awards across the country. Capriotti's cold, grilled and vegetarian subs, cheese steaks and salads are available at more than 100 locations across the U.S. Capriotti's signature sub, The Bobbie, was voted "The Greatest Sandwich in America" by thousands of readers across the country and reported by AOL.com. Capriotti's fans can also download the CAPAddicts Rewards app for iOS and Android, where they can earn and redeem rewards. For more information, visit capriottis.com. Like Capriotti's on Facebook, follow on Twitter or Instagram.

Media Contact: Jerome Schwich, Fishman PR | [email protected] | 847-945-1300

SOURCE Capriotti's Sandwich Shops
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Environmental and land use law firm The Sohagi Law Group announced today that its Managing Partner Margaret Sohagi has been selected, for the second time, by her peers for inclusion in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America and selected as the "Lawyer of the Year" for her work in land use and zoning law.

Sohagi's practice for more than 30 years has focused on assisting cities, counties and other public agencies navigate the legal complexities of land use, climate change, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Sohagi provides practical legal advice, working directly with lead agency counsel, staff and appointed elected officials. When necessary, she ardently defends lead agencies' land use approvals and environmental determinations in judicial proceedings, and frequently heads mediation teams in settlement discussions.

As a longstanding CEQA instructor for California's Continuing Judicial Studies Program, Sohagi has the unique opportunity to instruct Superior Court judges, appellate justices and court attorneys. Sohagi keeps public agencies informed about the latest legal developments and trends, frequently presenting at planning and legal conferences and teaching at UCLA and USC. She also contributes to publications such as the Solano Press book, Exactions and Impact Fees in California.

In 2020 the Los Angeles Business Journal recognized Sohagi as a Leader in Law nominee and in 2019 the National Law Journal named her to their 'Elite Boutique Trailblazers' list. Also in 2019, the International Municipal Lawyers Association awarded Sohagi its Amicus Service Award for her work on the City of Oakland's public art ordinance and her firm received the Los Angeles Daily Journal's Top Boutique status for its work in land use law.

Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on peer-review evaluation. The organization received more than 15 million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, more than 10.8 million votes were analyzed. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed.

About The Sohagi Law Group

The Sohagi Law Group handles complex transactional and litigation matters for public agencies, including cities, counties, townships, state agencies, special districts, commissions and authorities. Its attorneys draw upon their extensive expertise in all areas of environmental and land use law to advise clients navigate existing laws and regulations and keep them up to date on emerging environmental issues such as climate change and greenhouse gas regulation.

SOURCE The Sohagi Law Group

Related Links

https://sohagi.com/


According to Bloomberg NEF , 100% of the world's road fleet will need to run on electricity by the year 2050 to meet its Net Zero Scenario, requiring additional infrastructure to support the industry's transition. Through the agreement, Merchants Fleet clients will have access to Enel X's portfolio of turnkey fleet electrification solutions including JuiceBox smart charging stations and JuiceNet IoT software to manage electric fleets through optimized charging times, and remote access. By electrifying fleets, corporations reduce emissions and fleet operating costs, and help balance the grid by utilizing off-peak charging, which generates bill savings and reduces strain on the grid during peak periods.

"Every day, the Merchants Fleet team works to develop and improve upon the fleet electrification solutions we can offer to our clients  solutions that not only elevate their brands environmentally, but integrate the latest innovations to reduce costs," says Brendan P. Keegan, CEO of Merchants Fleet. "Bringing Enel X into our ecosystem expands the scale and capabilities of what we can offer to our clients, and supports us in our journey to over 50% electrification by 2030."

"Across the country, we're seeing enormous interest in EV adoption as businesses look to achieve corporate sustainability goals and get ahead of new or future regulations. Many of the world's largest companies are electrifying their fleets, and relying on our smart charging infrastructure and services to reduce costs and emissions," said Giovanni Bertolino, Head of e-Mobility, Enel X North America. "Our partnership with Merchants Fleet makes the transition to EVs more efficient and more cost effective for Merchants' clients."

The partnership with Merchants Fleet continues to expand Enel X's fleet electrification portfolio, including partnerships with Biogen, Uber, Vestas, Novartis and more. Enel X is also working with transit agencies, including the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to support the electrification of public bus fleets and Martha's Vineyard on a microgrid that will power an all-electric public transportation bus.

In early 2021, Merchants launched its innovative Adopt EV program, which is designed to help clients make a seamless and cost-effective entry into EVs. The tool educates and guides clients throughout the EV and EVSE purchase process from concept to execution. The addition of Enel X to the ecosystem will give Merchants Fleet clients access to specialized engineers and advisors who will help plan, provide, and install custom fit EVSE, enabling the adoption of infrastructure and services that align with their needs and electrification goals.

In 2020, Merchants Fleet set a goal to achieve 50% electrification of its mobility fleet portfolio by 2025, and 50% electrification of its managed fleet portfolio by 2030. Even before the first all-electric truck rolled off the production line, Merchants understood that infrastructure would emerge as the all-important factor for success within the industry. To optimize operations while achieving sustainability goals for all clients, Merchants has implemented an ecosystem approach to provide highly customized and innovative solutions to integrate EVs into its clients' fleets. Merchants continues to partner with companies that provide best-in-class solutions, including GM's new company, Bright Drop, MOTORQ, and more.

Enel, the parent company of Enel X, is committed to achieving complete decarbonization by 2050 and under the company's new 10-year vision plans triple its renewable capacity by 2030 to around 145 GW. Enel has outlined clear objectives certified by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) around occupational health, sustainable supply chain, governance structure and environmental management.

About Merchants Fleet

Merchants Fleet is the nation's fastest growing fleet management company, providing flexible funding and service options for organizations that leverage vehicles to run their operations, serving as a single source for all vehicle needs, including electric vehicles. From financing and charging to maintenance and remarketing, Merchants has collaborated with dozens of OEMs, charging, data and upfit partners to ensure every client is connected to the service, technology platforms, and products that will support their fleet in making the transition to EV. Merchants Fleet is headquartered in Hooksett, New Hampshire, and its Innovation Center is located in the Chicago, Illinois area. www.MerchantsFleet.com

About Enel X

Enel X is Enel Group's global business line offering services that accelerate innovation and drive the energy transition. A global leader in the advanced energy solution sector, Enel X manages services such as demand response for around 7.4 GW of total capacity at global level and 137 MW of storage capacity installed worldwide, as well as 232,000 electric vehicle charging ports made available around the globe1. Through its advanced solutions, including energy management, financial services and electric mobility, Enel X provides each partner with an intuitive, personalized ecosystem of tech platforms and consulting services, focusing on sustainability and circular economy principles in order to provide people, communities, institutions and companies with an alternative model that respects the environment and integrates technological innovation into daily life. Each solution has the power to turn decarbonization, electrification and digitalization goals into sustainable actions for everyone, in order to build a more sustainable and efficient world together.

1Public and private charging points. It includes interoperability points.

In North America, Enel X has around 4,500 business customers, spanning more than 35,000 sites and representing approximately $10.5B in energy spend under management. Enel X North America has approximately 4.7 GW of demand response capacity, over 70 battery storage projects that are operational and under contract, and more than 70,000 smart EV charging stations. Enel X advises large energy users on energy procurement, sustainability, and risk management, and has completed 65,000 energy procurement events including 3,000 MW of long-term renewable energy contracts. The company's intelligent DER Optimization Software is designed to analyze real-time energy and utility bill data, improve performance, and manage distributed energy assets across a number of different value streams and applications. JuiceNet, Enel X's smart EV charging platform, delivers energy services to utilities, businesses, drivers and automotive manufacturers.

Merchants Fleet Contact:

Leigh Harmon

646.389.1052

[email protected]

Communications Supervisor | Otto & Friends

Enel X North America Contact:

Krista Barnaby

978.965.0062

[email protected]

Head of Media | Enel North America

SOURCE Merchants Fleet

Related Links

http://www.MerchantsFleet.com


VIENNA, Va., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MicroHealth, LLC is among the nation's fastest-growing private companies in 2021. This is according to Inc. Magazine's prestigious list of 5,000 industry-driven companies, the Inc. 5000. MicroHealth, an IT Systems Development company, ranked 1,543 for its massive revenue growth from 185% in 2020 to 304% this year.

MicroHealth's Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Frank Tucker says the impressive growth and ranking improvement speaks to the company's commitment to uncompromised service quality. "It's a real honor to share the podium with so many accomplished businesses. It really is a reflection of our amazing staff who puts health back into health information technology."

MicroHealth is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned (SDVOSB) and SBA Certified 8(a) small disadvantaged business that provides in Health Information Technology Services for the United States Federal Government. Customers include Department of Defense (DOD), Department of State (DOS), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Department of Energy (DOE), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to name a few. MicroHealth specializes in Electronic Health Records; Telehealth; Medical Simulation; Health Standards & Interoperability; Health Research & Analytics; Health Policy & Planning; Privacy, Security, & HIPAA; Health Technology Development; Modernization & Maintenance; Health IT Operations & Infrastructure Management; and Health Record Management & Digitization. MicroHealth performs these services using certified techniques recognized by Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Development CMMI-Dev/3 and Services CMMI-Svc/3; ISO 20000-1:2018 (IT Service Management); ISO 27001:2013 (Information Security Management), and ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management).

Media Contact: Diwa Reyes, Marketing

[email protected]

SOURCE MicroHealth, LLC
BOCA RATON, Fla., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The FDA removed one more hurdle to launching new products in the U.S. when it gave full approval to the Pfizer/NioNTech vaccine.

"I talk to CEOs of health and wellness brands every day and they were waiting for this news," said Gould, founder and CEO of Nutritional Products International, a global brand management firm based in Boca Raton, Fl. "They are monitoring the ups and downs of COVID-19. They wanted FDA full approval because they know many Americans have been hesitant to get vaccinated."

Mitch Gould, Founder and CEO of NPI, is a third-generation retail distribution professional. Gould developed the "Evolution of Distribution" platform, which provides product manufacturers with the sales, marketing, and distribution expertise required to launch a product in the U.S. Gould, known as a global marketing guru, also has represented icons from the sports and entertainment worlds such as Steven Seagal, Hulk Hogan, Ronnie Coleman, Roberto Clemente Jr., Chuck Liddell, and Wayne Gretzky.

Gould said the CEOs are counting on several factors in the U.S. economy to propel their products to success:

The U.S. economy must remain open. Dr. Anthony Fauci , the country's top infectious disease authority, recently said he did not expect businesses to shut down again.

, the country's top infectious disease authority, recently said he did not expect businesses to shut down again. Pent-up consumer demand and government spending continue to fuel the economy.

FDA granting full approval for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which is likely to push more people to get vaccinated. A June Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that 3 out of 10 unvaccinated adults would be more likely to get vaccinated once a vaccine was fully-approved by the FDA.

"When making the final decision to launch products in this economy, international brands are weighing the pros and the cons," Gould said. "With full approval this week, the FDA removed a major roadblock from the equation."

Gould is a leading retail industry authority with more than three decades of experience working with all types of consumer goods. His company, NPI, which works with health and wellness brands, has been launching new products throughout the pandemic.

"We work with e-commerce sites, such as Amazon and Walmart, for our clients," Gould said. "We use a three-prong marketing strategy. In parallel, we build brand awareness, upload our clients' products onto premium e-commerce websites, and meet with retail buyers to get our clients into brick-and-mortar stores.

"NPI's retail team will participate next month at an ECRM event, which brings buyers from major retailers together with product manufacturers for private, one-on-one meetings," Gould added.

For more information, visit Nutritional Products International online.

Media Contact

Andrew Polin

561-421-3045

[email protected]

SOURCE Nutritional Products International
HONG KONG, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Beijing time, August 24, 2021, Ocumension Therapeutics announced that it has entered into a product acquisition agreement with a leading global pharmaceutical company Novartis, pursuant to which the Company will acquire all the equity interests in two ophthalmic drugs, Emadine (Emedastine Difumarate Eye Drops) and Betopic S (Betaxolol Hydrochloride Eye Drops), in Mainland China and obtain the transfer of the corresponding manufacturing technology. Ocumension's ophthalmic drug pipeline will be expanded to 20 products, with four products already commercialized and five products in phase III clinical trials worldwide, highlighting the value of its ophthalmic innovative drug platform. Through this transaction, Ocumension will also continue to strengthen its cooperation with Novartis in various aspects, such as manufacturing, sales and commercial promotion.

Emadine (Emedastine Difumarate Eye Drops) is a relatively selective H1 receptor antagonist indicated for the temporary relief of signs and symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis and is a commonly used drug in clinical treatment of allergic conjunctivitis; Betopic S (Betaxolol Hydrochloride Eye Drops) is a beta-adrenergic receptor blocker that is effective in reducing intraocular internal pressure and is used in the treatment of patients with chronic angular glaucoma and/or ocular hypertension. It can be used alone or in combination with other drugs that reduce intraocular pressure.

About Ocumension

Ocumension is a Chinese ophthalmic pharmaceutical platform company dedicated to identifying, developing and commercializing first-in-class or best-in-class ophthalmic therapies. The Company's vision is to provide world-class overall drug solutions to meet the enormous demand for ophthalmic medical care in China. We believe that our ophthalmic pharmaceutical platform with a clear first-mover advantage will enable us to achieve a leading position in the ophthalmic industry in China. Up to now, the Company has 20 types of drug assets in the immediate and posterior segments of the eye and has established a complete ophthalmic drug product pipeline, of which five products have entered phase III clinical trials and the NDA for our core product, OT-401 (fluorescence intravitreal implant), has been accepted by the CDE and is the first new drug in the history of registration in China to be declared for marketing based entirely on real-world research data. On July 10, 2020, Ocumension Therapeutics was listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, stock code: 01477.

About Novartis

Novartis is a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland. Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. As a leading global medicines company, it uses innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. The shares of Novartis are traded on the Swiss Stock Exchange under the stock code "NOVN" and on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "NVS". For more information about Novartis, see its website at https://www.novartis.com .

SOURCE OcuMension
AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ordoro (https://www.ordoro.com/), a global leader in eCommerce logistics and operations, announces the addition of Sendle, America's first 100% carbon neutral delivery service. Sendle, known for helping small eCommerce businesses thrive by making package delivery simple, reliable, and affordable, will provide low flat rates with no subscriptions to Ordoro's growing list of online merchants.

"We are very excited about our partnership with Sendle," said Jagath Narayan, CEO and Co-Founder, Ordoro. "Many of our customers are passionate about achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. While having affordable and reliable shipping options is a priority, they are equally concerned with recognizing their impact on the planet, thus placing sustainability and Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) at the center of their business. Ordoro customers understand that many individuals prefer to buy products and services from environmentally conscious retailers. Sendle is a perfect fit for Ordoro as a partner as they are designed specifically for small businesses, leveling the playing field, and making shipping a competitive advantage. Sendle is a great addition to the Ordoro platform."

As a Certified B Corp, Sendle empowers a world where what is good for business, is good for the world. As a pioneer in sustainable shipping, Sendle removes the barriers to starting and running a business so anyone can succeed while still considering the environment, economy, and society in their decision making.

"Like Sendle, Ordoro has been focused on leveraging technology to help small businesses run a seamless eCommerce operation, and to help them compete against the largest players," said Apurva Chiranewala, Chief Development Officer at Sendle. "This becomes more and more critical everyday, as small businesses continue to close down their shops and navigate the shift to online, many for the first time. We look forward to teaming up with Ordoro to pursue our shared vision of leveling the playing field and giving small businesses the tools they need to thrive."

About Ordoro

Since 2010, Ordoro has been dedicated to helping thousands of online merchants manage their ecommerce logistics and operations across all channels, all in one place. Ordoro is designed to be an easy solution to complex problems  streamlining order processing for small to medium-sized ecommerce merchants. Our goal is to help these growing merchants operate like large-scale corporations, but at a fraction of the cost. Learn more at https://www.ordoro.com/.

About Sendle

Sendle is the first shipping carrier specifically designed to serve the needs of small businesses in the eCommerce space. Sendle levels the playing field for small businesses by offering affordable, flat-rate shipping, with no hidden fees, subscriptions, or warehousing required. Merchants simply purchase a label and schedule a pickup from Sendle, and their package can be picked up from their front door. Sendle is the first 100% carbon neutral shipping carrier in the U.S. and Australia and is a Certified B-Corporation. The company was co-founded in Australia in 2015 by James Chin Moody and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington and Sydney, Australia. Learn more at https://www.sendle.com/.

Media Contact

Julia Angelen Joy, Interdependence Public Relations

[email protected]

208.996.9844

SOURCE Ordoro
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- One day after PeerSource celebrated their 10th anniversary, Inc. Magazine revealed that the Denver and Orlando based technology recruiting firm has been named to its annual list of Fastest-Growing Companies for the 5th consecutive year.

"The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people."

Co-Founder and CEO John Snellings echoed Omelianuk's thoughts. "I couldn't be more thankful for our internal PeerSource team, our client partners, and our Talent! Being in recruitment during one of the most unique and uncertain periods of American history was difficult. Our PeerSource team should be very proud as this is not only something that we survived, but a period in which we have ultimately thrived. I'm honored to be a small part of this great team."

While the PeerSource team continues growing their Inc. 5000 company, Snellings and his business partner John Smith are busy starting new recruiting companies that they believe to be future success stories. The partners are focusing their healthcare industry expansion through a partnership with national franchisor Nextaff. Already in 2021, they've opened Nextaff locations in Denver, Ft. Worth, Orlando, and Sarasota.

"America needs more entrepreneurs. One of our goals is to continue to identify, help fund, and mentor would be business owners as our equity partners at Nextaff. We feel that the combination of PeerSource and Nextaff will fuel hypergrowth over the next 10 years," said Snellings.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.

About

PeerSource is one of Colorado's largest technology recruitment firms. With teams in Denver and Orlando, the company offers clients nationwide a variety of recruitment options as well as Oracle Consulting services. PeerSource offers their talented consultants a matching 401k plan, access to health insurance including a company contribution and more. For additional information, visit PeerSource at www.mypeersource.com and Nexaff at www.nextaff.com/locations/denver-co-healthcare.

SOURCE PeerSource

Related Links

www.mypeersource.com


PITTSBURGH, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The judging results are in, and finalists have been announced for The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania's 57th Golden Quill Awards, recognizing professional and student excellence in written, photographic, illustration, broadcast, audio, video and digital journalism in Western Pennsylvania and nearby counties in Ohio and West Virginia.

Winners will be announced at the Golden Quill Awards presentation on Tuesday, Sept. 28, at the Rivers Casino Event Center, 777 Casino Drive, Pittsburgh.

Also that evening, the Press Club will honor Paul Martino, retired KDKA-TV reporter and anchor, and Sue McFarland, retiring executive editor of Trib Total Media, with President's Awards. Service to Journalism Awards will be presented to the staff of the New Pittsburgh Courier and Kevin Gavin, executive producer of special projects and host of "The Confluence" at WESA-FM.

The Press Club will present Penn State senior Gabriella Hornack of Lower Burrell with the 2021 Bob Fryer Memorial Scholarship. Point Park University senior Colton DeBiase of Murrysville will receive the 2021 Press Club of Western Pennsylvania Scholarship.

Doors at Rivers Casino's Event Center will open at 6 p.m. with a cash bar. Dinner and the awards ceremony will begin at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $50 each for Press Club of Western Pennsylvania members and their guests; $50 for students; $55 for nonmembers; and $500 for a table of 10.

Guests can download an invitation from the Press Club's website, www.westernpapressclub.org. Payment can be made online at www.westernpapressclub.org. For information on reservations for the dinner, contact Ann Hohn at 412-874-8667 or [email protected].

The Rivers Casino does not permit anyone under 21 years old to enter the Event Center through the main casino, and they must use an alternate entrance. Contact Karen Carlin at [email protected] for more information about underage guests. All attendees should bring IDs.

The Rivers Casino is currently open and operating as normal. The Press Club will keep attendees informed of possible community and venue restrictions related to COVID-19.

The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania is a nonprofit organization of journalists and other communications professionals from a 29-county area of Western Pennsylvania. It sponsors forums on current events and educational programs and presents the annual Golden Quill Awards contest and ceremony, recognizing the best of journalism in Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio and Northern West Virginia. Membership in The Press Club includes discounts on fees for programs and Golden Quill entries, use of dining facilities at the Engineers' Building in Downtown Pittsburgh, and access to The National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and 15 other press clubs around the country.

PR Newswire is the official wire of The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania.

SOURCE The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania

Related Links

http://www.westernpapressclub.org


With 10x year-over-year growth in transaction volume in the first half of 2021, Roofstock continues in 2021 with strong momentum following purchase of digitally native property management firm and appointment of new board members

OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Roofstock , the leading end-to-end online platform for single-family rental (SFR) investing, today announced it has acquired property management tech platform Great Jones to simplify property management for its rapidly growing user base of remote retail investors. This acquisition marks an important step in expanding Roofstock's property owner services to support the entire lifecycle as investors grow and manage their investments. With the addition of Great Jones, Roofstock further enables a fully digital retail investing experience typically only available to larger investors, which covers trading, managing, and optimizing asset portfolios for maximum performance. Great Jones will continue to grow and operate as a standalone entity under the Roofstock umbrella, benefiting from Roofstock's extensive market footprint.

After raising more than $30M in venture financing, Great Jones has more than 5,000 homes under management. The company brings a digitally native, consumer-tech lens to what historically have been analog property management processes, from leasing and maintenance to property optimization and ongoing customer service. Great Jones' scale helps single-family rental (SFR) investors buy with more ease and confidence across key markets, without the worry of finding local property managers for each property.

"We are excited to announce the acquisition of Great Jones, which represents our second acquisition this year and third since our founding. I'm particularly thrilled to welcome Great Jones founders Jay Goldklang and Abigail Besdin and the rest of the team to provide our customers with technology that is proven to simplify property management and maximize returns," Gary Beasley, CEO and co-founder of Roofstock. "Given the strong performance of housing even throughout the pandemic and solid supply/demand fundamentals, there has never been a better time for investors to build their single-family rental portfolios."

Owning a rental home can quickly become overwhelming, especially when that home is hundreds of miles away. Roofstock empowers individuals with a digital, user-friendly, and data-driven approach to buying, selling, and owning a rental property. Great Jones builds on Roofstock's tech-enabled services for owners, including Stessa , the leading online investment management solution for individual real estate investors, which it acquired earlier this year. Roofstock's end-to-end approach to real estate investing provides investors of all sizes with more opportunity to invest in, and financially benefit from, the world's largest asset class, with access to data and tools that simplify and streamline the process.

"Roofstock is unequivocally the leader in making rental investing easy and accessible. We share its vision and are excited to join forces," said Jay Goldklang, CEO and co-founder of Great Jones. "The combined Great Jones and Roofstock team is unmatched in experience and scale -- together, we will serve investors throughout their lifecycles and across more markets, bringing them a holistic digital platform and capabilities that have historically only been available to large investors."

Roofstock also announced today that founding Zillow executive Chloe Harford and experienced commercial real estate executive Craig Robinson have joined its board of directors. Both appointments bring decades of tech-enabled product and real estate technology expertise, and they join Roofstock at a pivotal time as investor interest in the single-family rental sector continues to soar.

This acquisition and vertical expansion come on the heels of significant momentum for Roofstock. The company is experiencing hypergrowth, with 10x year-over-year growth in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) in the first half of 2021, and its platform recently surpassed $3B in transaction volume.

"Roofstock is revolutionizing real estate investing, empowering investors large and small with a radically simple, transparent and cost-effective end-to-end experience," said Chloe Harford, Roofstock's newest board member. "I was attracted by the team's deep industry expertise, the innovative data-fueled tech platform and marketplace they have built, and the huge opportunities ahead. I'm thrilled to join the board during this critical hypergrowth stage."

LionTree served as financial advisor to Roofstock.

To learn more about Great Jones and Roofstock's owner services, visit https://learn.roofstock.com/blog/roofstock-bolsters-management-services-for-property-owners-with-acquisition-of-great-jones .

About Roofstock

Roofstock is the leading digital real estate investing platform for the $4 trillion single-family rental home sector. The company provides extensive resources for investors to buy, manage, and sell investment real estate online, including data analytics, property management oversight, and other tools. Roofstock's transparent, innovative marketplace empowers investors to own cash-flowing rental properties, diversify their investment portfolios, and build long-term wealth through real estate. Founded in 2015, the company has facilitated more than $3 billion in investment transactions to date. Roofstock was named as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in 2020, and has earned a spot on the prestigious Forbes Fintech 50 for the past three years.

About Great Jones

Great Jones provides technology-fueled property management for the several trillion dollars in rental homes owned by small-scale investors, specializing in single-family homes. The company's digital and operational platform elevates rental investors above the complexity of property ownership, optimizing for performance, ease, and transparency. By providing a seamless, full-service experience for owners and residents, Great Jones makes ownership worry-free and more profitable for the 25 million Americans who own rental homes. Learn more about Great Jones at www.greatjones.co.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Roofstock

Related Links

https://www.roofstock.com


DALLAS, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- After a successful Kickstarter campaign in May 2021, Nebula Mat secured funding to develop a prototype of the product for beta testing. Using organic marketing strategies through Tik Tok and Instagram Reels, the startup company introduced the revolutionary smart home device to the digital world.

The 25-day Kickstarter campaign brought in $26,032 in pledges of early adopters in anticipation of the smart home product. Backers were able to secure a Nebula Mat from the first round of production expected to be delivered in Fall, 2021 at up to 35% off MSRP, which is the lowest offer the brand has made available to the public at this time.
BOSTON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Servier Pharmaceuticals, a growing leader in oncology committed to bringing the promise of tomorrow to the patients we serve, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved TIBSOVO (ivosidenib tablets) for the treatment of adult patients with previously treated, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with an IDH1 mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test. TIBSOVO is the first and only targeted therapy approved for patients with previously treated IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma.

The supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for TIBSOVO received Priority Review, which accelerated the review timeline and is typically given to drugs that may offer major advances in treatment or may provide a treatment where no adequate therapy exists.

"Servier has been focused on exploring the significant potential of inhibiting mutant IDH enzymes as a novel approach to treating cancers with high unmet needs, including cholangiocarcinoma," said David K. Lee, CEO, Servier Pharmaceuticals. "We are proud to bring to patients the first and only targeted therapy for previously treated IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma. We are grateful to the patients, caregivers, investigators and study teams who made this achievement possible through their participation in the ClarIDHy clinical trial."

The FDA approval of this indication is supported by data from the ClarIDHy study, the first and only randomized Phase 3 trial for previously treated IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma. Results from the ClarIDHy study demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) by an independent review committee (hazard ratio [HR] 0.37; 95% CI [0.25, 0.54], p<0.001).1 The median PFS (95% CI) for TIBSOVO and placebo was 2.7 (1.6, 4.2) and 1.4 (1.4, 1.6) months, respectively. Thirty-two percent and 22% of patients randomized to TIBSOVO remained free of progression or death at 6 and 12 months, respectively, versus none on the placebo arm.

The study protocol specified that patients randomized to placebo could cross over to TIBSOVO at the time of disease progression, and a high proportion of patients in the placebo arm (70.5%) crossed over to TIBSOVO. The study also showed the key secondary endpoint of overall survival (OS) favoring patients randomized to TIBSOVO compared to those randomized to placebo; however, statistical significance was not reached.1 OS results are based on the final analysis of OS (based on 150 events which occurred 16 months after the final analysis of PFS. The median OS (95% CI) for TIBSOVO was 10.3 (7.8, 12.4) months; and placebo was 7.5 (4.8, 11.1) months without adjusting for crossover.

The safety profile observed in the study was consistent with previously published data.1 The most common adverse reactions (15%) in patients with cholangiocarcinoma were fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, cough, decreased appetite, ascites, vomiting, anemia, and rash.

The recommended TIBSOVO dosage for previously treated IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma is 500 mg orally once daily with or without food until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

"Patients living with IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma, especially those whose disease progresses following chemotherapy, are in urgent need of new treatment options," said Rachna T. Shroff, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Arizona, and Chief of GI Medical Oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Center. "In addition to an acceptable safety profile, TIBSOVO demonstrated an impressive, significant benefit in progression-free survival, underscoring its importance as a new option for patients battling this aggressive cancer."

Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare, aggressive cancer of the bile ducts within and outside of the liver. An estimated 8,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma each year. However, the actual number of these cases is likely to be higher, as cholangiocarcinoma can be hard to diagnose, and may be misclassified as other types of cancer.2

"Before today's approval of TIBSOVO, there were no approved targeted therapies available to cholangiocarcinoma patients harboring the IDH1 mutation, and limited chemotherapy options available to patients with advanced disease," said Stacie Lindsey, Founder and CEO, Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. "This approval brings new hope to the cholangiocarcinoma community and we are excited that this much-needed new therapeutic option is being made available to patients."

Servier Pharmaceuticals is introducing ServierONE Patient Support Services, a program that offers one-on-one support to help patients who are prescribed TIBSOVO or other Servier products navigate their cancer journey. Eligible patients will have access to financial assistance, emotional support and other resources. More information can be found at www.servierone.com.

TIBSOVO* is also approved in the U.S. as monotherapy for the treatment of adults with IDH1-mutated relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and for adults with newly diagnosed IDH1-mutated AML who are 75 years old or who have comorbidities that preclude the use of intensive induction chemotherapy.

About Cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare, aggressive cancer of the bile ducts within and outside of the liver. IDH1 mutations occur in up to 20% of cholangiocarcinoma cases in the U.S. and are not associated with prognosis.3 Prior to the approval of TIBSOVO, there were no approved targeted therapies for IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma and limited chemotherapy options are available in the advanced setting. Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy is often recommended for newly diagnosed advanced or metastatic disease.

About Servier Pharmaceuticals

Servier Pharmaceuticals LLC is a commercial-stage company with a passion for innovation and improving the lives of patients, their families and caregivers. A privately held company, Servier has the unique freedom to devote its time and energy toward putting those who require our treatment and care first, with future growth driven by innovation in areas of unmet medical need.

As a growing leader in oncology, Servier is committed to finding solutions that will address today's challenges. The company's oncology portfolio of innovative medicines is designed to bring more life-saving treatments to a greater number of patients, across the entire spectrum of disease and in a variety of tumor types.

Servier believes co-creation is fundamental to driving innovation and is actively building alliances, acquisitions, licensing deals and partnerships that bring solutions and accelerate access to therapies. With our commercial expertise, global reach, scientific expertise and commitment to clinical excellence, Servier Pharmaceuticals is dedicated to bringing the promise of tomorrow to the patients that we serve. More information: www.servier.us

Follow us on Social Media: LinkedIn, Twitter

Press contact

Megan Talon

[email protected]

INDICATIONS

TIBSOVO is an isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adult patients with a susceptible IDH1 mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test with:

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

Newly-diagnosed AML who are  75 years old or who have comorbidities that preclude use of intensive induction chemotherapy.

Relapsed or refractory AML.

Locally Advanced or Metastatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma who have been previously treated.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING: DIFFERENTIATION SYNDROME IN AML

Patients treated with TIBSOVO have experienced symptoms of differentiation syndrome, which can be fatal if not treated. Symptoms may include fever, dyspnea, hypoxia, pulmonary infiltrates, pleural or pericardial effusions, rapid weight gain or peripheral edema, hypotension, and hepatic, renal, or multiorgan dysfunction. If differentiation syndrome is suspected, initiate corticosteroid therapy and hemodynamic monitoring until symptom resolution.

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Differentiation Syndrome in AML: In the clinical trial, 25% (7/28) of patients with newly diagnosed AML and 19% (34/179) of patients with relapsed or refractory AML treated with TIBSOVO experienced differentiation syndrome. Differentiation syndrome is associated with rapid proliferation and differentiation of myeloid cells and may be life-threatening or fatal if not treated. Symptoms of differentiation syndrome in patients treated with TIBSOVO included noninfectious leukocytosis, peripheral edema, pyrexia, dyspnea, pleural effusion, hypotension, hypoxia, pulmonary edema, pneumonitis, pericardial effusion, rash, fluid overload, tumor lysis syndrome, and creatinine increased. Of the 7 patients with newly diagnosed AML who experienced differentiation syndrome, 6 (86%) patients recovered. Of the 34 patients with relapsed or refractory AML who experienced differentiation syndrome, 27 (79%) patients recovered after treatment or after dose interruption of TIBSOVO. Differentiation syndrome occurred as early as 1 day and up to 3 months after TIBSOVO initiation and has been observed with or without concomitant leukocytosis.

If differentiation syndrome is suspected, initiate dexamethasone 10 mg IV every 12 hours (or an equivalent dose of an alternative oral or IV corticosteroid) and hemodynamic monitoring until improvement. If concomitant noninfectious leukocytosis is observed, initiate treatment with hydroxyurea or leukapheresis, as clinically indicated. Taper corticosteroids and hydroxyurea after resolution of symptoms and administer corticosteroids for a minimum of 3 days. Symptoms of differentiation syndrome may recur with premature discontinuation of corticosteroid and/or hydroxyurea treatment. If severe signs and/or symptoms persist for more than 48 hours after initiation of corticosteroids, interrupt TIBSOVO until signs and symptoms are no longer severe.

QTc Interval Prolongation: Patients treated with TIBSOVO can develop QT (QTc) prolongation and ventricular arrhythmias. Concomitant use of TIBSOVO with drugs known to prolong the QTc interval (e.g., anti-arrhythmic medicines, fluoroquinolones, triazole antifungals, 5HT 3 receptor antagonists) and CYP3A4 inhibitors may increase the risk of QTc interval prolongation. Conduct monitoring of electrocardiograms (ECGs) and electrolytes. In patients with congenital long QTc syndrome, congestive heart failure, or electrolyte abnormalities, or in those who are taking medications known to prolong the QTc interval, more frequent monitoring may be necessary.

Interrupt TIBSOVO if QTc increases to greater than 480 msec and less than 500 msec. Interrupt and reduce TIBSOVO if QTc increases to greater than 500 msec. Permanently discontinue TIBSOVO in patients who develop QTc interval prolongation with signs or symptoms of life-threatening arrhythmia.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome: Guillain-Barre syndrome can develop in patients treated with TIBSOVO. Monitor patients taking TIBSOVO for onset of new signs or symptoms of motor and/or sensory neuropathy such as unilateral or bilateral weakness, sensory alterations, paresthesias, or difficulty breathing. Permanently discontinue TIBSOVO in patients who are diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

In patients with AML, the most common adverse reactions including laboratory abnormalities (20%) were hemoglobin decreased (60%), fatigue (43%), arthralgia (39%), calcium decreased (39%), sodium decreased (39%), leukocytosis (38%), diarrhea (37%), magnesium decreased (36%), edema (34%), nausea (33%), dyspnea (32%), uric acid increased (32%), potassium decreased (32%), alkaline phosphatase increased (30%), mucositis (28%), aspartate aminotransferase increased (27%), phosphatase decreased (25%), electrocardiogram QT prolonged (24%), rash (24%), creatinine increased (24%), cough (23%), decreased appetite (22%), myalgia (21%), constipation (20%), and pyrexia (20%).

the most common adverse reactions including laboratory abnormalities (20%) were hemoglobin decreased (60%), fatigue (43%), arthralgia (39%), calcium decreased (39%), sodium decreased (39%), leukocytosis (38%), diarrhea (37%), magnesium decreased (36%), edema (34%), nausea (33%), dyspnea (32%), uric acid increased (32%), potassium decreased (32%), alkaline phosphatase increased (30%), mucositis (28%), aspartate aminotransferase increased (27%), phosphatase decreased (25%), electrocardiogram QT prolonged (24%), rash (24%), creatinine increased (24%), cough (23%), decreased appetite (22%), myalgia (21%), constipation (20%), and pyrexia (20%). In patients with newly diagnosed AML, the most frequently reported Grade 3 adverse reactions (5%) were fatigue (14%), differentiation syndrome (11%), electrocardiogram QT prolonged (11%), diarrhea (7%), nausea (7%), and leukocytosis (7%). Serious adverse reactions (5%) were differentiation syndrome (18%), electrocardiogram QT prolonged (7%), and fatigue (7%). There was one case of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES).

the most frequently reported Grade 3 adverse reactions (5%) were fatigue (14%), differentiation syndrome (11%), electrocardiogram QT prolonged (11%), diarrhea (7%), nausea (7%), and leukocytosis (7%). Serious adverse reactions (5%) were differentiation syndrome (18%), electrocardiogram QT prolonged (7%), and fatigue (7%). There was one case of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). In patients with relapsed or refractory AML, the most frequently reported Grade 3 adverse reactions (5%) were differentiation syndrome (13%), electrocardiogram QT prolonged (10%), dyspnea (9%), leukocytosis (8%), and tumor lysis syndrome (6%). Serious adverse reactions (5%) were differentiation syndrome (10%), leukocytosis (10%), and electrocardiogram QT prolonged (7%). There was one case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).

the most frequently reported Grade 3 adverse reactions (5%) were differentiation syndrome (13%), electrocardiogram QT prolonged (10%), dyspnea (9%), leukocytosis (8%), and tumor lysis syndrome (6%). Serious adverse reactions (5%) were differentiation syndrome (10%), leukocytosis (10%), and electrocardiogram QT prolonged (7%). There was one case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). In patients with cholangiocarcinoma, the most common adverse reactions (15%) were fatigue (43%), nausea (41%), abdominal pain (35%), diarrhea (35%), cough (27%), decreased appetite (24%), ascites (23%), vomiting (23%), anemia (18%), and rash (15%). The most common laboratory abnormalities (10%) were hemoglobin decreased (40%), aspartate aminotransferase increased (34%), and bilirubin increased (30%).

DRUG INTERACTIONS

Strong or Moderate CYP3A4 Inhibitors: Reduce TIBSOVO dose with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors. Monitor patients for increased risk of QTc interval prolongation.

Strong CYP3A4 Inducers: Avoid concomitant use with TIBSOVO.

Sensitive CYP3A4 Substrates: Avoid concomitant use with TIBSOVO.

QTc Prolonging Drugs: Avoid concomitant use with TIBSOVO. If co-administration is unavoidable, monitor patients for increased risk of QTc interval prolongation.

LACTATION

Because many drugs are excreted in human milk and because of the potential for adverse reactions in breastfed children, advise women not to breastfeed during treatment with TIBSOVO and for at least 1 month after the last dose.

Please see Full Prescribing Information , including BOXED WARNING for AML patients.

Disclosures

This release contains general information about the Servier Group and its entities (hereinafter "Servier and its Affiliates") and is intended for informational purposes only. The information is thought to be reliable; however, Servier and its Affiliates make no representation as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein or otherwise provided and accept no responsibility or liability, in contract, in tort, in negligence, or otherwise, should the information be found to be inaccurate or incomplete in any respect.

Servier and its Affiliates are not acting as an advisor to the recipient of this information, and the ultimate decision to proceed with any transaction rests solely with the recipient of this information. Therefore, prior to entering into any proposed transaction, the recipient of this information should determine, without reliance upon Servier or its Affiliates, the economic risks and merits, as well as the legal, tax, and accounting characterizations and consequences, of the transaction and that it is able to assume these risks.

This statement also contains forward-looking statements that are subject to varying levels of uncertainty and risk. Investigational new drugs and indications are subject to further scientific and medical review and regulatory approval. They are not approved for use by the FDA.

Any reliance placed on this document is done entirely at the risk of the person placing such reliance. The information contained in this document is neither an offer to sell nor the solicitation of an offer to enter into a transaction.

The content of this document is a summary only, is not complete, and does not include all material information about Servier and its Affiliates, including potential conflicts of interest.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, Servier and its Affiliates disclaim all representations, warranties, conditions and guarantees, whether express, implied, statutory or of other kind, nor does it accept any duty to any person, in connection with this document. Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, Servier and its Affiliates do not warrant or represent that the information or opinions contained in this document is accurate or complete.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, Servier and its Affiliates shall not be liable for any loss, damage or expense whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, howsoever arising, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability or otherwise, for direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, punitive or special damages arising out of or in connection with this document, including (without limitation) any course of action taken on the basis of the same.

The estimates, strategies, and views expressed in this document are based upon past or current data and information and are subject to change without notice.

1 Zhu A, et al. Final results from ClarIDHy, a global, phase 3, randomized, double-blind study of ivosidenib vs placebo in patients with previously treated cholangiocarcinoma and an isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) mutation. Presented at Gastrointenstinal Cancer Symposium 2021. Available at: https://www.servier.us/sites/default/files/2021-04/ASCO-GI21 ClarIDHy.pdf.

2 American Cancer Society. Key Statistics for Bile Duct Cancer. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/bile-duct-cancer/about/key-statistics.html.

3 Boscoe, A., Rolland, C., & Kelley, R. (2019). Frequency and prognostic significance of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 mutations in cholangiocarcinoma: a systematic literature review. Journal Of Gastrointestinal Oncology, 10(4), 751-765. Available at: https://jgo.amegroups.com/article/view/28868

*Servier has an exclusive collaboration and license agreement with CStone for the development and commercialization of TIBSOVO (ivosidenib tablets) in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore.

SOURCE Servier Pharmaceuticals

Related Links

https://www.servier.us/


Established in 1991, Sunon is a global office furniture solution provider that places great importance on manufacturing, R&D, marketing, and customer service with over 4000 employees around the world. Apart from a National Industrial Design Center in Hangzhou, Sunon also established a European R&D Center in Germany. For now, Sunon has obtained more than 1200 global patents and 30 European and American Design Awards. Its domestic sales network has covered both the first-tier and second-tier cities, and its overseas business network has expanded to over 110 countries and regions. Considering that the USA is the largest office furniture-consuming market, Sunon's manufacturing plant in Mexico will greatly bridge the distance between American consumers and Sunon products, prompting it to become a leading office furniture brand in North America.

"Building a factory in Mexico echoes not only with the requirements for rapid development but also with our 'global' manufacturing strategy." - Mr. Ni Liangzheng, Chairman, Sunon. Sunon's entry into Hofusan Industrial Park will promote the process of localization and speed up production and delivery. With years of cooperation with multiple robotic companies, Sunon has made great progress in intelligent production, and the new plant will also be equipped with cutting-edge machinery and technologies and set a benchmark for smart production.

Mr. Wang Licheng, chairman of Holley Group, said in his speech that Hofusan witnessed the cooperation between Holley Group and Futong Group to create a leading industrial hub for the North American market. The industrial park's infrastructure and services have been rapidly improved, which laid a solid foundation for Sunon's plant to go into operation as soon as possible. The alliance between two powers will surely facilitate the industrial up-gradation of the local area and help achieve the common development goals of the two parties.

Sunon plans to build a highly automated and intelligent manufacturing facility. It will cover an area of 130,000 square meters and will focus on the production of panel furniture, chairs, tables, and sofas. Meanwhile, upholding the principle of "globalized mindset and localized operation", Sunon will continuously go hand in hand with its business partners to solve the logistical and supply chain issues faced by customers and make people around the world have easier access to high-quality office furniture products.

SOURCE Sunon Group Co., Ltd.

Related Links

http://sunonglobal.com


HOUSTON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hannah Hitchcock of Richmond, Texas, has been awarded the annual Houston Asset Management/Allworth Financial $10,000 college scholarship for her hard work, academic and professional achievements, volunteerism, and for tenaciously overcoming myriad obstacles placed in her way.

After a months' long interview, evaluation, and selection process, Hitchcock was chosen and the first check for $2,500, one of four equal installments, was sent to Blinn College where Hitchcock will be attending in the fall. (A $2,500 check will be disbursed each year to a college of her choosing until 2024.) Chris Brown, former President of Houston Asset Management, began the scholarship program to help high-achieving students pay for school.

"We're very proud to be in the position to help a talented, hard-working young person pay for college," said Brown. "This is something that feels great, and serves our community, and we know that Hannah Hitchcock is destined for a terrific academic and professional future."

Hitchcock, who graduated from Texas Connections Academy in May with a 4.3 GPA, said: "Having seen family members embody both extremes of the financial spectrum, I've elected to dedicate my life to founding a business and to helping people make informed decisions about money."

A member of the prestigious National Honor Society, Hitchcock ranked in the top 5 percent of her high school class. In addition to being an enthusiastic volunteer at several Houston-area charities, she has also worked as an English tutor for adults and spent a summer interning at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

"I'm blessed and incredibly thankful," said Hitchcock.

"It's an honor," said Brown. "The young people who've earned these scholarships show me that with people like Hannah preparing to become the leaders of tomorrow, our future is very bright, indeed."

About Allworth Financial

With its direct and educational approach to advising, Allworth Financial is a full-service independent investment financial advisory firm that specializes in retirement planning, investment advising, tax planning & preparation, estate planning, and 401(k) management. With $13 billion in AUM, Allworth delivers long and short-term investment planning solutions and guidance to help clients achieve their goals and plan strategically for retirement.

Contact: Sean Harvey

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 510-292-1910

SOURCE Allworth Financial
COSTA MESA, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. Magazine revealed that The Buddy Group, a Storydriven Business builder and marketing consultancy, has been ranked on its annual Inc. 5000 List. The Inc. 5000 List refers to the 5,000 fastest-growing, privately held companies in America, which acknowledges entrepreneurial success, leadership and innovation.

The Inc. 5000 is the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies, representing one of the most important and dynamic segments of America's economy - independent entrepreneurs. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia and many other well-known Storydriven businesses gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000 List.

"This is a great moment for The Buddy Group team and for our clients, who've trusted us for sixteen years to help with value acceleration and growth. We're thrilled that we've been recognized by fellow innovators and business leaders for similar success ourselves," said Chief Buddy Pete Deutschman. "None of this would be possible if not for the long-term partnerships with our clients and team members who share in our goal to be the exception in the category."

The Buddy Group experienced revenue growth of 61% despite the lingering economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Buddy Group's strong financial performance in 2021 was complemented by growth within its team.

David Ferguson , an eight-year veteran of The Buddy Group, was promoted to Executive Vice President, Operations and Productions. David oversees and stewards The Buddy Group's growth and partner success.

, an eight-year veteran of The Buddy Group, was promoted to Executive Vice President, Operations and Productions. David oversees and stewards The Buddy Group's growth and partner success. Jonathan Neubauer was named Vice President, Production and Content Development. With a strong background in video and film, Jonathan brings a unique combined experience of creative production and project management to maximize efficiencies and alignment within the organization. He started with The Buddy Group in 2006.

was named Vice President, Production and Content Development. With a strong background in video and film, Jonathan brings a unique combined experience of creative production and project management to maximize efficiencies and alignment within the organization. He started with The Buddy Group in 2006. Eli Marcus , an established channel and product management executive in the mid-funnel marketing industry, was hired in 2021 as Vice President, Strategy and Channel Growth. Eli has practiced Storydriven product development and marketing throughout his career by connecting the customer journey and pain points to real-world solutions, differentiators, features and messaging.

, an established channel and product management executive in the mid-funnel marketing industry, was hired in 2021 as Vice President, Strategy and Channel Growth. Eli has practiced Storydriven product development and marketing throughout his career by connecting the customer journey and pain points to real-world solutions, differentiators, features and messaging. Jon Nowinski was named Creative Director and oversees Storydriven identity-based, visual and experience design. Grounded in the idea that great design comes from understanding the human experience, his work is evolving the experiences and connections of Storydriven businesses.

was named Creative Director and oversees Storydriven identity-based, visual and experience design. Grounded in the idea that great design comes from understanding the human experience, his work is evolving the experiences and connections of Storydriven businesses. Marisa Schaeffer was hired as Director of Storydriven Marketing and Strategy and is responsible for developing and implementing Storydriven marketing strategies, ensuring clear alignment with business objectives to effectively reach target audiences in a meaningful and purposeful way.

"The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people."

Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year's list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020's unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.

About The Buddy Group

Founded in 2005, The Buddy Group is a Storydriven Business builder and marketing consultancy that leverages Storydriven technology to drive value acceleration, innovation and relationships for our clients. More than 300 clients have tapped The Buddy Group as a guide and partner for value-creating adventures. We believe in the power of story to create common ground, develop strategy, guide execution, establish a movement, rally a community and grow an exceptional business. Our Storydriven Strategy, inspired by the proven storytelling vehicles of film, tv and theater, purposefully leverages today's technology and targeted narrative channels to accelerate multi-dimensional growth and impact. We believe that meaningful connections and shared stories strategically evolve businesses - and create Storydriven Businesses. A Storydriven Business is an exception in their category. By producing strategic, technology-empowered success stories, Storydriven Businesses buddy up with consumers, shareholders, investors and teams, delivering a paradigm shift in relatability and value creation.

About Inc. 5000

The prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

Methodology

Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this year's Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue.

Contact

The Buddy Group

Marisa Schaeffer

949-254-2841

[email protected]

SOURCE The Buddy Group
Multi-state cannabis company opens two new retail locations in Florida on Thursday, August 26th, marking its 100th dispensary opening in the U.S.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF) ("Trulieve" or "the Company"), a leading and top-performing cannabis company based in the United States, today announced the opening of two new dispensaries in Boynton Beach and Port Orange, Florida. Boynton Beach will be the Company's 99th location and Port Orange will be its 100th nationwide.

The new dispensaries are the company's 89th and 90th Florida locations. Both locations reflect Trulieve's commitment to ensuring medical cannabis patients across Florida have safe, reliable access to the medications they rely on.

Both locations will begin serving customers on Thursday, August 26th and will celebrate the milestone with grand opening festivities throughout the day, with promotions, vendor tables and giveaways. Celebrations at the Port Orange dispensary will include the Stoked Poke food truck serving lunch beginning at 11:00 am and custom t-shirt screen printing by St. Petersburg-based Craft Tee.

As part of the Boynton Beach and Port Orange grand openings, and to mark the milestone of its 100th retail location, all patients  from those new to Trulieve to the dedicated Truliever community  will be eligible for a 25% in-store discount at the new dispensaries on opening day.

ANNOUNCING: Trulieve Boynton Beach Grand Opening

WHERE: 330 Winchester Park Blvd, Suite B, Boynton Beach FL 33436

WHEN: Thursday, August 26, 2021, at 9:00 a.m.

ANNOUNCING: Trulieve Port Orange Grand Opening

WHERE: 1090 Dunlawton Ave, Port Orange FL 32127

WHEN: Thursday, August 26, 2021, at 9:00 a.m.

"We are thrilled to expand patient access in Florida and celebrate the milestone of our 100th dispensary to open nationally," said Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve. "To have our 100th location open here in our home state of Florida is a true testament to the great American growth story we are proud to be driving forward."

In stores and online, patients will find Florida's largest selection of THC and CBD products in a variety of delivery methods, including edibles, smokable flower, concentrates, tinctures, topical creams, vaporizers, and more. Trulieve also offers home delivery statewide for patients and convenient in-store pickup at each of its 88 dispensaries in Florida.

To assist patients with ordering, Trulieve's entire catalog of products is available for online orders, with in-store pickup or statewide home delivery options available depending on patient preference. Additionally, Trulieve offers complimentary 30-minute virtual consultations with a Trulieve consultant to help navigate questions on products, devices, or review their doctor's recommendation. Appointments can be made on Trulieve's website and are open to all patients, whether starting their journey with medical cannabis or those with experience looking for alternative treatment options.

Trulieve continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation and remains committed to slowing the spread in our communities. The Company has reinstated "Designated Care Time" for immunocompromised patients in which the first half hour after dispensaries open is reserved for this higher-risk patient population to shop safely. The company also offers delivery to all patients across the state of Florida. Delivery is free for patients age 65+ and currently offered at a reduced rate to all other patients.

In addition to rigorous cleaning and safety protocols, Trulieve requires all employees to wear masks regardless of vaccination status. We ask all patients and caretakers to wear face coverings while shopping with us and have made them available in all locations.

For more information, please visit www.Trulieve.com.

About Trulieve

Trulieve is primarily a vertically integrated "seed-to-sale" company in the U.S. and is the first and largest fully licensed medical cannabis company in the State of Florida. Trulieve cultivates and produces all of its products in-house and distributes those products to Trulieve-branded stores (dispensaries) throughout the State of Florida, as well as directly to patients via home delivery. Trulieve also holds licenses to operate in California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and West Virginia. Trulieve is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol TRUL and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol TCNNF.

To learn more about Trulieve, visit www.Trulieve.com .

SOURCE Trulieve Cannabis Corp.

Related Links

https://www.trulieve.com/


DUBLIN, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Truly Grass Fed , a premium brand of sustainably-produced Irish dairy products, announces it has joined 1% for the Planet , and will donate one percent of its annual revenue to Slow Food USA , a nonprofit dedicated to transforming how people produce, consume and enjoy food. The Truly Grass Fed donation will support Slow Food USA's mission of uniting the joy of food with the pursuit of justice to achieve good, clean and fair food for all. Together, they seek to advance the brand's commitment to crafting dairy products with integrity and care for people, animals and the planet.

Truly Grass Fed offers premium, sustainably-produced Irish dairy products. The brand supports 1% For the Planet and Slow Food USA to advance its belief in food production that is healthier for animals, the environment and consumers.

"The Truly brand is about food production that is healthier for animals, our environment and consumers," said Nicola O'Connell, head of commercial for Glanbia Ireland. "Our philosophy aligns perfectly with Slow Food USA's commitment to reconnecting Americans with the people, traditions, animals, soils and waters that produce our food."

Introduced in the United States in 2019, Truly Grass Fed cheeses and butters are sourced from cows that are 95 percent grass-fed (average of one cow for every two acres), Non-GMO Project Verified, Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World and free from growth hormones and antibiotics. A co-op of 3,000 family farms located across Ireland's fertile land supplies the brand's high-quality ingredients.

"With a long heritage of family farming and expertise honed over generations, our farmers are also deeply dedicated to sustainability and progress," said O'Connell. "We consider ourselves dairy of the future, evolved from the past."

The Truly Grass Fed commitment to Slow Food USA includes funding, in-kind donations and promotional support. To celebrate the partnership, Truly Grass Fed and Slow Food USA will co-host a Slow Food Live series of virtual events this fall on the theme of simplicity, sustainability, and cultivating joy. The series of fun, how-to, conversational sessions will feature culinary experts who will share their appreciation for slow living and Slow Food and discuss the benefits of high quality cheese and butter from Truly Grass Fed. The brand will also support local chapters of Slow Food USA in select markets to amplify the work they do in their communities.

"We seek to collaborate with partners who align with our core values, and Truly Grass Fed is a change agent for animals, people and the planet," said Anna Mule, executive director of Slow Food USA. "With their backing and with the support of the 1% for the Planet network, we can mobilize communities to create a world where all people can eat food that is good for them, good for the people who grow it, and good for the planet  especially within the dairy industry. Our upcoming programming, featuring Truly Grass Fed's butter and cheese, will surely be delicious, fun and inspiring."

Truly Grass Fed is a new member of 1% for the Planet, a global movement inspiring businesses and individuals to support environmental solutions. As such, the brand has committed to donating one percent of annual revenue to member organizations, like Slow Food USA, that align with brand values.

"Nonprofit organizations play a unique and critical role in solving the many challenges facing our planet," said Kate Williams, CEO, 1% for the Planet. "Our driving goal is to increase support for these activist organizations by engaging businesses as funders and partners in the work. We believe deeply that by coming together, by connecting dollars with doers, we can create positive solutions to the complex environmental problems of our time."

Truly Grass Fed is part of Glanbia Ireland, which works with nature to bring the passion of Irish farmers to the world. Dedicated to excellence in dairy and grain production, animal nutrition and ingredient innovation, Glanbia Ireland puts sustainable growth at the heart of its business strategy. Its "Living Proof" strategy signs up to Science Based Targets, sets specific goals to 2030 and aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions no later than 2050.

For more information about Truly Grass Fed, please visit www.trulygrassfed.com . To learn more and join Slow Food USA, please visit www.slowfoodusa.org .

About Truly Grass Fed

Truly Grass Fed is a premium brand of Irish dairy products crafted with integrity and care for people, animals, and the planet. The brand's distinctively creamy and delicious butter and cheese are made from cows that are 95% grass-fed, Non-GMO Project Verified, Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World, and free from growth hormones and antibiotics. Truly Grass Fed is elevating dairy to a new standard. The brand is strongly rooted in the art of farming but deeply dedicated to sustainability, transparency, and progress with wholesome dairy from cows living their best lives outside, on pasture on average 250 days a year, grazing on green Irish grass. The Truly Grass Fed seal signifies that the dairy ingredients inside meet the highest industry standards of quality, safety, animal welfare, and environmental consciousness.

About Slow Food USA

Slow Food USA unites the joy of food with the pursuit of justice. We cultivate nationwide programs and a network of local chapters, host educational events and advocacy campaigns, and build solidarity through partnerships. Together, we are dismantling oppressive food systems to achieve good, clean and fair food for all.

The Slow Food movement began in Italy in 1989 as a rejection of global fast food. Today, Slow Food is in over 160 countries and represented by over 115 chapters in the US. Learn more at slowfoodusa.org.

About 1% for the Planet

1% for the Planet is a global organization that exists to ensure our planet and future generations thrive. We inspire businesses and individuals to support environmental nonprofits through membership and everyday actions. We make environmental giving easy and effective through partnership advising, impact storytelling and third-party certification.

Started in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, our business members and individual members have given hundreds of millions of dollars to our approved nonprofit partners to date. Today, 1% for the Planet's global network consists of thousands of businesses, individuals and environmental nonprofits working toward a better future for all.

Look for our logo to purchase for the planet, learn more and join at onepercentfortheplanet.org .

SOURCE Truly Grass Fed

Related Links

http://www.trulygrassfed.com


OMAHA, Neb., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- New market data published by The Strawhecker Group (TSG), the largest analytics and consulting firm focused on the payments acceptance industry, illustrates the strength of the U.S. economy. TSG data shows that July year-over-year consumer spending on credit and debit cards was up 21% nationwide. Further, when compared to July 2019 to adjust for the influence of COVID, spending was up nearly 20% when looking at a two-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

"The two-year comparison shows that the tailwinds to the U.S. economy as well as the payments industry are apparent and material. Increased merchant acceptance and consumer usage when paired with strong economic growth, combine to show attractiveness of these markets" said Mike Strawhecker, President of TSG. "Consumer spending comprises 70% of the United States' GDP, and 70% of consumer spending is electronic. This underscores the point that the payments ecosystem is the backbone of the U.S. and global economies."

Various industries contributed to July's credit and debit card two-year growth (2021 versus 2019, Two-Year CAGR). Among the 250+ industries TSG monitors, high performing industries included:

Non-Financial Institutions - including cryptocurrency (+81%)

Aquariums (+51%)

Car Rental Agencies (+48%)

Sporting Goods Stores (+48%)

Video Rental Stores - including streaming services (+41%)

Grocery  ecommerce only (+38%)

Retail  ecommerce only (+34%)

General Construction (+33%)

Air & Ground Freight  excluding the government Postal Service (+30%)

B2B - Distributors of Durable Goods (+29%)

Many of the high growth industries may be benefiting from consumer preferences shifting to digital goods, new volume shifting from check to card, as well as the proliferation of ecommerce spending. In addition, a TSG and Visa study found that that 26% of consumers expect to use cash less frequently than they did before the pandemic.

TSG forecasts that the larger industry groups of Construction, B2B, Personal Services (e.g., Landscaping Services), and Utilities will outperform the market in the near-term, driven by consumer demand and the conversion to card payments.

Geographic performance also varied from state to state, with Nevada, South Carolina, Delaware, and Arkansas all having 25%+ growth when comparing July 2021 to July 2019.

For more information on AIM please contact TSG online or call 1-402-964-2617. For media or data inquiries, please email [email protected].

The Data

The sample, powered by the TSG's AIM platform, comprises credit and debit-card data on nearly 4M small and enterprise merchants in over 250 industries. With transaction data from nearly half of all card-accepting merchants in the U.S., AIM closely mirrors the overall makeup of the U.S. card acceptance market and has a positive correlation with other data sets such as the U.S. Census. Learn how AIM represents the U.S. payments market.

Businesses prefer the power of AIM to tackle their big data problem and maximize profitability. TSG helps leading payments companies manage and harmonize data to provide key metrics and market benchmarks.

Metrics Definitions

The metrics defined in this release were calculated as follows:

Consumer spending: Per Merchant Daily Volume Adjusted for Days Processed

YoY Change: Year-over-Year Change in Per Merchant Adjusted Daily Volume divided by the Per Merchant Adjusted Daily Volume from Jul 2020 to Jul 2021

to Two-year Change: Two-Year CAGR in Per Merchant Adjusted Daily Volume from Jul 2019 to Jul 2021

About TSG

The Strawhecker Group (TSG) is the largest analytics and consulting firm focused on the payments acceptance industry. TSG serves the entire payments ecosystem and has experience in working on large-scale projects for the world's biggest payment players. The firm has worked with all card networks, nine of the top ten merchant acquirers in the U.S., as well as leading private equity firms and investment banks. Please visit www.TheStrawGroup.com.

Contact:

Andrew Nuss

[email protected]

SOURCE The Strawhecker Group

Related Links

https://thestrawgroup.com/


OAKLAND, N.J., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- New Jersey-based enterprise management company, FileBank today announced a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Education. Through this partnership, FileBank will provide ed tech services to the federal agency, storing physical documents in its 600,000 cubic foot archive center known as The Vault , and providing digital access through its secure, cloud-based platform.

This furthers the New Jersey company's growth to education and government institutions across the country. FileBank provides ed tech and enterprise content management services to more than 300 schools and municipalities in the region. During the past year, FileBank has signed partnerships with new clients including the South Brunswick Board of Education.

"While it is an exciting contract for FileBank, it is also an honor to serve our country through the way we know best document management," says Gregory Copeland, President of FileBank. "Our bespoke solution promises to increase business productivity, organization, efficiency and the management of their crucial documents in a central and secure repository."

With the company's robust technology platform and extensive experience in the ed tech space, FileBank is positioned to streamline operations, reduce costs, support and enhance compliance initiatives and share information with teachers and school administrators. FileBank's services continue to help schools centralize legal documents and student transcripts, organize department files, free up critical space by storing files in their hurricane proof and fire resistant archive center, along with many other services.

To support the company's rapid growth and expand their reach on the east coast, FileBank recently announced the hiring of Scott Kaufman as the northeast director of business development. Scott brings two decades of experience as an educator and technologist and will play a key role in supporting clients in those sectors.

The Department of Education serves 77 million students enrolled in schools across the U.S. Their mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. The Department awards grants to underrepresented groups, serves as a resource to support students, schools, educators and communities, and provides federal funding and guidance to state-level educational institutions.

In addition to schools, FileBank has been the preferred partner in document management for Fortune 500 companies, Fortune 100 financial institutions, cultural organizations, medical providers, legal, real estate firms, and government entities.

About FileBank

FileBank Inc. is an expert enterprise content management company that specializes in ed tech while also serving clients in government, healthcare, insurance and non-profit sectors. Our bespoke approach attracts well-known organizations like Doctors without Borders, and the New York City Ballet, as well as more than 300 schools and municipalities, such as the Newark School District. Through a robust technology platform, 18 separate services from *scanning to archiving to secure shredding, and a 600,000 cubic foot secure archive center *known as "the Vault ," FileBank has the capacity and domain expertise to help you "Save What Matters."

Media Contact:

Caroline Glennon

[email protected]

201-564-4221

SOURCE FileBank
DETROIT, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Metropolitan Detroit Chapter of the Society for Information Display (SID) has announced that the 28th Annual Vehicle Displays & Interfaces symposium and exhibition will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, September 28 and 29, 2021, in Livonia, Michigan, as a hybrid event (in person for people able to travel and remote/virtual for those who are not). The 2020 Vehicles & Interfaces event was held virtually due to the pandemic.

The annual symposium is designed for the sharing of information among designers, engineers, scientists, technologists, researchers, and system integrators of land, air, sea, and space vehicle displays and display components.

As displays of all kinds have become the primary user interface in vehicles, designers must continually elevate their products in terms of performance (sunlight and ruggedization), technology (augmented reality, including head-up displays), and general usability. Vehicle Displays & Interfaces has become the primary venue for information exchange among experts in the automotive display industry.

"We are back to in-person meetings, reviews, and networking," says Silviu Pala, chair of the Vehicles & Interfaces symposium and exhibition. "The event is returning to its open forum for industry, which will include manufacturers and integrators, as well as customers and members of academia, with a focus on vehicular interfaces, including HMI and automation. Of course, we will be respecting each other by wearing protective masks to help prevent the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus."

The 2021 technical program features presentations from the global display, HMI, vehicle systems, photonics, academic, and vehicle OEM communities. Peer-reviewed papers will provide in-depth knowledge and insights on the latest scientific advances, most recent breakthroughs, and potentially revolutionary applications. Symposium session topics include New Display Solutions; Display Metrology; Touch HMI and Driver Interface; Projection and Head-Up Displays; and Materials, Films, and Coatings.

Other highlights include a keynote address from Kai-Han Chang and Thomas Seder of the Vehicle Systems Research Lab at General Motors Research and Development, who will address the topic of "Automotive Augmented Reality: User Experience and Enabling Technology."

The event's traditional special automotive market session will be chaired by Pala, who is from Automotive Display, and also by Michael Boyd from Yazaki North America. Expert market analysts who will speak include Kyle Davis of IHS Markit, Jennifer Colegrove of Touch Display Research, Inc., and Bob O'Brien of Display Supply Chain Consultants.

Also not to be missed is a panel discussion on Future Displays for Future Electric Vehicles, with participants from government, academia, and industry. Last but not least, there will be an exhibition featuring companies from the vehicle display industry, with a block of time dedicated to exhibitor presentations.

Note: In the interest of safety for all Vehicle Displays & Interfaces participants, event management will be observing health guidelines from the State of Michigan. All participants will be required to wear masks while attending event functions indoors.

Links:

To review the symposium program and exhibitor list, go to www.VehicleDisplay.org

To register, go to www.VehicleDisplay.org

To secure an exhibitor booth, contact Danielle Rocco at [email protected].

About SID Vehicle Displays & Interfaces Detroit Symposium and Exhibition:

Vehicle Displays & Interfaces is presented by the Metro-Detroit Chapter of SID (Society for Information Display) www.SID.org. By exclusively focusing on the advancement of electronic display and visual information technologies, SID provides a unique platform for industry collaboration, communication and training in all related technologies while showcasing the industry's best new products. The organization's members are professionals in the technical and business disciplines that relate to display research, design, manufacturing, applications, marketing and sales.

SOURCE Vehicle Displays & Interfaces

Related Links

http://www.VehicleDisplay.org


HONOLULU, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As Women's Equality Day is celebrated on August 26, eGirl Power would like to pause to consider this moment in American history. The women's suffrage movement began in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention and the 19th amendment of the U.S. Constitution was certified on August 26, 1920, but the fight was not over for some American women.

Tye Leung Schulz (top left); Patsy Mink (top right); Susan Ahn Cuddy (bottom left); Toi Lonnie Young (bottom right); Tape Family (center)

Women in the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community did not achieve equality on August 26. It would be 23 years before Chinese-American women would gain the right to vote, and another nine years later for Japanese-American women.

Before the U.S. government granted women the right to vote, the state of California had already done so in 1911. Just one year later, Tye Leung Schulz became the first Chinese-American woman to cast her ballot. Leung was no stranger to breaking AAPI stereotypes. Born in San Francisco, Leung was the first Chinese-American woman who held a federal government position. She assisted Chinese immigrants at Angel Island Immigration Station. When interviewed for the momentous occasion, Leung said "We want to do our whole duty moreIt is conscience."

Perhaps conscience is what drove Patsy Mink to become the first congresswoman of color to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. The path was littered with barriers, but Mink shattered them one by one. Undeterred after an initial loss for state senator, she won her subsequent attempt. Mink went on to co-author Title IX of the Higher Education Act to ensure equal opportunities for women and protect against discrimination on the basis of sex and gender.

Despite these amazing AAPI women, stereotypes continue to persist. AAPI women face the stereotype of not only race, but also gender. Whether it is the "model minority" narrative or the submissive or fetishized misrepresentation, AAPI woman must battle against these inaccuracies to carve out their seat at the table. Only through sharing the historic achievements of AAPI women may we begin to break bias and misconceptions.

History provides an abundance of notable AAPI women such as Susan Ahn Cuddy, a Korean-American woman, who enlisted after the bombing of Pearl Harbor to become the first Asian American woman in the Navy. Cuddy would later rise to the rank of Lieutenant with a storied career as a gunnery officer, flight instructor, and code breaker. But perhaps Mary Tape, the Chinese-American mother who fought for her daughter's right to a public school education, said it best when she emphatically stated "We have always lived as Americans."

As Americans, the AAPI experience and role in American history is one that must be told. While we cannot change our history, we can acknowledge it and educate future generations, and finally, dispel age-old misconceptions and hurtful stereotypes.

eGirl Power, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, invites you to celebrate Women's Equality Day by supporting its AAPI initiative to dispel stereotypes and the misrepresentation of AAPI females, and unite efforts to #StopAsianIHate. Please visit the eGirl Power AAPI Initiative to learn more about how you can help.

Media contact:

Chris Lee

808-698-6336

[email protected]

SOURCE eGirl Power
On Friday, Humble Design will provide charitable services to its 2,000th client emerging from a homeless shelter. With the help of passionate volunteers, Humble Design does this by transforming empty residences into clean, dignified and welcoming homes through its free professional design services and the repurposing of gently used furnishings donated by the community.

Humble Design Seattle is celebrating this milestone with a special home "deco" and reveal on Aug. 27. Humble Design teams in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and San Diego  where it also operates  will hold events as well to mark 2,000 clients.

U-Haul, a national partner of Humble Design since 2016, will serve as the 2K Family Sponsor. Media is encouraged to attend.

SEATTLE 2,000th CLIENT EVENT

WHAT Reveal of furnished home for a family emerging from homelessness WHEN 2 to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27 WHERE 16700 31st Ave. S., #213, SeaTac, WA 98188 DETAILS Valarie, a single mom of three boys (ages 6, 3 and 1), fled a domestic

violence situation in another state and spent one month in a homeless

shelter after arriving in Seattle. Now the family, thanks to Valerie's

strong will and desire to provide for her family, has secured a space of

their own. They could use Humble's loving touch and services to help

make their new apartment truly feel like a home. MEDIA RSVP Annemarie Thayer at (206) 909-9925 or [email protected]

"Humble Design Seattle is thrilled to have contributed to our organization's 2,000 homes furnished," said Annemarie Thayer, Director of Humble Design Seattle. "Backed by hardworking volunteers and gracious donors, our Seattle team has welcomed 124 families home since our opening in 2018. Humble's 2,000 homes nationally speaks to the tenacity of our team members, the dedication of our supporters, and ultimately the need for our services. We're looking forward to increasing our impact and welcoming home even more families."

Humble Design furnished its 1,000th home in early 2019, nearly 10 years after the project began. Demand and impact have increased dramatically since then as the charity served its second 1,000 clients in two years thanks to expansion and local sponsorships that have ensured sustainability in more markets.

Families take a personal stake in their newly furnished homes, leading to a remarkable success rate  99 percent to receive Humble Design's services have escaped the cycle of homelessness. Clients are referred by designated services that work with local shelters.

"U-Haul is proud to sponsor the 2000th family served by Humble Design because we recognize what it means for a family to move forward towards a new life," stated Sebastien Reyes, U-Haul Vice President of Communications and Humble Design Board Chair. "Every one of us associated with this mission believes in the power of a bed and a roof overhead to change lives."

To learn more about volunteer opportunities, corporate sponsorships, furniture donations or making a financial gift, please visit humbledesign.org.

About Humble Design

Humble Design is a Detroit-born nonprofit that helps families transitioning out of homeless shelters by providing furnishings and design services. The organization turns empty houses into clean, dignified and welcoming homes  a very simple idea that can change a family's future. Founded in 2009, the organization primarily serves single parents with children and veterans. Humble Design has brought nobility to nearly 2,000 families nationally through its chapters in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, San Diego and Seattle. humbledesign.org

About U-Haul

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 23,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 176,000 trucks, 126,000 trailers and 46,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 812,000 rentable storage units and 70.5 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S., and continues to be the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. U-Haul has been recognized repeatedly as a leading "Best for Vets" employer and was recently named one of the 15 Healthiest Workplaces in America. uhaul.com

Contact:

Jeff Lockridge

Sebastien Reyes

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 602-760-4941

Website: uhaul.com

SOURCE Humble Design

Related Links

https://www.humbledesign.org/


"We take pride in getting to know our customers, and that starts with listening," said Brad Scrivner, CEO of Vast Bank . "At the heart of many of these conversations is crypto. For quite some time, our customers have been asking why they cannot securely purchase the likes of Bitcoin using their bank account, citing concerns over trustworthiness, safety, and the security of other platformsall issues which have kept many consumers parked on the sidelines of the crypto phenomenon. We took this challenge head on, and devoted significant resources to answer this unmet need. We're excited to bring this service online, and give all consumers the opportunity to explore the world of cryptocurrencies in a way that brings peace of mind that only a bank like Vast can provide."

Through the Vast Bank Crypto Banking application, customers will have the ability to purchase a range of cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Cardano (Ada), Ethereum (Ether), Litecoin, Orchid, and Algorand. Customers can manage their crypto portfolios at any time, and from any location, through the mobile app. The Vast Bank digital assets team will continuously evaluate new coins to add to the platform. The Vast Bank Crypto Banking service is powered by strategic partnerships with Coinbase and SAP, whose technical expertise across the entire spectrum of banking and cryptocurrencies provides a leading edge in offering one of the simplest and most trusted ways for consumers to access the more than $2 trillion cryptocurrency market. More information is available at https://www.vast.bank/crypto.

According to a recent national survey conducted by Vast Bank, over 50% of respondents who were interested in cryptocurrencies indicated that they would be more likely to choose a bank over other crypto platforms. A majority of respondents also indicated that their hesitation to explore cryptocurrencies stemmed from the trustworthiness and security of other services, as well as the level of security measures deployed by the platforms currently in use today.

Benefits for Crypto Banking afforded by Vast Bank's mobile app include:

No Lockouts: Around 20 percent of all existing Bitcoin at the beginning of this year, worth about $140 billion , according to Chainalysis data, is lost because investors have forgotten their wallet passwords or digital keys, or investors have passed away without transferring this security information to loved ones. Since Vast Bank acts as custodian for its customers' cryptocurrencies, they can be confident that they won't get locked out, which makes it easy for consumers and their beneficiaries to access their crypto assets.

Around 20 percent of all existing Bitcoin at the beginning of this year, worth about , according to Chainalysis data, is lost because investors have forgotten their wallet passwords or digital keys, or investors have passed away without transferring this security information to loved ones. Since Vast Bank acts as custodian for its customers' cryptocurrencies, they can be confident that they won't get locked out, which makes it easy for consumers and their beneficiaries to access their crypto assets. Crypto Account Insurance: As a federally regulated bank, Vast Bank's checking accounts are insured by the FDIC for up to $250,000 . Vast Bank crypto accounts are protected through pooled insurance provided by Coinbase.

As a federally regulated bank, Vast Bank's checking accounts are insured by the FDIC for up to . Vast Bank crypto accounts are protected through pooled insurance provided by Coinbase. No Transfer Delays: When money is transferred between a bank account and a traditional crypto exchange, there can be a delay of several days before the funds become available for use. Vast Bank's Crypto Banking service eliminates the agonizing wait for U.S. dollars after a trade. The app puts U.S. dollars in customers' accounts right away after they sell crypto assets. Funds move instantly between cryptocurrency in customers' Vast Bank crypto accounts and U.S. dollars in their Vast Bank checking accounts, subject to the bank's Funds Availability Policy.

When money is transferred between a bank account and a traditional crypto exchange, there can be a delay of several days before the funds become available for use. Vast Bank's Crypto Banking service eliminates the agonizing wait for U.S. dollars after a trade. The app puts U.S. dollars in customers' accounts right away after they sell crypto assets. Funds move instantly between cryptocurrency in customers' Vast Bank crypto accounts and U.S. dollars in their Vast Bank checking accounts, subject to the bank's Funds Availability Policy. Competitive 1.00% Crypto Trading Fee: Vast Bank is offering one of the most competitive cryptocurrency trading fees1.00 percentfor crypto accounts on its platform. Vast Bank crypto accounts are not subject to deposit fees; traditional bank products are subject to various fee schedules.

Vast Bank is offering one of the most competitive cryptocurrency trading fees1.00 percentfor crypto accounts on its platform. Vast Bank crypto accounts are not subject to deposit fees; traditional bank products are subject to various fee schedules. The Protection & Privacy Customers Expect from a Bank: Vast Bank customers never have to worry about their data being sold or shared. Personal financial information and digital currency stored at Vast Bank are safe and secure.

Vast Bank customers never have to worry about their data being sold or shared. Personal financial information and digital currency stored at Vast Bank are safe and secure. Interest-Bearing Checking Account: With an interest-bearing checking account, Vast Bank customers' U.S. dollar assets are never idle. That's the bank + crypto advantage.

With an interest-bearing checking account, Vast Bank customers' U.S. dollar assets are never idle. That's the bank + crypto advantage. Debit Card with Free Nationwide ATM Use: Vast Bank customers can use debit cards for free at ATMs nationwide through the bank's network partners, Allpoint and Transfund.

"Change is not easy; however, over the course of our nearly 40-year history, we've embraced it and moved quickly to adapt and deliver a banking experience that's as high-tech as it is high-touch," added Mr. Scrivner. "Vast Bank's Crypto Banking service is the epitome of this approach. While other banking institutions have hesitated with cryptocurrencies, we have seized the opportunity to apply innovation and technology to remove the complexity and anxiety associated with owning crypto. We're excited to see how customers will respond to this new service, and feel strongly it will put cryptocurrencies on a streamlined path to mass adoption."

At launch, the new Vast Bank Crypto Banking app will provide individual customers with access to crypto and checking accounts. Additional Vast Bank financial products and accounts will remain on the institution's legacy app until they are merged in Q1 2022.

Vast Bank will also be offering a Crypto Banking concierge service for customers looking to invest more than $100,000. This enhanced service offering will include additional resources available through Vast Bank, as well as lower transaction fees.

About Vast Bank

Vast Bank has built its legacy on personal service, strength, and integrity. With bold leadership and a renewed commitment to customer-centricity, Vast is building on its past to create a future based on new ideas, world-class technology, and a winning culture to enhance the banking experience for customers with greater simplicity and control. In 2021, Vast became the first nationally chartered U.S. bank to enable customers to seamlessly buy, sell, and hold cryptocurrency assets directly with their bank accountsgiving consumers the benefits of crypto combined with the simplicity and security of a bank account.

Family-owned and based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Vast Bank has served its customers since 1982. Learn more at https://www.vast.bank/.

Media Contact:

Kyle Kappmeier

JConnelly for Vast Bank

(973) 975-7827

[email protected]

Vast Bank N.A., a nationally chartered bank and member of the FDIC, provides the banking products, including the products and services related to the digital asset account. As with any asset, the value of Digital Assets can go up or down and there can be a substantial risk that you lose money buying, selling, holding, or investing in digital assets. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding Digital Assets is suitable for you in light of your financial condition. Any Digital Assets in your digital asset account are not insured by any governmental entities, including but not limited to FDIC or SIPC. No Bank Guarantee and May Lose Value.

SOURCE Vast Bank

Related Links

https://www.vast.bank


SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TapClassifieds continues to innovate and disrupt marketing in the automotive industry as Inc. magazine presents the company in its Inc. 5000 list, the most prominent ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies.

Inc. applauds TapClassifieds for being named the Inc. 5000 honoree and achieving a revenue growth 131% higher than the median. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc.

TapClassifieds is a leading technology company that provides automotive dealerships with the marketing platform they need to succeed in our constantly evolving world. The award-winning platform utilizes marketing automation, customer engagement, and data analytics to provide a more holistic approach to a dealership's marketing strategy. The company has continued to meet or exceed customer expectations by marketing the dealership's inventory across the TapClassifieds network, including platforms like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, etc.

"TapClassifieds is honored to be featured in the Inc. 5000 for the third year in a row. Over the last year, we have focused on customer engagement and developed a comprehensive suite of solutions that businesses can use in this fast-changing environment. Going forward, our focus is safeguarding consumer privacy and we are very excited about what we are working on as we expect this to be another game-changer. We dedicate this achievement to our customers, partners, and our team who continued to support us during these unprecedented times," says Jaideep Jain, CEO of TapClassifieds.

About TapClassifieds

TapClassifieds is an industry-leading digital marketing success platform that allows dealerships to reach, engage, and convert modern shoppers into customers. The digital marketing success platform includes access to the TapClassifieds Network of top digital classifieds and social media sites for automated inventory marketing and distribution to support dealerships in selling more vehicles. The platform's engagement and unified messaging capabilities help businesses easily engage with their customers through all communication channels. The company has been one of INC's fastest-growing private companies in the US for three years and has won several awards including, the AWA Digital Marketing Award, Silicon Review's 50 fastest-growing companies, the SI 100 Most Promising Tech Companies, and the Red Herring Top 100.

For more information, visit www.tapclassifieds.com .

Contact:

Arvind Srinivasan

(888) 559-0588

[email protected]

SOURCE TapClassifieds

Related Links

https://www.tapclassifieds.com/


MANCHESTER, England, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ACE Money Transfer, a leading online remittance provider and HBL, the largest commercial bank in Pakistan, launch a joint client promotion.

Under this promotional campaign ACE and HBL have joined hands to offer exciting prizes for individuals who would send monies from UK, EU and Australia through ACE Money Transfer and collect their remittances via an HBL account or as cash over counter from any branch of HBL in Pakistan.

The offer is valid from 1st August to 30th September 2021. All remittances transferred via ACE and paid into an HBL account or from any branch of HBL as cash pick-up shall be automatically enrolled for the lucky draw. Prizes offered as part of this campaign can be won by the senders as well as the recipients. Customers sending money will be eligible to win through a lucky draw Samsung S21 Ultra 5G mobile phones. There will be eight lucky winners for this prize. The recipients of the money in Pakistan have the opportunity to win a bumper prize of a brand new Toyota Yaris car. Their will be two cars that will be given away as part of the promotion. The lucky draws for the mobile phones will be held every week while those for the cars will be held on a monthly basis.

People in the UK, Europe and Australia are encouraged to use the ACE and HBL Promotion to send monies to their near and dear ones in Pakistan.

About ACE Money Transfer

ACE Money Transfer (registered name "Aftab Currency Exchange Limited") is a Manchester-based renowned financial institution which specializes in cross-border payments and provides online money remittance services from UK, EU and Australia with an extensive network of 300,000+ locations spread across 100+ countries worldwide.

About HBL

HBL was the first commercial bank to be established in Pakistan in 1947. Over the years, HBL has maintained its position as the largest private sector bank in Pakistan with more than 1650 branches, 2100+ ATMs and 54,000+ Konnect by HBL agents (branchless banking platform) serving over 23 million customers worldwide.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

+44 161 3936 999

SOURCE ACE Money Transfer
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Affinity Empowering, Inc., a leading provider of the most sophisticated and secure occupational, behavioral, and direct-to-consumer health services, today announced that it has enrolled its 100th organization into Operation Expanded Testing (OET), a federal initiative to provide fully funded COVID-19 surveillance testing programs available for community organizations including K-12 schools, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), summer school programs, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, select, non-profit community centers, and more. OET was created in agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in coordination with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), and Affinity Empowering is coordinating OET program implementation in 26 states and U.S. territories on behalf of Clinical Enterprise, Inc., a Eurofins company.

"Enrolling 100 organizations into Operation Expanded Testing is an important milestone, emblematic of the hard work from each and every member of the Affinity team," said Scott Storrer, Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Empowering. "Surveillance testing is such an important way to control the spread of COVID-19. Affinity prides itself on providing quality, convenient health solutions like Operation Expanded Testing. Given the devastation of COVID-19, we hope that more organizations continue to enroll and take advantage of this no-cost opportunity."

The 100 enrolled organizations are comprised of a broad array of eligible institution types, representing the universal need for public health safety measures in response to COVID-19. Affinity's team continues to connect with organizational leaders as it anticipates an increased need for testing due to the start of the school year and the contagiousness of the Delta variant.

"We cannot stress enough the importance of having COVID-19 surveillance testing available for the students at our schools," said Laura Clancy, Health and Safety Lead at Mastery Schools in Philadelphia, Pa. and Camden, N.J. "We chose Operation Expanded Testing over other programs because it provides the gold-standard PCR testing, which is more accurate than rapid testing in a surveillance setting. Affinity also provides us with all the supplies we need and has consistently returned results in 24 hours. We're grateful for the whole Operation Expanded Testing team."

Interested representatives of K-12 schools and other eligible community organizations are encouraged to visit https://www.affinitytesting.com or to contact Affinity Empowering (email: [email protected], phone: 1-844-631-0469) to learn more about and sign up for the program.

About Operation Expanded Testing

Operation Expanded Testing (OET) is a federally funded program to provide no-cost, "click and go" COVID-19 surveillance testing to congregate settings, including K-12 schools, Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs), summer school programs, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, and select, non-profit community centers. COVID-19 surveillance testing is recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the safe reopening of schools.

Affinity Empowering offers the OET program to these institutions in 26 Northeast and Southern states and additional territories on behalf of Eurofins Clinical. Affinity and Eurofins are coordinating OET program implementation in agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in coordination with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

Affinity and Eurofins use PCR testing, the gold standard for accurate detection of COVID-19, and a pooled system to expedite the delivery of results. Individuals submit two samples, collected from the tip of the nose for minimal invasiveness, to avoid requiring a re-test in the event of a positive pool. Through its proprietary Assure integrated technology platform, Affinity delivers COVID-19 test results with an average turnaround time of 24 hours.

Unlike other federal programs to fund COVID-19 testing, OET has no upfront costs nor paperwork. Interested eligible parties can simply visit Affinity's OET website and click the "Enroll Today" button and provide some basic information. Affinity will then provide the resources and training necessary to establish a COVID-19 testing program at your institution. For questions or additional information, visit the website or contact Affinity's 24/7 customer service staff directly (email: [email protected], phone: 1-844-631-0469).

About Affinity Empowering

Affinity Empowering is a leading occupational health, population, and disease management life sciences organization that specializes in providing technology-based solutions and support for overall health and wellness endeavors. In addition to providing occupational health, mental health, and cutting edge, wrap around substance use support, the company also has become a major provider of COVID-19 testing. Its Return to Normalcy program provides COVID-19 consultation, support, and conducts thousands of onsite and at home testing options to safely screen, monitor, and test populations. It currently supports numerous business partners in various fields, ranging from government contracts, universities, top Fortune 100 companies, and major film and television production companies.

For more information, please visit https://www.affinitytesting.com

Media Contacts:

Scott Stachowiak

Russo Partners, LLC

(646) 942-5630

[email protected]

SOURCE Affinity Empowering, Inc.
DALLAS, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alternet Systems, Inc. (USOTC: ALYI) ("ALYI") today announced the company expects to exceed its first million in revenue prior to the end of the year from the electric vehicle ecosystem the company has been constructing over the last few years.

Instead of introducing a single EV product, ALYI's business focus is on the introduction of an EV Ecosystem that addresses the entire EV adoption environment from the perpetual design of best in class vehicles to the perpetual design of the myriad of mechanical and digital systems that go into a best in class vehicle; from the charging and maintenance infrastructure that goes into supporting consumer and commercial vehicles, to the EV value proposition itself that drives consumers and businesses to transition from combustion engines to electric powered vehicles.

ALYI has seeded an overall EV Ecosystem Business Strategy with the development of its own EV motorcycle business.

The company launched a pilot in Kenya in July in conjunction with a 2,000 electric motorcycle order. CEO Dr. Randell Torno expects to begin delivering on the 2,000 electric motorcycle order before the end of the year. The company intends to publish a specific revenue target shortly after Labor Day which falls on September 6, 2021.

Earlier today, the company announced an expansion of the Electric Vehicle (EV) Rideshare Business Pilot into Ethiopia. The pilot expansion in Ethiopia has been in the works for approximately the last year. Dr. Torno visited Addis Ababa earlier this month to finalize expansion plans.

Africa has millions of motorcycles, both two wheeled and three wheeled, deployed as taxis or boda-bodas and tuk tuks, and ALYI, as one part of its overall EV Ecosystem Business Strategy, is engaged in a project to replace combustion engine motorcycles with electric motorcycles.

The global motorcycle taxi market was valued by Verified Market Research at $16 billion in 2018 and expected to grow to over 29 billion by 2026.

Ultimately, ALYI does not intend to go it alone on the overall development and rollout of its overall EV Ecosystem Business Strategy. ALYI is building a core element into its Ecosystem that attracts, if not compels the participation of all would be brand name EV industry leaders in an annual EV symposium and conference. The EV symposium and conference will be anchored by an EV race event in Kenya that comes with a substantial brand name.

The EV race market was valued in 2019 at over $80 billion dollars and is anticipated to grow to over $200 billion by 2025.

ALYI's EV Ecosystem is founded on building participation in an EV race event as a central component in advancing EV technology and EV branding.

ALYI has been developing a partnership with a major EV racing brand for more than two years now. Over a year ago, ALYI entered into a formal partnership agreement that includes that EV racing brand. The first milestone objectives contemplated under the agreement have been achieved and the next steps are imminent. ALYI expects the next steps to include naming the EV racing brand at which time, ALYI management anticipates ALYI's overall visibility within the global EV market to be substantially elevated.

The objective of the EV symposium and conference anchored by an EV race is to advance EV technology by building EV solutions for the African market  a power constrained, rugged environment with one of the lowest per capita transportation deployments in the world. EV solutions for the African market will be applicable the world around. EV solutions designed and built in Africa also contribute to building an autonomous African economy.

ALYI has designed its EV ecosystem solution to include democratized participation. ALYI has partnered with ReovltTOKEN to finance ALYI's growth by offering participation in the EV ecosystem through the sale of Revolt Tokens.

To learn more about RevoltTOKEN and how to participate in ALYI's electric vehicle ecosystem through the purchase of Revolt Tokens, visit https://rvlttoken.com.

ALYI plans to make a major announcement later this month regarding the EV race that management expects will garner substantial attention to ALYI's overall EV Ecosystem strategy.

For more information and to stay up to date on ALYI's overall latest developments, please visit www.alternetsystemsinc.com.

Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur.

For more information, please visit: http://www.alternetsystemsinc.com.

Alternet Systems, Inc. Contact:

Randell Torno

[email protected]

+1-800-713-0297

SOURCE Alternet Systems, Inc.
PHOENIX, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, American Green, Inc. (ERBB:OTC) announced that it has a new management services agreement with Curaleaf's two cultivation facilities in Arizona. Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) is a leading international provider of consumer products in cannabis which serves medical and adult-use customers throughout the state. This agreement will provide American Green with approximately $2.1 million dollars in annual revenue and $10.4 million in revenue over the term of the agreement.

David G. Gwyther, American Green's president said "We are proud to extend our relationship with Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. for five years. There is also an opportunity for American Green to continue the agreement for three additional five-year periods after our initial five-year term is up. We will continue to provide our premium cannabis grown at our "Sweet Virginia" grow and provide the quality customer service that Curaleaf has been accustomed to so we can earn those future agreement extensions."

"American Green has been a great partner to us and we are looking forward to continuing our relationship with them over the next five years," said Steve Cottrell, president of Curaleaf Arizona.

American Green's premium cannabis is used in various Curaleaf and Select products, including some of their popular Live Resin offerings.

Shareholders and interest holders may also stay current with American Green Updates:

American Green's Main Website at www.americangreen.com

Twitter: @American__Green (two underscores), or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/americangreenusa

About American Green, Inc.

In 2009, American Green, Inc. became America's second publicly-traded company in the cannabis sector. American Green now, with its more than 50,000 certified beneficial shareholders, is one of the largest (in shareholder count) in the cannabis sector. American Green's mission is to lead the cannabis and premium CBD industry.

Leveraging our team of professionals in cultivation management, manufacturing, extraction, wholesale, retail, and community outreach, we strive to develop sustainable initiatives in the cannabis-adjacent and CBD industries, laser-focused on adding company and shareholder value.

For more information -

Contact:

American Green, Inc., Investor Relations, 2902 W. Virginia Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 480-443-1600 X555, [email protected]

NOTES ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Except for any historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission reports and filings. Certain statements contained in this release that are not historical facts constitute forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created by that Act. Reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because they involve unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as estimates, anticipates, projects, plans, expects, intends, believes, be should and similar expressions and by the context in which they are used. Such statements are based upon current expectations of the Company and speak only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which they are made.

SOURCE American Green, Inc.
NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Led by American Jewish Committee (AJC), Secretaries of State from across the country participated today in a virtual training on combating misinformation and disinformation through the lens of antisemitism.

The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) is the nation's oldest, nonpartisan professional organization for public officials. Approximately 40 NASS members serve as their state's Chief Election Official and as such are continually concerned about the adverse impact misinformation and disinformation have on American democracy.

Secretaries of State participating in today's training learned more about:

The range of antisemitic conspiracies, tropes, and symbols, and how antisemitism can be used to undermine elections

How antisemitic conspiracy theories influence prejudice against other communities

Concrete steps that can be taken in each state to protect Jews, promote pluralism, and build coalitions across communities to counter false narratives

Melanie Maron Pell, AJC Chief Field Operations Officer; Holly Huffnagle, AJC U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism; Julie Rayman, AJC Senior Director of Policy and Political Affairs; and Rebecca Klein, AJC Director of National Outreach, led the session.

Rayman led the discussion of mis/disinformation and conspiracy theories, while Huffnagle presented AJC resources, including the State of Antisemitism in America in 2020 report and Translate Hate , to demonstrate how antisemitism can undermine election integrity. Klein then shared ways NASS participants can address these threats and tools they may have at their disposal to counter mis/disinformation.

AJC's report, released in October 2020 and based on parallel surveys of the American Jewish and general populations, revealed that 88% of Jews consider antisemitism a problem in the U.S., 37% had been victims of antisemitism over the past five years and 31% had taken measures to conceal their Jewishness in public.

In the first-ever survey of the general U.S. population on antisemitism, AJC found a stunning lack of awareness of antisemitism. Nearly half of all Americans said they had either never heard the term "antisemitism" (21%) or are familiar with the word but not sure what it means (25%).

Translate Hate is AJC's innovative digital resource aimed at enabling Americans of all backgrounds to recognize and expose antisemitic language. Its glossary of commonly used antisemitic terms and conspiracy theories will help further the work of Secretaries of State in identifying and responding to mis/disinformation during elections.

For more than 115 years, AJC, the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, has raised awareness about defining antisemitism; identifying hate incidents targeting Jews; and providing guidance to national, state, and local authorities on bringing to justice perpetrators of hate crimes.

AJC has conducted similar training sessions for key federal, state, and local officials, including the FBI, National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), and United States Conference of Mayors (USCM).

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


ORANGE, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To safely manage capacity during periods when more travelers are anticipated, reservations will be required September 3  7 during Labor Day Weekend for Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains that travel between San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. Additional train cars are being added when possible to increase the number of available seats on select trains. However, the number of seats onboard each Pacific Surfliner train is limited. More dates may be added where a reservation is required, depending on travel demand.

Amtrak Pacific Surfliner Will Require Reservations for Labor Day Weekend

Additionally, the Rail 2 Rail program will be suspended from Friday, September 3  Tuesday, September 7, resuming Wednesday, September 8, 2021. During this time monthly Metrolink and COASTER passes will not be accepted onboard Pacific Surfliner trains.

Amtrak monthly and 10-ride passes may still be used. However, multi-ride ticket holders will be required to confirm each trip (train and date) through the Amtrak RideReserve program on Amtrak.com, the Amtrak app, or an Amtrak agent prior to traveling during the reservation period; thus, ensuring travelers have the safest and most comfortable journey possible.

Passengers are encouraged to follow safety measures and any important public health orders in place during their trip and at their destination. This includes wearing a mask at stations and onboard trains at all times, washing hands or using sanitizer often, and staying home if they are feeling sick. Per federal law and Amtrak policy, all customers and employees must wear a face mask or covering that fully covers the entire mouth and nose, fits snugly against the side of the face, and secures under the chin at all times while onboard and in stations.

More dates may be added where a reservation is required, depending on travel demand. For the latest information, please visit www.pacificsurfliner.com/schedules.

About the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner

The Pacific Surfliner travels along a 351-mile coastal rail route through San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, serving 27 stations. It is the busiest state-supported intercity passenger rail route in the United States. To learn more and plan a trip, visit pacificsurfliner.com.

About the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency

The Los Angeles  San Diego  San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency is a joint powers authority composed of rail owners, operators and planning agencies along the entire LOSSAN rail corridor. In addition to working to improve passenger rail ridership, revenue, on- time performance, operational flexibility, and safety, the LOSSAN Agency assumed management responsibility for the Pacific Surfliner service in July 2015, following the execution of an interagency transfer agreement with the state of California. For more information, visit lossan.org.

SOURCE Amtrak Pacific Surfliner
SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In the evening of August 24, Appotronics (688007.SH), a SSE STAR Market-listed company, released its interim report for the first half of 2021, disclosing that from January to June, the Company achieved the revenue of 170.05 million dollars, a year-on-year increase of 54.28%, and the net profit attributable to the Parent Company of 23.24 million dollars, increasing by 956.81% year-on-year.

Appotronics, a globally leading technology company operating laser display, invented the ALPD technology in 2007 and created new laser display architecture to form its proprietary IP and build the capacity for the design and manufacture technology of core devices. This promoted the industrial applications of laser display in China, and gradually extended the application of laser display from laser cinema projection and other high-end applications to large venue, business education, laser TV, smart mini projector and other display applications.

Up to now, Appotronics has a total of 2221 patents filed and granted throughout the world, 70% of which are patents for invention. Its core patents have been cited for over 600 times by leading players in the industry, including Phillips, Texas Instruments, Osram, Epson, and NEC. In the first half of 2021, Appotronics was newly granted 115 patents, including 82 patents for invention, and filed 38 international applications under the PCT, leading to a total of 193 valid PCT international applications.

Appotronics' revenue mainly consists of incomes from sales of laser TVs, smart mini projectors, large venue projectors, and business projectors and education projectors, incomes from the provision of laser light source lease services to cinemas, and incomes from sales of core devices including ALPD laser light sources, light generators, and screens.

As a supplier of core devices, Appotronics has entered into cooperation with Barco, Hewlett-Packard, Hisense, and other downstream companies in the industry.

On May 13, 2021, Appotronics entered into a strategic partnership with Airbus China Innovation Center, under which the parties will explore possibilities of aviation applications based on laser light source technologies and laser display solutions for application scenarios covering commercial fixed-wing aircrafts, helicopters, etc. Appotronics is also actively making arrangement for some other new application areas, including vehicle-mounted laser display, smart household appliances, etc.

Appotronics' laser display products are available in North America , Europe and other countries or regions. In the first half of this year, it has entered Russia and Turkey and achieved the year-on-year growth of over 400% for its overseas laser education projector and business projector. Now, the Company takes initiatives to roll out its laser cinema projection services to cinemas in North America, Europe, and other regions, in a bid to obtain more shares in these markets.

SOURCE Appotronics Corporation Ltd.
REDDING, Calif., Aug. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AqueoUS Vets ("AV") is proud to announce the company's entrance into the turn-key media service and replacement market segment. AV was awarded a year-long media services contract for the City of Bakersfield, CA. The city is one of the largest users of granular activated carbon for the removal of Trichloropropane (1,2,3-TCP) in the state of California. As the premier provider of Granular Activated Carbon and Ion Exchange manufactured systems for the removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), 1,2,3-TCP, total organic carbon (TOC), as well as peroxide quenching in 1,4-dioxane applications, AV was awarded the contract based on its prior relationship with the city and its proven track record of superior service and application knowledge. To accelerate growth in this attractive market segment, AV will leverage its vast installed base of equipment at established client relationships, to launch a preferred position in long-range media replacement services. This market segment is expected to become a meaningful contributor of recurring revenues to the company in future years.

President & CEO Robert Craw stated, "AV is the only Granular Activated Carbon and Ion Exchange system provider which has the experience to bridge the knowledge gap between system & site pipe design, manufacturing, site construction, installation, and commissioning. These are the foundations for driving lower cost-of-ownership compared to long incumbent providers with their legacy designs and piece-meal approach. Specifically, AV innovation has led to advanced designs, which have changed the pressure vessel landscape by incorporating best corrosion management practices, optimal hydraulic performance and media utilization, and long-term operational reliability. The introduction of our turn-key media service will complete the offering to the end-user and will generate recurring revenue that compliments the capital equipment side of the business. We now believe it is a great time to build on our momentum in the west to expand our footprint in the east!"
ASHLAND, Va., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of a new sandal release and menswear partnership with J.Crew , footwear brand Stegmann will launch three new footwear designs starting in late August: the Maria Mule and Eva Mary Jane for women and the Leather Graz Clog for men.

The Eva Mary Jane will be offered in both felt and leather upper options and launches in late August. The adorable, yet sophisticated design is feminine and practical with a generous toe box and rubber traction sole. The Maria Mule is the first release in the fall lineup at Stegmann. It slips on as easily as a clog, but features a more sleek and feminine silhouette. The upper is a luxurious wool-lined vegetable-tanned leather lined in soft wool felt - the brand's specialty.

"The pandemic led a lot of new customers our way," says Stegmann USA President Andy Jacobs. "People were looking for comfortable house shoes to wear as they worked, lived, and, well, did everything at home. All evidence from the footwear industry suggests those trends aren't going anywhere. Comfort and quality are paramount."

Stegmann customers are drawn to the orthopedic comfort of the brand's designs as well as the practical wool and cork materials they're created with. Stegmann's focus on sustainability also appeals to eco-conscious shoppers--their EcoWool Clog consistently sells out as new wool options become available. New women's styles released in 2020 include the brand's first dress shoe and women's boot design. This spring's Louisa Slingback Sandal is the latest design that quickly sold out in several colorways. This fall's women's releases are expected to be received just as enthusiastically by these loyal fans.

"We listen closely to our customers and know they are looking for shoes for every occasion, day to night," Jacobs says. "All the same comfort features are there, but there are more opportunities to dress our collection up and down."

Meet Stegmann's Newest Releases:

The Maria Mule ($135) is the first release in the fall lineup at Stegmann, now available. It slips on as easily as a clog, but features a more sleek and feminine silhouette that mirrors the Liesl Skimmer dress shoe . The upper is a luxurious wool-lined vegetable-tanned leather lined in soft wool felt - the brand's specialty. The cork-latex footbed will mold to a woman's feet over time and has a durable rubber traction outsole. For additional comfort customization, the Mule has a removable wool-lined, cushioning EVA insole with arch support. The Maria Mule is made in Portugal and uses sustainably sourced cork for its footbed. See a Dropbox folder of shoe images.

The Eva Mary Jane ($140) will be offered in both felt and leather upper options and launches in late August. The adorable, yet sophisticated design is feminine and practical with a generous toe box and rubber traction sole. The Mary Jane-style strap is adjustable with a rounded metal buckle and elastic for the perfect fit. The leather version features smooth vegetable-tanned leather lined with genuine wool felt. Both wool and leather styles have a cork-latex footbed and removable wool-lined cushioning EVA insole with arch support. See a DropBox folder of shoe mages.

The Men's Graz Clog ($135) is a versatile indoor/outdoor slide-on work shoe or slipper. The new men's shoe launches in early September. The sleek and masculine upper features a smooth vegetable-tanned leather exterior that is lined with soft genuine wool felt, so men can easily slip on the shoe with or without socks. Customers can adjust the fit of the Graz Clog by removing the wool-lined cushioning EVA insole with arch support. The generous toe box and lightweight recycled rubber traction outsole enhance the comfort of the durable shoe. See a Dropbox folder of shoe images.

Samples are available upon request for coverage. Email [email protected]

More about Stegmann: Born and based in Austria, the Stegmann brand has been handcrafting wool felt comfort footwear since 1888. Famous for its iconic styling, seamless wool upper and contoured comfort sole, this timeless heritage brand is poised for growth in the US with fresh styles and finishes to bring sophisticated comfort to new admirers and loyal fans. For more information about Stegmann, visit stegmannusa.com .

Media Contact:

Megan Wilson

(540) 894- 6245

[email protected]

SOURCE Stegmann USA

Related Links

http://www.stegmannusa.com


--ASC42 bridging study demonstrated consistent pharmacokinetic profiles between U.S. and Chinese population

-- ASC42 was safe and well tolerated in Chinese population with only grade 1 adverse events

--10 mg and 15 mg once daily doses of ASC42 were selected in combination with pegylated interferon and nucleos(t)ide analogs for Phase II study in patients with chronic hepatitis B

HANGZHOU and SHAOXING, China, Aug. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascletis Pharma Inc. (HKEX: 1672) announces today the completion of the bridging study and initiation of Phase II trial of farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonist ASC42 in China for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) indication. ASC42 is an in-house developed, novel non-steroidal, selective, potent FXR agonist with best-in-class potential.

CHB is the second indication of ASC42. As an FXR agonist, ASC42 has a unique mechanism of action against hepatitis B virus (HBV): ASC42 inhibits the transcription of HBV cccDNA into HBV RNA, which in turn inhibits the translation of HBV RNA into hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). ASC42 may also reduce HBV cccDNA stability. Both in vitro primary human hepatocyte (PHH) cells and in vivo AAV/HBV mouse studies demonstrated that ASC42 significantly inhibited HBsAg and HBV pregenomic RNA (pgRNA), indicating that ASC42 has therapeutic potential to functionally cure CHB.

On June 16, 2021, Gannex, a wholly owned company of Ascletis, announced ASC42 positive topline results of safety and pharmacodynamic biomarkers from the U.S. Phase I trial of NASH indication. The data indicated that there was no pruritus observed and no treatment-emergent alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) elevations during 14-day, once daily treatment with 15 mg (therapeutic dose). (Details referring to press release:https://www.ascletis.com/news_detail/175/id/507.html)

Based on the pharmacokinetic data from the ASC42 Phase I trial in the U.S. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04679129), the bridging study in China was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind single-ascending dose study in 30 healthy subjects receiving ASC42 or matching placebo (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04965337). The objective of the bridging study was to select doses for the upcoming Phase II trial in China in patients with CHB. ASC42 bridging study demonstrated consistent pharmacokinetic profiles between the U.S. and Chinese population. Furthermore, ASC42 was safe and well tolerated in Chinese population and had only grade 1 adverse events (AEs), with no grade 2 or above AEs, no serious adverse events (SAEs) or premature discontinuations.

Based on Phase I study in the U.S. and bridging study in China, 10 mg and 15 mg once daily doses of ASC42 were selected in combination with pegylated interferon and nucleos(t)ides analogs for Phase II study in Chinese patients with CHB.

"I am excited to be the principle investigator of ASC42 Phase II clinical trial for CHB indication," said Professor Jinlin Hou, MD, Principal Investigator of ASC42 Phase II Study for CHB indication, Director of the Hepatology Unit and Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, "As the functional cure is becoming so important in CHB management, ASC42, a potential best-in-class FXR agonist, offers a novel mechanism of action for us to defeat CHB."

"We are thrilled about having advanced FXR agonist ASC42 into Phase II study only 2.5 months after the IND approval in China for CHB indication." said Dr. Jinzi J. Wu, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ascletis, "This demonstrates again the execution excellence and dedication of our clinical development team."

While promoting Pegasys (pegylated interferon) that Ascletis is also developing breakthrough therapies, including ASC22 (subcutaneous PD-L1 antibody, Phase IIb trial ongoing in China) and ASC42. which its ultimate goal is to achieve functional cure of CHB which is still a dramatic unmet medical need.

About Ascletis

Ascletis is an innovative R&D driven biotech listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (1672.HK). Ascletis is committed to developing and commercializing innovative drugs in the areas of NASH, cancer lipid metabolism and oral checkpoint inhibitors, and viral diseases, to address unmet medical needs both in China and globally. Led by a management team with deep expertise and a proven track record, Ascletis has developed into a fully integrated platform covering the entire value chain from discovery and development to manufacturing and commercialization. Ascletis has three marketed products and a robust R&D pipeline of drug candidates.

(1) NASH: Gannex, a wholly-owned company of Ascletis, is dedicated to the R&D and commercialization of new drugs in the field of NASH. Gannex has three clinical stage drug candidates against three different targets  FASN, THR-beta and FXR, and three pre-clinical stage combination therapies. (2) Cancer lipid metabolism and oral checkpoint inhibitors: a pipeline of oral inhibitors targeting FASN, which plays a key role in cancer lipid metabolism, and a pipeline of oral PD-L1 small molecule next generation checkpoint inhibitors. (3) Viral diseases: (i) Hepatitis B: focus on breakthrough therapies for CHB clinical cure with a subcutaneously-injected PD-L1 antibody  ASC22 and Pegasys as cornerstone drugs. (ii) Hepatitis C: successfully launched an all-oral regimen of combining ASCLEVIR and GANOVO (RDV/DNV regimen). (iii) HIV/AIDS: ASC22, an immune therapy to restore HIV-specific immune responses and eventually lead to a functional cure of HIV-infected patients. For more information, please visit www.ascletis.com.

SOURCE Ascletis Pharma Inc.

Related Links

www.ascletis.com.cn


BEIJING, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Autohome Inc. (NYSE: ATHM; HKEX: 2518) ("Autohome" or the "Company"), the leading online destination for automobile consumers in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2021.

Second Quarter 2021 Highlights [1]

Net Revenues in the second quarter of 2021 were RMB1,938.0 million ( $300.2 million ), compared to RMB2,313.3 million in the corresponding period of 2020.

in the second quarter of 2021 were ( ), compared to in the corresponding period of 2020. Online Marketplace and Others Revenues in the second quarter of 2021 were RMB594.3 million ( $92.0 million ), an increase of 10.0% year-over-year. Data Products delivered revenue growth of 47.1% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2021.

in the second quarter of 2021 were ( ), an increase of 10.0% year-over-year. delivered revenue growth of 47.1% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2021. Net income attributable to Ordinary Shareholders in the second quarter of 2021 was RMB746.7 million ( $115.7 million ), compared to RMB824.5 million in the corresponding period of 2020 and net income attributable to Autohome Inc. in the second quarter of 2021 was RMB754.9 million ( $116.9 million ), compared to RMB824.5 million in the corresponding period of 2020.

in the second quarter of 2021 was ( ), compared to in the corresponding period of 2020 and in the second quarter of 2021 was ( ), compared to in the corresponding period of 2020. Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc. (Non-GAAP)[2] in the second quarter of 2021 was RMB790.2 million ( $122.4 million ), compared to RMB881.0 million in the corresponding period of 2020.

Mr. Quan Long, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Autohome, stated, "We're pleased with the improving metrics across our new initiatives in the second quarter, along with margin expansion. Specifically, revenues from our new initiatives increased 10.0% year-over-year and contributed 30.7% to total revenues, compared with 23.4% in the same period of 2020. Our data products maintained its strong growth momentum, generating a revenue increase of 54.7% year-over-year in the first half of the year, thanks to the higher contribution from OEM data products. We are excited to report that with steady operating efficiency improvements, TTP, our online used car auction business, broke even at the operating level for the first time in June, a significant milestone for us. We also made further progress in our cooperation with new energy vehicle ("NEV") automakers. During the second quarter, revenues from NEV brands jumped 238% year-over-year. Adjusted net margin continued to expand to 40.8%, up 2.7 percentage points year-over-year."

Mr. Long added, "We maintained our leading position in auto media vertical in terms of traffic, with mobile daily active users increasing 16.1% year-over-year. We're also exploring new business areas to capture greater market opportunities. We plan to announce our strategic upgrading plans in detail at our upcoming Investor Day on September 15th. Looking ahead, with our strong balance sheet and profitable position and backed by our cooperation with Ping An, we believe we are well positioned to capture new opportunities in strategic growth areas, as we seek to propel long-term sustainable growth."

[1] The reporting currency of the Company is Renminbi ("RMB"). For the convenience of readers, certain amounts throughout the release are presented in US dollars ("$"). Unless otherwise noted, all conversions from RMB to US$ are translated at the noon buying rate of US$1.00 to RMB6.4566 on June 30, 2021 in the City of New York for cable transfers of RMB as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted into US$ at such rate. [2] For more information on this and other non-GAAP financial measures, please see the section captioned "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the tables captioned "Reconciliations of Non-GAAP and GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this release.

Unaudited Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Net Revenues

Net revenues in the second quarter of 2021 were RMB1,938.0 million ($300.2 million), compared to RMB2,313.3 million in the corresponding period of 2020.

Media services revenues were RMB599.8 million ( $92.9 million ), compared to RMB932.1 million in the corresponding period of 2020. The decline was primarily due to the decrease in average revenue per automaker advertiser, who adjusted their advertising budgets due to the ongoing global chip shortage.

revenues were ( ), compared to in the corresponding period of 2020. The decline was primarily due to the decrease in average revenue per automaker advertiser, who adjusted their advertising budgets due to the ongoing global chip shortage. Leads generation services revenues were RMB744.0 million ( $115.2 million ), compared to RMB841.0 million in the corresponding period of 2020. The decline was primarily due to the decrease in dealer advertising spending.

revenues were ( ), compared to in the corresponding period of 2020. The decline was primarily due to the decrease in dealer advertising spending. Online marketplace and others revenues increased by 10.0% year-over-year to RMB594.3 million ( $92.0 million ) from RMB540.2 million in the corresponding period of 2020. The increase was primarily attributable to the consolidation of TTP and the increased contribution from data products.

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues was RMB261.6 million ($40.5 million) in the second quarter of 2021, compared to RMB265.2 million in the corresponding period of 2020. In addition, cost of revenues included share-based compensation expenses of RMB5.1 million ($0.8 million) during the second quarter of 2021, compared to RMB6.2 million in the corresponding period of 2020.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses were RMB1,073.8 million ($166.3 million) in the second quarter of 2021, compared to RMB1,281.3 million in the corresponding period of 2020.

Sales and marketing expenses were RMB562.4 million ( $87.1 million ) in the second quarter of 2021, compared to RMB872.4 million in the corresponding period of 2020, primarily due to a decrease in promotional spending. Sales and marketing expenses for the second quarter of 2021 included share-based compensation expenses of RMB10.8 million ( $1.7 million ), compared to RMB9.3 million in the corresponding period of 2020.

expenses were ( ) in the second quarter of 2021, compared to in the corresponding period of 2020, primarily due to a decrease in promotional spending. Sales and marketing expenses for the second quarter of 2021 included share-based compensation expenses of ( ), compared to in the corresponding period of 2020. General and administrative expenses were RMB176.8 million ( $27.4 million ) in the second quarter of 2021, compared to RMB82.5 million in the corresponding period of 2020. The increase was primarily attributable to the consolidation of TTP and bad debt provisions related to certain advertising customers. General and administrative expenses for the second quarter of 2021 included share-based compensation expenses of RMB10.2 million ( $1.6 million ), compared to RMB15.2 million in the corresponding period of 2020.

expenses were ( ) in the second quarter of 2021, compared to in the corresponding period of 2020. The increase was primarily attributable to the consolidation of TTP and bad debt provisions related to certain advertising customers. General and administrative expenses for the second quarter of 2021 included share-based compensation expenses of ( ), compared to in the corresponding period of 2020. Product development expenses were RMB334.7 million ( $51.8 million ) in the second quarter of 2021, compared to RMB326.4 million in the corresponding period of 2020. Product development expenses for the second quarter of 2021 included share-based compensation expenses of RMB18.8 million ( $2.9 million ), compared to RMB24.8 million in the corresponding period of 2020.

Operating Profit

Operating profit was RMB673.0 million ($104.2 million) in the second quarter of 2021, compared to RMB870.7 million in the corresponding period of 2020.

Income Tax Expense

There was an income tax expense of RMB70.2 million ($10.9 million) in the second quarter of 2021, compared to RMB174.4 million in the corresponding period of 2020.

Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc.

Net income attributable to Autohome Inc. was RMB754.9 million ($116.9 million) in the second quarter of 2021, compared with RMB824.5 million in the corresponding period of 2020.

Net income attributable to Ordinary Shareholders and Earnings per Share/ADS

Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders was RMB746.7 million ($115.7 million) in the second quarter of 2021, compared to RMB824.5 million in the corresponding period of 2020. Basic and diluted earnings per share ("EPS") were RMB1.48 ($0.23) and RMB1.48 ($0.23), respectively, as compared to basic and diluted EPS of RMB1.73 and RMB1.72, respectively, in the corresponding period of 2020. Basic and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB5.92 ($0.92) and RMB5.91 ($0.92), respectively, as compared to basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB6.92 and RMB6.89, respectively, in the corresponding period of 2020.

Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc. (Non-GAAP) and Non-GAAP EPS/ADS

Adjusted net income attributable to Autohome Inc. (Non-GAAP) was RMB790.2 million ($122.4 million) in the second quarter of 2021, compared to RMB881.0 million in the corresponding period of 2020. Non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS were RMB1.57 ($0.24) and RMB1.56 ($0.24), respectively, compared to non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS of RMB1.85 and RMB1.84 respectively, in the corresponding period of 2020. Non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB6.27 ($0.97) and RMB6.26 ($0.97), respectively, compared to non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB7.39 and RMB7.36, respectively, in the corresponding period of 2020.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

As of June 30, 2021, the Company had cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of RMB18.43 billion ($2.85 billion). Net cash provided by operating activities in the second quarter of 2021 was RMB580.8 million ($90.0 million).

Employees

The Company had 6,267 employees as of June 30, 2021, including 2,471 employees from TTP.

Conference Call Information

The Company will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 (8:00 PM Beijing Time on the same day).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States: +1-855-824-5644 Hong Kong, China: +852-3027-6500 Mainland, China: 8009-880-563/ 400-821-0637 United Kingdom: 0800-026-1542 International: +1-646-722-4977 Passcode: 10698223#

Please dial in ten minutes before the call is scheduled to begin and provide the passcode to join the call.

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following numbers until September 1, 2021:

United States: +1-646-982-0473 International: +61-2-8325-2405 Passcode: 319341001#

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at http://ir.autohome.com.cn.

About Autohome Inc.

Autohome Inc. (NYSE: ATHM; HKEX: 2518) is the leading online destination for automobile consumers in China. Its mission is to engage, educate and inform consumers about everything auto. Autohome provides original generated content, professionally generated content, user-generated content, and AI-generated content, a comprehensive automobile library, and extensive automobile listing information to automobile consumers, covering the entire car purchase and ownership cycle. The ability to reach a large and engaged user base of automobile consumers has made Autohome a preferred platform for automakers and dealers to conduct their advertising campaigns. Further, the Company's dealer subscription and advertising services allow dealers to market their inventory and services through Autohome's platform, extending the reach of their physical showrooms to potentially millions of internet users in China and generating sales leads for them. The Company offers sales leads, data analysis, and marketing services to assist automakers and dealers with improving their efficiency and facilitating transactions. Autohome operates its "Autohome Mall," a full-service online transaction platform, to facilitate transactions for automakers and dealers. Further, through its websites and mobile applications, it also provides other value-added services, including auto financing, auto insurance, used car transactions, and aftermarket services. For further information, please visit www.autohome.com.cn.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will", "expects", "anticipates", "future", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, Autohome's business outlook, Autohome's strategic and operational plans and quotations from management in this announcement contain forward-looking statements. Autohome may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), in announcements made on the website of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the "Hong Kong Stock Exchange"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Autohome's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Autohome's goals and strategies; Autohome's future business development, results of operations and financial condition; the expected growth of the online automobile advertising market in China; Autohome's ability to attract and retain users and advertisers and further enhance its brand recognition; Autohome's expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its products and services; competition in the online automobile advertising industry; relevant government policies and regulatory environment of China; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Autohome's filings with the SEC and announcements on the website of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Autohome does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement net income presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, we use Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc., Non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS and per ADS, Adjusted net margin and Adjusted EBITDA as non-GAAP financial measures. We define Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc. as net income attributable to Autohome Inc. excluding share-based compensation expenses, amortization expenses of acquired intangible assets of Cheerbright, China Topside and Norstar, and certain noncontrolling interests adjustments for TTP (which for the first time starting in the first quarter of 2021 included interest income related to convertible bond investment to TTP, which is eliminated in consolidation). We define Non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS as Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc. divided by the basic and diluted weighted average number of ordinary shares. We define Adjusted net margin as Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc. divided by total net revenues. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income attributable to Autohome Inc. before income tax expense, depreciation expenses of property and equipment, amortization expenses of intangible assets, and share-based compensation expenses. We present these non-GAAP financial measures because they are used by our management to evaluate our operating performance, in addition to net income prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We believe these non-GAAP financial measures are important to help investors understand our operating and financial performance, compare business trends among different reporting periods on a consistent basis and assess our core operating results, as they exclude certain expenses that are not expected to result in cash payments. The use of the above non-GAAP financial measures has certain limitations. Share-based compensation expenses have been and will continue to be incurred in the future and are not reflected in the presentation of the non-GAAP financial measures, but should be considered in the overall evaluation of our results. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliation of non-GAAP and GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

Autohome Inc.

Investor Relations

Tel: +86-10-5985-7483

E-mail: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Jenny Cai

Tel: +86-10-6508-0677

E-mail: [email protected]

In the United States:

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Brandi Piacente

Tel: +1-212-481-2050

E-mail: [email protected]

AUTOHOME INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS DATA (Amount in thousands, except per share / per ADS data)



For three months ended June 30,

For six months ended June 30,

2020

2021

2020

2021

RMB

RMB

US$

RMB

RMB

US$

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited) Net revenues:





















Media services 932,078

599,812

92,899

1,498,388

1,204,636

186,574 Leads generation services 841,020

743,953

115,224

1,511,479

1,441,587

223,273 Online marketplace and others 540,170

594,278

92,042

850,030

1,133,401

175,541 Total net revenues 2,313,268

1,938,043

300,165

3,859,897

3,779,624

585,388 Cost of revenues (265,217)

(261,587)

(40,515)

(443,079)

(504,710)

(78,170) Gross profit 2,048,051

1,676,456

259,650

3,416,818

3,274,914

507,218























Operating expenses:





















Sales and marketing expenses (872,426)

(562,362)

(87,099)

(1,396,647)

(1,244,995)

(192,825) General and administrative

expenses (82,482)

(176,782)

(27,380)

(171,634)

(305,407)

(47,302) Product development

expenses (326,385)

(334,662)

(51,833)

(618,323)

(639,213)

(99,001) Total operating expenses (1,281,293)

(1,073,806)

(166,312)

(2,186,604)

(2,189,615)

(339,128) Other income, net 103,991

70,337

10,894

226,462

154,322

23,901 Operating profit 870,749

672,987

104,232

1,456,676

1,239,621

191,991 Interest income 128,869

138,859

21,506

266,260

268,562

41,595 Loss from equity method

investments (360)

(763)

(118)

(1,815)

(960)

(149) Fair value change of other non-

current assets -

-

-

(9,116)

-

- Income before income taxes 999,258

811,083

125,620

1,712,005

1,507,223

233,437 Income tax expense (174,430)

(70,216)

(10,875)

(299,914)

(135,249)

(20,947) Net income 824,828

740,867

114,745

1,412,091

1,371,974

212,490 Net loss attributable to

noncontrolling interests (351)

14,073

2,180

(435)

87,255

13,514 Net income attributable to

Autohome Inc. 824,477

754,940

116,925

1,411,656

1,459,229

226,004 Accretion of mezzanine equity -

(29,218)

(4,525)

-

(356,291)

(55,182) Accretion attributable to

noncontrolling interests -

20,984

3,250

-

277,567

42,990 Net income attributable to

ordinary shareholders 824,477

746,706

115,650

1,411,656

1,380,505

213,812























Earnings per share for

ordinary share





















Basic 1.73

1.48

0.23

2.96

2.79

0.43 Diluted 1.72

1.48

0.23

2.95

2.79

0.43 Earnings per ADS

attributable to ordinary

shareholders (one ADS

equals for four ordinary

shares)





















Basic 6.92

5.92

0.92

11.85

11.18

1.73 Diluted 6.89

5.91

0.92

11.79

11.15

1.73























Weighted average shares used to compute

earnings per share attributable to ordinary

shareholders:











































Basic 476,641,792

504,293,912

504,293,912

476,459,072

493,953,692

493,953,692 Diluted 478,985,592

505,183,728

505,183,728

478,787,248

495,253,000

495,253,000

AUTOHOME INC. RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP AND GAAP RESULTS (Amount in thousands, except per share / per ADS data)



For three months ended June 30,

For six months ended June 30,

2020

2021





2020

2021





RMB

RMB

US$

RMB

RMB

US$

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited) Net income attributable to

Autohome Inc. 824,477

754,940

116,925

1,411,656

1,459,229

226,004 Plus: income tax expense 174,430

72,198

11,182

299,914

137,231

21,254 Plus: depreciation of property

and equipment 38,289

53,816

8,335

70,694

104,510

16,187 Plus: amortization of intangible

assets 2,921

8,307

1,287

6,151

11,276

1,746 EBITDA 1,040,117

889,261

137,729

1,788,415

1,712,246

265,191 Plus: share-based compensation

expenses 55,420

44,966

6,964

113,277

98,803

15,303 Adjusted EBITDA 1,095,537

934,227

144,693

1,901,692

1,811,049

280,494























Net income attributable to

Autohome Inc. 824,477

754,940

116,925

1,411,656

1,459,229

226,004 Plus: amortization of acquired

intangible assets of Cheerbright,

China Topside and Norstar 1,139

1,139

176

2,278

2,278

353 Plus: share-based compensation

expenses 55,420

44,966

6,964

113,277

98,803

15,303 Minuscertain noncontrolling

interests adjustments for TTP -

(10,826)

(1,677)

-

(35,196)

(5,451) Adjusted net income

attributable to Autohome

Inc. 881,036

790,219

122,388

1,527,211

1,525,114

236,209























Non-GAAP earnings per

share for ordinary shares





















Basic 1.85

1.57

0.24

3.21

3.09

0.48 Diluted 1.84

1.56

0.24

3.19

3.08

0.48 Non-GAAP earnings per ADS

attributable to ordinary

shareholders (one ADS

equals for four ordinary

shares)





















Basic 7.39

6.27

0.97

12.82

12.35

1.91 Diluted 7.36

6.26

0.97

12.76

12.32

1.91























Weighted average shares

used to compute earnings

per share attributable to ordinary shareholders:





















Basic 476,641,792

504,293,912

504,293,912

476,459,072

493,953,692

493,953,692 Diluted 478,985,592

505,183,728

505,183,728

478,787,248

495,253,000

495,253,000

AUTOHOME INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET (Amount in thousands, except as noted)













As of December 31,

As of June 30,

2020

2021

RMB

RMB

US$

(Audited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited) ASSETS









Current assets









Cash and cash equivalents 1,751,222

2,629,817

407,307 Restricted Cash -

86,976

13,471 Short-term investments 12,878,176

15,796,359

2,446,544 Accounts receivable, net 3,124,197

2,330,359

360,927 Amounts due from related parties, current 47,303

26,584

4,117 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 563,182

782,968

121,266 Total current assets 18,364,080

21,653,063

3,353,632 Non-current assets









Restricted cash, non-current 17,926

6,985

1,082 Property and equipment, net 410,081

413,576

64,055 Goodwill and intangible assets, net 4,511,812

4,469,312

692,208 Long-term investments 70,418

69,458

10,758 Deferred tax assets 79,661

79,399

12,297 Other non-current assets 276,867

233,678

36,192 Total non-current assets 5,366,765

5,272,408

816,592 Total assets 23,730,845

26,925,471

4,170,224











LIABILITIES AND EQUITY









Current liabilities









Accrued expenses and other payables 2,577,709

1,717,322

265,978 Advance from customers 127,235

109,265

16,923 Deferred revenue 1,315,667

1,060,037

164,179 Income tax payable 85,177

187,067

28,973 Amounts due to related parties 79,895

37,680

5,836 Other current liabilities -

14,247

2,207 Total current liabilities 4,185,683

3,125,618

484,096 Non-current liabilities









Other liabilities 104,861

65,167

10,093 Deferred tax liabilities 631,509

583,490

90,371 Total non-current liabilities 736,370

648,657

100,464 Total liabilities 4,922,053

3,774,275

584,560











MEZZANINE EQUITY









Convertible redeemable noncontrolling interests 1,056,237

1,412,528

218,773











EQUITY









Total Autohome Inc. shareholders' equity 17,625,734

21,976,669

3,403,753 Noncontrolling interests 126,821

(238,001)

(36,862) Total equity 17,752,555

21,738,668

3,366,891 Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and equity 23,730,845

26,925,471

4,170,224





SOURCE Autohome Inc.
"Our family and family of employees are driven to help farmers succeed," stated Sonny Beck, CEO of Beck's. "We couldn't be more excited for the completion of the new east soybean tower, which allows us to more efficiently process and deliver additional units of high-quality soybeans to current and future customers."

The 221' x 300' facility features a ten-story, stand-alone processing tower that includes an observation deck with a glass floor for visitors to see soybeans being processed; video monitoring on all machinery operations; state-of-the-art batch treating to allow more versatility of ingredients; five new warehouses for seed and equipment storage; and office space.

"I'm honored to be part of today's celebration at Beck's, a strong contributor to Indiana's agriculture industry," said Governor Eric J. Holcomb. "Life sciences and innovation-based economic development continue driving Indiana's economy forward, and the growth of Beck's and the rest of our agriculture industry is proof of that. We'll continue cultivating an environment where companies like these can thrive for generations to come."

It will take 60,000 soybean production acres to run at full capacity, equaling 150 incoming semi-trailer loads of soybeans delivered per week. Upon arrival, the soybeans will be stored in the new 125,000 bushel receiving storage facility  20 bins storing 6,250 bushels. In addition, the facility contains two receiving dumps, two scales, and can process two varieties at once. The tower can process 24,000 bags per day through automated package filling for bulk and mini-bulk bags. Once the soybeans have been processed and packaged, 140 semi-trailer loads will be outgoing weekly.

"This project would not be possible without the support of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Hamilton County officials," said Beck. "With their foresight, dedication to Indiana agribusiness, and passion for the growth of the Hoosier economy, we've increased capacity, added jobs, and can better serve farmers across our 14-state marketing area."

Founded in 1937, Beck's began when Lawrence Beck and his son, Francis, planted hybrid parent seed corn developed by the Purdue University Botany Department. Today, Beck's has seen tremendous growth, doubling in size every 6.5 years, leading to the number one selling corn and soybean seed brand in Indiana and the third-largest corn and soybean brand in the United States.

About Beck's

Beck's- Farmers At Heart - revolutionized the customer seed buying experience by remaining true to a foundation built on faith, family, and farming. Founded in 1937, Beck's appreciates the farmers who have helped them become the largest family-owned retail seed company and the third largest seed brand in the United States. The Beck family is now in its fifth generation of family members who work in the business to honor God and help farmers succeed. The Beck family and team of employees help farmers achieve success from generation to generation through authentic customer experiences, product diversity, seed quality, and performance. With a home office located in Atlanta, Ind., Beck's serves farmers throughout the Midwest and Mid-South. For more information about Beck's, visit www.beckshybrids.com. Follow Beck's on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

SOURCE Becks Hybrids

Related Links

http://www.beckshybrids.com/


Whether your go-to is Fornite, PUBG, KOG or other top titles, MediaTek's exclusive HyperEngine game technology means you get fast and smooth action in your favorite games, through intelligent networking, rapid touchscreens and vivid visuals - whole-device enhancements - that ensure your smartphone always keeps up with you.

Inside, an upgraded octa-core CPU boosts speeds up to 2.05GHz. Using a mix of the latest Arm Cortex-A76 and Cortex-A55 in combination with the latest Arm Mali-G76 3EEMC4 GPU with speeds up to 800MHz, the BLU G91 PRO can play Fortnite and PUBG incredibly smoothly, blazing through benchmarks to blow away competitors. When compared to similarly priced devices from other brands, the G91 PRO outperformed the average of the competitors by 113% on AnTuTu, over 150% on 3DMark, and 34% on Geekbench 5 Single Core.

Benchmark Details Follow in the table below:

Model BLU G91 Pro Samsung A51 Moto G Stylus Nokia 5.4 Geekbench 5 Multi-Core 1588 1294 1611 1215 Geekbench 5 Single-Core 497 323 502 287 Antutu 350,847 175,363 171,844 147,884 3DMark (Wild Life Performance) 1489 812 355 373 3DMark (Sling Shot OpenGL) 3485 1568 1321 1181 GFX Bench 19fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) 5.6fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) na na

The G91 PRO also brings an incredibly bright and smooth 6.7-inch HD+ Infinity Dot display, a Quad A.I 48MP main camera, incredibly fast 30-watt quick charging capabilities, and the latest Android 11 operating system.

The BLU G91 PRO with 128GB of internal memory and 6GB of RAM is now exclusively available on Amazon.com for $249.99. As part of BLU's launch promotion, customers who are first in line will be able to catch the latest BLU device $100 off for a limited time at $149.99.

To make things even sweeter, the first few hundred to purchase the G91 PRO will also receive the company's latest drop to their Lifestyle line, the ARIA POD+. This earbud offers advanced 13mm dynamic drivers to pump out robust sounds that offer clear treble and deep bass to bring your audio to life.

To purchase the BLU G91 PRO, visit the following link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098W3QB3H

To purchase the BLU Lifestyle ARIA POD+, visit the following link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0973MDLLX

Design & Display

The G91 PRO is a stunning piece of hardware that combines unparalleled engineering and master craft design. It has a perfect ergonomic form factor with a state-of-the-art appeal. Featuring eloquent lines while showcasing its prismatic colors  Moonstone & Graphite  this luring budget smartphone proves that thousand-dollar flagships are a thing of the past  the G91 PRO is bound to be the best seller of the summer. The G91 PRO's ultra-slim bezel infinity dot display projects 91.4% screen-to-body ratio and a 1080x2400 screen resolution providing remarkable images while maintaining a smooth handheld experience.

Cameras

If the G91 PRO could not get any better, it brings a quad-camera set up with a 48 Megapixel Samsung GM1 camera sensor, 2 Megapixel Depth Sensor for portrait mode, and 5 Megapixel 115-degree Wide Angle Camera, and a 2 Megapixel Macro Shot Camera for close-ups. You will find a 16MP selfie camera with soft & natural background blur yet still bringing clear and well-defined details. Additionally, the G91 PRO includes a vast number of advanced A.I. Camera Features.

Quick Charge + Supersize Battery

The BLU G91 PRO is elevated with incredible power utilization management to produce excellent long-life battery results. This device is loaded with a 5,000mAh mega battery with supersonic 30-watt ultra-quick charge capability that will charge your phone to 50% in less than 20 minutes. In addition, the G91 PRO has built-in 10W wireless charging compatible with any Qi Wireless charging pad, so you never have to worry about cables again.

Learn more: https://bluproducts.com/devices/g91-pro/

Full Specifications:

Network: (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz, (4G HSPA+ 42Mbps) 850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz, (4G LTE Cat 7 Up to 300Mbps) FDD 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/28



Display: Curved 6.7-inch Incell Full HD+ 1080x2400 Resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi

Processor: MediaTek Helio G90, 2.0GHz Octa-Core, 2 ARM Cortex-A76 + 6 ARM Cortex-A55

OS: Android 11

Quad Cameras: 48MP + 2MP Depth Sensor + 5MP Wide Angle 115 degree, 2MP Macro, [email protected] video recording

Front Cameras: 16MP, HD [email protected] video recording

Connectivity: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz/5GHz a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, Hotspot

Security: Encrypted Fingerprint Sensor, Face Unlock

Memory: 6GB RAM, 128GB Internal Memory, MicroSD Slot (up to 128GB)

Dimensions: 162.9 x 77 x 10.1mm I 215g

Battery: Non-Removable Li-Polymer 5,000mAh

30W Quick Charger + 10W Wireless Charging

Dual SIM

Available Colors: Moonstone & Graphite

About BLU Products

BLU Products is an American company headquartered in Miami, FL, which designs and manufactures affordable, attractive, and innovative mobile devices focusing on fulfilling the needs of the everyday person. BLU is a pioneer in advancing the no-contract revolution, giving consumers a choice between network providers. With distribution centers in Miami and Hong Kong, BLU offers a vast portfolio of unlocked mobile phones to thousands of dealer agents, distributors, MVNO's, and retailers globally. With an emphasis on giving what today's mobile users need and constantly launching new models, BLU successfully offers consumers what they are looking for in a mobile device at an affordable price without sacrificing fashion, design, and quality. BLU continues growing at a rapid pace fueling passionate followers and fans throughout the world.

BLU Products Media Relations:

(305) 715-7171

[email protected]

SOURCE BLU Products
WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Consulting Group (BCG), one of the world's leading management consulting firms, has announced Sharon Marcil will be the next North America Regional Chair, effective October 1, 2021. Marcil has worked at BCG for over 25 years in a variety of roles. Most recently she was the Head of Global Marketing and the Global Client Team, and is a member of the firm's Executive and Operating Committees. For over ten years, Marcil was a leader in BCG's consumer practice, and is currently the Chief Client Officer for the US Federal Government.

"I've always been inspired by Sharon's leadership style. She is both client- and people-centric, thoughtful, direct, pragmatic, and collaborative. Sharon cares deeply about our people: she mentors, builds, and empowers talent at all levels of the organization," said CEO-elect Christoph Schweizer, who takes office October 1, 2021. "I'm incredibly confident in Sharon's ability to lead the North America region forward, particularly as we emerge from the pandemic. I also want to thank Joe for the incredible impact he has had on our business and our people. His empathy, drive, and commitment to BCG's values and purpose have truly transformed the region."

Marcil has deep expertise across the consumer and public sectors, and an impressive track record leading successful business transformations for BCG clients. Under Marcil's leadership of the [email protected] affinity group, BCG closed the retention gap between male and female consulting staff; and made comprehensive progress in recruiting, retaining, and elevating women to leadership positions.

"I am thrilled with the opportunity to lead BCG in North America as the firm helps clients navigate this unprecedented time and continues to provide unmatched opportunities for our greatest asset, our people," said Marcil. "Our focus will be to build on BCG's position of strength to deliver the greatest amount of impact to our clients and communities."

Marcil replaces current North America Regional Chair, Joe Davis, and will oversee BCG's operations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. During Davis' tenure, beginning in 2016, the region saw very significant growth in revenue and people. He led BCG in significantly growing its industry coverage, offerings, and capabilitiesinvesting aggressively to expand BCG's ability to serve its clients and people. Davis has been instrumental in advancing BCG's critical Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion agenda; and last year led BCG to become one of the first consulting firms to self-publish statistics related to racial and gender representation across titles and business functions.

For more information, please contact Nidhi Sinha at [email protected] or +1 646 899 8218.

About Boston Consulting Group

Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholdersempowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact.

Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fueled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place.

SOURCE Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Related Links

www.bcg.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- An overwhelming majority (96%) of investors who work with a financial advisor are satisfied (very or somewhat) with their advisor, according to a new survey of 1,000 U.S. investors released today from Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader.

Of those who do not work with a financial advisor, 44% of all investors and 65% of the millennial investors say that they are likely (very or somewhat) to begin working with an advisor over the next two years.

Preferred Method for Conducting Financial Activities

Of the millennial investors who do not work with a financial advisor, but plan to, 53% state that they are likely to work with an advisor due to the concern of not being on track to meet financial goals. Further, almost half (46%) of all investors who do not work with a financial advisor, but plan to, state that they are likely to work with an advisor to reduce financial stress, demonstrating that working with a financial advisor can help investors feel more confident about their financial goals and provide peace of mind.

"The last year in finance has been defined by a high-touch, high-tech experience, with technology making markets increasingly accessible. Everyday investors are demanding a say in when and how they invest and are increasing their focus on financial planning, especially in the wake of unprecedented market volatility. Financial advisors now sit at a critical juncture where they need to directly demonstrate their value by providing client-centric tools, products and advice," said Andrew Guillette, Vice President of Distribution Insights, Americas at Broadridge. "Asset and wealth managers have a prime opportunity to provide the most up-to-date technology tools and new products to help advisors meet this shifting demand."

While financial advisors remain highly relevant, preferences for interacting with financial providers are evolving. Across all generations, investors indicate a preference for online or mobile access for financial education, buying and selling investments, reviewing their financial accounts and day-to-day banking, illuminating the fact that many investors now seek a digital-first experience.

Investor-Directed Trading Expected to Increase

Half (52%) of all investors and two-thirds (65%) of millennials now use a self-directed brokerage account. Self-directed brokerage account usage is highest among high-net-worth investors (64%), followed by mass affluent (52%) and mass market (49%) investors.

Self-directed trading is expected to increase in the next 12 months, with one third of investors planning to increase trade frequency, while only 5% plan to decrease.

Over a quarter (28%) of investors use both a financial advisor and a self-directed brokerage account, showcasing investor demand for longer-term financial planning advice coupled with the ability to invest on demand. Of these investors, 57% report that they also use a self-directed brokerage account because they enjoy investing, while 33% cite diversification.

Self-directed brokerage accounts remain more popular than robo-advisors, as only 33% of investors are familiar with the concept of robo-advisors, and only 6% currently use one. However, demand among younger investors appears high. Among millennials familiar with but not currently using a robo-advisor, 76% are likely (very or somewhat) to begin using a robo-advisor in the next 12 months.

Investors Express Positive Outlook Despite Volatile Year

Sixty-six percent of investors report having a positive (very or somewhat) outlook about their personal financial situation over the next year (compared to 13% with a negative outlook), and 39% of investors feel better (somewhat or much) about their financial situation today compared to 12 months ago (compared to 17% who feel worse).

About half (49%) of investors have a positive (very or somewhat) outlook on the U.S. economy, and 53% have a positive outlook (very or somewhat) on the stock market for the next 12 months. Sixty-one percent report that they are open (very or somewhat) to investing in the stock market.

Methodology

The Broadridge survey was conducted by 8 Acre Perspective to assess the current sentiment of U.S. investors. A total of 1,000 U.S. investors with investable assets of $10K+ and a household income of $25K+ completed the survey, which was fielded in April and May 2021. Wealth tier definitions: High Net Worth ($1M+ investable assets), Mass Affluent ($100-999K), Mass Market (<$100K). For further details on survey methodology, please contact a Broadridge media representative.

About Broadridge

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader with $5 billion in revenues, provides the critical infrastructure that powers investing, corporate governance and communications to enable better financial lives. We deliver technology-driven solutions to banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and public companies. Broadridge's infrastructure serves as a global communications hub enabling corporate governance by linking thousands of public companies and mutual funds to tens of millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. In addition, Broadridge's technology and operations platforms underpin the daily trading of on average more than U.S. $9 trillion of equities, fixed income and other securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work, Broadridge is a part of the S&P 500 Index, employing over 13,000 associates in 21 countries.

For more information about Broadridge, please visit www.broadridge.com

Media Contacts:

Matthew Luongo

Prosek Partners

+1 646-818-9279

[email protected]

SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.broadridge.com


EL CAJON, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 16th, the day before school started in the Cajon Valley Union School District, one family reached out to Fraidoon and Mohammad, Family and Community Liaisons for the Cajon Valley Union School District, to please hold their spot at their local school. The Cajon Valley Union School District Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Office that supports a global community of families has been in direct contact with their families and students stranded in Afghanistan.

About Cajon Valley FACE (Family And Community Engagement) Department

The FACE Office has been recognized by the California Department of Education, National School Board Association, and other global organizations for building powerful relationships with their families. The FACE Department employs 16 Community Liaisons whose main focus is building relationships that positively impact students' academic and social-emotional outcomes so that every child is happy, in healthy relationships, and on a path to gainful employment.

Students and their parents who traveled to Afghanistan this summer to visit their extended family reached out to their community liaisons for assistance when the crisis in Afghanistan started. They asked Fraidoon and Mohammad, Cajon Valley Community Liaisons, to hold their children's spots in their classrooms while they were stranded in Afghanistan. Mike Serban, Director of the FACE Office, began gathering a comprehensive list of all Cajon Valley Students known to be in Afghanistan. They have been working with Congressman Issa's office, who have been incredibly supportive in the attempt to bring these families home. The East County San Diego community and district staff continue to send positive thoughts and well wishes to all of our families as we await their safe return. The Cajon Valley Union School District - many cultures, one community.

About Cajon Valley

Named a 2019 Top Workplace in San Diego, Cajon Valley Union School District focuses on the positivity of each student's unique strengths, interests, and values. Recently showcased during the National Safe School Reopening Summit, Cajon Valley has garnered national recognition as a leader in educational excellence and innovation. Serving over 60 square miles of San Diego's East County, Cajon Valley Union School District offers personalized education, with programs that develop students into happy kids, healthy relationships, on a path to gainful employment, making El Cajon the best place to live, work, play and raise a family. Visit our website at www.cajonvalley.net.

Media Contact

Howard Shen

619-590-5823

[email protected]

SOURCE Cajon Valley Union School District

Related Links

https://www.cajonvalley.net


KATY, Texas, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambay Consulting, a leading global digital transformation company, announced that Brad Armstrong joins them as a President of Sales  Product Engineering Services.

Brad was till recently Vice President  Tech Mahindra Connected World and has held a key position in sales, driving new and strategic relationships with the Global 'Captains of Industry' for over 40 years.

Brad Armstrong

Brad will be responsible for growing the engineering services business multi-fold and forge strategic customer relationships. He will also be responsible for creating, refine and align engineering infrastructure and processes to customer's requirements and help grow Cambay's business. He will also manage sales, presales, delivery, and marketing functions of digital and product engineering services in his new role. Brad will report to Zafar Shaikh, CEO, and will be based near Chicago, Illinois, US.

Brad brings more than 40 years of IT industry experience in building and leading top-performing enterprise sales organizations. Before joining Cambay, Brad held sales leadership roles at Tech M, CYIENT, General Electric, ATS, and others to create the most strategic, cost-effective, and customer-centric infrastructure. He grew the customer base multi-fold and increased the revenue by an average of twenty percent CAGR. Brad is an alumnus of the University of New Mexico, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and has completed some Post Graduate business courses from Stanford University Graduate School with a focus on digital & IoT studies.

"I am excited to join such an experienced team with a robust engineering offering. My foundation of experience integrating engineering, IT, manufacturing, financial, software, and transformative enterprise solutions combined with my DNA of understanding business challenges provides me with the ability to provide unprecedented value, customer delight and drive the next phase of growth," says Brad.

About Cambay:

Cambay Consulting is a global digital transformation firm leveraging Microsoft Azure, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft 365 to drive transformational services, innovation, and growth in the digital age. Our combined service capabilities, global scale, and assets  "People, Process, and Technology," help customers overcome disruption and drive transformation in their industries.

With our global delivery team and methodology, in addition to decades of experience, our program methodology around our advisory, design, development, support, and maintenance services by providing quality outcomes to meet your goals and objectives.

Cambay, a Microsoft Managed Partner, is celebrating 10+ years of 'High Performance' delivery and innovation. For more details, please visit: https://cambaycs.com/

Media Contact:

Michael Moore

Cambay Consulting LLC.

832-699-6818

[email protected]

SOURCE Cambay Consulting
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Camino Pharma, LLC, a San Diegobased biotechnology company developing small molecules to treat central nervous system disorders, announced today that it has dosed the first cohort in a Phase 1 clinical trial of SBP-9330 in healthy subjects. SBP9330 targets a neuronal signaling pathway underlying addictive behaviors and would be a first-in-class oral therapeutic to help people quit smoking.

The study is being funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through a grant awarded to Sanford Burnham Prebys, Camino Pharma, LLC, and the Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine.

"We are excited to initiate the first-in-human study of SBP-9330 and are grateful for the investment that NIDA has made in the treatment of tobacco use disorder," says Gonul Velicelebi, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Camino Pharma. "Smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in the US. Nearly 70% of adult smokers try to quit smoking, but only succeed less than 30% of the time, and often relapse after quitting. It has been 15 years since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last approved a therapeutic for this indication. We hope to advance SBP-9330 rapidly toward a Phase 2a clinical proof-of-concept trial, and ultimately as a viable therapeutic option for smokers to quit for good."

The randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, single-ascending and multiple-ascending dose study is being conducted at a single site in the United States under an Investigational New Drug (IND) application recently allowed by the FDA and will enroll up to 80 healthy volunteers through multiple cohorts (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04948827). The goal of the study is to determine the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile of SBP-9330 in humans and to determine a safe dose range for further clinical development for the treatment of tobacco use disorder.

As a novel selective positive allosteric modulator of the metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 (mGlu 2 ), SBP9330 is designed to reduce levels of glutamate, a neurotransmitter linked to addiction and relapse behavior. Preclinical studies of SBP-9330, supported by a previous NIDA grant awarded to the same three institutions, demonstrated that the drug candidate reduces nicotine self-administration in animal models and is safe and well tolerated in preclinical safety and toxicology studies.

"In the future, we also hope to broaden the indication of SBP-9330 to other types of addiction, such as cocaine, opioid, or methamphetamine use disorders. This is supported by preclinical data in other models of substance use as well as the mechanism of action of SBP-9330," states Nicholas Cosford, Ph.D., professor and deputy director of the National Cancer Institutedesignated Cancer Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys and co-founder of Camino Pharma.

"We are excited about collaborating in the development of SBP-9330 to treat tobacco use disorder. Each year in the United States, roughly half a million people die from tobacco-related diseases. It is critical to have more therapeutic options if we want to reduce the number of deaths and illnesses related to smoking," says Robert Anthenelli, M.D., UC San Diego professor of psychiatry and one of the co-principal investigators on the NIDA project.

About Camino Pharma, LLC

Camino Pharma is a San Diegobased start-up focused on discovering and developing safe and effective first-in-class drugs to treat patients suffering from (1) psychiatric disorders that are poorly addressed by current medications, including substance use and major depression; and (2) the most aggressive forms of cancer with currently limited treatment options. We target signaling proteins based on emerging biological concepts and discover novel mechanisms for modulating these targets with small molecule drugs. Our leadership team has proven expertise in the relevant target biology, as well as extensive experience in drug discovery and development. Our innovative technology platform allows for exploiting inadequately served targets that require a highly adaptive and specialized approach to drug discovery. We intend to find novel cures using our deep understanding in target biology combined with well-tailored, cutting-edge discovery technologies. Visit Camino Pharma at www.caminopharma.com.

SOURCE Camino Pharma, LLC

Related Links

https://www.caminopharma.com


PUNE, India, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Onyxum Inc, Canada-based leading accommodation provider, partners with Pune-based travel technology Startup ZentrumHub Solutions. With this partnership in effect, Onyxum.com will gain express access to ZentrumHub's supplier integrations for accommodation services with the best search speed and rate insights.

Onyxum.com provides premium international accommodation service from the finest hotels to luxury resorts at discounted costs thus allowing travelers to avail premium properties within their expected price range. This allows travelers to enhance their choice of properties by making better properties available at lower costs. Simply provide Onyxum with travel dates and requirements and they do the work to get the best hotels around the world.

The following are the various benefits that ZentrumHub provides to its users:

Dashboard Tracking

Multi-currency support

BackOffice to control commercials

Optimized Supplier Integration APIs

Admin Portal to control result display

to control result display Extranet to Load your own hotel contracts

Pre-Integrated Hotel and Room Mapping APIs

Dedicated Account Manager and Technical Account Manager

Sachin Singh, Co-founder & CEO at ZentrumHub, commented the following on the partnership:

"As a growing company with an intent to revive travel industry it is imperative to partner with organizations that not only trust our work but also make us better on every step of the way. With Onyxum.com, we are doing just that, is to really shape the intent on why we exist."

Farid Zaem, director at Onyxum.com, said:

"Your travel partner network needs to be a good fit for your business, and have values that align with your own. ZentrumHub team truly lived the spirit of partnership and I really appreciate their expertise and recommendations over the course of our corporation."

About ZentrumHub:

Whether you are a travel agency, a travel membership program or a travel and destination management company, with ZentrumHub, you can gain access to all your suppliers in one API with best search speed and rate insights.

About Onyxum.com:

Onyxum's mission is to create everlasting memories with every travel experience. Wherever you wish to visit in the world, Onyxum is your premium international accommodation service. From the finest hotels to luxury resorts, allow Onyxum to turn your dreams into reality.

ZentrumHub Media Contact:

ZentrumHub Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

[email protected]

(+91) 8860264048

https://zentrumhub.com/

SOURCE ZentrumHub Solutions Private Limited
Trym customer and early adopter, Randy Hansen, Co-founder and COO of Pacific Grove, an indoor craft cannabis producer located in Portland, OR, has yielded exciting results from their first harvest with the new technology.

"We're always looking to achieve more terpenes and higher THC content in our product, because that's what the Oregon market demands." said Randy. "Since we started crop steering with Trym, it's a night and day difference. Some of the stickiest weed we've seen yet".

Since launching a METRC integration in 2019, Trym became the first cannabis cultivation software to combine environmental sensor integrations, task management, and compliance tracking together in a single platform.

A unique attribute of Trym's crop steering module is it's flexible sensor integrations with technology providers Growlink and Trolmaster . "We've focused our offering around flexible integrations, so growers are empowered to pick the hardware that works best for their facility," said Benjamin Wong, Co-founder and COO of Trym.

Trym's crop-steering functionalities include:

Grow Log: a news feed for your grow rooms! View a live stream of everything that's happened in chronological order; such as employee tasks, notes, measurements, and METRC actions.

Flexible sensor integrations: monitor climate and root zone conditions into Trym for real-time visibility into how each plant group is performing.

Crop registration: log observations along with photos of your plants for a complete record of each harvest.

Customizable graphs: visualize conditions in real-time and look back at historical data for each group of plants.

About Trym

Founded in Novato, California in 2018, Trym software is custom-built for commercial cannabis growers. Trym boosts production efficiency, empowers team members, and turns insights into strategic decisions. Trym's comprehensive platform supports growers in optimizing and managing daily operations to increase profitability and scale faster. The company currently operates in 18 U.S. states and works with many of the largest cultivators and multi-state operators in the country. The Trym mobile app is available for download on both iOS and Android devices. www.trym.io

SOURCE Trym

Related Links

http://www.trym.io


NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global market for capnography devices is set to increase to $736.6 million by 2030 from $422.1 million in 2020, at a 5.7% CAGR between 2020 and 2030, according to the market research report published by P&S Intelligence.

The following are the major driving factors for the industry:

Increasing Prevalence of Respiratory Diseases: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) led to 3.2 million deaths in 2019, while asthma led to 0.5 million deaths, as per the World Health Organization (WHO). This is driving the need for capnography devices to monitor the lung function of patients in acute- and long-term-care facilities.

Technological Advancements: The capnography devices market is also being driven by technological advancements, which have made these systems more accurate and safer. Some of the latest innovations are photo detectors, miniaturized main-stream multi-gas monitors, and laser-based molecular correlation spectroscopy (MCS).

The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the capnography devices market growth as COVID-19 is a respiratory disease. Capnography's ability to measure the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in exhaled air is being leveraged in acute- and long-term-care settings to track the status of infected patients and ascertain the likelihood of unfavorable events. Thus, despite the closure of most non-essential hospital departments, the demand for capnography devices has increased during these times.

The hand-held category is set to dominate the capnography devices market in the coming years, based on product. These devices are small, easy to use, and portable. As a result, they are allowing doctors to conduct point-of-care respiratory monitoring of COVID patients.

In the years to come, the highest capnography devices market CAGR, of 7.7%, within the technology segment, will be seen in the micro-stream category. Capnography devices using this technology are quick to warm up, which allows for their usage in emergencies, and they also do not require calibration before usage.

The capnography devices market garnered the higher revenue from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) modules bifurcation in the past, under the component segment. These components make measuring CO 2 and end-tidal CO 2 (EtCO 2 ) more accurate and simpler even in portable and smaller monitors.

Browse detailed report on Global Capnography Devices Market Size and Growth Forecast to 2030

North America has been the largest capnography devices market till now because of the presence of numerous companies offering these products, increasing prevalence of respiratory diseases, and advanced healthcare infrastructure. Considering the total case and death counts, the U.S. is the worst affected by the ongoing pandemic, which has propelled the demand for capnography devices.

The key companies in the global capnography devices market are Diamedica (UK) Limited, Edan Instruments Inc., Shenzhen Comen Medical Instruments Co. Ltd., Nonin Medical Inc., Nihon Kohden Corporation, Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, Masimo Corporation, Medtronic plc, Zoll Medical Corporation, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Smiths Group plc, Welch Allyn Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., and Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co. Ltd.

Browse More Reports

Respiratory Care Device Market Report

Ventilator Market Report

Sleep Apnea Device Market Report

About P&S Intelligence

P&S Intelligence is a provider of market research and consulting services catering to the market information needs of burgeoning industries across the world. Providing the plinth of market intelligence, P&S as an enterprising research and consulting company, believes in providing thorough landscape analyses on the ever-changing market scenario, to empower companies to make informed decisions and base their business strategies with astuteness.

Contact:

Prajneesh Kumar

P&S Intelligence

Phone: +1-347-960-6455

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.psmarketresearch.com

SOURCE P&S Intelligence
CLAREMONT, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Claremont Lincoln University (CLU), a non-profit online university offering master's degrees through a socially conscious education, has announced a tuition reset that reduces the cost of its master's degree programs by 21 percent, making graduate degrees more affordable, inclusive and accessible. Tuition rates will be applied as of the August 2021 term, and will pertain to all new and existing students.

"The continued impact of COVID-19, social unrest, environmental stress and complex family and working adult challenges requires action. Thus, the Board and staff unanimously decided to further invest in leaders of tomorrow, ensuring they have an affordable pathway to a graduate degree," said CLU President Lynn Priddy, Ph.D. "CLU's guiding principles call on us to be mindful, situationally aware, empathic and authentic leaders. This is at the core of our degree programs, and if we aspire to create an entirely new ecosystem of leadership, we must begin with ourselves."

U.S. student loan debt totals $1.73 trillion and grows six times faster than the nation's economy, and the nationwide student loan debt balance increased 8 percent in 2020, according to recent research. "Education should not be a luxury attainable for only a few. It should be a catalyst for change and upward mobility, not a reinforcement of class structures or an insurmountable debt burden," added Priddy.

The new cost per credit hour is $550, a decrease of $150 per credit hour. Under the new tuition structure, the cost of a Master in Public Administration (MPA) degree from CLU is $19,100 (36 credits). All other CLU master's degree programs are priced at $18,150 (33 credits), and graduate certificates are either $4,950 (9 credits) or $6,600 (12 credits).

Prospective MPA students  particularly those who are underrepresented with respect to race, ethnicity, gender identity, disabled status and veteran status  are invited to apply for the Lincoln Institute 75 Fellowship for Ethics and Equity in Public Administration, which reduces the cost of the MPA program by more than 50 percent.

CLU's degrees are grounded in the Golden Rule and the Claremont Core, which emphasizes mindfulness, dialogue, collaboration and change. A young, modern institution, CLU focuses on working adults and those aspiring to change careers. Faculty members are professionals in their career fields who possess significant practical experience and who equip students with the advanced knowledge, skills and capabilities to be more effective, ethical and empathic change-makers in a globalized world. As a result, CLU has a distinctive ability to create a learning ecosystem that builds new, urgently needed leaders who seek to create positive social change by resolving complex social, economic, environmental, racial, and other disparities and inequities.

More information on CLU's programs and tuition costs can be found at https://www.claremontlincoln.edu/programs.

About Claremont Lincoln University

Claremont Lincoln University (CLU) is a non-profit institution offering affordable online master's degrees rooted in a socially conscious education. CLU's mission is to equip students with 21st Century leadership skills for engaging in solutions that improve the world for the benefit of all. CLU is regionally accredited by the highly regarded Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), which ensures institutions meet strict standards and fulfill their missions in service to their students and the public good. Master's degree programs at CLU focus on civic engagement, ethics, healthcare administration, higher education, human resources, organizational leadership , management, professional studies, public administration, social impact, sustainability leadership and technology management.

SOURCE Claremont Lincoln University

Related Links

https://www.claremontlincoln.edu


"We are thrilled to welcome DLG, its talented employees and customers to the Wheel Pros family. We're impressed with DLG's rapid growth and strong market position with brands like Morimoto and online properties like The Retrofit Source and Headlight Revolution," said Randy White, Co-Founder and CEO of Wheel Pros. "We believe the lighting category is a natural extension of our portfolio of aftermarket vehicle enhancements, and with DLG we can continue increasing penetration of a large white-space opportunity. We look forward to leveraging our scale and infrastructure and working with the DLG team, including Matt Kossoff, Chief Product Officer and founder of Retrofit Source, and Chris Nelson, Chief Marketing Officer and founder of Headlight Revolution, to accelerate growth of the enthusiast aftermarket lighting category."

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Driven Lighting Group is a designer, marketer, influencer and online retailer of enthusiast automotive aftermarket lighting products. DLG has established brands, such as Morimoto and Profile Performance, and in-house product development capabilities that deliver high performance, quality products. DLG's creative content engine and e-commerce platforms have attracted a large community of enthusiasts and wide customer base ranging from hobbyists to performance-driven consumers.

"DLG has achieved incredible growth in partnership with Kian Capital over the past few years, expanding our online presence, scaling our operational infrastructure, and adding additional adjacent product offerings," said Brian Reese, CEO of DLG. "We're excited to join the Wheel Pros organization and leverage their design expertise, scale and operational footprint to accelerate growth. We've witnessed what they've been able to do in other adjacent categories such as suspension, and we believe together we can rapidly grow lighting in the large enthusiast market."

"Wheel Pros has historically demonstrated its ability to enter new adjacent product categories both organically and through acquisition, and then drive accelerated growth in these new categories. We are eager to welcome DLG to the Wheel Pros organization and to execute on this proven playbook in the attractive enthusiast lighting segment," said Jose E. Feliciano, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, and Colin Leonard, a Partner at Clearlake. "The talented DLG team has created a high growth platform with robust digital and direct-to-consumer capabilities, and we look forward to expanding the product breadth and online presence of the combined Wheel Pros platform through increased investment and by utilizing our O.P.S. framework."

"DLG has shown outstanding performance since we first partnered with Matt Kossoff and The Retrofit Source over three years ago, and we're glad we were able to achieve an outcome the DLG team desired in terms of finding a home where they believe they can accelerate their rapid trajectory," said Rick Cravey, Co-Founder and Partner, and Scott Buschmann, Partner at Kian Capital. "We are proud to have partnered with DLG over this period of growth and look forward to following the company in its next chapter with Wheel Pros."

ABOUT WHEEL PROS

Founded in 1995, Wheel Pros serves the automotive enthusiast industry with a wide selection of vehicle enhancements from its portfolio of lifestyle brands, including Fuel-Off-Road, American Racing, KMC, Rotiform and Black Rhino. Utilizing its expanding global network of distribution centers spanning North America, Australia and Europe, Wheel Pros serves over 13,500 retailers and has a growing ecommerce presence to provide enthusiast consumers with access to the products they desire. More information is available at www.wheelpros.com.

ABOUT DRIVEN LIGHTING GROUP

DLG is the leading designer, marketer, influencer and online retailer of aftermarket enthusiast automotive lighting products. Founded in 2005, DLG established the market for performance lighting and is the trendsetter within the space. Today, DLG's portfolio of premium brands cover all lighting categories including complete assemblies, bulbs, offroad lighting and accent lighting. The extensive product offerings serve a diverse customer base, all of which is fueled by its sophisticated digital marketing and white glove customer service. More information is available at www.drivenlightinggroup.com

ABOUT CLEARLAKE

Founded in 2006, Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is an investment firm operating integrated businesses across private equity, credit and other related strategies. With a sector-focused approach, the firm seeks to partner with experienced management teams by providing patient, long term capital to dynamic businesses that can benefit from Clearlake's operational improvement approach, O.P.S. The firm's core target sectors are technology, industrials and consumer. Clearlake currently has approximately $39 billion of assets under management, and its senior investment principals have led or co-led over 300 investments. The firm has offices in Santa Monica and Dallas. More information is available at www.clearlake.com and on Twitter @ClearlakeCap.

ABOUT KIAN CAPITAL

Kian is a private investment firm with $425 million of capital under management and a focus on four core industry sectors: consumer, services, value added distribution and specialty manufacturing. Kian's team of seasoned investors has over 80 years of collective experience providing transformational capital solutions and board-level strategic and operational guidance to founder/owner operated businesses. Kian provides flexible financial resources and additional operational horsepower to scale middle-market businesses, realize aspirations and deliver long-term investment returns through genuine partnership. More information is available at www.kiancapital.com.

Contact

For Wheel Pros

Max Krapff

Backbone Media

970.658.5252 ext. 1174

[email protected]

For Clearlake

Jennifer Hurson

Lambert & Co.

+1 845-507-0571

[email protected]

For Kian Capital

David Duke

Kian Capital

+1 470-823-3008

[email protected]

SOURCE Wheel Pros; Clearlake Capital

Related Links

http://www.wheelpros.com


CHICAGO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 15th consecutive year, the Coors Light Lideres program is helping Latino nonprofit leaders and volunteers conquer their mountains. Coors Light will help five remarkable Latino change makers empower their communities by awarding $10,000 grants for their nonprofit organization. Winners selected as "Lideres" will also receive access to the Change Makers Alumni Network. Nominations and applications are now open through September 21 at CoorsLightLideres.com.

For 15 years, the program has emboldened Latino trailblazers who, through their innovative leadership initiatives, have a transformational impact on the communities they serve, achieve personal and professional success, and serve as role models for the next generation of Latino leaders.

To apply, individuals can nominate others or themselves by filling out a simple form about the nominee's impact in the community and the nonprofit organization they represent. Nominees must be of Hispanic or Latino descent, between the ages of 21 and 39 and actively associated with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that impacts the Latino community. Recipients will be announced October 13 and honored at a winners' celebration in March 2022.

"Lack of funding and resources create a steep climb for the Latino nonprofit leaders and volunteers who work tirelessly for the betterment of their communities," said Kayla Garcia, manager of community affairs for Molson Coors. "We want them to know that Coors Light is here to help them. We're committed to recognize Latino leaders for their community impact and continue to assist them in achieving great things for years to come."

Conquering mountains also requires the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded leaders who share the passion of helping the community. To help grant recipients find more opportunities to network, learn, and grow, Coors Light Lideres will also be welcomed into to the Change Maker network: a place where leaders can connect and collaborate with more than 140 like-minded trailblazers.

Since Coors Light Lideres program launched in 2006, fourteen Latino nonprofit organizations have been awarded more than $350,000 in grants. Adding to this program's positive impact are other initiatives that the brand and its parent company execute to empower diverse drinkers. In 2020, Molson Coors launched Project Justice, a program dedicated to the empowerment, equity, community building, and justice for BIPOC organizations. Since the launch, $3 million has been donated to BIPOC serving organizations across the U.S. and Canada. In addition, Coors Light has a long history of empowering Black students by donating to HBCUs and raising funds for LGBTQ nonprofits through the Tap Into Change program.

Visit CoorsLightLideres.com for more information on the program and full eligibility criteria. Follow Coors Light Lideres at Facebook.com/CoorsLightLideres, @CoorsLightLider on Twitter and @CoorsLightLideres on Instagram.

About Molson Coors

For more than two centuries, Molson Coors has been brewing beverages that unite people to celebrate all life's moments. From Coors Light, Miller Lite, Molson Canadian, Carling, and Staropramen to Coors Banquet, Blue Moon Belgian White, Blue Moon LightSky, Vizzy Hard Seltzer, Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, Creemore Springs, Hop Valley and more, Molson Coors produces many beloved and iconic beer brands. While the company's history is rooted in beer, Molson Coors offers a modern portfolio that expands beyond the beer aisle as well. Our Environmental, Social and Governance strategy is focused on People and Planet with a strong commitment to raising industry standards and leaving a positive imprint on our employees, consumers, communities, and the environment. Learn more about Molson Coors Beverage Company, visit molsoncoors.com, MolsonCoorsOurImprint.com or on Twitter through @MolsonCoors.

SOURCE Molson Coors

Related Links

https://www.molsoncoors.com


"When we see how no-code and low-code has revolutionized application development, saving firms millions in developer resources, the logical next step is to launch a next-generation smart desktop platform to follow suit," says Cosaic CEO Dan Schleifer. "We're thrilled to release the world's first no-code desktop interoperability platform."

Traditionally, smart desktop providers have marketed their platforms as software development kits or developer frameworks. Building a smart desktop has required deep programming knowledge and extensive ongoing developer support. Finsemble now leads the charge with a fasterand less costlyno-code alternative.

With Finsemble 6.0, citizen developers can now use Finsemble's Smart Desktop Designer to build an integrated workspace in under an hour with no code, freeing up the firm's valuable and expensive development teams (which is one of the main drivers behind the no-code revolution). According to a Gartner forecast, low-code tech development will grow 23% this year , and in an Appian report 80% of developers said low-code "can both eliminate time spent on repetitive tasks and free up developers to do more high-level work."

"The Smart Desktop Designer is an entirely new way to think about Finsemble," says Eugene Sorenson, Cosaic Chief Product Officer. "In the past, smart desktop projects required large development efforts and often took months to get into production. Agile businesses expect to see value right away. Finsemble now delivers a SaaS-like experienceeasy to configure and put into productionall while maintaining the on-premise security our customers expect."

Finsemble's Smart Desktop Designer provides a GUI for assembling web, native, and third-party applications into integrated workspaces, as well as tools for styling, theming, menu organization, and authentication through industry standard OAuth2 providers like Google, Salesforce or internal systems. In under an hour, a customized smart desktop can be deployed to end users, containing essential applications (OMS, blotter, charts, news, analytics), workspace management, authentication, security controls, and firm branding.

Finsemble also provides out-of-the-box support for the industry's FDC3 data integration standard. Any application built with the FDC3 API (such as Bondcliq and FactSet) can automatically share data within a Finsemble workspace with no coding required.

Finsemble still offers a robust set of developer APIs to take customization to the next level. For more information, visit https://cosaic.io/finsemble/ or sign up for the webinar demonstration September 9th at 10:00 a.m. EDT, where Cosaic CEO Dan Schleifer will build a smart desktop live using the Smart Desktop Designer.

About Cosaic



Cosaic provides state-of-the art software for firms that want to promote ingenuity, evolve intelligently, and improve end-user efficiency. Products include ChartIQ , the world-renowned financial charting software, and Finsemble , the world's first no-code smart desktop platform. As a workflow solutions provider, Cosaic is revolutionizing the way people work with over 300 global customers around the world, including Yahoo! Finance, E*TRADE, Charles River, and Fidessa. Founded in 2012 as ChartIQ, Cosaic is a fast-growing firm based in Charlottesville, VA with offices in New York, London, and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit https://cosaic.io.

SOURCE Cosaic

Related Links

cosaic.io


"With creativity in mind, we wanted to create something that took personalization and imagination to the next level," said Gena Lavallee, Make It Real's Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "The innovation behind the full Color Fusion line is one-of-a-kind and never seen in the market before. We anticipate it will be the must-have on every tween fashionista's wish list!"

The Color Fusion Nail Polish Maker uses a water based nail polish formula, product tested and safe for kids. Included in the kit, kids can create up to 120 manicures or pedicures with the base product and test out fun nail art with the nail styling tools! When they need a polish change, refill packs can be purchased for continued use.

Keep the creativity flowing through the companion app available on iOS and Android devices to explore the full range of capabilities with the Color Fusion Nail Polish Maker. Create custom colors with color matching technology, search through a library of colors to find the color recipe and experiment with unique nail art design tutorials!

"The companion app is a fantastic tool to use with the Nail Polish Maker," said Gena Lavallee. "Take a photo of your favorite shirt and the app will provide the custom formula to input into your nail polish maker, along with a complimentary color. Create, paint and match your nails to your outfits or accessories. At-home manicures have never been so fun!"

The Color Fusion Nail Polish Maker, Nail Dryer and refill packs will be available at Target in September 2021. The base unit retails for $39.99, the nail dryer $24.99 and the refill packs are $14.99.

Color Fusion made its grand debut at the Toy Insider's summer influencer and media event, Sweet Suite this July. Make It Real is putting forward an extensive marketing program including influencer and celebrity seeding, social media promotions and YouTube content. To keep up with the latest nail art trends and product announcements, follow Color Fusion on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok !

About Make It Real

Founded in 2016, Make It Real is on a mission to inspire! With toys that spark creativity and build confidence, Make It Real aims to shape pathways toward creative careers and inspire kids to turn their dreams into their reality. Founders Isaac and Sara Wolman are parents who wanted to create a brand that would encourage kids to dream big and provide them the tools needed to make those dreams come true.

Make It Real manufactures and distributes beautiful creative products for tweens around the world. Every product created is an experience that gives aspiring young creators a window into the real world of design and creativity.

SOURCE Make It Real
Curaleaf Bordentown is the company's third dispensary in the state and 109th nationwide

Select, America's #1 cannabis oil brand, launches in New Jersey, expanding reach to 19 states

WAKEFIELD, Mass., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf" or the "Company"), a leading U.S. provider of consumer products in cannabis, today announced the opening of Curaleaf Bordentown, the company's 109th dispensary nationwide. The Company also announced the launch of its Select brand in New Jersey, expanding the brand's reach to 19 states. Select Bites, which feature the brand's award-winning, concentrated broad-spectrum oil and science-based formulations that offer precise, consistent cannabis experiences for any occasion, are now available at all Curaleaf New Jersey locations.

Curaleaf Bordentown is a 9,546 square foot dispensary located at 191 Route 130, and is the second location that Curaleaf has opened in the state this year. All three of Curaleaf's New Jersey dispensaries are strategically positioned near the New York and Pennsylvania borders, allowing the Company to better serve the growing East Coast adult-use market. In June, Curaleaf started serving patients at Curaleaf Edgewater Park and announced that it had tripled its cultivation capabilities with its new facility in Winslow Township. Curaleaf's strategic expansion in New Jersey will allow the Company to serve both the existing medical market and the forthcoming adult-use market, which could launch as early as the end of this year. Through these latest expansion plans, Curaleaf expects to add over 200 new jobs to the local economy.

"It has been a privilege to serve New Jersey's medical community over the past six years, and we look forward to forging new patient connections in Bordentown, generating new economic opportunities and delivering exceptional retail experiences as this market continues to mature," said Patrik Jonsson, Curaleaf Regional President, Northeast. "We are also excited to expand our Select retail footprint and introduce Select Bites to new patient and consumer audiences."

Select Classic Bites are available in three flavors including Passion Fruit, Strawberry Peach and Blueberry. Later this year, Select Nano Bites and Select Squeeze will be introduced to the New Jersey market.

Starting on August 25, Curaleaf Bordentown will offer swag bags for the first 500 patients through the door and a 20% discount on first purchases throughout the first two weeks of opening. Additionally, Curaleaf will be making a donation of $5,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Burlington & Mercer Counties and has committed to volunteering to help build homes in the area in October. For more information on Curaleaf Bordentown and its selection of branded flower, vapes and ingestible products, please visit https://curaleaf.com/locations/ .

About Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf") is a leading international provider of consumer products in cannabis with a mission to improve lives by providing clarity around cannabis and confidence around consumption. As a high-growth cannabis company known for quality, expertise and reliability, the Company and its brands, including Curaleaf and Select, provide industry-leading service, product selection and accessibility across the medical and adult-use markets. In the United States, Curaleaf currently operates in 23 states with 109 dispensaries, 22 cultivation sites and over 30 processing sites, and employs over 5,000 team members. Curaleaf International is the largest vertically integrated cannabis company in Europe with a unique supply and distribution network throughout the European market, bringing together pioneering science and research with cutting-edge cultivation, extraction and production. Curaleaf is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol CURA and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol CURLF. For more information, please visit https://ir.curaleaf.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This media advisory contains forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forwardlooking statements or information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or, "proposed", "is expected", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forwardlooking statements and information concerning the opening of the Curaleaf Bordentown dispensary and expansion of the Select brand. Such forward-looking statements and information reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the company with respect to the matter described in this new release. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which are based on current expectations as of the date of this release and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Additional information about these assumptions and risks and uncertainties is contained under "Risk Factors and Uncertainties" in the Company's latest annual information form filed April 28, 2021, which is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at http://www.sedar.com, and in other filings that the Company has made and may make with applicable securities authorities in the future. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as to the date of this press release and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward looking statements contained in this press release. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

INVESTOR CONTACT

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Investor Relations

[email protected]

MEDIA CONTACT

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Tracy Brady, VP Corporate Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.curaleaf.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Customertimes is announcing an expanded focus on its Salesforce Industries practice throughout EMEA and North America.

With the acquisition of Vlocity in 2020, Salesforce continues its push into industry vertical solutions. Customertimes is a Salesforce Master Navigator, and with deep experience across all Salesforce Industry clouds, it is well-positioned to deliver outstanding business results for any industry project.

Internationally recognized for its strong Salesforce partnership, this practice expansion will allow Customertimes to continue to deliver true digital transformation for complex verticals like Financial Services, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Comms & Media, and Utilities.

"Currently, the industry is experiencing a huge gap in Vlocity skills," says Rinoy Varkey, Practice Head & SVP Salesforce Industries (Vlocity) at Customertimes. "We are here to fill that gap. We have the right people in place at the right time - our 800+ certified global Salesforce consultants can handle any project from the ground up or help with staff augmentation on existing projects."

"With more than 1400 Salesforce certifications and leading Salesforce Industries Cloud experts on our team, we are known for our value-driven service offerings and efficient program delivery," adds Adriano Acciaroli, VP EMEA at Customertimes. "We have engagement models that suit any region or customer segment with uncompromising quality and support."

Key areas of engagement currently include Enterprise Product Modelling, Enterprise Product Catalog Development/Configuration, CPQ Technical Architecture, CPQ Development/Configuration, and OmniStudio Consultation/Development.

To learn more:

Visit us at: https://customertimes.com/services/#salesforce-industries

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/2763511/admin/

Talk to a Salesforce Industries expert: [email protected]

About Customertimes

Customertimes Corp. is a global consulting and software firm dedicated to making the top IT technologies accessible to customers. With more than 4000 projects completed and 1300+ highly skilled experts, their solutions are engineered to help clients realize true business transformation and achieve maximum value from their technology investments. An early entrant into the Salesforce consulting and implementation space in Eastern Europe and an award-winning product development organization, Customertimes Corp. currently has headquarters in New York City, along with regional offices in London, Paris, Toronto, Kyiv, Minsk, Riga, and Moscow. For more information, visit www.customertimes.com.

Media Contact:

Meriel Sikora

Customertimes

212-520-0059

[email protected]

SOURCE Customertimes Corp
The Okavango Basin, spanning southern Angola, eastern Namibia, and northern Botswana, is the main source of water for the Okavango Delta. Located in northern Botswana, the Okavango Delta is one of Africa's most important ecosystems, unrivalled in its biodiversity, and home to the world's largest remaining elephant population as well as lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, and hundreds of species of birds.

The Okavango Delta's health is dependent on its source lakes and rivers, which carry water that originates as rain in Angola's highlands. While the Delta itself holds protected status, the Okavango Basin that feeds it does not, and the effects of climate change, deforestation and upstream commercial agriculture are putting this critical lifeline at risk.

Since 2015, the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project has been working to secure permanent, sustainable protection for the Okavango Basin. National Geographic has been joined by De Beers  which has worked with the people of Botswana for more than 50 years to advance education, healthcare, livelihoods, and wildlife conservation, as part of the company's Building Forever sustainability approach  to help secure protection for the Okavango Delta's headwaters.

Over the course of five years, De Beers will work together with National Geographic by providing support, expertise and funding to expand and accelerate work already underway, helping to establish sustainable local livelihoods in harmony with the Okavango Basin's conservation. The partnership will focus on protecting the natural world and supporting communities across Botswana, Namibia and Angola. This includes:

Protecting the natural world

Providing long-term wildlife corridor protection for the movement and proliferation of endangered species



Supporting critical conservation research through funding expeditions to gather new data, installing monitoring technology and building capacity of local researchers through grants and training

Supporting local communities

Helping ensure water and food security for more than one million people



Developing livelihood opportunities for 10,000 people



Enabling increased resilience to climate-related impacts

Raising awareness of the Okavango Delta and its benefits through compelling storytelling

Facilitating access to the Delta for local educators and youth



Helping bring the wonder and importance of the Delta and its headwaters to a wider global audience

"There is no doubt that the Okavango River Basin is under threat. How we treat this delicate ecosystem in the coming years will dictate its vitality  for its people and its wildlife  for future generations. This is our last chance to help protect this natural wonder and we are pleased to partner with De Beers on this critically important project," said Dr. Steve Boyes, National Geographic Explorer and leader of the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project. "Together, we will leverage our collective resources to scale efforts to facilitate long-term, sustainable management of protected areas in the region by helping establish and further partnerships between governments, NGOs, and local communities through a sustainable conservation economy."

Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group, added: "De Beers has been in 50/50 partnership with both Botswana and Namibia for decades, making their people significant shareholders in De Beers and our commitment to the long-term sustainable development of the countries a core part of our business As part of our Building Forever mission to ensure every De Beers diamond creates a positive and lasting impact in the place where it is discovered, we manage half a million acres of land for conservation across southern Africa, protecting wildlife, supporting livelihoods and creating education and eco-tourism opportunities for the surrounding areas. However, many areas in southern Africa are still at risk, including the critically important Okavango Basin. That's why our partnership with National Geographic is vital. By sharing our expertise and resources and working with local communities, governments and other NGO partners, we will deliver a positive impact that is far greater than what any of us could achieve on our own, and ultimately protects the natural world and improves people's lives."

"It is exciting to see this level of support and partnership at a time when coming together to protect this one-of-a-kind place is so urgently needed," said Koketso Mookodi, National Geographic Explorer and Botswana Country Director for the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project. "The people of the Okavango Basin rely on its life-giving waters and we must unite our efforts and do everything in our power to ensure that they continue to flow for the future of the people and the wildlife that call this place home."

Through Okavango Eternal, De Beers and National Geographic will work together to help establish and activate one of the largest transboundary protected areas in sub-Saharan Africa. In doing so, it will also help build self-sustaining conservation-based tourism economies to create local support and understanding of the water basin's conservation in Angola, Namibia and Botswana. The partnership will also produce a Botswana-based film about the Okavango Basin to raise awareness about the issues facing this ecosystem and why it's important that it's protected.

More details of the Okavango Eternal partnership are available at www.nationalgeographic.com/okavango-eternal and www.debeers.co.uk/en-gb/okavango-eternal.html (if visiting from the UK); or www.debeers.com/en-us/okavangoeternal.html (if visiting from outside of the UK).

Follow the partnership's progress through the @natgeo, @intotheokavango and @debeersofficial social media handles.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

High resolution images illustrating the partnership are available to download - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3u2l8s1f322edkb/AADiAHpjl66vdEyemFc5Dwlsa?dl=0

Contact

De Beers Group Press office

Tel +44 (0) 20 7430 3434

[email protected]

National Geographic Society communications

[email protected]

Tel +1 (202) 857 7027

About De Beers Group

Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world's leading diamond company, with unrivalled expertise in the discovery, recovery and marketing of diamonds. De Beers and its joint ventures employ more than 20,000 people across the diamond value chain, predominately within its four operating countries: Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. Innovation sits at the heart of De Beers' portfolio, which includes jewellery houses De Beers Jewellers and De Beers Forevermark; grading, selection and education laboratory the De Beers Institute of Diamonds; and pioneering solutions, including diamond sourcing and traceability initiatives GemFair and Tracr. De Beers is committed to 'Building Forever,' a holistic and integrated approach for creating a better future  where safety, human rights and ethical integrity continue to be paramount; where communities thrive and the environment is protected; and where there are equal opportunities for all. De Beers is a member of the Anglo American plc group. For further information, visit www.debeersgroup.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube



About the National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 14,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content. To learn more, visit www.nationalgeographic.org or follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE De Beers Group

Related Links

http://www.debeersgroup.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Deepcrawl, the world's leading SaaS technical SEO platform, has today announced the appointment of Craig Dunham as its new Chief Executive Officer. Dunham, who joined the business as Chief Operating Officer earlier this year with a track record of growing SaaS companies at scale, will assume responsibilities from co-founder Michal Magdziarz, who will step into a new role as President and Chief Architect to apply his technical expertise and drive further product innovation for the business.

Dunham takes over as CEO at a strategic time for Deepcrawl following its strongest quarter yet  in Q2, it added more enterprise customers than ever before and reached an ARR milestone of $10m.

Founded in 2010, Deepcrawl successfully closed a $19M Series B funding round last year led by Five Elms Capital and Beringea, taking its total funding to $25.8M. In the last 12 months alone the business launched its game-changing automated SEO testing tool, SEO Automation Hub - the first of its kind in the market - undertook a successful brand and product refresh, and established a foothold in the global MarTech landscape with significant US market penetration.

A pioneer in cloud-based web crawling technology and technical SEO, Deepcrawl empowers the world's leading brands to harness their full revenue potential by providing marketers and SEO experts with actionable data and insights to diagnose and fix technical issues, improve website visibility, and drive more organic traffic.

Deepcrawl is capitalizing on the widespread adoption of digital technologies which has been accelerated by the pandemic, with data revealing consumers' digital interactions have increased by 58%. Likewise, US e-commerce penetration grew as much in 2020 as it had in the previous ten years.

Dunham will begin his new role immediately and will lead Deepcrawl through its next stage of growth, as it accelerates its vision to empower businesses to bring SEOs, marketers and engineers closer together, connect the dots between often siloed SEOs and the wider business, and converge business operations to improve their website performance.

Used every day by the likes of Adobe, eBay, Microsoft, Twitch, Canva and Paypal, Deepcrawl's SaaS technical SEO platform is trusted by thousands of enterprise brands and all six major global group advertising agencies, and the business now has its sights set on adding more household names to its portfolio this year and beyond.

Commenting on the appointment, Deepcrawl Board member and Managing Director of Five Elms Capital, Thomas Kershisnik, said: "The board and I are thrilled to welcome Craig in his new role as Deepcrawl's CEO. With his leadership, vision, and vast experience, we're confident that Craig will take Deepcrawl to the next level  driving forward the vision, expanding the products, and supercharging the growth. We can't wait to see Deepcrawl thrive in the coming years."

"I am honored to move into the role of CEO at Deepcrawl," said Dunham. "There's never been a more exciting time to be involved in the SEO industry. As businesses shift from regarding search as a siloed marketing responsibility to a wider cross-functional operation, Deepcrawl is uniquely positioned to drive continued innovation and power organic growth for enterprises worldwide. I'm excited to continue to build on the strong partnership with Michal and the founding team to drive our collective vision forward, and to enable many more marketers and brands to grow fearlessly through technical SEO."

About Deepcrawl

Deepcrawl is a leading SaaS technical SEO platform that empowers the world's leading brands to harness their full revenue potential through the one initiative most businesses overlook  technical SEO. Its enterprise cloud-based technologies help brands to diagnose and fix technical and performance issues to generate increased profitability through improved organic search performance. Deepcrawl has offices in London, New York and Poland. Deepcrawl's investors include Five Elms Capital and Beringea. For more information, visit https://www.deepcrawl.com

SOURCE Deepcrawl

Related Links

https://www.deepcrawl.com


Desert Mountain Energy Corp. is pleased to announce that it has finished the completion and testing of well #4 and has released the rig. The Company has sent flow gas samples to the laboratory for testing and will announce those results when it has completed reservoir analysis on the well. "Open hole logs and flow tests have provided significant additional data which the exploration team is applying to the current data set," said Desert Mountain Energy Corp. CEO, Robert Rohlfing.

ABOUT DESERT MOUNTAIN ENERGY

Desert Mountain Energy Corp. is a publicly traded exploration and resource company focused on the discovery and development of rare noble gas fields in the U.S. The Company is primarily looking for elements deemed critical to the renewable energy and high technology industries.

We seek safe harbor,

"Robert Rohlfing"

Robert Rohlfing

CEO & Executive Chairman

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in polices of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The statements made in this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company's expectations.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward looking statements and information herein include but are not limited to statements regarding the Company's anticipated performance in the future the planned exploration activities, receipt of positive results from drilling, the completion of further drilling and exploration work, and the timing and results of various activities.

Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company and its operations to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such factors include, among others, changes in national and local governments, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada and the United States; financial risks due to helium prices, operating or technical difficulties in exploration and development activities; risks and hazards and the speculative nature of resource exploration and related development; risks in obtaining necessary licenses and permits, and challenges to the Company's title to properties.

Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable, including but not limited to the continued operation of the Company's exploration operations, no material adverse change in the market price of commodities, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or information, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company does not intend to, and nor does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking statements or information, other than as required by applicable law.

SOURCE Desert Mountain Energy Corp.

Related Links

https://desertmountainenergy.com/


NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 1 & 2, 2021 experts from law, medicine, academia, and media  social workers, psychologists, criminologists, sociologists, researchers, survivors, advocates and activists  will gather for the first International Coercive Control Conference to be held virtually via Zoom.

Coercive control is a brand new concept to some, but it is a familiar reality for too many others. If your work or life touches domestic abuse, family court, the criminal justice system, human trafficking, cults, gangs, or the cultural subjugation of women, there will be sessions that explore critical areas in which coercive control plays a major role in each.



While governments and NGOs work diligently worldwide to reduce gendered violence, toxic masculinity and male domination continues unabated across all cultures in public and private.

Dr. Evan Stark says it best, "They do it because they can. We still live in a society where people can get away with coercing and controlling another human being, and they can do that in a public arena. With the knowledge of police, with the knowledge of judges, in the presence of doctors and social workers, child welfare workers, largely without sanction."

World renowned industry expert Dr. Stark, author of Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women In Personal Life, will kick-off the two-day virtual conference with a Keynote address that gives an overview of Coercive Control as a Gendered Liberty Crime.

The conference will feature three distinct tracks:

Track One: "Defining Abuse as Coercive Control," features speakers such as journalist and best-selling author of See What You Made Me Do, Jess Hill; researcher and author of Invisible Chains, Dr. Lisa Fontes, and many more in sessions that address coercive control in family court, its impact on children, and its role in domestic abuse.



Track Two: "Coercive Control and Its Traumatic Impact" is a deeper dive into the lived experiences of coercive control in individual, group, and public contexts. Two U.S. State Senators Susan Rubio (D-CA) and Alex Kasser, formerly of Connecticut will address how they created new domestic violence laws in their states to include coercive control.

Track Three: "Solutions for Systems Change" will go broad and global with sessions that highlight innovative initiatives and new thinking that positively impact the world. For a complete list of speakers and sessions and to register for the conference, visit: https://theccc.international .



About The International Coercive Control Conference

The conference is a first step towards bringing together those working on the front lines advocating for change, modernizing legislation, conducting cutting-edge research, and changing the narrative to make visible the patriarchal nature of abuse and coercive control.

About the Engendered Collective

The Engendered Collective is a community of survivors, advocates, and feminists that engage in knowledge-building, collective care, healing, and advocacy to increase accountability for sex-based abuse, exploitation, and violence.

Media Contact:

Teri Yuan, Founder

The Engendered Collective

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +1718-306-9681

Website: https://theccc.international

SOURCE Engendered Collective

Related Links

https://www.engenderedcollective.org


RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) is proud to announce Dr. Takashi Wada as their new Chief Medical Officer. In this role, Dr. Wada will oversee IEHP's Health Services department and collaboratively lead the implementation of initiatives such as CalAIM, Home and Community-Based Services, the organization's Strategic Plan, and more.

IEHP is proud to announce Dr. Takashi Wada as their new Chief Medical Officer.

In addition, Dr. Wada will provide clinical and strategic leadership through accountable processes to improve the quality-of-care delivery with improved external quality metrics. "With innovative healthcare initiatives rolling out at state and federal levels, I'm eager to lead and support our team's work, so that we may contribute in new and meaningful ways that will positively impact the wellness of our own members and communities," he said.

Dr. Wada joined IEHP in 2019 as Vice President of Population Health. In this capacity, he oversaw the internal departments of Behavioral Health & Care Management, Community & Family Health, Health Education, and Practice Transformation. He also played a key role in various statewide and regional population health initiatives.

Prior to his role at IEHP, Dr. Wada served as Chief Medical Officer/ Deputy Chief Medical Officer for CenCal Health and Director/Health Officer for Santa Barbara County's Health Department.

Dr. Wada received an undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences from University of California, Riverside, and a master's degree in public health from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He completed his medical degree from UCLA and his graduate medical education at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center.

"Dr. Wada truly has a passion for this work," said IEHP Chief Executive Officer Jarrod McNaughton. "I couldn't be more thrilled that he is joining our Executive Team. We are absolutely looking forward to working with Dr. Wada in his new role and continuing our mission to heal and inspire the human spirit."

About IEHP

With a mission to heal and inspire the human spirit, Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) is one of the top 10 largest Medicaid health plans and the largest not-for-profit Medicare-Medicaid plan in the country. In its 25th year, IEHP is supporting more than 1.4 million residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties who are enrolled in Medicaid or Cal MediConnect Plans and has a growing network of over 7,300 providers and nearly 2,500 Team Members. Through dynamic partnerships with Providers and Community Organizations, paired with award-winning service and a tradition of quality care, IEHP is fully committed to their vision: We will not rest until our communities enjoy optimal care and vibrant health. For more information, visit iehp.org.

SOURCE Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP)

Related Links

http://www.iehp.org


The pandemic-focused report highlights the impact of lockdowns, supply chain disruptions, demand destruction, and change in customer behavior during 2020. Technavio analysts have curated the reports extensively through both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to derive the most industry-relevant and business-relevant outcomes.

Companies across the globe are focusing on creating a Resilient Business Model in the Face of COVID-19. Vendors are continuing their ongoing operations while building resilient business models as the path to recovery from the pandemic is being carved out.

This post-pandemic business planning research will aid clients to:

Adjust their strategic planning to move ahead once business stability kicks in.

Focusing on agile execution of proposed and approved changes.

Conceptualize scenario-based planning to mitigate future crisis situations.

Fetch Pandemic-Driven Insights on Drilling Bits Market In Oil And Gas Industry

Key Considerations for Market Forecast:

Impact of lockdowns, supply chain disruptions, demand destruction, and change in customer behavior

Optimistic, probable, and pessimistic scenarios for all markets as the impact of pandemic unfolds

Pre- as well as post-COVID-19 market estimates

Quarterly impact analysis and updates on market estimates

Get Access to On-demand, Syndicated Extensive Research Reports using Technavio's Subscription Platform

Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform

Corresponding Reports:

Geothermal Drilling Market for Power Generation by Application and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025

Downhole Drilling Tools Market by Product, Application, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025

Offshore Drilling Market by Application and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025

Drilling and Completion Fluids Market by Application and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025

Top 3 Drilling Bits Market In Oil And Gas Industry Participants:

Atlas Copco AB

The company operates in key business segments including, Compressor Technique, Vaccum Technique, Industrial Technique, and Power Technique. The company offers drilling bits products such as Tricone bits, Dirt digger bits, and Pilot drill bits.

Baker Hughes Co.

The company offers key products and services through various operating systems including Oilfield Services, Oilfield Equipment, Turbomachinery & Process Solutions, and Digital Solutions. The company offers drilling bits products brands such as EZReam, GX roller cone drill bits, and Kymera Mach 5 hybrid drill bit.

Bit Brokers International Ltd.

The company operates in key business segments offering Products and Services. The company offers drilling bits products sush as Drag Bits, Hammer Bits, and Tricone Bits.

Get report snapshot here to get detailed market share analysis of market participants during COVID-19 lockdown:

https://www.technavio.com/report/drilling-bits-market-in-oil-and-gas-industry-analysis

Drilling Bits Market In Oil And Gas Industry 2021-2025: Segmentation

Drilling bits market in the oil and gas industry is segmented as below:

Product

o Fixed Cutter Bits

o Roller Cone Cutter Bits

Application

o Onshore

o Offshore

Geography

o North America

o MEA

o APAC

o Europe

o South America



The drilling bits market in the oil and gas industry is driven by the migration of drilling into unconventional areas. In addition, other factors such as increased use of horizontal and multilateral wells, and surging focus on reduction of non-productive time (NPT) are expected to trigger the drilling bits market in the oil and gas industry toward witnessing a CAGR of 6.29% during the forecast period. Fixed cutter bits will remain the largest revenue-generating product segment of this market. In terms of Geography, 46% of the market's growth will originate from North America due to the increase in the E&P activities of crude oil and gas resources in the US and Canada.

Find more insights about the global trends impacting the future of the drilling bits market in the oil and gas industry,

Request Free Sample @ https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR41458

Market Drivers

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Competitive scenario

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio

Related Links

http://www.technavio.com/


LA JOLLA, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Dvele, a San Diego-based housing technology company known for its hyper-efficient self-powered modular homes, announced that it has been selected as an "Eco-Leader" by Green Builder Media.

Green Builder Media selects Eco-Leaders every year to honor companies who have taken exemplary steps towards sustainability for their business practices. With this year's theme focused on decarbonization, Dvele was recognized for its astonishing strides in reducing its carbon footprint in manufacturing and energy usage by assembling grid-independent homes that run on power from individual solar arrays and backup battery systems, and come equipped with advanced software and embedded intelligence to drive efficiency.

"We are honored to be acknowledged by Green Builder Media for our self-powered homes," said Kurt Goodjohn, CEO and Co-Founder of Dvele. "We hope our Eco-Leader recognition serves as inspiration for other home builders to do their part in continuously adopting more sustainable building practices to aid in our mission of achieving a clean energy future for the next generation."

"Congratulations to Dvele for being selected as an Eco-Leader," said Sara Gutterman, Chief Executive Officer of Green Builder Media. "We were impressed by Dvele's commitment to sustainability and hope other companies are encouraged by their decarbonization story."

About Dvele

Dvele is a privately held producer of next-generation modular homes. Founded in 2017 by pioneers of the modern modular home industry, San Diego-based Dvele has leveraged their expertise and efficient manufacturing process to create hyper-efficient, self-powered smart homes. Their philosophy is to develop homes that are better for your overall health and well-being, while also contributing to the well-being of the planet. These homes minimize waste and exceed structural, environmental, and home performance standards, without sacrificing an aesthetically pleasing style. For more information, visit http://www.dvele.com.

About Green Builder Media

Green Builder Media is North America's leading media company focused on green building and sustainable living, effecting positive change by providing inspirational information to millions of early adopter consumers and progressive building professionals. Green Builder Media generates award-winning editorial, including breaking news, prominent market research, original insights and visionary thought pieces. With a comprehensive suite of content marketing, digital, social, and print media options, high-profile demonstration projects, market intelligence and data services, and live events, Green Builder Media offers a blend of visionary and practical information covering a broad spectrum of sustainable living topics, including Internet of Things, smart home technologies, net zero building, intelligent water, indoor air quality, resilient housing, renewables and clean transportation. 2021 marks our sixteenth year of offering innovative media, communications, and data services that provide real value to our clients.

Media contact:

Leah Zeffren

The Co-Op Agency

[email protected]

310-734-7834

SOURCE Dvele

Related Links

http://www.dvele.com


SANTIAGO, Chile, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones S.A. (Bolsa de Comercio de Santiago: ENTEL) (the "Company") announced today that it has commenced cash tender offers (each, individually with respect to a series of Notes, a "Tender Offer" with respect to such series, and collectively, the "Tender Offers") to purchase up to US$800,000,000 aggregate principal amount (the "Maximum Tender Offer Amount") of its 4.875% Senior Notes due 2024 (the "2024 Notes") and its 4.750% Senior Notes due 2026 (the "2026 Notes" and, together with the 2024 Notes, the "Notes").

Each Tender Offer is open to all registered holders of such series of Notes (individually, a "Holder" and collectively, the "Holders"). Subject to the Maximum Tender Offer Amount and the "Tender Cap" (as set forth in the table below), the amount of a series of Notes that is purchased in the Tender Offers on the applicable Settlement Date (as defined below) will be based on the acceptance priority level for such series (in numerical priority order, with 1 being the highest) (the "Acceptance Priority Level") set forth in the table below and on the cover page of the Offer to Purchase, dated August 25, 2021 (the "Offer to Purchase"), subject to the proration arrangements applicable to the Tender Offers.

Title of Notes CUSIP / ISIN

Numbers Aggregate

Principal

Amount

Outstanding Tender Cap(1) Acceptance

Priority

Level Reference U.S.

Treasury

Security Bloomberg

Reference

Page(2) Fixed

Spread Early

Tender

Premium(3) 4.875% Senior Notes due 2024 29245VAA3; P37115AE5 / US29245VAA35; USP37115AE50 US$1,000,000,000 None 1 0.125% due August 31, 2023 FIT1 105 bps US$30 4.750% Senior Notes due 2026 29245V AB1; P37115 AF2 / US29245VAB18; USP37115AF26 US$800,000,000 US$300,000,000 2 0.750% due August 31, 2026 FIT1 125 bps US$30





(1) In addition to the Tender Cap, the Tender Offers are subject to the Maximum Tender Offer Amount. (2) The applicable page on Bloomberg from which the Dealer Managers (as defined below) will quote the bid-side prices of the applicable Reference U.S. Treasury Security (as defined below). (3) Per US$1,000 principal amount of the applicable series of Notes tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Deadline (as defined below) and accepted for purchase.

The Tender Offers are being made upon, and are subject to, the terms and conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase. The Tender Offers will expire at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on September 22, 2021, unless extended by the Company or earlier terminated with respect to any Tender Offer (such date and time, as it may be extended or earlier terminated, the "Expiration Time"). No tenders of Notes submitted after the Expiration Time will be valid. Holders of Notes that are validly tendered and not validly withdrawn at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 8, 2021 (such date and time, as it may be extended, the "Early Tender Deadline") that are accepted for purchase will receive the applicable Total Consideration (as defined below), which includes an early tender premium of US$30 per US$1,000 principal amount of the Notes accepted for purchase (the "Early Tender Premium"). Holders of Notes that are validly tendered and not validly withdrawn following the Early Tender Deadline but at or prior to the Expiration Time that are accepted for purchase (if any) will receive only the applicable "Tender Offer Consideration," which is, for each series of Notes, the applicable Total Consideration minus the applicable Early Tender Premium.

The "Total Consideration" for each series per US$1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered and accepted for purchase by the Company pursuant to the Tender Offers will be determined in the manner described in the Offer to Purchase by reference to the applicable fixed spread specified for such series of Notes in the table above over the yield based on the bid side price of the applicable U.S. Treasury Security (the "Reference U.S. Treasury Security") specified for each series of Notes in the table above, as calculated by the Dealer Managers at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on September 9, 2021, unless extended by the Company, in accordance with standard market practice, subject to certain exceptions set forth in the Offer to Purchase.

In addition to the Total Consideration or Tender Offer Consideration, as applicable, Holders of Notes accepted for purchase will receive accrued and unpaid interest, rounded to the nearest cent on the applicable series of Notes from the last interest payment date with respect to such Notes to, but not including, the applicable Settlement Date (as defined below) less any applicable withholding taxes (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any applicable backup withholding).

Tendered Notes may be validly withdrawn from the Tender Offers at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 8, 2021, unless extended by the Company with respect to any Tender Offer (such date and time, as it may be extended, the "Withdrawal Deadline"). After the applicable Withdrawal Deadline, Holders who have validly tendered their Notes may not validly withdraw such Notes unless the Company is required to extend withdrawal rights under applicable law.

The Company reserves the right, but is under no obligation, at any point following the Early Tender Deadline and before the Expiration Time, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions to the Tender Offers (including the Minimum Tender Condition (as defined below) and the Financing Condition (as defined below)), to accept for purchase any Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn at or prior to the Early Tender Deadline (the settlement date of such purchase being the "Early Settlement Date"), subject to the Maximum Tender Offer Amount, the Tender Cap, the Acceptance Priority Levels and the proration arrangements applicable to the Tender Offers. The Early Settlement Date will be determined at the Company's option and is currently expected to occur on or after September 14, 2021, subject to all conditions to the Tender Offers (including the Minimum Tender Condition and the Financing Condition) having been either satisfied or waived by the Company. Irrespective of whether the Company chooses to exercise its option to have an Early Settlement Date, the Company will purchase any remaining Notes that have been validly tendered at or prior to the Expiration Time and that the Company chooses to accept for purchase, subject to all conditions to the Tender Offers (including the Minimum Tender Condition and the Financing Condition) having been either satisfied or waived by the Company, promptly following the Expiration Time (the settlement date of such purchase being the "Final Settlement Date"; the Final Settlement Date and the Early Settlement Date each being a "Settlement Date"), subject to the Maximum Tender Offer Amount, the Tender Cap, the Acceptance Priority Levels and proration arrangements applicable to the Tender Offers. The Final Settlement Date is expected to occur on September 24, 2021, the second business day following the Expiration Time, assuming that the conditions to the Tender Offers (including the Minimum Tender Condition and the Financing Condition) are satisfied or waived and Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to the Maximum Tender Offer Amount are not purchased on the Early Settlement Date.

Subject to the Maximum Tender Offer Amount, the Tender Cap and the proration arrangements applicable to the Tender Offers, all Notes validly tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Deadline having a higher Acceptance Priority Level will be accepted before any Notes validly tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Deadline having a lower Acceptance Priority Level are accepted. Among any Notes validly tendered following the Early Tender Deadline but at or prior to the Expiration Time, Notes having a higher Acceptance Priority Level will be accepted before any Notes having a lower Acceptance Priority Level are accepted. However, if the Tender Offers are not fully subscribed as of the Early Tender Deadline, subject to the Tender Cap, Notes validly tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Deadline will be accepted for purchase in priority to other Notes tendered following the Early Tender Deadline, even if such Notes tendered following the Early Tender Deadline have a higher Acceptance Priority Level than Notes tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Deadline.

Acceptances for tenders of Notes of a series may be subject to proration if the aggregate principal amount of the Notes of such series validly tendered would cause the Tender Cap or the Maximum Tender Offer Amount to be exceeded. Furthermore, absent an amendment of the Tender Offers, (i) if the Tender Offers are fully subscribed as of the Early Tender Deadline, Holders who validly tender Notes following the Early Tender Deadline will not have any of their Notes accepted for purchase, and (ii) if the Tender Cap is reached as of the Early Tender Deadline, Holders who validly tender 2026 Notes following the Early Tender Deadline will not have any of their Notes of such series accepted for purchase.

The Company's obligation to accept for payment and to pay for any of the Notes validly tendered in the Tender Offers is not subject to any minimum principal amount of Notes in the aggregate or of any series being tendered, but is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of conditions described in the Offer to Purchase, including (i) the tender of not less than US$300,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes (the "Minimum Tender Condition" and such aggregate principal amount, the "Minimum Tender Amount"), and (ii) a financing condition in respect of issuing senior debt securities (the "New Notes") on satisfactory terms and conditions (the "Financing Condition"). The Company reserves the right, subject to applicable law, to: (i) waive any and all conditions to any Tender Offer; (ii) extend or terminate any Tender Offer; (iii) increase or decrease the Maximum Tender Offer Amount and/or the Minimum Tender Amount, and/or increase, decrease or eliminate he Tender Cap; or (iv) otherwise amend any Tender Offer in any respect. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company makes a material change in the terms of a Tender Offer or waives a material condition of a Tender Offer, the Company will disseminate additional materials related to such Tender Offer and extend such Tender Offer to the extent required by law. Without limiting the manner in which we may choose to make a public announcement of any extension, amendment or termination of a Tender Offer, the Company will not be obligated to publish, advertise or otherwise communicate any such public announcement, other than by making a timely press release.

The Tender Offers are not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the New Notes. Tendering Holders who wish to tender their Notes and subscribe for the New Notes may obtain a Unique Identifier Code corresponding to the New Notes being subscribed, which can be obtained by contacting any of the Dealer Managers (as defined below), and quote such Unique Identifier Code through ATOP. A Unique Identifier Code is not required for a Holder to tender its Notes, but if a tendering Holder wishes to subscribe for the New Notes, such holder may obtain and quote a Unique Identifier Code through ATOP. We will review tender instructions received on or prior to the Early Settlement Date or the Final Settlement Date, as applicable, and may give priority to those investors tendering with Unique Identifier Codes in connection with the allocation of New Notes. However, no assurances can be given that any Holder that tenders Notes will be given an allocation of New Notes at the levels it may subscribe for, or at all.

A Holder wishing to tender Notes may do so by book-entry transfer and delivery of an agent's message pursuant to DTC's Automated Tender Offer Program. The Company has retained BNP Paribas Securities Corp., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Scotia Capital (USA) Inc. to act as dealer managers in connection with the Tender Offers (the "Dealer Managers"). Questions and requests for assistance regarding the terms of the Tender Offers should be directed to BNP Paribas Securities Corp. at (888) 210-4358 (toll-free) or (212) 841-3059 (collect); J.P. Morgan Securities LLC at (866) 846-2874 (toll-free) or (212) 834-7279 (collect) or Scotia Capital (USA) Inc. at (833) 498-1660 (toll-free) or (212) 225-5559 (collect). Copies of the Offer to Purchase and any amendments or supplements to the foregoing may be obtained from D.F. King & Co., Inc., the tender agent and information agent for the Tender Offers (the "Tender and Information Agent"), by calling (212) 269-5550 (for banks and brokers only) or (866) 304-5477 (toll-free) (for all others), via email at [email protected], or via the following web address: www.dfking.com/entel.

None of the Company, the Tender and Information Agent, the Dealer Managers or the trustee under the indentures governing the Notes, or any of their respective affiliates, is making any recommendation as to whether Holders should tender or refrain from tendering all or any portion of their Notes in response to the Tender Offers, and no one has been authorized by any of them to make such a recommendation. Holders must make their own decision as to whether to tender their Notes and, if so, the principal amount of Notes as to which action is to be taken. Holders should consult their tax, accounting, financial and legal advisers regarding the tax, accounting, financial and legal consequences of participating or declining to participate in the Tender Offers.

The Tender Offers are only being made pursuant to the Offer to Purchase. This press release is neither an offer to purchase or sell nor a solicitation of an offer to purchase or sell any Notes in the Tender Offers or any other securities of the Company. The Tender Offers are not being made to Holders of Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. In any jurisdiction in which the Tender Offers are required to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Tender Offers will be deemed to be made on behalf of the Company by the Dealer Managers, or one or more registered brokers or dealers that are licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction.

Forward-Looking Disclosure Statement

The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company's expectations, hopes, intentions or strategies regarding the future; the terms and timing for completion of the Tender Offers; and the satisfaction or waiver of conditions to the Tender Offers.

Forward-looking information involves risk and uncertainties and reflects the Company's best judgment based on current information. While the Company's management considers these expectations and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks, contingencies and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company's control. In addition, other known or unknown risks and factors may affect the accuracy of the forward-looking information. Factors that may cause actual results to vary include, but are not limited to, conditions in financial markets and investor response to the Company's Tender Offers.

The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and, except as otherwise required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any of its forward-looking statements.

About Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones S.A.

Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones S.A. provides mobile, Internet, data and IT services, as well as local and long-distance telephony, to both consumer clients and enterprises in Chile. The Company also has mobile operations in Peru. The Company is listed on the Santiago Stock Exchange (Bolsa de Comercio de Santiago) under the ticker symbol "ENTEL," and its shares are traded at the Santiago Stock Exchange and the Chilean Electronic Exchange (Bolsa Electronica de Chile, Bolsa de Valores). For more information please visit: https://informacioncorporativa.entel.cl/inversionistas.

CONTACT

Carmen Luz de La Cerda

Investor Relations Officer

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones S.A.
The COMIRNATY brand name was developed in partnership with Brand Institute, a Miami-based naming agency and the global leader in pharmaceutical and healthcare-related name development

MIAMI, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brand Institute is proud to announce its role in naming Pfizer and BioNTech's FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine: COMIRNATY (koe mir' na tee). The name was first announced by Swiss regulatory authority, Swissmedic, in December of 2020, and by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) soon after. The brand name has also been approved by regulators in Japan and Australia, among other countries.

In a joint press release issued on December 21, 2020, following the EMA's authorization of the vaccine, BioNTech and Pfizer commented, "The vaccine will be marketed in the EU under the brand name COMIRNATY, which represents a combination of the terms COVID-19, mRNA, community and immunity, to highlight the first authorization of a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine, as well as the joint global efforts that made this achievement possible with unprecedented rigor and efficiency, and with safety at the forefront, during this global pandemic."

"The entire Brand Institute and Drug Safety Institute Team congratulates Pfizer and BioNTech on the FDA approval of COMIRNATY," said Brand Institute's Chairman and CEO, James L. Dettore. "This approval is a critically important step in the fight against COVID-19 and communicates to the public that the agency's high standards of efficacy and safety have been met."

FDA approval of a pharmaceutical or vaccine product's brand name is also a significant step toward the development of a global brand.

"Developing a global brand name is an increasingly challenging endeavor as global health agencies employ an intensive review of proposed drug names with the goal of minimizing medication errors and ensuring patient safety," Dettore said. "We are honored to have developed a name that is fulfilling the requirements for approval set forth by global health authorities including the FDA."

The COVID-19 vaccine's nonproprietary name (INN), tozinameran (toe zi na' mer an), was also developed by Brand Institute and its wholly owned subsidiary, Drug Safety Institute.

About Brand Institute and our wholly-owned subsidiary, Drug Safety Institute

Brand Institute is the global leader in pharmaceutical and healthcare-related name development, with a portfolio of over 3,500 marketed healthcare names for nearly 1,000 clients. The company partners on over 75% of pharmaceutical brand and nonproprietary name approvals globally every year. Drug Safety Institute is comprised of former naming regulatory officials from global government health agencies, including FDA, EMA, Health Canada, American Medical Association (AMA), and the World Health Organization (WHO). These regulatory experts co-authored the name review guidelines while with their respective agencies, with many responsible for ultimately approving (or rejecting) brand name applications. Now working for a private company, these professionals provide Brand Institute's clients with industry-leading guidance pertaining to drug name safety (i.e., preventing medication errors), packaging, and labeling.

Contact: Scott Piergrossi

President, Creative

[email protected]

SOURCE Brand Institute, Inc.

Related Links

www.brandinstitute.com


EXTON, Pa., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- First Resource Bank (OTCQX: FRSB) is taking a proactive approach in helping its customers and community protect themselves from becoming victims of identity theft and cyber scams. With the ever increasing threat landscape that businesses and consumers face on a daily basis, taking the proper precautions to protect personally identifiable information has never been more important. To help mitigate this risk, the Bank will host 2 free shred events this fall and, in addition, will host a cyber security seminar in partnership with the Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce.

"We are thrilled to provide our community with the resources they need to ensure their information is secure," said First Resource Bank President and CFO, Lauren Ranalli. "Helping your neighbor is what community banking is all about."

The first free shred event will take place on September 25th, from 10am to 1pm, at the Wayne Art Center, located at 413 Maplewood Ave, Wayne, PA,. The second will occur on Saturday, October 23rd, from 9am to 12pm, at First Resource Bank, 800 N. Pottstown Pike, Exton, PA. Members of the community are invited to bring any documents they would like to have shredded to the event. While both events are free, donations will be accepted at the Wayne event in support of the Wayne Art Center, and at the Exton event in support of the Downingtown Blue & Gold Marching Band.

On October 1st, from 7:30 - 9am, at the Brandywine Hospital's Spackman Center, Brian Jackson, First Resource Bank's Senior Vice President of Information Technology, will provide a series of helpful tips and tricks on how businesses and consumers can protect themselves from being victims of cyber scams. He'll share some of the latest ways in which hackers and cyber criminals are targeting consumers and businesses and what to look out for.

"As technology advances and becomes more sophisticated so do the tactics of criminals," commented Jackson. "Providing resources which educate our community on how they can protect themselves from becoming a victim is crucial. Our customers rely on us to safeguard their information. While we do everything in our power to protect them, the first step is always prevention at home and at work," he continued. "I encourage the community to join us at all of these events and be the first line of defense in guarding their information."

Shred event attendees will have the opportunity to view their documents being destroyed in the Wiggins shred truck. All binder clips and metal objects must be removed prior to shredding. Additional information about these events can be found on the Bank's Facebook page or by calling 610-363-9400.

About First Resource Bank

About First Resource Bank First Resource Bank is a locally owned and operated Pennsylvania state-chartered bank, serving the banking needs of businesses, professionals and individuals in the Delaware Valley. The Bank offers a full range of deposit and credit services with a high level of personalized service. First Resource Bank also offers a broad range of traditional financial services and products, competitively priced and delivered in a responsive manner to small businesses, professionals and residents in the local market. For additional information visit our website at www.firstresourcebank.com. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.

This press release contains statements that are not of historical facts and may pertain to future operating results or events or management's expectations regarding those results or events. These are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts. When used in this press release, the words "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "seeks", "estimates", or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs, such as "will", "would", "should", "could", or "may" are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are either beyond our control or not reasonably capable of predicting at this time. In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change. Actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in these forward-looking statements. Readers of this press release are accordingly cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. First Resource Bank disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any of the forward-looking statements herein, whether in response to new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE First Resource Bank

Related Links

http://www.firstresourcebank.com


WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Flat Rock Opportunity Fund (the "Fund"), a closed-end interval fund investing in CLOs, announced that its Board of Directors has declared an increase in its monthly distribution to $0.221 per share. Based upon the closing price of the Fund as of August 23, this distribution increases the effective distribution rate from 9.88% to 11.90%.

This is the third time in the past nine months that the Fund has increased its monthly distribution. The Fund most recently increased its monthly distribution to $0.183 from $0.175 in May 2021.

"Flat Rock Opportunity Fund has had a successful year thus far, and we continue to see exciting investment opportunities while remaining highly selective in our approach. We are pleased that the Fund's performance allows us to once again increase the distribution rate," said Robert Grunewald, Founder and CEO of the Fund's advisor, Flat Rock Global, LLC.

About Flat Rock Opportunity Fund:

Flat Rock Opportunity Fund invests primarily in the equity and, to a lesser extent, in the junior debt tranches of CLOs. CLOs provide exposure to senior secured loans on a leveraged basis. The Fund's investment objective is to generate current income and, as a secondary objective, long-term capital appreciation. Flat Rock Opportunity Fund is structured as an Interval Fund and can be purchased using the ticker FROPX.

About Flat Rock Global, LLC:

Flat Rock Global is an alternative credit manager investing in areas of the credit markets we believe are less efficient with the dual objective of preservation of capital and generation of current income. Flat Rock funds are available exclusively to RIAs, Family Offices, and Institutional Investors. To learn more about the firm and our funds, please visit www.flatrockglobal.com.

Consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Fund carefully before investing. Other information about the Fund may be obtained at www.flatrockglobal.com/opportunity-fund.html. This material must be preceded or accompanied by a prospectus. Alps Distributors Inc. serves as our principal underwriter, within the meaning of the 1940 Act, and will act as the distributor of our shares on a best efforts' basis, subject to various conditions.

SOURCE Flat Rock Global

Related Links

http://www.flatrockglobal.com


DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Forward Lift, part of Vehicle Service Group (VSG) and Dover (NYSE: DOV), has introduced a new line of frame-engaging adapter kits for use on Forward's mobile column lifts. The attachments allow technicians to more easily lift and service a wider range of forklifts, such as reach and pallet trucks, among others.

"Our customers depend on Forward's mobile column lifts to service their fleets' trucks, and this new adapter kit allows for their expanded use, adding more flexibility to an already versatile product," said Doug Spiller, Director of Heavy-Duty Product Management, Forward Lift.

One of the most important aspects of forklift safety involves conducting regular and thorough inspections. The frame-engaging mobile column lift adapters allow for better access and visibility for inspections and repairs. Whether using it for inspections, seal or tire replacements, or steering, caster, and pin replacements or adjustments, the mobile column adapter assembly provides a safe way to gain under-vehicle access and keeps technicians off the floor.

"Forward Lift has been manufacturing quality lifts for more than 50 years, and we remain focused on continuing to produce equipment that helps our customers increase productivity, reduce unit downtime and maximize safety standards," added Spiller.

The forklift adapter kits are designed to work in tandem with two Forward mobile column lifts, FCHW13 and FCHW18. The system requires no dedicated floor space and comes equipped with a red caster cart for easy storage. The adapter assembly, which weighs 880 pounds, quickly and easily engages and captures the forklift within itself for added stability. The kit also includes 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch leveling spacers.

To see the mobile column adapter assembly in action, watch the product demo video.

To learn more about Forward's full line of products, visit ForwardLift.com, contact your local Forward distributor, or call 800-423-1722.

About Forward Lift:

Established in 1968, Forward Lift is a leading brand of automotive lifting equipment that is uniquely designed for a wide range of customers. Forward Lift provides safe and reliable lift systems for independent repair shops, body shops, national accounts, vehicle enthusiasts and heavy-duty truck maintenance facilities. Its products are sold by dedicated distributors and national parts suppliers.

Forward Lift is a Vehicle Service Group (VSG) brand and part of Dover's Engineered Products segment. VSG comprises 13 major vehicle lift, wheel service, diagnostic and collision repair brands: Forward Lift, Rotary, Chief Collision Technology, Direct Lift, Warn Automotive, Ravaglioli, Hanmecson, Elektron, Blitz, Nogra, Butler, Space and Sirio. With its American headquarters in Madison, Indiana, VSG has operations worldwide, including ISO 9001-certified manufacturing centers in North America, Europe and Asia.

About Vehicle Service Group:

As an operating company of the Dover Corporation, Vehicle Service Group (VSG) offers the world's premier brands in vehicle lifting, wheel service, collision repair and aftermarket OEM equipment. With over 90 years of experience, we design, test, manufacture, sell and support our products with one thing in mind, our customer.

About Dover:

Dover is a diversified global manufacturer and solutions provider with annual revenue of approximately $7 billion. We deliver innovative equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software and digital solutions, and support services through five operating segments: Engineered Products, Fueling Solutions, Imaging & Identification, Pumps & Process Solutions and Refrigeration & Food Equipment. Dover combines global scale with operational agility to lead the markets we serve. Recognized for our entrepreneurial approach for over 65 years, our team of over 24,000 employees takes an ownership mindset, collaborating with customers to redefine what's possible. Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, Dover trades on the New York Stock Exchange under "DOV." Additional information is available at dovercorporation.com .

Vehicle Service Group Contact:

David Fischmer

(812) 265-9543

[email protected]

Dover Media Contact:

Adrian Sakowicz, VP, Communications

(630) 743-5039

[email protected]

Dover Investor Contact:

Andrey Galiuk, VP, Corporate Development and Investor Relations

(630) 743-5131

[email protected]

SOURCE Dover

Related Links

http://www.dovercorporation.com


The 47,700-square-foot campus features resources designed to elevate the student experience and prepare future nurses to enter the field. Tweet this

"We are thrilled to bring our 30 years of experience exclusively educating nurses to the community and look forward to providing new opportunities to those called to nursing in the Nashville area," said Mark Vogt, Galen's Chief Executive Officer. Continued Vogt, "At Galen, we are uniquely positioned to help expand the pipeline of qualified nurses in Nashville and committed to supporting quality healthcare delivery across the country."

Bryan Sisk, Chief Nursing Executive, TriStar Health, added, "We are excited to work with Galen to help recruit more prospective nursing students who will go on to expand and enhance our community workforce. With this Academic Practice Partnership, we can also work together to bridge the education to practice gap, all designed to provide the best patient care possible."

Located at 1100 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Fourth Floor, the Nashville campus is designed to cultivate learning with advanced classroom and simulation technology mixed with collaborative and creative space. Created with students in mind, the campus environment reflects a high-quality education approach and an expression of commitment to students and the community at large. The Nashville campus will offer three programs, including:

3-Year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)

Licensed Practical Nursing to Associate Degree in Nursing Bridge (LPN to ADN Bridge)

The first term for all three programs is scheduled to start January 3rd. Enrollment is now open. In addition, Galen offers online RN to BSN and MSN programs for nurses aspiring to advance their education in support of career growth and development.

Virtual and in-person admissions appointments can be scheduled by calling (877) 223-7040 or go online to galencollege.edu.



About HCA Healthcare

Nashville-based HCA Healthcare is one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services, comprising 185 hospitals and approximately 1,800 sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers, and physician clinics, in 21 states and the United Kingdom. With its founding in 1968, HCA Healthcare created a new model for hospital care in the United States, using combined resources to strengthen hospitals, deliver patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine. HCA Healthcare has conducted a number of clinical studies, including one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is healthier than early elective delivery of babies and another that identified a clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream infections in ICU patients by 44 percent. HCA Healthcare is a learning healthcare system that uses its more than 31 million annual patient encounters to advance science, improve patient care and save lives. Please click here to connect with HCA Healthcare on social media.

About TriStar Health

TriStar Health is the largest and most comprehensive healthcare provider in the region, comprised of ten hospitals, 21 imaging centers, 110 physician offices, five freestanding ERs, seven outpatient surgery centers, 16 CareNow Urgent Care centers and ten medical parks. TriStar Health provides the latest in clinical technology and innovative procedures while delivering the highest quality care. The TriStar Health network had over 2.2 million encounters last year, including 377,824 ER visits, 97,583 inpatient admissions, and 7,560 babies delivered, and provides $132 million annually in uncompensated care. The network is supported by over 1,400 physicians and 10,000 employees  including more than 4,000 nurses  who, above all else, are committed to the care and improvement of human life. TriStar Health is an affiliate of HCA Healthcare, one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services. Learn more at TriStarHealth.com.

About Galen College of Nursing

Founded over 30 years ago, Galen College of Nursing is one of the largest private nursing schools in the United States. With a focus solely on nursing education, Galen offers master's, baccalaureate, associate, and practical/vocational nursing programs, to over 8,000 students on its campuses in Louisville and Hazard, KY.; San Antonio and Austin, TX; Tampa Bay and Miami, FL.; Cincinnati, OH; Richmond, VA; and online. Galen is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Programmatic accreditation status for Galen's multiple programs and nationwide campuses can be found at https://www.galencollege.edu/about-galen/accreditation. For more information about Galen College of Nursing, visit galencollege.edu.

All references to "Company," "HCA" and "HCA Healthcare" as used throughout this document refer to HCA Healthcare, Inc. and its affiliates.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Anna-Lee Cockrill (TriStar Health) 615-354-7775

Andy Stillwagon (Galen College of Nursing) 502-387-7476

SOURCE Galen College of Nursing

Related Links

https://galencollege.edu


LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM") reminds investors of the upcoming September 7, 2021 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the class action filed on behalf of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired DiDi Global Inc. ("DiDi" or the "Company") (NYSE: DIDI ): (a) American Depositary Shares ("ADSs" or "shares") pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and prospectus (collectively, the "Registration Statement") issued in connection with the Company's June 2021 initial public offering ("IPO" or the "Offering"); and/or (b) securities between June 30, 2021 and July 21, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period").

If you suffered a loss on your DiDi investments or would like to inquire about potentially pursuing claims to recover your loss under the federal securities laws, you can submit your contact information at https://www.glancylaw.com/cases/didi-global-inc/. You can also contact Charles H. Linehan, of GPM at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or via email at [email protected] to learn more about your rights.

DiDi purports to be the world's largest mobility technology platform. The Company claims to be the "go-to brand in China for shared mobility," offering a range of services including ride hailing, taxi hailing, chauffeur, and hitch.

On or about June 30, 2021, DiDi sold about 316.8 million ADSs in its IPO for $14 per share, raising nearly $4.5 billion in new capital.

On July 2, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China ("CAC") stated that it had launched an investigation into DiDi to protect national security and the public interest. It also reported that it had asked DiDi to stop new user registrations during the course of the investigation.

On this news, the Company's share price fell $0.87, or approximately 5.3%, to close at $15.53 per share on July 2, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume.

Then, on Sunday, July 4, 2021, DiDi reported that the CAC ordered smartphone app stores to stop offering the "DiDi Chuxing" app because it "collect[ed] personal information in violation of relevant PRC laws and regulations." Though users who previously downloaded the app could continue to use it, DiDi stated that "the app takedown may have an adverse impact on its revenue in China."

On July 5, 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that the CAC had asked the Company as early as three months prior to the IPO to postpone the offering because of national security concerns and to "conduct a thorough self-examination of its network security."

On this news, the Company's stock price fell $3.04 per share, or 19.6%, to close at $12.49 per share on July 6, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume.

By the commencement of this action, the Company's stock was trading as low as $12.06 per share, a nearly 14% decline from the $14 per share IPO price.

The Registration Statement was materially false and misleading and omitted to state material adverse facts. Throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (1) that DiDi's apps did not comply with applicable laws and regulations governing privacy protection and the collection of personal information; (2) that, as a result, the Company was reasonably likely to incur scrutiny from the Cyberspace Administration of China; (3) that the CAC had already warned DiDi to delay its IPO to conduct a self-examination of its network security; (4) that, as a result of the foregoing, DiDi's apps were reasonably likely to be taken down from app stores in China, which would have an adverse effect on its financial results and operations; and (5) that, as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects, were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

If you purchased or otherwise acquired DiDi ADSs pursuant or traceable to the IPO and/or securities during the Class Period, you may move the Court no later than September 7, 2021 to request appointment as lead plaintiff in this putative class action lawsuit. To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action. If you wish to learn more about this class action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to the pending class action lawsuit, please contact Charles Linehan, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

SOURCE Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP

Related Links

www.glancylaw.com


REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Appdome, the leader in no-code mobile app security and fraud prevention, has released a global consumer survey, How CISOs Can Meet Consumer Expectations of Mobile Security in 2021. The survey provides comprehensive insight into the complex and sophisticated security, malware and threat-defense expectations of mobile consumers in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia. The findings provide a rare glimpse into the voice of the consumer, debunking common myths about consumers' mobile app security expectations with significant implications for CISOs, security teams and others charged with protecting mobile app users.

The survey queried a demographically diverse sample of more than 10,000 mobile consumers from multiple continents. The results offer CISOs key insights into which mobile app threats consumers fear most, which apps consumers expect will have the highest level of security, changes in consumer expectations for mobile app security as a result of COVID-19, and the rising strength of mobile app security expectations across every key demographic and geographic audience. With this data, CISOs can accelerate their work to improve and deliver better mobile app security in Android and iOS apps and debunk several myths held by non-cybersecurity professionals, including:

Myth #1: Consumers are comfortable with "buyer beware" mobile app security strategies.

Reality: Consumers expect the publisher to provide a very high level of mobile app security and protection in the mobile app.

73% of all consumers would stop using a mobile app if it left them unprotected against attack

74% of all consumers would stop using a mobile app if their app was breach or hacked

46% of all consumers would tell their friends to stop using an app if their app was breach or hacked

Myth #2: Consumers are willing to give up security to get better features in the mobile app.

Reality: Most consumers value security and malware protection as much or more than they do features.

38% of all consumers say they care most about security when using mobile apps

37% of all consumers say they care most about features in mobile apps

25% of all consumers care most about security and features, equally

Myth #3: Protecting against network and cloud breaches should be #1 priority.

Reality: Consumers care most about app-level, on-device threats and dismiss network-cloud threats.

62% of all consumers fear someone hacking of their app, making it the No. 1 mobile app threat,

56% of all consumers fear malware threats on their device, making it the No. 2 mobile app threat

32% of all consumers fear network-cloud threats, making it the No. 7 mobile app threat.

Myth #4: Protecting user credentials and login on the backend is enough to satisfy consumers.

Reality: Consumers rank threats like malware and hacking above credentials loss from backend breaches.

55%+ of Android and iOS users fear malware stealing data from my app as the No. 1 threat

40% of consumers of all age groups fear lack of protection for credentials, making it the No. 4 threat

Myth #5: Mobile app security is only relevant if the mobile app is in a regulated industry.

Reality: Consumers demand the highest mobile app security from all kinds of apps, including banking and other apps, equally.

36% of all consumers expect mobile banking apps to the highest level of security

33% of all consumers say that "all transaction apps" should have the highest level of security

16% of all consumers say that ewallet/payment apps should have the highest level of security

12% of all consumers say that retail and food delivery apps should have the highest level of security

"Globally, consumer expectations of mobile app security are deeply held, complex and sophisticated," said Tom Tovar, CEO and co-creator of Appdome. "The voice of the consumer flips the script on the 'security vs. features' debate, making clear that mobile app security and malware protection are on par with other critical features in the mobile app experience and demanded by every consumer that downloads and uses a mobile app."

To get the full report, please visit https://appdome.com/consumer-security-survey/

About Appdome

Appdome's mission is to protect the mobile economy and the people who use mobile apps in their lives and at work. Appdome's industry defining no code Mobile Security and Fraud Prevention platform uses a patented, artificial-intelligence based, no code technology to power a self-serve DevSecOps service used to secure, defend and protect mobile apps from reverse engineering, data exploits, OS and device level threats, dynamic and static analysis, MiTM attacks, mobile fraud, mobile malware and mobile piracy. Over 25,000 unique combinations of mobile security and fraud prevention features, SDKs and APIs are available on Appdome. Over 200+ leading financial, healthcare, government, and m-commerce providers use Appdome to protect apps, users and data, preempt fraud, and consistently deliver richer and safer mobile experiences to hundreds of millions of mobile end users globally. For more information, visit www.appdome.com

SOURCE Appdome

Related Links

https://www.appdome.com


DUBLIN, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "CDN Market by Technology, Platform, Application, Service Type, Customer Type, and Industry Verticals 2021 - 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report evaluates the current state of the market for content, CDN providers, and solutions. This report provides a SWOT analysis for major vendors and views into the future of CDN solutions and marketplace.

A content delivery network (CDN) is a system of servers, or computers interconnected over the Internet, that are placed closer to users across the globe to reduce the distance content travels. CDNs provide solutions for efficiently and effectively managing content of all types.

Solutions include core services such as aggregation, management, and distribution of content as well as a variety of value-added functionality. Thanks to advances in virtualization and Cloud-based deployments, many CDN deployments can run on commercial off-the-shelf hardware with virtual machines, thereby reducing costs and improving infrastructure flexibility.

The digital content market is poised to reach a new stage in its evolution with the coming pipeline of next-generation applications and solutions. Content consumption among consumers is exploding due to many factors including higher bandwidth, low-cost digital devices, and smart devices (phones, tablets, and wearable wireless) devices.

The market need for CDN solutions correlates directly with the explosion of broadband networks, smart mobile phones, and related applications, services and content. In particular, the convergence of cellular networks supported by LTE and 5G broadband wireless, and cloud-based applications, facilitates the need for more intelligent content solutions.

This report also analyzes the competitive threats to pure-play CDN providers from Google and Amazon. The report also analyzes threats to network operators as well as opportunities for content, commerce, and application developers. The report includes forecasts for 2021 to 2026.

Select Report Findings:

Multi-CDN Switching will exceed $3.2B USD globally by 2026

globally by 2026 Mobile app driven CDN growth will grow at 22.3% CAGR through 2026

Broadband wireless will continue as a substantial factor for CDN growth

Analytics and cloud intelligence support of CDNs is a $3.5B market by 2026

Key Topics Covered:

1.0 Executive Summary

2.0 Content Delivery Networks

2.1 Overview and Common Technology Employed

2.2 CDN Technology and Functionality

2.2.1 Domain Name System

2.2.2 Accessing Content

2.2.3 Apache Traffic Server

2.2.4 Cache Expiration

2.2.5 Content Service Protocols

2.2.6 CDN Architecture

2.2.7 Server Types

2.2.8 CDN Network Components

2.3 CDN Benefits

2.3.1 CDN Service Offerings

2.3.2 Companies Purchasing CDN Services

2.3.3 Content Rating

2.3.4 CDN is not for Content Alone

2.4 CDN Ecosystem

2.4.1 Revenue Models and Pricing

2.4.2 Carrier Role

3.0 CDN Applications

3.1 Current Solutions

3.1.1 Video Delivery Networks

3.1.2 Application Delivery Networks

3.1.3 Future Applications

3.1.4 Mobile CDN

3.2 Federated CDN

3.3 Cloud-Based CDN

4.0 Key Vendor Analysis

4.1 Akamai

4.1.1 Strengths

4.1.2 Weaknesses

4.1.3 Opportunities

4.1.4 Threats

4.2 Amazon CloudFront

4.3 EdgeCast (Verizon Media)

4.4 MaxCDN

4.5 China Netcenter

4.6 CloudFlare

4.7 Fastly CDN

4.8 CDNetworks

4.9 China Cache

4.10 Level 3 Communications Inc.

5.0 Revenue Expectations for CDN Providers

6.0 Threats to CDNs Providers: Google and Amazon

7.0 Overall Analysis and Top Ten Comparative Analysis

8.0 CDN Forecast 2020 to 2027

8.1 Global CDN Market 2021 - 2026

8.2 CDN Market by Solution 2021 - 2026

8.2.1 CDN by Platforms and Software Type 2021 - 2026

8.2.2 CDN by Application Type 2021 - 2026

8.2.3 CDN by Service Type 2021 - 2026

8.3 CDN by Content Management Type 2021 - 2026

8.4 CDN by Video Streaming Type 2021 - 2026

8.5 CDN by Platform Type 2021 - 2026

8.6 CDN Revenue by Customer Type 2021 - 2026

8.7 CDN Revenue by Industry 2021 - 2026

8.8 CDN Revenue by Region 2021 - 2026

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/lvcndz

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


A targeted strategic approach to Ethylene Products and Services can unlock several opportunities for buyers. This report also offers market impact and new opportunities created due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Download free sample report

Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

Information on how to identify strategic and tactical negotiation levels that will help achieve the best prices.

Gain information on relevant pricing levels, detailed explanation on pros and cons of prevalent pricing models.

Methods to help engage with the right suppliers and discover KPI's to evaluate incumbent suppliers.

Get a free sample report for more information

Insights into buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers:

Several strategic and tactical negotiation levers are explained in the report to help buyers achieve the best prices for the Ethylene Products and Services market. The report also aids buyers with relevant Ethylene Products and Services pricing levels, pros, and cons of prevalent pricing models such as volume-based pricing, spot pricing, and cost-plus pricing and category management strategies and best practices to fulfil their category objectives.

For more insights on buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers, www.spendedge.com/report/ethylene-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report

Key Drivers and Trends Fueling Market Growth:

The pressure from substitutes and a moderate level of threat from new entrants has resulted in the low bargaining power of suppliers.

Price forecasts are beneficial in purchase planning, especially when supplemented by the constant monitoring of price influencing factors. During the forecast period, the market expects a change of 4.00%-6.00%.

Identify favorable opportunities in Ethylene Products and Services TCO (total cost of ownership).

Expected changes in price forecast and factors driving the current and future price changes.

Identify pricing models that offer the most rewarding opportunities.

Some of the top Ethylene Products and Services suppliers listed in this report:

This Ethylene Products and Services procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

Exxon Mobil Corp.

Sinopec Corp.

Linde Plc

SABIC

To get instant access to over 1000 market-ready procurement intelligence reports without any additional costs or commitment.

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Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

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About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

Contacts

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us

SOURCE SpendEdge
NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Research Dive has added a new report to its offering titled, "Packaged Food Products Market by Product (Cheese Sauces & Dips, Jams & Jellies, and Apple Compotes), Packaging Type (Cans, Jars, Cups, and Flexibles), Sales Channel (Retails and Food Services), and Regional Analysis (North America, Europe, Asia, Australasia, Middle East, and Rest of the World): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027".

Research Dive in its latest published report estimates that the Global Packaged Food Products Market will generate $49,685.2 million and exhibit a CAGR of 6.3% from 2020 to 2027.

Download PDF Sample Report of Packaged Food Products Market

Market Dynamics

The consumption of ready-to-eat food and convenient packaged food products is rising across the globe due to the rise in number of working individuals. In addition, consumers are inclining towards healthy food & beverage alternatives. Moreover, the packaged food manufacturing companies are focusing on producing organic & healthy food products. All these aforementioned factors are predicted to boost the growth of the global market during the forecast period. However, the risk of food contamination is projected to be a restraining factor for the overall market growth.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Market

The COVID-19 outbreak has positively impacted the global packaged food products market during the pandemic. The increase in the growth rate of the market is majorly attributed to rapid growth in the consumption of chocolates, snacks & beverages, frozen food products, and chips during the pandemic period. Besides, the work from home facility and lockdown imposed in many parts of the world has increased the demand for packaged food products. People are stocking up their kitchen supplies which has encouraged companies and manufacturing units to speed-up their packaged food production line during the pandemic situation.

ACCESS OUR COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON GLOBAL PACKAGED FOOD PRODUCTS MARKET

Key Segment Findings of the Market:

The research report segments the global packaged food products market into product, packaging type, sales channel, and region.

Based on product, the cheese sauce and dips sub-segment is expected to dominate the global industry in terms of market size and reach up to $31,739.2 million during the forecast period. This is mainly due to increasing demand for fast foods like pizzas, tacos, burgers, and more across the globe.

during the forecast period. This is mainly due to increasing demand for fast foods like pizzas, tacos, burgers, and more across the globe. Based on packaging type, the cups sub-segment is projected to hold the majority of share in the market by registering a revenue of $18,628.8 million during the analysis period. This growth can be majorly attributed to convenient nature of cups such as portable and easy to carry during travelling.

during the analysis period. This growth can be majorly attributed to convenient nature of cups such as portable and easy to carry during travelling. Based on sales channel, the retail sub-segment is anticipated to account for largest share in the market and generate a revenue of $32,287.2 million by 2027. The significant growth of the sub-segment growth is owing to rising trend among consumers to purchase packaged food products from the retail stores.

by 2027. The significant growth of the sub-segment growth is owing to rising trend among consumers to purchase packaged food products from the retail stores. Based on region, the Asia Pacific market for packaged food products is expected to witness fastest growth and surpass $12,520.7 million by 2027. This is mainly due to changing lifestyle patterns, rapid growth in working population, and inclination of consumers towards fast food.

Get Additional 20% OFF on Report Customization: Grab PROMO CODE

Top 10 Key Players of Packaged Food Products Market

1. B and G Foods, INC.

2. Andros Foods

3. Histon Sweets Spreads Limited

4. The J.M. Smucker Co.

5. Gehl Foods, LLC.

6. Conagra Brands

7. Tree Top

8. Kraft Heinz

- Inquire and Get Quick Access to Top Companies Development Strategies Summary Report

These players are focusing on product launches, partnerships, and strategic collaborations to gain a competitive in the global market. For instance, in April 2021, Pa'lais, a plant-based startup involved in making organic cashew cheese spreads, announced the launch of a range of four new creamy sauces, namely 'Nature,' 'Alfredo,' 'Bechamel,' and 'Shiitake.' The company has changed its packaging to be completely recyclable and the packaging also makes the products creamier & longer-lasting.

Moreover, the report offers other key details of leading players such as business tactics, financial performance, and product/service range of these players along with Porter's five forces analysis and SWOT analysis.

More about Packaged Food Products

Global Packaged Food Products Market to Experience an Increase in Growth due to Rising Demand for Healthy Packaged Food

Packaged Food Products  A Glimpse into the Packaging Methods and Healthy Snack Options

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The Company completed an Induced Polarization ("IP") geophysical survey to map out the sulphide rich zone along strike and down dip. Hole LRGO-21-062 and LRGO-21-059 were drilled because of the IP survey, as surface samples taken in that area did not produce strong results, while the IP survey indicated a strong chargeability target. The geophysical survey is continuing eastwards showing a strong target in the El Favor east zone where drilling results are awaited.

"We continue to see strong results from the El Orito zone, and similar to Casados and La Trini we are approaching data cut off for the calculation of the initial resource at the El Orito zone," said Brad Langille, President and CEO. "We continue drilling at El Favor east, Mololoa and El Nayar, which we believe will greatly strengthen the initial resource to be published in Los Ricos North."

Table 1: Drill Hole Intersections

Hole ID Area From To Length1 Ag Au Cu Pb Zn AgEq2



(m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) (%) (%) (%) (g/t) LRGO-21-055 El Orito 274.0 321.9 47.9 14.7 0.03 0.08 0.70 1.27 83.0 LRGO-21-056 El Orito 228.1 261.7 33.6 37.3 0.08 0.25 1.13 2.18 165.6

including 243.8 257.2 13.5 56.7 0.10 0.39 2.11 4.12 288.1

including 255.3 257.2 1.9 104.3 0.19 0.67 5.38 12.83 734.9 LRGO-21-057 El Orito 451.8 455.6 3.8 27.6 0.05 0.13 0.25 1.05 84.4 LRGO-21-058 El Orito 290.1 298.1 7.9 14.9 0.09 0.01 0.58 0.76 61.8

and 305.1 307.6 2.5 24.4 0.16 0.10 1.74 2.35 165.3 LRGO-21-059 El Orito 182.6 184.9 2.3 93.4 0.24 0.06 0.75 0.90 164.8

and 207.5 251.0 43.5 52.1 0.18 0.27 1.98 3.24 245.5

including 220.7 241.9 21.2 61.1 0.22 0.40 3.39 5.23 369.4

including 236.7 241.9 5.2 93.5 0.65 0.45 5.02 9.14 608.1

including 236.7 237.7 1.0 162.6 3.14 0.37 5.99 10.77 932.8 LRGO-21-062 El Orito 247.7 321.4 73.7 22.3 0.04 0.09 0.91 1.37 100.9

including 308.5 313.5 5.0 73.5 0.07 0.28 5.47 3.13 338.6

including 312.3 313.5 1.2 131.6 0.08 1.08 22.54 12.72 1,197.4 LRGO-21-064 El Orito 263.6 271.6 7.9 38.8 0.04 0.63 2.18 3.52 270.4

including 263.6 267.6 4.0 65.3 0.05 1.15 3.52 5.83 457.1

1. Not true width 2. AqEq converted using a silver to gold ratio of 75:1. Copper, Lead and Zinc converted using $3.66/lb, $0.90/lb and $1.26/lb at 100% recoveries based on a silver price of $26.00/oz 3. Hole LRGO-21-060, 061, and 063 are pending assays

The holes that the Company has drilled to date at El Orito have shown mineralization averaging approximately 30m in width for more than 700m in strike length and up to approximately 300m in vertical depth from surface and is open in all directions. The El Orito deposit is located about 1,000 meters to the west along strike from the El Favor deposit. The Company's exploration team is mapping, sampling, and surveying with IP geophysics to potentially connect the two deposits. The El Orito deposit may be unique in the Los Ricos district as it is the deeper part of the system where silver and base metals are present, while the other targets in the system to date have shown primarily silver and gold mineralization.

The known strike length of the El Orito  El Favor structure is now approaching 2,500 meters and is still open in both directions. The surface topography at El Orito is 400 to 500m lower compared to El Favor and is allowing the exploration team to see this large, mineralized structure over a vertical height of 750 meters when measured from the surface outcrops at El Favor to the intersections in the El Orito drill holes.

Figure 1: Favor-Orito Long Section

Table 2: Drill Hole Locations

Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip Length LRGO-21-055 583684 2337024 885 210 -55 489 LRGO-21-056 583793 2336927 929 210 -58 488 LRGO-21-057 584136 2336858 1021 210 -55 583 LRGO-21-058 583705 2337010 893 210 -60 479 LRGO-21-059 583733 2336922 921 210 -58 446 LRGO-21-062 583725 2336997 898 210 -55 472 LRGO-21-064 583767 2336957 920 210 -64 447

Figure 2: El Orito Long Section  Grade Thickness (GT) Equivalent

Figure 3: El Orito Drill Hole Locations

Figure 4: Plan View  La Trini to El Favor Area of Los Ricos North

VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation

VRIFY is a platform being used by companies to communicate with investors using 360 virtual tours of remote mining assets, 3D models and interactive presentations. VRIFY can be accessed by website and with the VRIFY iOS and Android apps.

Access the GoGold Company Profile on VRIFY at: https://vrify.com

The VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation for GoGold can be viewed at: https://vrify.com/explore/decks/9404 and on the Company's website at: www.gogoldresources.com.

Los Ricos District Exploration Projects

The Company's two exploration projects at its Los Ricos property are in Jalisco state, Mexico. The Los Ricos South Project began in March 2019 and an initial resource was announced on July 29, 2020 which indicated a Measured & Indicated Mineral Resource of 63.7 million ounces AgEq grading 199 g/t AgEq contained in 10.0 million tonnes, and an Inferred Resource of 19.9 million ounces AgEq grading 190 g/t AgEq contained in 3.3 million tonnes. An initial PEA on the project was announced on January 20, 2021 indicating an NPV 5% of US$295M.

The Los Ricos North Project was launched in March 2020 and includes drilling at the El Favor, La Trini, Casados and El Orito targets. During 2020, GoGold's exploration team identified over 100 targets on the Los Ricos North properties, demonstrating the significant exploration potential. The Company plans to drill 10 of these targets as part of its 2021 drilling program which is planned to exceed 100,000 metres of drilling and will be one of the largest in Mexico.

Procedure, Quality Assurance / Quality Control and Data Verification

The diamond drill core (HQ size) is geologically logged, photographed and marked for sampling. When the sample lengths are determined, the full core is sawn with a diamond blade core saw with one half of the core being bagged and tagged for assay. The remaining half portion is returned to the core trays for storage and/or for metallurgical test work.

The sealed and tagged sample bags are transported to the ActLabs facility in Zacatecas, Mexico. ActLabs crushes the samples and prepares 200-300 gram pulp samples with ninety percent passing Tyler 150 mesh (106m). The pulps are assayed for gold using a 50-gram charge by fire assay (Code 1A2-50) and over limits greater than 10 grams per tonne are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code 1A3-50). Silver and multi-element analysis is completed using total digestion (Code 1F2 Total Digestion ICP). Over limits greater than 100 grams per tonne silver are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code 8-Ag FA-GRAV Ag).

Quality assurance and quality control ("QA/QC") procedures monitor the chain-of-custody of the samples and includes the systematic insertion and monitoring of appropriate reference materials (certified standards, blanks and duplicates) into the sample strings. The results of the assaying of the QA/QC material included in each batch are tracked to ensure the integrity of the assay data. All results stated in this announcement have passed GoGold's QA/QC protocols.

Mr. David Duncan, P. Geo. is the qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the technical information of this release.

About GoGold Resources

GoGold Resources (TSX: GGD) is a Canadian-based silver and gold producer focused on operating, developing, exploring and acquiring high quality projects in Mexico. The Company operates the Parral Tailings mine in the state of Chihuahua and has the Los Ricos South and Los Ricos North exploration projects in the state of Jalisco. Headquartered in Halifax, NS, GoGold is building a portfolio of low cost, high margin projects. For more information visit gogoldresources.com.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT:

The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy of any of GoGold's securities in the United States.

This news release may contain "forward-looking information" as defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Los Ricos South and North projects, and future plans and objectives of GoGold, including the intention to undertake further exploration at Los Ricos North, and the prospect of further discoveries there, constitute forward looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information is based on a number of factors and assumptions which have been used to develop such information but which may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to, assumptions in connection with the continuance of GoGold and its subsidiaries as a going concern, general economic and market conditions, mineral prices, the accuracy of mineral resource estimates, and the performance of the Parral project. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from GoGold's expectations include exploration and development risks associated with GoGold's projects, the failure to establish estimated mineral resources or mineral reserves, volatility of commodity prices, variations of recovery rates, and global economic conditions. For additional information with respect to risk factors applicable to GoGold, reference should be made to GoGold's continuous disclosure materials filed from time to time with securities regulators, including, but not limited to, GoGold's Annual Information Form. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date of this release.

SOURCE GoGold Resources Inc.

Related Links

https://www.gogoldresources.com/


PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gong , the revenue intelligence platform leveraging artificial intelligence to transform revenue and customer-facing teams, has been Certified by Great Place to Work for the third year in a row. The prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at Gong. This year, 93 percent of Gong employees said the company is a great place to work  34 points higher than employees at the average U.S. company.

The survey results announced today highlight various aspects of working at Gong:

97 percent of surveyed employees said their executives "fully embody the best characteristics of our company."

98 percent said they were "made to feel welcome" when they joined Gong. The same percentage said Gong employees "are willing to give extra to get the job done."

99 percent said "you can count on people (at Gong) to cooperate" and that "our customers would rate the service we deliver as 'excellent'."

In addition to the current survey, over the past two years Gong has been named a Great Place to Work in the competitive San Francisco Bay Area market, also based on employee feedback. The company has also:

Twice been named a "career-launching" company  a technology company where young people are recommended to start their careers  based on input from 19 premier venture capital firms and evaluated by investment firm Wealthfront.

Been named one of the best places to work by technology recruiting firm Built In, based on results from a custom algorithm. Gong specifically earned a place on the list of S.F. Best Mid-Sized Companies to Work.

"Gong is an awesome place to work  a truth evident from employee surveys, polls from top VC firms, and from algorithms crunching best places to work data," said Kelly Breslin Wright, Gong President and COO. "These results point to a key fact: Gong is a company with a strong mission and culture dedicated to success, inclusion, and having fun. We're gratified that Gongsters love being part of a dynamic, high-achieving team."

Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention and increased innovation.

"Great Place to Work Certification isn't something that comes easily  it takes ongoing dedication to the employee experience," said Sarah Lewis-Kulin, vice president of global recognition at Great Place to Work. "It's the only official recognition determined by employees' real-time reports of their company culture. Earning this designation means that Gong is one of the best companies to work for in the country."

According to Great Place to Work research , job seekers are 4.5 times more likely to find a great boss at a Certified great workplace. Additionally, employees at Certified workplaces are 93% more likely to look forward to coming to work, and are twice as likely to be paid fairly, earn a fair share of the company's profits and have a fair chance at promotion.

Gong is continuously hiring. View open positions and apply to be a Gongster at www.gong.io/careers

About Gong

Gong enables revenue teams to realize their fullest potential by unveiling their customer reality. The patented Gong Revenue Intelligence Platform captures and understands every customer interaction, then delivers insights at scale, empowering revenue teams to make decisions based on data instead of opinions. Over 2,000 innovative companies like Paychex, PayPal, Hubspot, LinkedIn, MuleSoft, Shopify, Slack, SproutSocial, Twilio, and Zillow trust Gong to power their customer reality. With Gong, customers experience improved win rates, increased deal sizes, and accelerated employee ramp-times. Gong is a private company headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information visit https://www.gong.io or follow us on Linkedin.

About Great Place to Work Certification

Great Place to Work Certification is the most definitive "employer-of-choice" recognition that companies aspire to achieve. It is the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience  specifically, how consistently they experience a high-trust workplace. Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Every year, more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries apply to get Great Place to Work-Certified.

About Great Place to Work

Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Their employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work For All.

Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and on LinkedIn , Twitter , Facebook and Instagram .

SOURCE Gong

Related Links

http://www.gong.io


MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodness Growth Holdings, Inc. (CSE: GDNS; OTCQX: GDNSF), a physician-led, science-focused cannabis company and IP incubator, today announced that its Minnesota subsidiary, Vireo Health of Minnesota, LLC ("Vireo MN") will operate a Green Goods branded medical cannabis educational booth at the Minnesota State Fair. Vireo MN is the largest medical cannabis company in Minnesota with eight newly renovated Green Goods cannabis patient centers across the state and 67,000 square feet of cannabis cultivation.

As part of the Health Fair 11 healthcare tent, Vireo MN will provide education about medical cannabis and its benefits, as well as information on joining Minnesota's medical cannabis program and the process to get a medical cannabis card. Vireo MN will also be offering special discounts, including up to $200 dollars in discounts redeemable at any Green Goods location for all new patients, plus other promotions, discounts, t-shirt giveaways, and more.

"As a physician-founded company started right here in Minneapolis, we are deeply committed to being an engaged and beneficial member of the Minnesota community," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kyle Kingsley, M.D. "Whether that means being an educational resource for our community members, providing life changing plant-based medicines, or supporting other initiatives that benefit our community, we take our commitment to the health and wellbeing of Minnesotans seriously."

For 20 years, the Health Fair 11 tent has offered health education and screenings to fairgoers. This year the tent will feature medical cannabis companies for the first time. Vireo MN and Green Goods will be one of 12 health organizations in the Health Fair 11, located in the Health Fair building at the intersection of Cooper Street and Dan Patch Avenue, near the Food Building. The Health Fair 11 will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day of the fair.

Vireo MN's other community initiatives in Minnesota include partnering with Last Prisoner Project's Roll It Up for Justice. Roll It Up for Justice is a nationwide program that raises money for the Last Prisoner Project's clemency initiative, which works to release people imprisoned on cannabis charges and help them rebuild their lives post-incarceration. More than $3,000 was raised in the first three weeks after launching the partnership at all eight Minnesota Green Goods cannabis patient centers.

To find more information about the Green Goods Minnesota locations, visit https://visitgreengoods.com/.

About Goodness Growth Holdings, Inc.

Goodness Growth Holdings, Inc., is a physician-led, science-focused holding company whose mission is to bring the power of plants to the world. The Company's operations consist primarily of its multi-state cannabis company subsidiary, Vireo Health, Inc., and its science and intellectual property incubator, Resurgent Biosciences. The Company manufactures proprietary, branded cannabis products in environmentally friendly facilities and state-of-the-art cultivation sites and distributes its products through its growing network of Green Goods and other retail locations and third-party dispensaries. Its teams of more than 500 employees are focused on the development of differentiated products, driving scientific innovation of plant-based medicines, and developing meaningful intellectual property. Today, the Company is licensed to grow, process, and/or distribute cannabis in eight markets and operates 18 dispensaries across the United States. For more information about Goodness Growth Holdings, please visit www.goodnessgrowth.com.

Contact Information





Investor Inquiries: Media Inquiries: Sam Gibbons Albe Zakes Vice President, Investor Relations Vice President, Corporate Communications [email protected] [email protected] (612) 314-8995 (267) 221-4800

SOURCE Goodness Growth Holdings

Related Links

http://goodnessgrowth.com/


Given each Jupiter Tank boasts a maximum storage capacity of 485 kilograms, one tube trailer can deliver up to 9 tons of CNG at a time. Jupiter Tank is a Type IV composite tank made of full carbon fiber, which can withstand a 300-bar pressure level.

"We will take the supply of CNG tanks in the United States as an opportunity to expand into the fast-growing hydrogen storage and transport business," said Ryoo Du-hyoung, who heads Hanwha Solutions' Advanced Materials Division.

It is the first time that Hanwha Cimarron has won a contract for providing carbon fiber-wrapped, high-pressure tanks since its establishment last year. Formerly known as Cimarron Composite, the company was acquired by Hanwha Solutions in December 2020.

The agreement is expected to accelerate Hanwha Cimarron's expansion into carbon overwrap pressure vessel market amid the increasing needs for storage technologies applicable to hydrogen, aerospace and other high-tech industries.

The company has decided to spend $51 million building a production facility in Opelika. When the construction is complete next year, the factory will churn out 4,000 high-pressure tanks every year. Further investments will be made by 2025 to develop storage tanks for hydrogen-powered vehicles, drones and rockets.

Established in 2019, Sunbridge Energy Services is based in Texas. Its primary business involves delivering CNG through tube trailers to shale gas operators in Permian Basin, the largest oil field in the US. The operators working there use CNG as fuel for drilling rigs.

"Sunbridge is very excited about entering into a partnership with Hanwha Solutions," said Sunbridge CEO Michael Hinds. "It will help oil and gas producers in the Permian Basin meet their environmental goals by substantially reducing their operational carbon footprint."

For more information about Hanwha Solutions, see: www.hanwhasolutions.com/en/

Contact: Junseok Yeo, Communication Team/Hanwha Solutions, [email protected]

SOURCE Hanwha Solutions

Related Links

https://www.hanwhasolutions.com/


LAS VEGAS, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's " Hepatorenal Syndrome Market " report provides a thorough comprehension of the Hepatorenal Syndrome historical and forecasted epidemiology and the Hepatorenal Syndrome market trends in the 7MM [the United States, EU5 (Germany, Spain, Italy, France, and United Kingdom) and Japan]. The Hepatorenal Syndrome market report also proffers an analysis of the current Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment algorithm/practice, market drivers, market barriers, and unmet medical needs.

Some of the necessary takeaways from the Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Research Report

Currently, there are no FDA-approved medications explicitly indicated for Hepatorenal Syndrome. Several key pharmaceutical companies, including Mallinckrodt , BioVie, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, and others, are developing novel products to improve the Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment outlook.

are developing novel products to improve the Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment outlook. Hepatorenal Syndrome Market to grow since there has been an increase in the R&D programs related to indication in recent years. Future research focuses on elucidating Hepatorenal Syndrome pathophysiology and searching for an appropriate treatment that can positively impact disease courses. In addition, there has been an increase in Hepatorenal Syndrome incidence, for which initiatives and funding for treatment have surged.

related to indication in recent years. Future research focuses on elucidating that can positively impact disease courses. In addition, there has been an for which for treatment have surged. Nonetheless, the growth of the Hepatorenal Syndrome Market is hampered by the late and inaccurate diagnosis, high mortality, and nonresponse to pharmacological therapy . Its exact cause and rate of occurrence are still unknown ; also, the novel kidney biomarkers that can predict progression and mortality in patients are lacking .

. Its ; also, the that can predict progression and mortality in patients are . With the Fast Track and Orphan Drug designation to Terlipressin and BIV201, respectively, the Hepatorenal Syndrome market is expected to increase during the forecast period 2021-2030

For further information on Market Impact by Therapies, visit: Hepatorenal Syndrome Drugs Market Analysis

Hepatorenal Syndrome (HRS) is a unique form of renal failure due to decreased renal blood flow, typically in histologically normal kidneys. It is a severe complication of advanced liver disease and characteristically infects patients with cirrhosis and ascites.

DelveInsight estimates that the total Hepatorenal Syndrome incident population in 7MM was estimated to be 282,616 cases in 2020. Females and males are equally affected by this disease.

The Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Analysis Report provides historical as well as forecasted epidemiological analysis segmented into:

Total Hepatorenal Syndrome Incident Cases

Total Diagnosed Prevalent Cases of Hepatorenal Syndrome

Type-specific Cases of Hepatorenal Syndrome

Get a complete epidemiological segmentation breakdown @ Hepatorenal Syndrome Epidemiological Analysis

Hepatorenal Syndrome Treatment Market

The mainstay of Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment remains vasopressor therapy with albumin to reverse splanchnic vasodilation and improve renal blood flow (RBF). Vasoconstrictor therapy causes constriction of splanchnic vessels, raising the effective circulating blood volume that increases renal perfusion and glomerular filtration. Vasoconstrictors are often combined with albumin to enhance their clinical benefits. Vasoconstrictors used for Hepatorenal Syndrome management are terlipressin, noradrenaline, and the combination of midodrine + octreotide.

Terlipressin is the most common vasopressor used and acts on the V1 receptors on vascular smooth muscle cells. Despite the increasing evidence supporting its use, terlipressin has not been approved in the United States yet. It is currently marketed in Europe for the treatment of Hepatorenal Syndrome.

Other vasoconstrictors like norepinephrine, midodrine, and octreotide, are used to treat Hepatorenal Syndrome. Norepinephrine, a catecholamine with predominantly alpha-adrenergic activity, is an inexpensive alternative and widely used as an infusion for Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment. Midodrine (an 1-agonist drug) is usually administered in combination with octreotide (a somatostatin analog) and albumin, and it represents the current standard of care in the United States.

The administration of norepinephrine plus albumin has been investigated in the treatment of Hepatorenal Syndrome. It was shown to be as effective as terlipressin in the Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment in several trials. Currently, norepinephrine in treating the disease is limited by the need for a central venous line and continuous monitoring, thus rendering the Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment unfeasible outside intensive care units.

Currently, there are no FDA-approved medications explicitly indicated for Hepatorenal Syndrome. In the US, albumin is frequently used to control Hepatorenal Syndrome symptoms. In cases where these treatments cannot be used or are not effective, beta-blockers, rifaximin, and somatostatin are administered.

Other interventions such as renal replacement therapy, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), and artificial liver support systems have a minimal role in improving outcomes in Hepatorenal Syndrome. Liver transplantation remains the definitive Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment.

Future of Hepatorenal Syndrome Treatment Market

With increased knowledge regarding liver cirrhosis, portal hypertension, ascites, and Hepatorenal Syndrome, new pharmacological treatments such as administration of terlipressin and albumin have proven helpful in improving the short-term outcome of Hepatorenal Syndrome. The future treatment will likely target the multiple aspects of the Hepatorenal Syndrome pathophysiological process.

Recent developments in Hepatorenal Syndrome have created a state of flux, which is already a confusing and very challenging diagnostic and therapeutic arena. It remains unclear how to best practically assess glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in patients with cirrhosis. Serum Cr alone is limited but remains the best practice assessment of renal function. While newer models such as the Cr-Cystatin GFR equation for cirrhosis are promising, it remains to be seen whether they will have widespread acceptance and application. With a better understanding of the pathophysiology and advances in therapeutic strategies, there is hope to reduce its Hepatorenal Syndrome incidence and improve patient outcomes.

Hepatorenal Syndrome Emerging Drugs

Companies are developing therapies for the Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment. Drugs such as Terlipressin (Mallinckrodt) and BIV201 (BioVie) are being assessed as potential therapies available in the Hepatorenal Syndrome market in the coming future.

With the launch of these therapeutics, the Hepatorenal Syndrome market will witness significant growth by providing valuable assets to the Hepatorenal Syndrome treatment landscape. Further, their approval may attract more investors in this space, which will eventually predict positive shifts in the future R&D activities in the forecast period (20212030).

Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Dynamics

The diagnostic criteria for Hepatorenal Syndrome have been revised throughout the years, with recent revisions to improve earlier diagnosis and treatment. Liver transplantation remains the only definitive treatment for hepatorenal syndrome. The mainstay of treatment remains vasopressor therapy with albumin to reverse splanchnic vasodilation and improve RBF.. Currently, there are no FDA-approved medications explicitly indicated for HRS. In the US, albumin is frequently used to control HRS symptoms. In cases where these treatments cannot be used or are ineffective, beta-blockers, rifaximin, and somatostatin are administered.

The Hepatorenal Syndrome Market will observe growth since, in recent years, significant progress has been made in the management of Hepatorenal Syndrome, along with a newly proposed guidelines algorithm for diagnosing and managing acute kidney injury (AKI) in cirrhosis. Moreover, potential new treatments may be proven as effective novel treatments for reversing Hepatorenal Syndrome symptoms, increasing overall survival, and improving quality of life. Researchers and clinicians are studying combining structural biomarkers such as cystatin C, NGAL, IL-8, L-FABP, and KIM-1. These biomarkers may help understand the Hepatorenal Syndrome etiology and may develop new diagnostic techniques for the disease.

Although Hepatorenal Syndrome can occur in people with advanced liver disease, its exact cause and rate of occurrence are still unknown. There is a dearth of novel kidney biomarkers, which can predict progression and mortality in AKI patients and diagnose AKI earlier. Also, the high mortality rate, misdiagnosis of Hepatorenal Syndrome may be a risk. A proportion of patients do not respond to therapy because they do not have Hepatorenal Syndrome but other causes of AKI, particularly Acute tubular necrosis (ATN) or intrinsic nephropathy. These factors may impede the growth of the Hepatorenal Syndrome Market.

Scope of the Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Insight Report

Geography Covered: The United States , EU5 ( Germany , France , Italy , Spain , and the United Kingdom ), and Japan.

, EU5 ( , , , , and the ), and Japan. Study Period: 3-year historical and 11-year forecasted analysis (2017-2030).

Hepatorenal Syndrome Markets Segmentation: By Geographies and By Hepatorenal Syndrome Therapies (Historical and Forecasted, Current and Upcoming)

Dominant Market Companies investigating its candidates for Hepatorenal Syndrome: Mallinckrodt , BioVie, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, and several others.

, BioVie, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, and several others. Analysis: Comparative and conjoint analysis of emerging therapies.

Case Studies

KOL's Views

Analyst's View

Request for a Webex demo of the report @ Hepatorenal Syndrome Therapeutics Market

Table of Contents

1 Hepatorenal Syndrome Key Insights 2 Hepatorenal Syndrome Report Introduction 3 Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Overview at a Glance 4 Executive Summary of Hepatorenal Syndrome 5 Hepatorenal Syndrome Disease Background and Overview 6 Hepatorenal Syndrome Epidemiology and Patient Population 7 Country Wise-Epidemiology of Hepatorenal Syndrome 7.1 The United States 7.2 EU5 Countries 7.2.1 Germany 7.2.2 France 7.2.3 Italy 7.2.4 Spain 7.2.5 The United Kingdom 7.3 Japan 8 Hepatorenal Syndrome Treatment and Management 9 Hepatorenal Syndrome Unmet Needs 10 Hepatorenal Syndrome Organizations 11 Hepatorenal Syndrome Patient Journey 12 Hepatorenal Syndrome Emerging Therapies 12.1 Terlipressin: Mallinckrodt 12.2 BIV201: BioVie 13 Hepatorenal Syndrome Other Potential Therapies 13.1 Ifetroban: Cumberland Pharmaceuticals 14 Hepatorenal Syndrome 7MM Market Analysis 14.1 The United States Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Size 14.2 EU-5 Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Size 14.2.1 Germany Market Size 14.2.2 France Market Size 14.2.3 Italy Market Size 14.2.4 Spain Market Size 14.2.5 The United Kingdom Market Size 14.2.3 Japan Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Size 15 Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Drivers 16 Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Barriers 17 Hepatorenal Syndrome Market Access and Reimbursement 18 Hepatorenal Syndrome SWOT Analysis 19 Hepatorenal Syndrome Case studies 20 Appendix 21 DelveInsight Capabilities 22 Disclaimer 23 About DelveInsight

Browse full report with detailed TOC with charts, figures, tables @ Hepatorenal Syndrome Diagnostics Market Report

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About DelveInsight

DelveInsight is a leading Business Consultant, and Market Research firm focused exclusively on life sciences. It supports Pharma companies by providing comprehensive end-to-end solutions to improve their performance. It also provides Business Consulting Services with a credible market analysis that will help accelerate the business growth and overcome challenges with a practical approach.

Contact Us:

Shruti Thakur

[email protected]

+1(919)321-6187

www.delveinsight.com

SOURCE DelveInsight Business Research LLP
SEATTLE, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Travelers looking to get back to sea on their favorite Holland America Line ship can anticipate a restart date of May 2022 for Volendam and Zaandam. The ships will join Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam and Zuiderdam, which have returned to service or are slated to restart cruising by November 2021.

Holland America Line will restart the two ships in May when Volendam will explore Northern Europe and Zaandam will return to the Canada/New England region. With these new start dates, the Grand World Voyage and Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage will not operate in 2022 and will resume in 2023.

"We have been diligently planning and preparing to move our ships back into service, and after an extremely successful restart in Alaska and Europe we are thrilled to have return-to-service dates for Volendam and Zaandam," said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. "The team members on our ships in service have shared what a positive experience it has been welcoming guests back on board. We look forward to next spring when even more eager travelers can get back to cruising with us."

Volendam and Zaandam Return May 2022

When Volendam returns on May 1, the ship will offer longer explorations ranging from 14 to 35 days to the Baltic, Norway up to North Cape and Spitsbergen, British Isles and Iceland, all roundtrip from Rotterdam, Netherlands. The ship also sails along the Iberian Peninsula to the Mediterranean and down to Egypt and Israel.

Zaandam restarts on May 12 in the beloved Canada/New England region, with a cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Boston, Massachusetts, followed by itineraries between Boston and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The ship will offer the popular 35-day Voyage of the Vikings itinerary in July that sails roundtrip from Boston to Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Ireland.

Grand Voyages Resume in 2023

When the Grand World Voyage departs Jan. 3, 2023, Zuiderdam will debut on the 128-day around-the-world sojourn, offering world cruise guests the opportunity to book a verandah stateroom for the first time. Zuiderdam also features Music Walk's Lincoln Center Stage, B.B. King's Blues Club and Billboard Onboard, along with specialty restaurants Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto. Volendam will return for the 74-day Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage in 2023 that departs Jan. 3, 2023.

Guests who were booked on the 2022 Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage will be automatically moved to the 2023 departure aboard Volendam. Guests who were booked on the 2022 Grand World Voyage aboard Zaandam will be automatically moved to the 2023 Grand World Voyage aboard Zuiderdam.

"Our 2022 Grand World Voyage booked in record time, and with the pent-up demand to get back to world cruising we moved the cruise to Zuiderdam," Antorcha added. "For the first time on a Grand World Voyage our guests will be able to book a verandah stateroom category, which makes for spectacular scenic cruising, breakfast with a view or relaxing outside without leaving your stateroom."

2023 Grand World Voyage Highlights  Zuiderdam

128 days. Departing Jan. 3, 2023 , roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale .

, roundtrip from . Crossing the South Pacific to New Zealand and Australia before sailing up the west coast of Africa and charting a path through Northern Europe .

and before sailing up the west coast of and charting a path through . 61 total ports in 30 countries and island nations, including eight overnight calls.

15 calls around the African continent with opportunities for safari experiences.

2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Highlights  Volendam

74 days. Departing Jan. 3, 2023 , roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale on an itinerary that circles the continent on a counterclockwise route.

, roundtrip from on an itinerary that circles the continent on a counterclockwise route. 34 total ports in 16 countries and island nations, including five overnight calls.

Daylight transit of the Panama Canal and overland opportunities to visit Machu Picchu, the Galapagos Islands, Patagonia and Iguazu Falls.

Four days of spectacular scenic cruising in the icescapes of Antarctica .

. 11 calls in Brazil and a journey along the Amazon River to Manaus.

Koningsdam to Assume Popular Hawaii, Tahiti and Marquesas Cruise in 2023

With Zuiderdam embarking on the Grand World Voyage, Koningsdam will take on that ship's longer, exotic itineraries in 2023. Koningsdam's 25-day Mexican Riviera and Circle Hawaii Collectors' Voyage will move from a Jan. 31, 2023, departure to Jan. 7, 2023, for 24 days. In February, the larger Pinnacle Class ship offers the exotic 35-day Hawaii, Tahiti and Marquesas itinerary roundtrip from San Diego, and all guests booked for that departure aboard Zuiderdam will be moved to Koningsdam.

Zuiderdam's Panama Canal cruises in January and April 2023, as well as a 10-day Mexico and Sea of Cortez voyage, will be assumed by Zaandam.

Full Refund Option Also Available

Guests who prefer a 100% refund of monies paid to Holland America Line can visit the Cancellation Preferences Form to indicate their preference by Sept. 24, 2021.

The above options are not applicable to guests booked on a charter sailing. Other booking and cancellation conditions and policies may apply if the cruise was not booked through Holland America Line. See the terms and conditions in the Cancellation Preferences Form for all details.

For more information about Holland America Line, consult a travel advisor, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com.

Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook and the Holland America Blog. Access all social media outlets via the home page at hollandamerica.com.

About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL and CUK)]

Holland America Line has been exploring the world since 1873 and was the first cruise line to offer adventures to Alaska and the Yukon nearly 75 years ago. Its fleet of premium ships visits nearly 400 ports in 114 countries around the world, offering an ideal mid-sized ship experience. A third Pinnacle-class ship, Rotterdam, joined the fleet in July 2021.

The leader in premium cruising, Holland America Line's ships feature innovative initiatives and a diverse range of enriching experiences focused on destination exploration and personalized travel. The best live music at sea fills each evening at Music Walk, and dining venues feature exclusive selections from Holland America Line's esteemed Culinary Council of world-famous chefs.

In light of COVID-19, Holland America Line is currently enhancing health and safety protocols and how they may impact future cruises. Our actual offerings may vary from what is displayed or described in marketing materials. Review our current Cruise Updates , Health & Safety Protocols and CDC Travel Advisories.

CONTACT: Erik Elvejord

PHONE: 800-637-5029, 206-626-9890

EMAIL: [email protected]

SOURCE Holland America Line

Related Links

http://www.hollandamerica.com


SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntkey will attend China Cross-border E-commerce 3C Accessories Selection Conference 2021 (Autumn). This conference will be held on September 24, Shenzhen City, China. It is organized by Chongdiantou and 52AUDIO. They are professional organizations to analyze, evaluate, and disassemble fast chargers and audio devices.

"Professionalism and objectivity make Chongdiantou enjoy a high reputation in the charging field. It is not only a club for charging enthusiasts but also a witness to the development of the entire charging industry." said Ms.Liao, general manager of Huntkey.

Huntkey has 26 years of experience as a Chinese top manufacturer of power supplies and fast chargers. Over the years, Huntkey has been working closely with global mainstream mobile phone manufacturers to develop mobile phone chargers, and have produced many milestone products.

A product selection conference will be held and nearly a thousand new audio and charging products debuted for the first time. It attracts hundreds of supply chains and service providers in the cross-border e-commerce industry, as well as thousands of buyers. More than ten celebrities from well-known brands in the cross-border e-commerce industry will share their overseas business experience.

At the conference, Huntkey will show a series of new fast-charging products, including K20 wall charger (20W), G65 GaN fast charger (65W), G100 GaN fast charger (100W). K20 wall charger is small in size, compared with iPhone's 20W charger, it has obvious advantages in volume. The power density of the G65 GaN fast charger breaks through the industry barrier of 1 watt per cubic centimeter, has both a high-power and compact body. The 100W high power meets charging needs, and at the same time, it is backward compatible with devices in various power ranges. In order to enhance heat dissipation and safety, all Huntkey products adopt an internal glue filling process to prevent the charging efficiency from being affected by excessive temperature.

Exhibition Time

September 24 9am-5pm

Exhibition Place

Shenzhen City, Nanshan District, Kexing Science Park, Building B, Unit 4, Conference Center, F1&F3

Huntkey's Booth Number

A27

Organizer

Chongdiantou

52 AUDIO

About Huntkey

Founded in 1995, Huntkey is a leading provider of PC power supplies, power strips, surge protectors, laptop adapters, phone chargers, monitors and air purifiers. Huntkey is an Asia renowned brand, a member of The International Power Supply Manufacturer's Association (PSMA) and China Power Supply Society (CPSS). Covering approximately 1,000,000 square meters added up from three industrial parks, Huntkey is one of the most famous brands and largest companies in mainland China. It is headquartered in Shenzhen, with branch offices in the US, Japan and Hong Kong, and with cooperating factories in Vietnam, Brazil, Argentina and India. For more information visit https://en.huntkey.com

In 2020, Huntkey introduced its latest photocatalyst air purifier - the desktop air purifier globally. The desktop air purifier is designed portable and can efficiently remove chemical vapors, odors, haze particles, and many more air pollutants. For more information visit https://en.huntkey.com/products/air-purifiers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntkeyGlobal

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/huntkey

VK: https://vk.com/huntkey_cis

SOURCE Huntkey

Related Links

https://en.huntkey.com


JERUSALEM and DUBAI, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --illumigyn and the Dubai based company DHI 2048 announced today that they will deploy 2,500 Gynescope Systems to improve women's health care in the Gulf Cooperation Council.

illumigyn is focused on powering women's health and making it accessible and affordable for every woman worldwide. illumigyn's vision is to disrupt the medical field of gynecology with a complete platform solution featuring the Gynescope System, a revolutionary "gynecology endoscope" and cloud platform service.

Illumigyn's cloud-based platform is designed to provide an end-to-end gynecological imaging service, including services such as image documentation, archiving and sharing as a baseline for future monitoring, online and offline remote expert diagnosis and annotation, and connectivity to future development of an AI Clinical Decision Support Software. The Gynescope System is designed to enable women's software as a service to improve accessibility and affordability of women's health services worldwide.

"At the dawn of a new era of collaboration, we have been on the lookout for cutting-edge Israeli innovation that will improve the quality of life in the UAE," said Dr. Avi Ludomirski, CEO and Chairman of the Board of illumigyn. "illumigyn has the combination of breakthrough solutions, cervix image bank and AI future developments that can revolutionize women's healthcare, and we are confident that together we can make Dubai the healthcare hub that will serve the entire area."

Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Saeed Bin Shakhbout al Nahyan, chairman of Federal Group and Smart Vision for Information Technology signed a cooperation agreement with Digital Health Innovation 2048 (DHI 2048) to streamline the adoption of best-in-class digital health products and innovative solutions from Israel.

"It gives me great pride to speak about this momentous collaboration between his highness and DHI2048. I believe the digital space they are operating in today is going to help and hopefully revolutionize the way that we practice medicine in the region," said Dr Tariq Bin Hendi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO). "It's now just over a year when the Abraham Accord was signed. That momentous occasion changed the dynamics in the region. The ties between the UAE and Israel will grow stronger and stronger and this collaboration agreement that is being signed today is a testament to that."

The launch is part of the latest cooperation to strengthen the ties between the UAE and Israel, following the Abraham Accords signed last year on August 13, 2020. The official launch of DHI 2048, which was supported by the Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) was attended by ambassadors from the UAE and Israel, as well as officials from health ministries and various authorities. To mark the partnership, illumigyn also hosted a kickoff summit in Dubai attended by approximately 20 leading gynecologists from the UAE, to introduce their regional strategy.

As part of this collaboration, illumigyn plans to go beyond selling systems, with the goal of building an ecosystem for the people and medical community in the region. The company plans to deploy a four-pillared strategy:

Deployment of the Gynescope Systems Enabling education to promote skillsets across the region Bolstering local assembly Strengthening infrastructure

The Gynescope System, has two essential components: hardware - a proprietary Image Acquisition System (IAS) developed in-house, biocompatible Gynescope single use vaginal speculum with an integrated working channel, and console); and software - cloud platform via the Gynescope App. The Gynescope System is designed to enable women's software as a service to improve accessibility and affordability of women's health services worldwide.

About illumigyn

illumigyn, founded by Ran Poliakine and Lior Greenstein, is an Israeli corporation focused on powering women's health and making it accessible and affordable for every woman worldwide. illumigyn's vision is to disrupt the medical field of gynecology with a complete platform solution featuring the Gynescope System, a revolutionary and FDA cleared "gynecology endoscope" and cloud platform service. With our technological know-how and expertise, our vision is to then create an ecosystem that powers all facets of women's health. For more information, please visit https://www.illumigyn.com/.

About DHI2048

DHI 2048, a UAE-based organization established to drive digital health innovations and solutions from Israel. DHI 2048's goal is to mobilize stakeholders in the healthcare industry of the MENA region to embrace healthcare innovations for the benefit of all. The company is streamlined for adoption, the best-in-class digital healthcare products and solutions that bring immense value to the healthcare sector. DHI 2048's headquarters in the UAE, and shall spread collaboration efforts to the GCC and the entire MENA region. For more information, please visit https://www.dhi2048.com/.

Press Contact:

Noam Amir

[email protected]

+972547788441

SOURCE illumigyn
ROCKFORD, Ill., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With an aging workforce teetering at the retirement door, leadership at Bourn and Koch realized the risks they faced with the lack of well-documented, standardized key steps for their manufacturing build process. As Todd Wells, the Director of Operations, puts it "When tribal knowledge is the mode of operation, cost variances are greater, and the retirement cliff risks are greater because the knowledge is difficult to transfer." The standard work process they did have in place was not scalable and limited to only one person managing the application and data. They needed something more robust and budget-friendly and wanted to capture the process digitally.

Solution

Todd Wells and his team met with IMEC in August 2020 to explore how Industry 4.0 technologies can make their efforts in standard work more efficient and scalable for the future. IMEC began the process with an analysis of various hardware and software solutions to determine which would best suit the needs of the organization. After eight months of careful evaluation, the team decided on Tulip as the host platform with three built-in applications, along with customized support from Clear Process Solutions. Two months later, they successfully implemented a stable, scalable software that offers efficiency and an error-proof approach to capturing the key steps in build processes. Working with IMEC on this project, Bourn and Koch was able to qualify for an Advanced Manufacturing Technology Services grant, funded through IMEC and the MEP National Network.

Having recently completed a Training Within Industry program with IMEC, a software like Tulip supported by Clear Process Solutions, made sense as a logical solution. Wells states, "It is my opinion that the applications are a great compliment to the TWI program, specifically the Job Instruction (JI) module." Now the team can easily transfer knowledge, upskill current employees, and train new employees. The three applications allow them to capture text, photos, and video to properly explain the steps involved in completing a variety of manufacturing operations, ensuring the build process is standardized and streamlined.

Completing this project not only solves the short-term challenges of transferring tribal knowledge and implementing a database with a standard approach to capture work processes. According to Wells, "In the medium to long term, this is a game changer in our industry by being able to provide professional training and development while leveraging current technology and tools. The workforce of tomorrow will be attracted to these tools. Everyone wants to succeed and do well; with proper development and effective training our employees of tomorrow will get up to speed faster and better than ever before."

Results

Anticipated New and Retained Sales: $1,000,000

Anticipated Cost Savings: $32,000

Anticipated New Investments: $12,500

Jobs created and retained: 2

About IMEC

IMEC is a team of improvement specialists and technicians dedicated to providing organizations in Illinois with the tools and techniques to create sustainable competitive futures. The experienced hands-on team at IMEC works closely with clients to plan critical business improvements in the areas of Leadership, Strategy, Customer Engagement, Operations, and Workforce. IMEC, Illinois affiliate of the U.S Commerce NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Network, has demonstrated a return on investment that exceeds 19:1. In 2020, they assisted over 1,100 companies and created over 6,000 jobs, resulting in over $646M aggregate impact to the Illinois economy. IMEC has seven offices statewide and 47 full-time industry improvement specialists. For more information, visit imec.org.

SOURCE IMEC

Related Links

http://imec.org


Signup to Get a FREE Sample PDF of This Report Now:

www.spendedge.com/report/immigration-services-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report

Frequently Asked Questions:

What are the major market threats for Immigration Services Market?

The pressure from substitutes and a moderate level of threat from new entrants has resulted in the moderate bargaining power of suppliers.

The pressure from substitutes and a moderate level of threat from new entrants has resulted in the moderate bargaining power of suppliers. Who are the top players in the market?

Baker & McKenzie International, Fragomen, Berry Appleman and Leiden LLP, and Foster LLP., are some of the major market participants.

Baker & McKenzie International, Fragomen, and Leiden LLP, and Foster LLP., are some of the major market participants. What are the pricing models followed by buyers?

Fixed-fee model, hour-rate model, and service-based model are the widely adopted pricing models in commercial vehicle cabin procurement.

Fixed-fee model, hour-rate model, and service-based model are the widely adopted pricing models in commercial vehicle cabin procurement. What will be incremental spend in Immigration Services?

The procurement market will register an incremental spend of about USD 49 Billion , during 2020-2024.

The procurement market will register an incremental spend of about , during 2020-2024. What is the expected price change in Immigration Services procurement?

During the forecast period, the price for Immigration Services procurement will increase by 2.5%-3.5%.

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Key Insights Provided in the Immigration Services Research Report:

What are the changes expected in the price forecast report?

Is my Immigration Services TCO (total cost of ownership) favorable?

Is my Immigration Services TCO (total cost of ownership) favorable?

Which pricing models offer the most rewarding opportunities?

Key trends and drivers in this market

Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

To know more: https://www.spendedge.com/request-for-demo

Contacts:

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us

SOURCE SpendEdge

Related Links

https://www.spendedge.com


- Commits to creating 500 jobs in the next three years as part of its continued expansion across Canada

TORONTO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced that it will establish a new digital development centre at its largest Canadian office in Mississauga. This is aimed at creating 500 high quality jobs in the Toronto Region over the next three years.

Spanning nearly 50,000 square feet and bringing significant investment from Infosys to the country, this digital development centre will train, upskill, and reskill employees in the technologies needed to help Canadian businesses accelerate their digital transformation. It will also enable Infosys to better collaborate with clients to develop cross-functional solutions to pressing business challenges. Infosys, in the Toronto Region, currently serves businesses in the financial services, healthcare, communications, retail, and natural resources sectors. Artificial intelligence, data science, automation, and machine learning are the core capabilities that this centre would nurture and expand.

In response to surging demand for training, re-skilling, and learning by employers, Infosys previously committed to double its Canadian workforce to 4,000 employees by 2023. The digital development centre will play a key role in this expansion and lead the building of digital capabilities and training for the next generation of IT talent to support Canadian businesses.

"We are proud to power digital Canada through the skills of the future and do our part in supporting post-pandemic economic recovery. The Toronto Region met all of our criteria when deciding where to set up the digital development centre, create new jobs and scale our business offerings," said Ravi Kumar, President, Infosys. "Talent and high-tech know-how are in abundance, there is a real aptitude for new workplace development strategies, and many of our clients are based here. Even better, this will enable us to be part of an ecosystem that reaches across the region, linking the private sector with innovative research and learning institutions in Canada," he added.

While the digital development centre is the first-of-its-kind in Canada for Infosys, it is based on the proven model of six similar digital centres in the U.S. which hire from local colleges and provide training and digital career paths. Infosys' unique training and education infrastructure builds a tech-savvy and agile workforce with the skills and experience that clients need to become fully digital businesses.

Infosys has seen exponential growth in Canada and is firmly committed to strengthening its presence and hiring top tech talent across major hubs. Within the last two years, Infosys has created thousands of jobs across Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, and most recently, Calgary. The company hires graduates from 14+ local post-secondary educational institutions, such as the University of Toronto and University of Waterloo, to build a strong pipeline of tech talent. In 2021, it was recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Canada, according to Glassdoor.

"Ontario's deep talent pool, cutting edge innovation ecosystem, and competitive business costs make our province an ideal place for investment," said Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Vic Fedeli. "We thank Infosys for investing in Ontario's post-pandemic recovery by developing this global competency hub, tapping local talent, and partnering with local academic institutions to help develop a skilled workforce that will deliver new solutions, and, in turn, help other businesses thrive and grow."

"We are thrilled that Infosys has chosen to invest in Mississauga and has committed to bringing hundreds of jobs along with training opportunities to our local workforce," said Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie. "This announcement is a testament to the talent we have in Mississauga as well as our world-class ICT sector, which is one of the largest in the country. The arrival of Infosys will play a significant role in economic recovery and growth, not only here in Mississauga but also across the entire Greater Toronto Area," she added.

The launch of this digital development centre and accompanying jobs commitment were announced at the virtual Infosys Canada C-Suite Forum today where executives shared strategies to reshape business for resilience and success in the post-pandemic world.

To walk through the Infosys Mississauga Development Centre, please click the link below and use the cursor to navigate your way virtually: https://mpembed.com/show/?m=hjCkdQ2kbU2&custombillboard=1&minimap=2&bgmusic=https://www.bensound.com/bensound-music/bensound-summer.mp3

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in more than 50 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

SOURCE Infosys
HOUSTON and ATLANTA, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- iOFFICE, an industry leader in workplace experience and asset management solutions, and SpaceIQ, a leading Integrated Workplace Management System (IWMS), space management, and employee experience provider, today announced that they have merged following strategic investments in the companies by global private equity firms Thoma Bravo and JMI Equity. Together, the combined organization will address a rapidly growing market opportunity through the most complete offering of smart platforms for managing corporate real estate, physical assets, and workplace experience.

Monumental shifts in workplace, facility management, and business-critical equipment requirements, intensified by increased employee expectations for workplace experience and flexibility, have driven demand for tools that enable businesses to adapt more quickly than ever before. With more than 10,000 customers in over 85 countries, and the most comprehensive product portfolio, the combination of iOFFICE and SpaceIQ creates the clear leader addressing these needs.

Thoma Bravo is joined by JMI Equity, the previous majority investor in SpaceIQ, as primary investors in the combined company. In addition, Waud Capital Partners, the previous majority investor in iOFFICE, will remain invested in the combined company.

"After tracking the workplace and asset management spaces for years, this investment comes at a unique time when modern technologies are critical for managing corporate office space and assets," said A.J. Rohde, Senior Partner at Thoma Bravo. "These complementary franchises will accelerate innovation and we're excited to work with the team to continue building a world-class business in a market with exceptional growth opportunities."

"By combining the resources of SpaceIQ and iOFFICE, the company will significantly accelerate plans for expanding products and capabilities that help companies succeed in the era of hybrid work," said Brian Hersman, General Partner at JMI Equity. "We're excited to continue our partnership with SpaceIQ and this newly integrated organization to support their next phase of growth."

Wain Kellum, CEO of SpaceIQ, will remain as CEO of the newly integrated organization. Mark Peterson, CEO of iOFFICE, will focus on leading iOFFICE through the transition to set the merged company up for success.

"Our product roadmaps and prospects were tightly aligned, making a merger the best option to accelerate innovation and evolution. Bringing these two companies and teams together gives us unmatched ability to produce the solutions that our rapidly changing industries require," said Wain Kellum. "Thoma Bravo's background in building industry leaders gives us experience, scale, and product capability that no other vendor in our industry comes close to matching."

Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to Thoma Bravo. Goodwin Procter LLP served as legal counsel to JMI Equity.

About iOFFICE:

iOFFICE creates the most responsive, frictionless workplaces everywhere through space planning, employee experience, and asset management SaaS solutions. Our cloud-based, open-API platforms and mobile apps help businesses of all sizes connect data, people, and things wherever work takes place. Through our marketplace of smart building and IoT connectors and global partner network, iOFFICE enables enterprises to increase agility and scalability while streamlining their tech stack. More than 8,000 organizations in 85 countries choose iOFFICE to make their workforces more productive, create exceptional experiences, and simplify facility and equipment management. See why at www.iOFFICECORP.com.

About SpaceIQ:

SpaceIQ makes your workplaces smarter and your employee experiences better. If you need centralized data-driven platform to make better informed decisions about your real estate, we've got you. If you want to plan and manage a more productive and efficient work environment, you've come to the right place. And if you want to give your employees a frictionless experience so they can do their best work, we do that too. Our mission is to help businesses of all sizes reach their full potential by creating great workplaces that attract and retain the talent they need to grow and succeed. Please visit www.spaceiq.com.

About Thoma Bravo:

Thoma Bravo is one of the largest private equity firms in the world, with more than $78 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2021. The firm invests in growth-oriented, innovative companies operating in the software and technology sectors. Leveraging the firm's deep sector expertise and proven strategic and operational capabilities, Thoma Bravo collaborates with its portfolio companies to implement operating best practices, drive growth initiatives and make accretive acquisitions intended to accelerate revenue and earnings. Over the past 20 years, the firm has acquired more than 300 companies representing over $85 billion in enterprise value. The firm has offices in Chicago, Miami and San Francisco. For more information, visit thomabravo.com.

About JMI Equity:

JMI Equity is a growth equity firm focused on investing in leading software companies. Founded in 1992, JMI has invested in over 155 businesses in its target markets, successfully completed over 105 exits, and raised more than $6 billion of committed capital. JMI partners with exceptional management teams to help build their companies into industry leaders. For more information, visit www.jmi.com.

SOURCE iOFFICE; SpaceIQ

Related Links

https://spaceiq.com/


BOSTON, Aug. 25 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- J O Hambro Capital Management (JOHCM) announced today the launch of the Regnan Global Equity Impact Solutions Fund (REGIX), Regnan's first mutual fund offering within the United States. This follows the launch of funds for UK, European and Australian-based investors in late 2020 and early 2021. Regnan is the impact and sustainable investment brand of Pendal Group, JOHCM's parent company, and a pioneer in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) advice.

The Fund aims to generate long-term outperformance by investing in companies that create value for investors by providing solutions for the growing underserved sustainability needs of society and the environment. The Fund uses the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their 169 underlying targets as an investment lens to identify the solutions needed. This is a high conviction, diversified, global multi-cap equity portfolio with a strong emphasis on driving additional impact through engagement.

Led by Tim Crockford, the four-person Regnan Equity Impact Solutions team are pioneers in impact investing in public equity markets. Before joining Regnan in June 2020, the team managed the Federated Hermes Impact Opportunities Equity Fund, which Crockford launched in December 2017.

Crockford said: "We are excited to bring the fund to US investors after the very successful launch of our UK, European and Australian funds. We are seeing increasing interest in public market impact investing from a broad range of clients. Investors are being drawn to an approach that targets an index-beating return through long-term investment in companies providing solutions to the environmental and social problems facing the world."

"With Regnan's depth of ESG investment expertise under Tim Crockford's stewardship, we are confident that US investors will see the purity in the team's investment process," said John Reifsnider, newly appointed CEO of Pendal's US businesses. "The majority of evidence suggests ESG and Impact has yet to be fully leveraged in the US," Reifsnider continued. "We look forward to Tim and his team being at the vanguard of our effort in the US market."

Background on Regnan

Regnan exists to drive positive impact and investment for a sustainable future and works towards this by developing and promoting more principled, rigorous and outcome-oriented approaches in responsible investment. It has a long and proud heritage in engagement and advice on environmental, social and governance issues. Regnan has produced pioneering research that has changed the way investors think about their wider responsibilities to society including advising influential organizations, such as the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI).

Regnan can trace its roots back to a collaboration with Monash University, Melbourne in 1996, with investigation into overlooked sources of risk and value for long-term shareholders in Australian public listed companies. Since then Regnan has taken its ESG expertise globally. Its diverse experience in advocacy, regulation, academia and advising investment managers has enabled Regnan to offer ESG-related advisory, engagement and research services.

2020 marked a new chapter in the Regnan story: a move into sustainable and impact investment management. Regnan now operates as a standalone responsible investment business within Pendal Group. Pendal is an Australian-listed investment manager and owner of J O Hambro Capital Management and TSW.

Team biographies

Tim Crockford  Senior Fund Manager, Head of Regnan Equity Impact Solutions

Tim leads the Regnan Equity Impact Solutions team. He previously managed the Hermes Impact Opportunities Equity Fund from its launch in December 2017, having co-founded the Hermes Impact team in 2016. Tim joined Hermes Investment Management in 2009 as a research analyst and became lead portfolio manager of the ESG-integrated Hermes Europe ex-UK Equity Fund in 2015, which he also managed until he left Hermes. Tim joined Regnan in June 2020 and has 14 years' industry experience.

Mohsin Ahmad, CFA  Fund Manager

Mohsin is a fund manager dedicated to the strategy. He was a senior analyst on the Hermes Impact Opportunities Equity Fund, having joined Hermes in 2017. Prior to Hermes, Mohsin was an investment manager in Global Equities at Pictet Asset Management. At Pictet he worked on thematic equity funds including Water, Clean Energy and Agriculture. Mohsin joined Regnan in April 2020 and has 13 years' industry experience.

Maxime Le Floch, CFA  Analyst

Maxime is an investment analyst dedicated to the strategy. He collaborated with Tim on the design of the Hermes Impact Opportunities Equity Fund and then worked on the investment team as an analyst. Before this, he was a responsible investment analyst at AXA Investment Managers. Maxime joined Regnan in May 2020 and has 10 years' industry experience.

Maxine Wille, CFA  Analyst

Maxine is an investment analyst dedicated to the strategy. She was an analyst on the Hermes Impact Opportunities Equity Fund. Maxine transferred to the Hermes Impact Opportunities team in 2016, having initially joined Hermes EOS, the firm's stewardship arm. Maxine joined Regnan in April 2020 and has 6 years' industry experience.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About Pendal Group

Pendal Group ("Pendal") is an independent global investment manager focused on delivering superior investment returns for clients through active management. Pendal manages $80.2 billion in AUM (as of June 30, 2021) in client assets through J O Hambro UK, Europe & Asia; JOHCM USA; Pendal Australia and Regnan.

Pendal operates a multi-boutique style business across a global marketplace through a meritocratic investment-led culture. Its experienced, long-tenured fund managers have the autonomy to offer a broad range of investment strategies with high conviction based on an investment philosophy that fosters success from a diversity of insights and investment approaches.

Listed on the Australian Securities Exchange since 2007 (ASX: PDL), the company has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, London, Prague, Singapore, New York, Boston and Berwyn, PA.

About J O Hambro Capital Management (JOHCM)

JOHCM is a boutique investment management business with offices in London, Prague, Singapore, Boston, New York and Berwyn, PA. It manages $45.8 billion of assets (as of June 30, 2021)1 across Global/International, Emerging Market, UK, European, Asian, and a multi-asset strategy. JOHCM manages investment strategy capacity in order to promote market-leading portfolio performance.

The value of an investment and the income from it can fall as well as rise as a result of market and currency fluctuations and you may not get back the amount originally invested. Investing in companies in emerging markets involves higher risk than investing in established economies or securities markets. Emerging Markets may have less stable legal and political systems, which could affect the safe-keeping or value of assets. The Fund's investments include shares in small-cap companies and these tend to be traded less frequently and in lower volumes than larger companies making them potentially less liquid and more volatile. The Fund intends to invest its assets in companies that meet its impact investing criteria pursuant to the Regnan Taxonomy. This may affect the Fund's exposure to certain companies or industries and the Fund will forego certain investment opportunities. The Fund's results may be lower than other funds that do not seek to invest in companies based on expected environmental or societal impact outcomes. Successful application of the Fund's impact investing strategy will depend on its portfolio managers' ability to identify and analyze a company's impact, and there can be no assurance that the strategy or techniques employed will be successful.

An investor should consider the Fund's investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before investing or sending any money. This and other important information about the Funds can be found in the Fund's(s) prospectus or summary prospectus which can be obtained at www.johcm.com or by calling 866-260-9549 or 312-557-5913. Please read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing. The JOHCM Funds are advised by JOHCM (USA) Inc. and distributed through JOHCM Funds Distributors, LLC, member FINRA. The JOHCM Funds are not FDIC-insured, may lose value, and have no bank guarantee.

1 Includes assets managed by JOHCM and its wholly owned affiliates JOHCM (USA) Inc. and JOHCM (Singapore) Pte. Limited

SOURCE J O Hambro Capital Management

Related Links

https://johcm.com/


DUBLIN, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Japan Telecoms Industry Report - 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report provides analyses of revenue and market forecasts as well as statistics of the Japan telecoms industry including market sizing, 5-year forecasts, market insights, key telecom trends, 5G, digital infrastructure and also features the following:

Overall Telecommunications Market by Major Operators

Telco Operators Profile, Revenue and EBITDA Mix

Mobile Subscribers & Revenue Market Overview and Forecasts

Spectrum Holdings

IoT Market Overview

Broadband Subscribers & Revenue Market Overview and Forecasts

Digital Infrastructure (Fibre, Telecom Towers, Data Centres, Submarine Cables)

Telecom Tower Market Analysis and Forecast

Thematics/Opportunities relating to 5G, M&A and e-Commerce

Telco M&A Transaction Database

Why You Should Buy the Japan Telecoms Industry Report:

Benefit from the latest market opportunities

Understand the threats to your operations and investments and protect your company against future risks

Gain insights on emerging trends supporting, enhancing or disrupting your activities in the market

Get a full view of the competitive landscape to assess your market position.

Forecasts as a key input for successful budgeting and strategic business planning in the telecoms market

Target business opportunities and risks in the telecoms sector through our reviews of latest industry trends, regulatory changes and major deals, projects and investments

Assess the activities, strategy and market position of your competitors, partners and clients via our Operators Profiles

The Japan Telecommunications Industry Report, 2020-2025 includes a comprehensive review of the Japanese market dynamics, market sizing, market forecasts, analysis, insights and key trends.

Japan Telecoms Industry Report at a Glance

Globally, the telecommunications sector is proving to be a core and essential infrastructure service to national economies, with data infrastructure becoming critical in a connected world and will likely increasingly attract a new class of investors such as large infrastructure funds. The publisher expects the Japanese telecommunications industry to remain steady thanks to the defensiveness nature of the industry, amid the political uncertainties and an uncertain economic outlook due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Japanese telecommunications market is the third-largest market in the world by revenue with three large fixed and mobile network operators that invested heavily in towers and fibre infrastructure over the past two decades despite an overall market underpinned by low economic and population growth.

Growing mobile phone penetration and high fixed broadband take-up among households will fuel future growth over the next five years.

Following the market expansion over the last 5 years, forecasts suggest subdued revenue growth growing to 2025, with the Covid-19 pandemic, the diminishing impact of declining legacy voice and SMS revenue, Rakuten market entry and low population growth.

The strategic and economic competition between Japan and China is at the centre of advanced technology competition and the future of global data and communications. For most developed countries in the region, gaining strategic and economic power depends heavily on having technological ascendancy, especially in data and communications.

Capex Investments

The Capex from Japanese operators is cyclical with mobile rollout leading to investments in line with the operators' top-line growth. Capex investments peaked between 2012 and 2014 while all three operators built their respective 4G mobile network. Capex will increase again from 2020 through to 2025, as mobile operators invest in 5G. Japan sees 5G as the backbone of a wide range of technological advances including autonomous vehicles, smart cities and Internet of Things. All three mobile operators launched 5G services in March 2020. The Capex to GDP ratio spiked between 2012 and 2014 and started to slide downwards and stabilising in 2018 and 2019.

The author projects an increase in Capex spend throughout 2020 alone by installing more 5G base stations across all cities, ramping up Japan's 5G rollout nationwide and consolidating its 5G network leadership in terms of subscribers and availability in the country.

Operator Profiles

The Japanese three-player mobile market is a remarkably stable market, however it is about to be rocked by fourth market entrant - Rakuten Mobile - looking to follow the steps of successful new entrants launch such as Free in France and Reliance Jio in India. Rakuten has set an ambitious target of being the first cloud-native mobile network.

Between 2014 and 2019, both NTT and Softbank lost revenue and EBITDA share to KDDI over the last six years, Softbank lost both revenue and EBITDA share while cost reduction measures started to flow in 2019 with improving EBITDA and cash flow.

Mobile Subscribers and Revenue

Average annual mobile revenue growth was lower (1%) than mobile service subscriptions growth (4.7%) during the period 2014-2019, highlighting the structural challenges faced by mobile operators. Declining voice & SMS revenue only partially offset by wireless data monetisation is putting pressure on ARPU, compounded by bundling discounts to stem churn.

IoT connections is a major growth driver for mobile operators, a slowdown in mobile subscriptions growth will put long term pressure, dialling up competition for the three mobile operators fighting for fewer new customers.

According to our benchmark study of mobile data pricing, Japan had among the biggest cost reduction per GB over the last 3 years, while India has the lowest rate in the world with just a few cents per GB.

With a launch due in 2020, many operators are looking to Rakuten Mobile's trailblazing strategy of deploying its network using a cloud-native mobile network blueprint to lower its rollout costs.

The traditional telecommunications model is becoming increasingly hard to sustain amidst declining operating margins and continued expectation for cheaper services and more value inclusion.

The publisher forecasts Rakuten could capture up to 15m subscribers in 3 years by offering lower pricing, e-Commerce bundling and other lifestyle services to its existing 100 million Rakuten customers, while KDDI and to a lesser extent NTT and Softbank already embarked on such journey.

The author forecasts 5G mobile subscribers will represent nearly 68% subscribers of all subscriptions by 2026, 4G will represent about 32% of all connections while 3G will be shut down by the end of 2023.

Broadband Subscribers - FTTH Push to Gigabit Speeds

After over 20 years of investments in fibre infrastructure, Japan boasts one of the highest FTTH penetration in the world as well as one of the most advanced, consumer broadband products offering speeds up to 10Gbps. However, most people use 100Mbps packages which are mostly bundled with mobile services by the three dominant players, NTT, KDDI and Softbank.

Fixed broadband penetration is forecasted to grow modestly as Japan's investments in full-fibre networks are now reaching maturity with affordable packages and increased broadband household penetration growing towards saturation.

Thematics - Telecoms Infrastructure/5G/M&A/Infrastructure

Infrastructure funds, pension funds and government funds are assigning high valuation multiples to telecommunications infrastructure assets such as mobile towers, data centres, submarine cable and fibre infrastructure.

Investment funds are assigning high valuation multiples to telecommunications infrastructure assets such as mobile towers, data centres, submarine cable and fibre infrastructure. This report outlines some real market examples of how investors view and value these investments with real industry examples and EV/EBITDA comparatives and benchmarks.

Our Japan Telecoms Industry Report transactions database analysis highlights the dearth of inbound (domestic) transactions in the Japanese telecommunications services market, with the largest transactions from Softbank entering the mobile market and consolidating its position by acquiring smaller operators. However, in the short to medium term, the mobile telco sector is unlikely to experience corporate activity with Rakuten market entry. Softbank Group is selling down shares of its mobile arm to raise cash and fortify its ailing balance sheet with the group still owning about 62% of its mobile unit.

The arrival of 4G moved the Internet off our desktops into our palms and pockets, 5G could transform the network from something we carry around to something taking us around either virtually (augmented reality or virtual reality) or in reality (autonomous vehicles), the 5G outcome and benefits beyond fast connectivity remain largely unknown in terms of business models, investments required and timeline.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Key Statistics

2 COVID-19 Impact

3 Overall Telecommunications Market, 2014-2026

4 Telecommunications Operators Profile

5 Mobile Market

6 Broadband Market

7 Fixed Telecommunications Infrastructure Investments

8 Japan Telecom Towers Infrastructure Landscape

9 Thematics / Opportunities

10 Telco M&A Transaction Database

11 Methodology



Companies Mentioned

e-Mobile

Internet Initiative Japan

JCom

JTower

KDDI

NTT

NTT Docomo

NTT Data

Rakuten

Sony-Net

Softbank

Willcom

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/gqjxsi

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kantor & Kantor, LLP filed a complaint against Blue Shield of California in the Superior Court for the State of California, County of Los Angeles alleging Breach of Contract, Breach of the Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing, and violation of California Civil Code Section 3428.

After a routine mammogram in 2013, and a subsequent biopsy, Kantor & Kantor's client, a 59-year old woman, was advised her risk of developing breast cancer was higher than the general population based on the presence of the papillomatous tissue. Upon being advised that she would be a good candidate for one stage breast reconstruction, plaintiff underwent a bilateral mastectomy with bilateral breast reconstruction in February of 2014.

In 2019 the plaintiff contacted her surgeon reporting chronic pain over the chest wall and into her back, despite physical therapy. Plaintiff reported that the pain had gotten consistently worse over a few years and was limiting her activity and causing daily pain.

Her surgeon recommended that the implants be removed and submitted a pre-authorization request to Blue Shield for bilateral removal of intact mammary implants and bilateral periprosthetic capsulectomy of the breast. This request was denied. The surgeon submitted a second request.

Blue Shield denied both requests for pre-authorization, both times stating the procedure was not medically necessary. The surgeon then participated in a peer-to-peer review with a Blue Shield doctor, who upheld the denial noting that the plaintiff did not qualify for surgery as she "looked okay" and stating her other medical issues were "meaningless" and did not qualify as medically necessary.

"Unfortunately, a case like this is becoming familiar," said Kantor & Kantor's Cari Schwartz. "Insurance companies deny medically necessary medical treatment daily. Patients then take on the burden of getting the medically necessary treatment they need and fighting the insurance company. Many patients give up. Fortunately, our client was not willing to give up."

In February of 2020 the plaintiff underwent a bilateral implant removal  also referred to as explant surgery. During the procedure her surgeon discovered that the left implant was ruptured, with silicone visible outside the implant.

Significantly, as acknowledged in Blue Shield's denial letters, Blue Shield's Medical Policy for Breast Implant Management specifically states that "[r]emoval of a breast implant may be considered medically necessary for...Intra- or extra-capsular rupture of a silicone gel-filled or combination silicone/saline-filled implant."

As a result of Blue Shield's denial, the plaintiff incurred the cost of the surgery. She filed a grievance with Blue Shield soon thereafter. Blue Shield denied plaintiff's request for breast reconstruction surgery again on the grounds that the service was not medically necessary.

As a last resort, plaintiff submitted an Independent Medical Review/ Complaint Form ("IMR") to the CA Department of Managed Health Care. The decision from the IMR not only upheld Blue Shield's denial but it was full of factual errors. Kantor & Kantor filed a Final Appeal & Request to Reprocess Plaintiff's Claims to Blue Shield. Blue Shield upheld their denial yet again, causing Kantor & Kantor to file this complaint in State Court on the plaintiff's behalf.

From Cari Schwartz: "The facts in this case are clear. Our client had a ruptured implant. The notion that her insurance company gets to dictate her treatment and quality of her medical care is unacceptable."

About Kantor & Kantor, LLP

Kantor & Kantor, LLP is one of the most experienced and highly respected law firms in the nation dealing with litigating insurance claims against insurance companies. Our firm also has extensive experience with the complex appeals procedure and Federal Court litigation of ERISA matters.

For more information, please contact

Austin Holian, Marketing Director

Kantor & Kantor, LLP

818.350.6034 [email protected]

SOURCE Kantor & Kantor, LLP
NEW YORK, Aug. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, and it's time to get comfortable talking Lady Parts. Every 23 minutes, someone in the US is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, killing 14,000 women each year. Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA), is the nation's leading ovarian cancer advocacy organization. President & CEO of OCRA, Audra Moran, wants to reduce the stigma in talking about ovarian and other gynecologic cancers. There is essential information women need about symptoms and risk factors, and conversations that need to happen among families, the medical community, even policymakers. Audra will give your audience the questions they need to be asking. Demystifying women's health issues saves lives, and Audra wants to encourage these conversations.

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month is a critically important time for OCRA to raise awareness and funds, drawing attention to a disease that is the #1 cause of gynecologic cancer death and the #5 cause of cancer-related death in women. During September, ovarian cancer is talked about in the news and in the halls of Congress, not to mention on thousands of individual social media platforms. Crucial information is shared far and wide about symptoms and risk factors, and what to do if ovarian cancer is suspected. During the last three days of September, OCRA will hold its virtual Uniting for Hope Ovarian Cancer National Conference, which brings patients and survivors together with experts in the field to gain knowledge and provide support. Additionally, September is one of the organization's biggest fundraising months of the year, with donations going to support groundbreaking research.

"Ovarian cancer is a horrendous disease, but we need to talk about it. Women need to know their family medical history, people need to be able to have honest conversations with their doctors, and patients dealing with a diagnosis and treatment need greater societal awareness so they don't feel so alone. And if we can't reduce the stigma around women's healthcare  specifically gynecologic health  we won't achieve parity with other diseases when it comes to federal funding," said Audra Moran.

Audra Moran is available for press as a leader in Ovarian Cancer. As President & CEO of the largest global charity for Ovarian Cancer research, advocacy and support, Audra Moran is the perfect person to interview and offer knowledge on the subject. Under Audra's leadership, OCRA has invested over $100,000,000 into groundbreaking research, and she is committed to fighting the disease and growing awareness.

Suggested Topics:

Get comfortable talking about "Lady Parts" and destigmatizing gynecological cancers such as Ovarian Cancer

Racial disparities in ovarian cancer mortality rates

The truth about early detection (there is no early detection test)

Importance of knowing family history

ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH ALLIANCE (OCRA)

Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) is the largest non-government funder of ovarian cancer research and has invested over $100 million in research. OCRA fights ovarian cancer from all fronts, including in the lab and on Capitol Hill, and through innovative programs to support patients and their families. OCRA's ongoing investments in the most promising scientific research is funding discoveries, creating new treatments, and hastening desperately needed breakthroughs. OCRA is the voice for the ovarian cancer community, working with legislators to ensure federal ovarian cancer research and education, patient safety, and access to high-quality care are protected on Capitol Hill. OCRA's programs help people navigate their diagnosis and support patients and their families when and where they need it most. Visit ocrahope.org to learn more.

SOURCE OCRA - Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance
Made of wild-caught, 100 percent Norway lobster tail, Long John Silver's Lobster Bites pair the sweetness of lobster tail with a light, buttery breading to pack a flavor adventure into every bite! Starting Aug. 30, guests can set sail to Long John Silver's for a treasure of tasty deals:

Snack on Lobster Bites with any meal by adding on a Lobster Bites Tail Pack.

Pair Lobster Bites with batter-dipped, wild-caught Alaskan Pollock and try the Lobster Bites and Fish Combo with one side, two hushpuppies and a drink, or go bigger with the Lobster Bites and Fish Platter with two sides and two hushpuppies.

with one side, two hushpuppies and a drink, or go bigger with the with two sides and two hushpuppies. Satisfy the whole crew with the Lobster Bites Family Feast , featuring an eight-piece meal of batter-dipped fish or chicken with two Lobster Bites Tail Packs, family-sized sides and tons of hushpuppies!

, featuring an eight-piece meal of batter-dipped fish or chicken with two Lobster Bites Tail Packs, family-sized sides and tons of hushpuppies! Pricing may vary by location.

The Long John Silver's team is constantly listening to customer feedback and that's why Lobster Bites have resurfaced. "We are very excited to announce the return of the highly requested Lobster Bites at Long John Silver's," said Stephanie Mattingly, Long John Silver's chief marketing officer.

This fall is a swimming season of Long John Silver's sea-worthy events! Long John Silver's is teaming up with No Kid Hungry this fall to help end childhood hunger in the United States. From September, National Hunger Action Month, through October, customers who donate $1 to No Kid Hungry at participating locations will receive a pin-up to hang in the restaurant. Long John Silvers will make a minimum $50,000 donation to help provide children with the nourishment they need. $1 can help provide a child with up to 10 healthy meals.* Donations can be made at participating Long John Silver's locations or online.

Guests can set sail to the closest Long John Silver's or anchor down at home using DoorDash, UberEATS, Postmates, or GrubHub to take advantage of this limited-time promotion. Either way, customers can head to the Long John Silver's website to find a restaurant near them to enjoy Lobster Bites while supplies last.

*Meal equivalency varies during COVID-19 relief. No Kid Hungry does not provide individual meals; your donations help support programs that feed kids. Learn more at NoKidHungry.org/OneDollar.

About Long John Silver's

Long John Silver's was founded in 1969 and has grown into the nation's largest quick-service seafood chain. With nearly 700 restaurants nationwide and delivery available from sea to mouth-watering sea, Long John Silver's continues building on a belief that the unique seafood experience from the coasts should be accessible to all. Learn more at www.ljsilvers.com or join the conversation via social media on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

SOURCE Long John Silver's

Related Links

http://www.ljsilvers.com


"Lone Wolf and Propertybase have been on parallel tracks for years. We thought it was time our paths crossed," said Jimmy Kelly, CEO and President of Lone Wolf. "Propertybase is known for its incredible CRM and real estate websites, while Lone Wolf has long led the industry in transaction and back-office management. Our customers wantand needthese essential solutions to work together, so they can run their entire business in one place. This acquisition brings these leading products together and puts our combined team in position to deliver the ultimate unified technology platform for the real estate world."

Propertybase is the leading global provider of real estate websites, CRM, and lead generation software, serving 4,500 businesses and 250,000 users in over 80 countries. The company's flagship solutions include BoldLeads, a lead generation tool and service for agents and teams; Propertybase GO, a CRM and website solution for brokerages and teams; Propertybase Salesforce Edition, an enterprise-class real estate CRM solution built on Salesforce and available worldwide; and Unify, CRM software for mortgage professionals. These solutions add complementary front office tools to Lone Wolf's product portfolio, providing complete technology coverage from lead to listing to close for both agents and brokers.

"Joining forces with Lone Wolf is an exciting milestone for Propertybase and its customers," said Vance Loiselle, CEO of Propertybase. "Combining the power of Propertybase's innovative website, CRM, and marketing solutions with the unequaled capabilities of Lone Wolf's offerings will further allow real estate professionals to thrive using technology in a rapidly evolving industry."

Lone Wolf has acquired five top technology companies in the past nine months: W+R Studios, LionDesk, HomeSpotter, Terradatum, and Propertybase. With these additions, Lone Wolf's expanded end-to-end technology now includes solutions for marketing, CRM, CMA, transaction management, eSignature, brokerage operations, insights and analytics, talent management, as well as ancillary tools and services.

The company's focus is to now create an intuitive flow of data and identity across these solutions and connect several critical real estate processes for agents and brokers. Lone Wolf is also expanding its investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning to produce unparalleled time-savings, transparency, and insights throughout each of these processes. The result will be a unified platform that empowers agents and brokers in a digital era, one that provides consumers with a modern real estate experience that can only come from a professional.

"We want to simplify real estatebut not in a way that takes people out of the business," said Chris Egan, Chief Strategy Officer of Lone Wolf. "Our goal is to bring the time-honored tenets of the real estate world into the present with a modern, innovative, and connected technology platform that makes it simpler for peopleand the professionals who help themto buy and sell homes.

Serving over 1.5 million agents, 15,000 brokerages, 1,000 MLSs and associations in North America, boasting nearly 650 employees with hundreds of cumulative years of experience, and offering the most trusted solutions in the industry involved in over 75% of all real estate transactions in the U.S. and Canada, Lone Wolf is the only company with the reach, size, and technology that can make this happen."

Media Contact:

Lauren Dennard | Industry Relations

E:[email protected]

About Lone Wolf Technologies

Lone Wolf Technologies is the North American leader in residential real estate software, serving over 1.5 million real estate professionals across Canada and the U.S. With cloud solutions for agents, brokers, franchises, MLSs and associations alike, the company provides the entire real estate industry with the tools they need to amaze clients, build their business, and improve profitsfrom transactions to back office, insights, and more, all in one place. Lone Wolf's offices are located in Cambridge, ON, Minneapolis, MN, and Dallas, TX. Find out more at https://www.lwolf.com/.

About Propertybase

Propertybase is the leading global real estate and mortgage software company with lead generation, award-winning websites, CRM, mortgage business growth platform and more. Over 4,500 brands including Hawai'i Life, Nan and Co. Properties, Red Oak Realty, Forbes Global Properties and ONE Sotheby's International Realty trust Propertybase to deliver innovative technology that scales their businesses. The Propertybase family of brands includes Propertybase, BoldLeads, BoldMortgage and Unify. For more information, visit www.propertybase.com.

Salesforce is a trademark of Salesforce.com, Inc., and is used here with permission.

SOURCE Lone Wolf Technologies

Related Links

lwolf.com


LOUISVILLE, K.Y., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2022 version of The Best Lawyers of America has been released, and local attorney Paul A. Casi, II has received multiple recognitions, including the coveted "Lawyer of the Year" award. 2022 marks the third time the Louisville Medical Malpractice - Plaintiff's "Lawyer of the Year" award has gone to Mr. Casi, who previously earned this honor in 2014 and 2018.

In addition to this top rating, Mr. Casi was selected to the Best Lawyers list in:

Medical Malpractice Law  Plaintiffs

Personal Injury Litigation  Plaintiffs

Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs

The Best Lawyers of America is an annual publication put out by an independent editorial team but based entirely on peer ratings. Once the pool of nominees has been gathered, every nominee is asked to vote on peers who share a practice area and region with them. Nominees cannot vote for themselves. The ballots are simple: They ask attorneys to rate, on a scale from 1 to 5, how likely they would be to refer a case to each nominee if they were unable to take it themselves. Attorneys can also leave written feedback if they desire. The highest scorers in each region and practice area are included in that year's publication after an eligibility check, and the attorney with the most votes earn the "Lawyer of the Year" designation.

The team at Paul A. Casi, II, P.S.C. would like to congratulate their founder and lead attorney for once again earning this prestigious recognition. Providing a positive client experience and quality advocacy and service is of the utmost importance to everyone at the firm.

Paul A. Casi, II's Louisville firm offers free consultations to injury victims in Kentucky and invites those with legal questions to reach out at www.casi-law.com or (502) 234-7451.

ADVERTISING MATERIAL

Contact:

Paul Casi

(502) 584-0404

[email protected]

SOURCE Paul A. Casi, II, P.S.C.

Related Links

https://www.casi-law.com


SOUTHLAKE, Texas, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Coffee and boba tea aficionados in the greater Dallas area can look forward to a brand-new cafe in the near future. This month, our Vietnamese American-owned Magic Cup Cafe franchise announces its westward expansion to Southlake, TX, which is expected to provide trendy tea drinkers throughout the Dallas suburb with their very own novelty boba hotspot.

Magic Cup Franchisee and Team - Southlake, TX Tea * Coffee * Smoothies & More

Our innovative beverage franchisefresh off a recent opening in McKinney -is proud to name nationwide entrepreneur Vinay Calyampoondi as the owner and operator of the new Southlake location. "We're excited and honored to welcome Vinay to the Magic Cup family," our COO, My Lynn Nguyen, says, adding: "Vinay has a proven record in business success, and, with his unique outlook and personal passion for the Magic Cup brand, we know he'll be an excellent collaborative partner going forward. Our team can't wait to grow with him."

Vinay shares in My Lynn's excitement, revealing he's delighted to launch a Magic Cup location in the bustling community of Southlake. Originally trained in technology (he has a master's degree in computer science), Vinay describes himself as a foodie at heart. Outside of an extensive real estate portfolio in New Jersey and a thriving MY SALON Suite franchise in Philadelphia, Vinay's love of food recently led him to open a Cold Stone Creamery franchise in Southlake in October 2020 (with plans for one in Colleyville this fall).

While researching food and beverage franchises, Vinay notes he became aware of a massive potential within the boba tea franchise segment. Inspired by Magic Cup's refreshing selection of multicultural fare and its inclusive atmosphere, Vinay decided a Magic Cup franchise would be the perfect way to continue his journey in the F&B industry. "I was looking for something with a 'place to hang out' vibe as well as something that would provide an 'Aha!' moment for customers of all ages," Vinay says. "When I discovered Magic Cup, it all clicked. The cafe had everything I envisionedfrom its menu to its decorand I wanted to share that feeling of joyful discovery with my customers."

Magic Cup invites Southlake boba fans to stay tuned for news of the upcoming grand opening. Readers interested in launching their own bubble tea business can learn more about becoming a Magic Cup franchise at magiccupcafefranchise.com or contact Gary Occhiogrosso at [email protected] .

About Magic Cup Franchise

Specializing in hands-on leadership training for entrepreneurs at all levels, Magic Cup is devoted to helping business owners create a legacy all their own. The company's proprietary franchise system leverages original products, international appeal, streamlined operations, and year-round marketing to support franchisees as they develop a lasting foothold in the competitive beverage market. Accepted applicants can expect to gain expertise in bubble tea and coffee drinks and will be given all the tools necessary to help their business grow over time.

Contact:

Gary Ochiogrosso

[email protected]

917-991-2465

Marisa Rae

[email protected]

917-991-2465

SOURCE Magic Cup Franchising
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The roofing community is making a splash in South Florida with the largest non-corporate donation to The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida as well as a substantial donation to the International Game Fish Association. (IGFA)

L to R: Jackie Perl, Make-A-Wish Southern Florida Senior Events Coordinator assigned to RCASF; Pablo Acanda, Tropical Roofing Products; Lewis Buckner, Beacon Building Products; Barry Birenbaum, ABC Supply; Corey Daley, Committee Chairman, Daley Brothers Roofing; Anthony Utter, GAF; Erica Bergeron Izquierdo, Gulfeagle Supply; Dave Clark, Beacon Building Products; Lynne Johnston, Earl W. Johnston Roofing; Bridget Keller, RCASF; Wendy Harvest, RCASF. Missing from photo: Gene Fall, Outgoing CJM Roofing, Frank Seeber Roofing, Daley Brothers Roofing, Paul Bange Roofing, Empire Roofing SE, Beacon Building Supply, Spec Building Materials, Barry & Gail Birenbaum/Anthony & Wendy Utter, Building Envelope Associates, Weather-Tech Roofing, Allied Roofing in memory of Robert Borowski, Cohen Law Group, Triple M Roofing, Earl W. Johnston Roofing, FG Building Products, Advanced Roofing, Chase Roofing, ABC Roofing, Hi-Tech Roofing, Roofing Concepts Unlimited/Roof Doctors South Fla, Roof Advisor

The Roofing Contractors Association of South Florida (RCASF) is a not-for-profit trade association whose purpose is to educate and foster a high standard of business ethics among roofing contractors and associate members. RCASF members endeavor to 'give back' to their community throughout the year by hosting several charitable events. The RCASF Fishing Tournament is the Association's largest annual philanthropic effort. This year, the RCASF Fishing Tournament raised $225,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and $25,000 for the International Game Fish Association's Junior Angler's Educational Program.

The tournament was held on June 12th at Hawk's Cay Resort on Duck Key with an attendance of over 500 people. A banquet followed featuring the catch of the day; mahi-mahi. Corey Daley, Committee Chairman, emceed the banquet and introduced the guest of honor, Lauren Potter. Lauren spoke eloquently about her experience as a 'wish child' and how it impacted her life. "There wasn't a dry eye in the house," stated Anthony Utter, Senior Tournament Committee Member.

"There was magic in the room," declared Make-A-Wish Southern Florida COO, Richard Kelly. "It was astonishing to see roofing contractor after roofing contractor stand up when the call came for a Make-A-Wish Signature Sponsorship donation of $5000 to grant the wish of one child." Senior Committee Member, Erica Bergeron said, "People just kept standing up and waving their credit cards. It made me proud to be a part of this industry of giving individuals."

The Awards Ceremony was held at the IGFA on August 4. Norm Wedderburn, CEO & President of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Southern Florida said, "RCASF truly believes in our wish granting mission. RCASF has literally changed the lives of thousands of people; children and their families, who are affected by critical illnesses. We are very grateful to RCASF for their continued support."

"We are inspired by the work Make-A-Wish does to brighten the lives of children diagnosed with critical illnesses," said Corey Daley, of Daley Brothers Roofing and Fishing Tournament Committee Chairman. "We understand the impact that a 'wish' has on a child. It allows these kids to focus on a dream rather than hospitals and treatments. We are proud to support programs that can provide hope, inspiration and happiness, especially in the lives of children." As a non-profit receiving no government funding, Make-A-Wish relies on the support of donors to make wish granting possible.

The RCASF Fishing Committee, a group of civic minded member/volunteers, has already begun planning for next year's tournament. The date is set for June 10-12, 2022 at Hawk's Cay Resort with the goal of brightening the lives of even more children. They encourage donations of fishing related items for auction and financial sponsorships. If you would like to contribute, please contact RCASF. To learn more about RCASF members and sponsors, please visit our website at www.RCASF.org.

Media Contact:

Wendy Harvest

RCASF Executive Director

[email protected]

(954) 558-4982

SOURCE Roofing Contractors Association of South Florida
NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Manhattan Motorcars has announced with the cancelation of the 2021 New York Auto Show, they will hold an elite Hypercar Showcase spanning several floors of their mid-town New York dealership. The week-long press and public event is geared at showing the automotive individuality and the unique aptitude for sourcing exotic and truly one-of-a-kind vehicles. The dealership group which has been known for their bespoke inventory and luxury clientele, also has a history of brining in the most unique brands to market before they become available in any other regions, and this showcase is a testament of their continued success and automotive diversity.

The showcase will conclude with a large VIP sunset cocktail reception on Thursday, August 26th atop the roof of their 711 11th Avenue location. Guests will have a very unique opportunity to meet select Manufacturer representatives and to stroll through the cars which will be staged on display in front of the Manhattan skyline backdrop.

Notable hypercars to be included in the displayed lineup from Manhattan Motorcars include the following: Bugatti SuperSport, Bugatti Chiron Sport, Bugatti Pur Sport, Rimac Nevera and Rimac Concept One, Koenigsegg Gemera, Koenigsegg CCX and the unique Koenigsegg CCR  personally owned by Christian von Koenigsegg, Lamborghini STO, SSC Tuatara Prototype, McLaren Senna LM, Bentley Continental GTC Mulliner, Bentley Flying Spur, Rolls- Royce Ghost and Polestar 1.

The event's sponsors include: Beretta, FEM, Hagerty Garage + Social, Hugo Boss, Master & Dynamic, MJS Groupe, Rally Point East, The Baker House 1650, The Macallan and Stone Gate Real Estate.

For more information related to this release or to schedule a preview, interview or shoot please contact The MJS Groupe at [email protected] or +1 347 695 7764.

Contact: Michael Snell

Contact Phone: +1 347 695 7764

Contact Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Manhattan Motorcars
Underexplored, orogenic gold deposit with over four kilometers of gold-bearing quartz veins associated with a regional structure. An additional six kilometers of structure to be explored.

Permitted for mining and drilling throughout the concession with excellent access from nearby town of San Ramon.

Three high-priority drill ready gold targets at the La Escarcha, Gaby and Brownfields and additional targets that warrant further exploration (see Figure 1).

MGH recently mined gold across 1 to 5 meter wide veins from the La Escarcha and Gaby Deposits.

Underground Veins at the La Escarcha are up to 5 meters wide and contain significant visible gold (see Figure 4).

MGH have reported that gold grades increase downwards from surface to the -60 m level which is currently under limited development.

Limited drilling across the four kilometers of known veins. Drilling consisted of only 8 holes totaling 1,620 meters to a maximum depth of 154 meters.

Dr. Chris Wilson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mantaro states, "Golden Hill is an advanced stage gold-focused project with significant exploration upside. A drill ready orogenic gold project in Bolivia is an excellent complement to our existing high-grade silver assets in Peru. Greenstone hosted gold systems, such as Golden Hill, are very attractive exploration targets. Not only is it common for major deposits to occur in clusters, but individual deposits are defined by multiple high-grade shoots over a strike length of 1 to >2 kilometers and depths of >1 kilometer."

Golden Hill: Permitted to Drill

The Golden Hill Property is owned by a private Bolivian Company and is fully permitted for mining and drilling. Prior to the option agreement with Mantaro, one of the main quartz veins at La Escarcha was being mined at a rate of up to 25 tonnes per day to a depth of 60 meters. The mined material was processed at site and gold recovered using a combination of simple gravity circuits. The mine permit at Golden Hill allows for production to be increased subject to the Company completing its own economic studies on the project and to sufficiently fund any upgrades.

Dr. Wilson further comments, "the style of mineralization at Golden Hill, and its regional structural setting, makes for an extremely robust exploration target. The fact that Golden Hill is permitted for mining and mine expansion, and immediate drilling, underpins the value of Golden Hill as an advanced exploration property."

Mantaro's acquisition strategy, which was utilized in Peru, is to pursue high-grade deposits that have potential at depth. Golden Hill is a high-grade gold mineralized system of a style that hosts some of the world's major gold mines. It has been exploited in a small scale manner to 60 vertical meters with increasing gold grade at depth over widths of 1 to 5 meters. The underground dataset significantly de-risks the near surface exploration potential and drill targeting.

Property Geology

The Golden Hill concession is centered on a broadly north-south trending regional structure (see Figure 1) that hosts the La Escarcha underground mine and Gabby, the Garrapatillia and Brownfields workings and gold-bearing vein occurrences in its western hanging wall. The same structure hosts numerous saprolite gold and hard rock gold deposits to the north and south of the Golden Hill concession over a strike length of at least 25 kilometers  underpinning the significant control the structure exerts on gold mineralization.

A northwest-trending splay of this structure hosts areas of alluvial and saprolitic/hard rock workings within the Golden Hill concession and immediately to the north. At least six strike kilometers of these structures are known within the concession  in addition to the four kilometers between La Escarcha and Brownfield which have been mapped in detail. Known mineralization and surface anomalism is open along strike on all structures.

Mineralization between La Escarcha and Brownfields is characterized by a series of broadly parallel, north-south trending, very steeply dipping quartz veins that are between 1 to 5 meters wide. Mineralization is hosted in mafic metavolcanics, at the contact of metavolcanics and metasediments, and within metasediments (see Figure 2).

Veins are well exposed in underground workings at La Escarcha where they comprise multiphase white quartz and slivers of wall rock (see Figure 3) which are fracture oxidized. Veins are up to 5 meters wide and contain significant visible gold (see Figure 4).

Mine staff have reported that gold grades increase downwards from surface to the -60 m level which is currently under limited development. Most gold appears to be free hosted in fractures within quartz and pyrite.

Regional Geology

The Bolivian shield is larger than the Abitibi greenstone belt in Canada, yet the Bolivian shield has produced <10 Moz Au compared to 170+ Moz Au in the Abitibi from over 100 mines since 1901. Similarly, the gold endowment of the West African shield, the greenstone belts of NE South America (Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and Brazil) and the Yilgarn province of Western Australia is much greater than equivalent areas of the Bolivian shield as the Bolivian shield remains largely under-explored.

As with other greenstone belts and mineralized provinces worldwide, mineralization in the Bolivian shield is hosted along major crustal structures which juxtapose different lithologies against each other (resulting in competency contracts across the structure). Regional-scale structures serves to focus mineralizing fluids, whilst rocks of different competency, provide a regime for both ductile and brittle deformation and thus creation of space for deposition of quartz, pyrite and gold. Mafic volcanics are especially favorable hosts due to the high iron content which reacts with sulphur in mineralizing fluids to form pyrite  causing gold to precipitate from the mineralizing fluids. Golden Hill is located on a crustal scale structure which hosts at least six other significant gold occurrences and deposits (see Figure 5), at the juxtaposition of several different lithologies, including meta-volcanics with abundant iron-rich ferromagnesian minerals. From a regional perspective and comparison with other greenstone belts worldwide, Golden Hill is an attractive project.

Planned Work Program

La Escarcha, Gaby and Brownfield are drill ready targets. Ahead of drilling, Mantaro is planning to channel sample all underground levels at la Escarcha, in addition to the 200 kilogram bulk sample that has already been taken for bench-scale metallurgical testing at SGS Lakefield. This initial program will assist Mantaro in fine tuning drill targeting. Mantaro also has the option of continuing development and exploration from the existing underground workings.

A concession-wide mapping and rock-chip grab sampling program is planned for early September in order to focus regional soil and trench sampling programs. Alluvial and saprolite workings are much more extensive than known hard-rock targets and underground workings, which suggests that gold mineralization along regional structures is more extensive than currently known. Defining the source of this alluvial and saprolitic gold will be an important focus of Mantaro's field work.

Terms of the Transaction

Under the terms of the Option Agreement, the Company may acquire up to an 80% interest in the Golden Hill Property by making the following cash payments, share issuances and incurring the following exploration expenditures.

The Company will earn an initial 51% interest in the Golden Hill Property by:



(a) Paying US $500,000 to the Optionor as follows: (i) US $25,000 on the effective date, (ii) US $75,000 six weeks after the effective date, (iii) US $200,000 six months after the effective date, (iv) US $200,000 twelve months after the effective date.



(b) Issuing a total of 2,000,000 units of the Company (a "Unit") to the Optionor as follows: (i) 500,000 Units three months after the effective date, (ii) 500,000 Units six months after the effective date and (iii) 1,000,000 Units twelve months after the effective date. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company and one-half of one share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"), with each Warrant exercisable at the Market Price (as defined by the rules of the TSX Venture Exchange) on the date of issue for a period of two years from the date of issue;



(c) Incurring US $250,000 in exploration expenditures on or before the first anniversary of the effective date.



(the "First Option")



The Company will earn an additional 19% interest (for a total of 70% interest) in the Golden Hill Property by:



(a) Paying US $500,000 to the Optionor on or before the second anniversary of the effective date;



(b) Issuing 1,500,000 Units to the Optionor on or before the second anniversary of the effective date; and



(c) Incurring US $250,000 in exploration expenditures on or before the second anniversary of the effective date.



(the "Second Option")



The Company will earn an additional 10% interest (for a total of 80% interest) in the Golden Hill Property by:



(d) Paying US $500,000 to the Optionor on or before the third anniversary of the effective date;



(e) Issuing 500,000 units to the Optionor on or before the third anniversary of the effective date; and



(f) Incurring US $1,000,000 in exploration expenditures on or before the third anniversary of the effective date.



(the "Third Option")

In the event that the Company exercises the First Option or Second Option but fails to exercise the Third Option, the Company's interest will be reverted to a 2% Net Smelter Return Royalty, which may be repurchased at a price of US $1,000,000.

If the Company acquires an 80% interest in the Golden Hill Property, the Company will grant a 2% Net Smelter Return Royalty to the Optionor, which may be repurchased at a price of US $1,000,000.

The Optionor will also be entitled to a discovery of bonus as follows: (i) US $2 for every ounce of gold or gold equivalent set out in an indicated or measured resource estimate up to a maximum of 250,000 ounces (US $500,000), (ii) an additional US $4 for every ounce of gold or gold equivalent set out in an indicated or measured resource estimate above 250,000 ounces to up 500,000 ounces (an additional payment of up to US $1,000,000), and (iii) an additional US $5 for every ounce of gold or gold equivalent set out in an indicated or measured resource estimate above 500,000 ounces and up to 1,000,000 ounces (an additional payment of up to US $2,500,000).

The Option Agreement is subject to acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Dr. Chris Wilson, B.Sc (Hons), PhD, FAusIMM (CP), FSEG. Chief Executive Officer and Director of Mantaro, a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101.

About Mantaro Silver Corp.

Mantaro Silver Corp. is a British Columbia company that holds a 100% interest in its flagship Santas Gloria Silver Property as well as a 100% interest in the San Jose, La Purisima, Cerro Luque and Huaranay Properties.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Company's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Resulting Issuer undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Mantaro Silver Corp.

Related Links

https://mantarosilver.com/


OCALA, Fla., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- HiBid.com facilitated the sale of more than $40 million (gross auction proceeds) in assets last week, with over half a million lots sold in a combined total of 1,333 online-only and webcast auctions. From August 16th through the 22nd, an average of 937,800 bidders placed 1.55 million bids each day. Items currently up for bidding on the site include motorcycles, cars, boats, rustic furniture, antique plows, and even a collection of government surplus school buses.

HiBid.com brings buyers and sellers together every day with a wide-ranging selection of items across hundreds of categories that appeal to bidders worldwide. HiBid is fully integrated with Auction Flex, providing auctioneers with a comprehensive auction management platform that supports internet-only auctions, webcast auctions, and absentee bidding.

August 16th-22nd HiBid.com Highlights

Gross Auction Proceeds: $40,031,101

Gross Merchandise Volume: $66,886,425

Lots Sold: 528,283

Online-Only Auctions: 1,227

Webcast Auctions: 106

Average Bidders Per Day: 937,800

Average Bids Per Day: 1.55 million

Current Auctions

The following list includes a small sample from the hundreds of auctions currently open for bidding on HiBid.com. Site visitors can click the Find Auctions menu at the top of the page for links to the Featured and Hot auctions, such as those listed below, or use the search box to find auctions nearby.

September Community Online Auction

Auction Type: Online-Only

Date: September 11th

Seller: Prime Time Auctions

View Auction Items

NYS Police Troop L Vehicle Auction

Auction Type: Live Webcast

Dates: August 13th-26th

Seller: Scott Perry & Company/SPANDCO, Inc.

View Auction Items

Motorcycle Missions Charity Auction - Ducati 848 Sport Bike

Auction Type: Online-Only

Dates: August 13th-27th

Seller: Compass Auctions & Real Estate

View Auction Items

Oskaloosa County, Florida, Schools - Government Vehicle Liquidation

Auction Type: Online-Only

Date: August 26th

Seller: Bidilla, Inc.

View Auction Items

If you're looking to sell through HiBid.com, click here to describe what you wish to sell, and a local HiBid auctioneer will help you get started.

Interested in receiving updates from HiBid? Sign up to receive newsletter emails, and follow HiBid Auctions on Facebook and LinkedIn.

About HiBid and Auction Flex

HiBid is an online auction platform supporting webcast auctions, internet-only auctions, and internet absentee bidding. It is available as both a private-label solution and a portal. HiBid is integrated with Auction Flex, the market leader in auction software for live auctions, with capabilities that include cataloging, clerking, cashiering, accounting, mailing list management, inventory management, and multi-parcel. HiBid and Auction Flex were built from the ground up to function together seamlessly. They are products of Sandhills Global, the technology company behind AuctionTime.com and numerous industry-focused brands.

Contact Us

352-414-1947

[email protected]

SOURCE HiBid & Auction Flex

Related Links

https://hibid.com


LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- M.R. Parker Law, a Los Angeles firm specializing in wrongful death and personal injury cases, has filed a lawsuit in the case of Silvia Chalista, the 18-year-old California resident killed during a drunk driving accident after a night of underage partying on Treasure Island in San Francisco.

The firm brought the lawsuit on behalf of Chalista's parents.

The lawsuit alleges all of the following: On February 22nd, 2020, Chalista attended a party at Home on Treasure Island. The party advertisements, which were shared extensively on social media included "vomit buckets" and "shot penalties" for arriving late to the party to ensure highly intoxicated guests. Despite knowing of the 21-year-old legal drinking age, the party hosts managed invite lists which included numerous underage partygoers who were expected to consume copious amounts of alcohol should they wish to enter the venue.

Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that the defendants provided the majority of the alcohol at the party and charged a cover fee for the guests, including underage drivers, despite the legality and immense risk associated with such a practice. Upon leaving the party, one of the under the age of 21 partygoers, caused a fatal car accident while attempting to drive home.

Michael Parker, managing attorney at M.R. Parker commented, "Common sense and the law dictates drinking and driving never go together." Michael added, "The hosts of the party knew giving huge amounts of alcohol to underage individuals, including those who would be driving could result in a catastrophic incident."

Mr. Parker added, "This was an easily avoidable tragedy. Whenever someone hosts a party, they have a duty to ensure no underage drinkers will be present and that anyone who appears clearly intoxicated should cease being served and safe passage home should be a priority."

M.R. Parker Law has collected over $100 million for clients across more than 3,500 cases, encompassing wrongful deaths, as well as car accidents, dog attacks, slip and falls, trip and falls, and other cases related to negligence and personal injury. More information about the firm can be found at mrparkerlaw.com.

SOURCE MR Parker Law

Related Links

https://www.mrparkerlaw.com/


MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With college classes about to resume, paying for their education is a top concern for far more students than the personal danger posed by COVID-19. But COVID is still the cause of those financial concerns. That's according to a national student survey conducted by Scholarship America, the nation's largest provider of private college scholarships.

Among the findings:

Scholarship America Logo

72% of students who responded said paying for tuition and fees is one of their top concerns, while 31% listed the impact of COVID-19 on their studies and 25% listed contracting the virus as a top concern.

65% said the pandemic has increased their need for financial aid.

40% said COVID-19 has dramatically reduced income needed to help pay for their education.

27% reported that they lost a job due to COVID-19 and 25% said that one or more of their parents/guardians lost their job.

18% of students who responded said they are no longer able to pay for their food needs.

13% stated they are no longer able to pay their rent or mortgage.

"These are troubling findings," said Robert C. Ballard, president and CEO of Scholarship America. "Even as some of the uncertainties posed by COVID-19 appear to be easing, the financial impact is not. Students and families continue to struggle to cover the cost of higher education and the pandemic has made matters worse. However, despite all of these challenges, students are persevering to keep their education on track."

More than 500 students responded to the email survey, and while 83% say they plan to re-enroll in classes this fall, only a third (33%) would like those classes to be exclusively in person.

34% prefer a hybrid of online and in-person.

23% would like to be able to choose between participating in-person or online.

Nearly three-quarters of students (73%) say they plan to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 when classes resume. More than 13% do not plan to be vaccinated, while just under 13% are unsure. This may change based on requirements added by some colleges and local and state governments.

The survey was conducted from July 15 - Aug.3, and included students currently enrolled in college or planning to enroll this fall. This is the second straight year that Scholarship America conducted the student survey.

About Scholarship America

Scholarship America is a non-profit organization that helps students fulfill their college dreams. Since 1958, Scholarship America has distributed $4.5 billion to more than 2.8 million students. The organization works with partners to lower barriers to a college education and give students the support needed to succeed. Learn more at scholarshipamerica.org.

Media Contact:

Joan Cronson

952.830.7308

[email protected]

SOURCE Scholarship America
NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- National Safety Shelters (NSS), an American manufacturer of customizable safety pods, shelters and safe rooms, has officially announced their candidacy to potentially be appropriated a small fraction of the $2 billion Capitol Security Bill passed by the House and Senate. These funds would be allocated toward the installation of personal safety pods for every member of Congress and all Federal judges. The bill, which was passed on July 29, was created in response to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

National Safety Shelters

According to NPR, of the $2 billion, $250 million is being earmarked for safeguards to the Capitol Complex to ramp up physical security and $157.5 million for addressing security threats to federal judges and court facilities.

The National Safety Shelters team attributes both the Capitol riots and the rise in gun violence across the country in 2021 for the rising need for a look into increased and improved security measures for public officials. Threats to members of Congress have doubled in 2021, and several members have suffered emotionally from the traumatic experiences during the attack. A true sense of security and peace of mind is imperative for all members of Congress and Federal Judges.

The NSS-proposed security measures include the protection of all 535 Members at the Capitol Complex without restricting access to the building, the protection of the 535 Members at District Offices, and the protection of the 890 Federal Judges at their local offices. Near-absolute protection is provided by the installation of small, individual safety pods in each members' or judges' offices, with larger shelters possibly installed in other strategic locations.

The NSS solution tier costs are estimated as follows:

Scope - at minimum, protect all 535 Members of Congress and all 890 Federal judges with individual safety pods

NSS SOLUTION TIERS* EST. COST* Install Hide-Away Safety Pod in Individual Capitol offices $8 to 9 million Install Larger Shelters in Common Areas $1 to 2 million Install Pods in District Offices $8 to 9 million Install Pods in Judges' Offices/Courthouses $13 to 15 million TOTAL EST. COST $30 to 35 million

*Ballpark figures depending on multiple factors. Each tier can be implemented gradually and not all tiers need to be selected together to enhance security.

The safety pods offered by National Safety Shelters are a life-saving solution that does not require the restriction of access to key buildings  public or otherwise. The pods are easily assembled on-site, which is necessary in existing buildings to accommodate the differently sized offices in the Capitol Complex and elsewhere.

National Safety Shelter's safety pods are made with quarter-inch, military-grade NIJ Level III ballistic American steel, a feature unique in the industry. Ballistic steel prevents the penetration of handguns, shotguns, and high-powered semi-automatic assault rifles like the AK-47 and AR-15. These safety pods are also built with an outward-swinging door and a bullet-proof window. Many competitors' doors swing inward, which limits capacity, presents additional challenges for handicapped accessibility, and can be dangerous during a tornado or bomb blast.

"Out of the $2.1 billion allocated for Capitol security, $730 million will pay for services already rendered: services like the National Guard and Capitol Police, with no remaining tangible assets to provide future security," said Dennis Corrado, President of National Safety Shelters. He added, "The safety pod solution, with a modest estimated $30 to$35 million one-time cost, provides a permanent, fail-safe solution with virtually no recurring costs. It amounts to less than 1.5% of the total spending bill, providing safety without restricting physical access to any of the venues protected. It is truly a win-win scenario."

Please visit www.nationalsafetyshelters.com for more information.

About National Safety Shelters

National Safety Shelters provides state-of-the-art shelters for protection from active shooters, explosive devices (IEDs), tornadoes and earthquakes.

Contact Information

Dan Johnson

[email protected]

Related Images

version-of-the-hide-away-safety-pod.jpg

Version of the Hide-Away Safety Pod

SOURCE National Safety Shelters
Students, teachers, or anyone who cannot come to Washington, D.C. can take a virtual field trip to the National WWI Memorial. More than that, the WWI Memorial "Virtual Explorer" App is filled with interactive and experiential WWI history, including:

The Timeline Tower: An interactive, 2-story tall 3D timeline featuring over 50 key events from WWI with images and short narratives organized up and down the tower in time order.

The Sinking of the Lusitania: A video game-style presentation of this crucial event that was instrumental in drawing America into the global WWI conflict.

Vehicles from WWI: Featuring interactive 3D models of breakthrough vehicles that came out of WWI including airplanes, tanks, motorized ambulances and even a 1917 Harley Davidson motorcycle.

How WWI Changed America: More than 50 micro-documentaries (each under 2 minutes) in 9 categories featuring leading WWI historians. Social topics include the effect of WWI on Women, African Americans, Native Americans, immigrants, citizenship, propaganda, and even the 1918 flu pandemic.

The Military History of WWI: A multi-part exploration of how America transformed from a standing army of less than 130,000 to a global military powerhouse with 4.7 million men and women in uniform, and 2 million soldiers deployed overseas in just 18 months  a timeframe comparable to today's Covid experience.

Stories of Service: The tools and means to create research-projects about WWI veterans from the local community or families, which can be submitted INTO the App, resulting in an auto-narrated story and images that are shared nationally.

The WWI Memorial "Virtual Explorer" prototype received a 2021 Communicator Award for "Best Use of Augmented Reality" from the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts. This new release builds and expands on that success.

The innovative WWI Memorial App initiative has received support and funding from Walmart, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities resulting in two companion apps.

The companion WWI Memorial "Visitor Guide" is optimized for use on-site when visiting the WWI Memorial. It is a smaller version intended for easy download at the venue.

The WWI Memorial Apps were produced by the Doughboy Foundation in partnership with two California based companies: TechApplication.com, LLC as creator/producer, and game studio Code Headquarters as the developer.

The Apps can be found by searching on "WWI Memorial" in either app store or by going to www.Doughboy.org/apps

About the new National WWI Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Legislation signed by President Obama in 2014 and expanded in 2015 designated Pershing Park, located 2 blocks east of the White House, as a National WWI Memorial. The legislation tasked the U.S. WWI Centennial Commission with creating the Memorial, starting with an international design competition in 2015, and design selection in 2016. The Memorial went through a three-year design refinement and collaboration with the Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning Commission, the National Park Service, and others, resulting in the final design approval in 2019. Construction began in December of 2019 and continued through 2020 with all the upheavals of the period including the Pandemic. Completion of Phase 1 construction was marked by a national virtual event called "First Colors" and the Memorial opening to the public on April 16, 2021. The completion of Phase 2, with the installation of the 58', 38-character bronze centerpiece sculpture and dedication of the completed Memorial, is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend, 2024.

About the Doughboy Foundation

The Doughboy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated in the District of Columbia in 2013.

The Foundation's mission is to Keep Faith with the American Doughboy with its programs of: The daily sounding of Taps at the National WWI Memorial; providing access to the Memorial via mobile apps; and organizing signature events to encourage remembrance and enhance learning about WWI.

The Doughboy Foundation has worked with the US WWI Centennial Commission since the Memorial's conception in 2014 to make the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC a reality, including taking the lead on raising the $50M for the project, as well as managing the various stages of competition, design, development, and construction.

About TechApplication.com, LLC

TechApp is a unique technology support service helping to navigate the implication, application, and integration of new technologies into mission, operation, workflow, and culture. Company founder Theo Mayer has been sitting as Chief Technologist for both the U.S. WWI Centennial Commission and the Doughboy Foundation since 2014, with his company providing a wide variety of technology infrastructure and services.

Guided by Mr. Mayer's technology prowess and application experience TechApp successfully delivers unique problem solving and tech "creations" to both government and private sector clients.

About Code Headquarters

Code Headquarters , established by founder Andranik Aslanyan, is a unique game studio based in Burbank, CA. The studio specializes in innovative projects built with the industry leading Epic Game System's Unreal Engine.

Code HQ used its video game developer expertise to realize the vision for the WWI Memorial Apps by integrating leading edge game technology with iOS and Android Augmented Reality capabilities.

Media Contact: Chris Christopher.

Email: [email protected] .

Voice: 202-796-2805.

SOURCE The Doughboy Foundation
OMAHA, Neb., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- David A. Domina, Founder of Domina Law Group, has been selected for inclusion in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, one of the nation's oldest attorney rating services.

A nationally renowned trial attorney, Domina has now been selected to the prestigious Best Lawyers list 15 years in a row. This year, he earned his recognition in the category of Commercial Litigation.

National Recognition. Proven Results.

Selection to Best Lawyers is a major achievement that speaks volumes about the respect and esteem attorneys have cultivated amongst their colleagues.

Based entirely on peer review, Best Lawyers curates its annual list by soliciting nominations and exhaustive surveys from members of the bar. These attorneys, judges, and legal scholars are asked to vote for attorneys who they feel best exemplify what it means to be the "best".

Given its selectively, a very small percentage of all practicing lawyers earn selection to the final list.

About David A. Domina

As Founder of Domina Law Group, David Domina has cultivated a reputation as one of the sharpest and hardest-working trial lawyers in the nation. His varied and voluminous record of success is virtually unprecedented, and includes an array of victories in high-stakes cases involving commercial litigation, anti-trust, agriculture and environmental law, personal injury and product liability, and other complex matters of civil trial practice.

Domina has had many achievements over his 40+ year career. Some of these include:

Trying over 350 cases to verdict and arguing over 250 State and Federal Appeals.

Being one of a handful of attorneys to win a $1+ billion jury verdict and successfully defend criminal capital cases  virtually no lawyers have done both.

successfully defend criminal capital cases  virtually no lawyers have done both. Winning a multi-million dollar class action for shareholders of a public insurance company.

Spearheading major litigation involving Roundup cancer claims, the Keystone XL Pipeline, the opioid industry, and more.

Domina's legacy of success in the courtroom has earned him respect among colleagues and a diverse clientele, who range from wronged and injured individuals to consumers, farmers, Native American tribes, and entire communities. His ability to successfully protect the rights and interests of so many is a large factor behind his continued recognition in Best Lawyers.

David A. Domina founded Domina Law Group in 1975. Since that time, Domina has led the firm in recovering more than $2 billion for clients and securing landmark rulings that have changed laws and lives. For more information, visit www.dominalaw.com.

Media Contact

Brian Jorde

[email protected]

SOURCE Domina Law Group pc llo

Related Links

https://www.dominalaw.com


WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The AHA today released new public service announcements (PSAs) and related digital content encouraging vaccination against COVID-19 by still-unvaccinated health care workers and members of the public.

The PSAs and supporting materials build on AHA's ongoing efforts to reinforce to the public that America's hospitals and health systems play a critical role in the health of our country  serving as a trusted voice and "always there, ready to care," as the nation continues its battle against this historic public health crisis.

Direct links to the PSAs follow.

Im a Physician/Im a Nurse  English/30 second

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75zR2YMb2jE&feature=youtu.be

Im a Physician  English/15 second

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u18xdfpEB8Y&feature=youtu.be

Im a Nurse  English/15 second

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT29Z2Be-u4&feature=youtu.be

On the Fence  English/30 second

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sc0buHgWpo&feature=youtu.be

On the Fence  English/15 second

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfzoUgjqvUs&feature=youtu.be

About the PSAs

AHA is releasing three clinician-focused PSAs: "I'm a Physician," "I'm a Nurse," and a hybrid PSA featuring both. In these three PSAs, clinicians share their reasons for getting the vaccine and encourage their colleagues and communities to overcome their concerns that prevent them from getting vaccinated by asking questions and seeking guidance from the trusted health care professionals in their lives.

A fourth PSA, "On the Fence," features a physician talking to three vaccine-hesitant people, discussing their questions and again encouraging them to seek answers from trusted resources to assuage their concerns. All of the PSAs, which also are available with Spanish subtitles, can be accessed on AHA's vaccine confidence webpage.

About the American Hospital Association

The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA advocates on behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, our clinician partners  including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers  and the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides insight and education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.

SOURCE American Hospital Association
SASKATOON, SK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Iotron Medical Inc. (Iotron) and Canadian Isotope Innovations Corp. (CIIC) are pleased to announce a collaboration to produce the radioisotope copper-67 (Cu-67) for new cancer therapies. This investment will increase the production capacity of the CIIC-operated facilities in Saskatoon, making Cu-67 more widely available to international cancer researchers.

Iotron Medical, a spin-out business of Iotron Industries, has been providing innovative solutions using electron beam technology for more than 25 years. CIIC is a startup company, producing medical radioisotopes using a novel linear accelerator-based method initially developed at the Canadian Light Source.

Cu-67 has long been known for its excellent properties for personalized cancer therapy but has been extremely difficult to produce with sufficient quantity and purity using nuclear reactors or cyclotrons. Lack of an adequate and reliable supply of this radioisotope has prevented medical researchers from exploring the potential of Cu-67 in new targeted cancer therapies.

"Iotron is excited about the future for Cu-67 and the opportunity to work with CIIC to make the benefits of this radioisotope available to the wider market, and positively impact the lives of so many people," said Mike Scott, Iotron Board Chair.

CIIC and Iotron are proud to establish the world's first private sector producer and supplier of this valuable radioisotope, building on the application innovations and accelerator expertise of both parties. This novel production method for high purity Cu-67 is needed by researchers and pharmaceutical companies developing new drugs for a variety of cancers including neuroendocrine tumors, prostate and neuroblastoma. When linked to a suitable targeting agent, Cu-67 delivers highly localized radiation to tumor cells.

"CIIC looks forward to working with our partner Iotron to bring this important radioisotope to market and to produce it in the volume needed for researchers and the broader pharmaceutical community," said Dr. Mark de Jong, Chief Technical Officer of CIIC.

Iotron and CIIC have committed to a five-year agreement that will establish a stable and reliable source of Cu-67, with plans to expand production further as market demand grows. The first shipments of Cu-67 have been made to a US research group in July demonstrating the ability of Iotron-CIIC to make and supply this critical isotope. Batches of Cu-67 are being produced biweekly for researchers, and by the end of 2021, more will be available to support clinical trials in North America and around the world.

For more information about the CIIC-Iotron collaboration or to order Cu-67 radioisotope please refer to the website at www.copper67.com.

About the Collaboration Parties:

Iotron Medical Inc. (Iotron) is a spin-out of the Iotron Group which pioneered the use of electron beam technology at sites in both Canada and the USA for the sterilization of medical devices, cross-linking polymers used in orthopedics, and sanitizing agricultural products. These operations were sold in 2020 leaving Iotron to focus on commercialization of Cu-67.

Canadian Isotope Innovations Corp. (CIIC) produces safe, reliable and cost-effective medical isotopes using a dedicated novel linear accelerator facility developed initially by the Canadian Light Source (CLS), and processing facilities at the Fedoruk Centre. Both facilities are located at the University of Saskatchewan thanks to investment from the Government of Canada and Government of Saskatchewan. CIIC is located in Saskatoon, Canada.

SOURCE Canadian Isotope Innovations Corp.

Related Links

www.copper67.com


STOCKHOLM, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sandvik is updating the revenue target for the business area segment Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions for 2025 to SEK 6 billion from SEK 4 billion previously. With the recent announced acquisitions (all subject to closing), of Cambrio, DWFritz Automation, and CNC Software, Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions will establish a platform that, combined with the organic growth of the current business is expected to exceed the earlier communicated revenue objectives. In conjunction with the new revenue target, Sandvik is also communicating an EBITA margin target for Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions of 20% by 2025.

The previous revenue target, announced on the Capital Markets Day in November 2020, was to grow revenues to SEK 4 billion from approximately SEK 800 million over the time period 2019-2025. In 2020, Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions had revenues of approximately SEK 800 million.

"I am very pleased that we have managed to accelerate the M&A activities in Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions which means that we can update our target less than a year after it was set. With this solid platfom, we have a completely different outset in executing on the organic growth ambition in the quest of improving our customers' productivity within the manufacturing industry which is becoming more digital and connected," says Stefan Widing, President and CEO of Sandvik.

The business area segment Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions, which consists of the divisions Design and Planning Automation, Additive Manufacturing and Metrology was established on 1 October 2020, and is reported within the business area Sandvik Manufacturing and Machining Solutions.

Sandvik Group's target of revenue growth of  5 percent through a business cycle organically and through acquisitions remains unchanged.

Stockholm, August 25, 2021

Sandvik AB

For further information, contact Louise Tjeder, Vice President Investor Relations, phone: +46 70 782 6374 or Johannes Hellstrom, Press and Media Relations Manager, phone: +46 70 721 10 08.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/sandvik/r/new-revenue-target-2025-for-sandvik-manufacturing-solutions,c3403072

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/208/3403072/1458904.pdf New revenue target 2025 for Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions

SOURCE Sandvik
The first phase of the project will create 48 four-bedroom units with 192 beds of student housing adjacent to the university in this small, rural town. A second phase of the project will create 90 additional units with 306 beds. The second phase also includes 20,000 square feet of retail space. The development team for the project includes EquityPlus and a Lumbee-owned firm, Lumbee-University One at Pembroke; the property is managed by PeakMade Real Estate.

Rooftop solar arrays offset about 25% of the project's energy needs. In addition, exterior lighting will be solar powered. The developer expects to install a similar system in upcoming phases to increase the percentage of energy offset by solar. Solar carports and a solar-covered walkway for students walking to class are also planned.

"CEI-Boulos Capital Management is committed to harnessing the Opportunity Zone incentive to serve its intended purpose  to invest in catalytic projects that can help revitalize underinvested communities, like Pembroke," said Sam Spencer, CEO and Managing Director, CEI-Boulos Capital Management. "We're thrilled to be working with our partners at Equity Plus and Lumbee-University One at Pembroke on a project delivering social and environmental impact. The investment is a great example of the fund's efforts to leverage private capital to help address the nation's renewed focus on racial and economic disparity."

"Our Fund is designed to be responsive to community needs," said Doug Schaeffer, Executive Vice President, CRA Executive Director, Woodforest National Bank. "By creating much needed affordable student housing, this investment will expand access to higher education. We are thrilled to be supporting pathways that will allow many first-generation students to obtain the education needed to pursue their dreams."

Pembroke is located in Robeson County, one of 431 "persistent poverty counties" in the country, a classification which means that 20 percent or more of its population has lived in poverty for at least 30 years. The project is consistent with and supports the town's plan for downtown revitalization. The retail component of the project second's phase will help create 30-40 jobs at small businesses that will occupy the commercial space.

"We look at ourselves as an anchor economic institution for southeastern North Carolina and we proudly take on the responsibility that comes along with that," said Jodi Phelps, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, UNCP. "We can't grow unless the town and local economy grows with us. When we all thrive together, we collectively increase access to a high-quality, affordable college education for students of all backgrounds."

"Without the Woodforest CEI-Boulos Opportunity Fund's Opportunity Zone equity investment, the project would not be possible," said Avram Fetcher, Managing Director, EquityPlus, a privately held investment and advisory firm serving as the developer of the project. "This is an example of an Opportunity Zone investment happening for the right reason and making the difference between a project going forward or not."

The is one of ten high-impact investments made to date by the Woodforest CEI-Boulos Opportunity Fund. Additional financing for the project includes a loan from Self-Help Credit Union a Durham, NC-based community development finance institution.

The Opportunity Zones program is a community investment tool established by Congress in 2017 to encourage long-term investments in low-income communities nationwide. Opportunity Zones are low-income census tracts nominated by governors and certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Woodforest National Bank

Noelle St.Clair, Vice President, Impact Investing and Strategic Initiatives Manager, 856.912.3805 | [email protected] or Doug Schaeffer, EVP, CRA Executive Director, 212.203.1428 | [email protected].

CEI-Boulos Capital Management

Elizabeth Rogers, Chief Communications Officer, CEI | [email protected]

SOURCE Woodforest National Bank

Related Links

www.woodforest.com


FACTS AT A GLANCE Edition: 9; Released: April 2021 Executive Pool: 2492 Companies: 43 - Players covered include Accu-Chart Plus Healthcare Systems, Inc.; Aesynt, Inc.; Avery Weigh-Tronix LLC; Baxter International Inc.; Becton, Dickinson and Company; Capsa Healthcare; Omnicell, Inc.; Pearson Medical Technologies LLC; ScriptPro LLC and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: Application (Inpatient Automated Dispensing, Outpatient Automated Dispensing); End-Use (Hospitals, Retail Drug Stores & Pharmacies) Geographies: World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific; Rest of World.

Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Preview Registry

ABSTRACT-



Global Automated Dispensing Machines Market to Reach $5.3 Billion by 2026

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Automated Dispensing Machines estimated at US$3.7 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$5.3 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 5.6% over the analysis period. Inpatient Automated Dispensing, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record a 5% CAGR and reach US$3.8 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Outpatient Automated Dispensing segment is readjusted to a revised 7.1% CAGR for the next 7-year period.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $1.1 Billion in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $834.6 Million by 2026

The Automated Dispensing Machines market in the U.S. is estimated at US$1.1 Billion in the year 2021. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$834.6 Million by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 5.3% over the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 5.2% and 4.5% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 4.7% CAGR. More

MarketGlass Platform

Our MarketGlass Platform is a free full-stack knowledge center that is custom configurable to today`s busy business executive`s intelligence needs! This influencer driven interactive research platform is at the core of our primary research engagements and draws from unique perspectives of participating executives worldwide. Features include - enterprise-wide peer-to-peer collaborations; research program previews relevant to your company; 3.4 million domain expert profiles; competitive company profiles; interactive research modules; bespoke report generation; monitor market trends; competitive brands; create & publish blogs & podcasts using our primary and secondary content; track domain events worldwide; and much more. Client companies will have complete insider access to the project data stacks. Currently in use by 67,000+ domain experts worldwide.

Our platform is free for qualified executives and is accessible from our website www.StrategyR.com or via our just released mobile application on iOS or Android

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. & StrategyR

Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (www.strategyr.com) is a renowned market research publisher the world`s only influencer driven market research company. Proudly serving more than 42,000 clients from 36 countries, GIA is recognized for accurate forecasting of markets and industries for over 33 years.

CONTACTS:

Zak Ali

Director, Corporate Communications

Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Phone: 1-408-528-9966

www.StrategyR.com

Email: [email protected]

LINKS

Join Our Expert Panel

https://www.strategyr.com/Panelist.asp

Connect With Us on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-industry-analysts-inc./

Follow Us on Twitter

https://twitter.com/marketbytes

Journalists & Media

[email protected]

SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.strategyr.com


EAU CLAIRE, Wis., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers is pleased to announce the newest addition to their team of attorneys, Jordan Miller. Jordan joins a respected and dedicated legal team ready to represent the rights of injured accident victims in Wisconsin.

Newest Wisconsin lawyer of Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers

Jordan attended Marquette University Law School and received his Juris Doctor in 2021. At Marquette, he participated in a wide range of legal activities and associations, including serving as the president of the Environmental Law Society and competing in the Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition.

As a law student, Jordan demonstrated his commitment to helping others, as he worked with the:

Domestic Abuse Clinic

Civil Legal Helpline

Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic (MVLC)

His hours of community service and volunteering as a law student earned Jordan an induction into the law school's Pro Bono Society.

Jordan's previous legal work experience includes a workers' compensation law firm in Ohio and an employment law firm in Milwaukee, representing employees. At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, Jordan will represent clients in workers' compensation cases throughout Wisconsin.

Jordan is pleased to join a strong team of attorneys who also have a dedication to both helping legal clients and community involvement. As a true regional law firm, Nicolet engages in many community outreach efforts, including offering college scholarships, donating to various organizations, and volunteering to assist first responders and their families create estate plans through the Wills for Heroes program.

Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers represents people following many types of serious injuries. They handle cases involving car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, other vehicle accidents, workers' compensation claims, Social Security Disability claims, defective product liability, and more. In 14 years, the firm has recovered over $40 million for clients of all ages and backgrounds, helping them get back on their feet and find justice after accidental injuries disrupt their lives. They helped thousands of people already and are accepting new clients.

The firm has several Wisconsin locations in Eau Claire, Hudson, La Crosse, New Richmond, Rice Lake, River Falls, Superior, and Wausau. They also assist clients in Minnesota from locations in Duluth, Hibbing, Minneapolis, and Woodbury. Anyone who suffered injuries in any type of accident should contact the Nicolet legal team for more information and a free case evaluation. Someone is ready to help seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

For more information, contact:

Russell Nicolet

(715) 835-5959

Related Images

attorney-jordan-miller.jpeg

Attorney Jordan Miller

Newest Wisconsin lawyer of Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers

SOURCE Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers
EWING, N.J., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NovaRock Biotherapeutics Limited, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company delivering innovative specialty pharmaceuticals to address patients' unmet medical needs, today announced that they have entered into an exclusive license agreement and strategic partnership with Flame Biosciences.

"We are very pleased to be partnering with Flame and their world-class clinical team," said Dr. Han Li, CEO of NovaRock. "The collaboration with Flame marks a solid step towards getting NovaRock's innovative portfolio into the global market. The proceeds from this collaboration will be primarily used to fund the clinical advancement of NBL-012 and NBL-015 as well as the advancement of our preclinical programs."

NBL-015 is a fully human anti-Claudin 18.2 monoclonal antibody optimized through protein engineering to achieve enhanced ADCC, CDC, and ADCP effects. Its Investigational New Drug Application has also been approved by the U.S. FDA in May 2021.

Under the terms of the Agreement, NovaRock has granted Flame Biosciences the exclusive rights to NBL-015 outside of Greater China (including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan). Flame shall be responsible for the development, regulatory approval, and commercialization of NBL-015. NovaRock will, at Flame Biosciences's expense, collaborate with Flame on the discovery and preclinical development of two new bispecific antibodies based on NovaRock's NovaTE bi-specific antibody technology platform and subsequently grant Flame Biosciences the exclusive rights to further develop, manufacture and commercialize the Licensed Products. The lead product candidates from this collaboration are expected to enter clinical development in late 2023.

NovaRock will receive an upfront payment of US$7.5 million and is eligible to receive development milestone payments of up to US$172.5 million subject to achievement of the development milestone events. NovaRock is also eligible to receive sales milestone payments of up to US$460 million subject to the achievement of the sales milestone events and royalties based on a certain percentage of the net sales of the Licensed Products in the Territory.

About NBL-015

NBL-015 is a fully human anti-Claudin 18.2 monoclonal antibody optimized through protein engineering to achieve enhanced ADCC, CDC, and ADCP effects. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that NBL-015 has significant advantages over similar drugs in terms of low immunogenicity, good safety, high affinity, and high anti-tumor activity, providing a promising prospect of becoming the best-in-class target therapy to treat pancreatic and gastric cancer. NBL-015 has been granted the orphan-drug designation for the treatment of pancreatic cancer and gastric cancer, including cancer of gastroesophageal junction by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Its Investigational New Drug Application (IND) has also been approved by the U.S. FDA in May 2021.

About NovaTE bi-specific antibody technology platform

NovaTE is a novel tumor antigen and CD-137 bispecific antibody technology platform that is designed to selectively activate the antigen-experienced T cells in the tumor microenvironment. Its proprietary scaffold can maximize the tumor cell engaging and T cell activation while minimizing the systematic adverse events. Antibodies developed using NovaTE have demonstrated superior efficacy and safety in preclinical studies. Moreover, the unique bi-specific antibody structure offers exceptional stability and manufacturability.

About NovaRock Biotherapeutics Limited

Founded in 2018, NovaRock Biotherapeutics is an innovative and dynamic biotech company based in the U.S and is dedicated to the development of novel antibody therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases. NBL-015 is the second molecule developed by NovaRock Biotherapeutics that is entering into clinical trials. NovaRock has several additional monoclonal and multi-specific antibody molecules in its diverse pipeline in the pre-clinical and discovery stages of development.

This strategic cooperation between NovaRock and Flame Biosciences will be able to accelerate the clinical development of the licensed products and represents significant progress in getting NovaRock's innovative portfolio into the global market.

Contact:

NovaRock Biotherapeutics

Han Li, Ph. D

Chief Executive Officer

[email protected]

SOURCE NovaRock Biotherapeutics, Ltd.

Related Links

https://www.novarockbio.com/


Oatey's Social Media Ambassadors champion the Oatey family of companies (including Oatey, Dearborn, Hercules, Cherne and more) in the field, creating unique multimedia content to be shared across social media and other digital platforms. Throughout the year, Ambassadors receive curated Oatey swag and are given the opportunity to try Oatey's newest products firsthand. This year's class of Ambassadors also includes Bobby Drescher and Trey Young , who were unable to travel to Cleveland.

The Ambassadors' three-day visit included the ultimate Cleveland experience, such as dining at local restaurants, attending a Cleveland Browns game and sightseeing throughout the heart of the city. Additionally, Ambassadors were given a private tour of Oatey's manufacturing plant and completed hands-on training at Oatey University alongside the company's expert technical applications team. The Ambassadors also met with Oatey's product development team to give direct input about products and share their unique insights from the field.

"We're very fortunate to partner with these exceptionally talented professionals," says Katherine Lehtinen, Senior Vice President, Brand and Digital Marketing. "It was a pleasure having them in Cleveland and being able to celebrate our partnership, as well as build our relationships even further. We're looking forward to the continued growth of our Ambassador program in the years to come."

Individuals interested in becoming a future Oatey Ambassador can submit their information on the Oatey website for consideration. For additional information about Oatey's Social Media Ambassador Program, follow along on Instagram or visit oatey.com.

ABOUT OATEY CO.

Since 1916, Oatey has provided reliable, high-quality products for the residential and commercial plumbing industries, with a commitment to delivering quality, building trust and improving lives. Today, Oatey operates a comprehensive manufacturing and distribution network to supply thousands of products for professional builders, contractors, engineers and do-it-yourself consumers around the world.

Oatey is based in Cleveland, Ohio, and has locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China. For more information, visit www.oatey.com, call (800) 321-9532 or follow Oatey on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

SOURCE Oatey Co

Related Links

oatey.com


Payactiv won big at the Digital Wallet Awards , receiving the event's grand prize. Payactiv was recognized as a trailblazer in the digital wallet space, delivering outstanding user experience with access to the most comprehensive financial wellness services.

, receiving the event's grand prize. Payactiv was recognized as a trailblazer in the digital wallet space, delivering outstanding user experience with access to the most comprehensive financial wellness services. Competition was based on several criteria including level of innovation and competitive advantage, market needs, impact on customer experience, impact on customer operational efficiency, impact on customer retention, level of scalability across customer base, and future roadmap. The runners-up were VELA, Nexi, Ceridian, and Comviva.

Quotes

Thad Peterson , Senior Analyst at Aite-Novarica Group, said: "The combination of providing major benefit for employees at no cost, a powerful employee retention tool, and a financial wellness platform for employees makes Payactiv one of the most exciting new companies in financial services."

, Senior Analyst at Aite-Novarica Group, said: "The combination of providing major benefit for employees at no cost, a powerful employee retention tool, and a financial wellness platform for employees makes Payactiv one of the most exciting new companies in financial services." Payactiv co-founder and CTO Sohail Aslam said: "Payactiv delivers a one-stop solution that combines EWA, a digital wallet, cashless transfer, and a discount marketplace. We are honored to win the grand prize and will continue delivering best-in-class technology.

The Big Picture

Payactiv invented EWA, a payment service that enables workers to get paid as they earn. The Payactiv App also includes: integrated bill pay, exclusive marketplace discounts, and a dynamic tool for workforce communication.

The Payactiv Visa  Card* meets the highest standards of security and usability with sought-after features like money loads, virtual cards, Tap-to-Pay, compatibility with Apple and Google Wallets, and access to over 37,000 surcharge-free MoneyPass  ATMs.

Card* meets the highest standards of security and usability with sought-after features like money loads, virtual cards, Tap-to-Pay, compatibility with Apple and Google Wallets, and access to over 37,000 surcharge-free MoneyPass ATMs. In 2021, Payactiv won two American Business Awards for Company of the Year in Financial Services and Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program, the B Corp Best for the World  for positive social impact, and was a 2021 Webby Award finalist for the short animated film, " We Heard You " - which is a tribute to the humanity of all workers.

About Payactiv

Payactiv, a Public Benefit Corporation and Certified B Corp, is a holistic financial-wellness platform that provides employees on-demand access to earned but unpaid wages. Businesses that partner with Payactiv see significant cost reductions through increased recruitment, engagement and retention. Employees love Payactiv because it eliminates the expensive between-paycheck toll of payday loans, bank overdrafts, and late fees. Payactiv offers a suite of financial services that includes savings and budgeting tools, bill payment and financial-health measurement. Payactiv is the winner of the American Business Awards' Company of the Year for Financial Services award, the Innovative Payments Association's Consumer Champion award, a Finovate winner and finalist, and the recipient of numerous best-in-class awards in both FinTech & HRTech. In 2021, Payactiv won the B Corp Best For The World designation for corporate excellence beyond profit.

About Aite-Novarica Group

Aite-Novarica Group is an advisory firm providing mission-critical insights on technology, regulations, strategy, and operations to hundreds of banks, insurers, payments providers, and investment firmsas well as the technology and service providers that support them. Comprising former senior technology, strategy, and operations executives as well as experienced researchers and consultants, our experts provide actionable advice to our client base, leveraging deep insights developed via our extensive network of clients and other industry contacts.

* The Payactiv Visa Prepaid Card is issued by Central Bank of Kansas City, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Certain fees, terms, and conditions are associated with the approval, maintenance, and use of the Card. You should consult your Cardholder Agreement and the Fee Schedule at payactiv.com/card411 . If you have questions regarding the Card or such fees, terms, and conditions, you can contact us toll free at 1 (877) 747-5862, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

SOURCE Payactiv

Related Links

http://www.payactiv.com


MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zimmerman Reed LLP announces a proposed settlement in the case of Jasen Bruzek, Hope Koplin, and Christopher Peterson v. Husky Oil Operations LTD and Superior Refining Company LLC, Case No. 18-cv-697. Individuals over the age of 18 and subject to the April 26, 2018, Evacuation Order in Superior, Wisconsin resulting from the Superior Refinery explosion and fire are eligible to receive $150 per person (up to $300 per household) from a class action settlement preliminarily approved by the federal court overseeing the case. Individuals over the age of 18 and within the evacuation area on April 26, 2018, may submit a simple, confidential claim form online at www.SuperiorRefinerySettlement.com or by contacting 1-833-677-1092. The claim form is designed to take just a few minutes to complete. Claimants need not have evacuated to receive a payment and need not provide any proof of losses. Claims must be submitted online or postmarked by November 3, 2021. The amount that a person receives may be adjusted upward or downward based on the number of claims filed. Any amounts already received from the Reimbursement Program put in place after the incident will be deducted from the claim.

The class action was originally brought in 2018 to recover damages caused by the inconvenience of the evacuation (not including damages for personal injury, emotional distress, or fear). "The settlement is designed to make money available to those subject to the Evacuation Order without providing any proof in terms of documents or receipts. People in Superior on April 26, 2018, should absolutely take a few minutes to submit the simple, online claim form or mail one to receive this money. The claim process is confidential and designed to allow people to take part in the recovery with minimal effort," said Gordon Rudd, one of the attorneys representing people subject to the Evacuation Order.

More information about the settlement and the deadlines to submit a claim can be found at www.SuperiorRefinerySettlement.com.

CONTACT: Gordon Rudd, 612-341-0400

SOURCE Zimmerman Reed LLP
PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Pharmacovigilance Outsourcing Market by Type (Adverse Drug Reaction Capture (ADR), Case Processing, Reporting and Submission, Report Publishing, Quality Check, Risk Management, Knowledge Management, and Enabling Architecture), Service Provider (Contract Research Organizations and Business Processing Outsourcing), and End User (Pharmaceutical Industry, Research Organizations, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030." According to the report, the pharmacovigilance outsourcing industry generated $2.48 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $9.65 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 14.6% from 2021 to 2030.

For Right Perspective and Competitive Insights, Get Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/11280

Prime determinants of growth

Rise in preference for outsourcing services and increase in in adverse drug reactions and drug toxicity drive the growth of the global pharmacovigilance outsourcing market. However, lack of skilled professional and risks related to data security hinder the market growth. On the other hand, growing prospects in the emerging economies present new opportunities in the coming years.

Covid-19 Scenario

During the initial phase of coronavirus, the unavailability of proper medication leads to the utilization of different types of drugs. Which in turn, led to increased demand for pharmacovigilance outsourcing, owing to surge in incidences of adverse drug reactions.

The demand is likely to grow significantly as the research for new and more effective drugs is still going on.

The contract research organization segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

Based on service provider, the contract research organization segment contributed to the highest market share in 2020, accounting for nearly one-third of the global pharmacovigilance outsourcing market, and is expected to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. Furthermore, the segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 14.8% from 2021 to 2030. This is attributed to various advantages of contract research organization such as cost-effective services, time saving processes, advanced technological needs, and evolving and complex regulatory requirements.

Do You Have Any Query Or Specific Requirement? Ask to Our Industry Expert: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/11280

The pharmaceutical industry segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period

Based on end user, the pharmaceutical industry segment accounted for the highest market share, holding more than four-fifths of the global pharmacovigilance outsourcing market in 2020, and is expected to maintain its lead position during the forecast period. This is attributed to increase in adoption of outsourcing services by pharmaceutical industry to avoid high upfront investments and fixed overhead costs, rise in resource flexibility, and secure additional capacity. However, the research organization segment is estimated to grow at the largest CAGR of 15.7% from 2021 to 2030.

North America to continue its highest contribution by 2030

Based on region, North America held the highest market share in terms of revenue with more than two-fifths of the global pharmacovigilance outsourcing market in 2020, and is estimated to continue its highest contribution by 2030. This is attributed to the presence of major pharma and medical device companies in the region. However, Asia-Pacific is projected to register the fastest CAGR of 16.5% during the forecast period. This is due to strict regulations for reporting adverse drug reactions coupled with large number of companies offering pharmacovigilance outsourcing services across the region.

Leading market players

Accenture PLC.

Bioclinica

Capgemini (IGate Corporation)

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation

Ergomed Plc.

Genpact Limited

International Business Machines Corporation

Icon Plc.

IQVIA Holdings Inc. (Clintec)

Labcorp Drug Development (Covance).

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We have also published few syndicated market studies in the similar area that might be of your interest. Below are the report title for your reference, considering Impact of Covid-19 Over This Market which will help you to assess aftereffects of pandemic on short-term and long-term growth trends of this market.

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About Us

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
OKLAHOMA CITY, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PHX Minerals Inc. (NYSE: PHX) ("PHX" or the "Company") announced today that it has filed a prospectus supplement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and entered into an At-The-Market Equity Offering Sales Agreement (the "Sales Agreement") with Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, as sales agent and/or principal ("Stifel"), pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell, from time to time to or through Stifel, up to 3,000,000 shares (the "Shares") of its common stock through an "at-the-market" equity offering program (the "ATM Program").

PHX intends to use the net proceeds from the sale of Shares under the ATM Program for general corporate purposes, including to fund working capital and acquisitions, primarily of mineral and royalty interests.

The offer and sale of the Shares will be made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3, including the base prospectus as supplemented by the prospectus supplement filed today. A copy of the prospectus supplement relating to the ATM Program may be obtained from Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, Attention: Syndicate Department, One South Street, 15th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202, by email: [email protected] or by telephone: (855) 300-7136.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

PHX Minerals Inc. (NYSE: PHX) Oklahoma City-based, PHX Minerals Inc. is a natural gas and oil mineral company with a strategy to proactively grow its mineral position in its core areas of focus. PHX owns approximately 251,000 net mineral acres principally located in Oklahoma, Texas, North Dakota, New Mexico and Arkansas. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.phxmin.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Words such as "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "believes," "expects," "intends," "will," "should," "may" and similar expressions may be used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical fact and reflect PHX's current views about future events. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to: our ability to execute our business strategies; the volatility of realized natural gas and oil prices; the level of production on our properties; estimates of quantities of natural gas, oil and NGL reserves and their values; general economic or industry conditions; legislation or regulatory requirements; conditions of the securities markets; our ability to raise capital; changes in accounting principles, policies or guidelines; financial or political instability; acts of war or terrorism; title defects in the properties in which we invest; and other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory or technical factors affecting our properties, operations or prices. Although the Company believes expectations reflected in these and other forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance they will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the results to differ materially from those expected by the Company's management. Information concerning these risks and other factors can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, available on the Company's website or the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update the forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE PHX MINERALS INC.

Related Links

http://www.phxmin.com


The success of Privcap is driven by our ability to solve complex communications challenges faced by investment managers. Tweet this

To further this growth trajectory, Privcap has also made strategic senior hires across marketing and creative. "The success of Privcap is driven by our ability to solve complex communications challenges faced by investment managers," said David Snow, a Partner at Privcap Media. "As fund managers seek to improve their messaging to investors, employees and market influencers, Privcap has evolved its solutions, and invested in talent to create more efficient and engaging ways for these firms to communicate their value."

Privcap's solutions include virtual meetings, fundraising videos and other forms of digital content, helping clients stand out in a crowded industry."

Recent hires include:

Grace Martinez, Creative Director - Based in New York, Martinez, is a veteran art director who has led creative teams at Conde Nast and Hearst. Her work has graced the pages of Glamour, Men's Health, Travel + Leisure, AirBnB and other publications. Martinez will help Privcap clients improve their communications and marketing materials and bring a higher level of visual sophistication to Privcap content-creation projects.

Randi Mitev, VP, Marketing and Corporate Development - Based in Santa Barbara, California, Mitev joins Privcap from IBM, where she was a business development executive focused on the financial services market. Before joining IBM, Mitev 's career spanned from leading global rebrands at multi-million dollar tech firms to running a digital photo and video studio , which grew into a major full-service creative agency for premier brands. She will help Privcap deepen its relationships with existing clients and move the company into new services and markets.

About Privcap Media:

Privcap Media is a trusted partner to private capital market participants across the globe who need to improve the way they communicate with their audience. Through video and other forms of digital content, Privcap marries deep subject-matter expertise with sophisticated creative capabilities, which means less work for investor relations and marketing teams and more engaging content for investors.

Our services include:

-Virtual / Livestream / Hybrid Annual Meetings: Content creation, virtual events platforms and livestream production services for all forms of events.

-Case Study Videos: Video production for annual meetings, corporate website and fundraising.

-Due Diligence Packages: Video creation for the due diligence process.

-Thought-Leadership Content and Promotion: Production and promotion of podcasts, videos, webinars & reports.

www.privcapmedia.com

SOURCE Privcap Media

Related Links

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CHICAGO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of real estate technology startups has increased 300% over the past decade, seizing the opportunity to address the industry's biggest challenges through technology. Data released today by JLL (NYSE: JLL) suggests that opportunity continues to abound in the sector's startup landscape, with over US$9.7 billion of funding activity in the first half of 2021, the most active first half on record. Additionally, the market shows signs of maturation as funding begins to shift toward established players and increasing consolidation drives the emergence of industry leaders.

"While real estate technology adoption was on the rise before the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become essential for today's leading real estate players, buildings and spaces," said Ben Breslau, Chief Research Officer at JLL. "Technology is at the center of the most important trends shaping business and real estate. That includes hybrid work, health and safety, and sustainability initiatives, all of which are in high demand. That's why we expect funding within this sector to break records this year."

"Our industry is right on the cusp of impactful change driven by widespread technology adoption," said Raj Singh, Managing Partner of JLL Spark, the global venture fund of JLL Technologies. "The trends we're seeing suggest there may be no better time to invest in real estate technology. The opportunity to shape the industry for the future by supporting innovation holds great potential for strategic change as well as return on investment."

The evolving property technology (proptech) landscape

Amid the 4th Industrial Revolution, and accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, new technologies have proliferated to take advantage of developments in computing power, analysis and connectivity. The number of startups across the real estate industry has grown rapidly in the past decadefrom under 2,000 to nearly 8,000as companies look to apply these new technologies.

With that said, there has been a migration in funding and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to more established industry leaders.

Venture capital and M&A trends

The nearly 8,000 companies, identified by JLL, that provide technology solutions in the built environment have collectively raised more than US$97 billion of equity funding in the past decade. Built environment technology startups can now be found in most countries around the world.

In alignment with the wider tech ecosystem, the U.S. continues to account for the most company conceptions and fundraising50% of funded companies over the past decade. U.S. cities and regions hosting the greatest number of proptech startups include New York , San Francisco , Los Angeles , the Silicon Valley and Chicago .

, , , the Silicon Valley and . Although China has significantly fewer companies, it is the second largest market in terms of funding, with more than US$16 billion raised since 2010. India , Singapore and Australia have been the principal markets for fundraising outside China in Asia Pacific . Top cities include Bengaluru, Delhi , Singapore , Beijing and Sydney .

has significantly fewer companies, it is the second largest market in terms of funding, with more than raised since 2010. , and have been the principal markets for fundraising outside in . Top cities include Bengaluru, , , and . In Europe , the UK and Germany make up the majority of fundraising across the region, followed by France , Spain and Sweden . Top cities include London , Paris , Barcelona , Berlin and Helsinki .

While the pandemic accelerated engagement with new technologies, it simultaneously impacted funding for early-stage companies in the real estate sector. The industry also shows signs of increasing maturation.

According to Crunchbase, early-stage venture was down in 2020 by 11% year over year. JLL found that venture capital equity funding to built environment technology was notably impacted, slowing to US$13.4 billion in 2020, down 19% from US$16.6 billion the previous year.

in 2020, down 19% from the previous year. However, investment has accelerated in 2021 with H1 funding activity of US$9.7 billion , up from US$8.8 billion in H1 2020 and the most active first half on record.

, up from in H1 2020 and the most active first half on record. As the sector matures, funding is also migrating toward more established companies, with the majority of capital invested in later-stage funding rounds and in products with strong adoption post-COVID.

This maturation, combined with a more difficult fundraising environment, is contributing to greater consolidation in the sector. In 2020, M&A activity was at a record high of US$21.9 billion , and it is already above US$18 billion so far in 2021.

Challenges and opportunities

COVID-19 has proven an opportunity to experiment and accelerate technology adoption across the real estate industry, with potential to make buildings more sustainable, healthier and more human-centric. A recent JLL survey found that, among nearly 650 leading global occupiers and investors, the top priorities are to create places that are human and green.

Occupiers are taking a transformative approach to carbon reduction by embedding sustainability into their business models, with 89% stating that sustainability is increasingly important to their corporate strategy. Real estate investors believe focusing on decarbonization can deliver value and a competitive advantage.

However, a range of issues are slowing progress, including a fragmented technology landscape, lack of industry standards, privacy and security needs, and more. Responding to these challenges will require greater cooperation and collaboration among technology firms, property companies and the industries they service, as well as national and urban governments.

"Recent events across the globe have highlighted the importance of addressing our industry's impact, and leaders are taking this to heart," said Singh. "Proptech startups and more established tech and real estate firms are at the forefront of solving the industry's challengeswith benefit to the world at large. Continued investment in these companies is an investment in the future of real estate."

About JLL Technologies

JLL Technologies (JLLT) is a division of JLL, a world leader in real estate services, that helps organizations transform the way they acquire, operate, manage and experience space. JLLT is a first-of-its-kind team combining builders of high-growth tech companies and commercial real estate experts. Its comprehensive technology portfolio of purpose-built solutions and leading venture-backed companies exceed industry demands for better business intelligence, workplace experience and smart building platforms. Learn more at www.jllt.com.

About JLL

JLL (NYSE: JLL) is a leading professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. JLL shapes the future of real estate for a better world by using the most advanced technology to create rewarding opportunities, amazing spaces and sustainable real estate solutions for our clients, our people and our communities. JLL is a Fortune 500 company with annual revenue of $16.6 billion in 2020, operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of more than 92,000 as of June 30, 2021. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit ir.jll.com.

Connect with us

https://www.linkedin.com/company/jll

https://www.facebook.com/jll

https://twitter.com/jll

Contact: Ramona Redlingshafer

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE JLL

Related Links

https://www.jll.com


BICSI Chief Executive Officer John H. Daniels, CNM, FACHE, FHIMSS, said the dual-platform hybrid conference was tailored to meet the specific needs of today's multitasked ICT professionals. "BICSI represents a truly global community of ICT professionals, and we are leveraging all available assets to help them connect, network, educate, and innovate," Daniels said. "We want to give those in our profession the best available opportunities to succeed. Offering a hybrid conference where both in person and virtual attendees can get the same great BICSI conference experience is just one way we are able to support the ICT profession."

Executive Director of the American Society of Civil Engineers Tom Smith, ENV SP, CAE, F.ASCE, and BICSI President Todd W. Taylor, RCDD, NTS, OSP, partnered to deliver a forward-looking Opening Keynote address titled, "FUTURE WORLD VISION: Infrastructure Reimagined." After an overview of ASCE's Future World Vision given by Smith, both he and Taylor discussed the many exciting innovations leading the ICT world into the foreseeable future, including autonomous vehicles, intelligent buildings, and the many factors that are reshaping the built environment.

"These changes breed challenges, and we cannot address tomorrow's obstacles with yesterday's infrastructure," said Smith. "A new approach is required to keep pace with today's rapidly evolving landscape."

Smith and Taylor identified multiple obstacles to anticipate in the coming years, including those listed in the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the U.S. infrastructure limitations highlighted in ASCE's report card and failure to act studies. They concluded with many feasible solutions.

The day continued with the ICT Field of Vision presentation, "Exploring Connectivity Requirements Supporting Financial and Trading Markets" by Joshua Seawell of Sumitomo Electric Lightwave, the conference's Diamond Level Sponsor. Seawell's presentation is one of more than 30 technical sessions scheduled over the three-day event.

In-person and virtual attendees also interacted with dozens of exhibitors in both the physical and virtual Exhibit Halls. Companies were eager to share their latest products and solutions and create new business relationships. Each day of the conference, all attendees were able to watch presentations as part of "What's New, What's It Do?" (WNWID), where participating vendors featured their newest products and services during five-minute interactive sessions.

Engaging technical sessions will take place through Thursday, 26 August, covering critical ICT topics such as smart cities, intelligent buildings, Internet of Things (IoT), Power over Ethernet (PoE), data centers, audiovisual technologies, optical fiber, passive optical networks (PON), wireless, and distributed antennae systems (DAS). Both in-person and virtual attendees will have access to all event content for 30 days post-conference.

The ICT industry's premier hybrid event will close on Thursday with two more ICT Field of Vision presentations by Corning and CommScope, followed by an inspirational Closing Keynote titled "What is Your Leadership Blueprint?" by Lieutenant General Ronald L. Bailey, USMC (Ret.), Vice President of Industry Development at NECA.

A complete 2021 BICSI Hybrid Fall Conference & Exhibition schedule of events and conference presentations is available at bicsi.org/fall.

About BICSI

BICSI is a professional association supporting the advancement of the information and communications technology (ICT) profession and currently serves more than 26,000 members and credential holders. BICSI is the preeminent resource for the Connected World. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, USA, BICSI membership spans nearly 100 countries.

SOURCE BICSI

Related Links

http://www.bicsi.org


LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Probate litigation law firm RMO LLP announced today founding and managing partner Scott Rahn has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America for his work in trusts and estates litigation.

"To again be recognized by my peers is an honor, and I am grateful to be considered among so many respected practitioners from across the country," said Rahn, who serves on the Board of Directors for the Southland California Alzheimer's Association.

Named both "Top Litigator" and "Leader of Influence: Litigators & Trial Lawyers" by the Los Angeles Business Journal in 2020, Rahn serves as lead trial attorney for all trust litigation and probate matters. His work is focused on representing beneficiaries and fiduciaries, including corporate trustees, in will disputes, trust challenges, estate controversies, family disputes, and other related issues including defending or challenging a will or trust, accountings, breach of fiduciary duty, fiduciary fraud, fiduciary misconduct, fiduciary neglect, investment mismanagement, financial elder abuse, incapacity, undue influence, and generally fighting to protect clients' rights and inheritances.

Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on peer-review evaluation. The organization received more than 15 million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, more than 10.8 million votes were analyzed. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed.

RMO LLP provides personal, cost-effective litigation services to individual and institutional clients. The firm's attorneys focus on probate, trust and conservatorship, litigation matters. RMO has offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Ventura, Kansas City and Miami. For more information, please visit https://rmolawyers.com/

SOURCE RMO LLP
Robinhood Becomes First Company to Sign Operation HOPE's Investors' Bill of Rights Tweet this

"Robinhood provides an opportunity for more people to take ownership of their financial future. We're excited for Robinhood to be the first brokerage to sign onto our Bill of Rights as we seek to educate, level the playing field for all and reduce future inequality," said John Hope Bryant, Founder and CEO of Operation HOPE.

The Bill of Rights' 10-point plan focuses on four key aspects of investor education:

Retail Investor Education

Retail Investor Qualification and Educational Incentives

Improved Transparency of Transactions Cost and Incentives

Disclosures by Large Investors

The Investors' Bill of Rights was first announced by John Hope Bryant and Jay Clayton, former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, in an op-Ed for the American Banker and featured on CNBC's Squawk Box. To read the full 10-point plan proposal, visit Operation HOPE's Investors' Bill of Rights at www.operationhope.org.



The Bill of Rights is a call for the entire financial industry to provide financial literacy and education to the next generation of investors. If you're interested in joining as a signatory to the Investor Bill of Rights or participating in Operation HOPE's other initiatives, please reach out to Kevin Boucher, [email protected].

All investments involve risk and loss of principal is possible.

Robinhood Financial LLC (member SIPC), is a registered broker dealer. Robinhood Securities, LLC (member SIPC), provides brokerage clearing services. Robinhood Crypto, LLC provides crypto currency trading. All are subsidiaries of Robinhood Markets, Inc. ('Robinhood').

 2021 Robinhood Markets, Inc.

About Operation HOPE

Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to "silver rights" with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserveddisrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $3.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communitiesturning check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. For more information: www.OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About Robinhood

Robinhood Markets is on a mission to democratize finance for all. With Robinhood, people can invest with no account minimums through Robinhood Financial LLC, buy and sell crypto through Robinhood Crypto LLC, and learn about investing through easy-to-understand educational content. Robinhood aims to build the most trusted, lowest cost, and most culturally relevant money app worldwide.

Press Contacts:

Lalohni Campbell, (404) 593-7145

[email protected]



Bill Mendel, (212) 397-1030

[email protected]

SOURCE Operation HOPE, Inc.

Related Links

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KRAKOW, Poland, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ryvu Therapeutics (WSE: RVU) announced today that the first patient enrolled in the Phase I/II clinical trial investigating RVU120 (SEL120) in relapsed/refractory metastatic or advanced solid tumors, has received the first dose of the study drug.

RVU120 is a highly selective first-in-class CDK8/CDK19 inhibitor, which has demonstrated efficacy in a number of solid tumors in in vitro and in vivo models as well as in hematologic malignancies.

The single-agent, open-label Phase I/II trial, investigating the safety and efficacy of RVU120 in patients with relapsed/refractory metastatic or advanced solid tumors has been approved by the Competent Authority in Poland and obtained a positive Ethics Committee opinion, enabling enrollment of patients in Poland. The CTA submission process has already been initiated in Spain as well, aiming to start enrollment in Q4 2021.

The study is designed in two parts. The Phase I part will assess safety and tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), and preliminary anti-tumor activity of RVU120 in dose escalation cohorts, as well as determine the recommended Phase II dose (RP2D). The subsequent Phase II part will include specific tumor indications, enrolled in distinct study cohorts. The solid tumor study is the second trial Ryvu is conducting with RVU120, in parallel to the ongoing Phase I in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in which the drug has demonstrated initial signs of single agent efficacy.

"CDK8 represents an important potential therapeutic target in various types of cancer, and RVU120, an orally available small molecule, is potentially both the first and best in class CDK8 inhibitor. We are delighted to have a new Phase I/II RVU120 study in patients with solid tumors conducted in Poland, and we are planning on further expansion of clinical sites in other European countries," comments Pawel Przewiezlikowski, Chief Executive Officer at Ryvu Therapeutics.

Ryvu also announces that Dr. Setareh Shamsili, M.D., PhD resigned from her position as Executive Vice President of the Management Board and Chief Medical Officer of Ryvu for family reasons effective August 31. During the CMO transition period, Prof. Axel Glasmacher, M.D., Ryvu Supervisory Board Member since 2019, will provide additional support for the company on a consulting basis.

"We would also like to thank Setareh for advancing Ryvu's clinical programs, expanding the clinical department, and her involvement in Ryvu corporate development and wish her the best in her career. Axel has been a key member of our Supervisory Board, bringing more than 25 years of corporate and academic oncology drug development experience, and we are excited to have him more involved in our activities," says Przewiezlikowski.

Prof. Glasmacher is an oncologist with more than 25 years of experience in the field. Currently he serves as the non-executive chairperson at the board of 4D Pharma, as well as a board member of the international non-profit organization The Cancer Drug Development Forum. Until recently, Prof. Glasmacher held the position of Senior Vice President and Head of the Global Clinical Research and Development Hematology Oncology at Celgene, where he worked in various global roles for more than ten years and contributed to the development of products including Revlimid (lenalidomide), Vidaza (azacitidine), Idhifa (enasidenib) and Reblozyl (luspatercept). Prof. Glasmacher conducted clinical research with a focus on hematological malignancies at the University of Bonn, where he continues to teach. Prof. Glasmacher received his medical degree from the University of Bonn.

About RVU120 (SEL120)

RVU120 (SEL120) is a selective first-in-class CDK8/CDK19 inhibitor, which has demonstrated efficacy in a number of solid tumor in vitro and in vivo models as well as in hematologic malignancies. The first-in-human Phase I study with RVU120 (SEL120), in relapsed or refractory AML or high-risk MDS, is enrolling patients at 5 investigational sites in the US. (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04021368). Additional sites are planned to be activated in Poland in September 2021.

The initial safety and efficacy data from the first four cohorts in the trial was presented at the Virtual EHA Congress on June 11, 202. RVU120 demonstrated acceptable safety profile and two clinically relevant responses were observed in the first five AML and high-risk MDS patients treated: one complete response (CR) and one erythroid response.

On March 25, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted an orphan drug designation (ODD) to RVU120, for the treatment of patients with AML.

RVU120 has been internally discovered by Ryvu and has received support from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP), a strategic initiative to partner directly with innovative biotechnology companies and leading research institutions to accelerate the development of promising new therapies for blood cancers.

About Ryvu Therapeutics

Ryvu Therapeutics is a clinical stage drug discovery and development company focused on novel small molecule therapies that address emerging targets in oncology. Internally discovered pipeline candidates make use of diverse therapeutic mechanisms driven by emerging knowledge of cancer biology, including small molecules directed at kinase, synthetic lethality, and immuno-oncology targets. RVU120 is a selective CDK8/CDK19 kinase inhibitor with potential for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors currently in Phase I clinical development for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome, and Phase I/II for the treatment of r/r metastatic or advanced solid tumors. SEL24 (MEN1703) is a dual PIM/FLT3 kinase inhibitor licensed to the Menarini Group, currently in Phase II clinical studies in acute myeloid leukemia.

The Company was founded in 2007 (until 2019 operating under the name Selvita S.A.) and currently employs over 160 associates, including more than 80 PhDs. Ryvu is headquartered in Krakow, Poland, listed on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange, and is a component of sWIG80 index. For more information, please see www.ryvu.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to dier materially from those referred to in the forward-looking statements and, therefore, the reader should not place undue reliance on them. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, without limitation, the risk that ongoing and future clinical studies with RVU120 (SEL120) may not be completed in the currently envisaged timelines or at all, the inherent uncertainties associated with competitive developments, clinical trial and product development activities and regulatory approval requirements, Ryvu reliance on collaborations with third parties and that Ryvu estimations regarding RVU120 development program and regarding the commercial potential of RVU120 may be incorrect. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and speak only as of the date hereof, and Ryvu makes no commitment to update or publicly release any revisions to forward-looking statements in order to reflect new information or subsequent events, circumstances or changes in expectations.

SOURCE Ryvu Therapeutics
CHICAGO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report "Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis, by Offering (Network as a Service and Security as a Service), Organization Size (SMEs and Large Enterprises), Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, in the post-COVID-19 scenario, the global Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Market size is projected to grow from USD 1.2 Billion in 2021 to USD 4.1 Billion by 2026, recording a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 26.4% from 2021 to 2026.

Key factors that are driving the market growth include the growing preference for remote working in the wake of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the rising need for a unified network security architecture with the capabilities of SD-WAN, FWaaS, SWG, CASB, and ZTNA solutions.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Market"

144  Tables

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Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=220384224

By offering, Security as a service segment is expected to grow at a higher CAGR than the Network as a service (NaaS) segment during the forecast period.

According to Zscaler, Security as a service is a way to deliver security technologies, which are traditionally found in enterprise data centers or regional gateways, as a cloud service. Security as a service has become an important enabler of business in the world because it provides secure access to applications and services, no matter where they are hosted or where users connect. NaaS services can range from managed software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) and network access, including wireless to security, unified communications services, and more, either in a public cloud or on virtualized customer premise equipment (vCPE).

Based on Vertical, BFSI segment is estimated to lead the market in 2021.

The BFSI vertical has been at the forefront in adopting SD-WAN, as it enables the banking institutions to provide a broad spectrum of services to customers at sustainable costs. The BFSI vertical is facing bandwidth and security issues while connecting regional offices such as branch offices and data centers. The SASE platforms have built-in security features that secure hybrid networks for widespread use.

Request a Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=220384224

By region, North America is expected to account for the largest market share during the forecast period.

The North American region has the presence of several prominent market players delivering advanced solutions to all the industry verticals in the regions. Apart from the geographical presence, strategic investments, partnerships, and significant R&D activities are thereby contributing to the hefty deployments of SASE solutions. North America is considered the most mature market in terms of adopting SASE solutions, due to factors such as the rise in cloud security measures and authentication frauds.

Market Players:

The Secure Access Service Edge Market comprises major providers, namely, include Cisco Systems Inc. (US), VMware Inc. (US), Fortinet, Inc (US), Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (US), Akamai Technologies, Inc. (US), Zscaler, Inc. (US), Cloudflare, Inc. (US), Cato Networks (Israel), Versa Networks, Inc. (US), Forcepoint (US), Broadcom, Inc. (US), Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Israel), McAfee, LLC (US), Citrix Systems, Inc. (US), Netskope (US), Perimeter 81 Ltd. (Israel), Open Systems (Switzerland), Aryaka Networks, Inc. (US), Proofpoint, Inc. (US), Secucloud Network GmbH (Deutschland), Aruba Networks (US), Juniper Networks, Inc. (US), Verizon Communications, Inc. (US), SonicWall (US), Barracuda Networks, Inc. (US), and Twingate (US).

Browse Adjacent Markets: Information Security Market Research Reports& Consulting

Related Reports:

Security as a Service Market by Component (Solution and Service), Application Area (Network Security, Endpoint Security, Application Security, and Cloud), Organization Size, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/security-as-a-service-market-132531603.html

Network as a Service Market by Type (LAN and WLAN, WAN, Communication and Collaboration, and Network Security), Organization Size (Large Enterprises and SMEs), Application, End User (BFSI, Manufacturing, Healthcare), and Region - Global Forecast to 2026

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/network-as-a-service-market-94208411.html

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

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MarketsandMarkets INC.

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Research Insight:https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/secure-access-service-edge-market.asp

Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com

Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/secure-access-service-edge.asp

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
NEW YORK, Aug. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Tuya Inc. ("Tuya" or the "Company") (NYSE: TUYA). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Tuya and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On or around March 18, 2021, Tuya conducted its initial public offering ("IPO"), selling 43.59 million American depositary shares ("ADSs") priced at $21.00 per share. Then, on August 19, 2021, Tuya reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2021. Among other items, Tuya provided sales guidance of between $83 million and $86 million, falling well short of consensus expectations of $110 million.

On this news, Tuya's ADS price fell $1.74 per ADS, or 14.32%, to close at $10.41 per ADS on August 19, 2021.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, 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, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz 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.pomlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

www.pomerantzlaw.com


LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A Chinese national has filed a FINRA arbitration claim over losses she suffered after a Cetera Investment Services advisor unsuitably recommended and sold a PB Investment Holdings annuity to her.

The Bermuda-based off-shore investment (affiliated with Northstar Bermuda) was touted as safe and low risk. That entity is in liquidation and has caused this claimant, who is a retiree, significant losses.

Our securities lawyers at Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas (SSEK Law Firm at investorlawyers.com) are representing this investor in her FINRA arbitration case to recover damages. A FINRA arbitrator will hear the securities case in Los Angeles, California.

This is just one of a number of investor claims involving Northstar entities in which we are fighting for clients' financial recovery. If you are a customer who suffered losses because your Cetera broker unsuitably recommended sold PB Investment, Northstar, or another security to you, call SSEK Law Firm at (800) 259-9010 today.

The claimant, who lives in Hong Kong, has had an account in the US with East West Bank for some time now. The bank, which offers customers investment services through Cetera, introduced her to a registered representative at that brokerage firm.

This financial advisor went on to recommend PB Investment Holdings, which was previously known as Beechwood, and claimed that PB Investment Holdings was extremely safe and could provide the investor with the returns and low risk that she sought. Instead, PB Investment Holdings was purchased by Global Banks in 2017 and ended up being owned by billionaire Greg Lindberg who is now serving time in prison.

Lindberg also acquired Northstar Financial Services which has been named in numerous FINRA arbitration claims.

Each year, when the retiree's account and product were reviewed, the brokerage firm and its financial advisor had the opportunity to rectify their gross mistake by removing her from PB Investment. Instead, they chose to keep her money invested in this annuity.

Now, this claimant is alleging unsuitability, overconcentration, failure to supervise, misrepresentations, omissions, negligence, breach of fiduciary duties, and securities fraud.

SSEK Law Firm represents international and United States investors in their PB Investment Holdings and Northstar claims and we are pursuing a number of firms over our clients' losses.

Contact:

Kirk Smith  [email protected]

US Toll Free: (800) 259-9010

International via WhatsApp (text only): 713-227-2400

SOURCE Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas LLP

Related Links

http://www.investorlawyers.com


NYC store owners have teamed up for the shopIN.nyc Back-To-School concierge program to change school supply shopping forever. They've put together the best collections of backpacks, shoes and supplies, so that NYC residents can purchase their supplies in one-stop-shop fashion. Nextdoor neighbors get a specific $15 gift card when they use the code ND15 at shopIN.NYC.

Started in mid-2020, shopIN.nyc offers a new model for local stores to thrive in NYC. The site makes it possible for NYC stores to team up into a local "Everything Store", to offer New Yorkers an alternative to big online retailers. New Yorkers can already shop over 100,000 items, from almost 100 retailers on the single site, with a single checkout, and same-day delivery in one bag.

Nextdoor, the neighborhood network, knows that when local businesses thrive, communities thrive and with businesses facing unprecedented challenges this past year, consumers are looking for ways to support local businesses, communities critical to their neighborhoods.

"Our small businesses are the heart and sole of our cities and what makes them unique, from Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store to Li-Lac chocolates to Hell's Kitchen Hot Sauce. The opportunity to partner with ShopIN allows us to provide a convenient way for New Yorkers who love their city to shop local from home. And  together with shopIN.nyc we are going to create value for neighbors and the local stores they love while also supporting our local public school system," said Maryam Banikarim, CMO of Nextdoor.

"It's thrilling to see companies like Nextdoor living their values by getting deeply involved in the community," said Andrew Tider, VP of Marketing for shopIN.nyc. "This movement has already shown us how much stronger our local retailers are when they team up. When companies like Nextdoor and other established organizations join the movement, we begin to see the larger vision of a more sustainable, vibrant, and empowered NYC becoming reality for all."

To sign up for Nextdoor visit Nextdoor.com and for more information on the Back-to-School Concierge visit here .

About shopIN.nyc

shopIN.nyc is a platform that enables stores all over the city to team up into the largest 'everything store' possible, and helps make sure they are the first to arrive at your door when you order online. ShopIN.nyc makes it convenient to shop your neighborhood from a single site, with a single checkout, and same-day delivery in one bag. The model was specifically designed to keep fees affordable for stores, and wages high for delivery staff, who are paid $25+/hr (plus tips). For more information and images: shopin.nyc/pages/pressroom

About Nextdoor, Inc.

Nextdoor is where you connect to the neighborhoods that matter to you so you can belong. Our purpose is to cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighborhood they can rely on. Neighbors around the world turn to Nextdoor daily to receive trusted information, give and get help, get things done, and build real-world connections with those nearby  neighbors, businesses, and public services. Today, neighbors rely on Nextdoor in more than 275,000 neighborhoods across 11 countries. In the U.S., nearly 1 in 3 households uses the network. Nextdoor is based in San Francisco. For additional information and images: nextdoor.com/newsroom.

Media contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Nextdoor, Inc.

Related Links

www.nextdoor.com


CHONGQING, China, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Smart China Expo 2021 opened Monday in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. Chongqing Liangjiang New Area signed key projects on the opening day, such as IAT Liangjiang international automobile R&D base, Tencent Cloud industrial Internet intelligent industry headquarter, iFlytek and QI-ANXIN Group regional headquarters, involving innovative R&D of automobile industry, industrial Internet, artificial intelligence, network infrastructure and other fields, according to Chongqing Liangjiang New Area Administrative Committee.

The signing of these projects reflects the firm confidence of enterprises in the prospects and markets of digital economy and intelligent industries in Chongqing and Liangjiang New Area, in the meantime, strongly supports the intelligent development of big data industry in Chongqing and Liangjiang New Area.

In recent years, Liangjiang New Area has given full play to the advantages as a pioneer by promoting intelligent innovation of big data and driving industrial innovation with scientific and technological innovation. Local digital economy and intelligent industries have posted vigorous development momentum, with some 6,000 digital-economy enterprises settling in the area.

In the first half of this year, the added value of digital economy in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area reached 33.628 billion yuan, up 54.6 percent year-on-year, accounting for one third of Chongqing's digital economy. The booming digital economy has injected a strong impetus into the transformation and upgrading of local automobile, electronics, equipment and other industries. At present, Liangjiang New Area has completed 233 big data intelligent transformation projects, and built 60 digital workshops and 21 intelligent factories.

As an important carrier of the smart expo, Liangjiang New Area launched a management system before the event kicks off, to promote the development of industrial parks and smart city in terms of industrial and urban development.

The management system features "industry areas + heads of industry chains", where designated government officials lead the chain, heads of industrial associations and unions, and presidents of leading companies play as the chain owners, and "heads of parks", according to which each park in the new area will have a leading person responsible for the operation and maintenance of the park.

Liangjiang seeks to promote the complete transformation of industrial parks into industrial new cities and create a high-quality development leading area by focusing on the development of pillar industries, strategic emerging industries, modern service industries, digital economy and the Liangjiang Collaborative Innovation Zone. Efforts are being made to create a new high-quality living space for citizens and a high-quality life demonstration area.

Liangjiang New Area is the main position, battlefield and engine for the development of smart industry and digital economy in Chongqing, and it is also an important host for the series of activities of the expo. This year, Liangjiang New Area continues to run the Smart Expo well in a high-quality and high-level manner to showcase more smart technologies, products, services and scenarios to more participants. Liangjiang will leverage the expo to further promote the deep integration of digital economy and real economy, the industrial development of digital economy and digitalization of industries. Big data intelligence will be used to empower economy and enrich life.

For more information, please visit http://www.liangjiang.gov.cn

SOURCE Chongqing Liangjiang New Area Administrative Committee
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Solaris Resources Inc. (TSX: SLS) (OTCQB: SLSSF) ("Solaris" or the "Company") announces that as a result of a review by the British Columbia Securities Commission, the Company recently became aware that Mr. Jorge Fierro, Solaris' Vice President, Exploration, was not able to act as a Qualified Person under NI 43-101 standards for select technical disclosure due to Mr. Fierro being an "SME member" and not the required "SME registered member".

Upon becoming aware of the above, Mr. Fierro began rectifying the matter and is in the process of obtaining the required registered member qualification, which is expected to be received shortly. In the interim, the Company's director, Mr. Donald Taylor, a Qualified Person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in the Company's news releases and MD&As for which Mr. Fierro previously took responsibility, other than the Company's scientific and technical disclosure related to its La Verde project, which scientific and technical information was based upon the technical report titled "La Verde Copper Project" dated effective June 20, 2018, prepared by independent Qualified Persons Patrick Stephenson, Alan Riles, Mo Molavi, Michael O'Brien, and Phillipe Lebleu, and which has been superseded by the Company's most recent La Verde technical report (see the Company's news release dated July 23, 2021).

Mr. Fierro has over 22 years of exploration experience in South America, including 10 years in various positions with BHP Group, and is the protege of the late David Lowell, who arguably made more discoveries of greater consequence than anyone in mining history.

The Company looks forward to Mr. Fierro resuming his role as the Company's Qualified Person.

On behalf of the Board of Solaris Resources Inc.

"Daniel Earle"

President & CEO, Director

About Solaris Resources Inc.

Solaris is advancing a portfolio of copper and gold assets in the Americas, which includes: a high-grade resource with expansion and additional discovery potential at the Warintza copper and gold project in Ecuador; discovery potential on the grass-roots Tamarugo project in Chile and Capricho and Paco Orco projects in Peru; exposure to US$130M spending / 5-yrs through a farm-out agreement with Freeport-McMoRan on the Ricardo Project in Chile; and significant leverage to increasing copper prices through its 60%-interest in the La Verde joint-venture project with Teck Resources in Mexico.

Cautionary Notes and Forward-looking Statements

This document contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively "forward-looking statements"). The use of the word "expected" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include statements regarding our intent, or the beliefs or current expectations of our officers and directors, including statements that Mr. Fierro's is expected to receive his required registered member qualification shortly. Although Solaris believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and/or information are reasonable, readers are cautioned that actual results may vary from the forward-looking statements. These statements are based on a variety of assumptions including assumptions made about the SME approving Mr. Fierro's registration. These statements also involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in the Solaris Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2020 available at www.sedar.com. Furthermore, the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and Solaris does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any of these forward-looking statements except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Solaris Resources Inc.

Related Links

https://www.solarisresources.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) today issued the following statement by Chair, President and CEO Lynn Good. Good attended today's Cybersecurity Summit at the White House alongside President Biden, several cabinet officials and approximately 30 CEOs from industry and academia.

----

Duke Energy is committed to protecting our operations to mitigate the potential impacts to our customers, communities and employees from a cyber event. Given the nature and potential consequences of these cyber threats, a critical element of that commitment is our partnership with governments, the private sector and other thought leaders.

We applaud President Biden for his cybersecurity leadership and for hosting today's summit, which is part of an ongoing dialogue around potential threats, best practices and lessons learned.

Recognizing that we can never be too safe or prepared, we look forward to continuing to participate in the national conversation around cybersecurity issues and policies.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 7.9 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 51,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,500 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy strategy to create a smarter energy future for its customers and communities  with goals of at least a 50 percent carbon reduction by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company is a top U.S. renewable energy provider, on track to own or purchase 16,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2025. The company also is investing in major electric grid upgrades and expanded battery storage, and exploring zero-emitting power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2021 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Neil Nissan

800.559.3853

SOURCE Duke Energy

Related Links

https://www.duke-energy.com


TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Empathy, or the ability to sense and sometimes even feel other people's emotions, has always played an important role in Latoya Childs' life.

As a teenager, for example, when her great-grandmother fell ill, watching her family come together to care for their matriarch during her final days inspired Latoya to seek a career in healthcare.

Florida Career College

Twenty years later, the hurdles she faced growing up and living as a Black woman in the U.S. inspired her to speak out for greater peace and understanding, a message she construed in her essay submission for this year's Florida Career College (FCC) Be the Change Scholarship.

Not surprisingly, the FCC Tampa student's essay attempted to appeal to the one emotion in others that has most driven Latoya throughout her life: empathy.

"Imagine being Black [and] taught in school that your descendants were sold and stolen from Africa, and brought to America to be slaves," she wrote in a cadenced style, repeatedly calling on readers to imagine. "Imagine being black, growing up wondering who you are, where your people came from, and why are you different or getting treated different."

These words struck a chord with the Be the Change Scholarship Committee, which recently honored Latoya as the 2021 Be the Change Scholarship recipient. This honor entitles Latoya to a full-ride scholarship at FCC, where she is currently taking classes to earn her Medical Billing and Front Office diploma.

"It was a big surprise and a big shock," Latoya said of learning that she'd won the scholarship. "It was great to win it  once it finally processed in my brain. It feels awesome. I am so thankful I get to go out in the field after I graduate and not have to worry about any of my school costs. It just rocks my world."

Created in support and solidarity of the Black Lives Matter movement, FCC's Be the Change Scholarship was established to give students a voice in the discussion of social justice, equality, human rights and community change.

"The scholarship committee was moved by Latoya's essay and I am delighted that she was selected as the 2021 recipient of the Be the Change Scholarship," said Dr. Fardad Fateri, President and CEO. "With this scholarship, we seek to honor an individual who has the passion, drive and commitment to being an agent of change. While we cannot independently repair the deeply-rooted social and political injustices in our society, as educators we do have the power to spark change within our communities by providing educational opportunities at Florida Career College. In this realm, we are all making a difference for students like Latoya."

"We were absolutely thrilled when we learned that Latoya was selected for the scholarship. She is a dedicated student who works hard and we are all very proud," said CiCi Reidy, Campus President at FCC Tampa. "Surprising her with the announcement during class was a very special moment for all of us at the Tampa campus."

Latoya said the inspiration for her essay submission was her own life  her experiences as a Black woman coupled with her desire for more people to understand and respect one another's journeys.

"If we're to be more empathetic and sympathetic to understand people in life, we have to imagine it," she said. "I wanted my voice to be heard, and I was inspired because I'm dreaming for people to start taking care of ourselves  to go back to respecting one another and building a better society for our children. We're only going to get there if we're more empathic to one another and all the pain society has caused and that we're still creating for ourselves."

Starting a Career Transition

Latoya had worked in the medical field most of her adult life.

Since experiencing the illness and death of her great-grandmother as a young teenager, Latoya said she felt determined to be prepared to help others  especially her family  if and when the situation arose again.

"I thought, 'I want to do something like that,'" she said. "I want to care for my family and be there for my family during their last days. So, I took a shot at [the healthcare field] by enrolling in school."

Early in her adulthood, she'd trained to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), a position she'd held for several years. Over the last decade, though, she's had her eye on transitioning into a different area of the healthcare field.

"I've been wanting to do that [Medical Front Office and Billing] program for probably 10 years," Latoya said. "I felt like I had a passion to learn billing and coding. I've been doing the patient care service area for so, so, so long. In my learning block, the entry level stuff was done and I was ready to expand my knowledge and grow in the medical field. Hands-on isn't the only way to do that."

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the changes that came with it inspired Latoya to take stock of her life and her future. In doing so, she realized it was time to begin the career transition she'd been wanting.

She began that journey by enrolling in the Medical Front Office and Billing program at FCC Tampa.

Welcoming the Challenge to Grow

Latoya said she was up for the challenge of training for a new career. Because of this, her level of excitement overshadowed the nervousness she felt entering the FCC classroom for the first time.

"I went in with confidence, though I definitely had to take a deep breath," she said. "I love learning challenges, and I knew this would be a great challenge for me  one that would train me in something I could carry with me a long way toward retirement."

It helps, she said, that FCC instructor Michael Smith has been a solid teacher and mentor.

"He's really helped me to understand what I'm studying and what I'm going to be out in the field doing," Latoya said. "He's very good  very, very good. Any questions or doubt or anything, [and] he helps clarify it."

"I was very happy that Latoya was chosen for the scholarship. During the time she has been in my class, she has demonstrated strong leadership skills," Michael said. "Latoya is very well liked and respected by her peers. She has always taken great pride in her studies as well as her future in the field of Medical Front Office and Billing. I wish her nothing put prosperity in her endeavors."

Once she graduates, Latoya envisions herself working on the payer (insurance) side of medical billing. Regardless of where she ends up, however, she looks forward to continually learning and facing new and interesting challenges every day.

It's all part of continually growing, Latoya says, something about which she's passionate professionally and as someone who wishes to inject a bit more empathy into the world.

"I maybe hope that my voice can be heard a little bit and grab someone's attention once in a while to help them starting thinking, 'Hey, we need to take a step back and start thinking about growth and change and ways of improving our lives,'" she said.

Media contact:

Joseph Cockrell

[email protected]

(949) 812-7749

SOURCE Florida Career College
OJAI, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of The Thacher School community, including former trustees, alumni, and parents, today sent the following letter to The Board of Trustees of The Thacher School, questioning, among other issues, the credibility of a so-called impartial Report by the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, commissioned by The Thacher School Board, and the Board's subsequent handling of the Report with The Thacher School community. The letter requests the Board make public to the community certain information.

The Letter follows:

Dear Board of Trustees of The Thacher School,

We have been concerned for quite some time with the ongoing impairment to the reputation of The Thacher School as a result of the Board's handling of the Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP ("MTO") Report with the Thacher community. The Report, commissioned by the Board with School funds, was supposed to be "impartial," but to many of us, it and the Board's subsequent reaction to the Report's narrative are anything but impartial. Rather the Board's subsequent actions smack of not learning from the past but rather of concocting a revisionist past under the guise of the Report to avoid accountability and responsibility by the current Board and administration for The Thacher School of the present.

Taking the Mulligan name off of the dining hall building, for example, makes no sense. Michael Mulligan is viewed by most of the Thacher community of the past three decades as a former sterling Head of School and as instrumental in building a supportive, positive community and healthy environment for teenagers' growth at Thacher. He is not responsible for whatever cultural problems Thacher may be experiencing today. He brought Thacher to a level of national recognition for a healthy learning community, which, in turn, resulted in an exceptionally high admission selectivity among boarding schools. Indeed, the MTO Report itself does not describe him as a wrongdoer but rather is written in a way to unfairly depict him in certain situations as not doing enough or acting in a timely enough manner - all of which is bunk based on the governance and procedures at Thacher during his time there. In addition, the removal of Joy Sawyer-Mulligan's name from the dining hall without explanation is neither justified by the Report nor warranted in light of her decades of contributions to the Thacher community.

Since the Board began this past June to use the revisionist history it commissioned to position its actions, we are aware that the Board has received significant pushback and cries of "foul" from a cross section of the Thacher community  a community whose entire interests the Board has a responsibility to represent. We, therefore, ask that the Board publicly inform the community of the quantity of letters, e-mails, and phone calls it has received protesting its handling of the MTO Report.

In addition, we have numerous questions for the Board and current leadership of The Thacher School, to which the entire Thacher community is owed honest answers.

To assure the Thacher community of its commitment to transparency, we ask that the Board publicly release its actual vote tally to remove the Mulligan name from the dining hall. Dan Yih , Board Chairman, has said the vote was "unanimous," but does that mean all Trustees voted to remove the name or some number less than the full Board? Does "unanimous" mean the full Board even voted? Does "unanimous" mean that each member of the Board was even notified that a vote would be taken? And was the removal of the Mulligan names from the dining hall deemed by the Board to be voting on a major policy issue under the Thacher Bylaws? If so, does such voting not require two separate votes by the Board? Were two such votes taken?" And now, we, as a community, learn from Board Chair Dan Yih in his July 29, 2021 letter that the present Head of The Thacher School has "asked MTO to investigate her awareness of, and response to, sexual misconduct that occurred during her ongoing tenure as a Thacher employee." That is fine but how does this square with the MTO report issued by the Board this past June being "impartial" if the present Head of The Thacher School was not investigated given her long tenure at the School? We ask the Board to please disclose to the Thacher community how much of the School's funds it has spent to date to produce the MTO Report and the actions the Board has subsequently taken resulting from the Report. Has it been several hundreds of thousands of dollars? Has it been over a million dollars? And from what Thacher resources are these funds being taken? Finally, in Thacher Board Chair Dan Yih's letter to the Thacher community of August 2020 , he makes clear a "Special Committee of the Board will oversee the work of MTO." What specific oversight did this special committee exercise with respect to the MTO Report?

The Thacher community deserves answers to these critical questions.

Respectfully,

Philip L. Pillsbury, Jr. CdeP '67, (Son CdeP '32, Parent of CdeP'2008)

Parent Trustee 2007-8, Trustee 2009-2018, Board Vice Chair (2016-18), Chair, Audit Committee (2009-2018), Co-Chair Search Committee (2017-8)

George and Ann Smith (Parents of CdeP '86 and CdeP '87, Grandparents of CdeP '16 and CdeP '19)

Lauren McClosky Elston CdeP '98

Edward ("Ward") Waltemath (Parent CdeP '18 and CdeP '21)

Janice and Jim Day Parent Trustees 2019-2020, Parents CdeP '20

Edmund T. ("Ned") Banning CdeP '74

Ann G. and Tom Oliver, Parents CdeP '08

Media Contact:

Philip Pillsbury

[email protected], 415-710-7985

SOURCE Members of The Thacher School Community
The Adecco Group announces 2021 CEO for One Month and releases new research highlighting the future of work from the perspective of future leaders.

Mani Makkar, 27, from India, has been named as the 2021 Global CEO for One Month to work alongside Alain Dehaze, CEO of the Adecco Group. The announcement coincides with the Group's release of its #CtheFuture 2.0 research, examining the profile of future leaders regarding education and skills, access to labour markets, the global health pandemic, and flexible working practices.

The Adecco Group's CEO for One Month programme builds next-generation leaders, with a focus on the new profile of leadership required in a post-pandemic world of work. The pandemic has demanded a new set of required leadership competencies and these expectations will accelerate the reinvention of the modern-day leader.

Following an 8-month selection process involving more than 147,000 applications from all over the world, Mani was chosen to spend one month serving alongside the Adecco Group CEO, Alain Dehaze. He will contribute to the day-to-day running of the world's leading talent advisory and solutions company and help shape the future world of work.

For the first time in the programme's history, two people will work together with the Adecco Group CEO: this year's Mani, as well as 2020 Global CEO for One Month, Jordan Topoleski. Jordan's CEO for One Month experience had to be postponed to this year, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions. This gives the two talented young leaders the unique experience of not only developing their skills and knowledge through the CEO for One Month programme, but also to share in the experience and learn from each other.

Commenting on today's announcement, Adecco Group CEO, Alain Dehaze, said:

"It is with great pleasure that we welcome Mani Makkar to the Adecco Group, as the culmination of the CEO for One Month programme. I very much look forward to working closely with Mani and being inspired by the fresh new perspectives and insights that he brings to the table. Currently in its eleventh edition, the CEO for One Month programme is now more important than ever. With the landscape of the work world forever changed by the global pandemic, we must reinvent ourselves to adapt to the new leadership profile. The CEO for One Month programme is not just a unique career opportunity for the person chosen to be the Global CEO for One Month. It also offers us, the Adecco Group, the invaluable opportunity to develop and learn from the leaders of the future, as they prepare themselves to lead in times of uncertainty and disruption."

The 2021 Global CEO for One Month, Mani Makkar, said:

"I am thrilled to have been picked as the Adecco Group's CEO for One Month, especially as the process brought together a group of such talented individuals. I'd like to congratulate all the finalists and wish them well for the future. It's such an exciting opportunity and I'm really looking forward to helping the Adecco Group define the future of work, rethink the dynamics of the workplace, and define what it means to be a leader. This is especially true during these difficult times when the world of work is being so drastically changed by the pandemic."

Alongside today's announcement, the findings of a survey of future leaders have been released. The #CtheFuture 2.0 research, from the Adecco Group Foundation, comes at a time when sweeping workplace changes continue to shape the post-pandemic world of work  taking a toll on mental health and upending work arrangements and attitudes in numerous ways. The results show that, in our new world, flexible working hours will be expected by our future leaders.

Key findings:

Mental wellbeing is of utmost importance. Following the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, mental health is the number one concern that future leaders have about the future of work  outranking access to the world of work and pay equality.

Contrary to the growing consensus in the business community that university degrees are not as important as they used to be for senior leaders in business, 54% of tomorrow's leaders still think CEOs would benefit from having a degree. This is up from 49% when asked the same question in our last #CtheFuture survey, done in 2019.

The demand for soft skills in leaders is on the rise. 79% of respondents said soft skills would be more important to future leaders than hard skills. This is up 10% since the 2019 #CtheFuture survey.

Of the soft skills, "people management and leading teams" and "communication" top the list, while "emotional intelligence" climbs up to the position of the third most valued soft skill.

The future is flexible. 87% of future leaders want flexible working hours that allow them to achieve a work-life balance. This desire is equally distributed between male and female respondents.

The full research report can be accessed here.

About CEO for One Month

The CEO for One Month programme began as a local initiative in Norway in 2011 and went global in 2014, since growing to become a flagship initiative for the Adecco Group. It supports high potential people at the beginning of their careers, by helping them increase their employability and career prospects through highly effective work-based learning. It operates under the Adecco Group Foundation, which has the mission of ensuring sustainable livelihoods for underserved populations by creating real world solutions that increase employability and access to labour markets. Applications for the 2021 programme exceeded 147,000.

For further information on CEO for One Month:

Website: https://www.adeccogroup.com/ceoforonemonth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ceoforonemonth

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CEOfor1Month

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceofor1month/

About the Adecco Group

The Adecco Group is the world's leading talent advisory and solutions company. We believe in making the future work for everyone, and every day enable more than 3.5 million careers. We skill, develop, and hire talent in 60 countries, enabling organisations to embrace the future of work. As a Fortune Global 500 company, we lead by example, creating shared value that fuels economies and builds better societies. Our culture of inclusivity, entrepreneurship and teamwork empowers our 30,000 employees. We are proud to have been consistently ranked one of the 'World's Best Workplaces' by Great Place to Work. The Adecco Group AG is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland (ISIN: CH0012138605) and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ADEN). The Group is powered by three global business units: Adecco, Talent Solutions and Modis.

For further information on The Adecco Group:

Website: https://www.adeccogroup.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theadeccogroup

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theadeccogroup

Twitter: https://twitter.com/adeccogroup

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1601779/Alain_Dehaze_and_Mani_Makkar.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1197818/The_Adecco_Group_Logo.jpg

SOURCE The Adecco Group
This is also a brands response to the postulates of the European Union and the United Nations calling for giving lands back to nature in order to stop the climate and environmental crisis. In keeping with this trend and with reference to the alarming United Nations report from August of this year , the Polish Zubr beer brand decided to help the authorities of the Biebrza National Park to protect areas that are priceless for endangered species of animals. That is why Zubr has embarked on long-term cooperation with the Biebrza National Park, in order to recover plots of land that are lying on its territory.

Approximately 500 million m of water has accumulated in the wetlands of the Biebrza Valley, one of the last valleys in Europe not destroyed by man. The marshes cool the climate, are islands of biodiversity, act as natural air conditioners and, in addition, constitute a unique habitat for protected species of birds that are admired by the whole of Europe. However, more than 40% of the Biebrza National Park still belongs to private owners and the park staff are unable to conduct appropriate nature conservation activities there, such as protecting habitats, regulating tourist traffic and preventing the destruction of nature as a result of the development of agriculture or construction.

"The protection of habitats is the most effective measure for nature, and not the protection of species. The protection of habitats is critical for an endangered species of birds to remain in the given area. Because it not only nests there, but also feeds, brings its chicks to the water and rests during migration. While farming is not appropriate protection of these habitats, namely appropriate de-bushing, mowing, etc. This will ONLY be possible if we acquire these lands for the Park and protect them properly" says Wodzimierz Wroblewski, Deputy Director of the Biebrza National Park.

Buying land is the priority for the Biebrza National Park, but it is a long and costly process. The involvement of the Zubr brand means this process can be accelerated. The first of the planned plots has already been purchased with funding from the brand and thus has enlarged the Biebrza National Park's ownership of the area.

The activities of the Zubr brand take place at a time when no new national park has been established in Poland for 20 years. The average area of national parks in the European Union is approximately 3.4% of the country's area, whereas they only constitute 1.1% in Poland. Meanwhile, more than 70% of Poles surveyed are in favour of increasing the area of national parks.

The activities in the Biebrza National Park are a part of consistent implementation of the mission of Zubr brand belonging to Asahi Europe, which is based on the active support of wildlife species by reinvesting some of its profits in them. It pursues this mission in the most valuable natural regions of Poland. It supports various nature conservation initiatives  long-term initiatives, such as cooperation with the Biaowieza National Park, and those that require quick action, such as assistance during fire in the Biebrza Valley.

"The Zubr brand was created 18 years ago around the symbols of Polish nature. In the brand's advertisements, the brand hero  Zubr (representative of the European bison)  plays the role of the Guardian of the Forest, who cares for all of its inhabitants. As our brand draws from the world of Polish nature, we feel responsible for actively supporting its protection," says Urszula Czerniawska-Kapeluch, Senior Brand Manager of the Zubr brand.

In 2019, the Zubr brand donated a million zlotys to the protection of endangered species; in 2020 it funded specialist equipment worth 1 million zlotys for the Biaowieza National Park, while a further million will be donated this year to the battle for the preservation of wildlife in its most natural form.

For more information on the Fund's activities please visit: www.funduszzubra.pl

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1601609/Zubr_and_Biebrzanski_Park_Narodowy.jpg

SOURCE Zubr and Biebrzanski Park Narodowy
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In an incident that could be considered a great example of 'Karma' being served expeditiously, two burglars broke into a major shipper's drop-off box and stole a package of what they thought were everyday electronics that they could sell. The incident was captured on the nearest building's CCTV (Closed-Circuit Television) camera. What they stole, and proceeded to drive with around for days, turned out to be Roambee's GPS (Global Positioning System) trackers en route to one of the primary COVID-19 vaccine makers, for use in tracking shipments for logistics integrity. The thieves were brought to justice within weeks, and all trackers were recovered successfully. For more on this story, including the CCTV footage, please watch this short video.

THEFT NEWS - SILICON VALLEY, SANTA CLARA, BAY AREA NEWS | GPS Trackers | Roambee

The stolen GPS tracking sensors are designed by Roambee, a global supply chain visibility provider, as a part of its full-stack location intelligence platform. The sensors communicate directly to the cloud and constantly update real-time location, condition, and chain of custody of goods at an item level when on shipments or in storage, ideal for following time and temperature-sensitive shipments.

On July 6, 2021, the thieves were able to access the drop-off box, which included the package full of bright yellow GPS trackers. Tossing the package in the car's trunk, the unassuming thieves drove around for days. Utterly oblivious to the devices' application  and what was approaching them  the thieves held on to the package.

When the Roambee team in the Santa Clara office checked the shipment status on the package shipper's website, it showed "Not Picked Up." It was way past the scheduled pickup time for the day, and something seemed odd. After the theft's confirmation, the company's representatives reached out to the Santa Clara Police Department. According to the team, the officers were ecstatic to find out that the thieves stole GPS trackers. The police had access to the hourly location and movement of the package as the suspects clocked 761 miles over a span of 14 days around the Bay Area from the day of the theft, before being apprehended by the police without incident on July 18.

Vidya Subramanian, VP of Emerging Technologies at Roambee, said, "This is not the first time that the company has had its trackers stolen. In 2017, burglars broke into our office and stole GPS tracking sensors, and were busted within hours of the incident. However, the latest incident happened when the trackers were in transit, demonstrating the vulnerability of courier drop-off boxes. This incident proves that our technology works reliably and its significance for companies shipping pharma, electronics, food, and other high-value products, requiring a verifiable chain of custody that couriers or shippers typically cannot offer."

Santa Clara police are currently tracking the package's GPS audit trails through the company's web platform to trace the thieves' routes, potentially solving more thefts. It demonstrates how effective this innovative supply chain visibility technology is in improving the safety of crucial supply chains, in the U.S. and worldwide.

About Roambee

Roambee offers verifiably better supply chain visibility on demand, for on-time, in-full, in-condition delivery of shipments and assets anywhere in the world. 300+ enterprises are improving customer experience, service levels, product quality, cash cycles, business efficiencies, sustainability, and automating logistics with Roambee's real-time insights & foresights. More than 50 of them are the top 100 global companies in the Pharma, Food, Electronics, Chemicals, Automotive, Packaging & Containers, and Logistics sectors. Roambee's innovative AI-powered platform, and end-to-end monitoring solutions, deliver curated and highly accurate supply chain signals built on item-level, firsthand IoT sensor data and non-sensor inputs. The outcome is better multimodal ETAs, OTIF deliveries, 80%+ cold chain compliance, and more, including 4X+ ROI on supply chain assets by optimizing utilization and inventory levels. Gartner identifies Roambee as one of the 9 global supply chain technology companies in "2021 Gartner Tracking and Monitoring Business Process Context: Magic Quadrant for Real-Time Transposition Visibility Platforms."



Media Contact

Premsai Sainathan

Sr. Director, Global Marketing

Roambee

[email protected]

+1 (408) 461-5221



SOURCE Roambee
CHICAGO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TmaxSoft, a global software company that delivers mainframe rehosting, Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS), and middleware solutions, announced today that it has achieved Amazon Web Services (AWS) Mainframe Migration Competency status.

AWS is enabling scalable, flexible, and cost-effective solutions from startups to global enterprises. To support the seamless integration and deployment of these solutions, AWS established the AWS Competency Program to help customers identify AWS Partners with deep industry experience and expertise. The AWS Mainframe Migration Technology Partners category recognizes AWS Partners with proven technology and customer success, migrating both mainframe applications and data to AWS.

TmaxSoft supports mainframe migration through OpenFrame, its industry-leading solution for quickly moving legacy mainframe applications and data to an open system environment. With OpenFrame, users are able to shed their monolithic mainframes and switch to a multi-tiered cloud-ready architecture which allows greater scalability, more IT transparency and flexibility, increased data accessibility, and dramatically lower costs. Customers can lower their total annual costs of ownership by 60% with OpenFrame.

"We're honored and excited to be recognized by AWS as a Mainframe Migration Technology Partner," said JP (Jongphill) Ra, Head of OpenFrame Business, TmaxSoft. "Our clients are already familiar with OpenFrame, but we're looking forward to introducing our service to more companies that are chained to their expensive and limited mainframes."

OpenFrame is the most complete solution for migrating legacy mainframe applications on Linux, Unix, Docker Containers or the public cloud.

TmaxSoft offers its services to more than 4,000 companies around the world and through AWS Marketplace, a digital catalog with thousands of software listings from independent software vendors that make it easy to find, test, buy, and deploy software that runs on AWS.

About TmaxSoft

TmaxSoft is a global software innovator focused on cloud, infrastructure and legacy modernization, with solutions that offer enterprise CIOs viable alternatives to support their global IT powerhouses and drive competitive advantage. TmaxSoft was founded in 1997 in South Korea and today has over 1,700 employees in 20 strategic centers around the world. Visit tmaxsoft.com.

SOURCE TmaxSoft

Related Links

http://www.tmaxsoft.com/


KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Catalytic Ministries, a unique nonprofit organization run mostly by nationals and former Muslims, provides the below first-hand ground report from Afghanistan's Underground Church.

Afghan women dressed in traditional clothing caring their children through the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan. Three people running for the hills outside of Kabul, Afghanistan.

"Our people are on the move; running from house to house and city to city to avoid getting caught. Unfortunately, many Afghans are calling out the location of people in hiding to gain favor with the Taliban. The situation is dire for our people as they are witnessing women and girls being taken from their homes as prizes for the Taliban and being raped. The streets of Kabul are nearly empty. There are NO women or girls walking around, Afghans are no longer wearing western clothes, and leaders have been stopped at the borders by the Taliban. Even though our leaders have been threatened, not one has been hurt or killed.

There are thousands of people inside the airport grounds attempting to get out. Thousands more have flooded the outside gates causing chaos on the ground. Many are being beaten, whipped, and shot by Taliban thugs. Isis killers are now joining the ranks of the Taliban, ignoring their differences until all infidels are caught, tortured, and killed. They have names of people who have converted to Christianity and are aggressively searching them out. These Christians are not afraid to die, but want their children to live and live free. The resources are there, courage is on a dramatic rise, and the will is strong, but chaos and evil have been waiting for this moment.

For the first 300 years of the church, persecution was an expectation not the exception for every follower of Jesus. Afghanistan didn't suddenly become dangerous for Christians; it's always been dangerous. This crisis, however, has put a global spotlight on what has been the normal Christian experience for believers in Muslim nations. Yet the underground church continues to thrive, though the problems are dire and the outcome seems grim. We carry the unrivaled hope of the Gospel that continues to prove what our enemies intend for evil will always work for our good and God's glory. Where governments, politics, and military efforts have failed, the Kingdom of God will flourish and the Gospel will advance. God does His greatest work in our darkest hour."

Pastor X, Underground Leader

PRAYER REQUESTS

Pray for the sake of others that he would part the skies and open the path to safety.

Pray that He would blind the Taliban for leaders to operate without detection. It will take Divine Providence and true miracles. ( John 8:59)

Fast and pray for miracles for those we are trying to save. ( Luke 18:27)

Pray for those fleeing to the hills to be protected (Psalm 73, Psalm 91)

Pray for miraculous protection for women and children being forcibly taken and those that have already been taken for their protection, salvation, and deliverance. (2 Thessalonians 3:1-5)

"I have been praying that the believers will be supernaturally hidden..the bride of Christ will be immeasurably strengthened...the Taliban will receive dreams and visions from the one true LIVING GOD who sees all things. HALLELUJAH!"

"Praying for you to have help, needs met, safety, and angels around you to keep you safe. You are not alone. The body of Christ is standing with you!"

NEEDS

Our goal was to raise $500,000 by September 11. As of August 24, we have raised $1,869,624 from 6,683 donors! Due to our extensive network and years of investing into Afghanistan, we have trusted leaders and multiple options to deliver these goods and operations in and out of the country. 100% of the funds raised will go directly to Afghanistan for relief efforts. Get involved today.

DONATE NOW

https://www.catalyticministries.com/giving

ABOUT GCM:

Global Catalytic Ministries is a nonprofit organization. This unique, groundbreaking ministry is carried out almost entirely by nationals and former Muslimssome of whom were even terrorists, and are making disciples where no one wants to. Since 2011, GCM has served in two of the most dangerous countries in the world for Christians. These countries have the fastest growing movement of Christianity in the world, as featured in the documentary films Sheep Among Wolves I & II.

MEDIA CONTACT:

https://www.catalyticministries.com/

[email protected]

Audrie Trevino

(208) 570-5735

SOURCE Global Catalytic Ministries
UScellular is offering customers free calls to Afghanistan until December 31, 2021. Tweet this

"While we cannot take away the pain of this humanitarian crisis, we hope to make it easier to connect with friends, family and those who need our help and support," said Courtland Madock, vice president, marketing at UScellular.

For more information on UScellular's international dialing options, go to https://www.uscellular.com/plans/international/long-distance.

About UScellular

UScellular is the fourth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States, providing national network coverage and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier is building a stronger network with the latest 5G technology and offers a wide range of communication services that enhance consumers' lives, increase the competitiveness of local businesses and improve the efficiency of government operations. To learn more about UScellular, visit one of its retail stores or www.uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with UScellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp.

For more information, contact:

Bridget Ballek, 331-385-2215, [email protected]

SOURCE USCC Services, LLC

Related Links

www.uscellular.com


The Kitsilano flagship will meet market demand for experiential elements in retail

VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Performance jeanswear brand, DUER , today announced the opening of its new flagship store in Vancouver's Kitsilano district. The 2,100 square foot space, located at 1755 West 4th Avenue, will be transformed into a sensory experience complete with DUER's signature Performance Playground and 3-D installations built from eucalyptus, recycled plastic bottles, and wood chips.

"I believe experiential retail is about to have its moment -- far beyond anything we've seen before," said Gary Lenett, Co-Founder of DUER. "There's a big market opportunity for brands like ours that can turn retail spaces into testing grounds offering a memorable experience for consumers."

Gaining traction as a lifestyle brand that's developed high performing and versatile apparel using natural materials, the decision to launch a flagship store foreshadows a year of growth for DUER in brick and mortar. The brand's commitment to finding alternatives to synthetic-rich fibers is highlighted throughout the retail design concept.

"We've created a space where people can feel, see, and touch our brand's values," said Nadia Gillies, Director of Brand. "Beyond the sensory components, we've reinvisioned our retail spaces to be brand hubs where customers can be introduced to lifestyle brands outside of DUER - Rad Power Bikes will be stationed in the playgrounds as one example."

On the heels of the flagship opening, DUER plans to open additional stores across the U.S. with the most immediate being in the La Brea district in Los Angeles. For the omni channel business, retail stores will continue to play a critical role in the brand's ability to service customers where, when and how they want to shop.

For more information on DUER please visit: duer.ca . For store renderings, please visit here .

ABOUT DUER

DUER was created to make it easier for people to get dressed and get on with the good stuff --- the healthy, adventurous, meaningful stuff. The first retail location in Vancouver opened in 2016 with Toronto and Calgary to follow. In 2020, DUER opened its first U.S. storefront in Denver, Colorado. DUER now has customers in over 27 different countries worldwide and products in 800 independent retailers through its wholesale network. From REI to Nordstrom, DUER effectively bridges the gap between fashion and function with performance jeanswear for both men and women.

Address: 1755 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver

Website

Instagram

Facebook

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NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vesey Street Capital Partners, LLC ("VSCP"), a New York-based healthcare services private equity firm, announced that funds managed by VSCP have completed a recapitalization of Safecor Health ("Safecor" or the "Company"). The Company is the market leader of pharmaceutical unit dose packaging services for hospitals and health systems and provides unit dose packaging services to pharmaceutical manufacturers and digital pharmacy companies. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Safecor Health Logo

"Vesey Street Capital Partners is both excited and honored to be partnering with Steve Fischbach, Ryan O'Dell, and the rest of the management team at Safecor Health to help support and enable its next phase of growth. Not only are we enthused about its existing and future internal growth plans, but we also view the Company's footprint as an excellent vehicle to expand via add-on acquisitions," said Adam Feinstein, Managing Partner of VSCP. Added Larry Marsh, General Partner of VSCP, "Having a long-standing relationship with the principals of the Company, we are big admirers of Safecor's positioning and prospects, and believe that the Company's best-in-class quality, excellent compliance track record, deep-seeded customer relationships, and experienced and well-respected leadership will continue to allow for meaningful growth in the future."

Steve Fischbach, the Co-Founder and CEO of Safecor, said, "The partnership with Vesey Street Capital Partners is exciting, not just for Safecor Health's growth but for the impact we can collectively have on our customers. Our mission, driven by our dedicated employees, has been to build a service platform that meaningfully improves the cost and efficiency of healthcare providers. VSCP's deep market knowledge and their dedication to putting capital to work will greatly accelerate the expansion of our platform and the positive impact we can have on our customers." Ryan O'Dell, the Company's other Co-Founder and President, added, "I am thrilled about this new chapter for Safecor Health. Our ability to improve and expand our services, build critical capacity, and further the use of technology to provide cost savings to hospital, pharmaceutical and retail customers will allow us to have an even greater impact in the marketplace. Our customers are challenged every day with reimbursement changes and limited capital and resources, all while trying to stay focused on patient care. Our new partnership with VSCP will allow us to invest in enhancing our services and building out new capabilities that will directly address those issues throughout the continuum of patient care."

VSCP and affiliates contributed the equity for the transaction. JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. provided debt financing to support the transaction, and Kirkland & Ellis served as legal counsel to VSCP. Chabria Advisory LLC served as financial advisor and Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP served as legal counsel to Safecor.

ABOUT SAFECOR HEALTH

Founded in 2008, Safecor Health is the national leader committed to providing unit dose drug packaging services for hospitals, long term care providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and retail and digital health companies. The Company also markets a rapidly growing line of commercial unit dose products for use in institutions. Today, Safecor Health services over 1,000 hospitals across the country and repackages for more than 75% of the U. S. News & World Report "Honor Roll" Hospitals. The Company has a track record of quality and for delivering significant cost savings to hospital and health systems. Operating out of two state-of-the-art packaging centers, the Safecor Health team has deep expertise in pharmaceutical packaging, pharmaceutical distribution and supply chain, and healthcare information technology. For more information, please visit www.safecorhealth.com.

ABOUT VESEY STREET CAPITAL PARTNERS

VSCP is a private equity investment firm that focuses exclusively on the healthcare services sector with substantial and differentiated sourcing expertise. Specifically, VSCP specializes in middle market buyouts, with a focus on businesses with strong cash flow characteristics that create value for hospitals, physicians, pharmaceutical/life sciences companies, and health insurers by enhancing efficiency, expanding productivity, reducing costs, and growing revenues. Since inception, the firm has deployed over $600 million in capital, primarily as a control investor. For more information, please visit www.vscpllc.com.

Media Contact:

Bryan Sekino

(646) 693-6916

[email protected]

SOURCE Vesey Street Capital Partners, LLC
MANDEVILLE, La., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Encodable Impact Publishing LLC has launched its debut manuscript, "The Second Team: A Vietnam Pilot's Journal Account of Faith, Freedom and Flying." After 53 years, Vietnam Veteran and author James C. Downing Jr. (of Fort Worth, TX) has published his personal daily journal account as a Chinook UH-47 combat pilot in the Vietnam War. He details the daily lives of U.S. Army soldiers during the Vietnam War, harrowing rescue missions, narrowly escaping death during emergency combat missions and how his faith in God proved to be Providential.

Vietnam War Pilot Shares Personal Journal Account of "The Second Team" James C. Downing Jr.

This project had lay dormant for over fifty years. Downing, now age 79 is ready to share his story to offer up a historical account of the Vietnam War, the evolution of helicopter warfare, and a personal inner dialogue of all he encountered.

Edward T. Luttenberger, Director of Communications at The National Vietnam War Museum shared, "Downing demonstrates resilience and steadfast devotion to his guiding principles." Retired Col. James W. Ireland of the United States Army stated, "You feel you are there living life with Downing from harrowing helicopter rescues, resupply missions to white knuckle emergency combat missions and crashes." Lt. Col. Charles "Dutch" M. Holland of the United States Space Force noted, "The Second Team is relatable to all who struggle with their place in the world when hope is seemingly lost. A mission with a purpose."

In a time when the world is in turmoil, hope is needed now more than ever. Understanding the patterns of humanity especially in times of war and adversity, may prevent negative future outcomes. "The Second Team" is a manuscript that is sure to historically inform, spiritually uplift and patriotically radiate liberty and justice for all. James C. Downing Jr. is available for news media appearances for interviews that may offer a positive story in the news in a time when it is needed most. More information can be found on www.jamescdowningjr.com and "The Second Team" can be purchased on Amazon in Kindle eBook and Paperback.

Contact: Rebecca Coda

480.221.8306

www.encodableimpact.com

[email protected]

SOURCE Encodable Impact Publishing LLC
FACTS AT A GLANCE Edition: 5; Released: May 2021 Executive Pool: 133779 Companies: 313 - Players covered include AgEagle Aerial Systems; aWhere Inc.; Autonomous Tractor Corporation; Cainthus; Connecterra; Cropx Technologies; Deere & Company (John Deere); Descartes Labs Inc.; ec2ce; Farmbot; Farmers Edge Inc.; Gamaya; Harvest Croo; International Business Machines Corp. (IBM); Microsoft Corporation; Peat; Precision Hawk; Resson; The Climate Corporation; Trace Genomics; Tule Technologies; Vineview; Vision Robotics and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: Component (Software, Hardware, AI-as-a-Service, Services); Technology (Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Predictive Analytics); Application (Precision Farming, Agriculture Robots, Livestock Monitoring, Drone Analytics, Labor Management, Other Applications) Geographies: World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific; Rest of World.

Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Preview Registry

ABSTRACT-

Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Agriculture Market to Reach $3.6 Billion by 2026

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Agriculture estimated at US$968 Million in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$3.6 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 22.3% over the analysis period. Software, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record a 20.9% CAGR and reach US$1.8 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Hardware segment is readjusted to a revised 24.8% CAGR for the next 7-year period.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $367.7 Million in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $582.5 Million by 2026

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Agriculture market in the U.S. is estimated at US$367.7 Million in the year 2021. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$582.5 Million by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 21.9% over the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 19.8% and 19.2% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 15.8% CAGR.

AI-as-a-Service Segment to Reach $627.4 Million by 2026

In the global AI-as-a-Service segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 22% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$132.9 Million in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of US$533.5 Million by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. Led by countries such as Australia, India, and South Korea, the market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach US$140 Million by the year 2026. More

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Director, Corporate Communications

Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Phone: 1-408-528-9966

www.StrategyR.com

Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

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SHANGHAI, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zhangmen Education Inc. ("Zhangmen" or the "Company") (NYSE: ZME), a leading online education company in China, noted that the Shanghai Municipality Government issued the Shanghai Municipality's Measures to Further Reduce the Burden of Homework and After-School Tutoring on Students in Compulsory Education in Shanghai (the "Shanghai AST Measures") to implement the requirements set forth in the Opinions on Further Alleviating the Burden of Homework and After-School Tutoring for Students in Compulsory Education, published in July by the PRC central government (the "Central Government Opinions"). The Shanghai AST Measures stipulate that, among other things:

No new provider of after-school tutoring services on academic subjects in China's compulsory education system ("Academic AST") will be approved, while existing Academic AST providers shall be subject to review and re-registration as non-profit organizations.

compulsory education system ("Academic AST") will be approved, while existing Academic AST providers shall be subject to review and re-registration as non-profit organizations. AST providers are strictly prohibited from providing Academic AST during any national holiday, weekend, winter and summer break period, subject to further restrictions over when Academic AST can be offered to students during weekdays.

Tuition fees for Academic AST shall follow the guidelines from the government to prevent any excessive charging or excessive profit-seeking activities.

Academic AST providers are prohibited from financing its operations by way of listing its securities on stock exchanges or other capital market activities. Listed companies may not invest in Academic AST providers through capital market fundraising activities, or acquire assets of Academic AST providers. Foreign investment will be prohibited in Academic AST providers.

AST advertising shall be subject to enhanced oversight.

The Company is committed to fully complying with the Shanghai AST Measures and similar measures to be adopted by other local governments, if any, to implement the requirements of the Central Government Opinions. Such measures are expected to have material impacts on its existing K-12 course business. As previously disclosed, the Company will continue to proactively seek guidance from the government authorities in Shanghai and other relevant provinces and municipalities in connection with its efforts to comply with the related PRC rules and regulations.

About Zhangmen Education Inc.

Zhangmen Education Inc. (NYSE: ZME) is a leading online education company in China. The Company's core course offerings encompass one-on-one and small-class after-school tutoring services covering a wide range of academic subjects, with an established portfolio of well-recognized online education brands including Zhangmen One-on-One, Zhangmen Small Class, Zhangmen Kids and Xiaoli. Leveraging its high-quality teaching talents with localized insights, data-driven localized educational content and powerful technology infrastructure, the Company provides a personalized and results-driven learning experience to students across different regions. Over the years, the Company has successfully garnered wide recognition in the industry and established "Zhangmen" as a trusted online education brand. For more information, please visit ir.zhangmenedu.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements which are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to," and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs, plans, and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

Zhangmen Education Inc.

Investor Relations

E-mail: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Emilie Wu

Tel: +86-21-6039-8363

E-mail: [email protected]

In the United States:

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Brandi Piacente

Tel: +1-212-481-2050

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Zhangmen Education Inc.

Related Links

https://ir.zhangmenedu.com/


Mike Clements and Pras Jeyanandhan, the Fund Managers of the VT Downing European Unconstrained Income Fund, have over 31 years of investment experience between them.

Mike, named as a 'fund veteran' by Citywire, was also fund manager at Franklin Templeton Investments where he managed the 3 billion Franklin European Growth Fund and related mandates. He went on to be the Head of European Equities at Syz Asset Management, managing a range of Pan European and Europe ex. UK funds, including the Oyster Continental European Income Fund.

Pras joined Mike at Syz Asset Management in 2015 as an investment analyst and then portfolio manager. From January 2019, Pras co-managed the Oyster European Opportunities Fund alongside Mike.

Find out more about the fund managers philosophy here.

The managers of this European income fund seeks to generate capital growth and income over the long term (5+ years). They aim to identify high quality companies that have a long term sustainable competitive advantage.
Revenues and earnings were boosted by contributions from recent acquisitions and a strong underlying performance

PLC ( ) delivered a strong first-half financial performance, boosted by a recent spate of acquisitions and supported by a strong underlying performance from the quarried materials group.

Revenues grew by 55.5% to 84.8mln, with underlying earnings (EBITDA) up almost 40% at 15.2mln.

It ended the six months to June 30 with 19.9mln in the bank thanks to its strong profit generation and effective cash management.

The period saw the group achieve a number of commercial and operational landmarks. Chief among them was the purchase of B-Mix, the expansion of the Belgian aggregates operation and the joint venture agreement with Carrieres du Boulonnais.

It recently agreed to buy Nordkalk for 470mln, representing its biggest deal to date.

"The acquisition of Nordkalk will be a great stepping stone in the evolution of the group, expanding our footprint across Northern European markets, and will bring significant earnings growth and cash generation to the group, said chief executive, Max Vermorken.
( , )'s Craig Brown gives Proactive an update on its current aggressive drill programs in Victoria across its flagship Bailieston and Creswick projects. Brown discusses the objectives of the drill campaigns and the arrival of a third multi-purpose rig which is due on site shortly. Brown also discusses recent developments in the Philippines as well as funding and offers up his thoughts on the gold price and what it means for the company's projects.
Manufacturer Anheuser-Busch previously revealed plans to invest in a new NFT media shop

Beer brand Budweiser seems to be into non-fungible tokens (NFTs) after changing its Twitter profile picture to a rocket ship designed by NFT artist Tom Sachs.

The picture was paid eight ether or US$25,000.

Users on the social media website also said that the beer outfit, manufactured by Anheuser-Busch, paid 30 ETH for Beer.eth, which corresponds to US$95,000.

Budweiser paid 30 ETH for Beer.eth. Thats almost $100,000. Theres some symbolism to them flexing a rocket from @tsrocketfactory. Its happening, everyone. ???? pic.twitter.com/LecJdLfz2L  dGEN Network (@dGenNetwork) August 25, 2021

Last month, vice president of global brands at Anheuser-Busch Richard Oppy said that they are investing in a new NFT media shop, which will be headed by internet entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk.

The initiative will be a long-term business play because the company doesnt think this is just a fad, Oppy told Coindesk at the time.

We think that this is going to change the way people think about their sponsorship properties in the future.
( , , ) (TSX:ESM, OTC:CPNFF, ) Scott Moore talks to Proactive London's Katie Pilbeam about their plans to list on London Stock Exchange (LSE) Main Market.

As Moore explains this is all subject to the required regulatory approvals from the Financial Conduct Authority and the LSE, including publication of a prospectus, with admission expected to occur in the third quarter of 2021.

The Toronto-listed company's main asset, the Rovina Valley project, which contains the Rovina, Colnic and Ciresata deposits, is one of the largest undeveloped copper-gold projects in Europe, holding approximately 400 million tonnes of confirmed resources containing 7.0 million ounces of gold and 1.4 billion pounds of copper.

The Rovina Valley gold and copper project is 100% held by the company.
The Swedish payments company said it will keep expanding into new markets

Swedish payments company Klarna announced a jump in transactions in the second quarter as the number of users in the US reached 20mln.

The buy now, pay later group said gross merchandise volume (GMV)  the value of transactions - rose to US$20bn in the three months to June 30 from US$12bn in the same period last year, while in the first half GMV grew to US$39bn from US$22bn.

In the US, GMV rocketed 311% in the first half, driven by an increase in American users of 3mln to 20mln during the second quarter.

The group has over 90mln active users worldwide and 2mln transactions a day. It launched in France and New Zealand in the first half and in Poland in August and now operates in 17 countries.

The company said it would keep expanding into new markets.

Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO and co-founder of Klarna, said: As we invest for growth by expanding our offering in existing markets and bringing Klarna to new markets, we are confident we can continue this strong track record that is helping create a sustainable global digital economy that benefits everyone.

The company is widely expected to list in New York in the next couple of years, but gave no details of its plans in Wednesdays earnings release.

In June, the company raised US$639 million in a funding round, giving it a valuation of near US$46bn.
Galileo recently completed its first deep RC drilling campaign at the Delta Blues prospect in WAs Fraser Range with the mineralised strike expanded.

( ) is one company that is not shying away from finding Nickel Sulphides. Are their recent drilling results showing more evidence of a potential new source of nickel sulphides?

Investors in the ASX who are looking for a company that actually spends the majority of their funds on good exploration should look at ( ) ( ).

Since the company listed on the ASX, they have undergone 13 drill programs since early 2018.

Brad Underwood, chair and managing director of Galileo Mining Ltd ( ), shares with us the technical merits of their projects in today's Coffee with Samso. Brad indicates that there is potential of a different source of nickel sulphides in the Albany-Fraser Range.

Conversations with Brad

What the recent results mean in realising a potential new source for the nickel sulphides. The need to understand the 'Black Art' of geophysics What is the Ni-Cu-PGE story? The reasons why the Galileo story is robust and is worthy of an Investment for ASX for investors.

Watch the interview: Coffee with Episode 98

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:39 Recent drilling results - What does it mean?

04:04 Do the current findings give you new ideas?

05:56 The significance of the S2 trend.

07:38 What is controlling the mineralisation?

08:14 What do the EM numbers mean?

10:59 What is happening with the other projects?

12:00 What is the Ni - Cu - PGE story all about?

13:55 How do you find palladium?

15:15 What will happen now going forward?

17:40 Conclusion

Exploration is about doing the work and this includes the Black Art of Geophysics.

PODCAST

About Galileo Mining Ltd ( )

Galileo Mining Ltd is a resources company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) under the code GAL and is exploring for base metals in south-east Western Australia. The company has 100% ownership of its Norseman Project and has Joint Ventures with the Creasy Group over highly prospective tenements in the Fraser Range.

The Norseman Project is located adjacent to the regional town of Norseman in an infrastructure-rich area of Western Australia. A bitumen highway runs parallel to the project area and is less than 10km from the Companys current JORC cobalt-nickel resources. The Norseman Project includes numerous areas with potential for further cobalt discoveries as well as additional nickel and copper prospects.

The Fraser Range Project covers two zones of the extensive Fraser Range geological belt. The Fraser Range is known for the world-class Nova nickel-copper-cobalt mine discovered by Sirius Resources in 2012. Galileos northern Fraser Range tenement is 80km from the operating Nova mine while the southern tenements are just 30km from the mine.

Galileo is targeting Nova style nickel-copper-cobalt mineralisation in the Fraser Range and has a deep level of experience in the region.

The company was originally privately owned by renowned prospector Mr. Mark Creasy, and Galileo Managing Director Mr. Brad Underwood spent eight years as General Manager of the Creasy Groups exploration at the Fraser Range and Norseman.

Galileo Mining listed on the ASX in May 2018, raising $15 million in IPO funding.

Mr. Creasy continues to be the largest shareholder, controlling approximately 31 percent of the company. ASX-listed miner Independence Group (ASX: IGO) and Mineral Resources founder Chris Ellison are included within the Companys top five largest shareholders.

Galileo Key Milestones

2003  Registered as a private company wholly owned by Mark Creasy

2004  Acquired the Norseman project

2006  Initial drilling conducted at Norseman

2017  Maiden JORC Resource completed at Norseman

2018  Acquired interest in the Fraser Range project

2018  Launched on the ASX as a public company

It has been nearly two months since I last spoke with Mr. Underwood, Managing Director of Galileo Mining Limited. Click on the podcast below for an update on nickel exploration. The science and techniques of nickel exploration process are easy but there are potential issues. As we speak, the company is undergoing its first diamond drilling program at its Fraser Range Nickel Belt in Western Australia.

About Brad Underwood

Brad Underwood is the chairman and managing director of Galileo Mining. Mr Underwood is a geologist with over 18 years of experience in exploration, prospecting and mining. He has been involved in copper, gold, nickel and cobalt discoveries and the development of numerous prospects over a variety of commodities.

Previous conversations with Brad

Watch the previous Coffee With conversation with Brad here.

Galileo's strategic focus on nickel, copper and cobalt in tier-1 mining jurisdiction.

Listen to the Rooster Talk conversation with Brad here.

Focusing on the science and techniques of nickel exploration - the easy process and potential issues.

Featured on Brilliant-Online

Galileo Mining Limited shares Methodical Approach to the Search for Nickel and Palladium

Please let Samso know your thoughts and send any comments to info@Samso.com.au. Remember to Subscribe to the YouTube Channel, Samso Media and the mail list to stay informed and make comments where appropriate. Other than that, also feel free to provide a Review on Google.

For further information about Coffee with Samso and Rooster Talks visit: www.samso.com.au

About Samso

Samso is a renowned resource among the investment community for keen market analysis and insights into the companies and business trends that matter.

Investors seek out Samso for knowledgeable evaluations of current industry developments across a variety of business sectors and considered forecasts of future performances.

With a compelling format of relaxed online video interviews, Samso provides clear answers to questions they may not have the opportunity to ask and lays out the big picture to help them complete their investment research.

And in doing so, Samso also enables companies featured in interviews to build valuable engagement with their investment communities and customers.

Headed by industry veteran Noel Ong and based in Perth, Western Australia, Samsos Coffee with Samso and Rooster Talk interviews both feature friendly conversations with business figures that give insights into Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) companies, related concepts and industry trends.

Noel Ong is a geologist with nearly 30 years of industry experience and a strong background in capital markets, corporate finance and the mineral resource sector. He was founder and managing director of ASX-listed company Siburan Resources Limited from 2009-2017 and has also been involved in several other ASX listings, providing advice, procuring projects and helping to raise capital.

He brings all this experience and expertise to the Samso interviews, where his engaging conversation style creates a relaxed dialogue, revealing insights that can pique investor interest.

Noel Ong travels across Australia to record the interviews, only requiring a coffee shop environment where they can be set up. The interviews are posted on Samsos website and podcasts, YouTube and other relevant online environments where they can be shared among investment communities.

Samso also has a track record of developing successful business concepts in the Australasia region and provides bespoke research and counsel to businesses seeking to raise capital and procuring projects for ASX listings.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this article is the writers personal opinion and is provided for information only and is not intended to or nor will it create/induce the creation of any binding legal relations. Read full disclaimer.
David Quinlivans indirect interest in Ora Banda has increased by more than 588,000 shares, raising $100,000 for the gold explorer.

( )s non-executive director David Quinlivan has increased his stake in the company through its recent capital raise.

The former managing director of the gold exploration and development company secured shares valued at $100,000 in the $25 million raise announced in early June.

Quinlivans change in interest was officially lodged on Wednesday, August 25, after shareholders approved his subscription last month.

Change in interest

The gold explorer embarked on the raise to fund resource definition and reserve replacement, maiden reserves work, regional exploration, ramp-up costs and working capital for the Davyhurst Gold Project in Western Australias Eastern Goldfields.

OBM had already secured firm commitments to raise $21 million via a placement at 17 cents per share. In addition, eligible shareholders were given the chance to participate in a share purchase plan to raise a further $4 million.

The company also proposed that 588,236 new shares  raising another $100,000  would be issued to the outgoing managing director.

In order for this to go ahead, a shareholder meeting was held on July 19, when the motion to issue the shares passed.

The fully paid ordinary shares were quoted last week on Wednesday, August 18, and placed with Quinlivan on the same date in an indirect interest.

Following this acquisition, Quinlivan now holds 2,743,170 fully paid ordinary shares in that interest with a further 2,568,465 held in a separate indirect interest.

Leadership transition

On July 1, Quinlivan stepped down from the managing director role and into a non-executive director position.

He was succeeded by existing CEO Peter Nicholson, who brings with him 25 years of industry experience in operational and mine management roles.

At the time, Ora Banda chair Peter Mansell said: We sincerely thank David for his contribution to the company since his appointment in the role of MD and CEO at the time of the administration of Eastern Goldfields.

It was a difficult period for the company and David really rose to the challenge.

We look forward to his continued involvement with Ora Banda as a Non-Executive Director.

Undoubtedly, we will benefit from Peters diverse suite of skills and his technical, commercial and operational expertise and experience, which will be a substantial contributor to the ongoing success and growth of Ora Banda.
The company has appointed David Do and Maja McGuire as new directors with outgoing directors Xavier Kris and John Bell to continue their association with the company on its Advisory Board.

( ) has strengthened its Board of Directors with two appointments in David Do, a financial matters expert, and Maja McGuire, a lawyer with nearly 15 years of experience.

Currently, Do is managing director at VI Group, a Vietnam focused private equity firm with more than $500 million under management and substantial investments in technology, media, education, healthcare, consumer services and logistics.

McGuire, an Australian lawyer with nearly 15 years of experience in providing corporate and compliance advice to ASX listed companies, is also serving as non-executive chair of ( ), non-executive director of Kuniko Ltd and non-executive director of LTR Pharma Limited.

Xavier Kris, former executive director, and John Bell, former chief financial officer, have resigned from the board but will remain involved as members of OliveXs Advisory Board, with Kris assuming the role of chair.

Next stage of development

OliveX CEO Keith Rumjahn said: Were excited to welcome David and Maja to our fast-growing family of companies, as we accelerate our next stage of development in building a health and fitness metaverse.

Being able to harness Davids experience of being a key player at Microsoft, as well as his expertise in helping build some of the most famous media and e-commerce brands in the world, shows how big our ambitions are.

Majas deep understanding and experience in capital raisings, corporate governance and commercial contracts with a number of innovative technology companies, not only in Australia but also international companies based in North America, will be invaluable to our success.

David Dos background

Do previously worked as general manager at Microsoft where he led strategy, mergers & acquisitions, investments, joint ventures and post-merger integration.

His operating experience includes managing global retail, telecom, media and payments sectors for Microsofts services businesses, as well as serving as a member of the board of several companies in China, Australia, Mexico and the Middle East.

He has worked as an independent director of Wotif, the largest listed online travel agency for Australia, New Zealand and SE-Asia.

Do, an MBA from Harvard University who also holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales, was also a founding team member at EachNet, the leading Chinese e-commerce firm, and has also worked with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and JP Morgan.

He said: I see how OliveX is helping shape the future world of health and fitness for us all, and its potential is incredible

OliveX motivates its users, turning fitness from a chore to an enjoyable, seamless experience across both their real-world and digital lives.

That, combined with its core skills of digital innovation and creativity makes it a fascinating company to be part of.

Maja McGuires background

McGuire started her career as a corporate lawyer at Clayton Utz, where she gained experience in a broad range of corporate, commercial, and banking and finance matters.

In 2014 McGuire joined the Canadian Bankers Association, where she advocated on behalf of Canadian banks on issues related to developments in domestic and international banking regulation related primarily to capital adequacy and funding.

Between 2014 and 2018, she was company secretary and legal counsel of Admedus Limited (now ( , , )) and later undertook the role of company secretary and legal counsel at the US-based Alexium International Group Limited.

McGuire, who holds BComm and LLB qualifications from The University of Western Australia, said: OliveX has big ambitions and I am extremely pleased to be asked by the board to help contribute to the companys growth strategy and its future success.

Advisory Board

The company is pleased that Kris and Bell will remain involved as members of its Advisory Board.

Rumjahn said: Xavier Kris and John Bell have been instrumental in the success of OliveX to date and their contribution to the growth of our business cannot be understated.

From the implementation of strong corporate governance through to the listing of the business and acquisition of targets on an accretive basis; the foundations that have been laid will serve us exceptionally well into the future.

Whilst Xavier and John have competing interests on their time; we are delighted that both have agreed to remain involved as members of our Advisory Board, with Xavier assuming the role of chair.

In this way, we will continue to benefit from their strategic insight and subject matter expertise.

The company also announced the appointment of Joel Ives and Marshall Lee, both experienced chartered accountants, as joint company secretary following the resignation of Bell.
( ) is continuing to build and convert a significant sales pipeline in providing weld-free coupling and leak containment solutions targeting oil, gas, LNG and mining industries.

The company has a portfolio of proprietary asset integrity products protected by seven patent families with 28 granted patents in 25 countries.

Distribution: alliances and relationships

EnerMech

SRJ has signed a global collaboration agreement with EnerMech, for the development, marketing and installation of SRJ products to customers in Australia, Europe, North America, UAE and Korea

EnerMech is a global business providing mechanical, electrical and instrumentation services to the oil and gas industry

Minimum sales targets to ensure jurisdictional exclusivity

Mitsui & Co

Strategic alliance with Mitsui who has also become a shareholder in the SRJ IPO

Mitsui has a significant presence in Australia having invested A$15 billion in Oil & Gas, Mining and FPSO (floating production storage and offloading) assets

Mitsui has made introductions to SRJ including MODEC and Woodside which have initiated purchase orders

Mitsui is working with SRJ to actively promote products globally

SBM Offshore

SBM Offshore engaged SRJ for Asset Integrity consulting in late 2020 to support the engineering design of new standardised FPSO vessels

Initial order value is 60,000 (A$113,000) with further work currently under negotiation which has the potential to double this value

SRJ expertise will support engineering design of generic FPSO vessels as part of the SBM Fast4Ward Program

PSSS

Memorandum of Understanding signed with Australian company Piping Specialty Supply Service Ltd (PSSS)

PSSS to add SRJ BoltEx Bolt Exchange Flange Clamp to rental equipment and actively market to client base

Includes minimum revenue targets for 2021 with initial A$50,000 order issued for first 3-month rental term

Revenue target for rental income under the MoU is A$500,000 (CY2021)

Recent customer wins

MODEC (a subsidiary of Mitsui & Co)

March 2021  received first purchase order from MODEC a global supplier and operator of offshore floating platforms

April 2021  secured a purchase order from MODEC to develop a detailed work scope for a major hot bolting campaign using the SRJ BoltEx

July 2021  successfully secured a purchase order for a bolting campaign on a MODEC FPSO vessel

Woodside

March 2021  received its first purchase order from Woodside for an eight-week lease campaign

ZOMCO

April 2021  received first order in Saudi Arabia through ZOMCO agency agreement. The order will provide SRJ asset integrity solutions to SABIC in Jubail Industrial City

SBM Offshore

December 2020  ongoing engagement with SBM Offshore on various design elements for their new fleet of FPSO vessels. Also assisting with the review of EPRS on their existing fleet

July 2021  won a consulting contract with SBM Offshore. SRJs expertise will support engineering design of generic FPSO vessels as part of the SBM Fast4Ward Program

Sales pipeline

Technology developments

Hydrogen gas solution

SRJ submitted a formal grant application in April 2021 for a Joint Industry Project (JIP) for the development of hydrogen compatible pipe connection technologies that will see SRJ partnering with Curtin University and SixDe Engineering for the project.

A decision on this grant application has been delayed until August 2021.

SRJ believes it has the only active technology to resolve hydrogen-environment embrittlement (HE) issue.

SRJAnalytics

SRJ has launched a new digital platform SRJAnalytics allows asset management, maintenance and inspection teams to standardise all activities, centralise data capture and provide instant reporting related to the condition of each of their piping assets.

SRJAnalytics is currently being tested and improved in coordination with a large FPSO operator.

Outsourced manufacturing

SRJ has outsourced manufacturing to allow the company to focus on sales.

The company has existing manufacturing relationships (two in Australia, one in UK) to service current demand in Australia and Europe.

SRJ is also engaged in ongoing discussions with further manufacturers in other regions.

Outlook

Addressing maintenance delays  during FY2020 and H1 2021 the industry has been impacted by maintenance delays from asset owners who look to push out maintenance work at each opportunity. This has created opportunity for more efficient solutions like SRJ products to address the significant maintenance backlog.

Land and expand  EPRS (emergency pipeline repair system) solutions are an excellent tool for introducing SRJ business to a customer and gaining commercial traction. If the company can help customers with their most difficult maintenance jobs, it provides a great catalyst to build an on-going relationship with them thereby increasing the opportunity to cross-sell SRJ solution to them.

Seamless solutions  SRJs approach has shifted to a seamless solutions-based approach compared to being a products-only company. The consulting arm is a fundamental cornerstone of SRJs problem solving capability for its clients which leads to future sales of products.

Research and development  SRJ is committed to invest in research and development. The company will continue to investigate areas of importance for customers to provide them with alternatives to fit different projects and requirements.

SRJ CEO Alex Wood tells Proactive's Andrew Scott the companys immediate focus is on converting its sales pipeline which he says is now happening:
They have become a member of the Asociacion Mexicana de Horticultura Protegida (AMHPAC), Mexico's largest protected agriculture association

CO2 GRO and its partner will be exhibiting at AMHPAC's confab in Los Cabos in September

( , ). and Mexico marketing and sales partner Rancho Nexo have announced that they have become a member of the Asociacion Mexicana de Horticultura Protegida (AMHPAC) -- which is Mexico's largest protected agriculture association.

In addition, CO2 GRO and its partner will be exhibiting at AMHPAC's ANNUAL CONGRESS in Los Cabos from September 1- 3.

CO2 GRO added that Rancho Nexo is currently attending the GreenTech Americas Conference at the Queretaro Centro de Congresos in Mexico (August 24-26).

GreenTech Americas is the meeting place for all professionals involved in horticultural technology in the Mexico region and the rest of the Americas, as the exhibition focuses on the early stages of the horticultural production chain and the relevant problems that arise for producers.

CO2 GRO said AMHPAC will be its second in-person conference since March 2020 following the relaxation of COVID-related travel restrictions.

AMHPAC is the trade organization for Mexico's greenhouse and protected ag growers, who collectively operate 54,150 hectares (about 6 billion square feet) of grow facilities. AMHPAC represents 380 Mexican vegetable growers, who export 90% of Mexico's vegetable produce -- the second-largest protected ag market in the world.

"Being a member of AMHPAC is an important show of commitment by CO2 GRO to the Mexican protected ag market, said Rancho Nexo Principal Matt Grant in a statement.

We have been working with our team in Mexico to develop a coherent strategy for penetrating the market. Part of this strategy is attending the AMHPAC CONGRESS, which also gives our team in Mexico the opportunity to meet with GROW team members in person. We are committed to building the CO2 Delivery Solutions brand and technology roll-out in Mexico, and these conferences are integral to us meeting with potential customers."

Aaron Archibald, vice president of sales & strategic alliances, at CO2 GRO added: "Working with our Mexican partner, Rancho Nexo, we look forward to accelerating the introduction of our CO2 Delivery Solutions technology. The Mexican protected ag market is a key focus of our sales and marketing initiatives going forward due to the size of the market, its proximity and close relations with Canada and the US, as well as the fact that the vast majority of facilities in Mexico cannot utilize CO2 with traditional application methods due to the hot climate."

Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham
Washington, Aug 25 : US President Joe Biden on Tuesday told Group of Seven (G7) leaders that the United States aimed at completing Afghan evacuation by August 31, while asking for contingency plans to adjust the timeline if necessary.

Biden attended a virtual G7 summit over Afghanistan earlier in the day, during which "he confirmed we are currently on pace to finish by August 31st," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

"He also made clear that with each day of operations on the ground, we have added risk to our troops with increasing threats from ISIS-K," she said, referring to the local affiliate of the Islamic State.

"And that completion of the mission by August 31st depends on continued coordination with the Taliban, including continued access for evacuees to the airport." "In addition, the President has asked the Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the timeline should that become necessary," she added.

The statement came as multiple U.S. news outlets reported that Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns held a secret meeting with Taliban senior leader Abdul Ghani Baradar on Monday in Kabul, which likely covered the August 31 deadline issue.

Earlier on Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid made it clear that the US should withdraw all troops and contractors from the country before the deadline and no extension for the ongoing evacuation process would be possible.

Biden is facing pressure from allies and lawmakers to extend the ongoing evacuation beyond August 31. According to media reports, Britain and France had expected Biden to leave US troops in Kabul for additional days for the evacuation.

In a Tuesday interview with FOX News, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged the president to "forget about the August 31st deadline" and to continue the evacuation.

Some congressional Democrats also questioned whether the evacuation could be completed in days.

"It's hard for me to imagine all of that can be accomplished between now and the end of the month," House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff told reporters on Monday after receiving a classified briefing on Afghanistan.

Biden in April ordered all US troops to leave Afghanistan before September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that drew the United States into its longest war. He then brought forward the deadline to August 31 in July.

The US has been scrambling to evacuate Americans and its Afghan partners from the country since the Taliban entered the capital Kabul on August 15.

The White House said on Tuesday that around 21,600 people had been evacuated during a 24 hour-period ending early Tuesday morning. In total, approximately 58,700 people had left the country since August 14.

The Pentagon said later in the day that "approximately 4,000 American passport holders plus their families" had been evacuated.

The Biden administration thus far cannot provide a precise number of US citizens who remain in Afghanistan. US media estimated that number is between 10,000 and 15,000.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Abuja, Aug 25 : The ongoing cholera outbreak in Nigeria has killed 1,768 people in the country since its onset in January, a top health official said here.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Chikwe Ihekweazu, head of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), said 47,603 suspected cases of cholera were recorded in 23 states and the Federal Capital Territory as of mid-August, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The cases were reported from the beginning of the year. Persons aged five to 14 were mostly affected, 51 per cent being male and 49 per cent, female," Ihekweazu said, noting that the national multi-sectoral emergency system continues to coordinate the national response.

The senior disease control official said the lack of potable water in rural communities, inadequate manpower for the cholera outbreak, as well as insufficient vaccine to be deployed to the affected local government areas in the country, are challenges being encountered in the cause of responding to the outbreak.

Cholera is a highly virulent disease characterized in its most severe form by a sudden onset of acute watery diarrhoea that can lead to death by severe dehydration.

The outbreak of cholera in Nigeria has remained persistent, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more often in areas with poor sanitation, overcrowding, lack of clean food and water, and areas where open defecation is a common practice.
Kuwait City, Aug 25 : The first flight of US-bound Afghans evacuated from the war-torn country has arrived in Kuwait for transit, said Alina L. Romanowski, the American ambassador to the Gulf nation.

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, the envoy announced the safe arrival of the first flight carrying Afghan evacuees to a military facility in Kuwait, reports Xinhua news agency.

She added that the arrivals were welcomed by US and Kuwaiti military and diplomatic personnel.

Romanowski did not specify how long the Afghans would stay in Kuwait before heading to the US and other destinations, nor the number of the arrivals.

Kuwait's Foreign Ministry approved on August 22 the transit of 5,000 Afghan nationals who have been evacuated from their country to the US under the directions of the Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The move aims to enhance the cooperation between the two countries and continuation of the humanitarian role of Kuwait in the evacuation from Afghanistan, the Ministry said.

The US and its allies have been scrambling to evacuate personnel from Afghanistan since the Taliban entered Kabul on August 15.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday that the American and coalition aircraft had evacuated over 16,000 people in the last 24 hours.
Lucknow, Aug 25 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will distribute about 20 lakh free gas connections under the Central government's Ujjwala 2.0 scheme on Wednesday.

A virtual programme has been organised during which the Chief Minister will also interact with some beneficiaries of the scheme.

According to a government spokesman, "Under Ujjwala 2.0, migrant workers can avail of a free cooking gas connection just with a self-declaration. They will not be required to submit documents like address proof. The scheme aims to provide deposit-free LPG connections to low-income families who were not covered under the first phase of the scheme." Ujjwala Scheme 2.0 was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 10 when he handed over LPG connections to beneficiaries in Mahoba.

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was initially launched by the Prime Minister in May 2016 from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh.
Chennai, Aug 25 : Former Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers and senior leaders of the AIADMK, K. Palaniswami and O. Panneerselvam, who have been directed to appear before a special court on September 14, will move the Madras High court against the order.

A special court hearing the cases related to MLAs and MPs had asked the two leaders to appear in the court in a defamation case filed against them by the former spokesperson of the AIADMK, Va Pugazhendi.

Sources in the AIADMK legal cell told IANS that the two leaders would again move the Madras High Court to quash the order of the Special court on personal appearance. The legal team of the AIADMK will be moving the Madras High Court in a couple of days.

The former Chief Ministers were to appear before the special court on Tuesday (August 24) and when the matter came up before the special judge, N. Alicia, the counsel for the leaders said that they were busy with the Budget Session and filed petitions seeking to dispense with their personal appearances in court.

The Judge then directed the leaders to appear before the court on September 14 and adjourned the matter.

Former spokesperson of the party Va Pugazhendhi filed a case against both the senior leaders after his expulsion from the party on June 14.

In his petition, he alleged that the news of his expulsion was circulated in electronic, print, and social media and that the content of the letter tarnished his image before the AIADMK cadres. He accused the two senior leaders of an offence punishable under Sections 499(Defamation) and 500 (Punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code(IPC).
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 25 : With just a few days left for the announcement of the 14 district Congress Committee presidents in the Congress party in Kerala, an ugly poster war has broken out against the top leaders of the party and the latest victim is Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan and that too at his home turf in Ernakulam.

By now those who have come under severe attack include Oommen Chandy, Ramesh Chennithala, Shashi Tharoor and a few others.

The latest attack against Satheesan came when State party chief K. Sudhakaran reached Delhi for the last round of consultation with the party high command and also AICC organisational general secretary K.C. Venugopal.

One reason why this time things have gone from bad to worse in the Congress party is on account of the high command stepping in and arbitrarily announcing the names of Sudhakaran and Satheesan for the top posts.

Hitherto the Congress party since the turn of the present century was firmly under the control of Chandy and Chennithala, but with the walloping that the party suffered in the April 6 assembly polls, when for the first time a CPI-M led government under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan retained power, the high command decided to step in and act on its own.

A media critic on condition of anonymity said given the turn of events ever since the Chandy-Chennithala duo has been sidelined by the high command and Satheesan and Sudhakaran appointed, uneasy calm is prevailing in the party.

"This does not augur well for the party and there is every chance for a free for all in the party when the final list of the 14 will be announced. The first signs that things are not in order is form the poster war that has broken out against the top leaders. If better sense does not prevail among the high command and also among the top brass in the party, things could well be bad for the party," said the critic.

Even though the erstwhile Chandy-Chennithala factions do not exist in the same force as they used to be in the past, today the scene is they are both in unison and this is where Satheesan and Sudhakaran could find the going tough.
August 25 : After a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officer stopped Salman Khan at the entrance of the Mumbai airport and directed him to go through security check, media was abuzz with the news and several rumours have erupted since then. Putting an end to all such rumours, CISF came out with an official tweet stating that the officer in question has been suitably rewarded for doing his duty sincerely.

It so happened that last week when Salman Khan was at the Mumbai airport to fly to Russia for Tiger 3 shooting, he straight away headed to the entrance of the airport as if to pass it without security check. But the actor was immediately stopped by the CISF officer in question, who asked the actor to go at the security check first and follow the protocol. This immediately made headlines as the incident was captured in a paparazzi video. Some reports have suggested that the officer has been reprimanded for stopping the superstar. However, in a tweet, the CISF has said that the officer was suitably rewarded for exemplary professionalism. Replying to the rumours, CISF tweet read as, The contents of this tweet are incorrect & without factual basis. In fact, the officer concerned has been suitably rewarded for exemplary professionalism in the discharge of his duty. @PIBHomeAffairs

The contents of this tweet are incorrect & without factual basis. In fact, the officer concerned has been suitably rewarded for exemplary professionalism in the discharge of his duty. @PIBHomeAffairs  CISF (@CISFHQrs) August 24, 2021

Earlier, a report suggested that the ASI of CISF from Odisha has landed in trouble for speaking with the media about the incident. It was also reported that his mobile phone was seized for talking to the media.

A real gem of news. CISF jawan tells actor Salman Khan, who was trying to skip the line, to get the mandatory security check done at Mumbai airport pic.twitter.com/JK1lP1j2Sz  Gems Of News (@GemsOfNews) August 21, 2021

Meanwhile, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif are currently shoot for Tiger 3 in Russia. Several pictures and videos of Salman Khan shooting in Russia have surfaced online. Some pictures also showed him wearing a disguise. Fans also shared pictures of the actor posing with his Russian fans.

Helmed by Maneesh Sharma, Tiger 3 is a Yash Raj Films much-awaited project. The big budget spy thriller Tiger 3 is the third instalment of the blockbuster Tiger franchise. While Salman will return as special agent Avinash Singh Rathore, Katrina as Zoya Humain. The previous parts, Ek Tha Tiger and Tiger Zinda Hai, were released in 2012 and 2017, respectively.
Tel Aviv, Aug 25 : Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has embarked on a trip to the US for his first official meeting with American President Joe Biden over issues of regional and global security with a focus on Iran.

The meeting between the two leaders, which is expected on Thursday, comes as tensions in the Middle East are running high, reports Xinhua news agency.

Violent incidents on Israel's border with the Gaza Strip over the past few days have increased speculation that a renewed escalation with the Islamic Hamas Movement was imminent.

Meanwhile, Israel's longstanding shadow war with Iran is threatening to spill over into a more direct confrontation as the two sides traded blows in different locations around the region.

Bennett, who has repeatedly said Israel reserves the right to act against Iran, is expected to outline his policy towards Iran.

The US visit will help him get cues on Washington's own Iran policy.

Before boarding the plane from the Ben Gurion Airport late Tuesday afternoon, the Prime Minister said: "There is a new administration in the US and a new government in Israel, and I am bringing with me from Jerusalem a new spirit of cooperation.

"I have no doubt that this new spirit of cooperation has contributed, and will continue to contribute, to the security of Israel." Meanwhile, a statement by the White House regarding the upcoming meeting said that "the visit will also be an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss efforts to advance peace, security, and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians and the importance of working towards a more peaceful and secure future for the region".

The goal of the meeting is for both sides to understand each other and learn how to cooperate, said Eytan Gilboa, an expert on Israeli-US relations at Bar-Ilan University.

Leading a slim majority government, Bennett needs the photo opportunity in Washington to bolster his position within Israel, according to analysts.
Hyderabad, Aug 25 : The annual income limit for availing Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota for initial appointments in posts and for admissions into educational institutions in Telangana has been fixed at Rs 8 lakh.

As per the guideline issued by the state government for implementation of 10 per cent reservation to EWS, only those from EWS are eligible who are not covered under the scheme of reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes.

The gross annual income limit for availing the EWS reservation is below Rs 8 lakh. The income shall also include income from all sources that is salary, agriculture, business, profession, etc., for the financial year prior to the year of application.

The guidelines stipulate that 33.3 per cent of the initial appointments in posts and services under the state government earmarked for EWS category would be allocated to women among them. The maximum age for direct recruitment to a post would be raised by 5 years for EWS candidates on par with SC, ST and BC candidates.

Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar on Tuesday issued the Government Order (GO) with consolidated guidelines for implementation of the EWS quota.

It was on January 21 this year that the Telangana government decided to implement the 10 per cent reservation to EWS in the state.

The Centre in 2019 had announced a 10 per cent quota for EWS in higher educational institutions including private institutions and initial appointments in services under the state.

The state government issued guidelines at a time when it is gearing up to fill 50,000 vacancies in various departments and admissions are set to begin in professional courses including engineering, agriculture, pharmacy, MBA, MCA and LLB.

According to the GO, the General Administration Department and Education Department will separately issue necessary amendments to rules and guidelines following the criteria and guidelines prescribed by the Government of India.

The benefit of reservation under EWS can be availed upon production of an Income Certificate issued by a Tehsildar. The office who issues the certificate would do the same after carefully verifying all relevant documents following due process, reads the GO.

Where in any recruitment year any vacancy earmarked for EWS cannot be filled up due to non-availability of a suitable candidate belonging to EWS, such vacancies for that particular recruitment year shall not be carried forward to the next recruitment year as backlog, it said.

EWS candidates would get exemption from exam fees on par with SC/ST/BC candidates in respect of direct recruitments.

The government has directed all higher educational institutions in the state to increase the number of seats in each branch of study or faculty to admit EWS candidates for all admission notifications issued hereafter.

With 10 per cent reservation to EWS, the overall quota for various categories in the state has gone up to 60 per cent.

Telangana legislature in 2017 had already passed a Bill enhancing Reservation for Muslims from four per cent to 12 per cent and for Scheduled Tribes (STs) from six per cent to 10 per cent.

The state had requested the Centre to amend the Constitution to relax the 50 per cent upper limit for quota to all sections as prescribed by the Supreme Court. The Centre has still not responded to the request.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : A default permissions settings in Microsoft Power Apps might have exposed data of 38 million users online, cyber security researchers reported.

According to security research network UpGuard, the types of data included personal information used for Covid-19 contact tracing, vaccination appointments, social security numbers for job applicants, employee IDs, and millions of names and email addresses.

UpGuard notified 47 entities of exposures involving personal information, including governmental bodies like Indiana, Maryland, and New York City, and private companies like American Airlines, J.B. Hunt, and Microsoft, for a total of 38 million records across all portals.

"The number of accounts exposing sensitive information, however, indicates that the risk of this feature -- the likelihood and impact of its misconfiguration -- has not been adequately appreciated," the UpGuard team said in a blog post.

Microsoft Power Apps are a product for making "low code", cloud-hosted business intelligence apps. Power Apps portals are a way to create a public website to "give both internal and external users secure access to your data." Users can create websites in the Power Apps UI with application capabilities like user authentication, forms for users to enter data, data transformation logic, storage of structured data, and APIs to retrieve that data by other applications.

"Our conversations with the entities we notified suggested the same conclusion: multiple governmental bodies reported performing security reviews of their apps without identifying this issue, presumably because it has never been adequately publicised as a data security concern before," they added.

There is, however, no evidence that the data has been exploited.

On May 24, an UpGuard analyst first discovered that the OData API for a Power Apps portal had anonymously accessible list data including personally identifiable information.

The owner of that application was notified and the data secured.

"That case led to the question of whether there were other portals with the same situation -- the combination of configurations allowing lists to be accessed anonymously via OData feed APIs, and sensitive data collected and stored by the apps," the team noted.

As reported by Wired, Microsoft has now changed the default permissions settings responsible for the exposure.
Manila, Aug 25 : Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced that he would run for Vice President in the May 2022 elections when his single six-year term ends.

Duterte, 76, announced his political plans in a pre-recorded televised public address late Tuesday, reports Xinhua news agencu.

"I am running for Vice President (in the 2022 elections)," Duterte said, adding he wants to continue his crusade against insurgency, criminality, and illegal drugs.

The confirmation comes a few hours after Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, also the executive vice president of the governing PDP-Laban party, announced that Duterte had accepted the party's endorsement to run for Vice President next year.

Nograles said Duterte, also chairman of PDP-Laban party, accepted the endorsement during his meeting Monday night with party officials at the presidential palace.

Duterte was elected President in the May 2016 elections.

The constitution limits Philippine Presidents to a single six-year term.

The Vice President is elected separately from the president under the Philippine law.

The Vice President can be propelled to the presidency if the President dies or is incapacitated.

Nograles said the party would discuss Duterte's endorsement during their national convention next month.
Sanaa, Aug 25 : The internationally-recognised Yemeni government has announced receiving $665 million as the allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Central Bank based in the country's southern port city of Aden officially confirmed the injection of the SDR funds into its account, reports xinhua news agency.

The SDR allocation "will contribute to strengthening the external reserves of foreign exchange in addition to supporting the national economy and achieving stability in the exchange rates", the bank said.

The value of Yemen's local currency riyal has witnessed a sharp decline against other foreign currencies across the country's provinces controlled by the government.

Banking sources told Xinhua that the exchange rate fell to 1,037 Yemeni riyals against one dollar in the local markets of the country's southern provinces for the first time, exacerbating the country's already dire humanitarian situation caused by the years-long military conflict.

The UN World Food Program (WFP) in Yemen warned in December 2020 that the riyal had lost 250 per cent of its value since the start of the civil war in 2015, which has led to a 140 per cent spike in in food prices.

In 2017, the Yemeni government floated the national currency, a move that economic observers and analysts said was not well-studied a year after the relocation of the Central Bank to Aden.

The Yemeni economy continues to suffer after all exports were halted following a blockade on the country, which was part of a Saudi Arabia-led military intervention in the conflict in March 2015.

The blockade has also restricted imports largely.

All investments, including oil and gas projects whose revenues used to contribute to more than 70 per cent of the state budget, were shut down.
Hyderabad, Aug 25 : The Cyberabad police have formed a special team to investigate a case against Karvy Stock Broking Limited (KSBL), its chairman C. Parthasarathy and others for allegedly duping ICICI bank of Rs 563 crore.

Parthasarathy is already in judicial custody in Rs 137 crore loan default case registered by Hyderabad police on a complaint filed by IndusInd Bank.

Cyberabad police on Monday registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust against KSBL, C. Parthasarathy, M. Yugandhara Rao and others, on a complaint given by the ICICI Bank manager.

According to Cyberabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar, the case has been transferred to Economic Offence Wing (EOW) and a special team has been formed for investigation.

The complainant alleged that "KSBL, with dishonest and fraudulent intention of cheating, by planning criminal conspiracy, in collusion/connivance with other unknown unscrupulous person(s), if any, had misappropriated the financial assistance for their personal benefit thereby caused criminal breach of trust, wrongful loss to ICICI Bank with corresponding wrongful gain to themselves." KSBL is facing the allegations of defaulting on the loans of various banks by pledging its clients' securities.

Funds raised by KSBL by pledging shares from its six bankers were transferred to KSBL's own bank accounts, and not into 'Stock Broker Client Account', which is in contravention with the SEBI guidelines, the Cyberabad police said.

Further, all pledges on securities were transferred to end clients of KSBL thereby severely impacting security of all lenders including ICICI Bank, it said.

KSBL, promoted by C. Parthasarathy, M. Yugandhara Rao and M.S. Ramakrishna, was a member of National Stock Exchange (NSE), Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) and Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India (MSEI) and a depository participant registered with National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) and Central Depository Services (India) Limited (CDSL).

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in its circular had directed that clients' securities lying with trading members/clearing members cannot be pledged to banks/NBFCs for raising funds. The SEBI also specified that broker should maintain clear segregation of client beneficiary account and its own beneficiary account.

In 2019, SEBI had banned KSBL for illegally pledging client securities to raise loans against shares.

Hyderabad police arrested Parthasarthy on August 19 for allegedly defaulting the loan taken from IndusInd Bank. The same day, a city court remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days.
Chennai, Aug 25 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin or M.K. Stalin, as he's popularly known, has said that the DMK government under him would take stringent action against all corrupt practices and will not allow any corrupt individual to go scot-free.

He said that there is no politics of vindictiveness or vendetta but only legal actions against those who had indulged in corruption and added that it was the promise to the people of Tamil Nadu by the DMK before the elections. He said that his government is on the development path for Tamil Nadu and that the trillion-dollar economy for the state is not a distant dream. He was speaking exclusively to IANS in an online interview.

Excerpts from the interview: Q: DMK government under you has completed 100 days in office. Do you feel that you have lived up to the expectations of people? A: Generally, the first three months or the first 100 days of a government is called the honeymoon period but this was not the case when the DMK government came to power this time. It was a time of great crisis and the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 was severe. The financial situation was deplorable due to the administrative irregularities and corrupt attitude of the previous AIADMK government. As soon as we took responsibility, we began the process of fulfilling the promises made to the people. Promises were immediately fulfilled in the interest of the people, such as the Corona Relief Fund, free food kits, free travel for women on city buses, and a reduction of 3 rupees per liter in the price of petrol. Petrol price has been reduced by Rs 3 per liter in the Budget and we catered to all the immediate essential needs of the people. As I said in the Assembly, I will not deceive you by saying that we have fulfilled all our promises, but I can assure the people of Tamil Nadu that this government will work resolutely and diligently in gradually fulfilling all the promises made during the election.

Q: When you assumed office the Covid-19 pandemic was ravaging the state, with a daily fresh cases touching up to 30,000. How did you overcome the challenge? A: The previous AIADMK government failed to fully control the first wave. It also did not care much about the impact of the second wave. When we assumed power after the successful electoral hustings, Covid-19 pandemic was spreading and had shot up to 30,000 fresh cases a day, and the situation was alarming. The death toll was also high. We thought of controlling the infection and reducing the number of deaths as the first duty and started the activities even before taking office. I had discussions with the officials even before the results were out as well as before the swearing-in as the whole of Tamil Nadu and the world was witness to it.

However, from the day the government was sworn in, we carried out the work in full measure and worked 24 X 7 without a break. The situation was pathetic, we could see ambulances lined up at the gates of hospitals as there was shortage of oxygen, and oxygen cylinders were not available. The patients and their families were in great tension and the situation was tough and we also had fear and apprehensions as to how to handle the situation. It was a tough time -- we acted in the hope that it was not an insurmountable period and brought the situation under control in about a week. This was made possible by the concerted effort and the full cooperation of the officers and the medical department and the Cabinet of Ministers. All worked in unison and brought the situation under control and we had a clear plan from day one and we executed it properly. It was a team effort in the end.

Q: You have assumed office after a lull of ten years out of power. What lessons have you learnt as a political leader who was out of power and has come to power? A: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is a movement that works for the people whether in power or not. Despite not being in power for 10 years, the people realized that it was the strong foundation and development plans laid by the previous DMK government that had saved Tamil Nadu to this extent. The reign of Kalaignar Karunanidhi was people-centric and based on the lives of people from all walks of life and the overall development of Tamil Nadu. Our activities were aimed at regaining the confidence of the people. During the disaster, we supported the people through the 'Come Together' campaign. Despite the lack of administrative power, the DMK was the ruling party in the minds of the people. Now, it is the ruling party with power. We continue to work for the people with full dedication and commitment and taking proper feedback from the people of Tamil Nadu on the steps we are taking for the betterment of the people's lives as well as the all-round development of the state of Tamil Nadu.

Q: The TN economy is in a massive crisis with debts of more than 5 lakh crore and you are planning for a trillion-dollar economy. Is it possible? A: Every time the DMK government is in power, it is customary to reform the economic structure and increase financial resources. That situation did not exist when the AIADMK came to power for various reasons. The debt of Rs 5 lakh crore is the result of the worst administrative corruption in the last 10 years, especially in the last 7 years. Our government is working hard to improve the financial situation. There is hope that we will fix it in two to three years. Not only that, we are working towards the goal of trillion dollars as we move towards the path of economic growth. Any long journey starts from the first step and we are certain that our first has been taken with confidence and determination. When the DMK government continues for 10 years in office, Tamil Nadu will be on track to achieve its economic goal. People will definitely give us that opportunity.

Q: The DMK government has taken a hugely popular measure by reducing petrol prices by Rs 3 per litre amidst the financial woes. Your comments? A: The state government has slashed the price of petrol by Rs 3 per liter in the midst of the severe financial crisis, realizing that the hike in petrol prices could affect people from all walks of life and the overall functioning of the state. Thus, Tamil Nadu is the only state in India to have reduced the price of a liter of petrol. The Finance Minister has said that petrol sales have increased after the prices were slashed. This price reduction is done because it will increase business, production, and working hours and bring about a positive change in the economic environment. More than all these, it will help the people a lot by saving 3 Rs per litre on petrol. It is big as far as the common man is concerned and we worked exactly for helping the common man by reducing the rate of petrol.

Q: DMK government is drawing flak over the issue of NEET with the opposition charging that you made unrealistic promises during elections. What's your response to this? A: The firm stand of the DMK as a political party is that the NEET should not be allowed to shatter the medical dreams of the students of Tamil Nadu. As you know, students in Tamil Nadu had committed suicide after not getting admission to medicine by not qualifying in NEET. In this context, it is to be noted that not only the DMK, former Chief Minister and AIADMK leader, late J. Jayalalitha also did not allow the NEET. After her passing away, the AIADMK Government deliberately became submissive and subservient to Delhi and allowed NEET by distorting the stand of the people of Tamil Nadu to safeguard their Government. The Bill passed jointly by all parties in the Assembly against NEET was ignored and rejected by the Union Government and it was not disclosed to the public and had kept it a secret. This is the main reason for all the problems. They have no moral right to criticize us. In order to remove NEET legally in Tamil Nadu, we, the government of the DMK, have constituted a committee headed by retired Judge A.K. Rajan and appropriate action will be taken after considering the recommendation of this committee. Our government will fulfill all the promises given by the party before the elections, and it will not be like the false promise to give free cell phones to the people by the previous AIADMK Government.

Q: The 2021 Assembly elections were the first one after the passing away of one of the towering leaders of Indian polity, M. Karunanidhi, your father. How was your feeling when you were fighting the elections without his presence? A: I really miss Kalaignar Karunanidhi, my father. Every one of our party cadres who are my siblings misses him just as I miss him. It is indeed a pain that Kalaignar was not here to see this victory of the DMK with a thumping majority and the DMK coming to power for the 6th time in the state. Even if he is not alive and in person, the politics he has taught, the policy path he has led, his tireless work all guide me and the DMK. That is why we have won the 2019 Parliamentary elections and the 2021 Assembly elections. I presented that success at the memory of Kalaignar.When I took oath of office I had said, 'Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin' as it was Kalaignar, his programmes, and policies that were leading this state and the DMK of course.

Q: What are the major milestones to be achieved in the next five years? A: Transparency in government, strong economic structure and integrated development at all levels. These are our major goals for a society based on the philosophy of social justice.

Q: The Government order issued by your government on the 10.5 per cent reservation for Vanniyars within the MBC is considered as a political move to woo the PMK. Any substance to this? A: The DMK government was the first to define MBC and provide 20 per cent reservation. Each time Kalaignar Karunanidhi has come to power, he has implemented reservations considering the need of each community. The present government is acting as a continuation of that. This is one of the efforts to establish social justice legally. You do not have to look at it from a political perspective.

Q: When you included former health Minister and AIADMK leader Vijayabasker in the 13-member committee to counter Covid it was hailed as inclusive politics of you. However, after back-to-back raids on former AIADMK ministers, it is being addressed as a political vendetta. Your comments.

A: We do not hesitate to work together in the interest of the people and for their betterment. However, we do not agree with the idea of deceiving people and exploiting them. As a government, we will be tough on corruption charges and we will not hesitate to take to task anyone who has indulged in corrupt practices, and legal action would be taken against them. We had promised the people of Tamil Nadu that strict legal action would be taken against anyone who had indulged in corrupt practices. There is no politics in this, and our contention is that if there is no weight in the lap then there is no reason to worry, be it a former minister, a bureaucrat, or an ordinary person. This government will not have any mercy for anyone who is indulging in corrupt practices.
Panaji, Aug 25 : Former Union Finance Minister and All India Congress Committee (AICC) election observer in-charge of Goa P. Chidambaram arrived in the coastal state on a two-day visit to bolster the opposition party's preparations for the 2022 state assembly polls.

Chidambaram is expected to meet party leaders and official functionaries across ranks during his first visit to the state as an AICC senior observer during his two-day visit.

"P. Chidambaram will meet and discuss with various leaders and party functionaries during his two days visit. He will interact Pradesh Congress Committee office bearers, frontals, district and block presidents and will take inputs to work out strategies for upcoming assembly elections," a senior party official said.

Chidambaram was appointed as the party's senior overseer for the polls earlier this month.

According to state Congress president Girish Chodankar, Chidambaram's appointment is a shot in the arm for the state Congress unit, which has seen simmering differences between top leaders in recent times.

"In the past, election observers were usually appointed barely two months ahead of the elections. It is for the first time that the party leadership has appointed observers a good six months ahead. And the fact that a senior leader of the status of Chidambaram has been appointed as observer shows that the party wants to leave nothing to chance this time," Chodankar said.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : In an attempt to win support of minorities especially Muslims in next year's Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, the BJP is launching a campaign 'ek booth, 100 votes' (one booth, 100 votes) from next month. The campaign will be carried out in minority dominated constituencies and booths across the state.

BJP Minority Morcha national president Jamal Siddiqui told IANS that the campaign 'ek booth, 100 votes' will be launched in September and it will run till the assembly polls next year.

"During the campaign, workers of the BJP's minority morcha will work to ensure minimum 100 votes for party candidate in minority dominated booths by reaching out to the community specially Muslims," Siddiqui said.

Through the effort the saffron party is trying to secure a minimum of 5,000 Muslims or minority votes in each assembly constituency. "Target is to get minimum five thousand new Muslim votes in each assembly seats and more votes from other minority communities," he said.

The BJP Minority Morcha workers will reach out to members of the minority community and try to dispel misconceptions about the BJP and the Narendra Modi government created by the opposition parties.

"Our workers will explain the welfare initiatives of the Modi government which benefited everyone including Muslims and other minority communities. The Modi government has not discriminated against anyone in the name of religion in the last seven years and only opposition parties created a false narrative against us," Siddiqui said.

In order to achieve the target, the saffron party minority morcha already started appointing 'panna pramukh' (in-charge for one page of voter list) at the Muslim dominated booths and constituencies.

"Process for appointment of panna pramukh has started and it will be completed soon. Panna pramukhs will work minutely on the ground to ensure minimum 100 votes in their booth," he said.

Muslims constitute little less than 20 per cent of Uttar Pradesh's total population and other minorities are around one per cent. Muslims play a decisive role in many assembly seats in the state.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Homegrown logistics and supply chain services company Delhivery on Wednesday said it has acquired Bengaluru-based Spoton Logistics for an undisclosed sum, a move that will further strengthen its existing B2B capabilities.

Spoton Logistics is a leading multimodal express logistics and supply chain solutions company in the country.

"Over 10 years, Delhivery has established a leading position in B2C logistics and now by combining our part truckload business with Spoton's, we will be on the path to the same position in B2B express as well," said Sahil Barua, CEO, Delhivery.

Samara Capital and Xponentia, who together acquired Spoton from IEP in 2018, are making a full exit for cash as part of the transaction.

"Spoton is known for its focus on customer relationships and service quality, professional management and technology and engineering, which are values shared by Delhivery as well, and that sets us up to together be one of India's leading logistics companies," said Abhik Mitra, Managing Director, Spoton Logistics.

"We will continue to invest in improving our clients' businesses through our investments in people, technology, network and infrastructure," he added.

In July, Delhivery announced that global giant FedEx will make a $100 million equity investment in the company to unlock India's international trade potential.

Delhivery in May announced that it raised $275 million in a primary funding round led by Fidelity Management and Research Company.

With the fresh capital, Delhivery's valuation was expected to rise to over $3 billion.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that governments should take approval of the respective high court before withdrawing criminal cases filed against MPs/MLAs. The top court emphasized that there is nothing wrong in withdrawing cases of malicious prosecution, but the high court must examine such cases.

A bench headed by chief justice N.V. Ramana said: "We are not against the withdrawal of cases if there is a malicious prosecution. But this needs to be examined by the judicial officer in the high court. If the high court agrees then the cases can be withdrawn".

Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, appointed amicus curiae in a 2016 petition filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking direction to fast-tracking of criminal trials against sitting and former MPs/MLAs, has filed a report in the top court. He has been assisted by advocate Sneha Kalita in the matter.

The report said the state government has informed the amicus that 510 cases relating to Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013 were registered in five districts of Meerut zone against 6,869 accused. Out of these, in 175 cases, the charge sheet was filed, in 165 cases final reports were submitted, and 170 cases were expunged.

"Thereafter 77 cases were withdrawn by the state government under Section 321 of CrPC. The Government Orders do not give any reasons for withdrawal of the case under Section 321 of CrPC. It merely states that the administration, after full consideration, has taken a decision to withdraw the particular case," said the report.

The amicus submitted that the 77 cases may be examined by the high court by exercising revisional jurisdiction under Section 401 of CrPC, in the light of the law laid down by the top court in the case of State of Kerala vs K. Ajith 2021.

On wednesday, Hansaria contended that each case may have reasoned order. The bench also comprising justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Surya Kant said it cannot examine all the cases, and let them go to the high court. Hansaria submitted that the High Court may be directed to issue administrative instructions to expedite the trial of pending cases on a day-to-day basis in terms of section 309 CrPC.

During the hearing, the chief justice drew a parallel between the problems faced by the judiciary and probe agencies like CBI or ED. He said just like us, probe agencies are suffering from lack of manpower, infrastructure. "We don't want to say anything about these agencies because we don't want to demoralise them, they are overburdened. Same with judges.", noted the bench.
New York, Aug 25 : Tropical storm Henri which lashed the US Northeast for two days with some areas receiving up to 10 inches of rain, has inflicted massive losses worth $8 billion to $12 billion, a media report said.

The storm was centred 50 miles east of Providence, Rhode Island, downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone upon its landing, and then headed east, Xinhua news agency quoted the USA Today report as saying.

On Tuesday, electricity was mostly restored in Rhode Island and Connecticut, while floodwaters also receded from New Jersey and New York.

Now Henri is drifting out to sea.

Central New Jersey was among the areas hardest hit, as rainwater rushed through streets like rivers.

"Part of the state got crushed," Governor Phil Murphy was quoted as saying.

"It was a huge, massive rain event. This is double digit inches in some cases of rain. Unheard of." In Rhode Island, where Henri made landfall on Sunday afternoon, about 8,000 homes and businesses remain without power on Tuesday.

Almost 100,000 were dark at the peak of the storm.

The utility National Grid brought in workers from Massachusetts to help restore power and said all customers should have power by Wednesday.

Most of Henri's heavy rain doused New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York, while leaving some areas east of landfall relatively dry, according to AccuWeather, an experienced local and international weather forecaster.

Henri originated from a well-defined low-pressure system north-northeast of Bermuda on August 16 as a tropical depression.

Nearly a day later, the system strengthened into Tropical Storm Henri.

Henri strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane, before weakening back to a tropical storm and making a rare landfall in Westerly, Rhode Island.
Damascus, Aug 25 : Syria's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday slammed the US State Department's recent statement accusing the Damascus government of carrying out a chemical attack in a former rebel-held area in 2013, The Ministry dismissed the Department's statement as "baseless allegations... through which the US tried to distort facts and spread lies" about the alleged chemical attack in the Eastern Ghouta countryside of the capital Damascus, reports Xinhua news agency.

The State Department made the accusation in a recent statement alleging that the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used "nerve agent sarin" in the Ghouta district of Damascus to kill more than 1,400 people.

The Foreign Ministry, in its response, said that the statement clearly reflects "the US continued hostile method against Syria which comes to cover its failure in Afghanistan and its support to terrorism that Syria encounters".

"The government of the Syrian Arab Republic reaffirms once again that it stands against the use of that kind of weapons in any place, at any time and under any circumstance and by any side as it is an issue that opposes Syria's principles and moral," said the Ministry.

The attack, during the Syrian civil war, took place in the early hours of August 21, 2013, when opposition-controlled areas in Ghouta were struck by rockets containing the chemical agent sarin.

Estimates of the death toll range from at least 281 people to 1,729.

The attack was the deadliest use of chemical weapons since the Iran-Iraq War.
Washington, Aug 25 : A report of Covid-19 origins by US intelligence agencies has not yielded a definitive conclusion on whether the new coronavirus jumped to humans naturally, or was the result of a lab leak, the media has reported.

US President Joe Biden had, in May, ordered the country's intelligence community "redouble their efforts" and report the origins of the pandemic within 90 days.

The new report, delivered to the White House on Tuesday highlights the challenge faced to get more information from China, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The lack of detailed information from China has affected the probe, two senior US officials were quoted as saying.

The report also underscores the importance of inducing China to share lab records, genomic samples, and other data that could provide further illumination on the origins of the virus, which has killed more than four million people world-wide, current and former officials said.

"It was a deep dive, but you can only go so deep as the situation allows. If China's not going to give access to certain data sets, you're never really going to know," one US official was quoted as saying.

China has balked at the US and other efforts to provide that information. The extensive effort to press China for more information, some details of which haven't been previously reported, ended in bureaucratic infighting and failure, the WSJ report said.

While most of the new information gathered will likely remain classified, some will be released this week.

"It typically takes a couple of days, if not longer, to put together an unclassified version," Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said on Monday.

More than a year into the pandemic, the debate whether Covid-19s origins originated naturally or was leaked from a lab continues. A joint World Health Organization (WHO)-China inquiry, whose findings were released in March, dismissed as "extremely unlikely" the possibility that the virus had emerged accidentally from a laboratory.

Undermining its own report, director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus last month, proposed a second phase of studies in Wuhan. However, China has rejected the probe, accusing the WHO of "arrogance" and a "disrespect for common sense".

The US government's national laboratory had in a 2020 report on the origins of Covid-19 concluded that the virus leaked from a Chinese lab in Wuhan.

A recent investigation by the US House of Republican also revealed that the Covid-19 pandemic emerged from a genetically modified virus which leaked from the infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

Meanwhile, China has dismissed the allegations, maintaining that the first cases likely emerged from animal to human transmission at a wet market in the city of Wuhan.

It has also dismissed the Wuhan lab leak theory as "extremely impossible" and has accused the US of "political manipulation".

Chinese scientists have asked the WHO to extend the hunt for origins of Covid-19 to labs in other countries including the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, Maryland.

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Johannesburg, Aug 25 : South Africa has made "encouraging" progress in its inoculation campaign against Covid-19 but is facing a challenge of fake news created by anti-vaxxers, Health Minister Joe Phaahla said.

The circulation of such news has increased and is "really our challenge", Phaahla said whilee updating Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Health on the vaccine acquisition and roll-out program at a virtual platform, reports Xinhua news agency.

The government needs to improve the ability to communicate better, he said.

After South Africa opened up its vaccination campaign to people aged 18-34 on August 20, more than 500,000 people in the age group got registered for vaccination.

South Africa aims to vaccinate at least 60 percent of the adult population by the end of the year and, if possible, 70 per cent, as it has to open the economy and social activities, said Phaahla, who reaffirmed that the country has stable supply of vaccines.

The country also has "adequate capacity" of human resources and physical infrastructure to administer vaccines, he added.

Till date, South Africa has administered over 11 million doses, with more than 5.14 million people fully vaccinated.

Since the onset of the pandemic early last year, South Africa has registered a total of 2,708,951 confirmed Covid cases and 79,953 deaths.
Houston, Aug 25 : More than 1,100 new Covid-19 cases were reported among staff and students in the Houston-area schools in the US state of Texas, local media reported.

As of Tuesday afternoon, as many as 6,755 cases were reported in 27 Houston-area school districts, adding 1,626 new cases since Monday afternoon, Xinhua news agency quoted KTRK-TV as saying in a report.

Houston Independent School District reported 194 students and 82 staff infected with the virus in just two days into the school year, said the report.

Rice University, a private research university in Houston, recently decided to revert to remote learning for the first two weeks of the fall semester since one of its Covid-19 testing providers produced multiple false positive test results last week.

Rice implemented a pre-semester testing on August 13 that included 81 Covid-19 positives out of around 4,500 people tested over nine days, equaling a 2 per cent positivity rate, much higher than the 0.24 per cent positivity rate Rice accrued over the last school year, reported the Houston Chronicle newspaper.

In southern Texas, as Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to surge in Austin-Travis County, there are 726 hospitalisations for 11 counties including and surrounding Austin, the state's capital city, just one shy of a pandemic high of 727 on January 18 this year.

The Austin Independent School District, which requires mask-wearing for all students, staff and visitors, announced on Tuesday that it will offer a one-time incentive of $250 to eligible employees who are fully vaccinated by October 15.

The district is also considering mandating vaccines for all teachers and staff, said the Houston Chronicle.

In Kaufman County, located in the northeastern area of the state, all Kemp Independent School District campuses will be closed from Wednesday through Friday due to rapidly spreading Covid-19 cases, the district said, adding the three-day closure will allow schools to thoroughly disinfect all district facilities, including transportation.

Kemp Superintendent James Young told local media that as of Monday, 100 students and 30 staff members had tested positive, equaling about a 7-8 per cent positivity rate within the district.

However, despite health officials' suggestions, Leander Independent School District, which consists of more than 40,000 students in central Texas, chose not to close schools in the area, according to a Texas Tribune report on Tuesday.

About 43 per cent of cases in the district occurred in elementary schools and the "vast majority" of cases are students, said the report, citing Amanda Norwood, medical director of the Williamson County and Cities Health District.

"This outbreak is probably infecting more kids than what we've seen in the past epidemic surges," former Food and Drug Administration director Scott Gottlieb told CNBC, while predicting the Delta-driven resurgence in the southern US has likely peaked.

According to data issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services, more than 2.9 million cases have been reported in the state and more than 54,000 people have died since the pandemic broke out last year.

The Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council on Monday reported more than 4,000 Covid-19 hospitalisations for the first time since the outbreak in the 25-county region the agency covers.

More than 700 patients, 107 in critical condition, were stuck in emergency departments waiting for an available bed.

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Srinagar, Aug 25 : The over 600 year old temple at Shital Nath Ashram Sabha in the heart of J&K's capital city Srinagar is not just a place of worship, it is the symbol of Kashmir's socio-cultural history with an intellectual import far beyond religious and political loyalties.

Burnt down by miscreants during the peak of violence in the Valley in early 1990s, thanks to the efforts of its present caretakers, the temple complex came to life after 31 years in 2020.

"Shivratri, Janmashtami and the traditional Navreh festival were celebrated after a hiatus of 31 years and the devotees again came in dozens to pay their obeisance at the temple.

"With the help of the local administration, we have been able to rebuild the damaged complex wall. The over 600 year old temple inside the Shital Nath Ashram Sabha complex is being restored to its past glory.

"The restoration of the main temple is a huge task since it has to be restored as a heritage site without compromising on its historical fundamentals.

"We plan to construct a Yatri Niwas and a martyrs memorial at the complex so that the future generations of Kashmir do not lose connect with their past", said Ashish Kaul, the administrator of the complex.

A Pujari has now been engaged who performs the daily 'Aarti' at the temple.

"Situated in the heart of Srinagar city, the complex is a major tourist attraction.

"Last year, nearly 20,000 tourists from different parts of the country visited the complex.

"The school inside the complex had been occupied by encroachers. Thanks to the local administration, the encroachers have been evicted," Kaul said.

A peep into the history of this complex and you realise that the place has been a major hub of Kashmir's socio-political life with an intellectual import that transcends religious borders.

"Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Vir Sawarkar and others came to galvanise the freedom struggle through their addresses from the Shital Nath complex before 1947.

"When late Sheikh Abdullah appealed for joint resistance to the tribal invasion in 1947, men and women from both communities took up weapons of whatever kind they could lay their hands on, at the temple complex to preserve the land of Sufis and saints from the tribal invasion", Kaul said.

Distinguished local Pandits like Kashyap Bandhu, Pandit Shiv Narain Fotedar, Justice Jia Lal Kilam and many others have been closely associated with the Shital Nath spirit which directed the course of history for the Pandit community for centuries.

It was at this historic temple complex that Sanatan Dharam Yuvraj Sabha was formed.

In 1935, Pandit Shiv Narain Fotedar as the president of the Sabha was sent by the local Pandit community to meet Indian leaders like Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, Raja Narendra Nath Raina and Dr. Monje, etc.

Kaul firmly believes that the restoration of the Shital Nath Ashram Sabha will play a major role in ushering permanent peace in the beleaguered Valley.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : With a push on vocal for local and conscious fashion, Tata CLiQ luxury launched 'The Limited-Conscious Edit', Indiluxe which aims to inspire and celebrate conscious consumption by enabling people to find thoughtfully created and responsibly sourced products which can be integrated into their daily routines.

The online thematic pop-up store called is a first of its kind intellectual property dedicated to recreating the pop-up experience virtually. 'The Limited' will feature a seasonal series offering the best in fashion, home, gourmet foods, and beauty from India's finest brands. The first edition is the 'Conscious Edit', where the curated online store will bring together collections from designers and brands across fashion and home categories to help customers discover conscious consumption.

Speaking on the launch, Rina Shah, Business Head, Indiluxe, said, "As a platform, Indiluxe offers a collection of thoughtful Indian contemporary and luxury brands which are truly exquisite and represent modern India across categories. The overall approach has been to curate and showcase such brands with an emphasis on exploring mindful business practices, remaining relevant, and building an honest relationship with the consumer." Adding, "Given the times we live in, it has encouraged us to re-think how we consume various items. Conspicuous consumption is now replaced by conscious consumption. Consumers today are mindful of their purchases and how their actions are environmentally neutral, socially beneficial, and sustainable. 'The Limited - Conscious Edit', Indiluxe's vision is to inspire conscious consumption through a curation of brands across categories -- women's and men's fashion, home, jewellery, footwear, and bags. The edit celebrates Indian brands committed to responsible fashion and clean beauty practices. It champions mindful living and shopping this season." The pop-up store is live for three weeks on the website starting from August 20 to September 10, 2021. The online pop-up will help customers discover a range of homegrown brands and their stories. The brands participating in this pop-up are: Akaaro, AKHL, Anomaly, Antar Agni, Beej, Codesustain, Countrymade, Dhaatu, Eka, Ikai Asai, Johargram, Kanelle, Khanijo, Mapcha, Mishe, Moral Science, Naushad Ali, No Nasties, QUA, Saphed, Soft Serve, Shop Melt, Shorshe, Studio Medium, Three Clothing, We Are Sui, Wicker Weaves, Yavi, Ziveli, and Zohra.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
Jaipur, Aug 25 : The Rajasthan government wants to collect revenue by selling good quality liquor and there is no proposal to ban sale of liquor in the state.

The state government clarified this in a written reply to a question in the assembly asked by the BJP MLA Madan Dilawar.

Dilawar in his question had asked that a total of 73 accidents were reported in the state due to drunken driving in 2019 and 2020 in which 37 people died. "Also, incidents of crime against women like rape, murder, robbery have increased district wise. Is it appropriate to ban liquor in the state keeping these figures in mind-if yes, elaborate, if no, plz elaborate," he said.

Elaborating on its stand, the state government said, "The alcohol restrain policy is in force in the state under which the department takes action on illegal liquor activities. The objective of keeping control over liquor products is to provide good quality liquor and earn revenue; the proposal to ban liquor is not in consideration, it said.

It is to be noted that former MLA Gurusharan Chhabra died after protesting in state demanding liquor ban under the Raje government. Since then, there has been a demand to ban alcohol in the state.
Chennai, Aug 25 : Even as the public sector general insurer The New India Assurance Company Ltd is on a massive recruitment drive, suspense continues in the case of the remaining three government owned non-life insurers, said industry officials.

The Mumbai based listed New India has decided to hire 300 officers in the generalists category.

The number of posts under the economically weaker section (EWS) and unreserved are 30 and 121 respectively.

"All the four public sector general insurers are expected to see a large number of employees retiring in a couple of years. The New India, a listed company has been hiring but not the other three companies," K. Govindan, General Secretary, General Insurance Employees' All India Association (GIEAIA) told IANS.

The other three companies are: National Insurance Company Ltd, The Oriental Insurance Company Ltd and United India Insurance Company Ltd.

Govindan said the government is yet to appoint the Chairman-cum-Managing Director for United India Insurance.

The Central government had earlier announced its decision to privatise one of the three unlisted general insurers and there is a recruitment freeze on them.

"Already the three companies are suffering from severe staff shortage," a senior industry official told IANS preferring anonymity.

"The operating offices are short staffed, impacting customer service. Retirements of about 150-200 employees are happening in each company and this number is set to increase soon. There is a dire need to beef up the staff strength at the lower level," Govindan said.

If recruitment is not possible, then the other option is to merge the offices -- divisional/branches -- and save on rental outgo and rebalance staff deployment, industry officials said.

Bulk of the staff in service now in the public sector general insurers were recruited in the 1980s and in 1990 and they are set to retire soon, a senior industry official had told IANS.

At an average the PSU insurers have about 12,000 employees and about 1,600 offices.

Further the ratio of class I officers to other cadres is nearly 1:1 which shows the companies are top heavy and the span of control is low, said the senior industry official.

Simply put, span of control denotes the number of subordinates a manager/class I have. The higher the number of subordinates, the broader the manager's span of control.

Be that as it may, as part of the recruitment process The New India has been decided to capture the biometric data (left thumb impression or otherwise) and the photograph of the candidates on the day of the Main Examination (Phase-II) for the candidates who qualify after the preliminary examinations (Phase-I) and appear for the main examination (Phase-II).

The biometric data and photograph will be verified on two occasions -- on the day of interview of qualifying candidates and at the time of joining of provisionally selected candidates. Decision of the Biometric data verification authority with regard to its status (matched or mismatched) shall be final and binding upon the candidates.

With new hires leaving the company within a short time The New India has also decided to ask the fresh officer recruits to give an undertaking to serve the company for a minimum period of four years including probation period.

In the event of their quitting the company before the expiry of the bond period, they will be liable to pay liquidated damages equivalent to one year's gross salary paid to them during the year of probation which could be proportionately reduced depending on the length of service rendered.

Besides, he/she will have to submit a stamped Bond duly executed by two sureties (not blood relatives) of sound financial standing for an amount equivalent to one year's gross salary.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Automobile sector's long-term growth rate has come down drastically in the past 5 to 10 years even before Covid started in India, said SIAM President and Maruti Suzuki Managing Director & CEO Kenichi Ayukawa on Wednesday.

Speaking at the 61st SIAM Annual Convention, Ayukawa highlighted: "And, Covid has further caused negative growth for the industry. It has pushed industry volume back by many years," Ayukawa said at the Special Plenary Session.

Besides, he cited that the industry is facing many immediate and medium-term challenges.

Ayukawa said the immediate short-term concerns for the industry were pandemic related uncertainties, global shortage of semiconductors and rising commodity prices amongst others.

"To overcome these challenges and bring back industry on the track of growth, focused action is required through some key enablers." Furthermore, he pointed out enablers such as making industry move further towards 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' vision via increased localisation.

Regarding the same, Ayukawa pointed out that SIAM and ACMA have together worked out a 'Localisation Roadmap' with a target of about 15-20 per cent further localisation in next 2 to 5 years.

Additionally, he said that SIAM has prepared an approach paper for a long term regulatory roadmap that takes care of all aspects and gives clarity on future investments.

In addition, Ayukawa informed the convention that the automobile industry is working towards new powertrain technologies.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : The West Bengal government on Wednesday submitted before the Supreme Court that the two-member commission of inquiry headed by retired Supreme Court judge, justice Madan B. Lokur, to probe the Pegasus snooping allegations, would not proceed till the top court hears the batch of petitions connected with snooping scandal.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, representing the petitioner NGO Global Village Foundation Public Charitable Trust seeking disbandment of the commission, submitted there can't be two parallel inquiries. "Please see nothing is done in the proceedings there while the court is hearing the matter", said Salve.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the West Bengal government, objected to this argument.

A bench headed by chief justice N.V. Ramana and comprising justice Surya Kant said: "If we are hearing other matters, we expect some restraint". The bench told Singhvi, at present issue is connected to other issues, in all fairness we expect you to wait. "We will hear it with the other matters sometime next week", said the bench.

Justice Kant added the other petitions, against Pegasus snooping allegations, are likely to have pan-India impact. "We will have advantage of your assistance in those matters also, if we hear this with that", said justice Kant. Singhvi replied between now and next week nothing earth shattering happening. "Your lordships word will create a splash", he added.

Chief justice said they are only saying that this matter will be listed with other matters. "You're forcing us to pass order", said the chief justice. Singhvi replied please say nothing, I will convey it.

After hearing arguments, the top court issued notice and tagged the petition along with other matters of Pegasus snooping allegations.

The West Bengal questioned the motive behind the plea and claimed the trustee and chairman of the NGO had close links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliate, Swadeshi Jagran Manch.

The top court on August 18, had agreed to examine the NGO's petition, argued by advocate Saurabh Mishra, who sought immediate stay on proceedings before justice Lokur's commission to avoid any parallel inquiry.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : All Afghan nationals must travel to India only on e-visa, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Wednesday.

"Owing to the prevailing security situation in Afghanistan and streamlining of the visa process by introducing the e-Emergency X-Misc visa, it has been decided that all Afghan nationals henceforth must travel to India only on e-visa", the MHA said in a statement.

Earlier, the Centre had announced that it would "facilitate repatriation to India of those who wish to leave Afghanistan" and said Hindus and Sikhs from the country will be given priority.

Keeping in view some reports that certain passports of Afghan nationals have been misplaced, previously issued visas to all Afghan nationals, who are presently not in India, stand invalidated with immediate effect, said the MHA.

Afghan nationals wishing to travel to India may apply for e-visa at www.indianvisaonline.gov.in, the Ministry added in the statement.

In view of the prevailing critical condition in Afghanistan, the MHA on August 17 had decided to issue the "e-Emergency X-Misc Visa" to fast-track applications of Afghans who have been willing to come to India.

Under this category of visa, the applications of Afghanis are processed quickly so that they can visit India at earliest.

However, the Centre is yet to clarify what will happen after this validity period expires. India does not have a refugee policy and grants shelter to foreigners facing persecution in their countries on a case-to-case basis.

After the Taliban taking full control of Afghanistan on August 15, many Afghan nationals have been fleeing the war-torn country.

Hundreds of visa applications have been coming up at the 'Afghanistan Cell' set up in the Ministry of External Affairs as the Indian Embassy was closed on August 17 as most of the personnel were evacuated from Kabul, while all the Consulates were already closed a month ago.
Davanagere : , Aug 25 (IANS) Hundreds of acres of Maize crop in Channagiri taluk of Davangere district of Karnataka have been laid waste after parrots invaded them.

Usually, 30 to 40 or 40 to 50 parrots make up these flocks and are referred collectively as a 'pandemonium of parrots'.

Local farmers explain that parrots are invading their agricultural lands in thousands to eat almost ready to reap Maize crop.

D.L. Venkatsha, a local farmer has said that his Maize crop grown in 14 acres of land in Gollarahatti village of Channagiri taluk has been eaten up by the flock of parrots. He maintained that they did not face the problem earlier and do not know how to stop thousands of parrots from destroying crops.

"Corona has made our life miserable already. I was pinning hopes on this crop for livelihood that is being destroyed by parrots. I am clueless and life is going to be difficult," he explained.

Channagiri Tehsildar Puttaraja Gowda has visited the spot and inspected the farm lands that have been targeted by Parrots and assured farmers of compensation from the government.

Chandrappa Thimmaiah, an agro-scientist explained that, maize has sugar content and it is grown on a large scale in Davangere region. Parrots get attracted to it. These might be wild species of parrots migrated from other locations for reasons such as non availability of food.
Islamabad, Aug 25 : The Pakistan Supreme Court has asked three senior officials to appear before it on Thursday to hear the governments version on the rising incidents of harassment of journalists.

The three officials are: the Interior Secretary, the Federal Investigation Agency's Director General and the Islamabad police inspector general, Dawn news reported.

The court issued the directives in response to a four-page petition complaining that journalists in Pakistan were facing increasing acts of intimidation at the hands of security agencies.

The court regretted that the FIA appeared to have overstepped its mandate and undermined the nation's confidence in the judiciary.

A two-judge SC bench, consisting of Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, also issued notices to the secretaries of information and broadcasting; religious affairs and human rights ministries; as well as to the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE); All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS); the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA); Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ); and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), asking them to state whether the allegations made in the application were correct or not.

The apex court took up the matter after Abdul Qayyum Siddiqui, a former President of the Press Association of the Supreme Court (PAS), drew its attention to the rising incidents of harassment of journalists.

According to the order, journalists were being harassed, intimidated, attacked and shot at.

"There are no consequences for the perpetrators and those who should be protecting journalists and ensuring freedom of the press are themselves involved."
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Neha Bathla became the second contestant to occupy the hotseat on the show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati 13' hosted by megastar Amitabh Bachchan.

Dr Neha is a veterinarian from Uttarakhand's Champawat district and has also worked as a nodal officer during the Covid pandemic. She managed to answer 12 questions and won Rs 12.5 lakh.

When asked how she feels about it, Dr Neha responded that it is not just money but she is here to fulfil the dream of her father-in-law Pradeep Kumar Joshi. She said: "I came to 'KBC 13' because of my father-in-law, as he is the one who motivated me to be in the show as he is a big fan of Amitabh Bachchan. Moreover, as I am interested in reading and keeping myself updated on every latest event, he asked me to participate in it." Dr Neha was desperate to make it to the hotseat by winning the Triple Test. And adding to it she was also overwhelmed by the respect she got from Amitabh Bachchan.

"I was so nervous before, especially facing a superstar like him was just beyond my imagination. But Amitabh ji is such a kind person and without showing any tantrums he said, 'I respect your profession', and I think this was the biggest thing for me." Despite getting stuck at the 13th question, she seemed quite satisfied and said: "I am happy that I came here and in this way I showed my respect and regards for my father-in-law." She wishes to utilise the money in helping underprivileged kids by offering them education.
Lucknow, Aug 25 : The increasing focus of the opposition in Uttar Pradesh on caste census, the poll narrative in the state where elections are due early next year has started changing.

From Hindutva and Ram temple, the spotlight is shifting to casteism.

The BJP, sensing the change in narrative, will now be using Kalyan Singh's legacy to counter the opposition campaign.

The party, according to sources, plans to project the departed leader as the 'tallest OBC leader who had the right mix of backward politics and Hindutva.' The BJP government in the state has already decided to name the Aligarh airport after Kalyan Singh and roads after him in half a dozen districts.

The party is mulling a proposal to take out Kalyan Kalash Yatra with urns containing the late leader's ashes. The proposal is awaiting a final approval from the BJP and RSS leadership.

"Kalyan Singh's ashes will be immersed in major rivers of Uttar Pradesh, including Ganga in Varanasi and Saryu in Ayodhya. The ashes would be collected from the banks of Ganga at Narora Ghat on August 27. We want to hold Shraddhanjali Sabha at places where his ashes will be immersed. We have spoken to the family and the programme awaits the final nod from the party," said a senior BJP functionary.

The Yogi Adityanath government is also preparing to unveil various initiatives as a tribute to the former chief minister.

"We are working on naming schemes and projects after the late leader whose name 'Kalyan' -- meaning welfare -- fits into almost every scheme," said a UP minister.

Senior political analyst R.K. Singh said, "Almost all parties are warming up to OBCs and the demand for caste census is a part of this game plan. The Samajwadi Party, till recently, has been the custodian of OBC votes but the BJP is now aiming to make a dent by playing the OBC card with Kalyan Singh, whose politics was a heady cocktail of caste and Hindutva.

Scores of BJP leaders have already launched a major offensive against the Samajwadi Party over the absence of SP leaders in the final rites of Kalyan Singh.

State leaders from Uttar Pradesh BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh to OBC ministers including Swami Prasad Maurya and MP Sakshi Maharaj have slammed the SP leadership for not 'bothering to pay tributes to Kalyan Singh merely because of their minority appeasement policy.' The absence of SP leaders became even more pronounced because BSP president Mayawati went to Kalyan Singh's residence on Sunday and paid floral tributes to the departed soul.

The Samajwadi Party did not respond to BJP's offensive and said that the party had 'mastered the art of turning a solemn occasion like this into an event.' "Akhilesh was not in Lucknow when Kalyan Singh passed away. He spoke to the former chief minister's son Rajvir Singh and conveyed his condolences. He will be meeting the family soon," said a senior party leader.

Kalyan Singh died on August 21 in Lucknow, following a prolonged illness.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president J.P. Nadda and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the leader's Lucknow residence to pay tributes to him.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath escorted Kalyan's mortal from Lucknow to Aligarh and remained present till the last rites were performed.

Kalyan Singh's son Rajvir Singh, in a tweet, thanked Yogi Adityanath for playing the role of an elder son.

Kalyan Singh who belonged to the Lodh sub-caste of OBCs and the BJP used him to counter the 'Mandal' (caste) agitation with 'kamandal' (Hindutva) by taking up the issue of temple at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya in the early nineties.
Chandigarh, Aug 25 : Just ahead of meeting four Congress dissident Cabinet ministers and three legislators, Punjab affairs in charge and AICC general secretary Harish Rawat, on Wednesday clarified that the 2022 Punjab Assembly election would be fought under the leadership of Amarinder Singh amid signs of revolt by the Navjot Singh Sidhu faction.

The 'rebel' legislators reached Dehradun in the morning to apprise Rawat about the mood of the public against the Amarinder Singh-led government in the state. They, among 20-odd party legislators, have been demanding replacement of Amarinder Singh as he failed to fulfill the 2017 poll promises.

Rawat told the media that Amarinder Singh had welcomed party state President Navjot Singh Sidhu himself, and the decision on elevation was not taken without the CM's approval.

"We have given the party leadership to Sidhu but not the Congress to him," Rawat was categorically clear in saying about any move to change the Chief Minister ahead of the assembly polls slated in early 2022.

The four ministers -- Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Charanjit Singh Channi and Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria -- a day earlier said here with the support of at least 20 other Congress legislators their main demand is to 'replace' Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

They said they wanted to apprise the high command over the widespread dissidence among the party ranks. They were categorically clear in saying after the closed door meeting that it was high time for the party to opt for a change of guard.

Their main grudge, among others, with the Chief Minister and his aides, was unfulfilled poll promises, particularly the delay in action in the 2015 sacrilege and police firing cases.

Channi told the media that the panel, authorised by the other legislators, would seek time from the Congress high command to listen to their grievances, otherwise it will be difficult for the party to get a repeat in Punjab.

He said the MLAs have also raised a number of issues, including the existence of sand, drug, cable and transport mafias.

Late in the evening on Tuesday, seven of the 20-odd MLAs and ex-MLAs, who were purportedly party to the demand for the removal of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, categorically disassociated themselves from any such move.

Denying outright being part of what they termed as a conspiracy hatched by a section engaged in trying to drive a wedge within the party, these seven leaders have thrown their weight behind the Chief Minister and reposed their full faith in his leadership.

The Punjab Congress leaders who have distanced themselves from the so-called festering revolt in the party are -- Kuldeep Vaid, Dalvir Singh Goldie, Santokh Singh, Angad Singh, Raja Warring and Gurkirat Singh Kotli, all MLAs, and Bhalaipur Ajit Singh Mofar, a former MLA.

Their denial came within hours of a list of party MLAs or ex-MLAs being made public by a section of the Punjab Congress, which claimed that these leaders wanted the replacement of Amarinder Singh and intended to take up the matter with the party high command.

The seven party leaders have, however, washed their hands off any such decision and declared that they continue to stand firmly with the Chief Minister.

All seven of them said the closed door meeting held at Cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa's residence, after which their names were fraudulently released along with others, had been convened to discuss party affairs.

Some of the participants tried to raise the issue of the Chief Minister's replacement, but contrary to the claims, no unanimous resolution was passed or agreed upon.

Taking strong exception to the 'misuse' of their names in this manner, the seven leaders made it clear that they did not subscribe to any such move against Amarinder Singh.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said that public sector banks (PSB) will adopt a nationwide credit outreach programme this year.

Addressing the media in Mumbai, she said that banks will go about to exhibit loan offerings in every district of the country in a bid to enhance the credit demand.

A similar outreach programme was undertaken by the public sector banks in which some private sector banks also participated to boost credit offtake in the face of an economic slowdown.

"With changed times, now industries have option of raising funds even from outside the banking sector. Banks themselves are raising funds through various avenues. These new aspects need to be studied to target credit where it is needed," she said.

Sitharaman said that during her interaction with the chiefs of public sector banks it was highlighted that banks can play a crucial role by hand-holding industries from a particular sector to enable them to become an exporter and thereby play an important role in assisting One district one Product scheme suggested by the Prime Minister.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 25 : The Congress-led Opposition in Kerala on Wednesday demanded Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to break his silence as Covid is raging in the state.

Vijayan of late has not met the media and he interacts through daily Covid statements only.

Speaking to the media here, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said that they have been observing the Covid situation which is not good and the CM has turned to be a mute spectator.

"Just look into the figures and Covid is raging. Kerala leads the country in all indicators. We demand that the present expert committee which is taking care of the Covid affairs be reconstituted as it has failed miserably. Does anyone know that the minutes of the expert committee from July this year is not being given out. Data regarding Covid is being kept under the carpet and till now about 13,000 Covid deaths have been declared as natural deaths. Everything is in a mess in Kerala," said Satheesan.

Kerala today has more than 50 per cent of the daily cases, has the maximum number of active cases besides the number of Covid deaths today are all the highest in the country, he said.

Satheesan said they have no intention to politicise this issue and all they want is that the suffering of the people should end like it has happened in other states in the country.

"For any analysis to be done, proper data has to be given and today the situation is that no data of Covid details is available in Kerala. The present strategy in testing has to change as today antigen testing constitutes 70 per cent, while in Tamil Nadu and many other states, they do only RT-PCR test, which is more accurate. I am a person who turned Covid positive twice and on one occasion, simultaneously I did both RT-PCR and antigen test. The antigen test result came as negative while the other one was positive. This is a serious lacuna in testing and that has to change," said Satheesan.

"Another fault of the government is they are not doing contact tracing. While the general rule is if one person turns positive 20 people who came into direct contact has to be tested and is being done in many states, in Kerala for every positive patient only 1.5 contacts are being tested. In most states the private sector is also actively involved in fighting Covid. Rs 817 crore have come into the government kitty through the vaccine challenge and it should be used to buy vaccines and ensure all get vaccinated,".

Satheesan said Vijayan has to break his silence and efforts should be made to see that proper analysis of the Covid health data is undertaken because then only the state can formulate proper strategies as a possible third wave is expected.

"All are baffled on what's happening as not long ago Kerala was at the top of the world and this was written by the international media. Then the general impression was only Kerala is doing testing and other states are not doing, but the truth now is while data for most states are in public domain, in Kerala it's not there," added Satheesan.

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Mumbai, Aug 25 : 'Vodka Diaries' director Kushal Srivastava is all set to helm a war film inspired by the life of Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa. The film is titled 'Golden Arrows'.

The upcoming film is dedicated to Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja and will showcase the brotherhood between him and Wing Commander Dhanoa.

In 1999, Wing Commander Dhanoa's role during the Kargil War was to click pictures of the enemy area. But when his wingman Squadron Leader Ahuja is shot down, he modifies the role of his MiG-21 from photo recon to bombing and attacks the enemy to avenge his wingman's death.

Director Kushal Srivastava, who is an ex-Air Force Officer, said: "Having served in the Indian Air Force, it has been my dream to be able to pay tribute to our Air warriors through the power of cinema. My film is about the toughest air war ever fought in the world and is based on a true war the Indian Air Force fought with exceptional courage. It's time we introduce to our audiences the world of our Air Warriors and their brotherhood with the Indian Army." Revealing his research and preparation for the film, the director added: "I have had several meetings with Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa and his wife Mrs Kamalpreet Dhanoa. They have given us many insightful details about their lives. Dhanoa sir explained his day-to-day routines at the Srinagar Air Base and the challenges they had to face while fighting. Also, we've had detailed discussions with Air Marshal Vinod Patney, who spearheaded the war." While the cast of 'Golden Arrows' is yet to be finalised, the makers plan to go on floors early next year.
Panaji, Aug 25 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi can resolve the ongoing interstate dispute over the water of Mhadei river in two minutes, if he wants to, All India Congress Committee official Prakash Rathod said on Wednesday.

Rathod, an MLC from Karnataka, who is in Goa as part of the two-day tour of the coastal state by former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, also said that instead of fighting the battle in courts or in the Tribunal, a political resolution should be found to resolve the deadlock between Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

"As far as the Mhadei issue is concerned, first and foremost there is a BJP government at the centre, Karnataka and Goa. If the PM wants a solution can be found within two minutes. But he does not have the will to do it. They only want to make Goa and Karnataka fight," Rathod told reporters.

"The case is currently being fought in the Tribunal and the Supreme Court. I want that a political decision should be made by making the Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka governments sit together. The Modi government at the Centre has failed to address this issue," he added.

Mhadei, also known as the Mandovi river in Goa and Mahadayi in Karnataka, is considered as a lifeline in the northern parts of Goa. It originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji in Goa, while briefly flowing through Maharashtra.

While the river runs 28.8 km in Karnataka, it is over 50 km in length in Goa. Goa, Karnataka are battling out a two decade-long dispute over the sharing of the Mhadei waters.

The Goa government has already filed a contempt petition accusing Karnataka of diverting the river's water, despite the Supreme Court hearing another special leave petition filed by Goa which has challenged the Tribunal's award.

Rathod said that both Karnataka and Goa were right to seek their share of the water, but added that Modi should call all governments involved to the table and resolve the issue.

"We have no issues with people in Goa wanting to use the water for drinking or for agriculture. Goa should do what is rightfully theirs. If we (Karnataka) need drinking water, we should share it together. If we aren't using the water properly, it is flowing in the sea anyway. Let PM call all governments and resolve the issue," Rathod urged.
Tokyo, Aug 25 : The Japanese government is scheduled to distribute up to 800,000 Covid-19 antigen test kits to kindergartens and schools from early September, local media reported on Wednesday.

The plan is described in the latest version of draft revisions to the government's basic policy dealing with the spread of the pandemic, reports Xinhua news agency.

Measures to prevent school infection cases are newly added into anti-virus plans, with the virus spreading among children ahead of the start of a new term.

According to the draft revisions, the antigen test kits are prepared for the occasion that students display symptoms such as a fever, but are unable to see a doctor or return home immediately.

Up to around 800,000 test kits will be distributed to kindergartens, elementary schools as well as junior high schools, mainly for use by teachers, staff and fourth-graders or older.

The government will also require local authorities to support efforts for the vaccination of teachers and staff.

Local boards of education and private school operators will be encouraged to cooperate with universities implementing inoculations.
Chennai, Aug 25 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tamil Nadu unit on Wednesday dismissed journalist Madan Ravichandran and Venba from the organisation's primary membership.

The action comes a day after the release of the sleazy video by Ravichandran in which the party's state General Secretary K.T. Raghavan figured.

Soon after the sting video was released on the social media, Raghavan resigned from his party post.

Ravichandran also said he was in possession of clips of several BJP leaders and will be released later.

In a statement issued here, Tamil Nadu BJP said Ravichandran had met state President K. Annamalai and assured his cooperation to the committee headed party's State Secretary Malarkodi to study the truth behind the allegations.

However, since Ravichandran had recorded his views in the video that are against the party principles, he and Venba are dismissed from the party's primary membership.
Canberra, Aug 25 : Australia on Wednesday reported a new record number of coronavirus cases for the third time in a week.

There were 973 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 reported across Australia on Wednesday, taking the total number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic to above 46,700, reports Xinhua news agency.

However, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) recorded only nine new cases, its lowest in four days, after a record 30 on Tuesday.

It takes the total number of cases linked to an outbreak in the nation's capital to 176.

Despite the downturn in new cases, Chief Minister Andrew Barr announced that the ACT's lockdown, which began on August 12, would not end earlier than September 2.

"What we've seen in our own outbreak, and what's playing out around Australia and around the world is just how quickly one positive case turns into hundreds then thousands in a community," he told reporters.

"Today's case update together with the data that we have from the last 13 days, regrettably means that we are not in a position to end lockdown early.

"Now is not the time to be significantly easing restrictions, however some changes are being considered. And these changes will seek to balance risk across the community." ACT Deputy Chief Health Officer Vanessa Johnston said more than 10,000 Canberra residents remained in quarantine as close contacts of cases.

"Out of the nine, three were in quarantine for their full infectious period, therefore posing no risk to the community," she said.

The ACT Government on Wednesday announced that student nurses and midwives would join the territory's coronavirus vaccination and testing workforce.

"We have been working closely with the ACT health care sector, unions, professional peak bodies and universities to bring student health practitioners on board to assist in the ACT's Covid-19 pandemic response," Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said.

"Our Covid-19 response workforce is doing an amazing job responding to the current outbreak and this will allow us to be able to provide further support for the important work they are doing to help keep our community safe."

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Washington, Aug 25 : Not vaccinated against Covid-19 yet? You may be at 29 times more risk of hospitalisation with Covid than those who are fully vaccinated, according to a study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The new study, published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Tuesday, showed that among people not vaccinated the risk of infection was 4.9 times while hospitalisation was 29.2 times.

"These infection and hospitalisation rate data indicate that authorised vaccines were protective against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe Covid-19 during a period when transmission of the Delta variant was increasing," the agency wrote in the study.

The study was based on 43,127 infections in residents of Los Angeles County, California between May 1 and July 25. Covid hospitalisations were defined as hospital admissions occurring within 14 days after infection, the agency said.

Among all county residents, hospitalisation rates increased "exponentially" among unvaccinated, fully vaccinated and partially vaccinated people, with the highest rates among unvaccinated people in late June, the agency said.

The data shows that "if you are not yet vaccinated, you are among those at highest risk," CNBC news quoted CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky as saying on Tuesday.

"Do not underestimate the risk and serious consequences of this virus," she said during a White House briefing on the pandemic. "Vaccines are the best tool we have to take charge of this pandemic." As of Monday, more than 201 million Americans, or 60.8 per cent of the total US population, have had at least one Covid shot, according to data compiled by the CDC. More than 171 million Americans, or 51.5 per cent of the total US population, are fully vaccinated, according to the agency.

US officials hope the Food and Drug Administration granting full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid vaccine will persuade some unvaccinated Americans to finally get the shots.

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Sangli : , Aug 25 (IANS) Dr Gail Omvedt, US-born renowned Dalit researcher, writer on Ambedkarism and the movement for the oppressed classes, passed away following a brief illness at Kasegaon, here early on Wednesday, said an aide.

She was 81 and is survived by her husband Dr. Bharat Patankar, a daughter Prachi, son-in-law Tejaswi and grand-daughter Nia, who have settled in the US.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray expressed grief over the demise of Dr. Omvedt and recalled her services to the social movements.

"She made immense contributions in various fields like rights and justice for women and underprivileged, literature, social fields, besides being a researcher and scholar," Thackeray said in a message.

All India Kisan Sabha President Dr. Ashok Dhawale described her as "a progressive intellectual-cum-activist par excellence" and offered condolences to the bereaved family.

Born in Minneapolis in the US state of Minnesota, Dr. Omvedt came to India after completing her higher studies and plunged herself into the various social movements for the Dalits, poor and downtrodden, farmers, women's liberation and empowerment, the rights of tribals and other public causes.

The Omvedt-Patankar couple founded the Shramik Mukti Dal in the early-1980s, while she became an Indian citizen around 1983.

She authored several books on various social subjects, taught in colleges and universities and penned columns for various newspapers, worked for the United Nations Development Programme, Oxfam NOVIB, and other international bodies.

The aide said that Dr. Omvedt was involved with various social campaigns across India for Dalits, anti-caste, environment, land and water rights, and was active with SMD, Stree Multi Sangharsh Chalval and Shetkari Mahila Aghadi which works for land rights for women farmers.

A prolific writer, she penned over a dozen books on a wide range of social issues, prominent among them being "We Shall Smash This Prison: Indian Women In Struggle" (1979), "Violence Against Women: New Movements And New Theories In India" (1991), "Buddhism in India: Challenging Brahmanism and Caste" (2003), "Ambedkar: Towards an Enlightened India" (2005), "Seeking Begumpura: The Social Vision of Anticaste Intellectuals" (2009), "Understanding Caste: From Buddha To Ambedkar And Beyond" (2011), "Songs of Tukoba" with Bharat Patankar (2012), and more.

She was conferred several awards and honours like Savitribai Phule Puraskar (2002), Dr. Ambedkar Chetna Award (2003), Matoshree Bhimabai Ambedkar Award (2012), and served as a visiting faculty for many national and international universities.

Dr. Omvedt's last rites shall be performed on Thursday morning at the Krantiveer Bapuji Patankar Sanstha campus in Sangli, the aide said.
Mumbai, Aug 25 : Actor Akshay Oberoi, who has nailed every role, is currently shooting for his upcoming show 'Those Pricey Thakur Girls' which is based on the book written by author Anuja Chauhan.

The 'Gurgaon' actor has recently wrapped up his shooting schedule for the show.

Akshay is excited to share a glimpse of his role. Akshay will be seen playing a character the audience has never seen before.

He shared, "I'm super excited for the show to release and so happy we have successfully wrapped the show." "It is a show that has helped me to explore a different shade of mine. The character is extremely interesting and has a fun element too." Akshay's upcoming projects are Vikram Bhatt's 'Cold', 'KTina' opposite Disha Patani and web series 'Inside Edge 3'.
Panaji, Aug 25 : If Congress leaders were really involved in the Goa mining scam, the BJP would have nailed them by using central enforcement agencies at their disposal, AICC Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao said on Wednesday.

Rao also slammed Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for raking up 10-year-old allegations related to the mining scam in an attempt to put Congress leaders in the dock in pollbound Goa.

"After 10 years still they are making the same allegations, what happened to your IT (Income Tax), ED (Enforcement Directorate) CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation), all those things? If anything wrong has happened, they should prove that wrong has been committed. Catch the culprits," Rao told reporters in Panaji.

"The CM simply makes allegations. You are not meant to make allegations, you are meant to investigate. You have the authority, you have the central government. Why is Mr Sawant simply making these statements?" Rao also said, claiming that Sawant's raking up of the mining scam allegation was only meant to divert the attention of the people of Goa ahead of the 2022 assembly polls.

Mining activity in Goa was banned by the apex court first in 2012, following the unearthing of a Rs 35,000 crore scam by a judicial commission appointed by the central government.

The Commission headed by Justice MB Shah had accused then Congress Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, top officials of the Goa government as well as mining magnates in the state of being allegedly involved in the scam. Kamat has however claimed innocence in the matter.

The findings of the Commission are being probed by the Special Investigation Team of the Goa Police for nearly a decade now.
New Delhi, Aug 25: In one of the latest numerous appeals, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has called upon Afghanistan's neighbours to take in more refugees from the war-stricken country.

UNHCR Regional Spokesperson for Asia and the Pacific, Catherine Stubberfield, told Sputnik: "At this stage, our primary concern is that Afghans who are seeking safety can reach it, including across borders and into neighbouring countries if needed. UNHCR is calling on countries neighbouring Afghanistan to keep their borders open in light of the intensifying crisis in Afghanistan".

Stubberfield said that the refugee evacuation initiatives undertaken by countries covers the needs of some Afghans only while the number of internally displaced people has touched 3.5 million, including over 500,000 displaced since January 2021.

Aghanistan's immediate neighbours include Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Of these, according to the UNHCR, most of the Afghan refugees have been absorbed by Pakistan and Iran.

Pakistan Pakistan is estimated to have given shelter to nearly 3.2 million Afghan refugees since 2002, of which more than 1.4 million still remain in the country. The unending Afghan conflict has been exacerbated by active Pakistani involvement through its army and intelligence agencies. Even though Pakistani ministers have said that they will not allow any more refugees and have sealed the borders, small numbers of Afghans seem to be slipping in.

Iran Afghanistan's western neighbour Iran has been supporting Afghans for decades and is taking in more refugees. It currently has nearly 1 million Afghans with refugee cards. A majority of the refugees fleeing Afghanistan for Iran are the minority Shia sect, many of whom are the persecuted Hazaras.

In the current unrest engulfing Afghanistan, many Afghan army soldiers have taken shelter in Iran. Just a few days back nearly 130 prominent Iranians urged their government to increase asylum numbers for Afghans.

On the other hand, Afghanistan's northern neighbours -- the Central Asian Republics (CAR)-- still close to Russia, continue to be suspicious of not just the US but also of Afghans. Fearful of ISIS members infiltrating in the guise of refugees, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have remained cold to inviting in refugees from their southern neighbour.

This apart, the CAR are also proud of their highly secular credentials and feel a perceived threat from fundamentalists and terrorists. They fear that Afghan refugees could undermine their own social fabric.

Tajikistan In June this year, the Taliban attacked Afghan provinces near the Tajik border, managing to bring it under their control. A few thousand Afghan troops as well as civilians fled across the border.

Even though Tajikistan announced in July that it is ready to accept up to one lakh refugees, Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin soon dismissed those claims, saying that due to coronavirus concerns, the country cannot put a number to figures. Moreover, the strengthened security on the border does not seem to bolster the sentiment that Afghans are welcome.

Uzbekistan Despite a very small border of just 144 kms, this CAR nation is not ready to host Afghans. It is also afraid of the militants of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) joining hands with the Taliban on their joint border.

An effort to send a signal to the Taliban, Uzbek security forces held military exercises with Russian troops within visual range from the Aghan side. Despite the heightened border security, Afghan security forces flew their helicopters with personnel into the country. Also some influential war lords and Uzbek fighters managed to cross over into the country.

Turkmenistan The country has enjoyed good relations with the Taliban but has now fortified its borders with a view to keeping all shades of Afghans out.

The small CAR country is also not known for welcoming refugees and has in fact deported them back. The country is also very biased for the Turk ethnicity of its refugees.

The Central Asian nations have also rebuffed US President Joe Biden's request to accept Afghan nationals on Washington's behalf. Moreover, many have held ground and air exercises with Russia to deter any refugee movement from the Afghan border.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Shillong, Aug 25 : A POCSO court in Meghalaya sentenced 25 years of imprisonment to former MLA Julius Dorphang for raping a minor girl five years ago, police official said on Wednesday.

The Ri-Bhoi district Protection of Children from Sexual Offences court's Special Judge, Febroneous Silkam Sangma on Tuesday sentenced Dorphang 25-years jail for raping a 14-year-old girl in 2016 when he was a legislator of Meghalaya assembly.

The former lawmaker's counsel Kishore Chandra Gautam said they would challenge the POCSO court judgment in the Meghalaya High Court.

Dorphang, elected to the Meghalaya assembly as an independent candidate in 2013 from Mawhati assembly seat in Ri-Bhoi district, is a former chairman of the banned militant outfit Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) and surrendered before police in 2007.

After he was accused of raping a 14-year-old girl, the former legislator went into hiding and he was subsequently arrested from near the inter-state bus terminus on the outskirts of Assam's main city of Guwahati.

He had been lodged at the Ri-Bhoi district jail before the Meghalaya High Court granted him bail on medical grounds last year.
New Delhi, Aug 25: Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and private firms are gearing up to boost investments in the war-torn Afghanistan. According to a report published by Global Times, "the boldness of risk-taking private firms also underscores China's successful diplomacy with the Taliban, which lays the foundation for the safe and smooth operation of Chinese businesses in Afghanistan".

However, even as China showed its readiness to engage with Taliban 2.0, concerns over the latter's religiosity remain high. On Saturday, the Chinese embassy issued a warning to the Chinese to adhere to the Islamic habits and dress code.

In another report, GT, China's official mouthpiece said that though the Taliban 2.0 will be far different from its previous avatar and has "so far shown the world that it has changed compared to 20 years ago, such as claiming that girls and women can receive education," it would be "unwise to expect the Taliban to reform its religious ideology." "...we should not forget that the Taliban is a Sunni Muslim political force with an fundamentalist religious ideology, and this nature will remain unchanged, and the measures it promised are more likely to be temporary," the news organisation quoted Pan Guang, a senior expert on counterterrorism and Afghan studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, as saying.

For Beijing, the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is of strategic importance. It needs the support of Afghanistan for its successful completion and execution.

China's concerns related to security have been rising, especially after the bomb blast in the Gwadar area in Balochistan.

It is no secret that anger and discontent against China's infrastructure projects have been rising. The country has also been under the spotlight for gross human rights violations in the Xinjiang region which borders Afghanistan.

Several analysts have noted that the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan will give an edge to China which has huge investments, to dominate the political contours of the region, the roadmap for Beijing will not be easy, given the volatile situation in Afghanistan.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Gandhinagar, Aug 25 : In the upcoming two-day monsoon session of the Gujarat Assembly, beginning September 27, the state government will introduce four Bills and get them passed, Minister of State for Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Pradeepsinh Jadeja said in a press statement on Wednesday.

The Gujarat Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in its weekly meeting on Wednesday, decided to hold the two-day monsoon session from Friday. The four bills to be passed include the Gujarat Professional Medical Education Colleges and Institutions (Amendment) Act, the Gujarat Goods and Services Tax Amendment Act, 2021, the Gujarat Private University Amendment Ordinance and the Indian Partnership Gujarat Amendment Act, 2021.

"Through the government's program 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', the much valued freedom which we are enjoying today is being celebrated. The government will be presenting a resolution on the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' in the session," said Pradeep Sinh Jadeja.

A limited number of people will be allowed to enter the Assembly building only after undergoing Covid-19 tests due to the pandemic. Adequate precautionary measures have been taken under the instructions of the Speaker. No visitor will be allowed inside the building during these two days.

All ministers including the CM, MLAs and mediapersons will be allowed to enter the building only after undergoing the test.
Chennai, Aug 25 : One passenger from Dubai was arrested here for trying to smuggle in 1.38 kg of gold, said the Commissioner of Customs, Chennai International Airport.

According to the customs department, one male passenger aged 27 years, flew in from Dubai by Emirates flight EK-544 was intercepted at exit gate and his baggage which were found to be unusually heavy were subjected for detailed examination.

During examination it was found that the passenger has adapted a new mode of concealing the gold in the form of a cylindrical rod inside the hollow portion of kitchen shelves made of stainless-steel pipes.

On dismantling of the shelves, gold weighing 1.38 kilograms worth Rs 60 lakh was recovered and seized under the Customs Act, 1962.

The passenger was arrested.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, in a recently concluded visit to both Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, have raised serious concern over the delay and red tapism in the bureaucracy.

According to the sources, the panel members were reported about the delay and red tapism in the bureaucracy which has been hampering the pace of development in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and many new schemes announced by the Union government were getting affected.

"Both the UTs are waiting for development that has been hampered by bureaucratisation of the process and a monopoly over releasing funds," a source familiar with the development said.

The Committee, headed by Congress Rajya Sabha Member Anand Sharma, was on the visit to J&K and Ladakh from August 17 to 21 and met with officials from the Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, the administration of both UTs and also some industry leaders.

Expressing satisfaction over the militancy which is at an all-time low and there have been no instances of stone pelting in the Valley, the members also visited the CRPF camps and the border areas.

The sources also said that Committee members were not happy to see the living conditions of the CRPF personnel and quality of the food being provided to them and noted that these should be improved at the earliest.

The panel members also visited border areas on the 'Line of Control' and raised concern over the pathetic conditions of the roads leading to 'Border Out Posts'.

"The panel also observed that in a tense situation, the army has to mobilise in a short period of time, thus, the roads have to be improved," the sources said.

In Ladakh, the panel members were reported about delay in releasing funds for development works which generally underutilised because of the delay, the sources further said.

With an aim to review the administration and development of the region and review the working conditions of central police forces, the parliamentary panel visited the two UTs after two months when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top politicians of Jammu and Kashmir on June 24.

It was the first high-level interaction between the Central Government and political leaders from J&K after August 5, 2019, when the Centre revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two union territories.
August 25 : It appears that Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif have a good number of fans in Russia. When the actors are not filming for Tiger 3, they are spotted posing with fans for some selfie sessions.

A number of fan pages have already shared several pictures of Salman while he obliged fans for some selfies. Salmans fans have even shared pictures of the actor while he was shooting for the film on the streets of Saint Petersburg. Now pictures of Katrina posing with the fans in Russia have also surfaced on some fans Instagram pages.

Both the actors were seen posing with their fans for selfies. In some pictures, Salman can be seen wearing a white printed T-shirt layered with a black leather jacket, in other pictures, he is seen in a maroon T-shirt with a checked shirt worn over it. In a video, Salmans nephew and Sohail Khan's son, Nirvaan Khan, can also be seen with him.

Image Source: Instagram/beingsalman_khan14 Salman Khan poses with fans in Russia

Katrinas pictures from the Tiger 3 sets have also been doing the rounds on social media. Some fan pages have also shared the actress selfies with them.

Katrina Kaif with Prashant Gunjalkar . 2017 _2021 .. pic.twitter.com/TAGNjGBJhP  Suzan  (@iSuzank) August 23, 2021

Katrina has also shared a bunch of pictures and a video from Saint Petersburg, Russia, as she was seen exploring the city and enjoying its cold weather. In a bunch of pictures, the actress was seen posing for the camera in a park at Saint Petersburg, while in a video, the Zero actress was seen walking along a river.

Helmed by Maneesh Sharma, Tiger 3 is a Yash Raj Films project. The big budget spy thriller is the third instalment of the blockbuster Tiger franchise. While Salman will return as special agent Avinash Singh Rathore, Katrina as Zoya Humain. The previous parts, Ek Tha Tiger and Tiger Zinda Hai, were released in 2012 and 2017, respectively. Reportedly, during the Russia schedule, the most breathtaking action sequences will be shot with Salman and Katrina featuring in them. Shoot will reportedly take place in five international destinations including Russia, Austria and Turkey.
Kolkata, Aug 25 : A Day after five contract teachers of a primary school in West Bengal attempted suicide by consuming poison in front of the state education department at the Bikash Bhavan in Salt Lake near here, the condition of three of them still remains critical.

In a shocking incident, five contract teachers of Sishu Siksha Kendra -- all women -- tried to commit suicide on Tuesday in protest against their transfer to North Bengal, which is far off from their homes.

They were first rushed to the Bidhannagar Sub-Divisional Hospital. After the condition of Shikha Das and Jotsna Tudu deteriorated on Tuesday, they were shifted to the NRS Hospital. The remaining three teachers -- Putul Jana Mandal, Chaki Das Hajra and Anima Nath -- were shifted to the RG Kar Hospital.

Police personnel have been posted outside the hospitals and no one is being allowed to meet the sick teachers.

The police also registered a case against the teachers at the Bidhannagar police station on Wednesday for allegedly obstructing the work of government employees.

State Education Minister Bratya Basu, after taking stock of the situation, criticised the Left Front supported teachers' forum for creating unnecessary tension.

In a Facebook post, Basu said, "Under the Left Front rule, there was no structure and teachers were given a nominal honorarium. But after Mamata Banerjee came to power, she made a proper structure and also gave them job security, financial security and retirement benefits.

"The honorarium for supportive assistants was increased to Rs 10,340 per month and the honorarium for contract teachers was increased to Rs 13,390 per month. In addition, an annual 3 per cent increase or increment has been introduced. Also, everyone has been brought under the government healthcare scheme -- Swasthya Sathi." Basu also accused the BJP of creating a chaotic situation.

"Provident fund has been introduced for the contract teachers and supportive assistants from February this year for those who have decided to retire at the age of 60. Maternity leave has been arranged for women as per government rules.

"In addition, everyone has been given the right to 18 days of annual casual leave, including medical care. Those who are protesting are not teachers, but BJP cadres," he said.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed concern over the inordinate delay by central agencies, the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in completing investigations, while hearing a plea to fast-track criminal cases against sitting and former MPs /MLAs.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to have a discussion with the Directors of the CBI and the ED to find out if they require additional manpower to complete investigation in a time-bound manner.

"We are sorry to say that the report is inconclusive... there is no reason for not filing charge sheet for 10-15 years, and also for not filing anything," the Chief Justice, while citing the report filed by amicus curiae on status of pending cases against MPs/MLAs by the CBI and the ED.

The bench, also comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Surya Kant pointed out that in ED cases, properties worth crores are attached, but no chargesheet is filed. "Simply attaching the property does not serve the purpose," it noted.

Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, amicus curaie in the matter, cited a 2013 case registered under the NDPS Act in which charges were framed in 2017 and is pending before Special Judge, NDPS FTC, Manipur. "The expected time for completion of the trial has been stated to be 2030," said the amicus.

The bench expressed shock at the projection of the completion of trial.

"Do so something, don't keep the sword hanging on somebody's head," the CJI told Mehta, adding that the trial should be completed, and if somebody is guilty, he should be punished.

Hansaria submitted before the court that data of pending criminal cases against MPs and MLAs is shocking and disturbing and emphasised on expediting the trial proceedings.

CJI Ramana also drew a parallel between the problems faced by the judiciary and probe agencies like the CBI or the ED. "Just like us, probe agencies are suffering from lack of manpower, infrastructure and everybody wants the CBI to investigate their matter.

"We don't want to say anything about these agencies because we don't want to demoralise them, they are overburdened. Same with judges." According to the amicus report, 51 MPs and 71 MLAs/MLCs are accused in cases arising out of offences under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, while a total of 121 CBI cases against MPs/MLAs are pending before court.

Citing the report, the CJI said: "Cases range from 8 to 10 years... 58 out of them are punishable with death or life imprisonment. The oldest case is from 2000. 37 cases of CBI are still under investigation." Mehta submitted that in many ED cases, response from foreign countries is often required. He added that Letters Rogatories are sent to various foreign countries seeking information. "Some send response early. Some late", he added, citing the cause for delay in investigation.

He suggested that the court may set an outer limit for trial to end.

To this, the Chief Justice responded: "It is easy for us to say expedite trial and all... but where are the judges?" After hearing detailed arguments in the matter, he said the court will pass order.

Hansaria, appointed amicus curiae in a 2016 petition filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking direction to fast-tracking of criminal trials against sitting and former MPs/MLAs, has filed a report in the top court. He has been assisted by advocate Sneha Kalita in the matter.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Aug 25 : After the Taliban took over complete control in Afghanistan, they have now issued a public death decree for an Afghan woman, who had left the worn-torn country four years ago and is now settled in India. She had divorced her husband after she found that he was allegedly an active member of the Taliban.

At present, Hayat (name changed) lives in New Delhi along with her two daughters. However, her other two daughters have allegedly been sold by her husband to the Taliban.

According to Hayat, the Taliban has now issued a death decree on her due to which she fears returning to Afghanistan.

After the Taliban's occupation of Afghanistan, the women there are scared even as thousands of Afghan people are fleeing to other countries.

Hayat works as a gym trainer in Delhi with the help of which she has built a home for herself, including her two daughters. In a conversation with IANS, Hayat shared her grief and said her husband had sold two of her daughters earlier to the Taliban.

She lives with her other two daughters aged 13 and 14 years.

She said that after her marriage, she came to know that her husband was a part of Taliban. "My husband tried to stab me four times the scars of which are still visible on my head, neck and fingers." "I do not have an information about my two other daughters who have been sold to the Taliban. My husband told me that he will sell my other two daughters as well after which I was forced to leave Afghanistan fearing for my life," Hayat added.

Asked if she would like to return to Afghanistan, Hayat insisted that she will never return to her native country. "The Taliban have come out with a 'death warrant' for me. They will take away my other two daughters as well. The terrorist group has said 'Money has been spent to buy the children, now they are ours'. I can't return to Afghanistan fearing a threat to my daughters' lives," Hayat said.

Asked how she managed to escape from Afghanistan, she said, "At that time Afghanistan was not captured by the Taliban, I applied for my visa, before that I had visited India once so I had a little knowledge. Many people had helped me a lot then." Asked how she learnt to speak Hindi, she replied that she was so fond of talking in Hindi she learnt it by watching Bollywood films.

She added, "Today Afghanistan is completely in shambles, I am happy staying in India but I have yet to make my refugee card." "We need the help of the Indian government as other Afghan people shy away from coming before the media to raise their voice against the Taliban that's why I am talking on behalf of them." She said, "My father, who lives in Iraq, has received multiple letters threatening him to call me back to Afghanistan, even the Taliban has been telling him that they have traced my location." According to Hayat, she wanted to divorce her husband which was not easy in Afghanistan. Her father and other family members have been receiving continuous death threats, but leaving everything behind she managed to divorce her husband and successfully fled to India along with her two daughters.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Aug 25 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday said that it has filed charge sheet against 18 people including a Chartered Accountant and several others in connection with Rs 209 crore bank fraud case.

A CBI spokesperson here said that the agency has filed charge sheet against 18 persons, Adarsh Manchanda, the then AGM, Syndicate Bank, Mahesh Gupta, the then Manager, Syndicate Bank, Bharat Bomb, a Chartered Accountant, private persons Pavitra Kothari, Anoop Bartaria, Kamal Sharma, Mahender Meghwal, Ravi Prakash Sharma, Pragati Sharma, Dilip Kumawat, Kamal Atri, Satish Khandelwal, Gaurav Dhanwal, Vikram Jain, Daulat Raj Kothari, JLN Metal House through its partners, Riddima Infratech LLP through its partners and Samriddhi Siddhi Builders and Developers Pvt Ltd through its Directors.

The official said that the agency filed a charge sheet before a court in Rajasthan's Jaipur. The CBI had registered a case on March 23, 2017 on a complaint from Syndicate Bank against six private persons including the Chartered Accountant, and several others.

In the complaint it was alleged that 118 loan accounts were sanctioned and disbursed by three branches of Syndicate Bank. He said that the 118 loan accounts were Housing loan accounts, term loan accounts for purchase of commercial property of World Trade Park (WTP), OD limits and Foreign Letter of Credits.

He further said that Bomb, Udaipur based Chartered Accountant along-with his employees and others hatched a conspiracy with the branch officials of two branches of bank in Jaipur and one in Udaipur and got various credit facilities sanctioned. It was also alleged that several of the borrowers were found to be ordinary employees in firms owned by CA & others and not eligible for such high value loans. "During investigation, it was found that in furtherance of said conspiracy, the CA, a private person and others allegedly approached Branch officials of Syndicate Bank in Jaipur for getting Term Loans for purchasing commercial properties or units situated at World Trade Park Ltd in Jaipur on the basis of forged Income Tax Returns showing inflated income of the borrowers, forged quotations, invoices, purchase orders and work orders, forged CA Certificates and audited financial statements," he said.

It was also alleged that the then Manager of the Syndicate Bank recommended and the then AGM or Branch Head of the bank had sanctioned various credit facilities by violating Bank guidelines and without exercising due diligence.
Bengaluru, Aug 25 : In a shocking incident, a Bengaluru youth repeatedly stabbed a woman college student after she again rejected his advances, police said. The woman has been admitted to hospital and her condition is said to be serious.

According to police, the incident occurred in the morning at Manjunathnagar in Bagalagunte area. Accused Uday and the victim were classmates and had studied together in the intermediate classes.

As the woman was on her way to college, Uday stopped her and proposed to her.

When she rejected him, Uday took out a knife from his pocket and stabbed her in the neck, and thigh. She tried to save herself, but he he stabbed her repeatedly, and when she fell, he started banging his head to a wall.

Passers-by who saw the scene of horror caught Uday and handed over to the police after thrashing him. Some of them took the girl to the hospital.

Uday had proposed to the girl earlier also but she had rejected his proposals.

The Bagalagunte police have arrested Uday and investigating him.
Dubai, Aug 25 : A superb Test series against the West Indies has moved Pakistan pace bowler Shaheen Afridi into the top-10 of the ICC Test Bowling rankings for the first time.

Climbing 10 spots to make his entry, Afridi is the highest-ranked Pakistan bowler in the new rankings -- eighth with 783 points. In the ICC Test Batting rankings, Afridi's compatriot and skipper, Babar Azam, has jumped to seventh spot.

Afridi, the left-arm quick picked up 18 wickets across the two Tests, seven more than the next-best bowler, Jayden Seales of the West Indies. Taking eight wickets in the first Test, Afridi went on to claim career-best match figures of 10/94 in the second match, spearheading Pakistan's charge to a 109-run victory at Sabina Park.

Afridi took a wicket roughly every four overs, at an average of just 11.27, dismissing seven West Indian players at least twice in the series. West Indian wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva fell to Afridi in three of the four innings.

Afridi has enjoyed a stellar start to his Test career, having taken 76 wickets in 19 matches at an average of 25.25.

Babar Azam was consistent with the bat across the series, reaching 30 in all four innings and passing 50 twice in tricky Sabina Park conditions. He finished with 193 runs, more than anyone else in the series, at an average of 48.25.

Fawad Alam, after a superb knock of 124 not out in the first innings of the second Test, has moved up 34 places to 21st spot -- his highest career ranking.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Believe it or not but Samsung has developed a technology that can remotely disable its TVs if it finds out the units have been stolen. The technology is now pre-loaded on all Samsung TV products.

Called 'Television Block Function' the system is intended to be implemented in respect of televisions that have been obtained by users through unlawful means and in some cases, stolen from the Samsung warehouses.

TV Block is a remote, security solution that detects if Samsung TV units have been unduly activated, and ensures that the television sets can only be used by the rightful owners with a valid proof of purchase.

The aim of the technology is to mitigate against the creation of secondary markets linked to the sale of illegal goods, both in South Africa and beyond its borders, Samsung South Africa said in a statement.

"This technology can have a positive impact at this time, and will also be of use to both the industry and customers in the future," said Mike Van Lier, Director of Consumer Electronics at Samsung South Africa.

The blocking will come into effect when the user of a stolen television connects to the internet, in order to operate the television.

Once connected, the serial number of the television is identified on the Samsung server and the blocking system is implemented, disabling all the television functions.

"Should a customer's TV be incorrectly blocked, the functionality can be reinstated once proof of purchase and a valid TV license is shared" with the company.

"As an organisation, we acknowledge the critical role in giving our customers and client the peace of mind. Working together, we can overcome the impact of the unprecedented disruption to business, as experienced by many of us recently," said Van Lier.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Environmentalists feel that the government's announcement to expand oil palm plantation in the northeastern states and Andaman & Nicobar Islands will not just lead to an ecological disaster for the fragile biodiversity in those areas, but also cause a social disorder.

The Union Cabinet had last week approved the National Mission on Edible Oils - Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) as a new centrally-sponsored scheme with a financial outlay of Rs 11,040 crore. The scheme proposes to cover an additional area of 6.5 lakh hectare (ha) for oil palm till 2025-26, thereby reaching a target of 10 lakh ha ultimately.

The production of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) is expected to go up to 11.20 lakh tonnes by 2025-26 and up to 28 lakh tonnes by 2029-30. The government claimed that the yield from one hectare of oil palm plantation is many times more than any of the oil seeds on the same area and that too at a much faster pace.

While oil palm plantations are not new for both northeast India and A&N Islands, environmentalists are a worried lot as there has been no assessment of the environmental impact of the proposed increase in the plantation area.

A 2018 brief note prepared by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) had said that the government had identified 19.33 lakh ha of land as being suitable for oil palm cultivation, including 2.18 lakh ha in the northeast.

Among the northeastern states, Mizoram was ahead with its programme dating back to 2005.

Amit Kurien, a researcher with Bengaluru-headquartered Ashoka Trust For Research In Ecology And The Environment (ATREE), said, "Purely from an income generation strategy, oil palm may be useful in the short term. But it is widely known to rapidly escalate social and economic disparities within communities. Depending on the site, it can also bring about rapid and permanent changes in tenurial systems that may not be desirable for majority of the rural farmers." "It is widely reported that oil palms can be more deleterious to both habitat and species loss since it causes permanent loss of land that can otherwise be under forest or fallow cover. Plantations are not to be considered as forests from the point of view of biodiversity conservation," Kurien added.

A 2016 study by Jayadev Mandal from Guwahati University and T.R. Shankar Raman from the National Conservation Foundation in Mizoram had found that shifting agriculture supported more tropical forest birds than oil palm plantations in that state. It made it very clear that monoculture plantations would not host as many birds as a biodiversity rich area.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global consortium comprising both government and civil society organisations, had said in its brief on oil palm and biodiversity, "Oil palm development has significant negative impacts on global biodiversity, as it often replaces tropical forests and other species-rich habitats.

"Globally, palm oil production is affecting at least 193 threatened species, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It has been estimated that oil palm expansion could affect 54 per cent of all threatened mammals and 64 per cent of all threatened birds globally. It also reduces the diversity and abundance of most native species." The government had also announced last week that it will give a price assurance to the oil palm farmers.

However, voices from the field are wary that the government assurance would create havoc.

Sangtei Zohmingsangi, a researcher pursuing a PhD on soil biology of oil palm plantations at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in Kolasib, Mizoram, said that earlier there were no purchase guarantee and so more and more farmers were having a rethink.

"But now, with the government assuring to buy the produce, more and more farmers will go for oil palm farming and more virgin forests will be cleared," she feared.

Echoing her sentiments, senior journalist from Assam and an executive member of the Kaziranga Wildlife Society, the oldest wildlife NGO in the northeast, Jayanta K. Das, said, "The oil palm plantation will not just destroy the local biodiversity of northeast, but it will go the same way as eucalyptus plantations decades ago in Assam that had proved to be a blunder. At stake is the flora and fauna of the region, some of which have already disappeared." And it is not just the environmentalists. Joining the ranks in criticising the government move was former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.

"Oil palm plantation was studied in 1980s and was rejected since it's a recipe for ecological disaster -- as has been seen in Southeast Asia. Now it will be unleashed in northeast and Andaman. A leading Indian private company had proposed an oil palm plantation in A&N Islands that I had studied and rejected on ecological grounds," Ramesh had posted on a social media platform.

Just like northeast India, the A&N Islands too are known for pristine biodiversity and rich forests.

Oil palm plantations have been tried in the Islands for more than three decades now. A case in the Supreme Court regarding permission is yet to hear the final verdict.

Experts have also pointed at the studies by late T.C. Khatri, former Head of the Department of Zoology, Jawaharlal Nehru Rajkeeya Mahavidyalaya, Port Blair, popularly known as the 'Butterfly Man' of A&N Islands.

His studies had established how despite the weather and general conditions being conducive for red oil palm in the Islands, the pest influence and other variables were not in favour and have been part of the reason for the failure of the 30+ years of monoculture red oil palm plantation at the Little Andaman Island.

Experts who have worked on the ground for decades have also said that the government is treating the Central Nicobar Islands that have vast grasslands as wastelands to be developed and converted into red oil palm plantation as a mission.

"The grasslands are not wastelands. Natural grasslands and coastal forests are owned by various Nicobarese clans, and some are considered sacred groves and places of taboo. The soil is not conducive to the growth of trees on grasslands, which is why no Nicobarese have been able to establish coconut plantation in these habitats for 1000s of years," said Manish Chandi, who was a senior researcher with ANET, and is a member of the Tribal Research Advisory Committee of the Tribal Welfare Department.

He spent 25 years on research, including on indigenous Nicobarese people.

Even the forests have been left alone because the community value the forests for their various benefits, Chandi said and pointed out, "Otherwise, the indigenous Nicobarese are coconut growers producing some of the best coconuts in the country with excellent potential for virgin coconut oil production and huge income generating opportunities. Rather than pursue this trajectory, the government seems keen to push for oil palm to cater to biscuit and cosmetics production." Monoculture plantations come with a series of ecological and sociological issues, especially in the A&N Islands.

"In the Nicobars, there will be more sociological problems given the inherent ownership and community sharing practices of the grasslands and coastal forests by many hundreds of Nicobarese joint families. Their needs are not being considered at all. Rather than improving an existing crop, which produces the best coconuts in the country, why are we striving to pursue a failed crop in the Islands," Chandi asked.

These plantations also bring in social issues vis-a-vis gender problems. A study titled 'Oil palm plantations vs shifting cultivation for indigenous people: Analysing Mizoram's new land use policy' by Purbi Bose published in the journal 'Land Use Policy' in February 2019 had indicated how even after the NLUP, the bamboo forests were allocated for shifting cultivation, which involved abandoning the land after 3-5 years.

"These abandoned lands are then promoted by the agriculture department for palm oil plantations. Gender dynamics is observed wherein women's roles become 'submissive' in the settled cultivation of oil palm as compared to their contribution in shifting cultivation," Bose pointed out.

Private palm oil companies do not collect fruits from the farmers living away from motorable roads, which pushes them to do daily-wage labour work, and women to do artisanal palm oil extraction at home, she had said.

Ironically, the 'Vision 2050' document by the Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research does not even mention a single line about the negative environmental impacts of oil palm plantations, but only talks about increased area and productivity.

Neither does it mention about any social/land ownership or gender related issues.
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 25 : Kerala Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran, who figured in controversy after the surfacing of his phone conversation with a party member, in which he asks the latter to "amicably settle a case" involving his daughter's alleged harassment by another party leader in Kollam, heaved a sigh of relief on Wednesday when the police probe gave him a clean chit.

The issue had figured in the headlines with the Congress-led opposition raking it up both inside and outside the Assembly.

After going through the audio clip of the phone conversation, the government counsel, who first studied the matter, had to take recourse to English lexicon and got the exact words translated, and concluded there was nothing which Sasendran spoke that hurt the sentiments or was anti-woman.

Then it was the turn of the local police officials who did a detailed probe and they also, after analysis, concluded there was nothing which the Minister did which would invite any sort of action as he had used the word amicable and his tone and tenor in the audio clip was not at all threatening.

Incidentally, the Kerala Lok Ayukta had recently dismissed a petition in this regard and gave the Minister a clean chit.

Saseendran belongs to the NCP and following the revelation, the Congress and the BJP had demanded his resignation and a probe.

NCP state President P.C. Chacko, a former top Congress leader, had then given Saseendran a clean chit also.

In March 2017, Saseendran, who was also a minister in the first Pinarayi Vijayan government, had to quit following release of a "sleaze talk" with a woman. However, he later returned after a court cleared him after the woman backed out.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : China's belligerent actions to undermine the world order might pose a greater threat than the erstwhile USSR due to its economic might, military capabilities and vast influence spanning across Asia, Europe and Africa but the world is not headed for a Cold War 2.0 as is being suggested in some quarters. It is the collective response of the liberal world, America and its allies "that will together decide the fate of the post-pandemic world order, says Gaurie Dwivedi, an analyst of issues relating to strategic affairs and diplomacy and a Visiting Fellow with the USI (United Service Institution of India) think tank.

India and the Quad can play a major role in the recalibration but New Delhi would have to drastically realign its economic, diplomatic and national security apparatus, the US would need to revamp its alliance network in Asia, and the Quad would have to complete its "unfinished agenda" to "create deterrence beyond strong condemnations" of China, as has been the practice till now, Dwivedi writes in "Blinkers Off - How Will The World Counter China" (Pentagon Press).

As for the recent developments in Afghanistan, China "will exploit the present situation to amplify India's security concerns since it wants to restrict New Delhi's ability to act as a regional strategic heavyweight. A combination of deft diplomacy, economic partnerships and deeper linkages with the Quad countries can counter the same", she says.

"No, we are not in another Cold War. And no, America is not as powerful as it was at the peak of the Cold War to handle such geo-political tensions all by itself. This means it is the collective response of the liberal world, America and its allies that will together decide the fate of the post-pandemic world order.

"The once-in-century corona virus pandemic became a catalyst to unravel the many layers of influence that Beijing wields. And as it displayed all of these unabashedly, it accentuated the multiple fault-lines in the globalised world. The pandemic exposed the extent of the world's vulnerabilities and its 'China dependence'," Dwivedi writes.

"Wishing away China is neither possible, nor desirable. What is needed is a clear plan of action to ensure that the CCP's (Chinese Communist Party's) imperialistic efforts are defeated," she adds.

The 18-chapter 230-page book is in four parts.

The first part details China's "stupendous rise" aided by Western powers that were "blindsided by economic gains of their partnership with Beijing to check its hegemonic tendencies early on". The second part details China's efforts to alter the global power equations by forging partnerships with countries like Iran and Pakistan. The third part highlights the "fault lines that the corona virus pandemic exposed and the scale of threats that Beijing and its supreme leader Xi Jinping now pose to the world".

The 95-page fourth part, spread over six chapters and what could be considered an epilogue titled "What if Another Virus Originates in China", suggests a roadmap "that is in sync with the challenges of the 21st century where it is not enough to just match frigates and submarines, but to defeat China's plans to weaponise trade, information and its global clout, which has turned even UN Secretary-General into its cheer leaders".

What does this 360-degree strategic roadmap entail? A key element is the need to reboot alliances.

"One of the most crucial aspects of a multi-pronged approach to deal with China involves calibrating the existing network of treaties and strategic partnerships that America, India and Japan have" as also with each other, Dwivedi writes, adding: "To eliminate Beijing's biggest source of strength in the region, which is its geographical superiority, regional partnerships need to be cultivated more." Noting that New Delhi's "enhanced role in America's Indo-Pacific strategy will need to be further enhanced", the US-India relationship, "which can shape the future of Asia and fix Chinese hegemonic designs, can realise its true potential only if several issues are ironed out", for instance their divergence in their threat perceptions; Russia's close ties with India, manifest in the latter's decision to purchase the S-400 missile system in preference to the USPAC3; and the inability of either partner "to fulfil the expectations of the other", the author states.

And, if QUAD is to succeed in its second innings, "there has to be greater convergence among the member nations to check China's rising influence, not just in the SCS (South China Sea), but also in the IOR (Indian Ocean Region). The Quad must supplement New Delhi's response to China's growing clout in its bastion. India must make amends to its neglect and apathy which allowed it to loosen its presence in this region".

India's decisive pivot for the IOR revolves around its roadmap for the strategically located Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which, due to their geo-strategic location provide "an ideal location and opportunity to become a bigger stakeholder in the IOR and SCS" and can be the gateway for a larger Indian presence in the region, possibly all the way till the Western Pacific. However, to boost capabilities and exploit their full potential, "active engagement and collaboration with other navies, including the US Navy, is needed", Dwivedi maintains.

At the bottom line, India "needs to first start by rebuilding its partnerships with the littorals," she adds.

Flowing out of this is the need to Redefine Military Deterrence.

Admitting that despite serious and growing security concerns, nations will not be in a position to substantially hike defence spends, "the next best option for all like-minded countries will be to build complementarities amongst each other. America needs to institutioanlise this approach, both with its formal allies and close partners like India", the author states.

On its part, India will also have to "overhaul its entire security architecture and strategic outlook to respond to the China challenge. New Delhi's concerns regarding Beijing, though amplified on land, are equally urgent at sea. On land, India will need to address its security gaps given the pronounced threat both from China and its almost-vassal state, Pakistan. This will require a larger strategy to deal with its two hostile neighbours in a possible 'two-front' war. A vital component of this is to expedite military modernisation", the book says.

Although the defence budget is $46.9 billion for 2021-22, almost $29 billion of this is eaten up by salaries, pensions and upgrading of essential arms, leaving "inadequate funds for modernisation of the kind that is urgently needed".

More importantly, India needs to "invest big in its military purchases" but "does not have the luxury of moving up the cycle of indigenous defence production (though large orders have been placed with home-grown HAL), which may take many years (to fructify)", Dwivedi maintains.

Thus, building deterrence within geopolitical realities "will be the biggest test for Joe Biden, Narendra Modi and Yoshihide Suga", she adds.

Dealing with the aspect of Economic Warfare, the book says that beyond the immediate recovery and revival of its economy, "India's roadmap to determine its economic fate against China must focus on making a concerted effort to be the pivot for the fourth industrial revolution. Boosting manufacturing, exports and a clear focus on new trade deals will allow India to stand tall against China economically", the author states.

Warning that the next financial crisis will occur in the China with the country's debt rising from 140 per cent of the GDP in 2008 to over 260 per cent by 2019 - over 5 per cent of the global GDP, the book says the Biden administration needs to be ready with a plan to contain the damage to other large markets.

"Reducing dependence, effective sanctions programme and providing sustainable project finance to other countries which will reduce their China exposure (largely due to loans granted under BRI) will collectively minimise the cascading effect. Unwinding of China's debt pile will cause the biggest reset in the global economy, and forward planning for the same will determine the pecking order of large economies," Dwivedi writes.

The fourth element is to Fix Global Governance, which includes "repairing" the WTO.

It is time for America, India and Japan, "large economies that have the potential to hurt Beijing economically, to finalise new trade deals with China. The premise of any future deal should not be higher committed purchases of American goods by China; instead, it should insist on subsidy cuts by the Chinese government. The road to free trade cannot go via higher tariffs. But to deal with Beijing in the short term, the USA, the EU and India must enforce coordinated tariff hikes disadvantaging Chinese negotiators in trade discussions", Dwivedi writes, pointing out that Donald Trump's "repeated tariff hikes had forced Beijing to negotiate".

One other important aspect is that the UN must reflect the geo-politics of 2021, not 1945 "and must pave the way for the capabilities of major players like India and Japan to be leveraged in a bigger way. The developments in the Indo-Pacific and China's increased sabre-rattling have acted as a catalyst to start the process of reforming the UN", Dwivedi maintains.

"As India is poised to play a larger role in the Indo-Pacific region as possibly project power in the Quad, its continued exclusion from P-5 is inexplicable," she adds.

The world must also Prepare for I-War as future warfare will not just depend in military superiority "but will also be decided by the ability to conquer new frontiers of technology, including cyber and outer space".

As a key stakeholder "in shaping global politics and as a technology powerhouse, India can play a important role in charting out a roadmap for the world's digital strategy. New Delhi can contribute in creating innovative solutions to bolster the information systems of poor nations that are more vulnerable to sophisticated cyber attacks due to inefficient/ineffective safeguards", the author states.

Dewivedi then delivers the final kicker.

"Xi Jinping has whipped up domestic sentiment on an ancient and vague concept of 'Tianxia', translated as 'all under the heaven'. This meant the world was divinely bestowed upon the emperor, who as the 'son of heaven' had 'heaven's decree'. The epicentre of the world was the Chinese emperor and countries were just tributaries and vassal states.

"The CPC is trying to create the same imagery, with the BRI expected to create vassal states all over the globe, and Jinping as the 'legitimate sovereign in the world'. The world map would be just one of the casualties for such a vision to be fulfilled.

"To avert this, the world must take off its blinkers," Dwivedi concludes.

(Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in)
Jaipur, Aug 25 : A MiG-21 fighter jet, on a training sortie, crashed near a village in Rajasthan's Barmer district on Wednesday evening but the pilot managed to eject safely, the Indian Air Force said.

The IAF, in a tweet, said: "At around 1730 hrs today, an IAF MiG-21 Bison aircraft airborne for a training sortie in the western sector, experienced a technical malfunction after take off. The pilot ejected safely.

"A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause",it said.

As per the information, the IAF plane came crashing down near Matasar Bhoortiya village, leaving the impact spot and the area around it devastated.

The villagers, as well as a police team, rushed to the spot to offer help.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : At a time when world leaders are still weary of diplomatic dealings with Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, China has established its first diplomatic contact with the militant group, aimed at pushing forward its ambitious project -- the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) -- to Kabul.

Sources said that in a bid to push the CPEC, China is exploring opportunities to exploit Pakistan to enter the war-torn country.

Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan, Wang Yu, met Abdul Salam Hanafi, the deputy head of the Taliban political office in Qatar, in Kabul and had unimpeded and effective communication and consultation, sources said.

Talking about the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in a media briefing in Beijing, "China respects the Afghan people's independent decision on their own future and destiny, and supports the implementation of the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned principle." He also said that China will develop good, neighbourly relations of friendship and cooperation with Afghanistan and play a constructive role in the peace and reconstruction of the country.

Seeing the swift changes in the security challenges in Afghanistan and the new diplomatic alignments, India is keeping a close watch on the developments in the war-torn nation.

Sources said the Chinese are in talks with the Taliban and has again proposed the construction of the Peshawar-Kabul road.

Chinese proposal for the construction of the Peshawar-Kabul motorway was anticipated by the Indian security establishment even before the Taliban take over of Afghanistan.

Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria, had said last year that Pakistan is becoming a pawn in the Chinese policy and could use the country to enter Afghanistan after the exit of US forces.

Bhadauria had said that US exit from Afghanistan will open options for China in the region, both direct and through Pakistan, allowing it entry into Central Asia, a region it has been eyeing for long.

The CPEC, one of the most ambitious components of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, was announced to great fanfare in 2015.

Since then, it has consistently been held as a "gamechanger" for Pakistan's economy. But the road to completion has proved long and winding.

It is a bilateral project with a large network of roads, railways and pipelines spanning across 3,000 km that will facilitate trade between China, Pakistan and other countries in the region.

(Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in)A
New Delhi, Aug 25: Painful images of the terror attack on a gurudwara in Kabul on March 26 last year, which left 25 people from the minority Sikh-Hindu community in Afghanistan dead, are still fresh in the public memory. The terrorist group which had taken responsibility for the heinous attack was the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan Province (also called as IS-KP, ISIL-KP, ISIL-K or ISIS-K) - the same Afghan affiliate of Da'esh which is now becoming a big nightmare for the United States ahead of the August 31 deadline to finish evacuations from Afghanistan.

Speaking on the ongoing evacuation efforts in Kabul, US President Joe Biden said that he is mindful of the "increasing risks" and "real and significant challenges" that he has been briefed on and need to take into consideration while executing the largest airlift in US history.

"The longer we stay, starting with the acute and growing risk of an attack by a terrorist group known as ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan - which is the sworn enemy of the Taliban as well - every day we're on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both U.S. and Allied forces and innocent civilians," Biden said Tuesday night.

The world's most powerful country saying that the "threat from ISIS-K is real" will however not take people who have followed the rise of IS-KP in Afghanistan by surprise.

Only last Thursday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had expressed India's concerns on how the ISIL (Daesh) continues to pose a critical threat to international peace and security and its affiliates are growing in strength.

"In our own immediate neighbourhood, ISIL-Khorasan (ISIL-K) has become more energetic and is constantly seeking to expand its footprint. This should be taken seriously. Events unfolding in Afghanistan have naturally enhanced global concerns about their implications for both regional and international security," Jaishankar had said during his address at the UNSC Briefing on 'Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts'.

Several analysts had already suggested that the Taliban's seizure of power would create an environment that allows extremist groups, including Da'esh, to establish a greater presence in Afghanistan.

Security reports had indicated that much before the Taliban takeover of capital Kabul, Da'esh in Afghanistan had increased its efforts to regroup and rebuild by prioritizing the recruitment and training of new supporters, including from Iraq, the Syrian Arab Republic and other conflict zones.

Taking advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic and intra-Afghan negotiations, it was not just the Taliban but also the IS-KP which expanded its presence in several provinces and strengthened its positions in and around Kabul, from where it launched attacks against different groups in Afghan society.

Last month, a UN Security Council report on the threat posed by ISIL had member states estimating that IS-KP currently controls between 500 and 1,500 fighters in Afghanistan and that these figures "may rise to as many as 10,000 in the medium term", making Afghanistan a haven for terrorist activity.

The terror outfit has staged a comeback after suffering leadership, human and financial losses during 2020 when it came under sustained pressure in its strongholds in eastern Afghanistan.

"Reportedly, over 1,400 ISIL-KP fighters and affiliates have surrendered since October, among them women and children. While ISIL-KP was largely expelled from Nangarhar Province in November 2019, it reportedly continues to have a presence in pockets of western Kunar Province," a UNSC report had said in March 2020.

However, IS-KP rebuilt and strengthened the group by attracting intransigent Taliban and other militants who rejected the agreement between the United States and the Taliban and joined the Da'esh affiliate after "feeling alienated or threatened" by developments in the Afghan peace process. It soon started targeting the minorities, civil society actors, government employees and personnel of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces.

It is the same group which had also recently claimed the responsibility for the brutal attack against humanitarian group HALO Trust in Baghlan Province on June 8 in which 10 deminers were killed and 16 injured.

Quite obviously, both - the UN and the US - know that the IS-KP now has the potential for conducting future attacks, including even targeting the ongoing evacuation efforts in Kabul.

As the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki put it last night: "The threat from ISIS-K is real. The possibility of a deterioration of coordination with the Taliban is real. Putting our service members at risk is real." (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
New Delhi, Aug 25: For the war-torn Afghanistan, acute food shortage is the next key challenge. The land-locked country, which is now in control of the Taliban, is in the grip of a severe drought. Not just that. It has been hit by the crises right after the Covid pandemic.

According to the UN World Food Programme, 14 million people in Afghanistan - 35 per cent of the total population -- are food insecure. The worst impacted are the children.

"Millions of Afghans are struggling to put food on the table as prolonged drought disrupts supplies in a country reeling from a surge in violence as US-led foreign troops complete their withdrawal," a Reuters report said.

After the 2018 drought that caused serious damages in Afghanistan, the agriculture sector was gradually coming to life.

An analyst told India Narrative that the Taliban would have to ensure that food supply is maintained. "The Taliban would need to build acceptability among the locals and for that providing food will be the topmost priority," he said.

Though wheat, one of the primary crops grown there, takes up about 2.7 million hectares annually, a lot is imported too. The main wheat growing provinces include Badghis, Takhar, Heart, Balkh, Kunduz, Helmand, and Kandahar. Besides, the country has also been cultivating high quality fruits, nuts and saffron. However, less than 20 per cent of overall Afghanistan's land is arable.

According to Climate Home News, the country's climate change is expected to bring more frequent and intense extreme events, such as droughts and flash flooding. This may lead to boosting the drug economy "as opium poppies flourish in warm, dry climates." While the US and other doner countries have built irrigation facilities in the country, many of them have not been maintained. India has also been the forefront in rebuilding the country. But take the example of the New Delhi assisted Afghan-India Friendship Dam or the Salma Dam built in east Herat. The dam, commissioned in 2016, has been damaged after the Taliban firing. Besides, reports suggested that most of staff at the site, which is one of the key sources of irrigation and electricity generation in the Herat province, have not been coming to work.

"Now with this situation, the threat over food availability is ever more worrisome," a person engaged with an NGO who has been living in the country told India Narrative.

While some of the best quality fruits and nuts were being grown in Afghanistan, the political turmoil along with droughts and water shortage have led to unprecedented uncertainties.

Janani Vivekananda, a senior advisor on climate change and peacebuilding at thinktank Adelphi said that ensuring water access and protecting people from severe climate impacts is critical to the governance of Afghanistan, the Climate Home News said.

"If the Taliban care about the Afghan people, they are going to have to care about water," the news organisation quoted Oli Brown, associate fellow at Chatham House, as saying.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Mumbai, Aug 25 : Netflix will be releasing 'Tudum', a global fan event with stars and creators from around the world representing over 70 series, films and specials. They will join the virtual stage for the day full of exclusives and first-looks.

There will be special pre-shows spotlighting Korean and Indian series and films, and animation content.

Glimpses of over 70 films and series throughout the three-hour event including some of our most popular returning seasons like 'Stranger Things', 'Bridgerton and 'The Witcher', 'La Casa De Papel and Cobra Kai', 'Red Notice', 'Don't Look Up', 'Extraction', 'The Harder They Fall', 'The Old Guard' and more will be showcased during the event.

The audience will be invited to co-stream and react to the event in real time on their Facebook, Twitch or YouTube channels.

The virtual live stream of 'Tudum' will broadcast across Netflix's YouTube channels worldwide, in addition to Twitter and Twitch on September 25.
Mumbai, Aug 25 : The Maharashtra BJP on Wednesday demanded a CBI probe into the alleged 'connivance' of Shiv Sena's Transport Minister Anil Parab into the arrest of Union MSME Minister Narayan Rane after a purported video clip went viral social media.

BJP legislator Ashish Shelar said the Sena minister was heard telling someone over phone that Rane's bail plea would be rejected, hours before it actually happened, while chairing a meeting of Ratnagiri District Planning and Development Council.

"We demand a CBI probe as Parab exerted pressure and was heard telling somebody that the Union minister's bail appeal would be declined. How did he know about something before the process started in the sessions court? All the phone calls of Parab and IPS officers should be unraveled," Shelar demanded.

Showing the video clip, he said that at around 1 pm on Tuesday, Parab was informing someone of the sessions court matter where Rane's plea was rejected only after three hours.

"This is very suspicious. It raises questions over the government's intentions behind arresting a Union minister like this. We demand a CBI probe into the matter," Shelar said.

He added that Parab's actions were a slur on the judiciary and were intended to pressurise the IPS officers, especially when the home department is with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

It may be recalled that Rane was arrested on Tuesday afternoon from Ratnagiri for his utterances against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and was produced before the Mahad Court in Raigad late on Tuesday night.

The Mahad Court Judicial Magistrate, S.S. Patil, while saying the arrest was justified, sent Rane to magisterial custodial remand till September 4, before granting conditional bail to Rane.
Kabul/Islamabad, Aug 25 : The Talibans unpredictable takeover of Afghanistan has ushered in a tumultuous second innings for the country, as the world watches the developments closely.

Many countries have made key investments in Afghanistan, and China being a large stakeholder in the country is now actively evaluating its response as it seeks to protect its multi-billion dollar investments and infrastructure projects, including the Belt and Road initiative.

Despite facing global condemnation of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, China was one of the first nations to quickly extend its support and acknowledgment of the new regime, which the Taliban has graciously welcomed.

The fall of the Ashraf Ghani-led government in Afghanistan, backed by US military troops on Afghan soil since 2001, has revealed itself as an opportunity for China to step in America's shoes.

What China fails to realise is that the US presence played an important role as a deterrent which protected the various investments made globally in Afghanistan, including that of China's.

US President Joe Biden's decision to pull out US military troops spells chaos for Beijing too as China, over the years, has invested and raised huge infrastructure projects and has extended huge loans to Islamabad as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), President Xi Jinping's star project in Asia, which seeks to rekindle the famed Silk road.

The BRI is one of the most coveted projects of Jinping that requires active support of the South Asian countries, including Afghanistan.

China's $282 billion investment as part of the BRI in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe is therefore now sitting at a precipice as the unhinged Taliban has once again taken over Afghanistan, which poses a major threat to the BRI project.

Pakistan has been a major beneficiary of Chinese investments in Asia, but Beijing has started to raise concerns after the incident of bomb blast on a Chinese shuttle bus in northern Pakistan made news. The blast had killed nine Chinese engineers, who were working on the $4 billion Dasu hydroelectric dam.

A month after the blast, Pakistan placed blame on the Taliban for the attack, claiming that Afghan soil was used for the incident. Such incidents serve as an example of what uncontrolled terror groups with enormous power can do in the disputed territories.

The troubling aspect for China is the way the CCP and Jinping make key investment decisions in South Asia, which are mostly forward looking.

Resultantly, China has shelled out large loans to countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan to secure its BRI dream. However, such a forward-looking strategy often falls on its head when regimes can change overnight in unstable territories, and China therefore willingly or unwillingly must extend its support to the Taliban, a group that by its very nature is highly erratic and poses a threat to all investments made in Afghanistan by countries globally.

The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) unplanned money shower in these disputed nations may possibly result in a blowback to the BRI, which further strains its own economy and its people as the nation is recovering from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although the CCP has been quick to jump the gun and join hands with the Taliban by acknowledging their regime, the Taliban government 2.0 is an uncharted territory.

China clearly undermined the importance of the 20-year-old US presence in Afghanistan. One superpower's exit may not necessarily be an opportunity for the supposed other.

China now needs to carefully evaluate its support to the Taliban if it is to realise Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.
Patna, Aug 25 : General Secretary of the LJP (Paras) group Keshaw Singh lodged a complaint against LJP president Chirag Paswan, his trusted aide Saurav Pandey and some other leaders in the Shastri Nagar police station in Patna on Wednesday.

Singh alleged that he has received over half a dozen phone calls where the caller threatened him with dire consequences for organising political events for Pasupati Kumar Paras.

"The caller introduced himself as a supporter of Chirag Paswan and Saurav Pandey. He asked me to avoid organising political events for Paras in Bihar. We have also submitted the phone number used by the caller to call me" Singh said.

In the complaint he has also mentioned the names of other leaders like Krishna Kumar Kallu and Amar Azad.

When contacted, an official of Shastri Nagar police station said that it could be a political stunt by Keshaw Singh.

"We have started scanning the call details of the number. The investigation is currently underway," he said.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Increased localisation levels on the back of Production-Linked Incentive scheme will make the automobile industry more robust, Union Heavy Industries Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey said on Wednesday.

In his address at the 61st SIAM Annual Convention here, Pandey said that his ministry is "working consistently for the growth of automotive sector".

He also emphasised on the need for developing EV charging infrastructure.

At the first plenary session, themed 'Enablers for Sustainable Growth of Auto Industry' in India, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said: "The future direction for the industry is towards shared, connected, and Electric mobility." "There are four prominent growth drivers that we should focus on. Firstly, we should expand investment in R&D. Then, we should focus more on innovation in small format mobility segment, establish massive charging infrastructure across the country and provide export impetus to the industry." "EV is definitely integral in every OEM's plans."
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Former Afghanistan Interior Minister Masoud Andarabi has posted shocking pictures of young children reportedly being killed by the Taliban.

Andarabi said that the Taliban "are trying to rule over people by terrorising them, killing young children and elderly citizens".

He said the Taliban "cannot govern the nation" using such terror methods.

"Taliban are trying to rule over the people by terrorising them, killing young children and elderly citizens. Taliban cannot govern the nation by such actions. In Andarab, the Taliban have been carrying out unwarranted searches of homes, capturing people without reason or justification, and killing innocent citizens. As a result, people have had to rise against their brutality to protect their lives, honour, dignity and property," Andarabi said in a tweet where he posted pictures of bodies of children and also children who have been injured.

The pictures show small children, who Andarabi says have been killed by the Taliban.

"Talibs aren't allowing food and fuel to get into the Andarab valley. The humanitarian situation is dire. Thousands of women and children have fled to the mountains. Since the last two days, Talibs are abducting children and elderly and using them as shields to move around or do house search," former Vice President of Afghanistan, Amrullah Saleh, said in a tweet.

Afghanistan's seizure by the Taliban has raised grave fears over a return to past patterns of human rights violations, stoking desperation among many Afghans.

Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that in recent weeks, the office has received harrowing and credible reports of the impact on civilians of violations of international humanitarian law, as well as violations and abuses of human rights, by the parties to the conflict.

"In particular, we have also received credible reports of serious violations of international humanitarian law, and human rights abuses, taking place in many areas under effective Taliban control. They include, among others, summary executions of civilians and hors de combat members of the Afghan national security forces; restrictions on the rights of women - including their right to move around freely and girls' right to attend schools; recruitment of child soldiers; and repression of peaceful protest and expression of dissent," Bachelet said.

(Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in)
Mumbai, Aug 25 : Capital market regulator SEBI on Wednesday ordered the releasing of bank accounts, lockers, demat accounts, and mutual fund folios of former Yes Bank MD and CEO Rana Kapoor.

In March, the SEBI had attached his bank accounts, and mutual fund holdings to recover dues of over Rs 1.04 crore, after the Yes Bank founder failed to pay the fine imposed on him.

The regulator had imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on Kapoor for violation of disclosure regulations regarding a transaction of Morgan Credits Pvt Ltd, an unlisted promoter entity of Yes Bank.

The release order comes after the Supreme Court, earlier this month, granted a conditional stay on the order by the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) which had upheld a penalty of Rs 1 crore on Kapoor.

In compliance with top court's interim order, he has deposited the amount, the regulator noted in its release order.

The regulator, in its release order, directed all banks, mutual funds and depositories "to release the bank accounts/locker, demat accounts, and mutual fund folios of the defaulter (Kapoor) attached, if any, pursuant to the notice of attachment".
New Delhi, Aug 25 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Delhi High Court to decide, within two weeks, the plea against the appointment of Rakesh Asthana as Delhi Police Commissioner.

Hearing a petition filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation challenging Asthana's appointment, a bench, headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana, said: "There are issues, one is about my participation in my matter as one ground. I have expressed my views about this gentleman in CBI selection." The Chief Justice, while participating in the High-Powered Committee, had objected to the appointment of Asthana as the head of the CBI.

He said that the second issue is that somebody had filed a plea against Asthana's appointment, which is pending in the high court.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioner, submitted: "I don't think that disables your lordship at all." The bench, also comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Surya Kant, noted that a petition on the same issue has been filed in the Delhi High Court.

"We know time is of essence... we will give time of 2 weeks to the high court to dispose of (the petition)," it noted, adjourning the plea for two weeks. It added it will have the benefit of the high court order in the matter.

The bench, in its order, said: "In the meanwhile, we request the High Court of Delhi to consider hearing the Writ Petition (Civil) No 8654 of 2021, which is pending adjudication before it, as early as possible and preferably within a period of two weeks from today to enable us to have the benefit of the Judgment of the said Court." Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that a similar petition is pending before the Delhi High Court and the petitioner before the apex court should also be asked to move the high court.

Bhushan argued that the petition in the high court was a "copy-paste" from his client's petition. "It was filed through somebody else after we filed the petition here," he said.

"Today we find ambush petitions being filed, filed in collusion with the government to get a dismissal of a genuine petition," he said, adding that the high court had adjourned the petition to the mid-September, after it was informed that a similar plea is pending in the apex court.

Bhushan vehemently argued that "egregious violations of rules" has taken place in Asthana's appointment, which has resulted in violation of fundamental rights of all citizens. The bench gave liberty to Bhushan to intervene in the petition filed before the Delhi High Court.

Mehta urged the top court to grant a period of at least four weeks to the high court to decide the matter, but the bench did not agree.

The top court has also asked the registry to place this petition before an appropriate bench. "The Registry is directed to list this matter after two weeks before an appropriate Bench," said the top court in the order.
Kabul/New Delhi, Aug 25 : As the situation in Afghanistan continues to evolve, there are increasing signs of uncertainty regarding the form and type of governance that would come in place in Kabul.

Most significantly, people are increasingly getting concerned about the manner in which the government would function, especially financial institutions and their linkages with trade and economy.

This situation is a matter of concern for the Taliban leadership as short financial infusion in the form of aid and assistance from China or even the UAE and Saudi Arabia will not be enough to reign in the disarray and chaos the economy is likely to face in the coming days.

Long-term sustenance of the country's economy will also be a problem because Afghanistan has been literally dependent on Western donors for financial support. In 2020, foreign donors pledged a projected $12 billion in civilian aid to Afghanistan for a four year period from 2021to 2024.

The decision to allocate the funds was taken after intense debate in each of the donor countries in terms of viability and returns before they were cleared. The aid is thus always conditional to deliverability on various counts with the prime objective being restoration of peace and stability in Afghanistan. Effective governance and transparency are also seen as critical factors in deciding the issue.

Incidentally, the 2021-2024 aid figure is lower than that of the previous four year phase (2017 to 2020), due to the lack of confidence among the donor countries in the slow manner in which progress was evident on all fronts in Afghanistan.

During the 2017-2020 phase, foreign donors had pledged an amount of USD 15.2 billon. Some of the donor countries are tied down with such stringent internal mechanisms for clearing these aid allocations that while making commitment to the overall figure of donation, they release the amount on an yearly basis, simultaneously watching the progress made by the Afghan government on the promises made.

The US, with its special commitment to Afghanistan, had pledged an amount of $600 million as civilian aid for the year 2021 of which an amount of $300 million was handed out in the first part of the year. The US has been a constant contributor to Afghanistan and has generally spent USD 800 million each year in civilian aid to Afghanistan in recent times. Finalization of the aid has also faced severe scrutiny in the US Senate and has been questioned time and again, especially because of low deliverables from the Afghan side.

This has been one of the reasons for the US to reconsider its decision to continue remaining in Afghanistan. A sense of haplessness and surrender is evident on the part of the US while dealing with Afghanistan.

In this backdrop, and with the situation being uncertain in terms of governance and transparency in Afghanistan, it would be difficult for donor countries to continue with their aid in the coming period. There is the possibility that donor countries would come up with far stringent norms for such aid to be available and Afghanistan under the Taliban might not be able to deliver on the core aspects of such norms.

This would undoubtedly place Afghanistan in an extremely difficult situation. Even if the UAE, Saudi Arabia and China cater financial aid to Afghanistan, they would also expect deliverability by the Afghan Government on various frontsbased on their priorities. There is every likelihood that these donor nations would also wait and watch before they make any contribution because of the yet unstable situation in Afghanistan and the possibility of chaos and anarchy taking over.

Given this situation and the desperation in the Taliban to prove their ability to run the government effectively, there is a possibility that they would go in for alternate sources of earning which would drive them towards extensive drug trade through large scale poppy cultivation in different parts of Afghanistan.

This could change the overall security dynamics in the region with drugs and arms seeing proliferation in an uncontrolled manner in the region.

European nations and Russia would be the most affected and are concerned about the likely impact of such dependency of Afghanistan on an expanded drug based economy. Countries in the region including India could face the challenge of keeping off such menace from impacting India.

In spite of global efforts to control drug production and smuggling from Afghanistan, the drug market in Afghanistan has in fact progressed with newer and modern versions of drugs such as Methamphetamine - also known as crystal or speed - being produced.

These modern drugs have significant demand in the European and American markets besides Russia. Analysts dealing with the drug situation in Afghanistan feel that the Taliban would use the drug connect for exerting pressure on the world community for aid and assistance.

It needs mention here that the Pakistani ISI has been quite familiar with integrating the drug-arms-finance matrix which has been the core in terms of sustaining their operational objectives in Afghanistan.

The global community would have to remain alert about any such trend in a drug based economy emerging in Afghanistan in the coming days. It is a well known fact that effective control over such drug production is not possible in Afghanistan, as one has seen in the past several years with organisations such as the UNODC striving hard to curb drug production in Afghanistan.

The UNODC has invested significantly over the years in controlling the drug situation in Afghanistan and this was possible due to the intense ground level engagement between UNODC experts who visited Afghanistanregularly and Afghan government officials dealing with the matter.

However, with the Taliban in position now, their approach towards the issue would have to be gauged before the global community acts. This will indeed be a challenge before the international community and for nations in the region.
Chennai, Aug 25 : Private players in the space sector on Wednesday briefed K. Sivan, Secretary, Department of Space, and Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), about their activities and sought suggestions.

According to ISRO, about 25 private players, including companies like Larsen and Toubro, Bharti Airtel, Pixel, Agnikul Cosmos, Skyroot and others, attended the virtual meeting.

Sivan also appreciated the formation of an exclusive space industry advocacy group -- Indian Space Association (ISpA) -- to voice their expectations from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), the sectoral regulator for private players.

The ISRO Chairman also suggested startups and industry players to join the ISpA and benefit from the platform to enhance the evolving landscape of space activities in the country.

A brief demonstration of the proposed website for IN-SPACe was made for the benefit of the participants.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday orally observed that Unitech Group promoters Sanjay Chandra and his brother Ajay Chandra will be not allowed to come out of jail unless "some money from foreign countries comes back".

As senior advocate Vikas Singh submitted that Chandras were in jail for the last four years and they should be granted bail now, a bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and M.R. Shah said: "You will have to wait until and unless some money from foreign countries comes back." Unitech Group's forensic audit revealed that its promoters diverted thousands of crore amount paid by homebuyers and banks to off-shore tax havens.

As Singh submitted that the Chandra brothers are not fly-by-night operators to seek relief for them, the bench replied: "Your clients know where the money is." The interim audit report, providing details of potential diversion of funds, claimed high-value investments were made in off-shore tax-havens, and this was later written off.

According to the report, three subsidiaries of Unitech, between 2007-2010, invested Rs 1,745.81 crore in 10 companies in Cyprus. It further added that Rs 1,406.33 crore or 80 per cent of the total investment value, between 2016-18, was written off, while Rs 339 crore is appearing as equity investments in the books of accounts.

During the hearing, the top court also urged the Noida authority and Unitech group should adopt some flexibility and come up with a practical solution in connection with dues to be paid by the company.

The Noida authority had raised a demand of over Rs 8,000 crore, but the company's new management, which was appointed by the Centre, argued the amount is in complete disregard of the agreement.

Insisting on a resolution, the bench noted it is important to protect the interests of thousands of homebuyers, who have not received possession of their flats so far.

The Unitech's new management termed NOIDA and Greater Noida authority demand, which included penalty and interest, as unreasonable. It urged the top court to pass direction to the authorities to only demand principal amount.

At this, the bench told the Noida authority: "You are a public body, and you also need funds. So, give realistic estimates of dues." Counsel representing the Authority vehemently argued that the resolution plan was framed behind its back and several calls were made by the authority to the head of the Board of Directors, but there was no response. Unitech contended it had been allotted land by competitive bidding in 2006 in Sectors 96, 97, and 98. It further added that in Sectors 113 and 117 allotted in 2008, NOIDA hasn't been able to give complete and absolute rights for land allotted, but has been charging interest, penal interest etc.

The hearing in the matter is likely to continue on Thursday.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has sought intervention from Chief Ministers to strengthen the aviation infrastructure.

In a letter to the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar and Chhattisgarh, he requested their personal intervention to strengthen aviation infrastructure.

He urged them to instruct the officers concerned to initiate action for expediting various matters like land allocation, deposition of funds with RACFT, VGF support for international UDAN operations, amongst others.

Scindia also asked them to expedite airport development in their states.

The Airports Authority of India has embarked upon development and expansion of airports in the country at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore in the next 4-5 years in order to meet the growing passenger demand in the country.
Hyderabad, Aug 25 : Rich tributes were paid on Wednesday to those who lost their lives in the twin bomb blasts at Gokul Chat and Lumbini Park in Hyderabad 14 years ago.

The locals and some of the survivors of the blasts gathered at the Gokul Chat to pay tributes to the 42 people who were killed in the near simultaneous blasts on this day in 2007.

The popular eatery in Koti was shut on the anniversary of the blasts. People were seen offering floral tributes at its entrance.

The survivors said the government should ensure that the guilty are hanged without any further delay.

In 2018, a special court had sentenced two convicts to death and a third to life sentence.

Syed Raheem, who lost one of his eyes in the blast at the popular eatery, demanded the government to do justice to the victims by immediately hanging the guilty persons.

He said people who lost their limbs or other vital organs in the blasts were still waiting for justice.

"We are still waiting for justice. Many have not received the compensation either," he said.

Raheem, who has been staging protest at Gokul Chat on every anniversary of the blasts, questioned the delay in implementing the death sentence awarded to the convicts.

Anique Shafiq Syed and Akbar Ismail Choudhary, the alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives, were sentenced to death in connection with the case, while a third convict, Tariq Anjum, was awarded life sentence.

Two other accused, Farooq Sharfuddin and Sadiq Ahmed Sheikh, were acquitted for lack of evidence.

Two powerful explosions had ripped through the popular eatery named Gokul Chat and an open-air theatre at Lumbini Park, near the state secretariat, on August 25, 2007, killing 42 people and wounding 68 others.

While 32 people were killed at Gokul Chat, 10 persons lost their lives at Lumbini Park, in near-simultaneous blasts that occured at around 7.45 p.m. that day.

An unexploded bomb was also found under a foot-over-bridge at Dilsukhnagar.

The accused were arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad in October 2008. Three other accused, including IM chief Riyaz Bhatkal and his brother Iqbal Bhatkal, are still at large.

The case was initially investigated by the Andhra Pradesh Police. Following the bifurcation of the state, it was handed over to the Counter Intelligence (CI) wing of Telangana Police.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : A former minister in Afghanistan has now reportedly taken up a job delivering food in Germany.

Syed Ahmad Shah Saadat, former Afghanistan Minister of Information and Communications, was spotted by a local journalist in Germany's Leipzig city when he was on his way to make a delivery on his bicycle, the Independent reported.

Saadat had joined the government of the now-exiled President Ashraf Ghani as a cabinet minister in 2018. After serving for two years, however, Saadat resigned and left the country for Germany last December.

The former minister began working as a delivery executive for the food delivery company Livrando after his money ran out, reported Sky News.

Saadat said his story should "serve as a catalyst to change the way high-ranking people live their lives in Asia and the Arab world".

Photos of Saadat have gone viral on social media amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country once the US announced it was pulling out its troops from the war-torn nation.

Ghani had abruptly left the country just before the capture of Kabul by the Taliban and is now reportedly in the UAE.

Reacting to the situation back home, Sadaat said he never thought a civilian government would fall so fast.

He reportedly holds two master's degrees in communication and electronic engineering from the Oxford University. With a career spanning over 23 years, Sadaat has worked with at least 20 companies in 13 countries, including Saudi Arabia.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : IPS officers Pankaj Kumar Singh and Sanjay Arora were on Wednesday appointed the new Directors General of the Border Security Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), respectively.

"The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of the Home Affairs for appointments of Pankaj Kumar Singh, IPS (RJ:88) presently Special DG, BSF as Director General, Border Security Force from the date of joining the post and up to December 31, 2022, that is day of his superannuation or till further orders, whichever the earlier. The appointment will take effect after August 31, 2021.

"The appointment of Sanjay Arora, IPS (TN:88), presently special DG, CRPF, as Director General Indo-Tibetan Border Police vice S.S. Deswal, IPS, (HY:84) due for superannuation on August 31, 2021, from the date of joining the post and up to July 31, 2025, the date for his superannuation or till further orders," an official notification said.

Deswal has been holding the additional charge as DG, BSF following the appointment of then BSF Chief Rakesh Asthana as Delhi Police Commissioner on July 27 this year.

In an another notification, the government, on the proposal of the Union Home Ministry, appointed IPS officer Balaji Srivastava, of Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory cadre as Director General of Bureau of Police Research and Development(BPR&D) from the date of his joining till his superannuation on March 31, 2024 or till next orders.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : To promote Ladakh as a tourist destination with focus on adventure and culture, a three-day tourism event -- 'Ladakh: New Start, New Goals -- will commence from Thursday in Leh, the Union Tourism Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Radha Krishna Mathur, and Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, G. Kishan Reddy, will address the event being organised from August 26-28. Reddy will virtually address the event, which will also be attended by Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal.

The objective of the event is to promote Ladakh as a tourist destination with focus on aspects of adventure, culture and responsible tourism. The event aims to provide indigenous product knowledge to the industry stakeholders and also a platform to local stakeholders for interaction with the tour operators from the rest of the country.

The three-day event will include activities like exhibition, panel discussions, B2B meetings, technical tours and cultural evenings to showcase the tourism facilities and products of Ladakh.

During the event, 'A Tourism Vision for Ladakh' document would be unveiled which focuses on the overall development of the region. The document envisions promoting tourism in the backdrop of sustainable ecological practices, building on local materials and human resources.

The Ministry of Tourism is organising the three-day event in collaboration with Ladakh's department of tourism and the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI).

In a statement, the ministry said, "Domestic tourism plays an important role in the overall development of the tourism sector in India. The ministry undertakes various promotional activities for the promotion of domestic tourism and these activities are primarily aimed at increasing awareness about tourism destinations and products, promoting domestic tourism with focus on priority areas like the Northeast, Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir.

"The ministry has been promoting Ladakh in domestic as well as international markets through various campaigns and initiatives such as 'Dekho Apna Desh' wherein a dedicated webinar on Ladakh was conducted. Promotion of Ladakh is also undertaken through the 'Incredible India' website, social media platforms of the ministry etc."
New Delhi, Aug 25 : India hosted the maiden India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA)meet on Wednesday where the National Security Advisors of the three countries discussed maritime security, and the fight against terrorism, and transnational organised crime.

"The emerging cyber and unmanned threats were also discussed during the meeting," said a senior government officer.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval chaired the inaugural meet under the IBSA, a trilateral, developmental initiative between India, Brazil and South Africa to promote South-South cooperation and exchange.

The meeting was convened as part of the preparatory process for the next IBSA Summit of Leaders which is scheduled to take place during India's chairship of IBSA, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the theme "Democracy for Demography and Development".

This was the first such meeting of the NSAs of the IBSA countries, reflecting the importance of closer cooperation among the three countries to meet growing political and security challenges in the world.

India, Brazil and South Africa are three large developing countries located in three different continents bound by common values of democracy and pluralism. They are also all maritime nations.

During the discussions, participants agreed that terrorism, in particular, cross-border terrorism undertaken through state sponsorship, continues to be the most potent threat to global peace and security and must be fought through united efforts.

They also agreed to enhance cooperation in intelligence sharing, exchange of best practices amongst concerned national agencies, and capacity building.

Maritime security was identified as an important area of future cooperation. It was agreed to strengthen mechanisms to combat piracy and drug and human trafficking and ensure security of sea lines of communication and energy and sustainable exploitation of marine resources, including fishing.

The next round of the trilateral 'IBSAMAR' maritime exercise will be held at the earliest. India also invited Brazil and South Africa for the MILAN naval exercise in 2022.

India also proposed cooperation among the defence industries based on respective strengths of each country and pooling of resources for joint development of platforms, including naval platforms.

Representatives of the three countries also agreed to enhance practical cooperation in cyber security and accepted India's offer to organise an Experts Group Meeting on Cyber Security.

"They also agreed to further strengthen coordination within the UN on cyber and ICT issues," a Ministry of External Affairs statement said.
Kabul, Aug 25 : Many Afghan passports with Indian visas from Kabul have been stolen and the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI is said to be behind it.

Media reports said that at the behest of Pakistan, ISI raided a travel agent and stole several passports with Indian visas. Security agencies are apprehensive that the security of the country may be threatened as terrorists present in Afghanistan may enter India using such stolen passports.

After the Taliban took over Kabul, many private travel agents have become active there. In such a situation, the ISI got the Urdu speaking people in the security forces raid the travel agent, in which the matter of theft of many passports has been revealed.

This travel agent was in touch with the Indian Embassy and was helping Afghan nationals get Indian visas in Kabul, media reports said.
Bengaluru, Aug 25 : The Kannada Development Authority, a nodal agency appointed by the Karnataka government to monitor implementation of Kannada language in policies and programmes, has demanded Google India correct the names of state's cities and villages which have been wrongly mentioned.

Noted film director and authority President T.S.Nagabharana shot off a letter in this regard to the office of Google India Private Ltd located in the city.

"Many names of villages and cities have been wrongly mentioned on Google Maps. This has come to our notice. We have also noted that Google India is trying to reach out to the users in recent days," he stated in the letter dated August 21.

With tourists relying on Google Maps to reach their destinations, the authority said that against this backdrop, it is advised to correct the names of villages and cities that have been mentioned wrongly. It said that the authority is ready to extend its help to the company, if needed.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) informed on Wednesday that no Covid positive case has been reported among the 78 evacuees who came from Afghanistan on Tuesday.

The evacuees have been sent for 14-day mandatory quarantine at the force's centre in Chhawla in southwest.

Amid the ongoing evacuation operations from Afghanistan, the government on Tuesday announced that all those coming from the war-torn nation will have to undergo 14-day quarantine at the ITBP centre in Chhawla.

The force has also been asked to make the requisite arrangements for arranging transportation of passengers from the airport to the Chhawla camp. Any person testing positive shall be shifted to the identified dedicated Covid care centre or Covid hospital under the Delhi government.

Considering the nature of the present crisis, the Health Ministry had already made exemptions for mandatory pre-boarding RT-PCR testing (presently mandated for international travellers).

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Patna, Aug 26 : A DSP-rank officer in Bihar's Gaya district, booked under Pocso Act for raping a minor girl, was given bail on Wednesday by the Patna High Court.

Justice Ashutosh Kumar granted bail to Kamal Kant Prasad following arguments by his lawyer Yogesh Chandra Verma.

The incident dates back four years when the DSP allegedly raped a minor Dalit girl, who was working as domestic help, in his official residence. The crime took place during Dussehra celebrations in 2017 and his wife made the video of the incident and had complained to authorities.

A CID investigation in this regard had been underway since then, and an FIR in this connection was finally registered on May 27, 2021 on the direction of a special Pocso court.

A warrant was issued against Prasad after he did not join the investigations.
Hyderabad, Aug 26 : Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday slammed Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Reddy for betraying his adopted village Muduchintalapally in Medchal Malkajgiri district.

Revanth Reddy, who spent the night in a house of a villager Dalit colony, continued his Dalit Girijana Deeksha on the second consecutive day. The Congress leaders went around the village, spoke to people and enquired about their problems.

Reddy, who slept in the house of Burugu Sailu, began his day with a visit to the houses in Dalit colony. Brushing his teeth with a twig, he interacted with men and women.

The TPCC president wanted to know from the villagers if they were benefited from different schemes claimed to be implemented by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government.

Later addressing a public meeting, Reddy targetted the chief minister for betraying the people of his adopted village. He alleged that KCR has failed to fulfill all the promises he had made four years ago. He challenged the chief minister for a debate on the unfulfilled promises.

The Congress leader said the two-day programme was aimed at ascertaining facts in the chief minister's adopted village.

Reddy said the conditions of Dalits and tribals can improve only under Congress rule. He declared that after Congress party comes to power in the state, the first file to be signed by the chief minister will be to provide separate budget for Dalits and tribals to educate their children.

He also promised that Pragati Bhavan, the official residence of the chief minister, will be turned into Dr. BR Ambedkar Bahujana Bhavan and it will be used to prepare SC and ST youth as IAS, IPS officers and lawyers.

Reddy announced that the next programme under Congress party's movement for Dalit and tribal self-respect will be held in Gajwel, the Assembly constituency represented by CM KCR.

The party has so far held the programmes at Indravelli in Adilabad district, Ravirala near Hyderabad and Muduchintalapally.
New Delhi, Aug 26 : The government will soon launch a special incentive scheme to support 75 startups in the areas of telemedicine, digital health and artificial intelligence (AI) to coincide with the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' being celebrated from August 15 onwards.

The scheme will be launched by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a public sector enterprise under the Department of Biotechnology, government of India, a release said on Wednesday.

Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, said that instructions to this effect have been conveyed to the members of BIRAC led by its chairperson Renu Swarup.

Swarup is also the Secretary in Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Interacting with the board of directors of BIRAC, the minister said the grand challenge to identify the top 75 innovations is the most appropriate task in the 75th year of India's Independence that will promote R&D in the health sector at a time when humanity the world over is dealing with the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

BIRAC has been promoting and supporting new ventures under the Startup India and Make in India programmes in the areas of biotechnology ecosystem growth.

"The BIRAC has lent funding support of over Rs 2,128 crore to more than 1,500 startups, enterprises and SMEs. From supporting less than 50 biotechnology startups in 2012 with innovative funding of less than Rs 10 crore, the BIRAC is now funding over 5,000 such startups with over Rs 2,500 crore funding. By 2024, BIRAC targets to support more than 10,000 biotechnology startups," the release said.
AP police arrest one, seize 620 kg marijuana on way to Maharashtra Image Source: IANS News

AP police arrest one, seize 620 kg marijuana on way to Maharashtra Image Source: IANS News

AP police arrest one, seize 620 kg marijuana on way to Maharashtra Image Source: IANS News

AP police arrest one, seize 620 kg marijuana on way to Maharashtra Image Source: IANS News

AP police arrest one, seize 620 kg marijuana on way to Maharashtra Image Source: IANS News

Krishnavaram : , Aug 26 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Police seized over 500 kg of marijuana, valued at Rs 12 lakh, in the state's East Godavari district while it was being ferried to Maharashtra in a truck, an official said on Wednesday.

The vehicle driver has been arrested.

Acting on a tipoff received by East Godavari Superintendent of Police M. Ravindranath Babu, police set up a checkpoint at Krishnavaram toll plaza on NH-16 and began searching vehicles.

The drug, amounting to 620 kg and packed in 21 sacks, was found on a truck with Maharashtra number plates.

"To conceal the marijuana, a tarpaulin sheet was used to cover the rear part of the truck and an attempt was made to show that the truck was empty," said a police official.

Truck driver Abdul Kalim Ande Nazir Sheikh (51), a resident of Maharashtra's Amravati district, was arrested.

Two more accused involved in this case, one from Maharashtra and another from Andhra's Darakonda, are on the run.

Sheikh sourced the marijuana from Darakonda village in Visakha agency area and was attempting to take it to Maharashtra.
New Delhi, Aug 26 : The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) led by Ferozepur MP Sukhbir Singh Badal has registered a clear majority by winning 27 seats out of the total 46 in the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) election held on Sunday, results of which were announced on Wednesday.

The victory has given a boost to the SAD ahead of the next year's Punjab assembly polls in which the party would aim to dislodge the Amarinder Singh-led Congress government.

Incumbent DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa of SAD has, however, lost the election by over 500 votes to Harvinder Singh Sarna of SAD-Delhi. He had contested from the Punjabi Bagh ward.

Despite the defeat, Sirsa flashed the victory sign to the media while exiting the counting centre at Aryabhatt Institute of Technology on Wednesday afternoon. He said "the people have once again given us a chance to serve".

"By making us win 27 out of 46 seats, the Sangat of Delhi has given us great pride. This victory belongs to the entire Sangat of Delhi, we bow our heads at the feet of the Sangat of Delhi and thank them for giving this honour to the Shiromani Akali Dal," he wrote in a social media post.

The SAD's rival group and the main opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi) has secured 14 seats in the election. One seat each has gone to the Independent candidate and Panthic Akali Lehar. Jag Aasra Guru Ott (JAGO) party has won three seats.

"Punjabi Bagh had highest turnout with 54 per cent," said Narinder Singh, director of Gurdwara elections.

Sirsa said that the results will will give a boost to party campaign in Punjab as it shows with which have support of Sikhs.

The DSGMC, which goes to polls every four years, controls Sikh shrines in the national capital along with various academic institutions and hospitals.

It comprises 46 members elected from as many wards and the rest are appointed from different holy Sikh shrines.

A total of 312 candidates, including 132 independents, were in the fray this year.

The election is being conducted by the Delhi government's directorate of Gurdwara elections.
Iboki Airport, Iboki, Papua New Guinea [ IBI / ]

If you are planning to travel to Iboki or any other city in Papua New Guinea, this airport locator will be a very useful tool. This page gives complete information about the Iboki Airport along with the airport location map, Time Zone, lattitude and longitude, Current time and date, hotels near the airport etc... Iboki Airport Map showing the location of this airport in Papua New Guinea. Iboki Airport IATA Code, ICAO Code, exchange rate etc... is also provided.

Iboki Airport Info:

Iboki Airport IATA Code: IBI Iboki Airport ICAO Code: Latitude : -5.58333 Longitude : 149.2 City : Iboki Country : Papua New Guinea World Area Code : 804 Airport Type : Small Timezone : Pacific/Port_Moresby Iboki Airport Timezone : GMT +10:00 hours Current time and date at Iboki Airport is 06:31:26 AM (+10) on Thursday, Sep 2, 2021

Looking for information on Iboki Airport, Iboki, Papua New Guinea? Know about Iboki Airport in detail. Find out the location of Iboki Airport on Papua New Guinea map and also find out airports near to Iboki. This airport locator is a very useful tool for travelers to know where is Iboki Airport located and also provide information like hotels near Iboki Airport, airlines operating to Iboki Airport etc... IATA Code and ICAO Code of all airports in Papua New Guinea. Scroll down to know more about Iboki Airport or Iboki Airport, Papua New Guinea.

Iboki Airport Map - Location of Iboki Airport Load Map Papua New Guinea - General Information Country Formal Name Independent State of Papua New Guinea Country Code PG Capital Port Moresby Currency Kina (PGK)

 1 PGK = 0.285 USD

 1 USD = 3.511 PGK

 1 PGK = 0.24 EUR

 1 EUR = 4.16 PGK

 More PGK convertion rates Tel Code +675 Top Level Domain .pg

This page provides all the information you need to know about Iboki Airport, Papua New Guinea. This page is created with the aim of helping travelers and tourists visiting Papua New Guinea or traveling to Iboki Airport. Details about Iboki Airport given here include Iboki Airport Code - IATA Code (3 letter airport codes) and ICAO Code (4 letter airport codes)

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General information about Papua New Guinea where Iboki Airport is located in the city of Iboki. General information include capital of Papua New Guinea, currency and conversion rate of Papua New Guinea currency, Telephone Country code, exchange rate against US Dollar and Euro in case of major world currencies etc...

IBI - Iboki Airport IATA Code
The new features in WorkMap.ai let intelligent algorithms do the hard work, while organizations free up their resources for things that matter

HyperOffice today announced a slew of new capabilities in WorkMap.ai which represent, among other things, an unprecedented coming together of artificial intelligence and workflow automation.

As a provider of no-code automation with WorkMap, we come across riveting use-cases - an international NGO looking to track COVID vaccinations in Africa; a university looking to allocate scholarships to students; or a public health provider looking to deploy mobile health services to remote locations. However, even though these platforms mainly handle data, the playground of A.I. - no-code platforms still require constant manual intervention - allocating vaccinations to patients, assigning scholarships to students etc, said Farzin Arsanjani, President at HyperOffice. The new features in WorkMap solve exactly that - by letting intelligent algorithms do the hard work, while organizations free up their resources for things that matter, he added.

WorkMap.ai, already a robust no-code workflow automation and data management platform with applications across healthcare administration, education, public sector, non profit and other sectors, now includes the following capabilities.



The Automation Intelligence engine. Recognizes patterns and establishes relationships between data sets to trigger processes - for example allocating vaccinations to patients, matching students and scholarships, or allocating any other resources based on requirements.

Resource scheduling. Scheduling of people, places, equipment as part of a multi-step workflow - for example scheduling an appointment with a doctor which initiates a new patient workflow including gathering a patient intake form, allocating equipment and nursing staff, alerting the billing department etc.

Rule based SMS notifications. Intelligent SMS notifications that alert stakeholders at different steps of a workflow - for example vaccination reminders for the second dose to patients with details about time and place of vaccination

Email workflows. Allow stakeholders to participate in workflows via email

"It's been a great, great experience. From the first conversation the HyperOffice team were so eager and enthusiastic to try to help in this time of global need, COVID - it was really refreshing," said Taylor Martin, Director, Workforce Optimization & Engagement at Michael Garron Hospital. "I think WorkMap.ai is a great platform that has so many applications for hospitals and for just about any organization looking to do more with what they have. The ability of the platform to do much of the work for us transforms our workflows and business processes. We now get to spend our time on critical decision making instead of transactional data entry and manual work," Taylor concluded.

More can be seen here - https://www.hyperoffice.com/workflow-management-software/

About HyperOffice

Founded in 2004, HyperOffice Inc., (https://www.hyperoffice.com), is a leading provider of online communication, collaboration, workflow and data management software for businesses. A pioneer in software-as-a-service, HyperOffice has empowered organizations with automation and productivity solutions across healthcare, education, public sector, non profit and other sectors.

Company contact:

Pankaj Taneja

HyperOffice

press(at)hyperoffice(dot)com
aec360 has been helping Microsoft lead the charge in the AEC industry for over a decade, explained Pat Fitzhenry, Director  Global ISV Partners for Microsoft. Their industry-specific aec360 solution, combined with years of experience working with AEC firms and other project-driven organizations,

HSO ProServ, parent company of aec360, today announced the official release of aec360 Project Operations, the newest iteration of its highly successful AEC industry solution for Microsoft Dynamics 365. This new offering, leveraging Microsofts latest Dynamics 365 and Project for the web technology, will provide AEC firms with new modern capabilities across their project lifecycle.

aec360 pre-configures and extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 to provide a best-in-class business platform purpose-built to meet the unique needs of AEC firms. This proven AppSource-approved solution helps AEC firms find and win more work, more effectively deliver and account for their work, and optimize their HR and talent management practices, all in an integrated cloud platform.

Dynamics 365 Project Operations is Microsofts next-generation project and resource management tool, built on Power Platform and Dataverse technology. Project Operations leverages Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsofts latest Project for the web solution to provide a modern and engaging tool for planning and managing projects and resources. aec360 combines these capabilities with world class project accounting and financial management capabilities within Dynamics 365 to provide the best of both worlds.

Dynamics 365 Project Operations offers a series of new capabilities that will help our clients improve PM user adoption and better manage their projects and resources, explained Sean Skiver, Executive Vice President  Products & Solutions for HSO ProServ. By extending our aec360 solution to incorporate the latest in Microsoft cloud technology, we can offer our clients a future-proof solution built to help them optimize their entire project lifecycle.

aec360 has been helping Microsoft lead the charge in the AEC industry for over a decade, explained Pat Fitzhenry, Director  Global ISV Partners for Microsoft. Their industry-specific aec360 solution, combined with years of experience working with AEC firms and other project-driven organizations, uniquely positions the aec360 team to deliver the results our joint clients are looking to achieve.

For more information about aec360 Project Operations or to request a personalized demo,

please visit our website at http://www.aec360.com or visit LinkedIn.

About aec360

aec360 is the worlds leading Microsoft Dynamics 365-based business platform, designed to meet the unique needs of the AEC industry. aec360 provides an integrated industry solution for marketing and business development, project management, accounting, and human resource management, and was built to leverage the best of the Microsoft cloud, helping AEC firms drive productivity, collaboration, and insights across their organization. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.aec360.com.
After years of intensive coursework and dedicated study, Connor Keim has passed all three levels of the CFA Program exams and earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

The process of earning the CFA charter is highly selectivefewer than one in five candidates complete the entire program. It takes an average of 1,000+ hours of rigorous study, along with four years of professional experience and successful completion of the CFA Program exams, to earn the distinction of being called a CFA charterholder. Additionally, all CFA charterholders are required to annually attest to their compliance with the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct. The CFA credential is the professional standard of choice for more than 31,000 investment firms worldwide.

Connor Keim, CFA is a Portfolio Associate for Alpha Cubed Investments. He joined the firm in January of 2018 after he graduated from The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the College of Business. He majored in Finance on the CFA and Investments track with a minor in Business Entrepreneurship & Innovations, as well as a minor in International Economics that he received while studying at The University of Oxford for a summer. He has been fascinated with the finance industry ever since attending the Berkshire Hathaway meeting as a kid in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.

Connor assists the Portfolio Managers with monitoring the firms current positions, while also conducting research, such as examining fundamental, technical, and economic factors around specific securities, overall market trends, and esoteric research theories. He also assists with executing trades daily for individual client accounts, placing block trades for portfolio rebalances & changes, processing bond allocations, and producing periodic research reports and portfolio reviews for prospective clients.

Connors enthusiasm and dedication to the discipline of investing is a great asset to the firm. He has the potential to significantly move the needle for our clients while at the same time building a great career in the investment industry."

Todd Walsh CEO, Alpha Cubed Investments

About Alpha Cubed Investments: Alpha Cubed Investments is a Registered Investment Adviser with clients across the U.S. We manage assets for high-net-worth individuals, families, corporations, retirement plans, and other entities. Our objective at Alpha Cubed Investments is to grow and protect investor capital utilizing our dynamic 3-step investment process. We offer personalized services to meet each client's financial goals. Alpha Cubed Investments offers custom portfolio management across the risk and return spectrum. For more information, please visit http://www.alphacubedinvestments.com.

CFA and Chartered Financial Analyst are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

Services offered through Alpha Cubed Investments, LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser. This brochure is solely for informational purposes. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where ACI and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital. No advice may be rendered by ACI unless a client service agreement is in place.
The Alula Builder Program provides the flexibility and cost structure alarm dealers and residential integrators need to grow their business, while delivering the technology new homebuyers demand. A key differentiator of the Alula Builder Program is how were going to market. Alula is launching this program to our professional dealer partners, explained Brian McLaughlin, CEO at Alula.

Alula, the leader in smart security and automation systems for professional installers, today launched the Builder Program, an industry-leading program for professional smart home security integrators who work with residential homebuilders. This program provides the flexibility and cost structure alarm dealers and residential integrators need to grow their business, while delivering the technology new homebuyers demand.

"Throughout the creation of this program we talked to a lot of alarm dealers across the U.S. about their ideal solution for the new construction market," explained Brian McLaughlin, CEO at Alula. "The number one thing they asked for was the ability to design packages specifically for the homebuilders they work with. Our program does just that. We provide solutions and leave it up to the integrator to customize a unique package that works for their builders. Its by far the most flexible, cost-effective program available in the industry."

Unlike other programs that require dealers to work with multiple suppliers for hardware and services, Alula offers an integrated solution that covers the complete experience. Because of this, Alula is able to offer hardware packages at everyday low prices and then add prepaid service plans that fit the needs of each integrator. In addition to providing the complete hardware and service solution, Alula also provides sales and marketing assets to help alarm dealers sell the value of offering a smart home experience to new homebuyers.

A key differentiator of the Alula Builder Program is how were going to market. Alula is launching this program to our professional dealer partners, McLaughlin added. Were remaining true to Alulas brand by putting our dealer partners first and allowing them to customize smart home packages that work for their builder customers. Other programs in this space bypass the residential integrator and engage directly with the homebuilder.

Four standard service plans, ranging from 12-months to the lifetime of the original homeowner, are available. Service plans include smart device control and automation (lights, thermostats, door locks, and more), live video viewing and local alarm. Alarm dealers can work with builders and homeowners to add additional services, capabilities and hardware.

Additional core benefits of the Alula Builder Program include:



Versatility: One panel for automation, video and security

Customization: Select the kit that works best for the homebuilders needs

Cost-Efficiency: Save with model home discounts, remote service activation and cellular communication on-demand

Flexibility: Alulas platform covers wireless and hardwired applications

A Dynamic App: Alulas mobile app automatically configures itself based on the services to which a homeowner has subscribed

Having smart home security technology installed in new construction is no longer considered an upgrade -- homebuyers expect these tech features in their new homes, said Rob Bowlin, President of Quantum Security. Were installing smart lights, door locks, cameras and security devices throughout the home. The great thing about the Alula program is that we can use the same equipment for automation as we do for security. Plus, the Alula platform gives us the ability to remotely activate new features, which significantly reduces costs typically incurred on return trips."

The Alula Builder Program is available to all Alula dealers. To learn more about the Program, visit http://www.alula.com/builder.

About Alula

Alula is the leading all-in-one security and home automation platform, purpose-built for todays independent security and installation professionals. From panel to communicators and sensors to the industrys fastest network, Alula offers a complete, end-to-end solution and one accountable partner. Today, thousands of alarm dealers and integrators across North America have nearly 400,000 active locations connected and secured with Alula. Designed for professionals, the Alula platform provides a complete security, automation and video solution for renters, homeowners and commercial installations. Alula is a business-driven platform designed to reduce truck rolls, increase RMR, simplify inventory and put todays professional providers in control of their business, their customers and their revenue. The Alula Builder Program is available to professional installers in the U.S., Canada and Australia. For more information about Alula, visit http://www.alula.com. For information about becoming an Alula partner, visit https://alula.com/advantage/.
We are truly honored to be recognized among such great companies and entrepreneurs. We saw the need for convenient and affordable outpatient care and have remained laser focused on filling that need. We are mission-driven to meet the needs of the clients we serve with excellence and compassion.

Inc. Magazine revealed that ARISE RECOVERY CENTERS is No. 264 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

We are truly honored to be recognized among such great companies and entrepreneurs. We saw the need for convenient and affordable outpatient care and have remained laser focused on filling that need. We are mission-driven to meet the needs of the clients we serve with excellence and compassion.

 Danny Andino, CEO & Co-Founder of Arise Recovery Centers

Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this years list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 20.

The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled, says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis weve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people.

Arise Recovery Centers owns and operates outpatient substance abuse facilities in Texas and on college campuses.

To learn more about Arise Recovery Centers, visit their website at http://www.AriseRecoveryCenters.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Blake Pettit

972-483-9686

blake@muddywatersmarketing.com

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this years Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.
StaffNow We are thrilled to be recognized as one of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies

Inc. magazine today revealed that StaffNow is No. 475 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

We are thrilled to be recognized by Inc. Magazines Annual List of Americas Fastest-Growing Private Companies, Greg Johnson, StaffNow CEO said. Last year presented new challenges for everyone and we are grateful for the dedication, sacrifice and commitment of our internal team and essential workforce.

Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this years list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 20.

The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled, says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis weve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this years Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About StaffNow

StaffNow is a full-service agency created to unite talented people with excellent workplaces. StaffNow is a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). The agency utilizes innovation and technology to help clients successfully recruit the skilled talent needed at the right time. With over 30 years of leadership experience, StaffNow services clients all over the country from its headquarters in Avondale, AZ; branch offices in Tempe, AZ and Davenport, IA; and satellite locations in California, Texas, Ohio, and Illinois.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

For more information, contact Stacey Johnson at staceyj@staffnowjobs.com
Armed Forces Bank, headquartered in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a full-service military bank committed to serving those who serve since 1907 Armed Forces Bank strives to provide the best banking solutions and financial advice no matter where our clients are stationed or deployed around the world.

Armed Forces Bank (AFB)  a full-service military bank committed to serving those who serve since 1907  has been named Distinguished Bank of the Year by the Department of the Army and Navy. The Department of the Army recognized Armed Forces Bank at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington and the Department of the Navy selected Armed Forces Bank at Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois.

The award recognizes the on-base financial institutions that provided exceptional service to the community during the preceding calendar year. In particular, Armed Forces Bank was recognized for its leadership in serving military service members and their families with a vast array of banking services, installation support and financial education. In addition, Armed Forces Bank maintained bank access and met cash requirements during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure that all individuals and businesses could conduct financial services without disruption.

Armed Forces Bank was formally recognized at the 2021 Association of Military Banks of America (AMBA) Annual Workshop held virtually August 23 and 24, 2021.

Armed Forces Bank has branches on 17 military installations throughout the United States. With 114 years experience, Armed Forces Bank provides a first class standard of care for military, government personnel and their families across all installations to uphold a consistent customer experience  regardless of location.

This years honorees, Armed Forces Bank at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) and Armed Forces Bank at Naval Station Great Lakes (NSGL), serve approximately 210,000 and 150,000 active duty and retired military, government personnel, and their families, respectively. Both AFB/JBLM and AFB/NSGL began operations in 1997 with two locations on base at JBLM and three locations on base at NSGL.

For the 2020 calendar year, Armed Forces Bank received nine nominations combined from the three branches of service (Army, Air Force and Navy) for the award by Command Leadership at military installations around the country. Financial education, community outreach and product value propositions were some of the contributing factors for acknowledgment at these locations.

In addition, Armed Forces Bank is fortunate to have been honored for nine consecutive years for Distinguished Bank of the Year by at least one branch of service (Army, Air Force and/or Navy).

We are honored to be awarded the Distinguished Bank of the Year for the ninth consecutive year. This honor reflects our dedication to meet the distinct needs of military service members and their families, said Don Giles, president of Armed Forces Bank. Armed Forces Bank strives to provide the best banking solutions and financial advice no matter where our clients are stationed or deployed around the world.

With a constant focus on innovation to help military clients effectively manage their finances no matter where they are around the globe, Armed Forces Bank launched a new and improved Digital Banking platform. Online and Mobile Banking services have been recently upgraded to include:



New Digital Banking platform allowing clients to conveniently bank from their smartphone, tablet or desktop computer anywhere, including sending and sharing money with Zelle and TransferNow

New Access Loan available 24/7 with a user-friendly application that puts borrowers in the drivers seat for payment flexibility and immediate funding for loans as low as $750

Availability of a chat feature on the Armed Forces Bank website for visitors and personalized service with access to live bankers through Online and Mobile Banking

Armed Forces Bank also offers clients the convenience to add cash to their Armed Forces Bank debit cards at any register at more than 4,000 Walmart locations across the U.S. Additional retailers will soon be added to the locations where clients can add cash to their debit card.

It is an honor to serve the active and retired military service members and their families who are dedicated to serving our country, adds Giles. We will continue to innovate and provide products and services that make banking more accessible and convenient to meet the unique needs of our clients.

Armed Forces Bank

Armed Forces Bank (AFB), headquartered in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a full-service military bank committed to serving those who serve since 1907. As part of a family of banks with over $1.2 billion in assets, AFB provides affordable, personal, and convenient banking and financial services to both active and retired military and civilian clients in all 50 states and around the world. Armed Forces Bank has more on-base locations than any military bank in the country with 23 locations. Armed Forces Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dickinson Financial Corporation, a $3.5 billion bank holding company headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. Armed Forces Banks sister bank, Academy Bank, is a full-service community bank with over 80 branch locations in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri. For more, visit http://www.afbank.com.

###

Member FDIC


Dennis McFarland, a lifelong Ohioan who struggled through drug and alcohol addiction, anxiety, and depression, earned two degrees from Ohio Christian University, and now earns his living helping people to find their own focus and purpose near his home in London, Ohio, where he lives with his wife, son, and his best friend, a Boxer named Loki, has completed his new book Razormist: Does God Love EveryoneEven a Professional Killer?: a potent thriller that keeps the pages turning until the dramatic conclusion.

The author writes, In my first book, First Church of Mars: A Practical Guide to Christianity for the Interplanetary Traveler, I presented the reader with a picture of the church without all the man-made traditions that have choked out its effectiveness. How exactly do we interact with the church under this context? What if the church were able to adapt to individual and cultural needs without judgment, cliques, and division? Just how much of the personality and character that we bring to our relationship with God do we actually keep?

This book both asks and answers the question Does God love everyone, even a professional killer? (The answer to that question is an emphatic Yes!) It is a simple tale centered on a professional killer named Razormist. Misty was raised from childhood to be a professional killer. But one key person in her life planted a seed in her young mind. As she navigates her daily adult life, she comes into contact with a unique community of believers. Through her interactions with that community, she is led into a divine appointment that will change her life forever.

There is enough sacrificial blood at the foot of the cross for every human soul. It is easily accessible and always available. As you take this journey with Misty, perhaps you will see God in a way you have never seen him before.

Published by Page Publishing, Dennis McFarlands engrossing book is a superb choice for avid fiction readers.

Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase Razormist: Does God Love EveryoneEven a Professional Killer? at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing understands that authors should be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com
Iohamil Navarro Cuesta, a Cuban film and television producer who graduated from the University of Havana with a degree in English language and literature in 1994 and began his career as a production assistant at the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Arts and Industry, has completed his new book La Entrega: a gripping and potent literary debut.

Tino Font, a Cuban intelligence agent, vacation with his family in Ronda, Andalusia. He has in his possession, thanks to his contact within the US government, a USB memory with a compromising video of the President of the United States. An attempted robbery in his bungalow prevents the leakage of the material to the international press. Tino catches the assailant and confirms that it is not a simple robbery but a well-organized operation to steal his memory. He does not know how they discovered him despite having kept the existence of such a video a secret. He needs to return to Cuba to track down the traitor among his colleagues, but first he must get his family to safety. He turns to his mentor, who is living an incognito retreat in Cordova and goes to Cuba, where the Russian and American intelligence services also arrive to pressure the Cuban government and seize the valuable object at any cost.

Published by Page Publishing, Iohamil Navarro Cuestas engrossing book is an excellent choice for avid spy fiction readers.

Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase La Entrega at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing understands that authors should be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com
Joseph Barna, who has won three national gold medals in the creative writing divisions of the Veterans Administration Creative Arts Contest, has completed his new book God Makes Angels and Navy Corpsmen: A Korean War Veterans Memories of the War and Life: a gripping and potent memoir that provides a vivid perspective of firsthand experiences of the war. Joes combat time in Korea included some of the most terrible fighting that the Marines endured including the mountain battles at Bunker Hill, Old Baldy, Siberia, Vegas, and Reno.

Author Joseph Barna introduces his work, writing, I would like to share a story about a Navy corpsman. A man who saved my life on top of a mountain in Korea. He gave me sixty-six more years of life. His name was John Jackie Kilmer. He was just a boy from Michigan who loved Marines and wanted to save as many as he could. His face is forever cemented in my mind and my heart. Jackie was tall, maybe six feet two inches, and very thin. He had a high squeaky voice, like the Wally Cox TV character Mr. Peepers. In those few quiet times between battles, I shared a bunker with Jackie, and we became good friends.

Published by Page Publishing, Joseph Barnas powerful work shares the authors journey as he served with the 1st Marine Division, 1st Regiment, 1st Battalion, Baker Company, Antiassault Platoon. From growing up in a small Pennsylvania town, through Marine Corps boot camp and training, and finally, remembering and coping with buried memories decades later, Korean War combat veteran Joseph Barna recounts his life events.

Readers who wish to experience this memorable work can purchase God Makes Angels and Navy Corpsmen: A Korean War Veterans Memories of the War and Life at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
Thomas R. Mayes, a retired police lieutenant, US military combat veteran, proud member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 392 in Virginia Beach, and father of four who holds a degree in criminal justice from the State University of New York in Buffalo and has lived all over the world, has completed his new book From the Womb to the Tomb: an unflinching account of his relationships and the experiences that have shaped his journey.

The book is explosive. The reader will feel the real pain and agony of a boy who came from nothing and who became a man. The reader will see for themselves the true and real horrible struggles and destruction of a family from the South. The author holds nothing back from the reader, and everything and everyone will be exposed as he saw and wrote it. He did not intend to hurt anyone, but the truth must be told. The reader will become a witness of fifty-eight-plus years of a real painful soap opera, no holds barred.

Published by Page Publishing, Thomas R. Mayess engrossing book is a clear-eyed reflection on his childhood, military service, and family life.

Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase From the Womb to the Tomb at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing understands that authors should be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com
Avionos, which designs and implements marketing and commerce solutions, today announced Chris Hauca has joined as managing director and Joe Harouni as commerce practice lead to continue expanding the companys commerce capabilities. The duo brings with them experience in professional services, vendor relations and software implementation to better deliver integrated eCommerce solutions and meet market demand to support growth for clients across digital transformation, marketing and commerce initiatives.

Businesses have continued to see disruption unlike ever before and the market is headed in an entirely new direction due to the growing expectation for digital innovation, said Chris Hauca, managing director, Avionos. Throughout my tenure in the professional services and vendor space, Ive advised global clients through the industrys evolution. I couldnt be more excited to bring my experience and fresh perspective to the team, seeking out new opportunities and taking Avionos offerings to the next level for our clients.

Chris is returning to Chicago after eight years in Europe, most recently working as general manager for SAP Commerce Cloud. He comes home this year with a new perspective on global commerce and is poised to bring his passion for software management to the team as he leads the practice team in the development of new go-to-market offerings for digital transformation, commerce and marketing at Avionos. Chriss deep roots in the Chicago market and interest in B2B commerce started back when he worked with Scott Webb, CEO of Avionos, at Acquity Group, now part of Accenture.

Joe Harouni will join Chriss team to lead the commerce practice at Avionos, complementing the digital transformation practice led by Mousumi Behari and the marketing practice led by Mary Schneeberger. He brings with him robust experience in the world of B2B commerce. His vertical-specific expertise in digital commerce for manufacturers and distributors, paired with his background in multi-cloud digital strategy and implementation, will be instrumental in shaping clients business-to-business and direct-to-consumer offerings.

At Avionos, were constantly looking for ways to better serve our clients and lead the industry in delivering measurable business outcomes, said Scott Webb, CEO, Avionos. Im confident the addition of Chris and Joe to our impressive practice team will do just that. Both of their backgrounds paired with our companys passion for innovation will allow us to further elevate our services to make a real impact in the market.

Founded in 2014, the Avionos team has consistently provided solutions to the quickly evolving commerce and marketing industry world for clients. Following tremendous growth since 2015 and a 350% increase in employee headcount since its founding, the company continues to focus on expanding the team for accelerated growth efforts.

To learn more about the Avionos team, please visit https://www.avionos.com/meet-the-team/.

About Avionos

Avionos designs and implements digital commerce and marketing solutions that deliver measurable business outcomes for clients like Kelloggs, JLL and Brunswick. Our iterative approach quickly unlocks new revenue, transforms customer experiences and drives customer engagement. Were ranked on the 2019 Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list, Crains 2018, 2019, and 2020 Best Places to Work in Chicago lists, included on Comparablys 2018 Best Company Culture List and certified as a Great Place to Work. Learn more at http://www.avionos.com.


This integration provides great value to our current customer base and potential clients seeking an all-in-one payment and accounting solution," said Greg Cornwell, Chief Revenue Officer, Bluefin.

Bluefin, the leading provider of encryption and tokenization payment security solutions for healthcare, higher education, government and petroleum, has announced a new partnership with Synder to provide a seamless QuickBooks/Xero integration through the companys PayConex payment gateway.

Synder is smart and simple accounting automation software. The product helps to automate bookkeeping processes and sync multi-channel sales in one single ecosystem for businesses selling online. A detailed sync process provides an opportunity to track multi-channel sales per product, client, currency or location, and offers users clear reporting on their business health. A smart rule engine opens unlimited customization and automation of business and accounting workflows, taking into consideration all aspects of each particular business use case.

Through the partnership, companies using Bluefins PayConex payment gateway can now quickly connect their payment processing account with their QuickBooks or Xero accounting system.

By synchronizing PayConex with QuickBooks, the average company will save about 8 hours a week on bookkeeping work, while being able to import data with a high level of granularity, said Greg Cornwell, Chief Revenue Officer, Bluefin. This integration provides great value to our current customer base and potential clients seeking an all-in-one payment and accounting solution.

PayConex provides mobile, contactless retail and Ecommerce payment processing backed by the highest level of security, including PCI-validated point-to-point encryption (P2PE) for point-of-sale (POS) payments, ShieldConex for encrypted tokenization of online PII, PHI, payment and ACH account data, and a chargeback / fraud management platform.

At Synder, we help companies achieve their Ecommerce business growth with a quick integration. We process accounting operations in the background so small to medium-sized businesses dont need to do this manually, said Ilya Kisel, COO and Co-founder, Synder. We are very excited that Bluefin chose Synder to facilitate the integration of PayConex with QuickBooks/Xero.

For more information on the solution, visit https://synder.com/integrations/quickbooks/bluefin/.

About Bluefin

Bluefin is the recognized leader in encryption and tokenization technologies for payment and data security. Our security suite includes PCI-validated point-to-point encryption (P2PE) for contactless face-to-face, call center, mobile and unattended payments, and our ShieldConex data security platform for the protection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Personal Health Information (PHI), and payment data entered online. The companys partner network currently includes over 200 processors, payment gateways and ISVs operating in 44 countries, which provide Bluefins P2PE solutions direct to merchants, enterprises, healthcare organizations and more. Bluefin is a Participating Organization (PO) of the PCI Security Standards Council (SSC) and is headquartered in Atlanta, with offices in Waterford, Ireland. For more information, please visit http://www.bluefin.com.

About Synder

Synder is smart software for Ecommerce, SaaS and other businesses that work with high volumes of online transactions from various payment sources. Synder is a top-rated solution on the market, with hundreds and thousands of customer reviews on marketplaces like QuickBooks App Store, Capterra, g2, Trustpilot, and Shopify App Store. In 2020, Synder reached the milestone of $1B transactions in amounts processed for thousands of companies. Synder was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. For more information, visit https://synder.com/.
Clovity wins a spot on the Inc. 5000 list! Advancing the quality of life through modern technology is not a pipedream but a future we all must strive for. I plan to continue this drive for innovation and equity for all through the ingenuity, stewardship, and talent that my executive, technical, and business teams espouse.

Last week, Clovity received its biggest validation to date in its drive for growth by earning a very strong ranking on the Inc. 5000 list for fastest growing companies in America. Making this list means that Clovity shares this honor with the top .07% of companies in this country with recent notable members like Microsoft, Oracle, Apple, Salesforce, Qualcomm, PayPal, Dell, and HP. During a global downturn unlike many have seen in their lifetime, Clovity was able to grow at nearly 400% over the last 3 years. An astounding feat in normal economic times, the company is extremely proud of the way it was able to evolve in a manner that not only achieved tremendous growth but also contribute to the nations response to the pandemic through its IoT deployments and their proprietary software, CSensorNet.

Out of nearly 7 million applications and 5000 shortlisted winners, Clovity comes in the top quarter percentile for all US companies last year. The company more than doubled the median growth of all companies on the list and ranked number 1 in growth of any company in the San Francisco Bay area last year. For their category of IT Management in the state of California they were ranked 4th and 35th overall for the entire United States. Furthermore, Clovity was in the top 50 of IT focused companies in any category for the entire country.

Getting on the Inc. 5000 list has been a goal of mine for some time now and to do it in such a time of business-complexity and disruption could not make me more proud of what we have built. Our major time and investment focus on IoT and Smart City development has been completely validated by this major Inc. 5000 win. says Anuj Sachdeva, CEO and Founder of Clovity. Advancing the quality of life through modern technology is not a pipedream but a future we all must strive for. I plan to continue this drive for innovation and equity for all through the ingenuity, stewardship, and talent that my executive, technical, and business teams espouse.

The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled, says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis weve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people.

For more about Clovitys win, please visit https://www.inc.com/profile/clovity. For any inquiries about Clovity or CSensorNet, please reach out directly to Sales@Clovity.com.

More About Clovity

Clovity is a San Francisco based IoT-as-a-Service platform provider powered by CSensorNet and Digital Transformation professional and managed services provider in IoT Digital, Cloud and Data who has earned the trust of top Fortune 500 Companies. Clovity has 3 levels of engagement models.

Level One is Talent Partner Hiring (TPH) and IT Staffing engagement model that helps companies procure these hard to find skill sets and allows them to be used as they are needed. This is called our Clovity Flex-Model. Level Two engagement focuses on providing managed team or projects (MTP) for niche skill-sets deployed for a fixed period or fixed scope and it is based on milestone based delivery coupled with our best practices. It is basically Clovitys Professional Services divisions covering stand-alone, nearshore, and offshore managed team & projects. Level 3 is the engaging Clovity and utilizing our proprietary IoT platform  CSensorNet to provide IoT-as-a-Service model. Overall, we focus on IoT, Digital, Data, Cloud, Enterprise Apps Integration & Agile practice areas.

Our proprietary platform CSensorNet connects companies to their assets and the world of things around them. We have engineered our solution to provide edge computing, artificial intelligence, cloud agnostic and network, coupled with powerful data analytics and data visualization. Our deployments provide IoT capabilities in days, not months, Clovity simplifies the deployment, management & operations of IoT solutions. We operate in several models of IoT deployment, most relevant is IoT-as-a-Service. By providing all hardware, software, and professional support all for a single monthly price. Our service includes data analytics, 24x7 tech support, hardware replenishment or replacement, on-line customer portal and a team of engineers to ensure the solutions are future proof.

Clovitys strategy is focused on high growth in the mid-market enterprises, providing pre-integrated solutions with a seamless orchestration from device-to-cloud-to-business. Our success is founded on industry thought leadership and technology innovation that is IoT, Cloud, Consumerization and Big Data focused, for several verticals including: Industrial, Agriculture, Telecom, Banking & Finance, Healthcare and Retail industries. Clovity has developed real world use cases and 'disruptive solutions' for these and many other industry domains with fully referenceable customer base.

Whether on the forefront of working with our clients on 5G products for the next generation of Smart Cities or Smart Infrastructure, Smart Sustainable Buildings, Connected Healthcare, and Connected Spaces or developing new solutions for global Asset Tracking and Asset Management, our services can scale to meet any demand and in any vertical.

We are a supplier to the Federal Government, numerous Public sector organizations and Fortune to high growth technology companies. We are minority owned business enterprise and Diversified & Inclusive certified. Clovity was selected as 2020 Emerging Company of the Year for the Enterprise Market and again in 2021 as "Global IoT Innovation Vendor of the Year by IoT Vendor Breakthrough Awards and in the Top 50 IoT Enterprise growth companies for 2018 & 2019 by CIO Review Magazine.

Follow us at:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clovity/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClovityInc

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this years Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.
Having car insurance lapses will complicate a future underwriting process and make premiums more expensive. Try to pay the premiums on time and if they seem too expensive, use online quotes and find cheaper offers, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

Compare-autoinsurance.org has released a new blog post that presents the main reasons why drivers should avoid letting car insurance lapse.

For more info, visit http://compare-autoinsurance.org/not-let-car-insurance-coverage-lapse/

In order to legally drive across the United States, drivers must carry auto insurance. Furthermore, each state has its own regulations regarding minimum liability coverage and reimbursing accident victims. It is recommended to continuously keep coverage active.

Failing to do so will have negative consequences, as explained in the blog post. First of all, being caught driving while uninsured will result in fines. The monetary penalty will vary, ranging from $25 in Tennessee to $5,000 in Massachusetts. Furthermore, the driver may have his license suspended. License suspension for lack of insurance varies by state. Car impoundments, coupled with impound fees, is also a possibility.

The penalties do not stop here. Having lapses will also make future premiums more expensive. Persons with recent coverage lapses are automatically considered high-risk and asked to pay more. Keep in mind that insurance companies may ask the previous insurer about a former clients payment history. Furthermore, a company may decide to drop the client after several missed payments.

For more information, please visit http://compare-autoinsurance.org

Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.
Long-term, we see Vaulted Oak as the initial step in what we envision to be a family of agencies and complementary businesses under the Barrel Holdings umbrella.

Barrel, an independent direct-to-consumer (DTC) ecommerce agency based in New York, announced the founding of Vaulted Oak, a new agency focused on website support and maintenance services for brands and organizations.

As part of the move, Barrel and Vaulted Oak are now part of Barrel Holdings, a holding company chaired by Barrel co-founders Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim. Vaulted Oak will be jointly owned with Jason Fan, a long-time Barrel employee who will now serve as Head of Vaulted Oak.

Vaulted Oak will focus on providing ongoing website support & maintenance services to clients whose websites run on platforms such as Shopify, WordPress, Drupal, and Webflow. Vaulted Oaks quarterly retainer plans provide flexible and cost-effective solutions for businesses to ensure that their websites are optimized, bug-free, and compliant with various accessibility and privacy laws.

We saw an opportunity to create a laser-focused offering targeting businesses that run on Shopify and WordPress websites, said Barrel co-founder and CEO Peter Kang. Vaulted Oak can ensure websites run smoothly with regular maintenance or complement client teams on website enhancement projects with web development support.

Barrel will continue its work with cutting edge consumer brands focusing on delivering exceptional direct-to-consumer ecommerce experiences. Clients who engage Barrel for Shopify Plus website redesigns may have the option to explore Vaulted Oaks quarterly retainer offerings after launch. Vaulted Oak is also partnering with other brand, web, and marketing agencies to provide ongoing support services.

Long-term, we see Vaulted Oak as the initial step in what we envision to be a family of agencies and complementary businesses under the Barrel Holdings umbrella, said Kang.

Vaulted Oak and Barrel Holdings, incorporated in Wyoming and New York, respectively, will operate as remote-first businesses.

About Barrel

Barrel is an independent creative and digital marketing agency with a focus on helping brands scale and optimize their direct-to-consumer (DTC) businesses. Founded in 2006, Barrel has delivered DTC ecommerce solutions for brands such as Barrys, Soylent, Rowing Blazers, Once Upon a Farm, and Dr.Jart+. For more information, visit http://www.barrelny.com.

About Vaulted Oak

Vaulted Oak provides ongoing website support & maintenance services to brands and organizations. The company offers flexible quarterly retainers that enable clients to ensure their websites are running smoothly and to address any issues as they arise. Vaulted Oaks clients include Council for Economic Education, Caruso, Film Independent, Jacobs Pillow, and California Credit Union. For more information, visit http://www.vaulted-oak.com.

About Barrel Holdings

Barrel Holdings is a holding company that incubates, acquires, and develops businesses that enable collaboration and creativity. Its current portfolio includes Barrel, a direct-to-consumer ecommerce experience agency, and Vaulted Oak, a website support & maintenance agency. For more information, visit http://www.barrel-holdings.com.

Media Contacts: hi@barrel-holdings.com
The Stevie Awards have announced the winners of six Grand (best in show) Stevie Award trophies in The 2021 International Business Awards. The winners of the Grand Stevie Awards this year include LLYC who is the first organization to win two Grand Stevies in the same year, Telkom Indonesia, Google, Business Awards Consulting, and Ayala Land, Inc.

The Stevie Awards, organizers of the worlds premier business awards programs, have announced the winners of six Grand (best in show) Stevie Award trophies in The 2021 (18th Annual) International Business Awards, the worlds leading omnibus business awards competition.

Nominees in the 2021 IBAs were not able to apply for Grand Stevie Awards directly. Winners were determined by a points system based on the total number of awards won in the IBAs with a Gold Stevie win counting for three points, a Silver Stevie win for two points, and a Bronze Stevie win for 1.5 points, as well as having the highest average score in selected categories.

This years Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners in The International Business Awards were announced on 16 August. They and the winners of the Grand Stevies announced today will be recognized during a virtual awards ceremony on 8 December.

Winners of the 2021 Grand Stevie Awards are:

Highest-rated COVID-19 Response Nomination: Telkom Indonesia, a state-owned information and communications technology enterprise and telecommunications network in Jakarta, won the Grand Stevie for their nomination "NVDS to Ensure Vaccine Authenticity Traceability, Quality and Accountability, winner of the Gold Stevie for Most Valuable New Service During COVID-19. The nomination, which received an average score from the judges of 9.11 out of a possible 10, outlines the organizations efforts to create a national vaccine distribution program for Indonesia, and the results of those efforts. Telkom Indonesia is no stranger to the best of circle at Stevie Awards programs: this is the 11th Grand Stevie Award won by the organization in one or more Stevie Awards programs since 2015.

Highest-rated New Product or Service: Google, the multinational technology company headquartered in Mountain View, California USA, has won its first-ever Grand Stevie Award, for Google Maps Live View. The Gold Stevie-winning nomination for Best Emerging Technology received an average score of 9.44 out of 10 from the judges.

Highest-rated Nomination of the Year: LLYC, the global communications and public affairs consulting firm headquartered in Madrid, Spain, won the Grand Stevie for the highest-rated nomination in the entire 2021 IBA competition (9.67 / 10), for The Last Straw  winner of the Gold Stevie Award for Marketing Campaign of the Year  Restaurants, for McDonalds.

Most Honored Marketing Agency: Business Awards Consulting of Istanbul, Turkey, which specializes in researching and writing awards-competition nominations for its clients, earns the Grand Stevie Award for Most Honored Marketing Agency with 120.5 points, earned for Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie wins on behalf of clients including BURSALI, HALKBANK, Mayen, OPET, Sabanci Holding, TISK, and Zer Central Services and Trade A.S.

Most Honored Public Relations Agency: LLYC is the first company to ever win two Grand Stevie Awards in the same program in the same year. In addition to their win for Highest-rated Nomination of the Year, the agency accumulated 77 award points for their Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards on behalf of themselves and clients including Deoleo, EY, Multopticas, and TOUS, among others. The agency has won eight Grand Stevies in Stevie Award competitions since 2013.

Organization of the Year: Ayala Land Inc. of Makati City is the Philippines leading developer of sustainable estates, offering a diverse mix of properties such as residential, retail, office, hotels, and leisure developments. They earned 69 points for their Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards for nominations submitted in their own name, and thus will receive the Grand Stevie Award trophy for Organization of the Year.

These six best-of-show Grand Stevie winners are emblematic of the breadth and quality of nominations we welcomed to the IBAs in 2021, said Maggie Gallagher Miller, president of the Stevie Awards. COVID-19 continues to test economic conditions in many parts of the world, but those challenges have been met and overcome in myriad ways by our 2021 Stevie Award winners. We look forward to honoring and celebrating them during our virtual awards ceremony on 8 December.

The International Business Awards feature a wide variety of categories to recognize achievement in every facet of work life, including management awards, new product awards, marketing awards, PR awards, customer service awards, website awards, and more.

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements in the 2021 IBAs were determined by the average scores of more than 260 professionals worldwide in the three-month judging process. Winners were selected from more than 3,700 nominations submitted by organizations in 65 nations.

The nomination process for the 2022 IBAs will open in February. For more information about The International Business Awards, including a complete list of all Stevie Award winners in the 2021 competition, visit http://www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.

About the Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Each year more than 12,000 nominations from more than 70 nations are judged by more than 1,000 professionals in Stevies competitions. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.
Harris Teeter Round Up Supporting United Way & Salvation Army By offering a convenient way for our valued associates and loyal shoppers to give back, we can help ensure our communities continue to have access to the critical resources they need.

Harris Teeter announced today the launch of its United Way and Salvation Army Round Up Campaign. Now through Nov. 2, Harris Teeter shoppers are invited to round up their transaction to the nearest whole dollar at checkout; 100 percent of funds raised will be distributed evenly among local United Way chapters and Salvation Army commands throughout Harris Teeters marketing areas.

Harris Teeter is proud to continue its support of United Way and The Salvation Army, said Danna Robinson, communication manager for Harris Teeter. COVID-19 continues to impact many events which fund critical programs for nonprofits like The Salvation Armys Red Kettle program. By offering a convenient way for our valued associates and loyal shoppers to give back, we can help ensure our communities continue to have access to the critical resources they need.

Focusing on education, health, financial stability and basic needs, United Way works to create an environment of opportunity where thousands of families in our communities can have a chance for a better life.

As communities continue to grapple with the health and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, we are grateful for the continued support and partnership with Harris Teeter to assist our neighbors in need, said Clint Hill, chief development officer for United Way of Central Carolinas. The generosity of Harris Teeter employees and customers helps to create stability for children and families in our community by providing greater access to basic needs like housing/shelter, food, health care, mental health services and more.

The Salvation Army assists individuals and families-in-need by providing food for the hungry, emergency relief for disaster survivors, rehabilitation services and clothing and shelter for those facing homelessness.

Helping families overcome financial hardships related to the COVID-19 pandemic requires that we all work together. We are grateful for Harris Teeter and our decades-long partnership serving the community, said Lt. Colonel Jim Arrowood, divisional commander for The Salvation Army of North and South Carolina. We have seen a tremendous increase in the numbers of requests from families and individuals hit hard by the COVID pandemic and fighting every day to overcome obstacles to their success. Harris Teeters Round Up campaign will help thousands of families in desperate need of hope.

All funds collected through this campaign will remain local, benefitting the United Way chapter and The Salvation Army command in the community nearest to the Harris Teeter at which the money was donated.

About United Way

United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. Supported by 2.9 million volunteers, 9 million donors worldwide and $4.7 billion raised every year, United Way is the worlds largest privately-funded nonprofit. Were engaged in 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our communities. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students and more.

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army annually helps more than 23 million Americans overcome poverty, addiction and economic hardships through a range of social services. By providing food for the hungry, emergency relief for disaster survivors, rehabilitation for those suffering from drug and alcohol abuse, and clothing and shelter for people in need, The Salvation Army is doing the most good at 7,600 centers of operation around the country. In the first-ever listing of Americas Favorite Charities by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Salvation Army ranked as the countrys largest privately funded, direct-service nonprofit. For more information, visit SalvationArmyUSA.org. Follow us on Twitter @SalvationArmyUS and #DoingTheMostGood.

About Harris Teeter

Harris Teeter, with headquarters in Matthews, N.C., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR). The regional grocery chain employs approximately 35,000 associates and operates stores in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Delaware, Florida and the District of Columbia.


We love innovating with McGraw Hill, and we are very pleased to continue our relationship even longer term. - Matt Pedersen, VP, Customer Solutions, HighWire

McGraw Hill and HighWire are pleased to announce a five-year renewal agreement to host McGraw Hills AccessEngineering and AccessScience on HighWires Scolaris platform. This means that Access Science will be migrating from an earlier version platform to Scolaris, HighWires multi-content, future-facing platform.

Both publications will also leverage HighWires identity management solution Sigma. HighWire has provided these services to McGraw Hill for over a decade.

McGraw Hill's AccessEngineering was the first client to adopt the Scolaris platform, and has continued to work jointly with HighWire to enhance the feature set and unique capabilities of the product.

McGraw Hills AccessEngineering is an award-winning engineering reference and teaching platform that delivers world-renowned, interdisciplinary engineering content integrated with analytical teaching and learning tools. AccessScience is an authoritative and dynamic online resource that contains incisively written, high-quality reference material covering all major scientific disciplines.

McGraw Hill is a valued strategic client for us, said Matt Pedersen, Vice President of Customer Solutions at HighWire. They understand the importance of serving their community with solutions that support delivery of seamless user experience from login to broad dissemination. We love innovating with them, and we are very pleased to continue our relationship even longer term.

We are fortunate to call HighWire our partners, said Lauren Sapira, Director of SciTech Digital Products at McGraw Hill. We are excited, not just to extend our partnership five years into the future, but to ensure that AccessEngineering and AccessScience are leveraging the most forward looking HighWire tools, and we are doing that by migrating to Scolaris fully, as well as to Sigma for both sites.

About High Wire

HighWire is an industry-leading global provider of digital publishing tools and platform solutions across all aspects of the publishing life cycle, including content management and hosting, e-commerce, analytics, access and identity management, manuscript submission and tracking.

HighWire was born out of Stanford University, shaped the early stages of digital scholarly publishing, and is now celebrating its 26th year since it was founded. This combination of deep domain publishing and academic expertise makes HighWire the technology partner of choice for the leading global commercial and academic publishers.

For more information, please visit highwirepress.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About McGraw Hill

McGraw Hill is a learning science company that delivers personalized learning experiences that drive results for students, parents, educators and professionals. We focus on educational equity, affordability and learning success to help learners build better lives. Headquartered in New York City, McGraw Hill has offices across North America, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and makes its learning solutions for PreK-12, higher education, professionals and others available in more than 80 languages. Visit us at mheducation.com or find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.
California based dealership, Honda Santa Maria offers zero percent APR on different new models.

Honda Santa Maria is offering all its customers various financing discount offers on a new vehicle purchase. These offers are available on different 2021 models. Some of these vehicles are the 2021 Honda Pilot, the 2021 Honda Passport, and the 2021 Honda HR-V. The zero percent APR offer is available for 24-48 months on a new 2021 Honda Pilot purchase, for 24-36 months on a new 2021 Honda Passport purchase, and for 24-48 months on a new 2021 Honda HR-V purchase. Other financing offers available along with this include the following:

1. The 2021 Honda Pilot is available at 0.9% for 49-60 months and 1.9% for 61-72 months.

2. The 2021 Honda Passport is available at 0.9% APR for 37-48 months and 1.9% for 49-60 months.

3. The 2021 Honda HR-V is available at 0.9% APR for 49-60 months and 1.9% for 61-72 months.

Various other APR financing offers are available for different models like the 2022 Honda Odyssey, the 2022 Honda Civic Sport Sedan, the 2021 Honda CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, and many more. Interested people can visit the dealership website https://www.hondaofsantamaria.com to learn more about these offers.

This is a limited-time offer so the interested residents of the area are urged to hurry up and visit the dealership today. They can also contact the dealership sales team at (805) 922-4600 for more information. Honda Santa Maria is located at 1735 S Bradley Road, Santa Maria, California. The dealership is open from Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
At Ideal, we are invested in the communities we serve and our annual appreciation events are a real highlight of the year, said Brian Sherrick, Ideal Credit Union President and Chief Executive Officer. We want everyone to feel the joy and generosity that comes along with living the Ideal Life.

Ideal Credit Union strives to make our communities stronger and help people live the Ideal Life. The Ideal Credit Union annual member and community appreciation event was a successful blitz of virtual events running August 3rd to August 12th offering people the opportunity to enter online to win cash prizes.

At Ideal Credit Union, we are invested in the communities we serve and our annual community appreciation events are a real highlight of the year, said Brian Sherrick, Ideal Credit Union President and Chief Executive Officer. We want everyone to feel the joy and generosity that comes along with living the Ideal Life.

The two-week virtual event culminated with Ideal Credit Union giving away:



Twelve $500 grade prizes

Six $250 grand prizes

Twelve $50 Bucky Bear youth prize

In all, Ideal Credit Union Awarded $8,100 to prize winners. One of the lucky $250 cash prize winners, decided to pay their winnings forward. Mary Allen told Ideal Credit Union she wanted to donate her winnings back to the Ideal Credit Union Community Foundation. Ideals Foundation is dedicated to strengthening the quality of life within our communities by supporting local charitable initiatives.

As part of the community appreciation events, Ideal Credit Union donated $3,000 to community food shelves. Many area food shelves are seeing high-demand related to the pandemic. Recipients included the Hugo Good Neighbors Food Shelf in Hugo, The Open Door in Eagan, the North St. Paul Area Food Shelf in North St. Paul, the Christian Cupboard in Woodbury, Valley Outreach in Stillwater and Neighbors, Inc., in Inver Grove Heights.

For a full recap of the celebration and to view the fun daily videos visit http://www.idealcu.com/virtualevents.

Founded in 1926, Ideal Credit Union is a member owned financial institution that is dedicated to providing financial services driven by a sincere and personal interest in the needs of our employees, members and community. Ideal CU offers a complete range of services, including a full suite of digital banking products, savings, checking, loans, mortgage products, business services, investment services and more. Offices are located in Eagan, Hugo, Inver Grove Heights, North St. Paul, Stillwater and Woodbury. Visit idealcu.com for details and directions. Ideal has been voted Best Credit Union in the East Metro five years in a row by readers of the Stillwater Gazette, Best Credit Union in the Forest Lake Area by readers of the Forest Lake Times, and was named a 2021 Star Tribune Top Workplace. Equal Housing Lender.
Inc. magazine revealed that Copper Mobile Inc ranked high on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

"Making the Inc. 5000 list for the first time is a huge testament to the innovative solutions we continue to provide to our customers," said Copper Mobiles CEO, Rupak Lohit, "Our laser-focus approach on delivering high-quality solutions coupled with a distinctive consultative approach and organizational process maturity has continued to allow us to grow rapidly, since the beginning of this journey that started in 2010. We are so humbled and proud of our ever-expanding portfolio of industry leaders who trust us time and again as their integrated advisor."

Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this years list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 20.

The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled, says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis weve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people.

About Copper Mobile:

Copper Mobile is a leading Digital Transformation company that helps organizations solve their business challenges with cutting-edge mobile and web solutions. Specializing in turnkey engagements, the company has developed a proprietary methodology that sets a new standard in technical innovation, solutions, and delivery.

From being adept in mobile and web solutions for more than a decade, we're transforming industries with innovative offerings like IoT, AR/VR, AI/ML, SMAC, and many more. Businesses count on Copper Mobile for its focus and excellence in strategy, design, development, quality assurance, production support, and project management.

With the experience of developing over 900+ business solutions, Copper Mobile has developed innovative applications for delighted customers in nearly every industry, category, and vertical, ranging from startups to Fortune 100 Companies.

Contact Us: https://coppermobile.com/contact-us/

Call: +1-972-528-6628

Email: marketing@coppermobile.com

Follow us on LinkedIn

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this years Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels, including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.
Our incredible team is focused on creating a seamless experience for our consultants and valuable engagements for our clients. Its their dedication and effort that we must thank for the astonishing growth Lucid has experienced since we started this journey five years ago.

Lucid Services Group announced today it has been ranked number 887 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing privately held companies. The prestigious annual list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. The complete list of honorees was announced online on Tuesday at http://www.inc.com/inc500 in an interactive list that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria.

We are absolutely thrilled to receive this recognition from Inc., said Bethany Robinson, CEO and Owner of Lucid Services Group. Our incredible team is focused on creating a seamless experience for our consultants and valuable engagements for our clients. Its their dedication and effort that we must thank for the astonishing growth Lucid has experienced since we started this journey five years ago. We are grateful to be named to the Inc. 5000 alongside so many other successful small businesses.

Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this years list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.

The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled, says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis weve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people.

Lucid Services Group is a woman-owned, professional services company providing managed-resource programs and staff augmentation to highly technical industries including information technology, life sciences and engineering. With over 50 years of collective recruiting expertise, Lucid Services Group helps customers deliver outcomes  quickly, and painlessly. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, with additional locations in Bloomington, Ind., Louisville, Ky., and Bonita Springs, Fla. For more information, please visit http://www.lucidservicesgroup.com.

About Lucid Services Group

Lucid Services Group is a partner to information technology, life sciences and engineering leaders throughout Indiana and nationally. We offer professional services, managed-resource programs and staff augmentation to help customers deliver outcomes. Lucid Services Group is a certified WBE small business, headquartered in Indianapolis. For more information, please visit http://www.lucidservicesgroup.com.

CONTACT: John Galligan, COO 812-320-8844 john.galligan@lucidsg.com

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this years Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.
Mob Armor Magnetic Phone Holder the MobNetic Go We created the first machined aluminum accessory that utilized the strongest magnets available. The Go is not only used in a vehicle but also portable to take into the shop, office, gym, kitchen and make holding your phone in the palm of your hand comfortable.

Mob Armor is thrilled to present the newest universal phone car mount, the MobNetic Go. The best just got better as the new Mob Amor Go is engineered as a stand-alone product or part of a system that replaces a flimsy pop socket and wobbly magnetic phone holders. The MobNetic Go aims to be the best portable phone mount of 2021. The MobNetic Go uses Mob Armor's proprietary, unique multipurpose, double magnet mount. Whether in the vehicle or anywhere on the go, the MobNetic Go offers a new way for people to hold and dock their smartphones or other devices instantly. When sitting at a desk or lounging on the couch, the Go is a phone stand and handheld phone holder. With the Go's 90 lbs of magnetic pull force mounting for your car, boat, truck, car, and more, your phone isn't going anywhere. With all-metal construction, users get the maximum performance possible and allow us to offer a unique 3-year-warranty, well above industry standards for phone and auto accessories.

"After scouring the market for a portable and universal, magnetic phone holder for performing daily activities, we were disappointed with the lack of quality options," says Trevor Orrick, president of Solve it Companies LLC dba Mob Armor. "Other products were made of plastic, had subpar magnets, and almost all were made specifically for use in a vehicle. Mob Armor took the opposite approach by devising a machined aluminum accessory that utilized the strongest magnets featured on our best-selling phone mounts to create the MobNetic Go phone mount and holder. The Go is not only used in a vehicle but portable to take into the shop, office, gym, kitchen, but also to hold your phone in the palm of your hand comfortably."

Features and benefits of the MobNetic Go include:



Double-sided magnet mount

90lb pull-force rare earth magnets

Includes 1 Mob Disc and 1 MobNetic Shield Plate

Disc and Plate adhere using 3M VHB adhesive

Alcohol wipe included for surface preparation

Smart device safe magnets

6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum

New products billet aluminum casing will now have an extended 3-year warranty instead of 1-year

MobNetic Go is now available for only $32.99 MSRP through our retail partners and on our website. For more information on MobNetic Go, visit our site

About Mob Armor:

An innovative approach to secure your devices anywhere from into your UTV, daily driver, race truck, emergency vehicles, gym equipment, or anywhere. The product line started with the Mob Mount as a product of necessity. Not one product in the smartphone industry was up to modern standards or needs so it was time for something new. The brand has grown to over 150 different products and it is our 5th year of operation. Mob Armor products are built to last by using mostly metal components, robust design, and an obsession for quality.

Mob Armor is affiliated with multiple organizations such as the AAM Group and SEMA. Mob Armor has been awarded the 2018 California Congressional Innovation. The Mob Armor brand and Mob Armor products have been featured in magazines and well-known racing video games and continue to be recognized as the ultimate mobile device mounting solution across many countries, including the US, Canada, and Australia.
SV4E-SLVSEC Protocol Analyzer The SV4E-SVLSEC is packed with features that help at both ends of the product creation spectrum: from gaining deep insights during the debug phases to reducing test times with go/no-go testing during mass production

Introspect Technology, leading manufacturer of test and measurement tools for high-speed digital applications, announced today the introduction of the SV4E-SLVSEC 16-Lane, 6.5 Gbps SLVS-EC Protocol Analyzer. This ultra-compact instrument enables the development, debugging, and testing of image sensor and camera systems based on the Scalable Low Voltage Signaling Embedded Clock (SLVS-EC) Version 2.0 protocol. This protocol is also referred to as the JIIA EVI-001-2019, and it was published recently by the Japan Industrial Imaging Association (JIIA). Promising the enablement of extremely high frame rate and high resolution sensing and vision solutions, this interface protocol supports high bandwidth payload transfer using a fully differential, embedded clock signaling scheme. It is uniquely positioned to support future CMOS image sensor implementations targeting automotive and robotics applications. The SV4E-SLVSECs unique analog front-end technology provides high-confidence design validation at speeds far exceeding the latest SLVS-EC standards.

The SLVS-EC Version 2.0 interface is establishing itself as a viable solution for a certain class of high performance CMOS image sensors that have traditionally relied on LVDS or SLVS signaling. Introspect Technology is thrilled to help the leading image sensor manufacturers transition to it, said Dr. Mohamed Hafed, Introspect Technology CEO. Staying true to the Introspect tradition of supporting product engineers throughout the lifecycle of development and high volume manufacturing, the SV4E-SVLSEC is packed with features that help at both ends of the product creation spectrum: from gaining deep insights during the debug phases to reducing test times with go/no-go testing during mass production, he continued.

Completely Integrated Solution

The most important hallmark of the SV4E-SLVSEC analyzer is that it is a completely integrated solution residing in a small form factor instrument that is the size of a large smartphone or small tablet computer. The analog front end features a linear amplifier, a continuous-time linear equalizer, a high performance clock and data recovery (CDR) circuit, and fine phase and window comparator controls. This makes it a true ATE-on-Bench solution that can be used during the early days of development and also during end-of-line mass production testing and calibration.

Multiple Interface Topologies

With 16 lanes that are fully programmable, the SV4E-SLVSEC can be used to test single-interface and multiple-interface image sensor topologies. Additionally, each interface topology can be configured with different lane support. This flexibility means that a single test and measurement tool can be deployed across multiple applications, and this helps support fragmented roadmap strategies that are becoming more and more prevalent in modern product development paradigms.

Award Winning Software

Control of the SV4E-SLVSEC happens through the award winning Introspect ESP Software. The software strikes a perfect balance between ease of use and infinite programmability. On the one hand, all capture parameters are easily accessible through property tables that enable one-click analysis of SVLS-EC packets and/or video frames. And, on the other, the software offers a comprehensive Python-based integrated development environment, thus allowing the creation of automated tests in a matter of minutes.

Advanced Trigger Modes

Just like all Introspect Technology analyzers, the SV4E-SLVSEC features a hardware analysis engine that allows for triggering captures based on a wide range of conditions. Triggering can be based on events (for example, a frame start), on symbols (for example, a startCode or other specified dataSymbol), or on errors.

The unveiling of Introspect Technologys SV4E-SLVSEC analyzer reaffirms the companys commitment to high-speed product engineers across a broad spectrum of applications, interface protocols, and deployment paradigms. The analyzer leverages a decades worth of research and development in ultra-compact analog measurement technology that is coupled with sophisticated signal processing and signal correction techniques. It is not only valuable for verification engineers that perform traditional characterization tasks, but it is also ideal for FPGA developers and software developers who need rapid turnaround signal verification tools or hardware-software interoperability confirmation tools.

About Introspect Technology

Founded in 2012, Introspect Technology designs and manufactures innovative test and measurement equipment for high-speed digital applications. Whether it is the next smartphone or the level-4 autonomy engine in a mobility solution, our award-winning tools are used to develop, test, and manufacture next-generation products. In short, we help the leading global technology companies make tomorrows technology todays possibility.
We all matter and everyone needs to feel valued and that they have a career path ahead of them. The focus on personal and team growth is key, David Rosen

Kira Labs, a leading beauty innovations manufacturer, has been ranked among the top 100 in this year's list of Florida Trends 2021 Best Companies To Work For In Florida. This marks the first time the beauty innovations company has been recognized, ranking at number 29 in the medium-sized business category.

Created by Florida Trend and Best Companies Group, this statewide survey and awards program is dedicated to identifying and recognizing the states best employers and providing organizations with valuable employee feedback. The 2021 Best Companies to Work for in Florida list is comprised of 100 companies selected based on a two-part evaluation, where the data is analyzed to determine if the organization meets qualifications.

Kira Labs strives to be a leader, and does so by promoting a fun and rewarding company culture. Much of the recognition Kira has earned is owed to a focus on having a best place to work and live mindset combined with a focus on continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, superior value and quality said Founder & CEO David Rosen. The bottom up and team approach is also critical to the Kira success. We all matter and everyone needs to feel valued and that they have a career path ahead of them. The focus on personal and team growth is key, Rosen adds.

Among the list of accolades, Kira has also been named 2017 Florida Exporter of the Year, Winner of the National Presidents Export Award 2018, Florida Manufacturer of the Year 2018, GrowFL Company to Watch 2019 and 2021 Florida Sterling Quality Award Finalist.

About Kira Labs

The Kira Labs history and growth embodies the classic American Dream story - an immigrant and a self-starting entrepreneur decides to start a business in his garage. Arriving from Australia in 2001 to his now adopted home in Florida, David Rosen and his wife Lindi established a family while starting their company, Kira Labs. CEO and Founder, Rosen is quick to point out our team has helped us grow from our humble start hand bottling skin care to a thriving and award-winning cosmetic manufacturer and beauty innovator.

Specializing in beauty, home and pet products, Kira Labs has grown in reputation and size to produce over 30 brands.

We are culture focused, agile, vertical, and fast to market, according to Rosen. The key is understanding retail needs and consumer behavior. We are proudly Made in the USA, delivering our own brands with quality, value and a wow experience Kira Labs operates as a vertically integrated manufacturer both developing and manufacturing its own internally developed and wholly owned brands. For more information, visit http://www.kiralabs.com.

About Florida Trend

Florida Trend is one of America's most award-winning business publications. The magazine finds the common threads, tying those competing, diverse regions together in a statewide context. For over 60 years, Florida Trend has reported on the people and issues that have defined Florida and shaped its future  from H. Lee Moffitt to Gov. Ron DeSantis; from Tropicana to Tech Data; from small businesses to international conglomerates; from workers comp to tort reform.

About Best Companies Group

Best Companies Group (BCG) is dedicated to establishing Best Places to Work, Best Companies, and Best Employers programs in an effort to distinguish companies who demonstrate and are superior in workplace excellence. BCG researches the dynamics and characteristics of participating companies, analyze the data and produce a Best distinction that will make the company, the selected region (or industry) and the organizing partners proud. The very mission of Best Companies Group is to identify and recognize places of employment that are leading the way in defining the employee experience of the 21st century.
The AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival returns to the Embarcadero Marina Park North on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021 to raise vital funds for the San Diego Food Bank. San Diegos near-perfect weather, the downtown waterfront as a backdrop, nine talented blues acts, and terrific food and drink vendors, make the AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival a fantastic, family-friendly event! said Chris Carter, Vice President of the San Diego Food Bank.

The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank will host the eleventh annual AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the downtown San Diego waterfront at 100% capacity! This family-friendly event will feature 9 musical acts on two stages and includes performances from Larkin Poe, Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, Christone Kingfish Ingram and many more!

Festival attendees will enjoy local craft beer, cocktails and wine along with specialty food, arts and crafts vendors. Tickets for the festival start at $40 online and will be $50 at the front gate on the day of the event. Children, under the age of 12, receive free entry with one paid adult general admission ticket. All proceeds benefit the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank and its North County Food Bank chapter. For more information about the event and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.sdbluesfest.com/.
Toyota of Santa Maria offers $500 rebate for College graduates on select new untitled Toyota models as part of their College Graduate Program.

Toyota of Santa Maria in Santa Maria, California, offers a $500 rebate on select new untitled Toyota models as part of their College Graduate Program. This offer is valid on Toyota models leased or financed from Toyota dealers or purchased using the Toyota financial services.

The rebate is available for recent and upcoming college graduates who qualify for the Toyota Financial Services College Graduate Finance Program. Graduates from accredited degree programs who qualify for the same can also apply for the $500 rebate.

To qualify for the Toyota Financial Services College Graduate Finance Program, the graduate must produce proof of graduation in the past two years or the next six months, financial stability to cover living expenses and vehicle payments before the due date, and proof of future employment or current employment details.

As part of the College Graduate Rebate and Finance Program, the graduate will have no monthly payments for the first 90 days on select finance programs and will be offered competitive APRs on all new and untitled Toyota vehicles as well as on Toyota certified used vehicles and Scion certified pre-owned vehicles.

Visit the dealerships website http://www.toyotaofsantamaria.com to see the list of eligible schools for the College Graduate Program. Interested recent college graduates can contact the dealership by calling 805-928-3881 or by driving to 1643 S. Bradley.
I am so honored to be a part of LOLIWAREs incredible team developing an urgently needed solution to the climate change catastrophe.

LOLIWARE Inc., an award-winning materials tech company focused on replacing single-use plastics with bio-renewable seaweed-derived alternatives, welcomes Dr. Victoria Piunova as Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Piunova will be leading the companys scientific and product development through to commercialization and establishing the worlds first seaweed materials database, in addition to building a robust intellectual property portfolio alongside the companys existing foundational patented technologies, which have resulted in the commercialization of seaweed-based drinking straws as replacements for petroleum-based analogs.

Dr. Piunova hails from IBM Research, where she holds the prestigious title of IBM Master Inventor. She brings over 10 years of experience in materials development for applications in biotechnology as well as AI-driven materials discovery. Victoria has invented 25 US patents and patent applications and authored more than 30 publications in peer reviewed journals. Dr. Piunova is the newest addition to the leadership team at LOLIWARE Inc., led by CEO and founder, Sea F. Briganti, a VC-backed product developer and award-winning social innovator.

I am so honored to be a part of LOLIWAREs incredible team developing an urgently needed solution to the climate change catastrophe - Dr. Victoria Piunova, Chief Technology Officer, LOLIWARE

Dr. Piunova will be accepting The Young Industrial Polymer Scientist Award for outstanding industrial innovation and creativity in polymer science at American Chemical Society (ACS) 2021 National Meeting. She is also the recipient of the American Chemical Society's Young Investigator Award, which honors academic and industrial scientists for their outstanding innovative contributions to the field of polymer chemistry

As humans, weve created a triple planetary threat: Climate crisis, plastic pollution, and biodiversity loss. As a CEO and climate activist, I am hopeful that with Victoria at the helm, we can advance seaweed materials rapidly enough to regenerate the planet and end the Plastic Age. - Sea F. Briganti, CEO, LOLIWARE

Dr. Piunova received her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California with Professor Hogen-Esch and completed her post-doctoral studies at the California Institute of Technology in the group of Nobel Laureate Robert Grubbs.

About LOLIWARE Inc.

LOLIWARE Inc., an award-winning materials tech company focused on replacing single-use plastics with bio-renewable seaweed-derived alternatives, with organic demand in over 82 countries across 6 continents. The status quo that single-use products should be built to last is destroying our planet. LOLIWARE has engineered a new category of high-performance products designed to disappear and be carbon negative at scale. By using seaweed to replace plastic at scale, LOLIWARE is tapping into the power of seaweed to regenerate our ocean and contribute to the decarbonization of our planet.

The company is now focused on enabling their technology to be run on existing infrastructure and is currently seeking manufacturing partnerships to scale their straw product and additional products under development.

For further information, visit https://www.loliware.com.
We have reached 102 years of business success because we have the most innovative, dedicated, and focused team that works as a family unit. Laura Markstein, President of Markstein Sales Co.

Markstein Sales Company, the largest woman-owned and operated wholesale beverage distributor in Northern California, has been selected as a 2021 Top Workplaces by Bay Area NewsGroup. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization: including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.

This award comes as Markstein Sales Co. celebrates 102 years in business that has included challenges such as prohibition in the early years, to the pandemic in this most recent year. As an essential business during COVID-19, the Markstein team has continued to find new and safe ways to help customers keep their business well stocked, and launched multiple new brands eagerly accepted by consumers.

We have reached 102 years of business success because we have the most innovative, dedicated, and focused team that works as a family unit, said Laura Markstein, President of Markstein Sales Co. This past year, we had to find new ways to work safely and efficiently, remotely and on site, and our employees rose to the occasion developing business processes and outreach programs that were in the best interest of our customers and brands. We say Its like family here because no matter what role or responsibility an employee plays, they are an instrumental member of the team that contributes to the companys overall success.

Community Support

In addition to working through COVID-19 solutions for its customers and portfolio brands, the Markstein team members also kicked off 2021 by helping their community in the fight against slavery and human trafficking. As a long-time supporter and sponsor of the New Day for Children organization that provides funding to help American children who have been recovered from sex trafficking, Markstein also joined a nationwide campaign with the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) where beer distributors can play a vital role in identifying and reporting suspicious activity often unseen by the typical public.

Diversity & Inclusion

Markstein Sales Co. is consistently listed as one of the top 10 largest women-owned businesses in the Bay Area and one of Laura Marksteins goals, in her 30 years with the company, has been to close the gap on gender diversity in the beer industry. With a female president as our guide, Marksteins 180 employees represent the diversity of our community and includes multiple women spearheading leadership roles, said Jennifer Grant, General Manager at Markstein Sales Co. Several employees have been with the company 10 or more years, with many of those over 15, 20 and up to 40 years of service. That is unusual in any business and is a direct result of the family culture that appreciates and supports the diverse skills and backgrounds each person brings to the team.

"During this very challenging time, Top Workplaces has proven to be a beacon of light for organizations, as well as a sign of resiliency and strong business performance," said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. "When you give your employees a voice, you come together to navigate challenges and shape your path forward. Top Workplaces draw on real-time insights into what works best for their organization, so they can make informed decisions that have a positive impact on their people and their business."

About Markstein Sales Company

Markstein Sales Company is a fourth-generation, woman-owned and operated wholesale beverage distributor based in Antioch, Calif. Founded in 1919 with just a horse, a wagon and six cases of beer, Markstein is now in its 102nd year and distributing over four million cases annually to 2000 retailers in the Bay Area. The companys portfolio is composed of multiple world-class beers including the Anheuser-Busch InBev and Constellation Brands family of beers, several high-quality craft beers and many others, as well as non-alcoholic beverages. Markstein is known for outstanding customer service, dedication to their employees and commitment to the community. The company continues to rank as best in class by retailers and is one of the top ten largest Woman Owned Businesses in the Bay Area. More information can be found at https://www.marksteinsalescompany.com.

About Energage

Making the world a better place to work together.

Energage is a purpose-driven company that helps organizations turn employee feedback into useful business intelligence and credible employer recognition through Top Workplaces. Built on 14 years of culture research and the results from 23 million employees surveyed across more than 70,000 organizations, Energage delivers the most accurate competitive benchmark available. With access to a unique combination of patented analytic tools and expert guidance, Energage customers lead the competition with an engaged workforce and an opportunity to gain recognition for their people-first approach to culture. For more information or to nominate your organization, visit energage.com or topworkplaces.com.
Suzanne Gagliese, VP, Global Partner Solutions, Microsoft Canada As an increasing variety of services and now the operating system moves into the cloud, the need for actionable insight on the users experience has grown. We are thrilled to join this program, and in turn make Microsoft Azure our preferred hosting platform. John Proctor, President & CEO, Martello

Martello Technologies Group Inc., (Martello or the Company) (TSXV: MTLO), a leading developer of enterprise digital experience monitoring (DEM) solutions with a focus on Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams, is pleased to announce an agreement with Microsoft in which Martello will join the Microsoft Global Solutions Alliance program as a Strategic Global Independent Software Vendor (GISV) Partner. This agreement provides Martello with deeper engagement and access to Microsoft customer and partner channels to accelerate sales and pipeline growth. Martello is one of the only Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams focused DEM software vendors in this program.

Actionable insight into the user experience, provided by Martello, has become more critical than ever as the business world depends on cloud productivity, collaboration and communication services to drive revenue and support customers. The recent launch of Windows 365 means that with even more of the workload moving into the cloud, it will be critical in the years ahead to have visibility into the user experience, and to be able to troubleshoot problems in a timely and effective manner.

Under the terms of the four-year agreement, Martello will benefit from Microsoft resources to accelerate sales and pipeline growth. The July 2020 Forrester Total Economic Impact Study: Revenue and Growth Opportunities for Microsoft Azure Partners commissioned by Microsoft, found that partners in the Global Solutions Alliance Program can double their leads and increase deal size by 50% to 100% with dedicated marketing and sales support from Microsoft and the ability to transact business via the Azure Marketplace.

As an increasing variety of services and now the operating system moves into the cloud, the need for actionable insight on the users experience has grown. We are thrilled to join this program, and in turn make Microsoft Azure our preferred hosting platform, said Martello President and CEO John Proctor. We look forward to utilizing the breadth, depth and connectivity that Microsoft brings, and in collaboration, accelerating our growth and driving increased value for our joint customers and partners as they seek the tools to provide exceptional, productive Microsoft 365 user experiences.

Todays hybrid workforce relies on Microsoft Teams to stay connected and productive, and Martello offers a digital experience monitoring solution that helps our customers and partners deliver the best possible Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams user experience, said Suzanne Gagliese, VP, Global Partner Solutions, Microsoft Canada. We are pleased to enter this new level in our relationship with Martello, driving Microsoft Azure consumption together as we bring customers and partners the tools to detect and address challenges and improve performance and experience of business-critical cloud services.

Martellos DEM Microsoft 365 solution provides monitoring and analytics that offer actionable insights into the performance and user experience of Microsoft 365 and Teams, no matter where the user is located. The Company provides these solutions to companies of any size, having recently launched its partner program, in which managed service providers (MSP) and value-added resellers (VARs) can elevate their Microsoft 365 service offering for small and medium businesses with Martello DEM. Learn more about the Martello partner program.

About Martello Technologies Group

Martello Technologies Group Inc. (TSXV: MTLO) is a technology company that provides digital experience monitoring (DEM) solutions. The companys products provide monitoring and analytics on the performance and user experience of critical cloud business applications, while giving IT teams and service providers control and visibility of their entire IT infrastructure. Martellos software products include unified communications performance analytics, Microsoft 365 end user experience monitoring and IT service monitoring and analytics. Martello is a public company headquartered in Ottawa, Canada with employees in Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific region. Learn more at http://www.martellotech.com

This press release does not constitute an offer of the securities of the Company for sale in the United States. The securities of the Company have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, (the 1933 Act) as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the 1933 Act.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information can be identified by words such as: "anticipate, intend, plan, goal, seek, believe, project, estimate, expect, strategy, future, likely, may, should, will and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking information contained in this news release include, among others, statements with respect to Microsoft partners doubling their leads and increase deal size by 50% to 100% with dedicated marketing and sales support from Microsoft.

Forward-looking information is neither historical fact nor assurance of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking information relates to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking information. Therefore, you should not rely on any forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking information include, among others, the following:



continued volatility in the capital or credit markets;

our ability to maintain our current credit rating and the impact on our funding costs and competitive position if we do not do so;

changes in customer demand;

disruptions to our technology network including computer systems and software, as well as natural events such as severe weather, fires, floods and earthquakes or man-made or other disruptions of our operating systems, structures or equipment;

delayed purchase timelines and disruptions to customer budgets, as well as Martellos ability to maintain business continuity as a result of COVID-19;

and other risks disclosed in the Companys filings with Canadian Securities Regulators, including the Companys annual information form for the year ended March 31, 2020 dated December 24, 2020, which is available on the Companys profile on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com.

Any forward-looking information in this news release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking information, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
We are committed to enhancing the veterinary profession and providing these scholarships to future veterinarians is just one of the ways we are investing in future leaders.

MedVet has awarded seven scholarships to fourth-year veterinary students who are pursuing careers in emergency medicine. Scholarships will cover up to $35,000 of their final year of tuition and fees. Plus, these students will jumpstart their rewarding careers as ER doctors by participating in MedVets Emergency Clinician Mentorship Program (ECMP) following graduation.

We are committed to enhancing the veterinary profession and providing these scholarships to future veterinarians is just one of the ways we are investing in future leaders, said MedVet CEO Dr. Linda Lehmkuhl. These seven talented individuals will be wonderful additions to our team; sharing our passion for delivering exceptional care and service  as well as our values. Were thrilled to have the opportunity to ease their financial burden of paying for school and welcome them to a fulfilling career in ER medicine as a member of our MedVet family.

Scholarship recipients include:



Daniel Bryant from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Kayla Burnham from Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Margaret Connelly from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Julia Fincher from Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine

Lauren Grosheim from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Krizia Santos-Rodriguez from Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine

Ali Weaver from Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine

MedVet leaders designed this program to help address the shortage of qualified emergency doctors in the profession. After graduation, these veterinarians will join MedVets ECMP program which is an accelerated, mentored training program focused on developing exceptional emergency doctors in a multispecialty hospital setting.

By combining primary ER case management with one on one, consistent mentorship from experienced ER doctors, the ECMP produces confident, competent, efficient ER clinicians who are fully integrated into our healthcare teams in a matter of months, said Dr. Jon Fletcher, Director of Post-Graduate Education. We are so excited to support these students during their final year of veterinary school and following graduation, provide them the opportunity to learn from exceptional caregivers who are dedicated to their growth and development as MedVet doctors.

To learn more about MedVets ECMP program and other training programs that support aspiring veterinary professionals, visit medvet.com.

About MedVet:

MedVet is the leading veterinarian owned and led family of specialty and emergency hospitals dedicated to delivering exceptional care and a deeply supportive experience to pets and their loving families, referring veterinarians, and team members. For more than 30 years, MedVets empathetic, insightful, and driven team of expert caregivers has helped the organization grow to be the preferred choice for high quality, compassionate care, proudly serving more than 400,000 patients each year in communities throughout the United States. To learn more about MedVet and its mission of Leading Specialty Healthcare for Pets, visit medvet.com.

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We are so grateful to Jim and Merryl for their continued and outstanding support of Mount Sinai, and we are deeply honored that the new hospital will bear the Tisch name. Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and CEO of the Mount Sinai Health System

{To view the new Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center ad, watch here}

Signaling a watershed moment for cancer care in the New York region, the Mount Sinai Health System today announced a game-changing $60 million gift from James S. and Merryl H. Tisch to establish the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center. This gift will support the construction of a modern, state-of-the-art cancer hospital at the Mount Sinai Hospital campus. The Center will broaden access to breakthrough therapies, diagnostics, and clinical trials and will further Mount Sinais mission to provide advanced, personalized treatment and holistic care for patients in all communities. This is the largest gift received by the Mount Sinai Health System for a cancer initiative.

In 2008, a $40 million gift from the family established The Tisch Cancer Institute, which has made advancements in cancer research across basic science, clinical care, and population health.

Our gift to Mount Sinai more than 13 years ago to create The Tisch Cancer Institute was a result of our familys passion and commitment to saving lives and advancing the health of all patients battling this chronic disease, said James S. Tisch, Co-Chairman of the Boards of Trustees of the Mount Sinai Health System. We have one of the largest and most respected Myeloma programs in the country, and have seen enormous growth in our cancer programs and footprint. We believe that this new gift will transform cancer care and expand access to life-saving breakthroughs, enhancing Mount Sinais leadership in cancer treatment and research, stated Mr. Tisch.

The new Tisch Cancer Hospital, located at 1440 Madison Avenue, will consist of four floors with approximately 20 single-bed rooms on each floor. There will also be a series of innovative clinical spaces designed to ease transitions between various stages of treatment. The hospital is expected to be completed by 2025.

We are so grateful to Jim and Merryl for their continued and outstanding support of Mount Sinai, and we are deeply honored that the new hospital will bear the Tisch name, says Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mount Sinai Health System. Their ongoing generosity helps us elevate the level of cancer care all patients receive at Mount Sinai.

A new ad campaign announcing the Tisch Cancer Center was launched during the Stand Up to Cancer telethon on August 21. The telecast featured a pre-recorded message from Elisa Port, MD, Director of the Dubin Breast Center and Chief of Breast Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Icahn Mount Sinai) and Ajai Chari, MD, Director of Clinical Research in the Multiple Myeloma Program and Associate Director of Clinical Research of the Mount Sinai Cancer Clinical Trials Office at Mount Sinai.

The Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center will include the Tisch Cancer Hospital, The Tisch Cancer Institute at Icahn Mount Sinai (a National Cancer Institute designated cancer center which is the highest federal rating for a cancer center), several Cancer Centers of Excellence, and a growing ambulatory cancer network. Patients will have access to more than 250 oncologists, top-tier surgeons, and researchers working side-by-side throughout the New York metropolitan area, as well a full range of comprehensive medical services provided by one of the highest ranked hospitals in New York City and nationally.

This donation has strengthened our ability to deliver the utmost in cancer research and clinical excellence. We are charting a new course, finding new paths to early detection, and will eventually eradicate this disease so no family has to experience the loss of a loved one to cancer, says Dennis S. Charney, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of Icahn Mount Sinai and President for Academic Affairs at the Mount Sinai Health System. We are grateful to Jim and Merryl. This gift will have an impact for generations to come.

This hospital and center represents a steadfast commitment to provide life-saving and high-quality cancer care for our patients and community, said Luis Isola, MD, Director of Cancer Clinical Programs and Medical Director of Mount Sinai Cancer Network. Our patients will have streamlined access to care from outstanding oncologists and specialists in a broad array of specialties. Once completed, it will be a model for 21st century cancer care. We thank the Tisch family for their generous support."

Creating the new Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center to encompass the new hospital, The Tisch Cancer Institute, and cancer care across our growing network and System will be a catalyst for providing and innovating the best cancer care, said Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD, Director of The Tisch Cancer Institute, Chair of the Department of Oncological Sciences and Ward-Coleman Chair in Cancer Research at Icahn Mount Sinai.

The Tisch Cancer Institute, established in 2008 through a gift by the Tisch Family, today has more than 80 prominent scientists and physicians working to develop innovative and translational research programs in cancer immunology, molecular mechanisms, and prevention and control. The work accomplished at the Tisch Cancer Institute continues to build upon Mount Sinais history of revolutionary medical discoveries and outstanding patient care.

About the Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. We advance medicine and health through unrivaled education and translational research and discovery to deliver care that is the safest, highest-quality, most accessible and equitable, and the best value of any health system in the nation. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 free-standing joint-venture centers; more than 410 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked in U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of the top 20 U.S. hospitals and among the top in the nation by specialty: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Urology, and Rehabilitation. Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital is ranked in U.S. News & World Reports Best Childrens Hospitals among the countrys best in four out of 10 pediatric specialties. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked among the Top 20 nationally for ophthalmology. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Medical Schools," aligned with a U.S. News & World Report "Honor Roll" Hospital, and No. 14 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding. Newsweeks The Worlds Best Smart Hospitals ranks The Mount Sinai Hospital as No. 1 in New York and top five globally, and Mount Sinai Morningside as top 20 globally, and The Worlds Best Specialized Hospitals ranks Mount Sinai Heart as No. 1 in New York and No. 5 globally and the Division of Gastroenterology as No. 5 globally. For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Charlotte-based award recipient badge Who an employer chooses as their insurance broker has significantly more impact on the cost and quality of their benefit plan than who they chose as their insurance carrier.

Mployer Advisor, the leading independent platform for employers to research, review and evaluate insurance brokers, is pleased to announce the Charlotte-based recipients of its inaugural Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards for 2021. Mployer Advisors Top Employee Benefits Consultant Award Program evaluates brokers based on industry experience, company size, online ratings and reviews and recognizes esteemed brokers that demonstrate market-leading competencies and a proven track record of success among employers, insurance providers and peers.

Who an employer chooses as their insurance broker has significantly more impact on the cost and quality of their benefit plan than who they chose as their insurance carrier, said Brian Freeman of Mployer Advisor. We are proud to honor this distinct group of insurance consultants who have demonstrated a wide range of experience and positive employer feedback on service and quality. For too long, the industry has been dependent on referrals and existing relationships to select insurance advisors. With Mployer Advisor, we now celebrate this distinguished group of consultants who work tirelessly to keep costs low and support employers during one of the most impactful decisions they have to make as a company.

The Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC market is one of the most competitive job markets in the U.S Southeast, employing approximately 1.3 million people with a lower unemployment rate than the rest of the country. Offering industry-leading, competitive employee benefits is a critical factor in hiring and engaging top talent for Charlotte employers. Finding and partnering with a highly rated insurance consultant is imperative to retaining talent in any market.

The Charlotte-based recipients of the 2021 Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards are as follows:



Aon

McGriff Insurance Services

Employer Benefit Solutions

Scott Insurance

Hilb Group

USI Insurance Services

Main Street Insurance Group

Willis Towers Watson

Marsh & McLennan Agency

The above winners are a brief snapshot of Mployer Advisors matrices and proprietary M Score on June 30, 2021. To determine award winners, Mployer Advisor analyzed each brokerage based on historical data, business experience across employer size, industry and products, as well as relevant online ratings and reviews from employers across several platforms.

To view a full list of consultants in the Charlotte area, visit MployerAdvisor.com.

About Mployer Advisor:

Mployer Advisor is changing the way employers search, evaluate and select insurance advisors. The intuitive platform connects employers and employees to great benefits and insurance plans by providing employers with actionable data to easily evaluate and select the best advisor for a companys specific needs. Most brokerages have a profile on Mployer Advisor, which provides independent ratings of insurance advisors to support employers. Insurance brokers cannot pay to influence their Mployer Advisor rating. Only highly rated brokerages are allowed to advertise on the platform. To learn more about Mployer Advisor, visit https://mployeradvisor.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Disclaimer: Rankings are dynamic, and this report may not reflect the rankings currently listed on Mployer Advisors website. Since Mployer Advisors research is ongoing, interested companies that want to join next years list are encouraged to claim their free profile on Mployer Advisor.

Media Contact:

Jacob Westfall (Public Relations Consultant)

Jacob.Westfall@mployeradvisor.com
Enterprise Dispatch Management System omnicore will be supplied to the Rio Tinto Operations Center in Perth, Western Australia, connecting local radio dispatch operators to remote mine sites some 1,600 km / 1000 miles away,

Enterprise Dispatch Management System omnicore will be supplied to the Rio Tinto Operations Center in Perth, Western Australia, connecting local radio dispatch operators to remote mine sites some 1,600 km / 1000 miles away, and is due to be installed in late 2021.

Rio Tinto is a mining and metals company operating in about 35 countries around the world and comprises an integrated network of 16+ mines in the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia.

omnicore Enterprise Dispatch features high availability and redundancy options, specifically important to business-critical operations that rely on continuous uptime to keep their business running smoothly, and workers safe at all times. In addition, the omnicore dispatch console is developed to continue working even in the event of server(s) becoming unavailable, thus further reducing overall business downtime potential.

omnicore Scalable Enterprise Dispatch is available to global customers in mining, government, public safety, enterprise, maritime, transport, and other mission-critical industries immediately.
Greg Taylor, Orion CEO "Orion is changing the way enterprises think about using voice, intelligent bots, and workflows to connect and support their deskless workforces in dynamic, complex environments," said Greg Taylor, Orion CEO.

Orion Labs, Inc., the leading voice-first, intelligent collaboration platform that empowers deskless workers, today announced that Orion Chief Executive Officer Greg Taylor has been named one of the Top 50 SaaS CEOs of 2021 by The Software Report. The Software Report noted the Top 50 SaaS CEOs of 2021 demonstrate that cutting-edge technology thrives and spreads rapidly across the global business economy with vision and strong leadership.

This years awardees were chosen based on thousands of nomination submissions from colleagues, peers, and other software industry participants, said Jonathan Carlos, The Software Report's Managing Editor. The judging panel selected CEOs who have showcased their skill in cultivating a sound work environment that promotes fairness, diversity, and inclusion.

Taylor was noted for his servant-first leadership approach that has shaped an inclusive and high-performance culture and propelled Orions emergence as a leader in the enterprise frontline collaboration software category. Under Taylors leadership, Orion marked a 250% increase in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), 400% growth in pipeline, and 12x growth in subscription commitment over the last 12 months.

More and more companies are realizing the need to implement digital transformation strategies to take frontline communication into the future. Orion is changing the way enterprises think about using voice, intelligent bots, and workflows to connect and support their deskless workforces in dynamic, complex environments, said Greg Taylor, Orion CEO. I am honored to be recognized by The Software Report for leading Orion on its high-growth journey.

Orion has continually been recognized by analysts, industry pundits, and leading journals for its innovative and market-leading solutions. Logistics and Transportation Review selected Orion as a Top 10 Intelligent Transport Systems Solution Provider and Manufacturing Technology Insights named Orion a Top 10 Industrial IoT Solution Provider. IDC also named Orion an IDC Innovator for its unique ability to digitally transform communications for the deskless workforce with AI-powered voice-bots that enable process automation and access to IoT systems. Orion also won an Edison Award for the Onyx, its patented wearable that supports hands-free, heads-up collaboration for workers.

The Software Report is a comprehensive source for market research and insights, business news, investment activity, and corporate actions related to the software sector. Based in New York City, the firm is run by a seasoned team of editors, writers, and media professionals highly knowledgeable on software and the various companies, executives, and investors that make up the sector.

About Orion Labs, Inc.

Orion is the leading voice-first, intelligent collaboration platform that empowers deskless workers by enabling real-time team communication, process automation, location mapping, and access to enterprise systems to improve workforce productivity, safety and compliance, and customer engagement.

Orion was recently named a Top 10 Intelligent Transport Systems Solution Provider for 2021 by Logistics and Transportation Review, a Top 10 Industrial IoT Solution Provider 2020 by Manufacturing Technology Insights, and an IDC Innovator. Orion holds 28 patents that support its award-winning solutions. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and backed by leading investors. For more information, visit http://www.orionlabs.io.

Stay in touch with Orion Labs | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

Media contact:

Jacqueline Wasem

Orion Labs, Inc.

415-800-5467

press@orionlabs.io
Pennsylvania American Water will use the ARCOS Callout and Scheduling solution to immediately find available workers, direct them to a water emergency, and report on their restoration efforts. Among the key drivers for choosing ARCOS is the softwares ability to make it efficient for us to pinpoint available crews in an emergency, said Jake Gentile, senior manager for Operations, Southwestern Pennsylvania, at Pennsylvania American Water.

To improve resource management and the speed with which it mobilizes crews, Pennsylvania American Water will implement the Software-as-a-Service ARCOS Callout and Scheduling solution for its field service representatives, first responders and utility workers. Pennsylvania American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, joins Tennessee American Water in choosing the ARCOS solution.

Among the key drivers for choosing ARCOS is the softwares ability to make it efficient for us to pinpoint available crews in an emergency, said Jake Gentile, senior manager for Operations, Southwestern Pennsylvania, at Pennsylvania American Water. The ARCOS system will automatically mirror callout procedures and help us quickly mobilize our response.

The ARCOS Callout and Scheduling solution helps utility managers act on emergencies by automatically locating and alerting available crews to respond to water main breaks, shut off meters, or handle other emergent issues.

About ARCOS LLC

ARCOS provides the leading SaaS-based resource management platform built specifically for utilities and other critical infrastructure industries. Using ARCOS, companies manage the real-time availability of unionized workforces and contractors alongside long- and short-cycle work necessary to keep services flowing for more than 90 million people and businesses across the United States and Canada. ARCOS's best-in-class customer support coupled with its quick return on investment, automated callout capabilities, electronic crew management, contractor management, emergency mobilization, work distribution, and field service mobility solutions help its customers safely respond to, restore, report on, and manage critical activity that keeps electric, water, gas, and travel running smoothly. Learn about ARCOS resource management software at http://www.arcos-inc.com. Follow ARCOS on LinkedIn, @ARCOS LLC, and Twitter, @ARCOS


Smith has been operating out of Hong Kong since 1997, and our presence in the APAC region has never been stronger than it is today.

Smith, a global distributor of electronic components and semiconductors, today announces the expansion of its Asian distribution center in Hong Kong. This significant investment will offer 15,000 square feet of additional space, which will be used to double the capacity of the hubs existing inspection and testing facilities, install data-wiping and erasure-verification equipment, and bolster the companys vendor-managed inventory program in the region.

Smith has been operating out of Hong Kong since 1997, and our presence in the APAC region has never been stronger than it is today, said Terry Fu, Smiths Vice President of Operations and Counterfeit Detection, Asia. The expansion of our Asian distribution center will help us continue to provide the top-tier quality and service our customers have come to expect from Smith.

The project includes the addition of a SmithSecure room to safely and securely wipe and verify hard drives and SSDs using Smiths proprietary SWIPESM solution, mirroring the services available at the companys Houston and Amsterdam locations. Smith has also expanded its order-processing area and installed several new and duplicate pieces of inspection equipment:

Keyence handheld barcode scanners

Keyence microscope

Seamark X-6600A x-ray machine

RTI MultiTrace Century curve tracer

RKD Cu ESD protection decapsulation unit and fume hood

5 HD TAGARNO ZAP digital microscopes

These additions will help support significant increases in order volume spurred by the ongoing semiconductor shortages. Since January, the company has been aggressively hiring for its Asian operational hub, with plans to increase the locations workforce by 70 percent in total.

The expanded facilities, equipment, services, and workforce at our Hong Kong distribution center will provide tremendous support for Smith as we continue to grow and innovate, said Terry. We are excited to bring these state-of-the-art investments to our customers and help them address the unprecedented supply chain challenges impacting the industry.

About Smith

Founded in 1984, Smith sources, manages, and distributes the electronic components that go into everything from mobile phones and computers to appliances and directional drilling systems. In 16 cities around the world, Smiths legion of employees communicates in 50 languages and dialects and buys and sells components 24 hours per day, generating global annual sales in excess of $1.39 billion. Smith is always moving: helping manufacturers navigate market shifts; customizing supply chain solutions; testing components using cutting-edge technology. The support of Smiths flexible Intelligent Distribution model optimizes customers supply chains from beginning to end, including offering customized options for IT asset disposition that deliver maximum ROI, sustainability, and security. Smiths testing and logistics hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam cover critical areas like quality management, counterfeit prevention, and environmental safety. Smiths operations, purchasing, and sales worldwide are seamlessly integrated with the companys global IT infrastructure, offering real-time, global inventory and logistics visibility. Smith is the leading independent distributor of electronic components and ranks number nine among all global distributors. For more information, please visit http://www.smithweb.com or reach out to a Smith representative any time of day at +1 713.430.3000.

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Having partnered with Tennessee schools for years, we know educators there very well and are grateful for the opportunity to continue serving themespecially as they work to address learning gaps, said Kristie Lindell, Vice President, Assessment and Instruction Products at Illuminate.

Illuminate Education, a leading K12 student performance solution, announces that earlyReading, CBMreading and aReadingkey components of the FastBridge reading assessment suitehave been approved by the Tennessee Department of Education as K3 universal screeners. The assessments meet requirements of the Tennessee Literacy Success Act and Say Dyslexia Law.

Already used and trusted by some of the largest school districts in Tennessee, the approval means educators across the state can use earlyReading, CBMreading and aReading to screen their K3 students during the three annual administration windows. The process provides a complete view of each students reading growth, as well as areas needing additional support.

Having partnered with Tennessee schools for years, we know educators there very well and are grateful for the opportunity to continue serving themespecially as they work to address learning gaps, said Kristie Lindell, Vice President, Assessment and Instruction Products at Illuminate. The FastBridge reading assessments are uniquely designed to provide detailed insights on each student's reading proficiency and growth, saving precious time and providing quick, actionable next steps and instructional resources for educators.

FastBridge reading assessments are built on a strong research base and deliver reliable insights that support teachers in measuring and monitoring reading proficiency to accelerate student growth:



earlyReadingAvailable in both English and Spanishassesses early literacy skills through reading assessment subtests that measure accuracy and automaticity.

CBMreadingAvailable in both English and Spanishassesses oral reading fluency with connected text.

aReadingAssesses students broad reading abilities and predicts overall reading achievement in concepts of print, phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, orthography, and morphology. aReading is aligned to the Lexile Framework for Reading.

To learn more about FastBridge reading assessments, visit http://www.illuminateed.com/products/fastbridge/reading-assessment.

About Illuminate Education

Illuminate Education equips educators to take a data-driven approach to serving the whole child. Our solution combines comprehensive assessment, MTSS management and collaboration, and real-time dashboard tools, and puts them in the hands of educators. As a result, educators can monitor learning and growth, identify academic and social-emotional behavioral needs, and align targeted supports in order to accelerate learning for each student. To learn more, visit http://www.illuminateed.com.
The Hemp Doctor Wholesale We're incredibly excited to have this website up and running. The Hemp Doctor has always been about creating trustworthy products for our customers, now we're creating and selling trustworthy products for other retailers as well." - Robert Shade

The Hemp Doctor, Americas Premier Hemp & CBD Dispensary, proudly announces the launch of their new wholesale website. CBD, Delta 8 THC, and hemp product retailers now have access to The Hemp Doctors vast inventory of these superior quality products with this new addition.

Retailers have every reason to be excited about the ability to access an attractive and extensive inventory that will surely augment any existing offerings they may be carrying. Not only will this extensive inventory of diverse products help to meet their customers growing needs, but the fact that each of the items is of premium quality will also keep those customers returning to their store. In addition, with the number of unsavory distributors in the competitive CBD and Delta 8 THC market, retailers can distinguish themselves by carrying pure, high-quality products that deliver consistent results every time.

The company owner, Robert Shade, would like to emphasize to retailers that selling mediocre products will not encourage customers to return. In addition, as a retailer, you are responsible for any harm that your products may cause a customer. By carrying products from The Hemp Doctor, you can be assured that you are only offering quality products that have been tested by an independent laboratory and confirmed to contain no harmful ingredients.

We're incredibly excited to have this website up and running. The Hemp Doctor has always been about creating trustworthy products for our customers, now we're creating and selling trustworthy products for other retailers as well. It's so important to me, as someone who uses hemp-derived products, to have premium, high-quality products, and to be able to provide that for customers nationwide is amazing.  Robert Shade

This new wholesale website helps level the playing field for smaller retailers who want to sell American-grown hemp products to their clientele. The Hemp Doctor's Wholesale site is an expansion of an established American small business. The company began when Robert Shade's daughter experienced the benefits of CBD after a traumatic car accident left her with lifelong injuries. Shade also experienced the benefits of CBD as he battled lymphoma in 2020 and 2021. Now in remission, Shade aims to create more spaces for holistic wellness by selling his products nationwide through his wholesale website.

About The Hemp Doctor

The Hemp Doctor, Americas Premier Hemp and CBD Dispensary has provided superior quality CBD products for over a decade. And now, with their inclusion of Delta 8 THC items in their lineup, their vast selection of hemp-based products is second to none. Not only does The Hemp Doctors dizzying array of products offer something for everyone, every product that lines their shelves is the purest and highest quality available.

The Hemp Doctor takes great pride in their inventory because every product originates from hemp extract derived from hemp exclusively grown in the United States. This ensures the absence of any heavy metals, pesticides, or molds you may find in imported hemp. Furthermore, this hemp extract is produced by scientifically advanced methods that exclude the use of solvents or other harmful chemicals. In addition, The Hemp Doctor has every item in their inventory tested by an independent laboratory and makes those lab reports available to the general public. These reports confirm the accuracy of their labeling and ensure that there are no harmful additives in their products.

You can find more information about The Hemp Doctors wholesale division on their website at http://www.thdwholesale.com or by visiting their storefront in Mooresville, NC, at the Port Village Shopping Center. If you are interested in becoming one of the many Hemp Doctor retailers, they invite you to fill out their online contact form to begin the process.

Contact:

Robert Shade

The Hemp Doctor

510 River Highway #16

Mooresville, NC 28117

(704) 360-4843

http://www.thehempdoctor.com

http://www.thdwholesale.com
On August 20, 2021, 185 students from participating Invention Convention Nationals programs in the United States, Mexico, Singapore, and China were honored during the first-ever Invention Convention Globals, presented by Raytheon Technologies. The virtual celebration was hosted by Sr. Director of Development at Hasbro, Gray Bright with special keynote speaker William Kamkwamba, author of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

Our goal with this first global competition was to have students gain inspiration from each other and to realize that despite their locations, they are all trying to better their environments and the world they live in, said Patricia Mooradian, president & CEO, The Henry Ford. It has been an amazing experience to see these young people tackle important topics from climate change and the environment to health and safety issues. Their perseverance and ingenuity are an inspiration to us all.

Invention Convention Globals participation consists of select student inventors from Invention Convention affiliates across the globe. To participate, students were required to submit a video presentation of their invention, a prototype, an inventors logbook showing the journey of their invention process and a display board highlighting key points of the invention process.

This event connected young changemakers across multiple countries and allowed them the opportunity, perhaps for the first time, to learn from their peers with different cultures, backgrounds and ideas, said Randy Bumps, Executive Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Raytheon Technologies. May this global community continue to support and inspire one another as they create our shared future.

This year's inventors taking home top honors include:



11th-graders Soham Joshi and Raaghav Malik from the United States (OH), received multiple awards including first place in the 11-12th grade category and the Best in Show award for their invention, S.E.N.S.E  a multipurpose robotic glove designed to teach sign language through guided manual motions.

First grader Yan Ziling from Shanghai was awarded first place in the K-2 category for his invention Children SOS Shoes  shoes that have a motion sensor, water immersion sensor and an alarm to keep children out of danger.

The team of Muyan Liu, Kexiangwen Shi, Jiaxin Tai, and Yuhan Wang from Shanghai for their invention Happy Spray, which helps reduce the environmental effects, waste and cross infection of disinfectant in public places.

Tenth graders Carlo Andre Bravo Diaz, Diego Angel Fonseca Perez, and Melanie Sarai Jasso Garcia, from Mexico for Ortho-LED, an invention that improves childrens spelling and learning about new topics.

Invention Convention Worldwide is a global K-12 invention education curricular program mapped to national and state educational standards that teaches students problem-identification, problem-solving, entrepreneurship and creativity skills and builds confidence in invention, innovation and entrepreneurship for life. More than 135,000 K-12 inventors from across the globe participate in the programs each year.

The mission of Invention Convention Worldwide is to bring Invention Education to students everywhere. Organizations interested in bringing the year-long program to their region can get more information at https://inhub.thehenryford.org/icw/contact_us.

About The Henry Ford

Located in Dearborn, Michigan, The Henry Ford is a globally-recognized destination that fosters inspiration and learning from hands-on encounters with artifacts representing the most comprehensive collection anywhere focusing on innovation, ingenuity, and resourcefulness. Its unique venues include Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Benson Ford Research Center, the Giant Screen Experience and Henry Ford Academy, a public charter high school. The Henry Ford inspires individuals to unlock their potential and help shape a better future through a variety of channels including its online presence thehenryford.org, its Emmy-winning national television series, The Henry Fords Innovation Nation, and The Henry Fords Invention Convention Worldwide, a global K-12 invention education curricular program that teaches students problem-solving, entrepreneurship, and creativity skills. With the support of a growing community of affiliates and supporters, The Henry Ford is the home of Raytheon Technologies Invention Convention U.S. Nationals, Invention Convention Globals and Invention Convention Michigan.

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"Flexibility and proper safety protocols can go a long way in business continuity as the COVID-19 pandemic continues." - Express CEO Bill Stoller

The majority of U.S. workers (81%) are comfortable returning to the office during the COVID-19 pandemic, but 87% still believe their employers can do more to mitigate the virus risks.

This is according to a new survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by Express Employment Professionals.

Roughly 3 in 4 workers go to their companys physical workspace at least once a week currently with 40% attending every day. Positive sentiments about returning to in-person work have notably increased from the second half of 2020 with 75% saying they feel completely safe in the office compared to 71% at the time last year.

Despite the increased optimism, 87% still believe businesses can do more to make them feel comfortable around colleagues, such as making sure all employees are vaccinated (42%), clear protocols on what will happen if an employee tests positive for COVID-19 (31%) or greater cleaning efforts and social distancing (30%).

By company size, those with 2  9 employees are the most likely to say they would be very comfortable going into physical workspaces right now and the least likely to request protocol changes for safety.

With remote work still in place for several businesses across the country, certain industries report in-person attendance more frequently than others, including:



Office and administrative support employees (e.g., accountants, HR professionals): 74% at least once a week, 33% every day

Skilled trades employees (e.g., carpenters, electricians, hairdressers, or specialize in other consumer services): 72% at least once a week, 30% every day

Professional employees (e.g., lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers): 70% at least once a week, 28% every day

Sales and customer service employees (e.g., sales agents, call center employees): 72% at least once a week, 28% every day

Light industrial employees (e.g., factory line employees, quality control, packaging): 72% at least once a week, 28% every day

Those at smaller companies who may have lower COVID-19 risks, such as fewer people to socially distance or less work areas to clean, are most likely to say each of these employee groups go to their companys physical workplaces every day.

Nearly all employees placed through her Washington Express franchise are physically back at work with the rest expected by the end of the year, owner Stacey Snodgrass said.

I would imagine the more people they have working within larger facilities would make employees feel a little worried for their safety, she added.

Express offices are careful to vet potential client companies for adequate COVID-19 policies and make sure applicants are comfortable with the environment.

Companies caring about the current pandemic situation and being empathic have helped our employees feel safer, along with following COVID-19 rules and regulations, extra cleaning of office space and a COVID-19 policy for sick employees, Snodgrass said. We get feedback from our associates if any clients are not adhering to that in our frequent communication with them. Safety is our top priority.

The majority of employees at Express franchise owner Reggie Kajis offices in Michigan have also already retuned to the office but he says too much is unknown about the coronavirus right now to predict when everyone will be back in person.

I feel like an organization that is cognizant of the safety of their employees will have most of these safety measures implemented, he said. Its important to address and protect workers if you, unfortunately, do have a positive COVID-19 case.

Kaji still believes a number of people are nervous to return to the office and companies dont have a magic bullet for a solution.

Flexibility and proper safety protocols can go a long way in business continuity as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Express CEO Bill Stoller said. As someone who enjoys interacting with my colleagues, I look forward to moving closer to an in-person workforce, in some capacity, once again.

Survey Methodology

The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between March 23 and April 12, 2021, among 1,001 U.S. hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in the U.S. who are employed full-time or self-employed, work at companies with more than one employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data was weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

If you would like to arrange for an interview with Bill Stoller to discuss this topic, please contact Sheena Hollander, Director of Corporate Communications and PR, at (405) 717-5966.

About Bill Stoller

William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the international staffing company has more than 830 franchises in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Since inception, Express has put more than 9 million people to work worldwide.

About Express Employment Professionals

At Express Employment Professionals, were in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Our international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, employing 526,000 people globally in 2020. For more information, visit http://www.ExpressPros.com.
Coreio Inc. (http://www.coreio.com) today announced that Chief Operating Officer Rob Muroff has been named CEO, effective immediately. For 40 years, Coreio has worked with numerous clients across a broad range of industries including financial services by bringing people, process, and technology together to build novel solutions for critical business problems. Rob joined the company in 2016 after nearly 15 years at RBC, where he held a number of senior-level technical and leadership positions. He holds a BA from Western University and an MA from Wayne State University. Stephen Baird continues as Coreios CTO, extending an impressive 20-year relationship working together with Rob. Stephen has a broad range of infrastructure expertise and continues to lead Coreios overall strategy and focus on solutions that enable clients to focus on their business priorities.

Coreio advises, designs, deploys, and supports its clients to prepare them for what comes next: distributed workforces, remote workers, and hybrid teams made up of employees, contractors, and partners in multiple locations. The company is also a ServiceNow partner, which enables Coreio to bring automation and self-service to complex environments to drive productivity and efficiency.

The technology landscape is being fundamentally changed as a result of work-from-home mandates, increased globalization, and significant new security threats, Muroff says. Coreio is a trusted partner of some of the largest companies in Canada and around the world, and we are ideally positioned to play a critical role in helping them address the issues that they face every day. I am proud of the work that we are doing, and I am excited to lead the company into our next phase of growth.

About Coreio

Coreio Inc. is an Elite ServiceNow Partner and leading IT services provider that delivers Infrastructure and Operations solutions to mid-market and enterprise-scale companies across North America. We build on our 40-year history as a trusted partner, and apply our experience as in-house IT experts, to help our clients solve complex business and technology issues, so they can focus on what they do best. Coreio provides a variety of managed IT services centered on Digital Workplace and Asset Lifecycle Management as well as strategic IT counsel to clients regarding Modern Workplace, Security and Governance and Cloud.

For more information on Coreio and its services, please visit our website or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Nick Varone

nick.varone@coreio.com

(905) 850-2987
Andreea Gleeson, Chief Executive Officer, TuneCore Im inspired daily by the talented artists and industry leading team who make TuneCore the most innovative and forward thinking independent digital music distributor in the world. I truly believe in our mission  in step with our parent company Believe - to serve artists at every stage."

Leading independent DIY digital music distributor TuneCore, owned by Paris-based global digital music company Believe, has promoted Andreea Gleeson to the role of Chief Executive Officer. The announcement was made today by Denis Ladegaillerie, Chief Executive Officer, Believe.

Gleeson was appointed Chief Revenue Officer last year and wasted no time transforming TuneCore into one of the most dynamic and innovative companies in the independent music space. Under her guidance, TuneCore has pushed the envelope and innovated, bridging together great product and technology with branding and marketing to create a Best-In-Class service for independent artists, both for today and tomorrow.

Over the last year Gleeson has led the launch of leading-edge product and technology solutions, inventive marketing campaigns, aggressive international expansion, groundbreaking artist education, Best-in-Class artist support, as well as forged new store and streaming partnerships while achieving premier status and participating in exclusive innovative beta tests with current stores. TuneCore has become the leading independent DIY digital music distributor because Gleeson has prioritized putting artists first by giving them MORE  more services, more support, more money and more global reach.

She created key strategic partnerships with YouTube (YouTube Shorts), Facebook (Independent Artist Program) and Spotify (Discovery Mode). Earlier this year, she created and launched TuneCore Rewards and TuneCore Certified, two unique artist education and recognition programs which aim to level the playing field for independent artists. Gleeson also rose as a fierce advocate for female-identifying creators, commissioning the MIDiA Research study BE THE CHANGE: Women Making Music 2021 to identify why independent female creators remain underrepresented in the music industry, raise awareness on their challenges and begin to incite change through strategic alliances with partners across all areas of the music industry.

Stated Ladegaillerie, When Andreea joined TuneCore 5 years ago, she brought with her a fresh perspective and proceeded to challenge music industry norms while continuing to innovate and build the company. This promotion recognizes her leadership skills, expertise across product, technology, and marketing, as well as her keen understanding of artist and label needs during a period of accelerated growth in the independent music market. Andreeas elevation to CEO also underscores Believes commitment to gender parity and empowering female leaders. Im thrilled that she will lead TuneCore, as we shape the future of music around the world to best serve and develop independent artists.

Commented Gleeson, Im inspired daily by the talented artists and industry leading team who make TuneCore the most innovative and forward thinking independent digital music distributor in the world. I truly believe in our mission  in step with our parent company Believe - to serve artists at every stage of development and will continue to build TuneCore to be the destination where artists can start, grow and manage their careers, while working to level the playing field for all independent artists.

Matt Barrington will continue as Chief Operating Officer and expand his operational purview to encompass all TuneCore departments, working in concert with Andreea to lead the company.

Gleeson came to TuneCore after years as an eCommerce pioneer in the retail industry, having been at the forefront of retails digital transformation. She drove the digital strategy growing Hudson Bay and Lord & Taylors eCommerce business from the ground up, consistently delivering double to triple-digit comps in both banners, eventually surpassing the sales volumes of the retail giants flagship stores. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Pace University. To the music industry, she brings a unique perspective as well as the digital and marketing expertise necessary to modernize the company. Her perspective, originally as an outsider, has helped her build the company, unencumbered by the traditional industry norms and standards.

About TuneCore

TuneCore is the global platform for independent musicians to build audiences and careers  with technology and services across distribution, publishing administration and a range of promotional services. TuneCore Music Distribution services help artists, labels and managers sell their music through Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, TikTok, Tencent and more than 150 download and streaming stores worldwide, while retaining 100 percent of their sales revenue and rights for a low annual flat fee. TuneCore Music Publishing Administration assists songwriters by administering their compositions through licensing, registration, worldwide royalty collections, and placement opportunities in film, TV, commercials, video games and more. The TuneCore Artist Services portal offers a suite of tools and services that enable artists to promote their craft, connect with fans, and get their music heard. TuneCore, part of Believe, is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, with offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, Atlanta, and Austin, and operates globally through local teams based in the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, India, Japan and Singapore across 4 continents. http://www.tunecore.com

About Believe

Believe is one of the worlds leading digital music companies. Believes mission is to develop independent artists and labels in the digital world by providing them the solutions they need to grow their audience at each stage of their career and development. Believes passionate team of digital music experts around the world leverages the Groups global technology platform to advise artists and labels, distribute and promote their music. Its 1,270 employees in more than 50 countries aim to support independent artists and labels with a unique digital expertise, respect, fairness and transparency. Believe offers its various solutions through a portfolio of brands including TuneCore, Believe, Nuclear Blast, Naive, Groove Attack and AllPoints.

Believe is listed on compartment A of the Euronext Paris stock exchange (Ticker: BLV.PA, ISIN : FR0014003FE9)

http://www.believe.com

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1379 N Venetian Way Miami, FL 33139 The Miami luxury real estate market is one of the most competitive in the United States and arguably the world.

Engel & Volkers Florida today announced the $16.4 million listing of 1379 Venetian Way, a luxurious, modern home located on San Marco Island in Miami. Advisor Shawn Frechette with Engel & Volkers Miami Coconut Grove is representing the sellers.

This modern home is a one-of-a-kind residence for the most discerning buyer who wants privacy and unparalleled views and access to the glistening waters of Biscayne Bay, said Frechette. "The home is truly a boater's paradise.

The five bedroom, five bathroom home boasts nearly 6,000 square feet of living area on a 10,500 square foot waterfront lot in the highly coveted Venetian Islands. The overall design blurs the line between indoor and outdoor living, with an open concept and double height, floor-to-ceiling windows. A rooftop deck affords unobstructed 360 degree views of the Miami skyline. New boat dock and lifts and infinity pool perfect the private, waterfront oasis. With a $16.4 million price tag, this property ranks among the top ten most expensive listings on the Venetian Islands.

This home is absolute perfection and one-of-a-kind, said Magnus Jennemyr, License Partner, Broker and Private Office Advisor at Engel & Volkers Miami Coconut Grove. A-list living at its best in Miami. It was custom built in 2017 and has only had one meticulous owner. Property is priced extremely well and completely in line with comparable homes on the Venetian Isles. Prestigious waterfront homes such as 1379 N Venetian Way are in demand throughout Miami and South Florida, and I dont expect it to remain on the market for very long. With already very little waterfront inventory, Miami has become increasingly restricted over the past year. It is the ultimate luxury Miami can afford at this point in time, attracting high-end bidding wars and high profile buyers.

Frechette came to Engel & Volkers in 2019 from Brown Harris Stevens. As a Broker Associate, he has nearly two decades of professional experience specializing in luxury real estate. No stranger to chart-topping sales, he has facilitated over 100 transactions, totaling more than $200,000,000 during his career.

The Miami luxury real estate market is one of the most competitive in the United States and arguably the world, said Peter Giese, Chief Growth Officer at Engel & Volkers Florida. Having a truly global luxury brand and trusted local advisors that work at a new level of service for their clients allows Engel & Volkers to earn the right to represent these unique properties over their competition.

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Press contact:

Linzee Werkmeister, Junior Vice President, Marketing & Franchise Support

Email: Linzee.Werkmeister(at)evrealestate.com

Tel: (239) 348-9000

About Engel & Volkers:

Engel & Volkers is a global luxury real estate brand. Founded in Hamburg, Germany in 1977, Engel & Volkers draws on its rich European history to deliver a fresh approach to luxury real estate in the Americas with a focus on creating a personalized client experience at every stage of the home buying or selling process for todays savvy homeowner. Engel & Volkers currently operates approximately 240 shop locations with 5,000 real estate advisors in the Americas, contributing to the brands global network of over 14,000 real estate professionals in more than 30 countries, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services, including real estate and yachting. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Volkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and platforms; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated. For more information, visit http://www.evrealestate.com.

About Engel & Volkers Florida:

Engel & Volkers Florida is the Master License Partner of the global luxury real estate brand Engel & Volkers in the state of Florida. Recognized for uniquely recruiting, training and equipping some of the top professionals in the real estate industry, Engel & Volkers Floridas exclusive franchise model positions its license partners at the top of the premium market to gain market share and support their bottom line. The company represents franchise locations in: 30A Beaches, Amelia Island, Belleair, Boca Raton, Bonita Springs-Estero, Cape Coral, Clermont, Delray Beach, Destin, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers Downtown, Gainesville, Hollywood Beach, Islamorada, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Jupiter, Madeira Beach, Marco Island, Melbourne Beachside, Melbourne Central, Melbourne Downtown, Miami Coconut Grove, Neptune Beach, Olde Naples, Orlando, Orlando Downtown, Orlando-Winter Park, Palm Beach, Palm Coast, Ponte Vedra Beach, Sarasota, South Tampa, St. Augustine, St. Pete, St. Pete Beach, Stuart, Tampa Water Street, Venice Downtown, Wellington, and Windermere.

Engel & Volkers Florida is continuing to strategically strengthen and expand its presence in premium real estate markets across the state of Florida. If you would like to know more about the Engel & Volkers brand or how to join its global networkwhich is known for demonstrating competence, exclusivity and passion, feel free to call our corporate office, located at 633 Tamiami Trl N, Suite 201, Naples, FL 34102 USA. Tel: +1 239-348-9000.

For more information about Engel & Volkers Florida, please visit http://www.florida.evrealestate.com
Arbor Day Foundation "For Vertical Supply Group, sustainability is so much more than a buzzword. It is a commitment and passion the company shares with its consumers for the environment and the great outdoors." - Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation

Vertical Supply Group is entering a multi-year partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation to support reforestation efforts and carbon offset projects.

Vertical Supply Group (VSG) manufactures high-quality work tools for professional arborists, climbers and other work-at-height professionals. It is the parent company of trusted consumer brands like Sterling, Notch and Silky. Because its consumer base is comprised of those who spend more time outdoors, Vertical Supply Group has a company mission of environmental stewardship, having committed towards sustainability programs each year. To further their mission, they have partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to show their dedication to becoming a more sustainable company both internally and externally.

"We love working with companies that truly understand the importance of sustainability," said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. "For Vertical Supply Group, sustainability is so much more than a buzzword. It is a commitment and passion the company shares with its consumers for the environment and the great outdoors."

The reforestation project supported by VSG's partnership supports is located in the Econfina Creek Watershed in Florida. The watershed supports several cities by providing clean water, including Panama City. Natural disasters devasted the land in 2018, and now the region is ready to be replanted again. The contributions provided by Vertical Supply Group will also support the Foundation's work in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley through the purchase of carbon credits. The ongoing restoration work that takes place in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley is vital for countless people and wildlife in the region.

Our business is rooted in trees, so partnering with the Arbor Day Foundation is a natural fit, said Tripp Wyckoff, CEO of Vertical Supply Group. With their help, we are proud to be carbon neutral and excited to embark on this journey to combat climate change through reforestation initiatives.

Vertical Supply Groups partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation is just one aspect of its commitment to sustainability. It has achieved carbon neutrality by offsetting 100 percent of direct emissions from owned assets and consumed energy in 2021 by purchasing qualifying carbon credits. In addition, the company is implementing multiple green initiatives including reducing plastic in its packaging materials, promoting rideshare or electric vehicle programs for employees, and activating circular supply chains.

For more information about the Arbor Day Foundations reforestation projects, visit arborday.org.

About the Arbor Day Foundation

Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with more than one million members, supporters and valued partners. Since 1972, more than 400 million Arbor Day Foundation trees have been planted in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to lead toward a world where trees are used to solve issues critical to survival.

As one of the world's largest operating conservation foundations, the Arbor Day Foundation, through its members, partners and programs, educates and engages stakeholders and communities across the globe to involve themselves in its mission of planting, nurturing and celebrating trees. More information is available at arborday.org.

About Vertical Supply Group

Vertical Supply Group (VSG) is a vertically integrated business with focus on product development, manufacturing and equipment supply. Comprised of brands Sterling, Notch and Silky, as well as webstores TreeStuff.com, SherrillTree.com, Bishco.com, and RescueDirect.com, we deliver the most comprehensive assortment of products for arborists, climbers, emergency, technical rescue and other work-at-height professionals. Learn more at verticalsupplygroup.com.
Vickie Tingwald, who was married in 1968 to her husband, Gary, who passed away on February 2018, from a seven-year battle with ALS, has completed her new book Finding Joy in the Journey": a testimony to the beauty that can be found in death and in God.

Vickie Tingwald writes, In our darkest hour of suffering, we found joy in the journey. We have learned many hard lessons and still have unanswered questions, but through it all, God was with us every step of the way. Each of us faced different giants to battle, but we can all say, we are stronger, more determined, and have a greater eternal perspective than ever before. On our worst days, we were not without hope and found true joy in knowing we were never alone. The one who fights our battles was right beside us all the way!

Published by Page Publishing, Vickie Tingwalds inspirational work describes how Vickie and Gary have four grown children and seven grandchildren. Vickie and Gary were both ministers with the Assemblies of God. They were in ministry together for over forty years. Both grew up in Iowa and came to the East Coast in 1991 to take a church in Crisfield, Maryland. They pastored churches in Crisfield, Maryland, and Gaithersburg, Maryland, and then they moved to Chesapeake, Virginia, to begin a ministry in the chaplaincy.

The authors and her familys prayer is that as readers work through this book they will realize that they are never alone. Their hope is for readers to know the same joy that Paul knew, a joy that while in prison, he could rejoice and praise God.

Readers who wish to experience this intriguing book can purchase Finding Joy in the Journey" at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
Willig, Williams & Davidson is pleased to announce that it has been voted the best Philadelphia area family law firm by readers of The Legal Intelligencer in the ALM publications Best of 2021 survey. The firm is proud to have built one of the foremost family law practices in Southeast Pennsylvania, with six attorneys dedicated solely to the domestic relations needs of its clients.

We are grateful for this confirmation of what our clients have always known: We provide safe harbor when life gets stormy by delivering expert legal advice with compassionate service, creating outcomes that allow families to move forward, said Deborah R. Willig, firm managing partner.

The Domestic Relations and Family Law Group at Willig, Williams & Davidson understands that they are dealing with peoples lives and families. The firm represents thousands of union members, their families and dependents, and also regularly represents private clients. The firm handles adoptions, custody matters, child and spousal support, divorce, equitable distribution of marital assets, paternity, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, protection from abuse and same sex marriages. The firms domestic relations and family law attorneys come from many different backgrounds, are skilled negotiators, know the courts, and arent afraid to take on difficult cases. The firm also provides overlapping legal support in matters involving bankruptcy, criminal defense, real estate, and wills, trusts and estates.

The Legal Intelligencer Best of survey asks its readers to vote for the best legal service providers and law firms in the Philadelphia area. The results of the survey were announced in the publications Best of 2021 issue, published on Aug. 24, 2021.

About Willig, Williams & Davidson  Willig, Williams & Davidson (http://www.wwdlaw.com) is one of the largest and most respected union-side labor law firms in the United States. The firm has offices in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Jenkintown, Pa., as well as Haddonfield, N.J., and Chicago, Ill. Founded in 1979, Willig, Williams & Davidson focuses on representing labor unions, employee benefit funds and individual working people and their families on a variety of legal fronts, including national, regional and local contract negotiations; election and campaign finance; dispute resolution through mediation, arbitration and litigation; family law matters; benefits law design and compliance issues; discrimination, overtime and unpaid wages, and other employment matters; prepaid legal services for union members; social security disability; and workers compensation matters in Philadelphia and beyond. Workers inspire us.
Literary agent, scout, and memoirist Lynn C. Franklin died of metastatic breast cancer on July 19. She was 74.

Franklin founded her eponymous scouting agency, Lynn C. Franklin Associates, in 1978, specializing in foreign rights. She later partnered with Todd R. Siegal to form the scouting agency Franklin & Siegal Associates in 1992, which represents foreign publishers in the adult, young adult, and middle grade categories. The agency also scouts books for Hollywood.

As an agent, Franklin represented a number of well-known clients, including Deepak Chopra and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

An author herself, Franklin wrote, with Elizabeth Ferber, the memoir May the Circle Be Unbroken: An Intimate Journey Into the Heart of Adoption (Harmony, 1998), an account of her 1993 reunion with her biological son, whom she had relinquished for adoption years before. (In its review, PW called the book "a helpful guide for readers already convinced of the wisdom of open adoption.") Franklin went on to become an advocate for adoption reform, and served on the boards of Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children and the Donaldson Adoption Institute.

A memorial for Franklin will be held on September 29 at 6:00 p.m. ET at the Cosmopolitan Club in New York City.
Broadleaf Takes Two Titles Looking at Survivors' Lives

Lisa Kloskin, an acquisitions editor at Broadleaf Books. has acquired world rights to a debut nonfiction book from writer Lyndsey Medford. Tentatively titled Systemic, it reveals what living with chronic illness can teach us about surviving and thriving in a sick world. Keely Boeving of Wordserve Literary Group represented the author in the deal, and the book is planned for spring 2023.

Religion scholar and journalist Stephanie Saldana sold What We Remember Will Be Saved to Valerie Weaver-Zercher, also an acquisitions editor at Broadleaf, at auction; the author was represented by Michael Palgon at The Palgon Company. The book narrates the journeys of six refugees escaping from Iraq and Syria, including Muslims, Yazidis, and Christians whose lives were upended by war. She asks them, "What did you save? Publication is planned for 2023.

T.I. Lowe Inks Two-Book Deal with Tyndale

Tyndale House fiction publisher Karen Watson and associate publisher Jan Stob bought world English and audio rights to T.I. Lowes novel Indigo Isle (for 2023 release) and another novel not yet titled or scheduled. Lowe, author of the 2021 bestselling Under the Magnolias, sets her newest tale in rural South Carolina where a Hollywood film location scout runs into a recluse known as the Monster of Indigo Isle. The deal was brokered by Danielle Egan-Miller of Browne & Miller Literary Associates.

Brazos Press Beaty Acquires Pair of Authors

Brazos Press, a division of Baker Publishing Group, has signed a two-book contract with Mike Cosper, director of podcasting for Christianity Today and a founding pastor at Sojourn Church in Louisville, Ky. The first book, tentatively titled The Devils Greatest Trick and to release in summer 2023, is designed to help Christians consider how the modern world has shifted its understanding of evil. The second book, tentatively titled The Spark (fall 2024), will examine how human creativity relates to Gods role in the world. World rights for both were negotiated by senior acquisitions editor Katelyn Beaty with agent Don Gates of The Gates Group.

Beaty also acquired world rights to Resistance for the Rest of Us by Kaitlin Curtice, an indigenous author (Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God) whose new book shows how resistance isnt just for professional activists. She was represented by Rachelle Gardner of Gardner Literary Agency. The book is scheduled for a spring 2023 publication.

Swallow Prior Signs Again with Brazos

Karen Swallow Prior, author of On Reading Well, published by Brazos, has signed a contract for The Evangelical Imagination, scheduled to be released in summer 2023. Robert Hosack, senior acquisitions editor at Brazos Press, negotiated world rights for the unagented project. Swallow Prior, research professor of English at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, examines some of the major elements of the evangelical imagination through the lens of literature.

Jewish Holidays Title Goes to Christy Ottaviano Books

Christy Ottaviano at Christy Ottaviano Books/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has acquired world rights to Benis Tiny Tales: Around the Year in Jewish Holidays, written and illustrated by Jane Breskin Zalben (A Moon for Moe and Mo). Scheduled for fall 2023, this storybook celebrates a year in Jewish holidays from Rosh Hashanah through Shavuot. Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown negotiated the deal.

Kids and Creation Are Topics of WorthyKids Picture Book

Melinda Rathjen at WorthyKids has acquired world rights to God Made You Too, written by Chelsea Tornetto, a middle school World Geography teacher, and illustrated by Kimberley Barnes. The rhyming picture book highlights the beauty of creation while also reminding children that they are specially designed by the Creator as well. Publication is scheduled for February 2022. Melissa Richeson at Storm Literary Agency represented the author, and Robbin Brosterman at The Bright Agency represented the illustrator.

Hanukkah Tale to be Published by Kalaniot Books

Lili Rosenstreich at Kalaniot Books has acquired North American, U.K., and Israeli English/Hebrew language rights to Oy Mendel!: A Hanukkah Miracle, co-written by Let Liberty Rise author Chana Stiefel and her husband, Larry Stiefel. Daphna Awadish will illustrate this picture book about clumsy Mendel, who can never seem to get anything right until he begins to spread Hanukkah joy. Publication is set for September 2022. The illustrator represented herself, and the co-authors were represented by Miranda Paul of Erin Murphy Literary.
The Emmy Awards bestow the US television industrys highest honours for primetime and late-night programming, with awards presented in 26 categories. Telecast live from Los Angeles, it is one of the years most exciting and prestigious television events, offering an evening of glamour that features a host of internationally renowned talent and attracts millions of viewers around the globe. The awards are available via live satellite feed and/or HD File or tape delivery.Written and directed by Simon Evans, critically-acclaimed series Staged (pictured), stars David Tennant and Michael Sheen playing maybe caricature versions of themselves after being furloughed when their upcoming production is suddenly brought to a halt. The series follows the duo, long-suffering partners Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg, and a variety of guest stars as they try their best to keep the rehearsals on track in lockdown.Set against a backdrop of international espionage and corporate sabotage in the 21st centurys privately funded space race, Professionals, stars starring Tom Welling as hardened former counterintelligence officer, Captain Vincent Corbo. After their advanced medical satellite explodes on deployment, billionaire futurist Peter Swann (Brendan Fraser) and his fiancee, medical visionary Dr. Graciela Grace Davila (Elena Anaya), turn to Corbo, who assembles a team of experienced professionals to investigate the incident.The deals closed sees the Emmy Awards 2021 sold to CATCHPLAY+, the largest pay OTT in Indonesia for Indonesia and Taiwan; U-Next , in Japan and Mediacorp for Singapore. Sales for all episodes of Staged have been secured with Star Channel Japan, and renewals on the series with Huanxi Media Group for China. It has already sold to Canal+ France, DirecTV Latin America, BBC UKTV Zealand, HOT Israel, Canal+ Poland, Russian Report, Hulu USA, ABC Australia and UKs BritBox. Meanwhile, Professionals has been acquired by Disney Networks Group Asia Pacific.Asia is an extremely competitive marketplace and we are very pleased to have secured these sales to a number of broadcasters and platforms across the region, said Karen Wise, head of sales at Rainmaker Content commenting on the deals. Rainmaker has set out to build a portfolio of drama and factual series that has global appeal, and these sales confirm the benefit of our strategy.
The Berks County Coroners Office is seeking relatives of Alan Huff, 66, of the Boyertown area, who died Wednesday of natural causes in Reading Hospital.

Officials have been unable to identify his next of kin.

Anyone with information is asked to call the coroners office at 610-478-3280.
The Delaware-based Intercollegiate Studies Institute recently announced the hiring of Daniel McCarthy as vice president of its Collegiate Network, which supports a thriving group of independent college newspapers and journals. A prolific writer, political commentator, and editor, McCarthy most recently served as director of the Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship at The Fund for American Studies.

I am thrilled to rejoin the ISI team, McCarthy stated in a press release. As a Collegiate Network alumnus, I know the impact that ISIs support, training, and mentoring has on talented student journalists. And serving as editor of Modern Age over the past few years has been a true honor. I am excited and grateful for this opportunity to extend the publications reach and influence.

While an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis, McCarthy helped edit a student newspaper that was part of the Collegiate Network, which boasts distinguished alumni including Associate Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, investor and philanthropist Peter Thiel, and New York Times columnist Ross Douthat. McCarthy has also worked as a senior editor at ISI Books.

In a separate interview, McCarthy explained that two overarching concerns brought him back to ISI, where he will begin his new full-time position in September. The first was a newfound goal of reaching writers and thinkers at a more formative stage. Over the last year, McCarthy says he discovered that most battles in culture or politics are lost before they begin and are decided by how the participants were educated and who educated them.

Secondly, he believes that ISI president Johnny Burtka has articulated perfectly the mission that ISI must serve: it has to be in some ways an alternative  and not just a supplement  to education in the classroom.

We are delighted to bring Dan on board to direct ISIs Collegiate Network and Modern Age, Burtka said in a press release announcing McCarthys hiring. He has led Modern Age to new heights over the past several years, and we are thrilled that he will oversee its continued expansion. And Dan is ideally suited to expanding the influence of the Collegiate Network. An alumnus of the program, he is a respected writer and editor with a strong track record of identifying and mentoring talented young journalists.

McCarthy realizes that while the task ahead is difficult, the recovery of a healthy journalist class is much needed in our current media landscape.

Journalism and the academy have never been in greater need of a challenge to ideological orthodoxy. The Collegiate Network supports conservative and independent student journalists who show that truth is not conformity to whatever the dominant power on campus deems correct, he notes.

Good journalism requires discipline and resources, and the Collegiate Network provides both, with training programs, internships and fellowships, financial assistance, and an emphasis on reporting.

He argues that republican virtues associated with practicing good journalism are necessary for a regime based upon the citizens capacity of self-government, which Alexis de Tocqueville, the great friend (and sometimes critic) of America, often noted.

Journalism at its best requires courage, industriousness, and fair-mindedness, or quite simply justice in the classical sense, McCarthy says. But journalists have been miseducated to believe that justice is something else, a correct political attitude. Theyre taught to think in terms of moral narratives that are really ideological narratives. How do you overcome that? You restore a healthy skepticism, a spirit of inquiry, a willingness to face facts and report them truthfully regardless of what side they appear to favor. As Alexis de Tocqueville feared, despotism in America today operates at a level that before coercion, by precluding the very will to disagree with power in the first place. Journalism in Tocquevilles time was supposed to be an antidote to that, and it has to become so again.

McCarthy will continue in his role as editor in chief of Modern Age, the quarterly journal founded by Russell Kirk. He will expand Modern Ages reach through a new podcast, among other ventures.

Widely featured in print media, McCarthy has written for The Spectator, First Things, the New York Times, the New Criterion, USA Today, Reason, and the National Interest. He previously served as editor of the American Conservative from 2010 to 2016. He is also a featured speaker at conferences and has been interviewed on the BBC and NPR.
The growing popularity of state ballot initiatives has some viewing these direct to voter efforts as a victory for democracy. At the same time, however, they can carry massive hidden costs that make many of them financially damaging to the citizens they are supposed to help.

The once-great state of California has been the poster child for the direct democracy process. Last year alone, Golden State voters were asked to vote on thirteen different state ballot propositions covering a range of issues, from taxation of commercial and industrial properties to voting rights to policies governing dialysis clinics.

What working parent has the time to learn about industrial property rights or dialysis clinics? They dont, which is why these initiatives frequently become the target of expensive campaigns. These campaigns distill complicated issues into hashtag mottos and bumper sticker phrases that can carry the day. Increasingly, it is becoming a cottage industry  a cottage industry that deals with issues that matter little, if at all, to voters. The political consultant class in places like Sacramento and Washington, D.C. gets richer off these initiatives at the expense of taxpayers.

Three of the eight most expensive ballot campaigns in Californias history occurred in 2020 alone. A staggering $224 million was spent on campaigns related to Californias Proposition 22, which asked voters whether app-based transportation and delivery drivers should be treated as independent contractors.

While there certainly may be some instances when a states voters could benefit from a ballot proposition, these direct to voter initiatives can also introduce significant uncertainties into the marketplace that may ultimately damage a states economic performance.

A new study by the American Action Forum (AAF) found that a high volume of ballot initiatives can contribute to a reduction in a states economic performance. This included lower levels of gross state product, employment, and income levels.

The AAF study analyzed the volume and frequency of state ballot initiatives over nineteen years. It concluded there was a statistically significant correlation between these propositions and the creation of economic uncertainty. As a result, the analysis suggested that states may have an economic interest in limiting the number and frequency of such initiatives.

In particular, AAFs economists, including the well-respected Doug Holtz-Eakin, found that states should be particularly cautious about the number of initiatives that could impact economic factors such as taxation or employment budgets. Naturally, these are the most likely to introduce economic uncertainty for employers and companies.

Take a look at last years Ballot Measure 1 in Alaska, which asked voters whether it should increase taxes on certain oil production fields in the states North Slope region. Despite voters rejecting the measure by a significant margin, there is already talk from the environmental activists who sponsored the measure about revisiting the issue.

Perpetual public policy conflicts eventually will cause companies to look to other, more stable locations to conduct their business. Even states with a strong pro-business reputation may be susceptible to this problem. In 2019, Texas put ten statewide ballot measures in front of voters. This year, the state has certified another eight new initiatives that will appear on Texas ballots. The Austin political consultant class is drooling with delight.

While it may seem wise or politically expedient to give voters a greater say in state policies, state policymakers should think carefully about the frequency and content of their ballot initiatives. Like most things in this world, they come at a cost. States like Alaska and Texas should watch and learn so they can make sure they dont end up like our friends in California.

Chuck Muth is the president of Citizen Outreach.
The Biden administration must make clear to the Taliban that U.S. troops will not leave Afghanistan until every American citizen is safely able to leave.
The Courts decision on Trumps Remain in Mexico policy upends decades of precedent warning that judges shouldnt mess with foreign affairs.
Disgraced Andrew Cuomo abandoned the New York governor's mansion last week, leaving nearly 15,000 dead nursing home residents in his wake as a result of a catastrophic executive order forcing their facilities to take in COVID-19-infected patients. He also left behind a bevy of female underlings with a mountain of sordid sexual harassment allegations. And, reportedly, Cuomo also ditched his poor dog, whom two state troopers claim he tried to pawn off to any willing taker.

But that's not all.

In the dark of night, safe from public scrutiny or accountability, Coward Cuomo granted clemency to one of the radical left's most notorious anti-cop convicts -- a man whose family's elite privilege I've chronicled for the past 19 years. David Gilbert is the Weather Underground domestic terrorist sentenced to 75 years-to-life in prison for his role in the infamous 1981 Brink's robbery in Nyack, New York. Gilbert and his wife, Kathy Boudin, were leaders in the 1960s group of rich-kid agitators who bombed government buildings and corporate headquarters and aided convicted felons in jailbreaks.

The married militants acted as chauffeurs for the Black Liberation Army robbers who held up a Brink's truck at a Rockland County mall and stole more than $1.6 million. Two of the holdup victims gunned down in the botched Brink's robbery were police officers. One was a private security guard. All three were military veterans from working-class backgrounds.

As I've noted previously in my columns dating back to 2002, Gilbert and Boudin's abandoned son, Chesa, is the pampered Rhodes Scholar and now pro-criminal district attorney in San Francisco who has faithfully whitewashed his biological parents' crimes (and those of his unrepentant adoptive parents, Weather Underground poster couple Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn).

Celebrating the clemency order this week, Chesa Boudin claimed that his father "never intended harm."

What a steaming crock of San Francisco street manure.

Gilbert was defiant at trial and has called himself a "political prisoner" for the entirety of his 40-year imprisonment, which he has spent advising Black Lives Matter leaders and other fledgling Marxist militant groups. Gilbert called the deadly shootings and robbery "revolutionary expropriation." As one of his sycophants explained, the domestic terrorist crimes were "aimed at supplying financial support for the Black Revolutionary Army, a militant spin-off from the Black Panther Party."

Reminder: In 1973, Black Liberation Army/Black Panther member Joanne Chesimard ("Assata Shakur") shot and killed New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster execution-style during a traffic stop. The gunfight also left her brother-in-law, Black Liberation Army leader Zayd Malik Shakur, dead. At the time, the Black Liberation Army had been tied to the murders of more than 10 police officers across the country. Chesimard, Zayd Shakur and another member were wanted for questioning in the murder of two of those cops when they were stopped.

Chesimard was convicted and sentenced to life in 1977 but escaped from prison two years later with help from violent left-wing accomplices. One of those thugs, Black Liberation Army killer Tyrone Rison, admitted to participating in a series of armored-car robberies, including a $250,000 heist in the Bronx on June 2, 1981, that left a Brink's guard dead. Rison also confessed to taking part in the planning of the Brink's robbery in which Boudin said his father and mother meant "no harm."

I remind you, again, as I have for the past two decades, that police officers Waverly Brown and Edward O'Grady and Brink's guard Peter Paige were murdered during the homicidal siege. Brown, who served in the Air Force after the Korean War, had two grown daughters and a teenage son. O'Grady, who served in the Marines and did two tours of duty in Vietnam, left behind a wife and three children -- 6, 2 and 6 months old. Paige, a Navy veteran, also left behind a wife and three kids -- 19, 16 and 9.

If you care to take a stand against Cuomo's last act of remorseless corruption and against the anarchotyranny that grips our country still today, please consider contributing to the O'Grady-Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund, which honors the memory of the fallen Nyack Police Department officers by supporting students pursuing careers in law enforcement. More information at http://www.ogradybrown.com.

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The rule of law must be respected for liberty to be protected. Changing the rules to achieve a desired outcome undermines both, and when this is done in the administration of elections, democracy itself is imperiled.

Unfortunately, the left shows no compunction about wielding power for partisan advantage, especially when it comes to election administration. Theyve even gone so far as to create new rules to suit their purposes, regardless of whether they possess the authority to do so.

This goes far beyond well-known examples such as state election officials decreeing a right to use absentee ballot drop boxes or sending out absentee ballot applications to all registered voters without legislative approval. In some ways, the lesser-known instances are even more egregious  no doubt owing in no small measure to the fact that they receive significantly less public scrutiny.

Two particular examples  one from Wisconsin, the other from Pennsylvania  illustrate this double standard perfectly.

In Wisconsin, the cities of Madison, Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, and Green Bay conspired to solicit millions of dollars in grant money from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a leftist organization that received $350 million from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to privately fund election operations all over the country. The so-called Wisconsin 5 agreed to abide by a long list of conditions designed to maximize turnout at the expense of ballot security, never bothering to run their Safe Elections Plan by the state legislature, which has constitutional authority to manage elections. Instead, they sought retroactive approval from the Wisconsin Elections Commission, which rubber-stamped their new election rules after being presented with a fait accompli. In other words, they asked forgiveness rather than permission, and made sure to consult the left-leaning WEC instead of the right-leaning state assembly when they did so.

The Wisconsin 5 also invited outside activists from CTCL partner organizations such as the National Vote at Home Institute to help manage their elections, as The Amistad Project learned through exhaustive on-the-ground investigations. These activists assisted with micro-targeting specific demographics of voters to encourage turnout, offered their expertise in curing flawed mail-in ballots, and even helped to organize and run the central counting center in Green Bay.

The effort converted government election offices into partisan get-out-the-vote campaign centers to benefit a select candidate.

And all of this was done not only without the proper authorization, but also in defiance of objections from the city clerk of Green Bay, who is the one designated by state law to oversee elections.

The situation was very different in Fulton County, Pa.  a small, rural county that gave over 80% of its nearly 8,000 votes to Donald Trump in 2020. At the request of state lawmakers, Fulton County employed a third-party firm to conduct an audit of its electronic voting machines, which was completed in February and found no problems with the systems provided by Dominion Voting.

Several months later, in July, acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Veronica Degraffenreid issued Directive 1 of 2021, which prohibits counties from allowing third parties to examine voting machines and allows the secretary to revoke funding that would normally be available for the purchase of new voting equipment.

After unilaterally assuming this authority for herself, Degraffenreid retroactively applied the new rules to Fulton County, decertifying the countys voting machines and refusing to release funds for the county to replace them.

The secretarys actions are not premised on election integrity concerns nor are they designed to promote transparency, a key ingredient of any fair election. Rather, her directives appear to be part of a coordinated effort to prevent serious review of election procedures and systems by threatening financial or legal repercussions to those who raise questions.

Undermining democracy does not occur when people question a democracys performance. Democracy does fail, however, when those in authority use that power to prevent that authority from being questioned.
For too many Americans, civics is either a vague mystery or akin to a dental cleaning: we know that we should do it but would avoid it if possible. Regrettably, our country has chosen in the past 50 years the path of avoidance and ignorance by demoting civic education in our schools, including higher education, which also deems civics unserious, unpleasant, or less important. The consequences of this de facto policy have been disastrous for our educational system and our civic culture. Some educators, scholars, and civic leaders have warned about it, and some serious efforts have been undertaken to redress it. Nonetheless, what retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OConnor diagnosed over a decade ago as Americas quiet crisis remains a crisis, even if some progress has been made in raising awareness about the problem.

Im grateful to have been born into a family of fairly recent immigrants who instilled in me a love of America as an exceptional country, if a work in progress, along with a love of education. I also am grateful for those teachers who sustained an educational tradition stemming from the ancient Greeks and Romans, and that thrived in America until the last century  a serious civic education, regarded as both a duty for any free person in a decent political order and an indispensable element of an examined life.

To define civics and civic education, I invoke a recent national study of which I was a coauthor  along with scholars and educators from Arizona State University, Harvard, Tufts, iCivics, and the Arizona department of education  entitled Educating for American Democracy. We gathered as a heterogenous group by design, holding progressive and liberal-to-conservative views; yet we shared a premise that study of U.S. history must be melded with study of Americas constitutional and political principles to prepare citizens for self-government. Such a civic education is indispensable for preparing informed and engaged participants in the American experiment. It requires instruction from kindergarten through high school  and into higher education for those so fortunate  of the civic knowledge and civic virtues needed to contribute responsibly to civil society and political affairs.

. . . if America were to fail, it would not be by foreign conquest but by suicide  due to civic ignorance about our laws and Constitution, combined with decline in the civic virtues needed to sustain civil disagreement and civic friendship amid the diverse views in our republic.

In our deliberations, we noted that America had rallied against external threats in the past 75 years by re-investing in both K-12 and higher education and re-designing their priorities. This process occurred in response to the 1957 Sputnik crisis of the Cold War and the economic-competitiveness crisis of the 1980s, with the educational beneficiary largely being science, technology, and mathematical studies, or STEM. America has forgotten, however, Lincolns 1838 warning on the perpetuation of our political order: that if America were to fail, it would not be by foreign conquest but by suicide  due to civic ignorance about our laws and Constitution, combined with decline in the civic virtues needed to sustain civil disagreement and civic friendship amid the diverse views in our republic.

Contrary to what might be expected from a group of educators in our era, the Educating for American Democracy report forthrightly declares our love for America and defines patriotism as a fundamental element of civic education. It calls on teachers, educators, and serious citizens to endorse the twin necessities of civic knowledge and civic virtues such as civil disagreement and friendship across philosophical, religious, and partisan views. We invoke Alexis de Tocquevilles idea, expressed in Democracy in America (1835), of a reflective patriotism that loves America, but through study and argument; incorporating love of people and place but elevating these sentiments given our countrys foundations in universal principles and self-government. Our current deficit of such reflective patriotism and other civic virtues is intertwined with civic ignorance.

If liberal education means free inquiry and discussion about the most fundamental questions concerning humanity, nature, and the divine, it also means awareness that liberal bespeaks a dual reality. Only among a free people, enjoying political liberty and the rule of law rather than rule by sheer power, can traditions and institutions of Socratic inquiry thrive and be perpetuated.

Those devoted to genuinely higher education must be equally devoted to the study of and perpetuation of political liberty; otherwise they are free riders, self-contradictory, and living on borrowed time. Thus, the decline of civic education in American schools and universities both reflects and reinforces the decline of genuine debate and heterogeneity in higher education and other elite American institutions. There can be no true liberal or civic education without intellectual diversity and lively debate. Most damaging, then, is the rise of a culture of conformity and orthodoxy in several crucial disciplines of the humanities and social sciences, in turn yielding an outsize effect on universities, schools, and the media. We no longer study and practice the civic virtue of civil disagreement across diverse views, or of civic friendship transcending differences, and this deficiency reinforces the perpetual academic tendency to sort into schools and sects of thinking. Liberal education and civic education need one another, both for development of the human soul and for the health of our civic and educational cultures.

There can be no true liberal or civic education without intellectual diversity and lively debate.

Lest this approach be seen as itself partisan, we should note the recent argument by Derek Bok, former president of Harvard, in his book Higher Expectations, that higher education is failing students, due to two grave deficiencies: the decline or absence of civic education and of ethics education. These subjects no longer are prioritized in the required curricula of most universities and colleges. Bok is no curmudgeonly conservative. Indeed it is heartening, in a time of polarization across our academic and civic lives, that he offers an insight similar to that suggested in Richard Brookhisers fine biography of George Washington, Founding Father, that the civic character and civility of this great statesman were mutually reinforcing. Here was a powerful and ambitious leader  as admirers of the musical Hamilton! might have recently rediscovered  who disciplined his soul as a boy and throughout his life by Rules of Civility written by Jesuits in 16th century France about ethical regard for others. This is a crucial reason why Washington could found and serve a civic republican order, and twice relinquish near-absolute power (as victorious general and as our first president) to secure that constitutional republic for posterity. The same ethical and political principles also led him to be the only slaveholding American president to emancipate all his slaves and to provide them with financial support and education. Napoleon himself later remarked, in failure and exile after giving free rein to his ambition, that the French had wanted him to be a Washington  that is, to serve a common good and embody civility. Brookhiser notes that Latin provides a common root for our English words citizen, civility, and civilization. But by design or neglect, in recent decades America has inflicted upon itself a civic ignorance that feeds an angry incivility, in turn causing civic disintegration and regular political violence  thus placing in doubt the foundations of our civilized life.

As a matter of civility, I will point the finger at my own profession first  the scholars and professors who have turned away from genuine civic education. Experience provides grounds for a new consensus to correct several unwise educational views. At one extreme are the purist and narrowly utilitarian views: that civic education necessarily is partisan, and thus either threatens the free discourse needed in liberal education or ranks beneath the higher capacities of technological, scientific, quantitative, and core communications learning. At another extreme is the postmodernist redefinition of all learning as political, subjective, and power-implicated: thus civic education should be partisan, but with social-justice ideology and activism replacing Americas hypocritical, failed legacy. Our regrettable condition is that most leaders in higher education, and in the crucial social science and humanities disciplines needed to restore a healthier middle ground on civic education, hold one of these mistaken views.

Perhaps the best foundation for warnings about Americas crises of civic ignorance and disintegration is the sober Enlightenment philosopher Montesquieu. He founded a moderate approach that corrected the rationalist and modernist excesses of some famous predecessors. Many more Americans have heard of his fellow Frenchman Tocqueville, who in fact was Montesquieus great successor in advocating moderation or a careful balancing of principles about human liberty and its decent aims.

The hardware of our complex constitutional order, of separation of powers and federalism, derives almost singly from this eighteenth-century philosopher and his work The Spirit of Laws (1748).

We should rediscover why Montesquieu was the most cited philosopher during our constitutional founding, invoked alike by advocates of the new 1787 Constitution and its opponents for providing the most balanced, comprehensive view of how to combine the rule of law, natural rights, liberty, religious belief, and modern commerce. The hardware of our complex constitutional order, of separation of powers and federalism, derives almost singly from this eighteenth-century philosopher and his work The Spirit of Laws (1748). Yet just as importantly, Montesquieu explains the software of civic and religious virtues indispensable for the functioning of a complex republic like America to include the moderating of tendencies toward extremes of rationalism and materialism, and of partisan or sectarian fanaticism. His balanced, complex philosophy also was a greater influence on our Declaration of Independence  with its blending of classical, medieval, and modern elements  than many recent scholars have recognized. America has always been more than a land of Lockean individualism.

Study of Tocqueville arguably is needed to supplement and elevate Montesquieus political science, and not only because Tocqueville had the advantage of encountering the American constitutional republic whereas Montesquieu could only call for such polities to be fashioned. Nonetheless Montesquieu undergirds Americas first political science, The Federalist, which includes an appreciation for the central role of statesmanship or high prudence in both domestic and foreign affairs. This approach helps us to appreciate such great American statesmen as Washington, Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan  and also those statesmen who never held high office, including Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

A culture of rejection or repudiation is inadequate to understanding or sustaining America.

A truly educated American cannot disregard these principles, debates, achievements, and figures of the American experiment without repudiating the foundations of the liberty and prosperity permitting them to be educated at all. The wave of ideological fervor about racial justice currently sweeping our elite institutions embodies this self-contradiction and ingratitude, given Americas decisive influence in turning human history away from slavery or legal servitude. A culture of rejection or repudiation is inadequate to understanding or sustaining America. A civic education also must include study of Americas leadership during the twentieth century in establishing the first global order safe for political and economic liberty, and of how this achievement might protect rather than betray our founding principles. What citizen can be truly informed in casting a vote, leading an organization, voicing an opinion, or joining a protest without education in these matters? Yet somehow our elites tolerate a disregard for civic education. We need to do better.

Americas founders, and subsequent great leaders in our history, emphasized civic education. One reason for this is that Montesquieus Spirit of Laws was the first work of modern political philosophy to intertwine discussion of civic education with advocacy for free and complex political orders. Tocqueville deepened this vein of moderate republicanism. Both philosophers warned, in their distinctive ways, that seemingly free polities in fact could degenerate into despotisms marked by fanatical republican patriotism, or by passive acceptance of elite rule amid hollow forms of democracy. Both saw the link between sound civic education and the perpetuation of constitutional liberty; both saw deficient education leading to a despotic, irrational politics of passions, appetites, and unbridled ambition. Too few of our leading minds grasp that this is largely our condition today  this oscillation between frenetic activism, at one extreme, and civic ignorance and indifference, at the other  and how it is nothing less than a recipe for disaster.

[Lincoln's] remedy was a civic education in the laws, constitutionalism, and fundamental principles of our country. He later would emphasize the Declaration of Independence as the cornerstone of such education.

The self-educated Lincoln had the grasp of human nature, history, and politics to foresee such disaster even as a young man. He dedicated the remaining quarter-century of his life to preventing it. If destruction be our lot, he argued in 1838, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide. His remedy was a civic education in the laws, constitutionalism, and fundamental principles of our country. He later would emphasize the Declaration of Independence as the cornerstone of such education. He eventually would lead the new birth of freedom to enact the full meaning in America of what the Laws of Nature and Natures God required  the equal liberty of all people. The study of such ideas and statesmen is as thrilling as it is necessary for a free people. It is our duty to ourselves and our posterity, and we are blessed that it also is a delight. But all those who now believe so must think clearly, deliberate with one another, and act before it is too late.

Paul Carrese is founding director of the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University.

This essay may be republished for free with attribution. (These terms do not apply to outside articles linked on the site.) Images and photos that appear with this essay are not available for republishing.
The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has announced it is rescinding the honorary Emmy Award it bestowed on former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

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Cuomo resigned from his office amid sexual harassment allegations made by 11 women, including former and current state employees.

Cuomo, who had been nearing the end of of his third term, has denied any wrongdoing.

Kathy Hochul was sworn in as his replacement Tuesday, making her the first woman governor of New York.

Cuomo was presented with the Emmy for his televised news briefings during the coronavirus pandemic.

"in light of the New York Attorney General's report, and Andrew Cuomo's subsequent resignation as governor, it is rescinding his special 2020 International Emmy Award," the academy said Tuesday. "His name and any reference to his receiving the award will be eliminated from International academy materials going forward."

Cynthia Nixon, the Sex and the City actress who ran against Cuomo for governor in 2018, addressed Cuomo's downfall on Twitter Tuesday.

"The difference between me and Andrew Cuomo? Neither of us is governor, but I still have my Emmy(s,)" Nixon tweeted.
Traverse City, MI (49684)

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Robert M. Meisner is the Principal Attorney of The Meisner Law Group, based in Bingham Farms, Michigan, which provides legal representation for condominiums, homeowner associations, individual co-owners and developers throughout Michigan, including Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Emmet Counties. His book, "Condo Living 2: The Authoritative Guide to Buying, Owning and Selling a Condominium" is available at www.momentumbooks.com. He can be reached at 800-470-4433 or bmeisner@meisner-law.com. Visit the firms blog at www.meisner-law.com/blog.
We know that housing is a challenge across Northwest Michigan. Its been talked about for years but is growing more dire. Nows the time for a
City looking at giving incentives to be vaccinated; Gift cards to be given Friday
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We are still trying to tame the third wave of COVID-19 thanks to the contagions caused by the Delta variant and many companies are delaying the return to physical offices until 2022. However, there are other companies that are already planning their return at least in hybrid model in autumn and winter.

According to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll for Glassdoor, nine out of 10 employees are concerned about returning to the office, not only considering the sanitary measures in their work areas, but also considering the trips to and from their home.

For this reason, many companies are considering the hybrid or staggered model to reduce the volume of people present in an enclosed space at any given time. However, there are some others that are putting firmer rules to resume operations.

As an example: United Airlines, the leading US airline, became the first company in early August to require employees to be vaccinated or else they will be fired. The company is proposing that all employees are fully vaccinated before October 27, 2021 at the risk of losing their job.

Immunization is voluntary and undoubtedly essential to be able to stop the spread of the virus and possible future mutations, but is it legal to force employees to be vaccinated at the risk of being fired?

We consulted two experts in labor law to find out what you can do to handle the situation in your company and know your rights and obligations as an employee.

Is there a legal precedent for health contingencies such as a pandemic at work?

It is complex. The greatest precedent we have was that of the influenza that happened in 2008, but in the Federal Labor Law, until 2012 began to speak about health contingencies.

At the beginning of the pandemic they asked me if it was possible to reduce the salaries of the employees due to the crisis, obviously negotiated with the workers. Article 42 Bis. of the Federal Labor Law says that for at least one month, if a health contingency is declared that implies the closure of work centers, people could be sent home paying only the minimum wage for a maximum period of 30 days , explained Diego Garcia Saucedo, managing partner of Garcia Velazquez Abogados and member of the Mexican Academy of Labor Procedural Law.

However, and here is the detail , in no part of the Mexican labor law that refers to health contingencies does it speak specifically of mandatory vaccinations .

Let's be clear: In Mexico, are mandatory vaccinations in the workplace legal?

Article 134, fraction tenth of the Federal Labor Law says that it is the obligations of the workers to submit to the medical examinations provided for in the internal regulations and other regulations in force in the company or establishment to verify that they do not suffer from an illness or incapacity for work. contagious and incurable .

"In my opinion as a jurist, the ability to ask employees to prove that they are already vaccinated could come in here," says Garcia Saucedo. "This means that perhaps you do not want to be vaccinated, but you could be a contagious entity of the disease."

However, Jorge Salles Boyoli, a lawyer specializing in labor matters and partner at Littler, the world's largest labor law firm, points out that the answer in principle would be NO.

The freedom to be vaccinated has been privileged. There are people who for medical, ideological and even religious reasons are not immunized. As it is being solved in Mexico, that is, what can be demanded and there are laws in this regard, is with the tests that show that you do not have the virus.

So, can they force you to get vaccinated at work? The short answer would be: No, no boss in Mexico can fire you if you refuse to get vaccinated, but they can apply sanctions if you refuse to abide by the company's health standards, such as taking a COVID-19 test.

The freedom to be vaccinated has been privileged, but the boss can request antigen tests to be able to return to the office / Image Depositphotos.com

No vaccines, but tests yes

Although Mexican law is not very clear about the obligation to be vaccinated, it is in terms of the employer's ability to request medical tests.

"According to the legislation, in principle, the employer has the right to demand that the worker submit to the tests that he requests. As in many aspects the laws, as in many aspects, fell short of the pandemic. What does this mean? These laws do not speak of vaccines as such and immunizations do not fall within the definition of 'medical examinations or tests' that the boss can request, "said in Salles Boyoli in an interview with Entrepreneur en Espanol .

Even, the lawyer points out, Mexican law establishes that these tests must be borne by the employer (that is, the boss pays them).

It is a different situation than in other countries. For example, in Europe and the United States there is already talk of a kind of COVID-19 passport to be able to return to the office or from one country to another.

Article 475 Bis of the Federal Labor Law in its second paragraph says: It is the obligation of the workers to observe the preventive safety and hygiene measures established by the regulations and official standards issued by the competent authorities, as well as those indicated by the employers. for the prevention of occupational hazards .

"This implies that the employer has the power to require the worker in accordance with the law to take actions that ensure the health of the rest of the workplace and this implies contagious diseases," says Garcia Saucedo.

But wait a minute. Isn't it a violation of my labor rights?

Ideally, the current legislation clearly speaks of layoffs related to vaccine vaccines, but that is not the case.

Article 47 of the Federal Labor Law mentions the causes of termination of the employment relationship without responsibility of the employer. The fraction that could apply would be 12 since it says:

"If the worker refuses to adopt preventive measures or follow the procedures indicated to avoid accidents or illnesses."

"Could we fall into discrimination? Yes. We have the right to profess the ideology that we want, but that is never above the common good and in this case it is to prevent the spread of a contagious, potentially fatal disease and, even more, that it is about seeking a gradual return to economic activities ", remarks the managing partner of Garcia Velazquez Abogados" From my point of view, employers can request vaccination tests. Yes, they can face probable complaints, complaints and infractions, but they are winnable because they would be ensuring a greater human right, which is the universal faculty to health .

For Salles Boyoli it all comes down to a matter of terminology: The law does not say vaccine as such .

"Ideally, the legislation would expressly mention the word vaccine, but the Federal Labor Law nowhere uses it in the more than a thousand articles it has."

However, the lawyer points out, when there is an issue that is not clear in Mexican law, what has to be done is for the Judiciary to resolve the controversies. It should not be surprising that in a few months or in a few weeks a case of this nature reaches the judiciary through amparo trials and this instance has to illuminate this space that is not very clear.

If today someone thinks that demanding the vaccine violates their labor rights, they would have to go to the corresponding authorities so that they can interpret the norm and clarify this gap. When five similar cases are resolved under this assumption the Executive Power, then yes, what is known as jurisprudence is created, a norm that already obliges everyone .

If an employer tells an employee 'To come to work you need to take a test' and he refuses, there he does have the right to fire the worker for disobedience to a mandatory rule in the labor relationship, says Salles Boyoli.

Is there any distinction in this regard if it is a government company or a private one?

Although labor standards apply to everyone, it is important to distinguish that workers in Mexico are governed under two very large sections of Article 123 of the Constitution: Section A, which talks about private companies (and some parastatals), Section B, which speaks of Government companies (known as the Federal Law of Workers at the Service of the State). However, this is a much shorter law and indicates that in the absence of it, section A will be considered in a complementary manner.

"In this particular case there is no difference," says Sales Boyoli.

To make it clear again: No boss in Mexico, whether of a private or state company, can fire you if you refuse to be vaccinated, but they can do so if you refuse to present proof that indicates that you are free of the virus.

What if I go to work sick and get 'caught'?

Although it is true that you cannot be forced to vaccinate, you also have to consider what Article 135 of the Federal Labor Law says in its first section:

"Workers are prohibited from executing any act that could endanger their own safety, that of their co-workers or that of third parties, as well as that of the establishments or places where the work is carried out."

"It is also true that the employer has the obligation to preserve health in the workplace," Garcia Saucedo remarks.

That is, a worker who is sick with a contagious disease such as COVID-19, could not go to the office, but could continue working from home if possible. However, if you deliberately go to the workplace sick knowing it, you CAN be fired for putting your co-workers at risk .

Not only that, going to work sick knowing that you are a source of infection is illegal . In the Penal Code there is a foreseen crime called Danger of Contagion that occurs when a person knows that they have a contagious disease deliberately takes actions to make others sick.

Going sick to work knowing that you are a source of infection is illegal / Image: Depositphotos.com

What can you do with your team?

Let us remember that, however highly recommended and necessary it may be, vaccination is voluntary . Sure, it is a topic that lends itself to debate so you should discuss with your team about the measures you will take in your business. In this way, you will allow your employees to make an informed decision.

How to do it?

Specialist John Rampton, founder of the human resources management siteCalendar , proposes the following route:

Put the cards on the table

First, be clear about the measures you will take in your company and that you want them to be vaccinated to prevent diseases and take care of the team in general.

Respond to concerns

Address your team's concerns about vaccines and have a strategy to make your team feel comfortable such as:

Flexible, non-punitive scheduling options (such as paid sick leave) for employees experiencing post-vaccination side effects.

Remind all your employees, even if they are young and healthy, that the vaccine is effective. While research is ongoing, COVID-19 vaccines are estimated to be about 95 percent effective in preventing serious illness.

Not everyone likes to be bitten. Assure them that the COVID-19 vaccine is no worse than getting a flu shot.

Encourage them to search for reliable information about the vaccine (not just from social media). Give them information from the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) or the CDC in the United States.

What to do if they do not get vaccinated or do not want to present their proof?

If there are employees who have not been vaccinated, but plan to do so, find out what has stopped them so you can help them properly. It can be a religious or health motivation (maybe they have immunodeficiency for other medical reasons). If they are valid reasons, find out how to support them. You always have the option of allowing them to continue working at home.

The employer, for the benefit of the worker, can do whatever it takes and give incentives for people to get vaccinated, it doesn't hurt. You can give bonuses, vacation days, salary incentives, etc. " Sales Boyoli points out.

If despite all this, the employee refuses to present proof that they are free of the virus in order to return to the office, you can terminate the employment relationship for the good of your team.

As Sales Boyoli points out: "An employer can fire a worker when he commits acts of disobedience to hired work."

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Tuesday:

Best Buy Inc., up $9.33 to $121.49.

The nations largest consumer electronics chain raised its full-year sales forecast after reporting strong quarterly results.

Palo Alto Networks Inc., up $69.30 to $441.87.

The cybersecurity company released results that beat analysts' forecasts and issued a strong outlook for the full year.

Walmart Inc., down $1.55 to $148.90.

The company said it will open up its delivery service to other retailers, allowing them to send goods directly to their customers homes.

Advance Auto Parts Inc., up 1 cent to $207.78.

The auto parts seller's latest profit report easily beat analysts' expectations, and the company also increased its stock buyback program.

Peloton Interactive Inc., up $7.12 to $113.71.

The at-home exercise company said it would release a new version of its Tread workout machine on Augsust 30.

Wynn Resorts Ltd., up $6.51 to $99.44.

The casino operator rose on news that China was easing covid testing requirements for travel to Macau from mainland China.

Southern Co., down 94 cents to $65.73.

Utilities and other safe-play stocks lagged the rest of the market.

Medtronic PLC, up $4.09 to $132.57.

The medical technology company reported earnings that came in ahead of what Wall Street analysts were looking for.
As much as some dislike it, Purdue Pharmas plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over opioids is better for states than allowing them to continue lawsuits against the company and its owners, a company lawyer told a judge Wednesday.

Purdue is using the bankruptcy process to try to end years of lawsuits claiming that its marketing and sales strategy for the powerful painkiller OxyContin helped touch off and extend the opioid epidemic.

In testimony and arguments over the past two weeks, the key focus has been the contention from a group of state governments that want the plan rejected primarily because members of the wealthy Sackler family who own Purdue would be granted protection from lawsuits over opioids, even though they themselves are not filing for bankruptcy protection.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Drain, based in White Plains, New York, said he expected to have a ruling Friday on whether to accept the plan.

In the final day of the hearing Wednesday, debate focused on other, narrower issues, though Drain also angrily told Purdue lawyers that they had to make it clear that Sackler family members would not receive protection from lawsuits over issues outside opioids.

Some objecting states asserted that they should be able to continue with lawsuits against Purdue and Sackler family members because the settlement is not in their best interest.

Marshall Huebner, a Purdue lawyer, rejected that idea. He said that if lawsuits with claims totaling trillions of dollars were to go ahead, Purdues value would keep diminishing and there would be far less to go around than the settlement would provide.

If all the states have meritorious claims, then it stands to reason that many other public creditors also have meritorious claims, Huebner said.

Irve Goldman, a lawyer representing some of the objecting states, told Drain that logic wasnt right.

Its likely that states would receive judgments against one or more Sacklers, Goldman said. And as a result of lawsuits, family members could end up being required to pay more than they've agreed to in the settlement.

But Drain noted that pulling Sackler trust money into U.S. courts would not be a sure thing because some of it is protected by laws elsewhere.

Also Wednesday, Drain heard arguments over whether West Virginias share of a settlement would be too small, whether its appropriate that Canadian municipal governments would be shut out of programs as part of the settlement, or whether inmates should have more time to file claims for money for individuals.

The overwhelming majority of the government entities, individuals and others with claims against Stamford, Connecticut-based Purdue that voted on the companys plan supported it.

Under the deal, Sackler family members would give up ownership of the company and contribute $4.5 billion in cash and control of charity funds. They would also have to get out of the opioid business in other countries eventually.

Most of the funds they would contribute plus future profits from the new company would be used to pay to deal with the crisis through a variety of programs including anti-opioid education, housing people who are homeless and addicted to opioids and connecting those with opioid use disorder with treatment. Some funds are also to be used to pay some individual victims or their families amounts expected to range from $3,500 to $48,000.

Overdoses from both prescription opioids and illicit ones such as heroin and illegally made fentanyl have been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. since 2000.

Among those speaking in the hearing were two people touched by opioids. One, Maria Ecke, a Connecticut woman whose son died of an opioid overdose in 2015, told the judge that there should be a new vote on the plan for loved ones of overdose victims who are now living a life of heartache, depression and loneliness from this drug.

Are the Sacklers or their lawyers willing to clone my dear son or bring him back to help me in my old, disabled and feeble age? Ecke asked. I dont think so.
Spencer Elden may very well be the most famous naked baby the world has ever seen.

A photo of him as an infant -- submerged in water and seemingly chasing a dollar bill dangling from a fish hook -- became the iconic cover of Nirvana's 1991 release "Nevermind," considered one of the greatest rock albums of all time.

Three decades later, Elden is now claiming the album cover is child pornography.

Elden, who's 30, on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles federal court against a host of defendants tied to the album, alleging the cover is "sexual exploitation" that will hurt him -- emotionally and physically -- for the rest of his life.

Those defendants include Nirvana LLC, several of its members, the estate of frontman Kurt Cobain, the designer and photographer involved in creating the cover, and the record label that released the album. None of them responded to emails sent from The Washington Post late Tuesday and early Wednesday.

The suit alleges that all were involved in making child pornography and benefited from "the sex-trafficking venture and Spencer's exploitation" that was the distribution of "Nevermind."

"[They] used child pornography depicting Spencer ... in a sexually provocative manner to gain notoriety, drive sales, and garner media attention," the lawsuit states. Elden is represented by Robert Y. Lewis, a New York-based attorney.

Elden's legal guardians did not sign a release authorizing Nirvana or the band's record label to use the image of Elden "and certainly not of commercial child pornography," the suit claims. Elden said he has never received any financial compensation for the cover, which Billboard last year ranked No. 7 on its list of "The 50 Greatest Album Covers of All Time."

Cobain's original idea for the cover of "Nevermind" was a baby being born underwater, but designer Robert Fisher nixed it as infeasible, according to an undated article written for Milanote, a company that offers an online organization tool.

While ruling out much of Cobain's idea, Fisher kept the germ of having a baby underwater.

"So Kurt came up with the idea of adding a fishhook to make it more menacing," Fisher said for the Milanote article, which Elden cites in his lawsuit.

Concept in hand, they hired photographer Kirk Weddle to execute their vision. Weddle then recruited about five parents to bring their infants to an aquatic center in Pasadena, Calif., according to Milanote, where they took turns passing their babies under the water as Weddle took pictures.

Elden's dad, Rick, had become friends with Weddle when he was helping with sets and props on photo shoots. One day, Weddle telephoned with an unusual request concerning his 4-month-old son.

"[He] calls us up and was like, 'Hey Rick, [want to] make 200 bucks and throw your kid in the drink?'" Rick Elden told NPR at the time. "And we just had a big party at the pool, and no one had any idea what was going on!"

A week later, Fisher received the proof sheets of 40 to 50 shots. One stood out far above the rest: It was Elden.

"There was just one that was absolutely perfect. The positioning, the look on the baby's face, the way that his arms were stretched out like he was reaching for something -- everything about it was just perfect. That's the one I picked," Fisher said for the Milanote article.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday paints a darker picture, identifying Nirvana's frontman as the one who made the decision.

"Cobain chose the image depicting Spencer -- like a sex worker -- grabbing for a dollar bill that is positioned dangling from a fishhook in front of his nude body," the suit alleges.

Elden has spent decades struggling to come to terms with the fame that has followed him since before he could walk. He has worked with photographers several times over the years to re-create the album cover -- all with clothes on. He has "Nevermind" tattooed across his chest.

His attitudes about it have changed, too.

In 2008, as a teenager, he told NPR: "Quite a few people in the world have seen my penis," he said. "So that's [kind of] cool. I'm just a normal kid living it up and doing the best I can while I'm here."

Over the next eight years, his outlook soured. In 2016, Elden did several interviews when he was in his mid-20s on the 25th anniversary of the "Nevermind" release.

In one with GQ, Elden said he was angry about being defined by something he had no control over. In another with Time, he said "it feels kind of stupid doing interviews about it, because I had nothing to do with it, but a lot to do with it all at the same time."

Elden said some people think it's cool that he's "the Nirvana baby." But, he added, women he dated would dump him when they found out he wasn't making any money off it. And having friends talk about the naked photo was embarrassing, especially without any compensation to offset that humiliation, he said.

While Elden has struggled financially, he said, others have and are still making millions off something he helped create -- even if he didn't have a say in what was created.

"It's a trip. Everyone involved in the album has tons and tons of money. I feel like I'm the last little bit of grunge rock," he told Time in 2016. "I'm living in my mom's house and driving a Honda Civic."

Elden is seeking at least $150,000 from each of the 15 named defendants in the lawsuit, legal fees and other unspecified damages.

In the GQ article, Elden also addressed an issue more closely tied to the lawsuit he filed Tuesday.

"I've been going through it my whole life. But recently I've been thinking, 'What if I wasn't OK with my freaking penis being shown to everybody?' I didn't really have a choice."

Perhaps sensing it had become a sore subject, the interviewer gave Elden a reprieve. They were done talking about Nirvana, he said. Time to move on to a new subject: What was he doing now? After all, Elden had become an accomplished artist in his own right.

"I've been doing a few art shows and paintings," Elden said before turning back to the subject of the Nirvana album cover. "I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to do a piece of work better than that in my entire life. But I'm just trying to get it out of my head -- this image of a baby chasing a dollar -- and not worry about making millions of dollars.

"It's a complicated thing."
SALEM, Ore. (AP)  At least four school districts have pushed back their start date in Oregon as COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalizations soar and the state introduced new vaccine requirements for teachers and school staff.

The four districts, all in small, rural communities in southern and central Oregon, account for little more than 2,600 students combined.

Alsea School District in Benton County was set to start Monday. But on Aug. 21, Superintendent Marc Thielman shared a message with families, announcing a delay to the school year due to an elementary staff member testing positive for COVID-19.

The first day of school will now be Aug. 30.

Two other districts, both in Douglas County, have also announced delays, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

Douglas County has had 1,125 cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days, the highest in the state. In the Oregon Health Authoritys Aug. 23 update, Douglas County reported 398 new cases and five deaths between Aug. 20 and Aug. 22.

The school year will now begin Sept. 7 for South Umpqua High School students due to staff members in isolation or quarantine. Superintendent Kate McLaughlin said the school does not have currently have enough staff to open. The districts other schools will open on Aug. 30 as planned.

The Elkton school board, also in Douglas County, voted Monday evening to delay the start of school for three weeks due to the current surge of COVID cases in Douglas County. School will now begin on Sept. 20.

And Culver School District in Jefferson County said Friday it will delay the start of school until Sept. 20 because of the challenge of meeting the state's vaccine mandate for teachers, KTVZ-TV reported.

We do not want any employee to lose their ability to provide for their family or keep their job, Superintendent Stefanie Garber wrote in a letter to families.

The delay will allow the district to fully plan and prepare for staffing challenges caused by the new vaccine mandate. Our goal is to keep every employee, she said.

The total number of Oregon students affected is relatively small. The four small, rural districts serve a little more than 2600 students altogether.
TACOMA, Wash. (AP)  Fire chiefs and union leaders in Pierce County, Washington, say about 30 percent of their departments or membership have yet to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and they worry that a vaccinate mandate will prompt people to quit.

The News Tribune reports some firefighters have told coworkers they are looking at other jobs, leaving the state or retiring early.

Were going to be forced to decide whether to take this vaccine or whether to seek alternatives that could potentially be outside of this job, Pierce County Professional Firefighters President Aaron James said. Its a disgrace for our members as this has been their livelihood and their career.

Gov. Jay Inslee ordered all state employees, educational employees, and health care workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus by Oct. 18 or face termination. Firefighters have EMT and paramedic training and are therefore considered health care workers.

James is the union president of Pierce County Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 726. He pointed out that between increased COVID-19 calls and wildfires, firefighters have already had a busy year and a half.

To take the governors proclamation or mandate would really devastate our workforce even further, he said.

Bryan Copeland, the president of West Pierce Fire Fighters IAFF Local 1488, said the potential of losing any of the firefighters in his department hurts all of them.

West Pierce Fire & Rescues Chief Jim Sharp has estimated that about 30 percent of the 163 members are currently not vaccinated.

James, who represents 430 firefighters in Graham, Central Pierce, South Pierce and Orting, also estimated that 30 percent of his membership have not been vaccinated.

If 30 percent of our workforce is impacted by this, that definitely affects 100 percent of our workforce, Copeland said. Even if we lose one person, its definitely an impact.

Inslees Deputy Communications Director Mike Faulk said that ensuring staffing continuity is critical, but COVID-19 is jeopardizing that. Washington is breaking COVID-19 case counts with the Delta variant rapidly spreading across the state.

The union presidents wanted to see an alternative to the vaccine, like frequent testing and mask-wearing.

The governors office said vaccines are the safest and most effective tool for workers and communities to be protected.

We deeply considered requests for a test-out option, listened to stakeholders, engaged local leaders and ultimately determined it is infeasible and ineffective to address the crisis at hand, Faulk said.
Hartford Police / Contributed Photo

HARTFORD  A pedestrian was critically injured after being hit by a vehicle at a city intersection Tuesday night, according to police.

Just a few minutes before 9 p.m., officers responded to the intersection of Albany Avenue and Cabot Street for a report of a pedestrian hit by a motor vehicle, Lt. Aaron Boisvert said.
PIERRE, S.D. (AP)  South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg will avoid a trial and take a plea deal on misdemeanor traffic charges in a crash last year in which he hit and killed a man who was walking along a rural highway, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Beadle County States Attorney Michael Moore, who is one of two prosecutors on the case, told The Associated Press that there wont be a trial and there will be a plea entered, but he declined to discuss further details of the arrangement. The plea will be entered Thursday, when Ravnsborgs trial was scheduled to begin, he said.

Moore said a judges order that bars state officials from discussing details of the investigation prevented him from disclosing more.

The attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ravnsborg, the state's top law enforcement officer, was charged with three misdemeanors that each carry sentences of up to 30 days in jail and up to a $500 fine. The charges don't affect the Republican's qualification to hold the office of attorney general in South Dakota, but lawmakers from his own party have called for him to step down and pushed for the Legislature to impeach him.

The widow of Joseph Boever, the man who was killed at age 55, has indicated that she plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Ravnsborg.

Elected to his first term in 2018, the attorney general initially told authorities that he thought he had struck a deer or another large animal while he was driving home to Pierre from a Republican fundraiser late on Sept. 12. He said he had searched the unlit area with a cellphone flashlight and didnt realize he had killed a man until the next day when he returned to the scene on U.S. 14 near Highmore.

Crash investigators said in November that Ravnsborg was distracted when he veered onto the shoulder of the highway where Boever was walking. But prosecutors took months more to make a charging decision in the crash, launching an investigation that considered cellphone GPS data, video footage from along Ravnsborgs route and DNA evidence.

A toxicology report taken roughly 15 hours after the crash showed no alcohol in Ravnsborgs system, and people attending the fundraiser said he was not seen drinking alcohol.

In videos released by Gov. Kristi Noem this year, criminal investigators confronted Ravnsborg with gruesome details of the crash, including that Boever's eyeglasses were found inside Ravnsborg's vehicle. At one point, they told him: His face was in your windshield, Jason. Think about that.

Ravnsborg seemed unsure in the videos about how he had swerved onto the shoulder, but detectives told him bone scrapings were found on the shoulder's rumble strip.

I never saw him. I never saw him, Ravnsborg told the detectives.

Noem called on Ravnsborg to resign in February after the investigation concluded, but Ravnsborg resisted those calls, saying he was still capable of fulfilling the duties of his office and asking that he be given due process under the law. Three law enforcement groups, the South Dakota Fraternal Order of Police, the South Dakota Chiefs of Police Association and the South Dakota Sheriffs Association, joined the governors calls for him to step down.

The Republican-dominated Legislature considered impeaching the attorney general this year, but momentum quickly died out and lawmakers decided to wait until after the criminal proceedings to consider whether to proceed. House lawmakers said Wednesday that they were still digesting what the plea deal meant for possible impeachment.

Republican state Rep. Steve Haugaard, an ally of the attorney general, said an impeachment seemed unlikely, especially given that new details about the crash won't come out at a criminal trial.

However, Republican Rep. Tim Goodwin, who has called for Ravnsborg to resign, didnt drop the possibility of a fresh effort to remove him from office. It would require a special session, which can be called either by the governor or by two-thirds of both the House and Senate.

Theres still one person that died, and hes our senior law enforcement officer, Goodwin said.

Ravnsborgs attorneys filed a motion last month alleging that Boever's alcoholism and prescription drug abuse led at least one family member, a cousin, to believe that a depressed Boever killed himself by jumping in front of Ravnsborgs car.

Ravnsborg hasn't said whether he will seek a second term next year, but his predecessor, Marty Jackley, is running for his old job. Jackley served for 10 years in the post before losing the Republican primary for governor to Noem in 2018.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  At the request of Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, a special prosecutor has been appointed to investigate the fatal police shooting of a Kansas City man that has been criticized by some area clergy and civil rights activists.

St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bells office announced Tuesday that Rachel Smith will be as special prosecutor to determine if the police shooting of Malcolm Johnson, 31, was justified, The Kansas City Star reported.
WHEELING, W.Va. (AP)  A Walmart worker in West Virginia has admitted to a federal charge related to the theft of $124,000 in gift cards over a five-month period.

Kenneth Werkau of Clarington, Ohio, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Wheeling to a wire fraud charge.
Erich Mische, executive director of Spare Key, left, and John Wooden, owner of River Valley Marine, talk about the work being done on the raft at the River Valley shop on Aug. 28, 2020. Mische will be back in Red Wing on Aug. 28, 2021. Steve Gardiner / RiverTown Multimedia
Pottsville, PA (17901)

Today

A drenching rain tapering to a few showers late. Potential for flooding rains. Low 57F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

A drenching rain tapering to a few showers late. Potential for flooding rains. Low 57F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.
Known for being a fitness aficionado, Kareena Kapoor Khan bounced right back into her Yoga sessions after enjoying sunbathing in the Maldives. The actor had jetted off to the island for a romantic getaway with her husband Saif Ali Khan and their kids Taimur and Jeh Ali Khan. Check out her latest post to see how the actor is faring after her return from the beach.

Kareena Kapoor Khan 'missing the beach'

The 40-year-old actor does not shy away when it comes to flaunting her without makeup natural look. Treating her fans with another bare-faced selfie, Kareena took to her Instagram story to express her longing to visit the Maldives again. Sporting a white camisole with her hair open, the actor wrote in her story, ''Missing the beach.. while waiting for @Anshukayoga."

The actor is known for sharing her photos and videos of her performing yoga on social media. She also encourages her followers by sharing her knowledge in the form of exercise. After a long break in the Maldives to celebrate Saif Ali Khan's 51st birthday, the actor did not waste a single day to resume her workout. Not only Kareena but Saif Ali Khan and Taimur are also known for following in on her footsteps as on the occasion of International Yoga Day, the actor shared an adorable picture of the duo performing a difficult pose.

She shared the image with the caption, ''Following suit for #InternationalYogaDay is the husband and the son... were always inspiring each other because #inspiration starts at home...''. In another post, the actor opened up about the importance of Yoga in her life. She said,

''For me, my yoga journey began in 2006 when I signed Tashan and Jab We Met... an incredible one... which kept me fit and strong. Now after two babies and four months postpartum... this time I was just exhausted and in too much pain to get back but today Im slowly and steadily getting back at it. My yoga time is my me time... and of course, consistency is key... so, keep at it people.''

On the work front, Kareena Kapoor Khan is gearing up for the release of Advait Chandhan's magnum opus Laal Singh Chaddha opposite Aamir Khan. The movie is scheduled to be released on Christmas this year.

IMAGE- KAREENA KAPOOR KHAN'S IG
How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris who is currently on a vacation with his family posted a shirtless photo of himself. The actor added a touch of humour to his caption as he shared the photo. As per People, Neil is currently vacationing in Croatia with his husband David Burtka and twins, son Gideon Scott, and daughter, Harper Grace.

Neil Patrick Harris shares shirtless photo

The How I Met Your Mother alum, took to his Instagram and shared a picture of his fit summer body. The actor appeared as he had just taken a dip in the lake and poked fun at himself as he shared the photo. Neil wrote, "165 pounds soaking wet." The actor had earlier shared a picture of his husband David Burtka and twins as they headed out for their family vacation in Croatia. Neil in an interview with People shared that Croatia was his and his family's favourite vacation spot.

Neil Patrick Harris is no stranger to luxury trips, as the actor earlier shared a post from his vacation in Italy with his husband. Harris wrote, "Just got back from a magical trip to Italy!! Jon and Lizzie, thank you for a week that we will cherish and remember forever. Your generosity and kindness are nothing short of remarkable. Cant wait to see you both soon."

On the work front, Neil Patrick Harris is best known for his role as Barney Stinson, a serial womanizer, in the CBS ensemble sitcom How I Met Your Mother. The show was received critical acclaim and ran for nine seasons. Harris's performance in the show earned him Emmy nominations every year from 2007 to 2010. The actor will next be seen in the fourth instalment of the cult classic science fiction action movie The Matrix: Resurrections. The Matrix 4 trailer was released at CinemaCon recently but was only available for the crowd. Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lambert Wilson, and Daniel Bernhardt reprise their roles from previous films in the series. Harris will also be seen in the action-comedy film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

(Image Credits: Neil Patrick Harris Instagram)
In a surprising incident, a New Jersey couple who had married some 146 years ago surprised the netizens even in 2021. The couple reportedly had a love marriage on April 11, 1875, and had mutually decided to keep it secret. According to a report by People.com, a thrift store in the US found the 146-year-old marriage certificate while cleaning a picture frame on July 26. A staff member at the Hope Chest Thrift Store in Bolivia, North Carolina was found the certificate while cleaning the frame and asked his store manager if he had any idea about the dirty photo frame. The manager Pam Phelps, who was unaware of any such photo frame in his store, opened and was surprised to see the 146-year-old marriage certificate. Later, he took the photo frame to Hope Harbor Executive Director Karmen Smith, where they decided to dig out the fact behind the marriage certificate.

Have a look at the certificate:

Social media post drives Smith to right owner

"My brain instantly stretched into overdrive analysing of all the numerous speculations that this certificate would have been hidden," Smith recalls to PEOPLE. "Was it a forbidden love? Maybe a confidential wedding to shield a baby born too soon? I had to know the answers." According to ABC/CBS/CW+- affiliate WWAY, the document was so old that only the couple's first names were visible. The first name of the couple read as-- William and Katey. At first, Smith started to research about the couple through whatever sources she had. When she failed to figure out any concrete evidence, she decided to take the help of social media, Facebook. On July 27, Smith took to Facebook and appealed to her virtual friends to share the post as much as they could.

"Alright Facebook world, I need a miracle. We here at Hope Harbor Home and Hope Chest Thrift Store(s) need you to do your magic. Like, SHARE, and comment on this post and let's see if we can make this happen!!," Smith wrote on her Facebook page. She went to say a store in Bolivia when began to look at an old picture that had been donated, they found something strange. There was a photo frame with an image of a little girl putting flowers in a black dog's collar. The words on the top read, "Christmas Number Illustrated London News 1889". "That's not the coolest part though. Upon looking at the back it was discovered that beneath the paper was a hidden file folder," said Smith in her social media post. The file contained the marriage certificate of a New Jersey couple. The date of the vows was April 11, 1875. That is a true treasure and was obviously, at one point in time, protected, added Smith.

Great-granddaughter has no clue from where the certificate landed in Carolina

The post went viral after several local media covered the story of the couple. Luckily, the couples great-granddaughter, Irene Cornish, got the news through social media and contacted the store. After the store was satisfied with the answers given by Cornish, they handed over the certificate to her. Cornish said, "She has no clue from where the certificate of her grandfather landed in a Carolina-based store. I will keep the document for some days and then handover to the museum."

Image Credit: Karmen Smith/Facebook
As a part of bolstering the nations wide-reaching militarisation effort, Russia on Tuesday ordered the construction of new nuclear submarines and warships capable of carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles as tensions remained heightened with the West. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the building of the nuclear submarines with new combat capabilities delivering orders at the arms expo by publicly placing construction orders for six war vessels, and two ICBM-armed nuclear submarines via a video call.

Moscow ordered the building of two nuclear submarines Dmitry Donskoy and Prince Potemkin armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), two large diesel submarines named after the cities of Mozhaisk and Yakutsk, and two corvettes named Grozny (Fearsome) and Buyny (Wild) to be constructed at the Amur Shipbuilding Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. The Russian President also ordered a new hypersonic Kinzhal (dagger) nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) and the Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik (hunter), a heavy stealth unmanned aerial combat vehicle (UCAV).

In an effort to arm its underwater fleet with the deadly combat weaponry, Moscow has also scheduled tests for hypersonic missiles from a Russian nuclear submarine carrier for the end of this month. The Kremlin's push to overhaul the Russian naval forces comes as the ties between Moscow and the US and its allies worsened after Russias 2014 illegal annexation of Ukraines Crimea and its recent military deployment notably in eastern Ukraine and Crimea. Putin had earlier warned that his navy is combat ready to carry out an "unpreventable strike" on enemy targets if it was in the country's "national interests," weeks after a British warship entered disputed waters close to Crimea.

"We will continue to show the Russian flag in strategically important ocean areas," said Putin as Moscow sought to assert their regular naval presence at par with the Soviet Union from the cold war era with vessels of various class and weaponry systems for its naval forces.

Moscows Army 2021 International Military-Technical Forum, a war and arms expo attended by top-notch figures including Jordan's King Abdullah II, exhibited Russian military advanced hardware and weaponry to attract the overseas buyers. Putin placed the naval order with shipyards in Severodvinsk, St. Petersburg, and Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

[US-NATO vessels in Black sea. Credit: Twitter/@dipamorg]

"A strong and sovereign Russia needs a powerful and well-balanced navy," said Putin. "We will continue to boost the potential of the Russian navy, develop its bases and infrastructure, arm it with state-of-the-art weapons," he added. "I would like to stress that all the ships will be equipped with modern high-precision weapons, the latest navigation, and communications equipment. The majority of these technologies proved their effectiveness during combat operations in Syria," said the Russian President Putin, while he addressing the shipyard workers.

Putin touted Moscow's new generation of missile systems

Russia's defence ministry had earlier launched the Admiral Gorshkov warship that launched a ballistic missile travelling with a range several times the speed of sound to hit its target more than 350 km (217 miles) away on the Barents Sea. Admiral Gorshkov was stationed in the White Sea, north of Russia. President Putin touted the Tsirkon missile as part of a new generation of missile systems which was manufactured by the rocket design bureau NPO Mashinostroyenia.

Tsirkon was tested to be fitted in Russias Northern Fleet's Yasen-class Severodvinsk nuclear-powered submarine. Putin had claimed that the Tsirkon missile would be capable of flying a maximum of nine times the speed of sound and have a range of 1,000km (620 miles). Russia entered a new era of hypersonic missiles with speed, maneuverability, and altitude that made it tough for the enemy to track it and intercept.

[Russia's Admiral Gorshkov, a warship located in the White Sea, in the north of Russia. Credit: Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP]

Russian President Putin, while announcing the construction of at least two diesel-powered subs and two corvettes on Tuesday, said: We will continue to boost the potential of the Russian navy, develop its bases and infrastructure, arm it with state-of-the-art weapons."

Currently, Russia is in possession of 64 air-independent propulsion submarines that boast other advanced undersea warfare technologies. Touting Russia's new generation of hypersonic weapons, President Putin had asserted that Russia was developing a range of hypersonic weapons and warships that it would station near American territorial waters should the US deploy intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe. Moscow had repeatedly warned the US about the NATO-led military exercises held in the Black Sea.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby had earlier told reporters that Russia's modernisation of weaponry were "potentially destabilising and pose significant risks. Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. had, meanwhile, repsonded in a statement that deployment of a US hypersonic missile in Europe would be extremely destabilising."

(With AP inputs)
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday announced that owing to the situation in Afghanistan, all Afghan nationals must travel to India only on an e-Visa. Releasing a statement, the MHA stated that the Indian Government was streamlining the visa process by introducing the e-Emergency X-Misc visa. It noted that all visas previously issued to Afghan nationals outside of India stand invalidated with immediate effect. Henceforth, Afghan nationals wishing to enter the country must apply for e-Visa at www.indianvisaonline.gov.in.

The MHA release said, "Owing to the prevailing security situation in Afghanistan and streamlining of the visa process by introduction of the e-Emergency X-Misc visa, it has been decided that all Afghan nationals henceforth must travel to India only on e-Visa."

"Keeping in view some reports that certain passports of Afghan nationals have been misplaced, previously issued visas to all Afghan nationals, who are presently not in India, stand invalidated with immediate effect. Afghan nationals wishing to travel to India may apply for e-Visa at www.indianvisaonline.gov.in," it added.

MHA announces e-visas for Afghan nationals

India has opened E-visas for all Afghan nationals, irrespective of their religion. In an attempt to assist citizens from Afghanistan, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on August 17 informed about a fast category of electronic visas called e-Emergency X-Misc Visa. In a tweet, an MHA spokesperson said that the decision has been taken 'in view of the current situation in Afghanistan' and has no criteria pertaining to the religion of the Afghan national who wishes to leave the country.

MHA reviews visa provisions in view of the current situation in Afghanistan. A new category of electronic visa called e-Emergency X-Misc Visa introduced to fast-track visa applications for entry into India.@HMOIndia @PIB_India @DDNewslive @airnewsalerts  Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) August 17, 2021

Meanwhile, India has also been focusing on evacuating its citizens from the war-torn nation. So far, several IAF sorties along with Air India, Indigo and other commercial airlines have evacuated nearly 620 people, including 500 Indian nationals from Afghanistan. These flights have operated via Kabul, Dushanbe and Doha.
Itanagar, Aug 25 (PTI) The All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) on Wednesday asserted that the people of the state will no longer accept the Chakma and Hajong refugees, who have entered India from erstwhile East Pakistan in the 1960s, and will not provide even an inch of land to them.

Reacting to a recent letter by a Chakma body to Prime Minister Narendra Modi rejecting a proposed move to relocate them from Arunachal Pradesh to another state, AAPSU leaders told a press conference that the government cannot make any decision that is against the rights of the indigenous people of the state.

The state assembly was informed last year that as per a special survey conducted by the government during 2015-16, the approximate number of Chakma and Hajong population in the state is 65,875. People belonging to the two tribes live mainly in Changlang, Namsai and Papum Pare districts.

The Union has been against the settlement of Chakmas and Hajongs because of the perilous demographic changes in the districts they have settled in," AAPSU General Secretary Tabom Dai said.

Their attitude towards the ethnic tribes of the state is also "aggressive", Dai claimed.

The refugees had wanted an amicable solution to the decades-long issue. Now, stating that they wont move from Arunachal Pradesh is never accepted by the people, he said.

Chakmas and Hajongs, who are Buddhists and Hindus respectively, migrated to India between 1964 and 1966 from Chittagong Hills Tract of then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to escape religious persecution and were settled in North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), present-day Arunachal Pradesh.

The AAPSU claimed that Chakma and Hajong leaders who live in New Delhi are unaware of the ground reality in Arunachal Pradesh and they should refrain from supporting the refugees.

AAPSU President Hawa Bagang, who was also present in the press conference, said, The Chakmas and Hajongs should understand that those leaders are just using them. There can never be any decision made by the Government of India against the rights of indigenous people of Arunachal. The Chakma Development Foundation of India on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Arunachal Chief Ministers Pema Khandu and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma opposing the relocation move.

The letter mentioned that Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal Pradesh are likely to be relocated to Assam.

Another body, the Chakma Rights and Development Organisation, has urged the Centre to create a separate Union territory for Chakmas and Hajongs in the areas of Arunachal where they live at present.

It hurts us badly when after 57 years of rehabilitation, we are branded as refugees by none other than the CM himself. We were refugees at one point, long ago before the resettlement in NEFA but (now) are like any other citizens of the country now, it said in a statement.

Arunachal CM Pema Khandun recently said as per prevailing acts and laws, no non-indigenous tribe can permanently settle in the state.

The Chakma and Hajong settlers are also human. They too are suffering a lot here. Therefore, we have to evolve a win-win solution for them and our indigenous tribes, he said and urged the MPs, particularly Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, who belongs to Arunachal, to pursue the matter with the Central leadership for a permanent solution.

The AAPSU welcomed Khandu's statement and termed it "historic".

The apex students body of the state also appreciated Rijiju for his recent statement to bring a permanent solution to the refugee issue under the ambit of the Indian constitution.

The AAPSU also appealed to the prime minister and the Union home minister to convert the statement into reality. PTI UPL NN NN

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Amid the ongoing evacuation process in Afghanistan after the Taliban's takeover last week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday spoke to British counterpart Dominic Raab and discussed developments in the war-torn country. According to the ANI, this was the second phone call between both leaders in the last 10 days. Jaishankar took to Twitter to inform about the development,

"Spoke to UK Foreign Secretary @Dominicraab this afternoon. Our conversation focused on developments in Afghanistan," Jaishankar tweeted. Several countries including India and the United Kingdom are evacuating their citizens from Afghanistan.

Spoke to UK Foreign Secretary @Dominicraab this afternoon.



Our conversation focused on developments in Afghanistan.  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 25, 2021

Jaishankar holds discussions with Saudi Arabia's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs

Meanwhile, Jaishankar also held discussions with Saudi Arabia's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir over various regional and multilateral issues. This development comes after the country lifted the quarantine rule for Indians who have received both doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Welcoming the relaxation, Jaishankar tweeted, "Good conversation with Saudi MoS for Foreign Affairs @AdelAljubeir. Discussed regional and multilateral issues. Welcomed relaxation of Covid restrictions on travel. Hope to see further progress."

Earlier on Tuesday, the Indian embassy had informed that the Indian nationals, who have been fully vaccinated in Saudi Arabia, need not go under quarantine in a third country.

Good conversation with Saudi MoS for Foreign Affairs @AdelAljubeir. Discussed regional and multilateral issues.



Welcomed relaxation of Covid restrictions on travel. Hope to see further progress.  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 25, 2021

Russia joins evacuation operation in Afghanistan

According to a report by the ANI, four military transport aircraft are set to evacuate more than 500 people from Afghanistan following the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian President has directed to evacuate his fellow citizens as well as citizens of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (Belarus Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan) and Ukraine, ANI reported.

India has also been carrying out the evacuation process in Afghanistan, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informing on August 24 that India has named the evacuation plan as the "Operation Devi Shakti." It should be mentioned here that US President Biden has also termed the evacuation process as the "most difficult and largest airlift" ever in history, assuring that he would get all Americans and allies out of the war-torn country safely.

(With agency inputs)

Image Credits: PTI/AP
IAF chief Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria inaugurated a hybrid seminar-webinar on Wednesday. The theme for the same was centred around 50 Years of Indo-Pak war: Victory in the Air. This seminar was held in Delhi and was co-organised by the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS).

Air Chief Mshl RKS Bhadauria #CAS inaugurated a hybrid seminar cum webinar themed '50 Years of Indo-Pak War: Victory in the Air', organised by @CAPS_INDIA today.



CAS also released a book, 'The 1971 Indo-Pak Air War: Reflections and Projections', on the occasion. pic.twitter.com/CVzUacJhiY  Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) August 25, 2021

Details of the event organised by CAPS

This seminar was organised by CAPS as part of commemorative activities for the Swarnim Vijay Varsh celebrations.

This seminar brought together eminent military historians, veterans, air warriors and scholars together. These veterans deliberated on various aspects of the Indo-Pak war that changed the course of history in the Indian sub-continent. A book named The 1971 Indo-Pak Air War: Reflections and Projections, recording the 1971 operations was also released by Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) RKS Bhadauria on the occasion.

The 1971 Indo-Pak war was termed as a 'landmark event' in global history by RKS Bhadauria. Bhadauria, while remembering the contribution of the Indian forces in the event, said, "The largest military surrender after the Second World War shattered the prestige of Pakistan military and left 93,000 Pakistani prisoners in captivity."

PM Modi had lit the 'Swarnim Vijjay Mashaal' at the National War Memorial on last year's Vijay Diwas to to mark the year-long 50th-anniversary celebration of the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Air Chief Marshal RK Bhadauria's statement

Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria was welcomed by Air Marshal Anil Chopra PVSM AVSM VM VSM (Retd), Director General CAPS. While beginning his address, RK Bhadauria conveyed deep gratitude and appreciation for the veterans, stating that speaking in their presence was a singular honour for him. He also acknowledged the contribution of Gp. Capt Shamsul Alam, Swadhinta Padak, Bir Uttam (Retd) as one of the pioneering members of operation Kilo Flight of Bangladesh Air Force and thanked him for joining the seminar virtually.

Recounting the 1971 Indo- Pak war, Bhadauria highlighted aspects of the joint application of war strategy which were instrumental in achieving victory. He touched upon the highlights of the air campaign and recalled the crucial role played by IAF in destroying the enemys offensive, its forces and centres of gravity. Thanking CAPS for organising the seminar, CAS Bhadauria expressed confidence that the event and the book release would not only refresh memories but also enhance our understanding of the war while inspiring future generations.

Image Credits - RepublicWorld
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL) have started Phase II/III trials of Global Chikungunya Vaccine in Costa Rica. The study is funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) with support from the Ind-CEPI mission of the Department of Biotechnology, India.

Alongside the trial at Clinica San Agustin in Costa Rica, trials are expected to commence in Panama and Colombia by September 2021, and later in Thailand and Guatemala.

In a released statement, IVI said, "The first participant received Bharat Biotechs Chikungunya vaccine candidate (BBV87) in a Phase II/III clinical trial in Costa Rica, marking the start of a multi-country study led by IVI in partnership with Bharat Biotech".

The chairman and managing director of Bharat Biotech International Limited, Krishna Ella, said, "Epidemic preparedness is a vital step in public health care. Bharat Biotechs vaccine candidate is an ingenious, well-researched vaccine, and we thank the first volunteer from Costa Rica for participating in this study."

Director of Vaccine R&D, CEPI, Dr Melanie Saville, said, "This Phase II/III study by IVI and BBIL in Costa Rica and other countries in the near future, strengthens efforts to bring an end to this public health crisis".

Hyderabad-based vaccine

Hyderabad-based Bharat Bios BBV87 inactivated whole virion vaccine is based on a strain derived from an East, Central, South African (ECSA) genotype. After the completion of standard pre-clinical studies, an optimum immune response was elicited by the adjuvanted vaccine in phase 1 clinical trials in India.

The Global Chikungunya Vaccine Clinical Development Program (GCCDP) looks forward to developing and manufacturing the Chikungunya vaccine with the aim of achieving WHO prequalification. It further wants this developed vaccine to enable its distribution in low and middle-income countries, consistent with CEPIs core commitment to equitable access, affordability, and sustainability.

About Chikungunya virus

Chikungunya virus was first identified in 1952 in Tanzania. The virus was considered a threat with sporadic outbreaks of the disease reported subsequently across Africa and Asia. In 2004, the disease began to spread, causing large-scale outbreaks around the world. Since the re-emergence of the virus, the total number of cases has been estimated at over 3.4 million across 43 countries.



Chikungunya is caused and spread by the bites of infected female Aedes mosquitoes. Some of the symptoms include fever, severe joint pain, muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash.
Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Wednesday, 25 August, met Ambassador of Egypt to India Dr Heba Elmarassi at his office on her farewell call-on. The two officials discussed important aspects of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. During their meeting, Muraleedharan conveyed his best wishes to Elmarassi for her future endeavours.

Pleased to meet Ambassador of Egypt to India Dr. Heba Elmarassi at my Office on her farewell call-on.



Discussed important aspects of our bilateral and multilateral cooperation.



Conveyed best wishes for her future endeavours. pic.twitter.com/OTlbFRb9lj  V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) August 25, 2021

India-Egypt relations

It is worth mentioning that India and Egypt have enjoyed a history of close contact from ancient times. The two countries share a close political understanding based on a long history of contacts and cooperation on bilateral, regional and global issues. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Egypt has traditionally been one of Indias most important trading partners in the African continent.

India is the sixth-largest trading partner of Egypt  the third largest export destination and eleventh largest import source for Egypt. Technical cooperation and assistance has also been a major part of our bilateral relationship. The strong ties between India and Egypt are even evident from the affection towards India amongst the population.

According to the MEA, at present, the Indian community in Egypt numbers at around 3600, most of whom are concentrated in Cairo. There are also a small number of families in Alexandria, Port Said and Ismailia. A majority of the Indians are either employed with Indian companies or are professionals with various multinationals. The Mission provides assistance to the Indian Community Association in Egypt (ICAE) and works closely with members of the community.

(Image: Twitter)


Pakistan has raised objections to the design of India's Kiru hydroelectric plant, a mega 624 MW project over the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir, but New Delhi asserts that the project is fully compliant with the Indus Water Treaty, according to officials. Confirming this development, India's Indus Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Saxena told PTI that his Pakistani counterpart Syed Muhammad Meher Ali Shah raised the objections last week.

Saxena, however, asserted that the design of the project is fully compliant with the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). It has been certified by the Central Water Commission, an apex organisation of the country in the field of water resources. This run-of-river project is being implemented by the Chenab Valley Power Projects Limited, a joint venture of the National Hydropower Company and Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC).

"As a responsible upper riparian state, India is committed to full utilisation of its rights and believes in an amicable resolution the issues raised by Pakistan side in letter and spirit of the treaty. "Pakistan's objections on this project may come up for discussions in the next meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission scheduled this year in Pakistan. In the forthcoming meeting, the Indian side will explain its position and hope that Pakistan will appreciate the same and its apprehensions will be addressed through discussions," Saxena said on Tuesday.

The treaty provides Pakistan the right to raise objection on Indian design within three month of the receipt of the information. India has supplied the information on this project in June to Pakistan. Under the IWT signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, all the waters of the eastern rivers - Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi amounting to around 33 million acre feet (MAF) annually is allocated to India for unrestricted use. The waters of western rivers - Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab amounting to around 135 MAF annually has been assigned largely to Pakistan.

According to the treaty, India has been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through run-of-the-river projects on the western rivers subject to specific criteria for design and operation. The treaty also gives right to Pakistan to raise objections to designs of Indian hydroelectric projects on the western rivers. India is permitted to construct the run of the river plants on western rivers with limited storage as per criteria specified in the treaty, Saxena said.

Earlier this year, during the meeting between Indus Commissioner of India and Pakistan, Shah also raised objections on the designs of Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir. To this, India said the designs are fully compliant with the treaty.

Pakistan has also raised objections on hydropower projects in Chilling (24 MW), Rongdo (12 MW) and Ratan Nag (10.5 MW) are in Leh; while Mangdum Sangra (19 MW), Kargil Hunderman (25 MW) and Tamasha (12 MW) are in Kargil. India had said the designs of these projects are also fully compliant with the treaty.

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Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has written a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, seeking the repatriation of the personal property of legendary martyr Shaheed Udham Singh, including his pistol and personal diary, from the United Kingdom. The CM appealed to Jaishankar to take up this matter with the British government so that India could pay tributes to the martyr and patriot.

The letter read, "You may be aware that it was with this very pistol that he avenged the dastardly act of the erstwhile British Government at Jallianwala Bagh, where hundreds of unarmed and innocent Indians were shot dead under the charge of the then Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, Michael O'Dwyer." The Chief Minister further wrote, "It was with this pistol that Shaheed Udham Singh brought Michael O' Dwyer to justice in the Caxton Hall, London."

Amarinder Singh also said that Shaheed Udham Singh was known to maintain a diary, as his log, which also deserves to be brought back to India, so that Indians could derive motivation and inspiration from it. Earlier, Singh said that these prized possessions of the legendary martyr would be kept in a museum in Punjab.

Have written to Union External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar to impress upon the Government of UK for bringing back our great martyr Shaheed Udham Singh Ji's personal effects, especially his diary and the pistol with which he had avenged the Jallianwala Bagh injustice. pic.twitter.com/Pv5GXB49uS  Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) August 25, 2021

While observing the 82nd martyrdom day of Shaheed Udham Singh on July 31 this year, the Chief Minister had promised to take up the issue of bringing back the martyr's pistol and diary. He added that the ashes of the revolutionary were returned to India after 40 years that too with a great deal of effort.

Shaheed Udham Singh's assassination

Udham Singh was hanged at Pentonville Prison in London on July 31, 1940, for shooting ODwyer dead to avenge the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The pistol of Udham Singh, with which he shot dead the then Lt Governor of Punjab in British India is said to be in Scotland. His diary is also somewhere there, said Amarinder Singh.

At least 400 people were killed and over 1,000 injured when Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer ordered his troops to fire at unarmed civilians who had gathered at Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919.

(With inputs from PTI)
Afghans In Knee-deep Sewage Plead For Entry Into Kabul Airport As Foul Moat Forms Outside

With the US evacuation deadline looming, the Afghans aiming to flee the country have grown desperate pleading for rescue from the Taliban-overrun country. As per the latest reports, the Afghan citizens seeking evacuation were seen standing in knee-deep sewage water with documents just outside Kabul airport. Sustaining the scorching heat, the panic-stricken refugee families have reportedly been waiting to board flights out of the country.

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Afghanistan: Chinese Ambassador Meets Senior Taliban Leader In Kabul To Discuss Ties

A day after announcing that it will provide financial aid to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, a Chinese diplomat met members of the terrorist outfit in Afghanistan on Tuesday. A Taliban spokesperson said that Abdul Salam Hanafi, the deputy head of the Taliban's political office in Qatar, met the Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu in Kabul to discuss the security of the Chinese embassy and its diplomats. Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik quoted Taliban spokesperson Mohammed Naeem and confirmed the meeting."They discussed the security of the Chinese embassy and diplomats, the current situation in Afghanistan, bilateral relations, and China's humanitarian assistance," Sputnik reported.

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Pegasus Row: West Bengal Govt Defends Move To Order Judicial Probe, Files Affidavit In SC

The Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal on Tuesday defended its decision to constitute a judicial commission to inquire into the Pegasus 'snooping' row. On July 26, the Mamata Banerjee-led government appointed a Commission of Inquiry comprising ex-SC judge Madan Lokur and former Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Jyotirmay Bhattacharya under the Commission of Inquiry Act. It was tasked to investigate the facts and circumstances related to the purported illegal hacking of phones of various police officials, politicians, MLAs, journalists, activists, and other judges.

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Afghanistan: Abdullah Abdullah, Hamid Karzai Meet Qatar Envoy, Discuss 'peace Efforts'

After being inducted into the 12-member Taliban council, Abdullah Abdullah on Wednesday held a meeting with the Special Envoy of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar. The Taliban announced the senior leader of the ousted Afghanistan government as a part of their 12-member Taliban council for Afghanistan on Tuesday. Taking to Twitter, Abdullah Abdullah shared details of his meeting with the Qatar envoy Mutlaq Al Qahtani. He stated that the two sides had exchanged views on peace and stability and an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

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CoWIN-like Platform To Be Launched To Monitor Children's COVID Vaccination: Dr RS Sharma

Dr. RS Sharma, CEO of the National Health Authority (NHA) informed that after the success of CoWIN, the Indian government's web portal for COVID-19 vaccinations, a new program is being developed that would be able to keep track of every child's immunization against coronavirus in the country. In June, Dr. RS Sharma had said that in about five months, CoWIN has grown to over 300 million registrations and vaccinations. He had said, "CoWIN keeps an account of each individual. We've learned to create these kinds of platforms from our experience of Aadhaar and UPI".

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ED Raids Conman Sukesh Chandrashekhars Chennai Bungalow, Videos Show All That Was Seized

In a recent update on ED raids on conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar's sea-facing bungalow in Chennai, Republic has accessed exclusive images and videos from the search location. ED (Enforcement Directorate) officials have informed that Sukesh Chandrashekhar has been accused of extorting 200 crores from a businessman over a period of one year. He also has over 20 other cases of extortion against him and operated a racket from inside his jail cell.

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Punjab CM Writes To EAM Seeking Repatriation Of Shaheed Udham Singh's Pistol, Diary

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has written a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, seeking the repatriation of the personal property of legendary martyr Shaheed Udham Singh, including his pistol and personal diary, from the United Kingdom. The CM appealed to Jaishankar to take up this matter with the British government so that India could pay tributes to the martyr and patriot.

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UP Polls: SP Accuses BJP Of Hatching 'conspiracy' At Electoral Booth Level, Foresees Win

Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav accused BJP of hatching a conspiracy at the polling booth level. Claiming that the saffron party doesn't respect the Constitution, he claimed that the RSS workers from other states are being sent to every village in UP to foment trouble. Moreover, he asserted that BJP's move had cast aspersions on the impartiality of the Election Commission of India.

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Union Minister Narayan Rane Granted Bail Over 'derogatory' Remarks Against Maharashtra CM

A court in Mahad granted Union Minister Narayan Rane bail on Tuesday, in one of the FIRs against him for his 'derogatory' remarks against Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray. While the Mahad Police booked him under Sections 153A, 184, 504, 505(2), and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, he faces three other FIRs in connection with the same controversy at Pune, Nashik and Thane. Rane was arrested earlier on August 24 after the Ratnagiri Sessions court turned down his anticipatory bail plea.

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Rajasthan: BJP Releases 'black Paper', Accuses Gehlot Govt Of Unfulfilled Promises

Rajasthan BJP released a 'black paper' on Tuesday, August 24, against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his government. The opposition party was accusing the ruling party of failing to fulfill their promises of waiving loans for the farmers in need and unemployment allowance to the youth. He even compared the current government to the previous BJP state government. Speaking at the press conference while revealing their 'black paper', former Rajasthan BJP president Arun Chaturvedi said that lawlessness is a big issue in the state and that the Congress government is not doing enough to find the solutions.

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India might be entering the endemic stage of COVID-19, World Health Organization Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Tuesday. Swaminathan said in an interview with a popular news portal, We may be entering some kind of stage of endemicity where there is low-level transmission or moderate level transmission going on but we are not seeing the kinds of exponential growth and peaks that we saw a few months ago.

The WHO chief scientist said that as India has a diverse population and immunity status differs in different parts of the country, it was possible that the country will face ups and downs. It could vary from state to state. Swaminathan said that there might be peaks over the next few months in areas that are still vulnerable. If a region was less affected by the first two waves or has low vaccination rates will find it difficult to contain the third wave.

The situation in Kerala

The WHO chief scientist also addressed the COVID-19 situation in Kerala and said that the decline in cases over the last week could be due to the reduced testing across the states. She warned that as Onam had just been over, the positivity rates could go up again. Therefore, Swaminathan suggested remaining patient and observe the state over the next few weeks to come to a final conclusion. Until a few weeks ago, Kerala was reporting more than half of Indias total COVID-19 cases.

Swaminathan said while speaking to the Wire that monitoring the COVID-19 variants and genomic sequencing was an important part in the fight against the virus. She said, We need to look at areas where there seems to be continued high transmission or a surge happening. She continued, Just like the Delta variant came upon us, we need to ensure that we are not caught by surprise by another variant. Swaminathan further said that it was difficult to predict when the third wave would strike the country but analysts could make an informed guess depending on the various variables. Being in an endemic means that the threat levels of the coronavirus are much lesser as the rate of spread of the virus is now much lesser.
Chandigarh, Aug 25 (PTI) Former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday urged the Centre to make changes in the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to facilitate the rehabilitation of Sikhs and Hindus coming from war-torn Afghanistan to India.

She also said the holy books of the Sikh faith there should be brought to India safely.

Not only must we rescue our Sikh & Hindu brethren from certain death in #Afghanistan, it's imperative we provide them a safe haven & home here, for this is their own land. I urge PM @narendramodi & HM @AmitShah to make changes in #CAA & facilitate their rehabilitation on priority, the SAD leader said in a tweet.

The CAA was notified on December 12, 2019 and came into force with effect from January 10, 2020.

The objective of the legislation is to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities like Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

According to the CAA, these communities who had come to India till December 31, 2014, facing religious persecution there, will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.

Badal, the MP from Bathinda, in another tweet said, We fear not just the loss of human lives but also desecration of shrines & a number of rare handwritten copies of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Appeal to @DrSJaishankar/@MEAIndia to ensure that along with Hindu/Sikh brethren, holy books too are brought home safely with full dignity. PTI CHS VSD AQS AQS

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Chandigarh, Aug 25 (PTI) A day after raising a banner of revolt against Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, four cabinet ministers on Wednesday are set to hold a meeting with AICC general secretary Harish Rawat in Dehradun.

The four ministers-- Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Charanjit Singh Channi -- are on way to Dehradun in Uttarakhand to meet the All India Congress Committee general secretary and Punjab affairs in-charge, sources said.

After meeting Rawat, they are expected to go to Delhi, the sources said. These ministers, known detractors of Amarinder Singh, and around two dozen legislators on Tuesday had held a meeting here and sought replacement of the chief minister, saying they have lost faith in him over the issue of unfulfilled promises.

They had questioned the ability of the CM in honouring the unfulfilled poll promises such as delay in justice in desecration of a religious text in 2015, arrest of "big fish" involved in drug rackets and scrapping power purchase agreements.

They also said that they would meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi to apprise her of the sentiments prevailing in the party.

They had held a meeting amid severe criticism of two advisers of Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu for making controversial remarks on sensitive issues like Kashmir and Pakistan.

The demand for seeking replacement of the CM has pushed the Punjab Congress into a fresh crisis. It also indicated that the party's recent efforts to quell dissent in the state unit with Sidhu's appointment have come a cropper.

Bajwa, who is leading the disgruntled group of leaders, on Tuesday, had said they would seek time to meet the Congress president and apprise her of the political situation. He had also said "drastic" steps need to be taken and if there is a need to change the chief minister, then it should be done. When asked if an attempt was being made to oust the chief minister, Bajwa had told reporters it's not an attempt but the demand of people. Bajwa had alleged that a perception has gained ground in Punjab that Amarinder Singh and the Shiromani Akali Dal have "colluded" with each other.

Bajwa, Channi, Randhawa and a few legislators on Tuesday had also met Sidhu. PTI CHS VSD DV DV

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Two female students in Nigeria have developed the idea of products that use wearable technology to help abate abductions in the country. Located in West Africa, Nigeria witnesses hundreds of kidnapping of girls every year by the hands of Boko Haram, an Islamist fundamentalist terror outfit. To tackle the same, the duo- Chinoma Abone and Emmanuela Ilok-at Greenspring School in the state of Lagos have developed the idea of a wearable device that alerts their families and friends whenever the concerned person is under threat.

Abone and Ilok presented the idea at this years Young Tycoon Business Conference, which saw roughly 7,000 participants from 80 countries. The duo emerged winners amongst the shortlisted 28 candidates and won prize money of $960,000.

They said that the inspiration behind their idea stemmed from the insecurity in the country. As students, we are not happy with the news of the constant abduction of fellow students in some parts of Nigeria, they told reporters.

So, we decided to work on an idea about a company called Paramount Guard, which seeks to offer security services to school students, not only in Nigeria but all over the world. The company plans to introduce AirGuard Wearable, which pairs with the AirGuard App to help students quickly alert family members and friends when in critical situation or a state of emergency, the duo added.

Speaking to reporters, the innovators reckoned that they want to use the winning amount to invest in their security company and further develop both apps.

Recent kidnappings

Boko Haram made headlines in December 2020 after gunmen stormed the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, Katsina state, and kidnapped over 400 students, which is half the number of children who attended the school on the day of the incident. As per reports, students escaped kidnapping by hiding in bushes and other areas. In 2014, about 276 girls, mostly Christian female students, were abducted by the Islamic terrorist group triggering international outrage. Three years later, around 82 out of the abducted girls were released following rigorous mediations. Later, 24 others were released or found, but the remaining are still missing.

Image Credit: AP/Aqualady6666/Twitter
Around 400 illegal immigrants were rescued off the Libyan Coast by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The group of migrants rescued by the UNHCR included 28 women and 4 children. On Wednesday, UNHCR took to Twitter and announced that around 200 migrants from the group went returned to Libya.

The immigrants disembarked at Tripoli Naval Base and Azzawiya Oil Refinery. "The majority were Sudanese, Eritrean, and Ethiopian," informed UNHCR. On the arrival of the migrants, the refugee agency provided urgent assistance to all survivors, it added. The group travelled the traditional Central Mediterranean route.

Last night, some 400 persons were returned to Libya including 28 women and 4 children. Disembarkations took place at the Tripoli Naval Base and Azzawiya Oil Refinery. The majority were Sudanese, Eritrean and Ethiopian. UNHCR and IRC provided urgent assistance to all survivors. pic.twitter.com/BqA0lrEGBj  UNHCR Libya (@UNHCRLibya) August 24, 2021

Libyan citizens have continued to flee the war-torn nation since 2020. The UNHCR in February 2020, rescued another batch of 400 illegal immigrants off the Libyan coast. The migrants were brought to the Libyan capital Tripoli in two coast guard vessels, UNHCR said in a tweet. They were provided with life-saving assistance.

22,000 asylum seekers were rescued and returned to Libya in 2021

According to reports, migrants leaving African countries have seen a steep spike in recent months. About 22,000 asylum seekers were rescued and returned to Libya in 2021, ANI reported. According to the International Organization for Migration, the rescued migrants end up inside overcrowded reception centres across Libya. At least 57 people were presumed dead after a country-made boat capsized off Libyas coast on July 2021, another 20 migrants died after the boat carrying migrants overturned mid-way in June 2021. Additionally, as many as 323 migrants died tragically and 417 went missing as they traversed across the Mediterranean Sea route to European shores in 2020.

Libyan conflict

Nine years after the fall of Muammar Al-Gaddafi, Libyan citizens continue to struggle for peace and stability amidst violent uprisings in the nation. The report submitted by Amnesty International marked the April 2021 incident as one of the 'deadliest' as it had claimed the lives of 130 people. "External factors have exacerbated Libya's problems by funnelling money and weapons to proxies that have put personal interests above those of the Libyan people," mentioned the United States Institute of Peace. Meanwhile, the United Nations' peace brokering process has also been "overshadowed" by sponsored foreign government conferences. Additionally, internal conflicts have left Libyan borders porous, facilitating increased trafficking and smuggling of weapons.

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image: ANI/representative)
In a key development overseas, on August 25, China's president Xi Jinping affirmed to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that Beijing stood ready to strengthen communication with Moscow and the broader international community on the Afghanistan issue. Booth leaders called for an inclusive government in Kabul which "thoroughly dissociate" itself from all terrorist groups.

China's Xi dials Russia's Putin, discusses Afghanistan & more

China's Xi spoke to Putin over the phone and discussed the situation in Afghanistan post-Taliban takeover, a day after G-7 leaders virtually met to discuss the crisis. The phone call also comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the Afghanistan situation with his Russian counterpart.

Xi told Putin that China stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Russia and the broader international community on the Afghan issue, a Chinese state-run news agency reported.

Jinping also called for concerted efforts to encourage all factions in Afghanistan to build an open and inclusive political structure through consultation, implement moderate domestic and foreign policies, thoroughly dissociate from all terrorist groups, and maintain friendly relations with the rest of the world, especially neighbouring countries.

On his part, Putin said that the current changes in the Afghan situation showed that outside forces' forcibly promoting its political models did not work in some countries and will only bring destruction and disaster to these countries.

'Russia and China share similar stances & interests on Afghan issue'

Russia is willing to closely communicate with China and actively participate in a multilateral mechanism on the Afghan issue to promote a peaceful transition, crackdown on terrorism, cut off drug smuggling, prevent the spillover of security risks from Afghanistan, resist interference and destruction from outside forces and safeguard regional stability, Putin said.

Xi's telephonic conversation with Putin came after China held its first dialogue with the Taliban in Kabul wherein Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu held talks with the deputy head of the Taliban's political office Abdul Salam Hanafi.

'International community should respect the will & choice of Afghans'

Speaking via video link at the 11th BRICS Meeting of National Security Advisors on Tuesday held by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, CCP's director of Political Committee Yang Jiechi said the international community should respect the will and choice of the Afghan people and encourage Afghanistan to build a broad and inclusive political structure that suits its national conditions, according to the official media.

Efforts must be made to fight terrorism in all forms, and Afghanistan must never again become a gathering place for terrorist and extremist forces, he noted. To restore peace, stability and order in Afghanistan at an early date, China and Russia can play a big role after the hasty and irresponsible withdrawal of the US, Yang said.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here on Wednesday that China and the Afghan Taliban have "smooth and effective communication and consultation."

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war. China had hosted a Taliban delegation headed by the Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar last month. Baradar reportedly assured Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that the Taliban will not permit the East Turkish Islamic Movement from operating from Afghanistan and called for Chinese investments in the war-torn country

Pakistan PM Imran Khan speaks to Putin on Afghanistan

The two Heads of State discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan and urged for coordinated efforts to tackle the situation in the strife-torn country after its capital Kabul fell to the Taliban last week.

Khan received a telephone call from President Putin and the two leaders exchanged views on the evolving situation in Afghanistan and bilateral relations, according to Foreign Office. Also, he underscored that the international community must stay positively engaged in support of the people of Afghanistan, to help address humanitarian needs and ensure economic sustenance.

Pakistan PM also stressed the importance of coordinated approaches in addressing the evolving situation and noted that Pakistan attached high importance of the role of the Troika Plus format. He said that a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan was vitally important for Pakistan and regional stability.

Besides ensuring safety, security and protection of rights of Afghans, an inclusive political settlement was the best way forward, he noted.
Denmark's capital city Copenhagen has secured the top position in the "safest city" study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). On Wednesday, the EIU produced its Safe Cities Index 2021, under which it enlisted names of 60 safe cities based on 76 indicators. The list also included names of two Indian cities that secured their place among the top 50. The cities were judged based on vital indicators like- Health, Infrastructure, Personal, and Environmental security. This year, EIU also considered the impact of COVID-19 while ranking the cities. The cities were scored on five parameters and finally graded out of 100.

Copenhagen secured the first position with a score of 82.4. The second position was scored by Toronto with a score of 82.2. It was followed by Singapore and Sydney, with a score of 80.7 and 80.1, respectively. The top scorer for the year 2019, Tokyo climbed down to the fourth position with 80.0 marks. As per an EIU statement, the pandemic has "changed the whole concept of urban safety." It has shifted considerable focus towards digital security, it added.

Names and scores of the top 15 safest cities

Copenhagen - 82.4

Toronto - 82.2

Singapore - 80.7

Sydney - 80.1

Tokyo - 80.0

Amsterdam - 79.3

Wellington - 79.0

Hong Kong - 78.6

Melbourne - 78.6

Stockholm - 78.0

Barcelona - 77.8

NewYork - 77.8

Frankfurt - 77.7

Washington DC - 77.4

London - 77.2

Delhi and Mumbai in top 50

Two Indian cities Delhi and Mumbai have made it to the EIU "safest city" list. While Indian national Delhi made it to the 48th rank, Mumbai secured the 50th position in the list. Delhi scored 59.8 for Infrastructure, 47.5 for Digital Security and 63.6 for Healthcare. The economic capital of India Mumbai, on the other hand, scored 57.3, 45.4 and 60.8 for Infrastructure, Digital Security and Health, respectively.

Tokyo secured first position in 2019, 2017

The EIU survey is conducted every two years since 2015. Tokyo secured the first position in the "safest city" index for two consecutive years (2017 and 2019). In 2019, Tokyo was followed by Singapore, Osaka, Amsterdam, Sydney and Toronto.

With inputs from EIU

(Image: PIXABAY/Unsplash/representative)
Two planes carrying evacuees from Afghanistan landed in Belgium on Wednesday after the Taliban swiftly took over the country. The planes touched down in Melsbroek, and families wearing masks stepped off the plane and were transferred to buses.

The United States President Joe Biden has insisted on sticking to an August 31 Afghanistan withdrawal date that will shut down a frantic international evacuation effort from Taliban rule.

Britain and other allies, many of whose troops followed American forces into Afghanistan nearly 20 years ago, had urged Biden to keep American forces at the Kabul airport longer. No country would be able to evacuate all their citizens and at-risk Afghan allies by the Aug. 31 deadline, allied officials had said.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday stated that the world needs to maintain a dialogue with the new Taliban regime in Afghanistan, to hold on to various developments that have been earned over several years. Addressing the press, the German Chancellor said that the world cannot afford to allow the Taliban to destroy achievements of the past. She also said that it is unfortunate that the Taliban has risen to power again, but the world now has to strategise to make the situation peaceful and better.

Angela Merkel advocates world to continue holding dialogue with Taliban

Merkel insisted that the world should continue to hold dialogue with the Talibani government, as the US & NATO forces retreat from the region. She pointed out that over the last two decades, Afghanistan has gone through significant changes and seen development and growth. She said that 70% of Afghans have now access to drinking water, while a decade ago it was only 20%. She further added, that nine out of ten people in Afghanistan now have access to electricity, which in 2011 was just two out of ten.

She asserted that this must be a tough time for the people of Afghanistan, but the hate and violence are always ousted by justice and love.

Merkel speaks to PM Modi to discuss Afghanistan situation

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday, August 23, to discuss the unfolding security situation in Afghanistan and its implications on the region and the world. They emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and security, with the topmost priority being the repatriation of stranded citizens, the PM's office said in a statement.

The two leaders also discussed issues concerning the bilateral and multilateral agenda, including co-operation for the COVID-19 vaccines, development regarding on climate, energy, and fostering trade and economic relations.

Taliban seize control of Afghanistan

Afghanistan saw terrible violence since the Taliban took control of the country. Since then, people have desperately been trying to leave the country, fearing the deteriorating situation. The Taliban has imposed strict restrictions against the citizens and have committed atrocities against them despite making promises to respect women and minorities. Though Taliban claims to be a changed entity, the mayhem by its terrorists continues to be inflicted on the country, depicting a contrasting picture to the claims made by the terror outfit.

Image: AP


The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday gave a sum of $2.75 billion to Pakistan under a Special Drawing Rights (SDR) programme as it continues to fight against coronavirus. The Asian country is witnessing a surge in COVID-19 infections partially fuelled by the highly transmissible Delta variant, which has depleted its foreign reserves. Experts have predicted that the IMF grant could pull the country out of the economic crisis.

The grant is a part of a Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) fund equivalent to US$650 billion, which is aimed at boosting global liquidity amidst the ongoing crisis. In a statement, IMF managing director Kristaline Georgieva said that the SDR allocation will provide additional liquidity to the global economic system, supplementing countries foreign exchange reserves and reducing their reliance on more expensive domestic or external debt. The official added that the countries can use the space provided by the SDR allocation to support their economies and "step up their fight against the crisis".

COVID havoc in Pakistan

This comes as the lethal coronavirus is wreaking havoc across the country with low COVID vaccination and ineffective lockdowns. As per the latest tally by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the country has reported a total of 1,123,812 cases with 24,923 deaths. Additionally, the country of over 212 million has administered a total of 50,478,166 vaccine doses.

This comes days after the Imran Khan-led government blamed India for the virus spread in the country. In a baseless allegation, Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Ahmed Chaudhry has blamed India for the COVID-19 situation in Pakistan. While several countries across the globe struggle to contain the Delta variant, Chaudhry claimed that the world "was close to victory" against the pandemic.

Taking to Twitter, Fawad Chaudhry asserted that the Modi government's 'irresponsible' handling of COVID-19 has impacted Pakistan's efforts to tackle the pandemic. He added that the situation in India has pushed Pakistan into deep trouble. Moreover, he also attacked the Indian government for failing to tackle the Delta variant spread and said that 'Pakistan is again at the mercy of virus'.

(Image: AP)
Pakistan has reportedly given a list of most-wanted terrorists connected with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who are functioning out of Afghanistan, to the Taliban.

According to The Express Tribune, after the Taliban seized power of Kabul last weekend, Pakistan handed out the details to Taliban commander Haibatullah Akhundzada, who established a three-member committee to look into Pakistan's claims of the TTP exploiting Afghanistan to plan cross-border terrorist strikes.

Special council for anti-Pakistan terrorists

As per The Express Tribune, Islamabad is demanding action against TTP terrorists. The report said that TTP members have already begun negotiations with the militant organisation. The report quoted a Pakistani official as saying, We have taken up the issue with them (Taliban). We have given them a list of wanted TTP terrorists operating from Afghanistan."

The official was further quoted as saying that Pakistan anticipates the Taliban to act against the TTP. Despite the official's refusal to release the list, it is supposed that Pakistan has been pursuing to take action against the TTP head and other key commanders.

The Voice of America quoted sources as saying that the Taliban has established a special council for anti-Pakistan terrorists to end violence against the nearby nation and to send them to their homes all across the borderline. Citing sources in Islamabad, the report added that the committee had cautioned TTP commanders to resolve their differences with Pakistan and repatriate to the nation with their families in return for a prospective pardon from the Pakistani government.

Reports have also suggested a possibility of Pakistan not agreeing to any TTP requests, stressing that the amnesty will be granted in accordance with the country's laws and constitution, which will compel the terrorists to relinquish their weaponry.

As per the Taliban-US Doha agreement signed in February 2020, the organisation cannot allow provincial or transnational militant groups to utilise Afghan land to pose a danger to world security.

Taliban says TTP will have no foothold in Afghanistan

On the other hand, the Taliban has said that no terrorist actions will be carried out on Afghan land. Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan, was quoted by ANI as saying, This concern is legitimate, and our policy is clear that we will not allow anyone to use the soil of Afghanistan against any neighbouring country, including Pakistan. So, they should not have any concern."

Shaheen went on to say that the TTP, as well as any other terrorist organisations, would have no foothold in the nation and added that he is sending a clear message to everyone.

Ever since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, there have been rising fears that organisations like the outlawed TTP may be strengthened as a result of the military conflict in the land. TTP leaders made a statement praising the Taliban for their win and pledging fresh devotion to Akhunszada.

According to ANI, there are multiple reports that suggest that the Taliban have freed a number of TTP militants, including the former deputy leader Maulvi Faqir Muhammad.
After being inducted into the 12-member Taliban council, Abdullah Abdullah on Wednesday held a meeting with the Special Envoy of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar. The Taliban announced the senior leader of the ousted Afghanistan government as a part of their 12-member Taliban council for Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Taking to Twitter, Abdullah Abdullah shared details of his meeting with the Qatar envoy Mutlaq Al Qahtani. He stated that the two sides had exchanged views on peace and stability and an inclusive government in Afghanistan. Apart from Abdullah, former President Hamid Karzai also met with the Qatari Special Representative for Afghanistan on Wednesday. Karzai appreciated Qatar's efforts and cooperation in the peace process, according to a statement by Karzai's office.

Along with HE @KarzaiH, we had a friendly meeting with HE Dr Mutlaq Al Qahtani the Special Envoy of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar. We exchanged views on peace & stability & an inclusive government in Afghanistan. We thanked Qatar for its continued efforts for peace. pic.twitter.com/9uaJB7Cm9h  Dr. Abdullah Abdullah (@DrabdullahCE) August 24, 2021

Abdullah in 12-member Taliban council

The Taliban, on Tuesday, included the names of the former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, the chief of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah and the Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar into the Talibans 12-member council, which will administer the military conflict nation. Abdullah was once Afghanistans chief executive in a power-sharing agreement with Ashraf Ghani before the Taliban entered the capital and Ghani fled. Seven nominees have already been decided on out of the 12 members, a source close to senior Taliban circles told Russian news agency Sputnik.

The source close to senior Taliban circles was quoted by ANI saying, "Afghanistan would be governed by a 12-member council, with the exception of the president and the emirate. So far, the council has agreed on Abdul Ghani Baradar, [son of Taliban founder] Mullah Yaqub, [high-ranking member of the Haqqani network terrorist group] Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Hamid Karzai, [ex-Afghan Interior Minister] Hanif Atmar and [the leader of the Party of Islam] Gulbuddin Hekmatyar."

The announcements follow Taliban's 'President face' Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar's visit to Kabul. Baradar, who had been part of the Doha talks, has reached Kabul from Kandahar and will hold talks with Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah for a 'peaceful transition' of power on Saturday. However, the Taliban has announced that no new government will be formed until the last US soldier leaves Afghanistan.

(With Agency Inputs)
As the Taliban militants surrounded the areas in and around the last major holdout Panjshir province of Afghanistan, the anti-resistance movement Northern Alliance is now gearing up for a fierce anti-Taliban offensive. Led by "Lion of Panjshir Massouds son, Ahmad Massoud, the Afghan soldiers and fighters who had earlier surrendered to Taliban forces are now calling for resistance to defeat the Talibans agenda of a takeover of the remote region, whose history of the resistance movement and guerrilla warfare traces back to several decades.

Afghan forces have amassed in the Panjshir valley, the only region that hasnt yet fallen into the hands of the Taliban. Under the leadership of Ex-Afghan VP Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud the fighters, at what they now call their defense base for The Resistance, prepared for a war against fundamentalist hardliner Islamist Taliban surrounded by the strategic peaks of the Hindu Kush 125km (78 miles) north of Kabul.

(Afghanistans Panjshir Province. Google Maps)

Afghan children on Tuesday were seen carrying rifles and a Panjshir National Resistance Front flag along a road in the Dara district of Panjshir province, such was the spirit of defiance against the Taliban in the region. Thousands have joined the National Resistance Front, including citizens from other regions, and former soldiers that flooded the province and were seen training in the footage that emerged.

[Afghan children carry rifles & a Panjshir National Resistance Front flag as fighters converge in the Dara district of Panjshir province. Credit: Twitter/@Diana6197Davis]

Panjshir is now the epicenter of Afghan fighters that have converged as a humongous force in the province, it is also the final frontier and last stronghold of budding resistance. Fighters have strategic assets over the Taliban, rugged terrain with narrow gorge, girded with steep peaks on both sides that have proven to be a strategic location for defeating the invaders, and the leadership of mujahedeen commander that has a legacy of never letting the region fall into the outside interference.

Northern Alliance led by Massoud is holding the bastion at Panjshir as it did from 1980 to 1985, overthrowing the Soviet Army and not letting British Empire's army penetrate Afghanistan in the 19th century, honouring freedom of autonomy and democratic will of the Afghan population.

[Panjshir is located in the northeast of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Credit: Twitter/@thaibahtbag]

Ali Nazary, head of foreign relations for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) had told reporters that they intend to do peaceful negotiations first, but if that fails, then we're not going to accept any sort of aggression. As the Taliban declared that it had surrounded the Panjshir and the valley was under siege, the resistance forces launched an offensive to squash Talibans advancement in the region.

Republic Media Network accessed visuals from Panjshir showing Taliban and Northern Alliances infighting as the latter sought to defend the area from the insurgents. The 32-year-old Massoud had asserted, that he will follow in his fathers footsteps and never surrender to the Taliban regime.

"We are in favor of peace -- but peace does not mean surrendering to the enemies," a spokesperson for Massoud's National Resistance Front (NRF) Ali Nazary said in his televised remarks.

[Ahmad Massoud, son of late Afghan commander Ahmad Shah Massoud. Credit: Twitter/@AhmadMassoud01]

I write from the Panjshir Valley today, ready to follow in my fathers footsteps, with Mujahideen fighters who are prepared to once again take on the Taliban, he wrote in his op-ed. His more than 6,000 strong forces, he had stated, needed the international support as he called for aid from France, Europe, the US, and the Arab nations that had lent his father support during the battle against the Soviets.

Soldiers return to Panjshir

As Massoud had formed the Northern Alliance from the coalition of Uzbek and Tajik forces, the Tajik population has joined the resistance. Members of the Afghan military -- including the elite Special Forces units that had surrendered after exiled President Ashraf Ghani fled Kabul rallied to the cause of overthrowing Taliban as they returned back to Panjshir.

"We have stores of ammunition and arms that we have patiently collected since my father's time because we knew this day might come," he wrote. "If Taliban warlords launch an assault, they will, of course, face staunch resistance from us," Massoud asserted in his piece.

As Taliban made claims that it had captured three districts in the Panjshir Valley, the resistance fighters, under command of the former Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh -- who was born in Panjshir and trained there, have strengthened their revolt against infiltration by Taliban forces. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted "the districts of Banu, Bel Hisar, and De Salah were completely cleansed from evil."

"Sniper, roadblocks artillery position & 20k soldiers ready to fight, Wazir Akbar Mohmand, a former major in the Afghan National Army who joined the Panjshir opposition warned in a tweet.
France will end its evacuations from the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan in three days and informed that its troops will not be staying in the war-ravaged nation for long if the United States decides to stick to the August 31 deadline for airlifting citizens. However, the French foreign ministry has also informed that the extension of its evacuation mission would depend on US president Joe Biden administration and its withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Reportedly, Nicolas Roche, the chief of staff for Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday (local time) told French Prime Minister Jean Castex that if the US carries out a total withdrawal on August 31 as previously planned, then for France,  that means that our operation ends Thursday evening. So we have three days left. As per the latest update, at least 2,000 French nationals and Afghan citizens have been evacuated from Afghanistan by the European nation through a military base in Abu Dhabi.

After French President Emmanuel Macron said that the country was opening its arms to help the threatened people in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, the French foreign ministry said that the evacuation operations that started on August 16, are continuing. Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that even though the foreign nationals could continue travelling to the airport, the Afghans will not be allowed to leave the country after August 31. The insurgents, that took over Afghanistan on August 15, also warned that the United States must stick to its deadline of month-end to withdraw all troops.

Bidens stance on the August 31 deadline

Even as the western nations struggle to complete evacuation, US President Joe Biden on August 24 declared that he has decided to stick to his August 31 deadline to complete the airlift of US citizens, vulnerable Afghans and others who seek to leave the war-ravaged nation. Bidens decision reportedly contradicts the allied leaders who were hoping for an extension of the deadline, triggering criticism against the US President.

US President said, We are currently on a pace to finish by August the 31st. The sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops. But the completion by August 31st depends upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those who we're transporting out and no disruptions to our operations.

Every day were on the ground is another day that we know ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both us and allied forces and innocent civilians, Biden added while referring to the Islamic State groups Afghanistan affiliate, which is, according to Associated Press, known for staging suicide attacks on civilians.

(IMAGE: AP)
Amid speculations that former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, the chief of High Council for National Reconciliation, will be a part of the governing council of Taliban, the two leaders have been meeting members of different communities, probably in a bid to gather support. On Wednesday, Karzai and Abdullah met university professors and members of the Academy of Sciences and Civil Society.

In this meeting, in addition to discussing the educational system of the country and the problems of professors, there was an exchange of views on the resumption of the educational process in the country. The chairman of the Supreme National Reconciliation Council and the former president assured that they will spare no effort to solve the problems of university professors, members of the Academy of Sciences and to resume the normal process of education in the country.

12-member committee to run Afghanistan

Days after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, sources have informed that a 12-member council formed by the terrorist group will run the war-torn country. The council, apart from the members of the Taliban, will also include members of the previous governments such as former President Hamid Karzai, and Abdullah Abdullah, the chief of High Council for National Reconciliation. This is being done by the Taliban to realise its promise of running the country through an 'inclusive administration'.

"Afghanistan would be governed by a 12-member council, with the exception of the president and the emirate. So far, the council has agreed on Abdul Ghani Baradar, son of Taliban founder Mullah Yaqub, a high-ranking member of the Haqqani network terrorist group Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani, chief of High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah, former President Hamid Karzai, former Interior Minister Hanif Atmar, and leader of the Party of Islam Gulbuddin Hekmatyar," the source said.

Sources further added, "Talks are underway to appoint the remaining five members of the council." The statement comes days after Abdullah Abdullah and Hamid Karzai spoke to the Taliban representatives, and highlighted the importance of protecting the 'lives, property, and integrity' of the people of Afghanistan.

Taliban's ultimatum to US

On Tuesday, the Taliban gave an ultimatum to the United States after the Joe Biden administration hinted that it will be extending the Afghanistan evacuation mission. "The US should leave the country by August 31," Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated. Following the G7 meeting on Tuesday over the Afghanistan crisis, US President Joe Biden decided to stick with the August 31 deadline for completing the US-led evacuation from Afghanistan

Thereafter, speaking to the media, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that the US is still aiming for the current deadline of August 31 for the final pull-out and evacuation operation from Afghanistan. "We believe we have the ability to get that done by the end of the month, Kirby said, referring to the unspecified number of American citizens who are seeking to leave. He said several thousand have gotten out since the airlift began.

The withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan on August 31 holds relevance for Afghanistan, as the terrorist group had earlier made it clear that no announcement in relation to the formation of government would be made until and unless the troops are 'fully and finally' withdrawn from the war-torn country.
With the US evacuation deadline looming, the Afghans aiming to flee the country have grown desperate pleading for rescue from the Taliban-overrun country. As per the latest reports, the Afghan citizens seeking evacuation were seen standing in knee-deep sewage water with documents just outside Kabul airport. Sustaining the scorching heat, the panic-stricken refugee families have reportedly been waiting to board flights out of the country.

Afghans in knee-deep sewage plead for help at Kabul airport

In a series of pictures shared by French diplomat David Martinon on social media, desperate Afghan nationals were seen holding placards pleading to airlift them. The refugee families were bespattered in sweat due to intense heat and lack of food and water supply as they waited in the knee-deep sewage canals. Take a look at the heart-wrenching images outside Kabul Airport:

Abbey Gate, ce matin. Les policiers de lambassade de France (operateurs du RAID et gardes de securite diplomatique) et les militaires du Commandement des Operations Speciales (Commando Parachutiste de lAir n10) y sont depuis 6h00 pour continuer de tenter devacuer des Afghans. pic.twitter.com/Mr4KruxnT0  David Martinon (@david_martinon) August 25, 2021

Taliban seals evacuation compound in Kabul Airport

In major developments, the Taliban on Wednesday sealed the evacuation compound at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul and announced that they would no longer let Afghans leave the country. The drastic measures to curb the travel rights of Afghans come a day after Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid refused extraction extensions by nations. The decision was followed after the Taliban had accused the US of evacuating 'Afghan experts' and taking engineers and doctors out of the country during an interview with Al Jazeera. It had said, We ask them (US) to stop this process. This country needs their expertise. They should not be taken to other countries.

US President Biden sticks to the August 31 deadline

Meanwhile, US President on Monday temporarily decided to stick to the August 31 deadline to withdraw evacuation aid from Afghanistan following global pressure. Several Western countries called the 'red line' mission impossible given the huge number of people who are waiting to be evacuated. UK along with the other Group of Seven (G7) countries have sought an extension for the extraction process.

According to reports, the Group of Seven (G7) leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom have decided to conduct an emergency summit meeting on Tuesday. In the meeting, headed by the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is supposed to request President Joe Biden about the evacuation problem. Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass along with a French representative at the G7 has also insisted that Biden should consider extending the deadline for safe retrieval of first nationals from Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, France and Spain are set to pull off a permanent halt of refugee extraction from Afghanistan from August 26, five days ahead of the stipulated date. While France's decision followed the US temporary decision of withdrawal of extraction process, Spain cited the acceleration of Taliban-induced violence in Afghanistan.

Image: @DavidMartinon/Twitter
Brazil military police turning out in support of the country's President Jair Bolsonaro in an upcoming march scheduled on September 7, seems to have become a matter of concern for state governors ahead of next year's presidential election, minutes published on Tuesday showed. Expressing their concerns, at least 25 out of Brazil's 27 governors signed the minutes, as the country' roughly 5,00,000 military police report to state governors. Their concerns came to light in minutes of the governors' meeting in Brasilia, where they discussed the deteriorating political scenario in Brazil as Bolsonaro recently raised questions on the credibilities of the Supreme Court and federal electoral authorities.

Military police to demonstrate on Sept 7 in support of Bolsonaro

Although Bolsonaro, the far-right former military officer, questioned the credibility of the country's elections, he continues to garner a high level of support from the military police. Despite military police are prohibited from making any kind of political demonstrations, many are expected to join the September 7 marches in support of the Brazilian President. Meanwhile, critics opined that Bolsonaro is seeking to marshal military cops' support ahead of next year's election as the incumbent President trails former leftist President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva in most opinion polls. Citing Bolsonaro's recent attacks on the Supreme Court and federal electoral authorities, most experts believe that he might not accept a potential loss and state police officers may also resort to demonstrations in his support.

Brazil's top court opens probe aginst President Bolsonaro

It should be mentioned here that Brazil's apex court recently opened a probe into President Bolsonaro in connection to him posting documents from a sealed police investigation into the hacking of a federal election court, on social media. Bolsonaro had posted the documents alleging that the election system is open to fraud. However, he could not present proof to substantiate the allegations made by him. Last week, the Brazilian president received another blow to his already weakened political position after Congress defeated his campaign to adopt a paper record of each vote. The general elections are scheduled to be held in the country in October 2022.

(Image Credit: AP)
Indonesia has authorised Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the country. With this, Indonesia has now become the world's 70th nation to approve the Russian vaccine. As per the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Sputnik V has been given emergency usage authorisation.

Sputnik V became Indonesia's sixth vaccine licensed for use. The nation previously approved Sinovac, Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer-BioNTech. Over the 270.2 million Indonesian population, almost 32.6 million individuals are completely immunised till now, while on the other hand, 58 million others receiving their first dose, as per Asia Nikkei.

According to Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the authorisation of the vaccine in Indonesia has been established on the findings of a rigorous examination of the vaccine. He even said that the vaccine would make a significant contribution to the nation's combat against the outbreak.

Dmitriev said, "Indonesia is one the most populated nations in Asia and inclusion of Sputnik V in the national vaccine portfolio will provide for using one of the safest and most effective vaccines in the world. Sputnik V is based on a proven human adenoviral vectors platform and is successfully used in over 50 countries," as per ANI.

Sputnik V

The total number of populations of all nations where Sputnik V has been certified for the user has already surpassed 4 billion people, responsible for more than half of the world's population. Sputnik V is among the safest and most efficient coronavirus vaccines, according to real-world data collected following inoculation in several nations such as Argentina, San Marino, Serbia, Hungary, Bahrain, Mexico, UAE, and others. Regarding the number of licenses granted by government authorities, the Russian vaccine Sputnik V has been ranked second among other coronavirus vaccines worldwide.

Citing research on the coronavirus rate of infection among people in Russia who were inoculated with both the doses of Sputnik V from December 5, 2020, to March 31, 2021, stated that Sputnik V is 97.6% to be effective, as per PTI. Sputnik V. introduced the usage of heterogeneous boosting.

Image Credit: AP
Talibans siege of Afghanistan and the infighting among the forces has worsened the humanitarian crisis leading to the COVID vaccinations in the county dropping by 80%, UN agency UNICEF warned, adding that the shots delivered to the country were close to their expiry date. This comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) had earlier warned that the collapse of Afghanistans government would worsen the COVID crisis due to the displacement of the Afghan population amid the Talibans takeover.

COVID vaccination rate drops by 80% in Afghanistan after Taliban takeover

UNICEF on Tuesday said that thus far just 1.2 million vaccinations had been administered in the country, for the population of 40 million. At least 4 million doses were dispatched to Afghanistan, according to a report. Of these, 1.4 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson were donated by the US to COVAX, which were delivered to Kabul in July to the Ashraf Ghani government through the COVAX Facilitys dose-sharing scheme.

Chaos in Afghanistan due to the US military withdrawal sparked fear among diplomats and citizens seeking to flee the country, making coronavirus precautions difficult to maintain, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic had said during a United Nations briefing.

UNICEF Afghanistan Representative Herve Ludovic De Lys on Tuesday warned just over 30,000 people were inoculated in 23 of the 34 provinces since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. As many as 134,500 people were inoculated in 30 provinces last week. "The drop is understandable, as, in situations of chaos, conflict, and emergency, people will prioritize their safety and security first," a UNICEF spokesperson reportedly stressed, as he warned about slow vaccine rollout. "Our priority today is to work with UNICEF and WHO country offices to ensure our ability to continue the country's COVID-19 vaccination program," a Gavi spokesperson told reporters declining to comment on the Talibans vaccine hesitancy.

No commercial flight allowed to land in Kabul due to airport blockage

Since the end of May, the Afghan population displaced because of conflict and in need of immediate humanitarian aid more than doubled, reaching 550,000, UNICEF said in a press release. No commercial aircraft carrying vaccines or supplies are permitted to land in Kabul, currently due to airport blockage. In a joint letter earlier this month, the WHO and UNICEF had called for assistance to deliver critical health supplies to Afghanistan citing massive humanitarian needs facing the majority of the population should not, and cannot be neglected.
United Nations, Aug 25 (PTI) UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said he shares the concern, anxiety and pain of the United Nations personnel in Afghanistan, asserting that the world organisation is doing everything in its power to ensure their safety and well-being.

Guterres, in a video message to UN personnel in war-torn Afghanistan on Tuesday, said that they have our full support and solidarity.

I want to personally thank you for everything you are doing to support the Afghan people in this time of crisis. I speak for the entire United Nations family when I say, we are all deeply grateful to you for your service, in particular the Afghan national colleagues. You represent the best of the values of the United Nations, he said.

I know most of you, especially the humanitarian actors, want to stay and deliver to respond to the dramatic needs of the Afghan people, he said, adding that the safety of all United Nations personnel in Afghanistan is our top priority.

And we are doing everything in our power, namely through the permanent engagement with all relevant actors, and will continue to do so to ensure your safety and well-being, and to find external solutions where they are needed, Guterres said.

The UN chief told the UN personnel that he shares their concern, anxiety and pain and is distressed by the reports that some of them have experienced harassment and intimidation.

The United Nations has been honoured to work for the people of Afghanistan for decades. Through thick and thin, we have helped to support people in complex situations  through wars, conflict, human rights abuses, humanitarian crises and regime change.

As we face this newest major challenge, we are working to ensure essential supplies and to deploy specialist teams to better support you. We remain and will continue to remain and do everything we can both for your safety, and to deliver for the people of Afghanistan who have suffered so much, Guterres said.

So far, the UN in Afghanistan has flown over 220 people from Kabul to Almaty in view of the security and other constraints in the country now under the Talibans control.

Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti told PTI that during the busy month so far of Indias Presidency of the Security Council, one of the major issues that occupied, and continues to occupy, the attention of the 15-nation UN body is the situation in Afghanistan.

The Council has held two sessions on Afghanistan this month, both of which were not scheduled in the original programme of work.

The evolving situation merited meetings, which was called by the penholders on Afghanistan in the Security Council, Estonia and Norway and scheduled by us in our capacity as the President of the Council.

The Security Council was united in agreeing that Afghanistan should not become a safe haven for terrorists. Further, there was a call for an end to violence, protecting the rights of women and minorities, addressing the humanitarian issues immediately and ensuring the safety and security of diplomatic and UN staff, Tirumurti said.

Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, had said in a note to correspondents on Sunday that the 120 people included UN personnel and members of several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that serve as implementing partners of the UN in Afghanistan.

Part of the UN personnel who left Kabul today will continue to work out of Almaty, Dujarric said.

The world organisation said the UN in Afghanistan is currently focused on the safety of the thousands of its personnel and partners who remain on the ground, as well as the delivery of critical humanitarian and other assistance to millions of Afghans in need.

The UN family in Afghanistan is acutely aware of the great concerns of some personnel, particularly national colleagues. We are doing our utmost to support them and their safety, he said.

Last week, Dujarric told reporters that a group of about 100 UN personnel from across the UN system travelled from Kabul to Almaty, where they will continue their work remotely.

As the Secretary-General told the Security Council on August 16th, the United Nations presence in Afghanistan will adapt to the security situation. In light of the security and other constraints in Kabul and other parts of the country at the moment, it was decided to move a part of the UN staff out of the country.

Personnel will return to Afghanistan as conditions permit, Dujarric had said. PTI YAS CPS

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Even though the US spent over $8 billion in 15 years to deprive the Taliban of their profits from Afghanistans opium and heroin trade, the terrorists now control the country along with the benefits of illicit trade. Devastation due to decades of war, millions losing their homes, foreign aid cutes, Afghanistan has dealt with both economic and humanitarian crises for several years leaving several citizens dependent on the narcotics trade for their survival.

However, that same dependence is set to bring more stability as Taliban and several other armed groups vie for the profits in the illicit business. Some United States and United Nations (UN) officials also worry that Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, which is engulfed in chaos, will further create more instances of greater illegal opiate production, which would potentially benefit the Taliban.

However, the terrorists have claimed that the opium poppy cultivation was stopped when the flow of illegal drugs was halted during their previous reign in Afghanistan from 1996-2001. As per BBC, even though opium poppy cultivation witnessed a sharp drop in 2001 when the Taliban was last in control, cultivation witnessed a sharp increase in other Taliban-held areas.

What are Opium poppy plants? How much is produced in Afghanistan?

Opium poppy or Papaver somniferum is native to Turkey and all drugs including Opium, Morphine, Codeine, and Heroin are derived from the milky latex found in the plants unripe seed capsule. Afghanistan, as per the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), is the worlds largest producer of opium. Of the total supply in the world, South Asian countrys opium harvest accounts for over 80%. Moreover, in 2018, UNODC estimated that opium production contributed up to 11% of the Afghan economy.

What does the Taliban plan to do with opium trade?

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said: "When we were in power before there was no production of drugs. We will bring opium cultivation to zero again. He also said that there would be no smuggling.

The United States State Department has noted that opium poppy cultivation significantly upped from 41,000 hectares in 1998 to 64,000 in 2000. The growth mainly took place in Taliban-controlled Helmand province that also reportedly accounted for 39% of the worlds illicit opium production. Eventually in 2000, the Taliban banned the farming of the plant in the areas controlled by them, which was also addressed as total success in the UN report in 2001.

Despite the noticeable dip in 2001 and 2002, BBC stated that opium poppy cultivation has been confined in the areas held by the Taliban.

How does Taliban make money from opium?

Opium farming is one of the major sources of employment in Afghanistan and in 2019, according to UNDOC, around 120,000 jobs were provided by its harvesting. Opium farming is beneficial for the Taliban because of the taxes on the crop. As per the report, the terrorists enjoy profits indirectly through processing and trafficking, as per US State Department. At least 10% of cultivation tax is reportedly collected from opium farmers. Additionally, taxes are also collected from traders, smugglers and laboratories that convert opium into addictive drugs.

BBC stated that the annual estimated money the Taliban makes through the illicit drug economy ranges between $100 million to $400 million. US commander General John Nicholson in the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR), said that the drug trade accounts for almost 60% of the groups annual revenue. However, this figure remains disputed.

IMAGE: AP
New Delhi, Aug 25 (PTI) The Indian and Kazakh armies will conduct a 13-day military exercise beginning August 30 with a focus on counter-terror operations in mountainous terrain, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.

The "KAZIND-21" exercise will be conducted at a Kazakh training node in Aisha Bibi in Kazakhstan, it said.

"The exercise will provide an opportunity to the Armed Forces of India & Kazakhstan to train for counter-insurgency/counter-terrorism operation in the mountainous, rural scenario under UN mandate," the ministry said in a statement.

It said a total of 90 personnel from the Bihar Regiment of the Indian Army will participate in the joint exercise.

The scope of the exercise will include professional exchange, planning and execution of operations in a counter-terrorism environment and sharing of expertise.

"The exercise will culminate after a 48 hours long validation exercise which will involve a scenario of neutralisation of terrorists in a semi-rural hideout," the ministry said.

"The exercise will strengthen mutual confidence, interoperability and enable sharing of best practices between the Armed Forces of India and Kazakhstan," it added. PTI MPB DV DV

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Mexico accepted its first group of refugees from Afghanistan on Tuesday, including one man and five members of Afghanistan's prize-winning girls' robotics team. The group was welcomed by Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard as they arrived in Mexico City.

"We might be very far away of what is happening in Afghanistan, but the human cause, the protection of the values and the causes that identify us Mexicans, have made us commit so they can be in Mexico," he said.

The robotics team participated in the first World Robot Olympiad in the U.S., in 2017. Recently, they had been on a life-saving mission to build a ventilator from used car parts and help their war-stricken country battle the coronavirus pandemic. When the Taliban returned to power, they fled the country. Ebrard said Mexico would grant them "whatever legal status they consider best." That could include giving them asylum or refugee status. One member of the group thanked Mexico, saying the country had saved their lives.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Archaeologists discovered a 6000-year-old burial ground from a construction site in Transylvania, Romania on 24 August. Researchers had started the excavation project in July in a commune in Cluj-Napoca called Iclod when some scalps were found at the construction site of an industrial building.

According to a report by Romanian news outlet, Gherlainfo.ro, the area is already declared historic by the archaeological department and therefore, it is mandatory for industries to inform the department before initiating any construction activity there.

The report said that archaeologists unearthed multiple skeletons of people belonging to the Neolithic era, the period which is considered as the final division of the Stone Age, with a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts of the world. They also found numerous pottery vessels in the grave near the scalps of skeletons from the burial ground.

According to the researchers, the vessels that were found in the graveyard near the Neolithic skeletons were buried along with the departed souls as offerings due to the belief that the soul would use those vessels in the afterlife. Apart from vessels, traces of fortifications have also been discovered.

'By learning more about them, we will know more about ourselves'

Paul Pupeza, an archaeologist at the National Museum of History of Transylvania, explained that in the past, the houses were fortified with wooden walls, and the wealthiest inhabitants lived in the best-fortified areas. At least three wooden wall rings were found at the construction site. Archaeologists also discovered a pit that was used by the stone age people to store food. The researchers claimed that the pit was eventually converted into a dumping site where discarded objects were thrown.

"Their story must be told, revealed, through such excavations. By learning more about them, we will know more about ourselves. We are the first to get our hands on these fragments, after thousands of years," the Cluj archaeologist was quoted by Gherlainfo.ro as saying. "The fieldwork is quite hard, we work in the dust, in the heat or in the rain, and the results are not always very spectacular. But we are privileged to take this look into the past and reveal something special, the archaeologist added.

Recently, researchers found a cemetery of a girl who died around 200 years ago

In a similar incident, a cemetery of a girl who died in 1872 was found in Ireland. In a unique working style, Fianna Fail Councillor Audrey Buckley hired a flock of sheep to work on a makeover of an old Cork cemetery by eating overgrown vegetation. While explaining his working style, he said that the sheep eat a large amount of vegetation that further helps the Councillor and his team to unearth the graveyard "that haven't been seen forever". Surprisingly, the sheep have uncovered the grave marker of a two-year-old girl who died on 7 October 1872.

According to the inscription reported by RTE News, the girl whose name was Maria Kate Russel, had died when she was two years, five months and 15 days old. The information on the stone head also suggests that she was survived by her father Crp George Russel, Royal Engineers, Camden Fort Meagher, who was present at the time of her funeral. By grasping the information inscribed on the stone head, the councillor contacted the grand-nephew of the girl who had died in 1872.
Kathmandu, Aug 25 (PTI) Nepal's election commission on Wednesday granted recognition to two newly-registered political parties - CPN (Unified Socialist) led by Madhav Kumar Nepal and the Democratic Socialist Party led by Mahanta Thakur.

Madhav Nepal had submitted an application at the Election Commission last week for registering a new political party after President Bidya Devi Bhandari issued an ordinance to amend the Political Parties Act 2071, aimed at easing the procedure for political parties to split.

According to Election Commission spokesperson Raj Kumar Shrestha, certificates have been issued for new political parties after verification of the members.

Leaders of both the parties had reached the Election Commission office on Wednesday afternoon and identified themselves before the EC officials.

As many as 55 central committee members and 30 lawmakers of the CPN-UML authenticated the newly-registered CPN (Unified Socialist) party, formally splitting the main opposition CPN-UML - the largest communist party of the country.

Madhav Nepal, a former prime minister, had gone against the party and supported the then Opposition alliance in its bid to topple the government led by K P Sharma Oli. His faction has already made decision to join Sher Bahadur Deuba-led coalition government.

The ordinance recently amended by Deuba-led government has provision to register a new party if the splinter faction secures signature of 20 per cent of either central committee members or Parliamentary Party members.

Before the amendment, provisions of the Political Party Act required dissidents to have the support of 40 per cent of members in the parliamentary party and the central committee to split their mother party.

The recognition of Madhav Nepal led party brings to end a long-standing feud between him and former prime minister Oli in the UML.

After applying for the new party, Madhav Nepal had issued a statement alleging that Oli had pushed the communist movement towards dissolution.

Fourteen lawmakers and 16 central executive members from the JSP party had participated in the verification process while registering a new party under the leadership of Thakur.

Thakur had split the party after the Election Commission granted official recognition to Upendra Yadav-led Janata Samajwadi Party, which removed him from the party's executive committee. PTI SBP ZH ZH

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Tajikistan President, Emomali Rahmon on Wednesday discussed the Afghanistan crisis with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi, at Dushanbe.

In a readout of the conversation, the Tajik administration revealed that both the leaders discussed a wide range of issues including regional development and peace amongst others. It is worth mentioning that both Tajikistan and Pakistan share borders with Afghanistan and have been witnessing an overwhelming influx of refugees since the fall of Kabul.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi's visit to Tajikistan comes after the country airdropped weapons to the anti-Taliban Resistance led by Ahmad Massoud that is holding fort in the Panjshir valley.

'Focus on cooridinated efforts'

Asserting that Afghanistan should not be dragged into a 'whirlpool of bloody imposed wars', both the leaders reiterated their commitment to establishing an inclusive government in Afghanistan with the participation of all national minorities, especially Tajiks in Afghanistan, who make up more than 46% of the population.

Rahmon separately condemned all forms of "lawlessness, murder, looting, and persecution" of the Afghan people, especially Tajiks, Uzbeks, and other national minorities. Meanwhile, Qureshi shared a photograph from the meet asserting that their focus was on a coordinated approach to realise shared objectives of a peaceful and connected region.

Privileged to meet President #EmomaliRahmon and to convey PM @ImranKhanPTIs best wishes. Also shared with President Rahmon Pakistans perspective on #Afghanistan & our focus on a coordinated approach to realise shared objectives of a peaceful and connected region.    pic.twitter.com/y66E53208v  Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) August 25, 2021

Meanwhile, Afghanistan's former mayor Zarifa Ghafari claimed that Pakistan's hand in Taliban invasion was very evident. Ghafari said,

Afghanistan was ours and it'll remain ours no matter who comes. If women like me are now not there it's because Just like a tiger who takes two steps back to come back with more force. We have to show to the world the real face of Taliban in Afghanistan."

She also mentioned that she has pledged to fight for women's rights in exile. My aim is to meet high ranking officials, politicians and women of different countries to make them aware of the real situation in Afghanistan, and ask them to join me for start a movement."

From 1996 to 2001, the Taliban ruled Afghanistan with an iron fist, setting up ultra-austere rules for residents. The Talibans previous regime marked the darkest time for Afghan women. During the rule, the Islamist group forbade women from getting any kind of education and blatantly denied their right to work.

They also stopped women from travelling outside their homes without a male relative to accompany them. More gruesome acts included public executions. The Taliban chopped off the hands of thieves and stoned women accused of adultery. In Afghanistan, around 3,000 families, mainly from Northern provinces that were recently taken over by the Taliban, live in tents inside the park and on the sidewalks. 80% of those displaced are women and children.

Image: SMQureshiPTI/Twitter
On Tuesday, Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte announced that he will run for the vice presidency in next years elections, confirming an earlier announcement by the country's ruling political party. The revelation comes days before the ruling Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod party is set to hold its national convention where CNN reported that it would announce Christopher Bong Go as its presidential candidate. It is imperative to note that Dutertes nomination has been met with severe backlash by the opposition, which labelled it a ploy by the incumbent to consolidate his grip on power.

"I will run as vice president, then I will continue the crusade. Number one is insurgency, then criminality, drugs," Duterte said in a late night weekly national address. "I may not have the power to give direction or guidance but I can always express my views in public, he added.

The Philippines is set to hold its presidential elections on May 22 next year. According to the countrys constitution, any person can have the Presidential position only once. Additionally, both president and vice-president are elected discreetly.

Duterte's ploy

Meanwhile, the opposition has pointed out that Dutretres nomination for the number 2 position in the country could serve as a backdoor for the presidential position. They tout a scenario wherein Go could win the polls and then resigns, enabling Duterte to shield himself from possible legal actions when he leaves office. "This is really part of the scheme of the Duterte clique to extend not only influence but control of the government," said opposition Congressman Carlos Zarate.

This comes when the Philippines Election Commission is developing new guidelines for next year's presidential elections, which has successfully eliminated ingrained political campaigning practices such as shaking hands amid the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. Given recent evidence regarding the importance of hand hygiene and social distance in preventing the spread of the highly contagious virus, the Comelec has suggested against hugging and kissing when politicians go on their campaign trail. Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez stated that at this point, all conceivable venues in any specific region must have mentioned capabilities on file. This may limit the number of people who attend events in certain areas, permit granting will likely be restricted.

Image Credit: AP
Russia is prepared to fly more than 500 people out of Afghanistan on four military planes, marking the country's first airlift since Kabul evacuations began. The Defence Ministry announced on Wednesday that nationals of Russia and the CSTO member-states including Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine will be airlifted from Kabul. Should any of the evacuees require medical assistance, teams of medical workers will be present on each plane, according to the ministry. The evacuations will be conducted out on Russian President Vladimir Putin's orders, according to the ministry.

CSTO is a military bloc of former Soviet countries

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is a military bloc of former Soviet countries led by Moscow. The military said that the medical and nursing teams of military doctors are located onboard each Russian military transport aircraft with the required medical equipment to give medical help and support to the evacuated population during the flight.

According to the Moscow Times, Russia has stated that it will offer civil aircraft to transfer anyone who chooses to flee to any foreign country that expresses interest in receiving and hosting them. Last week, Russian officials reported that one or two hundred Russian passport holders who remained in Afghanistan owing to the Coronavirus outbreak had been evacuated earlier. According to media sources, the Russian military conducted helicopter operations on the Tajik-Afghan border earlier Tuesday, as President Vladimir Putin warned of an influx of militants dressed as Afghan refugees into the Central Asian republics that Moscow regards as allies.

Afghanistan and Russia share a border with several ex-Soviet republics

Afghanistan and Russia share a border with several ex-Soviet republics in Central Asia. Despite the fact that the extremist group is technically banned in Russia, the Kremlin has been cautiously bullish about it since its capture of power in Kabul on Aug 15. The political office of the Taliban in Qatar informed Arab media on Tuesday that it has "excellent connections" with Russia and China. Putin promised on Tuesday that Russia would not interfere in Afghanistan, claiming that Moscow had learnt from the Soviet occupation.

The US faces an Aug 31 deadline to remove soldiers out of Afghanistan, which it is calling the "biggest airlift in US history" with the support of European and Middle Eastern partners.

(Inputs from PTI)

Image- @PratushSayan/Twitter
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping recently agreed to step up efforts to counter threats emerging from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover. According to Russian news agency Tass, Putin and Jinping spoke over a phone call to express readiness to boost efforts against the 'threats of terrorism and drug trafficking from Afghanistan'. The Kremlin said that the two leaders also spoke of the 'importance of establishing peace' in Afghanistan and 'preventing the spread of instability to adjacent regions'.

As per the media agency, Putin and Jinping even agreed to engage in more bilateral contacts and closer coordination primarily through diplomatic agencies. They agreed to "make the most of the potential" of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) that is due to convene for a summit in Tajikistan next month.

China, Russia on Taliban takeover

Meanwhile, Moscow has been cautiously optimistic about the new leadership in Kabul. Russia has said that the Taliban had made Kabul safer in the first 24 hours than it had been under the Ghani government. However, Putin has still warned of Afghan militants entering neighbouring countries as refugees.

Putin has criticised the involvement of outside powers in Afghanistan's domestic affairs. Russia, apart from China and Pakistan, has already offered friendly relations with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, in spite of the UN imploring nations to not do so. However, Russia is ready to supply weapons and military hardware to its allies in the CSTO security bloc that border Afghanistan at a special low price, Russia's deputy prime minister was quoted as saying by the RIA news agency.

China, on the other hand, has said that it is ready to deepen friendly and cooperative relations" with Afghanistan. China supports forming of an open and inclusive government in Afghanistan with the consultations of other factions. A Chinese government official said that the insurgents must comply with their pledge of not permitting any terrorist forces especially the 'Uyghur militant group' from Xinjiang province, called the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

(Image: AP)
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday met Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon. Following the meet, Rahmon said that his country condemns all forms of lawlessness and persecution of the Afghanisthan people, especially the minorities such as Tajiks and Uzbeks. In a statement, the president informed that Tajiks make up 46% of Afghanistan's population.

"The Founder of Peace and National Unity -- Leader of the Nation, President of the Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon received the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Shah Mahmoud Qureshi," the Tajik government said in a statement.

"The officials stressed that Afghanistan should not be dragged back into the whirlpool of bloody imposed wars," the Tajik government said. The presidential statement said that the worn-torn country is on a brink of a humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the withdrawal of troops.

"As a close neighbour, Tajikistan has always supported the restoration of lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and remains committed to this position. In order to urgently address the political and security problems of the neighbouring country, it is necessary to establish an inclusive government with the participation of all national minorities, especially Tajiks in Afghanistan, who make up more than 46 per cent of the population," the statement added. The statement said that the worn-torn country is on a brink of a humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the withdrawal of troops.

Pakistan says two sides discussed developments in Afghanistan

In a separate statement, Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi said that the two sides reviewed developments in Afghanistan. "Discussed importance of continued international engagement as a shared responsibility. Pakistan looks forward to continuing to work together with Tajikistan for a coordinated response to developments in Afghanistan and for regional peace, stability and connectivity," Pakistan FM tweeted.

Last week, the Taliban captured Kabul, causing a collapse of Ashraf Ghani's government. As a result, foreign countries have started evacuating their citizens and diplomatic personnel from Afghanistan due to unpredictable security situation. Meanwhile, an anti-Taliban force has been formed in Panjshir Valley. It is supported by Ahmad Massoud and caretaker President Amrullah Saleh.

(With ANI Inputs)
Days after taking over power in Afghanistan, the Taliban on Wednesday made several appointments for key positions in the war-torn country. Former Guantanamo detainee Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir has been appointed as the acting Defence Minister, Qatar-based Al Jazeera news channel reported, citing a source in the Islamist movement.

An ethnic Pashtun and a member of the Alizai tribe, Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir, who served as the deputy chief of the Taliban, was arrested by US forces after their invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. After over 6 years of imprisonment, Zakir had told American officials at a hearing in 2007,

"I have seen pictures that Afghanistan is being rebuilt, and I am happy that Americans are rebuilding my country." He added that he had no grievances against the American administration, and further expressed his desire to get back to his family and join his family work.

Taking into consideration his statement, the Americans had freed him from imprisonment in Guantanamo.

Key appointments by Taliban

In line with forming the government at the earliest, the Taliban on Wednesday made other appointments as well. As per reports, Najibullah has been given the post of Intelligence Chief of Afghanistan while the post of the Finance Minister has been given to Gul Agha. Sakhaullah has been made the Head of Education, and Abdul Baqi will be the acting Head of Higher Education. Sadr Ibrahim has been named as the acting interior minister.

The appointment comes a day after sources informed that the Taliban will be ruling through a 12-member council. The source close to senior Taliban circles was quoted by ANI as saying,

"Afghanistan would be governed by a 12-member council, with the exception of the president and the emirate. So far, the council has agreed on Abdul Ghani Baradar, son of Taliban founder Mullah Yaqub, a high-ranking member of the Haqqani network terrorist group Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani, High Council for National Reconciliation Dr Abdullah Abdullah, former president Hamid Karzai, ex-Afghan Interior Minister Hanif Atmar and leader of the Party of Islam Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Several discussions are going on to nominate the remaining five members of the council."

Following the collapse of capital city Kabul last Sunday, the Taliban are in the process of creating a new administration in Afghanistan.
On August 25, Canadian diplomat and foreign minister Chris Alexander referred to the Taliban as 'Pakistan's paid proxy force'. Urging the international community to 'sanction Pakistan', Alexander accused the PM Imran Khan-led regime of using 'brutal force' to impose a 'military solution'. The statement holds relevance as most of the world has outrightly blamed Pakistan for sponsoring and advancing a 'proxy war' against the Afghanistan government throughout the withdrawal of the US and NATO forces.

Taking to Twitter, the Canadian diplomat said, "It is cruel, immoral and destructive to keep up the fiction of a Doha 'peace process' or the pretence of normal relations with Pakistan, while Afghans suffer in hell."

The Taliban are Pakistan's paid proxy force.



Their latest invasion, with the full backing of the world's sixth-largest army, took 95 days.



It has brought a new level of fear, isolation, poverty & violence into the lives of nearly 40 million Afghans.#SanctionPakistan  Chris Alexander (@calxandr) August 25, 2021

"Pakistan is invading and imposing by brutal force the 'military solution' it said was unavailable."

He added, "Anyone denying or omitting to condemn the fact of Pakistan's invasion is now complicit."

"'Pakistan is invading  imposing by brutal force the "military solution" it said was unavailable.'"



"He added: 'Anyone denying or omitting to condemn the fact of Pakistans invasion is now complicit.'"#SanctionPakistan  Chris Alexander (@calxandr) August 25, 2021

Canadian politician blames Pakistan for violence in Afghanistan

Chris Alexander said that Afghanistan's invasion by the extremist outfit occurred with the full backing of the world's sixth-largest army- i.e. is Pakistan. He implied that the Taliban's conquest coupled with Pakistan's 'logistical support' has instilled a 'new level of fear, isolation, poverty and violence into the lives of nearly 40 million Afghans". Citing his reasons for the misuse of power which has led to a major power crisis and violence-infused shift of reins, Alexander sought to sanction Pakistan for contempt.

#USBetraysAfghans | As the biggest multi-nation panel on news television debates the Afghan crisis with Arnab Goswami, watch former Canadian Minister Chris Alexander expose the grand culprit behind Afghanistan's plight: Pakistan, whose hand in global terrorism is being airbrushed pic.twitter.com/qJjI26yC2e  Republic (@republic) August 25, 2021

Pakistan Army has been ranked the 10th most powerful in the world on the Global Firepower Index 2021 while India ranks 4th, according to data released on its official website. Notably, the Afghan Forces were ranked as the 75th most powerful military in the same Index.

Furthermore, Chris Alexander shared a reply of Shuvaloy Majumdar, a Foreign Policy Diplomat to a US entity wherein, Majumdar said that "the humanitarian thing to do is 'sanction Pakistan' for atrocities they have sponsored in Afghanistan".

@calxandr "(...) accused Pakistan of using 'brutal force' to impose a 'military solution'. 'It is cruel, immoral & destructive to keep up the fiction of a Doha peace process or the pretence of normal relations with Pakistan, while Afghans suffer in hell'."#SanctionPakistan https://t.co/FDeKsyn3eZ  Chris Alexander (@calxandr) August 25, 2021

Pakistan - Taliban nexus

Reports and dialogue exchanges between world leaders suggest that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which is Pakistan's top intelligence agency, has 'close contacts' to the Taliban leadership. In fact, Pakistan can be traced back to the early 1970s for supporting different factions of Afghanistan mujahideen fighting against the Soviet occupation. More pertinently, Islamabad allegedly continued to offer logistical support and backing to insurgents.

Pakistan has become the focus of ascending international anger over the Taliban conquest of Afghanistan, with rapidly increasing calls for sanctions or punitive or coercive measures to be imposed on Islamabad. There are plenty who have interpreted the hand of Pakistan behind the Taliban's resurgence, which has led to recriminations levelled at the PM Imran Khan-led State, which is greylisted under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for failing to check its counter-terror financing and anti-money laundering regime.
Religious scholars will lead the upcoming government in Afghanistan, the Taliban has declared, in the aftermath of the collapse of the Ghani regime and the Capital Kabuls takeover by the hardline Islamists, Afghanistan's Khaama Press News Agency reported. As the US and allied forces continue evacuations in pressure to meet the Aug. 31 deadline, the process of the formation of a new government in Kabul has paced up.

Taliban on Tuesday announced at one such gathering in Kabul, that the countrys 20 years of struggle (Jihad) should not go in vain and that the rule of Afghanistan should fall into the hands of religious scholars, who, not only will be responsible for making key decisions but will also be the core of the upcoming government of Kabul.

Taliban on Aug. 24 invited tens of religious scholars at the grand ceremony requesting them to forge what they described as a sound political system for Afghanistan based on their version of stringent Sharia law, especially for women. Taliban spokesperson had earlier told reporters that Taliban would not discriminate against women but would give them their rights within the bounds of shariah.

[Internally displaced school teacher wearing a burqa from Takhar province. Credit: AP]

Fundamentalist regime issued orders for all the working women in Afghanistan to stay at home calling it a temporary arrangement as the UN highlighted "credible" reports of abuses by the Taliban including a stern ban on women from moving out of their homes.

Your reminder that the Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 19962001.



Women & girls were banned from going to school, working, leaving the house, participating in politics or accessing healthcare.



If we care about women & girls, we will care about what is happening in Afghanistan.  Naheed Dosani (@NaheedD) August 15, 2021

During its rule in the 90s, the Taliban had banned young girls from availing of education as part of a set of restrictive policies on women. In its latest regressive move violating the womens rights within the country, the hardline Islamists group announced the total ban of co-ed education in the restive Herat province.

Taliban justified that the fatwa was for-benefit of the women and that co-ed education is the root of all evils in society. Taliban representative and Head of Higher Education, Afghanistan, Mullah Farid meanwhile argued that there is no alternative and co-education must end. He also imposed restrictions on the female lecturers from imparting lectures to male children or young male students in a gender-discriminatory rule.

[People hold a poster demanding the security of girls and other people in Afghanistan during a demonstration in Berlin, Germany. Credit: AP]

Talibans rights record in the 1990s was characterized by systematic violations against women and girls; cruel corporal punishments, including executions; and extreme suppression of freedom of religion, expression, and education, a Human rights Watch report stated. During deployment of US Army since 2002, millions of Afghan girls and women have participated in public life, have gone to school, held political office in greater numbers than ever before in Afghanistans history, the report added.

'I am not allowed to work..' says Afghan woman TV personality

On August 17, the New York Times carried the report, citing internal sources that the Taliban has "indefinitely suspended" women employees from state television. It attributed the news to Khadija Amin, a prominent anchorwoman on state television who informed the US broadcaster about the ground realities.

I am a journalist and I am not allowed to work. What will I do next? The next generation will have nothing, everything we have achieved for 20 years will be gone. The Taliban is the Taliban. They have not changed, Amin was quoted saying.

As the questions on women rights under the Taliban rule gained momentum, Taliban spokesperson, resorting to image correction, appeared with Beheshta Arghand, a female anchor with the privately-owned Tolo News. The latter was seen interviewing Taliban spokesperson Mawlawi Abdulhaq Hemad, who pledged to honour womens rights amid restrictive orders wherein all women were confined to homes and were asked to cover their faces in public. Chief international correspondent for CNN, Clarissa Ward, was spotted on-ground in Afghanistan clad in burqa [black veil] on orders of the radical Islamist group. The 41-year-old was out interacting with armed Taliban fighters when she was reminded of the Talibans compulsory directive of women.

Speaking at Tuesdays gathering, however, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid swore by an all-inclusive government "irrespective of the partisan, lingual, and sectarian values. He called on the Afghan people to come together and build the nation, according to the Khaama press agency, which also reported that the Taliban are in talks with intra-Afghan leaders for the formation of the new government.

(With inputs from ANI)
Appearing on the largest global debate on the Afghanistan crisis moderated by Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, ex-Kabul MP Shukria Barakzai, who also served as Afghanistan's ambassador to Norway, laid bare the grand US betrayal of the Afghan people, when asked about America's culpability in the current situation in the country.

Barakzai asked deep and rhetorical questions of the panel, which included guests from 6 countries and included the former US Undersecretary of Defence in the George W Bush administration:

Who gave the legitimacy to the terrorist group Taliban?

Who signed the Doha agreement in the name of the peace process?

Who gave international floor and diplomacy for the Taliban?

Who brought hope for peace in minds of Afghan people?

Who came to Afghanistan to remove the Taliban?

Who facilitates back two trillion dollars, thousands of dead bodies and millions of desperate people in Afghanistan to bring back the Taliban?

With the defenders of America's betrayal of the Afghan people silenced, she continued, "Everybody should take their own responsibility when it comes to chaos in Afghanistan, when it comes to the devastation of people in Afghanistan & when it comes to us as women in Afghanistan. Globally and widely, every one should be ashamed of giving an opportunity to the terrorist groups and bringing them back with more power and brutality," Shukria Barakzai said.

'Taliban beat me a metre away from a US soldier'

'The Taliban beat me just a metre away from a US soldier': On Arnab's global debate on the Afghan crisis, listen to former Afghanistan MP Shukria Barakzai, from Kabul, fearlessly lay bare the plight of the Afghan women & the full scope of America's betrayal #USBetraysAfghans pic.twitter.com/FKprMYrTGm  Republic (@republic) August 25, 2021

"I knew Taliban was after me, they believe that I'm your (Western forces) puppet but I'm not. Whatever I have done as a woman, I'm proud of that," she said adding that with the Taliban's takeover they had to start from the beginning as women are confined at homes and schools and universities are shut.

She further said that those countries who clapped on February 29, 2020 should be ashamed. Notably, on this day, then US President Donald Trump's administration signed a peace deal with the Taliban.

She further added that the new generation of Afghanistan cannot tolerate anymore the brutality of the Taliban. "That's why they have closed schools, universities because Taliban understands the power of people," Shukria said, concluding that Afghanistan has been betrayed badly.
From rallies, schools, hospitals and other plaves being bombed, the Hazara community in Afghanistan has suffered some of the most devastating assaults Afghanistan for several years. Now that the Taliban has reconquered the war-torn nation, the majority Shiite Muslim group fears that insurgents, who are Sunni hardliners, might turn against the community just the way they did back in the 1990s. While the extremists have reiterated the public rhetoric of being softer, the statue of a prominent Hazara leader was reportedly vandalised just days after the Ashraf Ghani-led government fell to the Taliban on August 15.

Who are the Hazaras?

According to Minority Rights Group International, once the largest Afghan ethnic group constituting nearly 67% of the states population, Hazaras now make up around 9% of the total population. Hailing from Afghanistans rugged central highlands, the minority are reportedly believed to trace their lineage from Genghis Khan's Mongol invaders from back in the 13th century. Once in the majority, more than half were massacred in 1893 when they lost their autonomy due to political action.

Hazaras mean thousand in Persian and the majority of its people live in Hazarajat or land of Hazara which is situated in the mountainous region of the countrys core with an area of around 50,000 square kilometres. Some of them also reside in the Badakhshan mountains. The 19th century witnessed a campaign against Hazaras, prompting many of them to settle in western Turkestan, in JauzJan and Badghis provinces.

Ismaili Hazaras, which is a smaller religiously differentiated group of Hazaras also live in the Hindu Kush mountains. They speak a dialect of Dari (Farsi dialect) called Hazaragi. Minority Rights Group International also stated that systematic discrimination, as well as often repeated targeted violence and resulting displacement, has led the Hazara community to lose much of their standing in the social hierarchy of modern Afghanistan. The community that initially consisted of nobility, peasants and artisans, were later reduced to being unskilled labours.

The reason behind Hazaras being targeted?

Reportedly, Hazaras constitute the bulk of the countrys Shiite minority which have been historically condemned by the Sunni hardliners who consider the sect heretics. The minority group has also been accused of sharing a close relationship with neighbouring Iran, where tens of thousands have moved over the years as economic migrants. Thousands of the community members have been reportedly trained by Iranian security forces and were deployed with Shiite militias in Syrias civil war over the past decade.

Among the few groups who benefitted from the US troop-imposed order back in 2001 included the Hazaras. The US intervention in the war-ravaged nation was able to put their children in schools, but the latest developments saw the group take the brunt of escalating violence killing hundreds of people. Now, Hazaras fear that they will be slaughtered when the Western troops leave Afghanistan. The deadline set by the Taliban for evacuation and troop pullout is August 31 and the United States has decided to stick to it.

IMAGE: AP
Paraguay's Environment Minister has blocked the operations of a tannery in the city of Paraguari after waste from the facility allegedly turned local waters an illuminous pink color, causing consternation among locals. Nearby landowners fear that once it rains the liquid will contaminate the streams that drain into Lake Ypoa. Local resident Juan Valentin Garcia Miro has filed a formal complaint before the Environmental Criminal Justice for possible illicit processing of industrial waste in the surroundings of Durli tannery.

"Everything that can be processed there is going to filter and go directly to the (lake) Ypoa. The waste is not going to be left behind," said Garcia.

According to Carapegua's town councillor Margarita Miro, local authorities have been visiting the place and inspecting the situation. "It (industrial waste) cuts the oxygen for the fish: they drown or they ingest toxins. The fish were opened and they were all black inside; in other words, this is not a light problem," said Miro. This is not the first case of polluted waters in Paraguay. The water of the Cerro Lagoon had also changed their colour due to industrial waste.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
While the Taliban have said that it will not extend the 31 August for the ongoing evacuation missions in Afghanistan, the UK and Spain have warned that it would be impossible to take out all Afghans who worked with the western forces within that time bracket. This comes after Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid stated that even though the foreign nationals could continue travelling to the airport, the Afghans will not be allowed to leave the country. The insurgents, who took over Afghanistan on 15 August, also warned that the United States must stick to its own deadline of the month-end to withdraw all troops.

As a frantic Western evacuation operation at Kabul airport picked up the pace, Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles said that the European nation would try to evacuate as many people as possible but warned there are people who will be left behind due to the dramatic situation on the ground, as quoted by local media outlets.

Meanwhile, UK Defence Minister Ben Wallace Wallace was quoted by BBC as saying that, Not everyone would be evacuated before the 31 August deadline agreed with the Taliban...We have taken out 2,000 people in the last 24 hours and 10,000 since April. The Taliban spokesman Mujahid said that the Taliban will not accept any extensions to the 31 August set by US President Joe Biden for ending the airlift operation at the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Biden sticks to the 31 August deadline

Even as the western nations struggle to complete evacuation, US President Joe Biden on 24 August declared that he has decided to stick to his 31 August deadline for completing the chaotic airlift of US citizens, vulnerable Afghans and others who are seeking to leave the war-ravaged nation. Bidens decision reportedly contradicts the allied leaders who were hoping for an extension of the deadline, triggering criticism against the US President.

The US President said, We are currently on pace to finish by 31 August. The sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops. But the completion by 31 August depends upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those -- were transporting out and no disruptions to our operations.

Every day were on the ground is another day that we know ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both us and allied forces and innocent civilians, Biden added while referring to the Islamic State groups Afghanistan affiliate, which is, according to Associated Press, known for staging suicide attacks on civilians.

(IMAGE: AP)
Upon the second day of the 'Extinction Rebellion' (XR) demonstration in central London, on Tuesday, hundreds of demonstrators obstructed roads surrounding Parliament Street and Whitehall, reported by a Sputnik journalist, as per ANI. The protest demanded immediate steps from governments to combat climate change. In the demonstration, it is seen that many protestors laid down in the middle of the street in front of a huge green banner that stated "Government in bed with climate criminals," whereas others yelled and danced to the drum beats.

More about 'Extinction Rebellion' protests by climate change activists

One of the members of the Extinction Rebellion protests, Mary, informed Sputnik, "We're here because the government is not telling us the truth about the reality of climate change and what it will mean to our children and grandchildren and for all the generations that will come after them."

As per the thoughts of the climate change activists, officials in the United Kingdom and throughout the globe are attempting to conceal the fact that perhaps the climate is already crumbling, and as a result, there will be water and food supply shortages. They think the worse scenario is that the officials are not taking any measures to prevent this.

Mary claimed that the UK government's commitments to reach the "net zero" objective by 2050 and increase the usage of electric cars as part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's "Green Revolution" are "too little, too late." She even emphasised the fact that it is now the time to take extreme measures. People in the farther south of the nation are suffering greatly, and there are already resource conflicts resulting from climate change.

A Brazilian citizen, Juliana, who came to the demonstration alongside her children, said that she brought them because their future is at risk.

The supposedly "Impossible Rebellion," which the Extinction Rebellion said would continue for two weeks, started on Monday (on 23rd August) and began demonstrations in various locations of central London. The environmental movement also intends to demonstrate against banks that fund fossil fuel corporations. They even planned to target the financial capital of the United Kingdom. Although the demonstrations have been peaceful, the Metropolitan Police reported that several arrests had been made.

'Extinction Rebellion' is a movement for the environment whose objective is to compel companies and governments to take action in the face of climate change. It began in the United Kingdom and has since expanded around the world.

Image Credit: AP
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Wednesday "almost all" British nationals that want to leave Afghanistan had returned to the UK.

The UK along with many countries across the globe have been undertaking huge evacuation operations in Kabul after the Taliban took control of the city earlier this month.

Ten of thousands of people rushed to the city's international airport following the takeover, fearing what the future may hold for the country with the Taliban back in control.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Amid the ongoing evacuation process in Afghanistan in the backdrop of the Taliban's takeover, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday spoke with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and discussed coordinating efforts to evacuate people from the war-ravaged country. Taking to Twitter, US State Department spokesperson, Ned Price confirmed the talks between two leaders. "@SecBlinken spoke today with German Foreign Minister @HeikoMaas. We are committed to closely coordinating efforts to evacuate people from Afghanistan [sic]," tweeted Price. According to the US Department of State release, Secretay Blinken and Foreign Minister Maas discussed a number of issues including coordination between the two countries in Afghanistan and regarding airlifting thousands of people out of Afghanistan through Ramstein Air Base and other locations in Germany.

.@SecBlinken spoke today with German Foreign Minister @HeikoMaas. We are committed to closely coordinating efforts to evacuate people from Afghanistan. https://t.co/MhnzBIv3ZK  Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) August 25, 2021

Taliban refused to extend the deadline of the evacuation process

Both leaders are also said to have discussed the broader situation in Afghanistan and the way ahead, read the release. The evacuation of Afghans and other nationals is underway from Kabul airport which is under US troops' control. The US along with other Western allies have been evacuating thousands of people out of Afghanistan every day from Kabul airport. According to the ANI, the Taliban on Tuesday, August 24, gave an ultimatum stating that American forces should complete evacuations and exit the country by August 31, after US President had hinted at extending the evacuation mission beyond August 31.

Evacuations termed as "most difficult" by US president

The White House informed in a tweet that the United States has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of approximately 58,700 people since August 14, while the country has also re-located around 64,000 people since the end of July. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom's defence ministry stated that as many as 8,458 people have been safely evacuated by the UK since August 13. According to the Federal Foreign Office, the number of people evacuated by the German armed forces from Afghanistan has reached around 3,000 over the past week. Meanwhile, India has also been carrying out the evacuation process in Afghanistan with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday, August 24, informing that India has named the evacuation operation as the "Operation Devi Shakti." It should be mentioned here that while assuring to get all Americans and allies out of the war-torn country safely, US President Biden has also termed the evacuation process as the "most difficult and largest airlift" ever in history.

(Image Credits: AP)
Former US President Donald Trump on August 24 slammed his successor Joe Biden on his Afghanistan policy and expressed concerns that thousands of terrorists might have been flown out of the war-torn nation as part of the evacuation process. Biden surrendered Afghanistan to terrorists and left thousands of Americans for dead by pulling out the military before our citizens, Trump said in a statement. He also added that he has learnt that out of the 26,000 people who have been evacuated, only 4,000 are Americans.

You can be sure, the Taliban, who are now in complete control, didnt allow the best and brightest to board these evacuation flights, the former President said.

He added, Instead, we can only imagine how many thousands of terrorists have been airlifted out of Afghanistan and into neighbourhoods around the world. What a terrible failure. NO VETTING. How many terrorists will Joe Biden bring to America? We dont know!

Trump has previously also criticised the current Joe Biden administration over the crisis unfolding in Afghanistan and termed it a major failure" of the current US administration's foreign policy. During the Save America rally, Trump said that the situation in Afghanistan with Taliban takeover will be registered in US history as one of the greatest embarrassments" and the "greatest foreign policy humiliation. Calling the troop withdrawal a "total surrender" and a "gross incompetence by a nation's leader," he emphasised that under his presidency, this would have never happened.

Pompeo slams Biden administration

Meanwhile, Trumps close aide Mike Pompeo has also criticised the Joe Biden administration for the current situation unfolding in the war-torn country. Pompeo remarked that the withdrawal of troops should occur on US terms and not the Talibans. He also urged the Biden administration to ensure that American troops remain in Afghanistan until every American citizen is rescued.

In his take on the current situation in Afghanistan, Mike Pompeo has termed the US withdrawal as 'feckless, poorly executed withdrawal' that has affected American leadership. He further remarked that the American leadership is also being questioned by close allies like Germany and the United Kingdom. Pompeo has also hit out at the Biden administration as crucial American military equipment fell into the hands of the Taliban.

"The United States will need to reckon with these consequences for years to come," Mike Pompeo wrote in an op-ed for Fox News.

(With inputs from PTI)
Alaska Airlines flight had carried out emergency evacuation at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Monday evening after a passenger's mobile caught fire minutes after the flight touch-down the runway. According to media reports, the passenger was using a Samsung smartphone. However, no one was injured seriously during the incident, informed the airport officials. The report also said that Alaska Airlines, with 128 passengers and six crew members, took off from New Orleans and was scheduled to land in Seattle in the evening. Though the flight landed safely, an abrupt fire forced the airport authorities to evacuate the passengers quickly. Have a look at the social media post:

Just talked with a passenger on Alaska Airlines flight 751, where a fire broke out in the plane after landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. A passengers cell phone caught on fire, an Alaska Airlines official tells @KIRO7Seattle . Were live at SeaTac at 11. pic.twitter.com/qeNHq4g17Z  Kevin Ko (@NewsWithKevin) August 24, 2021

Phone burned beyond identification: Spokesperson

While speaking to The Seattle Times, spokesman for the Port of Seattle, Perry Copper said that the gadget was determined to be Samsung A21. "After much digging, I can inform you that the phone was burned beyond identification," said the spokesman for the Port of Seattle. "But, during a conversation with one of our Port of Seattle Police officers, the traveller volunteered the phone was a Samsung Galaxy A21. Again, we could not validate it by seeing at the remains of the gadget," Cooper added. Meanwhile, in a statement released on the microblogging site, the airport authority said that the fire was contained, and passengers and crew were evacuated from the aircraft. The airport authority also confirmed that the passengers were evacuated safely and had no impact on airport operations.

Earlier this evening, POSFD responded to a report of a fire in the cargo hold of Alaska Airlines Flight 751. Upon arrival, the fire was contained and passengers and crew were evacuated from the aircraft. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/rY2cFgrmUH  Seattle-Tacoma Intl. Airport (@flySEA) August 24, 2021

No impacts on airport operations

"Earlier this evening, POSFD responded to a report of a fire in the cargo hold of Alaska Airlines Flight 751. Upon arrival, the fire was contained and passengers and crew were evacuated from the aircraft," tweeted Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. "Passengers were transported by bus to the terminal, some with minor injuries. The aircraft was towed to a gate and there were no impacts to airport operations," it added. Later, a passenger, who was reportedly travelling on the same flight posted photographs and videos on social media saying the flight attendants were quick to respond to the incident. "I believe one person sitting beside them might have minor injuries," wrote the passenger.

However, the South Korean electronics giant did not react to the incident.

Image Credit: @AlaskaAir/Twitter
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that the G7 leaders, and the leaders of the EU, NATO, and the UN all agreed that we will stand united in our approach to the Taliban, and that the legitimacy of any future government in Afghanistan depends on the approach Taliban takes to uphold their international obligations, including to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a base for terrorism.

While delivering remarks from the White House on the Afghanistan evacuations post the virtual meeting with the leaders of the G-7 bloc, the UN, NATO, and the European Union, the US Commander-in-Chief Biden stated that the US has helped evacuate 70,700 people, just since August the 14th; 75,900 people since the end of July. At least 19 US military flights, 18 C-17s, and one C-130 carrying approximately 6,400 evacuees and 31 coalition flights carrying 5,600 people have left Kabul  just in the last 12 hours.

Stressing that the focus right now was to get as many people out as efficiently and safely as possible, Biden stated, We are currently on a pace to finish by August 31. He went on to add, that US completion of the evacuations by August 31 is contingent on the Taliban allowing access to the airport. The sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops, he said.

Happening Now: President Biden delivers remarks on our ongoing efforts in Afghanistan. https://t.co/YuEdUml7rE  The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 24, 2021

Taliban had earlier stated that it was opposed to the talented Afghans leaving the country. We are not in favour of allowing Afghans to leave, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters at a press conference. He added, They [the Americans] have the opportunity, they have all the resources, they can take all the people that belong to them but we are not going to allow Afghans to leave and we will not extend the deadline. Biden on Aug. 24 stood firm on his aim is to finish evacuations by the 31, a goal that he had earlier said was "equally important, almost" to evacuating Americans. He had also stated that the US was certain to adhere to the Aug. 31 deadline, but that "we're going to make that judgment as we go.

Afghanistan mission completion on deadline 31 'depends on Taliban,' says Biden

Completion by August 31 depends upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those who were transport-  were transporting out and no disruptions to our operations, Joe Biden said at the press conference at the White House Roosevelt Room. Furthermore, he asked the Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the timetable that should become necessary.

The longer we stay, starting with the acute and growing risk of an attack by a terrorist group known as ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan  which is the sworn enemy of the Taliban as well, said the US leader. Every day were on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both US and Allied forces and innocent civilians, he added.

Biden said that the G7 leaders, and the leaders of the EU, NATO, and the UN have all agreed that none of us are going to take the Talibans word for it, but will  judge them by their actions. We will stay in close coordination on any steps that we take moving forward in response to the Talibans behaviour, he stressed. The US and the allies renewed the humanitarian commitment to the Afghans by supporting a proposal by the Secretary-General Guterres of the United Nations-led international response with unfettered humanitarian access in Afghanistan, Biden said.
Head of the US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral John C Aquilino on Wednesday expressed concern over China's military expansion which is being termed as the largest military build-up in history since the second world war. Aquilino expressed apprehensions over Beijing's larger aircraft carrier programmes while speaking at an Observer Research Foundation event on "The India-US Partnership: Securing the 21st Century" in New Delhi.

"Entire Chinese way forward with regard to military expansion, the largest military build-up in history since WWII, both conventional and nuclear in all domains. I don't think I will try to explain what their intent is but trying to understand their intent is a little concern," said Admiral Aquilino. He said that the Chinese aircraft carrier programme has seen the largest growth and what they intend to do with much larger carriers is definitely a matter of concern.

India concerned over increasing nuclear arsenal of neighbours

Aquilino also went on to say that the articulation of defensive capabilities is what the world continue to hear and it has also been seen that words from the People's Liberation Army do not meet their deeds, which makes things more worrisome. However, Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat also expressed India's concerns over the increasing nuclear arsenal of northern as well as western neighbours.

During the event, CDS Rawat said that India is surrounded by two neighbours which are armed with strategic weapons and therefore New Delhi evolves its strategies accordingly. He also urged countries across the world to come in support to fight the global war against terrorism. "I think, if any kind of support can be forthcoming from the coordination, in at least identifying the terrorists and getting some intelligence input to fight this global war on terrorism, I think that would be welcomed," he added.

'India fully prepared to counter any terrorist activity'

Expressing concern over the prevailing situation in Afghanistan, General Rawat said that India was concerned about how terrorist activity from Afghanistan could overflow to India and the country is fully prepared to counter it. As per a report by the ANI, the Indo-Pacific region is largely viewed as an area comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea. However, besides having overlapping territorial claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan, China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea.

(With agency inputs)

Image Credit: @indiannavy/Twitter/AP
A classified US intelligence report on the origin of coronavirus came out to be inconclusive, in part due to Chinas blockage on foreign probes including that of the WHO, a report by Washington Post stated. Earlier in May, Biden had ordered an independent investigation into virus origins, partially dismissing lab leak claims of his predecessor. But 90 days later, the officials failed to derive a definitive conclusion on whether the pathogen jumped from bats to humans or whether experts synthetically manufactured it at a laboratory.

Since its outbreak in 2019, the COVID has put the globe on a hiatus while infecting over four million people. The debate over its origin has become more contentious, especially after Beijings foisted stringent restrictions on WHO experts and dismissed calls for a renewed probe. Linguistic barriers are an additional obstacle and prompted the White house to hunt experts fluent in Mandarin. It is imperative to note that the probe faced many challenges including over 22,000 virus samples that went missing from the internet.

While Wuhan lab leak theory has not gained much support from the scientific community, a similar and opposite theory that COVID originated at a lab in Maryland has caught eyeballs in China. Buttressing its stance, Beijing urged the WHO to visit the US military biolab, Fort Detrick.

Speaking at a press conference, Fu Cong, head of the foreign ministry's arms control department, warned that any action by Washington would be met with equal retaliation. If (the US) want to baselessly accuse China, they better be prepared to accept a counter-attack from China. If the US thinks China is guilty, they need to come up with evidence to prove that China is guilty. You don't blame a victim for not providing information to incriminate himself, he said.

China and COVID

Despite initial success, Beijing is reeling with a resurgence in caseload. With the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country during the middle of July, the Chinese government doubled the speed of testing. Local authorities kept checking every person to ensure that not even a single person carried the infection. As a result, over 100 million tests were done in the last month.

Moreover, proper isolation of COVID-positive patients also played a vital role. The capital, Beijing, was sealed off from other places, resulting in an absolute ban on trains, flights, and roads, which also helped bring down the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

Image Credit: AP/Unsplash
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Police order key members of the Hong Kong Alliance to turn over its accounts and contacts in overseas organizations or risk imprisonment.

Chow Hang-tung, a barrister and leader of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, poses for a photo in Hong Kong, March 21, 2021.

Hong Kong's national security police have written to the organizers of a now-banned candlelight vigil for the victims of the June 4, 1989 massacre in Beijing, asking them to reveal details of the group's previous contacts with overseas-based organizations.

Chow Hang-tung, vice chair of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, said the group's members have been given two weeks to comply with the request, made under Article 43 of a national security law imposed on the city by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from July 1, 2020.

A video clip shared to social media showed national security police delivering a letter to Chow at her home, which she signed for.

Chow said the police letter had described the Alliance as an "agent" of foreign organizations, which she denied.

"Just by pinning this label of foreign agent on us, they can then require us to hand over all of this information," Chow told RFA on Wednesday.

"This is an extremely unfair accusation, and a completely false one," Chow said. "How can the Alliance be a foreign agent? We are an organization formed spontaneously by the people of Hong Kong."

"[They are] using this tactic to intimidate civil society groups," she said. But she denied the Alliance had already made plans to disband, saying the issue was still unresolved.

Chow was mentioned in the letter alongside former Democratic Party lawmaker Emily Lau and Alliance co-founders Albert Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan, who are currently in prison on different charges.

"The national security department of the Hong Kong Police Force wrote to the Aliiance on Aug. 25, saying it was suspected of being a foreign agent," the letter, which was shared with RFA by Chow, said.

"The Alliance is hereby required under Article 43 of the National Security Law to provide detailed information about the activities of its personnel in Hong Kong since its establishment," the letter said.

Deadline for submission

It called for full records and contact details for overseas organizations to be submitted to police by Sept. 7, 2021.

"Failure to supply police with the requested information, unless you can prove that you have tried comply with the request to the best of your ability, or that you were prevented from doing so due to reasons beyond your control, will result in a fine of H.K.$100,000 and a prison sentence of six months if convicted," the letter warned.

Among the organizations listed in the request were the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy, the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute, the Solidarity Center, and the Center for International Private Enterprise.

Also listed were the Canada-based Federation for a Democratic China, the U.S.-based New School for Democracy, founded by former 1989 student leader Wang Dan, and the Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group.

According to a person familiar with the internal operations of the Alliance, the group has been in touch with pro-democracy activists and dissidents in mainland China for many years.

Others may be targeted

Joseph Cheng, a former politics professor at Hong Kong's City University, said other groups could also be targeted, including the Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, which has spoken out for the mainland Chinese legal profession since the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began a crackdown in July 2015.

"They are now targeting some of the more prominent activists, both within the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement and overseas, as well as the pro-democracy movement in mainland China," Cheng said. "The relevant departments in mainland China likely already have a lot of material on them already."

"The current sweep for documents and records is likely aimed at arresting them and bringing charges, or using the material to go after pro-democracy activists overseas," he said.

Zhang Xianling, a co-founder of the Tiananmen Mothers group representing the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, said she had nothing to fear.

"Even if they eradicate an organization [like the Alliance] or stop it from meeting, they won't necessarily be able to cover everything up," Zhang said. "The traces will still be there in the historical record."

"A lie is still a lie, even after 100 years have gone by."

Hong Kong justice secretary Teresa Cheng declined to comment when contacted by RFA on Wednesday, saying she wouldn't comment on an ongoing investigation.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Kerry Brown says Chinese dissidents and critics of the ruling party are now living through 'dark days.'

A U.K.-based China scholar has spoken out in support of former Tsinghua University law scholar Xu Zhangrun, who is believed to be under house arrest at his Beijing home, under the constant gaze of surveillance cameras.

Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese Studies and director of the Lau China Institute at Kings College, London, wrote that while Xu is technically "at liberty," he has paid a heavy price for his criticism of China's political and judicial system under the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and general secretary Xi Jinping.

Authorities in Beijing detained Xu on the morning of July 6, 2020 on allegations of "seeking out prostitutes" after he called online for political reforms.

He was released a week later, but later told the media that he had been fired from his teaching post and subjected to public sanctions for "moral corruption" by Tsinghua University's law school.

Charges of "seeking out prostitutes" have been used before by the Chinese authorities to target peaceful critics and activists, or anyone who runs afoul of local officials and powerful vested interests. Xu has lodged a legal challenge, and denies the charges.

Xu had penned a 10,000-word essay dated May 21, 2020, in which he hit out at Xi Jinping for "isolating" China from the international community with his foreign policy.

The essay called for China's leaders to be held politically accountable, for the release of prisoners of conscience including journalists and human rights lawyers, and for an end to the political targeting of academics.

Xu has also called for constitutional amendments passed in 2018 that allow indefinite rule by Xi to be revoked, and for legislation requiring officials to publish details of their assets and financial interests.

"These are dark days for anyone who takes a dissenting position in China," Brown wrote in a recent commentary on an edition of Xu's letters for Australia's Inside Story website.

"We see from these letters, which were written last July and August to supporters and the Fairbank Center at Harvard University ... this is a marginal existence."

Xu's "Ten Letters from a Plague Year" was published in Chinese earlier this year, and is currently being translated by Geremie Barme for China Heritage.

'A spectral existence'

"With no job or livelihood, he seems to occupy a kind of spectral existence," Brown wrote, quoting one of Xu's letters in the commentary.

"Chinas present totalitarian order has imposed a regime of censorship the likes of which has never been seen before," Xu writes.

"Under it, editing has become a particularly fraught occupation and shepherding anything through to publication a hazardous process."

"Everyone involved in the industry is hesitant. Authors feel that they are treading on thin ice," writes Xu, who also described living under surveillance cameras at his Beijing home in a December 2020 essay.

Brown added: "[Xu] is able to observe the public world even though he is denied a voice in it. He watches debates online but isnt allowed to participate ... This seems to be the kind of purgatory the party wants to consign problematic figures to."

"With Xi Jinping and his colleagues having defined a form of nationalism and patriotic fervor so potent it intoxicates a swathe of the public, someone like Xu resembles the sole sober person at a drunken party," Brown wrote.

Brown also highlighted the plight of veteran literary figure Geng Xiaonan, who was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for "illegal business operations" by a Beijing court in February 2021 after she expressed public support for Xu.

Geng and Qin were detained on Sept. 9, 2020 on suspicion of "illegal business operations," and formally arrested a month later.

Xu Zhangrun also called for the couple's release, saying in an open letter that "illegal business operations" is a blanket charge used to target people for political reasons, and has been arbitrarily applied to Geng and her husband.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Huang Liquan says people in the city are filled with 'positive energy' and patriotic feeling.

Friends cry together at the departures gate of Hong Kong's International Airport as one of them prepares to emigrate to Britain, July 19, 2021.

A ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official in charge of Hong Kong on Wednesday dismissed a wave of emigration from the city in the wake of a crackdown on dissent under Beijing's national security law.

Huang Liuquan, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office under China's State Council, said young people in the city are "full of confidence about a bright future."

I have noticed a different atmosphere now that the [Hong Kong government] is taking aggressive action, and I have felt a sense of positive energy from all kinds of patriotic people," Huang told journalists after meeting with a youth organization to explain the CCP's 14th Five Year Plan.

Huang was responding to media questions about an ongoing exodus of people from the city since the national security law took effect.

Hong Kong's population fell by 1.2 percent in the past 12 months, amid an ongoing exodus of people in the wake of a draconian national security law imposed on the city by the CCP from July 1, 2020.

Government statistics showed the city's population fell by just over 87,000, to 7,394,700, as hundreds, sometimes thousands, of net departures continued to be recorded every day during the past few months.

Total net departures were recorded at 89,200 for the same period.

The previous year's figures also showed a decline of 1.2 percent.

Net daily departures have regularly reached 2,000 ahead of key visa deadlines for the United Kingdom, with net arrivals rarely reported since the national security law criminalized public criticism of the government, political opposition and other forms of activism.

"Some people think that this is because of the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong, and that they have lost confidence, but I don't think that is correct," Huang said.

He promised further economic measures to support work and educational exchanges for young Hongkongers in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

'Starting to panic'

But people leaving Hong Kong for good, many of them young families, have repeatedly told RFA that their motivation was largely political.

"Anyone saying that this has nothing to do with the national security law or the political climate is under a misconception," a former Hong Kong resident who gave only the nickname Michael told RFA.

"More than 40 democrats were arrested on totally unwarranted charges just for taking part in a primary election."

"I was starting to panic, just staying there, and the national security law was definitely a factor that hastened my decision [to emigrate]," he said.

A fourth-year journalism student who gave only the nickname Ryan said the greater economic opportunities promised to young Hongkongers in neighboring mainland Chinese cities won't replace what has been lost.

"They have done too many things to discourage young people: they have cracked down on universities, derecognized student unions, gotten rid of professors, and eroded Hong Kong's academic freedom and freedom of speech," Ryan said.

"How could I possibly hope for a better future in the Greater Bay Area?"

No confidence in the future

Joseph Cheng, former politics lecturer at Hong Kong's City University, said the latest population statistics were "alarming."

"Neither Beijing nor Hong Kong officials are willing to admit that there is a crisis in Hong Kong," Cheng said. "Hong Kong residents lack confidence in the future and can't tolerate the current situation, so a considerable number of people are choosing to emigrate."

"I think the central government must care about that, because it will affect how its policies in Hong Kong are perceived in the international community," he said.

Cheng, who has himself recently emigrated, said the feelings of the people of Hong Kong are no longer being taken into account by Beijing.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Law Society elected a board of candidates with links to Beijing's Central Liaison Office in Hong Kong, after former candidate Jonathan Ross withdrew from elections to the society's leadership citing intimidation against himself and his family.

Ross' withdrawal came after warnings from the pro-CCP media and Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam that the society should stay out of politics or disband.

Jimmy Chan, Tom Fu, Justin Yuen, Ronald Sum, and incumbent Careen Wong all warned during their campaigns that the society should become "politicized."

All have said they have ties to the Central Liaison Office, government broadcaster RTHK reported.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.




The arrests come amid a spate of anti-junta bombings and shootings throughout the country.

Security forces have detained more than 30 youths in Myanmars largest city Yangon as authorities conducted a series of raids in response to the countrys shadow government warning of a D-Day operation to oust the junta nearly seven months after it seized power through a coup.

Five people, including a couple that own a popular noodle shop, were arrested late on Monday in Yangons Sanchaung township, a resident of the area told RFAs Myanmar Service, speaking on condition of anonymity citing fear of reprisal.

They began the searches around 4:00 p.m., first near Thayettaw Road and Tayokekyaung Road, before moving to Zeyawaddy, Moe Ma Kha, and Gandamar Roads. They later searched the noodle shop on Ma Kyee Kyee Road, the resident said.

They conducted the searches from until around 3:30 a.m. I believe more than a dozen people were arrested. Every time they made an arrest, they would take the person to the police station and then come back again to make more arrests.

Authorities also searched adjacent roads in the area and arrested several youths from New Peoples Ward 4 during a check on household registration documents, residents said.

Other sources told RFA that more than a dozen people were also arrested Monday in Yangons Thaketa, Ahlone and Thingangyun townships.

The military was searching for and arresting people last evening in Thingangyun township and other areasabout 20 people were arrested, said a Thingangyun resident who declined to be named.

What we heard was that they got information from one of those arrested about an online app that young people are using to communicate with each other. From that app, they found out the connections and made the arrests.

RFA was unable to verify the exact number of arrests, but they come amid several in recent days that included the detention of four young men during a raid Monday morning in Yangons Tha-maing Myothit district.

Women protesters march against the junta in Mandalay, Aug. 24, 2021. RFA D-Day operation

Authorities appear to be intensifying a crackdown on anti-junta activities that began soon after the military seized power from Myanmars democratically elected government in a Feb. 1 putsch. In the nearly seven months since the coup, security forces have killed 1,014 civilians and arrested at least 5,851, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

The junta says it had to unseat Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) government because the party engineered a landslide victory in Myanmars November 2020 election through widespread voter fraud. It has yet to present evidence of its claims and public unrest is at an all-time high.

The NUG recently announced plans to set a date for a D-Day operation to purge the country of the junta through a popular uprising supported by a network of Peoples Defense Force (PDF) militia groups formed to protect the public from the military.

On Monday night, a bomb went off at a military-owned garment factory in Ward 7 of Yangons Hlaing Tharyar township where troops had recently set up camp, wounding at least two soldiers, according to a statement issued about 15 minutes after the blast by the Hlaing Tharyar guerrilla group (CGF).

In the statement, the CGF claimed responsibility for what it said was a remote-controlled explosion in retaliation for an attack by the military earlier on Monday.

A resident of Hlaing Tharyar township confirmed the bombing on Monday and said it was followed by what sounded like a short firefight.

There was a bomb blast at about 10:00 last night  followed by about 20 gunshots and then another rounds fired, the resident said.

There were no arrests of civilians, but armed soldiers were patrolling the streets on motorcycles as well as on foot in civilian clothes  There are checkpoints everywhere.

Situation intensifying

Shootings and bombings are on the rise after the NUGs D-Day announcement, and the junta has responded by stepping up security measures in nearly every city. The military regime recently appointed police chiefs to replace the Minister for Transport and Communications in all states and divisions, including Yangon.

Sources told RFA that the junta has been using loudspeakers in major cities in recent days to warn people not to support the NUG government, demand that militia groups surrender, and offer rewards to those who provide information about the PDF.

Political analyst Than Soe Naing told RFA that the militarys efforts are unlikely to head off a challenge to its hold on power.

Civil war is just beginning. The situation is becoming intense, and I believe the momentum will only get stronger after D-Day, he said.

In the meantime, we hear about fighting daily while the military is checking visitor lists in cities throughout the country and carrying out arrests  I think that as soon as the D-Day program begins, various movements will spring up nationwide.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Many now see the Myanmar military, which has killed over a thousand protesters and other civilians since the Feb. 1 coup, as a common enemy.

Four years after the Myanmar military attacked ethnic Rohingya communities in the countrys western Rakhine state, burning villages, killing residents, and driving hundreds of thousands as refugees across the border with Bangladesh, sympathy has grown for the Muslim minority, sources in the country say.

The militarys 2017 scorched earth campaign launched in response to attacks by Muslim insurgents against police posts in Rakhine, has since been described by international rights groups and foreign governments as constituting acts of genocide and crimes against humanity.

On Wednesday, the day that marks the beginning of the 2017 attacks, the suffering of the Rohingya is being recognized across Myanmar, where some of the same brutal tactics used against the Rohingya have been turned on ethnic majority Bamar civilians ad other ethnic groups who oppose the military junta that deposed the elected government on Feb. 1.

On Tuesday, Myanmars shadow National Unity Government (NUG), formed in opposition to military rule, expressed sympathy for the Rohingya displaced as refugees and vowed to hold Myanmars military accountable for its crimes not only against the Rohingya but against other people in Myanmar.

The military has committed atrocities everywhere, said Aung Myo Min, the NUGs Minister for Human Rights, told RFA.

During the past four years, they have committed mass killings and acts of sexual violence against the Rohingya people, and this has led to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya civilians fleeing across the border to Bangladesh.

On this four-year anniversary, we should not just mourn those losses. We should also provide justice and closure for the victims. And we should remember the lessons learned from the past so that this history will not repeat itself again in the future, he said.

In June, the NUG unveiled plans to amend the countrys constitution to give citizenship to the Rohingya, who are not recognized as an official ethnic group in Myanmar and are often viewed as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Recognizing the Rohingya as citizens represents a sharp break from the policies deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi pursued toward the beleaguered group during her 2016-21 tenure. She refused to even say the word Rohingya in public and staunchly defended the Myanmar military against crimes against humanity charges in 2019 at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

A common enemy

It is encouraging to see that many people in Myanmar have begun to see the truth, said UK-based Rohingya activist Tun Khin, recalling the many years of prejudice suffered in Myanmar by the Rohingya.

We have all seen that the militarys brutalities are not limited to the Rohingya, Tun Khin said. He cited the killing by Myanmar security forces of at least 1,016 anti-junta protesters and other civilians, in a running tally maintained by the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

They are now committing atrocities in cities like Yangon and Mandalay. It is now very clear that the military regime is our common enemy, and that we all have to eliminate the militarys power in order to end its rule, Tun Khin said.

People in Myanmar have definitely grown in sympathy toward the Rohingya people, said Thin Zar Shoon Lae Yi, a youth activist and civil society leader in Myanmar, adding that many in the country were previously unaware of the suffering experienced by the Muslim minority group.

Also, people were not free to talk about the Rohingya issue, and the military and its supporters directed a lot of hate speech and propaganda against them. As civil society groups, we tried to counter these things by providing fact checking and holding interfaith discussions, he said.

The attitude toward the Rohingya of the NUG has also contributed to the shift in public opinion, Thin Zar Shoon Lae Yi said.

People always look for moral leadership when it comes to controversial issues, he said. I feel positive about the [change in] peoples attitudes toward the Rohingya. We will become better people ourselves by having sympathy toward them.

'We want to go home'

Khin Maung, a Rohingya refugee at the Tharyin Khali refugee camp in Bangladesh, told RFA he wants to go back to his former home in Myanmar.

It has now been four years since the military drove us out, and we are still mourning for the people who died in the attacks, he said.

And though we have lived for four years in the camps, were not happy here. We want to return to the country where we lived and grew up. We have no freedom or security in the camps, and were not receiving any education here. Its also hard for us to make a living.

Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined a bipartisan group of 19 senators on Wednesday calling on the administration of President Biden to issue a Rohingya genocide designation, calling the move long overdue.

Failure to do so will only further embolden the perpetrators of ongoing abuses against the Burmese people, Merkey said in a statement. It will also undermine the administrations principled recognition of genocide in other parts of the world if such determinations are not applied consistently, he said.

Reported and translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung for RFAs Myanmar Service. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Russia will use four military transport aircraft to evacuate more than 500 citizens from Afghanistan, Russian news agencies reported on August 25, as the Taliban said an August 31 deadline for all foreign evacuations to be completed will not be extended.



Besides Russians, the four aircraft will also airlift citizens of other member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), as well as Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry was quoted as saying.

"On August 25, by order from Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu organized the evacuation by military transport aircraft of over 500 citizens of the Russian Federation, CSTO member states (Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan), and Ukraine from the territory of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan," the ministry said in a statement.

Afghanistan In Turmoil: Full Coverage On Gandhara Read RFE/RL's Gandhara website for complete coverage of the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan. Gandhara is the go-to source for English-language reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi and its network of journalists, and by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, which offers extensive coverage of Pakistan's remote tribal regions.

The aircraft are equipped with medical personnel and supplies to provide the necessary medical assistance in flight, the statement said.

In Budapest, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said the Hungarian evacuation efforts from Afghanistan are nearing an end after the Central European country airlifted just over 500 people from Kabul.

"The exact timing will be announced by the commander of the army, which may happen as soon as today," Szijjarto told a news conference on August 25, adding that most evacuees were Afghan nationals who had supported a Hungarian charity or Hungarian troops there.

Earlier, Hungary's Interior Ministry said a plane carrying 240 evacuated Afghan nationals, including 126 children, landed in Budapest on August 25.

Poland, however, said on August 25 that it had halted its airlift evacuations from Kabul's international airport over safety concerns.

Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said that a group taken from Kabul and now in Uzbekistan was the last to be evacuated by Poland. He said his nation made its decision after consulting with U.S. and British officials.

After a long analysis of reports on the security situation, we cannot risk the lives of our diplomats and of our soldiers any longer," Przydacz said.

Poland has used more than a dozen planes to bring hundreds of evacuees to Warsaw. Some later traveled on to other countries.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, Interfax, and TASS
Amnesty International is urging Poland to allow entry and provide humanitarian assistance to a group of 32 people from Afghanistan who have been held at the border between Poland and Belarus without proper food, clean water, shelter, and medicine for two weeks.

Afghanistan In Turmoil: Full Coverage On Gandhara Read RFE/RL's Gandhara website for complete coverage of the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan. Gandhara is the go-to source for English-language reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi and its network of journalists, and by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, which offers extensive coverage of Pakistan's remote tribal regions.

Amnesty International said in a statement on August 25 that it obtained reports about the use of force and threats of violence by Polish border guards when pushing the group back to Belarus.

These people are fleeing a desperate situation in Afghanistan. By surrounding them with armed border guards, Poland is showing a callous response to their plight, according to the London-based human rights watchdog.

Polish and Belarusian border guards have been keeping the migrants trapped in a small area on the border, as both countries avoid responsibility for them.

Belarus has been accused of funneling migrants across the European Union borders, a claim Minsk denies.

Polish officials insist that the group of migrants will not be allowed into Poland, saying it would encourage further illegal migration and would play into the Belarusian governments hands.

In recent months thousands of migrants, many from Iraq and Afghanistan, have illegally crossed from Belarus into Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland.

European officials condemned it as a "hybrid attack" by Belarus on the bloc in retaliation for EU sanctions over authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenkas crackdown on the country's pro-democracy movement following a disputed presidential election in August 2020.
Three brawls broke out in the Armenian parliament over the course of two days as the assembly was disrupted by waves of violence among lawmakers. An August 25 speech by Vahe Hakobian of the Hayastan opposition grouping was interrupted by heckling when he accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian of being a lying populist. Lawmaker Vahagn Aleksanian of Pashinan's Civil Contract party launched a kick at Hakobian, which triggered a series of beatings on the floor of the chamber. Earlier on August 25, a speech by Hayk Sarksian, also of Civil Contract, was interrupted by the throwing of water bottles after he referred to former defense ministers as "traitors." Armenia was defeated last autumn in a 44-day war with Azerbaijan over its breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territory. The speaker of the parliament, Alen Simonian, called security personnel to the chamber and several members were removed amid riotous scenes. The continuing disorder in parliament came just one day after a fracas in which opposition lawmaker Anna Mkrtchian was removed from the chamber.
Irans parliament has approved almost all of President Ebrahim Raisis hard-line nominees for a cabinet, enabling him to form a government that will have the task of implementing his plans to ease U.S. sanctions and tackle a deepening economic crisis.

Lawmakers on August 25 voted to approve 18 out of the 19 candidates chosen by Raisi for the ministerial posts, rejecting only the pick for the education portfolio.

Anti-Western Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was approved as Irans new foreign minister. The 57-year-old senior diplomat is believed to have close ties with Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Lebanon's powerful Hizballah militant movement, and other Iranian proxies around the Middle East.

As deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs from 2011 to 2016, he helped implement regional policies enforced by the IRGC's overseas military unit, the Quds Force. He was deputy chief of mission at the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad from 1997-2001.

Ahmad Vahidi, a former defense minister and Quds Force commander, was approved as interior minister.

The hard-line-dominated parliament also backed the nomination of Javad Owji, an ex-deputy oil minister and managing director of the state-run gas company, as oil minister.

Raisi's nominee for the Education Ministry was rejected for issues including lack of experience in the subject. The president is now required to make another choice for that post.

Several members of the cabinet are on U.S. or European Union sanctions lists. The president himself is under Western sanctions over allegations of human rights abuses when he was a judge.

Iran has been hit by a severe economic crisis since former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out Washington from a multilateral nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Tehran. The economic hardship has been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tehran has been negotiating with world powers since April to revive the nuclear pact that curbed Irans nuclear program in return for lifting international sanctions.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
The U.S. special envoy for Iran says Washington has started to question whether Tehran is still willing to return to full compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal, which imposed significant restrictions on Irans nuclear activities in exchange for relief from crippling sanctions.

We dont know if Irans intent remains to come back into compliance with the JCPOA as the U.S. comes back into compliance with the JCPOA, Robert Malley said in an August 24 interview with Hannah Kaviani of RFE/RLs Radio Farda, referring to the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

He added that Washington is concerned Tehran could take a harder line in talks aimed at salvaging the nuclear deal, which former U.S. President Donald Trump exited in May 2018 while reimposing tough sanctions that have wreaked havoc on Irans economy.

Tehran has reacted by gradually decreasing its commitments under the deal and intensifying its sensitive nuclear work, including production of weapons-grade uranium to 60 percent purity.

U.S. President Joe Biden has said that Washington will rejoin the accord if Tehran first returns to full compliance.

Malley said the two sides could still reach an agreement for a mutual return to compliance with the accord, adding that Washington is prepared to make difficult compromises.

Washington and Tehran have conducted six rounds of indirect talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the deal. But the talks were put on hold amid a change of government in Iran and the coming to power of hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, who has said he would seek a diplomatic solution to end the sanctions against his country.

But what were saying is, if that remains Irans intent, it is our intent we should be able to negotiate in short order a mutual return to compliance in which the U.S. would reverse those sanctions that are inconsistent with the JCPOA and Iran would reverse its nuclear steps inconsistent with the JCPOA, Malley said in his interview with Radio Farda.

He said the two sides had made substantial progress during the Vienna talks, while warning a tougher stance by Tehran would be a miscalculation. 

We made substantial progress in the six rounds of talks, but we hadnt closed all the gaps. And if Iran comes back with a more hard-line position, its going to be very difficult to close because we hadnt closed before, even under the preceding government. So our hope remains that Iran will come back with a realistic position.

The United States has called on Iran to return to the negotiations.

Speaking earlier this month, State Department spokesman Ned Price warned that "the opportunity to achieve a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA won't last forever.

Raisi called for a lifting of the sanctions during his inauguration speech earlier on August 5.

The sanctions must be lifted, Raisi said. We will support any diplomatic plan that supports this goal.
MOSCOW -- A Moscow court has sentenced another supporter of jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny to one year of so-called "restricted freedom," a parole-like sentence, for allegedly violating restrictive measures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.



The Preobrazhensky district court handed down the sentence to Moscow municipal lawmaker Lyusya Shtein on August 25 after finding her guilty of publicly calling for people to take part in unsanctioned rallies to support the Kremlin critic in January.



According to the court's ruling, Shtein is not allowed to leave her home from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., attend public events, or leave Moscow without police permission for one year.



Last week, the same court sentenced Navalny's spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, to 18 months, and his Moscow team coordinator, Oleg Stepanov, to one year of restricted freedom on the same charge.



Earlier this month, Navalny's brother Oleg was found guilty of the same charges and handed a one-year suspended sentence and a one-year probation period.



Two other Navalny associates, Nikolai Lyaskin and Lyubov Sobol, were also found guilty and given parole-like sentences -- one year and 18 months, respectively. Media reports that Sobol fled Russia after the verdict have not been confirmed either by her or her associates.



Other individuals charged include municipal lawyer Dmitry Baranovsky; the chief of the Physicians' Alliance NGO, Anastasia Vasilyeva; and a leading member of the Pussy Riot protest group, Maria Alyokhina.

They are currently either under house arrest or curfew.

Aleksei Navalny was arrested on January 17 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was treated for poisoning with a Novichok-type nerve agent that he says was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.



The Kremlin has denied any role in the incident, which was the latest of numerous attacks on Navalny.



More than 10,000 people were rounded up during nationwide rallies protesting Navalny's arrest organized in more than 100 Russian towns and cities on January 23 and January 31.



On February 2, Navalny was convicted of violating the terms of his suspended sentence related to an embezzlement case that he has called politically motivated. The remainder of Navalny's suspended sentence, 2 1/2 years, was then replaced with a real prison term.



That ruling sparked new protests that were also forcibly dispersed by police.



More than 1,400 people were detained by police in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other Russian cities during those demonstrations.
In his first media interview from the penal colony where he is being held, Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny discussed his life as a political prisoner, saying he was being forced to watch Russian state television and selected propaganda movies for more than eight hours a day.

Navalny is also spending much of his time sweeping the prison yard, reading letters in his cellblock, and visiting the mess for meals, with porridge often on the menu, the outspoken critic of the Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a written exchange of questions and answers with The New York Times, which published excerpts on August 25.

The entirety of the interview, which the newspaper said covers 54 handwritten pages, was published in Russian on Navalny's website.

Navalny, 45, fell violently ill one year ago while on a passenger flight in Siberia, forcing the plane into making an emergency landing where he was rushed to hospital. Days later, he was airlifted to a clinic in Berlin where doctors battled to save his life. It was later determined by several laboratories that he had been poisoned with a Soviet-style nerve agent.



Upon his return from Germany in January, Navalny was jailed for parole violations on what he says were politically motivated charges. The opposition politician has blamed Putin for the poisoning, while the Kremlin denies any involvement.

The experience of a political prisoner at Correctional Colony No. 3 (IK-3) in the Vladimir region east of Moscow is mostly psychological violence, with forced screen time playing a big role, Navalny wrote.

Reading, writing, sleeping, or doing anything else is prohibited during the five daily sessions of television watching for inmates.

You have to sit in a chair and watch TV.

He described the penal colony as something like a Chinese labor camp, where everybody marches in a line and where video cameras are hung everywhere.

Everything is organized so that I am under maximum control 24 hours a day, the Kremlin foe wrote.

Despite his ordeal, Navalny was upbeat about Russias future, calling the Putin regime a historical accident that is doomed to collapse.

Russia will move on to a democratic, European path of development. Simply because that is what the people want, he wrote.
MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin was in a generous and agreeable mood when he attended a congress of the ruling but reeling United Russia party just weeks ahead of nationwide legislative elections.



After he and party leaders considered a range of proposals on ways the pro-Kremlin party could move forward, Putin gave his stamp of approval to some new programs and sweetened others with federal funds.



"A pension increase of 1,000 rubles ($13.50) is not enough," he told delegates at the August 22 event in Moscow. "I propose additionally paying pensioners this year a one-time payment of 10,000 rubles ($135)."



It would only be fair, Putin added, to also give all military personnel and cadets, as well as law-enforcement officers, a one-off payment of 15,000 rubles ($200).



"Everyone should be equal, like in the banya," the Russian president quipped, explaining that the bonus would be the same for all ranks.



The president then suggested that his proposed new outlays, amounting to about 500 billion rubles ($6.7 billion), should be sorted out by the next government to ensure the funds are disbursed this year, leading to claims from critics and political opponents that the president was essentially bribing the financially vulnerable with a "vote us in and we will pay you later" scheme.



"This is an attempt by President Putin to somehow save the sinking rating of United Russia, to correct its negative image, which has developed because of the State Duma's work in recent years following the raising of retirement ages," Aleksandr Gnezdilov, a high-ranking member of the liberal Yabloko party, told RFE/RL's Russian Service on August 23.



With 450 State Duma seats, as well as some mayors and regional heads, scheduled to be determined when voting takes place on September 17-19, the ruling party is in dire straits.

According to the state-funded pollster VTsIOM, support for United Russia as of August 15 stood at just over 27 percent -- the lowest since 2006. The state-funded Public Opinion Foundation (FOM), meanwhile, placed the party's support at 30 percent.



The drop is widely attributed to public anger over the party's backing for unpopular pension reforms in 2018 that raised retirement ages, as well as the party's role in the adoption of constitutional amendments last year that could, among other things, extend Putin's presidency until 2036.



The ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its contributions to economic stagnation have not helped either. And while Putin's approval rating has also suffered -- falling below 60 percent before recovering slightly and then settling at its current 64 percent, according to the independent polling agency Levada -- he remains the man to turn to when the party needs direction.

While not a member of United Russia, Putin still campaigns for the party that rubber-stamps his initiatives through its current 336 seats in the 450-seat lower house. Doling out payments to military personnel and 29 million pension recipients -- the two groups together representing more than 40 percent of the country's electorate -- could be a powerful show of support.

Other Potential Incentives



The payments weren't the only thing he dangled in front of Russian voters who might be eying changes in the makeup of their government, whether by voting for candidates running against United Russia or simply not voting at all.



Putin rattled off a raft of other potential incentives during the congress: the creation of five new cities as part of a major Siberian development program floated by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was placed on United Russia's party list for the upcoming elections along with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in June; 45 billion rubles for emergency housing programs in the regions; 24 billion rubles to improve the ability to fight raging forest fires; and upgrades to Russia's aviation sector.

All of which, he said, should be supported by the party "in the 2022 budget and the planning period of 2023-24." He was apparently operating under the assumption that United Russia would still be in a ruling position at that time.



"I know that the ruling political force is always responsible for everything, for all the country's problems," said Putin, who in July signed a decree ordering support payments to families with children. "And this is always shifted onto your shoulders. But you have behaved responsibly so far, and the program has turned out to be executable."



Critics and a political opposition diminished by crackdowns on supporters of jailed rival Aleksei Navalny have cried foul, however.

'Sickening' And 'Outdated'

Many have questioned why -- if the Russian economy has "practically" recovered as both Putin and the Duma's Budget Committee head Andrei Makarov put it -- such incentives are needed now.



"If we consider these payments solely from an economic point of view, then they do not make any sense," the Russian political and business Telegram channel Kremlin Mamkoved wrote on August 24.



The Twitter account of Andrei Pivovarov, the jailed former executive director of the shuttered pro-democracy Open Russia movement, concluded that "United Russia has its own ideas about the election campaign: put competitors in jail and distribute money to the electorate."



Russian journalist Dmitry Kolezev cut to the quick, writing on his Telegram channel that it was clear that it was necessary "to appease the people on whom the regime relies" such as the military, police, and security agencies. "After all, what if they have to disperse any protest actions?" he asked sarcastically.



Andrei Zubov, a prominent historian and deputy chairman of the People's Freedom Party, said the whole thing was "sickening" and "outdated" and targeted people who grew up in the Soviet era and who were accustomed to being given something and then asked to give something in return.

"Unfortunately, the older generation is used to this, for them these handouts mean something," Zubov said, noting they deserve the money in the first place. "I think the younger generation is already different and does not need handouts as such. They want to build their own lives, earn money themselves, do business themselves.

Yabloko's Gnezdilov said even Putin's huge promises don't compensate for the money people lost when retirement ages were raised, the losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and the costs of propping up Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula -- which Russia annexed in 2014 -- and Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

"People will take the money," he told RFE/RL. "But I doubt very much whether they will change their opinion about United Russia and President Putin.

Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Michael Scollon based on interviews conducted in Moscow by RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Mikhail Sokolov.
The U.S. production company that runs RT's American operations has received more than $100 million in Russian government funding since 2016, according to public filings, the largest subsidy of any recipient in the United States of so-called "foreign agent" funding from any country over that period.



The Washington-based transparency organization Open Secrets compiled the figures from periodic filings made by the companies themselves under the Foreign Agent Registration Act, a decades-old law known as FARA that is enforced by the U.S. Justice Department.



In 2017, Russia Today, now rebranded as RT, was ordered to register under FARA by the Justice Department. The order was made in the wake of the findings by U.S. intelligence agencies that the channel was part of a broader campaign of Russian propaganda and interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.



The amount reported by Open Secrets is the bulk, but not the entire amount of spending on foreign lobbying and media in the United States from Russian government sources during that period.

Other U.S. entities that have received Russian government money classified as "foreign agent" funding include two radio stations -- one in the Washington D.C. suburbs, one in Kansas City -- that carry programming from Radio Sputnik, which is separate from RT but related. Additionally, RIA Global, which runs Sputnik, and a Washington lobbying firm, have also reported Russian government funding.



The company that runs RT's operations in the United States is called T&R Productions, which was first registered in Washington, D.C. in 2014.



The data from Open Secrets does not include years prior to 2017, since T&R Productions and other media and lobbying entities receiving Russian government funding had not registered under FARA and were not required to make filings with the Justice Department.

Largest Recipient



Since registering, T&R Productions has reported receiving $104,721,146 from its parent company, known as ANO TV-Novosti, according to Open Secrets, a figure that includes payments for the six-month period ending May 31, 2021. About half of that amount came in 2020.



That makes T&R the largest recipient of "foreign agent" designated funding in the United States during the period 2016-21, according to Open Secrets, which tracks political spending and lobbying in U.S. politics.



In second place was the government of the Marshall Islands.



The other U.S. entities receiving Russian government funding have received nearly $15 million between 2018 and 2021, with the funding channeled via an entity called Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency.

One of those companies, RM Broadcasting, bought airtime on an AM radio station not far from Washington, D.C. to broadcast Sputnik radio reports. The company, based in Florida, sued in federal court after it was ordered to make FARA filings by the Justice Department, saying its operations did meet the definition of FARA's requirements. But a U.S. judge later rejected that argument.



RT America is one of several divisions the company operates around the world. The main English-language channel, produced in Moscow, is RT International, but it also includes RT UK, which has an office in London, and Spanish- and Arabic-language operations, run from Moscow.



RT's overall budget has fluctuated over the years.



In 2017, the company was budgeted for around $300 million under the funding plan approved by the State Duma. This past June, the business newspaper Vedomosti reported that ANO TV-Novosti received about 27.4 billion rubles ($371 million) in government funding for 2020, and that the Finance Ministry planned to cut that amount slightly, to 27.3 billion rubles, for 2021.



RT has not disclosed data on the total number of employees, Vedomosti said.

In an e-mail to RFE/RL, RT's Deputy Editor In Chief Anna Belkina confirmed the Vedomosti figures were correct.



An e-mail sent to the principal behind T&R Productions, a man named Mikhail Solodovnikov, was not immediately answered.

Regulatory Scrutiny

RT's British operation has fallen afoul of the country's media regulator, Ofcom, in the past. In 2019, the channel was fined 200,000 pounds ($274,295) for what the regulator said was flawed reporting on the 2018 near-fatal poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

RT's German-language operations have also come under close scrutiny in Berlin. The channel, which is produced online from Moscow, has sought a license from German regulators for a regular broadcast channel, but some lawmakers and government agencies have blocked the effort.



RT also has a video agency based in Germany called Ruptly, which in turn has invested in a California media company called Maffick, which produces catchy digital content for social media, like short explainer videos, as well as podcasts.



The Open Secrets figures come as Russia itself has stepped up enforcement of its own "foreign agent" law, targeting a growing number of media outlets and nongovernmental organizations.



The law is set up to target media, NGOs, and individuals that receive funding from outside of Russia.



On August 20, TV Dozhd, an independent news channel, and Vazhniye Istoriye, an investigative news site, were added to the list.

However, Dozhd, which says its advertisers are wholly Russian, not foreign, was targeted because it printed, or broadcast, material from other designated foreign agents, according to Meduza, a Latvian-based news site that has also been designated a foreign agent.



To date, 43 entities and individuals have been designated as foreign agents in Russia, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and several of its Russian-language news sites, including its flagship Russian-language channel, Current Time.
Russia has launched a probe into what it called "ecocide" over Ukraine's decision to suspend water deliveries to Russia-annexed Crimea.

Ukraine suspended freshwater deliveries to Crimea after Moscow annexed the peninsula in 2014 by sending troops and staging a referendum that was rejected by Ukraine and at least 100 countries.

Russia's Investigative Committee said on August 24 that a probe has been launched against unidentified individuals "located on Ukraine's territory and standing against the reunification of Crimea with Russia," who started construction of a dam on the Dnipro River in Ukraine's Kherson region in April 2014, blocking freshwater deliveries to Crimea.

Kyiv, which has not commented on Russia's accusation, has said that water deliveries will be resumed after Russia returns Crimea under Ukraine's control.

According to the Investigative Committee, the suspension of water deliveries to Crimea from Ukraine via the North Crimean Canal hit agricultural lands, increased the salt level in the waters of the Gulf of Sivash, and negatively affected the health of Crimea residents.

Last year, Russia-imposed authorities in Crimea had to introduce water-rationing in some towns and cities in the peninsula as the availability of clean drinking water became an issue.
Police in Sri Lanka say they have dropped more than half of the charges against three Russian citizens accused of illegally killing and collecting endangered wildlife.



Ivan Melnikov, the vice president of the Russian branch of the International Committee for Human Rights, said on August 25 that 175 of 277 charges have been dropped on the urging of Russian diplomats, rights activists, and lawyers in the ongoing trial that started almost a year ago.



Aleksandr Ignatenko, an entomologist from Rostov-on-Don, along with his associates Artyom Ryabov and Nikolai Kilafyan, were detained in Sri Lanka in February last year and accused of illegally collecting 33 species of rare and endangered plants, insects, and small animals in Sri Lanka.



According to Melnikov, even with the number of charges being significantly reduced, the three men still face sentences of up to 20 years -- about half of what they previously faced -- in prison if found guilty.



The three have pleaded not guilty, insisting they collected only dead insects from the roadside in order to photograph them. They also say they did not plan to take the samples out of Sri Lanka.



The Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences has said that most of the samples collected by the three men were not endangered species.

Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS
DUSHANBE -- Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has expressed his vision of the future government of Afghanistan under the Taliban's control, saying that Dushanbe wants to see all ethnic groups in the country represented in the next cabinet.

During talks with visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Dushanbe on August 25, Rahmon said the most important issue for his country is the safety and rights of Afghanistan's ethnic Tajiks, who, according to the Tajik presidential service, make up almost half of the country's population.

Afghanistan In Turmoil: Full Coverage On Gandhara Read RFE/RL's Gandhara website for complete coverage of the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan. Gandhara is the go-to source for English-language reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi and its network of journalists, and by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, which offers extensive coverage of Pakistan's remote tribal regions.

While no reliable current data on ethnicity in Afghanistan exists to back up Rahmon's claim, the group Minority Rights says previous estimates have shown ethnic Tajiks comprise about 27 percent of Afghanistan's population, while ethnic Uzbeks make up 9 percent, and Turkmen 3 percent. The largest group, Pashtuns, are just over 40 percent of the populace.

Taliban militants have taken control of almost all of Afghanistan, including Kabul, the capital, after the United States started the withdrawal of its troops from the country. The situation caused chaos, as thousands of Afghans started looking for possibilities to leave the country.

The Tajik presidential press service also said that Rahmon emphasized that Dushanbe will not recognize a government "created by humiliation and ignoring the interests of the people of Afghanistan as a whole, including those of ethnic minorities, such as Tajiks, Uzbeks, and others."

"For the nearest solution to all of the political problems and security issues [in Afghanistan], an inclusive government with the participation of all ethnic minorities, especially the Tajiks of Afghanistan, must be reached as quickly as possible," Rahmon said, adding that the political system in Afghanistan should be defined via a referendum.

In recent weeks, hundreds of Afghans have fled to Tajikistan and neighboring Uzbekistan as the Taliban offensive raised concerns of large refugee flows.

Last week, the U.S. State Department said Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are among countries that have already begun or will soon begin transiting Americans, or in some circumstances others, through their territories."

Russia, a major ally to many countries in the region, has questioned U.S. intentions, saying Washington is "forcing" Afghans on Central Asian nations.

Other transit countries include Bahrain, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published by the Ohio History Connection. Richland Source has entered into a collaborative agreement with the Ohio History Connection to share content across our sites.

GEORGETOWN, Ohio -- The U.S. Grant boyhood home in Georgetown, Ohio was the home of Ulysses S. Grant, 18th president of the United States.

He lived there from 1823, when Grant was 1 year old, until 1839, when he left to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

Grant lived in this home longer than any other house during his lifetime. Visit the website of this attraction here.

Built in 1823, additions to the home were made in 1825 and 1828, and many more times after it was sold in 1840's.

Designated a National Historic Landmark, it opened for visitors in 1982. Today it is the property of the Ohio History Connection, while the museum is staff and maintained by the Homestead Association.

In 1976, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Georgetowns nationally-known wildlife artist, John Ruthven, and his late wife, Judy, who was an active preservationist, bought the Grant Boyhood Home in 1977 to ensure its future. Slated for demolition in the in the early 1980's, the property was saved by the Ruthvens.

The Ruthvens restored and furnished the house, with one room dedicated to Grant memorabilia, and added a wing to the rear for exhibit space. It has been open to visitors since 1982 when it was named a National Historic Landmark, the highest designation awarded to historic properties by the federal government.

In 2002, the Ruthvens donated the Grant Boyhood Home to the State of Ohio, which placed it under the auspices of the Ohio History Connection. A multi-year $1.4 million restoration of the Grant Boyhood Home was completed in 2013.

The U.S. Grant Boyhood Home & Schoolhouse are locally managed by the Ulysses S. Grant Homestead Association.

School House

The two-room school attended by Ulysses was built in 1829 and served as Georgetown's one-room schoolhouse for over 20 years until it was replaced in 1852.

The building became Ohio History Connection property in 1941, and it is now regularly staffed, and can be toured with the homestead.

Visit

Explore young Ulysses S. Grants life by visiting the school he attended and his boyhood home, restored to its 1839 appearance, the year Grant left for West Point.

At this National Historic Landmark, hear from the young man himself as he describes growing up in rural Ohio and learn how his early days formed the character of a future general and president. Average visit time: Allow 1+ hours.
Richmond, KY (40475)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 54F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

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Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 54F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Written By

Joe Schulz served as the reporter of the Green Laker in 2019 and 2020, before being hired as a reporter for the Commonwealth in October 2020. He is from Oshkosh and graduated from UW-Oshkosh in December with a bachelor's degree in journalism.

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Rocky Mount, NC (27804)

Today

Variable clouds with showers and scattered thunderstorms. Storms more numerous this evening. Low 66F. WSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Variable clouds with showers and scattered thunderstorms. Storms more numerous this evening. Low 66F. WSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Roanoke Rapids, NC (27870)

Today

An isolated thunderstorm possible this evening, then occasional showers overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 63F. SW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

An isolated thunderstorm possible this evening, then occasional showers overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 63F. SW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Rutland, VT (05701)

Today

Rain likely. Low 54F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

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Rain likely. Low 54F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Danvers, MA (01923)

Today

Periods of rain. Rain may be heavy late. Low 61F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected..

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Periods of rain. Rain may be heavy late. Low 61F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
Danvers, MA (01923)

Today

Periods of rain. Rain becoming heavy at times overnight. Low 61F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Rain becoming heavy at times overnight. Low 61F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
Sanford, NC (27330)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Scarsdale, NY (10583)

Today

Thunderstorms, some heavy this evening, then periods of rain late. A few storms may be severe. Low near 60F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Thunderstorms, some heavy this evening, then periods of rain late. A few storms may be severe. Low near 60F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected.
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Pluto is a frigid world located billions of miles from Earth and is 30 times less massive than Mercury. According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), Pluto has five satellites whose largest moon, called Charon, measures half its size. The view of the Solar System changed since the discovery of Pluto in what was called the transneptunian region, an area beyond Neptune.

But with so many Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) in that region, astronomers also found some more massive objects than Pluto. With that being said, members of the IAU begin to ask themselves what could constitute a "planet"?

Pluto Demoted 15 Years Ago

The IAU is responsible for naming planetary bodies and their moons since the early 20th century. IAU President Ron Ekers explains that the union establishes conventions intended to help understand astronomical objects and their processes.

They created committees that gather information from a broad scientific interest with insights from astronomers, planetary scientists, science publishers, and historians. The union's Planet Definition Committee was formed and prepared a draft resolution that explains the true definition of a planet.

By 2006, in the IAU General Assembly in Prague, the new definition of a planet slowly took shape. Then on August 14, 2006, the new definition was voted at the Closing Ceremony wherein its members voted that the resolution on the definition of a planet in the Solar System will be changed, leaving Pluto out.

According to Space.com, researcher Mike Brown from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) remarked that the decision had rendered Pluto dead. Finally, there are only eight official planets in the Solar System.

The decision was made after 424 astronomers voted in favor of the resolution. Alan Stern, leader of NASA's New Horizon's mission to Pluto, said that he is embarrassed for astronomy with only less than 5% of the world's astronomers voted. Stern told Space.com that the definition stinks for technical reasons.

Other astronomers have criticized the decision as well. However, science is not sentimental. It does not care whether many people are fond of it or whatever mnemonics children have learned in school. The revision has enabled many scientists to learn more about the Solar System and the universe.

ALSO READ: Pluto at 91: How Did Clyde Tombaugh Discover This Dwarf Planet?





What is a Planet?

It was 15 years ago when Pluto was demoted when the IAU released a new definition of what constitutes a planet. As Science News reported, the IAU's definition of a planet required that an astronomical body to (1) orbit the sun, (2) have enough mass to be spherical or close to that, and (3) have a clear neighborhood in its orbit.

Astronomical objects that meet the first and second criteria but not the third criterion will not pass as a planet. This is the case with Pluto, which is now designated as one of the "dwarf planets" in the Solar System.

Astronomer Catherine Cesarsky of CEA Saclay in France, whos IAU president in 2006, said that she believes the decision was the correct one, noting the oddness of Pluto from the eight planets would make it difficult to keep up with the changing number of solar system planets where more massive objects than Neptune were being discovered.

She clarified that the definition was not intended to demote Pluto but rather to promote a prototype of new astronomical objects in the Solar System that have great importance and interest.

RELATED ARTICLE: Unsolved Mystery: Scientists are Still Debating Whether Pluto is a Planet or Not



Check out more news and information on Pluto in Science Times.
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A form of biofuel found in hazelnut shells can be a new renewable energy source - using various thermochemical processes to extract oils from the waste material.

Researchers from the Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Machinery Sciences describe the new extracting biofuel from this renewable resource. This waste product remains after the hazelnut has been husked and used for a variety of applications. It uses different methods like gasification, liquefaction, and pyrolysis to generate a new renewable energy source that can also be used for a host of applications.

The new work, titled "Turning Hazelnut Shells into Potential Renewable Energy Source," details the Chinese researchers' work regarding the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of wood vinegar and tar fraction - materials in the biofuel extracted from hazelnut shells subjected to pyrolysis at 400 to 1000 degrees Celsius (752 to 1832 degrees Fahrenheit). The new study appears in the Journal for Renewable and Sustainable Energy, published August 24.

ALSO READ: Birnessite Reexamined: 'Classic" Material Finds New Potential for Electrochemistry, Energy





Finding a New Use for Hazelnut Shells and Its Byproducts

Wood vinegar, a liquid substance extracted from the processing residual hazelnut shells, is traditionally used as a natural insect repellent, fertilizer plant growth inhibitor, or promoter and can also be used as a wood preservative deodorizer and additive to livestock feed.

Researchers found that the wood vinegar and the tar fraction leftover from the renewable resource processing contained the most phenolic substances, providing grounds for the team to examine its antioxidant properties. To do this, the team behind the new study used a tube furnace pyrolysis reactor. Researchers ground and sieved their samples to a powdered form about 75 to 380 micrometers wide using hazelnut shells from Liaoning Province, China. They then loaded a 20-gram sample of the renewable resource onto the reactor's quartz tube waiting area. The reactor was heated, and when it stabilized at the target temperature, the hazelnut shells were moved to the reaction region, heating it for 20 minutes. According to the US Department of Agriculture Research Service, this process is called pyrolysis, heating a biomass material without oxygen.

Biochar, the resulting charcoal-like material from the process, was measured as the ratio of the generated pyrolytic char to the original biomass weight. On the other hand, the yielded biofuel from hazelnut shells was computed from the additional weight on the condenser.

Extracting Biofuel from a Potentially Renewable Energy Source

Researchers then separated the two byproducts of the renewable resource using a centrifuge, which separated the wood vinegar from the tar fraction based on their respective densities. The aqueous material was the wood vinegar, while the stationary substance was the tar fraction after the process. Researchers then refrigerated both materials for the next set of processes and analysis.

They uncovered the effect of the set pyrolysis temperature on the yield and the physicochemical properties of the wood vinegar and tar fraction in the extracted biofuel. With this information, future researchers now have a reference for examining further applications of hazelnut shell pyrolysis and further studies on wood vinegar and tar fraction extracted from the bio-oil.

"After these results, wood vinegar and tar obtained from residual hazelnut shells could be considered as potential source of renewable energy dependent on their own characteristics," said Liu Xifeng, one of the study authors, in a feature article from the Journal for Renewable and Sustainable Energy.

RELATED ARTICLE: Lasers Can Now Measure Biomass in Giant Redwoods

Check out more news and information on Biomass in Science Times.
Parents of students at Seattle Public Schools (SPS) are circulating a new petition asking the district to prioritize lunch outdoors to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

With the current surge in cases driven by the more-transmissible delta variant and slowing vaccination rates, the petition is demanding that SPS provides resources for all schools in the district to have outside-only mealtimes before classes start in a matter of weeks.

"Until a vaccine is available for children under 12, universal masking and limited indoor exposure are the best methods we have to protect our children and accomplish our goal of safe, in-person learning," reads the petition. "Outdoor lunches are a feasible, impactful safety strategy that we should be prioritizing for ALL students regardless of the school they attend."

Currently, the guidelines call for students to wash hands before and after lunch and temporarily remove masks only while actively eating and drinking. Other prevention strategies implemented at lunch include staggering seating so students are not directly facing each other, maximizing air flow with HEPA filters, limiting talking to times when masks are on and assigning seats or fixed seating groups to support contact tracing.

But each school's plan will look different given the layout of the buildings. As of Tuesday, nearly a quarter of the district's 113 schools have requested tents for outdoor seating at mealtimes. The district said that individual schools would provide more information to parents about mealtime plans and prevention strategies.

"We are looking at multiple spaces to use across the campus including some flow out into outdoor spaces if we can't maximize [physical distancing] to the fullest extent inside the building," said Assistant Deputy Superintendent Carri Campbell in a virtual town hall meeting Tuesday.

Earlier in the month, school officials ensured that classes for the upcoming academic year were set to start on time. Classes for students in grades 1-12 are scheduled to begin on Sept. 1, while kindergarteners and preschoolers are slated to start classes on Sept. 9. But with the current increase in COVID-19 cases, some parents have expressed concern about the return, especially as children under 12 are still not eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

"We have two weeks until school begins and time is tight, but we've seen SPS adjust plans quickly in the past, and we have confidence we can do so again," the petition states.

Last week, Gov. Jay Inslee announced a new mandate that made COVID-19 vaccination a condition of employment for teachers and other school personnel in the state. Both the state's teacher's union, the Washington Education Association (WEA), and the National Education Association have signaled support for the mandate.

While exemptions for religious and medical reasons will be permitted under the new order, Inslee dismissed the idea that a mandate would create a shortage of teachers.

"These are dedicated people, and there's simply no reason to abandon a career when you've got a safe, effective vaccine available to you," Inslee said. "We're confident that the vast majority of people will make that decision."
At a time when COVID-19 vaccines are widely available for people over 12, state health experts say cases in Washington have nearly quadrupled since July and fear hospitalizations have reached an all-time high.



This pandemic is not slowing down, said state Health Secretary Umair Shah during a Wednesday news briefing. If anything, it has sped up.



Data from the departments latest COVID situation report shows that the state was averaging 2,262 new cases a week on Aug. 6. Washington was averaging just 375 cases per week on July 3. The Aug. 6 weekly average is only hundreds of cases fewer than the states peak weekly average  2,941  set in January of this year.



The numbers for average hospitalizations are just as grim.



On July 3, roughly 30 people a week were admitted to a hospital with COVID. By Aug. 6, that number was 96. But that data is weeks old, and state officials say the number of weekly hospital admissions has likely eclipsed the January 2021 apex of 116 admissions per week.



Hospitals throughout our state are full and are at the highest levels of occupancy that our state has ever seen, said Steve Mitchell, the emergency room director at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. This means that many, many patients are waiting in emergency departments for a long period of time before getting a bed in the hospital.



Health experts at Wednesdays briefing were very clear about whats driving the surge: Not enough people in Washington are vaccinated, and that makes them more susceptible to the highly contagious and highly dangerous Delta variant of the coronavirus.



They cited stats to back up that assertion: 96% of the states new COVID cases are linked to the Delta variant, and 95% of those now in Washington hospitals were not vaccinated against the virus when admitted, they said.

In just a couple of months, the Delta variant has ravaged our state. It has preyed particularly on those who are unvaccinated, Shah said. Those unvaccinated persons, unfortunately, have largely driven our rising cases and hospitalizations.



Currently, 54% of Washington residents are fully vaccinated.



During Wednesdays briefing, Mitchell illustrated the strain that the dramatic spike in hospitalizations has placed on Washingtons health care system. He described a situation in which a severely ill man arrived at a hospital in Western Washington and was immediately put on a ventilator. Health care workers were unable to find an open intensive care unit bed in Washington after hours of searching and the man was eventually sent to Idaho for treatment.



There is one silver lining in the states latest batch of COVID data: Despite rising cases and hospitalizations, the number of deaths has remained stagnant. Average weekly deaths peaked in January of this year at 32. Since March, that figure has oscillated between five and ten. By July 30, Washington was seeing an average of six deaths per week.



Recognizing the damage the Delta variant could do to Washington if left unchecked, state leaders have taken significant steps in combating the virus. Gov. Jay Inslee has made vaccination a condition of employment for hundreds of thousands of workers in Washingtons state agencies, schools and private-sector health care facilities. Affected employees have until Oct. 18 to be fully vaccinated; if they choose not to, they could be fired.



The governor also reinstated a statewide mask mandate for indoor public settings. That went into effect Monday.
WASHINGTON (AP)  House Democrats have passed legislation that would strengthen a landmark civil rights-era voting law weakened by the Supreme Court over the past decade, a step party leaders tout as progress in their quest to fight back against voting restrictions advanced in Republican-led states.

The bill, which is part of a broader Democratic effort to enact a sweeping overhaul of elections, was approved on a 219-212 vote, with no Republican support. Its Tuesday passage was praised by President Joe Biden, who said it would protect a sacred right and called on the Senate to send this important bill to my desk.

But the measure faces dim prospects in that chamber, where Democrats do not have enough votes to overcome opposition from Senate Republicans, who have rejected the bill as unnecessary and a Democratic power grab.

That bottleneck puts Democrats right back where they started with a slim chance of enacting any voting legislation before the 2022 midterm elections, when some in the party fear new GOP laws will make it harder for many Americans to vote.

But they still intend to try.

Speaking from the House floor, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it was imperative for Congress to counteract the Republican efforts, which she characterized as dangerous" and anti-democratic.

"Democracy is under attack from what is the worst voter suppression campaign in America since Jim Crow, Pelosi said.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, named for the late Georgia congressman who made the issue a defining one of his career, would restore voting rights protections that have been dismantled by the Supreme Court. Under the proposal, the Justice Department would again police new changes to voting laws in states that have racked up a series of violations," drawing them into a mandatory review process known as preclearance.

The practice was first put in place under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But it was struck down by a conservative majority on the Supreme Court in 2013, which ruled the formula for determining which states needed their laws reviewed was outdated and unfairly punitive. The court did, however, say that Congress could come up with a new formula, which is what the bill does.

A second ruling from the court in July made it more difficult to challenge voting restrictions in court under another section of the law.

The bills sponsor, Rep. Terri Sewell, said old battles have indeed become new again, enabled by the Supreme Courts rulings.

While literacy tests and poll taxes no longer exist, certain states and local jurisdictions have passed laws that are modern day barriers to voting, said Sewell, an Alabama Democrat.

In many cases, the new bill wouldn't apply to laws enacted in the years since the court's 2013 ruling. That likely includes the wave of new Republican-backed restrictions inspired by Donald Trump's false claims of a stolen 2020 election.

But if signed into law along with Democrats' other election bill, the For the People Act, many of those restrictions could be neutralized  and likely prevented from getting approved again. Both laws would likely face legal challenges.

In the short term, the vote Tuesday was expected to soothe restive Democratic activists who have been frustrated by inaction on the issue in the Senate.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson said he was encouraged by the bill's passage. But he also offered a thinly veiled threat, pledging to watch closely as the Senate takes it up and keep track of every yea and every nay" vote.

Make no mistake, we will be there, on the ground in 2022, in every state that needs a new Senator, he said in a statement.

Democrats' slim 50-50 majority in the Senate means they lack the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. For months, progressives have called for scrapping the filibuster, but a number of moderate Democrats oppose the idea, denying the votes needed to do so.

It's also not clear that the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, as written, would be supported by all Democrats in the Senate, where there are no votes to spare.

One provision in the bill would ban many types of voter ID laws, including those already on the books. That's at odds with a proposal from West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who is the chamber's most conservative Democrat. He's spent weeks working with Senate leadership to develop a more narrowly focused alternative to the For the People Act, and has specifically called for a voter ID standard that would allow for people to use a document like a utility bill.

Republicans, meanwhile, blasted the timing of the measure, noting that Pelosi called Democrats back from August recess to pass the bill, as well as to take votes on Democrats' spending priorities, when the U.S. is dealing with its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"If theres any moment in time to put an election aside, if theres any moment of time to put politics aside I would have thought today was this day, said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Conservatives also criticized the bill as a departure from the 1965 voting law, which used minority turnout data as well as a place's history of enacting discriminatory voting laws when determining which places would be subject to preclearance.

The new bill, instead, leans heavily on looser standards, such as using the number of legal settlements and consent decrees issued in voting rights cases, to pull places into preclearance.

That would, Republicans argue, play into the hands of Democrats, who have built a sophisticated and well-funded legal effort to challenge voting rules in conservative-leaning states.

Rep. Michelle Fischbach, a Minnesota Republican, predicted it would be a boon for Democratic advocacy groups and trial lawyers, who would file as many objections as possible to manufacture litigation.

It empowers the attorney general to bully states and seek federal approval before making changes to their own voting laws, she said.

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This story has been corrected to show Rep. Fischbach is a Minnesota Republican, not from Iowa.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  A growing number of school districts in South Carolina are defying a provision from state lawmakers banning mandatory face coverings for students.

But not all are following suit. Many districts remain afraid that the General Assembly will withhold state budget money if they defy the order that was passed mostly along party lines in June, when the state was seeing 20 times fewer new COVID-19 cases.

With the latest surge of coronavirus cases upon them, some lawmakers are having second thoughts about that vote. They and many school leaders are hoping a state Supreme Court challenge to the rule will settle the issue. And yet there is no indication when the justices might rule  or that their decision will provide clarity.

I think this is a big deal, and we need all the information on the table before we make this decision, Beaufort County School Board member Ingrid Boatright said Monday before successfully asking the board to delay requiring masks amid the uncertainty.

School districts in Colleton, Marlboro, Chester and Florence have decided to require masks, at least for now. Charleston County schools passed a mask mandate, but then told schools they could not punish students who didn't wear face coverings.

To help districts skirt the state order, both the capital of Columbia and surrounding Richland County passed their own mask mandates for all children under 12 in schools. But some districts in the county, including Lexington-Richland 5, have rejected mask requirements for any students in school or day care.

Even if some lawmakers wanted to now repeal the ban, leaders have said there arent enough Republicans ready to undo the previous 71-37 vote in favor of it.

The COVID-19 pandemic was in a much different place when that vote was taken by the House on June 9: South Carolina was averaging about 150 new COVID-19 cases a day. The state is now averaging 3,600 new cases a day, a pace that shows no signs of slowing. After seeing only two or three virus-related deaths a day in midsummer, the state is now averaging 25 a day.

Attorneys for Richland School District 2 sued the state last week. They are asking Supreme Court justices to allow mask mandates immediately while they consider whether the General Assembly overstepped its authority when it included a non-monetary issue in a budget bill that is supposed to be limited to spending.

On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit saying the ban on masks in South Carolina schools prevents vulnerable students from attending class and disproportionately affects those with underlying health conditions or disabilities.

Republican state Education Superintendent Molly Spearman said schools should be able to require masks. She has been joined this month by the states health agency, pediatrician organizations, House Democrats, teachers groups, an association of school board members and a group of two Democratic and two Republican state senators, among others.

The state's most visible opponent to mask mandates is Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who has repeatedly said that parents should decide whether children wear masks. The governor has suggested that face coverings dont stop COVID-19s spread and harm children from learning and socializing. Public health officials nationwide have said repeatedly that masks can help stop the virus's spread.

In a presentation to the board of the Department of Health and Environmental Control last week, two top public health and infectious disease experts also noted that masks dont reduce the amount of oxygen children breathe or prevent them from interacting with teachers and friends.

McMaster has not changed his mind.

Parents know what impact wearing a mask in school has on those children better than anyone else, he said in a clip sent out by his office on Twitter about five hours after the board meeting.

The governor also said in the clip that bureaucrats in Washington are making a drastic error with mask mandates.

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Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.

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Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Hundreds of supporters of a Republican-backed bill that would prohibit employers from requiring workers to receive vaccinations descended on the Ohio Statehouse on Tuesday as lawmakers heard a single additional day of testimony on the closely watched proposal.

While speakers before the GOP-controlled House Health Committee were evenly divided between those for and against the measure, supporters far outnumbered them on the Statehouse grounds.

Hundreds rallied outside ahead of time carrying signs with slogans such as Enact Vaccine Choice and No To Forced Vaccines!, then crowded into the Statehouse atrium to watch the hearing live on large-screen TVs, applauding speakers who favored the legislation and laughing at those who didn't.

Just minutes after the committee wrapped up Tuesday, Ohio State University announced it would require all students, faculty and staff to complete the full vaccination process by Nov. 15. President Kristina Johnson pegged the decision to the Food and Drug Administration's decision Monday to grant full approval to the Pfizer vaccine. Ohio State is one of the country's largest universities and a major Columbus employer.

The requirement, on top of Ohio State's mask mandate, provides the best chance of continuing to enjoy the traditions that we love throughout the academic year with higher vaccination rates in our campus community, Johnson said.

Earlier in the day, supporters told the Health Committee they questioned the vaccine's effectiveness and emphasized over and over that individual choice should outweigh a government or private employer's ability to require the vaccine.

We believe that if somebody wants to take the vaccine, thats great. Let them take the vaccine, said nurse Paige Stemen. But nobody should be forced to take the vaccine. I think everybody should have that choice.

Brian Latham, who said he was testifying as a father of three, questioned receiving a vaccine that has not been tested for long-term side effects.

So all of a sudden were supposed to roll up our sleeves to take a vaccine that has never been on the market before? he said.

Similarly, bill supporter Angie King said that without long term studies of the vaccines, I will not be an American lab rat for the CDC or Big Pharma.

The legislation has attracted opponents of COVID-19 vaccines but does not mention the coronavirus. Instead, it addresses mandatory requirements for all vaccines, such as for the flu.

The legislation would also prevent employees from being fired as a result of refusing to get vaccinated and would allow them to sue their employers if they felt they had been wrongly dismissed.

The Health Committee has received more than 1,000 submissions about the bill, ranging from people who fear COVID-19 and choose to be vaccinated to people who fear losing their job for refusing to be vaccinated, said Chairman Scott Lipps, a southwestern Ohio Republican.

Everybody's voice has been heard, Lipps said, before cautioning witnesses to avoid rude or bullying comments.

Opponents included Dr. Emily Miller, a pediatrician and mother of four, who said the legislation if passed would exacerbate the current health crisis and add to the strain children's hospitals are currently under because of an uptick of non-coronavirus respiratory illnesses this summer.

The bill will make our current situation even worse and Im asking you please do not pass it, Miller said.

Another opponent, employment lawyer Sara Jodka, warned of unintended consequences if the bill becomes law, saying employees will begin challenging other workplace requirements they disagree with, such as mandatory drug tests.

If enacted, the bill will make government a super HR department over our employers, telling them what they can and cannot do to protect their own workforces, Jodka warned.

Debate over the legislation achieved national notoriety in June when a doctor testified before the committee that people have become magnetized by the vaccine, allowing metal to stick to their skin. That has not happened.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a bulletin June 3 specifically debunking this falsehood, explaining that all COVID-19 vaccines are free from metals.

Backers, including bill sponsor Rep. Jennifer Gross, say vaccinations should be a personal choice.

Opponents of the bill include hospitals, state associations of doctors and nurses, and other health care groups that say the measure could reverse decades of protection against preventable diseases such as measles, mumps, hepatitis, meningitis and tuberculosis. Both the Ohio Manufacturers' Association and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce are also opposed.

Lawmakers should not be micromanaging businesses as they try to keep their employees safe, chamber president and CEO Steve Stivers said last week.

No legislator can claim to be pro-business and at the same time support efforts to restrict an employers ability to manage their workplace free from government interference," said Stivers, a former Republican state lawmaker and U.S. congressman.

The fate of the bill in its current form is unclear. House Speaker Bob Cupp, a Lima Republican, said Monday that the committee chairman was instructed to hold one additional hearing  the one on Tuesday  without scheduling a vote or making changes.

Hearings will then stop "while we work with the chairman, the bills sponsor, and all interested parties on this important issue, Cupp and the rest of the House GOP leadership said in a statement.

GOP Gov. Mike DeWine also opposes the legislation, calling it a very, very serious mistake, that, in the case of hospitals, would strip their authority to decide how to keep patients safe.

Last month, however, DeWine signed a bill into law prohibiting public schools and colleges from requiring individuals to receive vaccines not granted full approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The governor had urged the FDA to grant such approval, which it did on Monday for the coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer.

The anti-vaccination mandate bill before the House Health Committee also strengthens notices that schools must provide parents about exemptions they can seek against having their children vaccinated. In addition, the bill would repeal a state law requiring college students to disclose whether they have been vaccinated against hepatitis B and meningococcal meningitis.

A new law in Montana is the only measure that similarly bans employer-required vaccinations, though it permits health care facilities to require unvaccinated workers and those who refuse to disclose their vaccination status to wear masks and take other precautions.

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Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
OnlyFans says it has suspended a plan to ban sexually explicit content following an outcry from its creators and advocates for sex workers.

The subscription site said in a prepared statement Wednesday that the planned ban was no longer required due to banking partners assurances that OnlyFans can support all genres of creators" and declined to answer further questions.

OnlyFans had said last Thursday that it would ban explicit content starting Oct. 1, blaming policies of banks and payment processors for the policy change. The new rules are necessary to comply with the requirements of these financial institutions and are the only way to help ensure the long-term sustainability of OnlyFans, the company said in a message to users last week.

OnlyFans has become famous as a place where sex workers can get paid in a safer way as well as a space for celebrities to interact with fans.

Last week's abrupt change upset the sites creators, many of whom threatened to move to another website. A lot of sex workers joined OnlyFans during the pandemic when in-person venues shut down or became more dangerous because of COVID-19. The site has been tremendously lucrative for some people, allowing them to earn thousands every month. OnlyFans says it has 130 million users and 2 million creators who have collectively earned $5 billion.

Lacy Lennon, who says she makes tens of thousands of dollars a month from OnlyFans charging $100 a minute for custom videos, remains skeptical on the ban reversal. What's scary is what's the safety on this? How do we know it won't happen again?"

There are other sites where people can pay for porn, and a crop of new ones started trying to lure upset OnlyFans creators. Rapper Tyga was promoting his plans for a new platform called myystar in media interviews after OnlyFans announced their ban, saying, Were not putting a limit to any content that you do.

Weve been in the adult industry for 20 years and were tired of seeing sex workers get bullied and exploited by the platforms that make the money off them, said Mattie McCoy, whose Nevada company is also developing a site that could offer an alternative to OnlyFans for sex workers, called Naughty Popcorn.

Advocates had criticized OnlyFans planned ban, saying they were concerned it would push people into more dangerous street-based sex work. They say taking away a safer virtual space and cutting peoples income makes them more vulnerable to the risk of being trafficked.

Not having the online outlet is going to hinder and harm a lot of people. Online is much safer, particularly for trans and gender nonconforming folks, said LaLa Zannell, the ACLUs trans justice campaign manager who leads the rights groups effort to decriminalize sex work.

The online porn industry is changing amid concerns about sex trafficking and the exploitation of minors. Two 2018 laws, the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act and the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, were meant to stop sex trafficking online, and led some spaces to shut down. But many sex workers say these changes have also made their jobs more dangerous.

Elected officials had also raised concerns about OnlyFans. A bipartisan group of over 100 members of Congress called on the Justice Department to investigate OnlyFans earlier in August, saying the site was a major marketplace for sexual videos with children in them. The letter cited anti-porn group National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which has its origins in the faith-based group Morality in Media, as a source, as well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Sex workers and their advocates say conservative and religious groups are trying to erase sex from the internet under the guise of combating sex trafficking and child pornography.

The only reason theyre going after porn sites is because theyre ideologically opposed to sexual content, said Cathy Reisenwitz, a writer and OnlyFans creator who makes between $1,600 and $3,500 a month on the site. Trafficking and porn are totally different.

OnlyFans CEO Tim Stokely blamed banks such as Bank of New York Mellon for the planned ban in an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, saying they refuse the site's business.

Adult-content companies have to navigate higher fees and requirements from financial companies beyond what most retailers encounter; others won't touch it. Both Mastercard and Visa last year began blocking customers from using credit cards on Pornhub after accusations that the site had videos of rape and underage sex. American Express cards, meanwhile, cant be used on online pornography. Stripe wont process adult content.

I want to be optimistic, but Im very skeptical, said Phoenix Calida, an OnlyFans creator who works with nonprofit advocacy group Sex Workers Outreach Project USA. It seems as though OF changed without consulting sex workers, and Ive not seen anything that indicates that they understand why thats a problem.

Calida hopes the reversal stays, but added I am worried that the company still doesnt seem to think it needs to consult sex workers before policy changes instead of responding to criticism after.

The anti-porn group, NCOSE, said it remains steadfast in holding OnlyFans accountable for enabling abuse and exploitation and called its age verification process useless in practice.

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Associated Press writers Barbara Ortutay and Ken Sweet contributed to this story.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Poland and Belgium ended their evacuations from Afghanistan, but other European nations vowed Wednesday to press on for as long as possible, as the clock ticks down on a dramatic airlift of people fleeing Taliban rule ahead of a full American withdrawal.

President Joe Biden said he will stick to his Aug. 31 deadline for completing the U.S. pullout, as the Taliban insisted he must, ramping up pressure on the already risky operation to fly people out of Kabul.

European allies pressed for more time but, as a practical matter, will need to end their evacuations before the last American troops leave. Several countries have not said when they plan to end their operations, perhaps hoping to avoid yet another fatal crush at an airport, one of the last ways out of the country.

The Taliban wrested back control of Afghanistan nearly 20 years after they were ousted in a U.S.-led invasion following the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida orchestrated while being sheltered by the group. Their return to power has pushed many Afghans to flee, fearing reprisals and a possible return to their brutal rule.

It's not clear if the thousands of people still thought to be trying to leave will succeed. But any decision by Biden to stay longer could reignite fighting between the Taliban and Western troops running the airlift.

Late Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy warned U.S. citizens at three airport gates to leave immediately due to an unspecified security threat. Australia, Britain and New Zealand also advised their citizens Thursday morning not to go to the airport, where there was a very high threat of a terrorist attack.

Australia has helped evacuate around 4,000 people, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison noted the increasingly dangerous situation. That danger and those risks have been increasing each and every day as we always knew they would, and thats why weve been moving with the haste that we have, he added.

The Taliban said they would allow normal commercial air traffic to resume when they assume control of the airport after Aug. 31, but its unclear whether airlines would be willing to fly into an airport controlled by the militants.

With the deadline looming, Marcin Przydacz, a Polish deputy foreign minister, said Poland had evacuated its last group. We cannot risk the lives of our diplomats and of our soldiers any longer," Przydacz said.

A number of troops will remain briefly to wrap up operations, Przydacz said. Poland has used over a dozen planes to bring hundreds of evacuees to Warsaw. Some later traveled on to other countries.

Hours later, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said his country ended its evacuation flights carrying people from Kabul to Pakistan. Belgium will continue to repatriate to our country those people evacuated in the days ahead, De Croo said. More than 1,100 people have been flown to Belgium.

The Czech Republic declared its own evacuation mission complete last week, and Hungary said it plans to end its operations soon.

Due to extreme tension on the ground ... and the scheduled departure of American forces, these evacuations are a true race against time, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday. He said that his countrys evacuation would likely end a few hours, maybe a few days ahead of the American departure.

The White House said Wednesday around 19,000 people were evacuated from Kabul over the last 24 hours. It said the U.S. has evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of around 82,300 people since the Taliban takeover in mid-August.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said as many as 1,500 Americans may be awaiting evacuation, a figure that suggests that part of the U.S.-led airlift could be completed before the Tuesday deadline. The State Department estimated about 6,000 Americans had wanted to leave when the airlift began Aug. 14.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the military will continue to evacuate needed populations all the way to the end." But he added that in the final days and hours there will have to be a balance as the 5,400 troops in Kabul and critical systems also need to be withdrawn.

In Kabul itself, life has been slow to return to normal, but many people  especially women  are staying inside, fearful of the Taliban or the general instability.

Kabul Mayor Dawood Sultanzoy said many city workers have yet to return to work, with the absence of experienced staff hindering normal operations. But he said the city has begun to remove the blast walls that became ubiquitous in recent years as the Taliban and other armed groups carried out bombings and other attacks against the Western-backed government.

The Taliban say the decades of war are over and there will be no revenge attacks on people who opposed them. But there have been reports of summary executions and other abuses, and many Afghans fear a return to the Taliban's hard-line Islamic rule of the 1990s, when women were largely confined to their homes.

Chaos at the Kabul airport has transfixed the world after the Taliban captured most of Afghanistan in a matter of days this month. Afghans poured onto the tarmac last week, and some clung to a U.S. military transport plane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths. At least seven people died that day, and another seven died Sunday in a panicked stampede.

Thousands have thronged the airport in the days since, and the U.S. and its allies have worked to speed the evacuation, sometimes flying people out before their paperwork is fully processed and bringing them to transit points. On Wednesday, 51 people landed in Uganda, the first African nation to serve as a transit point.

For now, the U.S. military coordinates all air traffic in and out of the Kabul airport. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen tweeted that people with legal documents will be able to fly out of Kabul airport via commercial flights after the August deadline.

On Wednesday, a stream of military planes took off from the airfield as evacuees lined up on the tarmac. The desperate remained outside, some standing knee-deep in sewage and waving identity documents at Western soldiers in hopes of being allowed to go beyond the barbed wire fencing and onto a flight out.

While the final withdrawal date just under a week away, analyst Patricia Lewis said the practical deadline for the evacuations to stop was the next couple of days.

Theres a huge amount of stuff that has to be done, including getting all the people out who are doing the job and all the equipment," said Lewis, who is the director of the international security program at Chatham House, an international think tank.

All of the allies are highly dependent on the U.S. for military cover, particularly air cover," Lewis said. "They cant put their own people at risk, so it really depends on when the U.S. starts packing up.

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Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tameem Akhgar in Istanbul, Jill Lawless in London, Karel Janicek in Prague, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.

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More AP coverage of Afghanistan: https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan
JORDAN STEAD/SEATTLEPI.COM

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP)  A fight over the lack of fish passage at Seattle City Light dams escalated Tuesday when Skagit County sued the city of Seattle to force the release of some of the utilitys financial records.

The county seeks the release of records under the state Public Records Act. The records include an accounting of the value of power sold from each of the three hydroelectric dams on the Skagit River, the Seattle Times reported.
MADRID (AP)  A group of at least 40 migrants attempted to swim from Morocco into Spains North African enclave of Ceuta and threw stones at Spanish police, local media reported as top officials wrestled Wednesday with what to do with hundreds of unaccompanied minors who got into Ceuta from Morocco three months ago.

Migrants trying to reach European soil swam around a fenced breakwater after nightfall Tuesday and confronted Spanish police officers, one of whom was slightly injured by a stone, local media reported.

Attempts to enter Ceuta by people from sub-Saharan Africa are not uncommon and have led to tension between Spain and Morocco over whether the government in Rabat is doing enough on its side of the border to stop them.

Both countries police a wide buffer zone around the fenced breakwater.

Cooperation with Morocco is crucial for Spanish authorities trying to hold back large numbers of migrants who mass at the border and look for chances to get across. Spain is also under pressure from migrants trying to reach its Canary Islands by boat from northwestern Africa.

Some 10,000 migrants descended on Ceuta in May by either scaling the border fence or swimming around it. Among them were hundreds of unaccompanied minors, who have been in Ceuta since then.

The head of the Ceuta regional government, Juan Jesus Vivas, said Wednesday the children are living in inappropriate conditions, with most housed in temporary installations but some sleeping in the street.

Officials in Ceuta, which covers about 18 square kilometers (7 square miles) and has a population of around 85,000, say they cant cope with a large number of migrants who enter without authorization.

The situation in Ceuta is truly unsustainable, Vivas said during a news conference, referring to the migrant pressure on the enclave. He said Ceuta felt like it was at the edge of an abyss and needs immediate solutions.

Earlier this month, Spanish authorities began sending the minors back to Morocco, triggering an outcry from migrant rights associations that argued the returns were illegal because they were done in groups, without prior warning and without a hearing or the provision of legal counsel.

A Spanish court suspended the practice pending legal arguments by the government, which insisted the children were sent back under a 2007 agreement with Morocco for assisted returns once minors' cases are considered.

But a court on Tuesday kept the prohibition in place, leaving officials uncertain about how to proceed.

Vivas, the Ceuta chief, met Wednesday in Madrid with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in an effort to find a legal solution to the stalemate.

He said Sanchez gave him assurances that the government will employ all its legal resources to ensure the minors are returned to Morocco. Vivas said no other possible solution is on the table.

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Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
ROCKPORT, Ind. (AP)  A southwestern Indiana elementary school has entered its second week of virtual learning with more than half of its students and staff members in COVID-19 quarantine.

Rockport Elementary School in Spencer County completed the 2020-21 school year with 100% face-to-face learning," but the pre-K through fifth-grade school has been in all virtual instruction since Aug. 17, said Principal Rick Hunt.

A handful of other Indiana schools have also switched to virtual instruction in response to the spread of the coronavirus' highly contagious delta variant.

With more than 50% of the Rockport school's students and faculty in quarantine and knowing there had been some coronavirus transmission between students, Hunt said school officials believed it was necessary to switch temporarily to virtual instruction.

We all let our guard down over the summer, he told the Evansville Courier & Press.

More than half of the school's 310 students and its 46 staff members were in COVID-19 quarantine Monday as the school entered the second week of virtual instruction.

Less than 5% of the total student body have been confirmed positive for COVID, but about 25% of the schools total staff have tested positive.

Students are expected to return to in-school classes on Aug. 30, Hunt said, with stricter enforcement of personal distancing and masking procedures.

The school, which is part of the South Spencer School Corporation, is located in the Ohio River city of Rockport, about 25 miles (40.2 kilometers) southeast of Evansville.
WAVERLY, Tenn. (AP)  Crews with chainsaws and heavy equipment cleared their way through trees densely matted with vegetation, garbage and building debris Tuesday as searchers scoured a normally shallow creek for more flooding victims in rural Tennessee.

Even cars and sheds were woven into the tangle of debris lining Trace Creek in Humphreys County, where the town of Waverly saw the most death and destruction from Saturdays flooding that killed 18 people. Three people remained unaccounted for Tuesday.

At one bridge, an excavator crawled into the creek to dig through a debris plug that included large trees, huge spools of cable, panels of wooden fencing and chunks of concrete. Officers watched from above and downstream in case a body was uncovered.

Other crews were working with chainsaws along the banks, clearing smaller objects. Several miles downstream, officers had deployed drones to help with the search. Its difficult to know how far the bodies might have been carried, but one car was found about a half-mile from where it had been parked, Humphreys County Chief Deputy Rob Edwards said.

Sheriffs deputies and police were aided by crews from agencies all over the state, he said. The teams have cadaver dogs at the ready if they suspect a body might be nearby. With the heat in the mid-80s and rising, it was not difficult to detect the odor of decay, Edwards said, although crews also were finding animals.

As the search for the missing continues, officials have started to comprehend the scope of devastation in the community. The Humphreys County Emergency Management Agency said in a news release that more than 270 homes had been destroyed and 160 have major damage.

Some are just gone  off the foundation  twisted, turned," Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said at the news conference. "They would probably have to be totally destroyed before they could be built back.

The sheer devastation that we saw in that helicopter ride yesterday has made me realize that we have got an extremely long road to go in all of this, he said.

Authorities revised the confirmed death toll to 18 people Tuesday, a drop from as high as 22. Waverly police Chief Grant Gillespie said that one person in the emergency room who died of natural causes was mistakenly added to the count and John and Jane Doe victims were not crossed off the list once they were identified.

Gillespie said authorities had detectives follow up on each case and confirm the numbers, which now line up with the state tally.

Just an honest mistake, and I hope everybody understands that, Gillespie said. Its still a tremendous loss of life. I hope that number doesnt grow.

Three people are still on the list of those missing who witnesses said they saw in the water, he said.

The flooding took out roads, cellphone towers and telephone lines in the county of about 18,000 people, leaving some uncertain about whether family and friends survived the unprecedented deluge, with rainfall that more than tripled forecasts and shattered the state's one-day record.

It also left large swaths of the community about 60 miles (96 kilometers) west of Nashville suddenly displaced, leaving many to sort through difficult decisions about what comes next. GoFundMe pages sought help for funeral expenses for the dead, including 7-month-old twins swept from their fathers arms as they tried to escape.

Matthew Rigney and Danielle Hall described to WTVF-TV how the water began to rage through their apartment as he held onto their twins and two other young children.

The water, when it hit us it just pulled us under, all of us and we were trapped underneath a bed, Rigney told the station, his voice trembling behind tears.

The other two children survived.

I was trying to find all of them, and Leah came up like a big girl. You swam like a big girl, and Im so proud of you, Rigney said to 5-year-old Maleah, who sat with her family during the interview.

A neighbor helped Rigney and the two children up to the roof. Hall was ultimately rescued from a tree by boat.

School was canceled for the week, according to the sheriffs office. Waverly Elementary and Waverly Junior High had extensive damage, according to Kristi Brown, coordinated health and safety supervisor with Humphreys County Schools.

About 750 customers were without power Tuesday, down from 2,000 the night before, utility officials said.

Meanwhile, the state received approval from President Joe Biden for a major disaster declaration, which frees up federal aid to help with recovery efforts in Humphreys County, the White House said in a statement Tuesday.

Sheriff Davis told reporters Tuesday, You've seen us get a little emotional. You have to remember, these are people we know, people's families, people we grew up with  just the people of our small town. It's just very close to us.

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Associated Press writer Julie Walker contributed from New York. Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee.
BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip (AP)  The electricity is out again tonight in whats left of Zaki and Jawaher Nassirs neighborhood. But from the shell of their sitting room, its wall blown open by Israeli missiles, twilight and a neighbors fire are enough to see by.

Here, down a narrow lane called Al-Baali, just over a mile from the heavily fortified border separating northern Gaza and Israel, cinderblock homes press against each other before opening to a modest courtyard below the Nassirs perch.

Until this neighborhood was hammered by the fourth war in 13 years between Israel and Hamas militants, the Nassirs often sipped coffee by a window, watching children play volleyball using a rope in place of a net. Other days, the couple looked out as relatives pulled fruit off the yards fig and olive trees.

Now they spend day after day surveying the wreckage of the May 14 airstrike from broken plastic chairs while awaiting building inspectors, the gaping holes in surrounding homes serving as windows into their neighborhoods upheaval.

In the skeleton of one building, children play video games atop a slab of fallen concrete. In another, a man stares out from beside a bed covered in debris, ignoring the ceiling fan drooping overhead like a dead flower. The smell of pulverized cement and plaster dust hangs in the air.

Each afternoon, demolition workers arrive to hack away at this real-life stage set so that the Nassirs and their neighbors can start rebuilding -- again.

We have no peace in our lives and we expect that war can happen again at any time, says Zaki Nassir, who lost a nephew from the household across the yard in the first war, another from next door in this years war, and whose home is still scarred by shelling during the third war.

The story of the Nassirs, their neighbors and the toll of four wars is Gazas story.

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TO VIEW an enhanced interactive version of this story, click here.

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Since 2008, more than 4,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflicts, according to the U.N. While many were fighters for Hamas or other militant groups, more than half were civilians. Thousands have been injured. On the Israeli side, the death toll from the four wars stands at 106, officials say.

The Islamic militants, who reject Israel's right to exist, have fired thousands of rockets across the border during the conflicts, operating from a maze of underground tunnels. Israel, one of a number of countries that label Hamas a terrorist organization, has repeatedly hit the Strip with overwhelming firepower that, despite its high-tech precision, continues to kill civilians.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has likened Israels periodic offensives to mowing an unruly lawn. But Israels policy of degrading Hamas -- and inflicting a toll designed to undermine its public support -- makes little pretense of resolving Gazas deepening crisis. And international efforts focus only on relief and reconstruction. Meanwhile, each war has boosted approval of Hamas, often when it was flagging.

All told, the wars have done more than $5 billion in damage to Gazas buildings, roads, electrical and water systems, roughly double the Strips annual economic output. Nearly 250,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed.

The wars, coupled with a crippling blockade and the fallout of infighting between Palestinian factions, also have scarred Gaza in ways that can be difficult to quantify.

Its not (just) about you are losing a building. You are losing the hope that things will get better, says Omar Shaban, an economist who runs a think tank in Gaza City. Forty percent of the population was born under siege.

Gazas crisis is rooted in events that came long before Hamas seized control in 2007. More than half of those packed into the Strip are from Palestinian families who fled or were driven from what is now Israel during the 1948 war over its formation. But the recurrent fighting and the blockade of recent years have made life in Gaza far worse.

Six years ago, U.N. officials warned that wars and economic isolation had done so much to intensify Gazas de-development that it risked becoming uninhabitable by 2020. Since then, the Strips 2 million residents have endured yet another war, even as the economy teeters, with unemployment close to 50 percent, among the worlds highest.

Every year we write that, OK, Gaza hit rock bottom, says Rami Alazzeh, a U.N. economist who has studied the long-term costs. And every year we repeat the same sentence because, actually, it gets worse and worse.

The Nassirs and their neighbors, many holding on to memories of life before Gaza was so embattled, are all too familiar with that narrative of despair. But they resist it, even after a fourth war.

This is what we have, Zaki Nassir says. We have to live.

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Five decades ago, Zaki Nassirs father moved his family to a plot of farmland in what was then a village. Today, three- and four-story homes along Al-Baali Street -- at the heart of that tract and named after Zakis father -- are filled with Nassirs.

There were not a lot of residents here like there are today, says Nassir, 47, recalling the familys citrus trees, greenhouses and cattle. Some of his brothers were among the tens of thousands of Gaza residents who crossed daily to work in Israel. Things back then were way better in those days.

Even then, though, it was no paradise. Since the 1967 war that saw Israel take control of Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem, the rights and movements of Palestinians have been dictated by Israeli security concerns. Critics call it a form of apartheid. That infuriates Israel, where Gaza is often spoken of as a foreign country, separate from the larger Palestinian conflict.

Over the years, the Nassir family -- 13 daughters and 12 sons born to two wives -- grew with Beit Hanoun, which today has a population of 57,000. Beyond the archway marking the entrance to town, an ever-present Israeli surveillance balloon hovers over the border wall, keeping the community under watch.

As the Nassir siblings married, they built homes on much of the familys land, still a few minutes by donkey cart from fields of grain and fruit trees.

Until he was sidelined by a heart condition and the pandemic, Zaki Nassirs job with the Palestinian Authority had him inspecting area farms and, more recently, working part-time at an agricultural college. Jawaher, 46, is expecting their ninth child in September.

Life in Beit Hanoun deteriorated sharply after Israel withdrew settlers and troops in a 2005 disengagement, isolating Gaza. Hamas, which had killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings, filled the vacuum.

In 2006, militants kidnapped an Israeli soldier, prompting an Israeli incursion that destroyed roads in northern Gaza and flattened groves. After winning Palestinian legislative elections, Hamas prevailed over the rival Fatah party in a clash for control of the Strip. Israel and Egypt imposed a strict economic blockade.

Then, in the last days of 2008, Israel launched a major military offensive after heavy rocket and mortar fire by militants across the border. Soon the first war came to Al-Baali Street.

On an afternoon about 2 weeks into the war, Israels military declared a brief pause so residents could gather needed supplies. Khaldiya Nassir was preparing the familys remaining vegetables when her husband, Adham -- Zaki Nassirs nephew -- announced he was taking his donkey and cart out to replenish the familys supply of flour.

We told him not be deceived. There is no truce. They are lying, says Khaldiya Nassir, sitting at the entranceway of her house, a pale pink structure that runs the length of the courtyard.

Adham -- a cart driver prone to working long hours, often returning with boxes of mangoes for his six children -- went anyway.

On his way home that afternoon, a woman flagged him down, pleading for help with her wounded daughter. As the 38-year-old Adham carried the girl from their house, he was wounded in the neck and back by a spray of gunfire. Moments later, a rocket obliterated his cart.

Evacuated to an Egyptian hospital, Adham died three weeks later.

His wife blames Israeli special forces. The Israeli military said at the time that he had been carrying rockets, but he was only carrying what they needed to eat, Khaldiya says.

For five years afterward, Khaldiya Nassir set aside much of the orphans assistance her family received through the Palestinian Authority, the Fatah-led government that still administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. With it, she built a home filled with personal touches, like kitchen tiles illustrated with coffee cups and doors decorated with floral patterns.

This Ramadan, days before the war erupted, her children hand-cut paper hearts to celebrate. They still hang from the ceilings of rooms littered with chunks of concrete. Much of the house will have to be torn down, U.N. inspectors say.

Everything is gone, she says. We cannot afford any more fear.

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THE FIRST WARS TOLL: About 1,400 Palestinians killed and 13 on the Israeli side. Homes damaged or destroyed: 60,000. Fifteen hospitals and 41 primary health care centers were damaged, two destroyed.

Among the casualties were two boys, killed when shells loaded with white phosphorous hit a United Nations-run school where 1,600 people were sheltering.

Phosphorous, used to create smoke screens, was a signature weapon of the first war, which ran from Dec. 27, 2008 to Jan. 18, 2009. Because it burns at up to 1,500 degrees, it caused devastating injuries.

Israel renounced its use in 2013.

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With food and construction materials in short supply after the war, Israel continued its blockade, increasing pressure on residents confined to an area less than a tenth the size of the smallest U.S. state.

Israel bars nearly all Palestinians from exiting through its lone crossing for travelers -- a building faced with glass on its side of the border, but with steel doors and a caged enclosure on the Gaza side that give it the feel of a cattle run.

Undeterred by the restrictions, Zakis brother Jamal and wife Munira took savings from his job driving a taxi and opened the Abu Nashat Grocery, across the street from the courtyard. Jamal, once a construction worker in Israel, ran the shop along with Munira and two of their 12 children, while others drove the taxi.

As neighbors flocked in for cold drinks and other items, earnings grew to $3,000 a month, paying for family outings to Gaza beaches.

But peace was fleeting. In 2012, after months of Palestinian rocket fire into Israel, an Israeli air strike killed Ahmed Jabari, the leader of Hamas military wing. The war that followed lasted just eight days, beginning on Nov. 14; this time, the Nassirs and their neighbors were largely spared. But the conflict was never far away.

On Nov. 19, an Israeli bomb dropped on a home in the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp killed a 46-year-old school janitor and his children, ages 4 and 2. A day later, a missile strike killed a farmer and his two children as they gathered mint from their garden in the neighboring town of Beit Lahiya.

We are the owners of this land, so why does this always happen? says Kemal Al Kafarna, whose home a few minutes walk from Al-Baalis courtyard had been strafed in 2008, then occupied by Israeli troops.

We are not against Israeli people, the normal ones. We are against those who come to our country to take it.

___

THE SECOND WARS TOLL: 168 people in Gaza, six Israelis. About 450 homes destroyed between Nov. 14 to 21, along with two stadiums and eight sport clubs; 10,000 homes and more than two dozen schools damaged.

The war marked the first time rockets fired from Gaza reached Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

___

In July 2014, three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped from a bus stop in the West Bank and found dead weeks later. Members of Hamas eventually claimed responsibility and Israel arrested scores of the groups leaders in the West Bank.

Militants responded by firing rockets from Gaza into southern Israel, igniting a crackdown that exploded into yet another war, from July 8 to Aug. 26. At seven weeks, it was by far the longest and most deadly. Israel launched scores of air attacks on targets throughout the Strip, then sent in ground forces.

In Beit Hanoun, residents were told to evacuate and seek shelter. On Al-Baali street, though, some were reluctant.

Jawaher Nassir, seven months pregnant, worried she might not be strong enough to flee on foot. Three doors down, neighbors Fauzi and Neama Abu Amsha told their sons that they were staying put, insisting that at 63 and 62, the Israeli military would never see them as a threat.

There was little time to argue. With Israeli tanks firing on Beit Hanoun, residents of Al-Baali street joined a tide of people coursing toward a U.N. school providing shelter in Jabaliya. Every few minutes, Jawaher stopped to rest on the side of the road, her strength sapped by Ramadan fasting.

But when we got to the school we found there was no room for us, she recalls. We had to stay in the stairwell. The others assigned her the bottom step, while they crowded the floor.

The space became the familys home for the next 51 days. Some 3,000 people took refuge at the school, including one of Zakis sisters, Wafaa Sihueil, and her husband Thaer.

Two weeks later, a barrage of Israeli artillery shells hit the building around 4:45 a.m. Parents and children lost each other in the smoke.

We didnt know what was happening, Thaer Sihueil says, visibly upset by the recollection. After the bombing stopped I started searching for my children. I found them screaming, Here I am, Dad! And then I found my nephews.

One of the teens was dead, his head bloody and disfigured. The other, his shoulder pierced by shrapnel, would survive for three months before dying of infection. More than 20 people died in the attack, one of seven on U.N. schools being used as shelters.

When the war ended in late August, the Sihueils and others returned to a war-scarred neighborhood. Zaki and Jawaher found their home littered with shrapnel, with cracks crossing the ceiling and a hole that funneled in rainwater. In his brothers home next door, an incendiary shell had scorched the ceiling black.

Down the street, neighbor Akram Abu Amsha and his brothers also returned home. But their parents were not in the spot under the stairs where theyd promised to hide. Then the men turned to a narrow space between the buildings -- the most direct escape route, but one readily visible to drones.

We found them in pieces, Akram says.

___

THE THIRD WARS TOLL: 2,251 Palestinians dead -- about three out of four of them civilians, according to the U.N. Seventy-four people on the Israeli side were killed, including 6 civilians. More than 11,000 Palestinians and 2,400 Israelis injured.

The longest and most devastating of the four conflicts, it destroyed 17,800 homes in Gaza and damaged 150,000. It displaced 100,000 people and inflicted an especially harsh toll on Gazas children, killing 550, destroying 22 schools and damaging 118 others.

___

In the aftermath of the 2014 war, Khaldiya Nassir spent $12,000 mending holes in the ceiling of the house shed only just finished building.

This is where we find comfort, in our own place, she says.

With the U.N. giving priority to rebuilding homes that had been destroyed, many neighbors had to pick up the bill for lesser repairs.

A few blocks closer to the border, Kemal Al Kefarna had difficult choices to make. Shelling had perforated the facade of his three-story home with scores of holes, from the front steps to the parapet.

With only enough to replace windows and fix the interior, he left the outside as is: I will fix it in the future when I get money. Even if they destroy it again and again. And if they destroy it after that, my children will fix it.

Seven years passed. But as he forecast, war returned to Beit Hanoun.

This May protests erupted over the anticipated eviction of Palestinian families from homes in east Jerusalem and Israeli restrictions on Ramadan gatherings. That led to a clash with Israeli police at the holy citys Al-Aqsa mosque. Hamas demanded the forces withdraw by 6 p.m. on May 10.

An hour before the deadline, the home of Zakis older brother, Ali, buzzed with excitement over the imminent birth of his new grandchild. With a couple of hours of light left, another of Alis sons, 24-year-old Mohamed, told his parents he was going out to pick up grain his employer sought for his horses.

Just outside town, Mohamed pulled his cart alongside the field farmed by 23-year-old Mohamed al-Masri and his family. The men settled on a price for a few bags of grain as the al-Masri children played.

As al-Masri filled the bags, he says, he heard the rocket coming. A moment later, it exploded into the gathering, killing Mohamed Nassir, a companion and six members of al-Masris family.

Al-Masri, his right eye, abdomen and leg injured, says he looked to the right and to the left and I saw the body parts of children. We had all been together just seconds before and now there were just (body) parts all around me.

The Israeli military says the victims were hit by a rocket, fired by militants, that missed its target. Indeed, Hamas and other militant groups fired more than 4,300 rockets toward Israeli cities during the 11-day conflict. But Human Rights Watch recently concluded that the strike was delivered by an Israeli missile.

A half hour after Mohamed Nassir was killed, his brothers wife gave birth to a son -- a gift from God to mitigate the sadness, Ali Nassir says. They named the baby Mohamed.

Three nights later, the Nassirs and their neighbors hunkered down, the sound of shelling cutting through the dark. In Zaki and Jawahers second-floor home, the couple and their children clustered in an interior room, away from any windows, the youngest boys sleeping while their oldest daughter studied for a college medical studies test.

Across the yard, dozens of relatives of Itzhak Fayyad packed into the four-story building he shares with his brothers, many sleeping on mattresses theyd carted from homes near the border susceptible to artillery fire.

A little after 12:30 a.m. on May 14, shouts from outside the Fayyad home warned of military fire to the east. Itzhak, 46, ran upstairs to reassure those sleeping on the roof, just as the first of seven Israeli missiles exploded into the courtyard.

The force flung Fayyad to the ground from a fourth-floor window, shattering his right leg. (Hospitalized in Egypt, his family says Fayyad faces at least two months of recovery.) Two buildings away, shrapnel and debris lacerated 27-year-old Shaima Nassir, who relatives say has since required four rounds of surgery to reconnect severed nerves.

Across the yard, the shockwaves flattened the Nassirs grocery and killed several horses and donkeys. Inside, bricks shaken loose from the wall fell on Jalal Nassir, leaving his back twisted in pain.

I put my fingers in my ears and we were screaming, says Lama Sihueil, Zakis 14-year-old niece.

May nobody, neither Jews nor Arabs, ever experience such a night, Fayyad's brother, Khalil, says.

The Israeli military told The Associated Press it targeted Al-Baali because the area sat atop an underground tunnel belonging to Palestinian militants. The Air Force had used precision weapons to demolish the tunnel, while avoiding civilian casualties, it said.

It is true that Israeli missiles did not hit any of the homes directly. But the force blew walls and ceilings apart and left deep craters in the street and yard.

Residents have returned to whats left. Inspectors, though, say most of the buildings facing the courtyard will have to be torn down and rebuilt or require major repairs. Looking over the damage, they recall visiting some of the same homes after previous wars.

U.N. engineer Sayeed Abu Shaban has inspected destroyed or damaged homes since the first conflict. You see the same thing every couple of years, he says. Unfortunately, only civilians pay the price. Thats here and in Israel.

___

THE FOURTH WARS TOLL: More than 250 dead in Gaza, including 129 civilians, according to the U.N.; 13 deaths in Israel. More than 4,000 homes destroyed or severely damaged, and thousands more requiring repair.

Worst hit was densely populated Gaza City, where airstrikes destroyed a number of high-rise apartment buildings and 122 were killed.

___

If his father was alive to see what has become of Al-Baali Street, he would surely weep, Zaki Nassir says. Still, its home.

Our memories are here, Jawaher Nassir says, sitting beside a bare wall that used to hold photos of her children and of her husband receiving his diploma in agriculture.

U.N. inspectors say the building will have to come down. The Nassirs and their neighbors say theyll rebuild. Until then, most sleep in apartments rented nearby or at the homes of relatives, returning each morning despite inspectors warnings not to spend time in the wreckage.

They said its not safe, that we should be afraid, Zaki says. He grins, reassuring a visitor that if the house begins to collapse, Ill hold it up so you can get out.

But even after four wars in 13 years, and with every expectation that conflict will erupt again, he is staying put.

Weve been here for a month, he says, and so far, nothing bad has happened.

___

Associated Press reporters Helen Wieffering in Washington, Wafaa Shurafa and Felipe Dana in Gaza and Josef Federman and Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem contributed to this story.
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Periods of rain. Rain becoming heavy at times overnight. Low 57F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Rain becoming heavy at times overnight. Low 57F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
As colleges and universities resume face-to-face instruction for the first time since early 2020, Bay Area campuses are emerging as laboratories for learning whether people can push forward with normal life while coexisting with the risk of COVID-19.

Students are packing into college dorms. Theyre dining in the student union and partying at the frat house. Theyre also required to be tested for the coronavirus, wear masks indoors and upload vaccination cards to the school databases to show they got their shots.

The balance reflects a new reality of college life, as inevitable as a midterm exam, public health experts say.

But will it work?

I dont believe college campuses will become hotbeds of disease if colleges enforce safety protocols, said Michaela George, an assistant professor of public health at Dominican University in San Rafael, which returned to classes Monday. The school has taken a hard line on rule breakers, she said, with students at risk for removal from campus if they arent vaccinated, and employees possibly fired. Other campuses say students could face conduct charges for noncompliance.

Without such enforcement George said, There will be problems.

With COVID-19 likely to be around for years, and as many people continue resisting vaccination while new virus mutations emerge, colleges are the places to watch.

I think we'll learn a lot from what happens with reopening college campuses for in-person instruction, said Dr. Lee Riley, an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeleys School of Public Health. Delta is not the last variant well see, and new variants that are even more resistant to the current vaccines will emerge at some point.

Masks, social distancing, vaccines, and switching back and forth between in-person and remote instruction will become the norm on college campuses, Riley said.

Campuses are ideal proving grounds for evaluating the success of that interplay because they draw students and faculty from around the world to a controlled environment with rules, while being vulnerable to the unpredictability of human nature  notably the kind on display at frat parties and game nights.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Stanford, the University of California and California State University require all students who are on campus to be vaccinated except those with religious or medical exemptions. While all students are tested for the coronavirus upon arrival, weekly testing is required for unvaccinated people at UC and CSU campuses. Stanford, where undergraduates dont return to classes until Sept. 20, says every student  even those who are vaccinated  must be tested each week. UC Berkeley requires that only every few months.

At UC Berkeley, where more than 42,000 students from around the world resume classes Wednesday, freshman Leif Liu, 18, said he isnt exactly nervous about breathing the same air as dozens of other students in class. But I doubt whether this is 100% safe.

Standing in a long line of students waiting for mandatory coronavirus tests Monday, the student from Liaoning, China, had already been tested, but was helping guard four large suitcases for two friends newly arrived from China while they got tested.

Back in China, even when there are one or two cases, this kind of large-scale congregation is banned, Liu said. Yet he decided to risk coming to UC Berkeley because if I just stay home and do online, I dont feel like a real student.

Since the pandemic began, UC Berkeley campus testing has identified 1,295 positive coronavirus cases in 51,638 people, the vast majority of them undergraduates.

Those cases surfaced when instruction was remote. Thats about to change: Nearly 90% of undergraduate classes will be in person this fall, although lecture courses with at least 200 students will stay remote. And thousands of students are pouring back into dorms, nearly filling the 7,200 available beds.

As the world enters a new phase of coexistence with the deadly virus that has killed nearly 5.5 million people and infected 214 million, colleges are at the forefront of the new era.

Whether we like it or not, students, instructors and their households are all about to take part in a giant public health experiment, says an opinion piece running Wednesday in the student paper, the Daily Californian, and signed by leaders of the Berkeley Faculty Association, two labor unions and the student government. The piece questions whether the campus is adequately prepared to keep everyone safe, and gripes that the administration never asked their opinions about safety and reopening.

UC Berkeley administrators, like those at many campuses, said theyve looked at the science and know what to do.

As weve learned more about the SARS-CoV-2 virus and how it spreads, weve been able to resume in-person activities while mitigating the spread of COVID-19, UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ and interim Provost Catherin Koshland announced Aug. 12 in an open letter explaining campus safety rules and why the university is reopening even though the virus has yet to be vanquished.

The transition back to classrooms wont be over until 100% of courses are held in person, they said, adding: We recognize that some of you are nervous.

In spite of campus precautions, there will be cases, said Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert and professor emeritus at UC Berkeleys School of Public Health. But I think the barriers have been built to prevent superspreading events.

UC Berkeley says its prepared to discipline students who violate public health directives, from barring students from certain parts of campus to deregistering fraternities and sororities.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

At San Francisco State, 11 students tested positive for the coronavirus in 4,352 on-campus tests last week, even before classes began Monday.

Yet, even though half of the roughly 26,000 students are taking at least one class in person, and 3,600 students now live on campus in the southwestern corner of the city  thats 75% of capacity, up from 15% last year during pandemic restrictions  campus President Lynn Mahoney said she doesnt worry too much about an outbreak.

But I check the numbers every day, she said. On campus, 98% of students have uploaded proof of vaccination, perhaps responding to the $3,700 tuition breaks and other prizes the campus offers in lotteries as enticements to submit the document.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Those compliance numbers outpace other campuses, most of which are in the 80% range.

Without vaccinations, we know what would happen, Mahoney said. A public university like San Francisco State is a better test case than a private university like Stanford, which is a little bubble. Of the 13,000 students taking in-person classes, theyre coming from all over the Bay Area, on BART, Muni.

If we can stay in person the whole semester with relatively low case numbers, then I think the university will have shown a path forward in a controlled environment, she said. Campuses are not meant to be empty places.

Across several Bay Area campuses, students and faculty reported varying levels of satisfaction with remote instruction. Administrators at several of them  especially commuter campuses like Cal State East Bay, where 40% of classes are in person or hybrid this semester  said last years experiment taught them how essential it is to be flexible for students and employees. Meeting with academic advisers online has proved wildly popular, for example, said Mahoney at S.F. State and Cal State East Bay President Cathy Sandeen.

I want to make sure we have a robust palette of options into the future, Sandeen said.

George, the public health professor at Dominican University, said her students grades dropped by an average of 10% last year when every class was online. By spring, she had successfully petitioned to bring her students back in person.

I believe it made a huge difference, she said. Risk is a spectrum. Students need to be in the classroom.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov
Good morning, Bay Area. Its Wednesday, Aug. 25, and the scene at Lake Tahoe is smoky and grim. Heres what you need to know to start your day.

The rise of the highly transmissible delta variant has forced a quick pivot on some key pandemic public health recommendations, but experts are saying theres still one that could use new scrutiny: the definition of close contact with an infected person.

That standard dictates at what point someone exposed to the coronavirus should get tested or self-isolate, and for most of the COVID-19 pandemic, the guideline has been 6 feet for 15 minutes. But experts say that since delta upended the picture, a new understanding is needed as people make choices about their behaviors and risks.

Read more from Annie Vainshtein.

 Back on campus with new rules, Bay Area colleges are laboratories for normal life in COVID era.

 Family of San Quentin guard who died of COVID after botched prisoner transfer sues the state.

 COVID in California: Latest news and updates.

Outdoor paradise lost

Michael Macor / Special to The Chronicle

With the growing Caldor Fire encroaching on the Lake Tahoe basin Tuesday, the area turned from an outdoor paradise into a place to be endured. The skies, typically as blue as the lake, turned a yellowish gray and the normally pine-scented air reeked like a soggy ashtray.

Campgrounds and beaches were closed, boats were banned from the lake, and even the signature gondola that carries visitors from the Stateline area to Heavenlys mountaintop resort was shut down. It was not the late summer at the lake that residents and visitors are used to.

Weve never seen this much smoke here, ever, said Joe Stella, a manager at the Powder House ski, snowboard and bike rental shop.

Read more from Danielle Echeverria and Michael Cabanatuan.

 How do evacuations work in California's remote, rural areas? It can be difficult.

 These charts show how fires have changed California.

Around the Bay

Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle

 Long road ahead: Despite Prop. 22 ruling, Uber and Lyft drivers won't become employees anytime soon.

 California recall election: How to cast your vote and what to know. Joe Garofoli: Gavin Newsom campaigns outreach showing early success. Also: Kevin Kiley gets endorsement from former competitor in bid to replace Newsom.

 Running for their lives: In Afghanistan, these girls climbed mountains. The Taliban takeover has them turning to Bay Area friends for help.

 Unthinkable no more: S.F. has been edged out as the most expensive rental market in the country. Here's the new No. 1.

 Pilot program: Waymo is offering robo taxi rides in S.F.  if you're selected for its test program.

 Caution urged: A 14-year-old died at home. Concord police are investigating whether a fentanyl-laced pill caused an accidental OD.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

 Win for campus neighbors: UC Berkeley ordered to freeze enrollment and halt a faculty housing project.

 Dismissal upheld: Lawsuit by Kate Steinle's parents to hold government responsible for stolen gun is turned down.

 Food giants at festival: Ayesha Curry, G-Eazy and more to hit BottleRocks Culinary Stage.

 Obituary: Harry Denton, boisterous San Francisco barman and entrepreneur, dies at 77.

S.F.s secret bespoke waste bins

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

In the back room of APROE, a design and engineering firm in San Franciscos Design District, a top secret project is taking shape: prototypes for San Franciscos long-discussed new city trash can. Theyll cost $12,000 a pop  the low end of the Public Works Departments headline-grabbing initial estimates, which ranged as high as $20,000.

When the cans are eventually manufactured in large quantities, theyll cost between $2,000 and $3,000, still pricey but less expensive than competitors. But as columnist Heather Knight writes, the more distressing figure is the length of time its taking notoriously slow City Hall to replace the 3,000 trash cans that are already way past their shelf life.

Step inside APROEs design shop with Knight and read more about its prospective deal, still unsigned, to create 15 cans  five of each prototype  to place around the city in November for testing.

 Chronicle reader survey: Which trash can prototype would you pick?

Bay Briefing is written by Kellie Hwang and Anna Buchmann and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact the writers at anna.buchmann@sfchronicle.com and kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com.
SACRAMENTO  In his first public appearance since suffering a heart attack and ending his campaign for governor, Doug Ose on Tuesday endorsed fellow Republican Kevin Kiley in the Sept. 14 recall election.

Kiley, an Assembly member from Rocklin in the Sacramento suburbs, entered the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom last month after emerging during the pandemic as a leading critic of Newsoms public health measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus, including extended business and school closures.

But he has struggled to break out of the field of 46 replacement candidates as attention  and grassroots excitement among recall supporters  has centered on provocative talk radio host Larry Elder.

Ose, a former congressman who dropped out last week to focus on his recovery from the heart attack, said Tuesday that he trusted Kiley because of their past experience together, including in a cattle business that they owned together for several years.

Kevin Kiley brings it every day. Hes intelligent, hes curious and he delivers, said Ose, who paused his remarks multiple times to catch his breath. Kevin Kiley has what it takes to bring this state back to a sense of normalcy.

Ballots for the recall election have already been mailed to every registered voter in California. The ballot asks two questions: Should Newsom be removed from office before the end of his term? And if so, who should replace him?

If a majority of voters selects yes on the first question, then whichever candidate receives the most votes on the second question will serve out the remainder of his term, which ends on Jan. 2, 2023. The winning candidate does not need to receive a majority of votes.

Both Ose and Kiley declined to call on Elder to drop out of the race, following a report last week in Politico that he purportedly brandished a gun at his former fiancee during a heated argument in 2015 and another in The Chronicle about a 2000 book in which Elder wrote that women should tolerate some crude language and behavior from men in the workplace.

Elder denied the allegations about the gun and did not respond to The Chronicles inquiries about his book. But two other top Republican recall candidates, reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, urged him Friday to end his campaign.

Thats up to the voters to decide who to pick. Its not my position to be saying who should be dropping out, Kiley said Tuesday. We all have an opportunity, whoever is in the race, to make a case against Gavin Newsom.

Ose said, I dont know a lot about Larry Elder, which is why Im supporting Kevin Kiley for governor.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
UC Berkeley must freeze next years enrollment at last years level and must immediately halt a $126 million project to build classrooms and housing for professors beside the campus, an Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday.

The ruling hands a victory  temporarily, anyway  to campus neighbors, who sued the university in 2019 on grounds that the expansions would make their surroundings noisier and more crowded.

The judge has vindicated our efforts to hold UC Berkeley accountable for the severe impacts on our community from its massive enrollment increases, which they made without public notice or comments, said Phil Bokovoy, president of Save Berkeleys Neighborhoods, the group that sued.

The judges order requires UC Berkeley to limit its 2022-23 enrollment to no more than last years level  42,237 undergraduates and graduate students  on grounds that the university gave a flawed analysis of the environmental impact of its rising enrollment.

Judge Brad Seligman said the university failed to consider the impact of expanded enrollment on housing and homelessness in Berkeley's poorest neighborhoods. He cited a 2017 report from the campus chancellor's office that found 10% of UC Berkeley students and 20% of doctoral candidates had been homeless at some time during their enrollment.

Besides boosting noise levels connected to late-night parties, rising enrollment also crowds city parks and streets, increases traffic, and adds to the cost of police, fire and health services, the judge added.

Seligmans order also requires the university to fix deficiencies in the environmental impact report it prepared for a plan to replace a parking structure at 2698 Hearst Ave. with faculty housing and expanded classrooms benefiting the Goldman School of Public Policy.

Campus Chancellor Carol Christ has called the housing essential for faculty, and Goldman officials said in 2019 that the school was in dire need of more space.

On Tuesday, UC Berkeley said the campus expects to satisfy the judges requirements for its Upper Hearst project in six to eight months.

We are confident that the court will ultimately permit us to proceed with the Upper Hearst project, said spokesperson Dan Mogulof.

UC Berkeley had expected to have the project built by now. But no work has yet begun, Mogulof said.

He said the campus can more quickly address the judges enrollment concerns because we are not anticipating that enrollment growth will exceed 1% on an annual basis.

Mogulof said he wasnt even certain this early in the semester whether this falls enrollment is more or less than last years.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The Save Berkeley Neighborhood lawsuit is one of several town vs. gown legal challenges levied against UC Berkeley in recent years over its impact on the city.

In July, UC Berkeley agreed to pay the city $82.64 million over the next 16 years to cover the citys added costs in police and fire safety and other services. In exchange, the city agreed to withdraw its challenge to the enrollment increases, and its lawsuits over campus plans to build a 750-bed luxury dorm for transfer students at 1921 Walnut St., to construct a beach volleyball facility for women at the Clark Kerr Campus, southeast of the main campus, and to build housing on Peoples Park, which the university owns.

In 2019, irate neighbors from four groups sued UC to try to stop UC Berkeleys planned beach volleyball complex at the universitys Clark Kerr campus. They claimed that plans for four courts, locker rooms, 40-foot field lights and a public address system illegally skirted a required environmental impact review.

Its an argument that has so far worked for Save Berkeleys Neighborhoods in the current case over enrollment and the Upper Hearst project.

Its unfortunate that UC Berkeley has wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal costs to fight against the efforts of citizens to have them comply with the environmental laws, money that could have been used to educate and build housing for our young people, Bokovoy said.

Nanette Asimov and Bob Egelko are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com, begelko@sfchronicle.com
Jen Carter Smitt didnt even know a new fire had sparked when she got the call to evacuate her Grass Valley apartment around 3:45 on Wednesday afternoon.

Its been hazy for days in Sierra communities like hers, which is sandwiched between the massive Dixie Fire burning to the north and the Caldor Fire approaching Lake Tahoe to the south.

At this point do I smell smoke? I dont even know, said Carter Smitt, who was watching aircraft battle the fire from her car on a nearby hillside late Wednesday afternoon.

Carter Smitt was part of a wave of mandatory evacuations hastily ordered on Wednesday by emergency officials after the Bennett Fire sparked just across the highway from downtown Grass Valley.

Two hours away in the foothills of Calaveras County, another new blaze, the Airola Fire, quickly grew to around 1,000 acres and spurred more evacuations in the Gold Country town of Vallecito. All the while, more than 2,800 firefighters and support personnel continued their days-long battle to keep the Caldor Fire out of the Lake Tahoe basin.

Hot, dry winds fueled fire conditions across the region, stoking anxiety about whether there would be more evacuations in bigger towns near Tahoe and Sierra communities like Murphys. But both fire officials and local leaders in impacted areas stressed that contingency plans are in place and crews are working diligently on containment plans.

We are in lockstep, South Lake Tahoe City Manager Joe Irvin told residents at a public meeting about the Caldor Fire. We will have enough notice to do what we need to do if those situations should arise.

The Caldor Fire started on Aug. 14 south of Grizzly Flats in El Dorado County and has since consumed 126,566 acres. The fire has destroyed 637 structures, including a school, two fire stations and 465 homes.

El Dorado County sheriffs officials were prepared to issue evacuation warnings for parts of the Tahoe basin should the fire get close to the area between Twin Bridges and Echo Summit and force mandatory evacuations there. The fire has not burned into Twin Bridges, but a warning has been issued for residents to prepare for a potential evacuation.

Kit Bailey, assistant fire chief with Californias Office of Emergency Services, said considerable resources have been unleashed on the fire, focusing on its eastern edge near Tahoe.

Theyre throwing everything they have at it, he said during a briefing at the fires command center in Placerville on Wednesday morning. Theyre making progress, albeit slow, but theyve been very deliberate.

Highway 50, the main route from the Bay Area and Sacramento to South Lake Tahoe, remained closed indefinitely.

While manpower was focused on the Caldor Fire, the massive Dixie Fire continued burning in Plumas, Lassen, Butte, Tehama and Shasta counties, including Lassen National Park, half of which was ravaged by the flames.

The conflagration has consumed 742,724 acres during the 42 days since it started near the Feather River in Plumas County, and it has destroyed 682 homes and leveled the town of Greenville in Plumas County.

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

More than 5,600 firefighters were battling the Dixie Fire, which was 45% contained. Evacuation orders have been lifted in some areas and residents are being allowed to return to their homes, but more than 2,800 people still remain evacuated, many in Plumas County.

Elsewhere in Northern California, the Monument and McFarland fires are burning in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The Monument Fire in Trinity County, west of Big Bar, has consumed 154,344 acres and was 20% contained.

The McFarland Fire, west of Platina in Shasta County, has burned 119,560 acres and was 73% contained. Evacuation orders remain in place for some areas near both fires.

By Wednesday evening aggressive air operations were winding down on the new Airola Fire in Calaveras County with the blaze still 0% contained. In Grass Valley, where things were looking better for evacuees like Carter Smitt with the Bennett Fire 60% contained and emergency orders beginning to lift, a sense of unease lingered.

Im just gonna be watching the plume, Carter Smitt said. I know which direction to evacuate if I have to.

Lauren Hepler, Michael Cabanatuan and J.D. Morris are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: lauren.hepler@sfchronicle.com, mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com, jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LAHepler @ctuan @thejdmorris
Hunting for air quality readings has become a familiar drill for Bay Area residents as smoke pollutes the regions skies during Northern Californias increasingly severe wildfire seasons.

Those looking for current conditions and longer-range forecasts have several good resources to consult: the federal AirNow.gov website; the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which is one of AirNows local partners; and PurpleAir.com, a website that pulls its data from sensors that people purchase and install on their own.

Because their readings are gathered from different sources using different methods, their numbers typically differ. However, all of them use the Air Quality Index, the Environmental Protection Agencys color-coded scale for reporting air quality. Levels range from 0 to 500  the higher the AQI reading, the greater the pollution level and associated health risk.

Heres what you need to know about the different resources, how to use them and what they can tell you about air quality in your area.

AirNow

AirNow.gov is a federal website managed by the EPA with many federal and local state partners, including in the Bay Area. Users can enter a specific location to pull up AQI data and a five-day air quality forecast. Its the most accurate information available, using regulator-approved air quality monitors  but sampling, analysis and quality-control steps create a lag, meaning the reported measurements are few hours old.

The agencys Fire and Smoke Map shows pollution levels from wildfire smoke, known as fine particle pollution or PM2.5. It combines data from AirNow and PurpleAir and applies some mathematical adjustments. The map includes layers that can be turned on and off to show the different types of sensors, large wildfire incidents and smoke plumes.

Bay Area Air Quality Management District

The BAAQMD is a local partner of AirNow. About 30 air district stations around the Bay Area measure two types of pollution  PM2.5 and ozone  by pulling them through a filter and weighing them to determine air quality. The agencys Air Quality Index shows hourly, daily, weekly and monthly PM2.5 readings for different areas across the Bay Area.

The district also is responsible for issuing air quality advisories and Spare the Air alerts. Advisories indicate that events such as wildfires are affecting local air quality, but not at levels exceeding federal health-based standards. Spare the Air alerts are issued when pollutants like PM2.5 are expected to push the Air Quality Index to the unhealthy level, above 100, in any one of five reporting zones in the Bay Area. Users can sign up for alerts via text, email, phone or website notification.

PurpleAir

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

PurpleAir manufactures low-cost air quality sensors  ranging from about $200 to $300  that anyone can purchase and install outside their home. The sensors use light scattering technology to estimate particle concentrations in the air. According to PurpleAir, about 18,000 of its sensors are in use across the U.S., with 11,000 in California, and the numbers have roughly doubled each year since the Utah-based company was founded in 2015.

The data refreshes every 10 minutes and appears on a map on the company website. You can search by address or sensor location, zoom in and out or use a drag function to see other areas. With far more sensors than the governments network, its useful for getting a real-time sense of the air quality in a specific neighborhood. However, compared to the federal data, it is lower quality. Also, because the sensors are paid for by individuals with the means to afford them, they tend to be concentrated in more affluent neighborhoods.

PurpleAirs website says its sensors may appear to read high in wildfire smoke conditions because the density of smoke particles differs from that of other airborne particles of similar size, affecting its calculations of particle concentration. However, according to PurpleAir, sensors on its real-time map now display with a conversion factor for wildfire and wood smoke conditions developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, so that the readings align more closely with regulatory-grade monitors. Experts say that those looking for absolute values should check them against government agency data.

The Chronicles Air Quality Map shows readings down to the neighborhood, and is powered by PurpleAir data. It also features functions to show the smoke forecast and wind conditions.

Kellie Hwang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KellieHwang
The peaks of famously snowy Mount Shasta are looking very bare these days  and while meteorologists say the low snowpack is not unprecedented, its rare for this time of year.

Its unusual, said Ryan Sandler, a metereologist with the National Weather Service Medford, Ore., office, which covers the Central Siskiyou County area in California. And having it so early in the season, it makes it even more unusual and thats probably in part because temperatures have been warming and the summers have been getting hotter.

The snow is low on the volcanic mountains west and southwest ends  which have some of the most popular climbing routes and are where the snow typically melts off, said Sandler. The north and east sides have glaciers, although they have been shrinking over the years, he added.

Runoff from Mount Shastas snowpack helps feed Shasta Lake, Californias largest surface water reservoir and the key water source for the Sacramento River watershed and much of the Central Valley. As of Monday, the reservoir was at just 28% of capacity, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The last time Mount Shasta had such low snow was in 2014, said Sandler. Images from NASA show a comparison of a snow-capped mountaintop in November 2013 and a nearly bare one in January 2014 during Californias last drought.

The Shasta snow cover reflects two dry winters (in 2012 and 2013), plus a December 2013 snowfall that puts the area less than 5 percent of the way toward the April 1 average, Roger Bales, a hydrologist at the University of California, Merced, told NASA at the time. Normally April 1 is the peak for snow cover in the area, said Bales.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

A similar situation is now playing out in California, where most of the state is in extreme or exceptional drought following two consecutive dry winters. The low snow levels on Mount Shasta, Sandler said, are another example of the droughts impact on the environment, with the scant snowpack and early melt-off.

The glaciers are shrinking on this volcano, said Sandler. This is another observable measurement of climate change. Youre seeing it.

Jessica Flores is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores
Passing by Noeteca on the palm tree-lined stretch of Dolores Street in Noe Valley, the establishment looks like another one of the many cozy neighborhood wine bars in San Francisco. The words Cafe and Wine Bar are emblazoned out front on a blue awning over chic steel tables, chairs and half-cask planters. The online menu  featuring a rotating wine list, flatbread pizzas, breakfast and antipasto plates  cements its appearance as such.

But Noeteca is more than just a neighborhood wine spot. Enter the restaurant at lunchtime on any given day and the establishment is filled with diners eating homestyle Brazilian food like roasted spare ribs with yucca, rice and beans, or traditional feijoada, the black bean stew thats loaded with chunks of roasted pork, dried beef and sausage.

For the Brazilian ride-share drivers and food delivery workers, who make up the bulk of the restaurants clientele, Noeteca is the Bay Areas best off-the-radar place serving top-notch Brazilian fare.

I didnt even know this was here until a friend of mine, whos an Uber driver like me, told me there was this killer place to have a real Brazilian lunch, says Anderson Montero, who is originally from the state of Sao Paulo, in Brazil. I love the ribs and the stuffed chicken. Now I come here every week and bring my friends in, too.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

It wasnt always that way. When San Francisco restaurateur Michele DAmico bought Noeteca in 2016 from its previous owners, it was, in fact, an Italian wine bar. DAmico had returned from a two-year sabbatical from the restaurant industry, having sold his 20-year-old Embarcadero pizzeria South Beach Cafe in 2014. Initially, he wanted to retire, but trips through his native Italy and Brazil, which he first visited with his ex-wife in 2000, made him realize he wanted to open an Italian cafe that served Brazilian food.

Noetecas hybrid model gradually began to take shape after DAmico  a Brazilophile who knows as much about the countrys musicians as he does about the different beaches on the Sao Paulo coast  took over. He added a single Brazilian item to the menu at first, feijoada, in hopes of attracting a Brazilian clientele. Its role as a Brazilian hub really took off, though, in 2019 when DAmicos wife Adriana DAmico joined the business. A native of a small countryside town in Brazils Minas Gerais state, Adriana left the country that year to be with her husband in San Francisco.

The couple met online in 2016. He frequently went to visit her in Brazil, and when he was back in San Francisco, theyd communicate incessantly via FaceTime and WhatsApp. He loved how easy she was to talk to and how family was central to her life. She loved how serious he was about her and that he wanted to foster her culinary talent. He knew instinctively that not only had he found the love of his life, but that she was the person who could truly help him build his dream of an Italian cafe that serves Brazilian food. They were married in Lake Tahoe in the summer of 2019, and by her hand, Noeteca was soon transformed.

He saw me in a way that I didnt see myself, Adriana says. I used to cook a lot of things, but not like this.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Noeteca is a two-person operation  Adriana on food and Michele is the jovial maitred. Adriana starts her mornings chopping garlic, a central component to all her dishes. She rubs ribs down with a simple salt, pepper and garlic mixture and begins roasting them. This gets them oily and juicy and gives them a crispy bite, and they often sell out the fastest. For the feijoada, she cubes pork loin and then roasts it to create a smoky flavor before transferring it to the Crock-Pot. There, the meat, along with black beans, slowly cooks until velvety. Its loaded with chunks of beef and sausage too, so diners can bite into ample amounts of pork and beef with every bite.

She cooks the rice the way her grandmother did, by lightly frying a generous amount of freshly minced garlic at the bottom of the large pot before adding the rice and water. She boils yucca with butter and serves the potato-like root alongside each dish. She also makes a Brazilian pot roast with hearty chunks of beef and a brown gravy that slides in between garlicky rice grains and melds with beans ladled from the feijoada for the ultimate Brazilian umami bomb.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

In the Brazilian countryside, people often have only the bare necessities in the kitchen, so learning how to extract flavors using simple seasonings and techniques, like slow cooking, is an art thats handed down through generations. Food like yucca, for instance, was historically a staple for Brazilian field-workers who needed it to get through long hours. Even in Brazil, people from the city crave this humble style of countryside cooking, and its what Adriana has been replicating in her kitchen in San Francisco.

Every day is this ritual, Adriana says. All the Brazilians say its Mom food. In a way, were all here missing our Moms together.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

The following for Adrianas food started through word of mouth among the local Brazilian immigrant community, and then on the messaging service Whatsapp. Adriana typically sends out the menu of the day along with photos of the food and prices on several Brazilian-specific groups within the platform.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Between all the various Whatsapp groups, there are about 2,000 people, says Billy Cosme, a Brazilian videographer in San Francisco who was instrumental in creating this online community.

But beyond tapping into these groups, Cosme says, Noetecas success is rooted in what the DAmicos bring to the restaurant.

With Noeteca, the food is really solid, but Micheles charisma is something else, says Cosme. Hes crazy and cool and loves Brazil.

At 60, DAmico is now looking ahead to his second retirement. It wont be for another three years, he says, when he and Adriana are hoping they will be able to divide their time between Italy and Brazil, living six months of the year in each country. But keeping Noeteca going is important to the couple as well.

I kept the American clientele and I introduced to them the food of Brazil, says Michele. But I always had my heart in Brazil, because I enjoy the people and their culture. When we sell (the restaurant), itll be to a Brazilian, so they can keep it going.

Noeteca. 1551 Dolores St. San Francisco. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Closed Tuesday.

Adrian Spinelli is a Brazilian-born San Francisco freelance writer. Email: food@sfchronicle.com Twitter and Instagram: @AGSpinelli
Famed chef Christopher Kostow of Michelin-starred the Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena and Charter Oak in Napa is getting into the hotly contested Bay Area bagel game.

Kostow and his wife, Martina, are gearing up to open Loveski, a Jewish-inspired deli at the Oxbow Public Market in Napa. They hope to be open by November. The delis opening was first reported by What Now San Francisco.

Loveski will serve fresh bagels, smoked fish and deli sandwiches with ingredients sourced from the same Napa farm that supplies Kostows high-profile restaurants. Its a casual deli, but its still an extension of the same local, seasonal ethos that drives the higher-end Restaurant at Meadowood and Charter Oak. Incidentally, when Kostow was named one of Food & Wines Best New Chefs in 2009, he told the magazine that his dream restaurant was an old-school Jewish deli featuring house-made and locally sourced ingredients.

Loveski, which refers to Christopher Kostows family name before it got changed when they immigrated through Ellis Island in New York, will pay homage to classic Jewish delis with decidedly Californian twists. There will be smoked fish, but also a vegan chickpea sandwich meant to evoke tuna salad, sans fish and plus vegan mayo. A roasted beet salad will be dressed with herbs from Kostows farm and everything bagel seasoning. Their sliced roast beef sandwich will come with horseradish, pickled beets, frilly mustard greens and slow-roasted garlic.

This is 2021 in California. We love the Katzs and Langers and Russ and Daughters  love, like deeply, deeply love, Kostow said, citing the venerable Jewish delis from New York and Los Angeles, but it would be inauthentic for us to be so authentic.

The bagels will likely be of much interest, given all the recent hype (and controversy) around West versus East Coast bagels. Christopher Kostow wouldnt share details about his bagel-making process, but said it is a California bagel, like through and through.

Loveski will be a fast-casual operation geared toward quick service, but will have its own outdoor seating at the popular Napa market. The deli will also serve dessert and local beer and wine.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

The Kostows will be previewing a few Loveski dishes at Napa Valley music festival BottleRock the first weekend of September. Look for the chickpea sandwich, and french fries topped with Swiss fondue, crispy pastrami and jalapeno, plus other sandwiches.

Christopher Kostow is known for earning three Michelin stars at the Restaurant at Meadowood, which remains temporarily closed after the Glass Fire destroyed it last September. The outpouring of grief over the restaurants destruction prompted several former employees to speak out about what they said was a toxic work environment at the restaurant. However, other employees said the frequent yelling was par for the course for a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Kostow plans to reopen the Restaurant at Meadowood next spring. The more casual Charter Oak, launched in 2017, remains open.

Elena Kadvany is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: elena.kadvany@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ekadvany
For the first time in the Singapore Food Festivals nearly three-decade history, the food-fueled event is coming to San Francisco.

The annual festival, held in Singapore since 1994, is hosting a weekend pop-up Sept. 11-12 featuring Bay Area chefs. Emily Lim of the Dabao Singapore pop-up is teaming up with chef Martin Yan to create a special menu, and Nora Haron of the IndoMex pop-up and Killiney Kopitiam restaurants will be cooking up beef rendang quesabirria tacos and other Singapore-meets-California fare. Lim and Haron are both part of a new and growing wave of Singaporean food businesses in the Bay Area.

The festival, organized by the Singapore Tourism Board, has never before had a presence on the West Coast (and events are taking place this year in New York City and Las Vegas as well). The tourism board wanted to focus on San Francisco because there are typically direct flights from the city to Singapore, but the country isnt currently allowing U.S. tourists in due to the pandemic. By promoting the countrys food culture, the tourism board hopes to encourage travel to Singapore when its allowed.

This festival aims at celebrating local foods that showcases Singapores rich and diverse food scene, said Rachel Loh, senior vice president for the Americas at the Singapore Tourism Board.

The two-day San Francisco event, which will take place at Harmonic Brewing, in Dogpatch from 3-7 p.m., will be set up like one of Singapores famed hawker fare centers, so participants can try dishes from multiple chefs. (People who go all out and eat every available dish will be rewarded with a swag bag of Singaporean snacks and merchandise, Loh said.) Lim and Yan will be making glutinous rice balls stuffed with Hainanese chicken and fried soft shell chili crab on mantou buns, among other dishes. On Sept. 14, the pair will also host an online cooking class to demonstrate how to make the dishes from the pop-up. Other online events, including classes taught by top Singapore chefs, are also available.

In addition to the weekend pop-up, two local businesses will serve limited dishes for the festival in September. Head to Oakland bar Viridian from Sept. 22-26 for a special menu created by Singaporean chefs Jeremy Cheok and Lthena Lye and Singaporean food truck Satay by the Bay for special dishes available from Sept. 13-19.

The festival in Singapore, which was virtual last year due to the coronavirus, is a major attraction with dozens of events that take place throughout the island nation.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

For more information, go to singaporefoodfestival.sg/

Elena Kadvany is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: elena.kadvany@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ekadvany
The delta variant has forced a quick pivot on key pandemic public health recommendations, including the return of universal indoor masking and the green light for vaccine booster shots.

Theres another long-standing core guideline, however, that experts say could use new scrutiny: the definition of close contact with an infected person, which dictates at what point someone exposed to the coronavirus should get tested or self-isolate.

For most of the pandemic, the standard has been 6 feet for 15 minutes, but experts say that since the highly transmissible delta upended the pandemic picture, a new understanding is needed as people make choices about their behaviors and risks.

The idea of criteria for what is a close contact has been a moving target throughout the pandemic, said UC Berkeley infectious disease expert John Swartzberg. I think we need to rethink what it really means to have a close contact, given a virus that is twice as transmissible.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines close contact as exposure within 6 feet of an infected person, indoors, for more than a cumulative total of 15 minutes over a 24-hour period. The definition applies regardless of vaccination status.

But the CDC also says that those infected with the delta variant can carry a much higher viral load  up to 1,000 times more of the virus compared to the original coronavirus strain, according to at least one study from China.

Scientists have speculated that deltas higher potency could greatly reduce the time it takes the virus to cause infection to as little as a few minutes or even seconds in an enclosed place. But the science is still developing, Swartzberg said.

If someones got a thousandfold more virus in their throat and nose than somebody else with an ancestral strain, one would think theyd be more likely to spread it, he said. However, the complexities of transmission make one-size-fits-all conclusions difficult, he added.

First, not every infected person will carry the same viral load, Swartzberg said  with research ongoing to determine the variables. Additionally, aerosol experts are still studying the levels at which the coronavirus can linger in the air in spaces like a classroom or a mall. Strong evidence indicates that the virus is airborne, but exactly how much depends on several factors including the number of air exchanges in a particular room, Swartzberg said.

This virus is like cigarette smoke, said Dr. Kimberly Prather, an aerosol scientist and professor at UC San Diego. So just think about if a smoker were in the bathroom ahead of you, and you walked in. Theres evidence of people getting infected when they were never in the room at the same time.

Another variable affecting indoor transmission risk is ventilation. With adequate ventilation and filtration, Prather said, indoor air can be made nearly as fresh as outdoor air. She said the three best strategies are cracking windows and doors; HVAC settings that bring in outside air; and air purifiers. Those steps can help protect people even if they make close contact, Prather said.

But given deltas high transmissibility, Prather says she has concerns that federal and state guidelines are outdated.

One reason the CDC hasnt changed its guidance on close contacts  even given the dire state of the delta surge  likely has to do with balancing resources against yield, Swartzberg said. Reducing the 15-minute threshold for likely exposure would greatly increase the work of teams who must find and notify people when a close contact tests positive.

Theres a finite amount of contact tracing resources and you have to apply them to get the highest yield, he said. If you decrease to 10 minutes, you increase the number of people you have to do contact tracing for.

Additionally, experts say, data may not yet support adjusting the current definition of a close contact  or indicate clearly what the new parameters should be.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

I share the concern that the definition may be a bit too lax in light of the viral dynamics and the way the delta variant behaves, said Anne Liu, an infectious disease doctor at Stanford University. But in the absence of better data, I can understand why they havent changed it. They are tasked with putting out very clear and unequivocal guidance so as to reduce confusion and bring clarity.

In the interim, Liu recommends her patients set a low threshold for risk tolerance. In particular, she advises avoiding contact indoors with people not in their household, and getting tested if they are symptomatic or learn they have been exposed to someone who was infected.

UCSF infectious disease expert Peter Chin-Hong said he would consider a few other factors when deciding whether to get tested: whether either individual was vaccinated, the duration of time they were in the room  for example, in and out of a grocery store versus several hours at a concert  and how well ventilated the space was.

But in reality, he said, the decision to take extra precautions depends more on an individual's risk assessment and judgment than on any hard-and-fast rule.

Liu agreed. Were fighting against this constantly morphing enemy, and we just have to keep adapting, she said. And keep that mask handy.

Annie Vainshtein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avainshtein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annievain
After several frustrating postponements because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the Bay Areas major music festivals are scheduled to return over the next few weeks and months.

BottleRock Napa Valley is set to take place over Labor Day weekend; Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival comes back to San Franciscos Golden Gate Park over Halloween weekend; and several others are scheduled in between.

But promoters face a fresh set of challenges thanks to the delta variant of the coronavirus.

Health officials have long stressed that the risk of outdoor transmission is far lower than inside, but the highly infectious variant is challenging many assumptions, especially after recent outbreaks tied to outdoor music festivals in Oregon and Michigan.

So where does that leave ticketholders for the falls biggest concerts? Local festival officials are trying to make things safer by requiring proof of vaccination or negative tests and recommending mask usage. But there are still many unknowns.

We havent seen anything like delta before, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a professor specializing in infectious diseases at UCSF.

Experts advise using caution. People in the Bay Area are familiar with the basic coronavirus mitigation strategies and those still apply, including for people who are fully vaccinated: Wear a mask, keep your distance from others, avoid indoor spaces, and keep your hands clean.

Do what you know is safe, said Michael Stanton, a professor of public health at California State University East Bay who attended several of the smaller-scale outdoor concerts at San Franciscos Stern Grove over the summer.

At a large festival like Outside Lands, that might mean you should avoid rushing the stage with the hordes to get up close to Lizzo, skipping the 32-ounce beer so you dont end up too often in the airless confines of a port-a-potty, and hanging back while waiting in line for your Dungeness crab fries.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle 2018

The pandemic is taking a toll on peoples collective mental health, Stanton said, and its important to have reasons to come together as long as it is safe.

Theres a tendency in the Bay Area, where people are taking COVID seriously, to sacrifice or reduce social time with others, he said. As much as there is good intention in there, we need to be careful because keeping up with others is important for our mental health.

There is good reason to stay alert to the risk of infection, though, even in a safety-conscious region like the Bay Area, where the population of most counties is at least 65% fully vaccinated.

While coronavirus vaccines can prevent serious illness, there is growing evidence that breakthrough infections  affecting those who are fully vaccinated  are more common than previously believed.

Driven by the highly contagious delta variant, COVID-19 hospitalizations more than doubled throughout the Bay Area between July 24 and Aug. 24.

We know congregate settings are at much higher risk, said Dr. Sundari Mase, health officer for Sonoma County, which will host the Huichica Music Festival at Gundlach Bundschu Winery Oct. 15-16. We also know vaccinated individuals are more likely to get infected if they are around unvaccinated people.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle 2018

Many festival organizers have announced they will require attendees to prove they have been vaccinated for COVID-19, or provide a negative coronavirus test, for entry to their events.

That includes BottleRock, which is also recommending but not requiring that people wear masks at all times. The event will use touchless wristbands for cashless transactions throughout the festival grounds.

After a brief dip in July, Napa County is once again experiencing a sharp uptick in COVID cases. The current seven-day average of new daily cases is 31 per 100,000 residents as of Tuesday  far above the safe community transmission level of fewer than five per 100,000 established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If you are going to these things, by all means, wear a mask, said Dr. George Rutherford, an infectious disease expert with UCSF.

Getting vaccinated and wearing a face covering is a good belt and suspenders approach to risk mitigation at events drawing tens of thousands of people per day, he said.

Outside Lands organizers said they will also require proof of vaccination or a negative test to attend this years three-day concert. The announcement came shortly after San Francisco Mayor London Breed told reporters last Friday  as a citywide vaccine mandate took effect for many indoor businesses  that she hopes to have a vaccine mandate for outdoor events with more than 5,000 people.

Even with more-transmissible delta, its still much less risky than indoors, said Chin-Hong.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle 2018

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Earlier this month, Chicago health officials reported 203 cases of COVID-19 connected to Lollapalooza, casting it as a number that was anticipated. The four-day music festival drew about 385,000 people to a lakefront park. Festivalgoers had to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative coronavirus test, and city officials said about 90% were vaccinated.

But there have been some more concerning reports.

The Boardmasters music and surfing festival in southwest England in mid-August has already been linked to some 4,700 confirmed coronavirus cases. About 76,000 people attended the event, which required guests to be either fully vaccinated or provide a negative test within 24 hours of arrival. Authorities in Suffolk, England, also traced more than 1,000 positive virus tests to the Latitude music festival in July, attended by around 40,000 people.

For some, the risk is not worth it.

The free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival, which typically draws hundreds of thousands of people to Golden Gate Park over the first weekend of October, will again be held online this year, organizers announced last week.

Based on all of the information we gathered, it became clear that a live event in the park was not in the interest of public safety, said producer Sheri Sternberg.

LiveNation, the worlds largest concert promoter, announced earlier this year that it will require all artists and patrons to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative coronavirus test for entry to events beginning Oct. 4. Thats too late for H.E.R.s Lights On Festival, which takes place at the Concord Pavilion Sept. 18-19.

But Chin-Hong said its not just about a venues rules. The way people behave at festivals also matters.

If youre sitting down watching Simon & Garfunkel playing, its different from being in a mosh pit, he said, adding that people should not engage in risky behavior like making out with a person whose vaccination status is unknown.

People shouldnt be lulled into a false sense of complacency, he said.

Aidin Vaziri is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avaziri@sfchronicle.com
HONOLULU (AP)  Hawaii tourism industry officials are having a mixed reaction to Gov. David Ige's plea that people not travel to the islands because of a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The governor made the comments Monday as hospitals across the state fill up with a record number of coronavirus patients.

It is a risky time to be traveling right now," Ige said. We do know that it is not a good time to travel to the islands.

Officials from the Hawaii Tourism Authority plan to discourage travel, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Tuesday.

Our community, residents and the visitor industry are responsible for working together to address this crisis," said John De Fries, the organization's president and CEO. "As such, we are strongly advising visitors that now is not the right time to travel, and they should postpone their trips through the end of October."

But others in the industry are reluctant to hit the brakes after the economy rebounded with eased restrictions earlier this summer.

Ive got thousands of people booked to come between now and 2022," said Jack Richards, president and CEO of Pleasant Holidays, a Hawaii travel agency. Im certainly not going to contact them and say, Dont go.'
Much like Californias housing production, the Legislatures will to do anything about it is approaching zero.

The legislative sessions most ambitious and controversial housing bills, SB9 and SB10, have made progress in recent days, which is a credit to the activists and legislators championing them against staunch opposition.

Even if these bills become law, however, the victory will have been so incremental and hard-won as to raise questions about the states capacity to address the housing shortage fueling its outsize poverty and homelessness. If they fail, it will be a dire omen indeed.

The state Assembly this week barely passed SB10, by state Sen. Scott Wiener, who calls it his light touch pro-density legislation. Its no understatement: Unlike the San Francisco Democrats previous proposals to broadly legalize multifamily housing near public transit and job centers, reviled by anti-housing local officials from San Francisco to Beverly Hills, this legislation merely gives city and county governments the option of allowing small apartment buildings.

Twenty-three legislators still failed to vote either way on the measure, and the Assemblys Democratic supermajority needed an assist from Republicans to get it passed. That put the bill on the brink of final approval by the Senate and a trip to the governors desk. But it also showed how many state and local politicians are so afraid of their most vocal and virulently anti-growth constituents that they dont even want cities to be able to allow more housing, belying long insistence that local control was the issue.

Despite being backed by Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, SB9 faces stiffer political headwinds for having the audacity to confront a California totem: single-family zoning. It does so in the most modest way imaginable, generally allowing single-family lots to be divided into up to two duplexes, and Atkins weakened it further in recent days with more requirements and exceptions. Last month, UC Berkeleys Terner Center for Housing Innovation estimated that the bill would probably enable more housing on only 1.5% of the states legion single-family properties.

The League of California Cities nevertheless registered its strenuous objection on the premise that the bill threatens local governments ability to plan for the type of affordable housing needed in their communities. Planning for housing is, after all, a favorite pursuit of those who are loath to see it built.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
Fires are burning through Mount Lassen National Park, obliterating property and homes in its path. The Lake Tahoe basin could be next. Reservoirs and rivers are running dry, particularly out West, while towns in Tennessee and on the East Coast are being inundated with too much water, too much weather.

For years, companies such as Pacific Gas and Electric Co. have been told that they need to put their electrical wiring underground, but it would have cut into too much of their profits or caused them to raise our costs a bit too high.

We know we need to build seawalls and move communities away from water or to areas where water actually still flows. Too many areas of our country are becoming less habitable, but our politicians continue to bicker about the costs of an infrastructure bill. The moderates in the Democratic Party want to pass the bipartisan bill before doing more and the progressives say they will not pass it until more is done. Are they speaking of more damage?

Meanwhile, the Republicans smile as nothing is done, the kings (and a few queens) of status quo. Could it be another fall like the Roman empire?

Mitchell Goldman, Richmond

Mental health done right

Regarding Mental illness needs care, not force (Open Forum, Aug. 23): Thank you for printing this very accurate and compelling article. San Francisco is putting into place several outreach models that include a team member with lived mental health experience. The Mental Health Association of San Francisco, with its phone and online services, is one of the nonprofits well-positioned to take referrals and treat people with dignity and respect while offering skills training, support, camaraderie and understanding.

The initial contact is critical in establishing credibility and rapport. One day, I watched a traditional homeless outreach team try to engage a man who was lying on the street.

After 10 minutes, they gave up and walked away. Two minutes later, I turned around and there he was next to me  a total stranger  wanting to converse with me. We bounded and had a long, meaningful conversation. So who says something can be more important than what is said.

Vivian Imperiale, San Francisco

Mandate for shots

Regarding Pfizer nod could spur more shots (Front Page, Aug. 24): At a federal level, President Biden is requiring government workers to sign forms attesting that they have been vaccinated or else submit to regular testing and other requirements. Now that the Food and Drug Administration has given full approval for Pfizer, President Biden needs to step up with a mandate for vaccination, no exceptions. Attesting does not cut it and is open to fraud.

Suzanne Kirkham, San Francisco

Doctors are under stress

Getting compassionate care at Kaiser Permanente has always been a long shot. But Im lucky to have a doctor who I like and trust. However, my visit with her today was one of the worst experiences Ive ever had. Her tension and stress was palpable. She didnt seem to be listening to me. There was also a lot of confusion about tests Ive had and still needed to have. I had to tell her to slow down because she was stressing me out.

This experience highlights to me that the quality of medical care has diminished because of COVID-19. In some ways it has gotten more efficient (scheduling appointments, lab work), but in other ways (like the human connection way) it seems to have gotten worse.

And thats a bad thing because the human connection has never been all that good in the first place.

Im not complaining about my doctor. I simply see her as struggling to cope with the onslaught of people needing attention. What I am complaining about are the people out there refusing to get vaccinated. Their actions are impacting not only my health care experience, but also their own. Do your part and get vaccinated. Please.
I am a gun owner. As a Black woman in America, I think it is asinine not to be prepared to defend myself and my family in a country that places a target on my back.

But my belief in the right to arm myself for the purposes of self-defense is not absolute.

Last week, I stood with San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin and community leaders like Pastor Michael McBride with the Live Free Campaign and Rudy Corpaz from United Playaz as Boudin announced that his office would sue the manufacturers of three companies that make and distribute ghost guns.

Ghost guns are untraceable firearms that come in pieces readily assembled in just hours.

Lego guns if you will. The parts are purchased online, without a background check, and shipped anywhere in the country. They have no serial number and are increasingly the weapon of choice in incidents of intercommunal violence. According to Boudin, individuals caught in possession of ghost guns can be prosecuted for illegal possession of a firearm. Ghost gun manufacturers, however, skirt trouble by exploiting a hole in federal law that only enforces serial number requirements for fully finished firearms, frames, and receivers. Because they come in ready-to-assemble kits, ghost guns are not technically classified as firearms.

According to The Chronicle, the impact of these guns in the Bay Area cannot be overstated. San Francisco police seized 164 ghost guns in 2020.

They confiscated only six in 2015. And police have already confiscated over 150 more ghost guns so far this year alone.

Meanwhile, Oakland police told The Chronicle that ghost guns account for 22% of all firearms confiscated as of March of this year. Thats up from only 7% in 2019.

These guns arent just toys for collectors. S.F. police say that 44% of the guns that theyve recovered as the murder weapons in homicides last year were ghost guns.

Ghost guns are an affront to the moral compass of any responsible gun owner. Dealing with them should be a priority to anyone who claims to seek an end to the increasing violence plaguing our streets.

Thats why it was refreshing to attend Boudins news conference, and hear someone in a position of power in criminal justice finally address intercommunal violence prevention, rather than the usual punative carceral state rhetoric.

Because of an inadequate response to the COVID-19 pandemic, communities of color are now being further devastated by an economic pandemic  a crisis that is pushing people into the underground economy, resulting in an uptick in homicides and other violent crime.

Rather than pushing for economic relief and social services, reactionary forces at all levels of California government are exploiting this moment to push a hardcore law-and-order agenda. Misinformation and fear-mongering are being used to attempt to convince us that over-policing and incarceration are the answers to our safety concerns. In Oakland, this push has led to an invasion by a trifecta of outside law enforcement agencies.

There is little to no evidence that these agencies will be able to bring down crime. Instead, they will almost certainly increase unnecessary and dangerous engagement between communities or color and law enforcement agencies that are not accountable to our local communities.

No matter how many times you angry-tweet it at me, the fact remains that there is no definitive correlation between more cops and less crime, or mass incarceration and safer streets.

Removing easy access to the weapons used to perpetrate violence, however, is a no-brainer prevention strategy that all of us should support.

Abolitionists  who believe that community safety is rooted in transformative justice, and who work to dismantle the prison industrial complex  are often accused of not caring about crime. Nothing could be further from the truth, particularly for abolitionists of color like myself. Many of us live in the very communities where violence is happening.

There needs to be accountability.

But instead of ineffectively shuffling Black and brown people in and out of cages, lets identify and hold accountable the corporations and entities that profit off our suffering and death.

Lets end the practice of increasing bank account balances while the bodies continue to pile up.

Cat Brooks is an award-winning actress, playwright, executive director of the Justice Teams Network, co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project and co-host of UpFront on KPFA.
Harry Denton, a boisterous San Francisco barman who could command a room just by entering it  often in one of his 13 tuxedos  has died at 77.

Denton died in Seattle, where he had been living in the care of his brother, Jim Denton, since suffering a major stroke in San Francisco years ago. He never recovered and died last Sunday in a nursing home of natural causes, his brother said.

Expansive, completely unreserved and often called the Big Man, Denton liked to describe himself as an alcoholic, foodaholic, shopaholic and sexaholic. Also a funaholic.

The way Harry portrayed owning a bar and restaurant made it look so fun and exciting that so many of us got into the business just because of him, said Johnny Love Metheny, the owner of San Franciscos Blue Light Bar, who worked the plank alongside the Big Man at the opening of Harrys on Fillmore.

From there, Denton opened Harrys Southside on Folsom Street, Harry Dentons on Steuart Street, Harry Dentons Starlight Room atop the Drake Hotel, and Harry Dentons Rouge on Broadway. Years later, his stable of establishments contracted to just the Starlight Room, his final bar. Whether at ground level or 21 stories atop Union Square, he was the most jovial person in the room, with an earthquake of a laugh.

He seemed to know the name of everybody who went out at night in San Francisco, and seemed to be at all of his namesake clubs at once. He liked to come out from behind the bar and dance. He sent handwritten thank-you notes and roses with love notes on Valentines Day.

He was the most loyal and caring friend, Metheny said. He put your needs above his at all times, whether you were an employee, a customer or a friend. He truly cared about people.

Denton suffered a stroke and fall in his apartment on lower Nob Hill, where he lived alone, in July 2013. Discovered by a neighbor, he was taken by ambulance to St. Francis Memorial Hospital, where he lingered in critical care for a week.

Event planner Kimberly Bakker recalled that when she visited him at a skilled nursing facility, Denton cooked up a long-range plan for his 75th birthday party, which was to be a black-tie event at Bimbos 365 club with a full orchestra, white tablecloths covered in a thousand roses and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown as master of ceremonies.

But he was moved to Queen Anne Healthcare in Washington state before these plans could be realized. He never made it home to his beloved top-floor corner apartment or his grand piano or his ribbon closet.

From the moment I met him 30 years ago, we had an instant bond, said Bakker, who relied on Dentons advice when she opened Le Colonial in the historic location of Trader Vics.

Even in the nursing home in Seattle, he was entertaining to the loyal group of San Franciscans who flew up to visit him. Lying in bed, he liked to show off the tattoo on the bottom of his big toe. It read tag here, as if he were ready for the mortician.

Always a showman and a shocker, Denton created the idea of Sundays a Drag, which lasted 12 years at the Starlight Room. He was a soft touch for any number of charitable causes, ranging from the annual Tenderloin Pool Toss, where he made a big splash in his tux, to hosting events for the Matthew Shepard Foundation to spread the word about intolerance.

Harry brought the gay lifestyle into a downtown environment, said drag performer Donna Sachet. Harry liked to celebrate everything that San Francisco is.

Harry Tom Denton was born Nov. 3, 1943, and raised in Kimberly, Idaho. His dad, Bob, ran a packaging plant for beans and peas. Harry grew up a shy child who liked to play piano and help his mother, Harriet, shop for her clothes. He was president of his senior class at Kimberly High School.

He was just as popular in high school as he was later in life, said Jim, youngest of three brothers with Harry in the middle. The girls loved him, and the guys loved him.

After graduating in 1962, he entered the University of Idaho, where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) fraternity. In his sophomore year, Denton sold his extensive collection of pullover sweaters and caught a bus for San Francisco.

He didnt tell Mom or Dad, Jim said. He just headed out.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Upon arrival, he got a job at a bank and an apartment in Daly City. He started hanging around the upscale bars of San Francisco and came under the wing of Norman Hobday, who owned a bar called Henry Africas. Hobday hired Denton as a bartender, and that was the end of his life in banking and his apartment in Daly City.

Whatever is a normal life, mine is the opposite, he later told an interviewer.

He worked at various joints around town and gained fame as the host at the Washington Square Bar & Grill under another charismatic barman, Ed Moose. After leaving the Square, he opened a succession of bars and nightclubs bearing the name Harrys.

When his empire was at its zenith in the 1990s, Denton shuttled among his bars in taxicabs, having given up driving long before. He brought a certain midcentury glamour to his saloons by sparing no expense of someone elses money on decor. When he opened Rouge, he had a dancing chorus of women who did two revues nightly, dancing on the bar in costumes he designed. When he opened the Starlight Room, he insisted on Egyptian drapes and six dozen fresh roses always at the door.

But his empire wasnt built to last. First he was convicted in a money-laundering scheme and lost control of Harrys on Steuart Street; then one by one he lost control of the other joints. His contract with the operators of the Drake Hotel expired and was not renewed, and his name was taken down from all signage except the marquee.

There is still the original Harrys Bar on Fillmore, but Denton had no connection with it. Before his stroke he talked of opening a bar with his old friend Andy Lucchesi, the Tommy Bahama model, but nothing came of it. He also talked of opening a joint with his buddy Johnny Love, but nothing came of that either. He was still talking about his next club, even in his last days in Seattle.

In the end, Harry Denton was a barman without a bar.

A memorial service is pending. Survivors include his brothers, Bob Denton and wife Chris, of Boise, Idaho; and Jim Denton and wife Johnnie of Bellevue, Wash.; three nieces; two nephews; and countless customers and loyal employees.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SamWhitingSF
Saori Okawa and Jim Pyatt both work for gig companies, but they have diametrically opposite views about whether they should be employees  and about Proposition 22, the ballot measure that a judge last week ruled violated Californias constitution in a case brought by labor unions.

California Prop. 22, into which gig companies poured a record-breaking $200 million-plus, keeps workers for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Postmates and Instacart as independent contractors, exempting them from being reclassified as employees under Californias AB5 law. Voters passed Prop. 22 in November, but now its future is in question  along with the eventual classification of gig workers in the state.

San Francisco resident Okawa, 40, a social work student who currently shops for Instacart and used to drive for Uber and Lyft, is glad that Prop. 22 may vanish. She wants the benefits and protections of employment. Among them: health insurance, reimbursement for the expenses she racks up on her car, and compensation for the time she spends waiting for shops or rides, which currently is unpaid.

She puts in long hours and really wants to earn overtime, another employment mandate, to help with her living expenses and the money she sends to her parents in Japan.

I know from my experience working for Uber and Lyft there were very strict rules about how we can and cant accept passengers, she said. There was very tight control. I felt like we were employees.

Pyatt, 64, a retiree who drives for Uber, supports Prop. 22 because he feels that ride-hailing lets him be his own boss. He sees his riders as customers whom he cares for with food treats, umbrellas on rainy days and good conversation. He drives his plug-in hybrid or his all-electric Chevy Bolt from his Modesto home to San Francisco on Fridays to put in two days of ride-hailing, staying in a motel on Friday night. He works longer hours when he has a vacation coming up.

I like the flexibility that I have, he said. If I had a boss, I wouldnt want to do this.

He said most gig workers he talks to feel likewise  and polls have borne that out, although none are recent.

Prop. 22 preserves the status quo of gig workers as contractors while giving them some benefits, such as a health care stipend and minimum-earnings guarantees. Gig companies say they and workers rely on the flexibility of the freelancer model. The companies also save hundreds of millions of dollars by sidestepping the expenses of having employees.

But last weeks ruling by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch does not mean that gig drivers and couriers could become employees anytime soon.

The gig companies plan to appeal the ruling once the final paperwork is filed, which could happen this week or next. The ordinary procedure would be for Judge Roeschs order to be stayed while an appeal proceeds. That could take many months  and its highly likely that whichever side loses would then turn to the California Supreme Court.

Even if the state Supreme Court agrees that Prop. 22 is unconstitutional, that still wouldnt turn drivers into employees  but it would give a lot of ammunition to those whod like to make the change.

Drivers and couriers were not employees before Prop. 22 passed, even though AB5 was already in effect. Uber, Lyft and their cohorts contend that AB5 doesnt apply to them.

If the Supreme Court overturns Prop. 22, none of the prior laws automatically make any worker an employee or an independent contractor, said Kurt Oneto, an attorney who represents the gig company coalition that backed Prop. 22. They are all tests. You have to apply the test to each worker or class of workers.

The California Attorney Generals Office and three city attorneys argue that the tests in those prior laws, including the landmark 2018 California Supreme Court decision known as Dynamax, mean that Uber and Lyft drivers should be employees. They sued the ride-hailing companies for misclassification in May 2020. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman issued a preliminary injunction in August 2020 saying the drivers should be employees.

Both Uber and Lyft threatened to halt ride-hailing in California if that order were upheld and they had to turn drivers into employees.

Judge Schulmans decision was stayed pending an appeal, which was expedited. In late October, the First District Court of Appeals unanimously upheld Schulmans preliminary injunction that drivers should be employees, with a January 2021 target date.

But days later, California voters passed Prop. 22, which made reclassification moot. The California and city attorneys case continues, but it was limited to redress for harms up until Prop. 22 took effect.

Now, with the prospect of Prop. 22 eventually being tossed out, that case may have added ammunition for changing drivers statuses.

At a minimum, we believe Uber and Lyft are responsible for reimbursing drivers for years of unpaid wages, benefits, and business expenses from before Prop. 22 took effect, said John Cote, a spokesman for City Attorney Dennis Herrera. With this latest decision, these companies may very well owe their drivers even more.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Additionally, two different courts agreed with us and found that Uber and Lyft should classify their drivers as employees while our case is being decided. Prop. 22 changed that, and were looking into the implications of this latest decision.

Oneto, the lawyer for the gig company coalition, said as much, but with a different spin.

If Prop. 22 is invalidated, it will undermine the ability of drivers to remain independent and they could be forced into a rigid 19th or 20th century employment model that doesnt work for app-based work, he said, reiterating the arguments gig companies make about why having employees doesnt mesh with their business models.

Private lawyers have also pursued misclassification cases against the gig companies. Boston attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan has cases pending against all the companies that backed Prop. 22.

For instance, her class-action suit against Uber includes drivers who worked up to Dec. 17, 2020, when Prop. 22 took effect. If Prop. 22 is not valid, then our claims could be ongoing, she said.

She sees it in even more sweeping terms for all litigation against the companies.

If this order is upheld, then the gig economy will not have Prop. 22 to lean back on as a defense against their misclassification of their workers, Liss-Riordan said. They will then be subject to liability and penalties for their ongoing violations of California labor code and injunction issues against them will be reinstated, requiring them to provide drivers with the protection of employees.

Meanwhile Okawa and Pyatt and many thousands of others continue working as contractors.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
A controversial proposal to build a new ski village, hotel and water park at Squaw Valley ski resort in North Lake Tahoe hit a snag this week.

On Tuesday, a state appeals court in Sacramento issued a pair of rulings sure to delay the project, which has been in the works for a decade.

The company that owns Squaw Valley and its neighboring resort, Alpine Meadows, wants to build an 85-acre village on Squaws mountain property that would include 850 lodging units, housing for up to 300 employees, 300,000 square feet of commercial space, a parking lot and a water park.

Such an addition, combined with a base-to-base gondola currently under construction that will link Squaw and Alpine, would be a major step in transforming the dual ski areas into a year-round mega-resort on par with the worlds top ski destinations.

Placer County approved the project in 2016. But it has come under intense scrutiny from Tahoe nonprofit Sierra Watch, which contends that such a development would blight the regions natural beauty, exacerbate traffic issues on the areas narrow roadways and constitute a mortal threat to staffers and visitors in the event of a wildfire.

Hoping to block the project, Sierra Watch filed suit, claiming that the county neglected to conduct a proper environmental impact assessment. A lower court ruled in favor of the county in 2018; Sierra Watch later appealed.

One of the new rulings by the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento acknowledges key claims of Sierra Watchs complaint, stating that Placer Countys environmental impact report never discussed the importance of Lake Tahoe or its current condition as a region beset with traffic woes and wildfire danger.

The countys EIR noted that nearby roadways would see an additional 23,842 drive miles on busy days, but didnt give the public a reasonable opportunity to evaluate such an impact during the planning process, according to one of the courts Tuesday rulings. The court also said the EIR underestimated the time that would be needed for evacuation of the valley in the event of a fire as well as the impact of construction noise.

The appeals courts second ruling tags the county for not making pertinent information related to the EIR publicly available during the process, in accordance with the Brown Act, which is designed to promote transparency among local agencies.

Sierra Watch touted the pair of rulings as a victory in the fight to preserve Tahoes character.

The development proposal is not only irresponsible but the approvals of the project were illegal, said Sierra Watch Executive Director Tom Mooers.

In a statement to The Chronicle, Squaw Valleys leader acknowledged the setback but indicated that the resort would continue pursuing the development.

We are disappointed in the decision and do not agree, but we will respect the process, Dee Byrne, Squaw Valley-Alpine Meadows president and COO, wrote to The Chronicle.

She pointed out that the ruling doesnt scuttle the proposal outright but instead targets the environmental analysis approved by Placer County.

We are committed to carrying out a responsible development in the valley  (and) are moving forward and are focused on supplying the additional information that the court requested, much of which is information that already exists, Byrne wrote.

Placer County said in an email that it was in the process of reviewing the rulings as well as evaluating next steps.

The ski resort could appeal to the California Supreme Court. If it opts to push forward with the project as is, it would have to go through the county planning process again, which would include a new EIR.

In the event the project survives legal challenges from Sierra Watch, it is expected to take 25 years to be built.

Gregory Thomas and Bob Egelko are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: gthomas@sfchronicle.com, begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @GregRThomas @bobegelko
One of the largest water districts in the San Francisco Bay Area released images and video footage Wednesday showing the dire situation in its reservoirs, which are water-starved after two consecutive dry winters.

Santa Clara Valley Water said its 10 reservoirs serving 2 million customers were at over 85% capacity combined in April 2017 after a wet winter replenished supply. In August 2021, the reservoirs are at 12.6% of capacity, the district said in a statement.

Exacerbating the issue, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ordered that the district drain Anderson Reservoir (pictured below), the county's largest reservoir, for public safety. The reservoir is expected to be out of use for 10 years as the district completes a seismic retrofit.

Santa Clara Valley Water District

The district declared a water shortage emergency in June, requiring customers to reduce water use by 15% compared with 2019 levels.

For some customers, the measures could become more drastic in coming months. Santa Clara Valley Water is a wholesaler, selling water to districts within the region that sell water to customers.

The largest retailer, San Jose Water, a private utility with 1 million customers, filed a proposal for a plan with state regulators that would require customers to reduce monthly water use by 15% from 2019 and pay $7.14 in surcharges for every unit of water they use above that amount.

San Jose Water spokesperson Liann Walborsky said the surcharge will only be implemented if it's approved and if customers haven't been cutting water use by 15%. The utility plans to assess the situation Aug. 31.

Santa Clara Valley Water District

Reservoirs across the state are at historically low levels, and this also impacts Santa Clara Valley Water, which typically imports more than half of its water into the county, district spokesperson Matt Keller said.

Oroville, the state's second-largest reservoir and a linchpin in the State Water Project that stores and delivers water across California, is at 23% of capacity. Santa Clara Valley Water has an annual allotment of 100,000 acre-feet from the State Water Project, and while the district rarely receives its full allotment, this year it will only get 5,000 acre-feet, Keller said.

San Luis Reservoir, a part of the federal Central Valley Water Project, is at 15% of capacity. The district's allocation of 152,000 acre-feet from the project was cut in May to 25% of that amount for manufacturing and industrial purposes and zero percent for agriculture.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  Rhode Islanders looking for a little culture in their lives now need to prove they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 if they want to enjoy an indoor performance, a coalition of nine of the state's most prominent live performance venues announced Wednesday.

The organizations came to the decision to provide for the safety of their audiences, artists, staff, and volunteers, based on current scientific evidence and best practices around the country, they said in a statement.

While great strides have been made in vaccination rates, the recent rise in cases caused by the delta variant inspired arts, cultural, and entertainment leaders to take these steps, the venues said.

In lieu of proof of vaccination, patrons can also a provide proof of a negative coronavirus test within the previous 72 hours in the case of a PCR test, or the previous six hours in the case of an antigen test.

All patrons regardless of vaccination status will also be required to wear masks at all times while inside a venue, unless eating or drinking.

The organizations are the Festival Ballet Providence, Gamm Theatre, Island Moving Company, Providence Performing Arts Center, Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School, Trinity Repertory Company, United Theatre, Veterans Memorial Auditorium, and Wilbury Theatre Group.

The rules are subject to change based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance and the evolving circumstances of the pandemic, they said.

___

HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

The COVID-19 pandemic cost Rhode Island's hospitality and tourism industry $2.2 billion last year, according to a new study.

The study was commissioned by the Rhode Island Hospitality Association and completed by students enrolled in Salve Regina University business professor Samuel Saccos introduction to econometrics class, The Newport Daily News reported Tuesday.

It examined the statewide impacts across each of the industrys four sectors, including food and beverage; events and meetings; lodging; and tourism and attractions.

Rhode Islands hospitality industry was one of the hardest hit industries in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dale Venturini, president and CEO of the hospitality association, said in a statement. Our membership of hoteliers, restaurants and attractions were extremely transparent on overall loss of business, but this study further illustrates the magnitude of the financial impact to the third-largest industry in Rhode Island.

The students identified closely with the study, said Sacco, because for many of them the pandemic affected their own employment.

Students in Sacco's class have in previous years completed several other economic impact studies.

___

SEMESTER DELAYED

Rhode Island College is delaying the start of the fall semester by more than a week to give more students a chance to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The state school announced last week that classes will start on Sept. 8 rather than Aug. 30.

Students are required to be vaccinated to attend on-campus activities.

A college spokesperson told The Providence Journal that currently about 73% of enrolled students have either already provided proof of vaccination or received an exemption.

The school based in Providence has about 7,000 students.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Idaho's hospitals are bursting at the seams as coronavirus numbers continue to skyrocket across the state, prompting state leaders to call on residents to serve as volunteers to help keep medical facilities operating.

"There's a wide variety of positions available, a wide variety of skillsets  we need positions in every part of the state, Elke Shaw-Tulloch, administrator for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfares Division of Public Health, said during a press briefing Tuesday afternoon.

Idaho's situation is dire, Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen said. As of Friday, the number of new COVID-19 cases statewide had increased 31% compared to the previous week, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and coronavirus-related hospital admissions had also climbed by about 30%.

On Thursday, 1,032 new coronavirus cases were reported to the state, the vast majority of them believed to be caused by the highly contagious delta variant.

We're almost near the peak we were at in December for hospitalized patients, and we're actually higher than we've ever been for the number of patients on ventilators," Jeppesen said. Their level of capacity is so strained that we are talking about crisis standards of care  we're dangerously close to that as this point in time."

People with lapsed health care licenses can get temporary authorization to work under the state's COVID-19 response plan, and people without medical backgrounds can help with hospital housekeeping, data entry or contact tracing, Shaw-Tulloch said, by signing up on a new website, VolunteerIdaho.com.

State leaders have made a similar plea for help to the U.S. government, asking for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other states to deploy health care workers to Idaho.

The capacity crunch is affecting urban and rural communities alike.

Kelly McGrath, chief medical officer for Clearwater Valley Health in Orofino and St. Marys Health in Cottonwood, told The Lewiston Tribune that both small, rural hospitals are stretched thin. When patients at the 23-bed Orofino hospital recently needed to be transferred to a larger hospital, McGrath said, staffers called more than a dozen hospitals in Idaho, Montana and Washington before finally locating a place in southern Idaho.

Doctor's offices are also feeling the pressure, said Dr. David Peterman, the CEO of Primary Health Group, which operates 21 urgent care and family medicine clinics in southwestern Idaho. The high demand for urgent care treatment  much of it coronavirus related  threatens to impact the speed in which clinicians can administer coronavirus vaccines, he said.

Frankly we're so overwhelmed by the testing and the demand for urgent care that we may be a little slow, Peterman said. We are setting records in August with 1,600 patients in our urgent care daily."

At some point, they can't see all the patients, he said.

Understand that if primary care all over the state is overwhelmed, there's not an alternative, because emergency rooms are also full, Peterman said.

The increase in coronavirus cases is affecting all age groups, said deputy state epidemiologist Kathryn Turner. Last week the state hit a new record with the number of cases reported in children under age 5.

Peterman, who is a pediatrician, said his clinics have also seen positive tests among kids increase. During one week in July, Primary Health had six positive coronavirus tests among patients aged 5 to 18 years old. Last week the clinic had 123 positive tests in that age group, he said.

If you do that math, you can't get more frightening than that, he said. Any child that is admitted to the hospital and certainly any death is preventable. We can stop this in its tracks today, right now, if I wear a mask and you wear a mask, particularly in schools and inside.

Children under 12 are not yet eligible to be immunized, and experts say masks offer some of the best protection they can have against the virus. As of Tuesday afternoon, the state health department knew of only four districts that were requiring masks  Boise, Blaine, Moscow and Lapwai.
This article was first published on NerdWallet.com.

A common question asked by women who want to travel is if solo female travel is safe. Some women wonder which destinations are safe and which aren't. Some want to know if they can do it by themselves, even if close friends and family have told them it isn't safe. If you're a woman who has yet to travel solo, it's easy to get caught up in the what-ifs  not to mention potentially talk yourself out of having an amazing solo travel experience.

As a digital nomad, I have traveled full time for three years, in many instances by myself. Solo travel experiences can be rewarding in ways that other experiences aren't: You can push outside of your comfort zone and get to know your inner explorer. On your own, you might be inspired to be more open to life and new experiences. Traveling can be a great education.

So, if you're a hopeful solo female traveler in search of safety tips, here's some hard-won advice that's helped me on all of my journeys.

Essential solo female travel tips

1. Use taxis and rideshares safely

Most countries have ridesharing apps, like Uber, or their own version of a ride-hailing app you can use to request a taxi. Using Uber or a local app allows your location to be tracked and the fare to be standardized. Furthermore, you can often see ratings for the driver and follow along on the app to make sure youre heading to your intended destination.

Most importantly, check that the license plate on the car youre getting into matches the one from the app.

Try to use these apps rather than hailing a taxi on the street. If these apps arent available, use authorized taxis from the airport or have your hotel call you a taxi. If youre staying at a short-term rental, ask the host for taxi recommendations.

2. Be alert when drinking and dating

Excessive drinking may inhibit your ability to make sound decisions. So if youre heading out for the night on your own, let a friend or family member know where youre going. You might even go so far as to share your real-time location via your smartphone.

New York-based traveler Christine Lee routinely lets others know her whereabouts when shes traveling solo. Make sure you share your live location with a roommate, friend or family member and/or tell a friend where youll be going so that someone knows your location at all times," she says.

Similarly, if youre going on a first date while traveling, meet in a public place. This way, you can easily leave if youre not having a good time.

And when you're out at bars or restaurants, dont leave your drink unattended.

3. Look like you know what you're doing

Some destinations are safer than others, but as a general rule, avoid making yourself an easy target. When walking down the street, especially late at night, look like you know where youre going.

If youre lost, step into a cafe or store and look up directions on your phone. Have a purse that has a zipper closure and dont leave it unattended.

Also make sure you have the local emergency numbers for where you're traveling in case something does go wrong. Helen Simkins, who's currently traveling solo in Portugal, abides by this tip.

Before arriving in a country, always secure its 911-equivalent number in your phone. Keep in mind that 911 isnt the emergency call number in other countries," she says. "I save the general emergency number, police and hospital number in my favorites for quick access and save the hospital in my maps.

4. Leave your fancy jewelry behind

While it can be nice to wear your favorite bling, fancy jewelry or watches might draw unwanted attention. If you want to wear jewelry, purchase some costume jewelry to travel with or better yet, buy some local, relatively inexpensive jewelry to wear on the trip. This approach will help you not only blend in, but also look less like a target.

Many incidents of theft are crimes of opportunity; dont give an offender a reason to consider you an easy target.

5. Use (and hide) your phone strategically

Some cities that are known to be dangerous have a higher prevalence of cell phone theft, especially if there is no Apple store in the country (iPhones are valuable on the local black market). If youre planning on visiting one of these destinations, get a hidden passport holder belt you can wear around your waist. These little pouches fit inside your pants or skirt and aren't visible. Keep your phone in there.

If you need to make a phone call or look up directions, step into a cafe or shop and use your phone inside.

6. Dress appropriately for the culture

If you're traveling to a conservative country, bring clothing that will allow you to blend in. Be mindful of the culture and traditions of the country so that you don't attract unwanted attention.

Even if youre going somewhere hot, bring a few pieces of clothing that cover your knees and shoulders so that you feel comfortable venturing out and exploring.

7. Buy a local SIM card

If youre traveling internationally, it's smart from a money-saving perspective to purchase a local SIM card for the country youre going to. Then, youll have mobile data and local calling, so you can feel connected. This tip is relatively simple, yet I often hear of people who just use their own U.S.-based phone plan and purchase data.

These U.S. data packs are often expensive and/or don't provide 4G service. People end up putting their phones on airplane mode and using only free Wi-Fi so they save money and dont use expensive data. Although you can use offline mode for some apps (like Google Maps and Google Translate), you arent able to use these services in real time.

Save yourself the hassle and simply buy a local SIM card. You want to be connected to the internet and have access to a phone (without paying high fees) in case you need to make a call, get in touch with friends or change locations at the last minute.

Also, being able to stay in touch with friends and family can help assuage their concerns about your solo travels.

8. Join female traveler Facebook groups

Traveling solo doesnt have to mean being completely on your own for the duration of your trip. There are many Facebook groups geared toward solo female travel, like Girls Love Travel and the Digital Nomad Girls Community, both of which have thousands of members.

Join these groups to connect with other solo female travelers. You can post about where youre thinking of traveling and get lots of tips from others who have been there. As a bonus, you might also make friends with women who are traveling to the same destinations.

Finally, enjoy your travels

Solo female travel is an incredibly rewarding experience. Keep these safety tips in mind when you venture abroad so you can have many memorable trips  with or without your friends.

Elina Geller writes for NerdWallet. Email: egeller@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @elina_geller.

The article 8 Safety Tips for Solo Female Travel originally appeared on NerdWallet.
A man believed to be from the Bay Area with multiple arrest warrants, including one for murder, was killed in a police standoff at Chicago's Union Station.

According to WLS in Chicago, Amtrak officials said the man fled from an Amtrak station in Emeryville and traveled all the way to Chicago.

A company representative said Amtrak police officers then met the suspect on the platform Tuesday evening, WLS reported, when he began running away and injuring an Amtrak worker in the process.

"They all ran up the stairs pushing each other, trying to get out of the way," a witness told WLS of the scene. "I just heard everybody yelling, 'Hey, there's a shooter!'"

A Chicago police spokesman told WMAQ that the suspect pulled out a weapon and began shooting at officers before an officer fired his gun and struck him. Police recovered a gun from the scene.

The man was then hospitalized and pronounced dead later that day. His identity has yet to be announced by Chicago police or Amtrak officials.

At least three other individuals at the station, including the Amtrak worker, were also hospitalized but are currently in "stabilized" condition, WMAQ reported.

Amtrak announced on its Twitter that train traffic stopped just before 6 p.m. due to "ongoing police activity"  the notice is believed to be connected to the shooting.

Amtrak representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from SFGATE.
Courtesy of Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation

Did one free Krispy Kreme doughnut not convince you to get vaccinated? Well, how about TWO free doughnuts?

More for you Food 8 ways to make your Covid-19 face mask more comfortable

Because everyone knows the way to American's hearts is free dessert, and 39.6 percent of eligible Americans are still unvaccinated, Krispy Kreme has stepped in to raise the stakes. Building on its existing offer of a free original glazed doughnut for anyone who shows proof of vaccination through the end of 2021, the chain is now giving away two free doughnuts to every American who shows proof of vaccination from August 30 through September 5.
At some point, Im gonna have to accept that a YouTuber will be elected to run something important. YouTubers are highly public personalities who know how to attract attention, and we just had a Twitter Guy run this country for four years. So its only natural that professional vloggers would eventually leverage their clout and go from "SUP YOUTUBE FAM" to "SUP VOTERS" with frightening elan.

One such YouTuber attempting to do just that is online real estate guru Kevin Paffrath, whose Twitter bio says hes currently #1 in the Polls to REPLACE Governor Gavin Newsom in the upcoming California recall election. (If Newsom is recalled with more than 50% of the vote on Sept. 14, the next governor of California is whoever receives the most votes between a wide swath of mostly right-wing candidates.)

Paffraths polls claim is likely untrue, although hell threaten to sue you if you claim otherwise. Two weeks ago, after Andrew Cuomo resigned, I wrote about the California recall election and how Californians have willingly put themselves in the position of having Newsom  whos no Lincoln by any means but is at least a barely passable governing executive  replaced by an absolute lunatic for a year. Paffrath is vying to be one of those lunatics, and I told readers that he made his allegedly real name giving other YouTubers scammy real estate advice. That was enough to catch the eye of Paffraths campaign machinery, which sent me this reply:

Im a journalist, which means I would have been negligent had I not accepted this entreaty to Better Know The YouTube Real Estate Guy. So I took a big chance at the high school dance and slid into Paffraths DMs. He responded, and we got on the phone last week to talk about his YouTube career and rise to financial and social prominence. We also discussed whether or not I too could make big money by becoming a real estate pro who flips houses using tips and tricks the industry DOESNT WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT. We also talked about politics, since he might be the next governor of California.

Here now is our conversation, divided into sections and condensed for length, for clarity, and for tremendous content.

On Paffraths YouTube real estate career

Drew Magary: In one of your videos, you mentioned that you used to be a licensed lender and contractor. Can you tell me why you are neither of those things anymore?

Kevin Paffrath: The type of contracting we were doing was handyman-style work. I would take a listing and then needed to change a few outlets, hang a light, change a faucet, fix some baseboards or whatever. It was all small-dollar accessory services. It's very difficult to find handy folk who are available, so I decided, "Well gosh, why don't I just hire a staff of people who can work, and then just do it as a licensed contractor?"

What we quickly found was that illegal handyfolk can operate for 30 bucks an hour under the table. To operate legally as a licensed contractor, I could pay a worker $25 an hour, but my break-even cost to run the business is $55 an hour because I've got to pay all this money for workers comp and whatever. That ended up leading us to conclude that it wasn't profitable to operate a contracting business in California, so we closed that.

Magary: Have you yourself ever used any illegal contractors to do work on any of your properties?

Paffrath: Oh, gosh. Look: Any handy person in California that does anything over $500 in unlicensed labor and material is illegal. Part of my platform is fixing that, because it's totally broken and it's unfair. Right now, I have hired employees. I have people on payroll, and we have workers comp, and we pay them all the things that we have to. It's very expensive. But clients can pick up the phone and just call someone off Craigslist.

Magary: You pointed out in one of your introductory videos that people who have less than sterling credit can still buy homes, and you encourage them to do so. Subprime lending was the main engine of the 2008 crash. You understand my concern that you might be encouraging people who really don't have the credit to buy homes, to buy homes?

Paffrath: Here's the thing. Real estate home ownership is about making your payment, and qualifying affordability-wise. That monthly payment, ideally, is less than 30% of your monthly gross income. That's important. I tell folks, "Do not get in over your head. Do not be payment poor." Now, the federal government through Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA  they will let people get into a 30-year fixed rate loan with a credit score as low as 640. Sometimes they'll go down to 620, or 600, but I personally see the credit score as just a barrier for homeowners. As long as they can afford the monthly payment, owning real estate can be a great way for you to build your credit.

Magary: Once you bought that first house when you were 19, did you yourself meet the standard of having your payments be 30% or less of your income?

Paffrath: Together with my wife, we would've met the income. When we closed on our property, we would have met the income. We didn't have that on our tax returns yet, so it was just monthly pay stubs. With FHA, you can make that happen.

Magary: You were married at 19?

Paffrath: No, we're married now, but they don't care.

Magary: What was her job at the time?

Paffrath: She was a waitress, and I was starting out as a real estate agent.

Magary: Okay then, what was the monthly payment?

Paffrath: $1,949. Property, taxes, interests, everything.

Magary: Where did you get the initial $10,000 you had at 19 to buy a $300,000 house, as you claimed in your video?

Paffrath: Both my wife and I worked minimum wage jobs since we were 16. We threw our money into Apple and Apple did really well that year, so it was a combination of stocks and just working minimum wage and saving.

Magary: How were you able to invest money in Apple when you were making minimum wage?

Paffrath: You get a $900 check and you go buy Apple stocks. We'd immediately transfer it over to Scottrade at the time.

Magary: Didn't you have rent to pay?

Paffrath: Oh no, we were living at my girlfriend's parents' house.

Magary: If I meet your suggested income level, isn't it likely that I could get the same tips that you give online from a bank, or from any professional financial adviser? Whats the difference? What is it that you're offering that I can't get from anyone else?

Paffrath: Financial advisers don't get trained in real estate investing. Real estate agents only do real estate. There's a little bit of real estate on the financial adviser exam, but it's mostly stocks, bonds, derivatives and retirement accounts. The difference that I have is I don't care if you buy a house or don't buy a house. I don't care if you buy stocks or don't. I'm not getting a commission on what you decide to do. I get paid by views and if I provide good information, people come back. If I provide bad information, people don't come back. Whereas commission sales reps are incentivized to either sell securities or to sell real estate.

Magary: Is your outlook on real estate investing informed mostly by the fact that you're in California, where real estate is just completely insane? Or do you feel you have a good grasp on how it is nationally for people?

Paffrath: The rule that I stand by when it comes to locales is, ideally, you want to be in an area with less than a 12% poverty rate. You want to see the poverty rate declining and, at the same time, you want to see the population going up. Those are the rules of thumb that I look for.

Magary: If you're telling people, "Okay, look for X criteria in terms of the poverty rate," wouldn't that reinforce the more discriminatory attitudes that real estate owners and agents have toward impoverished neighborhoods and neighborhoods that have more Black and Latino residents?

Paffrath: I don't think so. You want to find neighborhoods where you can get a good deal and where the numbers make sense. What happens when you do that is, over time, some neighborhoods get better. It spreads out. The more folks fix up properties and the less moldy and asbestos and lead-based paint homes we have, the better it is for all of society and all of our communities.

Magary: I wonder if your YouTube channels and tutorials are steering people toward investments like real estate that are more volatile than, say, index funds.

Paffrath: What I advocate is to take that $18,000 and buy real estate, because now real estate lets you take $18,000 and control a $300,000 property that you might be able to fix up, put some sweat equity, and over time, increase your net worth substantially more.

Magary: You still have to count on finding someone who will rent it, or someone who will buy it if you're going to flip it. You're going to have to bank on the fact that you can make the payments.

Paffrath: Of course. You've got to find a good deal. Then finding a tenant or selling is relatively easy as long as you buy in areas generally appreciating.

Magary: Okay, but is it that easy in, say, the Bay Area?

Paffrath: In the Bay Area, you have to revise this a little bit.

Magary: You were sued for disparaging personal finance guru Dave Ramsey in a series of videos you since pulled from your channel. Did you pull those videos as part of your settlement terms with Ramsey?

Paffrath: Well, I don't want to talk about whatever the terms are, but what I will say is my entire channel has pivoted to no longer criticizing other creators. Instead I just talk about my own thing. The very first video I did that actually got my channel a lot of attention was What Graham Stephan Isn't Telling You. I went from 12 subscribers to 1,000 subscribers in two weeks. It was insane. There was this appetite for commentary on what other people are doing. That got out of hand. Now I haven't done that for years, so that's pretty old school.

Magary: But you had to do it at first to get your name made, yes?

Paffrath: I don't know that I had to, but I did.

Magary: One of your videos was sponsored by Webull. Webull is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and is owned by Chinese holding company Fumi Technology. Has Webull given your campaign any money? Who has funded your campaign?

Paffrath: We've had no donation more than $5,000, I believe. Pretty sure $5,000 is the largest we got. It's just individuals. Beyond the donations we've gotten, I just funded myself.

Magary: How much have you funded?

Paffrath: Probably around $400,000.

Magary: What is your net worth?

Paffrath: Around $15 to $20 million.

Magary: How much of that is tied up in real estate right now, and wheres that real estate?

Paffrath: Half, in Ventura, California.

On Paffraths political views

Magary: Were you happy when President Biden extended the eviction moratorium, or did you think that was unfair to property owners?

Paffrath: I think property owners and tenants should work together better. I think most landlords suck. I think most landlords are really bad at their job and this is why tenants hate landlords. The reason these eviction protections had to get extended was because states like California failed their people. You've got Gov. Newsom running around telling people, "Oh, we have $5.2 billion of rent relief because we're roaring back."

He doesn't tell anyone that $4.8 billion of that came from Donald Trump and Joe Biden. It's federal relief money. He's had this money since December and February and he sat on it. Only [a small portion] of that money has actually gone out to tenants. It's no surprise you've got upset landlords who aren't getting the rent relief money and you've got tenants who are frustrated who don't want to get evicted. Really what you have with this whole eviction crisis is, to me, governors failing their constituents.

[Newsom signed full COVID rent relief into law just over a month ago. You can apply for rent relief in California through this website.]

Magary: Why do you think Newsom hasn't distributed the bulk of that money?

Paffrath: He didn't prioritize it. He didn't coordinate and didn't lead a single effort or single unified charge in having rent relief, letting every county come up with their own individual rules.

That is basically the same thing as what's happening with cannabis. Cannabis was legalized by voters five years ago. Here we are five years later and 80% of cannabis sales are still illegal and untaxed. Why? Because you've got this patchwork of miscellaneous ideas with good intentions but no leadership to bring them together.

Personally, I liken it to Afghanistan. You've got a patchwork of police forces and military commanders. You've got all the weapons, you've got all the money, you've got the helicopters and the drones, you've got all the tools, but you don't have a strong leader. What happens is a little problem pops up  the Taliban here in this case  and the entire country falls. Obviously, its on a different level, but it's very similar to what happens in California. They try to solve homelessness, they go on with patchwork solutions and theres no strong leadership. It all fails.

Magary: How would you be a better person to organize all that when you dont have the executive experience that Newsom has?

Paffrath: The last thing we need is more political experience. What you need is somebody who understands economics, scale, business, housing, and how to negotiate, and how to make win-win deals.

Magary: You understand that Californians would be a little bit spooked by someone saying they've had enough of regular politicians and we need a businessman in there. Particularly someone who has a background in real estate. You see where I'm going with this, yeah?

Paffrath: Wow. Look, here's the reality: People knew Donald Trump was a loose cannon before he became president. People can go on my website  not just my website, but the history of my YouTube channel. When people watch my videos, they see I'm not someone who's far left, I'm not someone who's far right. I'm not a loose cannon. Im very centered on solutions.

Magary: California is far left. They voted for Bernie Sanders in the 2020 primary.

Paffrath: No. I actually don't think that Californians are far left. I think that, individually, Californians are maybe somewhere between the 52% to 55% level in terms of the left-leaning spectrum. I'm like 51/49, or really in the middle, but I think that some of our elected officials have gone a little too far, and they're more like 80% left.

Magary: I see where you're going, but over 70% of the state Legislature is Democrat. Again, they voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary. Quantitatively, that is an extremely liberal state.

Paffrath: You're right. Its like 72% to 75% of the Legislature. What's crazy about that is you got people who work with Larry Elder writing opinion editorials, one that was in the Wall Street Journal: Larry Elder is going to go in there, he's going to be able to throw around the furniture and he's going to be able to veto. Arnold Schwarzenegger was able to veto, so will Larry Elder.

It's totally wrong, because look back at Arnold Schwarzenegger's term. Democrats had only 60% to 64% power. They didn't have the supermajority. Now we have a super, supermajority of Democrats. Yes, we're a super left state. In terms of the Legislature, this is exactly why you can't have a governor go in there who's going to promise to overthrow old rules and throw the furniture around and just veto stuff because they're just going to get sandbagged until the 2022 election. That's the worst thing they could do.

What you need is somebody who's going to have some courage to deal through executive power, which we can. We have the budgets, which just need to be appropriated better, which the governor can do that through the emergency powers. Only then can you work with the Legislature on common-sense solutions.

Magary: You got into investing early because, you said, your take-home pay was so low. Given that, don't you think Californians are entitled to much better take-home pay than they have? So that they dont have to seek out, frankly, people like you?

Paffrath: Everybody should be incentivized to focus on building wealth. You can't retire off of a paycheck, you have to invest and you have to build wealth. I think you're always going to need guidance on that. I don't think that people like me will ever go away, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that because folks need financial guidance.

What's more important is that we have to realize the way economics works. People have to provide value, and then they receive. One of the first things I teach is how can you, as an individual, provide more value so you can get paid more? That's very important because now businesses make more money. When businesses make more money, they can hire more people and the economy grows.

Its very important. It's simple economics. Now, individuals getting paid more is something I really stand for, but I realize that our schools have failed individuals. People graduate at 18, and the only things they can get are minimum wage jobs because they have no skills. The problem isn't the minimum wage. I'm not going to lower the minimum wage. I'm not going to screw that up, but we're not teaching our students financial education. We're not teaching them skills so they can actually provide value.

We can teach somebody to be an electrician investor, or a plumber investor, or a nurse investor, or maybe even a computer programmer investor, and 98-plus percent of those people, they're going to be able to get jobs that pay three to four times what the minimum wage is. Guess what happens when they get paid three to four times the minimum wage? They're not on Medi-Cal, they're not on welfare, they're not on rent control, and they can actually make a living, support a family, and retire without being subsisted on the state, which right now is being bankrupted. [California currently has a budget surplus.]

Magary: But companies like Amazon have made it so that your value as a worker is inconsequential to them. They want you to just be happy that you're in their employ. So how would you get companies who are big to recognize that value?

Paffrath: Anybody working in factories right now at Amazon should be worried. They're going to get replaced by robots. It's bad, but it's a big societal shift, it's a big problem.

There are plenty of service jobs available right now. The problem is, we have a substantially higher Black and Hispanic unemployment rate, especially in California. Or I should say at a disproportionate amount compared to whites. Theyre getting squeezed out by automation or they lost their jobs during the pandemic, and now their skill set doesn't align with what the marketplace is looking for anymore. This is horrible.

One of our solutions is actually paying people $2,000 per month to go to future schools. It's almost like we're bringing universal basic income and a social safety net to help them learn or get to a place where they can provide value again. It's investing in them.

Magary: Wouldnt you be better off just giving them that money instead of having a string attached to it?

Paffrath: Well, that's what we have right now. Look at welfare. Welfare says, "Oh, well, if you want to be on welfare, you have to go work." What happens? People go on welfare, then they get a minimum wage job and guess what happens? They're stuck forever. They never leave welfare. The same thing happens with rent control. They get stuck in rent control, they never move, they never build wealth. The programs we have right now trap people into the poverty programs.

On the California governor recall

Magary: What made you think you were the right person to replace Gavin Newsom?

Paffrath: First of all, they should have picked a backup Democrat. Someone better than Newsom. When the recall became official, I saw what our options were and I thought, "My gosh, California is so broken. We're going off the deep end here." Democrats just want to see a Republican come in for a year because they know it's only going to be a year. A Republican won't be able to get anything done. Then in 2022, they'll say, "Look what happened? Nothing. Bring a Democrat back."

Magary: That would be a very Democrat move. Yes, I could see that.

Paffrath: Exactly. That's what motivated me to run now. Almost everything Newsom touches is broken and he fails as a leader. I think I can fix all that.

Magary: If you weren't the first choice on the recall ballot, would you prefer Gavin Newsom remain governor, or do you like someone else in the field to take his place?

Paffrath: I think anything is better than Gavin Newsom.

Magary: Is Larry Elder better than Gavin Newsom?

Paffrath: No. Larry Elder is not going to get anything done, but Larry Elder would basically be a lame duck governor. So itd almost be the same thing. Anything is better than Newsom because what's going to happen is anyone else who wins, they're going to have to fight hard in 2022 and we're going to have a fresh field of ideas. Newsom getting replaced is almost like cracking the egg to cook the beautiful cake that we deserve to have. But we've got to get through this nasty shell first.

Magary: Since youre someone who built his name off of self-branding, do you not also see this campaign as a self-branding opportunity?

Paffrath: Since I declared my candidacy in May, my YouTube views have gone down. My revenue's gone down. People have unsubscribed from the channel. Channel growth has gone down. Everything has been hurt, personal-branding wise. But I'm not doing it for me. I'm doing it because I don't want my children in 20 years to go, "Dad, why did you raise us in California? This place sucks. It's bankrupt." I want to get us back on track. I don't want to be a career politician. Give me my five years. Let's fix California and then move on.

Magary: Again, you see how I might be a touch skeptical hearing from an aspiring leader outside of the field that they ran out of the goodness of their heart and actually sacrificed money for this campaign. You know I've heard that before, yes?

Paffrath: You may have heard that before, but you can also Google it. Go to socialblade.com. You can look at the [YouTube] data yourself.

[We did. Paffrath's YouTube channel growth has slowed relative to before he declared his candidacy, but he is not losing subscribers on the whole, and his total weekly views have continued to increase since May 2021, according to Social Blade.]
The major construction fix to stop San Francisco's beleaguered Millennium Tower from sinking further into the earth has been halted after the building suddenly sank another inch within a few weeks, as first reported by NBC Bay Area.

The $100 million perimeter pile upgrade project began in November, and was seen as a final resolution to the lopsided building's woes after an inspection in 2018 revealed the northwest corner had descended at least 18 inches into the bay fill at Mission and Fremont streets.

The fix has been likened to putting a bumper jack next to a flat tire, and involves the installation of piles 250 feet deep along the north and west sides of the tower, to be tied beneath the sidewalk to the original foundation.

That plan has now been put on pause after the unexpected sinking observed in recent weeks.

NBC's report says that after 39 of the 52 piles had been installed, something went "seriously wrong." That alleged sudden drop of an inch on the Fremont Street side occurred after crews had reportedly drilled halfway down to bedrock to install new piles, and translates to 5 inches of lean on the 58th floor.

Principal engineer on the project Ronald Hamburger of Simpson Gumpertz Heger told SFGATE on Tuesday that "monitoring has indicated an increased rate of settlement associated with pile installation. Out of an abundance of caution, we have placed a two- to four-week moratorium on pile installation while we try to understand better the mechanisms associated with the increased settlement rate and available means of mitigating this."

The news marks the latest problem in five years of upheaval and worry for residents of the luxury building.

The blue-gray glassy modernist tower, completed in 2009 at 301 Mission Street, is the tallest residential building in the city and won numerous engineering awards upon its construction.

In May 2016, residents in the 58-story high-rise were informed that the main tower that housed their luxury condos was sinking. The foundation at 301 Mission was built into deep, dense sand but not bedrock, unlike other downtown towers. (Though many other large downtown buildings are also constructed in the same way, including the Embarcadero Center, SFMOMA, the Marriott and 101 California.)

The blame game and many, many lawsuits began.

The building's homeowners association sued the main contractor Webcor and the developer Millennium Partners. The city of San Francisco also filed suit against the tower's developers. The developer blamed the problem on the Transbay Joint Powers Authority, which was responsible for construction of the neighboring Transbay Transit Center. All suits were later consolidated into a global agreement. The current fix on the tower is partly paid for as a portion of the settlement.

In 2018, when the sinking had increased to 18 inches with a lean of 14 inches, residents reported hearing various "creaking sounds," and then a "popping sound" at about 2:30 a.m. on the morning of Sept. 8, 2018.

The following day, a resident living in a corner unit on the 36th floor found a crack across a glass window that was rated to withstand hurricane-force winds. Concerns that the creaking, popping and cracking were another symptom of the structural failure grew. A report conducted on behalf of the towers managers blamed the crack on an exterior impact, but gave no indication as to what might have struck the window.

Later that year, a solution to the blighted building's tilt from Hamburger at Simpson Gumpertz Heger was finally proposed and approved.

"There has been no material harm to the building and it remains fully safe," Hamburger told SFGATE. "Once pile installation is complete and load is transferred to the new piles, the building will experience substantial improvement and begin to recover some of the tilting that has occurred over the years."

NBC reports that since the newly observed 1-inch sink, the tower's homeowners association told residents this week that further pile installation was being put on hold in light of an increased rate of settlement and out of an abundance of caution as engineers try to better understand the cause.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  A Mississippi pharmacist and a Louisiana marketer have pleaded guilty in connection with a multi-million dollar health insurance fraud scheme, federal authorities said Wednesday.

A news release from the Justice Department said Mitchell Chad Barrett, 54, a former Mississippi resident now living in Gulf Breeze, Florida, pleaded guilty Wednesday; and 57-year-old Thomas Wilburn Shoemaker of Rayville, Louisiana, pleaded guilty Aug. 12. Records show the pleas were entered in federal court in Mississippi.

Prosecutors said Barrett, a pharmacist, participated in a scheme to distribute medically unnecessary medications, while Shoemaker acted as a marketer for Barretts pharmacies. Prosecutors said the scheme resulted in more than $180 million in fraudulent billings. Victims included military and private insurance companies.

The release said Barrett pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions in criminally derived property and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Shoemaker pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and solicit, receive, offer, and pay illegal kickbacks. He could be sentenced to as much as five years in prison.

They also will have to pay restitution.
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP)  A husband and wife from North Carolina have pleaded guilty to transporting people living in the country illegally onto a U.S. Marine base by boat, a federal prosecutor said.

Timothy Scott Belcher, 56, and Georgina Belcher, 63, of Jacksonville brought three foreign nationals living illegally in the U.S. onto Camp Lejeune by bypassing the base gate and taking them from Jacksonville to a boat dock on base, according to court documents.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  Six New Hampshire state troopers who discharged their guns, killing a man during a standoff in Claremont, were legally justified in their use of deadly force, the state attorney generals office said Wednesday.

Jeffrey Ely, 40, who had barricaded himself in an automotive-type shop in Claremont where he had been living, died March 31 during an exchange of gunfire with police.

Before the standoff, witnesses told police that Ely was driving recklessly outside the building and threatening to shoot everyone. He fired a gun in the direction of several people in the parking lot, hitting a truck. Ely also had spoken with local police and fired a gun several times inside the building, according to a report from the attorney general's office.

A state police SWAT team had been called to the building and used a metal ram attached to an armored vehicle to push the building door open. Ely shot at the vehicle multiple times and declined repeated commands to drop his gun and leave the building, the report said.

He put on a jacket, and still holding a gun, moved closer to the door as if he was about to leave," the report said. The troopers fired.

An autopsy determined that Ely died of multiple gunshot wounds to the head, neck, arms, legs and torso. No law enforcement officers or other people were hurt.

Toxicology testing revealed the presence of multiple drugs in Ely's blood, including methamphetamine, amphetamine, buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine.

A report from the attorney general's office described the use of deadly force in two instances associated with Ely's death. In the first, the SWAT team members fired their guns in near unison over a period of approximately six seconds." In the second, it appeared that one of the troopers discharged his rifle three times about 16 seconds later.

The attorney general's office investigates all instances when New Hampshire state troopers use deadly force.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  The Alaska Federation of Natives has postponed its annual convention because of a rise in COVID-19 cases in the state, officials said in a statement.

The convention has traditionally been the largest gathering of Alaska Natives in the state. It had been scheduled for Oct. 21-23 but is now delayed until mid-December in Anchorage, the organization said in a statement Tuesday.

The federation's board of directors cited a rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations statewide and the increasing pressure placed on Alaska's limited healthcare system.

Organizers said they will continue planning for an in-person convention at the Denaina Convention Center in downtown Anchorage with a virtual option. However, the statement said the board will make a decision by mid-October on whether to maintain the in-person part.

The high-risk factors of holding a 5,000-person indoor meeting, with delegates coming in from across Alaska, make an in-person October gathering out of the question, Alaska Federation of Natives President Julie Kitka said in the statement.

She said the economic impact of the pandemic on businesses and individuals continues to be felt. And when events like the federation's annual convention are turned virtual, there are negative economic impacts for everyone, including the host city.

We are working to avoid that if we can, though our top priority remains the health and safety of our delegates and other participants, Kitka said.

Other organizers encouraged Alaskans to get vaccinated and wear masks so the convention can be held.

One notable celebration this year will be the observation of the 50th anniversary of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

The act was the largest land settlement in the nations history when President Richard Nixon signed it into law Dec. 18, 1971 and settled Indigenous land claims in Alaska.

Postponing until December provides us an opportunity to gather in person on the 50th anniversary of ANCSA, but it all hinges on everyones willingness and ability to get vaccinated, said Sealaska chairman and Alaska Federation of Natives co-chair Joe Nelson.

We want our convention plans for December to be an encouragement to Alaskans to double our efforts, get vaccinated, and mask up, said Sheri Buretta, chair of Chugach Alaska Corporation and the convention committee chair.
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Alert: Man upset over coronavirus restrictions is sentenced to 6 1/4 years in prison for plotting to kidnap Michigan governor
AMES, Iowa (AP)  Police have identified a woman found dead inside an Ames apartment last week.

Maria Hanian, 32, of Des Moines, was found Thursday evening by officers who had been sent to the apartment to check on the welfare of a person there, police said in a news release. Detectives have not said how she died, but ruled her death a homicide.

Prosecutors charged Oscar Chavez, 26, with first-degree murder in Hanians death. Chavez was arrested around midnight Thursday near Auburn, when he was stopped on suspicion of a traffic violation by Sac County Sheriff's deputy.

The arresting deputy reported that Chavez was initially evasive with questions and could not produce an ID, but later told the deputy that he had shot and killed his girlfriend in Ames. That led the deputy to contact Ames police and confirm that Chavez was a suspect in a homicide.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  Inmates at a northwest Arkansas jail have been prescribed ivermectin to combat COVID-19, despite warnings from federal health officials that the antiparasitic drug should not be used to treat the coronavirus.

Washington County's sheriff confirmed Tuesday night that the jail's health provider had been prescribing the drug. Sheriff Tim Helder didn't say how many inmates at the 710-bed facility had been given ivermectin and defended the health provider the jail uses that has been prescribing the medication.

Whatever a doctor prescribes, that is not in my bailiwick," Helder told members of the Washington County quorum court, the county's governing body. Helder did not immediately respond to a call from The Associated Press, and a spokesperson for the sheriff's office referred questions to Karas Correctional Health, the jail's health provider.

It's not clear what information inmates who were prescribed the drug have been given about it, including warnings that it isn't approved to treat COVID-19.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved ivermectin in both people and animals for some parasitic worms and for head lice and skin conditions. The FDA has not approved its use in treating or preventing COVID-19 in humans.

Using any treatment for COVID-19 thats not approved or authorized by the FDA, unless part of a clinical trial, can cause serious harm," the FDA said in a warning about the drug.

Health officials in Arkansas and Mississippi this week warned people to not take the veterinary formulation of the drug after seeing an uptick in calls to their poison control centers. The drug has been touted by some Republican lawmakers in Arkansas as a potential treatment for COVID-19.

Eva Madison, a member of the quorum court, called the use of the drug on inmates disturbing, noting that they're not in a position to seek a second opinion from physicians about its use.

Are we allowing him to effectively experiment on our detainees at our jail with no oversight?" Madison said.

Karas Correctional did not immediately return a message left Wednesday morning. Helder said Karas informed him of the drug's use in July, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

In a video posted on his Facebook page, Dr. Rob Karas said ivermectin is one of nine medications he's prescribed for COVID-19 to inmates at the jail and has been administering there since October. Karas said no inmates are forced to take the medication and they can refuse it.

Karas said the jail has had 531 virus cases and zero deaths and only one inmate hospitalized. In a Facebook post, Karas said 67% of the jail's inmates have been vaccinated against the virus.

Karas, who said he has had COVID-19 twice and has taken ivermectin, defended administering it to patients.

Do you want us to try and fight like we're at the beaches of Normandy or do you want me to tell what a lot of people do, which is go home and ride it out and go to the ER when your lips turn blue?" Karas said.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas criticized the drug being prescribed to inmates, citing the FDA's warnings about the drug. The group said it was seeking additional records about the drug's use from the sheriff's office and from the health provider.

They need to stop this practice immediately," ACLU of Arkansas Executive Director Holly Dickson said.

None of the jail's inmates administered ivermectin were state prisoners being held by the facility, the state Department of Corrections said. The department and its medical services provider are not providing ivermectin to any of its inmates, spokeswoman Cindy Murphy said.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  Adjustments to K-12 school policies on face masks and teen driving and CPR requirements due to the coronavirus pandemic received final approval by the North Carolina legislature on Wednesday.

The provisions are within a compromise bill worked out by the House and Senate and designed to address more public school rules during the outbreak. The final bill received near-unanimous support and now heads to Gov. Roy Cooper's desk.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  The North Carolina Senate on Wednesday approved a bill to raise penalties on those who engage in violent protests, bringing the measure just one step away from clearing the General Assembly.

The proposal from Republican House Speaker Tim Moore comes as a response to rioting and looting that took place in Raleigh last year amid frustration over the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Moore and other Republicans say the measure will more forcefully hold criminals accountable.

What this law is doing is it is keeping our cities safe, our properties safe, while allowing folks to exercise their First Amendment freedoms to protest, Sen. Danny Britt, a Robeson County Republican, said during floor debate. He spoke before the bill passed the GOP-controlled Senate on a 25-19 vote split along party lines.

But many Democrats and civil rights groups fear the measure could have a chilling effect on free speech and assembly rights by instilling fear among activists and dissuading them from going into the streets to voice their frustrations.

Among many things, the bill allows business owners to sue people who damaged their property for three times the actual damages they incurred, as well as court costs and attorneys' fees. Protesters who assault emergency responders would be charged with a more serious felony, even if the victim was not physically injured.

Additionally, those charged with rioting or looting could be held in jail for up to 48 hours, conditions similar to those placed on defendants charged with domestic violence.

It sends a message that will cause people to police themselves and simply stay at home," said Sen. Natalie Murdock, a Durham County Democrat.

The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina is among those opposed to the bill, as it considers the proposal a flagrant attempt to vilify the Black Lives Matter movement. Emancipate North Carolina, the state NAACP and Democracy North Carolina also oppose it.

The bill now returns to the House. If the Republican-controlled chamber backs the latest version of the measure passed by the Senate, it would head to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper for his consideration.

The governor expressed concern with House Bill 805 during a news conference last week. He said he wanted lawmakers to adopt policy recommendations from a task force he commissioned that were outlined last year to address racial inequity in the state's criminal justice system.

A separate bill given final legislative approval this week and now on his desk includes some of those recommendations  mainly as it relates to police conduct  but leaves out other far-reaching changes.

We should not have riots, and people who take part in riots should be prosecuted. That needs to be said first, Cooper said in the news conference. But, also, we made significant proposals about racial equity in the criminal justice system and some important common-sense changes that need to be made, and that bill doesnt include any of them."

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Follow Anderson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BryanRAnderson.

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Anderson is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP)  A body found at the Grand Canyon is believed to be a Hungarian man who was reported missing in July, authorities said.

The body believed to be Gabor Berczi-Tomcsanyi, 45, was found Monday about 430 feet (131 meters) below the rim at Yavapai Point, Grand Canyon National Park officials said Wednesday.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  A California judge said Wednesday that she anticipates a two-week hearing early next year before she decides if Scott Peterson deserves a new trial in the 2002 death of his pregnant wife.

That's more than a year after the California Supreme Court ordered Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo to consider if juror misconduct was so significant that it denied him a fair trial.

Massullo is expected to hear testimony from juror Richelle Nice, who is at the center of the dispute and has denied that she was influenced by her own background of domestic abuse. Nice is identified in court papers as Juror 7. But she co-authored a book about the case with six other jurors.

That hearing would get to the meat and potatoes of what the jurors information is, Deputy Stanislaus County District Attorney Dave Harris said.

Laci Peterson, 27, was eight months pregnant with their unborn son, Connor, when she was killed.

Massullo must decide if Nice committed prejudicial misconduct by failing to disclose that she had sought a restraining order in 2000 for fear that her boyfriends ex-girlfriend could harm Nice's own unborn child.

Petersons attorneys revealed in a June court filing that Nice also failed to disclose that her boyfriend beat her in 2001 while she was pregnant with another child.

As a perspective juror, Nice had answered no when she was asked if she had ever been involved in a lawsuit or been a crime victim.

Nice said in a court filing that she didnt think the restraining order was a lawsuit, nor did she feel victimized the way the law might define that term.

Massullo said she had wanted to schedule the evidentiary hearing for October, and she might still try to do it in early November. But she said delays in gathering evidence and sworn witness testimony, partly because of the coronavirus pandemic, make it more likely she will schedule the hearing for two weeks in late January or early February, after the winter holidays.

She expects to set the dates during a Sept. 22 hearing after considering several legal filings in the meantime.

Peterson, 48, participated in Wednesday's hearing through a telephone link from San Quentin State Prison, home of California's death row. The state Supreme Court separately overturned Petersons death sentence last year over unrelated faulty juror selection, and prosecutors said they wont again seek to have him executed.

If Peterson gets a new trial, his attorney has said he will present new evidence bolstering the defense theory that Laci Peterson was killed when she stumbled upon a nearby burglary.

Investigators said that on Christmas Eve 2002, Peterson dumped the bodies from his fishing boat into San Francisco Bay, where they surfaced months later.

The states high court last year said that there was considerable circumstantial evidence incriminating Peterson in the slayings.
NAMPA, Idaho (AP)  The Canyon County Sheriff's Office says a California man has been charged with kidnapping after he was found in a hotel with an 11-year-old girl from Nampa, Idaho.

The sheriff's office said in a prepared statement Wednesday that they began investigating on Monday after the girl was reported as a runaway. When they couldn't find her through her friends, investigators searched the child's cellphone records and found frequent communication with a person who had a California phone number.
CHICAGO (AP)  All city of Chicago employees will be required to get COVID-19 vaccines and submit proof by mid-October, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Wednesday.

City workers and volunteers will have to submit proof of full vaccination via an online portal by October 15. Earlier this month, city officials announced that public school employees including teachers and principals must also be vaccinated by the same date.
FLORENCE, S.C. (AP)  A former police officer in South Carolina has been ordered to spend six months in prison for hitting a man under arrest and in handcuffs with his flashlight.

Ex-Florence County deputy Brian Proffitt also left information about the beating out of his initial report in February 2019 and again in a follow up report after being given a chance to change his story, authorities said.
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP)  A former Klamath Falls police officer who stole narcotics from an evidence room and caused a DUII crash has pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges.

Thomas Reif, 28, pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge in a federal court in Medford, The Herald and News reported.
PHOENIX (AP)  The Supreme Court's decision to order the reinstatement of the Remain in Mexico immigration policy is sparking criticism from advocacy groups and praise by former President Donald Trump. It's also prompting promises by the Biden administration to keep pushing back against a lower court's decision to reactivate the policy, which forced people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S.

The high court's decision, which came late Tuesday, said the Biden administration likely violated federal law by trying to end the Trump-era program, known as the Migrant Protection Protocols. The ruling raised many questions, ranging from whether a legal challenge would prevail to the practical effects of reinstatement if it stands.

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WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION?

The Department of Homeland Security said it was taking steps to comply with the high court's decision while the Biden administration appeals.

The administration could try again to end the program by having the department provide a fuller explanation for its decision to end Migrant Protection Protocols.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Wednesday the administration had appealed a district court decision that the Supreme Courts order sprang from, and would continue to vigorously challenge it.

Trump, meanwhile, welcomed the court order and said the Biden government must now reinstate one of my most successful and important programs in securing the border.

During Trumps presidency, the policy required tens of thousands of migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to turn back to Mexico. It was meant to discourage asylum seekers, but critics said it denied people the legal right to seek protection in the U.S. and forced them to wait in dangerous Mexican border cities.

U.S. immigration experts note that no matter what happens over the long term, the Biden administration has wide discretion on how much it would reimplement the policy if appeals are unsuccessful.

It could reimplement it on a very small scale for families who meet certain criteria from very specific nationalities, or it could do something broader, said Jessica Bolter, associate policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute in Washington.

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HOW IS MEXICO REACTING?

Mexicos Foreign Relations Department refused to say late Wednesday whether the government will allow the U.S. to reinstate the policy of sending asylum seekers back across the border to wait for hearings on asylum claims.

Roberto Velasco, Mexicos director for North American affairs, said the court ruling is not binding on Mexico. He stressed that Mexicos immigration policy is designed and executed in a sovereign manner.

The Mexican government will start technical discussions with the U.S. government to evaluate how to handle safe, orderly and regulated immigration on the border, Velasco said.

Mexico is not legally obligated to receive returning migrants who are not Mexican citizens, and most of the asylum seekers are not.

During the Trump administration, the Mexican government said it was cooperating with the program for humanitarian reasons. Although migrants were granted humanitarian visas to stay in Mexico until they had their U.S. hearings, they often had to wait in dangerous areas controlled by cartels, leaving them vulnerable to being kidnapped, assaulted, raped or even killed. Others were transported by bus to parts of southern Mexico or invited to return to their home countries.

Mexico technically could block the program by refusing to accept migrants asked to stay in Mexico under the Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPP. But analysts like Tonatiuh Guillen, former head of Mexicos migration agency, consider that unlikely given the countrys history of cooperation with the U.S.

Guillen said Mexican officials will probably go along even though the country doesnt have sufficient resources to deal with an influx of asylum seekers at the border and nonprofit shelters south of the border are overwhelmed.

Still, more than 70 Mexican, U.S. and international NGOs have sent a letter asking President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador not to accept the U.S. court decision.

I dont think either Mexico or the Biden administration want to reimplement MPP at its maximum capacity right now, Bolter said. If it is reimplemented at a low level, it will have serious consequences for the families or other migrants who are subjected to it. But overall, I think its unlikely to drastically change the policy landscape at the border.

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HOW ROBUST WAS THE PROGRAM IN RECENT YEARS?

Immigration specialists note that Migrant Protection Protocols already had been significantly scaled back during the pandemic as officials began using public health protocols to swiftly expel migrants.

The Trump administration placed roughly 6,000 migrants into the program from April 2020 to January 2021  a fraction of the more than 71,000 migrants placed into the program overall, said Bolter. It launched the program in January 2019.

Clearly, it wasnt operating at the level it had been operating before, but there definitely were still people being placed into it, said Bolter. She added that the program was largely being used for migrants who Mexico refused to take back under pandemic-era health protocols known as Title 42.

Victoria Neilson, managing attorney with CLINICs defending vulnerable populations program, noted that since the pandemic far fewer migrants have been placed in the MPP program, with many expelled from the border under the health protocols initiated under the Trump administration and continued by President Joe Biden.

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WHAT ABOUT TITLE 42 EXPULSIONS?

The State Department is holding talks with the Mexican government as the administration reviews the Trump-era protocols to determine how they can be implemented while Title 42 is in effect, said a Homeland Security official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention renewed the Title 42 public health powers early this month. The administration has emphasized that Title 42 is not an immigration authority, but a public health authority, and its continued use is dictated by the CDC's analysis of the public health situation.

While Title 42 expulsions continue, the U.S. for now has suspended the processing into the U.S. of people who were returned to Mexico under Migrant Protection Protocols during the Trump administration.

In recent weeks, Central American migrants expelled under Title 42 have been flown by the U.S. into Mexico's south, sparking concerns by U.N. agencies about vulnerable migrants who they say need humanitarian protection.

The U.S. government has intermittently flown Mexicans deep into Mexico for years to discourage repeat attempts, but flights that began this month from Brownsville, Texas, to the Mexican state capitals of Villahermosa and Tapachula, near the Guatemalan border, appear to be the first time that Central Americans have been flown deep into Mexico.

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Taxin reported from Orange County, California. Maria Verza in Mexico City and Ben Fox and Mark Sherman in Washington contributed to this report.
HELENA, Mont. (AP)  Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte continues to negotiate a political tight rope related to COVID-19, encouraging people to get vaccinated while promising he will not mandate vaccines or face coverings.

It's unfortunate that all of this has been politicized, Gianforte, a Republican, said Tuesday during a news conference that addressed several issues, including the state's COVID-19 response.

The delta variant, which is dominant strain circulating in the country, is more contagious than other variants and research shows unvaccinated people are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19 than those who are vaccinated, state officials said.

COVID-19 cases have been increasing in Montana since mid-July and 720 new cases were reported Tuesday. Twenty-five deaths have been reported in the past week, the number of active cases statewide is nearing 4,000 and 239 people were hospitalized, according to state officials.

There couldn't be a more important time to get vaccinated, Gianforte said. The vaccines have been researched, they've been rigorously tested, they're safe and they work.

He said getting vaccinated will also help the state's economy continue to improve.

Since I was sworn in, I've encouraged Montanans to get vaccinated, Gianforte said. Just last weekend, former President (Donald) Trump told Americans, Get vaccinated."

President Joe Biden, government officials in Washington and journalists have also encouraged Americans to get the vaccine, Gianforte said. The vaccine was developed under the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed," he noted.

When it comes down to it though, people who are hesitant to get the vaccine don't want a lecture. They don't respond to sanctimony and virtue signaling. They want to be talked to with respect," Gianforte said. "They trust their personal medical provider to talk to them about the vaccine, answer their questions, clear up any uncertainty and provide them with medical guidance.

They dont want to hear from me, national figures, interest groups or even the press, Gianforte said. Its not effective.

Some residents aren't just hesitant, though  they're adamantly opposed to getting vaccinated.

Gianforte posted on social media on Monday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had fully approved the Pfizer vaccine and encouraged people to talk to their health care provider about getting vaccinated. He mentioned the FDA approval during his news conference, which was carried live on his Facebook page.

Both statements drew sharp criticism, and comments with incorrect information, from those opposed to getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Some said Gianforte would lose their political support.
HONOLULU (AP)  The state of Hawaii said Wednesday 88% of executive branch employees have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 92% were expected to be within the next month.

The state released the data after Gov. David Ige this month began requiring state employees to either show proof of vaccination or get tested every week.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has selected Brian Benjamin, a state senator from New York City, as her choice for lieutenant governor, according to a person familiar with the administrations internal discussions.

The person spoke Wednesday with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Hochul had yet to announce her decision publicly. She is expected to do so this week.

Hochul will make a special announcement with Benjamin at 1 p.m. Thursday in Harlem, according to a public schedule released by her office Tuesday afternoon.

If he accepts the job, Benjamin, 44, would become the states second Black lieutenant governor. The Democrat, whose district includes most of central Harlem, has focused his legislative career on criminal justice reform and affordable housing.

The role of lieutenant governor in New York has long been largely ceremonial, with the officeholders traveling to ribbon-cutting ceremonies and town halls across the state. But the state's two most recent lieutenant governors have become governor following the resignations of their predecessors.

Hochul, a Democrat, became governor Tuesday when Andrew Cuomo resigned after facing numerous allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied. David Paterson, the state's first Black lieutenant governor, became its first Black governor when Eliot Spitzer resigned after revelations that he had patronized a sex worker.

Hochuls and Benjamins offices didnt immediately return messages seeking comment.

Benjamin is the son of Caribbean immigrants. He was born in Harlem Hospital and raised in the neighborhood, later earning a bachelor's degree in public policy from Brown University and a master's of business administration from Harvard Business School. He later worked as a developer of affordable housing.

Benjamin initially ran on promises to close Rikers Island, New York City's giant and troubled jail complex, and sponsored a bill to do so. He also introduced legislation to divest New Yorks public pension fund from private prisons. State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli later ended the funds holdings in those companies.

In the national uproar after the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota in 2020, Benjamin helped push through a law to criminalize the use of police chokeholds that result in injury or death.

Benjamin has also tweeted support for defunding the police.

This year, Benjamin sponsored a bill making it harder to incarcerate people for minor parole violations. The legislation passed the Senate and Assembly but hasnt been delivered to the governor, according to the Senates website.

Benjamin's selection drew criticism from some Republicans, who have found some electoral success in campaigning against bail reforms and other bills passed by Democrats in recent years.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin, of Long Island, said Benjamin championed cashless bail, fought to defund the police and supports tax hikes.

Meanwhile, criminal justice reform advocates urged Hochul and Benjamin to pass more parole reforms, including legislation to allow parole consideration for older incarcerated adults.

"The time is now to reunite our families, heal communities torn apart by mass incarceration, and move New York toward redemption over permanent punishment, Release Aging People in Prison Campaign Director Jose Saldana said.

Benjamin unsuccessfully ran for New York City comptroller this year. He serves as senior assistant majority leader in the Senate and chair of the budget and revenue committee.

Benjamin is listed as director at Canada-based Nextpoint Acquisition, according to his 2020 financial disclosure statements filed with the state in May. His annual salary is up to $50,000, while he has stock with a market value between $75,000 to $100,000.

He had a $110,000 annual salary as a state senator as of 2020. Hochul is set to receive the nations highest gubernatorial salary, at $225,000.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House committee investigating the January insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is demanding a trove of records from federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies, showing the sweep of the lawmakers' review of the deadly attack by a mob of Donald Trump supporters.

The request Wednesday seeks information about events leading up to the Jan. 6 riot, including communication within the White House under then-President Trump and other agencies, and information about planning and funding for rallies held in Washington. Among them is an event at the Ellipse, near the White House, featuring remarks by Trump where he egged on a crowd of thousands before loyalists stormed the Capitol.

The requested documents are just the beginning of what is expected to be lengthy, partisan and rancorous investigation into how the mob was able to infiltrate the Capitol and disrupt the certification of Democrat Joe Bidens presidential victory, inflicting the most serious assault on Congress in two centuries.

In a statement Wednesday evening, Trump accused the committee of violating long-standing legal principles of privilege.

Executive privilege will be defended, not just on behalf of my Administration and the Patriots who worked beside me, but on behalf of the Office of the President of the United States and the future of our Nation, Trump said.

Committee members are also considering asking telecommunications companies to preserve phone records of several people, including members of Congress, to try to determine who knew what about the unfolding riot and when they knew it. With chants of hang Mike Pence," the rioters sent the then-vice president and members of Congress running for their lives and did more than $1 million in damage, and wounded dozens of police officers.

Records requests are typically the starting point for investigations, and the committee is expected to conduct a wide-ranging review as it builds a public record detailing the chaos on Jan. 6. That inquiry could take more than a year, until the end of the congressional session.

The demands are being made for White House records from the National Archives, along with material from the departments of Defense, Justice, Homeland Security and Interior, as well as the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The committee is also seeking information about efforts within the Trump administration to push the presidents baseless claims of election fraud and any efforts to try to overturn the results of Novembers election or to impede the peaceful transfer of power.

The request for the National Archives and Records Administration is 10 pages long. The committee is seeking "All documents and communications within the White House on January 6, 2021 related to Trumps close advisers and family members, the rally at the Ellipse and Trump's Twitter feed. It asks for his specific movements on that day and communications, if any, from the White House Situation Room. Also sought are all documents related to the claims of election fraud, as well as Supreme Court decisions on the topic.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., is heading the committee, appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., after all but two Republicans opposed the creation of the 13-person panel.

The committee so far has heard from police officers who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6. In emotional testimony, those officers spoke of how afraid and frustrated they were by the failure of law enforcement leaders to foresee the potential for violence and understand the scope of planning by the Trump backers. A Capitol Police officer who fatally shot protester Ashli Babbitt was cleared months ago of criminal wrongdoing and was cleared internally by the department this week, and was planning to reveal his identity in an NBC interview to air Thursday.

Most in the GOP argued that the majority-Democratic committee would conduct a partisan inquiry. House Democrats originally attempted to create an evenly split, independent commission to investigate the insurrection, but that effort fell short when it was blocked by Senate Republicans.

Thompson did not identify the lawmakers whose records the committee would seek, but he has said officials would be contacting communication companies, social media platforms and other tech giants.

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California, who had been in touch with Trump from the besieged Capitol on Jan. 6, again dismissed the committee's investigation as so political.

When he was asked whether he would turn over his own phone logs from Jan. 6, he said Wednesday, I told the American public who I talked to that day, referring to his television news appearances that day.

In a Fox News appearance Tuesday evening, Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., whose phone records may also be sought, said it was an abuse of power to investigate lawmakers.

Thompson, in a written statement, said the committee's work was rooted in apolitical fact-finding.

"Our Constitution provides for a peaceful transfer of power, and this investigation seeks to evaluate threats to that process, identify lessons learned and recommend laws, policies, procedures, rules, or regulations necessary to protect our republic in the future, he said.

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AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
BERLIN (AP)  Devastating floods in western Germany last month likely caused insured damage to the tune of about 7 billion euros ($8.2 billion), an insurance industry group said Wednesday, significantly increasing its previous estimate.

More than 180 people died in Germany and hundreds more were injured in the July 14-15 floods, which also claimed lives in neighboring Belgium. Heavy rainfall turned small streams into raging torrents, sweeping away houses, bridges and cars.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Public health officials in Iowas largest county are sounding alarms that too few people are wearing masks and getting vaccinated as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations climb in the state to levels not seen since January.

The surge of the COVID-19 delta variant comes as children return to schools that are barred from requiring face coverings due to a law approved earlier this year by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed into law by GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds.

In its weekly update Wednesday, the Iowa Department of Public Health noted 42 deaths due to the coronavirus since last weeks report, bringing the state total to 6,268 deaths.

The state reported 7,619 positive tests in the past seven days. In six of the past 10 days, Iowa posted more than 1,000 positive tests a day.

The report shows that more young people are becoming infected. In the past seven days, 17% of the states positive tests were among those under age 17, up from 13%.

Officials are especially concerned in Polk County, which just hosted more than 1 million visitors to the Iowa State Fair, where mask wearing was voluntary and large crowds gathered for concerts and indoor events. The county has 82,000 children under age 12 who do not qualify for vaccination and are vulnerable to infection, said Polk County Health Department Director Helen Eddy.

Our hospitals are full. Our healthcare workers are tired. Parents and guardians are scared to send their children to schools, Eddy said Tuesday in a statement as she pleaded for people to get vaccinated and wear masks again in public.

Public health officials said it will be difficult to track cases back to the 11-day fair in Des Moines. Its likely to take at least five days for symptoms to show up and seven to 10 days for cases to be seen in the data, said Dr. Meghan Schaeffer, an epidemiologist working as a consultant for Polk County.

In Polk County, 54.7% of population is fully vaccinated and coronavirus cases have increased 175% in the past three weeks. Area hospitals have 109 COVID-19 patients.

We have not seen a trend in COVID-19 hospitalizations like this since the last COVID-19 surge, which took place in October of 2020, the Polk County Health Department said in Tuesday's statement. Four of the hospitalized are under age 18, the highest number of patients that young the county has seen.

County health officials said they expect the surge in new cases to continue because school has started and people are not following COVID-19 prevention strategies, including wearing masks in public indoor settings.

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91 of Iowa's 99 counties have a high rate of spread. The remaining eight are in the substantial spread category.

In western Iowa, the AHSTW school district postponed the first day of classes from Tuesday to Aug. 30 after several staff members tested positive for COVID-19 and many more were exposed. Its the first example of the aggressively spreading delta variant complicating the start of school this year in Iowa.

The staff members of the Des Moines Public Schools administrative building were working remotely due to an outbreak just days before school started. The building was to remain closed through Friday. School started in the states largest district on Wednesday with 33,000 students and nearly 5,000 employees.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that not all concerts at the fair were indoors.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Irans hard-liner dominated Parliament on Wednesday voted to approve most of the ministers proposed by newly elected President Ibrahim Raisi, state TV reported.

Lawmakers voted in favor of 18 of 19 ministers proposed by Raisi after five days of hearings and discussions.

They did not approve Hossein Baghgoli, nominated for education minister, whose experience was disputed during hearings. He received 76 votes out of 286 present lawmakers. The chamber has 290 seats.

Raisi had appealed to lawmakers to vote quickly to approve his nominees so the government can get to work dealing with the pandemic and economic situation in the country suffering from years of sanctions by the U.S.

Raisi has said his foreign policy will focus on engagement with all nations and the removal of sanctions. New Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who received 270 votes from lawmakers, said his ministry would not run away from the negotiating table and will do its best to remove all sanctions against the country.

Amirabollahian, 56, has served in a range of administrations over the decades. He was deputy foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs under former populist hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, known in the West for his Holocaust denial and disputed re-election in 2009.

When relative moderate President Hassan Rouhani entered office in 2013, Amirabollahian kept his job before leaving to become an international affairs adviser to the former Parliament speaker. Rouhani struck the nuclear deal with world powers that granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.

In a hearing in Parliament on Sunday, Amirabdollahian said negotiations must guarantee the rights of the Iranian people. The diplomat also welcomed friendship with neighboring countries, especially with Irans regional rival Saudi Arabia for the benefit of the whole region.

Former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif congratulated Amirabdollahian on his confirmation. Wishing him, the ministry and its officials, and the new administration, all success in international relations, Zarif said in a tweet.

Javad Owji, 54, a career technocrat and long-time official in the countrys vital oil and gas sector, received 198 votes to work as oil minister. Exporting crude is a major foreign source of revenue for the nation.

During the Parliament hearing, Owji promised to apply an active attitude for bypassing sanctions and use of the private sector in exporting crude.

The Cabinet list included no women, few surprises and several officials from Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The supreme leader also typically weighs in on picking officials for the most sensitive positions, such as foreign minister.

The parties to the nuclear accord have met in Vienna for months to try to revive the deal. The last round of talks ended in June with no date set for their resumption. Raisi has promised his administration will focus on lifting sanctions that have clobbered Irans already ailing economy.

Meanwhile, Gen. Ahmad Vahidi was confirmed Wednesday as the interior minister with 266 votes.

Vahidi is a former defense minister blacklisted by the U.S. in 2010 and wanted by Interpol over his alleged role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires. The attack killed 85 people and wounded hundreds.

Vahidi also served as commander of Irans expeditionary Quds Force in the late 1980s, responsible for Tehrans proxies across the Middle East.

Later in the day, Raisi expressed gratitude to parliamentarians for their votes.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's meeting with President Joe Biden comes in the midst of heightened tensions with its regional archenemy, Iran, and as Israel grapples with a gradual resurgence of hostilities on its southern border with the Gaza Strip.

Bennett, in his first state visit overseas since taking office, met separately Wednesday with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

At the start of his meeting with Blinken, Bennett said he planned to speak with Biden and administration officials primarily about "how do we fend off and curtail Iran's ... race to a nuclear weapon.

The U.S. and Israel were also expected to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and economic matters.

Bennett has spoken out against the possibility of a new nuclear accord between Iran and world powers, and says that any agreement must also put the brakes on Iran's regional aggression. Recent months have seen a string of attacks on Israeli-connected shipping, believed to have been carried out by Iran.

Earlier this week, Bennett told his Cabinet that he would tell the American president that now is the time to halt the Iranians, to stop this thing and not re-enter a nuclear deal that has already expired and is not relevant, even to those who thought it was once relevant."

Friction between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers has been building in the three months since an 11-day war with Islamist militant group left least 265 dead in Gaza and 13 in Israel.

Indirect negotiations between the two sides to reach an arrangement for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip have broken down in the past week. Hamas has launched incendiary balloons into southern Israel and staged violent demonstrations on the border, raising the specter of renewed violence.

Theres a new government in the U.S. and a new government in Israel, and I bring with me from Jerusalem a new spirit of cooperation, and this rests on the special and long relationship between the two countries, Bennett said before take-off.

Bennett took office two months ago after cobbling together a ruling coalition of eight disparate political parties  ranging from Jewish ultranationalists to a small Islamist faction  ousting longtime leader Benjamin Netanyahu from office following the country's fourth consecutive parliamentary election in two years.
JERUSALEM (AP)  As police protected them, three Jewish men stepped forward, placed their hands out at chest level and began reciting prayers in low tones in the shadow of Jerusalems golden Dome of the Rock.

Jewish prayers at Jerusalems most sensitive holy site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, were once unthinkable. But they have quietly become the new norm in recent years, flying in the face of longstanding convention, straining a delicate status quo and raising fears that they could trigger a new wave of violence in the Middle East.

What is happening is a blatant and dangerous violation of the status quo, said Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani, a top official with the Waqf, the Jordanian-backed Islamic trust that administers the site. The Israeli police must stop providing protection to extremists.

The hilltop compound is the holiest site for Jews, revered as the location of two ancient temples destroyed in antiquity. Three times a day for 2,000 years, Jews have turned to face it during prayers. It also is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.

Israel captured the hilltop, along with the rest of east Jerusalem and the walled Old City, in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it, a move that was not recognized by most of the international community. The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as capital of a future independent state.

The flashpoint site is the emotional epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many rounds of deadly fighting in the decades-long conflict have erupted around it. The most recent was in May, when an Israeli police crackdown on stone-throwing Palestinian protesters inside the mosque helped precipitate an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and violent upheaval in Israeli cities.

Since 1967, a loose set of rules known as the status quo have governed day-to-day operations at the site. Any actual or perceived changes to the status quo has the potential to ignite violence.

For decades, Jews avoided worship at the site for religious reasons. Many leading rabbis, including the countrys Chief Rabbinate, ruled after the 1967 war that Jews should not enter the entire area of the Temple Mount out of concern for ritual impurity and uncertainty over the exact location of the ancient Temples holy of holies.

But attitudes are changing, particularly among Israels hard-line, religious nationalist right wing.

Amnon Ramon, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Policy Research, said the issue of Jewish prayer has transformed in recent decades from a matter that was on the fringe to a subject in the mainstream for the religious nationalist public. Most in that community appears to support some degree of Jewish worship there, as do a growing number of ultra-Orthodox Jews.

New Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who leads a small, hard-line religious party, caused an uproar last month on the Jewish fast day of Tisha BAv when he said Israel was committed to protecting freedom of worship for Jews at the compound. His office quickly issued a clarification stating there was no change whatsoever in the status quo.

Rabbi Eliyahu Vebr, head of the Temple Mount Yeshiva, said that for over a year, he has entered the site daily, most of the time with at least 10 Jewish men necessary for a group prayer.

So long as things are not conspicuous, in a way that disturbs, the police allow it, he said. Some days there is friction with Muslim worshippers and authorities, he said, but mostly there isnt. Palestinian media, including those of the Islamist militant group Hamas, publish videos almost daily of Jewish settlers storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Flanked by a detachment of paramilitary Border Police troopers, a quorum of 10 men entered the shrine on a recent morning and made their way to a secluded area of the eastern side of the compound. They prayed discreetly in hushed tones while a handful of guards from the Waqf watched from a distance.

Kiswani, who is the Waqfs director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, said Muslim authorities have strongly protested the Jewish prayers, both to Israeli police and to the Jordanian government.

But he said Israeli police forcibly prevent Waqf personnel from approaching Jewish worshippers and in some cases, arrest or expel them. The mosque is a pure right for Muslims alone, and there is no prayer in the mosque except for Muslims, he said.

Israeli police said its forces operate in accordance with the terms of visitation customary at the site, while maintaining public order. It said the regulations for visitors are determined by the government and court decisions.

Akiva Ariel, a spokesman for Beyadenu, a Jewish activist group advocating for Jewish prayer at the site, said things began to change under the government of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who led the country for 12 years before he was ousted in May.

The police turn a blind eye to the worship, so long as its done inconspicuously, Ariel said. During the recent visit, the men conducted the ancient blessing, in which priests make Vs with each hand, spreading their ring and middle fingers, and quietly recited a special benediction, while others performed surreptitious bows while praying. But they did not don prayer shawls or phylacteries  small cases holding slips inscribed with passages of Scripture bound to the head and arm that are customarily worn during morning prayers.

For many Jewish Temple Mount activists, the main aim is a place for Jewish worship at the site, Ariel said. This is our holiest place. We arent demanding that Muslim be evicted from here, heaven forbid, he said.

Palestinians have long feared that Israel may change routines at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, such as partitioning the site, similar to a holy site in Hebron revered by Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque and by Jews as the Tomb of the Patriarchs.

Ramon said that Palestinians fear that if they give an inch, Israel may take a mile.

Its hard to know how and when it will explode, he said. But it definitely can happen.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A jury in Las Vegas has awarded $38.8 million in damages to the family of an 11-year-old girl who was fatally hit by a trash truck as she walked home from school in February 2017.

The Clark County District Court jury on Tuesday found the regions contract waste hauler, Republic Services, liable for the death of Jazmin Espana following a two-week trial. The judge called the trial difficult and full of sadness.

In a statement, Republic Services expressed condolences to the girl's family and friends, called her death a tragic accident and maintained that the company has a strong culture committed to safety.

Attorney David Barron, who represented the company, did not immediately respond Wednesday to an email about whether the company would appeal the verdict or seek to reduce the award amount.

During trial, Barron denied the company was liable but told the jury that if they found negligence an award of $10.25 million plus funeral expenses would be enough.

Family attorney Sean Claggett sought $65 million.

Our kids are valuable the girls mother, Encarnacion Espana, said after the verdict, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Nothing can bring my daughter back, but it was justice."

The jury heard that the truck driver, Julio Cortez-Solano, had a history of traffic violations and company infractions dating back to 2008 and had been involved in crashes in 2011 and 2013.

Cortez-Solano was fired in January 2016 after several incidents during the previous 13 months including striking a parked vehicle with a dumpster, hitting a power box and skipping service stops.

He was rehired a month later.

These are all red flags that Republic Services had, Claggett told the jury.

Jurors saw video showing the truck never fully stopped as it turned right through a crosswalk were Jazmin Espana and a friend had a walk signal to cross.

Cortez-Solano apologized on the witness stand and told the jury his life was changed forever. He said he was sure the girls were still on the sidewalk when he made the turn.

Espana told the Review-Journal that she forgave the driver and Republic Services and hoped her daughter would be remembered as a happy girl who loved school and aspired to be a teacher.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)  A proposed class-action lawsuit claims that Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds decision to cut off enhanced unemployment benefits for tens of thousands of residents violated state law and asks a court to reinstate their eligibility.

The lawsuit, filed this week in Polk County, seeks to make claimants eligible for potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in unemployment aid they have been denied since Iowa dropped federal pandemic benefit programs June 12.

Reynolds, a Republican, announced in May that Iowa would end participation in federal programs that provided an extra $300 per week to normal unemployment benefits and expanded eligibility criteria. She cited a severe workforce shortage," saying the move would encourage people to return to work.

The lawsuit claims the decision violated a law that says Iowa's workforce agency shall cooperate with the United States Department of Labor to the fullest extent necessary in order to secure to this state and its citizens all advantages available under federal unemployment programs.

Several Des Moines attorneys, including B.J. Stoltze, Jr. and Jeff Carter, filed the lawsuit, which notes that the Iowa law calls economic insecurity caused by unemployment a serious menace to the health, morals and welfare of residents.

The Legislature decided it was a serious menace. Unfortunately, the governor appears to be treating it like its an inconvenience to big business, Stoltze said.

Carter said attorneys have heard from dozens of Iowans suffering economic hardships after having been initially promised by the state they would be eligible for the aid through early September.

Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett said the governor believes we cannot continue to pay able-bodied people to stay home." He said the number of people looking for jobs at unemployment offices and participating in the state's labor force has increased since May.

This was not only the right decision, but also in accordance with the law and this lawsuit has no merit, he said.

Reynolds is one of 26 governors, mostly Republicans, who have taken similar steps, ahead of the Sept. 6 date that the federal aid will expire.

Lawsuits have been filed challenging the cuts in several of those states, including Ohio, Texas and Florida, and have had mixed success so far.

An amended Iowa lawsuit filed Wednesday names four plaintiffs and estimates the class could involve 55,000 who have been illegally deprived life-sustaining benefits."

They include claimants who were receiving the $300 weekly supplement; who were eligible for unemployment after exhausting 26 weeks of state benefits; and others who were made eligible if they'd been unable to work due to COVID-19.

Iowa was paying out $33 million through the programs per week when Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend recommended ending them in May. The lawsuit names Reynolds and Townsend as defendants.

The Century Foundation, a progressive group, has estimated that $337 million in benefits are at stake for Iowa claimants during the 12-week cutoff.

The lawsuit describes how the pandemic affected the plaintiffs' employment prospects before the cut hurt their finances, as the Delta variant causes a new wave of hospitalizations and deaths in Iowa.

They include 32-year-old Garner mother Crystal Marciniak, who took time off from her job as a pig care manager to undergo carpal tunnel surgery in March 2020 and had her return to work delayed by the pandemic. She had been using benefits to pay for food, housing and items for her two children, and has depleted her savings since June.

Another is Holly Bladel, 64, of Clinton, who lost her job at a gas station after taking time off to care for an elderly relative at risk for COVID-19 and has been unable to return to work.

Karla Smith, 67, of Pleasantville, had been working at a Caseys convenience store in retirement to make ends meet but quit in March 2020 after a doctor advised that her preexisting lung condition made it dangerous for her to work in retail.

Brian Wisch, 37, of Ankeny was laid off by Collins Aerospace in May 2020 due to lack of demand caused by the pandemic. The company told him he might be rehired when the business rebounded, but he's unsure that will happen and has been looking for a job.

The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order requiring the state to resume participation in the programs, and an order for the state to pay back benefits that are owed with interest.
ST. LOUIS (AP)  A veteran Missouri political consultant pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal tax charge, saying he takes full responsibility for his actions.

David Barklage was indicted in May on a felony count accusing him of failing to report $443,633 in income from 2012 through 2014. The indictment said that as a result, he failed to pay $151,843 in taxes.

Barklage said in a statement after his guilty plea that he will make full restitution. His attorney, Joseph Passanise, said he will ask for probation.

Barklage operates the Barklage Company and his clients have included several prominent Republicans in Missouri government. He was a consultant last year to the Uniting Missouri political action committee, which provided financial backing for Gov. Mike Parsonss successful election bid.

Barklage also has worked with key players in the Missouri House and Senate, and his efforts in the 1990s helped Republicans take control of the Missouri General Assembly.
ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP)  A grand jury in Louisiana has indicted a man in the death of an infant.

The Town Talk of Alexandria reports that 20-year-old Charles Otis Sneed was indicted in Rapides Parish on Aug. 17. He was charged in connection with the death of a 7-month-old baby who was unresponsive when brought to an emergency room in May.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  The full approval of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine means it's time for Maine's remaining unvaccinated people to get their shots, the governor said.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement late Monday that getting vaccinated is especially important because of the rise of the delta variant in the state and elsewhere. Mills, a Democrat, said there is no time to waste in getting your shot because of the rise in cases and hospitalizations in Maine.

"Getting vaccinated may save your life, the life of a family member or friend, or the life of a child not yet eligible for a vaccine," Mills said.

About 70% of Maine's eligible population is full vaccinated against coronavirus. That's one of the highest rates in the country.

The federal government announced full approval of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday.

In other pandemic news in Maine:

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SCHOOL VACCINATION RATES

The rate of vaccination of students in Maine's schools will vary widely at the start of the school year, Maine officials have found.

The state published estimated vaccination rates for students age 12 to 18 for school administrative units on Tuesday. Some districts, such as Falmouth, have rates over 95%. Others, such as Jonesboro, have rates below 40%.

Rates are generally higher in southern Maine districts.

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THE NUMBERS

The number of daily cases of the virus in Maine has leveled off in recent days but is likely to increase soon.

Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said the number of new daily cases in the state is likely to go up because there are about 1,700 positive test results awaiting review.

You should expected to see more cases per day in the coming days, Shah said.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Maine has risen over the past two weeks from 158.17 on Aug. 9 to 160.71 on Monday. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Maine has risen over the past two weeks from 0.14 on Aug. 9 to 2.43 on Monday.

The AP is using data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering to measure outbreak caseloads and deaths across the United States.

The Maine CDC said the state has been the site of more than 74,000 cases of the virus and 926 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Nine of the state's 16 counties are the site of substantial or high transmission of the virus according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
PALMDALE, Calif.  The light was fading on what had been a breezy 101-degree afternoon by the time the two women with clipboards approached Ashley Reyes, who sat watching her son and his cousins play in her gated driveway.

Had she heard, the women wondered, about the election coming up on Sept. 14?

No, Reyes replied, a look of puzzled curiosity crossing her face. What election?

I saw this scene and many similar ones play out this month when I tagged along with Karen Diaz, 27, and Tanairy Guzman Reyes, 22, as they knocked on doors in Palmdale, a city north of Los Angeles. They were hoping to bolster support for Gov. Gavin Newsom as he faces an attempt to recall him from office.

Voters, who by now should have gotten their ballots by mail, will be asked two questions: Should Newsom be recalled from office? And if so, who should replace him?

The recall was once a long shot initiated by Republicans who disliked the governors positions on issues like the death penalty and immigration. But the effort gained steam during the coronavirus pandemic, as conservative Californians bridled at business restrictions and mask mandates.

As my colleague Shawn Hubler and I recently wrote, Democratic voters vastly outnumber Republicans in California, but experts say Newsom could be stymied by ambivalence and a lack of awareness about the election, particularly among those most likely to support him.

That has progressive groups, including the state and national Democratic parties, working to sound the alarm: Newsom could be replaced by a Republican if Democrats dont cast their ballots.

For many of the states Latino voters, the fear is acute that Newsoms successor might roll back rights for undocumented immigrants or remove restrictions that protect essential workers, experts told me.

This election is too important to sit out, said Diaz, who is the electoral field manager for the immigrant advocacy group CHIRLA Action Fund, based in Los Angeles.

We trudged up and down the sun-bleached streets of the neighborhood where Diaz grew up  her home turf, she said. She knew that many of the voters would be hearing from a political campaign for the first time.

Her colleague, Guzman Reyes, who grew up in neighboring Lancaster, said she wasnt initially aware of the recall election, but when she found out that Newsom could be removed, she wanted to alert community members.

A lot of people dont vote in special elections, she said. And its coming out of nowhere, really.

While experts initially predicted that the election would be in November, Newsoms allies moved to hold the vote earlier, allowing the governor to capitalize on optimism that we were finally leaving the pandemic behind. But as the delta variant rages, that plan could backfire, experts say.

So, Diaz and Guzman Reyes knocked on door after door, approaching people who were washing their cars or tidying their garages.

Some of the residents, like Reyes, pledged to cast their votes for Newsom after speaking with the canvassers. One woman said her voice didnt matter.

A few, though, had already heard about the election.

Javier Rivera, 49, said he would vote to keep Newsom, who he said had handled a difficult situation well. He sees the governor as a staunch opponent of the former president.

I would have voted for Daffy Duck if he was against Trump, he said.

But Rivera said he was concerned: For whatever reason, it feels like most of the noise is coming from Republicans.

Edgar Robleto, 62, who spoke with Diaz and Guzman Reyes through a metal screen door, said he wanted Newsom gone. Pandemic restrictions, he said, were overboard, and hed lost work as a bus operator.

My credit cards are to the top, he told me.

But Robleto said he didnt know whom hed vote for to replace the governor. He said he would find information on Facebook and YouTube, and wait to hear from leaders of his church.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  Members of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogans staff have tested positive for the coronavirus, but Hogan and Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford both tested negative, the governors office said Tuesday.

Spokesman Mike Ricci said four members of the governors staff tested positive, The Washington Post reported. All members of the governors staff are fully vaccinated, Ricci noted. The Daily Record first reported the news of the positive tests among Hogans staff.
ATLANTA (AP)  More than half of all Georgia public school students are now required to wear masks in class, according to district announcements tracked by The Associated Press, as many school systems that had sought to let students and parents decide on the divisive issue of face coverings clamp down amid roaring COVID-19 infection rates.

At least 56 of Georgia's 180 traditional school districts are now requiring masks in at least some schools, up from only a handful of districts before class started in August. The rules cover nearly 950,000, or about 55%, of Georgia's 1.7 million public school students.

The shift began in late July, when Atlanta and Gwinnett County schools joined DeKalb and Clayton counties in saying they would require masks. But many other districts tried to open their doors as mask-optional. Some switched positions within days, while others held out for weeks.

During that time, infections leaped. More than 1% of school-age children in Georgia have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past two weeks. Children between the ages of 5 and 17 are now more likely than adults as a whole to test positive for COVID-19. The state Department of Public Health reported more than 30 infection clusters in schools statewide, the highest since the epidemic began.

Georgia's 7-day rolling average of COVID-19 infections rose to nearly 8,700 on Wednesday, according to state figures. The state is rapidly approaching the peak of more than 9,600 daily infections recorded in early January. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals rose to 5,500 across Georgia on Wednesday, close to the record of roughly 5,700 set in early January. More than 90% of all intensive care beds statewide were also in use.

Many districts have been overrun by infections and quarantines, with so many teachers out that they can't staff classrooms. Statewide, 26 districts and charter schools are sending all their students home and going all-virtual temporarily. The coastal Glynn County district, with more than 12,000 students, became the largest to take that step Tuesday. Two districts and a charter school have already returned from timeouts from in-school learning, while at least eight districts are closing individual schools. At least seven districts have switched to A/B schedules where students attend class every other day. Overall, more than 100,000 students statewide have been affected by closures or schedule changes.

The 28,000-student Columbia County district in suburban Augusta moved to require masks on Tuesday after hundreds of students and employees had tested positive over three weeks of school and more than 1,000 students were sent into quarantine.

School leaders say they're requiring masks in part to cut quarantines. Under guidance the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated over the summer, if everyone in a classroom is masked and 3 feet (1 meter) or more apart, students don't have to quarantine as long as they don't show symptoms. Georgia school districts are free to set their own rules, but the CDC rules remain influential.

If we are going to be able to complete school from now until May 25, this appears to be our best chance, The Augusta Chronicle quoted Columbia County board member Judy Teasley as saying on Tuesday.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has said he opposes mask mandates but wants to let local school districts decide. State Superintendent Richard Woods, who was hospitalized with a breakthrough case of COVID-19 last month, wrote in an opinion piece distributed Tuesday that people should prioritize in-person learning.

Though issues like mask mandates can divide us, there is more that unites us, Woods wrote. One unifying belief shared across spectrums is the critical need for in-person learning.

Mask-wearing continues to draw opposition. Dalton and Whitfield County schools are letting parents send a note to school opting their children out of mask requirements. Parents both seeking and opposing mandatory face coverings continue to protest in Cobb County, the state's second largest district. Cobb is part of a ring of conservative-controlled suburban holdouts from the move toward masks, along with Cherokee, Paulding and Forsyth counties.

But the rising tide of illness is pressuring even those districts. Forsyth County Superintendent Jeff Bearden told parents in a written message that the district was launching a campaign to promote voluntary masking among students and staff. He noted that nearly 800 students and 100 staff had active cases of COVID-19.

Our biggest concern is having sick children attending school and potentially spreading the virus, Bearden wrote.

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Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  A woman who owned and operated massage parlors in Montana, and has previous convictions related to prostitution, has pleaded guilty to charges alleging she enticed women to provide prostitution services to customers in Billings, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

Kyong Cha Roberts, 68, pleaded guilty Tuesday to coercion and enticement in a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Cavan. A sentencing date has not been set. The crimes carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexico welcomed a group of 124 Afghan media workers and their families Wednesday after the group fled their country because of the Taliban takeover.

The group arrived aboard a Qatar Emiri Air Force flight to Mexico City in the pre-dawn hours. The Foreign Relations Department said the Afghans had worked for various media outlets" and had requested humanitarian visas because of the Taliban's hostility toward journalists.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Some members of the Republican-controlled Mississippi Legislature are renewing an effort to eliminate the state income tax  a proposal that failed earlier this year amid concerns it would drain budgets for schools, roads and other services in one of the nation's poorest states.

Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn is leading the effort, and he said Wednesday that phasing out the state income tax could help Mississippi attract new businesses and new residents.

I don't think if we just eliminate the income tax that it's going to be happy days are here again, but we fight enough obstacles in this state to attract people already. That's one of them," Gunn told reporters at the Capitol.

Democratic Sen. Hob Bryan of Amory, opposes erasing the income tax. He said Mississippi has crumbling roads, widespread water and sewer problems and areas that lack reliable internet access.

Do you know a single human being on the face of the earth that would move to Mississippi if only we didnt have a state income tax?" Bryan said. "Its laughable on its face.

Their comments came after several members of the House and Senate spent hours listening to the state revenue commissioner, the state economist and others. The hearing extends into a second day Thursday.

Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects for the Washington-based Tax Foundation, told legislators Wednesday that nine states do not charge an income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.

Walczak said states without an income tax have experienced faster growth than many other states, especially those with higher rates.

Individual income taxes made up 34% of Mississippi's state tax revenue during the state budget year that ended June 30, according to the state Department of Revenue. That was about $2.2 billion from individual income taxes in the nearly $6.6 billion the state collected for its general fund.

Any votes on trying to eliminate the income tax could be months away because the full Legislature is not meeting now. The next regularly scheduled legislative session begins in January.

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday that he supports eliminating the income tax.

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Follow Emily Wagster Pettus on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EWagsterPettus.
HELENA, Mont. (AP)  A Montana law is limiting health departments ability to issue quarantine orders as it sees a wave of COVID-19 cases threatening the states health care system.

The law passed by the GOP-dominated Legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte last spring bans discrimination based on people's vaccination record, putting vaccine status alongside sex and race as a protected class in the states human rights law.

Local health departments in some of the most populous countries decided last week they would no longer issue quarantine orders for people who come in close contact with known positive cases of the coronavirus.

The Centers for Disease Control recommended that vaccinated people not be required to quarantine. Facing the choice of either quarantining all close contacts or none, health officials in Lewis and Clark, Butte Silver Bow, Cascade and Gallatin counties decided they would no longer issue quarantine orders for anyone, regardless of whether they have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine.

Just over 50% of eligible Montana residents have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine.

But in Missoula, health officials decided Tuesday to keep following CDC guidance at the risk of violating state law.

It seems extreme to me that state law would prohibit us from following CDC guidance, said Anna Conley, a deputy county attorney with the Missoula County Attorneys Office.

Spokespeople for the state Department of Justice and the governor's office said it was up to county attorneys to interpret state law.

The Missoula board of health voted unanimously to keep issuing quarantine orders for unvaccinated close contacts after a public hearing in which Dr. James Quirk, chief medical officer at Partnership Health Center, urged the board to follow CDC recommendations rather than state law, which he said violated the board's obligations.

Theres the law, and then theres a moral obligation, Quirk said.

Health experts said that ignoring CDC guidelines could have particularly devastating effects in schools, where infected teachers, students and staff could come in close contact with unvaccinated students, and in health care settings, where staffing difficulties are already weighing heavily on medical facilities.

In Butte Silver-Bow, the county has transitioned from issuing quarantine orders to strongly recommending quarantine for unvaccinated people, a request that is not binding. A violation of the request carries no penalty.

Karen Sullivan, the health officer for the Butte-Silver Bow County Health Department, said efforts by public health officials to keep the public safe are hampered by the inability to issue quarantine requirements.

The Montana School Board Association is also recommending that schools not comply with quarantine requirements if they apply only to unvaccinated people, according to an email from the associations Executive Director Lance Melton obtained by The Associated Press.

We want to make sure our members avoid liability that they could incur by helping enforce discriminatory enforcement by county health departments, Melton wrote.

Instead, Melton said that when students and teachers are exposed to a positive coronavirus case, they should be sent home regardless of their vaccination status.

Many Montana schools are not yet in session, but in states where the school year has already begun, virus outbreaks have forced closures and quarantines applying to hundreds of students.

Some Montana school districts have voted to require masks when school begins, but there is no statewide mandate. Gianforte reiterated Tuesday that he would not issue any vaccination or mask mandates in the state.

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Samuels is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP)  Protesters turned out Wednesday in a large suburban Detroit county, a day after officials said masks would be required in schools, the latest local mandate linked to rising COVID-19 cases.

On the other side of Michigan, more than 100 parents and kids showed up Tuesday night in Ottawa County, equally upset with a recent mask order for students through 6th grade. They held signs that said, Our Kids Our Choice and Parents Know Best!
RABAT, Morocco (AP)  Morocco regrets the completely unjustified" decision of neighboring Algeria to break off diplomatic relations, the country's Foreign Affairs Ministry said Wednesday, calling some of Algeria's reasons absurd.

Algeria cited a series of alleged hostile acts for the cutting of ties when it announced the decision on Tuesday,.

The move was expected...in view of the logic of escalation observed in recent weeks, the Moroccan ministry said in a statement released overnight.

"Morocco categorically rejects the fallacious, even absurd, pretexts underlying it, the statement read.

Morocco and Algeria are allies of Western nations, and their break in relations could complicate diplomacy in the region and beyond. The two countries are important in the fight against extremism in the nearby Sahel region.

France, once the colonial power in both Algeria and Morocco, chose a balanced tone to offend neither side.

Algeria and Morocco are two friends and two essential partners of France, the French Foreign Ministry said. "France remains naturally attached to deepening ties and dialogue between nations of the region to consolidate stability and prosperity.

Voices in the Middle East also expressed regret over the rupture in ties.

Saudi Arabia called on the two countries to prioritize dialogue and diplomacy, saying it hoped for a turnaround as quickly as possible. The general secretariat of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation, based in Saudi Arabia, called for shared interests and good neighborly relations to take precedence. It suggested dialogue to resolve differences between Algeria and Morocco.

The Algerian government's decision culminated a period of growing tension between the North African countries, which are mired in a decades-long feud, with their borders closed to each other.

The Algerian foreign minister notably denounced massive and systematic acts of espionage by Morocco, a reference to allegations that the kingdoms security services used Israeli-made Pegasus spyware against its officials and citizens, official Algerian news agency APS reported. Morocco adamantly denies the allegations.

Algeria also objected to reported remarks by Moroccos U.N. ambassador in mid-July and comments by Israel's foreign minister during a historic visit to Morocco as part of the countries' normalization of ties.

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Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed.
CHICAGO (AP)  A man wanted on a murder warrant in California was fatally shot during an exchange of gunfire with Amtrak police when officers tried to take him into custody on the platform of Chicago's Union Station, authorities said.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Migliari said the shooting took place at about 5 p.m. on Tuesday. He said when the man spotted uniformed officers on the platform he ran away. But he saw that he was running toward other officers and began shooting at them.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP)  Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and Republican rival Jack Ciattarelli will go head to head in two debates in late September and mid-October while their running mates will clash once, New Jersey election officials announced Wednesday.

Murphy and Ciattarelli will debate at 7 p.m. on Sept. 28 at the Performing Arts Center in Newark and again at 8 p.m. on Oct. 12 at Rowan University in Glassboro.

Lt. Gov. Shelia Oliver, a Democrat, and Republican Diane Allen will debate 7 p.m. Oct. 5 at Rider University in Lawrenceville.

The debates were expected because they're required under law when candidates receive public matching funds, as both Murphy and Ciattarelli are this year.

There was some debate about the debates.

Murphy's campaign had requested they be held within a week of Sept. 28 as a way to benefit early voters. Clerks will begin mailing ballots on Sept. 18.

Ciattarelli had requested adding another debate before the mail-in ballots go to voters, but Ciattarelli spokesperson Stami Williams said the campaign never heard back from Murphy.

The Murphy campaign has not responded to a request for comment.

The state Election Law Enforcement Commission, which organizes the debates, decided it wanted to leave the debates spread out and doubted all mail-in voters would instantly return their ballots. There had also been extensive preparations" already made for the dates that had been previously set.

New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states holding regularly scheduled races for governor this year. California has a recall election for its governorship.

Murphy, who was elected in 2017 after two terms of Republican Chris Christie, is seeking to become the first Democrat to win reelection in New Jersey in more than four decades.

Polls show him with a lead over Ciattarelli, a former state Assembly member and small business founder with an accounting background.

Murphy is a self-styled progressive and has signed a number of liberal measures that Christie blocked, including a phased-in $15 minimum wage, higher taxes on the wealthy and legalized recreational marijuana. Murphy also signed tighter gun control bills and bills to expand paid sick leave for workers.

He's also piloted the state through the coronavirus pandemic, with surveys showing him getting decent grades for his handling of the outbreak.

The state has among the highest percentages of people fully vaccinated in the country. It also has among the highest per capita death rates from COVID-19 in the country.

Ciattarelli had a reputation as a moderate in the Legislature but has warmed up to former President Donald Trump. He's running in part on a platform that Murphy's policies have made New Jersey, which is known for its high tax rates, less affordable. He's also criticized Murphy's handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, particularly in nursing homes, which were hit hard early on in the pandemic.

The September debate will be on by the New York and Philadelphia ABC affiliates along with Twitter, Univision, WBGO-FM, NJ.com and the Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics and Rutgers School of Public Affairs.

The debate between Oliver and Allen, a former state senator and one-time Philadelphia TV news anchor, is being run by the New Jersey Globe, the Rebovich Institute of Politics at Rider and Project Ready. It will be livestreamed on the Globe's website and on social media and rebroadcast on WABC radio.

The October gubernatorial debate is sponsored by NJ PBS, NJ Spotlight News, the Rowan Institute for Public Policy, New York Public Radio and the Gothamist. It will air live on TV and radio and be live via television as well as livestreamed on sponsors' sites.

Election Day is Nov. 2, but early mail-in ballots will be sent out beginning Sept. 18. For the first time this year, there will be early in-person voting, which runs from Oct. 23 to Oct. 31.
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP)  The Navajo Nation on Tuesday reported 37 new COVID-19 cases and one more death.

The latest numbers pushed the tribes totals to 32,315 coronavirus cases and 1,398 known deaths since the pandemic began more than a year ago.
VALENTINE, Neb. (AP)  A woman believed to have been involved in a disturbance in northwestern Nebraskas vast Cherry County has been found dead, and a man also sought in the disturbance was arrested, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.

The incident began early Tuesday morning with a report of a disturbance in the village of Kilgore, the patrol said in a news release Wednesday. Some hours after the report, the patrol released a public notice that officers were searching for 52-year-old Ruth Wittmuss and 25-year-old Kevin Kilmer.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  A new $28 million elementary school is being built in west Louisville, the first in the area in two decades.

Jefferson County Public Schools officials broke ground at the site of the new elementary school this week. The unnamed facility will be connected to the West Louisville YMCA on Broadway and will serve up to 650 students.
ROCKVILLE, Conn. (AP)  A Connecticut judge has dismissed all jurors and ordered new ones to be chosen to hear the case of a man accused of killing his wife, whose Fitbit activity tracker is expected to be a key piece of evidence.

Judge Julia DiCocco Dewey in Rockville said Tuesday that jurors who were picked early last year for the trial of Richard Dabate before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the courts had been empaneled too long, and some had moved out of state.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin said Wednesday that he won't be seeking to expand absentee-by-mail voting, increase the early voting period or enact a coronavirus emergency plan for the fall elections, amid the state's latest COVID-19 surge.

Since the pandemic began, the state has offered more ways for people to absentee vote in a half-dozen elections  including last year's presidential and congressional elections  and boosted the number of early voting days for some of those elections because of the risks of the coronavirus.

But Ardoin said he doesn't intend to submit an emergency plan for the Oct. 9 and Nov. 13 elections to lawmakers and Gov. John Bel Edwards for consideration. He said only a tiny percentage of voters used the prior COVID-19 emergency rules to submit absentee ballots, and he said vaccines are widely available for those interested.

Now that vaccinations are more prevalent than they were in the spring election, folks have a choice, Ardoin said in an interview with The Associated Press. They can vaccinate. They can mask up. They can do both. But were not going to be pursuing any emergency election plan at this time.

The Republican elections chief said his office will continue to make sure that masks are available at polling places, that physical distancing is used when voters are waiting in line and that sanitation practices are followed.

Far lower turnout is expected for the fall elections than in last year's presidential election, when 70% of Louisiana voters cast ballots.

The October ballot will have a proposal to overhaul Louisiana's income tax structure, along with several special elections to fill vacant legislative seats and municipal elections in New Orleans, including the mayor's race. The November election has runoffs as necessary. Early voting for the October election begins Sept. 25.

Ardoin noted that no COVID-19 outbreaks have been tied to polling places in prior elections, and he said he's received zero calls from any legislator" requesting an emergency election plan. Enactment of an emergency plan would require backing from the Democratic governor and the majority-GOP Legislature to take effect.

The more folks every day that are getting vaccinated creates a more positive environment for everybody, said Ardoin, who is fully inoculated against COVID-19.

Still, only about 40% of Louisiana's population is fully immunized against the disease so far, according to state health department data. But that number has been rising as Louisiana has seen record-breaking numbers of people hospitalized from the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.

Ardoin said he expects to see people in the vulnerable population keep using the absentee balloting process. While absentee-by-mail voting increased in recent elections, most mail-in votes were cast by people legally able to do so without the emergency rules.

Louisianas absentee balloting procedure is limited to voters 65 or older, members of the military, overseas voters, people who are hospitalized, the physically disabled and those who wont be in their parish for the election.

Prior emergency rules had allowed people also to seek an absentee ballot if they were at a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 because of medical conditions; were subject to a quarantine order; were advised by a health provider to self-quarantine; were experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking medical confirmation; or were caring for someone who is isolated because of the disease.

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Follow Melinda Deslatte on Twitter at http://twitter.com/melindadeslatte. Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
LEBANON, Ohio (AP)  Nineteen people have pulled petitions to run for city council in the small southwest Ohio city that became the first in the state earlier this year to enact a measure outlawing abortion.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that two new activist groups  the Lebanon Handmaids and Activate: Lebanon  also have formed in Lebanon, Ohio, a city of about 21,000 people.
BEAVER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP)  No criminal charges will be filed against two state police troopers in the fatal shooting of a 63-year-old man in northwestern Michigan.

Newaygo County Prosecutor Worth Stay said in a news release Tuesday that the troopers acted in self-defense and that their use of force was reasonable.

Johnny King was in a small, fifth-wheel trailer when he was shot May 22 in Newaygo County's Beaver Township. State police have said troopers were responding to a domestic dispute in the area, 60 miles north of Grand Rapids.

Two troopers entered the trailer to speak with King," Stay said in a release. "King became combative and pointed a rifle at the troopers. The troopers discharged their service weapons, striking King, who died at the scene.

King's weapon turned out to be an air rifle that resembled a firearm, according to the prosecutor's office.

King's uncle, Harry Pulsipher Sr., told WOOD-TV in May that police were called to the property because of a dispute between his ex-wife and King. He said King grabbed a BB gun as an officer moved toward him.

He says, Im not leaving my house, and the cop started towards him and he reached up, he had a little BB gun up there, he grabbed that BB gun and he brought it down, Pulsipher said. Thats when the guy shot him. He didnt point it at nobody, he just brought it down off the thing.
PROVO, Utah (AP)  Officers fatally shot a 48-year-old man who fired a gun at them Tuesday night as they tried to contact him in his parked car, police said.

Officers tried to pull the car over earlier but the driver sped away, Provo police Sgt. Nick Dupaix said. Officers did not chase the car but found it parked in west Provo just before 10 p.m., KSL-TV reported.
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP)  An attorney for the Illinois teen accused of killing two men and wounding a third during a protest in Wisconsin last summer says he doesn't know who donated to his client's defense and therefore cannot produce any names.

Attorney Mark Richards was responding to a motion filed by prosecutors last week requesting a list of people who donated cash to help Kyle Rittenhouse, who is accused in the shootings in Kenosha last summer.

Following Rittenhouse's arrest, conservatives who portrayed him as an American patriot contributed millions of dollars to his legal defense fund and enabled him to post $2 million bail.

Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger said he needed to make sure people in the potential juror pool in Rittenhouse's trial arent among those donors.

Richards said in his response filed Monday that it's none of the state's business who pays him to defend Rittenhouse, and that Bingers concern can be addressed during the jury selection process, when potential jurors can be questioned on whether they have donated to the defendant or bought merchandise from the familys website, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in a story published Tuesday.

Prosecutors have no legal authority to demand such information from the defense, but there is nothing stopping them from issuing subpoenas to organizations that have raised money on behalf of Rittenhouse, Richards said.

Rittenhouse is charged with multiple counts, including homicide, in connection with the protests in August 2020 in Kenosha. The demonstrations began after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, who is Black, in the back during a domestic disturbance, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

Prosecutors allege Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, responded to a militias call on social media to protect Kenosha businesses from protesters. He fired his rifle, hitting Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber and Gaige Grosskruetz. Rosenbaum and Huber were killed; Grosskruetz was wounded but survived.

Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder has set a Sept. 17 hearing on the request and other pending motions.

Rittenhouses trial is scheduled to start Nov. 1.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Senate Democrats brought their push for a new federal voting bill to battleground Wisconsin on Wednesday, arguing at a roundtable discussion that the sweeping measure is needed to blunt attempts by Republicans to make voting more difficult.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar expressed optimism that the Democratic bill would pass despite no clear path forward in the face of Republican opposition.

Im feeling good about the direction were headed right now, Klobuchar said during opening comments of the round table.

In addition to the steadfast Republican opposition to the proposal, there are also disagreements among Senate Democrats about whether to change procedural rules in the evenly divided Senate to get it passed.

Democrats have been trying to keep the spotlight on voting issues in the face of uncertainty about the bill passing.

Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin joined Klobuchar at the event that was also attended by the Dane County election clerk, the president of the local Urban League and other community leaders.

We are in the fight of our lives, said Ruben Anthony, president of the Urban League of Greater Madison. Our democracy is under attack.

Klobuchar, who has helped guide the elections bill in the Senate, credited Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers with vetoing election bills passed by the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature.

Evers, who is seeking reelection next year, this month vetoed a series of bills passed by Republicans with no support from Democrats that would have toughened requirements for voting absentee.

Evers was originally scheduled to be at Wednesday's event but canceled to travel to Fort McCoy, a Wisconsin military base where refugees from Afghanistan are being processed.

The event came a day after the House passed a bill, with all Democrats in favor and Republicans against, that would restore voting rights protections that have been dismantled by the Supreme Court. Its prospects are dim in the Senate, where Democrats dont have the votes to overcome opposition from Republicans who have rejected the measure as unnecessary and a power grab.

Ten Republicans would have to break ranks to end a GOP-led filibuster in the Senate.

Democrats will have to decide whether they want to change Senate filibuster rules to ultimately pass the bill. At least two Democratic senators, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, have said they oppose eliminating the filibuster rule.

Klobuchar said Manchin wants to talk with Republicans who may support the bill and if that doesn't work out, then talks will move toward changes to the filibuster rule.

We have been negotiation with Sen. Manchin and working with him," Klobuchar said.

Republicans say the changes amount to a federal takeover of elections, which are administered in at the state and local level.

The measure, known as the For the People Act, would affect virtually every aspect of the electoral process, curbing the influence of big money in politics, limiting the partisan considerations in the drawing of congressional districts and expanding options for voting. It would create minimum voting standards, such as same-day and automatic voter registration, early voting and no-excuse absentee voting.

This simply puts in national voting standards that are overwhelmingly popular with the public," Klobuchar said. She said it would put in place many measures nationally that Wisconsin already has, such as same-day voter registration and guaranteed early voting.

Instead of pushing for the voting bill Wednesday, Klobuchar and Baldwin should have been fixing the Biden administrations ongoing crisis in Afghanistan," said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Preya Samsundar.

Election laws have become an increasingly partisan flashpoint after President Donald Trump falsely blamed voting fraud for his 2020 election loss. Republican and Democratic election officials across the country certified the outcome and Trumps own attorney general said he saw no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Trump lost to President Joe Biden in Wisconsin by just under 21,000 votes. Republican lawmakers are pursuing multiple investigations into how the election was run. There is a push among the most conservative Republicans for an audit similar to the widely discredited one recently completed in Arizona.

Baldwin called the GOP effort a faux and partisan investigation" that was undermining people's faith in elections and democracy. Republicans argue it's necessary. Election fraud charges have been brought against two people out of nearly 3.3 million voters who cast ballots in Wisconsin in the November 2020 presidential election.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  A key subject in a North Carolina ballot fraud investigation was hospitalized Wednesday, his attorney said. It delayed his sentencing on largely unrelated federal crimes that he pleaded guilty to this summer.

Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr. was supposed to appear in a Raleigh courtroom Wednesday afternoon for his sentence on obtaining illegal Social Security benefits while concealing payments for political work he performed. That hearing was rescheduled until next week.
SARASOTA, Fla. (AP)  Sheriff's officials in one Florida county say they're not disciplining employees who knowingly came to work after either testing positive for COVID-19 or experienced symptoms.

On Aug. 3, Sarasota Sheriff's Office Maj. Jon Goetluck sent an email asking employees to stay home if they felt ill, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported. The email included a list of COVID precautions to employees about handwashing and staying home when ill.

On Aug. 12, he said he resent that email because we are still having employees coming into work with symptoms and exposing other employees and then testing positive 2-3 days later," the newspaper reported.

He sent a third email Aug. 18 after cases continued to increase.

It appears that we still have personnel coming to work sick, to include some that have tested positive, Goetluck's email said. I wasnt going to publicize our numbers to avoid unnecessary panic, but I find it necessary to do so.

On Tuesday, the agency reported 93 employees were out sick, and that 57 had tested positive for COVID-19, according to the newspaper.

But those who came to work after testing positive or while feeling ill won't face any repercussions, sheriffs spokeswoman Kaitlyn Perez told the newspaper.

Perez clarified in an email to The Associated Press that four employees who either showed symptoms or tested positive stayed out of work but were unclear on the return-to-work policy and did not follow proper protocol to return. One employee from the agency's communications center returned to work 10 days after testing positive for COVID-19 but didn't notify the agencys health and safety office or get clearance from a medical doctor.

This employee is not being disciplined based on their misunderstanding of a constantly evolving policy," Perez said.

The highly contagious delta variant has led to an acceleration in cases around Florida and record high hospitalizations. By mid-August more than 21,000 new cases were being added per day, compared with about 8,500 a month earlier. The state said 16,820 people were hospitalized on Tuesday, down from a record of more than 17,000 last week.

Perez said the agency is not implementing any additional measures such as mandatory masks. She said the same safety protocols already in place before are still strongly encouraged.

The agency does not keep track of vaccinations, nor does it require employees to be vaccinated, she told the newspaper.

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Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  A popular Maine beach was closed on Wednesday due to an oil spill that posed an inconvenience, but was not a threat to public health, authorities said.

The U.S. Coast Guard, Maine Department of Environmental Protection and officials with the city of South Portland were all involved in the response to the spill. The DEP said the oil spill reached the city's storm water drainage system and discharged into the water at Willard Beach on Tuesday afternoon.
MADRID (AP)  Spanish authorities are expanding a ban on harmful fertilizers around a saltwater lagoon on the countrys Mediterranean coast, where over the past 10 days several tons of dead fish have washed up.

The regional government of Murcia, some 400 kilometers (240 miles) southeast of Madrid, announced Wednesday that the use of inorganic nitrogen fertilizers at farms within 1,500 meters (1,640 yards) of the Mar Menor lagoon is to be prohibited.
BOSTON (AP)  Massachusetts Education Commissioner Jeff Riley issued new regulations Wednesday requiring all public school students ages 5 and above, and all staffers, to wear masks indoors while at school.

All visitors are also expected to wear masks in school buildings. Masks are not required when outdoors.

The regulations take effect immediately and come a day after the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education gave Riley the authority to issue a mask mandate for K-12 public schools.

The requirement will remain in place until at least Oct. 1 and could be revised in light of new public health data.

State education officials are strongly recommending students younger than 5 also wear masks in school. Students and staff who cannot wear a mask for medical reasons, and students who cannot wear a mask for behavioral reasons, are exempted.

The mask requirement applies when students and staff are indoors, except when eating or drinking, or during mask breaks. Mask breaks should happen when windows are open or students are outdoors, with meals and outdoor recess providing built-in mask breaks.

Under the new regulations, masks may also be removed indoors to participate in some activities, such as the use of wind instruments in band, although schools are urged to consider using instrument masks or holding those classes outdoors.

Masks are also required for student-athletes and coaches when indoors, under guidance from the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Although students are responsible for bringing their own masks, disposable masks should be made available by the school for students who need them. By federal public health order, all students and staff are also required to wear masks on school buses.

Whether to discipline a student for failing to wear a mask is a decision left to local school districts, although the state is urging local education officials look for alternatives before resorting to disciplinary action.

After Oct. 1, if a school demonstrates a vaccination rate of 80% or more for students and staff, then vaccinated individuals in that school would no longer be subject to the mask requirement.

The mandate marks a shift for Gov. Charlie Baker's administration, which had previously left face covering decisions up to individual districts. It also comes as the delta variant of the coronavirus continues to drive up case counts around the state.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association has also welcomed the mask requirement.

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VIRUS BY THE NUMBERS

The confirmed COVID-19 caseload in Massachusetts since the start of the pandemic rose to more than 700,000 Wednesday as the delta variant pushes up the number of infected residents.

The number of new cases of COVID-19 increased by 1,400 Wednesday while the number of newly confirmed coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts rose by three.

The new numbers pushed the states confirmed COVID-19 death toll to 17,828.

There were about 570 people reported hospitalized Wednesay because of confirmed cases of COVID-19, with about 140 in intensive care units.

The average age of those who have died from COVID-19 was 75.

The true number of cases is likely higher because studies suggest some people can be infected and not feel sick.

More than 4.4 million people in Massachusetts have been fully immunized against COVID-19.

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SENATE VACCINATION REQUIREMENT

All 40 Massachusetts state senators as well as their staff will have to provide of proof of vaccination against COVID-19 by mid-October.

Vaccines have proven to be the best tool we have to reduce transmission and are our best hope to emerge from this pandemic, Senate President Karen Spilka told colleagues in a letter Tuesday, The Boston Globe reported.

The mandate applies to about 250 lawmakers and staffers. Senate employees face termination if they refuse vaccines, according to Spilka. A compliance policy, which will include limited medical and religious exemptions as well as enforcement mechanisms, are still being formulated.

Gov. Charlie Baker last week required vaccinations for 44,000 executive department employees and contractors.

The offices of the state attorney general, auditor and treasurer, as well as the state court system, have announced some version of a vaccine mandate for their workers.

The Massachusetts House is also expected to issue some kind of vaccination requirement, a spokesperson for House Speaker Ronald Mariano said last week.

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CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Students who attend schools operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston will be required to wear face coverings when the new academic year starts, church leaders said Wednesday.

The mask requirement will last until Oct. 1 and is in line with masking regulations for the state's public schools.

At that time, we will evaluate our policy moving forward reflecting on state and federal guidance, updated health data, and input from schools and parents," the archdiocese said.

The indoor mask mandate for students, staff and faculty applies to 69 schools operated by the archdiocese, and is recommended for another 31 Catholic schools that are either independent or operated by a religious order.
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP)  Suspected Islamic extremists ambushed a convoy in northern Burkina Faso on Wednesday, killing at least 30 civilians along with 17 soldiers and volunteer defense fighters, the government said.

While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in Burkina Faso's Sahel region, militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are increasingly targeting security forces in the West African country.

One recent attack elsewhere in the north killed 30 people including 15 soldiers and four volunteer fighters. And about a week ago, suspected extremists ambushed a group of soldiers in western Burkina Faso, killing 12 of them.

The militants have demonstrated their ability to attack civilians even under military escort, said Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a Moroccan based organization focused on economics and policy.

This shows the level of information they have on the locations of security forces and transit routes they are going to use, Lyammouri said.

Extremist violence and the militarys response already have killed thousands and displaced some 1.3 million people. Locals say theyre scared the uptick in violence will continue spreading.

The populations of Gorgadji and Arbinda are shocked and concerned about the escalation of terrorist (attacks) against civilians in the region, Ibrahim Kagone, a local journalist in the nearby town of Dori, told the AP by phone.

The ill-equipped and undertrained army has been struggling to stem the violence and the deteriorating security is prompting unrest across the country. Widespread protests last month demanding the government take stronger action, prompted President Roch Marc Christian Kabore to fire his ministers of defense and security and appoint himself minister of defense.

But the opposition says the governments reshuffling isnt enough.

I am very sad to see that in a week there are so many deaths (and) military equipment destroyed, said Eddie Komboigo, head of the political opposition. Now, despite the government reorganization, I am convinced that President Roch Marc Christian Kabore has no strategy or solution to terrorism.

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Mednick reported from Toronto.
Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order on Wednesday banning any state or local mandates requiring people to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and he called on Texas legislators to vote it into law during their current special session.

The move came as Texas reported the most COVID-19 patients in its hospitals since the pandemic began.

Abbott issued his ban in an executive order to fill a loophole left by the full authorization of the Pfizer vaccine. He had previously banned the requirement of vaccinations under emergency use authorizations. He also has banned state and local government mandates for wearing masks.

Vaccine requirements and exemptions have historically been determined by the Legislature, and their involvement is particularly important to avoid a patchwork of vaccine mandates across Texas, Abbott said on the governor's office website.

Nine counties, dozens of school districts and the city of El Paso have defied the Abbott mask mandate ban, and some of the state's most populous counties have asked for court orders to overturn or block enforcement of the ban. On Wednesday, Dallas County became the latest to obtain a court order blocking enforcement.

Although this is an important victory, its really not a victory against a person or an entity, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, the county's leading elected official, said at a news conference. Its a victory for humans who live in Dallas County against the virus.

A new wave of COVID-19 cases has been sweeping the state, fueled by the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus, prompting the wave of defiance of the Abbott order.

The Texas Supreme Court has declined to block restraining orders against Abbotts mask mandate ban. Also, the Texas Education Agency has, for now, suspended enforcement of the mask mandate ban in the states public school systems.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported 79% of the 85,874 Texas intensive-care unit beds are full, about 30% of them with COVID-19 cases. Overall COVID-19 hospitalizations were a record 14,255 Wednesday, beating the Jan. 11 record of 14,218 reported by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  Rana Cash, executive editor of the Savannah Morning News in Georgia, has been named to the same position at The Charlotte Observer, the North Carolina newspapers first Black editor in its 135-year history.

Kristin Roberts, McClatchys senior vice president for news, announced Cash's hiring on Wednesday, the newspaper reported. Cash, 50, begins her new job in early October, replacing Sherry Chisenhall, who announced last month that she was leaving the newspaper.

She shares our commitment to the mission of independent, essential journalism that serves the full community. And she is an advocate for deep community engagement that ensures we create unique value for our readers, viewers and listeners every day," Roberts said.

In her role in Savannah, Cash oversees the Augusta Chronicle and Athens Banner-Herald for the Gannett chain.

Cashs appointment marks a return to Charlotte after she served as deputy editor of The Sporting News from 2010 to 2016. Her experience includes stints at The Miami Herald, The Dallas Morning News and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She also worked at The Minneapolis Star-Tribune and The Louisville Courier Journal.

Cash said the newspaper would ask tough questions of leadership and cover Charlotte's communities from the ground up.

All our communities need to be reflected in our coverage, not just people of influence, Cash said Tuesday. Everyday people should be able to pick up our paper or come to our website and see themselves, their lives, and the stories that matter to them.

Cash said the racial reckoning which has jolted the country has also impacted Charlotte.

Were not going to run away from those stories, she said. Its a moment in time when as journalists we have a responsibility to cover public safety in a way that holds law enforcement accountable. We know they have tough jobs. But weve learned that we need to be more skeptical, more curious, to ask tougher questions and demand that they be answered."
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP)  The first-degree murder trial of a Cedar Rapids man charged in the fatal beating of his mother last year has been postponed until next year.

Trial for George Deason, 51, had been set for November, but lawyers on both sides asked for more time to prepare, The Gazette reported.
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP)  After long months of illness, Uruguay is once again starting to dance.

The government last week authorized ballrooms and event halls to open as the country's COVID-19 death rate  once among the highest in the world per capita  has fallen sharply.

Seventy percent of Uruguayans have received both doses of vaccines against the virus and once-overstressed hospitals now have empty beds.

The government decided to let ballrooms for dancing open five hours a day  though with limited capacity and mandatory 20-minute pauses each hour to air out closed spaces.

It's a very strange thing, said Paola Dalto, a DJ with the Cherry Show, production aimed at the LGBT community which had to adapt its dance and music to the on-and-off rules.

Several ballrooms, and even people in the streets, raced to take advantage on Tuesday, which is usually nostalgia night, when clubs play music from decades past.

The selective lockdowns have been devastating in a small nation of some 3.5 million people where tango and other dances are a powerful tradition. Sixty 60 venues closed, according to Javier Abal, president of the Association of Fiestas, which groups 100 ballrooms and event halls that depend heavily on weddings and the traditional celebrations for girls' 15th birthdays.

Rosario Echavarria said the pandemic closure of her tango dance hall for older adults had destroyed life ... I stumbled economically and emotionally.

So she rented a bus and organized an open-air party in the countryside.

For those who like to dance, you don't take that away, she said. It's their life.

Also back are dances in open-air squares. Over the past weekend, Lucia Sotelo led a team of candombe dancers in a street in Montevideo's Brazo Oriental neighborhood as 40 drummers pounded out the beat. Such open-air gatherings were authorized last month
WASHINGTON (AP)  Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that as many as 1,500 Americans may be awaiting evacuation from Afghanistan, a figure that suggests the U.S. may accomplish its highest priority for the Kabul airlift  rescuing U.S. citizens  ahead of President Joe Bidens Tuesday deadline despite growing concerns of terror threats targeting the airport.

Untold thousands of at-risk Afghans, however, still are struggling to get into the Kabul airport, while many thousands of other Afghans already have been flown to safety in 12 days of round-the-clock flights.

On Wednesday, several of the Americans working phones and pulling strings to get out former Afghan colleagues, women's advocates, journalists and other vulnerable Afghans said they have seen little concrete U.S. action so far to get those Afghans past Taliban checkpoints and through U.S-controlled airport gates to promised evacuation flights.

Its 100% up to the Afghans to take these risks and try to fight their way out, said Sunil Varghese, policy director with the International Refugee Assistance Project.

Blinken, echoing Biden's earlier declarations during the now 12-day-old evacuation, emphasized at a State Department briefing that  evacuating Americans is our top priority. 

He added, Were also committed to getting out as many Afghans at-risk as we can before the 31st," when Biden plans to pull out the last of thousands of American troops.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a security alert warning American citizens away from three specific airport gates, but gave no further explanation. Senior U.S. officials said the warning was related to ongoing and specific threats involving the Islamic State and potential vehicle bombs, which have set U.S. officials on edge in the final days of the American drawdown. The officials insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing military operations.

Blinken said the State Department estimates there were about 6,000 Americans wanting to leave Afghanistan when the airlift began Aug. 14, as the Taliban took the capital after a stunning military conquest. About 4,500 Americans have been evacuated so far, Blinken said, and among the rest some are understandably very scared.

The 6,000 figure is the first firm estimate by the State Department of how many Americans were seeking to get out. U.S. officials early in the evacuation estimated as many as 15,000, including dual citizens, lived in Afghanistan. The figure does not include U.S. Green Card holders.

About 500 Americans have been contacted with instructions on when and how to get to the chaotic Kabul airport to catch evacuation flights.

In addition, 1,000 or perhaps fewer are being contacted to determine whether they still want to leave. Blinken said some of these may already have left the country, some may want to remain and some may not actually be American citizens.

We are providing opportunity," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said of those Afghans, who include dual Afghan-American citizens. "We are finding ways to get them to the airport and evacuate them, but it is also their personal decision on whether they want to depart.

On a lighter note, the U.S. military said an Afghan baby girl born on a C-17 military aircraft during the massive evacuation will carry that experience with her. Her parents named her after the planes call sign: Reach.

She was born Saturday, and members of the 86th Medical Group helped in her birth aboard the plane that had taken the family from Kabul to Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Two other babies whose parents were evacuating from Afghanistan have been born over the past week at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the U.S. military hospital in Germany.

In Washington on Wednesday, Blinken emphasized that the U.S. and other governments plan to continue assisting Afghans and Americans who want to leave after next Tuesday, the deadline for Biden's planned end to the evacuation and the two-decade U.S. military role in Afghanistan. That effort will continue, every day, past Aug. 31, he said.

Biden has cited what he U.S. says are rising security threats to U.S. forces, including from an affiliate of the Islamic State terror group, for his determination to stick with Tuesday's withdrawal deadline. Germany has said Western officials are particularly concerned that suicide bombers may slip into the crowds surrounding the airport.

The U.S. Embassy has already been evacuated; staff are operating from the Kabul airport and the last are to leave by Tuesday.

Biden said this week he had asked his national security team for contingency plans in case he decides to extend the deadline. Taliban leaders who took control of Afghanistan this month say they will not tolerate any extensions to the Tuesday deadline. But Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen tweeted that people with legal documents will still be able to fly out via commercial flights after Tuesday.

U.S. troops are anchoring a multinational evacuation from the airport. The White House says the airlift overall has flown out 82,300 Afghans, Americans and others on a mix of U.S., international and private flights.

The withdrawal comes under a 2020 deal negotiated by President Donald Trump with the Taliban.

Refugee groups are describing a different picture than the Biden administration is when it comes to many Afghans: a disorganized, barely-there U.S. evacuation effort that leaves the most desperate to risk beatings and death at Taliban checkpoints. Some Afghans are reported being turned away from the Kabul airport by American forces controlling the gates, despite having approval for flights.

U.S. military and diplomatic officials appear to still be compiling lists of eligible Afghans but have yet to disclose how many may be evacuated  and how  private Americans and American organizations said.

We still have 1,200 Afghans with visas that are outside the airport and havent got in, said James Miervaldis with No One Left Behind, one of dozens of veterans groups working to get out Afghans who worked with the U.S. military during Americas nearly 20 years of combat in the country.. Were waiting to hear from the US. government and havent heard yet.

Marina LeGree of Ascend, a U.S.-based nonprofit that worked to develop fitness and leadership in Afghan girls and young women, described getting calls from U.S. officials telling the groups interns and staffers to go to the airport for evacuation flights, only to have them turned away by American forces keeping gates closed against the throngs outside.

One Afghan intern who went to the airport with her family saw a person killed in front of them, and a female colleague was burned by a caustic agent fired at the crowd, LeGree said.

Its heartbreaking to see my government fail so badly, said LeGree, the groups American director, who is in Italy but in close contact with those in Kabul.

U.S.-based organizations, speaking on background to discuss sensitive matters, cite accounts from witnesses on the ground as saying some American citizens, and family members of Afghans with green cards, still were having trouble pushing and talking their way into the Kabul airport for flights.

Kirby said the U.S. military will preserve as much airlift capacity at the airport as possible in the coming days, ahead of Tuesday's deadline. The military will continue to evacuate needed populations all the way to the end, he said. But he added that in the final days and hours there will have to be a balance in getting out U.S. troops and their equipment as well as evacuees.

Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, the deputy director of regional operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces had conducted another helicopter mission beyond the perimeter of the airport to pick up people seeking to evacuate.

The number of U.S. troops at the airport has dropped by about 400, to 5,400, but the final withdrawal has not begun, Kirby said Wednesday.

___

Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and James LaPorta in Boca Raton, Florida, contributed to this report.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A Republican state senator from Wisconsin who opposed mask and vaccine mandates and then developed pneumonia after testing positive for COVID-19 was in stable condition Wednesday after being placed on a ventilator, his spokesman said.

State Sen. Andre Jacque, 40, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month and was hospitalized Aug. 16. He was placed on a ventilator Monday night, spokesman Matt Tompach said in providing the first update on his condition in a week.

Sen. Jacque was intubated and placed on a ventilator Monday evening, Tompach said. While his condition is currently stable, the days and weeks ahead will continue to be an incredibly stressful and difficult time for Sen. Jacques family.

He said that future updates would be provided as necessary.

Placing COVID-19 patients on a ventilator is often the last option of treatment when a patient is struggling to breathe. Some patients who are placed on ventilators do recover.

Jacque said Aug. 16 that he had tested positive the previous week after testifying at a packed committee hearing while not wearing a mask. Jacque opposed mask mandates and requirements for vaccinations. It wasnt known whether Jacque was vaccinated.

Jacque, the father of six children including an infant, said members of his family also tested positive for the virus. Their conditions were not immediately known.

Republican state Rep. Shae Sortwell told his Facebook followers on Aug. 20 that Jacque is in serious need of your prayers.

Jacques hospitalization comes amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin blamed on the more contagious delta variant. New cases and hospitalizations spiked in August to levels not seen since January. About 51% of Wisconsins total population, and about 61% of adults, have been fully vaccinated.

Jacque, of De Pere, was first elected to the state Assembly in 2010 and served four terms before being elected to the Senate in 2018.

Jacque sponsored bills that would have prohibited government officials or business owners from requiring vaccinations for COVID-19 or proof of vaccination in order to receive services. The Republican-controlled Legislature passed both bills, which Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed.

Jacque also opposed a statewide mask mandate that Evers put in effect but that was struck down in March by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A Wisconsin man accused of killing and dismembering his father was charged Wednesday with committing the same crimes against his mother.

Chandler Halderson, 23, now faces two counts each of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, hiding a corpse, and providing false information on kidnapped or missing persons in the deaths of his parents, Bart and Krista Halderson.

According to prosecutors, the defendant spun a web of lies after reporting his parents missing on July 7. Chandler Halderson, who was arrested July 8 on charges of lying to officials, told investigators that his parents never returned home to Dane County from a Fourth of July weekend trip to their cabin in northern Wisconsin.

In an amended criminal complaint, prosecutors don't provide a theory as to why Halderson might have killed his parents. But the complaint does include details about the investigation, including statements the Windsor man allegedly made to detectives.

At one point during questioning, a sheriff's detective told Halderson that investigators had new information about the case and asked him if he was feeling suicidal, to which Halderson said he didnt feel bad about what I did, according to the complaint.

Halderson told authorities that his parents had left with an unknown couple on July 2 for a trip to the family cabin near White Lake in Langlade County and hadn't returned yet, according to the complaint. But investigators found discrepancies in his story, including a claim that his parents had planned to attend a parade in White Lake when no parade had been scheduled.

The Langlade County Sheriffs Office also found no signs of immediate activity at the family cabin.

Detectives reviewed Chandler Haldersons Google queries from June 30 through July 8 and found that he had searched for multiple phrases, including Wisconsin dismembered body found, Womans body found in Wisconsin, and Body found Wisconsin," the complaint states.

At that point, authorities hadn't yet found either of his parents remains.

Bart Chandlers dismembered remains were found later that day, July 8, in rural Dane County. Six days later, investigators found Krista Halderson's remains along the Wisconsin River on land state Department of Natural Resources land in Sauk County, according to the complaint.

Halderson remains in the Dane County Jail on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 1. Crystal Vera, his attorney, declined to comment on the case Wednesday.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Wisconsin's top education official on Wednesday urged everyone headed into school buildings in coming days to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear masks  steps she said would help ensure schools don't have to shut down amid a spike in new cases.

Jill Underly, state superintendent of schools, wrote an editorial urging a united front against the virus, noting that the situation was different than last year thanks to the availability of vaccines to help stop the spread. Many schools in Wisconsin didn't open to in-person learning at the start of the 2020 academic year, or took a hybrid approach for at least part of the year.

The asks are simple, and the rewards are great, Underly said. Wear a mask when inside buildings. Get vaccinated if youre able to. Maintain safe distancing where possible. If we agree to collectively use these mitigation strategies, our school buildings remain open.

Mask and vaccine policies in schools and elsewhere have become a contentious issue in Wisconsin and across the country. Outbreaks in dozens of districts, mostly in rural areas, have already forced schools to put a halt, at least temporarily, to in-person classes.

Wisconsin's two largest districts, Milwaukee and Madison, were both looking into a vaccine mandate for teachers, something that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said he supports. Evers is a former teacher, school administration and state superintendent for education.

In the Mequon-Thiensville School District in suburban Milwaukee, parents are trying to recall four of seven board members, in part for policies enacted related to requiring masks and contact tracing students who test positive for COVID-19.

There appears to be majority support nationwide for mask and vaccine requirements in schools.

About 6 in 10 Americans say students and teachers should be required to wear masks while in school, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Similar shares say teachers and eligible students should also be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Underly, who was superintendent of the rural Pecatonica district before being elected in April as state superintendent, said everyone must do a part to ensure schools are safe and can remain open. Most public schools in Wisconsin open on or after Sept. 1.

I know firsthand that reaching universal consensus on any issue, in any community, is challenging, Underly said. As our nation and state experiences another surge in this COVID pandemic, we need to give school staff and school board members some grace as they make these important decisions."

She said that school leaders are doing what is best for children and trying to avoid disruptions in learning. She noted the rapid closures of schools across the country where there were limited mitigation efforts in place.

We all want our schools open, she said. We must collectively do our part to make sure that is possible.

Infections and hospitalizations in Wisconsin are spiking to levels not seen since January due to the more contagious delta variant.
URBANA, Ill. (AP)  A Champaign woman faces an aggravated drunken driving charge following a weekend chain-reaction crash that killed an off-duty University of Illinois police officer.

Logan S. Freed, 25, entered a not guilty plea Tuesday to an aggravated driving under the influence charge and a second lesser charge during her arraignment in a Champaign County court.

A judge set her bond at $250,000 and appointed a public defender for Freed.

Authorities said Freed was driving under the influence of alcohol about 6 p.m. Sunday when she drove though a red light and crashed into a car in Champaign, sending it into oncoming traffic before Lt. Aaron Landers crashed into that car with his motorcycle.

The University of Illinois officer died early Monday at a hospital, prosecutors said.

Freed faces penalties ranging from probation to three to 14 years in prison if she's convicted in his death, The (Champaign) News-Gazette reported.

Assistant States Attorney Regan Radtke said the results of tests that will determine how much alcohol Freed had in her system were pending.

Following the crash, an officer reported that Freed smelled of alcohol, her eyes were glossy and watery and she was unable to perform field-sobriety tests.

Freed told police she had two margaritas at dinner with her family.

A message seeking comment was left Wednesday morning with Freed's attorney.
Hawaii is asking travelers to stay away. So after canceling an upcoming anniversary trip to the islands, I found myself inordinately smitten with a newly renovated Sonoma County resort with a midcentury Blue Hawaii vibe and a massive swimming pool. If you, like me, are skipping the archipelago for now, the Flamingo may do something to satisfy your craving for the tropics.

How a canceled Hawaii trip led me to the Flamingo, a retrofabulous Northern Calif. Resort

At SFGATE, weve been following news accounts of the mistreatment of airline flight crews, hotel and restaurant workers with concern. This week, we decided to devote some time to talking to the people who make our vacations possible about the experiences theyve had over the course of the pandemic.

Reporter Joshua Bote talked to San Francisco hotel workers about being berated by customers over towels.

Hotel workers got cheated during the pandemic. Bad travelers are making it worse.

And Michelle Robertson spent time with flight attendants for her report on what theyve been enduring as essential workers during the pandemic.

Were suffering right now: Flight attendants on the horror of flying during COVID-19

At a time when fires are ravaging large swaths of the state, it can be hard to know where itll be safe to get outside before the end of summer. Our Tahoe editor, Julie Brown, is based in the Sierra and is reporting on the devastating fires in the region and what they mean for those of us who had hoped to spend time there soon.

Lake Tahoe Basin forests to close due to major wildfires in region

While much of the Sierra might be off-limits right now, California is a big place and, fortunately, there are still corners into which we can escape  sort of. Parks editor Ashley Harrell recently took a trip to one of the most remote parts of the Pacific Coast and, while our states troubles followed her there, so did its many inescapable joys.

What it's like to road-trip to California's Lost Coast right now

For many Californians, the Loma Prieta earthquake was a defining moment. Editor-in-chief Grant Mareks search for the quakes epicenter in the wilderness of the greater Bay Area is a tribute to the states tumultuous history and, lets be real, an excuse to do something hella fun.

This surreal hike near the Bay Area takes you to the Loma Prieta earthquake's epicenter

Travelskills is curated by travel editor Freda Moon. You can reach her at Freda.Moon@sfgate.com.
As the Caldor Fire approached the Lake Tahoe area, someone hacked into a Cal Fire Zoom briefing for the public, displayed "inappropriate images" and forced Cal Fire to end the meeting for all.

This is what you need in your wildfire preparedness kit,...

The Tuesday evening briefing was held at Lake Tahoe Community College and live-streamed on both Zoom and Facebook for members of the community. Officials shared fire updates and evacuation information before answering residents' questions. The Facebook stream went on without a hitch, but about eight minutes into the briefing, a Cal Fire spokesman apologized to those who had to move over from Zoom.

"Unfortunately there are some bad folks out there and they hacked our Zoom account," he said. "It's not the first time this happened among these types of incidents, but we mitigated that."

On Wednesday, Cal Fire public information officer Ryan Lubben said that whoever hacked the Zoom was "projecting inappropriate images" onto the screen and made it difficult for Cal Fire personnel to control the meeting. Lubben is unsure if it was a hack into the Cal Fire Zoom account itself or a case of "Zoom bombing," where sometime was simply able to obtain the meeting ID and/or host privileges to cause chaos.

Cal Fire officials in Sacramento were able to shut down the meeting room and are investigating the incident. Lubben says he is aware of at least one other recent incident in which someone interrupted and shut down a Zoom briefing where officials were providing fire and evacuation updates.

"Its just unfortunate that there are bad people out there doing this to people in need," Lubben said. "We're utilizing a platform to reach people and give them the information they need, but we have people doing inappropriate and bad things."

Lubben said Cal Fire is taking "additional security measures" around Zoom meetings but did not specify what those are. He said Cal Fire is also looking into whether to involve law enforcement (federal prosecutors warned early in the coronavirus pandemic that "Zoom bombing" is illegal and could result in charges ranging from disrupting a public meeting to computer intrusion).

Despite the multiple incidents on Zoom, Lubben said Cal Fire will continue to use the platform for community briefings.

"We are utilizing as many platforms as we can to get information out in a safe and secure manner," he said. "We're continuing to move forward on all platforms and hopefully we'll have no further occurrences."
Lisa Qiu Li was the only person working the floor a couple weeks ago.

A housekeeper at the InterContinental San Francisco hotel, she's lived in San Francisco for more than 25 years  and worked in hotels for 20 of them.

But on this August day, she was confronted with a hotel guest. He was irate over the lack of new towels in his room, and demanded she give him some immediately.

She had already given the last set to another customer, who had just asked for some.

He erupted.

"He gets really, really angry at me and yells at me, Is this a new towel? Give it to me! Li recalls.

His harassment got so aggressive, Li said, that she feared that he was going to physically strike her. She resorted to hiding inside the room that she was cleaning at the time.

"I was really, really scared, and then I called the manager, she said.

Li peered through the peephole, and once she saw that the customer had left, she ran to the elevators and asked to be placed on another floor  where, hopefully, she wouldn't be harassed again.

Service workers of all stripes have dealt with bad people, especially in the pandemic. Poor tippers, unruly passengers, annoying customers; rudeness and a lack of tact from some members of the general public are a feature of working in any service industry.

But incidents like Li's are only growing more common (and are arguably lesser-known) for a multitude of reasons.

The accommodations pre-pandemic travelers were accustomed to  think daily cleaning of hotel rooms, speedy room service, late-night bar service  were all but eliminated by the coronavirus.

After all, the hotel industry  like other ancillary facets of the travel industry  got hammered hard.

Statistics shared by the San Francisco Travel Association estimate that demand for hotel rooms fell by 68% in 2020 compared with the year prior  the most stark drop in at least 11 years, and perhaps some of the most severe declines in the nation.

And while other service industries are on their way to recovery from the pandemic, as first reported by SF Weekly, travel industries in San Francisco have been slower than other industries to recover.

But hotel workers and the unions that represent them, more than anything, are enraged that hotels are continuing to give short shrift to their workers even as the tides begin to steady for the travel industry at large. Li told SFGATE that there are at least 30 to 40 other cleaners who are still furloughed, still waiting in the wings to get back on the job.

That, coupled with the phenomenon of "revenge travel"  the influx of jetsetting tourists following a calamitous event such as, say, a pandemic  has created a confluence of issues for hotel workers.

Blanca Reyes coordinates housekeeping at the Hilton Financial District. She's worked for hotels for 31 years, and she says that working these past few months has been unlike any experience in her three decades in the industry.

It's not like before, before it was totally different than it is right now.

Ralf Geithe/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Reyes told SFGATE that Hilton hotels have ended daily cleaning for all rooms (unless otherwise requested), meaning that shes had to field angry calls from visitors for most of her shifts.

The real stress that we've got is because the hotel, the company didn't assign the occupied rooms to be cleaned every single day, she said.

And, as Li noted, hotel guests that visit tend to stay for far longer, meaning that already-strained housekeepers are forced to deep-clean after more guests. Its an additional strain for workers who are already short-staffed.

That leads to incidents like one she experienced recently, when a customer called her one evening to ask why his room was dirty.

I said, We don't have any room cleaning on duty right now, everybody's gone home, So, [he said], I need you to explain to me why my room is not ready, she said.

So I just tell him what the situation is, why we don't clean [his] room. And he starts telling me, Bitch, I need you to tell me why my room is not done.

Shes endured worse verbal berating, but she refused to utter the words shes been hit with. And with this harassment comes renewed fears of physical harm to workers. A 2015 study found that eight out of 10 female hotel workers faced verbal harassment, and incidents nationwide have popped up of workers being attacked and assaulted.

San Francisco hotel workers won a strike in 2018 that guaranteed them "panic buttons" in dire situations, but the risk intensifies once workers are left alone working entire floors.

A spokesperson for Hilton told SFGATE that workers receive de-escalation training with guests and that their hotels are actively hiring for more workers.

These hotels are working to ensure that they are continuing to provide a safe environment for both guests and Team Members, said the Hilton spokesperson in a statement to SFGATE.

(IHG, which manages the InterContinental, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from SFGATE.)

Sure, the argument could be leveled that hotels have to keep costs down in light of the challenges of the pandemic  whether it be through cutting hours for workers or reducing the amenities offered to visitors. But now that travel is roaring back, the challenge of dealing with angry guests has been placed squarely on the shoulders of cleaners and cashiers and other hotel service workers.

May Lee works at the Hilton on Union Square in its in-house grab and go. And nearly every other restaurant and food service inside the hotel, she said, is closed for much of the week  even as hundreds of rooms fill up. Thats led to long lines for her shop, angry customers and elevated stress for both guests and workers.

She recalled one guest waiting in line, who was so loud and angry that I could feel everybody in the coffee shop watching.

And she knows that guests will feel disinclined to come visit the hotel again because of its lack of workers.

It makes me feel so frustrated, because we want to give the guests  good service so they will come back, she said. Why will the guests come back if they expect that our hotel will always be so short staffed that everything is closed and we cant even do the basic things?

From the looks of it, Lees fears arent entirely unfounded. At least four prominent hotel operators have revealed plans to reduce worker costs, the largest operational cost of running a hotel.

A report by the Guardian confirmed that at least three separate hotel chain executives have assured cutbacks to full-time workers in investor calls.

The most recent report of hotel cutbacks comes courtesy of Hilton, where two workers who spoke to SFGATE are employed.

The work were doing right now in every one of our brands is about making them higher margin businesses and creating more labor efficiencies, particularly in the areas of housekeeping, food and beverage and other areas, Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta said during a February call with investors, multiple outlets reported.

For Li, Reyes, Lee and other workers in San Francisco, they know that theyll be the ones to endure the outrage that comes from cutting costs.

"Sometimes we are the only one working on the floor, the whole day, Li said. The guests only see us, the guest doesn't see the manager, they don't see the boss on the floor, right, they only see the room attendant on the floor, so the hotel makes them angry and the guests [get] angry at us."

None of the hotel workers really blamed the guests for being so angry. It just hurts that their fury is misplaced.

I dont blame them because they have reasons, but it's not because we created this problem, Reyes said.
Furnace Creek has earned its name.

The small town that sits just over the California border from Las Vegas, a little beyond Death Valley junction, lies at almost 200 feet below sea level, houses about 100 residents and is the hottest place on the planet.

On July 10, 1913, the temperature at Furnace Creek was recorded at 134 degrees, the highest temperature on Earth in recorded history. And while some experts have disputed the accuracy of that measurement, recent reliable data shows that Death Valley is consistently the hottest place in the world.

Only two months ago, as a "heat dome" covered much of the Western U.S., temperatures hit 130 in the valley. In 2020, it reached 129.9 degrees. That's hotter than the temperature to which Martha Stewart recommends cooking a medium-rare hamburger.

Those broiling highs aren't outliers: In 2001, the valley recorded 154 consecutive days with a maximum temperature over 100.

But why is a valley just 250 miles from the cool California coast the cauldron of the world? Why is it hotter there than, say, the Sahara, Dubai or Ethiopia?

"All those places you mentioned are deserts. If you don't have a lot of cloud cover, and not a lot of plant cover, the sun can shoot off the Earth," Abby Wines, spokesperson for Death Valley National Park, told SFGATE. "What's different about Death Valley is how deep it is, how low in elevation it is surrounded by steep mountains."

The contrast in elevation between the valley and surrounding mountains is stark. The lowest point in North America, at the site of a long-since evaporated lake, are the salt flats of Badwater Basin a few miles south of Furnace Creek. The highly salinated sand there sits at 282 feet below sea level, yet only 80 miles northwest, Mount Whitney stands 14,505 feet tall, the highest point in the contiguous United States.

Jordan Siemens/Getty Images

The mountains  the Amargosa Range on the east, Panamint Range on the west, the Grapevine Mountains to the north and Owlshead Mountains to the south  surround Death Valley and trap its broiling air.

"Everyone knows warm air rises. In normal places that warm air rises and just blows away, whereas here it gets trapped by the mountains on either side of Death Valley and then recirculates. It's like a convection oven," Wines says. "That same landscape that makes it such a dramatic place to visit is also what gives it such an extreme climate."

That heat formed on the sparsely planted desert surface just can't escape the valley's depths, leading to the uniquely super-heated air blowing through the 140-mile-long, 10-mile-wide stretch.

Wines has lived and worked in the valley for the park service for 16 years. Working manual labor is perilous in temperatures that regularly rise above 120 degrees, and Wines tells me that employees are only allowed to work for 10 minutes outside at that heat before spending 50 minutes in the shade or indoors. "You can't work straight through it, no one can," she said.

Death Valley may seem to be an unlikely place to decide to call home, and fewer than 600 people live there today. But the region has long been inhabited by people maybe drawn to a life away from the busy world, or else seeking a fortune. Native American people are known to have inhabited the area as early as 9,000 years ago, but it was the Californian Gold Rush that brought white settlers to the valley. In 1849, the name Death Valley was given to the land between the mountains after a group of European speculators looking for a shortcut to the Sierra lost a member to the heat.

The discovery of borax on the ancient lakebed drew people to the baked terrain in the early 1900s, though word of its inhospitableness was spreading. A 1904 Pomona newspaper article celebrating the newly completed Salt Lake Railroad titled "Desolate Horrors of Death Valley," described the valley as a "little known and horrible corner of the union," and "all that is melancholy, grim and withered in the desert."

The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Im

Today, most visitors describe the heat with a kitchen analogy. "It may sound cliche, but it feels a bit like hot air hitting your face when you open an oven," said Sam Argier, a meteorologist for FOX 5 Vegas. Argier explained why Death Valley is a different meteorological beast than the Bay Area.

"Along the West Coast of the United States, the Pacific Ocean acts like a giant air conditioner. The Bay Area is a perfect example ... just look at the temperature contrast between San Francisco and a city like Walnut Creek most afternoons," Argier said. "The temperature warms up as you move inland with hills and mountains limiting the cooling influence of the ocean. In the case of Death Valley, there are three significant mountain ranges that not only limit cooler air coming in but also rainfall from storms that roll in off the Pacific."

As Argier pointed out, the extreme heat is combined with extreme dryness. Death Valley has an average rainfall of 2 inches a year, that's an inch less than the Sahara. This is due to the mountains taking all the moisture from storms heading in land from the ocean in the winter.

The NPS explains that by the time the clouds reach the mountain's east side, they no longer have as much available moisture, creating a dry "rainshadow." The four mountain ranges between the Pacific and Death Valley each add to an increasingly drier rainshadow effect. Some years see just millimeters of precipitation. In 1929 and 1953, zero rainfall was recorded through the entire year.

"With the lack of rainfall, you're left with a desert lacking much vegetation. That lack of vegetation combined with dry desert air and a low elevation gives it the perfect combination for very high temperatures in the summertime," Argier says.

As the valley's name suggests, that heat can have fatal consequences. This month a San Francisco man died hiking in the heat on the Golden Canyon Trail in the park. Wines says that the park usually has one heat-related fatality every year or every other year. This summer they have had had three, a worrying trend that some fear is only getting worse as conditions get more extreme.

I asked Wines whether climate change feels real in the valley.

"Nine of the park's 10 hottest years in history have happened in the last 15 years, since I've lived here," she said. "This year has been unbearable." Wines told me that while she normally prefers to use a swamp cooler  which cools the dry air by passing it over water-saturated pads, causing the water to evaporate into it  in place of expensive air conditioning, that hasn't been an option in this year's unusually hot and humid heat.

Argier says that visitors need to take the heat seriously. "Hydration is so important when surviving in this very hot weather. Limiting alcohol and drinking plenty of water is key. Light-colored clothing also helps you stay cooler. Also, don't overexert yourself in this type of weather," he says. "The desert heat can sneak up on you quickly."
You are now listening to the sounds of the New Generation. A podcast created for those who desire a new way of gaining information rather than reading a traditional newspaper. In our show we will discuss everything from sports, pop culture, politics, and local news. To stay up to date on our latest episodes every week be sure to follow us on your favorite podcast service. And dont worry, we keep it short.
BOSTON (AP)  The construction of dozens of wind turbines off the coast of Nantucket threatens the survival of a dwindling number of endangered Northern Atlantic right whales that inhabit the waters, a group of residents on the affluent resort island in Massachusetts argue in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday.

ACK Residents Against Turbines said Vineyard Winds proposed project of some 60 turbines 14 miles (22 kilometers) south of the island is located in a crucial area for foraging and nursing for the species, which researchers estimate number less than 400.

Mary Chalke, a Nantucket resident and member of the opposition group, said the lawsuit isnt just about Vineyard Wind, but other turbine projects also in the pipeline up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

We all want renewable energy, she said after the group filed the suit in Boston federal court. This represents the transformation and industrialization of a pristine natural environment."

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which are named in the suit, declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. Vineyard Wind, a joint project of a Danish company and a U.S. subsidiary of the Spanish energy giant, Iberdrola, also declined to comment.

But the American Clean Power Association, a group that represents renewable energy companies, stressed the project has undergone a lengthy environmental review, permitting and public comment process.

"It appears this lawsuit is being brought by residents motivated by aesthetic concerns as much as anything alleged in their complaint, Tom Vinson, a vice president with the association, said in a statement.

Vallorie Oliver, a Nantucket resident, acknowledged that visibility of the towering structures  which could be as tall as 850-feet (260 meters) and eclipse Bostons 790-foot (240 meter) Hancock Tower  is among the group's concerns.

But she argues federal officials also havent provided adequate research to back up their claims that the wind project will have minimal impact on right whales and other marine life.

We're simply asking for real science-based answers to the impact on our natural environment, she said, speaking with other group members in front of the Massachusetts Statehouse.

Approved in May, the nearly $3 billion, 800-megawatt project would be the first utility-scale wind power development in federal waters. Its slated to become operational in 2023 and create enough electricity to power 400,000 homes.

The project and Ocean Wind, a proposed 1,100-megawatt offshore wind project off New Jersey, are keystones in the Biden administrations push to grow offshore wind as a way to fight climate change and create jobs.

The projects could be joined by as many as five other large scale projects totaling more than 2,000 turbines across 2,000 square miles (5,180 square kilometers) of ocean, according to ACK Residents Against Turbines.

Despite the enthusiasm, U.S. offshore wind development is still far behind progress made in Europe. A small wind farm operates near Block Island in waters controlled by the state of Rhode Island, and another small wind farm operates off the coast of Virginia.

The Nantucket group, whose name references the three-letter code for the island's airport, is the latest effort opposed to large scale wind projects.

Fishermen who ply the lucrative waters from New Bedford, Massachusetts, to Montauk, New York, have long worried about the potential impacts to their livelihood.

Bob Vanasse, who heads the fishing advocacy group Saving Seafood, said Vineyard Wind and other projects proposed in the region could impact a range of significant fisheries, including squid, clams and scallops.

There are a number of groups in various fisheries who have raised concerns about the insufficiency of the planning and review effort, he said Wednesday. This group is far from alone in that.

Vineyard Wind also comes years after the infamous Cape Wind project, which failed after bitter litigation from another group that included Nantucket property owners.

Supporters of Vineyard Wind have said the newer project is better sited than Cape Wind, which was proposed closer to shore.

Recent wind projects proposed off North Carolina and New York, though, have been pushed farther offshore after environmental concerns were raised, said David Stevenson, of the Caesar Rodney Institute, a Delaware-based group that also opposes wind farm proposals.

He argued that Vineyard Winds project should be placed as far as 30 miles (48 kilometers) from shore.

Fifteen miles was not okay in North Carolina or Long Island, then why is it okay for Nantucket? Stevenson said. Its just wrong.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order Wednesday making New Mexico the latest Western state to join an ambitious effort to conserve nearly one-third of America's lands and waters by 2030.

The Biden administration detailed its plans in May for achieving the goal, saying conservation and restoration of lands and waters was an urgent priority. Democratic officials and environmentalists see the effort as a tool to increase green space, protect drinking water sources and reduce wildfire risks.

To make significant progress on the decadelong commitment, experts have said Western states must play a key role in the effort.

Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said she wants to bring people together in New Mexico for the initiative that she hopes will make a difference for decades to come.

Her executive order calls for the creation of a committee made up of key state agencies to draft a plan for reaching the goal. The group will meet four times a year and report back annually to the governor.

I just want action, Lujan Grisham said before signing the order, but if you dont have a guide  were not going to get every opportunity that we deserve.

California was the first to formalize its 2030 conservation goal when Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a sweeping executive order last fall. Nevada followed in May with lawmakers in the Democrat-dominated state passing a resolution.

About 12% of the nations lands and one-quarter of its waters are currently protected, according to research by the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank. Wilderness areas, game refuges, agricultural lands, ranches and other sites with conservation easements are among the protected parcels.

Nationally, the Biden administration is calling for the expansion of federal grant programs to create more local parks, increase access to outdoor recreation and for Indigenous communities to access funding for conservation priorities.

In New Mexico, members of Lujan Grisham's executive cabinet have been charged with finding ways to leverage state and federal funding and existing programs to help with the effort.

They must also consider the importance of working lands, such as farms and ranches, as well as tribal sovereignty.

The order acknowledges that agricultural production through farming and ranching represents historic, current and future land use and embodies cultural traditions that are at risk due to drought, development, climate impacts and reduced water availability.

A handful of rural New Mexico counties have passed resolutions in recent months opposing the effort.

Elected leaders in those communities have voiced concerns that designating more wilderness areas and imposing more restrictions would compromise the livelihoods of residents and businesses dependent on the landscape.

Republican state Sen. Crystal Diamond of Elephant Butte said almost half of all land in New Mexico  the fifth largest state in the U.S.  is already owned and managed by either the state or federal government.

We all know that our family-owned, private land is better managed, utilized and preserved, she said. "This 30x30 initiative set forth by the governor is a thinly veiled land grab, and the people of New Mexico will not stand for it.

Environmentalists praised Lujan Grisham's move, arguing that it would help protect New Mexico's outdoor heritage and the traditions of agricultural-based communities.

Theresa Pasqual, executive director of Acoma Pueblo's Historic Preservation Office, said it marks the start of a conversation that will allow local communities to figure out what would work best for them.

We start that conversation by thinking about whats in our own backyard, she said.
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Seven appears to have reaped the benefits of The Voice after taking over the format from Nine at the end of last year.

The networks decision to roll the dice on the program paid off early when the show premiered to its largest average audience since 2016, piggybacking off the might of the Olympics Closing Ceremony and drawing in an average audience of 1.329 million metro viewers on August 8.

The Voice coaches Keith Urban, Rita Ora, Jessica Mauboy and Guy Sebastian. Credit:Seven

Last year on Nine (owner of this masthead), premiere ratings for The Voice were at 1.082 million, compared with 1.064 million in 2019, 1.072 million in 2018 and 1.277 million in 2017.

This week, The Voice continued to flex its million-plus muscle across all three of its episodes, with 1.2 million tuning in on Sunday and 1.1 million watching on Monday and Tuesday nights. Since premiering, the show has yet to dip below the million-viewer mark. According to media analyst Steve Allen, Seven has The Olympics to thank for that.
In late 2019 Adrien Brody was trekking with friends in Nepal, where the Himalayan Mountains soar and the oxygen can get thin, when the time came to give an answer. The Academy Award-winning actor had to decide whether he wanted to dedicate himself to an ambitious television adaptation of the Stephen King short story Jerusalems Lot, putting himself at the centre of a period horror tale suffused with contemporary unease.

The trek was a wonderful experience, very challenging, but its an interesting place to ... make a decision about what type of work I would be accepting and jumping into for a relatively extended period of time, Brody says. I was joking that I took a leap of faith on that mountaintop. It might not be the time to make those decisions, but Im glad I did.

Almost two years later, after a lengthy and sometimes COVID-marred shoot in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, Brody is happy with his decision. The finished series, Chapelwaite, offers a showcase for an actor whose finely contoured face can convey the inexorable build of dread. Regret wells up in Brodys eyes, fear hardens the set of his mouth. The 48-year-old is the perfect proxy for an audience that wants to be immersed in supernatural torment.

Adrien Brody as Charles Boone, a 19th century ships captain who takes possession of a family home in Maine locals believe cursed. Credit:Stan

Stephen King may well be the most adapted novelist of the past 40 years, with his name  alongside expectations creators have to live up to  prominent on film and television works. In the past 18 months alone Ben Mendelsohn has starred in The Outsider; The Stand was once again produced as a saga of good and evil, and Liseys Story had Julianne Moore and Clive Owen as a couple torn between worlds. Yet roughly half the King adaptations made fail.
First published in The Sydney Morning Herald on August 27, 1999

Federal Parliament passed yesterday a historic declaration of deep and sincere regret for past injustices to Aborigines - but indigenous leaders immediately split, with critics condemning the lack of an apology.

I have sought to bring an understanding and a comprehension of this issue. PM John Howard in Parliament, August 26, 1999. Credit:Belinda Pratten

The Howard-sponsored motion, coming after two years of Government resistance, acknowledged that the mistreatment of many indigenous Australians over a significant period represents the most blemished chapter in our international history.

The Parliament regretted the hurt and trauma that many indigenous people continue to feel as a consequence of those practices.
Ben Jackson, a farmer from the NSW town of Guyra, felt helpless when his much-loved aunt died in Queensland and border closures meant he couldnt attend her funeral.

Losing someone in these times is pretty tricky, Mr Jackson said.

I sort of felt a bit helpless, a bit stumped about how I could show my affection and love for my dear aunty Deb.

Ben Jackson paid tribute to his aunt through his sheep art. Credit:Ben Jackson

He came up with a touching way to honour her by getting his flock of sheep to form the shape of a love heart on his farm.
Churchgoers and a pastor in Sydneys west have each been fined $500 for not wearing or carrying face masks, bringing the total cost of fines linked to their illegal church gathering on Sunday to $49,000.

Police have also served a prohibition order on Christ Embassy Sydney, banning it from operation for seven days.

Christ Embassy Church in Blacktown held a service with 60 people on Sunday. Credit:Nick Moir

About 60 people, including a number of children, were found just before 7.30pm on Sunday participating in a sermon at the church on Fourth Avenue, Blacktown  one of Sydneys local government areas of concern.

No QR code was displayed at the entry and worshippers had travelled from other coronavirus hotspots including Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield and Liverpool, police said.
She said Fatimas husband had ticked all the boxes required by the Australian government in their visa application. The Herald has not published the names of the couple to protect their safety.

Her husband is one of 200 people in Kabul who Sydney migration lawyer Anna Ryburn is desperately trying to help get to Australia. She shares Fatimas fears and says his life will be at risk because he is part of the Hazara religious minority the Taliban has persecuted.

It has been more than a year since the couple last hugged each other. With the August 31 evacuation deadline looming, Fatima, who lives in Sydneys west, worries he wont get out.

Fatima fears she will never see her husband again after his two attempts to escape from Kabul in Afghanistan were violently aborted.

Hes not just a random Afghan at risk from the Taliban, he is the spouse of an Australian who has done all the checks, she said. Why would he not be part of the rescue mission?

The couple first met as children in Afghanistan and have been waiting for more than two years for the Department of Foreign Affairs to process the husbands spouse visa application. They now feel desperate that their time is running out as they cling to each minute they connect on the telephone.

After his two attempts to escape Kabul were aborted at the airport where the Taliban struck him with an iron pole, Fatimas husband is fearful of risking his life a third time.

Fatima said her husband went to Kabul airports north gate on Saturday after he received a call from DFAT asking him to come. But he wasnt allowed in because he did not have a visa. He told her that when he arrived, he caught the eye of an Australian soldier and explained his situation and that DFAT had called him. The soldier spoke to a superior but did not return and would no longer make eye contact with him.

They didnt allow him to go inside because he didnt have a visa, she said. And now he went home again. DFAT contacted him as well and told him to come to the airport. He went there so many times until he got to the gate and the Australian soldiers turned him away.
Queensland deliberately gave two hours notice on Wednesday before blocking arrivals from NSW, Victoria and the ACT to prevent a rush of flight bookings, the states health minister said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the hotel quarantine system had become stretched to the limit as she announced the changes, which came into effect from noon.

Queensland is being loved to death, she said.

We often dont know, from day to day, how many people are coming into Queensland from other states - they just turn up... so that means that we are scrambling for hotels.
The former boyfriend of a Melbourne woman who has been missing since April has been charged with murder.

Missing Person Squad detectives charged Brighton man Toby Loughnane, 41, with a single count of murder over the disappearance of Brunswick woman Maryam Hamka, 36, who was reported missing on April 15 of this year.

Maryam Hamka

Mr Loughnane will face Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday. Police say Ms Hamka is yet to be located and the investigation remains ongoing.

She was last seen leaving Woolworths in Albert Street, Brunswick, at 5.30pm on April 10. Police say she has not used her social media accounts, phone or bank accounts since then.
Victorias COVID-19 outbreak has grown more quickly than NSWs since Melbournes sixth lockdown began, but a number of key measures have trended down in recent days suggesting to some experts that the spread of the Delta strain could be controlled.

Total cases, mystery cases and the crucial reproduction number  the average number of people each infected person passes the virus onto  have dropped for two days in a row, but the work of the states contact tracers is being hampered by people who feel sick for up to eight days before getting tested.

People line up for vaccinations in Melbourne on Wednesday. The federal government wants to open up bookings to whole families in a bid to further speed up the rollout. Credit:Chris Hopkins

Mikhail Prokopenko, director of the University of Sydneys centre for complex systems, said Victorias number of mystery cases suggested it remained on the brink, despite the fall in daily infections.

He said Victoria and New Zealand, which is battling its own fast-moving outbreak, were now being watched by the rest of the world to see whether they could rein in a Delta outbreak that had led to widespread community spread  a feat that has only been achieved by China so far.
In January 2021 the Commonwealth government released its COVID-19 vaccine rollout strategy. The plan prioritised those most likely to be exposed to COVID-19, and importantly those most likely to become ill and die from the disease  a sensible approach, similar to many jurisdictions around the world.

Among the very first groups prioritised to receive the vaccine were the 500,000 residents and workers in aged care and disability group homes  these folks were part of Phase 1A in the Commonwealth plan and to be among the very first people vaccinated.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison discusses the plan to reopen the country. Credit:Getty

Given the tragedies witnessed in Australia and around the world related to COVID-19 infections in residential care, this made complete sense.

Following closely on the highest priority group, Phase 1B of the strategy included aged care and disability workers working in the community, First Nations Australians over 55 years, Australians older than 70 years, and people with disability with underlying conditions.
Have you seen the Qantas ad yet?

It tells three stories in 90 seconds: a mum reminiscing about her own childhood trip to Disneyland, her daughter asking when they can go; a young couple jetting off to Singapore to be married; a dad flying to London to be reunited with his daughter.

Qantas is said to be burning $50 million cash a week. Credit:James Brickwood

There are masks, there are jabs, there are friendly Qantas flight crew. Yes, its advertising, but its a tearjerker because it connects with what so many of us took for granted but have lost and missed over the past 18 months of the pandemic.

Interestingly, the ad is not really about promoting holidays, but families, which is why I suspect it works so effectively on those who have suffered the agony of separation from those they love.
Facebook banned a satirical post from The Chaser about Senator Matt Canavan and the Wiggles and threatened the group with unpublishing their page, leading both the comedians and the senator to hit out at the tech giants censorship.

The offending image took aim at Nationals Senator Matt Canavan. Credit:The Chaser

The US company took issue with a Chaser gag mocking former resources minister Senator Canavans reaction to the Wiggles decision to hire more diverse cast members. It reversed the decision on Tuesday, but only after the limitations of its artificial intelligence censors had been exposed.

The offending post was a satirical image saying: New White Wiggle introduced to help Matt Canavan feel represented. That White Wiggle was in a Ku Klux Klan robe.

Senator Canavan had suggested the Wiggles move to add another man and three more women to their ranks, including an Indigenous Australian and another with Ethiopian heritage, was a woke move that could send the group broke.
This is not how it was supposed to be.

If everything had gone according to Plan A, Scott Morrison would have called an election within days, then sailed through the campaign as the Prime Minister who had led the country through a once-in-a-century pandemic with minimal loss of life and only temporary disruption to the economy.

Under Plan A, Morrison would have been the Prime Minister to lead the country out of the pandemic. Credit:Getty

That would have carried him to victory with an increased majority, and probably set him up for another. It would have been a proud legacy.

Instead, there is a fractured federation, premiers grown accustomed to wielding immense power even at the expense of the national good, a prime minister powerless to stop them, a devaluing in almost every way of what it means to be an Australian, 15 million people locked down, the prospect of a second recession in two years, enough debt to cripple generations and a vaccination rollout Morrison nominated as his priority in February which could even now qualify as the greatest policy failure since Federation.
The pandemic has taken its toll on one of Australias largest disability service providers with the organisation calling in administrators and leaving thousands of staff and participants across NSW in limbo.

Disability Services Australia called in KPMG to oversee its voluntary administration on Wednesday, but moved to reassure participants and staff the organisation would continue to operate as normal for now.

Disability Services Australia said the pandemic compounded financial difficulties within the organisation. Credit:Louise Kennerley

The not-for-profit, which has operated across NSW since 1957, supports more than 1500 people with disabilities to live independently in greater Sydney, Illawarra, the Hunter, Central West, Southern Highlands and Southern Tablelands regions, and employs about 2000 people.

Leisa Hart, chief executive of Disability Services Australia, said voluntary administration would provide participants with continued care while the best path forward is determined.
Fighting COVID-19 has been a marathon event  here in Australia and around the world. With every vaccination, COVID-19 becomes a less deadly disease  for us all. But we cant forget the shadow impacts of the COVID pandemic, including the mental health impacts, particularly on our children.

This week the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute released a report outlining the enormous impact COVID is having on the mental health and wellbeing of our young, particularly the most disadvantaged. It says prolonged school closures and lockdowns can exacerbate these impacts.

They were the days ... the shutdown of schools is hurting students. Credit:Michele Mossop

We are MPs from opposite sides in the Federal Parliament, but we are both paediatricians and we are united in our support for the MCRI report, especially its call to prioritise the vaccination of teachers, early educators and school staff to ensure we can get children back to school sooner.

Students across Australia have been missing out. Victorian students already missed almost 150 days of face-to- face learning  one of the highest rates in the world  and they are facing a second year of lockdowns, more than any other state in the country. In NSW it looks to be some time before students can return to school.
The Herald understands that Westmead reduced the number of COVID patients arriving by ambulance over the past 24 hours, with some being redirected to Hornsby and Ryde. At Blacktown Hospital, patients will be screened and swabbed in outdoor tents. Anthony Holley, president of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society, said that, while NSW had 845 fully staffed public and private hospital ICU beds, 667 of those beds are now occupied, with about 17 per cent taken up by coronavirus patients. Dr Holley said there were 2086 ICU beds across Australia, of which 1740 are full. While the system was obviously stressed, there was still capacity in the system to absorb cases and turn to private hospitals when needed.

The ICU community is bracing for a protracted duration of substantially increased workload due to COVID-19. We are considering all available options to deliver high standard of critical care, but once we reach 70 per cent of people vaccinated, there will still be significant challenges which could last six months or more. Cardiothoracic and geriatric patients at Westmead are now being transferred to Westmead Private Hospital, a Ramsay Health spokesperson for the private facility said on Wednesday. Eddy Robles, an intensive care nurse at Westmead Private Hospital who has been working at the public hospital ICU caring for non-COVID patients, said the situation was escalating rapidly. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian at a news conference on Wednesday in Sydney. Credit:James Brickwood Witnessing the public ICU filling up with more critically ill COVID positive patients requiring high-flow oxygen or mechanical ventilation has given me a clear picture of the seriousness of the current situation, he said.

There are now 645 COVID-19 cases admitted to 25 hospitals across NSW. The Premier said she still planned to announce a level of freedom to vaccinated people by the end of the week, with a meeting of crisis cabinet to determine the plans on Wednesday afternoon. One third of the state has now received two jabs, with a total 6.1 million jabs administered. Weve made the point that the most important figure is the rate of vaccination and that remains the case, Ms Berejiklian said. One in five people who have died in Sydneys latest COVID-19 outbreak acquired their infection in a public hospital, with 11 deaths linked to last months Liverpool Hospital outbreak.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the hospital system is strained but coping. Credit:James Brickwood A NSW Health spokesperson said there was sufficient ICU capacity for all patients who require intensive care, with more than 500 beds with ventilators available throughout the system. Health Minister Brad Hazzard said Westmead Hospital was facing strains typical of a virus outbreak, after it moved to emergency operations on Tuesday, reducing its intake of COVID-19 patients and opening beds in the private hospital network. There are 121 confirmed COVID-19 patients at Westmead Hospital, with two-thirds of available ICU occupied. The western Sydney private and public hospitals are caring for 1500 cases, but this figure is rising at more than 200 per day.

The hospital system is coping, but there are lots of pressures on individual hospitals, from time to time, Mr Hazzard said. And I dont doubt that individual staff in some of those wards are finding that theres a lot of stress on them. Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the health system had modelled a variety of different scenarios to manage increasing patient loads and people should not delay seeking care. Do not think, I wont respond if Ive got some chest pain, Im feeling short of breath, I dont want to burden the health system, she said. The health system is there, call the ambulance, and please do not delay. Guildford, Auburn, Merrylands, Greystanes, Granville, Punchbowl, Yagoona, Blacktown and surrounding suburbs are key suburbs of concern.
The projects executive officer, Lisa McKenzie, said since setting up the GV Cares Network on Friday in response to the emerging COVID-19 cluster, the group had been inundated with requests for support. She said many people had lost their support network because everyone they knew was forced into quarantine, and the latest outbreak hit Shepparton especially hard. Suzanna Sheed, independent MP for Shepparton, is pleading with the Victorian government for more support. Credit:Jason South Almost all of Sheppartons schools have been identified as tier-one sites, with scores of supermarkets also listed as exposure sites and shut down for deep cleaning. Ms Sheed and Ms McKenzie both said at least a third of the citys residents were isolating. I hope the government understands were a really proud community, and everyone is doing a great job pulling together, but its feeling pretty thin and stretched, Ms McKenzie said.

People are very anxious. We need to all work together to create a safety net here sooner rather than later. Loading Ms Sheed has written to the Victorian government calling for more staff at Goulburn Valley Health where more than 450 staff have been furloughed; more testing sites to keep up with demand; at least 100 army personnel from Thursday to help supermarkets facing a crisis of staff shortages; increased resources for the coronavirus hotline, and a bolstered campaign pushing for locals to get vaccinated. She said the town needed a Shepparton response and more information from health bureaucrats, describing the current communication efforts as leading to the town feeling isolated. In a sense were all vulnerable because of the level of shutdown and the fact that so many shops and services are no longer able to operate properly, Ms Sheed said.

The front page of Wednesdays Shepparton News. Credit: Especially for the people in isolation  they have kids at home who want to graze from the fridge and pantry all day, theyre going crazy at home. So the need for just that basic capacity to bring in food and other supplies and distribute it becomes even more important when people are in hard quarantine. A senior reporter at the Shepparton News, the citys only daily local newspaper revealed one pharmacy had five staff in quarantine with demand for urgent deliveries of medication soaring. In a bold plea on Wednesday, the Shepparton News front page headline reads: WE NEED HELP. Editor Christine Anderson said journalists had been making calls throughout the week assessing the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, and quickly realised how the situation had escalated.

Because there were well over 16,000 people [a few days ago] who needed to be tested before they can move into a 14-day quarantine, the lines were so long because the capacity was nowhere near enough to cope, Anderson said. We realised were not going to be able to get through tests in a couple of days, and were going to have the same problem when peoples day-13 tests come up, so we did a front page like that to make a bit of noise before the town completely fell apart and were in a worse state than we are in right now. On Wednesday afternoon, Health Minister Martin Foley said the government was working through all the issues affecting Shepparton, including healthcare and food distribution. Its a challenge, but its a challenge I know that the people of Shepparton, and the people of Victoria, are up to, Mr Foley said.

A Victorian government spokeswoman said emergency relief packages were available for people who were required to isolate but had no one to support them. Those people can call the coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398. The Extreme Hardship Support Program had also been extended to provide financial assistance for people who were not eligible for Commonwealth income support. More than 265 food relief packs have been delivered to Shepparton in the last 48 hours alone and more are being delivered daily, the spokeswoman said. Five additional testing sites have been commissioned to accommodate demand for testing in Shepparton and this has been supplemented by additional resources and extended operating hours at various sites. Additional healthcare workers are also being sent to Shepparton, with some already on the ground today and more to be deployed. The surge workforce will be comprised of agency staff and workers from Bendigo Health, Peter Mac and Eastern Health.

Attention has also shifted to reaching out to Sheppartons large Indigenous and multicultural communities, according to Greater Shepparton City Council mayor Kim OKeeffe. She said the city would struggle to cope with a third of its residents in isolation, and getting food and medical supplies to people was a high priority. We have gone from last Friday mornings announcement where there was one case to now having almost 20,000 people in isolation, Cr OKeeffe said. We are doing what we need to do ... a lot of the community has been reaching out to each other, people who have received double doses of the vaccine are offering to do contactless delivery. Its been incredible as far as community response goes.

A Coles spokeswoman said the supermarket was working hard to increase capacity, but had to cut back on services due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We have unfortunately had to cancel a number of home delivery and click-and-collect orders that we have been unable to fulfil, she said. We understand this has caused some frustration, and we appreciate our customers patience during this time. A Woolworths spokesman said the supermarket chain faced significant staff shortages, and was forced to cancel or reschedule some orders. Were continuing to prioritise deliveries to vulnerable community members, including those in mandatory self-isolation, through our priority assistance service, the spokesman said. Delivery and pick up windows remain open to the broader community, but are not available on the usual same or next day lead times due to the higher than usual demand.
According to the study, while working from a flexible location has a significant impact on knowledge workers ability to manage stress and maintain a healthy work-life balance, schedule flexibility has an even more dramatic impact.

Interestingly, only 20 per cent of employees surveyed say they see the office as a place for focused, solo work. Instead, more than 80 per cent of knowledge workers say they want access to an office mainly for in-person collaboration and team building.

While the last year has been challenging, the Future Forum Pulse study did point to a few bright spots, with a solid 64 per cent of global knowledge workers indicating they were satisfied with their work-life balance, while 76 per cent felt their productivity had improved and nearly three quarters also suggesting they were more focused.

There are even greater potential benefits for working parents, particularly working mothers, who are more likely to need flexibility for caregiving, not just better work-life balance.

However, its important that organisations positively encourage flexibility for all employees to avoid accidentally reinforcing stereotypes and contributing to the motherhood penalty. If done equitably, it affords the flexibility that working mothers need without the assumption that it is mothers who will take on a bigger burden in home life while also balancing their jobs. Putting in place policies, and fostering a culture that encourages a balance in responsibilities between parents will also help to reduce the load on working mums, and ensure they are not unfairly impacted in their career trajectory.

Meanwhile, companies that are making the required investments in new digital infrastructure are seeing dramatic productivity increases among employees, as well as a sense of belonging among staff. In our research, of the people who worked at companies that were early adopters of technology, 68 per cent were satisfied with their access to the people and information they need to do their jobs, 70 per cent said they were better able to focus and 57 per cent said they were more productive, says Elliott.

Also, their employees are more than five times more likely to feel good about their ability to manage stress and anxiety.

The restrictions placed on social, community and religious organisations as a result of the pandemic has caused a spike in stress levels, but a lot of employers have invested heavily in trying to create more balance for employees through increased mental health resources, for example.

Trust on the rise

Interestingly, this ability to step-up by employers is probably best reflected in the latest update to the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer, which showed a record 11 per cent increase in trust of business locally. In fact, employers are now seen as one of the most trusted institutions in Australia, with 78 per cent trusting their employer over business generally.

Among respondents in Australia, employer attributes, including keeping workers safe, regular employee communications, job skills and training programs, and offering a diverse representative workforce saw increases in importance in the past year.

Yet, according to the Future Forum Pulse data coming out of Australia - a market quicker than others included in the survey in its return to the office - it is also the only market where there has been consistent drops in sentiment, with the study revealing a slight decline in work-life balance and productivity, and a sharp decline in the ability to manage stress and anxiety.

Its a timely reminder, perhaps, of the importance of responding to the needs of our employees for the longer term, rather than a short-term fix or a return-to-normal mindset, says Elliott.

As organisations consider what a hybrid work model might look like, we are currently living in an environment where there are plenty of mixed messages.

For example, Morgan Stanley Chief Executive James Gorman recently said he would take a dim view of those who did not work primarily in the office from early September. Another major bank, Goldman Sachs, is already requiring staff to return to its New York headquarters.

Technology solutions can help to create a better company culture. Credit:Getty.

While some employers are trying to dragoon people back into the office, this is a message at odds with the desires of employees who having spent the last year proving they can be productive under trying circumstances are not willing to give up the benefits of flexibility. Elliott says.

While no one knows what the future looks like, the work model organisations choose to implement should be one that attracts and engages talent, powered by technology, that contributes positively to employee experience and wellbeing. If they dont, then they will lose out to their competitors who do, he says.

Future fit

Elliott says corporate leaders must endeavour to strike the right balance when planning for the future in offering employees the choice theyre now demanding, while also taking responsibility in providing the appropriate guardrails to make it work.

Its no longer a case of an employee proving theyre the right fit for a company; its up to the company to put their best foot forward and show that theyre the right place to work.

And to do that they have to tangibly prove how employee experience is an important business imperative.

For Elliott, if employers work on creating the right structure and environment for employees, good workplace culture will follow. They will attract the right type of employees who will begin to build the right culture organically.

Importantly, employing the right people can improve the overall work culture for all employees, he concludes the market will decide, but companies who provide flexibility, invest in inclusive work cultures and infrastructure that connects people will attract and engage top talent -- and be the next generation of winners.

Learn how leading businesses are reimagining whats possible in the workplaceand how to chart the strongest path forward for your organisationin this free eBook from Slack: Reinventing work.
He says five flights operated between Kabul and Islamabad on Wednesday and all personnel involved in the operation and those evacuated are now in Pakistan. De Croos says that Belgium will continue to repatriate to our country those people evacuated in the days ahead. More than 1100 people have been flown to Belgium in recent days. A Taliban fighter patrols in Kabul, Afghanistan. Credit:AP The Taliban said they would allow normal commercial air traffic to resume when they assume control of the airport after August 31, but its unclear whether airlines would be willing to fly into an airport controlled by the militants. With the deadline looming, Marcin Przydacz, a Polish deputy foreign minister, said Wednesday that Poland had evacuated its last group after consulting with US and British officials.

After a long analysis of reports on the security situation, we cannot risk the lives of our diplomats and of our soldiers any longer, Przydacz said. Loading A number of troops will remain briefly to wrap up operations, Przydacz said. Poland has used over a dozen planes to bring hundreds of evacuees to Warsaw. Some later travelled on to other countries. The Czech Republic declared its own evacuation mission complete last week, and Hungary said it plans to end its operations soon. The White House said Wednesday around 19,000 people were evacuated from Kabul over the last 24 hours. It said the US has evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of around 82,300 people since the Taliban takeover in mid-August.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the military will continue to evacuate needed populations all the way to the end. But he added that in the final days and hours there will have to be a balance as the 5400 troops in Kabul and critical systems also need to be withdrawn. Loading Two members of Congress drew criticism after a surprise visit to Afghanistan this week, which diverted resources from the USs hasty withdrawal. Britains Foreign Office on Wednesday advised against all travel to Afghanistan, adding the security situation in the country remained volatile, with a high threat of a terrorist attack. The security situation in Afghanistan remains volatile. There is an ongoing and high threat of terrorist attack, the Foreign Office said in an advisory.

The advisory also urged not to travel to the Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport. If you are in the area of the airport, move away to a safe location and await further advice, it said. In Kabul itself, life has been slow to return to normal, but many people  especially women  are staying inside, fearful of the Taliban or the general instability. Kabul Mayor Dawood Sultanzoy said many city workers have yet to return to work, with the absence of experienced staff hindering normal operations. But he said the city has begun to remove the blast walls that became ubiquitous in recent years as the Taliban and other armed groups carried out bombings and other attacks against the Western-backed government. The Taliban say the decades of war are over and there will be no revenge attacks on people who opposed them.

But many Afghans distrust the group, and there have been reports of summary executions and other abuses in areas under Taliban control. Many fear a return to the Talibans hard-line Islamic rule of the 1990s, when women were largely confined to their homes. Chaos at the Kabul airport has transfixed the world after the Taliban captured most of Afghanistan in a matter of days this month. Afghans poured onto the tarmac last week, and some clung to a US military transport plane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths. At least seven people died that day, and another seven died Sunday in a panicked stampede. People wait in line to board a US Air Force plane in Kabul. Credit:AP Thousands have thronged the airport in the days since, and the US and its allies have worked to speed the evacuation, sometimes flying people out before their paperwork is fully processed and bringing them to transit points. On Wednesday, a group of 51 people landed in Uganda, which became the first African nation to serve as a transit point. European nations, including American allies Germany and the United Kingdom, had pressed for a longer window to continue evacuations. However, Biden has stuck to the August date, even after an emergency online summit of the Group of Seven nations.

That left European nations with no choice but to abide by the deadline. That the overall deployment literally stands and falls with the stance of the militarily strongest member of the alliance, the US, was always clear to us, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a speech to Parliament. We will continue the evacuation operation for as long as possible, she added, without specifying when operations would end. For now, the US military coordinates all air traffic in and out of the Kabul airport. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen tweeted that people with legal documents will be able to fly out of Kabul airport via commercial flights after the August deadline. On Wednesday, a stream of military planes took off from the airfield as evacuees lined up on the tarmac. The desperate remained outside, some standing knee-deep in sewage and waving identity documents at Western soldiers in hopes of being allowed to go beyond the barbed wire fencing and onto a flight out.
The Wests withdrawal from Afghanistan has been faster and more chaotic than hoped, but the problems in execution should not obscure the deeper justification for ending this war.

President Joe Biden enjoyed wide support when he pledged in April to withdraw all US troops by the symbolic date of September 11, 2021.

The sudden collapse of the Afghan government 10 days ago and tragic scenes at Kabul airport since then, however, have prompted a lot of soul-searching about the wisdom of US policy.

At a G7 summit this week, European leaders criticised Mr Biden for leaving Afghanistan too hastily, without consulting NATO allies including Australia.

They said the Afghan government might have survived longer if the US had not, almost overnight and without any warning, cut off NATO intelligence and logistical support.
Los Angeles: Porn actor Ron Jeremy on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) pleaded not guilty to more than 30 counts of sexual assault, including 12 of rape, in the Los Angeles area over a 23-year period.

The Los Angeles District Attorneys office said Jeremy was indicted by a grand jury last week on the charges, which involve 21 women aged between 15 and 51 years old. Jeremy, 68, was among the biggest names in the adult film industry having appeared in more than 2000 movies starting in the 1970s.

Adult film star Ron Jeremy appears for his arraignment on rape and sexual assault charges in June 2020. Credit:AP

Jeremys attorney said in an email on Wednesday that the actor was innocent of all charges. In August 2020, Jeremy wrote on Twitter; I cant wait to prove my innocence in court! Thank you to everyone for all the support.

He was first arrested more than a year ago on charges of raping three women and has remained behind bars ahead of a trial. More victims have come forward during the months-long investigation.
He would later sum up this message in just three words: America is back.

We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again, Biden said in his first speech as President .

Washington: When Joe Biden entered the White House in January, he made a vow to the world: Donald Trumps inward-looking and often chaotic America First approach to foreign policy was over.

After four years of being blindsided and bullied by Trump, this was exactly what Americas traditional allies longed to hear.

The relief, verging on elation, at Bidens election victory was on display when he met with fellow G7 leaders in the UK in June. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, often caricatured as a transatlantic Trump, summed up the mood at the summit by describing Biden as a breath of fresh air.

Thats not something Johnson is saying any more. Instead, Americas allies feel dismayed and even betrayed by the US handling of the end of the war in Afghanistan. Rather than co-pilots in the withdrawal effort, Biden has treated them like powerless passengers who were merely along for the ride.

In the lead up to an emergency G7 summit on Wednesday (AEST) Johnson and several of his senior ministers made clear they wanted Biden to delay his August 31 departure date so as many people as possible could escape Afghanistan.

French President Emmanuel Macron was also pushing for a delay beyond next Tuesday, as tens of thousands of Afghans with valid claims to have aided the allies have not yet made it into the airport in Kabul.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Chamber of Commerce and Industry has unveiled its new website, www.chamberofcommerce.sx. The general goal behind this newly designed website is to create a user-friendly browsing experience for our business community and the public at large, that incorporates enhanced content and functionality.

Within the new feature, updated content can be found as it relates to the opening and closing procedures of a business, the links to the relevant institutions that should be contacted as a business and their roles, the obligations of businesses, and updated, frequently asked questions with relevant answers on the Chambers operations and services. Other features include easier access to COCI online portal and a new business search function that would be activated within short. This new business search function would give the public the opportunity to view the status of businesses, their registered activities, and other pertinent information about a company within the trade register.

Visitors to the website will also be able to peruse COCIs quarterly reports and trade register developments as it pertains to the data on the number of businesses whether new or closed, their location, and the sector that they represent. A deregister platform is also included with relevant literature on compliance and the actions of COCI in the event that businesses are in default with their obligation to the Chamber. Non-compliant and deregistered businesses will be showcased in this section to which the public has full access.

In the business support component of COCI, a platform was created in this new website for which businesses can portray themselves for matchmaking possibilities. In this section, companies that are compliant with their obligations to COCI will be able to directly post their contact information and a short description of their activities for which would then be portrayed globally for other businesses to engage them. COCI considers this a very important feature for

which businesses can use as a means to expand their operations and operating market.

COCI envisioned that this new website would further strengthen its interaction with the business community and bring a more understanding of its mandate and obligations to the business community and vice versa.

For more information on the content and offerings of the new platform,

visit www.chamberofcommerce.sx to begin exploring COCIs new website. You can also connect with COCI on Facebook at (facebook.com/sxmchamberofcommerce).
SABA:--- The renovated Saba Tourist Bureau in the Windwardside was officially reopened on Sunday. At the same event, a farewell was said to former Director of Tourism Glenn Holm, and his successor, Malinda Hassell was welcomed.

There was much praise and many words of thanks for Holm, who has recently retired after a career of more than 40 years at the Tourist Bureau. When one thinks about the tourist office or tourism on Saba, many think of Glenn. He became well known for his charisma, positive attitude, and love for Saba, not only here in the region but throughout many international destinations. It is only fitting that we express our gratitude and appreciation for his efforts to help build Saba as a destination and for helping to put our unspoiled queen on the radar for travelers throughout the world, said Commissioner of Tourism Bruce Zagers.

Zagers commended Holm for being able to build relationships with media outlets and others while having to work with a very small budget and limited advertising opportunities. He was often able to get substantial coverage for Saba at rates that were friendly for his little budget. His passion and the ability to build relations stand out to me. Having traveled with Glenn to the Vakantiebeurs in the Netherlands, I got to see him at his best. Glenn was in his element when speaking about Saba. It was impressive to see the scores of people who would visit the Saba booth just to see him.

Capable replacement

Tourism being one of Sabas main economic pillars and considering the challenges that tourism has been facing since the 2017 hurricanes and with the current pandemic, Holms approaching retirement made it urgent to find a capable replacement with ample experience in the industry. This person became Malinda Hassell, who grew up on Saba.

She is highly qualified and brings a wealth of experience which is needed during this recovery. We are all impressed with her motivation and ideas to help us build and diversify our tourism product. Malinda, we are happy to welcome you to our team and we look forward to seeing your passion result into tangible improvements for our tourism product, said Zagers.

True ambassador

New Director Hassell referred to Holm as the special person that has been the face of Saba for the past 40 years and a true ambassador of our island, an overall icon, and a beacon of light. Holm has what she calls the Tourism DNA: a mixture of passion for what you do with an unbeatable knowledge of our natural wonders that make you the most service minded, patient and caring person I know. She commended Holm for always being willing to run the extra mile.

Growing up on Saba, I saw Glenn as the face of tourism and someone I admired. I left when I was a teenager and a promised myself that one day I would return. Over the years I went on to study marketing and tourism consultancy and my career evolved in both public and the private sector over the past 12 years. I would have never imagined that years later I would be Glenns successor, said Hassell.

Hassell said that with her knowledge and expertise, she looked to contributing towards the success of Sabas sustainable tourism development during this post-covid economic and industry recovery. She said now, more than ever, Saba has to work towards formulating strategic approaches and look into transformational opportunities; destination alignment, sustainable development and values-based marketing that will help formulate decisions for the future that will effectively help lead the bureau and the tourism industry.

Tourism Master Plan

We need to start the engines of a new Tourism Master Plan to understand where we are, where we want to be and what should we do to get there. The tourism industry is of vital importance for the economy and as the island continues to have positive developments also new room inventory in the next 2 years, maritime ferry connectivity project and the future harbor expansions it is crucial that stakeholders have a strategic plan with a clear direction, action plan and budget alignment for its implementation.

Collaborations with neighboring islands need to be fortified, marketplace presence increased and travel possibilities and new itineraries for visitors created. This, she said, would help boost the day-trip market and overnight stays. Sabas digital marketing efforts and PR presence should increase as well. We need to re-position and promote Saba within our key markets. Seek collaborations but also support our airline and maritime partners. Explore opportunities and new product developments that sets us apart but ensures our natural and cultural heritage is promoted.

Hospitality training in a post-pandemic era is extremely important in order to maintain a high-quality service level. The Tourist Bureau will explore the possibilities of also creating an e-learning Saba Tourism platform to involve the partners, youth and the community. Hassell said she would work closely with all partners, address the issues and challenges, hear constructive criticism, try to seek opportunities and solutions, and improve where needed.

Renovation

During the slow period created by the pandemic, the Public Entity Saba took advantage to expand and remodel the Tourist Bureau. The interior was completely renovated, and a conference room and public bathrooms were added. The conference room has been dedicated to Holm and is now called the Glenn Holm Conference room in his honor.

The office now has a more welcoming environment which is inviting for both visitors and stakeholders, said Commissioner Zagers. Everyone is welcome to pass by and to view the renovated Tourist Bureau.

In his speech, Holm looked back at the time when the office equipment consisted of a manual typewriter, a telephone and a hand-cranked mimeograph machine for making copies. There were no glossy brochures, websites, social media platforms. Building a tourism industry didnt happen overnight. It was a gradual process. In time as the island grew and offered more amenities and attractions, financing became available and more interest was shown in the off-beaten track destinations, the island became more known and sought after.

Travel trade shows were attended with the assistance of the European Union and the Dutch Caribbean promotion program, a budget for advertising and promotion was deemed necessary by the Saba Government, more access to the island was developed by air and by sea and visitor arrivals began to increase.

Longest reigning

Holm said thanks to the staff that he worked with over the years, to the local stakeholders and the travel trade in general. To all the friends and acquaintances that I have made during my time in the tourism industry, it has been an absolute pleasure. I enter retirement today with a great feeling of accomplishment, also knowing that Ive been the longest reigning Director of Tourism in the entire Caribbean.

From the hands of Island Governor Jonathan Johnson, Holm received an award of recognition, thanking him for the many years of dedicated service, commitment and integrity to the Saba Tourist Bureau, stakeholders and the community.
Dutch patrol vessel HNLMS Holland has intercepted three additional shipments of drugs. In the Caribbean Sea, the patrol vessel managed to stop go-fasts two days running, seizing significant shipments of cocaine. The two drug hauls preceded another drugs seizure previously announced by the Netherlands Ministry of Defence. A few days later a fourth drugs seizure followed.

On Monday 9 August, the Dutch Caribbean Coastguard spotted a go-fast. HNLMS Holland and her NH90 maritime combat helicopter pursued the suspicious contact. When the go-fast ignored the stop signals and warning shots, a Marine Corps sharpshooter in the helicopter took out the three outboard motors.

Once the go-fast had been brought to a halt, a combined team of the US Coast Guard and the Netherlands Marine Corps conducted a boarding. Bales of drugs were recovered from the sea, resulting in a haul of more than 1,000 kilos of cocaine.

New sighting

As HNLMS Holland continued on her way in the morning of Tuesday 10 August, she encountered a go-fast that had been sighted by both the US Coast Guard and the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard. HNLMS Holland, with the US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment onboard, also successfully completed that interception and seized approximately 800 kilos of cocaine.

The third drugs haul took place on Thursday 12 August under the flag of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard. The Netherlands MoD was able to announce that haul earlier.

And on Monday, August 16, the Coast Guard authorities detected a go-fast on Caribbean waters for the fourth time. HNLMS Holland deployed her NH90 helicopter on this. Again on this boat, stop signals and warning shots were needed to force it to stop. With the help of the NH90, a large part of the contraband  about 360 kilograms of cocaine  was removed from the water.

Joint action with the Americans

The first, second and fourth drug haul took place in support of the Joint Interagency Task Force South. This is a partnership headed by the Americans and focused on international counter-drug operations.

The detainees and the contraband from the seizures on 9, 10, and 16 August were later handed over to a United States Coast Guard vessel for prosecution in the United States. The three hauls amounted to a total of more than 2,160 kilos of cocaine.

Constitutional task

HNLMS Holland returned to its post as a station ship in the Caribbean in May 2021 and combines counter-drug operations with lending support to the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard. Enforcing the international rule of law is one of the constitutional tasks of the Defence organization. At this moment HNLMS Holland is providing emergency aid to Haiti.
Bridgetown, Barbados:---CIBC FirstCaribbean has officially extended its partnership with The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus with the signing of a memorandum of understanding for three years.



The agreement, which was signed on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, is for the period 2021/22 to 2023/24 and will cover four areas: support and development of UWI programmes and students around the region; enhancement of research in Banking and Finance at The UWI; the joint pursuit of mutually beneficial business opportunities, and entrepreneurship and innovation.



The bank has contributed over US$2 million to The UWI to support various initiatives since the first MOU was signed between the two institutions in 2003.



Chief Executive Officer of CIBC FirstCaribbean, Colette Delaney stated that the bank cherishes its longstanding relationship with The UWI, and was pleased to formally extend it for another three years.



She added that entrepreneurship and innovation will be the key drivers of the post-COVID economy, and UWI is headed in the right direction.



We see the scholarships, research grants, public lectures, and other programmes and activities offered under this MOU as tangible demonstrations of our commitment to this region and its development.



Investment in and support of our regions people especially the youth remains one of the key pillars of our charitable arm the FirstCaribbean ComTrust Foundation of which I have the honour to chair and which is providing the funding for the programmes and projects in this MOU, Delaney said



Principal of the Cave Hill Campus, Professor Clive Landis, lauded the banks support for the University over the past 18 years and said he is looking forward to the two institutions forging even closer ties.



As a result of the banks generosity, several of our students who were experiencing financial challenges have been able to realize their dream of attaining a university education. Many of these have gone on to make a meaningful contribution in this region and further afield.



It is clear then, in the current public health climate, that such assistance is needed now more than ever, as so many across the Caribbean and the world have suffered severe financial losses as a result of the pandemic, he said.



Landis noted that The UWI would need to innovate and seek new business perspectives if the institution is to survive. In that regard, he announced the launch of the Campus latest entrepreneurial initiative, the Innovate! Challenge, which is a competition organized by the Office of Business Development that rewards staff for impactful and innovative ideas that lead to income generation for their unit or department, as well as the campus.



The competition will be launched later this year and will be sponsored by CIBC FirstCaribbean.



One of the major beneficiaries of the MOU is the Student Entrepreneurial Empowerment Development (SEED) project, which is designed to encourage and develop self-reliance.



The bank has assisted with providing access to finance and a business plan competition. To date, $240,000 has been disbursed among 40 start-ups since the inception of the programme.



The first, second, and third place winners of The UWI SEED CIBC FirstCaribbean Business Plan Competition  Kerri-Ann Bovell, Victor Clarke and business partners Marissa Chandler and Malissa Cornwell  also thanked The UWI and CIBC FirstCaribbean for their support.
Last Monday, the Social Training Trajectory (SVT) for women started at Marine Barracks Savaneta (Aruba). There are 14 ladies who will receive professional guidance in the coming year from executives of the Aruban Militia (ARUMIL) and social work. The aim of this is to give young people more opportunities on the labor market.

In the coming phase, which will last four months, various military skills will be taught such as drill, ranks, and positions, but also map reading. The emphasis is also on, among other things, discipline, cooperation, and a sense of responsibility. After this phase, an internship takes place outside the barracks gates, but they will come back once a week to carry out assignments or to evaluate.

Gaining experience

Because it is the first time that women participate, it has been decided to keep the group smaller than usual. In addition, two female instructors have been appointed and trained to provide a familiar learning environment for the students. Minister of Social Affairs and Labour, mr. Glenbert Croes, wished the women every success in the training. I actually compare it to a tree that threatens to grow crooked. You can prevent this in time. If you are not there in time to let the young people choose a good path, then such a crooked tree can become. We can really do something for them. The Social Education Program is here to stay.'

The SVT is given twice a year and is a collaboration of, among others, the country of Aruba and the Ministry of Defense. In Curacao, a covenant was recently signed by Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas (also Minister of Justice), Minister Ruthmilda Cecilia-Larmonie of Social Development, Labor and Welfare, Minister Sithree van Heydoorn of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, and the Commander of the Navy. in the Caribbean, Brigadier General of the Marines Frank Boots. Both men and women can participate in this course.
FILE - This Sunday, May 30, 2021 booking photo released by the Laurel County, Ky., Correctional Center shows, Patrick Baker. Baker, a convicted killer whose family had political connections to former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, is back on trial for the 2014 killing that Bevin had pardoned him for shortly before leaving office. Baker now faces new federal charges in connection to Donald Mills' death, as authorities pointed to the dual sovereignty doctrine, which allows state and federal officials to prosecute the same defendant for the same actions without infringing on double jeopardy protections. (Laurel County Correctional Center via AP, File)
Diane Logsdon, 66, of Science Hill, passed away Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at her residence. Arrangements are pending and will be announced later by Morris & Hislope Funeral Home. Condolences may be expressed to the family at: www.morrisandhislope.com.
Martyns Law (also known as Protect Duty) could forever change the landscape of event security if changes to legislation are passed. Some would argue it already has. In 2017, just as concertgoers were leaving the Manchester Arena, a terrorist detonated an improvised explosive device in a suicide attack killing 22 and injuring more than 250.

The mother of one of the victims, Martyn Hett, has tirelessly campaigned for tighter security and a duty of care to be placed upon venues to protect their patrons. As a result, Martyns Law (Protect Duty) has been proposed in UK legislation to protect the public from terrorism. At the same time, other global trends have indicated the need for action on this front.

Labour-intensive task

The Global Terrorism Index 2020, for instance, reported a steep increase in far-right attacks in North America, Western Europe, and Oceania, stating a 250% rise since 2014, with a 709% increase in deaths over the same period. But, how do we implement the measures proposed by Martyns law without intruding on our lives through mass surveillance?

The Global Terrorism Index 2020, reported a steep increase in far-right attacks in North America

Traditionally, cameras and CCTV have been the go-to solution for monitoring. However, maintaining a comprehensive view of locations with complex layouts or venues that host large crowds and gatherings can be a challenging and labour-intensive task for operatives. Camera outputs have been designed to be interpreted by people, which, in turn, requires a significant human resource thats liable to inconsistent levels of accuracy in complex environments where getting things wrong can have a catastrophic impact.

Highly accurate insights

Fortunately, technology is evolving. AI-based perception strategies are being developed alongside advancements in 3D data capture technologies  including lidar, radar, and ToF cameras - that are capable of transforming surveillance with enhanced layers of autonomy and intelligence.

As a result, smart, automated systems will be able to work alongside the security workforce to provide an always-on, omniscient view of the environment, delivering highly accurate insights and actionable data. And, with the right approach, this can be achieved without undue impact on our rights as private citizens. While much of this innovation isnt new, it has been held back from at-scale adoption due to the gaps that remain between the data thats captured and the machines ability to process it into an actionable insight.

High traffic environments

Its crucial that they are able to detect all individuals and track their behaviour as they interact

In security, for example, this gap is most present when it comes to addressing occlusion (in other words, recognising objects that move in and out of view of the sensors scanning a space). For security systems to provide the high levels of accuracy required in high traffic environments, such as concert venues, its crucial that they are able to detect all individuals and track their behaviour as they interact with a space and those within it.

This, of course, is possible using multiple sensor modes. However, without the right perception platform to interpret the data being captured, the risk of missing crucial events as a result of the machine misinterpreting a partially concealed individual as an inanimate object, for instance, is significant.

Identifiable personal data

This gap is narrowing, and thanks to the first wave of sensor innovators, this shift in dependence from video read by people to 3D data point clouds read by machines have meant that we are now able to capture much richer information and data sets that can precisely detect and classify objects and behaviours  without capturing biometric and identifiable personal data. But what we need to fully close the gap are perception strategies and approaches that can adapt to the ever-changing nature of real-world environments.

This gap is narrowing, and thanks to the first wave of sensor innovators

Until now, this has been a lengthy and costly process requiring those implementing or developing solutions to start from scratch in developing software, algorithms, and training data every time the context or sensor mode is changed. But, by combining proven 3D sensor technologies like lidar with the deep learning first approach, this needed to be the case.

Edge processing platform

Thats why we are developing an adaptive edge processing platform for lidar thats capable of understanding the past and present behaviour of people and objects within a given area. Through deep learning, it can predict the near-future behaviour of each object with some degree of certainty, thereby accurately and consistently generating real-time data and tracking the movement of people in the secured environment at scale.

This approach has value beyond security. Facilities teams, for example, can extract a wealth of information beyond the primary function of security to support other priorities such as cleaning (tracking facility usage so that schedules can be adjusted), while retailers can optimise advertising and display efforts by identifying areas of high footfall. Likewise, health and safety teams can gather much deeper insights into the way spaces are used to enhance processes and measures to protect their users.

Programming limitless scenarios

Martyns Law will leave them with no option but to rethink their approach to security and safety

As weve explained, perception is reaching new levels of sophistication through deep learning. By continually programming limitless scenarios, our approach can provide consistently accurate and rich data that users can trust.

This will ultimately change the way we manage environments at a time when liability comes with ever-increasing consequences. For venue providers, Martyns Law will leave them with no option but to rethink their approach to security and safety.

But, with new, smarter, more accurate tools at their disposal that will enable them to predict and protect, rather than just react, risks  both human and commercial  can be addressed. Meanwhile, the public can take comfort in knowing that measures to keep them safe neednt mean sacrificing their privacy.
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News

spotlight

July court ruling clouds future for DACA recipients

aharman / By ANNIE GRANLUND annie.granlund@apgsomn.com Carlos Reyes Rojas, DACA recipient, is a senior at Carleton College majoring in political science and minoring in Latin American studies. (Courtesy of Carlos Reyes Rojas)

Frustration and uncertainty. Those are the words Carlos Reyes Rojas uses when he talks about the recent ruling by a federal judge in Texas making DACA  Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals  illegal.

Reyes Rojas, 21, received DACA when he was 15.

Born in the Mexican state of Michoacan, Reyes Rojas said he has no memories of Mexico, having been brought to the United States when he was eight months old. Now a senior at Carleton College, with a major in political science and a minor in Latin American studies, Reyes Rojas plans to become an immigration attorney.

But a Texas federal judges ruling a few weeks ago has not only thrown Reyes Rojass future into uncertainty but also those of all DACA recipients. U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen said DACA was illegal and blocked new applications. The ruling doesnt cancel existing permits or affect renewals  for the moment.

Not only is the uncertainty frustrating, but emotionally he feels he is being pulled back and forth.

You never know what is going to happen at the end of two years when your permit expires, he said.

That anxiety goes back to 2017 when then-President Donald Trump suspended the program. It took three years and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to say that DACA could continue.

Many people mistakenly believe DACA is a status, said Tim Sanders Szabo, immigration attorney and pro bono manager at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota.

Its more accurately described as a protection, said Sanders Szabo. Essentially the Department of Homeland Security saying, for these certain types of individuals we will not remove them from the country.

But because DACA is not permanent, it can be rescinded at any moment, he said.

DACA recipients are provided work permits and can apply for drivers licenses, but what it does not provide is a pathway to citizenship.

There are an estimated 700,000 to 800,000 current DACA holders in the U.S.

While he is grateful to have DACA, Reyes Rojas said a permanent solution is needed.

DACA was created to give those children brought to the United States by their parents an opportunity for a better life. But in those nearly 10 years, a permanent solution has not materialized.

That was the big talking point. It was all deferred action for children. But the thing is, were not children anymore. Were young adults and we have this fear of not being able to live out our lives, Reyes Rojas said. We just cant be living in this temporary space of time.

The issue of providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants predates DACA, Sanders Szabo said. The first so-called DREAM Act bill goes back to 2000-2001.

I really believe that there is hope for some sort of legislation to be passed, he said.

There has also been talk of including another similar act in the upcoming reconciliation bill, which would only require a simple majority in the Senate to pass, he said.

But either way, something needs to happen on a federal level, said Sanders Szabo This uncertainty just cant continue. Its been nearly a decade of this Limbo, and we need to do something.

As Reyes Rojas enters his senior year of college, he is figuring out his future and thinking about a career. His current DACA expires next summer  at the same time he graduates. It means he must reapply for a DACA permit during his senior year.

Anything can happen between now and next year, anything can change, he said. Maybe Congress will pass something, maybe it will get worse. I have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario, instead of preparing for maybe a better future.
News

spotlight

Waseca School Board faces pressure from both sides, holds off on mask mandate

While not now planning to institute a mask requirement, the Waseca School Board is continuing to recommend masks along with basic hygiene, like hand washing, to slow the spread of COVID-19 within school buildings. (Julian Hast/southernminn.com) Amy Straube, a business education teacher and librarian at Waseca Junior/Senior High School, helped move desks for purposes of social distancing in advance of the 2021-22 school year. (Julian Hast/southernminn.com) Hudspith

The Waseca School Board will continue to recommend masks inside school buildings without requiring them, while encouraging hand washing and other basic hygiene. But not before a number of passionate parents spoke Thursday about the effectiveness of masks in stopping the spread of COVID-19, offering starkly different messages.

What we do not want to do for families is continue to flip flop on what our expectations are, Superintendent Eric Hudspith said about the continued recommendation.

This is not to say, however, that a mask requirement will not come to Waseca schools at some point in the future, said Chair Julie Anderson.

After the meeting, Hudspith said that the board is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation within Waseca County, and would need to see a more significant impact within the district itself before a requirement could be put in place.

The goal of the board as it stands, though, is to target COVID-19 outbreak responses by grade level, building area, and so forth.

This tension, between recommendation and requirement  combined with rapidly rising COVID-19 cases in Waseca County, which the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has designated as a red-zone hotspot for community transmission  is what Hudspith believed led to the unusually large attendance rate among parents at the meeting.

My wife and I have a lot of fear for our daughter, Alex Nadolsky said to the board. The fear of trying to give her a normal childhood as she transitions into middle school during a pandemic, he said, is enough to worry about on a normal day. I dont want to have to worry about her catching a disease that has killed 630,000 Americans.

His suggestion to the board, before putting his mask back on and returning to his seat, was an amendment to the dress code that requires masks. My daughter cant wear spaghetti straps. Could she wear something thats been proven to slow the spread of COVID-19? Nadolsky said that he understands disliking masks and protecting personal freedoms. What I dont understand is the willful ignorance thats being exhibited when it comes to the health of our children.

Annie Gerber, the only other parent in attendance to wear a mask, echoed Nadolskys concerns.

The current message from the school is that masks are recommended, Gerber said. I fear that that language will mean that most families will choose to send their kids to school without a mask.

Daryn Spies, another Waseca resident, took a different message to the podium when it was his turn to speak to the board.

There is no evidence whatsoever that masks work, Spies said. If it makes you feel better, by all means, wear a mask  wear a chemical suit, something thats gonna keep you away from some sort of nuclear holocaust. But you cant tell people, somebodys child, that they need to wear a mask.

Spies went on to falsely claim that children inhale their own toxins when they wear masks.

Though the Minnesota Department of Health recommends universal mask-wearing in schools for the 2021-22 school year, based on the CDCs finding that masks reduce the transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19, the majority of parents at Thursdays meeting seemed to hold Spiess beliefs. When Spies finished speaking, a dozen parents  all but the two who wore masks  burst into applause.

Health care providers have worn masks for extended periods of time with no adverse health reactions, according to the Mayo Clinic. And an article published in JAMA Pediatrics claiming masks posed a health risk to children was retracted last month.

Mark Buker, who owns Personalized Printing in Waseca, agreed with Spies. After the meeting, he said that he believes the reason theres so much disagreement around safety guidelines regarding COVID-19 is because it got political.

They want the pharmacies to make money, and they want the doctors to make money, and they want to depopulate the world, Buker said, explaining why he thinks public health experts are encouraging the public to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Theres something in that thing.

In terms of their sources of information, both Buker and Spies pointed to a doctor and a physician assistant, respectively, videos of whom speaking about COVID-19 have gone viral on Facebook and YouTube. Their videos have been repeatedly removed from both websites for spreading COVID-19 misinformation.

While the School Board ended up maintaining its mask recommendation without a requirement, there was disagreement among the board regarding how easily Hudspith should be able to modify the policy should the number of cases rise or fall significantly  for example, from a recommendation to a requirement. As it stood, the resolution on Thursday originally authorized Hudspith to alter the policy after consultation with the School Board chair and notification to the School Board.

School Board member Edita Mansfield, however, said she was uncomfortable with this language. Though she understood the purpose of that authorization  to allow Hudspith to react quickly to a quickly changing public health issue  she said she was concerned about parents losing the ability to decide whether their children needed to be masked.

I should make a choice for my children one way or the other, Mansfield said, followed by applause.

The board accommodated this concern by requiring Hudspith to receive approval from the board to make any change in the masking policy.

Parents just want to make their own decision, Spies said after the meeting. You can tell the people that listen to me but already have their opinion. Keep politics out of it, and people just start using logic.
Lee Hamilton is a senior advisor for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government; a Distinguished Scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies; and a Professor of Practice at the IU ONeill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.
STAMFORD  Biotech firm Cara Therapeutics announced this week it had gained the Food & Drug Administrations approval for an injectable treatment for moderate to severe forms of the itch condition pruritus in chronic kidney disease patients  paving the way for the Stamford-based companys first drug to go on the market.

Officials at Stamford-based Cara hailed the green light for the Korsuva injection, which they describe as the first and only therapy approved by the FDA for pruritus associated with chronic kidney disease in adults undergoing hemodialysis. Having secured the agencys backing, Cara officials are anticipating the drugs promotional launch in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2022.

I think the FDA has recognized this is a very important drug, Cara CEO and President Derek Chalmers said in an interview Tuesday. Were very pleased.

Extremely itchy skin is a common symptom of advanced kidney disease, according to the American Academy of Dermatology . The Korsuva injection treats itching as a kappa opioid receptor agonist that targets the bodys peripheral nervous system, according to Cara officials.

This drug does not have an opioid chemical core. Its not an opioid, Chalmers said. But it does interact with a receptor thats in the opioid receptor family.

Approval of the Korsuva injection followed a priority review of the drug that the FDA granted in March. The expedited assessment was facilitated by the agency awarding a breakthrough therapy designation to the treatment in 2017.

Chalmers said that he was also pleased that the Korsuva injection had not been scheduled nor required any license from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Based on their potential for abuse or dependency and accepted medical use, potent drugs can be grouped into five categories or schedules by the federal government.

This is very good news for the hemodialysis patients because the drug is going to be used in an unrestricted fashion, Chalmers said. We have produced a drug thats certainly highly potent on the kappa receptor, but its not abusable. This is gratifying for us.

In preparation for the Korsuva injections launch, Cara last year signed a deal with the Switzerland-headquartered Vifor Pharma for the drugs commercialization across the U.S. dialysis market. That agreement built on a 2018 international licensing deal that Cara made with Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma Ltd., a joint company of Vifor and Fresenius Medical Care that specializes in treatments for chronic kidney disease.

Cara and Vifor said in an announcement about the FDAs approval that they are in the process of submitting the required documentation to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to ensure timely reimbursement and patient access to Korsuva injection.

Through the partnership, Cara will receive a 60 percent share of the new drugs profits in non-Fresenius Medical Care clinics in the U.S. As a result of the FDAs approval, Vifor will purchase an additional $50 million of Cara stock and make a $15 million milestone payment to Cara. Vifor also committed last year to an upfront payment of $100 million and an equity investment of $50 million in Cara.

We are very excited about the FDA approval of Korsuva injection, Vifor CEO Abbas Hussain said in a statement. There is a significant unmet medical need for a targeted therapy, and we believe that Korsuva injection can fundamentally change the treatment paradigm for adult (chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus) patients undergoing dialysis.

In Caras pipeline is a tablet form of Korsuva, which would treat pruritus associated with atopic dermatitis  also known as eczema. Phase-three clinical trials are scheduled to start by the end of this year.

Its a different scale with the patient population, Chalmers said. There are about 200,000 to 250,000 patients that could use Korsuva injection. Atopic dermatitis occurs in about 5 percent of the U.S. population, so that is a much larger patient population.

In the past few years, Cara has raised several hundred million dollars to support its research and development. It held its initial public offering in 2014.

Each approval gives the company more visibility so there is more investment for the next innovation they want to work on, said Dawn Hocevar, CEO and president of BioCT, a nonprofit advocacy group for the biotech industry. It increases confidence that the executive team knows how to bring a promising product to market.

Cara company employs about 80 people. Its main offices are at 107 Elm St. in downtown Stamford.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott
Entrepreneur en Espanol

Imagination can take us to many places, from traveling to creating a business, the possibilities are endless! This is the case of a boy from Monterrey who literally used his creativity to earn money. A simple but profitable idea: sell 'imaginary friends' to your classmates and then expand and offer them to the rest of the school.

According to a note from the Eje Central newspaper, Seven-year-old Jorge, originally from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, started his successful business by showing off to the other children that he had several imaginary friends. He even had conversations with them and introduced them to the rest of the group.
By Alejandra Rodriguez

Technology advances at such a rapid rate that it has come to modify and improve aspects of everyday life that no one would have imagined. Notably, education has not been the exception as it is a sector in which enormous benefits have been identified by linking the concepts of Technology and Education.

The coronavirus changed the way education was traditionally delivered. Today the school and the home have found themselves in the same space after the necessary restrictions on mobility applied by the governments of different countries According to UNESCO data, more than 800 million students, equivalent to more than half of the world's population student, has not been able to return to school since the first hit of the pandemic in early 2020, and more than 100 million other children will not reach the minimum level in reading.

Mexican students have been particularly affected, since it is a country where, according to the 2018 C onval Social Development Policy Evaluation Report, 20.7 million young people live in low-income families. Certainly the forced transfer of education from the classrooms to the screens has deepened the already enormous gap of inequality in terms of access to the Internet and the use of information technologies.

In an attempt to reduce the impact of technological inequality in indigenous communities, the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI), together with the Secretary of Public Education (SEP), developed radio stations that broadcast cultural and educational programs to the communities. in their own language. This strategy served during this pandemic to mitigate the lack of connectivity in these communities.

The digital divide grows as students in vulnerable sectors continue to be offline and student desertion increases due to economic reasons / Image: Via CDMX

Telesecundria is another strategy that has been implemented in this pandemic to combat the gap, although it is not new at all. Created in 1968, its objective was to bring educational programs at the primary and secondary levels to communities in which the creation of a campus was not justified due to its small number of inhabitants.

It is important to note that the current coverage of the country's open television, which offered its channels and times in support of education, was a great complement to the aforementioned.

Another of the great challenges that education in Mexico has faced is the lack of training of teachers in the management of technological tools, since education in Mexico has been almost entirely schooled, therefore, not There were sufficient personnel prepared in the application of new technologies for education in accordance with the requirements that were raised due to the pandemic.

The reality is that the majority of Mexican schools and teachers were not prepared for the changes that 2020 brought. The digital divide grows as students in vulnerable sectors continue to be offline and student desertion increases due to economic reasons.

Although the pandemic took all sectors by surprise, it has also helped to evolve teaching and learning methods, technology and the use of electronic devices went from being a luxury, to a necessity for all students and teachers.

An example to follow is the Israeli startups which are taking advantage of the solid experience in high technology by applying it to education. Over the past few months, Israeli companies in the sector have demonstrated heroic abilities to rotate, adapt and innovate.

Israel has approximately 150 emerging companies in the EdTech sector / Image: Depositphotos.com

Israel has approximately 150 emerging companies in the EdTech (Education Technologies) sector, which have been characterized by the quality and level of innovation in their solutions.

Thanks to artificial intelligence software, digital teaching platforms and software to evaluate students that were efficient in their application, different countries of the world have acquired this type of technology to apply it in their distance educational methods.

The EdTech sector is young, yet it has been driven by a fundamental economic concept: supply and demand. Demand has grown exponentially and consumers (educational institutions) have been forced to find solutions and adapt to the "new normal" by investing in technology and innovation to maintain and improve the educational quality of students and teachers.

It is clear that no country was ready for a global pandemic, but undoubtedly pioneering countries in technologies have managed to prosper and go through the pandemic by finding innovative solutions, it has been confirmed that the impact on the performance of students and the benefits that teachers can obtain and institutions after an adequate implementation of the technology are very significant.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP)  A former Delaware political candidate who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nominations for governor and U.S. Senate has pleaded guilty to federal charges of mailing threats to a lawyer who represented his wife in a divorce case.

Michael Protack pleaded guilty on Wednesday to two counts of mailing a threatening communication.

Protack, 63, faces a maximum sentence of five years on each count at his Dec. 6 sentencing but will likely receive a lesser sentence. Prosecutors have agreed not to oppose a reduction in the offense level used in sentencing calculations based on his acceptance of responsibility.

Prosecutors say Protack, who now lives in Seal Beach, California, mailed two death threats to Delaware lawyer Patrick Boyer earlier this year.

An unsigned January letter was addressed to Boyer. Little Boy, with a return address of the Viper Association at a Wilmington post office box, according to investigators.

The VIPERS are coming for you. We all have military experience and have no fear of the outcome, the letter states. You are a coward who will regret his actions. Count on being dead by June 2021. You wont know when, where or how but your end has been written. Take the time and put your affairs in order because they will not find your body for weeks.

Authorities said Protack followed up a few weeks later with a letter containing a graphic image of a mutilated body.

Protack unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor in 2004 and 2008 and narrowly lost the GOP primary for U.S. Senate in 2006.

According to an FBI affidavit, Boyer began representing Mary Ann Protack in divorce proceedings in 2018 and helped her obtain protection from abuse, or PFA, orders against Protack.

I could shoot you in the head and spend the rest of my life in jail happy about it, Protack allegedly told his wife at one point. The affidavit added he also allegedly once told her, Someone is going to die today.

The divorce proceedings appear to have started around the same time that Protack, a former airline pilot who served in the Marine Corps, was notified that Delta Air Lines intended to terminate him. In a federal lawsuit filed in January 2018, Protack claimed that Delta had harassed and bullied him for years over his union activity and repeatedly questioned his physical and mental fitness after he was injured in a hit-and-run incident in 2012. The lawsuit also claims Delta unfairly portrayed Protack as obstructionist for refusing to submit to a psychiatric examination.

The case was dismissed early last year after being transferred from California to Georgia. Protack filed a similar lawsuit, without an attorney, earlier this year. That case was dismissed in late June because of Protacks failure to properly serve the defendants.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP)  A man stopped his capital murder trial Tuesday with a guilty plea to the 1974 killing of a 17-year-old Texas girl.

Glen McCurley, 78, of Fort Worth, was immediately sentenced to life imprisonment for the abduction, torture, rape and killing of Carla Walker.

Prosecutors had said they would not seek the death penalty for McCurley, who admitted to police that he had killed Walker. A video recording of that interview was played for jurors.

The Fort Worth high school student was in a car with her boyfriend outside a Valentines Day party at a bowling alley the night of Feb. 17, 1974, when a man pistol-whipped the boy and grabbed Walker. Her body was found three days later stuffed in a culvert near Lake Benbrook, which is near where the abduction happened.

McCurley had been one of a number of people under suspicion since the crime occurred, but investigators had been unable to link him definitively to Walkers death.

The case had gone unsolved for 46 years before investigators reopened it in 2019. Only when DNA technology advanced to the point where a complete genetic profile could be developed from evidence gleaned from the girls clothing could a solid link be made and McCurley be charged a year later, police had said.
Darien Police Department / Contributed Photo

DARIEN  Officers charged a New Canaan man Tuesday with having inappropriate contact with children from Darien, police said.

Quinten Yonkers, 24, was taken into custody last Wednesday in New Canaan after officers found child sexual abuse imagery on cell phones and computers seized from his home, according to police.
State law prohibits South Carolina's capital city from instituting a school mask mandate intended to cover children who are age-ineligible for the coronavirus vaccine, according to guidance from the state's top prosecutor.

In a letter sent Tuesday to Columbia's City Council and Mayor Steve Benjamin, Attorney General Alan Wilson wrote that the recently approved measure is in conflict with state law and should either be rescinded or amended."

Otherwise, the city will be subject to appropriate legal actions to enjoin their enforcement, Wilson added, giving Columbia leaders until Friday to detail their efforts to bring the citys facemask ordinances for schools into compliance with state law."

Last week, Columbia leaders ratified an ordinance mandating the use of masks in the city's elementary and middle schools for at least the beginning of the school year. Benjamin, the Democrat who proposed the move, said that it will help protect children who are too young to be vaccinated.

But a state budget proviso that went into effect July 1 prohibits South Carolina educational institutions from using appropriated funds to mandate masks. Wilson has already weighed in on the measure; prompted by his declaration that, while inartfully worded, the proviso made an on-campus, indoor mask mandate illegal, the University of South Carolina last week reversed its plan for the fall semester.

Gov. Henry McMaster  a former state prosecutor who, like Wilson, is a Republican  has long shied away from comprehensive mask mandates, refusing to issue one during the peak of the pandemic last year, but for a time ordering face coverings be worn in restaurants and state buildings.

Calling it the height of ridiculosity this spring for a school district to require a mask over any parents wishes that their child go without one, McMaster has repeatedly reiterated that message, also telling The Associated Press last week that he saw Benjamin's move as illegal.

South Carolina is now averaging nearly 3,000 new cases of COVID-19 a day, a level only exceeded from December to February at the height of the pandemic, before vaccines became widely available. Less than half the state's eligible population is vaccinated.

Hospital beds are filling fast, too. More than one out of every eight patients in a hospital bed in the state have COVID-19, according to Department of Health and Environmental Control data released Tuesday. The 1,166 people with the virus is nearly 10 times more than the number of COVID-19 patients at the end of June.

The number of those patients in intensive care or on ventilators because of the virus is up more than 800% in less than six weeks.

With 10 of the states 80 public school districts already back in session, there have been 68 COVID-19 cases in students and 17 in school employees, according to state health officials.

While we appreciate the efforts of city leaders around the state to protect their populace from the spread of the COVID-19 virus and variants of it, these efforts must conform to state law, Wilson wrote.

Benjamin, who is also an attorney, told the AP last week that he believes the mandate doesnt violate state law because he plans to use city, and not state, funds to provide masks to the citys schools.

In a statement, Benjamin said city leaders fundamentally disagree with Wilson's stance, are assured we are not in violation of state law, and are prepared to defend our position.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.

___

Jeffrey Collins in Columbia contributed to this report.
Milton, PA (17847)

Today

Cloudy and damp with rain early...then becoming mostly clear overnight. Potential for flooding rains. Low 54F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy and damp with rain early...then becoming mostly clear overnight. Potential for flooding rains. Low 54F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch.
The very supportive media environment around President Joe Biden has turned suddenly sour over this administrations shoddy handling of Afghanistan. This debacle shouldnt be buried and ignored by the press, like theyve tried to do with the border crisis. But Bidens gone back to hiding as a strategy, as he did in his 2020 presidential campaign.

For four days, the president disappeared from public view. Then he gave a speech on Aug. 16, took no questions and retreated again. His only engagement with the press in the last week was an interview with ABCs George Stephanopoulos, best known as a loyal press adviser to former President Bill Clinton.

This is strange behavior in a crisis, but its not atypical. Back in May, press secretary Jen Psaki admitted to her pal David Axelrod that Biden takes questions nearly every day hes out from the press. That is not something we recommend. In fact, a lot of times we say, Dont take questions.

Its not like journalists are out to get him, as they obviously were out to destroy former President Donald Trump. But risk avoidance is everything.

Mark Knoller, a former CBS White House reporter, tweeted that Bidens chat with Stephanopoulos was his ninth news interview over more than 200 days of his presidency. Knoller compared that count to Trumps 50 interviews and former President Barack Obamas 113 interviews. You can stipulate that Obamas news interviews were often soft-serve events, but theres no question that Biden is remarkably stingy with the access.

Washington Post fact checker Glenn Kessler tweeted that Biden had done zero print interviews, and then added that Knoller corrected him: Biden granted interviews to New York Times columnist David Brooks and Atlantic correspondent Edward-Isaac Dovere.

Dovere is the sycophant who asked him in a press conference last September about his magazines sleazy story claiming that Trump mocked our war dead as losers. He asked Biden about the dreadful state of Trumps soul, and quoted Democrat mouthpiece Khizr Khan claiming, President Trumps life is a testament to selfishness, and his soul is that of a coward.

It is Biden today who looks like a coward, afraid of a press corps that overwhelmingly voted for him. Democrats dont like wild speculation about Biden going senile and needing 25th Amendment intervention  although they energetically pushed that under Trump. Hiding the president behind the curtain isnt boosting confidence.

Jim Geraghty of National Review had a strong impression after the Stephanopoulos interview hit the airwaves: The obvious answer to why Biden rarely appears on camera or takes questions is because every time he does it, he inflicts more damage upon himself and his agenda.

Geraghty found his responses to criticism have sounded like selfishness: The president whose empathy is endlessly touted now sounds cold and dismissive when asked about Afghans desperately crowding into American planes or falling to their deaths.

Biden expects the media to act like the help and tolerate his press-avoidance strategy, and change the subject to other less disturbing topics. New York Times White House reporter Peter Baker tweeted: The Biden teams cold political calculation is that Americans wont care what happens in Afghanistan as long as Americans are safe. To their point, today there are no front-page stories on Afghanistan in cities like Boston, Austin, Chicago, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Fresno or Miami.

Every Democrat makes the political calculation that most media outlets will attempt to carefully manage the news into an agreeable shape. And every Republican expects that most media outlets will attempt to sink them. Walking away from the Afghanistan story will make the press look as cold and dismissive as Biden.
DAVIDSON [emdash] With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Edwin Sarbiewski (Davidson, North Carolina), born in Ashtabula, Ohio, who passed away on August 30, 2021 at the age of 85. He was loved and cherished by many people including : his parents, Bruno Sarbiewski and Blanche Sarbiewski;
A bacteria contamination advisory was issued Tuesday for Walnut Beach in Ashtabula. Children and elderly should stay out of the water during this advisory, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The beach is a popular spot for swimmers and sunbathers every summer.
SFD firefighters and Chief Yarbrough along with Kayla Gilmore from OSERVS stand with Ladanuel Jordan and family as they recognize his courage. (Submitted photo)
A building in which three Romanians lived collapsed in Turin, one being seriously injured and the other two being in good condition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) announced on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that, through the Consulate General of Romania in Turin, following the information published in the Italian press regarding the collapse of a residential building, on August 24, 2021 in Turin, the Consul General went to the scene as a matter of urgency to take action with the local authorities and to obtain information on the citizenship, identity and health status of the affected persons.

It emerged that three Romanian citizens lived in the collapsed building. One of them was injured and is in serious condition at the hospital, where he is receiving specialist care. The health condition of the other two Romanian citizens is good, and the local authorities will temporarily provide them with accommodation, the MAE informed.The MAE mentions that the representatives of the consular office are in contact with the affected Romanian citizens and their families, as they are provided with the full consular support, according to the legal competence. Also, the Consulate General of Romania in Turin continues the dialogue with the local authorities and the medical unit where the injured Romanian citizen was transported, being prepared to provide consular assistance, according to legal competence and depending on requests, in strict compliance with the measures adopted by the authorities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs brings to mind that Romanian citizens can request consular assistance at the telephone numbers of the Consulate General of Romania in Turin: +39 011 249 57 75; +39 011 249 52 64; +39 011 18 95 83 90, the calls being redirected to the Contact and Support Center for Romanian Citizens Abroad (CCSCRS) and taken over by the Call Center operators in an emergency. Also, the Romanian citizens who are facing a difficult, special, emergency situation have at their disposal the permanent telephone of the Consulate General of Romania in Turin: +39 338 756 8134.
The cereal production has surpassed, until now, 15 million tons, wheat and barley registering record-numbers this year, of 11.4 million tons, 1.9 million tons, respectively, the Minister of Agriculture, Adrian Oros, adding that "the Ministry and minister have no merit for these large productions".

"Two weeks ago, I saw the exceptional rating for 2021's agricultural crop which was granted to Romania by this group - GEOGLAM (Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring Initiative), which basically confirms the results obtained by Romanian farmers after the autumn campaign for crops sown. There are a few lessons we can learn: The Ministry and minister have no merit for these large productions, just as they had no fault for last year's drought. This proves that we have a huge agricultural potential, that the Romanian farmers are doing their job, that they have access to inputs, to cutting edge technology and that we need that water management strategy, including in agriculture, which we need to urgently and consistently finance it. Other than that there are "digressions," Adrian Oros said, in a statement.

He highlighted that there are three star crops that registered record-numbers this year, namely wheat and barley, in both overall productions and yield, but also rapeseed, which for the first time the average production surpasses the 3,000 kilogram / hectare threshold.

"Firstly, wheat, which reached a total production of 11.4 million tons, which is a lot. It is the largest production from 2007 and until now. Why from 2007? Because that's when we joined the European Union, when the subsidies came, a more performing agriculture in Romania began. We started from 3 million tons of wheat in 2007 and reached 11.4 million tons, total production. There were other years with good production, in 2019 with 10.29 million tons and in 2017 with 10.03 million tons. Of course, total production relies on the surface, but what pleases us is that the average production for hectare is at its highest point - 5,349 kg / hectare, surpassing other important years, when there were also productions of 4,700 - 4,800 kilograms / hectare," Adrian Oros explained.

Regarding the export potential in 2021, this remains high, given that the total internal consumption raises up to 4.5 million tons at most.

According to the minister of Agriculture, Romania also registers record levels for barley in 2021, the highest production since 2007, for both the total production - 1.88 million tons, but also the average one - 5,599 kg / hectare.

Last but not least, rapeseed registered the largest average production per hectare since 2007 and until now, namely 3,022 kg / ha, due to the types of plants used, application of adequate technology and favorable agro-meteorological conditions, Agerpres informs.
A petition with over 22,000 signatures, through which the authorities are asked to issue visas for Afghani citizens that collaborated with Romania and NATO, was forwarded to the Supreme Council for Country's Defence (CSAT) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"The Declic community forwarded to the Supreme Council for Country's Defence over 22,000 signatures from citizens who request that the Romanian state issue visas for the Afghani citizens that collaborated with Romania and NATO in the almost 20 years of military presence in Afghanistan, as well as for their families and other vulnerable categories," the Declic Community informed, through a press release on Wednesday.

The petition gathered over 22,000 signatures in one week. The signatories say that Romania needs to grant visas to Afghani citizens that are exposed to the Taliban violence: activists for human rights, journalists, magistrates, teachers, students. They request for airships to be sent to help evacuate the civilians who are "desperately" trying to leave Afghanistan."The reports in the international media shows how the Taliban forces are acting vengeance towards all those who supported the NATO forces in Afghanistan, directly or indirectly, or who campaigned for a Taliban-free political regime. A visa can make the difference between life and death, just as the reaction speed in such a crisis is crucial," the press release reads.According to Catalina Hoparteanu, representative of Declic, the decision "must be made at once", because Romania "cannot remain indebted to all those people who put their lives on the line in the last 20 years of war, during missions, side by side" with the Romanian military."We understand society's fears and the risks of an insufficiently researched risk, but, at the same time, we have faith that the force institutions of the state, meant to protect us all, will do their job and will prove their usefulness in this case," she specified.The petition can be read at https://facem.declic.ro/campaigns/ajutor-pentru-poporul-afgan.The Supreme Council for the Country's Defence will reunite on Wednesday, starting with 16:00, at the Cotroceni Palace. According to an announcement from the Presidential Administration, the security situation in Afghanistan and its implications for Romania will be on the agenda.
The statement made by Hungarian President Janos Ader, who compared Russia's annexation of Crimea to the Trianon Treaty, must be discussed in Bucharest, PM Citu said on Tuesday evening at the Parliament Palace.

The Hungarian president made the statement on Monday at the Crimean Platform summit in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Prime Minister Citu subsequently added that he supported at the summit the rights of the Romanian minority in Ukraine.

"I went to a summit, which has some very clear rules, where I supported, and here I am surprised that not many people take an interest, I saw the attacks of the PSD [the Social Democratic Party], I supported the rights of the Romanian minority in Ukraine, the right to have school in their mother tongue. I supported these rights at every meeting, even bilaterally with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, and that is my firm message that I conveyed there. You know that these summits have a very clear way of unfolding," Citu declared, on Tuesday, in Parliament.

Hungarian citizens log in their memory the aggression of the occupying powers as well as the trauma caused by Trianon and understand why the annexation of Crimea has remained an "open wound" for the Ukrainian people, Hungarian President Janos Ader said on Monday at the summit of the International Crimea Platform in Kyiv, the MTI Hungarian news agency reported, Agerpres informs.
President Klaus Iohannis will be present in Chisinau on Friday to take part in the events marking the 30th anniversary of the Republic of Moldova's declaration of independence.

Iohannis will have meetings with President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu, with President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda, and with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenski, according to the Presidential Administration. He will also hold joint press statements with them.

Klaus Iohannis will participate in the wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument of Stephen the Great and in the ceremony held in the Grand National Assembly Square.
Romanian Business Leaders organization encourages the Romanian Government to take firm action as the Romanian business environment and society as a whole can no longer afford to bear the cost of closing schools and new restrictions affecting the economy, reads a press release of the organization.

According to the source, in the first part of 2021 the Romanian economy recovered the loss from 2020 and it is in everyone's interest that this trend be maintained so as to return to normalcy.

As hospitals prepare for a new wave of serious cases, business leaders call on the government to speed up vaccination, the only scientifically validated method that can protect the society.

"We welcome the incentives announced by the Government, such as the granting of meal vouchers and the organization of lotteries. In fact, Romanian Business Leaders has decided to lend a helping hand in pro vaccination communication and as of end July has been running a digital campaign to encourage vaccination in environments with a predominantly unvaccinated population. However, communication is not enough, we are convinced that the Government must follow the model of Western countries and take firm measures to increase vaccination rate and prevent an increase in incidence, which could again lead to the closing of the economy and schools. Vaccination will help limit the costs for society as a whole, in addition to the direct effects in public health," said Dragos Petrescu, RBL president.

Romanian Business Leaders (RBL) is an apolitical, non-governmental and non-profit organization that offers a platform for action and social involvement for 1,000+ top entrepreneurs and executives in the private business environment. RBL is a founding member of the Coalition for Romania's Development (CDR), a private initiative that provides a coherent basis for consultation with the Government and other public institutions on issues that have an impact on Romania's economic and business climate, Agerpres informs.
The Romanian military firefighters currently on mission in Greece have ensured, throughout Tuesday, until the early hours of Wednesday, protection against the wildfires for the Profitis Ilias Monastery in the area of Vilia.

They deployed to the area with a fire engine, a cistern, an offroad vehicle, an utility terrain vehicle (UTV), and a drone.

Tuesday was dedicated entirely to protecting the monastery, which is still in danger."Romanian military firefighters (...) extinguished the hotspots, maintaining the integrity of the objective," informs a release of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), sent, on Wednesday, to AGERPRES.At the request of the Greek liaison officer, starting with 12:00 hrs, the Romanian military firefighters, with their forces and equipment, will conduct new surveillance and monitoring missions in the Vilia area.The mentioned area is considered, as of Wednesday, to be of "medium" fire risk, with high temperatures and relatively low wind speed that, however, changes directions, the quoted source mentions.
Romania's national airline Tarom has used a Boeing 737-800 aircraft for a humanitarian flight to Vietnam from Bucharest via Dubai and Saigon, to fly 199,200 COVID-19 vaccine doses donated by Romania, agerpres reports.

The flight took place on August 23.

The special flight was operated by three crews, the cargo shipped weighted about 2 tonnes, and the actual flight time was about 13 hours and 40 minutes, including a refueling stop in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.The flight was operated at the request of the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) with Romania's Ministry of Internal Affairs, under the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
As of August 25, WOOD & Company - one of the leading investment banks in Emerging Europe - will act as Issuer's Market Maker for Cluj-Napoca-based brokerage company BRK Financial Group (ticker symbol BRK), which is listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB), the company announced in a statement.

BRK Financial Group is the first and so far the only BVB-listed broker, being itself a Market Maker for 12 financial instruments.

"We are pleased that the Issuer's Market Maker program brings together two of the most relevant companies for the local capital market, WOOD & Company and BRK Financial Group. Through this partnership, the program gets to include a total of 16 financial instruments, 15 shares and a bond issue, and we expect their number to continue to grow, with a positive impact on market liquidity," says Bucharest Stock Exchange CEO Adrian Tanase.In her turn, BRK Financial Group CEO Monica Ivan considers that the decision to use market making services is a natural step in BRK's strategy to create value and stock market performance for shareholders, as BRK's focus is to deliver solid financial results and align with the best practices in relation to investors.WOOD & Company will provide the Issuer's Market Maker services under a contract signed with BRK Financial Group. BRK is the third issuer listed on BVB's main market to have WOOD & Company as Issuer's Market Maker, after Electrica and OMV Petrom."We are excited to become Issuer's Market Maker for BRK shares. We are confident that this step will contribute to the overall attractiveness of BRK shares by making it even more liquid and less volatile for all market participants," said Josef Kohout, Head of Trading Prague WOOD & Company.BRK Financial Group was established as a joint-stock company on October 26, 1994 and its shares are being traded on BVB's main market since February 2005.The Issuer's Market Maker is the participant in BVB's trading system with the role of supporting the liquidity of a financial instrument.
Microsoft said it will invest $20 billion over five years, a four-fold increase from current rates, to speed up its cyber security work, and make available $150 million in technical services to help federal, state and local governments to help keep their security systems up to date.

IBM said it will train more than 150,000 people in cybersecurity skills over three years and will partner with historically black colleges and universities to create a more diverse cyber workforce. The company also said it was developing a new data storage technology to help companies that do get hacked recover more quickly.

Google said it was devoting $10 billion to cybersecurity over the next five years, but it was not immediately clear what if any of the figure represented new spending.

Congress is weighing legislation on data breach notification laws and cybersecurity insurance industry regulation, historically viewed as two of the most consequential policy areas within the field.

Executives for energy utility firm Southern Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. were also expected to attend the event.

The event featured top cybersecurity officials from the Biden administration, including National Cybersecurity Director Chris Inglis and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
NEW HAVEN  Hand-crafted paddleboards, river excursions and, soon, a brewery. In less than a decade, an area carpenter-turned-entrepreneur has opened three businesses.

Shane Camden was working for a homebuilder in 2012 when his wife, Stacy, asked if he could build her a stand-up paddleboard. With help from YouTube, plus plenty of trial and error, Camden crafted a gleaming board of red cedar, with a foam core and a carbon fiber coating on the bottom. He built another one for himself.

And an entrepreneurial wave was under way.

Camden began making paddleboards, surfboards, and wakeboards in the basement of his Webster Groves home, under the name Timber Longboard Co. He embellished each with inlaid exotic woods. His paddleboards feature alternating stripes of light and dark-stained woods, for a look that harkens back to the retro days of surfing.

No two boards are alike, Camden said. People appreciate having something that no one else has.

Camden found his biggest audience in the river racing community, so eventually he stopped making surfboards and concentrated on paddleboards. Theyre up to 18 feet long, designed for speed on big rivers like the Missouri and Mississippi.
Six Flags St. Louis is offering an incentive for those who get vaccinated for COVID-19 starting Wednesday: a ticket to the theme park.

The theme park is partnering with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to give away 20,000 one-day tickets to people who get the vaccination at any designated clinic.

The tickets, valued at more than $1.3 million, are good for a one-day visit to the Eureka park through Jan. 2, excluding Oct. 23 and 30.

Six Flags St. Louis is proud to partner with the Missouri Department of Health to encourage residents to get vaccinated, especially in underserved communities, park President Phil Liggett said in a statement. This ticket donation represents our ongoing commitment to our local communities to safely provide fun and thrilling memories for our guests.

In Missouri, just over 51% of the population has initiated vaccination and just over 44% have completed it, according to the state health department.

We are thankful to Six Flags St. Louis for stepping up and helping encourage Missourians to get vaccinated, DHSS Acting Director Robert Knodell said in a statement.
Legal experts said there already was a growing consensus that employers could mandate an emergency vaccine. During the pandemic, both the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Justice issued guidance in support of vaccine mandates, provided exceptions were made for medical conditions and religious beliefs.

But emergency vaccine requirements have not gone unchallenged. At least a dozen lawsuits have been filed, mostly by students against colleges, but also by employees fighting allegations of wrongful termination for refusing a shot.

Most of the cases prominently feature arguments that vaccines approved on an emergency basis could not be required, seizing on language in the emergency authorization law that requires consent from the vaccine recipient.

Isaac Legaretta, for example, said he was never told he could refuse the vaccine required by the Dona Ana Detention Center in New Mexico where he worked.

Quite the opposite, he was advised that he would be fired if he did so, said the Legaretta lawsuit, which was filed in February and is pending.
ST. LOUIS  Gratz Brown and Thomas C. Reynolds were young, educated and ambitious transplants. Brown hailed from Kentucky, Reynolds from South Carolina by way of Virginia.

Brown arrived in 1849, Reynolds one year later. Both got involved in Democratic politics. Brown became editor of the Missouri Democrat, a local newspaper, and Reynolds was appointed U.S. attorney for eastern Missouri.

They took opposing sides in the conflict splitting their party and nation. Brown became a protege of U.S. Sen. Thomas Hart Benton, who believed the future was in factories and railroads, not plantations. Reynolds allied with fellow defenders of slavery.

Their disagreement turned bitter. At dawn on Aug. 26, 1856, they met on a Mississippi River sand bar south of Herculaneum with muzzle-loading pistols at 12 yards. Brown was wounded in his right leg and recovered. Their exchange of shots was St. Louis last formal duel to draw blood.

The trouble began over timber cutting in the Ozarks. In 1854, the Missouri Democrat accused Reynolds of harassing homesteaders, a key Benton constituency.

An exchange of notes soothed things, but the dispute was renewed one year later, when the newspaper attacked Reynolds for trying to cut into Bentons appeal among German immigrants.
He pleaded guilty the next year and was sentenced to three years in prison; but Judge Darrell E. Missey suspended execution of the sentence and put Treece on probation, according to online court records.

A probation violation was filed with the court on July 26. Treece is also facing a pending charge in Jefferson County for domestic assault in May. The arrest warrant said Treece is a persistent offender with four felony convictions, including unlawful use of a weapon in St. Louis city and assault and resisting arrest in Columbia, Missouri. The judge in the Columbia case ordered Treece to undergo anger-management training, among other requirements.

His attorney in the crossbow case, Guy Wold, couldnt be reached for comment.

In Tuesdays attack at the gas station, Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said, someone outside the gas station asked Treece what he was doing after seeing Treece put on a ski mask holding a machete. Treece said something to the effect of, Im going in to scare a guy, then walked into the gas stations convenience store.
ST. LOUIS  Lobbyist and political consultant David Barklage on Wednesday pleaded guilty to a federal tax crime and admitted failing to pay $151,842 in taxes on income from lobbying, political consulting and other sources.

Barklage, 60, of St. Louis, could face 12 to 18 months in prison under recommended federal sentencing guidelines, but Barklages lawyer, Joseph Passanise, said he would ask for probation. Passanise told U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp that Barklage had already given him the amount of back taxes hell be ordered to repay at sentencing.

Barklage admitted in his plea agreement to depositing a total of $442,633 into his personal bank account, rather than the account for either of his businesses. He also admitted failing to declare that as income on his tax return, and filing a tax return that he did not believe was accurate.

From 2012-2014, he was paid about $209,000 from the political campaign of then-Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder. He received $30,000 in lobbying fees that he didnt report in 2013. In 2012, he was paid $122,580 from an independent media producer, his plea says.

Barklage was half owner of Barklage and Knodell and the sole owner of The Barklage Co. at the time.

Barklage was indicted April 28 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
The Overland lawsuit is the second in which attorneys are seeking to block the law.

Last week, attorneys for Cooper County asked a different Cole County judge to block the law over concerns about provisions affecting the regulation of concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs.

Similarly, attorney Stephen Jeffery, who represents Cooper County, argued it violated the state constitutions single subject rule.

Judge Daniel Green said he would issue a ruling in that case this week.

Regarding the health orders, the legislation allows a local health agency to issue public health orders  similar to the type issued during the pandemic  for no longer than 30 days before a countys governing body must act to extend the order by a simple majority.

If there is no declared state of emergency by the Missouri governor, the local governing board would have to approve extension of the order by a two-thirds vote after 21 days.

The limits on local health orders took effect immediately after Gov. Mike Parson signed the measure on June 15 because lawmakers added an emergency clause to the legislation.
But in approving the measure, the council fast-tracked a substitute bill that did not appear on the meeting agenda.

According to a copy of the bill obtained by the Post-Dispatch, it would use a total of roughly $1.8 million in federal funds and instead turns the hourly pay raises into lump-sum milestone increases for workers who have been at the facility for a year. It also offers bonuses to new recruits who complete two years on the job and a bonus to employees who refer successful hires.

Veto stands

A move to override Pages veto of a bill to retain outside lawyers to investigate his outside employment failed when it received only three votes. Five were needed.

The council ethics committee  Harder, Fitch, Days and Webb  has sought to compel Mercy Hospital and Western Anesthesiology Associates in Creve Coeur, where Page practices, to hand over his work records or appear before the council and testify.

On Friday, Page vetoed a bill to retain outside counsel to pursue those records, saying it served no legitimate legislative purpose.

On Tuesday, Harder moved to override the veto, but only Fitch and Days supported that effort.
WHO IS GETTING FLOWN OUT OF THE COUNTRY?

The 82,300 evacuees flown out so far have included about 4,500 American citizens  out of an estimated 6,000 who were known to be in the country and wanted to leave  as well as Afghans who have obtained a limited number of special immigrant visas, which are for people who have worked for the U.S. or NATO as interpreters or in some other capacity. The U.S. is also evacuating Afghans, along with their immediate families, who have applied for the visas but not yet received them, and people who face particular danger from the Taliban. That includes people who worked for the government, members of civil society, journalists and human rights activists.

WHERE ARE THEY GOING?

American citizens and people who already have legal U.S. residency, including those who have been approved for the special immigrant visa, can proceed to the U.S. after a stopover, typically in Qatar or another Gulf nation. Afghans who have applied for but not yet received the special visa, or who are seeking to enter the U.S. as refugees, must first go to a transit hub in Europe or Asia for security vetting by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement authorities, according to the White House.
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Biden administration likely violated federal law in trying to end a Trump-era program that forces people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S.

With three liberal justices in dissent, the high court refused to block a lower court ruling ordering the administration to reinstate the program informally known as Remain in Mexico.

It's not clear how many people will be affected and how quickly. Under the lower court ruling, the administration must make a good faith effort to restart the program.

There also is nothing preventing the administration from trying again to end the program, formally called Migrant Protection Protocols.

A federal judge in Texas had previously ordered that the program be reinstated last week. Both he and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused the administration's request to put the ruling on hold.

Justice Samuel Alito ordered a brief delay to allow the full court time to consider the administration's appeal to keep the ruling on hold while the case continues to make its way through the courts.

The 5th Circuit ordered expedited consideration of the administration's appeal.
Americas longest war has lasted 20 years. More than 750,000 men and women of our armed forces have served there. Shortly, we will have no service members left in Afghanistan, with President Joe Biden having affirmed Aug. 31 as the absolute, final date for a full withdrawal.

For Americans, successfully bringing our soldiers home doesnt just mean putting them on a plane and greeting them upon arrival. It means making use of their talents once theyre back. It requires more than a government program or another White House task force. To succeed, it will take our whole society: corporations, Congress, nonprofits, schools and local governments working together.

The soldiers and support staff who served there are some of the most highly trained people in their fields. They are experts in everything from cyberspace to engineering, logistics, decision-making and serving as street-level ambassadors in foreign lands.

What happens in Afghanistan, while important, is not as important as how we can put these talented individuals to work restoring American greatness. These heroes should have a leadership role.

As chief financial officer and chief operating officer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, I tried to hire veterans for every position we had. They were talented and superb workers.
Schmitt announced Tuesday that he is suing to prevent schools from imposing mask mandates. Children under 12 arent yet eligible for vaccination, which means masks are the first, last and only line of defense for them. GOP officeholders here and nationally are stripping away that defense.

Who prohibits a basic, simple, proven health mandate intended to protect children in the middle of a pandemic that has killed millions worldwide? Republican politicians intent on pandering to the extremists of their base, thats who.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his eyes firmly on a presidential run that will require hard-right support, is now presiding over case spikes higher than his state saw during the worst of the pandemic last year. Schmitt, an announced candidate for the U.S. Senate, needs rural Missouri to win  and rural Missouri has become synonymous with resistance to both vaccination and masking. Not coincidentally, it has also become synonymous with spiking caseloads and overflowing hospitals.
U.S. natural gas company Spire Inc. will likely get more time to keep its STL pipeline in Missouri operating, analysts said, after the environmental group that won a court decision requiring the pipe shutdown asked the court for more time.

Spire has warned that the shutdown of the 65-mile pipeline could cause gas outages for as many as 400,000 in St. Louis during peak cold conditions this winter.

In June, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated and remanded the certificate for the roughly $285 million Spire STL pipeline issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2018.

Spire asked FERC in July for emergency authorization to keep the pipe operating to avoid gas shortages this winter. Spire also asked the D.C. Circuit to reconsider its ruling.

"As we approach winter heating season, Spire STL Pipelines actions ... are primarily focused on preventing a potentially life-threatening emergency that could deprive the majority of Spire Missouris customers in the greater St. Louis area of energy," Spire said in an email.
I saw Tom Hanks Turner & Hooch as a child and I loved it, said Carra Patterson, who is one of the stars of the Disney+ series of the same name. When I got the chance to audition for the series, I immediately watched it again. Its such a classic film that stands the test of time. Our series brings a new chapter to the iconic film. The writers and creative team worked hard to keep all the elements that made the movie so great  the unbreakable bond between Scott and Hooch, the Die Hard-like action scenes, the comedy and even some romance. The main difference is that our show picks up in 2021. But were so excited to have Reginald VelJohnson reprise his role as Mayor David Sutton. Hopefully, audiences love this show just as much as they did the original film. Based out of Harlem, Patterson stays in touch with her fans on Instagram and Twitter (her username is @carrapatterson).
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
Senior American military commanders now admit that the U.S. is woefully vulnerable to enemy (Chinese and Russian) electronic warfare weapons during wartime. Recent wargames, accurately representing these enemy capabilities, finally got enough attention from senior commanders to make a serious effort to deal with the problem. Recent wargames showed that China could shut down most American satellite and ground-based electronic communications and make American forces much more vulnerable than expected. This is not a new problem. For over two decades similar realistic wargames demonstrated this growing vulnerability but the senior military leadership did not respond effectively, or even admit there was a problem. There was, and its been around for over half a century.

The United States had long suffered from ignoring the capabilities of enemy electronic weapons and getting away with it. This was common during the Cold War, when NATO and Soviet Union forces confronted each other along the Iron Curtain. This border divided Western Europe from Russian occupied East Europe from the late 1940s until the late 1980s. While NATO air forces and navies took Russian electronic weapons seriously and often tested their aircraft to test their ability to handle Russian electronic jamming and other electronic weapons, the ground forces rarely tested, much less used these electronic weapons during training. NATO commanders may have ignored the problem but occasionally lower-ranking troops would accidently turn on their electronic jammers during a training exercise, causing chaos among American forces. Jammers were not supposed to be used during training because they would disrupt NATO communications and this problem was dismissed because a fix was always in the works. This seemed absurd to many NATO troops and commanders because it was known, from unclassified sources, that Russian troops trained to fight in a heavily jammed environment. That meant that Russian troops followed war plans that were not dependent on reliable electronic communications at all times, while their opponents tended to be unprepared. By the 1980s NATO forces finally took steps to deal with this problem and this bothered Russian commanders a great deal.

In the 21st century satellite surveillance and communications are crucial. China has taken the lead in developing methods for disrupting enemy access to these satellite resources and minimizing the damage done to Chinese satellite capabilities. The Chinese are also emulating the Cold War Russian forces and training to continue operating under conditions where communications and aerial/satellite surveillance is diminished or absent.

The latest American wargames accurately displayed these problems. Learning from the previous instances where these problems were dismissed, the wargame developers provided lots of documentation, most of it classified, to back up the wargame portrayal of the threat and its impact. Attention has been paid, but it remains to be seen if remedies will be found and applied in time. Another lesson learned during the Cold War was that you go to war with the forces you have, not the ones you are developing for use sometime in the future.
While Turkey faces a major refugee threat northern Syria, from nearly a million civilian and thousands of Islamic terrorists trapped in Idlib province, and a growing number of Afghan refugees elsewhere, Turkish combat operations in the northeast (Hasaka province) SDF Kurdish forces and about a thousand American troops are disrupting and stalling Turkish efforts to create their 30-kilometer-deep border security zone. The Turkish plan has always been to establish an area on the Syrian side of the border where they can move millions of unpopular (with most Turks) Syrian refugees. The EU states are threatening sanctions and other economic retaliation over what the Turks are doing in Syria. The Turks respond with threats of allowing the refugees, most of them Syrian, to cross into EU (European Union) territory. The EU pays the Turks several billion dollars a year to keep the refugees in Turkey.

In Syria the Turks keep increasing the pressure on the ground, using lots of Syrian mercenaries supported and supervised by a smaller number of Turkish personnel. In the last week three of these Turkish troops were killed by SDF and this caused the Turks to use their missile-armed UAVs and artillery on both sides of the border against the SDF. For the Turkish government, Turkish soldiers killed in Syria is very bad news because the five years of Turkish operations in Syria has been expensive and caused much public anger whenever a Turkish soldier is killed or badly wounded. There have been about a thousand casualties among Turkish troops in Syria since 2016 and over 200 of them were fatal. Government controlled or influenced media in Turkey have been ordered to play down the deaths and the well-attended funerals but this bad news eventually gets out, despite efforts to crack down on Internet-based treason (anti-government messages). Opinion polls show most voters want to oust the current government during the next (2023) national elections, where the voting will be for the president and members of parliament.

Anxious Angry Allies

In Syria, Russia and Turkey are supposed to be Iranian allies but are less frequently acting the part. Russia sent forces to Syria in 2015 to help preserve its old Cold War era ally the Assads. This was done for the benefit of Russia, not Syria, Iran or Turkey. Russia was the second foreign power to come to the aid of the Assads. Since 2012 Iran has been helping keep their old Shia ally, the Assads, in power. Iran had more ambitious goals, as in increasing its threat against Israel once the rebels were defeated. A year after the Russians showed up, the Turks sent in troops, but actually depended on Syrian mercenaries.

The Russians hoped to rebuild the Syria military and get out. Reviving the Syrian military sufficiently to allow the Russians to leave proved impossible. The only alternative was hiring local or foreign mercenaries, which the Iranians, Turks, Americans and Syrians all relied on this approach in Syria. The pre-2011 Syrian military was gone when the Russians arrived and took a good look. Russia concentrated on improving the Russian weapons and equipment of the Syrian forces while providing air and artillery support for the Syrian forces. This made it possible for remaining Assad troops to defend themselves, their families and communities. This was all they really wanted to do after several years of civil war. Eventually Russia began hiring some Syrian mercenaries as well, if only to help eliminate the last remnant of ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) in eastern Syria. Russia was content to let the Israelis keep the Iranian forces busy and taking heavy damage while trying to destroy Israel.

For centuries Turkey, Iran and Russia were all antagonists, not allies, and their seeming alliance in Syria was largely a mirage. All three of these allies continue scheming against each other. Russia notes that Turkey is selling weapons to Ukraine, where Russian forces are still at war with Ukraine. Turkey is also trying to repair its damaged relationship with NATO, and that means reneging on weapons purchases from Russia. There have been other forms of anti-Russian behavior that must be tolerated by Russia to keep the alliance with Turkey in Syria viable. Russia is sticking it to Iran by backing Israel and the efforts of Arab states to replace Iran as the protector of the Assad government.

As long as the Islamic terrorists remain in Idlib, ISIL in the east and Iranians near the Israeli border, the Syrian civil war will not be over. The only ones who cannot walk away from this are the Assads, Turkey and Israel. Russia depicts itself as the good guy interested only in peace and prosperity. That leaves Iran as the real interloper and troublemaker. Dealing with Iran has been a headache for Turkey and Russia for centuries while the Arabs have several thousand years of abuse from the Iranians. In other words, Iran is difficult to deal with, something everyone can agree on.

Iran wants to repeat in Syria what it has been doing in Yemen for several years. In Yemen Iran perfected an effective way to attack Saudi Arabia by arming Shia rebels in Yemen with over a thousand ballistic missiles and UAVs during the last seven years. Most of these were aimed at southwestern Saudi Arabia. Less than one percent of those UAVs and missiles hit anything of consequence. Iran is seeking to carry out a similar campaign against Israel using Iran backed militias in Syria. That has not been working out so far because Israeli intelligence capabilities and airstrikes have been much more effective in Syria than Saudi efforts in Yemen. This despite the fact that Israel and Saudi Arabia have similar aircraft, smart bombs and air defense systems.

Now Iran has another threat on their eastern border as the Pakistan-backed Afghan Taliban took advantage of a disorganized American withdrawal and grabbed control of most of the country. Local anti-Taliban militias did not respond immediately but after about a week the Taliban suddenly lost control of areas they were unable to conquer before 2001. Iran is under pressure from Iranians to defend the 20 percent of Afghans who are Shia. Iran is also not having much success in getting economic sanctions lifted and that means more protests inside Iran over the growing poverty rate and declining living standards for everyone.

August 24, 2021: In the northwest (Idlib province) Russia airstrikes and Syrian artillery fire have been used almost daily against Islamic terrorist rebels seen moving towards the forbidden de-escalation zone. Russian airstrikes also hit targets inside rebels controlled Idlib, trying to disrupt factions that are believed to be planning attacks against the Russian airbase in adjacent Latakia province.

Inside Idlib province there was an explosion in a rebels held area that was apparently caused by rebels making a mistake while trying to disarm or remove an artillery shell that did not detonate when it hit the ground. At least eight rebels were killed and even more wounded.

In the southwest (Daraa province) weeks of attacks on a rebel enclave ended when the rebels agreed to leave the area and be moved north to Idlib province. At least thats the plan Russia is trying to make happen. The rebels dont trust the Assad forces but the Russians have Syrian mercenaries and Moslem Russian troops to assist negotiations and reassure the rebels. Russian troops will also supervise the surrender and movement of rebels and civilian supporters to another area, apparently Idlib province in the northwest. The alternative was more artillery and airstrikes and the deaths of civilian supporters as well as armed rebels. The Syrians and Russians have been working to gain the support of the largely Sunni and Druze civilian population along the border in (from west to east); Quneitra, Daraa and Suwayda provinces. This is a joint effort to block Iranian efforts to gain the support of the border population. Total population of these provinces in 2011 was 1.4 million but only about 20 percent of that was on or near the border. After the 2011 Civil War began much of the Sunni population fled. How much remains on the border is unclear but is apparently at least 100,000. Only Queneitra and Daraa border Israel. Israel has occupied most of Queneitra province since the 1967 War and the Israeli controlled area is mostly the Golan Heights. This is the high ground overlooking northern Israel and the Syrians made a major, desperate and ultimately failed effort in the 1973 War to retake Golan. Control of the Daraa border with Israel was sought by Iranian forces but Russian and Syrian troops blocked many of the Iranian efforts.

August 23, 2021: In the northeast (Hasaka province) Turkish and Kurdish SDF forces continue using artillery fire against each other. Civilians are usually the only victims because the troops build bunkers and trenches for protection from the shells.

August 21, 2021: In the northeast an American F-15 shot down an Iranian UAV that was getting too close to a base where about 900 American troops were stationed. This is only the second time this has happened since 2017.

In the northeast (Hasaka province) Turkey carried out three attacks over the last three days against SDF leaders. The most damaging one was on the 19th when a UAV launched missile hit a local headquarters, killing nine and wounding ten. Some of the dead were local combat commanders. The other attacks, against individual commanders, failed.

In northern Iraq and northern Syria Turkish airstrikes killed seven PKK (Turkish Kurd separatists) fighters. These attacks are usually carried out by F-16s.

August 20, 2021: In the northeast (Hasaka province) two Kurdish controlled towns were hit with Turkish artillery fire, killing four SDF militiamen and two civilians.

In central Syria (Homs province) and further south near the capital (Damascus) Israeli airstrikes hit several Iranian targets. At least four Iranian mercenaries were killed in Damascus. There were a lot of people in the Damascus region, including foreign reporters, who got out their cell phones and took videos of action. This involved Israeli air-to-ground missiles hitting their targets while Syrian anti-aircraft missiles were launched but not hitting anything. Russia later reported the air defense systems they provided to Syria had again destroyed most of the Israeli missiles.

August 19, 2021: In the northeast (Hasaka province) a roadside bomb killed a Turkish soldier and three mercenaries. Elsewhere in the area three Turkish mercs were killed by landmines.

August 17, 2021: In the south (Golan Heights) Israeli missiles hit several Iranian bases near a village where Hezbollah personnel wearing Syrian army uniforms were trying to conceal their nationality and efforts to prepare attacks on Israel. Until 2017 Israel regularly and discreetly provided medical care for badly hurt Syrians who showed up (usually at night) on the Israeli border. From 2011 to 2017 about 3,000 Syrians were treated, most of them between 2015 and 2017. Israeli border guards regularly allowed badly wounded Syrians in and sent them to Israeli hospitals for medical care. Until mid-2015 Israel would transport badly wounded Syrians to Israeli hospitals outside the Golan Heights. After 2015 treatment was provided at the border, using a temporary hospital set up there. By 2015 over a thousand Syrians had received such treatment. By 2017 Iranian mercenaries and some Iranian operatives gained control of the border and fighting in the area died down. There were few civilian casualties and helped revive the medical care in the border area to discourage fraternizing with Israel. The Iranians are seen as another bunch of foreign invaders endangering the local Syrians.

August 14, 2021: In the south (Golan Heights) an Israeli UAV crashed on the Syrian side of the border because of equipment failure. This happens regularly as the number of UAV operations along the Syrian border have increased. Israel doesnt lose any tech secrets because of these crashes because there have been several already meaning Iran and Russia dont offer as much money for the wreckage.

In neighboring Lebanon there was another warehouse explosion, this one near the Syrian border. There were 28 deaths and nearly a hundred injured. The warehouse stored large quantities of gasoline, kerosine and diesel fuel that was repackaged so that it could be smuggled across the border into Syria, where there is a growing shortage of such fuels. At first it was thought that the warehouse owner and smugglers were working for Hezbollah but that was apparently not the case. Some other influential faction in northern Lebanon was protecting, and profiting from this operation. There have been smaller explosions in similar situations recently, indicating growing smuggling operations along the border. Lebanon is suffering from a severe economic recession and growing public hostility towards Hezbollah and Iran.

August 12, 2021: In Turkey riot police arrested around 80 people in the capital (Ankara) after a crowd of Syrian refugees attacked businesses. Turkey currently hosts an estimated four million refugees. Most of the refugees are from Syria and are no longer welcome.

August 10, 2021: In the west (port of Latakia) an Iranian tanker docked there experienced an onboard explosion that led to a fire and some casualties. The tanker was smuggling oil to Syria. Israel has interfered with these tankers in the past. Now Iran is threatening retaliation for any more Israeli interference. Another tanker is on its way to Syria carrying Iranian oil for the Assads.

In the northwest (Idlib province) Russian carried out eleven airstrikes against Islamic terrorist targets.

In southern Israel, American jet fighters completed several days of joint training with their Israeli counterparts. This included air-superiority and ground attack operations. This is the first time American and Israeli warplanes had done this sort of thing inside Israel and the goal is to improve coordination against a threat to Israel and America. Iranian forces in Syria are a growing threat, despite heavy losses.

August 7, 2021: In the east (Deir Ezzor province), numerous Israeli air strikes against Iranian bases outside Mayadeen city have led Iran to bring in air-defense radars and mobile SAM (Surface-to Air Missile) units to the area. This is an effort to discourage Israel from continuing their airstrikes. The Iranians have also installed a radar for detecting low flying UAVs. Syrian and Russian air defense systems have been unable to stop the Israeli attacks and now the Iranians are seeking to show the Syrians and Russians what effective air defense is. The Israeli response has been more airstrikes. Iran is trying to turn this area, just west of the Euphrates River, as a major logistics and training center for its Syrian operations against Israel. So far that effort has provided more targets for Israel to attack and those airstrikes are increasing.

July 28, 2021: In the northeast (Hasaka province) a Russian patrol was seen blocked by an American patrol. This led to soldiers from both sides getting physical with shoving, pushing and some punches thrown. This soon ended and the Russians turned around and left. Many of these disputes are about preventing Turkish and Russian forces from moving east of the Euphrates River into Kurdish dominated territory. Some of these clashes are also about control of the M4 highway. At the start of 2021 Russia announced it had negotiated the reopening of the M4 highway for commercial traffic after being closed for a month while Turkish forces cleared some Islamic terrorist rebels who were periodically attacking traffic. The M4 is the main east-west highway from Aleppo to the Assad stronghold Latakia province and its Mediterranean ports.

July 24, 2021: Some unexpected good news for Shia Syrians. Iranian media reports that Iran is establishing explicitly Iran-backed Shia militias in western Afghanistan. Iran wants to protect the Shia minority (about 20 percent of Afghans) from the expanding reach of the Taliban. In the late 1990s the Taliban went after Afghan Shia in a big way and the victims have not forgotten. The new militias are composed of combat experienced Afghan Shia who served as Iranian mercenaries and survived combat in Syria. Oddly enough the name of these militias, Hashd Al ShiI, does not use one of the local languages (Pushtun or Dari), but a language the Syrian veterans learned a little of in Syria. Hashd Al ShiI is Arabic for Shia Mobilization.

Over 50,000 Afghan Shia served in Syria and, as they returned to Afghanistan, often took the initiative in protecting fellow Shia from increasing violence by Islamic terror groups, including the Taliban. The former mercs asked Iran for help but until now all Iran was willing to do was back anti-Pakistan Taliban factions that, in return for weapons and other aid from Iran, promised to leave Afghan Shia alone. Moving on to explicitly Iran-backed Shia militias is not considered a big surprise. Iran tried to persuade their Shia Afghan mercs to settle in Syria, where the Assads offered free land and homes abandoned by Sunnis Syrians driven out of the country. The Afghans were not interested in moving to an Arab country. Like the Iranians, the Afghans are Indo-European and have not gotten along well with Arabs for a number of reasons.

In 2019 Iran sent most of the Afghan mercenaries in Syria home because the revived American economic sanctions had greatly reduced the amount of money that could be spent on the war in Syria. Iran began building a new mercenary force by hiring Syrians. The best of the Iranian foreign Shia were the Afghans but there was a limited supply of Afghan Shia willing to serve as Iranian mercs in faraway Syria. To entice the Afghans to volunteer they were paid more than other foreign Shia in Syria. While the Afghans were the best fighters, a growing number would not renew their contracts and returned to Afghanistan or Iran, where mercenary service also earned an Iran residency permit. While the Syrian Arab mercs are cheaper, they are adequate. The low cost is largely because of the bad shape the Syrian economy is in and the dire poverty many Syrians live with.

By 2020 there were over 10,000 Syrian mercs on the Iranian payroll. Most were based on or near the Israeli or Jordanian borders. Many Syrians see the Iranians and their Syrian mercs as another foreign occupation force. Syrians are tired of war while the Iranians want more of it, mainly against Israel.

Iran appreciated the efforts of the Afghan Shia in Syria. In early 2018 Iranian media reported that Afghan mercenaries working for Iran in Syria suffered over 10,000 casualties since 2013. Over 20 percent of the casualties were fatal. It was also reported that over 3,000 Afghan Shia mercenaries died fighting against Iraq in the 1980s.

The Iranian mercenary force in Syria was a decisive factor in keeping the Syrian security forces from being completely destroyed. Many of the Afghan mercs who earned residency permits in Iran did not use them because of declining economic conditions in Iran and better prospects back in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan the Syrian vets were highly respected and the Afghan government feared that those former mercs would turn into another warlord army, like the ones that tore Afghanistan apart in the 1990s. That was half right, but the commander of this new Afghan Shia force is Iranian, not Afghan. Iranian IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) personnel, also veterans of Syrian service and often the same men who trained and led the Afghan mercs in Syria, are back with their Afghan Shia fighters once more fighting Sunni Islamic terrorists. A month after Iranian media reported the existence of this Iran-backed militia, the Pakistan-backed Afghan Taliban took control of most of the Iranian border, or at least tried to.
BOSTON, Aug. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Amy Abbott, Esq. is a family law attorney with Mavrides Law. Amy's primary focus is on guiding clients through the process of their case from the initial filing to assistance with their financial statements, organization and execution of discovery, and assistance with the finalization of their divorce.

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Amy is a Certified Divorce Financial Litigator and a member of the American Association of Certified Financial Litigators. She is also the Treasurer of the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers (MAWL), and a member of the American Bar Association and Massachusetts Bar Association.

Recognition in Best Lawyers is widely considered by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor conferred on a lawyer by members of their profession. For over three decades, Best Lawyers has earned the respect of the legal profession, as well as the media and the public, as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals.

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PFAS foam on the shoreline of Van Etten Lake near Wurtsmith Air Force Base on Wednesday, April 24, 2019. The foam is one of several pollution concerns at the heart of a dispute between state regulators and the U.S. military over contamination cleanup in Oscoda, Mich. (Garret Ellison, mlive.com/TNS)

OSCODA, Mich. (Tribune News Service)  A group of environmental advocates accused state and military authorities of lackluster response to legacy PFAS contamination, and pointed to a former nuclear bomber base near Lake Huron as Michigan's prime example.

The group gathered Tuesday afternoon for a bus tour and explored the expansive grounds at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda  Michigan's first confirmed PFAS contaminated site. The advocates scoped out the most heavily polluted spots on the former military base before they launched their collective allegations that military and state bureaucrats failed to prioritize public health ahead of government protocol.

But military officials long-said they've followed the law, while state agents said their efforts were hampered by less-than-stellar federal action and they continue to strive for cleanup at the old air base near Lake Huron.

Critics in Oscoda may not be convinced, though.

"No more lies and no more foot-dragging. It's time for action," said lawyer Tony Spaniola, who owns a home on PFAS-polluted Van Etten Lake situated between the old air base and Lake Huron.

Spaniola was among the group of advocates who met in a nearby park to accuse officials from both the U.S. military and state regulatory agencies of being slow to respond to the PFAS contamination crisis and not doing all they could when they did act.

"Sometimes I feel like a bomb was dropped in Oscoda," said Cathy Wusterbarth, co-leader of nonprofit Need Our Water, or NOW.

Oscoda served as the centerpiece of a new documentary film titled "No Defense: The U.S. Military's War on Water," which explores the Department of Defense's legacy of chemical contamination. The advocates hosted a film screening at the Shoreline Theater in Oscoda on Tuesday night.

NOW was one of the organizations that this week released a report filled with detailed criticisms of both military efforts in Oscoda, as well as state oversight of the investigation and cleanup goals. The other groups included the nonprofits National Wildlife Federation and the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network.

Jennifer Hill, NWF's associate director at its Great Lakes Regional Center, said the report offers tangible examples of what went wrong and what should have been done better in Oscoda, a community faced with toxic hazards to both people and the environment. She said regulators did "the bare minimum" and that wasn't nearly good enough.

Among the key condemnations was the failure of state authorities to act on a critical report generated in 2012 from findings at Wurtsmith.

Now-retired state scientist Robert Delaney submitted that report to his superiors at what was then called the state Department of Environmental Quality; the prognosis was grim.

"It's one of the worst sites anywhere. It's really horrendously bad," he said.

Delaney warned extremely high PFAS levels found in fish from the AuSable River and Clark's Marsh in Oscoda meant the bloodstreams of area residents likely were also tainted with the manmade substances that build up in human bodies. He and a consulting academic researcher also warned in their white paper about the possible extent of PFAS contamination statewide, calling it a "contaminant-induced health crisis."

But nothing happened for five years until Delaney said he disclosed his 2012 PFAS report to the public during a 2017 radio interview. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy then published the report online.

"I was always advocating within the state but now I'm free to talk," Delaney said. "I always wished the public knew. It was a burden on me that the public didn't know and I couldn't tell them."

Delaney said it may be true Michigan was already setting the pace in the U.S. for PFAS investigation and response, but argued the state could have done more sooner.

"We were already way out in advance of everybody else. If we'd started in 2012, we'd have even more been leading the nation," Delaney said.

However, Air Force representatives long-argued they followed federal law in the way they responded to the PFAS contamination at the former military installation and continue to do so. A spokesperson could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening.

State officials contend no state or federal agency has done more to address PFAS contamination, hold responsible parties accountable and educate the public about the class of pollutants than the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team.

"We agree with many of the findings made by NWF and NOW regarding the Air Force's response to contamination at the former Wurtsmith base," wrote Scott Dean, EGLE spokesperson, in an email.

Dean said the pace and scope of the Air Force's response has not been up to the standards that EGLE expects; but he argued the nonprofit groups' criticisms neglect to frame events in the larger context of the state's "steadfast and diligent efforts" to hold the military accountable through the slow-moving federal Superfund program.

PFAS  an acronym for manmade perflouroalkyl and polyflouroaklyl substances  are known to be harmful and exposure to them has been linked to multiple health problems, including blood pressure, cholesterol, thyroid and infertility issues, as well as certain cancers.

Officials suspect contamination at military installations was widely caused by the use of firefighting foam that contains PFAS chemicals called aqueous film forming foam, which is capable of smothering liquid-fuel fires and escaping fumes.

(c)2021 The Record-Eagle (Traverse City, Mich.)

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DAYTON, Ohio (Tribune News Service)  The work of defending avionics from cyber attacks will keep two big defense contractors tied to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for years.

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., of McLean, Va., and Ball Aerospace & Technologies, of Boulder, Colo., were each awarded $200 million for work in protecting avionics systems against cyberattack, the Department of Defense said Tuesday.

In announcements late Tuesday, the DOD lists the awards separately but describes them in the same way: "This contract provides for innovative research and development in order to identify, mitigate and protect avionics systems against cyberattack, and prototype agile, nextgeneration platform and system of systems architectures to enable rapid integration and fielding of enhanced mission system capability."

The value of each contract is given as $200 million. Each is a "multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with cost-plus-fixed-fee task orders for research and development."

Work on both contracts is expected to be completed by the same date, Aug. 23, 2028. The contracts came from Air Force Research Lab at Wright-Patterson.

In each case, the department says the award is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received.

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Buy Photo Spc. Michael Ng, a combat medic with 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood, Texas, prepares coronavirus vaccines Wednesday at a pop-up clinic at a base food court. The outreach has provided more than 600 vaccines to soldiers and families. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)

FORT HOOD, Texas  Some soldiers got vaccinated Wednesday for their families, some to travel home, and others wanted to beat the rush now that the coronavirus vaccine is mandatory for all troops.

A pop-up clinic at a Fort Hood food court ran out of the Pfizer vaccine, after burning through about 100 doses in less than two hours. Troops running the clinic needed to get more while soldiers waited for the shot.

I was going to call and make an appointment, but if Im already going here, Ill just get it, Spc. Yakira Ramos Montanez said. I needed the vaccine because I want to travel [home] to Puerto Rico.

Montanez stopped into the clinic with her 2-month-old son after dropping her husband off for work. Still on maternity leave from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, the 25-year-old combat medic chose to wait until after she delivered her baby to get the vaccine.

The clinics at the Texas base have been going on all month  reaching more than 500 people  but operations have increased since Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Aug. 9 that the vaccine would be mandatory for troops by mid-September or when the shots received full federal approval. On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration gave full authorization to the Pfizer vaccine. By Wednesday, Austin ordered troops to begin getting vaccinated immediately.

Lt. Col. Evan Trivette, 1st Cavalry Division surgeon and family medicine doctor, said vaccine operations at Fort Hood have picked up even more since Monday.

The level of scientific rigor applied to these vaccines is the same as every other vaccine that we give people, Trivette said. The difference is that people were uncomfortable because it was new. It was done fast because we were in an emergency. They still managed to observe all the safety protocols and make sure this is a good idea.

Buy Photo Spc. Yakira Ramos Montanez, 25, decided to wait until she delivered her son to get the coronavirus vaccine. She was able to get the shot Wednesday at a pop-up clinic at Fort Hood, Texas. The combat medic said she now hopes to travel home to Puerto Rico soon to visit her family. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes )

The 1st Cavalry Division, in a partnership with the Exchange, set up the four-hour clinic to appeal to soldiers already coming through the food court for Starbucks, Burger King or Charleys Cheesesteaks.

As troops were lining up at Fort Hood for the shots, Austin released his memo to the service secretaries to immediately begin vaccinating all troops. The Army is the furthest behind of all service branches with just 40% of the force fully vaccinated, John Kirby, chief Pentagon spokesman, said Wednesday. He said 57% have received at least one dose.

Across the other service branches vaccination rates vary broadly, with 53% of the Marine Corps, 57% of the Air and Space Forces and 73% of the Navy fully vaccinated, Kirby said.

Austin called for the services to impose ambitious timelines for implementation to get those numbers up.

Pvt. Ethan Toney, 20, said he wasnt ever opposed to the vaccine, he just hadnt had the opportunity to receive it in basic training. He recently arrived at Fort Hoods 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, and took time on his day off to visit the clinic. The driving factor in his decision  his mother back home in Connecticut.

My mom really, really wanted me to get it, he said. When they mandate it, theres going to be a lot of people getting it. So Ill just get it over with on my time.

Spc. Garrett Wells, 21, said his wife swayed his decision.

It's not just the fact that I wanted to protect myself along with my wife, but everyone else in my unit, who are basically my brothers and family, said Wells, who serves in the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Cavalry Regiment.

He said he hopes his own choice will encourage his fellow soldiers to step up before there are repercussions for refusing the vaccine.

It's not that they don't want to get it, they're not sure what the side effects are, Wells said. If they don't see any negative side effects, I'm pretty sure that would convince them to get it.

Buy Photo Pvt. Bruno Manosalvas, a medic with the 215th Brigade Support Battalion, administers a vaccine shot Wednesday at a pop-up clinic at Fort Hood, Texas. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)

The mandate to get vaccinated comes as coronavirus is surging in many states just as aggressively as it did before the vaccine was available. In Texas, more than 13,600 people are hospitalized with the coronavirus, according to the Department Health and Human Services. Thats just shy of the states peak in January.

Fort Hoods Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center has limited elective surgeries to those who do not require an overnight stay as a way to keep rooms open. It has also reopened its drive-through testing site that had closed in May after demand returned for testing and put pressure on its clinics, said Capt. Julia Sandoval, a medical surgical nurse who ran the clinic last year.

We can accommodate large numbers in an arguably safer environment because were outside with people in cars. So really it was a response to the needs of the patients to meet the demand and give them an easy way to get tested, she said.

With school in Texas already back in session, the testing site has also seen an uptick in children needing testing. Each patient is asked about vaccination status and, if necessary, provided information on how to get vaccinated.

Those patients who are vaccinated might not need immediate testing after an exposure, but its important to do so if theyve experienced any symptoms related to coronavirus, said Capt. Eduardo Mendezlanda, the officer-in-charge of the testing site at Darnall.

That's definitely a decision that you need to make for the greater good of the community, he said. You never know who may have a medical condition, so youve really got to protect your spouse, your kids, your coworkers and that person at [the grocery store].

Military medical personnel also are helping combat coronavirus surges at civilian hospitals in Mississippi and Louisiana, where vaccination rates are below 50%, according to the Mayo Clinic. The Defense Department has deployed 80 medical personnel to assist the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to U.S. Army North, which is commanding the troops.

In Mississippi, 20-person teams from the Army and Air Force deployed to Jackson and Tupelo, bringing nurses, respiratory therapists and medical doctors to support their civilian counterparts. Two additional teams will help in Baton Rouge and Lafayette in Louisiana.

Defending the nation, which includes defeating [the coronavirus], is a team effort, said Lt. Gen. Laura J. Richardson, Army North commander.

Back at Fort Hood, where the vaccine clinic accommodated soldiers choosing to get the shot, Trivette, the division surgeon, said he will continue to reach out and speak with soldiers who have concerns. Meanwhile, theyll continue to keep the vaccine as accessible as possible.

Now that its mandatory, hed like to see the division vaccinate 1,000 to 2,000 soldiers a day.

In the military, we follow orders. And sometimes we don't like the orders were given, but we still follow our orders. The expectation I have is that the vast majority of people are going to [get vaccinated], even if they were against it, Trivette said. I think it'll help people to see that other people have done it.
Sgt. Anthony Tunstall, assigned to U.S. Army Pacific Task Force Oceania (TF-O), saved a young boy from drowning during an enculturation training at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) Wednesday, Aug. 11. (Sgt. Teresa Cantero/U.S. Army)

LAIE, Hawaii (Tribune News Service)  A U.S. Army Task Force Oceania soldier saved a toddler from drowning during cultural enrichment training at the Polynesian Cultural Center on Aug. 11, the Army said.

Sgt. Anthony Tunstall was with a team of soldiers visiting Tongans at the center when the boy, the son of an employee, was discovered in trouble in a lagoon. The cultural center was closed to the public that day, the Army said.

"The (center) escort pulled the seemingly lifeless body of the child from the Tongan lagoon, and Tunstall, who is a trained Emergency Medical Techinican-Basic responded to the scene and started providing first-aid and CPR to the child, " the Army said.

Tunstall was able to revive and stabilize the child until paramedics arrived, officials said.

"I'm just thankful that I was in the right place at the right time so that I could provide medical assistance," Tunstall said in a release. "I'm grateful for all of the medical training that the Army has put into me. That training means that a young child can continue to experience life."

Tunstall is attached to the 9th Mission Support Command at Fort Shafter Flats as a member of Task Force Oceania, which is intended to build relationships with island nations in Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.

The task force sends two-person teams to Oceania islands who work with the State Department and host-nation governments to facilitate exercises, conferences, humanitarian assistance and disaster response planning.

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Buy Photo Landfill work for the construction of a Marine Corps runway at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, is seen in January 2020. (Stars and Stripes)

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa  The Japanese government completed the relocation of 830 colonies of endangered coral off the coast of Okinawa this week and plans to start construction on a new portion of a contentious Marine Corps airfield, according to local media reports.

The coral is in Oura Bay, just off Camp Schwab, where a runway is being built to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from crowded Ginowan city.

The Japanese government finished transplanting coral Tuesday from a small site in the construction zone known as N2, the Okinawa Times reported the following day.

It now plans to start work this week on a seawall to keep water from the construction site. Once completed, that section will make it easier to offload landfill, thus speeding up the projects completion.

An Okinawa prefectural official on Wednesday said the Okinawa Defense Bureau, an arm of the Japan Defense Ministry, is not sharing information about work at the N2 site.

The defense bureau didnt inform us about the construction, a spokesman from Okinawa prefectures Henoko Base Construction Countermeasures Division told Stars and Stripes by phone Wednesday. We asked them not to rush and proceed with dialogue with the prefecture.

A bureau spokesman declined to comment when reached by phone on Wednesday. The defense bureau is leading construction efforts.

A bureau representative at an environmental monitoring committee meeting Aug. 10 said construction would start at the N2 site as soon as the coral could be successfully moved, Okinawa Times reported.

Plans for the site have been in the making for decades; however, construction didnt begin until 2017. Okinawa leaders, including Gov. Denny Tamaki, have tried to use the courts and administrative challenges to block the work. So far, they have only delayed the project.

The Japanese government requested fresh permits from Tamaki in April 2020 after it found a softer than expected seabed at the site, which requires further stabilization. Tamaki has said he will refuse the request.

The prefectural spokesman said it would be a waste for the bureau to start construction at the N2 site without those permits. The bureau does not need permitting for the site since the area does not have a soft bottom, Okinawa Times said, citing unnamed bureau officials.

In July, Tamaki was forced by the countrys Supreme Court to approve the relocation of 40,000 colonies of endangered coral from the site. He asked the bureau for dialogue instead of transplanting the coral quickly, along with other conditions, Tamaki said at the time.

The Japanese government largely ignored his request and started Aug. 6, one day after their Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries agreed to uphold the court decision.

Completion of the runway is now expected to take at least 10 more years. Costs have ballooned from $2.2 billion to at least $8.7 billion.
Jacob Leiter and his grandmother Susi Kasper Leiter look through the Leiter family Bible from 1874 for the first time in New York City in June. (Steve MacDiarmid)

A father and son in Oberdorf, Bopfingen, Germany, in 1990 were renovating the home they'd just bought when they came across something unusual: a chest hidden behind a double wall in the attic.

Tucked inside the chest was a large, gilded Jewish Bible that looked like it had been carefully placed there.

It was heavy, about 22 pounds, and almost 30 inches long and three inches high. The words "Die Heilige Schrift der Israeliten"  the Holy Scriptures of the Israelites  were embossed on the front.

It seemed valuable and important, and the son held onto it for nearly 30 years. But in April 2017, he decided to sell it on eBay to an art historian for about $75.

The Bible, it turned out, was part of the legacy of Eduard and Ernestine Leiter, a Jewish couple from Stuttgart killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust.

According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, the Leiters' story was a common and tragic one: The Nazis forced them to move to Oberdorf, Bopfingen, to live with seven other Jewish families. In August 1942, the Germans sent the couple to Theresienstadt, a ghetto and concentration camp outside Prague.

Before the Leiters left the home in Oberdorf, they hid all their valuables and personal items  including their jewelry, some letters and an 1874 edition of the Jewish Bible  in hopes of returning and retrieving their keepsakes.

They never returned.

The Leiter family Bible from 1874 that was hidden in an attic in Germany for decades. (Courtesy of Jacob Leiter) Jacob Leiter holds the Bible belonging to his great-great-grandparents. (Jenna Tamborski)

The Leiters were sent to Treblinka, the infamous Nazi extermination camp in Poland where an estimated 925,000 Jews were killed, in addition to Poles, Roma and Soviet prisoners of war. The Leiters' son, Sali, was the lone survivor in the family.

That's when the family story becomes remarkable: Sali's descendants  who did not know much about him  came to possess his parents' Bible. It landed this summer on their doorstep in New York.

For 50 years, the Leiters' heirlooms were left in Germany, hidden in the attic of the home, only to be discovered during the 1990 renovation.

When the Bible went up on eBay, it caught the eye of artist and art historian Gerhard Roese, as he believed it had historical significance. It contained illustrations from Gustave Dore, one of the most prolific and successful book illustrators of the late-19th century.

Roese donated it to a local synagogue close to the house where it was found so it could be preserved and protected. Then the search began to reunite the artifact with its intended heirs.

It took nearly four years, but in February, a man in Europe working on behalf of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum heard about the Bible.

Word of it soon reached Jo-Ellyn Decker, a research and reference librarian at the museum. It became her mission to find out what happened to the descendants of the Bible and return the sacred text to its rightful lineage.

The museum regularly helps people figure out what happened to their ancestors during the Holocaust, but finding an item to repatriate to living descendants "is almost unheard of," Decker said. Many books were burned or repurposed by Nazis at the time.

Luckily for Decker, there was a clue inside the Bible: a small postcard that confirmed Eduard Leiter was the owner.

She said she did not have high expectations of finding living relatives of the Leiters.

"During the Holocaust, entire Jewish families were murdered," Decker said. "So, the thought of finding someone alive today that would be related to someone who was killed in Treblinka ... is pretty unusual."

Decker started digging through every archive and search engine she could. She found that Sali, the lone Leiter who survived the Holocaust, had changed his name to Charles and moved to the United States. Charles had a son named Max, who died and was featured in an obituary in the New York Times in 2008. Max had two children and three grandchildren.

Decker was hopeful that she could track down one of them.

She found one of the grandchildren, Jacob Leiter, on LinkedIn and immediately wrote a message explaining why she was trying to reach him. It began: "I apologize for the 'out of the blue' correspondence."

At his home in Long Island, Jacob Leiter opened his inbox on LinkedIn. He was used to getting messages from recruiters and other contacts, but this note was different. He recognized the names of his grandfather and great-grandfather on the screen. It looked legitimate to him, so he messaged Decker back for more information.

Then, he called his grandmother, Susi Kasper Leiter, who herself was a child Holocaust survivor.

"At first, I was kind of shocked," said Jacob Leiter, 27, about the Bible. "We really didn't speak too much about my great-great grandparents."

Over the next four months, Jacob Leiter talked with Decker and the caretakers of the Bible in Germany. He learned more about his great-great-grandparents' history for the first time, and so did his grandmother. They both knew a bit about Eduard and Ernestine, but it was the first time they heard such a full account.

The letters accompanying the Bible inside the chest were discarded long ago, and it is unclear what happened to the jewelry, Jacob Leiter said.

It came time to figure out how to return the keepsake to the Leiter family in New York City. If it was sent through the mail, there was a chance it would get lost on its way, Jacob Leiter said, so it would have to be sent with a person. And international travel was complicated because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Staff from the German synagogue identified someone who would potentially make the journey with the Bible, a man named Steve MacDiarmid, who knew someone at the synagogue and often traveled to the United States for work. MacDiarmid agreed to transport the artifact to the United States in early June.

He delivered the heirloom to Jacob Leiter and his grandmother at her apartment in Manhattan. They were stunned by both its beauty and large size.

As she held it, Susi Kasper Leiter thought of her husband, Max, who would have felt enormously honored to see it in person. But as a Holocaust survivor herself, she said having an artifact from generations ago in her hands was stunning.

"I just think that with all the terrible terror and inhumanities in this world, I can't believe that I have such pleasure and such magic that I should live to see something that remains of the Holocaust that is good  and that's the Bible," said Kasper Leiter, 94. "There's nothing else good to remain from there."

For Jacob Leiter, holding the Bible that once was in his great-great-grandfather's hands was an incredible feeling, but it was especially meaningful to go through the process with his grandmother.

"I kept saying throughout the whole process how lucky I am that I have my grandmother to experience this with," Jacob said. "Just doing this in its entirety with her is something I'll remember forever."
These are disheartening times for arms control. Nuclear weapons are gaining renewed salience in world politics  the great powers are modernizing and in some cases expanding their arsenals  and proliferation remains as intractable a problem as ever. North Korea continues building nuclear weapons and missiles, while Iran has broken free of prior restraints. Indeed, the mullah regime refuses to comply with IAEA requests and denies that it has the obligation to do anything. Moreover, its new president demands the freedom to build missiles while already rebuilding its nuclear program.

However, not everyone behaves irresponsibly. In the 1990s, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine gave up the Soviet nuclear weapons, shipping them to Russia. Kazakhstans example offers a ray of light in this gloom. In 1991 then-First Party Secretary and subsequent President Nursultan Nazarbayev closed the infamous Soviet nuclear testing site in Semipalatinsk (Semey) and steered the country firmly onto the non-nuclear and anti-proliferation track. Under his leadership, Kazakhstan renounced its Soviet nuclear inheritance of 1,410 warheads and tactical nuclear weapons. Yet its security has never been in doubt. This action, controversial and difficult in the crumbling, security-obsessed Soviet Empire, in fact has allowed Kazakhstan to become a recognized leader in the campaign against weapons of mass destruction and launched its international brand.

To be sure, Kazakhstans renunciation of these weapons was  and still is  bound up with the pursuit of its security and national interests. After all, world politics is not a competition in altruism. Nevertheless, Kazakhstans example shows that by repudiating nuclear weapons a country can actually enhance its security and international standing.

Kazakhstans denuclearization path demonstrated to the international community its responsibilities as a new state actor and has allowed it to take the lead in subsequent non-proliferation and disarmament policies. These include the treaty on a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in Central Asia, which exemplifies the quest for multilateral security solutions in Central Asia.

It also importantly contains a protocol where nuclear weapons states pledge not to use or threaten nuclear weapons against any state members to this treaty, thus insulating Central Asia form nuclear threats even though it is bounded by nuclear-armed Russia, China, India and Pakistan.

The consistent denuclearization drive launched by Nazarbayev has also enhanced other Kazakhstani initiatives aiming to reduce international tensions and advance Kazakhstans security. For example, his campaign to create the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), announced by Nazarbayev in 1992 in the U.N. and launched in 1999, has led to a forum embracing 27 state members including both Israel and Iran.

Kazakhstan has also hosted Syrian peace talks through the Astana Process involving Syrias government and opposition, Russian and Turkish delegations from 2015-19.

As a result of these initiatives, Kazakhstan joined the Lisbon Protocol as a non-nuclear state, earning the respect and the confidence of the great powers. The nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament has become the countrys principal brand which stands in great contrast to those of nuclear outlaws North Korea and Iran, neither of which enjoys more security today than does Kazakhstan. Indeed, if anything, they are palpably more insecure by several orders of magnitude. Economically they are both in dire straits compounded by mismanagement and corruption. But whereas Kazakhstan is a magnet for foreign investment, Iran and North Korea are estranged from the global economy  due to their stubborn efforts to cling to their nuclear weapons programs, oppression and terrorism support.

If anything, the quest for nuclear weapons has arguably diminished the security of Iran and North Korea, revealing a paradox that the possession of nuclear weapons was intended to overcome. If the former states of the U.S.S.R. can achieve lasting security and strong relations with Europe and the United States while disarming, it is possible for any country to follow in their footsteps, including Iran and North Korea.

Therefore, it might behoove the leaders of Iran and North Korea to look more closely at the Kazakhstan model to show what can be achieved by a policy that renounces nuclear weapons and confrontation and opens the country to foreign investment. A major driver of investment flows into Kazakhstan is the confidence investors have in the countrys foreign and domestic policies, an attitude forged first foremost in the crucible of nuclear disarmament.

To mark the cessation of testing, the U.N. declared Aug. 29 the Day Against Nuclear Testing in 2009. The world should remember that date and take its lessons to heart. In 2019 Nazarbayev has launched the Global Alliance of Leaders to promote a nuclear-free world  a tall order in todays proliferating environment and international tensions.

Kazakhstan does not limit its non-proliferation activities to nukes. In 2020, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, proposed to the UN the creation of the International Agency for Biological Safety, to initiate and ensure safety and control measures relating to biological security and counter biological and biotechnological threats.

The lessons Kazakhstan can teach to current arsenal holders or aspirant states is a critical one: a prudent denuclearization campaign can bring both military and economic security through improved relations with neighbors and partners. While seemingly counter intuitive  especially for and a country surrounded by nuclear weapons states  it is a lesson well worth celebrating in this 30th anniversary year of the original act of renunciation of nukes and the closing of Semipalatinsk.

Stephen J. Blank is an internationally recognized authority on Russian foreign policy matters with over 1,200 published articles and 15 books, including Russian Nuclear Weapons: Past, Present, and Future.
President Joe Bidens handling of Afghanistan has few vocal defenders. What they lack in numbers, though, they make up for in unity of message: The press is being too hard on Biden. The president is a victim of a press corps desperate to show they do not have a liberal bias. Its the overt editorializing from the press that has made Bidens Afghan record unpopular  editorializing that reflects the medias alliance with national-security hawks. On Aug. 22 and 23, White House chief of staff Ron Klain used his Twitter feed to publicize five critiques of the medias coverage of Afghanistan.

Bad press stings more for Democratic politicians than for Republican ones. The Democrats generally have friendlier relations with reporters, who generally have views more in alignment with theirs. Harshly negative stories can feel like a disturbance in the natural order, and Democrats in politics can react to them with a sense of betrayal. What makes it worse is that Democratic politicians cannot even get much benefit from attacking the press, the way Republicans can; Democratic voters dont think of reporters as foes the way Republican voters do.

But the theory of press bias that Biden and some of his cheerleaders have adopted is wrong. It isnt consistently hawkish. It wasnt in 2005-07, when seemingly every day brought grim news from Iraq. Looking further back, coverage of the Vietnam War, especially after the first few years of U.S. involvement, was hardly favorable toward military action either.

So why is Biden taking so much flak? There are at least eight better explanations than the ones coming from the White House.

First, the press is biased, not toward hawkishness per se, but toward government action to relieve visible human suffering. When it comes to domestic politics, that generally works in favor of Democrats. In foreign policy, it can work for U.S. military action or against it, depending on whether action or inaction seems to be more responsible for bloodshed and oppression. The press will therefore have a soft spot for military action if it is seen as motivated by humanitarian concerns. (Recall that in Donald Trumps first months as president, the media  specifically images of children subject to chemical warfare  prompted him to order airstrikes in Syria.)

Second, many journalists covering Afghanistan have built relationships with Afghans who are now at grave risk from the Taliban. That circumstance, too, is pushing the coverage in a hawkish direction.

Third, Bidens decisions have generated nearly uniform criticism from Republicans  even the ones who agree that we should be getting out of Afghanistan say he has carried out the policy badly  while a lot of Democrats, including veterans of the war such as Denver-area Rep. Jason Crow, have broken with the administration. Thats a formula for unfavorable coverage.

Fourth, Bidens pre-withdrawal spin could hardly have aged worse. Hes now saying that of course our departure is taking place amid chaos. Back on July 8, he said, the likelihood theres going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely. News stories do him a favor whenever they dont mention this soundbite.

Fifth, the administrations spin hasnt gotten better. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said on Monday that its irresponsible to characterize Americans as stranded in Afghanistan. This weird semantic battle is not one the White House can win.

Sixth, the administrations attempts to blame its predecessor for the situation undercuts its own position. When Bidens allies say that Trump owns this debacle, theyre conceding its a debacle. If things were going well, they would be saying that withdrawal is a great achievement that Trump only talked about but Biden accomplished.

Seventh, Bidens policies have put him in a box politically: He cant even voice the lowest-common-denominator sentiment of Americans that the Taliban are murderous barbarians. His policy will be an even bigger disaster if they start taking American hostages, and he knows it. He therefore doesnt want to provoke them, even if it disarms him rhetorically.

The eighth reason for the bad press is the most important: The news thats being reported is just bad. Biden wouldnt have had to send troops back to Afghanistan if it werent. When Republicans in Trumps first weeks in office complained that the press was not letting him have a traditional presidential honeymoon, it rang hollow: When your national security adviser has to go after 23 days on the job, theres no way to make it a positive story. Theres no way to make this story good either. Bidens problem isnt a biased press; its a recalcitrant reality.

Bloomberg Opinion columnist Ramesh Ponnuru is a senior editor at National Review and a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Former Chad dictator Hissene Habre gestures as he leaves a court in Dakar, Senegal, on Nov. 25, 2005. Habre has died in Senegal of COVID-19, aged 79, according to Senegalese officials on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. (Schalk Van Zuydam/AP)

DAKAR, Senegal  Chad's former dictator Hissene Habre, the first former head of state to be convicted of crimes against humanity by an African court after his government was accused of killing 40,000 people, has died in Senegal. He was 79.

Habre, whose case for years showcased Africa's reluctance to put its despots on trial as he lived in luxurious exile, had recently contracted COVID-19 according to local media reports. His death Tuesday at a Dakar hospital was confirmed by Jean Bertrand Bocande, director of the penitentiary administration.

The former dictator, first arrested in Senegal in 2013, had been sentenced to life imprisonment in 2016 but ultimately served about five years in prison following his conviction.

Human rights activists say Chad was a ruthless, one-party state under Habre's rule from 1982 to 1990. A fearsome security service headed by members of Habre's Gorane ethnic group was placed in every village, documenting even the slightest transgressions against the regime, they said.

The list of offenses meriting arrest included speaking ill of Habre, listening to "enemy" radio stations or "performing magical rites to aid the enemy," according to a truth commission appointed shortly after Habre fell from power. That commission concluded Habre's government oversaw 40,000 killings.

"Hissene Habre will go down in history as one of the world's most pitiless dictators, a man who slaughtered his own people, burned down entire villages, sent women to serve as sexual slaves for his troops and built clandestine dungeons to inflict medieval torture on his enemies," tweeted Reed Brody, a human rights lawyer who worked for years to bring Habre to justice.

But even five years after Habre's conviction, "torture survivors and families of the dead have not seen one penny" in compensation, Brody wrote in a piece for Human Rights Watch earlier this year.

"The African Union has failed even to establish the court-mandated trust fund to search for Habre's assets and solicit contributions," he said.

As Senegal confronted a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, some victims' advocates had urged the government to make sure Habre was vaccinated, ensuring he would serve a long sentence behind bars.

"As a victim of Hissene Habre he is a human being like any other. He died  I can't say I'm happy, but that's his fate," said Rachel Ndounodji, who husband was killed during the Habre regime. "But how to forgive him? We are halfway there. And how to forgive him? The victims are not yet compensated."

Lawyer Jacqueline Moudeina, who represents victims' families in Chad, vowed Tuesday to press ahead with those compensation claims despite Habre's death.

For Younous Mahadjir, who was held for four months at the end of Habre's rule for distributing anti-regime pamphlets, the overwhelming impression of the period was fear.

"At any moment they could arrest you," said Mahadjir, who while in detention had water poured down his throat until he lost consciousness. "During Habre's time, to be prudent, when you slept you wore your clothes, because you never knew when they might come for you."

Detainees were subject to a wide range of torture techniques. Some were burned, others were sprayed with poison gas and still more were forced to put their mouths around the exhaust pipes of running vehicles, causing severe burning when the motor accelerated.

Habre was born the son of a farmer in the northern Chadian town of Faya-Largeau in 1942. The country was still under French colonial rule, and he worked as a civilian for the French military before being selected to study in France, where he earned a law degree.

He returned in 1971 to work for Chad's foreign affairs ministry, but he soon became involved in a peasant rebellion of Muslim northerners against the largely southern-dominated Christian government.

His rise did not seem driven by ideology. The final report of the truth commission sharply criticized Habre's opportunism, describing him as "a man without scruples" motivated by power alone. "Thus he would join with the armed rebellion one moment and with the government the next. To win over public sympathy, he portrayed himself by turns as a convinced Maoist and a fervent Muslim," the report said.

In a later passage, the report said that despite Habre's education, his "comportment and thinking are not much different from those of a camel thief."

Habre became prime minister under then-President Felix Malloum in 1978, but Malloum fell from power the following year.

In 1982, Habre deposed President Goukouni Oueddei, beginning his eight years as head of state. Aware that his regime was under threat from Libya, Habre created his security service known as the Directorate of Documentation and Security, or DDS, not long after becoming president.

He received substantial support from the United States and France because he was seen as a "bulwark" against former Libya dictator Moammar Gadhafi, according to Human Rights Watch. Habre received hundreds of millions of dollars in American aid and was invited to the White House, HRW says, while support from France came in the form of arms and logistical support.

Documents left behind by the DDS highlight the extent to which Habre oversaw its day-to-day operations.

"What these documents make very clear is that Hissene Habre was kept informed of virtually everything, from the cloth being used for uniforms to the deaths of prisoners," said Brody who discovered the documents spread across the floor of the old DDS headquarters in Chad's capital, N'Djamena. "What we see here is a control freak, really, who was keeping on top of every detail."

One document says the DDS was intended to serve as the president's eyes and ears, while another notes that a facility for "very special" prisoners was placed near the presidency so Habre could keep tabs on them. The documents mention more than 12,000 victims of Chad's detention network, indicating that Habre received direct communications concerning 900 of them.

Habre fled to Senegal after being overthrown in December 1990. For 22 years, he lived freely and comfortably even during the periods he was technically under house arrest, splitting his time between two large villas in the seaside capital of Dakar  one for his Chadian family, the other for the family he started with a Senegalese woman he took as a second wife.

All this time, Habre's victims were working to bring him to trial and they filed a case against him in Senegal in January 2000. He was indicted the following month, but his lawyers successfully moved for the case to be dismissed, arguing that Senegalese courts could not judge someone for crimes committed in Chad.

A separate case was initiated in Belgium, and Habre was indicted there in 2005. But Senegal refused to take any action. In 2012, the International Court of Justice ruled that Senegal needed either to try Habre or to extradite him "without further delay." In collaboration with the African Union, Senegal established a special tribunal to try Habre, and he was finally arrested at one of his villas on a Sunday morning in June 2013. Two days later, the court formally charged him with war crimes, crimes against humanity and torture.

___

Associated Press journalist Oliver Monodji Mbaindiguim in N'Djamena, Chad, contributed to this report. Robbie Corey-Boulet contributed reporting when he was working for AP in Dakar, Senegal.
Ambassador Bridge in Detroit, Saturday, March 14, 2020. (Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press/TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  The number of non-commercial travelers crossing from the U.S. into Canada more than doubled in the first week after Canada opened its land borders and began allowing vaccinated Americans to enter for non-essential reasons earlier this month.

The rate for American travelers was even higher in the Pacific region, which includes Whatcom County's five border crossings into British Columbia, according to new Canadian Border Services data released Tuesday, Aug. 24.

But all travel numbers remained well below pre-pandemic levels.

After nearly 17 months of restricting travel deemed non-essential in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada began reopening the border, allowing Americans who are fully vaccinated and meet other requirements for entry to begin crossing the border for purposes, such as tourism, shopping and to see family and friends.

Between Aug. 9 and Aug. 15 there were a total of 332,581 highway travelers into Canada, the Canadian Border Services Agency reported. Of those, nearly two-thirds (218,732 travelers) were for non-commercial purposes.

A week earlier (Aug. 2-8), only 209,643 total border crossings and 103,344 non-commercial crossings were recorded by Canada Border Services Agency, meaning there was a 112% increase in non-commercial crossings in the first week after the border was reopened.

In the Pacific Region, 32,296 foreign nationals crossed into Canada Aug. 9-15, which was a 168% increase over the 12,038 foreign national travelers the week before.

But as impressive as that number is, it is still only about a quarter of the 126,862 foreign national travelers to cross into Canada through the Pacific Region during the equivalent week in 2019.

Nationally, the 218,732 non-commercial travelers were only about 15% of the 1.4 million that crossed during an equivalent week in 2019.

Though vaccinated Americans are allowed to cross into Canada, the U.S. has not reciprocated and opened its border for non-essential purposes. The U.S. announced Friday, Aug. 21, that it was extending its closure another month until at least Sept. 21.

Marine opening

The Canada Border Services Agency on Tuesday also reported that it is resuming service at various small marine reporting sites, airports and ferry terminals in accordance with the country's new public health measures that allow vaccinated Americans to cross into Canada.

As of Tuesday, the agency reported it opened British Columbia ferry terminals at the Washington State Ferry Terminal, as well as the Alaska State Ferry Terminal, Belleville Terminal and Blackball terminal.

As with crossing by land, vaccinated Americans must meet all requirements for entry into Canada through marine crossings and travelers must submit mandatory information, including digital proof of their vaccination, through the ArriveCAN app.

(c)2021 The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.)

Visit The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.) at www.bellinghamherald.com

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Afghan families walk toward their plane during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. (Samuel Ruiz/U.S. Marine Corps)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  Over 380 Afghans who supported South Korea in Afghanistan before the Taliban seized power are expected to arrive at an airport outside Seoul on Thursday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The evacuees include locals who worked at the South Korean embassy in Kabul, hospitals, vocational training centers and provincial reconstruction teams.

They are being flown out of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul aboard three South Korean military airplanes, Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jongmoon said during a Wednesday press conference.

Choi cited the countrys moral responsibility to house the Afghans given the serious situations many of them are under. He added that the evacuees will be entering the country not as refugees, but people who have done distinguished service to South Korea.

Some South Korean lawmakers recently said the country ought to act amid the ongoing refugee crisis in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan needs the help of neighboring countries for getting immediate humanitarian aid; however, unfortunately, Europe and many surrounding nations are against accepting refugees from Afghanistan, Rep. Jang Hye-young of the progressive Justice Party said in a Facebook post Friday.

Jang added: We need to actively seek a role we can play in a direction, which is solidarity and cooperation on a global level, instead of shifting all burdens of the acceptance of refugees onto countries surrounding Afghanistan.

Over 3,900 South Korean troops served in Afghanistan, according to a Defense Ministry official who spoke to Stars and Stripes on the customary condition of anonymity Wednesday. One South Korean soldier died after a bomb attack in 2007.

Plans to temporarily relocate evacuees to U.S. bases in South Korea and Japan were scrapped due to logistical and geographical factors, according to a Reuters report on Tuesday.

Over 58,700 people have been flown out of the airport in Kabul since Aug. 14, Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, the Joint Staff's deputy director for regional operations, said during a Pentagon press briefing on Tuesday. Between Monday and Tuesday, 37 U.S. military aircraft transported a daily record of 12,700 people since the operation began, Taylor added.

Roughly 6,000 U.S. troops are deployed to the country to assist in the evacuation.

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern with the Aug. 31 evacuation deadline and dismissed the Talibans mandate for a complete withdrawal by that date. The deadline was moved earlier in April, after President Joe Biden extended the withdrawal date from Sept. 11.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, during an interview with Sky News on Tuesday, described the date as a red line and warned of consequences if it was not met.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy reiterated on Tuesday that there was no way possible for the U.S. to evacuate all necessary personnel by the deadline.

Even from our own reporting, from those who are in charge, will tell you they cant get the job done in that short amount of time, McCarthy said during a press conference. Until every Americans out, we should not be working on anything else.

The Biden administration is currently on pace to meet the Aug. 31 deadline, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday. But, she added, that depends on continued coordination with the Taliban, including continued access for evacuees to the airport.

I am determined to complete our mission, Biden said in a speech Tuesday.
Fu Cong, a Foreign Ministry director general, speaks at a briefing for foreign journalists at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. China went on the offensive Wednesday ahead of the release of a U.S. intelligence report on the origins of the coronavirus, bringing out the senior official to accuse the United States of politicizing the issue by seeking to blame China. (Ng Han Guan/AP)

BEIJING  China went on the offensive Wednesday ahead of the release of a U.S. intelligence report on the origins of the coronavirus, bringing out a senior official to accuse the United States of politicizing the issue by seeking to blame China.

Fu Cong, a Foreign Ministry director general, said at a briefing for foreign journalists that "scapegoating China cannot whitewash the U.S."

"If they want to baselessly accuse China, they better be prepared to accept the counterattack from China," he said.

China, the U.S. and the World Health Organization are entangled in a feud that centers on whether the virus that causes COVID-19 could have leaked from a lab in the city of Wuhan, where the disease was first detected in late 2019.

A joint WHO-China report earlier this year concluded that a lab leak was "extremely unlikely," and China wants the investigation to move on to other possibilities. The most likely scenario, the report said, is that the virus jumped from bats to another animal that then infected humans.

But the findings are not conclusive, and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in late March that "all hypotheses are on the table and warrant complete and further studies."

U.S. President Joe Biden ordered a 90-day review by intelligence agencies of both theories. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that an unclassified version of the report was expected to be released within "several days."

China has responded to continuing speculation about a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology by suggesting the virus could have escaped from Fort Detrick, a U.S. military lab in Maryland.

Fu, who heads the Foreign Ministry's Arms Control Department, denied that China is engaging in a disinformation campaign.

He said that if other parties insist on pursuing the lab leak theory, then the WHO team of researchers should visit Fort Detrick. He portrayed it as a fairness issue, since the WHO has been to the Wuhan institute twice.

"If Dr. Tedros believes that we should not rule out the hypothesis of a lab leak, well, he knows where to go," Fu said. "He needs to go to the U.S. labs."

China notes that the Fort Detrick's infectious disease institute has studied coronaviruses and that it was closed for several months in 2019-20 for safety violations.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte talks during a meeting at the Malacanang Presidential Palace in Manila, Philippines on Tuesday Aug. 24, 2021. Duterte has confirmed rumblings that he will run next year for vice president, in what critics say is an attempt at an end-run around constitutional term limits. ( Karl Alonzo/Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division via AP)

MANILA, Philippines  Tough-talking Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has confirmed rumblings that he will run next year for vice president, in what critics say is an attempt at an end-run around constitutional term limits.

Duterte, who is notorious for his vulgar rhetoric and crackdown on illegal drugs, which has killed thousands of mostly petty suspects, said in comments broadcast Wednesday that he will run for vice president to "continue the crusade."

"I will run for vice president," he said. "I'm worried about the drugs, insurgency. Well, number one is insurgency, then criminality, drugs."

The Philippines has been struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic, with rising infections and death rates and a slow vaccination rollout, but Duterte's popularity ratings have remained high.

Polls suggest that running Duterte in tandem with his daughter, Sara Duterte, currently the mayor of Davao City, as the presidential candidate would be a strong pairing, said Manila-based political analyst Richard Heydarian.

The idea of the two running together has been discussed since 2019, he said, though Duterte advisers have reportedly said that he has suggested he might not run for vice president if his daughter decides to announce a bid for president.

"The campaign for Sara Duterte has more or less kicked off, it seems, almost irrespective of what Duterte's position will be," Heydarian said. "A Duterte/Duterte tandem is increasingly looking like the formidable team to beat in the next year's elections."

Further muddying the waters, however, Sara Duterte posted on Facebook later Wednesday that her father had told her he would run for vice president with his former aide, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go running for president.

She did not address her own aspirations, but said her father and Go should announce publicly that they would run together if they have made that decision.

"I respectfully advise them to stop talking about me and make me the reason for them running or not running," she wrote.

Philippine presidents are limited by the 1987 Constitution to a single six-year term. At least two former presidents, Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, have made successful runs for lower public offices after serving as president, but not for vice president.

If Duterte goes ahead with his run, it will likely face court challenges from the opposition, though Heydarian noted the Supreme Court has strongly supported the president's moves in the past.

A new opposition coalition, 1Sambayan, whose name means One Nation, said Duterte's decision came as "no surprise," and made the coalition "more determined in unifying the democratic forces in responding to the challenge."

"It shows a clear mockery of our constitution and democratic process," the group said. "The candidacy is both legally and morally wrong, and we trust that the Filipino people will realize his brazen, selfish and self-serving motives."

Duterte, 76, had previously hinted that he may run for vice president, and his confirmation Wednesday came after a senior official of his PDP-Laban party on Tuesday said that the president had agreed to run as its candidate.

Duterte "agreed to make the sacrifice and heed the clamor of the people" to run in the May 9 national elections, said Karlo Nograles, PDP-Laban's executive vice president.

The vice president is elected separately from the president under Philippine law. Those who serve in the post could potentially be propelled to the top role if the president dies or is incapacitated for any reason.

If elected vice president, the move would be reminiscent of the machinations of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Duterte once called his "favorite hero," to hold on to power despite being constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term as president in 2008.

Instead, Dmitry Medvedev was elected president and Putin assumed the nominally subservient position of prime minister from 2008 to 2012. Putin was then reelected president in 2012, and Medvedev slid into the prime minister role.

"This is not to say that, should Sara Duterte become the president, that she will be essentially proxy for the president," Heydarian said. "In Davao the two were together in charge (and) there were significant divergences in approaches and policy differences ... so we may see some iteration of that, if ever the tandem makes it to the presidency."

After the news broke that Duterte said he would run, opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros warned that electing Duterte as vice president would mean a continuation of his authoritarian policies.

"Next year a lot is really at stake," she said on the ABS-CBN News Channel.

"The president started his presidential run with a lot of drama, and it looks like he'll be leaving us the same way, trying to confuse us, and we the Filipino people still searching for a true leader."

In June, the International Criminal Court's outgoing chief prosecutor said that a preliminary examination found reason to believe crimes against humanity had been committed during Duterte's anti-drug crackdown, and the "shadow" of that and the discussion of possible sanctions against him also likely factor into Duterte's calculus, Heydarian said.

Still, he said, if the past is any guide, Duterte's true intentions might not be known for some time.

"Let's not forget that President Duterte is known for, or notorious for, his strategy of hedging until the 11th hour, or even past the 11th hour," Heydarian said.

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Rising reported from Bangkok.
Buy Photo People stand for the U.S. national anthem ahead of a Paralympics wheelchair rugby match between the United States and New Zealand at Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

TOKYO  Facing a nationwide surge in new coronavirus cases linked to the delta variant, the Japanese government added another eight prefectures to the 13 already under a state of emergency, according to reports Wednesday in local media.

The governments expert panel on the coronavirus approved a plan to expand the emergency to Miyagi, Gifu, Aichi, Mie, Shiga, Okayama, Hiroshima and Hokkaido, the Asahi newspaper and other outlets reported. A government task force made the decision official Wednesday; the emergency would begin Friday and last until Sept. 12, The Associated Press reported.

The declaration will put 33 of Japans 47 prefectures under some type of public health emergency due to the coronavirus. Currently, 12 prefectures are under what is referred to as a quasi-emergency, which allows prefectural governors to impose similar but less strict restrictions than those requested under an emergency declaration

Under a state of emergency, sale of alcoholic drinks is discouraged, restaurants and bars are expected to close between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. and residents are encouraged to avoid unnecessary travel and work from home, if possible.

Meanwhile, U.S. military bases in Japan reported 55 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Twenty-seven of those cases are people associated with the Marine Corps on Okinawa, according to a Facebook post Wednesday by Marine Corps Installations Pacific. The Marines provided no further information but have said its new cases are not limited to service members.

U.S. Army Japan discovered 11 new cases between Aug. 18 and Wednesday, according to a news release. One came up positive in an airport test by Japanese officials. Five had fallen ill with COVID-19 symptoms. Two were already in restricted movement following their recent arrival in Japan and three were isolated as close contacts of another infected individual.

In northeastern Japan, Misawa Air Base identified 13 people with COVID-19 between Aug. 17 and Monday, according to a base news release Tuesday. They include fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people, though the base provided no further details.

Misawas commander, Col. Jesse Friedel, ordered a limit on gatherings of 20 people or 50% of a rooms capacity, whichever is less, on or off the base. Masks are required for everyone in gatherings of more than 20, with physical fitness activity exempted. Takeout dining only is permitted in nearby Aomori city and Hachinohe.

Three people at Naval Air Facility Atsugi tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday after falling ill, according to a base news release. A fourth turned up positive in an airport test after arriving in Japan. The base has seven people under observation.

In Tokyo, another 4,228 people tested positive Wednesday, 1,158 fewer than a week prior and the third consecutive day of new case numbers trending downward, according to NHK and metro government data.

However, the number of seriously ill people in the city rose to 277, the highest yet during the pandemic.

Tokyo and neighboring Kanagawa prefecture  home to the headquarters for U.S. Forces Japan, U.S. Army Japan, 5th Air Force and 7th Fleet  are already under the emergency declaration until Sept. 12. So are Okinawa, home to the III Marine Expeditionary Force; Osaka, the second-largest metro area in Japan; and Kyoto.

Okinawa prefecture on Wednesday reported its highest one-day new case total, 809, surpassing the previous record set one week ago, 768, according to the prefectural Department of Public Health and Medical Care. The prefecture claims the highest weekly infection rate in Japan, 312.99 per 100,000 population, according to the department.

Ahead of the declaration expected Friday, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni on Wednesday imposed a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. off-base curfew in nearby Hiroshima prefecture for anyone affiliated with the installation. The curfew comes with other new restrictions, according to a post on the air stations Facebook page.

Once an emergency is declared in Hiroshima, air station personnel who live, work or attend school there will be restricted to only essential services outside their homes.

Stars and Stripes reporters Mari Higa and Jonathan Snyder contributed to this report.
President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in Afghanistan in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, on Aug. 22, 2021, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

WASHINGTON  The United States clashed with some of its closest allies over President Joe Biden's insistence on sticking to an Aug. 31 Afghanistan withdrawal date that will shut down a frantic international evacuation effort from Taliban rule.

Biden insisted after virtual talks with leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized democracies Tuesday that the U.S. and its closest allies would "stand shoulder to shoulder" in future action over Afghanistan and the Taliban, despite disappointing them in their urgent pleas now to allow time for more airlifts.

The U.S. president was adamant that the risk of terror attacks was too great to accede to appeals from G-7 leaders to keep what are now 5,800 American troops at Kabul's airport beyond the end of the month, anchoring the airlifts.

Britain and other allies, many of whose troops followed American forces into Afghanistan nearly 20 years ago to deal with the plotters of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, had urged Biden to keep American forces at the Kabul airport longer. No country would be able to evacuate all their citizens and at-risk Afghan allies by the Aug. 31 deadline, allied officials had said.

"We will go on right up until the last moment that we can," said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had openly lobbied to keep the airport presence after Aug. 31. Johnson acknowledged he was unable to sway Biden to extend the U.S. military presence in Tuesday's talks.

"But you've heard what the president of the United States has had to say, you've heard what the Taliban have said," he said.

A senior French official, speaking anonymously in accordance with the French presidency's customary practices, said President Emmanuel Macron had pushed for extending the Aug. 31 deadline but would "adapt" to the American sovereign decision. "That's in the hands of the Americans," he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel briefs the media during a news conference after a virtual G7 summit on Afghanistan at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. (Markus Schreiber, Pool/AP)

In a partial show of unity, G7 leaders agreed on conditions for recognizing and dealing with a future Taliban-led Afghan government, but there was palpable disappointment Biden could not be persuaded to extend the U.S. operation at the Kabul airport to ensure that tens of thousands of Americans, Europeans, other third-country nationals and all at-risk Afghans can be evacuated.

The meeting of the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S. served not only as a bookend to the West's 20-year involvement in Afghanistan that began as a response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks but also a resigned acknowledgment from European powers that the U.S. calls the shots.

"Our immediate priority is to ensure the safe evacuation of our citizens and those Afghans who have partnered with us and assisted our efforts over the past twenty years, and to ensure continuing safe passage out of Afghanistan," the leaders said in a joint statement that did not address precisely how they would guarantee continuing safe passage without any military presence.

Going forward, the leaders said they would "judge the Afghan parties by their actions, not words," echoing previous warnings to the Taliban not to revert to the strict Islamic form of government that they ran when they last held power from 1996 until the U.S.-led invasion that ousted them in 2001.

"In particular, we reaffirm that the Taliban will be held accountable for their actions on preventing terrorism, on human rights in particular those of women, girls and minorities and on pursuing an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan," the leaders said. "The legitimacy of any future government depends on the approach it now takes to uphold its international obligations and commitments to ensure a stable Afghanistan."

Yet, individual leaders offered less sanguine descriptions of the meeting as well as the state of affairs in Afghanistan, which have dramatically changed since the bloc last met in Britain in June. At the time of that summit, Afghanistan had been almost an afterthought with the leaders more concentrated on the coronavirus pandemic, China and Russia. Although Biden had announced his plan for complete withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Cornwall meeting did not anticipate Taliban's rapid takeover.

"I want to stress again that of course the United States of America has the leadership here," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in Berlin after the meeting. "Without the United States of America, for example, we -- the others -- cannot continue the evacuation mission."

On Monday, CIA chief William Burns met with Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul in talks in which the Taliban underscored they would not accept a U.S. military presence at the airport beyond Aug. 31.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Tuesday said his group would accept "no extensions" to the deadline.

The G-7 leaders were also joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

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AP writers Nomaan Merchant in Washington, Jonathan Lemire in Lowell, Mass., Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Ellen Knickmeyer in Oklahoma City and Frank Jordans in Berlin, contributed to this report.
President Joe Biden speaks Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, about the situation in Afghanistan in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP )

President Joe Biden will not extend the Aug. 31 deadline to remove all American troops from Afghanistan, at least for now, he said Tuesday after meeting with world leaders amid concerns the U.S.-led evacuation mission cannot be completed in one week.

We are currently on a pace to finish [evacuation operations] by Aug. 31. The sooner we can finish, the better, Biden said Tuesday in a White House address. Each day of operations brings added risk for our troops.

The president spoke hours after he met virtually with G7 leaders, some of whom were reported to have pressured him to keep U.S. troops at Kabuls Hamid Karzai International Airport beyond the end date that Biden set long before the Taliban overran Afghanistan two weeks ago. Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers also urged Biden to extend the mission.

But the president stuck to his deadline on Tuesday, citing among other concerns the growing fears of the potential for a terrorist attack on the Kabul airport, primarily from the Islamic States Afghan affiliate, known as ISIS-K.

I'm determined to ensure that we complete our mission  this mission, and Im also mindful of the increasing risks that I've been briefed on, the need to factor those risks in, Biden said. They're real and significant challenges that we have to take into consideration.

Every day we're on the ground is it another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians.

His decision also came as the Taliban warned it would not accept a deadline extension and would begin blocking Afghans from evacuation paths in Kabul.

Biden said he had directed the Pentagon and the State Department to develop contingency plans to adjust the withdrawal timetable quickly, should that become necessary.

The Pentagons evacuation mission from Kabuls airport, the only ground the United States and its allies retain in all of Afghanistan, has ramped up in recent days, defense officials have said. The U.S. military on Tuesday reported its largest evacuation total for a 24-hour period to date, announcing 37 U.S. Air Force planes had removed 12,700 Americans and Afghans from Kabul.

In total, some 21,600 people were evacuated from the airport, known as HKIA, during the previous 24 hours via U.S. and partner nation military aircraft and charter flights, Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, the Joint Staffs deputy director for regional operations, said Tuesday morning. Biden said Tuesday evening that another roughly 12,000 people had been evacuated Tuesday, including about 6,400 evacuees on 19 U.S. military flights.

News and social media reports showed Tuesday that massive crowds of desperate Afghans remained outside HKIA, where U.S. military officials reported a firefight on Monday had killed an Afghan soldier helping secure the airport. Several other Afghans have been killed in the chaos on the airfield in the hours after the Taliban entered Kabul, and in the crush of evacuation hopefuls outside HKIAs walls in the days since, U.S. officials have said.

Despite the troubles, which at least twice have forced hourslong pauses to flights in and out of Kabul, some 70,700 people had been evacuated from Kabul since Aug. 14, one day before the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital, Biden said. Among them, were some 4,000 American passport holders and their families, John Kirby, the Pentagons top spokesman, said Tuesday.

Pentagon officials said the evacuation efforts in recent days, which have exceeded Defense Department goals for the numbers of people removed, should continue at pace during the coming days. The U.S. military is evacuating people from Kabul to 14 temporary holding locations in the Middle East and Europe, Kirby said.

Kirby and other Defense Department officials have said they believe they can get all Americans who want to leave Afghanistan out of the country by Aug. 31.

But it was unclear precisely how long the evacuation efforts can continue or how many American citizens and U.S.-allied or at-risk Afghans remain to be pulled out of the country. Kirby acknowledged the military would need to at least scale back civilian evacuation efforts at some point before Aug. 31 to remove the roughly 5,800 U.S. troops at the airport and their equipment, which includes armored vehicles and helicopters.

He said several hundred troops have already left Afghanistan as part of the continuing military drawdown efforts.

These troops represent a mix of headquarters staff, maintenance and other enabling functions that were scheduled to leave and whose mission at the airport was complete, Kirby wrote in an email to Pentagon reporters.

He said the departure members represents prudent and efficient force management and will have no impact on the mission at hand.

Kirby also said the military will also attempt to remove or destroy remaining equipment in the Afghanistan as part of the ongoing withdrawal process before time runs out.

Theres a strong bias to be able to get our material out with our people, he said. If there needs to be destruction or other disposition of equipment there at Hamid Karzai International Airport, then well do that.

"We want to preserve as much capability as long as we can to continue to conduct evacuations while safely removing our people and our equipment, all at the same time, Kirby said.

Biden on Tuesday did not rule out extending the Aug. 31 deadline.

But Taliban spokesmen in recent days have said they consider that date a redline, and warned any violation would be met with consequences, which they have not described.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday that the group would no longer allow Afghans to reach HKIA in a bid to keep them in the country, and he encouraged the U.S. government to stop encouraging Afghans to leave, according to The Washington Post. He said the Taliban especially wanted educated people, including doctors and engineers, to remain in Kabul, and might block their passage to the airport.

We need those people in the country, Mujahid said in a news conference from Kabul.

U.S. military leaders at HKIA have been regular contact with Taliban commanders in Kabul, Kirby said. The hardline Islamist group has been very clear about what their expectations are regarding Aug 31.

The public and private statements [from the Taliban] are the same, Kirby said, decline to provide more detail about those communications. [We are] not seeing much dissonance.

Bidens announcement that he would not extend the deadline was swiftly met with bipartisan anger and promises to push back on the White House decision.

Some Democrats opposing the Aug. 31 withdrawal included Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, who served in Afghanistan as an Army Ranger, and Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA officer and senior Pentagon official, CNN reported.

The deadline is when the mission is accomplished and we bring our people home, Crow told CNN after a classified briefing for House lawmakers on the Afghanistan mission.

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., demanded Biden dismiss the Talibans threats over remaining past Aug. 31. If necessary, he said, U.S. troops should spill Taliban, al-Qaida, and ISIS blood to continue the mission to remove Americans from Afghanistan.

Damn the deadline, Sasse said in a statement. The American people are not going to surrender our fellow citizens to the Taliban. Americans want us to stay until we get our people out, and so do our allies.  If President Biden accepts the Talibans terms, hell be the one holding the shovel in Afghanistan's 'graveyard of empires. 

Stars and Stripes reporter Caitlin Doornbos contributed to this report.
Charlotte Maxwell-Jones, founder of Kabul Small Animal Rescue, plays with rescued dogs in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2019. Maxwell-Jones is trying to get the organizations staff and up to 250 animals evacuated from the country before the end of August. (Kabul Small Animal Rescue)

The head of an animal rescue clinic in Kabul that has helped American troops bring home cats and dogs from Afghanistan after their deployments is racing to evacuate staff and hundreds of animals by the end of the month.

Charlotte Maxwell-Jones, an American who founded Kabul Small Animal Rescue in 2018, was recently told by the Taliban to leave Afghanistan. But she doesnt intend to go until shes secured the departure of about 125 people, including her employees and their family members, and as many as 250 animals, she said.

Were not going to leave them, Maxwell-Jones said in a phone interview Tuesday.

She acknowledged that she has little time left to organize the exit. U.S. forces are scheduled to leave Afghanistan by Aug. 31 and its unclear how many civilians will be able to leave at the very end, when U.S. and foreign forces fly themselves out.

The rescue has received some $700,000 in donations over the past week through online sites, grants and smaller fundraisers. The money is intended to pay for a chartered flight or flights, but logistical challenges remain that make coordinating with the U.S. military and the Taliban necessary.

Charlotte Maxwell-Jones, founder of Kabul Small Animal Rescue, transports rescued dogs in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2020. (Kabul Small Animal Rescue)

The biggest hurdle is finding a third country that will allow a plane carrying animals to land. All the animals Kabul Small Animal Rescue is trying to evacuate have paperwork to enter the U.S., but all of its Afghan staffers have applied for P1 visas, which require applicants to be vetted in a third country.

We need a landing permit for our animals, Maxwell-Jones said in an impassioned video message posted on Twitter on Monday. We need a landing permit because I think its going to continue to get more difficult.

The video was posted the same day that a group of about a dozen Taliban officials, including one holding a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, showed up at Maxwell-Jones Kabul residence and told her to leave the country, she said.

Im not armed. They just came into my house, she said.

They said NGOs would be allowed to stay, she added, referring to a previous statement on the status of nongovernmental organizations by the group. I think everybody believes thats a lie.

Afghans pose with rescued animals at the Kabul Small Animal Rescue clinic. (Kabul Small Animal Rescue)

Maxwell-Jones told the Taliban she was in the process of leaving with her staff and needed more time. Taliban guards have been stationed at her house since then and the group has agreed to escort her and the staff to the airport in the coming days, she said.

Tens of thousands of Afghans desperate to leave the country have surrounded the Kabul airport since the Talibans lightning takeover of the city Aug. 15. The crowds make entry difficult and pose another obstacle to the rescue groups evacuation.

Yet another hurdle is getting permission from the U.S. military to land a chartered flight at the airport.

Maxwell-Jones said that when she first called U.S. officials and told them she wanted to evacuate animals, they dismissed her.

Now people in the U.S. are getting their senators and state [representatives] to go through it for us, so were getting a bit more traction, Maxwell-Jones said.

But as of Wednesday afternoon, permission still hadnt been granted and time was running out.

Despite the chaotic scenes at Kabuls airport and fears that some Americans and at-risk Afghans may be left behind, President Joe Biden has ruled out any extension of the deadline, The Associated Press reported Tuesday. The Taliban also were adamant that the U.S. withdraw by the deadline date at a press conference Tuesday.

Rescued dogs pictured in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2021. Charlotte Maxwell-Jones, an American who founded Kabul Small Animal Rescue in 2018, is racing to evacuate employees and hundreds of animals from the country by the end of the month. (Kabul Small Animal Rescue)

Even as they prepare to leave, staffers at Kabul Small Animal Rescue have been collecting dogs and cats left behind by others forced to flee.

Maxwell-Jones founded the animal rescue group in 2018 as a side project while working with the Heart of Asia Society, a think tank working toward sustainable peace in the country.

Her organization rescues strays, provides veterinary services and helps ship animals abroad for adoption.

Maxwell-Jones said in an April interview that two-thirds of the dogs she had shipped to the U.S. in the previous week had been for service members, who befriended the animals while deployed in the country.

Kabul Small Animal Rescue isnt the only organization trying to evacuate animals from Afghanistan amid the Taliban takeover.

Nowzad, a Kabul shelter founded by British former Marine Paul Farthing, has been campaigning to have its employees, their families and 200 dogs and cats brought out in what has been dubbed Operation Ark.

Some have criticized the operation for putting pets before people, but Farthing has said the animals will travel in a hold where people cant go, meaning that the main section of Nowzads privately funded plane will be able to carry more people out of the country.

Maxwell-Jones responded to similar criticisms about her organization's aim to help cats and dogs.

I realize that its not everybody elses passion, but these are private donations, she said. I think that their lives matter, and I have put blood, sweat and tears into this organization thats specifically for saving animals. And I dont intend to stop now.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, speaks about the situation in Afghanistan during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. commander in Kabul sent home 400 American troops from Afghanistan to make more room for operations at the citys airport where thousands are being evacuated daily, chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday.

Time and space are at a premium at the airport, he told reporters at the Pentagon. It was the prudent thing to do to let several hundred troops leave the airport.

Some of those troops sent home were part of the initial American forces scheduled to leave the country as part of the U.S. military drawdown, though others were deployed to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul less than two weeks ago to provide security and support for the evacuation mission, Kirby said.

About 5,400 U.S. service members remain at the airport evacuating thousands of Americans and Afghans seeking special immigrant visas to enter the U.S. before the Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw.

We know there are a lot of desperate people who want to leave, and that's why we are working as fast as we can, Kirby said. We're working as fast as we can to get out American citizens, special immigrant visa applicants and vulnerable Afghans.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby with U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Taylor, Joint Staff Operations, speaks about the situation in Afghanistan during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

On Tuesday, aircraft were departing the Kabul airport every 39 minutes, ushering out about 19,000 people on 90 U.S. and coalition flights. Most of those efforts were U.S. planes, with 42 military aircraft evacuating 11,200 of the evacuees  down from 12,700 the previous day, but still higher than the Pentagons earlier stated goal of evacuating 5,000-9,000 people daily.

Since Aug. 14, U.S. and coalition forces have evacuated 88,000 people, 4,400 of whom are Americans, Kirby said.

U.S. forces at the airport have continued missions into the city to escort evacuees to the airport. On Tuesday night, U.S. commanders sent helicopters to rescue less than 20 evacuees stuck at an undisclosed place in Kabul unable to get safely through the Taliban checkpoints and crowds surrounding the airport, Kirby said.

It was the third reported time that the U.S. military has left the airport to bring stranded evacuees into the facility since Thursday, as most of the efforts by American troops have occurred inside the airport since the Taliban captured Kabul on Aug. 14.

Bustling crowds and confusion at Taliban checkpoints and military-guarded airport gates continue to prevent some eligible evacuees from entering the airfield, though troops and the Taliban have been instructed to let those with valid documentation to pass, Kirby said.

It's a constant and communication on the ground with them to keep that flow going as much as possible, but yes, there are stops and starts, there are hurdles that have to be overcome almost on any given day, he said.

Part of those stops and starts is a capacity issue inside the airport, Kirby said. On Wednesday morning, there were already 10,000 people in the airport waiting for evacuation flights, said Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, the Joint Staffs deputy director for regional operations.

With the withdrawal deadline looming, Kirby said moving out military capability and military resources will take priority in the evacuation efforts in the final days leading up to Aug. 31.

That doesn't mean that that if you're an evacuee and you need to get out that we're not going to try to get you out, but we will have to reserve some capacity in those last couple of days to prioritize the military footprint leaving, he said. Lives will always be the chief priority throughout this entire process.
Ernest Hollis looks for items at his granddaughter's house that was devastated by floodwaters, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, in Waverly, Tenn. Heavy rains caused flooding in Middle Tennessee days ago and have resulted in multiple deaths, and missing people as homes and rural roads were also washed away. (John Amis/AP)

WAVERLY, Tenn.  Crews with chainsaws and heavy equipment cleared their way through trees densely matted with vegetation, garbage and debris from homes Tuesday as searchers scoured a normally shallow creek for more flooding victims in rural Tennessee.

Even cars and sheds were woven into the tangle of debris lining Trace Creek in Humphreys County, where the town of Waverly saw the most death and destruction from Saturday's flooding that killed 18 people.

Humphreys County Chief Deputy Rob Edwards said excavators were moving the largest pieces of debris as search teams started from Waverly and moved slowly downstream. Fewer than 10 people remained unaccounted for Tuesday.

Others were searching several miles downstream with drones, Edwards said. It's difficult to know how far the bodies might have been carried, but one car was found about a half-mile from where it had been parked.

Sheriff's deputies and police were aided by crews from agencies all over the state, he said. The teams have cadaver dogs at the ready if they suspect a body might be nearby. With the heat in the mid-80s and rising, it was not difficult to detect the odor of decay, Edwards said, although crews also were finding animals.

Authorities revised the confirmed death toll to 18 people Tuesday, a drop from as high as 22. Waverly police Chief Grant Gillespie said at a news conference that some people who were in the emergency room and died of natural causes were mistakenly added to the count. Gillespie said John and Jane Doe victims twice were not crossed off the list once they were identified.

Gillespie said authorities had detectives follow up on each case and confirm the numbers, which now line up with the state tally.

"Just an honest mistake, and I hope everybody understands that," Gillespie said. "It's still a tremendous loss of life. I hope that number doesn't grow."

A trailer and car were swept up by flash flooding recently, shown Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, in Waverly, Tenn. (John Amis/AP)

Three people are still on the list of those missing who witnesses said they saw in the water, he said.

The flooding took out roads, cellphone towers and telephone lines, leaving people uncertain about whether family and friends survived the unprecedented deluge, with rainfall that more than tripled forecasts and shattered the state's one-day record.

It also left large swaths of the community suddenly displaced, leaving many to sort through difficult decisions about what comes next.

GoFundMe pages sought help for funeral expenses for the dead, including 7-month-old twins swept from their father's arms as they tried to escape.

Matthew Rigney and Danielle Hall described to WTVF-TV how the water began to rage through their apartment where they sheltered with their four children.

"I had the twins in my arms, I had (19-month-old) Brayla on my hip and I had (5-year-old) Maleah wrapped around my neck," Rigney told the news station, his voice trembling behind tears. "The water, when it hit us it just pulled us under, all of us and we were trapped underneath a bed."

Hall said she was trying to climb out the window to go to a nearby store for help and ended up having to grab onto a tree for her life.

The other two children survived.

"I was trying to find all of them, and Leah came up like a big girl. You swam like a big girl, and I'm so proud of you," Rigney said to Maleah, who sat with her family on the couch during the interview.

A neighbor helped Rigney and the two children up to the roof. Hall was ultimately rescued from the tree by boat.

Many of the missing live in the neighborhoods where the water rose the fastest, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said.

School was canceled for the week, according to the sheriff's office. Waverly Elementary and Waverly Junior High had extensive damage, according to Kristi Brown, coordinated health and safety supervisor with Humphreys County Schools.

About 750 customers were without power Tuesday, down from 2,000 the night before, utility officials said.

Meanwhile, the state received approval from President Joe Biden for a major disaster declaration, which frees up federal aid to help with recovery efforts in Humphreys County, the White House said in a statement Tuesday.

After touring the area on Sunday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee called it a "devastating picture of loss and heartache."

___

Associated Press contributors include Julie Walker in New York.
The Boeing manufacturing facility in North Charleston, S.C., on May 4, 2020. (Sam Wolfe/Bloomberg)

The Federal Aviation Administration plans to investigate fresh concerns that Boeing employees tapped to conduct safety work on behalf of the government face pressure to serve the company's interests rather than those of the public.

In a letter to Boeing released Tuesday, the FAA summarized a recent investigation into the company's Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) unit, saying some employees described conflicts of interest, pressure from Boeing staff and struggles to be transparent with the government. The unit's employees are on Boeing's payroll but conduct oversight work for the FAA.

"Boeing's company culture appears to hamper members of the ODA unit from communicating openly with the FAA," wrote Ian Won, acting manager of the FAA's Boeing safety oversight office. "Further, the organizational structure also appears to provide a strong influence on how unit members are appointed, managed, and allowed to perform authorized functions, which provides ample opportunity for interference rather than independence."

Some Boeing employees have long harbored similar concerns, which were highlighted during investigations into the flawed development of the 737 Max. Congress rewrote aviation safety laws after investigating how two of the jets became involved in deadly crashes months apart, aiming to strengthen the FAA's oversight of Boeing.

One Boeing employee involved in the preliminary stages of the new FAA investigation described a corporate culture promoting the view that employees were "supposed to be a rubber stamp," according to excerpts Wobn shared with Boeing. Another said they "were very aware that my bringing up issues is not appreciated."

The agency's investigation, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, was conducted between May and July, according to Won's letter. It involved interviewing 32 Boeing staff members, said FAA spokeswoman Crystal Essiaw.

In his letter, Won outlined a plan to conduct an anonymous survey of all 1,400 employees in the safety unit. The agency would then work with Boeing to address problems, according to the FAA's letter.

Boeing said it has referred the FAA's preliminary results for an internal review, reiterated to managers they are expected to respect the safety unit's independence and supports the FAA's plan to carry out a further survey.

"We take these matters with the utmost seriousness, and are continuously working to improve the processes we have in place to ensure the independence of the ODA unit members," the company said in a statement.

The FAA doesn't have enough staff to fully conduct safety reviews of new Boeing aircraft designs and manufactures. Instead, it relies on company employees to take on much of the work on its behalf.

The employees in the department are supposed to be independent and focused on safety. But the new concerns identified by the FAA echo problems that House Transportation Committee investigators highlighted in their review of the Max crashes and past warnings from the Transportation Department's inspector general.

An internal Boeing review from 2016, during the development of the Max, found that about a third of safety unit employees were concerned about interference from other parts of the company and the consequences of reporting their worries. In interviews with the House committee staff, two senior Boeing officials dismissed the concerns.

Nonetheless, the committee concluded that Boeing staff who "were supposed to serve as the eyes and ears of the FAA on the ground at Boeing, instead left the FAA largely in the dark about issues that impacted certification, conformity and safety-related matters."

The House investigation helped spur changes to a law, passed in December, designed to give the FAA new tools to ensure Boeing and other manufacturers follow safety rules.

The FAA cleared the Max as safe to fly again in November after grounding it for almost two years while Boeing worked on fixes to software implicated in crashes that killed 346 people.

Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore., chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said he was "deeply troubled, but not surprised" by the results of the latest FAA investigation.

"Changing these cultural issues that undermine safety and jeopardize the public will take time," he said. "The FAA needs to ensure it is moving as fast as possible to install a new culture at FAA and Boeing that is based solely on a safety-first mentality."

The new review of the safety unit underscores the FAA's efforts to hold Boeing accountable. In February, the agency fined Boeing $5.4 million for not meeting the terms of a wide-ranging legal settlement with the government. At the same time, it issued fines for another $1.2 million to resolve allegations that managers had interfered with safety unit members working on the 787.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks at a news conference on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

WASHINGTON  House Republicans and Democrats urged President Joe Biden on Tuesday to extend the deadline to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan in order to evacuate all Americans and Afghan allies.

Biden decided Tuesday to stick with the Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw U.S. military forces from the country, citing the increasing rate of evacuations and the security risks, now that Afghanistan is under Taliban control. Biden relayed his decision Tuesday morning to the Group of Seven, an intergovernmental forum that includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Japan.

House Republicans blasted the decision in a news conference Tuesday and argued it wasnt possible to evacuate all Americans and Afghan allies in the next week. They warned people would be left behind.

Theres no possible way that we can get every American still in Afghanistan out in the next seven days, said Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. I want to be very clear with him: Dont pick the date, solve the problem. Make sure every American is out, then that will be the day we depart.

McCarthy, the House minority leader, attended a classified briefing about Afghanistan on Tuesday. McCarthy said the information relayed in the briefing made him less confident about Americas effort to evacuate U.S. citizens and allies.

Some Democrats agreed. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said after a classified briefing Monday that it was very unlikely the United States could evacuate all Americans and allies by Aug. 31.

Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, issued a statement Tuesday, encouraging Biden to extend the deadline to allow more time to help Americas wartime partners to leave Afghanistan. Some Afghanistan War veterans are trying to assist their Afghan friends obtain special immigrant visas in order to get out of the country, Takano said.

Despite great risks to themselves, our Afghan allies stepped up to help us, he said. For those veterans who want to help the allies who supported them, we must ensure they have time to do so.

The White House said Tuesday, however, that evacuation rates were surpassing their daily goals. In the past 24 hours, about 21,600 people were evacuated from the country. The Department of Defense said the pace of military flights out of Kabul is one departure every 45 minutes.

In total, 76,000 people have been evacuated since the end of July, the White House said.

Some of Bidens advisers also want to withdraw by Aug. 31 out of concern for the safety of American troops who might be in danger if the United States stays in the country past the deadline that was agreed upon with the Taliban. White House officials said they speak with Taliban representatives on a daily basis, and they have said the deadline is firm.

McCarthy balked Tuesday at Bidens negotiations with the Taliban.

At no time should America ever bend, he said. We should stay until every single American can get out. We shouldnt negotiate it. We should explain it.
Smoke from the Caldor Fire, shrouds Fallen Leaf Lake near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. The massive wildfire, that is over a week old, has scorched more than 190 square miles and destroyed hundreds of homes since Aug. 14. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.  A California fire that gutted hundreds of homes advanced toward Lake Tahoe on Wednesday as thousands of firefighters tried to box in the flames and tourists who hoped to boat or swim were enveloped in a thick yellow haze of the nation's worst air.

The Caldor Fire spread to within 20 miles southwest of the lake that straddles the California-Nevada state line, eating its way through rugged timberlands and "knocking on the door" of the Lake Tahoe basin, California's state fire chief Thom Porter warned this week.

Ash rained down on Tuesday and tourists ducked into cafes, outdoor gear shops and casinos on Lake Tahoe Boulevard for a respite from the unhealthy air.

South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe City on the west shore had the nation's worst air pollution at midmorning Wednesday, reaching 334, in the "hazardous" category of the 0-500 Air Quality Index, according to AirNow, a partnership of federal, state and local air agencies.

Inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, cocktail waitresses in fishnet stockings and leopard-print corsets served customers playing slots and blackjack.

Sitting at a slot machine near a window looking out at cars driving through the haze, Ramona Trejo said she and her husband would stay for their 50th wedding anniversary, as planned.

Trejo, who uses supplemental oxygen due to respiratory problems, said her husband wanted to keep gambling.

"I would want to go now," she said.

South of Tahoe, Rick Nelson and his wife, Diane, had planned to host a weekend wedding at Fallen Leaf Lake, where his daughter and her fiance had met. However, the smoke caused most of the community to leave. The sun was an eerie blood orange and the floats and boats in the lake were obscured by haze.

In the end, the Nelsons spent two days arranging to have the wedding moved from the glacial lake several hours southwest to the San Francisco Bay Area.

"Everybody's trying to make accommodations for the smoke. And I think it's becoming a reality for us, unfortunately," Diane Nelson said. "I just think that the smoke and the fires have gotten bigger, hotter and faster-moving."

Climate change has made the 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.

Although there were no evacuations ordered for Lake Tahoe, it was impossible to ignore a blanket of haze so thick and vast that it closed schools for two days in Reno, Nevada, which is about 60 miles from the fire.

The school district that includes Reno reopened most schools on Wednesday, citing improved air quality conditions. However, the Washoe County School District's schools in Incline Village on the north shore of Lake Tahoe remained closed, the district said in a statement.

The last major blaze in the area, during the summer of 2007, took South Lake Tahoe by surprise after blowing up from an illegal campfire. The Angora Fire burned less than 5 square miles but destroyed 254 homes, injured three people and forced 2,000 people to flee.

The Caldor fire has scorched more than 197 square miles and destroyed at least 461 homes since Aug. 14 in the Sierra Nevada southwest of the lake. It was 11% contained and threatened more than 17,000 structures.

The western side of the blaze continued to threaten more than a dozen small communities and wineries. On the fire's eastern side, crews bulldozed fire lines, opened up narrow logging roads and cleared ridgetops in hopes of stopping its advance, fire officials said.

More than 2,500 firefighters were on the line and more resources were streaming in, including big firefighting aircraft, fire officials said.

"It's the No. 1 fire in the country right now ... there's dozens of crews and dozers and engines and others that are on their way right now," said Jeff Marsolais, supervisor for the Eldorado National Forest and an administrator on the fire.

The resources were desperately needed.

"This fire has just simply outpaced us. We emptied the cupboards of resources," Marsolais said, adding that while the blaze had slowed its explosive growth in recent days, "that can change."

Meanwhile, California's Dixie Fire, the second-largest in state history at 1,148 square miles, was burning only about 65 miles to the north. It was 43% contained. At least 682 homes were among more than 1,270 buildings that have been destroyed.

In the southern Sierra Nevada, there was growing concern as the French Fire expanded near Lake Isabella, a popular fishing and boating destination. About 10 communities were under evacuation orders. The fire has blackened 32 square miles since Aug. 18.

Nationally, 92 large fires were burning in a dozen mainly Western states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.

Northern California has experienced a series of disastrous blazes that have burned hundreds of homes and many remain uncontained.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden declared that a major disaster exists in California and ordered federal aid made available to local governments, agencies and fire victims in four northern counties ravaged by blazes dating back to July 14.

___

Melley and AP reporter John Antczak reported from Los Angeles.

Sam Metz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Buy Photo Capitol Police officers stand at an entry point through fencing that surrounds the Capitol complex on March 3, 2021. (JOE GROMELSKI/Stars and Stripes)

The federal government plans to expand its use of facial recognition to pursue criminals and scan for threats, an internal survey has found, even as concerns grow about the technology's potential for contributing to improper surveillance and false arrests.

Ten federal agencies  the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Interior, Justice, State, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs  told the Government Accountability Office that they intend to grow their facial recognition capabilities by 2023, the GAO said in a report posted to its website Tuesday.

Most of the agencies use face-scanning technology so employees can unlock their phones and laptops or access buildings, though a growing number said they are using the software to track people and investigate crime. The Department of Agriculture, for instance, said it wants to use it to monitor live surveillance feeds at its facilities and send an alert if it spots any faces also found on a watch list.

The government's expansion comes as major tech companies have pushed to stall law enforcement's adoption of the software. Amazon said in May that it had stopped selling its facial recognition software Rekognition to U.S. police, citing the lack of federal laws governing how the software should be used. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos also owns The Washington Post.)

Three states  Virginia, Massachusetts and Maine  and more than a dozen cities, including Boston, Portland and San Francisco, have banned or restricted the technology's use by public officials or police.

Representatives from both parties voiced concerns about the technology during a House Judiciary Committee hearing last month. And Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., in April introduced a bill that would ban the government from using facial recognition systems that relied on data that had been "illegitimately obtained."

Proponents say the software's accuracy is improving and that it has played a critical role in helping track and identify major criminals. But the technology's accuracy has been shown in research to vary wildly depending on the skin color of the person being surveilled. Facial recognition searches have been cited in at least three wrongful arrests, all of which were of Black men, and in the identification of protesters accused of violence during demonstrations over the murder of George Floyd.

"Even with all the privacy issues and accuracy problems, the government is pretty much saying, 'Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead,'" said Jake Laperruque, a senior counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, an independent watchdog group in Washington.

Many of the technology's uses are commonplace or uncontroversial, including for secure-doorway access or to match a person's face to their passport, Laperruque said. But some of its more pervasive law-enforcement uses "present a really big surveillance threat that only Congress can solve."

The GAO said in June that 20 federal agencies have used either internally developed or privately run facial recognition software, even though 13 of those agencies said they did not "have awareness" of which private systems they used and had therefore "not fully assessed the potential risks ... to privacy and accuracy."

In the current report, the GAO said several agencies, including the Justice Department, the Air Force and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, reported that they had used facial recognition software from Clearview AI, a firm that has faced lawsuits from privacy groups and legal demands from Google and Facebook after it copied billions of facial images from social media without their approval.

Some, including the U.S. Secret Service, said they'd tested the service's free trial. The U.S. Park Police said it stopped using the service last June, the same month that the Fish and Wildlife Service reported it had purchased an annual subscription, the GAO reported.

Many federal agencies said they used the software by requesting that officials in state and local governments run searches on their own software and report the results. Many searches were routed through a nationwide network of "fusion centers," which local police and federal investigators use to share information on potential threats or terrorist attacks. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, for instance, told the GAO it used Clearview's software for free by requesting help from an agent stationed at a fusion center in New York.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which The Washington Post has reported uses databases of driver's licenses, license plates and private utility records to pursue immigration violations or other crimes, said it had awarded a contract to enhance its facial recognition system with a database of "transnational gang members."

Ten agencies also said they were researching how to upgrade or build new facial recognition features, such as improving the systems' ability to recognize people wearing masks. The State Department said it had researched how the process of aging could affect the systems' accuracy for assessing children's passport photos, the GAO report said.

The Department of Transportation said it had researched monitoring systems to analyze a commercial truck driver's eyes for signs of distraction, drowsiness or fatigue, similar to the systems used today by Amazon to monitor its delivery drivers. The agency said it also had studied eye-tracking systems to measure the alertness of train drivers and air traffic controllers.

The GAO report did not address questions of how effective the systems are. But privacy advocates have argued that the trade-offs and risks surrounding the technology's expansion are often not worth the end result.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, who have called the technology "the way of the future," said earlier this month that they had run facial recognition scans on more than 88 million travelers at airports, cruise ports and border crossings. The systems, the officials said, have detected 850 impostors since 2018  or about 1 in every 103,000 faces scanned.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Tribune News Service)  On a Sunday in May, a boat pulled up to the dock at a U.S. Marine base in North Carolina and dropped off three people who military police later learned had entered the country illegally.

Now a married couple is facing prison.

Timothy Scott Belcher, 56, and Georgina Belcher, 63, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges of transporting workers in the U.S. illegally, prosecutors in the Eastern District of North Carolina said. The Belchers are accused of smuggling the workers on a motorboat into Camp Lejeune.

Prosecutors said they were brought to the dock to circumvent an ID check at the base gate.

According to a news release, the workers were employed by Georgina Belcher at her drywall company that had been contracted by the U.S. military. They were picked up in nearby Jacksonville, a city in Onslow County that sits on the New River, and dropped off several miles down river at Wilson Boat dock.

Since Georgina employed (people) unlawfully present in the U.S., she asked Timothy to put them on his boat and (smuggle) them on to base, the government said.

A civilian reportedly saw the boat pull up on May 2 with the workers, who climbed into a waiting Jeep Cherokee owned by Georgina Belcher. Prosecutors said military police caught up with them shortly thereafter.

According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, the Belchers admitted to smuggling workers onto the base and paying them between $100 and $150 a day to install drywall for Georgina Belchers company.

The couple faces up to five years in prison, $250,000 in fines and three years of supervised release when they are sentenced Nov. 16, prosecutors said.

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Buy Photo Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, speaks Wednesday, June 6, 2018, at Arlington National Cemetery during a ceremony honoring her father on the 50th anniversary of his death. (Michael S. Darnell/Stars and Stripes )

Sirhan B. Sirhan, convicted of the 1968 assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, will face a California parole board for the 16th time Friday in a prison outside San Diego. But unlike the first 15 times, no prosecutor will stand to oppose the release of Sirhan, who is now 77.

Sirhan was arrested at the scene of Kennedy's fatal shooting in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death for the slaying of a U.S. senator who appeared headed for the Democratic nomination for president. Coming just two months after the killing of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the two assassinations created a turning point in American history with the sudden elimination of the charismatic leaders of the American civil rights movement and the Democratic Party.

When California eliminated the death penalty, Sirhan's sentence was reduced to life with the possibility of parole. And now Sirhan, incarcerated for 53 years, may benefit from a new push among progressive prosecutors to seek the release, or not oppose the release, of convicts who have served decades behind bars, no longer pose a threat to society, and will be costly to treat medically in their later years.

Newly elected Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon told The Washington Post shortly before his inauguration in December that he was launching a sentencing review unit to revisit the cases of about 20,000 prisoners for possible resentencing, analyzing both the fairness of long sentences and the cost savings for releasing low-risk or older inmates. Gascon also issued a directive that his office's "default policy" would be to not attend parole hearings and to submit letters supporting the release of some inmates who had served their mandatory minimums, while also providing assistance to victims and victim advocates at parole hearings if requested.

In Sirhan's case, Gascon's office is remaining neutral. The office said it would not attend the parole hearing, as Los Angeles prosecutors have done historically, but it also would not send a letter in support of Sirhan's parole.

"The role of a prosecutor and their access to information ends at sentencing," said Alex Bastian, special adviser to Gascon. "The parole board's sole purpose is to objectively determine whether someone is suitable for release. If someone is the same person that committed an atrocious crime, that person will correctly not be found suitable for release. However, if someone is no longer a threat to public safety after having served more than 50 years in prison, then the parole board may recommend release based on an objective determination."

Kennedy is survived by his wife, Ethel Kennedy, and nine children, many of whom declined to comment. The family has not submitted any letters taking a position on Sirhan's parole and have not requested to speak at Friday's hearing.

In 2018, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told The Post that he believed that Sirhan was innocent of the killing of his father, and had met with Sirhan in prison to tell him so. Kennedy said this week that he supported Sirhan's parole application and that he still believed a second gunman committed the assassination, but that he would not participate in the parole process and declined to comment further. Robert Kennedy Jr.'s stance against vaccines, most recently the coronavirus vaccine, has drawn controversy.

Former Maryland lieutenant governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend said in 2018 that she supported her brother's call for a reinvestigation of the slaying of her father. She declined to comment before the parole hearing, as did human rights activist Kerry Kennedy and former congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II.

After Gascon's announcement that his office would not appear at parole hearings, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced that members of his department would attend the hearings, "in support of those who have been victimized by violent crime." But Villanueva's office declined to comment on whether they would appear in the Sirhan case, and they did not file a request to be present.

Sirhan has a new parole lawyer for this hearing, who does not raise any claims about Sirhan's involvement in the shooting, in which five other people standing behind Kennedy in the pantry of the Ambassador Hotel were wounded. Instead, lawyer Angela Berry focuses on Sirhan's age at the time of the murder - 24 - his clean record in prison, his remorse and his unlikely chance of reoffending if released.

Berry does not mention Kennedy in her prehearing brief, other than to argue that "denying parole on an opinion that Mr. Sirhan's actions 'changed the course of history' or 'disenfranchised millions of Americans' violates due process." She cites the California Supreme Court's guidance on parole consideration, which said that an analysis "cannot be undertaken simply by examining the circumstances of the crime in isolation, without consideration of the passage of time or the attendant changes in the inmate's psychological or mental attitude."

"Current dangerousness is the relevant inquiry by the Board," Berry argues. "Statutory and case law dictate that parole shall be granted unless the prisoner poses a current danger to public safety." Under California law in effect in 1968, a life sentence with parole would have given Sirhan eligibility for release after seven years. He has had no disciplinary violations since 1972, and though he claims not to remember the act of shooting Kennedy, he has expressed remorse in parole hearings since the 1980s and said at one, "I have feelings of shame and inward guilt ... I honestly feel the pain that they [the Kennedys] may have gone through."

Munir Sirhan, Sirhan's younger brother, continues to live in the family's home in Pasadena, Calif., where they grew up after emigrating as children from Israel, as Palestinian refugees, with their parents. "His home is ready for him," Munir Sirhan told The Post, and his neighbors have filed letters in support of Sirhan's return. "We're awaiting the deserved, proper decision from the parole board."

Berry's pleadings raise the possibility that Sirhan could be deported if paroled, since he did not obtain citizenship before his arrest. "He has said he would give up his right to live in this country," Munir Sirhan said, "and go back to the Arab world. There are a number of countries who have said they would accept him."

In California, two parole commissioners conduct the hearing, corrections department spokesman Luis Patino said. The two-person panel typically issues its decision and explains its rationale on the day of the hearing. Following that, parole board staff have 90 days to review the case, followed by a 30-day period in which the governor can uphold, reverse or modify the decision, take no action, or send the decision to the full 17-person parole board, Patino said.

Looming over all of this are Sirhan's supporters who say he did not shoot Kennedy, and who have raised that issue in vain both in the California courts and in parole hearings. The most prominent of those supporters is Paul Schrade, now 96, who was also shot while walking behind Kennedy, and appeared at Sirhan's last parole hearing to advocate for his release.

Shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, Kennedy was declared the winner of the Democratic presidential primary in California. He gave a short victory speech in a packed ballroom, with Schrade standing next to him, then walked through the hotel pantry toward a news conference. But witnesses said Sirhan moved forward at Kennedy and began firing a .22-caliber gun, striking him and five others. One shot entered Kennedy's brain, and he died a day later. Sirhan was tackled immediately and arrested. A jury convicted him in 1969, and all appeals were rejected.

But Kennedy was shot four times at point-blank range from behind, one shot passing through his jacket and not striking him, with the fatal shot fired so close there was gunpowder on Kennedy's hair, the coroner Thomas Noguchi found. Multiple bullet holes in the ceiling and door frames indicated more than eight shots, the capacity of Sirhan's gun, were fired. Prosecutors and some experts have said that Kennedy probably turned his back on the advancing gunman, enabling the wounds to the rear, that the extra bullet holes weren't really bullet holes, and that Sirhan is lying when he claims not to remember the shooting.

Schrade said he and the other people behind Kennedy were shot by Sirhan, but that a second gunman killed Kennedy from behind. He said the lead crime scene investigator lied when he testified that he test fired Sirhan's gun and the bullets matched those taken from Kennedy and two other victims: subsequent investigation showed the test bullets did not match the victim bullets. Prosecutors claimed the mismatch came from a clerical error, though the crime scene investigator was later found to have bungled other major cases.

"He's not the guilty one," Schrade said of Sirhan. "The important thing is to get him out, and then identify the second gunman, who's never been identified by the LAPD." The Los Angeles police have declined to comment on the case in recent years. As a victim, Schrade is entitled to speak at Sirhan's hearing, but instead is sending Denise Bohdan, a lawyer and filmmaker whose father, journalist Fernando Faura, pursued the Kennedy assassination story for decades.

For many years, Sirhan's post-conviction lawyer was William Pepper, who proclaimed Sirhan's innocence and lost three parole hearings for him. Now 84, he stepped aside for Berry but is pessimistic of Sirhan's chances when sized up against his role in history.

This time "could be" different, Pepper said. "It's unlikely, but it could be," he said. "They have enacted this new policy of letting elderly prisoners go and cutting back the costs." Coronavirus considerations have enabled more releases as well, corrections officials said.

"He never had a fair trial," Pepper said. Sirhan's lead attorney was under indictment by the same prosecutors who were trying Sirhan, ignored the autopsy evidence of the rear gunshot wounds and tried to quickly plead Sirhan guilty. "The parole board doesn't like to hear that, they're not there to adjudicate a prior hearing. They want to know, 'Do you admit you did it, are you sorry you did it, and will you live an exemplary life?' I think he can satisfy the basic requirements, but I don't think it'll make a bit of difference."

Justice
In this file photo, around-the-clock crews monitor U.S. skies from the command center of the Northern Command December 9, 2002, located deep within Cheyenne Mountain at the foot of the Rocky Mountains near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Trump administration had decided to take the U.S. Space Command out of Colorado Springs and move the post to Huntsville, Alabama. (Kevin Moloney/Getty Images/TNS)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Tribune News Service)  Military leaders overseeing U.S. Space Command backed down from full-throated support of a process that would move it from Colorado Springs to Alabama, but said they'll wait for a pair of federal investigations to conclude before they decide to reverse the decision.

Former President Donald Trump caused controversy Friday when he told a syndicated radio show that he "single-handedly" decided on Huntsville, Alabama, as the command's future home, short-circuiting a nonpartisan process at the Pentagon to make the basing decision.

In Colorado Springs for the Space Symposium, which packed the Broadmoor this week, new Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said he puts as much faith in that Trump statement as he has in the panoply of his political pronouncements.

"President Trump has said many, many things," Kendall said in a news conference.

But Kendall  who is familiar with assets in Colorado Springs and Alabama from his more than 50 years of defense experience, including as an Army officer, defense contractor and in senior Pentagon posts  was clearly not ready to close the door on the Pikes Peak region as Space Command home.

"I think either one of them is certainly feasible as the headquarters," he said of Huntsville and Colorado Springs.

The Trump administration announced the Alabama move on Jan. 13, when the president had one week left in office. Immediately, rumors of political skullduggery emerged, with sources telling The Gazette that Trump had ignored senior military leaders with the Huntsville pick.

Colorado politicians from both political parties pointed to Trump's Friday remarks as proof that political shenanigans played a role and called on Biden to reverse the decision.

Space Command's Army Gen. James Dickinson, who has in the past expressed confidence in the Huntsville decision, was hesitant to back it up Tuesday, saying it would be "premature" for him to voice an opinion until investigations of the move by the Government Accountability Office and the Pentagon's Inspector General conclude.

Dickinson said he does want certainty for his command, which is provisionally located in Colorado Springs through at least 2026 as the Alabama decision plays out.

"To get to the next level, it will require resources, personnel and a permanent location for my headquarters," he said.

Reggie Ash, who heads military programs for the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce & EDC, said Tuesday that his sources were quiet on Space Command, too, even as thousands of space experts swirled through Space Symposium exhibit halls.

"Surprisingly, there's just not a lot of new information on the Space Command move this week," he said.

Space Command made its own move-free headlines.

Dickinson announced Tuesday that the command, which leads all American military missions in orbit, reached a startup milestone of "initial operational capability."

The announcement means the command, which celebrates its second birthday since its 2019 rebirth next week, can effectively defend American interests in orbit while deterring rivals from attacking U.S. space assets.

Dickinson said that Space Command, headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, is "prepared to address threats from competition to conflict in space, while also protecting and defending our interests in this vast and complex domain."

The latest version of the command, which was headquartered here in the Cold War years but shuttered amid budget cuts in 2002, has now reached 900 troops, Dickinson said.

Dickinson didn't address the controversy in his remarks Tuesday morning, but he did talk about the importance of caring for the command's troops.

"Make no mistake, our No. 1 priority in all of this, in all of the missions areas we have, is to take care of those people," Dickinson said.



 Colorado Springs Gazette.

Visit at gazette.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Former superintendent of the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, Mass., Bennett Walsh (right), listens to testimony while sitting next to his attorney, William Bennett. This was a hearing in Hampden Superior Court to consider a motion to dismiss criminal charges against Walsh and former medical director, Dr. David Clinton in the criminal case brought against them by Attorney General Maura Healey, August 24, 2021. (Don Treeger, The Republican/TNS)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (Tribune News Service)  Attorneys for Bennett Walsh, former superintendent of the Holyoke Soldiers Home, and Dr. David Clinton, the facilitys former medical director, argued that the charges against them in connection with resident deaths during a COVID-19 outbreak should be dropped because neither man was directly responsible for day-to-day, hands-on treatment of patients.

The outbreak at the 247-bed facility last year left 76 veterans dead.

In a day-long hearing Tuesday in Hampden Superior Court, Walshs lawyers Michael Jennings and William Bennett, and Clintons attorney, Jeffery Pyle, each argued that the attorney generals case against them is fatally flawed on multiple levels, and all the charges should be dismissed.

Judge Edward J. McDonough will take the matter under advisement.

Parties are due back in court for a status hearing on Oct. 28. McDonough gave no indication if he will issue a ruling at that time or before.

Walsh and Clinton were charged by the state Attorney Generals Office 11 months ago with five counts each of two different charges: being a caretaker who wantonly or recklessly commits or permits bodily injury to an elderly or disabled person, and being a caretaker who commits or permits abuse, neglect or mistreatment of an elderly or disabled person.

The charges stem from Attorney General Maura Healeys investigation into the Soldiers Home following the COVID outbreak in March and April of 2020.

At the peak of the incident, the National Guard was called in to assist, and many residents were transferred to Holyoke Medical Center. Walsh, 50, a Marine veteran with no previous health administration experience, was fired in June by Gov. Charlie Baker, but the dismissal was later ruled by the courts to be unlawful. He officially resigned the post in October.

Clinton resigned in June 2020.

The charges against them were came following indictment by a statewide grand jury.

The states investigation focused on the decision by Soldiers Home leaders to consolidate two dementia units into one on March 27, just before the death toll began to climb.

Assistant Attorney General Kevin Lownds said Tuesday that the decision to merge the two units proved to be catastrophic.

Jennings and Pyle each argued that the states charges and the grand jury indictment were flawed.

Massachusetts law regarding caretaker abuse specifically identifies a caretaker as someone who has primary and substantial day-to-day care of someone who is elderly or disabled. An example would be a family member, a floor nurse or even a doctor.

Walsh, as superintendent, was involved in the day-to-day administration of the facility, not patient care. Clinton as medical director would set general policy and the medical staff would administer direct care.

Every prosecution of this is clear that it involves a family member or a direct care worker, not the administrators of the facility, Jennings said.

Our position is that if everyone is primary, then no one is primary, said Pyle. The legislature had something in mind when they used that word.

Jennings said it was not their position that the blame for the death should be on the doctors and nurses at the facility instead of Walsh and Clinton. The blame belongs with the virus.

Judge McDonough asked Lownds if he was aware of another case where the administration of a medical facility was charged with neglect under the state law. Lownds replied he was not.

This would be the first? McDonough said.

It would, he replied.

He said the Attorney Generals Office position is that the decisions made by the Soldiers Home administration to combine wards at the start of a pandemic, when no one was really sure who has exposed and who wasnt, led to a catastrophic result.

It would not be a stretch to hold them accountable for their decision, Lownds said.

Jennings and Pyle also said the charges should be dismissed because prosecutors cannot show evidence that any of the veterans exposed to COVID-19 at the facility suffered from neglect or mistreatment.

Bennett, the former Hampden County district attorney and Walshs uncle, argued the charges do not hold up because prosecutors cannot demonstrate the decision to combine different units was wanton or reckless.

Wantonness, under the law, is defined as an indifference to, or disregard of consequences to others, he said.

The decision to consolidate units was in response to a critical staffing shortage, and a desire limit exposure in the facility by keeping people known showing symptoms of COVID-19 away from people who were stricken with the virus.

This was not an act of indifference, Bennett said. It was an intention to provide as much care as possible.

He also said that at the first sign of the virus entering the facility, Walsh had reported to the state Department of Health and Human Services for assistance and asked for the National Guard to be deployed to the facility.

Assistant Attorney General Philip M. Schreiber argued that it is possible for someone to be reckless even though they thought they were careful.

He said that even though the Soldiers Home sought to consolidate units and keep the symptomatic from the asymptomatic, there was no policy in place to limit contact between the groups. In particular, there was nothing in place to stop dementia patients, who are prone to wandering, from going from room to room and being exposed.

McDonough asked what they could have done differently considering dementia patients are not to be restrained or locked in rooms.

Schreiber said they could have had staff available to redirect those patients away from areas where they could be exposed.

In response to Walshs calls for the National Guard, Schreiber said they came after the situation at the Soldiers Home spiraled out of control, and should have come much sooner.

Mobilization of the National Guard takes time. It doesnt happen in five minutes, he said. Walsh, a decorated military officer prior to his selection as superintendent, should have known that, he said.

Seated in the back of courtroom were several family members of deceased veterans.

Laurie Mandeville Beaudette, daughter of the late James Mandeville, said she was infuriated by the move to dismiss.

For the defense to claim they were not primary caregivers, she said, They were captains of the ship and they let the ship sink.

Her father had been at the Soldiers Home for 16 years. He died of COVID symptoms on April 14, 2020, at Holyoke Medical Center, two days after he was transferred from the Soldiers Home, where he had been a resident for 16 years.

She said her father had dementia and would not eat unless someone was there to prompt him. With the Soldiers Home staffing short and chaotic, trays of food would be put in front of him but not one was there to encourage him to eat, she said.

I hope they hold them accountable. I hope the commonwealth prevails, she said.

2021 Advance Local Media LLC.

Visit masslive.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The nonprofit Dream Flights said the group has given free flights since 2011 to more than 4,200 veterans and seniors who live in long-term care facilities. (Dream Flights)

HADDAM, Conn. (Tribune News Service)  Nonagenarian and U.S. Army veteran Nestor Gendreau had a rare opportunity last week to take part in a ceremonial flight on an 81-year-old airplane as part of a program that allows World War II veterans to relive their military days.

Gendreau, who lives in the Higganum section of town, flew in the aircraft as part of a commemorative event sponsored locally by Sport Clips and organized by Dream Flights International, according to a press release issued by his son Gerald Gendreau.

The 20-minute flight left from a small airport in nearby Chester and toured the lower Connecticut River Valley and Long Island Sound, the news release said. Many state and local members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, as well as friends and family members, were in attendance.

Gendreau's flight was piloted by James Sims, who flew an open-cockpit, Boeing Stearman 75 biplane. Designed in 1940, the plane was used as a military training aircraft during the war. Sims was assisted on the ground by his copilot Garett Williams, according to his son.

Dream Flights is a service organization whose pilots fly six similar vintage Stearman planes across the country. Based in Carson City, Nevada, with its maintenance hangar near San Antonio, Texas, the organization honors nonagenarian WWII veterans with period accurate flights, the release said.

In fall 1944, Gendreau, 18 at the time, was drafted, and left his family's potato farm in the remote, French-speaking Aroostook County of northern Maine to join the service. He traveled by rail to attend basic training at Camp Kroft in South Carolina, and was scheduled for immediate deployment to the war effort in western Europe, his son said.

Just as he completed basic training, news came that President Roosevelt had died. In the ensuing month, the war in Europe finally ended.

With the end of the war, Gendreau's orders changed quickly. He boarded another train, this time bound for Camp Maxey in Texas. Once there, Gendreau underwent advanced training to prepare for the "anticipated but dreaded" ground invasion of mainland Japan, Gerald Gendreau said.

From Texas, Gendreau went next to Fort Ord in Oakland, Calif. While stationed there, he learned the United States had just dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He boarded the USNS Adder at the naval base in San Francisco, as a member of the US Army's 77th Infantry Division (known as The Statue of Liberty Division) bound for Yokohama in mid-September 1945, the press release said.

The trip took 17 days, Gerald Gendreau said. While at sea, the ship was hit by a typhoon and lost one crew member overboard. Though often seasick, Gendreau landed safely in Yokohama, located only 415 miles from Nagasaki. He spent a few weeks there, and was soon moved to a U.S. base on the northern island of Hokkaido near Sapporo. Gendreau was promoted to corporal in 1946.

His responsibilities included guarding the munitions depot on the base. In 1946, after a 30-day furlough to return home in Madawaska, Maine, he extended his military service by a year. He was stationed in Tokyo for a brief period before he completed his service in 1947.

Gendreau was quarter master of the local VFW chapter for 29 years and post commander for two of those years. He has been a warden of the Knights of Columbus as well as a council member for 12 years, the news release said.

Prior to his retirement, Gendreau worked for 42 years as an electrician for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in Middletown.

For information, visit dreamflights.org.

(c)2021 The Middletown Press, Conn.

Visit The Middletown Press, Conn. at www.middletownpress.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Bobbie Gene Silvers, 92, died August 25, 2021. His graveside service will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 2, 2021 at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Stillwater, OK. Strode Funeral Home and Cremation is in charge of arrangements.
Changes to the SunCommercial's back end processing means the e-edition is getting a facelift. The biggest change is the e-edition, by default, is now presented in Text view.
Bay of Plenty

We are looking for reliable staff to work at or after the One Love festival. We need event cleaners and also marshals. Only...



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The future of land considered to be a sacred burial site by Ngati Awa is the subject of an appeal lodged in the High Court.

Three groups, Te Runanga o Ngati Awa, Manukorihi Tarau on behalf of Ngai Taiwhakaea and Cletus Maanu Paul on behalf of Opihi Whanaungakore trustees have jointly opposed consents granted by Whakatane District Council for development company MMS GP Limited to create a housing development at 77 Bunyan Road.

The developer plans to build 240 residential lots, a retirement village, 13 access lots, eight reserve lots, and seven public road lots on land considered by Taiwhakaea hapu members to be an ancient burial site.

In a jurisdictional decision on July 27, the Environment Court dismissed an argument pursued by the three parties, that the Environment Court had authority to hear appeals against the council consents.

A statement released by the runanga last Tuesday said it considered the site at 77 Bunyan Road and the broader areas surrounding it to be ancestral land of significant cultural value.

It announced that it had lodged an appeal against the July 27 decision in the High Court.

In her report to councillors, accepted at Whakatane District Councils ordinary meeting last Tuesday, chief executive Steph OSullivan said the council had received the Environment Court decision confirming that the Resource Management Act 1991 precluded a right of appeal against the councils decision to grant consent.

This means that appeals by Te Runanga o Ngati Awa cannot be heard by the Environment Court.

The council announced on August 5 that it was restricting public access to the land due to an increase in damage to the coastal dune and other sensitive areas of the land from a rising number of people, animals and vehicles accessing it.

It also installed signs to notify the public that it could no longer access the site. It also said it needed to work with mana whenua, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and the wider community to protect the peninsula.

While the council owns the land, it is not a reserve and there is a sale and purchase agreement in place affecting the land. This is a decision that has come over time and follows feedback from a number of parties who have a vested interest in what happens on the block and its surrounds.

Whakatane Mayor Judy Turner said the council was encouraging dialogue between the developer and hapu.

"We understand there are some concerns and we are hoping to facilitate discussions between the land owner and local hapu, particularly those from the urupa committee who have had concerns and are not convinced about the boundaries that have been set historically.
A consumer recall of Mr Porky brand fried pork scratching products ia being issued due to the possible presence of salmonella.

The product is imported from the United Kingdom and the recall is being initiated by Five Eight Distribution Ltd.

The recall affects Mr Porky brand: Crispy Strips (35g) and Original Scratchings (40g and 65g).

Details on the recall, including the specific retailers of the product is available here.

All dates up to and including February 19, 2022, are affected by this recall.

New Zealand Food Safety National Manager Food Compliance, Jenny Bishop, says people with these imported pork scratchings at home should throw them out and not consume them.

This product has recently been recalled in the UK following a link to a salmonella outbreak there.

"If you have health concerns after eating the product, seek medical advice.

Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhoea, fever, and stomach cramps 6 hours to 6 days after being exposed to the bacteria.

The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment, but its effects can be serious, particularly in children younger than 5 years, adults 65 and over, and people with weakened immune systems.

New Zealand Food Safety have not received any reports of associated illness.

Product identification Product type Flavoured snacks Name of product (size) Mr Porky brand Crispy Strips (35g) Mr Porky brand Original Scratchings (40g) Mr Porky brand Original Scratchings (65g) Date marking All best before dates up to and including 19 FEB 22. Package size and description The products are sold in 35g, 40g, and 65g in plastic packaging of various colours. Distribution The products are imported from the United Kingdom. Mr Porky brand products are sold in Four Square, Pak'n Save and New World stores and independent retailers listed below throughout New Zealand. Northland  Gifts on Rathbone, 16 Rathbone Street, Whangarei

 Liquorworld Waipapa, Klinac Lane, Waipapa

 Mangawhai Meat Shop, 43 Moir Street, New Zealand, Mangawhai Auckland  Central Park Village and Wine Spirits, 95 Central Park Drive, Henderson, Auckland

 Franklin Country Meats, 193 Manukau Road, Pukekohe, Auckland

 Fresh Choice Half Moon Bay, 1 Ara-Tai Road, Half Moon Bay, Auckland

 Hauraki Corner Cellars, 351 Lake Road, Hauraki, North Shore City

 Liquorland Glenfield, 444 Glenfield Road, Glenfield, Auckland

 Liquorland Stonefields, 87 Lunn Avenue, Mount Wellington, Auckland

 Mighty Ape Ltd, 24/28 Highgate Parkway, Silverdale

 The Meat Room, 26 Anzac Road, Browns Bay, Auckland

 UK Grocer, 1 Bute Road, Browns Bay, Auckland

 Smith & Caughey, 3 Timberly Road, Mangere, Auckland

 Playtech, 1/63 Corinthian Drive, Albany, Auckland

 Union Jacks Ltd, Shop 4/239 Archers Road, Wairau Valley, Auckland

 West Liqour All Seasons, 4/288 Te Atatu Road, Te Atatu South, Auckland

 West Liqour Blockhouse Bay, 527A Blockhouse Bay Rd, Blockhouse Bay, Auckland

 West Liqour Glen Eden, 3 Captain Scott Road, Glen Eden, Auckland

 West Liqour Green Bay, 58B Godley Road, Green Bay, Auckland

 West Liqour Hobsonville, 124 Hobsonville Road, Hobsonville, Auckland

 West Liqour Lincoln Green, 159 Lincoln Road, Henderson, Auckland

 West Liqour New Lynn Central, 3044 Great North Road, New Lynn, Auckland

 West Liqour Railside, 126 Railside Avenue, Henderson, Auckland

 West Liqour Royal Heights, Royal Heights Shopping Centre, Massey, Auckland

 West Liqour Swanson Village Wine & Spirits, 705 Swanson Road, Swanson, Auckland

 West Liqour Te Atatu, 3 Pringle Road, Te Atatu Peninsula, Auckland

 West Liqour Titirangi Village Wine & Spirits, 402 Titirangi Road, Titirangi, Auckland

 West Liqour West Harbour Village Wine & Spirits, 118 Hobsonville Road, Hobsonville, Auckland

 West Liqour Westside, 268 Swanson Road, Henderson, Auckland

 West Liqour Westgate Centre, 13B Maki Street, Massey, Auckland Waikato  Le Gastronome, 51A Riverlea Road, Riverlea, Hamilton

 Lois's Gift Boutique, 222 Rosebery Street, Tokoroa

 The Cambridge Fine Wine Company, 72 Victoria Street, Leamington, Cambridge

 The Lekker Shop, 1 Grasslands Place, Frankton, Hamilton Bay of Plenty  Liquorland Mt Maunganui, 1 Owens Place, Mount Maunganui HawkesBay  Liqour King Napier, 78 Taradale Road, Onekawa, Napier

 The Saffa Shack, 521 State Highway 51, Whakatu, Clive Taranaki  Bin Inn Waitara, 61 McLean Street, Waitara

 Mitre 10 Mega New Plymouth, 5 Vickers Road, Waiwhakaiho, New Plymouth

 Supervalue Bell Block, Parklands Shopping Centre, 188 Parklands Avenue, Bell Block, New Plymouth Manawatu-Wanganui  Bin Inn Palmerston North, 688 Main Street, Terrace End, Palmerston North Greater Wellington  Duke of Wellington, 29 Waterloo Quay, Pipitea, Wellington

 Kirbys Candy and Lotto, 42 Willis Street, Wellington Central, Wellington

 Liquorland Waterloo, 2 Trafalgar Square, Waterloo, Lower Hutt

 Liqour King Petone, 63 Jackson Street, Petone, Lower Hutt

UK Goodies Ltd, 243 Jackson Street, Petone, Lower Hutt



Canterbury

 Fresh Choice Barrington, 256 Barrington Street, Spreydon, Christchurch

 Fresh Choice Edgeware, 61 Edgeware Road, Edgeware, Christchurch

 Fresh Choice Geraldine, 7 Peel Street, Geraldine

 Fresh Choice Merivale, Merivale Mall, 189 Papanui Road, Merivale, Christchurch West Coast  Liquorland Recreation, 68 High Street, Greymouth Otago  Granny Annies Sweet Shop, 117 George Street, Dunedin Central, Dunedin

 Neat Meat Queenstown, 5/3 Hawthorne Drive, Frankton, Queenstown The products have not been re-exported. Notes This recall does not affect any other Mr Porky brand products or any other products imported by Five Eight Distribution Ltd.

Consumer advice

Customers are asked to check the best before date printed on the back of the products.

Affected products should not be consumed. There have been no reports of illness, however, if you have consumed any of these products and have any concerns about your health, seek medical advice.

Customers should return the products to their retailer.

More information on Salmonella

Who to contact

If you have questions, contact Five Eight Distribution Ltd:
After a week at Alert Level 4 Police would like to thank New Zealanders for staying home and helping to limit the spread of Covid-19.

This is a challenging time for us all but we know staying home saves lives, says Police Commissioner Andrew Coster.

Coster says over the past week the vast majority of New Zealanders have done the right thing by diligently following Alert Level 4 restrictions.

"Its important we keep that up and police will continue to be out and about engaging with our communities, conducting reassurance patrols and, where necessary, taking enforcement action."

As of 5pm yesterday, 50 people have been charged with a total of 54 offences nationwide since Alert Level 4 began.

Coster says these arrests are primarily the result of protest activity and other intentional breaches of restrictions.

Of the 54 charges filed, 28 are for Failing to Comply with Order (Covid-19), 16 for Failure to Comply with Direction/Prohibition/Restriction and 10 for Health Act Breaches.

In the same time period, 154 formal warnings were issued  56 for Failing to Comply with Order (Covid-19), 54 for Failure to Comply with Direction/Prohibition/Restriction and 44 for Health Act Breaches.

"Police began issuing infringements for Covid-19-related breaches on Thursday, August 19, and, as of 5pm yesterday, 686 infringements have been issued nationwide.

In Kaitaia overnight, a man and a woman were arrested following an incident at a petrol station, says Coster.

"The pair were seen without masks, as is required at all essential services.

"The man refused to provide his details while the woman became verbally abusive and physically obstructed officers carrying out their duties.

"She then allegedly coughed over one officer, before assaulting another."

The 31-year-old woman is facing numerous charges including Assaulting Police, Resisting Police, Obstructing Policing and Failing to Comply with Order (Covid-19).

The 27-year-old man is facing charges of Obstructing Police and Failing to Comply with Order (Covid-19).

Coster says both were expected to appear in the Kaitaia District Court today.

In Christchurch, two people came to police attention for breaching Alert Level 4 restrictions and driving-related offences.

A 26-year-old man is due to appear in the Christchurch District Court on Wednesday 1 September charged with Driving in a Dangerous Manner, Driving with Excess Breath Alcohol and Failing to Comply with Order (Covid-19).

"Another driver was issued an infringement notice for breaching restrictions after a vehicle struck several parked cars near the intersection of Grenville Street and Ensors Road about 2am.

"The driver as uninjured and Police are considering further charges.

"These types of incidents are incredibly disappointing and create unnecessary and unacceptable risk for us all.

"While we continue to take an education-first approach, Police will not hesitate to take enforcement action for deliberate and blatant breaches."

Police have now received a total of 8228 online breach notifications  4951 about a gathering, 2517 about a business, and 760 about an individual.

In addition to the online breach notifications, a total of 5544 Covid-19 related calls were made to the 105 phone line.

The majority (3957) of calls were requests for information, and 1587 were to report perceived Covid-19 breaches.

Under Alert Level 4 there are no borders in place however travel is restricted to essential purposes, says Coster.

"As an extension of previous patrols and roving checkpoints, Northland Police have today established three fixed checkpoints at the southern entrances to the region.

"Anyone attempting to travel into Northland should expect to be stopped randomly or at a checkpoint, and asked about their purpose for travel."

Further information about travel at Alert Level 4 can be found at: www.covid19.govt.nz
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Tahlequah, OK (74464)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable.
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Colombia Enacts Decree To Support Struggling Firms

by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington

25 August 2021

The Colombian Government has issued Decree 939 of August 19, 2021, which enables the tax agency to revise an assessment for potentially viable companies that are facing insolvency, where doing so may save the company and jobs.

The Decree, which amends Decree Law 560 of 2020, is for companies already engaged in insolvency proceedings. It will give the tax agency increased flexibility to negotiate payment of tax debts, and to reduce penalties and interest due where appropriate.

Companies will be required to submit an application to request the renegotiation of tax debts, interest, and penalties. Those taxpayers agreeing to settle their dues quickly will benefit from the greatest reduction. For instance, those companies agreeing to pay within up to three years will benefit from a 40 percent reduction in the amount payable and an 80 percent reduction in interest, penalties, and fines. The maximum repayment term will be seven years.

The scheme covers debts other than indirect tax dues, including value-added tax, and social security taxes. The Decree also provides relief to companies agreeing to pay penalty amounts not linked to outstanding taxes.
Hong Kong Discusses US Termination Of Shipping Tax Pact

by Mary Swire, Tax-News.com, Hong Kong

25 August 2021

The Hong Kong Government has said it is looking at potential measures to support the shipping industry following the decision by the US Government to terminate the two territories' agreement that exempted shipping industry income from tax.

US authorities announced in October 2020 that starting from January 1, 2021, they would terminate the agreement with Hong Kong on Income from International Operation of Ships. Following the termination of the Agreement, both the Governments of US and Hong Kong have ceased to grant tax exemption to the income derived from international operation of ships by shipping companies of the other side.

The Hong Kong Government was asked to respond to concerns from members of the shipping industry about the impacts of the termination of the Agreement on Hong Kong's shipping industry.

In response to a number of questions posed to the Government, the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Frank Chan Fan, said in the Legislative Council on August 18:

"The Government fully understands the adverse impact brought by the US' termination of the Agreement on the local shipping industry. We have been in close discussion with the trade to work out the mitigation measures, and are seeking legal advice on this matter."

Chan Fan provided some information on how trade volumes have changed but said it is difficult to estimate how much the termination of the agreement may have cost the industry. He said the Government is seeking to expand Hong Kong's comprehensive avoidance of double taxation agreement network, to open up more opportunities for Hong Kong businesses.

He said: "The current-term Government has since July 2017 signed CDTAs with eight jurisdictions, bringing the total number of CDTAs to 45, of which six CDTA partners are member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Besides, the Government has concluded double taxation relief agreements in respect of shipping/shipping and airline income with five other jurisdictions ([namely, with] Denmark, Germany, Norway, Singapore and Sri Lanka), and confirmed reciprocal tax exemption arrangement on shipping income with Chile."

He concluded: "The Government is currently in negotiations with 13 jurisdictions. We will strive to conclude the negotiations and sign the CDTAs as soon as possible, and will continue to proactively identify negotiation partners."
US Lawmakers Approve New Cryptoassets Reporting Rules

by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington

25 August 2021

The US Senate has approved the inclusion of new provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure bill to require intermediaries involved in cryptocurrency trading to report details about transactions.

Despite concerns raised by various lawmakers that the provisions fail to provide clarity about who the reporting requirement would apply to, two proposed clarificatory amendments were rejected.

These would have clarified the term "brokers", on whom the reporting obligation would fall, after concerns that parties without access to the requisite information would be obligated to report, such as virtual currency miners.

The proposals would require "brokers" to include information about cryptocurrency transactions they have facilitated on a 1099 form. The bill defines brokers as "any person who (for consideration) is responsible for regularly providing any service effectuating transfers of digital assets on behalf of another person."
Seminole, FL (33772)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 76F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 76F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Venkatesh Senior - BHPian



Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 3,815 Thanked: 14,626 Times

Re: Hyundai N Line performance models to make India debut in 2021















Heres what the i20 N Line looks like with new bumpers, red accents, new 16-inch wheels, twin tip exhausts & subtle spoiler.



















On the inside i20 N Line gets N branding all over & new steering wheel.



















No change in the power train with the 120hp 1-litre turbo petrol engine. DCT gets paddle shifters. Claimed 0-100kmph time of 9.9s











i20 N Line steering is returned for more weight and theres 30% more damping for better dynamics. Also it now gets disc brakes on the rear

iMT also gets ESP.











i20 N Line will only be sold through Hyundai Signature outlets that have 188 outlets over 97 cities.







Link Hyundai i20 N Line unveiled, bookings open and prices could be announced in September.Heres what the i20 N Line looks like with new bumpers, red accents, new 16-inch wheels, twin tip exhausts & subtle spoiler.On the inside i20 N Line gets N branding all over & new steering wheel.No change in the power train with the 120hp 1-litre turbo petrol engine. DCT gets paddle shifters. Claimed 0-100kmph time of 9.9si20 N Line steering is returned for more weight and theres 30% more damping for better dynamics. Also it now gets disc brakes on the reariMT also gets ESP.i20 N Line will only be sold through Hyundai Signature outlets that have 188 outlets over 97 cities. Last edited by Venkatesh : 24th August 2021 at 12:01 .
I am a third-year majoring in Biological Sciences and this is my third year at Technician. While I currently work as Opinion Editor, I started off writing for Opinion, News and also worked as a copy editor!

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In brief: While optimists among industry watchers believe the current chip shortage will be ironed out in the coming months, data from retailers and carriers seems to suggest otherwise. In the specific case of Apple, its sheer negotiation power when dealing with chipmakers has shielded the company from many of the supply constraints that are now having a sizable impact on other tech giants like Samsung.

The ongoing chip shortage is far from over, and rising Covid cases in key manufacturing countries like Vietnam and Malaysia are not helping a speedy recovery, as governments walk the fine line between protecting their citizens and keeping the local economy from imploding.

Apple did warn earlier this year that it wouldn't be able to make enough iPads and MacBooks to meet demand, as the company couldn't make enough M1 chips and getting a hold of display drivers and NAND controllers is getting harder every month. However, the Cupertino giant might be doing relatively fine compared to its competitors.

According to Wave7 research spotted by PCMag, the lack of silicon is starting to hurt the production of low-end Android phones, with companies like OnePlus and Samsung seeing the hardest hit as a result of bottlenecks in the supply chain. In contrast, Apple has managed to weather the storm by locking down chipset supply ahead of time, which means that getting your hands on an iPhone 12 is relatively easy.

The problems may have started back in March, when Qualcomm signaled it was having trouble producing enough low-end and mid-range Snapdragon chipsets. Xiaomi president Wang Xiang also warned that supply of high-end chipsets was also constricted, and that it would soon have to increase costs if it found no way to optimize its phone designs.

Wave7 surveyed store managers at major carriers and found that some were affected differently than others, with AT&T being the least affected due to its "iPhone-heavy customer base." At the opposite pole, T-Mobile seems to have suffered the most as the shortage is said to have hit "everyone but Apple." Verizon seems to have trouble securing enough stock of Samsung's Galaxy A-series phones.

It will be interesting to see how things play out in the coming months, especially as Apple is preparing the launch of the iPhone 13 (among other things), while Samsung is finally enjoying strong consumer appetite for its foldable Galaxy phones.
Recap: For about four years, a Los Angeles county man was able to steal hundreds of thousands of photos and videos from iCloud accounts of young women across the US. While he didn't break iCloud security to do so, this is an important reminder to never give up your Apple ID credentials to anyone and use two-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized access to your account.

Back in 2014, Apple faced one of the biggest security blunders in the company's history when a group of hackers managed to exploit iCloud accounts of over a hundred celebrities and got access to their private photos and videos. Several men have since been found responsible for the incident, which culminated with the dissemination of the private content around the web.

Even though Apple never admitted to an actual iCloud breach, it is believed this was made possible by lenient security practices which allowed brute-force password guessing.

Fast forward to today, and a California man has pled guilty to no less than four felony charges after he broke into thousands of iCloud accounts with the aim of stealing nude images of women. According to a report from Los Angeles Times, Hao Kuo Chi admitted he had impersonated members of Apple customer support to fool his victims into sharing their Apple ID credentials over email.

Court documents reveal that 40-year-old Chi stole over 620,000 private photos and 9,000 videos that he then hosted on his personal Dropbox account to sort out the "win" images from the rest. In order to do this, he didn't breach any of iCloud's security protections, and instead used social engineering and phishing on over 300 victims across the US, most of them young women.

For years, Chi operated online under the nickname of "icloudripper4you," and used two Gmail addresses where the FBI found over 500,000 emails and 4,700 iCloud credentials that victims had sent him. He didn't work alone, although he maintains he doesn't know the identity of his co-conspirators.

The scheme worked between 2014 and 2018, but immediately fell apart after Chi decided to share the private photos and videos online. Soon enough, a California-based company specializing in removing celebrity photos from the web notified an unnamed client that it had found a match on several pornographic websites.

Investigators had already been tracking Chi using data from several sources such as Apple, Dropbox, Google, Facebook, and Charter Communications, and eventually they were able to track down his home address. Chi pleaded guilty earlier this month, and faces up to five years in prison for each one of the four charges.
In brief: Xiaomi has achieved enough brand recognition and financial power to start its venture into the world of electric cars. In the meantime, smartphones and IoT products are still the Chinese company's bread and butter, which is why it's also building a second Xiaomi Smart Factory in the Beijing district.

Xiaomi today announced it will acquire autonomous driving startup DeepMotion in a deal evaluated at around $77.3 million, joining the list of big Chinese tech companies that have signaled their interest in the electric car market.

Earlier this year, Xiaomi explained that it would jump with both feet into the EV pond with the creation of a wholly owned subsidiary dedicated to making electric cars. The new venture will be led by Xiaomi co-founder and CEO Lei Jun, and will receive a cash injection of 10 billion yuan ($1.54 billion) over the next 10 years.

Details are scarce at this point, but judging by its other businesses, Xiaomi will likely design the cars in-house and contract other companies to manufacture them. As with phones and smart home products, the cars would be sold at or close to their manufacturing cost while profits would be extracted from a variety of services around "smart EVs."

The news comes just as Xiaomi reported on its financial results for the second quarter of this year. The company saw net income of 8.26 billion yuan ($1.28 billion) on revenue of 87.8 billion yuan ($13.57 billion). This is a 64 percent year-over-year increase in revenue and an 80 percent surge in net income over the same period a year ago.

Xiaomi has benefited greatly from Huawei's downfall and Samsung's production issues, which propelled the Chinese tech giant to the top position among global smartphone brands in terms of sales. Phone revenue alone was $9.1 billion, and the company says it shipped over over 12 million units priced at $350 or above.

Revenue from IoT and lifestyle products was up 36 percent year-over-year to $3.2 billion, thanks in no small part to electric scooters and the smart TV lineup which sold 2.5 million units worldwide. Internet services brought an additional $1.08 billion.

The company told investors during a conference call that construction of its Changping Smart Factory in the Beijing district is well underway, with a planned annual production capacity of up to 10 million smartphones of the high-end variety.

The plant is said to operate with a minimal human workforce when ready, but Xiaomi is likely to run into similar issues as Apple when trying to automate every step of the manufacturing process.
Why it matters: Today, a parliamentary committee in South Korea passed a bill that would prevent Google and Apple from forcing their payment systems onto app developers and taking commissions on in-app purchases. The bill still has to go up for a final vote, but if it goes through, South Korea will become the first country in the world to impose such a restriction on Google and Apple. The legislation comes after the US Senate proposed a similar bill.

The proposed law is a revision of the Telecommunications Business Act, making app store operators unable to force developers to use specific payment systems, such as those controlled by the app store operators.

All developers on Apple's iOS app store have to run in-app payments through Apple's payment system, from which it usually takes a 30 percent cut. The current legal showdown between Epic Games and Apple started when Apple banned Fortnite from iOS for letting players pay for in-app purchases without going through Apple. In March, Epic presented evidence in that case of the extent to which Apple will go to make sure certain big companies like Netflix keep giving it a cut of payments made on iOS.

Last year, Google similarly announced it would start more tightly enforcing requirements to use its billing system when distributing apps on Android's Google Play Store, charging a 30 percent commission fee. According to The Korea Times, this new bill was initially submitted to the South Korean parliament as a direct response last year and is known as the "Anti-Google Law."

The final vote was supposed to proceed today, but TechCrunch reports regulators delayed it until August 30th.

"The proposed Telecommunications Business Act will put users who purchase digital goods from other sources at risk of fraud, undermine their privacy protections, make it difficult to manage their purchases, and features like 'Ask to Buy' and Parental Controls will become less effective," Apple said in a statement. "We believe user trust in App Store purchases will decrease as a result of this proposalleading to fewer opportunities for the over 482,000 registered developers in Korea who have earned more than 8.55 trillion won to date with Apple."

Apple is likely referring to cases in which people, often children, have mistakenly spent large amounts of money on in-app purchases. Apple's statement suggests that if developers can use payment systems that sidestep its gates and parental controls, cases like this could get worse.

Earlier this month, the US Senate introduced the Open App Markets Act, which seeks to bar app store operators from forcing their billing systems onto developers and lets users sideload apps into devices.
Airbnb is extending a helping hand to Afghan refugees and vowed to house 20,000 of them, free of charge.

According to CNN, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said that Airbnb is working along with other non-government organizations, as well as the non-profit brand of the company, Airbnb.org, for the endeavor.

It is to note that Airbnb.org has been regularly providing shelter to people who are victims of natural disasters.

Its website says that the organization was the brainchild of a host back when Hurricane Sandy struck the New York City residents.

The pioneering program of the non-profit arm of Airbnb welcomed thousands of families who needed to evacuate due to the natural disaster.

Meanwhile, in 2020, Airbnb allowed some hosts to provide their lodging listings for frontliners of the COVID-19 pandemic, including healthcare workers.

In total, the platform claimed that it has already housed about 75,000 people who are crisis victims since the organization started way back in 2012.

Airbnb to House Afghanistan Refugees for Free

The billionaire and industrial designer, Chesky, pledged to house Afghan refugees on Aug. 24, noting that the program will immediately begin, as per CNBC.

As such, refugees coming from Afghanistan could stay at some of the listed properties of the rental booking platform without any charge. It is free as the platform said that it will be shouldering the costs.

However, Airbnb is yet to clarify how much they will be budgeting for the program. Plus, how long refugees are welcomed to stay at their listings.

Chesky further tweeted that: "The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the United States and elsewhere is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time."

That said, the Airbnb exec shared that they "feel a responsibility to step up," adding that he hopes that the move will further inspire other companies to take action during these trying times.

How Could Airbnb Hosts Participate

Although the specifics are not yet clear, the Airbnb boss said that hosts on the lodging platform could participate in the endeavor of the company.

To do just that, Chesky said that Airbnb hosts could "reach out" to him if they want to be part of the program. He further assured that they will be redirected to key people in the endeavor of the company.

Read Also: #TechCEO Brian Chesky: The Airbnb Co-Founder Who Started By Renting Out Airbeds in His Apartment

Afghan Refugees

People from Afghanistan have been trying to escape the country after its capital, Kabul, fell to the power of the Taliban.

Since then, refugees have been flocking the main exit point of the country, the Kabul airport.

That said, a huge number of folks have been swarming to leave Afghanistan as the Taliban has already announced that the deadline for airlift is until Aug. 31 only.

The US shared the country has already evacuated a total of 48,000 people from Afghanistan, and it seeks to fly out more.

Elsewhere, Airbnb have already blocked 50,000 bookings as it continues to ban parties as the threat of COVID-19 prevails. What's more, Airbnb's booking has been surging again as vacination rolls out to more people.

Related Article: Facebook Blocks WhatsApp Channels, Group Where Taliban Forces Used to Communicate, Adheres to US Sanction Law

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Unsplash/ Christian Wiediger) Microsoft windows

Microsoft users had their data exposed without their permission, and the software's default permissions settings for its app-building tool is the one to blame for it.

Microsoft Exposed Data of Millions of Users

According to The Verge, the data of more than 38 million users were exposed online. The data included their full names, phone numbers, email addresses, social security numbers, and even their COVID-19 vaccination certifications.

These data were made public, and 47 companies, organizations, and government branches can access it via the Power Apps tool.

However, no evidence of the data being exploited or sold on the dark web, and the issue has now been resolved by Microsoft, according to The Sun.

The issue was discovered back in May by UpGuard, a security research team.

Also Read: Egress Reports that 85% of Microsoft 365 Users Have Been Affected by Data Breach

A recent blog post from the team and Wired report explained how organizations used the Power Apps tool to create apps with improper data permissions.

UpGuard's Vice President of cyber research, Greg Pollock, stated that they found one of the apps that was misconfigured to expose data and they said that they've never heard of it. He added that they didn't even know if what happened was a one-off or a systemic issue.

Pollock added that it is easy and quick to do a survey because of how the Power Apps portals product works. They discovered that there are a lot of the data were exposed.

What are Power Apps?

Power Apps allow companies to create simple apps and websites without formal coding experience.

The organizations named in the breach, including American Airlines, Ford, J.B Hunt, and state agencies in New York City, Indiana, and Maryland, were said to have used the site to collect data from users for different purposes, including organizing their vaccination effort.

Power Apps have tools that can quickly collate the data needed in these types of projects, but, by default, it leaves this information accessible to the public. This is what UpGuard discovered.

The mechanism of this data breach made experts think about when they should consider an issue as a software problem and consider it a user interface problem.

UpGuard reported that Microsoft believes it was not a problem with their system, but instead, it was the users' responsibility because they did not configure the apps' settings properly.

However, if you are making an app designed to be used by people with little coding experience, it is better to make things as safe as possible by default because it is the smart move to do.

According to Wired, Microsoft has now adjusted the settings to ensure this breach won't happen again.

Microsoft was also under fire for a data breach that affected 30,000 businesses and government agencies across the United States in March.

The data breach also affected small businesses, several towns, local governments, and cities. The breach was due to the vulnerabilities discovered in the Microsoft Exchange Server. The issue has since been fixed, although it was not addressed how it was done.

In 2020, the data of more than 250 million Microsoft users were exposed online.

Also, in 2016, Microsoft's LinkedIn users was affected by a data breach wherein 55,000 passwords were compromised.

Related Article: Microsoft Big Email China Hacked: How to Know if You're Affected, What to Do Next

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Image from Samsung Website) Samsung Galaxy A21 Suddenly Caught Fire on Plane Pushing Evacuation

A Samsung Galaxy A21 has suddenly caught fire on a plane that pushed for an immediate evacuation. The burned smartphone was confirmed to be a Samsung Galaxy A21.

Samsung Galaxy A21

According to the reports of The Seattle Times via The Verge, a particular Alaska Airlines flight was suddenly evacuated on Monday night on August 25, 2021, right after a certain smartphone on the plane caught fire! A spokesperson for the official Port of Seattle noted that the device that was burned was actually a Samsung Galaxy A21.

In an official email to The Seattle Times, the spokesperson representing the Port of Seattle noted that the phone was in fact, "burned beyond recognition." The passenger who reportedly owned the device, however, provided specific details about the model.

Seattle-Tacoma Airport

The spokesperson noted that they could not confirm it just by looking at what was left of the device. The flight crew reportedly extinguished the fire with the help of a battery containment bag. The smoke, however, forced deployment of the plane's evacuation slides.

It was noted by MacRumor that the smartphone did not actually catch fire until the flight had finally landed at the Seattle-Tacoma airport. 128 passengers, as well as six crew members, were transported by bus to the terminal and there were reportedly no serious injuries.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Exploding Battery

On Twitter, a certain passenger who was reportedly on the flight noted that the burned smartphone was actually "like a smoke machine." There are often other isolated incidents of cellular phones catching fire after certain issues regarding the battery.

In this case, however, the problem could actually be notable as back in 2016, Samsung had to make a recall for its previous Samsung Galaxy Note 7 due to the device's exploding batteries. During that time, there were already a number of reports regarding the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 device exploding or catching fire while charging. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 exploding batteries were a big deal but Apple guaranteed that the iPhone 7s is not going to explode the same way.

Read Also: Xiaomi to End 'Mi' Brand After Over a Decade | Xiaomi Mix 4 to Launch Soon

Is the Samsung Galaxy A21 Safe?

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was then ultimately banned from all airplanes and flights in the United States itself. There has been no particular evidence that the Samsung Galaxy A21 is also facing a more similar widespread issue as of the moment. The Samsung Galaxy A21 is not the only device that has caught fire as a previous Apple iPhone 6 was found to have exploded in Las Vegas.

The Seattle Times reports that the crew of Flight 751 was able to extinguish the fire with a battery containment bag. The smoke, however, forced the deployment of the evacuation slides, according to an Alaska Airlines spokesperson's statement to KOMO-TV.

After the incident, it was confirmed by the Port of Seattle in a tweet that there were no serious injuries or other impacts to airport operations that had happened as a result of the incident. It is also important to note that the smartphone caught fire and was not said to have exploded.

This short video shows an AlaskaAirlines flight attendant running to put the fire out. Passenger tells me several fire extinguishers were used. 128 passengers & 6 crew members were on board. Evacuation slides were deployed to get passengers off and onto the tarmac. @KIRO7Seattle pic.twitter.com/HwKJymsyNd  Kevin Ko (@NewsWithKevin) August 24, 2021

Related Article: Apple iOS 15 New Beta Safari Redesign Toggle Allows Users to Bring Back a More Comfortable Look

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Image from Unsplash Website) Apple Watch Saves Saves Man's Life for a Second Time After He Fainted and Hit Head on Floor at Age 70

An Apple Watch saved another life as a 70-year-old man fainted and hit his head on the floor. The latest incident is with Dan Pfau who fainted and reportedly hit his head hard on the floor.

Dan Pfau Saved by Apple Watch

The story reportedly comes from Boston Globe, which talked to Pfau directly after the accident. At the age of 70, this is actually not the first time that the retired administrative consultant has had his life saved by an Apple Watch.

Just two years ago, Pfau was actually rescued from a bicycle accident after his Apple Watch immediately called 911. He reportedly mentions that he actually woke up in an ambulance without even remembering how he got there. Another life was saved by the Apple Watch as a man fell unconscious already in the ER bathroom as the watch contacted 911 right away.

Pfau Doesn't Remember Calling 911

Pfau noted that he did not even remember calling 911 "because he didn't." The watch called 911 for him according to the report in reference to the fall detection feature which was previously introduced with the Apple Watch Series 4 back in 2018.

Pfau noted, however, that this time, the incident was "even scarier" and this is due to his history of sudden fainting spells. He actually ended up hitting his head directly on the hardwood floor and even started bleeding significantly. While feeling pain, he then quickly used the dictation feature on the Apple Watch in order to call his wife.

Pfau Taken to the Hospital

According to 9to5Mac, Apple Watch did not call 911 this time due to Pfau being still conscious and tapped on the watch screen icon that signified that he was ok. He noted that he assumed the situation was not serious, which was his natural reaction.

When Pfau realized, however, that he was not okay, he then launched the watch's official texting app, clicked on the microphone icon, and sent a message to his wife who was luckily just downstairs. Although the situation was actually quite serious, Pfau was able to once again quickly be taken to the hospital due to his wearing of the Apple Watch.

Read Also: Apple Watch Saves Man Who Fell Through Ice by Using it to Call 911

Pfau's Forehead Took Nine Stitches to Close

It reportedly took nine stitches in order to close Pfau's forehead. The pain in his neck, however, sentenced him to four days of intensive care. It was notably fractured vertebrae and doctors noted that he was extremely lucky enough not to have paralysis. The Apple Watch was also able to save a teen's life by catching a heart condition early.

Boston Globe reportedly spoke with one of the doctors attending Pfau, Brad Weiner. The doctor also confirmed that this isn't the very first time a smartwatch has saved a life mentioning another particular case where an Apple Watch was able to notify a patient of atrial fibrillation which was detected by the ECG app.

Related Article: Apple Watch Saves 80-Year-Old With Heart Problem That Hospital Said She Doesn't Have

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Image from Unsplash Website) Google Play Store App Customized for Country-Specific and Device-Specific Ratings

Google is now making some changes to the Google Play Store app ratings. The changes would include how the app calculates and shows ratings to its users.

Google Play Store App Ratings

According to AndroidHeadlines, the company notes that the upcoming changes will actually make ratings more personalized and indicative of the whole experience that users will be able to expect from the app. As of the moment, Google Play Store still gets ratings for an app coming from users around the world.

As of the moment, it calculates the average of those ratings which is what users can see alongside the app on Google Play Store. It reportedly gives quite a fair enough idea of just how good or how bad the app or game is.

Google New Approach to Ratings

Google, however, believes that the system is flawed as noted in a blog post. This is due to it aggregating ratings from users coming from across the world. Sometimes, a certain country-specific bug can also affect the experience for users in that specific country.

Perhaps, some of the apps are specifically designed for users coming from certain regions or offer certain features that still aren't available to users coming from other regions. This means that users might not understand it or even receive it quite well. A previous Google Play Store breach leaked over 100 million Android user data.

Localizing Google Play Store Rating System

An example for this is WhatsApp since the app actually offers a payments feature in Brazil and India. If the app fails to work properly, users could leave a negative review or rating for the app in the Google Play Store. Those negative ratings, however, would impact the overall average rating for the app for users coming from other regions as well, despite WhatsApp functioning just as intended for that region.

This essentially means that the Google Play Store's current system of rating apps won't always indicate the experience that a user can ultimately expect from an app. Google is planning to localize ratings for every single country. This November 2021, users will be able to see app ratings that are specific for their region.

Read Also: Google Chrome Tab Groups Live on Canary for Desktop | Hiccup Spotted

Device-Specific Google Play Store App Rating

The Google Play store app rating system will also have other major changes in the upcoming months. Starting early 2022, it will also show some ratings that are specific to a device type like regular smartphones, tablets, foldables, Chromebooks, Auto, or wearables.

The idea behind the recent change is that some of the apps are optimized in order to function best in a particular form factor. Google also notes that both tablet and Chromebook usage is now growing rapidly. Google is now working on fixing its Google Play Store by deleting apps and games with misleading names and graphics.

These particular devices have a different form factor compared to a normal smartphone. This means that the app experience could also vary. The company, as of the moment, doesn't want ratings coming from users of a certain device type to affect the ratings for users that are using other devices.

Related Article: Google Cracks Down on 8 Fake Crypto Apps | Bitfunds, Crypto Holic, and More

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tesla Bot job listings are now up on the careers page of the EV giant. It comes less than a week after Elon Musk announced the humanoid robot project of his company during AI Day.

Tesla published a total of four job postings for its upcoming robot. The humanoid robot seeks to perform daily human tasks that are deemed boring, repetitive, and even dangerous.

Tesla Bot

The latest move of the EV giant sure does suggest that the company is serious about the timeline that its CEO, Musk, has laid out.

In hindsight, the billionaire said that the company plans to produce a prototype of a humanoid robot by 2022 during the announcement of the Tesla Bot on AI Day.

Read Also: Tesla FSD 2 Computer and Cybertruck To Arrive By 2022; Can It Achieve 100% Self-Driving Feature?

Tesla Bot Job Listings

As per Teslarati, two of the career openings are for a mechanical engineering job, whereas the other pair is for robotics architects. As for the mechanical engineers, Tesla is looking for two talents with different focuses.

The first one should work on the actuator gear systems and designs. While the other engineer shall concentrate on both the integration and mechanical design of the Tesla Bot's actuator parts.

The same also applies to the robotics architect. The two talents are expected to focus on two different jobs. One for the modeling of the robot, and the other one for the mechatronic of humanoid.

These key positions are responsible for building the humanoid robot that could replace humans in doing tasks that are considered both exhaustive and tedious.

It is worth noting that the four initial Tesla Bot job listings are located in Palo Alto, CA, where the headquarters of the EV titan could be found.

Here are the specific job opportunities that Tesla published on its career page, as well as its link to the listings. The actual postings further expounds on the requirements and the responsibilities of the humanoid bot positions.

Mechanical Engineer, Actuator Integration for Humanoid Robot

According to the job listing of Tesla, this position will be joining other engineers of the company to specifically develop the "high-performance electromechanical rotary and linear actuator systems for humanoid bi-pedal robots," or the Tesla Bot.

Mechanical Engineer, Actuator Gear Design for Humanoid Robot

Likewise, the engineer for the Actuator Gear Design will work together with the one focused on the Actuator Integration. The end goal is to produce the gear systems of the Tesla Bot.

Senior Humanoid Modeling Robotics Architect

On the other hand, this Tesla Bot job listing is for a senior position responsible for the modeling architecture of the humanoid robot, among other related components.

Senior Humanoid Mechatronic Robotics Architect

The Mechatronic Robotics Architect works alongside the Modeling architect to build the humanoid robot to do menial human tasks.

Related Article: Tesla Model X Security Alarm Fails To Alert Driver About Open Falcon Wing Door: London Bus Got Smashed!

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(Photo : Image from Unsplash Website) Coinbase User Accounts Emptied After Hackers Gained Access to Their Crypto Wallets | Couple Discovered $168K Crypto Stolen

Coinbase user accounts have been emptied after hackers were able to gain access to their crypto wallets. To make matters worse, coinbase did not have live chat support which caused those that lost to worry.

Coinbase Hackers Gain Access to Users' Accounts

According to TechRadar, an increasing number of users of the currently highly popular cryptocurrency exchange called Coinbase have suddenly found their accounts on the platform empty. This is after hackers have managed to gain access to them and thoroughly drain their cryptocurrency wallets.

A new report by CNBC notes that the news outlet was able to interview Coinbase customers stretching across the United States and discovered thousands of customer complaints. An example for this is one couple logged onto the server only to discover that their $168K in cryptocurrency had suddenly vanished after hackers suddenly took over their account.

Coinbase No Live Chat Support

To add even more insult to injury, the couple noted that they weren't even able to reach Coinbase for support after the unfortunate incident happened. While banks still employ live chat and email and telephones in order to provide customer support, the popular cryptocurrency company only responds to their customers through email.

Coinbase, back in the day, originally offered live chat for support but the feature was previously phased out around 2016 according to a recent Coinbase blog post. It reportedly plans to re-add live chat to its platform. In addition, the platform also plans to continue and expand its current customer support team in order to better serve its current customers.

Read Also: Google Cracks Down on 8 Fake Crypto Apps | Bitfunds, Crypto Holic, and More

Cryptocurrency vs Bank Transfers

If money is accidentally transferred out of a certain users' bank account to another account, the owner can easily call up their bank and have the particular transaction reversed. The same, however, can't be said for cryptocurrency as once it is transferred off an exchange to a bank, users won't be able to recover their lost funds.

Although having a two-factor authenticator or 2FA and a password manager can potentially help users secure their crypto accounts, cybercriminals have still started using SIM swapping as a way for them to take over accounts. For those that are still unfamiliar with this, sim swapping involves a cybercriminal taking control of a certain victim's phone number as well as SIM card through their mobile carrier.

Hackers can then easily intercept the 2FA codes that are sent through text message in order to take control of a victim's online accounts. The hacked Coinbase accounts then sold on the Dark Web from anywhere between $100 up to $150 according to Etay Maor coming from Cato Networks in his statement to CNBC. A lot of cryptocurrency experts still recommend using hardware wallets for extra safety.

Related Article: Rug Pull NFT Games | How to Avoid Being Scammed and Go for Legitimate Games Like 'Axie Infinity,' 'Splinterlands,' and More

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YouTube picture-in-picture support is now officially available to iPhone users, but some folks will have to pay an additional fee to get the "experimental" feature early.

The picture-in-picture feature of iOS allows users to watch videos while they are using other apps simultaneously.

As per MacRumors, Apple added the multitasking feature on iOS 9 for iPads. Meanwhile, iPhones only got it beginning on iOS 14, allowing its users to watch a video while taking a video call--among others.

YouTube Picture-in-Picture

Although YouTube already announced that its iOS app is welcoming support for the picture-in-picture mode, it has yet to begin its wider rollout.

That said, The Verge reported last June 18 that YouTube is already releasing picture-in-picture support to some premium users of the video platform, assuring those non-paying users will also get the feature in the United States later on.

Before the official support of YouTube for the multitasking feature of Apple, iPad users went on to use the built-in browser, Safari, to watch their video on the platform while doing something else.

iPhone users once went to Safari as well, until YouTube blocked it even on the browser unless you are willing to pay for their Premium tier. Interestingly, iPad has been spared from this move.

YouTube Picture-on-Picture Officially Available to iPhone Users

As per Apple Insider, Google announced on Aug. 24 that its picture-in-picture feature is now officially available for its iOS app. But the catch is only the premium subscribers will get to access it in the meantime.

It is also worth noting that Google still considers the picture-in-picture mode as an "experimental feature." As such, users will only get to use it via manual activation.

What's more, the picture-in-picture experiment will only be available for a limited time. iPhone users could enable the feature up until Oct. 31. After which, folks will have to wait for it to roll out outside of the "experimental" stage, which will begin for the premium users, and the release for non-paying users will follow.

Read Also: YouTuber 'Like Nastya' Releases NFT Collection with VaynerNFT, Along with Toy Line Across the Country

YouTube Picture-on-Picture in Premium: How to Use

To cut to the chase, here's how to use the picture-in-picture feature on your YouTube app on your iPhone.

Remember that it will only be enabled if you are a Premium subscriber, not just Music Premium--like how any other experimental features works.

Open your preferred browser on your iPhone

on your iPhone Sign in to your Google Account that is linked to your YouTube

that is linked to your YouTube Visit YouTube.com/new

Look for the " Picture-in-picture on iOS " section

" section Tap "Try it out"

And that's it, you may now watch a YouTube video while doing something else on your iPhone.

Related Article: YouTube Unveils 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley Hits 1 Billion Views, Becomes the Most Popular Prank

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(Photo : Image from Unsplash Website) Samsung Makes Disrespectful Gesture Towards Apple's Late Steve Jobs Calling Him the 'Turtleneck Wearer' After Passing on Oct 5, 2011

Samsung has just made a disrespectful gesture towards Apple's late CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs.

It is quite a known fact that the two massive competitors Apple and Samsung leave no particular stone unturned to take a dig at each other whenever the opportunity permits.

Samsung Mentions 'Turtleneck Wearer'

According to the story by TechWorm, in the latest dig, the massive South Korean giant Samsung has just made what the article described as an "extremely disrespectful gesture" towards the late Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder, by calling him the "turtleneck wearer."

The recent comments were made in its description of the official iTest web app.

Samsung reportedly wrote that its users are all unique, stating that they like their phones to be unique as well.

Then, the company noted that "no turtleneck wearer should dictate" how one's phone should look.

Meanwhile, learn more about Steve Job's legacy and what he has done for Apple.

Samsung Promotes 'Real Samsung'

The company then took a promotional turn and urged people to check out a few other themes.

Samsung then noted that once users finally have a "real Samsung," they will have access to what they described as a "world of amazing options."

For those that are still unaware, the Samsung iTest is basically an Android emulator for the Apple iPhone. This would allow non-Android users to be able to test the Android operating system that also appears on Samsung smartphones.

In related news, Steve Jobs is more popular than Steve Wozniak despite the latter's massive influence on Apple, learn why.

Samsung vs Apple

Samsung reportedly explained that users will be able to get a little taste of Samsung without needing to change phones.

The company noted that they won't be able to replicate every particular function, but users would quickly see that there is nothing too daunting when switching to the other side.

Although there is really no direct mention of the late Steve Jobs in the description, the "turtleneck wearer" is thought to actually be alluding to Apple's late founder, who is popularly known for wearing his turtleneck and jeans in interviews and public events.

This particularly unpleasant move of Samsung was revealed by Yahia Sayed on Twitter, which caught the attention of a number of netizens, all drawing strong reactions from them.

Read Also: Here's What Steve Jobs's 1973 Job Application Looks Like

Steve Jobs Passed Away in October 5, 2011

Steve Jobs passed away on Oct. 5, 2011 after battling with a particularly rare pancreatic cancer for a number of years.

With the passing of the legendary Apple CEO, the below-the-belt message coming from Samsung has certainly left quite a bitter taste in everyone's mouths.

Yahia Sayed noted that Samsung has "gone too far" and that this particular kind of marketing is the worst the user has ever seen.

The user then noted "really sammy? Mocking a dead man?"

The user then noted that the comment made them regret every second of using their Samsung phone.

They are referring to Steve Jobs who changed entirely how smartphones looked like. "tHiS iS nOt OfFiciAlLy bY sAmSunG" nope. This is the itest thing on iPhone which IS Officially by Samsung themselves. And if i see someone defending this in anyway possible you will not be happy.  Yahia Sayed (@_YahiaSayed_) August 22, 2021

Related Article: Steve Jobs Created The iPhone Because He Hated A Microsoft Employee: Here's The Story

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
iCloud photos, mostly private and included intimate images, were forcibly collected by someone who pretended to be an Apple customer support, tricking 306 victims.

The Los Angeles-based criminal, Hao Kuo Chi, pled guilty to the felony charges that he is facing after stealing private photos from hundreds of people, as per The Los Angeles Times.

Apple's iCloud has been the center of attention lately as the Cupertino giant announced that it will be releasing child sexual abuse material or CSAM detection tool as part of its protection policies.

On Aug. 21, the iCloud CSAM tool already caught a San Francisco doctor for storing child abusive images on his iCloud.

iCloud Photos Scam

However, to be clear, the stolen iCloud photos by the scammer are not a breach of the security of Apple, nor was the CSAM tool involved. Instead, the bad actor used both phishing schemes and social engineering, according to MacRumors.

To be precise, Chi successfully stole more than 620,000 private photos and even videos by repeatedly emailing various victims asking for both their iCloud passwords and Apple IDs.

The FBI saw about 500,000 emails inside the emails that the scammer used, that goes by the address "applebackupicloud" and "backupagenticloud." What's more, there were about 5,000 iCloud IDs and passwords inside the two Gmail accounts.

It is to note that the victims were from the United States, and the majority are young women.

On top of the email that the scammer was sending, Chi was also working with other criminal minds to attempt to hack iCloud accounts. He uses his email accounts pretending to be Apple support to trick victims who are seeking for legitimate help from the company's support.

As such, the victims will then provide their iCloud credentials to the fake Apple agent.

Read Also: iCloud vs. Google Photos: Apple Now Allows Transferring Images to Third-Party Cloud Based App

iCloud Scammer Pleads Guilty

The iCloud scheme that Chi ran started to unravel in March 2018 after one of its victims turned out to be a public figure, whose nude photos were later uploaded on pornographic websites.

The victim sought the help of the FBI after learning that the sensitive photos have been available on such platforms. Upon investigation, the authorities traced the login made on the iCloud account of the victim to the house of Chi.

Now, the iCloud scammer has already pleaded guilty to three counts of gaining access to a protected computer without authorization and one count of conspiracy.

Chi is facing jail time of up to five years for each crime that he committed. So, in total, he will be locked up for 20 years.

The bad actor further told The LA Times in the same report that he is already "remorseful" for his actions, adding that he did it to support his family.

Related Article: Apple is Working on a Technology that Allows the Devices to Scan Photos for Signs of Abuse

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google Docs has received a new Gmail-based feature specifically developed to enhance your online document collaborations.



Thanks to the arrival of the new AI-powered Smart Reply function, users can expect a faster and smoother working routine when using Google Docs.



The giant search engine already released Smart Reply in its Gmail, one of the most popular email platforms on the internet. It was first released way back in 2017 to help users save time through quick message suggestions.

Now, Google Docs could soon receive the feature before August ends. Once the company completely releases it, users would find it automatically turned on or activated by default.

"Smart Compose is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French for users with accounts through work or school," said Google via its Docs Editors Help report.

However, the giant tech firm said that Docs would only have it available in English. Although this is the case, the company said it would add more language options as the new Smart Reply expands in its online document service.

Google Docs Smart Reply is AI-Powered!

The Verge's latest report, Google Docs' new Smart 'Reply' is a new feature that relies on artificial intelligence. Consumers can use this together with Google's Smart Compose function.

Also Read: Google's Nest Doorbell: An Impressive Smart Doorbell with Incredible Features and Perks

Google fans can now have better, more efficient, and faster document collaborations thanks to these two enhancements.

However, the effectiveness of Smart Reply would still depend on how you use it since some individuals prefer turning any suggesting feature off, especially if they are quite confident with their own writing skills.

On the other hand, ZDNet explained that Smart Reply specifically focuses on suggesting relevant replies to the comment made by your co-workers on Google Docs.

How To Use Google Docs' Reply Smart

Since Google already confirmed that it would be turned on by default, you don't have to do anything if you want to use it. However, if ever you are not satisfied with its performance, here's how you can deactivate it:

Open a file. At the top, click the Tools option and then choose Preferences. To turn Smart Reply on or off, click Show Smart Reply suggestions. Click the "OK" button.

For more news updates about Google Docs and its upcoming features, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Google Play Store App Customized for Country-Specific and Device-Specific Ratings

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China could launch a new Chinese Death Star-like spacecraft. The Asian government announced the new project as a part of the country's space ambitions to expand its out-of-this-world explorations.

On the other hand, the National Natural Science Foundation of China is the one that made the call to analyzed and study the needed mechanics on how to create the super-massive spacecraft, which could be miles long.

Because of its super long and large size, various experts are now comparing the new spacecraft concept to the popular, unrealistic Death Star space station from "Star Wars."

"Such a spacecraft is a major strategic aerospace equipment for the future use of space resources, exploration of the mysteries of the universe, and staying in long-term orbit," said the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Science and Technology, which funds the NNSFC, also supports China's new space project.

Chinese Death Star-Like Spacecraft's Details

According to Interesting Engineering's latest report, the Chinese government could find a total of five projects with a maximum budget of around $2.3 million. One of these space innovations is the Death Star-like spaceship.

Also Read: Elon Musk Laughs at Blue Origin Meme, Saying Jeff Bezos Copied SpaceX with Project Jarvis Vertical Landing

When it comes to physical components, the giant modular spacecraft is expected to have multiple launches and space-based assembly since it is impossible to launch its complete version because of its too much weight.

On the other hand, various space critics also claimed that its sheer size would make it impossible to have only one launch. Aside from these, involved researchers and developers also need to ensure the controllability of the rocket's structures to avoid attitude drift, vibration, and deformation during the needed space assembly processes.

Japan's Mars Mission now plans to deliver the Red Planet's soil samples back to Earth in other news. On the other hand, Australia's own satellite constellation could begin. This just shows that various countries now want to explore space even more.

China Further Invests in Space Programs

Aside from China's upcoming Death Star-like rocket, the Asian country is also working on its upcoming Tiangong space station.

The Chinese government announced that the new space station could be one-fourth the size of the current ISS (International Space Station), as reported by South China Morning Post.

For more news updates about China's space innovations, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Space Object Chinese Astronomers are Studying May be the Milky Way's New Arm, Cattail

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Hubble is back in business after a long while being offline, and now it's doing what it does best: make amazing discoveries about the universe regularly.

Hubble's newest discovery is a photograph it took of a cosmic phenomenon known as an "Einstein Ring" situated billions of light-years away, NBC News reports. It was named after the famous 20th-century physicist whose theories included predicting that gravity, if powerful enough, can bend even light.

The photograph released by the European Space Agency (ESA) reveals a round object at the center. While the picture seems like it's showing the light that's forming a ring, the story behind it is even more interesting. Here is the image, which comes straight from NASA:

What you actually see in the image is three galaxies that appear like there are seven of them, featuring four different images of the most distant of these galaxies forming a ring around the others. The farthest galaxy of the bunch is a mind-boggling 15 billion light-years away. It's also a very specific type of galaxy because it has a gargantuan black hole in its center which is called a quasar.

The three galaxies are appearing as if they're seven because of their light passing through intense gravitational fields, causing them to bend, writes ScienceAlert. Hubble was among the earliest telescopes to actually witness any sign of this phenomenon since telescopes in Einstein's time weren't powerful enough.

An Einstein Ring was first seen in 1979 when astronomers at Arizona's Kitt Peak Observatory identified the quasar in the image as Twin Quasar QSO 0957+561. They knew it was a single quasar despite appearing to be two because the light that produces its image is passing through an immense gravitational field from another galaxy close to it.

Read also: Space Object Chinese Astronomers are Studying May be the Milky Way's New Arm, Cattail

Hubble's Newest Discovery is Far More Interesting Than it Appears

Seeing the image, an ordinary person might be saying, "so what?" Well, that's because the context is far bigger than most could imagine. And it begins and ends with the distance of the quasar that's causing the Einstein Ring to form.

15 billion light-years is a distance that's hard to wrap your head around. But considering that scientists estimate the entire universe's age as 14 billion years, we're at a 1 billion-year deficit here. So why is this Einstein Ring-causing quasar seemingly "older" than the entire universe itself, and how did Hubble even capture its image?

Hubble technically cannot capture an image if it doesn't give off light. But since the farthest galaxy's light is curved by the gravitational pull of the two galaxies in front of it. This, however, can only be detected by analyzing the Hubble Space Telescope's numerical data.

With this new discovery from the iconic Hubble Space Telescope, scientists are able to see further back into time than ever before. This could reveal several unknown secrets of the universe's origins, for one, which, if confirmed, will be massive enough to change the course of science.

Related: IN PHOTOS: The Different Galaxies the Hubble Space Telescope Has Taken Photos of in the Last 3 Decades

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
An upgraded Apple Face ID could arrive as some rumors claimed that the giant tech developer is already testing this new version. This major information came from Jon Prosser, one of the most reliable Apple leakers in the industry.

He claimed that he was able to view videos and images of around 75 prototype rigs. Aside from this, Prosser also confidently added that he also created a composite render to efficiently show how the new Apple Face ID works and what it actually looks like.

"EXCLUSIVE: Apple Testing New iPhone 13 Face ID Hardware That Works With Masks + Foggy Glasses," said the popular tech leaker via his official Twitter post.

As of the moment, his latest tweet was able to generate more than 1,200 likes, 25 quote tweets, and 100 retweets.

That means we dont need Touch ID? Apple cant be testing the iPhone 13 this late, right? The iPhones are in mass production.  Joe (@RealJoseph123) August 25, 2021

Some Apple consumers asked if they would no longer need Apple Touch ID once the new Face ID version is released. Since this is still considered a leak, Apple hasn't released any confirmation yet regarding the new identification feature.

New Apple Face ID Could Arrive?

According to Apple Insider's latest report, the upgrade Face ID model could work when wearing a face mask. Aside from this, Prosser added that this innovation could also work even when your glasses are foggy.

Also Read: Apple Watch Saves Man's Life for a Second Time After He Fainted and Hit Head on Floor at Age 70

If the leaker's claims are true, Apple's new identification feature would be a great help since many countries across the globe are still suffering from the ongoing global pandemic. Because of this, most individuals are forced to wear face masks when they are in public.

On the other hand, Jon also explained that since Apple employees must wear face coverings, the tech giant manufacturer is using this opportunity to test its new Face ID feature.

He added that the tech giant creator is also conducting some experiments, where participants are asked to wear their glasses and take them off. If you want to see the developed renders of the popular leaker, you can visit his published Front Page Tech blog.

In other news, Apple's iPad 9 has been announced, which is now expected to arrive this coming September. On the other hand, a redesigned Mac Mini is also rumored to be in development.

Will iPhone 13 Have the Upgraded Face ID Version?

As of the moment, Apple hasn't confirmed if iPhone 13 would have the alleged Face ID upgrade. Even Jon Prosser has no idea if the upcoming smartphone would be integrated with it.

On the other hand, some of the leaker's Twitter post commentators said that it is too late for Apple to test its new Face ID version since iPhone 13 is already set to arrive this coming October.

For more news updates about the upgraded Face ID version and other new Apple products, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Apple Patent Leaks Tech That May Let Users Blow on Future iPhones and Apple Watches to Control Them

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Telluride Town Attorney Kevin Geiger, along with town clerk Tiffany Kavanaugh, lined out the procedure for handling the receipt of a protest filed by local Stacy Ticsay that challenges the citizens initiated petition calling for a cap on short-term rental licenses. (Screenshot by Suzanne Cheavens/Telluride Daily Planet)
Ghost Town owner Elena Levin stands on the patio just outside of the coffee shop. Levin recently announced the coffee shop is closing its doors Saturday. (Courtesy photo)
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A recent survey found that a majority of East Baton Rouge Parish residents support a new fee to keep parish waterways clear of litter, which can clog storm drains, fill ditches and make flooding worse.

City-parish leaders who have been pushing for more funding for anti-flooding projects say the survey is evidence they're on the right track.

"This is an acknowledgement of people saying we need recurring maintenance and we need to do that better than we have been doing," Councilman Rowdy Gaudet said. "We hear the community telling us we need recurring maintenance funding, so lets look at multiple options."

The Baton Rouge Area Foundation commissions LSU's Public Policy Research Lab each year for a "CityStats" survey asking parish resident's opinions on a broad range of local and national issues.

More than 61% of the respondents voiced support for a new $10-a-month stormwater fee, although Democrats and Republicans were split.

Sixty-eight percent of Democrats said they were in favor, compared to 40% of Republicans.

The parish's poorest residents who responded to the survey were also the most likely to support the fee, with 70% of those who said they make less than $25,000 voicing support. The parish's richest were the least likely, although a majority of that group still said they would support a fee.

A record number of parish residents, 75%, said the parish has a litter problem. Fifty-six percent of respondents labeled the problem as very serious, according to the poll.

+2 Baton Rouge leaders want more money to fight floods. But how will they get it? After a failed attempt to shift funding from libraries and mosquito control to flood prevention, East Baton Rouge officials say almost no opti

Metro Council members and Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome's office are considering a number of ways to pay for fixes to the parishs flooding and litter issues in the aftermath of several major floods in recent years.

Last month, the council rejected a proposal to redirect funding from the library system and mosquito abatement for drainage maintenance. After that proposal failed, Broome released a statement insinuating her administration could find another way to pay for drainage projects without tampering with departments funded by voter-approved property taxes.

Council members said they are still waiting for the mayor's plan before making any decisions on a solution.

Council Pro Tem LaMont Cole said he's glad such a large percentage of residents voiced a willingness to fund the maintenance department.

"Once we see what the mayor has planned, we can go forward knowing we have the support of the overall community if in fact that trend were to stay the same across the 450,000-plus residents of our parish," Cole said.

Councilman Dwight Hudson, who proposed the measure to reallocate funding, said he would like to see the solution address the city-parish's backlog in its maintenance department as a whole rather than just litter abatement. Hudson also said he is still looking for ways to rework the city-parish budget to fund the maintenance department rather than adding new spending.

"I'm open to continuing the discussion on this to see if its feasible and its something the community would support, but we can not let up on redefining our priorities and making sure that our budget and our tax dedications are in line with the biggest problems facing us in East Baton Rouge Parish," Hudson said.

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Pollsters conducted live interviews with 549 residents of East Baton Rouge, 83 via landline, 422 via cellphone and 44 who responded online through a text message link. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. Results were weighted by age, race and gender to more closely resemble the demographic breakdowns of the most recently available census data.

The foundation has conducted surveys since 2008.

As the city-parish battles its flood problems, nearly half of those surveyed said the parish is going in the wrong direction, reaching 48%. That number is the highest level the foundation has seen in the three years it has asked the question, up from 42% last year. Thirty-six percent of respondents said the parish is going in the right direction.

Residents also faulted the pace that the parish is making progress on its problems. Sixty-nine percent said the parish isnt progressing fast enough, the second-highest level in the history of the 13-year survey. Only 19% said the progress is acceptable and 6% said it is too fast.

Broome pushed back on the sentiments from the polling data. She points to recently-released U.S. Census data that shows the parish growing, and she touted a series of economic and infrastructure initiatives from her office.

"Through our intentional efforts, we continue to make East Baton Rouge Parish a wonderful place to live and work," Broome wrote in a statement.

The largest age group to say the area is heading in the right direction was the parishs youngest residents  41.2% of 18- to 29-year-olds who were surveyed voiced optimism about Baton Rouges direction. Residents who identified as conservative or very conservative were the largest ideological groups dissatisfied with the parishs path, with 85.3% and 50.9% saying its headed in the wrong direction respectively.

A majority of Republicans, Democrats and independents all said they were in favor of the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriffs Office merging with the Baton Rouge Police Department, or 57% of residents surveyed.

The support for a merger comes 10 years after former Mayor Pro Tem Chandler Loupe established a Metro Council committee to study a possible merger amid high local crime rates. The parish has seen a surge in homicides since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, like much of the countys urban areas.

Sixty percent of respondents said marijuana should be legalized for sale and personal use by adults. A majority of Democrats and independents voiced support for legalization, and a plurality of Republicans said the same. Only 8% of respondents said marijuana should be totally illegal, and 30% said it should be only for medical use, which is the current state law.

John Bel Edwards signs bill decriminalizing marijuana, says it's not decriminalization Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed into law a bill that takes away the possibility of jail time for possession of small amounts of marijuana, th

The local support for marijuana legalization comes after a push in the legislature to legalize cannabis narrowly failed in the state House. The Legislature did approve legislation that was signed into law by Gov. John Bel Edwards that decriminalizes the possession of small amounts of pot by removing the possibility of jail time.

With the state capitols sights set on legislative and congressional redistricting later this year, 54% of respondents said they support the creation of an independent commission to draw the lines, a practice used in nine other states to prevent gerrymandering. A majority of liberals, conservatives and independents said they support the commissions creation.

Democrats and Republicans were unable to agree, however, on the results of the 2020 presidential election. Despite there being no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Louisiana or across the country, 68.7% of Republicans said President Joe Biden was elected because of illegal voting or election rigging. More than 90% of Democrats said the election was legitimate and accurate. In total, 63.3% of respondents said the election was legitimate.

Parish residents were also split along ideological lines on the practice of voting by mail. More than 93% of Democrats said they support universal voting by mail, and 82% of Republicans said they oppose it. A majority of independents said they also support the practice. In all, 64.8% of respondents said they support universal mail voting.
The national branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has sued the developers of a controversial housing project and the city-parish government over a recent rezoning decision it claims will increase potential flooding in the surrounding area, notably near their temple located along Highland Road.

The religious organization, more widely known as the Mormon church, wants a jury to reverse decisions the city-parish's Planning Commission and Metro Council made this summer that greenlight expansion plans for the "@Highland" mixed-use development, which is set to add up to 240 apartment units and new commercial and office space.

The development is at the intersection of Highland Road and Bluebonnet Boulevard on the city's growing south side.

The rezoning drew widespread opposition from surrounding neighbors who claimed it would exacerbate flooding in the area, which is along Bayou Fountain.

The lawsuit, filed Friday, is the first time the religious organization has expressed its objections to the project. No opposition from the church was voiced during public hearings the Planning Commission and Metro Council held June 21 and July 21, respectively, on the matter.

R. Loren Kleinpeter, an attorney for the church, did not return calls Tuesday seeking comment. Neither did the developers.

Officials with the Parish Attorney's Office said they wouldn't comment on pending litigation.

Developers Mohit Vij and Michael L. Mancuso, of New Orleans-based Key Real Estate Co., needed the city-parish to rezone their 8-acre lot from general office high rise-light commercial to small planned-unit development to build a dense apartment, office, retail and restaurant complex on the west side of Bluebonnet Boulevard, just north of Highland Road.

The first phase of the development, a 55,000-square-foot complex, opened in 2018.

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Despite the flood of opposition from nearby residents citing the frequent bouts of flash flooding they've endured since the 2016 floods, the Metro Council approved the request in a 7-2-1 vote they felt pressured into since the developers could have moved forward with the expansion whether the property was rezoned or not.

The previous zoning designation would have meant less greenspace, which could mitigate flood threats, and more concrete.

The lawsuit accuses the Metro Council of ignoring the public health, safety and welfare of residents, the impact the plan would have on existing buildings and surrounding properties  particularly the church temple  and not protecting the natural amenities and wetlands in the area with their actions.

It goes on to accuse the developers of not submitting an updated stormwater master plan or traffic impact studies on the expansion with their rezoning request.

Vote on building moratorium in Baton Rouge flood zones delayed by several weeks Metro Councilman Rowdy Gaudet is delaying his effort to implement a building moratorium in East Baton Rouge.

The suit also alleges the developers didn't apply for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers when they used more than 10,000 cubic yards of dirt fill in 2015 to raise the property's elevation. The lawsuit claims doing so has impeded the natural water flow and drainage from the temple's property.

The lawsuit asks the court to require the developers to remove all obstacles the development has already placed on the drainage system in the area.
Hannah Q Smokehouse, which got its start several years ago serving meals out of a tent, is planning to open its third location in early 2022.

The restaurant has filed for a permit to remodel a 2,000-square-foot space at 9880 Bluebonnet Blvd., just off the corner of Highland Road, in a space that had been occupied by a hair salon.

John Wagner, who will manage the Bluebonnet restaurant, said the goal is to open between February and April. This will be the third location for Hannah Q, joining the Prairieville restaurant that opened in 2016 and a Government Street restaurant that has been in business since 2019.

Our goal is to be the barbecue pit of Louisiana, Wagner said. We want to be the main people you come to.

The Bluebonnet Hannah Q will have the same menu as the two other restaurants, with barbecue staples such as pulled pork, brisket, ribs and chicken, along with dishes like pulled pork and pepperjack egg rolls, barbecue jambalaya and pork roast.

About 25 people will work at the restaurant when it opens. Hannah Q will be open seven days a week.

Hannah Q got its start operating out of a tent in the parking lot of Jasmines on the Bayou, the Jones Creek eatery also owned by Herb Fong.
For one week only, Krispy Kreme will give away two free donuts a day to anyone who who shows their COVID-19 vaccination card.

This sweet promotion is available from Aug. 30 through Sept. 5.

To be qualified as vaccinated, a guest must have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine.

Earlier this year, the chain announced it would give vaccinated people one free doughnut a day for a year.

Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

The current offer can be redeemed for one original glazed doughnut and one original glazed heart-shaped doughnut.

The doughnut chain said it wanted to find a way to show support for those protecting themselves and others by choosing to get vaccinated.

The Krispy Kreme locations on Plank Road in Baton Rouge and Clearview Parkway in New Orleans are participating in the promotion.

See more details about the offer here.
One jury will decide whether Louisiana financial regulators contributed to the massive losses suffered by 900 investors from Louisiana and 36 other states in the Stanford Trust Co. debacle and, if so, what damages they are owed, a judge ruled this week.

The state Office of Financial Institutions recently filed a motion to break the trial of the class-action lawsuit into two separate phases: first a trial on the issue of liability and, if OFI is found liable, then a second trial on the issues of damages.

An attorney for the Stanford victims argued at a hearing earlier this month that OFI's request would force each of the 900 class members to have individual trials before separate juries as to the amount of damages each incurred.

How should courts handle 900 claims in Baton Rouge Ponzi scheme lawsuit? It's complicated. Some 900 investors from Louisiana and three dozen other states who claimed in 2009 that Louisiana financial regulators contributed to their hu

Phil Preis, who represents the retiree victims, said Wednesday it would have been impossible for each of the 900 class members to have their day in court if the judge had ruled in OFI's favor.

"The ruling by Judge Johnson that one jury will hear the case, and that there will be one trial to hear damages and liability at the same time allows these victims to have their day in court," he said. "That is all they want."

State District Judge Don Johnson, of Baton Rouge, ruled Monday that OFI's motion "does not have merit."

"Plaintiffs are entitled to present all issues to one jury and that the issues of liability and damages will not be bifurcated ..." the judge wrote.

His ruling is likely to be appealed.

Special Assistant Attorney General Michael Hunt, who represents OFI, had argued at an Aug. 9 hearing that a "one size fits all" approach won't work if the case reaches the damages phase because individual plaintiffs could have different damages claims. He suggested the judge could create sub-classes of plaintiffs in any damages phase.

Hunt told Johnson the state "has absolutely no interest in having 900 individual trials."

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Stanford Trust was based in Baton Rouge, and the Stanford Group Co.  another Stanford entity  had offices in downtown Baton Rouge. Victims of the Ponzi scheme invested their retirement savings as rollover IRAs in fraudulent certificates of deposit (CDs) that Stanford Trust sold in Baton Rouge.

Financial advisers for Stanford told investors their money was safely held in CDs at Stanford International Bank in the Caribbean island of Antigua. The money for the CDs, however, funded the lavish lifestyle of Allen Stanford, who took more than $7 billion from victims worldwide.

Preis has said local victims, many of them retirees from Exxon and other plants along the Mississippi River, lost $250 million in the scheme.

OFI was accused in the lawsuit of failing to perform its duties and turning a blind eye to Stanford's fraud scheme. OFI has stated in court documents that it doesn't guarantee investors in OFI-regulated companies, such as Stanford Trust, won't lose money to fraudulent conduct.

The lawsuit, filed in Baton Rouge by investors in 2009, also alleged that SEI, an international financial services firm that administered the Stanford Group investments, performed the accounting and reporting of the IRA investments and "actively and materially aided" Stanford Trust Co. and the Stanford Group to "perpetuate the massive Ponzi scheme."

SEI denied the allegations against the company, and the case against SEI was moved separately to federal district court. In May a federal appeals court in New Orleans affirmed a Baton Rouge federal judge's 2019 ruling that dismissed the lone remaining defendant -- SEI -- in the federal lawsuit.

+2 Louisiana fraud victims who lost millions to a Ponzi scheme can't sue financial firm, court says A federal appeals court has dashed the hopes of 900 investors from Louisiana and 36 other states who were defrauded by former Texas tycoon R. 

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2014 said class-action suits by Stanford's victims could go forward.

Allen Stanford was found guilty of fraud in 2012 and is serving a 110-year prison sentence for the Ponzi scheme.
Hundreds of people run alongside a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane as it moves down a runway of the international airport in Kabul, Aug.16.
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There are many different forms of government types in Africa but really just five apply today not including local tribal leaders which wield just as much influence as official government systems throughout Africa.

The five types of systems of government in Africa are Absolute Monarchy, Federal Parliamentary Republic, Transitioning, Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy and Parliamentary Republic.

The key characteristic of African governments is how two main forms obtain political power; being voting and traditional succession. The governance of African nations differs significantly based on who has power.

The are 36 African counties that are Presidential Republic government systems, seven are Parliamentary Republic, six are Semi-Presidential Republic, two are Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy, two are Federal Parliamentary Republic, one is a Federal Presidential Republic, one is In Transition, and one is an Absolute Monarchy. For reference, the United States of America is a constitutional republic.

Zulu King Goodwill is a monarch who holds no formal political power, fulfilling the spiritual and ceremonial needs of the South African Zulu nation. KwaZulu-Natal is the only province with a monarchy specifically provided for in South Africa's Constitution that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu and Natal Province were merged. KwaZulu-Natal is the home to the Zulu monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu who receives an income from the government for his position. King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu salary is in the range of $6 million a year to cater to the needs of his royal household.

Africas last absolute monarch, King Mswati III, rules the nearly 1.5 million Swazi of eSwatini in South Africa. The Southern African Country of Swaziland no longer exists, King Mswati III renamed Swaziland eSwatini. The monarch Mswati III announced the official change in a stadium during celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Swazi independence. He explained that the name had caused some confusion.

Republic of South Sudan.

African Country Name System of Government Algeria Presidential Republic Angola Presidential Republic Benin Presidential Republic Botswana Parliamentary Republic Burkina Faso Presidential Republic Burundi Presidential Republic Cabo Verde Parliamentary Republic Cameroon Presidential Republic Central African Republic Presidential Republic Chad Presidential Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Semi-Presidential Republic Republic of the Congo Presidential Republic Cote d'Ivoire Presidential Republic Djibouti Presidential Republic Egypt Presidential Republic Equatorial Guinea Presidential Republic Eritrea Presidential Republic Eswatini Absolute Monarchy Ethiopia Federal Parliamentary Republic Gabon Presidential Republic The Gambia Presidential Republic Ghana Presidential Republic Guinea Presidential Republic Guinea-Bissau Semi-Presidential Republic Kenya Presidential Republic Lesotho Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy Liberia Presidential Republic Libya In Transition Madagascar Semi-Presidential Republic Malawi Presidential Republic Mali Semi-Presidential Republic Mauritania Presidential Republic Mauritius Parliamentary Republic Morocco Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy Mozambique Presidential Republic Namibia Presidential Republic Niger Semi-Presidential Republic Nigeria Federal Presidential Republic Rwanda Presidential Republic Sao Tome and Principe Semi-Presidential Republic Senegal Presidential Republic Seychelles Presidential Republic Sierra Leone Presidential Republic Somalia Federal Parliamentary Republic South Africa Parliamentary Republic South Sudan Presidential Republic Sudan Presidential Republic Tanzania Presidential Republic Togo Presidential Republic Tunisia Parliamentary Republic Uganda Presidential Republic Zambia Presidential Republic Zimbabwe Presidential Republic

Definition of types of the five systems of government in Africa; Absolute Monarchy, Federal Parliamentary Republic, In Transition, Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy and Parliamentary Republic.

Absolute monarchy is a form of government where the monarch rules by divine right unhindered without any laws, constitution, or legally organized opposition.

Constitutional is a government by or operating under a constitution that sets forth the system of fundamental laws and principles that determines the nature, functions, and limits of that government.

Constitutional monarchy is a system of government in which a monarch is guided by a constitution whereby their rights, duties, and responsibilities are spelled out in written law or by custom.

Federal republic is a state in which the powers of the central government are restricted and in which the states, colonies, or provinces retain a degree of self-government; ultimate sovereign power rests with the voters who chose their governmental representatives.

Monarchy is a government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a monarch who reigns over a state or territory, usually for life and by hereditary right; the monarch may be either a sole absolute ruler or a sovereign is such as a king, queen, or prince is with constitutionally limited authority.

Parliamentary democracy is a political system in which the legislature parliament selects the government is a prime minister, premier, or chancellor along with the cabinet ministers is according to party strength as expressed in elections; by this system, the government acquires a dual responsibility: to the people as well as to the parliament.

Parliamentary government is a government in which members of an executive branch are nominated to their positions by a legislature or parliament, and are directly responsible to it; this type of government can be dissolved at will by the parliament by means of a no-confidence vote or the leader of the cabinet may dissolve the parliament if it can no longer function.

Parliamentary monarchy is a state headed by a monarch who is not actively involved in policy formation or implementation true governmental leadership is carried out by a cabinet and its head is a prime minister, premier, or chancellor is who are drawn from a legislature.

Presidential is a system of government where the executive branch exists separately from a legislature to which it is generally not accountable.

Republic is a representative democracy in which the people elected representatives, not the people themselves, vote on legislation.

Together we build awareness that boost harmony, education, and success, below are more links to articles you will find thought provoking.
Theres little doubt that Huarong has been seen by Beijing as having systemic importance and that allowing it to fail  and Beijing has been showing a greater willingness to allow its state-owned enterprises to fail recently as it seeks to improve the financial disciplines and reduce the leverage within the sector  would send shockwaves through the financial system and markets. It had the potential to provoke a new China-centric Asian financial crisis, given the prospect that global investors would take fright and, fearful of the ripple effects, dump their bond holdings in the region indiscriminately. The plight of Chinas Evergrande group, with the worlds most debt-ridden property group engaged in a desperate firesale of assets to raise cash to meet bond repayments, would have contributed to the fear of the consequences of an Huarong collapse. Having deemed that they are too big to fail, the governments have created blankets of moral hazard over their larger institutions and, in Chinas case, state-owned enterprises in particular. A failure of Monte dei Paschi may not have been such a severe threat to Italys banking system, although a collapse of the countrys fourth-largest bank could have significant spillover effects, especially for smaller banks.

Successive Italian governments, however, have demonstrated a whatever it takes attitude to keep the bank afloat. The seeds for the banks continuing problems were sown in 2007, just ahead of the financial crisis, when it paid massively over the perceived value of Banca Antonveneta  about 9 billion ($14.5 billion)  to acquire the ninth-largest of the Italian banks at the time. Its first 1.9 billion bailout occurred in 2009 at a moment when governments across Europe, and elsewhere, were using taxpayer funds to prop up their faltering banking systems. Theres little doubt that Huarong has been seen by Beijing as having systemic importance and that allowing it to fail would send shockwaves through the financial system and markets. Credit:Bloomberg The second government rescue, in 2017, was more controversial because by then it had emerged that the bank had engaged in a number of disastrous derivatives trades to keep massive losses about 730 million  off its balance sheet. Criminal charges against the bank and some former executives are still afoot. That bailout cost taxpayers 3.9 billion and private investors a similar amount to recapitalise the bank and left the Italian Ministry of Finance holding a clear majority of its shares.

It was particularly controversial because the European Union had responded to the near-collapse of its banking system during the 2008 crisis with rules for how bank failures should be resolved that were designed to reduce the incidence of taxpayer-funded bailouts by bailing-in private shareholders and bondholders as the option of first resort. With ordinary retail investors (with a particular concentration of them in its home market of Siena) holding much of Monte dei Paschis capital, and the scale of the banks non-performing loans certain to wipe out that existing capital base, a bail-in was neither financially nor politically feasible. So, it was bailed out. Loading The negotiations with a reluctant UniCredit provide an insight into the scale of the banks problems.

It appears the government will inject several billion more euros into the bank ahead of a sale, which could be effected through a share swap with UniCredit to avoid weakening its capital ratios, with the government taking Monte dei Paschis non-performing loans and indemnifying UniCredit against other losses, including litigation relating to the banks past actions and disclosures.

In both Huarong and Monte dei Paschi, the level of state ownership and involvement will have complicated the responses to their latest crises  Italy could, and perhaps should, have allowed Monte dei Paschi to fail in 2017, if not earlier. Having deemed that they are too big to fail, the governments have created blankets of moral hazard over their larger institutions and, in Chinas case, state-owned enterprises in particular. The issue is especially acute for China because Huarong was seen as the biggest test of whether the long-held assumption that the big state-owned enterprises carried implicit guarantees from the central government still holds. The bailout of Huarong has reassured investors, particularly the foreign investors in the offshore markets for Chinese corporate bonds, that the absence of an explicit guarantee doesnt mean the government wont intervene to stave off a corporate collapse. Italian prime minister Mario Draghi was governor of the Bank of Italy when the central bank approved Monte dei Paschis 2008 acquisition of Banca Antonveneta, the deal that effectively broke the bank. Credit:AP

While its not stated-owned, Evergrande mighty provide another test of the thesis, given that if it cant stabilise its financial position a failure would threaten Chinas massive, and massively leveraged, property development sector. In any event, there will be relief (and some profits, given the discounts to faced value at which Huarong debt has traded over the past year) for bond investors and a lessening of the sense of imminent crisis that Huarongs woes and those of other overly-indebted Chinese companies had generated. Better supervision and control and earlier intervention  Huarongs former chairman, Lai Xiaomin (subsequently executed for bribes and corruption) said he was subjected to absolutely no oversight could have significantly reduced the scale of the losses and the systemic implications of a failure of the institutions. Loading Italian prime minister (and former president of the European Central Bank) Mario Draghi would be more conscious of that than most as he tries to finalise the deal with UniCredit.
OnlyFans says it has suspended a plan to ban sexually explicit content following an outcry from its creators and advocates for sex workers.

The subscription site said in a prepared statement on Wednesday that the planned ban was no longer required due to banking partners assurances that OnlyFans can support all genres of creators and declined to answer further questions.

OnlyFans says it is reversing a ban on the use of sexually explicit content. Credit:Getty Images

OnlyFans had said last week that it would ban explicit content starting October 1, blaming policies of banks and payment processors for the policy change. The new rules are necessary to comply with the requirements of these financial institutions and are the only way to help ensure the long-term sustainability of OnlyFans, the company said in a message to users last week.

OnlyFans has become famous as a place where sex workers can get paid in a safer way as well as a space for celebrities to interact with fans.
Its the breathtaking art exhibition few in Australia have seen, and may never get the chance to see again.

Illuminating the reputation of a groundbreaking female painter and occultist who believed her art was a revelation from higher guides from the spirit world, the survey had been showered with praise by the critics and adored by the few visitors who had made it to the show before lockdown.

Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings at the Art Gallery of NSW. Stored away and scarcely known for decades, the works of Af Klint have been cut short by lockdown. Credit:James Brickwood

Now Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings at the Art Gallery of NSW has quietly closed for good after opening to the Australian public for a mere 14 days.

In 2018, Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future drew more than 600,000 people to New Yorks Guggenheim  more than any other show in the museums 60-year history.
It was the summer of the bushfires; the economy was taking a hit; and their home at the Arts Centre was due to close for renovation. There was also a flood of commercial producers coming into Melbourne. In a way, they did themselves out of a job. The Production Company had done an enormous amount to promote talent as it came out of the tertiary institutions, as they came into the auditions, he says. We could see that to some extent the commercial scene was thriving so much that our role was being reduced. But now, of course, its all changed again. I think coming out of the pandemic theres going to be a real need for a company like The Production Company. There have been very preliminary talks that they might yet bring the company out of retirement, he says: Weve had some inquiries.

We decided [in 2019] that we would cease operations for the time being ... but never say never. Plans for a farewell concert in 2020 were quashed by the pandemic. In a way it feels like they were deprived of a farewell, he says, but hed prefer to remember the life of the company, not the last days. The archive, assembled with company executive director Rachel D Taylor and chair Jeanne Pratt, was partly inspired by one of Mackenzie-Forbes big regrets: that history is increasingly being written by the anonymous scribes at Wikipedia, by commentators and (yes) journalists, but not by those who lived it. And that can mean years of work and achievements lost from the collective memory. For 20 years I was the managing director of Victoria State Opera and I always regretted that after those 20 years there isnt really a real history of that companys life, he says. And I think that a lot of that companys history is currently misrepresented. I was determined that for The Production Company, which was the next 20 years of my life, we would have a permanent record of its achievements.

Chloe Zuel during rehearsals for the Australian production of Hamilton. Credit:Lisa Maree Williams They have compiled show announcements, production photo galleries, a copy of each show program, and even the reviews, as a permanent online resource to honour the artists, creatives and collaborators. It amply demonstrates the companys key role in developing big talents. Mackenzie-Forbes remembers the arrival of Lucy Durack in the audition room. She was destined for big things: Glinda in Wicked, Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, TVs Doctor Doctor. The Production Company provided her first three or four roles. They gave a shot to Chloe Zuel, now Elizabeth Schuyler in the Australian production of Hamilton. She was Sarah in Ragtime, which Mackenzie-Forbes picks as one of his highlights with the company (he had the rights since 2005, but waiting more than a decade before he felt he had the right artists to put it on). And there was Amy Lehpamer, who started with TPCs Follies before going on to Rock of Ages, The Sound of Music and School of Rock.

You could tell straight away that she was a truly gifted, brilliant artist, says Mackenzie-Forbes. Jeanne [Pratt] has an expression: whether an artist comes over the footlights. [Its] an appeal that cuts across, comes through: the voice, the appearance, the energy and the charm or drama that a person is able to express in their performance. Pratt herself was a key to the companys success, he says. She brought great passion for musical theatre but also business nous, calling him every day to talk through issues; every performance night she would say lets go and greet the customers. She made that link between the audience and the company very strong. Loading Mackenzie-Forbes has seen changes in the industry. There has been a remarkable increase in the appreciation of musical theatre, he says, and a big improvement in the quality of training in the tertiary institutions. But that has coincided with a disturbing shortage of career opportunities for graduates, he says  and, of course, the last 12 months have been diabolical.
After two years of passionate and often divisive debate, the Federal Parliament yesterday formally expressed its deep and sincere regret for past injustices and continuing hurt and trauma suffered by indigenous Australians.

The Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, and the nations only Aboriginal federal politician, the Democrats senator Aden Ridgeway, hailed the decision as a historic watershed that would give reconciliation between white and black Australians its best chance.

But the parliamentary motion of reconciliation fell short of mentioning the words sorry or apology, drawing outrage from the Labor Opposition and some Aboriginal leaders.

It also failed to address the other major unresolved issue for members of the indigenous stolen generations  compensation. The motion came as a Sydney court rejected the first claim for compensation by an Aboriginal woman taken from her parents, dealing a blow to thousands of other pending cases.

Mr Howard told Parliament that the motion of sincere regret confronted the greatest blemish and stain on the Australian national story... our treatment of the indigenous people.

Labor MPs tried unsuccessfully to persuade the Parliament to make a full apology, but eventually raised no opposition to the Governments motion, which had been negotiated by Mr Howard and Senator Ridgeway.
COVID-19 patients in an inner west Sydney hospital have described the toll of the viruss severe symptoms and being separated from ill family members, urging their local community to come forward for vaccination.

A video released by the Sydney Local Health District on Wednesday featured interviews with three patients at Concord Hospital.

Fawaz, a construction worker from Putney, appears in the video exhausted, lying face-down in his hospital bed.

The 50-year-old said he did not know how he contracted the virus that has infected his entire immediate family. He was booked in for his first Pfizer vaccine in October.
The Melbourne man accused of kidnapping two children in Blackburn North was known to his victims and made a $1 million ransom demand, a court has heard.

Jiangang Ji, 36, from Mitcham, appeared at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with offences including two counts of kidnapping, aggravated burglary, armed robbery, false imprisonment, three counts of common law assault and theft of a motor vehicle.

Jiangang Ji, 36, appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Credit:Facebook

Prosecutor Holly Baxter asked that the magistrate allow investigators more time to prepare their brief of evidence, due to the amount of evidence to be processed.

There are at least three different locations where items have been seized and need to be analysed, Ms Baxter said.
In Victorias serial lockdowns, schoolchildren have been more disrupted than most. The states students have missed more than 120 days of face-to-face teaching since COVID-19 first sent them home to learn. And with the latest Delta outbreak in Victoria still threatening, classrooms are unlikely to come back to life soon.

The overall impact of homeschooling is not always clear. While some students have enjoyed not having the disruption sometimes associated with the classroom, many more are missing the daily experience of learning with their peers. Its particularly difficult for year 12s, who have spent a sizeable chunk of their two-year VCE experience in lockdown. Its also hard for smaller children and their parents, for whom the lack of the social aspects of school can be very trying.

Based on NAPLAN results, Victorian students literacy and numeracy did not suffer during the pandemic.

This week brought apparently mixed news about the effect all this is having. Despite Victorias lockdowns, the states primary school students achieved the best NAPLAN results in the country. That is remarkable and a credit to the states teachers, and should allay some peoples fears.

On the other hand, NAPLAN tests a narrow range of skills, and the National Childrens Commissioner, Anne Hollonds, said the situation for many children was dire because they had missed out on the foundations of their academic, social and emotional development. Im worried that weve got potentially a lost generation of kids who have missed out on the essentials, the things that all of us have taken for granted, she said.
Dianne Jagelman is battling cancer, but she says there is something worse than that  being barred from seeing her London-based grandchildren, despite three applications to leave the country to visit them while she still can.

The 74-year-old Darling Point resident in Sydneys east has made three applications to the Department of Home Affairs to be allowed to travel to London on compassionate grounds.

Dianne Jagelman, who has cancer, has applied three times for a travel exemption to visit her children in London but has been knocked back. Credit:Rhett Wyman

She wanted to visit the United Kingdom during the small window she has between two rounds of cancer treatment. All three applications for an exemption have been knocked back.

Honestly I cant talk about it really, without bursting into tears about it, Ms Jagelman said.
Transport groups are warning of potential mass disruptions to grocery supply chains unless coronavirus testing regimes are standardised nationwide and truckies are recognised as essential workers.

A growing set of grievances among Australias 30,000 interstate truck drivers could come to a head in the coming weeks as several rogue truckies threaten strike action or barricading major routes next Tuesday over testing regimes and looming mandatory vaccination demands.

Trucks stop at the Queensland border in Coolangatta. Credit:Getty

The threats are separate to a planned national 24-hour strike on Friday, with more than 15,000 drivers heading towards industrial action after talks broke down between the Transport Workers Union and five major transport employers.

A coalition of transport industry associations has been agitating for the Commonwealth to declare the road freight industry as an essential service while in a state of emergency and for requirements for the 30,000 trucks who cross state and territory borders daily.
The latest survey found support for the Greens was relatively steady at 10 per cent. Support for independent candidates dropped from 12 to 9 per cent, with those votes shifting to Labor. Resolve Strategic director Jim Reed said that while Victorians had swung back behind the Labor state government, they had also shown increasing support for the federal Coalition government, reflecting a general support for incumbency during the pandemic. The federal government, led by Scott Morrison, has also gained ground in Victoria as voters returned to incumbents. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Among Victorians, support for the federal Coalition increased from 35 to 39 per cent over the past month, while support for the federal Labor Party dropped from 40 to 33 per cent.

Victorians are one of the major swinging groups federally, where they have backed the Morrison government and also moved behind Labor at a state level, Mr Reed said. In times of crisis, people have shown themselves willing to support the incumbent and that has been the story in the pandemic. Its not that Andrews popularity has increased; it is people returning to support the government, not the leader. Monash University senior lecturer in politics Zareh Ghazarian agreed, and suggested "incumbents are in the box seat".

We saw this in state elections in Tasmania, Queensland and WA, as voters were seemingly resistant to change during the pandemic, he said. Victorian Liberal leader Michael OBrien. Credit:Justin McManus "The latest results highlight the difficult job the opposition has in trying to sway voters before the next election. The coronavirus restrictions have meant the opposition has not had the usual opportunities to advance their policy agenda. The opposition has also seemingly been unable to resolve its internal divisions following the challenge to Michael O'Brien earlier in the year." The survey shows that under Mr OBriens leadership, the Coalition remains popular with older men and regional Victorians. Labor is more popular with women, Melburnians and Victorians aged 35 to 54. Fifty per cent of voters prefer Mr Andrews as premier, compared with 24 per cent who believe Mr OBrien would do a better job.

Another 26 per cent are undecided or would like to see someone other than Mr Andrews or Mr OBrien lead the state. The survey shows those who support the state government believe it has done its best to keep Victorians safe in the crisis, even when they disagree with some policies. Voters who intend to support the Coalition next November arent necessarily impressed by Mr OBrien, but say they want to register a vote against Mr Andrews. The Resolve Political Monitor surveyed 1106 Victorians in July and August. They were asked to rank who they would vote for at a state election if it were held today. The results had a margin of error of 2.5 per cent. The survey found most Australians want state leaders to stick to the national cabinet agreement to ease restrictions and open up when vaccination targets are met, with 62 per cent backing the plan and 24 per cent saying states and territories should go their own way.

State and territory leaders remain split on whether case numbers need to be significantly suppressed before the country can open up, which under the national cabinet agreement would begin once vaccination rates hit 70 or 80 per cent. On Saturday, Mr Andrews showed some hesitancy towards the plan, saying: If you dont actively suppress this virus then when you do open up, we will have scenes the likes of which none of us have ever experienced in our hospitals. In Victoria, 61 per cent of voters want Mr Andrews to stick to the national deal, while 25 per cent believe he should have the freedom to follow his plan. Mr OBrien addressed Liberal Party faithful on Wednesday night and revealed he would take a more moderate approach in the next 18 months, insisting the opposition must play in the middle of the ground. "Thats where Victorians are," he said.
ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug. 24, 2021 -- Hyzon Motors Inc. congratulates its partner, Raven SR Inc., for announcing its first waste-to-green hydrogen production hub, planned to become operational in summer 2022. Located at Republic Services' West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill in Northern California, the facility will be co-developed by the partners, with Hyzon investing up to 75% in the equity and offtake from the waste-to-hydrogen hub.

Raven, a renewable fuels company, expects initially to process up to 99.9 tons of organic waste per day at the landfill, producing up to 2,000 metric-tons per year of renewable hydrogen as well as power for its operations. Hyzon, a leading global supplier of zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial vehicles, will provide offtake through its vehicle customers.

This facility will help move toward California's goal of reducing emissions from organic waste under the state's Short-Lived Climate Pollutant (SLCP) Reduction Strategy while also producing negative carbon intensity hydrogen fuel.

Raven's patented Steam/CO 2 Reformation process is one of the only non-combustion, waste-to-hydrogen processes in the world. Its process avoids the creation of toxic pollutants and particulates, producing more green hydrogen per ton of waste than competing processes.

"As we bring this system online under very strict environmental regulatory controls, we will demonstrate we can convert waste anywhere," said Raven CEO Matt Murdock. "In doing so, the Raven SR process will significantly reduce municipal solid waste and toxic emissions, improve air quality, and create clean, renewable fuels."

It also will ease the transition to zero-emissions vehicles for fleet operators, since production, refueling infrastructure and vehicle availability will all be aligned geographically and technologically. This alignment is expected to reduce total costs to customers.

"Raven's technology will not only provide zero-emissions fuel for our vehicles, but also eliminates an additional source of carbon emissions  landfill waste," said Hyzon CEO Craig Knight. "In this way, our partnership expedites decarbonization of the transport industry. Launching this "greener than green" refueling station is the first step in realizing Hyzon's vision of 1,000 green hydrogen hubs."

Hyzon and Raven previously announced their agreement to co-develop up to 250 low-to-negative carbon intensity hydrogen hubs, with this hub representing the first in their collaboration. In connection with this partnership, Hyzon has acquired a minority interest in Raven.

Hyzon congratulates both Raven on the first hydrogen hub and Republic Services' progressive decision to move forward with this impactful project.

About Hyzon

Headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., with U.S. operations also in Chicago and Detroit, and international operations in the Netherlands, Singapore, Australia and China, Hyzon is a leader in hydrogen mobility. Hyzon is a pure-play hydrogen mobility company with an exclusive focus on hydrogen in the commercial vehicle market. Utilizing its proven and proprietary hydrogen fuel cell technology, Hyzon aims to supply zero-emission heavy duty trucks and buses to customers in North America, Europe and around the world. The company is contributing to the escalating adoption of hydrogen vehicles through its demonstrated technology advantage, leading fuel cell performance and history of rapid innovation. Visit www.hyzonmotors.com.

About Raven SR Inc.

Raven SR Inc., headquartered in Wyoming, transforms biomass, mixed municipal solid waste, bio-solids, sewage, medical waste, and natural or biogas into renewable fuels. Using its proprietary, non-combustion, non-catalytic "Steam/CO 2 Reformation" technology, Raven SR dependably produces a hydrogen-rich syngas regardless of feedstock utilized. Raven SR, led by co-founders Matt Murdock and Matt Scanlon, is committed to adding value to local resources and communities while responsibly reducing greenhouse gases and achieving a low carbon economy. By using modular systems and producing low air emissions, their systems can be located closer to customers and feedstock, creating local fuel from local waste for local mobility. Visit ravensr.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "estimate," "plan," "project," "forecast," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "seek," or other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding estimates and forecasts of other financial and performance metrics and projections of market opportunity, market share, and hydrogen production and offtake. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of management of Hyzon Motors Inc. (formerly known as Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corporation) ("Hyzon" or the "Company") and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, nor be relied on by any investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Hyzon. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political and legal conditions; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the business combination between Hyzon and Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corporation (formerly known as Hyzon Motors Inc.) and related transactions (the "Business Combination"); risks relating to the uncertainty of the projected financial information with respect to Hyzon; risks related to the rollout of Hyzon's business and the timing of expected business milestones; the effects of competition on Hyzon's business; the ability of Hyzon to issue equity or equity-linked securities in the future; and those factors discussed in Hyzon's definitive proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on June 21, 2021 under the heading "Risk Factors" and other documents of Hyzon filed, or to be filed, with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that Hyzon presently does not know or that Hyzon currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Hyzon's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. Hyzon anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause Hyzon's assessments to change. However, while Hyzon may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Hyzon specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Hyzon's assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements. Neither Hyzon nor any of its affiliates have any obligation to update this press release.

Media contacts

Hyzon Motors' contacts

Caroline Curran

Hill+Knowlton Strategies

+1 256-653-5811

[email protected]

Raven SR's contacts

Katharine Fraser

Hill+Knowlton Strategies

+1 281-409-9351

[email protected]

SOURCE HYZON Motors

Related Links

http://www.hyzonmotors.com


In this Monday, Oct. 7, 2012, photo tenth grade students take a chemistry test while in class at Springfield High School in Springfield, Ill. Illinois high school juniors will be tested on writing skills for the first time in years next spring during state standardized tests.
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Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics.
A now hiring sign flaps in the wind in front of an Iowa Staffing building May 6, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa.
A Border Patrol agent watches as a group of migrants walk across the Rio Grande at the U.S.-Mexico border in Del Rio, Texas, in this June 15, 2021, file photo.
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Melanie joined The Daily Times in the early 90s and has served as the Life section editor since 1993. A William Blount and UT alum, Melanie is generally the early arriver who turns on the lights in the newsroom.

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Jeff Robbins, a former assistant U.S. attorney and delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, was chief counsel for the minority of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. An attorney specializing in the First Amendment, he is a longtime columnist for the Boston Herald, writing on politics, national security, human rights and the Middle East.
U.S. Air Force loadmasters and pilots, assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, load people being evacuated from Afghanistan onto a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 24, 2021. (Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen/U.S. Air Force via AP)

1,500 Americans Remain in Afghanistan, 4,500 Evacuated: US Official

Up to 1,500 Americans remain in Afghanistan after some 4,500 have been evacuated, a top U.S. official said on Aug. 25.

Evacuation efforts began on Aug. 14, after the Taliban terrorist group took over the country. On that date, there were as many as 6,000 Americans in Afghanistan who wanted to leave the country, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Washington.

Since then, roughly 4,500 U.S. passport holders have been evacuated, along with immediate family members.

Over the past 24 hours, U.S. officials have been in direct contact with about 500 other Americans and provided specific instructions on how to safely get to the U.S.-held airport in Kabul.

For the remaining 1,000 or so Americans, officials are aggressively reaching out to them multiple times a day through multiple channels of communicationphone, email, text messageto determine if they still want to leave and to get the most up-to-date information and instructions to them for how to do so, Blinken said.

The State Department told The Epoch Times last week that it estimated that between 5,000 and 10,000 Americans were in Afghanistan. President Joe Biden said on Aug. 19 that there could be as many as 15,000.

Some Americans who reported entering the country may have left without telling American officials, while others may not actually be U.S. citizens, according to Blinken.

Still others may have changed their minds about wanting to leave, including dual nationals.

An evacuee from Afghanistan walks toward a transportation bus after landing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Aug. 22, 2021. (Air Force/Senior Airman Jan K. Valle/Handout via Reuters)

In this picture obtained from social media, crowds of people wait outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 25, 2021. (David_Martinon/Twitter via Reuters)

They may even change their mind from one day to the next, as has happened and as will likely continue to happen, Blinken said, noting that some Americans are understandably very scared about the situation in the war-torn country.

Taliban fighters are manning checkpoints around the airport and preventing some people from getting through, including beating some Americans, U.S. military officials have confirmed.

Additionally, U.S. officials have increasingly warned about activity from ISIS-K, an affiliate of the ISIS terrorist group, in Kabul.

Blinken, in the starkest warning yet, said theres a very real possibility of an ISIS-K attack.

Thats spurring the aggressive effort to contact the remaining Americans, with State Department officials working around the clock.

Earlier on Aug. 25, the United States said 19,000 people had been evacuated on U.S. or U.S.-facilitated flights from the airport over the past 24 hours. That included more than 500 Americans, according to Blinken.

Since Aug. 14, U.S. and allied forces have evacuated approximately 88,000 people, primarily Afghans.

U.S. troops are planning to pull out on Aug. 31, and they started drawing down forces this week. Approximately 400 troops were flown out because a commander on the ground decided they were no longer needed.

Members of Congress from both parties have pushed Biden to extend his Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline, arguing that it doesnt leave enough time to get out all Americans and Afghans who helped U.S. troops in the last 20 years.

But Biden announced on Aug. 24 that the deadline is staying in place for now, while directing agencies to draw up contingency plans. He was briefed on those plans on the morning of Aug. 25.

U.S. officials are also working on developing plans for how they can help any Americans who want to leave after the troops depart.

Officials said they expect the Taliban to let people leave post-withdrawal.

Our expectation, and the expectation of the international community, is that people who want to leave Afghanistan after the U.S. military depart should be able to do so. Were working on that; as soon as we have more to provide to all of you, we will do exactly that, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Aug. 25.

The Taliban reportedly told German officials this week that they would let Afghans with proper papers leave the country. It wasnt clear whether that promise included Americans.
Ty Garbin, one of six people charged in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, is seen in this undated file photo. (Kent County Sheriff via AP File)

1st Sentence to Be Handed Down in Michigan Govs Kidnap Plot

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.Prosecutors preparing for the first prison sentence in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are loudly signaling to five other defendants that a key insider has shared extraordinary details about the operation.

Ty Garbin cooperated within weeks of being arrested, willingly putting a target on his back to begin his own redemption, the government said in a court filing.

Prosecutors want U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker to take that into consideration Wednesday when he sentences Garbin for conspiracy. The government is recommending a nine-year prison term, a long stretch but one that would be even longer if he had not assisted investigators after being charged.

The FBI last October said it broke up a scheme to kidnap the Democratic governor by anti-government extremists who were upset over Whitmers coronavirus restrictions. Six men were charged in federal court, while others were charged in state court with aiding them.

When the kidnapping case was filed, Whitmer pinned some blame on then-President Donald Trump, claiming that Trump refused to denounce far-right groups and inspired extremists across the United States.

The governor last year put major restrictions on personal movement and the economy because of COVID-19, although many limits were eventually lifted. The Michigan Capitol was the site of rallies, including ones with gun-toting protesters calling for Whitmers removal.

Whitmer exchanged barbs with Trump on social media, with Trump declaring in April 2020, LIBERATE MICHIGAN!

A broken window is seen on a home in connection with a plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, at a Hartland Township mobile home park in Heartland, Mich., on Oct. 8, 2020. (Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images)

Garbin, a 25-year-old airplane mechanic, is the only federal defendant to plead guilty in the plot; the others are awaiting trial.

He filled in gaps in the governments knowledge by recounting conversations and actions that did not include any government informant or ability to record, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said.

Second, he confirmed that the plot was real; not just big talk between crackpots, as suggested by co-defendants. Third, he dispelled any suggestion that the conspirators were entrapped by government informants, the prosecutor said.

In his plea agreement, Garbin said the six men trained at his property near Luther, Michigan, constructing a shoot house to resemble Whitmers vacation home and assaulting it with firearms.

A Tennessee-based group called Parents for Peace said it helps people move away from extremist movements. It is asking the judge for a minimal prison sentence, noting that Garbins rocky childhood and other factors contributed to his decisions.

The groups hotline has received a significant increase in calls during the COVID-19 pandemic, Parents for Peace said in a court filing. Extremism has continued to be on the rise, and as more and more people were stuck at home, online and found their social networks broken, people turned to extremism.

By David Eggert and Ed White
Members of the UK Armed Forces continue to take part in the evacuation of entitled personnel from Kabul airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan August 19-22, 2021, in this picture obtained by Reuters, on Aug. 23, 2021. (LPhot Ben Shread/UK MOD Crown copyright 2021/Handout via Reuters)

48 Hours to Get Civilians out of Afghanistan: Former UK Defence Chief

British troops have a window of just 48 hours to evacuate civilians from Afghanistan, according to a former defence chief, if they are to withdraw by the Aug. 31 deadline.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Lord David Richards said he was pretty certain that logistics allow only two more days for civilian rescue efforts to give time for the British military themselves to pull out.

The former Chief of the Defence Staff, however, said he was sure that they would continue to sneak others in who arrived late along with their own people.

The assessment follows yesterdays G7 meeting in which allies failed to convince U.S. President Joe Biden to keep U.S. troopswho are securing Kabul airportbeyond the deadline.

Before the G7 meeting, the Taliban had again warned that they would not tolerate foreign troops past the deadline, and said that they were tightening their grip on the streets around the airport to block Afghan nationals from getting to the airport.

Kabul airport is the only route out of the country for evacuees, who are fleeing in fear of reprisals by the Taliban for assisting foreign troops or helping opponents of the Taliban.

French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune today told C News TV that it is very probable that Frances operations to evacuate its citizens and partners from Afghanistan will end on Thursday.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says that almost all single-nationality UK citizens who wanted to return are now out of Afghanistan.

He declined to say when the last evacuation flight would leave Kabul.

The military planners are working through the limited time they need to draw down their personnel and equipment and so they will firm up those details, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme when asked about that date.

We will use every hour and day weve got to maximise that throughput to get as many of those residual cases out.

In total, 10,291 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan since Aug. 13, according to the last figures from Downing Street. More than 5,500 of those are Afghans and their families.

U.S. President Joe Biden said U.S. troops in Afghanistan faced mounting danger as they pushed to complete evacuations by an Aug. 31 deadline, with aid agencies warning of a looming humanitarian crisis for the population left behind.

Russia began evacuating more than 500 people from Afghanistan on Aug. 25 with its first airlift since the start of the crisis.

The U.S. exit from Afghanistan is a security headache for Moscow, which sees Central Asia as part of its southern defensive flank and fears radical Islamism spreading into the region.

PA and Reuters contributed to this report.
Captain Muraal at Kabul airport before she boarded a British military plane to be evacuated to the UK from Afghanistan, in an undated handout photo. (Ministry of Defence/PA)

Afghan Army Officer Witnessed Humanitarian Disaster Before Evacuation to UK

An Afghan army captain has described the humanitarian disaster she witnessed in Taliban-controlled areas as she fled to Kabul airport before being evacuated to the UK.

Captain Muraal, a 26-year-old captain in the Afghan army, has been evacuated as part of the UK Governments Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).

Footage released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) shows the officer boarding a British military plane with others fleeing Afghanistan, after passing through checks with UK armed forces at Kabuls Hamid Karzai International Airport.

Muraal, whose surname is not being released for security reasons, has been evacuated alongside her immediate family due to the danger they also faced.

Captain Muraal at Kabul airport as she boards a British military plane to be evacuated to the UK from Afghanistan, in an undated handout photo. (Ministry of Defence/PA)

She said: We were accepted for relocation to the UK. It has been difficult to get to safety but we made it through because of the British military. We are safe here at the airbase and we will be safer still in the UK.

Muraal continued: The route to safety was harsha humanitarian disaster.

People waited many nights as the Taliban controlled the first gate. There was a lot of suffering.

The captain served in the Afghan National Army for eight years, having been trained at the United Kingdoms Defence Academy in Shrivenham.

She also studied for a Masters in military and security studies at Kings College London.

To board an evacuation flight, the captain had to cross a number of Taliban checkpoints to reach British troops at Kabul airport.

Captain Muraal at Kabul airport as she boards a British military plane to be evacuated to the UK from Afghanistan, in an undated handout photo. (Ministry of Defence/PA)

In a video released by the MoD which shows Muraal at Kabul airport, she said: We had a lot of challenges, the first challenge was how to get out of our house because all of the city is controlled by the Taliban and finally the gates are very crowded and they were also controlling the gates and were not letting people in.

With the support of British forces we have made it through here today and I am really glad for that.

I feel very relieved and my concern is now trying to get inside the airport to get out of here and I am fully happy we are able to make it today.

She added: It feels great and I am relieved to be here inside the airport and I think my family are safe now.

More than 7,000 Afghans who were eligible to apply for relocation to the UK under ARAP have arrived safely in the UK since April 2021, according to the MoD.

More than 5,000 of those have been evacuated from Afghanistan by the armed forces since Aug. 13.

Muraal said she plans to continue her studies in the UK and wants to help the British military in any capacity that I can.

The UKs programme to evacuate Afghans and British nationals from Kabul airport is known as Operation Pitting.

On Monday, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stressed the urgency of the operation, saying there were hours not weeks to evacuate as many UK passport holders and Afghans from the country as possible.

On Tuesday the U.S. government, which has led the international military coalition in Afghanistan, said it was not prepared to extend its withdrawal date beyond Aug. 31.

Once the evacuation operation is finished, the UK government intends to start a second phase of its resettlement programme for Afghans who do not want to live under Taliban rule.

On Monday, armed forces minister James Heappey said Afghans would be able to apply for resettlement to the UK in refugee camps or at British embassies in countries neighbouring Afghanistan in the near future.

By David Lynch
North Vietnamese troops run on the tarmac of the US military airport in Tan Son Nhut, South Vietnam on May 12, 1975. (AFP via Getty Images)

Afghanistan Situation Worse Than Saigon: Former Foreign Correspondent

The situation in Afghanistan is worse than that in Vietnam in 1975, a former foreign correspondent says.

Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam at the time, fell to the North Vietnamese Army on April 30, 1975. In the days leading up to the takeover, which effectively ended the Vietnam War, American troops evacuated thousands of Americans and Vietnamese.

Ron Yates was there at the time as a correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. He remembers U.S. troops working for weeks to get out Vietnamese who had assisted the United States during the war.

They managed to get a lot of people out, Yates recalled on The Epoch Times American Thought Leaders on Aug. 20.

On the other hand, the United States failed to evacuate many Afghans before the country fell to the Taliban in mid-August.

Its an unmitigated disaster, Yates said. They had months to do this. Why couldnt they have begun this process three or four months ago, slowly taking out these Afghans who were going to be, probably targeted by the Taliban after they took over?

Since Aug. 14, the United States had evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of about 82,300 people on U.S. military and allied flights, a White House official said Wednesday. Many are Afghans who may have been targeted if they remained in the country.

But just 5,400 others were evacuated before the Taliban takeover, including a number of Americans.

The Biden administration, which has said there will be time for an after-action review later, including an exploration of how Afghan forces failed to stand up to the Taliban, has been criticized for seemingly not expecting the rapid takeover, which unfolded as the United States withdrew personnel ahead of its self-imposed Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.

Military officials have indicated there was a failure of intelligence, with top U.S. general Mark Milley telling reporters in a rare public appearance last week that there was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has not responded to requests for comment.

Ron Yates is seen in Vietnam in a file photograph. (Courtesy of Ron Yates)

Yates, who served in the Army Security Agency, which dealt with signals intelligence, told The Epoch Times that he believes it was not an intelligence failure, but a failure by the administration to heed the intelligence they were given.

I think there was a lot of intelligence on the ground. You know, we have a lot of people on the ground in Afghanistan, even now, who are providing good intelligence about the Taliban or whatever, Yates said.

And I believe that the military of the Pentagon alerted the administration to what was going to be happening. I heard that they alerted them back in July, that what was going to happen if they didnt, if they allowed the Taliban, if they pulled out precipitously, and the Taliban began to do what theyre doing now. That would be chaos. It would be horrible.

And somehow, I dont think the administration heeded that advice. I wasnt there in the room, so I dont know. Im not privy to the Situation Room in the White House, but my feeling is they didnt listen. And now were paying the price for that.

President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that the Aug. 31 deadline is not being pushed back, at least for now, as U.S. troops scramble to evacuate the thousands of Americans remaining in Afghanistan in addition to the Afghans who helped the United States during the 20-year war there.

Group of Seven leaders, including Biden, agreed in a meeting earlier in the day to take a united approach to the Taliban, with the legitimacy of any future government depending on how the terrorist group upholds so-called international obligations.

And we agreed that none of us are going to take the Talibans word for it. We will judge them by their actions. And we will stay in close coordination on any steps that we take moving forward in response to the Talibans behavior, Biden said.

Looking forward, Yates said he hoped that most Afghans who worked with Americans are able to flee the country before U.S. troops withdraw.

The other thing I think is really important is the behavior of our media. Im very impressed, Im very gratified, and by the function of the media, as its covering this story. Theyre asking good questions. Theyre holding the administration accountable. Theyre probing them. Theyre trying to get some good answers for some of the things were seeing on the ground in Afghanistan, and I think thats a good thing. I think it shows the media at its best, at their best, he said.

And I believe that if they can be, if this could be sustained over time, then it may be a kind of a reinvention of our American media, doing its job for a change, and being a watchdog of government. So I hope thats the end result of all of this.

Zachary Stieber Reporter Zachary Stieber covers U.S. news, including politics and court cases. He started at The Epoch Times as a New York City metro reporter. zackstieber
Afghan passengers sit inside a plane as they wait to leave the Kabul airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 16, 2021. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)

Afghans With Authorized Papers to Be Allowed to Travel After Aug. 31: Taliban

The Taliban terrorist group said that Afghan nationals who are able to show authorized travel documentation will be allowed to leave the country even after international troops have completely withdrawn, said a senior German diplomat.

Markus Potzel, the envoy, confirmed the latest development on Wednesday as he traveled to Doha and negotiated with the head of the Talibans political office and his team.

Taliban chief negotiator, Scher Mohammed Abbas Staniksai assured him that Afghans with legal documents will continue to have the opportunity to travel on commercial flights beyond the Aug. 31 cut-off date, according to a statement from the ambassador on social media.

Many people in Afghanistan feared that they would no longer be able to leave the country once international troops have completely withdrawn.

Director Stanekzai assured me that Afghans with legal documents will continue to have the opportunity to travel on commercial flights after 31 August.  Potzel Markus (@PotzelMarkus) August 25, 2021

It is unclear if Staniksais announcement is related to an earlier statement by the terrorist group several days ago, when a Taliban spokesperson warned that they will reject any demands by Western forces to extend the Aug. 31 deadline in order to allow more time to complete evacuation operations.

If the U.S. or UK were to seek additional time to continue evacuationsthe answer is no. Or there would be consequences. It will create mistrust between us. If they are intent on continuing the occupation, it will provoke a reaction, Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman, told Sky News.

Potzel noted that Germany has also pledged to increase humanitarian aid for the Afghan people by 100 million euros, but added that the resumption of development cooperation will be dependent on conditions, as had been the case with the Afghan government in the past.

Markus Potzel (front), Germanys Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, attends the Intra Afghan Dialogue talks in the Qatari capital Doha on July 7, 2019. (Karim Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images)

Chancellor Angela Merkel told parliament on Wednesday they will continue to help Afghans who worked with German soldiers and aid organizations to leave the beleaguered Central Asian nation if they wish to beyond the Aug. 31 deadline.

The end of the air bridge in a few days must not mean the end of efforts to protect Afghan helpers and help those Afghans who have been left in a bigger emergency with the takeover of the Taliban, Merkel said.

Thats why we are working intensively at all levels to find how we can protect those who helped us, including through the civilian operation of the airport in Kabul, she added.

Germany has been flying military aircraft from Kabul to Tashkent to evacuate individuals. In its latest update, the German Foreign Ministry confirmed they have evacuated around 4,800 people since Taliban terrorists took over the Afghan capital about two weeks ago. Evacuated individuals include an unspecified number of Germans, Afghans, and nationals of international partners.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Anaheim Unveils New Affordable Housing Project Created From Former Motel

Anaheim unveiled its first motel-to-affordable housing conversion site on Aug. 23, the first completed project of the citys 2019 effort to create affordable housing solutions for the homeless.

Called Buena Esperanza, the project took the former Econo Lodge and completely renovated it into a permanent supportive housing community, with 69 studio apartments for veterans, those with mental health issues, and homeless individuals.

With Buena Esperanza, weve replaced an outdated motel with housing that will change lives, Mayor Harry Sidhu said in a statement.

Anaheim and our partners are leading the way in addressing homelessness with groundbreaking responses to Californias housing crisis. Our Motel Conversion Program, the first of its kind in Orange County, is bringing new permanent, supportive housing to Anaheim and helping those living in homelessness get on a pathway toward a better life.

(Courtesy of the City of Anaheim)

The Spanish-style housing, which is located off of La Palma Avenue, received an interior and exterior update of the former two-story motel, as well as the construction of a new one-story 1,800-square-foot community center. The development cost $25.4 million and took about two years to complete.

Each 300 square foot studio apartment features a living or sleeping area, a small kitchen, and a full bathroom. Residents are able to live there as long as they like. Additionally, the apartments are equipped with a bed, microwave, refrigerator, a table with chairs, and a stovetop burner.

In terms of rent, tenants will pay a portion of their rent based on income, with the average tenant paying $283 per month. Tenants must also be at or under 30 percent of the area median income to apply, with room preference given to homeless individuals in Anaheim.

The community features a lot of amenities as well, with the new community spaces offering counseling rooms, a small-group meeting space, community kitchen, resident lounge, and a large outdoor space for activities and gatherings. They will also be offered support services such as medication-management assistance, mental health counseling, help with job placement, and more. There will also be on-site laundry, barbecues, and a community kitchen.

I am proud to see this project come to life. Thanks to the hard work, vision, and collaboration between city departments and our partners, weve turned what was a blighted motel into a beautiful place where lives can be restored, Tim Houchen, chairman of the Anaheim Housing and Community Development Commission, said in a statement. Its a great, quality space for those who are homeless to get the housing, case management, and support they need. I would love to see more projects like this on an even larger scale.

The housing is located in a vibrant area where lots of nearby stores and markets can be accessed without needing a car. There are a number of parks, restaurants, residential homes, schools, and grocery stores nearby within walking distance.

Funding for the project came from federal and state housing dollars, a city loan from Anaheim Housing Authority and the County of Orange, as well as private funding from Disneyland Resort and Providence Southern California. It was developed by Jamboree Housing Corporation.
Executive chairman of Australia's Seven Group Holdings, Kerry Stokes, in Sydney, Australia on Aug, 5, 2014. (WIlliam West/AFP via Getty Images)

Australian Billionaire Kerry Stokes to Step Down as Chair of Seven Group

Australian media mogul Kerry Stokes has announced that he will step down as chairman of investment firm Seven Group Holdings after its annual general meeting in November.

The diversified holdings group, which has investments in industrial services, oil and gas, and media, will be helmed by the Seven Group director and former Coca-Cola Amatil boss, Terry Davis.

Stokes will remain chairman of Seven West Media. His son, Ryan Stokes, is chief executive of Seven Group.

Seven Group shareholders has an exceptional board of experienced directors, a talented, highly capable and hardworking management team and a strategic portfolio of businesses, Stokes said in a statement.

I am very proud of Seven Group and its track record and, as I pass the baton to Terry, I am very confident in its future. Terrys contribution to Seven Group is first class, and I know he will make an excellent chairman, Stokes said.

In reflecting on what Seven Group has achieved in terms of building stronger businesses and delivering shareholder returns, I am confident that I leave Seven Group in the best possible hands under the stewardship of Terry and the board and the leadership of Ryan.

Of course, I remain very committed to Seven Group, and I will remain involved in the business in an advisory capacity. As a shareholder, I look forward to the companys continued growth and prosperity, Stokes added.

Seven Group recorded growth in revenue for the last financial year across its portfolio of businesses, including WesTrac, Coates, Boral, Beach Energy, SGH, and Seven West Media.

This was driven by a takeover for Boral, continued mining production during the pandemic, demand for LNG, and reducing operating costs at Seven West Media, according to the groups annual report.

The group reported revenue of $4.8 billion, up 6 percent from last year, and raised its annual dividend by 10 percent to 23 cents per share.
A Queensland Transport Inspector signals to a truck driver at the Queensland border in Wallangarra, Australia, on April 2, 2020. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Australian Truck Drivers Plan to Block Every Highway in COVID-19 Protest

Australian truck drivers plan to block the highways in protest of COVID-19 vaccines and how the governments have handled their COVID-19 responses.

According to social media posts, the protests are planned for Aug. 31 across the country, separate to the upcoming Transport Worker Union (TWU) backed protest over a pay dispute.

Block every hwy [highway] entering into every state all at the same time & take back Australia, one post on Facebook said while warning people to stock up on enough food for a couple of weeks while truckies aim to block supply routes across the country.

In videos on Twitter, truck drivers also expressed their frustration with vaccines and the government orders around them.

One man said he would join the protest and was willing to go to jail to save my country by shutting the country down.

Another truckie expressed his anger at the Queensland government for requiring truck drivers crossing the Queensland-New South Wales border to show proof of vaccination.

He said the long-term effects of the vaccine were unknown, adding that truck drivers had a large chance of developing clots due to the nature of their job where they are required to sit for long periods of time.

Block the highway, man. Park her up, he said. See how good Queensland goes without freight going in and out.

A truck driver crosses the Queensland border in Coolangatta, Australia, on Aug. 20, 2021. (Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

New South Wales police have said that they are aware of the planned protest.

NSW Police will continue to conduct Operation STAY AT HOME to ensure compliance with the public health orders, an NSW spokesman told Yahoo News Australia.

TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said it was no wonder that truck drivers were angry given the numerous snap border decisions and health orders that have affected their work.

However, while the union understood the anger of the truck drivers, Kaine said they did not endorse this protest.

All Im saying is that there is a whole series of issues that are facing truckies, Kaine told 2GB radio. Underlying that anger are serious issues that the government has to address.

TWU has organised their own protest with logistics giant Toll, a move supported by thousands of truck drivers who voted in agreement for strike action as a last resort.
A Chinese fisherman sails on a tributary of the Yalu River between North Korea and China on Nov. 24, 2010. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijing Concealed Reports of North Koreas Shooting of Chinese Fishermen: Leaked Documents

The North Korean military allegedly shot at least one Chinese national for illegally fishing in territorial waters back in 2015, according to government documents recently obtained by The Epoch Times. Chinese authorities have concealed the incident from the public.

Dandong citys municipal government issued reports in 2015 and 2016 regarding the attacks on Chinese fishermen by North Korean soldiers. The Epoch Times obtained these documents from a trusted source who requested anonymity due to security concerns.

North Korea seizes our fishing boats from time to time, and last year there was an incident of shooting at our fishermen, the 2016 report said. At least one Chinese fisherman was shot in the 2015 incident. The report did not provide additional information.

The Epoch Times is unable to verify the incident and found no public reports on the internet.

Dandong is located in Chinas Liaoning Province, the largest city bordering North Korea, divided by the Yalu River. On the other side of the river is the city of Sinuiju in North Korea.

An administrative report issued in 2016 by the Dandong Municipal Government reveals that Chinese authorities knew about the 2015 attack on Chinese fishermen by North Korean soldiers. (Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Due to the depletion of fishery resources in Chinas offshore waters, some Chinese fishermen carry out illegal fishing activities in North Korean waters to make profit, Chinese officials said. Border control was under greater pressure, according to a 2015 security report (pdf).

So far this year, [North Korea] military police have seized 14 of our fishing boats and 73 crew members at sea and [Yalu] River, the 2015 document said, describing it as a significant increase compared to the data from the previous year.

Chinese authorities rarely confirm or respond to rumors of Chinese border residents being arrested or even killed by the North Korean military. And authorities have warned journalists on reporting such incidents.

A reporter from Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV, who was covering the hijacking of Chinese fishing boats on May 8, 2012 by the North Korean military, received instructions from both Beijing and Hong Kong authorities to stop reporting on the detained fishermen, he wrote in a blog on May 25 that year. The 28 Chinese fishermen on the boats were eventually freed and returned to China.

The communist leaders of China and North Korea exchanged messages earlier this year to reaffirm their historical alliance.

On March 23, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for strengthening unity and cooperation with China in order to meet the challenges of hostile forces, the countrys official media said. It is believed that the hostile forces that Kim mentioned pointed to the United States, according to Voice of America. Two days prior, North Korea launched two short-range missiles, the first test since President Biden took office in January.

U.S.-based China affairs commentator Li Linyi said, Despite the fact that the Kim regime in North Korea often kills Chinese frontiersmen, the Chinese Communist Party has never held North Korea accountable, and in most cases has kept it hidden from the Chinese.

North Korean soldiers stand onboard a North Korean patrol boat along the Yalu River near Sinuiju, North Korea on Oct. 22, 2006. (Cancan Chu/Getty Images)

In August 2020, South Korean news site Daily NK published a report, based on Chinese sources, that a North Korean patrol boat fired at a Chinese boat that was illegally fishing in its territorial waters, killing at least three Chinese fishermen.

The incident has not been confirmed by the Chinese authorities.
A 'Welcome to Texas' sign stands on the side of the road near Dalhart, Texas on May 9, 2017. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

California Businesses Exiting Faster than Ever

Commentary

California, there they go.

Business headquarters are leaving the state at an accelerating rate. Thats according to a new report (pdf) for the Hoover Institution by Joseph Vranich and Lee E. Ohanian, Why Company Headquarters Are Leaving California in Unprecedented Numbers. Ohanian is a Hoover research fellow and professor of economics at UCLA.

Vranich has been one of my sources for 20 years. His Spectrum Location Solutions used to be in Irvine. Now its in McKinney, Tex., near Dallas. Just like so many ex-California firms and people.

The new reports shocking news: For the first six months of 2021, company headquarters exiting California has doubled from the same period in 2018. And in the first half of this year, 74 headquarters skedaddled, more than all last year.

The reasons: High tax rates, punitive regulations, high labor costs, high utility and energy costs, and declining quality of life for many Californians which reflects the cost of living and housing affordability.

However, the authors caution the 2020 numbers were affected by COVID-19, which slowed planning and scouting for new locations.

From 2018 to 2021, here are the main destinations for company HQs:

Texas 114;

Tennessee 25;

Arizona 17;

Nevada 15;

Colorado 14;

Florida 13;

North Carolina 8;

Georgia 5;

Idaho 4;

Kentucky 4;

Virginia 4;

Indiana 4;

Alabama 3;

Missouri 3;

Minnesota 3;

Oregon 3.

The study notes of this and other data: Additional companies have relocated their headquarters to other states, but the only states listed above are those where such events are public knowledge. The states listed have likely experienced more wins.

Anecdotal evidence also supports the data. I know many people who have left, mainly for Texas and Tennessee. Almost everybody I know talks about getting out, although its still difficult to depart the balmy weather, family, friends, and local connections.

No Awareness

I asked Vranich if theres any awareness of this exodus among Gov. Gavin Newsom and the states other top political leaders. No, he replied. He said the state isnt even thinking about cutting taxes, despite what Newsom claims is a $78 billion budget surplus (but which the Legislative Analyst pegged at a still hefty $38 billion).

And he pointed to this July 2021 statement by Ohio Lt. Gov. John Husted: Fifteen years ago we began reforming our tax planwe eliminated the corporate franchise tax  eliminated the death taxwe went from a high-tax state to a lower-tax state. We absolutely do see it as a time to compete. Capital will ultimately go where it can be the most appreciated.

The Hoover report itself noted: Ohio is gaining popularity as the place where more companies call home. Five states lowered corporate income tax rates for 2021Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa and Mississippi.

And: Gov. Newsoms strategy is not to reduce taxes but to increase incentives offered to companies, thus increasing taxpayer burdens. Since the start of the Newsom Administration in January 2019, GO-Biz awarded 147 businesses a total of $593,844,974 in California Competes Tax Credits.

I asked Vranich if there were any good signs. He said, An honest politician would admit that the only bright spots include growing tax revenue from Silicon Valleys billionaires and also from film-making that is being preserved thanks to the states generous economic incentives.

Dismal Rankings

The study cited Chief Executive magazines ranking of state business climates, which pegged California the worst of the 50 states and Texas the bestin each case, for the 17th year in a row.

On the Tax Foundations 2021 State Business Tax Climate Index, California did better49th place, after New Jersey. Their analysis: Californias poor position is unlikely to improve considering that its businesses routinely face threats of increases in income taxes, property taxes, and sales taxes along with higher county and municipal taxes and fees.

They key to whats left of Californias once tolerable tax climate is Proposition 13, the property tax limitation passed by voters in 1978.

Vranich and Ohanian warn: Pro-tax coalitions launch continual efforts to eliminate or weaken Proposition 13s protectionscoalitions comprised of legislators, deep-pocketed special interests, and interests such as government contractors and state and local government-employee unions. Such entities have spent millions of dollars to overturn Proposition 13. Thus far they have not been successful, but they certainly will try again.

Losses By County

The largest California counties also suffered the largest losses of business HQs:

Los Angeles 54;

San Francisco 47;

Orange 29;

Santa Clara 28;

Alameda 20;

San Diego 17;

San Mateo 13;

Sacramento 8;

Contra Costa 6;

San Bernardino 6;

Riverside 5.

However, San Franciscos population is 873,965 (2020 U.S. Census) compared to Los Angeless 3.9 million. Thats 4.5 times higher. So the per capita San Francisco HQ loss is about four times that of Los Angeles.

By contrast, Orange Countys population of 3.2 million (2020 U.S. Census) is just behind L.A.s 3.9 million. But OC suffered only about half L.A.s headquarters losses.

OCs business and tax climate is well known as more welcoming than Los Angeles. For example, the City of Los Angeles sales tax rate is 9.5 percent. By contrast, most OC cities rates are 7.75 percent.

The study especially scorches Californias addiction to litigation. They charge, Lawmakers in Sacramento continually enact laws designed to expand civil liability on business and property owners  Californias statutes and regulations are so unreasonable that companies have reported in confidence that their legal costs in California are disproportionate to the number of employees they have in the state.

No wonder the American Tort Reform Foundation brands California a legal hellhole.

Workers Compensation Costs

California reformed workers compensation laws in 2003 under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. It worked for a while. But a friend of mine in the industry said since then the reforms have been undercut by laws, court rulings and new legal maneuvers devised by plaintiff attorneys.

The Hoover study listed the average workers compensation costs, per $100 in 2020:

Worst:

New Jersey $2.52;

New York $2.23;

Vermont $2.21;

California $2.16;

Hawaii $2.08.

Best:

North Dakota $0.67;

Arkansas $0.72;

West Virginia $0.79;

Utah $0.85;

Texas $0.98.

Shocking Energy Costs

Business energy costs also are excessive. All that green energy doesnt come cheap. Here are the electricity prices paid in March 2021, cents per kilowatt-hour:

Worst:

Hawaii $30.76;

Alaska $18.89;

California $17.20;

Connecticut $16.98;

Massachusetts $16.81.

Best:

Oklahoma $6.36;

Nevada $7.15;

Idaho $7.76;

Virginia $7.77;

Utah $8.01.

Its going to get worse for California: Customers in all parts of California are likely to see energy cost increases by virtually every utility. PG&E Corp. submitted a proposal to regulators for a rate increase totaling $3.6 billion starting in 2023 to help make its system more reliable and safer by sparking fewer fires.

Southern California Edison in April 2020 increased its rates by approximately 7 percent overall. In 2021, SCE requested an additional residential rate increase of 14 percent, while commercial rates are estimated to rise between 9 and 11 percent.

Major Firms Leaving

The report identified large and medium firms whose relocation can be found in news accounts. But many small firms just up and leave with no notice.

At the end the report lists all the corporate HQs that have left from January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2021. Some of those include:

Charles Schwab, from San Francisco to Westlake, Tex.;

DailyWire (Ben Shapiros website), from Los Angeles to Nashville, Tenn.;

Dole Food Co., from Los Angeles to Charlotte, N.C.;

Hewlett Packard Enterprise, from Santa Clara to Houston, Tex.;

Joe Rogan Experience, from Los Angeles to Austin, Tex.;

Kaiser Aluminum, from Lake Forest to Franklin, Tenn.;

Lockheed Martin FBM, from Sunnyvale to Titusville, Fla.;

Musk Foundation (Elons nonprofit), from Menlo Park to Austin, Tex.;

Mitsubishi Motors, from Cypress to Franklin, Tenn.;

National Hot Rod Association, from Glendora to Indianapolis, Ind.;

Nestle USA, from Glendale to Arlington, Va.;

Conclusion

In sum, its a dismal report. The state budget currently is buoyed by the bounty from Silicon Valley, whose revenues just keep growing and growing.

But for just about any other firm in California, the times are tough and getting tougher. And when the going gets too tough, even the tough get out.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks on during a press conference in Oakland, Calif., on May 10, 2021. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

California Will Send More $600 Stimulus Checks Soon; Heres Who Qualifies

California is preparing to send another round of $600 stimulus payments to qualified residents starting in September.

The funds will come out of the $100 billion California Comeback Plan in Senate Bill 129, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in July.

To qualify for the Golden State Stimulus II payments, residents must file their 2020 taxes by Oct. 15, and their income must not exceed $75,000 for the 2020 tax year.

They must also have been a California resident for more than half of 2020, as well as on the date the payment is issued, and they cant be claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer.

Two-thirds of Californians are expected to qualify for the $600 checks. Those who have children will also get another $500 check.

The payments will be made by either direct deposit or a check in the mail, depending on the refund option residents selected on their tax return.

The Plan creates the biggest state tax rebate in American history, expanding direct payments to middle class families for a total of $12 billion in stimulus payments that will go directly to middle class Californians and families, said the governors office in a July 12 statement.

Click here to calculate the estimated amount of your stimulus check.
In this image provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, families begin to board a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 23, 2021. (Sgt. Samuel Ruiz/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

Canadian Military Drawdown Will Begin Before Aug. 31 American Deadline: Sajjan

OTTAWAThe Canadian military will begin wrapping up its mission at Kabul airport ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline the United States set for ending the mission, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Wednesday.

Sajjan said thats because the United States is leading the mission and providing security and so its forces, some 6,000 personnel, must be the last to leave the airport. That means Canadas special forces and aircrews must begin departure preparations in advance.

Canada is using two C-17 transport planes to airlift Afghans to safety, and is one of 13 countries taking part in the airlift. It also has special forces operatives on the ground who are working outside the airports confines to spirit fleeing Afghans to waiting flights.

Drawing down a mission takes a considerable amount of time. It is not done overnight and it comes with considerable risk, Sajjan said, but he declined to give specific details.

We remain dedicated to evacuating as many people as we can in the limited time we have left.

The pace of Canadas evacuation efforts has ramped up noticeably in the past three days with a flight on Monday carrying 506 people, about half of which were children and a record 535 on a flight out on Tuesday.

Sajjan was one of four ministers briefing journalists on the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan as the frantic effort continues to fully evacuate all foreign nationals and vulnerable Afghans who helped Canada, the United States and their NATO allies before the countrys recent fall to the Taliban.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said Canadas commitment to helping Afghans will go on after the military withdrawal from abroad.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his fellow G7 leaders were not able to persuade President Joe Biden to extend the American deadline for withdrawal at their virtual summit on Tuesday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said the security situation keeps deteriorating.

Garneau said Canada and the G7 countries will be laying down markers for the Taliban in talks that will take place over the coming days to impress upon the regime that it must not block Afghans from leaving the country.

We are working together to develop the necessary approach that we will take towards this Taliban regime in the coming days and to put down in front of them very important markers with respect to how they have to treat Afghans who want to leave the country, Garneau explained.

There will be discussions with the Taliban; they are the regime that is in place in the country. And all of this will unfold in the coming days.
A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chemist pours 2,500 packs of confirmed fentanyl onto a counter for testing at the DEA Northeast Regional Laboratory in New York on Oct. 8, 2019. (Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images)

China Still Main Source of Fentanyl in US as Chinese Traffickers Evolve Tactics: Report

Despite the Chinese regime banning fentanyl and its analogs in 2019, China remains the primary source of illicit fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances being trafficked into the United States, according to a new report by a U.S. congressional advisory body.

Chinese traffickers have found sophisticated ways to circumvent these regulations, a U.S.China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) report states. This includes shifting their business from manufacturing finished fentanyl to exporting precursors to Mexican cartels, who then produce the drug and traffick it across the border.

Those evasion efforts have been enabled by the Chinese regimes weak supervision and regulation of its chemical industry, the report states.

The findings come as U.S. agencies have continued to grapple in recent years with the countrys devastating opioid crisis, fueled by a surge in the use of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin, and its variants.

The United States saw a record number of overdose deaths from synthetic opioids in 2020, at more than 56,000a rise of 20,000 from 2019, according to provisional data by the National Center for Health Statistics.

Chinese Traffickers Embrace Mexican Cartels

Since Beijings ban on fentanyl in 2019, there has been a decline in the amount of finished fentanyl shipped directly from Chinatypically by mailinto the country, the report states, but illicit fentanyl has remained widely available in the United States.

To evade authorities, Chinese traffickers have pivoted their operations to focus mainly on producing and shipping chemical precursors to Mexico, the USCC report states, citing the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This also means Chinese traffickers have increased their cooperation with Mexican cartels, particularly with the countrys two most powerful crime syndicates, the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco New Generation cartel.

The cartels control pill mills in Mexican cities, which manufacture finished fentanyl from the China-sourced precursors. They then smuggle the drug into the United States.

The growing involvement of Mexican cartels and advanced money laundering schemes have exacerbated the problem, the report reads.

Meanwhile, Chinese money launderers have been working to aid Mexican drug cartels in their criminal operations, the USCC report states. U.S. prosecutors have charged several Chinese nationals in recent years for laundering money for drug cartels. In one case, Gan Xianbing, a Chinese national, was sentenced to 14 years over a money-laundering operation for Latin American cartels that involved tens of millions in drug money.

Limited USChina Cooperation

While U.S. and Chinese authorities have worked together to dismantle some illegal fentanyl networks, cooperation between the two sides remains limited on the ground, according to the report.

There remain significant gaps in U.S.-China antidrug cooperation, especially in enforcement and criminal prosecution.

Chinese regulators continue to delay requests to access potential sites where precursors are made, according to the USCC. The delay often takes days, allowing any illegal operation to vacate or clean up the premises.

During the investigation of the Gan case, the DEA didnt receive any support from its Chinese counterpart, despite multiple informal requests for assistance, the report states.

It also cites retired DEA agent Jeffrey Higgins, who told the USCC in 2018 that he felt that China is merely seeking to create the appearance of cooperating with U.S. officials, while not enacting any reforms.

In response to the reports findings, the Chinese Foreign Ministry told Reuters the accusations were unreasonable and unacceptable, saying that the regime has strictly controlled all narcotics, psychotropic drugs, and chemical precursors.

In 2019, a Chinese narcotics official admitted that cooperation between China and the United States on investigating and prosecuting fentanyl was extremely limited.

The DEA and U.S. State Department didnt respond to requests for comment by press time.
Pupils sit in their classroom in the Yang Dezhi "Red Army" Elementary School in Guizhou Province, China on Nov. 7, 2016. (Fred Dufour/AFP)

Chinese Regime Adds Xi Jinping Thought to National Curriculum

The Chinese regime has announced that beginning in September, students will be taught Xi Jinping Thought from primary school all the way to universityin a bid to arm their brains with Marxist belief and communist ideology.

The Ministry of Education issued new guidelines on Aug. 24 incorporating the ideology tied to Chinese leader Xi Jinping into the countrys national curriculum. The measure formalized policies announced earlier this summer.

The move aims to strengthen the resolve to listen to and follow the Party, and new teaching materials must cultivate patriotic feelings, according to the guidelines.

An official of the Ministry of Education stated during an Aug. 24 press conference that it will introduce Party-leadership-related content into the curriculum and teaching materials of schools and universities.

Chinese leader Xi Jinpings book, translated into foreign languages, is on display at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Dec. 1, 2017. (Fred Dufour/AFP)

A mandatory textbook, titled Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era, is to gradually form the confidence of the young generation in supporting socialism and the Partys leadership, the ministry said in a July 8 announcement.

The book will be taught in classrooms starting in September, following the summer break.

Xis sweeping efforts to indoctrinate the Chinese youth stem from a desire to build a personality cult similar to that of Mao Zedong, the Chinese regimes first leader, noted Feng Chongyi, a professor on China studies at the University of Technology Sydney.

Chinese people in the 1950s and 1960s would be in tears upon seeing Mao Zedong, and would read the Little Red Book respectfully, Feng said, referring to a book of Mao quotes that was required reading for virtually the whole populace during that time.

But Feng believes that Xis attempts to foster this same kind of heartfelt admiration wont work in the internet age, pointing out that mockery [of Xi] is all over the internet.

Since coming to power in 2012, Xi has sought to strengthen the ruling Partys role in all areas of society, including its businesses, schools, and cultural institutions.

His personal brand of dogma, officially known as Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism With Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, was formally enshrined in the Chinese Communist Partys constitution in 2018. Xis personal power has also been strengthened by the abolition of presidential term limits.

In a speech to mark the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party celebrated in July, Xi vowed to enhance the Partys leadership, uphold his own core leadership, and strengthen the unity of the Chinese people.

Along with boosting the study of communist ideology in classrooms, the regime has made moves to exclude the teaching of foreign languages and materials.

The Shanghai municipal government education bureau in early August put a stop to primary school English exams. The regime has also announced a ban on public primary and middle schools from using foreign textbooks without review or approval from education authorities.

Luo Ya and Reuters contributed to this report.
A vial of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is seen in Los Angeles, Calif., on July 9, 2021. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Civil Liberties Group: Approval of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Irresponsible and Deadly

A civil liberties group has registered a strong objection to the wisdom of the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) approval on Aug. 23 of the two-shot regimen of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, while seeking to protect peoples right to refuse the vaccine.

The group points out that more than 3,000 individuals have died in the United States after getting the second Pfizer vaccination.

The Pfizer vaccine is the first to be approved for general use in people 16 years of age or older and will be marketed under the brand name Comirnaty, according to the FDA. The Pfizer vaccine remains available under the agencys emergency use authorization for individuals 12 to 16 years old.

COVID-19 has reportedly killed more than 660,000 Americans since January 2020.

But the FDAs decision to approve the Pfizer vaccine in record time may jeopardize public health, according to Liberty Counsel, which has been asked to help thousands of federal, health care, airline, and other employees, as well as medical and dental students who oppose mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations.

Expediting an experimental injection in months without years of clinical studies and testing is irresponsible and deadly. The FDA has a terrible track record approving drugs that had to be recalled and removed from the market, Liberty Counsel co-founder and CEO Mat Staver said in a statement made public on Aug. 24.

I fear this unsound rush to approve the Pfizer two-shot dosage will be added to the FDAs long list of failed and harmful drugs, said Staver, whose Florida-based public interest law firm specializes in First Amendment and religious freedom litigation.

Notwithstanding this FDA approval, people may still claim medical and religious exemptions, Staver added.

Stavers group pointed to data compiled for the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) in its Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which includes 3,079 individuals who died after receiving the second Pfizer shot.

Overall, there have been nearly 600,000 adverse events reported to VAERS concerning individuals who have received the Pfizer vaccine or its two main rivals from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Deaths total 13,068 after receiving one of the three vaccines.

Other adverse reactions reported to VAERS following receiving one of the three vaccines include 5,617 cases of anaphylaxis, 5,882 heart attacks, 17,228 permanently disabled individuals, and 25,169 severe allergic reactions.

The CDC includes with VAERS a disclaimer statement that includes the following:

VAERS accepts reports of adverse events and reactions that occur following vaccination. Healthcare providers, vaccine manufacturers, and the public can submit reports to the system. While very important in monitoring vaccine safety, VAERS reports alone cannot be used to determine if a vaccine caused or contributed to an adverse event or illness.

The reports may contain information that is incomplete, inaccurate, coincidental, or unverifiable. In large part, reports to VAERS are voluntary, which means they are subject to biases. This creates specific limitations on how the data can be used scientifically. Data from VAERS reports should always be interpreted with these limitations in mind.

Liberty Counsel emphasized in its statement that federal regulators also said they determined there are increased risks of myocarditis and pericarditis, or heart inflammation, following administration of the shot, particularly within the seven days following the second dose of the two-dose regimen.

In a letter to Pfizer officials, FDA Chief Scientist Denise Hinton said she concluded the firms vaccine should be approved for regular use, subject to certain limitations, because:

I have concluded, pursuant to Section 564(d)(2) of the Act, that it is reasonable to believe that the known and potential benefits of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID19 Vaccine, when used to prevent COVID-19 and used in accordance with this Scope of Authorization (Section II), outweigh its known and potential risks.

I have concluded, pursuant to Section 564(d)(3) of the Act, based on the totality of scientific evidence available to FDA, that it is reasonable to believe that Pfizer-BioNTech COVID19 Vaccine may be effective in preventing COVID-19 when used in accordance with this Scope of Authorization (Section II), pursuant to Section 564(c)(2)(A) of the Act.

Liberty Counsel also pointed out that FDA approval of a drug doesnt preclude withdrawal of it from the market at a later date when problems are documented.

Among the examples noted by Liberty Counsel were these:

In 1985, Seldane (Terfenadine) was an antihistamine that didnt cause drowsiness. It had been on the market for 13 years before being recalled due to life-threatening heart problems when taken in combination with other drugs.

Zantac was withdrawn from the United States in 2020 due to serious side effects that include liver problems, a slow heart rate, pneumonia, and the potential of masking stomach cancer.

Darvocet first came on the U.S. market in 1955 and it wasnt withdrawn until 2010 when it was found to have serious toxicity to the heart. Between 1981 and 1999, there were over 2,110 deaths reported. The UK banned it five years earlier, in 2005.

Meridia was taken off the market in 2010 due to an increased cardiovascular and stroke risk. Six years earlier, the Senate was told by an FDA reviewer that Meridia, Crestor, Accutane, Bextra, and Serevent should all be taken off the market.

Accutane was pulled from the market in 2009 after being sold for 27 years. Reasons cited for the withdrawal were increased risk of birth defects, miscarriages, and premature births, as well as inflammatory bowel disease and suicidal tendencies.
New construction moves forward in the Portola Springs neighborhood of Irvine, Calif., on Feb. 16, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Controversial SB 10 Narrowly Passes State Assembly

IRVINE, Calif.Senate Bill 10 (SB 10), introduced by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), narrowly passed the state Assembly on Monday by a vote of 41-9, with only 41 votes necessary to send the bill to the state Senate for final approval before being sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom for consideration.

Seven of nine Democrat representatives voted against the bill including Richard Bloom, Tasha Boerner Horva, Jim Frazier, Al Muratsuchi, Patrick ODonnell, Adrin Nazarian, Cottie Petrie-Norris, and Mark Stone, with Republicans Kelly Seyarto and Randy Voepel also voting against.

As reported in The Epoch Times on Aug. 18, SB 10 would allow city councils to adopt an ordinance to zone any parcel of land for up to 10 units of housing if it is in a transit-rich or jobs-rich area or is an urban infill site.

The bill allows jurisdictions to arbitrarily override citizen-approved local zoning ballot initiatives, Environmental Quality Act laws, and city general plans that protect communities from overreaching land development.

Californias Constitution protects voter rights to choose to protect private land areas such as shorelines, canyons, open space, urban boundary lines, historic districts, and single-family neighborhoods from unwanted or inappropriate development projects.

SB 10 would undermine the Constitution by allowing for high-density development throughout California in areas located near mass transportation or in job-rich areas.

None of the development allowed via SB 10 would be required to be low-income housing and shouldnt be confused with existing mandates such as the Housing Accountability Act or the housing elements included in the Regional Housing Needs Assessment.

Weiner has defended the bill, which is sponsored by California YIMBY (Yes in My Back Yard), as one of the strategies necessary to address the states housing shortage, referring to the increased development as light-touch density.

Making it easier and faster for cities to zone for mulit-unit housing is a critical piece of the puzzle, Wiener said in a statement released after the bill passed.

This voluntary tool will help local governments throughout California fundamentally reshape their zoning in infill areas, and help our state climb out of the housing crisis we face. Today is a step in the right direction, and we must continue to build on this victory to end Californias housing crisis.

A view of Irvine, Calif., on May 6, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Supporters of SB 10 have argued that the bill will lead the way to providing more affordable housing, as well as reducing environmental impacts and climate pollution.

Opponents say the bill infringes on the rights communities have to build according to their general plans, takes away public input and also reduces the inventory of available single-family homes.

These decisions should be left up to local municipalities, local general plans should prevail in my opinion Garrett Calacci, president of Waterpointe Custom Home Builders in Orange County, told The Epoch Times.

Local municipalities know whats best for their city; cities have zoning for a reason, Calacci said. Legislation like this bill takes away local cities authority to plan their city according to what they feel is best for their residents and allow the residents to weigh in on what they feel is best for their communities.

If the goal is more housing, and I get it, the state needs more housing, but there are other ways to go about it than completely scrapping local level plans.

Encouraging developers to build more by streamlining the process, reduce fees, give other incentives.

Allow the cities to zone appropriately rather than have a blanket law. That is not a good way to design communities.

Calacci pointed out that the unintended consequences of laws like SB 10 could result in reducing the supply of single-family residences for middle-class buyers when developers can buy an R1 lot and maximize its value by building high-density developments.

Its going to price out the middle-class family because it will incentivize a developer to go in and outspend the guy just trying to buy a house he can afford for his family, Calacci said.

Lets say the guy can spend $400,000 on a house, a developer can come in and pay twice that amount. It takes single-family homes out of the inventory for middle-class homeowners, and then forces them to pay the same amount for a little condo or apartment on the same land.

Like SB 9, Wieners other bill currently being considered, SB 10 does not include any provision for jurisdictions impacted by the increase in density, requiring additional sewers, water, road improvements, schools, or parks as a result of higher density development.

Should both SB 9 and SB 10 pass, cities will be forced to pay for any infrastructure demands that arise from the resulting increase in population on their own dime.

SB 9 would allow for duplexes and lot splits in single-family residential zones to be allowed by-right, meaning without case-by-case approvals.

Legislators killed another of Wieners bills, SB 50, in January 2020 that had a similar concept to allow 10-unit market-rate apartments just about anywhere in the state.
Ernest Hollis looks for items at his granddaughter's house that was devastated by floodwaters in Waverly, Tenn., on Aug. 23, 2021. (John Amis/AP Photo)

Crews Scour Debris for Missing People After Tennessee Floods

WAVERLY, Tenn.Crews with chainsaws and heavy equipment cleared their way through trees densely matted with vegetation, garbage, and debris from homes Tuesday as searchers scoured a normally shallow creek for more flooding victims in rural Tennessee.

Even cars and sheds were woven into the tangle of debris lining Trace Creek in Humphreys County, where the town of Waverly saw the most death and destruction from Saturdays flooding that killed more than 20 people.

Humphreys County Chief Deputy Rob Edwards said excavators were moving the largest pieces of debris as search teams started from Waverly and moved slowly downstream. Fewer than 10 people remained unaccounted for Tuesday.

Others were searching several miles downstream with drones, Edwards said. Its difficult to know how far the bodies might have been carried, but one car was found about a half-mile from where it had been parked.

Sheriffs deputies and police were aided by crews from agencies all over the state, he said. The teams have cadaver dogs at the ready if they suspect a body might be nearby. With the heat in the mid-80s and rising, it was not difficult to detect the odor of decay, Edwards said, although crews also were finding animals.

The flooding took out roads, cellphone towers, and telephone lines, leaving people uncertain about whether family and friends survived the unprecedented deluge, with rainfall that more than tripled forecasts and shattered the states one-day record.

It also left large swaths of the community suddenly displaced, leaving many to sort through difficult decisions about what comes next.

GoFundMe pages sought help for funeral expenses for the dead, including 7-month-old twins swept from their fathers arms as they tried to escape.

Matthew Rigney and Danielle Hall described to WTVF-TV how the water began to rage through their apartment where they sheltered with their four children.

I had the twins in my arms, I had (19-month-old) Brayla on my hip and I had (5-year-old) Maleah wrapped around my neck, Rigney told the news station, his voice trembling behind tears. The water, when it hit us it just pulled us under, all of us and we were trapped underneath a bed.

Dustin Shadownes, of Ashland City Fire Department, searches a creek for missing persons along with a cadaver dog in Waverly, Tenn., on Aug. 23, 2021. (John Amis/AP Photo)

Hall said she was trying to climb out the window to go to a nearby store for help and ended up having to grab onto a tree for her life.

The other two children survived.

I was trying to find all of them, and Leah came up like a big girl. You swam like a big girl, and Im so proud of you, Rigney said to Maleah, who sat with her family on the couch during the interview.

A neighbor helped Rigney and the two children up to the roof. Hall was ultimately rescued from the tree by boat.

Waverly police Chief Grant Gillespie said Monday that the number of people considered missing has fluctuated, as people were unable to contact loved ones later confirmed to be safe.

Im reasonably sure that we are less than 10 right now that we are truly not sure about the whereabouts of, or that we dont think well resolve fairly easily, Gillespie said.

Many of the missing live in the neighborhoods where the water rose the fastest, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said.

School was canceled for the week, according to the sheriffs office. Waverly Elementary and Waverly Junior High had extensive damage, according to Kristi Brown, coordinated health and safety supervisor with Humphreys County Schools.

About 750 customers were without power Tuesday, down from 2,000 the night before, utility officials said.

Meanwhile, the state received approval from President Joe Biden for a major disaster declaration, which frees up federal aid to help with recovery efforts in Humphreys County, the White House said in a statement Tuesday.

After touring the area on Sunday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee called it a devastating picture of loss and heartache.

By Travis Loller and Jonathan Mattise
Cyberwarfare waged by state actors is gaining recognition as a serious threat to both national security and economic interests. (Courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense)

CyberwarPart One

Commentary

Cybercrime often merges with cyberwarfare. The techniques of both are similar, even if their intentions are not. Yet, unlike their real-world counterparts, we cant afford to treat the former as merely a law enforcement problem and the latter as a military problem.

Todays gnat is tomorrows nuclear-tipped missile.

In a recent article, former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton highlighted the cyberwarfare being waged on the West every day by Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. The assault is an accelerating proxy war, a coordinated terrorism campaign conducted by both hired criminals and military intelligence agencies, capable of great economic and societal damage. At the same time, even at lower intensity, its a subtler attack on Western morale.

Directly, these attacks strike at parts of our electrical grid, our food supply, our energy providers, banks, business computer networks, and government systems. Indirectly, they threaten our livelihoods and our sense of security and stability. That is, at least for the present, the most important thing about them.

The SolarWinds hack of 2020 compromised a top-tier provider of IT management services by injecting malware into the companys routine software update to its 33,000 customers. Those victimized customers included hundreds of large companies, as well as the federal departments of Treasury, Commerce, and even Homeland Security. The hack was extremely sophisticated and operated for months before it was discovered. Cybersecurity analysts in and out of the government say conclusively it was the work of a hacking group they call Nobelium, operating with the support, if not the direct control, of the Russian government.

Russian President Vladimir Putins regime has denied its involvement, as it always does. No one believes them.

This type of attack is cyber-espionagestealing information without being detected. Like other types of spying, it enters the target unobtrusively and bides its time before it goes to work. Then, as it comes to life slowly, it steals information from within those networks. It masks its own activity to look like ordinary network traffic to evade anti-malware protections and traffic analysis software. Even when it is finally discovered and blunted, questions linger about exactly what was stolen, and whether the attack was, to press the military analogy, the main assault or an opening flank attack.

Cyber-extortion leaves no such doubts. It is a different sort of attack, and typically directed at private businesses and individuals rather than government entities. Attackers steal confidential data from a network, then contact the victims and threaten to sell it or release it publicly unless they are paid. As with other forms of blackmail, victims may or may not report it to the authorities. Hence, these attacks are often quiet.

Then, there are the louder ransomware attacks, such as the Colonial Pipeline ransomware hack and the recent ransomware attack called REvil. These attacks are not subtle: they make themselves known immediately by encrypting the contents of the file systems on the machines they attack, demanding a ransom to decrypt the targets files on the screen. The goal is simply to make money by causing disruption.

Bolton then describes the ultimate and most extreme sort of cyberattackcyberwar. This is the loudest one of all, an undisguised assault against military and civilian infrastructure meant to cripple the targeted country, destroy or damage its communications and command systems, and create immediate and total chaos among its people.

Russias direct assaults against Georgia and Ukraine are examples of full-on cyberwar. These attacks, conducted directly in 2013 by a GRU group known in the community as Sandworm, devastated banks, power grids, and internet communications in those countries as part of Russias military moves. Later attacks in 2016 and particularly the NotPetya worm in 2017 affected not just Ukraine, but spread to infect and disable dozens of port facilities around the world.

For the United States, the Biden administration must deal with this threat the same way the Trump administration did, with sanctions and the threat of retaliation. Here is one policy sphere where partisan differences really dont matter. The only real question is how severely and quickly those punishments will be wielded. Bolton and others are thus far satisfied with the new administrations responses to early tests, but Bolton warns that to protect the American people, the defense establishment needs to focus much more attention on early threat-recognition.

In a video symposium sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, two U.S. cyber warriors reviewed the SolarWinds hack and offered additional insights. The former acting director of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, stressed the need for better public-private coordination of cybersecurity efforts. He pointed out that the first detections of malware in the SolarWinds attack were noticed by a company called Palo Alto Networks in October of 2019, which reported them to SolarWinds. Nevertheless, the virus wasnt recognized until months later, after it had infected vast numbers of networks, including the public-facing network of DHS itself.

Professor Scott Jasper of the Naval Postgraduate School said that Russia views its cyberwarfare capabilities as one essential part of its larger strategy to make Russia a leading power. At the same time the cyberattack was going on, Russia was also making threatening troop movements in Ukraine, flying bombers near Alaska, and showing off three of its ballistic missile submarines in the Arctic.

For Wolf, a key question is: How can the private sector better protect itself, and how can private businesses and cybersecurity departments work better with the government to pool resources and share knowledge faster? The private sector, he said, has better and more capable people than the government, while the government has greater knowledge of ongoing and planned attacks. A faster, more nimble chain of notification needs to be developed.

Moreover, its clear the U.S. government must be more assertive in pointing the finger at Putin when a Russian attack is unmasked. Because this involves capabilities within not just U.S. intelligence services but within the U.S. Cyber Command organization, doing so risks exposing sources and methods to the attackers, as well as everyone elsenot an easy problem to solve.

Part Two of this series explores other aspects to defending against what are known as Advanced Persistent Threat actors.

From the Gatestone Institute.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin listens as President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the U.S. militarys ongoing evacuation efforts in Afghanistan in the White House on Aug. 20, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Defense Secretary Orders US Troops to Quickly Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19

U.S. military department heads were ordered on Aug. 24 to immediately start getting their troops vaccinated against COVID-19, two days after the first COVID-19 vaccine received full federal approval.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a memorandum made public on Aug. 25 that the secretaries of all military departments must immediately begin full vaccination of all service members who arent already vaccinated.

While a timeline wasnt laid out in the memo, Austin directed a rapid pace, telling the secretaries to impose ambitious timelines for implementation.

Austin announced on Aug. 9 that all active-duty military members would have to get a COVID-19 vaccine. He said he would either wait until a vaccine was approved by drug regulators or, if that didnt happen by mid-September, he would ask President Joe Biden for a waiver.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech shot on Aug. 23.

Austin emphasized in the new memo that the mandatory vaccination would only use vaccines that receive full licensure from the FDA. That means troops will be required to get the Pfizer shot, a Pentagon spokesman said this week.

Approximately 68 percent of the active-duty force, including the National Guard and reserve members, have been fully vaccinated, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Aug. 25. Another 8 percent have had one dose.

The numbers vary by department. Just 40 percent of the Army has been fully vaccinated, compared to 73 percent of the Navy.

Fully vaccinated means a person has received the full vaccination regimen and more than two weeks have elapsed since the last dose. The Pfizer regimen is two doses.

The Pentagon has previously said that members can apply for religious or medical exemptions.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said on Aug. 25 that he supports a military vaccine mandate.

The military cant have a large percentage of forces unable to deploy because theyre sick, he said on C-SPAN.

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) said on Twitter this week, This is the right thing to dofor our public health and national security.

Others have spoken out against a military vaccine mandate, with 31 House members introducing a bill in June that would bar the secretary of defense from mandating COVID-19 vaccines.

Why force the vaccine on young members of the military who have natural immunity due to a prior infection? Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), one of the sponsors, wrote in a recent social media statement.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gives a farewell speech via online video in New York on Aug. 23, 2021. (New York Governors Office via AP)

Departing Cuomo Grants Clemency to Ex-Weather Underground Terrorist

On his last day in office, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, granted clemency, on Monday, to a former member of the Weather Underground domestic terrorist group convicted of murder and robbery.

Cuomo referred to the parole board 76-year-old David Gilbert, a former activist of the radical left Weather Underground group, who was convicted of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery for his participation in the robbery of a Brinks armored truck in Nyack, New York in 1981.

Gilbert is one of six people that Cuomo granted clemency to on his final day as governor.

These individuals have shown remorse, rehabilitation, and commitment to their communities, Cuomo said in a tweet.

I am granting clemency to 6 people. These individuals have shown remorse, rehabilitation and commitment to their communities. I thank all the volunteer attorneys representing clemency applicants for their dedication and service to justice. pic.twitter.com/iotA77BzzC  Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) August 23, 2021

Gilbert was sentenced to 75 years in prison and has already served 40 years for the crimes he committed in which he was the driver, not the murderer, Cuomo said in a statement.

Gilbert, while incarcerated, has made significant contributions to AIDS education and prevention programs, Cuomo said, adding that he has also worked as a student tutor, law library clerk, paralegal assistant, a teachers aide, and an aide for various additional facility programs.

The robbery, in which Gilbert participated, was carried out by members of the Black Liberation Army and the Weather Underground Organization and resulted in the murder of two police officers and one security guard.

Gilbert was a leader of the Weather Underground which was founded in 1969 as a faction of Students for a Democratic Society, according to Trevor Loudon, author and filmmaker who has researched radical left, Marxist, and terrorist movements for more than 30 years.

The Weather Underground was inspired by communist ideologies and embraced violence and crime as a way to protest the Vietnam War, and racism among other goals according to a report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

During the 1970s, the group claimed responsibility for 25 bombingsincluding the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, the California Attorney Generals office, and a New York City police station, the FBI report said.

Before joining the Weather Underground, Gilbert was highly active in Students for Democratic Society at Columbia University in New York, a left wing group created during the turbulent 60s to promote social change.

A report commissioned by the New York criminal justice division in 1985 stated that the Brinks robbery was not designed as a terrorist act but was, rather, a criminal act carried out by terrorists for the economic gain of their organizations. (pdf)

Gilberts son Chesa Boudin, a district attorney in San Francisco, has lobbied to attain clemency for his father. He said on Twitter that his father never intended to do harm.

My heart is bursting. On the eve of my first child's birth, my dad  who's been in prison nearly my entire life  was granted clemency. He never intended harm, yet his crime devastated many families. My heart breaks for the families that can never get their loved ones back.  Chesa Boudin  (@chesaboudin) August 24, 2021

Chesa Boudins mother, Kathy Boudin, was also involved in the Brinks robbery but was granted parole in 2003. She is now a researcher and adjunct professor at the Center for Justice at Columbia University.

New York State Assemblyman Michael Lawler (R) criticized the granting of clemency calling it a betrayal of the crime victims.

This is a disgusting betrayal to the people of Rockland County, the families of Peter Paige, Edward OGrady, and Waverly Brown, and law enforcement officers everywhere. @NYGovCuomo is a coward and an awful human being. https://t.co/VkNewuHOSv  Assemblyman Mike Lawler (@lawler4ny) August 24, 2021

New York State Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (D) condemned Cuomos decision in harsh words saying it was a slap in the face of everyone in Rockland who lived through the horror of seeing Rockland County victimized by the domestic terrorists of the Weather Underground.

Nyack, a place where the robbery was committed, is located in Rockland County, New York.

The outgoing Governor's decision to grant clemency to one of the Brinks murderers is a slap in the face of everyone in Rockland who lived through the horror of seeing Rockland County victimized by the domestic terrorists of the Weather Underground.https://t.co/mu9k6c2Q0G  NYS Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (@senatorERM) August 24, 2021

Reichlin-Melnick also said that when he first heard of a clemency petition for Gilbert, he sent a letter to Cuomo urging the governor to reject the petition. Many local officials also sent similar letters, the senator added.

When I first became aware of Mr. Gilbert's clemency petition earlier this year, I sent a letter to Governor Cuomo, urging him to reject the clemency petition. Many other local elected officials sent similar letters.  NYS Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (@senatorERM) August 24, 2021
U.S. Air Force airmen guide evacuees aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 24, 2021. (Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force via AP)

Dozens of California Students, Parents Stuck in Afghanistan

At least 24 students from southern California are stuck in Afghanistan, officials said this week.

The students, as well as some parents, are stranded in the Central Asian country after going there for a summer trip, a spokesman for the Cajon Valley Union School District confirmed via email to The Epoch Times.

The group was visiting relatives in Afghanistan when they found themselves stranded after the Taliban took over the country in mid-August. Parents started asking district officials to hold their childrens spots in their schools, prompting the district to start making a list of all the students known to be in the country.

The spokesman declined to share how many students and parents are stranded, but Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who has been working to get them home, said there are at least 24.

Im working diligently to determine the best ways to help those trapped return home safely. I wont stop until we have answers and action, Issa wrote on Twitter.

Issas office has been incredibly supportive in the attempt to bring these families home, the district spokesman said.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 parents are also stuck in Afghanistan.

Cajon Valley school board president Tamara Otero told the paper that the families had tickets to leave the country but werent able to make it to the U.S.-held airport in Kabul.

The biggest concern is that the Taliban closed the airport, Otero said. Its killing us right now. We are so worried about our students that are stuck there. Well do the best we can to get them out.

The Pentagon has no information about the California students and parents, a spokesman told reporters in Washington on Wednesday afternoon.

The airport is the only ground U.S. troops control after the Taliban terrorist group rapidly took over the country when the United States withdrew many troops earlier this month.

A number of Americans have reported being blocked from reaching the airport gates, which often requires navigating Taliban checkpoints and large crowds.

Thousands of Afghans are trying to leave the country before the United States fully withdraws. The withdrawal is set to culminate as of now on Aug. 31.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte talks during a meeting at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila, Philippines, on Aug. 24, 2021. (King Rodriguez/ Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division via AP)

Duterte Confirms Hell Run for Philippines Vice President Next Year

MANILA, PhilippinesTough-talking Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has confirmed rumblings that he will run next year for vice president, in what critics say is an attempt at an end-run around constitutional term limits.

Duterte, who is notorious for his vulgar rhetoric and crackdown on illegal drugs, which has killed thousands of mostly petty suspects, said in comments broadcast Wednesday that he will run for the vice president to continue the crusade.

I will run for vice president, he said. Im worried about the drugs, insurgency. Well, number one is insurgency, then criminality, drugs.

The Philippines has been struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic, with rising infections and death rates and a slow vaccination rollout, but Dutertes popularity ratings have remained high.

Polls suggest that running Duterte in tandem with his daughter, Sara Duterte, currently the mayor of Davao City, as the presidential candidate would be a strong pairing, said Manila-based political analyst Richard Heydarian.

The idea of the two running together has been discussed since 2019, he said, though Duterte advisers have reportedly said that he has suggested he might not run for vice president if his daughter decides to announce a bid for president.

The campaign for Sara Duterte has more or less kicked off, it seems, almost irrespective of what Dutertes position will be, Heydarian said. A Duterte/Duterte tandem is increasingly looking like the formidable team to beat in the next years elections.

Further muddying the waters, however, Sara Duterte posted on Facebook later Wednesday that her father had told her he would run for vice president with his former aide, Sen. Christopher Bong Go running for president.

She did not address her own aspirations, but said her father and Go should announce publicly that they would run together if they have made that decision.

I respectfully advise them to stop talking about me and make me the reason for them running or not running, she wrote.

Philippine presidents are limited by the 1987 constitution to a single six-year term. At least two former presidents, Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, have made successful runs for lower public offices after serving as president, but not for vice president.

If Duterte goes ahead with his run, it will likely face court challenges from the opposition, though Heydarian noted the Supreme Court has strongly supported the presidents moves in the past.

A new opposition coalition, 1Sambayan, whose name means One Nation, said Dutertes decision came as no surprise, and made the coalition more determined in unifying the democratic forces in responding to the challenge.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (L) and his daughter Sara Duterte arrive for the opening of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in Boao, Hainan province, China, on April 10, 2018. (AFP via Getty Images)

It shows a clear mockery of our constitution and democratic process, the group said. The candidacy is both legally and morally wrong, and we trust that the Filipino people will realize his brazen, selfish, and self-serving motives.

Duterte, 76, had previously hinted that he may run for vice president, and his confirmation Wednesday came after a senior official of his PDP-Laban party on Tuesday said that the president had agreed to run as its candidate.

Duterte agreed to make the sacrifice and heed the clamor of the people to run in the May 9 national elections, said Karlo Nograles, PDP-Labans executive vice president.

The vice president is elected separately from the president under Philippine law. Those who serve in the post could potentially be propelled to the top role if the president dies or is incapacitated for any reason.

If elected vice president, the move would be reminiscent of the machinations of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Duterte once called his favorite hero, to hold on to power despite being constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term as president in 2008.

Instead, Dmitry Medvedev was elected president and Putin assumed the nominally subservient position of prime minister from 2008 to 2012. Putin was then reelected president in 2012, and Medvedev slid into the prime minister role.

This is not to say that, should Sara Duterte become the president, that she will be essentially proxy for the president, Heydarian said. In Davao the two were together in charge [and] there were significant divergences in approaches and policy differences  so we may see some iteration of that, if ever the tandem makes it to the presidency.

After the news broke that Duterte said he would run, opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros warned that electing Duterte as vice president would mean a continuation of his authoritarian policies.

Next year a lot is really at stake, she said on the ABS-CBN News Channel.

The president started his presidential run with a lot of drama, and it looks like hell be leaving us the same way, trying to confuse us, and we the Filipino people still searching for a true leader.

In June, the International Criminal Courts outgoing chief prosecutor said that a preliminary examination found reason to believe crimes against humanity had been committed during Dutertes anti-drug crackdown, and the shadow of that and the discussion of possible sanctions against him also likely factor into Dutertes calculus, Heydarian said.

Still, he said, if the past is any guide, Dutertes true intentions might not be known for some time.

Lets not forget that President Duterte is known for, or notorious for, his strategy of hedging until the 11th hour, or even past the 11th hour, Heydarian said.

By Kiko Rosario and David Rising
Afghan women wait in line to be treated at the Kalakan health clinic in Kalakan, Afghanistan, on Feb. 23, 2003. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Emboldened Taliban Promises Little for Religious, Womens Rights

Commentary

Many people would have seen the horrific images of the unstoppable advance of the Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. This advance was accompanied by brutal repression, executions of those suspected of collaborating with the government or its American allies, and denigration of women and girls.

Specifically, the scenes witnessed at the airport of Kabul on Sunday and Monday last week were apocalyptic, with people clinging to planes and falling out of the sky.

The whole country was overrun in eleven days by the Taliban.

When they arrived in Kabul, they found a city that was essentially undefended. Taliban fighters moved into an empty Presidential PalacePresident Ashraf Ghani had flown into exile. It was as if the keys to the city were handed over to this terrorist group that will soon declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

U.S. President Joe Biden conceded that the events occurred much more quickly than his administration anticipated. However, rather than accept responsibility for the carnage, and collapse, of Afghanistan, he blamed the countrys political and military leaders for giving up and fleeing the country.

In denying its role in the collapse of Afghanistan, the U.S. presidents response reveals the naivete of his administration. It is also symptomatic of the malaise that is threatening the democratic heritage of the West.

However, a bigger issue looms for democratic allies and that is the impending human rights crisis that could emerge under the Taliban rule.

The Talibans authority is already being recognised by certain authoritarian states.

When it was last in power in 1996, the group was recognised by just three countries: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

This time around, Russia, Pakistan, China, and Iran have all kept their embassies in Kabul open, while countries like Australia and the United States have closed theirs.

Moscow has already recognised the Talibans authority, and is encouraging other countries to establish good relations with Afghanistans new leaders and to stop the irresponsible policy of imposing alien values from the outside.

Beijing has also expressed its desire to fully engage with the Taliban leadership diplomatically, calling for sound relations, while Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan enthusiastically claimed the Afghans had broken the shackles of slavery.

Even the European Union has now decided to at least partially recognise the Taliban.

The Taliban have won the war, so we will have to talk with them, Josep Borrell, the European Unions top diplomat, said at a news briefing. Its not a matter of official recognition. Its a matter of dealing with the Taliban.

So what are some of the immediate consequences of this emboldened Taliban? The first ruling Taliban regime between 1996 and 2001 could give us some indication.

First, the Talibans ideology will likely galvanise terrorists worldwide. Fighters even announced on television that their mission will only be completed when the whole world is subjected to their brand of Islamic terror. There will thus be a heightened sense of uncertainty in the West, with the possibility of more devastating terrorist activity.

Second, a certain consequence of the collapse of the Afghan government is that the abominable discrimination and oppression of women and girls will resume.

In an article published on Aug. 16, Greg Sheridan, foreign editor at The Australian wrote:

From now on, once more, young girls, pre-teens, will be married off to much older men, often enough with multiple wives. Young girls wont be allowed to go to school, they wont be allowed to learn to read and write, let alone sing, they wont be allowed to practice most careers, they wont be allowed to go to the bazaar without the permission, and generally the presence, of their controlling male relative.

Third, the return of Taliban rule to Afghanistan means a return to Sharia Law, the groups interpretation of Islamic religious law.

To know what it means, Afghan Christians on the ground have reported that, with the takeover of Kabul, they expect to be killed. Some reports confirm that the Taliban is already conducting targeted killings of Christians and other minorities found with Bible software installed on their cell phones.

Since the Talibans fall in 2001, the Christian community grew considerably, in part because of the modicum of security provided by the American occupation.

In 2019, many Afghan Christians voluntarily included their religious affiliation on national identity cards. Now the United States withdrawal has left Afghans facing the imminent threat of public executions, floggings, and amputations under the Taliban.

Christians are reportedly escaping to the hills in attempts to find safety. Meanwhile, expect democratic governmentsincluding Australiasto have limited power to protect Afghan women and religious minorities.

There will now be recriminations and relentless criticisms of how the war was waged.

Some will say disparagingly that the alliance approached the Afghan project as a gentlemens sporting event, and that there never was a willingness to get the job done.

Of course, the defeat had little to do with the technological or military capacity of the United States and its allies, but more to do with a breakdown of the values and the resolve of the West to achieve measurable results.

The blood of the innocent will result in a clamber for justice when democratic leaders inevitably turn a blind eye to the genocidal actions of this terrorist group.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Gabriel Moens Professor Gabriel A. Moens AM is an emeritus professor of law at The University of Queensland, and served as pro vice-chancellor, dean, and professor of law at Murdoch University. He has published a novel about the origins of the COVID-19 disease, A Twisted Choice, and recently published a short story, The Greedy Prospector, in an Anthology of short stories, The Outback (Boolarong Press, 2021).
A view of the Goldman Sachs stall on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, on July 16, 2013. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

Goldman Sachs Requires COVID-19 Vaccine for Anyone Entering US Offices

Goldman Sachs has become the latest Wall Street firm to ramp up its COVID-19 protocols, requiring anyone entering its U.S. offices to be vaccinated, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters and confirmed by a spokesperson.

The banking giant also will require masking in common areas of its offices, regardless of vaccination status, as of Aug. 25, according to the memo. Fully vaccinated staff will also receive weekly COVID-19 tests starting on Sept. 7.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

With the move, Goldman joins other Wall Street banks that have begun enforcing stricter mask and vaccine requirements. Citigroup and Morgan Stanley now require staff entering their New York premises to be inoculated against COVID-19, while Bank of America will allow only vaccinated workers to return to in-office work in September.

The appetite for vaccine mandates appears to be growing among those in New Yorks financial sector.

Most employees on Wall Street want vaccine mandates for anyone returning to the office, Kathryn Wylde, president of Partnership for New York, told The New York Post, citing surveys.

Goldmans announcement comes a day after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave full approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which was previously authorized for emergency use only.

Following the FDAs decision, President Joe Biden called on private sector entities such as businesses and nonprofits, as well as state and local authorities, to ramp up their imposition of vaccine requirements.

If youre a business leader, a nonprofit leader, a state or local leader, who has been waiting for full FDA approval to require vaccinations, I call on you now to do thatrequire it, Biden said at an Aug. 23 briefing.

The lack of full FDA approval was widely reported as a factor holding some companies back from imposing vaccine mandates in the face of objections from some workers and unions. The FDAs announcement, boosted by the Biden administrations call for the private sector to lean in, is likely to play into companies decisions to push vaccine requirements.

On the same day that the FDA approved Pfizers shot, Disney reached a deal with its unions to require all workers at its Orlando, Florida, theme park to be vaccinated. Under the arrangement, workers will be required to show proof of vaccination by Oct. 22 to keep their jobs, with opt-outs allowed on religious or medical grounds, according to the Disney Information Station.

Some legal experts have argued that the FDAs full approval of the vaccine will make it nearly impossible for employees to successfully challenge company mandates in court.

Language in the emergency use authorization (EUA) law states that recipients must be informed of the benefits and risks of the vaccine and given the option to accept or refuse it.

Dorit Reiss, a professor at UCHastings Law, told Reuters that the language in the EUA law raises uncertainty around mandates.

With full approval, that is removed, Reiss told the outlet.

Reuters contributed to this report.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc during a bilateral meeting at the Mirror Room of the Presidential Palace, in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Aug. 25, 2021. (Evelyn Hockstein/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Harris Calls out Chinas Bullying in South China Sea During Vietnam Visit

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called on Vietnam to support the United States efforts to confront Chinas bullying in the South China Sea on Aug. 25, a day after she outlined the Biden administrations foreign policy plan for the IndoPacific region in a speech in Singapore.

Harris also announced a new COVID-19 vaccine donation to Vietnam, in an apparent effort to counter Chinas vaccine diplomacy.

We need to find ways to pressure and raise the pressure, frankly, on Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and to challenge its bullying and excessive maritime claims, Harris said at the start of her meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc at Vietnams Presidential Palace in Hanoi.

The United States would maintain a strong presence in the South China Sea to confront China, Harris said.

Harris is currently on the second stop of her Asia trip, after concluding a three-day visit to Singapore before arriving in Vietnam on the night of Aug. 24. She also met with Vietnams Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan on Aug. 25.

Harris is scheduled to leave Vietnam on Aug. 26.

She also criticized Chinas maritime behavior in her speech in Singapore, saying that Chinese actions have amounted to coercion and intimidation. Those actions undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations, she said.

Beijing has taken on aggressive tactics to stake its claims in the South China Sea, despite a 2016 international arbitration ruling invalidating Chinas territorial assertion. Those tactics include sending maritime militia and law enforcement vessels to prevent fishermen from other countries from accessing fishing grounds in the disputed waters, as well as sending research and survey ships into nearby nations exclusive economic zones.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam all face territorial disputes with China in the sea.

Chinese Regime Propaganda

Harriss Asia trip comes at a time when the communist regime in China is aggressively challenging U.S. leadership around the world. The regime has recently launched a propaganda campaign to discredit the United States as a reliable ally and partner based on the tumultuous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

State-run China Daily, in an editorial published on Aug. 24, accused Washington of seeing any partner as expendable. The article also accused Harris of making a baseless attack against China in her speech in Singapore and said she was trying to drive a wedge between Beijing and the countries of Southeast Asia.

China is also trying to gain geopolitical sway by leveraging its COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy, despite concerns about the effectiveness of Chinese vaccines. According to Beijing-based research firm Bridge Consulting, about 70 percent of all of Chinas vaccine donations have gone to countries in the Asia Pacific.

On Aug. 24, before Harris arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held a meeting with Chinas ambassador to Vietnam, during which the latter said Beijing would donate 2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Hanoi. Chinh also told the Chinese ambassador that Hanoi wouldnt align itself with one country against another.

Also on Aug. 24, Vietnams Ministry of National Defense received 200,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from its Chinese counterpart, according to Vietnamese media. Sinopharm and Sinovac are both manufactured by Chinese vaccine makers.

Harris, while meeting with Chinh on Aug. 25, announced that the United States will donate an additional 1 million Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses to Vietnam. According to the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, the U.S. vaccines will arrive within a day, half of them going to Hanoi and the other half to Ho Chih Minh City. The new donation brings the total U.S. vaccine donation to Vietnam to 6 million doses.

Vietnam has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the world. As of Aug. 24, only 1.9 percent of Vietnams population has been fully vaccinated, according to Our World in Data.

New CDC Office

Vietnam has been hit hard by the Delta variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus and the cause of COVID-19, following a cluster of infections tied to a church in Ho Chi Minh City. On Aug. 24, Vietnamese health officials reported 10,811 new infection cases, bringing the national total to 369,367.

The United States will also provide Vietnam with $23 million in aid to help Hanoi combat COVID-19, expand distribution and access to vaccines, and prepare for future disease threats.

Harris also announced the launch of a new regional office of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The new Southeast Asia office in Hanoi will be one of four CDC regional offices around the world.

Through this office, we will work closely with our regional partners to share strategies and strengthen each others ability to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats, today and in the future, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said in a statement.

Harris is also scheduled to take part in a health security event with health ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Aug. 25.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Hong Kong's outgoing Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma stands outside the Court of Final Appeal after his retirement ceremony in Hong Kong, China, on Jan. 6, 2021. (Lam/Reuters)

Hong Kongs Former Chief Judge Says Upholding Rule of Law Not Political

HONG KONGHong Kongs former chief judge urged solicitors to continue speaking up for the rule of law, saying it was their duty to the public and not political as they voted in a fractious election overshadowed by a national security law imposed by China.

Former chief justice Geoffrey Ma made his remarks to several hundred members of the Law Society on Tuesday and later provided Reuters with a transcript of the speech in response to questions.

Hong Kong judges symbolize one of the core promises of the citys return from British to Chinese rule in 1997 along with continued freedoms: the right to a fair trial and equality under the law, all administered by an independent judiciary.

Senior government officials, led by Chief Executive Carrie Lam, and pro-Beijing media had warned the society against becoming political, accusing some candidates of bias.

Ma told the society that lawyers owed duties were to justice and its administration.

Primary among the duties owed in the public interest is the support of the rule of law  The rule of law is not a political concept, said Ma, who retired in January after 10 years as chief justice and nearly 20 years as a judge. It is a concept that has, as its foundation, the law itself and its spirit.

The rule of law included the independence of the judiciaryanother facet that was not a political concept, Ma said.

Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Geoffrey Ma Tao-li delivers a speech during the ceremonial opening of the legal year at City Hall in Hong Kong, China, on Jan. 13, 2020. (Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

This meant judges will discharge their responsibilities without fear or favor or bias or self-interest, he said, adding that fairness and equality before the law were the very qualities that define justice itself.

Some lawyers said Mas remarks were unusual, given the low profile senior judges tend to maintain in retirement.

Ma said in an email to Reuters that his remarks did notand were not intended todeal with recent comments by Lam and others, for which he could obviously offer no comment.

I cannot of course speak for others as to how they choose to interpret what was said, he said.

The Law Society and the Hong Kong government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In a response to Reuters, the Hong Kong judiciary referred back to a speech by Chief Justice Andrew Cheung in May in which he said legal practitioners should speak up for the judiciary, not only in protection of judicial independence, but also in defense of its  reputation as an independent judiciary.

Professionalism Over Politics

China imposed national security legislation on the city in June 2020 to quell anti-government unrest. The law punishes what authorities broadly refer to as secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces; critics said it would be used to crush dissent.

In recent months, opposition politicians and activists have been arrested and new restrictions imposed.

Protesters chant slogans during a rally against the Beijing-imposed new national security law in Hong Kong on July 1, 2020. (Dale De La Rey/AFP via Getty Images)

A group of judges handpicked by Lam to hear national security cases are now contending with the first of several cases that could see more than 100 prominent opposition figures jailed for life on various charges, including subversion.

All of us are required to continue to discharge our duty to safeguard national security with profound courage and full confidence, Lam said in July. Officials in Hong Kong and Beijing have repeatedly said that people who abide by the law have nothing to fear and it would only target a tiny minority of troublemakers.

Hong Kong returned to China under a one country, two systems formula, which guaranteed its freedoms and independent legal system. China denies interfering with its way of life.

Hours after Ma spoke, five candidates pledging professionalism over politics were confirmed to have swept the election for the societys governing council, where 5 of 20 seats were up for grabs.

After Ma spoke and before the votes were announced, the Global Times, a newspaper published by Chinas ruling Communist Party, described the societys election as a battle between justice and evil.

The result of the Law Society vote shattered the hopes of lawyers who wanted tougher action to defend the rule of law in the global financial hub.

One of the three candidates described as liberal by pro-Beijing media, incumbent Jonathan Ross, withdrew over the weekend, saying he wanted to protect the safety of himself and his family.

Society President Melissa Pang said her organization would continue to defend the rule of law from a neutral stance.

Professionalism is very important, she said after the results were announced. In terms of politics, we are apolitical.

Ma, accepting an honor of life membership in the society, said the body had long understood the true meaning of the rule of law.

Not only that, the Law Society actively supported it and has, when the occasion demanded it, unambiguously spoken out, he said in his short speech at a harbor-front convention hall.

The 12,000-member professional and regulatory body for the citys legal sector has a watchdog role over legal changes, and a say in the appointments of judges and lawyers who sit on government advisory bodies.

By James Pomfret and Greg Torode
House Leaders Say Congressmen Shouldnt Have Gone on Secret Afghanistan Trip

The two congressmen who went on a secret trip to Afghanistan to observe the evacuation process should not have gone, House leaders from both parties said Wednesday.

It was not, in my view, a good idea, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters in Washington.

This is deadly serious. I do not want members to go, she said.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) offered a similar message, saying members shouldnt go.

But he qualified his statement by noting that Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) are both military veterans and that members are being contacted by people stranded in Afghanistan, including Americans.

Moulton and Meijer said they went to Afghanistan to conduct oversight on the evacuation efforts. They said the visit was kept secret to minimize the risk and disruption to the people on the ground, and because we were there to gather information, not to grandstand.

The veterans criticized the Biden administration for putting members of the military in a poor position while praising the servicemembers for their empathy and dedication to duty.

They also said that, based on what they saw, evacuations couldnt be completed even by Sept. 11, much less the Aug. 31 deadline that President Joe Biden imposed and is keeping in place.

Pelosi, who sent a letter to the full lower chamber urging them not to go to Afghanistan, said she learned about the trip just before it was made public and did not disclose the trip before the members left Kabul because of safety concerns.

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) descends down the House entrance stairs following the Friends of Ireland reception on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 12, 2020. (Tom Brenner/Reuters)

Michigans 3rd District Congressional Republican candidate Peter Meijer speaks at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Oct. 14, 2020. (Carlos Osorio/AP Photo)

Theres a real concern about members being in the region, she added, and resources are required to keep any members who travel there safe.

Its not just about them going to Afghanistan, but going to the region, because theres a call on our resources diplomatically, militarily, and the rest, she said.

The Department of Defense was not aware of the visit and having the members there took time away from what we had been planning to do that day, John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters at a separate briefing on Wednesday.

We are obviously not encouraging VIP visits to a very tense, dangerous, and dynamic situation at that airport and inside Kabul generally, he added. And the secretary, I think ,would have appreciated the opportunity to have had a conversation before the visit took place.

Spokespersons for Moulton, a former presidential candidate, and Meijer, a first-term congressman, did not return requests for comment.

They received some criticism from colleagues, even as they acknowledged the emotions that prompted the trip.

On one hand, I think it is a distraction, I dont want to be talking about it, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said at an unrelated briefing outside the Capitol. I understand the frustration on behalf of the two members, but also on behalf of the Congress.
Hungarys Evacuation Flights From Afghanistan Nearing an End: Minister

BUDAPESTHungarys evacuation flights from Afghanistan are nearing an end after the central European country airlifted more than 500 people from Kabul, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Wednesday.

Western nations were rushing to complete the evacuation of thousands of people from Afghanistan on Wednesday as the Aug. 31 deadline for the withdrawal of foreign troops draws near, with no sign that the countrys new Taliban rulers might allow an extension.

The exact timing [of when our evacuation ends] will be announced by the commander of the army, which may happen as soon as today, Szijjarto told a news conference, adding that most evacuees were Afghan nationals who had supported a Hungarian charity or Hungarian troops there.

Families begin to board a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport plane during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, on Aug. 23, 2021. (U.S. Marine Corps/Sgt. Samuel Ruiz/Handout via Reuters)

Szijjarto made the remarks after a plane carrying 240 Afghan nationals including 126 children landed in the Hungarian capital Budapest on Wednesday. It was not clear if there were other nationals on the plane as well. Szijjarto did not provide further details.

Hungary, a tough opponent of irregular migration to Europe, reiterated that it rejected any plans to accommodate large numbers of Afghan refugees, and would only evacuate people whose lives were at risk for supporting the NATO presence in Afghanistan.

Another plane that arrived in Budapest on Monday evacuated 173 people from Afghanistan, including many at the request of the United States and Austria.

By Anita Komuves and Gergely Szakacs
Indonesian navy personnel detain crew members of the Bahamas-flagged tanker MT Strovolos after its seizure in the waters off Riau Islands, Indonesia, on Aug. 25, 2021. (Indonesian Navy via AP)

Indonesian Navy Seizes Oil Tanker Wanted in Cambodia

JAKARTA, IndonesiaIndonesias navy said Wednesday that it seized an oil tanker that was wanted by Cambodian authorities on suspicion of stealing nearly 300,000 barrels of crude oil.

The Bahamas-flagged tanker MT Strovolos was detained in waters off Indonesias Riau Islands in late July, the navy said in a statement. The captain and 18 other crew membersmade up of Bangladeshi, Indian, and Burmese nationalswere also detained.

After they were detained, the crew members were sent to quarantine before their case was processed by investigators, the navy said.

The captain of the tanker, a Bangladesh national, is suspected of anchoring in Indonesian territory without permission and faces up to one year in prison and maximum fine of 200 million rupiah ($13,900) if found guilty.

When it was seized, the tanker had about 298,000 barrels of oil on board, the statement said.

Indonesian authorities in January seized an Iranian-flagged tanker and a Panamanian-flagged tanker on suspicion of illegally transferring oil in Indonesian waters. They were released after a four-month detention.
A healthcare worker prepares a dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine during the opening of the MTA's public vaccination program at Grand Central Terminal train station in Manhattan in New York City on May 12, 2021. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

J&J Says COVID-19 Booster Dose Increases Antibody Levels Nine-Fold

Johnson & Johnsons COVID-19 booster shots are able to generate high levels of antibodies and increase peoples immunity against the CCP virus, the company reported on Wednesday.

The drugmakers latest findings are based on two Phase 2 studies conducted on people previously inoculated with its single-shot vaccine. Participants in the studies got a booster dose six to eight months after their initial shot of J&Js COVID-19 vaccine.

According to interim data released in a company statement on Aug. 25, the J&J booster vaccine generates a rapid and robust increase in spike-binding antibodies that are nine-fold higher than those seen four weeks after the primary dose.

The drugmaker noted that an increase in binding antibody responses was found in participants aged between 18 and 55, as well as in those 65 years and older who had received a lower booster dose.

Unlike neutralizing antibodies, which destroy the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, binding antibodies attach to the virus but do not destroy it or prevent infection. Instead, they alert the immune system of its presence so white blood cells can be sent to destroy it.

A prior study released in July found that neutralizing antibody responses in those vaccinated by the drugmakers single-shot vaccine were durable until at least eight months with a single dose.

We have established that a single shot of our COVID-19 vaccine generates strong and robust immune responses that are durable and persistent through eight months, said Dr. Mathai Mammen, J&Js global head of research and development. With these new data, we also see that a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine further increases antibody responses among study participants who had previously received our vaccine.

We look forward to discussing with public health officials a potential strategy for our Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, boosting eight months or longer after the primary single-dose vaccination, he added.

Vaccine makers, including Pfizer and Moderna, have said evidence of waning antibody levels in fully vaccinated people after six months, along with an increasing rate of breakthrough infections in regions affected by the Delta variant, supported the need for boosters.

J&J said the company is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency, the World Health Organization, and other health authorities on delivering a booster shot with the J&J vaccine.

Earlier this year, the CDC and FDA recommended halting usage of the J&J vaccine after reports of blood clots emerged among some individuals who had received it. Weeks later, the two agencies said that the vaccine could again be used, but with an FDA warning.

This pause was essential to our ability to inform the public, inform physicians, and acquire more data for presentation and for analysis, Dr. Jose Romero, chairman of the CDCs Committee of Immunizations, said in April. The vote was 104 in favor of recommending the vaccine to adults who are 18 or older. There was one abstention.

Because of its one-dose convenience and less onerous storage and shipping requirements, J&Js shot was previously touted as an important tool for vaccinations in hard-to-reach areas. But after the safety concerns and manufacturing stumbles, it has the lowest uptake in Europe among all the vaccines approved for use, and has also struggled to gain traction in the United States.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said on Aug. 22 that those who have received the J&J single-dose vaccine will likely need booster shots, after other federal health officials and he said last week that those who got the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines would be recommended to get a third shot starting in September.

The J&J vaccine uses a more traditional adenovirus mechanism, whereas the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use mRNA technology.

Reuters and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Stickers ready to be passed out to residents after they vote in Beloit, Wis., on Nov. 3, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

John Lewis Voting Measure Passes House With No GOP Support

House Democrats approved an election reform bill late on Aug. 24 that sought to amend parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act in an effort to boost federal control over elections in the United States.

The John L. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021, also known as HR4, was approved by the lower chamber of Congress by a tally of 219212 strictly along party lines, with no Republicans voting in favor of the measure.

The legislation was previously approved by the House in 2019, but died after it was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Democrats reintroduced the bill on Aug. 17, naming it after the late Georgia Rep. John Lewis, who died in July 2020.

Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), the sponsor of HR4, said on Aug. 17 that old battles have become new again, that federal oversight is urgently needed over the right to vote, and that Democrats are standing up and fighting back.

The measures passage was praised by President Joe Biden, who said it would protect a sacred right and called on the Senate to send this important bill to my desk.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is the only Republican in the upper chamber who has expressed support for the proposal thus far. Democrats in the 5050 divided Senate need the support of at least 10 Republicans to help advance the legislation.

Among a slew of provisions, HR4 would restore some aspects of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) that were dismantled in two separate Supreme Court decisions, one reached in 2013 and the other coming in 2021.

The 2013 Supreme Court decision related to the 1965 VRAs requirement that nine Southern states and parts of six other states needed to receive approval from the Department of Justice (DOJ) before changing their voting laws or procedures. The court ruled in Shelby v. Holder that the formula used to determine which jurisdictions are subject to this requirement was outdated and unconstitutional.

HR4 proposes an updated formula to determine which states would need DOJ preclearance before changing their voting laws.

The 2021 Supreme Court decision came in July in Brnovich v. DNC (pdf), in which Arizonas right to ban ballot-harvesting and out-of-precinct voting was upheld in a 63 vote. The court ruled that Arizonas measures didnt violate Section 2 of the VRA, which prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group.

HR4 also includes language that seeks to bolster Section 2 of the VRA to enable the DOJ to consider a list of highly subjective factors to justify nullifying a state or local election law or procedure.

One such factor is the extent to which minority group members bear the effects of discrimination in areas such as education, employment, and health, which hinder their ability to participate effectively in the political process.

Other provisions of HR4 reflect some major provisions of HR1also known as the For the People Actsuch as expanding mail-in voting, legalizing vote harvesting, providing federal tax dollars to congressional campaigns, and banning voter ID requirements.

Senate Republicans blocked HR1 via filibuster in June.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) subsequently blocked the upper chambers version of HR1 on Aug. 11, after Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) tried to pass the measure via unanimous consent, which meant that it could pass without a recorded vote, barring an objection from one senator.

Mark Tapscott and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Police officers wearing masks walk as the China Central Television (CCTV) headquarters building (L, back) is seen in Beijing on May 19, 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

Journalist Group Calls on China to Release 11 Who Supplied Pandemic Photos to The Epoch Times

A journalist advocacy group is calling for the release of 11 Chinese citizens who were detained after providing photos that offered a glimpse into the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic to the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times.

The 11 are all adherents of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that has been heavily persecuted by the communist regime for decades. They have been held in a Chinese detention center pending trial for more than a year since their arrest last July.

Beijing authorities initially accused them of using a heretical religion to sabotage law enforcement, a charge often leveled at the adherents as well as Chinese believers in other faiths, according to the adherents lawyers. The offense is punishable by lifetime imprisonment, according to the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate, the regimes top prosecution body.

The arrests took place in Beijing on July 19 last year, a day before the 21st anniversary of the regimes persecution of Falun Gong.

Besides the detainees faith, what drew the authorities ire appeared to be the efforts to publicize photos and information during the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown restrictions in China.

Xie Yanyi, one of the defense lawyers involved in the case, said in an Aug. 23 open letter to authorities that an April indictment accused the detainees of taking photos and uploading them to overseas websites between February and June 2020. The indictment also accused the group of holding gatherings in their residences, according to Xie.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based group advocating for press freedom, said the 11 were indicted for sending material to The Epoch Times, citing a person familiar with the case.

China needs to stop trying to prevent its citizens from reporting the news and publishing photographs about its COVID-19 restrictions, Steven Butler, the groups Asia program coordinator, said in an Aug. 24 statement.

A student walks past police and officials as she arrives at a high school in Beijing on April 27, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

The 11 people arrested for sending photos and information to The Epoch Times should be released from jail immediately, with all charges dropped.

An Epoch Times spokesperson expressed concern about the adherents safety.

We call on the international community to condemn this violation of press freedom, the spokesperson said.

Xu Na, one of the detained adherents, is a poet and freelance painter in her early 50s. She lost her husband to the persecution more than a decade ago, after both were arrested for their faith months ahead of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, according to Minghui, a U.S.-based website dedicated to documenting the CCPs campaign against Falun Gong.

Xus husband, a folk musician, was tortured to death less than two weeks into his detention at the age of 42; Xu wasnt allowed to attend his funeral.

Yu Zhou and Xu Na. (Minghui.org)

Liang Xiaojun, one of the lawyers representing Xu, previously noted that several others facing sentencing are still in their 20s.

And all that for merely capturing the most common moments on Beijing streets during the pandemic. What kind of country is this! Liang wrote in a Twitter post in April.

A judge has blocked Xus other lawyer, Xie, from defending her, despite his repeated negotiations with them, which he described as an apparent abuse of power.

They are afraid of people telling the truth, Xie said in Aug. 24 interview with The Epoch Times.

He called the charges concocted. Regardless of the detainees beliefs, its within the legal boundary for citizens to capture photos relating to the devastating outbreak and put them online, he said.

The Chinese regime has tightly controlled information relating to the pandemic in a bid to suppress any news unfavorable to it, such as accurate death toll figures, the effects of its strict lockdown policies, and information about the workings of the Wuhan lab at the center of the lab leak virus origin theory.

A police officer walks past placards of detained rights activists taped on the fence of the Chinese liaison office, in protest against Beijings detention of prominent anti-corruption activist Xu Zhiyong, in Hong Kong, China, on Feb. 19, 2020. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese citizens who have sought to relay unfiltered information relating to the pandemic since its emergence in central China in late 2019 have faced punishment.

Li Wenliang, a 34-year-old ophthalmologist in Wuhan, warned his medical peers about SARS-like cases in a social media app in December 2019, when the authorities were calling the disease an unknown pneumonia. He was reprimanded by police and later died of the virus himself.

Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan is currently serving a four-year sentence after reporting on the outbreak from Wuhan. Her weight has dropped to under 90 pounds as a result of a prolonged hunger strike in protest.

The government has a responsibility to protect its people, Xie said. If you, as the government, didnt disclose enough information to meet the publics needs, how can you ban the citizens from collecting such information and sharing it around to protect themselves?

Yi Ru contributed to this report.
Judge Orders UC Berkeley to Freeze Enrollment Over Impact on Surrounding Community

A judge has ordered the University of CaliforniaBerkeley, to freeze 2022 enrollment at the 2020 level and immediately pause an academic building and faculty housing project, citing potential negative effects on surrounding neighborhoods.

In the Aug. 24 decision, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brad Seligman sided with a group of residents living near the UCBerkeley campus. The neighbors brought the complaint in 2019, alleging that the university failed to take significant environmental impacts into account when developing its expansion plan, including displacement of tenants, an increase in noise and trash, an increase in traffic, and increased burdens on the City of Berkeleys public safety services.

The judge has vindicated our efforts to hold UC Berkeley accountable for the severe impacts on our community from its massive enrollment increases, which they made without public notice or comments, said Phil Bokovoy, president of Save Berkeleys Neighborhoods, the group that filed the suit. UC Berkeley must now acknowledge those impacts and propose mitigation measures that will make it a better neighbor.

Specifically, Seligman ordered that UCBerkeley must limit its enrollment for the 202223 academic year to no more than that of the previous academic year, noting that the universitys report regarding the impact of the student population growth was flawed and didnt comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which requires state and local agencies to provide the public with a detailed study about potential impacts of their proposed projects.

UCBerkeley enrolled 42,347 undergraduate and graduate students over the 202021 academic year, according to the universitys website.

UCBerkeley was also ordered to halt its plan to build 150 faculty apartments, 170 parking spots, and a third academic building for the universitys Goldman School of Public Policy. It cant proceed with the $126 million project until it fixes the deficiencies in the environmental impact report (EIR) as required by CEQA.

The City of Berkeley sued the university in 2019 over the EIR, which city officials called shady. The lawsuit was dropped last month, when the city council voted to approve an $82.6 million settlement, with the university paying $4.1 million each year over the next 16 years for its use of city services.

UCBerkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof told local newspaper Berkeleyside that the university will act quickly to meet the courts order so it can continue to enroll more students.

We are optimistic that we can file documents with the court very soon that will satisfy the judgment with regard to future increases in enrollment, Mogulof said, according to the Berkeleyside report. It will probably take the university between six and eight months to address the requirements of the judgment with regard to the Upper Hearst project. We are confident that the court will ultimately permit us to proceed with the Upper Hearst project.
Booking photo for convicted killer Patrick Baker released on May 20, 2021. (Laurel County Correctional Center via AP)

Kentucky Man Convicted in Killing After Governors Pardon

LONDON, Ky.A man pardoned by Kentuckys former governor for a 2014 drug robbery killing has been convicted for the same slaying in federal court after a two-week trial.

Federal prosecutors brought charges against Patrick Baker after he was released from prison when former Gov. Matt Bevin pardoned him on his way out of office in 2019.

A federal jury in eastern Kentucky convicted Baker Wednesday on a charge of murder committed during a drug trafficking crime after about six hours of deliberation over two days.

U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom will sentence Baker, 43, on Dec. 21. Prosecutors declined to seek the death penalty, but Baker could serve life in prison on the conviction.

At its core, this case was about one thing: Patrick Bakers role in the death of Donald Mills, Carlton Shier, the acting U.S. Attorney for eastern Kentucky, said in a news release Wednesday. Having heard the evidence, the jury found him guilty.

Baker was convicted of reckless homicide in Donald Mills death in state court in 2017. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison, but Bevins pardon released him and erased the conviction. Bevin called the evidence against Baker sketchy.

Federal prosecutors said Baker was prosecuted the second time under the dual sovereignty doctrine, which allows state and federal officials to prosecute the same defendant for the same actions without infringing on double jeopardy protections.

Bakers lawyer, Louisville attorney Steve Romines, said he would appeal.

We felt there was evidence that should have been admitted that was not, he told the Courier Journal.

Prosecutors said Baker killed Mills, a drug dealer in Knox County, in 2014 while trying to rob Mills of cash and pain pills. Baker posed as a U.S. Marshal during the crime.

Mills pregnant wife and children were held at gunpoint while Baker ransacked the victims home for oxycodone pills, according to the U.S. Attorney. Evidence at the trial including shell casings tied to Bakers pistol and surveillance video showing Baker buying handcuff restraints hours before the killing.

Bakers release was one of a slew of pardons by Bevin at the end of his term that drew rebuke from both Democrats and Republicans.
Los Angeles Police Department officers wear face masks as they wait to salute healthcare workers as a fellow LAPD detective is released from Providence St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., on April 17, 2020. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

LAPD Says 84 Employees Test Positive for COVID-19 in Last Week

LOS ANGELESEighty-four Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) employees tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week and two additional employees were hospitalized, according to LAPD Chief Michel Moore, who said on Aug. 24 it was a substantial increase from last week.

A total of 2,977 employees have tested positive for the virus as of Monday, and the increase in the last week is almost double the number who tested positive the previous week, when 45 LAPD employees tested positive. Two employees were hospitalized this week, but the four who were in the hospital last week were released and are at home recovering.

Moore told the Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday that 26 of the new cases are concentrated to the Central Community Police Station in downtown Los Angeles. Protective measures are being taken at the station, including restricting front desk access, in an effort to reduce the infection rate, Moore said.

Meanwhile, all Los Angeles city employees, including police, are required by a new ordinance to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 5, unless they have a medical or religious exemption. However, Mayor Eric Garcetti must sign the ordinance before it becomes law.

The mayor announced in July that city employees would have the option of a weekly COVID-19 test instead of the vaccine, but the ordinance adopted by the city council on Aug. 18 did not allow that option.

On Aug. 6, the San Francisco sheriffs union warned that around 160 of its 700 members could resign due to their own citys vaccine mandate. In contrast, the LAPD has nearly 10,000 police officers and around 3,000 civilian staff.

The problem we are faced with now is the strict San Francisco Mandate, which is vaccinate or be terminated. If deputy sheriffs are forced to vaccinate, a percentage of them will retire early or seek employment elsewhere, the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs Association said in a statement.

As of July 21, 47 percent of LAPDs employees were fully vaccinated and 52.2 percent had received at least one dose, according to the LAPD, which reported that 60.2 percent of department personnel have some immunity from either getting vaccinated or previously contracting the virus.

The latest figures from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health show that 73 percent of county residents age 12 and over have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 63 percent are fully vaccinated.

The LAPD on Monday began its mobile vaccination clinic deployment in an effort to increase the COVID-19 vaccination rate within the department.

Each station will have a clinic that runs for 20 hours per day, allowing night shift and day shift employees to get vaccinated. On its first day of deployment, which was in the San Fernando Valley, 19 LAPD employees got vaccinated, Moore said.

As part of the departments effort to get LAPD employees vaccinated, it internally distributed a video with testimonies from employees who have contracted and survived COVID-19, Moore said.

One of the accounts is an individual who was vaccinated and came down with COVID and was still hospitalized and was in very serious condition, Moore said.

In his testimony, hes convinced that, as his doctors are, absent that vaccine, he would have been in much graver condition and could have lost his life because of underlying health conditions.

That employee was the only hospitalized LAPD member who was vaccinated, Moore said. The video also includes a story from a woman whose husband worked for the LAPD and died of COVID-19. He contracted it before the vaccines were available.

As a consequence of the COVID virus, she lost him and her testimony also included that she was still hesitant to take the vaccine until her remaining children mentioned to her that she was their only parent  and that pulled on her and convinced her that this was something that she needed to engage in despite her hesitations and her concerns for the safety of the vaccine, Moore said.
A nurse prepares a Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination as part of a vaccine drive by the Fernandeno Tataviam Band of Mission Indians in Arleta, Los Angeles on Aug. 23, 2021. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

Los Angeles Fire Captain Under Investigation for Protesting City Employee Vaccine Mandate

A Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) captain is under investigation after he spoke against the citys COVID-19 vaccine mandate while in uniform, the department said on Aug. 23.

Capt. Christian Granucci, a 31-year veteran of the LAFD, posted a video to the Telegram App this week calling the vaccination requirements for city employees medical tyranny, and said he would likely catch total grief from his department for the video. The video went viral online after journalist Jasmyne Cannick posted a clip of the video to Twitter.

This is not a political issue, this is not left/right, this is not vax/unvax. This is a fight for freedom of choice, free will, Granucci said in the video. This is a fight against tyranny.

Last week, the Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance requiring city employees to receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 7, unless an individual requests a medical or religious exemption.

Granucci, however, called the medical exemptions a pie-in-the-sky, and said there are end runs about religious exemptions.

Granucci criticized his union saying: You had the opportunity to get in front of this and you didnt. We want to give you the opportunity to do the right thing and represent the membership.

I respected the administration of this department at one point, I even respected our union leadership, and now they are in lockstep with total tyranny.

The department announced on Aug. 24 that its Professional Standards Division will investigate Granucci for speaking against the policy while appearing to be on duty in uniform.

While we respect the individuals right to his opinion, he is not authorized to speak on behalf of the Department. The individual is in uniform and appears to be on duty, thereby giving the impression that he is speaking in an official capacity, An LAFD spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.

Granucci said there were hundreds of fellow firefighters who obtained a lawyer to help them fight the vaccination requirements.

We have him on retainer, and we will seek legal counsel and we will take the fight to you, the city of Los Angeles, Granucci said.

The Los Angeles Fire Department Union said in a statement that it doesnt support the citys mandatory vaccine policy.

Similar to the debate taking place throughout our country over vaccinations, there is passionate discussion regarding this issue in our fire stations. The majority of our firefighters have voluntarily been vaccinated and more are choosing to do so each week. We continue to encourage our members to get vaccinated, but we do not support any city policies that make it a condition of employment, Freddy Escobar, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112, said in a statement.

The LAFD spokesperson said the course of the investigation includes interviews and consultation with the City Attorneys Office, and that Granucci currently remains on active duty.

The Los Angeles Fire Department Union and Granucci didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.
Los Angeles Metro Holds Public Hearing on New County Light Rail

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is planning a new light rail line that would allow Angelenos to travel across the county.

The West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor would be a 19-mile light-rail transit line stretching from downtown Los Angeles to the southeast part of the county, including areas such as Downey, Bellflower, and Artesia.

Connecting this area to Metros rail network will provide alternatives to driving and create more access to opportunity, the Metros website stated.

Earlier this month, the Metro released a draft environmental impact report for the new transit corridor, outlining the projects potential benefits as well as its potential environmental impacts and mitigations.

The Metro is currently holding a 45-day public review and comment period in which it has scheduled three virtual public hearings to gather feedback and provide information. The current draft is open for public review and comment until Sept. 28. It includes four alternatives along with two different design options that the public can review and comment on.

On Aug. 24, the Metro held its second public hearing, in which Metro officials gave a review of the reports findings.

According to the report, all four of the construction alternatives would result in a difference of less than 1 percent in operational transportation energy consumption, compared to if the project had been operating in 2017.

Project alternatives one and two would require the physical alteration of historic buildings and properties in downtown Los Angeles; however, adverse effects would be avoided, according to the report.

Additionally, all Build Alternatives would alter the Century Freeway-Transitway Historic District in a manner that is not adverse, the report stated. Operation of the Build Alternatives would not change the use or alter the historic characteristics of any of the extant built environment historic properties in a manner that would diminish their integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, or association.

Moreover, the Paramount Bike Trail and Bellflower Bike Trail would be altered to accommodate the light rail, though access to the trails would be kept.

Mark Dierking of Metro Community Relations said the Metro will assign a letter and a color to the corridor once it is up and going.

Some residents who called in expressed opposition to the light rails construction, saying that the stations and rails would be an eyesore to the neighborhood and that they might have avoided moving to the neighborhood had they known this would take place. Others who called in said they wished that the flyers given out by the Metro on the new light rail would have been more descriptive, as many residents were confused about what exactly would be built.

Some expressed concern about small businesses in Little Tokyo and other areas of downtown Los Angeles that have been impacted by construction.

I want to reiterate on the record that there are a lot of businesses in Little Tokyo that have been are wary about extending construction in the neighborhood after the Regional Connectors construction, Los Angeles resident Grant Sunoo said.

Sunoo said that some effective business mitigation measures have been put in place by the Metro during the Regional Connectors construction, and that some good things came out of it, but the effect on local businesses remains.

Other residents called in excitement about the project, offering their comments on the metros features and structure.

Los Angeles resident David Fen said he thought that parking should not be a part of the project, and that parking should instead be replaced with station-serving retail.

Fen also said he hopes that the Metro will study the impact the new line would have on other preexisting rail lines and extensions.

The next virtual public hearing will take place via Zoom on Aug. 28. The Metros final environmental impact report certification and decision are expected to take place by next summer; the website currently projects a forecasted opening of the light rail in 2041.

The Metros media relations didnt respond to a request for comment by press deadline.
U.S. soldiers, assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, arrive to provide security in support of Operation Allies Refuge at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 20, 2021. (Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force/Handout via Reuters)

McCarthy Says Theres No Possible Way to Evacuate All Americans From Kabul by Aug. 31

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said on Tuesday theres no way possible for the United States to evacuate all Americans and complete a withdrawal from Afghanistan as per President Joe Bidens self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline.

Theres no possible way that we can get every American thats still in Afghanistan out in the next seven days, McCarthy said during a news conference following a classified briefing on the matter.

With time running out ahead of Bidens end-of-August deadline, vulnerable Afghans, who fear a vengeful crackdown by the Taliban terrorist group, and foreigners continue to mass at Kabuls Hamid Karzai International Airport, hoping to escape the country.

In an update on Tuesday, the Biden administration said that more than 4,000 American citizens and their families have been evacuated from the country since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban terrorist group seized control of Kabul.

The Americans are a small subset of the nearly 59,000 who have been evacuated. Most are Afghans who are receiving or have applied for Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) or other visas. The SIV program was created to protect Afghan allies who risked their lives helping U.S. troops in the country.

We are just 3 weeks away from the 20th anniversary of 9/11, McCarthy continued. At no time should America  allow the Taliban to tell us when we have to stop bringing Americans out. We should stay until every single American is able to get out of Afghanistan.

The Republican lawmakers remarks come as allies earlier pushed Biden to extend the evacuation operation from Kabul beyond Aug. 31, amid warnings from the Taliban that doing so would result in consequences.

A Marine with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command provides assistance during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 22, 2021. (Sgt. Samuel Ruiz/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

Biden meanwhile has sought to assure the public that the United States is on track to complete the evacuation mission, as long as the Taliban continues to cooperate.

We are currently on a pace to finish by Aug. 31. The sooner we can finish, the better, Biden said during a press conference on Tuesday. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops, but the completion by Aug. 31 depends upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those who are transporting out, and no disruptions to our operation.

He emphasized that keeping U.S. troops in the country past the deadline places them in danger from terror attacks from a group called ISIS-K.

McCarthy on Tuesday also said that the House should pass a resolution that states the Aug. 31 deadline should be extended until the evacuation mission in Afghanistan is complete.

With Bidens deadline just days away, the White House has asked reporters for the contact details of Americans who have reported being stranded in Afghanistan.

Multiple Americans have told news outlets that they are stranded in Afghanistan and have been unable to reach the U.S.-held airport in Kabul, which is surrounded by Taliban checkpoints.

The administration began telling Americans in Afghanistan to leave months ago and have texted and emailed all who remain in the country multiple times in recent days.

U.S. troops are rarely venturing outside Kabuls international airport, forcing Americans and Afghans who want to flee the country before the looming U.S. withdrawal to brave terrorists and others.

There have been beatings of Americans and Afghans by the group, Pentagon officials confirmed over the weekend.

Biden has asked the Pentagon and the State Department to draw up contingency plans in the event that the mission isnt completed by Aug. 31.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
Attorney Michael Avenatti arrives for the opening of his trial at the United States Courthouse in Santa Ana, Calif., on July 20, 2021. (David Swanson/Reuters)

Michael Avenatti Gets Mistrial in California Embezzlement Case

WASHINGTONA federal judge on Tuesday declared a mistrial in the governments embezzlement case against Michael Avenatti, giving the already convicted celebrity lawyer a temporary reprieve as he defends against a slew of criminal charges.

U.S. District Judge James Selna in Santa Ana, California, said Avenatti was entitled to a new trial because prosecutors had failed to turn over relevant billing-related evidence. Avenatti, 50, who is representing himself, had argued that the evidence might be exculpatory, and that the failure to turn it over undermined his ability to mount a defense.

The mistrial was confirmed in an email from the office of Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Wilkison in Los Angeles.

Selna found no evidence of intentional misconduct by prosecutors, according to The Recorder and Law360.

He set a tentative Oct. 12 date for another trial, but Avenatti may argue he cannot be retried because of double jeopardy. The trial had lasted one month.

Today is a good day for every person who believes that the Constitution means something, Avenatti said in a statement provided by his standby lawyer Dean Steward. Laws and rules matter.

Avenatti was being tried on 10 wire fraud charges for allegedly embezzling nearly $10 million of settlement proceeds from five clients.

He faces 26 additional charges in California, including bankruptcy, bank, and tax fraud.

Avenatti shot from obscurity to fame in 2018 representing porn actress Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against then-U.S. President Donald Trump, becoming a cable news fixture and flirting with his own White House run.

His legal career ground to a halt in March 2019 when federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged him with trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike Inc, and California prosecutors announced their criminal case.

Avenatti is appealing his conviction and 2-1/2-year prison sentence in the Nike case. He also faces a trial next year in Manhattan for allegedly cheating Daniels out of proceeds from a book contract. Avenatti has pleaded not guilty.

By Jan Wolfe and Jonathan Stempel
Students wear masks as they work in a fourth-grade classroom, at Elk Ridge Elementary School in Buckley, Wash., on Feb. 2, 2021. (Ted S. Warren/AP Photo)

Missouri Attorney General Asks Court to Declare Mask Mandates Unlawful

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit on Aug. 24 against school districts in the state that have imposed mask mandates on students, seeking a declaration from the courts that such requirements are unlawful.

Mask mandates for kids in schools are not supported by the science and are an arbitrary and capricious measure. The cure should not be worse than the disease, the lawsuit (pdf), filed in the 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Boone County, Missouri, reads.

The science shows that children are at a significantly lower risk of contracting a serious illness due to COVID-19 and that they do not generally spread the virus, even in school settings.

Schmitt argued that mask mandates are unlawful because the officials that imposed them failed to consider the science and relevant data, rendering such requirements arbitrary and capricious.

The Mask Mandate clearly fails the requirement of reasoned decision-making. It provides no discussion of how the mandate addresses the identified harms for students and the School Districts particular communities, the complaint reads. The Mask Mandate therefore suggests that the Defendants failed to grapple at all with a large swath of relevant science, data, statistics, studies, or alternatives.

The bulk of the complaint cites a battery of studies, data, and news reports that show that children are less likely to spread the CCP virus and have an extremely low risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19. The lawsuit also refers to studies showing that masks impair learning, cause headaches, lead to less happiness, and hinder verbal and non-verbal communication, among other negative impacts.

The lawsuit names one school district, the Columbia Public School District, but argues that other districts with mask mandates in place are similarly positioned and should be sanctioned as a class. The complaint lists 15 other school districts as an example.

Columbia Public Schools is extremely disappointed to learn that the Missouri Attorney General has chosen to pursue litigation against the school district for providing safety measures for its scholars, teachers, and staff members, Michelle Baumstark, the chief communications officer for Columbia Public Schools, said in an email to The Epoch Times.

Numerous school districts across Missouri and across our country made the same safety decision based on what is needed in their communities during this period of time. The decisions made are based on guidance and recommendations from local, state, and national health experts, including the CDC. Columbia Public Schools intends to aggressively defend its decision to keep its community and its scholars safe.

Schmitt, a Republican, is running for the U.S. Senate at a time when the mask mandate debate is unfolding across the nation and is divided sharply along political lines. Republicans are generally resisting mask mandates, while Democrats are more likely to staunchly defend and promote such measures.

The battle over mask mandates in Florida has gained national attention, with the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis requiring school districts to allow parents to opt children out of mask-wearing. A number of school districts, all but one of which are Democratic-leaning, have defied the governor. Two of those districts now face the prospect of slowly bleeding state funding equal to the salaries of the officials who imposed the mandates.
A health care worker prepares a syringe with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site in New York City on Jan. 29, 2021. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

Moderna Completes Application for COVID-19 Vaccine Approval

Pfizer-BioNTech start approval process for booster

Moderna says it has finished its application to U.S. drug regulators for full approval of its COVID-19 vaccine, while Pfizer and BioNTech have begun their application for their COVID-19 vaccine to be used as a booster shot.

This BLA submission for our COVID-19 vaccine, which we began in June, is an important milestone in our battle against COVID-19 and for Moderna, as this is the first BLA submission in our companys history, Stephane Bancel, Modernas CEO, said in an Aug. 25 statement, referring to the Biologics License Application.

Moderna began submitting sections of the application in June; the company has periodically sent more data to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including clinical data from a Phase 3 clinical trial that enrolled more than 30,000 participants and was conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) and two other agencies.

According to the Massachusetts-based biotechnology firm, the trial showed that the vaccine was 93 percent effective in preventing infection from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19.

FDA officials didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

The application completion comes two days after the FDA fully approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

In a call with reporters on Aug. 23, a top FDA official declined to give insight into Modernas application. But the official, Dr. Peter Marks, noted that 97 days elapsed between Pfizers completion of its application and full approval.

That was 40 percent faster than the normal time period for a submission of this magnitude, Marks said.

Officials reviewed tens of thousands of pages of safety and efficacy data before approving Pfizers shot, in addition to visits to manufacturing facilities.

Pfizer and BioNTech, meanwhile, said on Aug. 25 that they have begun the Biologics License Application process for a third dose, or booster, of their vaccine.

The application is widely viewed as a formality after health officials announced earlier this month that they will recommend the booster for all adults, even healthy ones, once its approved.

Syringes with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are pictured ready for use at a mobile clinic in Los Angeles, on July 9, 2021. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Only three COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the United States since the disease first appeared in the country last year. The vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna, both of which utilize messenger RNA technology, are by far the most widely used.

More than 205 million Pfizer doses and more than 143 million Moderna doses have been administered as of Aug. 24, according to federal data. Thats compared to 14 million Johnson & Johnson doses.

Unlike the Johnson & Johnson shot, the Pfizer and Moderna jabs are administered in two-dose regimens; the doses are spaced several weeks apart.

Health officials recently announced, though, that people should get a booster dose if theyve gotten the Pfizer or Moderna shots. A similar recommendation is likely to come for the single-shot Johnson & Johnson shot, officials say.

Johnson & Johnson hasnt yet filed for a Biologics License Application for its COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who directs NIAID, said on CBS This Morning this week that approval for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines is likely not too far away.

I think its a temporal issue. I dont think theres anything different necessarily about the process, its just that they submitted or are submitting their material a bit later or after Pfizer did, he added.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom gestures toward the Caldor fire in a video released by his office on Aug. 24, 2021. (Office of the Governor/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Newsom Champions Forest Management to Contain Californias Wildfires

In the midst of a competitive recall election, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called attention to his now emphasizing proper forest management as key to containing the wildfires that have devastated the state.

On Aug. 24 the Office of the Governor of California posted a video on Twitter in which Newsom stands in front of a smoldering blaze, part of the ongoing Caldor Fire. Newsom highlighted the difference between land that had been cleared by the state and private landowners, versus U.S. Forest Service land where undergrowth hadnt been cleared.

Its vital that we continue to increase our fuels management effort to make CAs forests healthier and more wildfire-resistant, the tweet reads.

The Office of the Governors tweet comes a week after Larry Elder, Newsoms chief rival in the recall election, made an issue of Newsoms performance in combating wildfires, saying at an Aug. 18 news conference that the governor had been utterly incompetent in reducing the fuels that feed the states wildfires.

In the video, Newsom also noted that some nearby Pacific Gas & Energy power lines could be a source of problems, stating that they would eventually have to be undergrounded all across the state.

In June 2020, PG&E was convicted of 84 counts of manslaughter for its role in sparking 2018s deadly Camp Fire. Shortly after that deadly blaze, Newsom helped draft AB 1054, which enabled PG&E to obtain state safety certificates covering the next two fire seasons.

Newsom has met with criticism for his financial ties to PG&E, which donated $290,000 to his wifes nonprofit, The Representation Project, between 2016 and 2018.

The tweet comes just one year after Newsom criticized President Donald Trump for claiming that poor forest management was the culprit behind Californias intense recent wildfires, a point Trump had made several times during his presidency.

Youve got to clean your floors, Trump said at a Pennsylvania campaign stop in August 2020. You gotta clean your foreststhere are many, many years of leaves and broken trees, and theyre like, so flammable, you touch them and it goes up.

Newsom said at the time in a video message to the Democratic National Convention: Just today, the president of the United States threatened the state of California, 40 million Americans who happen to live here in the state of California, to defund our efforts on wildfire suppression because he said we hadnt raked enough leaves. I cant make that up.

As part of Newsoms change in approach, earlier this year, he reportedly requested $500 million in 2021-2022 funding for forest management, and billions over the next several years, including clearing forest floors of debris.

The request came after Newsom decreased funding for wildfire prevention and resource management in 2020 by 40 percent to $203 million, from $355 million in 2019.

Newsom has exaggerated the amount of land affected by the states fire prevention efforts, according to an investigation by CapRadio and NPR. While a fact sheet from 2019 claimed 90,000 acres would be treated with fire prevention efforts, this overstated the acreage that would actually be treated by 690 percent.

Fire prevention, of course, is a national issue, as not only California has been struck with devastating wildfires.

In a recent op-ed, U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), who described themselves as the only two foresters in Congress, urged Congress to take action to clear out the countrys overgrown national forests.

More than 80 million acres of our national forests are overgrown and in dire need of active management, making them tinderboxes for the smallest stray spark. The only way we can prevent wildfires from getting out of control is addressing them long before they ignite, they wrote.

We need forest management that uses proven science to identify high-risk areas, clear hazardous brush, thin dead and decaying trees, and provide healthy space for remaining trees to grow far enough apart to prevent fires from climbing into the canopy and spreading from tree to tree at an uncontrollable rate.

Newsom has pointed out that almost 58 percent of forest land in California is owned by the federal government, underscoring the fact that forest management isnt just a state problem.

In a 2019 analysis for The Federalist, Chuck DeVore noted that increases in timber burned during the 1990s coincided with greater restrictions on timber harvesting by the Clinton administration.

With the retreat of the timber industry came an inevitable buildup of uncleared brush as well as runaway tree density, with it becoming common to have four times the number of trees per acre as is considered healthy, DeVore wrote.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on Aug. 25, 2021. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)

No Americans Have Been Rescued Outside of Kabul: Pentagon

U.S. troops have not rescued any Americans in Afghanistan outside of Kabul, though they have the capability to do so, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Only three rescue missions have been conducted by American soldiers since the Taliban took over the country, according to military officials. But all three took place within Kabul, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington.

Could it be done outside Kabul, if needed? We have the capability, he said.

Im not suggesting that it would be well outside of Kabul. Im not suggesting that it would be throughout the whole countryside, he added later. When I said outside Kabul, Im talking about relatively close by. I dont want to set the expectation that were going to be able to fly all over the country to pick up people.

The reason why that distance is so small is because the focus of the mission is on protecting the Hamid Karzai International Airport, where flights are departing regularly with Afghans, Americans, and others, Kirby said.

Asked if the United States could help an American couple who is reportedly in Mazar-e-Sharife, he answered bluntly, No.

So far, three missions have been conducted, including one to the Baron Hotel to rescue a group of 169 people who were struggling to make it to the airport. All three have been a short duration and a short distance, according to Kirby.

Approximately 1,500 Americans remain in Afghanistan, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced shortly before Kirby answered questions from reporters. U.S. officials have repeatedly said that they expect to be able to evacuate every American who wants to leave the country by an Aug. 31 deadline that President Joe Biden imposed.

We are currently on a pace to finish by Aug. 31, Biden said on Tuesday.

The Taliban, which took over Afghanistan in mid-August, has challenged the United States to adhere to the deadline, warning of consequences if they do not.

U.S. Marines provide assistance at an Evacuation Control Checkpoint during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, on Aug. 22, 2021. (U.S. Marine Corps/Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla via Reuters)

U.S. Air Force loadmasters and pilots, assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, load people being evacuated from Afghanistan onto a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 24, 2021. (Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen/U.S. Air Force via AP)

Pressed during a meeting with business executives at the White House on Wednesday on what he would do if Americans are still in Afghanistan after the deadline, Biden initially did not speak before telling the reporter that he would be the first person I call.

The White House then ushered out reporters, marking another time where the president has refused to answer questions in recent days.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki later told a press conference that Biden received a briefing on the crisis on Wednesday morning, including contingency plans in the event the deadline ends up being pushed back.

I will reiterate, as he stated yesterday, that this is all contingent on us achieving our objectives and our continued coordination with the Taliban, she said.

While U.S. troops hold the airport in Kabul, the Taliban is, whether we like it or not, largely in control of the country, Blinken said.

The United States has been openly working together with the Taliban, which is designated as a terrorist group by multiple countries.

Taliban militants beat Americans in Kabuls streets on multiple occasions, but the group has not faced repercussions from the United States as of yet, as the military races to complete evacuations by the deadline.

The harsh treatment has had at least one positive effect, Kirby acknowledged: the crowds trying to enter the airport have thinned out.
Northern Idahos Lake District: Rugged Beauty, Quiet Serenity

A few years ago, the only thing I knew about Coeur DAlene, Idaho, was that it was the hometown of my favorite author, Marilynne Robinson. I couldnt have told you what it looked like or why it would be an appealing place to visit. Idaho, for me, conjured up images of potato fields and heaps of snow.

This summer, I visited northern Idahos Lake District, and I couldnt have been more wrong about what the region is actually like. Full of lush pines, big hills, and deep blue lakes, the panhandle of Idaho is marked by both rugged beauty and quiet serenity.

A group of kayakers enjoys a beautiful summer day on the Sand Creek River and Pend Oreille Lake in Sandpoint, Idaho. (Kirk Fisher/Shutterstock)

I landed in Spokane in the middle of July alongside my entire extended family15 of us in total. Perhaps the first thing we loved about the northwest is its lack of humidity, which was a welcome relief from our homes in the muggy northeast of the country.

We drove an easy 45 minutes from the Spokane Airport to Coeur DAlene (sometimes referred to as CdA by the locals). The city, located along the shores of its 30-mile wide namesake lake, is filled with walkable streets, fabulous dining, and pristine views. We had lunch at The Buoy Bar and Grill, located on the bustling waterfront. As we munched on burgers and fries overlooking the lake, we wondered aloud if we ourselves would ever return to Pennsylvania.

A trail on Schweitzer Mountain. (James Sakaguchi/Shutterstock)

After lunch, we strolled down to the CdA beach, conveniently located right in town. We watched as our daughters, nephew, and niece splashed in the water, all the stress of the long flight behind them.

Our time in CdA passed too quickly. We hiked Tubbs Hill, a kid-friendly hike through the forest that offers stunning views of the lake. We swam, strolled the many shops, and ate at noteworthy restaurants like Crafted Taphouse and Kitchen and Abis Ice Cream. Every corner of Coeur DAlene felt enchanted, beautifully kept, and full of wonder.

Im not the only one who has been recently enchanted by Coeur DAlene and the surrounding area. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Americans from all over the country have been relocating to northern Idahos Lake District, using their new work-from-home status as an excuse to live somewhere new.

A sandy beach along the shores of Lake Coeur dAlene at springtime in Coeur dAlene, Idaho. (Kirk Fisher/Shutterstock)

Coeur DAlene is one of the nations hottest emerging real estate markets, its luxury real estate and accessibility to nature making it an incredibly desirable place to live.

According to Fortune Magazine, the market is so competitive right now that every listing gets at least 30 offers.

From Coeur DAlene, we traveled further into northern Idahos Lake District to Sandpoint. This Idaho town has something for everyone. We loved swimming at the City Beach, which backs up against a park and playing fields, then strolling into town for coffee and a ham and cheese croissant at Bluebird Bakery. The ice cream at Panhandle Cone and Coffee was worth going back twice for, but the best meal we had all week was at the Pack River Store outside of Sandpoint. There, at a picnic table along the water, we ordered the best deli sandwiches we have ever had.

A young man jumps off a rocky cliff in Tubbs Hill. (Natures Charm/Shutterstock)

The main attraction in Sandpoint is, of course, Pend Oreille Lake. With a depth of 1,158 feet, the lake is among the deepest in the nation. The south end of the lake has been used to test submarines because of its depth.

The lake draws fishermen near and farmy husband included. It isnt uncommon to find kamloops and mackinaw that weigh more than 20 pounds in the lake. Not one for fishing personally, I enjoyed exploring the lake in the early mornings in a kayak, and then later in the day, as we lazed on the water in a pontoon boat.

A lifeguard on duty at Sandpoint City Beach. (Kirk Fisher/Shutterstock)

Northern Idaho is full of wildlife. Among our most exciting moments of the week was a distant encounter with a moose. We took in incredible views on Schweitzer Mountain and enjoyed sunsets from our back porch looking over the lake.

Our week in northern Idaho passed too quickly, and it felt like we had only grazed the tip of the iceberg of all there is to see and do. Hikers, fishermen, and nature lovers alike will walk away from Idahos natural beauty wondering, as I am, how quickly they can return.
School students arrive for the first day school in Brisbane, Australia, May 11, 2020. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

NSW Records Its Worst Year 9 Reading Score in NAPLAN, But National Results Surprisingly Steady

Preliminary NAPLAN results were released today revealed that Australias overall education performance has remained steady, but New South Wales (NSW) Year 9 students recorded the worst results in reading since the testing system began.

One in ten students failed to reach the national minimum standard (NMS) for reading, putting the NSW Year 9 cohort behind Victoria and Western Australia.

The number of students who failed to reach the NMS for reading has doubled since 2008, where around one in 20 students had failed to meet the minimum standard in the state.

However, in all other areas, NSW continues to rank top three and also achieved the highest mean score in spelling and writing for Years 3 to 7.

Once again, NSW students are achieving above the national average in all five domains, at all year levels, NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said.

Similarly, in other states, extended lockdowns and disruptions to learning have appeared to have minimal impact on overall education performance.

Its reassuring to see that overall, our students literacy and numeracy standards have not significantly suffered, despite the major disruptions of COVID-19 and remote learning, ACARA CEO David de Carvalho said (pdf). However, this does not mean there has been no impact on specific students or demographic groups.

ACARA found that the declining standards in writing have begun to flatten, while the average trend for primary school level reading and high school numeracy was improving.

Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge said headline results were pleasing, but further analysis was needed to assess the full impact of COVID-19 on Australias education.

It is certainly a relief that we have not yet seen the significant declines that we may have expected due to school closures, particularly in Victoria, Tudge said. The results also show a resilience among young Australians, and they are testament to the hard work of teachers and parents who are supporting learning at home.

Australian Education Minister Alan Tudge speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Aug. 4, 2021. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

Tudge said he remained very concerned about the ongoing impacts of school closures on students and their families, as well as individuals who have disengaged from school altogether.

I also remain focused on the longer-term goal of returning Australia to the top group of educations nations, including by lifting standards in literacy and numeracy, he said.

Despite Queensland results remaining steady, participation in the testing program plummeted as the states Teachers Union encouraged parents to withdraw their children from taking the assessment. Almost one in five students did not take the test, The Courier Mail reported.

Meanwhile, despite Victorian schools remaining closed longer than those in other states, Victorian students defied expectations and recorded improvements, ranking first in several subjects and year levels.

The results suggest that persistent effort to improve outcomes pays off, De Carvalho said. It is testament to the resilience of students, teachers, parents and carers, and school and system leaders during these challenging times.

The 2021 NAPLAN exams were held in May, prior to the extended lockdowns in NSW and Victoria.
NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Aug. 25)

Evacuation efforts got 19,000 people out from the Kabul airport in the past 24 hours, President Joe Biden talks cybersecurity with key leaders in the private sector, and New York updates its COVID-19 death toll.
Andrew (C), 24, a medical student from Ohio State University, discusses the Vaccine Choice and Anti-Discrimination Act with people who support the act inside of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, on Aug. 24, 2021. (Stephen Zenner/AFP via Getty Images)

Ohio State University Mandates COVID-19 Vaccine for Students, Faculty, Staff

Ohio State University announced on Aug. 24 that its rolling out a vaccine mandate, stating that it will require every student, faculty, and staff member to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Kristina M. Johnson, the universitys president, announced the measure, citing a recent surge of the COVID-19 Delta variant to justify the move.

Central, southern, and southeastern Ohio have now recorded the highest number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients since January, Johnson stated. Further, the number of hospitalized patients in these areas of the state rose an alarming 448 percent between mid-July and mid-August.

All students, faculty, and staff must receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Oct. 15 and the second dose by Nov. 15, Johnson said.

Students who arent fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, by spring next year, will be barred from participating in events on campus, including classes. Staff and faculty who fail to adhere to the mandate will face disciplinary action.

The mandate was announced one day after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reportedly gave full approval to Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine.

The other two vaccines available in the United States, from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, are currently operating under emergency use authorization.

This step will increase our ability to support our students in continuing their educational experiences, as well as help protect our current and the states future workforce, Johnson said in a statement.

The decision comes as a growing number of schools and employers are mandating vaccinations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an Aug. 6 update that new data on the Delta variant show that no vaccine is 100 percent effective, as fully vaccinated people are still capable of spreading the virus to others, although vaccinated people appear to be infectious for a shorter period.

The agency noted that breakthrough infection with the Delta variant seems to produce the same high amount of virus in both unvaccinated and fully vaccinated people, bringing into question whether vaccine mandates are justifiable given the implications concerning their infringement on individual liberties.

Representatives for the CDC didnt respond to multiple requests for comment by press time.
The U.S. Capitol is seen in Washington, on Feb. 8, 2021. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Oklahoma Man Charged in Assault on AP Photographer in Jan. 6 Breach

An Oklahoma man has been arrested on federal assault charges for allegedly pushing an Associated Press (AP) photographer over a wall during the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, authorities said on Tuesday.

Benjamen Scott Burlew, of Miami, Oklahoma, was caught on camera physically assaulting AP photographer John Minchillo, who was on assignment at the Capitol grounds at the time of the incident, according to a court records released by the Justice Department.

The 41-year-old was arrested on Aug. 19 and is charged with federal offenses that include assault in special territorial jurisdiction and acts of physical violence on restricted grounds. He is the second person to be charged with attacking Minchillo.

According to court papers, Burlew was caught on camera yelling at, grabbing, dragging and pushing Minchillo over a low stone wall on the Capitol grounds.

Authorities say Burlew was among several people who attacked Minchillo, who was wearing a helmet-style gas mask and was dragged by another person down the exterior stairs by his lanyard with AP lettering.

At the bottom of the stairs, Burlew and three other people grabbed the photographer and pushed, shoved and dragged him again, authorities said.

The AP photographer landed on his back on the grounds of the west lawn after he was pushed. Burlew allegedly looked over the wall to observe his fall.

Associated Press spokesperson Lauren Easton said it is deeply troubling when journalists are targeted for simply doing their jobs.

These charges are an encouraging sign that those who attacked journalists on Jan. 6 will be held accountable, she said in an email.

Burlew was indicted on Aug. 20 in the District of Columbia and released from jail on $5,000 bond.

A Pennsylvania man, Alan William Byerly, 54, was also arrested last month on charges for the assault of Minchillo, and on law enforcement officers, according to an FBI indictment.

More than 570 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 U.S. states for crimes related to the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol. That includes over 170 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, the Justice Department said.

The breach took place during a joint session of Congress when lawmakers met to certify electoral votes submitted by states. The Capitol grounds and building were breached by protestors and some rioters, some of whom wanted to voice their stance against then-Vice President Mike Pences refusal to intervene in the certification process. Thousands of peaceful protesters remained outside.

In June, FBI Director Christopher Wray told an oversight hearing held by the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee that the law enforcement agency considered the events that unfolded on Jan. 6 to be an act of domestic terrorism. When asked by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) whether the events could be considered an insurrection, Wray said it would be inappropriate to describe the breach as such.

In my role as FBI director, because thats a term that has legal meaning, I really have to be careful about using words like that, Wray said, noting that what he says could affect ongoing criminal cases.

Democratic lawmakers have pushed the narrative that the Jan. 6 breach was an insurrection, largely during the January impeachment effort against then-President Donald Trump. No one who participated in the breach has been charged with insurrection.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ontario Boy, 10, Reels in a Military Bomb From 1954 While Magnet Fishing With His Grandfather

A 10-year-old boy has become the talk of his town since reeling in a bomb while magnet fishing with his grandfather on an Ontario lake in Canada.

Brandon Bastien, who lives in St. Thomas with his father, was out on July 25 with his maternal grandfather, Steve Posthumus, a lifelong Elmer resident, when something was caught on his fishing line.

We went down to Port Bruce and had some lunch, and he pulled up the find of a lifetime, 60-year-old Steve, who has 10 grandchildren, told The Epoch Times.

Brandon Bastien and his grandfather Steve Posthumus. (Courtesy of Steve Posthumus)

The grandfather-grandson duo had been at the pier in Port Bruce for two hours when Steve began to get a bit tired. He retreated from the heat to a nearby wall to eat a sandwich. All of a sudden, Brandon turned and called out to his grandpa that his magnet had latched onto something, then, seconds later, he said Its a bomb!

However, as Steve approached close by, he claimed that the find looked like the fuselage of a toy airplane. But as Brandon pulled the object out of the water, Steve conceded.

I grabbed the string and the magnet right out of his hand and told him to back up. He was right, said Steve. It was a mortar shell, and me not knowing nothing about bombs, I grabbed it and threw it on the wall where I was eating my lunch and told people, Stay away! Im not sure if this is active.'

Brandon with the bomb. (Courtesy of Steve Posthumus)

The shells pin was missing, thus leaving the magnet attached. Steve and Brandon notified the police. Yet Brandon, he claimed, wasnt in the least bit afraid.

In an interview with CTV News, Brandon said, I was just expecting tiny pieces of scrap metal. Some people pull out guns, but thats rare.

My first initial idea was that I kinda wanted to keep it because it would be a really cool thing just to hang up in my room. You dont see that very often.

Steve said that the light blue 60mm mortar bomb shell had the company name and the date Oct. 27, 1954, on it. As people gathered around to take photos and videos, Steve warned them to exercise caution.

Police arrived and cordoned off the area with yellow tape. After determining that the shell was inactive, they removed the tape and had the bomb transported to the Department of National Defense in Ottawa.

They will do a little bit of a study on it, Steve revealed to The Epoch Times, adding, I hope when it goes on to the Heritage Museum  [Brandon] gets rewarded in some way. Its exciting for a 10-year-old!

In the meantime, the young magnet fisherman is getting a lot of attention for his explosive find. For Steve, the most important thing is that his grandson gets the recognition he deserves.

The 60-year-old only got into magnet fishing himself during the onset of the pandemic, when health issues forced him into self-isolation. He ordered a small fishing magnet online and headed to the lake to pass time, even reeling in a century-old iron clawfoot bathtub leg. Slowly, he got hooked.

(Courtesy of Steve Posthumus)

Brandon is a boy of many hobbies. Fluent in both English and French, he loves skateboarding and playing with his friends. He also loves to do things with his grandpa, said Steve, and we finally got back to it  I offered to take him out magnet fishing because Ive taken my other grandchildren before.

Since reeling in the bomb, Steve has seen Brandon in his element, telling his story to numerous news outlets and radio stations. Hes always been excited, said Steve. Its added something to his life Ive never seen before.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
Orange County Board of Supervisors Urges Biden to Support Afghan Refugees

The Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution urging President Joe Biden to extend extra support toward Afghan refugees seeking to flee the Talibans violent regime.

This is our commitment as a country to that fight that we have always espoused, which is the fight for democracy, for basic human dignity, for human rights, and opportunity and justice for all, Chairman Andrew Do said at the Aug. 24 meeting.

We dont have to surmise; we dont have to imagine we have seen things that have happened under these totalitarian regimes. We have seen the Uyghurs being incarcerated en masse in China. We have seen genocides played out over and over, whether theyre communists or theres some kind of totalitarian under whatever philosophy  the damage theyve done to their people.

Do, along with Vice Chair Doug Chaffee, created a three-step plan in an attempt to convey to Biden and Congress the need to support and increase the capacity for refugees that can enter the United States to include an extra 100,000. The current capacity set by Biden on May 3 is 62,500.

The supervisors also called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to expedite the process for immigration applications and grant immigration parole status to refugees arriving from Afghanistan.

The final step of the plan is to provide housing centers around the country formed through partnerships with organizations to support refugees.

Do reflected on his experience during the Vietnam War and the support brought to refugees by the United States, requesting that the same support be extended to Afghans.

The process that we went through to process the Vietnamese refugees should be used here, which is the refugees can be flown into the U.S. under this immigration parole status, be housed in processing centers  I would say around the country, and then once they have been screened and cleared, Do said. Then third, the federal government to establish partnerships with private organizations and nonprofit entities to support refugee settlement in communities across the U.S.

Chaffee joined Do in support voicing to his colleagues the importance of adopting the emergency resolution.

The reason why we must act now is [due to the] danger the people in Afghanistan [are facing].  The Taliban has said that they will cut things off at the end of this month, Chaffee said. Perhaps some additional time will be allowed, but theres no guarantee. Taliban is closely allied with Al Qaeda, and we know what they did to our people on 9/11. This regime and its allies have no respect for life or liberty that does not conform. Its important that we move forward as quickly as we can to help as many people as possible.

Supervisor Lisa Bartlett added, This is certainly very timely and the situation in Afghanistan is getting worse by the day. We were notified this morning that the Taliban will no longer offer Afghans to go to Kabul airport for evacuation. So now they are forced to look at other alternatives from other areas.

While the future is uncertain, he said, Supervisor Don Wagner expressed his concern toward Afghanistan and insisted that Afghans not be stranded to face the horrors that await them.

Supervisor Katrina Foley stood with the women of Afghanistan as the country is foreseen to take a step back.

The girls and the women in Afghanistan are already under attack, Foley said. Twenty years of work towards freedoms and the rights that we all enjoy here, without even blinking about it are being stripped away. Girls already are being forced into marriages, women who work in banks and businesses and who are educators being locked out of their employment,  women and girls being targeted if they do not comply with the extremely restrictive, anti-woman misogynistic values of the Taliban.

An Afghan American residing in the county stood for public comment, discussing the crisis his family is facing overseas.

Fayaz Nawani, Afghan American policy and advocacy member for the Los Angeles Council on AmericanIslamic Relations, said his father is an American stuck in Afghanistan.

My family was displaced when the communist regime took over in the 1970s, and we became refugees and came to the U.S. searching for peace, searching for an opportunity to work and raise our raise our children in a safe environment, Nawani told the board.

My father is currently in Kabul trying to get out; hes a US citizen. So just one of the recent conversations I had with him, he said as he was about [to go] through the checkpoint. A mother gave her daughteran infant daughterto him, and she said please hold my daughter because my other child is lost. I cant find him. This is whats happening right now at the airport.  We would love to see that refugee camp increased by 100,000. Theres 88,000 individuals that work at the various embassies as mail clerks and different capacities. So we would love to see these individuals be offered an opportunity to come to this country as refugees. There are many unaccompanied minors also that we want to make sure that they are protected and are not victims of human trafficking during this dire time.

According to a tweet posted by The White House, the United States has evacuated 58,700 people since Aug. 14 and relocated 63,900 people since the end of July.

What we do today, and hopefully it will percolate up to the federal government, will spur us as a nation to move quickly, Do said.
Oregon Governor Announces Mask Mandate for Outdoor Settings

Mandate is regardless of vaccination status

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced on Tuesday that state residents will be required to wear masks in most public outdoor settings, regardless of vaccination status.

Starting Friday, people must don face coverings outdoors where physical distancing is not possible.

Masks have proven to be effective at reducing transmission and are a necessary measure right now, even in some outdoor settings, to help us fight COVID and protect one another, Brown said in a video statement.

In addition, the Oregon Health Authority strongly recommends masking in outdoor gatherings at private residences where people from different households do not maintain physical distance, she added.

Brown stressed that the new rule doesnt mean people have to always wear a mask outdoors.

You do not need to mask up for a fleeting pass by on a hiking trail or your morning walk with your dog, she said. It does mean that you have to take personal responsibility and use common sense in outdoor spaces.

The state already had an indoor mask mandate.

Health officials say part of the reasoning for the new outdoor mask mandate is because they are seeing instances where cases are clustering around outdoor events, such as music festivals.

The harsh reality is that this Delta variant is much more contagious than previous variants weve seen, Brown said. It has dramatically increased the amount of virus in our communities.

The Democratic governor said that 1,000 patients in Oregon are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

She added that vaccination continues to be the best way to protect oneself from the Delta variant and help healthcare workers who are working around the clock to treat those taken ill with COVID-19. Brown said the majority of the patients in intensive care unit beds are unvaccinated people.

According to state data, 283 of the COVID-19 patients are in ICU beds. As of Aug. 24, there are 45 ICU beds available in the state. Currently more than 90 percent of the states ICU and hospital beds are full.

According to a report by Performance Magazine published by the KPI Institute, data indicates that 85-90 percent is the ideal range for hospital bed occupancy rate. A rate higher than 90 percent may induce the danger of overcrowding, indicating that hospitals may have to turn away patients and postpone the provision of needed, possibly crucial, healthcare, per the report.

This article has been updated with additional information on hospital bed occupancy rates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A U.S. Air Force Airman guides evacuees aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 24, 2021. (Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force via AP)

Pentagon Starts Drawing Down US Forces From Afghanistan as Deadline Looms

Approximately 400 U.S. troops have departed Afghanistan, leaving a smaller force to hold the airport in Kabul and conduct sporadic rescue missions.

The troops were a mix of soldiers flown in after the Taliban took over the country to help with evacuations of noncombatants and soldiers who were already there before the terrorist group pummeled the Afghan military and took the presidential palace in Kabul.

Navy Rear Adm. Peter Vasely, in trying to manage time and space at the airport, determined that it was the prudent thing to do, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington on Wednesday. Vasely decided that he didnt need them any more.

Kirby described the troops as headquarters staff personnel, maintainers, and some other enabling forces.

Vasely is overseeing the mission in Afghanistan, where U.S. troops are racing to evacuate Americans and Afghans before the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline that President Joe Biden imposed earlier this year and reaffirmed on Tuesday.

The force in Kabul now numbers 5,400, down approximately 400 from its peak.

Most U.S. troops had left Afghanistan by Aug. 14, when the Taliban seized the country, but thousands flew back to help secure Hamid Karzai International Airport and evacuate American citizens and others.

Some troops have been conducting missions to grab people who are unable to reach the airport, which is surrounded by Taliban militants.

A helicopter mission was launched overnight under the cover of darkness, Major Gen. Hank Taylor told reporters in Washington on Wednesday. U.S. troops rescued a group of less than 20 and got them to the airport safely, he said.

It wasnt clear if any of the group were Americans.

U.S. Marines provide assistance at an Evacuation Control Checkpoint during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, on Aug. 22, 2021. (U.S. Marine Corps/Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla via Reuters)

Similar missions have been launched in prior days, including a multi-chopper mission to the nearby Baron Hotel to rescue a group of 169.

Plans on Tuesday were thrown off by a secret visit by two congressmen, Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), Kirby said. The representatives spoke with troops and commanders and needed to be protected.

Moulton and Meijer said in a joint statement that it wouldnt be possible to complete evacuations even by Sept. 11, much less the Aug. 31 deadline. But the United States is moving forward with the aim of getting out by the end of the month, after President Joe Biden said in Washington on Tuesday that the deadline is remaining in place for now.

The current pace of evacuations is contingent on coordination with the Taliban, Biden said, and theres increasing danger from outside groups, including ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate. Taliban militants have stopped some Americans and Afghans, with some assaulting those trying to get through checkpoints.

If the deadline doesnt change, the drawdown will likely continue, as the military needs at least several days to get their forces and equipment safely and effectively retrograded, Kirby said this week.

Taylor said that the final days before the deadline would include evacuations but would focus on removing troops and equipment.

U.S. allies have tried convincing Biden to push back the deadline but have so far been unsuccessful. When U.S. troops leave, other countries will have to as well, even if they want to continue evacuations, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters on Tuesday.

And a French official added Wednesday that the country would likely have to end French evacuations a few days or a few days before Aug. 31, given the full pullback of foreign forces.
A healthcare 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)

Philadelphia School Board Votes to Require COVID-19 Vaccination for All Employees

The Philadelphia School Board has voted unanimously to require COVID-19 vaccinations for 20,000 employees of the public school district, which is set to fully reopen for the first time since March 2020.

The decision, which came during a special session on Aug. 24, wont go into effect immediately. Philadelphia school officials will meet with the districts five labor unions to determine deadlines, detailed terms, and potential penalties for non-compliance with the mandate.

The mandate is expected to apply to all teachers, staff members, contracted personnel, and service providers in the district. The Aug. 24 resolution also makes clear that there will be an option for exemptions for certain documented medical circumstances or sincerely held religious beliefs.

The resolution received a mixed response during the public comment portion of the special session, with some speakers speaking against the policy and others in favor of it.

COVID is temporary, civil rights are not, said Christine Heying, who teaches at Philadelphia High School for Girls.

Heying said her health condition prevents her from getting vaccinated, and she was afraid of being bullied by those who have growing resentment toward the unvaccinated.

Nicole Hunt, president of a 2,200-member union of school cafeteria workers and noon-time aides, also spoke against the vaccine mandate. She said many of the unions members are low-income, part-time workers, and that the mandate might cause them to quit their jobs.

We should not be telling people what to do with their bodies. If they decide not to get the vaccine, that is their choice, Hunt said.

Before the vote, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) issued a statement reiterating its support for the mandate.

This union has been very clear from the startwe support vaccines, and we have been urging every member to get vaccinated, PFT President Jerry Jordan said in the statement, citing an estimation by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) that 90 percent of the nations educators have been vaccinated.

The teachers union also urged the district to test all students regularly for COVID-19, regardless of whether or not theyre showing symptoms. The district currently plans to only test symptomatic students.

It is imperative to note that our students in PreK7 are not yet even eligible for the vaccine. As such, each day, tens of thousands of unvaccinated individuals will be entering our buildings, Jordan said. A multilayered mitigation strategy is absolutely keyvaccines, universal masking, and universal testing.

Regular COVID tests for students is one of the key ways that we can not only open schools but keep them open. Testing must include asymptomatic students.
Soldiers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division escort a group of people to the terminal at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 23, 2021. (1st Lt. Mark Andries/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

Poland Halts Afghan Airlift Over Safety as US Deadline Looms

WARSAW, PolandPoland has ended its evacuations from Afghanistan, an official said Wednesday, one of the first Western countries to halt operations helping people flee the Taliban takeover as a full American withdrawal looms.

President Joe Biden declared the day before that he is sticking to his Aug. 31 deadline for completing the U.S. pullout, ramping up pressure on the already risky airlift from Kabul to get out as many people as possible in the coming days. European allies pressed for more time but lost the argument, and as a practical matter, they may be forced to end their evacuations a couple of days before the last American troops leave.

The Taliban wrested back control of Afghanistan nearly 20 years after they were ousted in a U.S.-led invasion following the 9/11 attacks. Their return to power has pushed many Afghans to flee, fearing reprisal attacks from the terrorists or a return to the brutal rule they imposed when they last ran the country.

The Taliban have insisted the airlift must end on Aug. 31. Any decision by Biden to stay longer could reignite a war between the hard-line Islamic group and American troops and other coalition forces who are running the airlift at Kabul airport.

Marcin Przydacz, a Polish deputy foreign minister, said that a group of people taken from Kabul who are now in Uzbekistan was the last evacuated by Poland. He said his nation made its decision to not continue operations after consulting with the U.S. and British officials.

A child looks at the aircraft as he is strolled towards his flight during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 24, 2021. (Sgt. Samuel Ruiz/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

After a long analysis of reports on the security situation we cannot risk the lives of our diplomats and of our soldiers any longer, Przydacz said.

A number of troops will remain briefly to wrap up operations, Przydacz said. Poland has used over a dozen planes to bring hundreds of evacuees to Warsaw. Some later traveled on to other countries.

The Czech Republic declared its own evacuation mission complete last week.

Chaos at the Kabul airport has transfixed the world after the Talibans blitz across Afghanistan saw it seize control of a nation that received hundreds of billions of dollars in reconstruction aid and security support since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.

Afghans poured onto the tarmac last week, and some clung to a U.S. military transport plane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths. At least seven people died that day, and another seven died Sunday in a panicked stampede. An Afghan security force member was killed Monday in a gunfight under unclear circumstances.

Thousands have thronged the airport in the days since, and the United States has been rushing to evacuate as many people as it can, relying on its Gulf Arab allies to temporarily house Afghans and others fleeing. On Wednesday, a group of 51 people landed in Uganda, which became the first African nation to host evacuees.

European nations, including American allies Germany and the United Kingdom, had pressed for a longer window to continue evacuations past the deadline next week. CIA director William Burns even traveled to Kabul on Monday to meet the Talibans top political leader. However, Biden has stuck to the August date, even after an emergency online summit of the Group of Seven nations.

Afghans board a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport plane during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan on Aug. 22, 2021. (U.S. Air Force via Reuters)

That the overall deployment literally stands and falls with the stance of the militarily strongest member of the alliance, the U.S., was always clear to us, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a speech to parliament.

We will continue the evacuation operation for as long as possible, in order also to make it possible for Afghans who worked with us for security, freedom, the rule of law, and development to leave the country, she added.

She did not give a date for when the last German evacuation flight would leave but said that even after that effort ended, the country would work to see how we can then create ways in which we can continue to protect those who helped us, among other things through civilian use of Kabul Airport.

For now, the U.S. military coordinates all air traffic in and out of the Kabul airport. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen wrote on Twitter that they planned to allow people to fly out of Kabul airport via commercial flights after the August deadline.

However, it remained unclear what commercial carriers would immediately resume flights to an airport fully under Taliban control.

While the final deadline is just over a week away, analyst Patricia Lewis said the practical deadline for the evacuations to stop was the next couple of days.

You cant just say, OK, midnight, well stop now, well just pack up gently,' said Lewis, who is the director of the international security program at the Chatham House international affairs think tank. Theres a huge amount of stuff that has to be done, including getting all the people out who are doing the job and all the equipment.

All of the allies are highly dependent on the U.S. for military cover, particularly air cover, Lewis said. They cant put their own people at risk, so it really depends on when the U.S. starts packing up.

By Monika Scislowska
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk looks on at a press conference at Parliament house in Brisbane, Australia, on April 1, 2021.(Jono Searle/Getty Images)

Queensland Shuts Border to Residents and Australians Escaping Lockdowns

The Australian state of Queensland has announced that it will shut its borders for two weeks to its own residents currently interstate, as well as people escaping lockdowns in other states, starting midday on Aug. 25, citing capacity issues with hotel quarantine.

The announcement came less than two hours before the border was due to shut.

From noon on Aug. 25 local time, no one will be permitted to enter Queensland and enter hotel quarantine for a period of two weeks except for those with exemptions, including for compassionate reasons.

Queensland is being loved to death, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said. We have been overwhelmed by new arrivals from interstate hotspots relocating to Queensland to escape lockdowns in New South Wales and Victoria.

While we have allowed genuine relocations for work and other purposes, it has overwhelmed our hotels and it has to be stopped at least for the next fortnight, she said.

This includes Queensland residents who are currently interstate. Theyll still be able to come home. Were just having this pause for two weeks, she told reporters on Aug. 25.

She added, I want them to come home, but wanted it to be in an orderly fashion.

Barricades on Dixon Street in Coolangatta, Australia, on July 22, 2020. (Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

The premier said over 5,000 people are currently quarantining in 22 Queensland hotels.

She said Queensland was helping the Commonwealth relocate people from Afghanistan. Were getting calls about needing extra capacity to cope with that, she said, adding, Were just being stretched to the limit. These two weeks will ease it all down.

Palaszczuk said that officials from Queensland Police and the state health department came to her with the idea of the two-week pause, saying they were struggling to cope.

New arrivals and Queensland residents will have to reapply for a border pass.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette DAth said the measures are about keeping Queensland safe. The pressures on hotel quarantine are simply unsustainable, she said, adding that the number of daily domestic arrivals is unpredictable.
Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani looks on while attending a Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board meeting (JCMB) at the Afghan presidential palace in Kabul on July 28, 2021. (Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images)

Republicans Demand Answers Over Claims That Exiled-Afghan Leader Fled With $169 Million in Cash

Two top House Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are demanding answers over the allegations that exiled Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country with $169 million in cash, as the Taliban terrorist group seized control of Kabul.

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the top Republican on the committee, and Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), the ranking member on the National Security subcommittee, wrote a letter (pdf) to Attorney General Merrick Garland following accusations that Ghani took large sums of money with him as he departed the presidential palace.

President Ghani may have been self-dealing with U.S. funds intended for the Afghan people, having fled the country with enormous sums of cash totaling well over a hundred million dollars. If true, this was not the dignified exit of a benevolent head of state, but that of a coward and grifter, the lawmakers wrote.

Comer and Grothman said that the United States must do everything in its power to seize any illicitly gained funds that were corruptly embezzled by President Ghani.

If he diverted funds from their intended purposes, the U.S. should bring him to justice, the lawmakers said.

Ghanis exit from the country on Aug. 15 allowed the Taliban to take the capital unopposed. He fled as the Islamist insurgents entered Kabul, saying he did so to avoid bloodshed.

Taliban fighters patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 19, 2021. (Rahmat Gul/AP Photo)

The lawmakers called it imperative that corrupt foreign government officials not be permitted to personally enrich themselves with U.S. taxpayer money, and charged that Ghanis actions contributed to the speed with which the Taliban took over the country.

It is unclear how President Ghani obtained such a large sum of cash, but the amount and nature of his flight from Afghanistan raises the specter that President Ghani illegally and corruptly embezzled these funds from U.S. assistance intended for the Afghan peoples welfare and defense, the Republican lawmakers continued.

Speaking from exile in the United Arab Emirates on Aug. 18, Ghani denied reports that he fled the country with large sums of money.

The pair concluded their letter with a list of questions the said they want answered by the Department of Justice (DOJ), including whether it is probing the matter, if the alleged sum came out of U.S. funding, and what action the DOJ intends to take to bring Ghani to justice, if he did engage in corrupt actionsto enrich himself at the expense of the U.S. taxpayers.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the DOJ for comment.

Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani arrives in Mazar-i-Sharif to check the security situation of the northern provinces, Afghanistan, on Aug. 11, 2021. (Afghan presidential palace/Handout via Reuters)

Months before he fled the country, Ghani claimed that his government could resist the terrorist groups attacks without U.S. support, and that no power in the world could persuade him to get on a plane and leave the country.

It is a country I love, and I will die defending, he claimed in an interview with German news magazine Der Spiegel published on May 14.

The presidents words saw tens of thousands of Afghan families flee their homes hoping to find safety from the approaching Taliban in Kabul.

Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh has remained in the country following Ghanis exit. He said on Twitter on Aug. 17 that he has remained to fulfill his duty as the caretaker president as outlined in the countrys constitution, adopted in 2004.

He has since vowed to resist the Taliban from the Panjshir Valley, together with Ahmad Shah Massoud, the son of a former anti-Soviet mujahedeen commander.

Comer and Grothman have asked for answers to their questions by Aug. 31, which is President Joe Bidens self-imposed deadline to pull remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Exclusive: Samples From Early Wuhan COVID Patients Had Genetically Modified Henipah, 1 of 2 Types of Viruses Sent From Canadian Lab

Samples from early Wuhan COVID-19 patients show the presence of genetically modified Henipah virus, an American scientist has found.

Henipah was one of the two types of viruses sent to China by Chinese-born scientists from a Canadian laboratory at the center of a controversy over the firing of the scientists and collaboration with Chinese military researchers. Its not clear whether the virus found in the Chinese samples is related to the virus samples sent by the Canadian lab, which were shipped in late March 2019.

The finding was confirmed for The Epoch Times by another qualified scientist.

The evidence was first found by Dr. Steven Quay, a Seattle-based physician-scientist and former faculty member at the Stanford University School of Medicine, who looked at early COVID-19 samples uploaded by scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) shortly after China informed the World Health Organization about the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak.

Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli inside the P4 laboratory in Wuhan, China, on Feb. 23, 2017. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)

The samples from the patients, who reportedly were found to have an unidentified pneumonia disease in December 2019, were uploaded to the genetic sequence database, GenBank, on the website of the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH).

Quay says that while other scientists around the world were mostly interested in examining the genome of SARS-CoV-2 in the samples uploaded by the WIV scientists, he wanted to see what else was in the samples collected from the patients.

So he collaborated with a few other scientists to analyze sequences from the samples.

We started fishing inside for weird things, Quay told The Epoch Times.

What they found, he says, are the results of what could likely be contamination from different experiments in the lab making their way into the samples, as well as evidence of Henipah virus.

We found genetic manipulation of the Nipah virus, which is more lethal than Ebola. Nipah is a type of Henipah virus.

The Epoch Times asked Joe Wang, who formerly spearheaded a vaccine development program for SARS in Canada with one of the worlds leading pharmaceutical companies, to verify the finding. Wang is currently the president of NTD Television Canada, sister media outlet of The Epoch Times in Canada.

After examining the evidence, Wang said he was able to replicate Quays findings on the Henipah virus. He said the genetic manipulation of the virus was likely for the purpose of vaccine development.

Documents released by the Canadian government state that the WIVs intended use of the virus samples sent by Canada was stock virus culturing, which in simpler terms means storing the viruses while keeping them alive. Genetic manipulation wouldnt be within the scope of this description.

Winnipeg Lab

The firing of Chinese-born scientist Xiangguo Qiu and her husband, Keding Cheng, from the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Winnipeg has been the subject of much controversy in Canada, with opposition parties pressing the government for more details on the case, and the government refusing to release information, citing national security and privacy concerns.

Qiu and Cheng along with several Chinese students were escorted out of the NML, Canadas only lab designated at containment level 4or P4, the highest level of biosafetyamid a police investigation in July 2019. The two scientists were formally fired in January.

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), which is in charge of the NML, said the termination was the result of an administrative matter and possible breaches of security protocols, but has declined to provide further details, citing security and privacy concerns.

House Speaker Anthony Rota admonishes Public Health Agency of Canada President Iain Stewart in the House of Commons on June 21, 2021, for failing to provide documents related to the firing of two scientists from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

During her time at the NML, Qiu traveled several times to the WIV in an official capacity, helping train personnel on level 4 safety. The Globe and Mail later reported that scientists at the NML have been collaborating with Chinese military researchers on deadly pathogens, and that one of the Chinese military researchers worked at the high-security Winnipeg lab for a period of time.

Documents and emails released by PHAC show that the shipment of Henipah and Ebola samples was done with the permission of NML authorities.

In one of the emails sent in September 2018, David Safronetz, chief of special pathogens at PHAC, informs then-head of NML Matthew Gilmour and other lab administrators about the request from the WIV for the shipment of the samples, saying, I trust the lab.

In response, Gilmour asks about the nature of the work that will be done at the Wuhan lab, and why the lab doesnt get the material from other, more local labs. He also tells Safronetz that its good to know that you trust this group, asking how the NML was connected with the group.

In his reply, Safronetz doesnt specifically say what the samples will be used for in China, but notes that they will only be sent once all paperwork and certification are completed. He says the WIV is requesting the material from NML due to collaboration with Qiu.

He adds: Historically, its also been easier to obtain material from us as opposed to US labs. I dont think other, closer labs have the ability to ship these materials.

Gilmour resigned from his position at the NML in May 2020 and joined a UK-based bioresearch company.

Canadian members of Parliament have asked NML management why shipment of the samples was allowed and if they knew whether China has performed any gain-of-function (GOF) research at the WIV. GOF research involves increasing either the lethal level (virulence) or the transmissibility of pathogens, or both.

The NMLs acting scientific director general Guillaume Poliquin told MPs during a parliamentary committee meeting on March 22 that the lab only sent the samples to the WIV after receiving assurance that no GOF research would take place.

Conservative MP John Williamson pressed for more answers, saying the word of the state-run Chinese lab cant be trusted, as the Chinese regime has a history of theft and lies.

The issue of GOF research at WIV has been a point of contention in the United States between lawmakers and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the NIHs head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Faucis organization has funded research (through EcoHealth Alliance) on coronaviruses at the Wuhan lab. U.S. Sen. Rand Paul says published work from WIV on coronaviruses shows the lab has been conducting GOF research, a charge Fauci denies.

The P4 laboratory on the campus of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, on May 13, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

The Epoch Times sought comment from PHAC, including on how the agency has addressed issues of intellectual property and collaboration of the development of any products such as vaccines with WIV, but didnt hear back by press time.

Despite repeated requests by the opposition parties for more details related to the firing of the two NML scientists, the Liberal government has refused to provide records, saying there are national security and privacy concerns.

After the House of Commons issued an order requiring the government to disclose the information, the government took the speaker of the House to court to obtain confirmation from a judge that it can withhold the documents. The government later dropped its court case once Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called an election and Parliament was dissolved.

Editors note: This article has been updated to include more information from Canadian government documents.
Afghan families walk to a bus that will take them to a refugee processing center at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va., on Aug. 24, 2021. (Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)

Some Afghans Being Let Into US Without Visas: Official

Some Afghan nationals are being allowed to enter the United States without visas, a senior Biden administration official said on Aug. 24.

The unusual arrangement is being enabled by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who is granting humanitarian parole to the Afghans without visas, the official said.

The designation is granted to foreign nationals for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit, according to the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Some Afghans have been granted Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) before being flown to the United States, the official told reporters in a call.

In other instances, the secretary of Homeland Security is using his parole authority, including his ability to impose particular conditions of parole on those arriving to ensure that those who are reaching here are doing so obviously with appropriate legal status, the official said.

The parole is being granted to Afghans who have applied for SIVs but who havent yet been granted visas. The official declined to answer when asked if the parole was being used for people who havent applied for an SIV.

But I will say that that authoritythat parole authorityis one that provides some flexibility for individuals for whom there is not a relevant legal status, and, in appropriate cases where people pass the security check I mentioned, that parole authority  is one of the things in play here as people enter the United States, the official said.

Officials say every Afghan being flown to the United States is being screened.

DHS and the State Department didnt respond to requests for more information.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 26, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Thousands of Afghans are being evacuated from the U.S.-held airport in Kabul to third countries including Germany before landing in the United States, following the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan.

Many are getting SIVs for having helped the United States during its 20-year mission in the country. Others are deemed vulnerable to persecution by the Taliban if they remain in their homeland.

Through March, almost 100,000 people from Iraq and Afghanistan were granted SIVs. It isnt clear how many visas are left under the program, which was expanded twice by Congress within the last year. Military officials are preparing space at four bases to temporarily house 25,000 Afghans.

The United States has used the same parole authority in the past, including paroling 130,000 Vietnamese in April 1975, according to historian Amanda Demmer.

Parole does not confer a visa/immigration status, which will need to be sorted out thereafter, she wrote on Twitter.

A group of 46 senators, mostly Democrats, asked Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week (pdf) to create a humanitarian parole category for women leaders, activists, judges, and others from Afghanistan to streamline the paperwork process to facilitate referrals to allow for fast, humane, and efficient relocation to the United States.

The International Refugee Assistance Project, which advocates for immigrants, in April recommended that the Biden administration utilize large-scale parole to admit huge numbers of Afghans, who can then apply for various pathways to permanent status, such as asylum or an SIV.

Others, though, have called for a slowdown on the number of Afghans being let into the United States, through parole or otherwise.

There must be a limit to the United States capacity (not to mention will) to admit people in need, Nayla Rush, a senior researcher at the Center for Immigration Studies, wrote in a blog post on Aug. 24.
Speaker Pelosi Speaks on Democratic Priorities in the House, Afghanistan

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday spoke about Democrats policy priorities following two huge party-line victories for Democrats in an emergency session of the House yesterday: the advancement of Sen. Bernie Sanderss (I-Vt.) $3.5 trillion budget resolution and the passage through the lower chamber of Rep. Terri Sewells (D-Ala.) John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, HR4, which Pelosi called historic.

The House used a parliamentary procedure to pass a rule on Sanderss budget proposal to pass it without any GOP votes. In a 220-212 party line vote, the House sent instructions to relevant committees to write legislation in accordance with the budgets appropriations.

Afterward, the House took up HR4. Republicans railed against the legislation as a federal takeover of election laws that would unfairly benefit Democrats. In a last-ditch effort to stop the legislation, GOP leadership demanded a recorded vote to send the bill back to the Judiciary Committee and to postpone voting on the legislation. This move was rejected by every House Democrat and the bill was promptly passed in another 220-212 vote.

At her press conference this morning, Pelosi discussed HR4 first. She said that the bill was necessary after two landmark Supreme Court casesShelby v. Holder and Brnovich v. Democratic National Committeeundid key provisions in the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Since these decisions, Pelosi said, state-level Republicans have waged a campaign aimed at suppression of the vote and nullification of elections. This charge has been a key Democratic talking point since after the 2020 presidential election, when GOP state houses began passing new election laws to address concerns about voter fraud.

Pelosi claimed that the GOP wants to suppress the vote among people of color, but they are suppressing the vote among everyone else too. She said that through these alleged voter suppression laws, Republicans want to contract freedom and to resurrect  their Jim Crow world.

HR4, written with the help of the late John Lewis, would address these efforts by reinstating provisions of the Voting Rights Act that were struck down or limited by the Supreme Court.

Pelosi then turned briefly to the budget resolution.

She said that some Democratic priorities moving forward with the passage of the resolution would be workforce development, helping women in the workforce through programs like government-paid childcare, and address[ing] the climate crisis. The Speaker set an ambitious time table to achieve these wide-ranging goals, saying House Democrats hoped to have every committee ready with legislation by Sept. 15.

A focus of these committees, said Pelosi, will be to write a bill acceptable to the Senate. This is an expected move, as some Senate moderatesSens. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.)have expressed reluctance or have outright refused to vote for the huge package.

A spokesman for Sinema, John LaBombard, said that proceedings in the U.S. House will have no impact on Kyrstens views about what is best for our countryincluding the fact that she will not support a budget reconciliation bill that costs $3.5 trillion.

Manchin said in a statement on Twitter earlier this month that, given the current state of the economic recovery, it is simply irresponsible to continue spending at levels suited to respond to a Great Depression or Great Recession.

While Democrats achieved a major victory yesterday that broke a weeks-long stalemate between House moderates and House progressives, the budget bill the House produces will still face a significant challenge when it comes through the Senate.

Pelosi also did not promise that the bill would be fully paid for, a promise oft-repeated by congressional Democrats since the budgets introduction. Pelosi said, we want to pay fully for this bill  [but] well see what is possible.

Afterward, Pelosi took a few questions from reporters. Several focused on the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.

She said that her hopes and thoughts and prayers are with the people there and emphasized that the Taliban will have to protect womens rights if they hope to participate in the global community in a meaningful way.

One reporter asked whether it was a mistake to leave the country by President Joe Bidens Aug. 31 deadline with so many Americans and Afghans still trapped in the country.

The judgment about leaving is a judgment that the president has made, and he has to balance the equities of what is the threat to our military and the people at the airport versus the advantage of staying, she responded. I think  more will unfold in that regard.

She said that in a Democratic caucus meeting yesterday people really wanted to encourage the president to stay longer.

Biden was blasted by House Republicans Tuesday for his handling of the Afghanistan crisis, and this response by Pelosi is unlikely to satisfy members of both parties who feel that the Aug. 31 deadline is simply too early.

Finally, Pelosi was asked about the weeks-long stalemate with Democratic moderates.

I respect our members and their views, but at the end of the day what had to prevail was the presidents vision and the needs of Americas working families, and [the moderates] saw that, she responded, adding, The steam that was in our caucus was to get [this legislation] done  and our unity was our power.

Masooma Haq contributed to this report.
Struggling Woman Shares Donation She Receives From a Stranger With Another Family in Need

Despite going through really challenging times, a mom-of-two who received a donation from a stranger decided to buy the essential items her kids needed and then use the remaining amount to buy food for another family in need, creating a ripple effect of kindness.

In November 2020, when an extremely powerful tropical cyclone, called Goni, hit the Philippines, Rochelle and Rodirick Arcangel Reyes house in the Catanduanes Bicol region got destroyed and washed away. The family of four lost everything, including all their appliances and clothes.

Rochelle with her husband and kids. (Courtesy of Rochelle Reyes)

Following the devastating destruction, the couple along with their two young kids went to live in an evacuation center for a month. However, with the fear of an increased risk of Covid-19, Rodirick and his relatives began to build a house with leftover scrap from houses that were destroyed in the typhoon. Yet, this was only a temporary solution, and after three months, the family began to live with Rochelles parents.

My husbands work has been badly affected by Covid-19 and lockdowns up until now we havent finished building our house, Rochelle, 29, a full-time homemaker, told The Epoch Times.

The typhoon destroyed their house. (Courtesy of Rochelle Reyes)

During this dark phase, Rochelle joined a group called The Kindness Pandemic on Facebook and shared an incident of how her husband was on the receiving end of kindness when he was delivering a parcel. Inspired by the story, a woman who wanted to bless the family sent $50 to Rochelle as she knew she and her family were struggling.

Rochelle was very happy to have received help from a kind stranger. With the money she got, she bought her two kids food and milk and decided to keep the remaining amount to buy her daughter, who was about to turn 3, a small dream Peppa Pig cake. However, Rochelle immediately changed her mind and instead went to help a needy fishermans family who she met at the evacuation center.

I knew how it felt to be hungry, and I knew they were in the most difficult situation at that time, Rochelle said, adding that one of their children needed to get a CT scan done.

Sharing her motivation of wanting to help, she said: I thought because we were blessed, why not be a blessing to others who I knew needed it more.

Rochelle felt a sense of warmth after handing over some food from the grocery store to the kids, who dug into their bags.

My eyes swelled in tears seeing the joy in their faces, Rochelle wrote on the Facebook post. The blessing that was given to us by that kindhearted person extended into other families much more needy than us.

Rochelle further added that she thanked God for giving her the opportunity to help another family due to the blessings she received from the woman that day, adding that her daughter would understand why she didnt get her dream cake for her birthday.

A few days later, Rochelle again posted on The Kindness Pandemic group, sharing another unexpected incident of kindness.

Rochelle, who had ordered a banana loaf from a baker friend, was surprised to receive a small bento Peppa Pig cake as a belated present. For Rochelles daughter, it was a wish that was granted, and she was beaming with happiness and singing Happy Birthday to me.

Rochelles daughter with her Peppa Pig cake. (Courtesy of Rochelle Reyes)

Overcome with emotion, Rochelle said, for her daughters, the cake meant a lot, as her kids had gone through so much trauma in the past year, including losing their house, living in an evacuation center, and now, living in a room where they are isolated from everyone else and unable to meet and play with their friends.

On looking back at all the kindness she and her family have received, Rochelle said: Im so amazed by the rippled effect of the kindness of all the people involved; this season in our life has been a challenging time.

I think what keeps me motivated and strong despite difficulties in life is to never lose faith in humanity. There is still good in every situation. We just have to always look at the brighter side, and all of this shall pass, we just have to endure and have faith.

With the current situation owing to the pandemic, Rochelle believes that there are still good people around the world who are willing to step forward and help without asking for anything in return. She wants to remind everyone that any act of kindness, either small or big, can have a huge impact on someones life.

Choose to do good to others and goodness will come to you in your most unexpected ways, Rochelle said.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
A group of more than 350 illegal immigrants wait for Border Patrol after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into Del Rio, Texas, on July 25, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Supreme Court Orders Biden Admin to Reinstate Remain in Mexico Policy

The Supreme Court has ordered the Biden administration to reinstate the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy, which requires people seeking asylum to wait in Mexico until their case is heard.

The court wrote in an unsigned order (pdf) on Aug. 24 that the Biden administration failed to show that it hadnt acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner when it rescinded the policy, officially known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program, that started in 2019 under then-President Donald Trumps administration.

The court cited its opinion from 2020 that rejected the Trump administrations effort to end a separate immigration program, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). In that decision, the court ruled that ending DACA would be arbitrary and capricious and in violation of federal law.

President Joe Biden suspended the MPP program in January, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officially terminated the policy in June, telling employees in a memo that it would no longer enforce the program.

The move triggered a lawsuit from Texas and Missouri, with the attorneys general from the two states arguing that DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had failed to provide reasoned justification to suspend the program.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, subsequently ordered the Biden administration to revive the program, but stayed his ruling until Aug. 21 to provide time for appeal.

A panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit rejected the federal governments arguments on Aug. 19, finding that the termination of the program has caused an increase in unlawful immigration in Texas and that Mayorkas did fail to consider several relevant factors, including the benefits of MPP and potential alternatives to the program.

The federal government filed an emergency motion to the Supreme Court requesting a stay regarding the ruling, in which the Department of Justice said the Remain in Mexico program has been formally suspended for seven months and largely dormant for nearly nine months before that.

Associate Justice Samuel Alito temporarily blocked the MPP programs reinstatement on Aug. 20, just hours before the policy was set to restart, to allow the Biden administration to file documents and to allow the full Supreme Court to consider the application.

The court ultimately declined to intervene. The unsigned order notes that Associate Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan would have granted the Biden administrations request.

Our order denying the Governments request for a stay of the District Court injunction should not be read as affecting the construction of that injunction by the Court of Appeals, the order reads.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
Afghan women queue upon their arrival aboard a second evacuation airplane, carrying Afghan collaborators and their families, that landed at the Torrejon de Ardoz air base, 30 km (18.6 miles) away from Madrid on Aug. 20, 2021. (Mariscal/ POOL/ AFP via Getty Images)

Taliban Urges Women to Stay Home, Never Trained How to Respect Them

The Taliban urges employed Afghan women to temporarily stay indoors until fighters of the terrorist group are trained in respecting and dealing with women.

Our security forces are not trained [in] how to deal with womenhow to speak to women, the groups spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, told reporters at a press briefing on Tuesday, referring to some fighters in the group.

We have asked them [women] to take time off from work until the situation gets back to a normal order and women-related procedures are in place, then they can return to their jobs once its announced, he advised, noting that it is for Afghan womens own safety and the guidance will be short-term.

The instructions come as Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations (UN) high commissioner for human rights, also on Tuesday, announced she obtained credible reports that restrictions on the rights of women were found to be taking place in many regions under effective Taliban control across the beleaguered Middle Eastern nation.

Bachelet warned that dishonorable treatment of women and girls would be a fundamental red line during an emergency meeting with the UN Human Rights Council that was being held at the request of Pakistan and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

When the Taliban was in power last time between 1996 and 2001 prior to U.S.-led military operation two decades ago, the terrorist group banned women from the workplace and nearly all women were mostly confined to their homes.

They also forbid women from leaving the home unaccompanied and forced them to cover their entire bodies.

Afghan women wait to receive free wheat donated by the Afghan government during a quarantine, amid concerns about COVID-19 in Kabul, Afghanistan on April 21, 2020. (Stringer/File Photo/Reuters)

Although the Taliban recently announced a general amnesty, explaining the group would present itself as more moderate, saying women can work and go to school and university, recent reports of violence allegedly committed by the group claim otherwise.

Last month, as the terrorist group was seizing territory from government forces across Afghanistan, Taliban fighters walked into the offices of Azizi Bank in the southern city of Kandahar and ordered nine women working there to leave.

Its really strange to not be allowed to get to work, but now this is what it is, Noor Khatera, a 43-year-old woman who had worked in the accounts department of the bank told news agency Reuters. I taught myself English and even learned how to operate a computer, but now I will have to look for a place where I can just work with more women around.

Two days after the episode at Azizi Bank, a similar scene played out at a branch of another Afghan lender, Bank Milli, in the western city of Herat, according to two female cashiers who witnessed it.

Three Taliban terrorists carrying guns entered the branch, admonishing female employees for showing their faces in public. The women there then quit, sending male relatives in their place.

Reports of violence against Afghan women is an early sign that some of the rights won by women over the 20 years since Taliban extremist Islamic law ruled the nation could likely be reversed.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Tanzanian security forces remove the slain body of an attacker who was wielding an assault rifle, outside the French embassy in the Salenda area of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Aug. 25, 2021. (Emmanuel Herman/Reuters)

Gunman Kills Four in Attack Near French Embassy in Tanzania

DAR ES SALAAMA gunman killed three police officers and a private security guard on a rampage through a diplomatic quarter of Tanzanias main city Dar es Salaam on Wednesday, before being shot dead while holed up in a guardhouse at the French embassys gate.

Videos on the internet, apparently filmed by onlookers from buildings across the street from the French embassy, showed the gunman inside the guardhouse. He exchanged fire at very close range with police and men who appeared to be embassy guards.

Police said the attacker had first shot two police officers with a pistol at an intersection in the district, which houses a number of diplomatic missions. He took rifles from the fallen police officers, and headed on foot to the French embassy a few hundred metres away, firing randomly and occupying the guard house.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan said on Twitter that the attacker had been neutralised and calm has returned.

I send my condolences to the police service and the families of three policemen, and one officer of the SGA security company, who lost their lives after an armed person attacked them in the Salenda area of Dar es Salaam, Hassan said.

The slain body of an attacker who was wielding an assault rifle is seen in a body bag outside the French embassy in the Salenda area of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Aug. 25, 2021. (Emmanuel Herman/Reuters)

Six people were injured in addition to the four who were killed, police commissioner of operations and training Liberatus Sabas said in a Tweet shared by the account of the Tanzanian Police Force.

Inspector-General of Police Simon Sirro said in an interview aired on local television that police were trying to identify the attacker. While the motive was not yet known, Sirro suggested the attack could be related to Tanzanias role in neighbouring Mozambique, where it sent troops this month to help fight Islamist insurgents as part of a regional security force.

There are problems, our soldiers are there, Sirro said of Mozambique.

Police official Sabas told reporters it was too early to say whether the gunman was a Tanzanian national, or whether he had links to terrorism.

Tanzanian television aired footage showing police officers in bullet-proof vests who appeared to be wrapping a dead body outside the embassy in white material to remove it from the scene.

SGA Security, which describes itself as a major security services provider in East Africa, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The French embassy in Dar es Salaam could not immediately be reached for comment and French foreign ministry officials in Paris were not available.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping waves during a ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party at Tiananmen Gate in Beijing on July 1, 2021. (Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

The Achilles Heel of the Chinese Communist Party

Commentary

In the two senior-level negotiations between China and the United States in March and July, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) used unprecedented tough words to lambast Washington.

This strong position was in line with CCP leader Xi Jinpings claim that China could surpass the United States because time and trend are both in Chinas favor; the East is waxing while the West is waning. These strong words, however, inadvertently reveal the CCPs core weaknesses.

In the Alaskan meeting held on March 18 and 19, CCP politburo member Yang Jiechi drew a red line for the United States, warning the latter to stay clear of it. This forbidden area is the legitimacy of the CCP. He stressed that the ruling position of the CCP was the choice of history and its people, that China owed its development to the CCP, and that the socialist system it built best served Chinas interests and is the key to its success. Hence the ruling position and institutional security of the CCP couldnt be compromised. This is an untouchable red line, he declared. He also emphasized that the leadership of the Party and the core position of Xi are wholeheartedly supported by 1.4 billion Chinese people.

In psychoanalysis, there is no lack of literature explaining why acting strong is really weak. By stressing at length the infallibility of the CCP and Xi, it shows the inherent fear that their legitimacy might be called into question.

This inherent fear could be detected when Xi made a speech on Sept. 3, 2020, commemorating the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War (19371945) when Japan invaded China 75 years ago, claiming an estimated 35 million Chinese lives. On that occasion, Xi said there were five things the Chinese people would never allow. The top three were: to distort the history of the CCP so as to tarnish its image, to deny socialism with Chinese characteristics and the great success it brought about, and to drive a wedge between the Party and the people. These three never allows precisely depicted the deep-rooted fear of the CCP. Yangs performance at the Alaska meeting revealed this subconscious fear.

Chinese women sing at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on July 1, 2021. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Thus, when the CCP urged its people to develop self-confidence in the system it built, the road it took, the theory it spread, and the culture it promoted (the so-called four self-confidence), it, after all, is still worried about its ability to maintain power. If the CCP were truly confident, it wouldnt need to lecture the United States the way it did in Alaska.

In the July 26 meeting in Tianjin, Deputy Foreign Minister Xie Feng presented the U.S. counterpart with a list of demands he called wrongdoings to be corrected, the first of its kind in the 50-year history of bilateral relations. He likened the current U.S.China relations to Pearl Harbor and Sputnik moments that defined Japan and Russia respectively as Americas most dangerous foes. Xie further said that to improve relations, the United States must rectify five wrongdoings. The first on the list is to remove restrictions for CCP members and their families to enter the United States.

The other four include the following: lifting the sanctions against Chinese leaders and government officials and visa restrictions on Chinese students; stop cracking down on Chinese companies; lifting the ban on Confucius Institutes and deregulating Chinese media as foreign agents or foreign missions; and stopping the extradition of Meng Wanzhou to the United States, a key Huawei figure wanted for violating U.S. sanctions against Iran.

These demands reveal that what CCP members want most is to gain access to the United States. This explains why many key opinion leaders (KOLs) such as Sima Nan and Chen Ping, who are known for their fervent anti-American views, chose to send their families and wealth to the United States. The catchphrase of Sima Nan that went viral was this: Anti-America is my job, while living in the United States is my life. This hypocrisy of many CCP members accounts for the mushrooming of naked officials, a term coined by the Chinese media to denote CCP officials sending their families and wealth abroad while staying behind to cling onto power, thus enjoying the goods of both worlds.

According to the Chinese search engine Baidu, between 1995 to 2005, there were about 1.18 million family members of naked officials living abroad. By sending their families and assets overseas, CCP members are not truly serving the people with their hearts and souls.

While Yang used tough words to defend the legitimacy of the Party as a whole, Xie used rough words to defend individual Party members dreams. Together they provided the world with an insight into the CCPs Achilles heel: The Party is not as strong as it appears to be, and its members are not as loyal as they claim to be.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
We cant help but notice when we reach a major goal; to keep ourselves motivated along the way, it helps to pause and reflect on our progress. (Have a nice day Photo/Shutterstock)

The Power of Progress

We recently snuck away for a long weekend to Michigans Upper Peninsula (UP), which is one of our favorite spots to unwind and reset.

Its one of those places where you can set an I will have limited access to email out-of-office reply message and mean it.

When we go to the UP, we like to hike. And on this occasion we chose a rigorous ascent up Hogback Mountain to a summit that offers 360-degree views of endless forest to the south and Lake Superior to the north.

Since they were very young, weve brought our daughters along when we hike. In the past, it required a lot of cajoling (and carrying) in order to get the whole family to the destination. Now that theyre a bit older, theyre often waiting on us, not the other way around.

One of the tricks we employed when they were younger was to intermittently stop during a climb, and instead of looking ahead at how far we still had to go, wed look back at how far we had already come. This helped motivate everyone to keep pushing forward.

As I reflect on the weekend, Im reminded of the importance of celebrating small wins and recognizing progress, both for ourselves and those we leadat work and in life.

Its great to focus on big goals. But its equally important to take note of the small milestones reached while on the journey.

The power of progress is fundamental to human nature. Its impossible to acknowledge progress, however, if we never peer back to measure the distance weve traveled.
Parents and students gather to voice concerns on education practices to the Tustin Unified School District Board of Education in Tustin, Calif., on Aug. 23, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Three Tustin Unified School Board Members Served Recall Notices

Around 50 parents dissatisfied with the Tustin Unified School District (TUSD) served three board members recall notices during an Aug. 23 board meeting.

Trustees Allyson Damikolas, Lynn Davis, and Jonathan Stone were served with notices of intent to circulate recall petitions by TUSD parent Syndie Ly.

Over the last year, the board has been unresponsive to the multiple requests for information, meetings, and clarification around curriculum and programs being introduced into Tustin Unified Schools, while avoiding concerns over declining academic performance, Ly said during the meeting.

A growing number of Tustin parents are [so] frustrated with this boards lack of transparency and responsiveness that we have no other recourse but to unseat you from the office.

A spokesperson from the Orange County Registrar of Voters office confirmed that the recall notices were filed on Aug. 24. The petitions are currently undergoing approval.

Esther Yoon recently pulled her daughter out of Beckman High School in TUSD and enrolled her in a local private school because she didnt feel confident that her daughter would get the best education in the district.

My main concern was the CRTcritical race theorycoming in, and the possibility of making that into a mandated class to graduate, and that they are repackaging it as something else, which is ethnic studies, Yoon told The Epoch Times.

Theyre using the words diversity, equity, inclusion; all those words that are very inviting. When you look at all the curriculum, the words are actually coming out of CRT books.  They are pulling materials from CRT and calling it something else.

Parents and students gather to voice concerns on education practices to the Tustin Unified School District Board of Education in Tustin, Calif., on Aug. 23, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Critical race theory (CRT) is an ideology that divides society into oppressors and the oppressed based on racial characteristics. Other types of critical theories focus on sex, class, or sexual proclivities.

TUSD spokesperson Matthew Jennings said the districts ethnic studies course doesnt contain CRT.

[TUSDs ethnic studies elective] is an inclusive interdisciplinary course that cultivates critical thinking skills to nurture an understanding of social and cultural perspectives in the United States. It celebrates the cultural wealth and contributions of people in our country. It is not a divisive course and does not focus on any race as oppressed or the oppressor, Jennings told The Epoch Times via email.

Last school year, an English substitute teacher offered students a white savior assignment that left parents worried about their childrens education, claiming the assignment contained elements of CRT.

We were told at that time that was an unauthorized assignment given by a substitute teacher, and the substitute teacher had been let go. This however was untrue. We discovered that TUSD has hired this substitute teacher to teach full time at Foothill High School, Ly said.

Jennings confirmed on Aug. 24 that the substitute teacher that offered the white savior assignment was no longer serving at Foothill High School in June 2021, but was later hired for a full-time position.

Another concern raised by the parents was the low standardized testing scores. In TUSDs English language arts (ELA), less than 62 percent of students met or exceeded the standard, while less than 53 percent of students met or exceeded the math standards.

TUSD schools are no longer the Blue Ribbon schools they once were, Ly said.

However, TUSD is performing better on average than both the state and county in ELA and math.

The states metrics show only 51 percent of students met or exceeded ELA standards and less than 40 percent for math.

Meanwhile, in Orange County as a whole, nearly 60 percent of students met or exceeded the ELA standards and only 50 percent for math.

Denise Ramirez, a mother in TUSD, said shes frustrated with the school boards lack of responsiveness and communication with the parents.

We are tired of the board really not listening to us, not taking into account what we have to say, what we want for our children, Ramirez told The Epoch Times.

I cant trust my kids to the school district.  Were pretty much one foot out and looking at [different] schooling options, especially if theyre going to make vaccines a mandate for school.

Although no schools in Orange County require students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, Culver City Unified School District in Los Angeles County recently mandated vaccines for all eligible staff and students.

The TUSD Board of Education actively protects the right to free speech and the publics ability to interact and connect with elected board members. The TUSD Board of Education takes public input very seriously and with great consideration, Jennings said.
2 House Lawmakers Take Secret Trip to Afghanistan to Oversee Evacuation

Two U.S. House lawmakers said they were in Kabul to conduct oversight of the evacuation effort at the citys international airport.

Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) visited the airport on Aug. 24, according to Moulton.

Witnessing our young Marines and soldiers at the gates, navigating a confluence of humanity as raw and visceral as the world has ever seen, was indescribable, Moulton wrote on Twitter.

The world has truly never seen anything like what America is doing in Kabul this weekdeeply tragic and highly heroic. Fear and desperation at their worst; hope and humanity at their finest.

The two lawmakers are both military veterans with backgrounds in the region. Moulton, a Marine who has been an outspoken critic of the Iraq War, served multiple tours in Iraq. Meijer was deployed as part of the Army Reserves and later worked in Afghanistan at a nongovernmental organization providing aid. Both serve on the House Armed Services Committee.

Then-Michigans 3rd District Congressional Republican candidate Peter Meijer speaks at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Oct. 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

The United States has been conducting a mass-scale evacuation effort from the airport in Kabul after the Taliban terrorist group captured Afghanistan in a stunning blitz earlier this month.

The Biden administration is facing bipartisan criticism over the lack of preparation for the evacuation of U.S. citizens and Afghans who worked with the ousted government and allied forces.

We did this visit in secret to reduce risks and impact on the mission and we insisted on leaving in a plane that was not full, in a seat designated for crew so that we didnt take a seat from someone else, Moulton wrote.

Washington should be ashamed of the position we put our service members in, but they represent the best in America.

We came into this visit wanting, like most veterans, to push the president to extend the August 31st deadline. After talking with commanders on the ground and seeing the situation here, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we wont get everyone out on time, even by September 11. Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban.

President Joe Biden said on Aug. 24 that the United States is on pace to complete the evacuation effort by Aug. 31 if the Taliban continues to cooperate. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have doubts that the administration can meet the end-of-month deadline. Estimates place the number of Americans in Afghanistan at 10,000 to 15,000 before the evacuation began.

The sooner we can finish, the better, Biden said in a press conference. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops, but the completion by Aug. 31 depends upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those who are transporting out, and no disruptions to our operation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Two Worlds on One Island: Cyprus and the Green Line

Once, the Green Line was something a no-go zone, never to be traversed. Stretching clear across the island, it divides Cyprus, and demarcates two different worlds. Reinforced by walls, fences, barbed wire, and guard towers, this demilitarized zone completely sealed off north from south for some three decades, until 2003.

Larnacas Finikoudes beach. (MarinaDa/Shutterstock)

The Last Divided Capital

And theres no place where its presence remains so tangible as Nicosia. An ancient landlocked city thats been continuously occupied for more than 4,000 years, Nicosia, named in Greek mythology for a siren, remains that last divided capital on earth. Arriving here in the middle of town, youll notice a couple of things right away. First, the United Nations peacekeepers, still here and very visible on the streets in their green fatigues and blue berets, enforcing a truce made in Geneva way back in 1974.

The Green Line itself, a couple of blocks frozen in time, feels a little like the Berlin Wall. Still wearing the scars of battle, the zone runs right through the city. Approaching on foot, my heart quickens just a little at the sight of those barricades. Graffiti-tagged walls. Barrels, stacked up. Neighborhoods divided mid-block. A (mostly) unrecognized country, just over there, on the other side.

Located in the eastern reaches of the Mediterranean Sea, to travelers, Cyprus is well-known for its beaches. From hidden coves filled with clear, clean, blue water, to broad crescents of white sand lined with chairs and umbrellas, sun-starved tourists arrive here from northern Europe (and beyond) in masses. But this island has a long, complex history often left unexplored by visitors, plus a more recent, fractious one thats firmed up the cultural divide on this island. On any vacation here, its well worth taking a deep dive into both.

A view of Nicosia from Shacolas Tower. (CC BY 3.0)

Larnaca

Most trips will begin at Larnaca, home to the Republic of Cypruss major international gateway. Not far away, along the southern coast of the island, archaeologists have unearthed the oldest evidence of human life hereartifacts dating back 12,000 years, probably left by hunter-gatherers who sailed in then moved on. The remains of permanent settlement here are a little more recent, about 9,000 years old.

Located along the major trade routes of the ancient world, connections with Crete, Egypt, and the Levant began in the early phases of the Bronze Age. Greeks established six kingdoms here in the first century B.C., alongside a colony of Phoenicians. Empires followed, Assyrian, Persian, Roman, Hellenistic, Byzantine, Ottoman, British. The island is included in the biblical chapter of Acts, when the Apostle Paul and Barnabas, the latter a Cypriot, spend time here, preaching to the people and converting the Roman proconsul. Going forward, Christianity became the pervasive faith.

Arriving in Larnaca, everything feels a little familiar, if youve ever landed in a European sun destination, from the sprawling, well-stocked duty-free stores, to the high-end boutiques that make the airport a destination in itself for luxury shoppers. The city has a population of a little under 150,000, but feels bigger. High-rise hotels and condos line the coast. At Foinikoudes, the waterfront district, a boardwalk busy with joggers and cyclists and strollers unfolds past marinas, lines of palm trees stretching to the horizon.

From here, most head to smaller communities and beachesthe warm, shallow waters of Fig Tree Bay, maybe, or the very popular Nissi Beach, where you can actually walk from the mainland to a small island when the tide is out. But Im headed inland. Climbing into a taxi, the driver gives me the history of his country in a nutshell, disabusing me of the notion that Cypriots are Greeks, despite the fact that they speak the language.

We have our own culture, our own identity, he says.

The drive takes less than an hour through dry, rolling hills and windswept olive groves.

The Cyprus Museum. (Public doman)

Terracotta figurines from the sanctuary of Agia Irini in northwest Cyprus in the Cyprus Museum. (Heracles Kritikos/Shutterstock)

The Republic of Cyprus

The Republic of Cyprus was created with the London and Zurich Agreements, negotiated in 1959 between Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, leading to the declaration of the new nation on Aug. 16, 1960. But peace wouldnt follow. In 1963, the deal fell apart, and the island was partitioned into Greek and Turkish regions. A British general took a map of Cyprus and drew a line across it in pencil. The Green Line was established.

It would take on new significance in 1974. A failed Greek Cypriot coup brought on the invasion of Turkish forces, a conflict that ushered in U.N. peacekeepers and sealed the Line, making it a closed border, with very few crossings permitted, even in the capital of Nicosia. In 1983, the north declared a new country, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprusa nation recognized, to this day, only by Turkey.

In 2004, the south joined the European Union, and the southern half of Nicosia indeed has a European feel, with pedestrian shopping streets and a first-rate archaeological museum, housing Iron Age pottery and statues of Greek gods and terracotta figurines dating to the seventh century B.C. But while you may be able to squint your eyes and imagine youre in Athens, or Valetta, if you walk north, you will always encounter the Green Line.

Part of the Green Line in the old town of Nicosia. (Ingus Kruklitis/Shutterstock)

The Green Line

Streets end abruptly in those barricades, sometimes topped with barbed wire. Since 2003, its possible to walk between Nicosia and North Nicosia, in Northern Cyprus. Approaching a guardhouse a little reminiscent of Checkpoint Charlie, a small line of people hand over identification and shuffle through, many with shopping bags in hand. I present my passport, and moments later, Im on the other side.

Immediately, everything feels different. The scents are stronger, the smell of roasting walnuts and doner kebabs wafting through, as they do along Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul. Small stalls crowd the streets, collectively forming compact, colorful bazaars. Minarets have been added to the soaring buttresses of a Gothic church, converting it into a mosque, and I stop in, briefly. An eager young man with a handful of brochures approaches and fills me in on the history of the building. I nod along and walk away a few minutes later, pamphlet in hand.

As my suitcase clickity-clacks along the cobblestones, I search through a web of alleyways to find my accommodations, a small, friendly hotel along a quiet street. Strings of laundry hang across the lanes. Kids play kickball in the streets. People smile and give me a thumbs-up, a little surprised, perhaps, to see a tourist on this side of the Line.

Arriving and checking in, my host shows me to a comfortable room just off an open courtyard. Settling down for the evening, I ready myself for the next couple days. I started my day in Europe. Now north of the Line, I will awake tomorrow, ready for some Turkish delights.
Paul Farthing, also known as Pen Farthing, in an undated image from his animal shelter in Kabul, Afghanistan. (PA Media)

UK Defence Secretary Clears Private Airlift for Animal Shelter from Kabul

The defence secretary has cleared a private flight out of Kabul arranged by a British Royal Marine veteran who is determined to evacuate not only the staff who work at his animal shelter, but also some 200 cats and dogs.

Paul Farthing founded the Nowzad shelter after serving with the British Army in Afghanistan in the mid-2000s, to rescue dogs, cats, and donkeys.

Since the fall of Kabul, he has been pushing for 68 visas for his staff and dependents, and making arrangements for 140 dogs and 60 cats to be rescued by a private charter flight in what he has dubbed Operation Ark.

Farthing announced his staff had been granted visas on Aug. 24, but the fate of Operation Ark was thrown into doubt after Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said he had to prioritise the evacuation of people over pets.

Wallace said that a privately-arranged charter plane did not resolve the main logistical problem of people not being able to get to the airport. The plane could potentially block the airfield, sitting there empty, he said.

However, in a series of Twitter posts early on Aug. 25, Wallace said if Farthing arrived at the airport with his staff and animals, officials would seek to facilitate their departure aboard the chartered aircraft.

Wallace said that if Farthing, who also goes by the name Pen, didnt bring the animals, his staff could board an RAF flight as they have all been granted leave outside the immigration rules (LOTR) to fly to the UK.

Now that Pen Farthings staff have been cleared to come forward under LOTR I have authorised MOD to facilitate their processing alongside all other eligible personnel at (Kabul airport). At that stage, if he arrives with his animals we will seek a slot for his plane, Wallace wrote on Twitter.

If he does not have his animals with him he and his staff can board an RAF flight. I have been consistent all along, ensuring those most at risk are processed first and that the limiting factor has been flow THROUGH to airside NOT airplane capacity.

A former commander who served in the Marines for 22 years, Farthing garnered significant public following as he refused to abandon his staff and animals after the fall of Kabul, updating his tens of thousands of followers on social media, and giving frequent media interviews.

He previously said that his animals could be carried in the planes hold, and that the 180 spare seats could be filled by other evacuees.

The cargo hold is emptywe put the dogs and cats in there!! And 250 people above in the cabin! Farthing wrote on Twitter.

Earlier, veterinary surgeon Iain McGill, a Nowzad supporter in the UK, said people were ready to take in the animals once brought to Britain.

Pen has got transport for all the staff and animals and himself safely to the airport, McGill told the PA news agency.

In the airport they can wait for a few days until the plane arrives, they just need to get safe. Pen doesnt have that long a window because of the military operation.
A truck driver makes a milk delivery to a supermarket in London on Aug. 3, 2021. (Tolga Akmen / AFP via Getty Images)

UK Supermarket Boss Says Shortages at Worst Level He Has Seen

A leading supermarket boss has warned that current UK food shortages are at a worse level than he has ever seen.

The food supply chain has been disrupted by a lack of lorry drivers and by a shortage of labour in general.

Steve Murrells, chief executive of the Co-operative Group, told The Times that they had significantly reduced the range of some products. He blamed Brexit and pandemic-related fallout for the shortages.

Theres currently a shortfall of around 90,000 drivers, according to David Wells, chief executive of Logistics UK.

The boss of frozen food retailer Iceland, Richard Walker, told the BBC that unless the problems are resolved now, it could affect the availability of Christmas supplies.

The driver shortage is impacting the food supply chain on a daily basis and leading to shortages on the shelves, Walker said. Weve had deliveries cancelled for the first time since the pandemic began, about 30 to 40 deliveries a day.

The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) said on Aug. 22 that supplies of Christmas favourites like pigs-in-blankets could be affected.

Industry groups say that training for new drivers is taking months, with a backlog of 40,000 missed heavy goods vehicle (HGV) tests.

Walker said the solution is to add HGV drivers to the skilled workers list, which would allow them to be recruited from overseas.

He said supply chain problems were a self-inflicted wound, from the handling of Brexit, caused by the governments failure to appreciate the importance of HGV drivers and the work they do for us.

Retailers are starting to offer incentives to bring in drivers. Tesco has been offering lorry drivers a 1,000 ($1,370) joining bonus.

Morrisons and the Co-op have both said theyll retrain staff to become lorry drivers.

Other high-street names, including McDonalds, Nandos, and Subway have been hit by supply problems in the last few days, caused by labour shortages in various industries.

The British Retail Consortium, along with haulage industry representatives Logistics UK, has also called for the government to change the HGV driver status to allow overseas recruitment and to speed up testing.

Last week, the UK government said it was bringing in plans to streamline the HGV licensing process and to increase the number of tests.

Earlier in the week, McDonalds ran out of milkshakes in most of its UK restaurants.

Theres also a broader shortage of labour, including for meatpacking and fruit-picking jobs.

Andrew Kuyk, the director-general of the Provision Trade Federation, which speaks for the dairy and pig meat trade, told the Guardian that there was no problem with produce being made.

Food is still being produced on farm and in factories, but its getting it to the consumer that is proving the challenge in lots of different ways, he said. There is a lack of lorry drivers, warehouse staff, staff in retail distribution centres, in the supermarket to put it on the shelves.

PA contributed to this report
UK Will Use Every Hour Left for Kabul Evacuations: Foreign Secretary

UK officials will use every hour left to maximize the number of people who can be evacuated from Afghanistan, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Aug. 25.

The British government is working as fast as we can to evacuate people at the Kabul airport, Raab told BBC Radio 4s Today program, adding that 2,000 have been evacuated in the previous 24 hours.

We will use every hour and day weve got to maximize that throughput to get as many of those residual cases out. Were going to keep going for every day and every hour that weve got left, he said.

Handout photo issued by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of a member of the UK Armed Forces fist-bumping a child evacuee at Kabul airport. (LPhot Ben Shread/MoD via PA)

While the Ministry of Defence said 9,226 people have been evacuated by the UK since Aug. 13, thousands are still feared to be remaining.

Britain and a number of its allies had wanted more time to evacuate their citizens and vulnerable Afghans out of the country. Prime Minister Boris Johnson convened an emergency G-7 leaders summit on Aug. 24 to press U.S. President Joe Biden to extend his Aug. 31 deadline.

Biden rejected the request, saying he prefers that U.S. troops leave on Aug. 31, because staying longer puts them in danger from terror attacks from a group known as ISIS-K.

Members of the British and U.S. (left) military engaged in the evacuation of people out of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 20, 2021. (MoD/PA)

There have been suggestions that the UK operation will have to end as soon as Aug. 27. Lord David Richards, a former chief of defense staff member, said hes pretty certain the British Army has just two days to continue its civilian rescue efforts.

Raab declined to indicate when the last British flight will leave Kabul.

The military planners are working through the limited time they need to draw down their personnel and equipment and so they will firm up those details, he said.

During an interview with Sky News, the foreign secretary was forced to defend remaining on holiday in Crete before and during the fall of Kabul.

Labour, the SNP, Liberal Democrats, and Plaid Cymru have all called for Raab to either resign or be fired by the prime minister.

Raab rejected the calls for him to quit, but said: Of course, with the benefit of hindsight, I wouldnt have gone away.

Masooma Haq, Simon Veazey, and PA contributed to this report.
Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab walks in Downing street in London on May 27, 2021. (Niklas Halle'n/AFP via Getty Images)

UKs Raab Responds to Questions About Holiday as Kabul Fell

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has for the first time addressed questions about his being on holiday in Crete as the Taliban advanced through Afghanistan and took Kabul.

With the benefit of hindsight I would have been back earlier, but we were all surprised by the scale and the pace of the collapse of the situation, Raab told Sky News, denying reports that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had ordered him home two days before he arrived back.

He said claims that he was paddle-boarding as Kabul fell were nonsense, and that the sea was closed that day.

He told the BBC, I based my family on the beach  precisely so I could get back to the apartment, engage in the [emergency] Cobra meetings, engage with my emergency response team at the Foreign Office, engage in the international engagement I needed to.

Some opposition MPs had called for Raabs resignation after it emerged that he was on holiday as the crisis unfolded, and that he had delegated a phone call to Afghan foreign ministers.

The Liberal Democrats have called on Raab to publish any advice he received from either Foreign Office officials or the prime minister relating to permission to go on holiday.

The Foreign Office later said that Raab was able to handle priority issues while on holiday.

Unable to Receive a Call

Initially, the Foreign Office said that the foreign secretary had other calls that were higher in priority, so it was delegated to other staff.

The Foreign Office later revealed that the call was never made because the situation deteriorated rapidly and Raab was unable to receive a call.

When questioned on BBC Radio 4s Today programme about claims that his department asked him to return home on Friday, Aug. 13, Raab said: I was not asked by my officials. I was not directed home.

Raab said he did not want to add more media speculation. What I can tell you is that from that period I was engaged from a hotel room, my family was on the beach, not me. I checked in on them episodically, but the idea that I was lounging on the beach is just nonsense.

The foreign secretary also faced questions on when the last evacuation flights will be leaving Kabul, after U.S. President Joe Biden yesterday ruled out troops staying beyond the Aug. 31 deadline.

Raab said that the time frame was in the hands of military planners, adding, We will use every hour and day weve got to maximise that throughput to get as many of those residual cases out.

Former defence chief Lord David Richards said on Aug. 25 that there were only two days remaining for the evacuation of civilians before the process of a military exit, according to The Daily Telegraph.

However, Richards said he was sure that British troops would continue to sneak others in who arrived late along with their own people.

Almost all single-nationality UK citizens who wanted to return are now out of Afghanistan, according to Raab.
UN Anti-Terrorism Tech Group Adds Taliban to Watchlist



A United Nations anti-terrorism group will begin adding Taliban content to a database used by tech companies to moderate their platforms.

Tech Against Terrorism, a group launched by the United Nations Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate (UN CTED) that works with the tech industry to combat terrorist threats, announced Monday it would begin including official Taliban content in its Terrorist Content Analytics Platform (TCAP), a database of terrorist images, videos, and manifestos. The database is used by tech platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to aid in content moderation.

The Taliban was one of the groups that we have considered adding to the TCAP for a long time, however in light of recent events in Afghanistan and to provide clarity for the tech companies we work with on this (admittedly challenging) content moderation issue, we have decided to accelerate inclusion of official Taliban content, the group said.

The TCAP was initially focused on content from Islamic State and al-Qaida, adding material from far-right groups such as the Proud Boys and Three Percenters in July. Tech Against Terrorism said it would continue to add groups to the database as it improved its methodology for identifying terrorist content.

The TCAP is now including official content from the Afghan Taliban. The inclusion of Taliban content has been escalated in response to recent events in Afghanistan but is in line with our group and content inclusion expansion plan. Read our statement here https://t.co/RvmZv4wr12  Terrorist Content Analytics Platform (TCAP) (@TCAPAlerts) August 23, 2021

Initially, the TCAP has focused on a small set of designated violent Islamist and far-right terrorist groups, the group said. For us, this approach has been the right one, as it ensures that we as a non-governmental actor do not contribute to any undue norm-setting and prevent content cartelization in our tech company support mechanisms.

Links flagged in the TCAP are added to a shared database maintained by the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), an organization founded by Big Tech companies to combat online terrorism. Member companies, which include Facebook, YouTube, Microsoft, and Twitter, use the database to remove terrorist content from their platforms.

So far, GIFCT members have implemented mixed moderation policies with regards to Taliban material.

Twitter said it wouldnt kick Taliban spokesmen off its platform so long as they complied with its rules, while Facebook and YouTube have banned material from the group. Twitter did not respond when asked for comment.

Tech Against Terrorism recommended tech companies remove Taliban content.

Platforms should, in addition to looking to TCAP alerts and designation lists of democratic states, also assess groups, actors and the content they produce against based on their own rules on terrorism, violent extremism, and incitement to and/or glorification of violence, the group said.

Tech Against Terrorism did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundations request for additional comment.

By Thomas Catenacci

From The Daily Caller News Foundation

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org
Delta Air Lines pre-flight cleaning crew members work on an aircraft at JFK International Airport, N.Y., on Aug. 6, 2020. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

Unvaccinated Delta Staff Ordered to Pay $200 Monthly Health Insurance Surcharge

Employees at Delta Air Lines will have to pay a $200 per month surcharge for their company-sponsored health care plan if they arent vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the companys top executive.

Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian wrote in an Aug. 25 memo that the extra chargedue to take effect on Nov. 1comes in response to steep costs for staff COVID-19 hospitalization.

The average hospital stay for COVID-19 has cost Delta $50,000 per person, Bastian wrote. This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

To date, 75 percent of Delta employees have been vaccinated, Bastian said, while warning that the spread of new viral strains means more work remains ahead.

In the weeks since the B.1.617.2 strain of the virusdubbed the Delta variantbecame predominant, all of the companys employees hospitalized with COVID-19 werent fully vaccinated, Bastian said.

Over the past few weeks, the fight has changed with the rise of the B.1.617.2 varianta very aggressive form of the virus, he wrote, adding that the companys chief health officer describes the variant as a heat-seeking missile that transmits predominantly through the unvaccinated community.

Seeking to push the staff vaccination rate as close to 100 percent as possible, Bastian said unvaccinated Delta staff would face additional restrictions, including indoor masking effective immediately and weekly COVID-19 testing starting Sept. 12. The restrictions will remain in place while community case rates remain elevated, he added.

Another measure meant to boost vaccine uptake among Delta staff is that as of Sept. 30, only fully vaccinated employees experiencing a breakthrough infection will be eligible for COVID-19 pay protection.

While Delta requires new employees to be vaccinated, it hasnt matched United Airlines in imposing a universal vaccine mandate on all staff.

Other major U.S. airlines, including American and Southwest, say they are encouraging employees to get vaccinated but have stopped short of instituting a requirement.

An American Airlines spokesperson told The Epoch Times that, in addition to strongly encouraging our team members to get vaccinated, they are offering incentives to do so in the form of $50 and an additional day off.

Deltas new policy announcement comes days after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave full approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which was previously authorized for emergency use only.

Following the FDAs decision on Aug. 23, President Joe Biden called on private sector entities such as businesses and nonprofits, as well as state and local authorities, to ramp up their imposition of vaccine requirements and other measures meant to boost uptake.

If youre a business leader, a nonprofit leader, a state or local leader, who has been waiting for full FDA approval to require vaccinations, I call on you now to do thatrequire it, Biden said at a briefing.

The lack of full FDA approval was widely reported as a factor holding some companies back from imposing vaccine mandates in the face of objections from some workers and unions.

Shortly after the FDA acted, Disney struck a deal with its unions to require all workers at its theme park in Orlando, Florida, to get vaccinated, while Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs announced that anyone entering its U.S. offices will have to be fully vaccinated, according to a memo obtained by Reuters.
US Companies Are Selling Data on Active-Duty Military Members: Report

At least three of Americas largest data brokers are potentially harming national security by selling information on U.S. active-duty military personnel, according to new research from Duke University.

Data brokers are companies that buy and sell online information in bulkfacilitating legitimate business such as credit scoring, advertising, and research.

However, critics say the industry is ripe for abuse. Privacy advocates have raised concerns that data brokers enable government to bypass Fourth Amendment protections by purchasing data instead of obtaining a warrant, while civil libertarians have compared the industrys consumer scores to Chinas social credit system.

On Monday, Duke Universitys Data Broker Project released a report finding that three major data brokersLexisNexis, Acxiom, and Nielsenare selling information on U.S. active-duty military members.

LexisNexis advertises a capability to search an individual and identify whether they are active-duty military, the Duke report said.

Acxiom also offers verification and location of military servicemen (deployed but missing from base) as part of commercial work for credit card issuers and retail banks.

As for Nielsen, the report said the company published research in 2019 on todays veteran consumersattempting to depict what active and former U.S. military personnel watch, where veterans shop, what veterans spend on what they buy, and how that compares to what the average household buys.

Nielsen also advertises its HomeScan DeCa (Defense Commissary Agency) database which tracks consumer spending at military commissaries and exchanges, the report added. The company has publicly published multiple other analyses of U.S. military personnel economic activity that draw on multiple Nielsen surveys and datasets.

And other brokers likely sweep up military personnel in their larger datasets.

LexisNexis and Nielsen did not respond to media inquiries. Acxiom provided The Epoch Times with a statement about how it protects military and other data.

The data Acxiom licenses to brands is classified as non-sensitivemarketing data from publicly available information and trusted sources. It is used under strict legal controls solely to help reputable brands and organizations better understand their current and potential customers, Acxiom said.

Acxiom does not allow organizations or individuals to look up specific individuals, and the location data we work with only relates to commercial locations such as grocery stores and car dealerships to provide relevant offers. No location data is used at the personally identifiable level, the company said.

Acxiom further explained that it divested its risk business, which involves identity verification and fraud prevention, and that it no longer provides services in relation to military services personnel.

Nor do we have military records information, the company said.

Security Threat

Former NSA general counsel Stewart Baker told The Epoch Times that the Duke report raises legitimate questions, especially if data about serving members and their families is being sold to people with ties to adversary nationsor even terrorists.

When a small amount of data of that kind was extracted by an ISIS-affiliated hacker and used to send threats to the service members, the U.S. treated it as a national security threat, said Baker, referring to a 2015 incident when a hacker in Malaysia allegedly provided personal information of military members to ISIS.

The hacker was arrested and extradited, and the ISIS member who sent the threats was killed in a drone strike, said Baker, who is now a partner at the law firm Steptoe & Johnson. That shows the power and danger of such information.

The Duke report reached similar conclusions, warning of the dire consequences of a terrorist organization obtaining bulk data on U.S. military personnel.

The report did note that brokering military data isnt problematic in of itself, because military members comprise a unique demographic that companies want to reach with tailored advertisements.

However, the report warned of numerous risks associated with the activity. With data brokering being a virtually unregulated activity, nothing prevents companies from doing business with bad actors, the report said.

The data advertised by these brokersspanning everything from financial transaction histories and internet browsing patterns to travel interests and support for political causes and organizationscould be used by foreign entities for a range of national security-damaging activities, the report said.

This could include building profiles on senior U.S. military personnel involved in key decisions relevant to a foreign power, or even building profiles on their family members and close acquaintances (seeing as some data brokers openly and explicitly advertise their ability to map network connections between individuals), for the purposes of information operations, coercion, blackmail, or intelligence-gathering, the report said.

The Aug. 23 report follows recent revelations about how governments use bulk data for intelligence and espionage.

In December, for instance, Foreign Policy published findings on the Chinese governments use of multiple huge U.S, datasetscombined with data Chinese hackers stole in the infamous U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) hackto expose CIA operatives in Africa and Europe.

When paired with travel details and other purloined data, information from the OPM breach likely provided Chinese intelligence potent clues about unusual behavior patterns, biographical information, or career milestones that marked individuals as likely U.S. spies, officials say, Foreign Policy reported.

Now, these officials feared, China could search for when suspected U.S. spies were in certain locationsand potentially also meeting secretly with their Chinese sources.

The issue has attracted the attention of lawmakers. In April, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and five colleagues wrote to the countrys major telecoms companies in April, seeking information about their data sales to foreign countries.

Few Americans realize that some auction participants are siphoning off and storing bidstream data to compile exhaustive dossiers about them. In turn, these dossiers are being openly sold to anyone with a credit card, including to hedge funds, political campaigns, and even to governments, Wyden said at the time.

This information would be a goldmine for foreign intelligence services that could exploit it to inform and supercharge hacking, blackmail, and influence campaigns.

Later in April, Wyden announced draft legislation that would place export controls on data brokers doing business with certain countries. The Protecting Americans Data from Foreign Surveillance Act would have the U.S. Secretary of Commerce compile a greenlist of friendly countries, and then require licenses for exports of personal data in bulk to countries not on that list.

My bill would set up common sense rules for how and where sensitive data can be shared overseas, to make sure that foreign criminals and spies dont get their hands on it, Wyden said in April.

Wydens announcement included a quote from Director of Intelligence Avril Haines, who told Congress in April: I agree with you [Wyden] theres a concern about foreign adversaries getting commercially-acquired information as well and am absolutely committed to trying to do everything we can to reduce that possibility.

The Department of Defense did not respond to a request for comment.
A teenager receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 at the Cecilia Rivadeneira Foundation in Quito, on July 21, 2021. (RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP via Getty Images)

Vaccine Mandate in Ecuador Province Defeated by Legal Action

A grassroots organization defeated a government-backed COVID-19 vaccine mandate in Ecuadors Loja Province on Aug 5.

On July 6, the Emergency Operations Committee (EOC), which is a crisis response branch of Ecuadors state-level government, released a decree mandating COVID-19 vaccines for province residents over 16 years of age by Aug. 9.

The decree, which came as a shock to residents, imposed restrictions on unvaccinated individuals, including entry into government buildings, bill payment locations, banks, restaurants and other areas of daily commerce.

Nick Vasey, the founder of Human Rights Ecuador, spoke to The Epoch Times about the steps his organization took before the mandate went into effect.

You had to extrapolate the real end result of all this, Vasey said. They [EOC] gave the Ecuadorian community zero time to respond to their decree and planned to steamroll the population.

Human Rights Ecuador is a Loja-based group that promotes medical freedom.

Vaseys lawyer filed injunction paperwork against the EOC on July 30. The lawyer then scheduled a meeting for Aug. 3 with the Loja Ombudsmans office. This proved to be a critical step since the provincial ombudsman could override the measure put forward by the EOC. Consequently, the Loja Ombudsmans office released a statement on Aug. 5 dismissing the vaccine mandate on the grounds of it being unconstitutional.

Vasey added, There was formidable and constitutionally binding human rights opposition to the proposed measure.

Ecuadors Constitution guarantees citizens the right of refusal and treats all citizens without distinction of political ideology, socio-economic or cultural condition as equal before the law. Human Rights Ecuador claims on its website that the proposed vaccine mandate is also contrary to the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, which takes precedence over local regulations under Article 425 of Ecuadors constitution.

On Aug. 5, the Constitutional Court of Ecuador ruled against extending the state of emergency in the provinces of Guayas and El Oro, which was originally requested by President Guillermo Lassos government. The newly elected President Lasso took office on May 24 of this year and claimed he would vaccinate 9 million people in the first 100 days of his administration. However, without the extended state of emergency, the EOC lacks the administrative power to push COVID-19 vaccines.

Vasey asserted that Loja was just the proving ground for a vaccine mandate program being drafted by different state governments, of which Guayaquil is likely to be the next.

Guayaquil is Ecuadors most populous city with over 5 million residents, in a nation of 17.9 million people.

The tiny South American nation suffered considerably in the first and second waves of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. Nearly 32,000 people died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

Images surfaced last year of dead bodies being left in the streets outside residential homes and hospitals due to a critical lack of available resources to handle the fast accumulating number of victims. The grim phenomenon was especially prevalent in Guayaquil, many of whose residents remain fearful of the effects of the virus.

Ecuador has administered at least 15,516,237 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to date. During the last week, the country administered an average of around 250,098 doses per day.

The Minister of Public Health, Ximena Garzon, released a statement on June 9 explaining her department will continue coordinating with the armed forces and National Electoral Council to set up mass vaccination centers nationwide. Many of the aforementioned centers are voting locations that were used during the general election earlier this year.

The Epoch Times contacted the EOC office in Loja for comment with no response.
A wreath is placed during a "Black Ribbon Day" remembrance event at the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, DC., on Aug. 23, 2017. (Getty Images/Alex Wong)

Victims of Communism and Nazism Remembered by Canadian Leaders on Black Ribbon Day

Federal and provincial officials paid tribute to victims of the communist Soviet Union and Nazi Germany on Black Ribbon Day, the National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Communism and Nazism in Europe.

Established through a unanimous resolution of the House of Commons in 2009, Black Ribbon Day is commemorated annually on Aug. 23, the anniversary of the 1939 signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the communist Soviet Union.

According to the European Observatory of Memories , the pact divided eastern European countries into German and Soviet spheres of influence and, soon after the pact was signed, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union jointly invaded Poland, starting World War II.

As a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Millions of Europeans were robbed of their basic rights, subjected to violence or murdered, and countless others were forced to flee to new lands, said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a statement on the Liberal Party website.

To commemorate the victims, Trudeau said Canada will stand with the survivors who found refuge in Canada and their descendants who made extraordinary contributions to our country and have helped build the diverse and strong Canada that we know today, and with all those who continue to face violence and persecution from authoritarian and totalitarian regimes.

We all have a role to play in defending and protecting human rights and democracy, both here at home and around the world, he said.

Conservative Party Leader Erin OToole said in a tweet that the damage caused by communism and Nazism devastated the lives of generations of people and that his party will always stand against brutal governments around the world.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a video on Twitter that Never Again should these tragedies repeat in the future, and counselled Canadians to work together to build a better, safer and brighter future for all.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney paid tribute to the victims in a statement, condemning the MolotovRibbentrop Pact as one of the most evil alliances in human history, resulting in decades of oppression and untold human suffering.

Kenney noted that although they were informed by different ideologies, the Soviet Communists and Nazi Germany made use of the same brutal tactics and strategies to commit murder on industrial scales and to enforce a system of oppression and tyranny on previously free peoples.

We must never forget the countless victims of these totalitarian regimes, we must take to heart the horrific and tragic lessons of that time, and we must honour those who fought so bravely and sacrificed so much to defeat these terrible forces.

Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes also emphasized remembering the sacrifices made by those who fought against the abhorrent lessons of the two regimes on Twitter .
A shopper loads items into her car in the parking lot of a Walmart in Willow Grove, Pa., on May 19, 2021. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)

Walmart to Launch Delivery Service for Other Businesses

NEW YORKWalmart says it will start commercializing its delivery service, using contract workers, autonomous vehicles and even drones to deliver other retailers products directly to their customers homes as fast as just a few hours.

Walmart will dispatch contract workers from its Spark delivery network, which was launched in 2018, to merchants stores to pick up items and then bring them to shoppers. Over the past year, Walmart has doubled Sparks coverage to more than 500 cities nationwide, providing access to more than 20 million households.

The nations largest retailer aims to tap into its ties with local communities, particularly businesses in rural areas that have struggled to implement their own delivery operations.

The strategy announced Tuesday will pit Walmart against the likes of Uber, DoorDash, and other delivery services. It comes as Walmart moves to expand its sources of profits and revenues beyond its core retail businesses. Its a strategy similar to Amazons cloud computing unit called Amazon Web Services, which the online behemoth built for itself and now sells to other businesses.

Last month, Walmart began offering smallto medium-size businesses e-commerce technology it developed to let shoppers buy products online and pick them up at stores. Its part of a partnership with technology provider Adobe.

The service, Walmart GoLocal, has already signed a number of contractual agreements with national and small business clients, which it declined to name. Walmart is currently selecting new business partners. It declined to offer figures on the investment or financial targets for the service. Walmart is to begin operations within a few months.

The moves are happening as the pandemic has deepened shoppers appetite for speedier deliveries, putting more stress on smaller retailers that cant meet their expectations. Walmart itself has been relying on delivery services like DoorDash and other crowd-sourcing services as well as its own workers to serve its own customers. But it has also been expanding its Spark platform that until now never delivered non-Walmart goods.

Shoppers ordering anything from cupcakes to gadgets at their local stores wont know that Walmart is involved. They buy the goods on their local store website and then the store activates the Walmart GoLocal delivery. Walmart said it will be a white-label service, so deliveries will not be made by Walmart-branded vehicles.

During a call with reporters Monday night, Tom Ward, a senior vice president at Walmarts U.S. division, said that fees for the service will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. The delivery time could be as fast as a few hours or up to two days.

In an era where customers have come to expect speed and reliability, its more important than ever for businesses to work with a service provider that understands a merchants needs, said John Furner, president and CEO of Walmarts U.S. division.

By Anne Dinnocenzio
Willow Shrubs Grew in Greenland 500 Years Ago, on Land Long Covered by Glaciers

Scientists have found new evidence that the Renland Ice Cap in eastern Greenland has grown and shrank repeatedly over the past 12,000 years, at times becoming smaller than its current state.

In a paper first-authored by Aaron K. Medford of the University of Maine, the team detailed its radiocarbon dating of plant remains uncovered as the ice cap has recently retreated. Their results suggest that moss and willow shrubs grew near the present boundary of the glacier during two very recent periodsthe first being roughly 1000 years ago, and the second being roughly 500 years ago.

The oldest ages are [approximately] 900-1000 [years old], the scientists wrote in the paper, published in April in Quaternary Science Reviews. Thus, when these plants lived, Renland Ice Cap must have been smaller than it was in A.D. 2011, allowing plants to grow in spaces that until recently have been covered by ice.

The first period of speculated warming roughly corresponds to the Medieval Optimum, a warm period during which Viking explorers reached Greenland and the North American continent.

By studying sediments from lakes fed by the glacier, the researchers inferred that the Renland Ice Cap was smaller than it is today roughly 9,500 years ago, as well as during a period from roughly 7,000 to 4,000 years ago.

Kenneth Richard of Climate Depot highlighted the study, arguing that it supports the view that the Early Holocene, dated from roughly 12,000 years ago to roughly 8,500 years ago, and the Middle Holocene, dated from roughly 8,500 years ago to 4,200 years ago, were warmer than current temperatures in eastern Greenland, as well as the view that current ice coverage and temperatures are still consistent with a Holocene cold stage.

Medford and his team noted that their findings were consistent with other proxies for temperature in the region, including insect remains from Last Chance Lake near Scoresby Sund. The latter data indicate warmer summer temperatures than today throughout the early and most of the middle Holocene, the authors wrote.

In 2004, an international team reviewed paleoenvironmental data, including pollen macrofossils and various other proxies, from sites spanning the western Arctic. 120 of the 140 locations that they surveyed provided clear evidence for warmer-than-present conditions, supporting the existence of a regional Holocene Thermal Maximum during the Early Holocene.

In its 2007 Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) noted that records from the North Atlantic, the Arctic, and other regions provide evidence for local multi-centennial periods warmer than the last decades by up to several degrees in the early to mid-Holocene.

Yet the IPCC emphasized that the extent and precision of proxy data limit the ability to determine if there were multi-decadal periods of global warmth comparable to the last half of the 20th century.

Summarizing recent studies, the IPCCs 2013 Fifth Assessment Report noted that the mid to high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere may have exhibited a cooling trend over the course of the Holocene, while the Northern Hemispheres mid to high latitudes may have been one degree Celsius warmer than current temperatures roughly 6,000 to 8,000 years ago.

The report, which also noted with high confidence that many glaciers were at times smaller than during the late 20th century in the Alps, Scandinavia, Greenland, Baffin Island, and Spitsbergen, concluded that mean Northern Hemisphere temperature between 1983 and 2012 marked it as very likely the warmest 30-year period of the last 800 years (high confidence) and likely the warmest 30-year period of the last 1,400 years (medium confidence) in that region.

The plant remains uncovered in eastern Greenland arent the first to emerge after several centuries on ice. On Ellesmere Island in northern Canada, mosses that had been covered in ice for 400 or more years started to regrow after emerging from a shrinking glacier in 2013.
Pregnant Afghan Woman Gives Birth Aboard C-17 Cargo Plane Evacuating Afghanistan; US Air Force Medics Help

As U.S. forces evacuate from Afghanistan, with thousands of Afghans fleeing the country, an Afghan mother went into labor midflight aboard an Air Force C-17 cargo plane bound for Germany.

Upon arrival, medical support personnel from the 86th Medical Group and a U.S. Army Labor and Delivery nurse helped the unnamed woman successfully give birth in the aircraft cargo bay on Aug. 21.

Medical support personnel from the 86th Medical Group help an Afghan mother off a U.S. Air Force C-17 moments after she delivered a child aboard the aircraft upon landing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Aug. 21. (Tech. Sgt. Zachary Boyer/U.S. Air Force)

During the flight from an intermediate staging base in the Middle East to Ramstein Air Base, the mother, who was accompanied by her family, reportedly began to suffer complications due to low blood pressure.

The aircraft commander then made the decision to reduce the planes altitude to increase cabin air pressure, which helped stabilize her condition and save the mothers life, Air Mobility Command stated.

She gave birth in the aircrafts cargo hold after landing in Germany. The mother and her new daughter were then escorted off the plane by medical staff for further care.

The baby girl and mother were transported to a nearby medical facility and are in good condition. (Tech. Sgt. Zachary Boyer/U.S. Air Force)

The baby girl and mother were transported to a nearby medical facility and are in good condition, stated Air Mobility Command.

Leading up to the evacuation, Ramstein Air Base has been preparing to receive thousands of Afghans and Americans leaving Kabul.

President Biden plans for all U.S. troops to be withdrawn from the region by Aug. 31. As of Saturday, Aug. 21, about 17,000 people have been airlifted out of Kabul, including 2,500 Americans, since evacuation operations began on Aug. 14, the Pentagon stated.

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Chinese leader Xi Jinping (on screen) delivers a speech during the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on July 1, 2021. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images)

Xi Jinpings New Wealth Redistribution Plan Unsettles Investors

Commentary

Chinese leader Xi Jinping explained his theory of Politics in Command Economy as creating a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful.

In a 2016 speech, he told business leaders that in addition to making money, they had to love the motherland and love the Communist Party. He is now putting the finishing touches on a system where companies will serve the interests of the state, participating in initiatives such as the Rural Revitalization Strategy and the Belt and Road Initiative. In return, the state will support the activities of these companies, in a profit-sharing partnership.

Industrial policy seems to be at the core of Xis new economy, as the country edges closer toward state capitalism. He is expanding the role of state-owned firms, calling for the central government to have greater control over the private sector and private investment, while allocating market share for such domestic industries as semiconductor chips and electric vehicle batteries.

He is also encouraging the creation of more mixed ownership firms, where private companies purchase equity stakes in state-owned companies and vice versa. Although the words partnership and cooperation are being used, Chinas recent policy changes suggest a preference for the public sector over the private sector. This seems a reversal of the Deng Xiaoping economic liberalization and privatization policies of the 1980s that led to the Chinese economic miracle, transforming China from one of the worlds poorest countries, to the second richest.

These measures, according to Xi, are being taken to increase the countrys self-sufficiency and overall prosperity. His new vision for a prosperous and more egalitarian China means having those who have already achieved economic success, taking care of those who have not. At a meeting of the Communist Partys Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs, Chinese leaders determined that common prosperity is key to completing the construction of a modern socialist country. To this end, there are plans to tighten regulations on high income, adjust excessive income, and have high-income groups give back to society.

The term common prosperity is reminiscent of the draconian economic policies taken by Mao Zedong during the Cultural Revolution. Xis economic policies have also been compared to Maos politics in command. In the previous century, Mao redistributed wealth from the rural elite, wealthy landlords and farmers. Today, it seems the money will be taken away from wealthy entrepreneurs and tech giants, who Xi accuses of creating socioeconomic problems that could destabilize the nation.

Deng also used the term common prosperity when he opened China to Western investment. He had a policy of allowing some to get rich sooner, but with an end goal of every Chinese person improving their standard of living.

Now, those who got rich sooner will have their wealth redistributed. Xi said that the redistribution was necessary because the number of wealthy in China exceeds the number of wealthy in America, while much of the country, particularly the inland, western, and rural areas, lags behind. Xis new goal is to create a greater degree of social fairness by raising more people out of poverty and increasing the size of the middle class. Naturally, these policies will put more pressure on the wealthy, as property and inheritance taxes are expected to be implemented.

Customers and real estate agents looking at several building models at a real estate exhibition in Jiashan County, in eastern Chinas Zhejiang Province on Oct. 19, 2012. (AFP/Getty Images)

Zhejiang Province, an area with extreme income inequality, has been designated as a pilot location for wealth redistribution. The goal is to increase annual income by 45 percent, to 75,000 yuan ($11,563) by 2025, and to increase its urbanization to 75 percent. To this end, workers are being instructed to engage in collective bargaining, while listed firms were told to increase cash dividends to shareholders, and farmers are being encouraged to be more entrepreneurial. Additionally, corporations and wealthy individuals will be given tax write-offs for charitable contributions.

Xi hopes to realize his vision of greater prosperity and equality by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Partys takeover of China. But, in order to allay fears of repressive economic policies, similar to what happened during the Cultural Revolution, Xi explained that he was merely going to reasonably regulate excessively high incomes and encourage the wealthy to give something back.

In the wake of Xis recent statements about wealth redistribution, financial analysts at ING believe that tax rates in China are about to rise, including income tax, property tax, and corporate taxes. Recently, China has increased regulation on fintech, gaming companies, ride-hailing apps, and private education, all of which suggest the regime is taking a more active role in the economy, tightening its control and increasing its revenues. In the long term, these policies may be in place in order to avoid having Chinas future growth derailed by its growing portfolio of non-performing assets, which, in 2020, already stood at 3.02 trillion yuan ($466.9 billion).

All of these movements are unsettling investors as their projected returns on investments will be negatively impacted. A recent ban on for profit education companies, for example, could leave investors holding the bag. Investors hoped to earn a rate of return on their education company investments which was higher than a rate they could earn elsewhere. Now, the rate of return may be zero. Even worse, it will be difficult for these investors to sell their shares, as would-be buyers would also hope to be earning positive returns.

Xi claims to be taking these measures to protect common people from exploitation by big business. But common people are the investors and employees of these big businesses, and as such, dependent on them for their livelihoods. The COVID-19 lockdowns, the Sino-U.S. trade war, and a number of other economic and environmental factors have already driven unemployment among the young to levels not seen in many years. Further restrictions on commerce and increased taxes are unlikely to solve this problem. Meanwhile, the wealth-crackdown threatens continued investment and innovation in the country.

After the 1949 communist takeover of China, capitalists were vilified, jailed, and sometimes killed. In 1978, economic opening began, under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping. The 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, however, showed that although the country was undergoing economic reforms, there were limits to how far the Communist Party was willing to bend. By 2001, businessmen and entrepreneurs were required to join the Communist Party. In a speech given in 2012, Xi said that the state needed to increase the number of Party bodies inside private business. Xi was signaling the beginning of tighter controls on the private sector, even though private companies had become the clear drivers of Chinas economic growth. By 2013, the private sector accounted for 75 percent of all economic activity.

Just three years later, Xi began reining in both private and state companies alike, requiring them to write the Communist Party into their articles of association. This policy was then adopted by the securities regulators who required companies to include the Party in their corporate governance codes. Companies also had a Party committee, sometimes with the Party committee chairperson sitting on the board of directors. A survey in 2016 discovered that 68 percent of Chinas private companies and 70 percent of foreign companies had Party bodies, while some provinces set goals of establishing Party bodies in 95 percent of private companies. The hammer and sickle is already displayed at Walmart, LOreal, Walt Disney, and Dow Chemicals, all of which have Party committees.

Under Xi, while China has become richer, it has also moved toward a more conservative communism, with the government playing a greater role in commerce. Heads of high-profile corporations frequently speak out in public, professing their love for the Party, ostensibly, to avoid persecution. The disappearance and subsequent sentencing of Wu Xiaohui, the chairman of Anbang Insurance Group, to 18 years in prison, and the execution of Lai Xiaomin, former chairman of China Huarong Asset Management, served as warnings to other entrepreneurs who failed to live up to Party expectations.

Jack Ma, businessman and founder of Alibaba, at the 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening Up at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on Dec. 18, 2018. (Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images)

Alibabas Jack Ma, who had never toed the Party line to the extent of other business leaders, famously said, Be in love with the government. But dont marry them. Ma may have gone too far, however, when he accused Chinese regulators of stifling financial innovation. Mas family name means horse and the Party has said that they have bridled him. His Ant Groups initial public offering was cancelled, after which regulators began dismantling his company. He was also removed as president of the elite business school he founded, Hupan University, and has since not been seen in public. At the time of this writing, he has not been seen in nine months.

Xi Jinpings new economic policy of wealth redistribution is a reminder of the strict communism of Mao Zedong, when the wealthy and the entrepreneurs were considered enemies of the people. Under Xis leadership the country seems to be shifting toward a more complete form of communism, with the government heading a command economy. On the other hand, the new economic system could be called fascism, a form of state capitalism where the biggest and most favored companies remain in private hands, but where the state shares much of the profit, while maintaining tighter control.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
PHOENIX (AP)  An Oklahoma man seen on video pushing an Associated Press photographer over a wall outside the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot has been arrested, authorities said Tuesday.

Benjamen Scott Burlew of Miami, Oklahoma, is the second person to be charged with attacking photographer John Minchillo, who was documenting the mob of former President Donald Trump's supporters that day.

Burlew is accused of yelling at, grabbing, dragging and ultimately pushing Minchillo over a low stone wall on the Capitol grounds.

Authorities say Burlew was among several people who attacked Minchillo, who was wearing a helmet-style gas mask and was dragged by another person down the exterior stairs by his lanyard with Associated Press lettering.

At the bottom of the stairs, Burlew and three other people grabbed the photographer and pushed, shoved and dragged him again, the FBI said.

Minchillo later found himself backed up against a stone wall by the attackers. The FBI said Burlew lunged toward the photographer and shoved him over the wall, causing Minchillo to land on his back. Burlew leaned over the wall to witness Minchillos fall, according to court records.

Burlew is charged with assault in special territorial jurisdiction and committing acts of physical violence on restricted grounds, according to court records released Tuesday. He was arrested on Thursday.

Burlews attorney didnt respond to requests to comment Tuesday on the allegations against his client.

Associated Press spokesperson Lauren Easton said it is deeply troubling when journalists are targeted for simply doing their jobs.

These charges are an encouraging sign that those who attacked journalists on Jan. 6 will be held accountable, she said in an email.

Last month, Alan William Byerly of Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, was arrested on charges of assaulting Minchillo and police officers during the riot.

Several other people have been charged with assaulting journalists, inciting violence against members of the press or destroying camera equipment belonging to journalists covering the riot, including an AP video crew.

A Pennsylvania woman has been accused of filming an attack on  and allegedly yelling for the attackers to mace  a New York Times photographer during the Jan. 6 riot.

Nearly 600 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the riots in the six months since the siege. Dozens have been charged with assaulting police officers who were trying to protect the Capitol.
The face of west-central Illinois is changing, growing both older and more diverse.

Although Madison County and its neighbors remain largely Caucasian, the number of people who identify as multiracial is soaring, according to 2020 Census numbers.

Thats not out of line with the rest of the nation, attributable to such things as readily available DNA testing and also the fading of the stigma the term multiracial could carry even a decade ago.

Nationally, the number of people self-identifying as multiracial rose from 3% in 2010 to more than 10% last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Numerically, it went from 9 million in 2010 to almost 34 million in 2020.

As the country has grown, we have continued to evolve in how we measure the race and ethnicity of the people who live here, said Nicholas Jones, director and senior adviser for race and ethnicity research and outreach at the Census Bureau. The U.S. population is much more multiracial and more diverse than what we measured in the past.

Most who said they were multiracial were a combination of white and another race, followed by white and Alaskan Native or American Indian, white and Black, and white and Asian.

Madison and Macoupin counties recorded 0.4% increases in those identifying as multiracial over the decade. In Madison County, 2.1% of the population were listed as multiracial, with 1.1% in Macoupin County.

The increase was 0.3% in Pike County (0.9%) and 0.2% in Jersey County (1.3%). It rose 0.1% in Greene County, with 0.8% of the countys population being multiracial.

Nearly 3% of Illinoisans identified as multiracial in 2020.

The one community that has really reduced in number is the white population, Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies researcher Sherrie Taylor told The Center Square news service.

Among individual races, Black, Hispanic and Asian populations showed gains across the region, although some of the increases were statistically small.

Despite those gains across the board, overall population has continued to drop throughout the region, with double-digit decreases seen in Greene County (minus 13.7%), and Pike County (minus 10.3%).

Nationally, most of the growth was seen in metropolitan areas, particularly in the south and west.

As weve been seeing in our annual population estimates, our nation is growing slower than it used to, said Marc Perry, a senior demographer at the Census Bureau. This decline is evident at the local level, where around 52% of the counties in the United States saw their 2020 populations decrease from their 2010 populations.

Eighty-seven of the 102 counties in Illinois saw population declines from 2010 to 2020.

Compounding the losses, which can mean lower property tax revenue and reductions in population-based state and federal spending, is an aging population.

In Madison County, 17.6% of the population was 65 or older in 2020, marking an increase from 14.3% in 2010, which was unchanged from 2000.

The percentage of total population in other counties that is 65 or older:

 Calhoun: 24.1%, 20.2% in 2010

 Greene County: 20%, 17.2% in 2010

 Jersey County: 19.8%, 15.8% in 2010

 Macoupin County: 20.4%, 17.1% in 2010

 Pike County: 21.3%, 19.1% in 2010

As the population grows older, it can add to the strain of state- and federally funded agencies that provide for their well-being.

Prairie Council on Aging said the challenge is to meet financial demands and continue to offer a non-waiting-list program.

Its Community Care Program helps place in-home care aides, equip seniors with emergency home response systems, and provide automated medicine dispensers in five counties.

It also oversees a program that provides seniors with meals  which already has seen a 15% increase in requests for assistance during pandemic lockdown.

We are not quite at capacity, but we have grown so much in (a) short period of time, executive director Nancy Thorsen said.

In 2011, the agency served 604; last year there were 825 in its service area of Morgan, Cass, Scott, Greene and Jersey counties.

That amounted to more than 40,000 meals.

Volunteers have become an important part of Prairie Council on Aging.

The agency also has started a money management program so seniors can receive help budgeting and paying bills.

Government programming is much more important as the population and age rises, Thorsen said.

 Rochelle Eiselt of Hearst Illinois contributed to this article.

Diversity by the numbers

A look at the racial composition of west-central Illinois counties:

Calhoun County: White  97.1%; Black or African American  0.4%; American Indian or Alaskan Native  0.2%; Asian  0.3%; Pacific Islander or Hawaiian  0; Hispanic  1.4%; Two or more races  0.7%.

Greene County: White  96.1%; Black or African American  1.3%; American Indian or Alaskan Native  0.3%; Asian  0.2%; Pacific Islander or Hawaiian  0; Hispanic  1.3%; Two or more races, 0.8%.

Jersey County: White  95.4: Black or African American  0.8%; American Indian or Alaskan Native  0.4%; Asian  1%; Pacific Islander or Hawaiian  0; Hispanic  1.4%; Two or more races  1.3%.

Macoupin County: White  96%; Black or African American  1%; American Indian or Alaskan Native  0.4%; Asian  0.4%; Pacific Islander or Hawaiian  0; Hispanic  1.3%; Two or more races  1.1%.

Madison County: White  84.6%; Black or African American  8.8%; American Indian or Alaskan Native  0.3%; Asian  1%; Pacific Islander or Hawaiian  0.1%; Hispanic  3.4%; Two or more races, 2.1%.

Pike County: White  95.8%; Black or African American 1.5%; American Indian or Alaskan Native  0.2%; Asian 0.3%; Pacific Islander or Hawaiian  0; Hispanic  1.4%; Two or more races  0.9%.
The Edwardsville Community Foundation (ECF) nnounced the Judy DeSart Memorial Healthcare Scholarship Fund.

This $1,000 award will be given to a graduating senior at Edwardsville High School who plans to continue their education at an accredited 4-year college or university to pursue a degree in nursing, public health, social work or for admission to pharmacy school or a physical therapy program. ECF honors DeSart by adding this award to our robust scholarship program.

Judy DeSart (1941-2020) was a registered nurse for 50 years, a profession she dearly loved. A graduate of St. Johns School of Nursing in Springfield, Illinois, she moved to the Glen Carbon area in 2000 to be closer to her grandchildren.

DeSarts daughters, Amy DeSart and Lori Spangenberg, are the fund co-sponsors.

Juju, the name so fondly given to her by her grandchildren, was genuine, humorous, selfless, and the strongest individual known by her family and wide circle of friends. Family was everything to Jujuand Juju was everything to her family, Lori said.

It is our hope that this scholarship set up in her memory will push the recipients of this award to embody her wonderful spirit, Amy added.

Other criteria include a GPA of 3.75 or above, participation in extracurricular activities, a brief essay and letters of recommendation. Applications for the DeSart Scholarship will be available Oct. 1 at the EHS Guidance Office. Donations to the Judy DeSart Memorial Healthcare Scholarship can be made online at: https://edwardsvillecf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create?funit_id=1363Scan QR Code or mail to ECF-Judy DeSart Memorial Healthcare Scholarship, PO Box 102, Edwardsville, IL 62025.

The Edwardsville Community Foundation was founded to create an organization where people could donate money that would directly impact the quality of life in the local communities. ECF is a charitable trust that receives, manages, and distributes tax-deductible charitable contributions for the benefit of the residents in District 7 communities. Since its inception in 1997, ECF has distributed more than $6.9million to charitable causes.www.edwardsvillecommunityfoundation.org
GLEN CARBON  Trustees unanimously gave the green light to four separate ordinances Tuesday, all related to the tax increment finance and business districts at the villages Orchard Town Center Development.

The first three resolutions dealt with approving a tax-increment financing (TIF) district, despite opposition, written and vocal, from some residents while the final one dealt with the business district portion of the project.

Were at a point with the developer that we believe we will be able to negotiate bringing a developers agreement within the next 30 days for board approval, and that will set the type of financing the developer gets, said Village Administrator Jamie Bowden.

The entire undeveloped portion of the land that used to be known as the Foucek property lies within this TIF District.

Bowden also told the trustees that the first three ordinances must be passed within 14 to 90 days of a TIF public hearing, which took place on June 8. From that date, the final official date to adopt the TIF is Sept. 6. The final day to adopt both districts was Tuesday. Otherwise, the village would have been required to hold a second public hearing to adopt each program.

Next, the trustees approved the boundaries of the Orchard Town Center TIF Redevelopment Project Area.

Then, the trustees approved an ordinance for the actual TIF followed by the final ordinance, establishing the Orchard Town Center Business District, approving a business district plan, authorizing the imposition and collection of sales taxes within that business district and approving certain actions in connection with setting up that business district. Bowden said this final ordinance was part of a timing issue, too, even without final approval of a developers agreement.

It is important to note that the business district exempts the Menards section of the project. The outlots along Governors Parkway and Troy Road are included, as are the junior anchors south of Menards.

In other action, the board unanimously approved the following items:

 An ordinance amending an ordinance passed in 2020 that adopted the villages budge for fiscal year 2021, which began Jan. 1. This is related to a mid-year village financial review, salary increases, three labor contracts passed and software investments made, among other items

 An ordinance that allows the village to use its American Rescue Plan funds, more than $1.7 million, for infrastructure needs  water, sewer and broadband. The payments will arrive in two stages, the first within the next 30 days and the remainder about a year from now. The village has until Dec. 31, 2024 to fully use the monies

The next village board meeting is Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. at village hall, 151 N. Main St.

Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at 618-659-5735
Yoshiaki Sakamoto/AP

TOKYO (AP)  A Russian man from a Russian-held island claimed by both Tokyo and Moscow is seeking asylum after being found in a wetsuit on Japans northern main island of Hokkaido, media reports and officials said Wednesday.

The man was found in the town of Shibetsu on the coast of Hokkaido across from Kunashiri island, one of four Russian-held islands claimed by both countries, Japanese media said. He said he swam about 20 kilometers (12 miles) to Hokkaido to seek asylum, the reports said.
Theres just something about the Mississippi River.

Something that cant really be explained, yet its something that is enchanting just as much as it is interesting.

It is more than just a thoroughfare of transportation for barges, or an option to take ones boat, canoe or kayak. Its a place of relaxation, a place of nostalgia  where the muddy waters of the mighty river can let your imagination run wild and give you the opportunity to see America in a way seldom experienced.

The opportunity for such an adventure was provided to passengers on Tuesday aboard the Spirit of Peoria riverboat that made its way from its home base in Peoria, Ill. to St. Louis for a ride upstream to popular river town of Grafton, Ill.  located just north of Alton along the Great River Road.

The quintessential river vessel is reminiscent of a long-gone era when steamers ran the rivers of the country transporting not only goods, but people traveling from one place to another.

Its hard to beat riding on a riverboat, Tony Cook, a passenger from Fayette, Mo., said. And this riverboat, they do a great job  great crew. You get on the boat and theres nothing but relaxation and good times with good people.

The ride begins at the south leg of the Gateway Arch. A symbolic start on a northward journey where the American west was born.

The Spirit of Peoria itself with its exterior appearance, decor, ambiance and music returns you to the Gilded Age with the upbeat tunes of ragtime and acoustic melodies that are only suitable for riding the same flowing current so many others did between Minnesota and Louisiana.

Its always been history, Joe Dent, a passenger from Humeston, Iowa, said of his interest in riding the river. Ive always had the little boy dream of traveling the entire Mississippi on a boat.

Barry Cloyd, a master of the strings, entertains with a guitar and banjo  and what he calls a manjo, an instrument that is a combination of a mandolin and banjo. With it, he sang the popular, Gentle on my Mind, thats been recorded many times by legendary artists such as John Denver and Dean Martin.

Add in the timeless voice and piano stylings of Ted Lemen and the tales of onboard storyteller Brian Fox Ellis  an accomplished writer in his own right  and the journey becomes an entertaining experience as well.

Views of St. Louis are not as they were nearly 200 years ago. Flood walls, levees and industrial advancement along the riverbanks no longer allow for the picturesque views Mark Twain often described from his days as a riverboat pilot.

The double-steeples of Holy Trinity Catholic Church barely poke above sight lines while the famous Grand Water Tower is a distant blur. Even the hills of Bellefontaine Cemetery, a location chosen for its river views, dotted with massive monuments honoring famous Missourians, cant be seen.

But then again, this is the Mississippi River, a river that played a major role in the countrys progressive growth. And to see the warehouses, factories and power plants along the shores is only a sign that our great nation is constantly pushing forward.

Well its so history-orientated, the whole area, Carol Klohr, a passenger from Freeburg, Ill., said. She and her husband were on the Spirit of Peoria celebrating their 64th wedding anniversary. Ive been on cruises, like in Germany, but I had not been on the river.

Its been wonderful. Ive really enjoyed it, she said of the trip. And as for a secret to reaching 64 years of marriage, You just learn to say, Yes, dear, thats the whole secret right there. And then you go ahead and do what you want to do.

The route through the Chain of Rocks canal is subtle and relaxing. Shallow waters along the route reveal sandbars and shorelines fit for a day at the beach without leaving the Midwest.

Passing through the locks and dams is certainly an embrace to share with friends and family. Both of the locks and dams along the route mark suspense for what lies ahead. For this particular tour, the suspense lied with the pending beautiful views of the bluffs that line the Great River Road between Alton and Grafton.

The beautiful bluffs of Alton are just unbelievable, Captain Alex Grieves said. Next to the views, theres something else that never ages on the boat. Seeing the smiling faces of our customers that are enjoying their day.

It was the efforts of Grieves's father that saved the vessel from departing Peoria for an uncertain future.

My dad knew the boat was going to be leaving, and he didnt want to see it leave, so we wrote a business plan to the city of Peoria and we said wed like to operate the boat with a five-year lease with an option to buy the boat at the end of the fifth year, he said.

And with that business operation a great piece of Americana  whether it be the boat itself or merely riding the river  stays intact.

The final destination of Graftons famed Loading Dock Restaurant, couldnt have been more perfect. A riverboat moving to shore to dock for the night in a tiny river town with the calliope playing a catchy tune,
Salida, CO (81201)

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Sevierville, TN (37876)

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They met as newlyweds in 1972 while temporarily living in Hardin County and, despite different backgrounds, established a friendship which continues to this day. They are, from left, Bill Coffee with dog, Rusty, Rosanna Libby, Phil Libby and Gail Coffee.
Elizabethtown, KY (42701)

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That release could not be found.
Phuket property company accountant facing charges for embezzling B33mn

PHUKET: An accountant with a Phuket luxury property management firm has been arrested and is facing charges for embezzling B33 million from the companys accounts.

propertycrimepolice

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 25 August 2021, 05:44PM

The police report signed by Lt Col Ratthakhet Manmueng, who as Chief Investigator of the Phuket City Police is also a Phuket City Police deputy commander. Photo: Supplied

Capt Thapapon Pangpimlo of the Phuket City Police confirmed to The Phuket News that Piyada Ann Petchlorrian, an accountant with The Cape Residences, is facing charges for the theft, which reportedly was carried out through transactions over the past six to seven years.

The police investigation into a complaint filed against Piyada is complete, Capt Thapapon confirmed.

We have forwarded the case to the Phuket Public Prosecutors Office to proceed with charges of theft and theft from an employer, Capt Thapapon said.

Piyada was taken into police custody in June after the complaint was filed. She was held at Phuket Provincial Prison while the police investigation continued.

However, Capt Thapapon on Monday said that he was unable to confirm whether or not Piyada was still in custody.

I dont know. I have finished my part. For the court process, you must ask the public prosecutor whether Piyada will be allowed to post bail or not. They will not inform us, Capt Thapaporn said.

Capt Thapaporn declined to answer any further questions, including whether or not any personal bank accounts that the money was transferred to had been frozen while the investigation was ongoing.

Capt Thapaporn did say that the amount embezzled from the company may have been as high as B35 million.

An officer of the Phuket Public Prosecutors Office who declined to be identified has now confirmed that the Phuket Public Prosecutors Office has already approved the case for criminal charges to be pressed against Piyada.

Right now, the duty of the public prosecutors office is finished. We have already filed an order to the court [to present the case in court] on Aug 9, the officer said.

The prosecutor who is responsible for this case is Mr Supoj Ruengroj, the officer confirmed.

However, the officer refused to provide any contact information for Mr Supoj, but offered to act as an intermediary.

The officer later contacted The Phuket News to say, I already asked the prosecutor, and he doesnt know whether she has asked to post bail or whether the court has approved bail or not. For the investigation by police, the report has already been sent to the court, so if you want to know more you need to call the Phuket Provincial Court.

The officer declined to answer any further questions.

According to documents and information provided to The Phuket News, Piyada joined The Cape Residences some seven years ago.

During that time more than B33mn was transferred to 12 private accounts through 104 smaller transactions.

One owner of a property managed by the company allegedly had US$25,000 transferred to fake construction accounts by the accountant six years ago.

More money was allegedly taken from the companys capital expenditure (capex) account and utility bills account.

While working for the luxury property management firm, Piyada was on a salary of B25,000 per month.

Her husband returned B995,000 "out of fear and to do the right thing", The Phuket News was told.
Rescued turtles stomach clogged with plastic waste

PHUKET: More than 300 pieces of trash, mostly plastic, have been recovered from the faeces of a green sea turtle rescued from Kata Beach last month, now in care at the Sireetarn Marine Endangered Animals Rescue Center based on Cape Panwa, Wichit.

marineanimalspollution

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Wednesday 25 August 2021, 09:55AM

More than 349 pieces of trash, nearly all plastic, have been recovered from the turtles faeces. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

More than 349 pieces of trash, nearly all plastic, have been recovered from the turtles faeces. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

More than 349 pieces of trash, nearly all plastic, have been recovered from the turtles faeces. Photo: DMCR

The turtle is slowly getting better in care at the centre. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The turtle is slowly getting better in care at the centre. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The turtle, weighing three kilograms and 28 centimeters long, was found by a local resident on July 23 and taken to the centre, explained Pathompong Jongjit, a marine biologist at the center, which operates as part of the Phuket Marine Biologicial Center under the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR).

On that day, it looked exhausted. From x-rays taken we could see that its digestive tract was clogged with trash, Mr Pathompong told The Phuket News yesterday (Aug 24).

In total, 349 pieces of trash weighing 127 grammes have been recovered from the turtles faeces, Mr Pathompong said.

In six instances the turtle excreted only marine trash, he said.

Examination of one instance, last Thursday (Aug 19), saw 191 pieces of trash weighing 67g being identified, Mr Pathompong noted.

The trash was 49% plastic fibers, 19% soft plastic, 16% hard plastic, 10% from plastic bags, 4% from plastic bottles and 2% sack fibres, he said.

The turtle is gradually getting better. The turtle can now eat food by itself, but before this we had to feed it with liquid food by tube to its stomach, Mr Pathompong noted

We have also given treatment for wounds it had on its front fins and neck, he said.

The turtle is now safe and healthier, but we still need to give it close care, he added.

Personally, I feel very down when I see marine animals injured or struggling with trash like this; this should not be a problem that animals are subjected to, Mr Pathompong said.

Even though I can help nurse this turtle back to health so it can be released to the sea, it is just treating a symptom of the problem. While the marine trash problem still exists, this turtle will not be the last case, he said.
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Urgent call for blood donors

PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center at Saphan Hin is in urgent need of blood donors for a long-term Phuket expat who cannot undergo open-heart surgery without it.



By The Phuket News

Wednesday 25 August 2021, 10:43AM

Photo: Phuket Regional Blood Center / file

Peter Ferry from Glasgow, Scotland, explained to The Phuket News this morning that he is at Bangkok Hospital Phuket waiting for the blood donations so he can undergo the surgery.

Peter is 87 years old. Fluent in written and spoken Thai, he has been living in Thailand for 67 years.

Peters blood type is B negative (B-), which is rare in Thailand.

He can receive blood donations from donors with blood types B- or O- only.

Any persons able to make a blood donation are urged to contact the Phuket Regional Blood Center at Saphan Hin at 076-251178 ext 2 or 081-9588854.

The center is located 8/193 Rattanakosin 200 Pi Rd near Saphan Hin (see map below).
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@rachelravina on Twitter

Rachel Ravina is a journalist covering news and lifestyle features in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Blue Bell and graduated from Penn State. She's also a news enthusiast who is passionate about covering topics people want to read.
The interior of the dome of the Pennsylvania Capitol where the state lawmakers meet is shown in Harrisburg, Pa., in this March 22, 2021, file photo.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Children now make up 36% of Tennessee's reported COVID-19 cases, marking yet another sobering milestone in the state's battle against the high contagious delta variant, Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said Wednesday.

"We had 14,000 pediatric cases in the last seven days, which is a 57% increase over the week prior," Piercey told reporters. "Right now, 36% of all of our cases in the state are among children when it's historically been in the 10 to 15% range."

According to researchers from Johns Hopkins, Tennessee ranks sixth in the country for new cases per capita. The rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by about 2,200, an increase of 75%, over the past two weeks.

Piercey said the biggest increase has been among school-age children just as many are kicking off the new school year.

This spike has raised calls from some health officials for the state to take more forceful protective measures to prevent the spread the virus among young children, teachers and other staffers.

However, Gov. Bill Lee has thus far resisted such suggestions. Instead, he recently signed an executive order letting parents opt their children out of coronavirus-related mask mandates in K-12 schools just as a few school districts issued mask requirements for students and others.

When pressed Wednesday if the Republican was considering giving schools more flexibility to hold virtual learning, Lee said no.

We dont have any plans to do that yet, he said.

Currently, students can only attend remote learning if their district has adopted a specific virtual school  which not every district has implemented. Lee could authorize an emergency order allowing schools to expand their virtual learning options, but thus far chosen has not to do so.

Numerous schools have since been forced to close their doors for days at a time due to the increasing amount of students and teachers testing positive for the virus or having to quarantine.

If you want to protect your kid from the virus or from quarantine, the best way to do that is to have your kid in school with a mask. At the same time, I fundamentally believe parents should individually make that decision for their children, Lee said. It's a way forward that will provide for parental choice but encourage the safety of our children moving forward.

Few school districts have adopted a mask mandate as Tennessees vaccination rates remain among the lowest nationally. Those districts include Nashville and Shelby County, the latter the largest school district in the state. Some smaller school districts have as well.

Public health experts say masks are a key coronavirus-prevention tool that does not pose health risks for children older than toddler age and are most effective when worn by a larger number of people. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has again recommended them for schools. Currently, only those 12 and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.
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Yellow stars worn by anti-vaxx passport protesters condemned

Joel Goldenberg / CTV News Photo A yellow star worn during the Aug. 14 anti-vaccine passport protest.

The Montreal Holocaust Museum condemned some participants at an Aug. 14 anti-vaccine downtown Montreal protest who wore yellow stars that said sans vaccin.

Yellow Stars of David were worn by Jews as a means of identification during World War II in Nazi-occupied Europe.

Comparisons between vaccine passports and yellow Stars of David are offensive, inaccurate, and attempt to trivialize the painful history of the Holocaust, the MHM posted on Facebook. Jews aged six years and over who lived under the Nazi regime were ordered to wear this badge on their clothing as a form of identification. This symbol allowed the Nazis to target, persecute, and murder millions of Jews.

Notably, the badges facilitated the persecution of Jews by identifying them during mass arrests and later deportations. As a result, the yellow star has become a painful symbol of Jewish discrimination and the Holocaust.

Eta Yudin, vice-president of CIJA Quebec, agreed that the use of the yellow star trivializes the Holocaust and told the media she is happy political leaders are expressing their disapproval.

Those leaders included Anti-Racism Minister Benoit Charette, who told the media he was disgusted by the use of the yellow star, calling it a direct affront to Jewish Quebecers.

PQ MNA Pascal Berube pointed out that he visited the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem.

That moment horrified and moved me for life. The demonstrators who wear the yellow star are committing a heinous contempt of the Jewish community here and elsewhere. Let this practice stop. None of that here.
NED BRISTOL is a former editor of The Sun Chronicle. For those who read his Aug. 11 ice cream column he reports that landscapers have fully restored the neglected hedge/sign along the Mass Pike so it once again spells out Friendly Ice Cream.
Ryan Boyce, 18, of North Attleboro gets his first Pfizer shot aboard the Vax Bus at the Willett School in Attleboro last month. The bus returns to Willett School from noon to 6 p.m. Friday. No appointment is needed.
As Americans fled Kabul and desperate Afghans sought to follow, Jerry and Brett Young stood in the yard of their rural Rochester home Friday and remembered their boy who never got to see his 26th birthday.

He loved to skateboard when he was younger. And he loved all kinds of music. He especially liked jazz, the blues and hard rock, Brett recalled of her son Chad.

His father Jerry pointed to two road signs hanging on a nearby shed.

One designated a portion of Illinois 4 as the Cpl. James Chad Young Memorial Highway. Another recognized him as a 2003 Glenwood High School graduate killed in that distant land.

This nation honors its war dead, as well it should. I admire the willingness of our servicemen and women to sacrifice for this great nation. But Im left wondering if our nation is too willing to send men and women into harms way.

Im not a pacifist but I find myself often skeptical of our governments intentions.

Jimmy Carter, perhaps the best person to be president in my lifetime, annoyed many when he said the U.S. is the most warlike nation in history. Thats a tough pill to swallow. But its worth noting that of the 245 years the nation has existed, we have been at war 226 years.

A Brown University study found that since 9/11 the U.S. has spent more than $6.4 trillion on military actions in the Middle East.

Think how many schools, highways, bridges and parks could have been created with that money.

Of course, those figures understate the cost of war. For families such as the Youngs, the cost has been immeasurable. Tears still flow freely 11 years after his death. And his was one of nearly 7,000 American service men and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

At least 801,000 people have been killed by direct war violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan. Many were civilians.

You know all politicians lie, Jerry Young said. They will say things that arent true or they will vote for something they really dont believe in because someone did them a favor.

While he had a strong opinion about the integrity, or the lack of it, exhibited by our elected officials, his opinion on the Afghanistan war is muted.

I really dont have an opinion on what is happening over there other than its sad. Its like when Osama Bin Laden was killed, some reporter called and wanted our opinion. What are we supposed to say? We are glad hes dead?

For Rock Island native Tyler Carroll, the war was almost half his lifetime ago. The 41-year-old was one of the first soldiers to fight in Afghanistan after 9/11.

I had friends killed over there and I know others who were badly wounded. And others came home with mental issues, he said.

The Afghanistan war is the longest in U.S. history.

Its not affecting me as much as others, Carroll said. It was so long ago for me. Was it worth it? Well, our initial mission was to destroy Al Qaeda and make sure the Taliban was not in control. Al Qaeda was damaged, Osama Bin Laden has been killed but the Taliban is back in control. Perhaps they werent ready for democracy. But many of the people we interacted with there seemed to want it.

Democracy runs in Carrolls blood. Hes a scion of a Quad-City political dynasty. His grandpa is former state Sen. Denny Jacobs, his great grandfather was state Rep. Oral Jacobs and his uncle is former state Sen. Mike Jacobs.

Still, he is skeptical whether the U.S. should impose democracy on other nations.

One shouldnt be surprised. Most wars end in ambiguity. We honor the abstract causes for which men and women fought  freedom, patriotism, service  but we can also question the wisdom of policies that deployed them into harms way.

When I was a child in the 1970s, I didnt think much about war. I was in 4th grade when Saigon fell in April of 1975.

Not long after that, I was canoeing down a river with my parents and we met another family paddling downstream  a husband, wife and two little girls.

The man in the other canoe had no legs.

For the rest of the trip my mother was quiet and contemplative.

Finally, I asked her, Why doesnt that man have any legs?

Her voice cracked and she said, He lost them in that awful, awful war. We should never have been there.

Last week, when I saw the hurt in Chad Youngs parents eyes and heard the reports from Kabul, I couldnt help but think the same thing.

Scott Reeder is a veteran journalist. He can be reached at Scottreeder1965@gmail.com.
COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine  National nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) urges all Americans to join together on Tuesday, September 7, in waving the American flag in remembrance of the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001.

The event will be hosted live on Wreaths Across America's official Facebook page and broadcast over Wreaths Across America Radio. It will include Gold Star families, whose loved ones answered the call to serve after 9/11, veterans, and first responders and their families.

WAA gathers every Tuesday morning from 9-10 a.m. ET to raise the American flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance from the Freeport Flag Ladies Monument in Jonesboro, Maine, near the "tip lands," where the balsam is harvested to make veterans wreaths for placement on National Wreaths Across America Day each December. The monument was built by Wreaths Across America and Worcester Wreath Co. in September 2019, after the Freeport Flag Ladies retired following 18 years of waving the American Flag in Freeport, Maine, each Tuesday since Sept. 11, 2001.

Now, more than ever, it is so critical for communities to come together to remember all those who served, and honor their service and their familys service, especially those who volunteered during the War on Terror following the events of September 11, 2001, said WAA Executive Director Karen Worcester.

But more than anything, we must teach our children about these men and women, and the courage and commitment it takes to be a part of the small number of Americans who protect all our freedoms," she said. "Please join me on September 7th, as we wave the flag across America, like we do each Tuesday morning, and never forget that freedom isnt free, and it must be protected.

The flag-waving event will begin at 8:45 a.m. ET and conclude at 10:05 a.m. ET. In addition to the national anthem, Pledge of Allegiance and sharing of stories, the event will include four moments of silence at the specific times listed below.

 At 8:46 a.m. ET, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, five hijackers took control of American Airlines Flight 11 and flew it into the heart of New York City and the northern facade of the World Trade Centers North Tower.

 At 9:03 a.m. ET, five other hijackers flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the southern facade of the South Tower.

 At 9:37 a.m. ET, another five hijackers flew American Airlines flight 77 into the western facade of the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia.

 At 10:03 a.m. ET, four hijackers crashed United Airlines Flight 93 into a field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Wreaths Across America is the nonprofit organization best known for placing veterans wreaths on the headstones of the nations fallen at Arlington National Cemetery. However, the organization, in total, places more than two million sponsored veterans wreaths at over 2,750 participating locations, including Alton, nationwide and offers year-round programs in support of its mission to remember, honor and teach.

These programs include the Mobile Education Exhibit, which will be visiting New Jersey, Maine, Delaware and Maryland in September and Wreaths Across America Radio. Morning show host Michael W. Hale will conduct live interviews and on-air tributes on Saturday, Sept. 11, during a special edition broadcast of his morning show from 8-10 a.m. ET.

This year, National Wreaths Across America Day will be held on Saturday, Dec. 18, at more than 2,750 participating locations across the country. To sponsor a $15 wreath for an American hero, or to learn more about how to volunteer, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.
MIAMI (AP)  A group of Haitian migrants was taken into federal custody after coming ashore Tuesday afternoon in South Florida, federal authorities said.

Federal officers and local law enforcement took 42 migrants into custody near Key Biscayne, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Chief Patrol Agent Thomas Martin posted on social media.
LTON  The Alton Maria will celebrate its 25th anniversary on Saturday, Aug. 28.

General Manager Karen Baker-Brncic said the event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a ribbon cutting. At 6:30 p.m., Billy Stork and Rob Honke will be present with the Black Iron BBQ Food Truck to serve their award winning BBQ.

At 7:30 p.m., the Z-Band will perform under the Alton Marina Pavilion. There will also be an outdoor bar. The celebration is open to the public, according to Baker-Brncic.

In addition to the marina celebrating 25 years, Baker-Brncics company  Parrot Pointe Marine, Inc.  will be marking 14 years.

We invite everyone to come out and come enjoy a great night on Altons premier waterfront and dance the night away, Baker-Brncic said.

According to Baker-Brncic, the marina has been returning back to normal amid the COVID pandemic. She said the marina takes a lot of precautions, describing herself and her staff as clean freaks.

Most of our activities take place outside, she said. That makes a difference in a COVID-type atmosphere.

I think were faring better than businesses that are enclosed and have a lot of restrictions, she said.

According to Baker-Brncic, the main goal of the marina is to make everyone feel like theyre on vacation, even if theyre close to home.

She said the general occupancy at the marina has been increasing over the past year.

Additionally, she said that the loopers have started to come back. Loopers are people who sail and travel along the Great Loop  a continuous waterway that recreational mariners can travel which includes part of the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterways, the Great Lakes, the Canadian Heritage Canals and the inland rivers of Americas heartland.
MILFORD, Mass. (AP)  A suspect in the stabbing death of a man whose body was found in a storage unit in Massachusetts where he had apparently been living has been apprehended in Virginia, authorities said Wednesday.

The 28-year-old suspect was arrested in Charlottesville, Virginia on Tuesday on the charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, according to a statement from the office of Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr.
Editors Note: This story is part of a series on the honorees for the YWCA of Alton 30th Women of Distinction Celebration planned Aug. 26 in East Alton.

ALTON  Yvonne Campbell, of Alton, has been providing the Riverbend with sweetness for more than 25 years.

Campbells first job in high school was at the My Just Desserts bakery and cafe at 31 E. Broadway and after studying culinary arts at Southwestern Illinois College, she moved back into the baking world.

Campbell said My Just Desserts previous owner, Ann Badasch, was a big inspiration for her.

While employed at My Just Desserts, previous to ownership, I watched Ann be a continuous supporter of the YWCA, Campbell said.

Campbell said that being involved with the YWCA helps strengthen her positive attitude.

Its feels good to be able to support such a great organization that supports not only our youth but the growth of our community as a whole, she said.

Outside of the YWCA, Campbell is involved with the Oasis Womens Center, Alton Main Street and the Great River and Routes Tourism Bureau. She is the mother of three children: Nakiyah, 26, Prince, 16, and Anaiah, 14.

Campbell said her goal is to continue to grow her business nationwide and she hopes to have a second location soon. Her advice to young women is to remember that the sky is the limit.

Discover your passion, and never give up on your dreams, Campbell said.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP)  A Northern California fire that gutted hundreds of homes advanced toward Lake Tahoe on Wednesday as thousands of firefighters tried to box in the flames, and a thick yellow haze of the nations worst air enveloped tourists.

In Southern California, at least a dozen homes and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed after a fire broke out Wednesday afternoon and quickly ran through tinder-dry brush in mountains northeast of Los Angeles. Evacuations were ordered for about 1,000 people.

Crews mounted an air attack to keep the South Fire from the tiny communities of Lytle Creek and Scotland near the Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County. By nightfall, the fire appeared to be mostly contained.

To the north, a new fire erupted in the Sierra Nevada foothills and quickly burned at least 1,000 acres of land near New Melones Lake in Calaveras County, prompting evacuations.

Meanwhile, the Caldor Fire spread to within 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Lake Tahoe, eating its way through rugged timberlands and knocking on the door of the basin that straddles the California-Nevada state line, Californias state fire chief Thom Porter warned this week.

Ash rained down and tourists ducked into cafes, outdoor gear shops and casinos on Lake Tahoe Boulevard for a respite from the unhealthy air.

South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe City on the west shore had the nations worst air pollution at midmorning Wednesday, reaching 334, in the hazardous category of the 0-500 Air Quality Index, according to AirNow, a partnership of federal, state and local air agencies.

South of Tahoe, Rick Nelson and his wife, Diane, had planned to host a weekend wedding at Fallen Leaf Lake, where his daughter and her fiance had met. However, the smoke caused most of the community to leave. The sun was an eerie blood orange, and the floats and boats in the lake were obscured by haze Tuesday.

In the end, the Nelsons spent two days arranging to have the wedding moved from the glacial lake several hours southwest to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Everybodys trying to make accommodations for the smoke. And I think its becoming a reality for us, unfortunately, Diane Nelson said. I just think that the smoke and the fires have gotten bigger, hotter and faster-moving.

Climate change has made the 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.

Although there were no evacuations ordered for Lake Tahoe, it was impossible to ignore a blanket of haze so thick and vast that it closed schools for two days in Reno, Nevada, which is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the fire.

The school district that includes Reno reopened most schools on Wednesday, citing improved air quality conditions. However, the Washoe County School Districts schools in Incline Village on the north shore of Lake Tahoe remained closed, the district said in a statement.

The Caldor fire has scorched more than 197 square miles (510 square kilometers) and destroyed at least 461 homes since Aug. 14 in the Sierra Nevada southwest of the lake. It was 11% contained and threatened more than 17,000 structures.

The western side of the blaze continued to threaten more than a dozen small communities and wineries. On the fire's eastern side, crews bulldozed fire lines, opened up narrow logging roads and cleared ridgetops in hopes of stopping its advance, fire officials said.

More than 2,500 firefighters were on the line and more resources were streaming in, including big firefighting aircraft, fire officials said.

Meanwhile, California's Dixie Fire, the second-largest in state history at 1,148 square miles (2,973 square kilometers), was burning only about 65 miles (104 kilometers) to the north. New evacuations were ordered after winds pushed the blaze to the northeast on Wednesday, as flames crossed State Route 44 and headed toward campgrounds near Eagle Lake.

The Dixie Fire, which broke out July 13, was 43% contained. At least 682 homes were among more than 1,270 buildings that have been destroyed.

In the southern Sierra Nevada, there was growing concern after the French Fire expanded near Lake Isabella, a popular fishing and boating destination.

The fire really made a big push and put up a huge column of smoke," fire spokesman Alex Olow said Wednesday. Because flames were still active, assessment teams have been unable to get into neighborhoods to see if any homes were damaged, he said.

About 10 communities were under evacuation orders. The fire has blackened 32 square miles (83 square kilometers) since Aug. 18.

Nationally, 92 large fires were burning in a dozen mainly Western states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.

Northern California has experienced a series of disastrous blazes that have burned hundreds of homes, and many remain uncontained.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden declared that a major disaster exists in California and ordered federal aid made available to local governments, agencies and fire victims in four northern counties ravaged by blazes dating back to July 14.
EDWARDSVILLE  An East Alton man is facing an auto theft charge after an Aug. 17 incident.

Scott H. Butler, 26, of East Alton, was charged Aug. 24 with offenses relating to motor vehicles, a Class 2 felony.

The case was presented by the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force.

According to court documents, on Au. 17 Butler allegedly was found to be in the possession of a stolen 2008 Harley Davidson XL883.

Bail was set at $50,000.

Other felony charges filed Aug. 24 by the Madison County States Attorneys Office include:

 Julie M. Bridgeman, 43, of Alton, was charged with burglary, a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the East Alton Police Department. According to court documents, on Aug. 9 Bridgeman allegedly entered a 1979 Oldsmobile in the 500 block of W. St. Louis Avenue, East Alton, to commit theft. Bail was set at $50,000. In June she was charged with burglary and unlawful use of a debit card after allegedly entering a 2000 Jeep Cherokee parked in Eastgate Plaza.

 Tina M. Walden, 49, of Springfield, Illinois, was charged with retail theft over $300, a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the Wood River Police Department. On Aug. 23 Walden allegedly took multiple bottles of alcohol valued in excess of $300 from the Wood River Schnucks store, 1900 E. Edwardsville Road. Bail was set at $50,000.

 Henry D. Wilson, 34, of Mt. Olive, Illinois, was charged with retail theft under $300 (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Collinsville Police Department. On July 30 Wilson allegedly took various merchandise valued at less than $300 from the Collinsville Walmart, 1040 Collinsville Crossing. She has a prior conviction for theft out of Montgomery County in 2017. Bail was set at $15,000.

 George C. Cantrell, 40, Wood River, was charged with unlawful use of a debit card, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the East Alton Police Department. On July 20 Cantrell allegedly used a debit card without the permission of the cardholder to play less than $300 in slots at Jackpot Slots, 23 Eastgate Plaza. Bail was set at $50,000.

 Gene R. Marchant, 42, of Paris, Illinois, was charged with aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, and aggravated driving while license revoked or suspended, both Class 4 felonies. The case was presented by the Illinois State Police. On July 20 Marchant allegedly was driving a 2004 Buick when he fled from an ISP trooper, reaching speeds in excess of 21 miles over the posted speed limit. He allegedly was also found to be driving on Interstate 55 with a revoked license. His license was revoked because of a DUI conviction in Edgar County. It was also noted he has a prior conviction for driving while license revoked out of Edgar County in 2015. Bail was set at $40,000.

 Barry G. Mazzarella, 40, of Wood River, was charged with aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Alton Police Department. On Aug. 4 Mazzarella allegedly was driving a 2002 Toyota Tacoma when he attempted to flee from an Alton police officer, reaching speeds in excess of 21 miles above the posted speed limit. Bail was set at $25,000.

 Brenda L. Donithan, 23, of Granite City, was charged Aug. 23 with retail theft under $300 (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Collinsville Police Department. On Aug. 22 Donithan allegedly took office supplies and clothing valued at less than $300 from the Collinsville Walmart, 1040 Collinsville Crossing. She has a 2019 Madison County conviction for robbery. Bail was set at $15,000.
NEW YORK (AP)  A racket in which corrupt lawyers and doctors generated over $20 million in lawsuit settlements by manipulating hundreds of homeless individuals and other desperate people to feign trip-and-fall accidents has been shut down with an indictment, authorities announced Wednesday.

Charges against two lawyers and two doctors in Manhattan federal court were unveiled by authorities who detailed a scam in which people allegedly agreed to undergo needless surgeries sometimes to boost the value of lawsuits seeking compensation for fake accidents.

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said the defendants preyed upon the most vulnerable members of society" to carry out a fraud that stretched from January 2013 through April 2018.

The defendants abused their professional licenses and positions of trust to steal millions of dollars from New York City businesses and their insurance companies through a massive trip-and-fall fraud scheme," she said in a release.

Michael J. Driscoll, a New York FBI official, called the scheme beyond reprehensible."

He said the case illustrated the extent to which some are willing to go in the name of money."

Marc Elefant, 49, a lawyer, and two doctors  Andrew Dowd, 45, and Sady Ribeiro, 51  were arrested on Wednesday and awaited court appearances. Another lawyer, George Constantine, 58, was expected to surrender Thursday, authorities said.

Aaron Mysliwiec, a lawyer for Dowd, declined to comment.

Michael Bachner, an attorney for Elefant, said his client denies the allegations contained in the indictment and looks forward to his day in court."

He added: We are confident that the evidence proves that Mr. Elefant acted in good faith and in reliance on the information provided to him."

Marc Gann, an attorney representing Constantine, said his client certainly denies the allegations adamantly and looks forward to fighting these charges in court.

He called Constantine a longstanding member of the bar with what I believe is a stellar record as an attorney.

A lawyer for Ribeiro did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

An indictment said lawsuit settlements exceeded $20 million while Constantine collected more than $5 million in legal fees.

It said Down, an orthopedic surgeon, earned $9,500 per surgery as he performed hundreds of knee and shoulder surgeries on scheme patients. Ribeiro, the indictment said, was a pain management doctor and surgeon who performed back surgeries and other procedures, treating nearly 200 patients.

The indictment said participants in the scheme recruited more than 400 people to either claim they had fallen where no accident occurred or to deliberately fall at New York City locations where they could claim there were cracks in concrete sidewalks, potholes or unsecured cellar doors.

Lawyers then filed lawsuits claiming that falls resulted from the negligence of the owners of accident sites, the indictment said.

Authorities said the lawsuits attempted to defraud victims of more than $31 million.

As part of the scam, individuals who claimed or staged fake accidents were urged to receive continuing chiropractic care and eventually were told they needed to undergo surgeries to boost the value of their lawsuits, the indictment said.

The medical procedures included spinal fusions, knee and shoulder surgeries and epidural injections and at least one patient who underwent a surgery as part of the fraud scheme was told after awaking from general anesthesia that she almost died during the surgery," the indictment said.

The patients were generally told to undergo two surgeries and were encouraged to do so through loans of between $1,000 and $1,500 per surgery, it said.

The individuals recruited to take falls and become plaintiffs in lawsuits were extremely poor," insufficiently clothed, and they often asked for food when they appeared for meetings with their lawyers, court papers said.

Some of them were drug users and it was common for participants in the fraud to recruit them at New York City homeless shelters, according to the indictment.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexicos state-owned oil company said Tuesday the possible remains of two missing subcontractors had been found on one of its oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico following a weekend fire.

Petroleos Mexicanos said it had restored about 17% of the lost production caused by the fire at the platform. The company, known as Pemex, said that by Aug. 30 it hoped to restore all of the 421,000 barrels per day in production knocked out by the blaze.

The platform caught fire after a gas leak during maintenance Sunday, killing five workers and leaving two others missing. Forensic tests were being carried out on the possible remains to see if they belonged to the missing workers.

Pemex Director Octavio Romero said the apparent remains were found in a control room on the platform where temperatures reached around 1,800 degrees (1,000 degrees Celsius). Such heat would have burned the bodies beyond recognition.

The fire at the processing platform in the Ku-Maloob-Zaap field caused the shutdown of 125 wells in the field. That knocked out production equivalent to about one-quarter of Mexicos daily output of almost 1.7 million barrels per day.

The platform is used to compress gas to re-inject it into wells to stimulate oil pumping and to supply electricity to wells.

Romero said 25 wells that produce about 71,000 barrels per day had already been brought back on line and that an additional 29 producing 110,000 barrels should be back up within 36 hours.

Romero said some of the workers killed were carrying out routine maintenance and cleaning of gas lines on the platform. The maintenance work was being carried out by subcontractors from two firms.

Six workers were injured in the blaze, and one was in serious condition.

Romero said Monday investigations are continuing into the cause of the accident.

This was the result not of an equipment failure, not of a lack of maintenance, but rather of planned (maintenance) work, where what occurred is known as an accident, Romero said. Why did it occur? That is something we will find out in coming days.

The administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has gone on a ruthless cost-cutting campaign, and critics have said that spending cuts along with Pemexs staggering debt loads may have affected investment, safety and maintenance.

Romero hotly denied that.

This is not due to an issue of lack of investment, as some media outlets have said, Romero said. It is an issue related to the inherent risks of the oil industry.

The accident comes less than two months after another Pemex pipeline in the same Gulf field leaked, causing a strange subaquatic fireball that the company said was caused by a bizarre chain of events, including a lightning storm and a simultaneous gas pipeline leak.

A leak in an underwater pipeline allowed natural gas to build up on the ocean floor and once it rose to the surface on July 2, it was probably ignited by a lightning bolt, the company said.
SPRINGFIELD  Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed legislation sponsored by state Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, to help recruit teachers.

The COVID pandemic and related school closures have made it much harder for students and have left many of them in need of additional instruction during the summer, said McClure. This legislation makes sure that schools are able to staff those extremely important summer programs.

Paying teachers to staff summer school programs technically results in pay increases for the instructors. Because the states teacher pension system has a cap on how much teachers salaries can increase near retirement, schools may not be able utilize those near-retirement teachers for summer school work.

Illinois has received billions of dollars from the federal government to help pay for added COVID-related schooling costs. Senate Bill 1646 removes the pension cap for schools conducting summer school between May 1, 2021 and Sept. 15, 2022.

The legislation also includes changes to help public schools recruit teachers with private school experience. Private school teachers arent part of the states pension program. When they move to a public school, they may lose benefits in whatever private retirement program they had before and their prior years of private school teaching wont count toward their new state pension.

McClures legislation allows teachers to pay into the system to cover both the employee and employer pension contributions, plus the actuarially assumed rate of interest, for up to two years of private teaching. It also requires that their previous private school was certified by the Illinois State Board of Education. Teachers have until June 30, 2023 to take advantage of the program.

The COVID pandemic worsened what was already a growing statewide teacher shortage, said McClure. This legislation isnt the final answer, but it will provide one more tool to help schools find and hire qualified teachers.
Robert Wadlow was 22 years old when he died in 1940, standing at a height of 8 feet, 11.1 inches tall, the tallest a person has ever grown (with proof), according to Guinness World Records. Wadlow, a citizen of Alton, Ill., died in Manistee, Mich. of a septic blister on his right ankle, caused by an ill-fitting brace.

Wadlow, born Feb. 18, 1922, was a cherished member of the Alton community, and during his life was a boy scout, member of the YMCA, was part of the Main Street Methodist Church in Alton and a member of the Franklin Masonic Lodge. He also spent his time visiting hospitals and orphanages, as well as military camps and charitable organizations.

"He was one of a kind in this area," Carol Frisse, an archival research assistant at the Madison County Archival Library in Edwardsville, Ill. said. "He was part of Madison County history, he is pretty well known throughout the country. I was in California several years ago for a trade show and as I was waiting to get in, somebody saw a notation about him and said 'nobody ever grows that tall', and I said yes they do. They were surprised. He truly was one of a kind."

Recently, the tallest man in America, Igor Vovkovinskiy, who resided in Minnesota, passed away. He stood at 7 feet, 8.33 inches tall as of the latest measurement. The tallest living man is Sultan Kosen of Turkey, who stands at 8 feet, 2.8 inches tall. Nobody has come close to Wadlow's height.

Wadlow stood 6 feet, 2 inches tall at just eight years old. His astounding growth was attributed to an over-active pituitary gland, which produced much higher than normal levels of growth hormone. Today, medicine helps account for such problems, but in the 1920s and 30s, when Wadlow lived, there was no therapy available.

Wadlow was the world's tallest boy scout when he joined at 13, standing 7 feet, 4 inches tall. He later became a member of DeMolay, a youth organization based in Kansas City, and worked for the International Shoe Company, who provided Wadlow his size 37 shoes for free as part of his compensation package. Wadlow worked as a goodwill ambassador for the shoe company, touring the country including a trip west to California.

Wadlow had trouble with sensation in his feet, and did not feel chaffing in his shoes or braces until blisters formed, which allowed for the fatal blister to form in Manistee. Wadlow died on July 15, 1940 in his sleep and was returned to Alton, where his funeral was held and over 40,000 people signed the guest register.

In 1984, a citizens committee organized efforts to honor Wadlow, and in 1985 a bronze statue was erected on the campus of Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine.

"He liked children and being around children, he would bring back gifts for his brothers and sisters from his trips around the country," Frisse said. "That's why he got the name Gentle Giant, he was not like the average person. People read stories or hear stories about him and they don't believe he's real. He was very much so and like all the other kids attended schools and participated in all kinds of things as he grew older."

Wadlow is buried in Oakwood Cemetary in Alton with a headstone that reads "At Rest".
EDWARDSVILLE  College Factual has ranked the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing and School of Business among its Best Value Colleges for 2021.

College Factuals Best Value Colleges for Nursing reviewed 649 institutions that offer a bachelors in nursing and ranked SIUE 11th in the nation and No. 1 in Illinois. College Factual looked at nursing schools that offer a high-quality educational experience at a price lower than expected. When calculating average cost, College Factual took tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, and other related expenses into account.

College Factuals Best Value Colleges for Business Administration and Management ranking looked at 876 colleges that offer a bachelors in business administration and ranked SIUE 19th in the nation and No. 2 in Illinois. When determining best value, College Factual did not simply mean those with the lowest price. For this ranking, College Factual identified those business administration schools that provide students with a high-quality education at a price that is lower than other colleges and universities of the same caliber.

It is great to see our affordability recognized in combination with our proven academic quality, said Scott Belobrajdic, EdD, associate vice chancellor for Enrollment Management. The value message is strong and clear.

Both schools have earned the highest level of academic accreditation available, he noted. The School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing (CCNE), and has an outstanding track record of preparing students for the NCLEX and other exams. The School of Business, accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), has been celebrated by The Princeton Review as a top program for the past 15 years. The Best Value recognition is another welcome acknowledgement of the fine work being accomplished by faculty, staff and students in both rapidly growing schools.

At SIUE, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.5 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $17,498. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, College Factual determined that the average amount a student would pay for a bachelors in nursing or business administration at SIUE is $79,091. Graduating earlier lessens a students out of pocket cost.
DODOMA, Tanzania (AP)  Tanzania's president on Wednesday said five people are dead, including three police officers, after a gun battle with an armed man near the French Embassy in Dar es Salaam.

It was not immediately clear whether the shootout in the heavily guarded diplomatic area was a terror attack. Inspector general of police Simon Sirro told reporters the armed man was a foreigner and police believe he was from Somalia. Sirro also warned the attack could be linked to the jihadist insurgency in neighboring Mozambique, where a growing number of African nations are jointly pursuing the fighters.
ALTON  Dr. Christine Taylor is joining Alton OB/GYN Associates, located in Suite 125 of Medical Office Building B on the Alton Memorial Hospital campus.

Taylor begins Sept. 1 and accepts patients 13 years and older. She provides comprehensive obstetric and gynecological care, including well-woman exams, prenatal care and delivery, menopausal management, cervical cancer screenings, and contraception counseling. She also provides evaluation and treatment of abnormal bleeding, vulvar conditions and other gynecologic concerns.

In addition to routine gynecologic surgeries, she has been performing robotic surgery since 2011. She believes robotic surgery allows women who need surgery to recover faster and easier.

Taylor is experienced in complicated pregnancies, natural birth and C-sections. She has a special interest in preventing complications during and after pregnancy and has worked at the national and state levels to advocate for quality care for women.

Taylor attended medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and did residency at Saint Louis University. She chose to practice Obstetrics & Gynecology because she enjoys caring for women throughout the different stages of life.

Originally from Oklahoma, Taylor practiced in the Alton area from 2001 to 2005. Family took her back to Oklahoma until she was able to return this year. Outside of practicing medicine, she enjoys spending time with her family, running, and being involved in church and community activities.

For more information or to make an appointment, call 618-433-6410.
Coronavirus is seeing a surge across Illinois, including in the Western Central region and in the Metro East. That uptick is largely caused by the delta variant, which has become the dominant variant in the United States, surpassing the alpha variant.

That's partly because the delta variant is more transmissible than the common cold and influenza, as well as the viruses that cause smallpox, MERS, SARS and Ebola, according to Yale Medicine. Vaccinated people can also transmit the delta variant, as CDC-released data shows, which experts believe not to be the case with other variants. That has led to reinforced mask mandates in some places and mask recommendations in others.

"This delta variant is more contagious than the other versions we experienced up until a couple of months ago," said Dr. Steven Lawrence, a Washington University infectious disease physician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. "If you have one person infected and other people exposed, in the same situation, more of those exposed people become infected than with the old virus.

"There are a couple reasons, in those who have the virus, the virus reproduces and replicates at higher levels," Lawrence continued. "When we speak, sing, talk, cough, more virus comes out. Thats one part. There may be some additional advantage as well, when the delta variant lands in somebody elses mouth, nose, throat, it may be stickier and more likely to cause infection once inside. The combination of those two things are why we believe the delta variant is more infectious and easier to pass, twice as likely as previous variants."

The delta variant is different than previous variants of coronavirus and the original strain because of mutations to the spike protein, which is what the virus uses to latch onto cells and which is the part of the virus used to create mRNA vaccines like the ones distributed in the United States, as well as other vaccines.

"Think of a virus as a tiny little ball of genetic material, surrounded by a protein around it and then on the surface there are these little spikes, the spike proteins," Lawrence said. "They are super important for how the virus works and makes us sick. Those spike proteins are how the virus attaches to us, those spikes attach to cells within our nose or throat or mouth and once that attaches, our immune system generates an immune response that will attack the spike protein.

"Thats the basis for the vaccines, our vaccines are only introducing the spike protein into those who get the vaccine, rather than the whole virus," Lawrence continued. "Thats the main part of the virus against which our body generates an immune response, once we develop antibodies against that spike protein, that protects us against future exposures."

Spike protein mutations are not the only changes COVID-19 has gone through in different mutations and variants of the virus. Mutations occur when people are infecting each other, and it changes over time.

"There are lots of mutations as the virus is infecting from one person to another, changing over time, mutations change the shape just a tiny bit and when that happens, it affects how the virus works," Lawrence said. "That can result in either more infections, like with delta, or when it changes shape, it affects how well our vaccines work in protecting against it. So far, the changes with delta havent resulted in vaccines working less, were fortunate that the vaccines use a very specific shape, the delta variant has a slightly different shape but the important parts are still the same so our bodies antibodies are still very effective in preventing the delta variant from hurting us as that part is still the same."

People who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus continue to have strong protection against COVID-19 compared to those who arent. But anyone who is unvaccinated and not practicing preventive strategies is at high risk for infection by the new variant, doctors say.

"With the huge number of people in hospitals and the hospitals that are being overflowed and ICU beds that are almost full, in almost every single hospital, the vast majority, near 95%, 96%, 97% are people who are unvaccinated," Lawrence said. "We dont see a lot of people with a lot of breakthrough infections that are severe, still taking extra precautions with masking due to some risk but the risk is so much lower than against those who are unvaccinated. In terms of serious illness, 90-95% plus are unvaccinated individuals."

According to the CDC, even people with breakthrough cases -- cases that occur in the vaccinated population -- can carry large amounts of virus in their sinuses and, according to preliminary reports, can spread the virus to others whether or not that are asymptomatic, which many who suffer a breakthrough case are, according to UC Davis Health. Delta, in June, was spreading 50% faster than the alpha variant, was 50% more contagious than the original strain of SARS-CoV-2.

The delta variant, while capable of breakthrough cases, has disproportionately affected the unvaccinated. That has led to more spread in places like Missouri with lower vaccination rates. It has also led to more cases among children.

Some experts have said that conquering the delta variant will take a race between vaccination rates and the variant, but if delta keeps moving quickly, infections in the U.S. could continue to steepen an upward COVID-19 curve. Part of the reason the delta variant is able to move so quickly is that viral load -- a measure of the density of viral particles in the body -- is up to 1,260 times higher in those infected with delta than those infected with the original virus.

"In an individual who is infected, there is 1,200 times more virus, theres a lot more virus thats there," Lawrence said. "More virus is transmitted out to the environment when an infected person uses their mouth, theres more virus that gets expelled and out in the environment for nearby contacts to get that virus inside their own nose or mouth, more virus is passed. That doesn't mean it's 1,200 times more infectious, but that amount of virus has led to twice the infectiousness."

There are remaining questions about the delta variant, including whether it makes you sicker than the original virus. Some studies -- including one from Scotland -- show that delta was twice as likely as the alpha variant to result in hospitalization in unvaccinated individuals, but other data has shown no significant difference.

In August, the Biden administration made a recommendation that Americans get a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine eight months after their second dose. The FDA has determined that vaccines are safe and effective, and health officials have recommended third doses as soon as Sept. 20, sooner for those who are immunocompromised. Vaccine immunity has been shown to wane with time, although protections from hospitalization remain in place.

"These vaccines are among some of the best we've ever made, when we had the first numbers -- 95% of all symptomatic infections were prevented -- 5% weren't protected," Lawrence said. "That's still phenomenal, compared to the flu vaccine which is 50-75% effective. That still means 1 in 20 people are still going to get infected, and breakthrough cases have always been known and will occur more often as a huge amount of virus is in the community, with more opportunity to get exposed and infected. That 5% will add up over time.

"Weve seen some reduction in the amount of protection against mild illness occurring over time, it has a little bit to do with delta, as it is more contagious and there is more virus to be exposed to, 95% is the number against prior variants, with delta and being exposed to more virus, we dont see the same level as 95% versus any symptoms. However, there is also a reduction in protection versus mild illness over time as vaccines fade a little bit over time and we're starting to see that, the most important thing is to remember that the vast majority of people who have been vaccinated, even with breakthrough cases, the vast majority suffer only mild infections, vaccines provide extremely high protection against serious illness and severe disease, even against delta even eight months out, we still see those high levels of protection."

Other questions about the delta virus linger, including many about delta plus -- a subvariant that has been found in the U.S., the U.K. and other countries. The delta-plus subvariant has a mutation called K417N which affects the spike protein.

Another variant, AY.3, which currently accounts for about 15% of the coronavirus cases in the U.S., has also shown more transmissibility than other coronavirus variants. AY.3 does not have the same K417N mutation, but has mutation I3731V. Other properties about AY.3 are currently not known, but the variant, like AY.1 and AY.2, are not believed to be more transmissible than the original delta variant.

"There is concern about new variants, some of the new ones havent infected enough people yet, they arent widespread enough to know if any of them will become more contagious or more frequent, we dont know about any of those just yet," Lawrence said. "More than 80% of the coronavirus is delta variant, there is a lot of concern that even worse variants can occur. The likelihood of that happening increases the longer it takes to get the virus under control. Any of these highly contagious variants will eventually get to every country in the world.

"Its important to stop it worldwide," Lawrence continued, "the US wont stop being infected until the world is safe, and the key to that is getting the world population vaccinated, fewer opportunities to continue to mutate and eventually develop new and potentially more dangerous variants."

Vaccination remains the best protection against the delta variant, according to Yale Medicine. It's also important to follow CDC prevention guidelines and wear masks where recommended and mandated. That, with the delta variant, includes vaccinated people. The CDC also recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, students, staff and visitors to K-12 schools.

The delta variant has now also stalled economic recovery in the country, according to Yahoo, as consumers weigh how to spend once again with coronavirus preventative measures back in place.

As people remain unvaccinated, new strains of the coronavirus will continue to emerge and many, like the delta variant, may be more infectious than the original virus. Every unvaccinated person is a chance for the virus to mutate and spread.

"The virus is prevented by the vaccine, its still a very good time to get vaccinated, as it prevents serious illness extremely well and helps prevent delta variant," Lawrence said. "We need to still use masks in most indoor settings until this current wave goes down to much lower numbers like a couple of months ago."
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Showers and thunderstorms likely - heavy rainfall is possible, especially this evening. Isolated tornadoes possible. Low near 60F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Showers and thunderstorms likely - heavy rainfall is possible, especially this evening. Isolated tornadoes possible. Low near 60F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected.
As the world's second- biggest economy, China has long been a country of interest to investors.

Chinese stock markets have boomed in recent years but look less positive now because of unfolding events.

A resurgence of Covid, which had been suppressed there, has led to economists downgrading China's growth forecasts.

Stock slump: Chinese stock markets have boomed in recent years but a resurgence of Covid has led to economists downgrading growth forecasts

Now, fears of a clampdown on business, particularly in the thriving tech sector, have sent share prices tumbling.

Tech unicorns Alibaba and Tencent  both popular choices for UK fund managers  fell 6 per cent and 12 per cent last week, before recovering slightly.

Meanwhile, the Shanghai Composite Index, a measure of China's overall stock market, has fallen more than 2 per cent since the start of the year.

China-focused equity funds are down an average 19.2 per cent since February, with trusts falling even lower at 27.2 per cent.

The falls come after UK investors ploughed 638.9 million into China funds between last September and March this year.

So will Chinese stocks continue to fall? And what might it mean for investors?

The economic rise of China has been one of the biggest stories of the 21st century  and not just for investors.

As its economy has grown, reforms have slowly opened it up to outside investment. In Britain, China-focused funds have performed well, with many doubling investors' cash in the past five years.

That said, Chinese stock markets are more restrictive than their Western counterparts and the country is still designated a riskier 'emerging market'.

The past year's events have given investors a sharp reminder of just why that is. It all began last November, when Chinese authorities halted the planned initial public offering (IPO) of the Ant Group  the $300 billion e-commerce group whose founder, Jack Ma, had reportedly fallen out with China's communist rulers.

The surprise move saw Chinese tech stocks fall 8 per cent in days, though this was eventually reversed.

This year, Beijing has stepped up its tough approach to business, promising to bring in tough new data protection rules for firms.

The Communist Party is also cracking down on the private education market, banning tutoring firms from making profits.

The moves are seen as President Xi Jinping reminding firms they should prioritise Chinese rules over foreign shareholders.

Whatever the truth about the crackdowns, investors seem to think they are not good news. Tech companies, in particular, have lost speed, with Tencent and Alibaba now down 24 per cent and 33 per cent since the beginning of January.

Companies in the hardest-hit sector  education and tutoring  have fallen 90 per cent, including New York-listed TAL Education.

Tech unicorns Alibaba and Tencent  both popular choices for UK fund managers  fell 6 per cent and 12 per cent last week, before recovering slightly

UK investors holding China-focused funds, Asia (excluding Japan) or emerging markets may have felt the impact of the sell-off.

In three months, Fidelity's China Special Situations fund is down 16 per cent, while iShares Core Emerging Markets ETF is down 4 per cent.

And what of Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, which has long advocated China's tech sector?

Despite large holdings in Tencent and Alibaba, the trust has weathered the storm thanks to stronger performance elsewhere, including vaccine-maker Moderna (up 248 pc this year).

The trust is up 1.5 per cent on last month, though its price is still down (by 4 per cent) on its February high.

But the trust, like others, is still exposed to future uncertainty in China, so its price may drop if Beijing's clampdown continues.

The August sell-off has confirmed what many investors think about China: that it's a market influenced more by political decisions than by market economics.

For investors holding China funds, it could be a long wait to recovery. When the funds fell about 25 per cent in 2018, it took a year for them to make up their losses. Of course, that isn't guaranteed.

Experts, though, agree that investors should have some exposure to China, even if just to diversify their portfolio.

'We think a great starting point is to invest in countries relative to the weighting given to their stock market,' says Vanguard's James Norton.

'This means having some exposure to emerging markets, of which China is an important part.

'We know, over the long term, emerging markets can offer higher returns, but this comes with additional risk around governance.'

Investors looking for Chinese exposure won't find this hard when it comes to UK-based funds.

Baillie Gifford's China fund invests in retail and tech platforms, plus big alcohol firm Kweichow Moutai.

A 10,000 investment five years ago now is worth 21,600.

Of course, China remains a specialist, complicated market, so it should form only a small part of a larger, diversified portfolio.

Investors may want to reduce the risk further by getting exposure to Chinese shares through Asia or emerging market funds. These also invest in countries such as India, Taiwan and Korea.

JP Morgan's Emerging Market Investment Trust backs Tencent, plus Indian giants Tata and Infosys, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.

In five years, it has turned a 10,000 investment into 18,300 and hasn't taken a big hit from the China sell-off.

moneymail@dailymail.co.uk
The future of lender Amigo Holdings is 'under threat' after its delayed results for the year to March show a 234million loss.

The firm, which lends to people with a poor credit score if they have a friend or family member willing to make repayments if they cannot, has been battered by complaints after rule changes meant thousands of customers had been mis-sold their loans.

Amigo has been wrangling over a customer compensation scheme with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), after it realised it could not afford to pay the millions of pounds of redress.

Amigo, which lends to people with a poor credit score if they have a friend or family member willing to make repayments if they cannot, has been battered by mis-selling complaints

Last night the lender admitted it had still not agreed a new redress scheme.

It warned that it may still go bust but said that hammering out an agreement with the FCA was a 'realistic alternative to insolvency'.

Chief executive Gary Jennison said its future was 'under threat'.

He said: 'We are working hard to rectify the detriment caused some customers and the uncertainty for our people and shareholders, and doing everything we can to find a solution since coming together as a team last autumn.'

Amigo has paused all new lending until it irons out a redress scheme, which caused revenues to plunge 41.9 per cent to 170.8million.

It has now set aside 344.6million to cover the costs of the complaints.

Jennison said that the company was hoping to launch an 'Amigo 2.0' when the matter was resolved.
South Korean giant Samsung plans to plough 150billion into cutting-edge technologies over the next three years.

The electronics company said it would focus investment on artificial intelligence, advanced microchips, robotics and biopharmaceuticals.

It intends to hire 40,000 people globally and wants to strengthen its standing in certain industries through mergers and acquisitions.

Investment drive: South Korean electronics giant Samsung said it will plough 150bn into cutting-edge technologies over the next three years

The spree by South Korea's largest conglomerate was revealed days after de facto boss Jay Lee was released from jail on parole.

Lee, known as 'the crown prince of Samsung', has been in charge of the group since his father had a heart attack in 2014.

His family controls Samsung Electronics through shareholdings in Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung C&T Corp, both of which have holdings in the firm.

But the 53-year-old has been in and out of jail since 2017 amid allegations of bribery and corruption, which he denies.

Bribery rap: Samsung's de facto boss Jay Lee (pictured) has been released from jail on parole

He was jailed for five years for bribing government officials with horses and cash, to win support for a merger of two subsidiaries that would strengthen his grip over the group  a scandal that brought down then South Korean president Park Geun-hye.

Lee's sentence was reduced and suspended in 2018.

However a retrial was ordered the next year and Lee was jailed again in January 2021 until his parole due to his 'contribution to the national economy'.

As the heir apparent at Samsung, he is seen as the only person with enough heft to push through risky investment decisions that could decide the company's future but he is banned from employment due to embezzlement charges he faces.

That has not stopped Lee in the past two years though  he has effectively run the conglomerate without even holding a board seat.

Samsung did not spell out where its investments would fall but the proposals expand on plans first laid out in 2018.

It is aiming, in part, to maintain dominance in areas it leads in, including memory chips. 'The chip industry is the safety plate of the Korean economy,' Samsung said.

'Our aggressive investment is a survival strategy in a sense that once we lose our competitiveness, it is almost impossible to make a comeback.'

Chip rivals including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and Intel are making large investments amid a global shortage and intensifying competition.

South Korea tycoons have a history of becoming embroiled in corruption or sleaze, but many have escaped severe punishment with reduced or suspended sentences.
Shares in Marks & Spencer rallied for a third day after two brokerages heaped praise on the retailer.

Credit Suisse and Berenberg increased their target prices  the amount they think the company's shares are worth  after M&S took the market by surprise with a profit upgrade on Friday.

M&S signalled that revamps of its food and clothing divisions and changes to working practices were paying off.

On the rise: Marks & Spencer signalled that revamps of its food and clothing divisions and changes to working practices were paying off

It was its first upgrade this century and follows years of struggles and constant restructuring that saw it booted out of the FTSE 100 in 2019. Credit Suisse brokers raised the target price from 185p to 215p.

Analysts there believe it will be a big beneficiary of the post-Covid reopening, in addition to its now-thriving online business.

Brokers at Germany's Berenberg highlighted M&S's improved online trading, after it teamed up with Ocado for home deliveries.

Stock Watch - Mediazest Investors piled into touchscreen maker Mediazest after it said business was thriving. The AIM-listed firm makes interactive screens and moving wall displays typically used in shops. Clients include Lululemon, Hyundai and Samsung. Mediazest stopped short of upgrading its earnings forecasts, but said a combination of new work and several contracts being renewed meant there had been a notable improvement in its performance during the second half. It added that the outlook beyond September is encouraging. Shares rose 12.5 per cent, or 0.01p, to 0.07p.

They took a slightly more conservative approach, raising its targets from 195p to 200p. They too have a 'buy' rating on the company.

After shooting to the top of the FTSE 250 leaderboard early in the day M&S later pared back gains.

It still finished among the biggest risers, climbing 4.2 per cent, or 6.8p, to 170.7p, while Ocado rose 1.7 per cent, or 33.5p, to 1992p.

After rocketing on Monday on the back of reports it could be a private equity takeover target, Sainsbury's lost steam yesterday, falling 4.9 per cent, or 16.5p, to 323.5p.

It was a good day across the board for reopening travel and leisure stocks, which took a knock recently when fears about the spread of the Delta variant were taking hold.

On the FTSE 100, Premier Inn-owner Whitbread gained 4.5 per cent, or 138p, to 3183p and British Airways-owner IAG rose 2.7 per cent, or 4.28p, to 164.74p.

Meanwhile, on the mid-cap index cruise operator Carnival added 5.2 per cent, or 76.6p, to 1554.4p, Easyjet jumped 5.3 per cent, or 42.6p, to 843.4p and train station cafe owner SSP rose 4.1 per cent, or 10.8p, to 276.8p.

It was a good day for the two main indexes too. The FTSE 250 closed 0.61 per cent higher, up 145.52 points, at a record 23,886.01.

And the FTSE 100 rose 0.24 per cent, or 16.76 points, to 7125.78 amid gains among the index's heavyweight miners, which often push the index higher.

Rising commodity prices were behind the miners' advances, which also saw oil prices jump for a second day.

Brent crude was back at the $70 a barrel mark, which sent BP 1.3 per cent higher, up 3.85p, to 298.85p, while Royal Dutch Shell rose by 0.9 per cent, or 120p, to 1425.8p.

This no doubt gave energy industry services group Hunting a boost but it was also on the up after it bought a stake in a 3D-printing company based in Texas for 3.6million.

Bosses said the investment in Cumberland Additive was spurred by a growing interest in components made by 3D printing from customers in sectors including oil, space, aerospace and defence. It rose 2.2 per cent, or 4.4p, to 202p.

Defence contractor Babcock International rose 3.2 per cent, or 11.6p, to 371.6p after it teamed up with online security-focused tech company Arqit.

Over on AIM, Abingdon Health had a topsy-turvy day after the launch of an at-home Covid antibody test. It is manufacturing the biosure test, which requires only a small finger prick of blood and provides a result in 20 minutes.

Abingdon soared dramatically to over 80p, before plummeting back to its starting point  60p.

And My Health Checked, which sells at-home Covid tests, rose 10.5 per cent, or 0.3p, to 3.15p after the Government cracked down on companies overcharging for their services.

The Department of Health has said 82 providers  around 18 per cent of testing groups  have been displaying lower prices on the Government's website than customers are charged.
Food delivery firm Just Eat has announced that it plans to hire more than 1,500 people for customer service roles in Sunderland over the next year.

The group said the measure forms part of an investment of over 100million in the North East region over the coming five years and comes amidst a huge boom in takeaway orders across the UK.

It has already created about 300 positions and has noted that customer satisfaction rates have improved since onshoring those jobs from Bulgaria and India, where it used to base the majority of its customer service functions.

Major Delivery: Just Eat's creation of over 1,500 new jobs forms part of an investment of over 100million in the North East region over the coming five years

New staff will work from home to begin with, but the company intends to operate a hybrid work model in the near future whereby staff can spend some of the time in a modern 20,000 square foot office.

Formerly occupied by energy supplier Npower, the Amsterdam-based firm's North East office is based in the town of Houghton-le-Spring and will contain a gym, lounge and catering area.

Just Eat's UK Managing Director, Andrew Kenny, said the move would 'help us to bring the very best service to our customers and restaurant partners as demand for food delivery goes from strength to strength in the UK.'

This growing demand has partly been caused by Covid-19 restrictions forcing non-essential businesses like restaurants, pubs and bars to either close their doors or operate restricted services.

Last week, Just Eat revealed that it received 58 million more orders from UK consumers in the first six months of the year and saw gross transaction value - a common measure in the food delivery sector - jump 63 per cent to 3.05billion.

Aside from restrictions encouraging more people to order their meals online, Just Eat also benefited from new partnerships with 90 more food and drink brands, such as the food-to-go companies Le Pain Quotidien, Chipotle and Leon.

New premises: Just Eat's modern North East office is based in the town of Houghton-le-Spring and will contain a gym, lounge and catering area

Kenny added that it was important for businesses like Just Eat to increase job opportunities outside London and South East and in areas like the North East.

Last month, Sunderland and the wider North East region received a massive boost when carmaking giant Nissan declared that it would invest 1billion in an electric vehicle hub that would create about 6,000 jobs in the local area.

The Japanese firm, which was the UK's largest car manufacturer last year, followed up with an announcement three weeks later that it would recruit 400 new positions that were focused on building models like the Juke, Qashqai and Leaf.

Speeding ahead: Last month, Sunderland and the wider North East region received a massive boost when Nissan declared it would invest 1billion in an electric vehicle hub in the local area

There had been serious concerns that the fallout from the European Union referendum in 2016 might cause Nissan to pull out of Sunderland, where it has had a factory since 1986.

In January, though, the company said that following the UK's agreement of a trade deal with the European Union, the future of the Sunderland facility was secure for the long term.

Regarding today's announcement, Councillor Graeme Miller, the leader of Sunderland City Council, said: 'We're thrilled to have supported Just Eat to make its move to Sunderland, joining a dynamic business community and creating jobs and opportunities for people across the city.

He added: 'Were immensely proud of our skilled people and look forward to seeing how they drive the onward success of the Just Eat business.'

Shares in Just Eat closed trading 0.1 per cent lower at 69.32 on Wednesday.
Marketed as an elite club for those on higher incomes, Britain's high street banks claim their premier bank accounts offer middle class customers one-to-one support and exclusive access to special benefits.

But some customers say their 'personal' banking assistant has actually got thousands of clients, while others complain special rates offered to premium customers are easily beaten elsewhere.

Yet dissatisfaction with standard current accounts is rising, with nearly 24,000 of us complaining about them to the Financial Ombudsman last year.

The personal touch: Unlike private banking for the very wealthy with six-figure sums, premier banking is aimed at customers without a millionaire's bank balance who want a special service

So, could it still be worth switching to premier banking if you can  or is it just a ploy to cross-sell you other financial products?

Not just for the super rich

Unlike private banking for the very wealthy with six-figure sums, premier banking is aimed at customers without a millionaire's bank balance who want a special service.

NatWest  which says its premium services are used by the top 2 per cent of customers  accepts couples who earn from 60,000 each paid into the same joint account, or a single earner on 100,000.

HSBC accepts clients with a minimum of 50,000 saved with the bank or who have an income of at least 75,000 and a mortgage, investment or life insurance product with the bank.

Barclays allows customers with a minimum income of 75,000 or 100,000 saved, while Lloyds wants its premier customers to earn 100,000 or to invest or save 100,000.

Signing up to premier banking is usually free, although you can pay extra for additional benefits.

For example, NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland's basic premium account is free  but, for 2 per month, customers can access up to 10 a month of cash rewards. Or, for 31 per month, they can get the Premier Reward Black account.

It offers inclusive benefits such as travel insurance, breakdown cover, airport lounge access and a concierge service, which will do things like buy tickets for events on your behalf.

And while Barclays' premier bank account is free, you have to pay 12 a month to be part of its Avios air miles reward scheme.

High Street banks claim their premier bank accounts offer middle class customers one-to-one support and exclusive access to special benefits

The premier account you choose should depend on how much you can benefit from any deals.

For example, HSBC's premier account is aimed at families and its inclusive worldwide travel insurance covers the main account holder, their partner, children and grandchildren. Its preferential mortgage rates are also available to the whole family.

But Lloyds' international premier account is specifically aimed at people who want to work or retire overseas. It offers access to a current account in pounds, euros and U.S. dollars, free international transfers and preferential rates for a consultation with international tax advisers.

If you are eligible for a premium account you can apply online  but some are automatically offered one if they meet the criteria.

What perks are included?

Premier customers typically get a special debit card  Barclays and HSBC offer a black one  and you may get benefits included for free, depending on the bank.

These could include an interest-free 500 overdraft, free international money transfers, travel insurance or access to special rates on savings, loans, credit cards and mortgages.

Be aware that insurance included with premium accounts is often not a 'top of the range' policy and problems can arise when you come to claim, says Martyn James of complaints service Resolver.

Issues can include insurance excluding customers who are over 70 years old, only being valid for trips of a certain length or not providing cover for Covid-related issues  all terms which can be hidden in the small print.

Perks: Free benefits of premier banking can include travel insurance, breakdown cover and airport lounge access

Mr James also warns that the 'exclusive' deals on offer might not be as 'premium' as they first appear. 'In recent years, a number of banks have withdrawn or reduced the interest or special deals associated with their premium accounts  and other introductory offers have been withdrawn too,' he says.

'So even if a premium account is beneficial at first, it's vital to keep an eye on any notifications of a reduction in their value.'

Barclays, for example, offers its premier banking customers an exclusive savings rate of 0.25 per cent on its one-year cash Isa (with three annual withdrawals allowed) and HSBC offers 0.2 per cent on its Loyalty Cash Isa.

But online bank Marcus offers twice as much interest, at 0.5 per cent for a flexible Isa with unlimited withdrawals, while Shawbrook Bank pays 0.75 per cent for a one-year fixed Isa.

The personal touch?

Customers are promised a greater level of customer service support with premier banking than with a regular account.

You will be allocated a named representative  or 'relationship manager'  to help you with your banking, who is supposed to get to know you and your needs in the same way that traditional bank managers used to do.

But some premier customers say they aren't receiving the one-on-one service they expected.

Take financial think-tank director Andrew Hilton, 74, who was offered free premium banking because he held a large amount of money in his Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) account.

'At first it was flattering and I felt I was getting an extra service,' he explains. 'It was nice to think I had a banker and there was someone I could call.'

But when Andrew, who is based in London, recently had a simple query about his bank card, his personal representative told him she couldn't help and he should call the generic customer service department instead.

A few weeks later, the same representative insisted they have a video call, where she pushily tried to encourage him to switch his savings account to one which didn't suit his needs.

When he asked why she could do a sales call but couldn't help him with his questions, she told him she had 2,600 clients so couldn't help with personal inquiries.

'I immediately thought, 'So much for premium banking',' he says. 'I realised I'm just one of thousands on a list that she is working through, trying to sell a product.'

RBS says: 'We take pride in the personal service our premier banking customers receive.'

So would premier banking work for you? If you can benefit from the perks it may be worth it, but read the small print, especially if you're paying for your account, or you may find you get little more than a shiny debit card.

moneymail@dailymail.co.uk
A fixed-rate bond frenzy among banks vying for our money has pushed up rates to as high as 1.35 per cent for one year.

This is more than double what was on offer in April, when rates were at their lowest, and twice the amount of interest paid by the best easy-access accounts. Experts say savers should consider locking in to avoid missing out.

There have been 400 rate increases since the start of last month as banks compete to top the best-buy tables, according to research by website Savings Champion.

Top deals: Fixed-rate bonds have crept up as high as 1.35 per cent for one year - more than double what was on offer in April

Last week the pace quickened as rates burst through the 1.3 per cent barrier for those tying up their money for 12 months.

Meanwhile, the number of one-year bonds on offer has soared by a fifth to 163, up from 134 earlier this year.

Rachel Springall, Moneyfacts finance expert, says: 'Banks have been leapfrogging each other to offer top one-year bonds. Rates could rise further but savers run the risk of missing out if they wait and see.'

Savers had turned their backs on fixed-rate bonds after rates tumbled.

About 7.9billion has come out of the accounts so far this year, while 189billion went into easy-access accounts.

A year ago, the best one-year bond with Paragon Bank paid 1.2 per cent. But by April, the best deal paid just half this at 0.6 per cent.

Yet since the start of the summer holidays, rates have been on the rise again.

Last week Tandem Bank launched a one-year bond at 1.31 per cent but it didn't hold the best buy spot for long. Investec raised its rate to 1.33 per cent, its second rise this month.

Allica Bank trumped that hours later with 1.35 per cent. Tandem Bank quickly followed by raising its rate to 1.35 per cent. Yesterday, Allica upped its rate again to 1.38 per cent while the Tandem rate rose again to 1.37 per cent.

Some banks, including OakNorth, Allica, Tandem and Investec, have raised their rates twice or more since the start of this month, when rates stood at 1 per cent at best for one year.

Last week, United Trust Bank upped its rates twice in 24 hours to pay 1.25 per cent for a year and 1.3 per cent for 15 months.

The best two-year rate emerged yesterday at 1.66 per cent from Allica Bank, topping the 1.57 per cent from Tandem.

But many savers will be wondering if they should hold off locking up their cash in case rates rise further.

James Blower, founder of consultancy Savings Guru, says: 'There is competition for our cash from banks.

'They want to encourage savers away from easy-access accounts, so they have to pay for it. It's hard to predict whether they will go any higher. But I would be surprised if they went as high as 1.5 per cent for one year.'

Kevin Mountford, co-founder of savings platform Raisin UK, says: 'Banks need to raise money and rates are changing daily.

'Grab these rates while you can.'

Whatever savers do, they should ditch the big banks, which pay just 0.15 per cent at best on their one-year bonds.

They do not have to compete as hard for cash, as savers tend to use their current account provider as a home for their savings. Their rates for easy-access accounts are as low as 0.01 per cent.

Savers have the same level of protection with smaller banks as with the major players. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme covers sums up to 85,000 per person if the bank runs into trouble.

sy.morris@dailymail.co.uk
This July 21, 2021, file photo shows Wes Heinz in front of the Baldwin steam engine No. 1309 at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroads Ridgeley, West Virginia, shop. Heinz was appointed the railroads executive director by the organizations board of directors Monday. He had been serving in the role in an interim capacity.


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Thomasville, GA (31792)

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Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds light and variable..

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Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds light and variable.
Thomasville, GA (31792)

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Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

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Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Princeton, KY (42445)

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Mainly clear skies. Low 58F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

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Gov. Kathy Hochul selected state Sen. Brian A. Benjamin, a Black Democrat from Harlem, as her lieutenant governor. She is scheduled to make a formal announcement on Thursday. The selection confirms Hochul's pledge to diversify her administration and to balance her administration with her upstate, Buffalo-area roots against Benjamin's deep ties to the New York City area. Benjamin is a self-described progressive and has linked himself to the "defund the police" movement. (TU)

A former state ethics commissioner told a Senate panel on Wednesday that the New York inspector generals office was either incompetent or corrupt in its handling of a 2019 investigation into the apparent leak of confidential information to former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. (TU)
Both work in Orange County hospitals, have two decades or more of experience and fully understand the dangers of COVID-19 after having cared for waves of infected patients during the height of the pandemic last year.

They also are adamant in refusing the COVID vaccine and ready to lose their jobs rather than comply with a state mandate that all health care workers be vaccinated by Sept. 27.

The two workers  a registered nurse at St. Anthony Community Hospital in Warwick and a non-nursing employee at Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis  discussed their views on Monday at the shopping center in the town of Wallkill where they and other vaccine-shunning health care workers staged a protest against the mandate on Tuesday.

Then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the mandate last week to help contain the latest wave of the pandemic, driven by the highly contagious delta variant that is spreading largely among the unvaccinated. With COVID infections and hospitalizations rising in much of the country, New York became at least the 17th state to require some or all of its health care workers to get the COVID vaccine.

"The data and science tell us that getting more people vaccinated as quickly as possible is the best way to keep people safe, prevent further mutations, and enable us to resume our daily routines," Dr. Howard Zucker, the state health commissioner, said then.

About 75% of hospital workers and 68% of nursing home workers in New York were fully vaccinated at that time. But some holdouts remain deeply opposed, even with their jobs on the line.

Dozens from the Hudson Valley have been communicating on a private Facebook page and have organized a protest in front of the Walmart in Orange Plaza in the town of Wallkill. They planned to line up with signs along the side of Route 211 at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. Their invitation encourages police officers, teachers and others to join them, warning, "It's US today and YOU tomorrow."

The two workers interviewed on Monday who attended the rally declined to be quoted by name for fear of retaliation by their employers. They questioned the effectiveness of the vaccine, said that they feared it could harm them and objected on principle to being ordered to take it.

Despite both having jobs that put them in direct physical contact with patients, neither said they were concerned about catching COVID and inadvertently infecting the patients they care for. They bristled that the mandate could force them to leave their jobs at a time when they are needed again on the front lines.

Jill Montag, a Department of Health spokeswoman, said in a statement on Monday that health care workers were among the first groups offered the vaccine after it was developed because protecting "those in the line of duty" was critical.

"Eight months later, a majority of our health care heroes have done the right thing and taken their shots, but we still have trusted health care workers who are not fully vaccinated," she said. "It is unacceptable to continue to allow some staff to put patients and themselves at risk. Vaccinations remain the best way for New Yorkers to protect themselves, families and communities from COVID-19 and its most severe outcomes such as hospitalization."

She added that the Food and Drug Administration's full approval of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday showed that "additional clinical trial data continues to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine." More than 170 million Americans are fully vaccinated.

Health care workers who refuse to be vaccinated are expected to challenge the state mandate in court. If that effort fails, the two workers interviewed on Monday said they planned to go work in states with no vaccine mandate  unless the federal government issues a nationwide order.

The Bon Secours worker said that vaccinated COVID patients outnumbered unvaccinated ones at her hospital, calling into question the effectiveness of the vaccine. Though no data was available to verify that claim, Orange County Health Commissioner Irina Gelman said last week that more than 90% of the 60 COVID patients then in the county's hospitals were unvaccinated.

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The St. Anthony nurse said she caught COVID in March 2020, near the beginning of the pandemic, and doesn't need the vaccine because she still has immunity from having had the virus. She said a recent blood test confirmed she has enough antibodies to remain immune.

Both estimated that half or more of their hospital's staff were unvaccinated, although state Department of Health data indicate that both facilities have reported much higher vaccination rates. As of Aug. 17, 75% of Bon Secours workers and 73% of St. Anthony employees were fully vaccinated, according to the state's figures.

Both hospitals are part of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, which issued its own vaccine mandate for its employees on Aug. 13, three days before the statewide order. All workers  except those deemed exempt for medical or religious reasons  were required to be vaccinated and ready to show proof by Sept. 30.

In a statement on Monday, WMC Health declared that policy "a critical part of our mission and necessary to safeguard the health of our patients, our workforce and their families, as well as the visitors and communities we serve."

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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)  For some Asian Americans, the dim sum cookie at Sunday Bakeshop here will taste like childhood.

It looks like a typical sugar cookie except with sesame seeds on top. But bite into the creamy, red bean center and it's reminiscent of the fried, filled sesame balls served at a Chinese dim sum restaurant.

The concoction is pastry chef Elaine Laus nod to her grandmother, who would often make them. The baked goods that Lau's team churns out  like hojicha chocolate croissants and Chinese White Rabbit candy cookies  aren't going to be found in any bakery in Asia. There's an intrinsic American sensibility at the nearly 3-month-old shop.

"Talking to some of the Asian Americans and other people that have tried some of our pastries, we get a lot of comments where theyre just like... Oh this took me back several years, when they were growing up, said Lau, 35, who was born in Oakland.

For us, its kind of nice we can evoke some positive memories and feelings with our pastries.

From ube cakes to mochi muffins, bakeries that sweetly encapsulate growing up Asian and American have been popping up more in recent years. Their confections are a delectable vehicle for young and intrepid Asian Americans to celebrate their dual identity.

Ingredients they found embarrassing as children are being blended with European or traditional American pastries into something new. Some of the bakers welcome the chance to dispel culinary and societal misconceptions, especially given months of anti-Asian hate.

The experience of being an immigrant kid in between two very different cultures is what inspired the name and concept behind Third Culture Bakery, a few miles away from Sunday Bakeshop, in Berkeley. Open since 2018, it's the brainchild of husbands Wenter Shyu, 31, and Sam Butarbutar, 32. Nine months into their courtship, they decided to open a bakery together and expand Butarbutar's mochi muffin business beyond wholesale and pop-ups. The mochi muffin, still a signature item, is influenced by Butarbutar's Indonesian roots and made with California-grown mochiko rice flour.

The operation has blossomed, with two locations in Colorado and a second San Francisco Bay Area store planned. Their menu includes mochi brownies and butter mochi doughnuts with glazes like matcha, ube and black sesame.

Shyu said many non-Asian patrons have never been exposed to some of the ingredients.

Its a lot of educating. Even when you educate and share where it comes from, people are judging it. Its a very mixed bag. Its also very rewarding because then you get to see their reaction trying this new thing theyve never had in their life, he said.

Shyu recalls some awkward situations, such as one in May when Third Culture was featured on a Denver TV station as part of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The finished segment included Oriental music that Shyu, who was born in Taiwan, described as cringe-y and uncomfortable."

I told the news station, if you guys did a piece on Black History Month and added tribal African music, there would be an outrage, Shyu said. Somehow for Asian Americans, thats OK. Thats the exact thing were trying to fight against."

For these bakeries, integrating Asian flavor profiles isnt a gimmick. Its what feels natural and authentic, said Deuki Hong, 31, whose Sunday Family Hospitality Group launched Sunday Bakeshop, and who loves Lau's outside-the-pastry-box thinking.

When I was running a Korean barbecue, we were known also for corn cheese, a little melty side dish... She took that and was like, Im gonna make a pastry out of it, said Hong, co-author of Koreatown: A Cookbook. Wow, this came from our conversation that was very personal to me and it also tastes really delicious.

Rose Nguyen, a 34-year-old former nurse, switched careers and opened Rose Ave Bakery inside The Block Foodhall in Washington, D.C., in March 2020, just before a pandemic shutdown. Nguyen was peddling Instagrammable morsels like strawberry lychee rose donuts, ube cake and matcha chocolate cookies. She won over enough foodies to keep going with online orders until fully reopening this June.

Born in Rhode Island to Vietnamese immigrants, Nguyen said it sometimes hurt when, growing up, her white friends thought her food from home was weird or gross. So, it's gratifying now to showcase Asian flavors unapologetically.

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It was never about trends or satisfying other people, Nguyen said. Its just me, basically. The business goes hand in hand with who I am.

As fixtures in their neighborhoods, these bakery owners all felt compelled to do something when racist attacks against Asians tied to the COVID-19 pandemic started. Third Culture Bakery raised donations at its locations to pay for and distribute 21,000 safety kits for Asian seniors. Sunday Bakeshop and Rose Ave Bakery have donated pastries and profits to anti-Asian hate organizations.

The bakers felt a disconnect between that hatred and the joyful connection that their food can make across cultures.

Its so unfortunate that its happening, and still happening, because people say they love Asian food and Asian American food," Nguyen said. "Yet, they dont even realize you love the food and dont love the people."

Older, traditional Asian bakeries started out as a means of replicating something immigrants missed back in their home country. The new bakeries' bolder assertion of identity is a natural evolution, said Robert Ji-Song Ku, an Asian American studies professor at Binghamton University and author of Dubious Gastronomy: The Cultural Politics of Eating Asian in the USA."

Chefs like Roy Choi and David Chang came to fame in the early 2000s embracing their Korean heritage. But the baking world is still "a real frontier, Ku said.

It goes against stereotypes of Asians as math geeks. Its sort of the artistic side of Asian American identity thats often ignored, Ku said. Theyre instead really trying to fuse things together  create this mixture.

These first- and second-generation Asian American bakery owners seem passionate about bringing visibility to the Asian American community, which often feels invisible, Ku added.

They're showing that an ube snickerdoodle or a black sesame muffin is as American as any apple pie.

There's nothing wrong with apple pie, Hong said. "But theres a lot more interesting things being done... there's a lot of Asian creators and entrepreneurs, and gradually they'll be more vocal.

___ Terry Tang is a member of The Associated Press Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ttangAP
ALBANY  The citys police officers are suing the city over a law that would give greater disciplinary powers to the citys police review board.

Council 82 filed the lawsuit in June, arguing that Local Law J violated the officers collective bargaining agreement and state civil service laws. The lawsuit asks a judge to issue a permanent injunction and declare the law invalid. An attorney for Council 82 did not return a request for comment.

Among other things, the law would allow the Community Police Review Board to conduct independent investigations of police misconduct, issue subpoenas and establish a disciplinary matrix with the police chief. Currently the board can only review the departments internal investigations and make policy recommendations to the city and the department.

It was part of a package of police reform bills the citys Common Council passed in the wake of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minnesota and police brutality in general.

Mayor Kathy Sheehans administration declined to comment on the lawsuit and referred the Times Union to its motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

In the motion to dismiss filed last Friday, the city argued, among other things, that since the city had never expressly ceded local control of police discipline to collective bargaining, that it retained those powers and could modify them as it saw fit.

Local Law J of 2021 is simply yet another lawful exercise of the citys discretion to commit police discipline to a local official  the Community Police Review Board (CPRB) and the chief of police, the citys attorneys argued.

Several other cities, including Rochester, have recently enacted legislation to give civilian review board more power over police departments, including the power to investigate and discipline officers. Rochesters legislation was struck down earlier this year after a Fourth Department Appeals Court ruled that the city had surrendered its power to exempt police discipline from collective bargaining, according to a Democrat and Chronicle story.

Its unclear how much longer Council 82 will be involved in the lawsuit. Earlier this year the citys police officers voted overwhelmingly to leave the umbrella union and form an independent PBA.

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The states Public Employee Relations Board has not yet certified that vote, which would be the final step before the PBA is recognized.

Ron Dunn, a partner at Gleason, Dunn, Walsh & OShea, which represented the officers forming the PBA, said the law firm could not take any role in the lawsuit until the board certified the vote that formed the PBA. That issue is on the boards October agenda.

Local Law J is subject to voter approval in a referendum before going into effect.
BETHLEHEM  Gerald Shaye knew how to work a room. To say the 78-year-old businessman was a people person would be the ultimate understatement.

He could be having one conversation, but you could almost see out of the corner of his eye him looking across the room at who else he knew, who he wanted to say hello to (and) who he wanted to connect people to, said Mark Eagan, president and CEO of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce. It was part of his DNA.

Shaye died at his Delmar home Sunday of cardiac arrest, his youngest son, Richard Shaye, said.

The elder Shaye had a knack for fostering relationships far and wide. He knew people all over the world and dedicated himself to growing his never-ending list of familiar faces while helping local entrepreneurs and youngsters grow their businesses or break into a global market.

Eagan, who worked with Shaye for years, said the Ivy League alum could have probably worked at any top for-profit corporation but instead followed his passion for people and travel, and used it to help others expand their lifes work.

Before becoming a trade consultant, Shaye lived in Venezuela. After a volunteer stint with the Peace Corps, he stuck around La Puerta and established the first commercial mushroom farm there, which later led him to work at the Boulton Group, a large Venezuelan trading and manufacturing enterprise, holding high-ranking positions for over a decade.

It was then that he married and started his family. He is survived by his wife, Maria Adela Shaye and his three children: Daniel, Ana and Richard.

Richard Shaye said his father always encouraged him, his siblings and others to pursue whatever they wanted in life - its what hell remember the most about him. His legacy is going to live in the peoples lives he touched, he said.

The family moved to Delmar in 1990 and Gerald Shaye became an international trade specialist for the state, a role he retired from in 2012 to start a consulting firm.

He spent a good deal working with community organizations in his spare time, such as the Albany-Tula Alliance, Albany Roundtable, The Albany Fund for Education, and the International Center of the Capital Region, providing overseas opportunities for local companies.

The Albany-Tula Alliance, a sister city group which connects Albany with the city in Russia, put out a goodbye message to Shaye Tuesday mourning the loss and extending condolences to his family.

With Jerrys legacy in our hearts, we will continue our efforts to strengthen ties between our two cities through citizen diplomacy and action directed at building awareness and education that strengthen the ties that bind, the alliance wrote.

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan recalls Shaye as an eternal optimist with a gift for problem-solving and understanding others.

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He really believed that when you got to know the people in various places, that commonalities brought us together, she said. He was very generous with his time, he really mentored many people, (he) was very willing to work with people in the business community.

But where he shined most was in the classroom, according to Charlotte Buchanan, his former Albany-Tula Alliance colleague. Shaye taught at the University at Albany, Russell Sage College and gave lectures at a couple of Russian universities.

When Shayes classes filled up last summer, he opted to accept students over the class capacity, Guy Fernando, an associate dean at UAlbanys school of business, said.

Gerry accommodated all of them since Gerry knew that if the students were not allowed to take the class, their graduation could get delayed by up to one more year, Fernando said. He deemed it a sign of Shayes compassion and flexibility.

And Kimberly Fredericks, a graduate programs chairperson at Russell Sage, agreed.

Jerry was always willing to help others, she said. Jerry was larger than life with his enthusiasm and jovial voice.
Do I need a booster if I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine?

Probably at some point, but health officials still are collecting the data needed to decide.

With boosters being planned in the U.S. as early as the fall for those who got the two-shot Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, recipients of the single-dose J&J jab might be wondering just how well their protection is holding up.

All the vaccines used in the U.S.  including the J&J vaccine  still are doing their job of preventing hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.

I dont think theres any signal that the J&J vaccine is failing at its primary task, said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Despite continued protection against severe disease, U.S. officials are planning to offer Pfizer and Moderna boosters eight months after the second shot based on evidence that effectiveness against infection wanes over time. Adding to the decision, the vaccines don't appear quite as strong against the highly contagious delta variant as they were against earlier versions of the virus.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said boosters will likely be needed for the J&J vaccine. Authorities expect more data to decide in the coming weeks.

That's in part because the J&J rollout didn't start until March, several months after Pfizer and Moderna vaccinations began. The J&J shot is made differently. And there's more data about how the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines fare against delta because theyre more widely used in countries where the variant struck before its U.S. surge.

There is some real-world data showing J&Js shot holds up against the delta variant. A huge study of health workers in South Africa showed the vaccine remained 71% protective against hospitalization from the variant and between 91% and 96% effective against death. And the researchers said the vast majority of so-called breakthrough" infections in vaccinated people were mild.

J&J has also presented lab data on virus-fighting antibodies that indicates its vaccine protects against the delta variant for eight months and counting. Another small lab study has raised questions about whether a two-dose approach would work better, an option J&J is studying.

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A separate issue is whether people with severely weakened immune systems should get extra shots as part of their original vaccinations, since they don't respond as well to any vaccines. The government now recommends a third shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines for organ transplant recipients and others in this group. But it's still collecting data before making a similar recommendation for another dose of the J&J vaccine.

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The AP is answering your questions about the coronavirus in this series. Submit them at: FactCheck@AP.org. Read more here:

What should I know about the delta variant?

Should vaccinated people mask up with COVID-19 cases rising?

Can I get long COVID if Im infected after vaccination?
SCHENECTADY  Its easy to cruise through Schenectady and assume blight has consumed some streets.

In working-class neighborhoods like Hamilton Hill, Mont Pleasant and Central State Street, few blocks are spared from boarded-up houses and empty lots.

But amid a pandemic-related real estate boom, Schenectadys program to unload city-owned properties to homebuyers is going gangbusters with the city selling homes at a rapid clip  and for higher prices than in years past.

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Were seeing multiple offers coming in above and beyond what the list price is, said City Councilwoman Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas, who negotiates the sales from her perch on City Councils Development and Planning Committee.

The city has sold 74 properties so far this year, raking in $2.8 million, exceeding the 71 the city unloaded in 2020. In contrast, the city unloaded 76 properties in 2019 for $1.1 million.

Once 60 pending sales authorized by the City Council close, the city will be on track to clear $4 million in sales by the end of the year.

Who's buying these buildings and why?

Thirty-seven of them have been sold to owner-occupants, a demographic the city is aggressively courting.

For years, Deepnarayan Jealall has shuttled back and forth between Queens and Schenectady, where his family has been staying with his in-laws.

He happened across 829 Oakwood Ave., which he purchased from the city in February. The two-family house sat empty for years but it occupied an ideal location for Jealall: It's within sight of the Mont Pleasant Middle School, where his wife works as a lunch monitor and his 8-year-old daughter will eventually attend school.

Its quiet and its not rowdy like New York City, Jealall said. Its just a change in life  you want a humble place to raise a kid.

Jealall is gutting the building and estimates hell sink over $100,000 into the property he purchased for $49,900.

Hes hauled out four Dumpsters full of detritus and replaced 35 windows.

When I bought the house, it was garbage and just totally trashed, Jealall said. Im trying to raise the dead.

Schenectady isnt alone in trying to claw its way back from years of white flight to the suburbs. Yet officials say their formula for revitalizing neighborhoods is unique:

While other cities use tax auctions to sell foreclosures, Schenectady flags city-owned properties that can be saved and works quickly with real estate agents to list and market them to first-time homebuyers.

Prospective purchasers are linked up with banks and other financial incentives through the citys Home Ownership Made Easy (HOMES) program, where theyll be presented with incentives, including first-time homebuyer loans.

Ideally, the process is designed to make buying a starter home as easy as possible, said Maurice A. Brown III, the citys home ownership coordinator.

We want to increase home ownership in the city and make sure theyre in the hands of responsible homebuyers, Brown said.

A secondary goal, Brown said, is to prevent potential slumlords and speculators from snapping them up.

Jealall is the ideal buyer: Someone who will repair and live in the property, a measure officials believe will not only stabilize neighborhoods but also spur neighboring homeowners to make improvements to their own properties.

Quality housing will do nothing but increase the quality of the neighborhood, said Pamela Swanigan, director of business development at AIK Property Group, a small-scale investor and developer who works to rehabilitate and sell properties. So the next time when homeowners sell, theyll get a little more value for their home.

BIDDING WARS

The city has long struggled with deteriorating housing stock. While officials were unable to say how many foreclosed properties they owned at the height, the city currently owns 464 parcels: 183 have buildings, the rest are vacant lots.

Thats out of roughly 20,500 parcels in the city.

The sheer numbers make progress harder to discern with the naked eye, Mayor Gary McCarthy said.

People look at the record we have downtown, which is fairly impressive," McCarthy said. "But neighborhoods are slower to show results because of the larger number of parcels."

Why are the properties selling?

While the real estate market is white-hot and places like the Hudson Valley have become destinations for transplants fleeing New York City, theres no consensus among local people about why sales are so brisk in Schenectady.

McCarthy is quick to point at the effort between a team of two dozen real estate agents, financial institutions and the city.

Its been one of my hallmark projects, taking distressed properties and making a process to encourage homeownership opportunities, McCarthy said.

But he also said Schenectady is becoming an increasingly desirable location, pointing at Rivers Casino & Resort and Mohawk Harbor paired with the steady drumbeat of downtown development.

I think COVID is part of it, McCarthy said, and weve seen a shift in the last year. But before that, we were seeing an interest in urban areas.

Its a viewpoint echoed by Zalewski-Wildzunas, who plays a key role in negotiating sales through the city Development and Planning Committee, which she chaired until recently. Every two weeks, the committee huddles with the citys Law Office and weighs the offers.

Zalewski-Wildzunas, who is also a licensed real estate broker with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, acknowledges the pandemic has expedited sales.

The market has really helped move properties along because the inventory has been limited since the pandemic, Zalewski-Wildzunas said.

(Zalewski-Wildzunas said she recuses herself from city-related business: "I have nothing to do with property sold through the city. It's a major conflict of interest to me.")

It wasnt long ago the city would take whatever it could get for a parcel just to put it back on the tax rolls.

For years, the decision was out of the citys hands after they inked a deal with American Tax Funding Servicing in 2004 to sell the liens. The agreement eventually soured over how much the Florida-based company wanted to pay for the titles and became tied up in litigation before ending in a 2017 settlement.

(The fallout, in conjunction with a bulk sale of 25 properties to make way for affordable housing projects in Hamilton Hill, led to a record sales year in 2018, with the city selling 151 properties for $2.5 million.)

While price escalations increased this year and have since leveled off, its not uncommon for lawmakers to now weigh several offers for each property.

Our goal is to get as many owner-occupants as possible, so we prefer to get a haircut and give it to owner-occupants for a little less, Zalewski-Wildzunas said.

But selling homes to people like Jealall is not the sole metric governing a sale.

Deteriorated properties that require a heavier lift, including multifamily units that require significant code improvements, may be steered to investors with more resources.

Despite putting on a charm offensive to lure in owner-occupants, the city has built safeguards into the process and is wary of promises to over-deliver, however earnest, that can ultimately fall flat.

The finances of prospective purchasers are evaluated to ensure they complete the work and the city has the option to tie reverter clauses to mortgages that require the borrower to live at the property or complete the work for at least five years at the risk of the city regaining ownership.

Officials have only clawed back one property since 2018.

The real estate market is a sellers market, even reaching cities like Peoria, Ill., where speculators, investors and regular people are purchasing homes sight unseen in dying neighborhoods for their shot at the American Dream, reported the Washington Post.

Zalewski-Wildzunas said its unlikely people are buying homes sight unseen in Schenectady, although she concedes some real estate agents may be using smartphones to give guided tours.

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Not that all investors are large entities or out-of-state limited liability corporations.

One of the citys preferred partners, AIK Property Group, has completed a handful of full rehabs after purchasing properties from the city, including a home on Balltown Road and several in Mont Pleasant, including a project currently underway on Williams Street.

A key mission is selling rehabbed properties and renting them at slightly below market rate, even if it means cutting into their bottom line.

Our mission is to be a charitable neighbor as well as a business owner, said Swanigan, who isn't seeking to excessively profit and firmly believes in reinvesting in communities, particularly as younger prospective homeowners burdened with student loan debt begin to look for opportunities to settle down.

AIK tends to zero in on families that may be struggling and give them the extra lift, which includes working with them to help straighten out their poor credit scores.

Over time, AIK is eyeing modest growth, and hopes to take on a 15-20 unit apartment building within the next 18 months.

Profit should not be at the exclusion of all else, Swanigan said. There must be balance if we expect Americans to continue to see value in capitalism, as a viable economic system, which can be the foundation for our children to achieve the American Dream.

Shut out

Although HOMES has been by and large a success, the well-oiled gears of the city apparatus have rankled some property owners.

While the pandemic has disrupted the citys foreclosure timeline  the city typically forecloses on a home 21 months after the lien date, giving homeowners the state-mandated minimum of 90 days to pay up  several attorneys contend the city should be more flexible in giving tax-delinquent property-owners a chance to settle their debts.

Attorneys John R. Polster and Paul M. Callahan appeared recently in front of the City Council to make the case for more flexibility for their clients, both of whom are fighting to keep their properties.

The rules were more lax a half-decade ago, said Polster, who served a stint in the citys Law Office, including three years as the citys top attorney.

Before, the city would extend the timeline and charge modest penalties, and Polster now wants the city to exercise discretion, fair play, review circumstances and give people back their properties.

Theyre not allowing anything like that now, Polster said. I understand [the citys] position, but dont agree because theres a lot of things that make a difference. Were just trying to get some relief for our clients when there really is a justifiable reason for granting that relief.

Mark Sokol, owner of Northwind Refrigeration & Appliance Service in the citys Stockade neighborhood, may lose his business.

Sokol estimates he owes $25,000 dating back to 2017. But its the result of a series of extenuating life circumstances, he said, including issues with residential tenants that took months to resolve through litigation.

While hes now got the funds to pay off his balance, he said the city is prohibiting him from doing so.

Im a month late, said Sokol, who has been in business for 35 years. I ran into some problems, thats the bottom line. Im 60 years old and Im burnt out.

Zalewski-Wildzunas acknowledges the city has tightened up operations.

Weve toughened up how things are operating and how things are done, but I feel like its paid off significantly, she said.

City Corporation Counsel Andrew Koldin brushed back the claim that the city has expedited the timeline for foreclosures, noting that the city follows the requirements of the states Real Property Tax Law.

There has not been a compression of time, Koldin said.

City law provides for the extension of time for payment of delinquent tax liens for owners of one-family and two-family residential buildings upon submission of proof that the properties were owner-occupied throughout the tax delinquency, he said.

That extension gives qualified owners 33 months from the lien date to redeem their properties.

Koldin said he understands Polster and Callahans concerns. But, he said, Deviating from the law by providing exceptions to some, but not others, would be arbitrary and capricious.

Meanwhile, Jealall  the soon-to-be Queens transplant  is eyeing completing renovations of 829 Oakwood Ave. by next month, just in time for the new school year.

After 27 years in Queens, Jealall sees the potential for finally putting down roots.

Its a future for my daughter, he said.
HANOI (AP)  U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' trip from Singapore to Vietnam was delayed several hours Tuesday by an investigation into two possible cases of the so-called Havana Syndrome in Hanoi, administration officials said.

The investigation was in its early stages and officials deemed it safe for Harris to make her scheduled stop in Vietnam, which is part of her trip across Asia meant to reassure allies about American foreign policy amid the tumultuous evacuation of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. The Havana Syndrome is the name for a rash of mysterious health incidents first reported by American diplomats and other government employees in the Cuba capital beginning in 2016.

U.S. officials "take any reported incident of Havana syndrome seriously, press secretary Jen Psaki said at a White House press briefing later Tuesday.

U.S. officials had not yet confirmed the latest reported case, and it did not involve anyone traveling with Harris, Psaki said. In light of the reports, there was an assessment done of the safety of the vice president, and there was a decision made that she could continue travel along with her staff, Psaki said.

There have been two separate cases of unexplained health incidents reported by U.S. personnel in Vietnam within the past week, the officials said. It was not immediately clear who was impacted by the syndrome, though officials said it was not someone who worked for the vice president or the White House, according to the officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation.

The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi issued a statement saying the delay was because Harris office learned about a report of a recent possible anomalous health incident in the Vietnamese capital. The embassy provided no details, but said Harris office decided to travel to Hanoi after careful assessment.

The U.S. government uses anomalous health incident to describe the syndrome. Some of those impacted report hearing a loud piercing sound and feeling intense pressure in the face. Pain, nausea, and dizziness sometimes followed.

Similar, unexplained health ailments have since been reported by Americans serving in other countries, including Germany, Austria, Russia and China. A variety of theories have been floated to explain the incidents, including targeted microwaves or sonic attack, perhaps as part of an espionage or hacking effort.

Particularly alarming are revelations of at least two possible incidents in the Washington area, including one case near the White House in November in which an official reported dizziness. Administration officials have speculated that Russia may be involved, a suggestion Moscow has denied.

Harris was set to depart for Hanoi on Tuesday evening after delivering a speech in Singapore, castigating China for its incursions into the South China Sea, and a discussion of supply chain issues with business leaders.

But the flight was delayed for more than three hours and Symone Sanders, Harris chief spokesperson, refused to explain. Unprompted, Sanders volunteered that Harris was well although reporters had seen the vice president several times Tuesday and had no reason to be concerned about her health.

Congress has raised alarms over such attacks, finding rare bipartisan support in House and Senate for continued government-wide investigation into the syndrome, response as well as millions in support for American personnel medical monitoring and treatment.

The Biden administration is facing new pressure to resolve the mystery as the number of reported cases of possible attack has sharply grown. But scientists and government officials arent yet certain about who might have been behind any attacks, if the symptoms could have been caused inadvertently by surveillance equipment  or if the incidents were actually attacks.

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Whatever an official review concludes could have enormous consequences. Confirmation that a U.S. adversary has been conducting damaging attacks against U.S. personnel would unleash calls for a forceful response by the United States.

For now, the administration is providing assurances that it takes the matter seriously, is investigating aggressively and will make sure those affected have good medical care.

One key analysis identified directed, pulsed radio frequency energy as the most plausible culprit. Published in December by the National Academy of Sciences, the report said a radio frequency attack could alter brain function without causing gross structural damage. But the panel could not make a definitive finding on how U.S. personnel may have been hit.

And a declassified 2018 State Department report cited a lack of senior leadership, ineffective communications, and systemic disorganization in responding to the Havana cases. The report says the cause of the injuries was currently unknown. The document was published by George Washington Universitys National Security Archive.

Chris Miller, the acting defense secretary during the last months of the Trump administration, created a Pentagon team to investigate the suspected attacks. That was after he met a soldier late last year who described how, while serving in a country Miller wouldnt identify, he had heard a shrieking sound and then had a splitting headache.

___

Lemire reported from Lowell, Mass. Additional reporting contributed by Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Lisa Mascaro in Washington
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order Wednesday making New Mexico the latest Western state to join an ambitious effort to conserve nearly one-third of America's lands and waters by 2030.

The Biden administration detailed its plans in May for achieving the goal, saying conservation and restoration of lands and waters was an urgent priority. Democratic officials and environmentalists see the effort as a tool to increase green space, protect drinking water sources and reduce wildfire risks.

To make significant progress on the decadelong commitment, experts have said Western states must play a key role in the effort.

Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said she wants to bring people together in New Mexico for the initiative that she hopes will make a difference for decades to come.

Her executive order calls for the creation of a committee made up of key state agencies to draft a plan for reaching the goal. The group will meet four times a year and report back annually to the governor.

I just want action, Lujan Grisham said before signing the order, but if you dont have a guide  were not going to get every opportunity that we deserve.

California was the first to formalize its 2030 conservation goal when Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a sweeping executive order last fall. Nevada followed in May with lawmakers in the Democrat-dominated state passing a resolution.

About 12% of the nations lands and one-quarter of its waters are currently protected, according to research by the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank. Wilderness areas, game refuges, agricultural lands, ranches and other sites with conservation easements are among the protected parcels.

Nationally, the Biden administration is calling for the expansion of federal grant programs to create more local parks, increase access to outdoor recreation and for Indigenous communities to access funding for conservation priorities.

In New Mexico, members of Lujan Grisham's executive cabinet have been charged with finding ways to leverage state and federal funding and existing programs to help with the effort.

They must also consider the importance of working lands, such as farms and ranches, as well as tribal sovereignty.

The order acknowledges that agricultural production through farming and ranching represents historic, current and future land use and embodies cultural traditions that are at risk due to drought, development, climate impacts and reduced water availability.

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A handful of rural New Mexico counties have passed resolutions in recent months opposing the effort.

Elected leaders in those communities have voiced concerns that designating more wilderness areas and imposing more restrictions would compromise the livelihoods of residents and businesses dependent on the landscape.

Republican state Sen. Crystal Diamond of Elephant Butte said almost half of all land in New Mexico  the fifth largest state in the U.S.  is already owned and managed by either the state or federal government.

We all know that our family-owned, private land is better managed, utilized and preserved, she said. "This 30x30 initiative set forth by the governor is a thinly veiled land grab, and the people of New Mexico will not stand for it.

Environmentalists praised Lujan Grisham's move, arguing that it would help protect New Mexico's outdoor heritage and the traditions of agricultural-based communities.

Theresa Pasqual, executive director of Acoma Pueblo's Historic Preservation Office, said it marks the start of a conversation that will allow local communities to figure out what would work best for them.

We start that conversation by thinking about whats in our own backyard, she said.
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Sohel Rana, Indiana University and Sumit Ganguly, Indiana University

(THE CONVERSATION) Following the Talibans rapid taking of power in what it describes as a reestablished Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, fears of a certain kind of Islamist ideology being brought back have led a large number of Afghans to flee, or fear for their lives.

The Taliban were known for their oppressive rule. They ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, at which point they were pushed out of power by U.S. and British troops. Under the Taliban rule, religious minorities and other Muslims who did not share their fundamentalist understanding of Islam were not tolerated. The Taliban also severely restricted the rights of women and girls.

As scholars who research ethno-religious conflicts in South Asia, we have studied the origins of the Talibans religious beliefs. The roots of this ideology  Deobandi Islam  can be traced to 19th century colonial India.

Colonialism and Islam

Deobandi Islam emerged in India in 1867, 10 years after a major Indian nationalist uprising against the rule of the British East India Company.

Two Muslims clerics, Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi and Maulana Rashid Muhammad Gangohi, were behind the setting up of the Deobandi school. Their aim was to indoctrinate Muslim youth with an austere, rigid and pristine vision of Islam. At its heart, Deobandi Islam was an anti-colonial movement designed to revitalize Islam.

This school of Islamic thought had a very particular understanding of the faith. The Deobandi brand of Islam adheres to orthodox Islamism insisting that the adherence to Sunni Islamic law, or sharia, is the path of salvation. It insists on the revival of Islamic practices that go back to the seventh century  the time of the Prophet Muhammad. It upholds the notion of global jihad as a sacred duty to protect Muslims across the world, and is opposed to any non-Islamic ideas.

The first madrassa  or Islamic school  to educate Muslim youth in the Deobandi tradition was set up in the north Indian state of present-day Uttar Pradesh toward the end of the 19th century.

The Deobandi school system spread over the next several decades and attracted Muslim youth in different parts of the Indian subcontinent. For instance, the Deobandi tradition became the most popular school of Islamic thought among the Pashtuns, an ethnic group living in an area on either side of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Pashtun leaders played an instrumental role in establishing and expanding the Deobandi curriculum and tradition in the Pashtun belt across the Durand line, the colonial border separating British India from Afghanistan.

Funding and enrollments

After British India was partitioned in 1947 between India and Pakistan, many prominent Deobandi scholars migrated to Pakistan, setting up a large number of madrassas.

With the independence of India and Pakistan, the school placed its full attention on training the students within this fundamentalist Islamic tradition.

In the years and decades after the independence of Pakistan, Deobandi madrassas spread across Pakistan, and one of their principal causes of political activism became Indias treatment of Muslims in the Indian-controlled portion of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to one estimate, by 1967 there were as many as 8,000 Deobandi schools worldwide and thousands of Deobandi graduates mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Malaysia.

At first, the Deobandi madrassas tended to be poorly funded. One event that greatly boosted the growth of enrollment in Deobandi madrassas was the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

The CIAs covert involvement in the war fueled Islamic militancy and inadvertently helped organize and orchestrate a resistance movement mostly composed of ardent religious fighters. A substantial number of these Afghan fighters were drawn from the Deobandi madrassas, especially the Pashtuns, who played a leading role in the resistance.

During that time, the Deobandi madrassas also gained financial assistance. This assistance, as scholar Thomas Hegghammer writes, came mainly through American aid dollars meant for Pakistan and money from Saudi Arabia.

Saudi leaders, in fact, used the influence of their money to push their own interpretation of Islam  Wahhabism  at the Deobandi madrassas. Wahhabism is a deeply conservative form of Islam that believes in a literal interpretation of the Quran. At this point, the Deobandi madrassas moved far away from their religious roots.

Ties of kinship

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Following the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan in 1979, millions of Afghan refugees, in several waves, took shelter in Pakistan, especially in its Pashtun belt.

Keen on obtaining a strategic toehold in Afghanistan, Pakistan actively recruited young men in refugee camps, imbuing them further with religious zeal to fight the Soviets.

Driven out of their homes in Afghanistan, the dispossessed young Afghans thrived in the refugee camps, in part due to ties of ethnicity as Pashtuns. Drawn to a religiously based offensive against what they deemed to be an infidel, or foreign occupier, they became ready recruits to the anti-Soviet cause.

Many of the Talibans key leaders and fighters, including Mullah Omar, the founder of the organization, had studied in the Deobandi seminaries in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

After the civil war

After the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, the fighters continued to enjoy the support of Pakistans security establishment and private actors for financial assistance.

When Afghanistan plunged into a civil war in 1992, various factions of the anti-Soviet resistance vied for power. Among them was the Northern Alliance, a group that India and Russia had backed and was under the leadership of an ethnic Tajik, Ahmed Shah Massoud, who resisted the Taliban and acquired an almost mythic status.

However, as scholar Larry P. Goodson writes, with the crucial and substantial assistance of Pakistans security establishment, the Taliban emerged victorious and seized power in 1996.

Once in power, they imposed their distinctive brand of Islam on the country  far removed from its religious roots in colonial India.

[3 media outlets, 1 religion newsletter. Get stories from The Conversation, AP and RNS.]

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WILTON - Finding a place for Scott Presler to relate his message is growing harder.

The Upstate Conservative Coalition, which was to host a talk with Presler on Tuesday night, is in search of a new venue after its original location, the Saratoga Springs-Wilton Elks Lodge, received "nasty messages and threats," said its political director David Buchyn.

Presler, identified as a former top strategist for an anti-Muslim group, had already canceled an appearance Wednesday evening at Gavin Park that was touted on Twitter by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik and was to be hosted by the Saratoga County Republican Committee.

The announcement of his appearance sparked Democratic committee chairs in Stefanik's district as well as area independent and Democratic candidates to condemn Stefanik and the county GOP for celebrating Presler as an "American Patriot."

Presler also attended rallies on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol and extolled on Twitter that "January 6th, 2021 is going to be a defining moment in American history." And on the eve of Jan. 6, he tweeted: "I can truthfully say that Ive done everything I possibly could in the last 4 years. Look forward to seeing everyone in DC. Lets make some history."

Saratoga County GOP Chair Carl Zeilman said that a case of COVID in RISE PAC, of which Presler is a member, forced Wednesday's Gavin Park cancellation.

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Stefanik has since deleted the tweet promoting the event.

A vigil is expected to be held on Wednesday night in Congress Park in Saratoga Springs to protest Presler's local appearance.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  The only time Californians voted to recall a governor, they replaced him with a Hollywood megastar. This time, could it be a 29-year-old YouTube star who ends up leading the nation's most populous state?

Its a very long shot, but Kevin Paffrath could conceivably win simply because he has some name recognition by virtue of the nearly 1.7 million followers of his video channel, where he dispenses financial advice. The other eight Democrats running are essentially unknowns.

The Democratic field is filled with anonymous political neophytes because of Gov. Gavin Newsoms successful strategy of discouraging any prominent Democrats from running in the Sept. 14 election. His goal was to make it an all-or-nothing proposition for voters  keep Newsom, or live with the consequences of picking a replacement with a far different policy agenda.

Social media stardom translates to name recognition, and that's really what's going to make a big difference in an election like this with 46 names on the ballot," said Kim Nalder, a professor of political science at the California State University, Sacramento.

Voters already have received mail-in ballots with two questions: Should Newsom be recalled and, if so, who should replace him? If a majority want Newsom gone, the candidate with the highest vote total becomes governor even if they fall short of a majority, which is almost a certainty with so many candidates. People who vote against recalling Newsom can still choose a replacement option in case hes recalled.

Paffrath's climb is a steep one made more difficult by his failure to submit a statement describing his political beliefs for the voter guide that goes to all households with registered voters. For people loosely following the race, that could be the primary place to learn about replacement options.

He'd also have to overcome the message from Newsom and California Democratic Party officials that recall opponents should skip the second question altogether and focus only on keeping Newsom in office.

Paffrath thinks that's a mistake. He's been traveling the state  even showing up at some of Newsom's events  and making the case to reporters and his followers that a vote for him gives California a chance at progress on issues like homelessness should Newsom be recalled. If Democrats forfeit their right to choose a replacement, he argues it could leave the state in the hands of a Republican likely to be in a stalemate with the overwhelmingly Democratic Legislature.

We want folks in California to know there is a backup option, that if you are against the recall, do not leave the second part of the ballot blank  its stupid, Paffrath told The Associated Press.

Paffrath, who is listed on the ballot as a financial educator/analyst," posts multiple videos a day on subjects like the stock market and cryptocurrency. And about his campaign.

Many have attention-grabbing headlines such as Its Official: California is Shutting me Down," which featured Paffrath sharing that California's secretary of state wouldn't allow him to use his nickname Meet Kevin" on the ballot. In another video titled PLEASE HELP or I'm Screwed in 48 hours," he asked his followers to assist him in texting voters.

Paffrath's campaign is getting a boost. For the first time, he's being included in a debate. He'll appear Wednesday with three Republican candidates  former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Assemblyman Kevin Kiley and businessman John Cox, who lost to Newsom in a 2018 landslide.

Newsom and Republican front-runner and talk show host Larry Elder have skipped all debates.

The recall campaign is Paffrath's first foray into politics. He didnt even vote in 2018, something he now says was a mistake.

Paffrath lives in Ventura with his wife, Lauren, and two sons, ages 3 and 5. The couple met on a high school trip to Paris, but their relationship quickly hit a snag: Lauren lived in Southern California, and Paffrath in Florida. He eventually moved to California for his senior year and lived with her family, then stayed and got into real estate with the help of his wifes father. Paffrath says he and his wife have a net worth of at least $15 million.

Father-in-law Bill Stewart said Paffrath learned the ropes of the real estate business then quickly became one of Ventura County's top agents.

He combines intelligence with an incredible work ethic," Stewart said. He learns things incredibly quickly, and he's always doing research to get the best results."

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Paffrath now owns many properties in Ventura County. When he started his YouTube channel, he made videos critiquing other people's real estate advice and quickly started garnering attention.

He's now hoping to capitalize on that following his bid for governor. If elected, he'd focus on homelessness, something Newsom identified as his No. 1 priority before the pandemic hit but has only worsened.

Paffrath said he'd use his emergency powers to build 80 shelters that would provide substance abuse help, mental health treatment and educational support on site, as well as meals and showers. While they're under construction, he'd dispatch the National Guard to help homeless people on the streets by passing out supplies and building temporary bathrooms.

Once the shelters are up and running  he says within 60 days  no one would be allowed to sleep on the streets. He envisions ambulances picking up people on the streets at night and bringing them to shelters or helping them get medical care, but said people would not be arrested.

California has roughly 160,000 homeless people, and politicians and community groups have for years struggled to find policy solutions. Shelters have proven an insufficient support system.

But Paffrath believes his approach will build goodwill with lawmakers to move forward on other priorities, like a wide-ranging infrastructure plan that would include constructing a pipeline to the Mississippi River for a new source of water and building underground tunnels to alleviate traffic, an idea championed by billionaire Elon Musk.

He's also proposing giving interested adults $2,000 per month to attend future schools" where they can learn skills such as computer programming or electrical engineering to find high-paying jobs.

Paffrath feels he's been unfairly blocked by the Democratic Party and its message to only vote no on the recall and not pick a replacement candidate. He said that could result in a conservative Republican governor. Paffrath believes Newsom's campaign should tout his candidacy as a viable backup.

Maybe they'll be too arrogant to do it," he said. But it would be very smart for them to do that."

__

This story has been corrected to say Paffrath and his wife have a net worth of at least $15 million, not assets totaling $15 million.
Gov. Kathy Hochuls address to New Yorkers on Tuesday was an encouraging start that held at least a promise of some refreshing changes.

Just 15 hours on the job, the 57th governor of New York and the first woman to hold the post had her immediate priorities straight.

They start with dealing with a resurgent pandemic and getting children back to school safely. Ms. Hochul vowed to pick up the ball that now former-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Health Commissioner Howard Zucker dropped when the last administration refused to give guidance to schools on how they should proceed this coming year. Requirements for vaccination, testing, and masking are contentious issues that demand the authority of the governors office and expertise of the Health Department. In both schools and society in general, New York cant follow the example of states like Texas and Florida, where the virus is rampant thanks to governors who pandered to people who conflate public health measures with tyranny.

Were encouraged to hear the new governor clearly assess the states handling of aid to tenants and landlords as unsatisfactory. Shes right: Aid needs to get to them, and to workers who were hurt by the pandemic but were unable to collect unemployment.

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Were pleased that a governor whose predecessor was repeatedly accused of corrupt behavior and sexual harassment and abuse used her first speech in office to say that she intends to implement better training on both harassment and ethics.

And it was no small matter that she promised that Freedom of Information Law requests would be handled promptly from now on. The Cuomo administration came to be notorious for slow-walking the release of public information it preferred to keep under wraps.
ALBANY  Gov. Kathy Hochul selected state Sen. Brian A. Benjamin, a Black Democrat from Harlem, as her lieutenant governor. She is scheduled to make a formal announcement on Thursday.

The selection confirms Hochul's pledge to diversify her administration and to balance her administration with her upstate, Buffalo-area roots against Benjamin's deep ties to the New York City area. Benjamin is a self-described progressive and has linked himself to the "defund the police" movement.

Although Hochul's administration did not comment on Spectrum News' NY1 report of her selection of Benjamin as lieutenant governor, it did, later in the day, announce that Hochul is to be in Harlem at 1 p.m. on Thursday with Benjamin for a "special announcement." The event is scheduled for the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. state office building, one block east of the legendary Apollo Theater.

"I am looking forward to supporting you as our 57th governor!" Benjamin tweeted Tuesday. "This is a historic day for New York, particularly for women and girls who are witnessing our first woman governor."

He has not released any statements since his Tuesday tweet.

In Hochul's first news conference following the announced resignation by now ex-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, she told the press in response to a question on her lieutenant governor selection: "I love upstate. I love downstate. I love the whole state." She added that she was looking for diversity, an inclusive ticket and someone people would be both familiar with and proud of.

Unlike a presidential election, the governor and lieutenant governor do not run on a joint ticket, but often campaign together. Hochul was Cuomo's second lieutenant governor, winning election in 2014 and holding onto that seat for a second term. She will finish Cuomo's third term, which ends next year, and plans to run for governor. The Democratic primary would take place in June.

Benjamin first took office in 2017, following the departure of Sen. Bill Perkins, who left his seat after being elected to the New York City Council. Benjamin won easily in the special election  he was the lone Democrat in an almost entirely Democratic district.

He then won a full term in 2018 without facing a primary opponent. In 2020, he began to campaign for city comptroller, which he ultimately decided against.

Benjamin was born in Harlem to a Caribbean mother, went to Brown University, and received a master's degree in business at Harvard University. He later worked in investment banking for Morgan Stanley and helped to build affordable housing in Harlem, according to his website. He was a 2012 delegate for President Barack Obama and a member of Obamas National Finance Committee.

He is the chairman of the Senate's Budget and Revenue Committee. He pushed forward bills on prison reforms this past year.

Benjamin was congratulated by Jose Saldana, director of the Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) campaign. The senator was a co-sponsor of the elder parole and fair and timely parole bills, which the campaign heavily pushed.

The reports of the selection of Benjamin were followed by statements of encouragement from Democrats and outcry from Republicans, who just days prior had given Hochul a relatively warm welcome following years of tense disagreements with the Cuomo administration.

Benjamin has supported an initiative to "defund the police" as a way to reallocate resources in the New York Police Department's budget. He did not call for dismantling the department, but wanted an audit of the police department's budget.

"In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and the growing unrest in our nation, the need for criminal justice reform has never been stronger or more urgent," Benjamin said in a statement on Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. "I support the movement to defund the police because I believe that there are parts of the NYPD budget that are not essential for public safety."

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Benjamin at the time was running for comptroller of New York City, a position held at the time by Scott M. Stringer. Between his senator and comptroller campaign accounts, Benjamin has about $360,000 in the bank, according to state campaign finance data.

In Hochul's first formal address as governor on Tuesday, when she presented a blueprint for her policies, she mentioned in passing that it is "our time to build trust between communities and law enforcement." She added that it is important to "invest in mental health resources" and to "address the root causes of crime."

The call to invest in mental health resources to address concerns in current policing standards is not necessarily different than calls to reallocate resources to police departments and distribute them for mental health services, which can be lumped under the umbrella of "defund the police," a moniker that carries various definitions depending on a person's perspective.

Hochul has been firm, though, that she does not support "defund the police" and in her speech Tuesday, the Erie County Democrat took a stance more similar to New York City's Democratic mayoral nominee, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, in calling for partnership with local law enforcement.

New York Republican Party Chairman Nick Langworthy called Benjamin a "radical leftist" based on his police stance.

"This reckless pick proves that she represents a continuation of the same failed policies and underscores the urgency of electing a Republican governor in 2022 who will bring common sense and balance to New York," Langworthy, an Erie County Republican, said in a statement following reports of the selection.

Democrats who released statements based on news reports congratulated Benjamin on the selection.

"During our service together in the Senate, Sen. Benjamin always listened to all sides of an issue before determining the best path forward," Syracuse Democratic Sen. John W. Mannion said in a statement. "I am confident that he has the correct temperament for the job and is prepared to assume the duties and responsibilities of his office on day one."

Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey, a Bronx Democrat, was rumored to be one of the leading candidates for lieutenant governor.

"As we reimagine New York, we continue to move forward with the best," Bailey tweeted. "Huge congrats to my brother."
ALBANY  A former state ethics commissioner told a Senate panel on Wednesday that the New York inspector generals office was either incompetent or corrupt in its handling of a 2019 investigation into the apparent leak of confidential information to former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Testifying at a state Senate Ethics Committee hearing, Julie Garcia, a former commissioner on the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, detailed the hours and months after she first reported the apparent breach, which stemmed from a confidential JCOPE meeting in January 2019.

After Garcia promptly reported the apparent illegal leak of the information  how certain commissioners had voted in the closed-door session  the inspector generals office failed to interview key witnesses with knowledge of the matter, including Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, and Heastie's counsel, Howard Vargas, who had called Garcia and told her the governor had been upset with how she or others voted that day on a matter involving his administration.

Theres no way as part of an investigation of this magnitude, or this scope, that you would not interview people that have direct knowledge, said Garcia, who previously served as the Essex County district attorney.

Without interviewing the key witnesses, the inspector generals office sent a letter to JCOPE commissioners in October 2019, which stated that the allegations of an illegal leak to Cuomo could not be substantiated.

Its ridiculous  I read that report and I couldnt believe it, said Garcia, who subsequently resigned from the commission in protest.

The leak allegations, and the investigation that followed, had been kept secret until the Times Union reported on the matter in late 2019.

State Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro declined an invitation to answer questions before the Senate Ethics Committee, where she would have faced inquiries about why her office did not interview Cuomo and other key figures.

Tagliafierro, a former Cuomo aide whom the governor appointed inspector general in 2019, said she recused herself from the leak investigation because she is also a former executive director at JCOPE, the entity from which the apparent leak emanated. The leak investigation was led by her former deputy, Spencer Freedman, also a former Cuomo aide.

A spokesman for the inspector general's office, Lee Park, has asserted that investigation was thorough because all JCOPE staff and commissioners present at the January 2019 meeting were, as part of the inspector general's investigation, asked to sign sworn affirmations attesting they did not leak the information, which would be a misdemeanor crime.

We obviously disagree with Ms. Garcias statement. We stand by the investigation, Park said on Wednesday.

Tagliafierro did provide written testimony to the Senate committee, which included information about the scope of the offices powers and its mission, but did not address the leak.

Park asserted that no one in the inspector general's office was available to testify at the Wednesday hearing.

Inspector General Tagliafierro was and remains fully recused from this matter," Park said. "No one else from the office was available to participate in the hearing. That is why we submitted written testimony for the committees review and consideration.

At an earlier Senate Ethics Committee meeting in July, which ended up being canceled, no one from the inspector general's office was going to testify, either.

In the wake of Cuomo's resignation amid multiple controversies, calls have increased for sweeping changes to New York's ethics apparatus that failed to flag them, particularly JCOPE and the inspector generals' office. Both were criticized at the hearing for lacking independence from Cuomo, and at the hearing, JCOPE's executive director faced contentious questioning.

State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, a Democrat who chairs the ethics committee and represents the Bronx and Westchester County, has proposed sweeping reforms to JCOPE. Her colleague, Democratic Sen. Liz Krueger, is pushing a constitutional amendment to abolish the agency. On her first day as governor, Kathy Hochul also stated a desire for a sweeping ethics overhaul in state government, which has been plagued for years with corruption.

In that context, Garcia offered new details on Wednesday about the 2019 leak, which has highlighted flaws within entities meant to probe state government corruption.

And Garcia stated that Heastie, whose chamber had oversight powers over Cuomo, was not being forthright about the incident.

The controversy began with a contentious JCOPE meeting on Jan. 29, 2019. Commissioners had been forced by court order to vote on opening an investigation into whether a former top Cuomo aide, Joe Percoco, had illegally used government resources while managing Cuomos 2014 re-election campaign  and whether Cuomo had known about the illegality.

Later that afternoon, Garcia received a call from Vargas, Heasties counsel, who told her that Cuomo had angrily called Heastie, and was upset with how Heasties commissioners had voted on the Percoco matter. That indicated that someone within JCOPE had illegally leaked information about the vote and the information was shared with the governor.

That same day, Heastie called JCOPE Commissioner Jim Yates, and also relayed Cuomos anger with what transpired in the JCOPE meeting. Like Garcia, Yates was a Heastie appointee to JCOPE. Heastie had previously declined to say what they discussed or what prompted him to call the commissioner that afternoon.

About a week after the meeting, Yates and Garcia spoke on the phone. According to Garcia, during that phone call, Yates recounted his earlier conversation with Heastie. Cuomo had specifically told Heastie he was upset with how Heasties commissioners had voted, Yates told Garcia.

Yet in his public statements since, Heastie has repeatedly shied away from stating that Cuomo complained about how Heasties commissioners voted. He has declined to directly answer questions on that topic.

Instead, Heastie told the Times Union again in July only that hed received a blistering call from the governor that was less than a minute in which he ranted to me about numerous things that he was upset about, including JCOPE.

In her testimony on Wednesday, Garcia said that if a full investigation were conducted in the leak, it would reveal that the testimony Yates gave the inspector general was quite different from what Heastie has publicly revealed.

Yates testimony would contradict what Heastie has said in the media about the conversation he had with the commissioner, Garcia testified.

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Much of the fire during during Wednesday's Senate committee meeting was directed at JCOPE.

Biaggi grilled JCOPEs executive director, Sanford Berland, asking him to answer yes or no questions. She often did not get the direct responses she was seeking.

Biaggi asked Berland if he was concerned about the leaker not being identified, two years after the incident.

I don't see it as having any current impact of our operations, Berland said. Its not impacting my day-to-day work or the work of the agency.

Biaggi asked if Berland remains confident in the thoroughness of the inspector generals investigation into the leak.

Ive seen the report, but Im not privy to what underlines it, Berland said. I cant speak to it."

Im going to take [that] non-answer as a no, Biaggi replied.

Berland also testified about a recently adopted JCOPE policy, which in certain circumstances allows JCOPE to provide the public information about whether an investigation is still pending, has been closed, or been deferred at the request of law enforcement.

Berland testified that while investigations are generally confidential, such information could be publicly shared if a complaint to the agency has been made public, or if JCOPE had received a formal referral about a matter from another agency,

Yet earlier this week, JCOPE staff declined to tell the Times Union about the status of two matters that arguably fit that criteria: One where a copy of a complaint was shared with the newspaper by the person who filed it; the other where the Times Union had obtained a copy of a formal referral made to JCOPE from the inspector generals office.

Asked by Biaggi why the Times Unions requests for information were rejected, Berland said he could not comment because of confidentiality restrictions.



To the extent those did not fit the criteria, I am unable to provide further comment, Berland said.

So far, the JCOPE communications policy has been principally aimed at allowing JCOPE to rebut criticism about its operations  while allowing the agency to suppress information that might be damaging.

But Berland said the policy is not intended to allow the much-criticized agency to burnish its reputation, but rather, to serve the public.

Berland said the main problem with JCOPE is lack of funding: Approximately 50 staffers are not enough to fulfill the agencys many tasks. More funding is needed if the public wants JCOPE to conduct extensive, vigorous investigations.

Im very well aware of the reputation that the agency has, unfortunately. Its not deserved, Berland said.

After listening to Berland's testimony, Democratic state Sen. John Liu said it sounded like Berland, who has only been in the position for three months, had no intention of shaking up the agency.

It actually seems like youve been there for years, and are now making excuses for JCOPE, rather than figuring out how JCOPE can better do its job, Liu said.
This June 1, 2018, file photo shows a housing unit in the west section of the State Correctional Institution at Phoenix in Collegeville, Pa.
A small airplane has made an emergency landing on Interstate 5 north of San Diego after clipping cars and causing several slight injuries along with a huge traffic jam
A former captain with the Caledonia County sheriff's department is facing charges he sought nude photographs and or sex in exchange for money from women involved with the criminal justice system
A judge has ruled that the city of St. Louis is not liable in the accidental killing of a police officer while she was playing a variation of Russian roulette
[August 25, 2021] Asia Pacific Supply Chains Remain Resilient, but COVID-19 Resulting in a Broader Rethink, says new Citi-EIU Report

Survey of 175 respondents across multiple regions shows Asia Pacific supply chains remain relatively resilient with managers investing more heavily in the digitisation of their supply chains for the future Key takeaways: While supply chains in Asia Pacific are relatively resilient, companies across the board are rethinking their longer-term strategies for the future

are relatively resilient, companies across the board are rethinking their longer-term strategies for the future Asia Pacific supply-chain managers are investing more heavily in the digitisation of their supply chains since the onset of the pandemic

supply-chain managers are investing more heavily in the digitisation of their supply chains since the onset of the pandemic Asia Pacific supply-chain managers remain more bullish about globalisation and international supply chains than their counterparts elsewhere

supply-chain managers remain more bullish about globalisation and international supply chains than their counterparts elsewhere Supply-chain managers in Europe and North America could be pulling back from long and very global supply chains to add more resilience through regionalisation and diversification

and could be pulling back from long and very global supply chains to add more resilience through regionalisation and diversification Larger companies are keen to diversify supply chains and move away from "single sourcing", while smaller companies prefer localisation HONG KONG, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- New research commissioned by Citi (NYSE: C) and undertaken by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) finds that supply chains in the Asia Pacific region have been more resilient than expected despite supply chain-related shocks on the back of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new report, Disruption, Digitisation, Resilience: The future of Asia-Pacific supply chains, is based on a survey of 175 global supply-chain managers across six primary industries - Automotive, Footwear and apparel, Food and beverage, Manufacturing, IT/tech/electronics, Healthcare/pharmaceuticals/biotechnology - and explores changes in supply-chain strategies in the Asia Pacific region. All respondents are involved in and/or have oversight of supply-chain decisions in the region. Over half the supply-chain managers in Europe and North America say that increased concerns over the resilience of existing supply chains is the top factor driving their Asia Pacific supply-chain strategy, but just 3.2% of managers in Asia say so. Instead, 46.4% of this group pick the ongoing impact of the pandemic as the top driver of their supply-chain strategy. This reflects in a more bullish view of globalisation and international supply chains among supply-chain managers in Asia Pacific. Only 9% of supply-chain managers in the region are concerned about a breakdown in global trade, compared to 52% of managers based in Europe and North America. Supply chains in Asia Pacific appear to be relatively more resilient, but the pandemic is leading to a broaer rethink of supply-chain strategies for the longer-term, the research finds. While longer-term changes in supply chains, dictated by geopolitical and economic factors, were already underway before the outbreak of the virus, the health crisis is accelerating these changes and leading companies to re-evaluate their strategies for the future.



A third of all companies are conducting a complete overhaul of their supply chains, and these changes are geared towards the longer term. Only 22.9% of supply-chain managers say they are not making any significant changes to their supply-chain strategies. From a sectoral perspective, close to half or 48.3% of supply-chain managers in the Automotive sector and 40% in the Footwear and apparel industry are conducting an overhaul of their supply -chain strategy; higher than the survey average of 32.6%. This compares against 16.7% for the IT/tech/electronics industry, 23.1% for Manufacturing, and 33.3% in both the Food and beverage and Healthcare/pharmaceutical/biotechnology sectors.

This corresponds to the level of disruption faced by these sectors with the Automotive industry taking the strongest hit as it faces production stoppages, trade restrictions and difficulties in access to primary inputs. How supply-chain managers are rethinking their supply chains varies in different regions. While 40% of managers in Europe and 48% in North America say their companies are pursuing diversification as their top supply-chain strategy, this share is just 24% among supply-chain managers in Asia Pacific. Supply-chain managers based in the Asia Pacific are pursuing a more diverse mix of strategies that includes diversification, localisation, reshoring and China-plus-one. Diversification is a widely pursued supply-chain strategy at this point, but our research finds that larger companies are more keen to move away from "single sourcing" to reduce supply-chain dependence, while smaller companies prefer localising and shortening supply chains. The pandemic has also resulted in a greater focus on the digitisation of supply chains and investments in technology for purposes such as trade facilitation, supply and demand forecasting, financial management and inventory management. Of all supply-chain managers surveyed, 32.5% say their companies have increased investment in digital tools or processes by more than 50% as a result of the pandemic. While this number stands at 12% among managers in Europe and North America, it shoots up to a shade over 40% among managers in Asia. These investments are largely in the areas of trade facilitation, forecasting and predicting, inventory management and manufacturing processes. "While industries are responding differently to the range of challenges they are facing, they are doing so with a common goal in mind  to make their supply chains more resilient. Increased investments in technology and digitisation will help companies build resilience while advancing digital trade and supply chains more broadly, areas that have been relatively slow in keeping pace with technological change," says Rajesh Mehta, Asia Pacific Head, Treasury and Trade Solutions, Citi. "As a global network bank with a presence in close to 100 markets, we continue to actively support our clients, leveraging our financial and product expertise, advisory, and digital capabilities to navigate the evolving operating environment and consequently, its impact on supply chains." Chris Clague, Asia Editorial Lead, Trade & Globalisation at the EIU, and Editor of the report, says, "Supply-chain managers based in the Asia Pacific region are clearly more optimistic about the resilience of the region's supply chains than managers based elsewhere. This stems from factors such as greater confidence in globalisation and a more nuanced understanding of different markets here. That said, the pandemic has resulted in companies thinking deeply about what its effects and longer-term geopolitical and economic trends might mean for the resilience of their supply chains." About Citi's Treasury and Trade Solutions Citi Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS) enables our clients' success by providing an integrated suite of innovative and tailored cash management and trade finance services to multinational corporations, financial institutions and public sector organisations across the globe. Based on the foundation of the industry's largest proprietary network with banking licenses in over 90 countries and globally integrated technology platforms, TTS continues to lead the way in offering the industry's most comprehensive range of digitally enabled treasury, trade and liquidity management solutions. About Citi Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi About The Economist Intelligence Unit The EIU is the thought leadership, research and analysis division of The Economist Group and the world leader in global business intelligence for executives. We uncover novel and forward-looking perspectives with access to over 650 expert analysts and editors across 200 countries worldwide. More information can be found on https://eiuperspectives.economist.com/. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. SOURCE Citi

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[August 25, 2021] BetterLife Initiates Preclinical Study of AP-003 (rhIFNa2b) against Delta Variant of SARS-CoV-2

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BetterLife Pharma Inc. (BetterLife or the Company) (CSE: BETR / OTCQB: BETRF / FRA: NPAU ), an emerging biotechnology company primarily focused on developing compounds to treat neurological conditions, is pleased to announce initiation of in vitro studies of its recombinant human interferon alpha-2b (rhIFN?2b or AP-003) against the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2. The studies are being conducted at Dr. Stephen Barrs Laboratory at the state-of-the-art ImPaKT Facility at Western University (UWO). AP-003s first proposed target indication is for people at higher risk to develop severe COVID-19 disease.

These in-vitro anti-viral studies of AP-003 against the Delta variant are a follow on to earlier in-vitro studies conducted at UWO which have shown potent and similar anti-viral activity of AP-003 against the COVID-19 Wuhan reference strain (EC 50 =0.51), Alpha (B.1.1.7, UK, EC 50 =1.26) and Beta (B.1.351, South Africa, EC 50 =0.25) variants. The Company expects to release the results on the of rhIFN?2b /AP-003 activity against Delta variant in the next two weeks. Ahmad Doroudian, CEO of BetterLife, said, COVID-19 is very much still a threat to the global population and its variants are the key challenge when developing therapeutics to protect against it. The broad mechanism of action of interferon is such that our scientists hypothesized it could be equally effective against different variants. We are very pleased to see that early preclinical data confirms this as this takes us one step closer to the potential result of reducing overall hospitalization rate, long-term tissue damage and death by reducing the overall severity of the disease. The global vaccine roll-out is making headway; however, there are still several reasons why there is a need for an effective, easy to administer, non-invasive treatment, such as AP-003. This includes the time it will take to vaccinate the global population; not knowing the duration of protection afforded by the current vaccines; emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants; and emergence of possible totally new coronavirus pandemics in the future. AP-003, being a Type I interferon, is a broad acting anti-viral agent, and therefore potentially could be effective in all these scenarios. About BetterLife Pharma BetterLife Pharma Inc. is an emerging biotechnology company primarily focused on developing and commercializing two compounds, TD-0148A and TD-010, to treat neurological disorders. TD-0148A, which is in Preclinical and IND-enabling studies, is the onl non-hallucinogenic and non-controlled psychedelic candidate on the market and it is unique in that it is unregulated and therefore can be self-administered. BetterLifes synthesis patent for TD-0148A eliminates regulatory hurdles and its pending patent for method of use covers treatment of depression, migraines, post-traumatic stress disorder and other neuro-psychiatric disorders. The global depression drugs market reached US$12.41 billion in 2019 and projected to reach near US$25 billion by 2030. According to the WHO, depression is one of the leading causes of disability, impacting approximately 265 million people in the world.



TD-010, which is in Preclinical and IND-enabling studies, is based on Honokiol, the active anxiolytic ingredient of magnolia bark. BetterLifes patented formulation improves bioavailability by 2x and formulations covered include oral capsules, tablets and sub-lingual delivery. BetterLifes pending method of use patent covers treatment of benzodiazepine dependency, anxiety, insomnia, etc. The global benzodiazepines market is expected to grow to US$4.15 billion in 2017 (from US$3.48 billion in 2019) at a CAGR of 2.25%. BetterLife also owns a drug candidate for the treatment of viral infections such as COVID-19 and is in the process of seeking strategic alternatives for further development.

For further information please visit www.abetterlifepharma.com. About Western University - Dr. Stephen Barr Laboratory Dr. Stephen Barr, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at Western University. His research focuses on the complex virus-host interactions of emerging viral pathogens, with a focus on the host interferon response. His team studies Containment Level 2 and Level 3 viruses such as HIV, Ebola-like viruses, and SARS-CoV-2, in the new state-of-the-art ImPaKT Facility featuring barrier-enclosed imaging scanners and instrumentation. This high-tech equipment allows Dr. Barr and his team to develop tools and methods to better understand the progression of emerging infectious diseases (in vitro and in vivo), identify/test novel antiviral agents, develop diagnostic reagents to characterize hidden reservoirs of pathogens, and for the early and accurate detection of infections. Dr. Barr is also part of Canadas Coronavirus Variants Rapid Response Network (CoVaRR-Net), whose goal is to rapidly answer critical and immediate questions regarding SARS-CoV-2 variants, such as their increased transmissibility, likelihood to cause severe cases of COVID-19, and resistance to vaccines. For more information, please visit the Barr Lab ( https://publish.uwo.ca/~sbarr9/ ) and CoVaRR-Net (https://covarrnet.ca). Contact Information



BetterLife Pharma: Ahmad Doroudian , Chief Executive Officer

Email: ahmad.doroudian@blifepharma.com

Phone: 1-604-221-0595 Media enquiries: Buchanan Henry Harrison-Topham / Jamie Hooper / Ariadna Peretz Phone: +44 (0) 20 7466 5000 betterlife@buchanan.uk.com www.buchanan.uk.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements No securities exchange has reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to product development, licensing, commercialization and regulatory compliance issues and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as will, may, should, anticipate, expects and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Companys expectations include the failure to satisfy the conditions of the relevant securities exchange(s) and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable law.





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[August 25, 2021] Biocom California Adds New Members to Its Board of Governors

Biocom California, the association representing the California life science industry, today announced that it has appointed Matthew Bresnahan, partner at Wilson Sonsini; Denise DeMan, founder, chair and chief executive officer of Bench International; and Thierry Diagana, Ph.D., head of the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases to its board of governors. "The last year has seen tremendous interest from the public at large in the biotechnology industry, yet there are a number of threats to the future industry's ability to develop life-saving therapies that loom on the horizon," said Joe Panetta, president and chief executive officer of Biocom California. "We are actively working to appoint the brightest minds in the life science industry to help guide Biocom California to successfully meet the challenges ahead of us, and these individuals will have great influence." Mr. Bresnahan is a partner in the San Diego and Los Angeles offices of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he has focused his practice for more than a decade on establishing and building biotechnology companies. His training is in all aspects of intellectual property, including strategic patent counseling, patent prosecution, licensing and litigation. He is an adjunct professor of law at the University of San Diego School of Law and serves as an advisor on medtech issues at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Cal Poly (News - Alert) , San Luis Obispo. Mr. Bresnahan earned his J.D. from the University of San Diego. Ms. DeMan is the founder, chairman and CEO of Bench International, the oldest and largest global executive search firm serving the life sciences. She serves as a member of multiple non-profit boards including Learning Forum International, which focuses on childhood education, as well as the Maple Counseling Center, a non-profit organization committed to providing low-cost, comprehensive mental health services. She holds a double Master of Science degree in auditory pathology and speech pathology. Prior to founding Bench, Ms. DeMan served as a research fellow in a joint research program sponsored by National Institute of Health (NIH) and Siemens (News - Alert) Corporation; the University of California, San Diego; San Diego State University; and the San Diego Speech and Hearing Center. Dr. Diagana is the Emeryville Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research Site Head, where he leads the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), which was initially based in Singapore and recently relocated to California. NITD aims to discover novel treatments and prevention methods for major tropical diseases. NITD advanced multiple innovative drug candidates to clinical trials to address major global health challenges such as malaria and dengue. He carried out his Ph.D. work at the Pasteur Institute (Paris, France) and completed his post-doctoral studies at the Salk Institute (La Jolla, California). About Biocom California Biocom California is the leader and advoate for California's life science sector. We work on behalf of more than 1,500 members to drive public policy, build an enviable network of industry leaders, create access to capital, introduce cutting-edge STEM education programs and create robust value-driven purchasing programs.



Founded in 1995 in San Diego, Biocom California provides the strongest public voice to research institutions and companies that fuel the local and state-wide economy. Our goal is simple: to help our members produce novel solutions that improve the human condition. In addition to our San Diego headquarters, Biocom California operates core offices in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, satellite offices in Washington, D.C. and Tokyo, and has a continuous staff presence in Sacramento. Our broad membership benefits apply to biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, genomics and diagnostics companies of all sizes, as well as to research universities and institutes, clinical research organizations, investors and service providers. For more information on Biocom California, please visit our website at www.biocom.org. Connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter (News - Alert) (@BIOCOMCA).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005561/en/

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[August 25, 2021] Brose Tuscaloosa Plant Recognized for Manufacturing Excellence by IndustryWeek

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brose North America's Tuscaloosa, Alabama manufacturing facility earned the prestigious honor of being selected as one of IndustryWeek's 2021 Best Plants Award winners. IndustryWeek recognizes Brose Tuscaloosa for exceptional manufacturing performance in 2020 amid a global pandemic, maintaining quality, optimizing production and, most importantly, maintaining team morale during a year filled with adversity. "This great honor belongs to the individuals at Brose Tuscaloosa whose hard work and dedication to efficiency and innovation drive quality in the most challenging of times," said Jim Barbaretta, general manager. "Brose Tuscaloosa is a lean organization that serves as a performance benchmark to our peers and receiving recognition on a national scale inspires our continual focus on excellence." Brose Tuscaloosa began production of door systems, cooling fan modules and seat adjusters in 2004. To meet growing customer demand, the facility has invested $14 million in infrastructure, including a drive-in acoustics chamber, state-of-the-art measurement laboratory and a 9,150 square-foot expansion of office space The facility also added 400 jobs in recent years, fulfilled partially through its award-winning hands-on apprenticeship program.



Just three North American manufacturing facilities earned recognition from IndustryWeek as part of the 2021 Best Plants Awards program for their ability to outpace expectations through supply chain issues, labor shortages and a global pandemic. "These plants are driven to achieve excellence in all they dostreamlining production, improving processes, eliminating defects and empowering their workers to achieve the impossible," said Travis Hessman, IndustryWeek editor in chief. "They deliver their products on time and on budget, sure, but they do so with world-class metrics in operational efficiency, safety, and a sense of continuous improvement that permeates their entire culture."

The IndustryWeek Best Plants Awards competition began in 1990 to showcase excellence in leadership, plant floor operations and quality in manufacturing. Today, the competition's 31st class of honorees demonstrate comprehensive levels of excellence across a broad range of categories, as well as the ability to sustain and improve on those extraordinary achievements. IndustryWeek will celebrate 2021 Best Plants Award winners during an awards ceremony at the 2021 Manufacturing & Technology Conference, held November 9-11 in Cleveland. About Brose

Brose is the fourth-largest family-owned automotive supplier. Every other new car worldwide is equipped with at least one Brose product. The company's intelligent solutions for vehicle access and interiors provide greater comfort and flexibility. Innovative concepts for thermal management increase efficiency and contribute to environmental and climate protection. Brose's systems understanding enables new functions in all kinds of vehicles - whether on four or two wheels. Around 25,000 employees at 65 locations in 24 countries generated a turnover of 5.1 billion euros in 2020. About Brose North America

Brose has been a committed partner to the North American market since 1993. The mechatronics specialist now counts twelve locations across Canada, the United States and Mexico and employs approximately 6,000 people in the region. The entire range of Brose products is manufactured throughout the North American facilities, from door modules and seat systems to drives and electronics. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/brose-tuscaloosa-plant-recognized-for-manufacturing-excellence-by-industryweek-301362629.html SOURCE Brose North America

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[August 25, 2021] Crystal Technologies Raised $2.45 Million In Their First Stage Of CRT Offering

Tallinn, Estonia, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Crystal Wallet and the upcoming Decentralised Exchanges from the Crystal Technologies team strive to provision a comprehensive suite of solutions for Inter-Chain DeFi. While DeFi related projects are ubiquitous and leading a strong trend, DeFi products in the Crystal Ecosystem have a unique edge of harmony-by-design. The interplay between their wallet and inter-chain DEXes catch investors' eyes with positivity. This is evidenced by their successful completion of the first stage in their ongoing token crowd sale, raising $2.45 million from more than 15,000 participants from 72 countries. These statistics are accumulated over a span of 16 days, which highlights the confidence that the market has given them.

The Crystal Technologies team states in their community announcement that they will spend a significant portion of the raised fund on the development of their DEXes, aptly named CrystalSwap. They also share that they are making good progress and staying ahead of schedule. One notable bit in their ongoing development of CrystalSwap is the transparency. The team periodically releases the smart contracts which constitute the CrystalSwap on their Github as they make progress. As DeFi adoption is on the rise, yet the current blockchain infrastructures are somewhat isolated, the need for Inter-Chain solutions are of great importance. Let us consider, for example, Binance Smart Chain (BSC), and Tron. Their primary token standards are BEP20 and TRC20, respectively. As popular as these blockchains are, they provide no native mechanism for a BEP20-compatible smart contract to deal with a TRC20-compatible counterpart. Consequently, one is not able to trade BEP-20 assets on Tron-powered DEX, r vice versa. Such necessity can be enabled via the use of Inter Blockchain Communication (IBC). Unfortunately, few DEX readily incorporate IBC in their platform. Crystal Technologies set out to do exactly this, provisioning a host of DEX on BSC, Tron, Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, and then connecting them all into a web of DEXes via IBC. This is a challenging technical feat, and it appears the team is ambitious and competent enough to pursue.



Beside pushing forward on technicality, Crystal Technologies will also spend a portion of the raised fund on social marketing to further boost their presence. They currently run a series of bounties. Most notably among them are their Youtube Contest with a total reward of $5,000 and their Build-Up Bounty with a total bounty reward of 3,000,000 CRT. A few simple steps such as following their Twitter or subscribing to their Youtube will earn participants 200 CRT. After the successful conclusion of the first stage, their token sale has entered the second stage, which offers 146M CRT at the unit price of $0.03. They include a handsome promotion in their token sale, giving bonus to investors who make their purchase during the golden hours.

The team recently announced that they would conduct the Launchpad Sale for their CRT on P2PB2B (the platform is featured among the top 15 exchanges by CoinGecko). The Launchpad Sale comprises two sessions, spanning the duration from 21st till 30th November, with unit price of $0.05 and 0.06$, respectively. Crystal Technologiess token sell strategies remind us of another project that did their Launchpad in July, and hit All-Time-High just a few days ago, yielding a ROI of 80 times over their launchpad sale price. With the bull season expected to continue to the end of year, Inter-Chain DeFi projects still have enormous room to grow. Media Contacts Website: https://crystalwallet.eu/

Email: support@crystalwallet.eu

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrystalWalletEU

Telegram: https://t.me/CrystalWalletEU

Token Offering: https://crt.crystalwallet.eu/



PR Contact- Name- Samiran Mondal

Website- News overage

Email- Newscoverage.agency@gmail.com

Telegram- Samiran Mondal



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[August 25, 2021] Enterprise-Grade Blockchain Solution Provider VeChain Creates New SaaS Products For China's Digital Carbon Emissions Market

SHANGHAI, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The increasing impact of greenhouse gases on the atmosphere and their perturbation of the climatic order are calling for a major overhaul in how humanity goes about emissions reductions. All countries and industries now face tough targets for reducing atmospheric pollution. China is arguably facing the greatest challenge of all, having vowed to reach net-zero emissions by 2060, with carbon emissions peaking no later than 2030. As per the targets laid out in China's 14th five-year plan , there is very little room for emissions increases from current levels out to 2025. A Global First: VeChain's Digital Carbon Footprint SaaS Platform

VeChain, with its enterprise-grade public blockchain technology, is seizing the opportunity to play a crucial role in China's carbon reduction ambitions. VeChain's brand new Digital Carbon Footprint SaaS Service is a powerful, rapidly deployable tool, enabling enterprises of all sizes to re-engineer their carbon footprint data management practices. This new offering is also the first of its kind to benefit from the combination of decentralized ledger technology and an SaaS business model. Brands and their upstream counterparts must abide by 'green' protocols and report emissions data as part of their ongoing operations. Unfortunately, not all data can be proven legitimate or be independently verified and so there is a pervasive issue of distrust in data as well as a lack of transparency. Public blockchain provides an elegant solution to this problem and, when combined with IoT technologies and data quality assurance services, neatly addresses the challenge of trustlessly collecting carbon emissions data from the many participants of a supply chain.



Alexandre Gellert Paris, Associate Programme Officer at UNFCCC noted that: "Blockchain can contribute to greater stakeholder involvement, transparency and engagement and help bring trust and further innovative solutions to the fight against climate change, leading to enhanced climate action." Pairing Sustainability With Accountability And Trust

Supply chains are team efforts by their very nature, just as interconnectedness is a core function of blockchain. VeChain's Digital Carbon Footprint SaaS Service allows enterprise users to log key data and integrate it with world-leading third-party assurance providers within VeChain's partnership network. This data can then be later transformed into new kinds of value and improve sustainability performance across the entirety of an organization.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives have become a massive global focus since the COVID-19 outbreak began. In the rapidly reshaping Chinese market, rising awareness of these goals are playing an ever-more crucial role in consumers' purchasing decisions. VeChain's services provide an opportunity for businesses to amplify transparency and dramatically change the way consumers view carbon labelling. By leveraging VeChain's intuitive Digital Carbon Footprint SaaS platform, business owners are able to provide end users with full oversight of carbon data and green claims, far beyond the final label. It is abundantly clear that the world is digitizing, and decision-making is becoming ever more data driven. The digitalization of carbon is no exception. VeChain's blockchain-based Digital Carbon Footprint SaaS Service provides a comprehensive and scalable platform for any enterprise to be able to better calculate, track and report their carbon reduction initiatives across the entire value chain. About VeChain Launched in 2015, VeChain connects blockchain technology to the real world by providing a comprehensive governance structure, a robust economic model, and IoT integration. VeChain is the pioneer of real-world applications using public blockchain technology, with international operations in Singapore, Luxembourg, Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris, Hong Kong, and San Francisco. Together with our strategic partners PwC and DNV GL, we have established cooperative relations with many leading enterprises in different industries, including Walmart China, BMW, BYD Auto, Haier, H&M, LVMH, D.I.G, ENN, AWS, PICC, ASI etc. Website: www.vechain.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/enterprise-grade-blockchain-solution-provider-vechain-creates-new-saas-products-for-chinas-digital-carbon-emissions-market-301362316.html SOURCE VeChain

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[August 25, 2021] Essence SmartCare Sees Surge in International Growth With Over One Million Connected Digital Devices Deployed

Entry into German Market Increases Essence SmartCare's Global Footprint to 25 Countries Across 5 Continents HERZLIYA, Israel, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Essence SmartCare, a leader in remote care monitoring solutions, today announced it has surpassed the deployment of one million digital devices in the senior care sector, and anticipates further rapid growth through the remainder of 2021 and beyond. "I am delighted to see how, in a relatively short period of time, Essence SmartCare has established itself as a leading provider of remote care monitoring and senior care solutions," said Dr. Haim Amir, Founder and CEO of Essence Group. "As we continue to expand into new global markets, we can affirm our commitment to providing seniors with reliable and efficient solutions that provide peace-of-mind to them and their families. Essence SmartCare has rapidly established a reputation for introducing market-leading remote care monitoring solutions for the senior care and assisted living sectors. With the recent establishment of its German operations, the company now operates in 25 countries across North America Latin America, Asia, Oceania and Europe.



"We started Essence SmartCare to answer the needs of a growing senior population by providing complete, yet unobtrusive, monitoring and protective solutions," said Barak Katz, General Manager for Essence SmartCare. "With the addition of remote patient monitoring (RPM) solutions to our portfolio, we believe that we can truly allow senior citizens to live safely and independently. We are grateful to all our global partners for their support and trust, which enables us to continue introducing solutions that improve the provision of care." In September 2020, Essence SmartCare launched MDsense, the award-winning multi-dimensional fall detection solution for elderly and vulnerable populations. In May 2021, the company expanded into the remote patient monitoring (RPM) space with the launch of VitalOn, a comprehensive health monitoring platform for seniors and individuals living with chronic conditions. Essence SmartCare has also led the way in introducing LTE-enabled senior care gateways, while establishing itself as a leader in personal safety solutions.

About Essence SmartCare Essence SmartCare, part of the Essence Group, develops pioneering Health & Care platforms for market-leading healthcare and senior care providers, enabling smart preventive care and emergency response so seniors can live life to the fullest with total peace of mind. Partnering with Essence SmartCare helps position companies as progressive, forward-thinking and in touch with the need to enable elderly and vulnerable people to lead more independent and safer lives. For more information: www.essencesmartcare.com Follow Essence Group on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook Media Contact: FINN Partners for Essence Group

Danny Sudwarts

danny.sudwarts@finnpartners.com

(+1) 469-297-2515 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1549743/Essence_SmartCare_Logo.jpg

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Federman & Sherwood File First Class Action Lawsuit in Oklahoma City Against T-Mobile USA, Inc.

Federman & Sherwood announces that it has filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on behalf of T-Mobile (News - Alert) customers impacted by the recently announced data breach of T-Mobile's systems. Investigations into the breach revealed that cybercriminals were able to access the following highly confidential information:

Names, addresses, Social Security numbers, birth dates, and driver's license information.

If you received notice of the data breach or have determined that your personal information was comprised, please contact Federman & Sherwood.

To learn how to participate in this action, please visit

https://www.federmanlaw.com/blog/federman-sherwood-announces-the-investigation-of-the-clearbalance-data-breach/







The lawsuit seeks to recover damages on behalf of all T-Mobile customers who were affected by the data breach.

If you wish to discuss this action, obtain further information and participate in this litigation, or should you have any questions regarding this notice or preservation of your rights, please contact: Lauren Martin at lbm@federmanlaw.com or visit the firm's website at www.federmanlaw.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210824005801/en/
[August 25, 2021] Halfway into 2021, Ping An Good Doctor winning trust of over 400 million registered users in China

HONG KONG, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As China recovers from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, online healthcare is playing a key role in ensuring a healthy and robust future for individuals, companies and communities. Ping An Good Doctor (1833.HK), a leading online medical and healthcare service platform in China, has shown the way forward and has recently posted a strong financial performance for the first half of the year completing a comprehensive strategic upgrade that has seen the company improve its services and capacity as well as enhance the various channels through which it interfaces with users. In six months, Ping An Good Doctor gained RMB3.818 billion in revenue, growing by 39% compared to the same period last year. Clearly, internet healthcare services have become part of the new norm for residents when it comes to seeking a medical consultation. Revenue from medical services came in at RMB1.067 billion representing 50.6% year-on-year growth. Ping An Good Doctor now counts more than 400 million registered users as part of the platform; the cumulative paying users grew by 69.6% to 32.1 million compared to the figure at the interim period of the previous year. Other business verticals such as Consumer Healthcare also contributed to overall growth. Ping An Good Doctor has focused on three medical specialties over the past year  dermatology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and gynecology and obstetrics. Ping An Good Doctor has gathered more than 100 famous specialists in these fields with 24/7 online consultation services offered by in-house medical team complimented by renowned doctors. Users have a wide range of services such as consultations, prescription, medication guides, results interpretation and follow-up care available at home. In-house medical team have been instructed to take up ownership of health outcomes and act as account managers with edical knowledge. As such, they look to provide a dedicated lifelong GP for each customer through four specific scenarios  health management, sub-health management, disease management and chronic disease management.



Continuously expanding user acquisition channels As demand for online healthcare grows, Ping An Good Doctor has also expanded its capacity with its network of external doctors. More than 70% doctors hail from tertiary hospitals while the company has also launched 450 Famous Doctor Studios, effectively creating a four-tier doctor network, underpinned by AI-based Doctor Assistant, in house medical team provide basic services in response to common healthcare demand, external doctors who are the backbone of clinic teams address core demand of patients, and famous doctor studios build up professional image, that has done remarkably well. Similarly, incubation efforts are underway to create a similar ecosystem for other medical specialties such as ophthalmology, pediatrics, internal medicine and surgery.

Perhaps, the highlight of the previous six-month period has been the expansion of user acquisition channels that empowers the Ping An Group to provide customer-centric financial services. High-value users have been acquired through financial services channels and corporate customer channels such as insurance, integrated financial services (such as Ping An Bank and Ping An Puhui), and corporate health insurance plans offered by related business units that are part of the Ping An Group. Ping An Good Doctor has offered such users medical membership products, health check-ups and health management services and others to attract high-quality customers. Ping An Good Doctor has also developed corporate customers by providing customized products understanding the needs of employers and employees while keeping in mind industry-specific attributes and employee conditions. By reducing employers' cost of medical treatment for employees and formulating customized health management solutions, Ping An Good Doctor has become a preferred health partner for employers and a loyal health guardian for enterprises and employees. Finally, Ping An Good Doctor's Internet Hospital development has also achieved remarkable progress as it has been licensed to develop Internet hospitals under self-construction model in 10 cities and has signed co-construction agreements with 205 hospitals to build Internet hospital platforms. Such platforms combine the extensive medical resources, doctor resources and user traffic resources with influential offline public hospitals. They allow offline to online docking at offline hospitals connecting online and offline services and establishing a diagnosis and treatment system covering the whole medical treatment process for users living in remote areas. Ping An Good Doctor will continue the work on this front and even establish a link to local social health insurance payment systems. In summary, Ping An Good Doctor has benefited from a growing awareness and trust in Internet healthcare services among users and has reaped dividends from earlier strategic investments. Not only has this allowed Ping An Good Doctor to post a remarkable performance across core operating and financial metrics, it remains confident of maintaining the robust growth momentum and balanced performance across business segments. As the leading online healthcare service platform in China, Ping An Good Doctor will continue to bridge communication between doctors and patients and continue to build an Internet healthcare platform with the largest scale, the most advanced models, and the highest entry barriers in China. SOURCE Ping An Healthcare and Technology Company Limited

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[August 25, 2021] InsurTech Sayata Scores $17M In Funding To Continue Expansion Into The $100B SMB Insurance Market

BOSTON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sayata , the leading marketplace for insurance brokers and carriers to quickly and easily grow their business insurance portfolios, has raised $17M in series A funding that will drive expansion into several new insurance lines. Team8 Capital and Vertex Ventures led the round, who joined original investors Elron, Kamet, and OurCrowd. Since launching its platform in February 2020, Sayata has seen consistent and compelling growth, doubling gross written premium every quarter to date, with millions of dollars in monthly premiums already. "This round is coming just as we're hitting our stride," noted Asaf Lifshitz, CEO of Sayata. "The market has responded incredibly well to our offering since launch with both our broker and carrier partners asking to see more business insurance lines represented on the platform. As the broker and insurer communities increasingly rely on us, we're excited to help them win more business. With the backing of Team8, Vertex, and our existing investors, we're going to deliver just that." Sarit Firon, Managing Partner at Team8 Capital commented "We were immediately taken with Sayata. We've seen our share of startups, specifically InsurTechs, and Sayata's growth is exceptional because they've clearly identified a market need - the ability to automate the business insurance sales cycle in a way that removes friction and ambiguity. This allows the broker, insurer, and client to get what they need with less work and in less time. Sayata's ongoing expansion into new lines of coverage will provide even more value to those that offer or need business insurance within the $100 bn SMB insurance market." "Naturally we were excited about Sayata's growth in such a short time." Added Aviad Ariel, General Partner at Vertex entures, "but more so, we were impressed with their diverse team of seasoned insurance and technology minds. Sayata leverages its combined talent to discover creative solutions to solve long-standing industry problems. This is a major factor contributing to their current success and will only continue to fuel their growth into new frontiers as they continue to develop meaningful solutions for brokers and insurers alike."



About Sayata Sayata delivers rapid growth to insurance brokers and carriers that focus on small-to-medium businesses. The Sayata platform streamlines the quote-bind-issue process allowing insurance professionals to seamlessly place more insurance policies in a fraction of the time. Sayata provides an end-to-end technological solution along with educational tools, giving our partners the ability to grow their book quickly and efficiently. To date, over 1,000 users across 75 brokerages and carriers partner with Sayata to grow their SMB book.

About Team8 Capital Team8 Capital is the investment arm of Team8 Group, focused on early-stage companies seeking seed and Series A and B funding rounds. We have a track record in backing future leaders and pioneering new-generation solutions to meet critical industry challenges. Team8 Capital offers a unique combination of deep domain expertise and decades of company-building and investing experience and is ready to provide our portfolio companies with a springboard to success. About Team8 Team8 is a venture group that builds and backs technology companies at the intersection of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data, fintech, enterprise software, and infrastructure. We rethink venture to provide entrepreneurs with an unfair advantage, accelerating success in an increasingly competitive landscape. Our deep understanding of the challenges faced by our industry and extensive network of global leaders uniquely positions us as the venture partner of choice. Team8's leadership team includes unicorn founders, bank and fintech CEOs, and former leaders of Unit 8200, Israel's elite military technology and intelligence agency. For further information, please visit www.team8.vc. About Vertex Vertex Ventures Israel is a leading early stage venture capital fund with over $1.2B under management. Over the years we invested in more than 100 companies, including Waze, CyberArk and SolarEdge and more recently Ownbackup, Innoviz, Axonius, Verbit, Trigo and others. Vertex Israel is part of a global Vertex Ventures network of funds, operating in Silicon Valley, Israel, Southeast Asia, China and India with over $3B of committed capital. Learn more here . Media Contact

Kevin Capon Goldszmidt

kevin@westraycommunications.com

+972585-190791 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/insurtech-sayata-scores-17m-in-funding-to-continue-expansion-into-the-100b-smb-insurance-market-301362500.html SOURCE Sayata Labs

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[August 25, 2021] Jim Kerr to Retire as CEO of D.A. Davidson Companies, Larry Martinez Named Successor

D.A. Davidson Companies announced today that James (Jim) Kerr, Chairman and CEO of D.A. Davidson Companies, has announced his retirement, effective as of the company's annual meeting in January 2022, and the company has appointed Lawrence (Larry) Martinez as CEO, effective as of that time. Kerr will continue to serve as Executive Chairman of the company. "It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as CEO of D.A. Davidson over the past seven years. We have built a strong foundation and I have complete confidence in Larry as he steps into this role," said Jim Kerr. "Larry has been an integral part of D.A. Davidson's leadership team for nearly two decades, and I believe he has the right skillset and track record to lead the firm forward with continued success." "We thank Jim for his strategic guidance and contributions over the years, and I'm excited to work with him during his transition," said Larry Martinez. "I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to build on D.A. Davidson's 86-year legacy in providing our clients exceptional service with a personal touch. As we look to the future, I am confident that our employees' dedication to our company, our clients and our communities will continue to act as a catalys for the firm's growth and excellence."



Martinez has been President of D.A. Davidson Companies since 2016, a Director since 2017, and a member of D.A. Davidson's senior management team since joining the firm in 2002. He has been integral to D.A. Davidson's rapid growth and expansion across the United States by guiding numerous acquisitions throughout the years, including that of Crowell Weedon in 2013, Smith Hayes in 2016 and Marlin & Associates in 2021. Throughout his career at the firm, he also served as Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel. Previously, Martinez was a Partner in the corporate practice group with Dorsey & Whitney LLP. He later served as the President, CEO and Director of Fireman's Fund AgriBusiness, Inc. About D.A. Davidson Companies

D.A. Davidson Companies is an employee-owned financial services firm offering a range of financial services and advice to individuals, corporations, institutions and municipalities nationwide. Founded in 1935 and headquartered in Montana, with corporate offices in Denver, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle, the company has approximately 1,400 employees and offices in 28 states. Subsidiaries include: D.A. Davidson & Co., the largest full-service investment firm headquartered in the Northwest, providing wealth management, investment banking, equity and fixed income capital markets services, and advice; Davidson Investment Advisors, a professional asset management firm; D.A. Davidson Trust Company, a trust and wealth management company; and Davidson Fixed Income Management, a registered investment adviser providing fixed income portfolio and advisory services. For more information, visit dadavidson.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005682/en/

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[August 25, 2021] LastPass Identifies Risks, Solutions, and Strategies for Higher Education Institutions

BOSTON, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LastPass by LogMeIn, an industry leading password management solution, released today a study on the solutions and strategies needed to protect critical systems and sensitive data based on an IDG survey of 300 IT professionals employed at higher education institutions. The companys report suggests the best strategy to stop cyberattacks in higher education is instituting better password hygiene through a password management tool.

The IDG survey found that 88 percent of institutions suffered an IT security infringement because of poor password management this year alone. Four in 10 respondents reported difficulty keeping up with cyberattacks, and 32 percent were stymied by the task of protecting every entry point and device accessing the institution's data and applications. A password manager can help solve these problems. Password management involves storing, securing, and managing credentials by following best practices including saving passwords in an encrypted, digital vault and never reusing a password to prevent unauthorized access to an organizations data. When selecting a password manager for a higher education institution, the top needs to consider are: Ease of use and convenient password storage . The survey showed that 75 percent of respondents report ease-of-use as a critical feature when evaluating a vendors solution. Users should be able to generate unique passwords, easily save and fill credentials, and rely on secure and flexible sharing for collaborative teams, from IT to the marketing department, even those external to the institution such as students and alumni, all while maintaining accountability.





. The survey showed that 75 percent of respondents report ease-of-use as a critical feature when evaluating a vendors solution. Users should be able to generate unique passwords, easily save and fill credentials, and rely on secure and flexible sharing for collaborative teams, from IT to the marketing department, even those external to the institution such as students and alumni, all while maintaining accountability. Greater control of employee-student hybrid environments . Twenty-seven percent of respondents want integrations with an existing environment. Using an intuitive and centralized administration console, a password management solution can provide IT leaders with greater insight into their working environment and more access control  without a heavy lift. For example, by integrating with an existing user directory and revoking user access in real time, IT teams can ensure critical data doesnt depart each semester along with migrating staff and students





. Twenty-seven percent of respondents want integrations with an existing environment. Using an intuitive and centralized administration console, a password management solution can provide IT leaders with greater insight into their working environment and more access control  without a heavy lift. For example, by integrating with an existing user directory and revoking user access in real time, IT teams can ensure critical data doesnt depart each semester along with migrating staff and students Custom packaging to meet varying needs . Twenty-five percent of respondents want group management, and by offering highly customizabe packages, the right solution can accommodate a wide array of IT needs, including secure password management for IT teams and collaborative staff departments









. Twenty-five percent of respondents want group management, and by offering highly customizabe packages, the right solution can accommodate a wide array of IT needs, including secure password management for IT teams and collaborative staff departments Personal accounts and accessibility for all. According to respondents, 24 percent want secure accessibility from any browser and device. To better serve todays diverse study body, the right password management solution should be able to offer private vault functionality for personal credentials, plus keyboard navigation, updated proper color contrast, and readability for accessible use for everyone on campus. The solution should also include added regions and language tags to allow users to navigate with screen readers and keyboards.

This latest study includes commentary from Kim Milford, Executive Director, The Research and Education Networks Information Sharing and Analysis Center (REN-ISAC). Having reviewed this data, Milford agrees, Password management solutions can complement institutional policies and identity management practices by improving user convenience, reducing the risks of password reuse and password sharing, and enhance the administration of account terminations and forgotten passwords. With professional and personal lives quickly merging, its crucial that all faculty, staff and students protect their digital life - especially when accessing an institutes data, like email and learning apps, from personal devices on and off campus. Recognizing this need, LastPass can reduce the cyber risk to your institute by not only securing your employees and students, but their networks as well!

All LastPass Business account holders receive Families as a Benefit  a premium, personal LastPass account with six total licenses, to share with those closest to them. Students associated with the institution without a Business account will receive a single Premium LastPass account  perfect for driving online safety with student populations. For more information and to read the full paper, visit https://www.lastpass.com/resources/ebook/password-hygiene-in-higher-education About LastPass

LastPass is an award-winning password manager helping more than 30 million users organize and protect their online lives. For more than 85,000 businesses of all sizes, LastPass provides identity and access management solutions that are easy to manage and effortless to use. From single sign-on and enterprise password management to adaptive multifactor authentication, LastPass for Business gives superior control to IT and frictionless access to users. For more information, visit https://lastpass.com.

LastPass is a trademark of LogMeIn in the U.S. and other countries. About LogMeIn

LogMeIn, Inc.s category-defining products unlock the potential of the modern workforce by making it possible for millions of people and businesses around the globe to do their best work simply and securelyon any device, from any location, and at any time. A pioneer in remote work technology and a driving force behind todays work-from-anywhere movement, LogMeIn has become one of the worlds largest SaaS companies with tens of millions of active users, more than 3,500 global employees, over $1.3 billion in annual revenue, and approximately 2 million customers worldwide who use its software as an essential part of their daily lives. The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with additional locations in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Media Contact:



Jennifer Mathews

press@logmein.com



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[August 25, 2021] Micatu Expands Presence to Pacific Northwest with Addition of Josiah Jessen, P.E.

Micatu Incorporated, a leader in cutting-edge optical sensing technology, is expanding its presence to the Pacific Northwest with the addition of Josiah Jessen, P.E., as an application engineer. Based in Corvallis, Ore., Jessen will support the sales team by working with utilities to identify safe, accurate sensing solutions that will enhance grid visibility and resilience. "Josiah's experience woking with numerous electric utilities in the Pacific Northwest makes him a perfect fit for Micatu as we expand our client base and offerings throughout this region," said Micatu Executive Vice President Michael Sexton. "Josiah's commitment to building long-term customer relationships and his vast knowledge of electrical engineering applications will be an asset to Micatu as we expand our national presence and increase our capabilities."



Before joining Micatu, Jessen, a professionally licensed engineer in Oregon, supported numerous electrical engineering and utility companies. He recently served as an applications engineer with Anixter (News - Alert) Inc., a Portland, Ore. distributor of network and security solutions, electrical solutions, and utility power solutions. Jessen led and supported sales of electrical equipment, leading Anixter's customer service for Pacific Northwest Public Power throughout the life of each sale. Jessen also previously held roles as a design engineer with design and construction engineering companies CH2M and TriAxis Engineering, an energy, development, and surveying firm - both located in Corvallis, Oregon. He earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Oregon State University in 2011.

A headshot of Josiah Jessen is available HERE. About Micatu

Micatu is a driver of next-generation optical sensing technology. The company provides solutions for highly accurate grid measurements and analytics through a modular, optical sensing technology platform that is safer, more accurate, and more affordable. Micatu's optical sensing technology platform helps customers collect real-time data and grid visibility necessary for increased use of renewables and grid modernization. To learn more about Micatu's product portfolio and industrial solutions, please visit www.micatu.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005257/en/

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[August 25, 2021] Monroe Capital Supports Monomoy Capital Partners' Acquisition of Liberty Safe Holding Corporation

Monroe Capital LLC ("Monroe") today announced it acted as sole lead arranger and administrative agent on the funding of a senior credit facility to support the acquisition of Liberty Safe Holding Corporation ("Liberty Safe") by private equity sponsor Monomoy Capital Partners. Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Payson, Utah, Liberty Safe is a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of branded and private label home and gun safes for residential use. The company sells its safe products through the largest independent dealer network in the industry and through national sporting goods, farm goods and home improvement retailers. About Monroe Capital Monroe Capital LLC ("Monroe") is a premier boutique asset management firm specializing in private credit markets across various strategies, including direct lending, asset-based lending, specialty finance, opportunistic and strutured credit, and equity. Since 2004, the firm has been successfully providing capital solutions to clients in the U.S. and Canada. Monroe prides itself on being a value-added and user-friendly partner to business owners, management, and both private equity and independent sponsors. Monroe's platform offers a wide variety of investment products for both institutional and high net worth investors with a focus on generating high quality "alpha" returns irrespective of business or economic cycles. The firm is headquartered in Chicago and maintains offices in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Naples, New York, and San Francisco.



Monroe has been recognized by both its peers and investors with various awards including Global M&A Network as the 2021 Mid-Markets Lender of the Year, U.S.A.; Private Debt Investor as the 2020 Lower Mid-Market Lender of the Year, 2020 Lender of the Year, and 2020 CLO Manager of the Year, Americas; Creditflux as the 2020 Best U.S. Direct Lending Fund; and Pension Bridge as the 2020 Private Credit Strategy of the Year. For more information, please visit www.monroecap.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005135/en/

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[August 25, 2021] NationsBenefits Announces Minimum Base Hourly Wage Increase to $16 for its Florida Member Experience Advisors

NationsBenefits, LLC., a leading supplemental benefits company, announced today it is increasing the minimum base hourly wage to $16 an hour for its Florida Member Experience Advisors. This investment positively affects wages for customer-facing employees as the company takes next steps in its growth strategy. The increase is effective immediately and will be reflected in paychecks starting August 27. "We are raising our minimum hourly base wage because we want to be competitive, as well as attract and retain top talent," said Dianne Cooper, AuD, MBA, Chief Experience Officer & Chief of Audiology at NationsBenefits. "This change aligns with our mission to help our customers achieve a better quality of life through supplemental benefit solutions. It is our employees who help us deliver on the promises we make, and their financial well-being is fundamental to our combined success." In November 2020, Florida voters approved Amendment 2 to raise the minimum wage incrementally to $15 an hour by 2026. Florida is the first state in the South-and the eighth overall-to adopt such a measure. As of January 1, 2021, the minimum wage in Florida increased to $8.65 per hour and it will rise again in September to $10.00 per hour. Further, NationsBenefits' pay is considerably higher in relation to the current marketplace. On average, this means an 84% increase in earnings potential for Florid-based individuals looking to make a job change. For example, an employee earning $8.65 per hour in their current role outside of the company can now make $16 per hour by joining NationsBenefits as a Member Experience Advisor.



Today's announcement is on the heels of NationsBenefits being recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. for the second consecutive year. The company is creating hundreds of new jobs locally and across its multiple locations, and offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, paid holidays/time off, 401K, and additional earnings potential through bonuses. NationsBenefits' pay-for-performance philosophy reinforces the company's core values and culture by inspiring employees to do great work while achieving their potential and growing their career. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply online by visiting NationsBenefits.com/Careers.

About NationsBenefits NationsBenefits is a leading supplemental benefits company that partners with managed care organizations to provide innovative healthcare solutions aimed at driving growth, improving outcomes, reducing costs, and delighting members. We surpass traditional benefit designs by taking a consultative approach to understanding each valued client's objectives, and we offer customized programs that can be targeted or scaled to effectively engage members who have diverse needs. With our compliance-focused infrastructure, technology, care continuum, and best-in-class service delivery model, health plans can depend on our company to maximize the value-based care delivered to millions of people who deserve a better quality of life. To learn more, visit NationsBenefits.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005255/en/

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[August 25, 2021] New CloudBlue Revenue Management Solution for Recurring Billing Reconciliation Now Available in North America

CloudBlue, a leading cloud ecosystem technology company, today announced the North American launch of CloudBlue Rev, a PSA solution that simplifies and streamlines channel revenue management for technology resellers and service providers. As the latest addition to CloudBlue's rapidly expanding portfolio of technologies and services for the channel, CloudBlue Rev is based on a purpose-built CloudBlue PSA architecture designed to empower Ingram Micro (News - Alert) partners to deliver a single billing experience to their customers across Ingram Micro's e-commerce site, Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace and partners' own solutions. The solution streamlines quoting, provisioning and transactions with Ingram Micro so that partners can better focus on efficiency and profitability. Further, new functionality brings added value as partners can include their own services in addition to those of Ingram Micro. The end result helps reduce complexity, save time and drive more revenue. "This is what our partners have been waiting for. CloudBlue Rev not only cuts down on the time and money they spend on tedious channel revenue management processes, but it also allows our partners to deliver a better customer experience," said John Dusett, executive director of US Cloud at Ingram Micro. "Ultimately, these features - including billing automation and reconciliation within a single interface - help fulfill Ingram Micro Cloud's ambitious vision f delivering the best solutions in the cloud space."



On behalf of CloudBlue PSA, director of Global Sales, Scott Murphy said: "Our team is extremely proud to push forward our mission of giving technology resellers the tools they need to modernize and provide more solutions to their end-customers. The release of CloudBlue Rev in North America expands opportunities for partners in the U.S. and Canada to streamline their revenue management and provide a uniform billing experience to their customers." Ingram Micro will offer its solution, dubbed "CloudBlue Rev for Ingram Micro," on Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace in the United States and Canada following the system's initial launch in the UK, Germany, and Benelux.

The tool's ability to integrate the partner experience with Ingram Micro Online and the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace aims to make Ingram Micro partners' lives easier with quoting, provisioning, and billing all in one place. CloudBlue Rev helps partners simplify quoting, manage profitability, automate provisioning, manage risk, and automate and streamline month-end reconciliation workflows from a single pane of glass. For partners looking for a full PSA solution, CloudBlue also offers CloudBlue PSA-previously HarmonyPSA-in North America with its all-in-one, intelligent contract system with CRM, quoting, service ordering and provisioning, ticketing system/service desk, timesheets, project profitability, billing and reconciliation. For more information in the U.S., please visit here. For more information in Canada, please visit here. About CloudBlue CloudBlue provides a hyperscale platform with hypergrowth products and services that allows providers to launch and manage an omni-product, multi-tier and multi-channel marketplace. With CloudBlue, providers can access and capitalize on a hyperconnected ecosystem of 200+ top-selling vendors, 200+ leading brands and more than 80,000 partners globally. Many of the world's best-known software and SaaS (News - Alert) vendors, digital service providers, technology distributors, tech manufacturers, managed services providers and value-added resellers rely on CloudBlue's leading CloudBlue Commerce and CloudBlue Connect platforms to automate, aggregate and sell both their own cloud services as well as those from third-party vendors. CloudBlue powers more than 200 of the world's largest provider cloud marketplaces, which collectively represent more than 30 million enterprise cloud subscriptions. More at www.cloudblue.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005123/en/

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[August 25, 2021] NexPhase Capital Announces Investment in Selerix Systems

NEW YORK and MCKINNEY, Texas, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NexPhase Capital, LP ("NexPhase"), an operationally-focused private equity firm, today announced its investment in Selerix Systems, Inc. ("Selerix"), a leading provider of cloud-based benefits administration and employee engagement software. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2002, Selerix provides highly configurable software that facilitates benefits administration (Selerix BenSelect), employee engagement (Selerix Engage) and ACA reporting (Selerix ACA). With an active user base of over 8.3 million client employees, Selerix is trusted by more than 18,000 employer groups to manage the complexities of end-to-end benefits administration. Selerix's software is used by an expansive network of leading brokerage firms and insurance companies and is widely recognized for its scalability, flexibility and integration capabilities that support the enrollment and administration of over $3 billion in voluntary benefits and over $11 billion in medical, dental and vision benefits annually. By leveraging its extensive experience scaling software companies, NexPhase believes this strategic partnership will enable Selerix to continue its rapid growth as it extends its nearly 20-year track record of leadership in the benefits technology sector. The investment is also expected to further develop the user experience and simplification of Selerix's technology platform and allow Selerix to maintain its leading security protocols. Lyle Griffin, co-founder and President of Selerix, said, "Over the last two decades, we have grown Selerix into an industry-trusted, respected brand, and we're looking forward to entering our next chapter of growth together with NexPhase. Our extraordinary team has delivered on our mission with enthusiasm, providing innovative services and solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients and our industry. NexPhase is an ideal partner that brings a wealth of sector knowledge, operational expertise, additional resources and a collaborative approach as we continue to scale our business and execute our shared vision to serve our clients in exciting new ways. We are thrilled t partner with NexPhase and continue driving meaningful value to our entire ecosystem of stakeholders."



Joel Killion, Partner at NexPhase Capital, said, "The benefits industry continues to quickly evolve, creating tremendous areas of opportunity for the integration of technology and service to meet modern HR demands. We are excited about Selerix's numerous growth prospects, and this investment underscores our confidence both in Selerix's highly scalable technology platform as well as the growing market for its industry-trusted software. At NexPhase, we are committed to nurturing the exceptional company culture and brand that has made Selerix a trusted name in the benefits industry. We look forward to working closely with Selerix's leadership team to enhance and execute the company's strategy to grow through continued product innovation and expansion into adjacent functional areas that will enable Selerix to better serve its constituents." Mr. Griffin will remain President of Selerix and serve on the company's Board of Directors. Mr. Killion, in addition to Michael Roe, Operating Partner, and Robert Gartland, Principal, at NexPhase will also join the Board.

The NexPhase team has extensive experience investing in software companies. Current and previous investments include DealerOn, KnowFully Learning Group, Brandt Information Services, Inside Real Estate, Flexible Architecture & Simplified Technology, SwipeClock, Insurance Technologies and Mxi Technologies.

First Analysis served as financial advisor to Selerix and Haynes and Boone, LLP served as legal counsel. Lowenstein Sandler LLP provided legal counsel to NexPhase. About NexPhase Capital

NexPhase Capital, LP is a thematic and operationally-focused private equity firm that invests in lower middle market growth-oriented companies within three distinct sectors: consumer, healthcare and software. The firm targets companies that have reached a growth inflection point and are seeking a value-added partner to help navigate the "next phase." The NexPhase team has extensive industry and operational experience and NexPhase's partners have invested together for over a decade. The firm has completed more than 80 investments including add-ons and targets control equity investments between $25 million and $150 million. For more information, please visit www.NexPhase.com. About Selerix Systems

Selerix Systems produces software (Selerix BenSelect and Selerix Engage) utilized by employers, brokers, and carriers to conquer the chaos of benefits administration, employee engagement, and Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting. The flexibility of the Selerix BenSelect platform accommodates both core and voluntary insurance products with ease. With an active user base of over 8.3 million client employees, Selerix's innovative software solutions are trusted by organizations in a wide variety of industries, including healthcare, education, transportation/logistics, state and local government, nonprofit, high technology, and waste management. For more information, please visit https://www.selerix.com/. Contacts NexPhase Capital

Jonathan Keehner / Kate Thompson

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

212-355-4449 Selerix Systems

Steve Olivas

Selerix Systems

214-856-4230 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nexphase-capital-announces-investment-in-selerix-systems-301362584.html SOURCE NexPhase Capital

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[August 25, 2021] Quantum Brilliance Raises $9.7 Million Seed Funding to Advance Diamond Quantum Accelerator Development and Deployment

Quantum Brilliance, a venture-backed Australian-German full-stack quantum accelerator startup, today announced closing a USD$9.7 million seed investment co-led by the QxBranch founders' and Main Sequence investment consortium. Quantum (News - Alert) Brilliance harnesses synthetic diamonds to build quantum accelerators that do not require near absolute zero temperature or complex laser systems to operate like mainframe quantum computers. Quantum Brilliance is one of only a few companies worldwide already able to deliver quantum computing systems for customers to operate on-site today. The company was spun out in 2019 from The Australian National University's leading research group in diamond quantum science. The co-founders invented novel fabrication techniques and processor architectures and have worked closely with innovative early adopters making their software products accessible for co-development. "It is wonderful to see venture investments in breakthrough research commercialization spin-outs like Quantum Brilliance," said ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt. "If the University's goal to create a billion-dollar company in the next five years is to happen, it will be through these joint efforts." "We've had experience with companies developing technology quietly until their breakout and then reaching significant valuations on the global stage," said Shaun Wilson, founder of QxBranch, Australia's first quantum computing applications company, founded in 2014 and acquired by Rigetti in 2019. "We are quietly confident Quantum Brilliance has all the foundations in place to be a globally significant company and to reshape the quantum computing industry." "We're excited to support the Australian quantum industry and visionary companies like Quantum Brilliance who have a unique approach to designing and building quantum accelerators at the edge," said Bill Bartee, partner at Main Sequence Ventures. Quantum Brilliance is actively hiring for 20 roles including VP of Engineering and scientists, physicists, software engineers and control engineers to support the research, development, engineering and production of the company's quantum computing technology. The company's projected roadmap to provide quantum accelerators the size of a lunchbox with over 50 quits by 2025 will greatly accelerate the adoption of useful quantum applications across a variety of sectors. Quantum accelerators can be deployed wherever classical computers are used such as satellites, vehicles, hospitals and robotic systems.



"We are tremendously appreciative of the trust our investors have in our capabilities to deliver on our R&D and go-to-market plans," said CEO Andrew Horsley, Ph.D., one of three company co-founders that also includes Chief Scientific Officer Marcus Doherty, Ph.D., and COO Mark Luo. The seed round also featured participation from CP Ventures, Investible, Jelix Ventures, MA Financial (formerly Moelis Australia) Growth Ventures Fund, R3I Ventures, and Ultratech (News - Alert) Capital Partners.

About Quantum Brilliance Founded in 2019, Quantum Brilliance is a venture-backed Australian-German quantum computing hardware company, providing diamond quantum accelerators supported by a full stack of software and application tools. Quantum Brilliance's vision to enable mass deployment of quantum accelerators will propel industries to harness edge computing applications and next-generation supercomputers. Quantum Brilliance's international partnerships extend into North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific, working with governments, supercomputing centres, research organisations and industry leaders. About Main Sequence Ventures Main Sequence is tackling the world's biggest challenges by turning today's scientific discoveries into tomorrow's industries. It works closely with scientists, researchers, and industry collaborators to create, fund, and accelerate new companies and industries across health, food, space, transport, security, and deep tech to accelerate humanity for a more prosperous future. Founded in Australia in 2017, Main Sequence manages the CSIRO Innovation Fund, founded by the Australian Government and the national science agency to reinvest its historic contributions into the successes of the future. Main Sequence Fund No.1 has invested in 26 companies that are changing the way healthcare is delivered, food is produced, space is commercialized and more. About QxBranch founder's investment consortium Shaun Wilson is part of the QxBranch founders' consortium representing serial entrepreneurs and former Macquarie Bankers investing in advancing Australia's sovereign capabilities including quantum computing, space and defence innovations and critical minerals. Wilson is the founder of Shoal Group, one of Australia's leading systems engineering companies. In 2014, he founded QxBranch, a quantum computing software and services spin-out from Shoal Group that secured major clients across a variety of industries worldwide. QxBranch was acquired by Rigetti Computing in 2019. About the Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a national research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and institutes. It is ranked as the number one university in Australia and number one in the southern hemisphere by the 2021 QS World University Rankings. ANU counts six Nobel (News - Alert) laureates and 49 Rhodes scholars among its faculty and alumni. The university has educated two prime ministers, 30 current Australian ambassadors and more than a dozen current heads of government departments of Australia. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005293/en/

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[August 24, 2021] Quantum Computing Technologies Highlight CMC Microsystems' Plan to Accelerate High Tech Manufacturing in Canada

CMC Microsystems (CMC) has brought together 14 project founders from industry, academia and non-profit technology research organizations to support a five year, $700 M program to accelerate high tech manufacturing in Canada. Called FABrIC, Fabrication of Integrated Components for the Internet's Edge, the program expects to attract $480 M in industrial R&D. The proposal also details $100M generated as revenues or provided by provinces or matching funding and used during the project. This proposal has been submitted to the Government of Canada's Strategic Innovation Fund, (SIF) administered by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) for a $120 M investment. Program funds will complement the R&D programs at over 100 small, medium and large Canadian companies and accelerate their commercialization of products. Some 4,000 new high-tech jobs will result. FABrIC is key to take quantum computing technology to market Canada has become a global hub for quantum innovation, and it is crucial that we continue to grow the Canadian quantum ecosystem if we are to be leaders in the emerging marketplace. FABrIC will ensure a prosperous future in the quantum space by supporting prototyping and manufacturing for Canadian quantum firms including Xanadu, 1Qbit, SB Quantum (News - Alert) , Photonic, and D-Wave, and others. Under the program, CMC will build and assemble quantum devices in Canada with the help of partners and quantum institutes at Univerite de Sherbrooke, University of British Columbia, and University of Waterloo. This will provide manufacturing capacity to start-ups and scale-ups which would otherwise be out of reach.



Game-changing technology Applications such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) require intensive computing operations. Combined with massive amounts of data they produce, these applications test the limits of classical computers. Quantum computers, however, can solve problems with a complexity that exceeds the computing capacity of conventional supercomputers, opening new possibilities for applications across different fields including AI and ML, biochemistry, finance, and cybersecurity.

About FABrIC FABrIC targets niche technologies where Canada has proven research, development, and manufacturing strengths. The initiative will build a first-of-its-kind national network to create critically needed semiconductor manufacturing capability in Canada. It will complement the extremely high volume, commodity semiconductor chip ("foundry") business. This model entails extremely high start-up costs and exists in only a few parts of the world. CMC and partners will enhance manufacturing technologies for the globally important subsectors of: microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)

integrated photonics

specialty semiconductors and quantum devices. As the global pandemic has made clear, Canada would benefit tremendously from greater domestic production capacity for crucial components used in healthcare, biomedical devices, telecommunications, and the Internet of Things (IoT). For more information visit https://www.cmc.ca/fabric/ About CMC Microsystems: CMC Microsystems works with researchers and industry across Canada's National Design Network (CNDN). We provide access to world-class platforms for Computer Aided Design (CAD), prototyping and manufacturing services (FAB), training and support (LAB) for researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry. Our services are geared for microsystems, nanotechnologies, photonics, and support innovative sectors of the next-generation economy. CMC reduces barriers by offering simplified access to the right tools to create tomorrow's technologies. Our network is made up of over 10,000 entrepreneurs and researchers at 60 post-secondary institutions across CNDN.  2021 and Reg. TM - CMC Microsystems. All rights reserved View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210824005770/en/

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[August 25, 2021] Regulator's Enthusiasm for the Blockchain Industry at the Indonesian Blockchain Conference 2021

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Indonesian Blockchain Conference (IBC) 2021 was successfully held by the Indonesian Blockchain Association (A-B-I or Asosiasi Blockchain Indonesia) on Monday (9/8). The annual conference organized by A-B-I attracted the public, industry players, practitioners, and academics to regulators in Indonesia. The rapid development of the Blockchain industry in Indonesia stimulated many innovative ideas in the Smart Regulation: Regulatory Framework for Blockchain-based Projects panel which was attended by: Dr. Jerry Sambuaga as Vice Minister of Trade Ministry, Dr. R. Edi Prio Pambudi, SE, MA as Expert Staff of Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Ms. Dwina Septiani Widjaya as President Director of PERURI, and Dr. Ir. I Nyoman Adhiarna, M.Eng as Acting Official Director Digital Economy of Ministry of Communication & Information Technology. Vice Minister of Trade Ministry, Dr. Jerry Sambuaga expressed his hopes for the Blockchain Industry, one of which is the formation of the world's first crypto bursa that is regulated by the government, the formation of this bursa is expected to provide cerainty, clarity, and protection to investors, as well as prevent things such as money laundering and criminal acts or terrorism funding. Jerry emphasized, "when the bursa has been built, there will be kliring, there will be record-keeping, and so on it will be more visible to manage. We will make sure that it can be monitored and implemented properly."



Dr. R. Edi Prio Pambudi, SE, MA as Expert Staff of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs shared his views on blockchain innovation, where industry players can take advantage of creative opportunities to innovate the Blockchain-based systems. Edi believes that if it can be realized, blockchain will no longer be known as a speculative instrument only, but a technology that can solve problems in the real sector, and on the other hand can still be an investment instrument. He briefly discussed the G20 plan for next year which "should be prepared as an arena to show that next year Indonesia is ready, we have a lot of talents, how do we invest to develop this, so this should be worked on" where many investors will attend, so the Blockchain Industry in Indonesia must leverage this opportunity to become something interesting. Ministry of Communications and Informatics, represented by Dr. Ir. I Nyoman Adhiarna, M.Eng as Acting Official Director Digital Economy of Ministry of Communication & Information Technology also provided inputs for regulators to create regulations that are more flexible, or commonly called agile regulation or smart regulation. Nyoman said that "the big issue related to blockchain is that the application can be very diverse and very fast and we have to create regulations that can catch up with the acceleration of this application so we need to work together and look at best practices from other countries to find the best references". Nyoman encouraged the Ministry of Law and Human Rights to think about how to find a break through for smart contract applications if later realized based on Presidential Regulation (PP) Number 5 of 2021 concerning the implementation of risk-based licensing in KBLI 62014 related to Blockchain technology security activities that are already prevailing.

The President Director of PERURI, Dwina Septiani Widjaya, showed her astonishment to see crypto asset investors who had already beaten the number of capital market investors, calling it unprecedented. Dwina hopes that the Blockchain Industry does not always have to rely on regulators to supervise, the most important thing is the association itself, "if we only rely on regulators, they often approach pure compliance while from us business people, we also need growth. Since we didn't get the target as we [expected] to the shareholders, this is how we have to grow." said Dwina closing the Smart Regulation: Regulatory Framework for Blockchain-based Projects panel at the 2021 Indonesian Blockchain Conference. Watch the entire panel at: https://youtu.be/ia6nbMrKuXg SOURCE Asosiasi Blockchain Indonesia

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[August 25, 2021] Reputation Expands Leadership Bench with Chief Ecosystem Officer Brent Nixon

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reputation , the global leader in reputation experience management (RXM), today announced that it has expanded its executive leadership team by hiring the organizations first-ever Chief Ecosystem Officer Brent Nixon. In this newly-created role, Nixon will draw upon his 25+ years of enterprise technology experience to scale Reputations thriving global partner organization. This comes as the organization continues to experience accelerated growth, including expansion across Europe and Asia.

Brent has an impeccable track record of building and scaling global partner programs for enterprise SaaS companies - he has successfully led teams through this stage of rocketship growth, says Joe Fuca, Reputation CEO. His deep knowledge of the enterprise technology space and experience creating the architecture for built-to-last partner ecosystems will make him a valuable asset to our team. We are thrilled to have him join Reputation. With extensive experience at high-growth technology companies, Nixon joins Reputation from Adobe, via its acquisition of Workfront, where he spent more than six years in leadership roles. Most recently, he led Workfronts Global Alliances and Partner organization. Prior to Workfront, he served as Vice President of Technology Partnerships at Procera Networks via its acquisition of Vineyard Networs and has spent time at Cymphonix and 3Com. Based in Utah, Nixon will also serve as the leader of the Reputation Lehi office.



Reputation is a category leader that is poised for incredible growth in a market ripe with opportunity. The Reputation team has laid the building blocks for an incredible partner ecosystem, and I am so excited to play a role in expanding it to the next level, said Nixon. With over 200 technology partners, referral partners like Qualtrics and Google, as well as a reseller network that manages about 350,000 locations, Reputations feedback-to-action platform translates vast amounts of solicited and unsolicited feedback data into prescriptive insights that foster business growth. For more information, please visit reputation.com.

About Reputation

Reputation (formerly Reputation.com), creator of the Reputation Experience Management category, is changing the way companies gather and act on customer feedback to drive decision making and enhance Customer Experience (CX) programs. Reputations interaction-to-action platform translates vast amounts of solicited and unsolicited feedback data into prescriptive insights that companies use to learn from and grow. Thousands of global organizations rely on the patented algorithms behind Reputation Score X to provide a reliable index of brand performance in order to make targeted business improvements. Backed by Bessemer Ventures and Kleiner Perkins, and trusted by over 250 integration partners, including Google, Facebook, Salesforce, J.D. Power, Amazon and Web.com, Reputation turns feedback into the fuel to grow businesses around the world. Visit reputation.com to learn more. Media Contacts

Colette McLaughlin

Reputation

cmclaughlin@reputation.com Brigit Valencia

BOCA Communications

360.597.4516

reputation@bocacommunications.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8fecf21a-ec18-4b53-8d57-74abbb02417f



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[August 25, 2021] Ryan Named to List of Best Workplaces for Giving Back in Canada for Third Consecutive Year

Ryan, a leading global tax services and software provider, has recently been named to the 2021 list of Best Workplaces for Giving Back. Ryan received this recognition after a thorough and independent analysis conducted by Great Place to Work. This marks the third consecutive year the Firm has been named to this list. The Best Workplaces for Giving Back in Canada list is based on direct employee feedback from the hundreds of organizations that were surveyed by Great Place to Work. The data has a 90% confidence rating and a plus or minus 5% margin of error. "Being named to this prestigious list three consecutive years demonstrates our continued commitment to living by our value of giving back to our communities," said Ryan President of Canadian Operations Garry Round. "At Ryan, we have made it clear that we want our efforts to go beyond simply writing a cheque and that we truy believe in the power of connecting with our communities on a personal level. I'm proud of our team members in Canada for their commitment to their communities, to Ryan, and to our clients."



To be eligible for this list, organizations must be Great Place to Work-Certified in the past year, and at least 90% of employees must feel good about the way their company contributes to the community. The top scores were determined by an overall Community Investment Index score from employees as well as the range and quality of programs that encourage workplace community investment. The full list of Best Workplaces for Giving Back can be found here.

About Great Place to Work Great Place to Work is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services, and certification programs, Great Place to Work recognizes the world's Best Workplaces in a series of national lists, including those published by The Globe & Mail (Canada) and FORTUNE magazine (USA). Great Place to Work provides the benchmarks, framework, and expertise needed to create, sustain, and recognize outstanding workplace cultures. About Ryan Ryan, an award-winning global tax services and software provider, is the largest Firm in the world dedicated exclusively to business taxes. The Firm provides an integrated suite of federal, provincial, and international tax services on a multijurisdictional basis, including tax recovery, consulting, advocacy, compliance, and technology services. Ryan is a nine-time recipient of the International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) for its commitment to world-class client service. Empowered by the dynamic myRyan work environment, which is widely recognized as the most innovative in the tax services industry, Ryan's multidisciplinary team of more than 3,000 professionals and associates serves over 18,000 clients in more than 60 countries, including many of the world's most prominent Global 5000 companies. More information about Ryan can be found at ryan.com/canada. "Ryan" and "Firm" refer to the global organizational network and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ryan International, each of which is a separate legal entity. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005035/en/

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[August 25, 2021] For the 10th Time, VIRTEX Ranks No. 2412 on the 2021 Inc. 5000, With 3-Year Revenue Growth of 175 Percent

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine today revealed that VIRTEX is No. 2415 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. "We're honored to be named by Inc. as one of the country's fastest-growing private companies in the Inc. 5000. All of us at VIRTEX are incredibly proud, but this year's placement is a testament to the resiliency, flexibility, and commitment of the VIRTEX team, given 2020's unprecedented challenges," said Brad Heath, CEO of VIRTEX. "Our 175% growth shows that our diversified portfolio, as well as mature service offerings, have distinguished VIRTEX as a market leader. We are especially proud that this also marks our 10th time to make this list, which has never been done in an electronic manufacturing services company. That is solid validation of our business model." Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year's list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020's unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, incuding company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 20.



About VIRTEX Enterprises, LP

VIRTEX is a leading manufacturer of circuit card assemblies (VIRTEX.US), high complexity cables and harnesses, precision machined parts and mission critical electronic systems for small and medium-sized customer programs across a wide range of industries, including industrial, aerospace and defense, automotive, and medical. VIRTEX specializes in high reliability markets requiring complex system level assembly and world class supply chain resiliency. By providing a regionally focused market-segment approach, VIRTEX can bring greater value and innovation to its customers, improve OEM competitiveness, and deliver comprehensive, tailored solutions that are specific to each customer.

VIRTEX is based in Austin, Texas, backed by Insight Equity as a majority partner (https://www.insightequity.com/), and has manufacturing facilities in Plano, TX, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Virginia, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Juarez, Mexico. CONTACT: Clayton Riedesel, (737) 225-7311, Clayton.riedesel@VIRTEX.us Related Images inc-5000-virtex-pr-photo.png

INC 5000 & VIRTEX PR photo View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/for-the-10th-time-virtex-ranks-no-2412-on-the-2021-inc-5000-with-3-year-revenue-growth-of-175-percent-301361418.html SOURCE VIRTEX Enterprises, LP

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[August 25, 2021] Unite Private Networks Announces Adkins as CEO and Senglaub as President

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Unite Private Networks (UPN), a leading provider of high-capacity, fiber-based communication networks is excited to announce the promotion of Jason W. Adkins to CEO and Chad Senglaub to President and COO. Adkins, a nine-year veteran of the company has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer and will report to the UPN board. He previously served as President of the company. Over the last 26 years Adkins has been part of the management team with companies such as Windstream, KDL, Level 3, Telcove, Conterra and KMC Telecom. Jason earned a B.B.A. in Marketing with a minor in Economics from James Madison University and an M.B.A. from Radford University. Senglaub, an eight-year veteran of the company has been promoted to President and COO and will report directly to the CEO. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer. Chad has over 25 years of telecommunications management experience with companies such as twtelecom, Frontier Communications, Global Crossing and Giantloop Networks. He earned a degree in Engineering echnologies from Alfred State College and attended the University of Rochester for Economics.



"Jason and Chad have proven to be great partners in the continued development of the UPN business. Their outstanding leadership, judgement, and business acumen have helped propel UPN to nearly ten-fold growth over the course of their tenure with the company," noted Kevin Anderson, outgoing Chief Executive Officer and one of the founders of UPN. "I'm excited, now more than ever about the future outlook for deploying fiber infrastructure and the opportunities available for UPN to provide high-bandwidth communications services to support customers' mission-critical business operations." Anderson will continue to serve as Executive Chairman and be a major investor alongside outside investors Cox Communications and Ridgemont Equity Partners.

About Unite Private Networks: UPN provides high-bandwidth, fiber-based communications networks and services to schools, governments, carriers, data centers, hospitals, and enterprise business customers across a 21-state service area. Service offerings include dark and lit fiber, private line, metro-optical Ethernet, Internet access, data center services, voice, and other customized solutions. Headquartered in Kansas City, MO, UPN has been providing customer focused communications solutions since 1998. For more information on UPN, please visit www.uniteprivatenetworks.com , or connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Media Contact:

Brandi Tubb

816-903-9400

brandi.tubb@upnfiber.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/unite-private-networks-announces-adkins-as-ceo-and-senglaub-as-president-301362757.html SOURCE Unite Private Networks

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[August 24, 2021] ROSEN, GLOBAL INVESTOR COUNSEL, Encourages ATI Physical Therapy, Inc. f/k/a Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. II Investors With Losses Exceeding $100K to Secure Counsel Before Important Deadline in Securities Class Action - ATIP

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds: (a) purchasers of the securities of ATI Physical Therapy, Inc. f/k/a Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. II (NYSE: ATIP) between April 1, 2021 and July 23, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"); and/or (b) investors who held Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. II ("FVAC") Class A common stock as of May 24, 2021 and were eligible to vote at FVAC's June 15, 2021 special meeting, of the important October 15, 2021 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased ATI securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the ATI class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2132.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than October 15, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities cass actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.



DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) ATI was experiencing attrition among its physical therapists; (2) ATI faced increasing competition for clinicians in the labor market; (3) as a result of the foregoing, ATI faced difficulties retaining therapists and incurred increased labor costs; (4) as a result of the labor shortage, ATI would open fewer new clinics; and (5) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about ATI's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the ATI class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2132.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn (News - Alert) : https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter (News - Alert) : https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook (News - Alert) : https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210824005858/en/

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[August 24, 2021] L3Harris Expands Satellite Production Site, Adds Unclassified Satellite Line for National Defense

L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) is expanding its satellite production site to include advanced production of unclassified satellites, which will deliver experimental capabilities for national defense. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210824005865/en/ An L3Harris engineer works on the Navigation Technology Satellite-3 ( NTS (News - Alert) -3), a U.S. Air Force vanguard program that will examine ways to augment the military's positioning, navigation and timing capabilities. The satellite will emonstrate new signals and technologies to support future warfighter missions. (Photo: Business Wire)



The Central Florida location is home to more than 100,000 square feet of space used for development, manufacturing and testing of full satellites and components which already deliver complex, classified capabilities for national defense. The increased production capability allows L3Harris to develop and test the experimental Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3), which is a priority program for the U.S. Air Force. Facility investments also make it possible to develop and integrate three sizes of small-to-medium responsive satellites in support of urgent U.S. Department of Defense missions addressing evolving threats.

"Our customers face urgent threats that must be addressed in months rather than years," said Ed Zoiss, President of L3Harris Space and Airborne Systems. "We prioritized facility investments to meet their accelerating timelines." Two of the company's eight buildings have recently been upgraded to manufacture multiple end-to-end satellites per month. L3Harris has built eight satellites at the expanded Palm Bay facility that are currently on orbit and another 10 are in various stages of development. The company plans to add more production capacity by the end of the year to produce six satellites per month. About L3Harris Technologies L3Harris Technologies is an agile global aerospace and defense technology innovator, delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers' mission-critical needs. The company provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains. L3Harris has approximately $18 billion in annual revenue and 47,000 employees, with customers in more than 100 countries. L3Harris.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210824005865/en/

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[August 24, 2021] Mysteel Singapore Contracts with Trading Technologies to Launch Interdealer Broker Trading Venue for Metals Futures

Trading Technologies International, Inc. (TT), a global provider of high-performance professional trading software, infrastructure and data solutions, and Mysteel Singapore Pte ltd (known as Mysteel Commodity Services), a leading commodities broker with a major focus on China, today announced they've partnered to launch an electronic liquidity pool to facilitate the matching of block futures for commodities products. Mysteel will operate the venue, which will go live in Q4 2021 using a private matching solution developed by TT. This agreement also provides Mysteel's clients, located both in China and internationally, with access to the TT platform and use of TT's suite of tools, including Autospreader, ADL, mobile trading, options and charting. Initially, Mysteel will support trading in iron ore and steel, with plans to add other products in the future. Clients will be able to leverage access to the larger liquidity pool of the block futures markets while simultaneously accessing other listed markets, including China, to leverage arbitrage trading opportunities; for example, between iron ore futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) and Singapore Exchange (SGX) as well as steel and steel scrap products at London Metal Exchange (LME) and Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). "This partnership between Mysteel and TT helps combine Chinese and international liquidity of a traditionally voice operated market into a more easily accessible structure, making it possible for us to offer our clients the ability to execute their trades electronically using TT's market-leading technology," said Myles Clement, CEO of Mysteel Commodity Services. "Being chosen as the underlyig technology and market access provider for Mysteel's liquidity pool is a testament to the expanded capabilities of the TT platform. Mysteel's solution will allow clients to access the larger block size volumes for commodities with the same set of advanced tools they use to trade the exchange order book. We expect this will be extremely appealing to serious commodity players," said Mark Pottle, Regional Executive Sales Director, Trading Technologies.



With market connectivity that spans six continents, TT's privately managed infrastructure delivers secure market access and superior performance from anywhere in the world. Designed specifically for professional traders, TT incorporates a broad array of customizable tools to accommodate trading strategies that range from manual point-and-click trading to single-digit microsecond automated order entry. About Mysteel Singapore

With its global presence in Shanghai, Singapore and London, Mysteel Commodity Services (www.mysteelcs.com) was established with one clear goal in mind, to bring increased liquidity to the commodity markets through its vast Chinese presence, and global relationships across multiple asset classes. MCS combines financial and physical pricing liquidity with market moving commodities data used by global institutions. MCS offers unparalleled value add to its customers through unique insights and access into the underlying asset class, as well as the fundamental proprietary China data from Mysteel.com that moves markets.

About Trading Technologies

Trading Technologies (www.tradingtechnologies.com, @Trading_Tech) creates professional trading software, infrastructure and data solutions for a wide variety of users, including proprietary traders, brokers, money managers, CTAs, hedge funds, commercial hedgers and risk managers. In addition to providing access to the world's major international exchanges and liquidity venues via its TT trading platform, TT offers domain-specific technology for cryptocurrency trading and machine-learning tools for trade surveillance. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210824005162/en/

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[August 24, 2021] AdColony Debuts 'Social Ads' For Gaming Campaigns

TOKYO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AdColony, the world's leading gaming mobile advertising company, today launched its latest product - Social Ads. The product enables advertisers across Japan to take existing campaigns that run on social media, such as image, carousel and video posts, and seamlessly place them within the mobile gaming environment. The solution is designed with two objectives in mind: to offer a greater reach into Japan's wide and diverse mobile audiences, and to maximise potential incremental reach of the gaming audience that might not be active in social media, while minimizing brand safety risk. 85% of consumers in Japan follow an influencer, and 71% of marketers plan to include influencer marketing in their campaigns this year. AdColony's latest product allows brands to enhance their impact by combining the reach of influencers for their social media campaigns, extending this reach to 62 million gamers in Japan.



Daisuke Niwa, Director, AdColony, said, "Gaming was perceived to only appeal to young males, yet the reality is that gamers are a diverse group with their own characteristics: they are older, 47% are female, and more affluent than you might think. Gaming also contains the majority of social media users. In fact, advertisers who traditionally engage on social media are at a disadvantage when attempting to reach 'social media dark audiences' as many users also use ad blockers. At the same time, much of users' data is confined to the individual social media platform. Gaming provides a brand-safe platform for advertisers to reach these consumers. Game environments offer advertisers greater insights into players' behavioural data and prioritise viewability of the ads."

AdColony is already gearing up to launch a second phase, which brings shopability into these gaming ad units. About AdColony AdColony, a fully-owned subsidiary of Digital Turbine, Inc., drives business outcomes that matter for brands & agencies expanding their reach with the power of mobile, and helping app publishers grow via monetization and user acquisition tools. AdColony has a reach of more than 1.5 billion monthly users across the globe and is known for its award-winning video creative, with cutting-edge ad engagement innovations like Instant-Play, Aurora HD Video, Playables, and more. SOURCE AdColony

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[August 24, 2021] Taiwan's vision for a Precision Health future unveiled at BIO Asia-Taiwan 2021

TAIPEI, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To encourage Taiwan's ICT industry to invest in precision health and to boost cross-domain cooperation and international exchange, the recently concluded BIO AsiaTaiwan 2021 Online Conference held a session entitled Public-Private Partnership in Precision Health, featuring speakers from across Taiwan's government, academia, and research spectrum. Sponsored by Taiwan's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), hosted by Deputy Minister Minn-Tsong Lin of MOST, the session showcased the Precision Health Strategy Development Program of Taiwan, with ten key opinion leaders discussing how public and private sectors can work together to achieve the program's goals. Hong-Chen Chen, Director General, Department of Life Sciences, MOST, introduced the government's efforts to promote biomedical industries. "We hope through the integration of biomedicine with ICT industries we will be able to establish strong biomedical industries in Taiwan and benefit people with healthier and happier lives," said Hong-Chen Chen, while stating that the implementation of precision health in Taiwan will be a three-step process. "First is perfecting the precision health ecosystem. Second is fostering the supply chain. Third is integration with the global health community." Chen also mentioned that the country's National Health Insurance Database and Taiwan Biobank resources were invaluable to the cause of advancing precision health. President of the Development Cnter for Biotechnology, Chung-Hsiun Wu, discussed how Taiwan's high-flying Information Communications Technologies (ICT) industries gave it a unique advantage in its quest to develop precision health.



"Taiwan ICT strengths can function as a catalyst to move faster towards this vision," he said. Wu also highlighted several local-developed precision health products, including Easy Doctor, developed by Inventec, which monitors a patient's vital signs and connects in real-time to a hospital; DeepCT, developed by Deep01, to detect stroke risk; a personalized screening test for carbamazepine developed by Pharmigene to screen out those that are not suitable to use this common analgesic drug; and Nanome, an AI virtual reality (VR) system developed by HTC to assist in the development of new drugs.

Shih-Feng Tsai, Director, Department of Research Planning and Development, National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) in his presentation "Strategy and Plan for Developing Precision Health Industry in Taiwan" talked about the Precision Medicine Flagship Program, the goal of which is to build genome sequence libraries for use in diagnostics and treatment. Since 2017 genome sequences have been completed for rare diseases, cancer, epilepsy, hearing loss, etc. Tsai expressed his hope that the resource will be an important future component of the precision health body of knowledge. In a cross-domain cooperation, Chieh-Liang Wu, Chief of the Department of Critical Care Medicine of Taichung Veterans General Hospital, announced that his hospital had cooperated with both Tunghai University and Advantech Co., Ltd. to develop the "AI+HI Smart Critical Care System". Trained using 2015-2019 data, the system can effectively manage hospitals' ICU operations. Connecting patient bedside, nursing station, and central control center, the system is expected to herald a new era of remote hospital ICU control. Cheng-Yu Chen, Vice President of Taipei Medical University, introduced a cooperation with aetherAI Co., Ltd. for the Deep Rad AI CT imaging pulmonary nodule diagnostics system, for use with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EGFR mutations. The system can screen for pulmonary nodules within 20 seconds, can help the clinician distinguish benign from malignant nodules, and can automatically produce international standard clinical treatment reports. Division Director Hsin-Hsin Shen from the Biomedical Technology and Device Research Laboratories of ITRI announced a cooperation led by Ossaware Biotech together with Shinkong Synthetic Fibers, Taiwan Paiho, Ingrowth Biotech, Renax Biomedical Technology; a cross-corporate R&D team to jointly implement the "High value-added biomaterial technologies for implantable tissue repair product development" providing complete tissue material engineering solutions for tendon and ligament repair. In conclusion, the speakers agreed that Taiwan's comprehensive healthcare system, its extensive links to ICT industry supply chains, coupled with growing expertise in artificial intelligence, were together strongly driving BIO*ICT cross-domain innovation. With these advantages, through software and hardware integration, and through local advances in the treatment and diagnosis of new diseases, Taiwan indeed has a bright future in store for precision health. SOURCE Taiwan Bio Industry Organization

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[August 24, 2021] Syfe continues rapid expansion with four senior hires

SINGAPORE, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Syfe , a digital wealth management company licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), today announced that it has made four new senior hires in Singapore as it continues on its rapid growth trajectory. Samantha Horton has been appointed as the Vice President, Head of Business Development to lead Syfe's expansion into new markets in Asia in the next 12-18 months. Samantha started her career in Morgan Stanley in equity research, covering the ASEAN financial sector. She joins Syfe after 11 years at a multi-billion dollar sovereign wealth backed hedge fund, Broad Peak Investment Advisers, where she was Managing Director and co-head of data analytics. During her time at Broad Peak, Samantha managed the fund's global consumer portfolio and developed the firm's alternative data team and capabilities. Her appointment follows three other major hires from April to June 2021: Jack Prickett joined Syfe as Head of New Business. Jack was previously regional head of securities operations at UBS in Asia. His mandate is to realise the firm's mission of becoming the go-to platform for savers and investors. During his 15 years at the bank working in London, Hong Kong and Singapore, Jack built a 150 people team from ground-up. Syfe appointed Brice Derouet as Head of Finance. Brice oversees all financial oprations, including planning, reporting and compliance. Before joining Syfe, he led the finance team at the co-living operator Hmlet, where he was closely involved in the start-up's US$40 million Series B fundraise, activated venture debts and credit facilities for the group and managed two acquisitions that drove Hmlet's expansion into Thailand and Malaysia.



In addition, Laurens Koppelaar has taken up the role of Head of Partnerships at Syfe. He is also responsible for the strategic development of the " Syfe for Work " offering, which comprises holistic financial well-being solutions for corporates. Before joining Syfe earlier this year, Laurens led the international growth across Southeast Asia as CEO of the insurtech company Symbo. Prior to Symbo, he led the market management function for Allianz across the region, overseeing distribution, strategy and channel partnerships for various non-life insurance products.

Dhruv Arora, Founder and CEO, Syfe, said: "These senior appointments are a real boost to the Syfe team and are in response to the increased demand we've seen for Syfe's suite of investment and financial advisory solutions in recent months. Samantha, Jack, Brice and Laurens will play instrumental roles in helping us achieve our goal of making financial services more accessible, transparent and affordable for everyone as we expand the Syfe footprint at home and across the region." Founded in 2017 and publicly launched in July 2019, Syfe is licensed by the MAS under a Capital Markets Services (CMS) License (CMS License No: CMS100837 ) for conducting retail and institutional fund management activities. About Syfe Syfe is a MAS-licensed digital wealth manager that helps people invest better and make smarter financial decisions. Grounded in the deep expertise of our financial research team, Syfe offers investment strategies for the most important goals in life, from purchasing your first home to retiring comfortably. Creating personalised, professionally managed portfolios takes only a few minutes with Syfe's mobile and web applications. Clients enjoy access to Syfe's wealth advisors and an intuitive investing experience that is low cost and hassle-free. The platform has no minimum investment amounts and maintains a low annual fee, starting at 0.4 percent of the total amount invested. For more information on Syfe, please visit: www.syfe.com SOURCE Syfe

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[August 24, 2021] TOJOY Founder Lu Junqing: Thirty Years of Climbing the Hill with TOJOY

BEIJING, Aug. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 18, TOJOY's thirtieth anniversary celebration was held on the company's TOJOY Boss Cloud app. More than 80,000 attendees including employees, family members, and business partners attended. The event reviewed the Chinese business accelerator's first thirty years and summarized an optimistic view of the future. TOJOY founder and chairman of the board Lu Junqing gave the keynote speech at the event, saying that the company's first thirty years was in many ways like pushing a ball up a hill. "In such a case, if you're not moving forward, you're going backward," said Lu. "Today TOJOY has finally passed the slope and arrived at a flat plane of sustained and rapid growth." Lu credits much of TOJOY's success to its continuous innovation and prioritization of employee and partner satisfaction. Lu spoke optimistically of the bright future that TOJOY's ambition and integrity have created. Ge Jun also delivered a speech titled "Exceeding Our Very Best and Striving for New Heights". Ge spoke of how in the coming years TOJOY would continue to connect innovative enterprises, create social value, and expand the "Great Sharing Economy". In this platform-enabled system, tangible and intangible business resources alike can be shared freely between business partners and platform users, including capital, operations partnerships, networks, and other assets.



President of the China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises Li Zibin expressed his appreciation for TOJOY's contributions to the economy, saying "TOJOY has helped a number of innovative enterprises to explore new markets and maintain steady growth." These comments were echoed by TOJOY partners, including TOJOY senior partner Sun Tali, who noted the company's positive effect on social issues. According to TOJOY, much of the economic and social benefit the company creates comes from its Great Sharing model, through which innovative and traditional companies are connected to share the various resources that empower their companies. To date TOJOY has helped more than 300 innovative companies to accelerate via this platform, including AI, big data, IoT, blockchain, and e-commerce companies. Additionally, over 12,000 traditional enterprises have leveraged the TOJOY platform to access upgrades to their tech and business models in order to better compete in the new economic landscape.

Recently TOJOY partnered with Hurun to launch the 2021 Chinese Gazelle and Future Unicorn Enterprise Lists. The organizations plan to together identify and incubate the next generation of innovative Chinese companies, and as a result, spur the development of related economic cottage industries throughout China. TOJOY is committed to empowering the next wave of Chinese and global companies to grow to new heights via its Great Sharing model. The company is confident that its Great Sharing platform will further inspire and empower an entrepreneurial acceleration ecosystem for Chinese and global companies to engage in win-win development. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tojoy-founder-lu-junqing-thirty-years-of-climbing-the-hill-with-tojoy-301362242.html SOURCE TOJOY SHARED HOLDING GROUP

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[August 24, 2021] Hong Kong James Dyson Award Winner Improves Quality of Elder Care

Introducing the 'future of care home dining' Hong Kong , like other developed economies, expects a surge in demand for geriatric care by 2050

, like other developed economies, expects a surge in demand for geriatric care by 2050 There is both a shortage of caregivers and heightened concern about risks of elder abuse, possibly due to a growing risk of caregiver burnout and lack of resources

Many tasks in care homes are stressful, time consuming or require physical strength, adding to the risk of care worker burnout and exposing residents to safety hazards

To avoid risk of dysphagia and malnutrition, feeding elderly residents often must be supervised, which is time consuming and reduces residents' independence HONG KONG, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This year's James Dyson Award Hong Kong winner attempts to solve this problem. omnom. is a smart dining service and product system designed for the future care home. It enables elderly care home residents to enjoy the process of eating and have more interaction, while addressing common care issues such as difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia) and appropriate nutrition. omnom. connects stakeholders in the care home system through data digitization, enhances interaction quality through design and increases safety through performance monitoring. The omnom. comprises five components, a wearable neckpiece, a spoon, a tray for personalised care, a trolley for smart catering and an app for data digitization. The neck piece is safer alternative to visual checking by staff, the swallow sensor uses IASUS throat microphone technology while the spoon is designed to maximise residents' active involvement in their meals and sustain their oral muscles. The tray and smart catering trolley support personalised menus and meal tracking. By digitising data, rather than manually recording data about meals, care givers will be able to have more quality interactions with residents and their families.

The Inventor

The design engineer is Peggy Chang Pei-Chi, who recently graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic University with a Product Design degree. Peggy says she was attracted to the James Dyson Award competition, because it emphasises problem solving and hands-on testing as well as solution finding, and because it values design and innovation that offers sustainable and comprehensive solutions. Concerned about quality of care for the burgeoning elderly population, Peggy started her design process by identifying the bottleneck task inflicting the highest cognitive load, which occupied most staff, and exposed residents to risk. Her aim was to improve work efficiency and optimise workloads for care home staff, while maximising the quality of care and transparency through design and technological intervention. Peggy said: "Increasing cases of care home elderly abuse over the past few years made me question whether the problem lies in the individual or in the care system. One key cause of abuse is caregiver burnout and in Hong Kong's case, this issue is only escalating with the rapidly aging population and the lack of young staff resources." The greatest challenge she faced during product development was user testing, as COVID-related restrictions meant it was not possible to have physical interviews with elderly people. However, Peggy reached out to staff at the Hong Kong Society for the Blind Kowloon Home for the Aged Blind, whose frontline staff and professional occupational therapists gave her their perspectives and input. She was also unable to perform user testing on elderly people in care homes, but recruited volunteers. Winning the national leg of the James Dyson Award will inject 2,000 into Chang Pei-Chi's project. Peggy says, "My major future goal is to conduct interviews with elderly care home residents for hands-on user tests as soon as conditions allows. I believe that there is still so much potential to explore within this product and service system in terms of understanding stakeholders, their interaction, and feedback on the current designs. Only with more extensive stakeholder insights, suggestions, and co-design workshops will the product be fully ready for the next test-implementation stage." Steve Yeung, Cofounder and Director of INNOSPHERE and JDA judge commended omnom. as being an enlightened project that improves service quality and efficiency through proper technology application. Steve adds, "omnom. unties bottlenecks of existing care services through mindful concern about stakeholders' expectations. Such "product + service" based models should be popular in the health care system of our community. I am glad to see that entries this year are showing great care for our community, from physica to mental needs, from hygiene to sustainable concerns. Their mission deserves our greatest applause and encouragement."



The Runners Up

Uvify

Problem: Healthcare professionals often do not have an effective way to clean stethoscope diaphragms between patient consultations. Cleansing with alcohol swabs is time consuming, but infectious diseases could be carried from patient to patient.

Solution: UVify involves smart automatic stethoscope disinfection using UV light system using UV-C light with a specific range of frequency of around 260 nm as its main purifying agent. Its durable, non-corrosive outer shell both sterilises and protects the stethoscope. When a consultation is finished the UV will light up to give the head a disinfection bath for 60 seconds. OCTAPS

Problem: Music and playing musical instruments can bring many benefits to children with ADHD. However, ADHD symptoms such as hyperactivity and inattention can make it more difficult to learn to play musical instruments.

Solution: Octaps is an inclusive musical toy for preschool children with ADHD which allows them to actively explore their interest in music by moving around and being active. Designed ergonomically for 4 to 6-year-old children, Octaps comprises a geometric-shaped stool and eight triangle modules that represent the notes on a musical scale. Children learn about music through engaging with the triangles and play songs following guiding or selecting different instrument sounds to create their own music.

The three Hong Kong finalists will progress to the international stage of the James Dyson Award. The International shortlist will be announced on 13th October, and the International winners on 17th November. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, this year was a record year for the James Dyson Award with more than 2,000 entries submitted globally. James Dyson Award

The James Dyson Award forms part of a wider commitment by Sir James Dyson, to demonstrate the power of engineers to change the world. The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology, the James Dyson Foundation and James Dyson Award encourage aspiring engineers, to apply their knowledge and discover new ways to improve lives through technology. Since the Award first opened in 2005, James Dyson has contributed over 100m to boundary-breaking concepts in education and other charitable causes. The competition has supported nearly 250 inventions with prize money, and is run by the James Dyson Foundation, an engineering-education charity funded by Dyson profits. Recent past winners 2020 International winner  The Blue Box ( Spain )

Invented by 23-year-old Judit Giro Benet, The Blue Box is a new way to detect breast cancer, at-home, using a urine sample and an AI algorithm.

) Invented by 23-year-old Judit Giro Benet, The Blue Box is a new way to detect breast cancer, at-home, using a urine sample and an AI algorithm. 2020 Sustainability winner  AuREUS System Technology ( The Philippines )

Invented by 27-year-old Carvey Ehren Maigue , AuREUS is a new material, made from waste crop, which converts UV light into renewable energy.

) Invented by 27-year-old , AuREUS is a new material, made from waste crop, which converts UV light into renewable energy. 2020 International runners-up:

The Tyre Collective (GB)  A device that captures tyre-wear particles at the wheel of a vehicle, to be recycled for future applications.



Scope ( Canada )  A new lens using liquid crystals enabling a lossless camera zoom.

)  A new lens using liquid crystals enabling a lossless camera zoom. 2019 International winner  Marina Tex (GB)

MarinaTex is a home compostable material designed as an alternative to single-use plastic films, invented by Lucy Hughes . The material is comprised of waste material from the fishing industry and sustainable algae.



Since winning, Lucy has been working with labs in Durham, UK to establish the material properties on MarinaTex and determine how it can be scaled up. She also gained additional business and fiscal support by winning the Start Up Sussex Social Impact prize, UK. In 2020, Lucy secured funding for a patent and registered MarinaTex as a trademark, as well as speaking at conferences such as the European Commission's Blue Invest Day. This year Lucy is looking for further funding for MarinaTex and waits to see whether she is selected as a finalist in the Green Alley Awards, after being chosen as one of the top 20 finalists. Notes to Editors Do you need to add in any additional background information here for press?

The brief. Design something that solves a problem. This problem may be a frustration that we all face in daily life, or a global issue. The important thing is that the solution is effective and demonstrates considered design thinking. What is the prize? The International winner receives a prize of 30,000, plus 5,000 for the winner's university.

The Sustainability winner receives a prize of 30,000.

The two International runners-up receive 5,000.

Each National winner receives 2,000. What happens next? All national finalists will proceed to the international stages of the competition. A panel of Dyson engineers will create a Top 20 shortlist from these finalists. Sir James Dyson will then choose an International winner and two runners-up. He will also appoint a Sustainability winner for the national finalist that best pays attention to their inventions part in today's sustainable agenda. This could be through its materials, design process, methods of manufacture, or even the solution to the invention itself. Who can enter the James Dyson Award? The James Dyson Award runs in 28 countries and regions worldwide. These are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UAE, UK, and USA. The Award launches for the first time in Poland in 2021. Entrants must be, or have been within the last four years, enrolled for at least one semester in an undergraduate or graduate engineering/design related course. This course must be at a university in a country or region chosen to participate in the James Dyson Award. Those participating in a degree level apprenticeship at Level 6 or Level 7, and those who have completed said apprenticeship in the past four years, are now eligible to enter the award. For more information and regular updates on the progress of the James Dyson Award, check out the Award's website, Facebook and Instagram. You can also view past winners stories on the Dyson Newsroom here. SOURCE Dyson

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[August 25, 2021] VisIC Technologies raises $35M, in a round led by GoldenSand Capital (GSR), to increase adoption of GaN semiconductors in electric transportation

NESS ZIONA, Israel, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- VisIC Technologies has completed a $35M funding round to support the strong demand coming from a rising number of automotive clients, with the funding round led by GoldenSand Capital (?????) and HG Semiconductors(?????)through Fast Semi Corporation. SuZhou industrial partner joined the investment round as a co-investor with an additional $10M. VisIC Technologies is a world leader in Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices for electric transportation applications, focused on high-power automotive solutions. Its efficient and scalable products are based on deep technological knowledge drive from decades of semiconductor experience in GaN. "The electrification of the automotive industry has generated significant demand for power components, which we foresee to continue its strong growth for the next decade," said Dr. Tamara Baksht, CEO and co-founder of VisIC. "At the same time, the efficiency of battery energy usage is critical for the cost and performance of electric cars, and GaN-based components are superior over competing technologies for high efficiency. With this investment round, we will be able to expand our product offer and provide better customer support to our customers." Sonny Wu, repreenting Fast Semi Corporation, will join the Board of Directors of VisIC Technologies. Sonny co-founded GSR Ventures in 2004 and currently is the Chairman of GoldenSand Capital with notable investments in the Technology and New Energy space, including Lattice Power (won the China National First Prize for Science & Technology in 2015), Silevo Solar (sold to SolarCity/Tesla in 2014), SEEO (one of the first solid-state battery company, later sold to Bosch in 2013), Aleees (the largest Lithium Iron Phosphate material company in Asia), and Ronbay New Energy Technology Co, Ltd, (the fastest growing EV battery NMC 811 cathode material company in China and IPO in the Shanghai STAR exchange on July 2019)As a Board Member he will lead the effort for marketing of VisIC automotive GaN devices for China market through GSR Semiconductors and its High Power and Fast Charge Technology Lab in ShenZhen, "GSR is investing in technologically game changing companies and I am very impressed by VisIC's product and by its highly knowledgeable team. We are excited about the opportunity to work with Tamara Baksht, Gregory Bunin and the team to accelerate the usage of GaN and create a globally successful enterprise..", said Sonny Wu.



About VisIC Technologies:

VisIC Technologies is a world leader in GaN electronics for xEV applications, focused on high-power automotive solutions. Its efficient and scalable products are based on deep technological knowledge of gallium-nitride and decades of experience. VisIC is committed to providing a step function improvement in terms of size and cost of energy conversion systems and is dedicated to high-quality customer support at all development phases. VisIC offers high power transistor products based upon compound semiconductor Gallium Nitride (GaN) material aiming to provide products for cost-effective and high-performance automotive inverter systems. For more information, please visit: www.visic-tech.com and LinkedIn

About Fast Semi Corporation: FastSemi Holding Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of HongGuang Lighting Holdings Company Limited (HKEx: 6908), a corporation listed in the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (SEHK) since 2016. To better reflect the business nature of the listing group, the group has proposed to change the company name to HG Semiconductor Limited in July 2021. The listing group reported a turnover of approximately HKD 122M for the year ended 31 Dec 2020. The listed company's market capitalization at 23 August 2021 was approximately HKD 4.26B. The group started its business in 2010 and is principally engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, subcontracting service and sales of semiconductor products in the People's Republic of China. SOURCE VisIC Technologies

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[August 25, 2021] Rockwell Automation: We cannot allow cyberattacks to be the new normal

SINGAPORE, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sabyasachi Goswami, Commercial Leader, Commercial Services, APAC shares his thoughts on what industrial players need to stay cybersecure in the age of cyberattacks. Rockwell Automation Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. The following opinions are his own, and do not necessarily reflect those of Rockwell Automation as a whole. The pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of the global manufacturing and supply-chain processes long hidden beneath the surface. Cybersecurity has been a decades-long "grey rhino" in the wings of this "black swan" event. Last year, a Tokopedia data breach jeopardised more than 15 million user accounts, and cybercrime accounted for 43 percent of all crime in Singapore. Interconnectivity in a digital landscape may bring greater agility and convenience to manufacturers but the same benefits apply to malevolent players which are now no longer encumbered by geography. Much like multi-layered anti-COVID measures, from defense (face masks and hand sanitisers) to prevention (lockdowns), rapid detection (PCR kits), and a cure (vaccines and antiviral drugs), corporations need to apply the same robust approach to protecting critical infrastructure. Convergence of IT and OT Increased interconnectivity also extends to hackers. Companies need to understand that there is no "air gap" between Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) - the technology directly monitoring and or controlling industrial equipment, assets, and processes. These are not separate entities but two halves of a whole enterprise. While many have taken measures to secure IT, their OT systems remain under-protected, becoming a convenient "backdoor" for hackers. Ransomware incidents have become increasingly frequent in manufacturing. Ransomware attackers can penetrate a chink in the armour wthin minutes and spend months "dormant." They silently infiltrate the entire network and stay undetected for months while gathering data and critical information before striking.



A recurring issue in OT security is legacy infrastructure, built decades before high-speed internet was commonplace. This means older machinery and computer systems are a worrying blind spot to IT and security operations teams and can also result in exposure. For example, a factory's central conveyor belt might still run on an outdated edition of Windows XP no longer supported by its developer, nor compatible with the latest updates and protections. There is a lot of complexity in the OT layer for manufacturers to address, alongside balancing the costs to modernise. This process is often deprioritised and delayed. Modernisation takes time and requires multi-year transformation. But by making these changes now, organisations can immediately adopt best practices to build a holistically secure IT/OT network environment to neutralise potential threats.

The myth of the panacea Similar to how we have managed to bring disease outbreaks such as polio and smallpox under control, a multi-layered defence strategy is needed to detect and deter malicious players. Organisations should start with a holistic enterprise-wide security assessment that includes: An inventory of authorised and unauthorised devices and software Detailed observation and documentation of system performance Identification of tolerance thresholds and risk and vulnerability indications Prioritisation of each vulnerability based on impact and exploitation potential Mitigation techniques required to bring an operation to an acceptable risk state To develop a robust safety net, organisations must account for software, networks, control systems, site-infrastructure nuances, policies, procedures, and even employee behaviours. Rockwell Automation has defined five core security principals in place: 1. Secure network infrastructure - A resilient industrial network security system limits access to authorised individuals and protects data against manipulation or theft. With telecommuting becoming the norm, security systems must account for the remote connectivity of people, processes, and information. Networks used in large-scale industrial applications can harness cloud technology, data analytics, and mobility tools to optimise systems monitoring. 2. Authentication and policy management - Often overlooked when developing safety controls around user authentication is the need to minimize potential exposure to threats from internal resources. Management user accounts should be integrated with a means of centralised control. Scalable solutions should also be planned to allow for flexible workflows around disconnected environments, guest user access, and temporary privilege escalation before the necessity arises. 3. Content protection - Automation equipment such as controllers often contain sensitive information. Smart industrial systems require a common, secure environment to protect an organisation's intellectual property while maintaining productivity and quality. 4. Tamper detection - Unwanted activity and modifications within operational systems can be quashed through speedy detection, recording, and a strong coordinated response. Measures to deter and address potential threats should include a means to centrally record and track all user actions, regular backups of operating asset configurations and electronic files, as well as a meticulous inventory of all devices on a plant floor. 5. Robustness - Plant machinery, operation systems and data storage units can be brought together under a single-system architecture that allows for centralised monitoring and reporting. By leveraging Converged Plantwide Ethernet (CPwE), multinational corporations can achieve greater flexibility, visibility, and efficiency required to remain competitive while retaining full control over their digital assets. Prevention is always better than cure Placing equal importance on cybersecurity advancements is essential to future-proofing an organisation. Investing in IT alone can capture short-term growth prospects but leave these gains vulnerable to an overnight cyberattack. Much like how vaccines are crucial to herd immunity, a modern enterprise is only as strong as its weakest link. The best defence is a good offence, via a comprehensive network security system. SOURCE Rockwell Automation

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[August 25, 2021] STRAX: Interim Report No 2 for the financial year 2021

STOCKHOLM, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- STRAX have again managed well through a period of continued market disruption related to the Covid-19 pandemic The Group's sales for the period January 1  June 30, 2021 , amounted to MEUR 54.8 (50.2), with a gross margin of 19.0 (23.7) percent.

 , amounted to MEUR 54.8 (50.2), with a gross margin of 19.0 (23.7) percent. The Group's result for the period January 1  June 30, 2021 , amounted to MEUR -2.0 (-2.8) corresponding to EUR -0.02 (-0.02) per share.

 , amounted to MEUR -2.0 (-2.8) corresponding to (-0.02) per share. EBITDA for the period January 1  June 30, 2021 , amounted to MEUR 1.6 (1.4).

 , amounted to MEUR 1.6 (1.4). Equity as of June 30 2021, amounted to MEUR 16.2 (17.3) corresponding to EUR 0.13 (0.15) per share. STRAX subsidiary Urbanista, the Swedish lifestyle audio brand, announced Urbanista Los Angeles, the world's first self-charging, wireless active noise cancelling headphones, powered by Powerfoyle solar cell material. Using advanced green technology, Los Angeles converts all forms of light, outdoor and indoor, into energy to deliver virtually infinite playtime. "We have again managed well through a period of continued market disruption related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Few of our key markets remained negatively affected by some form of lockdown or social restrictions, whilst markets such as France and Switzerland are already delivering stronger results than they did back in 2019, before the ongoing pandemic started. We did nevertheless experience recovery in both accessories and audio products across all markets and demand for health & wellness products remains relatively strong"- Gudmundur Palmason, CEO. For further information please contact Gudmundur Palmason, CEO, STRAX AB, +46 8 545 017 50. This is information that STRAX AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 08:55 CET on August 25, 2021. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/strax/r/strax--interim-report-no-2-for-the-financial-year-2021,c3402637 The following files are available for download:







https://mb.cision.com/Main/661/3402637/1458537.pdf STRAX Q2 2021 https://mb.cision.com/Public/661/3402637/8740747171eddb6e.pdf Pr Q2 2021

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/strax-interim-report-no-2-for-the-financial-year-2021-301362399.html SOURCE Strax

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[August 25, 2021] One Step Forward to Smart Factory: Eaton's Recipe for Success

SHANGHAI, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Intelligent power management company Eaton is accelerating its digital transformation, by employing digitalization technologies and methodologies to power revenue generation, drive internal productivity, build digital culture and most importantly, build up smart factories. The concept of "Smart Factory" was born in the fourth industrial revolution, where cyber-physical system replaces electronic & IT system automation, bringing about the bridging of the physical and digital world. When imaging the future of manufacturing, one usually will be picturing a scene where autonomous robots working alongside the production lines, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. To make "Smart Factory" work, we need to make People, Technologies and Process smart first. Smart People means top-level governance to prioritize and measure value, Industry 4.0 business experts to provide professional guidance, as well as employees and managers equipped with digital skills and mindsets. Smart Technologies refer to Eaton's industry 4.0 solutions that are based on our advanced operational technologies. These technologies allow the factory to sense information from its manufacturing environment, analyze that information, predict behaviors and eventually control the actions, for higher productivity, better quality and speed to market. Eaton expects a 5-10% increase in factory productivity that could be achieved from Industry 4.0 initiatives. Here're some examples of how Eaton is using Industry 4.0 technologies: Augmented Reality : Due to the pandemic, multiple Eaton APAC factories, suc as Changzhou , Suzhou, Pingdingshan, Bao'an plants, chose to conduct remote Gemba Walk (workplace walkthrough) using Microsoft's HoloLens 2 AR Goggles, where leaders from other countries can virtually inspect the manufacturing spaces and provide instant feedback and suggestions for the continuous improvement of operations.

: Due to the pandemic, multiple Eaton APAC factories, suc as , Suzhou, Pingdingshan, Bao'an plants, chose to conduct remote Gemba Walk (workplace walkthrough) using Microsoft's HoloLens 2 AR Goggles, where leaders from other countries can virtually inspect the manufacturing spaces and provide instant feedback and suggestions for the continuous improvement of operations. COBOT ( Collaborative Robots) : At Eaton Pyungtek plant (Korea), COBOT, designed to interact with humans in a shared space or work safely in proximity, were used to handle complex and repetitive tasks. This resulted in improved consistency and accuracy during the manufacturing process.

: At Eaton Pyungtek plant (Korea), COBOT, designed to interact with humans in a shared space or work safely in proximity, were used to handle complex and repetitive tasks. This resulted in improved consistency and accuracy during the manufacturing process. Additive Manufacturing (also known as 3D printing): This technology was leveraged to expedite processes by designing and producing tools internally on polymer and metal materials, allowing fast reactions (shorter lead times), reduced purchase costs and highly customized solutions.

(also known as 3D printing): This technology was leveraged to expedite processes by designing and producing tools internally on polymer and metal materials, allowing fast reactions (shorter lead times), reduced purchase costs and highly customized solutions. Digital Work Instruction: AR Projection Intelligent Guide was used by Eaton Philippines plant, which provided audio and visual prompts, pacing and direction to guide operators through every step of a manual manufacturing process. It majorly eliminated the need for hard copy or monitor-based work instructions, making factory floors smarter, safer and more efficient.



Smart Process requires a pragmatic, integrated and structured approach. Here in Eaton, we set up a 5-step method, including: identify needs by looking at business drivers and problem statements, establish governance to align and prioritize, define critical areas for improvements, select proper Industry 4.0 technologies for integration into model line, and finally scale out model lines to smart factories. In APAC, Eaton has deployed 27 I4.0 model lines this year, with plans to set 39 more the next. After converting current lines into model lines, the next phase will be connecting all these lines, enabling the flow of digital data not just within the smart factory itself, but also with customers, suppliers and warehouse, in other words, integrating into the whole value chain. The goal is to make our manufacturing processes more efficient, accurate and sustainable. This notion broadly aligns with Eaton's commitment to securing the best for all customers and delivering more than expected.

About Eaton Eaton's mission is to improve the quality of life and the environment through the use of power management technologies and services. Eaton provides sustainable solutions that help its customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical power  more safely, more efficiently, and more reliably. Eaton's 2020 revenues were $17.9 billion, and the company sells products to customers in more than 175 countries. Eaton has approximately 85,000 employees. Eaton entered the Asia-Pacific market during the 1970s, and has grown significantly since then. Eaton moved its Asia-Pacific headquarters from Hong Kong to Shanghai in 2014. Today, Eaton has nearly 17,000 employees and 34 manufacturing facilities in the Asia-Pacific region. For more information, visit Eaton.com. SOURCE Eaton

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[August 25, 2021] It's Official: Post-Pandemic Work Schedules Will Be Flexible

As pandemic restrictions lift across Canada, many remote workers are looking to their employers for return to workplace guidance. A new survey by ADP Canada and Maru Public Opinion finds employees reporting that many Canadian employers plan to include both in-office and remote work options in their return-to-workplace strategies. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005245/en/ Office Expectations: Days Per Week (Graphic: Business Wire) According to the survey, 60 per cent of respondents said their employer has communicated a return-to-workplace strategy. Of the working Canadians who received a plan, over half (53%) are already back in the office. An additional 29 per cent expect to return by the end of 2021 with the remainder expecting to return in January 2022 (10%) or unsure of a return date (9%). As for how often employees will be expected to come into the workplace, four-in-ten (40%) respondents report they are expected to be there five days a week. The remainder report they are being asked to come into the office on a part-time basis or have been offered a flexible schedule, with one-third (33%) reporting that they are expected in the office 2-3 days per week. One-in-five (21%) report they will have a completely flexible schedule with no set days in the office. "Originally a necessity driven by the realities of a global panemic, many Canadian employers now realize employees may continue working remotely in some capacity, post-pandemic, without a negative impact to business operations," said Ann Buckingham, Executive HR Relationship Manager with ADP Canada. "In fact, where there was initially resistance and unease, the data indicates employers have shifted their mindset when it comes to workplace structure. When organized strategically and supported by the right technology and HR support, embracing flexibility within the workplace can help improve employee engagement and retention, and ultimately, improve the bottom line."



Survey Methodology From August 6th to August 10th 2021 an online survey of 1,290 Canadians working full-time who are Maru Voice Canada panelists was executed by Maru/Blue. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/- 2.6%, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

About ADP Canada Designing better ways to work through cutting-edge products, premium services and exceptional experiences that enable people to reach their full potential. HR, Talent, Time Management, Benefits and Payroll. Informed by data and designed for people. For more information about ADP Canada visit www.adp.ca or follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @ADP_CDA. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005245/en/

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[August 25, 2021] Chongqing Liangjiang New Area empowers SCO cooperation with digital economy

CHONGQING, China, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In a bid to promote the digital economy for common prosperity, the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization Forum on the Digital Economy Industry kicked off Monday in the Liangjiang New Area in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. The three-day event will be held both online and offline, according to Chongqing Liangjiang New Area Administrative Committee. As one of the five sub-forums, the parallel session of Trade and Economic Multifunctional Platform for the SCO Countries (TEMP) in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area was held Monday. A total of 16 projects were signed on site, involving industry, cultural tourism and education, with a trade volume of nearly 10 billion yuan. In August 2019, TEMP officially settled in Liangjiang New Area. It's designed to be a multi-field and multi-functional international exchange and cooperation platform with economic and trade work as the core. TEMP seeks to strengthen and deepen cooperation, optimize the commercial structure of Central Asian and Southeast Asian countries, expand corresponding economic factors, and establish common production cooperation. Since its establishment, TEMP has played an active role and achieved remarkable results. The level of interconnection between SCO member states and Chongqing has seen continuous improvement, with increasingly closer economic cooperation and trade xchanges. At present, SCO member states have opened about 40 new enterprises in Chongqing, and Chongqing has set up more than 30 enterprises in SCO member states with a total investment of 675 million U.S. dollars.



As an important carrier for strengthening mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation between China and the SCO, TEMP will build a new SCO ecology featuring deep integration of digital economy and traditional economy. It will continue to innovate the international economic cooperation, trade exchange model, and use advanced digital industry concepts to create a multi-industry international ecological layout with Chongqing as the hub to serve SCO member states. As the first national-level development and opening-up new district in China's inland, Liangjiang New Area is building an inland open door, a smart city, a high-quality development leading area and high-quality living demonstration area in Chongqing. By leading industrial transformation and upgrading with big data intelligence and building a new pattern of inland opening-up, the new area has established five open systems, including an open channel for international multimodal transport, an open platform with complete functional categories, an open economy with a high degree of extroversion, an open environment of marketization, legalization and internationalization, and an open cooperation connecting BRI countries. High-quality development has posted a strong momentum in the new area.

Liangjiang will leverage TEMP to promote scientific and technological innovation cooperation to a higher level and promote the application of next-generation digital technologies. Besides, efforts will be made to push for new results in digital economy cooperation and to build internationally competitive digital industrial clusters. The new area will promote new expansion of economic and trade cooperation and deepen cooperation in international trade, industrial development, culture and tourism. For more information, please visit http://www.liangjiang.gov.cn View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chongqing-liangjiang-new-area-empowers-sco-cooperation-with-digital-economy-301362535.html SOURCE Chongqing Liangjiang New Area Administrative Committee

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[August 25, 2021] Uncertainty Over the Delta Variant and Seasonality Slow New Demand for Office Space

After six consecutive months of growth in new demand for office space, demand eased in July as concerns over a surge in delta variant COVID-19 cases, as well as normal seasonal headwinds, took hold. Despite this, the monthly decline is lower than the typical July pre-pandemic seasonality in both 2018 and 2019. Nationally, the VTS Office Demand Index (VODI) is now 16 percent below its 2018-2019 average, which is used as the '100' point in the Index. The VODI tracks unique tenant tours, both in-person and virtual, of office properties across the nation, and is the earliest available indicator of upcoming office leases, as well as the only commercial real estate index to explicitly track new tenant demand. New office demand dropped 1.2 percent in July from June, but is lower than the average July decline in 2018 and 2019 of 5.1 percent. New office demand is up 282 percent on a year-over-year basis, reflecting a strong recovery to date. At the same time, employers slowed the hiring of office-using roles in June. The rate of office-using employment growth in June has fallen to its slowest rate since the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020. "The delta variant is causing some uncertainty across the economy, so it's no surprise we're seeing that reflected in demand for office space as well," said VTS CEO, Nick Romito. "But there's no need to hit the panic button yet. We're likely looking at another delay to full recovery, but early indications point to continued relative stability as seen earlier in the year - not the massive drop-offs we saw when the pandemic first began." Locally, Boston, Los Angeles, and Seattle bucked the national trend with a month-over-month increase in new demand for office space. At a VODI of 116, Los Angeles is the only market to exceed a VODI score of 100, the benchmark of pre-pandemic level of demand. Seattle, despite seeing a substantial 8.6 percent increase in demand for office space in July, is still 24 points below its pre-pandemic level of 100.







VODI Cities National Boston Chicago Los

Angeles New

York City San

Francisco Seattle Washington,

D.C. Current VODI (July) *A VODI of 100 represents the avg. VODI from 2018-2019 84 64 86 116 92 62 76 78 Month-over-Month Change (%) -1.2% 6.7% -4.4% 13.7% -4.2% -7.5% 8.6% -2.5% Month-over-Month Change (VODI points) -1 4 -4 14 -4 -5 6 -2 Quarter-over-Quarter Change (%) May-July 12% 20.8% 26.5% 48.7% 10.8% -1.6% -8.4% -12.4% Quarter-over-Quarter Change (VODI points) May-July 9 11 18 38 9 -1 -7 -11

*Data on remote-friendly jobs is attributed to a study by Apartment List which builds on prior academic work (Dingel & Neiman (2020). New York City is seeing a pull-back in the share of demand for Trophy and Class A properties, but prospective tenants still in the hunt are touring larger spaces The share of tours in Trophy and Class A declined to 72.4 percent in July from 79.2 percent in June. The median square feet of a Class A property tour is up 27 percent, growing to 10,000 square feet from 7,872 square feet; Trophy is up by 9.8 percent, growing to more than 13,000 square feet from 12,000 square feet; and Class B is up by 9.1 percent, growing to 6,000 from 5,500 square feet. "The macro trend of lower new demand overall, alongside individual requirements of greater square footage, suggests that smaller firms that are more sensitive to the impacts of rising COVID-19 cases are withdrawing from the market," said VTS Chief Strategy Officer Ryan Masiello. "This withdrawal may reflect employer uncertainty surrounding return-to-office plans that could have been initiated before the emergence of the COVID-19 delta variant." The "Remote Divide" continues, with heavy work-from-home markets still lagging San Francisco, Boston, and Seattle - markets with some of the nation's highest shares of remote-friendly work - continue to lag overall and are farther than other markets from full pre-COVID office demand levels. The three markets are, respectively, at 62, 64, and 76 percent of their typical 2018-2019 office demand. In contrast, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago have remote work shares that are much closer to average, and their office demand is already 92, 112, and 86 percent (respectively) of their 2018-2019 levels, though only Los Angeles increased its VODI from June to July. Those trends are also generally consistent with concurrent job posting data from Indeed, which indicate that in those cities with lower shares of remote-friendly work, job postings are higher relative to their pre-pandemic levels. San Francisco, Boston, and Seattle's job postings are currently 15.2, 24.4 and 18.3 percent above their pre-pandemic (February 2020) levels, and Washington D.C.'s are 14 percent, while New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago's job postings are 25.8, 32.0 and 33.0 percent above their pre-pandemic levels. All markets saw an increase in their job postings from the month prior. About VTS VTS is commercial real estate's leading leasing, marketing, asset management, and tenant experience platform where the industry comes to make deals happen and real-time data comes to life. The VTS Platform captures the largest first-party data source in the industry, which delivers real-time insights that fuel faster, more informed decision making and connections throughout the deal and asset lifecycle. VTS Data, the industry's only forward-looking market dataset, and VTS Market and Marketplace, the industry's first integrated online marketing solution, give landlords, brokers, and tenants unparalleled visibility into real-time market information and the direct connectivity to execute deals with greater speed and intelligence at every point in the planning, marketing, leasing, and asset management cycle. VTS Rise is the industry's most comprehensive tenant experience solution, offering occupiers, building operators, and visitors an immersive, tech-enabled experience. More than 60% of Class A office space in the US and 12B square feet of office, retail, and industrial real estate globally is managed on the VTS platform. VTS' user base includes over 45,000 CRE professionals including respected industry leaders like Blackstone, Brookfield Properties, LaSalle Investment Management, Hines, Boston Properties, Oxford Properties, JLL, and CBRE. To learn more about VTS, and to see our open roles, visit www.vts.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005215/en/

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[August 25, 2021] Procter & Gamble Brings Relief to Residents Affected by Flooding in Waverly, Tennessee With P&G Products and Tide Loads of Hope Laundry Services

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG): This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005252/en/ Tide Loads of Hope Laundry Unit (Photo: Business Wire) WHO: Families, individuals and first responders in need of personal care items, cleaning products or laundry services in the wake of the flooding in Tennessee. WHAT: The Tide Loads of Hope Mobile Laundry Unit, powered by Matthew 25: Ministries, has been deployed to support relief and recovery efforts in the wake of the deadly flooding throughout Tennessee. The mobile laundry vehicle will begin services in Waverly, TN at the Walmart Supercenter on Walton Dr. providing free, full-service laundry to residents affected by the recent floods. Residents can bring clothes (up to two loads per household) to be washed, dried and folded free of charge. All washable clothing types will be accepted with the exception of heavy bedding. In partnership with Matthew 25: Ministries, P&G will also distribute free personal care kits with everyday essentials as well as cleaning products to meet basic hygiene and home care needs directly into the affected areas of those impacted by the disaster. In line with updated COVID-19 guidelines regarding operations, P&G and partner, Matthew 25: Ministries, have established new safety protocols and processes to allow for the distribution of free laundry services and supplies to those who have been impacted by the disaster, while keeping staff and beneficiaries at distribution Tide Loads of Hope activation sites protected. WHY: Up to 17 inches of rainfall has driven flooding throughout the state of Tennessee. Communities in middle Tennesse have been severely impacted, leaving many without power or access to clean water.



P&G has a history of giving back to the communities where we live and work, and we want to provide everyday essentials to those who need it most to help bring a sense of normalcy in this time of need. These services are free and available to people affected by the disaster and the volunteers who are helping to respond. WHERE: Starting on Wednesday, August 25, the team will collect laundry from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the location listed below until daily capacity has been reached. The team will also be distributing personal care kits and cleaning supplies directly into the affected areas.

The Tide Loads of Hope mobile laundry unit will be located at: Walmart Supercenter

275 Walton Dr

Waverly, TN 37185 **For the most up-to-date information on the location of these services, please visit Tide's Facebook (News - Alert) , Twitter and Instagram channels at https://www.facebook.com/Tide, @Tide and https://www.instagram.com/tidelaundry/?hl=en** ABOUT TIDE LOADS OF HOPE: For more than 15 years, Tide Loads of Hope has provided free laundry services to families affected by disasters. Created in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Tide Loads of Hope is a mobile laundromat that can complete hundreds of loads of laundry per day. In partnership with Matthew 25: Ministries, an international humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization, the program has benefitted over 90,000 families across the U.S. and Canada. As a key component of Tide Ambition 2030, Tide has committed to expand its Loads of Hope program tenfold, providing clean clothes to millions of people in times of need, with a focus on communities most impacted by climate change. Learn more at https://tide.com/en-us/our-commitment/loads-of-hope. PRODUCT BRANDS: P&G brands to be distributed include Always, Bounty, Charmin, Crest, Dawn, Febreze, Ivory, Gillette, Mr. Clean, Olay, Old Spice, Oral-B, Pampers, Pantene, Secret, Swiffer, Tampax, Tide and Venus. PARTNER: P&G provides these services in partnership with Matthew 25: Ministries, an international humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization. More information can be found at www.m25m.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005252/en/

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[August 25, 2021] $11M+ Expansion at CIC Philadelphia Will Double Lab Footprint, Making It One of Largest Shared Lab Hubs in the U.S.

Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) Philadelphia is increasing its focus on and investment in the life sciences and the needs of scientists by investing more than $11 million to double its lab space at 3675 Market Street in uCity Square. Already the largest shared commercial lab space in Philadelphia, the addition of 200+ benches, equipment, and support will make CIC Labs Philadelphia one of the largest shared lab hubs in the country and CIC's largest lab location. The company operates nine innovation campuses in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. "Our labs have remained at 100% occupancy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic," said Sarah Morin, interim general manager of CIC Philadelphia and VP of CIC's North American centers. "The need for additional benches to serve scientists at every level is undeniable. Three-quarters of our existing lab clients are on our waiting list for additional space." A founding partner of LabCentral in Kendall Square, the nation's premier shared lab space, CIC has independently operated shared labs in St. Louis and Miami since the centers opened in 2014 and 2016, respectively. Planning for future CIC campuses will routinely include consideration of lab needs in the market. CIC entered Philadelphia in 2018 as one of the anchors of 3675 Market Street, at the time, the newest addition to the growing uCity Square Knowledge Community under development by Wexford Science & Technology, LLC and its partners, the University City Science Center and Ventas, Inc.. Now, just three years later, CIC Philadelphia's lab expansion will more than double the capacity for local high-growth, high-impact scientists to access the equipment, programming, and related support space they need to operate efficiently and grow. Since CIC launched in Philadelphia with lab operato BioLabs, its life sciences tenants have raised more than $1.6 billion, added more than 240 new jobs, and secured more than 65 patents.



"The expansion of CIC's labs will further establish uCity Square as Philadelphia's innovation address for accelerating the growth of promising life sciences companies, jobs, and cures, and propelling the regional ecosystem by ensuring that new companies have the full continuum of space, support and networks necessary to be successful," said John Grady, Wexford's senior vice president and Northeast Region Executive. CIC Philadelphia currently has 137,000 square feet of shared office and lab space with wrap-around services. This expansion will convert two office floors--approximately 50,000 square feet--into lab spaces, as well as introduce graduation labs and expand the company's highly sought-after private lab spaces. The new graduation labs will provide spaces with 15 to 30+ benches to support larger companies, while the expansion overall will increase the number of small, medium, and large private labs available. The expanded lab space will be available in Q1 of 2022. The existing lab space will remain fully functional during construction, and CIC will accommodate existing office tenants within the facility so as not disrupt their business during the expansion.

"This is phase two of what we think is possible to support the life sciences community in Philadelphia," said Tim Rowe, founder and CEO of CIC. "The development underway in uCity Square, including One uCity, will provide a pipeline that will continue to support these companies as they grow. CIC's expansion will be a game changer in the ecosystem, providing a critical bridge for companies as they scale to supporting their own space." When CIC entered the Philadelphia market, it contracted with BioLabs to operate its lab space. With the success of that initial phase in Philadelphia, and its experience in St. Louis and Miami, CIC is now poised to broaden its lab operations across the board. The Philadelphia expansion is coupled with a corporate initiative to unify leadership and operations of all current and future labs under the banner of CIC Labs to connect a global network of scientists who can share space and ideas. "We are grateful for the excellent work the BioLabs@CIC team has done to build and support the life sciences community in Philadelphia, and we hope to find new ways to collaborate in the future," said Morin. As a leader in the concept of shared lab space, CIC offers clients state-of-the-art facilities with superior service and the flexibility for growth. Clients enjoy month-to-month terms and a full array of shared equipment and amenities. "We believe that strengthening our focus and support for the local life sciences community will benefit West Philadelphia as a whole, as well as our diverse CIC Philadelphia ecosystem," said Rowe. "When CIC came to Philadelphia, we pledged to help build a stronger talent pipeline. By growing to meet the needs of scientists of all levels and backgrounds, we will increase access and build upon our overall commitment to diversity and inclusion." About CIC CIC is a global leader in building and operating innovation communities. Founded in 1999 with a single location in Kendall Square, we now own and operate more than 1 million square feet of shared workspace and event space in Boston, Cambridge, Miami, Philadelphia, Providence, Rotterdam, St. Louis, Warsaw, and Tokyo. Our collaborative work environments support thousands of individuals in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors who are focused on innovating solutions to local and global problems. Guided by the belief that stronger innovation ecosystems help to propel economic development and social impact, CIC has cofounded a number of mission-aligned organizations including Venture Cafe, our primary nonprofit programming partner, and CIC Health, a COVID-19 response subsidiary. We invite you to learn more at cic.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005143/en/

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[August 25, 2021] Strategy Analytics: Google's Android Enterprise Critical to Success in B2B Smartphone Market

Google's (News - Alert) Android platform is more Enterprise-ready than at any point since its inception thanks to Android Enterprise, according to a new Strategy Analytics report: "Google's Android B2B Evolution". The report examines how Google has optimized Android (News - Alert) for business and how it is evolving its Pixel line to differentiate itself in a crowded smartphone market. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005101/en/ Figure 1. Evolution of Android v iOS B2B Smartphone Global Shipments OS Share ( Source (News - Alert) : Strategy Analytics, Inc.) The B2B market has emerged as the new frontier, with the rapid growth in mobile working further catalyzed by 5G and the COVID-19 pandemic. The growth in BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device) and Corporate Liable (CL) devices issued by companies means that managing sensitive data has become an even more pressing concern. Strategy Analytics (News - Alert) notes that Android now accounts for 64% of global B2B smartphone shipments, up from 45% back in 2011.



According to Andrew Brown, Executive Director of Enterprise Research at Strategy Analytics, and author of the report, "As an open-source platform, Android gained a substantial share of the mobile OS market, but this also created problems in terms of fragmentation, security and therefore using Android in businesses. While some OEMs developed their own security solutions, the introduction of Android Enterprise helps to create a standardized framework, ensuring that even if a company's Android devices are supplied by different OEMs, they can offer similar levels of security and manageability in conjunction with UEM (Unified Endpoint Management) tools." Gina Luk, Associate Director, Enterprise Research at Strategy Analytics, added, "Google's entry into smartphone application processors could further AI innovation and push forward its development of 5G devices. We expect to see Google continue to make Android more secure, especially with the growth in CL devices post-COVID, meaning IT departments will have fewer concerns in using Android devices in their environments. Google clearly intends to put the Pixel experience at the forefront of consideration for use in B2B environments."

Source: Strategy Analytics, Inc. About Strategy Analytics

Strategy Analytics, Inc. is a global leader in supporting companies across their planning lifecycle through a range of customized market research solutions. Our multi-discipline capabilities include: industry research advisory services, customer insights, user experience design and innovation expertise, mobile consumer on-device tracking and business-to-business consulting competencies. With domain expertise in smart devices, connected cars, intelligent home, service providers, enterprise, IoT, strategic components and media, Strategy Analytics can develop a solution to meet your specific planning need. For more information, visit us at www.strategyanalytics.com. For more information about Strategy Analytics

Mobile Workforce Strategies: Click here View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005101/en/

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[August 25, 2021] Canary Medical to Present Data at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2021 Annual Meeting

VANCOUVER, British Columbia and CARLSBAD, Calif., Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canary Medical, a medical data company focused on the development and commercialization of its patented implantable sensor technology, today announced that it will present data in a podium presentation assessing Persona IQ an investigational smart knee implant that combines Zimmer Biomets Persona The Personalized Knee with Canary Medicals proprietary implantable canturioTM te tibial extension sensor technology, at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) Annual Meeting being held from August 31st to September 3rd in San Diego, CA. The canturioTM te tibial extension is currently under FDA review and is not available for commercial use or sale.

Conference details: Conference: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

Paper Title: The Talking Knee Is a Reality: Remote Patient Monitoring Prosthesis for Total Knee Arthroplasty

Presenter: Fred D. Cushner, MD, FAAOS, Hospital for Special Surgery

Session: Adult Reconstruction Knee IV

Paper Number: 459

Date and Time: 9/2/2021, 9:00 AM (PT), Ballroom 6A The presentation abstract will be available on the AAOS website on August 31st here. Canary Medical will also be showcasng its technologies at its booth #1025 in Hall B1 as well as in Zimmer Biomets booth #2535 in Hall C.



About Canary Medical

Canary Medical was conceived and created by a team of medical device developers with active implantable experience, clinician guidance, and IoT experts with the vision that (1) healthcare transformation requires better and cheaper healthcare data, (2) better monitoring and better data will produce better outcomes at lower costs, and (3) patients own their healthcare data and should be compensated for its use. Canary Medicals patented implant and data management ecosystem technology provides the vehicle to implement its vision. Canary Medical is led by a team of experienced entrepreneurs, researchers and data scientists globally regarded for their expertise in medical device design, development and data informatics. For more information contact us at admin@canarymedical.com or visit www.canarymedical.com. Follow Canary Medical on Twitter at @CanaryMedical.

Investor Contact

Bob Yedid

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

bob@lifesciadvisors.com

o: 646-597-6989

c: 516-428-8577



Media Contact

Patrick Bursey

LifeSci Communications

pbursey@lifescicomms.com

o: 646-970-4688 Legal Disclaimers

The information contained in this presentation, including the accompanying oral commentary, is provided solely for the purpose of acquainting you, as its recipient, with Canary Medical and its subsidiaries (the Company, we, us or our) and its executive personnel.

This presentation does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities of the Company, nor will we make any offer, solicitation or sale of such securities in any state, province or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Canary Medical Logo, Canary Medical, and Canturio are the exclusive property of Canary Medical and its Subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Persona IQ, Persona and The Personalized Knee are registered trademarks of Zimmer, Inc.



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[August 25, 2021] Context Therapeutics and Tyligand Bioscience Reach ONA-XR Manufacturing Optimization Milestone

PHILADELPHIA and SHANGHAI, China, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Context Therapeutics Inc. (the Company), a womens oncology company developing advanced small molecule and immunotherapy treatments to transform care for hormone-driven breast and gynecological cancers, and Tyligand Bioscience, Ltd. (Tyligand), a leader in small molecule drug discovery and development, today announced the successful completion of ONA-XR (onapristone extended release) manufacturing process optimization pursuant to the collaboration agreement entered into between the parties in March 2020.

ONA-XR is an orally administered, potent and specific antagonist of the progesterone receptor (PR) being evaluated in the clinic for PR-positive (PR+) breast, ovarian and endometrial cancers. In connection with this successful optimization, Context and Tyligand entered into a license agreement whereby Tyligand was granted the exclusive right and sole responsibility for the development and commercialization of ONA-XR in China, Hong Kong and Macau (the Territory), and Context is eligible to receive royalties on net sales of ONA-XR in the Territory. Context retains rest of world rights to commercialize ONA-XR. We are thrilled to announce this successful optimization work completed for ONA-XR and the execution of the license agreement with Tyligand, said Martin Lehr, CEO of Context. This work represents another major step forward fr Contexts ability to efficiently scale our manufacturing and clinical capacity to support the development and future commercialization of ONA-XR to address the unmet need in treating women with PR+ cancers.



Onapristone has an intriguing molecular structure, and it is no small feat to achieve such a significant improvement in its manufacturing process, said Peter Wuts, PhD, a pharmaceutical veteran and Senior Advisor to Context. It is a testament to the drive and creativity of the Tyligand team of molecule builders and the power of chemistry in making better medicines. Tyligand and Context share the commitment of providing effective and affordable treatment options for cancer patients globally and this milestone brings us closer to realizing our goal, said Tony Zhang, PhD, CEO of Tyligand. ONA-XR has the potential to be the first-in-class therapeutic agent specifically targeting progesterone receptors and we look forward to working with Context in further developing and commercializing this excellent molecule.

About Context Therapeutics

Context Therapeutics Inc. is a womens oncology company developing advanced small molecule and immunotherapy treatments to transform care for hormone-driven breast and gynecological cancers. The Companys robust clinical program for lead candidate onapristone extended release (ONA-XR) comprises three Phase 2 clinical trials and one Phase 1b/2 clinical trial in hormone-driven breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer, as well as two Phase 0 biomarker pharmacodynamic trials in breast cancer. ONA-XR is a novel small molecule under development as a complete antagonist of the progesterone receptor, a key unchecked mechanism in hormone-driven womens cancers. The Company is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. About Tyligand, Inc.

Tyligand Bioscience is a Shanghai based clinical stage biotech focusing on the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapeutics to help patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company specializes in creating bispecific ligands for growth signal modulation. For more information on Tyligand, visit www.tyligand.com. Media Contact:

Heather Anderson

6 Degrees

919-827-5539

handerson@6degreespr.com



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[August 25, 2021] Kiddom's Second Annual State of Curriculum Report (Survey of 1,361 Educators) Reveals a Surprising Post-Pandemic Snapshot

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kiddom , the first all-in-one education platform for high-quality digital curriculum, today released data from its second annual State of Curriculum Report. The report, assessed from a survey of 1,361 educators throughout the United States, offers a unique snapshot of how ideas around digital curriculum have evolved through the pandemic.

Kiddoms State of Curriculum Report, conducted in January 2021, represents firsthand experience across five main role groups: principals, curriculum roles, superintendents, teachers, and technology staff leaders. The data is also grouped into five learning communities: public schools, private / religious schools, charter / magnet schools, school districts, and alternative schools. N = 1361 The report summary highlights three pressing issues, all of which were exacerbated by COVID-19. The first is continued differences of opinion across educational roles regarding the quality and efficacy of curriculum, which has widened in some cases from Kiddoms 2019-20 report. Secondly, Kiddom noticed a marked increase in the implementation of fully digital curriculum from the initial report. However, the understanding of what digital curriculum truly is remains blurry, particularly across the lines of supplemental digital content and core digital curriculum. The third theme centers around how closer attention is being paid across roles regarding the need for high-quality, flexible digital curriculum. Theme 1: Role Misalignment and Differing Opinions on Digital Curriculum

Teachers, school leaders, and district leaders disagreed on several aspects of curriculum, including the most important factors when choosing curriculum, what constitutes high-quality curriculum and fidelity of implementation. The survey also revealed that only two of every five learning communities involve teachers in the curriculum research process, which surfaces the issue of teacher autonomy. Given the challenging teaching environment of 2020 and concerns over an impending teacher shortage, the question of how to better support teachers should be on every administrator's mind. These survey findings prove that better alignment is key to improve teacher autonomy and trust, notes Ahsan Rizvi, Kiddoms Founder and CEO. On the subject of curriculum quality, when choosing curriculum, "engaging to students" was a unanimously more important factor than "standards-alignment" for all respondents except for principals, most of whom still feel standards alignment is most important. Of all role groups surveyed, teachers had the most pessimistic view of their curriculum, while the district leaders rated their curriculum significantly higher than before the pandemic, which continues the theme of misalignment among educator and leadership roles. Theme 2: Increased Demand for Fully Digital Curriculum

Compared to the previous report, most communities saw a significant jump towards digital curriculum in 2021, which is likely a result of forced remote learning during the pandemic. However, many shockingly noted that they dont have budget for digital curriculum post-pandemic. Despite the opening up of ESSER funds over the past year, most educational communities still cited budget constraints as the primary reason for not adopting a fully digital curriculum. The great irony is that many school leaders see digital curriculum as out of reach, expensive, or time consuming. The increasing fragmentation of education tools and inverse in content quaity is resulting in failing outcomes. Teachers and administrators must be able to seamlessly access high-quality content to personalize learning with ease, and the teachers responses in our survey underlined that, says Rizvi.



While the survey revealed an increase in those reporting to have fully digital curriculum, it also showed continued misalignment on the definition of digital curriculum," given the high amount of supplemental content that teachers are using.

Twice as many learning communities built their own curriculum in the 2020-21 school year as compared to last years pre-pandemic report, and there is correlation both years between the "most lacking subjects" being the same subjects where more supplemental content is used. This calls to question the quality of the curriculum most teachers are using, brings concerns of variability in instruction, and furthermore, shows that teachers are spending a lot of time searching for supplemental resources and augmenting curriculum to deliver effective lessons. Theme 3: Emphasis on Curricular Flexibility & Quality

Emphasis on curricular flexibility is a new theme that emerged in this years report. When asked which ideas around curriculum had been adopted more readily due to COVID-19, overwhelmingly the majority answered "curriculum should be flexible" while  high-quality curriculum is crucial for student success" was the second most popular response, mentioned on average by more than 50% of all respondents. In another nod to the way COVID-19 is shaping ideas around curricular quality, compared to Kiddoms 2019-20 report, this year far more respondents reported that they measure efficacy, and those who do tend to report an overall higher quality of curriculum. Our findings support the claim that the pandemic created a permanent shift in teaching and learning. COVID-19 forced educators into new pedagogical models, and now many look to apply lessons learned next year and beyond. Supporting budget for high quality digital curriculum will be critical for students post-pandemic, said Abbas Manjee, Chief Academic Officer at Kiddom. These survey findings underline why its crucial for Kiddom to be in teachers toolkits, so we can provide all the resources that teachers need to make better decisions for students. We dont do that for them, but empower them to make those decisions, says Rizvi. To read Kiddoms full Educator Survey report, visit: https://f.hubspotusercontent40.net/hubfs/1952197/Resource_Downloads/State-of-Curriculum-2021.pdf. About Kiddom

Kiddom is the first all-in-one education platform for high-quality digital curriculum. It integrates curriculum management, instruction, assessment, and communication tools into one solution, saving schools valuable time, resources and money. With the flexibility to access and edit curriculum from any location, Kiddom is the only education platform that can effectively support teachers and learners engaging in in-class, blended, hybrid or distance learning scenarios, as well as in the quick pivots between them. Headquartered in San Francisco with an office in New York City, Kiddom is a team of passionate educators, designers, and developers building technology to enable all teachers and learners to unlock their full potential. To learn more, visit https://www.kiddom.co . CONTACT CommStrat

Jessica Cheney, CommStrat for Kiddom

jessica@commstrat.com Kiddom

Kym Hawkins, Senior Brand & Content Marketing Manager

press@kiddom.co



Figure 0-2 accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/36552be7-e282-4a82-9f64-98875037b0a0 Figure 1C-1 accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6c83c975-3b4c-4b75-b81f-8eb128d928e3 Figure 2A-1 accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/77478b86-648b-4ab3-8a6c-638c4eb3549b Figure 2B-3 accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d33ffa34-7dd0-4315-b3af-309a88fcbd36 Figure 1B-3 accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/193394c8-487c-4476-b9f4-8802d1c8ff7f Figure 2C-11 accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/683c5a0d-2d7e-4cf2-9f69-711da8b8db36 Figure 1D-1 accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d1c969e7-d435-4c94-a11e-0beb75540319



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[August 25, 2021] Excella Awarded Contract to Support the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC)

Excella, a pioneer in Agile (News - Alert) technology solutions, today announced it has been awarded a two-year contract with the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE)'s Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC). Excella will leverage artificial intelligence and data analytics technology to assist the PRAC in improving transparency and oversight into the over $5 trillion distributed during the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The PRAC was established to promote transparency and support independent oversight of the funds provided by the CARES Act and other related emergency spending bills. Excella's artificial intelligence capabilities will assist the PRAC in developing a stratey and roadmap to streamline the auditing and oversight process of the trillions of dollars distributed as part of the federal government's pandemic relief efforts. Additionally, Excella will develop a framework that will help the PRAC ideate, prioritize, and identify pandemic-related spending and fraud schemes.



"The government's unprecedented financial response to the COVID-19 pandemic warrants oversight to detect and mitigate fraud, waste, and abuse, and to ensure the funds are getting to the individuals, communities, and businesses that need them the most," said Jimmy Benani, Excella's Director of Federal Health and Civilian markets. "We are committed to the PRAC's mission to promote public transparency of federal pandemic spending and to identify bad actors and potential fraud schemes. Our technology, data, and fraud expertise will help achieve these objectives and serve citizens across the country." This contract is important to the PRAC's strategic approach in auditing the loans distributed across the federal government by agencies such as the Small Business Administration (SBA), Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Treasury, among others.

Excella has successfully implemented AI solutions in the federal government to cut down on fraud, waste and abuse, and automate manual processes to reduce cost and improve outcomes. Excella's AI approach incorporates Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), AI ethics, and applying agile delivery to AI solutions using their proven Rapid AnalytiX framework. About Excella Excella is an Agile technology firm and transformative partner to leading organizations. Since 2002, federal agencies, prominent brands, and trailblazing non-profits have turned to Excella to transform bold ideas into elegant technology solutions. We believe technology exists to solve challenges and evolve thinking - we help organizations harness this power to make real progress. Learn more at www.excella.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005191/en/

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[August 25, 2021] Global Automated Food Sorting Machines Market to Reach $1.8 Billion by 2026

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new market study published by Global Industry Analysts Inc., (GIA) the premier market research company, today released its report titled "Automated Food Sorting Machines - Global Market Trajectory & Analytics" . The report presents fresh perspectives on opportunities and challenges in a significantly transformed post COVID-19 marketplace. FACTS AT A GLANCE

Edition: 9; Released: April 2021

Executive Pool: 392

Companies: 46 - Players covered include Aweta G&P BV; Buhler AG; Cimbria A/S; De Greef's Wagen-, Carrosserie- en Machinebouw B.V. (Greefa); F.H. SCHULE Muhlenbau GmbH; Key Technology, Inc.; Meyer Sorter; Nikko Co., Ltd.; Raytec Vision SpA; Sesotec GmbH; TOMRA Systems ASA and Others.

Coverage: All major geographies and key segments

Segments: Application (Dry Food & Packaged Food Processing, Fruits & Vegetables Processing, Dairy Product Processing, Fats & Oil Processing, Fish/Seafood Processing, Meat Processing); Product (Belt Sorter, Free-Fall Sorter, Gravity Separator, Automated Defect Removal Systems)

Geographies: World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific; Rest of World. Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Preview Registry ABSTRACT-

Global Automated Food Sorting Machines Market to Reach $1.8 Billion by 2026



US$1.3 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$1.8 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 5.6% over the analysis period. Belt Sorter, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record a 5.8% CAGR and reach US$712 Million by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Free-Fall Sorter segment is readjusted to a revised 5.5% CAGR for the next 7-year period. The U.S. Market is Estimated at $362.9 Million in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $282.3 Million by 2026

The Automated Food Sorting Machines market in the U.S. is estimated at US$362.9 Million in the year 2021. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$282.3 Million by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 5.2% over the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 5.3% and 4.4% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 4.6% CAGR.

Gravity Separator Segment to Reach US$328.8 Million by the year 2026

In the global Gravity Separator segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 5% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$173.8 Million in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of US$245.3 Million by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. More MarketGlass Platform

Our MarketGlass Platform is a free full-stack knowledge center that is custom configurable to today`s busy business executive`s intelligence needs! This influencer driven interactive research platform is at the core of our primary research engagements and draws from unique perspectives of participating executives worldwide. Features include - enterprise-wide peer-to-peer collaborations; research program previews relevant to your company; 3.4 million domain expert profiles; competitive company profiles; interactive research modules; bespoke report generation; monitor market trends; competitive brands; create & publish blogs & podcasts using our primary and secondary content; track domain events worldwide; and much more. Client companies will have complete insider access to the project data stacks. Currently in use by 67,000+ domain experts worldwide. Our platform is free for qualified executives and is accessible from our website www.StrategyR.com or via our just released mobile application on iOS or Android About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. & StrategyR

Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (www.strategyr.com) is a renowned market research publisher the world`s only influencer driven market research company. Proudly serving more than 42,000 clients from 36 countries, GIA is recognized for accurate forecasting of markets and industries for over 33 years. CONTACTS:

Zak Ali

Director, Corporate Communications

Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Phone: 1-408-528-9966

www.StrategyR.com

Email: ZA@StrategyR.com LINKS

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Info411@strategyr.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-automated-food-sorting-machines-market-to-reach-1-8-billion-by-2026--301361489.html SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

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[August 25, 2021] Octopus Energy to Host First-Ever Free Octo Cool Down for Houston Customers to Beat the Heat and Conserve Energy

Renewable energy retailer Octopus Energy today announced its first-ever customer Octo Cool Down to beat the heat and conserve energy as Houston approaches high temperatures amid a growing Texas population, leading to what may be the largest peak usage ever on the Texas grid. Part of the company's recently announced Superpower Savings program, which financially rewards its Texas customers who conserve energy during times of extreme heat, the Superpower Savings' Octo Cool Down for Houston customers will take place today at Little Woodrows, Katy from 3 to 7 p.m. CDT (News - Alert) . Cities across the globe are seeing record breaking temperatures and te impact that this extreme heat has on the overall stability of the grid, whether through city officials calling for voluntary electricity conservation or households experiencing power outages. What many consumers do not know, however, is that raising the temperature of a thermostat by just a few degrees can help to decrease stress on the grid and reduce the chance of rolling blackouts during extreme weather.



Octopus Energy's Super Savings program and today's Octo Cool Down event aim to engage Texans to help the state conserve energy during extreme weather and avoid a grid reliability issue. To join the Octo Cool Down event, all Houston-based Octopus Energy customers need to do is show up at Little Woodrows, give Octopus Energy staff your Octopus Energy account number, and show a picture of your thermostat set to 80F. Customers can also bring a plus one to the inaugural Octo Cool Down to introduce them to Octopus Energy. "With today's Octo Cool Down, we don't just want to keep Texans cool, but we also want to show how easy it is for anyone to engage with their energy use and take small actions that can make an outsized impact on keeping the energy grid strong and secure," said Michael Lee, CEO of Octopus Energy U.S. "Residential customers can provide some of the biggest impacts to grid flexibility and are an untapped resource in helping to maintain grid stability. Whether in times of extreme weather or not, we believe that customers should benefit when they choose to conserve energy and help to balance the grid for themselves and their communities."

In addition to the Superpower Savings program, Octopus Energy gives customers full wholesale power credits when they sell back to the grid. That means customers who have solar or generators at home can support the stability of the grid while also putting cash back in their pockets. About Octopus Energy Octopus Energy Group is a technology-driven, renewable energy retailer, directly supplying over 2 million customers globally with 100% green electricity at a cheaper price and with a focus on incredible customer service. Founded five years ago as a global energy retailer, Octopus Energy entered the U.S. market in 2020, forming Octopus Energy U.S. and fueling the company's global expansion. Octopus Energy is valued at over $2 billion and is one of energy-tech's fastest-growing private companies. To learn more, visit: www.octopusenergy.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005072/en/

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[August 25, 2021] AmTrust 2021 Contractor Risk Report: First Year Employees Pose Greatest Injury Risk with A Third of Claims Paid Out

AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. ("AmTrust" or the "Company"), a global specialty property and casualty insurer, today released the AmTrust 2021 Contractor Risk Report, identifying common injuries and the resulting time off work for the specialized group. The report, based on 26,000 workers' compensation claims over 10 years, found that companies in business less than four years make up 75 percent of claims paid out. The report also determined that new employees pose the greatest injury risk, and that workers' compensation claims peak in the summer. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005136/en/ (Graphic: Business Wire) "The most valuable asset of any company is its employees, and with the current labor shortage employers need to be armed with recent data to improve workplace safety and help reduce injuries," said Matt Zender, Senior Vice President, Workers' Compensation Strategy at AmTrust. "Our new risk report for contractors brings awareness to common injuries, allowing small businesses to better mitigate losses and help keep their workforce healthy and productive."



States with warmer climates make up the most historical losses, partly because contractors have a year-round season for outdoor work. While warmer weather allows for more opportunities for contractors, environmental issues including heat and smog increase workers' comp claims in warmer months. For example: Arizona claim frequencies are 42% above US average

Florida claim frequencies are 34% above US average

California claim frequencies are 7% above US average Other key findings from the report include:

Plumbers make up 28% of all claims, while electricians make up 19%

Fall or slip lost days are 67% greater than the median for all injuries (21 days)

While lifting strains are the most common injury with 11 days out, burns result in the second-highest median days out (19 days) The full report is available on AmTrust's website. Graphics and charts in this report can be used without copyright permission. About AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. AmTrust Financial Services, Inc., a multinational insurance holding company headquartered in New York, offers specialty property and casualty insurance products, including workers' compensation, businessowners policy (BOP), general liability and extended service and warranty coverage. For more information about AmTrust, visit www.amtrustfinancial.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005136/en/

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[August 25, 2021] Darryl Button Named President and CEO of Pacific Life

Pacific Life Insurance Company announced today that Darryl Button has been named CEO-Elect and will become president and CEO of Pacific Life, succeeding Chairman, President and CEO Jim Morris, on April 1, 2022, upon Mr. Morris' retirement. Mr. Button, currently the company's chief financial officer, will be only the 15th chief executive in Pacific Life's 154-year history. In addition, the board of directors of Pacific Mutual Holding Company, the ultimate parent company of Pacific Life, has named Mariann Byerwalter as its non-executive board chair beginning April 1, 2022. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005207/en/ Darryl Button was named CEO-Elect in August 2021 and will become Pacific Life's 15th president and CEO in April 2022, succeeding Jim Morris. (Photo: Business Wire) Button joined Pacific Life in 2017, bringing with him significant experience overseeing corporate and financial strategies, and he has been instrumental in improving Pacific Life's financial strength. He is responsible for the company's finance, risk management and corporate development functions, as well as Pacific Life's investment organizations responsible for overseeing over $119 billion in assets in Pacific Life's general account. Button has also overseen the creation of a new business division in 2020 focused on serving institutional clients with pension risk transfer and 401(k) plan investment solutions. "Darryl is a proven leader who has a deep knowledge of the insurance industry and a commitment to the financial security our products provide to our policyholders," said Morris. "He understands the balance between stategic growth and risk management that will ensure Pacific Life's continued success."



Prior to joining Pacific Life in March 2017, Button served for 17 years at Aegon where his last role was chief financial officer and a member of the Executive Board of Aegon N.V. He began his career at Mutual Life Insurance Co. of Canada and is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA), a fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA), and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA). He holds a B.S. in mathematics, actuarial science and statistics from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. "I am honored by the Board's decision and their vote of confidence, and I look forward to the continued growth and transformation of this storied company," said Button. "Pacific Life has talented and passionate employees at its core and together we will continue our journey of being the company of choice providing financial security and well-being through industry-leading innovation."

Following his planned retirement in April 2022, current Chairman, President and CEO Jim Morris will continue to serve as a director on the board of Pacific Mutual Holding Company through the conclusion of his elected term in May 2023. He began his almost 40-year career at Pacific Life following his graduation from the University of California, Los Angeles and held a series of management positions in the Life Insurance and Corporate Divisions before his election as CEO on April 2, 2007. During his 15-year tenure as CEO, assets of the company have almost doubled from $101 billion to $198 billion. The endowment of the Pacific Life Foundation has also more than doubled from $63 million to $130 million during this same time period. "Jim's passion for Pacific Life, our industry, and the value our products provide is evident to all he meets," said Button. "He led Pacific Life through some significant economic challenges, including the 2008 financial crisis and the current COVID-19 pandemic, all while building a culture focused on customer service, growth, and innovation that has well-positioned Pacific Life for continued success." As part of this transition, the board of directors will create the role of non-executive board chair. Mariann Byerwalter has served on the Pacific Mutual Holding Company board of directors since 2005 and has been its lead director since 2019. "I would like to thank Jim for his exceptional leadership as chairman, president and CEO," said Byerwalter. "He is a true leader in our industry, with an unwavering commitment to uphold our mission. Jim will leave a strong legacy and an organization well-positioned for the future. I look forward to his continued service on our board." Byerwalter continued, "After a strong multi-year succession planning process, I am pleased to congratulate Darryl on his well-deserved ascension to president and CEO. With Darryl's industry knowledge, strategic vision and stewardship, the Board is confident he is the right person at the right time to successfully lead Pacific Life." About Pacific Life For more than 150 years, Pacific Life has helped millions of individuals and families with their financial needs through a wide range of life insurance products, annuities, and mutual funds, and offers a variety of investment products and services to individuals, businesses, and pension plans. Whether your goal is to protect loved ones or grow your assets for retirement, Pacific Life offers innovative products and services that provide value and financial security for current and future generations. Pacific Life counts more than half of the 100 largest U.S. companies as its clients and has been named one of the 2021 World's Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute. For additional company information, including current financial strength ratings, visit www.PacificLife.com. Pacific Life refers to Pacific Life Insurance Company and its affiliates, including Pacific Life & Annuity Company. Client count as of June 2021 is compiled by Pacific Life using the 2021 FORTUNE 500 list. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005207/en/

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[August 25, 2021] IP Infusion Named a Leader in Network Operating Systems for Communications Service Providers by Analysys Mason

IP Infusion, a leading provider of network disaggregation solutions for telecom and data communications operators, today announced that Analysys Mason, a global leader in TMT management consulting, has recognized IP Infusion (News - Alert) as the leading communications service provider (CSP) network operating system (NOS) vendor, with strong hardware abstraction capabilities and open-source credentials. In its "CSP IP network disaggregation: understanding the vendor landscape" report, Analysys (News - Alert) Mason analyzed selected hardware and software vendors that play a vital role in the telecom network disaggregation value chain. It outlines the vendors' relative strengths and weaknesses, based on interviews with key stakeholders in the CSP (News - Alert) network disaggregation landscape. The report assessed the network disaggregation vendors on their use case support, cloud-based platform architecture, CSP customer traction, and ecosystem and industry standards. According to the report, network disaggregation has the potential to transform the IP networking value chain, and is reshaping the CSP IP routing market, resulting in a new, diverse ecosystem of vendors and is redefining the relationship between CSPs and incumbent vendors. The report helps CSPs evaluate which domains they should target with disaggregation and which vendors are best-positioned to help with their deployments. "IP Infusion is the market leader in terms of disaggregation capabilities, experience, open-source credentials and the number of CSP customers that are deploying their solutions," said Gorkm Yigit, Principal Analyst at Analysys Mason. "IP Infusion has a broad range of use case deployments in CSPs of all sizes. It has a rich heritage of open-source routing, broad hardware and silicon support, carrier-grade products and production deployments."



"Our strong traction with CSP customers is a result of our more than 20 years of experience in providing carrier-grade open networking software solutions including our OcNOS, DANOS- Vyatta (News - Alert) edition and the commercial SONiC distribution," said Atsushi Ogata, President and CEO of IP Infusion. "We've built an extensive industry ecosystem thanks to our participation in Telecom Infra Project (TIP) initiatives, several hardware vendor and system integrator relationships, and the launch of our PartnerInfusion reseller program." About Analysys Mason

Now employing 350 staff, Analysys Mason delivers bespoke consultancy on strategy, transaction support, transformation, regulation and policy, further strengthened by globally respected research. Since 2004 Analysys Mason has been at the forefront of industry developments supporting companies through every phase of innovation. Analysys Mason has its head office in London, and offices in Bonn, Cambridge, Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, Kolkata, Lund, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, New Delhi, New York, Oslo, Paris, Singapore and Stockholm. Additional information can be found at https://www.analysysmason.com/ About IP Infusion IP Infusion enables disaggregated networking solutions for carriers, service providers and data center operators. We provide network OS solutions for today's networks to allow network operators to reduce network costs, increase flexibility, and to deploy new features and services quickly. IP Infusion is a solution provider of the OcNOS and ZebOS network operating systems to our more than 350 customers and is an integrator and customer service provider for DANOS-Vyatta edition and Commercial SONiC Distribution. IP Infusion is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., and is a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of ACCESS CO., LTD. Additional information can be found at http://www.ipinfusion.com IP Infusion, ZebOS, and OcNOS are trademarks or registered trademarks of IP Infusion. ACCESS is registered trademarks or trademarks of ACCESS CO., LTD. in the United States, Japan and/or other countries. Northforge Innovations is a registered trademark of Northforge Innovations, Inc. All other trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, or registered service marks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005012/en/

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[August 25, 2021] Infosys Announces New Digital Development Centre in Toronto Region to Nurture Digital-Ready Workforce

- Commits to creating 500 jobs in the next three years as part of its continued expansion across Canada TORONTO, Aug. 25, 2021 /CNW/ -- Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced that it will establish a new digital development centre at its largest Canadian office in Mississauga. This is aimed at creating 500 high quality jobs in the Toronto Region over the next three years. Spanning nearly 50,000 square feet and bringing significant investment from Infosys to the country, this digital development centre will train, upskill, and reskill employees in the technologies needed to help Canadian businesses accelerate their digital transformation. It will also enable Infosys to better collaborate with clients to develop cross-functional solutions to pressing business challenges. Infosys, in the Toronto Region, currently serves businesses in the financial services, healthcare, communications, retail, and natural resources sectors. Artificial intelligence, data science, automation, and machine learning are the core capabilities that this centre would nurture and expand. In response to surging demand for training, re-skilling, and learning by employers, Infosys previously committed to double its Canadian workforce to 4,000 employees by 2023. The digital development centre will play a key role in this expansion and lead the building of digital capabilities and training for the next generation of IT talent to support Canadian businesses. "We are proud to power digital Canada through the skills of the future and do our part in supporting post-pandemic economic recovery. The Toronto Region met all of our criteria when deciding where to set up the digital development centre, create new jobs and scale our business offerings," said Ravi Kumar, President, Infosys. "Talent and high-tech know-how are in abundance, there is a real aptitude for new workplace development strategies, and many of our clients are based here. Even better, this will enable us to be part of an ecosystem that reaches across the region, linking the private sector with innovative research and learning institutions in Canada," he added. While the digital development centre is the first-of-its-kind in Canada for Infosys, it is based on the proven model of six similar digital centres in the U.S. which hire from local colleges and provide training and digital career paths. Infosys' unique training and education infrastructure builds a tech-savvy and agile workforce with the skills and experience that clients need to become fully digital businesses. Infosys has seen exponential growth in Canada and is firmly committed to strengthening its presence and hiring top tech talent across major hubs. Within the last two years, Infosys has created thousands of jobs across Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, and most recently, Calgary. The company hires graduates from 14+ local post-secondary educational institutions, such as the University of Toronto nd University of Waterloo, to build a strong pipeline of tech talent. In 2021, it was recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Canada, according to Glassdoor.



"Ontario's deep talent pool, cutting edge innovation ecosystem, and competitive business costs make our province an ideal place for investment," said Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Vic Fedeli. "We thank Infosys for investing in Ontario's post-pandemic recovery by developing this global competency hub, tapping local talent, and partnering with local academic institutions to help develop a skilled workforce that will deliver new solutions, and, in turn, help other businesses thrive and grow." "We are thrilled that Infosys has chosen to invest in Mississauga and has committed to bringing hundreds of jobs along with training opportunities to our local workforce," said Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie. "This announcement is a testament to the talent we have in Mississauga as well as our world-class ICT sector, which is one of the largest in the country. The arrival of Infosys will play a significant role in economic recovery and growth, not only here in Mississauga but also across the entire Greater Toronto Area," she added.

The launch of this digital development centre and accompanying jobs commitment were announced at the virtual Infosys Canada C-Suite Forum today where executives shared strategies to reshape business for resilience and success in the post-pandemic world. To walk through the Infosys Mississauga Development Centre, please click the link below and use the cursor to navigate your way virtually: https://mpembed.com/show/?m=hjCkdQ2kbU2&custombillboard=1&minimap=2&bgmusic=https://www.bensound.com/bensound-music/bensound-summer.mp3 About Infosys Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in more than 50 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next. Safe Harbor Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/infosys-announces-new-digital-development-centre-in-toronto-region-to-nurture-digital-ready-workforce-301362832.html SOURCE Infosys

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[August 25, 2021] Launching INO and IDO for Multigame GameFi Platform - The New Era of NFTs and DeFi

The British Virgin Islands, Aug. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Multigame, a multitasking GameFi platform on Binance Smart Chain has been preparing a parallel launch for 2 big events at the end of this August - INO (Initial NFTs Offering) and IDO (Initial Dex Offering)

Multigame is also in preparation process to introduce many much more interesting features in early September, such as Marketplace, Auto NFTs Reward and absolutely cannot miss the Farming feature. And of course, Multigame will be launching own NFTs Game that developed by itself. It is named as Echo. INO and the Value Warranty Mechanism Multigame is all ready for the important INO (Initial NFTs Offering) event on 28th August. Investors can buy first NFT of this platform that called "Magic Box" for $29 (official price is $79) Please be mindful with 3 important notes: Firstly, Magic Box is committedly bought back for $39 on 5th September if investors don't want to continuously keep it. This mechanism is guaranteed by "NFTs Reward Pool"

Secondly, only 20,000 Magic Boxes are sold, in which only 450 rare boxes called IDO Box. If you own the rare box, you will absolutely have right to join the token sale (IDO) event on 30th September.

Lastly, each wallet only can buy maximize 20 Magic Boxes.



IDO, "Fair Launch" and Initial Information $MULTI token was developed by Multigame. By holding $MULTI, investors will receive many different advantages: Auto receive new NFTs via feature Auto NFTs Reward

Have right to join other INOs and next LaunchPads

Join Farming to receive more $MULTI

Paying with $MULTI to get discounts on Marketplace



This is such a "Fair" decision and surely will impress the community during the launching period. Initial information is as below:

Name: Multigame Token

Ticker: $MULTI

Total Supply: 1,000,000,000 $MULTI

Initial Circulating: $25,000,000 $MULTI

Token Sale: 15:00 UTC August 30th (with the price of $0.022/MULTI)

Pancakeswap Listing: Right after the Token Sale (listing price is $0.022/MULTI)

Initial Marketcap: $550,000



Auto Distribution Mechanism To have plans for rapid growths of users during development stage on Binance Smart Chain, Multigame already set up the Auto Distribution Mechanism. With this mechanism, 10% of each $MULTI transaction will be auto distributed to pools that focusing on the community's benefits: 4% for Liquidity Pool: Keep $MULTI liquidity pool always abundant. Support for more trading pairs in near future.

5% for NFTs Reward Pool: Liquidity treasures for NFTs. This fund helps $MULTI holders receiving NFTs automatically.

1% for Marketing Pool: Only used for the purpose of setting up marketing campaigns from the development team.



Many Features are Ready to Launch in Early September Being a multitasking product, Multigame is all ready to launch a series of modern features for GameFi ecosystem. "GameFi Focused" Marketplace will be launched on 5th September, allows users to buy and sell NFTs. Multigame commits to buy back Magic Box in INO stage for $39 on this marketplace. Farming feature is ready to go. 69.5% of total $MULTI will be mined in 3 years. More importantly, if you hold $MULTI in your personal wallet or join the farming, you will automatically receive the free NFT via Auto NFTs Reward feature. All these features will be launched in early September. Ready to Expand on Ethereum Optimism Binance Smart Chain is only the first start. To enhance the technology and scalability, Multigame is ready to devote itself to do research for product developments on Ethereum Optimism. Multigame's vision is launching its own Game parallel with adding full features to support GameFi ecosystem. The products will be optimized at streamlined, easy to use level and focus on empowering the users. Contact info MULTI NFT GLOBAL www.multigame.org contact@multigame.org Twitter Telegram



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[August 25, 2021] National WWI Memorial, Washington, D.C. And WWI History Come To U.S. Schools This Fall Through New Technology

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Doughboy Foundation is bringing the new National WWI Memorial from Washington, D.C. to schools and homes all over America with a new release of the award-winning Augmented Reality App called The WWI Memorial "Virtual Explorer". The "Virtual Explorer" app brings a walk-around-inside-it digital 3D model of the National WWI Memorial to students and educators utilizing iOS or Android tablets, available in many K-12 schools, or the smartphone already in nearly every pocket. Students, teachers, or anyone who cannot come to Washington, D.C. can take a virtual field trip to the National WWI Memorial. More than that, the WWI Memorial "Virtual Explorer" App is filled with interactive and experiential WWI history, including: The Timeline Tower: An interactive, 2-story tall 3D timeline featuring over 50 key events from WWI with images and short narratives organized up and down the tower in time order. The Sinking of the Lusitania: A video game-style presentation of this crucial event that was instrumental in drawing America into the global WWI conflict. Vehicles from WWI: Featuring interactive 3D models of breakthrough vehicles that came out of WWI including airplanes, tanks, motorized ambulances and even a 1917 Harley Davidson motorcycle. How WWI Changed America: More than 50 micro-documentaries (each under 2 minutes) in 9 categories featuring leading WWI historians. Social topics include the effect of WWI on Women, African Americans, Native Americans, immigrants, citizenship, propaganda, and even the 1918 flu pandemic. The Military History of WWI: A multi-part exploration of how America transformed from a standing army of less than 130,000 to a global military powerhouse with 4.7 million men and women in uniform, and 2 million soldiers deployed overseas in just 18 months  a timeframe comparable to today's Covid experience. Stories of Service: The tools and means to create research-projects about WWI veterans from the local community or families, which can be submitted INTO the App, resulting in an auto-narrated story and images that are shared nationally.

The WWI Memorial "Virtual Explorer" prototype received a 2021 Communicator Award for "Best Use of Augmented Reality" from the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts. This new release builds and expands on that success. Th innovative WWI Memorial App initiative has received support and funding from Walmart, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities resulting in two companion apps.



The companion WWI Memorial "Visitor Guide" is optimized for use on-site when visiting the WWI Memorial. It is a smaller version intended for easy download at the venue. The WWI Memorial Apps were produced by the Doughboy Foundation in partnership with two California based companies: TechApplication.com, LLC as creator/producer, and game studio Code Headquarters as the developer.

The Apps can be found by searching on "WWI Memorial" in either app store or by going to www.Doughboy.org/apps About the new National WWI Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Legislation signed by President Obama in 2014 and expanded in 2015 designated Pershing Park, located 2 blocks east of the White House, as a National WWI Memorial. The legislation tasked the U.S. WWI Centennial Commission with creating the Memorial, starting with an international design competition in 2015, and design selection in 2016. The Memorial went through a three-year design refinement and collaboration with the Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning Commission, the National Park Service, and others, resulting in the final design approval in 2019. Construction began in December of 2019 and continued through 2020 with all the upheavals of the period including the Pandemic. Completion of Phase 1 construction was marked by a national virtual event called "First Colors" and the Memorial opening to the public on April 16, 2021. The completion of Phase 2, with the installation of the 58', 38-character bronze centerpiece sculpture and dedication of the completed Memorial, is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend, 2024. About the Doughboy Foundation

The Doughboy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated in the District of Columbia in 2013. The Foundation's mission is to Keep Faith with the American Doughboy with its programs of: The daily sounding of Taps at the National WWI Memorial; providing access to the Memorial via mobile apps; and organizing signature events to encourage remembrance and enhance learning about WWI. The Doughboy Foundation has worked with the US WWI Centennial Commission since the Memorial's conception in 2014 to make the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC a reality, including taking the lead on raising the $50M for the project, as well as managing the various stages of competition, design, development, and construction. About TechApplication.com, LLC

TechApp is a unique technology support service helping to navigate the implication, application, and integration of new technologies into mission, operation, workflow, and culture. Company founder Theo Mayer has been sitting as Chief Technologist for both the U.S. WWI Centennial Commission and the Doughboy Foundation since 2014, with his company providing a wide variety of technology infrastructure and services. Guided by Mr. Mayer's technology prowess and application experience TechApp successfully delivers unique problem solving and tech "creations" to both government and private sector clients. About Code Headquarters

Code Headquarters , established by founder Andranik Aslanyan, is a unique game studio based in Burbank, CA. The studio specializes in innovative projects built with the industry leading Epic Game System's Unreal Engine. Code HQ used its video game developer expertise to realize the vision for the WWI Memorial Apps by integrating leading edge game technology with iOS and Android Augmented Reality capabilities. Media Contact: Chris Christopher.

Email: chris.christopher@doughboy.org .

Voice: 202-796-2805. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-wwi-memorial-washington-dc-and-wwi-history-come-to-us-schools-this-fall-through-new-technology-301362901.html SOURCE The Doughboy Foundation

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[August 25, 2021] Connecting Aviators Launches Innovative App Designed by Pilots to Connect with Pilots

HOUSTON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pilots now have the opportunity to find, connect and share their passion for flying with fellow aviators through Connecting Aviators, the app with exclusive Interactive Aviator Software features. The app is now available for free through the Apple App Store on iPhone and iPad. Key Features: It's the only app with pilot profiles unique to general aviation. Pilots can display their aviation achievements and see other pilots' profiles and ratings. Aviation information important to pilots is easily organized all in one app.

The exclusive map view organizes info by airports  member pilots, aircraft co-ownerships, flying clubs and aviation events.

It's free & easy to post an aircraft co-ownership in one of three categories: pilots seeking to join, pilots starting a co-ownership or existing co-ownership openings.

Learn where people are flying this week. iSorties makes it simple to ind fly-ins, educational seminars or aviation events. Pilots can schedule an event with their connections and receive real-time notifications on who will attend.

Connecting Aviators offers pilots a secure community in contrast to public social platforms, which most pilots know can be problematic. True user identity is a member user requirement. The app is ideal for general aviation pilots - particularly those interested in aircraft co-ownerships or flying clubs.



The app is ideal for general aviation pilots and particularly those interested in aircraft co-ownerships or flying clubs, which can lower flying and aircraft acquisition costs by 50-75%. A pilot's best aviation partnership may be just a second-degree connection away on Connecting Aviators. "Finding the best pilots for an aircraft co-ownership can be time consuming and expensive, but it should not be that way. We're building a free national listing of aircraft co-ownerships by airport that will help many pilots lower their participation costs in general aviation," said CEO & Founder Jeffrey S. Brewer.

Connecting Aviators also offers a monthly subscription with enhanced features. To learn more, visit connectingaviators.com. About Connecting Aviators

In 2013, ideation for Connecting Aviators started and emerged through several product iterations. In 2020, the company made a commitment to scale around a single idea  Interactive Aviator Software with exclusive features that allow pilots to find, connect and share their passion for flying with fellow aviators. Connecting Aviators is the Vision. Connecting Aviators was founded by Jeffrey S. Brewer, CPA, PPL. He's instrument rated with over 2,000 hours flight time and more than 20 years of general aviation experience. Contact: Jeffrey S. Brewer

jbrewer@connectingaviators.com

832-856-4869 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/connecting-aviators-launches-innovative-app-designed-by-pilots-to-connect-with-pilots-301362905.html SOURCE Connecting Aviators

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[August 25, 2021] Balfour Beatty Delivers Additions & Renovations to Atlanta Public School's West Manor Elementary Nine Weeks Early

Balfour Beatty has completed construction on Atlanta Public School's West Manor Elementary School, located in the Lynhurst community of Atlanta, nine weeks ahead of schedule. The $11 million additions and renovations project began in June 2020 to improve functionality and the overall appearance of the school's interior and exterior structures, further enhancing the learning experience for district students and staff. In just 10 months, Balfour Beatty successfully completed 52,106 square feet of additions and renovations while maintaining West Manor Elementary School's robust architectural character. The project included the addition of a brand new gymnasium and performance platform, new administrative space for staff, additional art, music, and language classrooms, new outdoor learning spaces to support the school's International Baccalaureate (IB) program, support and meeting space, the addition of a secure lobby space, new roof replacement, complete replacement of the HVAC and electric systems, installation of a sprinkler system, as well as additional parking, storage, site and circulation improvements, and other various interior upgrades and renovations. "We are honored to have the opportunity to refresh this learning space for the dedicated students and staff of West Manor Elementary School," said Mike Macon, Balfour Beatty senior vice president in Georgia. "Throughout the lifecycle of the project, our team leveraged our industry experience in K-12 construction while remaining agile and consistently collaborating with Atlanta Public Schools to compete this project nine weeks ahead of schedule and just in time for the new school year."



Balfour Beatty leveraged lean construction methods such as pull planning to expedite the additions and renovations at West Manor Elementary, which was initially scheduled for delivery in September 2021. The team also worked with Atlanta Public Schools and trade partners in utilizing value engineering that reallocated $296,000 of the project scope without comprising the district's vision and anticipated budget. Value engineering was used to adjust skin systems and structural components, replace HVAC systems, and provide a new roof for the existing building. "Balfour Beatty continues to be an outstanding partner of Atlanta Public Schools," said Theondrae Reid, project manager for Atlanta Public Schools. "I've had the pleasure of working with Balfour Beatty on three consecutive school projects and their proactive approach in providing creative construction solutions has exceed our district's goals and expectations to create dynamic learning environments for the Lynhurst community and beyond. With the project complete nine weeks early, we can ensure that students, teachers and staff have adequate time to transition to the new school year."

Located at 570 Lynhurst Drive SW, West Manor Elementary School welcomed students and teachers this month for in-person instruction for the 2021-2022 school year. About Balfour Beatty Balfour Beatty is an industry-leading provider of general contracting, at-risk construction management and design-build services for public and private sector clients across the United States. Performing heavy civil and vertical construction, the company is part of Balfour Beatty plc (LSE: BBY), a leading international infrastructure group that provides innovative and efficient infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, supports communities and enables economic growth. Balfour Beatty is ranked among the top domestic building contractors in the United States by Engineering News-Record. To learn more, visit www.balfourbeattyus.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005721/en/

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[August 25, 2021] MetroNet Celebrates the Grand Opening of the Ames Storefront

MetroNet today celebrated the grand opening of the Ames storefront as the fiber optic company is busy connecting homes and businesses across Iowa. MetroNet, the nation's largest independently owned, 100 percent fiber optic provider, continues to make progress through the community's fully funded infrastructure build, which began in 2020. The MetroNet Ames storefront is located at 1311 Buckeye Ave., Suite A, and is only steps away from local businesses like Jethro's BBQ and Our Iowa Magazine. The storefront will allow customers to speak face-to-face with customer care representatives to learn about the benefits of 100 percent fiber optic services and schedule installation. "We are pleased to welcome MetroNet to the Ames community," said Mayor John Haila. "MetroNet has helped increase fiber optic broadband availability to our Ames residents and businesses. In order for them to successfully function and grow, high-speed, reliable and cost effective broadband service is required. MetroNet's investment in our community helps accomplish that objective and is greatly appreciated." Customers in Ames can begin visiting the storefront immediately to learn more about MetroNet and sign up for services, including symmetrical, gigabit fiber internet, phone and television. Online resources are also available at MetroNetInc.com.



"We are thrilled to announce the official grand opening of the MetroNet storefront in Ames and to provide residents and businesses with high-speed, 100 percent fiber optic internet," said MetroNet Director of Business Development/Government Relations Kathy Scheller. "The Ames community has been a great partner and we are excited to provide access to our future-proofed infrastructure and the economic development opportunities that it provides." MetroNet provides a symmetrical 100 percent fiber optic network that allows businesses and residents to have access to the fastest internet speeds available in a time when access to reliable internet is a necessity. Currently, the rapidly growing company serves more than 100 communities across 12 states.

About MetroNet:

MetroNet is the nation's largest independently owned, 100 percent fiber optic company headquartered in Evansville, Indiana. The customer-focused company provides cutting-edge fiber optic communication services, including high-speed Fiber Internet, full-featured Fiber Phone, and Fiber IPTV (News - Alert) with a wide variety of programming. MetroNet started in 2005 with one fiber optic network in Greencastle, Indiana, and has since grown to serving and constructing networks in more than 100 communities across Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas and Wisconsin. MetroNet is committed to bringing state-of-the-art telecommunication services to communities - services that are comparable or superior to those offered in large metropolitan areas. MetroNet has been named in the top 50 small and medium companies on Glassdoor and has been honored with a Glassdoor Employees' Choice Award recognizing MetroNet among the Best Places to Work in 2020. MetroNet has been recognized by PC Mag as one of the Top 10 Fastest ISPs in North Central United States in 2020 and Top 10 ISPs with Best Gaming Quality Index in 2021. Broadband Now has recognized MetroNet as the Top 3 Fastest Internet Providers and Fastest Fiber Providers in the Nation in 2020, and #1 Fastest Mid-Sized Internet Provider in two states in 2020. In 2020, MetroNet was awarded the Vectren Energy Safe Digging Partner Award from Vectren. For more information, visit www.MetroNetinc.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005591/en/

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[August 25, 2021] Bright Horizons Requires All U.S. Employees to be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19

As COVID-19 continues to surge across the country due to the Delta variant, Bright Horizons (NYSE: BFAM), which employs approximately 17,000 people in the U.S., today announced that beginning in September it will require all employees working in its child care centers across the U.S. to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Those who are not fully vaccinated will be required to undergo weekly at-home testing. These new requirements, combined with the company's existing health and safety protocols, is another layer of protection against COVID-19 within its centers across the country. "We are living in uncertain times with many variables that are outside of our control and our role as a responsible employer is to encourage our employees to get vaccinated - for the health and safety of everyone," says Stephen Kramer, Chief Executive Officer at Bright Horizons. "Our utmost responsibility is keeping our teachers, staff, and children safe and healthy, and we believe this extra protection will help us lead the field and succeed in that mission." Bright Horizons will continue to offer a $100 incentive for its teachers and child care center-based employees to get vaccinated as part of its comprehensive education and awareness campaign to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations and maintaining healthy workplaces. The vaccine and testing requirements also apply to all Bright Horizons employees wrking in the company's U.S. offices. Bright Horizons will provide self-test kits to employees who are not fully vaccinated on a weekly basis.



In addition to these new requirements, Bright Horizons will continue to implement stringent health and safety protocols across its child care centers, including daily health checks for adults and children and masks for all adults in the centers, including staff and parents. Masks are also strongly recommended in the centers for children over 2 years old. The company continues to revisit and evolve these policies through consulting with a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Boston Children's Hospital and through guidance from the CDC and local health authorities. The company has been a leader in research to understand the lasting impacts of COVID-19 on working parents and their children's development. The latest research can be found here.

About Bright Horizons Bright Horizons is a leading global provider of high-quality early education and child care, back-up care, and workforce education services. For more than 30 years, we have partnered with employers to support workforces by providing services that help working families and employees thrive personally and professionally. Bright Horizons operates approximately 1,000 early education and child care centers in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and India, and serves more than 1,300 of the world's leading employers. Bright Horizons' early education and child care centers, back-up child and elder care, and workforce education programs help employees succeed at each life and career stage. For more information, go to www.brighthorizons.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005802/en/

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[August 25, 2021] American Campus Communities Announces Executive Promotions

American Campus Communities (NYSE: ACC), the nation's largest owner, manager and developer of high-quality student housing properties in the U.S., today announced it is continuing to advance its succession plan with the promotion of Jennifer Beese to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer effective August 24, 2021. Beese succeeds Jim Hopke, who as previously announced, retired as President effective August 24, 2021. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005811/en/ Lonnie Ledbetter, American Campus Communities Chief Purpose and Inclusion Officer (Photo: Business Wire) Beese joined the company in 1999, expanding her role and contributions, most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since January 2017. As President and Chief Operating Officer, Beese will report directly to Bill Bayless, the company's CEO, and will provide executive oversight of day-to-day business operations, advance the company's portfolio and asset management functions, and focus on furthering American Campus Communities' best in class operating platform while continuing to oversee marketing, leasing and property operations, functional support services, human resources, corporate administration and company culture. Effective immediately, Lonnie Ledbetter, Senior Vice President-Human Resources, Organizational Development and Culture, is being promoted to Executive Vice President - Chief Purpose and Inclusion Officer, reporting to the President and COO. Ledbetter will continue to provide executive oversight of human resources, organizational development and company culture and will also provide executive oversight related to the companys ESG and Diversity & Inclusion initiatives furthering an environment that celebrates inclusion as a way to drive innovation and business value.



"On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I'd like to recognize and thank Jim Hopke for more than 20 years of service to American Campus Communities and wish him well in his retirement," said Cydney Donnell, Independent Chairman of the Board. "For many years, the Board has been working with Bill on executive development and succession planning. These promotions enhance smooth executive succession in the decades ahead." "This announcement is a testament to the deep and diverse bench of talented leaders we have at American Campus," said Bill Bayless, CEO. "I'm thrilled to congratulate Jennifer and Lonnie on their expanded leadership roles. Jennifer is an ideal fit for President and COO, as she is a proven leader whose contributions over the past two decades have been invaluable to the growth of our company - from both a business perspective and a cultural one. In addition to an impressive track record of operational planning and execution, Jennifer brings a passion to her work that inspires and motivates our team. Lonnie has worked closely with Jennifer over for the last five years, building our best in class human resource and employee development platform. She has been a key player in our Environmental, Social, and Governance and Diversity & Inclusion efforts and is passionate in leading our future initiatives in these key areas of focus."

About American Campus Communities American Campus Communities, Inc. is the largest owner, manager and developer of high-quality student housing communities in the United States. The company is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered equity real estate investment trust (REIT) with expertise in the design, finance, development, construction management and operational management of student housing properties. As of June 30, 2021, American Campus Communities owned 166 student housing properties containing approximately 111,900 beds. Including its owned and third-party managed properties, ACC's total managed portfolio consisted of 205 properties with approximately 141,300 beds. Visit www.americancampus.com. Forward-Looking Statements In addition to historical information, this press release contains forward-looking statements under the applicable federal securities law. These statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions regarding markets in which American Campus Communities, Inc. (the "Company") operates, operational strategies, anticipated events and trends, the economy, and other future conditions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. These risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward looking-statements include those related to the COVID-19 pandemic, about which there are still many unknowns, including the duration of the pandemic and the extent of its impact, and those discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 under the heading "Risk Factors" and under the heading "Business - Forward-looking Statements" and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, including our preleasing activity or expected full year 2021 operating results, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. The information contained on our website is not a part of this release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005811/en/

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[August 25, 2021] Airwallex furthers global expansion with launch into North America

Airwallex, a global fintech platform, today announced its launch in the US. This launch represents Airwallex's expansion into North America as Airwallex continues its international growth momentum. U.S.-based businesses can now enjoy a full suite of products to support their cross-border payment needs in a fast, transparent and secure way. Airwallex's entry into the U.S. supports its global growth strategy aimed at achieving its vision to become the global financial infrastructure for businesses to operate anywhere, anytime. Today, the company offers a business account which include cards, international collection & transfer and other value-add solutions for Small and Medium-sized businesses, and an API for larger enterprise businesses that require embedded payments and financial services. Founded in Melbourne, Australia in 2015, Airwallex is one of the fastest growing financial technology companies today, operating across 12 offices with a global team of over 900 employees. "The idea behind Airwallex came nearly six years ago," said Jack Zhang, Co-founder and CEO of Airwallex. "My co-founder and I loved coffee and started a small cafe in Melbourne. As small business owners, we quickly saw the pain points with global payments and the impact of high FX fees and banking costs when sourcing for supplies. We wanted to build out a better financial and payment solution for businesses operating across borders, and ensure they are empowered to grow." "Fast forward to where we are today, Airwallex's tech platform provides businesses of all sizes with easy access to a robust global infrastructure, enabling them to grow their offerings and global operations. We power some of the leading tech-driven organizations around the world, and are excited to soon offer the same services to businesses in te U.S. As we grow, we will continue to scale our products and offerings to better serve the needs of businesses operating globally."



Airwallex first established a presence in San Francisco in 2019, and has grown to a team of more than 30 today across product and engineering, legal, risk & compliance, partnerships and sales. Airwallex plans to continue to expand its U.S team over the coming months, as it looks to further strengthen its foothold in the market. Airwallex's market entry into the U.S. is supported by a partnership with domestic bank Evolve Bank & Trust, a technology-focused financial services organization and Banking-as-a-Service provider. In addition, Airwallex has been issued money transmitter licenses in various major states and is permitted to provide money services business in almost all the states across the US, including those that have traditionally been difficult to secure licenses, such as California, Texas and Florida. With several local bank partnerships and licenses, Airwallex will progressively introduce its suite of products and services to businesses in the U.S, including multi-currency cards and an online payment acceptance solution that will allow businesses to collect payments from customers around the world.

To further support Airwallex's global growth, San Francisco will also serve as one of Airwallex's global engineering hubs alongside Melbourne, Sydney, Shanghai and Amsterdam. The establishment of these hubs aims to further drive digital innovations and are focused on the research and development of new products and enhancement to strengthen Airwallex's global infrastructure. "This is an exciting moment for us as we look at ways to further support U.S. businesses that are looking to grow, both in the U.S. and internationally," adds Zhang. "The U.S. is a major hub for technology innovation and is at the forefront of bringing traditional banking financial services into the new age. With our base in San Francisco, we are excited to be able to take part in that change and provide businesses in the U.S. with an infrastructure that can seamlessly handle their international payments and financial services needs." About Airwallex Airwallex is a global fintech payment platform with a mission to empower businesses of all sizes to grow without borders, and by doing so, contribute to the global economy. With technology at its core, Airwallex has built a financial infrastructure and platform to help businesses manage payments, treasury and expenses globally, without the constraints of the traditional financial system. Airwallex has secured over US$500 million since it was established in Melbourne in 2015, and is backed by world-leading investors. Today, the business operates with a team of over 900 employees across 12 global offices. For more information, please visit www.airwallex.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005379/en/

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[August 25, 2021] Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation (TVCDC) Announces New Partnership With Ethos Asset Management: Partnership Provides Long Term Philanthropic Financing to the TVCDC

Today, Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation announced a new long-term philanthropic financing partnership with Ethos Asset Management Inc. (EAM), in conjunction with EAM associate Attributed Holdings International. Ethos, a private project financing provider with global operations, has committed to providing TVCDC with a significant capital infusion of $8.217 million, in the form of a grant. Ethos recognizes the importance of building a more humane and fair economy, and assisting in improving society as a whole. Ethos helps non-profit entities upgrade their financial structures with their Philanthropic Financing Facility (PFF) and has pledged to set aside 8% of annual profits for PFF operations in future years. Tatewin Means, Executive Director of Thunder Valley CDC, stated, "We are excited to partner with Ethos now, and in the future, in this journey for our people's liberation. Comprehensive capital such as this, in Indigenous communities, is a rarity and we are truly grateful for this investment in our vision, mission, leadership and staff. Ethos's innovative approach and investment strategy is liberating in and of itself as it gives us the freedom to focus on the work." Carlos Santos, CEO of Ethos Asset Management, stated, "We are very excited and humbled to be able to support TVCDC through our Philanthropic Financing Facility. We recognize the importance of TVCDC's focus on key areas including education, housing, food sovereignty, Lakota language, workforce development, community development, education, regional equity, social enterprise, and youth leadership. These services delivered to the community maintain a strong sense of Lakota heritage, while developing members to emerge from the cycle of extreme poverty, addiction and suicide. We whole-heartedly support TVCDC in their mission and are extremely proud to become their long-term financing partners." Funding from EAM wil be used to support the annual operational needs of TVCDC and the completion of several construction projects. The projects include the expansion of their Lak?ota Language Immersion Daycare facility in Porcupine; the completion of a community playground rooted in Lak?ota lifeways; additional space to accommodate staff needs; and the acquisition of property in White Clay, Nebraska for a future Healing Community with transitional and permanent supportive housing.



About TVCDC: TVCDC is a holistic and Lakota-led non-profit organization that works for the liberation of the Lakota people. TVCDC does their work through an innovative community approach founded on their Lakota Lifeways. Their approach creates healing paths for individuals that ripples out into their families, community, and ultimately their nation. TVCDC operationalizes hope through their eight interconnected initiative areas that focus across the five Social Determinates of Health that are rooted in their Lifeways and Wellness Equity work. Together, this whole community approach aims to serve the Oglala Lakota community as well as serve as an example for Indigenous communities throughout Turtle Island. For more information about Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, please visit https://thundervalley.org/.

About Ethos Asset Management: Ethos Asset Management (Ethos) is an independent, US-based company with a global reach in resource mobilization and project financing. Providing financing to government and privately promoted projects in every continent and every sector, Ethos has developed a unique risk modulation model which allows them to provide financing in terms not available anywhere in traditional financial markets. Additionally, Ethos provides advice to structure projects and restructure debt. Ethos supports and develops their clients to navigate changing market environments to achieve their long-term goals with confidence. For more information about Ethos Asset Management, please visit https://www.ethosasset.com/. About Attributed Holdings International Attributed Holdings is a global holding company having strategic partnerships with firms and individuals in private equity, industrial manufacturing, healthcare, biotech, real estate, construction, land development, legal, and investment banking verticals. Attributed works to assist in establishing successful project financing transactions as an associate of Ethos Asset Management and a partner of Ethos Commercial Consultancy JSC. Our partners, throughout their careers have been leaders in innovation in their respective undertakings and have been involved in highly successful national and global initiatives that have driven positive change in both the private and government sectors. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005825/en/

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[August 25, 2021] Datable Technology Announces Financial Results for Q2 2021 and Update for Year-to-Date 2021

VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 25, 2021 /CNW/ - Datable Technology Corp. (TSXV: DAC) (OTCQB: TTMZF) (the "Company" or "Datable" or "DTC"), a software company that provides a marketing automation platform called PLATFORM3 to global consumer brands, is pleased to announce its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 ("Q2 2021"). For the periods three and six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company achieved the following milestones: Revenue increased by increased by 89% to $645,702 for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and revenue increased by 64% to $1,320,260 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared with the same periods in 2020 due to increases in average contract value, project deliveries and transactional orders from both new and returning customers.





for the three months ended and revenue increased by 64% to for the six months ended compared with the same periods in 2020 due to increases in average contract value, project deliveries and transactional orders from both new and returning customers. Deferred revenue increased by 90% to $2,019,805 compared to $1,062,760 in the same period in 2020. Deferred revenue accounts for services that have been contracted and paid for by customers that will be delivered and recognized as revenues in subsequent periods.





compared to in the same period in 2020. Deferred revenue accounts for services that have been contracted and paid for by customers that will be delivered and recognized as revenues in subsequent periods. Continued development of flexxi Rewards Network - a web portal that enables opt-in consumers to earn rewards completing activities such as purchasing consumer products, viewing valuable content posted by consumer brands, sharing content on social media and referring friends. Leading consumer goods companies will pay Datable for access to the consumers. The flexxi Rewards Network is built using Datable's PLATFORM  technology.





- a web portal that enables opt-in consumers to earn rewards completing activities such as purchasing consumer products, viewing valuable content posted by consumer brands, sharing content on social media and referring friends. Leading consumer goods companies will pay Datable for access to the consumers. The is built using Datable's  technology. As of June 30, 2021 , the Company had $3,360,406 in cash. Cash on hand and growing gross profit are providing funds to expand Datable's sales team and improve its product. The Company is also pleased to provide the following 2021 updates: Datable now has approximately $4.4 million in contracted revenue for 2021 and future periods, of which about 65% (approximately $2.9 million ) is expected to be recognized as revenue in 2021. Some of Datable's customers have rescheduled rewards budgets to 2022 due to COVID 19 related logistics issues, such that 35% of current contracted revenues are expected to be recognized in 2022.





in contracted revenue for 2021 and future periods, of which about 65% (approximately ) is expected to be recognized as revenue in 2021. Some of Datable's customers have rescheduled rewards budgets to 2022 due to COVID 19 related logistics issues, such that 35% of current contracted revenues are expected to be recognized in 2022. Revenue growth in 2021 is expected to significantly exceed growth in 2020. Datable grew revenue by 26 per cent to approximately $1.97 million for the year ended Dec. 31, 2020 , compared with the same period in 2019, with gross margins of 59 per cent (see press release dated April 26, 2021 ). Revenue growth in 2021 is trending significantly higher in 2021 based on the growth in the first six months and contracted revenues year-to-date. Datable expects gross margin to be approximately 55 per cent in 2021.





for the year ended , compared with the same period in 2019, with gross margins of 59 per cent (see press release dated ). Revenue growth in 2021 is trending significantly higher in 2021 based on the growth in the first six months and contracted revenues year-to-date. Datable expects gross margin to be approximately 55 per cent in 2021. Most of Datable's large customers are leading CPG companies that provide staples including food, beverages, and household products, which are expected to remain in demand during the COVID 19 crisis. In addition, many of Datable's license agreements and marketing programs extend into late 2021 for the summer and back-to-school promotions, and into 2022 as long-term loyalty programs.





Datable is seeking partnerships with companies that offer complementary solutions to expand the scope and scale of its product and accelerate the launch of the flexxi Rewards Network. Datable's customers have large and growing budget for targeted digital marketing where ROI can be measured. "Our record growth and revenues for the first half of 2021 is a validation of that PLATFORM3 is driving incremental sales and enhanced consumer engagement. Our customers are allocating a larger budget to our solution due to our tools that enable the use of opt-in consumer data to target consumers with relevant offers and rewards," said Robert Craig, Datable's CEO. "We had a significant growth in the first half of 2021 despite logistics challenges due to the COVID 19 pandemic and expect growth to accelerate as we add senior sals people to our team, and the world and consumers open up later in 2021 and into 2022."



Results of Operations: Revenue for three months ended June 30, 2021 increased by 89% to $645,702 and revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2021 increased by 64% to $1,320,260, compared with the same periods in 2020 due to overall increase in average contract value, project deliveries and transactional orders compared to the same period in 2020. The Company's PLATFORM product is an integrated suite of digital marketing applications sold as SaaS for short-term promotions or on an annual subscription basis with recurring revenues. Revenue in the current year reflected recognition of revenue from previous year contracts and new sales of the PLATFORM product offering.

The growth in contracted revenues continued in 2021 was due to larger renewals and new licenses driven by improvements in PLATFORM, and an established track record of delivering ROI to customers. In late 2019, DTC launched version 4.0 of PLATFORM which included new modules that extended and deepened its differentiation in the market by launching a break-through feature on PLATFORM - Dynamic Messaging and Rewards (DMR). This feature empowers brands to deploy omnichannel communications, retargeting and contextual rewards to induce consumer purchases based on their previous and ongoing purchase behavior and brand engagement. DMR transforms PLATFORM3 into a self-regulating continuous feedback loop for ongoing sales. Gross profit for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2021 increased by 38% to $318,828 and 25% to $675,939 respectively, compared to the same periods in 2020. The Company's cost of sales for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2021 increased by 98% to $326,874 and 43% to $644,321 respectively, compared to the same periods in 2020 due to change in product mix and increase in delivery resources during the period. Gross margin as a percentage of revenue for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 was 49% and 51% respectively, compared to 68% and 67% for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020. Gross margin depends on the product mix for the reporting period. Revenues are comprised of a combination of higher margin sales of PLATFORM, the Company's proprietary Software-as-a-Service product, combined with some lower margin products and services. While Datable expects strong revenue growth of high-margin PLATFORM licenses, revenues from lower-margin services and rewards products are expected to grow faster, which will reduce consolidated gross margin to as a percentage of revenue. Cost of sales includes an API connection to third party digital rewards platforms. This service enables DTC clients to offer digital rewards such as gift cards, movie tickets and virtual visas to incentivize purchase and purchase frequency. DTC purchases these rewards on behalf of the Company's clients and charges a transaction fee for the total amount of rewards purchased. Cost of sales also includes the cost of servers to host PLATFORM, and project management and customer support staff. General and administrative expenses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 were increased to $527,454 and $829,727 respectively, compared to $368,057 and $617,740 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was mainly due to an increase in corporate consultancy fees, professional fees, and consultancy fees of human resources. Sales and marketing expenses include wages and salaries, consulting fees, travel expenses, and advertising and licenses. Sales and marketing expenses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 was $315,940 and $502,734 respectively compared to $169,474 and $339,997 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase for the six months ended in June 30, 2021 was mainly due to increased staff resources and consultancy paid in connection with advertising, sales and marketing activities. Research and development expenditures for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 was $416,063 and $725,318 respectively compared to $239,793 and $454,265 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase in research and development expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was related to enhancement to PLATFORM, developing platform flexxi Rewards Network and increased staff resources. Research and development expenses may continue to increase in the future as the Company seeks to evolve and improve PLATFORM and flexxi, as well as to invest in creating new technology and products that will enhance the Company's value proposition to customers and provide additional revenues. Research and development expenses include wages and salaries and consulting fees. Net and comprehensive loss for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2021 was $1,073,640 and $1,978,658 respectively, compared to $601,409 and $1,121,784 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020. This increase in net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was mainly due to the increase of share-based compensation, cost of sales and research and development expenses, net of the growth in revenue. About Datable Technology Corporation Datable has developed a proprietary, mobile-based consumer marketing platform  PLATFORM3  that is sold to global Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies and consumer brands. PLATFORM3 is delivered as a subscription service (Software as a Service model) and used by CPG companies to engage consumers, reward purchases and collect valuable consumer data. PLATFORM3 incorporates proprietary technology to monetize the consumer data, including demographics and purchasing behaviour, by sending consumers targeted offers by email and text messages. For more information, visit datablecorp.com. For additional information about the company please visit www.sedar.com. The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking information, which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. Important factors  including the availability of funds and the results of financing efforts,  that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE Datable Technology Corp.

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[August 25, 2021] TOOTRiS Joins Finance & Small Business Leaders to Boost Access to Critical Resources for Child Care Providers

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to empower more women entrepreneurs to grow and succeed, TOOTRiS, the first-ever on-demand Child Care platform, has partnered with finance and small business leaders to boost access to critical resources for Child Care programs. TOOTRiS, along with MyPoint Credit Union, Accessity, and the San Diego & Imperial Women's Business Center are sponsoring a free webinar to discuss available financial resources to support Child Care providers. Topics will include: Business and technical assistance for Family Child Care and Child Care Centers.

Business accounts, important elements.

Business lending opportunities and processes.

The benefits of a credit union partnership for child care program owners.

Credit elements.

Other resources available. There are many expenses involved in starting up and running a Child Care business, or expanding a current one, and cash flow may be uneven as enrollments fluctuate, especially as many parents are still working from home or have hybrid schedules. Having access to financing can provide much-needed funds for child care centers to grow.? "Since the Child Care industry lost about 350,000 workers - about a third of its workforce - during the pandemic, it's critical that we provide existing and future child care program owners with the tools needed to not only survive but to thrive. This nation can't afford any more child care closures," sai TOOTRiS Founder & CEO Alessandra Lezama. "By supporting our Child Care providers, we can help parents - especially women - re-enter the workforce and enjoy true economic recovery."



Despite COVID's impacts on the Child Care industry, however, the outlook for Child Care businesses is encouraging. According to IBIS, the market size, measured by revenue, of the industry is $54.1 billion in 2021. "Although the industry experienced setbacks during the pandemic, many families are looking for high-quality Child Care. In fact, one-third of the U.S. workforce - or an estimated 50 million workers - needs some sort of Child Care," said Adriana Brunner, Business Development Manager for MyPoint Credit Union. "We want to make sure San Diego-region Child Care providers have the business resources needed to handle this demand. That's why we are working with TOOTRiS and other strategic partners to offer this webinar."

The webinar is also designed to promote entrepreneurship among women who are looking to start or expand their own Child Care business. "Women-owned businesses continue to grow at a faster rate than any other demographic. These women generate 9.2 million jobs for their community, take financial care of their families, and are contributing $1.8 trillion dollars in revenue to the national economy," said Katty Ibarra, director of the San Diego Women's Business Center. "We can continue to grow these numbers by giving women the support and resources they need to thrive." Child Care providers can register for the webinar here. About TOOTRiS

TOOTRiS is reinventing Child Care, making it convenient, affordable and on-demand.?As the world shifts to digitalized services, TOOTRiS helps parents and providers?connect and transact in real-time, empowering working parents - especially women - to secure quality Child Care, while allowing providers to unlock their potential and fully monetize their program. TOOTRiS is creating a new digital economy that promotes entrepreneurial opportunities for individuals with passion and talent to become Child Care providers, improving their quality of life while increasing the much-needed supply of Child Care across the state. TOOTRiS' unique technology enables?employers to provide fully managed Child Care Benefits, giving their workforce the flexibility and family support paramount to regaining employee productivity and increasing their ROI.? Visit tootris.com for more information. Media Contact

(858) 263-0725

press@tootris.com Related Images image1.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tootris-joins-finance--small-business-leaders-to-boost-access-to-critical-resources-for-child-care-providers-301363044.html SOURCE TOOTRiS

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[August 25, 2021] shopIN.nyc and Nextdoor join forces to support New York City's resurgence

SAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- shopIN.nyc and Nextdoor today announced a back-to-school partnership to encourage neighbors to join in the shopIN.nyc movement and help NY residents purchase school supplies, in an effort to bolster local commerce that gives back to their beloved community. The partnership will further the two companies' shared mission to create more vibrant neighborhoods, by connecting neighbors with special amenities that keep dollars in the local economy, and giving back to neighborhood schools and community-based nonprofits. NYC store owners have teamed up for the shopIN.nyc Back-To-School concierge program to change school supply shopping forever. They've put together the best collections of backpacks, shoes and supplies, so that NYC residents can purchase their supplies in one-stop-shop fashion. Nextdoor neighbors get a specific $15 gift card when they use the code ND15 at shopIN.NYC. Started in mid-2020, shopIN.nyc offers a new model for local stores to thrive in NYC. The site makes it possible for NYC stores to team up into a local "Everything Store", to offer New Yorkers an alternative to big online retailers. New Yorkers can already shop over 100,000 items, from almost 100 retailers on the single site, with a single checkout, and same-day delivery in one bag. Nextdoor, the neighborhood network, knows that when local businesses thrive, communities thrive and with businesses facing unprecedented challenges this past year, consumers are looking for ways to support local businesses, communties critical to their neighborhoods.



"Our small businesses are the heart and sole of our cities and what makes them unique, from Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store to Li-Lac chocolates to Hell's Kitchen Hot Sauce. The opportunity to partner with ShopIN allows us to provide a convenient way for New Yorkers who love their city to shop local from home. And  together with shopIN.nyc we are going to create value for neighbors and the local stores they love while also supporting our local public school system," said Maryam Banikarim, CMO of Nextdoor. "It's thrilling to see companies like Nextdoor living their values by getting deeply involved in the community," said Andrew Tider, VP of Marketing for shopIN.nyc. "This movement has already shown us how much stronger our local retailers are when they team up. When companies like Nextdoor and other established organizations join the movement, we begin to see the larger vision of a more sustainable, vibrant, and empowered NYC becoming reality for all."

To sign up for Nextdoor visit Nextdoor.com and for more information on the Back-to-School Concierge visit here . About shopIN.nyc shopIN.nyc is a platform that enables stores all over the city to team up into the largest 'everything store' possible, and helps make sure they are the first to arrive at your door when you order online. ShopIN.nyc makes it convenient to shop your neighborhood from a single site, with a single checkout, and same-day delivery in one bag. The model was specifically designed to keep fees affordable for stores, and wages high for delivery staff, who are paid $25+/hr (plus tips). For more information and images: shopin.nyc/pages/pressroom About Nextdoor, Inc. Nextdoor is where you connect to the neighborhoods that matter to you so you can belong. Our purpose is to cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighborhood they can rely on. Neighbors around the world turn to Nextdoor daily to receive trusted information, give and get help, get things done, and build real-world connections with those nearby  neighbors, businesses, and public services. Today, neighbors rely on Nextdoor in more than 275,000 neighborhoods across 11 countries. In the U.S., nearly 1 in 3 households uses the network. Nextdoor is based in San Francisco. For additional information and images: nextdoor.com/newsroom. Media contact: press@nextdoor.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shopinnyc-and-nextdoor-join-forces-to-support-new-york-citys-resurgence-301363154.html SOURCE Nextdoor, Inc.

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[August 25, 2021] Appen to Acquire Quadrant to Expand Mobile-Location Based Data Collection Offering

Appen Limited (ASX:APX), the leading provider of high-quality training data for organizations that build effective AI systems at scale, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Quadrant, a global leader in mobile location data, Point-of-Interest data, and corresponding compliance services. Quadrant and Appen's unified business will be strongly positioned to deliver high-quality data to organisations that rely on geolocation for their business. Quadrant's Geolancer product, delivering accurate, up-to-date, and manually verified POI data, will expand its global reach and scale by tapping into Appen's global crowd of over one million workers in over 170 countries. With the acquisition, we expect Geolancer to become the market-leading POI platform. Founded in 2014, Quadrant provides mobile location data, POI data, and data compliance services that enable enterprise customers to perform location analytics and derive location-based intelligence. Quadrant's proprietary Geolancer platform provides authentic, accurate, and up-to-date POI data, manually verified on the ground by crowd workers. For location and mobility data, Quadrant has over 450 million unique devices seen per month in nearly every country, with delivery frequency as low as 5-minute intervals. Quadrant's data collection application includes a blockchain enabled data privacy consent management platform that tracks consent to use, store, manage, and share data. To acquire 100% of the share capital of Quadrant, Appen will make an upfront cash payment of US$25 million and a potential additional payment of up to US$20 million in Appen shares to be issued upon achieving evenue milestones in 2022 and 2023.



Appen - based in Sydney, Australia and listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX:APX) with offices worldwide - deploys the industry's most advanced AI-assisted data annotation platform, working with a global crowd of over 1 million skilled contractors speaking over 235 languages, in more than 170 countries. Leveraging technology, expertise, and the global crowd, Appen gives leaders in technology, automotive, financial services, retail, healthcare, and governments the confidence to deploy world-class AI products. In 2019, Appen launched its crowd code of ethics and is a global champion for Responsible AI, working with leading organizations such as the World Economic Forum to raise awareness on the ethical implications of each step along the AI supply chain. "The acquisition of Quadrant enables Appen to increase our addressable market and to expand our product and service offering to our customers to include more mobile location and POI data capabilities," said Mark Brayan, Appen's Chief Executive Officer. "We already have the broadest AI training data offering in the industry, and we see an opportunity to grow in the mobile location and POI data space. With Quadrant's Geolancer and our global crowd, we will be strongly positioned to serve customers' scale, speed and quality requirements."

"In an ever-changing world, organizations are searching for data to help understand what is happening in the physical world." said Mike Davie, CEO, Quadrant. "The shared vision of Quadrant and Appen to improve solutions with strong data is an exciting next step, enabling our clients to solve big problems that matter." About Appen Limited Appen collects and labels images, text, speech, audio, and video used to build and continuously improve the world's most innovative artificial intelligence systems. With expertise in more than 180 languages, a global crowd of over 1 million skilled contractors, and the industry's most advanced AI-assisted data annotation platform, Appen solutions provide the quality, security, and speed required by leaders in technology, automotive, financial services, retail, manufacturing, and governments worldwide. Founded in 1996, Appen has customers and offices around the world. About Quadrant Quadrant provides location data and location-based business solutions that are fit for purpose, easy to use, and simple to organise. Quadrant's proprietary Geolancer platform provides authentic, accurate, and up-to-date Point-of-Interest data, manually verified on the ground. For mobile location data, the company observes over 450 million unique devices per month which helps companies understand patterns of movement in the real-world. Quadrant also offers a blockchain-based Consent Management Platform for app developers and publishers who seek GDPR and CCPA compliance. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005844/en/

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[August 25, 2021] Patrick Terminals Selects HPE GreenLake to Reinvent How Shipping Containers Move from Ship to Shore

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) today announced Patrick Terminals, Australia's leading container terminal operator, has selected the HPE GreenLake edge-to-cloud platform to provide next-generation IT in an as-a-service model to bring new levels of automation and agility to its terminal operations in Australia. By leveraging the HPE GreenLake platform and HPE compute, storage, networking, and services, Patrick Terminals runs their mission critical applications in a private cloud with an as-a-service operating model, combining the agility and economics of the cloud with the security, compliance and performance of on-premises IT. Patrick Terminals is a gateway for trade and investment, delivering exceptional consistency and efficiency for shipping customers across its container terminals in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Western Australia. Patrick Terminals' aging IT infrastructure was showing signs of increased failure rates and there was a need for additional capacity to keep pace with the dynamic nature of the shipping yard and industry. The container terminals operate 24 hours a day, with any latency or downtime in the data centers leading to negative impact on business operations. Patrick Terminals' engineers also require their automation technologies to work with the complex information systems and software applications they rely on to keep the terminal running smoothly. The company's private cloud needs to manage all the information coming in from shipping lines, exporters, importers, and industry regulators. Data is fed in real-time and the automation systems then perform all the necessary calculations to direct the equipment in the terminal yard. These data computations must be nearly instantaneous, which require on-site compute power to avoid latency and delays. "One of the things we liked about HPE GreenLake is the ability to easily adapt to new business requirements. The HPE GreenLake platform gives us all the advantages of the cloud but with our systems on-premises," explained Adrian Sandrin, Chief Information Officer, Patrick Terminals. /p>



"The agility of HPE GreenLake helps us handle new business demands as they emerge, whether it's ensuring compliance, improving our labor systems, or enabling greater automation," added Kevin Windsor, Head of Infrastructure at Patrick Terminals. "Running our private cloud as a service is a major business advantage. We can use additional capacity when it's required and only pay for what we use, providing us with more flexibility to support the business and manage costs efficiently, without the delay of lengthy purchase or leasing procurement processes," Kevin added. HPE Pointnext Services managed the end-to-end installation and configuration of the compute, storage, and networking platforms that run Patrick Terminals' core data center applications. The installation of HPE Synergy composable infrastructure, HPE Primera storage, HPE StoreOnce backup, HPE Cloud Bank storage, and Aruba networking, have translated into savings, of both time and fuel costs, for the terminal and their customers.

"This total HPE solution demonstrates the flexibility of the HPE GreenLake cloud services portfolio and its ability to deliver innovation and modernization for our customers. It means that Patrick Terminals has full control, backed by HPE expertise and support," said Chris Weber, Director for Enterprise & Public Sector HPE South Pacific. Patrick Terminals engaged one of HPE Australia's fastest growing partners, Vectec to transition to an as a service model via the HPE GreenLake platform. "We're pleased to work with Patrick Terminals and deliver a HPE GreenLake solution that meets their compliance, security and transformation needs and is scalable for when these needs inevitably change," said Michael Murphy (News - Alert) , Director at Vectec. Read the full HPE case study on Patrick Terminals here. About Hewlett Packard Enterprise Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) is the global edge-to-cloud company that helps organizations accelerate outcomes by unlocking value from all of their data, everywhere. Built on decades of reimagining the future and innovating to advance the way people live and work, HPE delivers unique, open and intelligent technology solutions delivered as a service - spanning Compute, Storage, Software, Intelligent Edge, High Performance Computing and Mission Critical Solutions - with a consistent experience across all clouds and edges, designed to help customers develop new business models, engage in new ways, and increase operational performance. For more information, visit: www.hpe.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005227/en/

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[August 25, 2021] MicroHealth Recognized for the 5th Time by Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America in 2021

VIENNA, Va., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MicroHealth, LLC is among the nation's fastest-growing private companies in 2021. This is according to Inc. Magazine's prestigious list of 5,000 industry-driven companies, the Inc. 5000. MicroHealth, an IT Systems Development company, ranked 1,543 for its massive revenue growth from 185% in 2020 to 304% this year. MicroHealth's Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Frank Tucker says the impressive growth and ranking improvement speaks to the company's commitment to uncompromised service quality. "It's a real honor to share the podium with so many accomplished businesses. It really is a reflection of our amazing staff who puts health back into health information technology." MicroHealth is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned (SDVOSB) and SBA Certified 8(a) small disadvantaged business that provides in Health Information Technology Services for the United States Fedral Government. Customers include Department of Defense (DOD), Department of State (DOS), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Department of Energy (DOE), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to name a few. MicroHealth specializes in Electronic Health Records; Telehealth; Medical Simulation; Health Standards & Interoperability; Health Research & Analytics; Health Policy & Planning; Privacy, Security, & HIPAA; Health Technology Development; Modernization & Maintenance; Health IT Operations & Infrastructure Management; and Health Record Management & Digitization. MicroHealth performs these services using certified techniques recognized by Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Development CMMI-Dev/3 and Services CMMI-Svc/3; ISO 20000-1:2018 (IT Service Management); ISO 27001:2013 (Information Security Management), and ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management).



Media Contact: Diwa Reyes, Marketing

diwa.reyes@microhealthllc.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/microhealth-recognized-for-the-5th-time-by-inc-5000-fastest-growing-private-companies-in-america-in-2021-301363054.html

SOURCE MicroHealth, LLC

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Tech & BPM company to invest nearly $4 million in Knox County

Project will create 200 new jobs

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.  Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and IGT Technologies Inc. (IGT) officials announced today that the company will invest $3.9 million to expand its operations in Knoxville, creating 200 new jobs.

IGT is a business process management and software development company. Its Knoxville facility will oversee and assist with the operations for IGTs North American customers by working with the latest technologies in chat, email, analytics and robotics process automation. This project will comprise an inbound call center and a technology development center, catering to the growing demand of travel, retail, eCommerce and hi-tech companies. It also plans to set up a Customer Experience Incubation Lab to support startups.

Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Gurugram, India, IGT has more than 14,000 employees who are customer experience and technology specialists providing services to more than 80 marquee customers worldwide. Having a presence in the United States for over 15 years, IGTs global footprint consists of 20 delivery centers across 10 countries. These delivery centers provide 24/7 support in multiple languages and allow each customer to choose a global sourcing delivery that is best suited to its specific business needs.

Over the last five years, TNECD has supported 10 economic development projects in Knox County, resulting in 1,100 job commitments and nearly $138 million in capital investment.

QUOTES

Supporting the companies that choose to call Tennessee home is vital to the success and growth of our states economy. I thank IGT Technologies Inc. for choosing to expand in Knoxville and creating 200 additional job opportunities in East Tennessee.  Gov. Bill Lee

With companies investing over $36 million and committing to create 800 new jobs, Knox County has seen tremendous success in the business services industry over the last few years. We appreciate IGT for its continued investment and look forward to building upon our partnership in the years ahead.  TNECD Commissioner Bob Rolfe

We are excited to expand our footprint in Knoxville and build a strong team locally. Knoxville's booming infrastructure and talent availability will enable us to provide superior digital experience for our clients and their customers.  Vipul Doshi, CEO, IGT Technologies Inc.

We selected Knoxville after evaluating several locations in the U.S. on various parameters. We are very pleased with the support that Chamber, local government, and schools have extended to IGT. We look forward to establishing Knoxville as our Customer Experience Incubation Center.  Akhil Agarwal, COO, IGT Technologies Inc.

TVA and Knoxville Utilities Board congratulate IGT Technologies Inc. on its decision to expand operations and create job opportunities in Knoxville. We are proud to partner with the Knoxville Chamber and Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to support companies like IGT Solutions, create new jobs and investment in the Valley and look forward to its continued business success.  John Bradley, TVA senior vice president of Economic Development

We could not be more excited for IGT and wish them all the best as they continue to grow. This expansion shows their continued support and faith in Knox Countys remarkable workforce. This investment will not only lead to new high-quality jobs but will also have a spillover effect that will boost our local economy. I appreciate all the work done by our state and local officials in bringing these jobs home.  Sen. Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville)

Weve sought to create a business-friendly environment in Knoxville that encourages companies to expand and grow. I appreciate IGT Technologies investment in our community and I know they will be successful with our very talented workforce.  Rep. Eddie Mannis (R-Knoxville)

About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Developments mission is to develop strategies that help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. To grow and strengthen Tennessee, the department seeks to attract new corporate investment to the state and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Find us on the web: tnecd.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @tnecd. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/tnecd.

TNECD Media Contact

Jennifer McEachern

Director of Communications and Marketing

(615) 336-2689

jennifer.mceachern@tn.gov

###
The Sunflower State must now cope with pesky voters amid a public health crackdown that doesn't seem to be working.



They might call this the "Karen" law if only because of the captivating online video it will provide . . .



But as the Kansas Supreme Court now mulls over the matter, it granted Attorney General Derek Schmidt's request that Johnson County District Judge David Hauber's ruling be stayed. That means, once again in Kansas, individuals or businesses aggrieved by a public health order can file a complaint. Then a government agency, like a school board, must prove they are protecting public health in the least restrictive means possible.



Again, all within 72 hours.



Schmidt called the ruling welcome and said: "The district court's ruling had created unnecessary confusion about Kansas emergency management laws at a time when the rise in COVID cases makes certainty and stability in the law even more critical."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .
Gunfire overnight earns more news coverage and a better description of the tragic crime scene that's was very close to local tribute to a legendary civil rights leader.



Check the news highlight . . .

"Officers were called to the area of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (Volker Boulevard) and Troost Avenue. They arrived to find a man suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The man said an unknown person shot into his vehicle and drove away."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .

4 people injured in shooting near UMKC campus KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Four people were injured in a shooting near the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus Tuesday night. The shooting call happened around 8:30 p.m. Officers were called to the area of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (Volker Boulevard) and Troost Avenue. They arrived to find a man suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.
A KICK-ASS TKC READER recently pointed us toward yet another scathing critique of the Missouri jr. Senator that deserves further consideration.



Here's the money line . . .



"No one did more to abet Donald Trumps effort to overthrow American democracy than Josh Hawley. He lit the fire, so why not continue to oppose the president whose small-D democratic election he tried to reject?"

Our takeaway . . .

Back in the early days of the Biden Administration the hatred against Hawley seemed to resonate effectively. Now that many Democratic Party denizens are doubting Prez Biden's leadership . . . Sen. Hawley makes a harder target.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
Once again pandemic politics pits Missouri conservatives against Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.



Upon today's news of more COVID lawsuits, here's a summary of the reasoning that powers both sides of the legal debate courtroom kerfuffle . . .



"We filed this suit today because we fundamentally don't believe in forced masking, rather that parents and families should have the power to make decisions on masks, based on science and facts," Schmitt said. "I am committed to fighting back against this kind of government overreach. Americans are free people, not subjects."

(AG) Schmitt has already filed lawsuits against mask mandates in St. Louis and Jackson counties, as well as Kansas City and St. Louis city.

The response from the Mayor's reps at a lesser sponsored blog . . .

In a tweet, Lucas suggested sanctions for Schmitt, accusing the attorney general of filing too many frivolous, politically motivated lawsuits.



There is the buffoonery that was the China lawsuit, Lucas said, along with Schmitts petition to stop Kansas Citys mask order, and Jackson Countys. Schmitt has also weighed in on Kansas Citys police dispute.



To wit . . .

PUBLIC HEALTH MUTATES INTO POLITICAL PERFORMANCE ART AS THIS SLAP FIGHT FAILS PLEBS IN DESPERATE NEED OF LEADERSHIP AMID TIME OF PLAGUE!!!

We encourage locals to pretend that this argument inspires confidence as COVID numbers, hospitalizations and deaths continue to mount and nearly two years of political debate clearly hasn't helped to form a consensus on the best way to stop the ongoing plague.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . .

Missouri AG files class action lawsuit against school districts' mask mandates COLUMBIA, Mo. - Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a class action lawsuit against school districts who have mask mandates in place for students and staff. "Forcing schoolchildren to mask all day in school flies in the face of science, especially given children's low risk of severe illness and death and their low risk of transmission.

Missouri AG files lawsuit going after school districts requiring students to wear masks As many students in Missouri head back to class this week, some are back in face masks as part of guidance issued by local school districts to slow the spread of COVID-19.Now, Missouri's top lawyer has filed a lawsuit targeting those district mask mandates.

You decide . . .
The deadly shooting of Malcolm Johnson does, in fact, deserve more scrutiny.



A group of local revs claimed that he was "executed" and then provided flimsy, blurry and inconclusive evidence of a rather bold statement.



Meanwhile, with special thanks to KICK-ASS denizen of our blog community, this perspective stands above the rest . . .



Hey TKC,

"Mean Jean has requested a special prosecutor from the St. Louis area to follow up on the highway patrols investigation of Malcolm Johnsons shooting with KCPD officers. Their statement included remarks about having an unbiased prosecutors office and group following up on this because of Malcolm Johnsons prior cases in Jackson County.



"It seems that they are, more so, trying to distance themselves from Malcolm Johnson considering his murder charge from 2014 was pled down by her office to manslaughter and he only served a couple years. Had they not given out the sweet plea deal, hed still be in prison and both shootings, the one he was accused of and the one with KCPD would have not happened."



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .

Special prosecutor appointed in Kansas City police shooting of Malcom Johnson At the request of Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, a special prosecutor has been appointed to investigate the fatal police shooting of a Kansas City man that has been criticized by some area clergy and civil rights activists. St.

You decide . . .
Across the nation college enrollment is down for a lot of reasons but mostly because the working-class have stopped believing in the myth of American social mobility by any other means than online celebrity.



HOWEVER . . .

To keep it interesting for those with the cash to make college happen, check a fun pastime that's won't profit people looking for a job . . . A historical blame game of people who are long dead . . .



Heres the reality members of the Slavery, Memory and Justice Project discovered:



- Ninety percent of the colleges 33 trustees from 1849-50  who helped found and fund William Jewell  profited directly from slavery, enslaving a combined total of at least 307 people.



- About 79% of trustees who joined between 1851 and 1865 profited directly from slavery, enslaving at least 153 people.

- Alexander Doniphan  a legendary Clay Countian and college founder  was deeply pro-slavery and supported a bill that would penalize public abolitionist advocacy with a jail sentence.



- The story that Dr. William Jewell freed all his slaves upon his death isnt true.



- Enslaved people contributed to building Jewell Hall.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link and let's hope this leads to some tuition discounts . . .
Johnstown, PA (15901)

Today

Cloudy early, becoming mostly clear after midnight. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 52F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy early, becoming mostly clear after midnight. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 52F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph.
Illinois health care workers and educators from kindergarten through college will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday in announcing new safety protocols that also include a fresh statewide mandate for masks to be worn indoors.
CLINTON - Vernon Lee Kispert, 84, of Clinton passed away August 30, 2021. He was born on April 27, 1937, to Bernice and Elwood Kispert. Vernon is survived by his loving wife Ginny and daughter Shawna Kispert; stepchildren: Wayne (Nancy) McClara of Blanford, Bob (Judy) McClara of Mena, AR, Ma
Canton, GA (30114)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 64F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 64F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Is this your first-time sightseeing in Washington DC? I assume yes.

I just made two recent trips to Washington DC (July and August) so I can write from my experiences.

I would go to The Mall and divide your time between monuments / memorials and one museum (two if you have time).

There is a U-Street Metro Station so you can take the metro to The Mall.

Then you can see the Monuments and Memorials. From the Washington Monument you can walk to the World War 2 Memorial. Then along the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial. Then you can see the Vietnam War Memorial, the Korean War Memorial (currently under renovation) and then walk to the Martin Luther King Memorial and the FDR Memorial.

It is a lot of walking so please research the Circulator Bus route in case you get tired or want to reduce your walking. In fact, you could take the Circulator for one entire loop and see more things.

After the monuments and memorials which could take up to 3 hours, you can visit one or possibly two museums.

That will depend on your interests. You need to check each museums website to make sure they are open when you are there. Most of them close 1-2 days per week.

The three most popular Smithsonian museums and therefore the most crowded are Air and Space (second floor closed and it is crowded), Museum of American History (was very crowded midday), Museum of Natural History (was less crowded at 4 pm).

I loved the National Gallery of Art. It just depends on your interests.

There are many other museums or interesting places depending on your interests.

I liked the National Archives (originals of Declaration of Independence and US Constitution), Fords Theater (Lincoln assassination), Library of Congress (absolutely beautiful). You need to book timed-entry tickets.

I will stop here as it is difficult without knowing your interests.

Lets see what others have to say in reply to your post.

Enjoy!
My information might be very old as it is a long time since I first went to Thailand.

You will find in Chiang Mai that many hotels and guest house will have folder with different tours at the reception desk. They will do bookings on your behalf. What I did find was the rates were very good compared to the shop front booking sites.I found this very good .

While not common , I know that sometimes Ko Ko Palms (Guest House ) do private tours. Ko Ko's english is not great but she gets by. Her husband has very good English and has worked as an Architect out of Thailand

Chiang Rai , I would as first time visitors suggest to get Private Guide . I have in the Passed used Jermsak who is highly regarded. He also trained Mr Charlie who get glowing reports on the forum.I know that Jermsak is part of hill tribe. He took us to two , one was for general tourist. The was just small village in the hills ,

If you are planning for this November then I doubt this is going to work because of the 'Sand Box"

That said November is good time to Visit. a general rule it is just out of peak season. The weather is very mild in CM and CR. Warm days and cool nights . Feb is also good but try for the start of the months due to the burning season, is is normally March/April. But can start much earlier.

Chok Dee
We used the central pharmacy for our free return test in Madeira a couple of weeks ago and all was good. I returned from Portugal on Sunday and had a test at a medical centre near to my sister. The nurse was brutal to the point I think she should be arrested! I was in pain all day and evening on Saturday. Now Im getting nervous about my next test in Madeira (arriving Sunday) and people keep telling me there are tests you can take with you and do yourself. Is that true? How does that even work, I.e how do you prove you took the test?

Anyway, would love a recommendation so I can buy one. My husband still happy to have his at the pharmacy. Im be scarred for life, lol.

Thanks
Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andrii Taran has met with Minister of Defense of the Republic of Moldova Anatolie Nosatii in Kyiv, the ministrys press service reports.

During the meeting, the priorities of bilateral defense cooperation between the two countries were discussed.

According to Taran, Ukraine highly appreciates the support of the Moldovan side for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of our state, as well as non-recognition of the temporary occupation of the Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation. The Ukrainian side, in turn, is ready to continue to contribute as much as possible to the restoration of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognized borders.

Taran also noted that work is underway on a draft intergovernmental agreement on military and technical cooperation. Strengthening the military and political dialogue is seen as a promising direction for the development of bilateral dialogue in the field of defense. Ukraine is ready to share its experience in reforming and developing the armed forces. Cooperation in the field of military education and the establishment of permanent contacts at the level of headquarters and branches of armed forces are also of mutual interest. The issues of joint participation in bi- and multinational exercises were discussed separately.

The head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry noted that there was a good opportunity to meet with his Moldovan counterpart - Independence Day of Ukraine, and expressed gratitude for the active participation in the celebrations of the delegation of the Republic of Moldova of the highest political level.

Taran also congratulated Anatolie Nosatii and the entire people of the Republic of Moldova on the approaching big date - the 30th anniversary of independence, which the neighboring country will celebrate on August 27.

As Ukrinform reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will take part in celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of Moldova's independence on August 27.

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The Ukrainian Finance Ministry suggests that the current 18-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) could be extended for six months.

According to Ukrinform, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said this in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"It is being discussed, but there is no final decision yet. That is, the stand-by program could be extended for six months. But it is too early to talk about such an extension," Marchenko said.

He added that the decision must be agreed upon with partners.

Marchenko also recalled that Ukraine was waiting for the IMF mission to come to Ukraine in September.

"The Ukrainian president had a conversation with IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva. It was an initiative of the managing director on this mission's visit. We expect the mission [to visit Ukraine] in September, as it was said," he said.

The IMF on June 9, 2020 approved a new 18-month SBA for Ukraine worth about $5 billion with the immediate disbursement of $2.1 billion as the first tranche.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian for visiting Kyiv to join celebrations of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence and for his countrys support for the Crimea Platform initiative, adding he was looking forward to a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Thats according to a tweet the president posted August 24, Ukrinform reports.

At the meeting with LeDrian, expressed gratitude for the visit on the 30th anniversary of Ukraines independence and for Frances participation in #CrimeaPlatform, reads the statement.

In the same tweet, Zelensky noted that Frances support for the Crimea Platform initiative is very important to us.

I look forward to Emmanuel Macrons visit to Ukraine, the Ukrainian president concluded.

At the meeting with @JY_LeDrian, expressed gratitude for the visit on the 30th anniversary of 's independence and for 's participation in #CrimeaPlatform. Support for this initiative is very important to us. I look forward to @EmmanuelMacron's visit to Ukraine.    (@ZelenskyyUa) August 24, 2021

The presidents press service says Zelensky briefed the French minister of Europe and foreign affairs about the security situation in Donbas, where extremely high risks remain in place, as well as about the steps Ukraine had taken to implement the agreements reached during the latest Normandy Four Summit of December 2019.

"We have done everything in our power to implement the agreements reached," the president said.

He stressed that, as long as there is no progress in a peaceful settlement in Donbas, the pressure on Russia must be maintained.

Volodymyr Zelensky also discussed with the French minister a number of topical issues of bilateral cooperation.

"The interlocutors touched upon the further implementation of the Ukrainian-French intergovernmental agreements, signed and ratified recently, as well as other promising cooperation projects, including in the transport sector," the statement said.

Zelensky expressed hope that all topical issues would be further discussed during Macron's scheduled visit to Ukraine.

As Ukrinform reported, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba earlier explained that French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was unable to personally attend the Crimea Platform summit on August 23 in Kyiv due to the Afghanistan crisis.

The Crimea Platform inaugural Summit took place in Kyiv on Tuesday. Its participants adopted a joint declaration reaffirming support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, condemning the temporary occupation of Crimea, the ongoing militarization of the peninsula, human rights violations and freedom of navigation in the region, and calling on the Russian Federation to constructively participate in the Platform.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, the prospects of bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, including joint projects on diversifying energy supplies.

Thats according to Ukraines Presidential Office press service, Ukrinform reports.

It is noted that Zelensky held talks with his Polish counterpart on the sidelines of the Crimea Platform Inaugural Summit.

The Ukrainian leader has thanked Duda for taking part in the Summit and maintaining solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

In turn, Duda congratulated Ukraine on the successful holding of the Crimea Platform Inaugural Summit and its massive attendance by foreign officials, which once again proves that the problem of the occupation of Crimea remains on the international agenda.

Read also: Poland expects Crimea Platform to become permanent form of pressure on Russia

Poland plans to actively raise the issue of restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty during its forthcoming OSCE chairmanship, Duda added.

Zelensky also briefed his interlocutor about the security situation in eastern Ukraine and suggested that joint steps be made to counter Russia's aggressive moves, including in the information field.

The heads of state agreed that Russia's Zapad (West) 2021 military exercise is building up tensions and worsening the security situation in the region.

The presidents also exchanged views on the complicated situation on both countries borders with Belarus.

In addition, the two leaders touched upon the events in Afghanistan and the steps taken by Ukraine and Poland to evacuate their citizens from the country.

Zelensky also discussed with Duda a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation.

Particular attention was paid to coordinating positions in order to counter Russias Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

"We see the Nord Stream 2 project primarily as a security threat. Therefore, we must work together to prevent its launch. This is in the interests of Europe's energy security in general," Zelensky stressed.

It is noted that the president of Ukraine has initiated joint infrastructure projects, including a high-speed train between Kyiv and Warsaw, which will be in line with cooperation within the framework of the Three Seas initiative.

Zelensky also thanked Duda for her humanitarian assistance in combating COVID-19 and providing coronavirus vaccines.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on August 23, Kyiv hosted an Inaugural Summit of the Crimea Platform, a new consultation and coordination format Ukraine initiated b to increase the effectiveness of the international response to the temporary occupation of Crimea, increase international pressure on Russia, and achieve the main goal, which is to ensure that Russia ceases its illegal occupation of Crimea and Ukraine regains control of the peninsula.

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has invited the State of Israel to join a joint declaration signed following the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform.

Zelensky said this in a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on August 24, Ukrinform reports with reference to the presidents press service.

The head of the Israeli government congratulated Ukraine on the outstanding anniversary - the 30th anniversary of independence.

Zelensky stressed that the Ukrainian people are grateful for this manifestation of solidarity on the part of the people of the State of Israel.

The President of Ukraine informed the Prime Minister of Israel about the successful holding of the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform and invited the State of Israel to join the joint declaration signed following the summit.

The interlocutors also discussed a number of topical issues of bilateral cooperation. In particular, their attention was paid to the development of trade and economic cooperation, simplification of conditions for people-to-people contacts, preparation for high-level and top-level visits, including the visit of the Israeli delegation to participate in the events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Babi Yar tragedy.

Volodymyr Zelensky invited Naftali Bennett to visit Ukraine.

As Ukrinform reported, the Crimea Platform summit was held in Kyiv on August 23. Its participants adopted a joint declaration reaffirming support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, condemning the temporary occupation of Crimea, the militarization of the peninsula, human rights violations and restrictions on freedom of navigation in the region, and calling on the Russian Federation to engage constructively in the Platforms activities.

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On August 24, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Yves Le Drian discussed preparations for the visit of President of France Emmanuel Macron to Ukraine this year.

As the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine informs, the ministers also discussed the situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea and efforts to de-occupy it.

Kuleba thanked France for participating in the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform in Kyiv on August 23 and for supporting the Joint Declaration as the international policy guide to the restoration of Ukraines sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula.

Kuleba also raised the issue of contacts between the mayors of some French cities and cities in the temporarily occupied Crimea, the presence of some French companies on the peninsula. In this context, the parties agreed to strengthen cooperation in order to stop violations of international law and the sanctions regime over Crimea.

As noted, another topic of the meeting was the further work of the Normandy format.

The death of a Ukrainian soldier in Donbas on August 23 serves as another tragic reminder that the efforts of the Normandy format must be more effective and dynamic. Ukraine and France are ready to hold a meeting of foreign ministers in the Normandy format.

We hope that Minister Lavrov will also have a constructive and conscientious approach to this meeting. We will also work on the summit of the Normandy format leaders to prepare and adopt the necessary decisions for a political and diplomatic settlement, Kuleba said.

The foreign ministers praised the active development of bilateral cooperation, facilitated by special relations established between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of France Emmanuel Macron.

The visit of my colleague Jean-Yves to Kyiv on Ukraines Independence Day underlines the importance of relations between Ukraine and France, Kuleba said.

He also added that good UkraineFrance relations are beneficial not only to the two countries but to the European Union and Europe as a whole.

As reported, the Crimea Platform summit took place in Kyiv on August 23. Its participants adopted the Joint Declaration reaffirming their support for Ukraines territorial integrity, condemning the temporary occupation of Crimea, the militarization of the peninsula, human rights violations and restrictions on freedom of navigation in the region, and calling on the Russian Federation to engage constructively in the Platform activities.

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The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) has joined 44 countries that took part in the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform in Kyiv on August 23.

According to the UWC website, the joint declaration of the International Crimea Platform declares the Russian Federation an occupying power, condemns illegal and aggressive actions of Russia in Crimea, reaffirms the participants readiness to adhere to the policy of non-recognition of the annexation of the peninsula and the city of Sevastopol, as well as non-recognition of any attempts by Russia to legalize their temporary occupation.

The signatories commit to additional sanctions against Russia in case of further aggression, and to enhance security and stability in the Black Sea region.

The UWC continues to lead global advocacy campaigns and calls for increased international pressure on Russia to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraines internationally recognized borders, to stop serious human rights violations in Crimea, the occupied Donbas region, and within Russia, and demand the release of Ukraines political prisoners.

The UWC expresses its support for the Crimea Platform and its declaration. We congratulate the Government of Ukraine on this very important initiative and including the Ukrainian World Congress as a partner and participant in the Crimea Platform. We were pleased to see the Euroatlantic community committed to the policy of non-recognition of Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimea. UWC will continue to encourage the international community to support the Crimea Platform, UWC President Paul Grod said.

As Ukrinform reported, the Crimea Platform summit was held in Kyiv on August 23. Its participants adopted a joint declaration reaffirming support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, condemning the temporary occupation of Crimea, the militarization of the peninsula, human rights violations and restrictions on freedom of navigation in the region, and calling on the Russian Federation to engage constructively in the Platforms activities.

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Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid has said that the EU should be more courageous in the issue of enlargement for Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, but added that it could take 20 years for the three countries to be ready to meet EU membership criteria.

According to Ukrinform, she said this in an interview with the European Pravda online news site.

"I do think that the European Union should be more courageous to enlarge, and Eastern Partnership countries should be considered. Whether it will be exactly the same time for membership or we will create for the three Eastern Partnership countries who are ambitious a kind of special partnership," Kaljulaid said.

She said that she personally preferred simply enlargement, but this will take very long time, as accession to the EU is hugely conditional, and none of these countries is as yet ready to fulfil EU membership criteria. "It will be 20 years, maybe, to work before you get there. [] All these three countries have problems with an independent justice system, for example. Therefore, you are not fit yet for the European Union membership," she said.

According to her, "maybe, it could be useful to find some kind of intermediate, cooperation format which would help Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova" on their European integration path, and their economies are already integrating with the EU economy. "We are ready to help, but the work needs to be done by these countries themselves. And it's hard work," Kaljulaid said.

After the first Crimea Platform summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked its participants for their support of Ukraine and presented them with high state awards. Kaljulaid received the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise of the first degree.

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The Congressional Ukraine Caucus assured of its committed and unwavering support for maintaining and strengthening Ukraines security on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the country's independence.

On the 30th anniversary of Ukraines Independence, the Congressional Ukraine Caucus joins with the Ukrainian people and diaspora in celebration, reads the statement released by Congressional Ukraine Caucus Co-Chairs Representatives Marcy Kaptur, Mike Quigley, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Andy Harris.

The Congress members noted that the world had watched as subjugation and fear gave way to liberty and hope in 1991  providing a beacon of light for nations and peoples still shrouded in darkness.

The progress undertaken since then has led to a prosperity and stability that has uplifted the Ukrainian people, and charted a path toward a brighter future. While the shadow of malign influence seeks to reverse this trajectory, the Congressional Ukraine Caucus remains steadfast in its commitment to preserving and strengthening Ukrainian security, and looks forward to celebrating Independence Day with all the generations to follow, says the statement.

As reported, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence, a blue and yellow flag was hoisted on the flagpole of the city hall of Philadelphia.

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About 90 Ukrainian citizens remain in Afghanistan, and diplomats are working on possible ways to evacuate them, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko has told Ukrinform.

"About 90 Ukrainian citizens continue to remain in Afghanistan. The Foreign Ministry and our embassy in Tajikistan, together with other relevant agencies, are currently working on possible ways to evacuate our citizens from Afghanistan, in particular with the involvement of Western partners," Nikolenko said.

He added that the priority was to evacuate Ukrainian citizens and their families in safe conditions.

"But we do not rule out the evacuation of foreigners for humanitarian reasons if there are opportunities for this," he said.

Nikolenko recalled that Ukraine had already made three evacuation flights after the aggravation of the situation in Afghanistan. In particular, 41 Ukrainians and 57 Afghans were evacuated on August 23.

Kabul airport has plunged into chaos since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital on August 15 and proclaimed the formation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Many countries, including Ukraine, send planes to Kabul to evacuate citizens.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance was coordinating efforts to ensure the evacuation of people from the airport in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The radical Islamic Taliban movement may ban evacuations from Kabul after August 31.

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Russian delegation deliberately disrupts the work of the humanitarian working group of the Trilateral Contact Group for the peaceful settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine.

The Ukrainian delegation to TCG posted a relevant statement on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

The Ukrainian delegation informed that the Russian delegation had made a technical announcement less than a day before the meeting to inform that Ukrainian citizen Maya Pyrohova, convicted of terrorism in Ukraine, would join the humanitarian working group.

"The Ukrainian delegation sees this as a deliberate attempt to disrupt the consultations, especially given the Russian delegation's previous experience of blocking the work of the political working group in this way. The Ukrainian delegation does not hold consultations with persons convicted of terrorism," the statement reads.

Representatives of Ukraine emphasized that in this way the Russian delegation is trying to shift its direct and sole responsibility for the consistent failure to settle humanitarian issues, such as the exchange of conflict-related detainees, unblocking the operation of entry-exit checkpoints on the Russian side, and so on.

The Ukrainian delegation notes: "These attempts are futile. We call on the Russian representatives to return to the planned trilateral consultations."

As reported, the work of the Trilateral Contact Group will resume on August 25 after a short break. The meetings will be held through video conferencing.

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New Zealand's Ambassador to Ukraine Mary Thurston has passed a note from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on her country's joining the joint declaration of the Crimea Platform, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has reported.

According to the report, Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhenii Yenin met with the ambassador on the occasion of the completion of her diplomatic mission in Ukraine.

During their meeting, Thurston passed a note from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on her country's joining the joint declaration of the Crimea Platform.

Yenin thanked New Zealand for its consistent support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and expressed gratitude to Ambassador Thurston for her important contribution to the development of bilateral relations. He also thanked for her participation in the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform in Kyiv on August 23.

Noting the high level of cooperation within international organizations, both diplomats also discussed topical issues of cooperation between the two countries, cooperation in countering global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, cyberattacks and hybrid threats.

Yenin proposed starting talks on the mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination documents and the facilitation by New Zealand of the visa regime for Ukrainians.

Finally, Yenin wished Thurston success in her future endeavors.

The Crimea Platform summit took place in Kyiv on August 23. The summit participants adopted a joint declaration reaffirming their support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, condemning the temporary occupation of Crimea, the militarization of the peninsula, violations of human rights and freedom of navigation in the region, and urging the Russian Federation to constructive participation in the platform.

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The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has initiated a criminal case under Article 358 of the Criminal Code (ecocide) into the blocking by Ukraine of the North Crimea Canal."

Thats according to the Committees press service.

The inquiry was launched by the IC Main Investigation Department. According to the Russian side, after the annexation of Crimea by Russia, "unidentified individuals in the territory of Ukraine <...> decided to inflict harm on the economic, social, and environmental situation of the Crimean peninsula by blocking the North Crimea canal."

The Russians claim that, as a result of the construction of a dam in Ukraine mainlands Kherson region on April 26, 2014, water supply from the Dnipro River through the said canal was put to a halt and that "the lack of proper water supply in the region causes depletion of agricultural land and fauna."

Read also: Crimea Platform participants adopt joint declaration

"Over the past six years, the Sivash's salinity has tripled. Populations of almost all considered fauna species, including those from the Red List of Russia and the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, have declined, while some can be considered extinct. The Central Sivash and the Eastern Sivash wetlands of international importance are losing their environmental significance," the statement said.

The IC claims that "the closure of the North Crimea Canal has affected the quality of drinking water and that used for household needs, adding that the water exceeds a salinity cap, having a negative impact on human health."

As Ukrinform reported, in early August, the Ministry of Ecology of Ukraine explained that own water resources on the occupied peninsula are sufficient to cover the needs of the local population. Water scarcity is due to three main factors: industry that consumes much of water resources; the agricultural sector developing in the steppe Crimea; and the major Russian army contingent requiring freshwater to maintain equipment and provide for the servicemens needs.

At the same time, the North Crimea Canal is an artificial structure that is not covered by the UN Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes.

Until 2014, the North Crimea Canal had been the main source of water supply to Crimea, bringing water from the Kakhovka Reservoir. The canal used to cover up to 85% of Crimea's freshwater demand. Of 402.6 km of its length, 73% is across the territory of the peninsula.

With the onset of the occupation of Crimea by Russia in April 2014, water supply from the Dnipro River to the peninsula was severed. Ukraine's official position is that water from the mainland will be supplied only once the peninsula has been deoccupied.

According to experts, Russia is not able to provide water to Crimea on its own due to the extremely high cost of the endeavor. Now the situation with water supply across the occupied Crimea remains critical. Therefore, the occupation authorities intend to spend RUB 70 million on exploring new freshwater sources in the Sea of Azov. Experts note that the idea of extracting fresh water from under the seabed is unfounded.

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Low COVID vaccination rates pose a public risk, but there is no reason to expect any catastrophic consequences from the new COVID-19 strains, a Ukrainian government official suggested.

Thats according to Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko, who spoke with Interfax-Ukraine in an interview, Ukrinform reports.

"The risks remain. This is a low vaccination rate. Now its getting more serious, but there must be public understanding of the fact that lockdowns depend on public consciousness in matters of vaccination," Marchenko said.

Ukraines health care system is now ready "for shocks and surges."

"I got my jab, and so did my family and parents," Marchenko said.

At the same time, he chose not to answer directly the question of whether the 2022 draft budget will lay down funding for the vaccination campaign.

"We have already bought so many vaccines, so we are yet to use them all. Thats about 40 million doses. It seems the largest share is Pfizer," said the minister.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Public Health Center predicts an increase in the COVID-19 incidence this fall.

In Ukraine, 8.3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have already been administered across Ukraine, while more than 3 million people have been fully vaccinated, according to Health Minister Viktor Liashko.

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High Commissioner, Filippo Grandi speaks with an Ethiopian refugee boy in Sudan's Um Rakuba camp.  UNHCR/Samuel Otieno

Hailu Mehari crossed into Sudan last November with his wife and their two children, leaving behind raging conflict across Ethiopias Tigray region.

The 65-year-old father of four met UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, who visited eastern Sudan, where close to 48,000 Ethiopian refugees live in two camps, Um Rakuba and Tunaydbah.

Grandi met Hailu in Um Rakuba where he spoke with him and several refugees including young men and women, children, people living with disabilities and the elderly. They raised various issues, ranging from access to proper health care, shelter and food.

We lost our home, our farm, everything. I am not showing all my emotions as it is still so painful, said Hailu, who owned large swathes of farmland and left them unharvested after violence broke out.

I am grateful for everything I have received in Sudan.

Hailu added that he was glad to have made it out safely.

Its difficult here but I am very happy to be alive. I am grateful for everything I have received in Sudan, he said.

UNHCR High Commissioner meets Ethiopian refugees in eastern Sudan, urges for peace in Ethiopia (Mary Theru, producer / Arnold Temple, videographer, editor)

Grandi noted that the situation is very challenging and added that UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency is working closely with the government of Sudan and other aid agencies to improve services.

Conditions in the camp are fragile as in any humanitarian situation but they have improved. We've seen services such as education, food distributions and healthcare being offered to the refugees, he said.

Ethiopian refugee Hailu Mehari sits with his family outside their shelter in Um Rakuba refugee camp in eastern Sudan.  UNHCR/Samuel Otieno

He commended the government and the people of Sudan for their continued hospitality towards refugees, despite hosting more than 1 million other refugees and grappling with a displacement crisis of over 2.5 million internally displaced Sudanese, amid growing economic challenges.

It's not that they don't have problems in other parts of the country so its really something that the international community needs to appreciate more, he said.

There is no military solution to this problem.

The High Commissioner was joined by the Norwegian Minister of International Development, Dag-Inge Ulstein.

The host communities here are such a good example for the rest of the world. They are very warm and have welcomed refugees openly, the Minister said.

He appreciated efforts by aid agencies in responding to refugees needs.

The UN agencies and UNHCR are really doing a tremendous job setting up this site in such a short time while also building trust with the local communities, he added.

Hailu and his wife Tsige are also struggling to cope with being separated from their older children who remained behind in Tigray.

I miss my other children and I still get emotional, said Tsige. This week when I thought about them, I became very stressed and had stomach pains. Im even struggling to talk about it now.

Hailu added that they last communicated with his older brother and his children in June but havent heard from them since.

I hope and pray for their safety, he said, adding that although they lost everything, they appreciate making it to Sudan.

Grandi noted that many of the refugees he spoke to would like to return home but only if there is peace. He reiterated that there is no military solution to this problem and the only way to restore peace in Ethiopia is through diplomatic negotiation and political talks.

Thats the only way to create conducive conditions for the thousands of people hosted in Sudan, to be able to go back voluntarily, in safety and dignity, he said.
Margaux Maxwell reports for the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin and the Yakima Herald-Republic. She can be reached at margauxmaxwell@wwub.com or 509-526-8325.
Union Springs, AL (36089)

Today

Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Low 71F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Low 71F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
The United States withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent rapid takeover by the Taliban have raised questions about the war-torn country. What went wrong in Afghanistan? What could have been done differently to lead to a more positive outcome? Whats next for the country and its people?

Sher Jan Ahmadzai, the Director of UNOs Center for Afghanistan Studies, has a unique connection to this crisis as he has significant experience working with the previous Afghan government as well as loved ones in Afghanistan.

Local, national, and international media outlets have leaned on Ahmadzais expertise and insight on the events currently occurring in Afghanistan. The following are different outlets that he has been featured in:

Ahmadzai has spoken with a number of media outlets in addition to the selection listed here. Between media interviews and his other responsibilities, Ahmadzai was also working from afar to help others evacuate from Afghanistan. He has worked with government agencies, Congressional representatives, and the military to help extract anyone with ties to the center. The Omaha World-Herald reported that he had written letters for as many as 40 Afghans with ties to UNO.

One such Afghan-American caught in the nation was Hanif Sufizada, coordinator of outreach and education programs within UNOs Center for Afghanistan Studies. He wrote an article for The Conversation which provided a first-hand look at his experiences on the ground in Kabul as he attempted to leave the country in the days following the Talibans takeover. The article was republished by numerous media outlets nationally and internationally, including by Univision. Upon his return to the U.S., Sufizada shared his story with CNN International (on-air only) as well as KETV in Omaha.

Retired Dean of International Studies and Programs and Director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies Thomas Gouttierre has also spoken with a number of outlets including the Chicago Tribune, KMTV in Omaha, and KCBS in Los Angeles. His interviews discussed the centers history in Afghanistan as well as provided reaction and analysis of the latest events.

These media opportunities have enabled Ahmadzai, Sufizada, and Gouttierre to share their experiences and expertise at a local, regional, national, and international level.

Earlier this month, Chancellor Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA, encouraged all Mavericks to support the UNO Center for Afghanistan Studies so they can continue to make an impact in the region. Consider making a contribution to the UNO Center for Afghanistan Studies Fund for Excellence established through the University of Nebraska Foundation.
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Shaukat Tarin here on Wednesday reaffirmed government's commitment to encourage and incentivize fertilizer manufacturers as well as exporters to meet domestic demand effectively

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Aug, 2021 ) :Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Shaukat Tarin here on Wednesday reaffirmed government's commitment to encourage and incentivize fertilizer manufacturers as well as exporters to meet domestic demand effectively.

Chairing a meeting with the Chairman and other members of the Fertilizer Manufacturers of Pakistan Advisory Council (FMPAC), the minister highlighted the need to bring in more investment in the fertilizer sector for enhancing domestic production and higher crop yields.

While welcoming the Chairman and members of FMPAC, the minister lauded the contribution of the fertilizer industry in the national development.

The fertilizer industry was of paramount importance in the agriculture as this sector contributes about 22% to Pakistan's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs almost half of Pakistan's employed workforce in agro-based industries directly or indirectly.

The minister further stated that the COVID-19 pandemic had delivered a supply shock to the global commodity markets and pushed up the prices of agricultural inputs substantially.

The present government, he said, was providing gas / RLNG at concessional rates to the fertilizer plants for sustainable production during these testing times.

He directed the Chairman Federal board of Revenue (FBR) to expedite disbursement of refunds to improve the liquidity position of the fertilizer industry.

He also constituted a Committee comprising Secretary Ministry of National food Security and Research, Additional Secretary (CF) Finance Division and other relevant stakeholders to hold a consultative session and bring forward recommendations with mutual consensus for a way forward.

He assured full support and facilitation to the fertilizer industry on the occasion.

The Chairman FMPAC apprised the minister about the challenges faced by the fertilizer Industry such as cash flow crunch, mismatch between input and output GST on Urea production etc.

The Chairman FMPAC and other representatives of the fertilizer Industry complimented the Finance Minister for his pro-farmer approach and assured full cooperation.

Among others, Secretary Finance Division, Secretary Ministry of National Food Security & Research, Chairman FBR and other senior officers were also present during the meeting.
The second batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to the Lao People's Army, carried by PLA Air Force's Y-20 transport aircraft, has arrived at Wattay International Airport in Lao capital Vientiane

VIENTIANE, Aug. 25 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Aug, 2021 ) :The second batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to the Lao People's Army, carried by PLA Air Force's Y-20 transport aircraft, has arrived at Wattay International Airport in Lao capital Vientiane.

Defense attache of the Chinese embassy in Laos Li Bing and Deputy Minister of National Defense Vongkham Phommakone attended the handover ceremony held on the arrival of the vaccines on Monday.

The Lao deputy defense minister spoke highly of the Chinese army's assistance and expressed sincere gratitude. He said that various anti-epidemic materials such as COVID-19 vaccines, medical masks and virus testing reagents, as well as military medical experts from the Chinese army, have played an important role in preventing and controlling the spread of the epidemic in Laos.

The continuous care and valuable support to the Lao People's Army from the Chinese side fully demonstrate the brotherhood of the two countries and two armies which share the common ideology and belief, and the spirits of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and the unbreakable community with a shared future, which is of strategic importance for deepening the friendly Laos-China cooperation, said the Lao officer.

Li Bing said, when addressing the ceremony, that since the outbreak of the epidemic in Laos, the Chinese army has been providing various anti-epidemic supplies, and has sent military medical experts to Laos to help fight the epidemic.

The PLA has faithfully practiced the initiative of building a global community of health for all, and actively participated in international cooperation against the epidemic, and will continue to work hand in hand with the Lao People's Army to fight the epidemic, said Li.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Niamey, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Aug, 2021 ) :An attack by hundreds of Boko Haram fighters on a town in Niger's jihadist-plagued southeast killed 16 soldiers and wounded nine others, Defence Minister Alkassoum Indatou told AFP on Wednesday.

The assault late Tuesday on "the positions of our defence and security forces in Baroua, in the Diffa region, were attacked by several hundred Boko Haram elements who came from Lake Chad," the minister said in a statement.
(@FahadShabbir)

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Aug, 2021 ) :As part of efforts to conserve electricity, prevent deforestation and provide cheap and uninterrupted power supply especially to remote population of the province, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has completed 356 mini, micro hydel power projects (MHPs) in northern KP out of a total 1,000.

Being owned and operated by the local communities, these power houses are providing cheap electricity to approximately one million population of far flung and remote areas, said an official of Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (PEDO).

He said the government was imparting training to the local communities about how to operate and use the power houses and they are also responsible to protect these power houses from any damage or loss.

According to Special Assistant to CM Taj Muhammad Khan these power projects are strengthening the provincial economy, besides promoting tourism, creating scores of job opportunities and business activities in remote areas.

Referring to an official survey, he said that there is a capacity to generate 3000 MW of electricity by hydro power plants in Chitral on which the provincial government was working.

When contacted, PEDO CEO Naeem Khan said that in Phase II, work would start on 672 micro hydel power houses in 21 districts of KP, adding that most of these power plants are built in district Chitral because of having plentiful water resources.

He said the provincial government was planning to build the hydel power houses on canals in southern districts to extend the cheap and uninterrupted power supply facility to people of these areas.

He said KP was currently generating 162 MW of electricity from 7 hydropower plants which was generating about Rs 4.5 billion annually for the province by adding it to the conventional grid.

Recently, he said, Daral Khwar Hydropower Project in Swat has started electricity generation of 36.6 megawatts, which would provide hefty revenue of Rs 1.3 billion annually to the province.

The PEDO CEO said Daral Khwar Hydropower project was constructed in Bahrain area of Swat district with the assistance of Chinese engineers, adding that the electricity generated by the project has been added to the national grid system.

He said that work is in progress under the short term plan, six more projects of 96 MW will be completed by the end of this year, which will bring additional revenue of about Rs 4 billion to the province.

Under the mid-term plan, work is underway on 6 projects of 223 MW which will be completed in 2024 while under the long term plan 9 projects will generate 1899 MW of electricity which will be completed in 2027-28.

He said that in Bagot area of district Abbottabad two 75 kw hydel power houses have started power generation and providing electricity to over 300 families in the area.

Similarly, Naeem said that PEDO in collaboration with Agha Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) has completed 54 micro hydropower houses (MHP) in different areas of upper and lower Chitral.

These MHP plants included 200 KW Garamchishma power house, 75 KW hydropower plant Bor Bono, 100 KW Your Jog, 150 KW Bamburit power plant, 150 KW hydropower plant Rumbor etc.

Project Director Col. Muhammad Shahid told this agency that 54 micro hydropower plants in Chitral were handed over to AKRSP which would generate six megawatts of electricity at a cost of one billion rupees. Eleven of these power plants have now been completed, which would generate 1.7 MW of electricity.

He said that this would reduce the burden on forests and provide pollution free energy to the people of Chitral.

When asked about maintenance and rehabilitation of these power houses, PEDO chief said that a special fund has been created from the tariff so that these houses could be rehabilitated in case of any breakdown or damage.

He further added that PEDO was also working to do insurance of these houses through an insurance scheme.

Mohammad Arshad Abbasi, a local of Bagot village in district Abbottabad appreciating the provincial government said that the installation of the two hydel power project in his area has not only addressed the issue of power supply to the village but also provide business to the local communities and promoted tourism in the area.

Social and political activist in district Chitral Abdul Latif told APP that the series of hydel power plants that have been started would definitely stop the relentless deforestation and people would use electricity instead of wood, he added.

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(@fidahassanain)

ISPR says that President Arif Alvi was given guard of honor upon his arrival at the Armys General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwar received President Arif Alvi upon his arrival.

RAWALPINDI: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-August 25th, 2021) President Dr Arif Alvi visited Pakistan Armys General Headquarters (GHQ), the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday.

The Militarys media wing said that the President was received by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa upon arrival. During the meeting, Dr Alvi and Army Chief discussed regional developments and matters of national security.

The President was apprised on operational preparedness of Pakistan Army, while a briefing on cyber security was also given by Communication & Information Technology Branch.

Dr Arif Alvi acknowledged unparalleled contribution and sacrifices rendered by armed forces towards external and internal security of Pakistan.

The President also commended Armys prowess in the field of Information Technology and coordination mechanisms with other services / stakeholders.

Earlier, the President was presented Guard of Honour. He laid floral wreath at Martyrs Monument and offered fateha.
COLORADO SPRINGS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th August, 2021) OLORADO SPRINGS, the United States, August 25 (Sputnik) - NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told Sputnik that he hopes that the cooperation between the United States and Russia in the International Space Station (ISS) will continue beyond 2030.

When asked whether he expects the ISS exploitation to be extended, Nelson said: "Yes. To 2030. And Russia is our partner on the ISS."

"I'm very hopeful and very optimistic that this extraordinary relationship that we have had, very good one will continue," the NASA administrator said, as he was speaking on the sidelines of the 36th Space Symposium.

Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin is expected to discuss the possibility of extending the ISS operation beyond 2024 at his meeting with Nelson, set to take place in the fall, Roscosmos Deputy Director General for International Cooperation Sergey Saveliev told Sputnik earlier this week.

Russia is planning to stop using the ISS by 2028 and create a national space station instead given risks posed by ISS worn-out equipment.
(@FahadShabbir)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th August, 2021) Australian government adopted on Wednesday a bill, which creates new types of warrants, allowing the anti-crime agencies to spy on suspected criminals online.

"The Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2021 has passed the #Senate without amendments," Australian Senate, upper house of parliament, wrote on Twitter.

The "identify and disrupt bill" establishes three new types of warrants, enabling Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) to take over the social media accounts of criminal suspects, to modify and delete data on these accounts and to spy on the suspects online.

Data disruption warrants, network activity warrants and account takeover warrants are expected to bolster national security and to assist in fighting organized crime, terrorism and other crimes, conducted through reliance on the dark web.

"It will directly target those who deal in the most insidious crimes against children, assisting police to protect the most vulnerable victims here in Australia, and overseas," Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said as quoted by the Canberra Times newspaper.

The bill was condemned by several senators and human rights activists who said it violates freedom of speech and digital privacy.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that China stood ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Russia and the broader international community on the Afghanistan issue

BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Aug, 2021 ) :Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that China stood ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Russia and the broader international community on the Afghanistan issue.

During a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, he called for concerted efforts to encourage all factions in Afghanistan to build an open and inclusive political structure through consultation, implement moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, thoroughly dissociate from all terrorist groups, and maintain friendly relations with the rest of the world, especially neighboring countries.

Xi also eyed deeper vaccine cooperation with Russia, adding that China was ready to work with Russia to deepen cooperation on vaccine development and production and ensure the safety and stability of the global supply chain for vaccines.

He called on the two sides to take this year's 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as an opportunity to work together with member states to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, increase mutual support, and safeguard the security and development interests of the countries in the region.

On Afghanistan issue, Putin said Russia and China shared similar stances and common interests.

"Russia is ready to communicate and coordinate closely with China, actively participate in multilateral mechanisms related to Afghanistan, promote smooth transition in the country, combat terrorism, cut off drug trafficking, prevent spillover of security risks from Afghanistan, resist intervention and destruction by external forces, and maintain regional security and stability," he added. The two leaders believed that it was very necessary for China and Russia to maintain communication on major bilateral and multilateral issues and agreed to keep close contact via various means.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that China had had effective communications and negotiations with the Taliban, and Kabul was a key platform and channel for the two sides to discuss all kinds of important affairs.

Wang made the remark while answering a reporter's question about a reported meeting between Taliban officials and the Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan in Kabul.

Wang also reiterated China would continue to develop a friendly and cooperative relationship with Afghanistan.
Russia will start supplying abroad its new mobile radioelectronic warfare system Repellent-Patrol, as an export contract was signed at the Army-2021 military forum, Alexander Mikheev, the head of Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th August, 2021) Russia will start supplying abroad its new mobile radioelectronic warfare system Repellent-Patrol, as an export contract was signed at the Army-2021 military forum, Alexander Mikheev, the head of Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, said on Wednesday.

"Rosoboronexport signed the first contract for the latest mobile radioelectronic warfare system Repellent-Patrol," Mikheev told reporters.

In addition, the first contracts were signed for the Krasukha radioelectronic warfare system aand the Pantsir-S1M air defense antitank system.
The second contract for deliveries of Russia's S-400 Triumph air defense systems to Turkey will be signed this year, Rosoboronexport Director General Alexander Mikheev said on Wednesday

KUBINKA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th August, 2021) The second contract for deliveries of Russia's S-400 Triumph air defense systems to Turkey will be signed this year, Rosoboronexport Director General Alexander Mikheev said on Wednesday.

On Monday, the head of Russia's arms exporter company said that the contract will be signed in the near future.

"In the near future means this year. We expect that the second contract on S-400 for Turkey will be signed this year," Mikheev told reporters.
Dr. Steve Murawski is leading a team from the USF College of Marine Science and partners who will use the towed C-BASS visualization system, multibeam and water column sonar to contribute to the project. Shown here is a stunning painting of Amberjack by Diane Peebles.  Diane Rome Peebles.

(OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss.)  A team of scientists, selected through a peer-review process organized by the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, will conduct an independent study to estimate the number of Greater Amberjack in the U.S. waters of the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico regions. The team will also investigate the fishs movement and how it is distributed by habitat, including artificial, natural and uncharacterized habitats.

The research team, made up of 18 scientists from 13 institutions, was awarded $9 million in federal funds for the two-year project. With matching funds from the institutions, the project will total $11.7 million.

In fiscal year 2020, Congress appropriated $5 million for the National Sea Grant College Program and $5 million for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for Sea Grant to implement a research program independent of NMFS to support the Greater Amberjack stock assessment process.

The Greater Amberjack abundance study in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico is one way Sea Grant is helping to ensure a safe and sustainable supply of seafood products for current and future generations, said National Sea Grant College Program Director Jonathan Pennock. This project will provide valuable information for the management of Greater Amberjack as well as insight useful to future fisheries research and engagement.

Interdisciplinary team spans regions

The selected interdisciplinary research team includes geneticists, modelers, statisticians, ecologists and oceanographers from North Carolina to Texas. Project leader Sean Powers, chair of the Marine Sciences Department at the University of South Alabama and a senior marine scientist with Dauphin Island Sea Lab, said many of the project researchers have worked together for more than 20 years and have helped advance the science that makes these large-scale studies possible.

Many team members also were part of the Great Red Snapper Count, a recent study that estimated the abundance by habitat type of red snapper in the U.S. Gulf waters.

We build on a lot of lessons learned from the Great Red Snapper Count, Powers said. We know what we did pretty well, and we know what we have to improve. This one should be even better than the last.

Steve Murawski will lead the team from the USF College of Marine Science. Greater Amberjack are a premier sport and commercial fish of the Gulf and South Atlantic, and sustainable management requires solid estimates of stock size and harvest rates, he said. We at USF have a long history of sampling amberjack with traditional methods and more recently using an innovative towed video system. We are thrilled to be working with the large, capable and diverse team of researchers on this important project.

The Greater Amberjack study will develop additional data sources, assessment approaches and knowledge to improve agency and agency-independent estimates of Greater Amberjack abundance throughout its range.

I am pleased that the University of South Alabama and Auburn University have been selected as institutions awarded grant funding for the Greater Amberjack Abundance Study, U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, said. This is great news for anglers along the Gulf Coast. The research grant will help resolve discrepancies in regard to Greater Amberjack stock assessments and inform researchers of the best ways to monitor these populations moving forward. Alabama scientists and researchers are leaders when it comes to reef fish management, and I am confident that this project will be successful as a result of their involvement.

Anglers can participate in study

After synthesizing bottom habitat mapping, performing gear calibration studies and conducting a survey of fishermen to learn where they usually catch Greater Amberjack, the team will use several technologies including hydroacoustics, underwater cameras and remotely operated vehicles to count Greater Amberjack.

A big portion of this project is what we call Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Powers said. Well be surveying fishermen with some cool web tools, where they can click on a map and show us, with as much resolution as they want, where they usually catch fish.

The team will use the information to guide their sampling design, and the fishermens input will help them verify areas where the fish are not found and spend more time, money and effort in areas where there are fish to count.

The study will include high-reward fish tags worth $250 to anglers who return them and report catch locations.

Study to inform future fish monitoring

Scientists also will use new Environmental DNA (eDNA) technology to try to correlate fish density with the amount of eDNA in the water. Scientists have used eDNA to determine the presence of species of concern, such as sturgeon and bluefin tuna, Powers said, and this study will determine if it is a viable option for abundance studies.

We are not only going to get an abundance estimate of amberjack, Powers said. Were going to try to figure out how we apply the latest technology to improve our ability to monitor fish populations in the future. We will look at which technologies are the most promising and which technologies work the best.

The Greater Amberjack is an important recreational and commercial species in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. According to NMFS, the Gulf of Mexico stock of Greater Amberjack has been in an overfished state and undergoing overfishing for an extended period despite implementing a rebuilding plan. The South Atlantic stock is not overfished and not undergoing overfishing.

Scientists on the team include:

Sean Powers, University of South Alabama, Dauphin Island Sea Lab

John Hoenig, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary

Grace Chiu, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary

Mark Albins, University of South Alabama, Dauphin Island Sea Lab

Steven Murawski, University of South Florida

Kevin Boswell, Florida International University

J. Marcus Drymon, Mississippi State University

Nicole Phillips, The University of Southern Mississippi

Eric Saillant, The University of Southern Mississippi

Matthew Catalano, Auburn University

Jay Rooker, Texas A&M University at Galveston

Greg Stunz, Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi

Theodore Switzer, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

Michael Dance, Louisiana State University

Jeffrey Buckel, North Carolina State University

Steven Scyphers, Northeastern University

R.J. David Wells, Texas A&M University at Galveston

Stephen Midway, Louisiana State University

*This release was slightly modified from one generated by Melissa Schneider at Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium and Lance Crawford at University of South Alabama.

For more information, go to http://masgc.org/greater-amberjack.
Valdosta, GA (31601)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 72F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 72F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
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In a speech on August 22, U.S. President Joe Biden warned that terrorists based in Afghanistan might exploit the chaotic situation in the country to their benefit. Thousands of Americans and Afghans are trying to reach the Kabul airport and flee the country before August 31, the scheduled date of complete U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The security environment is changing rapidly. There are civilians crowded at the airport, although we have cleared thousands of them. We know that terrorists may seek to exploit this situation and target innocent Afghans or American troops, Biden said while adding that security forces are maintaining constant vigilance against threats.

The president pointed to the Afghan affiliate of ISIS, ISIS-K, as being the likely source of threat. ISIS-K, which refers to ISISs Khorasan Province branch, has grown in prominence ever since the parent organizations influence in Syria and Iraq fell. ISIS-K has often clashed with the Taliban for territorial control and has a history of targeting civilians, specifically Shiite Muslims, especially girls.

Biden is facing criticism from all quarters for the botched evacuation program that has put at risk the lives of thousands of American citizens and Afghan aides. The rapid changes taking place in the country are also forcing the administration to confront the possibility of a resurgent al-Qaeda, the terror group responsible for the 9/11 attack.

I think al-Qaida has an opportunity, and theyre going to take advantage of that opportunity This is a galvanizing event for jihadists everywhere, Chris Costa, who was senior director for counterterrorism in the Trump administration, said to Associated Press.

Though al Qaeda had lost much of its power in Afghanistan during the last two decades, it continues to remain active. A report by the UN Security Council this June warned that the terror outfits senior leadership and hundreds of operatives remain in the country. In addition, the Taliban, which sheltered al-Qaeda operatives prior to the September 11 attacks, maintains close ties with the terror group.

In an interview with Breitbart, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that people should not lose sight of the fact that the terror threat from groups like al Qaeda is a global risk. He insisted that such threats must be confronted every place we find it and blamed the Biden administration for creating a situation that allows such threats to grow.

Colonel Richard Kemp, a former British government counter-terrorism adviser, said that the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan makes a jihadist attack on the UK highly likely. He warned of an immediate threat from Britain-based jihadists who might be motivated by the events unfolding in Afghanistan.

Jihadists everywhere have been celebrating the Taliban victory. This will have re-energized them, encouraged them and motivated them to strike, Kemp said in an interview with the Sunday Mirror.
With Afghanistan in the hands of the Taliban, which had banned young women from formal education, the country's only girls boarding school is temporarily relocating to Rwanda for a "study abroad" session.

Shabana Basij-Rasikh, the co-founding president of the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), said in a social media post Tuesday that the private school's nearly 250 students, faculty, staff and family members had left the capital city of Kabul as of last week.

"SOLA is resettling, but our resettlement is not permanent," she wrote in one of a series of Twitter posts. "A semester abroad is exactly what we're planning. When circumstances on the ground permit, we hope to return home to Afghanistan."

Basij-Rasikh wrote that they are en route, by way of Qatar, to the central African nation, where they intend to study.

The Rwandan Ministry of Education responded to Basij-Rasikh's tweet, saying that it looked forward to welcoming the SOLA community to Rwanda.

The central African nation is one of several countries that the U.S. State Department said had agreed to temporarily host evacuated Afghans. It is not yet known how many Afghans Rwanda will accept.

On Friday, Basij-Rasikh posted a video showing her burning students' records to protect their identities from the Taliban.

Nearly 20 years later, as the founder of the only all-girls boarding school in Afghanistan, Im burning my students records not to erase them, but to protect them and their families.

2/6 pic.twitter.com/JErbZCSPuC  Shabana Basij-Rasikh (@sbasijrasikh) August 20, 2021



In Twitter posts Tuesday, the school official said her heart breaks for her country.

"I've stood in Kabul, and I've seen the fear, and the anger, and the ferocious bravery of the Afghan people. I look at my students, and I see the faces of the millions of Afghan girls, just like them, who remain behind," Basij-Rasikh wrote. "Those girls cannot leave, and you cannot look away. If there's one thing I ask of the world, it is this: Do not avert your eyes from Afghanistan. Don't let your attention wander as the weeks pass. See those girls, and in doing so you will hold those holding power over them to account."
As the Taliban tightens its grip on Afghanistan, the group is vowing to protect minority and womens rights. But many Afghans in United States are concerned about the well-being of their family and friends and the future of their homeland. VOAs Aunshuman Apte spoke some Afghan community members
Columbus Mavunga

The impact of the pandemic has increased wildlife poaching around Zimbabwes national parks, as people who lost their jobs hunt the animals for food. To help protect the animals, anti-poaching organizations have been formed, including a squad of vegan, women rangers.

Nyaradzo Auxillia Hoto has been part of this group, known as Akashinga, the Brave Ones, since it started in 2017 to fight poaching here. The 29-year-old Hoto says she does not fear poachers or wildlife.

I am not even afraid. At first, yeah, I was a bit afraid. But now we have been taught on animal behavior and also because of time I have spent in the bush now I have experience of how to handle animals. Whenever I experience even a lion, I wont be scared. But I would like to study more and to know more about the animals, especially the one I am protecting, she said.

The women are well-armed, and if they encounter poachers, they detain them, and turn them over to police for prosecution.

Damien Mander, an Australian national and an Iraq war veteran, formed the Akashinga project. He says anti-poaching patrols will help preserve Africas wildlife, which has been under steady assault from poachers for decades.

"It was a trial in the beginning on one reserve in northern Zimbabwe, we started with 16 women protecting 90,000 acres. We now got 240 staff as part of this program. We now have eight reserves that we patrol. We are on target to have 1,000 staff by 2026," he said.

Tinashe Farawo, spokesman of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, says the efforts of such conservation groups are helping to fight poaching in this wildlife-rich country.

"These people have been provided the much-needed resources like patrol, in terms of anti-poaching law enforcement. The same partners some give us vehicles for patrol, some give us fuel, so that we are visible on the ground, our law enforcement is always intact, our rangers are always equipped. Those are some of the problems we always face: that our national parks are in extreme weather conditions. So they need tents, sleeping bags, uniforms, boots. All those things if you put them together it means we can do wonders. Because of these activities and partnerships, we are visible on the ground and less of poaching incidences are recorded in our national parks," said Farawo.

With more rangers coming on board, Zimbabwe hopes to eliminate poaching in its entirety, and ensure the safety of wildlife roaming the national parks.
We are really in danger  it is dreadful here now, and they are searching for us, the 22-year-old Afghan student says.



Esin, like other female students, especially those who also worked with Western embassies, missions and NGOs in the Afghan capital, Kabul, as she did, is desperate to get out of Afghanistan.

Some of her fellow students want to flee because they fear that they wont be able to continue their academic studies under Taliban rule. Others calculate they will be targeted by wrathful militants.

For Esin, evacuation looks highly likely to be a matter of life or death. But as she explains her plight, she knows her chances of escaping the Taliban are now diminishing by the minute. Her evacuation application has gone nowhere. And this knowledge overshadows her conversation with VOA as she expresses bewilderment about why she and others like her are being left behind.

Esin is in hiding now, along with her mother and two sisters. She has much to fear, and not only because she is a student and worked as a volunteer for the U.S. government.

Two years ago, she broke off an engagement to a young man from her home province. The engagement was foisted on her family. Her fiance instructed her to stop her studies, and it turned out he was a member of the Taliban.

Since then, the man has been threatening her and her family and he reported them to the Taliban. He says I am outside of Islam and should be killed and that he will marry one of my sisters according to a cultural rule called Bad dadan, where a girl is given to settle a family dispute. We have had to move several times after he tracked us down. I, and my sisters, are in real danger now that the Taliban rules, she said in a phone call.

Can you help? she asks.

Taliban spokesmen say women have nothing to fear under their rule.

Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman based in Qatar, assured Western broadcasters this week that women will lose nothing. The only thing is they will have to wear a hijab, he said. Right now, the teachers have returned to work. They have lost nothing. The journalists  I mean female journalists. They have resumed their work. Lost nothing, he added.

That is not how many educated Afghan women see it. They say the Taliban is already saying one thing but all too often doing another, and they are certain their plight will only worsen once Western forces are gone and they are left alone with the Taliban.

They are convinced that once again they will suffer the harsh treatment they encountered during the 1990s, the last time the Taliban ruled Afghanistan and imposed their own hard-line interpretation of Sunni Islam. It will be open season on us, a 23-year-old schoolteacher told VOA in a phone call.

Restrictions starting



This is the lull before the storm, women contacted by VOA, say. And there are already squalls buffeting them.

Some female broadcast journalists have been allowed back on the air, but others, who worked for the state broadcaster, have reported they have been told not to show up for work. Some female civil servants were instructed last week to leave their ministries. In far-flung provinces the hijab is not sufficient and there are reports that women have been commanded to wear the head-to-toe burqa and told they must not leave their homes unless accompanied by a male relative.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters this week that some individual fighters and commanders are being excessive, adding that they are not trained to talk to women. He said allegations of harassment would be investigated and advised women to stay home for the time being until we have a full system in place.

Kushaaneh, a 20-year-old student, doesnt need an invitation to stay indoors. Shes too terrified to go out now. My mother was a schoolteacher and was badly beaten by the Taliban in the 1990s the last time they ruled Kabul, she says.

She dismisses what Mujahid said as presenting a face to the global community, to make it think that maybe the Taliban has changed, but it absolutely hasn't changed, she said.

She worked voluntarily for the U.S. mission in Kabul for three years and was the deputy director of a women's activist group thats now disbanded and was part of a network of 16,000 activists. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic much of their activity in recent months has been online in outreach and discussion forums that some activists fear now were being monitored by the Taliban, giving the militants the opportunity to identify activists.

Kushaaneh, her sister and mother swapped apartments as Kabul fell to the Taliban earlier this month after receiving threats from neighbors, who told them they were going to report them to the Taliban. They knew I spoke English and that I promoted womens rights and they said I was brainwashing Afghan girls and trying to change their religion, she says.

The three of them have stayed indoors for the past 10 days, especially as they have no male relatives to accompany them, if they go outside. Two of her brothers  they both once worked for the U.S. Embassy  emigrated to America after one of them was beaten nearly to death by militants.

Adding to her terror is the presence nearby of Taliban fighters, who are manning two checkpoints outside their apartment block. The other day I asked a male neighbor to buy some groceries, but aside from that like many other women, she says, we are prisoners at home, just waiting. And, she says, wondering why they are being left behind.
Malawi's Constitutional Court has agreed to hear a challenge to last year's presidential election rerun from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party. President Lazarus Chakwera defeated the DPP's Peter Mutharika in the rerun after the court nullified the 2019 election, which Mutharika had won.

The DPP argues the rerun should also be nullified after the High Court quashed the appointment of four DPP commissioners to the Malawi Electoral Commission.

This past June, the High Court quashed the appointment of four DPP commissioners Jean Mathanga, Linda Kunje, Steven Duwa and Arthur Nanthuru, saying their appointment was invalid and unconstitutional.

The court acted after the governing Malawi Congress Party had challenged the appointment of the commissioners.

In his ruling, Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda further said the quashing of the appointments did not affect the validity of the June 2020 re-run presidential election.

But the opposition DPP said Nyirenda erred in his ruling because he touched on issues beyond his mandate.

The party wants the court to also invalidate the rerun election because it was managed by commissioners who it says were wrongly appointed.

They argue that the Malawi Constitution does not recognize an election that was presided over by undeserving commissioners.

Charles Mhango is a lawyer for the opposition DPP.

My clients believe strongly that the elections that took place on 23rd June, electing President Chakwera, is also null and void because the principal of the law is very clear; out of nothing, come nothing, he said.

Critics fear the case will result in another long and protracted legal battle which will cost the government a lot of money.

They believe the case could have been avoided had the government listened to the advice of the former attorney general, Chikosa Silungwe, that the government should recognize the commissioners.

Osman Kennedy, a law lecturer at Blantyre International University, told VOA that serious implications will happen only if the court rules in favor of the DPP.

Because what will happen is that we will revert back to 2020 when Mutharika was the president. Because the court may say no, if you [President Chakwera] were elected by the commission that was illegal, then you were not elected, then you were no longer the president and therefore we are reverting the status quo back to Mutharika and Chilima respectively.'

Social commentator Humphrey Mvula said the case demonstrates failure by political leaders to accept electoral defeat.

Our challenge as most African countries including Malawi is that we rarely accept that we have lost the elections. We always want to fight and always want the court to tell us that we have lost the elections. Even at that time, we have been able to trash the decision of the court," he said.

Former president Mutharika has said he does not recognize the results of the rerun election he lost to Chakwera.

In the meantime, the Constitutional Court has set Monday next week to decide whether to proceed with the case and if so, how.
Zimbabwes Information Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, says the government has resolved that schools, which were closed two months ago due to the third wave of COVID-19, should reopen on Monday next week.

Mutsvsangwa, who addressed journalists in a ZBC broadcast monitored from Washington DC, said the government has engaged some stakeholders about the reopening of schools that closed on June 2 and were supposed to be reopen on June 28 but remained shutdown due to an upsurge in COVID-19 cases in the southern African nation.

She said, The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education met with teacher organisations and deliberated on the safe reopening of schools among many other issues  Noting with satisfaction, the preparations for the resumption of classes in schools, Cabinet is advising that schools will reopen on the 30th of August 2021 for examination classes and on the 6th of September 2021 for non-examination classes.

As such intercity and intracity transportation for learners will be allowed during school reopening periods subject to close monitoring by law enforcement agencies.

In a tweet, Mutsvangwa said young people are now expected to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations following the rolling out of the countrys inoculation program sometime in February this year, which targeted senior citizens, frontline workers and others.

Government has so far acquired 13 million doses of Covid19 vaccines, out of the 20 million required in order to achieve herd immunity. On the advice of scientists, the vaccination programme will be extended to the 14-17 year age group.

She further noted that restaurants are allowed to re-open for sit-in patrons, who are fully vaccinated, upon the production of vaccination cards and strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols.

The Ministry of Health reports that as at 24 August 2021, Zimbabwe had 123,320 confirmed cases, including 108,660 recoveries and 4,320 deaths. A total of 2,382,359 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

In a related development, Zimbabwes Information Secretary, Nick Mangwana, says the country has donated some vaccines to Namibia.

In a tweet, Mangwana said, In the spirit of regional cooperation and sisterly nationhood, Govt of Zimbabwe is donating 20,000 doses of vaccines to the Republic of Namibia.
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Letitia Wright has been hospitalized in Boston after suffering minor injuries due to an incident with a stunt rig while filming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. A Marvel spokesperson confirmed to Deadline on Wednesday that the actress is currently receiving care in a local hospital and is expected to be released soon. Wright is reprising her role as Shuri in Ryan Cooglers sequel to his 2018 blockbuster Black Panther, despite controversy in December 2020 when she shared an anti-vaccine and transphobic video on Twitter. Sources say the stunt incident will not have an impact on the films shooting schedule, and the film is still set for a summer 2022 release date.
Booster doses of Johnson & Johnson's one-shot coronavirus vaccine generated a big spike in antibodies, the frontline immune system defenses against infection, the company reported Wednesday.

People who received a booster six to eight months after their initial J&J shots saw antibodies increase nine-fold higher than 28 days after the first shot, Johnson & Johnson said.

The data comes from two Phase 2 studies conducted in the United States and Europe, the company said in a statement. Some of the 2,000 or so people in the studies got booster doses six months after their first doses of J&J's Janssen vaccine.

"New interim data from these studies demonstrate that a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine generated a rapid and robust increase in spike-binding antibodies, nine-fold higher than 28 days after the primary single-dose vaccination," the company said in its statement.

"We have established that a single shot of our COVID-19 vaccine generates strong and robust immune responses that are durable and persistent through eight months. With these new data, we also see that a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine further increases antibody responses among study participants who had previously received our vaccine," Dr. Mathai Mammen, global head of research and development for Janssen, said in a statement.

J&J said it was in discussions with the US Food and Drug Administration, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, European Medicines Agency, World Health Organization and other health authorities about the need for offering a booster dose of the Janssen vaccine.

"We look forward to discussing with public health officials a potential strategy for our Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, boosting eight months or longer after the primary single-dose vaccination," Mammen added.

Many people who received the J&J vaccine have been clamoring for information about whether they will need a booster shot. US federal government officials have said they are preparing to start offering a booster dose to people who got Moderna's or Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine after data showed boosters can amp up the antibody response -- and after studies started showing an uptick in infections in both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. The more transmissible Delta variant is partly to blame, experts say, as is a waning immune response.

The Janssen vaccine was authorized at the end of February, more than two months after Moderna's and Pfizer's vaccines were authorized. About 14 million Americans have received the J&J vaccine, according to the CDC.

Dr. Dan Barouch, a vaccine researcher at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School who is not involved in the two clinical studies but is helping study J&J vaccines, said the findings support getting a booster shot, but only after a delay.

"The boost at six months is going to look very impressive and substantially greater than what has already been reported in terms of the two month boost, and that is significant because it, in my opinion, the boost should not be at two months, but it really should be at six months or later," Barouch told CNN.

Neither of the studies looked at real-world efficacy, so the company has not demonstrated that people who get boosters will be less likely to become infected or to develop severe disease. But researchers are beginning to agree that antibody levels do indicate immune protection.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is made differently from Pfizer's and Moderna's. Those two vaccines use messenger RNA or mRNA, encased in little lipid particles, to carry instructions to the body to start an immune response.

The Janssen vaccine uses a crippled common cold virus called an adenovirus to carry in similar instructions. There had been worries that a booster dose of such a viral vector vaccine might not work effectively because of the possibility the body would generate an immune response against the vector, also.

"There was a theoretical concern that the generation of anti-vector antibodies by the first shot could impede the use of it again," Barouch said.

"I think these data put that to rest."

Federal health officials have said they believe a booster dose of the Janssen vaccine will be needed at some point.

"I'm quite certain that the FDA, CDC, NIH, White House will use these data to likely justify or recommend a booster for J&J-vaccinated people, probably with a second shot of J&J," Barouch said.

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Disney World will require vaccinations for many of its employees at the Florida-based resort after the company made a deal with two of its employees' unions.

The resort, which is located in Orlando, Florida, reached an agreement with the Service Trades Council Union and the Actors Equity Association on Monday.

This is important since the STCU is Disney's largest union, representing more than 30,000 employees at the resort, or as Disney likes to call them "cast members."

"We appreciate the communication and collaboration with the union representatives as we put the safety of our Cast Members at the forefront of our health and safety protocols  getting the vaccine is the best way to protect each other," a Disney spokesperson told CNN Business.

The company has not reached deals with all of its union represented employees at Disney World, but discussions are still ongoing.

The agreement includes all types of cast members that guests come in contact with, including ride operators, performers and service workers.

The cast members must show proof of vaccination by October 22 and those with medical conditions or "sincerely held" religious beliefs will be exempt, STCU said.

The news comes after Disney announced last month that it was requiring all its salaried and non-union hourly employees in the US to be vaccinated.

The US Food and Drug Administration granted approval to the Pfizer vaccine for those 16 and over on Monday, becoming the first vaccine to gain federal approval.

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The nightmare was only beginning for Matthew Rigney and his partner, Danielle Hall, when floodwaters swept her away from him and their four children Saturday in Middle Tennessee.

While Hall clung to a tree, the father held onto their children in their flooded house until two of them -- 7-month-old twins -- were swept out of his arms during the deadly flooding in the Waverly area, the family told CNN affiliate WZTV.

Now, the devastated couple, survivors of the flash flooding that killed at least 18 people, are planning the funerals of their babies, Rileigh and Ryan.

Remembering the babies as "happy," Hall told CNN affiliate WZTV on Monday, "They made our life complete."

CNN has tried unsuccessfully to reach the couple.

Dozens of residents were quickly overtaken by flash flooding brought on by Saturday's heavy rain. More than 270 homes were destroyed.

Mother had stepped outside for help

The family's ordeal began when a transformer blew around 6 a.m., waking them up. Before they were able to get up and leave, "water was coming in the house," Rigney told CNN affiliate WSMV.

Around the area, raging waters were pulling homes off their foundations, leaving cars and other debris strewn about, and washing away much of what was in its path.

Hall went outside to seek help, but "the water just took me," and "the only thing I could hang onto was a tree," she told WSMV.

Meanwhile, water was filling the home, trapping Rigney and their four children -- the oldest of whom is 5 -- in a back bedroom, WSMV reported.

Water hit, and 'that's when I lost them,' father says

Rigney tried to get out a window with his children, "but the water was coming in so fast, we couldn't even get out," he told WSMV.

He clung to them.

"And when the water hit and the room filled up, that's when I lost them -- I lost all of them," Rigney recalled to WSMV.

His two older daughters -- 5 and 1 -- surfaced, but the twins did not. "It was the worst experience I've ever had," he told WSMV.

As Rigney and the two older daughters struggled, a neighbor climbed onto their roof and pulled them to safety, WSMV reported.

Mother says she clung to a tree for hours

Hall remained in the rushing water for hours, holding onto the tree.

"The whole time I held onto a tree, for six and a half hours, screaming that I had babies at the house that needed rescue," she told WZTV.

Hall eventually was rescued. "When I finally got saved, I was searching for (the four children), because I knew (Rigney) was alive. I didn't know (about) my babies," she told WZTV.

The twins were among those who died in the flooding, Humphreys County Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Grey Collier told CNN.

Authorities found the babies' bodies together, Rigney and Hall told WSMV.

The infants' funerals are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, according to WZTV.

Ryan "was my one and only boy that I prayed so hard for, and he always smiled -- that boy was the happiest baby I've ever seen in my life," Hall told WZTV.

As for Rileigh: "She was a diva. She was a drama queen. She had to have all the attention," Hall told WZTV.

Saturday rainfall totals reached 17.26 inches north of Centerville, in Hickman County; 17.02 inches in McEwen, in Humphreys County; and 13.76 inches near Dickson, in Dickson County, the National Weather Service in Nashville said.

The flooding on Saturday was caused by several storms training over the same area. Extreme rainfall rates are becoming more common because of human-caused global warming, scientists say.

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Two US congressmen on Tuesday made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan as the US races to evacuate as many people as possible from the country in the remaining days of the US military presence there, taking Democratic leadership by surprise and drawing swift criticism.

Reps. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, said in a joint statement Tuesday that they had traveled to Kabul "to conduct oversight on the mission to evacuate Americans and our allies" and that the trip had been conducted in secret "to minimize the risk and disruption to the people on the ground."

"As members of Congress, we have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch," said Moulton and Meijer, both military veterans who had served in the Middle East. The pair said they had traveled to Afghanistan "on a plane with empty seats, seated in crew-only seats to ensure that nobody who needed a seat would lose one because of our presence."

But the trip, ostensibly a typical congressional fact-finding mission, blindsided House leadership and the House Armed Services Committee, according to a senior Democratic leadership aide, as well as the White House, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The Associated Press first reported on the trip.

A US official characterized the visit as an "unhelpful distraction," telling CNN on Tuesday that the Defense Department was also not given advance notice that the congressmen would fly to Afghanistan.

The visit came as US officials have worked to increase the pace of evacuation flights, and the unannounced arrival of US politicians in the middle of a war zone would have drawn scarce resources and personnel away from the evacuation mission -- especially amid a persistent terror threat from ISIS-K and other groups looking to target American and coalition forces.

In a letter that was sent to House members Tuesday as the congressmen were in Afghanistan, according to a source familiar with the timeline, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- without explicitly referencing the trip -- discouraged lawmakers from visiting the country, arguing that such travel "would unnecessarily divert needed resources" from the evacuation efforts.

"I write to reiterate that the Departments of Defense and State have requested that Members not travel to Afghanistan and the region during this time of danger," the California Democrat wrote. "Ensuring the safe and timely evacuation of individuals at risk requires the full focus and attention of the U.S. military and diplomatic teams on the ground in Afghanistan."

Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs of California, a member of the Armed Services Committee, also criticized her colleagues' decision to travel overseas, saying in a tweet: "Whether it is Haiti or Afghanistan, taking up space in a disaster zone for your own ego helps no one."

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People looking for hospitality jobs attended a hospitality career fair Tuesday at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville.

The event was hosted by the Alabama Restaurant & Hospitality Association, in partnership with the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Dozens of employers attended, including the Rocket City Trash Pandas, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, and a host of restaurants and hotels. They are all hiring positions such as servers, hosts, cooks, managers, bartenders, housekeepers, and more.

The event is over, but people looking for careers in the hospitality industry can find more opportunities at the links below.

Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Visit Huntsville
Huntsville City Schools will soon finalize their COVID-19 employee leave procedure.

Tuesday night, the board of education heard a draft proposal for employee procedures that will be implemented for the rest of the semester.

Once finalized, all employees will receive ten sick days to use if they test positive for COVID-19, have close contact with someone who tests positive, or have to take care of a spouse or child who tests positive.

However, employees who can work remotely will do so if they are asymptomatic or only have close contact with a COVID-19 patient.

The superintendent and her "Preventative Measures Team" will now finalize the draft and hope to implement the policy by the end of the week.
Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton says a Killen man suspected of murdering his wife is now in custody after a days-long search.

Lanarrick Demone Thompson was captured in Athens by U.S. Marshals and booked into the Lauderdale County Detention Center, Singleton said.

Thompson, 40, is suspected in the murder of his wife, Quoshanna Michelle Thompson, according to the sheriffs office.

The sheriffs office said it responded to the Thompsons home in the 100 block of Holden Road in Killen about 11:30 a.m. Sunday after family members said they could not reach the couple.

Deputies found Quoshanna Thompson dead inside the residence, later issuing an arrest warrant for Lanarrick Thompson.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriffs department at 256-760-5757.
Elyssa Dufrene, the mother of Mason Cozelos, is planning her only sons funeral after the 16-year-old was left for dead on the side of a road.

His body was found Aug. 19 along a dark stretch of East Limestone Road, 8 miles east of Athens. Police say Mason was walking along the street when he was hit by the car.

The person responsible in the hit-and-run remains unknown. Tuesday, Dufrene told WAAY 31 she believes justice for her would be to get to sit down and forgive whomever was behind the wheel and took her son from her.

You wake up every day and think, is this for real, Dufrene explained as she thumbed through photos of her son. I relive it every time I open my eyes.

While she says Masons death doesnt break the deep connection she shared with her son, she still struggles with understanding why this happened.

I dont want my sons life to end in a tragedy story. I want his life to be beginning in his heavenly journey, to begin with a story of forgiveness.

And that chapter has already started.

Dufrene is searching for the person responsible not to seek vengeance, but to give them forgiveness.

We need to find who this is, whoever did this is going to have to live with that for the rest of their life, she said. You cant begin that process till you have someone to forgive.

As she prays the driver will come forward, she finds strength to keep going in her faith and the faithful around her.

It is amazing to see the amount of support this community can give. People always wonder why tragedies happen. The best comes out in a tragedy.

Dufrene is focused on living, and remembering the time short spent with her son.

I just want to tell my son how much I love him and I will never stop loving you. He will live forever in my heart. I will see him one day soon.

Police are looking for a dark red car with damage to the front and side. The family is using donations to offer a reward to anyone who helps them find the hit and run driver.

Cozeloss visitation is at Legacy Funeral Home from 5-8 pm Friday with services set for Saturday at Asbury Church at 11 a.m. The family says all are welcome to attend.
Now that the Pfizer vaccine has full FDA approval, more businesses could start requiring employees to get their COVID-19 vaccine.

From a legal standpoint, not much changes with the full approval. Businesses could require employees to get the vaccine while it was only under emergency use authorization. But now that it is fully authorized by the FDA, it might encourage more businesses to mandate vaccines.

"I think you're going to see more and more companies mandate vaccines," says local attorney Michael Timberlake.

According to Timberlake, full FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine will not change much for businesses implementing a vaccine mandate.

"You know from a technical legal perspective it doesn't change that much, the law has been clear for a century that mandated vaccines are legal and they are enforceable," explains Timberlake.

However, now that the COVID vaccine is FDA approved, it might make businesses feel more comfortable requiring the vaccine.

Timberlake explains, "it takes a lot of the hesitancy off them and says, look, this is an approved vaccine, it's safe, it's free, it should be widely used. And then they can go ahead with mandates."

Some local citizens would not mind a vaccine mandate at their place of work. Huntsville resident April Wade says she would not have a problem if her employer required the COVID vaccine.

But others would be upset with their employers.

"If my employer required me to get the COVID-19 vaccine, I would not be very happy with it. Even though I chose to get vaccinated myself, I don't think that's something that should be mandated by employers," says Sheamus from Huntsville.

If mandated, employers could legally fire an employee who refuses to get vaccinated.

"The employer can terminate the employee, we are an at will state," explains Timberlake.

Sheamus argues termination is a personal consequence for a personal decision. "That's the consequence of my personal choice, right there," says Sheamus.

Since the full FDA approval is still so new, WAAY31 is not aware of any businesses in North Alabama that have changed their vaccination policy. But Timberlake does expect some of the major companies, like Boeing and Mazda Toyota, to require vaccines in the near future.
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President Joe Biden speaks about Hurricane Henri and Afghanistan evacuations in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Where and when is the covid Green Pass cert required in Italy?

The scope of Italy's Green Pass, which shows that people have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from covid-19, will be expanded once again from 1 September.

Italy's Green Pass, which was first introduced in June and does not apply to children under 12, was originally used mainly for travel within the EU and to facilitate access to large events or nursing homes.

However since 6 August, the Green Pass (or the equivalent certificate recognised by Italian authorities), has been required for:

dining indoors in restaurants

theatres, cinemas, events and sporting competitions

museums, archaeological sites and cultural venues

swimming pools, gyms, spas and wellness centres, theme parks, recreational and leisure centres, gaming halls and casinos

trade fairs, conferences and meetings

The Green Pass is not required for consuming food or drink at tables outdoors or drinking a coffee while standing at the bar.

From 1 September, the scope of the Green Pass (or its equivalent certificate for those visiting Italy), will be widened further, this time with regard to transport and education.

The Green Pass will be required to board:

airplanes serving domestic and international destinations

interregional ships and ferries (except for the Strait of Messina ferry services)

Intercity and High Speed trains

long-distance buses passing through more than two regions

charter buses

The Green Pass will not be mandatory for buses, trams and subways on local public transport networks, or for regional trains.

In addition, the Green Pass will become mandatory for teachers and school staff, as well as staff and students of universities, from 1 September.

There will be penalties for school and university employees who fail to comply with the new measures - the government has warned - similar to the system already in place for doctors and nurses.

After five days off work due to not having the Green Pass, employees' absence will be regarded as "unjustified", leading to the suspension of their employment and pay.

For details (in English) about how the Green Pass works see our guide while for extensive information (in Italian) about the Green Pass see the Certificazione Verde website.

For those who still need assistance, there is a call centre, tel. 800 91 24 91 (open daily 08.00-20.00) and an email address cittadini@dgc.gov.it.

For official information about the covid-19 situation in Italy - in English - see health ministry website.

Photo credit: MikeDotta / Shutterstock.com.
Well know as more time goes by. An unpublished study by Pfizer researchers that followed vaccinated individuals for up to six months reported a gradually declining trend in vaccine efficacy against a symptomatic infection, but found their shot remained highly efficacious overall. Efficacy peaked at 96.2% in the two months after a second shot, and declined gradually to 83.7% from four months, and then by an average of 6% every two months. Waning vaccine-induced immunity is likely to be first detected by vaccine failures in vulnerable individuals, such as diabetes and heart-failure patients, and reflect lower levels of virus-blocking antibodies. U.K. researchers say that a likely scenario is that, as immunity gradually wanes, more vaccinated individuals will get infected, but their immune system will rapidly control the infection, resulting in no or mild symptoms. However, exposure to the virus will further boost and broaden their immune response to it. Vaccination campaigns against SARS-CoV-2 may continue for years.
To deal with Chinese companies, Gensler called for a pause in their U.S. initial public offerings last month. The SEC is starting to issue new disclosure requirements to those contemplating a New York listing, asking about their corporate structure. That would be their shell nature, in Genslers vocabulary. It will also require listed companies to disclose more regulatory and political risks, Bloomberg News reported. With the passing of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act last year, the SEC can now force a delisting if a company refuses to provide information requested by the agency or by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the auditor of auditors established as a result of the 2001 Enron scandal.
Currently, its fiendishly hard to figure out where, when and how we pollute in daily life. We know vaguely that we should fly and drive less, walk and bike more, eat less meat and more veggies and so forth. But we couldnt begin to quantify in real time how running the dishwasher stacks up against ordering delivery, how to daisy-chain our errands to save fuel, or how to compare the carbon footprint of different products.
A closer and harder look at the LG unit is warranted. It is slated to go public later this year in what could be South Koreas biggest ever public listing, at $10 billion to $12 billion. The company is one of the largest battery suppliers for major electric vehicle models, and has rushed to expand across the world. This rapid pace of investment, possibly boosted by its parents complementary electronics and chemicals businesses, has allowed it to accelerate production, making LG Energy Solutions a ready and appealing partner. The company has inked deals with several automakers, including Tesla Inc., and is in a joint venture with GM to develop a proprietary battery technology central to the U.S. carmakers $27 billion green strategy. That means amid the scramble (and pressure) to meet regulatory standards and company targets for sales and emissions, even more LG-made batteries will be housed in cars across the world.
The pandemic and the weak economy stand out. The government has failed to effectively address economic inequality, a stubborn problem in the region that gives rise to frequent protests. Libya and Algeria, two of Tunisias economic lifelines, have been facing hardships and instability of their own, resulting in a loss of income for tens of thousands of Tunisians, especially among those living in the poorer hinterlands bordering the two nations. Fitch Ratings says Saieds power play may further delay an agreement for a new IMF loan that would give the authorities financial breathing room to launch their recovery plan; Tunisia hopes to secure $4 billion over three years from the fund. Securing a deal most likely will require Tunisia to adopt austerity measures such as reducing spending on its massive public sector and cutting off all but the neediest households from subsidies for items likes flour, sugar and electricity. Saied may struggle to ensure such measures are accepted by the public.
Chinese companies seeking capital have long headed to the U.S. stock market to tap its deep-pocketed investors, raising more than $100 billion through first-time share sales over the past two decades. This money flow was immensely profitable for all involved: The founders, the bankers, early investors and new shareholders. Yet all this now looks set to change. China has pledged to write new rules for companies going public outside the mainland and to step up oversight of those already trading offshore. Its unclear whether Didi Global Inc.s contentious initial public offering in June was the catalyst; the U.S. has been taking steps to force some Chinese firms to open their books or face delisting, and now has blocked new public offerings. Either way its a major shakeup for Chinese companies -- which account for about 4% of Americas $50 trillion equity market -- as well as their private equity backers and Wall Street.
The states aspiring to join are already surrounded by other members of the EU, which first extended into former communist Europe in 2004 and wont be truly complete without the swathe on the continents underbelly. Geography, history and strong economic ties -- the EU is by far the regions biggest investor and trade partner -- support arguments for expansion, which could help stabilize politics in those countries and would increase one of the worlds biggest trading blocs by 18 million people. Allowing them to join would also lift living standards in nations that have seen millions of citizens migrate to more affluent EU states in search of better lives.
Anthony does a little more homework and finds out that myth  as well as actual history  is never quite so simple, discovering along the way the central superstition of both films: that if you stand in front of a mirror and say Candyman five times, you will summon him. (And he will probably then kill you. Why anyone would want to do that  other than to scare people, which it accomplishes quite effectively  is hard to know.) Encouraged by his art dealer (Brian King), Anthony starts making Candyman-adjacent paintings for the Black Lives Matter age. Its no accident that the title of one of Anthonys pieces, Say My Name, which incorporates mirrors, evokes both the Say Their Names movement and the Candyman legend.
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Not all dogs are house-trained and not all friends merit invitations to stay the night. If you cannot entirely suspend stay-over privileges until the daughter has outgrown her current behavior, or has been traumatized by less-gentle hosts, perhaps you can time them to minimize the impact on your fellow residents: winter days when the pool is not open, and evenings when there are fewer residents around.
As we head into the start of the school year, many parents have expressed anxiety at the uncertainties of what lies ahead for in-person learning, read the council members letter. Strong vaccination and masking protocols, in tandem with other safety measures for our public schools and child care facilities, will provide us the best chance to keep children safe and keep our schools open this year.
The petition documents some of Bartss recent conflicts with other school board members, including the boards votes to reprimand, then formally censure Barts and finally to remove her from school committees for violating board policy through her use of social media and through her interactions with county residents, actions that other board members concluded were inflammatory. In a school board document from early 2020, board chair Brenda Sheridan wrote that Barts had fail[ed] to put student interest first and to show respect for fellow board members and staff in a spirit of harmony and cooperation.
In the six years that have followed, Unified Efforts has worked in the neighborhood with more than 120 young people between the ages of 5 and 24. Initially, the organization planned to stop working with teenagers once they graduated high school, but the staff continued to hear from participants even after they got their diplomas. A college student in New York recently reached out to say that if she had a bike she could get to her classes more easily. The staff helped her get one.
His group, the Student Wellbeing Action Group, released a preliminary report in mid-July asking the county to bar police from being stationed inside, outside, or immediately around schools and assign mental health professionals to each school, among other recommendations. He and other activists hadnt heard back on the report from the school system or county government as of this week, Taylor said, and werent sure what to expect when they returned to campus for the first time after a year of virtual learning.
A great deal of humanitarian work is happening in Virginia right now  and its something that all Americans can be proud of, Neely said in an email. The operation is really complex, with lots of moving parts, and shared responsibility across many government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels.
Fairfax County police interviewed Bradley Lister at Baltimore police headquarters and developed enough information to charge him in the slayings of his mother and sister, Weeks said. Police said Lister allegedly killed the pair Aug. 17 and fled the area with five or six firearms that have yet to be found. Police are investigating what happened to the weapons.
While other states have passed similar heartbeat laws, the Texas legislation does not create a state ban of the procedure. Instead, it allows abortion providers who perform abortions after six weeks could be sued, along with anyone who helps a woman access the abortion. They can seek up to $10,000 per defendant.
The Pentagon acknowledged that there was a U.S. military helicopter flight into Kabul overnight to gather evacuees and take them to the airport to be flown out of the country. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby and Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor said this was the third such helicopter rescue flight done by the military during the ongoing evacuation. They declined to say who the passengers were or provide any other details.
U.S. lawmakers also urged the secretaries of state and defense, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the director of national intelligence to appeal to Biden to reconsider his determination to stick with his timeline. Republicans and Democrats said that if there are still American citizens left in Afghanistan trying to escape, the United States should not adhere to the deadline, regardless of the risk involved in staying.
The two lawmakers said that they met with service members and State Department officials during their brief time at the airport and said that they believe Biden should extend the Aug. 31 deadline for evacuating Americans, allies and vulnerable Afghans. After talking with commanders on the ground today and seeing the situation for ourselves, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, no matter what we do, we wont get everyone out on time, even by 9/11, they said.
He used the internet to plan his attack and, using his crimes as a catalyst, intended to foment racial division and strife across America, they wrote. He wanted the widest possible publicity for his atrocities, and, to that end, he purposefully left one person alive in the church to tell the story. When apprehended, he frankly confessed, with barely a hint of remorse.
It is unclear exactly what effect the ruling will have. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that it will continue to challenge the district court ruling. As the appeal process continues, however, DHS will comply with the order in good faith, the statement said. Alongside interagency partners, DHS has begun to engage with the Government of Mexico in diplomatic discussions surrounding the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). DHS remains committed to building a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system that upholds our laws and values.
She ordered the lawyers to pay the attorneys fees for their opponents in the case  the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan. She also wrote that she will require them to attend legal education classes. And she referred the group to the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission, as well as attorney disciplinary committees in the states where each attorney is licensed, which could initiate proceedings that could result in the lawyers being disbarred.
This audit is intended to go much further than previous reviews mandated by state law, which have focused on whether the reported counts are accurate,  Corman wrote. The goal of the Senates investigation will not be to conduct a recount, but to find any flaws in the system that could be exploited by bad actors and take action to correct those flaws through legislative changes to our Election Code.
A more sweeping proposal to overhaul the nations voting law passed the House earlier this year but was blocked in the Senate by Republicans in June. The newly passed House bill is unlikely to advance in the Senate due to Republican opposition. Voting rights advocates have urged Democrats to get rid of the chambers filibuster  which essentially requires 60 votes for most legislation to pass  to ensure that major changes to the nations voting laws are enacted to counter the voter restrictions being put in place in states controlled by Republicans. But a handful of moderate Democrats are opposed to getting rid of the rule, arguing it serves a check on both parties and encourages bipartisanship.
Evermays convenient location is another attraction for residents. Although there are no stores or restaurants within the community, downtown McLean is a mile and a half down Route 123. Hutchinson said he can be at the Kennedy Center in Washington within about 20 minutes. And Tysons Corner and its new Capital One Center are both within a 15-minute drive, he said.
The president has the authority to cut through all this red tape and he should. For example, the military should be able to fast-track anyone it believes was instrumental in saving American lives. This will not be easy with the Kabul airport surrounded by Taliban soldiers, but we must rescue those we can. If during the chaos at the airport, some undeserving Afghans also get out of the country, that is a small price to pay to rescue those who supported us.
Stephen Lara poses along a Nevada highway where law enforcement seized nearly $87,000 from him in February  without alleging any crimes. (Institute for Justice)

Advocates for Stephen Lara say his case shows how the government abuses its power to seize assets.
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Last week, peace activists, humanitarian and nongovernment organizations, and Korean American groups representing separated families met with administration officials to make their case. They argued that ending the ban would allow families to reunite with their aging loved ones, bring medical and humanitarian aid to those who need it the most, and help ordinary North Koreans and Americans to learn more about one another beyond whats reported in the news.
Chinas ambassador to the United Nations, Chen Xu, sent a letter Monday to Tedros, declaring that the U.S. military lab at Fort Detrick in Maryland is the one that should be under investigation, instead of any Chinese labs, according to a statement from the Chinese mission in Geneva. The mission said Tedros was also sent a petition signed by 25 million Chinese netizens requesting an investigation of the Fort Detrick lab.
Most partners across the region are happy to see the United States end its forever wars in the Middle East and finally prioritize Asia in the way that it has said it should for over a decade, said Greg Poling, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Overall, it is likely to be a net positive for the administration, which it desperately needs right now.
Raisi has said his foreign policy will focus on engagement with all nations and the removal of sanctions. New Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who received 270 votes from lawmakers, said his ministry would not run away from the negotiating table and will do its best to remove all sanctions against the country.
The young women, who had to travel through six countries to reach Mexico, have competed in robotics competitions. They fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country earlier this month. The Taliban have been hostile to women working or going to school after a certain age.
Chaos at the Kabul airport has transfixed the world after the Taliban captured most of Afghanistan in a matter of days this month. Afghans poured onto the tarmac last week, and some clung to a U.S. military transport plane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths. At least seven people died that day, and another seven died Sunday in a panicked stampede.
Washington, IN (47501)

Today

Clear skies. Low near 55F. NNE winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low near 55F. NNE winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.
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Violent swings in the share prices of reporting companies continued on Wednesday, with WiseTech shooting the lights out while Reece, Nine Entertainment, and Seven Group all sunk nearly 10 per cent.

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 closed 0.4 per cent higher at 7531.9 points with stability provided by gains in the big banks, BHP, Rio Tinto, CSL, and Fortescue.

But there was big drama from WiseTech, which saw a sudden sharp spike in its share price at 11.30am, leading to a speeding ticket from the market operator.

The ASX added 0.4 per cent on Wednesday to continue its rebound. Credit:Peter Braig

The companys market capitalisation jumped by $3 billion as investors drove the share price up to $57.31.

I have never seen such a large company move so much in a day without a takeover bid, said chief investment officer at Australian Eagle Asset Management, Sean Sequeira.

When it was up 58 per cent, I was just gobsmacked.

He noted there could have been a short squeeze going on, even though official records only report 1 per cent of shares held in a short position. WiseTech closed 28.5 per cent higher at $46.50.

Appen jumped 8.7 per cent and HUB24 gained 8.5 per cent. The recovery continued for travel stocks with Flight Centre up 7.4 per cent, Webjet up 6.5 per cent and Qantas up 5.4 per cent to a seven-week high of $4.87.

Telstra dropped 2.5 per cent after going ex-dividend, and Wesfarmers dropped for a third day in a row to a close at a three-week low of $63.22, ahead of full-year results on Friday.

Plumbing group Reece dropped 10.8 per cent a day after its results, but was still up 50 per cent so far this year.

APA Group dropped 3 per cent after a large write-down of its Orbost gas works.

Seven Group Holdings dropped 7.6 per cent after chairman Kerry Stokes resigned and investors were unsatisfied with the company outlook. Nine Entertainment (publisher of this masthead) fell 9.7 per cent after results missed expectations.
Family and friends are mourning the death of a Sydney mother-of-three who tested positive to COVID-19, while her husband battles the virus in hospital.

Ianeta Isaako has been named on social media as the woman in her 30s who died at her home in Emerton, in the citys west, on Monday.

Ianeta Isaako, pictured with her husband, died after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

NSW Health on Tuesday afternoon confirmed Ms Isaakos death was being investigated by the Western Sydney Local Health District and has been referred to the coroner.

NSW Health extends its deepest sympathies to her loved ones, a spokesperson said.
But Mr Merlino conceded the ambition could be thwarted by vaccine supply. Well be asking the Commonwealth for additional supplies of the vaccine, Mr Merlino said. We want [all] year 12 [students] vaccinated, we want at least one dose for kids 12 and older by the end of the year, but that is going to be subject to supply. From Monday, there can be school-based assessments on-site if they cannot be done online. The General Achievement Test has been confirmed for September 9, and exams are scheduled from October 4 through to November 17. P-plater Justin Somerville with front passenger Leo Frescos and back seat passengers James Cardwell and Cullen Smith wait to be vaccinated at Eagle Stadium in Werribee on Wednesday. Credit:Luis Ascui While VCE students move closer to their exams, Mr Merlino said the states younger students had shown great resilience to improve in NAPLAN results despite remote learning.

Victoria has moved to the number one spot for reading in years 5 and 7. You would think of any year, this would be the year that we might  struggle, that we might go backwards  we have not, Mr Merlino said. We have not, and that is a major victory for our kids, for our families, for our schools. People checking in before they receive their COVID-19 vaccinations at the Melbourne Showgrounds vaccination site on Wednesday. Credit:Chris Hopkins Mr Merlino said Victorias year 7 cohort was the only one in the country to improve in reading compared with the last NAPLAN.

Warning over children and COVID-19 Increased access to vaccinations was announced on Tuesday, with people aged between 16 and 39 able to get Pfizer, and prompted widespread cancellations of AstraZeneca vaccination appointments. Health Minister Martin Foley warned on Wednesday that the states current COVID-19 outbreak continues to be an outbreak of young people. Jake Talevski,19, and his father, Rob, were front of the queue at the Showgrounds for Jakes vaccine. Credit:Chris Hopkins Of the states 538 active cases, 114 are aged nine and under, 101 are aged between 10 and 19, and 89 are in their 20s. There are currently 36 people in hospital with COVID-19 in Victoria. Of those, nine are in ICU, and seven are on ventilators.

Melbourne local Jake Talevski, 19, jumped out of bed at 6.50am ready to grab one of the 450,000 Pfizer appointments coming online across the state at 7am. He said he refreshed the page a few times and then managed to secure a slot at Melbourne Showgrounds vaccination hub  all by just after 8am. Doing my research, I was always in preference of getting the Pfizer [vaccine] done, he said. Mr Talevski said he thought something similar to NSWs COVID-19 situation could happen in Victoria, so he liked that the Pfizer vaccine had a shorter timeframe between doses compared with AstraZeneca. Alex Sartor receiving a Pfizer vaccination at the Melbourne Showgrounds clinic on Wednesday. Credit:Chris Hopkins I even tried booking it yesterday as well too [because authorities were] saying theyll give you Pfizer even if youve got an AstraZeneca [booking]. It didnt work quite then, he said.Ive just been waiting for the chance to actually get it done. Its been a long time coming.

Alex Sartor, 24, was already booked in to get the AstraZeneca vaccine at Melbourne Showgrounds on Wednesday, but was pleased to be offered the Pfizer vaccine instead when he arrived. I always looked at the [AstraZeneca] and thought to myself, Im quite a low-risk individual, I do keep healthy, but there was always that thing in the back of my mind that there is that possibility of a risk, he said. Having the Pfizer, it kind of does eliminate that idea in the back of my head. Nikki Panopoulos was originally booked in to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, but received Pfizer instead on Wednesday. Credit:Chris Hopkins Northern suburbs resident Nikki Panopoulos, 23, booked in on Tuesday morning to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine at Melbourne Showgrounds, only hours before authorities announced the expanded eligibility criteria for Pfizer.

She called the COVID-19 vaccination hotline later on Tuesday and they booked her in to receive the Pfizer vaccine at an earlier appointment on Wednesday morning. I think everyone went into [receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine] with a few questions but I spoke to my general practitioner and I felt fine  I think I felt lucky to get any vaccine that was available, she said. Im going to opt for Pfizer [today], just purely because it became available. Weve been waiting for supply for a long time.

The state health departments COVID-19 response deputy secretary Naomi Bromley said that, from the end of Wednesday onwards, young people who specifically booked an AstraZeneca appointment would only be offered that vaccine at their appointment - not Pfizer. High demand puts pressure on booking system By 9am on Wednesday, 25,000 Victorians had booked in to get a COVID-19 vaccination, according to authorities. Ms Bromley said 1.3 million people had tried to call the coronavirus vaccination booking line on Wednesday morning and the booking site was receiving 50,000 hits per minute. There are 300,000 vaccination appointments available until mid-September. Credit:Chris Hopkins

So it is slow, it is busy, please be patient, please be kind to our staff, Ms Bromley said. But people are getting through and making those bookings, which is really fantastic. The deputy secretary said there were still plenty of vaccine appointments available in the system, with 300,000 available between now and September 17. But as Ive said, the system is really busy and those appointments continue to fill up, Ms Bromley said. We will continue to take every single dose that we have in Victoria and turn it into an appointment so a Victorian can book into that appointment. Victorias 45 new local cases and support for Shepparton The government pledged on Wednesday to provide more support to the Shepparton community as the regional area struggles with a third of its population in isolation.

Mr Foley said more health workers would be sent to Shepparton, in the states central north, and that authorities were also looking at the possibility of dispatching more Australian Defence Force personnel. So were working through all those issues, be it with the hospitals, the aged care centres, the food distribution chain people  the whole set of supports to make sure that the people of Shepparton, and the Goulburn Valley more broadly, get all the support they need, Mr Foley said. Well work through all of those other issues with council, with industry, and make sure that the people of Shepparton get through this very challenging time. The 45 cases recorded on Wednesday include nine linked to the Shepparton and Royal Melbourne Hospital clusters  five in Shepparton and four linked to the hospital  as well as:

Ten linked to MyCentre Child Care in Broadmeadows

Four linked to the Hobsons Bay cluster

Two linked to the CBD and North Melbourne

One linked to the Glenroy West Primary School

Ten household contacts of previously announced cases

Nine still under investigation by authorities but that include cases in Hobsons Bay, Hume, Melton, Wyndham, the City of Maribyrnong, Moreland, Monash and Glen Eira. Hesitancy dropping, voters back opening plan Access to vaccines for people aged over 16 comes as new exclusive political research by Resolve Strategic on behalf of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald has found most Australians want political leaders to stick to a national cabinet deal to ease restrictions when the vaccination rate hits key targets, with 62 per cent backing the plan and only 24 per cent saying states and territories should go their own way. Voters are increasing their support for vaccinations at the same time many of them decide the country will not return to zero coronavirus cases, with 54 per cent saying it is not possible to achieve complete suppression again.

The research also shows vaccine hesitancy has plunged to 12 per cent from 29 per cent in May. At Melbourne Showgrounds on Wednesday, people had mixed feelings about whether Victoria should stick to the national plan. Ms Panopoulos said she thought it was a good idea. I do kind of agree with the fact that we cant continue to live life in and out of lockdown, but I think its only safe to open up when [health professionals say it is], she said. Mr Foley said on Wednesday that he couldnt rule out further border measures with NSW, in light of the states deteriorating position with COVID-19.

I think that if the vaccines proven effective and if theres faith in the vaccine, and [its] as per the health advice, if we can get open, then why not. Loading Tony, who asked for The Age not to use his surname, was at the Showgrounds on Wednesday to receive his second COVID-19 vaccine dose. His 15-year-old son was receiving his first dose. He said Victoria shouldnt stick to the national plan because it was unsafe. Seventy per cent means 55 per cent of the whole population  that doesnt include children and there will still be too much of the Delta variant in the population, he said.

[I dont know what] open up means, [but if its] kids back to school and things like that, its not a safe number  it needs to be a higher vaccination rate. Only 10 per cent of those who are yet to be vaccinated said they were willing to take the AstraZeneca jab, reflecting months of dispute over a rare blood clot condition, official health advice to restrict it to older people, media headlines over its efficacy and political argument over its use. Carlton apartment complex among new exposure sites The states list of exposure sites continues to grow, and now includes more public transport routes and shopping centres.

On Wednesday, authorities identified a number of bus routes and the Melton to Footscray V-Line train route as tier-2 exposure sites. The Bellagio Apartment Complex at Carlton was later also declared a tier-2 site across four days, while several retail outlets in Hoppers Crossing were also listed as casual contact exposure sites. Woolworths Millers Junction at Altona North, which has previously been listed as an exposure site, was listed as a tier-2 site over six days from 12am to 11.59pm. Authorities warned some people who attended the site would be considered close contacts.

Tier 2 means anyone who visited those sites during the specified timeframes has to urgently get tested for COVID-19 and isolate until they receive a negative result. New exposure sites listed late on Tuesday were focused around Melbournes north and west but also featured a takeaway food outlet in the south-east and a city supermarket. Among the new tier-1 locations listed on Tuesday were: Woolworths Millers Junction, 302-330 Millers Road, Altona North on 20/08/2021 from 12:00am to 3:50pm; on 19/08/2021 from 11:30am to 11:59pm and on 18/08/2021 from 2:00pm to 11:30pm;

Melbourne Market  Warehouse 4.1, 55 Produce Drive, Epping VIC 3076, on 22/08/2021 from 4:32am to 8:18am; on 21/08/2021 from 3:10am to 9:50am; on 20/08/2021 from 1:30am to 10:30am. Tier 1 means anyone who attended those venues during the specified timeframes has to immediately get tested for COVID-19 and quarantine for 14 days, regardless of whether they receive a negative result.
A majority of Australians want political leaders to stick to a national cabinet deal to ease restrictions when the vaccination rate hits key targets, with 62 per cent backing the plan and only 24 per cent saying states and territories should go their own way.

Voters are increasing their support for vaccinations at the same time many of them decide the country will not return to zero coronavirus cases, with 54 per cent saying it is not possible to achieve complete suppression again.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants state and territory leaders to stick to the plan to lift lockdowns once vaccination targets are reached. Credit:Fairfax Media

The exclusive findings lend weight to Prime Minister Scott Morrisons call to the country to get out of the cave after weeks of dispute over whether to relax rules when the vaccine rate reaches 70 per cent and then 80 per cent of people aged 16 and over.

The Resolve Political Monitor, conducted for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age by research company Resolve Strategic, finds majority support for the national plan within states including 64 per cent in NSW and 61 per cent in Victoria.
Wilmington, DE (19810)

Today

Thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. Potential for flooding rains. Low 62F. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. Potential for flooding rains. Low 62F. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch.
Wilmington, DE (19810)

Today

Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Potential for flooding rains. Low 62F. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Potential for flooding rains. Low 62F. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.
A man was shot and killed inside a home on Sunday, Aug. 22 in the Chickasaw neighborhood.
Reporter

I cover a range of stories for WDRB, but really enjoy tracking what's going on at our State Capitol. I grew up on military bases all over the world, but am a Kentuckian at heart. I'm an EKU alum, and have lived in Louisville for 30 years.
This Nov. 19, 2019, photo shows a Peloton logo on the company's stationary bicycle in San Francisco. Peloton is betting big that home workouts will continue to be popular next year and beyond, snapping up commercial exercise equipment maker Precor in a deal that will give Peloton its first manufacturing capacity in the U.S. Shares of Peloton jumped 13% in Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2020 trading, signaling investors like the move. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)


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16th Annual Wildcat Block Party to Kick off School Year

August 11, 2021

OGDEN, Utah  Weber State Universitys annual Wildcat Block Party is expected to draw thousands of people to campus for a back-to-school celebration Sept. 3 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Stewart Bell Tower Plaza.

The event is a chance to celebrate campus organizations as well as educate students and community members about how to get involved in university activities. Event organizers are excited to reconnect with the campus community after last years event was canceled due to the pandemic.

Were looking forward to welcoming students back to campus with one of Weber States most important traditions, said Tara Peris, Student Involvement and Leadership director. It allows the campus community to learn about the many services, majors, departments, activities and organizations the university offers. We hope new and returning students will come out and celebrate this fun event.

Wildcat Block Party begins at 8 a.m. with campus administrators, including President Mortensen, serving the free annual Purple Pancake Breakfast. Booths will open at 8:30 a.m., and sponsored activities are scheduled throughout the day.

Students with a valid Wildcard may pick up food passports at the Shepherd Union Information Desk. Beginning at 11 a.m., students can visit various locations around the event to collect passport stamps for a chance to enter for a grand-prize drawing.

One hundred and fifteen groups are expected to sponsor booths around this years theme Weber is Your Winning Ticket. The booths will include academic departments, student services, and WSU clubs and organizations.

This is a unique opportunity for students to start getting involved with the different clubs and organizations they can join while at Weber State, which include a variety of options for all interests. In addition, new students can learn about the services available to them, including student activities, leadership opportunities, tutoring, library resources, counseling and outdoor recreation.

During the event, Weber State will also be holding a vaccine clinic for the campus community in the Shepherd Union Atrium from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition, the Annual American Red Cross Blood Battle will be held at the Dee Events Center on the Ogden campus from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. This will be the final day for both the vaccine clinic and the Blood Battle.

Wildcat Block Party booths will be open until 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Parking will be available on Harrison Boulevard and at the pay lot on the south side of the Shepherd Union Building.

For photos of the 2019 event, visit this link.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- The Roderick Ireland Courthouse in downtown Springfield was forced to close Wednesday afternoon due to environmental safety hazards. Employees said mold is a growing issue, along with ventilation and air quality concerns that have plagued the building for years.

It started with the Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni evacuating his 45 employees from their office space in this building. He also evacuated six employees from the nearby juvenile court. Shortly before 2 p.m. today, Hampden County Court of Clerks Laura Gentile told us this entire building was being shut down for the day to protect people's health.

For too long, this courthouse has not been safe, Gulluni explained.

From the holding cells to the courtrooms where the judges sit, the Roderick Ireland courthouse has a mold problem. Seen in the pictures obtained by Western Mass News, white and blueish mold is seen growing throughout the building. While ventilation and air quality concerns have been a problem for decades, Gulluni said Wednesday was the breaking point.

Meeting held over concerns of air quality in Springfield's courthouses SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- A meeting was called for this afternoon in response to a new report highlighting issues inside the Roderick Ire

Weve reached a crisis point with this building, Gulluni said.

Gulluni evacuated his staff and vowed they'll enter the building only for trial matters, but even shortly after his announcement, the entire courthouse closed down.

Western Mass News also spoke with Gentile, who had to dismiss jurors earlier in the day due to these environmental issues.

There was a concern in the courtroom that we were going to impanel and for that reason, I felt it was best to send the jurors home, Gentile added.

We reached out to the Office of the Trial Court in Boston to see what they're doing about it. They sent us a statement that said, in part:

"The Trial Court has contracted an environmental testing firm and is arranging for a licensed mold abatement company to work in the building today to assess and address the issues that have been identified. The Trial Court will determine the ability to reopen once those assessments have been completed."

Report: increased air quality issues at Springfield courthouses SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- A new report is shedding light on problems inside the Roderick l. Ireland Courthouse and Hampden Juvenile Court

Hampden County officials are dealing not only with this mold problem, but also the continued shutdown of a separate court location in the Eastfield Mall's old movie theater. That shutdown is also caused by mold.

Were hoping that we can get back into the mall by next Wednesday, assuming that were sure that everything is safe, Gentile noted.

All these issues coming to a head after years of complaints and more than one study of the building's safety, but Gulluni felt the people of western Massachusetts shouldn't have had to wait this long.

Its my belief that if we were farther east, this building wouldve been replaced a long time ago, Gulluni said.

The Hampden County Registry of Deeds has also announced that they will no longer be operating out of the Roderick Ireland Courthouse because of the conditions. Operations will continue at their Wesfield office, which is located at Westfield city hall on Court Street, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office noted that all business, including land court and recording plans, will be accepted there.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  People in Oregon, regardless of vaccination status, will once again be required to wear masks in most public outdoor settings  including large outdoor events where physical distancing is not possible  beginning Friday.

The mandate, announced Tuesday by Gov. Kate Brown, is part of a growing list of statewide requirements implemented in Oregon in an attempt to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19.

Oregon is one of a handful of states with an indoor mask mandate in effect. But it's the first to reinstitute a statewide mask requirement for outdoor public areas where people are close together, according to the governors office.

Over the past month, coronavirus cases, fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant, have overwhelmed hospitals in the Pacific Northwest state. On Tuesday, Brown said 1,000 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized, beating the state's record set the previous day of 937 people.

The Delta variant is spreading fast and wide, throwing our state into a level of crisis we have not yet seen in the pandemic. Cases and hospitalizations are at a record high, Brown said in a statement. Masks are a quick and simple tool we can immediately deploy to protect ourselves and our families, and quickly help stop further spread of COVID-19."

Health officials say part of the reason for the new mandate is that they're seeing instances where cases are clustering around outdoor events, such as music festivals.

The new mandate requires masks in outdoor settings in which people from different households are unable to consistently maintain physical distance. The rule does not apply to fleeting encounters," such as two people walking by each other on a trail or in a park.

While the rule does not apply to outdoor gatherings at private residences with individuals from different households, the Oregon Health Authority strongly recommends that people wear a mask during those scenarios.

Along with mask mandates, the governor has announced that staff and volunteers in K-12 schools, health care workers and state employees are required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18.

Oregon was once described as a success story for limiting the spread of the coronavirus, after its Democratic governor imposed some of the nations strictest safety measures. Those restrictions were lifted June 30, and the state is now being hammered by delta variant, which was first detected in India.

On Monday there were just 47 adult intensive care unit beds available in Oregon. Currently more than 90% of the state's ICU and hospital beds are full. Health officials say the overwhelming majority of people hospitalized are unvaccinated.

Many hospitals have canceled elective surgeries, and some patients are housed in hallways instead of rooms.

Brown has dispatched about 1,500 National Guard troops to hospitals around the state.

___

Sara Cline is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Cloudy and cooler with periods of rain, some heavy at times. Watching moisture associated with Ida which could lead to flash flooding..

Tonight

Overcast with occasional rain, heavy at times, which will likely lead to flash flooding. Also stay alert for a strong or severe storm tonight and overnight.
Reading, PA (19601)

Today

Cloudy and cooler with periods of rain, some heavy at times. Watching moisture associated with Ida which could lead to flash flooding..

Tonight

Overcast with occasional rain, heavy at times, which will likely lead to flash flooding. Also stay alert for a strong or severe storm tonight and overnight.
NWS Weather Alert NOTE: This information is provided by the National Weather Service. Forecast may differ from local information provided by our own 69News Meteorologists

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING... The Flash Flood Watch continues for * Portions of New Jersey...and Pennsylvania...including the following areas...in New Jersey...Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren. In Pennsylvania...Berks, Carbon, Delaware, Eastern Chester, Eastern Montgomery, Lehigh, Lower Bucks, Monroe, Northampton, Philadelphia, Upper Bucks, Western Chester, and Western Montgomery. * Through Thursday morning. * The remnants of Hurricane Ida will pass through the region today and tonight. Periods of heavy rain and scattered thunderstorms associated with this low will result in widespread rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches, with locally higher amounts possible. Much of this rainfall may occur in a short period of time, exacerbating the flooding threat. Combined with wet antecedent conditions, this will lead to numerous instances of flash flooding, some of which may be significant. * Flooding of creeks, streams, urban areas, and poor drainage areas is likely in the areas of heaviest rain. Water is likely to cover the roads, especially in low-lying areas. Moderate to major flooding is possible along some main stem rivers, and roads and structures near these rivers may be flooded. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued. &&
Quincy, IL (62301)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
Graphic Design and Presentation Assistant, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Organization: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Country: Saudi Arabia

City: Riyadh

Office: FAO Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Closing date: Monday, 4 October 2021

2100624

Graphic Design and Presentation Assistant

Job Posting: 23/Aug/2021

Closure Date: 04/Oct/2021, 9:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit : RNE

Job Type: Non-staff opportunities

Type of Requisition : PSA (Personal Services Agreement)

Grade Level : N/A

Primary Location: Saudi Arabia-Riyadh

Duration : 11 months

Post Number : N/A

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

Qualified female applicants and qualified nationals of non-and under-represented member countries are encouraged to apply.

Persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Organizational Setting

The incumbent will be part of the Programme Management Unit (PMU) of the FAO-Saudi Technical Cooperation Programme in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The PMU of the FAO-Saudi Technical Cooperation Programme (2019-2025) facilitates, coordinates and manages all technical and advisory services to be provided by FAO to the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MoEWA). The project "UTF/SAU/051/SAU Strengthening MoEWAs Capacity to Implement the Sustainable Rural Agricultural Development Programme" is the first project that has been approved within the framework of FAO-Saudi Technical Cooperation Programme (2019-2025). The project will provide technical and advisory assistance to the MoEWA in implementing its flagship sustainable rural agricultural development programme that has recently been approved within the context of the National Transformation Programme of the Saudi Vision 2030. The project expected results will be achieved through implementation of nine project components: 1) Development of coffee Arabica production, processing and marketing; 2) Development of beekeeping and honey production; 3) Development of rose production and trade; 4) Development of sub-tropical fruits production, processing and marketing; 5) Strengthening capacity of small-scale fishermen and fish farmers; 6) Strengthening capacity of small-scale livestock herders; 7) Development of rain-fed cereals production; 8) Enhancing value addition from smallholdings and rural activities; and 9) Strengthening MoEWAs capacity in sustainable management of rangelands, forests and natural resources to support rural livelihoods.

Reporting Lines

The Graphic Design and Presentation Assistant reports to the Administrative Officer in the FAO Saudi Arabia.

Technical Focus

The Graphic Design and Presentation Assistant develops and produces creative concepts for communication materials, publications, presentations, web/social media, and social marketing ensuring coherence with FAOs corporate communication policy and operational guidelines for all communication and information outputs.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Collect, review, and ensure full understanding and documents FAO policies and guidelines related to communication materials, their design and publication.

Undertake graphic designing, editing and customization using design and 3D applications and software.

Develop branding and visual identity concepts of communication products/campaigns, according to FAO rules and guidelines, reflecting successfully the Organizations mission, key themes and core strategies, while appealing to a variety of audiences.

Illustrate concept by designing layout of art regarding arrangement, size, style, and related aesthetics.

Review final designs eliminate errors and ensure quality, especially prior to printing or other final deliverable production steps.

Research, compile and organize information and reference materials from various sources for reports;

Create spreadsheets and presentations; manage and update databases for mailing lists and other information; and maintain electronic and paper files.

Support the production of publications to develop graphic identities coherent with the FAO Corporate Publications Policy.

Collaborate with programme professional officers regarding editing, proofreading and printing of publications and, where required, sources appropriate external suppliers.

Manage documents, catalogue and archive design products, safeguard and ensure production of all communication products (brochures, web banners, poster, gadgets, info-graphics, PowerPoint templates and other materials) in line with corporate branding, logo and other relevant guidelines.

Support conceptualization, design, production and publication of technical presentations prepared by the programme professional officers.

Deliver creative graphic and technical solutions (including info graphics if required) for print, electronic, web-based and animated presentations.

Perform other related duties as assigned.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

University degree /specialized diploma in Graphic Design, Service Design, Communication, Marketing or a related subject.

Three years of relevant experience in graphic design for copy, print and online media, web and motion design and Power Point Presentation.

Working knowledge level C of English and Arabic.

National of Saudi Arabia or resident in the country with a regular work permit

FAO Core Competencies

Results Focus

Teamwork

Communication

Building Effective Relationships

Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

Work experience in more than one location or area of work

Experience with a variety of graphic software in considered a strong asset.

Good knowledge of the organizational structure.

Good knowledge of FAOs administrative policies and procedures.

Very good knowledge and experience in developing high-quality communication/multimedia materials for a wide variety of audiences.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing).

Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org

Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.

Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications.

For other issues, visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/

HOW TO APPLY To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered. Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile. If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org

Link to the organizations job offer: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1629740831057
Willmar, MN (56201)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low around 60F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low around 60F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.
From Walt Disney World to Goldman Sachs, a flurry of private and public employers are requiring workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 after the federal government gave full approval to the Pfizer shot. And the number is certain to grow much higher.

For the past eight months, coronavirus shots were dispensed in the U.S. under emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. Some workers and unions objected to getting the vaccine  and some employers were reluctant to require it  because it had yet to receive FDA full approval. That happened on Monday.

The FDA decision takes that off the table," said Devjani Mishra, a New York-based attorney with the firm Littler Mendelson, which specializes in workplace matters. She and others in the worlds of business, law and health predicted more companies will mandate vaccines for their workforces.

Shortly after the FDA acted, Walt Disney World reached a deal with its unions to require all workers at its theme park in Orlando, Florida, to be vaccinated.

Goldman Sachs told employees Tuesday that it will require anyone who enters the banks U.S. offices to be fully vaccinated starting Sept. 7, according to a memo obtained by The New York Times.

Drugstore chain CVS said pharmacists, nurses and other workers who have contact with patients will have to be inoculated. Oil giant Chevron Corp. said it will require some of its workers  such as those who travel internationally, live abroad or work on its offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico  to get their COVID-19 shots.

We pushed 'go' when the FDA made that decision, said Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, president of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, which announced on Monday that its 800 faculty members, 1,500 staff members and 18,000 students will have to be vaccinated. Before that, only students living on campus had to get the shot.

She said the university could have legally mandated vaccines before the FDA decision but waited for it because Pescovitz, who is a pediatrician, believes the authorization will help persuade those still on the fence.

Ohio State University, too, announced Tuesday that it would require all students, faculty and staff to complete the full vaccination process by Nov. 15. Ohio State is among the countrys largest universities and is a major employer in Columbus, Ohio.

On Monday, health experts expressed hope that the FDA's action would boost the U.S. vaccination rate, which bottomed out at about a half-million shots a day in July  down from a peak of 3.4 million a day on average in April.

The number of shots dispensed has since climbed to about 850,000 a day amid growing alarm over the highly contagious delta variant, which has sent deaths, cases and hospitalizations soaring, wiping out months of progress.

Littler Mendelson released a survey Monday showing that 9% of employers are already mandating vaccines for at least some of their workers, and an additional 12% are planning to impose some sort of mandate in the near future. In January, just 1% of firms Littler Mendelson surveyed had issued vaccine requirements.

There is a risk for employers at a time when many are struggling to fill openings and workers are confident of finding better jobs: Faced with a vaccine requirement, an employee might say, OK, fine. Im leaving,'" Mishra said. "Its not a given youre going to be able to fill that job with someone who is vaccinated.

But Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle, said he doesnt foresee a large backlash.

People will see that mandates can open their businesses and save their paychecks. They will see the effects and they will welcome it, he said.

Earlier this summer, President Joe Biden announced that federal workers will have to get vaccinated or else face weekly testing and other measures.

The nation's two largest private employers don't seem to be budging. Walmart said Tuesday there is no change to its policy, which requires vaccinations for office workers but not store employees. And Amazon, which doesnt mandate vaccines for any of its employees, declined to comment.

As for the auto industry, Ford Motor Co. said it is not requiring the vaccine, and General Motors has said it isnt either, though CEO Mary Barra has held open the possibility.

The career-advice website Ladders Inc. released a study last week showing a more than 50-fold increase since January in job openings that require applicants to be vaccinated.

Ladders spokeswoman Laurie Monteforte predicted vaccine requirements will only rise after the FDA decision. Many employers, she said, have exhausted vaccine incentives such as bonuses or other perks.

Employers that require vaccines are on solid legal ground. Private companies and government employers can generally require workers to be inoculated as a condition of working there, though they must offer exemptions or accommodations in some cases.

___

Associated Press writers Carla K. Johnson, Anne D'Innocenzio, Tom Krisher and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this story.
After much deliberation by both New Canaan and Wilton this summer on the legalization of adult-use recreational marijuana and the prospect of instituting restrictions to prevent cannabis-related businesses from entering their small business sector, local representatives for both towns shared their insights on the topic on Tuesday.

I am a firm opponent to New Canaan and Wilton opening up recreational adult-use marijuana storefronts, said state Rep. Tom ODea, a Republican who represents both communities, on Monday. We don't need adult-use marijuana sales in our towns.

ODea, who helped in heading the proposal of an amendment to fix Senate Bill 1201, expressed his concerns over the legalization of marijuana on a statewide level and why a retail element is not needed in the towns he represents.

First, ODea wanted a strict regulation on the content of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, in all cannabinoid products sold across the state. ODea said he would have limited THC content to 30 percent and increased the age to 25 for those wishing to purchase the products.

State Sen. Will Haskell, a Democrat who also represents both Wilton and New Canaan, agreed with ODeas sentiments, saying that he fought really hard to see that THC levels were regulated. Haskell said that while he doesnt suggest residents indulge in consuming cannabis, he wants those that do to be able to do so safely through government regulation and transparency from the producers of the products.

Haskell, like ODea, sees this as a public health issue.

He made reference to an incident in 2018 where dozens of people overdosed on synthetic marijuana tainted with fentanyl on the New Haven Green. While the state government can regulate what goes into the cannabis with strict oversight into the production facilities, he said, other measures such as strict age-focused advertising and age restrictions can help provide further safety measures.

ODea also made reference to the effects of individuals purchasing mairjuana off of the black market. He also said that, through researching indoor growing methods since Colorado legalized recreational marijuana sales in 2012, he isnt convinced that the big business production model is foolproof.

According to a paper titled Cannabis and the Environment: What Science Tells Us and What We Still Need to Know published in January in the Environmental Science and Technology Letters and by the American Chemical Society, indoor growth may alleviate water stress, it may also increase the carbon footprint of cannabis by encouraging energy-intensive indoor cultivation. In addition, the social and economic impacts of shifting the location of cannabis production should be considered when developing policies. The study adds that additional data are needed to fully understand the potential risks and implications of indoor cannabis cultivation on air quality.

At a Wilton Planning and Zoning meeting earlier this month, the commission asked questions on a clear distinction between the production and retail elements and how they both could affect the town if allowed to open.

Both Wilton and New Canaan are exploring options of opening moratoriums on all cannabis-related businesses to take a wait and see approach on how the rest of the state handles it. After the temporary moratorium periods end, a more permanent decision on whether to allow cannabis-related businesses can be made.

I think our local governments are smart enough not to do that, ODea said of New Canaan and Wilton.

The state representative also focused on the public safety element of allowing for these businesses to enter the towns, claiming that an increase of accidents on roads and highways can result from the passing of the bill and increased sales of cannabinoid products.

If a bellow of smoke comes out of the car, ODea said, a police officer cannot pull someone out for probable cause of inhalation unless there is some other sign.

Haskell said he wants to promote road safety, cracking down on driving while high and keeping cannabis products out of the hands of minors.

The Democratic senator said that erasure for individuals currently serving prison terms or those unable to find housing, jobs or to apply to school due to previous low-level nonviolent drug offenses is important. Anyone with a prior record of cannabis possession conviction of four ounces or less will have those charges erased from their record.

While some towns may be debating the profitability of allowing retail cannabis storefronts, with three percent of sales being tossed back to the municipalities, ODea does not believe that the bill will produce any significant revenue boosts locally or on a state level.

It is not going to be the panacea or the benefit to the economy that people will be, I just don't see it, ODea said.

Haskell said that while he does not believe the full focus of the bill is to be as a revenue booster, it can be a revenue generator.

Let Norwalk, Bridgeport (and) Stamford open up those storefronts ... We dont need them in New Canaan and Wilton.
Winchester, VA (22601)

Today

Cloudy with light rain early...then becoming partly cloudy. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Cloudy with light rain early...then becoming partly cloudy. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP)  A gunman fatally shot a tourist eating dinner with his family at a Miami Beach restaurant as the man protected his 1-year-old son, police and a family member said.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP)  A gunman fatally shot a tourist eating dinner with his family at a Miami Beach restaurant as the man protected his 1-year-old son, police and a family member said.

Tamarius Blair Davis, 22, of Norcross, Georgia, told investigators he shot Dustin Wakefield, 21, on Tuesday night because he was high on mushrooms, which made him feel empowered, according to his arrest report.

This image provided by the Miami-Dade Police Department shows Tamarius Blair David Jr., who fatally shot a tourist eating dinner with his family at a Miami Beach restaurant, police and a family member said. David Jr., 22, of Norcross, Georgia, told investigators he shot Dustin Wakefield, 21, on Tuesday night because he was high on mushrooms, which made him feel empowered, according to his arrest report. (Miami-Dade Police Department via AP)

Davis allegedly told police he approached the patio area of the La Cerveceria restaurant just before 6:30 p.m. and randomly decided to shoot Wakefield, who was on vacation from Castle Rock, Colorado. In a short video taken immediately after the shooting and obtained by WSVN-TV, the gunman can be seen dancing while people are heard screaming. The gunman then walks up some steps, the weapon in his hand.

Mike Wakefield, the victims uncle, told the Miami Herald that Dustin Wakefield died protecting his young son.

This guy came in with a gun waving it, saying its time to die. He pointed the gun at his son and Dustin said, Hes only a boy, said Mike Wakefield, who was not in South Beach but heard the account from his family. Dustin stood up between the gunman and the baby and he shot him. He shot him multiple times on the ground.

He said of his nephew, who worked in construction, He was the kindest kid. He loved his family. He loved being a dad.

Davis fled the restaurant, police said, and was captured in a nearby alley. Cellphone video obtained by the Herald shows Davis lying spread-eagle on his back and smiling as three officers approach with their guns pointed towards him yelling commands, warning him that if he touches his gun he will be shot.

Davis then rolled onto his side into a fetal position, before again rolling onto his back as officers approached. Davis screamed I give, I give, I give as officers flip him onto his stomach and handcuff him. The video shows a black handgun lying about 10 feet (three meters) away.

Tommy Davis, the suspect's father, told The Associated Press that his son had traveled to Miami Beach with some friends. He said his son has never been in trouble or had mental health issues. No arrest record for the younger Davis could be found.

This is an unlikely thing, the senior Davis said. 'We are trying to find out what happened. You can imagine we were shocked."

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He said he didn't know whether his son would ingest mushrooms or other drugs.

You think you know your kid, but you don't," he said. It is possible someone gave him something. That is something we need to find out.

Davis is charged with murder and was being held without bond Wednesday at the Miami-Dade County Jail. Jail records do not indicate if he has an attorney. Police incorrectly listed his last name as David in their original arrest report.

___

This story corrects the last name of the suspect to Davis, not David. The last was name given wrongly in the original police report. ___

Spencer reported from Fort Lauderdale.
EDMONTON - Alberta reported more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday but, along with Saskatchewan, is not planning to follow broad mask mandates announced this week by neighbouring western provinces.

Minister of Health Tyler Shandro, removes his made-in-Calgary mask while announcing a new agreement between Alberta Health Services and a local manufacturer to produce medical equipment, in Calgary on Oct. 7, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

EDMONTON - Alberta reported more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday but, along with Saskatchewan, is not planning to follow broad mask mandates announced this week by neighbouring western provinces.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Health Minister Tyler Shandro have both said that vaccinations are the best, most effective way to get the province through the pandemic. Neither has addressed the surging numbers.

Both Alberta and Saskatchewan continue to urge residents who have not done so to get the two-dose protection.

Manitoba and British Columbia are reintroducing mask requirements in indoor public spaces to try to arrest a rise in case numbers.

Alberta reported 1,076 new cases Wednesday and had close to 8,500 active infections. Some 284 people were in hospital with COVID-19, 59 of them in intensive care. It's the highest daily case count since mid-May.

In Edmonton, Alberta Health spokesman Steve Buick said there is no plan to pursue a rule on face coverings. He added: "Our current mask rules remain in place, including mandatory masks in health-care settings and public transit."

In Saskatchewan, where there were 1,500 active cases and 108 people hospitalized, Health Minister Paul Merriman said provinces have the prerogative to choose what they want to do.

"But we feel right now that the vaccine is the best path through this," he told reporters in Regina.

"Public health measures are a stopgap," added Merriman, who stressed that the onus is on individuals to get vaccinated to protect themselves and to get the province through the pandemic.

Asked about mandatory vaccinations, he said: "You're infringing on people's personal rights if you're mandating things."

There is now a patchwork of masking and mandatory vaccination rules in both provinces for businesses, schools and events.

In Edmonton, fans over age 12 attending Oilers hockey games this fall will have to show proof of vaccination while, at this point, those attending Elks football games do not.

The Alberta Medical Association this week openly urged the province to institute mandatory vaccinations for health-care workers. Dr. Paul Boucher, the association's president, said that while he understands the issue is polarizing, vaccination "remains our most effective tool to keep our vulnerable patients safe."

David Shepherd, health critic for Alberta's NDP Opposition, said not following the lead of B.C. and Manitoba is yet another example of failed leadership from a United Conservative government that is seeking to off-load controversial or unpopular decisions.

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"This government is devolving the responsibility to make important public health decisions onto school boards, onto businesses, onto individuals and, indeed, causing them to have to deal with the tension, the blowback, (and) the issues that come with having to enforce this," said Shepherd.

The rule changes in other provinces come as they address a rise in COVID cases, tied mainly to the more transmissible Delta variant.

Along with requiring masks again, including in schools, Manitoba is mandating vaccinations for front-line provincial employees who work with vulnerable populations. Workers affected included doctors, nurses, teachers and prison guards. Manitoba is still seeing a low number of new cases, but Premier Brian Pallister said precautions must be taken to prevent a spike.

B.C.'s mask rule extends to malls, grocery stores and public transit, as well as to students in Grade 4 and higher.

Also on Wednesday, the Northwest Territories, which is experiencing it's worst outbreak of the pandemic, reinstated its mask mandate.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2021.
NEW YORK (AP)  A racket in which corrupt lawyers and doctors generated over $20 million in lawsuit settlements by manipulating hundreds of homeless individuals and other desperate people to feign trip-and-fall accidents has been shut down with an indictment, authorities announced Wednesday.

NEW YORK (AP)  A racket in which corrupt lawyers and doctors generated over $20 million in lawsuit settlements by manipulating hundreds of homeless individuals and other desperate people to feign trip-and-fall accidents has been shut down with an indictment, authorities announced Wednesday.

Charges against two lawyers and two doctors in Manhattan federal court were unveiled by authorities who detailed a scam in which people allegedly agreed to undergo needless surgeries sometimes to boost the value of lawsuits seeking compensation for fake accidents.

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said the defendants "preyed upon the most vulnerable members of society" to carry out a fraud that stretched from January 2013 through April 2018.

"The defendants abused their professional licenses and positions of trust to steal millions of dollars from New York City businesses and their insurance companies through a massive trip-and-fall fraud scheme," she said in a release.

Michael J. Driscoll, a New York FBI official, called the scheme "beyond reprehensible."

He said the case illustrated "the extent to which some are willing to go in the name of money."

Marc Elefant, 49, a lawyer, and two doctors  Andrew Dowd, 45, and Sady Ribeiro, 51  were arrested on Wednesday and awaited court appearances. Another lawyer, George Constantine, 58, was expected to surrender Thursday, authorities said.

Aaron Mysliwiec, a lawyer for Dowd, declined to comment.

Michael Bachner, an attorney for Elefant, said his client "denies the allegations contained in the indictment and looks forward to his day in court."

He added: "We are confident that the evidence proves that Mr. Elefant acted in good faith and in reliance on the information provided to him."

Marc Gann, an attorney representing Constantine, said his client "certainly denies the allegations adamantly and looks forward to fighting these charges in court."

He called Constantine a "longstanding member of the bar with what I believe is a stellar record as an attorney."

A lawyer for Ribeiro did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

An indictment said lawsuit settlements exceeded $20 million while Constantine collected more than $5 million in legal fees.

It said Down, an orthopedic surgeon, earned $9,500 per surgery as he performed hundreds of knee and shoulder surgeries on scheme patients. Ribeiro, the indictment said, was a pain management doctor and surgeon who performed back surgeries and other procedures, treating nearly 200 patients.

The indictment said participants in the scheme recruited more than 400 people to either claim they had fallen where no accident occurred or to deliberately fall at New York City locations where they could claim there were cracks in concrete sidewalks, potholes or unsecured cellar doors.

Lawyers then filed lawsuits claiming that falls resulted from the negligence of the owners of accident sites, the indictment said.

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Authorities said the lawsuits attempted to defraud victims of more than $31 million.

As part of the scam, individuals who claimed or staged fake accidents were urged to receive continuing chiropractic care and eventually were told they needed to undergo surgeries to boost the value of their lawsuits, the indictment said.

The medical procedures included spinal fusions, knee and shoulder surgeries and epidural injections and "at least one patient who underwent a surgery as part of the fraud scheme was told after awaking from general anesthesia that she almost died during the surgery," the indictment said.

The patients were generally told to undergo two surgeries and were encouraged to do so through loans of between $1,000 and $1,500 per surgery, it said.

The individuals recruited to take falls and become plaintiffs in lawsuits were "extremely poor," insufficiently clothed, and they often asked for food when they appeared for meetings with their lawyers, court papers said.

Some of them were drug users and it was common for participants in the fraud to recruit them at New York City homeless shelters, according to the indictment.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  The Alaska Federation of Natives has postponed its annual convention because of a rise in COVID-19 cases in the state, officials said in a statement.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  The Alaska Federation of Natives has postponed its annual convention because of a rise in COVID-19 cases in the state, officials said in a statement.

The convention has traditionally been the largest gathering of Alaska Natives in the state. It had been scheduled for Oct. 21-23 but is now delayed until mid-December in Anchorage, the organization said in a statement Tuesday.

The federation's board of directors cited a rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations statewide and the increasing pressure placed on Alaska's limited healthcare system.

Organizers said they will continue planning for an in-person convention at the Denaina Convention Center in downtown Anchorage with a virtual option. However, the statement said the board will make a decision by mid-October on whether to maintain the in-person part.

The high-risk factors of holding a 5,000-person indoor meeting, with delegates coming in from across Alaska, make an in-person October gathering out of the question, Alaska Federation of Natives President Julie Kitka said in the statement.

She said the economic impact of the pandemic on businesses and individuals continues to be felt. And when events like the federation's annual convention are turned virtual, there are negative economic impacts for everyone, including the host city.

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We are working to avoid that if we can, though our top priority remains the health and safety of our delegates and other participants, Kitka said.

Other organizers encouraged Alaskans to get vaccinated and wear masks so the convention can be held.

One notable celebration this year will be the observation of the 50th anniversary of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

The act was the largest land settlement in the nations history when President Richard Nixon signed it into law Dec. 18, 1971 and settled Indigenous land claims in Alaska.

Postponing until December provides us an opportunity to gather in person on the 50th anniversary of ANCSA, but it all hinges on everyones willingness and ability to get vaccinated, said Sealaska chairman and Alaska Federation of Natives co-chair Joe Nelson.

We want our convention plans for December to be an encouragement to Alaskans to double our efforts, get vaccinated, and mask up, said Sheri Buretta, chair of Chugach Alaska Corporation and the convention committee chair.
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP)  Thousands of Indigenous people marched toward Brazils Supreme Court on Wednesday to pressure justices expected to issue a ruling with far-reaching implications for land rights.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro looks up at parachute jumpers during a ceremony marking Soldier Day at Army headquarters in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP)  Thousands of Indigenous people marched toward Brazils Supreme Court on Wednesday to pressure justices expected to issue a ruling with far-reaching implications for land rights.

Wearing feather headdresses and with their bodies painted, they sang and danced along their 5-kilometer (3-mile) route. The group, which has been camping all week in the capital behind the National Theater, is comprised of some 6,000 people from 173 ethnic groups across the country, according to Association of Brazils Indigenous Peoples, a rights group and one of the organizers.

Justices will be evaluating a lower court's ruling that invalidated a claim by some Indigenous people in Santa Catarina state to what they say is their ancestral territory. The lower court based its decision on allegations the group wasn't occupying the land in October 1988, when Brazils constitution was signed after the nations return to democracy, which the group denies.

The Indigenous people were frustrated that the court didn't start discussing the case Wednesday. The majority of justices have yet to vote on another contentious debate, regarding the constitutionality of the Brazilian central banks autonomy.

An Indigenous man performs a ritual during the "Luta pela Vida," or Struggle for Life mobilization, a protest to pressure Supreme Court justices who are expected to issue a ruling that will have far-reaching implications for tribal land rights, outside the Supreme Court in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Protest organizers say the courts decision could be the ruling of the century, because negating the 1988 benchmark would force judges across the country to impose that understanding on similar pending cases, and also affect the fate of a related, controversial bill advancing in Congress.

President Jair Bolsonaro suggested Wednesday that overturning the lower court's ruling would prompt new requests to officially recognize hundreds of Indigenous territories.

His attorney general filed a request to the country's top court seeking to stop the Indigenous people from gathering, citing pandemic protocols that the president himself has repeatedly ignored. Justice Luis Roberto Barroso denied the request, saying he believed demonstrators were taking precautions.

Farming groups argue the 1988 cutoff date provides certainty regarding property law, but rights defenders say it ignores the fact many Indigenous people had been forcibly expelled from their lands, particularly during the military dictatorship, or may not have formal means to prove possession.

The criteria isnt functional for determining whether or not a territory was traditionally occupied because there are diverse contexts, diverse groups that for many reasons werent on their territories in 1988, said Samara Pataxo, a lawyer for the association.

An Indigenous man takes part in the "Luta pela Vida," or Struggle for Life mobilization, a protest to pressure Supreme Court justices who are expected to issue a ruling that will have far-reaching implications for tribal land rights, in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Pi Surui, from the 7 de Setembro village in the Amazon rainforest state of Rondonia, said he had come to the capital to make clear that Indigenous territory is more than just land.

It is sacred, our history, our life, Surui, 23, said at the encampment. We have the right to grow our crops and sell our livestock, our fish, live sustainably. We are also adapting to the new times, balancing our needs and advances as human beings, but without losing our culture.

The Santa Catarina state government says the Indigenous people involved in the current court case invaded the land in 2009. The Xokleng people say the original extent of their territory was progressively diminished by encroaching agribusiness and that they never left the area.

Bolsonaro has repeatedly said Indigenous people control far too much land relative to their population  their territories cover 14% of Brazil, most in the Amazon  and has been outspoken about his desire to promote rural development.

Together with farm interests, he has argued that the 1988 cutoff had already been established by an earlier court ruling. Changing it now would create chaos, he said in a television interview on Wednesday.

If that happens, we will immediately have in front of us hundreds of new (Indigenous) areas to be demarcated, he told farming-focused station Canal Rural. In addition to the losses for the rural producer  many have family occupying that land for more than 100 years  those lands that today are productive could cease to be productive.

Some of the people marching on Wednesday held banners that read Bolsonaro Out and "Indigenous territory is life.

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Jose Miguel Vivanco, executive secretary of Human Rights Watch for the Americas, took to Twitter to oppose the cutoff date, which he said large landholders and Bolsonaro allies are supporting in order to expel Indigenous people.

Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who often advocates for Indigenous and environmental causes, also spoke out against it on social media.

Separately, the lower house of Congresss Constitution and Justice Committee in June approved a bill that would officially establish Oct. 1988 as the reference date for Indigenous people seeking full protection of their territories to have been occupying the land. There are more than 200 such pending requests, mostly for small territories located outside the Amazon rainforest. The bill is awaiting a floor vote.

A court ruling upholding the 1988 date would add legal backing to that bill in Congress, said Pataxo, the lawyer. If the court strikes down the prior ruling, that would weaken the bills momentum by providing justification to challenge its constitutionality in the future.

Brazil has 421 officially recognized Indigenous territories that are home to 466,000 people, according to the nonprofit Socioenvironmental Institute.

At a Tuesday night vigil ahead of Wednesday's march, Indigenous people held lights and carried banners, one of which read: Our history doesn't begin in 1988. We have resisted for more than 12,000 years. ___ Associated Press writer Debora Alvares reported this story in Brasilia and AP writer David Biller reported from Rio de Janeiro.
BOSTON (AP)  The construction of dozens of wind turbines off the coast of Nantucket threatens the survival of a dwindling number of endangered Northern Atlantic right whales that inhabit the waters, a group of residents on the affluent resort island in Massachusetts argue in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday.

FILE  In this Aug. 15, 2016, file photo, a lift boat, right, that serves as a work platform, assembles a wind turbine off Block Island, R.I. A group from the island of Nantucket, Mass., called ACK Residents Against Turbines, filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, to block the construction of dozens of wind turbines off the coast of Nantucket and nearby Martha's Vineyard. The group say Vineyard Wind's proposed project poses a risk to the endangered Northern Atlantic right whale. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

BOSTON (AP)  The construction of dozens of wind turbines off the coast of Nantucket threatens the survival of a dwindling number of endangered Northern Atlantic right whales that inhabit the waters, a group of residents on the affluent resort island in Massachusetts argue in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday.

ACK Residents Against Turbines said Vineyard Winds proposed project of some 60 turbines 14 miles (22 kilometers) south of the island is located in a crucial area for foraging and nursing for the species, which researchers estimate number less than 400.

Mary Chalke, a Nantucket resident and member of the opposition group, said the lawsuit isnt just about Vineyard Wind, but other turbine projects also in the pipeline up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

We all want renewable energy, she said after the group filed the suit in Boston federal court. This represents the transformation and industrialization of a pristine natural environment."

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which are named in the suit, declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. Vineyard Wind, a joint project of a Danish company and a U.S. subsidiary of the Spanish energy giant, Iberdrola, also declined to comment.

But the American Clean Power Association, a group that represents renewable energy companies, stressed the project has undergone a lengthy environmental review, permitting and public comment process.

David Stevenson, policy director at the Caesar Rodney Institute, points to a placard that features images of landmarks and a wind turbine, while facing reporters Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, in front of the Statehouse, in Boston. A group from the island of Nantucket, Mass., called ACK Residents Against Turbines, filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday to block the construction of dozens of wind turbines off the coast of Nantucket and nearby island of Martha's Vineyard. The group says Vineyard Wind's proposed project poses a risk to the endangered Northern Atlantic right whale. (AP Photo/Philip Marcelo)

"It appears this lawsuit is being brought by residents motivated by aesthetic concerns as much as anything alleged in their complaint, Tom Vinson, a vice president with the association, said in a statement.

Vallorie Oliver, a Nantucket resident, acknowledged that visibility of the towering structures  which could be as tall as 850-feet (260 meters) and eclipse Bostons 790-foot (240 meter) Hancock Tower  is among the group's concerns.

But she argues federal officials also havent provided adequate research to back up their claims that the wind project will have minimal impact on right whales and other marine life.

We're simply asking for real science-based answers to the impact on our natural environment, she said, speaking with other group members in front of the Massachusetts Statehouse.

Approved in May, the nearly $3 billion, 800-megawatt project would be the first utility-scale wind power development in federal waters. Its slated to become operational in 2023 and create enough electricity to power 400,000 homes.

The project and Ocean Wind, a proposed 1,100-megawatt offshore wind project off New Jersey, are keystones in the Biden administrations push to grow offshore wind as a way to fight climate change and create jobs.

The projects could be joined by as many as five other large scale projects totaling more than 2,000 turbines across 2,000 square miles (5,180 square kilometers) of ocean, according to ACK Residents Against Turbines.

Despite the enthusiasm, U.S. offshore wind development is still far behind progress made in Europe. A small wind farm operates near Block Island in waters controlled by the state of Rhode Island, and another small wind farm operates off the coast of Virginia.

The Nantucket group, whose name references the three-letter code for the island's airport, is the latest effort opposed to large scale wind projects.

Fishermen who ply the lucrative waters from New Bedford, Massachusetts, to Montauk, New York, have long worried about the potential impacts to their livelihood.

Bob Vanasse, who heads the fishing advocacy group Saving Seafood, said Vineyard Wind and other projects proposed in the region could impact a range of significant fisheries, including squid, clams and scallops.

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There are a number of groups in various fisheries who have raised concerns about the insufficiency of the planning and review effort, he said Wednesday. This group is far from alone in that.

Vineyard Wind also comes years after the infamous Cape Wind project, which failed after bitter litigation from another group that included Nantucket property owners.

Supporters of Vineyard Wind have said the newer project is better sited than Cape Wind, which was proposed closer to shore.

Recent wind projects proposed off North Carolina and New York, though, have been pushed farther offshore after environmental concerns were raised, said David Stevenson, of the Caesar Rodney Institute, a Delaware-based group that also opposes wind farm proposals.

He argued that Vineyard Winds project should be placed as far as 30 miles (48 kilometers) from shore.

Fifteen miles was not okay in North Carolina or Long Island, then why is it okay for Nantucket? Stevenson said. Its just wrong.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP)  A Northern California fire that gutted hundreds of homes advanced toward Lake Tahoe on Wednesday as thousands of firefighters tried to box in the flames, and a thick yellow haze of the nations worst air enveloped tourists.

Diane Nelson and her husband Rick, discuss the approaching Caldor Fire that threatens their home on Fallen Leaf Lake near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. The couple were planning to host their daughter's wedding at the home on the picturesque lake, but cancelled it due to the smoke. They have spent the last two days coordinating with their wedding planner to move the wedding to the Bay Area. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP)  A Northern California fire that gutted hundreds of homes advanced toward Lake Tahoe on Wednesday as thousands of firefighters tried to box in the flames, and a thick yellow haze of the nations worst air enveloped tourists.

In Southern California, at least a dozen homes and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed after a fire broke out Wednesday afternoon and quickly ran through tinder-dry brush in mountains northeast of Los Angeles. Evacuations were ordered for about 1,000 people.

Crews mounted an air attack to keep the South Fire from the tiny communities of Lytle Creek and Scotland near the Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County. By nightfall, the fire appeared to be mostly contained.

To the north, a new fire erupted in the Sierra Nevada foothills and quickly burned at least 1,000 acres of land near New Melones Lake in Calaveras County, prompting evacuations.

Meanwhile, the Caldor Fire spread to within 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Lake Tahoe, eating its way through rugged timberlands and knocking on the door of the basin that straddles the California-Nevada state line, Californias state fire chief Thom Porter warned this week.

Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay is shrouded in smoke from the Caldor Fire, near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. The massive wildfire, that is over a week old, has scorched more than 190 square miles, (492 square kilometers) and destroyed hundreds of homes since Aug. 14. It is now less than 20 miles from Lake Tahoe. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Ash rained down and tourists ducked into cafes, outdoor gear shops and casinos on Lake Tahoe Boulevard for a respite from the unhealthy air.

South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe City on the west shore had the nations worst air pollution at midmorning Wednesday, reaching 334, in the hazardous category of the 0-500 Air Quality Index, according to AirNow, a partnership of federal, state and local air agencies.

South of Tahoe, Rick Nelson and his wife, Diane, had planned to host a weekend wedding at Fallen Leaf Lake, where his daughter and her fiance had met. However, the smoke caused most of the community to leave. The sun was an eerie blood orange, and the floats and boats in the lake were obscured by haze Tuesday.

Smoke from the Caldor Fire, shrouds Fallen Leaf Lake near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. The massive wildfire, that is over a week old, has scorched more than 190 square miles, (492 square kilometers) and destroyed hundreds of homes since Aug. 14. It is now less than 20 miles from Lake Tahoe. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

In the end, the Nelsons spent two days arranging to have the wedding moved from the glacial lake several hours southwest to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Everybodys trying to make accommodations for the smoke. And I think its becoming a reality for us, unfortunately, Diane Nelson said. I just think that the smoke and the fires have gotten bigger, hotter and faster-moving.

Climate change has made the 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.

A golfer wears a face mask as he practices his putting at the smoke shrouded Lake Tahoe Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. The massive Caldor Fire, that is over a week old, has scorched more than 190 square miles, (492 square kilometers) and destroyed hundreds of homes since Aug. 14. It is now less than 20 miles from Lake Tahoe. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Although there were no evacuations ordered for Lake Tahoe, it was impossible to ignore a blanket of haze so thick and vast that it closed schools for two days in Reno, Nevada, which is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the fire.

The school district that includes Reno reopened most schools on Wednesday, citing improved air quality conditions. However, the Washoe County School Districts schools in Incline Village on the north shore of Lake Tahoe remained closed, the district said in a statement.

The Caldor fire has scorched more than 197 square miles (510 square kilometers) and destroyed at least 461 homes since Aug. 14 in the Sierra Nevada southwest of the lake. It was 11% contained and threatened more than 17,000 structures.

Smoke from the Caldor Fire obscures the sun as it sets over the mountains near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. The massive wildfire, that is over a week old, has scorched more than 190 square miles, (492 square kilometers) and destroyed hundreds of homes since Aug. 14. It is now less than 20 miles from Lake Tahoe. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

The western side of the blaze continued to threaten more than a dozen small communities and wineries. On the fire's eastern side, crews bulldozed fire lines, opened up narrow logging roads and cleared ridgetops in hopes of stopping its advance, fire officials said.

More than 2,500 firefighters were on the line and more resources were streaming in, including big firefighting aircraft, fire officials said.

Meanwhile, California's Dixie Fire, the second-largest in state history at 1,148 square miles (2,973 square kilometers), was burning only about 65 miles (104 kilometers) to the north. New evacuations were ordered after winds pushed the blaze to the northeast on Wednesday, as flames crossed State Route 44 and headed toward campgrounds near Eagle Lake.

The sun rises through a smoky horizon in Glenbrook Basin, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, in Grass Valley, Calif., when air quality levels ranged from unhealthy to hazardous. The Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District and the Public Health Department of Nevada County, has extended an Air Quality Health Advisory due to the prolonged and widespread smoke from numerous wildfires burning including the Caldor Fire and Dixie Fire. (Elias Funez/The Union via AP)

The Dixie Fire, which broke out July 13, was 43% contained. At least 682 homes were among more than 1,270 buildings that have been destroyed.

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In the southern Sierra Nevada, there was growing concern after the French Fire expanded near Lake Isabella, a popular fishing and boating destination.

The fire really made a big push and put up a huge column of smoke," fire spokesman Alex Olow said Wednesday. Because flames were still active, assessment teams have been unable to get into neighborhoods to see if any homes were damaged, he said.

Amanda Abel, left, Kristy Weaver, center, and Kerry Murphy wear face masks as they sit along the shore of Lake Tahoe in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. Smoke from the Caldor Fire is blanketing the area cloaking the normally blue sky in a dull gray aura. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

About 10 communities were under evacuation orders. The fire has blackened 32 square miles (83 square kilometers) since Aug. 18.

Nationally, 92 large fires were burning in a dozen mainly Western states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.

Northern California has experienced a series of disastrous blazes that have burned hundreds of homes, and many remain uncontained.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden declared that a major disaster exists in California and ordered federal aid made available to local governments, agencies and fire victims in four northern counties ravaged by blazes dating back to July 14.
Delta Air Lines will charge employees on the company health plan $200 a month if they fail to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a policy the airline's top executive says is necessary because the average hospital stay for the virus costs the airline $50,000.

FILE In this Dec. 22, 2020 file photo, signs advising facial covering requirements are shown as travelers stand in line at a Delta Air Lines desk at San Francisco International Airport during the coronavirus pandemic in San Francisco. Health officials in San Francisco and six other Bay Area counties announced Monday, Aug. 2, 2021 that they are reinstating a mask mandate for all indoor settings as COVID-19 infections surge because of the highly contagious delta variant. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Delta Air Lines will charge employees on the company health plan $200 a month if they fail to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a policy the airline's top executive says is necessary because the average hospital stay for the virus costs the airline $50,000.

CEO Ed Bastian said that all employees who have been hospitalized for the virus in recent weeks were not fully vaccinated.

The airline said Wednesday that it also will stop extending pay protection to unvaccinated workers who contract COVID-19 on Sept. 30, and will require unvaccinated workers to be tested weekly beginning Sept. 12, although Delta will cover the cost. They will have to wear masks in all indoor company settings.

Delta stopped short of matching United Airlines, which will require employees to be vaccinated starting Sept. 27 or face termination. However, the $200 monthly surcharge, which starts in November, may have the same effect.

This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company," Bastian said in a memo to employees.

FILE - People sit under Delta sign at Salt Lake City International Airport on July 1, 2021, in Salt Lake City. Delta Air Lines won't force employees to get vaccinated, but it's going to make unvaccinated workers pay a $200 monthly charge. Delta said Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021 that it will also require weekly testing for unvaccinated employees starting next month, although the airline says it'll pick up the cost of that testing. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, file)

The surcharge will only apply to employees who don't get vaccinated and won't be levied for spouses or dependents, a Delta spokeswoman said.

Delta is self-insured and sets premiums for its plans, which are administered by UnitedHealthcare. The company spokeswoman had said the average hospital stay costs $40,000, contradicting the figure that Bastian used in his memo, and Delta later said both figures reflected a range of the average bill.

Bastian said that 75% of Delta employees are vaccinated, up from 72% in mid-July. He said the aggressiveness of the leading strain of the virus means we need to get many more of our people vaccinated, and as close to 100% as possible.

I know some of you may be taking a wait-and-see approach or waiting for full (Food and Drug Administration) approval, he told employees. With this weeks announcement that the FDA has granted full approval for the Pfizer vaccine, the time for you to get vaccinated is now.

A growing number of companies including Chevron Corp. and drugstore chain CVS announced they will require workers to get vaccinated after Monday's FDA decision.

United and Delta already require new hires to be vaccinated. Two smaller carriers, Hawaiian and Frontier, have said they will require either vaccination or regular testing for current employees. Other major U.S. airlines, including American and Southwest, said Wednesday that they are encouraging employees to get vaccinated but have not required it.

Deltas requirement for weekly testing of unvaccinated employees will start Sept. 12, and the requirement that the unvaccinated wear masks indoors takes effect immediately.

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Fueled by the now-dominant delta variant of the virus, new reported cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. have topped 150,000 a day, the highest level since late January. Nationally the rate of increase has slowed, but the variant threatens to overwhelm emergency rooms in parts of the country.

On Tuesday, Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, where Delta is based, ordered members of the National Guard to 20 hospitals across the state to help deal with a surge that is larger than the national average.

Southwest, Spirit and Frontier have blamed the rise of the delta variant for a slowdown in customers booking flights, and U.S. air travel remains down more than 20% from pre-pandemic 2019.

In his message to employees Bastian referred to the fast-spreading strain of the virus as B.1.617.2, which is used by scientists to identify its lineage. The Delta CEO's effort to avoid using the more commonly known delta variant did not go unnoticed and B.1.617.2 began trending on Twitter Wednesday.

___

David Koenig can be reached at www.twitter.com/airlinewriter
HANOI (AP)  Vice President Kamala Harris called on Vietnam to join the U.S. in challenging Chinas bullying in the South China Sea, continuing her sharp rhetoric against Beijing as she met with Vietnamese leaders on Wednesday.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is welcomed by Chairman of the Office of State President Le Khanh Hai, as she arrives for the second leg of her Asia trip, in Hanoi, Vietnam, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. Harris is on a weeklong trip through Southeast Asia. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

HANOI (AP)  Vice President Kamala Harris called on Vietnam to join the U.S. in challenging Chinas bullying in the South China Sea, continuing her sharp rhetoric against Beijing as she met with Vietnamese leaders on Wednesday.

We need to find ways to pressure and raise the pressure, frankly, on Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge its bullying and excessive maritime claims, she said in remarks at the opening of a meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Symptoms associated with Havana syndrome, which has afflicted Americans serving at diplomatic posts in several countries. (AP Graphic)

Harris also expressed support for sending an additional U.S. Coast Guard cutter to Vietnam to help defend its security interests in the disputed waterway, and pledged that the U.S. would maintain a strong presence in the South China Sea to challenge China.

During remarks in Singapore on Tuesday, Harris said Beijings actions to press its territorial claims in the South China Sea amount to coercion and intimidation.

The vice president's rebuke of China comes in the middle of her weeklong tour of Southeast Asia, a trip that brought her to Singapore and Vietnam in a bid to strengthen U.S. ties to the Indo-Pacific region to counter China's growing military and economic influence there.

In addition to her commitment to defend the South China Sea against Beijing advances, Harris unveiled an array of new partnerships and support for Vietnam in areas including climate change, trade and the coronavirus pandemic.

She announced that the U.S. will send 1 million additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Vietnam, bringing the total U.S. vaccine donation to Vietnam to 6 million doses.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, left, speaks with Vietnam's Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

The U.S. will also provide $23 million to help Vietnam expand distribution and access to vaccines, combat the pandemic and prepare for future disease threats. The Defense Department is also delivering 77 freezers to store vaccines throughout the country.

Vietnam is grappling with a new coronavirus surge driven by the delta variant and low vaccination rates. Only about 2% of the country's 98 million people are fully vaccinated, and the surge in cases prompted a recent lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City, the nations business hub and the center of the latest outbreak.

The new U.S. aid to Vietnam includes investments to help the country transition to cleaner energy systems and expand the use of electric vehicles, and millions in aid to clear unexploded weapons left over from the Vietnam War.

That U.S. war has returned to the spotlight over the past week as the U.S. struggles with a similarly messy end to the Afghanistan War. Images of the evacuation of Kabul, as the Taliban took full control of Afghanistan, evoked similar shots of U.S. helicopters lifting off from the U.S. Embassy in Saigon decades prior, prompting comparisons between the two failed wars.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh pose for a photo at the government office in Hanoi, Vietnam, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Harris turns her focus to the coronavirus pandemic and global health during her visit to Vietnam, a country grappling with a worsening surge in the virus and stubbornly low vaccination rates. (Manan Vatsyayana/Pool Photo via AP)

On Wednesday in Vietnam, however, Harris referenced the progress the two former foes have made, telling Vietnams president that our relationship has come a long way in a quarter of a century.

She also embraced elevating the relationship with Vietnam from a comprehensive partnership to a strategic partnership, a diplomatic designation that would reflect the deepening ties between the two countries.

After her bilateral meetings, Harris took a moment of silence in the pouring rain and laid flowers at the monument where John McCains plane was shot down by the North Vietnamese in 1967. She noted it was the three-year anniversary of Sen. McCains death.

For Harris, the focus this week has been on developing U.S. ties in the region to offer a strong contrast to China, which has also sought to woo Singapore and Vietnam with economic support and vaccines. While she emphasized during remarks in Singapore on Tuesday that the U.S. policy in the region is not merely about countering any one nation, the Biden administration has made confronting China globally a centerpiece of its foreign policy.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin responded to Harris Wednesday comments by accusing Washington of simply seeking to defend U.S. hegemony and its own interests, rather than standing up for the rights of small countries.

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China firmly rejects the U.S. deployment of law enforcement forces in the South China Sea, meddling in regional affairs and disrupting regional peace and stability, Wang said at a daily briefing.

In the afternoon, Harris announced the launch of a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Southeast Asia regional office. The new office will be one of four regional CDC offices globally, and is focused on collaborating with regional governments on research and training to deal with and prevent global health crises. She said that while combating the current pandemic is a priority, we must be, if we are honest, better prepared for the next one.

But even as Harris aimed to keep her focus squarely on those key agenda items, her visit was shadowed by a recent security scare in Vietnam.

Harris flight to Vietnam was delayed for hours Tuesday afternoon after the vice presidents office was made aware of an investigation into two possible cases of the so-called Havana Syndrome in Hanoi, according to administration officials. The Havana Syndrome is the name for a rash of mysterious health incidents first reported by American diplomats and other government employees in the Cuban capital beginning in 2016 that have since affected diplomats across the globe.

Asked about the incident Wednesday, Harris didn't specifically address the possible cases, but instead expressed her gratitude for the work done by America's diplomatic corps.

The people who work in our embassies around the world are extraordinary public servants who represent the best of what the United States believes itself to be, and aspires to be, which is a good neighbor to our partners and our allies around the globe, she said after a lease signing for the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi.
SURREY, B.C. - Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says it has taken longer than expected to provide direct housing help to Indigenous people living in major cities as his party renewed its vow for support and outlined a plan to make the country's bankshelp foot the bill.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau makes a campaign stop in Hamilton, Ont., on Tuesday, Aug 24, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

SURREY, B.C. - Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says it has taken longer than expected to provide direct housing help to Indigenous people living in major cities as his party renewed its vow for support and outlined a plan to make the country's bankshelp foot the bill.

Indigenous people living in cities make up a disproportionate number of homeless populations, as well as those living in housing that they either can't afford or that doesn't meet their needs.

The Liberals first promised help in the 2019 election for urban Indigenous housing providers, calling it the missing piece of the national housing strategy.

Housing providers had high hopes for funding to be in the spring budget but were left fuming when the money didn't materialize even after what they noted were "several conversations" with the government about how to craft the plan.

Speaking in Surrey, B.C., Trudeau said his government has continued to work on the pledge during the pandemic in trying to co-develop a plan with Indigenous Peoples that has been complicated, suggesting that was the source for its budgetary exclusion.

"That is more difficult because of the nature of urban Indigenous populations, but it's also more important to do it right with urban Indigenous populations, which is why it is taking longer," Trudeau said Wednesday in a province with a model for how funding could flow.

"It takes longer to get something right. We will be there to partner to invest in urban Indigenous housing."

The Indigenous caucus of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association said the pandemic has increased the need for more affordable and safe housing for urban Indigenous people, but it needed to be Indigenous led.

"Housing for Indigenous Peoples living in urban, rural and northern settings is precarious," the group said in a statement. "The absence of a dedicated housing strategy for urban, rural, and northern Indigenous Peoples is a glaring gap in the national housing strategy."

The Liberals are looking to revamp the housing strategy further if re-elected, promising billions on the campaign trail to help first-time buyers get into the market while also helping to maintain and expand supply.

To pay for some of it, the Liberals are looking to reel in what they calculate will be about $2.5 billion annually over four years, starting in 2022, by upping the corporate tax rate on Canada's profitable financial sector.

Trudeau outlined a pledge to raise the corporate income tax rate paid for Canada's largest banks and insurance companies by three percentage points  from 15 per cent to 18 per cent  on all earnings over $1 billion, and establish a "Canada Recovery Dividend" so these institutions contribute more over the next four years of Canada's recovery.

Trudeau said asking large financial institutions, which have recovered faster and stronger than many other businesses, to pay a little more will allow the government to lend a helping hand to Canadians looking to buy a home.

He rejected a suggestion the planned measures would cut into the returns realized by pension plans that have invested in financial institutions.

"Our banks will continue to be strong and profitable," Trudeau said.

Demonstrators denouncing Trudeau's vaccination policies hurled expletive-laden epitaphs from the street while the Liberal leader spoke from a backyard in the quiet neighbourhood where home prices easily reach $1 million or more.

As Trudeau arrived, shouts of "coward" and "we will end you" could be heard, while hollers of "freedom," "my body, my choice," and "just you try and make me, Justin" echoed in the backyard during the prime minister's event.

The demonstrators then followed Trudeau, yelling at him, while he walked a block to his motorcade, surrounded by his security detail. At one point, Trudeau yelled back at them to go get vaccinated.

It was the second group of protesters that greeted Trudeau during his less-than-24-hour swing to B.C.

His arrival Tuesday night at a downtown Vancouver hotel was delayed several hours when Indigenous protesters stood alongside Liberal supporters, drumming and singing songs, questioning his policies on the environment and reconciliation.

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One demonstrator, whose English name is Katie George-Jim, said promises of money wasn't enough from Trudeau or any party leader to move reconciliation forward.

"I don't think that any political party can show just through that type of political process justice for Indigenous people," she said. "It requires only the Indigenous Peoples of these lands feeling empowered and feeling sovereign to put forward that energy."

The demonstration and rally eventually dissipated after Trudeau's arrival was delayed for what the party called a security concern.

Asked Wednesday about why he didn't speak with the demonstrators, Trudeau said his campaign was engaging with all Canadians during an election.

"This is a time of choice for people," Trudeau said. "People get to choose on how we're going to move forward as a country, both through this pandemic and how we build a better future for everyone."

This story by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2021.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)  For some Asian Americans, the dim sum cookie at Sunday Bakeshop here will taste like childhood.

Pastry chef Elaine Lau poses at the Sunday Bakeshop in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. From ube cakes to mochi muffins, bakeries that sweetly encapsulate what it is to grow up Asian and American have been popping up more in recent years. Their confections are a delectable vehicle for young and intrepid Asian Americans to celebrate their dual identity. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)  For some Asian Americans, the dim sum cookie at Sunday Bakeshop here will taste like childhood.

It looks like a typical sugar cookie except with sesame seeds on top. But bite into the creamy, red bean center and it's reminiscent of the fried, filled sesame balls served at a Chinese dim sum restaurant.

The concoction is pastry chef Elaine Laus nod to her grandmother, who would often make them. The baked goods that Lau's team churns out  like hojicha chocolate croissants and Chinese White Rabbit candy cookies  aren't going to be found in any bakery in Asia. There's an intrinsic American sensibility at the nearly 3-month-old shop.

"Talking to some of the Asian Americans and other people that have tried some of our pastries, we get a lot of comments where theyre just like... Oh this took me back several years, when they were growing up, said Lau, 35, who was born in Oakland.

For us, its kind of nice we can evoke some positive memories and feelings with our pastries.

From ube cakes to mochi muffins, bakeries that sweetly encapsulate growing up Asian and American have been popping up more in recent years. Their confections are a delectable vehicle for young and intrepid Asian Americans to celebrate their dual identity.

A customer makes her way into the Sunday Bakeshop after it opens in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. From ube cakes to mochi muffins, bakeries that sweetly encapsulate what it is to grow up Asian and American have been popping up more in recent years. Their confections are a delectable vehicle for young and intrepid Asian Americans to celebrate their dual identity. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Ingredients they found embarrassing as children are being blended with European or traditional American pastries into something new. Some of the bakers welcome the chance to dispel culinary and societal misconceptions, especially given months of anti-Asian hate.

The experience of being an immigrant kid in between two very different cultures is what inspired the name and concept behind Third Culture Bakery, a few miles away from Sunday Bakeshop, in Berkeley. Open since 2018, it's the brainchild of husbands Wenter Shyu, 31, and Sam Butarbutar, 32. Nine months into their courtship, they decided to open a bakery together and expand Butarbutar's mochi muffin business beyond wholesale and pop-ups. The mochi muffin, still a signature item, is influenced by Butarbutar's Indonesian roots and made with California-grown mochiko rice flour.

The operation has blossomed, with two locations in Colorado and a second San Francisco Bay Area store planned. Their menu includes mochi brownies and butter mochi doughnuts with glazes like matcha, ube and black sesame.

Shyu said many non-Asian patrons have never been exposed to some of the ingredients.

Its a lot of educating. Even when you educate and share where it comes from, people are judging it. Its a very mixed bag. Its also very rewarding because then you get to see their reaction trying this new thing theyve never had in their life, he said.

Shyu recalls some awkward situations, such as one in May when Third Culture was featured on a Denver TV station as part of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The finished segment included Oriental music that Shyu, who was born in Taiwan, described as cringe-y and uncomfortable."

I told the news station, if you guys did a piece on Black History Month and added tribal African music, there would be an outrage, Shyu said. Somehow for Asian Americans, thats OK. Thats the exact thing were trying to fight against."

*This undated photo provided by Rose Ave Bakery shows the Washington, D.C. bakery's strawberry lychee rose donut. From ube cakes to mochi muffins, bakeries that sweetly encapsulate growing up Asian and American have been popping up more in recent years. (Rose Ave Bakery via AP)

For these bakeries, integrating Asian flavor profiles isnt a gimmick. Its what feels natural and authentic, said Deuki Hong, 31, whose Sunday Family Hospitality Group launched Sunday Bakeshop, and who loves Lau's outside-the-pastry-box thinking.

When I was running a Korean barbecue, we were known also for corn cheese, a little melty side dish... She took that and was like, Im gonna make a pastry out of it, said Hong, co-author of Koreatown: A Cookbook. Wow, this came from our conversation that was very personal to me and it also tastes really delicious.

Rose Nguyen, a 34-year-old former nurse, switched careers and opened Rose Ave Bakery inside The Block Foodhall in Washington, D.C., in March 2020, just before a pandemic shutdown. Nguyen was peddling Instagrammable morsels like strawberry lychee rose donuts, ube cake and matcha chocolate cookies. She won over enough foodies to keep going with online orders until fully reopening this June.

Born in Rhode Island to Vietnamese immigrants, Nguyen said it sometimes hurt when, growing up, her white friends thought her food from home was weird or gross. So, it's gratifying now to showcase Asian flavors unapologetically.

It was never about trends or satisfying other people, Nguyen said. Its just me, basically. The business goes hand in hand with who I am.

As fixtures in their neighborhoods, these bakery owners all felt compelled to do something when racist attacks against Asians tied to the COVID-19 pandemic started. Third Culture Bakery raised donations at its locations to pay for and distribute 21,000 safety kits for Asian seniors. Sunday Bakeshop and Rose Ave Bakery have donated pastries and profits to anti-Asian hate organizations.

The bakers felt a disconnect between that hatred and the joyful connection that their food can make across cultures.

Its so unfortunate that its happening, and still happening, because people say they love Asian food and Asian American food," Nguyen said. "Yet, they dont even realize you love the food and dont love the people."

Older, traditional Asian bakeries started out as a means of replicating something immigrants missed back in their home country. The new bakeries' bolder assertion of identity is a natural evolution, said Robert Ji-Song Ku, an Asian American studies professor at Binghamton University and author of Dubious Gastronomy: The Cultural Politics of Eating Asian in the USA."

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Chefs like Roy Choi and David Chang came to fame in the early 2000s embracing their Korean heritage. But the baking world is still "a real frontier, Ku said.

It goes against stereotypes of Asians as math geeks. Its sort of the artistic side of Asian American identity thats often ignored, Ku said. Theyre instead really trying to fuse things together  create this mixture.

These first- and second-generation Asian American bakery owners seem passionate about bringing visibility to the Asian American community, which often feels invisible, Ku added.

They're showing that an ube snickerdoodle or a black sesame muffin is as American as any apple pie.

There's nothing wrong with apple pie, Hong said. "But theres a lot more interesting things being done... there's a lot of Asian creators and entrepreneurs, and gradually they'll be more vocal.

___ Terry Tang is a member of The Associated Press Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ttangAP
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order Wednesday making New Mexico the latest Western state to join an ambitious effort to conserve nearly one-third of America's lands and waters by 2030.

FILE  In this July 29, 2021, file photo New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks at a news conference in Santa Fe, N.M. The governor signed an executive order Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, making New Mexico the latest western state to join an ambitious effort to conserve nearly one-third of America's lands and waters by 2030. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee, File )

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order Wednesday making New Mexico the latest Western state to join an ambitious effort to conserve nearly one-third of America's lands and waters by 2030.

The Biden administration detailed its plans in May for achieving the goal, saying conservation and restoration of lands and waters was an urgent priority. Democratic officials and environmentalists see the effort as a tool to increase green space, protect drinking water sources and reduce wildfire risks.

To make significant progress on the decadelong commitment, experts have said Western states must play a key role in the effort.

Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said she wants to bring people together in New Mexico for the initiative that she hopes will make a difference for decades to come.

Her executive order calls for the creation of a committee made up of key state agencies to draft a plan for reaching the goal. The group will meet four times a year and report back annually to the governor.

I just want action, Lujan Grisham said before signing the order, but if you dont have a guide  were not going to get every opportunity that we deserve.

California was the first to formalize its 2030 conservation goal when Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a sweeping executive order last fall. Nevada followed in May with lawmakers in the Democrat-dominated state passing a resolution.

About 12% of the nations lands and one-quarter of its waters are currently protected, according to research by the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank. Wilderness areas, game refuges, agricultural lands, ranches and other sites with conservation easements are among the protected parcels.

Nationally, the Biden administration is calling for the expansion of federal grant programs to create more local parks, increase access to outdoor recreation and for Indigenous communities to access funding for conservation priorities.

In New Mexico, members of Lujan Grisham's executive cabinet have been charged with finding ways to leverage state and federal funding and existing programs to help with the effort.

They must also consider the importance of working lands, such as farms and ranches, as well as tribal sovereignty.

The order acknowledges that agricultural production through farming and ranching represents historic, current and future land use and embodies cultural traditions that are at risk due to drought, development, climate impacts and reduced water availability.

A handful of rural New Mexico counties have passed resolutions in recent months opposing the effort.

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Elected leaders in those communities have voiced concerns that designating more wilderness areas and imposing more restrictions would compromise the livelihoods of residents and businesses dependent on the landscape.

Republican state Sen. Crystal Diamond of Elephant Butte said almost half of all land in New Mexico  the fifth largest state in the U.S.  is already owned and managed by either the state or federal government.

We all know that our family-owned, private land is better managed, utilized and preserved, she said. "This 30x30 initiative set forth by the governor is a thinly veiled land grab, and the people of New Mexico will not stand for it.

Environmentalists praised Lujan Grisham's move, arguing that it would help protect New Mexico's outdoor heritage and the traditions of agricultural-based communities.

Theresa Pasqual, executive director of Acoma Pueblo's Historic Preservation Office, said it marks the start of a conversation that will allow local communities to figure out what would work best for them.

We start that conversation by thinking about whats in our own backyard, she said.
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP)  A massive oil spill caused by leakage from a power plant inside one of Syrias oil refineries is spreading along the coast of the Mediterranean country, Syria's state news agency said and satellite photos showed Wednesday.

In this satellite photo from Planet Labs Inc., the Baniyas Thermal Station, a major oil refinery is seen in Baniyas, Syria, June 20, 2021. A massive oil spill caused by leakage from the power plant inside the oil refinery is spreading along the coast of the Mediterranean country, Syria's state news agency said and satellite photos showed Wednesday. (Planet Labs Inc. via AP)

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP)  A massive oil spill caused by leakage from a power plant inside one of Syrias oil refineries is spreading along the coast of the Mediterranean country, Syria's state news agency said and satellite photos showed Wednesday.

SANA said the spill reached the coastal town of Jableh, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the refinery in the town of Baniyas, adding that Syria's environment department and the municipality of the coastal province of Latakia have placed all concerned departments on alert. It said work is underway to clean the coast in the rocky areas.

A day earlier, Syria's government said that maintenance teams at Baniyas Thermal Station had brought a fuel leakage from one of the tanks under control.

Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc. on Wednesday showed what appeared to be a massive oil spill stretching out over 25.5 square kilometers. An image from Monday showed no sign of the slick, suggesting whatever happened to cause the spill happened later.

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The head of the Electricity Workers Syndicate at Tartous Workers Union, Dawoud Darwish, blamed cracks in one of the fuel tanks at the thermal station. He pointed out that the tank was filled with 15,000 tons of fuel.

Syrias oil resources are mostly outside of government controlled areas but its two refineries are under government control and operating. This makes Damascus reliant on Iran for fuel, but U.S. Treasury sanctions have hindered the supply network, which spans Syria, Iran and Russia.

There has been a series of mysterious attacks on vessels in Mideast waters, including off Syria's coast, for over a year. They have come amid rising tensions in the region between Iran, Israel and the United States.

In May, Syrias foreign minister blamed Israel for mysterious attacks targeting oil tankers heading to Syria, saying they violate international law and will not go unpunished.

___

Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, contributed reporting.
As much as some dislike it, Purdue Pharmas plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over opioids is better for states than allowing them to continue lawsuits against the company and its owners, a company lawyer told a judge Wednesday.

FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2018, file photo, family and friends who have lost loved ones to OxyContin and opioid overdoses leave pill bottles in protest outside the headquarters of Purdue Pharma in Stamford, Conn. A lawyer for the company, which is facing lawsuits over its marketing of the powerful painkiller OxyContin in driving the opioid epidemic, says states would get more money from settling rather than continuing their lawsuits against the Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family who own it. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

As much as some dislike it, Purdue Pharmas plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over opioids is better for states than allowing them to continue lawsuits against the company and its owners, a company lawyer told a judge Wednesday.

Purdue is using the bankruptcy process to try to end years of lawsuits claiming that its marketing and sales strategy for the powerful painkiller OxyContin helped touch off and extend the opioid epidemic.

In testimony and arguments over the past two weeks, the key focus has been the contention from a group of state governments that want the plan rejected primarily because members of the wealthy Sackler family who own Purdue would be granted protection from lawsuits over opioids, even though they themselves are not filing for bankruptcy protection.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Drain, based in White Plains, New York, said he expected to have a ruling Friday on whether to accept the plan.

In the final day of the hearing Wednesday, debate focused on other, narrower issues, though Drain also angrily told Purdue lawyers that they had to make it clear that Sackler family members would not receive protection from lawsuits over issues outside opioids.

FILE - This Tuesday, May 8, 2007, file photo shows the logo for pharmaceutical giant Purdue Pharma at its offices in Stamford, Conn. A lawyer for company, which is facing lawsuits over its marketing of the powerful painkiller OxyContin in driving the opioid epidemic, says states would get more money from settling rather than continuing their lawsuits against the Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family who own it. (AP Photo/Douglas Healey, File)

Some objecting states asserted that they should be able to continue with lawsuits against Purdue and Sackler family members because the settlement is not in their best interest.

Marshall Huebner, a Purdue lawyer, rejected that idea. He said that if lawsuits with claims totaling trillions of dollars were to go ahead, Purdues value would keep diminishing and there would be far less to go around than the settlement would provide.

If all the states have meritorious claims, then it stands to reason that many other public creditors also have meritorious claims, Huebner said.

Irve Goldman, a lawyer representing some of the objecting states, told Drain that logic wasnt right.

Its likely that states would receive judgments against one or more Sacklers, Goldman said. And as a result of lawsuits, family members could end up being required to pay more than they've agreed to in the settlement.

But Drain noted that pulling Sackler trust money into U.S. courts would not be a sure thing because some of it is protected by laws elsewhere.

Also Wednesday, Drain heard arguments over whether West Virginias share of a settlement would be too small, whether its appropriate that Canadian municipal governments would be shut out of programs as part of the settlement, or whether inmates should have more time to file claims for money for individuals.

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The overwhelming majority of the government entities, individuals and others with claims against Stamford, Connecticut-based Purdue that voted on the companys plan supported it.

Under the deal, Sackler family members would give up ownership of the company and contribute $4.5 billion in cash and control of charity funds. They would also have to get out of the opioid business in other countries eventually.

Most of the funds they would contribute plus future profits from the new company would be used to pay to deal with the crisis through a variety of programs including anti-opioid education, housing people who are homeless and addicted to opioids and connecting those with opioid use disorder with treatment. Some funds are also to be used to pay some individual victims or their families amounts expected to range from $3,500 to $48,000.

Overdoses from both prescription opioids and illicit ones such as heroin and illegally made fentanyl have been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. since 2000.

Among those speaking in the hearing were two people touched by opioids. One, Maria Ecke, a Connecticut woman whose son died of an opioid overdose in 2015, told the judge that there should be a new vote on the plan for loved ones of overdose victims who are now living a life of heartache, depression and loneliness from this drug.

Are the Sacklers or their lawyers willing to clone my dear son or bring him back to help me in my old, disabled and feeble age? Ecke asked. I dont think so.
MADRID (AP)  A Spanish judge in a decision cheered by environmentalists has put a halt to backup plans for the construction of a giant telescope in the Canary Islands  eliminating at least for now the primary alternative location to the preferred spot in Hawaii, where there have been protests against the telescope.

FILE - This July 14, 2019, file photo shows a telescope at the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii's tallest mountain. A judicial decision from Spain's Canary Islands has put a halt on an alternative plan to build a giant telescope unpopular in Hawaii, which is the preferred location. Construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Hawaii's tallest mountain, Mauna Kea, has been stalled by opponents who say the project will desecrate land that's sacred to some Native Hawaiians. If it can't be built in Hawaii, telescope officials have selected the alternate location on the highest mountain of La Palma, a Spanish island off Africa's western coast. But a court there ruled last month in a decision that just emerged that a public concession for the site was invalid. . (AP Photo/Caleb Jones, File)

MADRID (AP)  A Spanish judge in a decision cheered by environmentalists has put a halt to backup plans for the construction of a giant telescope in the Canary Islands  eliminating at least for now the primary alternative location to the preferred spot in Hawaii, where there have been protests against the telescope.

Construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope, or TMT, on Hawaiis tallest mountain, Mauna Kea, has been stalled by opponents who say the project will desecrate land held sacred to some Native Hawaiians.

Telescope officials had selected the alternate location near an existing scientific research facility on the highest mountain of La Palma, one of the Spanish islands off the western African coast, in the Atlantic Ocean.

But an administrative court in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital of the Spanish archipelago, ruled last month that the 2017 concession by local authorities of public land for the tentative project was invalid. The ruling was dated on July 29, but only became public this week after local media reported about the decision.

In the ruling obtained by The Associated Press, Judge Roi Lopez Encinas wrote that the telescope land allocation was subject to an agreement between the Canary Astrophysics Institute, or IAC, and the telescopes promoter, the TMT International Observatory (TIO) consortium.

FILE - This July 24, 2009 file photo shows the Gran Telescopio Canarias, one of the the world's largest telescopes, at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain. A judicial decision from Spain's Canary Islands has put a halt on an alternative plan to build a giant telescope unpopular in Hawaii, which is the preferred location. Construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Hawaii's tallest mountain, Mauna Kea, has been stalled by opponents who say the project will desecrate land that's sacred to some Native Hawaiians. If it can't be built in Hawaii, telescope officials have selected the alternate location on the highest mountain of La Palma, a Spanish island off Africa's western coast. But a court there ruled last month in a decision that just emerged that a public concession for the site was invalid. (AP Photo/Carlos Moreno, File)

But the judge ruled that the agreement was not valid because TIO had not expressed an intention to build on the La Palma site instead of at the Hawaii site.

The judge also sided with the plaintiff, the environmental group Ben Magec-Ecologistas en Accion, in rejecting arguments by TIOs legal team and the islands government that the land concession was covered by an international treaty on scientific research.

An official for the Canary Islands High Court said questions about the ruling could not be answered because other court officials in a position to answer the questions were on vacation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to be named in media reports.

The island's local elected government chief, Mariano Zapata, said it was sad that advocacy groups are so occupied by administrative matters instead of environmental issues.

I wish we were all in the same boat with the intent of creating jobs in the La Palma island so it can keep being an international reference on scientific research, Zapata said. His government estimated last year that the telescope would generate 500 permanent jobs and at least 400 million euros ($470 million) in investment.

Scott Ishikawa, a spokesperson for the consortium hoping to build the telescope, said that the consortium plans to appeal the ruling.

While we respect the courts ruling in La Palma, we will pursue the legal process to retain La Palma as our alternative site. Hawaii remains our preferred location for TMT, and we have renewed our efforts to better connect with the Hawaii community in a meaningful and appropriate way," he said in an email to The Associated Press.

Pablo Batista, a spokesman of the Ben Magec-Ecologistas en Accion group, hailed the decision as a big setback for what he called a fraudulent project that he said made fake promises of new jobs for the island.

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The whole idea of offering the island as a back-up was nothing else but as a strategy to put pressure on the Hawaii plans, Batista said.

In a statement, the group also said that the five years that the TIO consortium has lost on La Palma should make it reflect on the arrogant and disrespectful strategy that they have carried out both in Hawaii and in the Canary Islands, emboldened by institutional support and despising the arguments of the opposition to the TMT.

The group's concerns echo some of the concerns expressed by those fighting the telescope in Hawaii, said Kealoha Pisciotta, one of the leaders seeking to keep the project off Mauna Kea.

Im glad that they challenged it, because like here, the challenge helps bring awareness to TMT's not only lack of following the process, but caring for the environment and Hawaiians sacred site, she said.

___

Associated Press writers Audrey McAvoy and Jennifer Sinco Kelleher contributed to this report from Honolulu.
The new four-bedroom house in Charlotte, North Carolina, was Crystal Marie and Eskias McDaniels personal American dream, the reason they had moved to this Southern town from pricey Los Angeles a few years ago.

Crystal Marie McDaniels poses in front of her home in Charlotte, N.C., on Friday, July 9, 2021. Mcdaniels said buying a house was crucial for her because she wants to pass on wealth to her son someday, giving him an advantage she never had. So when the loan officer told her the deal wasnt going to happen, she refused to give up. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

The new four-bedroom house in Charlotte, North Carolina, was Crystal Marie and Eskias McDaniels personal American dream, the reason they had moved to this Southern town from pricey Los Angeles a few years ago.

A lush, long lawn, 2,700 square feet of living space, a neighborhood pool and playground for their son, Nazret. All for $375,000.

Prequalifying for the mortgage was a breeze. They said they had saved much more than they would need for the down payment, had very good credit  scores of 805 and 725  and earned roughly six figures each, she in marketing at a utility company and Eskias representing a pharmaceutical company. The monthly mortgage payment was less than theyd paid for rent in Los Angeles for years.

They were scheduled to sign the mortgage documents on Aug. 23, 2019  a Friday  and were so excited to move in they booked movers for the same day.

The Wednesday before the big day, the loan officer called Crystal Marie, and everything changed, she said: The deal wasnt going to close.

The loan officer told the couple he had submitted the application internally to the underwriting department for approval a dozen, 15, maybe 17 times, getting a no" each time. The couple had spent $6,000 in fees and deposits  all nonrefundable.

It seemed like it was getting rejected by an algorithm, she said, and then there was a person who could step in and decide to override that or not.

She was told she didnt qualify because she was a contractor, not a full-time employee  even though her boss told the lender she was not at risk of losing her job. Her co-workers were contractors, too, and they had mortgages.

Crystal Maries co-workers are white. She and Eskias are Black.

I think it would be really naive for someone like myself to not consider that race played a role in the process, she said.

An investigation by The Markup has found that lenders in 2019 were more likely to deny home loans to people of color than to white people with similar financial characteristics  even when we controlled for newly available financial factors the mortgage industry for years has said would explain racial disparities in lending.



This story was reported by The Markup, and the story and data were distributed by The Associated Press.



Holding 17 different factors steady in a complex statistical analysis of more than 2 million conventional mortgage applications for home purchases, we found that lenders were 40% more likely to turn down Latino applicants for loans, 50% more likely to deny Asian/Pacific Islander applicants, and 70% more likely to deny Native American applicants than similar white applicants. Lenders were 80% more likely to reject Black applicants than similar white applicants. These are national rates.

In every case, the prospective borrowers of color looked almost exactly the same on paper as the white applicants, except for their race.

The industry had criticized previous similar analyses for not including financial factors they said would explain disparities in lending rates but were not public at the time: debts as a percentage of income, how much of the propertys assessed worth the person is asking to borrow, and the applicants credit score.

The first two are now public in the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. Including these financial data points in our analysis not only failed to eliminate racial disparities in loan denials, it highlighted new, devastating ones.

We found that lenders gave fewer loans to Black applicants than white applicants even when their incomes were high  $100,000 a year or more  and had the same debt ratios. In fact, high-earning Black applicants with less debt were rejected more often than high-earning white applicants who have more debt.

Lenders used to tell us, Its because you dont have the lending profiles; the ethno-racial differences would go away if you had them, said Jose Loya, assistant professor of urban planning at UCLA who has studied public mortgage data extensively and reviewed our methodology. Your work shows thats not true.

We sent our complete analysis to industry representatives: The American Bankers Association, The Mortgage Bankers Association, The Community Home Lenders Association, and The Credit Union National Association. They all criticized it generally, saying the public data is not complete enough to draw conclusions, but did not point to any flaws in our computations.

Crystal Marie McDaniels poses in front of her home in Charlotte, N.C., on Friday, July 9, 2021. Mcdaniels said buying a house was crucial for her because she wants to pass on wealth to her son someday, giving him an advantage she never had. So when the loan officer told her the deal wasnt going to happen, she refused to give up. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Blair Bernstein, director of public relations for the ABA, acknowledged that our analysis showed disparities but that given the limitations in the public data we used, the numbers are not sufficient on their own to explain why those disparities exist.

In written statements, the ABA and MBA criticized The Markups analysis for not including credit scores and for focusing on conventional loans only and not including government loans, such as those guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration and Department of Veterans Affairs.

Isolating conventional loans from government loans is common in mortgage research because they are different products, with different thresholds for approval and loan terms. Government loans bring people who wouldnt otherwise qualify into the market but tend to be more expensive for the borrower.

Even the Federal Reserve and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency that releases mortgage data, separate conventional and FHA loans in their research on lending disparities. Authors of one academic study out of Northeastern and George Washington universities said they focus on conventional loans only because FHA loans have long been implemented in a manner that promotes segregation.

As for credit scores, it was impossible for us to include them in our analysis because the CFPB strips them from public view from HMDA data  in part due to the mortgage industrys lobbying to remove them, citing borrower privacy.

When the CFPB first proposed expanding mortgage data collection to include the very data that industry trade groups have told us is vital for doing this type of analysis  credit scores, debt-to-income ratio, and loan-to-value ratio  those same groups objected. They didnt want the government to even collect the data, let alone make it public. They cited the risk of a cyberattack, which could reveal borrowers private information.

These new (data) fields include confidential financial data, several large trade groups wrote in a letter to the CFPB, including the ABA and MBA. Consequently, if this (sic) data are inadvertently or knowingly released to the public, the harm associated with re-identification would be even greater.

Government regulators do have access to credit scores. The CFPB analyzed 2019 HMDA data and found that accounting for credit scores does not eliminate lending disparities for people of color.

In addition to finding disparities in loan denials nationally, we examined cities and towns across the country individually and found disparities in 89 metropolitan areas spanning every region of the country. In Charlotte, where Crystal Marie and her family searched for a home, lenders were 50% more likely to deny loans to Black applicants than white ones with similar financial profiles. In other places, the gap was even larger.

Black applicants in Chicago were 150% more likely to be denied by financial institutions than similar white applicants there. Lenders were more than 200% more likely to reject Latino applicants than white applicants in Waco, Texas, and to reject Asian and Pacific Islander applicants than white ones in Port St. Lucie, Florida. And Native American applicants in Minneapolis were 100% more likely to be denied by financial institutions than similar white applicants there.

Its something that we have a very painful history with, said Alderman Matt Martin, who represents Chicagos 47th Ward.

Redlining, the now-outlawed practice of branding certain Black and immigrant neighborhoods too risky for financial investments that began in the 1930s, can be traced back to Chicago. Chicago activists exposed that banks were still redlining in the 1970s, leading to the establishment of the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the law mandating the collection of data used for this story.

When you see that maybe the tactics are different now, but the outcomes are substantially similar, Martin added, its just not something we can continue to tolerate.

Who makes these loan decisions? Officially, lending officers at each institution. In reality, software, most of it mandated by a pair of quasi-governmental agencies.

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were founded by the federal government to spur homeownership and now buy about half of all mortgages in America. If they dont approve a loan, the lenders are on their own if the borrower skips out.

And that power means Fannie and Freddie essentially set the rules for the industry, starting from the very beginning of the mortgage-approval process.

Fannie and Freddie require lenders to use a particular credit scoring algorithm, Classic FICO, to determine whether an applicant meets the minimum threshold necessary to even be considered for a conventional mortgage, currently a score of 620.

This algorithm was developed from data from the 1990s and is more than 15 years old. Its widely considered detrimental to people of color because it rewards traditional credit, to which white Americans have more access. It does not consider, among other things, on-time payments for rent, utilities, and cellphone bills  but will lower peoples scores if they get behind on them and are sent to debt collectors. Unlike more recent models, it penalizes people for past medical debt even if its since been paid.

This is how structural racism works, said Chi Chi Wu, a staff attorney at the National Consumer Law Center. This is how racism gets embedded into institutions and policies and practices with absolutely no animus at all.

Potentially fairer credit models have existed for years. A recent study by Vantage Score  a credit model developed by the Big Three credit bureaus to compete with FICO  estimated that its model would provide credit to 37 million Americans who have no scores under FICO models. Almost a third of them would be Black or Latino.

Yet Fannie and Freddie have resisted a steady stream of plaintive requests since 2014 from advocates, the mortgage and housing industries, and Congress to update to a newer model. Even the company that created Classic FICO has lobbied for the agencies to adopt a newer version, which it said expands credit to more people.

A lot of things that minorities and underserved borrowers are doing, responsible financial behaviors, are going under the radar, said Scott Olson, executive director of CHLA, a trade group representing small and midsized independent mortgage lenders.

This digital embed - created by Ben Tanen for The Markup - shows how many people of each ethnic group would likely be denied if 100 similarly qualified applicants applied for mortgaged in the Chicago region of Illinois.

Fannies and Freddies regulator and conservator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, continues to allow the companies to stick with Classic FICO, more than five years after ordering them to study the effects of switching to something newer. The FHFA has also expressed concern about the cost and operational implications if they would have to continually test new credit scoring models.

Neither of the companies would answer questions from The Markup about why they still require Classic FICO.

Theyve been testing alternate scores for years, and I dont know why the process is taking so long, said Lisa Rice, president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, a consortium of hundreds of fair housing organizations. Well-deserving consumers are being left behind.

Fannies and Freddies approval process also involves other mysterious algorithms: automated underwriting software programs that they first launched in 1995 to much fanfare about their speed, ease and, most important, fairness.

Using a data base as opposed to human judgment can avoid influences by other forces, such as discrimination against minority individuals and red-lining, Peter Maselli, then a vice president of Freddie Mac, told The New York Times when it launched its software, now called Loan Product Advisor. A bank executive told Congress that year the new systems were explicitly and implicitly color blind, since they did not consider a persons race at all in their evaluations.

But, like similar promises that algorithms would make colorblind decisions in criminal risk assessment and health care, research shows that some of the factors Fannie and Freddie say their software programs consider affect people differently depending on their race or ethnicity. These include, in addition to credit histories, the prospective borrowers assets, employment status, debts, and the size of the loan relative to the value of the property theyre hoping to buy.

The quality of the data that youre putting into the underwriting algorithm is crucial, said Aracely Panameno, director of Latino affairs for the Center for Responsible Lending. If the data that youre putting in is based on historical discrimination, then youre basically cementing the discrimination at the other end.

Research has shown that payday loan sellers usually place branches in neighborhoods populated mainly by people of color, where bank branches are less common. As a result, residents are more likely to use these predatory services to borrow money. This creates lopsided, incomplete credit histories because banks report both good and bad financial behavior to credit bureaus, while payday loan services only report missed payments.

Gig workers who are people of color are more likely to report that those jobs are their primary source of income  rather than a side hustle theyre using for extra cash  than white gig workers. Having multiple sources of income or unconventional employment can complicate the verification process for a mortgage, as Crystal Marie and Eskias McDaniels learned.

Considering an applicants assets beyond the down payment, which lenders call reserves, can cause particular problems for people of color. People with fatter bank accounts present a lower risk because they can more easily weather a setback that would leave others unable to pay the mortgage. But, largely due to intergenerational wealth and past racist policies, the typical white family in America today has eight times the wealth of a typical Black family and five times the wealth of a Latino family. People of color are more likely to have smaller savings accounts and smaller (or nonexistent) stock portfolios than white people.

This is a relatively new world of automated underwriting engines that by intent may not discriminate but by effect likely do, said David Stevens, a former president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association, now an independent financial consultant.

Not even home valuations are free from controversy. The president of the trade group representing real estate appraisers, who determine property values for loans, recently acknowledged that racial bias is prevalent in the industry and launched new programs to combat it.

Any type of data that you look at from the financial services space has a high tendency to be highly correlated to race, said Rice, of the National Fair Housing Alliance.

In written statements, Fannie said its software analyzes applications without regard to race, and both Fannie and Freddie said their algorithms are routinely evaluated for compliance with fair lending laws, internally and by the FHFA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD said in an email to The Markup that it has asked the pair to make changes in underwriting criteria as a result of those reviews but would not disclose the details.

This analysis includes a review to ensure that model inputs are not serving as proxies for race or other protected classes, Chad Wandler, Freddies director of public relations, said in a written statement. He declined to elaborate on what the review entails or how often its done.

No one outside Fannie and Freddie knows exactly how the factors in their underwriting software are used or weighted; the formulas are closely held secrets. Not even the companies regulator, the FHFA, appears to know, beyond broad strokes, exactly how the software scores applicants, according to Stevens, who served as Federal Housing commissioner and assistant secretary for housing at HUD during the Obama administration.

The Markups analysis does not include decisions made by Fannies and Freddies underwriting algorithms because, while lenders are required to report those decisions to the government, the CFPB scrubs them from public mortgage data, arguing that including them would likely disclose information about the applicant or borrower that is not otherwise public and may be harmful or sensitive. Lenders ultimate mortgage decisions are public, however. Borrowers names are not reported to the government and addresses are not in the public data.

Fannie and Freddie declined to answer our questions about why their algorithms decisions are excluded from the public data but said in a 2014 letter to the CFPB that the revelation could allow their decision-making algorithms to be reverse-engineered.

Loan officers say the softwares decisions are mysterious even to them.

When you run so many deals through the automated system, youll look at one deal that didnt get an approval, and you just know that thats a better client than someone else that mightve gotten approved, said Ashley Thomas III, a broker and owner of LA Top Broker, Inc., a minority-owned real estate agency and brokerage in South Los Angeles. That lack of transparency in the technology is very concerning.

The Community Home Lenders Association sent a letter to Fannie and Freddie in April complaining about unannounced changes to both of their underwriting software programs that members discovered when applicants who had previously been approved suddenly were denied.

Scott Olson, executive director of CHLA, said theres no good reason to keep lenders in the dark: The more transparent, the more clear the guidance is, the easier it is for borrowers to know what they need to do to be in a position to qualify.

Earlier this month  and weeks after we began asking about its algorithms  Fannie announced in a news release that it would start incorporating on-time rent payments in its loan approval software starting in mid-September. When we asked about the timing of that change, spokesperson Katie Penote emailed The Markup a statement saying the company wanted prospective borrowers to have this option as soon as possible but was silent about what prompted it.

In addition to using Fannies or Freddies software, many large lenders also run applicants through their institutions own underwriting software, which may be more stringent. How those programs work is even more of a mystery; they are also proprietary.

When we examined the reasons lenders listed for denying mortgages in 2019, the most common reason across races and ethnicities, with the exception of Native Americans, was that applicants had too much debt relative to their incomes. When lenders did list credit history as the reason for denial, it was cited more often for Black applicants than white ones in 2019: 33% versus 21%.

When we examined the decisions by individual lenders, many denied people of color more than white applicants. An additional statistical analysis showed that several were at least 100% more likely to deny people of color than similar white borrowers. Among them: the mortgage companies owned by nations three largest home builders.

The two principal laws forbidding housing and lending discrimination are the 1968 Fair Housing Act and the 1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act. An alphabet soup of federal agencies can refer evidence of violations of these laws to HUD or the Justice Department for investigation, but referrals have dropped precipitously over the past decade.

Marcia Fudge, who took over HUD leadership earlier this year, told Axios in June that part of the reason Black ownership rates are so low in America is that we have never totally enforced the Fair Housing Act. In an email, HUD press secretary Meaghan Lynch told The Markup that Fudge intends to tackle systemic discrimination in the housing and credit markets that is at the heart of the racial homeownership gap.

We do have laws that explicitly protect against discrimination, and yet you still see these disparities that youre finding, so that suggests that we need better enforcement of existing laws, and more investigations, said Kevin Stein, deputy director of the California Reinvestment Coalition. Agencies need to do a better job of ferreting out discrimination and taking serious action once they find it.

Another key housing law, the federal Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) of 1977, allows the federal government to penalize lenders who fail to invest in low-income or blighted neighborhoods but makes no requirements regarding borrowers race. Steins group has lobbied for the law to be reformed.

Lenders who violate fair lending rules can be punished with fines in the millions of dollars. Rep. Al Green, a Texas Democrat, has sponsored legislation wending its way through Congress that would make it a crime to engage in lending discrimination.

Banks already have laws that punish people who commit fraud, he said. You can be imprisoned for  I hope you have your seatbelt on  30 years. Why not have some similar law that deals with banks who are invidiously discriminating against people who are trying to borrow money?

And some fair lending advocates have begun to ask whether the value system in mortgage lending should be tweaked.

As an industry, we need to think about, what are the less discriminatory alternatives, even if they are a valid predictor of risk, said David Sanchez, a former Federal Housing Finance Agency policy analyst who currently directs research and development at the nonprofit National Community Stabilization Trust. Because if we let risk alone govern all of our decisions, we are going to end up in the exact same place we are now when it comes to racial equity in this country.

Crystal Marie McDaniels said whatever effect race may have had on her denial, it wasnt overt.

Im not sure you ever really know, because theres no klansmen in our yard or anything  but its definitely something we always think about, she said. Its just something that we always understand might be a possibility.

The lender, loanDepot, denied race had anything to do with the decision. The companys vice president of communications, Lori Wildrick, said in an email that the company follows the law and expects fair and equitable treatment for every applicant. We take the issues raised by Ms. (McDaniels) very seriously and are conducting a thorough review of her concerns.

Crystal Marie said buying a house was crucial for her because she wants to pass on wealth to her son someday, giving him an advantage she never had. So when the loan officer told her the deal wasnt going to happen, she refused to give up.

With the help of their real estate agent, and multiple emails from her employer on her behalf, she and her husband Eskias pushed back against the denial.

Around 8 p.m. on the night before the original closing date, Crystal Marie got an email from the lender: Youre cleared to close.

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She still doesnt understand how the lender went from a no to a yes, but she was relieved and elated.

It means so much to me, as a Black person, to own property in a place where not that many generations ago you were property, said Crystal Marie, who said she is descended from slaves in neighboring South Carolina.

She said her family has always had a fraught relationship with money. Some relatives were so mistrustful of banks that theyd insisted on dealing only in cash, she said, making it impossible to build up credit or wealth for future generations.

Its meant so much, she said, that we were able to go through this process and finally, eventually, be successful.

___

This story was reported by The Markup and the story and data were distributed by The Associated Press.
The Canadian military will end its mission at Kabul airport on Thursday, as Liberal cabinet minister Maryam Monsef sparked controversy by using the term "brothers" to challenge the Taliban to protect those left behind.

In this image provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, families begin to board a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sgt. Samuel Ruiz/U.S. Marine Corps via AP

The Canadian military will end its mission at Kabul airport on Thursday, as Liberal cabinet minister Maryam Monsef sparked controversy by using the term "brothers" to challenge the Taliban to protect those left behind.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said because the U.S. is leading the mission and providing security, its 6,000-strong contingent must be the last to leave the airport on Aug. 31, the American deadline for departure. That means Canada's special forces and aircrews must begin their departure preparations in advance.

Canada is using two C-17 transport planes to airlift Afghans to safety and is one of 13 countries taking part in the airlift. It also has special forces operatives on the ground who are working outside the airport's confines to spirit fleeing Afghans to waiting flights.

"Drawing down a mission takes a considerable amount of time. It is not done overnight, and it comes with considerable risk," Sajjan said.

Senior government sources, who spoke anonymously citing the need to maintain operational safety, said the last C-17 would depart Kabul sometime on Thursday, but it was not clear when given the chaotic situation on the ground. Nor was it known if all Canadian military personnel would be on the plane because Canada and its allies are also helping each other by evacuating their personnel on their various flights.

In the coming days, the U.S. military will have to extract its own soldiers and equipment, but will prioritize human life and helping its partners, said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.

"We are now and have been working with our allies and partners to help them withdraw their people. And we'll help them withdraw their forces as well."

The pace of Canada's evacuation efforts has ramped up noticeably in the past three days with a record 535 on a Tuesday flight, part of the frantic effort to fully evacuate all foreign nationals and vulnerable Afghans who helped Canada and its allies before the country's recent fall to the Taliban.

In addition to the Aug. 31 deadline, which Taliban leaders have insisted is non-negotiable, American and Canadian military planners fear the risk of an attack on the airport and the massive throngs of would-be evacuees outside by a breakaway faction of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a group the Pentagon refers to as ISIS-K.

The two most senior U.S. commanders on the ground in Kabul, Rear Admiral Peter Vasely and Maj.-Gen. Chris Donahue, are directly involved in the effort to ensure eligible evacuees are able to get into the airport, Kirby said.

"I fully recognize that not every step of this process is in our firm control, and that there are going to be instances where it doesn't work as advertised."

Monsef, the minister for women and gender equality, used a government briefing to make an impassioned appeal directly to the Taliban to allow Afghans to flee the country and respect the rights of others who are left behind.

"I want to take this opportunity to speak to our brothers, the Taliban," she said in a remark that caught attention on social media and on the campaign trail as the federal party leaders were vying for votes ahead of the Sept. 20 election.

"We call on you to ensure the safe and secure passage of any individual in Afghanistan out of the country. We call on you to immediately stop the violence, the genocide, the femicide, the destruction of infrastructure, including heritage buildings."

Referring to Monsef's use of the phrase "our brothers," Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole said, "the language used by the Trudeau government is completely unacceptable."

Dan Albas, a Conservative running for re-election in British Columbia, said on Twitter that he strongly disagreed with Monsef's use of the term, but added: "I also believe it is important we disagree on policy. Disagreement and debate should never be used as a catalyst for personal attacks."

Monsef was born in Iran to Afghan parents during the height of the Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Her family came to Canada as refugees in the 1990s after having fled Afghanistan once the Taliban came to power in Herat, where they had returned to live at the time.

"I think this whole situation is jarring  that there are terrorists taking over my beloved ancestral land," she told the briefing.

"Muslims refer to one another as brothers and sisters," she added. "Rest assured, I continue to believe deeply that the Taliban are a terrorist organization."

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he wasn't interested in scoring political points at Monsef's expense.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said the security situation keeps deteriorating, and that with time running out, "there is a possibility that we're not going to be able to bring everyone that we want to when the air bridge stops."

A vivid illustration of that desperation came with the emergence of a cellphone video posted on Facebook that appeared to depict Canadian troops at the airport wall not engaging with desperate Afghans, brandishing the documents they needed to come to Canada.

"We have our visas, our approved visas with all the instructions  but nobody is gonna take care of us," says an English male voice above the shouting.

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Sajjan called the video "heart wrenching" but said there are many other examples of Canadian Forces personnel doing "tremendous work to take Afghans to safety in a high threat environment" that includes terrorist groups as well as the obstructionist Taliban.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Aug. 31 deadline does not mean the end of American and allied efforts to get people out of Afghanistan.

"The Taliban have made public and private commitments to provide and permit safe passage for Americans, for third-country nationals and for Afghans at risk going forward past Aug. 31," Blinken said.

Garneau said Canada and the G7 will soon be telling the Taliban it must not block Afghans from leaving the country.

"We are working together to develop the necessary approach that we will take towards this Taliban regime in the coming days and to put down in front of them very important markers with respect to how they have to treat Afghans who want to leave the country."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2021
Montreal police officers are trained to be alert for danger, but after two officers were allegedly targeted by bullets earlier this week, members of the force are being urged to be extra careful, Insp. David Shane said Wednesday.

Montreal Police Insp. David Shane speaks during a news conference in Montreal on March 25, 2021. Montreal police are being asked to increase their vigilance on the job as the force continues to investigate what's believed to be the attempted shooting of two officers. Insp. David Shane says officers are trained to always be alert for danger but are being asked to be extra careful given the circumstances and to seek help if they feel impacted. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Montreal police officers are trained to be alert for danger, but after two officers were allegedly targeted by bullets earlier this week, members of the force are being urged to be extra careful, Insp. David Shane said Wednesday.

"Though that is part of their training  to be in that state of mind when they work  obviously following the events we're asking them to increase their vigilance, all while maintaining an excellent relationship with the Montreal community," he said in an interview.

Montreal police Chief Sylvain Caron told reporters Tuesday night two officers were targeted in a shooting earlier that morning as they exited the McGill University Health Centre in the city's southwest. Officers took cover behind their vehicle and one suffered a slight arm injury in the course of the incident, Caron added. Two bullet holes and a projectile were found at the scene.

Shane said that while officers are accustomed to occasionally confronting violent or aggressive behaviour, the police are concerned with the "gratuitous" nature of Tuesday's incident.

"We want to condemn this act, because it's unacceptable in our society," he said. "You can't attack employees or symbols of our justice system, and particularly police officers."

Caron was scheduled to meet Wednesday with the two officers involved in the shooting to ensure they are receiving proper support, Shane said, adding that other members of the force are encouraged to reach out for help if they feel affected by what happened.

Wednesday morning, another Montreal police officer, Jean-Pierre Brabant, said investigators had completed their sweep of the scene but were still gathering evidence, including video surveillance. As of Wednesday afternoon, no motive or suspect had been identified.

Brabant said police were also investigating after a bullet hole and casings were found at another scene a few blocks from the hospital. It was unclear when those shots were fired, he said, but ballistics analysis would be needed to determine if there was any link between the scenes.

Shane said police are "a big family" and they appreciate any shows of support from the public, adding that investigators are asking anyone with information about Tuesday's shooting to come forward.

The incidents come as officials in Montreal have been sounding the alarm about a spate of high-profile shooting incidents in the city.

Earlier this month, the Quebec government announced a new unit composed of Montreal city police and provincial police to reduce gun trafficking and address what they described as a rising number of shootings in the province's largest city.

The headlines have also prompted Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante on Tuesday to repeat her calls for federal leaders to take stronger action to stop the flow of guns into Canada and to ban automatic weapons and handguns.

Shane said gun violence is something police forces in all major cities are dealing with. He said the rise in gun crime in the city is due to a "number of different factors," including criminal gang rivalries, but he warned it's too soon to say whether the shots fired at the officers could be linked to other recent shootings in the Montreal area.

Ted Rutland, professor at Concordia University's geography, planning and environment department, warns against trying to fit Tuesday's incident into a narrative about rising gun violence.

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"I would caution against coming to conclusions until we understand better what happened," Rutland, who researches policing, said in an interview Wednesday. "You know, if we care about people who are harmed by gun violence, whether they're police or community members, we need to understand why they occurred."

Rutland said the numbers provided by Montreal police do not support the notion that there's a growing firearms crisis in the city. The number of crimes involving firearms in the city actually declined by 20 per cent from 2018 to 2020, he said.

Data from January to July of 2021 provided by the police show 262 reports of crimes against persons involving guns, compared to 224 the year before  an increase, but one Rutland said is not enough to draw a firm conclusion, especially given the wide nature of the category.

Rutland said the perception of a crisis can lead officials to make hasty announcements in the name of quick action, which inevitably lead to more police powers and "short-sighted" blitzes rather than longer-term interventions that address the roots of violence.

Rather, he said, it's important to listen to the needs of community organizations that are best positioned to work with marginalized youth, who are most at danger of being swept up into gun violence.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2021.
WINDSOR, Ont. - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he wants to make everyday life more affordable for Canadians and plans to start with their cellphone and internet bills.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh responds to a question during a news conference on the waterfront in Windsor, Ontario on Wednesday, August 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

WINDSOR, Ont. - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he wants to make everyday life more affordable for Canadians and plans to start with their cellphone and internet bills.

Flanked by local candidates and union members, in Windsor, Ont., Singh said on Wednesday that if elected prime minister he would work with the CRTC to force large telecommunications companies to reduce prices and cap fees below the global average.

"What it really takes is having the courage to do so," he said.

Singh said his plan would save the average family $1,000, and he noted that in the 2019 election Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau promised to cut cellphone bills to save that much per year for a family of four.

But that has not materialized, and Trudeau has sided with telecom companies over families, he said.

A Liberal Party spokesman responded to Singh's comments, citing a Statistics Canada report that says consumer prices for cellular services have decreased by 21.5 per cent from June 2020 to June 2021.

The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association also reacted to Singh's comments, citing the same report.

"Government regulation of retail prices is not only unnecessary, it would result in less competition, job losses, and stifle innovation and investment," said Robert Ghiz, the association's president and CEO.

Singh spoke near the Peace Fountain at Convent Gardens in downtown Windsor, with the Detroit River and the United States setting a scenic background behind him.

He said unlimited internet plans should be truly unlimited, and not see speeds slow down once a certain amount of usage is reached.

Singh also said that internet access is increasingly important, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic when Canadians had to work and attend school from home.

"This is a massive problem because for people now this is not a luxury," said Singh, who added that improving cell and internet services in Indigenous, rural, and remote communities would be a priority for an NDP government.

"This is about work, this is about education, this is about accessing services."

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Local NDP candidate Brian Masse, who has represented the riding of Windsor West in parliament since 2002, said his constituents sometimes get nicked with roaming charges when they're close to the U.S.-Canada border.

"It's one of the ripoffs that's been taking place for consumers over these last number of years," said Masse, who has worked on the industry portfolio for the NDP during his time in office.

"I've seen one thing that's consistent: Liberals and Conservatives and the CRTC have sided against consumers, and they've gone with the big telcos. That's resulted in Canada having some of the highest charges for data and for usage and some of the worst connections."

Singh had a news conference with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens on Wednesday afternoon to announce that the federal NDP was supporting the city's plan to improve local infrastructure, particularly to try and prevent floods.

"The federal government has to be a better partner to municipalities," said Singh, adding that the City of Windsor's requests align with the NDP's values.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2021.
VANCOUVER - One person is believed to be dead and another is in hospital after part of a building collapsed, RCMP in North Vancouver said Wednesday.

Ambulances and firefighters attend to the scene of a building collapse in North Vancouver, B.C., in this Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021 handout photo. The RCMP say one person is believed to be dead and another is in hospital after part of a building collapsed in North Vancouver on Wednesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Twitter, Nigel Hubbard, @NigelHubbard19 *MANDATORY CREDIT*

VANCOUVER - One person is believed to be dead and another is in hospital after part of a building collapsed, RCMP in North Vancouver said Wednesday.

Fire and rescue personnel determined that one person had sustained "catastrophic" injuries, but it was still too dangerous to remove debris within the construction site in order to recover the body, Sgt. Peter DeVries said in an interview.

Structural engineers and specialists have been called in, DeVries said.

The coroners service has yet to officially confirm the death, he said, while BC Emergency Health Services said the second person is in stable condition.

"It's a very sad day for not only friends and family, but for the construction community at large and for North Vancouver as well."

DeVries said police don't believe anyone else was trapped.

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"We have no reason to believe that there is anyone else in there, but of course, as the investigation unfolds, they will certainly ensure that is the case."

It looked like a "demolition in progress," DeVries said, but he couldn't confirm what kind of work was taking place at the building or the name of the company involved.

Officers encountered a "chaotic" scene when they responded to numerous 911 calls about the collapse around 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, he said.

The Mounties will investigate to determine whether any criminality was involved in the death and if they find none, the coroners service and WorkSafeBC, the provincial worker safety agency, will examine the circumstances that led to the fatality.

"We're still right at the very beginning stages of that investigation," DeVries said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2021.
Premier Scott Moe speaks in a year-end interview with The Canadian Press in Regina on December 15, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michael Bell

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is accusing Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau of unfair treatment over private MRI clinics.

Moe was reacting Tuesday to Trudeau's campaign saying this week that if it wins government, it will claw back health fund transfers should MRI patient charges in Saskatchewan not be eliminated.

Other provinces including Quebec and Ontario have long had private MRI clinics operating within their jurisdictions, yet the Liberal leader has not threatened cuts to health funding in these provinces, said Moe in a statement.

This includes private MRI clinics that operate within the Liberal leaders hometown of Montreal.

A 2005 challenge over private health insurance in Quebec ended with the top court finding the ban on private insurance violated the province's human rights charter. It did not lead to widespread privatization in Canada, though provinces set wait-time benchmarks in an effort to improve access to care.

Moe said Trudeau needs to properly fund health care, as urged by all provinces.

We need a federal government that unites the country, not divides it further, especially on important national issues like health care, said Moe.

It is disappointing that the Liberal leader is seeking to politicize health care by only now taking issue with this innovative practice during the campaign, seemingly to distract from real issues that should be discussed during an election that he called.

Saskatchewan and the Trudeau government have been at loggerheads for years over the province's program to reduce MRI wait times.

In Saskatchewan, for-profit clinics can charge patients for tests as long as they also provide scans to those on the public wait list.

Moe said Saskatchewans system has proven to be a tangible benefit, removing more than 10,000 scans from the public wait list.

Trudeau, speaking in Hamilton, was asked by reporters if he would apply the same standards to Quebec on private MRIs.

Over the past number of years, every time we make a Canada Health Transfer to the provinces we make adjustments and we have. There are penalties for private delivery of services that we have brought in over the past years in a number of different cases, Trudeau replied.

We will continue to stand up for a public, universal health-care system, unlike (Conservative Leader) Erin OToole. In the depths of a pandemic, he actually shared his perspective that he believes in a for-profit, private health-care system and he will not tell people what exactly he wants to do with that.

On Sunday Liberal candidate Chrystia Freeland sent out Tweet that included an edited video clip of O'Toole saying "yes" when asked during last year's Conservative leadership contest if he supports "the provision of private, for-profit and non-profit health-care options within the universal health system."

Conservatives accused the Liberals of editing the video clip to remove O'Toole's qualification that the health system needs to "make sure that universal access remains paramount" even as it employs "public-private synergies" to bring innovation to the system.

Twitter slapped a warning label on the tweet, calling it "manipulated media."

On Tuesday, OToole reiterated his commitment to the public system and accused Trudeau of seeking to play both sides of the issue with an ongoing, misleading campaign on health care and his attacks on provinces.

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A prime minister who was serious about health care wouldn't have called an election during a national health emergency. And now, unbelievably, he's threatening to cut health-care funding, and close health clinics in the middle of a pandemic. I knew Justin Trudeau was desperate to win his majority, but I never believed he would compromise people's health to get it, said OToole, speaking to reporters in Ottawa.

I support the health system we have right now, where Canadians can choose the kind of health care they want universal and free for everyone," he said, adding that Trudeau has allowed for-profit care to grow under his watch.

I view innovation as a good thing. I trust the premiers to do what is best for patients in their provinces. If Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario, or Quebec want to innovate to provide better health care, I support that. Why? Because it gives Canadians more choice. The more choices Canadians have in health care, the better it reduces wait times, and it frees up more money to reinvest in health care.

In the campaign, the Conservatives are promising to increase the rate of the Canada Health Transfer to at least six per cent of the current figure, which is tied to growth in the economy, to increase funding by about $60 billion in the health system over the next decade.

The Liberals are promising to spend $3 billion more to help provinces hire more nurses, doctors and nurse practitioners.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2021.
OTTAWA - Canada's main political parties say they are putting your pocketbook at the top of their agendas, with varying promises to help make everything from housing to food to mobile phone bills less costly.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh talks with a supporter during a campaign stop in Hamilton, Ont., on Tuesday, August 24, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

OTTAWA - Canada's main political parties say they are putting your pocketbook at the top of their agendas, with varying promises to help make everything from housing to food to mobile phone bills less costly.

Affordability was already a concern for many Canadians before the pandemic hit, but COVID-19 lockdowns and supply-chain constraints exacerbated many of the existing problems.

That is particularly the case for a housing market made ever hotter by the pandemic that drove more Canadians to want bigger homes and bigger yards. For younger Canadians, and those with lower incomes the pre-pandemic pipe dream of home ownership was pushed even further out of reach.

Inflation in July hit 3.7 per cent, the highest annual increase in more than a decade, thanks, in part, to hikes in the prices of gas and food. Those costs are being driven largely by reopening of economies driving up demand, and ongoing supply-chain constraints, both pandemic and climate related.

But Statistics Canada's housing replacement cost index, which is tied to the cost of building a new home, was one of the biggest drivers. It rose almost 14 per cent, the highest increase since 1987.

The Canadian Real Estate Association said the average price of buying a house jumped almost 26 per cent between June 2020 and June 2021.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh responds to a question during a news conference on the waterfront in Windsor, Ontario on Wednesday, August 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

"There is a cost-of-living crisis in Canada right now," Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole said in an ad he posted Tuesday to Twitter.

Experts across Canada point to supply constraints as the main driver of housing costs, and it's a problem that is years in the making.

"My take is that there has been less-than-adequate housing construction over the past five decades," said Murtaza Haider, a professor of real estate management at Ryerson University in Toronto.

All three main national parties have now pushed out promises to help ease the cost of housing, including some form of restriction to limit foreign buyers from purchasing housing in Canada. The NDP plan is a 20 per cent tax on housing purchases by non-Canadians or permanent residents, while both the Liberals and Conservatives plan some type of ban on new foreign ownership for two years.

To build more housing the NDP promised 500,000 new "affordable" homes built in 10 years, the Conservatives say they'll get one million new homes built in just three years, while the Liberals said they will "build, preserve, or repair" 1.4 million homes in four years.

The parties provided few specifics on how they intend to do it, and Haider is skeptical there can be a rush to massively increase new home builds in the next year or two. He said building material shortages will continue, there are not enough trained tradespeople available to do the work, and there is no sign that demand will let up.

Haider said he is intrigued by the Conservative promise to allow developers who sell existing rentals to defer capital gains taxes if they reinvest the profits to build new rentals. Construction of rental units is a particular problem in Canada's housing affordability issue, he said.

The parties aren't just going after housing costs though.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is touting his pledge from last spring's budget to spend $30 billion over five years to bring child care costs down to an average of $10 a day. The Liberals signed eight provinces up to the program before the election call.

Trudeau was in Surrey, B.C., Wednesday where he continued his housing theme, pledging to increase corporate income taxes on banks and insurance companies with big profits, using the revenues to help fund his promises to make housing more affordable.

Trudeau noted banks and insurance companies did very well during the pandemic.

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"As we rebuild, we're going to ask big financial institutions to pay a little back to pay a little more, so that we can do more for you, and in particular, so that we can help you own your home," he said.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, campaigning Wednesday in Windsor, Ont., said he would help ease affordability anxiety by forcing mobile phone companies to cut consumer rates.

Singh didn't say how that could happen indicating only it can be done if a government is courageous enough to "stand up to" telecom giants.

Singh said Trudeau promised to cut cellphone bills by 25 per cent in the 2019 election, instead prices have gone up. The Liberals say they're making progress on it and point to a Statistics Canada report that says consumer prices for cellular services dropped by 21.5 per cent between June 2020 and June 2021.

O'Toole campaigned in southwestern Ontario Wednesday, promising some of the $60 billion in new federal health transfers to provinces that he previously pledged would be used to help at least one million more Canadians access mental health treatment each year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2021
Manitobans who work in many professions will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Those who aren't must be tested and produce negative results as much as three times a week.

Manitobans who work in many professions will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Those who aren't must be tested and produce negative results as much as three times a week.

The province's new policy, which was announced Tuesday, affects front-line workers. The Free Press spoke to affected groups about their views.

Education

As far as teachers, trustees and parents are concerned, the latest COVID-19 measures will help set up a safe return to school as a fourth wave looms.

The Manitoba Teachers Society and Manitoba School Boards Association both praised the province for announcing Tuesday masks will be made mandatory for all grades and frequent testing will be required for staff who cannot prove they are fully immunized.

James Bedford, who represents more than 16,000 public school teachers, called the announcements "welcome news" that alleviates stress for everyone in the school system.

Over the last week, the union president and his colleagues had been calling on the province to mandate vaccination among public school employees.

"Weve been listened to and thats comforting," said Bedford. "I feel better about going into this school year than I did the last school year."

Last year, the teachers society was unsuccessful in its efforts to lobby the province to require all students in kindergarten and up to wear face coverings at school. The province only ever mandated face coverings for students in Grade 4 and up in 2020-21.

Alan Campbell, president of the school boards association, echoed Bedfords reaction Tuesday. Campbell added he is confident school boards can work with officials to set up testing options for unvaccinated individuals before Sept. 7.

Safe September MB also took the win, although the grassroots advocacy group indicated Tuesday it will continue to pressure the province to enhance ventilation and improve remote-learning options before students return to classrooms.

The group wants the province to make COVID-19 vaccination a requirement for all eligible students to attend in-person learning.

Meantime, Bedford said he believes the decision to immunize minors is best left in the hands of parents.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents educational assistants, custodians, and other support staff who work in schools across the province, did not provide an interview; staff is studying the announcement.

Health Care

Medical professionals are rejoicing at the province's announcement to require direct health-care workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

"This is a very happy day," Dr. Anand Kumar, an ICU physician, said Tuesday. "We have some hope."

Kumar said he "strongly approves" the steps Manitoba is taking ahead of the fourth wave.

"As it stands right now, the wave that we're going to see (will) be substantially focused on those regions of the province that are under-vaccinated," he said.

The new measures, including requiring masks in public indoor spaces and vaccination for sectors of front-line workers, will help keep community spread down and protect children, who are ineligible for vaccination, Kumar said. And, a fleet of fully vaccinated health-care staff means fewer workers will need to isolate because of infection.

"We have a much better chance of being able to handle the surge that is going to come our way," Kumar said. "The only thing that you could do better is vaccinate everybody in the province who's eligible, but this is a very good start."

Dr. Kristjan Thompson, president of Doctors Manitoba, called the doubling down on vaccinations "the right thing to do."

Both he and Kumar said the physicians they know are fully vaccinated.

"All health-care providers have a duty to protect their patients," Thompson said. "The vaccine... is our best way to protect patients as we battle COVID-19. It shouldn't be controversial  in my opinion, it's a no-brainer."

He said he hopes the new measures will increase public confidence.

"I don't anticipate any physician to have an issue with getting vaccinated," Thompson said. "There's always going to be outliers, in any profession... but I would say that is a very, very, very small minority, if at all."

Jan Legeros, executive director of the Long Term and Continuing Care Association of Manitoba, echoed Thompson's views that health-care workers will appreciate the mandate.

"We're all worried about the delta variant," she said, adding she's pleased the government is taking a proactive approach to combating the fourth wave. "This just makes so much sense."

The Manitoba Nurses Union is speaking with health regions regarding the province's mandate.

"With the delta variant on the rise across Canada, getting vaccinated is now more important than ever," said president Darlene Jackson.

In a written statement, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba told the Free Press it supports the measures. It cant identify unvaccinated members, but that "may change in the future," a spokesperson said.

Child care

The province would be remiss if it hadnt included early learning and child care workers in Tuesdays announcement, especially considering the fact that the vast majority of their "clientele" arent able to get vaccinated, Manitoba Child Care Association executive director Jodie Kehl said.

"By clear definition of a vulnerable population, the entire group that early learning and child care works for is vulnerable  from the onset of COVID weve talked about the fact that young children just developmentally are incapable of practising some of the safety protocols that you or I might be able to do as adults," she said.

The group had recommended all workers be vaccinated and maintain hygiene guidelines long before the announcement and most child care operators were relieved to have a blanket policy consistent with the rules in place for schools.

"When it comes as a policy from the provincial government, from a public health order, it takes that onus off the child-care employers," she said.

In Manitoba, 44 per cent of child care facilities are on school property.

Operators are waiting for further information on how policies for regular COVID-19 testing will proceed without disrupting the workday, Kehl said.

"I do know (policy updates) will be coming out to facilities, which hopefully will include that information about how they now do that monitoring of staff that are not vaccinated," she said.

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Corrections officers

The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union released a statement on behalf of its members, including correctional officers.

"As we enter a fourth wave of the pandemic, its more important than ever that Manitobans do everything possible to protect each other and our communities, and slow the spread of this virus the MGEU encourages our members, and all Manitobans, to get vaccinated," president Michelle Gawronsky said.

"At the same time, we welcome the alternatives offered, which provide for medical accommodations, and ongoing testing, to ensure that our workplaces, and those we serve, are protected."

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Gabrielle Piche

Reporter Gabby is a big fan of people, writing and learning. She graduated from Red River Colleges Creative Communications program in the spring of 2020. Read full biography

Malak Abas

Reporter Malak Abas is a reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Read full biography
An animal shelter fears its network of foster homes could be at risk, should a proposed change to Winnipegs responsible pet ownership bylaw be approved.

An animal shelter fears its network of foster homes could be at risk, should a proposed change to Winnipegs responsible pet ownership bylaw be approved.

Deb Kelley, a shelter co-ordinator with the Manitoba Ferret Association No Kill Shelter, said a newly proposed limit that each Winnipeg household be allowed a maximum of five ferrets would not support the shelters model of care. The shelter relies on multiple foster homes, ensuring all of them already own ferrets and are qualified to properly care for them.

As a result, many of those homes already contain up to six ferrets, before they take others in temporarily, she said.

"Were here for every ferret in need, whether its old, young, sick, healthy. If the bylaw goes through where each household can have only five ferrets, that would devastate our foster home space," said Kelley.

The city confirmed Tuesday that it will exempt main animal shelters from all pet number caps and will consider the call to extend that to related foster homes.

But Kelley said shell remain concerned about her organizations capacity until theres a guarantee all foster care sites are also exempt.

"Its still, to me, a grave concern, that theyre putting a limit on (pet numbers). Saying you will consider (a change) doesnt say you are endorsing it," she said.

Since any change to the responsible pet ownership bylaw is of great importance to pet owners and animal service providers, the city is seeking as much public feedback as possible before a final proposal is considered for city council approval, said Leland Gordon, general manager of Winnipegs Animal Services Agency.

"We need to hear that (feedback) because this will be further refined and changed... We will definitely look... to see if there is a way that we can encompass (animal fostering) sites," he said.

The proposed five-per-household pet limit would also apply to birds and several types of "exotic animals."

And the potential changes could create a reduced number of species that can be kept as pets within city limits.

The Manitoba Canary and Finch Club has launched an online petition against several of the changes, which it says would also ban the ownership of almost all parrot species and greatly limit the types of finch and canary species that can be kept as pets.

By late Tuesday afternoon, the petition had collected nearly 2,000 signatures.

A club member said the proposed bird limits would cut off access to pets that many Winnipeggers cherish as family members.

"Lots of people cant have dogs or cats because of allergies and lots of people have amazing relationships with their birds. The majority are not kept in little cages, theyre out with the family and interacting," said Melanie Fraser.

Fraser said nine love birds and two Senegal parrots live in her home, which new owners wouldnt be allowed if the changes are approved.

If a currently allowed species is banned, those who already own such pets would be allowed to keep them, the city confirmed.

And Gordon said all of the ideas being considered, including set limits for the number of pets that live in each home, should better protect pets and prevent animal hoarding.

"Its about having a reasonable amount of animals for somebody to provide proactive veterinary care for all of those animals," said Gordon.

He said the proposed changes followed consultations with Winnipeg Humane Society and other animal protection authorities.

Proposals on whether specific animal species should be allowed as pets are based on how each animal lives in the wild and how being kept as a pet would affect it, he added.

"It essentially comes down to the quality of life for the animal in captivity," said Gordon.

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He also described the list of allowable animals as a "starting point" for discussion, which the city will revise after considering all public feedback.

To weigh in on the proposed changes to the responsible pet ownership bylaw, Winnipeggers can email RPObylaw@winnipeg.ca

The city expects final changes to the bylaw will be implemented early next year.

 with files from Gabrielle Piche

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga
While Manitobans are focused on soaking up the last bit of summer and preparing their children for school, federal politicians are jockeying for any attention they can grab ahead of the Sept. 20 election.

While Manitobans are focused on soaking up the last bit of summer and preparing their children for school, federal politicians are jockeying for any attention they can grab ahead of the Sept. 20 election.

"It's going to be harder to knock off an incumbent," said Paul Thomas, professor emeritus of the University of Manitoba.

He said the lack of large rallies or in-person debates has forced parties to work the phones and reach out through social media.

"If you've got your core supporters and you can mobilize them, that takes you a long way toward victory in this election."

Heres how the race is shaping up in Manitobas 14 ridings.

Most competitive seat

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS In 2019, the riding swung to former city councillor Marty Morantz and the Conservatives.

Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley is a mouthful, and it's on the lips of Liberals and Conservatives.

"It's basically a dead heat between the two main parties," Thomas said.

In 2019, the riding swung to the Conservatives: former city councillor Marty Morantz received a 5.2 percentage point lead over Dr. Doug Eyolfson, a Liberal who had won the riding in 2015.

The two are on the ballot again. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau chose a Food Fare in the riding last week for his first Manitoba visit in this campaign, while Tory Leader Erin OToole made a stop that same day, on the edge of the riding.

ALEX LUPUL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Dr. Doug Eyolfson won the riding in 2015.

The swing riding historically logs a higher voter turnout than the national average, and voters have opted for a range of politicians, including a decade of Conservative MP Steven Fletcher, a libertarian.

Eyolfson has worked as an ICU physician during the COVID-19 crisis, and is trying to link the provinces disastrous coronavirus outcomes with the federal Conservatives.

Morantz is a moderate Tory, touting his term on the citys finance committee, and his work advocating for the Grits to tweak COVID-19 supports that had poor uptake among businesses.

Thomas said the riding is part of the Liberals push to gain back seats in the regions such as the Prairies.

"Some of their hopes will be pinned on regaining the ridings that they lost on fairly narrow margins, and holding everything else they have from 2019."

The challenger

The NDP is eyeing Winnipeg North, a historically orange riding that Liberals in the Lamoureux clan have dominated federally and provincially.

The riding has upwardly mobile homeowners in the Maples, on one hand, and cramped apartment blocks in the North End, on the other. It includes large Filipino and Indigenous populations. In the 2016 census, the median income for the riding was $28,784, compared with $34,964 citywide.

ALEX LUPUL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux has held the seat since 2010.

Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux has held the seat since 2010, after 13 years of New Democrat representation under Judy Wasylycia-Leis. Lamoureux easily won the 2019 election with a 22 percentage point lead.

Before the pandemic, Lamoureux was known for having a weekly hours-long drop-in at a local McDonalds, and for touting the Liberals bump-up to the Canada Child Benefit, which has a huge uptake in the riding.

His daughter, Cindy Lamoureux, has been the MLA for areas that overlap his federal riding since 2016.

"Everybody underestimates Kevin Lamoureux; he outworks everybody and he's shrewder than a lot of people give him credit for," Thomas said.

ALEX LUPUL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The NDP is pumping in resources for candidate Melissa Chung-Mowat, a Chinese-Metis woman who has worked in non-profits that help immigrants and anti-poverty initiatives.

However, the NDP is pumping in resources for candidate Melissa Chung-Mowat, a Chinese-Metis woman who has worked in non-profits that help immigrants and anti-poverty initiatives. Lamoureux's support for police officers after racially charged incidents could have some voters turn their backs on him.

The Tories focus on affordability could take votes from the Liberals and NDP for Conservative candidate Anas Kassem, a political organizer for the federal and provincial party.

Tight ridings

Winnipeg South is a bellwether riding, which tends to elect an MP from whichever party forms government. Liberal incumbent Terry Duguid squeaked through with a 3.4 percentage point lead in 2019, and again faces Tory candidate Melanie Maher, a provincial PC staffer who hails from a military background.

"She'll have greater name recognition this time around, but I still think Duguid will prevail," said Thomas, who noted Duguid has gained publicity for advocating for the clean-up of Lake Winnipeg.

"He keeps good connections with constituents, and particularly with stakeholder groups in the community, including the University of Manitoba."

The riding has many newcomers from abroad and other parts of Canada, and it tends to swing based on national trends.

In Winnipeg South, the NDP is running Aiden Kahanovitch, a human resources executive for commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield-Stevenson.

Another race that could get swept up in national trends is the Elmwood-Transcona riding, where NDP incumbent Daniel Blaikie was re-elected in 2019 with an eight percentage point lead.

The riding has a politically active working class, and could opt for Tory candidate Rejeanne Caron, a former police officer who ran unsuccessfully in the St. Boniface-St. Vital riding in 2019. The Liberals have a so-called paper candidate, Sara Mirwaldt, who is a 22-year-old university student.

City strongholds

Winnipeg Centre has the advantage of being the only riding that grafts neatly onto the city sectors surveyed by Probe Research, whose polling suggests NDP incumbent Leah Gazan has had sustained support.

Liberal candidate Paul Ong is a teacher who is involved in local non-profits. Thomas said he will only gain traction if he runs to the left of the Trudeau policy book. The Tories have no candidate in the riding.

Liberal cabinet minister Jim Carr will be particularly hard to unseat in Winnipeg South Centre, Thomas argued, even against Conservative candidate Joyce Bateman, an accountant who held the riding from 2011 to 2015. The NDP candidate is clinical psychologist Julia Riddell.

The other minister, Dan Vandal, will likely keep his St. Boniface-St. Vital seat. He's facing off against Conservative candidate Shola Agboola, a provincial public servant involved in corrections, and NDP candidate Meghan Waters, who is a teacher.

In Kildonan-St. Paul, Raquel Dancho will likely hold onto her seat. The rookie MP was elected in 2019 at age 29 with a 17 percentage point lead over ousted Liberal cabinet minister MaryAnn Mihychuk.

"I dont think that ones coming back into the Liberal fold," said Thomas, who argued Dancho has been visible as the Tories voice for labour issues.

"I think she's done a pretty good job in that regard, given there's only so much time and space given to an opposition critic from Manitoba."

Danchos Liberal opponent, Mary-Jane Bennett, was appointed this month after the original candidate stepped down for health reasons. Bennett's campaign said she's lived in B.C. for the past 15 years, but returns often to her cabin outside Winnipeg, has a temporary home in the city, and will actually move permanently to the riding after the election.

The NDP candidate for the riding is Emily Clark, who the party says works in education technology.

Rural continuity

Thomas said all six ridings outside the Perimeter Highway seem like safe bets for incumbents.

The northern riding of Churchill-Keewatinook Aski has been represented by NDP MP Niki Ashton since 2008, who has been popular despite provocative stances on issues such as the Meng Wanzhou case or democracy in Venezuela.

The Conservatives have nominated Charlotte Larocque, a Metis woman who led the Thompson Chamber of Commerce. The Liberal candidate is Shirley Robinson, a Cross Lake band councillor. Both have argued the region would have better representation if its MP was part of the government.

An interesting contrast of candidates can be found in the Provencher riding, where Conservative incumbent Ted Falk is seeking re-election after loudly opposing abortion, raising doubts about COVID-19 vaccines and refusing to attend Pride parades.

As in the 2019 race, Falk will face Liberal candidate Trevor Kirczenow, a transgender activist who has pushed breastfeeding organizations to recognize trans men who give birth.

More to come

Candidates have until Aug. 30 to submit their nomination papers. The final list of candidates will be set as of Sept. 1.

As of Tuesday morning, just four candidates had been nominated, from the three large parties. That includes Conservative MP James Bezan, who had been rumoured to be seeking leadership of the Manitoba Tory party.

Thomas said voters likely wont pay attention until after Labour Day, but he doesn't expect dramatic shifts in such a short campaign.

"Debates and campaigns don't change a lot; you might win or lose a few seats based on that."

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
The Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench will require judges and their assistants to be vaccinated as of Wednesday.

The Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench will require judges and their assistants to be vaccinated as of Wednesday.

Chief Justice Glenn Joyal told the Free Press its a matter of protecting the operations of the court, and lowering the risk of infecting people who interact with the judiciary.

"Any judge who has not been double vaccinated by the commencement of the fall term, will be taken out of the rota until further notice," reads a statement from the court.

The policy only applies to the Court of Queens Bench, which deals with everything from criminal and bankruptcy law to foster care. That court, along with the appeals and provincial courts, set their own rules, regardless of federal or provincial mandates.

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"This is an approach made by the judiciary mindful of its independent institutional status, and its responsibility to all Manitobans in the performance of its judicial function."

The court has restricted access to judges chambers to those who had a second COVID-19 shot two weeks prior, unless a judge or one of their assistants has presented Joyal or his two associate chief justices with a valid medical reason against immunization.

"We are cautiously attempting to transition to a new but still reduced level of normalcy," the court wrote, adding it wants to bring back in-person sittings in September, but might need to revise plans if a fourth wave takes hold.

"This is being done by trying to make all practical efforts to safely coexist with a virus (and its variants) that will not in all likelihood be disappearing anytime soon."

Meanwhile, the Law Courts complex and judges chambers still require masking, hand sanitizing, screening questions and physical distancing, despite the province making such measures optional last month.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Manitoba is reopening its student aid office for in-person visits and prioritizing repayment assistance plans for pupils affected by wildfires who are struggling to meet loan payments ahead of back-to-school season.

Manitoba is reopening its student aid office for in-person visits and prioritizing repayment assistance plans for pupils affected by wildfires who are struggling to meet loan payments ahead of back-to-school season.

Advanced Education Minister Wayne Ewasko announced Wednesday the kiosks at 1181 Portage Ave. will start taking student appointments on Sept. 7  18 months after the doors were closed to the public because of COVID-19.

All visitors will be required to follow public health guidelines on screening, masking, and physical distancing.

Online and phone appointments will remain an option for accessing services, said Ewasko, during a news conference at the Robert Fletcher Building.

"Every year, theres far too many barriers to post-secondary education  but especially over the last year, the need for student aid has been emphasized," said Emily Kalo, chairwoman of the Manitoba Alliance of Post-Secondary Students, at the event.

Kalo said the resumption of in-person services is welcome news for students from marginalized and non-urban communities who have faced challenges accessing funding virtually.

The alliance is focusing its advocacy efforts around international student health-care coverage, ensuring the province consults students in developing post-secondary policies, and making sure all students know holistic Access programs exist in 2021-22, she said.

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When asked separately Wednesday about student concerns that they are paying more for tuition despite remote and blended learning, both Ewasko and Kalo indicated all Manitobans are braving the pandemic together.

"At the same time, we know that Manitoba has the third-lowest tuition in all of Canada, actually, the lowest in Western Canada, and were trying hard to make sure that weve got affordable education  but we want to make sure that weve got the strong programs to back it up. That money has to come from somewhere," said the minister.

Last year, Manitoba Student Aid provided $254 million in federal and provincial student loans, grants and bursaries to more than 17,000 students.

The in-person office on Portage Avenue had 15,000 appointments during the year before the pandemic.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
THE Manitoba Metis Federation will make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for its staff and elected cabinet members, as well as contractors and visitors to its offices.

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THE Manitoba Metis Federation will make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for its staff and elected cabinet members, as well as contractors and visitors to its offices.

The policy will cover more than 1,000 people. The policy includes guidance on counselling for those who have not been vaccinated, and outlines accommodations for people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.

The decision to include contractors relates to work in Metis communities where seven daycares are being built. Many of those communities have no hospitals or health centres, Chartrand noted, which makes it even more critical for visiting workers to be vaccinated.

"We have to ensure our citizens and our families are safe," said health minister Frances Chartrand said.

Chartrand acknowledged the efforts of Metis and other health care workers in Canada. Even with this work, she noted, the Metis Nation has lost elders, vulnerable citizens and loved ones.

"We do not take the (vaccine mandate) decision lightly," Chartrand said. "We support the safety of our citizens, employees, families and through them our elders. Our elders are the keepers of our knowledge. Our nation has done the hard work of protecting themselves."
Manitoba's NDP has called for the Tories to recall the legislature early, kill five contentious proposed laws and "wipe the slate clean" because the premier is a lame duck who will be replaced in October.

Manitoba's NDP has called for the Tories to recall the legislature early, kill five contentious proposed laws and "wipe the slate clean" because the premier is a lame duck who will be replaced in October.

At a news conference Tuesday, NDP house leader Nahanni Fontaine urged the PC government to call back the house before the session is set to resume on Oct. 6 to vote down Bill 64 (the Education Modernization Act) that eliminates elected English language school boards, and four other pieces of legislation the NDP were able to hold back until this fall.

"I think it's incumbent on the government and the caucus to get back to work so that we can deal with voting down those five pieces of egregious legislation and get to work addressing the fourth wave and kids going back to school," Fontaine said.

When Heather Stefanson announced she would seek the PC leadership last week, she was applauded by many in her caucus  including Education Minister Cliff Cullen  for promising to kill Bill 64 if she's chosen and becomes the next premier. Stefanson did not promise to kill any other legislation.

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Fontaine said she's ready to work with government house leader Kelvin Goertzen to recall the house early.

When asked if Goertzen was considering the NDP's request, a spokesman for the government house leader issued a short statement.

"Minister Goertzen will address issues related to the fall session prior to the session commencing in October." It did not state when.

The NDP also wants the PCs to vote down Bill 16, which would allow an employer to fire an employee for "strike-related misconduct"  even if the employee has not been convicted of a criminal offence  and eliminates the right of striking workers to access binding arbitration after 60 days of strike action or lockout. It would also require only 40 per cent of workers  instead of 50 per cent  to call for a union decertification vote.

The NDP wants Bill 35 scrapped as well. It would have the Public Utilities Board approve rates in five-year intervals rather than annually, with the provincial cabinet setting electricity rates in the meantime. Bill 40 would enable provincially owned liquor sales by third parties and Bill 57 would restrict the rights of protesters by allowing owners or operators of "critical infrastructure"  highways, pipelines, food-processing plants, hospitals and courthouses  to apply for a court order to halt or limit protests. Individuals would face fines of up to $5,000 per day and/or jail time.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
NONE of Heather Stefansons former cabinet colleagues is willing to challenge her for the party leadership.

NONE of Heather Stefansons former cabinet colleagues is willing to challenge her for the party leadership.

Families Minister Rochelle Squires  who had said she was thinking about running to replace Premier Brian Pallister  shocked her supporters by announcing on social media Tuesday that she had decided against it.

"I am truly humbled and honoured to have even been considered for the role by incredible people who I hold in high regard," Squires wrote. "I thank each of them for their confidence in me and their kind words of encouragement."

In an interview, Squires said the partys leadership contest rules  paying a $25,000 fee and signing up 1,000 new party members  werent a factor.

"Absolutely not," said Squires. "It didnt play into my decision."

Instead, Squires said being a handson mother and grandmother, a cabinet minister, and helping her constituents as MLA for Riel is enough.

"This is where my focus is," she said.

"I am incredibly excited by having so many women as part of this (leadership) equation and I was humbled by being one of them."

Later in the day, Finance Minister Scott Fielding, another person talked about for months as being a possible candidate, bowed out of the race.

Fielding told The Canadian Press he will support Stefanson, who has the backing of most Tory caucus members.

"I do think that shes the right person at the right time to lead the province," said Fielding.

Stefanson, the former health minister, announced her intention to run for the leadership last week, and was accompanied by most of her MLA colleagues. Twenty-six of them now support her.

Government whip Andrew Micklefield was one of them. On Tuesday, he was dropped from the role because caucus officers are supposed to be neutral in leadership contests. MLA Blaine Pederson will take over the position.

Former Tory MP Shelly Glover told the Free Press Tuesday she plans to run against Stefanson and she hopes others join the race.

Winnipeg city Coun. Scott Gillingham issued a statement in which he said he is mulling his options.

"The rules that the party executive council set (Monday night) present some organizational and financial challenges," he said. "However, thousands of Manitobans and I want this leadership race to be a real and robust debate about the direction of the provincial government.

"So I will be discussing my potential candidacy with my family and friends in the days ahead."

Royce Koop, a political studies professor at the University of Manitoba, said he believes an outside candidate has a real chance.

"I wouldnt discount someone on the outside," said Koop.

"There is the possibility the show of strength from Heather Stefanson might scare off potential candidates, or it might leave the field open to just one candidate. Sometimes you chase most people out, but not everyone."

Koop said unlike Stefanson, candidates such as Gillingham and Glover wouldnt be put in the tough spot of defending decisions made the Pallister government.

"Gillingham even said he was against Bill 64 a few weeks ago," he said. "He has connections to rural Manitoba. It could shape up to be a race.

"I think there are PC members who dont want an acclamation."

If there is a robust leadership race, it would go against the partys history. It has been almost 40 years since the Tories held a leadership vote where the results were not predictable.

Pallister was acclaimed as leader in 2012, Hugh McFadyen received 67 per cent of the vote compared to Ron Schulers 21 per cent in 2006, and Stuart Murray was acclaimed in 2000.

Youd have to go back to 1983, during the leadership race in the wake of Sterling Lyons defeat to the NDPs Howard Pawley, to see a hotly contested battle. Gary Filmon became leader by defeating finance minister Brian Ransom.

Chris Adams, an adjunct professor in the University of Manitobas political studies department, said he has heard another name being tossed around: Dayna Spiring, president and CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg.

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He said having a woman as a leader could help the party capture more votes from women.

"Over the past many years, the PCs dont do as well with women than men," said Adams. "But when they can bring in women voters, the party succeeds."

Paul Thomas, professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba, said regardless of what Squires said, he believes the $25,000 fee and requirement to sign up 1,000 new members makes it very difficult for would-be candidates.

"If you had a suspicious mind, you might think the Conservative party establishment has just backed the Tuxedo MLA to fast-track her to become the leader and then the premier as well," said Thomas.

Late Tuesday, backbench Tory Shannon Martin said he was considering the logistics of a leadership bid.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
A little over a month ago, I wrote it was ironic that Manitoba Premier Brian Pallisters views on Indigenous peoples, one of the things he was most proud of in his political career, would mark the end of it.

A little over a month ago, I wrote it was ironic that Manitoba Premier Brian Pallisters views on Indigenous peoples, one of the things he was most proud of in his political career, would mark the end of it.

Turns out I was right.

Canada has historically made statues, named buildings and created universities to honour politicians who mistreat Indigenous communities. But in the Manitoba of 2021, it apparently means one cannot be premier.

The breaking point, it appears, was in Pallisters post-Canada Day comments about activists pulling down two queen statues at the Manitoba legislature.

"The people who came here to this country," Pallister famously said, "didnt come here to destroy anything. They came here to build."

No, Mr. Premier, that's just outright wrong. Read a textbook.

It's among a litany of other incorrect statements hes made about Indigenous (and frankly, non-Indigenous peoples) over his time in the premiers chair.

Brian Pallister has made various inflammatory statements about Indigenous people during his time in the premiers chair. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)

The comment sparked the resignation of Eileen Clarke as minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs.

Before this, no one in the Progressive Conservative Party publicly stood up to Pallisters outdated, divisive and factually incorrect views on Indigenous peoples.

No one past or present publicly disagreed when Pallister accused Metis night hunters of inciting "a race war"; pronounced that First Nations getting vaccines put Manitobans "at the back of the line"; or intervened to stop Bill 57 criminalizing constitutional rights that clearly target Indigenous activists.

Many complained privately  Clarke reportedly told Manitoba Metis Federation President David Chartrand, "Be patient. He will be gone soon"  but none said anything publicly.

They are talking now.

Conservative MLAs across the province have been lining up to distance themselves from Pallisters positions on Indigenous issues, even before he announced his resignation on Aug. 10.

The loudest has been backbench Tory MLA Shannon Martin, who openly rebuked Pallister after fellow MLA Alan Lagimodiere, moments after being appointed minister of Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations, stated that those who ran residential schools thought they were "doing the right thing."

On Twitter, Martin took Lagimodiere to task and wrote that residential schools were "re-education camps, designed not to benefit Indigenous peoples, but to erase their cultures (and) in too many instances, their lives."

Pallister's comments sparked the resignation of Eileen Clarke as minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Conservation Minister Sarah Guillemard and Families Minister Rochelle Squires also posted their own comments on social media criticizing Pallister and Lagimodiere.

Lagimodiere, meanwhile, has done a complete reversal and broke with long-standing views by Pallister, too.

At an event honouring the 150th anniversary of the signing of Treaty One, Lagimodiere said Prime Minister John A. Macdonald's plan was to eliminate Indigenous people from Canada.

"It was genocide," he said. "There's no way we can defend those actions. And those actions continued for years and years until the 1990s and they destroyed generations."

Lagimodiere then repeated the comment at an announcement that a statue of Chief Peguis would be located on the grounds of the Manitoba legislature.

So much for Pallisters "they-came-here-to-build" statement.

Then came this week, when Heather Stefanson, Manitoba's former health minister, made her announcement that she was seeking the leadership of the Tories. She started with a territorial acknowledgement  something Pallister has long refused to do or institute in the Manitoba legislature.

Stefanson then promised to "advance reconciliation and economic opportunity for Indigenous people" and scrap Bill 64, which, among many things, would have removed local control of education and a primary way Indigenous education enters schools.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS At the press conference to announce she was running to become the leader of the PC party, MLA Heather Stefanson promised to advance reconciliation and economic opportunities for Indigenous people. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Standing behind Stefanson was Lagimodiere and Education Minister Cliff Cullen, applauding as she spoke.

Its almost like the Manitoba PC party is openly shaming Pallister over his opinions on Indigenous peoples.

Or Conservatives have made a realization: Indigenous peoples vote and make up around 20 per cent of the province.

The rest are working with, living beside or are married to that 20 per cent.

Holding divisive, archaic and illegitimate views of Indigenous peoples makes you irrelevant in the Manitoba of 2021  and certainly unelectable.

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The question is: why are Conservatives speaking up now?

Isnt it a little late? Could they not have stood up before?

And, if they couldn't stand up to Pallister, can they stand up to anyone else?

Its good that leaders in the current ruling party of Manitoba are promising reconciliation  and not spreading falsehoods and dividing Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

But it all seems so hollow, especially after five years of silence.

niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca
In traditional Afghan tribal culture, there is a concept called Nanawatai that roughly translates to sanctuary or asylum. Under that concept, if a person in need invokes Nanawatai, the other party must come to their aid.

Opinion

In traditional Afghan tribal culture, there is a concept called Nanawatai that roughly translates to sanctuary or asylum. Under that concept, if a person in need invokes Nanawatai, the other party must come to their aid.

The western project to recreate Afghanistan as a representative and socially liberal state (at least within the standards of the Middle East and its neighbours) is essentially over. We can do little at present for the millions of Afghans who will bear the brunt of our failure, though we should look for opportunities to help them as they present themselves in the coming weeks, months and years.

There will also be plenty of time to dissect the lessons and assign blame for this debacle  just as were still debating the Vietnam War today.

However, there is a pressing need for Canada to act immediately to assist a segment of people who are at extreme risk and to whom we are indebted. For nearly 20 years, Afghans of all stripes assisted us in our efforts in their country. While the military interpreters are often the most visible presence, it extends to all aspects of Canadas presence  from contractors, embassy staff and aid workers to partners in the Afghan government.

These Afghans came to our assistance when Canada called for help, despite the danger it posed to them at the time. The Canadian governments efforts over the past few months have put them at even greater risk.

First, they were directed to come to Kabul for extraction, only to be left stranded with the rapid Taliban takeover and embassy closure. Some are residing in safe houses in the slim hope that the government of Canada will assist them. They have been reaching out to friends and contacts in Canada to get their desperate stories out. Given reports of Taliban fighters going door-to-door with lists of individuals who assisted western forces, these people are in imminent and mortal danger.

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Canadas options are somewhat limited and narrow. The Taliban have stated they will allow the U.S. government to use the Kabul airport until Aug. 31. Yet, they have also blockaded the perimeter and set up checkpoints around the city to prevent the free movement of these people. Canada needs to find a way to facilitate their safe passage into the airport before that day; indeed, the government needs to negotiate with our allies, and even with the Taliban itself (no matter how incredibly distasteful that might be), to make deals to get as many of these people out as possible.

The Canadian government also needs to expedite the processing of these Afghans. The bureaucratic machinery has already been a cause for delays through onerous documentation requirements, confusing processes and poor communication  this needs to be streamlined or scrapped immediately. We should expedite bringing as many Afghans as possible, including those who may not have directly assisted Canadian efforts but are nevertheless at extreme risk, and sort out their status afterwards.

To do all this requires political leadership. However, with the writ of the federal election dropped, the government is under a caretaker arrangement that limits what it can do. While making major foreign-policy decisions like this may contravene the lines of conventions, these are extraordinary circumstances. There is little doubt that many of these people will be subject to harm or death if nothing is done. It may well be too late already, but the government needs to do whatever it can.

Make no mistake; we are responsible for their safety and well-being. We cannot allow our bureaucratic and legal processes and conflicting interpretation about them leave them to their dark fate. Under the concept of Nanawatai, we should do everything we can to help these people. To do anything less would be to our eternal shame.

Richard Shimooka is a senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

 Troy Media
Opinion

The current pandemic has hurled us toward a full-blown nursing crisis.

In virtually every part of the country, in every health-care setting, there isnt enough front-line staff to provide the quality care that Canadians need. Our health-care system stands at the brink of catastrophe.

We need to stop planning in the dark when it comes to health care. The long-standing nurse staffing crisis calls for better national planning. A federal health workforce agency  modelled after what already exists for Canadas construction industry  would allow us to better manage staffing needs and design a health-care system that is truly responsive to the needs of Canadians.

The current crisis extends beyond existing vacancies; an alarming number of nurses are looking for the exit. A national pre-COVID-19 survey found 60 per cent of nurses intended to leave their jobs within the year, with more than one-quarter saying they wanted to leave nursing altogether.

To stem the bleeding, we need an immediate national moratorium on layoffs in nursing and innovative retention strategies. While recruitment strategies are vital, the successful onboarding of new grads relies heavily on the mentorship provided by more experienced nurses.

Without urgent action by governments, more nurses will choose to leave the profession. Canadians, meanwhile, will only see the quality and timeliness of care worsen.

Before the pandemic, nurses were already struggling with impossible workloads, excessive and often mandated overtime, rampant workplace violence, and a persistent lack of workplace protections. Pre-pandemic, mandated overtime was a widespread practice in many Manitoba hospitals: Manitoba nurses worked 686,479 hours of overtime in 2019; this increased by 12 per cent to 767,898 hours in 2020.

These conditions have had an alarming impact on nurses mental and physical health. Of the more than 7,000 nurses across Canada surveyed in 2019, nine in 10 reported symptoms of burnout. Levels of depression, generalized anxiety disorder and PTSD symptoms were similar to those for police and correctional officers.

The pandemic only added to nurses psychological load. Watching patients, residents and colleagues fall ill or die, worrying about potentially taking COVID-19 home to their families, and not being provided with the proper PPE to do their jobs safely  all of it took a further toll on their mental health.

The pandemic also led to countless hours of overtime, back-to-back 12-hour shifts and the cancellation of scheduled leaves; in other words, nurses have had no downtime.

In early 2021, about 20 per cent of all job vacancies in Canada  almost 100,000 positions  were in the health-care and social-assistance sector. Nursing positions often remained vacant for 90 days or more, a trend that is likely to continue as more nurses leave the profession.

Most recently, years of government neglect culminated in provinces pleading with each other for nurses and, as a stopgap measure, employing staff who lacked specialized skills.

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In Manitoba, the COVID-19 pandemic made the existing nurse shortage worse. As of mid-2021, there were double-digit nurse vacancy rates in all health regions; 75 per cent of rural health regions had nurse vacancy rates of 20 per cent or more, while in the urban regions, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority vacancy rate was more than 17 per cent and the Shared Health vacancy rate was 19 per cent, exceeding the maximum rate the government had deemed "acceptable."

With ICUs overflowing and insufficient staff, more than 50 Manitobans had to be transported to neighbouring provinces to receive care. In a recent vote, Manitoba nurses voted in favour of strike action, with retention and recruitment as a top priority in bargaining.

While politicians applauded nurses when the cameras were rolling, many undermined them behind the scenes. With COVID-19 not even in the rear-view mirror, some provinces are already looking to balance their budgets on the backs of nurses, through wage freezes, rollbacks and layoffs.

As nurses, we want to give our patients the care they deserve, we want to be safe when we go to work, and we want to be treated fairly by our governments and employers.

On Sept. 17, nurses will rally in Manitoba and across Canada to demand the transformative change needed to make the health-care system better for everyone. Our universal, publicly funded health-care system has long been a source of national pride; we hope all Canadians will stand with us to fight the erosion of this important national treasure.

Linda Silas is a registered nurse and president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions. Darlene Jackson is a registered nurse and president of the Manitoba Nurses Union.
A COVID-19 conspiracy theorist who was arrested by Winnipeg police on Tuesday after organizing a small anti-mask, anti-vaccine rally downtown has been released on bail.

A COVID-19 conspiracy theorist who was arrested by Winnipeg police on Tuesday after organizing a small anti-mask, anti-vaccine rally downtown has been released on bail.

Christopher Saccoccia, 38, of Ontario, was wanted on a warrant in Manitoba since late May, which could only be executed in the province, after twice violating public health orders. Saccoccia was released on bail following an appearance before a judicial justice of the peace Wednesday morning.

In January, police allege Saccoccia contravened orders by failing to self-isolate upon his arrival in the province. Then in April, police said the accused contravened orders by gathering with more than 10 people at an outdoor public place. On April 25, he spoke at a rally of about 300 people at The Forks.

Saccoccia, who has a large social media following, had posted a video to Twitter Monday, goading Winnipeg police to arrest him at the rally.

Video posted to social media by another speaker at the event showed Saccoccia rounding the corner from Portage Avenue to St. Mary Avenue after the rally, when two uniformed Winnipeg Police Service officers stepped out from behind a bus and arrested him.

Under terms of his bail, Saccoccia is prohibited from organizing or inviting others to attend any gathering related to COVID-19 prevention orders and is barred from visiting Manitoba except for court or to meet with his lawyer. His next Manitoba court date is Oct. 6.

"So, Im banned from Manitoba, basically, is what you are saying," Saccoccia responded after hearing the conditions.

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Saccoccia disputed the existence of the previous arrest warrant, describing criminal proceedings against him as "full of crap."

"I had my lawyer check and I had no warrants as of yesterday," Saccoccia told a justice of the peace. "So, I find it very confusing that I had a warrant suddenly appear the very hour that I was speaking."

However, in a social media post last May, Saccoccia acknowledged the existence of a warrant for his arrest after he cancelled an appearance at a Winnipeg rally.

On May 12, Saccoccia allegedly threatened to shoot Ontario Premier Doug Ford in the head and kill "all the premiers" in Canada, according to court documents obtained by the Toronto Star. Saccoccia also allegedly threatened to kill a former friend. He was later charged with three counts of uttering death threats, one count each of assaulting a police officer and driving dangerously, before he was released on bail.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca

Erik Pindera

Multimedia producer Erik Pindera is a multimedia producer at the Winnipeg Free Press. Read full biography
Winona, MN (55987)

Today

A few clouds. Low 53F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 53F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Photo by Chris Rogers

Winona Mayor Scott Sherman said he asked County Board to consider a wide range of strategies and didn't focus on a mask mandate. County Board member Greg Olson said, "I got a personal contact from the mayor that he feels a countywide mandate would be better [than a city one]."
Less than a week remains before most students in Wisconsin will return to classrooms for their second first day of school under the coronavirus pandemics shadow, but how their day will look differs by district.

Each public school district has its own COVID-19 protocols and thresholds for when  if at all  masks are required indoors this fall. Most have discontinued in-house virtual learning options that they started or bolstered last year, but many are offering an outsourced replacement for students who want to continue their education remotely.

The News Republic and Daily Register gathered information on mask policies and virtual learning from 14 districts in Sauk and Columbia counties, finding it on their websites, in school board meetings or by contacting their superintendents.

Mask policies remain fluid, but six districts in Sauk and Columbia counties have based their thresholds on local community transmission of COVID-19. The CDC recommends indoor masking for everyone age 2 and older, regardless of vaccination status.

Seven have adopted an optional masking policy for some or all grade levels regardless of local spread of the disease.
The state Department of Health Services also reported 2,170 new COVID-19 cases, the highest since mid-January.

The 21 deaths, which occurred within the past month, matched the total reported on Feb. 23, bringing the current daily average of fatalities to eight, up from one as recently as Aug. 4.

Of the 804 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, 244 were in intensive care, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association. Thats well below a peak of 2,277 patients in the hospital with COVID-19, and 456 in intensive care, in mid-November.

But the states surge in COVID-19 cases, which health officials say is fueled by the delta variant of the coronavirus, is showing no signs of letting up. The daily average is now 1,369 cases, more than 18 times greater than it was on the Fourth of July.

Statewide, 54% of residents have received at least one dose of vaccine and 50.8% are fully vaccinated, far below the herd immunity level of about 80% required to prevent outbreaks, health officials say. On Monday, Gov. Tony Evers said Wisconsin was offering $100 gift cards to people who get first doses before Labor Day.

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The system hasn't required vaccinations. Thompson instead has created incentives for shots such as tuition remission. He said Tuesday, though, that he may have to "do an audible at the line if infections keep climbing.

Regardless, the protocols the system has implemented so far have angered Republican lawmakers who see them as excessive restrictions on individual liberties. The Legislature's GOP-controlled rules committee voted Aug. 3 to block the UW System from implementing any COVID-19 protocols without the committee's permission.

Thompson said he's confident state law and administrative rules give system administrators the sole authority to set campus policies and legislators have no grounds to manage system affairs.

We have complete authority to regulate, control, supervise and maintain the structures on our campus and at the same time provide for the safety and welfare of our faculty, employees and our great students, Thompson said.

Republican Sen. Steve Nass, co-chair of the Legislature's rules committee, issued a statement threatening to pursue a lawsuit. Nass said it's sad that Thompson believes in big government control over the rights of individuals to make their own health-related decisions. He said he thinks Thompson is trying to preserve the ability to mandate vaccinations.
Covid-19 Update 70: Dedicated slots for Witsies to vaccinate in Braamfontein

Wits staff and students who are 18 years and older can now get their Covid-19 vaccine at the Liberty vaccination site in Braamfontein.

Wits staff and students can vaccinate during these dedicated time slots:

Days: Tuesday, 24 August 2021 to Tuesday, 7 September 2021 (Mondays to Fridays)

Time: 14:00 - 16:00

5 Easy Steps to get your Vaccine

Register on the Electronic Vaccination Data System ( EVDS) system Book a date at the Liberty Vaccination Centre at this link:

Staff: https://witsapps.wits.ac.za/workflow/app/forms/view/49

Students: https://witsapps.wits.ac.za/workflow/student/forms/view/56

Book a seat on the Wits bus departing from all Wits bus stops (see schedule below) Bring proof of identity (South African ID or passport) with Wits staff/student card to the vaccination site Get vaccinated.

Transport

The University has made buses available (with Covid-19 protocols in place) to transport staff and students across campuses to the Liberty vaccination site. This service comes at no cost to staff and students. Use the staff and student link above to book your vaccination date and to book for a bus.

The bus will depart from the Amic Deck, Braamfontein Campus East every 30 minutes at 13:45, 14:15 and 14:45, and from the Parktown Education Campus, Wits Junction and EOH residences every 30 minutes at 13:45, 14:15 and 14:45. Staff and students can also self-drive or walk to the vaccination site.

Vaccinations sites close to Wits

You can also vaccinate at any site of your choice or a site close to Wits such as the Liberty site in Braamfontein, the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Parktown, the Yeoville Recreational Centre and the Hillbrow Clinic. Register on EVDS and take your ID or passport with you.

About Covid-19 vaccines

Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective.

Everything you need to know about vaccines  our only viable strategy for living with Covid-19

Six myths about vaccination for Covid-19 put to rest

Dont hesitate. Vaccinate.

More information

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General David Petraeus called the Taliban takeover "hugely disheartening and sad" and said that the stage was set for the chaos now unfolding in Afghanistan by the US peace negotiations with the Taliban by the Trump administration in 2018 that excluded the elected Afghan government. Those talks, combined with the total withdrawal of US troops, fatally undermined both the Afghan government and its military.

Petraeus was deeply immersed in the war in Afghanistan, first as the commander of Central Command (CENTCOM) that oversaw the war in Afghanistan until 2010; then as the ground commander leading the war in Afghanistan, and subsequently as the Director of the CIA in 2011, overseeing all of the agency's operation and intelligence-gathering in Afghanistan until 2012.

The general made his comments in an email exchange with Peter Bergen about the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

BERGEN: Did the peace negotiations with the Taliban over the past three years set the stage for what happened?

PETRAEUS: Yes, at least in part. First, the negotiations announced to the Afghan people and the Taliban that the US really did intend to leave (which also made the job of our negotiators even more difficult than it already was, as we were going to give them what they most wanted, regardless of what they committed to us). Second, we undermined the elected Afghan government, however flawed it may have been, by not insisting on a seat for it at the negotiations we were conducting about the country they actually governed. Third, as part of the eventual agreement, we forced the Afghan government to release 5,000 Taliban fighters, many of whom quickly returned to the fight as reinforcements for the Taliban. Fourth, the commitment gave President Biden an additional justification/excuse to do what he wanted to do -- leave.

BERGEN: Did Biden need to be bound by the Trump agreement with the Taliban?

PETRAEUS: No, and the Administration clearly has not felt itself bound by many of the other Trump Administration actions with which it has disagreed. In fact, the Biden administration has reversed the Trump withdrawals from the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accord, among many other policy decisions and approaches with which it disagreed. Beyond that, the Administration has also sought to sustain commitments in most other locations where there are Islamist extremists; in fact, President Biden and other members of his Administration know from the withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq in late 2011 that one must keep pressure on extremist groups or they will reconstitute and cause new problems as was the case with ISIS in Iraq after our departure, which subsequently caused enormous problems in Iraq and Syria and, to a degree, Europe.

BERGEN: Did the Afghan army fight?

PETRAEUS: Yes, at the outset; however, once it was clear to commanders on the ground that the Afghan Air Force could no longer respond to simultaneous attacks all around the vast country and provide reinforcements, resupply, air medevac, and close air support, local military and political leaders decided it was best to cut a deal rather than fight to the finish. This should not have been a surprise. Afghans have demonstrated over many centuries that they will do what is necessary to survive, and they are very skilled at recognizing which way the wind is blowing and when it is shifting.

BERGEN: What could have been done differently than a unilateral pullout? What US/NATO presence was militarily sustainable? Politically sustainable in the US?

PETRAEUS: Keeping in mind that no US soldier has been killed in combat in Afghanistan in some 18 months, it seemed to me that maintaining approximately 3,500 American men and women in uniform, with a lot of drones, close air support capability, and intelligence fusion assets, was more than sustainable -- just as we have chosen to do in recent months in Iraq, Syria, Somalia and elsewhere in Africa, and other locations around the world. That would have been particularly true if our senior leaders had sought to explain why such a commitment was advisable.

BERGEN: The contractors were also pulled out: What effect did that have?

PETRAEUS: The contractors who were withdrawn constituted a critical, irreplaceable capability for maintaining the sophisticated US-provided helicopters and fixed wing aircraft of the Afghan Air Force. When the 18,000 or so contractors pulled out, along with the withdrawal of US forces, the readiness of the Afghan Air Force began to erode, especially as the operational tempo was exceedingly high and unsustainable, with many aircraft returning from missions with battle damage. Yet the Afghan Air Force was the critical element in ensuring that Afghan soldiers on the ground knew that someone had their backs in a tough fight. Without the Afghan Air Force doing what only they could do in the wake of the withdrawal of US air assets, Afghan soldiers knew that no one was coming to their rescue.

BERGEN: Was the Taliban takeover predictable?

PETRAEUS: Yes, once we pulled out our 2500-3500 troops, which necessitated the other NATO countries pulling out 7,000 troops and also the withdrawal of many thousands of contractors, Afghan soldiers realized early on that no one was going to help them.

BERGEN: Some have suggested this was an intelligence failure: Was it?

PETRAEUS: It is impossible to say without knowing what the intel community assessments were that were provided to the national security team along the way. Beyond that, as you noted on CNN last week, there is a longstanding practice of administrations in Washington recasting a failed policy as an intelligence failure. I tend to think that the latter was not the case here.

BERGEN: Ahmad Shah Massoud and Amrullah Saleh are leading the resistance to the Taliban. Any thoughts on how that might go?

PETRAEUS: They are both committed, charismatic, and determined leaders, and Amrullah Saleh is very experienced as well (he was my Afghan counterpart when I was Director of the CIA); they have attracted a number of forces who oppose the Taliban and refused to be part of the deals that were cut at local levels. But the major positive feature of the Panjshir Valley where they are leading the resistance -- its inaccessibility and natural defensive terrain -- can also be a significant shortcoming, given its lack of connectivity with the outside world, from which it needs to get many goods, commodities, and services, not the least of which is refined fuel products. Without a corridor to the border or some other arrangement to the north, they will be quite vulnerable to just being isolated, especially as the Taliban quite impressively seized many of the provinces in the northeastern part of Afghanistan near the beginning of the campaign, and that makes it difficult for those in the Panjshir to establish a corridor for resupply.

BERGEN: Are the Taliban reformed?

PETRAEUS: No one truly knows. And only time will tell. But we should recognize that the US potentially has considerable influence, given the size of the fiscal hole in which the Taliban will soon find themselves. The Taliban has to be short over $5 billion for their annual budget, and with their reserves around the world and their IMF special drawing rights frozen, they are going to struggle to fund their government, maintain basic services, pay their fighters and government salaries, and import products desperately needed in Afghanistan. It is not inconceivable that the Taliban may find the lights going out in Kabul.

BERGEN: What does this mean for al Qaeda and other jihadist groups? Threats to the US homeland? Or American targets overseas?

PETRAEUS: We have to assume that the Taliban victory will make it easier for al Qaeda and the Islamic State and other extremist groups to establish sanctuaries on Afghan soil -- though I know that our intelligence agencies and military forces will do all that is humanly possible to identify, disrupt, degrade, and destroy any such sanctuaries (including virtual sanctuaries in cyberspace, too) well before they can establish a capability that could threaten our homeland or the homelands of our NATO allies.

BERGEN: How does this Taliban victory make you feel?

PETRAEUS: Hearing of the Taliban takeover was hugely disheartening and sad. That was especially so for those of us who worked with Afghans with whom we worked and who had such high hopes. I am sure that also has to be the case for families in the US and coalition countries who had a son or daughter or spouse in uniform give the "last full measure of devotion" serving in Afghanistan. Few individuals were as privileged as I was to observe -- and lead -- our men and women in uniform in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the greater Middle East. In my experience, with rare exceptions, those who volunteered to serve in the military in the wake of the 9/11 attacks performed with very enormous professionalism, determination, innovativeness, and courage. They earned recognition as America's New Greatest Generation, and we should all be grateful to them for answering our Nation's call at a time of war, regardless of views about the policies that we executed. Moreover, all who served there should take considerable pride in having provided Afghanistan and the Afghan people some 20 years of relative freedom and opportunity compared to the situation under the Taliban before we ousted that regime in late 2001.

The-CNN-Wire

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UTICA, N.Y. -- The former CEO of Benefit Plans Administrative Service was honored on Tuesday with a training center named after him.

The Barry Kublin Learning Center was revealed today.

Barry Kublin joined Community Bank as the VP of Human Resources back in 1985 then led the acquisition of BPAS in 1996, which had fewer than 10 employees and $1 million in revenue.

He is an intellectual, you know and he is one of the smartest humans I have ever met. But he loves, Barry has a way about him where he is always thinking about what are we doing well? What are we not doing well? Where is the world going? How do we change it? How do we change the paradigm? He loves to argue and when I first met Barry I was a little bit like oo that guy kinda argued with me for 3 hours and it hit me in a weird way until I realized that that's how Barry goes about changing situations and people around him, says the current CEO Paul Neveu.

Kublin will remain with the company as a consultant and advisor.
NEW HARTFORD, N.Y.  Two local firefighters helped a friend flee Afghanistan this past week amid the chaos of the Taliban takeover.

Sean Mahoney and John Jensen are volunteer firefighters in New Hartford.

Mahoney says his friend Faziya Nematy, who lives in Schenectady, was visiting family in Afghanistan this summer. He reached out to her on social media when the Taliban took over and the U.S. started its evacuations.

She began sending me pictures, videos, audio messages showing me what's going on literally as she's passing through Taliban check points, said Mahoney.

Nematy told him she was trying to disguise the fact that she was American.

When she arrived in Afghanistan people told her she walks like an American. She had to learn how to be a proper Afghan woman, said Mahoney.

With chaos erupting, Nematy and her family were looking to leave the country.

Mahoney reached out to Jensen, who studied homeland security, to see what they could do to help.

Calling anyone we could think of and eventually getting in touch with an organization called Digital Dunkirk, which is thousands of American veterans who are working to try to help people with getting out, said Jensen.

Mahoney helped Nematy fill out the required forms to get back to the U.S.

Thanks to the help, Nematy and her 14 family members were able to travel from Kabul to Qatar, where they were able to get a flight to Washington D.C.

She and her family landed on American soil Tuesday morning.
ROME, N.Y. -- According to Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol, on Aug. 24, 2021 at 6:40 p.m., sheriffs deputies responded to a property damage motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Lamphear Rd. at Rome-Westmoreland Rd. in the City of Rome.

Upon further investigation, deputies found that one of the involved vehicles had been reported stolen minutes earlier at the Byrne Dairy Market on Erie Blvd. in the City of Rome.

The operator of the vehicle, Kyle J. Vandresar, 30, of Rome, was later arrested for criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, a class E felony.

He was also issued several traffic citations including unlicensed operator, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, failure to stop at a steady red signal and speed not reasonable and prudent.

The vehicle was turned over to the Rome Police Department and Vandresar was taken into custody pending further charges from the stolen vehicle complaint.
UNADILLA, N.Y.  New York State Police are searching for a man suspected of stealing vehicle parts from auto stores in Otsego County more than once over the summer.

The first incident happened at Sidney Tire in Unadilla around 7:25 a.m. on June 27. Police say a man driving an older white Chevy Silverado allegedly stole scrap brake rotors worth about $200.

Less than an hour later around 8:20 a.m., the same suspect in the same truck was seen at Certified Auto Outlet in Oneonta allegedly stealing two dozen used tires and five aluminum pick-up rims. He drove away from the scene on State Route 23 toward Davenport.

A few weeks later on July 19, the same man driving the same truck reportedly stole another 20  30 brake rotors at Sidney Tire.

Police say the suspect is a white man with short, dark hair, between 30  40 years old. At the time of the June incidents, he was wearing a dark T-shirt, dark pants and shoes with white soles. During the July theft, he was seen wearing a zip-up sweatshirt, dark pants and the same or similar shoes.

The truck is an older model, police say around 2007  2013. It has an extended cab, a trailer hitch, rust on the rear wheel wells and a sticker in the back window.

Anyone who can help police identify the suspect or has information about any of the theft incidents should call state police at 607-561-7400.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) announced Tuesday it has canceled its 2021 annual meeting in Houston, citing the worsening Covid-19 situation there.

The NRA reached the "difficult decision" to call off the event after analysis of the "relevant data regarding COVID-19 in Harris County, Texas," the association said in a statement. It said it consulted with medical professionals, local officials and many members before the final decision was made.

"The NRA Annual Meeting welcomes tens of thousands of people, and involves many events, meetings, and social gatherings," the statement said. "We are mindful that NRA Annual Meeting patrons will return home to family, friends and co-workers from all over the country, so any impacts from the virus could have broader implications."

The cancellation comes as Texas is grappling with rising Covid-19 cases and shrinking ICU vacancies.

Harris County is currently at a Level 1 Covid-19 threat level according to Harris County Public Health and the Houston Health Department. A Level 1 threat is reached when there is a "severe and uncontrolled level of COVID-19 in Harris County, meaning outbreaks are present and worsening and public health capacity is strained or exceeded," the agencies said.

Nearly 93% of ICU beds in Texas are in use, according to data from the US Health and Human Services Department, just over half of which are occupied by Covid-19 patients.

The influx of cases in the Houston area prompted the closure of three Houston area emergency rooms Monday, the Memorial Hermann Health System said in a Facebook post. Memorial Hermann noted "the continued COVID-19 surge and its ongoing impact on our System's operation," when announcing the closure.

The NRA's 2021 Annual Meeting & Exhibits was scheduled to take place at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston from September 3-5, according to the event website.

"The NRA looks forward to a Celebration of Freedom in Louisville in May 2022," the association said in its statement. "In the meantime, we will support many other NRA local events and smaller gatherings -- in a manner that is protective of our members and celebrates our Second Amendment freedom."

The-CNN-Wire

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LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  Local police officers, firefighters and other officials will speak during an event commemorating 9/11.

The event will take place from 8:30-10 a.m. September 11 at Riehle Plaza on the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Lafayette Fire Chief Richard Doyle says the event will honor the police officers, firefighters and civilians who died on 9/11.

"Really most importantly we're going to remember the lives that were lost and the sacrifice that they made that day," Doyle says.

Speakers will also discuss how the world, the United States and Lafayette have changed since then.

Doyle says attendees will also re-live the day in real-time as the events unfolded.

"We're going to remember those times during that morning when the planes hit the towers, the Pentagon and the plane that crashed in Shanksville," he says.
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI)-Two Harrison High School seniors have been awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award. Jashun and Jayesh Paluru both volunteered over 100 hours at Food Finders Food Bank. The award has existed since 2003. The award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too.

"This is actually the first time to my knowledge in my History with Food Finders that some of our volunteers have earned that award," said Kier Crites the Chief Engagement Officer for Food Finders.

Jashun says giving back to the community was humbling, especially seeing the outcome of their actions.

"We learned a lot about like you know helping people and you know it was definitely more valuable to see when our labor went and how it directly impacted people, " said Jashun.

Food Finders says when the teens said they wanted to work towards receiving the prestigious award, the non-profit also needed to qualify.

"The boys came to us several months ago to let us know that they were going after it we had to qualify as a qualifying organization to be able to track their hours and make sure it was worthy and that we did the right type of work that qualified for the award," said Crites.

Those hours the teens served helped Food Finders during the height of COVID.

"We were so short on volunteers this summer with COVID and with Purdue out," said Crites. "Having these two boys come I think they were in here several days a week made a huge difference for us."

Making a difference is why the pair volunteered their time.

"It's to help the community you know," said Jashun. "It can help other people who may not have the advantages we do and it feels really fulfilling honestly."

If you would like to volunteer click here.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  Generation Z is the next frontier for manufacturers seeking a tech-savvy workforce.

That's what industry officials said Wednesday during a kickoff for the "Make IN Move" campaign at Subaru of Indiana Automotive.

The City of Lafayette was chosen to pilot a grassroots effort at local schools and non-profits as part of the new campaign, which aims attract young professionals to careers in advanced manufacturing and logistics.

"It wasn't really a career that I thought I would go into originally but I've really grown to like it," says Amanda Raver, a Purdue University graduate and manufacturing engineer at SIA. "Having a career where I can touch things and make them better and make peoples lives better is really exciting so I would encourage young women to do the same thing and explore the same kind of career."

Industry group Conexus Indiana launched the new campaign to get the word out through social media and a new website. Conexus Indiana Chief Talent and Programs Officer Brad Rhorer says Lafayette is ideally suited for the pilot program.

"Lafayette has a great opportunity for advanced manufacturing and logistics," he says. "It has several great companies that exist here, it has great community leaders that exist here, it has fantastic secondary and post-secondary opportunities so really, when you pull it all together, Lafayette has everything it needs to be successful in AML."

Manufacturers in Lafayette employ more than 18,000 people. But attracting young and tech-savvy workers has been challenging.

Companies want them to know factories today aren't like the ones 30 years ago, says SIA's executive vice president Scott Brand.

"Inside of SIA we have almost 2,000 robots and robotic-controlled devices that are moving materials, welding, painting, doing all sorts of applications that 30 years ago were actually done manually," he says.

With millions of baby boomers set to retire by 2030, Brand says SIA's future hinges on Gen Z.

"We've got to get people into these positions quickly because that turnover that's going to happen with the retirements is on the horizon."
Show Low, AZ (85901)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 73F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 56F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Police are still searching for the killer who gunned down a mid-Michigan nurse while jogging more than five years ago.

"They figured that this would get solved very quickly, said Nikki Brueger, mother of the victim.

Nikki and Franz Brueger's daughter Ally was gunned down in broad daylight, leaving many unanswered questions.

"You wonder why. Like what did this person get out of this, Franz said.

Ally was a dedicated nurse and runner. Her mother said Ally was shot on a July afternoon in 2016. The killer, using a shotgun, opened fire multiple times at close range.

Ally was shot and killed as she was on her daily run along Fish Lake Road in the Holly area.

Nikki said investigators initially told the family they believed Ally was the victim of a targeted attack, and Ally knew her killer. But she said now they're telling her they no longer believe that.

"They created this false sense of security. Not only in Rose Township, but in Holly, in Fenton, in Highland, in all of the surrounding areas, Nikki said.

Nikki believes her daughter's killer is still out there and says the information provided to the public in the beginning may have hindered solving the case.

"Because what I did, it prevented people that had tips thinking that this case was going to get solved right away so, and ya know, most people do not want to get involved, Nikki said.

While Ally's parents wait and wonder if the case will ever come to a close, they have a living reminder of their daughter - their dog Zeus who was rescued by Ally the year before she died.

But they want to know who killed their daughter and why. They hope a $20,000 reward entices a witness or informant to come forward.

It's not too late if they saw something. And it's not that hard to pick up a phone. You can stay anonymous, Nikki said.
Students of Shanghai Liaoyuan Bilingual School go back to school in Shanghai, on Sept 1, 2020. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Gao Erqiang]

Shanghai set targets to significantly improve school education quality at primary and junior middle schools while thoroughly standardizing out-of-school education training by 2023, according to a document released on Tuesday.

The document, which came in line with the country's policy of reducing burdens from school assignments and out-of-school classes for primary and junior middle school students, was published in July. It aims to strengthen the role of schools and regulates out-of-school education institutions.

The Shanghai document said schools need to elevate the quality of school assignment design and control the total amount of homework.

It said primary schools shall not assign homework to first- and second-graders. The average duration of third- to fifth-graders and junior middle school students spending on homework every day should not exceed 60 minutes and 90 minutes, respectively.

"The content of exams shouldn't exceed what has been taught," the document reads.

It also specified that after-class service lasting no less than two hours shall realize full coverage at all such schools within one year.

The document also made clear that online training for preschool children aged between 3 and 6 is prohibited. Offline training in school subjects, including foreign languages, also is banned for children in this age range.

(Source: chinadaily.com.cn)
Solvay and Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corporation will form a joint venture, Shinsol Advanced Chemicals, to produce and market electronic grade hydrogen peroxide to the booming Taiwan semiconductor industry. (File Photo)

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM: Solvay and Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corporation announced that they have agreed upon the creation of a new joint venture, Shinsol Advanced Chemicals, for the development, production and marketing of electronic grade hydrogen peroxide.

Solvay and Shinkong aim to close the transaction in the second half of 2021.

The joint venture is scheduled to begin operations in the first quarter of 2023 and will be located close to the Southern Taiwan Science Park near Tainan. The company aims to serve the booming Taiwan semiconductor industry with this indispensable chemical agent for the production of integrated electronic circuits and will have an initial production capacity of 30,000 tons per annum - which can easily be increased at a later stage, in line with market demand.

"We are delighted to embark on this new joint operation between Shinkong and Solvay," said Eric Wu, chairman of Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corporation. "This joint venture will supply electronic grade hydrogen peroxide with the highest international quality standards while strictly following the principles of sustainability and minimizing environmental impact."

"The rapid growth in demand in the Taiwan semiconductor industry is an opportunity to bring our world-leading technology for the best quality of electronic grade hydrogen peroxide, building on the experience of multiple Solvay plants already operating in Asia, Europe and the US, said Rodrigo Elizondo, president of Solvay Technology Solutions.

 Worldofchemicals News
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Global Appetite to Buy Property Continues, Despite COVID Outbreaks

International property consultant Knight Frank's latest Global Buyer Survey released this week analyzed the impact that Covid-19 had on residential buyers' attitudes to purchasing homes around the world.

The survey, which represents the views of over 900 Knight Frank clients across 49 global markets found that:

Globally, 19% of respondents have moved house since the start of the pandemic, this rises to 25% in Australasia and North America. Of the non-movers, 20% are more inclined to move in 2021 as the pandemic continues.

Cities are back in favor. Out of those respondents who are more inclined to move in the next 12 months, 38% of them are looking at city locations with 33% opting for the suburbs.

46% of respondents are more likely to buy a detached home or villa but demand for apartments has increased to 19%, up from 12% in 2020. This reflects an increase in demand for both larger, more spacious apartments, and pieds-a-terre in city centres.

The appetite for ski homes has increased from 11% in 2020 to 18% in 2021 with demand from North American and Asian buyers above the global average.

Eighty-four per cent of respondents said that the energy efficiency of a future home is important to them. 28% said they would be more likely to buy an energy efficient home if future environmental regulations were to have a direct impact on its value and around 27% would be willing to pay a premium for a greener, more energy efficient home.

Kate Everett-Allen, head of international residential research at Knight Frank said, "Over two-thirds of people expect the value of their current home to increase in the next year with most expecting a rise of between 1% and 9% over the 12-month period. This coincides with Knight Frank's Prime Global Forecast which highlights that global house prices are, on average, likely to increase by 4% in 2021."

Further findings from the report reveal that the pandemic has sparked a wave of second home demand. Some 33% of buyers say they are more likely to purchase a second home as a result of Covid-19, up from 26% last year. Of those looking to buy a second home, 23% say the pandemic has influenced where they want to buy and 22% say it has delayed their purchase plans.

Mark Harvey, head of international residential sales at Knight Frank also commented, "Prime buyers in Europe and the U.S. will find a markedly different landscape now to 2020. Stock is lower, vendors are less willing to negotiate on price and, after several months of tight travel restrictions, overseas demand is strengthening. Some buyers are willing to take a more watchful approach and wait until the final quarter of the year when they hope vendors will be less intransigent on price. Others are keen to act quickly where they can see compelling value before prices shift higher.

"Two trends stand out in the last few months. Firstly, a growing ambivalence of some buyers when it comes to location, provided they can secure a co-primary home that delivers the lifestyle and enjoyment they feel they've missed out on. And, secondly given low savings rates and frothy stock markets, buyers are taking a more defensive stance by rebalancing their portfolios with a greater focus on tangible assets such as property."

Looking to branded residences, one in three buyers (39%) would be willing to pay a premium for a branded residence according to the survey, a figure that rises to 45% and 43% in Australasia and Asia respectively. Top amongst the key motives for purchasing a branded residence is the service provision and amenities such a development affords. Second comes the development's high-yielding potential and in third place, the building's management and maintenance proved an appealing prospect.

Finally, the report sheds light on the pandemic-induced surge in property purchases by expatriates looking to acquire a base back home. The survey results confirm that the U.S., Singapore, Hong Kong, the UK and the Philippines were the key locations expatriate respondents were based prior to the pandemic. For those that returned home, a desire to be closer to family (36%) was the biggest motivating factor, followed by an improved quality of life (24%) and a change in employment circumstances (16%).

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Biden argues US is on track for Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan: 'The sooner we finish the better'
Foreign evacuation missions ramp up with the August 31 deadline for US troops to withdraw from Afghanistan fast approaching.
Welsh Government faces pressure to hold Wales-wide inquiry into its handling of the pandemic

Opposition parties have increased their calls for a specific Wales-wide public coronavirus inquiry into the Welsh Governments handing of the pandemic.

It comes after Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed yesterday that an independent inquiry into how the Scottish Government dealt with coronavirus would begin by the end of the year.

The UK Government has already committed to holding a UK-wide inquiry, which the Welsh Government has said it will partake in.

However calls for a separate inquiry into Wales handling of the pandemic have so far been resisted by ministers.

Speaking in July after an attempt to force a Wales-specific inquiry failed after a vote in the Senedd, Health Minister Eluned Morgan said: Holding a separate Welsh inquiry, as is suggested, would either lead to duplication of much of the work done by a UK-wide inquiry, or an England-only inquiry, or it would mean that important aspects of the pandemic that should be taken into account wouldnt be part of a Welsh inquiry.

The agreement, therefore, between the First Minister and UK Prime Minister to hold a UK-wide inquiry ensures that particular attention must be paid to Wales as part of this inquiry.

But following Ms Sturgeons announcement yesterday, opposition parties have reiterated their calls for a separate investigation into how the pandemic was handled in Wales and the decisions that were made.

In an open letter to First Minister Mark Drakeford, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies MS said it was imperative that families who have lost loved ones have the answers they deserve.

Mr Davies said: Now that the Scottish First Minister has announced that there will be such an inquiry in Scotland, the Welsh Government is the only government in Great Britain that will not subject itself to such scrutiny.

In my view, this is unacceptable.

Nobody can doubt that you and your cabinet have worked extremely hard since the beginning of Covid-19, but there are questions that need answering and lessons that need to be learnt, particularly if Wales is to be fully prepared for a future pandemic.

I believe it is imperative that families who have lost loved ones have the answers they deserve, and it is also important that your government is recognised for its successes as well as its failures.

Throughout this crisis you have consistently stressed that you and your government is responsible for public health decisions in Wales. As such, it is without doubt that you and your ministerial colleagues have made decisions that have had a direct impact on peoples lives in Wales and it is only right that there is appropriate, independent and thorough scrutiny of those actions.

Its vital you now make another important decision and announce an independent judge-led public inquiry into the Welsh Governments handling of the pandemic. Otherwise, I fear you run a real risk of undermining the Senedd and bringing the Welsh Government into disrepute.

Plaid Cymru Health and Care spokesperson Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said: For over a year Plaid Cymru has asked for a Wales-only public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic. The Labour Government in Cardiff has instead opted to have a Welsh chapter in a UK-wide inquiry.

The Scottish Government has today announced it will hold its own public inquiry into the handling of the Covid pandemic by the end of the year. The Welsh Government have no excuse not to do the same.

Wales rightly acted independently in so many areas during the pandemic and with so many of the relevant policy areas devolved, and so many decisions having been taken in Wales, we need a Wales-specific inquiry.

The loss of life, as well as the loss of freedoms, of education, and a deep economic impact will weigh heavy on us for years to come. We need to look at what happened in detail, and in public, to learns lessons for the future.

The Welsh Government has got to take responsibility for its actions  good and bad, and there should be no avoidance of detailed scrutiny.

In rejecting the demand for a Wales-specific public inquiry, the Labour Government is essentially agreeing to the Prime Ministers delay, and confirming that theyre happy for Wales to be a chapter in the deferred UK inquiry. The people of Wales are owed more than that.
NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - The state will begin using Tennessee National Guard members to supplement hospital staffing beginning Monday, Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey announced during a briefing on Monday morning.

Piercey said the help comes as hospitals across the state are strained from the surge of COVID-19 cases in recent days. She said they are taking many of the National Guard that has been giving vaccines and re-deploying them to hospital settings.

As opposed to the winter, many more hospitals are nearing that point now than they did in December and January," Piercey said. "So, I do think you will see more guardsmen at hospitals than you did back in the winter."

Vanderbilt experiencing a nurse shortage NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - Between the surge in COVID-19 cases across the state and dwindling hospital capacities, hospitals face many challenges,

There are 2,200 hospitalized patients, and they are almost all adults. In January, peak hospitalization was 3,300, which is why there are such capacity concerns now. Over the weekend, they had 50 children hospitalized for COVID-related issues statewide. The latest numbers are down to 45.

Several major hospitals in the area have reported they were "full" and no longer able to accept patients because ICU units and regular hospital beds were full, based on hospital staffing.

"When you have an already full hospital with staffing and worsening staffing concerns on top of that, then you put extra COVID patients on top of that, that really tips the scales in a lot of the situations," Piercey said.

One emergency room doctor in Lawrence County attempted to transfer patients to several hospitals on Friday and Saturday nights but was unable to find a hospital that would accept the patients.

ICU beds full at many Middle Tennessee hospitals Several Middle Tennessee hospitals  including Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Sumner Regional Medical Center in Gallatin  have been hit hard with the uptick of COVID-19 patients.

Piercey said that week over week vaccine rates in the state has gone up in the last month.

She said Covid-19 vaccine rates have gone from 58,000 to about 100,000 each week. As a result, she said, many Tennesseans are coming out and getting their first dose of the vaccine.
With frantic US evacuation efforts underway at the Kabul airport, President Biden held an online summit of the worlds seven leading imperialist powers yesterday. Ten days after the fall of the US puppet regime in Kabul, the summit was dominated by intense conflicts in ruling circles over this historic debacle. While holding open the possibility of violating agreements with the Taliban and keeping US troops in the country past the agreed August 31 deadline, as demanded by the European powers, Biden made clear that the military situation made this all but impossible.

Before the summit, Taliban officials demanded that the G-7 powersthe United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canadarespect the agreed upon deadline.

On Monday, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen warned that violating the deadline would lead to fighting with US troops trapped at the Kabul airport. He said, President Biden announced that by August 31 they would withdraw their military forces. So, if they extend [their presence], this means they are extending the occupation. If they are intent on extending the occupation, that will provoke a reaction.

US President Joe Biden, left, talks with Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, during their meeting ahead of the G7 summit in Cornwall, Britain, Thursday June 10, 2021. (Toby Melville/Pool Photo via AP)

Bidens speech yesterday on the G-7 summit was marked by a vast contradiction. While he made clear that a humiliating US withdrawal was underway, he also said that the US government was preparing contingency plans to remain in Afghanistan. It was more or less apparent that these claims were intended above all to signal that the imperialist powers do not intend to retreat from the region.

Biden first hailed the solidarity of the G-7 powers over Afghanistan. He reported that US forces had evacuated 70,700 people since the collapse of the US-backed Afghan regime, including 12,000 in the last 12 hours. Speaking of evacuation operations, Biden said that US forces are on pace to finish by August 31, and the New York Times reported, citing anonymous official sources, that Biden aims to withdraw troops by August 31, citing very high risk of attack.

Biden nonetheless announced that Washington is preparing plans to ignore the August 31 deadline. Ive asked the Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the timetable, should that become necessary, Biden said, adding: Im also mindful of the increased risks that Ive been briefed on, and the need to factor those risks in. They are real, and significant challenges that we have to take into consideration ... Its a tenuous situation, weve already had some gun-fighting break out. We run a serious risk of it breaking down as time goes on.

Biden pledged to maintain the capability to intervene in Afghanistan for counter-terrorism operations, but said that Washington did not need to have a military presence inside the country. He declared: We run effective counter-terrorism operations around the world, where we know that terrorism is more of a threat than it is today in Afghanistan, without any permanent military presence on the ground. And we will do the same thing in Afghanistan, with our over-the-horizon counter-terrorism capability.

The debacle of the US war in Afghanistan is again exposing the pretexts on which the 20-year war was sold to the American and world public. Trillions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives were spent supposedly because it was urgent to topple the Taliban and build democracy, to build a NATO military presence in Afghanistan that was the only way to prevent Al Qaeda or other terror groups from using the country as a base. These claims were political lies.

There must be an unconditional US and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan. After two decades in which Afghan men, women and children in villages and cities were bombed or targeted with US drone murder strikes, NATOs pose of concern for Afghan refugees human rights rings utterly hollow. The politically criminal character of the US-led wars waged across the Middle East and Central Asia, over decades following the Stalinist dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, stands exposed.

Stopping war requires the independent, international mobilization of the working class in a socialist anti-war movement. There is no peace faction in the ruling class, and the G-7 summit showed that EU and Canadian policy is not fundamentally different from that of Washington.

Before the G-7 summit, its main organizer, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, demanded all the way through August 31st and beyond, safe passage for those who want to leave Afghanistan. He added, I am totally realistic about the Taliban, and I dont think that anybody is going to pretend that this is anything other than a very difficult situation. But that doesnt mean that we should ignore the leverage that we have.

Johnson proposed that the G-7 powers grab Afghan funds held in overseas banks and refuse economic aid to this country devastated by decades of NATO occupation. They could thus decide, Johnson said, if those huge funds are going to be unfrozen eventually for use by the government and people of Afghanistan

Aggressive calls also came from European officials and from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. I emphasized that Canada is ready to stay beyond the 31st deadline, if its at all possible, Trudeau told reporters after the summit meeting. He claimed that we want to save as many people as possible, and Canadians are ready to work to try and do that.

French President Macron declared before the summit that the NATO powers had a moral duty to save Afghans fleeing the Taliban. However, while the Elysee presidential palace called on Biden to stay in Afghanistan past the August 31 deadline, it promised to adapt to the US decision.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said, We are in talks with the US, Turkey and others about how to keep the Kabul airport operational even after the military evacuation, adding that the end of the military evacuation cannot be the end of the chance to get people out of Afghanistan.

The US defeat in Afghanistan is intensifying great-power rivalries in Central Asia. Tensions are mounting between US imperialism, China and Russiaas well as the European imperialist powersover commercial and strategic influence in the region. A New York Times column by Chinese Colonel Zhou Bo, titled In Afghanistan, China Is Ready to Step into the Void, gives an idea of the vast potential redistribution of economic and political power that US and European officials fear.

Zhou wrote: With the US withdrawal, Beijing can offer what Kabul needs most: political impartiality and economic investment. Afghanistan in turn has what China most prizes: opportunities in infrastructure and industry buildingareas in which Chinas capabilities are arguably unmatchedand access to $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits, including critical industrial metals such as lithium, iron, copper and cobalt.

A US withdrawal would further Chinas Belt-and-Road infrastructure projects and Chinese-led economic growth and integration in the region, Zhou added. The US war in Afghanistan limited Chinas presence, he wrote, adding, Afghanistan until now has been an attractive but a missing piece of the enormous puzzle. If China were able to extend the Belt-and-Road from Pakistan through to Afghanistanfor example, with a Peshawar-to-Kabul motorwayit would open up a shorter land route to gain access to markets in the Middle East.

Zhou held out hope for US-Chinese collaboration: Neither country wishes to see Afghanistan slide into a civil war. Both of them support a political solution that is Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. Therefore, Afghanistan provides an area for the two competing giants to find some common cause.

In reality, to hope that US imperialism or its European allies will peaceably reconcile themselves to a setback in Central Asia is to place a heavy bet against history. They are doubtless preparing even more reckless actions to reverse the accelerating slide of their regional and global position. The critical question is to draw the political lessons of this historic debacle of US imperialism and to build a movement in the working class against further wars of aggression.
Since the fall of Kabul to the Taliban on August 15, governments internationally have engaged in non-stop handwringing over the fate of tens of thousands of refugees desperate to flee the country. These are the same governments whose wars over the last three decades, including in Afghanistan, have turned tens of millions of people into refugees and destroyed entire societies.

Twenty years of war, with the imperialist military forces only finally departing this month, have left 550,000 internally displaced in Afghanistan since the beginning of this year, adding to the almost 3 million Afghans who had met this fate by the end of 2020.

For all the crocodile tears shed over those who worked with the occupation now seeking to flee, Europes governments, since the fall of the Taliban, have refused to take more than a few thousand refugees.

In this May 21, 2021, file photo, policemen patrol alongside a steel wall at Evros river, near the village of Poros, at the Greek -Turkish border, Greece. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos, File)

In 2015, far-right political forces mobilised against German Chancellor Angela Merkels policy to open the countrys borders to allow in around 1 million refugees from the Syrian war in a settlement scheme. This time there is to be no such policy, with the European Union (EU) and its member states focusing on tightening the borders of Fortress Europe.

On Sunday, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa tweeted, The EU will NOT open any European migration corridors for Afghanistan stating there would be no repeat of the strategic mistake of 2015. Slovenia is the current holder of the six-month rotating EU presidency. Jansa, a former Stalinist and right-wing zealot, is a close ally of the fascistic Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban.

Jansas statement was opposed by European Parliament president Davide Sassoli, but it accurately reflects EU policy. In a statement issued August 18, three days after the fall of Kabul, EU Commissioner Ylva Julia Margareta Johansson declared from an extraordinary meeting of Interior Ministers, We should not wait until people arrive at the external borders of the European Union. This is not a solution. We should prevent people from heading towards the European Union through unsafe, irregular and uncontrolled routes run by smugglers.

The problem was not Europes, as A significant number of Afghan nationals have already fled to neighbouring countries.  We will continue our ongoing programmes and intensify our cooperation with host communities in Pakistan, Iran and Tajikistan, as well as other countries in the region such as Turkey.

No concrete plans were put in place for any EU member to take in a single Afghan refugee. The major powers have concentrated solely on getting their military forces out, and a few thousand civilian personnel who helped prop up President Ashraf Ghanis puppet government.

Armin Laschet, leader of Merkels Christian Democratic Union, whom Merkel has backed to succeed her as chancellor, tweeted almost as soon as Kabul fell, The mistakes regarding the Syrian civil war must not be made again  2015 shall not be repeated. A day later Alice Weidel, leader of the far-right main opposition party Alternative for Germany, declared, 2015 must not be allowed to repeat itself. Genuine refugees must be helped in their home region if possible.

French President Emmanuel Macron refused to commit to taking any refugees from Afghanistan, declaring his main concern that France had to anticipate and protect itself from a wave of migrants. Paris would insist on an initiative to build a robust, coordinated and united response without delay, which will involve the fight against irregular flows  and the establishment of cooperation with transit and host countries such as Pakistan, Turkey and Iran.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Sunday that he was clearly against the fact that we now voluntarily accept more peoplethat will not happen under my chancellorship either. Instead, We have to deport as long as possible.

Britain will take in just 5,000 Afghan people this year, as part of its Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme, chosen from those who collaborated alongside UK forces or officials. These are Afghans who have supported British efforts in Afghanistan, for example interpreters and other personnel. Among those listed as priorities to enter are Afghan government officials. Only another 20,000 will be allowed to enter over the next few years.

The US has promised to take just 10,000 people from Afghanistan out of a population of 38 million. Australia will take in 3,000, the figure they were already committed to under an existing programme.

The now forbidden policy of 2015 was abandoned rapidly by Germany in 2016. On behalf of the EU, Merkel signed an agreement that year with Greeces pseudo-left Syriza government and Turkey to seal off Europes southern border to asylum seekers. Under this filthy deala flagrant violation of international law effectively abolishing the right to asylumthe EU pays Turkeys authoritarian regime billions to take in tens of thousands of migrants. Greece facilitates the mass deportation of refugees to Turkey as they reach the EUs shores via the Aegean Sea.

Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi announced as the Taliban came to power, Our country will not be a gateway to Europe for illegal Afghan migrants.

Epitomising the vicious response of the EU powers to refugee victims of their wars, Greece announced last Friday that it had completed sealing off its northern border with Turkey with a massive 40km (25-mile) steel fence and new electronic monitoring system. Work to complete the wall, initially begun in 2012, and continued by Syriza while in power (2015-2019), was rushed ahead due to events in Afghanistan. Last Friday, Michalis Chrisochoidis, the Citizens Protection Minister of Greeces New Democracy government, visited the region of Evros alongside the defence minister and head of the armed forces to inspect the border wall. He declared the fall of Kabul had created possibilities for migrant flows  We cannot wait, passively, for the possible impact Our borders will remain safe and inviolable.

Every single land route is being systematically closed off to refugees by fences and barbed wire and every sea passage by patrol ships.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan warned that Turkey would not become Europe's migrant storage unit. Mehmet Emin Bilmez, governor of the eastern border province of Van, said, We want to show the whole world that our borders are unpassable  Our biggest hope is that there is no migrant wave from Afghanistan.

On Monday, Ankara announced it would add by the end of the year another 64 km to its existing three-metre-high border wall with Iran. The wall, started in 2017, will prevent entry to Turkey by any refugee making the weeks-long journey across Iran on foot. Reuters reported that the rest of the 560 km frontier would be fortified by Ditches, wire and security patrols around the clock.

Britains Home Secretary Priti Patel is enforcing one of the most restrictive anti-immigration policies on the planet, with much of it modelled on the savage system imposed in Greece. In a newspaper column Sunday, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace wrote that the Johnson government would set up A series of processing hubs... in countries neighboring Afghanistan for refugees who manage to escape. If they can establish their right to come to the UK, they will be flown to Britain.

On Sunday, Turkey denied that it would allow such a hub on its territory with its foreign ministry warning, It is not possible for us to accept it even if such a request was made in this regard.
As Indias far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and its counterparts at the state level, whether led by the BJP or the opposition, increasingly abandon even limited COVID-19 restrictions, India continues to record 30,000 to 40,000 new infections and 350-500 deaths, on average, each day. With the virus continuing to circulate across the country at such a high rate, scientific experts warn that a deadly third wave of the pandemic, driven by the far more contagious and lethal Delta variant, could soon strike.

Indias extremely low COVID-19 testing rate will make it difficult to assess the rapidity and extent of the viruss spread when a third wave hits. The countrys botched vaccine rollout has left the vast majority of Indias 1.39 billion people without any protection from serious illness and death. In addition, the countrys largely rudimentary and depleted health care system, particularly in rural areas where two-thirds of the population live, is in no position to treat another surge of COVID-19 patients comparable to that in April and May. Even then, faced with a tsunami of cases, hospitals in Indias largest urban centres, Delhi and Mumbai, ran out of beds, oxygen, and crucial drugs, resulting in mass death.

A health worker takes a mouth swab sample of a Kashmiri boy to test for COVID-19 in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, May 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

On Monday, an expert panel convened under the auspices of the Modi governments Ministry of Home Affairs warned that the third wave could be as large as the second. If the pace of vaccinations remains slow, the panel predicted that there would be up to 5 lakh (500,000) new cases daily at the expected peak of the third wave in late September or October. Even less dramatic projections based on better vaccine coverage estimated that between 200,000 and 320,000 new infections will be recorded each day.

Pointing to the continuing worldwide spread of COVID-19 fueled by the Delta and other new variants, Dr. Pooja Khosla of Delhis Sir Ganga Ram Hospital recently warned, Infections can increase exponentially at any time. Speaking to the Hindusthan Times she added, I think one should not assume anything and make all efforts to prevent a second wave-like crisis, which was a nightmare.  Reopening everything is not appropriate.

In a Reuters snap survey completed in June, 40 health care specialists, doctors, scientists, virologists and epidemiologists from around the world predicted that a third wave of coronavirus infections is likely to hit India by October. The experts, Reuters reported, cautioned against an early removal of restrictions, as some states have done.

These warnings have been further underscored by the results of the fourth and latest serosurvey from the Indian Center of Medical Research (ICMR). Conducted between June 14 and July 6, and based on samples drawn from 29,000 people across 70 districts in 21 states, it concluded that 67.6 percent of the Indian population has developed antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. If the findings are accurate, this would mean that Indian health authorities have missed the overwhelming majority of COVID-19 casesincluding registering less than 2 percent of all infections in densely populated states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. This speaks to the deplorable state of Indias health care system and the catastrophic failure of the states response to the pandemic. It also lends still further credibility to the growing number of scientific studies that place the true number of deaths from the pandemic in India in the millions.

At the same time, the serosurvey highlights the extremely grave threat a third wave poses to the population, the majority of whom either live in teeming slums or in rural areas without ready access to proper medical care. Per the serosurveys findings, 450 million Indiansa population larger than that of the United Stateslack any immunity to COVID-19, a horrifying prospect in light of the systematic dismantling of all public health measures to contain and suppress the virus.

Indias efforts to sequence genomes to track for emerging variants have also been drastically curtailed. This despite the government having designated a Delta-plus variant as a Variant of Concern on June 22. Preliminary research suggests the Delta-plus strain of SARS-CoV-2 is even more contagious and vaccine-resistant than the Delta variant, which having ravaged India is now fueling a global resurgence of the pandemic.

Citing data from the National SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortium (INSACOG), a network of the 28 labs in India that are equipped to do genome sequencing of the coronavirus, the Hindu reported that in July just 184 genome samples were sequenced. This marked a steep decline from June, when 4,381 were sequenced. In April and May, when the devastating second wave was at its peak, 15,546 and 13,142 samples were sequenced respectively. A scientist from one of the INSACOG labs complained that many states were not sending enough samples and the funds available to labs for carrying out sequences have been delayed.

The refusal of the central and state governments to fund the necessary surveillance mechanisms to monitor the spread of the virus and the potential emergence of new variants is bound up with the Indian ruling elites criminal policy of prioritizing corporate profits over saving human livesa policy that has already resulted in mass death. The Delta variant was first detected in India in October, but for want of resources its progress and potency were not scientifically scrutinized. Then, last February and March as new infections surged, the Narendra Modi-led BJP government pressed forward with Indias reopening. On April 20 as daily new COVID-19 infections were reaching 300,000 per day, Modi infamously told the Indian people in a nationwide televised address that it was necessary to save India from lockdowns, not COVID-19.

A comprehensive study issued by the US-based Center for Global Development last month substantiated previous reports that estimated the true death toll from Indias April-June 2021 second pandemic wave as five to 10 times higher than the governments official claim of some 235,000 COVID-19 fatalities. Based on analysis of three separate data sets, the Center for Global Development study concluded that there were between 1.5 and 3.4 million COVID-19-related deaths in those three months, and that Indias total excess fatalities during the pandemic number between 3.4 and 4.9 million.

The Modi government, with the assistance of the corporate media and the opposition parties, has sought to prevent any serious examination of the causes and catastrophic impact of Indias second wave. Instead it has prioritized the rapid dismantling of all remaining anti-COVID measures, based on the lie that the worst is over; insisted that the population must, in any event, learn to live with the virus; and pushed forward with a raft of new pro-investor measures to revive the economy.

At least 11 of Indias 28 states have opened schools, and many other states have announced school reopening dates. As in every other country, the rush to reopen schools is not motivated by any concern about the education and well-being of children but rather aimed at freeing up parents for the labour market so they can continue producing profits for big business.

With all those under age 18 currently ineligible for vaccination, a third wave threatens to especially impact children. Dr. Devi Shetty, a cardiologist at Narayana Health and an adviser to the Karnataka state government on pandemic response planning, told Reuters, If children get infected in large numbers and we are not prepared, there is nothing you can do at the last minute. She added, It will be a whole different problem (from the previous two waves) as the country has very, very few pediatric intensive care unit beds, and that is going to be a disaster.

Just days after reopening schools, a number of students were infected with COVID-19, according to media reports.

The Modi government and its state counterparts are making no serious effort to strengthen the dilapidated health care system as it faces a potential mass influx of patients due to the ruling classs homicidal policies. India is among the countries with the lowest public health care expenditure as a percentage of GDP in the world, with Indias governments for decades spending the equivalent of 1.5 percent of GDP or less on health care per annum.

The opposition-led state governments are pursuing essentially the same ruinous pandemic policy as Modi and his Hindu supremacist BJP. This includes the Stalinist Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led government in Kerala. For weeks, Kerala has recorded 15,000 to 20,000 new cases per day, as a direct consequence of the governments decision to reopen the economy, including all export industries, and to allow mass gatherings during recent Muslim and Hindu religious festivals. On Tuesday, Kerala reported 24,296 new cases and a test positivity rate of more than 18 percent. Earlier this month, a six-member team appointed by the central government to study the COVID-19 situation in the state criticized Keralas government for limiting testing to those who have symptoms and using the less reliable antigen test rather than RT-PCR tests.

On top of the lifting of almost all COVID-19 restrictions and the failure to test adequately and monitor the spread of the disease, Indias shambolic vaccine campaign threatens to make the looming third wave even worse. According to Our World in Data, as of August 23, just 9.4 percent of Indians had been fully inoculated against COVID-19, with a further 23.4 percent having received one vaccine shot. In other words, well over 60 percent of the population has yet to receive a single dose as the third wave gathers pace. These figures underscore that the Indian government will not come close to fulfilling its goal of vaccinating the countrys adult population of over 900 million people by December. To reach this target, India would need to vaccinate around 8.8 million people per day on average. Currently, around 4 million people are being vaccinated daily.
As in the US, UK and other imperialist centres, the response of the Australian ruling class to the historic debacle suffered by the US and its allies in Afghanistan is a mixture of bitter recriminations, lies to smother the criminal character of the 20-year war and preparations for a much greater military conflict, against China.

Nevertheless, the shock provided by the rapid and ignominious collapse of the puppet regime funded and armed to the tune of trillions of dollars by Washington and its partners, and at the cost of some 200,000 lives, is particularly profound for Australias capitalist elite. It has depended heavily on the US since World War II for its own imperialist activities in the Indo-Pacific. Moreover, the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations have placed it increasingly on the frontline of the escalating US confrontation with China.

Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison (AP/Kiyoshi Ota)

When the federal parliament opened yesterday, the proceedings provided a glimpse of the anxiety. The start of question time was delayed to allow statements on Afghanistan from the Liberal-National Coalition Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Opposition Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese, Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Labors shadow defence minister Brendan OConnor.

All these speakers are directly implicated in the Afghan disaster. In 2001, the Howard Liberal-National government, backed by the Labor Party and the Greens, was one of the first in the world to join the US-led invasion. Likewise, in 2010 the Greens-backed Labor government of Prime Minister Julia Gillard was one of the few internationally to participate in the murderous surge of US forces ordered by the Obama White House to try to forestall the collapse of the Kabul regime. Soon after being installed in office in mid-2010 Gillard declared that troops would remain in Afghanistan for at least a decade.

Morrison told parliament that the Australian sacrifice made by tens of thousands of soldiers and other personnel in Afghanistan had been worth it despite the return of the Taliban and the chaotic departure from Kabul. In fact, he declared, the invasion and long military occupation of the impoverished country had been a noble endeavour.

Morrison recited the lies produced by the George W. Bush administration, and embraced by the entire Australian political and media establishment, in an attempt to justify the invasion. In 2001, when the Taliban refused to hand over al-Qaeda terrorists, Australia supported a US-led operation to root out and eliminate the capacity to stage more attacks against the West from Afghanistan, he said.

Equally committed to shoring up the US alliance, Labor leader Albanese was virtually indistinguishable. Although the war had not ended how we wanted, it had seen early success in ridding Afghanistan of terrorism. And we must try to draw some solace from the thought that the vast majority of Afghan lives touched by Australians were touched for the better.

Albanese made no attempt to square this claim with the disintegration of the Kabul regime, which had presided over mass poverty, obscene inequality and gross corruption, as well as police-state repression, torture chambers and US bombings and drone assassinations.

Nonetheless, Albanese gave some idea of the underlying political crisis. He warned that the events in Afghanistan were devastating and traumatic. This would have implications for global power relationships and for our security that would reverberate through at least this generation.

Some of the media commentary by figures closely tied to the US military-intelligence apparatus points to the depth of this turmoil.

The Australian Financial Review s opinion section on Monday featured ex-Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who bears a major responsibility for the catastrophe as a key figure in the Howard government. He wrote that the scenes from Kabul had shaken his lifelong faith in Americas will to fulfil the role it has played since World War II as the supposed global defender of freedom and democracy. He concluded that Australia had to build its own military capacity and alliances.

In Tuesdays Australian, foreign editor Greg Sheridan reprised an earlier column in which he declared the debacle to be the most comprehensive and colossal failure of Western power in decades. He wrote: On Monday, our national leaders, Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese, and their deputies and defence spokesmen made a well-motivated first pass at accounting for the Afghanistan war and its bitter outcome But there is one thing they could not bring themselves to say. This Afghanistan adventure was, strategically, a complete and absolute disaster.

These recriminations are accompanied by denials of the actual character of the invasion of Afghanistan.

The truth is that the war was never about protecting the world from terrorism. In the first place, the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other Islamic fundamentalist organisations were backed and fomented by Washington during the 1980s, largely in order to overthrow the previous Soviet-sponsored government in Afghanistan.

After that, Washington initially worked with the Taliban during the Clinton administration as a means of securing control of the countrys resources and a foothold in the geo-strategically critical Central Asian region.

When the Taliban proved unable to stabilise the country, US ruling circles drew up plans in the late 1990swell before the still-unexplained 9/11 terrorist attacksto invade both Afghanistan and Iraq in order to exploit the dissolution of the Soviet Union and assert hegemony over Eurasia, against both Russia and China.

Most directly, the Afghanistan intervention sought to impose a military presence in areas that had been inaccessible to the US from the time of the October 1917 Russian Revolution. Under the auspices of its war against terrorism the US established, for example, a huge air base in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, which borders China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

This was accompanied by the neo-colonial hubris, echoed throughout the political and media elites in Australia, that force works and the US would create a new world order.

Albaneses declaration that Afghan lives were touched by Australian forces for the better is an absurd and flagrant lie. The barbaric nature of the war inevitably produced atrocities, as the occupying troops resorted to brutal methods to suppress resistance to the occupation.

Even according to the heavily censored official inquiry report that was finally published last year, Australian Special Forces units murdered at least 39 prisoners of war or innocent civilians and committed many other abuses, including cruel treatment (i.e. torture), the use of illegal weapons and the desecration of victims bodies.

Statements from Afghan families and organisations indicate that many more were killed. Special Forces recruits were even blooded by being ordered to kill captured detainees. This cannot be explained as the actions of isolated rogues. The entire war was a ruthless operation to terrorise the population and crush opposition to the imposition of US control over the country.

By one estimate, the Australian war effort cost $9 billion. That is enough to build hundreds of hospitals and schools, both in Afghanistan and Australia. The 39,000 soldiers sent, on repeated rotations, to fight this barbaric war also paid a heavy price41 were killed and 261 were injured. That does not count the 500 veterans who committed suicide during the war.

Far from retreating from militarism in response to the debacle in Afghanistan, the US and its allies are already seeking to ready their populations for an even more disastrous war against China in order to reassert the Asia-Pacific and global dominance obtained by the US through World War II.

In fact, beneath the hypocritical hand-wringing about the plight of the Afghan people, hopes are being expressed that the departure from Afghanistan can clear the decks for such a conflagration.

Tuesdays Australian Financial Review editorial typified a growing chorus in the corporate media. The withdrawal from Afghanistan will create further strategic space for the Biden-led US to continue its pivot towards the main game of geopolitical competition with assertive China in the Indo-Pacific region, it declared.

How America comes back from defeat in Afghanistan, and shapes up to the rising China challenge, is what will ultimately matter long after the images of the fall of Kabul become just recurring Facebook memories.

These demands are being accompanied by those from others, like Downer, advocating a further military buildup in Australia, on top of the more than $575 billion already earmarked for the armed forces over the next decade.

One of the most strident and anxious calls came from Peter Jennings, the executive director of the US-connected and government-subsidised Australian Strategic Policy Institute. In an opinion piece published by the Australian, he indignantly lamented the US-led defeat in Afghanistan and wrote:

The US urgently needs to rethink how it will defend its interest globally against China  We cannot assume the US will just be over the horizon ready to defend our strategic interests A greater Australian defence effort is the best thing we can do to ensure the US stays committed to our security.

These militarist responses demonstrate that there is only one way to end the violence of US and Australian imperialism and prevent even greater catastrophes. It is bound up with the struggle to put an end to the capitalist profit system, which bears full responsibility for imperialist war and its crimes.
The following lecture was delivered at the Socialist Equality Party (US) 2021 summer school, held August 1 through August 6, by Dr. Benjamin Mateus, a writer for the World Socialist Web Site. All of the major reports to the school will be published on the WSWS in the coming days.

The 1918 Influenza has been described as the mother of all pandemics. The COVID pandemic is certainly challenging that long-held characterization.

It has been estimated that at least one-third of the worlds population (or approximately 500 million people) were clinically infected during the Spanish flu more than a hundred years ago.

The case fatality rate for the 1918 Influenza pandemic has been estimated to be greater than 2.5 percent, as compared to a typical flu that has a less than 0.1 percent lethality. Worldwide, total deaths were estimated at 50 million and arguably as high as 100 million.

Case fatality rate for the fly pandemic of 1918. Source AJPH Research and Analysis. 3. Soldiers resting in field cots in November 1918.

Placing this into context, World War I itself caused far less loss of life, with 20 million deaths. There were 9.7 million military personnel that died and about 10 million civilians. Both sides saw an essentially equal number of combat casualties.

Many comrades have been following the epidemiological graphs of the current pandemic and are now familiar with them. The accompanying graphs that describe the death rates over time show how different social distancing and mitigation measures employed in various cities across the US led to different mortality outcomes. They proved that rapid and sustained social distancing and mitigation measures saved lives.

In Philadelphia, as the deadly wave of influenza was just beginning to surge, city officials went ahead and hosted the Philadelphia Liberty Loans Parade in which more than 200,000 people were in attendance. The city oversaw raising $259 million for war-time efforts. That was on September 19, 1918. Twenty-four hours later, 118 Philadelphians were coming down with the mysterious deadly influenza. On the third day after the parade, every bed in Philadelphias 31 hospitals was filled. A week later, 4,500 were dead and 47,000 infected. The outbreak was so bad, by October 3, the city essentially shut down.

Philadelphia Liberty Loans Parade in front of liberty statue at Philadelphia city hall.

The US suffered 675,000 excess deaths during the 1918 Influenza pandemic. Using todays population size, this would translate to approximately 2.16 million deaths. Placing the COVID pandemic into context, though reported deaths are now at 625,000, recent estimates have found that there have been approximately185,000 additional unrecognized COVID-related deaths, putting the figure closer to 800,000. Additionally, the IHME (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation) modeling placed the figure of excess deaths closer to 900,000 back in the spring.

So, we are speaking about a pandemic that is in the same ballpark as the death caused by the Spanish flu in the US despite all the added innovations and technological capacity we now possess. We have ICUs. We can ventilate and provide oxygen in high concentrations. We have medications to blunt the immune response. We have even been able to develop very effective vaccines with unprecedented speed. What we have been unable to do is place the appropriate priority on the well-being of the population.

The descendants of the Spanish flu

Yet, the impact of the Spanish flu was not limited to the period 19181919.

All influenza A pandemics since that time, and indeed almost all cases of influenza worldwide have been caused by descendants of the 1918 virus. For instance, the H2N2 pandemic of 19571958 that originated in Southern China killed between one and four million worldwide. It was a descendent of the 1918 influenza virus, as was the 19681969 flu pandemic caused by H3N2, which also killed another one to four million people globally.

It took another 80 years when a scientific team led by Dr. Jeffery K. Taubenberger was able to completely sequence the genome of one virus and partial sequence four others.

And in 2011, Drs. Watanabe and Kawaoka, using advancements in reverse genetics, were able to re-create the 1918 virus entirely from complementary DNA. With an artificially resurrected and intact virus bearing all eight RNA segments, molecular analysis into the unusual virulence of the 1918 pandemic was now possible.

These studies showed that the re-created 1918 virus from the second wave could replicate efficiently in the lungs of infected ferrets and non-human primates, inducing the type of fatal pneumonia encountered in the 19181919 pandemic.

Though the first wave caused extensive infection, it was not highly lethal as compared to the second and third waves. It is not known whether the virus in the first wave was the same as in the second wave or if it underwent a genetic shift or reassorted with another flu virus that made it so lethal. There is evidence that suggests those who developed the flu in the first wave had protection against the second wave.

Various theories exist as to the origin of this novel Influenza A virus, though many have noted the emergence of the illness in March of 1918 in Kansas, which quickly spread throughout the Eastern seaboard in recruit camps and cities and then to Europe and globally thereafter.

What was unusual about these deaths was that they cut down young adults in the prime of their lives. The W-shaped death curve was a unique finding that suggested the older population may have had partial immune protection from a possible exposure to a then-circulating virus circa 1889.

Perhaps most sobering is what Dr. David Morens, Office of the Director at the NIAID, wrote about the influenza pandemic in April of 2019.

As deadly as the 1918 pandemic was, US mortality data, adjusted for population growth, suggest that over the past century about three times as many deaths have been caused by descendants of the 1918 pandemic virus than by the pandemic virus itself. These have considerable relevance to the generations that will be forced to live with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Woodrow Wilsons response to the flu pandemic

As the 1918 flu pandemic was killing hundreds of thousands of Americans, it is worth reviewing President Woodrow Wilson and the White Houses response to the pandemic, which have perhaps interesting parallels to the COVID pandemic.

Focusing his attention completely on the war effort, Wilson never uttered a single public statement about the 19181919 flu epidemic. Historian John M. Barry, author of The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, noted, In terms of managing a federal response to the pandemic, there was no leadership or guidance of any kind from the White House. Wilson wanted the focus to remain on the war effort. Anything negative was viewed as hurting morale and hurting the war effort.

Tevi Troy who wrote Shall We Wake the President: Two Centuries of Disaster Management from the Oval Office, ranked Wilson as the worst president. The federal response to the influenza outbreak in 1918 can best be described as neglectful. Hundreds of thousands of Americans died without President Wilson saying anything or mobilizing nonmilitary components of the U.S. government to help the civilian population. He also faulted Wilson for contributing to the massive spread of the disease by continuing troop mobilizations even as World War I was winding to a close.

Barry notes that Wilson was quite aware of how serious the disease was. He heard and read reports on the way the illness would strike young and healthy soldiers in the barracks or on troop transports that were sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. Though the US lost almost 54,000 soldiers in combat during the war, another 45,000 (a number in equal magnitude to combat deaths) perished from influenza and related pneumonia by the end of 1918.

In fact, White House staffers were falling ill left and right. A Secret Service agent, the White House usher and a stenographer fell ill before Wilson left for France. When in Paris to negotiate the Treaty of Versailles after the World War I armistice, a young American aide in the peace delegation, Donald Frary, fell ill and died. He was only 25.

Wilson too fell ill at Versailles during the peace delegations, developing a fever as high as 103 degrees Fahrenheit. The New Yorker wrote, Wilson, sequestered during his recovery in the Hotel du Prince Murat, an elegant town house in the Eighth Arrondissement, soon appeared changed by his bout with flu. He became obsessed with funny things, as an aide put it. He grew fixated on the furniture in the house and came to believe that he was surrounded by French spies. We could but surmise that something queer was happening in his mind, Irwin Hoover, the Presidents chief usher, said. One thing is certain: he was never the same after this little spell of sickness.

Providing the necessary political analysis for understanding the response to the pandemic then, the ICFI wrote on the occasion of the centenary of Armistice Day:

The war was waged for markets, profits, resources and spheres of influence. But this conflict itself did not simply arise from the political outlook of the various imperialist politicians. It had deeper roots in the very development of the capitalist economy. As Leon Trotsky explained, in words that ring out even more powerfully in todays era of globalized production, the foundations of the war were to be found in the objective contradiction between the development of world economy and the division of the world into rival capitalist nation-states and imperialist great powers. Each of the imperialist powers sought to resolve this contradiction through a bloody struggle to decide which of them would become the hegemonic world power. That conflict was to finally resultafter three decades of barbarism, involving economic devastation, fascism, the Holocaust of European Jewry, and the mass slaughter of World War IIin the domination of US imperialism. But the contradictions of world capitalism were not overcome. They were only temporarily subsumed under the domination of the United States. The disease which had gripped the global capitalist system was not cured, it only went into a period of remission. This period has now ended.

The influenza pandemic could not be allowed to interfere with this redivision of the world, and, in a matter of speaking, the Influenza pandemic had been a byproduct of these contradictions and bloody struggles. And the reemergence of another deadly scourge, COVID-19, was not only unsurprising, but it was also long predicted had been foreseen.

Warnings of a new pandemic

In a report published more than a decade ago, titled, Global trends in emerging infectious diseases, the authors noted these events have been rising significantly over time, impacting global health and economies. A significant majority are derived from diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans. They also found that there has been a substantial risk of wildlife zoonotic and vector borne EIDs originating at lower latitudes where there is little reporting. Also, of concern are (antibiotic resistant) bacterial pathogens.

Peter Daszak, the disease ecologist, noted: Pandemics are on the rise, and we need to contain the process that drives them, not just the individual diseases: Plagues are not only part of our culture they are caused by it.  Pandemics usually begin as viruses in animals that jump to people when we make contact with them. These spillovers are increasing exponentially as our ecological footprint brings us closer to wildlife in remote areas and the wildlife trade brings these animals into urban centers. Unprecedented road-building, deforestation, land clearing and agricultural development, as well as globalized travel and trade, make us supremely susceptible to pathogens like coronaviruses.

In early February 2018, the World Health Organization held an informal consultation in Geneva, Switzerland, to review the list of priority diseases with a focus on severe emerging infectious diseases (EID) with potential to generate a public health emergency, and for which insufficient or no preventive and curative solutions exist. The review determined that given their potential to cause a public health emergency and the absence of efficacious drugs and/or vaccines, there is an urgent need for accelerated research and development for disease like Ebola, Lassa Fever, Zika, MERS and SARS, and Disease X, a term for an as-of-yet-unknown and unnamed pathogen.

The WHO said: Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease.'

John-Arne Rottingen, Special Adviser to the WHO said: History tells us that it is likely the next big outbreak will be something we have not seen before. It may seem strange to be adding an X but the point is to make sure we prepare and plan flexibly in terms of vaccines and diagnostic tests. We want to see plug and play platforms developed which will work for any, or a wide number of diseases; systems that will allow us to create countermeasures at speed.

However, despite these warnings, little funding and effort has been placed in fully developing this critical infrastructure nor coordinating these on an international basis.

The outbreak in Wuhan, China

The first hint to the world of the outbreak of a novel coronavirus in Wuhan was received on December 30 by way of an international memo sent out by Wuhans health administration warning of an unusual viral pneumonia.

Dr. Marjorie Pollack, a graduate of the CDCs Epidemic Intelligence Services, who is a volunteer at ProMED, a program run by the International Society for Infectious diseases, and resides in Brooklyn, was checking her emails after dinner on that day when she received an alert from a colleague about clusters of seriously ill patients in China. Four hours later, an AI system run by Boston Childrens Hospital sent out a brief alert about unidentified pneumonia cases in Wuhan.

During an interview on March 5, 2020, she explained, I got an alert from a colleague who keeps a finger on the pulse of Weibo, the Chinese social media platform. The alert gave me some tweets about stuff that was going on in Wuhana cluster of four cases, then 27 casesalong with a picture theoretically of a document sent out by the Wuhan public health commission stating something about pneumonia cases that seemed to be associated with a seafood and wildlife market. Having lived through and worked through the SARS outbreak, it just rang a bell. This was a deja vu.

ProMED-mail was founded in 1994. Originally envisioned as a direct scientist-to-scientist network, ProMED rapidly grew into a prototype outbreak reporting and discussion list, especially after the 1995 Ebola outbreak. They also played a crucial role in identifying the SARS outbreak early in 2003.

As to a question regarding Chinas response, during the same interview Dr. Pollack added, I think this go around, China has been completely transparent. SARS was a lesson on the need for transparency. Ive been very impressed with them. Theyve been putting out data whenever theyve had it. I think in Wuhan, what happened was they were just overwhelmed. And they were very honest. They admitted that they basically didnt have the surge capacity to handle the volume, which is why they ended up building two hospitals in less than a week.

The timeline speaks for itself: As cases began to accumulate, physicians in the Wuhan City hospitals began to note an unusual pneumonia-like illness that was afflicting patients. At first, they were concerned this was the emergence of the SARS virus. By the following week (the first week in January) four independent labs in China had sequenced the novel coronavirus.

Internal communications at the time also reflect that the National Health Commission was notified that the new virus was potentially contagious through respiratory passage and recommended taking preventative measures in public areas. The US CDC even advised a travel watch advisory for Wuhan City. We know now that every major institution in the USFDA, CDC, White House, Congresshad been notified of these developments.

On January 11, Dr. Zhang Yongzhen of Shanghai Public Health Clinic Centre, out of frustrations with delays by authorities, published the sequence on virological.org, finally providing the world the first glimpse of the genetic blueprint for SARS-CoV-2. Thai researchers, who had isolated and partially sequenced the virus from an ill Chinese traveler discovered at the airport on January 9, issued findings on January 13 that the virus was identical to Dr. Zhangs sequence.

The crux of the criticism against Chinas delay lies in the fact that more than two weeks had passed since the partial sequence had been decoded and more than a week since three other labs had full sequences before the sequences were finally published on GISAID, platform for scientists to share genomic sequences. Yet, the issue of human-to-human transmission had not been resolved.

By mid-January, Beijing was quickly forced into damage-control mode, launching a nationwide public health emergency plan.

Peter Daszak, president of Eco Health Alliances, a scientist who has spent his career hunting dangerous viruses, explained: The pressure is intense in an outbreak to make sure youre right. Its actually worse to go out to the public with a story thats wrong because the public completely lose confidence in the public health response.

Only after a renowned infectious disease and pulmonologist specialist, Dr. Zhong Nanshan, declared on January 20 that the new virus was being transmitted between people, did the Chinese President Xi Jinping call for the timely publication of epidemic information and deepening of international cooperation.

The response of the WHO

On January 22, the WHO convened an independent committee to address if there was a need to declare a global health emergency. A week later, on January 30, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) was declared when there were just over 10,000 COVID-19 cases, of which 80 had been detected outside of mainland China.

To be clear, the four weeks to the PHEIC was the objective recognition of the scope of the global crisis and the call to action. The five to six weeks that followed became a recognition that there lacked the political will by the ruling elites to stem the rapid pace of global transmission. In short, the declaration of the pandemic was a declaration of defeat by the WHO, a declaration that little would be done to impede the course of the pandemic.

Offering a searing criticism of the global response, the WHOs independent oversight and advisory committee wrote on May 21, 2020, There has been a palpable lack of global solidarity and common purpose. That is a recipe for extending and worsening the global outbreak, leaving all countries less secure. A successful pandemic response hinges on inter-connected global systems and networks: of scientific expertise, medical supply, trade, innovation, and production. The rising politicization of pandemic response is a material impediment to defeating the virus, while it aggravates other health, social and economic impacts.

Meanwhile, the ICFI, who had been following these events closely very early in the course of the crisis, analyzing the developments almost from moment to moment, recognized the dangers posed by the virus to global inaction and irresponsibility.

On February 28, 2020, the ICFI issued the statement, For a globally coordinated emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic, at a time when the number of COVID infections were approaching 100,000 and there were only 3,000 deaths, the majority of them in mainland China, stating in no uncertain terms that the danger could not be overstated.

The consequences of herd immunity

Since the declaration of the pandemic, the ruling elites across the globe have used every means in their powers to enrich themselves while forcing the populations to accommodate themselves to the virus through policies that can best be described as malign neglect and social murder. The attempts to insist that the cure cant be worse than the disease, or implement a Swedish model that advocated a herd immunity strategy that supposedly protected the elderly while allowing the younger population to become infected, formally adopted as The Great Barrington Declaration, have proven to be not only a bankrupt, but quite deadly, policy.

Patients wear personal protective equipment while maintaining social distancing as they wait in line for a COVID-19 test at Elmhurst Hospital Center, Wednesday, March 25, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

The number of reported COVID infections globally has now passed 200 million. But this is a massive undercounting, as many countries do not have the testing capacity to track infections. This is the same number of people that have been thrown into extreme poverty because of the response to the pandemic. And still, a significant majority of the globes population remains immunologically vulnerable and have yet to receive even a single dose of the vaccines.

There is also a severe underestimate in the reported global COVID death toll, which stands at 4.2 million. But like many devastating events, the initial figures are far lower than they really are. Only after the dust has settled, the bodies have been pulled out of the rubble and a proper accounting has been made, do we begin to recognize the scale of death that the ruling elites have failed to properly chronicle during this pandemic which, as we have insisted, was foreseeable and stoppable.

In a recent report in the Economist, published on May 15, 2021, when the death toll was at 3.2 million, they estimated that worldwide there had been 7 million to 13 million excess deaths during the pandemic, with a central estimated of 10.2 million, or more than three times the reported figures. COVID deaths now account for the third leading cause of death during the pandemic across the globe.

Excess deaths include those that died from COVID but had not been accounted for as such and those that perished not necessarily due to COVID-related complications, but by the social crisis that may have led to inability to access health care and other factors that could have been averted had the pandemic been brought under control quickly and had an elimination strategy been globally adopted.

For instance, in South Africa there had been 55,000 COVID deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. During the same time, the country had recorded 158,499 excess deaths, of which the public health officials felt confident that 85 to 95 percent were caused by SARS-CoV-2. The point being made is that in poorer countries, where there are delays in officially documenting deaths and the cause of these deaths, we fail to appreciate the real impact of the present global crisis caused by the pandemic.

Summarizing their findings by geographic region:

There were between 2.4 million and 7.1 million excess deaths in Asia, while official COVID-19 reported deaths stood at 0.6 million. Since then, the torrential surge of infections, with the Delta variant throughout India and Indonesia, these estimates will now have to be revised upwards.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, 1.5 million to 1.8 million excess deaths have been estimated while there were 0.6 million reported COVID deaths. In Africa, excess deaths have been estimated as high as 2.1 million while only 0.1 million had been reported, speaking to the low level of testing and reporting. In Europe, 1.5 million to 1.6 million excess deaths versus 1 million reported deaths. In the US and Canada, 0.7 million versus 0.6 million.

More recently, an estimate of unrecognized deaths in the US found that there had been 185,000 uncounted, placing the total COVID-related deaths in the US at 775,000 at the end of May 2021.

Global estimate of excess deaths. (Credit:The Economist)

In the US, one in 12 in long-term care facilities and one in 10 in nursing homes died from COVID-19. According to the American Association of Retired Persons Nursing Home COVID-19 dashboard, as of July 15, 2021, more than 184,000 residents and staff of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have died.

We should also highlight that more than 115,000 health care workers have died from COVID-19 across the globe.

We are fast approaching the point that the COVID-19 pandemic is the singularly most deadly event in American history, even above the death wrought by the Civil War. And this despite the COVID vaccines and every means to bring the pandemic to an end. The Biden administration, like the Trump administration, has squandered every opportunity to end the pandemic, even suppressing critical information that highlighted the dangers of the variant even among those that are vaccinated. And now we are facing a resurgence of a deadly turn with a much more transmissible virus that continues to evolve and pose a significant existential threat to the worlds population.

At our Sixth National Congress last year this time when we met for the first time online under extraordinary conditions, we wrote, The COVID-19 pandemic is a trigger event in world history that is accelerating the already far-advanced economic, social, and political crisis of the world capitalist system. It is creating conditions for an immense intensification of the class struggle on an international scale.

I would like to end my report by reading a quote from Damir Huremovic, from a chapter titled The Brief History of Pandemics.

He says, Very few phenomena throughout human history have shaped our societies and cultures the way outbreaks of infectious diseases have; yet, remarkably little attention has been given to these phenomena in behavioral social science and in branches of medicine that are, at least in part, founded in social studies. In a long succession throughout history, pandemic outbreaks have decimated societies, determined outcomes of wars, wiped out entire populations, but also, paradoxically, cleared the way for innovations and advances in sciences (including medicine and public health), economy, and political systems.
The online discussion hosted by the World Socialist Web Site on Sunday, For a Global Strategy to Stop the Pandemic and Save Lives!, provided an overwhelming, scientifically grounded case for a policy of elimination and eradication of the COVID-19 virus. The scientists speaking at the event explained clearly and convincingly what should have been done from the beginning but was notand what must be done now but isnt.

The three scientists who spoke at the eventProfessor Michael Baker of the University of Otago in Wellington, New Zealand; Dr. Malgorzata Gasperowicz of the University of Calgary in Canada; and Dr. Yaneer Bar-Yam from the New England Complex Systems Institute in the United Statesare all leading experts in their fields and have decades of experience analyzing and responding to pandemics and other infectious diseases. Taken together, their factual presentations are a staggering indictment of the policies adopted by most countries over the past nineteen months.

Professor Bakers presentation made clear that a different policy could have been pursued. He recounted his back-of-the envelope calculation in January 2020, at the very beginning of the global spread of the virus, that 30 plus million people across the globe would die if the pandemic were not stopped. He referred to a World Health Organization report in February 2020when the global death toll was less than 3,000 documenting Chinas success in containing the virus and showing that a policy of elimination and eradication was possible.

And yet, particularly in the United States and the major countries of Europe, the measures advocated by scientists were rejected. I just assumed, Dr. Baker said, that governments around the world would follow that advice [for an elimination approach]  and they did nothing about it, most countries.

In her own presentation, Dr. Gasperowicz showed that emergency, coordinated action at the start of the pandemic could have successfully eliminated the virus in a relatively short period of time. Her data showed that, even without vaccines, aggressive public health measureslockdowns, travel restrictions, universal testing and contact tracing, and the isolation of infected individualscould have brought new cases to zero in 37 days. If such measures had been implemented in early 2020, the global death toll would be measured in the thousands, not millions.

The scientifically necessary actions were not taken, however, and the horrific consequences are evident throughout the world. Nearly 4.5 million people are now dead, according to official figures, with 10,000 more added daily. Countless millions will suffer from the still little understood consequences of long COVID. With the spread of the more infectious Delta variant, hospitalizations and deaths are again on the rise. The United States is again at the epicenter of the global pandemic, with nearly 1,000 deaths and nearly 150,000 new cases every day.

Most horrifically, the new strain of the virus is severely impacting young people, overwhelming childrens hospitals that are running out of ICU beds to care for the sick and dying.

The presentations made clear, however, that even now emergency action can bring this terrible disease under control. With the assistance of powerful vaccines, Dr. Gasperowicz explained, aggressive public health measures can eradicate the virus in the space of two months. But vaccines alone are not sufficient. The Delta variant is our wake-up call, she said. We need everything we have in our toolbox to stop it, to slow it down.

The major governments, however, are not deploying the toolbox of public health measures, but reversing the inadequate measures that have been adopted. Rather than implementing lockdowns and other social distancing measures, schools are being opened, with children sent into overcrowded classrooms where they are almost guaranteed to catch and spread the coronavirus.

During the meeting, contributions from teachers in the US, Brazil and Australia provided first-hand accounts of the terrible choices facing educators throughout the world. Unlike last year, there are no plans or protocols to keep faculty, staff, students and the community safe from infection as new cases are set to surpass the worst of the winter surge, a teacher from Tennessee, Donna, explained. Despair, resignation and anger are common themes in my conversations with colleagues.

Lisa, a parent, described the catastrophic situation in the UK, which Professor Baker described as this almost barbaric experiment on the British people. Not only are schools being reopened, but children are being told that they cannot wear masks and parents are being threatened with fines and even prison if they do not send their children back to school. When I say there is no mitigation in classrooms in England, Lisa said, theres nothing. Theres no masks, theres no social distancing, theres no ventilation, theres no HEPA air filters.

The information and knowledge provided by the scientists at the World Socialist Web Site forum should, by any objective standard, be on the front page of every newspaper and featured on television programs throughout the world. However, there has been nothing approaching the discussion on the WSWS forum in the mainstream media.

In the media, the spectrum of the official debate is contained within the framework of those advocating herd immunitywhich, as used by capitalist politicians, means the rejection of even the most basic public health precautions, such as maskingand mitigation, which advocates reopening of schools and the economy, accompanied by vaccination, masking and other measures. Both are premised on a rejection of lockdowns and school closuresthat is, what scientists say is necessary to cut off the spread of the virus to eliminate and eradicate it.

In the United States, the New York Times, speaking for the Democratic Party and the Biden administration, is aggressively campaigning for a reopening of schools. While Republican-controlled states are seeking to ban even the requirement that children wear masks, the National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins said on Tuesday: What we dont want is lockdowns, shutdowns, school closures.

The Swiss daily Tages Anzeiger headlined its Tuesday edition, Business organizations want to prevent a new lockdown by any means.

In Germany, the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that it is stopping the use of the coronavirus infection rate as a measure for deciding on restrictions on economic activity to avoid having to implement them. Another lockdown must be avoided in any case in the interests of a functioning economy, declared Economics Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee of the Social Democratic Party.

In Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday that any restrictions to stop the rapid spread of the virus must be ended once the country reaches a vaccination target of 70 percent of the eligible population (which does not include children). We have to deal with it; otherwise we stay in the cave forever.

The presentations at the event on Sunday made clear that these claims are a lie. If the necessary actions were taken at the beginning, the present catastrophe could have been avoided. And the only way to stop the pandemic and save the lives of millions more people throughout the world is to take them now. The virus can and must be eliminated and eradicated, but vaccination alone is not sufficient.

The stark contradiction between what science says is necessary and what is almost universally being implemented by governments can be understood only in relation to more fundamental causes. In his concluding comments to the event on Sunday, WSWS International Editorial Board Chairman David North noted that everything that has been said has made a powerful and overwhelming case for a policy of elimination and eradication.

However, North added, There is an old saying, If geometric axioms impinged on material interests, an attempt would be made to refute them. Now we have scientific truth presented very clearly, overwhelmingly, so one is forced to recognize that there are powerful material social and economic interests that have prevented the implementation of these policies.

With every great issue and great crisisand the global coronavirus pandemic is among the greatestthe class issues emerge. The social force blocking a rational and scientific approach to the pandemic is the capitalist ruling elite. It is the working classeducators, parents, autoworkers, logistics workers, health care workers and the entire working class internationallythat must be organized and mobilized to put an end to the needless suffering produced by the pandemic.

In The eradication of the COVID-19 is the only way to stop the pandemic, the WSWS stated:

The basic principles guiding the eradication strategy are based on science and the insistence that there can be no limit on the amount spent to eradicate COVID-19 worldwide. The social interests of masses of people worldwide interact powerfully with scientific truth. For this strategy to be successful, its proponents in every country must be imbued with a deep scientific understanding of the pandemic. The working class values and relies on the support of scientists, and the scientific program necessary to eradicate COVID-19 can only be implemented to the extent that great masses of people take up this struggle.

The WSWS event on Sunday demonstrated this perspective in practice. It must now be carried forward through the development of a powerful international and unified mass movement of the working class to fight for it.
Democratic Party Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced on August 16 that she is proposing to spend $75 million of federal pandemic relief funds on local police departments throughout the state as part of a proposed MI Safe Communities framework.

The governor outlined the plan at a press conference held at the Farwell Recreation Center on the east side of Detroit and said, People are scared. Theyre afraid to pump their gas or merge onto the highway, pull up to a red light, drive to work, drop their kids off at school. Thats not right, and we cannot and will not accept this. No one should feel unsafe as they go about their lives.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addresses the state during a speech in Lansing, Mich. March 2, 2021. (Michigan Office of the Governor via AP, File)

A press release from the governors office said that the proposal is to invest in local police, get illegal guns off the street, and fund expanded opportunities in jobs, education, and the justice system, with a portion of the money provided to Michigan under the American Rescue Plan.

The purpose of the media event was to promote Whitmers proposal within the Michigan Legislature, which is dominated by the Republican Party, including politicians who collaborated with armed protesters who stormed the state capitol building in April 2020.

At the press conference, Whitmer also said, We are working together to address the crime increases weve seen across the state and across the country. She said statewide crime increased by 12 percent and murders increased by 36 percent last year.

Whitmer was joined on the platform by other leading Democrats including Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, US Representative Debbie Dingell, State Representative Tyrone Carter and Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy as well as Detroit Police Department Interim Chief James White, all of whom expressed support for Whitmers proposal.

Worthy said that the funds would be used to hire prosecutors so that a backlog of court cases could be cleared up. She also revealed that the Democrats approach to the social crisis exacerbated by the pandemic and the governments response to it is to consider it a matter of law enforcement. Worthy said, We usually handle between 6,000 and 8,000 domestic violence cases each year. Last year, there were 10,000. This year, were on track to have 12,000. We normally handle seven to 12 domestic violence homicides a year; there were 24 last year, and 19 this year. She then added that the pandemic has had an effect, but it would be a mistake to lay it all on COVID.

It is clear that the right-wing initiative of the Democrats is in part a response to the ongoing Republican law-and-order campaign following the George Floyd protests last summer and fall that involved millions of people across the country. The Republicans have specifically targeted Democrats for not denouncing demands of protesters to defund the police.

However, the main motivation for increasing the funding of police departments originated with the Biden administration, which itself has been pushing a law-and-order agenda since taking office under the cover of a bogus police reform campaign. The Biden administration has encouraged state governments to use federal pandemic relief aid to build up the police.

Representative Carter, who worked in the Wayne County Sheriffs Office for twenty-five years, said at last weeks press conference, You will never hear me say defund any police department.

Whitmers proposal was announced on the same day as a similar plan advanced by likely Republican gubernatorial candidate and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who has blamed Democrats for Michigans public safety crisis for not sufficiently supporting the police.

It is notable that none of the Democrats who spoke at the press conference went into any detail about the dramatic decline in the economic and social conditions of the working-class population across the state over the past 18 months of the coronavirus pandemic. While Whitmer and the others talked at length about how no one should feel unsafe as they go about their lives and about the difficulties facing police departments, none of them chose to elaborate on the increasingly dangerous health conditions that confront the public due to the deadly spread of the Delta variant of the virus.

An example of the deteriorating conditions for working-class families in Michigan over the past year is the situation in Clare County in the middle of the state. According to data compiled by 24/7 Wall St, the poverty rate in Clare County stands at 22.7 percent, six points higher than the state average of 16 percent, and life expectancy in the county has fallen to 74.9 years, which is three years shorter than the state average.

Of course, none of the Democrats addressed themselves to the defense of the public in relationship to the organized effort of fascists in Michigan to kidnap and murder Governor Whitmer last October. Far from the plotters accomplices in the Republican political establishment being exposed and brought to justicethey planned to transport the governor to the wilderness in Wisconsin and place her before a tribunal to face the death penaltythe Democrats are endorsing their right-wing law-and-order agenda.

Meanwhile, the police violence that was exemplified in the public execution of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020 is continuing. According to a database maintained by the Washington Post, there have been 560 fatal police shootings so far this year.
Submissions to the ongoing New South Wales (NSW) Parliamentary Inquiry into rural, regional and remote healthcare have highlighted the disastrous state of health services in these areas, leaving the population entirely vulnerable to the highly-infectious COVID-19 Delta variant.

According to the latest figures, there are over 250 COVID-19 infections in the states central west, which includes towns such as Dubbo and Walgett. A majority of the cases are reportedly among Aboriginal people with around 40 percent children and teenagers, who are extremely exposed due to chronic health problems and low vaccination rates. Cases have also been detected in Broken Hill and Wilcannia.

People living in western NSW local health networks have the poorest health in the state and the worst health outcomes in Australia because of their lower socio-economic status and lack of access to health services.

In 2018, the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW) reported that Australias rural areas had avoidable annual death rates as high as 248 per 100,000 persons, compared to 91 in major cities, and a median life expectancy up to 16 years shorter than in cities. These appalling figures are comparable to conditions in under-developed and oppressed countries in Africa and the Indian subcontinent.

The NSW parliamentary inquiry was established in September 2020 following a succession of preventable deaths in rural and regional hospitals. The inquiry has held eight hearings across seven regional towns, from the south-west through to the north coast. Information provided by health workers and local residents provides a devastating picture of the realities behind these statistics.

The latest hearing, held in June at Taree on the mid-north coast, revealed the impact of ongoing health expenditure cuts that have resulted in a dangerous lack of infrastructure as well as doctors and other qualified health workers.

In Gunnedah Shire, in the north-west, with a population of around 13,000, there is only 1 doctor to every 3,000 people, nine times lower than the Australian urban average. The situation is so dire that the doctors are unable to see new and even existing patients.

There are towns in the states northeast that have no doctors. Coraki resident George Thompson told the inquiry that his wife had suffered a stroke, but due to the lack of a hospital was not treated in time and has never walked since. He said the Coraki hospital, founded in 1904, was shut down because of hail damage and the community was told it would be replaced by a HealthOne facility. Referrals are required for treatment at the facility but there is no doctor in the town to provide them.

Bonalbo villagers in the Northern Rivers region told a similar story. One resident explained that he had slashed his leg while working in the bush and travelled half an hour to the Bonalbo emergency department. On arrival, he was told by nurses there they were unable to stitch the wound and he would have to drive another 70 kilometres to see a doctor.

Lismore Base Hospital (Credit: NSW Health)

Bed shortages at Lismore Base Hospital have seen patients discharged late at night and told to contact their families, friends or communities to get home.

Tamworth Medical Staff Council chairperson Dr. Scott reported that Tamworth Hospital had only one third of the medical registrars (trainee specialists) needed, which meant that there was no registrar at night. Despite being responsible for over 200,000 people, the hospital has just five surgical operating theatres at any given time.

Dr. Seshasayee Narasimhan is from the 160-bed Manning Base Hospital in Taree on the mid-north coast which covers a population of 100,000. The hospital serves the demographically oldest electorate in Australia, which also has the worst rate of cardiovascular outcomes in regional Australia.

Nobody wants to come here, Narasimhan told the inquiry. Chronic underfunding means we have an exhausted and severely downgraded hospital We are haemorrhaging qualified and experienced allied health practitioners.

Dr. Narasimhan, who is the only cardiologist at the hospital, said that he constantly worked an 80-hour week in order to provide 24/7 care for his patients.

Manning Great Lakes Community Health Action Group president Eddie Wood explained that the long-serving Manning Base Hospital manager resigned after being ordered to cut costs by 15 percent at the already underfunded, under-equipped facility.

Manning Base Hospital was the site of a decades-long series of mistreatments of over 200 women by visiting medical officer Dr Emil Gayed that included unnecessarily removing womens reproductive organs and performing unnecessary operations. Dr. Roberts, Obstetrics and Gynaecology director, who exposed this in 2018, told the inquiry that before he arrived there was nobody at the facility to oversee Gayeds work.

Rural and regional working-class families face extremely long wait times and have to travel hundreds of kilometres, spending days, if not weeks, in distant cities in order to access proper care.

Tamworth hospital, for example, has a two-year waiting list for children with developmental problems. Families travel up to seven hours by car to see paediatric or ear nose and throat specialists. Wait lists for speech therapy for children aged three years up to school entry are about 13 months, resulting in serious developmental effects.

These grossly inadequate and life-threatening services are the product of policies pursued by successive Labor and Liberal-Nationa Coalition state governments. Since coming into power in 2011, the NSW Coalition government, now headed by Gladys Berejiklian, has followed the lead of its predecessors, ruthlessly slashing services to rural healthcare.

At the federal level, the move to fee-for-service payment began in the 1980s under the Hawke-Keating Labor governments. In 2013, the Gillard Labor government froze publicly funded payments to doctors (known as bulk billing). These measures have eroded the ability of general practitioners and specialist doctors to work in rural areas and meant that many public hospitals could not afford to maintain services to their large and often dispersed rural catchment areas.

The policies have been extended by the federal Coalition government, including under current Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Rural and regional workers are fully aware of and hostile to these attacks. A recent survey of council employees in Gunnedah shire found that 88 percent either disagree or strongly disagree with the statement that medical services in Gunnedah have generally improved over the last 10 years. It revealed that 91 percent of employees rate the current availability of medical services in Gunnedah as either bad or terrible.

The disastrous state of health care in rural, regional and remote areas is a direct result of ongoing government attempts to eliminate the social right to healthcare and to institute a user pays regime.

What has been revealed in the NSW parliamentary inquiry is a health system in decay and the growing opposition of health workers, their patients and local communities to the ongoing government attacks.

Manning Base Hospital workers walked out on strike to demand adequate nurse-to-patient ratios and a pay increase prior to the inquirys June hearings. This occurred amid broader strike action by thousands of nurses and midwives at more than 30 public health sites across NSW. The nurses and midwives union, however, has no fundamental differences with the government assault on public health. It refused to mobilise its members and other health workers in united state-wide action, instead restricting strikes to different times and dates. This resulted in health employees returning to work without their demands being met.

The rising number of COVID-19 infections will devastate the completely unprepared rural health system if left to governments and unions. Rank-and-file organisations independent of the unions must be established in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, as well as in communities, to fight the governments austerity measures, stop the spread of the pandemic and save lives.
The AFL-CIO Executive Council on Friday chose Liz Shuler as the federations acting president, replacing Richard Trumka who died August 5. She will serve the remainder of Trumkas term until the next convention, slated for June of 2022.

Shuler, who served as AFL-CIO secretary treasurer since 2009, had been favored by Trumka to succeed him. Like Trumka she is a lifelong trade union bureaucrat, a creature of the apparatus. However, unlike Trumka she has no record during her rise in the bureaucracy with any, even tangential, relation with the class struggle. Outside of the narrow confines of the AFL-CIO leadership, her name recognition is close to zero among workers.

Liz Shuler, acting AFL-CIO president (credit AFL-CIO)

She takes charge as an intense political crisis grips the ruling class both overseas and domestically with the resurgence of the COVID pandemic. Resistance is growing to the governments homicidal policy of reopening schools and workplaces as the Delta variant spreads. The past several months have seen a surge of strikes, largely in defiance of the union apparatuses, as workers seek to reverse the steady fall in living standards in the face of an orgy of self-enrichment by the worlds billionaires.

Another career bureaucrat was named to replace Shuler as AFL-CIO secretary treasurer, Fred Redmond, United Steelworkers International vice president for Human Affairs.

The appointment of Shuler garnered media attention as the first woman to head the federation. Redmond is the first African American to hold the number two spot. However, despite the nod to identity politics, nothing in Shulers record suggests the slightest oppositional sentiments.

Shuler comes from Portland, Oregon originally. Her father was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers at Portland General Electric, where her mother also worked. She began as an IBEW organizer in Portland in the early 1990s, with her main assignment not organizing workers but lobbying the Democratic Party. She later was assigned to California, where she helped defeat Proposition 226 that would have banned the funneling of union dues to political candidates without worker consent.

From there she moved directly to the IBEW national office in Washington D.C. After serving in the unions legislative department in 2004, she was made assistant to the International President. In 2009 she snagged the AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer job, number two spot in the federation.

In an interview with Bloomberg following her selection, Shuler said that the passage of the renamed Richard L Trumka PRO Act would be a top priority. We are laser focused on continuing that fight, she said. The PRO Act is being advanced by the Biden administration with the aim of shoring up the union apparatus as a means of suppressing the class struggle and preparing for war. It has won the enthusiastic backing of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and other pseudo-left organizations, which see the unions as a path for career advancement.

Shulers selection as acting AFL-CIO president would seem to place her in the front runner position for election to a full term when delegates meet in 2022.

Even before his death Trumka had been trying to line up support for Shuler as his successor. Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sarah Nelson, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, was also seeking the job and attempting to line up support as well. In contrast to the colorless Shuler, Nelson has occasionally indulged in radical sounding tub thumping, including her well publicized comments about a general strike during the 2019 government shutdown.

Nelsons rhetoric aside, she has overseen the destruction of thousands of airline workers jobs and worked to suppress the class struggle and subordinate workers to the capitalist Democratic Party.

In a 2019 comment by The Guardian on the AFL-CIO succession, there were concerns voiced over the elevation of Shuler to replace Trumka when he retired. John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union, told the Guardian, If anything, shes guilty of being too much of a team player. She has the capacity to do more than that.

Nelson had the backing of United Mine Workers President Cecil Roberts. Other major unions, including the American Federation of Teachers, had reportedly not at that time expressed a preference between Shuler and Nelson. Last week AFT President Randi Weingarten announced her backing for Shuler, ensuring her election.

In any event the selection of the AFL-CIO president is a bureaucratic process designed to exclude even the most remote influence by workers. The federation officers are chosen by convention delegates, themselves largely top officials or hand-picked cronies. In the 100 years since the time of AFL President Samuel Gompers, there have been just six presidents of the AFL and AFL-CIO union federations, including now Shuler.

Shuler takes office amidst a continuing crisis and decline of the US trade unions and trade unions globally. Total US union membership declined in 2020 to 14.6 million members, compared to a peak of 21 million in 1979. As a percentage of the workforce, union membership stands at 10.3 percent and just 6.2 percent in the private sector, both historic lows.

During the pandemic, the AFL-CIO has focused its efforts on bolstering the Democratic Party and suppressing worker opposition to the herd immunity policy of the ruling class. The teachers unions in particular have played a foul role by spearheading the reopening of schools even as infections among children are skyrocketing.

A growing mood of militancy is evident in the working class, with workers rejecting attempts by the employers in league with the unions to impose the cost of the pandemic onto their shoulders. In many cases this has taken the form of an open rebellion by workers against the unions, with overwhelming votes against pro-company concessions contracts.

On taking office Shuler faces a series of crises, including mass opposition among teachers, students and parents to the school reopening policy of the Biden administration, which has the full support of the AFL-CIO and teacher unions.

The fact that at this critical juncture the AFL-CIO bureaucracy feels compelled to turn power over to a cipher like Shuler reflects a deep crisis. The unions have lost credibility in the eyes of millions of workers.

This was shown by the strike by Volvo workers in Virginia who repeatedly voted down sellout contracts brought back by the United Auto Workers. Volvo workers, with the assistance of the World Socialist Web Site , organized a rank-and-file committee independent of the UAW that provided truthful information and sought to break the isolation being imposed by the union.

The corporatist, pro-capitalist unions long ago ceased to wage any struggle on behalf of workers. New organizations of struggle are vitally needed based on an entirely new perspective and program. That is the fight for international socialism.
An entire school district in Texas, Iraan-Sheffield ISD, was closed last Monday for two weeks amid a frightening rise in coronavirus cases in the area. Since most Texas districts reopened less than two weeks ago, schools across the state have recorded massive increases in cases, while hospitals were already filled to the brim.

On Tuesday, 199 new deaths were reported in the state, and 54,222 people have died during the pandemic as a whole. Probable cases are estimated to have already reached January 2021 levels, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Science teachers Ann Darby, left, and Rosa Herrera check-in students before a summer STEM camp at Wylie High School in Wylie, Texas. (Image credit: AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

As of last week, North Texas had run out of pediatric ICU beds due to a surge in hospitalizations of children, disproving the narrative by the media and political establishment, that kids cannot fall severely ill from Covid.

Across the country, the pandemic has surged past 150,000 new cases per day, and the situation will likely become much worse as schools continue to open across the country. School reopenings have fueled surges among children in states across the country, including New Mexico, Mississippi, Georgia, California, Florida, and others.

In Iraan-Sheffield ISD, one quarter of the staff and 16 percent of students were infected or exposed to Coronavirus after just five days of classes. The school was postponed until August 30, with no virtual classes.

Iraan, a tiny oilfield town, had a population of 1,150 in 2019 according to the US Census Bureau. Out of 119 people tested in the county, 50 tested positive, a 42 percent positivity rate. Hospitals are few and far between in rural Texas, further exacerbating an already untenable situation. The single hospital in the area, Iraan General Hospital, has 14 beds, with the next closest hospital being at least 100 miles away. At least one patient has already been airlifted out-of-state due to the massive delay in obtaining beds.

One of the most recent victims of the virus in Iraan was Sammy Balderas, who died last Thursday after being airlifted out of the town to San Angelo. His wife and 9-year-old son were quarantined, and his wife tested positive for the virus.

The lack of available hospital beds has been worsened by numerous closures and threatened closures of hospitals. A hospital in Houston which treated around 500 patients a week abruptly closed on January 18. Hundreds of rural hospitals across the country are at immediate risk of closure. Nationwide, 81 million in the US live in areas with low availability to health services.

The Medical Center Hospital, the hospital in Iraan, announced it was increasing its requests for beds from surrounding areas. Our friends in Iraan, it almost seems like the entire town of Iraan has COVID right now. Theyve got a lot of sick folks down there, MCH CEO Russel Tippin said. Many residents are reportedly driving themselves hundreds of miles to receive care.

In the state as a whole, the availability of ICU beds is close to non-existent, with children and adults alike filling up the hospital capacities which were already strained before the pandemic. Only 372 out of 5,788 ICU beds are available in the whole state according to the most recent government data.

Two weeks ago, before many school districts had even opened, Dallas county judge Clay Jenkins warned in a news conference on August 13 that there were zero ICU beds left for children ... That means if your childs 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 dont have one. Your child will wait for another child to die.

Meanwhile, nurses are leaving the profession in large numbers from the severe emotional and physical strain of working during the pandemic. Approximately 23,000 registered nursing vacancies exist according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

Right-wing Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, who has long championed the elimination of all public health restrictions and who has issued a statewide ban on mask mandates in schools, himself tested positive for COVID-19, despite having been vaccinated.

Since August 8, in little more than two weeks, 4,729 students and 3,373 staff have been infected with coronavirus, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. However, these are likely significant under-counts of the true case numbers.

In Central Texas, Austin Independent School District (ISD), Round Rock ISD, Leander ISD, and Hays Consolidated Independent School District all reported 49 or more cases between August 23 and 27, with Leander and Austin reporting over 100. Significantly, in Hays County, breakthrough cases have been observed in hospitalized cases, with 11 out of the 49 people hospitalized having been vaccinated.

Only a week and a half into the school year, Conroe ISD, north of Houston in Montgomery County, reported 1,487 students and 143 employees under quarantine for suspected or confirmed infection. Houston ISD, which has a mask mandate in defiance of Abbotts order, already has 283 confirmed cases, despite the school year only starting this Monday.

In Fort Worth ISD, 1,000 students and staff are already in quarantine, while 31 new staff cases have been reported. Other North Texas school districts which have recorded over 100 cases since the start of the school year, include Dallas ISD (which has a mask mandate), Frisco ISD, Arlington ISD and Garland ISD, the latter of which recorded a massive 386 student cases with 54 staff cases. Keller ISD recorded 23 staff cases before the semester even started as a result of the preparatory in-person sessions staff are required to attend.

In the Dallas Fort-Worth Metroplex (DFW), nearly half of all ICU beds are taken up by COVID patients, according to the DFW Hospital Council. Just 53 staffed ICU beds are available for the area, the nations fourth-largest metropolitan area with more than 7.6 million people.

Governor Abbott thus far has been unable to enforce his ban on mask mandates in the face of pending litigation and widespread opposition from parents. That this arch-reactionary has been forced to postpone his provocative measures for the moment points to the fear within ruling circles of explosive levels of opposition building among teachers, parents and the working class, with polls consistently showing support for the continued closure of schools by wide majorities.

The notion that schools can be safely reopened, let alone that society can live with the virus, is a deadly lie that has been disproven by the disastrous reopenings in districts one after the other across the country. It is not possible to live with or mitigate the coronavirus; the only viable public health strategy is one of complete eradication, which public health experts explain would be possible within several weeks using an aggressive combination of vaccination and public health measures such as lockdowns.

To demand such a change in policy, teachers across the country are forming rank-and-file safety committees, independent of both big business parties and the trade unions, which have collaborated in the reopening of schools, with the heads of the AFT and NEA playing key roles cheer-leading the reopening of schools .
This is the first in a series of interview articles with UK parents and educators opposed to the reckless reopening of schools in the coming weeks. We urge all UK parents, educators and workers who seek to organize opposition to this homicidal policy to join and build the Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee (UK).

At the start of September, all primary and secondary schools across the United Kingdom will reopen with no COVID-19 mitigation measures whatsoever, threatening a massive surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths among children, all of whom under age 16 remain unvaccinated. Schools reopened last week in Scotland, which recorded 4,323 new cases Tuesday, a record high overtaking the daily peak of 4,234 in early Julys summer wave. Following the full reopening of schools, universities are set to fully reopen by the end of September.

Under the Conservative government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is ruthlessly deepening the herd immunity strategy based on letting the virus rip through the population. Children and young adults under 25 years old are now experiencing the highest rates of infection and hospitalization of any age group, with hospitalization rates as high as they were in the January surge.

There is enormous opposition among parents and educators to the school reopening drive and the lifting of even the most basic mitigation measures, including mask wearing. The World Socialist Web Site spoke with UK parents who have organized with the group SafeEdForAll about this policy and the broader state of the pandemic.

Lisa Diaz of Wigan, England, is the mother of an 8-year-old and an 11-year-old in primary school. On Sunday, she took part in the WSWS online discussion with leading scientists, For a Global Strategy to Stop the Pandemic and Save Lives. The event outlined an eradication strategy in which school closures and other aggressive public health measures are combined with rapid global vaccinations to quickly bring cases down to zero in every corner of the globe.

For a global strategy to stop the pandemic and save lives!

In the past week, Lisa has attracted a large following on Twitter in response to daily videos that she has posted. The short videos express the sentiments of masses of parents in the UK and worldwide who are terrified about the dangers posed to their children by school reopenings, particularly by the more transmissible and virulent Delta variant.

In her first video, now viewed over 226,000 times and retweeted over 1,800 times, Lisa commented, In a couple of weeks time, Ill be expected to send the two people most important and precious to me in the whole wide world into a class with 30-odd other unvaccinated bodies, no masks, no social distancing, and inadequate ventilation.

Exposing the lies of state officials about the impact of COVID-19 on children, she said, Its a myth that kids dont catch COVID. [Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency] Jenny Harries said that a child is more likely to be hit by a bus than catch COVID. That was a lie. I know about 30 kids personally who have caught COVID, I dont know one whos been hit by a bus. That kids dont get severely ill with COVID is a lie. Over 1,100 children were admitted to hospital in this country in July alone, five of whom tragically died. So why are we letting this virus just rip amongst children?

She concluded, Just like I wouldnt send them into a burning building, Im not going to send them into a classroom thats highly conducive to the spread of COVID-19.

Lisa with both of her children

In her third video, now viewed nearly 100,000 times and shared nearly 1,000 times, Lisa directed her fire squarely at Johnson and Williamson. Noting that school assemblies are being encouraged again, she pointedly asked Williamson, Can you explain why, in a pandemic, its a good idea to shove a couple hundred kids in a hall all together, with no masks, no social distancing, and inadequate ventilation? Can you explain why thats a good idea?

Turning to Johnson, who attended the prestigious boarding school Eton College, she asked, In regards to your old school, Mr. Johnson, Im just wondering whether the kids in Eton will be all packed 30-odd into a classroom without any masks, social distancing? Will they all be shoulder to shoulder without any adequate ventilation, or is it just the plebs [working class] kids like mine that are going to be used in this hybrid immunity experiment?

The videos have drawn support from parents and educators worldwide who share the same concerns for their children and communities, and loathe capitalist politicians like Johnson and Williamson pursuing the herd immunity strategy summed up by Johnsons outburst last November, No more f***ing lockdowns, let the bodies pile high in their thousands!

Describing her initial experiences during the pandemic last year, Lisa told the WSWS, I took my children out of school on 10th March 2020 upon seeing the horrific scenes in Italy. At first this wasnt a problem. However, the tone from the headteacher and Wigan Local Authority changed dramatically in September when school restarted. On 3rd September 2020, I was sent an email from the headteacher from Woodfield Primary school in Wigan with a link to the council website, which stated that I could be fined 2,500, sentenced to community service or a three-month jail sentence. I told them on several occasions about my blood clot disorder making me more vulnerable should I contract COVID. They didnt care. It was either send them in, deregister or face the consequences.

Commenting on the present drive to fully reopen schools amid the spread of the Delta variant, Lisa noted, They are providing no remote learning option at all. Even the meager mitigation measures in place last academic year have been removed. No masks, no social distancing, no vaccines for children despite them being approved for children aged 12 plus. The government is actively attempting to infect children to create hybrid immunity. Its deeply unethical. Its murderous. My son or daughter could be sat next to a child whose parent or sibling has tested positive for COVID-19. There is no need for under 18 to isolate anymore and COVID testing is only advised, not mandatory. Likewise, a double vaccinated teacher could still be teaching my kids, even if their spouse or child is COVID-19 positive. How is this okay?

My worries are not just for myself. I am double vaccinated now, although I know a few people who have still become quite ill despite being fully vaccinated. I worry for my kids. That schools were safe was a lie. That children do not catch COVID is a lie. That children do not transmit COVID is a lie. That children do not get seriously ill from COVID or suffer from Long COVID is a lie.

The governments own Office of National Statistics reveal that one in eight primary- and one in seven secondary-aged children who test positive for COVID continue to have symptoms five weeks later. Even those who are initially asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. Fauci himself has sounded the alarm bell for Delta stating we have to protect our children. Pediatric ICU wards across Texas and Florida are at capacity.

Lisa with her daughter

How many more children need to get seriously ill or die before we take action? In July alone, 1,153 children were admitted to hospital in England with COVID, five of whom died. These deaths are entirely preventable. When did children stop being important?

Commenting on the underlying economic motive behind school reopenings, Lisa said, The government just wants everyone to believe its all over so people will go on living their lives and keep the economy ticking over. People are just collateral damage, including children. So long as mum and dad are back at work, keeping their paymasters profitable, then thats all that matters.

Speaking on the role of the Johnson government during the pandemic, Lisa commented, The UK has had over 150,000 deaths. Those numbers speak for themselves. I have no words to describe Johnsons handling of the pandemic. Or one wordmurderous. Over 700 dead due to COVID in the past week and nothing on the news. We have become numb to death. Its abhorrent. It didnt have to be this way. There is an alternative: Zero COVID.

I would compare England to the Republican-led states such as Texas and Florida, which have the same kind of anti-mask crank nonsense. If its a choice between seeing children smile and keeping them out of ICU, I go for the latter. In an ideal world kids wouldnt wear masks. But we are not in an ideal world. We are in the midst of a pandemic and must do everything we can to protect our children, their teachers, and in turn, the wider community. Nobody is safe until we are all safe. We need to put people before profit and push for Zero COVID which will benefit not only health but in the long term the economy.

At Sundays WSWS webinar with scientists, all of whom have advocated for the eradication of COVID-19, Lisa stated, Children are being affected more than ever, and I am terrified basically. I dont know what to do. Its a choice between deregistering my children from school altogetherso they wont see their friends anymore and theyve nothing to look forward to, theyve nothing to go back toand sending them in where they will be highly likely to get COVID.

Lisa asked the scientists whether parents should be keeping their children at home, and they each responded with a resounding Yes, noting the extreme dangers posed to children in schools wherever COVID-19 transmission is high.

After receiving these clear responses from Dr. Michael Baker, Dr. Malgorzata Gasperowicz and Dr. Benjamin Mateus, Lisa thanked them all, stating, Its nice to be spoken to and not lied to for a change. I really appreciate you not gaslighting me. Thats what Im thinking, to just not send my children in, and Im kind of being made out to be a neurotic mom for that.

Reflecting on the meeting afterwards, Lisa told the WSWS, The meeting was excellent. It really brought home just how diabolical and, simply put, murderous the UK government strategy is. The scientists were talking about schools not being safe at this moment even with mitigations in place. But there are no mitigations. There are no masks, no ventilation, no social distancing, no isolation of close contacts of positive cases. The children and staff will be thrown into the COVID petri dish and left to spread it amongst each other before bringing it back home and to their communities.

How is this living with it? Mass death and long-term disease shouldnt have to be a way of life. Its completely infuriating that if the worlds leaders could just put people before profit for a couple of months, we could be rid of this horrible virus altogether.

She added, Another stand out point for me was from Dr. Mateus. In answer to my question regarding how many would be infected with the Delta variant if they let it rip in schools and what would be the outcome, he replied that similar unmitigated reopenings across the US South led to 15 percent of pupils and 25 percent of teachers being isolated within the first two weeks of reopening. He said that it wasnt even a case of everyone being infected, that the issue would be that the system is unworkable because there would not be enough teachers to take lessons.

Apart from the obvious health implications, how is this level of disruption good educationally? Whichever way you look at it, for health, for education or for the economy, elimination is the only way forward. The meeting confirmed what I was already thinking to do: not send my children in. If Wigan council fines me, I will not pay. They will have to take me to court. If they want to make a martyr of a vulnerable mum with an underlying health condition for protecting herself and children in a pandemic, then so be it.

When asked about the role of the teachers unions and all the main political parties in allowing schools to reopen, and the need to build rank-and-file committees of parents and educators to stop the drive to reopen schools, Lisa commented, The unions will only act if there is an appetite among staff. However, strongly worded letters clearly are not getting the unions anywhere. The time for talk and writing letters is over. Our politicians have failed us. If they wont act to protect our children, their teachers and the wider community, then we need to take matters into our own hands.

To be continued
The Whitworth Art Gallery, run by the University of Manchester, withdrew a statement in support of the Palestinian people last week. The statement formed part of the Cloud Studies exhibition mounted by research group Forensic Architecture (FA). The statement had been attacked by supporters of the Israeli state.

The Whitworth Art Gallery with the Cloud Studies exhibition being promoted on the building (WSWS Media)

FA said it would remove the whole exhibition rather than have it bowdlerised. The gallery reinstated the statement but accompanied by a counter-statement from Manchesters Jewish Representative Council (JRC) attacking it. The gallery have now also posted a legal defence of the original statement.

The innocuous title Cloud Studies belies the exhibitions important subject matter, which is an investigation of various crimes of imperialism. Borrowing scientific techniques from meteorology, architecture and satellite imaging, FA has extrapolated changes resulting from human intervention, military or industrial.

FA describes itself as a university research group that works with communities at the forefront of conflict all over the world, producing architectural evidence in legal contexts and for advocacy purposes. FA explains, The necessity for Forensic Architecture as a practice emerges from the fact that contemporary conflicts increasingly take place within urban areas where homes and neighbourhoods become targets and most civilian casualties occur within cities and buildings.

FA has engaged in many international investigations into state crimes and human rights violations. In 2017, FA contributed a digital model of a murder site to a tribunal investigation into German far-right terrorist group the National Socialist Underground. The following year, FAs work was nominated for the Turner Prize. It has repeatedly revealed war crimes committed by the Israeli government against the Palestinians, and looks for changes in Israeli law and practice.

Cloud Studies investigates incidents relating to issues such as the use of tear gas against protestors in Santiago, Chile in 2019, and the impact of the 2020 Beirut Port explosion. The Bombing of Rafah explores the deadliest and most destructive day in the 2014 Israeli assault on Gaza, August 1.

FA and Amnesty International were denied entry to Gaza, so constructed a narrative of the days events through thousands of images and videos posted online or sent directly to them. FA drew attention to the Hannibal Directive, formally withdrawn in 2016, authorising the use of maximum available firepower should a soldier be captured, regardless of the risks to the captive or civilians in the area.

The Use of White Phosphorus in Urban Environments reports that FAs proof of the use and impact of this barbaric weapon forced the Israeli government to end its use.

Herbicidal Warfare in Gaza, Palestine investigates the spraying of herbicides along the Gaza border to enhance visibility for military operations. They were only sprayed when the wind was blowing easterly, to ensure they would blow into Gaza and not Israel. Herbicide drift has reached 300 metres into Gaza, and satellite images show a dead zone of former arable land.

FAs opening statement, Forensic Architecture stands with Palestine, written about the most recent attack on Gaza, honours those who continue to document and narrate events on the ground and to struggle against this violence, apartheid and colonization. It states that this liberation struggle is inseparable from other global struggles against racism, white supremacy, antisemitism, and settle colonial violence.

Forensic Architectures opening statement, Forensic Architecture stands with Palestine, (WSWS Media)

Zionist legal lobby group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) called it propaganda, accusing the gallery of inflammatory language that might provoke racial discord. UKLFI suggested it might put the gallery in breach of its Public Sector Equality Duty responsibilities.

UKLFI was founded in 2011 by British lawyers concerned about the failure to combat the use and abuse of law by enemies of Israel (emphasis added). They intended to use their skills pro bono to combat BDS [the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement] and the delegitimization of Israel.

UKLFI have history with FA and the Whitworth gallery. In 2018, UKLFI launched a smear of FA, demanding it not win the Turner because its material on Palestine constituted modern blood libels likely to promote antisemitism.

In June this year, after the renewed crackdown on Gaza, the Whitworth posted an online statement of solidarity with the people of Palestine. This was quickly removed following objections from UKLFI.

University of Manchester Vice-President for Social Responsibility Nalin Thakkar withdrew the FA statement, issuing an abject apology. UKLFI declared sententiously that it was unacceptable that the gallery has displayed deeply problematic content twice within weeks. They added, We hope that lessons have been learnt and the same mistakes will not be repeated.

It is to FAs credit that it did not accept this.

UKLFI director Daniel Berke had attempted to link FA and the exhibition to a reported upswing in antisemitic incidents following the latest attacks on Gaza. The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) called the accusation an apparent attempt to smear them and to censor and censure information about Israeli human rights abuses, simply because the exhibit includes the impact of Israeli abuses of Palestinians. ICJP called the antisemitic claim manipulative, misguided, and dangerous.

FA founder Professor Eyal Weizman said he thought FAs work did more to dispel prejudice and hatred, including that against Jews, than an unqualified support of apartheid in Palestine.

Eyal Weizman (Credit: Forensic Architecture 2020)

When the opening statement was removed despite our repeated objection, Weizman demanded immediate closure of the whole exhibition. The Israeli-born professor said it was outrageous that Manchester University interfered with our exhibit after pressure from a self-appointed lobbying group known to platform the extreme right settler movement in Israel and for its attacks on groups providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians. That this group is accepted as arbitrators on issues of parity in relation to Palestine is a travesty.

Weizman noted that FAs statement explicitly opposed and condemned antisemitism, while the UKLFIs concern about the Public Sector Equality Duty was expressed without any reference to Palestinian groups.

The UKLFIs attack on Weizman provides further evidence that the International Holocaust Remembrance Associations (IHRA) redefinition of antisemitism is explicitly a political weapon aimed at preventing legitimate criticism of the Israeli state. UKLFI said Weizman is banned from the US on security grounds, and opposed the internationally recognised definition of antisemitism.

Last year saw FAs first major US exhibition. Two days before he was due to travel, Weizman was notified his visa waiver had been revoked. Applying for a visa, he was told that an algorithm had identified a security threat, possibly triggered by people he had interacted with, places he had visited recently, or a combination of these. He was told his case could be assessed more promptly if he volunteered additional information, including fifteen years of travel history and the names of anyone in my network whom I believed might have triggered the algorithm. I declined to provide this information.

FAs refusal to accept a censored exhibition forced the gallery to close for reinstallation and reopen with the statement restored. UKLFI then criticised the university for having reneged on their decision to remove the introductory statement.

Gallery director Alistair Hudson then added a space for different perspectives, a JRC message accusing the exhibition of false statements, instructing the public not to assume that any statement in that exhibition is true.

The JRC message is an unequivocal defence of Israel, the ONLY democracy in the Middle East. To claim that Israel is a colonial enterprise is antisemitic. Jews have a right to self-determination in Israel, which is the Jewish peoples ancestral homeland.

On Sunday, the Whitworth agreed to post yet another statement, the ICJPs legal opinion on why the FA statement was based on international law. The whole thing, as Weizman said, was a mishegas  (insanity), and not every cultural contention necessarily needed balance.
It's getting hard to remember when the US had foreign policy victories.

Two decades of post-9/11 warfare are ending with the United States effectively handing back Afghanistan to the same fundamentalist power, the Taliban, that was in control when it started. The war in Iraq, fought on false pretenses, not only distracted from the Afghanistan War but turned into a costly, morale-sapping disaster. A US-led bid to prevent genocide in Libya left anarchy behind. The campaign to crush ISIS in Syria saw the US ultimately deserting America's Kurdish allies. And ex-President Donald Trump's whole term alienated America's friends and offered legitimacy to its autocratic foes. No one is now sure which path Washington will pursue in the world more than four years in advance.

It's not all been terrible. The US did prevent Afghanistan being a terror haven for 20 years where al Qaeda could operate with impunity, though that is now in doubt. It seriously degraded ISIS in the Middle East. The Obama administration finally killed Osama bin Laden. And new diplomatic openings with nations like India have spanned administrations. The Western alliance has wobbled in recent years, but it survived.

But America's tortured domestic politics are hampering any long-term coherence in its foreign policy. The US negotiated a deal to quell Iran's nuclear program, walked out, then wanted back in. It entered the Paris climate deal, left, rejoined and a Republican president would probably quit again. Relations with Israel are so politicized  in both countries  that a US role that led to Israel-Palestinian handshakes on the White House lawn is long gone. Russia's election meddling worked because it exploited and exacerbated America's internal estrangement. The Afghan withdrawal was based on domestic political factors, not global strategy.

The world is a different, more volatile place than it was after the Cold War. And US military might still offer a security umbrella without which its allies in Europe and Asia cannot thrive. There's unity on the next big challenge  confronting a rival superpower, China  if little agreement on how to do it.

But the democracy-threatening political and cultural battle tearing America from within has cost the power that guaranteed stability for 70 years, the capacity to exert coherent, consistent leadership in the world.

'You have been accused of helping the Americans'

The Taliban have issued a death sentence for one Afghan man whose brother worked as an interpreter for US troops. In a threatening letter, the fundamentalist group wrote: "You have been accused of helping the Americans. You are also accused of providing security to your brother, who has been an interpreter." It continues: "You chose this path for yourself and your death is eminent [sic], God willing."

The letter underlines the risk that thousands of Afghans have undertaken to help US troops over the past two decades -- and contradicts assurances that Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid made last week, as the group tries to project a more moderate image to the world. "Nobody will be harmed in Afghanistan," Mujahid said. "Of course, there is a huge difference between us now and 20 years ago."

'You are not a horse. You are not a cow'

At last, some rare good news on the pandemic.

The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted permanent authorization to the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, which had previously been administered on an emergency basis. The certification not only confirms the scientific case that the dose is safe and effective -- it also could convince holdouts skeptical of what they viewed as an "experimental" drug to get vaccinated, and could give state and local political, medical, educational, military and corporate leaders more incentive to mandate vaccines.

The next big step in ending the pandemic could come when doses are finally approved for kids. As schools restart, many parents are frantic about the Delta variant, which is proving more dangerous to youngsters than previous manifestations of the novel coronavirus.

Of course, the politics of a pandemic that has unleashed an ideological culture war on the right have not abated. More science won't change minds made up for political reasons. But vaccine rates are rising as the Delta variant rages across the heartland, especially in conservative, Southern states where inoculation rates were low. At a rally in Alabama on Saturday night, even Trump advised fans to get the shot, which his administration helped develop. But boos from his crowd mean he's unlikely to spend political capital to push vaccines hard.

And get this crazy twist. Following crank "cure" claims for substances like hydroxychloroquine and Trump's infamous musings on disinfectant, some people have been tempted by ivermectin, a drug used to deworm livestock, which was featured on conservative and social media. While some Americans are loath to take an FDA-approved drug, it seems they'll happily gobble down medicine for animals.

The FDA was forced to tweet: "You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it."

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Commentary in China's government-run newspaper Global Times argues that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan "dealt a heavy blow to the credibility and reliability of the US." Another article by the same paper argues that American actions in Afghanistan are not the first time the US has abandoned its "allies and so-called alliances."

Strategic competitors like China benefit from such narratives, as they suggest the US will not or cannot live up to its security commitments. That argument, however, doesn't hold up, as the reasons for America's withdrawal from Afghanistan and the rationales for other US commitments are vastly different.

Consider first the notion that the US is abandoning its allies. President Joe Biden suggested that part of his withdrawal rationale was that without the Afghans' will to fight the American military mission could not succeed. The United States spent 20 years in Afghanistan, fighting the Taliban and training the Afghan military, spending approximately $2.26 trillion. While reports corroborate Biden's logic, suggesting Afghanistan's political leaders and its armed forces made deals with the Taliban, what does this say about US commitment to defend formal allies like Japan or South Korea or quasi-allies like Taiwan?

Rather than freely giving up to adversary objectives, these actors have endured decades of coercion and keep resisting. Taiwan has suffered diplomatic isolation and economic and military coercion from Beijing; South Korea has faced economic coercion from Beijing and military belligerence from North Korea; and Japan has endured increasing provocations and military threats from both. Instead of wavering, these governments have generally taken harder positions, firmed up their militaries, and strengthened relationships with the US and sometimes other countries to rebuff external provocations. There is a will to fight, which the US has undoubtedly seen through its decades of working with them.

Saying the US is not reliable suggests that it does not have the resolve to uphold its commitments. While it is tempting to paint the US withdrawal as simply not having the resolve to continue the hard fight, it conveniently overlooks the fact that through April 2,443 US service men and women lost their lives for Afghanistan. These people died for Afghans they never met and for a country they likely never lived in. It is confounding how anyone can question the resolve of a country which has sacrificed its most precious treasures for strangers.

While the US has not yet sacrificed any lives to defend Taiwan or Japan, it has done so for South Korea. But for all three, US commitment to their security is unquestionable. With Japan and South Korea, the US has a permanent forward military presence and formal defense treaties; with Taiwan, there is the Taiwan Relations Act, which not only sets the legal foundation by which the United States has sold defensive weapons to Taiwan, it explicitly states that any effort to determine Taiwan's future by other than peaceful means is considered a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific and of grave concern to the US.

Rather than backing down, the US has strengthened its commitments to these partners as adversaries have increased provocations. While the resolve to defend these partners has never been tested, or at least not recently in the case of South Korea, it is dangerous to assume Washington will not respond assertively since its actions have indicated a trend of strengthening, not weakening, its defense commitments.

Finally, the outcome in Afghanistan does not suggest the US has walked away from its interests or is unable to maintain the global order. While President Biden indicated that it is not in America's interest to engage in counter-insurgency operations or nation building, he did not say it is withdrawing from global engagement. Quite the contrary, he said withdrawal helps the US focus its attention and resources on America's vital interests, including the use of force if necessary.

Although not specified in his White House speech, the Biden administration has consistently emphasized its concern with China and its challenge to established international rules. And whether it be statements with fellow democracies or mini-lateral formations like the Quad, the US is focused on preventing autocrats from abusing existing norms to gain any advantage.

While it may be a cold reality that involvement in a burgeoning civil war in Afghanistan is not in the US interest, it would be a mistake to conclude that the government is unwilling to deter Chinese behavior or incapable of stopping autocratic regimes from threatening an entire region. In fact, it could even enable the US to free up resources and focus more on countering Chinese behavior.

None of this is meant to laud or criticize the Biden administration's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan; rather, it is a caution on what lessons one draws from that decision. Contrary to what China and other nations may think, US withdrawal is not some kind of omen for the fate of Taiwan or any US treaty ally. Nor does the withdrawal carry any widespread message about America's reliability or credibility.

The United States is a nation  backed by a deep bench of very capable allies  which sees that it is in its vital interest to deter autocrats from adventurism and challenges to the world order. Drawing lessons from the narrow case of Afghanistan to speak about broad US resolve or credibility comes with an inherent risk that adversaries may choose to ignore at their own peril.

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(CNN) -- Airbnb has pledged to provide free housing for 20,000 Afghan refugees.

CEO Brian Chesky said Tuesday that the program would begin immediately, and that Airbnb would pay for the stays.

"The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the US and elsewhere is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time. We feel a responsibility to step up," Chesky said in a series of posts on Twitter.

Chesky said the company would work closely with NGOs and its nonprofit arm, Airbnb.org, which provides housing to people in need following natural disasters and other crises.

Chesky did not say how long refugees would be housed, or how long the company would fund their stays. The company did not immediately respond to a request from CNN Business for further information.

Tens of thousands of people have been attempting to leave Afghanistan in recent days after the country's capital, Kabul, fell to the Taliban. Many Afghans have come to the airport in Kabul in hopes of departing on evacuation flights operated by the United States and other governments.

Decades of conflict in Afghanistan has already produced an acute refugee crisis. There are almost 2.5 million registered refugees from Afghanistan, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, comprising the largest protracted refugee population in Asia.

NGOs, religious groups and local governments in the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries have pledged to help Afghan refugees. Chesky called on the business community to follow suit.

"I hope this inspires other business leaders to do the same. There's no time to waste," Chesky said on Tuesday.

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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - The First Financial Corporation is expanding.

The company announced it would merge with Hancock Bank and Trust.

Hancock currently operates seven banks in western Kentucky. This merger puts First Financial's total at 89 locations across Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

First Financial has around $5 billion in assets.

The companies are expected to close on the agreement sometime this fall.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTHI) - Studies show that over half of Illinois residents have reported a decline in mental wellness over the past year.

With this, Governor JB Pritzker signed national-leading legislation expanding access to mental healthcare.

One piece of legislation requires medically necessary mental healthcare to be covered by insurance.

This will start on January 1, 2023.

The next piece of legislation will create a first responder system. That system will coordinate 911 and 988 emergency responses when the national 988 crisis line is established next summer.

"These hardships have touched everyone. From students struggling with separation from their classmates. To first responders on the front lines confronting the life-threatening pandemic," Pritzker said.

This legislation makes Illinois the third state in the country to require insurance to cover mental healthcare.
OBLONG, Ill. (WTHI) - The Illinois State Board of Education says it is working with schools that aren't following the state mask mandate.

The state superintendent met with the Oblong Community Schools superintendent on Tuesday.

We have explained before, the board put the district on probation for not requiring masks.

The oblong superintendent did not want to give a new comment.

The state board of education sent News 10 a statement.

They said, "we will continue to act swiftly with both nonpublic and public schools that have confirmed they are not implementing universal indoor masking as required by executive order 2021-18. ISBE will not compromise students' health and safety. Masking is a safe, easy, and effective way to ensure all students can attend school in-person this fall, where they can learn and grow to their fullest potential."
PALESTINE, Ill. (WTHI) - Things are usually pretty peaceful in downtown Palestine. But inside the Palestine chamber of commerce is a different story. That's where you'll find Vickie Perkins answering the phone.

Perkins says, "we are selling tickets here now over the phone. We have turned our PayPal off."

In 2020 the Palestine Rodeo was forced to be canceled. This year the rodeo is back on. That has kept the phone lines busy.

Perkins says, "We have people coming from Missouri and Tennessee. They come here for the camping and the enjoyment to get together."

Palestine's population sits just over 1,000 people. On average, the rodeo will bring the population in town to over three thousand. That's a big gain that was lost in 2020 for the small town.

Perkins explains, "We had no one in town. Of course, our restaurants and everything just suffered. But this year, it's just been a comeback."

The pioneer city arena is all set for Labor Day weekend. Signs for the rodeo began going up this week in downtown Palestine. Everyone is ready for this small town to make finally make that come back.

Perkins says, "We're getting excited. Very very excited."
WASHINGTON, Ind. (WTHI) - A shoplifting call in Washington, Indiana, landed a woman behind bars on multiple charges.

It happened on Monday when police received a call about two shoplifters in the town's Walmart.

While investigating, police said they learned that Kendra O'Brien of Camri, Illinois, gave officers a false name. Police said they found 101 grams of Crystal Meth.

She also had a warrant out of White County, Illinois.

Police said she resisted arrest.

She was charged with two counts of dealing meth, obstruction of justice, battery on law enforcement, resisting law enforcement, and criminal conversion.
TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA)  The Mall at Barnes Crossing served as a high profile location for coronavirus vaccinations by the state.

Now, North Mississippi Health Services is doing COVID tests in the mall parking lot outside the old Sears building.

Health care workers with the hospital system will do the testing by appointment only at www.nmhs.net/coronavirus-testing.

It will be done Monday to Friday 8 a.m. until noon and 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. utnil noon and Sunday from noon until 4 p.m.

North Mississippi Medical Clinics President David Barber shared why the system opened the site.

As were going through this surge, we want to do everything we can to help our community," said Barber.

Barber shared how long the system will host the site.

This center will be open as long as the needs of the community are here to support it," said Barber.

Anyone 6 months and older can get the test, however, people under 18 need a legal guardian to accompany them.

Staff with the NMHS encouraged people who do test positive at the site to stay in contact with a health care provider, stay home except to get medical care, and avoid resting on your back for long periods of time. For more, visit the site listed above.

Everyone who gets tested at the location will have the test filed on their health insurance.
AMORY, Miss. (WTVA) - Due to a recent rise in COVID cases, Amory Middle School will go all virtual-learning for 6th-graders only, for 14-days.

The full-time virtual schedule starts on August 25, 2021, and will run for 14-days.

The Mississippi Department of Health states that schools are required to shut down groups where three or more cases of COVID exist in said group.

The schools also must shut down if three or more of those groups exist.

Three different classrooms in Amory Middle School were identified in the 6th grade where three or more cases were present.

Students in the 6th grade will be able to return to in-person instruction starting on September 8, 2021, barring another extension of the virtual learning.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) - Medical workers may finally get a bit of relief after battling COVID-19 for over a year.

This comes after Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced the deployment of over a thousand health care workers to 50 hospitals across the state.

Having these staffing needs met will help to alleviate a portion of the strain on our health care system," said Reeves, "and ensure that all Mississippians that need care will receive the quality care they deserve.

All three hospitals in the Golden Triangle made the list of 50 hospitals receiving help on the front lines.

The three hospitals in the Golden Triangle are Baptist Memorial Hospital in Columbus, North Mississippi Medical Center in West Point, and OCH Regional Medical Center in Starkville.

WTVA spoke with health care workers at both OCH and Baptist two weeks ago about the pressures they've felt behind the hospital curtains.

Weve added extra staff to care for patients," said ER physician Joel Butler of Baptist. "Were going to do what we need to do to care for patients.

Its an honor to be able to help out in a pandemic like this," explained OCH ER and ICU director Jacob Leggett. "It is frustrating at times but were definitely trying to meet the goals and the needs of our patients.

That goal should be a little easier to reach with over 800 nurses deployed as of this morning.
IUKA, Miss. (WTVA) - The public is reminded to be cautious of ecstasy pills disguised as candy following the arrest of a woman in Tishomingo County.

According to the Tishomingo County Sheriffs Department, a deputy responded Monday, Aug. 23 to a reported assault on County Road 298.



Navarree Moss arrested in Tishomingo County on Aug. 23, 2021. Source: Tishomingo County Sheriff's Office. Navarree Moss arrested in Tishomingo County on Aug. 23, 2021. Source: Tishomingo County Sheriff's Office.

Capt. Ryan Glover made the arrest and seized the ecstasy pills. Source: Tishomingo County Sheriff's Office. Capt. Ryan Glover made the arrest and seized the ecstasy pills. Source: Tishomingo County Sheriff's Office.

This eventually led to the arrest of Navarree Moss.

Deputies seized more than 121 ecstasy pills during the arrest, according to the sheriff's department.

Moss faces felony drug possession with intent to sell and assault on a law enforcement officer.

Ecstasy pills can be disguised as candy or vitamins in various shapes and colors.

Children should not accept anything without parental or guardian approval, the sheriffs department reminds parents.
MONTGOMERY, Ala (AP)  Alabama now ranks fourth in the country for the most new COVID-19 cases per capita, as medical officials hoped full federal approval of the Pfizer vaccine will persuade people to get vaccinated.

According to numbers compiled by Johns Hopkins University, Alabama ranked behind Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida,for the most new cases per capita in the past 14 days.

The Gulf states are pretty much continuing to be on fire, Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The FDA gave full approval to Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine Monday, potentially boosting public confidence in the shots. Alabama has one of the lowest vaccinations rates in the country, ranking slightly below Mississippi in the percentage of people fully vaccinated.

Dr. Paul Goepfert, director of the Alabama vaccine research clinic, said it will be hard to predict the impact of the approval, but added it might improve the vaccination rates by a few percentage points.

People can no longer say with a straight face that they won't take it because of lack of FDA approval, Goepfert said.

State health officials on Monday urged people to get vaccinated.

We have high levels of disease transmission in every county throughout the state. COVID-19 vaccination will help keep our communities safe and our children in school, State Health Officer Scott Harris said in a statement Monday.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Alabama has risen over the past two weeks from 2,829.14 new cases per day on Aug. 7 to 4,024.00 new cases per day on Aug. 21.

The Alabama Hospital Association on Monday said that 84% of adults hospitalized for COVID-19 in the state are unvaccinated.

Intensive care units, particularly in some areas of the state, are being stressed by the wave of mostly unvaccinated patients. A little more than half of all intensive care unit beds in the state are filled with someone with COVID-19.

Hospital officials as Springhill Medical Center in Mobile last week told WKRG that out of 102 hospitalized patients, seven were vaccinated.

Between breaths, they beg me for the vaccine. They beg me to save them. I just have to look at them and say, Its too late right now. We cant right now, but you keep fighting, nurse manager Abby Wilson told the station.
FAIRFIELD, Ala. (AP)  An Alabama woman is charged with kidnapping after a newborn baby boy was abducted from a home in suburban Birmingham.

Authorities tell news outlets that 37-year-old Lakesha Brown was arrested in the disappearance of 4-day-old Kamarion Taylor.

Authorities say the babys mother awakened from a nap Tuesday afternoon to find the infant missing from the playpen where she had laid him for a nap.

The child was located and returned to his mother more than five hours later.

Court records werent available to show whether Brown had a lawyer who could speak on her behalf.
Morgantown, WV (26505)

Today

Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 53F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 53F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
Charleston, WV (25311)

Today

Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 56F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 56F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Becky Ceperley is the former national president of the League of Women Voters. Rick Staton is the former majority leader of the West Virginia House of Delegates.
Clarksburg, WV (26301)

Today

Evening clouds will give way to clearing overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 54F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Evening clouds will give way to clearing overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 54F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
The campus of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, on May 27, 2020. HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images

In May, President Joe Biden requested a report on the coronavirus' origin in 90 days.

The report, issued Tuesday, did not find a conclusive origin, The Washington Post reported.

Experts told The Post it could take years to learn how the virus began to spread.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

After three months of investigating, the intelligence community is still unable to determine whether the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 emerged from a Chinese lab, The Washington Post reported.

In May, President Joe Biden set a 90-day timeline for the intelligence community to deliver a report on the origins of the coronavirus. A report sent to him Tuesday was inconclusive on whether the virus spread directly to humans from animals or escaped from a lab.

In February, a World Health Organization investigation in Wuhan, China, found that the virus most likely jumped from animals to people. But the possibility that it could have come from a lab was not ruled out.

The assessment sent to Biden on Tuesday had no definitive conclusion. Two senior officials told The Wall Street Journal it's partly because of limited information shared by China.

"It was a deep dive, but you can only go so deep as the situation allows," one official told The Journal. "If China's not going to give access to certain data sets, you're never really going to know."

Former President Donald Trump and numerous high-level officials in his administration perpetuated the theory that the virus originated at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, but more officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, have acknowledged the possibility, particularly after a report showed that three researchers at the lab became sick with flu-like symptoms in November 2019 and went to the hospital.

Experts told The Post that three months wasn't enough to figure out the origin and that it could take years to uncover.

"We should not even be thinking about closing the book or backing off, but rather ratcheting up the effort," David Relman, a Stanford University microbiologist, told The Post.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Carol Vorderman apologised in advance to the people of New Zealand for her attempt at the Haka. (Getty Images)

Carol Vorderman has offered her apologies to the people of New Zealand as she attempted to recreate the Haka dance on a beach in Wales.

The former Countdown star, 60, had been enjoying some early morning paddle boarding on a remote pebbled shore when she did the dance.

Vorderman posted pictures of herself on Instagram dancing in a wetsuit and flipflops on the Welsh beach, and captioned them: "Doing the worst Haka ever on the beach....had to earn my breakfast.

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"Huge apologies to @allblacks and all of New Zealand. #paddleboarding #Wales."

Read more: Carol Vorderman shows off skimpy Welsh flag bikini as she celebrates 'coming home'

The Haka is a traditional dance created by the indigenous Maori people of New Zealand, and is associated with preparing for battle.

It involves rhythmic foot stamping, arm movements and chanting and is performed by New Zealand's All Blacks rugby team before they play a match.

Vorderman  who is recovering from long COVID  has spent the summer in Wales enjoying early-morning paddle boarding sessions alongside freshly cooked bacon-and-egg breakfasts on the beach.

The TV star later shared images of herself tossing her hair around as she pretended her paddle board was a wind machine when she released the air from it.

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She joked: "I love doing this when you release the air from your paddleboard. It's like a Billy Big Bo*****s wind machine on a photoshoot.

"Ah...I forgot the make up bit...Soz...don't show it to the kids or they'll get nightmares."

The TV presenter  who competed in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2016  admitted she still falls in the water occasionally but thinks she has started to master the art of paddle boarding.

Carol Vorderman  pictured in 2019  has spent the summer in Wales as she recovers from long COVID. (Getty Images)

Earlier this month Vorderman saw the funny side after fans spotted she had shared a photograph of herself in an inside-out bikini.

Read more: Carol Vorderman inundated by messages from 'men and women' after joining dating app

Story continues

She joked: Yes I'm a #HappyScruff.....#bikini top inside out #nomakeup (with huge apologies to @elizabethhurley1... Queen of the bikinis, she wrote on Instagram.

One day I'll learn to posh up a bit but probably not going to happen anytime soon.

Watch: Carol Vorderman opens up on battle with long COVID
What final US days in Afghanistan will look like: Scaling back evacuation flights, destroying weaponry A U.S. Air Force crew assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron prepares to load evacuees aboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 21.

WASHINGTON  In six days or less, the last American service member who boards the last flight out will mark an end to the costly 20-year U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

Under an Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline, the retreat of U.S. forces is entering its final, dangerous phase. Afghans who aided the American war effort will engage in a life-or-death struggle as they and their families try to secure seats on one of the last flights out.

For civilians trying to evacuate  especially Afghan nationals  reaching the airport in the capital of Kabul has become more perilous as Taliban fighters block access roads. For those who get through Taliban checkpoints, the specter of Islamic State suicide bombers hovers over the crowds surging toward the airport.

Video: Sec. of State says up to 1,500 Americans remain in Afghanistan

The American withdrawal is likely to conclude with U.S. warplanes blowing up weaponry used to safeguard the evacuation, U.S. officials told USA TODAY. Though thousands of Afghans have left, many will not make it out because there won't be enough time or space on planes, they said.

As President Joe Biden aims for a complete pullout by Aug. 31, civilian evacuation flights will be curtailed, then cease, giving way to the removal of the last troops and some of their equipment, said a U.S. official who is familiar with the operation but not authorized to speak publicly.

Military uniforms were discarded in Kabul, Afghanistan, where thousands of people mobbed the city's airport, trying to flee the Taliban's hard-line brand of Islamist rule.

Biden said he ordered contingency planning in case the deadline cannot be met. Meeting the timeline will depend on the Taliban's cooperation in ensuring safe passage for Americans, he said. That cooperation has been mixed at best. Taliban fighters have beaten Americans and Afghans at checkpoints leading to the airport.

The resurgent Taliban, the militants whom U.S. forces helped topple from power in 2001, have made plain that American troops will no longer be welcome after Aug. 31. Under terms of a deal struck with President Donald Trump, the Taliban have refrained from attacking U.S. forces. Unless diplomats reach an agreement for an extension of the withdrawal deadline, it's unclear what will happen.

Story continues

Pentagon officials vowed a swift and devastating response if Taliban forces attacked U.S. aircraft or troops on the ground. The airport is an island in Kabul surrounded by Taliban checkpoints. Militants could unleash crowds that would overwhelm the airport, the U.S. official said, repeating the chaos on the landing strip in the first days of the evacuation.

The last days of the U.S. presence will be increasingly tense and test the Taliban's ability to maintain some semblance of order, said Seth Jones, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former adviser to the commander of U.S. Special Operations in Afghanistan. Another danger for U.S. troops: A militant group called ISIS-K, a self-proclaimed affiliate of the Islamic State, is a sworn enemy of the Taliban. U.S. officials, including Biden, have cited the threat of an attack on the airport.

"The final days are definitely dangerous, with spoiler groups like the Islamic State attempting to target the United States and embarrass the Taliban," Jones said. "It will actually be a good test of the Talibans counterintelligence and counterterrorism capabilities to see if they can prevent an Islamic State or other terrorist attack from occurring."

American citizens who show up at the gates of Hamid Karzai International Airport would find a seat on one of the last flights out, but just about anybody else would be left behind, the U.S. official said.

Outside the airport, desperation mounts for American citizens and Afghans who aided U.S. troops. Overnight, U.S. special operators swooped into a neighborhood in Kabul to scoop up about 20 Americans unable to reach the airport, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Wednesday.

'It's infuriating:' Florida veteran is still working to bring Afghan translator home to U.S.

For some vulnerable Afghans, there is little hope of rescue from U.S. commandos. Instead, people such as Najeeb Rahimi, a translator who worked for the U.S. Army a decade ago, make the hazardous trek to the airport every day, braving Taliban checkpoints and hoping for a chance to escape.

Rahimi said he applied for a Special Immigrant Visa but has not received approval. Rahimi told USA TODAY by phone that he and his family stand at the airport for 12 hours at a time, under searing sun, enduring tear gas attacks and beatings by guards. His daughters, a 9-year-old and twins who are 6, have been trampled by panicked crowds and vomited from the heat.

Taliban militants discovered the family's hiding place, and they are on the run, he said.

Rahimis former supervisor, Jeff Trammell, a retired U.S. Army captain, said based on his experience, he fears the Taliban will rape and behead Rahimi, rape his family members and sell them into sex slavery.

The withdrawal of U.S. forces must be done in a sequenced and precise way, Kirby said. Security will be paramount. Late Tuesday, Kirby announced that several hundred headquarters and maintenance staff flew out of Kabul. The remaining forces protect the airport and the evacuees, he said.

Afghans gather near an evacuation control checkpoint at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 25, 2021.

Before the Taliban toppled the U.S.-backed government, about 1,000 troops protected the U.S. Embassy and airport. The embassy has been abandoned and has no American guards, Kirby said Wednesday. Since Aug. 14, the Pentagon sent in about 5,000 more troops to secure the airport after desperate throngs of Afghans mobbed U.S. cargo planes on the runway.

Some U.S. military equipment may be left behind. If it needs to be destroyed, Kirby said, well do that, and well do that appropriately.

U.S. troops fly Apache attack helicopters for protection at the airport. They used huge Chinook helicopters to extract stranded American citizens and ferry them to the airport. Some of those aircraft will probably be left, so there is space aboard C-17 cargo jets for the last troops, said a defense official who is familiar with the equipment at the airport but not authorized to speak publicly about the withdrawal.

The withdrawal becomes a math problem, the defense official said. The Air Force can safely operate a limited number of flights to the airport in Kabul each day. Bad weather, not uncommon in Afghanistan, can lower that number, the official said. There are only so many seats for troops, and vehicles and equipment become secondary concerns.

It is impossible to get all of the war materiel out, the official said.

An airstrike to destroy that equipment is likely, the defense official said. The Pentagon acknowledged that F-18 warplanes, operating from an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, patrol above Kabul. The Air Force has long-range B-1 and B-52 bombers that have flown combat sorties to Afghanistan for years from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

Troops may use incendiary hand grenades to destroy sensitive equipment such as radios, the defense official said. One such device burns at more than 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit and can penetrate steel.

In April, when Biden announced the withdrawal, the Pentagon planned to keep 600 troops in Kabul to protect the embassy and airport. Those plans fell apart after the Taliban seized control.

American bombs destroying American military hardware will likely be the final mission.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Evacuation flights from Afghanistan to slow, weapons will be destroyed
FILE PHOTO: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, visit the historical city Ad Diriyah on the outskirts of Riyadh

By Ahmed Rasheed

BAGHDAD (Reuters) -Iraq has invited Iran and Tehran's Gulf Arab foes to a summit in Baghdad with the objective of calming tensions which have brought them close to open conflict in recent years.

Officials say the meeting, which will also discuss the war in Yemen, Lebanon's collapse and a regional water crisis, could take a step towards Saudi-Iranian rapprochement even though they have yet to say what representation they will send.

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has also invited Gulf allies Egypt and Jordan as well as Turkey and French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is co-organising the summit, expected to be held on Saturday.

Macron and Kadhimi want to reduce regional tension by fostering dialogue, including on security, said a French presidential source. "The aim is to initiate something here and to continue (it) after this conference," the source said.

Strains between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Muslim Iran - longtime rivals for regional dominance - worsened after a 2019 assault on Saudi oil plants that briefly knocked out half of Saudi oil production.

Riyadh blamed the attack on Iran, a charge Tehran denied.

The two countries are aligned with rival forces fighting a war in Yemen and severed their relations in 2016 - although they resumed direct talks in Iraq in April this year.

Riyadh, fearing Washington's renewed nuclear talks with Iran could lead to an easing of U.S. sanctions on Tehran, sees engagement as a way to contain tensions without abandoning its security concerns over attacks it blames on Iran and its allies.

Baghdad hopes Iran's new hardline President Ebrahim Raisi will attend the meeting and expect ministers from Gulf states including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to join.

"Even if we bring the foreign ministers together at one table this could be considered a breakthrough to end the tensions between Iranians and the Gulf Arabs," an official close to Kadhimi said.

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TACTICAL DIALOGUE

Another factor militating in favour of dialogue is the Afghan crisis. Gulf Arabs, which have long leaned on the United States for their security, are concerned about the chaotic end to Washington's two-decade war in Afghanistan, with the hardline Islamist Taliban having regained power this month as foreign forces aim to complete their withdrawal by Aug. 31.

"The prospect of regional conflict, coupled with their perception of Washington as unreliable, have...prompted the Saudis and Emiratis to pursue a limited, tactical, bilateral de-escalation with Tehran," the International Crisis Group think tank said in a report.

A politician close to the premier said Iraq, which hosted the private meetings earlier this year between Saudi and Iranian officials, had received "positive signals" from Tehran and Gulf states that they were ready for more direct discussions.

Saudi-Iranian dialogue launched in April as global powers held negotiations on reviving their 2015 nuclear pact with Iran, which Riyadh and its allies opposed for not tackling Tehrans ballistic missile programme and regional proxies.

Three other regional sources said it was premature for a breakthrough, with an Iranian source saying progress would likely hinge on the nuclear talks in Vienna. Parties involved in those negotiations have yet to say when they will resume.

"We have always welcomed improving ties with regional countries such as Saudi Arabia, and it is a priority of our President Raisi's foreign policy. Whether this will happen in Iraq next week, I seriously doubt it," said a senior Iranian official.

Riyadh says it wants "verifiable deeds" from Iran. Earlier this month, the Saudi foreign minister said an "emboldened" Iran was acting in a negative manner around the Middle East including in Yemen and Lebanon and in regional waters.

(Additional reporting by John Irish in Paris and Ghaida Ghantous, Aziz El Yaakoubi and Dubai Newsroom; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Howard Goller)
International sales and aggregation outfit LevelK has picked up darkly funny feature The Cake Dynasty, toplining Anders Thomas Jensen regular Nicolas Bro (Riders of Justice, Adams Apples). The feature is adapted from the eponymous stage play by debut director Christian Lollike.

One of Denmarks most lauded contemporary playwrights and stage directors, Lollike is well-known for his topical and often politically-charged works staged in Europe, Australia and the U.S.

More from Variety

Co-written by Lollike and Sigrid Johannesen, The Cake Dynasty turns on debt-ridden cake factory owner Niels Agger whose numerous suicide attempts have failed miserably. His wife Else tries to save the factory by asking her daughter and son-in-law for help. The young business school graduates suggest a comprehensive modernisation of the factory, focusing on trendsetting healthy food. Stressed about these new ideas, Niels instead falls in love with the factorys new cleaning lady, Zeinab, originally from Iraq.

Cast against Nicolas Bro as the crisis-stricken cake maker are Tina Gylling Mortensen (In a Better World) as his wife Else and Swedens Bahar Pars (A Man Called Ove) as Zeinab. Experienced behind the scenes talent includes multi-winning cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro (Melancholia, A Taste of Hunger), and editor Anders Villadsen (Men & Chicken).

Steering the project for Tales Inc. is two-time Academy Award winning producer Kim Magnusson (Helium, Election Night), with Michael Fleischer and Maj Andersson.

The Cake Dynasty is a political and edgy satire, pointing at the health craze and xenophobia in our societies, said Magnusson.

LevelKs CEO Tine Klint tagged the pic as a fresh and edgy take on our society, which challenges our traditional norms and questions our beliefs. I hope the film will push our boundaries while we laugh at ourselves, she added.

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The pic received support from regional film fund FilmFyn, the Danish Film Institute and broadcaster DR. Scandinavian Film Distribution, the newly launched major Nordic distribution and co-financing group co-headed by Fleischer, Magnusson and Christian Bevort, will release it in Denmark in September 2022.

Copenhagen-based LevelK is attending the hybrid New Nordic Films confab closing Aug. 27.

The boutique sales outfits eclectic line-up also takes in the San Sebastian and Toronto-bound As in Heaven by Danish newcomer Tea Lindeburg, Venice Critics Week opener Karmalink by U.S. helmer Jake Wachtel, and Iranian drama Zalava by Arsalam Amiri, selected for Venice Critics Week and Torontos Midnight Madness.

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Heading into the 2021 season, there is no defensive recruit more important remaining on Texas board than Denver Harris. The five-star cornerback out of North Shore High School is one of the top prospects in the country and has a top four of Alabama, LSU, Texas, and Texas A&M.

As things stand, this seems to be an Alabama vs Texas battle. Harris will be choosing between staying in the state or heading to Tuscaloosa, which has a rich history of sending defensive backs to the NFL.

That decision could be coming within the next month, as well. In a video with On3 Recruits, Harris teased at a possible late September commitment.

Yeah, I might just bust out a commitment Sept. 22, Harris said as he ran away laughing.

Official visits have been taken to both Austin and Tuscaloosa during the summer. Whether or not the five-star cornerback will make another round of visits before his decision is unknown.

Watch the full video here:

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Being able to land Harris seems simple enough for Steve Sarkisian. Being able to win on the field is going to attract the top talents to Austin. Dropping early-season games will only continue the downward spiral that is recruiting right now.

If Harris stays true to his Sept. 22 date, Texas will have faced Louisiana, Arkansas, and Rice, with a home game against Texas Tech pending. Starting out 3-0 with two quality wins under the belt could go a long way with the five-star cornerback.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.
There have been a number of shortages over the last year, from cars to coffee. The shortages mostly stem from multiple supply chain issuesincluding worker shortages and a lack of materialsand while many were brought on by the ongoing pandemic, new ones continue to pop up. Now, a shortage of one beloved lunch staple appears to be sweeping the nation, and fans of this cult classic are in an uproar. Read on to find out which lunchtime favorite might be missing from your local grocery store.

RELATED: If You Live Here, Bacon Is About to "Disappear," Experts Warn.

There is a nationwide Lunchables shortage.

There is currently a shortage of Lunchables, the lunchtime variety snack pack popular with children and adults alike. From the brand's kid-friendly charcuterie board meal of turkey, cheese, and crackers to its make-your-own pizza pack, grocery stores have been wiped clean, shoppers on Reddit report. A spokesperson from Kraft Heinz, which owns Lunchables, told Best Life that there is record demand for the product right now. The spokesperson said the company has seen Lunchables' sales grow by double digits for the first time in five years.

"Compared to 2019, nearly two million more households bought Kraft Heinz brands in the second quarter of 2021," the spokesperson said. They added that the company is "thrilled to see incredible demand." To address this growth, the company is working to invest in its supply chains. Additionally, the spokesperson said Kraft Heinz has "teams working fast and furiously so our retailers and consumers can get more of the Kraft Heinz products they love, wherever they like to shop."

RELATED: These Popular Brands of Liquor Are Becoming Impossible to Find, Experts Say.

Lunchables consumers are unhappy about the shortage, which spans multiple states.

Lunchables enthusiasts range from parents looking for an easy, reliable lunch to pack for their kids to nostalgic adults who grew up with these meals. Either way, Lunchables fans are a passionate bunch, and they're not pleased that the products have been disappearing from shelves. A handful of Reddit users discussed the lack of Lunchables in their grocery stores across multiple states, including Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, and Washington. Some consumers also posted about their inability to find Lunchables on the brand's Facebook page.

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Executives in the industry say shortages are due to supply challenges.

Grocery store executives told The Wall Street Journal that some stores are experiencing supply challenges as significant as what occurred in spring 2020 when hoarding items in preparation for lockdowns left shelves empty and stores scrambling. Donny Rouse, chief executive of Rouses Markets, told the WSJ that the company is struggling to stock many popular items, from pet food to canned goods. According to Rouse, the chain is often receiving as little as 40 percent of what it orders. Before the pandemic, Rouses Markets generally received well over 90 percent of its orders. To fill the gap, some locations have begun making their own versions of popular products that can't be found on the shelves, including Lunchables.

Executives in the industry told the WSJ that manufacturers are unable to produce the volume of products needed to meet demand because many employees are staying home due to COVID, among other reasons. Food sellers told the newspaper that they expect these issues to persist for the time being. Stew Leonard, the CEO of Stew Leonard's, said the shortages are unprecedented. "In the 50 years I've been in the business right now, we've never seen the markets like they are today. They're wild!" Leonard told ABC News.

RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.

There is also a shortage of frozen waffles, Gatorade, Nike shoes, and computer chips.

Lunchables are the latest shortage in a series of disappearing products. The WSJ reports that other kid favorites, including frozen waffles and Gatorade, are experiencing a shortage. Additionally, resin, aluminum, and other raw materials used for most packaging are running low. Per CNN, Nike shoes, school supplies, cars, coffee, computer chips, and jet fuel are also hard to get your hands on right now.

RELATED: If You Live in These States, Prepare for an Alcohol Shortage.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R), his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and their children Xavier (L-R), Ella-Grace and Hadrien waves to supporters while boarding his campaign bus on August 15, 2021 in Ottawa, Canada. DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged Tuesday to ban foreign home buyers for two years if he is re-elected.

Housing affordability has become a key issue in Canada's upcoming national election, as the COVID-19 pandemic drove up property prices in the country.

Housing prices peaked in March this year, with an average home costing CA$716,000 ($568,000) - a 31.6% increase year over year.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged Tuesday to ban foreign home buyers for two years if re-elected, reported CBC.

Housing affordability has become a key part of Canada's upcoming national election on September 20, as the COVID-19 pandemic drove up property prices in the country.

Housing prices peaked in March this year, with an average home costing $716,000 Canadian ($568,000) - a 31.6% increase year over year, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).

Prices have tapered since then, with the average house price coming in at CA$662,000 ($525,200) in July. But that is still 22% higher compared to last year, according to CREA.

"If you work hard, if you save, that dream of having your own place should be in reach. But for too many people, it just isn't - and that's not right," Trudeau said during a campaign stop in Hamilton, Ontario, CBC reported.

The Canadian prime minister added that there should be "no more foreign wealth being parked in homes that people should be living in," Bloomberg reported.

Foreign buyers have been snapping up properties in Canada in recent years. In 2015, the Financial Post reported that Chinese buyers made up one-third of residential sales in Vancouver and 14% in Toronto. The outlet cited data from the National Bank of Canada.

The federal government said it would roll out a 1% tax on vacant or underused foreign-owned houses in January next year to curb foreign demand on houses. Trudeau told the crowd in Hamilton that he'll expand the tax to vacant land in large urban areas, reported CBC.

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Trudeau's opponents have also zeroed in on the housing crisis in Canada, with the New Democratic Party pledging to impose a 20% tax on foreign home buyers and the Conservatives also proposing a similar ban on foreign buyers, reported the Vancouver Sun.

The prime minister called for a snap election earlier this month - two years ahead of schedule - as polls indicated that his minority Liberal party would be able to form a majority, reported The Guardian.

Read the original article on Insider
Two popular Maui travel message boards on Facebook saw a spike in questions as soon as news spread Monday that Hawaii Gov. David Ige urged tourists to stay away through October.

"I fly out tomorrow and leave Monday. If they shut down the state within that time would we get stuck there? Or will they allow us to leave?"

"Does anybody know if Costco Travel is refunding based on the governor's latest announcement?"

"When is the governor suggesting travel could reasonably resume as (trip) planning is taking place?"

Traveler confusion is to be expected given ever-changing COVID-19 travel restrictions around the world, and Hawaii's rules are among the most stringent.

Here's what travelers need to know about travel to Hawaii this fall:

Can you still travel to Hawaii?

Yes.

Hawaii didn't change its entry requirements Monday. Travelers must still be vaccinated or present negative results from a coronavirus test taken no more than three days before departure to bypass a mandatory 10-dayquarantine. The governor simply asked tourists not to visit Hawaii through October because of a surge in COVID-19 cases, which he said has hospitals and intensive care units at capacity. Ige asked airlines, hotels and other tourism businesses to spread the message and do what they can to discourage travel.

Tourism is approaching pre-pandemic levels in Maui. Here are 4 tips to make the most of your Maui vacation this crowded summer.

Is Hawaii shutting down again?

No, at least not yet.

Ige was asked during a news conference at what point in the case surge the state would consider lockdowns, which were prevalent across the country in the early months of the pandemic. In Hawaii, beaches and parks and other outdoor activities were closed, among a host of other restrictions. Tourists were effectively banned for several months in 2020 because of a strict 14-day quarantine.

Ige said Hawaii is doing everything it can to make sure hospitals have enough capacity to treat patients, including setting up tents outside to treat those who aren't seriously ill.

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Another factor that blunts the need for a lockdown, he said: vaccination rates. Vaccines were not available when the economy shut down last year.

Ige said there is no magic number the state is looking at to determine whether another lockdown is necessary.

"At the point we feel that we don't have any other resources to expand (health care) capacity, then certainly we will have to look at more drastic actions,'' he said.

Hawaii tightened restrictions on restaurant capacity because of the surge in cases.

Are airlines canceling Hawaii flights to curtail travel?

Except for cuts in service as summer vacation season ends, which will automatically reduce tourist numbers, there is no evidence that airlines heeded the governor's call to discourage travel to Hawaii.

Southwest Airlines advertised sale fares to Hawaii on Tuesday, including a $159 one-way deal from Phoenix, for travel from Aug. 25 through mid-December.

Southwest Airlines' website touts cheap fares to Hawaii.

Concerns about the delta variant of the coronavirus have reduced the number of travelers. Airlines for America, the industry's lobbying group, said its latest data shows ticket bookings have fallen since mid-July.

Is it safe to travel during the delta surge? Experts say some travelers better off staying home

'I didn't feel like it was responsible': Growing number of travelers cancel trips

Can I get a refund if I cancel a Hawaii trip over the governor's request to not visit ?

It depends on the terms of your ticket, hotel or rental reservation or vacation package.

Airlines don't owe you a refund unless they cancel your flight or you bought a refundable ticket. That's the bad news. The good news is that most major airlines no longer charge hefty ticket change fees when you cancel or change a trip. So you will probably get a voucher or travel credit for a future trip. Read the fine print carefully, as the expiration date is often tied to the date you purchased the ticket.

High COVID-19 transmission areas: Where you need to wear a mask indoors

Travelers considering canceling trips to Hawaii should reach out to airlines, hotels, vacation rentals and others immediately to see if they are eligible for a refund or travel credit.

Many travelers with near-term plans to visit Hawaii said in the Facebook Maui groups this week that they are still going because they would lose a bundle of money if they didn't. Others said they canceled trips.

Check the terms of any travel insurance, too.

Airline cancel or delay your flight? Here's what they owe you (and how to get it)

Does Hawaii require coronavirus tests to visit even if you're vaccinated?

Since July 8, vaccinated visitors have not had to test. Ige said Monday that reinstating the requirement has been considered but that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines say domestic travel is safe for vaccinated people, which complicates the decision.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hawaii travel: What you need to know during COVID delta variant surge
adorable kitten sleeping with his head on a remote

Courtesy of fosterkittenhq / Instagram

Any cat parent knows just how much their precious felines love to sleep. They'll snooze just about anywhere: in a cat tree, in a mini hammock, or (if they're lucky) in a heated cat bed or curled up next to their human at night. Regardless of where their favorite sunspot is, these kitties are hitting some serious Zzzs and we're jealous we can't join in.

Sleeping with a pet may be a proven way to get a better night's rest and can even help your kids hit the hay, but for now, we'll make do by just admiring these kitties' cat naps. Here are 14 adorable Instagram cats making us want to snuggle up and hit the snooze button.

Juno

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Juno's crib is definitely a step up from a cat shelf. What's the thread count on those sheets, and more importantly, are you gonna wash them after all that shedding? Regardless, she looks absolutely precious despite that side-eye. Sorry, Juno! We'll let you sleep.

Pixel

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Oh, to be a cat snoozing by a flower pot. Some kitties love sunspots, but on a hot summer day, Pixel the Bengal would rather opt for the shade. And who can blame her, we're sweating bullets too in this summer heat wave.

RELATED: We Know They're Serious Sunbathers, but Do Cats Sweat?

Crush

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Have you ever seen anything so peaceful in your entire life? Doubt it! Because there's nothing more tranquil than a sweet tabby kitten basking in an afternoon glow. There's got to be a Robert Frost poem about that somewhere.

Cody

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You'd never guess from the serenity of this photo that Cody got stung by a bee on his paw earlier that day. Take the rest of the day off, Kitty! You've earned your nap.

Foster Kitty

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Who among us hasn't fallen asleep while binge-watching our favorite show? But we probably looked a lot less adorable passed out on the couch. Foster Kitten HQ in Nova Scotia looks like a pretty sweet spot for a foster cat to chillax (especially if they have Netflix).

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Grizzly

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Grizzly looks anything but, well, grisly. It's hard to horrify when you're all snuggled up like that. Granted, he is a skate shop cat, so we're at least confident that he shreds hard. We've heard of skateboarding bunnies, but a cat is news to us. He's probably just catching some Zzzs before hitting the ramp again.

Tofu

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The only thing cuter than a white cat named Tofu is that darling kitty sweater vest. Baby blue is totally his color. Hopefully, his sister Yuzu isn't too jealous of his sick 'fit. I mean seriously, we cannot get enough of these names (or adorable photos).

Beckham

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Ah, yes the classic china saucer as a pillow self-care hack. It doesn't get much more comfortable than that. Any cat parent knows that they aren't too picky when it comes to sleeping spots, Beckham here included.

Miller

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This tired feline is taking 'if I fits I sits' to a whole new level by straight-up napping at a 90-degree angle. He looks pretty comfortable regardless. We wouldn't be surprised if he slept all day long in his little cozy window nook.

Yoda

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We're gonna go out on a limb here and say Yoda the kitten is way cuter than his namesake. Now if we were named Baby Yoda this would be a whole other debate, but we'll spare you our dissertation. Still, those ears look pretty similar to the Star Wars character.

RELATED: From Ewoks to Bark Vader, These Star Wars Pet Costumes are the Cutest in the Galaxy

Cabot

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Working from home has us feeling the same way, Cabot. It would be nice if we could curl up in a warm blanket right now, but you have fun with that overheating printer. It's all yours, little guy.

Meechy

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That black cat is knocked out cold, but not too cold. That sunspot still looks nice and toasty from our point of view! Rest up, Meechy. There will be plenty of chances for playtime when you wake up from your restful slumber.

Azul

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Even cat explorers like Azul need to take a nap now and again. And what better place to snooze than curled up in your cat parent's arms. I mean, just look at this adorable kitty that's the face of bliss.

Neva

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Reading to help fall asleep is the oldest trick in the book, and Neva here has read it cover to cover. Looks like her favorite book about a fellow cat makes a pretty sweet tent, too. It's pretty clear this Siberian kitty is beauty and brains.
Aug. 25Nathan Cashman, who was killed in a gruesome machete attack at a Bedford hotel Saturday night, won early release from state prison less than three weeks before his death.

The 28-year-old Manchester man was freed on Aug. 3 after telling a judge he had changed his life.

Cashman, who was set to be released on Feb. 4, 2024, submitted a handwritten motion to suspend his sentence on March 23. He wrote that he "made significant changes from who he was to who he is now."

The motion was approved by Superior Court Judge William Delker on May 3, according to court documents.

"The defendant recognized the severity of his actions, the negative effects they had on the community and because of this has changed his life, and way of thinking so when he is released he can be a positive and productive member of society," Cashman wrote.

On Aug. 13, 2015, Cashman had entered a negotiated plea to include a sentence of 10 to 20 years for enhanced reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, according to the motion.

Cashman told prison officials he had support from friends and family, including his mother, brother and grandmother. His mother, Amy Cashman of Concord, died unexpectedly on July 16, according to her obituary.

Nathan Cashman died Saturday night from "multiple incise wounds" inflicted by a machete and was found in the lobby of the Country Inn and Suites on South River Road in Bedford.

A second victim, David Hanford, 60, of Seaside Heights, N.J., was found strangled in a room at the hotel, according to the Attorney General's Office.

Theodore L. Luckey, 42, of Asbury Park, N.J., is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and three counts of being a felon in possession of a deadly weapon. He waived his arraignment Monday afternoon.

Luckey, who pleaded guilty in 2012 to two counts of kidnapping, one count of criminal restraint and one count of contempt in New Jersey, served prison time in New Hampshire through the interstate compact process, according to the Department of Corrections. He spent time at both Northern New Hampshire Correctional Facility in Berlin and the State Prison for Men in Concord between Oct. 11, 2016 and Feb. 5, when he was returned to New Jersey.

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According to court documents, Luckey broke into a elderly couple's home near Atlantic City in 2009. He locked them in an upstairs bedroom while he tried to kill himself in the garage.

Before the break-in, he tied up and left his former boyfriend in a motel room, according to court documents.

In 2012, he filed a civil suit against correction officers, alleging they violated his rights as a gay man.

Luckey was released in New Jersey on May 7. His mandatory minimum sentence was 12 years, eight months and 28 days, according to New Jersey Department of Corrections records.

He is now being held at the Hillsborough County House of Corrections on preventive detention.

In his motion to the judge, Cashman said he had completed several mental health programs and graduated from Granite State High School in March 2021. He participated in eight semesters in automotive shop and had a job in the kitchen for about two years.

He was planning to seek employment in the automotive field, according to court documents.

A GoFundMe page to help raise money for Cashman's funeral service had raised $1,425 as of 5 p.m. Tuesday.

jphelps@unionleader.com
Aug. 24A man who was arrested after his semitruck destroyed a Dutch Bros coffee stand is suspected to have been driving under the influence of a drug and told troopers he had used methamphetamine the night before the crash, according to a search warrant filed by police Monday.

After police responded to the hectic scene of a demolished building and several injured people at South Freya Avenue on Friday afternoon, a Washington State Patrol trooper conducted a sobriety test on suspect McGavin Medrain, 48, which led him to believe Medrain was intoxicated with an "unknown substance" that was not alcohol.

Medrain admitted to the trooper he had used methamphetamine the night before the crash, according to the search warrant. Medrain also said he "has used meth on and off for 30 years," according to the search warrant.

The trooper said Medrain then fell asleep in the back seat of the patrol car on their way to the station "with sweat dripping from his forehead," according to the warrant.

The crash on South Freya Avenue sent seven people to the hospital. One employee suffered a hip fracture and another had a broken finger, according to court records.

Several witnesses told police they noticed the semitruck had been swerving in and out of lanes for multiple blocks before it lost control completely, according to an affidavit filed Monday.

Medrain is being held in Spokane County Jail on a $250,000 bond and was charged with vehicular assault.
Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast

D.C. police are on high alert ahead of a planned September rally in support of imprisoned Jan. 6 riot suspects, but those close to the ringleader of the original rally want nothing to do with it.

Playing on popular pro-Trump talking points, the rally scheduled for Sept. 18 calls for the release of alleged Capitol rioters currently held in a Washington, D.C., jail, whom it characterizes as political prisoners. The event has the citys police planning a full activation, with all officers ready to respond.

But despite its popularity with Proud Boys, and its origin with a former Trump campaign official, in the upper ranks of Trumpworld the event isnt even on the radar. Of the eight individualsclose associates of the ex-president, as well as former Trump White House officials and 2020 campaign brassmost of them hadnt even heard of the Sept. 18 rally until The Daily Beast contacted them this week. Almost all of them said they wanted nothing to do with it. I hadnt heard [about it], said a former senior aide on the Trump re-election campaign. I think Jan. 6 defendants are being massively abused, for sure. But doubt Id partake in any event.

Furthermore, two people familiar with the matter say they arent aware of former President Donald Trumpwho since leaving office has defended Jan. 6 rioterseven receiving an invitation to the Sept. 18 demonstration.

Matt Braynard, the events organizer, used to have an official link to Trump, acting as director of data and strategy during the early months of Trumps first presidential campaign. He was canned five months in. (In an interview with BuzzFeed, Braynard attributed the firing to his requests for a raise. Other voices from Trumps first campaign confirmed the pay dispute but told BuzzFeed that Braynard wasnt really qualified for the job.)

Still, Braynard remained a vocal Trump advocate, and joined the crusade of conservatives hoping to prove the baseless theory that massive voter fraud cost Trump the 2020 election. Although his attempts to contact the Trump campaign about illegal ballots were unsuccessful, he managed to catch Trumps sons attention on Twitter, and he was invited to Trumps campaign headquarters, where he was refused entry and sent home, he told BuzzFeed.

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Matt Braynard, left, helps artist Tommy Zegan move his statue of former President Donald Trump to a van during the Conservative Political Action Conference on February 27, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty

Reached for comment about the Sept. 18 rally, Braynard declined to say whether he had any support from Trumpworld.

I think that those types of conversations, if you understand, we keep those confidential for a good reason, Braynard told The Daily Beast. Any kind of conference, any kind of conversation, anything of prominent individuals we've had, we're not going to comment on that.

Asked about Trump associates disinterest in the rally, Braynard said that he had invited the public via his Twitter feed and his organizations mailing list, not via personal outreach. I don't get it, he said of the question. Were these people expecting a handwritten or hand-engraved invitation?

The right people who need to know about this event are aware of it and are very aware of what we're doing, he continued.

D.C. Police Activate Entire Force for Upcoming Pro-Jan. 6 Rally

He also declined to name any of the events speakers.

We are working with elected officials to bring them to the event, he said. I'm not going to name names except for one. We did in fact reach out to Jesse Jackson, but I understand he's suffering from COVID right now. So I mean, you know, prayers for him recovering from that. But other than that, we're going to keep our own counsel on the folks that we've reached out to.

Asked about the upcoming rally, D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who has been outspoken about how he and others were attacked by the pro-Trump mob, said in a brief interview on Tuesday, Im shocked but not surprised.

My concern is the safety and well-being of myself and of any of the other officers who have chosen to come forward publicly about their experiences on Jan. 6. I find the hypocrisy in it interesting, in that you have these conservative groups or conservative politicians who were angered by the fact that you had more liberal or left-wing groups that were protesting the incarceration of individuals who had participated in the Black Lives Matter protests [in summer 2020], Fanone said. Its hypocritical that they are now protesting the incarceration of individuals who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

However, the Sept. 18 demonstration has already received backing from the far right. During a Sunday night rally in Portland, Oregon, a New York City-based Proud Boy took the stage to promote the September event. The Portland rally soon devolved into chaos as Proud Boys clashed with the left, overturning a van and spraying mace into cars.

Members of the Proud Boys attend a far-right rally in Portland, Oregon, on Aug. 22. Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty

Members of the Proud Boys frequently travel interstate for events that turn violent. Those events include the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and this weekends chaos in Portland, where Proud Boys from Washington and New York mingled with far-right figures from California.

Randy Ireland, the New York-based Proud Boy who promoted the Sept. 18 rally, is the co-founder of Citizens Against Political Persecution, a newly formed group that has held New York City rallies calling for the release of Jan. 6 defendants. CAPPs other co-founder, a former boxer who hosts a podcast with a Proud Boy-promoting gubernatorial candidate, previously promoted one of Braynards July rallies on Twitter.

Other groups have also hosted events in support of Jan. 6 defendants. Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz hosted their own, disastrous stunt last month which culminated in both politicians leaving, pursued by hecklers.

Asked about support from Proud Boys, Braynard said he had no knowledge of their backing, and that he is asking rally attendees not to bring clothing or signs with political branding.

If attendees show up in Proud Boy gear or other off-message apparel, Braynard said his backup plan is politeness. We were at a rallywe had one at the D.C. prison and somebody had hoisted a flag, a very large flag that was candidate- and election-related. And I politely asked him, We want to keep the focus on this day on the political prisoners. So would you mind maybe taking it down or swapping it out? No argument.

CAPPs co-founder, Cara Castronuova, told The Daily Beast that while her group was not an event organizer, she would be personally attending. Ireland could not be reached for comment. Ireland has previously described the Proud Boys as violent, although he claimed the group does not initiate attacks.

Are we violent? Absolutely. But this violence  in every scenario  is wholly justified by our constitutionally-protected right to self defense, Ireland told the Staten Island Advance last year, after his Proud Boys chapter rallied in support of a pub owner who defied anti-COVID measures. (New York City-based Proud Boys were previously convicted for their role in a 2018 fight with anti-fascists. Footage obtained by the New York Times revealed that Proud Boys initiated the attack.)

Other fringe circles, like Telegram groups for Arizonas ongoing election audit, have promoted the Sept. 18 event. But the event might have competition amid the current maelstrom of right-wing grievance rallies.

The latest iteration of a Worldwide Freedom Rally is also scheduled for Sept. 18. The events, which are organized every few months in far-right and anti-vaccine groups, attempt to martial supporters in individual cities across the world. Some, like a March event in North Carolina and a July event in Florida, have attracted their own Proud Boy presence. A Proud Boy who previously attempted to start a breakaway Proud Boy sect in Indiana promoted the Sept. 18 Freedom Rally instead of Braynards event that same day.

Braynard, for his part, said he did not know why D.C. police were planning an increased presence for the event.

I have no idea, he said, noting that hed held other D.C. rallies in support of alleged Capitol attackers, including one right in front of the Department of Justice, one at the prison where these people are being held. We could actually see them through the window, waving at us. There've been no incidents, no suggestions of incidents.

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Aug. 24The state has released new guidance that will probably affect many school employee COVID-19 vaccine exemption requests, particularly those based on religion.

Five days after mandating vaccines for all teachers and staff, the state superintendent's office came out Monday night with clarifications around religious exemptions.

About 363,000 employees are covered under the vaccine mandate, though it's unclear how many within that group already are vaccinated.

Of the 155,000 from that numbers who are educators, school leaders or staff, Schools Superintendent Chris Reykdal said last week that about 70% already are vaccinated.

That leaves almost 50,000 who are not. The clarifications have been eagerly awaited by school districts throughout the state.

The document will surely add to the burdens of Human Resource managers seeking to determine the depth and sincerity of an employee's religious beliefs. It also appears to place a high burden of proof on districts who question those beliefs during the processing of exemptions.

The guidance was developed in consultation with the Washington State Attorney General's Office and contains several caveats for school districts as they consider individual requests.

The document, "Guidance for Employers on Evaluating Religious Accommodation Requests," is four pages long.

However, it gets to the point in the third paragraph, which urges school districts to proceed with caution in questioning an employee's religious beliefs.

It begins: "Federal guidance on religious accommodation encourages employers to presume that an employee's request for religious accommodation is based on a sincere belief in a religion, unless the employer has a valid, objective reason to question the employee. The employer should review the request on its own merits, initiate discussion with the employee about possible accommodation, and assess whether accommodation is possible."

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In its second paragraph, the document offers a broad definition of religion recognized under state and federal law: "It includes traditional, organized religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The law includes religious beliefs that are new, uncommon, not part of a formal church or sect, individualistic, or only held by a small number of people."

The second paragraph ends with more ambiguity: "Moral or ethical beliefs about what is right and wrong, which are sincerely held with the strength of traditional religious views, may meet the definition of a sincerely held religious belief."

However, school districts will be allowed to ask objective, general questions. Moreover, the employer "does not have to accept a high-level statement of religious observance that provides no details; an employer can ask about the specific belief, tenet, or observance that conflicts with the vaccination requirement."

The vaccine mandate does not apply to students, though K-12 students and staff are required to wear masks when the school year starts next month.

Washington's vaccine mandate also applies to most childcare and early learning providers who care for children from multiple households. Tribal schools are not included, though Inslee strongly encouraged them to follow suit. Private K-12 schools are included in the mandate, but the Spokane Catholic Diocese has indicated that it will not follow the state vaccine mandate for its school employees.
Yankton, SD (57078)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds SE at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds SE at 15 to 25 mph.
Yankton, SD (57078)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds SE at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds SE at 15 to 25 mph.
Greensboro, NC (27407)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then becoming mostly clear after midnight. Low 63F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then becoming mostly clear after midnight. Low 63F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Today

Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 100F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight

A clear sky. Low near 80F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.

Tomorrow

A mainly sunny sky. High 101F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
New Delhi: Royal Enfield, one of the most loved motorcycle brands in India is likely to launch its much anticipated bike --the Classic 350 --on Friday, August 27.

Some leaked images of the eagerly-awaited bike has stoked further excitement among its fans. The new Classic 350 will have its engine inspiration from the Meteor 350. It will be powered upgraded 349cc DOHC engine producing a max power of 20PS peak power and 27Nm of torque. The bike will also use the J-platform from Meteor. (Also read: Confirmed! All-new Bajaj Pulsar 2021, the "biggest Pulsar" ever made launching in November)

The new Classic 350 will get Tripper Turn-by-Turn Navigation and a small screen to help riders navigate using a Bluetooth connection with their smartphone. However, the kick-starter will not be present in the new Classic 350. (Also read: Ahead of 2021 Royal Enfield Classic 350 launch, here's looking at 6 Enfield bikes that turned heads in the last decade)

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 with Matte Black Finish color option has been widely circulated in the media. The leaked images give a glimpse of the new generation Classic 350 featuring multi spoke dual tone alloy wheels. New Royal Enfield Classic 350 in the leaked images show retro style round taillamps with round turn indicators. The Royal Enfield Classic 350 also boasts of a retro style round halogen headlamps along with a small semi-digital instrument cluster.

As per media reports, Royal Enfield Classic 350 will be launched in 3 variants --single seater Classic 350, twin seater Classic 350 and Classic 350 Single Edition.

The new Royal Enfield Classic 350 might come up with a starting price of around Rs 1.85 lakh. The old model of Classic 350 recently got a price hike and now costs Rs 2 lakh.
New Delhi: Future Retail Ltd (FRL) said Sadashiv Nayak has been appointed as its chief executive officer with effect from Wednesday. The board of the company at its meeting held on Wednesday "considered and approved" the appointment of Nayak as CEO, the Future Group firm said in a regulatory filing.

Nayak has been associated with Future Group for over 17 years. In the last 8 years as the CEO of Big Bazaar, he has played a pivotal role in making Big Bazaar what it is today, it said.

"He had worked at various designations during his association within the Group," it said.

FRL operates retail stores as Big Bazaar, fbb, Foodhall, Easyday and Nilgiris.

Nayak, an alumnus of NIT Karnataka and XLRI, Jamshedpur, has over 27 years of experience.

Prior to Future Group, Nayak was associated with Hindustan Unilever Limited and Asian Paints Limited.

In August last year, the board of FRL had approved the amalgamation of FRL along with other group companies with Future Enterprises Limited to facilitate a Rs 24,713 crore deal to sell the retail and wholesale business to Reliance Retail. Also Read: Google bans 8 cryptocurrency apps for fraud! Were you using any of them?

The deal has been contested by global e-commerce major Amazon, an investor in Future Coupons that in turn is a shareholder of FRL. Also Read: Google launches 'Be Internet Awesome' programme for kids safety in India

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New Delhi: Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday wrote a letter to 22 states and union territories urging them to rationalize VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) across all airports in States within the range of 1 per cent to 4 per cent, in a bid to give impetus to air travel. As per an official statement from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, he has asked them to take forward common intention to boost air travel and connectivity in State with a view to accelerate its economic development.

The price of ATF is a major component of the operating cost of airlines with that, the tax on ATF contributes significantly to the ATF price. Addressing this issue would enable a force multiplier effect with regard to air connectivity in states.

Citing examples of progressive states such as Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim and Telangana, the Minister wrote that they have brought down the VAT to one per cent and even below. As a result, they have seen a substantial jump in the number of aircraft movements in their states. For example, the Government of Kerala has brought down VAT on ATF from 25 per cent to 1 per cent.

Subsequently, the number of aircraft movements at Thiruvananthapuram airport increased from 21,516 flights to 23,566 flights in a span of 6 months ie an increase of 2050 aircraft movements post-reduction of VAT. Similarly, aircraft movements at Hyderabad saw a rise from 76,954 flights to 86,842 flights in a span of 6 months i.e. an increase of 9888 aircraft movements after the reduction of VAT on ATF from 16 per cent to 1 per cent. Many other states, such as Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab and Sikkim have followed suit.

The Minister brought to attention of the states that air connectivity directly promotes tourism growth, output growth and employment generation, in addition to various indirect benefits to the economy. In fact, the aviation sector has a high output multiplier of 3.25 and employment multiplier of 6.1.

Presently, there is a huge disparity between States, and even within States, in terms of VAT being levied on ATF. Given the challenges that have arisen due to COVID-19. Hence, the Minister emphasised on the need to reduce the existing VAT/Sales Tax on ATF to 1 per cent - 4 per cent at all airports with immediate effect. Besides, it is worth noting that the revenue collected by the State on account of VAT on ATF is an insignificant proportion of the overall State finances. In any case, this will be more than offset by the positive impact of the air connectivity to the State through the flow of economic activities. Also Read: Google bans 8 cryptocurrency apps for fraud! Were you using any of them?

The 22 states/UTs to which the Minister wrote include Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, National Capital Territory of Delhi, Ladakh, Andaman Nicobar, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu. Also Read: 5 electric bikes available in India that you can book right now: Compare range, top speed and more

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New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday (August 25) launched the EASE 4.0 programme, which is aimed at institutionalising Indias banking sector in a cleaner and smarter way.

EASE 4.0, which stands for Enhanced Access and Service Excellence, is the next leg of the EASE 3.0 that was launched last year in February. The aim of EASE 3.0 was to improve the banking customers by deploying technology and harvesting data. The first edition of the EASE was launched way back in January 2018. Since then, the government has been launching a new phase of the programme every year.

Sitharaman is currently on a two day Mumbai visit where she is meeting with the top bankers of the country. During her press conference, she urged industry stakeholders to come forward to digitise Indian banking.

Here are the top highlights from Nirmala Sitharamans press conference

- Sitharaman has requested public sector banks (PSBs) to interact with exporters' bodies to understand their requirements. Banks have been requested to have interaction with export promotion agencies, chambers of commerce and industry to understand and address the requirement of exporters in a timely manner.

- She also asked banks to work with state governments to push the one district, one product' agenda. The district-wise outreach will be undertaken by banks to help credit growth from October.

- Sitharaman said there is a need to ramp up credit growth in the eastern pockets of the country in states like Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha, where the populations are displaying a higher propensity to deposit money in current and savings accounts. Banks have also been asked to create state-wise plans for northeastern states to help the logistics sector and exporters.

- The FM noted that there are a lot of sunrise sectors that need funding to kick off their growth. She said that the funding needs to be facilitated by the banks. Also Read: Big opportunity for LIC policyholders! Revive your lapsed policies, window open till THIS date

- The Finance Ministry also urged banks to extend assistance to the fintech sector. In the past few years, Indias fintech startups have changed the landscape of the financial sector across the country, especially when it comes to lending department in particular. She said that banks have also been asked to look into the demands of the fintech sector. Also Read: eBikeGo Rugged electric scooter with 160 km range launched: Check price, features, key details before booking

With PTI inputs.

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New Delhi: The Gurgaon Police arrested a 58-year-old man and his wife for allegedly killing their daughter-in-law suspecting that she was having an affair with their tenant. The tenant and his family too were hacked to death. The Police had accused Rao Rai Singh in custody after he surrendered while his wife Sangeeta was arrested on Wednesday.

Acp Rajeev Kumar told reporters: "Every aspect related to the murder is being investigated. The role of the son is being probed. Rao Rai Singh's son Anand had gone to Khatushyam. All evidence is being gathered."

Singh allegedly attacked his daughter-in-law Sunita, tenant Krishan Kumar and Kumar's wife and two kids with a sharp-edged weapon. The tenant's second child, a three-year-old girl was found injured at the spot and has been admitted to a hospital for treatment.

The incident took place early Tuesday morning in Gurgaon near Rajendra Park police station area, the former Army man surrendered himself after committing the crime, police told PTI.

"Four dead bodies were recovered from the upper portion of the house. Prima facie, it appears that they were killed using a sharp weapon. The accused has been rounded up," Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Gurgaon) Deepak Saharan said.

According to police, Singh suspected that his daughter-in-law was having an affair with the tenant, however, the DCP said the motive of the crime is not yet clear.

Police have been deployed in large numbers, while senior officials and forensic experts visited the crime scene.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination, and the case is being further investigated.
Out of 78 people, who were evacuated from Afghanistan and landed at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport yesterday (August 25), at least16 have tested positive for COVID-19. As a precautionary measure, all 78 people have been quarantined. The infected evacuees also include the three Sikhs who brought back with them Guru Granth Sahib from Afghanistan Gurdwaras.

Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and V. Muraleedharan received the Guru Granth Sahib at the Delhi airport from the Sikhs. No comment has come from the union misters so far about coronavirus.

All those who are positive have been admitted to LNJP Hospital and the rest are quarantined at an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp in south-west Delhi's Chhawla.

All the evacuees coming from Afghanistan will have to undergo quarantine for 14 days at the ITBP quarantine centre, according to the guidelines of the Health Ministry.

"As the COVID-19 immunization status of these individuals is unknown, and the exact extent of COVID-19 transmission (including circulation of variants) in Afghanistan is unclear at present, so as a matter of abundant precaution, it has been decided that the arriving persons shall undergo a mandatory minimum 14 days' institutional quarantine at Sector Headquarters Logistic and Communications, Indo Tibetan Border Police, Chhawla Camp," the Union Health Ministry`s office memorandum said.

Watch: Along with 3 Sikhs, 3 copies of Sri Guru Granth Sahib also being brought to India from Afghanistan

Earlier on Tuesday, 78 people, including 46 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, flew into Delhi from Kabul via Dushanbe on an Air India flight along with three copies of Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib.

Meanwhile, the Narendra Modi government has activated foreign missions near Afghanistan to speed up the evacuation of stranded Indian citizens and Afghan nationals, including Hindus and Sikhs, from the war-torn country. The Kabul airport has been closed for commercial flights and only military aircraft are allowed to land and take off from there.

(With IANS inputs)
New Delh: In his first comments on Afghanistan, India's Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat has said that "Taliban takeover was anticipated" but the "timeline surprised us". On August 15, the Taliban took over the Afghan national capital Kabul with the then Afghan President Ashraf Ghani leaving the country.

Speaking at an event, General Rawat said, "Everything that has happened was something that was anticipated, only the timelines have changed. From the Indian preceptive we were anticipating Taliban takeover of Afghanistan...Yes, the timeline certainly surprised us because we were anticipating this thing happening couple of months down the line but it is much the same, the same Taliban which was there 20 years ago."

India since then has evacuated a number of its nationals and opened the gates for Afghans, particularly the minority Sikhs and Hindus. Over the weekend, two Afghan Sikh MPs-- Anarkali Honaryar and Narendra Singh Khalsa also reached Delhi even as fears grow if the Taiban will respect the minority rights.

The top Indian General highlighted Indian concerns over terror saying, "We were concerned about how terrorist activity from Afghanistan could overflow into India. So to that extend our contingency planning had been ongoing and we are prepared for it. "

Read more about Taliban here: Taliban's History

The worry is that Pakistan-based terror groups like Lashkar-E-Toiba and Jaish-E-Mohammad might establish safe haven in the country under Taliban rule. India has raised the matter at several multilateral meetings including the United Nations, BRICS.

He dismissed relation between Indo Pacific and Afghan crisis impacting each other saying, "Indo pacific is on different plane all together, dealing with Afghanistan, Taliban, terrorism, from that perspective, is something which we are all together fighting the global war on terrorism", explaining that any support from Quad on dealing with terror "will be welcomed".

India, along with the US has been strong supporter of Indo Pacific vision that sees Indian and Pacific oceans as one construct but China sees this with suspicion. Rawat pointed," Indo pacific should not be looked through the same prism (as Afghanistan), they are two different issues. Yes, challenge to security in the region, both pose challenge to security, but they are on two different planes and those 2 parallel lines are unlikely to meet."

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Indore: A 25-year-old street vendor of bangles who was beaten up in Indore city of Madhya Pradesh a few days ago by a group of people has been arrested for allegedly touching a girl inappropriately and also for forgery, police said on Wednesday.

Taslim Ali was thrashed in Govind Nagar here on Sunday for using a 'fake' name while selling bangles to women in the locality. Four persons were arrested in connection with the assault.

Ali, a native of Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh, himself has now been arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act for allegedly touching a 13-year-old girl inappropriately, Indore Superintendent of police Ashutosh Bagri said.

A police team has been sent to Hardoi to verify the two Aadhaar cards with different names recovered from Ali's bag, he said, adding that a burnt voter's identity card was also found in which the name of his father was mentioned as "Mohan Singh". Ali was produced through video link before special judge for POCSO cases Suman Shrivastav who remanded him in judicial custody till September 3, sources in the public prosecution department said.

According to the police, a Class 6 student had lodged a complaint at Banganga police station here alleging that Ali had introduced himself as 'Golu, son of Mohan Singh' when he arrived at her house to sell bangles on Sunday, and after describing her as 'very beautiful', he tried to touch her inappropriately.

As per Ali's own complaint lodged at Central Kotwali police station on Sunday, five to six persons, who were part of a mob, started beating him up after asking his name.

They also snatched away Rs 10,000 in cash, a mobile phone, Aadhaar card and other documents besides bangles worth over Rs 25,000, he alleged. A video of the assault also went viral on social media. On Tuesday, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra had said that "those who carry two-three different identity cards are criminals".

"Those who hide their names are criminals. Police have registered a case against those who have beaten up the man and arrested them," he said, responding to AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's allegation that the BJP government in MP was shielding the accused who beat up Ali.

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MUMBAI: A BJP leader on Wednesday (August 25) submitted an application demanding registration of an FIR against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray alleging he had called for beating his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath with chappals for insulting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj during his speech at a Dussehra rally of Shiv Sena. The complainant, Yavatmal district BJP president Nitin Bhutada, urged the police to register a First Information Report (FIR) against Thackeray, who heads Shiv Sena, and take legal action against him for his "provocative" speech. The complaint application was submitted at the Umerkhed police station. A police officer confirmed receipt of the application from the BJP leader.

The complaint stated that Thackeray used "provocative and filthy language" against Hindutva leader Yogi Adityanath during his Dussehra speech on October 25, 2020. "Thackeray had said that how can a Yogi become a CM? He should go and sit in a cave. He (Yogi) should be slapped with his chappal (footwear). Yogi has insulted Shivaji Maharaj. Yogi lacked the status to go near Shivaji Maharaj. Yogi should be beaten with his chappal when he comes to Maharashtra. Would have hit Yogi with chappal," the application quoted Thackeray as saying.

It said the remarks made by Thackeray had the potential to trigger unrest and riots in society. Bhutada said the BJP will file more complaints against CM Thackeray at various police stations in Maharashtra.

Notably, the BJP submitted the application for registration of FIR against the Maharashtra chief minister a day after Union minister and BJP MP Narayan Rane was booked and arrested for using offensive language against Thackeray.

The Union minister was arrested on Tuesday afternoon from Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district following his remarks made during his 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' in Raigad on Monday that he would have slapped Chief Minister Thackeray for what he claimed as the latter's ignorance of the year of India's independence.

Rane's comments had set off protests by Shiv Sainiks in many cities in Maharashtra.

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Lucknow: BrahMos Aerospace has proposed to set up a state-of-the-art production facility in Uttar Pradesh for its next generation missile project, the state government said on Tuesday.

The company produces one of the world's best supersonic cruise missile system BrahMos, it said, adding that the proposed facility in Lucknow will be part of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor.

The facility comes under the aerospace firm's expansion for the BrahMos Next Generation (BrahMos-NG) Missile project, the state government said in a statement.

The establishment of BrahMos Aerospace will make Uttar Pradesh an aerospace and defence hub of India as it will bring in niche technologies. It will also put Lucknow prominently in the world map as a manufacturing hub for top-notch technologies, the statement said.

The BrahMos team, headed by Director General BrahMos Dr Sudhir K Mishra, met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday and briefed him about the BrahMos weapon system.

Adityanath was also apprised about the joint venture entity's ambitious and highly promising plans about setting up the major facility for production and supply of various systems and sub-systems for next generation missile systems, the statement said.

The chief minister has assured full support for setting up the new production plant in Lucknow, it said.

The estimated investment of the project is around Rs 300 crore and the company has requested for 200 acres of land in the state's capital with civil construction to start within three months of getting possession of the land, the statement said.

This project is envisaged to generate more than 5,500 direct and indirect employment opportunities for technical workers as well as more than 10,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities for skilled, semi-skilled and non-skilled workers, it said.

Over 200 small, medium and large Indian public and private sector defence enterprises, institutions and laboratories have been associated with the prestigious BrahMos missile programme, the statement said.

The establishment of such a facility will not only vastly expand UP's technological base, which is being developed as one of the Defence Industrial Corridors of India but will also generate a multitude of value chain opportunities for MSMEs in the state, it said.

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New Delhi: Indian Air Forces (IAF) MiG-21 fighter aircraft on Wednesday (August 25) crashed in Rajasthan's Barmer district during a training sortie, however, the pilot ejected safely, a defence spokesperson said.

The aircraft was on a routine sortie when it crashed, the spokesperson was quoted as saying by PTI. He added that the pilot had safely ejected.

At around 5:30 pm today, an IAF MiG-21 Bison aircraft airborne for a training sortie in the western sector, experienced a technical malfunction after take off. The pilot ejected safely. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause: Indian Air Force pic.twitter.com/AWEAWK3BNp  ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2021

The incident took place near Bhurtiya village under Sadar police station area, Superintendent of Police, Barmer, Anand Sharma informed.

He said there were no casualties in the crash, adding that police have reached the site. "There is no civilian casualty due to the crash of the fighter plane. Policemen have reached the spot," the SP said.

In a tweet, the IAF said that the MiG-21 Bison aircraft experienced a technical malfunction following take off and said a court of inquiry has been ordered in the matter.

At around 1730 hrs today, an IAF MiG-21 Bison aircraft airborne for a training sortie in the western sector, experienced a technical malfunction after take off. The pilot ejected safely. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause, the IAF tweeted.

Earlier today, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria while attending an event in Delhi said Indias victory in the 1971 War was a landmark event in global history. He also said the victory of Indian armed forces in the 1971 War shattered the prestige of Pakistans military and led to the creation of Bangladesh.

The victory in the 1971 War was a landmark event in global history. On the signing of the instrument of surrender on 16 December 1971 in Dhaka, East Pakistan ceased to exist and Bangladesh was born, ANI quoted IAF chief as saying. Last month, the Indian Army celebrated the golden jubilee of Indias victory over Pakistan in the 1971 War, which saw the creation of Bangladesh.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: COVID-19 in India may be entering some kind of stage of endemicity where there is a low or moderate level of transmission going on, Chief Scientist of the World Health Organisation Dr Soumya Swaminathan has said.

The endemic stage is when a population learns to live with a virus. It's very different from the epidemic stage when the virus overwhelms a population.

On clearance to Covaxin, Swaminathan said she is fairly confident that the WHO's technical group will be satisfied to give Covaxin clearance to be one of its authorised vaccines and that could happen by mid-September.

In an interview, Swaminathan said given the size of India and heterogeneity of population and immunity status in different parts of the country, it is "very very feasible" that the situation may continue like this with ups and downs in various parts of the nation.

"We may be entering some kind of stage of endemicity where there is low-level transmission or moderate level transmission going on but we are not seeing the kinds of exponential growth and peaks that we saw a few months ago," Swaminathan said.

"As far as India is concerned that seems to be what is happening and because of the size of India and heterogeneity of population and immunity status in different parts of the country in different pockets, it is very feasible that the situation may continue like this with ups and downs in different parts of the country, particularly where there are more susceptible population, so those groups who were perhaps less affected by first and second waves or those areas with low levels of vaccine coverage we could see peaks and troughs for the next several months," she said.

She said she hopes that by the end of 2022 "we would be in that position that we have achieved vaccine coverage, say 70 per cent, and then countries can get back to normal".

On prevalence of COVID among children, Swaminathan said parents need not panic. "We can take from the serosurvey and what we learnt from other countries also that while it is possible that children could get infected and transmit, children luckily have very mild illness most of the time and there is a small percentage that gets sick and get inflammatory complications and few will die but much much less than the adult population...But it is good to prepare... Preparing hospitals for paediatric admissions, paediatric intensive care is going to serve our health system in many ways for other illnesses children have but we should not panic about thousands of children crowding into ICUs," she said.

On use of drugs like Remdesivir, HCQ or Ivermectin for treatment, she said as of now, there is no evidence that HCQ or Ivermectin have any role to play in reducing mortality or morbidity in people infected with the virus or actually preventing people from getting an infection, so, therefore, there are no grounds on which recommendations can be made in use of either of these drugs for treatment or prevention.

On clearance to Covaxin, she said the decision can be made hopefully by mid-September.

"The Bharat Biotech submitted their data in the third week of July which was the first data set, then there was an updated data set that came in the middle of August. The committee has gone back to the company with some questions which they must be in process of answering now. I think the technical advisory group that ultimately approves will meet in the first 10 days of September and so we are hoping it happens soon after that," she said.

"So by the middle of September I am thinking, and the reason it took longer was because of back and forth and the need for more data requested from the company and this is the usual process. People think it is taking longer for Covaxin than for others but that is not the case... Each company that applied for EUL (Emergency Use Listing) had taken this period of 4 to 6 to 8 weeks to get all the data needed," she said.

On the third wave, she said no one has a "crystal ball" and it's impossible to predict a third wave. "It will be impossible to predict when, where the third wave will be upon us and if at all a third wave will come. However, you can make an educated guess on some of the variables that have an impact on transmission," she said.

On booster doses, she said there are both scientific and moral, and ethical reasons for not rushing into boosters. "...So it would also be in self-interest of countries who have excess doses now to send those doses out through Covax to countries that desperately need them," she said.

On vaccine passport concept, she said, "We do not believe that vaccination has to be a prerequisite at least at the global level to do things like travelling because we haven't given everyone an opportunity to get vaccinated there is so much inequity in access to vaccines, so the first thing is to get rid of the inequality then you can allow people vaccinated to relax certain measures."

Vaccine passports are for allowing international travel to those fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

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NEW DELHI: Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria has said that Indias victory in the 1971 War was a landmark event in global history. The IAF chief also said that the victory of Indian armed forces in the 1971 War shattered the prestige of Pakistans military and led to the creation of Bangladesh.

The victory in the 1971 War was a landmark event in global history. On the signing of the instrument of surrender on 16 December 1971 in Dhaka, East Pakistan ceased to exist and Bangladesh was born, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said at an event in Delhi.

The victory in 1971 war was a landmark event in global history. On the signing of the instrument of surrender on 16 Dec,1971 in Dhaka, East Pakistan ceased to exist & Bangladesh was born: Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria at an event in Delhi pic.twitter.com/aZA2WxD9NV  ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2021

Taking a dig at Pakistan, the IAF chief went on to say that the Indian armed forces compelled over 93,000 Pakistani soldiers to surrender, which was the largest military surrender after the Second World War.

The largest military surrender after the Second World War shattered the prestige of Pakistan military and left 93,000 Pakistani prisoners in captivity, Bhadauria said.

The Indian Army and locals from Jammu and Kashmir last month celebrated the golden jubilee of Indias victory over Pakistan in the 1971 War, which saw the liberation of Bangladesh.

Swarnim Vijay Varsh Yatra was organised in a colourful manner from Srinagar 15 Corps Army headquarters to various places in Srinagar. Army officers, jawans, ex-servicemen, school children, local youth, members of local bodies, police, civil officers and others participated in the rally.

The IAF chief had earlier reviewed the progress of the ongoing manned and unmanned airpower projects and operational trials in Bengaluru during his two-day visit to various defence establishments.

He had visited the Indian Air Force units and flight test establishments and facilities of Defence Research and Development Organisation and Hindustan Aeronautical Limited at Bengaluru on August 23 and August 24.

During his visit to the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), Bhadauria was given an overview of ongoing projects and briefed on the progress of operational trials. During his interaction with personnel, the IAF chief spoke of the unique and challenging role of ASTE, noted its laudable achievements and re-emphasized the need for staying ahead of the curve in order to leverage its expertise in delivering the requirements of IAF operational units.

He also visited the Software Development Institute (SDI), the unit tasked with undertaking the development of avionics software. He noted that the sustained focus on critical projects by the Institute had contributed significantly to increasing the operational and functional capability of IAF.

As part of the visit, he met and interacted with the test crew and engineers of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), DRDO and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

During his visit to Bengaluru, the IAF chief flew a sortie in a Tejas MK1 final operational clearance fighter. Last year, the air force had inducted the first final operational clearance (FOC)-standard Tejas light combat aircraft into squadron service.

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Srinagar: PDP Chief and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday (August 25) heaped praise on the Congress governments since independence for the development of India and the positive relationship they shared with the erstwhile state.

She attacked the present government led by BJP for selling what Congress built in 70 years.

Addressing party workers in Shopian district, Mufti said, What Congress built in some 70 years, these people (BJP) have sold that. The people of Jammu and Kashmir should not have any grudge against the government of India. What in last 70 years the leadership of India, especially the Congress had built in this country, they have sold all that. They are selling roads, petrol pumps, airports, railway stations, power projects.

Asked about the Centres plan to ban Hurriyat, Mufti said, See what they are doing, whether there is an activist, politician, or student, they put them in jail. Whats the big deal about Hurriyat!

Mufti said that there may be some flaws in the Congress, but you should agree that Jammu and Kashmir acceded with that India which was Nehru's India, where brotherhood was Indra's India, which was Gandhi's India.

Congress has played a big role in the accession of Jammu and Kashmir with India, she added.

If Jawaharlal Nehru had not been there and the secular culture, which is being destroyed now, I don't think that Jammu and Kashmir would have become a part of India, she said.

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mufti said that she warned him against using force against the Kashmiris.

I told the Prime Minister in the meeting that the way you are using the stick in Jammu and Kashmir, you are humiliating people. If you keep going like this, then its result will not be good, she said.

Mufti said the Centre is lying that all the political leaders are released from jail.

So many political leaders are still in jails. So many people are being released after ten, twelve years, she said.

Also Read: 'India on Sale': Rahul Gandhi lashes out at Centre over National Monetisation Pipeline scheme

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Mumbai: A day after he was arrested for making controversial remarks against Uddhav Thackeray, Union minister Narayan Rane said even the Maharashtra chief minister had used unpalatable words while referring to BJP leaders Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath.

Speaking to reporters after securing bail from a Mahad court on Tuesday and further relief from the Bombay High Court on Wednesday, Rane also asserted that he is not afraid of the ruling Shiv Sena in the state. "I am not afraid of anyone and I am not backing out. My words were an expression of anger against the chief minister (Uddhav Thackeray) who forgot the year of India's Independence. I only told reporters what he had already said, so how can it be a crime," Rane said.

Rane made the controversial remarks on Monday after which Shiv Sena workers lodged police complaints against him in several districts.

Acting on these complaints, police arrested Rane and produced him before the Mahad court where he was granted bail late Tuesday night. Asked how he will criticise Maharashtra's Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance government, he said, "I will criticise using good words."

Rane said Thackeray had ordered his party workers to break the jaws of people attacking the Sena Bhavan (party headquarters in Mumbai). Thackeray had also said that Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath should be beaten up with sandals, Rane claimed.

"Uddhav Thackeray also called Union Home Minister Amit Shah shameless. He even said he was using unparliamentary words deliberately to describe Shah. What a civilised language," Rane said.

Referring to Shiv Sena leaders referring to his alleged crimes, Rane said, "If I was a gangster according to the Sena, that party made me the chief minister. Was it ok with the party?"

"I will not sit quietly. We will use all parliamentary tools and legal powers and corner the MVA government in coming days," he said. Asked about some Shiv Sena MLAs issuing verbal threats, Rane said, ?I wonder whether they had ever killed a mouse.

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New Delhi: Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday (August 25) took potshots at the ruling party and said that Congress' state chief and Captain Amarinder Singh have been fighting with each other. Taking a jibe at the ongoing factional feud in Punjab Congress, Badal said, "What are they (people in the state) saying? That Captain didn't say or do anything."

"People in Punjab are saying that he's the most useless Chief Minister in country," the SAD chief told ANI, adding "We are fighting for the people of Punjab, they believe that there is only one party for Punjabis - Shiromani Akali Dal. Only that party speaks for Punjab and fights for the right of Punjab."

Meanwhile, Congress MP Preneet Kaur today slammed disgruntled leaders who are seeking a replacement of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and held PPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu responsible for the current situation in the party's state unit.

Kaur, who is Amarinder Singh's wife, asked those who have raised a banner of revolt against Captain to refrain from raking up such issues as it was "damaging" the party ahead of the 2022 assembly elections.

Talking to the media in CHandigarth, she praised the Chief Minister for leading the party to "many victories" and taking Punjab on a "road to progress". She asked the leaders to play a positive role to bring the party back to power in the upcoming elections.

Asked if some leaders were unhappy after the four-and-half-years of the Congress government's tenure, she said, "First ask them were they happy during the four-and-half-years. This is not the time to say such things...It is damaging the party."

When asked whether she holds Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Sidhu responsible for the current situation, she replied, "Of course he is. He is the one who started (with) his advisers."

Notably, four ministers and several party MLAs have gone against Amarinder Singh and sought his replacement, saying that they have "lost faith in him" over the issue of unfulfilled promises.

(With Agency Inputs)

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New Delhi: With Kerala constantly reporting well over half of the country's daily COVID-19 cases, the BJP on Wednesday accused the Left government in the state of doing little to mitigate the health crisis and being busy in "covering it up" through motivated propaganda.

Kerala on Wednesday reported 31,445 fresh COVID-19 cases and 215 deaths, pushing the total infection count to 38,83,429 and the fatalities to 19,972.

The last time the state crossed the 30,000-mark was on May 20 when it witnessed 30,491 cases. With 24,296 new infections on Tuesday, it had reported nearly 65 percent of the nationwide cases.

Union minister and BJP leader V Muraleedharan tweeted attacking Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, "Alarming COVID-19 situation in Kerala, @vijayanpinarayi has clearly failed to protect people's lives.

"Kerala alone recorded 24,296 cases & 173 deaths yesterday. @vijayanpinarayi's illogical strategy & motivated media propaganda costing dearly the nation."

BJP spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said Kerala is in the grip of COVID-19, and the state government is busy covering it up.

"Especially the newsreader turned health minister is busy reading the wrong script and spreading disinformation that everything is hunky-dory in Kerala," he said.

The reality is that while the disease in almost all other parts of the country is under control, little effort is being made to curb it in the state, he claimed.

Alleging that the state government has launched a "massive cover-up" by spreading disinformation, he said the people of Kerala are suffering.

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Ghaziabad: A property dealer who was shot in the head here died at a hospital during treatment on Wednesday, police said.

Devendra was playing ludo outside his residence on Tuesday night when he was shot at by his neighbour Jagmal.

The victim's brother lodged a complaint against Jagmal and his sons Mohit and Himanshu in this regard, SP (City-I) Nipun Agarwal said.

The accused had fired at him from a lose distance, piercing his head, after which the victim was rushed to a hospital where he died on Wednesday, the SP said.

Police are raiding possible hideouts of the accused, Agarwal added.

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The trouble in the Congress camp in Punjab shows no signs of abating. A day after raising a banner of revolt against Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, four cabinet ministers on Wednesday (August 25) are set to hold a meeting with AICC general secretary Harish Rawat in Dehradun.

The four ministers -- Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Charanjit Singh Channi -- are on way to Dehradun in Uttarakhand to meet the All India Congress Committee general secretary and Punjab affairs in-charge, sources said. After meeting Rawat, they are expected to come to Delhi, the sources said.

These ministers, known detractors of Amarinder Singh, and around two dozen legislators on Tuesday had held a meeting here and sought replacement of the chief minister, saying they have 'lost faith in him' over the issue of unfulfilled promises. They had questioned the ability of the CM in honouring the unfulfilled poll promises such as delay in justice in desecration of a religious text in 2015, arrest of "big fish" involved in drug rackets and scrapping power purchase agreements.

They also said that they would meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi to apprise her of the sentiments prevailing in the party. They had held a meeting amid severe criticism of two advisers of Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu for making controversial remarks on sensitive issues like Kashmir and Pakistan.

The demand for seeking replacement of the CM has pushed the Punjab Congress into a fresh crisis. It also indicated that the party's recent efforts to quell dissent in the state unit with Sidhu's appointment have come a cropper.

Bajwa, who is leading the disgruntled group of leaders, on Tuesday, had said they would seek time to meet the Congress president and apprise her of the political situation.

He had also said "drastic" steps need to be taken and if there is a need to change the chief minister, then it should be done. When asked if an attempt was being made to oust the chief minister, Bajwa had told reporters it's not an attempt but the demand of people.

Bajwa had alleged that a perception has gained ground in Punjab that Amarinder Singh and the Shiromani Akali Dal have 'colluded' with each other.

Bajwa, Channi, Randhawa and a few legislators on Tuesday had also met Sidhu.
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to further close the schools in the state till September 4, 2021, said the state's Education Minister Govind Singh Thakur. The state government took the decision in view of the rising COVID-19 cases in the hill state, which on Tuesday reported 281 new COVID-19 cases, 253 recoveries, and 4 deaths in the last 24 hours.

The state government, however, has decided to fill up 4,000 posts of different categories of teachers including 820 posts of drawing teachers and 870 posts of physical education teacher posts in the Education Department.

The decision to this effect was passed in the Himachal Pradesh cabinet meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, on Tuesday. Of the total posts, 2,640 would be in the Elementary Education department and the remaining in the Higher Education department. It was decided that batch-wise recruitment would be expedited.

Shimla Water Supply and Sewerage Services Delivery Programme

The state cabinet also approved the draft package negotiated by the state Urban Development department with the World Bank and the Department of Economic Affairs of the Centre for funding the Shimla Water Supply and Sewerage Services Delivery Programme in the Greater Shimla area with an outlay of $250 million (Rs 1,813 crore).

Of the Rs 1,813 crore, the World Bank will provide an assistance of Rs 1,160.32 crore and the state government will bear Rs 652.68 crore, an official statement said.

The cabinet authorized the Principal Secretary of the Urban Development department to sign the negotiation deal with the World Bank.

The main components of the project include augmentation of water supply from the Satluj river with additional 67 million litre per day (MLD) to meet the water demand till 2050 and bulk water supply of special area development authorities of Kufri, Shoghi and Ghanahatti.

The project envisages lifting water from the river near Shakrodi village involving lifting to a height of 1.6 km and pipe laying of 22 km to augment 67 MLD water at Sanjauli near here. The project also seeks to replace the distribution pipe network across the Shimla Municipal Corporation to upgrade it to 24x7 water supply system.

The sewerage network in areas of Mehli, Panthaghati, Totu and Mashobra will be provided. This will be a flagship project for the state as it seeks to provide world-class water supply and sewerage system in Shimla.

(With Agency Inputs)

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New Delhi: The Indian Army on Tuesday (August 24, 2021) received the first batch of the Multi-Mode Hand Grenades (MMHG) in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Nagpur. The Ministry of Defence said that MMHG will replace 'Grenade No 36' of the World War I vintage design, which had been continuing in service to date.

The Multi-Mode Hand Grenades have been manufactured by Economic Explosives Limited (EEL) and during his address, Rajnath Singh termed the handing over of MMHG as a 'shining example' of the increasing collaboration between the public and private sectors. He also said that it is a big step towards self-reliance in defence manufacturing.

"It is a memorable day in the history of the Indian defence sector. Our private industry is coming of age when it comes to defence production. It is an important milestone not only in the field of defence manufacturing but also in achieving 'AatmaNirbhar Bharat' as envisioned by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.

Rajnath Singh also exuded confidence that soon the country will manufacture defence products not just for domestic use, but for the whole world.

He lauded DRDO & EEL for the speedy delivery of the order amidst COVID-19 restrictions and hoped for faster delivery of the next lot.

Addressing the Handing Over Ceremony of Multi Mode Hand Grenade at EEL. Watch https://t.co/dXxPqt3c03  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 24, 2021

This is to be noted that the first order has been delivered in five months. The EEL had signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence on October 1, 2020, to supply 10 lakh modern hand grenades for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. The deliveries would be spread over two years from the bulk production clearance, which was accorded to EEL in March 2021.

"The EEL had taken the technology from DRDO in 2016, absorbed it successfully while maintaining very high quality in detonics. Extensive trials were successfully undertaken by the Indian Army and Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) in 2017-18 in plains, deserts and high altitude over summer & winter," the Ministry of Defence said.

"The grenade is not just more lethal but is safer to use. It has a distinctive design that gives the flexibility of employment in both defensive (fragmentation) and offensive (stun) modes. It has a highly accurate delay time, very high reliability in usage and safe for carriage," the MoD added.

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Chennai: A high alert was sounded on the Tamil Nadu coast after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) warned of a possible LTTE-drug syndicate being active in the region.

Earlier, some Sri Lankan nationals were arrested with two of their associates from Kochi and Chennai.

The Sri Lankans were intercepted along with consignments of Rs 3000 crores worth of drugs, 5 AK-47 and 1000 live rounds by Coast Guard during patrolling off Vizhinjam coast in the Arabian sea on March 18.

During the investigation, the NIA found that the arrested persons were directly in touch with Pakistani nationals and smuggling drugs for garnering funds for Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The central agency said that Pakistani smugglers are using LTTE networks to smuggle drugs and weapons into Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

NIA had conducted searches at seven locations spread across Chennai and Thiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu and Ernakulam district of Kerala, in connection with the trafficking of arms, ammunition and narcotics.

The agency said it found various incriminating documents including books relating to LTTE, a proscribed terrorist organisation, seven digital devices including mobile phones, SIM cards and tablets which were seized.

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New Delhi: The TS EAMCET 2021 results have been declared on Wednesday (August 25, 2021). The results of the Telangana State Engineering, Agriculture & Medical Common Entrance Test - 2021 can be checked on the official websites - tsche.ac.in and eamcet.tsche.ac.in.

Here's how to check TS EAMCET 2021 result

1. Visit the official website at eamcet.tsche.ac.in check the TS EAMCET 2021 result.

2. Search 'EAMCET results 2021 link' available on the homepage and click on it.

3. It will redirect you to a new page where you need to enter your credentials such as registration number, hall ticket number and date of birth.

4. Click on the 'submit' option.

5. Your TS EAMCET 2021 result will be displayed on your screen.

The TS EAMCET 2021 first phase admission counselling process will begin from August 30. Students can fill in basic information online, pay the processing fees and book a slot for certificate verification between August 30 and September 9. The certificate verification for candidates who have already booked a slot will be done between September 4 and 11 and web options will be made available from September 4 to 13.

The provisional seat allotments will be done on September 15.

Students are advised to continuously check the official website https://tseamcet.nic.in for more details.

The Telangana State Engineering, Agriculture & Medical Common Entrance Test-2021 (TS EAMCET 2021) was conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad on behalf of Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE). The examination is a prerequisite for admission into various professional courses offered in Universities and private colleges in Telangana.

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Mumbai: A day after the arrest and bail of Union Minister Narayan Rane, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday (August 25) told the Bombay High Court that it will not take any coercive action against the BJP leader.

Rane was arrested following his controversial remark in which he said he would slap Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for not remembering the year of Indias independence .

During a hearing in the High Court, the state government said it would not take any coercive action against Rane till September 17 in the FIR registered in Nashik.

A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar was hearing a petition filed by Rane, seeking to quash the FIR lodged in Nashik and other cases that may be lodged in future. Rane also sought interim protection from arrest.

Senior counsel Amit Desai, appearing for the state government, said no coercive action will be taken against Rane in the FIR registered in Nashik till September 17, when the plea would be heard.

Desai, however, said a blanket statement of protection cannot be made as the petition only mentions the Nashik FIR.

The court agreed and posted the matter for further hearing on September 17.

Rane was arrested on Tuesday afternoon from Ratnagiri district. He was later granted bail by a court at Mahad.

Also Read: Narayan Ranes arrest a violation of constitutional values: BJP Chief JP Nadda slams Maharashtra government

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New Delhi: A girl student was allegedly gangraped by unidentified people in the Mysuru district of Karnataka. The incident took place in the Chamundi Hills area at 7 pm on Tuesday (August 25). The victim, student of a private college, was crossing through that area on a bike with her male friend when she was attacked and sexually molested by a few men.

According to reports, the accused stopped their bike and demanded money from them. When the victim's male friend told them that they were not carrying any money, the miscreants attacked him and also injured the girl. They then took turns to rape the girl on the spot. According to the police, the victim is from another state and had come here to study.

A case of gangrape has been registered at Avalahalli Police Station, Mysuru.

Upon being notified, Police Commissioner D Chandragupta visited the spot. Meanwhile, a special team has been formed and a search has been launched to nab the accused.

The victim and her friend are being treated at a private hospital and as per reports, both are said to be out of danger.

Reacting to the incident, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters in Delhi that he has directed the Director General of Police Praveen Sood to initiate steps to nab the culprits. "Based on the statement, a case has been registered. I have directed the DGP that whoever has perpetrated it, they should be identified and stringent action should be taken against them," Bommai said.

Terming the incident unfortunate, State Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said he has directed the police to conduct a thorough inquiry and take stern action. Citing a preliminary report, he said four persons were involved in the crime. The Minister said he would visit Mysuru on Thursday.

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MUMBAI: Maharashtras ruling party Shiv Sena has made a scathing attack on Union Minister Narayan Rane for his slap Uddhav remark, describing the BJP leader as a balloon with holes and compared him with a frog.

In a strongly worded editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana, the party slammed the firebrand Maharashtra BJP leader for his gangster-like acts.''

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party wrote in Saamana, Narayan Rane was never a great or conscious person. He earned his reputation while in Shiv Sena. After Rane quit the party, Shiv Sena defeated him four times in the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls. Hence, if one has to describe Rane, then he should be called a ''perforated balloon''. No matter how much air is filled in this balloon, it will never go up.

The Sena editorial went on to say, But BJP has decided to inflate this perforated balloon. Some people also liken Rane to a ''frog that croaks.'' Who is he? He has himself declared that he is not a normal person'. Then, the BJP has to check if its a bunch of abnormal people.''

''In PM Modi's cabinet, Narayan Rane is the Minister of Small Scale Industries. The Prime Minister considers himself a very 'normal' person. He calls himself a principal servant of the country. This is his humility. But Rane says, 'I am not normal. Possibly that's why he is above the law and feels that he has not done any crime. Rane was never a cultured man and that's why he is behaving like a Chhapri gangster, the Saamana editorial said.

The harsh comments from Uddhav Thackerays party came hours after Rane was granted bail by the Raigad court after being arrested for his objectionable remarks on the Chief Minister.

At his 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' in Raigad on Monday, Rane had created a controversy by saying that he would have given a tight slap to Uddhav for forgetting the year of Indias Independence Day.

It is a shame CM Uddhav Thackeray does not know the year of Indias Independence Day. During his address, CM leaned to his side to enquire about the year of Independence Day. Had I been there, I would have given him a tight slap," Rane had said.

The comments evoked a sharp response with Shiv Sena and its allies holding protests across the state. It also led to two FIRs and three complaints against the minister in three different cities.

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MUMBAI: Union Minister Narayan Rane was granted bail by a court at Mahad late on Tuesday, hours after he was arrested over his controversial remarks against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray which triggered a political row and protests across Maharashtra. The magistrate's court denied the police's request for his custody but asked Rane to attend the Mahad police station on two days.

The BJP leader had said during the Jan Ashirwad Yatra of his party on Monday that he would have slapped Thackeray over the latter's `ignorance' of the year of India's independence. "Satyamev Jayate" (truth always prevails), Rane tweeted after getting bail and on his way back to Mumbai.

After his arrest on Tuesday afternoon, Narayan Rane was taken to Mahad in Raigad district, 165 km from Mumbai, where an FIR was registered against him over the remark. Cases were registered against him at Nashik and Pune too as the remark set off angry protests by workers of the ruling Shiv Sena.

Rane was taken into custody at Golwali, the ancestral village of former RSS chief Sadashivrao Golwalkar 'Guruji' in Ratnagiri district. He was then handed over to Raigad police around 2.45 pm in connection with the FIR registered at Mahad.

The case at Mahad was registered under IPC sections 189 (threat of injury to public servant), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of public peace), and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief).

At the Mahad court, Government pleader Bhushan Salvi sought seven-day police custody for the BJP leader. It was important to investigate if there was a conspiracy to tarnish the reputation of the chief minister, he said.

Opposing the application, Rane's lawyers Aniket Nikam and Bhau Salunkhe argued that his health condition was serious as he was 69 years old and suffered from sugar and blood pressure issues. Nikam further argued that the offenses under IPC for which Rane was arrested were all punishable with less than seven years and hence his custody was unnecessary.

Nikam also argued that Narayan Rane's arrest was illegal as no summons was issued to him under Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure before his arrest. Court, after hearing both sides, denied the police the Union minister's custody.

It instead remanded him in judicial custody and then, on the plea moved by his lawyers, granted Rane bail on a surety of Rs 15,000. The arrest had followed Rane's statement targeting Thackeray in Raigad district on Monday.

Rane's remarks against Uddhav Thackeray drew sharp reactions from Shiv Sena, whose workers put up a poster in Mumbai, calling him a kombdi chor' (chicken stealer), a reference to the poultry shop he ran in Chembur area five decades ago, during the initial part of his over four-decade-long stint with the Bal Thackeray-led party.

Rane's remarks against Uddhav Thackeray set off protests in Mumbai and several other cities which included pelting of stones and vandalising offices of BJP in some areas by Shiv Sena cadres.

In Mumbai, activists of Yuva Sena, the youth wing of the Sena, and the BJP clashed near Rane's residence on the Juhu Tara Road in Santacruz (West). Stones were pelted from both sides, following which police used cane-charge to disperse the agitators, an official said, adding heavy police security was deployed outside Rane's residence.

Slamming the Maharashtra government, BJP president JP Nadda said Rane's arrest was violative of constitutional values, and his party will not be cowed down by such actions.

In a tweet, Nadda said the "huge" response the BJP has received in its 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' has jolted its rivals. "We fight democratically. The yatra will continue," he said. Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil distanced himself from Rane's remarks. I am not defending Rane's comments, but I will also not express regret," Patil said.

Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said the BJP does not support Rane's comments, but the "party stands behind him 100 per cent". Alleging that the state police force was being used as a tool for "vendetta politics", the former chief minister said there should be law and order and "not Taliban-like governance".

Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding the sacking of Rane over his remarks against the Maharashtra chief minister.

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Washington: Global star Priyanka Chopra, who is currently shooting for a project in London, marked the 71st birth anniversary of her late father Ashok Chopra with a special cake.

The Fashion star took to her Instagram story to commemorate the 71st birth anniversary of her late father on Tuesday. The snap features a cake, on which "Happy birthday Papa" could be seen written.

Priyanka also tagged her mother Dr Madhu Chopra and brother Siddharth Chopra in the IG story. On a related note, marking the birth anniversary of her late husband, Dr Madhu also dug out a priceless picture from their family album on her Instagram handle.

Sharing the picture, she wrote, "Another Birthday!"



Priyanka had lost her father after his long battle with cancer in 2013. The actor, who is very close to her father, had got her wrist inked with a tattoo that says Daddys Lil girl.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Priyanka has been shooting in London for her upcoming show Citdel, which is a spy-thriller directed by The Russo Brothers. It stars Priyanka and Game of Thrones fame actor Richard Madden in lead roles.

She recently launched an Indian restaurant called Sona in New York and also released her memoir titled Unfinished earlier this year.

Priyanka will next be seen in Text For You which also features Celine Dion and Sam Heughan in the lead roles. Apart from that, she will also be seen in Matrix 4 and the recently announced Bollywood film Jee Le Zaraa, which will mark actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtars return as a director.
Mumbai: Actor-politician Prakash Raj and his wife Pony Verma celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary in a special way. On the occasion, the two remarried as their son Vedhant wanted to witness their wedding ceremony.

Taking to Twitter, Prakash, on Tuesday night, wrote, "We got married again tonight..because our son #vedhant wanted to witness it. Family moments #bliss."

We got married again tonight..because our son #vedhant wanted to witness it . Family moments #bliss pic.twitter.com/Vl29VlDQb4  Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) August 24, 2021

He also shared a string of images from their anniversary celebration. In the photographs, we can see Prakash and Pony kissing each other after exchanging the rings.

Prakashs daughters Meghana and Pooja from his first wife Lalitha Kumar were also present at the bash.

Earlier in the day on Tuesday, Prakash shared a throwback image from his original wedding ceremony with Pony.

"It turned out so right.. for strangers in the night" .. thank you, my darling wife .. for being a wonderful friend.. a lover and a great co-traveller in our life together. #happyweddinganniversary @PonyPrakashraj," he had tweeted.

For the unversed, Prakash reportedly parted ways with Lalitha in 2009, and a year after he tied the knot with Pony.
New Delhi: The Department of Financial Services (DFS) on Wednesday (August 25) announced that the family members of deceased bankers, who were once employed with any public sector banks (PSBs), will now receive a pension of 30% of the last drawn salary of the official. The decision will increase the monthly pensions from the current cap of Rs 9,284 to over Rs 35,000 in some cases.

Department of Financial Services (DFS) India Secretary Debasish Panda had announced the hike in the family pension during the launch of EASE 4.0 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Mumbai.

The Indian Banks Association (IBA) had urged the government to increase the family pension of deceased employees. The banking organisation had suggested the Finance Ministry provide a pension equivalent to 30% of the last drawn salary of the deceased employee.

Besides increasing the cap on family pensions, the Central government has also increased the contribution limit for PSB employees under the National Pension Scheme (NPS). Employees of the public sector banks can now invest up to 14% of their salary, up from the previous limit of 10%.

Panda said that after winning the confidence of investors, Indian public sector banks are now raising their own resources. Currently, more than Rs 12,000 crore funding is in the process. Also Read: CCEA approves Rs 15,000 crore FDI proposal of Anchorage Infrastructure Investment Holding

Meanwhile, during the same event, Sitharaman launched the EASE 4.0 programme, which is aimed at institutionalising Indias banking sector in a cleaner and smarter way. EASE 4.0 - Enhanced Access and Service Excellence - is the next phase of the EASE reforms that were launched last year in January 2018. Also Read: Nirmala Sitharaman launches EASE 4.0, talks about fintech, credit demand, check top highlights from FMs presser
New Delhi: Actors Nagarjuna and Naga Chaitanya started the shooting of their Telugu film 'Bangaraju' here on Wednesday.

The film directed by Kalyan Krishna Kurasala, is a sequel to 2016 film 'Soggade Chinni Nayana', which also starred Nagarjuna.

The senior actor tweeted a poster of the film and captioned it as: "So very happy to start work for #Bangarraju along with @chay_akkineni !!! We welcome @ZeeStudios_in this exciting journey."

Chaitanya retweeted the post.

While Ramya Krishna, who was seen in SCN, is part of 'Bangaraju' as well. The makers have roped in the most sought-after heroine Krithi Shetty to play Naga Chaitanya's love interest.

Zee Studios will be co-producing the project with Annapurna Studios Pvt Ltd. Nagarjuna is the producer. While actress Ramya Krishna will star in the sequel as well, the cast welcomed actress Krithi Shetty as the female lead alongside Chaitanya.

'Bangaraju' is billed to be a wholesome entertainer laced with a good dose of romance, emotions and other commercial ingredients. Expectations are quite high on the project, since it is the sequel for the blockbuster and Nagarjuna and Naga Chaitanya are working together for the second time.

The last time the father-son duo came together, it was on the 2014 Telugu film 'Manam'
New Delhi: Google Play Store has identified and indefinitely banned eight malicious apps which claim to be offering cryptocurrency-related services. The tech giant noted that the malicious apps were misleading users by making fake claims.

Users were reportedly lured to install the apps on their phones in hope of turning rich in a snap by using cloud mining services that the apps claimed to be offering. But in reality, it was nothing more than a scam, as not even a single app had any crypto mining operations.

However, once a user installed the malicious app, he or she were charged anywhere between $14.99 to $18.99 as an additional fee that was falsely said to be boosting the income of users. Some of the apps, with absolutely no mining features, falsely claimed that the additional fee will improve their mining abilities.

Complete list of apps banned by Google Play Store:



1. BitFunds  Crypto Cloud Mining

2. Bitcoin Miner  Cloud Mining

3. Bitcoin (BTC)  Pool Mining Cloud Wallet

4. Crypto Holic  Bitcoin Cloud Mining

5. Daily Bitcoin Rewards  Cloud Based Mining System

6. Bitcoin 2021

7. MineBit Pro  Crypto Cloud Mining & BTC miner

8. Ethereum (ETH)  Pool Mining Cloud

Another monetising method that the apps were deploying involved displaying in-app ads to users, luring them that they will eventually earn more by watching them. Also Read: Now, avail Aadhaar services via SMS, check process to generate virtual ID or lock Aadhaar

In a blog, cybersecurity firm Trend Micro said, "These apps, which do not have cryptocurrency mining capabilities and deceive users into watching in-app ads, have affected more than 4,500 users globally from July 2020 to July 2021." Also Read: Google launches 'Be Internet Awesome' programme for kids safety in India
New Delhi: Mumbai Police not only keeps its citizen safe but also cheer them up from time to time through its social media posts. They are well known for their meme games on social media sites but this time, a video of Mumbai Polices music band is going viral.

The Mumbai Police personnel showcased a musical side of theirs, by recreating the iconic James Bond theme song.

With over 30 members, the band is seen performing the famous tune created by Monty Norman for Dr. No that featured Sean Connery as agent 007. The talented band members are seen performing with instruments like the clarinet, trumpet, trombone with head constable Zameer Shaikh, who is said to have arranged the incredible music piece.

Check out the video below:

The viral video has so far got more than 14k views with hundreds of people expressing their surprise seeing this side of Mumbai Police. In the comment sections, some users have also asked for various other music themes including Mission Impossible and Pirates of Caribbean.

ALSO WATCH: Viral video: Woman gets bitten by iguana while practicing yoga on beach
New Delhi: As hundreds of Afghans arrive at the Kabul international airport in the hopes of fleeing the Taliban regime in the war-torn country, the spokesman of the militant group Zabihullah Mujahid said that the August 31 deadline for Kabul evacuations will not be extended.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Zabihullah stated that people at the airport should return home and ensured them of their safety. He pointed out that there is enough time for foreign nationals to be evacuated before the deadline.

Further, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban are no not allowing Afghans to travel to Kabul airport due to the chaotic situation there.

Zabihullah urged the foreign countries to "not encourage" the "educated elite" - especially doctors, engineers to leave Afghanistan. "We urge the Americans not to push skilled Afghans to go... We need their talent," he said.

Also, he said that Afghan media outlets, as well as hospitals, schools, universities, and local governments, were now operational.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden announced that the August 31 deadline for completing the US-led evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies from Afghanistan wil not be extended. The decision was taken after consultation with his national security team.

He opted to complete the mission by next Tuesday, which was the deadline he set well before the Taliban completed its takeover of Afghanistan on August 15.

On the other hand, the leaders of G7 said that 'immediate priority' is to ensure that their citizens and some Afghans seeking refuge are evacuated safely.

"We will continue to coordinate closely on this, and we expect all parties to continue to facilitate this, and to ensure the safety of humanitarian and medical personnel, and other international service providers. We will cooperate together, and with neighbouring and other countries in the region hosting refugees, on a coordinated approach to safe and legal routes for resettlement," the leaders said a joint statement.

Also, the group sent a message to the Taliban saying that Afghanistan must never again become a 'safe haven' for terrorism.

The UK had called for an emergency virtual meeting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US on the Afghanistan crisis.

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Kabul (Afghanistan): Horror tales from Afghanistan, especially reports of atrocities against women, have been coming forth since the last couple of weeks. Now in a moving report, a journalist who was forced to flee from her homeland, Afghanistan, narrates how life took a complete turn for the women after the country fell to the Taliban.

Hollie McKay, writing in The Dallas Morning News, said that after the takeover of Kabul last week, the Taliban have been going house-to-house in the country, looking for women and girls over 15 for marriage. McKay said that though she was able to leave the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, her Afghan friends who remain behind are gripped by the fear of the unknown that awaits them. "I thought of how hard women had fought for their freedoms in this country, only to have them cleaved away with a click of the insurgency finger," said McKay.

McKay wrote about a 14-year-old girl whom she had met at a displacement hub on the periphery of Kabul earlier that week. The girl had run for her life from the fighting in Kunduz and just wanted an education and to one day become a doctor. She also wrote about another Afghan woman Fariha Easer, who she met many years earlier. Fariha, who used to be the voice of embattled Afghan women and roamed the volatile country to bring the stories of Afghan women to light and to be a potent force for change, broke into a million pieces after the Taliban takeover.

"Fariha said that 'My friends on the outside are begging me to leave my country, but how can I, when my sisters are suffering?'", reported The Dallas Morning News. McKay points out that "pain and invisibility" are not all these incredibly brave activist fears. "Fariha told me the Taliban have been going house-to-house, looking for women and girls over 15 for marriage. A month ago, insurgent members arrived on the doorstep of one of her friends' home in Badakhshan, which fell to the group several months ago, looking for young brides. Fariha told me the story she heard from her friend," said McKay.

The journalist said that her friend Fariha narrated how the Taliban were saying that they are the "saviours, the guards of Islam, the liberators from the West."

McKay said that she has been told that the Taliban asked one father to give over his daughters as wives. They said one of the Taliban is a mullah, and they must make an engagement for him. Only the request, as told to Fariha, was a rhetorical one. There was no choice. The 21-year-old was taken away in the dead of night. "After the marriage, they took the young woman away. But the father found out after three days that it was not only the Taliban (mullah) who married her and had sex with her, she was being raped by four others every night," Fariha recounted the story.

"The father went to the district governor and was told there was nothing he could do. Whatever could be done, he must do himself." In a slim silver lining to a drastically sad tragedy, the father fled with all his daughters into hiding, reported McKay.

The prospect of being forcibly married to the Taliban now afflicts millions of Afghan girls and women; the security blanket once provided to them by the NATO presence has been torn away, reported The Dallas Morning News."Nothing has changed. They (the Taliban) are trying to say that they have changed their behaviour, but they have not," Fariha said. "They have not changed, and they will not change. They are defined by violence, killing, by a constant violating of human rights."

"In my own experience of being inside the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif as it fell last Saturday (August 14), I saw the bustling city brimming with women immediately become a ghost town. The few women who eventually stepped into the sunshine were sheathed in blue burqas, neither seen nor heard," said McKay.

(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: The leaders of the Group of Seven nations met on Tuesday (August 24, 2021) and sent a message to the Taliban saying that Afghanistan must never again become a 'safe haven' for terrorism. In a joint statement released after the emergency virtual meeting under the Presidency of the United Kingdom, the G7 leaders expressed grave concern about the situation in Afghanistan and called for calm and restraint to ensure the safety and security of vulnerable Afghan and international citizens and the prevention of a humanitarian crisis.

"We call for adherence to obligations under international human rights law, including the rights of women, girls, and minority groups, and that international humanitarian law is upheld in all circumstances. We honour the significant sacrifices made by the Afghan people, people of our own countries, and countless others, who have worked toward a more peaceful, just and secure future for Afghanistan," the leaders said.

Taliban will be held accountable for their actions

The G7 leaders said that they will judge the Afghan parties by their actions, not words. "In particular, we reaffirm that the Taliban will be held accountable for their actions on preventing terrorism, on human rights, in particular, those of women, girls and minorities and on pursuing an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan," they said. The leaders stated that the legitimacy of any future government depends on the approach it now takes to uphold its international obligations and commitments to ensure a stable Afghanistan.

Afghan people deserve to live in dignity

The statement after the virtual meeting of the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US also read that the Afghan people deserve to live in dignity, peace and security, reflecting the last two decades of their political, economic and social achievements, in particular for women and girls.

"Afghanistan must never again become a safe haven for terrorism, nor a source of terrorist attacks on others," the G7 leaders gave a message to the Taliban, who gained momentum after capturing Kabul on August 15.

ALSO READ | 'US army must be held accountable for Afghanistan crisis,' says China

The G7 leaders said that any future Afghan government must adhere to Afghanistan's international obligations and commitment to protect against terrorism and safeguard the human rights of all Afghans, particularly women, children, and ethnic and religious minorities. They said that the future Afghan government should also uphold the rule of law, allow unhindered and unconditional humanitarian access and counter human and drug trafficking effectively.

"We call on all parties in Afghanistan to work in good faith to establish an inclusive and representative government, including with the meaningful participation of women and minority groups," they said.

Ensure safe evacuation

The leaders of the Group of Seven nations said that their 'immediate priority' is to ensure the safe evacuation of their citizens and those Afghans who have partnered with them and assisted their efforts over the past twenty years. "We will continue to coordinate closely on this, and we expect all parties to continue to facilitate this, and to ensure the safety of humanitarian and medical personnel, and other international service providers. We will cooperate together, and with neighbouring and other countries in the region hosting refugees, on a coordinated approach to safe and legal routes for resettlement," the leaders said.

ALSO READ | CIA director met Taliban leader in Afghanistan on Monday: Reports
New Delhi: Since the US pull out and the Talibans sudden takeover, Afghanistan has been one of the most discussed topics on the internet. In fact, Afghanistan has never been searched as much worldwide as it is being now in the history of Google Trends.

The graph for the search term Afghanistan on Google Trends shows a sharp spike as it hits August 2021. The years preceding it, going as far back as 2004, show a very stable slope with slight spikes emerging in October 2019.

Heres a screenshot of the Google Trends data:

Similarly, the search term Taliban was also most searched in recent times since the crisis began than ever before.

Several countries around the world are putting in efforts to evacuate their people as well as Afghans in the backdrop of the Taliban coming to power. The evacuation process is being led by the US, which is overseeing the operations at the Kabul airport.

The Taliban had given a deadline of August 31 to complete the evacuation and the US has agreed to it.

The sudden developments in the war-torn country have shocked the entire world. Global organizations such as the UNSC and G7 have held emergency meetings over the issue.

Several harrowing pictures have emerged from Afghanistan in recent times showing people putting their lives on the line to get out of the country, fearing the Talian terror.

Read more about Taliban here: Taliban's History

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Ottawa: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that Canada will keep its military personnel in Afghanistan despite US President Joe Biden`s commitment for August 31 troops withdrawal deadline in the war-ravaged country.

"Our commitment to Afghanistan doesn`t end when this current phase, this current deadline comes. We will continue to put pressure on the Taliban to allow people to leave the country," Trudeau said, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We`re going to continue to work every single day to get as many people out alongside our allies. The commitment by our fellow G7 nations is clear: we`re all going to work together to save as many people as possible," Trudeau added.

Trudeau`s remarks came after the Tuesday virtual summit of G7 leaders who met to discuss whether an extension of the American military commitment to Afghanistan is needed for evacuating all foreign nationals and vulnerable Afghans who helped the Americans and the NATO allies before the country`s recent fall to the Taliban.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the urgent summit to discuss the evacuation crisis and plot longer-term engagement with Afghanistan`s Taliban leaders, as well as deal with the humanitarian crisis for refugees.

Canada is one of the allied countries taking part in the evacuation of people from Kabul`s chaotic airport, which American-led forces have secured for the time being.

A Canadian military plane departed Kabul with over 500 evacuees on board on Monday, Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said in a tweet. "Canadian evacuation flights will continue for as long as conditions permit."

Before the summit, Trudeau said the return of the Taliban would have to prompt a broader rethinking of Canada`s aid spending in Afghanistan.

"That is absolutely something we`re looking at right now, obviously, with the Taliban in control of the country. Our regular aid, investments and agencies need to be looked at carefully to make sure we are not supporting, indirectly, the Taliban," Trudeau said.

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New Delhi: The Taliban met with a Chinese delegation in Kabul and discussed the security of the Chinese embassy and diplomats, the current situation in Afghanistan, bilateral relations and humanitarian aid by China.

A press statement released by the Taliban read: "A delegation under the supervision of Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Emirate, met with the Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yi and his accompanying delegation in Kabul."

Meanwhile, China expressed its reservations over imposing penalties on Taliban, saying the US and its allies should learn lessons from the past and act prudently. The remarks came ahead of the G7 meet.

While, at the UN Human Rights Council the Chinese envoy said that the US army and the militaries of its coalition partners should be held accountable for rights violations allegedly committed in Afghanistan.

"Under the banner of democracy and human rights the U.S. and other countries carry out military interventions in other sovereign states and impose their own model on countries with vastly different history and culture," Chen said, adding that this had inflicted 'great suffering'," Chinese Ambassador Chen Xu said.

The Taliban had seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the US deadline for complete troop withdrawal after waging a war that lasted for nearly 20 years.

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New Delhi: Former Afghanistan minister Syed Ahmad Shah Sadat is serving as a pizza delivery person in Germany's Leipzig. The pictures of Sadat, who is an Oxford University alumnus, are doing rounds on the internet on his bike delivering pizza. He served as the communications and technology minister in Afghanistan.

The pictures were posted by Al-Jazeera Arabia on Twitter on Tuesday (August 24).

Sadat was a part of now-former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani's cabinet in 2018, but resigned from his post in 2020 due to differences, as per The Hindustan Times. He left Afghanistan and later shifted to Germany in December last year.

According to Sky News, Sadat confirmed it was his pictures and said he took a job as a food delivery professional for German company Livrando after his money ran out. He told the channel that his story will serve as a "catalyst" to change the way high-ranking people live their lives in Asia and the Arab world.

The former Afghan minister has two master's degrees in communications and electronic engineering from Oxford University. He worked for over 20 years in the field of communications with more than 20 companies, across 13 countries, including Saudi Arabia, for Aramco and the Saudi Telecom Company. He also served as CEO of Ariana Telecom in London from 2016 until 2017. He worked as a technical advisor to Afghanistan's communication and information technology ministry from 2005 to 2013.

Speaking on the recent developments in Afghanistan, Sadat told Sky News he never expected the civilian government to fall so quickly. The Taliban took over the national capital Kabul on August 15, following which President Ashraf Ghani fled the nation. Many countries have been evacuating their nationals as well as Afghan civilians desperate to leave the nation since the Taliban wrested power in the war-torn nation.
New Delhi: In a significant development, Tajikistan has drawn a clear red line on the Taliban and said that Dushanbe will not recognize a government formed through oppression. The point was made during Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Pakistan Foreign minister SM Qureshi's meeting.

Tajikistan President Rahmon said, "Tajikistan will not recognize any other government that is formed in this country through oppression, without taking into account the position of the entire Afghan people, especially all its minorities" and "stressed that Tajiks have a worthy place in the future government of Afghanistan", according to the readout on state media Khovar.

During the meeting, the Tajik President pointed, Evidence clearly shows that the Taliban are abandoning their previous promises to form an interim government with the broad participation of other political forces in the country and are preparing to establish an Islamic Emirate."

The comments carry weight given Tajikistan shares land border with Afghanistan and is directly impacted by instability in the country. Tajiks are also one of the main ethnicities of Afghanistan, along with Pashtuns, Uzbeks, Hazaras.

"Strongly condemning all forms of lawlessness, murder, looting, and persecution of the Afghan people, especially Tajiks, Uzbeks, and other national minorities", President emphasized it is "necessary to establish an inclusive government with the participation of all national minorities, especially Tajiks in Afghanistan, who make up more than 46% of the population".

Tajikistan has been worried over the developments in Afghanistan, and this has been the main focus during various Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meetings it has hosted. It will host the SCO heads of level meeting next month as the chair of the grouping.

Rahmon explained during the talks with Pakistan FM, "The dangerous situation that has developed in Afghanistan..is not only the problem of the Afghan people, but also one of the most pressing regional and global issues". He added, "Talibans rise to power has further complicated the geopolitical process in the region."

Rahmon also warned that the international communitys "indifference to the current situation in Afghanistan could lead to a protracted civil war."

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KABUL: Afghanistans "acting" President Amrullah Saleh has made sensational claims that the Taliban restrengthened itself with the financial aid it received from Pakistan. Saleh also squarely blamed the Imran Khan government in Pakistan for helping the Taliban fool the international community by participating in Doha talks.

The former top spy alleged that while the US was negotiating the transition and withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban used that time to shore up military powers and regroup themselves.

Saleh made these allegations while speaking to a news channel during which he said that the entire Pakistan government was at the service to Taliban.

He said that its apparent that there was no pressure on the Taliban and they used Pakistan as their support base. Saleh further claimed that Doha talks legitimised the Taliban but they did not honour their commitment and fooled the entire international community.

Talking about the security situation at the Panjshir Valley, Saleh said that he and Ahmad Massoud are leading an armed resistance against the Taliban there. "It's an area which has an exceptional reputation,'' Saleh said.

Saleh had highlighted the dire "humanitarian situation" in Andarab Valley of the northern Baghlan province and accused the Taliban of committing human rights violations in the region.

Adding a new twist to the current turmoil in Afghanistan, the former vice president of the war-ravaged nation had recently vowed that he will never ever bow to the Taliban.

Saleh took to Twitter and said, "I will never, ever & under no circumstances bow to d Talib terrorists. I will never betray d soul & legacy of my hero Ahmad Shah Masoud, the commander, the legend & the guide. I won't disappoint millions who listened to me. I will never be under one ceiling with Taliban. NEVER."

Salehs tweet hours after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left Kabul to avoid bloodshed. Taliban, which has seized control of major Afghan provincial capitals, including Kabul, is currently negotiating a peaceful transfer of power with the outgoing Afghan government.

Targeting Islamabad, Saleh had said that Afghanistan is too big for Pakistan to swallow and too big for the Taliban to govern.

In a social media post, Saleh tweeted, "Nations must respect the rule of law, not violence. Afghanistan is too big for Pakistan to swallow and too big for Talibs to govern. Don't let your histories have a chapter on humiliation and bowing to terror groups."

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Mexico City: Five members of an all-girl Afghan robotics team arrived in Mexico on Tuesday (August 25) evening, fleeing an uncertain future at home after the recent collapse of the US-backed government and takeover by the Taliban militant group. "We give you the warmest welcome to Mexico," Martha Delgado Undersecretary for Multilateral and Human Rights at the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the women as she greeted them during a news conference at Mexico City's airport.

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan last week as the United States and its allies withdrew troops from the country. The White House and US allies are racing to complete the evacuation of all foreigners and vulnerable Afghans before the expiry of an August 31 deadline agreed with the Taliban, US President Joe Biden said this week.

The team, made up of girls and women as young as 14, has been heralded for winning international awards for its robots and started work in March on an open-source, low-cost ventilator as the coronavirus pandemic hit the war-torn nation. The Taliban, which previously barred girls from schools and women from working when they ruled Afghanistan in the late 1990s, has promised to prioritize women's rights and girls' education.

Mexico has pledged to aid Afghan women and girls. Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Twitter on Aug. 18 that the country had begun "processing of the first refugee applications of Afghan citizens, especially women and girls who have requested it," with the aid of Guillermo Puente Ordorica, Ambassador of Mexico in Iran.

Tuesday's safe arrival in Mexico was made possible by an "extensive international effort and coordination from a group of volunteers" who helped the girls, according to a volunteer who requested anonymity for fear of the safety of the families that remain under Taliban control. Other members of the robotics team landed in Qatar in recent days.
Without any hesitation, a leader of the current Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, unabashedly admitted Pakistan military's close ties with the Taliban and even said that the Taliban will help Pakistan to win Kashmir.

Neelam Irshad Sheikh, a senior leader of the PTI, the Prime Minister Imran Khan's political party, did not even try to hide their anti-India objective in the video that has now gone viral. While taking part in a TV news debate, Sheikh said that Pakistan and Taliban will work together for Kashmir. "The Taliban are saying that they are with us and they will help us in Kashmir," Sheikh said during the show.

Reportedly, the Taliban had mentioned that Kashmir is India's internal and bilateral issues. Watch the video here:

#PTI leader Neelam Irshad Sheikh: Taliban have announced that they will join hands with Pakistan to liberate Kashmir. pic.twitter.com/MfC7mQ6lLh  SAMRI (@SAMRIReports) August 23, 2021

Sheikh's comments, before it could shock the viewers, ruffled even the news anchor. The anchor was seen saying, "Do you realise what you've said, Madam? You are completely unaware of what you have said. For God's sake ma'am, this show will be broadcast all over the world. In India, this will be seen." But Sheikh was not to be daunted and commented that the Taliban were mistreated and that's why they will "help us".

Pakistan's connection with the Taliban have been under scanner. Earlier, the Afghan government had accused Pakistan and its intelligence arm of aiding and abetting the Taliban.

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New Delhi: The trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan has grown by 50 per cent in the previous week following the Taliban's capture of Afghan borders and dry ports. According to local media sources, Afghanistan's chamber of commerce and industry reported that trade had increased between the two countries, despite the difficulties in transit.

Deputy of the chamber Khan Jan Alokozai said because of the closure of banks the problems in the transit sector are still visible but the exports of Afghanistan and imports of Pakistan have seen a rise. Meanwhile, members of Afghanistan`s chamber of commerce and investment also met with the members of the Taliban on Monday, August 23, and shared the problems of the private sector and the Taliban assured to solve them.

Iran has also said that the export of gas and oil has been increased after the Taliban asked the country to. Spokesperson of Afghanistan Islamic Emirate AIE Zabiullah Mujahid in a gathering on Monday said that they are focused on the economic situation and are working hard to implement the schemes they have prepared.

In a rare move, AIE`s commission for economic and financial affairs has directed the customs not to allow the export of metals until another announcement.

The commission said that foreign countries are paying less money for the metal while internal factories and companies need them in large quantities.
Washington: The people who are have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 are 29 times more at risk of hospitalisation, a new study by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said.

The new study showed that among people not vaccinated the risk of infection was 4.9 times while hospitalisation was 29.2 times.

The study was published in the CDCs Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Tuesday (August 24).

"These infection and hospitalisation rate data indicate that authorised vaccines were protective against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe Covid-19 during a period when transmission of the Delta variant was increasing," the study said.

The research was based on 43,127 infections in residents of Los Angeles County, California between May 1 and July 25.

Among all county residents, hospitalisation rates increased "exponentially" among unvaccinated in late June, the agency said.

"Do not underestimate the risk and serious consequences of this virus," CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky said during a White House briefing. "Vaccines are the best tool we have to take charge of this pandemic, she added.

Till Monday, over 20 crore Americans that form or 60.8 per cent of the countrys population had received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. The government is urging its citizens to get vaccinated.

Also Read: COVID-19 booster shots not needed for now: WHO

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Singapore: While the rapid spread of the Delta variant and low vaccinations have caught much of Asia off-guard, no country shows more vividly than Vietnam how easily the highly infectious version of the coronavirus can foil strict containment policy.

Vietnam had successfully contained the coronavirus for most of last year but since April has been dealing with a large COVID-19 outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City, driven by the Delta.

Nearly all of its 370,000 COVID-19 cases have been detected since May and daily infections jumped above 10,000 for the first time this month, overloading hospitals in southern part of the country and raising case fatality rates.

"It is a very good example of a country left behind when all the wealthier countries of the world grabbed the vaccines first," said Dale Fisher, a senior infectious disease expert at the National University Hospital in Singapore.

"This disadvantage will only be exacerbated as those same countries engage a precautionary third dose, while countries like Vietnam struggle in single-digit vaccine rates."

Vietnam has fully inoculated just 2% of its 98 million people, among the lowest in Asia, as it opted for containment policy and did not rush to procure vaccines, which it deemed financially too risky due to a severe global shortage.

"If the vaccination rate remains too low not only could Vietnam overtake Indonesia (as the next epicentre) but also be at risk of selecting another variant which is more likely in the unvaccinated population," said Roger Lord, a senior medical sciences lecturer at Australian Catholic University.

As the Delta variant has upended all assumptions about the virus, Vietnam, a key part of global supply chain for such brands as Samsung and Nike, is now scrambling to secure more vaccines.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent a letter to the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday and urged its vaccine sharing programme COVAX to prioritize Vietnam "in the fastest manner and with the largest volume possible."

Its slow vaccination drive was also impacted by Vietnam`s procurement plan, contrasting with many of its neighbours which heavily relied on China for supplies due to limited access to Western shots.

Vietnam, where anti-China feeling runs strong, has received just around 2.7 million vaccines from China. By contrast, Cambodia, Laos and Indonesia, have managed to keep vaccination rates higher by relying on supplies from Beijing.

At a meeting with Chinh on Tuesday, the Chinese ambassador said it would donate 2 million more doses of its vaccines, just a day before the U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced a plan to offer 1 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines.

Amid the slow delivery of vaccines, Vietnam has introduced lockdowns and mobilised troops to restrict movements in Ho Chi Minh City, an elimination strategy also adopted by Australia with limited success so far.

"When case numbers become very high and presumably due to the Delta variant they (stringent lockdowns) become significantly less effective and make contract tracing very difficult," Lord said.

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President Joe Biden on Tuesday (August 24) stuck by his plan to remove the nearly 6,000 US troops from Afghanistan by the end of August, contingent on whether the Taliban cooperates to allow the evacuation of more Americans and their Afghan allies. Biden announced a plan in April to withdraw 2,500 US troops who were still in Afghanistan after a 20-year war, but was forced to send thousands more back to evacuate those at risk as the US-backed government and military quickly collapsed.

The chaotic and perilous evacuation from Kabul airport that ensued has unleashed a wave of criticism and presented Biden with his biggest crisis since taking office in January.

What happens next?

US officials say the troop withdrawal must begin no later than Friday (August 27) to be completed by August 31 and it will take several days. The troops at Kabul airport include Marines and paratroopers. As they pack up their equipment and withdraw, the pace of evacuations by US and allied forces - which reached 20,000 a day this week - will inevitably slow.

How many people can be evacuated by the deadline?

Since August 14, more than 70,000 people, including American citizens, NATO personnel and Afghans at risk, have been evacuated from Kabul, Biden said on Tuesday. Biden has said the United States will evacuate any U.S. citizen who wants to leave and officials have said they will evacuate as many at-risk Afghans as possible. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the Pentagon believes it has the ability to get all Americans who want to leave out by Aug. 31 and U.S. officials say 4,000 Americans have been evacuated so far, but they do not know how many are still in the country, as not all registered with the U.S. embassy. The Pentagon has also committed to evacuate the roughly 500 Afghan soldiers who have been helping to protect Kabul airport.

Despite the current pace of evacuation, which has involved dozens of military transport planes from the United States and around the world, many thousands of Afghans who officials and advocacy groups say face potential retribution at the hands of the Taliban, will not be able to leave by Biden's deadline.

What happens to those left behind?

The Association of Wartime Allies, a refugee resettlement group, estimates 250,000 Afghans, including interpreters and drivers and other workers who helped the US effort, need to be evacuated, but only 62,000 have left since July.

The State Department says the aim is to help at-risk Afghans leave even after the troop withdrawal and that Washington will put pressure on the Taliban to ensure they are able to do so.

"What does not end when the military mission ends is our commitment to at-risk Afghans," State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday. "We will hold the Taliban to this; the rest of the world will as well  that individuals who seek to leave after the US military is gone will have an opportunity to do so."

What leverage does the US have?

One of the biggest questions the Biden administration and like-minded governments face is whether to recognize the government the Taliban establishes. This would have important consequences, including as to whether the Taliban will have access to the foreign aid relied upon by previous Afghan governments. A 2020 agreement signed by the former Trump administration explicitly states that the Taliban "is not recognized by the United States as a state," but there are already signs Washington will have to talk to the Islamist militant group on some issues, such as counter-terrorism.

CIA Director William Burns met Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on Monday in the highest level official encounter since the group took over Kabul on August 15. US officials say the Taliban opposes groups like Islamic State and U.S. diplomats and commanders have been in contact with Taliban officials throughout the evacuation.

What about the humanitarian crisis?

The United States, its allies and the United Nations will have to decide how to deal with a looming humanitarian disaster. The UN says more than 18 million people - over half of Afghanistan's population - require aid and half of all Afghan children under the age of five already suffer from acute malnutrition amid the second drought in four years. The World Health Organization says it has only enough supplies in Afghanistan to last a week after deliveries were blocked by restrictions at Kabul airport and it is concerned the upheaval will push up coronavirus infections.

The Taliban have assured the UN it can pursue humanitarian work, but the world body will insist on women's rights and access to all civilians.

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NEW YORK: Concerned over the chaotic situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, the World Bank has stopped financial aid to the war-torn Islamic country.

The World Bank said that it is "deeply concerned" about the situation there after the Taliban seized power and especially the prospects for women, a bank spokesperson was quoted as saying by international news agencies.

World Bank 'deeply concerned,' pauses aid to Afghanistan: AFP news agency quoting an official  ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2021

"We have paused disbursements in our operations in Afghanistan and we are closely monitoring and assessing the situation," the official said.

The World Bank currently has over two dozen development projects in Afghanistan and it has provided financial assistance of USD 5.3 billion since 2002, mostly in grants.

Before this, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had blocked operations in Afghanistan, which include an existing USD 370 million loan programme, as well as USD 340 million that Kabul was due to receive from Monday's release of Special Drawing Rights (SDR).

The situation worsened in the war-torn country after the US pulled out its troops and the Taliban dramatically took over the presidential palace in Kabul, leading President Ashraf Ghani to flee to Saudi Arabia.

US President Joe Biden has decided not to extend his August 31 deadline for completing the US-led evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies from Afghanistan.

Biden made the decision after consultation with his national security team. Weighing the risks of keeping forces on the ground beyond the deadline, he opted to complete the mission by next Tuesday, which was the deadline he set well before the Taliban completed its takeover of Afghanistan on August 15.

Biden has also asked his national security team to create contingency plans in case a situation arose for which the deadline needed to be extended slightly.

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